The village of Aiklee where you sleep.

On moonless nights, it was pitch black, with only the occasional glimmer of light from a few buildings in the center of the village.

In the room made of stones on all sides, a few breezes suddenly crept in, and immediately, on the low table made of the same stones, a few lit rushes began to sway gently, and the shadows cast on the stone wall also swayed.

"Ah......h

To the left of the stone table, the main body of a shadow, the village steward Ifrett, hurriedly lifted his ass out of his seat, stretched out his hands, and protected the flames.

The light of the fire stabilized again, and the faces of Police Officer Espil, Agricultural Officer Barris, and Priest Praia in the other three seats of the stone table became clear again.

Here is the church, the room where the priest lived.

At night, the four of them gathered together, naturally because of the large number of injuries to the village's ploughing cattle, and the topic was naturally how to deal with the aftermath.

The small tray containing the rush grass was still only a shallow layer of white ash, and the conversation between the four had just begun.

“…… In total, 36 ploughing cattle were injured in different positions, most of them were bleeding, and they should not be able to work for more than ten days, and 5 ploughing cattle were seriously injured and in ...... condition It's hard to say...... Approximately...... That's about it...... Lord Barris, Lord Praia, I'm done......"

"Grace...... Barris nodded slightly, motioning for Ifrit to sit down, and at the same time turned to the priest whose face had become very heavy: "Pastor Praia, that's all for you, do you have anything to ask?" ”

"Alas, poor village, poor villager...... The Lord Almighty ......" softly recited the holy word, and Praia shook her head slightly.

"Alas...... The Ruler of Almighty ......" Barris also sighed: "Now, things have happened, and there are many things to come, Your Excellency, what do you think?" ”

Keen to grasp the point between Barris's words, Praia frowned: "A lot of things? What do you mean? ”

"Summer service, ploughing." Not in the mood to go around in circles, Barris's answer was fairly straightforward and concise.

"Summer service, ploughing ......" Praia's brows furrowed deeper, and his heavy expression gradually changed to solemnity: "What do you mean ......?"

"That's not what I meant......," Barres pointed in the direction of the west, "the baron's idea is that the summer service must not be delayed, and the ploughing must be intensified. ”

"Nope." Praia immediately shook his head quickly, "Most of the ploughing cattle in the village were injured, and the summer service must not be able to continue ......"

"Why can't you continue?" Straightening up, Barres' eyes burned: "The villagers are not injured, and the plough cart does not have to be pulled by the ploughing ox. ”

"Nope." Praia shook her head without hesitation: "The villagers can't pull the plowcart in the commons at all. ”

"You can use a small plow."

"Small plowlifts are not good, and if the plows are pulled by manpower, the villagers will be tired in two or three days."

"Pastor Praia, the villagers of Aikeri's village are strong, you underestimate your lambs too much......"

"No matter how strong you are, you are still a lamb, and it is impossible for a lamb to work in place of a ploughing ox, and Lord Barris, give up this idea, it will certainly not work."

"Well, Lord Praia, it's a blessing for the villagers to have a priest like you......" Barres nodded, but there was not much disappointment on his face: "Maybe you're right, the plough cart should be dragged by the ploughing ox, and we shouldn't go against the original intention of making this thing......"

"Well, in that case, I just need the uninjured cattle in the village to leave their owners temporarily and put them in the commons, so that the hairy villagers will not continue to hurt them......"

"No way!" Praia shook her head again without hesitation: "Now is the most important time of the whole summer, and the villagers' own share of land also needs to be ploughed, and it is impossible to let the last remaining healthy cattle in the village only do the work in the public fields......"

"Of course, I can only do the work in the commons!" Barris's voice raised a little: "Even this can't be done!" ”

"That's right!" Praia's voice also raised at the same time: "Even if this is done, it can't be done, if it's done, the rest of the ploughing cattle will definitely be finished!" The hairy villagers don't hurt the ploughing cattle at all, you will! ”

“…… You...... Ploughing cattle must be kept in a centralized manner! Let the villagers go to their own fields and haul the plough carts, and perhaps your lambs will surprise you while they do their own work......"

