Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1126 Is it a holy object?

As a holy place of the true God, this church is a little too simple.

There was no magnificent temple or dome, and even the statue on the throne was just a wooden sculpture. Not to mention the use of gold and silver to decorate the church in the Nordon Holy Church, even the nameless churches in the countryside knew that only the best stones could create the majesty of the gods and show their piety. But this extremely simple god in front of him made Carson Borg feel a sacred and noble temperament. As Pastor Ling said, she was a goddess of mercy and love, which was felt with the heart, not just on the surface.

Following the call of his heart, Grayhill Eagle bowed his head to the statue on the throne, and at the same time, he placed his left hand on his forehead and drew a circle on his heart with his right hand, offering a sincere prayer to Him. This was a completely instinctive action, but after he came to his senses, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, wondering how he could do such an impulsive and rude thing? Not to mention that offering a prayer without authorization before figuring out whether the goddess was an evil god would likely expose him to the other party's vision. Being noticed by a true god is not something to be happy about. If it is an evil god, it can be described as terrible. How many ignorant fools have mistakenly entered the church of the evil god in the remote wilderness, and offered prayers to the god based on the most basic respect for the god, and ended up signing a contract with the evil god inexplicably, selling everything from body to soul. The experience summed up over a long period of time tells every East Continent person that prayer is a serious matter, and it cannot be done without a promise.

What was even more serious was that he was praying to the true God as a pagan with the proper etiquette, which was nothing short of a naked provocation. Not to mention the evil gods, even the All-Spirit True God revered by the Nordon Holy Religion could never tolerate such blasphemy. How could the wrath of God be touched lightly?
Carson Borg never thought that someone as calm as himself would one day make such an unwise move. He couldn't explain his feelings at the time, but when he saw the statue of the goddess, he naturally thought that he should pay tribute to her and pray to her. Generally speaking, this kind of method of controlling people's hearts is a common trick used by evil gods, but Carson Borg couldn't connect this goddess with the evil god, and even felt that it was a great disrespect to have the slightest similar thought in his heart.

Would Pastor Ling believe such an explanation?

Carson Borg glanced at him hesitantly, but found that Pastor Linger's face was very calm. He was not angry because of the pagans' disrespect to the goddess. In fact, from his reaction, he thought it was a matter of course. In any case, Carson Borg breathed a sigh of relief. If possible, he would never want to conflict with Pastor Linger.

This is not fear, but rather a complex feeling of recognition and admiration.

"Please sit down and talk, sir." Pastor Ling said, pointing to the row of seats in front of the altar.

"Carson Borg, you can just call me by my first name." He quickly gave his name.

"Yes, Mr. Carson."

Pastor Ling took his seat first, and then Carson Borg followed suit. However, the two did not sit on the same oak bench. There was a distance between them based on safety and courtesy. This was because neither of them fully trusted each other yet. Both of them knew this and there was no need to point it out.

After taking his seat, Carson Borg naturally noticed that on both sides of the church hall, there were more than a dozen angular and strange-looking mechanical devices neatly placed in the shadows. They all seemed to be made of steel, with the surface having the unique cold luster of metal, and were inlaid with large pieces of glass - not the stained glass with a strong religious color, but pure square glass. The interior was dark and deep, as if it had some kind of mysterious magic that sucked people's sight and attention into the air.

Combined with the large and small rod-shaped devices and operating buttons, to be honest, they reminded Carson Borg of magic devices - the magic instruments uniformly equipped in the armies of the Axis countries in the Western Continent, with similar effects to holy relics, although the effects are much weaker, but they can be mass-produced, and the threshold for use is very low, even children who have just awakened their spirituality can use them. From the most basic magic detection devices to airships, magic chariots and constructed mechas, all of them have played an excellent role on the battlefield, and have caused the "Holy Alliance" of the Eastern Continent to suffer repeatedly. It is said that the Allied Forces have begun to study the principles of magic devices and imitate them. It was a major change praised by historians as a reform of magic, but unfortunately it has nothing to do with the Kingdom of Noah, which is located on the south side of the Ansers Mountains, and naturally has nothing to do with the Ash Guerrillas and Carson Borg.

