This heretic cannot be burned, he must be hung up and whipped!

The generator made a wheezing sound like an old ox pulling a cart on a muddy road, the piston moved back and forth with difficulty, and the exhaust pipe spewed out black air, making a "coughing" sound almost like a patient in the late stage of lung cancer.

“This…” “Puff——”

The generator started to work again, and just as Neos walked down the steps to let the believers try again, it stopped again.

"Bang!" Neos went up and kicked the generator! He pointed at the generator and cursed:

"Don't be so shameless. If you don't turn, there are plenty of machines that can. At worst, I'll use another machine. I don't care about you anymore!" "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After saying that, he kicked the generator twice and slapped the outer shell of the generator a few times. All the pilgrims in the audience took notes in a small notebook.

"Alas, don't follow my lead. Believe in science. You can't fix a machine by slapping it after it breaks down—"

“Buzz——!!!”

Just as Neos was about to give up and tell everyone the new truth, the generator's piston suddenly sped up as if it had absorbed ice, bubbles popped out of the solution in the electrolytic cell, and electric sparks ignited the hydrogen produced by the excessive current, lighting a small firework in the church hall.

"Beep----"

Although the church was not connected to the generator, the dim lights in other parts of the church suddenly lit up, illuminating the church as bright as day. In the ruins of the small town at night, the church was as conspicuous as a disco ball.

"--Uh, generally speaking, it can't repair malfunctions, but slapping can certainly solve a lot of problems."

Neos saw this and wondered if he had slapped the generator to reveal its hidden backup energy source. However, he was too embarrassed to ask directly for the sake of face, so he changed the subject and asked, "Do you think this machine has any special features or functions?"

"I don't know—" everyone said in unison.

"Why don't you tell us the answer, Mr. Saint Neos? We'll keep it in mind!"

"Hmm..." Neos felt a little nervous under the admiring gazes of the crowd. He pursed his lips and his palms were sweaty.

"The electric motor... must be able to generate electricity!" "Swish, swish, swish..."

There was a sound of pencils scraping against paper below the stage, and the noise of the frantically running electric motor on the stage became even louder.

"Uh...the light bulb needs to light up!" "Swish, swish, swish???..."

Everyone quickly took notes. "Bang!"

It seemed like the voltage of a light bulb above my head was too high and it exploded.

Neos didn't notice, but the other lights connected in series with it were still working.

"Uh...uh...that's all for tonight's science class. Everyone, applaud! Please welcome Father Amos to explain John—John what?" "The Gospel of John, Saint."

"——"The Gospel of John", everyone applaud——Welcome!!" "Pa pa pa!!"

Neos slipped off the stage as if fleeing, hiding in the doorway under the worshipful gazes of the faithful. Reverend Amos smiled and shook his head, then picked up the Gospel and walked onto the stage, ready to give everyone a bedtime sermon. [The following appears to be unrelated and likely a mistranslation:] ...

"Today we are finishing the rest of the first volume of the Gospel of John. ... John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world... huh?'

He suddenly caught a glimpse of the generator's oil gauge out of the corner of his eye, rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and the smile gradually froze from his face:

The fuel tank was already empty.

PS: 6.5k really burned the North House to ashes...

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Rising Flames: 1914: Chapter 16: Precious footage of humanity's early Mechanicus gatherings (6.5k)

The dark moon rose, and the cold December wind swept through the ruins, carrying the smell of rust and scorched earth.

The Dominican, carrying a greatsword, walked at the front of the group, followed by a group of trembling mortals. Their shadows were stretched out by the colorful light from the church windows in the distance, like a group of ghosts wandering on the edge of purgatory.

"Snapped!"

The church's stained windows suddenly erupted with blinding light, transforming it into multicolored bands of light, not unlike the light balls in a disco. Dominicana squinted, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints beneath his iron mask—this blatant exposure was like firing a flare to the legions of Hell.

"Is this bishop mad?" she cursed softly, her fingertips tapping lightly on the greatsword, sending a subtle ripple through it. The figures of ordinary people distorted into blurry shadows in the light, as if momentarily ripped from reality by some unseen force.

"You guys, stay alert and wait for me outside. I'll go scout."

Dominica signaled the mortals to move close to the wall, while she crouched like a cat. She put down her greatsword, dug out a long knife from the pile of heretic corpses scattered at the church entrance, and nimbly climbed up the church wall.

"Ok?"

She climbed to the top of the bell tower and casually cast a spell to cut the door lock. The cold wind rushed into the tower, and the bell rope swayed like a noose in the shadows. She clung to the back of the door leading to the hall, but the sound that leaked through the crack of the door made her freeze in her place.

......

"This is the positive pole! This is the negative pole! Remember - electricity always takes the path of least resistance!" A black-haired young man was waving an electric wire in one hand and holding a diode in the other. There was also a radio that had been disassembled into parts on the podium.

Dozens of ragged pilgrims in the audience were frantically taking notes, the rustling of paper and pens almost drowning out his speech.

