The mercenary band's members occasionally came to make conversation, but most of it was casual stuff. They were just soldiers for hire after all.
Nearing Vexis, Lorn, once again, noticed the giant wall. He made a few guesses as to how tall the walls of the Capital would be. Maybe it'd be twice as tall. Since Belo's wall was 10 meters tall, Vexis would be 20 meters. What greeted him, though, was a 40-meter-tall monstrosity.
40 meters wasn't short. It was basically the same as a 12-story apartment. And to build something like that all around the city… Lorn couldn't help but wonder at the possibilities of magically created structures.
Entering the inner city, Lorn's curiosity was sated. Although most of the buildings were still the rectangular in shape, there were some that were definitely made with the help of magic. Various combinations of shapes filled the city, giving Lorn a feeling that he really was in a fantasy world.
He also noticed that some of the materials here were different from the ones on Earth. Some wood had different colors or patterns to them, while some metals had a magical luster to it. The diamond armor on Hegel was another example of that. Even if this was a fantasy world, there was no way the people here made armors out of diamond. In the first place, diamond isn't even that useful as an armor. It's hard to scratch, but it's much more brittle than steel.
But Hegel's armor could definitely take some punishment. Lorn wasn't sure since he wasn't paying that much attention to the shining knight, but he was sure the armor was more elastic than it was unbreakable. Blows bounced off it sometimes and swords got stuck on random parts of it.
Lorn wanted to ask Hegel himself, but after he asked Sybil about it, she explained that it was rude to ask about others' skills and equipment.
And sadly, she was also unfamiliar with the shining material. She only made a guess that it was blessed somehow.
The group parted ways with the mercenaries when they reached the inner city.
They then headed to where they were staying in the city, after which Sybil led Lorn to the Manipulator's guild. There was no time to waste.
The Guildmaster in Vexis was a bald black man in his thirties. He had a gentle, religious air about him, wearing a loose priest-like robe. He also wore a necklace with a crescent motif in the middle, so it wasn't so odd for him to actually be a priest. Lorn wondered how he became a Guildmaster. He had religious connections, and he was very young.
"Welcome, guest from the otherworld."
"It is an honor to meet you, Guildmaster Lucas."
"Please," he waved his hand. "Call me Lucas."
"Of course."
"I hope you didn't find it too troublesome to come here," Lucas continued.
"Some problems occurred, but we overcame them thanks to the guild's help."
"It was nothing. A few coins to hire a few mercenaries."
Lorn decided to cut the chit-chat.
"I've learned something worrying today. There are other Undying who know about the advantages of Spirit Bonds."
Unexpectedly, Lucas did not react much.
"Are you aware of it already?" Lorn asked.
"I've heard the story from Sybil. About how you two managed to discover the benefits accidentally," Lucas said. "Truth be told, I did not expect to be able to keep the secret for long. It was only a matter of time before someone else discovered it."
"I suppose. It's not like making a Spirit Bond requires that much effort."
"Yes. Sure, people tend to avoid it because it's hard to get rid of later on, but there are many in the world who have the irresistible urge to experiment."
"…"
"But I'm not so disappointed. It just means that things are going to be the same as always. The guilds and clans will try to hire the best recruits and train them. In the future, the recruits will pay back the guilds what they owe and continue the cycle."
Lorn didn't know what Lucas was trying to say before, but hearing the last bit, it clicked.
'Sybil and I received some pretty big things from the Manipulator's guild on the promise that Spirit Bonds would be monopolized by the guild.'
"We were thinking of searching for methods to severe Spirit Bonds," Lorn said. "It's why we went on the journey in the first place." He then noticed Sybil's lips pursing slightly at that. "I'm sure the other guilds will realize that soon enough, but it wouldn't hurt to get a head start."
Lucas shook his head, gently smiling. "I've checked into that already. The closest is a stationary Divine Trial in the Sun Land that allows its victors to choose their rewards. It's currently under the control of the One Emperor's Authority, meaning it's impossible for any guild or even country to monopolize it.
"I've also heard rumors of a paired Trial that allows for Spirit Partners to sever their bonds… though the information's not concrete nor trustworthy," he finished. "But. You are misunderstanding me. I'm not asking you to pay us back for the relics and the benefits. Those things are meant to be distributed to our members in the first place."
"Then?"
"Try taking on the world for a bit," Lucas smiled.
As Lorn struggled to understand what the man meant, Lucas stood up and walked to where the tea set was stacked up, seemingly intent on making tea. It was an abrupt action. Also time consuming.
Lucas pulled out a kettle, poured some water into it, and flicked some of his spirit into the water. A hissing sound came from the kettle. While the water heated up, Lucas ground tea leaves.
Lorn was perplexed by the sudden decision, but he kept his questions inside.
Sounds of boiling water came from the kettle.
Lorn thought Lucas would mix the water with the tea leaves next, but the latter only stood silently near the water.
"It must cool down," he explained.
Lorn looked at Sybil, and the two shared a look. Sybil shrugged after a moment and resumed looking at Lucas.
'Since we waited this much, let's just wait till it's over… Huh?'
Sybil's gesture seemed to mean that. Lorn, too, continued staring at the priest.
The water cooled down to a suitable degree, and Lucas poured it into the mug. He added the tea leaves atop it and slowly, torturously swirled it.
Finally, the tea was ready, and he poured them into cups.
He gave two to Lorn and Sybil, and sat before them once more.
"You two are too patient," Lucas smiled, sipping the tea.
Lorn felt a surge of annoyance, but the confusion prevailed.
"In that case, can you please get to the point?" he asked.
"Most people ask that 10 minutes ago."
"And do you answer them?"
"Only after I've finished making my tea."
"Just in time, then."
Lucas nodded. "What do you know about this symbol?" he asked, caressing the crescent on his neck.
"Not much. I know it's the main religion around here… but now that I think about it, no one really mentioned anything about it."
"It's understandable. By the Emperor's decree, no religion is to be forced upon others, and no religions believing in the All-seeing is to be created. Because of these decrees, most people are 'atheists', because they simply believe in the All-seeing.
"But, the Emperor did bless one religion," Lucas said, holding the crescent. "The Conduct of the Living, or more commonly known as the Crescent church… It's almost hard to call it a religion. It only has a few doctrines and even those can be summed up by two points. 'Master yourself, first and foremost' and 'Don't put boundaries on yourself'."
"They're admirable things to chase."