Chapter 2: The Backward World

This church covers an extensive area, nearly the size of four to five football fields. The visitors include ordinary worshippers as well as some nobles dressed in aristocratic attire, all of whom come to the church for morning prayers

Merlin casually brushed it off, continuing to act according to his own preferences, maintaining the posture that made him the most comfortable

However, Mei Xue was quite dissatisfied. She glanced at Mei Lin's legs sprawled in front of her and slightly furrowed her brows, saying: "Mei Lin, can't you position your legs properly? You are a noble; you should exhibit the demeanor of a noble."

Indeed, winter is approaching, and this year, for some reason, the weather is getting colder and colder

Beside Merlin sat Mei Xue, and the faint fragrance of youthful femininity emanating from her made him feel quite at ease. However, the carriage was exceedingly bumpy, and after sitting for a while, he found it somewhat uncomfortable. He leaned back against the carriage, his legs slightly bent, and this posture made him feel more comfortable.

The wheels of the cart creaked with a "squeak" as they rolled over the uneven ground of Heishui City, which was paved with irregular blue stones, making the ride in the cart feel somewhat bumpy

In addition to this mural depicting God’s love for the world, there are several others, such as those illustrating God driving away darkness, God bringing light, God punishing demons, God bestowing miracles, and God blessing the faithful. Although the stories depicted in these murals differ, the underlying message remains the same: they all celebrate the glorious deeds of the God of Light

These knights are all clad in silver light armor, covering their upper bodies, holding wooden shields in their hands, and carrying a sword nearly half their height on their backs, exuding an imposing presence. The crowd on the street seems to fear these knights, while some children display a hint of envy on their faces upon seeing them

Although Merlin had his eyes closed, he was not truly asleep; he firmly kept Mei Xue's words in his heart

Merlin also followed the crowd into the church hall. On the snow-white walls of the hall, there were large murals, each vibrant and lifelike. These vividly colored murals were clearly religious paintings that celebrated the God of Light

After lying down for a while, Merlin also began to feel somewhat restless, so he lifted the curtain of the carriage. A gust of cold wind rushed in, causing Merlin to shiver unexpectedly and feel a chill.

Merlin thought of the emaciated homeless man he had just seen on the street, and then looked at the people who were devoutly praying. He finally realized that this was still a very backward world

Mei Xue tightly wrapped her clothes around herself, her body curled up in the corner of the carriage

Mei Xue appeared to be full of energy, and she jumped down from the carriage in an instant. Mei Lin followed her and also got down from the carriage. He gently stretched his body and twisted his slightly stiff neck, and only then did he raise his head to see a church ahead.

Merlin frowned; he did not recognize these knights, but he was even less daring to inquire with Mei Xue

These homeless individuals are dressed in coarse linen fabric of unknown origin, their frail bodies resembling strands of hemp rope, their eyes filled with a longing expression, and among them are even some very young children

Merlin observed a mural in the center, depicting a tall and indistinct deity, whose form was unclear, radiating a gentle holy light. The white holy light enveloped many ordinary believers, including the elderly, children, men, women, nobles, commoners, and even criminals. Under the illumination of the holy light and the mural, these individuals displayed expressions of piety and tranquility.

It seems that a fine, gray drizzle is still falling outside, and there are not many people on the street. Only a group of about ten homeless individuals is kneeling on the ground, begging from the elegantly dressed passersby.

As mentioned by Mei Xue, Avril must be particularly important information, which Merlin has also quietly noted in his heart

Mei Xue, sitting in the carriage, also saw these knights and seemed quite disdainful, coldly saying: "Here comes this group again, the knights of the city defense corps, all show and no substance. With so many people leaving the city, it is likely that some small town is facing bandit attacks again. Things have truly become increasingly unstable lately, with numerous small towns around Blackwater City showing signs of large groups of bandits."

Mei Xue unexpectedly did not compete with Mei Lin; she gently bit her lip, a hint of worry appearing on her face, and cautiously asked: "Is it because of Avril?"

The Kingdom of Light is devoted to the God of Light, and the influence of the church is immense. Almost every city has a church of the Light Church, and there are countless people coming to pray in the early morning like now

The name of this religious mural is "God and - Picture - Book Love for Humanity". It is inscribed in the script of Light. Merlin has inherited a portion of memories in his mind, thus he is also familiar with the script of Light on the mural

Avril is my fiancée? However, from what Mei Xue said, it seems that Avril does not like me... How come I have no memory of this at all?

Winter is approaching..." Merlin remarked with a sense of nostalgia. It is already September, the last month of autumn, yet the cold seems to have arrived ahead of schedule

Merlin observed quietly for a while. Although these city defense knights numbered only a little over one hundred, they were well-equipped, and each of them exuded an air of grim determination, certainly not the kind of useless decoration that Mei Xue had described.

Merlin did not respond, while Meixue continued to speak to herself: "In fact, you need not worry too much. Avril is already officially engaged to you, which is a testament to the decades-long friendship between the Barman family and my Wilson family. Ultimately, Avril will marry you. However, you should not fool around in the future; put more effort into your relationship with Avril, and perhaps she will come to like you."

The devout believers, with their heads bowed and hands pressed against their chests, are being guided by the pastor in prayer. At that moment, the vast church was filled with various voices of prayer.

Merlin has only retained a portion of his memories, while some have permanently vanished. To avoid revealing any inconsistencies and arousing suspicion from others, he must pay close attention to every word spoken by those around him and analyze the key information contained within.

Merlin did not speak, but quietly committed all this information to memory. Now that he had just arrived in this world, his thoughts were still quite chaotic, making it unwise to say too much

The knights were about to leave the city, quickly disappearing from Merlin's sight. After watching for a while, Merlin also felt the biting cold wind, so he lowered the carriage curtain and took refuge in the warm carriage

Alright, get off the car, the church has been reached

I will just lie down for a while, I didn't sleep well last night

It is unclear how much time has passed, but the carriage gradually came to a stop. The coachman, Moss, softly called out: "Young Master Merlin, Miss Meixue, we have arrived at the church"

Others looked at these homeless individuals with expressions of disgust, some even covering their mouths and noses, quickening their pace to leave. Merlin cast a faint glance at these homeless people, then focused his attention on a group of young knights riding horses in the street