In the southern district of the capital, the House of Mechanicals.

Since the last half-price sale, the sales at the House of Mechanicals had returned to a more mundane level.

However, it hadn’t dropped back to zero like before.

After all, following the sale of the first batch of goods, word had quickly spread among the upper echelons.

Some noble heirs from prominent families, intrigued by these newfangled devices, sent servants to buy one for personal use.

For some of these noble families, spending 100 gold coins wasn’t an issue; some even casually bought five or more units to take home.

Aside from the nobles, a few magic scholars also came by.

“This is definitely ‘Frostmist’ magic!”

Inside the House of Mechanicals, two middle-aged men dressed in gold-collared, silver-sleeved robes stood in front of a magical air conditioner, stroking their chins in deep thought.

One of the men had deep-set eyes, an aquiline nose, and wore round glasses, exuding an air of quiet elegance.

The other had long, unkempt hair, a beard covering his face, but it was arranged in a way that gave him a unique, almost artistic flair, reminiscent of a street performer.

“The power’s weak,” the bearded man muttered. “Even an apprentice magician would probably be stronger than this.”

The elegant man, with the round glasses, shook his head and replied:

“Fro, the strength doesn’t matter. What’s important is that this magic array can be activated or deactivated with a simple button, and even the intensity can be adjusted. In my thirty years of magical research, I’ve never seen such an engraved magic array before.”

Fro, the bearded man, lightly brushed aside the air conditioner's front blades, trying to inspect its inner structure, but couldn’t make out the details.

“Owen, what do you think? Should we buy one and take it apart? 100 gold coins might be a bit expensive, but how many magic items these days cost only a few hundred or thousand gold coins?”

Owen, the elegant man, nodded and adjusted his round glasses with his ring finger.

“This so-called magic air conditioner is definitely worth the price. But, compared to this device, I’m more curious about the person who created it.”

He turned around and looked toward the store clerk, asking,

“Will your bishop be coming today?”

Since the House of Mechanicals was affiliated with the Mechanist Church, and Karien, at present, held the title of bishop in the capital city of Adrie, the question was not out of place.

The clerk could tell from the men’s bearing that they were no ordinary people, so they answered carefully,

“Sir, our bishop’s schedule is unpredictable. We don’t know if he’ll come today, but perhaps you can ask our butler shortly.”

The “butler” referred to Achi.

At this stage, Karien had only two followers—Achi and Simon.

Simon was more of a business partner, and Karien kept a bit of distance from him.

Only Achi had Karien’s full trust, which is why he had been assigned the position of butler.

Just as they were talking, Achi had just returned after delivering a letter to the House.

As soon as he entered, the clerk informed him of Owen’s request to meet the bishop.

“Two of you want to meet the bishop?”

Achi scanned the two men carefully, then said,

“I’m sorry, the bishop has instructed that he does not meet with outsiders. If you have something to discuss, you can talk to me, and I’ll pass on your message.”

Owen and Fro exchanged a glance. Then Owen asked,

“Does your Mechanist Church have a temple?”

Achi paused for a moment before shaking his head,

“A temple? Our shop is the temple of the Mechanist Church.”

This puzzled Owen and Fro further, and they asked,

“Then where do you go to pray?”

Achi shook his head again, answering,

“Our church doesn’t require prayers. Working diligently and following the teachings of the divine is the best form of prayer.”

Raising an eyebrow, Owen replied,

“Your church really is quite unique.”

Achi smiled and said,

“I take that as a compliment. Would you like me to introduce our products to you?”

“No need. The two clerks already gave us a detailed introduction.”

With that, Owen took out two dark element coins and handed them to Achi, saying,

“Please bring us two magic air conditioners. Also, kindly pass on to your bishop that we would like to meet him.”

Achi took the coins, responding,

“We’ll have the air conditioners packed and delivered to your estate shortly. As for the meeting, I’ll pass on your request, but whether or not the bishop agrees to meet is up to him. May I have your names?”

With a polite smile, Owen replied,

“We’re researchers from the Galon Institute. You can call me Owen, and this is Fro.”

“Alright, I’ll make sure to pass on your message.” Achi wasn’t familiar with the Galon Institute, so he didn’t recognize their importance.

