Chapter 570
The Church of the Flowery Words
Chapter 570 The Church of the Cross (Part 33)
"He still doesn't intend to give me this lump of gold, what a stingy guy." Ning Yao said angrily, her face showing the grievance of someone who owed her money.
Chunyu Kong rubbed his temples helplessly: "That's enough. Who promised you that you could get rich by being rude?"
“Let’s not talk about this anymore,” Ning Yao jumped out from inside the yellow line and looked around on the altar. “Let’s see if there are any other clues we can retrieve… uh, I mean clues, let’s see what other clues we can get.”
“The clues aren’t here,” Chunyu Kong said, stepping across the yellow line but walking straight down the altar without lingering. “Or rather, at least for now, it’s unlikely we’ll find any valuable clues here.”
"how do you know?"
"I don't know. But I do know that it's best not to waste all action points in one room during the first round of search. Spreading the search out can yield more comprehensive information. Although it may not be as in-depth, it can avoid large blind spots in information."
Ning Yao didn't quite understand, but it made a lot of sense, so she obediently followed Chunyu Kong, swaying back and forth while holding onto Chunyu Kong's clothes, her eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge.
Chunyu Kong originally did not intend to provide a guided tour, but it was clear that Ning Yao was willing to spend a lot of boring energy pestering him on this matter. Kong could only sigh almost inaudibly. Just as he was about to speak, a bell suddenly rang out overhead. The sound waves spread through the church's special structure, and the sound instantly filled every corner of the church, even causing a dangerous resonance on the surrounding stained glass windows.
Ning Yao covered his ears and exclaimed, "Holy crap, what kind of crap building is this? How could someone have kept the bell's sound inside the building instead of letting it travel outside?!"
Chunyu Kong frowned slightly and looked up. Suddenly, his ears twitched. Without thinking, he grabbed Ning Yao by the collar and jumped off the platform outside the altar. He then flipped over and disappeared behind the huge, heavy curtain behind the altar.
The heavy drapery of the altar blocked out most of the light, and the movement of the velvet fabric stirred up a musty smell of dust mixed with the scent of candle wax, filling their nostrils. Ning Yao was pressed firmly into the shadows by Chunyu Kong, the collar of his shirt so tight he almost coughed, but he managed to hold it in when he met Chunyu Kong's warning gaze. Through the gaps at the bottom of the drapery, they saw a dozen pairs of shoes stepping into the main altar area—shiny leather shoes, muddy sneakers, and mostly old people's cloth shoes and roller shoes. The murmurs and whispers of the tourists mingled with the distorted buzzing of the tour guide's loudspeaker.
"Everyone, look here. This is the main altar area, the very heart of the Cross Flower Church. Legend has it that the first archbishop received divine revelation here..."
Ning Yao patted the tightly clenched hand on his neck: "Hey, hey, friend, there's no air, no air at all. Loosen your fist, give me your life."
Chunyu Kong clicked his tongue lightly and released his hand.
Ning Yao exhaled: "What time is it? Why are you suddenly open to customers?"
Chunyu Kong raised his wrist: "Nine o'clock, it's definitely time. I remember the visitor guide provided at the church entrance also said that they open at nine o'clock, so it seems that the visitor guide is the most reliable internal rule at present."
"Nine o'clock?" Ning Yao's tone rose slightly as he handed over his watch. "Your watch is broken. It's three o'clock now, three in the morning."
Chunyu Kong frowned but said nothing. He simply took Ning Yao's watch and examined it thoroughly: it was undamaged, had sufficient power, and was functioning normally. All three points were correct.
Then she took off her watch and checked it, only to find the same result: everything was normal, but it was nine o'clock.
Ning Yao: "What does it mean?"
Chunyu Kong returned the watch to him and casually uttered the exaggerated conclusion: "It means that I was with the tourists outside at the church at nine o'clock, but you weren't there."
Chunyu Kong's words were like a stone thrown into a deep pool, creating ripples in Ning Yao's dazed mind.
"What do you mean I wasn't in the church at nine o'clock?" he repeated subconsciously, his gaze sweeping over the noisy crowd of tourists outside the gap before abruptly retreating into the shadows of the curtain. "I was at three o'clock? This place sells tickets in time zones? Du Jingxiu has such advanced abilities? Painless time travel, and the key point is, he didn't even charge extra!"
Chunyu Kong: "I think the key point isn't whether or not there's a fee." Ning Yao, hands on hips: "That's not important!"
Chunyu Kong chuckled: "It's not important anymore?"
"The important thing is that Du is creating differences between us again, so that he can throw out some rule later and then naturally separate us—it's really annoying. I'm not going to let him get away with it so easily again and again. I'm going to make things difficult for him." As she spoke, Ning Yao bent down and began to pull at the heavy curtain in front of her.
“Hey, don’t pee or poop anywhere.” Chunyu Kong blurted out.
"Flight attendant, you actually think that way about me? Do you think I'm that kind of person?" Ning Yao feigned anger, but his hand unconsciously reached for his belt. "But now that you mention it, I think it might be a good idea. We can't just keep being blocked behind the curtain by these tourists forever, can we?"
Chunyu Kong felt a throbbing vein on his forehead, feeling utterly helpless at this guy's incompetence at such a crucial moment, but he did need to create chaos for the time being. Chunyu Kong quickly pulled out a few talismans from his pocket, rubbed them lightly with his fingertips, and the talismans immediately ignited with a ghostly blue flame.
Instead of throwing the talisman, he pressed it onto the ground at the edge of the altar curtain. A few wisps of smoke, carrying the strange smell of burnt candle wax, quickly drifted out from the bottom of the curtain.
"Huh? What's that smell? It sounds like something's burning?"
"Is there a short circuit? Check it out!"
"Hey! Weren't we supposed to be here to see the egg giveaway? How much longer?"
Soon, a few whispers and commotions arose among the tourists, footsteps became chaotic, and some people began to look around, searching for the source of the strange smell. The once orderly site suddenly descended into chaos.
"Now!" Chunyu Kong lowered his voice, and the moment the crowd's attention was diverted, he suddenly lifted a corner of the curtain, grabbed Ning Yao who was still pretending to wriggle, and silently slid out, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the nearest row of oak benches. After waiting a moment, the two shook off the dust and stood up straight in the crowd amidst the chaos.
Ning Yao pinched his nose, his expression and tone exaggerated: "What the heck is this smell? Who burned their stinky socks? It's so smelly and disgusting, can we still play? If not, let's hurry up and move on to the next part."
This statement was quickly echoed by other tourists:
"Yes, yes, let's go to the next attraction. Let the staff check this place."
"It's so hot and humid, my high blood pressure is about to flare up, I need to find somewhere else quickly."
Where can I pick up the eggs? Does anyone know where to get eggs?
……
Chunyu Kong quickly scanned the hall and spotted the tour guide holding a megaphone who was trying to calm the crowd:
"Please don't panic, everyone. The church has dedicated personnel conducting security checks every day, so there are no safety concerns. Moreover, we have a complete tour itinerary. Just follow me, and you won't miss any sights or benefits. Please rest assured."
Chunyu Kong squeezed through the crowd and, in a voice just loud enough for a few tourists nearby to hear, "reminded" the tour guide: "Tour guide, safety comes first. How about guiding everyone to an open area in an orderly manner? For example, the church architectural wonders exhibition area or the cultural relics display area that you mentioned earlier? There's more space there."
“Yes, yes, let’s go somewhere else first! We’ve already seen everything here,” the tourists next to the tour guide chimed in.
Thank you BLINDA for the donation!
Thank you for your support, Bao. I bow to you.