Xyrin Empire-Chapter 1401: Village Chief and Priest

We followed the Foolish Big Guy to the dirt road in the village, seeing many villagers coming out of various homes. They called friends and gathered towards one direction, everyone had a happy look on their face, showing that the "Village Chief" Foolish Big Guy mentioned is indeed quite esteemed among the locals. We walked forward with the villagers, finally reaching near the village entrance where we saw an old man surrounded by a crowd of children: this old master must be the Village Chief.

I didn’t hurry to go over but just watched from behind the crowd. The man called Village Chief appeared to be over seventy, holding a crooked wooden cane, slightly hunched, not too fat nor too thin, wearing a dusty gray robe, the hood down revealing a head of almost entirely white hair. The old master had deep-set eyes, a face full of wrinkles with a unique lead-gray skin tone characteristic of elderly people, yet he looked in good health, those deeply sunken eyes gleamed with life, and his gaze seemed to carry the steadiness and broad-mindedness unique to people of his age. The Old Village Chief was surrounded by a group of children, the long robe on him was stained black and white by the naughty kids in the village, however, he seemed not at all annoyed, instead he opened the wide front of his robe, reached inside to grab rough candy blocks to distribute to the little ones, and when he laughed, all the wrinkles gathered into one bunch, his voice was hearty: "Everyone, everyone! Don’t fight, good kids don’t fight! Lu An! Take care of the younger children."

The adults of the village stood around in a tacit circle, no one stealing the limelight from the kids, everyone smiled watching the children make a fuss, the kids who received candy finally dispersed, some ran to their parents receiving a light slap: this was to teach them not to pull the Village Chief’s clothing, then a bunch of naughty kids grabbed their candies and scattered off. The villagers greeted the Village Chief, and impatient or lively young people jumped around at the back asking what the big city was like, the Old Village Chief cheerfully responded one by one, then he lifted his head, immediately seeing the very conspicuous Foolish Big Guy...

There was no helping it, the Foolish Big Guy standing among the crowd was just like a tower, whether in length, width, or height he was two sizes bigger than everyone else, the Old Village Chief looked at him standing at the back of the crowd, shouting in a thunderous voice: "Foolish Big Guy! Why aren’t you squeezing to the front this time! Usually you push aside several to rush to the front, have you changed your nature today?"

People quickly made way, leaving an open path between Foolish Big Guy and the Village Chief, the former scratched his hair, replying in a rough voice: "Heh heh, I’m leading distinguished guests, can’t make things difficult for them."

"Oh, there are guests!" The old master came over in two steps, nimble like a young man, he looked at us surprisingly, eyes full of confusion, "These guests dress so unfamiliar, where are they from? Oh, I’m Keto, the Village Chief of Pine Forest Village. You all just came these last couple of days?"

I hurriedly nodded at the old master, just about to introduce myself when the Foolish Big Guy began loud introductions: "Several esteemed guests are from the Imperial City, Chen is a Traveling Scholar, a knowledgeable person indeed, the rest are his family — but I didn’t remember their names..."

It was then I realized the Foolish Big Guy had nearly forgotten all of our names overnight! He remembered just one character of my name...

"Imperial City?" The Old Village Chief’s face was immediately covered with a hint of doubt, then began scrutinizing our attire, Lin Xue reacted swiftly, stepping forward half a step with a cheerful smile to explain: "We’re originally from the Imperial City, but have been away for a long time, traveling the world, just returned from a quite remote place down south, you see the outfits we’re wearing are brought from there."

"Oh—" The Old Village Chief was clearly smarter than the Foolish Big Guy, but his knowledge was evidently limited to that of common folk, he nodded in realization, "No wonder. But your dress is obviously not ordinary; this young lady’s clothing looks even like she’s a Miss from some noble family."

I saw through the doubt in his eyes, that last remark implied: looking like a Miss from a noble family, certainly doesn’t seem like the attire of a traveling adventurer. As the head of the village, this elderly man indeed harbors subconscious suspicion towards our group of oddly dressed people.

The Village Chief was referring to Bingdisi — the only one among the girls around me wearing a long dress. Qianqian wore casual clothes, Lin Xue was in jeans and fleece, though considered fancy and high-grade for the locals, at least allowed for easy movement, Bingdisi maintained her usual style with a splendid gown, looking anything but a world traveler.

Indeed, Bingdisi’s outfit has always been my biggest hindrance when persuading others of my Traveling Scholar status: as apart from characters in martial arts films or palace dramas, people generally find it hard to believe a normal girl can wear a dress that drags below the ankles and dash across wilderness nimbly, let alone travel the world in such attire: ordinarily speaking, Bingdisi’s attire suits lounging majestically in a centenary castle, there gracefully pacing, covering no more than twenty meters in five minutes, sometimes climbing to the tower to view the wheat fields outside, waiting for artistic youths below to play guitar or silly youths roping a ladder to woo herself — but do you think this scenario is compatible with Mr. Da Bing?

