Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 409 Daily life
730
boom!
Benson and Melissa ran back to their home in Hillston and closed the door tightly.

Melissa leaned against the door, holding onto the shoe cabinet in the entrance hall as she slowly changed her shoes. She was still a little shocked: “Did you hear that? The sound of artillery shells and thunder. The Emperor was assassinated while giving a speech!”

"There are guards all around the platform. I saw the traces. Benson, is there going to be another fight?"

The bombing, the casualties, Melissa wanted to tremble uncontrollably.

These two things reminded her of the sudden bombing of Loen by Feysac's airship troops a few months ago, and the life in the shelter that lasted for a whole morning. After that, it was finally peaceful for two months. Now that the emperor is dead, is the war going to start again?
"Mrs. Daniel's eldest son, Larry, was confirmed to have been killed on the front line of the Amanda Mountains. The news came last week..."

"That tall, shy, but attentive, kind, and sincere young man? When he came back last time, he said he was promoted in the army and became a lieutenant..." Benson recalled Larry's appearance without much effort.

He moved closer, hugged Melissa gently, patted her back, and soothed her.

"I remember we saw Mrs. Daniel this morning. If Larry can hold on for a few more days, he can wait until the Feysac Empire declares a ceasefire and retreats from the border of the Amanda Mountains. Maybe he can return to his family..."

Melissa nodded:
"I also can't imagine Larry dying like this..."

Just as she couldn't imagine that the bombing came so suddenly, death was so close at hand, and in the blink of an eye, her classmates suffered heavy casualties.

In just a few seconds, some people could no longer speak, communicate, or read.

Benson was silent for a moment, then sighed and said:
"I was very busy for a while before, actually I was dealing with the pension issue. Maybe Larry was not included in the list I was assigned to, so I'm not sure. It's only in the past week or so that I finally have some free time."

"The list came with a lot of information. Some were cheerful and enthusiastic, some were humorous, some were the only son of their parents, some joined the army to survive, some were resolute and were leaders of the soldiers around them, some were newly married and had no children, some were preparing gifts for their little daughters, and some were carrying a love letter and were going to the post office to deliver it after the battle... These would not be written in the archives, but their belongings and unsent letters and gifts would be sent back. They were all dead."

Melissa and Benson were both silent, and no one spoke for a long time.

Boom!

Thunder sounded outside the window and rain gradually fell.

The two were startled by the thunder. Benson's chest rose and fell violently, and the brother and sister shivered together in the dull thunder outside the window. But as an older brother, he took a deep breath, quickly calmed himself down, and gently patted Melissa's back to comfort her:
"…Don't worry too much, Melissa."

"It seems that we have bad luck. In the past year in Backlund, we have encountered things that only happen once every few decades."

"Besides, you have to go to school and I have to go to work. Our lives have just started to get back on track... We can't leave Backlund. Besides, if even the capital is not safe, there is no other safe place in the world."

Benson smiled bitterly and made a joke, then took off his shirt, took his sister's scarf, and put them together on the hanger in the corner.

He walked to the window and looked out. The sky outside was gloomy, but it was not yet ten o'clock. Because of George Augustus III's speech, everyone had a half-day break today, and there was still a long time before the afternoon work time. In addition, the emperor's assassination incident made him and Melissa feel a little uneasy. They felt that there seemed to be danger everywhere outside and did not want to go out at all.

Benson tried hard to liven up the atmosphere. He walked to the kitchen, took out two sets of tableware, and rummaged through the cabinets:

"Let's discuss what to eat for lunch. Let me see. We still have... bread, eggs, ham and cheese at home. Um, they are all fresh. We will have a delicious and simple lunch. Melissa, what do you usually eat in the school cafeteria?"

"Bread and juice..." Melissa whispered.

“Is that all you’re going to eat? Melissa, we have student subsidies, so you can eat more.” Benson said, holding two eggs.

Melissa glanced at her brother and replied simply:
"Bread has gone up another quarter a penny a pound."