"Before you surprise me, the church will surprise you first!"

"Alright, well, honorable Reverend Praia, perhaps we should all be calmer, our purpose is not to quarrel." Hearing the word "church", Barris hesitated slightly, and once again backed down: "In this way, Your Excellency, the villagers can continue to use their own ploughing cattle, but they are definitely not allowed to lend them to other villagers. ”

"This ......"

Thinking about the consequences of hundreds of families in the entire village using the last ten ploughing cattle at the same time, after a long silence, Praia finally nodded slowly for the first time, but his tone was still quite hesitant: "...... Maybe ......"

"The injured ploughing cattle are absolutely not allowed to be used by the villagers until they have fully recovered!"

"This ......" was silent for a long time again, and Praia nodded slowly again, and replied hesitantly: "...... Maybe ......"

"After the cattle are restored, the villagers must first complete all the summer work in their share before they can use the cattle to do their own farm work......

"It can't be!" Praia's voice suddenly raised: "The ploughing cattle are injured, and the ploughing of the villagers' own land has already been delayed, and if they have to wait until they have to do all the summer work before they can plough their own land, it is almost impossible for the villagers to have any harvest next year......

"His Excellency the Baron will compensate the church for next year's tithes, and can even double the dedication......"

"It's not a matter of doubling down! There is nothing to gain, the villagers are starving to death half, next year's tithe baron can make up for it, and next year's next year? Next year, next year, next year, next year! ”

"But ......"

"No, but...... Needless to say, it's ......."

Praia shook his head vigorously, with an absolutely non-negotiable expression on his face: "The master is omnipotent...... Abandon your terrible thoughts, Lord Balris, even if you don't think about the tithes of the church, and if you don't worry about the wrath of the church, you have to think of next year's summer service, and next year's plowed commons......"

"I know, you must have thought of buying slaves, and now slaves are cheap, but what if there is no war next year? Or what if the slaves rebelled? Leave a little mercy, dear Lord Barris, and turn your heart through it, and maybe you will find a little mercy! The villagers are dead, what good is it for you and the baron? ”

"Your Excellency!"

In the face of such accusations, Barris's face quickly turned blue: "Your Excellency Praia, my dear nephew, of course you are merciful, you just refuse to let the villagers pull the plough cart that they pull several times a year, refuse to concentrate a few healthy ploughing cattle of poor Baba, and refuse to let the villagers complete all the summer work they take for granted...... By the way, you've been merciful enough to agree to let the stupid villagers not use their damn wounded ploughing cattle for a while! ”

"Leave a little mercy! Dear nephew! That's right! All the villagers starved to death, maybe it didn't do any good! …… But would it do you your uncle, aunt, cousin, cousin, and Lord Baron, who gave you the present seat, or at least helped you to get it, starve to death before you? ”

"You ......" Pastor Praia blushed, "Anyway, is this my reason?" ”

"No, it's not your reason, what the baron needs now is not the cause of injuries to the ploughing ox, but the Xia Lao ploughing that solves the problem of a large number of injuries to the ploughing cattle."

"It's impossible for the villagers to do all the summer work before they start plowing their own land!"

"Really? Maybe we can ......"

A new round of negotiations began......

In this way, beside the low table, a small part of it was soft and gentle, and most of the voices of intense annoyance sounded from time to time.

The small fire in the center flickered from time to time, and the ashes of the small tray containing the rush grass accumulated thicker and thicker, and time gradually passed, and the worldly interests and sacred interests clashed, but the arrangements for the aftermath never made much progress.

The subject of deliberation, or negotiation, or quarrel, inevitably shifted again and again, and became more and more entangled in "the reasons why His Excellency the Baron does not need it now", the source of all the changes, when the cattle of the village were greatly injured......

