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

Chapter 569: No One Seems to Have Done Anything Wrong
877
"Stronger than I thought... Just the remaining spirituality and aura are at least left by a Sequence 6."

The two Mandated Punishers certainly would not explain in detail the matter of the gold coin to an old man whose knowledge of Extraordinary was unknown, so they discussed it in front of the cart.

"This is very dangerous. There may be some conspiracy. Could this be a sign that some 'devil' is beginning to take action?"

The talisman in his hand dimmed in an instant. It could have lasted for more than two hours, but after "identifying" the devil's item, its spiritual power was exhausted in less than two minutes... The Punishers looked at each other with very nervous expressions.

They did not dare to touch the gold coin directly with their hands, and they did not know what kind of dangers and effects this item had. After discussing it in a low voice, they decided to put it together with the "Peace" talisman and return to the Holy Wind Cathedral as quickly as possible.

The man with lighter hair immediately asked, "Old man, who gave you this gold coin?"

The old man clutched his clothes tightly and stammered:

"Yes... yes... I went to sell goods this morning and met a kind gentleman. He bought half a bag of corn from me and gave me this gold coin."

The Mandated Punisher holding the gold coin blurted out:

"Don't you know how much corn one gold coin can buy? He must have his own purpose for giving you so much!"

One pound is enough to buy you whole! It was hard for the Punisher not to have contempt and disdain. Besides, only an adult worth more than 100,000 pounds would be willing to give away a gold pound to a foreign old man buying corn on the roadside, right?
"I...I..." The old man couldn't utter a complete sentence.

As he spoke, his eyes were still fixed on the gold coins, with complex emotions such as desire, guilt and anger flashing through his eyes. However, the other party's extraordinary strength and physique made him feel uncontrollably frightened, and he dared not do anything.

Half a bag of corn is worth a gold coin? The Punisher looked at the gold coin floating in the air, and then looked at the corn kernels in the old man's cart. His expression inevitably showed a trace of contempt and distrust.

Although this is a demon-related item, it is only attached with aura and some extraordinary abilities that they cannot detect. This gold coin has the king's portrait and is just an ordinary Rune gold pound.

As paper money became more popular, people gradually began to give up carrying large amounts of heavy gold and silver, but as long as the gold pound was linked to gold, there would definitely be people who would continue to use the gold coins issued by the state for transactions. Some businessmen, and many old-fashioned gentlemen, would carry one or two gold coins in a hidden place on their bodies in case of emergencies.

And using one gold pound to exchange for half a bag of corn is a scam no matter how you look at it!

But the old man obviously needed money, so he ignored the danger under the temptation of gold and his own desire.

The two Punishers looked at each other and were certain that the devil had given the gold coin to the old man, hoping that the old farmer who bought the corn would achieve some of his own goals. Although it seemed that the other party had not been hypnotized and brainwashed, nor had he been tainted with any devilish aura, the lighter-haired Punisher said in a voice that the old man could not hear:

"Do you want to take him back with you?"

The other person's lips moved slightly, and he used the wind to convey his words: "No, if the devil needs him, then we should immediately take the gold coins back to report, and then send someone to observe this old man carefully."

"Too."

The Punisher thought about it and agreed. After all, the Thunderbolt Church was now in a state of turmoil, and had successively incorporated the churches of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom and the Goddess of Night. Most of these members chose to work for another righteous god after crying. It was just a change of boss, and the content of his work did not change much - it was inevitable to cling to personal relationships and small groups, but any church would look at their character and sense of justice when selecting grassroots Beyonders, which also led to the Beyonders of the church often having a good reputation.

Even the "Made Punisher" who is generally recognized in the mysterious world as having a simple and rough style of doing things, his shortcomings are just that he is simple, rough and inhumane.

Seeing this, the two Punishers discussed it and decided to calm the other party down first to prevent any uncontrollable incidents.

There happened to be other merchants selling corn in this makeshift market. The light-haired Punisher walked around for a few steps, asked around, and then came back with a soothing smile to the old man:
"Old man, you must have been deceived. This gold coin will put you in great danger, so we must take it away."

The old man was silent.

He seemed to have gotten used to silence, powerlessness, and submission to powerful things and rules. Since he could not make any changes, he could only act submissive and humble, expecting the strong to treat him well.

"Two adults..."

But when he was starving, homeless and facing the possibility of death at any time, he still mustered up the courage and spoke humbly: "That was the income from selling corn. That was the only money I had..."

His attitude also put the two Punishers at ease, and the man continued:

"Well, it's okay. You don't have to worry too much. After all, this is your income from buying things, and we will give you some compensation. Let me buy all the remaining corn you have."

"You're going to pay for it yourself?" The colleague was surprised. He then grabbed the corn kernels and rubbed them in his hands, nodding his head. "It is indeed good corn from Feynaport. It is sweet and crispy, and is best used in cream soup. It can also add flavor to other foods and Feynaport noodles."

