Gwenvair’s eye’s rose at that but she nodded in agreement, “Yes. It is not a growth skill.”

“Thank you. Please continue,” Joe replied.

Gwenvair nodded and moved on, “Other than these things, little is known about the skill itself. It was studied significantly, long ago, since many wished to understand or exploit it, but it is as simple as one expects of the skill.

“As for the temples tracking their members, the temples receive reports from the system every morning when an individual makes a significant achievement, such as gaining a job. Only those of each temple are known and the knowledge and reports are not shared between temples. Control is not…”

Gwenvair dropped off, looking around before grimacing slightly, “Let’s wait to continue until our food arrives. I can place a privacy shield for our room once it is here and we can continue.”

Joe smiled and nodded, “This seems acceptable, but I believe this proves the point of what I was speaking of earlier. Speech should not be hindered.”

Gwenvair chuckled and shook her head, “The powerful would not like it.”

“You would be surprised how much they would like it if they understood the benefits.”

Gwenvair’s eye’s rose at that, “Really? Can you explain?”

Joe, Gwenvair, and to a lesser extent, Kilniara, dove into the topic of free speech and its benefits in society. They enjoyed a meaningful and deep conversation for about twenty minutes before their meal arrived. The meals were quite extensive, with more side dishes and little extras compared to their previous meal here, but Joe didn’t make any comment on it, maintaining their conversation while the waiter laid their food around them on the table. Once the water was done, he turned and slipped from the room before closing the door. Joe didn’t redirect the conversation, all three still speaking animatedly on the idea of rights and specifically that of free speech.

While the conversation continued, Gwenvair placed a small crystalline structure with a core deep inside into a pedestal in a small recessed hole in the middle of the table before emitting some mana at it. It immediately began to glow slightly and the … atmosphere around them seemed to deaden. Joe didn’t know what it was, but it was certainly interesting. Quite a bit different from Kukurnal’s? Seems… higher quality? He was distracted for a moment before returning to their conversation. They continued for another ten or so minutes, eating slowly while they did so. The food was extremely delicious and Joe found himself curious to know more.

“It’s so… good. I don’t understand why it’s so good here, but the inns … why … just a good chef?”

Gwenvair smiled and Kilniara replied easily, “Good chefs help, always, but it’s the high quality meat from Great or Master beasts. The meat of such high quality beasts is incredibly delicious.”

Great… mast… oh! What… two? Or is it three… maybe four core? Not sure, but… ok…

“So, monsters with…”

Kilniara quickly grimaced, Gwenvair also showing revulsion as Kilniara interjected quickly, “Not monsters. They … never eat monster meat. It is… very dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“Hmm… it can corrupt and turn you into a beast, or even a monster yourself.”

Joe frowned at that, “Really? You’ve seen this?”

Kilniara frowned in reply, shaking her head, but Gwenvair interjected bluntly but with distaste, “I have not seen such, but there are those amongst cousins in other clans who speak of it.”

“Oh… OK. Then… beasts… not monsters. What is the difference?”

Kilniara smiled up at him, “Monsters have cores. Beasts do not.”

“But then how are they considered Great or Master level? Don’t they need a core to…”

“Do you have a core?”

“Do I? I don’t know.”

Gwenvair boggled at that while Kilniara giggle, shaking her head, “No. No, you do not, Joe.”

“OK? So… beasts grow in power without a core.”

“Yes. They maintain control of themselves and often live as simple beasts without concern. They grow in power slowly over time, similar as we do, but do not become rabid and attack others, unless it is simply in their nature to do so. Then, they hunt similar to other beasts that hunt as predators.”

Huh… so… grow slowly… stay just animals… stronger… but animals… grow too fast… become monster? Rabid? So… mana poison? Maybe? But…

Joe was pulled from his thoughts when Gwenvair continued, “That is why the adventurer’s guild is famous for their food. They often offer tasks to adventurers to hunt beasts to keep this restaurant running.”

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“Oh. Ok… I guess that makes sense. They offer many tasks?”

Gwenvair nodded while she ate another bite, “Hmm… Beast hunting… pest clearing. Such things as this.”

“Pest clearing?”

Gwenvair looked up from her plate, “Yes, such as killing goblins or other small monsters that might plague a small village or a road nearby.”

“Huh. How do they prove it? Bring in the cores? But… cores don’t often drop.”

“Not cores, but… something else. Goblin kills are often proven by bringing in an ear or a hand.”

Joe struggled to keep his face calm from the macabre detail and nodded, “That seems to make sense.”

Luckily, Gwenvair had her face down picking at her next bite to eat and she simply nodded, “A simple but powerful proof.”

“Yeah,” Joe trailed off at that, falling silent.

His meal was done, but the other two were still eating so he waited politely until they both finished their meal. With that, Gwenvair quickly settled herself, prepared to begin their discussion.

“This has been… fun… and enlightening. I have truly enjoyed our conversation.”

“We can continue!”

She smiled, “Let me finish my report first, lest the time slip from us.”

Joe smiled at that and nodded, “Seems smart. Please continue.”

Her smiled brightened at that and she began again, “Ah… we were speaking of the temples, yes?”

“Yes, their control, specifically.”

“Ah. Right! Control of the temples rests in the hands of the greatest job for each temple: the Pope.”

