Chapter 646: The Arming and Departure of the Priests

As the priests here went to a new hidden room to retrieve priestly weapons and equipment, Bataer Jiaoshi nervously rubbed his hands together and said to Jier, "Actually, I practiced staff and short staff combat techniques in the church before. Although I wasn't very outstanding."

Jier felt curious about this and replied, "Oh, how do you fight with a long staff and a short staff? Tell me about it. I've encountered Nongshen Believers before, but I haven't really understood this kind of staff weapon."

"It's like this: generally speaking, local churches with strength will prepare weapons and equipment for their priests, but, well, a Village Priest like me usually doesn't have weapons and equipment issued by the church; instead, we prepare them ourselves. The previous set would be taken back."

He then gestured briefly, and seeing that the other priests around were not paying him much mind, he said to Jier, "Staves are usually imbued with some useful blessings. Just as the priest Minggu said before, these blessings are prepared by the priest-owner of the weapon according to their own needs. Generally speaking, a long staff that one is comfortable with takes several years to prepare, and then it is gradually strengthened in the days that follow, to be used for a lifetime."

Jier gently flicked the tip of his nose with his finger: "So, the long staff and short staff themselves aren't used as weapons, but rather combat is conducted using the blessings upon them?"

But Bataer still waved his hand: "That's not right, they are still used to fight directly, but only young priests like me do that. After all, you know, when one gets older, some heavy long staves simply cannot be swung regardless."

The priest Minggu, who had been standing with his eyes closed and silent the whole time, said bluntly at this moment: "Can't swing them, my foot. Priest Bataer, if there is time, shall you and I find a place to practice with wooden staves? Hmph, ordinary priests might be unable to keep up with their strength when they are old, unable to wield the weapons of their youth, and have to switch to a wooden cane. But I am different. Do you want to try?"

As to exactly how he was different, the priest Minggu did not say.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. The companions of the warrior Jier are still waiting for us outside the city. We must set off once we have retrieved our things; this way, by tonight, we should have already passed through the Baishi Chengqiang Guanka and entered the Southern Province to spend the night."

"Hmm, very well, I will spare you. However, after arriving in the Southern Province, be careful when spending the night in the wild; be wary that the public order there has been getting worse and worse recently. Even if you spend the night in towns or villages, be careful as well."

Jier leaned his head over: "Old Priest Minggu, has the situation in the Southern Province become like this? What exactly do we need to be careful about?"

The priest did not say much, only one sentence: "You must be careful about everything."

Another priest who went to retrieve the weapons and equipment walked over, pushing a wheeled wooden rack containing items.

Several Jiao Shi Chang Zhang were hung on the top of the wooden rack, and several short staves were hung on the bottom. Several small round shields of different materials were hung on the side of the rack, and in the middle of the wooden rack were placed several sets of light leather armor with Heart Protectors.

"Please choose for yourselves." This middle-aged priest was not as enthusiastic as the previous one.

Priest Bataer walked up and carefully observed the things he needed. Jier also curiously went over, and he pointed to a long staff with a wooden body and green metal at the top and bottom, asking: "Is there anything special about this one?"

Hearing Jier's inquiry, the middle-aged priest next to him then said: "Ironwood body, She Lü Gang at both ends. The She Lü Gang can spontaneously repel mosquitoes and insects, which is quite suitable for going out on adventures. At the same time, there are two types of blessing Divine Arts inside the ironwood; one can drive a beast with weak willpower, and the other can turn grass, tree branches, and vines into Poisonous Snakes under the effect of the Divine Art to attack enemies under control."

"Hmm?"

Jier widened his eyes: "Are the transformed Poisonous Snakes actually poisonous?"

The middle-aged priest rolled his eyes: "Of course they are poisonous, could it be that they are just for scaring people? Wouldn't that just be a Pianzhe Xiefa?"

Jier chuckled twice and looked to the side; Priest Bataer was touching every long staff with his hand, presumably, as a priest, he could also know much of the content the middle-aged priest spoke of by touching them with his hand.

So Jier pointed to the short staff: "Since there are long staves, what are short staves needed for?"

"Not every priest has good strength and stamina. Short staves are lighter; although they cannot be used for direct combat, the blessing Divine Arts inside are not inferior at all. At the same time, held in one hand, one can also carry a lighter shield for defense. Of course, one can also hold a protective statue."

Jier noticed that although the materials of the small round shields hanging on the side were different, they all did not look very heavy.

He curiously poked one with his finger and found that one of the shields, which appeared to be metal, was not as light as his Elven Metal Shield, but it wasn't much heavier either.

"What material is this? It's very light!"

The middle-aged priest smiled and said: "This is made of a Magic Material. I heard it is a heavy mucus secreted by a special tree species in the swamps of the Central Province. After being collected and processed, a very light metal powder can be refined from it. After being smelted again, it becomes this Magic Material. It can produce strong buoyancy in water. Holding a shield of this size made of this Magic Material metal, you don't have to worry about drowning after falling into the water; you won't even sink."

