23 Chapter 17 Believers_1

At the foot of the stone steps stood a group of people clad in various attires, men and women alike, from coal miners in ill-fitting clothes to merchants in silk vests and black suit jackets, covering every style between a second-hand market and a high-class tailor's shop.

The wide Ker Street seemed somewhat congested, and coachmen waving their whips had to carefully guide their carriages through the rear of the crowd, mindful to avoid any potential scams.

In a corner, Marvin even spotted Grey Wolf Dino still draped in that wolf fur jacket, his expression teasing and playful, inscrutably profound.

"Good morning, everyone."

Glancing over the crowd, Marvin said with a smile, "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Priest..."

Fons Browning, the first to visit last night, stepped onto the stone stairs while clutching his bruised head and with bloodshot eyes, hurried forward, saying in a hushed tone, "Your speech last night was truly inspiring, the Divine Envoy really has descended! Many people, after being saved, voluntarily wish to become devotees of the Church! Believers in the Goddess of Truth!"

"Is that how everyone feels?"

"Yes!" Fons Browning said excitedly, "The Goddess truly has revealed herself! How can we not believe?"

"If that is the case... the Goddess probably can't accept them as her devotees."

"Why... Why not?"

Fons Browning was dumbfounded. So many people wanting to become devotees should certainly be a great thing, and yet the priest had refused!

"Because what they believe in is not Truth, but Power!"

Marvin suddenly called out to the crowd below, in the loudest voice, "The Goddess bestows her gifts because she hears your fervent prayers, hears your pained cries! She doesn't want to see you die in agony, which is why she sent the Divine Envoy, and that is kindness!"

"Yet you rush to become devotees because the Goddess exhibited Power, and what you seek is merely to exploit the gifts of the Goddess for your own selfish ends, that is not Truth!"

"From the very beginning, your approach was wrong!"

Many people hung their heads in shame, daring not to look into Marvin's eyes.

"Priest, then what is Truth?" someone shouted.

The voice sounded incredibly familiar. Marvin looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Grey Wolf Dino standing in a corner of the crowd, raising his eyebrows at him with a meaningful smile on his lips.

"I am more than willing to explain what Truth is to you all."

Seizing the opportunity, Marvin continued, "Please come into the Church and take a seat. This is an open mass, and anyone who seeks to explore Truth is welcome to listen!"

...................

The vast Church was filled with people, even the corners and edges of the walls were occupied by many, and more were still arriving.

Facing countless gazes, Marvin walked up to the statue, pulled out a blackboard, paused to ponder, and then spoke loudly:

"Truth can roughly be divided into three types: they are the Truth of the heart, geometric Truth, and logical Truth."

"Today we will discuss the Truth of the heart, and the topic for our first lesson is the relationship between the individual and society."

Picking up a piece of chalk, Marvin swiftly wrote a few large characters on the blackboard.

[All for one, and one for all]

"Ladies and gentlemen, please share your understanding of this phrase."

"This is too simple!"

Fons Browning was the first to stand up, "Everyone for me means that everyone works for me, and me for everyone means I have to pay wages to the workers! This is a reasonable labor relationship!"

Some in the audience nodded, others sneered.

Marvin shook his head, "Too one-sided and extreme, but there's merit in it, the exchange of labor for compensation has indeed been an indispensable bond in society from ancient times to the present, does anyone else have an answer?"

"I'll speak!"

A coal miner dressed in a black jacket and wearing a felt hat stood up; he removed his hat, looking around at everyone: "Actually, this saying is about the family. Society is constructed by countless families, so everyone for me refers to all members of a family, such as my wife and children, their efforts facilitate my life, while I go out to work, supporting them, that's my for everyone!"

This time, the number of people nodding in agreement was noticeably larger.

"Well said, but it does not touch upon the true crux of the matter."

Marvin turned and wrote the word 'Exchange' on the blackboard: "From the answers given by the two gentlemen just now, we can see that they seem to think the real meaning of this saying is exchange, but it is not the case."

"Exchange exists in every corner of life, it is not simply bartering goods or exchanging strength for strength, but rather the essence lies within the deeper meaning hidden beneath the act of exchanging!"

"Are you talking about dedication, Priest?"

Someone raised a question: "I dedicated something, and in the end, I received something in return, can this also be understood as mutual dedication?"

"No, it's equality, equality of personality."

Marvin said expressionlessly: "The composition of society is complex and cannot be clarified in a few words, but I think everyone here has their own unique insights into the structure of society, which need not be stated."

"The phrase everyone for me, and me for everyone, discusses the relationship between the individual and society, and the ultimate answer is equality."

"Everyone's social status may be high or low, but the labor they provide is without distinction of noble or humble."

"Mr. Fons just said, workers labor for him, and he pays them wages, which seems like an exchange of labor, but in this process, do both sides develop a psychological gap?"

"Many people think, instinctively, that employees are naturally beneath their bosses, that the bosses are their benefactors, their heavens; I can tell you responsibly that this view is seriously mistaken!"

"If there are no workers, how can the factory of the production organizer operate normally? Conversely, if there are no production organizers, where would the workers go to make money to support their families?"

Marvin struck the blackboard forcefully, speaking sternly, "The supply-demand relationship corresponds, whether it's the workers or the production organizers, neither should have the illusion of being above or below the other!"

"The saying everyone for me, and me for everyone, in truth, reminds us to achieve genuine equality of personality!"

"And equal personalities require mutual respect and understanding from one another; nobody needs to dedicate more than what's needed, just like now... Look, people of different social statuses are gathered together, no matter how rich or poor, everyone can only squeeze on the narrow benches, this is the demonstration of equality!"

"This is the Truth!"

Applause!

The church echoed with deafening applause; everyone understood the core meaning of Marvin's words and agreed with it profoundly.

"Alright now, alright."

Marvin gestured with his hand for everyone to be quiet: "The Truth is right beside us, whether it's me or Goddess Eunia, we hope the faithful will strive for a common goal; if anyone wishes to follow the light of truth, then the Goddess will surely welcome them."

"I have finished speaking, now, who wants to join the Church?"