Chapter 1915 Christmas Eve Banquet
Seeing the rioters start eating, the others finally began to use their cutlery. However, because I was watching, their movements were a bit stiff, and they ate very slowly. I needed to find some topics to liven up the atmosphere for them.
“Sister Lorna, you mentioned earlier that you were going to do something with Older Brother Jayad tonight. Specifically, what were you planning to do?” I asked proactively.
“On Christmas Eve, I want to take Jayad to a nearby church for midnight Mass. If we can complete a round of rituals with the congregation, our strength should improve somewhat,” Lorna said.
“But, aren’t you guys… it’s not very convenient to enter a church, is it?” I asked vaguely. Because there were others around, I didn’t directly mention Arianism.
“It’s fine. As long as we don’t say anything, we’ll just look like ordinary believers. Actually, many minor sects sneak into churches to eat, drink, and participate in rituals. There’s no real difference,” Lorna said with a smile.
She had told Jayad before that the power forms of those who believe in the same god are the same. After all, it’s all Divine Power bestowed by the same god, making it impossible to distinguish sects and identities. That’s just a distinction made by mortals.
So, going into a church to pretend to be an ordinary believer and freeloading food seemed quite plausible. Moreover, if minor cults lack the strength and financial resources to build churches, erect shrines, and host Masses or prayers, then freeloading from legitimate churches seemed like a good option.
“Since many sects have done this, wouldn’t the Catholics know? Don’t they take any measures to find these people?” Sebastian interjected.
He was a very intelligent person and could see that I was deliberately trying to start a conversation to ease the atmosphere and help the unfamiliar guests get to know each other.
After hearing this, he had already deduced Lorna’s identity as a heretic, but he didn’t expose it. Anyway, he didn’t believe in Christianity and didn’t have any ideas about being irreconcilable with heretics. Therefore, Sebastian kept his conversation in line with our vague terms, referring to them only as sects rather than heretics, and continued the discussion in an ambiguous manner.
“Of course, they know. However, most churches don’t conduct thorough checks because doing so would displease the true believers. Anyway, the rituals still need to be performed, and there aren’t any additional costs. As long as they don’t do anything outrageous, it’s fine. Plus, it’s an opportunity to draw people from other sects into the true religion,” Lorna replied.
I understood. It was an unspoken betting agreement. Heretics could freeload, but they would also have to face the preaching and teachings of the established religion, experiencing the doctrines and religious life of other sects firsthand. If someone wasn’t firm in their original sect, they might change their ways and convert from heresy to the true religion, which would be a win for Catholicism.
This wasn’t just a method used by Catholicism. Heretics could use it too. Even between legitimate sects, like the deeply conflicted Protestantism and Catholicism, mutual conversion and infiltration were likely very common.
“No problem, I also really want to see a formal church. The last time I went, I was actually kicked out,” Jayad said with a smile, seemingly unable to forget that incident.
“By the way, does your midnight Mass have any special rituals?” one of the rioters asked. She really wanted to know how the rituals of Christianity differed from those of their convent.
It is said that the god they believe in is the Creator God Anu. Mythology records that He expelled the darkness within His heart, and this darkness transformed into a seven-headed demonic dragon. After a protracted battle between the Creator God Anu and the demonic dragon, they both perished. Ultimately, the god’s body became a Divine Realm called the Supreme Heaven, and the demonic dragon’s corpse became Hell. The angels of Heaven and the demons of Hell continued their eternal battle. It was truly a very traditional myth.
Perhaps the Creator God they believed in had already fallen asleep in their perception, or perhaps their believed god was an invention. They had never received the favor or blessings of the Creator God Anu. However, they continued to believe in the archangels who, it was said, were split from the god and were once a part of him. And these archangels could indeed respond to their prayers, thus maintaining their sect.
“There’s nothing much. It’s the same as a basic Mass, sharing bread and wine. On Christmas Eve, there’s an extra apple. Afterward, because it’s the time of the Holy Son’s birth, there will be a theatrical performance depicting the story of the Holy Mother Mary’s labor. For simplicity, the old priest will just tell the story,” Lorna explained.
“Hearing that, it doesn’t seem much different from our church,” Giselle also said. On the holy days of the Murder Church, everyone usually gathered to listen to the High Priest tell stories. It seemed everyone was similar. The only difference was that one side told of a child’s birth and congratulations, while the other side talked about killing and arson.
“Then good luck, Older Brother. I’m going to do my own things now. Let’s both work hard,” I said, high-fiving Older Brother Jayad. With my initiative, they gradually relaxed, and the atmosphere became warm and lively. Sebastian took the initiative to pick up Butterbeer and proposed a toast, and everyone briefly introduced themselves. Afterward, they started chatting. Claire went to check on Amelia’s child. She had been to Amelia’s Clinic for treatment, knew Samantha and Amelia, and had a good impression of the doctors and nurses who had treated her. Furthermore, she could see Samantha’s true doll form, which made Claire dote on patting Samantha’s ball joints, causing Samantha some embarrassment. However, because Claire was so cute, she didn’t refuse. Sebastian actually tried to flirt with the six female rioters, but they looked down on refined gentlemen like Sebastian and mocked him. So, Sebastian smiled and proposed a duel with them. With his professional combat skills and quick analysis of their moves, he took down three rioters in one go. They fought in an empty room. The first match lasted nearly five minutes before Sebastian could barely disarm his opponent. The second match was decided in about two minutes. In the third match, which had just begun, Sebastian had pinned the muscular young lady to the ground within three moves. The rioters dared not continue. They understood that Sebastian had seen through their tactics, and further combat would be meaningless. Moreover, they were convinced by his strength. Churches like this, which were close to primitive beliefs, operated on power. When fighting demons, only those with sufficient strength could defeat them, protect their companions, and become leaders. Therefore, they were willing to drink with Sebastian and even ignored his intentional or unintentional provocations. They were naturally very open-minded. If Claire hadn’t been present, Sebastian could have easily taken one of the rioters to a room for an intimate encounter after just a few words.
