The moon has set in the west, and the small church in the night seems to be intact under the baptism of time. Whether it is gray and white, or the towering spire, or the stained glass doors, windows, and beams are slender and unique in shape, they all use Gothic details to create a sense of

Light and strong religious color.

I packed up my blanket and secretly pushed open the church door. With a creaking sound, I finally walked in.

The intact appearance is, after all, a filter of night, and is replaced by another sense of vicissitudes as soon as you enter.

In the absence of light, the rows of simple stone pillars, the curved domes here and there, and the colorful paintings of scriptures all make the church seem to come alive, exuding an ancient and quiet breath...

"Hulu...Hulu...Hulu..."

...did I hear it wrong?

Why do I feel that the sound of breathing in the church is so three-dimensional and real? I can even hear the details of the dripping saliva...

"Holy Spirit, there is a shameless person sleeping in the church!"

Hearing the sound, I went straight to the confessional, pulled out Father Carter who was sleeping in a deep sleep, and shouted.

"Well...it's me, I'm the priest!"

Father Carter hurriedly wiped his saliva and spoke to stop me.

"Okay. Priest, there is a shameless person sleeping in the church!"

Carter, who was wearing a priest's robe, was woken up from his sleep. He glanced at me with a guilty look on his face and forced himself to argue in a low voice: "Stop shouting... Why are you making this out of thin air... defiling someone's innocence! How could I sleep...

"

Then he looked back at the window behind him, suddenly realized something, and then slapped the table.

"Wait a minute! It's already midnight. Is there anything wrong with me sleeping? And why do you break into the church in the middle of the night?"

I said expressionlessly: "There is a responsible artist at home who is renovating the house. It is so noisy that I can't sleep. I plan to come to your lobby to make a living."

Father Carter was stunned: "How can you describe illegal home invasion in such a fresh and refined way?"

The priest poked his head out of the door, "Even the quilts and pillows are laid out?!"

I patted his shoulder nonchalantly: "It's okay. If the conditions are simple, just keep them simple. I don't mind. You don't have to specially make room for me to live in. Of course, I can't refuse if you insist on doing so...

"

"Who said I would live with you! Why should I!"

"Hey, it's not like everyone in the town is asleep. After thinking about it for a long time, only people like you who sleep day and night might still be awake."

Carter went to the bathroom and washed his face, and finally calmed down from the rage of waking up. He walked out helplessly and said to me: "You can live here if you want. The tables in the main hall of the church can be put together to sleep--"

Don’t think about my bedroom!”

"Okay!"

I waved my hand and exited the confession room, continued to pack my clothes, and tried to sleep a little longer before dawn - after all, I had to continue to avoid Mr. Rhodes' pursuit after dawn.

When I strolled through the main hall and saw these ancient pillars up close for the first time, they seemed both majestic and peaceful.

As visitors get closer, they will experience different visual and tactile experiences. The closer they get to these pillars, the special textures on the pillars will make them appear extraordinarily heavy like mountains.

"Marcus, you seem to be very interested in this pillar? Have you considered coming to church to listen to my sermon?"

Out of professional habit, Father Carter stood in front of the pulpit, hiding in the darkness and trying to preach to me.

I generally interpret this behavior as Carter having slept too much and looking for someone to chat with.

"Father, do you know why I have to come to the church to stay?" I said.

"Why?"

"Because I'm being hunted."

Father Carter showed a confident smile: "Then this church will be your eternal refuge. Lost people need the guidance of living beings. I will read you a passage from the "Gospel of the Spirit", maybe it can help you...

"

I shook my head: "No, no, no, I mean no one comes to the church during the day, let alone at night. How can such a safe place be comparable!"

"You are blaspheming!" Father Carter was furious.

I looked at him disapprovingly, "If I am guilty of telling the truth, then someone who caused the church to become like this should go directly to hell, right?"

Under my righteous gaze, Carter finally retreated and said with a guilty conscience: "Forget it, just pretend that I didn't say anything just now."

I then covered myself with the quilt with peace of mind and closed my eyes for a while. I didn't fall asleep, so I opened my eyes and stared at the vivid murals on the dome in a daze.

Soon, I determined that this was the use of overlapping objects and images that are complete in front and incomplete in the back, to reconcile the concept of forward and backward, balance the boundary between the subject and the object, and present a perspective effect of the sky.

