The winter snow arrived as scheduled, the first snow in the Centaur Hills was sprinkled for three days and two nights before it ended, the ice and snow covered the mountains and rivers, and even the Yinyue River, which runs through the north and south, was half frozen, and the river on both sides was full of half-meter-thick ice, and only the center of the river still had water flowing southward.

When the second heavy snow falls, the entire river is frozen in frost, and adults can lead their horses across the ice to the other side of the river, and lighter children prefer to wear thick winter clothes and chase and play on the ice.

This is a more dangerous game, no one knows when the river ice will crack a hole, as long as people fall into the ice hole, they will definitely be washed away by the river, until they reach the Jinshui River, which will never freeze, and even the corpse will not be recovered.

Since the establishment of the stream reservoir, there are no naughty children patronizing the river ice, and the small stream reservoir that has been frozen into a lump is their new playground. It is said that Lord Randall also invented the ice skate shoes, which encouraged the attendants and maids of Silvermoon Manor to skate to exercise their sense of balance.

Nowadays, ice sports have become an important sport in Randall's Domain, just like the annual handball tournament, where the top teams receive a generous bounty from the lord and the cheers of the populace. However, skating is not as confrontational as handball, with an emphasis on individual showmanship, and a dance that is a delight to the eye, and always wins a round of applause.

Randall leads several sporting competitions that are now extended to the entire Centaur Hill, and according to Lord Earl Golden-Eye, these events have become an industry. The winning teams of each family gathered in Goldwater City to compete in a large-scale competition organized by the Duke of York to compete for the title of champion and win honor and fortune. Each game attracts a large number of spectators, savvy vendors peddle all sorts of small goods to eat, drink and have fun, and the town gangs set up gambling games around the games, a tacit business of the law and order, and the gambling industry became black and white as the lords needed to recover the money appropriated by tenants and hired soldiers.

The gamblers have placed bets that they will not skimp on a few copper soles and are willing to spend money to buy a good position and sit on the table to enjoy the exciting game. Sitting on a ticket reflects the status of the audience, because the poor ghosts only deserve to stand, and those who stand are all poor ghosts plus stingy ghosts. Although the income from the ticket is not much, all the money is donated to the mutual aid association, and the church comes forward to collect and manage it. Believers who claim to be decent people have donated generously, hoping to make a good impression on the priest.

A large gambling game involving thousands of people would be inconceivable without the tacit cooperation of the church. The priests represent fairness and justice, at least more reliable than the sheriff's office, and they do not participate in the game, but they can announce the results of the game. The people believed in the morality of the priest, and if the priest said that the game was cheating, no one would bet anymore.

Of course, the profits from gambling are subject to a tithe-tax tax, and the church has no reason to object to this large-scale event.

In fact, even if there was no tithe, church pastors would be very active in organizing and participating.

Everyone loves the winter holidays, and after being busy and tired for most of the year, they can finally have a good rest for two months. You can't go out during the rainy season, but you can go out in June when the snow is falling. Lively churches and taverns are frequented by people who earn several times more than usual, and the same goes for churches, where they reap the power of faith.

Winter is the busiest time of the year for the resident priest. Dane led the church attendants in setting up the venue for the skating competition, which lasted from morning to evening. This was not his job, but the parish of Randall, which he managed, now has 15 full priests, 42 paladins, and more than 300 chapel attendants. Dane finally had more time and energy to do something outside of traditional schooling.

A few years ago, in the winter, Dane would lead church attendants through the shanty towns of the town, distributing relief bread and winter clothing to the homeless who lacked food and clothing. Since coming to Randall's Diocese, similar relief has been rare, and when Randall's Mutual Aid Society was established, the church pastor no longer had to personally help poor believers.

Today, there are not many poor people in need of relief in the whole diocese of Centaur Hill, and Bishop Pero has adjusted the missionary policy of the Centaur Hill Church: to increase investment in general schools, and to guide mutual aid associations to move closer to the church.

Mutual aid will work very well.

The upper echelons of the Mutual Aid Society were to be composed of the children of vassal families and freeman merchants, who raised their own funds to help the needy, nominally under the jurisdiction of the lord, but in fact under the direction of the church, which was equivalent to the peripheral organization of the church. This was mainly due to the reluctance of the knightly aristocracy to get close to the commoners. For example, the approach of the beautiful Randall to civilians will only cause onlookers and cause trouble.

