A gentle shoulder-to-shoulder trade with a hooded figure—John barely noticed the person slipping away into the crowded market. Usually, such bumps were common in places like this, but this one felt too deliberate. It became obvious when John realized a piece of paper was now in his hand as if it had been quickly torn and handed over.
He carefully unfolded the paper, but what he saw shocked him.
He couldn't read it.
It suddenly dawned on him that the language in this world was not the same as his. He had been understanding the people around him without realizing they weren't speaking English. He wasn't speaking English either. This was Eyrish—the official language of Eyre. According to the lore, the roots of this language came from across the sea, evolving over time until it became what it is today.
"What does it say?" The maid's voice cut through his thoughts.
"....." He turns to her with a perplexing expression. "I can't read.."
"..."
John felt her gaze drilling a hole through him, and he could only look away, embarrassed by something he couldn't fix. He wished the author had just used English like any normal person would.
"Abandon church, Duke Tudor, before midnight," the maid read aloud.
That's what the scribbled words meant. John guessed it was a meeting place, but it could be something else entirely. Given the context, it was most likely a rendezvous point. Maybe Reeva had arranged some shady dealings before he was beaten by Klad.
"Abandon church" was clearly a location, and "before midnight" was the time. But why was Duke Tudor mentioned in the middle of the message? With little context, John couldn't figure out what Duke Tudor had to do with any of this.
"What do you think this is?" John asks, sounding the maid's opinion is a good idea since a 3rd circle mystic is likely to know some of this sneaky stuff.
"A meeting place for heretics."
"Sure looks like one." John agrees
An abandoned church at midnight screamed bad news. It was a bold place to meet, a setting straight out of a dark tale. Their sins might just send them straight to the lowest layer of hell if there was one.
"Should I contact the church?"
"Let's do that."
John wasn't an idiot, why risk his life for no reason? The place could be swarming with all sorts of heretics. He'd let the church deal with them.
Another option is to not go altogether, however he was curious as to what dealing the past Reeva has made. And it's better to clean it up before it came back to bite him in the ass.
John and the maid made their way to the nearest church, a tall stone structure standing mighty against the backdrop of the industrial city. Unlike the surrounding buildings, this place looked clean and well-kept, its architecture distinct among the compact structures of the city.
Each district had a church, with the central one near the Royal capital. This one was located in Duke Tudor's territory. There was a saying, if you wanted to know what the lord was like, look at the church. Most of the time, if the church was thriving, so were the people around it. In a world where divine power was real, the protection the church offered was equally tangible.
"I didn't think we'd meet again so soon," John said as they entered.
"Me neither," came the reply, as a familiar young man greeted them with a warm smile. He had changed from his usual suit into a white priest's robe with golden trim, adorned with the signature sun torch symbol. It was clear from a glance that he was a Sun Priest.
"Let's get straight to the point," the blonde-haired boy said. "After discussing it, we'd like you to act as bait."
"What?"
John's mouth dropped open slightly. He hadn't expected this. They hadn't discussed it with him.
"It's exactly as I said. You go, we lure out more of them, and catch them all. I'll be there with two other priests—should be enough to capture the heretic. Unfortunately, no divination priest was available at that time, but before he left, he divined that there would only be one heretic," Plutus said with a righteous tone.
"100 Stac," John replied with his usual deadpan expression.
"...." Plutus was momentarily stunned. "Um... The Sun Church would be grateful if you did this."
"I'm putting myself in danger, and I have a hundred stac to my name right now. If something goes wrong, I need compensation," John pressed. He knew the priests wouldn't dismiss him so easily. The Sun Church had a reputation to uphold. If they didn't treat him with respect, it would compromise their authority.
"Are you doubting us?" Plutus's voice carried a hint of anger, interpreting John's words as disrespect.
"No, I'm just ensuring my safety and asking for a fair price."
"You people..." Plutus looked like he was about to lose his temper, but before he could, John stepped in with a compromise.
"But I'm willing to negotiate. How about 50 Stac if nothing happens and a hundred if something does?" John mirrored the tactic Plutus had used earlier. The priest recognized the ploy, glared at John, and retreated inside.
The church could easily produce 100 stac, but they'd rather not. That money could be used to raise their own mystics—or, as they called them, priests. And having an extra mystic was always helpful.
"So, is he a priest or a duke's son?" John asked the maid.
"Both. Duke Tudor's second son was born with the gift of light, and the church was more than willing to invest in him. He reached the 2nd circle last year, at the age of 14."
An audible gasp escaped John. According to the novel, the protagonist, Klad, was just reaching the 2nd circle at 15. Reaching it at 14 was the mark of a true prodigy.
Advancing in mysticism required rare materials, tightly regulated and nearly impossible for commoners to obtain.