Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 778 - Thorn Nun

Chapter 778 -778 Thorn Nun

“Oh?”

The High Ring Sorcerer of the Peace Church, as well as everyone around, looked at Shard with strange eyes. Iluna’s “Balance” ability had been used many times, so the Church and Iluna were both clear about what kind of people would get what kind of results.

And according to the result just now…

“Greetings.”

Mr. Lando’s tone became more respectful, as those with such a good and orderly inclination deserve respect anywhere:

“I think the result is fine.”

“Is this a test of alignment tendency?”

Shard pretended to be curious and asked, Iluna nodded:

“I also think there is no problem.”

“Then, sir, please join us in the church. If you wish to help, we sincerely invite you to stand with us against the coming enemy. The Church will not treat any kind-hearted helper unfairly.”

And so, Shard gained their trust.

“No problem, but on the way here, I encountered a misshapen person of short stature who said…”

Shard informed the church about the attack that would arrive in half an hour. Mr. Lando did not doubt Shard’s words but asked him for a more detailed description of Joey Barton’s features.

A group of people entered the natural chapel of the Interstice through the main entrance of the church, and compared to when Shard had come to rescue Priest Augustus, there wasn’t much change.

The interior was almost fog-free, and what met the eye were candles of different heights, elegant golden candlesticks, colorful religious murals, and a variety of sculptures creating a sacred atmosphere. Above their heads, silver wires crossed and intertwined, and on these metal wires hung metal, stone, wood, and even bone talismans, as well as Holy Emblems, Holy Bells, and a series of items heavily infused with Miracle Elements.

As Shard stepped through the threshold, the Holy Bell rang like a wind chime, the sound extremely pleasant, and it let everyone carefully watching him breathe a sigh of relief.

The only difference from the last time was that the rows of wooden benches that should have been there were partially moved to the side of the walls to facilitate the drawing of the Ritual Circle on the floor. Now in the center of the Main Chapel, a vigorous campfire burned warmly. Just being illuminated by the fire, Shard suddenly felt his Spirit and stamina recovering.

The True God Church had mastered the method of restoring Spirit in the Interstice, and this campfire was akin to a resting point within the church.

The room was filled with the scent of expensive spices, seemingly a mixture of a large number of Ritual Materials. Shard thought he would see many people here, but after a glance, including the dozen or so people who returned to the church with him, there were no more than twenty people in the Main Chapel.

“There shouldn’t be only this number of people; it seems they must be scattered around different parts of the church.”

The ghost he saw last time did not show up, and besides Iluna, there were no other Low Ring Sorcerers here; the Circle Sorcerers arranged in the Interstice were at least Seventh Ring. In the material world of the Sixth Era, aside from the Three Great Magics Academies, only the True God Church had so many people at their disposal.

Mr. Lando tactfully suggested that Shard should not leave the Main Chapel and arranged for Iluna to lead Shard to rest and heal by the campfire. As for himself, he had to communicate with the real world to pass along the information Shard had just shared.

After approaching the campfire, his stamina and Spirit began to recover at a rate far exceeding that of the real world. After sitting down by the fire, the comfort was so great that Shard felt even a slight mental fatigue being smoothed over.

Everyone seemed to have things to do, and within this solemn and revered church, everyone subconsciously lowered their voice when speaking. This made the open and sacred church sound like countless people were whispering something.

Though they just repelled an attack, only a few people were resting by the campfire. Among them was a young nun wearing a Diadem of Thorns and dressed in a white robe.

She knelt on a dark red cushion, holding her fists to her chest and praying quietly before the fire. From the snippets overheard by Shard, she was a Circle Sorcerer from the Church of Nature. When Shard sat down, his closer proximity allowed him even to deduce that she was a High Ring Sorcerer, either Nine Rings or Ten Rings.

In the firelight, Shard could barely make out her closed eyes, which seemed to bear a disability. Thorns spread across her eyes, even permeating beneath her eyelids—something impossible for a normal person.

“This one, couldn’t be the Godfall host of the Church of Nature, the Thorn Nun…”

Shard thought somewhat apprehensively, and her strange aura of Sanctity also led him to tentatively confirm his guess.

Now he understood why the church had not arranged a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer to guard here.

“Mrs. Shelly Winst.”

Iluna called softly, then introduced the newcomer to the looking-up nun and took out a water bottle, asking for her Healing help. Mrs. Shelly Winst didn’t speak, she just took the bottle, shook it slightly, and handed it back to Iluna.

Iluna gestured for Shard to roll up the sleeve of his right arm, then poured the warm water over his shoulder down his arm.

Even though the bones weren’t realigned, as the water from the bottle traced his skin, Shard felt his right arm completely recover.

Subsequently, the nun with the Thorn Headdress summoned a corner of her Ring of Fate. While the Miracle Soul Rune of [Healing] flickered, she cast an Arcane Technique showering some green glow. Tiny dots of light leaped into Shard’s body, and all his injuries since entering the Interstice of Life and Death healed.

Shard finally breathed a sigh of relief. His choice to take the risk and meet with the church proved to be correct; his condition had now returned to the intact state from when he left House of the Blind.

While pondering how to communicate with Iluna while avoiding other people, the nun spoke at this moment:

“Sir, may I ask, could I borrow your sword?”

She spoke in Carsonrick, but her accent was much lighter than that of the owl.

“Of course, no problem.”

With that, he handed over the Night Watchman.

Sister Shelly Winst held the sword with both hands, brought it close to her, and carefully drew it from its sheath. Her fingers brushed over the runes on the blade:

“So, this is the Night Watchman.”

