Chapter 14: The Holy Light is with me now.

Early the next morning, the streets were empty, only a few merchants were ready to leave, and none of the workers seemed to be up yet.

After asking a few caravans, Jace came back and said helplessly to Grid, “There’s bad news, these merchants are either going to Shining Gold and Storm City or to Moon Creek, we might have to go on our own for the next trip to Raven Ridge.”

“Walk by yourself, are you kidding me?” Grid said, less than pleased, “You want to swim across the Nafriti River in the flesh?”

“You can find a bridge to cross.” Jace said.

“And since we’re on foot we have to go south to find the bridge?” Grid wailed in pain, “That’s too much walking too, won’t it be the day after tomorrow when we reach Raven’s Ridge? I really regret coming out with you, I want to go back to Stormwind!”

“Are you two going to Raven’s Ridge?”

A brand new wagon with a canopy came to a stop beside them, and Jess glanced at the four horses in front of them, all of them good horses with beautiful coats, the ones that had been used in the cargo wagons they had ridden in before had been old, skinny horses like wild asses.

The man who spoke was in his fifties, dressed in a long gray robe, and held in his arms a long staff with a beautiful jewel encircling the wooden handle.

He wore on his chest the half-ringed cross emblem representing the Holy Light, a priest of the Church.

“Yes sir.” Jess said, “Can you give us a ride?”

“Of course.” The pastor said, “You two gentlemen may take the seats in the back, there is no more room to sit here.”

Jace looked inside, a paladin in a blue shirt was huddled with this priest, leaning on a shield and carrying a parcel clutching lockets on the ground, the other two priests sitting across from him struggling to gather their feet because of the parcel. And the priests were all clutching several stacks of books as well, and the top of the wagon was bundled with an assortment of large crates, quite heavy loads indeed.

There was also a male priest sitting in a few seats in the back of the wagon, and beside him were a few travelers like Jace and Grider, leaving a few empty seats left for a few more.

“Praise the Holy Light!” Grid excitedly climbed into the wagon as a young priest across the street looked at the dwarf sitting on his butt with a big smile on his face, as if the teachings of the Holy Light had just gotten a perfect spread.

“Excuse me, how much is the fare for this trip?” Jess asked as she sat down.

“We don’t charge.” The young preacher said, “It just so happens that we’re going to Grantown and passing through Raven Ridge on the way.”

“I love the Holy Light.” Grid said, “I loved it when I was in the Eyrie.”

“The Holy Light also loves everyone who has a heart of hope like yours.” The young priest smiled.

Jace had never had any particular idea about the Holy Light, and when he was a kid he used to pray to the Holy Light with a try-hard attitude, because since the Holy Light really did exist in this world, there was no need for him to keep clinging to his once-atheistic notions of dying with a fantasy world.

Unsurprisingly, the holy light never answered his call.

He didn’t help him heal when he was hurt, didn’t heal his heart when he was in grief, and didn’t stop the severe diarrhea that nearly killed him after he ate a grilled river crab.

But he did see the priests summoning the holy light to heal others, so he could only say that the holy light did not favor him as an “outsider”.

“What are you guys doing in Grantown?” Jace asked curiously.

“Healing.” The priest said, “Haven’t you heard, the plague and necromantic contamination is raging in South Elwyn, many people in the town of Glen are sick, there is a severe shortage of medical care there, and we have been ordered by Archbishop Alonsus Fao to travel there to support our brothers in the Church.”

Jace looked up at the crates strapped to the top of the wagon and said, “So what’s in there, are potions?”

“Some of it is.” The priest replied, “And some of it is food, medical books and stuff. If you want, I can send you guys some when we get to Raven Ridge to rest.”

“Uh thanks so much.” Jace said, “However, I think the residents of Grantown need more help than we do.”

The priest smiled and said, “You’re young and seem very motivated, would you be interested in helping out at the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind?”

It wasn’t that Jace hadn’t thought about becoming a member of the priesthood, but as mentioned, he didn’t really get along with the Holy Light, so he simply didn’t bother to get in touch with the Church.

This was the first time he had talked to a member of the Church of the Holy Light for so long, and the other party’s friendliness and cordiality even made him a little less comfortable. Even he, who would subconsciously be wary of missionaries, felt a little loosened up.

He knew, of course, that it was mostly because the other side was willing to take them to Raven Ridge.

But isn’t that exactly what ordinary people living in hardship in a dangerous place like Azeroth need?

Perhaps because of this, no matter how many catastrophes followed, the Holy Light remained the most widespread and deeply rooted faith in the land.

“I’ll think about it.” Jace said.

“Great, I’m honored even if you have something to consider.” The priest said.

“I want some.” Grid said, “I know that fruit in the cathedral is particularly good, you wouldn’t happen to have any, would you?”

“That thing is called a sun fruit.” The priest took out the small cloth bag from behind his back, pulled out a yellowish orange-like fruit from it, and asked, “You’re talking about this, right?”

Grid took one and immediately bit into it, dribbling golden juice all over his lips.

“Yes, that’s the flavor, sweet!”

Watching Grid eat with such gusto, Jace licked his lips as well, the priest already handing a fruit in front of him, “Taste?”

Jace took it to his mouth and took a light bite, it felt a little sour and tasted like a plum, more flavorful than a plum, just not as sweet.

Considering that this world might not have the cultivation technology of the 21st century, it was already not easy to have such delicious fruits, which were many times better than the crooked ones he had eaten in Lordaeron.

The priest told many stories of the Church of the Holy Light’s resistance to the orc invasion in the Red Ridge Mountains, the Hills of Hillsbrad, and some of the heroic deeds of the recently formed Knights of the Silver Hand, some of which even Jace had never heard of.

To his surprise, the priest also mentioned one of the leaders of the Silver Hand, a well-known figure in the World of Warcraft games, who later became one of the leading figures of the Alliance, Tilio Fodin.

Listening to the stories and exchanging knowledge about several years of orc wars, Grider talked hand in hand the whole way, even the few travelers next to him who had been silent at first joined in.

The time passed quickly, just after noon, when everyone had eaten the food they had prepared, and the wagons had gone to the bridge over the Nafriti River.

After crossing the bridge, the wagon had been traveling following the riverbank, and was slowly approaching the Twilight Forest up ahead. Grid kept his eyes on the direction the wagon was traveling, he wanted to see exactly when it would start to get dark while the priest and a few of the travelers were taking their naps.

Jace kept looking out over the wide expanse of the Nafriti River, the longest river on the continent, flowing from the mountains where Karazhan was located through the entirety of Elwyn, all the way to the southernmost point where the Valley of Thorns entered the sea.

The water sparkles spectacularly in the midday sun.

Looking on, Jace suddenly saw something white floating in the water among the water plants not far away.

He tapped Grid, pointed at the object and asked, “What’s that?”