Rye and Aerindel arrived at the dining hall with the bishop leading them. The dining hall was on the upper floor of the temple with an open-air view of where the moon and Light Tree were.
Because the subject of their talk would be confidential, Crow was told to wait outside by Rye. Remembering the king's words, he obeyed. He wasn't there to spy on another kingdom's secret.
As they sat down, the temple servants came bringing their food. They gave each person a set of meals instead of serving a single plate of each dish for them to eat together. The temple members were more particular about hygiene than average, so they weren't used to sharing their food in that manner.
The three people chatted harmoniously, mainly with the bishop explaining to the other two what they wanted to know. What happened to the Lune Vein was more or less the same as what happened to the Light Tree.
He also told them that many of the priests have lost their light. The impact on them was particularly heavier than on the common elves. Many of them got depressed and locked themselves in the praying rooms refusing to eat.
"Saint Rye, will I be asking too much if I ask your help to persuade the priests out of their room? If this goes on, they will fall ill and it will be too late if one of them dies from starvation."
"Bishop, I believe it will only work if their loved ones persuade them to do so."
"All of us here are orphans. We devote ourselves to Lord Muriel and are not allowed to engage in romantic relationships."
"Still, I do not have the capability to persuade someone…Not to mention, I am a human."
"You won't know before you try," Aerindel smiled, "I'm sure if it's you, you can do it."
The bishop lowered his head, "Please lend us your help, Saint Rye."
Rye eventually agreed. He really couldn't tell what the Bishop and Aerindel were thinking to believe in him so much, but it wouldn't hurt to try.
What Rye didn't know was that his figure was already famous and admired throughout the elven kingdom. His humble attitude despite his status greatly differed from Archbishop Barion. When he toured around with Aerindel, there weren't a few people receiving his help and advice.
Moreover, his steps didn't only turn the temple grounds gold. Wherever his bare feet stepped on, whether it was grass or wood, all of them turned into gold. The water he dipped his foot in would instantly be purified. Even his bath water glittered with gold under the sun and became holy water according to the servants.
Rye and Aerindel ended up staying the night at the temple. After breakfast, the bishop brought them to the prayer rooms he mentioned.
Other than the main praying hall, there were several praying rooms that fit 5 people per room for a more exclusive environment. They were usually used when one wanted to improve their faith and raise their rank.
Fasting for a month or two during that period wasn't strange, but they would at least eat some nuts or grains once a day. This time, the priests inside who were locking themselves didn't want to touch any food. They also rarely drink, only if their throat was parched from praying.
Rye knew he couldn't persuade them with just empty words. He wasn't a person who could console other people.
The main problem that troubled the bishop was the fact that they didn't want to eat. So his goal wasn't to stop them from praying, it was to make those priests consume something.
Their common food wouldn't have any effect on them. He needed to make something that could stimulate their appetite.
But there wasn't much that he could make since the food that elves ate was limited to non-living things.
He recalled the food he ate for the past week and thought of something simple he could make. Fortunately, the elven territory was rich with a variety of plants.
"Bishop, I may need some time to prepare. Is it alright if you wait for a few hours?"
"Please, take as much time as you need. We are the ones who are asking for your favor. Is there anything that we can help you with?"
"May I ask for a paper?"
A temple servant soon returned with a piece of paper in hand. Rye wrote down the list of ingredients and gave it to the bishop.
"If it is not too much trouble, can you help me procure these ingredients?"
"Saint Rye, this is…" The bishop was surprised, "Are you going to cook? Such a task, let our kitchen servants do it for you."
"The recipe has just been thought of earlier. I do not know if it can successfully be made, so it is better for me to do it myself rather than giving troubles to other people," Rye reassured the bishop, "I personally like to cook and have enough experience. You can leave it to me, Bishop."
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The bishop nodded, "I understand. I will ask the servants to fetch the best of the ingredients on this list as soon as possible."
Just like he promised, it didn't take an hour for the ingredients to be sent to the temple kitchen where Rye was waiting. Rye promptly took off his robe and rolled his sleeves to start his work.
He has written down the recipe while waiting for the ingredients to arrive, so he just needed to follow it. He couldn't help but feel thankful to the pub's owner he worked for in the past for teaching him how to cook all sorts of things, not just the pub menu.
Aerindel knew Rye could cook and didn't see the view of him in the kitchen as strange. But for the temple servants and priests, it was a marvel sight to see a saint cook in the kitchen. It didn't take long for the news to spread around the temple and many people gathered to peek inside.
Rye, "…"
Is seeing someone cook really that interesting? Well…he did like to see the pub owner cooking though.
After he finished making the food coloring, he made the dough for the bread and separated them to 6 different trays. In front of each tray was a different set of food coloring, cut fruit, and different kinds of nectar jam.
He colored the dough, shaped them into an outline of round fluffy animals, filled them, and baked them. It didn't take 2 hours for the bread to be ready. The fragrance of freshly baked bread wafted out from the kitchen, watering the mouth of the servants.
Looking at the result, Rye was satisfied. But he didn't know about the taste.
"Rin, can you try one for me?"
Aerindel readily nodded, "I'll gladly try all six of them."
"What are you saying?" Rye chuckled.
After his eyes recovered, Aerindel took one of the blue-colored bread shaped as rounded cats. He remembered that Rye put in blueberries for this one.
The bread was soft to bite and the taste of blueberries accompanied by the nectar burst into his mouth. The balance of sweet, sour, and freshness was perfect that it immediately invited his mouth for another bite right after he swallowed it.
"Do you think they will like it?"
"They'll love it," Aerindel savored each bite, not wanting to finish it so soon, but his mouth wouldn't obey his brain.
Rye sighed in relief and cleaned himself before wearing his robe back.
"Please help me carry them." He picked up a tray.
He was talking to Aerindel, but the servants who were watching outside immediately rushed in.
"Saint Rye, we will help you carry them!"
"Please, let us carry them for you!"
Rye was startled by their sudden outburst, "Thank you…but there are only six trays that need to be carried."
Eventually, six people at the very front were chosen to help carry the trays. The bishop have prepared the spare keys for the prayer rooms, so he opened the door for Rye.
Inside the first room, there were 2 elves praying inside. Different from the rest of the temple, the ground of the prayer rooms was of natural grass with flowers sprouting at the periphery.
Rye took a deep breath and walked inside with 2 plates of bread while Aerindel brought 2 glasses of water for them. The elves smelled the fragrance and their stomach immediately rumbled.
It was a good sign for Rye, so he knelt down in front of them, "Would you care to try the bread I make?"
The fragrance alone has made them falter, adding with the holiness the person in front of them was emitting, they couldn't bring themselves to refuse even if they wanted to.
Aerindel gave them water to drink before the two of them finally took a bite of their first food after more than a month.