Perception

"Nesser! Would you forsake God's favor?"

Sunlight streamed through the window cracks onto the bedside. Adam woke from his sleep, later than usual.

Last night's encounter still left him shaken, but fortunately, it had turned misfortune into a blessing.

Adam looked around. Suddenly, sounds, smells, and light seemed to explode outward. Everything around him was imprinted into his mind. It was as if some boundary had been broken; he became extraordinarily familiar with everything around him, with a feeling that it was all within his grasp.

"Perception?" This state of sensing everything did not last long for Adam before it quickly faded.

Before last night, smelling something was simply smelling it, and seeing an image was simply seeing it. But during that brief period, all his senses had merged together. He could even clash with other people's perceptions.

If he had not withdrawn from that perceptive state in time last night and had tried to force a confrontation, the black-smoke werewolf's perception might have completely overwhelmed his, bombarding him with sensory shocks until his vision went black and he fainted.

Letting out a breath, Adam tidied up the attic. Listening to the sounds downstairs, he picked up the Divine Word and headed down.

Downstairs, Brother Fula was speaking with Maggie, seemingly asking about tuition fees.

In Skyreach City behind Roa, there was the Holy Radiance Divine Academy. Nearly all nearby clergy and nobles had graduated from that Theological Academy, but its tuition was far too expensive for ordinary commoners.

Although Brother Fula thought highly of Adam, he could not possibly pay that sum for him. After all, he was not wealthy himself.

Besides, Adam had no desire to attend any Theological Academy. What would he go there for? To die?

Seeing Adam come downstairs holding the Divine Word, Fula's eyes were filled with regret. He regretted that Adam had been born in the wrong era. In the early years, before the Theological Academies were reformed, commoners only needed to pass the test and buy a copy of the Divine Word to enroll.

But as noble influence grew stronger, most Theological Academies underwent reforms. The threshold for admission rose, making it extraordinarily difficult for ordinary commoners to enter.

Though the clergy of the Theological Academies consequently received better resources, and their status became ever more prestigious—Brother Fula himself had benefited from this—he still could not help but sigh.

"Brother Fula! You haven't come by in days." Adam ran over with an expression of delighted surprise. Then his face filled with reluctance, yet he still held out the Divine Word and placed it before Fula. "Here, this is yours."

"I've had a lot to deal with lately." Seeing Adam's behavior, the young clergyman felt even more regretful. Still, he accepted the Divine Word. Though he was quite capable, he was fundamentally not well-off, partly because he had refused certain inappropriate "gifts" from nobles in the city.

However, after taking the Divine Word, Fula's expression shifted. He opened the book and found a thin piece of wood tucked inside. On it was a charcoal drawing copied from the illustration on the adjacent page.

Uncle Yalis knew some carpentry. Adam had found this wood chip and charcoal in his small workshop, and he had long prepared this stepping stone toward becoming a painter.

"Did you draw this?" Brother Fula asked in great surprise. The charcoal was crude, and the drawing had been made on a wood chip, making the whole picture rather rough. Yet it was not difficult to see how similar it was to the illustration in the scripture.

"Mhm!" Adam seemed terribly embarrassed. After giving a soft affirmative, he lowered his head and said nothing more.

Looks like it worked! Adam knew the tricks of bargaining well. When you wanted to make a request but feared the other party would refuse, what should you do?

First, make a more excessive request. Then, after the other party rejects it, make your original request. The chances of them agreeing would rise greatly.

Adam and Fula's situation was somewhat different, but the principle was the same. First, let Fula see his talent in theology, while Fula lacked the means to sponsor Adam's studies.

Thus, when a slightly inferior alternative appeared, Fula would choose to compensate him out of guilt, even if that option meant slightly violating his own principles.

In a sense, Adam was exploiting Fula's kindness.

"You have quite a talent for painting as well." Fula did not stint on his praise. Pinching the Divine Word in his hand, he said happily.

After hesitating for a moment, Fula said, "I know a few painters. I'll speak with them later. Perhaps Adam can learn something under them."

"Hurry and thank Brother Fula!" Maggie pushed her nephew while beaming with joy, wanting to offer Fula some meat pies, but Fula declined.

"If it works out, I'll come take you there early tomorrow morning." With that, Fula left the Boku Family home and murmured softly, "God watches over the faithful."

Watching Fula's departing back, Adam grinned and said to himself, God watches over no one. Only I watch over myself!

"Adam?" Maggie's voice made Adam turn and give her a bashful smile.

"This is wonderful. Adam has talent for painting, and Brother Fula is willing to help him." Maggie was extremely happy. Ever since her nephew arrived, the household had gained another mouth to feed.

Although Adam was very hardworking, more workers did not necessarily mean more income. A family's earnings had their limits.

Adam smiled, walked into the kitchen, picked up the basket of pickled-vegetable pies, and headed outside.

Other than encountering a powerful member of his kind last night, everything remained under his control.

He had gathered plenty of information. Besides intelligence on the various residents nearby, the most important was naturally information about the South District Church.

By examining the supplies purchased by the South District Church's procurement staff, as well as arrangements for worshippers' baptisms and prayers, Adam had deduced something: the South District Church might be undergoing repairs, with the murals likely being the focus.

That had been one reason he chose becoming a painter as his goal.

Adam had analyzed Fula in depth. He came from a noble family, but because he was not the eldest legitimate son, he had been given a sum of money and sent away once he came of age.

With that money, Fula entered the Theological Academy. Most illegitimate sons of nobles chose this path.

Perhaps because he had been influenced by ascetics at the Theological Academy, Fula possessed a strong sense of justice. He deeply disliked the nobles' raising of the Theological Academy admission threshold. After graduating, he had not even returned to his family's territory, instead coming to Roa.

Even in Roa, he had rejected noble overtures, leaving him with no real connections here.

Adam greatly admired people like Fula, but that did not prevent him from making use of this naïve clergyman.

This naïve young clergyman, who had few connections, would recall the Church's mural restoration upon discovering Adam's talent for painting after being unable to fund his admission to the Theological Academy.

Adam recalled the elegance of Fula's sword strike on the night of the execution by fire. Given Fula's status and abilities, he could gain quite a few benefits if he were willing to ask.

According to Adam's judgment, having Adam join the mural restoration as an apprentice and assist the painters should fall precisely within Fula's moral limits.

Being able to enter the Church and remain there from morning until night would provide far too many opportunities to gather intelligence.

Then, whether he used the Church to restrain Baron Mansla and seek a chance to cross the wall, or investigated the Church's defensive arrangements for the Roya Border Wall, he would gain far more initiative.

Most importantly, as the local Church, it was sure to be the best informed. Through it, he should be able to learn in advance about some of the Church's personnel transfers.

Though I covered my tracks well, that person will find their way to Roa someday! Adam thought. After selling a pickled-vegetable pie, he lowered the cover cloth and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his face with the back of it, casually rubbing the scar on his face as well.

Of course, even if this failed, Adam would lose nothing. Everything was Fula's own initiative and had nothing to do with him. What he feared instead was Fula lowering his standards too quickly and directly using his connections to send him to the Theological Academy.

Lowering a good person's moral boundaries was as disgusting as overturning a bucket of excrement from the second floor. Adam understood that clearly, but he did not regret it.

Whatever his ideals, whatever his hobbies, whatever grand convictions he possessed, the prerequisite was survival.

Fula entered the Church through the side entrance. After nodding to the other clergy, he became somewhat hesitant.

He had never used his connections to seek benefits for someone else.

But in the end, Fula still went to speak with the painters.