Grey Wolf Dino left, and Marvin watched him all the way to the church door, seeing him off as he boarded his private Clarence four-wheeled carriage, which slowly disappeared at the end of the street with the creaking sound of its wheels.
"Daddy...."
Yuniya came up behind him, "Since he is your good friend, why didn't you let him join the Church? That way, Yuniya might have been able to give him some Blessing Power to protect him in the war...."
"He is a man without faith, hmm.... it doesn't seem quite right to say that."
Marvin replied thoughtfully, "The faith he holds is not in the Church, but in himself, and in the land that raised him. He doesn't need to pursue Truth; he has already found his own truth."
"But Dad, he's so rich, why don't we ask for his help?"
"Friends, are not swayed by wealth or fawn over power. His is his, mine is mine, everyone has their own dignity and bottom line. We must respect each other's choices," Marvin said. "If you can solve a problem yourself, don't trouble others for it."
"Oh...."
"Are you hungry? Let's go have lunch."
"Yeah!"
Taking his daughter's small hand, Marvin arrived in the kitchen. He had been busy all morning and had not even had time to drink water, his throat was burning as if he had swallowed sand.
Just as he put the pot on the stove, intending to make some lunch, Mrs. Cecil came back.
She was drenched in sweat, reeking of fish, and holding a bamboo basket in her arms, filled with a few sprats, not very large, only the size of a palm.
Following her were several mewing kitties.
"I'm exhausted...."
Mrs. Cecil placed the basket of fish on the table, wiped her sweat, and started to endlessly complain: "I went to the market early in the morning, bought almost half the market's fish, barely gathered 600 pounds, and before I could get them transported back, these cats snatched them all away!"
"Cats?"
Marvin asked, looking at the few cats following Mrs. Cecil, "Are they all gone?"
"Don't even mention it! After stealing the fish, they just disappeared, probably off to sunbathe!" As she spoke, Mrs. Cecil laughed again, handing a Gold Coin to Marvin: "Priest, there's still quite a bit of money left."
"How come there's so much left?"
Marvin was surprised, according to his calculation, 677 pounds of fish at market price should be around 8.5 Five Gold Pounds. He had given Mrs. Cecil 9 Gold Coins, at most there should only be 10 Silver Shillings left.
"Those merchants acted as if they'd changed their nature. Before, they would chase away cats on sight, but today they didn't just refrain from chasing them, they actively fed them fish and meat. Some cats even lay on the vendors' stalls refusing to leave!"
While talking, Mrs. Cecil kept bringing bamboo baskets full of fresh fish in through the back door: "Moreover, we bought in large quantities, so the fishermen gave us a cheaper price. In the end, I calculated that there was a full pound left over!"
This was something that Marvin had not anticipated, it seems that after last night's events, the people living in New Ross City had significantly changed their views on kitties.
And this morning, the Church not only gained 200 new believers but also received an income of 4 Gold Pounds. Although it was still unable to cover the cost of food, an expenditure of 4 Pounds was still within Marvin's acceptable range.
Mrs. Cecil brought back quite a lot of fresh fish, which could be used to feed the old cats that didn't have much mobility. After moving the fish into the dungeon, she tied on an apron and quickly poured olive oil into the pot, speaking rapidly:
"Priest, you and Nia wait for a while, I will make you fish and chips!"
Mrs. Cecil was always a very diligent person. Compared to her, Marvin felt a little lazy.
"Starting from tomorrow, Mrs. Cecil, you won't have to go to the market to buy fish anymore."
"Why?"
As she was waiting for the oil to heat up and dealing with the fish guts, Mrs. Cecil looked up in astonishment: "If I don't buy fish, who will feed these cats?"
"Let them buy their own."
Marvin had thought it through, since the vendors at the market bore no ill will towards the kitties and even welcomed them so warmly, it was better to let them take money and buy their own fish. Perhaps they would buy even more fish than Mrs. Cecil!
Moreover....
The news about the Kitty being a Divine Envoy would soon spread within the city, and other major churches would certainly catch wind of it. A little investigation and they'd surely notice Mrs. Cecil buying a large quantity of fresh fish every day, casting suspicion on The Church of Truth.
To avoid drawing attention, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let the kitties buy their own favorite food.
All you need to do is keep an eye on them, Fat Orange and Little Black.
Consider it their salary!
Ga la la...
After gutting and splitting the herring, Mrs. Cecil coated them in a thick layer of wet dough and tossed them into the frying pan. The hot oil immediately began to sizzle, tiny dense bubbles springing up everywhere, the fragrance rapidly spreading as the oil seeped into the crevices of the dough.
Yuniya twitched her nose, her eyes suddenly lighting up with excitement as she tugged on Marvin's sleeve, as if to ask what that was.
"Fish and chips, a classic dish from the Kingdom of Windsor, one that could endure for centuries," Marvin said offhandedly as he read the newspaper.
"It smells so good!"
"Indeed it does, with all that oil, and covered in egg and breadcrumbs. You could even fry a slipper and it would smell delicious."
"Ah? Can you eat slippers too?"
Yuniya looked down at her own cotton slippers.
"...It's just a metaphor, you can't eat slippers."
Marvin quickly dissuaded her from the dangerous idea.
"I definitely wouldn't eat slippers, Yuniya isn't stupid. If she ate her slippers, what would Yuniya wear?"
That's not the point...
Muttering to himself, Marvin continued reading the newspaper. He was looking at the Ross Daily, which would be delivered to the door before dawn by specialized newspaper boys. However, given the damp climate of the Kingdom of Windsor, newspapers left outside would soon turn moist. To read them, one had to press them with an iron, which ensured a pleasant reading experience.
Mrs. Cecil would usually press the newspaper for Marvin while making breakfast, so when Marvin had breakfast, he could read the news.
Today was an exception, Marvin's first meal wasn't until noon, skipping the breakfast routine altogether.
[Behind the Ravages of the Black Death, What Omen Lies Hidden?]
[Serial Novel: A Noble's Night]
[The Sunshine Circus Will Arrive in New Ross City the Day After Tomorrow, The Touring Show to be Held in Ross Square, Ticket Prices Only Five Penny]
[Rental Advertisement: Low rent, includes bathroom, high-end dining, sea view, only a 10-minute distance from downtown, suitable for entertaining respectable ladies, interested parties please contact One Hundred and Fifty Five South Street]
One Hundred and Fifty Five South Street?
Marvin's arm holding the tea paused, thinking, isn't that Mrs. Maggie's address?
Didn't she already have a tenant?
As he pondered, the bell hanging in the church suddenly rang out.
"Someone's here, I'll go and check," he said.
Setting down the newspaper, Marvin went to the church and saw a familiar face in a grey tweed coat.
"Mr. Jacob?"
"Priest!"
Jacob Valentine had lost even more weight during the few days since last seen, his clothes, already too big, now hung on him like a flag on a pole, seemingly ready to fall off at any moment.
The only way to describe his appearance was dismal.
He coughed a few times and hurried up to Marvin, saying, "Priest, that vile woman Maggie Criss won't agree to my relationship with Miss Maggie. I had no choice but to come to you for help."