Jier's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked what the name of this Magic Material metal was.

This was not confidential information, so the middle-aged priest said: "I heard it is called Buoyant Light Steel. It is not easy to buy locally in Mengtuoka City, but there is at least a small amount for sale."

The middle-aged priest looked Jier over, knowing that Jier, who was in a suit of iron armor, had taken a fancy to the effect of this thing: "I recommend that if you have time, you can go to the capital of the Central Province to purchase it. The price there is definitely cheaper, and as the place of origin, the quantity sold in the market will also be greater."

"Thank you, Buoyant Light Steel, is it? If I have time in the future, I will make a trip to the Central Province."

During the conversation, Priest Bataer selected the long staff he needed; after all, he was a young male priest, so he could still handle a long staff.

He chose a slender long staff made entirely of metal, with only a spherical wire cage at the top, inside which was wrapped a spherical piece of Gems.

The amber emitted a faint orange-yellow light, and what was wrapped inside by the ancient resin were several leaves of ancient plants and several tiny insects.

"Is there anything special about this?"

Jier asked Bataer, and Bataer nodded and said: "The processed amber gem on the long staff comes with an ability that allows the environment around the long staff to spontaneously ensure human survival. For example, it is warmer around it when it is cold, and cooler around it when it is hot. When it rains, light rain does not fall around the long staff, heavy rain will not make one's body particularly wet, and it will also disperse a circle of fog."

"Very useful, is there anything else?"

"In addition, the priest who made it allowed it to use Divine Power to temporarily freeze a person, but their strength cannot be too strong, so I can use it to assist you in battle."

"Good idea, this way, for enemies with fewer numbers, the battle can be ended faster."

Clap! Jier clapped his palms, making a metallic clashing sound.

"You should hurry up and pick the rest too!"

Jier stopped bothering Bataer and let him focus on picking his military equipment.

Because he chose a long staff, according to the rules of the church, he could not choose a short staff or a shield. Therefore, Bataer could choose one more piece of life-saving equipment: light shoulder armor with a Heart Protector.

This is equipment worn inside a Cloak, and its main function is to protect the priest themselves during adventures alone or with few people.

Unlike priests participating in war who do not need weapons and equipment, the enemies of priests during adventures will not care about the identity of the priest, so they must be well-protected.

And in war, if it is not a dispute with religious reasons, the two sides of the war will not harm the priests of the church, because the churches and gods behind the priests mostly span the territories of countries and nobles. A small number of gods and churches even span across species, having the power of both sides among different races.

Even if they participate in the war, they will not be attacked.

For the shoulder armor with a Heart Protector, Bataer chose a lighter one, made of leather and metal strips as a frame. The color of the leather from an unknown animal was messy, and the emblem of Nongshen faintly appeared on it.

Jier asked and learned that this shoulder armor, in addition to the basic Divine Power protection, could provide the user with a significant increase in stamina and strength.

It takes effect as soon as it is put on, which is very convenient.

And this matching Heart Protector has a powerful protective Divine Art blessing. According to the middle-aged priest next to him, even if a Knight is riding a warhorse and stabbing with a heavy lance, the protective Divine Art on this Heart Protector can block it for a moment, giving the priest a chance to escape and retreat.

"Not counterattack?"

The middle-aged priest rolled his eyes at Jier and said unpleasantly: "The church does not recommend that capable priests challenge Knights in battle."

Jier didn't ask why; he wasn't that ignorant of the situation yet.

After all the items were selected, Bataer put the shoulder armor and Heart Protector directly on his body. This thing is very easy to wear; the shoulder armor just needs to be put on the shoulders from left to right, and the Heart Protector is fixed on the shoulder armor with leather straps.

Just like the previous process, Bataer's requisition of this equipment also required document registration, and he also had to leave his own Divine Power mark.

There is no need to worry about the items being swindled away; if Priest Bataer does not return the items, the local parish can seek Nongshen to locate Priest Bataer's position.

All priests can communicate with the gods; not only do priests contact the gods upward, but the gods can of course also know the location of the priests downward and communicate with them to obtain information.

Priests can do this, but believers cannot at all. Therefore, although there were Nongshen Believers among the villagers of Changmai Village before, even Nongshen could not know where those villagers, including the believers, had been taken.

The gods know a lot; they have appeared for a long time and know countless truths that mortals cannot seek in a lifetime, but they are not omniscient.

The gods are powerful, their Divine Power is infinite, and they command countless mortals to surge forth and fight at their behest, but they are not omnipotent.

The God of the Ocean cannot peer into the depths of the land, the Earth Mother cannot manipulate the creatures of the sea, the Lord of the Sky cannot know the splendor of the underground world, and the Master of Lava cannot touch the brightest stars.

