Rein thought for a moment, then quickly nodded and said, "I'm very honored, then I'll trouble you."
His purpose for coming to the church this time was to seek support from the church.
However, he hadn't expected to receive a personal audience with the highest official of the County Town church—Bishop Shion.
Because Rein was considering his imminent bloody duel with Baron Norman, he temporarily didn't want to be distracted by dealing with the Black Flame Cult.
And in the County Town, if he could get the support of the Goddess Church, it would mean his family's safety was doubly ensured, which would relieve some of his worries.
After all, in matters of mysterious curses and the like, the Goddess Church's protective and responsive measures were much more adept than his own.
Watching Rein and Rudolph's departing figures, many young temple knights and guards in the front yard of the temple whispered amongst themselves:
"The Guardian of Black Flame, tsk!"
"It seems that we have never killed such a high-ranking member of the Black Flame Cult, have we?"
"Yes, it is said that the strength of the Guardian of Black Flame is even above that of a Peak Knight?"
"This young man's strength is too strong!"
"Rein? The one who's been the talk of the town, Baron Norman's opponent in a duel?"
Clearly, as followers of the divine, church people understood better than outsiders the true value of killing a Guardian of the Black Flame... and the extreme difficulty involved.
Although these words also faintly reached the ears of Rein, who was departing, because the feud between him and the Black Flame Cult had become irreconcilable, Rein wasn't too concerned about whether this news leaked out or not.
Soon, Rein arrived at the central area of the temple, which was a tall and magnificent hall with high vaulted ceilings adorned all around and at the top with various bas-reliefs and murals deeply related to the Goddess.
There stood an elderly man dressed in a water-blue robe with coarse golden trimmings, holding a staff, smiling kindly at Rein as he entered the hall.
The man's hair was graying, suggesting great age, yet he appeared very spirited.
Rein raised his eyebrows slightly and proactively stepped forward to greet him, "Bishop, it is an honor to meet you."
"Hello, my child!" Bishop Shion approached amiably and gave Rein a gentle hug.
"I've heard from Rudolph that you killed a Guardian of the Black Flame Cult. Child, whatever you require, feel free to ask me."
Rein was not dealing with the Goddess Church for the first time; he was already aware of the situation in the Dragan Empire, where imperial authority and divine authority were exercised in tandem, although, under the current circumstances, imperial authority was somewhat stronger.
But with the status of a bishop, his standing in the entire Meister County could be said to be second only to Earl Habs, the Governor; and even when it came to eradicating cults, the bishop's opinion carried more weight, which was also a kind of tacit understanding between the empire and the Goddess Church.
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For such an important figure to be willing to meet with him was far better than Rein had anticipated.
Originally, he merely wanted to mention the matter to Rudolph, whom he was familiar with, and incidentally gain favor with the church, but he hadn't expected to directly attract the attention of the County Town Goddess Church's Bishop.
Since the Great Personage had initiated the conversation, Rein thought it appropriate to make a suggestion at the right time.
"Bishop, it is my unquestionable duty to slay cultists. However, I am a bit worried about the safety of my family in the County Town. As you know, some of the cult's sorcery is unpredictable and difficult to guard against."
"Haha, so you're worried about that. Rudolph, arrange for two temple guards to go to Rein's mansion later and set up a Divine Arts array—'Detect Evil.'"
"Once the array is triggered, the temple will sense it here, and then we will be able to quickly dispatch church forces to help," said Bishop Shion, turning to talk to Rein.
Rudolph timely added, "Lately, there have been many mysterious and cult-related incidents, which have involved a lot of our manpower. Otherwise, we wouldn't have sent only two temple guards."
Rein nodded in understanding.
Furthermore, having temple knights stationed in his mansion all the time would actually make him feel a bit uncomfortable, almost as if he was being given undue attention—after all, each temple knight possessed the strength of a formal knight, which would be more suitable if he were an earl.
