Chapter 654: Beef Stew and the Help of Two Priests

After Jier finished speaking, he picked up a few more small nails and went to the cowhide that had just been hanging down from the carriage. The cowhide on the roof part of the carriage was already nailed down, and now it was time for the lower part.

The iron nails were very small in size, but their production was quite troublesome. Even the rough little nails in his hand at this moment were ones that the blacksmith's apprentice had used to practice forging.

Of course, there were more convenient production methods, but they were not techniques that the local blacksmith shop at the checkpoint could use on a large scale.

Every small iron nail in his hand was a bit different, so when Jier used them, he had to judge how to swing the small wooden hammer to strike them according to the shape of each nail.

Next, Priest Bata'er chatted with Jier for a while about the possible situation early tomorrow morning. After confirming that he could release another wave of "Blessed Grain" blessings tomorrow morning, Jier patted the priest on the shoulder.

"Just don't make yourself as miserable as you did this time. It was a close call with me just now; if it had been anyone else, the situation would likely have spiraled out of control after you fainted. It would have been impossible to clean up."

"I apologize. Regardless, I had to be cautious for my first time releasing a blessing. I didn't expect that under the condition of me actively supplying Divine Power, the blessing pattern on my chest would accept my God of Agriculture Divine Power without reservation."

Jier also lowered his head and patted the three blessing patterns on his body: "It seems I have to be careful too. I'm different from you; you are a Priest of the God of Agriculture, and if your Divine Power runs out, you still have many ways to replenish it. This God of Agriculture Divine Power on me was all given to me by others. It's not that it can't be replenished, but compared to a pond like yours, the amount in my washbasin is far too little."

The God of Agriculture Divine Power on Jier's body was also responsible for a portion of his physical strength recovery during combat, so it was not necessarily indispensable, but it was a foundational link in his combat system.

After a while, a waitress opened the wooden door from the hall leading to the backyard and trotted up to Priest Bata'er: "Lord Priest, the stew you ordered for dinner is ready."

"Then I'm off to eat. Are you sure you've already eaten?"

Jier nodded and waved his hand to let Priest Bata'er go eat and not disturb his work.

The cowhide for the main part of the carriage had already been fixed to the canopy, and what remained was to drape the thick, waterproof, and rain-blocking linen cloth back over the carriage.

Priest Bata'er walked into the hotel hall and, guided by the waitress, walked to a dining table near the middle of the hall.

"What would you like to drink?" the waitress asked with a smile, bending at the waist.

"Clear water will do. After all, we are away from home, so it is inconvenient to drink wine."

Having said that, the waitress went to the place in the hall where drinks were served, asked the hotel steward for a copper cup, and poured a full cup of clear water.

At this time, a waiter came out from the back kitchen holding a tray, and in the large stone bowl on it, the piping hot stew was bubbling and steaming.

"Ah, this, so much?"

"Yes, this is my signature wine beef stew, with sour cream and various vegetables that are easy to stew added in, guaranteed to make you full and full of energy after eating, restoring your spirit."

The fat cook poked half his head out from the back kitchen, introducing his work with a mix of confidence and shyness.

Priest Bata'er was hungry, and upon smelling the incredibly rich aroma of the stew in front of him, he could no longer care about much else. He first thanked the waitress who brought the clear water, then picked up the small copper spoon that came with the tray and stirred the surface of the stew, which was sprinkled with spices.

The sour cream, melted by the heat, blended into the stew like grease under the stirring of the spoon, while the crushed spices stuck in small grains to the surface of the deep-red, wine-scented beef, which was cut into appropriate sizes.

He scooped up a spoonful of beef and put it into his mouth.

Priest Bata'er closed his eyes in emotion.

He nodded solemnly, acknowledging the taste of the food, and then he began to chew.

The fat cook was extremely excited; he could see at a glance that this very powerful priest was very satisfied with his work. So he proudly exchanged a look with the hotel steward and raised his chin.

The steward smiled and said nothing.

