Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 603 Nora's Questioning

"Patriarch Ignati, do you know my name?"

Ignati stared at Nora for a long time, as if he were seeing her for the first time. After a long while, he slowly nodded: "I know you, Nora. I know every one of the buried in the sanctuary."

His gaze fell on Richard and Nini, who was also outside the tent. It lingered for a moment on Nini's scaly snake tail before slowly withdrawing it.

"Since you recognize me, there must have been a hidden reason why the Holy Church abandoned the Resistance Army back then, right?"

Ignati raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but Nora interrupted him without hesitation.

"You don't need to tell me, I can probably guess. It's nothing more than sacrificing us to solve the White Disaster."

The man's expression darkened slightly. He didn't offer any explanation, but simply nodded.

“I am not blaming you—or rather, at least I do not intend to blame you here. Although you abandoned me and the resistance, you did not intend to live on your own. I also saw your previous attempt to perish together with the White Mist.”

Upon hearing these words, even Nini put down her pen and nodded solemnly.

The choice of the Silent Church may be laughable, the outcome may be laughable, but their courage should not be mocked.

As patriarch, Ignati abandoned everything worldly and led the priests of the sanctuary to perish together with the white mist, which can be described as heroic in any way.

And the extraordinary beings of the Sanctuary were even willing to follow him and give their lives.

"The Silent Sanctuary has always been inseparable from sacrifice. When the catastrophe came a thousand years ago, the Forgotten Sanctuary abandoned its people and responsibilities, chose to split the church, and hid in the White Disaster to escape. It was the sacrifice of the Burial Ones that allowed the people of the Bone Raven to survive and prevented the church from sinking forever like the Sea God Temple."

Ignati's voice was deep and resonant, and he spoke slowly, conveying a profound sense of strength.

"We are no more noble than our ancestors; we are still using the blood of those who buried us to buy a glimmer of hope for the people of the White Crow."

"That's the problem."

Everyone turned to look at Nora.

Nora's face flushed slightly, but she met their gazes without fear. She looked at the people in the silent sanctuary, her words tinged with anger.

"Our ancestors sacrificed themselves to ensure the continuation of the sanctuary a thousand years ago. Are we, a thousand years later, destined to sacrifice as well?"

Ignati frowned, somewhat puzzled: "What else?"

“I told you before, we’re in Castel. Do you know how long it takes to get from the North to Castel?”

"A few hours! Just a few hours! The railway built by the expeditionary force makes crossing half the empire shorter than going to the next town!"

“Castel solved the White Catastrophe even without you. No army could stop those hordes of bones, and even if you gave your lives, you couldn’t fill the hole of endless resurrection. But the expeditionary force managed to hold on with the help of the fortress!”

"Even if the expeditionary force doesn't have a way to solve the White Disaster, they can still escape this catastrophe by using airships—you haven't seen airships before, have you? Castel can already explore the skies, while we're still on the ground."

“Our chains are no different from those of a thousand years ago, our doctrines are no different from those of a thousand years ago, and our sacrifices are no different from those of a thousand years ago. Are we just repeating the past over and over again?!”

"Sacrifice is a noble thing, but is it really the right path to achieve everything through sacrifice?"

"Fellow countrymen, we were born on another land, where our brothers and sisters live, but now we can only gather in a foreign land. We have lost everything."

“We are not afraid of loss, we are not afraid of sacrifice, but now we have almost nothing left. I think the Silent Sanctuary has reached its most dangerous moment. We need to find a new path!” She gasped for breath, but her eyes shone with light. Looking at the people in front of her, she felt as if she had returned to that familiar land.

That land we can never return to.

Nora turned to look at Ignati, her tone softening slightly.

"Pastor, the buried ones theoretically do not die, but you are the only one who has truly lived through these thousand years. Can you tell me if the Holy Church has really made any progress?"

As Nora questioned him, the gravediggers inside the house all turned to look at Ignati.

Some people looked indignant, some were just confused, and most looked at him with pleading eyes.

The buried people hoped that Ignati would tell them personally that the sanctuary was not simply repeating the past.

They are not afraid of sacrifice, but they also worry whether their sacrifice is worthless.

Unfortunately, Ignati remained silent amidst the hopeful gazes of the crowd.

"Patriarch, long ago you sent me south to find a home for the people of the White Raven and an answer for the Silent Sanctuary, and this is my answer."

"This is Castel. Why not see for yourself this magical land?"

Nora's eyes sparkled.

She arrived on the island at almost the same time as Hughes. When she first arrived, it was just a desolate land.

Now, Castel is incredibly powerful.

“My fellow countrymen, go and see for yourselves, see Castel, the new home of the Bone Raven followers. The lord of this place, Count Hughes, has promised me that you may visit and even preach here as you please.”

The priests in the Silent Church exchanged glances, all seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Allowing them to visit is understandable, but allowing them to preach?
The priests of the Silent Church felt that allowing these church members to set foot in their territory was already quite lenient, considering that they had to negotiate and report in advance before entering the Candlelight Church's territory.

Allowing missionary work is beyond their comprehension, and Castells seems to have his own sect, doesn't he?

Is this lord insane?
Ignati turned to look outside the tent, and Richard nodded solemnly: "That's right, this is an order personally given by the lord."

“If you need anything, you can come find me, and I’ll show you around.” Nini, on the other side, eagerly raised her notebook.

"Please convey my gratitude to Count Hughes; he is a noble man." Ignati bowed slightly, glanced at the priests behind him, and then looked at Nora with a complicated expression.

“I’ll see it with my own eyes, Nora. I’ll see the answer you’re talking about with my own eyes.”

"Your Majesty, we..."

Ignati waved his hand: "It seems the White Calamity has been resolved, and the Holy Temple no longer needs me as its Patriarch. Nora is right about one thing: we need to find our own path. If all I can bring to the Holy Temple is sacrifice..."

His gaze flickered, and he suddenly looked at Nora.

(End of this chapter)