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"Bilers Barber, as a priest, I now formally baptize you."
Marvin, holding a porcelain bowl in one hand, dipped his finger in the Holy Water and flicked it lightly, scattering a few droplets onto the man before him.
He then began to circle the man, pausing at the front, back, left, and right to repeat the action, finally returning to the front.
"May the Goddess protect you on your path to seek truth, and may you advance with courage."
The man bowed his head to let Marvin press his Holy Water-dampened palm onto his forehead, then straightened up, placing his left hand over his heart, and murmured softly, "Truth above all."
With that, the baptism ceremony concluded.
The man, having finished the baptism, officially became a believer of the Church of Truth. He pulled out a few Copper Pennies and dropped them into the copper cage in front of the statue, leaving cheerfully.
This was already the 58th believer Marvin had baptized today.
His speech had been notably effective, drawing countless onlookers, and he believed that what truly attracted people was the truth.
The charm of truth was indeed immense.
After recording the man's donation in the registry of believers, Marvin turned to the next man, "What is your name?"
"My name is Dion Belomo, Father."
"Do you wish to follow the truth?"
"I do."
"Very well, Dion Belomo, as a priest, I now formally baptize you..."
The next round of baptism began anew as Grey Wolf Dino sat in a corner of the church, smiling as he watched the scene, patiently waiting.
As noon approached and the sun climbed higher, Yuniya, who had just woken up, rubbed her eyes and came down in a white cotton nightgown. Seeing her father still busy, she obediently sat behind Marvin, fiddling with her teddy bear.
Until 1 p.m....
Marvin finally saw off the last believer.
"It's finally over..."
He set down the porcelain bowl containing the Holy Water and slumped onto the bench, his shoulders too tired to lift.
"Daddy!"
Yuniya ran over to him happily, "Yuniya's power has grown stronger! It's almost reaching the critical point!"
"Critical point?"
Marvin asked in confusion, "Does your power have a limit?"
"The specific details are not very clear to Yuniya," she shook her head, "But Yuniya can feel that as long as the power of faith given by the believers reaches a certain amount, Yuniya will become even stronger!"
A small church established only three years ago certainly couldn't compare with the deep roots of those that had been around for hundreds or thousands of years. Marvin knew that his understanding of the divine was not even introductory.
More information about the deities would have to be obtained from those in the know.
"Father."
While Marvin was lost in thought, shadow enveloped him, and with it came an overpowering, pungent scent of perfume.
"Dino, your taste in perfume is, as ever, terrible," he said without turning around.
"Terrible?"
Grey Wolf Dino sniffed his own wolfskin jacket and muttered, "This is the latest trend in high society, cinnamon pepper rose oil! I'm quite fashionable, you know..."
"Your scent reminds me of a roasted whole sheep bathing in a tub scattered with rose petals."
"..."
With a twitch of his mouth, Grey Wolf Dino found no rebuttal and sat down with a dark face beside Marvin, glancing at Yuniya next to him, he asked, "And who might this lovely young lady be?"
"My daughter, Nia."
"How did you, a man known for shunning the company of women, suddenly get a daughter?"
```
"First, I'm not averse to women; I simply haven't met one I like. And second..." Marvin said calmly, "Is it strange that I have a daughter?"
"Strange, of course it's strange. It's extremely strange, okay?"
Looking at Yuniya, who shrank behind her father, Grey Wolf Dino snorted with a smirk, "Judging by her looks, your daughter has the eyes of our beautiful and dashing East Slavs, while you have the distinct appearance of a Celtic man. They couldn't be more different... You can't fool me; she isn't your own flesh and blood."
Marvin subconsciously touched his own cheek. To tell the truth, he was insensitive to the differences in ethnic appearances, yet the itinerant merchant could spot the subtleties at a glance.
"Does appearance matter so much?" Marvin countered, "Blood relation or not, she is my daughter."
"Have it your way."
"You are not a follower of the Church, so what are you doing here?"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't kick me out just like that!" Grey Wolf Dino frowned, "I came to the Church specifically to find you."
"What for, to ask me for bottle money?"
"...Do you still remember what I said when I left the Church?"
"Of course, you said that from that day forward, what you have, I would have as well."
"That was a promise," Grey Wolf Dino's smile vanished as he spoke earnestly, "my promise to you."
"Last night, you said you are a merchant."
"Yes, I am a merchant, but I am not the kind of person who forgets righteousness at the sight of profit. People always say that I'm as cunning and sly as a wolf, but those tricks are for strangers. Towards you, my friend, I have always been open-hearted!"
"So, you came today just to tell me this?"
"No, I came to tell you... I am leaving."
Marvin turned around, his tone growing much more serious, "Where are you going?"
"Home, back to my homeland..."
Gazing at the statue basking in the sunlight, Grey Wolf Dino, rare in his reminiscence, spoke with a touch of emotion, "This morning, I received some insider news that the Kingdom of Windsor will soon declare war on the Romanov Kingdom."
"Declare war?"
Marvin's brows furrowed deeply as he pressed on, "Why declare..."
His voice stopped abruptly.
Marvin suddenly remembered the history of the Romanov Kingdom.
The Romanov Kingdom was officially established 200 years ago, with Mikhail Romanov as its first King. Skilled in his maneuvers yet overly reliant on the Church, the Kingdom fell into a state of corruption and laziness for over a century, with incessant harsh taxes and the people living in misery.
His fifth successor, Peter the First, undertook immediate reforms upon his ascension, purging the Romanov Kingdom with an iron fist, leading to the disappearance of the Heavenly Revelation Church that was once part of the Romanov Kingdom.
Under Peter the First, the Kingdom finally reached its peak, growing stronger by the day, but they did not have a state religion!
It wasn't just the absence of a state religion; in the territory of the Romanov Kingdom, not even small churches were permitted to exist!
If this were the past, such decisions would make sense, but with gods now descending, the Romanov Dynasty without the Church...
Would it not become an easy target?
What's more...
Emperor Peter, who was granted the title of Great Emperor, died of illness three years ago. His successor was his young son, Paul the First. Paul the First clearly did not possess the iron fist of Emperor Peter, and there were rumors among the people that he was a mad monarch with odd behaviors. Marvin did not know the details, but Paul the First definitely did not have his father's popularity with the masses.
On the contrary, Paul the First's sister, Katerina, was said to be a rare talent of the century...
"I am not particularly clear on the reasons for the declaration of war, but the news is definitely true," Grey Wolf Dino said with a helpless smile, "How can I stand by when my homeland is in trouble? So I've decided to sell all my properties and return to my homeland..."
As he spoke, Dino stood up and stretched his limbs, seeming to regain some of his spirits, "Of course, war doesn't start as soon as it is declared, and I can't sell all my properties overnight. I'll still need to stay here for over half a month."
"During this time, if you, Priest, have any difficulties or troubles, just come to me."
"Alright, I understand."