Chapter 64: First Contact

The man standing in front of George was very tall. Although no one knew the thickness of his soles, he was at least eight chi tall. His broad, fan-shaped shoulders and the two blocks of solid muscle pushing up his long robe completely outshined George, a Squire, in terms of visible physique. His skin was like red copper, and his hair was cut very short. The half-inch stubble looked like a layer of black velvet.

Below his shiny forehead were two very thick eyebrows. They cast two layers of shadows, making his already sunken eye sockets look even deeper and giving him a truly scary appearance. However, paired with his two eyes like cold stars, he showed a strange feeling. His lips, under his high nose bridge, looked quite thin, but they matched his slightly flat cheekbones perfectly. If you removed the difference in clothing, he would have been a perfect image of a Mediterranean sailor.

In George’s imagination, the High Priest of the Temple of the Lord of Justice should not be a kind old man who looked venerable, even if he was not. He should be a solemn and dignified judge. The former image was clearly influenced by some TV shows and modern churches before his transmigration, after all, a kind and venerable old man had a huge advantage in propaganda. As for the latter, it was a new image that changed through his continuous contact with this Temple. Of course, George would never admit that the image of Bao Zheng, a black-faced official, occasionally flashed through his mind, which was purely for comedy.

George glanced at the middle-aged man before him and did not know how to organize his words for a moment. The contrast and shock of his appearance alone would take some time to accept.

“Please, sit down!” Just as George was lost in thought, the other man extended his slightly rough right hand and spoke these strong and powerful words. Although it was just ordinary polite conversation, the military style of command and order hidden within it could not be erased.

Of course, in this era, such an army was rare besides the Knight Orders. Only the City Guard in George’s territory could do this. Even among many other territories, the other combat forces were top-notch, but even after four years of reform, they still lacked a certain spirit.

For George, who often rolled around in the army, such words felt especially friendly. He blurted out, “Did you serve in the army before, High Priest?”

“Yes! That was back when I was young. I have been away from it for a very, very long time.” The High Priest sighed with all his heart.

‘Young? And a very, very long time? No way, this High Priest does not look that old. Why would he make such an old man’s sigh? Although the lifespan of professionals extends as their power grows and aging slows down, this one with no wrinkles on his face does not look over fifty at all. Of course, if the other party was a Legend like Val Knight, then I would pretend I never said that. But according to the information George gathered from various channels before, this man should have just entered the Bronze Rank not long ago. Also, there was no news of him having bloodlines of other long-lived races.’ All kinds of doubts rushed into George’s mind at once.

As if he felt George’s strange and confused gaze, the High Priest first extended his hand to signal him to sit, then spoke: “Do not look at my current appearance. Actually, I am already over sixty years old. Maybe because I have not been in Nohan for long, many people think I am much younger. As for the reason I stay young, this is a secret. At most, I can tell you it has something to do with the Continent of Karatu in The East. Also, you are not a member of the Temple, so you do not need to call me High Priest. Just call me Mr. Virginia or High Priest Virginia.”

While saying this, he pulled his face, which showed no signs of age, and winked at George. He had none of the solemnity and steadiness a Temple High Priest should have. However, thanks to this, George felt that the slight sense of incongruity from before had lessened greatly. Then, in response to High Priest Virginia’s answer, he voiced his question: “Does the Temple of the Lord of Justice also recruit members from secular military organizations like general ones?”

“Oh! I think you misunderstood. When I was young, I served in the Hyacinth Combat Legion directly under our Temple. In a certain sense, the strength of our Combat Legion is not inferior to that of general Knight Orders! And we have a huge advantage when dealing with Evil creatures!” While answering George’s question, High Priest Virginia did not forget to promote the armed forces of his Temple.

“I see. But your Temple’s religious armed forces are really elite! However, the cost must be high. Did you receive enough commissions to suppress bandits?” Although he knew this was the norm in this world, George could not help but probe.

High Priest Virginia smiled and answered lightly, avoiding the heavy part: “Lord Bolerum, will you not sit down and talk? Is standing up to talk your unique habit?”

