Chapter 410: Luca Bruste

The next morning, Rekton changed into modern scholar attire, a pair of decorative brass‑frame glasses perched on his nose, a bound parchment volume cradled in his hands, and walked along the streets of Inpas City opposite the Pas River Valley.

This area is occupied by the local warlord Mei Sangyesi and is also a native power supported by the Knowledge Church and the Spiritual Cultivation Sect faction led by Pu Langke·Aiges.

Because of the Knowledge Church, the indigenous residents here are noticeably better educated than elsewhere; besides Dutan, most also know Luen, and some common phrases of Tindis, so communication barriers are minimal.

In the sky, a glossy jet‑black raven circled and landed on Rekton's shoulder, while the surrounding pedestrians seemed not to notice the scene, offering no curious glance.

The raven Anu pressed its head to Rekton's ear and asked softly:

"Boss, where did that fat rabbit go? I haven't seen it in ages."

"I sent it to the Nature Chapel on the Harvest Plains to deliver a message for me, and to ask how to act as a Harvest Priest; the demon elixir it took hasn't shown any digestion progress yet."

Rekton answered casually, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Ahead of him, in what looked like an open plaza, an elder clad in a plain white robe embroidered with brass threads was lecturing children and youths seated in neat rows.

Most of the audience were youths around ten to twenty years old, with some near‑middle‑aged or already middle‑aged individuals, whose attire indicated they came from modest families.

Children from lower‑class poor families and middle‑aged people seeking knowledge to secure better jobs attended. The venue seemed makeshift, more like the bishop taking spare time to tutor willing children, gradually drawing more attendees.

The overall atmosphere felt out of place for the Southern Continent. Rekton sighed inwardly and quietly moved aside.

Without waiting long, the Knowledge Church bishop announced the end of the day's lesson, and the listeners, who had been quietly attending, hurriedly left, apparently to attend something important.

"They still need to work or return home to help their parents with labor; finding time to attend my lecture is already difficult."

A somewhat aged yet unusually gentle voice sounded.

Rekton turned his head; the Knowledge Church bishop was approaching with his own textbook in hand, his hair completely white and neatly combed, and striking gray‑green eyes. Rather than a bishop, Rekton thought he resembled a kindly yet somewhat stern, old‑fashioned university professor.

"Good morning, Bishop Bruste."

Rekton chuckled lightly and greeted him.

He was the Knowledge Church cleric in charge of Xibailang affairs, also a demigod and a bishop of the Knowledge Church.

"Good morning, Mr. Tains, I have received the divine decree and will cooperate with your actions in Xibailang."

Luca Bruste smiled gently; his tone remained steady, giving a bureaucratic impression.

Without waiting for Rekton to ask, he continued on his own:

"The Spiritual Cultivation Sect has fractured again; under the saint Pu Laku·Aiges, a faction advocates developing the Southern Continent, strengthening themselves, and gradually shedding colonial status."

"This is where we first tried cooperation; the results are fairly good. The locals no longer reject foreign faiths as before and largely accept the spread of knowledge."

Rekton nodded lightly; he had already learned this from Mr. Pu Laku. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Besides the official forces of Luen and Tindis in the Pas River Valley area, are there other native powers intervening?"

Luca Bruste chuckled softly and said:

"Each warlord here has a backing faction; Tindis and Luen are merely the most visible and fiercely contested two."

"Besides them, the Highland Rebel Army, the Spiritual Cultivation Sect's 'Royal Faction' and 'Artificial Death God Faction' also meddle in the situation here."

"There are also Followers of the Primal Moon, led by a mad servant of the Evil God; they reject all factions and are rejected by all in turn."

During the conversation, the two approached the Knowledge Church; the prayer area in the hall was small, while the rest was filled with bookshelves and rows of long tables and chairs, resembling a library more than a chapel. Beside them, Luca Bruste noticed Rekton scanning the surroundings and smiled casually:

"After receiving support from Mr. Pu Laku, many more people chose to study here; the remaining space in the chapel was far insufficient, so I rearranged the layout."

Rekton nodded lightly. Indeed, the Knowledge Church—such a move would be considered blasphemy in other churches; the hot‑headed elders might have sent the person straight to a tribunal.

The two casually found seats and sat; Rekton looked around and indeed saw many people quietly reading.

In front of each were at least two books: one a dictionary translating Dutan and other languages, the other the actual text they were reading.

Rekton examined for a moment, then withdrew his gaze, his right hand resting on *Grosser's Travels*, gently tapping its brown‑yellow cover as he mused:

"They are reading books introducing the nations of the Northern Continent; are they planning to go north later?"

"They are members of the merchant guild founded by Pu Laku·Aiges, primarily trading between the Southern and Northern Continents."

Luca Bruste nodded lightly and added an explanation.

Rekton nodded in understanding, then changed the subject:

"For large‑scale dissemination of knowledge, the church's manpower here must be insufficient, right?"

Luca Bruste gave a slight nod, a troubled expression appearing on his face; this was his concern.

Deploying personnel from Lunbao, Ma Xi and elsewhere is clearly impractical; the Knowledge Church, due to its unique nature, is always short‑staffed, and sending too many to the Southern Continent would provoke overreactions from the Storm Church and the Eternal Blazing Sun Church.

Rekton leaned back slightly, resting against the chair, a hint of a smile at his mouth, and said, "I can summon a group of Knowledge Rabbits; though they're a bit dim‑witted, they can simply copy books, write books, and monotonously repeat explanations of knowledge without issue."

"Knowledge Rabbits?" Luca Bruste was slightly startled; he was naturally familiar with such knowledge‑pursuing spirit beings.

After a moment's thought, his voice grew serious:

"Summoning spirit‑realm beings also has limits; even weak Knowledge Rabbits require some spiritual essence and cannot be summoned by ordinary people, and one person can only summon one spirit at a time."

"Do you intend to promote that new system in the Southern Continent now? It will draw all factions' attention to us."

"Anyway, it's only a matter of time, right?"

"Moreover, this system belongs solely to knowledge; we don't mind sharing it with other sects."

Rekton chuckled lightly in response.

Luca Bruste lowered his head at the words; his gray‑green eyes flashed a silvery white, and after a moment he said gravely:

"I will support your decision."

"You, I, and the cooperating Pu Laku·Aiges make three demigods; as long as no angel intervenes directly, there will be no major obstacles."

Rekton gave a gentle nod, not lingering on the topic, and instead asked about the Moss Ascetic Order.

Luca Bruste recalled slightly and said directly, "You can ask Mr. Pu Laku·Aiges; he seems to have some cooperation with the Moss Ascetic Order."

"I have seen his assistant before; he is most likely a member of the Moss Ascetic Order."

(End of Chapter)