Joe blinked at that, confused a bit, but then realized it was likely the closest name to a highly placed hierarchical priest job the auto language system could think of. He shut his curiosity down and continued to listen to Gwenvair.”

“… ope’s control is absolute, the Pope rarely exercises it at anything below an Abbot as most below Abbots have no control of any temple or meaningful land owned by the temples. In essence, the lower clergy of the temple are largely ignored and left to their own devices. But if they wished to control, they could do so by sending the militant branch of the temple to take control of those who fail to sufficiently submit to the pope.”

“So someone is sent to… what?”

“Whatever is demanded.”

“What, specifically?”

“Hmm… I did not research that specifically, apologies.”

“Ahh… I understand.”

“I can give you some examples I know of or heard rumors of?”

“Sure.”

“The harshest and easiest is to kill or imprison. Others are simply warnings or excommunication. Things such as that, but I can give very little beyond that.”

“Excommunication?”

“Their job is removed and they are forced from the priesthood.”

“Oh. Huh… OK. That makes sense. You can continue.”

“I don’t know of much beyond th…”

“Ahh… sorry. I meant you can go to the next thing.”

“Oh! Heh! Thank you. Sorry, I misunderstood you.”

Joe smiled softly, “It’s all good. I’m not bothered at all.”

“My thanks. Then… um… oh! The job change skill. To get the job change skill, honestly, I would advise simply becoming a monk. If possible, you could try your luck at cleric or chaplain, but these are much rarer to acquire and more difficult. Monk is easier to get as a job. Then, it is simply a matter of growth in that job.

“As for criminals, I’m … loathe… to speak of this. Are you a criminal? Do you intend to help criminals?”

Joe quickly nodded, “I’m no criminal. I can show you my job status if you wish. Nor do I have any desire to seek out criminals or lead them or any form of uprising or some such thing. The criminal status is simply very unusual to me. As I said before, it is very unusual as compared to my plane, and I have no desire to become a criminal and would like to guard myself against that.”

“Oh! I see. Then the simple answer to this is to refrain from criminal activities such as thievery, murder, smuggling, assault, and such. Do not do so, and you will be free from criminal jobs. The well-known criminal jobs are criminal, minor criminal, and major criminal. Under these are various criminal jobs, such as those I listed before.

“On the whole, priests are not allowed to change criminal jobs. If they do so, they will be punished and fall into apostasy, becoming dark priests. Once a dark priest, they cannot change their dark priest job back to their priest job unless they receive the blessing and acceptance of a high level clergy in their temple.

“Now, some priests have been coerced or fall into apostasy for love of friends or family, and have freed their friends or family of criminal jobs. A criminal freed in this way is freed back to citizen status and may return to common life but they do so at the sacrifice of the priest and his job.”

“Hmm… then criminals have their job changed when they commit the crime?”

“Yes.”

“You are certain.”

Gwenvair paused at that, her eyes narrowing, “Yes?”

“Have you heard any rumors or news offering … something else?”

Gwenvair remained silent before speaking, “There are always rumors, but they are just that: rumors.”

“Would you mind telling me of them?”

Gwenvair thought, “I can, but I did not… seek out rumors as I was certain you wish for solid information.”

“I do, but rumors are rarely purely false.”

Gwenvair smiled, “Unless they are started by your enemy.”

Joe laughed at that, shaking his head, “Aren’t all rumors against one’s self false attacks by an enemy?”

Gwenvair’s smile grew into a grin and she chuckled throatily, “I see you know the truth.”

Joe grin turned sardonic, “Hmm.”

Gwenvair smiled as well then nodded and continued, “There are many rumors surrounding the criminal class. There are rumors that the nobility can free criminals or that …”

“Nobles cannot absolve criminals of their crime?” Joe interjected quickly, surprised.

“No.”

Joe settled back in shock, “Wow… ok. That surprises me.”

“You believed such a rumor?”

Not a rumor though… system said it’s possible, so… “It seemed an obvious skill or ability for a noble to have.”

“Sadly, no.”

“Hmm… what other rumors are there?”

“That criminals are controlled or created by the nobility. That nobility can assign criminal status to a person or that admitting guilt causes you to become a criminal. I could … I could speak even more on the many rumors, but… they are… unfounded and not meaningful to explore.”

Joe frowned at that, thoughtful. Some way to get at this… ooh!

“Then, do you have courts of law?”

“Courts of law? What’s that?”

“Hmm… maybe that is … it is a system by which those who are believed to have committed a crime are tried and tested to see if they have committed that crime. If sufficient proof or evidence is given, then they are deemed criminals and punished for their crime or sometimes offered a chance to rehabilitate.”

“Rehabilitate?” Gwenvair rolled the word in her mouth even as the mana condensed and sent a shockwave out, informing her of the definition, “such a strange word… and strange practice. Interesting, but no. Criminals are defined by their actions and their actions are what makes them criminals.”

“So you have never seen or heard of a person who has done something… obviously criminal, but they do not become a criminal?”

“No. This does not happen.”

“And yet, we began our conversation with the observation that the powerful often do wrong.”

Gwenvair smiled sadly, “But as you observed, power protects.”

“But then you have just admitted that simply doing criminal activity does not make you become a criminal.”