Nora

The only disappointment was that there wasn't a single mention of Transcendence among all the information, though that wasn't surprising.

Besides these images, he'd also learned quite a bit about the Silent Temple. The knowledge had been awkwardly crammed into the depths of his mind, but he could recall it whenever he wanted.

What was this? Knowledge infusion?

Theus looked at the incense burner with interest.

This incense burner was incredible. Once the incense was lit, it showed him scenes one after another.

It felt as though knowledge had entered his mind in some strange way...

He just didn't know whether it could be used for studying. Knowledge and images had flowed into his mind as soon as the incense burner was lit. If this strange ability could be used for teaching, that would be wonderful.

One of the obstacles to technological progress was the fragility of the human body. In the modern world, it took an ordinary person decades to learn the most advanced knowledge from scratch and begin conducting research.

People were nearly thirty by the time they finished their doctoral studies, and that was if everything went smoothly. How many years did a person get to live, anyway?

There was a limit to how quickly the human brain could learn. If there were a way to bypass the tedious process of studying, humanity's research efficiency would increase dramatically.

"The Silent Temple..." Theus fell into thought.

Nora held the iron chain and incense burner, nodding with satisfaction. She casually swung the burner around a few times before deftly hooking it onto her waist.

Theus's eye twitched. Why did her movements seem so practiced? It was almost as if she often used the incense burner as a Meteor Hammer to smash people.

Surely not...

Theus glanced at Nora. She had put the incense burner away and was sitting obediently in her chair. Her long white hair fell around her, like a quiet layer of snow.

Just being near her made him feel at ease. Was that the effect of a Burier?

Theus closed his eyes and recalled the knowledge he'd just acquired.

A Burier was exactly what the name suggested: a member of the clergy responsible for burying the dead in the parish.

The Silent Temple and the Candlelight Society had very different attitudes toward the secular world. The Candlelight Society actively preached, but had little involvement in worldly affairs. The Silent Temple, on the other hand, had little interest in preaching, while its clergy willingly took on many additional duties.

They officiated at funerals, baptized newborns, and even organized people to stockpile firewood before winter and patrol villages to drive away wild beasts.

From birth to death, the people of the White Crow Duchy were in constant contact with the Silent Temple.

In return, the temple didn't require residents to follow its faith. When a blizzard struck, people of any faith could seek shelter in its churches.

They were like the churches' thick stone walls: silent and unyielding, yet able to shelter people from wind and snow.

Theus suddenly understood. The Silent Temple didn't need to preach. As long as its people pressed on into the wind and snow, believers would follow of their own accord.

One church after another upheld the settlements and villages. As those communities joined together, they became markets and towns. And when the countless cities of the Northern Territory stood together, they became the Silent Temple, rising proudly amid the blizzards.

Like a Great Wall built along the mountain range, it had stood day after day, shielding the Empire's Northern Territory from the snowstorms.

Now, with the White Calamity's Descent, the duchy was slowly heading toward ruin, and these taciturn people had no choice but to come here to make a living.

Nora sat motionless in her chair, as quiet as a statue covered in snow.

Sharp words were like keen swords, while heavy silence was like a towering mountain.

Theus could read no joy or sorrow in her eyes. After considering his words, he spoke first:

"Miss Nora, do you know that there are other races in this world—races besides humans?"

Theus asked directly. He didn't intend to test the waters back and forth—he didn't have time for that.

Whether she could accept the existence of other races was the basis for any further discussion. It was arguably the most crucial point.

If Nora and the Silent Temple behind her couldn't accept the existence of other races, then they wouldn't be welcome in Theus's territory either.

The Banshees were far too important to Theus. He had to protect them. They were practically his only trump card, and the knowledge in his mind alone wasn't enough to secure a chance of survival among the major powers.

The Church had supernatural abilities. Did the pirates have none?

Nora's white eyes shifted toward Theus. After a moment, she gave a slight nod.

Theus breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that ever since the incense burner had infused him with knowledge, his senses had grown sharper. He could now read Nora's subtle body language more clearly.

For instance, at that moment, he could sense what Nora meant: she knew about other races, but didn't trust them.

Was this some kind of supernatural power of the Silent Temple? It let them communicate in simple ways without speaking—a fitting ability for a church with that name.

It was as if the two of them were old friends who could understand each other with a single glance.

Nora hopped down from her chair. With a serious expression, she looked up at Theus, waiting for an explanation.

"Please rest assured. I have indeed met some other races... They're friendly, and although they look different from humans, their values aren't all that different. We can get along."

Theus was actually relieved that the Banshees he'd met had values so similar to humans'. Even years of enslavement and torment hadn't driven them into madness or obsession.

Nora nodded.

"But they've run into trouble recently... There seems to be some kind of Pollution from the depths of the sea, and some of their members have been... hurt."

Theus spoke slowly, watching Nora's reaction intently.

The moment Nora heard the word "Pollution," her eyes widened. She stepped forward and scrutinized Theus, then promptly took out the incense burner.

"It's all right. I haven't been affected, and I haven't come into contact with the Pollution," Theus explained.

Nora raised a hand, signaling for Theus to be quiet. Then she took a block of incense balm from her pocket, rubbed it between her hands, and smeared it over the incense burner.

This time, she pressed a latch on the burner. It snapped open, and Nora removed a component from inside before taking another from her pocket and replacing it.

She gently twisted the burner. This time, a much thicker cloud of smoke drifted out, quickly surrounding them both.

Theus swallowed. He hesitated, but didn't move. Instead, he did his best to relax and took a deep breath of the smoke.

The concern and care in the girl's eyes just now had seemed genuine. And when he looked at her white eyes, Theus inexplicably felt... reassured.

Shaking his head, Theus quietly called upon the Symbiotic Pact and began using the senses the Banshees had granted him. He had a vague feeling that those senses were harder to deceive than his human ones.

Though it was unlikely Nora would do anything of the sort, he decided to be cautious anyway.