1 Prologue: Hunger makes us meet

"The light teaches us, guides us, and those who are far from the light will be guilty."

"The unbelievers are not clothed,and those who reject the light won't have enough to eat."

We ask only that our lord eliminates calamity and keeps fear away. We trust that everything else will be taken care of.

We are free from darkness and embrace the light.

"We are free from darkness, we embrace light..."

In a room with four or five rows of benches neatly arranged, it looked a little cramped, and a group of people stood in the middle, holding the closing stage of the prayer, chanting the "Lord's Prayer."

There are men and women of all ages, about a dozen people, each of them clenched their fists in front of their chests, closed their eyes, and muttered words.

The head of the group is a middle-aged man.

He wears glasses and looks in his forties. He wears a dark suit that is washed to a little white but is very neat and clean. He has just closed a thick book in his hand and looks like a teacher or Priest.

After the prayer, the middle-aged man looked around, his eyes stopped for a while on the eight-year-old boy brought by one of the women, and then he again said: "Praise the light. Next, I will give out lunch."

"There is only light."

The believers said one sentence in unison, and this time their voices were obviously much neater and louder.

Two female believers walked into the kitchen not far away with joy and brought out the lunch that had been prepared.

As the group sat down to eat their lunch, the middle-aged man, who was the leader of the group, spoke up. "Today, we are gathered here to share in the light and to remember the teachings of our lord," he said. "Let us eat with grateful hearts and continue to walk in the path of the light."

The group nodded in agreement and began to eat. The food was simple but extraordinary for commoners,

There was a pot full of white rice, two plates of fried green vegetables, a pot of boiled radishes, and a pot of braised potatoes, all of which had just been uncovered and steamed to perfection, with ample portions for everyone.

Finally, a pot of braised fish was brought to the table.

It was huge in size, clearly weighing more than ten catties. The surface was fried to a crisp brown, and the meat was coated in savory soy sauce. The aroma was so tantalizing that several believers couldn't help but salivate and look delighted.

The boy tugged on the arm of the woman serving the meal and exclaimed, "Mom, Mom! This fish is so big! Was it caught in the north river?"

The woman's face changed slightly, and she quickly pressed the boy's head down and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Light teaches us to eat quietly. This fish is from the Yuanyang River. The Ministry of Urban Defense organized a fishing trip last week, and the catch was good."

She paused and then added, "This is the gift of light bestowed upon us."

The Yuanyang River flows from west to east through the boundaries of Yuanzhou and Luozhou, and is a significant source of food for Anding City, which is not agriculturally strong in Yuanzhou.

"Oh, praise the light!" exclaimed the boy, as he quickly nodded his head and tried to imitate his mother's religious fervor. He watched as his mother picked up a piece of fish the size of his fist, and greedily inhaled the aroma. He then commented, "But it doesn't look bright at all. It's so dark, like a sky without stars at night. And its eyes look like the demons in a book."

With a loud clatter, the actions of the people serving food and cooking suddenly stopped. After a few people looked panicked, they tremblingly knocked over the tableware, and some stared at the boy in annoyance.

The boy was obviously frightened by the reaction of the people around him. He stayed frozen in place for a while, his eyes quickly turning red, and his mouth opening slightly, as if he was about to cry.

"Snapped!"

"Don't cry!" the woman yelled as she slammed her hand over her child's mouth, leaving a mark on the boy's white face.

She immediately lowered her head and pleaded humbly and cowardly to the middle-aged man who stood in the first place, "Elder Luo, this is his first time here. I blame myself for not teaching him well. He didn't mean to offend the light. Please... please forgive us."

"Hehe, what a pure and innocent child, he's like a piece of amber," Elder Luo remarked as he walked up to the boy, patting his head gently. "The light protects us. Everything shines under the light, and even those who turn their backs on the light, the light never abandons them."

"But you just said that those who are distant from the light are guilty..."

The boy stopped crying and stared blankly, but his mother was muffling his mouth, making it impossible for him to speak.

When Elder Luo noticed the boy's twinkling eyes, he pointed to the fish in the basin and said, "Although it has been tainted by darkness, it has been blessed by the light, so it can be consumed."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of tender flesh under the gills and put it in his mouth. After chewing a few times, his expression suddenly changed, but he swallowed in front of everyone and closed his eyes to pray.

"May the light protect you."

The believers held their breath, their eyes fixed on the elder, as if they were afraid or expecting something.

After a while, Elder Luo opened his eyes, clear and untainted, and transformed.

"Continue to eat." Elder Luo wiped his mouth.

At these words, the rest of the believers breathed a collective sigh of relief: "Praise the light."

As soon as they spoke, The boy who had been crying, just bitten off the nearest piece of fish, and took a few bites secretly after a while with a bitter face.

The boy looked around with a slightly puzzled expression, noticing that everyone was frowning. After some thought, he endured the unpleasant taste and continued eating.

Although it was a bit salty, he had to admit that the meat was very tender and chewy.

After all, for ordinary families, it was difficult to have meat all at once, and having it every other day was considered a luxury. For a poor family like his, it took several days for this fish to be the last opportunity for a "meat dish," and he was not willing to waste it.

During the mealtime, Elder Luo approached the woman in charge of cooking. He wiped his glasses and muttered: "Next time you cook, you can put less salt. If you're not good at it, say it. There are other eager to come." The fat woman wanted to argue aggrievedly, but he waved his hand.He then quickly finished his meal and wiped his hands clean.

After everyone finished eating, Elder Luo picked up the heavy black book and walked to the podium.

You must praise the light after the meal, in order to get the next gift.

　　 "Boom boom boom!"

Suddenly, loud knocking on the door startled everyone. The room shook with the force. Everyone turned to look at the door, holding their breath.

　　 "Boom boom boom!"

　 "Policy check! Open the door now!" 　　

The impatient knocking continued, and a loud voice demanded a policy check. Elder Luo made a silent gesture for everyone to be quiet and opened the door slightly.

Before he could speak, two men in uniforms, one old and one young, immediately squeezed in, blocking the door and quickly said: 　　 "Someone reported suspicious persons who have fled here, please cooperate with the investigation! Everyone, show your identification!"

All the believers looked at them in silence.