Work Prophet
Chapter 68 - 29: The Initiation Ceremony Under the Cedar Tree

Chapter 68: Chapter 29: The Initiation Ceremony Under the Cedar Tree

Li Yu had originally thought that his first disciple would be Clara.

After all, the little maid, who was keen on slacking off, seemed to have a close affinity with Saturday. Her conversion to Saturday for the sake of securing her two days off was within Li Yu’s expectations.

But what Li Yu hadn’t anticipated was that someone had actually beat her to it.

Li Yu looked at Nicole in front of him, "You said you want to know more about things related to Saturday?"

Nicole nodded without any hesitation, "I also want to believe in it."

"Why?" Li Yu asked, "You don’t seem to have such a strong interest in holidays and entertainment."

Of course, he had his reasons for saying this.

When Li Yu previously taught Arabic numerals and simple calculations, Nicole was the one among the four who struggled the most to learn. However, when Li Yu came back the next day to check on the progress of the four, Nicole’s performance was often the best.

This indicated that the girl had worked hard in private.

Although she had been introduced by the chief steward Fosto, her family background was not much different from the other three, and it was even slightly worse.

Her biological father died very early, and afterwards her mother remarried another man, unfortunately, he was a lazy man who shirked work and did not properly tend to the farm.

For her family to survive, her mother had to seek help from Fosto, who managed to find her a job washing clothes in the castle. Nicole had no choice but to start working early, helping a household in the village, and the money she earned was just enough to barely fill their stomachs.

So while the others were helping their parents with farm work, Nicole definitely couldn’t focus on her studies.

Which means, she was completely catching up and even surpassing the others during her own resting time.

This attitude, while not unrelated to Saturday, could only be described as misaligned.

But Li Yu did not refuse Nicole.

No one dislikes diligent people. Li Yu chose Saturday as the deity to spread the faith to ensure that the people here would never forget that development is meant for better enjoying life, and not to be ultimately enslaved by efficiency like in the universe he came from.

After all, Li Yu was not against hard work. Without human effort, even the most advanced technology would be useless, but resting time had to be guaranteed, that was essential.

Nicole’s gaze flickered; she had actually thought through her answer before coming. She planned to say she was amazed by the various miraculous methods exhibited by Li Yu, which led her to develop reverence and awe for Saturday—which would sound quite reasonable.

However, when she stood in front of Li Yu, under the gaze of those profound and serene eyes, the words she had prepared faltered.

In the end, Nicole chose to tell the truth, "I want a better life."

Li Yu was planning to advance Technology and dispense some benefits to his followers, but that was all to come later.

For now, he hadn’t done much but wander around with four children and a little maid, documenting various flora and fauna of Green Field; the technology from modern civilization still quietly lying in his brain or on the Word documents of his laptop.

So the better life Nicole was referring to clearly didn’t mean these.

In this frail and lean body, Li Yu saw something named ambition, burning intensely.

However, he didn’t say anything, just said, "After becoming a disciple of Saturday, you will need to strictly adhere to the commandments, labor for five days and must rest for two days."

"I understand," Nicole said without hesitation.

"I know you always feel a sense of urgency, but leisure doesn’t necessarily mean wasting life. You could use this time to think, observe the world, cultivate your hobbies, explore your own mind, or you could do nothing and just relax,"

"In any case, whatever you want to do, whoever you want to become, only when you have restored your spirit can you better achieve your goals."

Nicole blinked but seemed a bit confused, "Can I decide for myself what kind of person to become? But... But doesn’t my God have plans for me on Saturday?"

"No. Or rather, every choice you make is its arrangement, so go ahead and choose the path you want, because no matter which path you choose, it will ultimately be the one it hopes you will take, and you will be graced by it."

The words of Li Yu sounded profound, and Nicole appeared to understand yet not understand.

Then she heard Li Yu say, "Come with me."

The two of them, one after the other, walked into the misty woods, where Li Yu chose a cedar tree that looked exceptionally tall and sturdy, likely thousands of years old, just like the last time he had helped Miss Rabbit and Jude make their vows.

Using a small knife, he carved out a beach, a palm tree, a lounge chair, and a sun umbrella on the tree trunk.

Then he had Nicole kneel on one knee, he pulled out his phone, and from the local music library, he selected the symphonic version of "The Beautiful Jasmine Flower" that had long been downloaded.

As that familiar melody began to play, Nicole’s body jolted fiercely; the little girl looked up, her gaze blank as she looked around but saw no performers.

The music seemed to emanate from the void.

It had a beautiful melody she had never heard before, delicate and melodious, yet grand and majestic.

Nicole wasn’t knowledgeable about music, but she couldn’t help being immersed in it, infected by the dancing notes, as if she could also smell the fragrance of flowers wafting through the air, her lips unwittingly curving into a smile.

Even when the music ended, she hadn’t yet come back to her senses.

Li Yu reached out and took her left hand, placing a green silicone bracelet bought on 1688 on it.

Then he said to the girl, "Hera."

"What?" Nicole blinked, finally recovered from the heavenly music’s impact, then frantically said, "What did you just say? I... I didn’t quite catch it."

"Hera," Li Yu repeated the word again, "This is your baptismal name, you may place this before your first name."

"Hera." Nicole repeated, "Hera Nicole, I am now Hera Nicole, the disciple of Saturday." Her voice was excited.

Nicole’s father had died early, and her stepfather was lazy, her mother worked herself to the bone every day to earn money, and had neither the time nor the energy to look after her daughter, which meant Nicole had largely lacked parental love since she was young.

It also made her feel little sense of belonging to that home, until she converted to the belief in Saturday, and surprisingly, it gave her a touch of warmth she had never experienced before.

In the vast world, she was no longer walking alone; she had something to rely on, and looking at Li Yu, she felt a newfound closeness, no longer as enigmatic as before.

Therefore, the girl grew bolder and blurted out, "Prophet, can, can I hug you?"

This time, it was Li Yu who was caught off guard, hesitating for a long moment before saying, "Alright... then."

Before he had even finished speaking, Hera had already pounced forward and hugged his legs.

Li Yu instinctively wanted to dodge but eventually restrained himself, and after a moment, he reached out to touch Hera’s somewhat messy hair.