The Ash Guerrillas also obtained a number of relatively backward magic devices through ambushes, sneak attacks and smuggling, such as the magic furnaces, magic guns and detection devices used by the Crusaders, which were indeed very useful. Unfortunately, it was difficult for them to survive, so where did they get the money and energy to research these things? At most, they just regarded them as more useful weapons.

For these reasons, Carson Borg couldn't help but take a closer look at those strange machines, wondering how could there be a magic device from the Western Land in the Holy Temple of the True God? Could it be that this church was also researching so-called magic? It should be kept in a more hidden place, such as a research institute, right? Why was it displayed here so openly?

At this time, Pastor Ling seemed to notice Carson Borg's abnormal behavior and guessed what he was thinking. He said calmly: "That is not a magic device, but a holy object of this church."

"Holy relic!?"

Carson Borg was startled because Pastor Linger was talking about holy objects instead of holy relics. Although the two words differ by only one word, their meanings are completely different. Holy relics are extraordinary items that can be created by humans or bred naturally. The former relies on the law of the survival of magic power or the drive of strong emotions. After the death of a demigod above Sequence 4, the remaining magic power will definitely form holy relics. Ordinary people may also produce holy relics under the strong drive of emotions such as despair or pain. The latter is through some special secret realms, or widely circulated legends and secrets. The larger the scope involved and the more people affected, the more powerful and dangerous the holy relics will be.

There is only one meaning of holy objects: they are symbols of the true God.

Once you see the holy object, you will be led to the glory of God. For humans, it is like their blood; for countries, it is like their culture; for civilizations, it is like their history, which is such a unique, noble, and inviolable existence. In the religious history of the East Continent, the most famous holy object is the original manuscript of "The First Interpretation of Spirituality" left by Saint Tumi. It is a symbol of the beginning of a glorious era for mankind. As long as the Spiritual Prayer Society still keeps this holy object, no matter how many catastrophes, turmoil or changes it has experienced, it will always stand firm.

Although there have been rumors recently that the real manuscript of "The First Unveiling of Spirituality" was originally unearthed on the continent across the sea, and the manuscript kept in the Nordorn Holy Church is just a fake, no one with a normal mind would believe this nonsense. They would only regard it as a rumor deliberately spread by the Axis forces to undermine the morale of the Allied forces. Moreover, it is such a low-level rumor that it can be debunked without verification, which is really disgusting.

It was the first time that Carson Borg saw the holy objects of a church. They must be very sacred, and it would be considered blasphemy for pagans to look at them for even a second longer. But the problem was that they were casually placed in the hall, and so conspicuous that if he avoided looking at them, it would seem a bit deliberate.

Grayhill Eagle coughed lightly and asked tentatively, "I don't mean to offend you, but, Pastor Lingge, if all the holy relics of your church are placed here, and even an outsider like me can observe them at will, isn't it a bit... negligent?"

He wanted to say "disrespectful", but it would probably offend the other party, so he changed to a more euphemistic way of saying it. But Pastor Ling shook his head slightly and said, "Game consoles are meant to bring happiness to people, so they should be placed closest to the players."

Game console? Is that the name of those holy objects? It sounds weird. There seems to be no similar word form in the common language, ancient language, or even the more ancient language of Yaldes. Bring happiness? Does it mean that its effect is reflected in the mind, can purify people's hearts and return to their essence? In this case, it must not be a church of evil gods. Player? What is that? I heard that believers in some churches call themselves "lambs" or "sinners" to show that they still need the guidance of gods or the forgiveness of gods. Could it be that the believers of this church call themselves "players"? But I really can't hear any profound connotation in this self-proclaimed title. Is it because I am short-sighted and can't see through it?
Carson Borg tried to use the clues in front of him to outline the general outline of this mysterious church, but in the end he became even more confused. Pastor Ling looked at him deeply and said calmly: "If you are willing, you can experience it yourself."

Carson Borg was incredulous: "Could it be that only believers of your religion can touch these holy objects?"