Afterwards, Priest Bata'er picked up the steaming, freshly baked wheat cake that was half-rolled up next to the stew. Not afraid of the heat, he picked it up directly with his hands, rolled it slightly, and then took a bite of beef, a bite of wheat cake, then a bite of soft vegetables, and a bite of wheat cake.

The large wheat cake could not withstand Priest Bata'er eating like this and soon disappeared into the priest's mouth.

Then, when eating the other wheat cake, the priest tore the wheat cake into several pieces, soaked them in the stew, scooped them up with a wooden spoon, and swallowed the wheat cake dipped in the slightly sour and fragrant stew juice.

He finished the beef first, then ate the wheat cake with the stew juice, and finally, the spoon in the priest's hand scooped rapidly, sending spoonful after spoonful of stew into his mouth.

"Hoo-wah—"

A small pot of stew along with two freshly baked wheat cakes had all gone into his stomach. Priest Bata'er's face was flushed red, and his whole body felt comfortable and slightly warm.

He picked up the clear water on the side and drank half a cup in one breath, gulping it down. He was finally full.

Although the original weakness remained—after all, the lost Divine Power could not be recovered to an outrageous degree just by eating a meal—he still needed to continuously pray to the gods and heal the wounded in the future to return and replenish his Divine Power.

As for relying on the prayers and faith of many believers to convert into Divine Power, the believers in the village under his jurisdiction did not know where they were suffering at this moment, so of course, that was impossible now.

Near midnight, Xueya Site walked out of the hotel yawning, greeted Jier, who was practicing swordsmanship with a wooden sword and a small wooden shield in the backyard, and intended to take over the night watch.

Although they were spending the night in a hotel within the checkpoint, their carriage was not fully enclosed, and it was not locked for protection, so someone had to watch the luggage on the carriage at all times.

As for the carriages of the caravans owned by other merchants, they either rented the hotel's special warehouse near the courtyard to store important goods, or half of the goods on the carriage were packed in locked large wooden boxes, and the wooden boxes were firmly tied to the freight carriage with ropes.

With the hotel shop assistant occasionally patrolling and checking, it was not easy to lose things.

"Alright, let me finish this bit of training."

Although it was midnight, Jier was shirtless, wearing only a pair of leather trousers and cowhide boots.

He kept moving sideways around his own carriage, which had been unhitched from the horses, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes suddenly approaching, sometimes rapidly retreating, with no pattern or method at all.

Moreover, the small wooden shield for training in his left hand was also mysterious and unpredictable. This time when attacking forward, the shield did not coordinate with the wooden sword in his right hand; instead, it was set up in front for tight defense when retreating. The next time he attacked, the shield took the lead, and waving the shield was more like waving a heavy weapon, parrying, blocking, and charging, changing back and forth several times.

And the wooden sword, which had been disappearing, also often appeared in unexpected places, emerging like a snake, touching and leaving in front.

It looked strange, but a knowledgeable warrior would know at a glance that Jier was very difficult to deal with.

This was still considering that it was the middle of the night and in an unfamiliar public environment, so it was not good to practice combat simulation training with the addition of Life Energy. But even so, Jier felt that he could easily defeat the version of himself from last year using only a wooden sword and wooden shield.

It was not just the increase in combat experience; the gradual growth of Knight Life Energy had, as Knight Kela said, tangibly affected his body.

Even without using Life Energy, his strength was gradually increasing.

Running faster, jumping further and higher, and having stronger wrist strength—he couldn't even lift a bandit with one hand before, but now Jier felt that he could easily pick people up one by one and throw them away.

Not to mention wearing a full set of iron armor; with the solid protection for safety, Jier felt that if he were to crash into the wooden walls or earthen walls of an ordinary house, it would definitely be the wall that collapsed, not himself.

He was very sure of this point.

And the strengthening and enhancement of Life Energy, according to what Knight Kela said, required a large amount of full-body training while eating enough monster meat, fully integrating the tangible nutrients in the monster meat into the body, and causing the body to reach a state of supersaturated Life Energy.

