Whether it was due to the sun's gradual decline or the so-called rare extreme weather, the temperature changes during this period were particularly noticeable.
From the stifling heat of early autumn, accompanied by this heavy rain, it directly transitioned into deep autumn season, with temperatures plummeting several degrees. The cold wind in the early morning air felt like knives scraping against skin.
Food production reduction coupled with low temperatures almost certainly foreshadowed how difficult this winter would be.
People had already begun dying in Rino City, though the bodies weren't wasted—the Church gathered them together to make a pot of meat soup, using it to relieve the starving.
However, this phenomenon wasn't yet obvious because the weather hadn't reached its coldest point.
Bishop Doxia hadn't been having an easy time during this period.
First, the Boar Empire wanted him to instigate rebellion to initiate world change, something extremely difficult for Bishop Doxia because although he had significant power, the church personnel were loyal to the Church, loyal to God, loyal to His Holiness Adam—not loyal to Doxia himself.
These church members had been taught since childhood to devote everything to the Pope.
Bishop Doxia might be able to use information asymmetry to launch a rebellion, but once the Church army arrived and the Pope's holy decree was issued, these church members would definitely rebel against him and hang him on the burning stake.
Bishop Doxia deeply loved the Church; he didn't want to be hung on the Church's pillar of shame, nor did he want to cause damage to the Church.But nowadays, His Holiness Pope Adam was becoming increasingly insane, his ideology so cruel, his behavior so brutal, that Bishop Doxia grew more fearful by the day.
He feared that under such heavy pressure, the people would develop rebellious sentiments toward the Church, tarnishing the Holy Church's bright, majestic, and holy image until it was pulled to the opposite side.
If that happened, the Church's thousand-year foundation would undoubtedly collapse overnight, possibly even becoming like rats in the gutter, never again seeing the light.
The Church might not even be able to maintain its righteous image to transform into a missionary organization, and might even be condemned as a cult!
This was completely unacceptable to Bishop Doxia! The mere thought that the Holy Church might be labeled a cult in the future brought him to tears of anguish.
But his troubles didn't end there.
Whether it was the Holy Church's national fortune declining or some so-called architectural problem, the Church had been experiencing frequent death incidents recently.
First, a missionary was crushed by falling bricks from the roof after evening confession. Then another missionary fell into the church fireplace while relieving himself, breaking his neck on the spot...
The once resilient and faith-filled missionaries now seemed as fragile as college students, dying unexpectedly at any moment.
The frequent incidents at Rino City Church during this period almost made Bishop Doxia believe this was God's punishment for his rebellious thoughts.
However, the Church didn't care about losing a few missionaries—every year, more missionaries died by their own executioners' blades than from such accidents!
But nowadays, His Holiness Pope Adam was becoming increasingly insane, his ideology so cruel, his behavior so brutal, that Bishop Doxia grew more fearful by the day.
Humans were strange creatures—doing some immoral deeds indeed brought wonderful satisfaction, revealing humanity's inherent flaws.
One had to admit, His Holiness the Pope's extreme ideology seemed to have some merit after all?
The heavy rain had stopped, and Norton had returned to his post to continue his duty.
Over two hundred missionaries had died in Rino City recently. To replenish manpower, the Rino City Church specifically planned to fast-track the promotion of a batch of acolytes to missionaries during the next Mass.
But this resulted in insufficient acolyte personnel. In short, the missing manpower still needed replenishment, so during this period missionaries went out daily, searching Rino City for qualified infants or children to bring back to the Church for training.
"Get lost, you stinking creature!"
The pure white acolyte robes appeared particularly holy under the long-awaited sunlight, but this holiness clashed sharply with the dirty beggars crouching by the roadside.
The coincidental deaths within the Church during this period had put the missionaries in poor spirits, making previously ignored beggars become eyesores.
Norton was kicked in the buttocks, followed by piercing insults.
"Damn it!"
Norton was furious!
All the satisfaction he'd gained from his recent misdeeds vanished instantly.
Norton believed in immediate revenge—even Father Mia had received a punch from him on the spot, so how dare this mere missionary act so superior!
Norton quietly followed behind the white-robed missionary, his sense of smell, hearing, and vision fully activated to assess the surroundings and find the right moment to strike.
Actually, missionaries rarely operated alone—usually they went out in groups or accompanied by Church Knights.
Mainly because the werewolf incident had just passed, with Church Knights stationed at the Church to protect the bishop's safety. Additionally, Rino City's missionary numbers had sharply declined. Although new missionary positions had been designated, the Mass hadn't yet been held, so the currently scarce missionary numbers forced them to operate alone.
This provided perfect opportunities for Norton.
This missionary was heading toward the slums on the city outskirts. These disaster victims had no power or influence and generally didn't live long. Taking their children into the Church meant that by the time these children grew up, their parents would likely already be dead, freeing the missionaries from worldly constraints and allowing them to devote themselves entirely to the Church. Therefore, young acolytes were typically selected from poor children.
Humans were strange creatures—doing some immoral deeds indeed brought wonderful satisfaction, revealing humanity's inherent flaws.
"Splash, splash..." Days of rain had left puddles everywhere. The city's poor sanitation made the roads disgustingly filthy, with some feces floating on the water—enough to kill anyone's appetite.
One had to admit, His Holiness the Pope's extreme ideology seemed to have some merit after all?
But his pure white robes became contaminated, the white fabric stained with disgusting substances.
The heavy rain had stopped, and Norton had returned to his post to continue standing guard.
His ears listened to surrounding sounds, his nose sniffed for human presence, his eyes growing increasingly crimson.
Over two hundred missionaries had died in Rino City recently. To replenish manpower, the Rino City Church specifically planned to promote a batch of acolytes to missionaries ahead of schedule during the next Mass.
Finally.
Norton pushed off with his legs from his vertical position on the wall, his body instantly pouncing toward the missionary ahead.
"Splash!" The sound of Norton's feet hitting water followed.
But his hands had already gripped the missionary's throat. Before the missionary could react, Norton opened his dry, fang-filled mouth and bit down hard on the missionary's neck.
Blood sprayed everywhere. Human soft skin and fragile bones stood no chance against vampire fangs.
The missionary's soft neck flesh tore apart, blood immediately gushing forth...