Dane had no worries about this, as a high-ranking priest, not only could he get along with the common believers, but the housekeeper deacon of the Randall family could not compete with a fifth-level priest.

As long as you don't use the Mutual Aid Society to do too much, the lord doesn't care how much influence the church has on the Mutual Aid Society. They were meant to assist the church pastor in relief work while also reducing the trouble for the lord—this was the conclusion that Dane had come to after much trial.

Someone risked their lives for this.

Two years ago, a wealthy businessman director of Randall's Mutual Aid Association was robbed by robbers and killed on the spot. The Pinghu Town Public Security Office investigated the scene of the crime and seized five military crossbows in a wealthy businessman. This unfortunate bastard was ordered to confiscate all of his family property by order of Lady Lilia for possession of contraband. Of course, the robbers who killed him were also executed by the police and hanged in the square in front of the church in Pinghu Town.

The lord's methods were so simple and brutal that the freedfolk merchants were powerless to resist.

Unbeknownst to Dane, the Mutual Aid Society was actually an elaborate move by His Highness Randall. The freemen merchants of the Golden Order were hiding in it, and Pope Clement was able to secretly defend the basic rights and interests of the Golden Order merchants in the various family territories. In accordance with Bishop Perro's instructions, Dain's several attempts against the town of Pinghu actually agreed on the boundaries and basic rules between church priests, mutual aid merchants and lords, and the Pope then transmitted these rules to the various dioceses.

His Royal Highness Randall, a scholar, has always been emulated by lords and nobles, and the Mutual Aid Society is no exception.

The current rules of the Pinghu Town Mutual Aid Association are: Free people and merchants can join the mutual aid association, and the church guarantees the safety of their lives and property, but they cannot use the mutual aid association to interfere in the internal affairs of the territory and further expand the influence of the church.

Dane was pleased with the outcome, as the Mutual Aid Society served as a buffer between the lords, the church, and the tenant community, representing a new avenue for proselytizing. In the diocese of Randall, he tested the limits of Silvermoon Manor, established the rules of survival of the Mutual Aid Society, and made meritorious contributions to the Cardinal Council of the Holy See.

Randall is at the forefront of social change, and there are always many new things in Pinghu Town that Dane should learn seriously. These will be valuable experiences and important qualifications for scholarly pastors. According to the development speed of Randall's territory, Pinghu Town will become Pinghu City in less than two years, and the following administrative villages will all be converted into villages and towns, although Dane has the background of the Pope's crown, but there are also many people staring at his position, he must be perfect, and must not give competitors any chance to replace him.

Back at the Pinghu Town Church, and dealing with the daily teaching work, Dane had a casual bite to eat, and it was already dark, he paced up the third floor, ready to sleep soundly. As soon as he opened the door, Dane was surprised to find the black-haired, golden-eyed, handsome Randall sitting in a chair.

His expression was quiet, revealing a deep power.

Dain was stunned, then closed the door lightly, and asked cautiously, "Your Highness, do you have something to do with me?"

Victor nodded, his gaze pointing to a parchment letterhead on the table.

Dane took the letterhead and read it several times, his brow furrowed as he was at the moment.

This letterhead is a handwritten order from Randall's resident priest, Father Miller, which explains the possibilities of the ant-plague, asking Dane to follow Randall to the Everfree Forest to scout the ant-man lair.

The content of the letter was too amazing, and Dane was shocked and suspicious after reading it, and the thoughts in his mind were like a mess, and he couldn't sort out his mind and make a decision after thinking about it for a long time.

Victor asked with a smirk, "Why, you don't listen to the orders of the priest stationed there?"

When Dane heard this, he suddenly shuddered, and then he remembered that the Angry Wind Sword Saint had quietly arrived, waiting for his reply.

