Absolutely not to be burned at the stake

Upon hearing Barton's words, Mayor Fogg paused slightly as he tapped the table, slowly raising his eyelids. A shrewd glint, disproportionate to his size, flashed in his small, intelligent eyes. He casually picked up the slender-necked crystal bottle on the table, poured the amber liquid into an empty glass, and pushed it towards the bottle.

"Oh? What's going on over there?"

Barton grabbed his glass, tilted his head back, and gulped down the spicy liquid. His Adam's apple bobbed violently as he slammed the glass down. "That old man didn't show up for morning prayers this morning. Instead, it was that Levi. He said Father Hansen is in seclusion, and he'll be presiding over the church from now on."

"That young punk?"

Fogg frowned. "This isn't right. Why isn't that old man showing up? And why is this Levi...? A priest should at least be a divine mage, but that kid isn't!"

"It is indeed very strange," Barton said, frowning, his voice low. "But my men said that the boy gave the tailor's sick girl some medicine, and her high fever subsided quickly."

He paused, his expression growing increasingly grave: "Furthermore, late last night, the night patrolmen passing through that area witnessed golden light emanating from the sanctuary, which lasted for quite some time before disappearing. When they got closer, it became quiet again. They said, 'Could it be that the goddess has manifested?'"

"Golden light? A goddess manifesting?"

Fogg scoffed, his eyes gleaming. "Hansen has been in Shadowtown for decades. When has the goddess ever manifested herself? I think someone's just playing tricks. And... we both know what kind of person that old guy is—selfish, greedy, and lecherous. Would he suddenly become devoted to asceticism? Humph."

Barton stood up, his imposing figure almost blocking the light from the fireplace.

He walked to the window, reached out and pulled back the curtains, looked at the huge black iron cross in the square, and then at the building on the distant hillside: "So you mean... that kid really succeeded? He killed the old man, then fabricated the lie about asceticism, and took over the place for himself?"

"Unlikely."

Fogg shook his head and scoffed, "That kid's just an ignorant brat. The old man, at the very least, is a legitimate mid-level divine mage. Even if he managed to succeed by sheer luck, does he have the guts to impersonate a clergyman and preside over morning prayers?"

"Then... could it be that the old man really received some kind of revelation and wants to take it a step further? After all, many people saw the golden light last night."

A brief silence fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace.

Fogg narrowed his eyes, interlacing his fingers on his belly, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips: "Regardless of the situation, we have to dig out the truth. If the old man really is 'in seclusion,' then our plan has one less major obstacle. But the key question is, what kind of person is this kid standing in the spotlight?"

"You mean, test the waters?" Barton turned around, a flash of understanding in his eyes.

"Give it a try!"

Fogg gently picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, and smiled with a hint of coldness. "If that doesn't work, we'll send that girl. That guy is head over heels for her; he'd give his life for her. If she goes, he'll be completely unguarded and will tell you everything."

He paused, a smug glint in his eyes: "Anyway, if anything really happens, Elby will be there to take the fall. He has such a good son, after all."

"All we need to know is what that old guy is doing behind that closed door."

Fogg swirled the amber liquid in his glass, his voice deep and resolute, "Once this is confirmed, the rest of the game will be easier."

Barton grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Understood. I'll go arrange it right away."

Li Wei stood atop the clock tower, watching the soft afternoon sunlight bathe the entire town.

Li Wei unconsciously looked towards the dilapidated housing area at the foot of the mountain in the far distance.

In one of the corners, there was a dilapidated courtyard with a small vegetable garden, which was the original owner's home.

He looked at the small courtyard with only two or three rooms, and a feeling of warmth welled up inside him for no apparent reason.

Father, Mother, Leah...

Li Wei's gaze was somewhat complicated, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Although he understood that these emotions came from the original owner, he did not resist them.

Since he couldn't go back, home was very important to him in this world that felt exceptionally lonely and unfamiliar.

Especially for a time traveler, this home becomes even more important in order to avoid being burned at the stake as a demon.

After descending the bell tower, Li Wei went to the kitchen and found a basket and a clean linen cloth. He picked up a few loaves of white bread, then, after a moment's thought, took an unopened jar of honey from the cupboard.