"These prices..." Benson sighed and smiled to himself, "Look at the bright side. Our country has grown bigger, and the war on the border has stopped. Maybe the prices will go down soon."

Melissa changed her shoes, walked into the house, put on a warm coat, and took off her heavy coat:
"Mrs. Thomas was ill, and the family spent a lot of their savings. During this period, food prices have risen a lot, and Mr. Thomas's income has not changed much. He had to line up at the relief center every few days to get some bread. He is a respectable gentleman and probably doesn't want to be recognized by others."

"Also, the food at the relief center is always limited. If you go too late, it may be gone. You have to go to the church, the poorhouse, and other places to apply for additional food. Today, the relief will start when His Majesty the King finishes his speech. Mr. Thomas should think about going there directly at that time."

Benson nodded slowly and asked with concern:
"What's wrong with Mrs. Thomas? I know some good doctors."

"Anxiety-induced illness." Melissa said what she had heard. "Mrs. Thomas is very worried about her youngest son who is serving in the military."

"You mean little Thomas?" Benson frowned slightly.

After getting an affirmative answer from his sister, he fell silent, as if he was thinking about something.

After a while, Benson looked at the bread and cheese slices in his hands and whispered:

"Little Thomas has died..."

As he spoke, the atmosphere became heavy again.

Benson patted his head and sighed, "Yes, food. We should stock up more food. I'll go out and buy some more bread and share some with Mr. Thomas. You just stay at home and read a book. Maybe the price of bread will come down soon."

Maybe. Melissa thought, “It’s too early to eat now.”

"You can prepare first. You can read a book first and eat early. You still have time to take a nap at noon."

Melissa couldn't argue with him, so she just nodded silently.

Seeing her elder brother busy in the kitchen, she couldn't help but change into home clothes and walked over, took the textbooks she needed from the bookshelf, sat down at the dining table, and prepared to study while waiting for lunch time.

Melissa looked up inadvertently and saw a crow standing on a lamppost not far from the living room window, hiding from the rain under the lampshade.

"Go, go."

She waved her hand from a distance, trying to drive it away, but the crow remained unmoved and just stared at her with its bright black eyes.

……

Rain with divine power fell on every corner of Backlund, and a heavy rainstorm even broke out in the suburbs, constantly diluting the mark of "distortion" and the inappropriate influence of mysticism.

Gad II strolled through the Sodrak Palace. He led the members of the Church of the Storm and pushed open door after door, but found nothing.

"It's really scary..."

The majestic Pope looked around and whispered:

"There is not a single person left in the entire Augustus family."

"They were all gathered together, and after the ceremony began, they were eaten by the person who usurped the emperor's identity!"

The Archbishop stationed in Backlund and the administrator of the Holy Wind Cathedral, Raydar Valentine, immediately stepped forward and respectfully asked the Pope:
"Your Majesty, should we immediately announce the actions of this false usurper? Let the police wake up."

"This is inevitable." Gad II nodded, "God also doesn't want this despicable usurper to escape."

"Yes, sir!" All the Storm Path Extraordinaries responded in a loud voice.

Raydar Valentine coughed lightly, then he moved closer and whispered:
"There is one more thing. Your Majesty, His Majesty George Augustus III has died. The one who stole the crown has been sealed in the mausoleum by the Lord. The entire royal family has been destroyed. The throne of the empire is vacant. Should we... elect the next emperor?"

Gad II glanced over suddenly, and the archbishop took two steps back as if struck by lightning.

"How dare you!" the Pope shouted, but he did not refute. "How can you be so presumptuous as to comment on state affairs? Leave!"

Raydar Valentine immediately lowered his head and stepped back, returning to the crowd.

The inspection was still going on, but the atmosphere in the Sodrak Palace became unusually subtle. The bishops exchanged glances with each other, then looked at the Pope who was walking in the front, and smiled smugly with tacit understanding.

