Wildfire City was indeed small. The carriage had barely galloped through the streets for five minutes before arriving at the temple gates.
Robin leaped out of the carriage, bowed gracefully to the beauty inside, and expressed his gratitude.
Inside the carriage, Jasmine watched Robin through the window gauze as he was about to depart. After a moment of thought, she couldn't resist opening the window and saying, "Su, it's not safe outside the city lately. You don't need to go to the cemetery for your night watch tomorrow. I'll inform Pastor Paul at the temple."
Robin was taken aback. He couldn't fathom why this noble lady, whom he'd known for less than half an hour, was being so helpful. Could it be the so - called love at first sight?
"It's alright. You go in." Robin's response made Jasmine blush slightly. She spoke in a hurry and waved her hand to close the carriage window.
The temple was imposing, towering over twenty meters high and sprawling across more than ten acres. It was constructed from closely - fitted boulders, each surface engraved with mysterious patterns.
To Robin, these patterns on the boulders seemed oddly familiar. He stole a few extra glances before entering the temple.
To others, this was a normal action, but Robin's eyes were like a high - definition camera, imprinting these patterns into his brain.
In his mind, the patterns on the Holy Light Rune Stone he'd seen once also surfaced, and he began to compare them with extreme precision.
Without Origin's assistance, Robin found this task a bit challenging, but it wasn't insurmountable. The comparison results would be available shortly.
The temple was dedicated to the Lord of Holy Light. In fact, this deity was the common faith of the entire human race.
Not just in the Storm Kingdom, but also in the neighboring Rose Principality, Tallinn Alliance, Hanno Federation, and the far - eastern Assyrian Empire, the Lord of Holy Light was regarded as the one true god.
Throughout the continent's history, this Lord of Holy Light was said to have performed numerous real miracles, even engaging in earth - shattering battles with gods of other races in ancient times!
Of course, this was all just legend, lacking concrete evidence. But the power it granted to priests was real, capable of driving away all unclean things. One had to respect this existence.
Even if Robin had been a powerful being in the Milky Way in his previous life, in this unfamiliar place, he had to be cautious.
He adopted a humble demeanor, lowering his head as he walked into the temple.
Behind him, the coachman waited until Robin was out of sight, then whispered respectfully, "Miss, you really shouldn't have let that boy into the carriage. It's not proper for an aristocrat. Besides, night watchmen are surrounded by bad luck and resentment from the cemetery, which could harm your health. And that favor you just showed him isn't appropriate. It might give the young man the wrong ideas."
Listening to the coachman's respectful yet forceful reminder, Jasmine felt an unexpected pang of annoyance. Ever since she was a child, everything she did had to conform to strict etiquette. These rules and regulations had been suffocating her.
However, this coachman came from a family that had served the Horta family loyally for four generations. Her father had personally assigned him to look after her. Out of respect for her father's authority, Jasmine didn't show her irritation. She merely whispered, "I understand, Uncle Reid. I'll be more careful in the future."
...
There was only one official presiding priest in the temple, Paul. Recognized by the Lord of Holy Light, he possessed many extraordinary powers.
He was the one who crafted the Holy Light Rune Stones. No one else in the temple had this ability. The rest were followers, guards, cooks, etc., totaling around thirty to forty people.
At that moment, Paul was leading the believers in the temple's prayer hall in the end - of - month ceremony. Robin quietly entered the hall, found an unobtrusive corner, sat down, and like the believers, placed his hands on his chest and bowed his head, pretending to recite silently.
Although he didn't know what the believers were chanting, Robin was just going through the motions. His eyes were surreptitiously scanning the surroundings.
The prayer hall was vast, spanning several thousand square meters and capable of accommodating thousands of believers for prayer.
At that moment, the hall was packed, yet completely silent. Only Pastor Paul's serene voice echoed from time to time, sounding ethereal and sacred, imbued with a mysterious power that could soothe the heart and make one forget their pain.
However, this had no real impact on Robin. He was merely imitating the believers around him, clasping his hands in front of his chest and bowing his head in what seemed like devout prayer.
In reality, his mind was already preoccupied with the mysterious patterns on the temple walls. His body wasn't strong enough yet. Whenever he delved too deep into thought, his head would ache. Robin couldn't fully process the information flow in his brain, but he could still manage some basic logical induction and summarization.
