The expanse of Stelter Castle is vast, with the rear garden occupying nearly half a hillside. To distinguish different functional areas, rows of towering flower beds, over two ters high, were used as dividing lines.
The gardeners who manage these flower beds live in small stone houses hidden beneath the foliage.
Ted led a group rushing into a seemingly abandoned cottage among the floral rubberwood forest between the Golden Cloud Orchids and the white crane taro.
"Ted?" Count Stelter, who was directing another batch of fully ard Knights spraying Holy Water, couldn’t help but approach the periter of the huge mud pit, knocking on the tal wall, "Be careful! Not even a nostril should be exposed!"
"My Lord," Ted’s helpless voice ca through, "We’re all wearing full-body tal armor doused with Holy Water.
Besides, this place has been abandoned for many years, there’s probably just so sll."
"Hmm?" Count Stelter asked in confusion, "Who used to live here?"
"Your mother, the late Countess’s favorite gardener, who ca as part of her dowry, married to her trusted maid, Ivo Cutna."
The Count suddenly stood upright: "Cutna?"
"Yes, the one who managed the castle cleaning back then, including things like curtain and bedspread washes, all under Mrs. Cutna’s care."
Ted’s voice suddenly stopped, and after a few seconds, he couldn’t help but begin cursing, "Damn it! It’s really him!
I was wondering how the Countess’s family could produce a devout Holy Light believer, who constantly prayed at the Temple for the redemption of Holy Water!"
"This is indeed a gardener of great skill!
Your mother’s family trained them well... these are all plants with purifying scents!
Look～ there’s even spider plants and green philodendrons in the corner!
Ah, by the way, your family actually has a follower of the Sun God?" President Finch, walking behind Count Stelter, couldn’t suppress a smile, "I thought all the military nobles in Danboro were followers of the Master of Runes!"
"The Stelter Family is indeed a loyal subject of my Lord." Lenon Berg, the Great Priest of the Basia Rune Temple, who had also sauntered over, said with great sincerity, "But my Lord never mandates any lord to forcibly require their subordinates and servants to share their faith.
Faith must co from the heart; how can it be coerced?
Besides... words of faith are useless these days!
Wouldn’t you agree, Turgay?"
With a serious expression, the Sun Temple Priest, dressed in a golden-yellow linen robe, said, "The Sun Temple only needs the pitiful mortals to believe in our Lord’s majesty."
In other words, they never needed followers.
These words even made Count Stelter glance at him... The Sun Temple always refers to their Holy Water as the ’rcy of the Holy Light,’ yet this rcy cos at a very steep price.
One can indeed see the majesty of the Sun God... After all, only the Sun Temple is capable of selling over twenty different grades of Holy Water... it indeed poses significant harm to evil forces, but how great depends on how much money you have.
Finch cast a nonchalant glance at Count Stelter... Surprised?
As Aesces beca increasingly arid, with more deserts, mortals’ awe of the Sun also grew... Especially as spontaneous combustion incidents under blazing sunlight beca more common, allowing the Sun God to discreetly extend a hand into the Goddess of Flas’ bedroom, gaining so divinity over combustion.
Yet, perhaps because their divinity beca overly expansive, with too complex beliefs gained, the Sun God suddenly beca a supplier of Holy Water.
The mages understood this, after all, rather than humans suddenly putting him on various altars, it’s better to find an easy way out... What if the Divine Power becos too strong?
Even though the World Will of Aesces doesn’t particularly trouble its deities, that doesn’t an it would allow any deity’s power to exceed its tolerance... Especially with the Ocean God Triton always watching closely.
Though the father is rather rciful, not easily removing his children... the Sun God doesn’t want to be thrown before Triton!
That is a mighty deity, difficult for all gods together to contend with!
While excess Divine Power can indeed be lost, no one likes being beaten half to death.
"Can we handle the real business?" The only female Great Priest, Yufi Austin from the Silvermoon Temple, glared discontentedly at the n ahead, seemingly unsure what they were doing, "I’m already fed up! I just want to get this over with quickly."
No woman likes seeing so many densely packed bugs! Even a powerful Priest doesn’t.
Hamza Tote, the Earth Temple’s Great Priest, trailing at the end, comforted, "Don’t be so tense, I don’t think there will be any more spiders appearing.
No matter how you put it, these aren’t that easy to nurture.
So, Count Stelter, can we dismantle that cottage now?
It’s too low, I don’t think I can get in."
