It was already early in the morning when he sent Father Timothy off and back, and he wrapped and wrapped the hood on his head, covering his cheeks tightly, revealing only a thin slit in his eye sockets, and the priest who was a thief did not want to be identified by the early risers in the castle, and if it reached the ears of Arthur and Jerome through some rotten tongue-chewing mouth, his position would be in jeopardy, at least for now, Timothy was willing to stand aside with his companions.

I rubbed my eyes, which had become dry and uncomfortable from staying up late, and I couldn't get a single tear out after squeezing for a long time, to moisten my pupils, which were as dry as a dry field, and the waiter neatly cleaned up the messy cups and plates on the table, and removed the candles that were about to burn out, and the fat maid in the back kitchen rudely scolded the nasty embryo who sneaked into the kitchen to steal food, and if she really lost the bread and blood sausage I ate in the morning, she was afraid that her husband, who had a big waist and a round waist, would be beaten half to death, so she decided that there was a thief in the room, and tore her throat and shouted.

"Sir, do you want to ......," the fat maid scolded more and more unpleasantly, and the waiter stood there awkwardly with a plate and looked at me and asked.

"It's okay, let her vent, and then send someone to tell you that the thief who stole the food is the Duke of Nijmegen."

I laughed and made a joke, but before I finished speaking, I yawned and said, "I'm too tired to go back to my room and sleep, I can't disturb anything, understand?" ”

The attendant responded seriously, I pushed open the door, the fat maid's ugly scolding was like a bulging wave, slamming into the face, making my scalp tingle, I frowned slightly, and the attendant in charge of extinguishing the torch in the corridor hurriedly flashed to the corner to make way for the road, and the green smoke of the fire core was filled, exuding a faint smell of burnt smoke.

As soon as the tired body relaxed next to the soft bed, before he had time to think about the strategy of the march, his spirit instantly went out of control and fell into a deep sleep.

In my dream, there were a lot of people and things I didn't know, as well as messy landscapes and buildings, and I walked aimlessly alone in the unfamiliar street market, looking at the huge white columns and foreigners in robes, and suddenly I felt extremely lonely.

Who am I? Where are you now? These are the two questions that always circulate in my mind. It's a pity that many people can answer each and every one of them, Rollo! Hans! Kohler! Bull! And Leonardo, who can do anything! Where are you all?

I crouched lonely on the side of the road with my shoulders crossed, and a kind voice came from far and near. Then the big warm hand stroked the sobbing forehead like a mother, and he said that he would take me home, but in exchange he gave up everything he had, including life and soul.

"No!"

I screamed and woke up from my nightmare, the harsh sound amplifying its power through the countless reflections of the walls, pouring back into the ill-prepared pinna, revitalizing the still-awakened brain, and hearing the strange squire push the door open, cautiously leaning out only half of my body.

"It's alright, what time is it?"

I tugged at the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the sweat from my neck, and turned my face to see the meager glow of the edge of the window, which was covered by a thick piece of skin, as if it were studded with a brilliant silver edge.

"How long did I sleep?"

"You have slept all morning, and the hall is crowded with the lords who have come to visit, and there are almost not enough chairs to sit on, and everyone wants to know when they will finish the Mass, and it is said that the soldiers below are talking a lot, and if they do not receive God's blessing, they will rush to the army and break the hearts of the soldiers."

I took the neatly folded freshly washed shirt from him, replaced the old greasy and dirt-stained piece on my body, and asked as I tied it, "Is anyone coming to church?" ”

"Yes, Father Uriah, who is temporarily bishop, is waiting for you in another room, but most of the nobles have seen his chariot enter the castle and are inquiring about each other."

"Hehe, they must be wondering why the attitude of the church, which yesterday had unswervingly claimed to be going on a hunger strike to the end, in order to resist the tyranny of Nijmegen, suddenly made a 180-degree turn."

Seeing the puzzled look on the waiter's face, I immediately changed the subject: "One hundred and eighty degrees is just an awkward adjective, hurry up and get some hot water to come in and provide washing, and then inform the kitchen to prepare the meal, and I will leave the priest for dinner in the evening...... What's his name? ”

"Father Uriah, whose name means ......" The attendant, who knew all about the lace, was about to continue, but I cut it off.

"Go down and prepare what you have to do."

I wrapped the footcloth on my right foot, picked up my boot and put it on with great difficulty: "I'll go see Father Uriah first, and let the others wait." ”

Although it is not known how Arthur and his family returned to mobilize their forces to convince the strong opposition in the church, the arrival of Father Uriah undoubtedly sent a signal of reconciliation and reassured the hearts of the people.

The middle-aged man, with his fat and deformed figure, was waiting in the reception room next to the hall with a drooping beer belly, holding the scepter of the cross, which represented the authority of the bishop of Caiyi, and his two eyes were finally squeezed out of the thick fat of his face.

He was better spoken than I had imagined, without bluffing and high-pitched condemnation, without a gesture of humility or arrogance, and completely laughing and approachable conversation, as if there was no life-and-death contradiction between them and Nijmegen, and the hunger strike and protest were all leftovers for the joy of life.

