Chapter 161: Chapter 161 The Simple Pleasures of a Man_1
In this world where religions are as numerous as hairs on an ox, each country and region has its own distinct set of regulations concerning religion.
Cults might be blacklisted for eradication in one country due to their activities gravely violating that country’s laws, but that doesnôt mean they will receive the same treatment in other countries. Sometimes, for political reasons, some countries may favor cults deemed heretical by unfriendly nations, nurturing them into pawns to antagonize their rivals.
The Harvest Mother Cult, intending to revive the Old Lese Kingdom under the aegis of the Earth Mother Church, would certainly be seen by the Dragon Spine Empire and the Kingdom of Gistas as a heretic cult to be purged. However, this doesnôt imply that it is universally despised in autonomous regions; for various political reasons and historical connections, the autonomous region of Cadria is a fairly stable neutral ground on the Southern Continent.
ôThis cult isn’t on the purge list, but it is in the directory for strict public order monitoring,ö Rebecca replied.
ôThey’re just forbidden from conducting religious activities within the autonomous region?ö
ôYes.ö
ôWhat kind of religious activities are they engaged in?ö Aiden casually inquired.
The ban and management of religious groups is much more lenient under ôstrict public order monitoringö compared to ôheretic purging.ö
ôHeretic purgingö generally targets religious groups with severe criminal behavior and high danger levels, necessitating their complete eradication. Actions are typically undertaken by the heresy tribunal or even the military. For example, the Blood Moon Cult was utterly destroyed by the heresy tribunal of Silvertown for their practice of live human sacrifices, which seriously violated the laws of Cadria autonomous region. During the arrest, all those who resisted were killed on the spot.
In contrast, ôstrict public order monitoringö deals with groups that undertake ordinary illegal activities under the guise of religion. Take, for instance, the scam of the ôFast Hair Growth Churchö maneuver Rebecca mentioned earlier. These cults are handled in coordination between the heresy tribunal and other law enforcement agencies, treated almost like routine criminals.
The Harvest Mother Cult possesses the ability to challenge the Witch Convening and even its leader is very likely a ôsaint,ö with danger level perhaps no less than the former Blood Moon Cult. Yet the autonomous region only subjects it to strict public order monitoring, probably because the cult has managed to conceal its operations to a significant extent, although some of its criminal activities are known.
ôWell...ö Rebecca stuttered in response to the query, ôwhy don’t you look at the files yourself later?ö
Aiden thought it was the same reaction as before when he asked about the rapidly growing influence of the Harvest Mother Cult. Rebecca had seemed equally hesitant to talk.
ôI heard from a prisoner that the Blood Moon Cult, which was taken down by the heresy tribunal five years ago, also once opposed the Witch Convening but quickly ceased. The Harvest Mother Cult daring to provoke a conflict with the Witch Convening is unlikely to be an ordinary heretical cult, possibly as dangerous as the Blood Moon Cult. Father Bales, the leader of the cult, is said to possess some special power. I think it’s important that you keep an eye on this,ö Aiden suggested, ôand also, tell the old man about it.ö
Five years ago, when the Blood Moon Cult was destroyed and Melifilia was taken in, Rebecca was still a mid-level Judge and did not have the clearance to be aware of Melifilia’s existence.
Therefore, it wasn’t convenient for Aiden to disclose information about divine words to her, but by relaying it this way, Harold should be able to understand, and it would indeed be beneficial to inform the heresy tribunal.
ôI got it...ö Rebecca agreed, ôand you should be careful yourself. Even if the Witch Convening talks about reconciliation, you can’t let your guard down.ö
ôOf course,ö Aiden nodded.
The information provided by Qiqimora wasn’t complete, but it was still highly credible; however, this didn’t mean that the Witch Convening was trustworthy.
At that moment, someone knocked on the office door.
ôSir, the morning training is complete, and I’ve brought the little guy back,ö Veronica’s voice came from outside the door.
ôAlright, bring him in,ö Aiden replied.
Rebecca, who was about to stand up and leave, looked at Aiden with some surprise, "A ’ball’ is? Have you started raising guard dogs here?"
"Hmm, got myself a new pet." Aiden smiled.
The door opened, and Rebecca curiously shifted her gaze... and then she froze in place.
She saw a silver, oval-shaped ball of mercury squirming on the ground, crawling leisurely into the office.
"I’ll be heading back to my post then." Veronica saluted Aiden from the doorway and then glanced with some concern at the completely dumbstruck Rebecca before shutting the door and departing.
"Your mouth could almost fit an apple in it now." Aiden reminded Rebecca with a chuckle.
Snapping back to reality, Rebecca asked in astonishment, "What is that?"
"This little guy is Ball, the new pet of the prison." Aiden introduced with a smile.
The mercury ball moved to Aiden’s feet, making an unintelligible murmuring sound with a metallic texture, and Aiden casually fed it a copper coin.
Over the past two days, Aiden had done some basic training with it, and since Veronica had a bit of experience with horse training in the mounted police unit, he had even tried having her train it during the night shift.
It was paying off somewhat now; the mercury ball could recognize its owner and react to its name and some simple commands—of course, at best it was still only a pet or a toy. To train it to be of practical use, it still needed to develop a certain level of loyalty.
"Where did this thing come from?" Rebecca asked.
"It’s a mercury golem crafted by Vila; it originally sneaked into the prison through the sewers to kill me, but I managed to take it from her. After reaching an agreement with the witches’ coven, they gifted it to me," Aiden replied nonchalantly.
"You dare to keep something so dangerous?" Rebecca gasped sharply.
"I’m now a pragmatist," Aiden replied casually, "Useful things, if they can be used, should be utilized as much as possible."
The mercury ball quivered at his feet, emitting a pleasant jingling sound.
To be honest, Aiden did hope the mercury amalgam golem could transform into the technologically advanced humanoid form like when Vila manipulated it, but that seemed to be the effect of Vila’s magic, and he couldn’t figure it out for himself.
A mercury ball is a mercury ball, then; it felt quite interesting—a man’s joy can sometimes be that simple.
"This sort of thing... isn’t it really okay not to turn it in to the authorities?" Rebecca said, not without worry.
"According to the regulations, items confiscated by the prison belong to the prison; there’s no problem," Aiden shrugged, "Don’t worry, I’ve learned its weaknesses from the witches’ coven; overall, it’s quite secure."
He wasn’t willing to part with this hard-won toy so easily—not by a long shot.
