Chapter 446: Prayer

Whether there is a heaven above the clouds, no one can say for sure, but the kingdom of heaven on earth is before everyone's eyes.

Eastern Parish, Central City, under the afternoon sun, the marble spires glowed with crystal light, dazzling like crystal, and the bits and pieces of light gathered together, as if turning into stars under the scorching sun.

One magnificent holy hall after another stood on the earth, and under the many extremely gorgeous and extravagant decorations, each one appeared solemn and dignified, each one exhausted ingenuity, and each was beautiful in a different way.

Around hundreds of huge holy halls, there were holy halls under construction that had not yet been completed; even the foundations and beams were carefully wiped clean by the believers...

When the bell rang, the sound of prayer and the praise of holy songs would ring out in every holy hall; even in any corner of the street, when it was time for praise, pedestrians would kneel on the ground one by one, offering prayers toward the Central Parish, toward the Heavenly City.

Praise the god, for giving me a brand-new life; praise the god, for creating such a peaceful world; praise the god, for giving me eternal life...

On faces that were distinct from each other, the same piety was engraved.

Why not believe?

Why still not praise?!

Brothers, sisters, are we not exactly in the kingdom of God at this very moment? Have you not felt the love and mercy of the Holy Spirit from that gentle sunshine and gentle moonlight? Is not the life of you and me at this moment given by that great and holy god?

So praise, so pray, toward him for eternity; only in this way can we repay this love of rebirth, only in this way can we, humble mortals, get closer to that holy throne...

The so-called kingdom of heaven is just like this.

"Truly beautiful."

Ji Jue stood on the street, staring at everything before him, sighing from the bottom of his heart.

Controlling countless tools like puppets, making the tools spontaneously offer everything for themselves, even their self and soul. Even if it is extortion, it will only be regarded as the god's love, and they will be grateful...

Why didn't he think of such a wonderful way to handle it?

Could it be that his underground assembly line has gone into a misunderstanding?

Learn, learn, must learn a lot... must be able to apply it to coastal industry!

Don't know why, Yan Fei, who was like a follower behind Ji Jue, subconsciously paused, feeling a burst of chill, but when he looked up at Ji Jue, he only saw the familiar smile.

Illusion, probably.

He shook his head, dispelling the thought just now, and then, tried his best to restrain the calmness of his expression, his eyes lowered, like any humble pilgrim.

Just stepping on the ground near the holy hall was already making him... want to vomit!

He used to admire and worship all this so much, but now he was just as resentful and poisonous.

One day, Yan Fei, one day.

You will burn all these things to ashes!

Even if teeth are broken, fingernails are worn away, hands are worn flat, blood is drained...

Pop!

Someone suddenly patted his shoulder, making his gradually ferocious expression twitch, as if waking from a dream.

It was Ji Jue.

"Want some candy?"

Ji Jue opened his palm, revealing a few sugar cubes extracted from malt.

Yan Fei shook his head subconsciously, wanting to refuse, but the sugar cube was stuffed into his hand.

"Eat it, children should eat candy, sugar is good, it can dilute some of the bitterness and hatred in your mouth."

Ji Jue threw a piece into his own mouth and said indifferently: "If you feel pain, eat candy, Yan Fei; no matter how tormented and desperate, as long as you can still feel the sweetness, it means they haven't taken everything from you."

Yan Fei was silent, clutching the sugar in his hand, and for a long time, stuffed the broken sugar cubes into his mouth, lowered his head, and followed closely.

To be fair, even the most critical person, seeing such a city and scene, probably couldn't say any critical words, right?

Everyone loves each other, the street is filled with a gentle atmosphere, no quarrels, no hatred. Although there are not many goods in the shops, the prices are low. No need to work until exhaustion to win a place to stand, no need to fight to the death to win a higher status.

Here, even an ordinary person doesn't need to worry about being hungry, doesn't need to worry about the future.

Pray, just pray.

Those who can come here show that they are the most devout believers themselves; as long as they continue to prove their piety, they can win eternal peace.

Except for those who know the details of this Dream of the Yellow Millet, all the souls involved here are happy, spending every day in ignorance and peace.

In the eyes of many of them, they died in the spiritual plague long ago, and the reason they can have a second life is entirely the god's gift.

Then what reason is there not to believe?

Even if those who don't believe are treated so cruelly, isn't this matter-of-fact? Since they received the god's favor and were reborn, yet hypocritically deal with the god, and even, overestimate their own strength, ambitiously wanting to blaspheme the Holy Spirit... it is truly a crime deserving death!

Piety, focus, smile, happiness.

Continue to be pious, continue to focus, continue to smile, continue to be happy.

To the point that... people in it never realized how long their expressions hadn't changed, and on that hollow face that had nothing but a smile, could any other expression and spirit appear?

Greed, hunger, jealousy, anger...

How long had such emotions not appeared?

"That is to say, only those who pray devoutly and gradually wash away original sin can be so pure, right?" Ji Jue asked curiously.

Yan Fei was silent and nodded.

Following Ji Jue's request, he restrained the vicious words that were about to blurt out, as well as the expression of hatred and resentment that didn't match this place.

