After speaking, Elyon silently prayed that the others would opt for the knowledge exchange, given his financial state. By the looks of it, even the unassuming Mr. Scale seemed wealthier than him.
"What are these writings, Detective? They're so square, almost like bricks," Elizabeth inquired, feeling as though she had seen them before but couldn't recall where.
"Ah, those are characters from a long-extinct race of the Silver Age. I had a teacher who taught me some basics and tried to decipher them. I believe these characters contain important and secret information. I suspect major religious organizations or royal archives might have records of them, whether they can read them or not is another matter," Elyon explained, deciding it was best to claim they were from an extinct race. Claiming he was a time traveler would likely earn him a trip to a psychiatric ward, especially in his current attire.
The Silver Age? Drake mused. Wasn't that at least ten thousand years ago? That era supposedly had ancient dragons, orcs, elves, and dwarves. Humanity only declared dominion over the world after the Silver Age ended, and historical accounts from that period were vague.
Though intrigued, Drake was too busy avoiding naval pursuits and scrambling for control of the seas to delve into it. He'd have to look for clues on the open water.
"Go ahead, Mr. Scale, tell us about your quandary."
"Religion. As you all may have surmised, I am a clergyman. You're aware of the current state of religion in Dunland, right?"
Elyon pondered for a moment before responding, "Are you suggesting that religious control in Dunland is too strict, and most believers are being exploited?"
Martin fell silent, then spoke with a hint of embarrassment, "I hate to admit it, but many of my brethren have forgotten their mission and failed to bring fairness and kindness to the world."
Religious issues, Elyon thought. Wasn't there anyone to reform them in this era? He mused aloud, "Tell me, what are your views on deities? How do you perceive the divine?"
Martin was the first to respond, "A mighty, sacred being leading us lost lambs to the right path."
Elizabeth added, "A benevolent, holy existence that bestows food upon us and shields us from darkness."
Drake, who had little faith in deities, as most pirates either scorned or were indiscriminately reverent, spoke, "A powerful existence. The might of the gods can move mountains and fill seas."
Elyon looked at the three and smiled, "Mr. Scale, even among just the four of us, there are four different interpretations of what a deity is. So why should the interpretation of godly scripture be monopolized by a few? In my eyes, deities are just incredibly powerful superhumans. I believe from the Golden to the Bronze Age, many gods have fallen and many have risen. In the end, gods are not omnipotent or immutable. Otherwise, the three of you wouldn't be here. I suspect, aside from me, the three of you are significant figures. To gather you from afar, Mr. Administrator must possess power or ability not inferior to the gods."
The orb remained unresponsive, glowing silently above.
"Cough, so your first step is to seize the right to speak, to snatch the interpretation of deities for yourself. Why should a regional bishop claim that taking a tenth of your believers' property is the will of the gods? I'm not familiar with your religious structure; could you give me a brief explanation?"
Martin pondered, "Most religions are led by a pope or patriarch, but often they stay in the Holy See and don't emerge. Daily decisions are made by a council of senior cardinals, but they too mainly work within the Holy See. The preaching of doctrine and baptisms are delegated to regional bishops in golden robes, and taxes and daily prayers are further delegated to parish priests and bishops."
Elyon critiqued the system, "So the upper echelons do nothing, while the middle and lower echelons have usurped divine and fiscal authority. No wonder the system is so deformed."
"Then it's simple," Elyon continued, turning to Drake, "Mr. Sailor, you must be the most seasoned adventurer here. Could you tell us about the strength or destructive power of a demigod?"
Drake, pleased to be acknowledged, felt it was time to share some experience with the young ones, "You're aware of the superhuman ranking system, right? The lowest level is an Awakener, like Miss Rose here if her awakening is successful. They would have enhanced physiques and begin to sense the magic within them. If they further enhance one of their five senses, they become an Awakener, just the lowest tier of superhumans."
Elyon realized he was at least an Awakener, on par with his own father.
"Most people never advance beyond Awakener. Above that are the Adept and the Super-adept, who have their own active abilities, distinguished by the strength and number of those abilities. If low-tier superhumans are just a stronger version of the strongest humans, these middle-tier superhumans have truly transcended humanity and started on a non-human path. They can easily take down a squad of soldiers on their own in a surprise attack or irregular battlefield."
Drake thought about his elite sailors and most of the ship's officers at this level. Without a backbone, a pirate king wouldn't dare attack armed merchant ships or treasure ships with just a few vessels.
Martin interjected, "Most of our church bishops are at this level. I've seen one perform a holy rite."
Drake cleared his throat, "Above that are the Spirit and the Saint, who can leave their bodies as spirits and create magical and runic artifacts. They have mastered magic to the point of infusing their power into compatible objects."
Clearly confident, Drake must be a Spirit or Saint himself, Elyon thought, like the vampire who had given him the glasses.
"Above them are the Demigods and Angels. They have begun the journey towards divinity, each with their own title and significantly reduced side effects from using their powers. They're beyond the reach of ordinary armies, and even the coastal fort cannons of Bruge or Luke would struggle to inflict such damage. I once witnessed the wrath of a demigod, an admiral of the Bruge navy. He was on vacation on a yacht when it was ambushed by three pirate ships. In less than five minutes, all three ships and hundreds of pirates were feeding the sharks."