My setting is above yours!

Chapter 52 Nobles, Welfare Homes, Child Labor (4k4)

They were everywhere in the churches and in the hands of nobles with inherited traditions.

Ron's furrowed brow immediately relaxed.

I knew it... How could a mere Sequence 7 potion's auxiliary materials require the so-called "Sage's Shroud"?
If the [Death] sequence truly requires this kind of potion material to advance to sequence seven, then it's simply unimaginable that this sequence hasn't been severed yet...

As one of the orthodox churches, the Church of the Lost naturally needs sufficient military force to maintain its lineage and rule.

Without a moderately challenging path to advancement, the Church of the Lost would have been buried in the dustbin of history long ago…

Ron looked at Idrila in front of him and said in a relaxed tone:
"If the 'Holy Shroud' can be found so easily in the Church of the Holy Ones, then the Society should have such extraordinary materials, right?"

"Can I directly exchange academic points for it at the Secret Manual?"

Although Ron hasn't fully digested his potion yet, the degree of [Out of Control] has significantly decreased, and even a direct advancement might not have much of an impact on him.

If he could, he would love to gather enough potion ingredients right now and directly advance to the seventh rank of "Spirit Medium" in the [Death] sequence.

Then, back in Ideal City, they completely disrupted the plans of [Ark] and [Noah's Medicine] in District D...

But Idrila shook her head, rejecting Ron's idea:

"The only thing we can do is find the 'Shroud of the Dead' in the Academy."

"The God of Truth detests blind faith. He once issued a divine decree instructing all the extraordinary beings who walk above the sequence of Truth not to have 'faith' in Him like a religious follower."

"Although...everyone still believes in Him, the believers of [Truth] did follow the guidance to reorganize, changing from a 'church' to a more loosely managed 'society'."

“So,” she shrugged, a hint of helplessness in her voice, “in a society where clergy ceased to exist a thousand years ago, it’s naturally very difficult to find the ‘shroud’ used to wrap the remains of clergy…”

That's a bit troublesome...

Ron couldn't help but frown slightly—if the Society of Truth couldn't find the "Shroud of the Dead," wouldn't he be left with nowhere to go?

You see, in the entire City of Evening Bells, the only organization he could contact was the Truth Society, a righteous church...

Ron will never go to the remaining two major orthodox churches, whether it's the Scorched Earth Sanctuary or the Church of the Lost.

After all, Father Sull is still at the Scorched Earth Sanctuary, so going there would be suicide. The Church of the Lost is even more mysterious, and Ron doesn't know what tricks Father Harvey has up his sleeve in the church.

Although if there's nowhere else to go and absolutely no way to find the "Shroud of the Dead," Ron wouldn't mind taking the risk of visiting the Church of the Lost...

But now, he still wants to obtain the "shroud of the dead" under the safest possible circumstances.

After all, if they fail to obtain the potion ingredients and instead fall into crisis, wouldn't that be a loss?
Ron frowned, pondered for a moment, and said:
"Our first choice is definitely not the remaining two orthodox churches, since neither the Sanctuary nor the Lost Church is very friendly..."

So, what remains are heroes and nobles.

It's hard to say where you can get a hero's shroud, but it's still possible to obtain a noble's shroud.

In the "Potion Age," nobles were not a rarity. Ron had only traveled by carriage once, yet he was able to catch a glimpse of some distinguished people dressed in expensive clothes and riding in high-class carriages.

However, if Ron is not mistaken, these nobles may have a very high status, but they probably are not higher than the clergy of the Church of the True God.

After all, these orthodox churches truly carry on the will of the gods, and their clergy all possess extraordinary abilities... Ron didn't think that every noble could be on the potion-making path.

Moreover, given the severity of the Secrecy Law, Evening Bell City is clearly under the control of the three major orthodox churches, rather than belonging to the nobility.

Thinking about it this way... wouldn't Idrisla be the one among the elite?

Looking at the seemingly delicate and holy young saintess in front of him, Ron couldn't help but ponder.

She is the "Saintess of the Evening Bell"...

Even if it's just what the people of Evening Bell City call her, it already proves just how respected Idrila is.

Given her status, wouldn't she be able to ask any nobleman for the "shroud of the dead"? And the nobleman would surely offer it up without hesitation, out of respect for the Church of the Righteous God and the extraordinary beings.
Thinking of this, Ron couldn't help but ask:

"Idrila, do you have any noble friends you know well?"

