Don't call me evil god

Chapter 314: The initiation ceremony must follow tradition

What does a traditional conversion ceremony look like?
In Sam's impression.

He handed over 40 silver coins and attended the ceremony at the branch church of the Glorious God in Ceylon. The process was as follows:

They had to arrive at the monastery near the church one day in advance, stay in a temporary room provided there for one night, and recite the teachings of the Radiance silently before going to bed.

In the early morning, the nuns in the monastery would wake them up and take them to bathe and cleanse their bodies to show physical purity and piety.

Next, there will be a unified dressing.

They will change into tight black robes and wear black chasubles.

These clothes are temporarily provided by the Glowing God Cult and must be taken off and returned after the ceremony.

When the first ray of light fell, everyone prayed devoutly under the leadership of the abbot.

At the end, go to the monastery's dining room and eat a pre-prepared Holy Communion.

The content of the Eucharist is simple.

A small piece of bread and a small glass of wine.

Sam wasn't quite sure what these steps represented, he just knew that they were also part of the ritual process and had to be carried out meticulously.

If someone made a mistake during the process, everyone would have to start over the next day.

After completing these procedures, they need to remain silent and line up in a neat single line, then set out from the monastery to the church where the actual ceremony will be held.

Upon arrival at the church, the first thing to do is to have a branch dipped in holy water touched to the forehead.

Afterwards, the formal conversion ceremony process was also solemn and sacred.

The priests will first preach the glorious doctrine and gospel to them.

Everyone praised the God of Light three times in unison.

Until the time comes and the church bells ring.

Led by the priests, they repeated their prayers and offered their faith.

Sam heard that when people recited prayers and offered their faith, mortals favored by the God of Light and those with a high affinity with Him would directly receive the gifts from the gods.

The body is reborn and promoted to the extraordinary level.

There is no need to grit your teeth and train day after day like a warrior. In just a few breaths, the blessing will make the mortal's body strong, the mind clear, the heart firm, and also obtain the glorious magic bestowed by the gods.

Such chosen ones will basically join the Church of the Glowing God after the conversion ceremony and become a new priest in the church.

Whether it is taking the administrative and business route, staying and developing in churches and monasteries;
It is better to take the combat route and receive unified training and practice from the candidate crusaders.

They can make their own choices.

Of course, people like Sam don't have the chance to make a choice at all.

Because he was not blessed.

It's not just him.

None of the dozen or so people who participated in the ceremony with him were blessed.

People like him can only be considered "believers of the God of Light."

It is more than one level lower than being a "member of the Church of Glory".

Those who want to become a member of the Church of Glory are the nuns and servants in the monasteries who are no different from slaves.

Even the most ordinary priest must have been blessed by the God of Light and mastered the art of light.

In this regard, the Church of Seeking Knowledge is very unique.

Although the members of the Church of Knowledge, like the Cult of the Light, are believers of corresponding gods and have received blessings from the great gods.

But they will not preach to foreigners.

To be more precise, it should be said that they do not develop "believers", they only develop "church members".

There is no conversion ceremony for believers like in the Church of the Glorious God.

The initiation ceremony, to which Sam had qualified, was a combination of the act of making a commitment and joining the church.

It seems that they are not worried at all that someone might offer his faith but not receive the blessing.

It is assumed that everyone who believes in the God of Knowledge will receive His gifts.

...Not only is the target audience unique, the entire initiation ceremony is very peculiar.

There is no such process as reciting doctrines silently, bathing or changing clothes.

Sam even specifically asked the believers who were seeking knowledge in the preaching room.

“When offering your faith, are there no other requirements?”

The other party answered confidently: "Don't worry, there are no additional requirements, just come over!"

"But I personally recommend that you take a shower and change into clean clothes before you come."

"Also, it's best not to eat food with strong odors at night."

"Like the stinky dried tofu sold on the roadside in the territory."

Sam said "oh" to indicate that he understood.

"We have to ensure that we respect the gods, right?"

The other party was stunned at first, then shook his head.

"Huh? Oh, no no no!"

"It's not that complicated, it's just that now there are 50 people offering their faith at a time."

“In keeping with tradition, the venue may be a little small.”

"If you smell bad, it can be a bad experience for other people."

"I'm afraid that after you join the sect, they will beat you to death out of their anger."

Sam was stunned when he heard this.

He was still very obedient. On Sunday, he hardly touched anything for dinner, just ate a few pieces of fruit, and deliberately changed into his cleanest and most complete clothes, which he had washed in advance.

The timing of the ceremony for joining the Church of Knowledge is also very strange.

Unlike the Cult of the Light, it does not take place when the sun just rises.

But it was midnight when the night was dark.

Sam arrived early and sat on a bench in the Path of Quest Hall for a long time before the ceremony was about to begin.

The seeker of knowledge who led them to the ceremony site, wearing a black robe that covered his face, first slipped a piece of paper into each of their pockets.

Sam could only make out part of the above:
"Dear—Sam Dogg."

"I want to... admire... professionals..."

"……destiny……"

"...Sunday, midnight..."

Sam couldn't recognize the rest of the content.

He has a limited literacy.

He wanted to ask what was written on it, but since no one around him said anything, Sam was too embarrassed to ask.

Fortunately, the believer who seeks knowledge explained it to them:
"Don't worry if you have any doubts about the ritual process. Rest assured, these are the traditions of the Church of Seeking Knowledge."

"Don't think too much, you will understand when the time comes."

Somehow, Sam always felt that the other person's voice was vaguely familiar.

He seemed to have heard it when he was a child?

The specific location of the initiation ceremony surprised Sam even more.

It was not the holy gospel hall or preaching room he had imagined.

But more like an...underground wine cellar?
Sam clearly saw the wine barrels stacked horizontally against the wall and even smelled the aroma of beer!
It seemed a bit like the one he drank at Mooney's Tavern!
It’s still a small scale one!
The 51 of them squeezed in, filling the space in the basement.

There was a rune array carved on the flat ground of the wine cellar, and the magic pigment emitted a faint blue fluorescence, but because there were too many people, Sam couldn't see the entire array clearly.

"Welcome everyone. Next, please prepare yourself and think carefully about whether you really want to join the Church of Seeking Knowledge."

A beautiful girl in a black robe was sitting cross-legged in the basement. When she saw everyone arriving, she smiled and spoke.

……

(End of this chapter)