The carriage came to a halt outside the grand entrance of the cathedral.
Bairon alighted. Just then, another carriage passed in front of him.
Through its clear window pane, he glimpsed its occupant—a delicate mouth, golden hair tips, and a black veil.
Elizabeth Howard.
He had missed her again. Bairon massaged his forehead.
"Shall we go in, sir?" the middle-aged cleric said.
Bairon nodded slightly, and the two of them entered the church, walking past the prayer hall and into a lounge.
It was a cool, upscale resting area featuring a beautiful stained glass window.
"Please wait a moment; the priest will be right with you," said the cleric.
No sooner had he spoken than a middle-aged man, garbed as a priest and holding a letter, walked into the room, his face etched with a smile.
Bairon took a deep breath.
"The priest has arrived," the cleric exclaimed in surprise.
"Thank you, Joseph. You may rest now; I will take it from here," said the priest, patting the cleric on the shoulder.
Joseph performed the Church of Light's customary bow towards Bairon and then exited the room.
"Hello, Bairon Stewart. My name is Anthony Hank. I am one of the four priests of Saint Thane Cathedral. You may call me either Priest Hank or Anthony," he introduced himself.
He then placed the letter on the table. Bairon glanced at it, instantly guessing who its author was.
"Is what Joseph said true? Can you help me out of my predicament once you know what happened on White Gull?" Bairon asked.
"It's true, but more precisely, we'd like to propose a trade," Anthony replied, sliding the letter towards Bairon. "This letter is from Priest Matthew Hampton of Sailport."
So it was him.
Bairon was currently grappling with three predicaments: the shortage of gold coins, finding a cure for Greyscale, and the search for the Elf clan's Legacy Treasure.
The Church of Light couldn't offer much help with the shortage of gold coins; they themselves were lacking in that aspect.
As for the Elf clan's Legacy Treasure, it was doubtless stored in the church's underground treasury, but the Church of Light would likely never part with it for a trade—it was the very foundation of their influence in the Provincial Alliance.
That left the middle option.
Bairon recalled what Donovan Linton had once mentioned: that there were two known Greyscale survivors in San Sorus.
One was Mrs. Howard, and the other was a saintess of the Church of Light.
Understanding the dynamics, Bairon felt a newfound clarity.
However, this raised another question: what did the Church of Light seek to gain from what transpired on White Gull?
"What are the terms of this trade?" Bairon inquired.
"Wouldn't you like to open the letter and see for yourself?" Anthony asked, surprised.
"I trust Priest Hampton. He wouldn't speak ill of me in the letter," Bairon assured.
Unlike a certain woman, he added silently in his mind.
"Fair enough. Showing you the letter was only meant to facilitate a more honest exchange, but it seems that it's unnecessary," Anthony said, retracting the letter with a smile.
He then continued, "We didn't find the name of a passenger called Stephen King on the disembarkation list at San Sorus harbor from White Gull. Do you know where he might be?"
Bairon chuckled, "Priest, you've yet to state what this trade entails."
"Ah, I apologize," Anthony hastily corrected himself, then elaborated, "The trade is simple. You provide information about the whereabouts of Stephen King, and in return, I'll give you access to some crucial items belonging to a Greyscale survivor who resides in our church. From this, you may find some clues on curing Greyscale."
Mrs. Howard's artifacts... Bairon's eyes dimmed ever so slightly.
After a moment of silence, he finally said, "Stephen King should be en route to the Kingdom in the North aboard White Gull."
"We've gathered similar information from other passengers," Anthony responded, a smile playing on his lips. "However, that can't be, for he escaped from Rustburg."
The Church of Light knew of Stephen King's true identity?
Of course, they would, Bairon pondered; their central church was situated in the North.
But they were also wondering why Donovan had chosen to return to Rustburg.
Sorting through his thoughts, Bairon finally said, "He was taken there, bound, by White Gull's Captain Frank."
As to why he was bound, Bairon did not elaborate.