Once the two men left, Achi entered the back room of the House of Mechanicals, where he retrieved a sound-locking device given to him by Mr. Sixteen. He recorded their conversation and would wait until 9 PM for the device to be transported to Mr. Sixteen’s hands by the God of Mechanics.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

At Red Leaf Academy, in the laboratory.

Karien, who was working on improving combat suits, routinely received the sound-locking device that Achi had sent.

The sound-locking device was based on the earth element's “magnetic” magic and the wind element’s “echo” magic, created by Karien himself.

Its principle mimicked that of a tape recorder from a past life. Since it was powered by magic, Karien made several modifications, but the core function remained the same—though the quality was significantly lower, it was still clear enough to understand the content.

Karien pressed the play button on the device, and after listening to it once, he was stunned.

The man named Owen was Karien’s mentor from the Galon Institute.

He hadn’t expected Owen to take such a quick interest in the Mechanist Church and the magic air conditioner.

But considering Owen’s passion for magical research, it wasn’t surprising. Once he heard about a magic device that ordinary people could use, he likely couldn’t resist investigating.

It was possible that as soon as Owen bought the air conditioner, he’d take it apart to study its components.

However, Karien had added many meaningless circuits to the chips, so it wouldn’t be easy for Owen to figure them out.

As for the request to meet, Karien chose to decline for now.

It wasn’t because he had issues with Owen; rather, Karien didn’t want to involve people he knew too closely at this stage.

Opening the Mechanist Church in the capital was already a risky move.

Even if it failed, Karien planned to retreat after arranging things with his followers.

But once he involved people he knew, he worried about them being affected if something went wrong.

Moreover, his bishop identity could easily be exposed to familiar faces, especially given the way his voice and tone could be recognized despite the mask.

So, Karien had Achi pass on a polite refusal and continued his research.

After the House of Mechanicals gained some recognition in the capital, Karien suddenly received a large number of letters in response.

These letters came from the individuals he had sent promotional letters to about a month ago.

At the time, the Mechanist Church was unheard of in the capital, with no temples or anything to speak of. Naturally, those who received the letters didn’t believe them and simply threw them away.

Even when the House of Mechanicals opened its doors, Karien sent another round of letters, but only a few people bothered to visit. The majority dismissed it, believing it was a sham, using religion as a cover for fraudulent activity.

However, as the discussions about the magic air conditioners grew louder in the capital, even Professor Owen from the Galon Institute published an article in the official newspaper praising the air conditioners as a revolutionary invention.

This article quelled the public’s doubts about both the magic air conditioners and the Mechanist Church. People who needed cooling devices quickly wrote letters to the church, hoping to purchase one at a lower price.

After all, it was summer, and the capital’s population was dense, with many people needing such a device.

Most of these people had previously received letters from Karien, but by the time they had decided to make a purchase, the half-price sale had already passed. Even if they had managed to make it in time, there was no guarantee they would have been able to get one.

So, these people hastily remembered the letters from the Mechanist Church and wrote back.

However, by this time, the situation had changed.

Karien sent out a unified response to these letters.

The half-price offer was no longer available, as offering such a price would undermine the stability of the air conditioner’s market value.

But Karien couldn’t afford to lose these potential customers, so in his reply, he included a membership card.

“Silver Membership Card: With this card, you can purchase all items at the House of Mechanicals with a 10% discount?”

At 125 Red Maple Street, North District, the mansion of Count Goldblade.

Miao Lang, a tall, thin man with pale skin and a sinister gaze, held the silver-white card in his hand and chuckled softly,

“This is from one of my merchants. The Mechanist Church has been quite active lately.”

Across from him, an elderly man wearing a dark blue robe sat, his eyes lowered as he inhaled the steam rising from the stone cup in his hand. His voice was low and hoarse as he spoke,

“The Kingdom of Durant doesn’t forbid religious activities outside of the Dark Holy See. As long as the Mechanist Church doesn’t violate the kingdom’s laws, what they do is their own business.”

Miao Lang set the membership card down, a smirk tugging at his lips,

“The church seems quite open-minded. Aren’t you worried about these small cults growing and potentially stealing the position of your state religion?”

The old man’s expression remained unchanged as he took a sip from his cup, but it was too hot, so he set it back down.“To say that only shows your lack of faith in the divine.