For example, the owner of this territory, or a descendant of a noble family with a long history...

Upon hearing Ron's words, Idrila stiffened for a moment, then hesitated before saying:
"Yes...yes, right?"

Her hands unconsciously overlapped, her fingertips tapping back and forth, fiddling with each other without her noticing.
"But if we ask them for the 'shroud of the dead'..."

As she spoke, she saw the expectant look in Ron's eyes, and ultimately swallowed the rest of her sentence:

"If we don't wait until the next academic salon and have to get the 'Shroud of the Dead' as soon as possible..."

Idris muttered something, then nodded as if to encourage herself, her voice rising:
“Yes, no problem! Tomorrow, Mr. Ron, I’ll take you to find the ‘Shroud of the Dead’... We’ll definitely get it!”

Is it really necessary to hesitate like this?
Looking at Idrila's obviously conflicted expression, Ron couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Why would this matter cause Idrisla to hesitate so much?

It's like... it's like feeling like you're going to fail, so you're somewhat unwilling to do it.

Asking nobles for a piece of shroud is something that requires overcoming psychological pressure.

Did the nobles of this era inflict some kind of psychological trauma on Idrila?
Ron scratched his head, unable to figure out the reason for a moment.

But that's obviously not important... No matter how much of a shadow looms over her, considering Idrila's status and strength, Ron felt that those nobles wouldn't dare to disrespect Idrila.

He simply nodded, chatted with Idrila for a while longer, and then decided to rest well and wait until he was fully recovered before going to look for the "Holy Shroud".

After all, Idrila's spirituality and physical strength were almost completely exhausted. If she wasn't given enough rest, Ron suspected that she might just faint and collapse while walking down the street...

……

The break time flew by.

The next morning, Ron woke up to find Idrila looking radiant and clearly fully recovered.

She seemed to have just woken up and was sitting on the bed praying to the god of war, muttering things like "You can do it" and "Good luck"...

Does the god of war also double as a wish-granting machine?
I don't think so.

Ron scratched his head, not wanting to disturb Idrila's morning prayers, and tiptoed out the door.

Stepping out of the room, I passed by Chairman Elvis's office and found the office door wide open. Chairman Elvis, who had been seriously injured and unconscious, was now sitting at his desk, looking radiant.

He was writing something with a quill pen. Ron glanced over instinctively and saw that he was recording yesterday's battle with Father Harvey.

Having just recovered from serious injuries, are we going to start reviewing the last battle right away?
Perhaps this is the self-reflection of the strong...

President Elvis, you are so powerful.

Ron pondered silently, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind. However, President Elvis was clearly severely injured and unconscious yesterday, and Idrila had said that the guild didn't have any recovery potions made using the [Life] sequence…

So how did Chairman Elvis recover so quickly and start working again so energetically?

He looked at President Elvis with a hint of confusion in his eyes. As if sensing Ron's gaze, President Elvis stroked his beard and looked at Ron:

"You're awake? You weren't hurt in yesterday's battle, were you? How's little Ellie?"

Ron was a little confused by the three questions, so he scratched his head and replied:

"I'm fine, and Idrila was just drained of her spiritual energy; she recovered after a night's rest..."

As he spoke, he finally couldn't resist his curiosity:
"How did you recover so quickly? President Elvis, you were seriously injured just yesterday, and today you seem to be completely healed..."

"Oh, I have to thank little Elizabeth for this... and of course, this too."

Elvis chuckled and took out a delicate, gilded glass vial containing half a bottle of pale pink liquid.

The pink liquid swayed and collided, and Ron could see that the liquid in the small bottle seemed to be breathing and pulsating with life.

Elvis's introduction arrived at the opportune moment:

"A masterpiece from the [Mysterious] Sequence Six 'Potion Master', a bottle of unknown 'Life Potion'—cost me a full three hundred gold pounds."

"Thanks to Little Ellie's Holy Healing, I woke up from my coma and immediately took this half-bottle of potion... Its effects are very much in line with its status as a Sequence Six creation."

As expected of President Elvis... Such an old Sequence 7 transcendent being, and as the president of the Evening Bell City Truth Society, must have accumulated quite a fortune.

A potion like this, made by a Sequence Six transcendent, would definitely not be something Idrila, who is also a Sequence Seven, could produce.

