Chapter 59 Meeting Chloe Again

Nora stood on the deck, gazing out at the deep blue sea.

It was vast, beautiful, and teeming with life, yet thoroughly tainted by pollution.

Transcendents generally loathed contact with seawater, and preferred not to even come close to the ocean; nobody was willing to endure the oppressive feeling of being surrounded on all sides by contamination.

Regrettably, this was the only remaining way out for the Silent Sanctuary.

She had just received word that the negotiations with the local lord in the north had broken down as well. For people who had spent their entire lives in the land of wind and snow, they might ultimately have no choice but to seek refuge here by the sea—a place no one wished to approach.

Shaking her head to chase those vexing thoughts from her mind, Nora called out behind her:

"Jeremiah, how far is it from here to Castel?"

"You shall be praised, like that within the blazing... less than a day, I suppose."

"A day—that means two days for a round trip," Nora muttered to herself. "I had better write a letter. Do you have a carrier pigeon?"

"He is benevolent, yet... yes, but it is bound for Gem Bay."

"That's fine, bring it here." Nora lowered her flail, shooed away Jeremiah who was ceaselessly chanting scriptures of the Silent Sanctuary, and walked over to the table to begin writing.

She had originally intended to head straight for the Northern Territory, only to be intercepted by a pirate ship along the way.

Nora admitted that she had been somewhat impatient, and her initial exchange with the pirates had not been entirely cordial. As it turned out, she later learned that those pirates had no intention of plundering; they were merely patrolling the waters to prevent Hues from running away.

Overcome with a twinge of guilt, she had provided them with some bandages, which were still wrapped around Jeremiah's head.

Having switched to a larger vessel, the journey to the Northern Territory this time would likely go much smoother, a fact that left her quite satisfied.

Writing this letter now was a sudden reminder that she had forgotten to warn Hues about Chloe's true identity.

Chloe was not a member of the Candlelight Society; of that, Nora was certain.

Having had little contact with Chloe, Nora could not be entirely sure of her real background, having only stumbled upon a few flaws by accident.

Judging by how hard she tried to conceal herself, she must be a spy from some other church. In that case, she probably wouldn't stir up any major trouble anytime soon, and since Nora was in a rush to return to the north, she had no time to double back.

Besides, Hues had so many banshees by his side that there would be no issue even in a direct confrontation.

It was best to deliver the refugees first.

Jeremiah, muttering incessantly, brought over a pigeon cage, and Nora tucked the paper roll into the metal cylinder attached to the pigeon's leg.

"We must remember history, as... this pigeon only flies to Gem Bay. How are you supposed to send a letter anywhere else?"

"Leave that to me. Just get me to the Northern Territory, and the Sanctuary will pay you."

Jeremiah's face twitched as he turned on his heel and walked away without looking back.

Seeing that the surroundings were deserted, Nora held the carrier pigeon against her chest and gently closed her eyes.

Moments later, she opened the cage.

The white dove from a moment ago had transformed into a white crow. The bird turned its head to look at her once before winging away into the distance.

"Pity I am not a [Silencer], otherwise the effect would be much better," Nora murmured. "Still, this is quite enough. No transcendent who has not shed their mortal flesh could possibly intercept it."

......

"Miss Chloe?"

Dressed in nun's robes, Chloe neatly folded the letter in her hands, put it away, and turned toward the doorway. "Lord Baron, you've come."

Hues walked into the church accompanied by Connor, looking around as he stepped inside. It was as dilapidated as ever.

"I apologize; I had some urgent business that day and couldn't meet with you. You asked us to come—is there something particular you wish to discuss?"

After Chloe's visit that day, she had left a message expressing a desire to speak with Hues in person, which was why he had come today.

"Let's talk inside. Would you like something to drink? Black tea?"

"That's fine."

The three of them passed through the church and entered the inner room. As they walked past the donation box, Hues tossed a few coins into it under Chloe's expectant gaze.

Hearing the pleasant clink of falling coins, a look of profound satisfaction spread across Chloe's face.

"By the way, do you have any No. 9 Holy Water for sale here? I recall all churches carry it."

"No, I don't know how to make it."

Hues choked slightly on the response. He had originally intended to buy a bottle just to compare its effectiveness with soap.

"Does Brother Keschi not make it either?"

"Brother Keschi?" Chloe wore a peculiar expression. "His condition seems to have worsened lately. He is confined to bed now and unable to see anyone."

"So the church is entirely under your administration now?"

"Yes, it's just me. It's terribly exhausting!"

If it's exhausting, you should just close it down and hand it over to the Silent Sanctuary, Hues thought to himself.

Reaching the inner room, Chloe served the tea before speaking. "Lord Baron, there is actually a matter I need to notify you of."

"Please go ahead."

"The Candlelight Society is going to exile a few sinners here, and a corpse will also be buried in this region. An [Investigator] will come along to escort them. She sent word ahead stating that she intends to stay here for a while."

"Exile some sinners?"

"Yes, they are ordinary people implicated in a certain case. I've reviewed their files; they used to be skilled workers in factories."

She placed heavy emphasis on the word "skilled," before adopting an expression of feigned helplessness.

"The Lord Baron has been building workshops lately, haven't you? Hardly anyone comes to my church to pray anymore."

Hues felt a twitch at the corner of his eye.

"Ahem, actually, I've been meaning to make a donation to the church for a while... How does fifty aureos sound?"

"These sinners need to serve a three-year penance. You only need to provide their meals; no wages are required."

Hues silently reached into his pocket, where golden rums jingled softly.

"I only brought this much."

"Thank you for your generosity. You truly are a kind person, willing to provide these sinners with a chance at redemption." Chloe accepted the pouch with a brilliant smile.

"Right, if they are going to work at your place, you must feed them."

"......"

Hues was utterly defeated by this money-grubbing nun. Were all members of the Candlelight Society so obsessed with wealth?

Still, this deal was by no means a loss. He was desperately short of manpower right now, and having skilled workers arrive couldn't be better.

He hadn't truly intended to withhold wages from these workers forever. Three years would be more than enough to train them into competent engineers, and according to his plans, he wouldn't be short of money for long anyway.

As for that investigator, Hues had heard Nora mention her. She seemed to be a transcendent of the Candlelight Society, and he didn't mind her staying in Castel for a short period.

Mainly, the Candlelight Society was famously well-behaved and did not meddle in territorial affairs. As long as they didn't interfere with his industrial development, he had no objections to anything else.

"What about that corpse?"

"Oh, that was a cultist, but we have already purified and processed him. You needn't worry; there won't be any lingering trouble."

Hues nodded, having only asked out of passing curiosity.

"Come to think of it, that cultist was also named Hues, just like you," Chloe said with a smile.