"Who will repeat the characteristics of the diode detection now?" He casually threw the charred diode to the front row, and the pilgrims who caught it trembled as if they were holding holy relics.

"Me! Me!" A young man jumped up and raised his hand. "Detection uses the unidirectional conductivity of a diode to detect the modulated audio signal from a high-frequency AC signal. This is used to drive the headphones, and that's how we produce sound!"

"Great! Young people have great memories and understanding!" Neos nodded approvingly. "You old-timers should learn from this young man!"

He snapped his fingers. “Does this get taught in church schools?”

"They only teach how to recite the Bible..." a pilgrim with graying temples muttered, "I've taught in school for more than ten years, and the vast majority of the content is related to religion, and the rest is basically some military knowledge. They don't allow us to learn these, they say-"

"As long as you devote yourself wholeheartedly to the church and God, you will be the most pious and excellent believers!" everyone added in unison.

"What kind of education can this kind of school possibly provide?!" Neos was dissatisfied. "People can't continue to be so ignorant. Not everything can be abstractly attributed to God's power. Look at this radio in my hand—well, even though it's broken, it also represents human creativity and wisdom!"

"In fact, that diode has also been blessed with holy water..." said a voice in the corner.

"Blessings! Don't blame everything on the gods. And where in the Bible does it say you can't learn technology or make tools? Does the Bible mean you can eat raw meat and drink blood like a savage?

God didn't prohibit the principle of leverage in the Bible! It's all the church's fault, understand? "The generator behind Neos spewed black smoke, as if to cheer his angry declaration, "For eight hundred years, the church has used 'piety' as a chain to tie your brains like sheep! But look at you now-"

"Hell's bullets don't care how fervently you pray!"

Everyone nodded in unison.

"The church says you must not study science and technology. Anyone who studies science is considered blasphemy - what a joke!

The church doesn’t allow you to study science, so will you study it? Tell me now whether you will study it or not!

You have to learn it even if you die.

Someone might ask, Mr. Neos, what should I do if I am caught by the church?

It is impossible to kill you. He is not even apostating. He is just warning you: believer, you must not learn anymore.

Because this is not betrayal, child, this crime has different levels!

I just read a scientific theory and learned the principle of leverage, so I can use a lever to lift heavy objects, and then you sentence me to dig trenches in heaven? This is complete bullshit!

I tell you, it is better to believe in yourself than to believe in heaven and earth. Don’t expect God to suddenly bless you because of your piety on the battlefield. Everyone is very pious, so why are you superior to others?

"What kind of God is that? I've been battling Hell's soldiers in the trenches for a few days now. Where has God been? What kind of divine power does he have? They say that the hermit in the shrine is so powerful and has such a steadfast faith in God, but he was still pierced by a tank from Hell. How has the church survived for eight hundred years? It's the bones of you 'lambs' that form the walls!"

Neos selectively ignored the "feat" of the shrine hermit who had taken the first shell unscathed, and assumed that the first shell from Hell was a dud.

What he had seen and heard during this period had accumulated a lot of dissatisfaction in his heart, and he planned to take this opportunity to curse to his heart's content. After all, the Pope was far away and the emperor was far away. If the Pope and God had the guts, could they jump in and kill him now?

After hearing these "treasonous words", the pilgrims who had witnessed Neos' miracles on the battlefield lowered their heads and dared not record them in their notebooks. The newly joined group of ordinary people looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling as if they had just escaped from the tiger's mouth and fallen into the wolf's den.

"Neos...what you said is...not very conducive to the unity of our church, you understand. Although this is science..." Seeing that the atmosphere was a little wrong, Valentine came out to smooth things over, but Neos was already furious and did not leave his side at all.

"Look at all the scientific demonstrations I've given you lately. Which one has failed? Which one is useless? It's the God who doesn't appear. These useless clay sculptures and wooden carvings... Let me be frank, if you only base your faith on the so-called 'manifestations' of God in religion, you might as well believe me now!"

A complicated expression appeared on the face of Priest Amos in the audience. Neos had no idea how much trouble this sentence would bring him later, but now...

"boom!"

Dominic kicked open the door to the hall and pointed the knife at Neos!

"Shut up, heretic! Are you going to praise Lucifer next?! I thought you were a good person, but it turns out you're just trying to deceive the people!"

The hall fell silent. Pilgrims surged toward the platform like a tide. Even the mortals, somewhat afraid of Neos, bravely stood before him, forming a barrier of flesh and blood.

"Protect the Saints!!!" "When did this person break in?!" "She must be a spy sent by Hell. This is a heretic conspiracy!" "Don't even think about touching the Saints!"

Dominica was stunned. She had seen the look in these people's eyes before—not the blind loyalty of a fanatic, but the determination of a drowning person clinging to a single piece of driftwood.

"Stand back." She raised her sword, the might of the mighty sword causing the air to stagnate. "I come with God's will, and I will punish only those who blaspheme."

"God? Fuck you!" Neos poked his head out from behind the crowd. "Why don't you ask him to strike with lightning now?"

"I can chop you to death right now, you heretic!"

