Chapter 479: Entering the Cunzi, the Argument Between Jier and Priest Bata'er

Priest Bata'er was anxious to rescue the two villagers abducted at noon, so he urged the three elderly villagers to move faster, intending to return inside the gate to report once they saw the alien Beast-men.

However, the three villagers were full of curiosity, reaching out their hands to tease Yongqi Maomao, and some even rubbed their fingers together, making "zuo-zuo-zuo" sounds with their mouths.

But Yongqi Maomao was not a newborn kitten that would be lured by such sounds; it bared its teeth in displeasure, flicked its tail, and fiercely swatted away the hand the villager was reaching toward it.

"Hiss, what a fierce little cat!" this villager exclaimed.

The other two still wanted to touch the Maomao, but Yongqi Maomao let out a "meow" sound, and the next moment, the wooden boxes on the carriage opened one after another, and one long-haired Lynx Beast-man after another crawled out.

Although they were not tall and were covered in fur, looking somewhat cute like cats walking upright, anyone stared at by their fierce eyes would involuntarily feel a chill down their neck.

"Hiss—" several melee Maomaos bared their teeth in unison, scaring the three elderly villagers into scrambling off the carriage.

This scene was seen by the villagers on the gate, and everyone laughed heartily, with whistles and jeers rising one after another.

Priest Bata'er gave a bitter smile, soothed the Maomaos, and then pushed the three men back inside the village gate. Before long, the gate opened inward, and the villagers inside, who were originally holding metal farm tools, retreated to both sides of the inner gate, clearing the way.

Jier waved his hand, signaling the convoy to follow him inside.

Once inside, Jier noticed the difference between the walls of Blue Dragonfly Cunzi and those of Big Tree Cunzi.

The walls of Big Tree Cunzi were very thin, basically just two layers of fire-hardened wood standing crisscrossed on the ground. The thickness was no more than half a meter, which was enough, because the Siege Fish would not approach Big Tree Cunzi, which lacked a pond.

But the walls of Blue Dragonfly Cunzi were too thick, about several meters, and the gate was even a double-layered wooden gate that opened inward. Jier speculated that the walls of Blue Dragonfly Cunzi were fixed with wood on the inner and outer layers, with enough soil filled in between, which could excellently resist the impact of the Siege Fish.

As soon as the convoy entered, one could see the entire village divided into two parts: one side was a pond, or rather a small lake, occupying most of the village's interior area, and the other side was the village houses with dense architecture.

In the middle of the messy and dense villager houses stood a towering Agricultural God Church made of wood.

Actually, this church could be seen from far outside the village, but only when seeing that wooden church by the lake at this moment, especially viewing it from a close distance, could one feel the beauty of this building.

It was truly too beautiful; the wooden church made of large wooden planks was covered in blue paint, not only looking like a beautiful building full of artistic atmosphere itself, but also reflecting the nearby water surface with bright colors.

Seeing that blue wooden church, Priest Bata'er said proudly: "Isn't it beautiful! And it's not afraid of the color fading over time. It is painted and dyed with pigment made from the crushed wings of a local specialty, the blue dragonfly. The color won't be washed away by rain, nor will it easily change color due to wood rot."

"The wings of that blue dragonfly have slight toxicity and excellent permeability. After being made into paint and applied to the wooden planks, the color will gradually penetrate deep into the planks over time, and even dye the other side of thinner planks blue. At the same time, because it has slight toxicity, termites, bugs, and even moss won't grow or breed on it."

Jier blinked and asked: "Is that harmful to humans? Didn't you say the blue paint is slightly toxic? Staying in this building for a long time will affect the body, right? Is that why the Old Priest doesn't like to leave the church?"

Priest Bata'er shook his head: "The toxicity of that thing is not harmful to humans. The Old Priest simply injured his leg when he was young, and now that he is old, even with Divine Power supporting him, he still cannot walk."

While talking, the convoy was led by Priest Bata'er all the way to the Agricultural God Church. Along the way, curious people kept coming out to watch the convoy. Seeing Priest Bata'er, the villagers would greet him; clearly, because Priest Bata'er often came here to help, the villagers here all knew him.

"Priest Bata'er! Are these people the reinforcements you found?" a young girl walked over and asked loudly.