According to common sense, one must be a very devout believer, such as Pastor Lingge in front of him. Before touching the holy object, a series of tedious rituals need to be held, such as bathing, praying in a quiet room, baptism with hymns, etc., in order to be qualified to touch the glory left by the great true God in the world with one of their own knuckles. As for using the holy object? Carson Borg has never had such a concept in his mind. The Nordon Holy Kingdom has kept the original manuscript of Saint Tutumi's "The Beginning of Spirituality" for a long time, but even during the most difficult period, they have never heard of using the power of this holy object.

The young man said seriously: "Regardless of belief, race, wealth, or status, the goddess only hopes that the fun of the game can be passed on to everyone and create a peaceful and tranquil world."

Carson Borg was speechless for a while before he said sincerely, "It is true that you serve a noble and generous Majesty. I am happy for you, Reverend Ling."

He could tell that there was no falsehood in Pastor Ling's words. Of course, some extraordinary abilities can conceal one's true feelings, or even modify emotions, causing others to have a wrong perception, but if Pastor Ling activated such abilities, he would definitely not be able to detect it. As the leader of the Ash Guerrillas, Carson Borg was confident in this. No matter what he had experienced in the past, he was at least a Sequence 5 extraordinary person, and had already touched the threshold of Sequence 4. It was just that due to some special reasons, he had never sought to advance.

Pastor Linger nodded slightly, accepting the compliment on behalf of the goddess, and then said: "Enough of the small talk, please let's get to the point, Mr. Carson. Although it may be a bit presumptuous for me to ask this question, I still want to ask you to tell me the purpose of your coming here."

It is indeed an overstepping of the bounds.

Logically, the person who should ask this question is Carson Borg, after all, this was originally the 11th base of the Ash Guerrillas, and Pastor Linger and his church were outsiders. But Carson Borg didn't feel anything was wrong, and after a moment of hesitation, he slowly said, "I came here for the supplies stored in the base."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"Supplies in the base?" Pastor Linger recalled something and asked, "Are you referring to the food and medicine in those cabins?"

"That's right!" A light flashed in Carson Borg's eyes. "Reverend Ling, your question means... they still have the interior of the stronghold intact?"

"No." The young man shook his head: "Not anymore."

Gone! ?

How is that possible? Could it be that the 17th Legion's raid finally reached the 11th stronghold, and they cleared out all the supplies stored in the stronghold, leaving the stronghold itself intact, in order to lure us into a trap at the right time? And the reason why Pastor Lingge knew that there were food and medicines stored there was probably because the enemy didn't raid it carefully enough and missed some traces.

As an experienced resistance fighter, Carson Borg quickly figured out the cause and effect of the matter, but this did not make him feel proud at all, but deepened his inner pain. He took a huge risk and contacted an unknown church, wasn't it just for the supplies stored in the base? Without food, his companions would starve; without medicine, the seriously injured in the team would not be treated; and if they did not replenish the consumed potions and extraordinary materials, they would not even have the spare energy to launch the next counterattack!

Carson Borg lowered his head, his hands on his thighs covered with scars and calluses, clenched and trembled for a while, and then gradually calmed down. This is just a small dilemma, the Eagle of the Ash Hill told himself. In the past six years since the establishment of the Ash Guerrillas, he had experienced more difficult situations, and there were more than one desperate situation that could lead to the destruction of the Ash Guerrillas, but these could not discourage him and give up. This man has the same perseverance and awareness as his appearance, which is the reason why his companions and comrades-in-arms deeply trust him.

As long as I'm here, there will always be a way.

Carson Borg raised his head with a determined look. He had already thought about how to announce this disappointing news to everyone after returning, and how to inspire and lead them out of the predicament and meet the next challenge. Difficulties and setbacks could not defeat him, but only made him cheer up again.

He was about to say goodbye to Pastor Lingge, but he was startled because he happened to meet those golden eyes with a gentle smile.

"That batch of supplies is no longer in your base." He chuckled and said, "There were some flaws in your storage measures. When we found out, some of the food, medicines, and potions had already begun to spoil, so we had to temporarily move them to a more suitable place for storage. Of course, apart from the part that was lost, we didn't touch a single cent of this batch of supplies. We can return it to its original owner at any time. I just hope you won't blame us for taking the initiative."

Give me some meow