After all, she had only just been promoted to Sequence Seven and was only in her early twenties.
Ron was somewhat moved, then, recalling Charles's earlier words of advice, he reminded him:
"Oh, by the way, President Elvis, Charles asked me to remind you not to forget to write a letter of complaint about Father Harvey..."

"Ah, he didn't even need to remind me of that."

Elvis put away the potion and casually said:

“I woke up very early, and as soon as I recovered, I wrote a new letter of complaint and handed it to him.”

"Right now, Charles, with those complaint letters I wrote, is probably already on the train heading to Chongqing..."

So fast?
Ron felt a surge of respect.

As expected of the president of the Truth Society, he handled procedural matters quickly and meticulously, as if afraid that the killing of Father Harvey would have any major impact.

That's really reliable...

Ron couldn't help but feel a little emotional. He chatted briefly with Elvis for a couple more minutes before saying goodbye and leaving.

Idrila, who had already finished her daily morning prayers, was waiting for him in the hall. When she saw Ron come out, she went to his side:
“Mr. Ron, I’ve recovered. Can I take you to the Shrine now?”

Judging from her tone, she seemed very motivated.

Although Ron was definitely the one who wanted the "Shroud of the Dead" the most, he hesitated for a moment and said:
"Idrila...if we go to find the nobles, are we really not going to be attacked by Father Sue?"

“No, no… I won’t take you away from Plantagenet Street, Mr. Ron.”

Idrisla seemed to have been prepared:

"Just as the Undertaker's Path belongs to the Church of the Lost in a mystical sense, the Goldfinch Street, as the street where the Society of Truth is located, also belongs to the Society of Truth."

It turns out that Goldenrod Street is considered a safe zone...

Ron seemed thoughtful, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

It must be said that although Ron has been in the "Potion Era" for some time and has traveled back and forth between Ideal City and Evening Bell City many times, he has hardly seen the local customs and culture of Evening Bell City.

Each time, it was a fleeting glimpse during the operation—

For example, when escaping from the tower of the scorched sanctuary, or riding in a carriage on the way to the Lost Church and the Returning Society...

Only on these occasions does Ron have time to catch a fleeting glimpse of the city and see everything that is happening in this "Potion Age".

Now, his understanding of the "Potion Era" is practically the same as his complete lack of understanding.

This trip with Idrila to find the "Shroud of the Dead" will be a perfect opportunity for Ron to observe this era up close and understand the "Potion Age"...

As Ron followed Idrila out of Elvis Bookstore with these thoughts in mind, he casually asked:
"If we don't leave Goldfinch Street, where are we going?"

"If I remember correctly, I don't recall any particularly luxurious-looking noble mansions in the vicinity..."

"Because nobles don't just appear in their mansions."

As Idris spoke, she pointed to a building not far away:

“There, Hall Welfare Home—I used to go there often to play with the children. The director of the welfare home, Mr. Hall, is a baron from a family with a long and distinguished lineage.”

"It seems he must possess the 'Shroud of the Dead'..."

A baron who runs a welfare home and whose family has a long and distinguished history?

With both a strong family tradition and a kind heart, if his ancestors were all like that, it seems only natural that he would possess a "shroud of hominids"...

Ron thought to himself as he followed Idrila toward the orphanage.

But Idrila walked and stopped frequently, not heading straight for the orphanage, but first buying a large handful of candy from a roadside candy stand...

After confirming that there should be enough candy for the children at the orphanage, she nodded in satisfaction and led Ron to the entrance of the Hall Orphanage.

But before they could even step inside, they heard piercing cries and some impatient voices:
"Stop crying! The Baron gave you jobs so you could support yourselves. You brats should be grateful!"

what's the situation?
Ron paused slightly, peered through the ornate iron fence into the orphanage, and saw several burly men whipping a dozen rather thin children.

They cowered and trembled with fear, but had no chance of resisting.

Upon seeing this scene, Ron couldn't help but frown, his eyes hardening.

Is this welfare home forcing these innocent orphans to work as child laborers?
Using such an intolerable form of violence?

Clearly, the fact that these people are able to appear here and force these innocent children is definitely related to Mr. Hall, who runs the welfare home!

It seems that, regardless of the era, nobles are never good people...

Just as Ron was thinking this and preparing to save the children, Idrila had already rushed out the moment she heard the sound—

With one kick, he blasted open the fence gate of the orphanage!

(End of this chapter)