It was like coming to the bottom of the sea; in just a few short hours, he was almost suffocating.

"Hey, even walking corpses have such an elegant name..."

Ji Jue sighed sincerely: "Human creativity is truly infinite."

The bell rang again!

The prayer and holy songs like a sea tide rang out again, covering everything from every corner of the street, and everyone knelt on the ground respectfully.

In the corner, the two people wearing amulets that reduced presence and others' attention were like common saint statues, inconspicuous.

Ji Jue knocked on the wall next to him curiously, and a brick on the high holy hall suddenly fell off, falling, crossing a distance of a hundred meters, and smashing down.

Pop!

A believer kneeling on the ground praying had his head instantly smashed into a ball of meat.

The believers next to him ignored it, as if they hadn't perceived anything, lowering their eyes and praising, until the prayer ended, and then there were terrified screams from the street.

Finally someone discovered...

The glazed tiles at the highest point of the holy hall had fallen off!

What negligence!

The crowd gathered, surrounding the surroundings, and began to repair it with concerted efforts, crossing the headless remains under their feet, and on the ground, the believer who was gradually growing a head again climbed up, annoyed that he hadn't been able to complete the prayer just now, and volunteered to roll up his sleeves and climb upward.

Amidst everyone's cheers and shouts, they reinstalled the tiles.

Ji Jue was also an eye-opener, almost moved to tears—can humans as tools be so easy to use?

Truly amazing!

He silently witnessed the incredible scene before his eyes, and also, the strands of crystal-clear flashes on one holy hall after another.

The light rose, even if a wisp was so elusive, but countless lights gathered together, turning into a mighty long river, gathering toward the Heavenly City in the Central Parish in the distance.

Such a magnificent scene would appear every three hours, even more at night, and there were no one knew how many people praying day and night, without pause!

No, rather than calling it prayer, it's better to say... it's 'paying taxes', right?

Relying on the phantom-like emblem in the soul, Ji Jue had already seen the source of countless points of light... all the consciousnesses and souls in this phantasmagoria at this moment.

The god is so generous.

No need for offerings of money, no need for the hard work and sacrifice of mortals, just pray, just constantly pay taxes with 'self', and it is enough to please the god and bestow generous gifts.

The so-called 【Prayer】 is the process of gradually peeling off the 'self-nature' that constitutes consciousness, the core of the soul, bit by bit through focused meditation.

Countless self-natures turn into points of light, falling into the god's mouth one after another.

It's just like herding cattle and sheep.

In this dreamlike slaughterhouse, the lambs unknowingly constantly split their souls and offered them to the altar without resistance.

Over time, earth is piled into mountains, water is accumulated into seas, and through such a long-term, wide-sowing, thin-harvesting collection, the value and income of believers have also been maximized.

And in the process of gradually peeling off and splitting 'self' and 'self-nature', people will gradually lose emotions, persistence, and desires, and even the ability to think, step by step walking toward the ending of a walking corpse.

Finally, even their own appearance is completely forgotten, turning into faceless praisers in the dream, even if there is no value for collection, they can be used as fulcrums of the dream, making this Dream of the Yellow Millet more and more stable.

Even in the end, they don't know what they have lost.

Perhaps, even if they knew, they wouldn't care.

Self?

Is it useful?

Can it be exchanged for a piece of bread in the outside world? Can it be exchanged for a grain of emergency medicine? Even if one kneels and kowtows, abandons dignity, and shows ugliness, can it make the guns of those warlords raise an inch?

Compared to the cruel reality, isn't this dream merciful?

In the end, people will willingly walk toward the place they have chosen... regardless of whether it is hell or heaven ahead.

But how much blood and tears is heaven made of?

And who created hell?

"Truly pathetic..."

Ji Jue whispered, continuing forward, his pace as usual.

Yan Fei followed behind him, still following closely, but, while walking, couldn't help but always look up at the back in front.

Don't know why, he felt that Mr. Ji didn't seem to be smiling anymore.

"Oh, you two, finally back."

Behind the magnificent holy hall, outside the inconspicuous warehouse, Bao Dacai smoked his hand-rolled cigarette, lazily, yawning: "You really made this old man wait; don't young people these days know anything about respecting the old and loving the young? My old arms and legs..."

"Dear, it is suggested that if you can't wait, you can go directly to the funeral."

Ji Jue answered with a smile.

Nirvana old fogey, stop relying on being old to sell old, okay?

He dared to bet that if something really happened, the speed of this old fogey's old legs when running away with a bucket would probably be faster than a missile...

"Oh my, this time there are two new faces again."

Beside the old man Bao, the graceful middle-aged man also revealed a warm smile and proactively reached out his hand: "Truly a young talent. In the resistance camp, heroes and outstanding figures emerge one after another."

"You flatter me."

Ji Jue also held the other party's palm with both hands, as if reunited with a close friend, inseparable: "The development of the camp still needs more support from knowledgeable people like you!"

"Where are the words, icing on the cake, just icing on the cake."

The middle-aged man touched his beard and laughed proudly.

Just as there will be traitors everywhere, there is never a lack of turncoats who take risks for personal gain.

