Then there's no problem.
The old priest Yiden put away the two letters and nodded to the young bishop in front of him.
Only then did he finally have time to look the new bishop up and down, a man who had been transferred from the Holy See's garrison.
This " Pure Ones " has a strong physique with obvious signs of training, and his facial features are particularly defined, giving him a meticulous impression.
The signs of his Tree Transformation were not severe; only a few vein-like lines could be seen on his skin. Apart from that, the symbiotic plants did not seem to affect his physique or movement.
He stood straight two steps in front of Yiden, and a glance at him conveyed the solemn aura of a Holy See guard, but compared to real warriors, he lacked a certain bloodthirsty killing intent.
In addition, the other party's identity as a " Pure Ones " forced Yiden to carefully consider every word she said.
The so-called " Pure Ones " are church members who are completely unaware of the Holy See's private dealings. After all, in a religious organization, some people are responsible for piety, some for fanaticism, and others for handling matters that are not suitable to be brought to the forefront.
" The Pure Ones " refers to the former, while the latter, like the old priest Yiden who knew about and participated in the church's private experiments, are generally referred to as " the Stained Ones."
Yiden never regretted what he had done.
But he also knew a principle: there are some facts that he could understand and accept, but others might not be able to do the same.
Therefore, he always maintained a respectful distance from " Pure Ones like Duolin, minimizing communication and avoiding speaking altogether.
But that's no longer possible, because that guy hasn't been captured yet. The apostate the " Pure Ones " spoke of, the experimental subject the " Stained Ones " spoke of, is still roaming within the jurisdiction of White Wax Town.
Although he can't pose any threat to the Tree Worship Church yet, if we just leave him alone, wouldn't the deaths of the former bishop and the others have been in vain?
To be honest, Yiden never expected that the new chief priest sent by the Holy See would be a " Pure Ones." Even if the Holy See had been facing manpower shortages in the last decade or so, surely it wouldn't have come to this?
As he mentally processed what he should and shouldn't say, he pointed to the bench closest to the World Tree Altar:
"Let's sit down and talk."
Duolin nodded, his stern face still devoid of any smile. He sat down at one end of the bench and looked at the old priest, about to speak, but the other man beat him to it:
How much do you know about what's going on in White Wax Town?
Yiden looked into Duolin's eyes, wanting to know just how pure this " Pure Ones " really was.
Upon hearing this question, Duolin's face immediately flashed with resentment, and he gritted his teeth as he recounted the apostate's sins:
"Betrayed the Holy See, stole sacred relics, and used secret magic to assassinate five clergy members, including a bishop..."
Once Ed's crimes were listed one by one, Yiden had a general idea of the scope of Ed's knowledge.
It seems that Duolin knows everything except the fact that the person was an experiment.
I don't know what the Holy See said to him, but this person seems to have noticed nothing wrong with him.
Yiden nodded after listening to the other person's explanation:
That's the general situation. Because I also had to protect the church, I didn't act rashly even after learning about the changes that had happened to the former bishop.
"I will write an explanation for this error to the provincial church myself. Now, let me show you the map of the White Wax Town Parish."
Yiden found a rudimentary map in the church storeroom, which was practically a scribble compared to the map Ed had generated on the website.
But the old priest treasured it greatly. He carefully unfolded the map and pointed to the center, saying:
"This is the White Wax Town and the church, located in the center of the map. The entire map covers our parish, surrounded by twelve small villages with an average population of one to two hundred, all of whom are devout believers in the Great Tree God."
"These areas are all safe, but the chances of apostates hiding there are relatively low."
As he spoke, he pointed to a strange illustration on the north side of White Wax Town:
"Be careful here. There are crazy plants in the Black Forest that we can't communicate with. The other side of this river used to be Barony of Tur, but it's now a wasteland. The gravity around the castle is strange. If you find it, you'd better go around it. There are also alchemical golems there that we can't defeat right now."
"There are three villages near the castle. Our followers live in the Upperstream Village and Midstream Village, and the one further downstream is called Dragonborn Village. It is under the protection of a dragon that has made a pact with the Tree Worship Church. Be careful when interacting with them. More than ten years ago, a bishop was killed by a Dragon Transformation villager there."
Duolin nodded repeatedly, took out a small notebook from his pocket, and began to write and draw on it with charcoal sticks.
At this point, Yiden suddenly stopped talking. Duolin looked up in confusion and saw the old priest counting the number of his men on his fingers.
Upon seeing this, Duolin quickly said:
"No need to count. This team only has five people, including me. We're all here to replace the five priests who were lost. These people have received relevant training at the Holy See and can start working at any time."
Upon hearing this, Yiden suddenly smiled, but the smile was mostly obsequious.
He looked at Duolin and said:
"In that case... I wonder if it would be possible to have a priest with tax collection experience start working immediately? Early August is almost over, and because of that incident White Wax Town Parish hasn't finished collecting its July taxes yet."
Duolin thought for a moment and said:
"Okay, the five of us will get to work immediately, and then I will tour the diocese with the new tax officer. This is what a newly appointed bishop should do."
"Rest assured, as a former squad leader of the garrison, I am very confident in my abilities."
Upon hearing this, Yiden quickly reached out and supported Duolin's arms.
"Absolutely not!"
His facial features were contorted with anxiety:
"The apostates took the sacred relics, and you are rashly inspecting the diocese. I am worried... worried..."
Yiden didn't say the harshest things, but he was certain his meaning had reached the other person's mind.
If two bishops die in the White Wax Town Parish within a month, then this deputy priest can basically retire and get out of there.
Duolin's face did not show the arrogance of a typical young man; instead, it carried a serious expression.
He quickly and precisely grasped the unspoken meaning in Yiden's words, and earnestly placed his hand on the old priest's forearm, saying:
"I understand what you mean. I was too rash just now, but the rules of the Holy See cannot be changed because of a heretic."
He stood up, looked at the four subordinates he had brought from the Central Holy See, and gave them a gentle smile befitting a clergyman:
The five of us will go together!