Chapter 187: Church Court Members
In the study, Julian had already reported to Duane on the situation regarding the personnel sent by the Holy Radiance Court.
The group did indeed consist of thirty-six people, just as Owington had said.
However, nine of them were the Holy Radiance Court’s dedicated crew. They would rest on Black Forest Island for two days before returning to the Royal Capital.
In other words, only twenty-five members of the Church Court would be staying on Black Forest Island.
The remaining twenty-five were led by Manny and Sarah.
Duane already knew the former: Manny, the eldest son of the Haydon Clan, was an Advanced Warrior who served as a Knight Commander in the Holy Radiance Court.
Duane had never heard of the latter.
However, Julian had managed to gather some initial information.
Sarah served as a High Priestess in the Holy Radiance Court and was a Level 3 Mage.
Julian had personally witnessed her use miraculous Magic to calm a patient who had gone berserk.
In addition to these two, there were also two Mages, a sixteen-man Church Court guard, and six devout servants.
A contingent of this strength was not to be underestimated; in an ordinary Baron’s Territory, they could easily curtail the Lord’s authority. On Black Forest Island, however, they had no sway over Duane.
"How is their morale? Are they satisfied with their accommodations?" Duane asked.
"They are grateful for your generosity!"
Julian said with a smile, "They are immensely grateful to you for providing such a large estate on Black Forest Island to serve as their church!"
"Good, as long as they’re satisfied."
Duane then asked, "Has the news about the Medical Sanctuary been spread?"
"During the few days you were away, we’ve already publicized it. Practically all the citizens know you’re building a place in the Territory to treat their illnesses. When Sarah and Manny arrived today, some of the townsfolk were still expressing their gratitude to you!"
Although Duane was being a bit deceptive by conflating the two, the fact remained that on Black Forest Island, the church couldn’t be established without his consent and support.
Of course, in time, people would likely realize the Medical Sanctuary wasn’t run by the Lord’s own staff.
But that was of no consequence.
"My Lord, do you wish to see them?" Julian asked.
Duane shook his head. "They’ll come to see me of their own accord."
Meanwhile, at the Medical Sanctuary, the castle damaged in the earlier battle had undergone a simple cleaning and some repairs, and it now looked decent enough.
The main hall, which should have been a place of solemn dignity, was now a cacophony of noise. The men and women driven mad by Daniels’s torture were shouting and carrying on erratically.
A few of the faithful tried to patiently coax them, but to little effect.
"High Priestess, are we really expected to take care of these people for the rest of their lives?"
a Female Mage asked. "How could Baron Duane just dump this on us?"
Another male Mage also protested, "Yes, High Priestess! Our mission here is to spread the teachings of the church and share its holy radiance, not to babysit a bunch of lunatics!"
High Priestess Sarah stood clad in an elegant white robe. Her face, which usually held a sweet and affable expression, was now clouded and uncertain.
She looked at the giggling madmen, deeply troubled.
Their group only numbered twenty-five. How could they possibly spare the manpower to care for all these people?
Sarah looked to Manny. "Knight Commander, you’re well-acquainted with Baron Duane. Why don’t you go and see the Baron? Perhaps you can ask if someone else can be put in charge of this."
Manny gave a slight bow.
Although both the Knight Commander and High Priestess were considered mid-level management, within the Holy Radiance Court, the status of a Priest was slightly higher than that of a Knight Commander.
On the surface, Manny was required to follow Sarah’s commands, but in practice, he possessed a degree of autonomy.
Moreover, even though the Haydon Clan was in decline, Manny, at the end of the day, still held a title and a territory.
This gave him a certain sense of psychological superiority when dealing with the common-born Sarah.
"I hear the Baron has returned to his Territory. Since we’ve only just arrived, it’s only proper that we take the initiative to pay him a visit."
He offered his own perspective. "In my opinion, why don’t we go see the Baron together tomorrow morning? We can find an opportunity to bring this matter up then."
’Duane is too mysterious,’ he thought. The image of the Baron drenched in blood was seared into his memory, something he couldn’t forget.
He might feel superior when dealing with Sarah, but in Duane’s presence, that superiority evaporated, replaced by a sense of constraint and extreme caution.
