Absolutely not to be burned at the stake

Li Wei remained calm and read the last paragraph of the prayer.

Feeling the spiritual energy between his brows become fuller and even more concentrated than before, all his fatigue vanished, and his mind became clear.

He raised his head, raised his right hand again, and touched his forehead lightly, completing the final ritual of morning prayer, before slowly turning around.

The mother and daughter, who were sitting on the back bench, could now see clearly the people standing in front of the altar.

Aunt Rena's round face, which always wore a kind smile, was instantly filled with a mixture of surprise and confusion, but her long-standing piety allowed her to quickly suppress this emotion and transform it into habitual respect.

She hurriedly stood up, pulling her daughter along, and gave a slightly hesitant bow in Li Wei's direction.

Aunt Rena hesitated for a moment, her gaze quickly sweeping over the black robe on Levi's body that signified his priesthood, and then glancing at the empty pulpit behind which Father Hansen usually stood.

She stretched out her somewhat rough right hand and, mimicking what Li Wei had just done, drew a triangular emblem on her chest, then touched it to her forehead, her voice filled with uncertain reverence: "Good morning, Father... Father."

The little girl beside her, about eight or nine years old, named Ruimin, had an unhealthy flush on her face, her lips were a little chapped, and she leaned listlessly against her mother, whispering, "Li Wei... good morning, Father."

"Good morning. May the grace of my Lord be with you." Li Wei's expression was peaceful as he returned the greeting according to etiquette, drawing the triangular emblem on his chest with his fingers.

After straightening up, Aunt Rena's hesitation deepened. She couldn't help but glance again at the passageway behind the pulpit before cautiously asking, "Excuse me... is Father Hansen here? Are you... leading the morning prayers today?"

Li Wei's gaze swept over the little girl's abnormal expression, and he understood.

He maintained the solemn yet gentle expression befitting a priest, and slowly replied with his prepared words: "His Holiness Bishop Hansen received divine grace from my Lord last night and gained some insight. From this day forward, he will seclude himself to devote himself to intensive study in order to make further progress. During this period, I will temporarily take charge of all church affairs."

"Secluded ascetic practice?"

Aunt Rena was stunned, a clear look of disappointment and barely perceptible worry flashing across her round face.

She lowered her head, looked at her daughter who was delirious with fever beside her, and unconsciously touched her daughter's burning forehead with her rough hands. She said in a bitter voice, "It's like this... Father, Ruimin has had a fever since yesterday morning. She drank the medicine prescribed by the apothecary, but it didn't help. In fact, she seems to be even hotter... I originally wanted to ask Father Hansen to see if... if he could prescribe some holy medicine..."

Aunt Rena's voice grew softer and softer, filled with helplessness and anxiety.

Li Wei's gaze fell on little Ruimin's face. The child's eyes were watery but listless due to the fever, his cheeks were flushed, and his breathing was slightly rapid. He frowned almost imperceptibly, then relaxed, and said gently, "Bishop Hansen is in deep meditation and it is inconvenient to disturb him."

"However, I can get her some fever-reducing medicine. Take her here and sit for a while, and pray sincerely to my Lord for His protection."

"Ah... okay, okay, thank you Father Levi! Thank you!" Aunt Rena nodded quickly, the disappointment in her eyes replaced by a faint glimmer of hope.

Although she was quite surprised and puzzled that the young man, Li Wei, had suddenly become the acting priest, he was still a priest, and his willingness to help was better than letting her child bear it alone. She pulled little Ruimin to sit on the nearest bench and quietly urged her daughter to pray to the holy emblem.

Li Wei nodded slightly, turned around, and walked towards the door leading to the inner chamber at the side and rear of the altar.

As he walked, he quickly tried to recall. In the original owner's memories, Father Hansen did indeed have a small medicine cabinet, but it was mostly filled with pre-mixed medicines. He wasn't quite sure about the effects and ingredients, and sometimes it seemed like there was even a bit of magic involved.

As for himself... before going to Phuket, he specially brought some commonly used medicines from China to avoid getting sick from the change in environment. If I remember correctly, there were ibuprofen tablets for fever reduction and pain relief, which should have been placed in the drawer on the right side of the desk in the small house.

This is much more reliable than those medicines.

Reaching the deserted corner of the corridor, he stopped, focused his mind, and cleared his thoughts of distractions. The image of the fever reducer clearly appeared in his mind: a white bottle with blue lettering. With a slight thought, he turned his palm upwards.

He felt almost no resistance; his palm sank, and a light white plastic medicine bottle appeared out of thin air in his hand.

It's still there!

He went to the kitchen, found a clean cup, broke off half a pill, carefully crushed it with the handle of a wooden spoon, then poured in half a cup of warm water, and gently shook it until the powder was mostly dissolved, forming a slightly cloudy liquid.

Back in the sanctuary, Aunt Rena was holding little Rimin's hand with her eyes closed, praying softly and urgently. Little Rimin also had her eyes closed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly from discomfort.

Li Wei handed her the porcelain cup: "Have her drink this. Afterwards, take her home immediately to rest, keep her in a room, avoid drafts, and give her plenty of warm water."

"Okay, okay." Aunt Rena quickly took the cup with both hands; it was warm to the touch. She tasted a small sip herself first to make sure the temperature was right before carefully feeding it to her daughter. "Rimin, be good, you'll feel better after drinking the medicine the priest gave you."

Little Ruimin, still half-asleep, took small sips of the medicine from her mother's hand. Apart from being slightly bitter, the medicine didn't seem to have any particular taste, and she drank it obediently.

Watching her daughter finish her drink, Aunt Rena breathed a sigh of relief. She took out a worn linen purse from her bosom, counted out five slightly worn copper tals, stood up, walked to the offering box beside the altar, and solemnly dropped the coins in one by one. The coins jingled as they fell to the bottom of the box.

Then, she led little Ruimin, who seemed a little more comfortable and whose eyes were slightly open, back to Li Wei, bowed deeply, and said gratefully, "Thank you, Father Li Wei. May the Lord bless you."

"May our Lord bless the child and grant him a speedy recovery." Li Wei raised his hand and drew a symbol of holiness on his chest.

Watching the mother and daughter support each other as they slowly walked out of the sanctuary, Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

The news that he has taken over as the church priest will spread in the next couple of days.

But Father Hansen cannot die yet.

At least on the surface, the church's supreme authority still exists, just temporarily hidden.

Only in this way can he keep the prominent figures in the town in check, who have their own agendas. Otherwise, as a mere apprentice sorcerer, he might not be able to keep the mayor, tax collector, and guard captain in check.

Only by stabilizing them could he barely secure his position as "principal" in the first step.

Moreover, there's Alice; Levi always felt that things might not be so simple.

The daughter of a literacy teacher dared to seduce the original owner of this body and murder a priest and sorcerer who had long held power in Shadow Town.

Therefore, Li Wei dared not be careless at all; Father Hansen could not die at this time.