"We bought a bag of apples, and each person got one, so it ended quickly. Why didn't you buy only apples? It would speed things up."

Seeing the few remaining pieces of bread, she quickly distributed them to a group of adults, and only after clearing the distribution did she say:

"This way, I think it would be more useful."

The female priest sighed, "While others can finish distribution in half an hour, you take three hours here."

"And buying dark bread separately, whether for transportation or distribution, is much more troublesome. It's unnecessary."

She was about to say something when she noticed Grace's eyes starting to shine.

"My, my friend has come to find me."

She cautiously said, "Thank you for waiting for me; I'll go greet my friends."

The female priest instinctively looked in the direction the girl was gazing.

Soon, she saw two people getting off a carriage and walking toward Grace.

Judging by their attire, they seemed to be adventurers.

Beside her, a male priest walked over and asked:

"Grace's companions have come to find her?"

The female priest nodded, "That's what she said."

"It must be companions from the adventurer group. I remember Grace often goes out with them."

Another priest with a noticeably more refined-looking robe spoke:

"Really, why interact with those adventurers? I don't like many of their habits."

The speaking female priest was from a Viscount family, somewhat of a noble in Tino City, and naturally didn't think highly of adventurers.

The male priest calmly said:

"Anka, be cautious with your words. God teaches us not to define others by stereotypes. Until we fully understand Grace's companions' personalities, hastily commenting does not align with our doctrine."

The noble priest said troubledly:

"But both adventurers and mercenaries always like to do petty thefts; they are prone to stealing and exploiting each other."

The male priest shook his head:

"If the adventurer group she's in has that kind of style, do you think Lady Grace would still remain with them?"

The noble priest pondered for a moment, nodded, and said:

"You're right, perhaps I've been too narrow-minded."

The male priest blinked and said:

"Being able to candidly admit one's shortcomings is also a practice of God's teachings. In this, you deserve praise, Anka."

Anka chuckled.

The male priest sighed in his heart:

"Though there are flaws, it's not all bad..."

This is also why he's willing to continue communicating with Anka.

He glanced at Grace and said:

"Lady Grace indeed thinks differently from us."

Upon hearing this, Anka was displeased:

"Why do I feel you're laughing at her for being foolish? Giving out bread so easily invites criticism."

Upon arriving, she already heard that some impoverished outer-city residents, upon seeing Grace distribute apples and dark bread to children while only giving dark bread to them, directly stood in front of Grace and scolded her.

Especially in situations where other priests were handing out apples, people began to view Grace with disdain.

After all, compared to the taste of apples, the taste of dark bread was hard to swallow.

If not for other priests keeping watch there, it might have caused some commotion.

The male priest shook his head:

"In this aspect, she's better than me."

"Moreover, her choice to buy dark bread likely has her own considerations."

The female priest said: "Who knows? We are doing charity, but end up being scolded; if it were me, I wouldn't want to come here."

"That's why she's the candidate for Saintess, and you're not."

The male priest's sharp remark left the female priest speechless.

Meanwhile, Louis rubbed Grace's head and said:

"In this, you indeed didn't do well."

Grace looked up at Louis, a trace of grievance in her eyes.

"Did he witness the scene where I was just scolded?"

She actually didn't care much about being scolded.

But she didn't like being criticized by him; it saddened her.

She knew this mindset was not good.

Because Mr. Caesar likely wanted to tell her how to do better where she fell short.

But she couldn't help feeling heartache nonetheless.

She whispered:

"Buying dark bread was because..."

"I know; that's not what I'm talking about." Louis's large hand in armor once again mussed her hair.

"Compared to the price of apples, dark bread is much cheaper."

"With the price of buying one bag of apples, you could buy 2 bags of regular bread or even 13 bags of dark bread."

"So I understand your reasoning. For those who truly need aid, even dark bread is a good thing."

Louis's voice was somewhat low.

Grace whispered, "Mm."

She knew he understood her thoughts.

Louis, seeing the pitiful look on the girl's face, leaned down gently, tilted his head, and helped her tidy the priest robe that had become messy from transporting dark bread.

After a moment, he continued:

"The church's rescue funds are limited and cannot meet all the needs of the poor."

"Determining how to direct the limited money toward the most crucial needs is what you should currently consider."

"Although apples are delightful, they cannot satisfy hunger. For those already starving and on the verge of life or death, dark bread is more important."

"Especially when the quantity of dark bread is greater, allowing coverage for a larger group."

"Moreover, children are less risk-tolerant compared to adults. Out of care, you specially prepared more apples for them."

"This is your thought process for using the rescue funds, isn't it?"

Grace nodded.

After helping her tidy the robe, Louis stood up and said:

"So my guidance for you is that while you've focused on the core issue, you lack attention to details."

Grace curiously looked at Louis:

"Mr. Caesar, is there something I did wrong?"

Louis said:

"If it were me, I would use all the church's rescue funds to buy dark bread and persuade others to allocate the funds prudently, rather than spending on extravagant apples."

"If all the rescue funds of the Church of Glory and Justice were pooled together and spent on dark bread, do you think it would meet the needs of the poor in the outer city?"

Grace, without hesitation, said:

"Yes, Tino City... raised funds well."

Church rescue funds operate independently alongside upper-level allocations.

Like Tino City, a large city, the donations obtained from independent operations are far more than other cities.

Resulting in higher rescue funds.

Louis said: "If I were you, I would spend some time commissioning someone to investigate the approximate number of people in the current impoverished districts."

"Then, based on the numbers, estimate how much rescue funds need to be drawn each period to consistently meet the basic survival needs of the poor."

"If insufficient, find ways to unite with other churches."

"If sufficient, see if the remaining rescue funds can be spent on improving the basic lives of the poor."

"For instance, open a simple school for children to teach them basic arithmetic and literacy."

"Or find ways to invest in children with decent talent; the church also hopes to have more devout candidates, doesn't it?"

"Turning a short-term initiative into a long-term enterprise would be more beneficial."

Grace's eyes grew brighter, and she nodded vigorously.

Louis's tone changed and he said:

"If you're really concerned about those children, I can help you contact the Mayer Commerce Association, or you can take a bit from your own earnings to buy apples."

"In this way, your apples would be seen as a bonus surprise, and their opinions wouldn't be so harsh."

"Though I know you don't care about their words, this can reduce their verbal harm."

"Of course, most importantly..."

Louis pinched Grace's face out of shape:

"Please think about how those who care for you feel when they see you being insulted. Next time, you can ask us to come over; if anyone talks nonsense, I'll tear their mouth apart."

Grace was taken aback, and then suddenly burst into laughter.

The sulky feeling in her heart vanished, and she looked playfully at Louis and said:

"Alright, Mr. Caesar, next time I'll leave it to everyone to protect me!"

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