Work Prophet
Chapter 286 - 44: Deep Behind Enemy Lines

Chapter 286: Chapter 44: Deep Behind Enemy Lines

Quintus had been in Green Field for quite some time but had never fully listened to a sermon from the Double Rest Sect.

He had only caught snippets in daily conversations with the villagers, vaguely understanding that Li Yu and his Double Rest Sect wanted to establish something known as the Land God Kingdom and that followers of the sect could rest every five days for two days, and so on...

Like most priests in the Church, Quintus had always firmly believed that this was just a trap set by a Foreign God, a poisonous lie, so he didn’t delve deeper.

Moreover, the Double Rest Sect’s method of spreading the word through distributing eggs was too heretical, desecrating the sanctity of preaching, which completely infuriated Quintus and many other priests, making them disdain it and naturally unwilling to associate with it any further.

But now Quintus had been defeated by the very thing he despised in his heart!

The Family Head of the Arias family had betrayed Pisya and successfully converted to observing Saturday, after which her followers did likewise and embraced the Double Rest Sect.

The once powerful Church suffered an almost humiliating defeat in Green Field!

At this moment, Quintus, like his colleagues, was seething with anger and shame, but apart from being dissatisfied with the Church’s response this time, Quintus was also reflecting on why they had lost so disgracefully this time.

Although they had lost Green Field and set a bad precedent, for the lands and followers controlled by the Silver Moon Church, this defeat was not unbearable.

The key was to figure out where they had been defeated so that they could possibly win back next time, instead of suffering repeated defeats.

To achieve this, it was clearly insufficient without a deep understanding of the opponent.

Thus, Quintus decided to follow the suggestion of the house owner to observe Li Yu and his Double Rest Sect at a closer distance.

And just now, there was an excellent opportunity.

Dissatisfied with the missionary outcomes, Li Yu announced that he would hold the first Green Field "Open Mic Missionary Activity," scheduled for tomorrow.

The top ten participants would receive prizes, with even more generous rewards for the first three.

Quintus could understand these as Li Yu’s way of motivating his Sabbath followers—after all, the Double Rest Sect had always been known for its lavish spending on followers, naturally, it extended to missionaries as well.

But what followed turned magical. This "Open Mic" activity was surprisingly open for registration not only to Sabbaths but also to commoners who could participate and still receive prizes. Moreover, if they performed well and passed subsequent assessments, they could directly become Sabbaths.

Quintus remembered feeling almost faint with fury when he first heard about this.

No one knew better than him how difficult the path to becoming a priest was.

Especially for someone of common birth like him. That Universal Language teacher named Anton, though unpleasant and vitriolic towards the Church, had spoken many truths.

In reality, like him, many had labored diligently for the Church for decades, yet still could not even obtain the qualifications to study in the Temple, let alone that only one or two out of every ten who managed to enter the Temple would end up becoming priests.

But it was precisely because of this that priests were widely respected and enjoyed a status akin to nobles in the Western Territory.

However, now that the Double Rest Sect had stirred things up, it seemed like anyone could become a missionary.

Even Quintus, who preferred dealing with commoners rather than nobles, felt offended.

Moreover, he was not very optimistic about the first Green Field open mic missionary event. Rather than calling it a reconnaissance mission, it was more about watching the spectacle.

But for whatever reasons, Quintus had changed his mind, decided to stay, and arrived early the next morning at the event venue.

The Double Rest Sect had already set up a wooden stage there in advance.

The size of the stage wasn’t large, just about ten steps in length and width, flanked by two wooden poles, each about the height of two men, with a red cloth banner hanging from them.

The cloth banner displayed the words "First Green Field Open Mic Missionary Event" in Universal Language, which was quite conspicuous.

Quintus’s gaze moved downward, and he saw four chairs in front of the stage, all of which were empty at the moment, leaving him wondering who would sit there later.

Quintus pulled half a loaf of black bread from his pocket and took a couple of bites before the event started.

On the Bratis Continent, there was no such thing as breakfast. The nobles would wait until noon to have their first meal, but for those doing heavy physical labor, eating some bread before heading out was necessary to sustain them.

When Quintus was young, he used to farm with his father and spent most of his time as a priest immersed among the rural folk, a habit he had retained.

As Quintus ate, he looked around. This missionary event, hosted by Li Yu, not only had very lenient registration requirements for participants but also did not restrict the audience. Anyone could come and watch, although unlike previous missionary events, there were no gifts to be received.

But now, as it was the off-season in farming, and these small villages typically lacked entertainment activities, plus with many followers of the Double Rest Sect now in Green Field, many people still came to see what was going on.

By the time Quintus finished the half loaf of black bread in his hand, nearly two to three hundred people had already gathered in front of the wooden stage.

The Double Rest Sect also dispatched guards to maintain order and guide the crowd to sit down on the spot.

It must be said that the site selection for this Double Rest Sect event was quite thoughtful, located just below a hillside. Once the audience sat down, it was unlikely for the view of those at the back to be blocked by those in front, so everyone could clearly see what was happening on stage.

Quintus found a spot slightly towards the back, trying his best to blend in with the crowd.

Although the Double Rest Sect did not forbid members of the Silver Moon Church from attending, considering his identity, it would be quite awkward if he were recognized. Thus, Quintus came dressed in ordinary clothes. Moreover, his skin was naturally dark, and it bore many wrinkles, making him look no different from an ordinary farmer when he squatted in a corner.

But what Quintus did not know was that ever since Clara had been abducted, Li Yu had implemented additional security measures, including mobilizing followers to watch for unfamiliar faces and suspicious individuals, especially those related to the Silver Moon Church.

So just as Quintus left the village, someone had already reported his movements to the Double Rest Sect, and even received a bag of flour for it.

By now, Li Yu was aware that Quintus had come to listen to the event and knew where he was sitting, but Li Yu did not instruct anyone to expel him. Instead, he had the Black Hound Guards keep an eye on that area to ensure that they could apprehend him at a moment’s notice if anything went awry.