Next to His Excellency Balis and Pastor Praia, a timid voice suddenly came: "If the ploughing ox is injured, pastor, don't you know how to heal it?" ”

Chapter 50: The Secular and the Sacred (II)

Nonsense!

Praia, who was secretly not good, was about to scold, and next to him, two figures had already stood up.

"What did you say!" The farmer was short of breath and looked quite excited, treating the ploughing cattle, which could be directly related to the summer ploughing and the next year's harvest.

"What will be cured?" The steward was also short of breath and looked quite excited, and the treatment of the ploughing cattle was directly related to recovering the losses and eliminating the effects of the great changes in the village.

"I ...... I ......"

The agricultural officer and the official Huo Ran stood up, his eyes lit up, and next to the stone table, Xiao Andre, who was holding a small jar of stream water, involuntarily took a few steps back, and his eyes for help fell timidly to the priest: "Teacher...... Didn't you teach little Loes how to heal cows......"

"Andrey!" Praia raised her voice suddenly.

However, it was too late, and the farmer Barris, the steward Iverett, and the police officer Espier, who had never said a word, had six unwavering inquiring eyes firmly fixed on the priest's face.

The stone house was suddenly quiet, and after a short while, the farmer took the lead in breaking the silence: "Your Excellency Praia, my dear nephew, if I heard me correctly, your student, it seems that the treatment was mentioned just now?" ”

Praia remained silent, her face cloudy, her mind racing back to the day when Ross asked him for advice.

How to answer that?

Are you actually just perfunctory? Little Lois is a complete fool?

No, it certainly won't work......

After a long while, and his mind swirled countless times, Praia finally sighed deeply: "Dear Uncle Barris, you heard it right, there is indeed such a thing......"

"It's not simple, it's not that I want to hide it, yesterday, the same family cattle were injured and bleeding, and a pious lamb came to the church, hoping to be saved by the Lord......"

"Uncle Barris, you also know that the Church does have a cure for bleeding and wounding...... However, the bleeding wounds must be treated with medicine, and the remote location of the village of Ekri makes it difficult to go to the parish church, and the medicine used to treat the bleeding is also very expensive, even exceeding the value of the cattle themselves, and it is certainly not affordable for the poor villagers......"

"......I see," Barris looked abrupt, and quickly became a little puzzled, "In that case, what about the treatment your student mentioned?" ”

"The Lord Almighty......" Praia solemnly recited the holy word, and the faint light of rush grass shone on the priest's face, imprinting a little light: "The Lord of Mercion will not abandon any lamb...... Following the teachings, I taught the poor lamb the methods of the church to heal bleeding, and at the same time, considering that the lamb did not have the capacity to bear the medicine, I also taught the lamb to look for suitable herbs from the forest on his own......"

"...... like this"

After contemplating for a moment, after digesting Praia's words, the agricultural officer Baris frowned slightly: "The herbs in the forest...... Herbs in the forest...... Does it work? ”

It is impossible for any clergyman to answer such a question directly.

Gently stroking his shoulders and performing a sacrament, Praia whispered: "The Lord Almighty......"

"Ahem......" Realizing his mistake, Barres coughed and asked again, "Your Excellency Praia, it seems a bit difficult for the villagers to find the herbs on their own, right?" ”

"It's very difficult to ......," Praia sighed deeply, "Your Excellency Balris, that's why I haven't mentioned this matter to you. ”

"So ......," the farmer muttered again, "and then, did the lamb go and find it?" ”

You ask me, who do I ask?

"Dominating the Almighty ......" Praia whispered again softly: "Radiance is everywhere......"

"Definitely going!"

Beside him, little Andrei's crisp voice sounded again: "In the afternoon, Los walked through the church door with a large pile of leaves and grass roots!" ”

"Oh?"

Under the faint light of rush grass, the farmer's eyes narrowed slightly: "Herbs in the forest...... Has this lamb really been found...... In that case......"

"Lord Barris......"

