Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 63
Allocation
When they were assigned rooms, it was done by random draw. To ensure that he and Ji Jiu would share the same room, Si Yin Yuan kept a watchful eye.
Each room accommodated five people. As they arrived, they noticed someone already packing up.
A man with black-framed glasses took the initiative to greet them. Si Yin Yuan, with his calm and somewhat stoic face, responded in kind and began unpacking his luggage.
Everyone was busy making their beds, except for Ji Jiu, who made a mess of his bed and casually sat down to enjoy the snacks he had bought on the way.
The old man beside him glanced over and wore an expression that seemed to say “not my business” before returning to his own bed, expertly tidying it up.
The man with black-framed glasses kindly reminded Ji Jiu, “Someone will come for inspection later; you should probably tidy up.”
Ji Jiu, carefree as ever, responded, “No need.”
To the surprise of the person, Ji Jiu gave such an answer, and his face displayed bewilderment.
Si Yin Yuan, who had already neatly arranged his bed, walked over in silence and lifted Ji Jiu, placing him in a nearby chair. He silently began making the bed for Ji Jiu.
The middle-aged man in the room couldn’t help but ask, “What’s your relationship?”
Si Yin Yuan, trying to maintain his honest image, kept his words to a minimum, only responding with “brothers.”
“Brothers?” The roommates seemed puzzled, as the slender and delicate youth and the plain-looking man didn’t appear to have any blood relationship.
Their way of interacting, however, did resemble that of real brothers, close and intimate.
Ji Jiu blinked and said, “We’re brothers from a reconstituted family,” his face displaying complete seriousness, with no hint of deception.
Si Yin Yuan playfully rubbed Ji Jiu’s head and, facing away from the others, mouthed to him, “Little liar.”
The doubtful roommate exclaimed, “Oh,” and then averted his gaze, uncertain whether he believed it.
A knock on the door signaled the arrival of the inspection. The roommate nearest the door opened it with a respectful expression, saying, “Hello, please come in.”
This was the inspection mentioned earlier. Ji Jiu, who was utterly bored, observed as the slightly overweight senior believer entered the room for the check.
It felt like they were undergoing military training. To Ji Jiu, who had never been to school, the scene seemed somewhat amusing. Unable to contain his laughter, his originally pretty face now carried a touch of playfulness.
The senior believer was taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor. Although Ji Jiu’s looks were not particularly stunning, they were a rare sight of beauty in the post-apocalyptic world, especially without elaborate grooming.
He raised his three chins slightly and asked, “What’s your bed number?”
Ji Jiu, with the laughter gone, pointed to the bed that Si Yin Yuan had just neatly made.
Ji Jiu’s carefree attitude made someone worry that he might get into trouble. He was the only one sitting, while others stood up in a show of respect during the inspection.
Luckily, good-looking people enjoyed privileges. The believer didn’t create any trouble and even produced a slightly nauseating smile with his plump face, “This is neatly done, very diligent. Others should learn from you.”
Si Yin Yuan’s bed, neatly made with tofu-like cubes, went unnoticed.
The unique experience of being ignored in such a way was something the former Chief, who had been top-notch in looks and aura, had never experienced before.
The believer stared closely at Ji Jiu, noting that he wasn’t bothered by his words.
He seemed quite aloof.
This man, accustomed to being praised by middle-level believers, was somewhat frustrated. His previous itchiness had now escalated from three to five.
With an almost polite tone, he reiterated where Ji Jiu should gather later, although this was common knowledge. He delivered the message privately to Ji Jiu, and anyone could see it was different.
Curious glances were discreetly directed toward Ji Jiu.
Unfazed, he thought the man was quite noisy and casually nodded in response.
Once Ji Jiu gave his reply, the believer left, satisfied with the response.
The man with black-framed glasses closed the door and sighed, “It seems like he has high hopes for you. Being valued by a senior believer is a great opportunity.”
A nasal sound came from the old man who hadn’t spoken earlier, but it didn’t seem very friendly. His cloudy little eyes hid all his emotions.
Si Yin Yuan decided to end this conversation, “Let’s go. It’s time to gather downstairs.”
He helped Ji Jiu fasten the white robe. When the large hood was lowered, it completely concealed Ji Jiu’s palm-sized face.
When they arrived at the hall, out of the initial hundred people, only a few dozen remained. Curious, Ji Jiu grabbed the arm of the person next to him and asked, “Where are the others?” It wasn’t until the short person in front of them turned around that Ji Jiu realized it was the old man.
The old man was pleased to see him, “Hey, what room are you in?”
“501.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate. I’m in 401.” The old man paused and continued, “Are you wondering why there are fewer people? Those who forged recommendation letters got kicked out.”
Ji Jiu felt no guilt about taking someone else’s recommendation letter. He shook his head, “They must be pretty dumb.”
