Chapter 50: The Temple of Tel

George, Hiren, and Craig followed Knight Val up the stairs of the Temple of Tel.

“Good day, gentlemen! Is there anything we can help you with?” Before the group had even finished climbing the stairs, a servant in a white robe standing at the temple entrance asked kindly.

The young men had no experience with this, so they all turned to look at Knight Val. This made the veteran feel a bit awkward under everyone’s gaze. However, being an old hand from the battlefield, he quickly ignored their looks and calmly answered the servant’s question.

“Good day, believer of the Lord of Justice. We are knights and squires from the Bolerum Territory. Not long ago, on our way to Karada, we were attacked by priests of the Evil God. But they seemed to have chosen the wrong opponent and were ultimately punished by justice. Now, we would like to know what crimes this person committed. We also wish to comfort the spirits of those who died. If there are any survivors or family members of the victims, we hope this news will ease their sorrow a little and help them face their new lives ahead.”

Upon hearing this, the servant clasped his hands together and said: “May the departed rest in peace, and may the living be happy. Your good deeds will surely be blessed by the kind gods. Please go to the hall on the right side of the temple; that is the place specifically for handling such matters.”

While speaking, the servant pointed inside the door: “Do you see that fork in the path? Just turn right from there, and you will soon see a room with a counter. That is where they confirm the identity of the wicked one.”

Having received the information he wanted, Knight Val clenched his fist to his chest and said: “Thank you very much for your help. May the bright sun dispel the shadows hiding evil.”

The servant crossed his arms and returned the greeting: “It is my duty. May the law and justice protect people from barbarism and cruelty.”

Knight Val led the way, raising his right hand slightly to signal George and the others to follow. But his gesture was clearly wasted effort, because George and the other two were already right behind him.

After seeing off this group, the servant still stood at the temple entrance, facing outward like a doorman, waiting for the next visitor.

“I wonder if that person was a regular believer or a servant in training,” George suddenly asked, for some reason.

“That is hard to say. However, servants who are trainee priests have very heavy academic workloads. It is unlikely they would do this kind of reception work for a long time, of course, doing it occasionally is fine,” Knight Val said while stroking his chin. After a pause, he continued: “But this is the Holy Temple of the Lord of Justice, and the priests of the Lord of Justice are basically also Paladins. As for the servant just now, he was too weak, which basically rules out the possibility of him being a servant.”

George quickly gave Hiren a look, and the latter immediately understood and started flattering Knight Val: “Dad, you really have such broad knowledge.”

From the slight upturn of his lips, it was clear that Knight Val was quite pleased with such flattery.

Soon, the group found the hall with the counter on the right side of the corridor. Whether it was too early or for some other reason, the whole hall was empty. However, the receptionist at the counter was still sitting upright, looking straight ahead, as if completely unaffected by the atmosphere.

Seeing this scene, George couldn’t help but think in his heart, ‘If only the counter staff before I transmigrated were half as dedicated as this one. Even when there were people, some counter staff were lazy and ignored customers, let alone when there was no one.’

When the receptionist saw someone enter, he actually showed his signature eight-tooth smile.

But when Knight Val led the way to the counter window, the male receptionist behind the window asked in a gentle tone: “Gentlemen, is there any business you need to handle?”

‘Is this really a mobile phone service center?’ A herd of imaginary grass horses ran through George’s mind.

Knight Val waved to Hiren, who quickly handed over a cloth bag.

Knight Val handed the cloth bag through the window and said: “I want to know the identity and bounty of this evil priest.”

The front desk staff quickly took the package, opened it skillfully, confirmed the integrity of the head and the pattern of the evil symbol, and then put it into a basket to pass it to the back. At the same time, he explained: “This priest of the Evil God might not have a suitable bounty in the Duchy of Nohan, so we need to wait for a while. This will take about half an hour. During this time, you can rest on the rows of benches inside the hall.”

“That long, huh?” Knight Val thought for a moment, then unhooked the bag at his waist. He stuck his large hand into the bag that didn’t seem to match it and pulled out a linen-wrapped package. He shoved it into the window and continued: “Since we’re at it, please authenticate this one too. But remember to keep the rewards for the two separate. Don’t mix them up.”

