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Chapter 1040: The Crown Prince's Missionaries

More than half a month later.

On a dirt path to the east of a small Creek village, Father Vigne was drawn by distant rhythmic shouts. He looked up to see dozens of young Native Americans with serious expressions, clutching flintlock muskets. They ran forward in a chaotic scramble before stopping to assume aiming positions.

Knowing that the warriors were training, he lowered his head and continued on his way. High Priest Stone Eagle's residence was still five or six kilometers away, making him regret not asking Cekili for a few horses.

Beside him, Father Laurier frowned as he watched the native cavalry, shaking his head. "Do they truly think that constitutes a charge?"

"Father Vigne, perhaps we should suggest they adopt infantry line tactics."

"At this rate, I fear they will find it impossible to withstand an assault from the American militia."

"They cannot possibly defeat the Americans." Father Vigne adjusted the cloth bag in his hand and quickened his pace. "They are too few in number. Besides, we are not here to train an army."

The newly formed Creek Alliance had a population of less than fifty thousand. Even if every able-bodied man was sent to war, they could only muster a force of three thousand.

Combined with their extremely primitive training and command structure, they would be swiftly crushed once the Americans began a large-scale retaliation.

Vigne glanced at him sideways and said calmly, "We are here to preach, of course."

"But if their tribe is destined to be shattered, what is the point of our mission?"

"At the very least, we can ensure the Lord's glory has shone upon this place."

Though Vigne spoke these words, he was indeed perplexed by the Crown Prince's orders. Joseph had commanded that after the Creek Alliance's territory was occupied by the Americans, they were to disperse into Florida, Louisiana, and other regions to continue preaching, even traveling as far as the West Coast of North America.

Laurier instinctively looked at the bag Vigne was carrying and whispered, "Do you truly believe that thing counts as the Lord's glory?"

"Of course." Vigne forced himself to nod. "Since His Highness said we must be 'flexible' to make the savages of North America... ahem, I mean the lost lambs, worship God, then that is what we shall do."

Indeed, since the day the Mayflower arrived in North America, Europeans had spared no effort in spreading Christianity to the Native Americans. Yet, nearly two hundred years later, the number of natives who had truly converted to Catholicism remained pitifully small.

Instead, almost every tribe had learned how to play along with the missionaries to swindle benefits out of them.

Joseph knew that if he wanted to unite the Native Americans, who were currently like a plate of loose sand, the fastest and most effective method was religion.

Of course, one couldn't simply barge in with standard Catholic dogma.

To gain the recognition of a group that already possessed a stable civilization of its own, some "localized" improvements were necessary.

It was much like that fellow named Hong in the East. To make Christianity easier for people to accept, he not only called himself the "Second Son of God" but also claimed Jesus wore bright yellow dragon robes, changed baptism to pouring a bowl of water over the head, and burned yellow paper for God during Mass.

In comparison, the modifications Joseph had Vigne and the others make could be considered positively pious.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Vigne and Laurier finally arrived at the home of the Creek High Priest, Stone Eagle.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Vigne cut to the chase. "In truth, I wish to speak to you regarding some of the Lord's holy miracles..."

Stone Eagle smiled and immediately interrupted, "Day one. God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light..."

"Day two. God said: 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.' And so God made the firmament..."

He recited the lines with extreme proficiency, even using Latin. It was clear he had been subjected to repeated "torment" by Spanish missionaries in the past.

Stone Eagle gestured toward the town. "If you wish to preach, you should go find the clansmen, not come to me."

Vigne offered a gentle smile. "Perhaps I can tell you something you are not familiar with."

Stone Eagle made a "be my guest" gesture.

Vigne immediately began, "This was nearly two thousand years ago."

"There was a virgin named Maria who conceived by the Holy Spirit..."

Stone Eagle looked impatient. "She gave birth to a child in a stable in Bethlehem, I know. Then the shepherds came."

Vigne shook his head. "No, she gave birth to a child—Jesus—in a pine forest in Cahokia."

"The sky suddenly became transparent and bright. The surrounding buffalo and partridges all broke into song, and the nearby corn began to sprout ears. Then, hunters and sailors from the East appeared in the pine forest to worship her, proclaiming the arrival of the tribe's savior."

"What?" Stone Eagle was instantly stunned. Cahokia was a town near the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The Virgin Maria appeared in North America?

Vigne continued, "Before this, Jesus's cousin John performed baptisms in the Mississippi River to symbolize the purity of the soul, allowing one to communicate with the ancestors."

"When Jesus came there to be baptized, the buffalo, lizards, and snowy egrets all gathered around..."

"By the time Jesus was thirty, he had traveled to every tribe in Ohio, Louisiana, and Florida, urging the people to repent..."

"One day, Jesus came to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. People from dozens of tribes followed him to hear his sermon. By evening, the shamans worried about feeding the crowd and wanted to send people to nearby tribes for food."

"Then a young boy brought out five corn cakes and two pieces of buffalo meat. Jesus distributed these items to everyone present, and as a result, over fifty thousand people ate their fill..."

Vigne spent an hour and a half recounting the completed portions of The Indian Gospel.

In this modified version of the Bible, the totems of the Native American tribes all originated from the animals brought onto Noah's Ark—the ancestors of all living things. This perfectly aligned with the native custom of "totem as ancestor."

Elijah, who had once summoned heavenly fire to burn sacrifices, was actually the God of Fire from Native American legends.

Moses, who had parted the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, was the God of Water.

Peter, who had resurrected the female believer Dorcas, was the God of Life...

In short, it was guaranteed that The Indian Gospel would cover all native legends and then lead to the conclusion: the spirits the Native Americans believed in were all subordinates of Jesus. Now, you can look further up and believe in the Big Boss directly.

Stone Eagle listened with his mouth agape. It wasn't until Vigne handed him the half-finished Gospel that he suddenly snapped back to his senses.

He glanced at the manuscript in his hand, then suddenly took two steps back, shaking his head vigorously. "A fascinating story. But I will never allow it to spread within the tribe!"