"Do you recognize me?" White was surprised by the middle-aged man's name directly.

"He naturally recognizes you, if it weren't for the Bethlehem Hengren, you would have died a long time ago." Tresh on the side said softly, no longer the "hustle and bustle" of the past, and his demeanor was even more respectful.

"You're the light!?" Hearing this, White almost blurted out.

"You have a heart that yearns for the light, Mr. White." The middle-aged man just smiled, but did not give a formal answer, and then slowly passed between the two and went outside.

For more than a month, Bethlehem was stationed at Fort Ford, serving the poor in the ghetto. And with the arrival of middle-aged men, every day, some inconspicuous carriages entered, carrying in batches of old clothes and semolina. All the poor in the slums receive enough clothing and food to survive at no cost. The children were even given a piece of candy before the New Year. Although it was just a small cookie, it made the children cheer.

It's just that all this qiē is carried out quietly. If he hadn't been personally involved, White wouldn't have even noticed what happened in the ghetto.

"White, you're listening to Mr. Bethlehem again?"

In addition to condolences to widows and orphans, middle-aged men are more likely to teach children and young people in a simple room. Of course, anyone can sit in and listen if they are interested. The content of the course is mostly some simple explanations of literacy, numeracy, and natural knowledge. At the end of each lesson, Bethlehem devotes a short paragraph to the legend of light and the gods.

In his narration, the tens of millions of years of history of the continent are organically condensed. and then into one fascinating plot after another, and there are many seemingly casual but profound philosophies hidden in it. And of all the stories, the "God of Light in the earthly kingdom of heaven created in the mortal world" is undoubtedly the most popular and admired by the listeners.

"It is a land of love and light, where people are equal to each other, love each other, and there is no strife. There is milk and honey flowing in the earth; In the forest, snow-white bread and plump sausages are full of branches. Here, spring is all year round; Here, there is a harvest festival every day of the month. ”

"Your Excellency. Is there really such a paradise? ”

More than once. Some children who listened to the story couldn't help but ask. Although the adults on the side were silent, their eyes were also full of hope.

"Yes, of course, that is the kingdom of heaven on earth." Bethlehem smiled every time.

"So. Where is it? Someone asked again.

"It must first and foremost be in your heart." The middle-aged man pointed to his heart: "God said." There will be light here. ”

"There is light?"

Whenever I hear this. White can't help but think of the light that shines into his soul. Since the light is real, then the earthly and heavenly kingdom of light should also be real.

Gradually. White had the idea.

Finally, one day, after a lecture, White stopped Bethlehem.

"My lord, I have heard that there can be no true equality in the land of Erathia. At least, it can't be done under the current conditions. White then repeated Moriarty's remarks that day. And even to strengthen the argument, he drew the "pyramid of power" directly on the ground.

Looking at the rough pattern drawn by White, and listening to his story, the middle-aged man frowned rarely, did not say a word, but squatted down next to the "pyramid".

"Could it be that what Moriarty said is really the 'truth' that cannot be refuted, even the erudite and mysterious man in front of him cannot argue." Seeing this, White couldn't help but be a little disappointed, but still waited patiently.

It took a long time for Bethlehem to slowly stand up: "If it is according to the laws of the mortal world, this triangle is indeed good. Because there is arrogance, jealousy, anger, laziness, greed, gluttony, and lust that are deeply ingrained in human nature, which will lead and tempt mortals to commit infinite sins, so that violence and humiliation of the weak, evil kills the good. But if in the kingdom of light, the supreme authority is in the hands of God, and God is incomparably just and loving, so that even the smallest soul can be saved; No matter how weak the body is, it can also face the power. ”

"So how do you achieve the kingdom of light?" Hearing this, White couldn't help but ask.

"Do you really want to know?" Without an immediate answer, Bethlehem asked rhetorically.

"Yes, I'd love to know." The middle-aged man describes a world that is close to Lawrence's ideal country, if not better. As a follower of the centurion, White had an impulse to see the incomparably gorgeous scenery with his own eyes.

"Justification by faith!" Bethlehem solemnly said: "Only with the firmest faith can we reach the kingdom of heaven of the 'Lord'." ”

"Lord?" White was surprised to hear such a title for the first time.

"Exactly. My Lord is the Most High in the heavens and the earth, loving and holy. Bethlehem solemnly said, "This mortal world is like a wilderness, and all beings are like helpless lambs." Only by believing in our Lord and serving Him as the Father of Heaven can we attain eternal salvation. ”

"Is that so?" White was shocked by the middle-aged man's description, and then asked, "If the Lord is so great, why hasn't He shown His glory and miracles in Erathia?" ”

"The Lord's earthly kingdom also stood on this land, but the sins of the world were too deep and the foolishness was inexhaustible, and the 'Lord' took back the miracle of universal benefit, leaving only a window for those who are truly believers." The middle-aged man smiled.

