Absolutely not to be burned at the stake

Looking at the rising sun outside, Li Wei turned around and slowly walked towards the kitchen.

After morning prayers and some other actions, my stomach was already empty.

As he had done many mornings before, he lit the stove, placed a small pot on it, put in a piece of butter and watched it sizzle and melt. Then he poured in flour and stir-fried it, added water and a little bit of precious fresh milk, sprinkled on salt, and slowly stirred it to make a pot of thick cream soup.

Then he took out a leftover white bread from yesterday, the crust of which had hardened a bit, sliced ​​it, and heated it by the stove.

As he sat down at the old but sturdy oak dining table, a bowl of steaming soup, its aroma a blend of milk and caramelized flour, sat before him, along with two slices of white bread, toasted to a crisp at the edges and soft on the inside. This was a breakfast that many families in town could only dream of.

Most families only had two slices of hard, choking black bread and a bowl of vegetable soup.

He picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of the thick soup, and put it in his mouth. The warm liquid slid down his throat, bringing a feeling of fullness, but the taste... could only be described as bland, although the aroma of butter and flour was quite substantial.

"This is absolutely awful."

He silently complained to himself, but his face remained expressionless. He simply continued to tear the bread apart, soak it in the soup, and then expressionlessly stuff it into his mouth, mechanically chewing and swallowing.

After taking a few bites, he suddenly remembered something, got up and walked to a locked oak cabinet against the wall. Using the keychain he had received from Father Hansen, he tried two keys and opened the cabinet door.

Sure enough, there were several small earthenware jars inside. He picked one up, opened it, and used a clean wooden spoon to scoop out a small spoonful of thick, golden amber honey, which he then spread on the bread.

Father Hansen's "exclusive" honey.

In the original owner's memory, this thing could only be used by the priest himself.

With mixed feelings, he put the honey-smeared bread into his mouth.

It was sweet, but the expected sweetness didn't fully unfold. Instead, it was subtly mixed with an indescribable sourness and astringent taste, quite different from the pure, sweet honey I had tasted before my time travel.

Li Wei frowned. What was wrong with the honey? Could it have been stored improperly? That shouldn't be the case... honey doesn't spoil easily, and the temperature isn't hot...

Although I had some doubts, the sweetness of the honey did make the dry bread much easier to swallow.

Hundreds of meters away from the church, the noisy side streets were filled with the unique aromas of early morning: the scent of freshly baked rye bread, the smell of hay and livestock wafting from the neighboring stables, and the faint earthy smell of rainwater that had accumulated in the cracks between the street stones.

The tailor shop facing the street had a narrow storefront. In the window, there were several rolls of dark-colored fabric and a wooden frame with a half-finished coat on it.

Inside the shop, Rena was sitting in the light by the window, head down, intently mending a large hole in the sleeve of a coarse linen coat.

The blacksmith Basque sat at a simple wooden table set up at the entrance of the mullet tavern next to the tailor shop, eating breakfast while waiting for his coat.

He was a burly man, like a stone pillar. In front of him was a rough wooden cup filled with foamy, light beer, and in his other large, fan-like hand, he held a hard piece of black bread. He was eating his breakfast with the beer, taking bites here and there.

Little Ruimin, wrapped in an old blanket, sat curled up on a low stool, holding a rough ceramic cup in both hands, sipping hot water in small sips. Her face was no longer as flushed as it had been in the morning, but it still retained a paleness from her illness, making her look rather listless.

"Rena," Basque swallowed a mouthful of bread, his rough voice tinged with concern, "I heard little Rimin has been running a fever? Is she feeling any better today?" He gestured with his chin toward the little girl.

Upon hearing this, Rena paused slightly in her needlework, habitually rubbing the needle lightly against the already thinning hair at her temples before continuing to pull the sturdy hemp thread through the fabric.

"Sigh..." Rena sighed softly, "Yesterday I fed her the medicinal soup that Old John prepared, but it didn't work. She still had a fever all night and was talking nonsense. It was terrifying."

She paused, then continued stitching meticulously. "I took her to church just as dawn was breaking."