Si Yin Yuan resisted for a moment but couldn’t help poking at the smug little spirit. Ji Jiu puffed up like a sulking pufferfish.
The roommate with a slightly envious look, commented, “You guys have such a good brotherly relationship.”
Si Yin Yuan nodded graciously, “Yes.”
Ji Jiu pulled the white hood over his face, sulking and ignoring his owner.
“Gather! Form six rows!”
The crowd briefly scattered, and Ji Jiu nearly got separated but was quickly pulled back by Si Yin Yuan.
He raised his head and hummed, “Thanks, Brother Zheng.”
Si Yin Yuan, helpless, knew Ji Jiu was still upset.
The believer at the front of the crowd surveyed the people and placed his short, chubby hand on his belly, “Too slow! Remember your positions now, arrange yourselves properly for the next assembly.”
He cast a malicious glance around at everyone. Suddenly, he pointed at the believer at the very front, “You! It’s you. Recite some scripture.”
Ji Jiu also turned his head to see that the person being pointed at was the old man from their dormitory.
The hunchbacked old man hesitated for a moment, and then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, recited the scriptures, something these believers read repeatedly every day and knew by heart. However, he surprisingly stumbled under nervousness, although it was just a brief pause, and then he continued flawlessly. The senior believer was furious.
With one swift motion, he pulled the old man out of the line. Beneath his massive frame, the old man looked extremely frail.
“How can you pause when reciting something so sacred?” His eyes turned red as if filled with sincere anger and disappointment.
The old man knelt tremblingly, apologizing profusely toward the direction of the altar in the hall. This was a complete act of humiliation and oppression, but not a single person in the room spoke up for him. In their eyes, even an elderly man in his fifties, with declining memory, shouldn’t pause while reciting something as sacred as the scriptures.
The successive apologies echoed through the empty hall. This act of intimidating and terrifying the new intermediate-level believers worked exceptionally well, and their expressions became much more respectful.
The believer’s face was finally no longer as ugly as it had been at the start. With a sense of self-importance, he announced, “Let’s begin with the first task of the day. Two people in a group will be responsible for cleaning a designated area within the church.”
Before anyone could react, he immediately continued, “The church interior is the closest place to the Lord and the most sacred. You must clean it with gratitude.”
No one objected. They all showed reasonable approval, as if cleaning the hall for free was indeed a blessing.
It’s worth noting that at the novice believer stage, even cleaning the hall was an activity many people eagerly fought for.
A middle-level believer next to him stepped forward and showed a sign, “Come and get the area card for your cleaning tasks.”
This was their primary goal, to blend into the church’s interior.
Si Yin Yuan quickly moved forward, taking advantage of his height to easily push through the crowd and get the card for the deepest area inside.
Ji Jiu was about to follow Si Yin Yuan when he was stopped.
“Hey, you, stop right there. I have another task for you.” The senior believer approached, his eyes entirely fixed on Ji Jiu.
Si Yin Yuan’s gaze turned cold, nearly unable to resist the urge to smack this chubby guy who clearly didn’t know his place.
The believer was taken aback by his sharp eyes, and the step he was about to take forward quickly retracted. He questioned with a fierce tone, “What? Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, it’s just that we have an even number of people, and if my little brother leaves, someone will be left alone.” Si Yin Yuan’s tone was neither warm nor harsh, but carried a degree of firmness. “Perhaps you can tell me what that matter is, and we’ll help after we finish cleaning.”
Curious glances from others around them turned their way.
The young man’s temper was changeable, and by now, he had forgotten the earlier incident of being poked. He stuck to his owner and pretended to act, “I don’t want to leave Brother Zheng—”
His soft, elongated voice was like a little hook, and the pretty face with a cat-like expression was especially captivating, a stark contrast to Si Yin Yuan’s ordinary face.
It made people sigh at the contrast between flowers and cow dung.
Ji Jiu displayed a full dependency, making it clear that to get a taste of the delicious little lamb, you had to cross over his big brother.
It was downright annoying to the extreme.
The senior believer’s heart was about to be entranced, but he dared not demand anything more. While he often asserted himself due to his position, these intermediate-level believers also had the potential to become high-level believers. If they managed to catch the eye of the High Priest, they could advance within a month. Furthermore, the High Priest was giving a speech tomorrow, and it wasn’t wise to reveal their inner desires in front of so many intermediate-level believers.
Therefore, he had to act as if he didn’t care and let them leave.
In theory, the High Priest’s speeches were not this frequent. However, due to recent losses of resources and increasing negative messages about the church, there was a lack of faith, and the church needed a fresh infusion of new believers. The scrutiny of these prospective intermediate-level believers had been relaxed. Even the High Priest himself had decided to personally assess the situation.
It was highly likely that during the speech tomorrow, they would select someone suitable to become a high-level believer.