Who would have thought that this respected priest of the Eastern Parish would be the biggest collaborator of the resistance camp?

It's not easy to live in the holy hall.

If one can't handle the superiors, how can one stand out from countless other competitors? And how... make those eyesores and stumbling blocks walk into the Border Prison themselves?

It's all cooperation, it's all business.

You are good and I am good, why shouldn't everyone be happy?

Amidst a warm and enthusiastic greeting, they were soon invited into the warehouse; the warehouse, which looked ordinary, was magnificent inside, extremely extravagant, and not even inferior to the holy hall.

"Come, good tea, everyone taste it."

The middle-aged man who picked up the black tea took an elegant sip, and there were even various fresh fruits and snacks presented by servants, the water pipe stove was lit, and the fragrance was rich.

After taking off the priest's robe and changing into silk and gold-threaded clothes, the priest lay on the couch, enjoying the massage and service of the girls, waving his hand generously, letting the servants bring more delicacies and fine wine.

Ji Jue didn't dislike it, calmly rolled up his sleeves and started eating, not standing on ceremony at all, and even tore off a leg of lamb roasted until it was crisp and rotten, sprinkled it with spices, and shared it with the boy behind him.

Seeing Ji Jue so grounded, unlike those people before who were greedy but pretended, the priest's smile immediately became a bit happier.

It seems he can make a profit again this time.

Unfortunately, I heard that the other party's camp is almost unable to hold on, so there will be fewer and fewer such businesses in the future...

After eating and drinking, washing his hands clean, the priest clapped his hands, and naturally, servants presented a prepared list, with various supplies on the list, for them to choose from.

Flour, cloth, steel, and even medicine that accelerates regeneration and holy water that can recover to its original state even if only one joint remains, almost everything is available.

And the price is... compared to the real value, it is ten times or a hundred times more expensive!

The benefit of being the only one is just this.

If you don't want it, you can go buy it elsewhere?

"Just a panacea that accelerates recovery actually requires forty tons of water jade extract essence?" Ji Jue pinched his chin, looking troubled: "This... is it a bit exaggerated?"

"Hey, I can't help it either."

The priest sighed, his expression distressed: "This is not my business alone; on this line, up and down, where don't I need to handle things? Moreover, recently, these things are checked strictly from above, and it's not easy to do tricks."

Although he was distressed on his face, in his heart... he was also a bit distressed.

After all, this resistance camp, he felt it was hard to scrape any more oil and water.

Should he report them back, sell them, anyway there are other camps, not worried about no business. It just so happens that the holy event inspection is still lacking a lot of progress, and putting positioning in the supplies to follow the vine and find the melon might even catch a few big fish!

In the scattered thoughts, he heard Ji Jue's voice.

"I want this, this, and this, these."

Ji Jue held a pen, drawing and drawing on the form, his movements didn't stop, and his speed was so fast that the priest was dumbfounded and incredulous.

Just looking at the things he drew, and the price to pay... just thinking about that number, the priest's face turned red, almost unable to breathe.

Damn, why did I feel there was no oil and water just now, and now it's starting to spray fuel outward?

No, buddy, are you resistance camps this rich?!

Or did you rob the warehouse reserves of other parishes and come to sell the stolen goods?

His eyes lit up; if that's the case, in terms of price, he has to suppress it hard!

Watching the list that Ji Jue had almost filled, the priest was almost happy to close his legs, beautiful and bubbling.

Then, he heard Ji Jue's final voice.

"Oh, by the way, coming here this time, in addition to purchasing some items, the more important work is promotion."

Ji Jue paused, suddenly grinned, revealing a standard eight-tooth enthusiastic smile: "Don't know if you accept the barter trading method?"

Pro... motion? Barter... trading?

In the brief silence, the priest was dazed, looking at him, and suddenly laughed.

Don't know if he was amused or angered.

Promotion?

You guys, a bunch of poor bastards who can't even build a textile factory, what can you promote to me? Oh, the old men and old ladies in the camp have nothing to do and started doing handicrafts?

Looking for me to sell needle-knitted wool sweaters or embroidery paintings?

Pop.

At that instant, the thing in Ji Jue's hand fell onto the tabletop and slid over.

The sharp edges left two scratches on the smooth lacquer surface, making the priest couldn't help but frown, but immediately after, he saw the thing in front of him.

So familiar.

That is...

"... Holy Seal?"

The priest pinched the thing in his hand, his brows frowned, then frowned again, tightly frowned, almost all five features were wrinkled into a ball, tilting his head to look at Ji Jue, just like looking at a mentally retarded person.

No, you damn representative of a resistance camp, come to the cult, find me, and want to sell to believers the Holy Seals that the cult gives away for free during festivals and doesn't want money for?

Wait a minute, let me sort it out.

May I ask, are you crazy or am I crazy?

Or, did you come to tease me?!

"Hmm, it is indeed a Holy Seal."

In the priest's gaze that gradually turned gloomy, Ji Jue still smiled, so gentle: "However, I prefer its other name..."

He paused and said slowly:

"—Fully Automatic Prayer Machine!" ===== CHAPTER 447 =====