From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 464: The New Era Brought by the Supernatural

"Looks like there is no one else!"

Just as Yang Si let out a slightly regretful sigh and was about to turn back and close the door, a distinct sound suddenly reached his ears!

"Surprise, Mr. Yang!"

A group of children suddenly rushed over from a distance. They were still wearing strange, quirky outfits and holding handfuls of candy. They swarmed around Yang Si, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Unlike last year, these children did not look impoverished and starving. Although they still appeared a bit too scrawny or unhealthily chubby, a bright light now sparkled in their eyes!

They handed the gifts in their hands to Yang Si one by one, making the plump restaurant owner feel surprisingly overwhelmed for a moment.

He watched the gifts pile up around him bit by bit. Looking at the children's smiling faces, he asked softly, "I prepared candy and burgers this year too. Do you still want them?"

The children nodded with smiles, bypassed him, and took the candy and burgers.

Before leaving, they happily called out to Yang Si, "Thank you!"

They still came to get the burgers, but this time, they were no longer in that previous state of misery and hunger. Instead, they clearly carried far more hope and expectation for life.This inexplicable hope and expectation made the smiles of the people in this area much more genuine. It was not the kind of smile forced at the corners of the mouth, but true, heartfelt happiness.

Seeing these smiles, the initially astonished man finally let go of the concerns in his heart and offered a gentle smile of his own.

'This is nice. This year's Halloween feels so much better than the last...'

"It looks like the surprise the children prepared turned out quite well, Mr. Yang!" Right at that moment, a very familiar voice rang out, causing Yang Si to freeze slightly.

He saw that after the children left, an elderly man in a black robe walked up to him with a beaming smile.

The old man helped him move the gift boxes aside one by one so he could step out, then explained, "These kids came to ask me yesterday how they should thank you, so I gave them this idea!"

"Father Tom, this is just too..." Yang Si did not know whether to laugh or cry.

The elderly man was the priest of this community's church. He was an unassuming figure, but a priest who had taken root here for forty years. He could be considered someone who had watched them all grow up.

Hearing his words, Father Tom smiled and shook his head. "It is not too much at all. Someone came to me last year and mentioned that you gave them burgers on Christmas Eve, helping them make it through a very difficult night!"

"You might not know this, but for the children of many families last year, that was the only night they actually had a full meal..."

"It is only right that they come to thank you now! This is the Lord's protection, and it is also your charity. You should accept these gifts!"

Hearing this, Yang Si looked a bit helpless. "These gifts... Sigh, we are all neighbors. They could barely afford to eat, yet they still thought about bringing me gifts..."

"Hahahaha! That was the case last year, but not this year!" The old priest waved his hand, and under Yang Si's astonished gaze, enveloped him in a layer of white light. "The weather has turned cold. Let me give you a blessing first, lest you catch a chill!"

Seeing this light, Yang Si finally realized what was happening. "Father... have you also achieved Transcendence?"

"What is so surprising about that? Cardinal Bennett Angus is right in Luo City, which is not far from Seattle at all. I passed the priest Precepts months ago!" the old priest declared proudly.

Of course he was proud. Out of more than two thousand members of the clergy in all of Seattle, only ten had passed the Precepts on their first attempt, and he was one of them!

Yang Si, on the other hand, found it entirely logical. "It is only right that you passed. There is no priest more responsible than you in this entire area!"

The methods for passing the Catholic Church's Precepts had long been posted on the internet, and many people had seen them. However, very few could actually meet the standards of those stringent Precepts.

Father Tom was a respected elder in this community, a gentle and kind-hearted man. He led the residents in worship at the church and actively looked after the lonely.

Yang Si himself had been cared for by the priest upon arriving here. Father Tom taught the people not to bully others and not to harbor prejudices, emphasizing that everyone should be friendly. This guidance had made Yang Si's transition into the community much smoother.

His church never closed its doors year-round. Whether it was local children or elderly folks from the streets, anyone could come in to rest and catch their breath. Even homeless people could seek shelter from the wind in the church at night.

He would even scrape together savings from the Church's funding to distribute to the homeless, helping them survive some of the harsher winters and barely cling to life.