I really couldn't sleep, so I said, "Father Carter, after thinking about it, I think something is wrong. Normally you would rather close the door and sleep than preach to others... Do you have some ulterior motives? The church?

Is the human trafficking going to continue?”

"Why are the words in your mouth so harsh?"

A tic-tac-toe appeared on Father Carter's forehead, and he calmed down for a long time before speaking softly.

"The Harvest Festival has been held for three consecutive days, so you can't hide it anymore, right? I can see the purpose of your plan this time. You know, it is impossible for the Federal Parliament to allow such a face-to-face provocation."

"Oh, then I'll attack from behind next time. What next?"

"You actually asked what and then..."

Father Carter leaned lazily on the pulpit, "Do you think the Federal Parliament can't crack your plan and can't deal with you? The offshore islands have always been their back garden, and now a robber has broken into the back garden. You

What do you think they will do?”

I said calmly: "I have already anticipated these. But I know that such conflicts are inevitable. Instead of wasting time and making excuses, it is better to delineate these things and let them have rules in the future."

Father Carter sighed and lit a candle. The dim light could not dispel the darkness.

"I have seen people who think like you. These people are often brave, upright, loving, and decisive, but they have not been able to change everything - the original Father Hidalgo was such a person."

"This is the first time I heard you talk about the former priest. What kind of person was he?" I asked curiously.

Father Carter had a complicated look on his face: "In my eyes, he is a rigid, stubborn, but respectable person."

Speaking of which, Father Carter may have felt that there was something a little inappropriate about standing on the pulpit and slandering his predecessors, so he strolled up to me.

"When it comes to dealing with the Federation, the Holy See has a much longer history than you. Whether it is the Federation that emerged in the Battle of Wolfgang, the Federation that used iron-blooded methods in the rebellion war, or the cold-blooded Federation that fought in the Whistleblower War."

"How do you get along peacefully?" I asked casually.

"We've got an idea. The Federation has always had no interest in the management of Distortion Point, so it signed a treaty with the Holy See to allow our religious authority to exist in 'special situations'."

"This is the nature of businessmen to seek profits and avoid harm. Only an old stubborn like Father Hidalgo would give up all status and unswervingly travel thousands of miles to set up a church in the ore town when the situation breaks out..."

I looked at Father Carter with a complicated expression, and I could probably understand his dissatisfaction.

Dealing with the Federation is not a pleasant thing no matter how you think about it. There are calculations at every turn, you will be taken advantage of at every turn, and you will not recognize your own interests.

The mission undertaken by the Holy See is now purely a scapegoat. For example, Father Hidalgo's behavior was to rely on the so-called "special situation" religious authority to undertake the work of clearing, controlling, and rebuilding during the crisis of destruction in Ore Town.

I couldn't help but say: "Speaking of the situation in Ore Town back then...it was like trying to save the building from falling. Father Hidalgo was truly great..."

"How many great people have you seen?" Father Carter asked.

I didn't say anything, knowing that he was talking about old miners like Father Hooker and Old Yorkson.

"Father Hidalgo spent more than ten years building this church bit by bit. The stone pillars, porches, and domes you see are all his years of hard work."

In the solemn atmosphere, the candlelight swayed with the night wind, and the light became weaker, as if it would be swallowed up by the boundless darkness at any time. The shadowy shadows at the door were ominous, and phosphorus powder was spread more wildly.

Father Carter stood up and recited a melodious and simple poem.

"Glass rock, transparent and solid,

Light and heavy, short and lasting.

Conflicts never end,

This is the walker standing here,

Wrap your mind around and think about life forever.

The sun sets and the night comes,

Day after day, year after year.

I will die eventually,

It will eventually become a rock,

Or a bright light in the dark night..."

...If I hadn't been frightened by Goetz's "art", maybe I would have been moved. Have you ever seen the performance art of placing coffins in the house?

I've seen it.

I couldn't help but laugh and said: "Father, why do I feel that your words are not sarcastic, but full of jealousy?"

Carter also smiled and said: "It's normal to have some admiration for people and behaviors that you can't understand. Maybe I just can't understand their thoughts..."

They felt that there was something in Father Carter's words and that he was referring to someone else?

I said to Carter seriously: "Don't worry about me, Father. Maybe these people you have met before are all brave, upright, loving, decisive, and have first-class character - but I am not like them."
To be continued...