It was quite a distance from Miss Louisa's residence on Feather Pen Avenue to Dawn Square, where the Dawn Church was located. To avoid missing his appointment, Xia De took a hansom cab at the intersection.
He dropped Mia off at home first, then proceeded to the church.
Tobesk, in midsummer, was still shrouded in smoke, and the scorching smell in the air, due to the high temperatures, was becoming increasingly unbearable.
On his way to the church, Xia De tucked the leaf into the decorative pocket watch cover (Note) while looking out the carriage window at the scenery of this steam age.
The rapidly moving streetscape, well-dressed gentlemen and barefoot children, low walls covered with weeds and grand aristocratic mansions, dense steam pipes and porters carrying sacks—all of it spoke to Xia De about the Balance and imbalance of this era.
But the Outsider knew that this was a node in the process of civilizational development.
For civilization, there was never absolute Balance; there was only dynamic, relative Balance.
He was so lost in these thoughts that when he got out of the carriage, he almost forgot to pay the driver.
He felt quite embarrassed and gave an extra two pence for it. The hunchbacked middle-aged driver did not mind; instead, he thanked him happily, as two pence was valuable to the poor.
It was Thursday of the second week of the thunder moon, and the Holy Prayer Festival was drawing near, making the clergy of the Dawn Church increasingly busy.
But Priest Augustus still made time to welcome Xia De at the church entrance and embraced him with exaggerated enthusiasm:
"Remember to pretend to be injured."
This was the Priest's whispered reminder during their embrace, after which he asked with a very natural tone of concern:
"Xia De, are your injuries alright?"
"Cough, cough."
Xia De did not know what symptoms so-called internal bleeding should show, so he feigned a few weak coughs:
"The doctor said I was lucky, and young people are strong, so I should be fine."
"Very good, very good. The Dawn will protect you."
Saying that, he led Xia De into the church.
Regardless of whether a world has gods or not, functional buildings like churches are always built to be grand and solemn.
Even though it was not his first time entering the Dawn Church, when both his feet stepped inside the building, he could not help but lower his voice and slow his steps.
Of course, this was also related to the power of the church itself.
In this world where thought can influence reality, the church itself is protected by the power of the true gods, supplemented by protective measures set up by Ring術士, and the power contributed by the long-standing devotion of believers.
The safest places in Tobesk were actually the churches of the Five Gods Church, not the Yodel Palace.
The two walked one after another, quickly passing through the main hall of the Dawn Church, then entering the rear of the church from a side corridor.
Priest Augustus greeted people constantly along the way, and a few of the clergy seemed to know who Xia De was, even shaking his hand warmly.
It seemed that what happened yesterday at noon also had an impact on the church itself.
They soon arrived at Bishop Owen's office.
After knocking, Xia De and Priest Augustus entered the room together.
The old Bishop had just been reading documents with his reading glasses on.
Seeing the two enter, he temporarily put away the items on his desk.
He took off his glasses, adjusted his expression, and then said to Xia De very kindly:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Hamilton, please sit down.
I invited you here today to discuss a topic concerning... faith."
Xia De raised an eyebrow; it was indeed this topic.
The conversation that afternoon was very pleasant.
Bishop Owen, representing the Dawn Church, asked Xia De if he would be willing to convert to the Dawn.
This was not only because Bishop Owen admired Xia De but also because of the silver coin that was struck yesterday morning.
This incident, with the church's promotion and the royal family's tacit approval, had already spread.
The church wanted to use this to promote the faith of the Dawn Church, while the royal family wanted to show that they were indeed protected by the true gods.
And for the Dawn Church, such a coincidental and dramatic event was definitely good material for the Holy Prayer Festival and future church promotions.
The key to this was that Xia De Hamilton, as the protagonist of the story, had to become a believer to demonstrate the Dawn's love and protection for his followers.
"Mr. Hamilton, last time you said you were only a shallow believer of the Lady of Creation.
So, what do you think of the faith of the Dawn?"
"Very good."
To be precise, Xia De had no conflict with the values of the Five Gods Church.
The church, in this era, played an enlightened and progressive role.
"If you are willing to join us, I can personally baptize you."
This was the condition proposed by Bishop Owen.
After all, it was a church, and it involved faith, so one could not be lured into the church with conditions like pounds; the clergy had such a bottom line.
But to be personally baptized by the Bishop of the archdiocese itself represented many things.
Simply put, Xia De would be considered "one of us."
For example, Room 2 on the second floor of Saint Delan Square Six had been waiting in line for an exorcism, but if it were "one of us," there would be no need to queue at all.
For example, the Dawn's faithful are widely distributed, and if Xia De encountered something he could not handle while dealing with Detective commissions, the church would not mind providing assistance to one of its own.