But for the old priest, this was also a form of torment.

Especially in previous years when there were more homeless people, individuals would often die of illness inside the church or freeze to death outside its doors. Powerless to afford a funeral for them, he could only sorrowfully have their bodies taken away.

Yang Si had once donated a sum of money to the church, allowing the old priest to hold small funerals for these people. Although they could not get dedicated gravestones, they were at least properly buried in the earth, which was considered a decent final resting place for a homeless person. It was exactly because of this that the two had a great relationship; the old priest and him were somewhat like close friends despite the generation gap.

Having finished discussing the matter of the Supernatural, Yang Si finally processed the old priest's earlier implication. "Are you saying they all have money now?"

"Not quite. They still do not have much money... but they can eat their fill now!" the priest replied with a smile. "The children having enough to eat is already a massive improvement!"

"It truly is a massive improvement!" Yang Si nodded. "Does it have to do with you?"

"It has nothing to do with me, but rather with Cardinal Bennett!" Father Tom explained. "A while ago, he brought members of the Religious Tribunal to Seattle and audited every single priest and bishop in the entire Church!"

"Over a thousand of those clergymen failed the inspection, and the number of government officials and wealthy tycoons they colluded with exceeded three thousand!"

"The Precept Enforcers of the Religious Tribunal threw them all behind bars, allowing this city to finally breathe a massive sigh of relief!"

"Those wealthy elites and officials no longer dare to pull any stunts, so the pressure on the common folk has significantly lessened!"

Hearing this, Yang Si fully grasped the situation. "No wonder my restaurant's business has improved quite a bit lately. So that is why! How incredibly ironic. They did not even have to do anything specific; just making the corrupt too afraid to act was enough to let ordinary people eat their fill?"

Just thinking about such a reality felt utterly ironic.

It was not even the direct intervention and crackdowns of the Church, but mere deterrence that improved the lives of the ordinary people in this city. One could only imagine the kind of miserable days they endured on a normal basis!

"Do not worry, things will get better. Everything will get better!" Father Tom's eyes practically glowed with brilliance. "In the past, we could only rescue a handful of the destitute and suffering!"

"But now, as long as they are willing to work hard, every single believer who has faith in the Lord shall receive redemption. That is the directive from the Vatican!"

"Every believer should live a good, healthy, and happy life. They deserve to live under the Lord's Radiance!"

"The current Church has the power to shelter them!"

The elderly man's voice carried a hint of urgency and profound relief. It was unclear what memories had surfaced in his mind—perhaps he was thinking of all those people over the years who had sought sanctuary in the church, only to be forcefully dragged away by others?

"The times are different now, Mr. Yang!" Father Tom said with deep emotion. "This country is going to get better and better, because those who are the Lord's believers deserve to fare better!"

"No one can exploit or oppress them anymore. They can labor for their own livelihoods, but they absolutely must receive their rightful compensation!"

"They can pay taxes for the strength of the nation, but everyone should only have to pay their fair share!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Si paused. "Is this news you received from the Church?"

"No, the Church never taught us these things!" The old priest's eyes gleamed with a sly twinkle. "But as the priest of this community, I can now go and have a proper, thorough chat with the tax collectors, the IRS, the Municipal Government, the State Government, and even the White House!"

Bolstered by the mighty power of the Church, even the priest of a small community possessed the ability to protect his local area. This was the true influence of the Supernatural!

Hearing this, Yang Si nodded with a sigh of admiration. "That is wonderful... This world, this country, it truly is different now..."

The old priest departed, and the middle-aged restaurant owner carried his gifts inside.

He noticed that on the table where the burgers had originally been placed, there was now a drawing.

He stepped forward and discovered it was a portrait depicting him surrounded by the children. It was covered in their signatures, along with a message that read:

"Mr. Yang, it is not your luck to live in this community, but ours!"

Children of all ages had signed their names on it. Coupled with the memories of their smiling faces, it moved Yang Si deeply.

"This is truly wonderful..." he murmured softly, closing the door.

Halloween was over.

But the Seattle of today was no longer the same...