From Prisoner to Si Chen

Jilan followed the twin siblings deeper into the village.

Finally arrived at the foot of a more remote hillside.

A wooden fence encloses an open space, where some cabbages and potatoes are planted, and many chickens, ducks and poultry are also raised.

Gillan discovered that Pastor Theo's home seemed to be located in the northernmost corner of the village. I don’t know if it’s because his beliefs are incompatible with the village and he’s being ostracized, or because he doesn’t like noisy and prefers purity.

Wait until he followed the two siblings and pushed open the wooden door and entered.

On the right side of the bungalow in the living room, from a simple wooden cowshed, a middle-aged woman wearing a white cloth on her head and a linen apron slowly walked out.

This woman already has crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, but her youthful beauty can be seen. She was holding a small wooden bucket in her hand, as if she had just finished milking the cow.

Gillan learned the woman's identity through the prompts of the beautiful entry:

"Maggiela Ballard, female, thirty-eight years old. Wife of Theo Ballard, pastor of Icon Village, peasant woman."

Seeing her son and daughter leading Gilan to the door, a trace of displeasure flashed across the woman's face, and her eyes were slightly cold.

Even though Peyton walked up holding the wild boar leg and happily explained to his mother that it was what Brother Gilan had gotten from hunting today and was a gift to her door, the woman remained unmoved.

He just hummed a few times, which was rather perfunctory.

Creak——

At this time, on the left side of the bungalow in the living room, a middle-aged man with long brown hair and wearing a linen robe walked out of a wooden prayer room that was only two meters long and wide.

He was holding a worn and curled book in his hand. He looked up and saw his children and Jilan, with a smile on his face and said kindly:

"Gilan, welcome."

"Father, Brother Jilan killed a lot of prey today and sent some meat to my door."

Sasha noticed that her mother had a bad look on her face and quickly stepped forward to explain the situation to her father.

As a priest of Dawn, Theo has a rather kind personality.

Hearing this, he looked at the boar legs in his son's hands and the three skinned hares held by Gilan, and his smile became even bigger.

"Come on, kid." He waved.

Gilan walked over, and Pastor Theo held the Bible in one hand and caressed his forehead with the other.

"Kindness, bravery, generosity...these are all human virtues, and they are also gifts given to you by Omer."

Pastor Theo’s voice was clear and gentle, and he said:

"Thank you for the food, kid. Let's dine here together today."

"Okay, Pastor."

Ji Lan smiled and nodded.

After a while.

He sat in the back room with Pastor Theo and his family for dinner.

Gilan noticed that the pastor's family situation was actually similar to that of most villagers in Icon Village, and they were very embarrassed.

It's hard to say that the house is bare, but it doesn't have too much furniture.

Even the dining table was made by myself, but it has been used for an unknown period of time and is full of signs of wear and tear.

Today's lunch is a roasted pork leg, a pot of rabbit stewed with potatoes, and some chopped cabbage mixed with oatmeal.

Although this kind of medieval food lacks seasonings, does not pay attention to cooking methods, and has nothing to do with "deliciousness", Gilan is not picky and still eats it with gusto.

The only thing that surprised him was that the pastor's family had a special way of eating.

The food was bland and tasteless without any seasoning.

Except for Mrs. Majila, everyone had a wooden plate with some salt in front of them for dipping.

Sasha whispered to him that her mother had been abstaining from salt since they were very young and only ate a small amount every day to maintain their body needs.

Hearing this, Ji Lan suddenly thought of something and his eyes narrowed.

He recently used the "Alchemy Hotline" to talk to the old man who made the staff, and learned many secrets of the mysterious field from this knowledgeable alchemist.

Among them, the topic of "Witches and Demons" was discussed.

According to the old man who made the stick, evil worship gatherings like the "Witch and Demon Society" originated from the "Golden Bough of Dawn", but it was the branch of the secret sect "Dettol Gold Leaf" that really "carried forward" it.

God Pan was the original host of the "Witches and Demons Association", and the black goats that appeared in later generations were just "imitations" that traced their origins.

Women who have participated in the "Witch Coven", been seduced and degenerated by Pan, and completely indulged must undergo blasphemous behaviors such as cursing Omer, trampling on the cross, and sleeping with the host all night before they can abandon everything and join the ranks of witches.

Each of these witches has a little-known detail.

That is "no salt".

This is the first commandment of witches.

According to the stick-making old man, salt is the symbol of the "Snow Lady" in September, and it is also the medium for material solidification.

The Church of Hope's "Dawn Bible" Volume 6 Chapter 1 says:

"Salt is precipitated in the sun, illuminated by hope."

To a certain extent, it has the same restraint effect on evil as holy water, consecrated objects, and sliding doors.

Therefore, witches do not dare to have too much contact with salt...

‘Is the mother of the two protagonists Peyton and Sasha a witch? ’

Gilan bit into the roasted wild boar slices and thought to himself.

At this time.

Pastor Theo, who was cutting roasted pork legs with a knife, turned to glance at Gillan, and then at his daughter Sarah, who was drinking rabbit soup.

He smiled and said:

"Jilan, you are not young anymore. Have you ever thought about getting married?"

"Not yet." Gilan said casually.

