York dawdled for quite a while, waiting until the breakfast gathering chat had died down and learning that the event was over before he started to pack up his dishes and leisurely set out.
There's no lazier way than this.
Today, York just wanted to continue being a laid-back priest.
However, when he drove his modified Ford Raptor to the church, he realized that his assumptions were completely wrong.
It was as if the congregation had anticipated his plans.
They had been waiting for him, the priest, to arrive. It seemed like the Reston couple and Kelly Russell were all there.
Using the real-time holographic map, York noticed many congregants in the church and managed a forced smile as he officially entered.
"Trying to be lazy is so difficult."
...
Time passed, and as the congregants went back to work or busied themselves with personal matters, York's busy period officially ended.
"Being a priest isn't easy."
After seeing off the last elderly congregant, York sat down in his usual spot, his gaze already fixed on the central donation box.
After several days, the box was filled by the devout congregants.
It contained over a hundred thousand dollars, mostly filled by wealthy sponsors like Camille or Kelly Russell.
Thinking of this, York looked back at Irene, who had just finished a conversation with a congregant, and asked, "Irene, show me the recent income and expenditure statement."
He hadn't forgotten that the money in the box could be exchanged for attribute points, a very cost-effective deal for him, as one thousand dollars could be exchanged for one attribute point.
Of course, now that the Pluto Church had changed and was no longer a one-man show, he had to leave some money for expenses. The church now included Irene, Robert, and the newly arrived assassin.
Irene nodded in response.
"Alright, Father."
She had just finished speaking when York saw her walk towards another direction to fetch the financial statement.
"Since that's the case, let's complete the daily fixed tasks first."
York took another glance around the church, making sure no congregants would disturb him, and began his daily prayer in front of the statue of Jesus.
Like his previous prayers, York's tone was more about telling a dry story without emotion than showing respect or devotion to God.
No details, no buildup, just a straight, uncurving line from start to finish.
Only after hearing the completion prompt in his ears did he end the prayer.
[Prayer: Church Prayer (Completed)] [Reward: 0.5 points credited]
York calmly opened his eyes, made the sign of the cross over his chest, and concluded with, "Amen!"
Irene, who had been waiting with the financial statement, seemed to see an eternal figure in the combination of the priest and the statue of Jesus.
"Is it ready?"
Startled by the priest's voice, Irene quickly handed over the financial statement she had been holding.
"Yes, Father, this is the recent financial statement of the church."
Her voice softened as she added, "It might be a bit more than when you were alone."
Sensing her unease, York smiled and said, "No worries. Since I've entrusted everything to you, I won't bother with these details. After all, you're doing good work."
With a smile, York continued, "I've noticed your efforts these past days, so know that I support you. Whatever you do, just remember that I'll always have your back."
Touched by his support, Irene was moved but was interrupted by York before she could say more.
"There's someone looking for you. Go ahead."
Irene, with unspoken words stuck in her throat, heard a congregant asking for help and headed over to them.
"Sister Irene, I have some old items at home. Could you please check if they..."
York simply said, "Go ahead," and Irene, suppressing her emotions, walked over with a smile.
"Let's see."
...
York, meanwhile, continued to review the financial statement. The results were more surprising than expected.
The surprise wasn't the increased expenditures but the amount in the donation box.
In the past few days, the Pluto Church had collected four hundred and forty thousand dollars.
"That much? It's three to four times more than before."
York was stunned, realizing that he couldn't determine the exact contributions of each congregant.
But he thought of the recent patrons, like Camille, who donated at least a hundred thousand dollars a month, so the rest was probably from Kelly Russell or the Reston couple.
"Four hundred and forty thousand... I couldn't rob that much if I tried."
York was somewhat astonished at the church's profitability.
"Truly a lucrative business."
After deducting recent expenses for candles, charity dinners, and other miscellaneous costs, the church had two hundred and ten thousand dollars left.
"Only two hundred and ten thousand left. I'll keep a hundred thousand as a reserve for the church, and the rest for donations, which will give me eleven attribute points."
York decided on the allocation of the funds. He wouldn't take advantage of the congregants' donations, which must be used effectively.
"That settles it. Time to focus on today's tasks."
York put away the financial statement and checked his personal panel, adding the newly acquired 0.5 attribute points to his Spirit.
[Spirit increased from 131.5 to 132]
With more tasks coming his way, York had started to change his strategy for attribute allocation.
"Who knows what changes will come after breaking two hundred points."
After checking the increase in Spirit, York took out his phone.
He hadn't forgotten about the cult involved in the disc incident and knew that investigating the cult meant finding new tasks.
But when he tried to call Hannah, the hacker and informant, the phone responded that the user was temporarily unavailable...
___________________
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