People come to the temple to pray to the Goddess of cosmos.
Listen to the preaching and meet with each other.
Priest doesn’t mind if people meet each other in the temple hall after the preaching.
It actually makes the place lively and priest themselves likes to talk with people.
In the whole week, the weekends are most lively for the temple.
There is another reason for such crowd though.
It is because there are free meals that temple provides on the Sundays.
It isn’t anything extravagant.
Just one cup soup made of potatoes.
There is no seasoning in the meal.
Spices are actually quite rare here, also expensive.
Joy hasn’t eaten many meals with it after he reincarnated here.
However, it is still food so people enjoy it.
Of course, it is a limited quantity that is provided to the temple.
As this temple of the Goddess is smaller than usual.
The food that is provided here is also not much.
As a helper though, he does get to eat one portion of the meal.
It isn’t anything great but it is a nice change of taste.
But being helper also means that he will eat his meal after everyone else has eaten it.
His job is to serve food to people.
During serving food to people, he also gets to listen to some interesting things or some news.
So, he quite likes Sundays.
Definitely his favorite day of the week.
He hears many random things.
One of the people in the crowd is a man in his twenties.
He is very slim and looks like he hadn’t had food for days.
As he gets the soup, he eats it without any manners.
While eating he speaks to another guy beside him who is as slim as him.
“Blackie, I can eat this soup thinge…every day. The stale piece of bread that our boss gives us is cheap and green. Just tasteless. What is this food even made out off? Maybe some hard bread.”
Blackie beside him says.
“No idiot, it is made out of that… uhh… pot-tao. It is a veggie like thing.”
He thinks to himself and then speaks.
“Where does it come from?”
Blankie rolls his eyes and then says.
“From a tree, Balie. It grows besides the green leaves and people jump up to break it off from the branches.”
Balie nods with enlightenment.
However, Joy on the other hand can only sigh in his mind.
But who knows when will he get some important news of some supernatural event.
Right now, it is better to just ignore these guys.
He continues serving the people and hear more people talk about the food prices.
Some says that soon the trade for food from the outside will be completely shut off.
Then there will be riots and act of violence.
But it is just some made up story with no backing to it.
Some rumors are just exaggerated and become completely something else.
He has to sorts things out and not to believe every news or words.
Everything should be listened with a little grain of salt.
Soon, he listens to something else that is interesting.
One of the priests is talking with a man.
The man is dark skinned and has a serious face.
However, while talking to the priest he looks carefree and somewhat relaxed.
“Sir priest, I’ve been suffering from continuous nightmares. I suspect that these nightmares are caused by my mother who passed away a week ago. She always used to curse me for not getting married when she was alive. I think form she has become a ghost and now haunting me.”
The priest listened to her quietly and then spoke after few seconds.
“Just pray to the Goddess whole heartedly and soon your nightmares will be gone. But maybe you should listen to your mother and get married how long will you stay alone? It is her last wish. haha”
The man thinks for a few seconds and drink some soup.
Then he answers.
“I understand. I will try my best to see if I can find myself a wife. But I don’t at my age if I even get someone. Haha.”
Both laugh a little and starts making jokes.
The priest looks quite entertained by these talks.
Joy listens to their conversation but doesn’t find anything unusual.
But he does find it odd that this priest is always the people sort out to tell their worries and problems.
There is no confession booth or anything like that so the conversation or in the open.
Also, easy going and free.
From one look it is normal.
But Joy has seen a pattern.
Whenever someone tells this particular priest their worries.
They usually get solves.
Especially if there is some supernatural or odd thing is involved.
People bring ghosts stories, cursed luck, nightmares, suspicious people and other oddity to tell this priest.
Then by a week these oddities… most of the time… are resolved.
Other times, he just gives very profound advice which sounds obvious for a man of his age to say.
But Joy just feel like this priest is hiding many secrets.
Could he have some magical powers?
It is hard to tell.
Then he moves to see if he can find more interesting conversations.
That doesn’t really happen. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Nothing else worth paying attention to happen and he is done for now.
This meal was of morning and so he finally gets to eat his breakfast.
But now it has become his lunch.
He didn’t sigh as it has become usual for him to eat like this.
He doesn’t always get full three meals a day.
Sometimes only two, and rarely three.
In rare occasion, he only gets one for the night.
After cleaning again and removing all the food that was left or thrown on the floor.
He is finally done and can eat.
‘Why do people waste food like this?
It could’ve been someone’s meal.
But they just have to be clumsy or just dumb.’ He complains a little and after taking permission from the priest.
He goes to the corner and eats his fill.
While going to the corner, he looks at the puddle of water and glances at himself.
His skin is soft and just a little lighter than usual.
His eyes are brown and he has a little long hair.
He is glad to know that his facial features come from his mother and not form that deadbeat father.
He scoffs and leaves.
Later late at night, he is done with his chore and the temple look quiet again.
There are no more people like the morning.
Sundays are a great to gather information.
But it also gives him extra work for no reason.
He looks goes in the room where the statue of the Goddess is and finds Priest Nors in the room.
This priest quietly praying to the Goddess and his face looks to be at peace.
Probably his mind as well.
Looking at the man, Joy just leaves.
He doesn’t want to disturb him and it isn’t necessary for him to pray every night.
He can skip if wants.
He isn’t as strict as others.
After ten minutes, he enters his tiny home made of dries leaves and bamboo that he found in the storage.
He got the permission to made this little hut near the quarters.
He didn’t have to as others have told him that he can share a room with them.
But he didn’t want to bother them and he wanted privacy.
So, he made this for himself with his own hands.
Maybe if a strong storm were to come, this hut will be blown off.
But no such storm has come so he can only rejoice and thank the Goddess for keeping his home safe.
After a little freshening up, he finally sits and opens the book that he has made for himself.
In it, he has written all the rituals, and knowledge he knows about the magic.