"Lynn, how are the matters I assigned you progressing?"
The girl in a black nun's habit timidly took a step back, lowering her head and not daring to look at the cleric before her.
"I-I've kept at them every day—cleaning the church each morning, reciting the doctrines, distributing food to the faithful, maintaining order—"
"Who asked you about that? I'm asking about the progress of the holy relic production!" Her words were abruptly cut off. Startled, she raised her head.
Before her stood an elderly cleric in a white robe, its cuffs embroidered with golden patterns.
This was the mark of a high-ranking cleric. White symbolized the Bright Candle, while gold symbolized candlelight, in accordance with the Candlelight Society's doctrines.
The Candlelight Society cared deeply about such rites and protocols. From top to bottom, no one could overstep in the slightest—except for that somewhat eccentric Pope.
For the cleric before her to have golden embroidery on his cuffs meant that he was already a bishop, capable of overseeing all affairs of an entire church. Smaller churches might not even be assigned a bishop. The reason this man held such a title was largely because there was a holy relic workshop here.
And that was also what the old cleric cared about most.
"Lynn, I'll say this one more time. Stop wasting time on those faithful. What the Holy See needs now are holy relics. Without sacred machinery, how are we supposed to deal with the enemies of the Candlelight?"
"But famine has already begun outside."
"There is a famine every few years. When has it ever shaken the greatness of the Candlelight? The holiness of the Candlelight requires us devout believers to uphold it. What use is there in saving more of those starving people outside? Can they stop Castel's