The priest nodded, confirming the other's judgment.

The young girl immediately said excitedly and loudly: "Then please be sure to help rescue my brother! He was captured by those bad guys a few days ago. He must be suffering, those terrible tortures, but as long as he can come back alive, please, you must rescue my brother! I beg you!"

After finishing, the young girl knelt toward the convoy.

Priest Bata'er immediately shouted: "I will definitely help rescue your brother. I know his appearance and name, don't worry! It won't take many days for him to return. You must prepare the meat rolls he likes to eat first. I guarantee he will be able to eat ten in one meal when he returns!"

The young girl was very excited. She kept waving at the convoy and thanked them loudly: "Thank you, Priest Bata'er, and this young lord, as well as all the warriors." She did not know Jier and could not call out Jier's name, so she had to use a simple honorific to address Jier.

Jier smiled and waved at the girl on the surface, but complained in a low voice to Priest Bata'er beside him: "What if we can't bring her brother back? How will you explain it?"

Unexpectedly, Priest Bata'er's answer exceeded Jier's expectations: "If I can't rescue the abducted villagers, I won't come back. I delayed too long on the road and let the villagers suffer too much. It's all my fault. If I had been able to gather the villagers at Changmai Cunzi to block those people back then, things wouldn't have turned out like this."

"The bad guys laugh triumphantly in the wild fields outside the village, while the good guys huddle inside the walls, suffering every day. It shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be like this."

Priest Bata'er had a smile on his face, but in reality, he was saying the above words in pain.

Jier snorted and pointed out the key to the problem: "Is it possible that it's because the defense capabilities of the various villages in the south of Sasi County are too weak? In our Kendall County, let alone individual villages, even the smaller settlements and farms outside the city each have a systematic Militia defense force. As for the scattered villages, every family has its own village defense team. Some have dozens of people, others have hundreds."

Jier gestured the appearance of a Goblin and said to Priest Bata'er: "I once followed a village's Militia team to go out and wipe out a Goblin settlement with several hundred in number."

"And in this war to support the Southern Province, Kendall Baron only needed a simple summons to select a Refining Qi Militia team of five hundred from thousands of Militia teams. Such a team, once fully equipped, can annihilate an ordinary army several times its size."

When Jier finished speaking, he looked left and right and made a disdainful clicking sound: "And here, you have a large area, many villages, and a large total population, but the armed force you can bring out is just this!"

He gestured with the little finger of his right hand, which made Priest Bata'er's face flush, but he could not come up with any words to refute.

Seeing that Priest Bata'er had nothing to say, Jier immediately added: "If a large village like Blue Dragonfly Cunzi could field a Militia team of about one hundred people, they wouldn't need to be very elite; those Defeated Soldiers would have to weigh whether they would break their teeth."

"If a large village like Big Tree Cunzi had a Militia of three or five hundred, whenever something happened in the south of Sasi County, you few Agricultural God Priests could just discuss it and send troops to solve it directly, right?"

Hearing this, Priest Bata'er gave a bitter smile: "If that were the case, we would probably be wiped out by an army led by a Knight sent by the Sasi County Baron. By then, even more people would die."

Jier insisted on his view: "That Sasi County Baron has Knights, are you Agricultural God Priests just idle? If the Cunzi Priests of a dozen autonomous villages gathered together, that Baron would only weigh for himself whether he would annoy the Agricultural God Church that covers the entire Human society, and whether his own title could be kept!"

"Jier, Jier, your confrontational nature is too strong, as if everyone is an enemy, as if everyone is a bad guy who wants to take your life. In reality, if the churches in the Saint Hors Kingdom all did as you said, the whole Kingdom would be finished. I have read the church's history books, which said that in the southwestern border of the Empire, there was a piece of land specifically set aside by the Empire Emperor for various churches. Churches of all sizes of gods built their respective holy lands and earthly heavens there, but because of that, until nearly a hundred years ago, various battles and wars broke out there every day, and countless lives were lost."

"People did not feel any benefit from the holy lands and earthly heavens of the churches, only because they suffered enough."

"Violence, it only brings more violence." Priest Bata'er advised.

Jier was dismissive and teased: "Then, Priest, who hates violence, how will you take back the captured Changmai Cunzi villagers and the Blue Dragonfly Cunzi villagers from those Defeated Soldiers who like to use violence?"

