Nobody seemed particularly interested in clearing out Murray's doubt. The seniors began to repeat what he had said to the rest of the trainees nearby. Snide remarks amidst wheezing laughter began to echo throughout the crowd. The only positive result associated with the humiliation was Mir's observation that the blatant disrespect seemed to emanate from disdain rather than malice.
And in retrospect, it made sense. These trainees were older than them by a year or two. But it hadn't been long since their entry into the Church's ranks. The factionalism hadn't embedded itself into them as deeply as it was present among the senior officials like Priests and Bishops. Being a new recruit, Murray wasn't a target they would go too far to harass.
The fat trainee from the bus pushed his way out of the crowd and poked the data terminal on Murray's hand.
"Read what's written on your license, junior. What does it say? Is it a license to enter the sacred ground or a license to enter the taboo zone surrounding the sacred ground?"
"The latter," Murray quickly replied. "There's a difference?"
This time a lot more trainees were listening closely to their exchange. So the wave of laughter that rushed through their small crowd was louder, loud enough to attract many curious eyes from the expansive entrance chamber. The fat guy was one of the rare few who held their composure.
"Of course there is. Taboo zone licenses are granted when the taboo zone surrounding the sacred ground contains resources as well, such as mutant creatures, relic sites, and the kind of unnatural environment that's usually found inside sacred grounds, most of the time deadly for humans and low level Transcenders."
"This is a green-grade sacred ground, right?" Murray said sheepishly. "Green grade ones don't have that kind of taboo zones, from what I can recall."
"That's right, they don't. Your license will only expire if you step inside the sacred ground. You can make a special request to the administrators while handing your license here, if you're that scared. This place is run by our own people. We can eke out certain benefits and privileges that other Transcenders don't get. Just follow us and observe what you can from the periphery of the sacred ground."
"Thanks a ton, Emil," Murray said wearing a relieved smile. The fat guy raised an eyebrow, clearly disapproving of the reply. Hastily, Murray corrected himself. "Senior Emil, sorry."
"At least you're not THAT dense," Emil said, glancing back at the other trainees who had already stopped focusing on them by now. In a low volume, he added, "also, take it as a piece of advice you didn't hear from me– don't try to get all chummy with anyone outside your faction just because yours is on the verge of falling off. Not every senior here is a paragon of virtue, unlike myself."
Murray looked a little dumbfounded as Emil joined the back of the crowd, leaving him and Mir to their devices.
"Seems like a nice guy to befriend," Mir said. "I have a little doubt about him being a paragon of virtue, but still a better character than his appearance suggests. Nice performance, by the way. You're insanely good at playing an idiot."
"You could've just said that I'm insanely good at acting." Murray didn't seem to appreciate the praise. "Let's not waste a second longer here. You heard Emil. It is indeed possible to not have your license used up as long as you stay outside the border of the sacred ground. That means you can follow us inside with no problem using the license Father Vincent lent to you for emergencies," Murray said, picking up his heavy bag.
"Speaking of emergencies, you have to watch out for unfriendly fellows once you're inside the Philosophy Corridor." Mir scrolled through his data terminal, speed-reading a thread in an obscure forum. "Apparently, you can end up among fellow explorers there by the merit of similar answers. The alienation ability of the sacred ground is extremely powerful. If you are put into the same part of the tunnel as someone with ill intentions, help won't reach you in time."
"Those senior trainees might not like me, but the factional dispute in the Church hasn't reached the stage where harming or killing members of other factions would be permitted," Murray said, his tone more hopeful than it should be.
"I wasn't referring only to your seniors from other factions." Mir shook his head, face grim. "Robbing and blackmailing lone explorers inside is a trending crime, especially in this sacred ground. There's even a rumor of a syndicate working behind the officials running this place."
"Humans and their ceaseless shittiness..." Murray began to curse under his breath as the two brothers approached the license registration booth. As it turned out, rookie transcenders requesting to be allowed to just watch from the entrance of the sacred ground was a frequent request, especially from trainee deacons. The man handling the registration didn't even look surprised. He did, however, ask to see Mir's appearance, suspicious upon seeing him using Father Vincent's personal license. A couple of photos of his face was recorded into the database for safety regulations.
Mir followed Murray into the Preparation Hall after getting his unique registration token. Here, they learned that all of their clothes, jewellery, and other possessions would be taken away by a team of assistants, leaving them to wear undergarments made from special materials issued by the Church.
"Please ensure that nothing of value is with you, in or on your body that can be detached easily. You'll be missing them if you enter the sacred ground carrying such items. Some of you may have special artifacts or equipment that can pass through the sacred ground's alienation ability. You are exempted from the rule. But if you are not certain about your chances, do not take the risk. We cannot find it back for you. It'll be lost to the void forever!"
Murray came out of the dressing corner a couple of minutes later, smiling strangely. Mir knew what he had done, of course. Murray's mutant ability had the function of a storage. The diary, alongside certain other things, had just been stuffed into the Spatial Pocket. Priest Vincent had verified the plausibility of this plan himself, assuring them that others with Murray's mutation used this loophole all the time!