After Jier and his companion walked out of the stone house atop the Underground Storage Hall, they formally bid farewell to the Priest Minggu who had led the way; the Old Priest simply nodded, then walked away slowly with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Bataer tapped the Metal Long Staff in his hand, looking with satisfaction at the circular amber inside the metal mesh at the top of the staff: "Warrior Jier, shall we set off now?"

Jier, who had packed some auxiliary items into the pockets at his waist, was holding two Plant Concealment Cloaks in his left hand at this moment; hearing the words of Priest Bataer, he looked up at the sun.

It was almost noon, the time agreed upon to return to the city gate.

Nodding, Jier walked toward the gate of the Agricultural God Church under the guidance of Priest Bataer.

Passing by the central ritual grounds located in the heart of the church, Jier saw many priests who had not come before curiously gathered here, some sitting cross-legged in the illusory wheat fields of Divine Power produced by the ritual, seemingly experiencing something.

And some were honestly listening to the Vice Dean explain the ritual blessings at the feet of the Divine Statue.

"If only our Southern Province had a priest with the strength of this Vice Dean."

Bataer looked at those young priests receiving wisdom, appearing quite envious.

"Perhaps there is one, but you didn't notice at the time? Or you didn't care?"

Jier's guess made Priest Bataer quite embarrassed, so he had to walk away quickly.

At the church gate, the two retrieved their horses. Jier's Tianxuecao seemed to particularly like the green grass where the Agricultural God Church tied their horses; Jier saw that the grass within reach of his horse's mouth had been gnawed clean.

Seeing Jier and Bataer return, who now clearly looked quite different, Priest Moreier, who guarded the church gate, offered them a blessing for travelers: "May you overcome your enemies and return in peace."

"Thank you for your blessing."

Jier led his horse out of the gate of the Agricultural God Church, while Priest Bataer turned to look at the place where he had stayed for a time.

Before yesterday, he had felt this place was gloomy and cold, but after just two short days, looking at it again, he had some different realizations. Under the command of the great Agricultural God, he and the other priests, known or unknown, might not be family, but the support provided was far better than family.

From arranging a quiet room for him, allowing him to settle his mood in the past few days.

To preparing potions to stabilize his emotions, allowing him to wait for the visitor in the tavern every day as the gods had instructed, so as not to truly miss them.

Besides this, there was the patience of every local priest who saw him despite his cold face and foul temper, and the encouragement and reprimands from the high-ranking Vice Dean.

Of course, there was also that plant by the bedside, that little plant that listened to his countless complaints, day and night.

Thinking of this, Priest Bataer shook his head, hoping that plant could forgive him for the potion he had poured onto it.

"Jier, wait for me."

Priest Bataer hurriedly took hold of the borrowed prairie horse and followed quickly.

Passing through the city, when leaving the city this time, the city gate Soldier on duty, upon seeing Priest Bataer's attire, instead consciously moved the road-blocking obstacles aside, taking the initiative to let Jier and his companion ride out of the city.

Outside the gate of Mengtuoka City, it was also exceptionally lively.

Although this was right under the noses of those tax officials, locals and outsiders did not dare to conduct business here blatantly. But as long as they didn't trade directly, other things could be done in this open and secure place.

With the city gate right next to them, no one dared to use violence, so many small Merchants and outsiders gathered in places near the gate that didn't block the way to discuss trades.

They did not trade directly; they often held samples of the main products they wanted to trade, either shouting or holding up signs indicating the name and information of the goods.

It seemed like there was no trading, but in reality, the vast majority of the trading process had been completed.

When people met, they would first look up at what the other person was holding or what was on their sign; if they were interested, they would ask. The opening was always pleasant blessings, such as wishing you ten or a hundred sales that day, wishing for good weather, or may the God of Wealth bless you.

Why wish for good weather?

Because as long as it rained, there would be few small Merchants willing to go through this pre-trading process outside the city gate.

The vast majority would rather sleep in inns inside or outside the city, or go to familiar taverns to inquire about the most popular products on the market or news from various places.

Of course, there were also stingy guys who simply didn't want their product samples to get wet in the rain; they would rather get wet themselves than let the goods get wet and lose value.

It was stingy to the extreme; they didn't even think about the value of the time cost, treatment cost, and the virtual income lost from not earning money after getting sick, which was certainly far greater than the value of a sample.

Having said that, when Jier and Priest Bataer left the city, facing the bustling crowd of small Merchants discussing trades, they were suddenly at a loss, not knowing where Xueya Site had parked the carriage.

It certainly couldn't be at the city gate; it was full of people everywhere, and parking the carriage here would clearly hinder these people's trades. It was likely that for fear of causing trouble, Xueya Site had parked the carriage further away.

"Let's look for it!" Jier shrugged.