"Can the Lord's kingdom of heaven on earth, then, be restored?" White did not look forward to a distant paradise, but he was very interested in what Bethlehem called the "perfect American" that had really existed.

"Mr. White, if you really want to know, how about we talk about it on another occasion?"

For some reason, the middle-aged man took the initiative to pause the topic, and seemed unwilling to continue talking so casually. In this regard, White had to wait first.

"What kind of man is Mr. Bethlehem?" That night, White helped Terech wash some of the old clothes that had just arrived. Finally couldn't help but ask.

"Saints." The green-eyed girl said sternly.

"What's that?"

"Uphold the will of the Lord, walk in the way of the Lord, and promote the glory of the Lord!"

"Treshi, you understand that too? Or, can you tell me about it? Surprised by the green-eyed girl's answer, White also said with a straight face.

"No, White. ' The responsibility of preaching is far from being something that a person like me can bear, and if you have any questions, you still need Mr. Bethlehem to answer them. Trecy shook his head.

"But today Mr. Bethlehem has interrupted his conversation with me."

"It must be because the time has not come, or your heart has not yet been filled with light." Look at White. The green-eyed girl said softly, "If you really have a heart." Just be patient. ”

"Okay, I'll listen to you." White stared at Treesy and nodded.

A few more days passed, and I don't know why. A civil magistrate from Fort Fort suddenly arrives in the ghetto. Ordered that all owners must pay a "special defense tax". The price of a silver coin is as good as that of the elderly and children. Maybe. For some nobles, a single silver coin was insignificant, such as Moriarty, who once paid hundreds of Elasia gold coins to Roland Gal for a golden lamb chop and some intelligence. But as far as the poor are concerned, a silver coin is as far out of reach as a rainbow in the sky. In fact, the vast majority of slum dwellers do not have a few coppers in their pockets.

Naturally, the poor could not do such a request. The civil magistrate seemed to have anticipated this, but coldly gave a second option: those who could not afford to pay the taxes had to be offset by hard labor. It was only in the last few days that the moat outside the castle was emptied, and there was a lot of silt and debris underneath that needed to be cleared. Naturally, then, the tax debtor had to work as a laborer, wading into the cold mud to perform the coolie.

"This is ridiculous!"

White was immediately furious at the magistrate's order. It is clear that the fundamental purpose of Fort Fort was to force the poor to clean up the mud in the bitter winter sunrise, and that the so-called "special defense tax" was merely a cover or a tool to coerce the other side into submission. Even more despicable is that the nobles who are high up do not spare even the underage children, driving them to the icy bottom of the river like young animals.

"At the very least, you should have spared those kids!" Unable to bear it any longer, White stood up and shouted angrily at the civil officer.

"Before the law, everyone is equal." The bloated civil magistrate glanced at the one-armed man and smiled indifferently.

"But your law is even coercive to children, don't you think it's too much?" Also in the Fortress of Dawn, despite all the injustices, at least not to the point of doing so.

"What do you untouchables know?" The civil magistrate seemed to be getting impatient.

"At least I know that your 'law-law' is an evil law that harms innocents!" White blurted out.

"Oh, bold guy, dare to question the law in public!? Come on, put this waste up and whip it thirty times! ”

Unable to endure the provocation and nonsense of the man in front of him, the civil affairs officer showed his original hideousness and shouted. Immediately, several guards pounced on him, knocked White to the ground, and ripped off his shirt with a few blows, and then one of the soldiers pulled out a long whip made of leather cords and wattles from his waist and twitched it mercilessly on the back of the opponent's Luo Lu.

"Smack... Syllable... Smack..."

The whip was pulled down fiercely, and the seeping "crackling" sound resounded through the streets.

Old men, children, women, all were silent, just watched in horror as patches of flesh were cut off White's back.

"Who has an opinion?"

Like the supreme king, the civil magistrate looked at the quiet slum and smiled heartily.

"I... There are..."

Under the whip, White shouted again. After losing an arm, he has long lost the strength of the day, but he still retains the strength of a warrior.

"Oh? Very good! Thirty more lashes from him. The civil affairs officer's face turned grim and said.

Thus, the hell of the whip completely drowned White. It didn't last long before White passed out completely. And the merciless whip continued to fall until... Another light came. (To be continued......)