“You recognize this sword?”

Shard asked curiously:

“This sword is not the one I originally wore; I found it in the mountains after I came to Midshire Fort.”

“Yes, this sword is very ancient, a relic of the demon hunters from the Third Era. There aren’t many angel-level longswords passed down in the material world and although this one isn’t famous, we have recorded it.” freeweɓnøvel.com

She returned the sword to Shard:

“The Church once had records of this sword. The famous astrologer of the Fifth Era also performed divinations for this relic. It will be key to resolving a major calamity, and now that it has appeared here… When you acquired it, did you receive any additional information?”

“Its previous owner was a Circle Sorcerer from hundreds of years ago, who seemed to believe that the sword should not leave the Sicarl Mountain Region. Hence, I brought it with me into the Interstice.”

The nun wearing the Thorn Headdress nodded:

“Legend has it that the Night Watchman possesses the power to enhance arcane techniques, sorcery, and ritual effects. If placed at the exact center of the ‘Holy Tree Scar’ ritual… Mister, after the battle ends, could we perhaps have a talk?”

Shard understood her intent:

“Fine, let’s wait until the ritual is at its final stage.”

“Thank you for your assistance. You will earn the friendship of the Church of Nature.”

At this point, “friendship” clearly meant that the Church wouldn’t just take Shard’s sword for nothing.

Before long, the others who had rested got up and left, each to see to their own duties. The Thorn Nun also walked into the depths of the chapel.

Watching her retreating figure, Shard placed the fishing rod he was carrying on his back and the lantern at his waist on the ground. Then, he carefully took out a Silence Charm from his pocket. But Iluna stopped him. After lightly shaking her head, she drew a circular symbol on the ground and then allowed Shard to place the charm within it.

“There are too many surveillance rituals here; do not rashly use alchemical items without Divine Arts markings.”

She was speaking again, but her mouth opened only slightly, so others wouldn’t notice she was talking:

“Don’t worry about sitting here alone with me; I’m here to watch you. Although you’ve passed the faction test and have been greatly rewarded, you are still an outsider. Unless there is an unexpected event, you’ll be under our observation while you stay at the chapel. But other than that, you may use all the equipment here. Over there, you can receive some talismans; the nuns next to you can apply some beneficial enchantments to you, and to your right, the chamber of atonement is now being used as a Potion Workshop. As for alchemical tools, they’re behind the series of long benches to the left.”

Iluna introduced softly, the main chapel now completely transformed into a war room:

“Rest for a bit first. Later, I will join you at the main entrance of the chapel to resist the undead. The pressure here is much less than up on the mountains. While waiting for Joey Barton to show up, if you kill enough undead, you can receive rewards from within the chapel, including high-purity Holy Water. I’ve got my eye on a very nice set of alchemical jewelry… This is the wartime rewards system, and we must all abide by it.”

“You’re very well prepared. Can it be exchanged for Gold Pounds? Cough, cough, I mean, wouldn’t it be better if you just stuck with me?”

Shard responded in a low voice, warming his hands by the fire.

Iluna carefully controlled the smile tugging at her lips, her pretty face illuminated by the firelight, and added:

“This treatment is because you’ve nearly perfectly passed the faction test, otherwise you’d only get some food and water… But don’t worry too much about the situation here. The chapel has many Inner Ring Sorcerers, and more than thirty High Ring Sorcerers, among them five of the Twelve Rings. Don’t be fooled by the few people here; a third have been dispatched to sweep the periphery of evil spirits and to scout the direction of the next wave of undead.”

After all, the undead didn’t just pop up out of nowhere; they swarmed from a certain direction, so peripheral reconnaissance was crucial.

“Apart from the High Ring Sorcerers of the Church of the Five Gods, there are three diviners from the Prophet’s Society, two professors from Xerxes Higher Medical Academy, oh, and two elders from the underground ‘Apna Library.’ The diviners are in the side tower’s top, the academy professors maintain the ‘Light of Nature’ ritual at the center of the chapel on the second floor, I don’t quite understand it, it’s something of the Church of Nature. The two elders from the library are in the basement assisting in arranging the base formation of the ‘Holy Tree Scar’ sealing ritual… Except for you, no one can enter the passage leading to the Gate of Death without protection, so it’s quite hectic underground.”

‘Apna Library’ is a group of Circle Sorcerers in good relations with the Church of the Five Gods, about the same size as the Blood Spirit School. Allegedly, their headquarters is located in an underground cave in the Old Continent. Their self-proclaimed mission is to protect knowledge, but unlike Old John and Tower Keeper Mr. Edmund of the ‘Guiding Light Hermitage,’ who are gathering knowledge to protect civilization before the apocalypse, ‘Apna Library’ purely focuses on collecting and storing knowledge.

The members of ‘Apna Library’ mainly worship the True God, the God of Creation and Destruction, known as the Lady of Creation, though they also have other quirky beliefs. Behind many of the knowledge trade black markets in both the Old Continent and the New World, one can find their shadow.

However, ‘Apna Library’ has a poor relationship with the Three Great Magics Academies, even bordering on hostility.

This isn’t because of a conflict in goals but because the Academy wants all of the library’s collections, and likewise, the library desires the centuries-spanning knowledge and books from the Magic Academy’s libraries.

Both parties feel the other covets their knowledge—a belief that is indeed accurate, hence the subtle hostility.

Naturally, this kind of hostility has little to do with Correspondence Circle Mages.

Beyond that, ‘Apna Library’ also nurtures its own students in the form of a Magic Academy, but because it isn’t very well-known, Shard had only heard it mentioned by Dr. Schneider.