Sarah’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "You have a point. We’ll visit the Baron tomorrow morning, then. As for tonight..."
She glanced at the chaotic scene before her and raised a hand, releasing a brilliant flash of light.
The mentally unstable, clamoring people were bathed in this radiance. It was as if they were frozen in place; the frantic expressions on their faces softened, and their madness subsided.
As the light faded, Sarah said, "I’ll have to trouble you to look after them for tonight."
「The next day.」
After a refreshing night’s sleep, Duane woke up bright and early to brew a batch of Red Sun Soup.
The sight both surprised and delighted Auntie Mara; it had been a long time since she had seen the Baron in the kitchen.
"Mara, come here and watch."
Duane waved her over, dismissing the other kitchen staff at the same time.
"Are you preparing a new dish, my Lord?"
Duane nodded.
Over the past few weeks, Mara had learned quite a few of his special recipes.
She hadn’t been very good at first, but with practice, she was quickly getting the hang of it.
"I’m going to have Ralph build a separate kitchen just for you. No outsiders will be allowed in. You’ll be responsible for brewing certain special soups and potions. Do you understand what I mean?"
Duane didn’t have the time to spend in the kitchen himself, so tasks like this had to be delegated to Mara and the others.
Fortunately, they were all household retainers loyal to Brian’s family, so their fidelity was high.
Mara understood completely. "Rest assured, my Lord. I will never breathe a word of this to anyone."
Duane began to prepare the ingredients.
Fermented Willow Tree Juice, Fire-attribute Demon Beast Meat that had been soaked in chrysanthemum powder, and the Red Sun Grass he had gathered yesterday.
Duane measured out the correct proportions and began the brewing process.
"You’re already very skilled at brewing the modified Fire Source Beast Bone Soup. Today, we’re simply adding one stalk of Red Sun Grass to the base recipe."
The moment the Red Sun Grass hit the pot, the soup erupted into a violent boil, as if he had tossed in a chunk of quicklime instead of a simple herb.
"Red Sun Grass has extremely potent properties. This is when you have to control the heat. You can’t use a high flame to brew it, or the pot will explode."
Duane explained as he reduced the firewood under the pot. "You just need to simmer it slowly over a low flame."
Mara listened attentively. None of this seemed too difficult for her.
About half an hour later, Duane poured the finished concoction into a bowl.
"Alright, your turn. Brew a bowl just as I showed you."
He, meanwhile, stepped aside and began to sample his Red Sun Soup.
The soup was a bit salty, as the stocked Fire-attribute Demon Beast Meat had been cured in salt.
Even after being soaked and rinsed in chrysanthemum-infused water, it retained some of its saltiness.
Paired with the extreme bitterness of the Red Sun Grass, the soup had absolutely nothing to do with being delicious.
But one didn’t drink this soup for pleasure; one drank it for power.
Duane was also curious to see if it would grant him attribute points.
So, he gritted his teeth and downed the Red Sun Soup in one go.
[Consumed Red Sun Soup. Attribute points +0.1]
Duane’s eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face.
According to his previous theory, he could only gain attribute points from a maximum of three different types of Low-Level Magic Potions, with each type yielding benefits for only the first three doses.
Red Sun Soup was ineffective for Earth Tier Warriors, classifying it as a Low-Level Magic Potion.
As for Duane, he had already consumed his quota of three types of Low-Level Magic Potions; any others he took had no effect.
Yet now, after drinking the Red Sun Soup, he had still gained 0.1 attribute points.
’So that means any Magic Potion recorded on the attribute panel can grant me benefits, as long as it’s a modified version.’
He formed a new hypothesis.
’Based on my experience with the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup and the Hot Spring Mountain Tea, I should be able to get another 0.4 attribute points from the Red Sun Soup.’
Duane set the bowl down. "Mara, prepare a bowl of Red Sun Soup for me for both lunch and dinner for the next two days."
Mara agreed as she continued to measure out the ingredients.
Just then, Owington’s voice came from outside the kitchen. "My Lord."
Duane walked out. "What is it?"
"Lord Manny and High Priestess Sarah are requesting an audience."