Chapter 31 | The Church

Theo spent almost twenty minutes checking out the sub-quests. There was a wide range of activities: crafting, assassinations, area takeovers; there was even a quest called [Procure Strategic Ally] with an enigmatic explanation.

[Procure Strategic Ally]

[The Southern Lands are home to hundreds of thousands of humans; to stop the unending Bandittide, you will need those qualified by your side.]

[Find the Ally 0/1]

[Secure the Alliance 0/1]

[Reward: 2% participation points. A new quest.]

Hmm… If it’s going to give me a new quest, this should be another main character, right?

Then there were the more generic sub-quests.

[Provide Supplies (Repeatable)]

[The knights of the realm are a pivotal force in this war, but look, and you might just see how poorly equipped they are.]

[Provide Supplies 0/100]

[Each type of supply will grant a different amount of supply points.]

[Rewards: 0.1% participation points.]

This one supply quest had several different variations, with each one corresponding to different factions.

[Eliminate Bandits (Repeatable)]

[The Bandittide is forming; the bandit lords are gathering their henchmen around them. Give them the time they need, and they will become a force not to be trifled with. Squash them.]

[Eliminate Bandits 0/100]

[Each bandit gives a different amount of points depending on their importance.]

[Rewards: 0.1% participation points.]

Alongside these, there was Establish Locus, which asked him to secure and fortify certain locations shown on a map.

Assassination, which asked him to take down certain named bandits without being detected, which stacked with the repeatable Eliminate Bandits quest.

Engage On All Fronts, which necessitated him and his “allies” to launch coordinated attacks on the enemy.

There were several other quests, ranging from defense or offense to auxiliary quests.

He would later more carefully inspect these and decide on what course to take with each one. But for now, he was standing like a madman in the middle of the courtyard, all by himself.

Seeing that as an opportunity, Theo decided to have a talk with the pastor. He was done with the day’s work at Mr. Filip’s place, so he could have a little chat with the man. Now that it seemed he would get involved deeper and deeper into the situation, learning more about the local religion was a no-brainer.

Crossing the courtyard, Theo pushed open the ornate wooden double doors. The hinges creaked as Theo stepped inside. The mosaic stained-glass windows kept out the light, so the opening of the door caused the afternoon light to seep into the dimly lit church. There were two rows of pews lined up, reaching further toward a singular lectern.

“Um… Hi?” Theo called out. His voice echoed as he slowly closed the doors behind him. When he did, he realized how dark it truly was. He looked around and noted the ceiling to be dotted by countless luminescent white spots.

The Star Lady, right.

It was an imitation of the night sky. And although it was crude, it was still a beautiful sight.

“Oh, young man. Sorry for not noticing you. Things are a bit hectic, as you might have guessed.” Theo heard the gentle voice of the pastor down the aisle. He came out of a door down the far corner of the church. A friendly smile hung on his face, his hair slick from sweat. “Apologies for my unsightly appearance. Some of the pews were broken, and I was trying to repair them. Why has Her Ladyship brought you here?”

“Reverend.” Theo addressed the man. He waited a split second for him to react, as he wasn’t sure if that was the correct title. Once he got a nod, he continued, “I grew up in the Dragon’s Rest and have only left my village recently. This is the first time I’m seeing a church of The Star Lady. I wanted to learn more.”

“Oh, from The Rest you are, young man. Come, come. The Star Lady blesses those who want to learn.” The pastor wiped his forehead with a little napkin and walked down the aisle with short but fast steps. “Beware the planks; I’m still using those.”

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Theo looked down and indeed noticed there were some wooden planks strewn around. He jumped over them and followed along. They went through the door from before, where Theo found himself in what he assumed to be the living quarters of the man. There was a bed, and a desk with some papers and books strewn around. There was a pew with one leg broken, probably the one he was trying to fix.

“Sorry for the mess, young man. I didn’t catch your name, by the way. You may call me Reverend Luis, or just Luis.”

“I’m Theo, Theo Robbins.”

“Oh, I see, young Theo. I have heard your name from some villagers before.” The man beamed with happiness. Theo was almost blinded by how welcoming he was.

“Really? Who?”

“Some were in the confessional. Thus, Her Ladyship doesn’t allow speaking of the exact people.”

“…Huh.”

Theo raised a brow. If it were a single person, he would have probably assumed it was Mr. Willson or Mr. Filip. Though, the alchemist didn’t exactly seem the type to visit the confessional.

Who the hell is confessing about me? What the hell?

“Anyway, young man, you said you want to learn more about Her Ladyship, did you not? Do you have any particular questions?”