The next morning, Leyton, dressed as a modern scholar with decorative brass-framed glasses on his nose and a book bound in parchment in his hand, walked through the streets of Inpace City, across the Paz River Valley.
This area was occupied by the local warlord Mesagnes, and it was also the local force supported by the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom and a portion of the Numinous Episcopate led by Mr. Pulak Eggers.
Due to the presence of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the indigenous residents here were notably more educated than those in other places; besides the Dutanese, most of them also mastered some common phrases in Loen and Intis, so there wasn't much communication barrier.
In the sky, a crow with shiny black feathers circled and landed on Leyton's shoulder. The surrounding pedestrians seemed not to notice this scene at all, with no curious glances cast his way.
Crow Anu leaned his head close to Leyton's ear and quietly asked, "Boss, where did that fat rabbit go? I haven't seen it in a long time."
"I sent it to the Church of Nature in Harvest Plain to deliver a message for me. While it's there, I also told it to ask how to play a Harvest Priest, as the potion it consumed still hasn't shown any digestion progress."
Leyton answered casually, then suddenly stopped.
In front of him, in a place that looked like an open-air square, an elder in a plain white robe with brass threads woven into it was lecturing to children and young people seated neatly in several rows.
Most of the attendees were young people aged around 10-20, though there were also some nearing middle age or already middle-aged. From their attire, they did not appear to come from particularly wealthy families.
Children from lower-middle-class poor families, and middle-aged individuals who wished to acquire some knowledge to find better jobs. The setting looked a bit makeshift, more like the bishop was taking time out to tutor children willing to learn, gradually attracting more people.
"I always feel this style doesn't fit the Southern Continent," Leyton sighed inwardly and quietly walked to the side.
Without waiting too long, the bishop of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom announced the end of today's lesson. The previously quiet audience almost jogged away, seemingly having important matters to attend to.
"They still need to work, or go home to help their parents with some labor. It's already quite difficult for them to spare some time to listen to my lecture."
A somewhat aged but exceptionally gentle voice sounded.
Leyton turned his head to see that the bishop of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom had already walked over with his self-compiled teaching materials. His hair was completely white and neatly combed, and he had a pair of impressive gray-green eyes. Compared to the title of bishop, Leyton felt he was more like a kind yet somewhat stern and old-fashioned professor at a university.
"Good morning, Bishop Brewster."
Leyton chuckled as he greeted the other party.
The other party was a clergyman of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom responsible for West Balam affairs, and also a Demigod, a bishop of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
"Good morning, Mr. Tines. I have received a divine oracle and will cooperate with your actions in West Balam."
Lucca Brewster smiled gently, his tone without much fluctuation, giving a feeling of conducting official business.
Without waiting for Leyton to ask, he continued on his own:
"The Numinous Episcopate has split again. Under the leadership of the Saint named Mr. Pulak Eggers, a portion of them advocates developing the Southern Continent, strengthening themselves, and gradually breaking free from the colonial state."
"This is where we first attempted cooperation, and the results have been quite good. Ordinary people here no longer reject foreign beliefs as they once did; most of them tacitly accept the spread of knowledge."
Leyton nodded slightly. He had already learned these matters from Mr. Pulak. After a moment of thought, he changed the subject and asked, "Aside from the official forces of Loen and Intis, are there any other local forces involved in the Paz River Valley area?"
Lucca Brewster chuckled and said, "Every warlord here has a force behind them. Intis and Loen are just the most conspicuous and fiercely contending two on the surface."
"Besides them, the Highland Resistance, and the 'Royal Faction' and 'Artificial Death Faction' within the Numinous Episcopate, all interfere with the situation here."
"And the Followers of the Primordial Moon, led by that mad evil god's kin, they reject all forces and are also rejected by all forces."
As they talked, the two walked into the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. The area for prayer in the main hall was not very large; most of the remaining space was filled with bookshelves and rows of long tables and chairs, looking more like a library than a church.
Lucca Brewster, noticing Leyton's gaze surveying the surroundings, smiled casually and said, "After receiving Mr. Pulak's support, many more people are willing to come here to study. The remaining area of the church was far from enough, so I rearranged the layout here."
Leyton nodded slightly. As expected of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, such an action, if done in other churches, could be considered disrespect to the deity. The irritable brothers might have directly sent the person to the Judgement Tribunal.
The two casually found a seat and sat down. Leyton looked around and indeed saw many people quietly reading.
They each had at least two books in front of them: one was a dictionary translating the Dutanese and other languages, and the other was the book they were reading.
Leyton observed for a while, then withdrew his gaze, pressing his right hand on Groselle's Travels, tapping lightly on the brownish-yellow cover, and thoughtfully said, "They are all reading books introducing the various countries of the Northern Continent. Are they planning to go to the Northern Continent later?"
"They are members of the merchant association established by Mr. Pulak Eggers, mainly engaged in trade between the Northern and Southern continents."
Lucca Brewster nodded slightly, explaining.
Leyton nodded in understanding, then changed the subject:
"Spreading knowledge on such a large scale, the church's manpower here should be insufficient, right?"
Lucca Brewster nodded slightly, inevitably showing a troubled expression on his face, which was also what bothered him.
It was obviously unrealistic to transfer manpower from places like Lenberg and Masin to here. Due to its unique nature, the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom has always been short-staffed, and rashly sending too many people to the Southern Continent would also cause some overreactions from the Church of the Lord of Storms and the Eternal Blazing Sun Church.
Leyton leaned back slightly against the chair, a slight smile on his lips, and said, "I can summon a group of Knowledge Rabbits. Although they are a bit dull, simple copying, writing, and monotonous repetitive explanations of knowledge are no problem."
"Knowledge Rabbit?" Lucca Brewster was slightly taken aback. He naturally had some understanding of these Spirit World creatures that pursue knowledge.
After pondering for a moment, his voice became serious:
"Summoning Spirit World creatures also has limitations. Even weak Spirit World creatures like Knowledge Rabbit don't require much spirituality, and it's not something ordinary people can accomplish. Moreover, one person can only summon one Spirit World creature at a time."
"Are you planning to promote that new system in the Southern Continent now? This will draw the attention of all forces to us."
"Anyway, it's bound to happen sooner or later, isn't it?"
"Moreover, this is a system unique to knowledge, and we don't mind spreading it to other denominations."
Leyton responded with a light chuckle.
Lucca Brewster lowered his head upon hearing this, a silver-white glint flashing in his gray-green eyes. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "I will support your decision."
"You, I, plus Mr. Pulak Eggers, who we are cooperating with, make three Demigods. As long as no Angel directly intervenes, there won't be too much hindrance."
Leyton nodded slightly, not lingering on this topic, and instead inquired about information regarding the Moses Ascetic Order.
Lucca Brewster recalled briefly and then directly said, "You can ask Mr. Pulak Eggers; he seems to have some cooperation with the Moses Ascetic Order."
"I've seen his assistant before; he is most likely from the Moses Ascetic Order."