While saying this, he led the way, pulled out a chair, adjusted to a comfortable position, and sat down. Facing such a situation, George could not stand there foolishly alone. He followed the flow and sat down opposite High Priest Virginia.

“Before, when I heard the news that a Lord was going to establish a Tribunal within his territory and said he wanted to cooperate with us in this area, I always felt it was a huge joke.” High Priest Virginia said while pouring himself a cup of water, and at the same time, he gestured for George to help himself.

‘Does the development of the Temple of the Lord of Justice in the Duchy of Nohan not go smoothly?’ George, as if he had received important news, paused for a moment and even withdrew his hand that was reaching out to pour water. Then he asked tentatively: “Did no Lord cooperate with you in this area before?”

“Yes! Except for His Grace the Duke asking for our help when formulating the Articles of Agreement, no other Lord has made such a request. They trust the authority of individual Lords more. So, the deterrence caused by a single decision made by a Lord is a better choice for them to control the people.” High Priest Virginia did not hide his disadvantage in this area at all. It seemed he did not care about what impact this might have on future cooperation. He smiled bitterly and explained his analysis: “Plus, the military atmosphere here is strong, and some regulations in the army have become laws common in most territories. In a way, in Nohan, a capital city where commerce is not developed and the social structure is not very complex, such rough rules also seem to be barely enough.”

“Is it really okay for you to say this? Once these situations are revealed, it will likely put your Temple in a weaker position in future cooperation?” High Priest Virginia’s recent actions had left George completely confused.

High Priest Virginia put down the cup in his hand and said very naturally: “Is there anything wrong with telling the truth? Lord Bolerum, you could not have signed all cooperation agreements directly today, could you? I think what we discuss today is just a preliminary intention. A series of specific details might take a long time to discuss. From the information I have, Lord Bolerum, you will definitely collect enough data during this period. So, a few days of concealment might cause a greater impact on future cooperation. Since this is the case, we might as well be honest. At least, good credit cannot be bought with money.”

“I think there is more than just this reason, right? Since you are the Lord of Justice, should not fair, open, and just transactions and cooperation be in line with your Dogma?” George felt his understanding in this area should not be far off. At the same time, he wanted to dispel the sincerity card played by High Priest Virginia’s previous words.

“Hehehe! It seems Lord Bolerum has a somewhat biased understanding of our Dogma! But this is understandable after all, since you are not a believer of my Lord. Even among believers, those who truly understand my Lord’s path are probably a minority.” While saying this, High Priest Virginia let out a sigh, but it seemed the topic had gone off track a bit.

‘Oh! Is my understanding wrong? It seems that the Dogma of these Churches cannot be roughly understood just by reading a few books!’ George thought. Before his transmigration, even an old Testament could spawn many sects. In this world with a True God, even if no one could twist the grace of the gods at will, truly interpreting the details was not an easy task. ‘It seems I was a bit too confident in this aspect before.’ The sudden change in his mind, combined with the discovery that High Priest Virginia was going off-topic, made George ask while throwing out a bait: “Then, High Priest Virginia, can you explain the specific details of your Temple’s Dogma to me? I think if your sect has the opportunity to preach on a large scale in my territory in the future, as a Lord, I have a duty to understand it.”

“If that is the case? Then okay, I will use the example of our cooperation just now to explain. The key reason why we treat you this way now is that we have studied your performance after you took over the position of Lord in the past few years. In our opinion, you are a Lord who handles affairs carefully and considers things comprehensively. You also value intelligence collection and analysis and can filter out a large amount of useful information from it. Perhaps your position makes it impossible for you to set up a vast and detailed intelligence network. But for problems that are not difficult, such as the situation of our Temple, the risk of concealment is too high.” High Priest Virginia first said a bunch of words that seemed like flattery, then stated the opposite situation: “If it were another Lord, although my Lord’s Dogma makes us unable to lie, appropriate concealment would be enough to mislead the other party. Although we will not tamper with the documents signed later like a Demon, if the other party does not discover it, appropriate loopholes and gaps are also beneficial for the self-protection of our Church.”

George was truly shocked. He showed a strange expression and said: “I never thought you would be so cunning.”