"We want to learn about how you do it. If we can learn that, we can tell more people, and then they can tell more people, and then everyone can do it. Maybe we can't learn it. Maybe it's expensive or needs rare parts. I don't know. And maybe corporations will be angry that we can do it, or want to control us. But I think it would be good enough that it is worth the risk. It would help - all the people in the world, next year. Also, we might have a way to get you a lot of money without as much risk of kidnapping... Please tell me if any of that was not understandable?"

She is absolutely not telling him about the hurried, careful arrangements with several groups the Mercy Crew has contact with, some of which have no name.

"Most of it is not expensive or parts needing. But I cannot make you able to do it. I am able to do it because of my goddess Iomedae. I do not know why gods do not choose clerics on this planet."

She is practiced at appearing to accept things at face value, whatever doubts she has in her head.

"Can you tell me who Iomedae chooses to select? Ah, we can go under the bridge or inside if that is more comfortable."

It's still a rather warm and dusty desert, and the truck kicking up a bunch of sand hasn't helped.

He motions her into the church, which has a Light in it most of the time including now. "Iomedae is the Lawful Good goddess of triage and defeating evil. But I do not think She will select more people soon. She is very busy on my planet. Expensively busy. Other gods might choose people but I do not have those holy books and do not know why they would not already choose people on this planet before I came."

She spends a good few seconds scrutinizing the Light.

"And you ask them for this by praying? It seems like a cheap thing to try, just in case it does work."

"Yes, you are welcome to. I have translated some prayers to Iomedae. I can try to make English prayers to other gods but do not have them already to translate."

"Alright. Shall we? And is there anything which would make your... Work easier?"

"I don't know what you have. I have what I need, but I'm mostly feeding myself by magic." Flip flip here are some prayers to Iomedae. "The poem is gone, I'm sorry."

"We can get most things if there is a good reason to and we have the money. We have more legitimate ways to shop and transport goods than you seem to. Possibly for free or discounted, if it's a better use of the money than medical supplies for Bordertown."

She will start to read and contemplate prayers to Iomedae. They seem rather stark and martial. 'Defeating Evil', hmm.

There's also the ones that are focused on the eventual rescue of the souls in Hell, though these tend to have some lines about slaying devils in the process. Maybe they're prettier in the original.

"I have a bit of money."

"Mh. You believe that Hell is real? Logically, if it is, it is an incredible horror and vast injustice that must be corrected."

One more urgent problem for the pile of urgent problems, then?

"Yes, Hell is real. There are nine afterlives. Hell is the Lawful Evil one. The other evil afterlives are also bad, but not so organized."

"...Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. You - existing - is extraordinary evidence, but of a lesser magnitude."

There are so many problems. Corruption in the government, violence in the streets, death by infection and crippling by bad bone sets cut off almost all that a person could ever live and do, every kiss of a lover and pride in a good job and grief at the loss of a friend, a massive network of harms radiating out and only ever growing larger with time but-

But-

Imagine it for a moment. Take it as reality. A mathematical axiom to derive logical deductions from. IF Hell is real, IF souls are judged upon death, then some souls go there upon death. And stay there. Forever. Limit of suffering as X approaches infinity equals infinity, and everything before death is a rounding error. If Hell is real, the most screamingly urgent activity would be to keep people out of it by any and all means. Thus, she should become a preacher- Or better yet, organize and support a church. Enabling has greater leverage than acting alone. And if it keeps one poor sinner from infinity torture at Lucifer's hands it would all have been worth it-

"Hmm. Perhaps I need to re-evaluate my entire life and become a preacher of good works."

"It might not be your - the thing that does best of you yourself doing it instead of another person."

"No, I should clearly organize and support those who promote good works instead. It's what I'm good at, organizing and supporting. There are many who are disposed to kindness. If I do ultimately decide to accept the axiom of Hell and judgement, that is."

"...even if you do not think Hell is real it is certainly good for good things to be organizing and suppo- organized and supported, instead of not, because then the good things happen more."

"Yes. Currently my efforts are focused mostly on the Mercy Crew. We help sick and injured people, and we try to encourage them to help others in turn. It's not much exaggeration to claim that without either myself or the Head Doctor, the Mercy Crew would probably stop existing. For all that I'm trying to fix that. 'One' is an awful bus number... Anyway. Perhaps I am already largely doing what ought to be done under this hypothetical. But perhaps proselytization would increase greatly in priority."

"I can start over on building this if your place would be a better place and you have stone there. ...what is a bus number."

"It's an expression for how many people would have to suddenly die for your organization to have a crippling problem. The Mercy Crew's bus number is currently 'one'. I would like it to be 'two'. Or perhaps, in my wildest dreams, 'five'."

"The number of... organized people... who... I think I understand."

"Sorry, that's not very simple and clear English. You clearly have some kind of sudden healing ability, and that's enough to want to support you, but - not to be rude, this is a serious question - but why should I believe what you say about how it works?"