"Little Black, are you...trembling?"
It was only when he held Little Black in his arms that Marvin noticed it was shaking continuously, as if it had been greatly frightened, with its eyes bulging and all its fur standing on end.
This had never happened before.
Fat Orange, on the other hand, was quite calm.
Eerie cawing came from outside the house. Marvin turned his head and saw that the kitchen windowsill was covered with crows, and from their black eyes, drops of bloody tears fell.
Marvin stepped back in shock, bumping into the table, and the pain in his waist made him shudder. He didn't know what was happening, but the tingling sensation on his scalp told him...
It was certainly not anything good.
Boom!
Suddenly, there was a muffled roar, and the earth began to heave. The house swayed from side to side, dust fell from the ceiling, and the clinking of kitchen utensils in the cupboard sounded like a ship caught in a midnight storm; the whole world began to sway.
Earthquake!
Marvin's face changed, and without a second thought, he grabbed Fat Orange and Little Black and rushed towards the window. Years of sailing on the high seas had given him just enough resistance to deal with sudden incidents like earthquakes. He moved with Captain Jack's stride, leaping with all his might, pushing through the flock of crows with his back, and tumbling out the window.
The kitchen was on the first floor, and the window was just a meter above the ground, hardly a dangerous height if unobstructed.
Marvin landed on his back, rolled to dissipate the impact, but just as he was getting up, still dizzy, he saw a frightened horse, dragging a carriage, charging at him.
At the critical moment, he dodged and narrowly avoided the frenzied horse. Only after confirming there was no other danger did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Strangely enough, it seemed the earthquake lasted less than half a minute; it had ended just as Marvin jumped out the window.
After a brief silence, many people emerged from the houses around, wearing only flannel pajamas and with disheveled hair, looking utterly shaken.
"Priest!"
Hearing the call from behind, Marvin turned around and saw Mrs. Cecil from next door running towards him, her feet bare and her face deathly pale as she said, "What just happened?"
"There seems to have been an earthquake."
Marvin looked up at the sky, where there were no stars, no moon—thick clouds obscured the sky, and darkness enveloped the entire New Ross City, with only the street corner's gas lamp providing a hint of light and warmth.
Marvin had never seen such a phenomenon of heaven and earth, and remembering the bloody tear-stained crows at the windowsill, he felt vaguely anxious.
"Mrs. Cecil, please gather the neighbors. If it was an earthquake, there could be aftershocks."
"I understand."
Though Mrs. Cecil didn't quite grasp what aftershocks were, she could roughly guess from the Priest's grave expression that they must be dreadful.
Under Mrs. Cecil's call, the Window Knocker from the street corner took a long bamboo pole and went from house to house, knocking on windows, not stopping until he had woken everyone up.
Dozens of people gathered at the Church entrance, wrapping themselves in thick wool felt to block the cold wind, shivering.
"Priest...when can we go home?" someone asked shakily.
"Wait another hour."
Marvin pulled out his pocket watch and checked: "Aftershocks could happen within an hour, a day, a week, or even a month after the earthquake, or they may not occur at all... I can't say exactly when, but it's always safer to wait a bit."
An hour flashed by, and no aftershock occurred. Even the oppressive clouds in the sky had dispersed, and the bright moonlight shone like a silvery veil upon the earth once more. Seeing this...
Marvin finally let his hanging heart settle.
"Mrs. Cecil, kindly brew some ginger tea in my kitchen to warm everyone up."
Having said that, Marvin turned to look at the gathered neighbors, most of whom were believers of the Church of Truth:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the crisis has temporarily passed."
The believers' faces showed a relieved smile, but Marvin's next words raised their anxieties again.
"After you return home, you must carefully check the houses, especially the main beams and walls. If there are any cracks, they must be fixed immediately, otherwise, there's always a risk of collapse."
"Will it... definitely collapse?" someone weakly asked.
Marvin frowned: "You should be considering the consequences of your house collapsing, not holding onto false hope."
"As for the repair costs, you needn't worry. As expressed in the Book of Truth, the kind Goddess Yuniya will shelter her followers from the wind and rain. As long as the situation is reported truthfully, the Church of Truth is willing to bear all the repair costs."
Marvin firmly believed—only words backed by real action were reliable.
To grow the Church, mere verbal promises wouldn't suffice, especially in an era dominated by various religions. To stand out, a price must be paid.
Altruism is the direction of the heart, and where the heart goes, there will be gains.
Only those short-sighted people would fuss over immediate benefits.
The post-disaster work kept them busy until 1 a.m. Marvin dragged his tired body home, fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed, with Fat Orange and Little Black nestled beside his pillow, curling their claws and closing their eyes too.
2 a.m.
Tap tap tap... tap tap tap...
Groggy, Marvin was woken up by the noise. He faintly heard footsteps in the hallway, very light, running to the left, then back again, as if doing some exercise... Wait a second!