Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 609 Science is also a religion

It was in a nearby carriage where several technical priests from the Apostolic Nation were sitting. They were wearing insignia and priestly uniforms, which is why the girl recognized them.

But the two of them weren't praying; they were just quietly reading.

"Oh, those are people from Imperial Truth. Imperial Truth is indeed the church of Castel. You said they were praying?"

"Yes, aren't they looking through the church's sacred texts?"

The books in their hands were adorned with large church symbols and were indeed sacred texts. People of all ranks and status in the Church's Defenders often enjoyed flipping through a few pages when they had free time.

The sacred texts are always fresh and new, with new knowledge being added each time you look at them. People who don't read them often can't even keep up with the updates.

"It's a sacred text, but it's not exactly a prayer, or even a religious ceremony; it's just learning."

Nini's voice gradually lowered, and she suddenly froze on the spot.

If the doctrine of Imperial Truth is technology and knowledge, then isn't the act of learning itself a form of prayer?
They are truly studying the scriptures and practicing the doctrines; the believers' actions are exactly as written in the scriptures. Isn't that a legitimate religious ceremony?
If reading the scriptures is considered prayer, then to whom are they praying?

Nini hesitated for a moment, then opened the mind link and pulled Hughes into a private chat.

"My lord, I have a question."

"explain."

If learning can be considered prayer, then is science a form of religion?

"? 』

Does running a school count as missionary work?

'?'

"I suddenly had a feeling that Castells' true churches weren't those towering fortresses, but rather rows of schools."

"Uh, you're not writing reports anymore, you've switched to writing poetry? Good, then maybe your war correspondent group can be disbanded."

"It's alright, it's alright. Of course, the war correspondent group can't be disbanded. I'll hang up now, I'm very busy here. Goodbye."

Nini jolted awake, disconnected the telepathic link, and looked down at the burial man in front of her.

"You, um."

"My name is Jessica."

“Okay, Jessica, they are indeed praying, but unlike other religions, they are praying to themselves.”

"Pray to yourself?!?"

Jessica stared wide-eyed at Nini, not understanding what she meant.

"You see, isn't prayer about when we encounter trouble and hope for a solution?"

"Uh"

"These Castel people pray using sacred scriptures. After they finish praying, they will become stronger, have more knowledge, and then they will be able to solve their problems."

"."

"So this is also a kind of prayer, praying that you can become stronger, know more, and be able to overcome all difficulties—and then they will respond to their own prayers and really become stronger."

"The more sincere and diligent your prayers, the more you will receive a response; the longer you pray, the more knowledge you will gain, and knowledge is power, and everything will truly get better."

"You will never abandon yourself, you will always respond to yourself. That's what learning is all about. As long as you work hard, you will reap the rewards."

Nini crossed her arms and nodded seriously, "This is how the Castel people pray." Jessica nodded blankly. She seemed to understand something, but she also felt that more questions arose.

Not only her, but many others also heard the conversation between the two and all showed thoughtful expressions.

Ordinary people might just take it as a joke, but they are priests of the Silent Church, proper clergy, and they think about it more deeply.

Suddenly, a slightly hoarse voice rang out. Nini raised her eyelids and saw that it was Ignati.

"Knowledge is power? Indeed, knowledge comes with its own set of contaminants. If you stray from the right path, you will be corrupted and become stronger by coming into contact with contaminants. This is actually the extraordinary path."

Nini paused for a moment before realizing what he was talking about, and her eyes widened.

"There's a difference, isn't there? One grants real, tangible power, the other..."

“It is real power.” Ignati said in a deep voice, tapping the steel seat of his chair with a heavy sound.

“Steel, machinery, weapons, vehicles—which of Castells’ creations is not a manifestation of power? Why should a church be built of stone? I see this carriage as a sanctuary, where believers pray fervently, praying to themselves.”

Nini raised her eyebrows and carefully examined the man in front of her, as if she were seeing him for the first time.

This patriarch of the Silent Church is not to be underestimated.

I thought he would be so frightened by Castel's creations that he would faint, but it seems I underestimated him.

This person seems to have a keen eye for the essence of things.

He may not have found the right path for the church, but he was certainly a competent patriarch.

"We've arrived! Put me down!" Nora's shout rang out from behind them. They turned around and saw Gwen, who had been holding Nora on tiptoe, awkwardly pulling her hand back.

"Lady Nora was a little carsick, I wanted to let her get some fresh air."

"I don't!"

With a slightly screeching screech of brakes, the subway slowly came to a stop, then gradually reversed a few meters before coming to a halt at the edge of the platform and opening its doors.

"We've arrived. This is the airport."

Nini turned around, put the folded seats back to their original positions, and led the priests out of the carriage.

There were nearly a hundred priests in the Silent Church, filling two carriages, and that was even with many people curiously looking around and not actually sitting down.

After confirming that there were no more or fewer people, Nini led the group up the stairs to the exit of the net passage.

The hospital where I was previously located was in the core area of ​​Castel, within the fortress complex, and the entrance to the network tunnel was just a small open space.

The airport area here is located on the outermost edge of Castel, even adjacent to the northern docks. When Gwen summoned the Steel Ark, it was from here that the airship took off.

As the priests of the Silent Church stepped out of the network, their eyes lit up. It must be a train station, with a canopy providing shade, and the surrounding area was an extremely open plain. Looking into the distance, they could see the towering cluster of buildings in the core area, and there were clusters of densely packed fortresses.

"Did we come from that side? We've already come this far?!"

"It only takes ten minutes, which is much faster than a horse-drawn carriage."

"Do you remember what Nora said, that it only takes half a day to get from the North to Bloodharbor?"

"This is amazing!"

"Wait, didn't we come to see the airship? Where is the airship? Why can't we see it?"

(There will be another chapter later)
(End of this chapter)