"How could this be…" Anthony was puzzled at first, but then, as if realizing something, he blurted out, "Damn it! White Gull is an asset of Rustwater Count! I should have seen this coming!"
Bairon allowed a small smile to creep onto his face.
Regaining his composure, Anthony took a deep breath and asked, "Mr. Stewart, how much do you know about Stephen?"
"Not much," Bairon replied.
"Matthew mentioned in the letter that you have awakened the Red Bloodline," Anthony suddenly changed the subject, touching upon the contents of the letter.
Since the topic of Bloodline had been broached, it would certainly also include the details of Bairon's duel with Lawrence.
Bairon was not fond of the feeling of being talked about behind his back.
His tone grew heavy, "He was quite thorough in his introduction, it seems."
"Matthew meant no harm; he was merely recommending an exceptionally promising young magus to the Church," Anthony explained.
"I have my doubts about that," Bairon said lightly, yet skeptically.
San Sorus was home to the most exceptional magi of the entire alliance; there were plenty of young magi with golden bloodlines as well.
Anthony's flattery was borderline disingenuous.
Of course, Bairon wasn't well-versed in the doctrines of the Church of Light; he didn't know if 'disingenuous' would be considered a sin.
"I'd like to take our trade to a deeper level," Anthony declared.
The new deal likely involved Donovan, but Bairon had more pressing matters at hand and didn't want to get entangled.
"May I assume that I have fulfilled all the conditions of the previous deal?" Bairon inquired.
"Certainly. Mrs. Howard's artifacts will be placed in your carriage when you leave," Anthony assured him.
"As for the new deal, let's hear it," Bairon exhaled in relief.
He was no longer a member of the magus guild; if Anthony reneged, Bairon's only recourse would be to file a complaint at the Civic Hall and wait, possibly for a protracted period, for a ruling. Fortunately, the Church of Light seemed to have some semblance of integrity.
"I would like you to capture Stephen," Anthony revealed.
Just as he suspected—it involved Donovan. Bairon shook his head, "I'm sorry, I have no plans to go to Rustburg in the near future."
"No, there's no need to go to Rustburg; Stephen has certainly fled from there," Anthony assured confidently.
"Are you certain?" Bairon drew a sharp breath. Donovan had escaped again?
"Yes. Just yesterday, a night raven from the North brought news that all those aboard White Gull, including its captain and first mate, had been hanged in Rustburg," Anthony said.
Frank is dead? Bairon's eyes dimmed slightly.
"I assume this is due to Stephen's second escape, which infuriated Rustwater Count, leading to the execution of everyone involved," Anthony continued.
"Sir, that concludes the intelligence we can offer. Will you accept this quest?" Anthony asked again.
"What can you offer me if I catch him?" Bairon asked, his voice tinged with anticipation. The Saint Thane Cathedral was rumored to house artifacts that even the White Tower coveted.
"We'll assist you in curing a Greyscale patient," Anthony responded.
"You have a cure for Greyscale?" Bairon was taken aback.
In his quest to treat Evelyn's Greyscale, Bairon had spent a fortune gathering information from special channels, and even the Church of Light had been said not to have a cure.
"But we do, though at a steep cost," Anthony said, his face twisted in what seemed like anguish.
That's good enough... Bairon decided not to delve into details.
"Is there a deadline for this quest?" Bairon queried.
"No, but my personal recommendation is the sooner, the better... After all, Greyscale isn't a disease that can afford to wait," Anthony advised.
Bairon wholeheartedly agreed.
...
Minutes later, Priest Joseph escorted Bairon out of Saint Thane Cathedral and arranged a carriage for him.
Joseph placed a small wooden box into the carriage, closed the door, and offered a courteous bow. "Safe travels, sir."
The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage began to drift away from the cathedral.
Inside the carriage, Bairon glanced at the wooden box at his feet and sank into deep contemplation.
It contained Mrs. Howard's heirloom.