"By the way, there has been a lot of buzz in the County Town these past few days, saying that Baron Norman is seeking a bloody duel with you. Child, do you need the church to intervene and negotiate on your behalf?" Bishop Shion said, remembering something and offering help proactively.
"Thank you for your concern, Bishop. My confrontation with Baron Norman is inevitable, and I am looking forward to this duel," Rein replied.
"Well then, may the Goddess protect you. Child, this is a Silver Conch Medal from the Goddess Church, bestowed to those who have made outstanding contributions in driving out evil."
"Considering your battles with the cultists, both previous and recent, I think you have ample reason to receive this medal." As Bishop Shion spoke, he took from a tray held by an attendant beside him a medal the size of a child's fist, shining with a silver glow.
There was an exceptionally clear conch pattern on it, lifelike!
"Thank you, Goddess, and thank you, bishop!" Baron Rein carefully accepted it and wore it on the inside lining.
"Baron Rein, please keep this medal safe. In any place within the empire, as long as there is a temple of the Church of the Sea Goddess and the monsoon, you can seek and receive help."
"Additionally, this medal has solidified a Divine Art that detects evil. When evil approaches, it will vibrate slightly to warn you," Rudolph explained at the side.
Rein nodded and gave Bishop Shion a slight bow again to express his gratitude.
"Furthermore, considering you will soon be facing battle, I have a blessing from the Goddess, which might be of help to you," Bishop Shion said to Rein, smiling.
"A blessing?" Rein was taken aback, but Rudolph at his side was giving him meaningful looks, signaling Rein to accept it.
Rein thought it over and nodded, saying: "Then, I am in your debt, bishop!"
Originally, Rein was somewhat wary of such blessings from gods, but then he thought that his system seemed able to absorb the energy from both the blood-red crystal and the black crystal alike.
So, a blessing from the Goddess should also be a form of energy, right?
As the high-pitched chanting rang out, the bishop with greying hair looked at Rein, raising his sceptre. A blue light grew stronger and more brilliant, and the next second, a blue glow enveloped Rein.
A cool and mysterious energy seeped into Rein's body in streams and strands.
A system prompt immediately followed:
[Ding! Detected a presence of massive unknown absorbable energy nearby. Absorb? (Note: After absorption, it can be converted into specific Professional Experience Points.)]
Rein felt an inexplicable joy in his heart!
In his heart, he silently chose "Yes"!
Subsequently, the blue energy was quickly absorbed.
[Ding! A total of 1976 supernatural experience points converted, please choose Knight (Transcendent) / Wizard Apprentice (Transcendent) / Beast Tamer (Transcendent) to enhance.]
This trip to the Church of the Sea Goddess was certainly worth it.
But... on which Transcendent profession should he use it?
This suddenly put Rein in a difficult position.
Because adding it to any one of the Transcendent professions, he would receive the reward of rising one level only.
At the same time, in a study of Earl Habbs Mansion.
"What? Giovanni died in battle?" Alonso stood up abruptly upon hearing the news, questioning with a shocked face.
"Yes, according to the report from the spies, it was witnessed firsthand. Rein killed 'Beast Rider' Giovanni in battle," Butler Michel said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Just moments ago, when he heard this news, he too was astounded. Everybody knew that as head of the Brotherhood of the Wilderness, Giovanni not only helped the Blackflame Cult but also handled many difficult affairs for many nobles within County Town.
In the upper echelons of Meister County's society, the 'Beast Rider' was very well known, but it was such a man who was slain on the spot in a one-on-one fight by Rein.
"Are you sure no one else helped?" Alonso still found it hard to believe and asked again.
"Positive! The spy was very clear, it was one-on-one. I too have repeatedly confirmed this," Michel nodded, affirming it with certainty.
Alonso paced with a frown, and after several seconds as though realising something, he quickly gave orders:
"Notify Baron Norman immediately, tell him this news, and see if he needs any assistance. If we can help, promise it on my behalf."
"At once, my lord," Butler Michel said, bowing slightly and quickly leaving the room.