Though I knew well, Bingdisi truly could sprint anywhere in that attire, she could even raise a brick to obliterate the world clad in that dress... But I can’t have Sister Bing demonstrate running hills in evening wear whenever questioned about it, though I find it quite amusing, it would likely trigger Sister Bing to rage and she’d undoubtedly be the first to hit me...

Bingdisi lowered her head to glance at the noble-style clothing she wore, first smiling boastfully at me, showing off her "noble temperament," then casually pinched a fireball in the air, causing a small commotion around, as she explained to the Village Chief: "I am an Advanced Sorcerer, wearing a Magic Robe is a professional necessity, modifying it like this is a luxury necessity..."

The latter half of her sentence clearly lacked noble temperament, however, no one seemed to notice any issues with temperament: everyone was enraptured by the fireball in her hand, the Old Village Chief instinctively bent his waist, full of respect: "So you are a Sorcerer, no wonder."

"The Louse Spirit I released yesterday gathered some intelligence," Bingdisi explained through Spiritual Connection, "I have a basic understanding of this world’s clothing habits and the traits of different classes and professions, I’ll tell you more when there’s time."

I nodded almost imperceptibly, thinking this female hooligan is indeed quite reliable at crucial moments.

Actually, her dress modified from an evening gown is quite suitable for daily wear, and for those unaware it indeed presents a noble lady vibe: this female hooligan, when silent and seen from the back, is also quite a good girl. Yet in this world, such evening gown attire still seems excessively "detached from the working class," of course, now there is no need to consider these things, Bingdisi’s identity as a Sorcerer settled matters with the Village Chief, so I won’t have to plan how to have her perform evening gown mountain running...

"Village Chief, I fought a big guy yesterday, we’re all going to eat bear meat at noon today," Foolish Big Guy, unfazed by what just happened or Bingdisi’s instant fireball casting, promptly spoke up, "the Priest should already be waiting at the plaza."

"Oh oh, Foolish Big Guy is really capable," the Village Chief came to his senses, regained his cheerful smile, warmly inviting us, "You guests come as well, this is our village’s custom — the two young ladies join too, the meat is stewed tender, even children can eat."

Pandora expressionlessly accumulated anger points silently, whereas Visca jumped up loudly: "I’m not a child! I’m older than you!"

Who would believe it? If she hadn’t spoken it might have been fine, her jumping up made the surrounding crowd joyfully watch this little girl, only one-meter-twenty tall, and her honesty was directly taken as innocent child talk. On the battlefield or occupied territories, within two seconds the area would be a sea of blood, Pandora and Visca together could smash every primate to below one-meter-twenty within range, but they knew they couldn’t act rashly here, so Visca began silently accumulating anger points with Pandora...

Old Village Chief Keto kindly smiled at the Pandora Sisters, his gaze lingered on us for a moment, this brief gaze was filled with significance, then he propped his cane and amidst the crowd of villagers headed towards the plaza, Foolish Big Guy beckoned us as he followed along.

I scratched my head: What did that last look of his mean?

Anyway, we all wanted to quickly meet this so-called priest to figure out what kind of person he was. We hoped to learn some details about the church’s faith in the Goddess from him, so we followed the crowd towards the square. Lin Xue purposely slowed her pace to walk with me at the back and suddenly muttered, "Ah Jun, did you notice the way the Old Village Chief gave us one last look just now, as if he had something to say but stopped?"

"I noticed," I nodded slightly, "It seemed like he had concerns about us, or maybe there was something he wanted to say to the villagers but didn’t with us standing there."

I couldn’t understand the Old Village Chief’s concerns: If it’s still about us being a group of strangers suddenly showing up, or about our unusual outfits, it’s really not justified—hasn’t Bingdisi already provided a reasonable explanation? Besides, if the Old Village Chief were some secret base guard, that would be easier to understand. Such people, with their innate suspicion, have a professional paranoia about everything, even swatting down a fly if it seems a bit large, just to check if it’s carrying a camera or something. But for a village chief in a small mountain village to have such a high level of alertness? The old man looks like a simple country elder, respected by the villagers for his virtue and prestige. I suppose the local village chiefs are probably not civil servants, so even if he has more insight and cunning than the average villager, it shouldn’t manifest as hostility toward outsiders. In theory, there’s no need for him to be so guarded against a few passing strangers.

"This village seems quite simple and honest, and after interacting with the locals, it’s clear they are indeed hospitable," Bingdisi chimed in with her own observations, "Since yesterday, we’ve greeted quite a few people, so we can pretty much rule out the possibility that this village is generally hostile to outsiders. So, the village chief’s doubts about us might not be because of our ’stranger’ status but might be due to something else, maybe we just got caught in the crossfire."

The female hooligan spoke with a dismissive tone, and indeed, none of us really cared—this was a trivial matter. We weren’t here just to crash the party at this small village; everyone had important tasks at hand. Compared to world peace, how significant is this? We were just a bit baffled, which is why we were speculating.

"Did you see something?" It suddenly struck me that Lin Xue hadn’t said much. She’s supposed to be the team prophet, meant to ward off misfortune and offer guidance. Staying silent isn’t an option.

