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"Perfect! Absolutely perfect! I'll try it right away!"

I was so eager to try out the bathroom that I slammed my fist on the table, and Gotz wisely opened the door and left.

I quickly took off my pants and was just about to open the toilet seat when I found that the toilet seat opened by itself!

"Wow, it's a smart sensor toilet?"

But the next second, I realized that a jet of water gushing from the toilet bowl pushed open the lid, forming a blurry yet shapely female figure.

"You have to knock before visiting someone, you know—but I really like this new house!"

The water element, as if in control, stands proudly on the toilet, asking, "Huh? What are you doing? Why are you standing still?"

I stared in disbelief for two seconds, then turned around as fast as I could and pulled up my pants.

It must have been Gots who carelessly poured the water elemental that was residing in the vase into a suspicious place!

"Damn it, don't just live in someone else's toilet!"

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Chapter 681 Harvest Festival in Mineral Town (The Great Battle)

The moon had already set in the west, and the small chapel in the night seemed to remain intact after the passage of time. Whether it was the gray and white tones, the soaring spires, or the stained glass doors and windows and the slender, uniquely shaped columns, all of them used Gothic details to create a light yet intense religious atmosphere.

I rolled up a blanket, stealthily pushed open the church door, and with a creaking sound, finally entered.

Its pristine appearance is ultimately filtered through the lens of night; once you step inside, you are immediately enveloped by a sense of vicissitude.

In the absence of light, the rows of ancient stone pillars, the winding domes, and the colorful scroll paintings all seem to bring the church to life, emitting an ancient and serene breath...

"Snoring...snoring...snoring..."

...Did I hear that right?

I felt like the breathing sounds in the church were so three-dimensional, so real, I could even hear the details of saliva dripping...

"By the Holy Spirit, there is a shameless scoundrel sleeping in the church!"

I followed the sound and rushed to the confessional, dragged Father Carter, who was fast asleep, out of there, and shouted.

"Oh...it's me, Father!"

Father Carter hurriedly wiped his drool and tried to stop me.

"Yes, Father. There's a shameless scoundrel sleeping in the church!"

Carter, dressed in his priest's robes, was woken from his sleep. He glanced at me guiltily and tried to explain in a low voice, "Don't shout... How can you slander me like this! I wasn't sleeping at all..."

Then he looked back at the window behind him, suddenly realized something, and slammed his hand on the table.

"Wait a minute! It's the middle of the night, what's wrong with me sleeping? And what right do you have to barge into the church in the middle of the night!"

I said expressionlessly, "There's a responsible artist at home doing renovations, and it's so noisy I can't sleep. I was thinking of coming to your living room to make do for a bit."

Father Carter stared in disbelief: "How can you describe burglary in such a refined and elegant way?"

The priest poked his head out of the doorway. "They even made the bed and pillows?!"

I patted his shoulder dismissively, "It's okay, the conditions don't matter, I don't mind. You don't need to specially clear out your bedroom for me to stay in, but of course, if you insist, I can't refuse..."

"Who said I was going to let you stay here! Why should I?"

"Hey, everyone in town is asleep. I've been thinking for a long time, and the only person who sleeps day and night like you is probably still awake."

Carter went to the bathroom to wash his face, finally calming down from his rage upon waking up. He came out to me helplessly and said, "If you want to stay, then stay. You can sleep on the tables in the main hall of the church by putting them together—but don't even think about sleeping in my bedroom!"

"okay!"

I waved my hand and left the confessional, continuing to tidy my bedding, hoping to get some more sleep before dawn—after all, I would still have to evade Mr. Rhodes's pursuit after daybreak.

As I strolled through the main hall and saw these ancient columns up close for the first time, they appeared both magnificent and serene.

As visitors get closer, they will experience different sensations through sight and touch. The closer they get to these pillars, the more the unique textures on them appear, making them seem as imposing as mountains.

“Marcus, you seem quite interested in this pillar? Have you ever considered coming to church to hear me preach?”

Father Carter, out of professional habit, stood in front of the pulpit and tried to preach to me from the darkness.

I usually interpret this behavior as Carter having slept too much and wanting to chat with someone.

“Father, do you know why I insist on staying at the church?” I asked.

"why?"

"Because I'm being hunted down."

Father Carter smiled confidently: "Then this church will be your eternal refuge. Lost people need spiritual guidance just in time. I'll read you a passage from the Gospel of the Spirit, perhaps it will help you..."

I shook my head: "No, no, no, what I mean is that no one comes to the church even during the day, let alone at night. How can any other place compare to such a safe place!"

“This is blasphemy!” Father Carter roared in anger.

I looked at him dismissively. "If telling the truth is a sin, then the person who ruined the church like this should be in hell, right?"

Under my righteous gaze, Carter finally retreated, and said guiltily, "Never mind, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Only then did I feel at ease pulling the covers over my head, closing my eyes for a while, but I couldn't fall asleep. So I opened my eyes and stared blankly at the lifelike murals on the dome.