……

Edward found a coastal city in the northern continent to stay. He went to a newsstand and bought a whole month's worth of newspapers. After sitting outside the store and studying for five minutes, he finally understood the current situation. "The Demon of Knowledge has appeared?"

"In the past two months, Intis has gone from my territory to the territory of the Demon of Knowledge. God doesn't care about it, but the Church of the Creator is doing well now. Although I'm not very familiar with it, maybe I can find time to say hello..."

The newsstand owner poked his head out and said:

"Yes, our church has officially changed its name to the Mystery Church, believing in the Lord of Knowledge and Mysteries."

Edward felt like he had a lot to complain about:
“Isn’t this name a bit too sloppy? It sounds like the God of Knowledge and Wisdom 2.0 is competing for power with the God of Truth next door. Oh, or is it because the term ‘truth’ was taken away by the God of Thunder first, so He doesn’t know how to say it?”

"What does rob... mean?" The Sequence 9 newsstand owner didn't quite understand what the customer who was helping him clear out the unsold newspaper stock was talking about, but the street was empty and there was no business, so he simply leaned on the window of the newsstand and chatted with Edward.

"The name was just decided two days ago. If it's not decided, we believers won't know how to pray."

Edward flipped the newspaper back. The unimportant pages were full of missing persons notices and job openings. Due to the sharp decline in the population of Intis, the unemployment rate had dropped to the bottom. However, the factory was unable to start operations due to the lack of labor. For the time being, it could only rely on the church's relief and attracting immigrants to barely survive. He scanned the newspaper and asked casually:
"You just subconsciously clicked the triangular holy emblem. You seem to be a believer of the God of Steam."

"I wonder what a former believer of the God of Steam and Machinery like you thinks of the believers converting to another god?"

The newsstand owner looked at Him in a daze, and looked Him up and down:

"Are you a reporter?"

"No, I'm just curious."

"The Inquisition is not taking care of this matter now, so why do you want to? Then which god do you believe in?"

This was a question that really caught people's attention. Edward was about to speak but stopped, and he organized his words. In an instant, he thought countless times -

In Intis, he couldn't say that he was a believer of the gods of other countries, let alone that he believed in the Abyss or the Bound God... Otherwise, he would be arrested and taken to the Inquisition (if this industry and these professionals had not been washed away by the flood). But Edward couldn't say that he was a believer of the Creator. This was because he was afraid that his relationship with God was not close enough. He suddenly smiled:
"Praise the sun!"

The newsstand owner sneered loudly: "Praise the sun! But doesn't the sun also return to the Creator? What are you thinking? Do you feel sad? Don't you still have to continue to believe in God and continue to live?"

"I used to be a member of the Steam Church, a member of the lowest level 'Mechanical Heart' team, and I didn't receive much favor from the gods. But the Lord of Mysteries saved me during the tsunami, and I had no choice but to convert, and it was only natural."

He boasted a bit about the fact that he was an extraordinary person, expecting the person in front of him to show an expression of surprise and respect.

"Oh, you are still a member of the Beyonder team."

Edward looked at the plain-looking newsstand owner with surprise. "I see that the coastal waters are polluted and the farmlands are flooded. Is the livelihood of Intis now entirely supported by the productivity of the church?"

"Yes..." The newsstand owner seemed to be reminded. He quickly glanced at the clock and hurriedly pulled down the window glass.

Then, a series of dong dong dong sounds were heard, and the newsstand owner closed all the doors and windows of the newsstand. Then he picked up the basket and called Edward to walk away together: "There are only eight minutes left before the relief point will distribute food. Aren't you going?"

"I-I'm not in a hurry."

Edward glanced to the side.

The newsstand owner didn't say much, nor did he lock the newsstand. He just ran away.

Edward looked to the side again. A middle-aged scholar with gray hair appeared there at some point. His purple eyes looked like a condensed nebula or the finest amethyst. Edward thought for a moment and turned his head.

"Welcome me or chase me away?"

The middle-aged scholar smiled and said in Chinese: "I saw you over there."