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope appeared on the old man's face.

"I just asked, the current market price of corn kernels is 5 pence a liter..."

The old man's cloudy eyes widened slightly. Even under the stern gaze of the Punisher, he still tried his best to squeeze out a weak breath from his throat like a dying man: "No! Feynapotter's corn is the best quality corn that can be produced in the entire northern continent. Even the southern continent is far inferior! Normally, you can buy it for 10 pence or even 1 soli..."

His voice became weaker and weaker under the gaze of the Punisher, and finally, these few short words exhausted his strength and courage.

The corn in your native Loen is dry and tough, and the corn fields are all abandoned. It is a crude food that can only be eaten after being ground into powder... How can it be compared with the high-quality crops that we have planted, improved, and blessed by the church for generations!

"But the current market price in Loen is 5 pence. This is stipulated in our law. If we allow a large amount of foreign food to disrupt our pricing, how will our farmers survive?"

"Your Feynaporte grain is of good quality to begin with, but now our grain merchants can't sell anything because of this!"

"This this……"

The old farmer tried to argue, but was speechless. He was dumbfounded by the words of the Punisher. He had never thought that the food and crops that his country was so proud of would one day be guilty because they were too good.

Didn't he buy his corn just now because it was of high quality? Was it his fault that it was of high quality now?

"Stop talking. Since you are in Loen, you must follow the Loen market price."

The Punisher spoke in a bad mood, and did not intend to raise the price. He directly reached out and grabbed the bag on the other person's cart, weighed it with his hand, and said, "Your corn is less than a liter, never mind, I'll charge you one liter." After that, he took the bag of corn and took out five coins from his pocket and put them in the cart in a friendly manner.

"Let's go," he said.

……

Because he was unwilling to lower his price to attract large purchases, he wandered the streets for three days before he was able to sell half of the corn he brought.

This morning, he mustered up the courage to strike up a conversation with someone who was obviously not supposed to be his customer. Although he felt insulted by the idea of ​​feeding his carefully cultivated crops to pigeons, his anger did not last long. This is the power of money.

If that were a sovereign—if that were a sovereign, there would be much that could be done.

Loen's gold pound was the most valuable currency in the northern continent. He could first have a good meal and spend the gold pounds, then find a cheap hotel to sleep. After resting up, he could return to the outskirts of Loen, go to the vacant wasteland that was originally planted with crops, and give a few soles to the person in charge of dividing the land. In this way, he could get food and accommodation arranged by the church like everyone else, and a piece of land where he could temporarily depend on for survival.

And after that, he will have more than ten soles left in his hands, which is a huge sum of money!
He would save the money, hide it under his bed, sew it into his clothes, and occasionally take out a little to buy himself a good meal.

As an old man, he had to do this. He had no relatives or friends to worry about, so he could only save money for himself and donate it to the church to have a peaceful soul and funeral. To die peacefully in the small window of the church where he had believed in God since he was a child, and to go to the kingdom of God with the blessings and songs of priests and pastors, this was the best thing he could think of.

Before that, he planned to sell the remaining half bag of corn - the gentleman asked him to feed the pigeons, and of course he was reluctant to do so. So he took his precious gold pound and corn to the small market in the East District.

Then the pound and the corn disappeared, leaving only five pennies lying at the bottom of his wheelbarrow. Five pennies?

He stared blankly at the five coins in the car. His brain seemed to be rusty. A lot of emotions and thoughts were mixed together, and he couldn't think at all.

5p? What can you do with 5p?
Even the most humble food, rye bread mixed with sawdust, now costs 9 pence a pound! He can only barely eat a meal with 5 pence, and then he loses all his money and belongings. It is difficult for a farmer of his age to get a job even if he helps transport goods.

He was an obvious Feynapote, and therefore it was difficult for him to get food relief from the church.

He could only go to the East End, and sooner or later he would lose his cart, either because he was hungry and sold it for a penny or two, or because he was too hungry to protect his property and it was taken away by others... When this last property was taken away, what would he have left? He had nothing left but his worthless soul and life, and his clothes and teeth would be worth more than his soul.

By then, will the kind-hearted mother find that a farmer who had worked silently on the land of a fertile country all his life had starved to death quietly in a corner of a foreign country?

"Gentlemen!"

He shouted desperately at the backs of the two tall sailors:

"One soule! Please, give me one soule!"

"Ten pennies! Ten pennies--"

The two sailors ignored them and continued walking forward while talking.

The people around him looked at him with a mixture of pity, envy and helplessness. No one dared to catch up with him, and no one dared to speak for him.

Suddenly, boundless anger rose in his heart - the anger was born out of his despair. He clenched his fists tightly, and this strong yet thin body suddenly gained strength because of his anger and despair. Blue veins appeared on the back of his hands - after the anger, a terrifying idea suddenly appeared in his mind like lightning.

