Nora stood on the deck, gazing at the deep blue sea.
Vast, beautiful, full of life, yet polluted.
Extraordinary beings generally avoided contact with seawater, or even getting too close to the ocean.
The oppressive sensation of being surrounded by pollution was unbearable for most.
Unfortunately, this was the only way out for the Silent Sanctum.
She had just received word that negotiations to the north with the local lords had also failed.
These people, who had spent their entire lives in the land of wind and snow, might now be forced to seek refuge in the ocean, where no one was willing to venture.
Shaking her head to dispel her worries, Nora turned and asked behind her,
"Jeremiah, how far are we from Castel?"
"You shall be praised, like the fire in—less than a day, I suppose."
"A day, aning a round trip takes two days." Nora muttered to herself. "I should write a letter instead. Do you have carrier pigeons?"
"He is kind, yet—yes, but they only fly to Gem Bay."
"No problem, bring one here."
Nora put down the flail in her hand and dismissed Jeremiah, who was incessantly reciting the Silent Sanctum’s scriptures.
She walked to the table and began writing a letter.
She had originally intended to head straight for the North, but her journey had been interrupted by a pirate ship.
Nora admitted that she had been a bit too impatient, and her interaction with the pirates was not very friendly.
It was only later that she realized they weren’t trying to rob her, they were stationed there to prevent Hughes from escaping.
Feeling sowhat guilty, she had provided them with so bandages, which were still wrapped around Jeremiah’s head.
Now that she had switched to a larger ship, her journey north would likely be much smoother, sothing she found quite satisfying.
Writing the letter had suddenly co to mind, she had forgotten to warn Hughes about Chloe’s identity.
Nora was certain that Chloe was not part of the Candlelight Church.
Although she hadn’t had much interaction with Chloe, she had noticed a few inconsistencies.
Judging by how much effort Chloe put into hiding, she was likely a spy from another church. That ant she wouldn’t be causing any trouble, at least for now.
Nora was in a hurry to return to the North and had no desire to delay her journey just to go back.
Besides, with so many Sirens around Hughes, he would have no trouble even in a direct confrontation.
For now, she would focus on transporting the refugees.
Muttering his scriptures, Jeremiah carried over a pigeon cage. Nora stuffed the rolled-up letter into the tal cylinder on the bird’s leg.
"We must cherish history, as this pigeon will only fly to Gem Bay. How will you send a ssage elsewhere?"
"Don’t worry about it. Just take to the North, the Sanctum will pay you."
Jeremiah’s face twitched. Without another word, he turned and left.
Seeing that no one was around, Nora held the pigeon close to her chest and gently closed her eyes.
A mont later, she opened the cage in her hand.
The white pigeon had transford into a white raven. The raven turned its head to glance at her before flying off into the distance.
"Too bad I’m not a ‘Silent One,’ or the effect would be much better," Nora murmured. "But this is enough. No extraordinary being who has not abandoned their human form could stop it."
•••••••
"Miss Chloe?"
Chloe, dressed in a nun’s habit, gently folded the letter in her hand and turned toward the door. "Lord, you’ve arrived."
Hughes entered the church with Connor, glancing around. The place was just as rundown as ever.
"My apologies. I was in a rush the other day and couldn’t et with you. You called us here, what is it about?"
When Chloe had visited last ti, she had left a ssage requesting a face-to-face eting with Hughes. That was why he had co today.
"Let’s talk inside. Would you like so tea? Red tea?"
"Sure."
The three of them walked through the church and into the inner chamber.
As they passed the donation box, Chloe looked at Hughes expectantly.
With a clink, Hughes tossed in a few coins.
Hearing the sound of money dropping, a satisfied expression appeared on Chloe’s face.
"By the way, do you have Holy Water No. 9 for sale? I rember all churches carry it."
"No, I don’t know how to make it."
Hughes was taken aback. He had wanted to buy a bottle to compare with soap.
"Brother Kaeski doesn’t make it either?"
"Brother Kaeski?" Chloe showed a strange expression. "His condition has worsened lately. He’s bedridden and unable to see visitors."
"So now you manage the church entirely on your own?"
"Yes, it’s just . It’s exhausting!"
If it’s so exhausting, why not hand it over to the Silent Sanctum? Hughes thought to himself.
Upon reaching the inner room, Chloe served tea before finally speaking. "Lord, there’s sothing I need to inform you about."
"Go ahead."
"The Candlelight Church will be exiling so criminals here. Also, a corpse will be buried here. A ‘Secret Keeper’ will escort them and stay here for so ti."
"Exiling criminals?"
"Yes, they were involved in a case. But I’ve read their files, they were once skilled workers in factories."
She emphasized the word ‘skilled’ heavily before continuing in a seemingly helpless tone.
"Lord, you’ve been busy building workshops lately, haven’t you? No one cos here to pray anymore."
Hughes’ eyelid twitched.
"Ahem, actually, I’ve been aning to donate to the church. How about fifty lio?"
"These criminals must atone for three years. They only need food, no wages required."
Hughes reached into his pocket, and the sound of gold rums clinking echoed.
"This is all I brought."
"Thank you for your generosity. You are truly a kind person, willing to give these sinners a chance at redemption." Chloe smiled brightly as she took the pouch.
"By the way, if they work for you, you must provide food."
"…"
Hughes was speechless at how money-hungry this nun was. Was the entire Candlelight Church this greedy?
That said, this was a good deal. He was desperately short of workers, and having experienced hands join was ideal.
He had no intention of denying them wages. Three years were enough to train them into qualified engineers.
Besides, according to his plans, he wouldn’t be short on money for long.
As for the Secret Keeper, Hughes had heard about them from Nora. They were an extraordinary mber of the Candlelight Church. If they wanted to stay in Castel for a while, he didn’t mind.
The Candlelight Church was known for staying out of territorial affairs.
As long as they didn’t interfere with his industrial developnt, he had no objections.
"What about the corpse?"
"Oh, it was a cultist. But we’ve purified it completely. You don’t need to worry, there won’t be any issues."
Hughes nodded. He had only asked out of curiosity.
"By the way, that cultist’s na was also Hughes, sa as yours."
Chloe said with a smile.
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