Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 604 Is your intelligence too outdated?

He seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just shook his head and turned to look at his followers:
"In any case, since we've already come to Castel, let's act as guests and take this opportunity to see the believers. We've let them down too much."

The priests in the Silent Church wanted to say something, but when they heard Ignati mention the church's believers, they all fell silent.

The believers of the White Raven Kingdom made the greatest sacrifices.

They lost their land and were forced to wander in the North, driven away by various lords. They finally managed to gather a resistance army, only to be abandoned by the Church.

No matter how many reasons these priests had, they all knew they owed something to the believers.

The church failed to protect its people, and all they could do was perish with the White Plague. If Nora had not found Castel as a home for the resistance, the believers' future would have been bleak.

The priests in the sanctuary were truly filled with remorse, so much so that they felt it would have been better to die in the fog.

No priest could refuse the reason of “going to see the believers.”

Besides, the priests in the Silent Church actually harbored some resentment.

Ignatius held a high position in the church, and they had not wasted their time; they had made many efforts.

But in Nora's words, all these efforts were meaningless, and the church was merely repeating past sacrifices over and over again, which deeply stung the priests' hearts.

They also wanted to prove themselves to some extent. The church might have gone down the wrong path, but it wasn't entirely meaningless, was it?
After all, everyone was truly determined to make the sacrifice.

Their will was denied, and they naturally felt resentful. Even though Nora spoke highly of Castel, they didn't really believe her.

Moreover, it is said that this Earl Hughes was also a border earl.

The border lord, they had met him before.

Bazel is an example. Although he has some skill, he lacks some foundation. Can a lord like that really manage his territory well?
Perhaps it was just good luck that they discovered some new technologies and took advantage of the chaos to find a safe haven in a corner of the world.
Nora was the youngest of the buried ones, having only undergone the ritual a few years prior and lacking experience, so she was likely deceived.

Whether Castel is truly a home for refugees remains to be seen.

The priests had no ill will toward Castells, and the expeditionary force had healed them in any case. They had also heard about Count Hughes's campaign with the resistance in the North for Nora's sake.

Even if the facts don't match what Nora said, the priests still intend to do their part here—they are certainly capable of it, after all, those standing here are the extraordinary beings of the entire Silent Sanctuary, even the Candlelight Church can be confronted head-on.

The Imperial Army of the Empire was driven out by these priests themselves. Whether it is a secular war or a supernatural confrontation, the Silent Church is not afraid.

Well, since Castel is an island, it must have had dealings with the beings in the sea, right? Whether it's the remnants of the Church of the Sea God or the pirate king of Gem Bay, the Silent Sanctuary can lend a hand. Although they may not be able to gain an advantage on the enemy's home turf, it's still necessary to show their stance.

The Silent Sanctuary had been researching how to deal with the White Calamity and hadn't paid much attention to the Imperial coast. After the Empress's assassination, they abandoned the North and went to the Imperial territory, before even the sea had dried up.

After arriving in the Empire, their intelligence sources mainly relied on the Candlelight Society, which deliberately concealed a lot of key information. As a result, their understanding of Castel remained stuck in the past, and even after making special inquiries, they only had a lot of scattered information.

And they didn't really care. The buried people's concept of time is a little different from ordinary people. Their eternal life makes them easily overlook the changes around them. Things that happened a few years ago? They seem no different from yesterday.

How much can change in just a few years?

The priests of the Silent Church quickly reached a consensus: they would accompany Ignati on a tour of Castel.

As for how to treat Count Hughes and Castell in the future, let's see how things develop.

"Gentlemen, now that you are all awake, why don't we get some tests done to facilitate the next treatment?" Ricci said, seeing that they had reached a consensus, and then went into the room.

“No need for that, Mr. Richard.” Ignati rubbed his head. The knowledge that Gwen had shoved into him with the flail was still there, mainly some basic information, such as Richard’s name.

"The damage we suffered was to our souls, caused by the characteristics of the Temple of the Forgotten. We can discuss that later. In any case, we have no other injuries."

“Is that so?” Richard glanced at the faint bloodstains visible in Ignatius’s white hair, and his eye twitched.

"Don't worry, these are just superficial injuries. They won't have much of an impact on the person being buried and will heal quickly." He touched his forehead, his eyes squinting in pain.

The buried ones then noticed that they all seemed to have some injuries on their heads, and it goes without saying who was responsible for them.

—Gwen was still holding the flail, eager to try it out.

"Yes, thank you, Ms. Gwen. We wouldn't have woken up without your help. Wow, you have a strong grip."

"Fortunately, it's something I developed from doing farm work. I can come to you anytime I need treatment," Gwen said with a smile.

For some reason, she no longer felt the nervousness and unease she had felt when facing Ignatius, the patriarch of the Silent Church, even though he was the one she had grown up listening to stories about since childhood.

Perhaps their relationship naturally improved after he hit them on the head with the flail.

Hmm, the incense burner in the Silent Sanctuary has the effect of enhancing friendship. Gwen silently kept this in mind, secretly glancing at Nora wearing a helmet, wondering whether she should try it later.

"Hello, hello, I'm Nini, a journalist and an honorary member of the Knights of Castel Hospital. When the female demons' warband arrives, I'll take you on a tour!" Nini enthusiastically squeezed into the room, shaking hands with seven people at the same time as she entered the crowd.

Ignati held the tip of her outstretched tail and gave it a polite shake, his face expressionless.

But the reactions from other members of the Silent Sanctuary were much stronger.

They initially looked at Nini warily, but soon covered their foreheads, revealing fear.

It wasn't that Nini attacked them; it was mainly that Gwen had just instilled the idea that "banshees are good people and good banshees" into their minds.

(End of this chapter)