Subsequent training would then allow the body to gradually adapt to more Life Energy, each time a little more than the last, each time more than the last.

In this way, the final saturation state of Life Energy within the entire body would reach its peak about half a year after starting.

Generally speaking, nobles would stop here. At this time, their bodies would be several times stronger than ordinary people, with advantages in all aspects. This was enough for them to show their difference to the people under their rule.

A physical advantage sufficient for nobles to crush ordinary people.

The vast majority of nobles stopped here due to their status and the constraints of time and energy.

And knights, such as Knight Kela and Knight Lumi, who relied on force and violence to make a living, would further conduct various skill training related to Life Energy.

Jier scratched his head; he was unsure if Knight Kela would teach him these equally important Knight Techniques. There was no help for it; Jier felt he could only do his utmost to perform well in the upcoming battles.

In order to earn the favor of Knight Kela, who possessed the dignity and honor of a knight.

If Knight Kela were satisfied, he reckoned he would be able to obtain further instruction.

But to tell the truth, Jier felt his own strength was already quite formidable now. When he thought carefully about the two knights he interacted with and met every day, Jier shivered.

Just how did such powerful knights view the ordinary people who surrounded them every day?

Early the next morning, Jier got up from his bed, fished a small handful of Monster Meat Jerky from his pocket, and held it in his mouth.

He locked the door as he left and knocked on the wooden door of Priest Bata'er across the hall. Just as he was about to call him out, the inn's Steward poked his head out from the stairwell. Seeing that Jier was up, he leaned over with a fawning smile.

"What is it? So early in the morning."

Jier asked.

The Steward, who sported a handlebar mustache, pointed toward the lobby and said softly, "Sir Knight, there are two Agricultural God Church priests from the checkpoint waiting for you two in the lobby. They came early this morning. It didn't feel right to rush you two to wake up, so they've just been waiting downstairs. And also."

The Steward said mysteriously, "Quite a few people from the Southern Province have gathered outside. Although they haven't blocked the street like they did yesterday, they are all gathered outside without saying a word. What do you think?"

Jier blinked; he hadn't expected it to be so lively this morning. He patted the Steward, who was much older than him, on the shoulder: "It's fine. I'll go call my companion to wake up; you go tell the two priests to wait a moment."

"Yes, yes."

The Steward agreed and ran quickly downstairs. Jier heard Priest Bata'er pull back the bolt on his wooden door, so he pushed it open and walked in.

Before he could say anything, Priest Bata'er grabbed Jier and said in a nervous and uneasy whisper, "Jier, look at the street outside! Be careful, don't let them see you. It's full of people. What should we do now?"

Jier carefully went to the window, took a peek outside, pulled his head back, and then closed the wooden window directly.

The street outside was full of people, but they were very orderly, and a lane had been specifically left open for carriages to pass. Soldiers were gathered in groups at the end of the street, looking as if they might take action at any moment, though they were currently making no moves.

He shrugged: "Don't panic. Just as we discussed yesterday, we'll release the blessing once more. With enough rations, they should be able to hold out for a while longer. Actually, I think it would be best if these people didn't just huddle at the checkpoint. They need to turn back and find a way out in the Southern Province."

"You're wrong. They only thought about fleeing the Southern Province because they couldn't stay there anymore. And would anyone really think about turning back?"

Priest Bata'er shook his head. He didn't think anyone would truly return to the chaotic Southern Province before the fighting had reached a conclusion.

"We can just ask them."

The two left the room, locked it, and headed downstairs.

The atmosphere in the lobby was oppressive. The large number of refugees from the south gathered outside the inn made everyone inside feel restless, and with two Agricultural God Church priests waiting in the lobby at this moment, everyone felt even more uncomfortable.

A Merchant whispered to an inn waiter to have food delivered to his room, then quickly walked upstairs. He bumped into Jier and his companion at the stairwell, immediately turned to the side, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Good morning, I just suddenly decided I wanted to eat back in my room."

