"Swindlers, military docunts, bounties... Could this be what Miss Miller is investigating?"
It wasn't an unreasonable thought. Before they entered the fiery Mysterious Realm, the three of them had t when Jenkins was tailing a man infected with the Gear Germs. He discovered that the man was not only a spy for the Cheslan Kingdom but had also infiltrated the group of swindlers. Miss Miller had gone to find those two, seemingly to retrieve so docunts.
"No, that's not right. What she was looking for seed to be sothing of a personal nature, probably photos or letters, not military secrets."
But regardless, a small bit of Jenkins's inner doubt had been resolved. In the first half of the month, the followers of the "Prince of Lies" had been brazenly active. Jenkins would even encounter thugs casually tossing steam bombs while he was out for an evening walk with his cat. But recently, they seed to have vanished without a trace. So this was the reason.
Thinking of the "Prince of Lies's" followers reminded him of the letter he'd sent to Eldron. That reminded him he still needed to find ti to go to the bar and fabricate a reply. Even though his coma had left no lasting effects, Jenkins felt a strange headache coming on.
"That's all the information I have. I'll add one more thing: if anyone knows what exactly happened this afternoon at the Dikor Highlands hunting grounds on the outskirts of the city, I'm willing to pay ten pounds for the information."
The location Mr. Hood ntioned was exactly where Jenkins had been that afternoon, but no one answered his question.
"Then I'll go next."
Mr. White Cat raised his right hand slightly, his voice low and deliberate:
"You all should know what that place is down the mountain, right?"
He pointed to his right, where a sprawling complex of buildings lay at the foot of the slope.
"Pangdon Winery."
Magic Miss answered almost without hesitation.
Jenkins’s eyes narrowed. Was her real identity connected to this place? No, he reasoned, she could have just researched it beforehand.
"Oh, yes."
Mr. White Cat was surprised as well, but after a single suspicious glance her way, he continued, pointing at the estate visible through the gaps in the trees:
"In the middle of this month, the Church of the Starry Sky and Equilibrium transported twenty-eight corpses of executed prisoners here. I don't know the specific reason—I'm not brave enough to spy on the actions of an Orthodox Church—but what's surprising is that the bodies, which were temporarily stored at the winery, disappeared before they could be used. Yes, they weren't consud by the followers of the Lady of the Stars; they were genuinely stolen..."
Jenkins subconsciously glanced at Magic Miss. The last ti they encountered A-01-2-2221, the Unfortunate Wishing Tree, she had asked him about the purpose of those corpses. He hadn't expected to hear about the topic again today, but their purpose remained a mystery.
"Who would steal corpses?"
Jenkins chid in, feigning a casual thought—after all, he was the only one here whose face was exposed. "I've heard the followers of the 'Lord of Immortality' are still active in Nolan. Could it be them?"
"I don't know, but cultists do use up a lot of corpses and other disgusting things for their rituals."
He made a sound of disgust, but it was quickly swallowed by the rustle of leaves in the night wind. Seeing that he had nothing more to say, Jenkins beca the third person to share information:
"Speaking of the followers of the 'Lord of Immortality,' the mbers of the illegal organization known as the 'Life Sharing Alliance,' they've been making so small moves recently. A few months ago, Mr. Black Cat ntioned that these people had co to the city from out of town. Recently, a friend of mine who is gravely ill was tricked by this group into injecting a liquid containing trace particles of tallic silver into their veins... Tsk, tsk. I'm sure all of you have friends who are ordinary people. You must warn them to be careful of such things. After all, this is one of the thods that so-called eternally undying being uses to drain the lifespan of mortals."
"Injecting silver?"
Mr. Black Cat asked, sounding puzzled. It seed he wasn't familiar with this thod.
"Yes. They claim that silver is the purest substance in the world. While it's not as expensive as gold, that's only because mortals are blind to its true value. They say the supre god who controls longevity is rciful and will grant those with pure bodies and souls more ti to remain in the mortal world, to enjoy life or... well, there were other nonsensical claims I don't rember. Any Enchanter would know it's a lie just by hearing it, but it's a different story for uneducated country folk who've never witnessed the supernatural, or for terminally ill patients desperate for any cure, or for great nobles and factory owners with vast fortunes whose ti is running out. They wouldn't think the sa way."
He shook his head gently. In the files he had read about that cult, there were many such examples. So people were rely swindled out of their money, while others not only lost their families and hos but had their very souls stolen by the heretical god.
"That's truly terrifying."
Mr. Black Cat offered his opinion quietly. "Extending one's life through mystical rituals is sothing mortals have pursued since ancient tis. But the practice itself easily attracts heretical gods, evil spirits, or even stranger things. The Orthodox Church designated such practices as taboo long ago. If discovered or reported, the Church has the right to execute the ritual's organizer on the spot. It makes a lot of sense. All mortals must die one day, but so people just can't face that fact calmly."
"Even among Enchanters, few can face death with composure."
Jenkins sighed in agreent, his thoughts turning to Constantine Sir. He had risked fusing with a grotesque item to extend his life, only to have his body completely consud in the end. He was a level-eight Enchanter, a being whom the six people gathered here could only look up to in awe.
If even he t such a fate, what chance did weaker mortals have?
In an era where religious power was still strong, the churches held certain law enforcent rights. This was clearly stipulated in the sacred 'High Tower Accord' (Third Revision).
It wasn't just performing forbidden mystical rituals. Many other things, such as possessing prohibited items or books, were considered taboo offenses for which the Church could carry out imdiate execution.
The last ti the Orthodox Church publicly carried out a burning at the stake was 682 years ago, for the trial of a country witch who attempted to summon an otherworldly species. She was just an ordinary person, but the ritual she arranged caused a great disaster. Modern thods of execution mostly involve poison or firing squads, which, one could say, have beco a bit more humane with the progress of civilization.
Jenkins knew of the horrors of religious inquisitions from the history of his own world, and he knew that the religions of this world were not as benevolent as they appeared. In corners he couldn't see, many terrible and cruel things were happening that were beyond imagination.
After all, this was a world whose level of civilization lagged behind that of Earth.
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