I quickly determined that this was achieved by using the concept of overlapping objects, where the front is complete but the back is incomplete, to harmonize the concepts of forward and backward movement, balance the boundaries between the main subject and the secondary subject, and present an effect of seeing through the sky.

Unable to sleep, I finally spoke up, "Father Carter, something's not right. You usually prefer to sleep with your door closed rather than preach and help people... Do you perhaps have some ulterior motive? Is the church going to continue its human trafficking?"

Why do all your words sound so harsh when they come out of your mouth?

Father Carter's forehead creased with a zigzag pattern, and after calming himself for a while, he spoke softly.

"The Harvest Festival has been going on for three days now, it can't be kept a secret any longer, can it? I've figured out the purpose of your plan this time. You should know that the Federal Council will not tolerate this kind of open provocation."

"Oh, then I'll attack from behind next time. And then what?"

"Why would you ask, 'Then'..."

Father Carter leaned lazily against the pulpit. "Do you think the Federal Congress can't crack your plans or deal with you? The outer islands have always been their backyard. Now that a robber has broken into their backyard, what do you think they will do?"

I calmly said, "I had anticipated these things. But I also knew that such conflicts were inevitable. Rather than wasting time on pretense, it's better to set things in order so that they have rules for the future."

Father Carter sighed and lit a candle, its dim light failing to dispel the darkness.

“I’ve met people who think like you. These people are often brave, upright, loving, and decisive, but they couldn’t change anything—Father Hidalgo was one of them.”

"This is the first time I've heard you talk about the former priest. What kind of person was he?" I asked curiously.

Father Carter's expression was complicated: "In my eyes, he was a rigid, stubborn, but respectable person."

Father Carter, who was speaking of this, probably felt that it was a little inappropriate to stand on the pulpit and slander his predecessors, so he strolled over to my side.

"When it comes to dealing with the Federation, the Papacy has a much longer history than you. Whether it's the Federation that first showed its strength in the Battle of Wolfgang, the Federation that used iron-fisted methods in the War of Rebellion, or the Federation that was cold and cruel in the War of Informers."

"How do you all get along peacefully?" I asked casually.

"You've hit the nail on the head. The Federation has always had no interest in managing the Twisted Point, so it signed an agreement with the Vatican that allows our papal authority to exist in 'special circumstances'."

"This is simply the profit-seeking and risk-avoiding nature of a businessman. Only an old stubborn like Father Hidalgo would give up all his status and resolutely travel thousands of miles to the mining town to establish a church when things break out..."

Looking at Father Carter's complicated expression, I could roughly understand his dissatisfaction.

Dealing with the federal government is never a pleasant experience. There's always scheming and people trying to take advantage of you. They'll turn a blind eye to anything when it comes to their own interests.

The mission undertaken by the Vatican has now become that of a scapegoat. For example, Father Hidalgo's actions during the Mineral Town destruction crisis involved relying on this so-called "special situation" papal authority to take on the work of clearing, controlling, and rebuilding.

I couldn't help but say, "Speaking of the situation in Mineral Town back then... it was nothing short of saving a collapsing building. Father Hidalgo was truly great..."

"Have you not met enough great people?" Father Carter retorted.

I didn't say anything, but I knew he was referring to old miners like Old Man Hook and Old Man Yorkson.

“Father Hidalgo spent more than a decade building this church bit by bit. The stone pillars, porticoes and domes you see are the result of his many years of hard work.”

In the somber atmosphere, the candlelight flickered and swayed in the night wind, its light growing dimmer, as if it might be swallowed by the boundless darkness at any moment. The ominous shadows at the doorway seemed to spread phosphorescent dust even more rampantly.

Father Carter stood up and recited a poem with a melodious and ancient charm.

"Glassy rock, transparent and solid"

Light and heavy, fleeting and eternal.

Conflicts never cease.

This is where those who have entered stand.

A constant contemplation of life that permeates the mind.

As the sun sets and night falls,

Day after day, year after year.

I too will eventually die.

It will eventually become a rock.

Or a beacon in the darkness…

...If I hadn't just been shocked by Goetz's "art," I might have been moved. Have you ever seen performance art with coffins placed inside a house?

I've seen it before.

I couldn't help but laugh and said, "Father, why do I feel like what you're saying isn't sarcasm, but rather a strong sense of jealousy?"

Carter smiled and said, "It's normal to have some longing for people and behaviors you can't understand. Maybe I just can't understand their thinking..."

"Them?" It seems like Father Carter's words were implied, and he was referring to someone else.

I said to Carter earnestly, “Don’t worry about me, Father. Perhaps the people you’ve met before are all brave, upright, loving, and decisive, and they are all first-rate people—but I am different from them.”

"How are they different?"

“I’m more cunning than them, that’s why I succeeded.”

I smiled slyly and stretched out one hand, gesturing as I said, "The Federation is shameless, the opponent is cunning, how pleasing to the ear!"

Carter frowned and muttered, "I really don't know why you're so confident. Anyway, if you need help when the time comes, I can provide it to you on behalf of the Holy See."

"confidence?"

Then I'll have to tell you what true confidence really is!