“Sir, please believe in our professional skills; we will never make such a low-level mistake,” the staff member still smiled at everyone, but the smile looked a bit forced. It seemed Knight Val’s words just now were not very pleasant.

Knight Val turned to George and the other two and said: “Alright! Boys, let’s sit down and rest for a while. It looks like we will have to wait a while for the final conclusion.”

“Mr. Val, what did you just take out of your dimension bag? Was it your separate loot later?” George was interested in this.

Knight Val brushed off the situation lightly: “That’s right. That guy was so stupid that he was still lurking nearby, seemingly trying to gather information. As a result, after I found him, he became loot.”

This obviously perfunctory attitude made George dissatisfied, Hiren’s expression stiffened, and Craig’s pouting mouth could have held an oil bottle.

“My battle process is of no reference value to you. Now, just sit quietly and wait for the results,” Knight Val immediately put on a serious face.

The waiting process always felt long and hard. Hiren kept scratching his head and ears, Craig whistled lightly while watching Hiren’s actions, while Knight Val calmly closed his eyes to rest.

George, on the other hand, was observing the internal structure of the hall. This was completely different from the outdoor part. The flying buttresses and flying arches densely packed outside, which served as supporting structures, seemed like scaffolding that had not been removed, giving a skeletal feeling.

Inside, however, this structure could reduce the heavy walls to the limit, allowing various hollows to be carved out anywhere on the inner walls. This bright indoor space was difficult for buildings of other structures to match.

The internal structure of the building must have been designed as a whole. The circulating air formed a gentle breeze blowing out from the hollows on the walls. It gave a cool feeling without making a “whoosh, whoosh” sound to disturb others.

After seeing the internal structure and thinking about the outside situation, a relatively complete picture of the temple’s general structure formed in George’s mind. ‘Oh! Is it like this? Behind this appearance lies a fundamental change in the structural system. It has shifted from a system of overall force bearing relying on arches and domes to a system close to a frame structure. The parts outside the frame can become extremely thin, so walls can be omitted and completely filled with windows. Has the structural mechanics of this world reached this level? Before I came here, I could never have imagined it. Perhaps because this structure is not suitable for building defensive structures, its use is not widespread.’

When people are thinking, time always seems to pass very quickly. Suddenly, a middle-aged man in a white robe with a war hammer at his waist walked briskly into the hall from outside.

He came up to the group and asked: “May I ask if you are the heroes who eliminated those Goblin priests?”

Knight Val opened his eyes, stood up, and said: “If no one else comes out to claim credit, I think it must be us. So, who are you?”

“I forgot to introduce myself. I am one of the deacons here. You can call me Priest Gavin. This is not a suitable place for conversation. Please follow me. And sir, you are truly humorous.” The man then made a welcoming gesture.

Knight Val did not object, and the four of them left the hall where the business was being handled under the man’s guidance. Passing through a corridor, the group arrived in a much smaller room. However, the furnishings here were much better than in the hall.

A large round coffee table was paired with back chairs with cushions. Silver tea cups were taken out one by one from a cabinet by Priest Gavin and placed on the table. Then, he poured a tea-brown liquid from a kettle into the cups. The collision of the liquid and the cups formed a layer of fine foam on the surface.

Knight Val sat down first, picked up a cup, and took a sip, then frowned. Seeing his expression, George and the other two pulled their hands, which were halfway to the cups, back. They then looked at Priest Gavin with wary eyes, while the latter looked confused. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

“This must be a mixture of milk and some herbs, right? The taste is actually quite good, but unfortunately, I can’t tell what herb it is,” Knight Val’s explanation made the tense atmosphere in the room disappear instantly.

Hiren complained: “Dad, don’t always scare us like this. It made us overly nervous.”

As soon as Knight Val finished speaking, George took a cup and tasted it carefully.

‘Wow! This taste seems very familiar. I seem to have drunk it somewhere before, and not just once.’ A strange feeling suddenly arose in George’s heart.