He took off his priest's robe and put on a set of coarse linen clothes that were half-worn but clean, left behind by the original owner. Then he carefully inspected the church doors and made subtle marks in several inconspicuous cracks that only he could understand.

"That's fine," Li Wei muttered to himself, carefully tucking the heavy brass keys into his pocket and placing them close to his body before pushing open the side door of the church and stepping into the afternoon streets of the small town.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling, and the smells on the streets were a mingled, vibrant mix. Leaving the church area, the invisible solemnity and sense of isolation quickly faded, replaced by the town's unique, slightly rough vitality.

However, the occasional cow and horse manure, and...some suspicious filth, that could be seen along the roadside and in the corners of the walls made Li Wei frown slightly.

In such a medieval Western town, it was impossible to be too clean; the original owner was already used to all of this, but for Li Wei, who came from the modern world, it was indeed a little difficult to accept.

As we turned a corner and were almost at the back alley of the blacksmith's shop, two people walked over from the intersection ahead, arm in arm, humming an off-key tune.

Like Levi, the two were young men of similar age in town. One was named Carl, whose father was a coachman; the other was named Hawke, whose family ran a grocery store.

In the original owner's memory, these two weren't particularly bad, but they were good at talking and liked to join in the fun. They had often made fun of the original owner's honest and introverted personality.

Carl, with his sharp eyes, spotted Levi first. He nudged Hawke with his elbow, his face immediately displaying an exaggerated expression of surprise and mockery: "Hey! Look who's here? Isn't this our Shadowtown's number one 'lovesick fool,' Levi Payne?"

Hawke also looked over, his gaze sweeping over Levi, and he clicked his tongue twice: "Really! Tsk tsk... Levi didn't go to see Alice today?"

The two men blocked his way, clearly not intending to let him pass easily. A few passersby slowed their pace, casting curious glances.

Li Wei stopped, his face expressionless, and simply looked at them calmly.

If it were the old Li Wei, he would probably be blushing and trying to get away with his head down. But right now, he just felt bored and didn't even bother to deal with such a low-level provocation.

Seeing that Levi remained silent, Carl became even more emboldened. He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with malicious sympathy, "Hey Levi, I have something to tell you, but don't be sad... This morning, we saw Alice, and guess what?"

Hawke chuckled and chimed in, "She was chatting and laughing with young master Aaron from the tax collector's family in front of that newly opened jewelry shop in town! Young master Aaron even gave Alice a silver hairpin! It's sparkly, probably worth several silver crowns!"

Carl reached out to pat Levi on the shoulder, but Levi casually dodged him. Carl could only feign a sigh: "Hey, Levi, don't be so stubborn. Do you think someone like Alice is someone we can even dream about? She only has eyes for Young Master Aaron right now. You... just give up on that idea!"

"Exactly, just give up already."

They laughed heartily, waiting for the expected reaction of shame, anger, or disorientation from Li Wei, which would add a lot of fun to their afternoon.

However, Li Wei merely glanced at them indifferently, his gaze calm and unwavering, even carrying a hint of...indifference, as if they were talking about and mocking some complete stranger.

"Are you done talking?"

Li Wei spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching their ears, "If you're done speaking, then step aside."

Carl and Hawke were stunned. None of the expected reactions came. Levi's attitude was too calm, so calm that they felt like a clown.

Especially those eyes, which used to be downcast or timid, were now dark and deep, making them feel a little uneasy when they looked at them.

"You..." Karl opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he felt a little breathless under Levi's calm gaze.

Li Wei ignored them and walked straight through the gap between them without even quickening his pace.

Carl and Hawke stood frozen in place, watching Levi's upright figure gradually disappear into the distance. After a long while, Hawke spat out, "Pah! What's with the pretense! Look at his poor, pathetic appearance, no wonder Alice would never be interested in him!"

"Well... he's probably just heartbroken and lost his mind," Carl muttered, but his tone was clearly unconvincing. The look in Levi's eyes earlier had left him feeling uneasy.

This little incident didn't leave much of a ripple in Li Wei's mind.

Alice? That beautiful and charming woman from his memory was no longer the focus of his attention.

However, we should perhaps keep an eye on Aaron, the tax collector's son.

Alice would never dare to make a move on Father Hansen unless... it was this Aaron who was instigating her.

Aaron couldn't possibly be that bold. Could he be a tax official?