Of course, the premise was that Xia De truly became a believer.
"No problem."
Bishop Owen gave Xia De time to think, and Xia De did not answer immediately.
He had thought about this before coming, but he definitely could not agree immediately, as that would make him seem insincere.
He feigned struggle and hesitated for a full ten minutes before giving his answer, and the Bishop showed a relieved expression:
"I knew you would make the right choice."
Becoming a believer meant many conveniences, and all Xia De needed to do was invest some time, learn the necessary religious scriptures, and then, when he had time, come to the Dawn Church to participate in some prayers and listen to some sermons.
Compared to the benefits gained, the cost was completely acceptable.
The only thing to consider was whether such a "pseudo-believer" joining the church would attract the attention of the true gods.
But upon closer thought, with such a large church, there must be more than one so-called pseudo-believer.
Since others had no problems, he naturally would not either.
After all, compared to truly high-dimensional beings, the thoughts of ant-like mortals were superfluous.
Bishop Owen was probably afraid that Xia De would change his mind, so he arranged his baptism that very afternoon.
The so-called baptism was the initiation ceremony.
The baptismal ceremony used by the Dawn Church was a relatively traditional aspersion, which meant that under the holy emblem, a high-ranking clergyman qualified to preside would recite scriptures, pour or sprinkle water, and drop water on the forehead of the person being baptized.
The Five Gods Church mostly used such ceremonies, but each church had its own characteristics.
The Dawn is the God of Light and Shadow, so the baptism required, in addition to the holy emblem, that the recipient's body could simultaneously be in shadow and light.
This was not difficult in an era with gas lamps; it was just that being surrounded by a large crowd and illuminated at close range by a high-power movable gas lamp made Xia De feel the already muggy afternoon even hotter.
Of course, traditionally, those receiving baptism also had to pass a faith examination, and only after being recommended by three knowledgeable clergymen could they be baptized.
But with an experienced clergyman like Priest Augustus present, plus the Miracle-like events of yesterday noon, Xia De directly skipped this step.
"Fortunately, I don't have to write an application or a report."
This was Xia De's sigh as he wiped his face with a towel after the baptismal ceremony.
Since coming to this era, writing reports had become a normal part of life.
"Xia De, how high do you think the literacy rate is now? How many people can write their own names?"
This was Priest Augustus's helpless retort.
In any case, the Outsider now had a verbal faith in this world.
Saint Byron's, far to the north, was equally powerful, but it could not affect the life of the Detective in Tobesk.
But the Dawn Church was rooted in civilized society, and joining the church meant that life would become more convenient.
As a token of gratitude, after the baptism, Xia De gave the commemorative coin embedded with a bullet to Bishop Owen.
Bishop Owen, of course, was not stingy; he pulled out a stack of books from the bookshelf and gave them to him.
Those were religious scriptures, and since Xia De had become a believer, he could not do without them.
In addition, Xia De also received a small bottle containing a transparent liquid.
When Bishop Owen handed this to Xia De, even Priest Augustus, who was standing nearby, was surprised:
"No. 3 holy water?"
Even if this entire bottle of liquid was very likely diluted, its value would definitely not be less than 100 pounds.
"Yes, Mr. Hamilton.
This is a special product of the church, a magical liquid that can heal injuries and illnesses.
I know you are injured, but you still have to attend a banquet on Sunday night, so take this back and pour it on your wound."
The old Bishop winked at Xia De:
"Gods truly exist, and the church is not as simple as you think...
You will not regret your decision today."
He made a few gestures on his chest, then silently prayed to the gods.
Xia De nodded, then looked at Priest Augustus:
"Priest, I remember the Dawn Church accepts donations, right?"
"Yes, part of the donated money is used for church maintenance, and part is directly used to help the poor."
Xia De had not forgotten what he had said yesterday at noon:
"Alright then, I want to donate... 10 pounds."
In any case, in an era where Mystery and steam coexisted, becoming a believer of a true god had no harm.
Sometimes, Xia De would imagine what if he had encountered not Doctor Schneider initially, but had been recruited by the church; then his life in this unfamiliar world would probably be completely different from now.
"But there is no 'what if' in this world..."
The church arranged a carriage to take Xia De back to Saint Delan Square.
Xia De looked out the window.
The sun was setting, and a busy day was about to end.
"Better to consider some more realistic problems."
He leaned lazily against the back of the seat.
"Like what should I eat tonight?"
The glow of the sunset fell on her side profile, and Xia De was amused by her, but he shook his head:
"No, like what the exorcist from the church will find in Room 2 on the second floor when he comes to confirm the situation tomorrow morning."