It was supposed to be a simple farewell, but Mrs. Morsan stopped him by the door as he was leaving and handed him a hefty bento box.
"Father, this is the breakfast I prepared for you. Please don't refuse it."
Mr. Sandy also said earnestly from the side,
"Yes, please don't refuse it."
Looking at their expressions and eyes, York felt a bit helpless. He knew it would be difficult to refuse in this situation. The West was different from the East; everything was direct, and refusing them would be considered impolite or disrespectful.
"Thank you!" York could only accept with a smile and left as they watched him go.
After taking care of the exorcism on the way, the only place he needed to go was the church he was responsible for, as he still had daily fixed tasks to complete.
[Prayer]
[Daily Fixed Task: Please perform a prayer in the church]
[Completion Reward: Points +0.5]
The church he was responsible for was considered a central point where several nearby communities converged, and it was still some distance from Mrs. Morsan's home.
The bag with the bento box was heavy, so York simply sat down on a public bench by the community road, intending to eat before going to the church.
Aside from anything else, the food Mrs. Morsan made suited his gradually changing taste, at least it wasn't bland.
Opening the bento box, which had several layers, York paused, then chuckled.
The first layer wasn't food but was filled with one banknote after another, Franklin's face clearly visible.
"This truly is..." York shook his head and didn't count them, simply taking out this layer and putting it directly into his backpack.
He could use this money for some research; the funds for the underground warehouse he had established at home mostly came from this source.
Grabbing a sandwich from the box, York ate it while silently reciting.
The next second, a virtual window appeared before him.
In the novels he had read, transmigrators came with cheats, and he was no exception. Although he couldn't distinguish whether he was Ning Weize from Earth or York from this moment, he possessed two fused memories. One could say that Ning Weize from his past life was York's Zhuang Zhou dreaming he was a butterfly, or York was Ning Weize's Zhuang Zhou dreaming he was a butterfly... Leaving that aside, his tasks were different from other transmigrators; they always appeared randomly, vaguely, sometimes several at once, and sometimes no tasks for several months.
Besides these, the most important thing was that he could make choices, refusing or accepting, with a high degree of freedom.
York reviewed his personal information and still decided to add the received reward points (+5) to his Life.
His Life value on the panel instantly rose from 93 to 98, accompanied by an immediate sensation within his body.
Feeling the sudden burst of vitality and itchiness within him, York remained expressionless.
Life value was very important; adding to it was not a loss at all. He had once conducted research: as long as he sustained any injury, his Life value would change. For example, cutting himself with a knife would reduce his Life value by one point.
York believed that this Life value was definitely linked to his vitality. For instance, if the Life value on the panel was depleted, he would truly die.
"It's just like a game's health bar..." York grumbled, quickly finished the sandwich in his hand, packed up, and strode towards the church.
As a modern priest, he wasn't without a car, but walking slowly made it easier to trigger random tasks.
Unfortunately, even after walking all the way to the mottled and dilapidated gate of the church he was responsible for, no random tasks were triggered.
"Ah, another day of being a psychological expert." Looking at the familiar church in front of him, York took out his key, unlocked the main door, and slowly walked inside.
When he had nothing else to do, he would sit in the church like a priest in movies and TV shows.
If there were no tasks, some believers would come to pray every day. Occasionally, some of these people would seek psychological help from him as a priest or confide their troubles and confessions.
Importantly, the identities of these believers varied greatly. There were rich people, assassins, beggars, and even superhumans he had suspected—all sorts of people... Overall, this was a huge social resource, which was one of the important reasons why some priests appeared so prominent and powerful; no one knew who he might know.
York walked and thought, subconsciously glancing at the church's environment. It was strange; the church he was responsible for was not as radiant and new as other priests' churches but was full of history, with clear signs of wear and tear from the elements.
Yet, despite this, guests came in a continuous stream. Though not many people daily, their identities were bizarre and diverse.
York withdrew his gaze, made the sign of the cross, and walked into the main building at the center of the church.
It was no different from what appeared in movies and TV shows: rows upon rows of chairs surrounded the Jesus Statue deeper inside, with Jesus nailed to the cross by His hands and feet, surrounded by still-burning candles flickering brightly.
Illuminated by candlelight, the overall lighting was dim. This was intentional, as this atmosphere would help some believers achieve a state of calm, and also make it easier for certain believers to release the darkness in their hearts... York walked all the way to the open space in front of the table at the base of the Jesus Statue before stopping. Then, looking at the Jesus Statue, he made the sign of the cross on his chest, said "Amen" again, clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and began to pray.
As a pure Oriental, York naturally didn't believe in Jesus or God. His prayer was at most a silent blessing for himself, like making a wish on a birthday.
"..."
"Lord, I thank You for giving me the opportunity to serve You..."
"Through Your power, I cast out another demon today..."
"For the safety of the believers, I hope You can have the system issue more tasks without penalties..."
"If possible, please grant me invincible power..."
"I will always believe in You..."
"..."
York only stopped praying when the mechanical sound in his ear rang out.
[Prayer: Church Prayer (Completed)]
[Reward: Points +0.5 awarded]
"Amen!"
York opened his eyes, immediately delivered the closing word, and then calmly added these 0.5 points to his Life value.
One day, he would make others experience what it was like to be scraped clean. This world was too dangerous; self-preservation was paramount.
Glancing at the Jesus Statue, York picked up his backpack and walked towards the path on the right. He planned to get ready and wait for some believers to arrive.
In fact, a priest had many things to do every day, besides prayers there were also masses, but he had already skipped this step. No other reason, he was too lazy.
After that, there were some management affairs of the church, but he also skipped this step, because this church, which had endured many years of wind and rain and seemed to have been forgotten by the church, had only him as a priest.
With no one else, what did he need to manage? He even felt that this church was fake. Of course, he would also participate actively in some community services.
Because the chance of tasks appearing was very high.