No, actually this is not the first time it has happened.

When his family members died, when the church was unable to do anything, when he was forced to leave his homeland, when he was driven away because he could not afford the bribe... this thought came to his mind again and again, but he lowered his head again and again. He was like everyone else in this world, believing that things would turn out well, that he was powerless, and that he could always find a way to survive with his own hands.

To this end, I kept deceiving myself and became more and more weak and pitiful, but "good things" never happened.

This time, the thought was like a light in the darkness that could not be ignored, like a wildfire burning in the wasteland, and it seemed to emphasize: "You have been robbed of everything."

……

"Let's go faster."

The Punisher with lighter hair spoke up, saying that the investigation mission had been completed and there was no need for them to stay outside any longer. What if the gold coin had undergone any abnormal changes before being sent to the church, wouldn’t they both be in trouble?
But his companion was obviously in a good mood, and no longer as anxious and nervous as at the beginning. He looked back and forth in this small poor market, looking at these worthless little things, and laughed: "I can't wait to drink the cream of mushroom soup made by my wife, and add these fresh corns to it."

"It's less than a liter. One soli is a bit high, but six or seven pence should be about right?"

"But I only brought 5 pence." The Mandated Punisher shrugged. "I'm just out here to do a mission. Why would I bring so much money? I'm usually on duty for a long time, and my salary is basically given to my..."

Blood suddenly burst out from his head. The metal cart was swung up with incredible force and hit him heavily on the back of his head. The iron sheet directly cut the back of his neck.

Bang!

With a loud bang, the cart fell to the ground, the wheels flew off, and it was completely broken into a pile of scrap metal, causing a scream.

Behind him, the old farmer stood in the distance, panting, his eyes full of crazy hatred.

The punisher had no time to struggle. The "phantom scales" on his body failed to block the dying attack of an old man. He fell face down, and red liquid quickly gathered under his face.

The lighter-haired Punisher opened his mouth wide. It was not that he had never experienced sudden attacks before, but he had never seen such behavior. His companion had almost no chance to resist and his life or death was unknown. Subconsciously, he thought it was the power of the devil. A wind blade flew out of his hand and left a fatal wound on the neck of the old farmer who was still standing there.

Ding-dang! The gold coins fell to the ground, stained with bright red blood, leaving a long trail of blood.

Finally, it fell over, its bloody back side facing up.

TBC
------

Audrey didn't leave the Cathedral of Light until noon.

The priests' interpretation of the Bible gave her a deep insight. God's power, God's omnipotence, God's contempt, dictatorship, and mercy were all vividly demonstrated. Audrey felt that she needed more time to think and to carefully conceive her own purpose.

Irena had gone back first and ordered the carriage to wait for Miss Hall outside the church.

Audrey will stay at the Montemar family for a long time in the future. She does not dislike her new friend, and Irena can just supplement her knowledge and understanding of the Aurora Society, and tell stories and fables from the ancient books of the Aurora Society. These things can help Audrey to have a deeper understanding of the Creator, or God, this ancient and mysterious god.

Do I really want to work hard for the "Kingdom of Heaven" in this church with all my heart?

Audrey got into the carriage and the driver closed the door for her. She looked at the street outside the window and suddenly saw gray fog rolling in.

Then, the carriage she was in suddenly became infinitely wide, and the gray fog seemed to bring her to another place. It was the kingdom of gods she was familiar with, where her friends gathered. There was also a tall being sitting at the end of the gray fog, looking at her quietly.

Seeing this, Audrey could hardly hide her joy. She immediately stood up and happily saluted the being:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool!"

"It's nice to see you again... I'm very, very happy! Excuse me, will we have the Tarot Club tomorrow as normal?"

Her words seemed to be lost in the mist, and a very faint echo came from the empty kingdom of God. The god at the top seemed to smile, and then the other party's calm words rang in Audrey's ears:

“You are inspired by Him.”

Audrey was stunned for a moment, and the joy that had burst out of her heart gradually subsided. She asked carefully, "Yes, for various reasons, I followed the Psychological Alchemy Society and joined the Creator Church... Mr. Fool, do my actions make you feel unhappy?"

The spirit looked at her quietly.

Silence is always hard to endure. After a long time, or maybe just a few seconds, Audrey heard the other person's words again:

"Have you made your decision?"

"I...maybe I will make this decision." Audrey still had a lot of things to confirm, so she didn't answer directly. She calmed down and said calmly, "I received the Creator's revelation twice, and also met the legendary Hermes. During the two days of communication, I found that their teachings are indeed in line with my ideas."

"I see."

The Fool is neither angry nor surprised. He just responds calmly: “You will have enough time to make this decision. This is your choice. You don’t have to worry about my opinion.”

“And, do not call Him Creator, you shall call Him God.”