Count Stelter was montarily stunned by the quick change in topic by the tall Great Priest in a brown linen robe before responding: "Of course.
Ted! Bring your people out. Even if you found sothing odd, just leave it where it is."
Count Stelter realized why these Priests were deflecting... They didn’t want Count Stelter and Finch to secretly move anything discovered.
Though Finch and Count Stelter are considered political rivals, from the fact that Count Stelter would first go to the Alchemist Association for trouble instead of the claid Master of Runes, it is evident that between gods and man, the Count chooses man.
This was indeed the usual style of Aesces and those Great Nobility... the Deities are never on their trust list.
But there was no choice. In the past battle with the Ocean God Triton, even All Gods struggled and couldn’t respond to the prayers of mortals.
However, even in their struggles, they fared better than mortals, who were nearly annihilated by the floods.
Especially in Danboro, in the end, it was those higher-level Noble Knights who held their Great Shields, standing hand in hand on the Rune Walls to block the terrifying waves.
Behind them were hundreds of thousands of mortals weeping and praying to All Gods for aid.
That ti, the God of Runes did help... the Rune Wall blessed whole-heartedly by him is still the strongest defense of Danbolo Capital.
But aside from that, it was all due to the contributions of the Nobles... during that ti, the Danboro Royal Family sacrificed as many as six Princes, even the then King.
The sacrifices of the Great Nobility were also severe; so families took hundreds of years to restore their family’s glory.
Therefore, the status of the Danboro Royal Family is high, but the status of other Nobles is not low.
Due to these past events, these Great Priests have beco accustod to the indifference of the Nobles... maintaining apparent respect is enough.
Since they’ve already intervened, the dignity of the Deities must still be upheld.
The Deities have only distanced themselves from the Mortal Realm, not died.
Ted soon erged with his n, carrying nothing in his hands.
Over his lightweight armor, he wore a thin alloy hooded helt, with a very peculiar helt on his head... if Hill saw it, he would find it quite familiar.
It resembles a biohazard protective suit.
This full-body armor appears only a thin layer, but it has no gaps; it relies entirely on a small device inside the armor to provide breathable air for humans.
It is also difficult to wear and remove, usually taking more than half an hour.
From the ti Ted discovered sothing amiss to now, there hasn’t been half an hour.
This isolation armor was specially developed by Great Sage Ismael to experint with Crystalline Weapons, to isolate so toxic gases caused by explosions.
It’s quite suitable for dealing with things related to Silk Spiders.
When Ted ca out, he specially brought his subordinates with their hands half-raised through the midst of the Priests to show that he was carrying nothing.
The Earth Priest did not say anything polite; he directly squatted down and pressed his hand to the ground.
The short Stone House quickly turned into dirt, which then slowly collapsed, finally becoming a solid circular rock floor of at least two hundred square ters compressed into the ground.
Even if spiders or similar things are hidden nearby, it’s hard for them to attack those standing on the rock floor from underground.
Finch frowned slightly... he could also handle such a thing, but the ti required would definitely not be just ten minutes.
Divine Power truly doesn’t follow any logic.
His eyes stared directly in the direction of the small house, with an expression of no interest in watching their performance... Finch, who understood the Earl’s family better, knew well in his heart that Ted must have taken sothing that influenced the Earl.
Otherwise, the Earl wouldn’t let his head butler take the risk, and Ted, who was always singularly old-fashioned, wouldn’t suddenly start ranting.
He originally ca over trying to take advantage, but instead, those Priests followed up as well!
Didn’t get any benefits, yet he has to help Count Stelter divert others’ attention!
This made Finch very displeased.
The Priests swiftly examined the items inside the small house.
The Sun Priest stood in the center, closing his eyes to sense for a while: "Indeed, our Holy Water has been used many tis.
This is the taste of number eighteen... Hmm?
The function of number eighteen Holy Water is to expel evil spirits, it’s ant for dealing with Ghosts!
Shouldn’t he have used number 6 for expelling mosquitoes and flies?"
"What’s the use of dead spiders?
Count Stelter, when did this place beco unoccupied?" the Archbishop of Rune Temple turned and asked.
"Ten years... after my mother passed away, although my wife didn’t do anything, so old servants naturally withdrew from the castle.
The Cutna couple..." The Earl turned to look at his head butler, "I rember they moved to the city to live, right?"
"They opened a hotel near the port with their daughter," Ted answered softly.
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