"It’s nothing significant, nothing to worry about," Miss said enigmatically, "Everything will proceed smoothly, and when things go awry, this lady will step in to guide the course. I just want to say one thing in advance: seeing is not necessarily believing, don’t be fooled by first impressions, or second ones either."

The prophet’s advice, as usual, was... half-understood, though I did grasp her suggestion to act cautiously and think calmly in situations.

By now, we had arrived at the village square. This clearing, featuring the Goddess Statue, seemed multifunctional, serving as a ’religious venue,’ as well as a gathering place for various activities, and an open-air dining area during communal feasts.

The square was already set up, with all kinds of wooden tables and a variety of mismatched chairs and stools scattered seemingly at random. A group of young people was busy carrying more tables and chairs from afar. It appeared not everyone had gone to greet the Village Chief; many stayed back to arrange things for the gathering, likely following some local customs. The tables and chairs were all different, mostly showing signs of being handmade, and some were just solid wooden stumps used as stools, clearly contributed by households from the village. The Foolish Big Guy was a key contributor here: the prey was his catch, so he wasn’t expected to provide household items, though I doubt anyone would want to use them even if he did. The big guy’s home had little to offer, save for three wooden chairs and some stone stumps in the yard, each weighing half a ton. It’s not like he had a vendetta with the guys hauling the tables and chairs...

"Wow... Ah Jun, Ah Jun, why does this remind me of a temple fair?" Qianqian ran among the tables and people, returning with flushed excitement, waving her arms, "It’s so lively! I went to a temple fair once in the countryside as a kid, but I haven’t seen one since middle school!"

I also thought the scene had a bit of a temple fair atmosphere (though not in scale, just in vibe), making it hard to connect the scene with the sect of some Goddess from the Star Domain, let alone a ’Holy Meal.’ Maybe this sect is sophisticated and trendy in places like the Imperial City, with a solemn old man in a Divine Robe giving a five-minute philosophical speech before a meal, everyone bowing their heads in a five-minute contemplation to God, concluding with a synchronized declaration to the Goddess Statue. The implication was a polite "I’ll start eating; feel free to join," ending again with post-meal reflections or dining insights: I guess religious hubs are serious like that. But in Pine Forest Village, everything is simplified into what we see: kids and Qianqian running wildly among tables and people, villagers cheerfully chatting and seating randomly, beckoning friends, and amidst the hubbub, people continually bringing out coarse wine or homemade snacks. In the middle of the square, before the Goddess Statue, an extraordinarily large pot was bubbling with a rich aroma of meat. A chubby black man was using a priest robe as an apron, stirring the pot vigorously with a shovel. Around his neck hung a shiny medallion of the Goddess Statue, and he was muttering over what appeared to be a Bible while stewing, "Thank the Goddess for the food! Thank the Goddess for peace! Thank the Goddess for the Sichuan peppercorns and the old soup base... Jon! Chop up the rest of that bear paw and toss it in the pot—thank the Goddess for the bear paw! Oh Goddess, I accidentally put in too much salt..."

Me: "..."

Bingdisi stared, dumbfounded, at the Black Giant wearing the priest robe as an apron, with hands wiping on it, modifying Bible verses at will, muttering, "...Is this the village priest?"

I immediately doubted how much useful information this uncle could provide; he probably hadn’t even read the Bible seriously. Consulting him about the Goddess myths seemed less promising than just nabbing his book...

Lin Xue, somewhat amused and bemused, tugged Bingdisi’s arm, "You know, Sister Bing, don’t take this too seriously. It’s ultimately a religion formed around a USB drive, and their doctrines certainly won’t align with those in the Star Domain..."

Miss seemed intent on calming Bingdisi, to prevent her from executing this black uncle in front of the Divine Statue to uphold the Star Domain’s dignity. However, Bingdisi’s next words surprised everyone: "This type of believer is just my cup of tea! I once had a Pope just like him—shame the kid died of old age while I was sealed away. I haven’t met such a compatible follower in years..."

Me: "..."

So, I gathered that Bingdisi’s standard for accepting followers was just about having similar temperaments. Sneaking a glance at the spirited female hooligan, I mused on what her former Pope was like to leave such a good impression on this gang leader, concluding that under her authority, followers of high enough status would likely be an asset in any church with a "normal" worldview, considered more beneficial than harmful...

But as I glanced around, at the jubilant children and cheerful villagers, and at the big black uncle still chattering away at the Goddess Statue, lacing every three prayers with a complaint, I suddenly felt that maybe this kind of believer wasn’t so bad: he might be an unconventional ’priest’ lacking in culture, but I believed he was sincere about his faith in the Goddess.

Bingdisi, seemingly sensing my thoughts, casually remarked, "Those who grovel and pray day and night at the statue might not be heartfelt; they could be insecure or harbor selfish desires. But those who sit in front of the statue mumbling, complaining about their grievances, are definitely sincere. I prefer treating the latter as children. However, sometimes when they’re too troublesome, I send an incarnation from the statue to smack them: grown-ups shouldn’t be crying in the confessional..."

I opened my mouth but said nothing: It was hard to imagine what kind of congregation the God-sect of Bingdisi had back in the day! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)