The High Priest tried to squeeze out a sincere wry smile and said in a consultative tone: "Your Highness, Father Miller said in his letter that Ant-Man will dig tunnels and build nests underground. If they climb over the Skylark Mountains and build underground tunnels in the Centaur Hills, it will be a disaster...... It's almost impossible for us to go deep underground and completely destroy the Ant-Man monster. In such a major incident, we should first inform the Holy See and the Kite Castle, and then come up with a response plan after deliberation...... Your Highness is a noble person, the guardian of the Kingdom of Gombis, and the top superlative powerhouse of the human realm, so there is no need for you to risk your life. The task of scouting Ant-Man's lair can be completed by selecting capable men, or the church and the royal family of Gombis will jointly form several elite scout teams?"

Victor admits that Dane has a point, and that is just common sense. It's a pity that the Ant-Man population transformed by the ancient alchemists has survived to this day, and it itself cannot be explained by common sense.

Dane knew that Miller, the Divine Servant, had a very high level of transcendence, but he lacked a deep understanding of the Golden Realm, the Legendary Realm, and the Sage Realm, just like a mountain in the distance, if he didn't get closer, he could only see the vague outline of the mountain and could not appreciate its majestic miracle.

Victor sighed and said leisurely: "The fifth-level priest is known as a golden-level transcendent, but such a gold-level is too easy...... Dane, you don't know much about power, and you don't know anything about the true meaning of power. ”

The Golden Knight would not be able to lecture a high-ranking priest to his face, but the words came out of the mouth of the Raging Wind Sword Saint, and Dane's face turned red and then white, and he stood there silent.

"You remind me of Viscount Tenes Ludwig. ”

Victor smiled slightly, and said with some emotion: "He is good friends with me, but our friendship has become an obstacle to his career. He is now working for my wife, the Marquess Sophia Wimbledon, and will have the opportunity to compete with other court nobles for the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer...... Of course, I would like you to be the Pope, Dane, but will the Holy See approve the Pope's position as a friend of the Count of Golden-Eye? If you stay up for another ten years, you may be able to become the dean. Don't forget, His Majesty Clement has rewarded you in advance...... A fifth-level priest in his 40s is from an ordinary person's background, which cannot be said to be unique, but it is also very rare. ”

Dane was like a goose on a board, his lips closed, his eyes straight, stunned but unable to do anything.

The monastery did not hold real power, did not participate in preaching and fighting, and the abbots of the monasteries were basically middle-ranking clergy. If the abbot of the monastery has a fifth-level divine skill, it is called an exceptional promotion, but what Dane longs for is the position of a sixth-level priest and cardinal. He worked diligently as an assistant priest in the diocese of Randall, corresponded regularly with Pope Clement, and considered himself a core member of the papal line. However, Randall's Highness gave him a slap in the face, pulling him back from his beautiful fantasy to his cold reality.

"Tuk" "Du" "Du"

The sound of his fingers tapping on the table caused Dane to refocus his gaze as Randall continued, "You lack reverence for Old Man Miller, who do you think he is?

Dane opened his mouth and said in a dry voice, "Your Highness, I don't quite understand. ”

"You have two options. Victor pointed to the paperwork on the table and said, "First, you have reported this document to Bishop Pero for orders from the Holy See, and second, you have accompanied me secretly to the Everfree Forest at the request of the resident priest Miller. Whichever choice you make, whether you want to take the risk or not, you must and can only run the Everfree Forest once. Now that Mistress Miller has named you, it is useless for the Pope to stop you. In fact, no high-ranking cleric would stand in the way of Master Miller's decision, and there might be some evil god behind the Ant-Man monster, and even if Miller asked Grand Master Testiel to go to the Everfree Forest, he would do it himself. The difference between you and Testiel is that the Grand Master will take the initiative to fight, and you have no choice. ”

Dane is obsessed with power and does not understand the mystery of fate, if Father Miller can solve the hidden danger of the evil god at a small cost, everyone will be happy to see it, what is the point of the church sacrificing a small fifth-level priest? In the end, Dane's power and strength are not enough to control his own destiny, he is not a gold-level transcendent in the true sense.

The connotation of the Golden Rank lies in independence, not combat power, or simply life level. The highnesses of the human kingdom all have huge powers, and it is difficult for extraordinary forces such as prophecy to pry their fate, and even if they do, they will have immeasurable consequences.

It's like the Argonian maids, their combat power surpasses that of the Golden Knight, and even better than the Legendary Knight, but if they use their own strength to oppose a certain Highness and not get close to the other party, they will encounter many difficulties, and there is a high probability that they will be captured and killed.