Father Uriah's elegant temperament completely conquered me who came to me with a battle of tongues, and from the beginning of the polite greetings to the later, from time to time my friends, my dear adults, etc., intimate nicknames, those who do not know the situation think that there was a deep friendship between the two of us, and he promised to personally officiate at the Mass of Nijmegen.

"The church will definitely take care of all the things at the highest standard." Father Uriah clutched the gilded scepter of the Cross and swore an oath.

On August 12, the third day after the feast of St. Lawrence, the news of the departure for Mass was passed down before the arrival of the Mass, so on this morning the nobles and soldiers dressed up in the most splendid and clean clothes to attend in full costume.

The church in Constance did not have such a large place to accommodate all the worship, only the nobles and high-ranking knights with titles could enter, and the remaining ordinary knights, foot soldiers, conscripted peasants and soldiers and the people of the city who came to visit had to stand in the square outside the church, waiting for the service to be finished to receive the Holy Communion and receive God's blessings.

Uriah, as the plenipotentiary priest of the temporary bishop, presided over the ceremony, and as promised, the whole church did everything in its power to prepare for this mass.

He was dressed in a red robe with an intricately embroidered ribbon, a sacrificial shawl of the same color over his robes, embroidered with the symbol of the sacrifice on his chest, and a jeweled crown, holding the bishop's scepter and a ring on his right ring finger.

Trembling to the cross in the center of the main altar with the support of two young priests, the deacon priest was dressed in a white robe for purity, with a ribbon slightly narrower than the presiding priest with a left shoulder hanging straight down to the right armpit, holding various sacramental instruments in his hands and standing in different positions according to self-reproach, and the priest of the auxiliary priest wore a small white robe and a delicate belt to stand from side to side, tending to the basket full of leavened bread and wine.

Several priests with musical instruments and tinkering with tunes stopped playing neatly, and the nobles in the audience stood up reverently, and Father Uriah looked into the void and drew a cross and proclaimed:

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!"

"Amen!" The crowd responded en masse.

The priest then prayed: "May the love of the Father, the grace of Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit be with you!" ”

"Be with your heart too!"

"May Heavenly Father and Christ grant you grace and peace!"

"To you too!"

"May the Lord be with you!"

"Be with your heart too!"

……………………………………

The lengthy ritual made people drowsy, but I couldn't doze off as the lord, and I had to follow the ritual process with my eyes wide open, how many pairs of eyes were staring at the Duke's every move, but my idle thoughts had already wandered away.

When the attendants offered Nijmegen a prayer for God's blessing in the Holy Sacrifice and a victorious offering, and when I saw the bejeweled Father Uriah's eyes sinking into the fat, I thought to myself with disdain:

"Cut. What kind of saint-serving person who is devoted to cultivation is nothing more than a clever name to pretend to be a god stick to collect money, wearing such a heavy baby hat, and he is not afraid of flashing his neck and leaving half of his body with a lifelong disability. ”

When the ceremony progressed to the most important part of receiving Holy Communion, the infected crowd burst into tears, and Uriah was satisfied with this state of public attention, and her tone became more and more condescending:

"As we obey the Savior's instructions and inherit His teachings, we dare to say, our Heavenly Father, that thy name be exalted, that thy kingdom come, and that thy will be done on earth as in heaven, that thou wouldest give us this day bread for our daily provisions, that thou wouldest forgive us our sins, that thou wouldest forgive us our sins, that thou wouldest be merciful in thy mercy, that we might be free from our sins, and that we might find peace in all our troubles, that we might sincerely look forward to the happiness of eternal life and the coming of Jesus the Saviour......"

"All glory be to God!" I watched as the nobles around me cried into tears, choking up their heartfelt prayers.

"May the union of the Eucharist and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ give eternal life to those whom we have received." When Father Uriah had finally finished all his awkward words, the priest of the deacons looked at me, and I realized that I should be the first to come forward and receive Holy Communion.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, you have given life to the world through your death, in accordance with the will of the Father and with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit; Because of your Eucharist and Blood, I have saved the people from all sin and evil, so that I may always keep the commandments and never leave you. Kneel, lost child. ”

Uriah wryly took a piece of wheat cake from the basket held by the priest and ran his wine-dipped finger over my forehead.

"Eucharist and Blood of Christ."

"Lord, I don't deserve you to come to my heart, but if you say a word, my soul will be forgiven."

I bowed my head and accepted the priest's blessing and ate the dry wheat cake: "Amen! ”

After receiving Holy Communion, I retreated to my place, and watched the grateful nobles rush out, and the wheat cakes prepared in the basket were quickly exhausted, and another priest immediately held the basket in his arms to make up for it.

I smiled and looked at Father Uriah, who was busy with his work, who continued to feed the crowd solemnly, and Arthur stood in the corner as a deacon, staring intently at the bishop's scepter, a visceral longing that was absolutely naked......

(End of chapter)