Jier didn't pay much attention to what the man said. He patted Priest Bata'er on the shoulder, signaling for the priest to strike up a conversation with the two and see what their intentions were. He himself walked out of the lobby to his carriage in the backyard.

Xueya Site was in high spirits, currently hitching Jier's first two horses to the carriage. The other two new prairie horses were waiting to the side, with the Muan, Jiansheng, and other items already placed beside them.

Jier went up to help. After getting everyone's horses ready, he ducked into the carriage canopy. Entering the dream realm, he changed into a full set of iron armor, and Jier returned to the carriage.

Deliberately making some noise, Jier waited a moment before stepping out of the carriage.

Thud—his combat boots hit the ground with a dull sound.

Xueya Site looked over and was amused: "You're really fast."

Jier grunted twice, letting the matter pass.

"Two Agricultural God Church priests have come to the inn; I'm going over to check the situation. There are many Southern Province people on the street outside waiting for Priest Bata'er's blessing. You just wait here for now. Once everything is settled, I'll call you, and then you can come out, and we'll set off."

"Got it."

Seeing Xueya Site agree, Jier returned to the lobby.

Inside the lobby, three Agricultural God Church priests were gathered in a corner, whispering about something. After Jier entered, he saw Priest Bata'er letting the two Agricultural God Church priests from the checkpoint examine the 'Blessed Grain' blessing on his left chest.

After the two priests confirmed it, their expressions changed from serious to much better.

"How is it? What issue did the two priests come here for?"

After Jier walked over, he asked straightforwardly. He didn't look for a seat, because he was wearing armor and carrying weapons, which were extremely heavy; he couldn't guarantee that the ordinary chairs in the inn could support his weight.

Priest Bata'er said excitedly: "These two are Agricultural God Church priests from the Baishi Chengqiang Guanka, Priest He Bo and Priest Feierwusi. They heard about what happened last night, and they came this time to offer a helping hand."

The two priests were a man and a woman, both quite old; it was possible they were fifty or sixty years old. Seeing Jier come over, they looked surprised.

Jier knew what they were surprised about. Although he was covered by armor, the Agricultural God's Divine Power on Jier was still too conspicuous to the priests. He was no longer surprised by this point, and was even somewhat used to it.

In any case, ordinary people couldn't tell, and even priests from other churches, those not of the Agricultural God Church, couldn't tell much.

"These two priests have been providing daily necessities to the Southern Province people, but you know, after the price increased fifty-fold, more and more people coming over couldn't cross this checkpoint and could only linger here. Even though they tried their best, they could only ensure that some children wouldn't die of hunger."

Priest Bata'er explained his information about the two local priests, and took the opportunity to praise them.

"We are ashamed; our words carry little weight, and we were completely unable to convince the Knight who guards the checkpoint. He ignores the suffering of the people. If the situation weren't barely holding on now, the army at the checkpoint would even drive the fleeing people away from here."

Jier nodded and asked how the two priests intended to help Priest Bata'er.

"We asked some familiar people yesterday about the situation when Priest Bata'er released his blessing. We two roughly judged that his Divine Power should be in a state of exhaustion, so we thought we would come over to provide Divine Power to assist."

Upon hearing this, Jier spoke up to advise them: "Two priests, you must think this through. The 'Blessed Grain' blessing is no small Divine Art. Once you connect to supply the Agricultural God's Divine Power, according to what Bataer said, the Divine Power will be drained directly. When the time comes, you won't be able to stop even if you want to. You two are not young anymore, and you can't compare to Priest Bata'er, who is young and strong. When Divine Power is exhausted, he will only faint for half a day and be fine. What do you think? Should you two consider it?"

Although Jier's words were direct, they were indeed a very realistic problem. For priests, although Divine Power exhaustion was not as dangerous as the state after a Mage's Magic Power was exhausted, it still carried some risks for elderly priests.

After all, for elderly priests, their bodies' ability to be healthy and long-lived was largely due to the internal balance and organ health provided by the abundant Divine Power within their bodies.