Volume 1 Chapter 161
by Need_More_SleepVolume 1 + Chapter 161: The Church
“Big sister Anna, is this money meant to be given to them?”
Andai lowered her head to look at the money pouch in her hand, giving it a gentle shake. The copper coins inside clinked softly against each other. She slightly furrowed her brows, a flicker of puzzlement passing through the depths of her eyes. To her, these few copper coins were utterly insignificant, not even worthy of sparking her interest.
After all, if she wished, a simple rollover on the pile of gold coins she used as a bed at night would probably trap dozens of gold coins just in the gaps between her scales.
In comparison, this handful of copper coins seemed pitiful and laughable. She had never understood why humans still needed a unit like the copper coin.
Clearly, she had seen the gold coins transported by merchant caravans, hauled in cartloads. So many glittering gold coins that it took three or four large, strong horses to pull the heavy wagons.
Since humans had so much money, why were there still people in this world so poor they went hungry?
Wouldn’t handing out just a little of those mountains of piled-up gold coins easily solve all the problems?
“Lady Eve told us to wander around here. I don’t know what she meant either.”
Anna clenched the few copper coins in her hand, looked down at the paltry and insignificant weight in her palm, then raised her head to survey her surroundings. An indescribable, complex emotion welled up within her.
Everything here seemed dilapidated and broken-down. The mire on the streets intertwined with poverty, and a faint smell of mildew lingered in the air.
She carefully recalled Eve’s words, trying to discern some deeper meaning from them. But no matter how much she pondered, she couldn’t find a clear answer.
Hesitantly, she took a few steps forward. Not far from where she started, her gaze fell upon a group of familiar figures—more accurately, figures wearing attire familiar to a dragon. They were church missionaries, their pure white robes impeccably clean, without a speck of dust even on the hems, forming a stark contrast to the chaotic, rundown surroundings.
That sense of abruptness, of being out of place made her instinctively frown, a trace of inexplicable vigilance and doubt rising in her heart.
Those missionaries truly were everywhere. It seemed wherever there was suffering, poverty, or despair, their figures were sure to appear.
Dressed in clean, tidy robes, wearing gentle smiles, they roamed about, proselytizing to those in distress. They vigorously depicted the glory of the church, proclaiming that as long as one believed in the divine, all hardships could be resolved, all pain would find redemption.
But was that really the case? Could those who turned to the church truly gain the peace and happiness they yearned for? More likely, it only added to their burdens, didn’t it? The church spoke of “contributing faith,” but in reality, faith was never free.
The magnificent cathedrals, the exquisitely crafted holy artifacts, the carefree lives of the clergy—where did the funds for all this come from?
It was nothing more than harvested, bit by bit, from the believers themselves.
Those deceived by sweet words, who pinned their hopes on the church, ended up becoming mere cogs in the church’s machinery, continuously offering up their last remaining hopes and wealth.
At least from Anna’s observations of the church during this period, the church was essentially an organization that operated with profit at its core. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say it carried a hint of deception and fraud.
Those missionaries appeared gentle and kind, but in reality, they were just a bunch of calculating individuals. They moved through the deeply suffering streets and alleys, their mouths ever adorned with that unchanging, placid smile, as if they truly came bearing the gospel of the divine, extending a helping hand to all the desperate and helpless.
But what was the reality?
These missionaries never truly provided any substantial help. They wouldn’t serve a bowl of hot soup to the hungry, nor offer shelter to the homeless.
The only thing they excelled at was using that set of well-worn rhetoric to easily break through the psychological defenses of those struggling in hardship, making them believe that only by joining the church and believing in the divine could they attain salvation.
If this was a form of comfort, it was a stereotyped, template-like comfort.
Anna had witnessed it too many times. The missionaries’ smiles and words towards each person were almost indistinguishable, as if they were merely mechanically repeating the same script. If you complied, they would show an approving expression, praising you for finding the right path.
But if you stubbornly refused, they would often reveal a look of disdain mingled with pity, as if you had missed some heaven-sent opportunity. They might even shake their heads and sigh, as if you were an ignorant fool.
Anna had seen it all too often, naturally, she wouldn’t be easily deceived by such tactics.
If it were her choice, she absolutely wouldn’t spare that hypocritical church a second glance, nor would she listen to even a single word from those missionaries.
But what if she were the one in dire straits? If she were truly isolated and helpless, if she could find no support or hope… Then, in that moment, would she too reach out to the church, clinging to that faintest glimmer of hope?
“One has to admit, this church is quite cunning.”
Anna took a deep breath, lowering her voice as she spoke to herself, her tone tinged with helplessness and sarcasm. She had witnessed these missionaries’ methods far too many times, almost every action reeked of careful calculation, making one have to admire their talent in this regard.
“The church, huh?”
Hearing Anna’s sigh, Andai, standing nearby, casually chimed in, her brows slightly furrowing as if recalling something. “I remember in other countries, the church is an extremely prominent, even omnipotent, force. Nothing like here, where it seems deliberately suppressed.”
Her golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly, carrying a hint of puzzlement.
Her usual sphere of activity was primarily in other countries, especially on the trade routes of wealthy nations. After all, where the rich gathered was where merchant caravans congregated, and her targets were naturally these caravans transporting vast wealth. Because of this, she had some understanding of the state of churches in other countries.
“The popes in other countries, ah, they truly live in the limelight.”
Andai snorted lightly, a note of derision in her voice. “In some countries, the pope is even more revered than the nation’s ruler, even able to influence changes of regime. But in this Empire, the church has actually fallen to such a state… Tsk, it seems the ruler of this Empire is not one to let others easily meddle with his power.”
Anna didn’t reply, just nodded slightly.
Indeed, the church in this Empire didn’t appear as illustrious as in other countries, instead, it seemed suppressed, unable to lift its head.
At the very least, churches in other countries didn’t need missionaries to proselytize so desperately.
But come to think of it, it’s rather strange. She had some understanding of this country’s church too, yet usually you wouldn’t see so many missionaries.
They were like flies, impossible to drive away, as if they were desperate to drag everyone into the church, to make them believe in this god, that god.
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