"Persuade them with your mouth to put down the weapons in their hands and put down the violence in their hearts? Or join the ranks of the captives yourself, be stripped of your clothes, kneel on the ground to be used as a chair, be beaten, insulted, dragged by your hair, fed garbage, or even feces at any time? Do you like this?"

Priest Bata'er stopped talking; clearly, he was unwilling.

Jier pointed out the point that Priest Bata'er could least refute: "Don't forget, when your heart was filled with sorrow and revenge, the great Agricultural God guided you to me. He practically said it outright: use violence to counter violence, use sincere emotions to respond to sincere emotions. When others point weapons at you, you should pick up a weapon, not a flower or a bowl of food."

Priest Bata'er nodded, tacitly agreeing with Jier's words. He firmed up his thoughts and let out a heavy breath.

Jier did not know how much trouble these words of his would bring to the Sasi County Baron in the future. It also made Jier very surprised when he returned to Sasi County in the future.

The Agricultural God Church of Blue Dragonfly Cunzi had no backyard because it leaned against the pond inside the village, and its rear part even slightly protruded into the water surface.

So the entire convoy stayed on the open space outside the church gate.

There was an open space for gatherings here, and since there was no festival for the Agricultural God Church now, there was no problem with the convoy stopping here.

It was just that when staying overnight tonight, the convoy would need to arrange people for night watch.

As for where everyone would stay tonight, Priest Bata'er originally wanted the warriors to stay in the village inn for the night; not to mention anything else, at least there would be a bed to rest on, which could better let the warriors relax their bodies. And next to the inn that provided accommodation for travelers and outsiders was the only small tavern in the village.

But Jier asked clearly about the distance between the inn and where the convoy was staying overnight, and gave up this plan; everyone could just stay simply in the church for the night.

At this time, Jier and Priest Bata'er entered the wooden church with beautiful blue decorations. Jier pointed to the church hall where believers usually gathered for Prayer activities and said to Priest Bata'er: "Let everyone just lay down some bedding here for the night. For lighting, there should be enough Oil Lamps in the church, right?"

"No, how can we stay overnight in a place where we pray? And before dark and tomorrow morning, there must be a Prayer activity for devout believers. If we stay here, where should the believers go to pray?" Although Priest Bata'er had been persuaded by Jier in the previous argument, this time, regarding activities within the church, he did not give in.

Because even when he was in the Refugee Team, he would insist on leading the believers in Prayer activities every day.

For Priest Bata'er, this was a fixed activity that could not be shaken.

Before Jier could say anything more, a large door in the church hall leading to the interior opened, and an elderly Priest of the God of Agriculture, sitting in a wooden chair resembling a wheelchair, was pushed out by a group of half-grown boys.

As soon as this Old Priest came out, he loudly reprimanded Bata'er Jiaoshi: "Fool! The Warriors are reinforcements who have come to rescue the kidnapped Villagers; how can they not be allowed to spend the night in the hall? On the contrary, I think it is better for them to spend the night here. Do not go to that inn in the village; traveling merchants have lured many of the village's loose women there. Spending the night there will only confuse the Warriors and weaken their resolve to fight."

He shakily propped himself up with a cane and walked over slowly, first refusing the half-grown boys who wanted to support him, then said in an aged but resonant voice: "It is better to spend the night here. I can tell those young Warriors how good Lanse-Qingting is, how prosperous your Changmai is, and how those bastards who destroyed all of this deserve to be defeated and punished."

Bata'er Jiaoshi muttered his agreement. Jier was seeing the Priest like this for the first time; it was different from his timidity when facing Feilina, as Bata'er Jiaoshi now looked more like a grandchild facing an elder, completely unable to speak back.

Jier thought to himself that this Old Priest Jialade-Ruidekasi was over eighty years old, and his age was likely among the highest-ranking elderly Priests in the entire Bolisifa Jiaoqu; the local highest-ranking Priestess, Dean, and Vice Dean were likely all juniors a generation below him.

When this Old Priest reprimanded other Priests of the God of Agriculture, the others could likely only listen honestly, with no chance to talk back.

?? Wishing book friends a healthy and happy Dragon Boat Festival!