The crowd did not retreat, and Dominic loudly persuaded:

"Don't be deceived by this hellish spy! He doesn't have a single ounce of God's power! Do you dare to kneel before the cross and swear to God?"

Seeing these Neos's followers blocking her way, even though she could easily kill them, she had to control herself under the sacred oath she had sworn. After so many years of fighting, facing countless temptations and deceptions from Hell, her will had become as firm as steel. Unless she could receive a directive from God, she would only trust her own judgment.

"I..." "Respected Saint, please believe in your followers. It is because of you that we are united, and it is because of you that we are able to survive in this world. Please do not let others' doubts waver in your faith. We are your eternal sword and shield."

Amos stood beside Neos, raised his shield, bowed and whispered to him.

"I come bearing the words of the Supreme Lord. I will purge this place of all blasphemy for Him. Do you truly wish to be an enemy of me, the Sword Saint Dominicana?"

Dominic secretly cast a psychic spell, infusing power into his words, trying to break the "hypnotic" state of these people.

No one retreated. Dominican looked around. The pilgrims in the hall surrounded her, weapons tightly grasped, their eyes revealing determination and hope, which was a look she rarely saw in the hundreds of years of fighting.

It is different from the piety and fanaticism of fanatics, the despair and pain of church prisoners, and the ignorance and fantasy of recruits who have just come out of training camp!

She knew that it was like a trapped beast being forced into a corner. Although they were covered in wounds and had no chance of winning, there was still something that supported their will to fight this doomed battle. That was the determination to protect the most precious thing that can only be possessed by human beings - hope.

Even for those ordinary people, she could not see any confusion or fanaticism in their clear eyes.

This is something that will never appear in the city of the church or the fallen areas of hell. It is also a vague dream that has appeared in her dreams countless times. Human beings will eventually break free from the control of these monsters in the ether sea in the distant future, rely on their own hard-working hands and wisdom, and use reason and faith to build their own paradise with their own hands.

"who are you?"

She asked, retracting her weapon.

"I'm Neos, an ordinary person with some special abilities. Don't worry, I'm not one of those beasts from Hell."

While Neos was observing everyone in the Dominican Republic, she was also observing her. The various sacred symbols on her body showed her identity. Moreover, she dared to wear such luxurious clothes on the battlefield. She was definitely not an ordinary figure in the church!

"Which side do you belong to? The Church or Hell?"

"I belong to the human race." Neos thought for a moment and replied.

"...You're qualified—I rescued some civilians outside, let them in."

Dominica put down his weapon, walked towards the gate, and waved to the ordinary people waiting at the wall. Seeing that the tense situation had been resolved, everyone returned to their original positions, but they all stared at Dominica and his group vigilantly.

"Valentin! And Forar! Help entertain these people. They're freezing—Amos! Clean up the things from the demonstration, then connect the wires to the heating element I just used and heat some hot water for everyone to take a bath!"

Priest Amos hesitated to speak, pointing at the generator and wanting to say something.

"What are you standing there for? Don't tell me you don't know how to use it!... Forget it, Valentine!! You've got all the notes down, go help Amos boil some hot water for everyone! I'll go greet these newcomers and then get in touch with this distinguished guest from the church!"

Valentin was pulled to the generator by Amos, who was hesitant to speak. The two stared at the oil gauge that showed the capacity as 0, looking at each other in confusion.

Neos walked towards the Dominican at the door and waved away several pilgrims who wanted to protect him.

"Don't worry about me, I believe her! We are all for killing the devil, we have no conflicts, right? - What's your name?" Neos knocked on Dominic's shoulder armor. He did not notice that the mountain copper cross on the shoulder armor that was emitting a sacred light became dim, and it was no different from a piece of ordinary copper.

"You can call me the Dominican Swordsman." "Bang!"

Dominica took the giant sword carried by the three mortals with one hand and leaned it against the wall. Neos glanced at the granite floor tile where the sword tip was pointing and saw a large circle of cracks.

It seems that there was a reason why she put down her weapon just now. Being able to lift such a heavy object with one hand, it would be very easy for her to kill me.

"Dominican Swordsman, I'm glad to meet you this way—as we say in the East, heroes become friends through fighting!"

Neos smiled and shook Dominic's hand.

“You…” “What’s wrong with me?”

"You don't look like a normal person living in Europe."

The smile on Neos' face froze for a moment.

"I have served the Church for hundreds of years, and my years of fighting have enabled me to clearly discern a person's profession by the smell of his body."

Dominic took off his mask, revealing a Nordic face with a light brown scar across his brow bone, breaking his originally thick eyebrows into two parts.

"Your movements are full of flaws, and your hands lack calluses. Your skin is clean, more like a child of the nobility, but I don't see any reverence for God in your eyes. You know a lot about science, but you don't have the mechanical ornaments typical of technical priests. I'm very curious—"

How did you manage to survive in this fucking cesspool?"

Neos smiled awkwardly. "Just... live like this? Actually, my faith in God isn't that deep, because God really... isn't as powerful as I imagined. It's more like... uh..."