The pastor shook his head and admonished:

"It's better to give birth to offspring as soon as possible while you are young and strong. I know you are interested in Sasha, are you willing to marry her?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone at the table was shocked.

And Sasha lowered her head suddenly, her cheeks flushed.

"No!" At this time, Mrs. Majila shouted in a cold voice with a frosty look on her face. "Absolutely not!"

Both siblings, Peyton and Sasha, were stunned.

They had never seen their mother so angry.

Pastor Theo was stunned, and quickly comforted his wife and stopped mentioning the matter.

"Mother, why..."

Sasha felt depressed, raised his head and asked.

Unexpectedly, the expression on my mother's face was more serious, and she just said lightly:

"You know why!"

Wow!

Sasha's heart was pounding, she just felt sad, and she didn't want to eat the rare meat. She stood up with red eyes and ran out of the house without saying a word.

The scene was silent for a while.

Pastor Theo sighed, cast an apologetic look at Gillan, and then said:

"You guys go see Sasha."

"Yes, father."

Payton stood up with his head down, and then pulled Gillan.

The two left the house and walked on the muddy village path. Payton followed his sister's footsteps.

"My mother has always been very talkative. I don't know why she is so angry today... I'm sorry, Brother Jilan."

Payton looked apologetic and said to Gillan.

"It's okay." Gilan shook his head.

But he secretly felt that Mrs. Majila's behavior was extremely abnormal, and she might indeed be hiding some secret.

"Brother Jilan..."

Payton hesitated and looked over Gillan's shoulder.

"Is the reason why you suddenly became so good at hunting because of the help of elves?"

"Huh?" Ji Lan raised his eyebrows.

He noticed Peyton's gaze, staring at the little angel Mo Weiwei sitting on his shoulder.

"Can you see me?" Weiwei was also surprised, stood up, and waved to the brown-haired boy. "Can you really see me?"

"Um……"

Payton hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"You can see a little outline."

Gillan was a little surprised.

This young man's gnosis seems to be naturally high.

However, when I thought about it, this was most likely the apostle "Bishu" before her ascension, and I instantly felt relieved.

How can one become an apostle without something special...

Jilan asked:

"Did you just say 'yeah'?"

"Well, yes, I have a new good friend named 'Puke', who is also an elf."

Payton laughed.

Ji Lan frowned secretly.

Pook, the "elf" in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?

The dramatic character from the apostle "Dai Shen Song"... is actually Payton's friend?

But I didn’t notice it from beginning to end!

Gillan immediately started his spiritual vision and observed Payton.

However, there is nothing around the other party...

"I don't know where Puke is. He only appears occasionally when I'm depressed, talks to me, encourages me and comforts me."

Payton continued.

The two followed Sasha's footprints all the way out of the village and into the mountains and forests.

"Brother Jilan, I have always wanted to join the Hope Church and become a pastor like my father, bringing comfort and hope to people. Or become a church hunter and hunt evil!"

Payton mustered up his courage and said quietly but firmly.

"But my mother has never supported me, and I don't like the 'God Pan' that everyone in the village believes in... I always feel that he, um... is not very friendly."

"Sorry to say that, Brother Jilan, don't be angry..."

He realized that his words were somewhat disrespectful and apologized quickly.

However, Jilan patted the young man on the shoulder and comforted:

"It doesn't matter, actually I don't like 'Pan' either."

Peyton's eyes widened. He didn't expect that his brother, whom he had played with since childhood, had the same idea as him.

He immediately found resonance and smiled:

"Then this is our secret."

"Yeah." Gillan responded with a smile. "A secret that no one can tell."

Payton nodded vigorously.

It seemed that because he had found like-minded people, he let go of his restraint and started talking freely:

"I don't remember when Puck appeared. He was always very kind to me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams."

"So I plan to leave tomorrow morning and go to the Hope Church in the city to apply to become a novice monk."

"Well, I support you." Gillan smiled.

The two walked through the forest and soon found an abandoned cabin. The surrounding area is covered with bushes, and there are signs that no one has been here for a long time.

However, they found the footprints left by Sasha.

rustle.

Gilan walked in front, pushed aside the bushes, and led Payton into the abandoned wooden house.

I saw Sasha, who was dirty, with messy hair, and her thin linen clothes were torn, curled up in a corner full of dusty cobwebs, sobbing softly.

"Sister!" Payton rushed forward worriedly.

"Peyton..." Sasha was so sad that she hugged her brother and cried.

Gillan was about to step forward.

He suddenly stopped and his expression became condensed.

Because in this wooden house, he found many animal and even human skulls, as well as some vortex symbols and magic circles drawn with blood, but they had long dried up and turned black.

‘Is this the witch’s hut? ’

An idea popped into Gillan's head for no apparent reason.

"I...I want to live with Brother Jilan, I don't want to become a witch!"

Sasha hugged her brother and sobbed.

Hearing this, Peyton and Gillan were both shocked.

"Sasha, what happened?"

Jilan said solemnly.

Sasha hesitated for a while, then raised his head with determination, and whispered to Gilan with red eyes:

"Two nights ago, my mother quietly took me out and participated in a bonfire dance in the woods... I, I saw with my own eyes many female villagers dancing with 'Pan God'."

"My mother told me that I would soon marry 'God Pan' and become a member of the divine..."