The door swung open, catching the attention of Robert, who had been waiting in the hallway. Seeing Father Yorkes emerge, he hurried over to meet him.
"Father Yorkes!"
"Shh!"
York shook his head, signaling for quiet. He glanced back at the father and daughter still embracing and sharing their emotions, then finally hung his Cross on the doorplate.
"Let's go."
As he spoke, York handed his backpack to Robert—the Pluto Church's first current employee—and walked past him.
"Ah, right. Yes, Father."
Robert nodded blankly. Seeing the weeping father and daughter in the room, something stirred in his heart. He hugged the backpack tightly and hurried after the priest... The free food truck completed its rounds steadily before finally heading back.
York had spent the entire journey acting as a psychological counselor and listener, spreading the Lord's glory along the way, before finally being dropped back at the church.
"Father Yorkes, I'm heading back now," the young man in the driver's seat called out, leaning his head out.
York, clutching his backpack, waved back.
"Alright, get home safely."
"I will, Father."
The young man responsible for the transport nodded earnestly and slowly drove away.
Watching the taillights disappear from view, York scanned his surroundings.
The streets on both sides were empty and quiet, save for the sound of falling leaves from the red maples lining the road.
The American Red Maple is one of the most popular street trees; its leaf color changes with the seasons—green in spring, turning yellow in autumn, mixed with shades of red or orange.
"Is autumn here..."
York stared at the pile of fallen leaves mixed with yellow for a long moment before turning to enter the church.
Overall, today's outing had been productive. Besides triggering a random mission and gaining five attribute points, he had also gained a large group of potential believers.
Accumulating these potential believers would not only increase the offerings the Pluto Church could use to exchange for attribute points but also increase his probability of triggering random missions.
So, if not for that bad news, today would have been a good day for York.
Unfortunately... "Satan."
York narrowed his eyes, recalling the meaning of that name.
Satan. In his previous life, there were many different theories about him, but York knew one title that belonged to Satan clearly: the king of hell.
Having made a decision, York felt much better. He carried his backpack to the Jesus Statue, stopped, made the sign of the Cross, and headed toward the lounge.
"I'm back. Amen..."
Not long after, York, dressed in a fresh set of priest's robes, sat back down on the pews beneath the Jesus Statue to process the attribute points he had received.
Though it was only a measly five points, they were double-quality attribute points, making the harvest quite substantial.
York continued to distribute points according to his plan, focusing on Health to evolve his physical body, with other attributes as secondary support.
"Three points into Health..."
With a thought, three of the +5 available points on the panel were instantly consumed.
[Attribute point allocation successful]
[Health increased from 117 to 120]
"Two points into constitution..." Recalling that he had just added to Mana recently, York chose to put the final two points into his all-around constitution, which encompassed strength, endurance, reaction sensitivity, and speed.
[Attribute point allocation successful]
[all-around constitution increased from 32 to 34]
[...]
"Phew..."
A familiar sensation exploded within his body. Facing the ever-constant Jesus Statue, York clasped his hands in front of his chest and slowly closed his eyes.
He prayed sincerely for a random mission to appear.
To handle everything that might come, he needed to become stronger and more powerful. He wanted to become an existence that anything and anyone would fear.
Time ticked by for a long while, until the crimson glow of dusk pierced through the floor-to-ceiling glass, spilling into the hall.
Until darkness invaded.
York' prayer officially ended; the sensations within his body had long since faded.
"Another day has passed."
York shook his head as he briefly recalled today's events. Seeing the hall plunged into darkness, he stood up and walked slowly toward the nearby candle rack.
White candles were a necessity for the church, but after several nights of burning, the candles on the racks on both sides were nearly burnt to the bottom; they could only last through tonight at most.
More importantly, the church's reserves of certain essentials were also exhausted, so he would have to go shopping tomorrow after tonight.
York used a lighter to light a white candle. Watching the flickering flame rise and illuminate a corner with its weak light, he subconsciously thought of Robert's family.
It was a good thing he had hired Robert on the spot; otherwise, he would likely have to do all these small chores himself.
Thinking of the gratitude Robert's family showed when he left, the corners of York' mouth curled up slightly.
He had been doing these small things for many years, and now he felt a bit lazy.
At the same time, this church, which had always been so quiet, was due for a change.
Truthfully, deep down, he was actually quite looking forward to Robert's family moving in.
One candle after another was lit.
The faint candlelight gathered into a broad glow, dispelling the darkness of the hall.
York looked at the Jesus Statue and walked over to light the candle rack beneath it. Once finished, he placed the lighter on the rack, made the sign of the Cross toward the Jesus Statue, and muttered a few words under his breath.
"Lord, please forgive me. Amen..."
As his voice fell, there was movement outside.
A burly man in a suit appeared, walking slowly with a calm expression.
"My child, coming so late, is there something I can help you with?" York stood quietly, looking back at the Russian walking down the center aisle, his hands clasped in front of him with a gentle smile.
"If there is, I hope I can be of service."
The burly man, who bore the characteristic look of a Russian, stopped in front of York and grinned.
"Father, my name is Andrei. I do indeed need your help."
Recalling the dense sound of footsteps he had heard just now, York' smile remained unchanged as he nodded gently, indicating his willingness to help.
"Thank you, Father." Andrei rubbed his chin, his expression looking very serious.
"In that case, can you help me find John?"
As he spoke, he stared at York and added another sentence, his gaze sharp.
"John Wick! If you can provide help, we, the Grizzly Gang, will not pursue the matter regarding Vance."
Hearing this, York' smile became even more radiant.
"Mr. John hasn't been here for a long time. I don't know where he is now, or in what place..."
As he spoke, York maintained his priest persona, making the sign of the Cross over his chest to express his apologies.
"So please forgive my inability to help."
"Father!"
Andrei's expression didn't change, but his tone grew somewhat cold.
"Do you know what price must be paid for the matter regarding Vance?"
York shook his head and said earnestly.
"My child, I don't know what you're talking about."