Next to him, Ifrit hurriedly got closer: "Tomorrow morning, I'll ask Old William to bring you the herbs......"

"Tomorrow morning?"

Slightly stunned, Barris turned his head, and the steward, who had been keeping his eyes on the farmer's face, noticed that the expression on the face and the gaze cast by the farmer on the other side were almost exactly the same as when he usually looked at the village fools.

----

Half an hour later.

To the east of the village of Ekri, in front of a simple wooden house.

"This is the ploughing cow that was injured two days ago? How is this possible? ”

Barris's voice was full of disbelief.

The restrained old William rubbed his hands crampedly, quietly raised his right leg, and kicked the wooden catalpa at his feet a little.

The catalpa had just fallen from old William's hand.

Half a minute ago, when he heard another strange sound outside the door, old William Huo Ran got up, casually touched the tool prepared for the next day's farm work from the side of the bed, and quickly opened the wooden door, but did not find the mole or fox that usually spoiled the small pea field at the door of the house, but saw three bright torches and a large group of neatly dressed old men.

Juggernaut everything!

It was the first time in his life to see such a bright torch, the first time in his life to see so many masters, and the first time in his life to get close to a real big man, old William was at a loss, his head was swollen, and he didn't know what to do at all.

Fortunately, standing nearby, the empathetic village steward Ifrit soon came over, with a kind expression that he had never seen before, and in a kind tone that he had never heard before, and gently told himself that the farmer had only come to see his wounded cow.

Carefully pulling out his own cow and pulling it into the light of the dazzling torches, the farmer kept his present expression of great surprise and disbelief for a long time.

"How is this possible! How could this be a ploughing cow that was injured two days ago? Everett ......"

Finally coming back to his senses, and before the steward could bow and reply, the farmer stretched out his right hand and forcefully pulled Ifritra to his side, "Iverit, are you sure that this is the injured cow you just talked about on the road?"

"This ...... This ......" Ifrett, who also stared at the cow with round eyes and mouth involuntarily wide open, from head to foot, and from foot to head, and so on, and so on, before finally nodding vigorously: "That's right, it's definitely this one." ”

”

"How is this possible!" Still in great disbelief, the farmer shouted again, and with the force of his right hand, he almost pressed Ifrit to the cow, "Is it my dazzle? Or am I dizzy? When you came here just now, you said about the wound in the abdomen."

"This ...... Here ......" After a long long search, Ifrit finally trembled and pointed to a few pale red marks on the cow's abdomen.

"Where's the strangulation marks on the back?"

"This ...... It took a long time for ...... to find a few hairy marks on the cow's back.

"What about the wound in the ribs?"

"This ...... Here......"

"What about the arm-length blood mark?"

"This ...... Here......"

"Everett! Are you sure you're referring to a place now that is a blood mark and not a flat piece of fur? Are you sure that the place you are pointing me now is any little closer to what you just told me on the road? ”

"Yes...... But ......" Ifrett's face flushed with anxiety, and her eyes for help quickly fell on the officer's face.

"Ba ...... Lord Barres ......" Espier finally spoke, "Ifrit is not talking nonsense, two days ago, this cow was indeed exactly the same as Ifrit just said, and ......"

"Okay, you don't have to say it!" The agricultural officer raised his right hand and interrupted the police service, and his fierce gaze moved to William: "William/Moore, you come, tell me what happened to your cow when she was injured two days ago. ”

Two minutes later, after listening to Old William's upside-down, miscellaneous, and tossing descriptions, the farmer's annoyed expression finally disappeared, but his expression of disbelief became even thicker.

Gently stroking the pale red shallow marks on the cow's abdomen, the farmer cast his gaze at the priest, full of incredible surprise and deep shock: "Your Excellency Praia, my dear nephew, you are right, let the villagers go and pull the plowcarts, concentrate the healthy ploughing cattle, and forcibly give priority to the completion of the summer service, these are all the most stupid ideas, the only thing I should ask you for should be to treat the ploughing cattle in the village!" ”