In the minds of church leaders like Clement, Dane's current position can be compared to the relationship between a knight and a lord. Don't look at him as a fifth-level priest, he is the same in the diocese of Randall, but he holds the position of assistant priest, and his immediate boss is the resident priest. But this resident priest is still a priest of God, Miller.

He really thinks that Miller has no power, which only shows that his knowledge is too shallow.

Miller asks Victor to kidnap Dane directly, take him to the mountain fortress, and then force him to go to the Everfree Forest with a piece of paper.

This kind of behavior is like a lord calling out to a servant, and Miller didn't even think about Dane's idea. But Victor is not prepared to deal with Dane according to Miller's methods.

He was going to let Dane make his own choice and test a guess.

"I have limited time, so you can choose quickly. Victor said impatiently.

There was no fire in the fireplace, the temperature in the room was very low, but Dane's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and he was silent for more than ten seconds, and asked in a pleading tone: "Your Highness, what do you want me to choose?"

Victor shook his head amusefully and said, "I treat you as a friend, so I let you make your own decisions." ”

"Then I'll choose the second option...... At the behest of the stationed priest, Lord Miller, he accompanied His Highness to the Everfree Forest to investigate the movements of the Ant-Man monster. ”

Victor looked at Dane in some surprise and asked, "I'm curious, why did you choose the second option?"

"...... when all things are dark, only the light remains...... The so-called brilliance is the yearning for light in the heart. As he spoke, Dane raised his head, the smile on his face was a hint of uncertainty, but he still laughed self-deprecatingly: "I am the servant of the Supreme Lord, if there is a devil behind the Ant-Man monster, I am duty-bound...... If not, I should accompany His Highness on a long journey to explore. ”

Victor's gaze deepened, and he praised, "Dane, you're very good. ”

At this moment, the Fury Wind Sword Master knew that he had lost, and he had lost to Miller.

Because of his independence, Victor trusts only his own judgment and is skeptical of Father Miller's great prophecy. Although Ant-Man is his mortal enemy, he is not ready to venture into the Everfree Forest in the first place.

His Royal Highness Randall has too many choices, why should he be at the mercy of Father Miller? Behind Ant-Man is an ancient god with an unknown state, and it should be the task of the church to deal with the queen ant, and if he wants to go to the Everfree Forest, he is also a clergyman, and Victor can sit back and enjoy it. So, his first reaction at that time was to invite Miller to go with him, and Miller rejected Victor's proposal, but he made a condition.

Victor had always wanted to create an agent at the top of the church, and Miller chose Dane. But Victor still had doubts about this, he was worried that Dane would not be able to support the wall because of the mud, and if Miller could lift Dane up to the top of the church, it would show that his great prophecy was credible, and the expedition was worth his trip.

Victor asked Dane to make his own choice, which was actually a test of Miller's extraordinary power. Dane chose to inform the church, so that Victor would not have to go to the Everfree Forest again, and leave the rest to Miller for a headache.

Dane's obedience to Miller's arrangement was both unexpected and natural. You must know that it is very difficult to get a person to change his behavior and habits, but Dane decided to turn his back on the strict hierarchy of the church in a short period of time, hide from Pope Clement, and follow Victor to the Everfree Forest, which shows that his essence is not polluted by power, and he has enough potential to become a true gold-level priest.

Victor admired Dane and marveled at Father Miller's extraordinary vision.

He thought Dane couldn't, Miller thought Dane could, and that was enough to tell.

"This is what Father Miller has prepared for you. Victor picked up a small box from under his feet, opened the lid, revealing a glowing holy power crystal, pushed it in front of Dane, and said, "You prepare your belongings, and we'll leave immediately." ”

Dain didn't hear it, and stepped forward in a daze, and then held the holy crystal in the palm of his hand in an extremely reverent gesture, knelt on the ground and prayed in a low voice.

At the end of the prayer, Dane stood up, patted the dust on his knees, clutched the holy crystal tightly in his hand, and said energetically: "Your Highness, I have nothing to prepare, I can leave now." ”

Looking at the fifth-level priest who was eager to try, Victor felt a little strange in his heart, he actually wanted to stay with Sylvia and stay with him.

Victor shook his head, banished weak thoughts from his mind, and said, "Then let's go." ”