Edward opened his eyes slightly and asked curiously:
"The seal blocked the connection between me and my clone. What did I do over there?"

"He did some very strange things." The middle-aged scholar talked eloquently, as if he was talking about one of his troublesome students. "The disciple you manipulated successfully entered the sect, and said that he would return to secular life in the future, so he did not shave his head. In order to become stronger, he abused your power. I asked him to dig 30 kilograms of ore, but he dug half a mountain and came back. I asked him to discuss Buddhism, but he handed in a blank paper and said that the four elements are empty. When he was criticized, he was eloquent and unforgiving. He made a big splash in everything. Not only did he always get first place in the exams, but no one could beat him in debating and discussing Buddhism. He was at the peak of his career - he also persuaded two guardian arhats to let him gain enlightenment again, and his promotion was very fast."

"..." Edward felt a little subtle, "Oh, that's good. But what does this have to do with you and me? Did I offend you?"

"No."

The middle-aged and elderly scholar smiled again:
"I have something I want to ask you - what do you think of Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun's resurrection plan?"

"You have never been to the Western Continent, but I think that kid is very interesting. Maybe you can try to support him..."

Edward was horrified: "Wait a minute, demon of knowledge, are you awake?"

……

"Then I'll take you here," said Richard.

Klein simulated the feeling of falling and landed steadily on the ground with both feet.

"Okay." While thanking him, he took out a "Yesterday Reappearance" charm from his pocket that had not been given away yet and handed it to Richard as a thank you gift. "Thank you for your help, otherwise Zaratul would not let me go so easily."

The charm is simple to make, but the help and kindness of the angels are not easy to obtain.

“Then I’ll accept it.” Richard was not polite at all. He said goodbye to Klein and walked back to the city, then entered the spirit world again.

Richard identified the direction and grabbed forward with all his strength.

In an instant, the colors of the area ahead suddenly became brighter, as if all the colors had gathered together, and were squeezed by external forces and began to rub and merge. Soon, a figure hidden in the mystical symbols had to emerge from the color block. It was Renette Tinicole who was holding four blond heads!
As soon as the messenger lady appeared, she immediately distanced herself from him, but the next moment she suddenly felt her own spirituality begin to lose control, turning into shackles and twisted power, binding her firmly in place, making her unable to move!

"Long time no see, Renette Tinicole. At least the last time I saw you was two or three years ago."

Renette remained silent, and all four heads kept their mouths tightly shut, both unwilling to answer and preparing to curse.

"You are a spiritual symbol and the backbone of the fleeing temperance faction. Little Sharon is simply not capable of shouldering the responsibility of rallying the remnants of the temperance faction. Ah, by the way, your contract partner told me that you have been asking him for gold pounds as a reward."

Richard couldn't help laughing:
"Blessed by the Bound God, Eternal Princess of the Highlands, I never thought you would lower yourself to accept commissions for money! That money is the current operating fund for the Temperance Faction and Little Sharon, right?"

"Little Sharon actually accepted the commission for money. It's hard to imagine what has changed you, but I'm very happy."

"Don't do anything to Sharon..."

One of Renette's heads began to speak, and four pairs of red eyes were fixed on the angel of temperance with a gentle smile in the distance, as if they were ready to fight to the death. As long as the other party showed any intention to attack, they would immediately curse him.

Richard stopped in front of Him and shook his head.

"I'll do it to all of you temperance people, especially you and your little Sharon, Renette."

"Take you back, subject you to labor reform and re-education, and let you join our new production plan. Other temperance members will naturally gradually come over. This is much more effective than arresting the remnants one by one!"

He couldn't help but imagine the work efficiency after an angel joined the infrastructure, with a devilish smile on his face.

TBC
------

Storm: I'm putting it this way, whoever has the ability to complete the ceremony can come.

Klein: I can't.

Xiaocha: The opportunity to become a god is right in front of me, but I am useless! Alas! Alas!
(End of this chapter)