"Oh?" Basque picked up his wooden cup and took a big gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing. "What did Father Hansen say? He always has a way."

Rena shook her head, a slight smirk playing on her lips, revealing a hint of helplessness: "Father Hansen isn't here. It was Father Levi... Father Levi who prepared the potion. I wonder how effective it will be?"

"Father Levi?" Basque froze, his chewing motion ceasing, his thick eyebrows arching as he asked in astonishment, "You mean... Levi from the Payne family?"

"Yes, that's him."

Rena nodded, her voice tinged with a mixture of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion) and a hint of barely perceptible envy. "The Payne family really hit the jackpot this time. There must have been at least four or five kids who served Father Hansen and lived in the church helping out, right? But it was Levi who ended up becoming a priest..."

She lowered her voice and said enviously, "And from what Father Levy said, it seems he'll be in charge of the church from now on. Sigh... the Payne family's life is going to be very different from now on."

"Really?"

Nearby, Todd, the tavern's bartender, was placing a steaming bowl of bean soup on old Gert's table when he heard this. He immediately interjected in surprise, "Impossible! That skinny little Levi? A priest? How old is he? Seventeen? Eighteen? Twenty already? I heard that to become a priest... you have to be a sorcerer at least first! How could he possibly be a sorcerer?"

"I don't know anything about divine sorcerers..."

Rena shook her head slightly, her needlework continuing, but her tone grew increasingly certain: "But this morning's prayers were led by Levi, and they looked quite professional..."

"Whoa..."

Old Gert the cobbler stirred the scalding bean soup with a wooden spoon, blew on it, and sighed, "Who would have thought that Payne, that honest, quiet fellow, would have such a lucky day? His son became a sorcerer and even a priest..."

He shook his head, whether lamenting the fickleness of fate or rejoicing for Payne, "From now on, who in this town will dare to give his family a hard time? Good, good indeed."

Basque nodded in agreement, took a big gulp of beer, and gruffly chimed in, "Of course. But..."

At this point, Basque frowned again. "That kid Levi... can he be a priest? And brew potions? I saw his drowsy sister Leah with a cold last month, coughing terribly at the street corner. In the end, she had to go to Old John for treatment, didn't she?"

Upon hearing Basque's words, Rena subconsciously turned her head to look at her daughter in the corner. She hesitated for a moment, then put down her needlework and clothes, got up, and quickly walked over.

She knelt down in front of her daughter, gently placing her hand on Ruimin's forehead. After a moment, the tense lines on her face suddenly relaxed, and her eyes lit up with surprise: "Oh! Really! It doesn't seem so hot anymore! It's cooled down!"

"Oh?" Basque immediately perked up, leaning forward and bracing his thick arms on the wooden table, staring at little Ruimin with concern. "So fast? Is Levi's potion really that effective?"

Little Ruimin stood up from the low stool. Although she still looked a little weak, her spirits were noticeably better. She nodded vigorously, "Father Li Wei's medicine is very effective! Not long after I drank it, I felt warm all over, broke out in a sweat, and then my headache wasn't so bad anymore. My whole body... seems to have a little more energy."

To prove herself, she even lightly hopped around twice on the spot.

Reina was finally relieved by her daughter's words and actions.

She stood up, wiped her hands on her old apron, and a genuinely relaxed smile appeared on her face—the first one she'd shown in days. She exclaimed to Basque and Old Gert, "No wonder Father Hansen entrusted such an important task as presiding over the church to Father Levy. From now on, Shadowtown will have two priests. This is truly... a blessing from the goddess."

However, the bartender Todd beside him didn't seem particularly pleased. He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Whether it's true or not, having two priests present is certainly a good thing; the goddess's radiance shines even brighter... but..."

He abruptly changed the subject, lowering his voice even further, "With more priests, won't the church's expenses... also increase? Do you think... they'll have to add a tithe? That would be disastrous."

The words "eleventh tax" were like a cold incantation, instantly freezing the atmosphere in the small corner at the entrance of the tailor shop.