Chapter 62 Holy Wind Cathedral

Old Blue recalled the current appearance of the "chaos puddle" and couldn't help laughing. It was a pity that there was not enough cement... Otherwise, if it covered the entire ground, the seawater below wouldn't be visible... Hey, when will I... cook the divine blood...

At this time, Old Blue and Jacob were already on the subway to Cherwood District, in first-class seats.

The Backlund Subway was created 25 years ago. Although he had never ridden the subway before, Old Blue is now very familiar with it... He used to ride it twice a day when he was going to work, without fail...

Clank, clank, old Blue swayed his body along with the subway car body. This was a rhythm he was familiar with, but he had slept long enough on the steam train before, so he was no longer sleepy.

He suddenly thought that if he rode like this, his body would sway as the subway turned...sway as it accelerated and decelerated...

Hey, isn't this a kind of living dance that comes from life? It comes from life and is higher than life! This kind of dance is called "subway dance"! If it is extended to all means of transportation, it is called "train dance"!
Well, I can give it a try later... But this kind of dance won't please the Fool, the God of Steam and Machinery?
Ha, I hope I have a chance to let Him appreciate my dancing... Maybe I can become His Favored One, St. Old Blue Church! Hmm? Doesn't that mean I'm brothers with Roselle? My Favored One brother... You... Rest in peace, I can't save you.

Jacob looked at the old but cheerful and happy old Blue beside him and sighed inwardly. He had heard from his father that little Blue, who was much older than him, had passed away. Old Blue might not be in a good mental state. He actually wanted to advance to Sequence 7...

It would be great if I just came to Backlund to relax...

……

Joewood District, Holy Wind Cathedral, the Storm Church Backlund Headquarters, the Storm Church headquarters a thousand years ago, and now one of the Storm Holy Lands.

It is also the gathering place of the famous Storm Pigeons. Well, it is the backdrop for many famous scenes, the Pillar of Shame... and... the place where Klein's Marionette was struck to death.

Thinking of this, Old Blue's somewhat nervous mood began to relax. Well, it was just like integrating into the flock of pigeons, just like going home... trembling.

Old Blue swallowed his saliva. The towering church in front of him was too oppressive. Just standing in the distance and looking at it, he felt as if he was insignificant... The spire on top of it was shrouded in mist and seemed to pierce the sky...

"Damn, why do you feel guilty... I'm a loyal old Substitute of Punishment! An old believer!" Old Blue had said goodbye to Jacob long ago and went to the Holy Wind Cathedral alone. He cheered himself up in the square in front of the church, trying to persuade himself not to be afraid, but to little effect.

He took a step forward, following the crowd, and walked slowly towards the church door that looked like the mouth of an abyss.

Among the crowd, there were gentlemen in formal suits and holding canes, workers in overalls, and men in old but clean clothes. Well, the biggest feature was that there were very few women...

This is normal. Even though the Storm Church no longer mentions the supremacy of male status, ideas have inertia. Countless male Storm believers still hold the same views. The lower the level, the more obvious it is.

Even if the nobles and wealthy businessmen had such views, they tried their best to hide them... This was already a new kind of decency, a new kind of consideration, that is, not offending each other's beliefs. This was the consensus and tacit understanding reached after thousands of years of coexistence between storms and darkness.

As for machinery... well, I can only say... it's okay. After all, the Steam and Mechanical Church's base is in Intis, and Roselle is their soul figure that they cannot and will not erase...

Oh, I think of Roselle again, my future brother... Stop nagging me, I can't save you...

Old Blue's steps were slow. His inspiration was warning him that there was extreme danger ahead...

Hey, who doesn't know the danger? Klein went in to pray, and a minute or two later, the secret doll was chopped into ashes...

Old Blue straightened the handkerchief in his left pocket, took the "Undersea Sacred Tree" cane, and without hesitation, walked through the quiet corridor and came to the large prayer hall. Here, the murals on all sides are connected, without a single blank space, mainly in gold and blue, outlining a sense of sacred majesty, coupled with the dome over a hundred meters high, just standing here, people's legs tremble uncontrollably and lower their heads.

Old Blue walked to the second row of chairs on the left, forced himself to sit down calmly, leaned his cane against his chest, put away his suitcase, took off his hat, put on a pious face as if facing a fool, and closed his eyes to pray.

Time passed minute by minute, and old Bruce, whose legs were no longer weak, slowly stood up, walked to the altar, bowed to the bishop next to him, and then came to the offering box next to him.

Old Bruce took out the banknotes he had prepared long ago, two 2-pound notes and six 10-pound notes, and put them in one by one.

Money leads the way! Look! God! This is my piety!

Old Blue resisted the urge to start the so-called "Ancient Elf Dance" because he was afraid that he would be struck to death by lightning as soon as he started dancing...

He slammed his right fist into his left chest, making a thunderous sound, and bowed to the altar with a fanatical look on his face:
"The storm is coming!"

Then, under the bishop's gaze, which was first gentle and then a little strange, he returned to his seat in the second row and continued to rest with his eyes closed, cough, and pray with his eyes closed.

"Hey, this church is really magnificent... It's worthy of being a holy place in the past... The Kingdom of the Fool is not bad either, it has a different feeling. The gray fog is too empty... Hey, we need to attract more believers to the great Mr. Fool, and more members to Tarot..."

"Mr. Blue, please follow me."

A small voice interrupted old Blue's fantasy. He opened his eyes and saw a middle-aged priest standing beside him, gesturing.

"Okay, the storm is with you!"

“The storm is with you.”

Old Blue stood up, saluted again, put on his felt hat, picked up his suitcase and cane, and after the priest returned the salute, he followed him to the corridor near the confessional, to the end, through the secret door and the heavily guarded passage, down the stone stairs leading underground, and turned into a room lit by bright gas lamps, with various test tubes, iron pots, spoons and other equipment.

"Please wait here patiently. The examiner will be here soon." The middle-aged priest pointed to two chairs placed opposite each other and said to Old Blue. Then he left the alchemy room and closed the secret door.

"Damn... Isn't this process exactly the same as when Klein was promoted to Joker... Is it that necessary? Why did you make me run here..."

Of course Old Blue didn't dare say it out loud. He just complained loudly in his heart, then sat down obediently on one of the chairs, put down his suitcase, held his cane with both hands, and made up and perfected his own "Ancient Elf Dance" in his mind.

……

With a creak, the secret door opened again, and Old Bruce's attention was drawn to it. The person pushing the door was a thin middle-aged man wearing a modified captain's hat. He had no special features in appearance, except for a blue-black anchor-shaped tattoo on his neck.

"It's a bit familiar... this tattoo, Roy, Roy Wellington, the tattooed man..."

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(End of this chapter)