He vividly pictured the patterns on the temple's outer wall and those on the Holy Light Rune Stone in his mind, comparing every detail to find any connections between them.
Regrettably, although the patterns on the boulder and the rune stone appeared similar at first glance, upon closer inspection, while there were a few similar structures, most seemed unrelated. The patterns he'd identified were all rather ambiguous, like seeing things through a fog.
The ceremony lasted over an hour. Throughout this time, Pastor Paul preached the teachings of the Lord of Holy Light without pause or repetition. Every word seemed to strike a chord in people's hearts and shake their souls, which Robin couldn't help but admire.
When Paul's ceremony concluded, Robin temporarily set aside all the complex reasoning in his mind.
"I'm at a dead - end. It seems I don't have enough information yet. I'll have to take it slow." Robin was a bit fatigued. The series of calculations he'd just done had been carefully controlled, avoiding the near - death situation he'd experienced last night. Still, the physical energy consumption was enormous, and now he was ravenously hungry.
He got up and followed Paul from a distance into the temple's back hall.
The Holy Light Rune Stone was no trivial matter. It was crucial for suppressing the undead in the cemetery. Otherwise, if undead creatures escaped from the cemetery into the city, it would surely cause panic and damage the temple's prestige.
So Paul took personal responsibility for this, and Robin was fortunate enough to get up close to the real upper echelons of this foreign society.
Paul was already waiting for him in the back hall. He appeared to be in his fifties, with neatly - groomed gray hair and a gentle expression. He'd changed out of his elaborate sacrificial robe into a pure - white priestly robe, exuding an air of sacred tranquility.
When he saw Robin enter, his previously relaxed brows suddenly furrowed deeply, and his eyes fixed on the leather robe Robin was wearing. In his eyes, a black aura, intertwined with resentment, clung to it. This was an ominous sign!
This black aura was the death energy formed by the obsessions of intelligent beings upon death, combined with elements. It usually appeared on burial items. If a living person wore such an item for an extended period, their health would deteriorate until they suddenly died.
"Su, where did you get that garment?" Paul's tone was stern. He suspected Robin had stolen the robe from the cemetery.
Only tomb - robbers would do such a thing. And once caught, tomb - robbers were immediately hanged, and after death, their bodies were burned at the stake by the temple, their souls damned to never be reborn!
Robin saw Paul's expression and his heart skipped a beat. He knew he might have violated some unspoken rules in this world. Since there was no mention of this in the boy's memory fragments, he had to act in a way that minimized the current damage.
"What's wrong, Pastor Paul? Is there something wrong with this robe? I bought it from Kent's clothing store. It cost me five silver coins." Robin feigned confusion, his tone laced with fear and deference.
Hearing Robin's words, Paul's brows relaxed slightly. He believed the boy was telling the truth because this was easy to verify. All he had to do was go to Kent and get confirmation. There was no need for Su to fabricate a lie that could be easily exposed.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just asking." Paul took out a Holy Light Rune Stone as usual, about to hand it to Robin, but retracted his hand at the last moment.
After a moment's thought, he put the rune stone back and replaced it with one that had more intricate patterns and finer craftsmanship, then gave it to Robin.
"Take this Justice Rune Stone. The activation method is the same as the Holy Light Rune Stone, but remember to place the leather robe under the rune stone. Don't forget!" Paul warned.
This child was an orphan, and buying clothes was no easy feat. Paul didn't intend to confiscate and purify the robe but rather offer some help. As for Kent, the merchant who'd sold this robe~ At the thought of him, a cold glint flashed in Paul's eyes.
This robe was indeed a major issue, even catching the attention of the temple priest. But instead of being alarmed, Robin was delighted. The more complex rune stone meant he'd get more detailed information about its operation, which was exactly what he desperately needed.
"Okay, I'll remember, priest." Robin's performance was impeccable, humble, submissive, and obedient. This attitude pleased Paul greatly.
Paul then took out a purse and handed it to Robin. "This is your salary for this month. From now on, it'll be four silver coins a month."
Robin was in high spirits. Although he didn't particularly care about this small sum of money, getting paid was always nice. He then launched into another round of thanks.
"May the Lord of Light bless you. Go, child." Paul waved his hand, dismissing him.