Ad aspera

He extracted his little finger – it was covered in earwax along its entire phalanx – the warrior wiped it on his trousers, cracked his neck and shoulders, and headed towards the port.

The port was, as usual, dirty, bustling, and somewhat chaotic. Prostitutes scurried away from a burly, bearded man; loaders and other workers skillfully maneuvered around him; and guards watched him intently. Only the sailors didn't care – they sat on the docks and on their ships, unperturbed, some with a bottle, others with a girl in their arms. This group probably wouldn't even be surprised by the arrival of the gods – a sailor would just take a swig of beer, grunt, and drag a port girl into his cabin, maintaining his solidarity with his comrades in the order of turns.
The alchemist's house, a shabby wooden shack, stood not far from the shore on the southern end of the district. The door was closed, but the disgusting stench emanating from the window indicated that the owner of the house, at least in one respect, was like an ordinary person – he worked during the day.

Added 22 minutes ago

Unus mentally recorded everything the herald said, so he could think about it later. But now, he had to begin his sermon. This was not the first time for the paladin. However, even when he gave his first sermon, he didn't feel particularly nervous, as the support of the Almighty was so strong.

Ardorian took the place of the preacher, placing his begging bowl next to him, and began his sermon in a rough, but kind and calm voice.

“Brothers and sisters! People of Tirren! The All-Good Almighty has sent me to this city of vice to save your souls from torment! Today, I will tell you about lust. The most terrible and insidious sin, from which the fall into the abyss of evil begins.”

For more than an hour, Unus spoke about how any carnal desires, including the simplest ones, such as hunger, are lust. And about how these desires, if not controlled, gradually turn people into monsters. In his speech, the paladin emphasized the city's wealth and the temptations it brings. He concluded with advice to the poor to think about whether there is enough righteousness in their hearts to resist vice if they suddenly become rich.

Unus's main audience is idle women, usually middle-aged or older. It's hard to say whether they understand anything, or if they just look at him reproachfully and mutter something about strangers and their faith, but they definitely have new gossip now. The reaction of the others is mixed. A couple of people greeted the preacher in the traditional way, throwing rotten vegetables and a piece of some kind of raw entrails at him, but, seeing Unus's indifference to such a pathetic attempt to anger him, they retreated. Someone said that Unus was "much more eloquent than that old man from the church," and many agreed with him.

During the sermon, a fat man in rich clothes asks him:
“You tell it all so smoothly. But then tell me this: one person struggled with hunger and died. Another decided to fight the thirst for money, lost his business, his property, and his good name, and it all went to some scoundrel who doesn't even believe in gods. So where is your good? If you live like that, half will go bankrupt, the other half will get by, and the one who wants money, food, and to have sex will win. And he wants it, and he does it.”

A young man, about twenty years old, neatly groomed and shaved, wearing simple clothes but with a dagger, asks:
“I think I didn't understand the most important thing in your speech. What is virtue: not having a desire, or suppressing desire? If you don't have it, then there is no virtue in the act – even stones don't have desires. But if you have a desire, then, in your opinion, the soul is already corrupted and there is no salvation?”

“Yes, there is enough in your hearts, but there is not enough in your stomach...” one of the beggars asked, and the other supported him. “Yes, you save people, so what about us? Aren't we people either?”