“We of the Dark Holy See do not have the tradition of excluding others like the Light Church.

“The Holy See’s status as the state religion of Durant is not granted by the king.

“On the contrary, the king should be grateful that the God of Darkness is protecting the Kingdom of Durant.

“The king’s power is a gift from the divine!”

Seeing the old man become so preachy again, Miao Lang sneered, “Enough with the sermon. Bishop Muzan, it’s been over two months since I entered the city. The king has acknowledged my title as count, but when can the assets my late father entrusted to the church be returned?”

Bishop Muzan once again took the tea cup in his hand, swirled it lightly, and said,

“To reclaim the assets entrusted by your late father, you’ll need the token. Since Count Miao Lang has inherited the title, where is the token?”

A flash of anger crossed Miao Lang’s pale face as he replied,

“I’ve told you before, Horus killed my father and took all his personal belongings, including the token!”

Bishop Muzan remained expressionless,

“As I’ve said before, if it’s been taken, then go retrieve it. Otherwise, there’s nothing to discuss.”

Miao Lang clenched his fists, his bad temper flaring. He wanted to yell, but seeing that he was facing the bishop of the Dark Holy See, he had to suppress his anger.

“Since that’s the case, Bishop Muzan, what brings you to my mansion today? Are you here to mock me?”

Bishop Muzan slightly lifted his eyelids, glancing at Miao Lang, and a sinister smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

“Although I can’t give you your father’s entrusted assets, there is another asset that belongs to you. Would you like to claim it?”

“An asset that belongs to me?” Miao Lang asked, confused. “What do you mean by that, Bishop?”

Muzan set the tea cup down again, saying,

“Have you heard about what’s happening in the Northern Province recently?”

“Are you talking about the recently discovered ancient ruins?”

“That’s right!” Muzan nodded slightly. “The Holy See and the king are gathering people to explore the ancient ruins. Hidden within them are secrets of ancient magic.”

Upon hearing this, Miao Lang furrowed his brows and asked,

“You want me to go to the Northern Province to explore these ruins?”

“Not exactly!” Muzan responded,

“While Count Miao Lang holds considerable power, your personal magical abilities are somewhat lacking. The Holy See would like you to lead a military force to the northern border…”

“You’re planning for war?” Miao Lang’s frown deepened.

“You’re overthinking it,” Muzan replied,

“The ancient ruins are of great importance, and the Holy See is simply concerned that the Kingdom of Oroh to the north might take advantage of the excavation to seize control of the ruins. We need a military force to protect the site.”

Protect…

Miao Lang thought for a moment before responding,

“I’ll need to consult with His Majesty the King first.”

His title as count was granted by the king, and it wasn’t fully secure yet, so he preferred to follow the king’s orders.

Muzan opened a carved box and placed it on the table, saying,

“Please take your time, but if you go through the king, you won’t have the Holy See’s sacred relic.”

As he spoke, Muzan opened the box.

Inside was a small piece of a finger bone.

Miao Lang’s eyes widened, and he reached out to touch it with trembling hands.

Muzan closed the box with a smile,

“Is this something you’d like to claim, Count?”

Miao Lang’s eyes filled with horror as he lifted his gaze to meet the bishop’s. His voice cracked as he asked,

“What does the Holy See want from me?”

“Count, you’re being rather dramatic,” Muzan said slowly, as he closed the box and tucked it away.

“If you’re not willing to undertake the mission of protecting the ruins, then…”

Before he could finish, Miao Lang suddenly lunged forward, almost throwing himself onto the box. His voice was frantic,

“I agree! I agree!”

A wider, more disturbing grin spread across Muzan’s face as he released the box and stood up.

“You must understand what it means to hold the Holy See’s sacred relic.”

At that moment, Miao Lang’s eyes were wild, his hand trembling as he quickly opened the box again. He glanced at the bone, then hastily shut it.

Swallowing hard, he said,

“I understand! I understand!”

“Good,” Muzan said with a smile. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Count.”

Muzan placed his right hand over his chest in a respectful gesture and bowed.

Then, he turned to leave.

Just as he reached the door of the courtyard, he turned back and added,

“By the way, the tea is quite hot, Count. Be careful when drinking it.”

And with that, he left.