Lord of The Mysterious Realms - Chapter 11: The Law of Registration
He tried to make his words sound as good as possible, but found, sadly, that with all his inherited grammatical knowledge , he could only go so far. If he could answer in Chinese, Jenkins was confident of two hundred words on the water.
The teachings of the [Inherited Sage] were very similar to what Jenkins had said, and it would have been better to combine them together, but the original Jenkins’ memory only contained the words “that passage was long” and “that passage sounded very powerful” and just a few key words.
As he waited with trepidation for Mr Bincy to pronounce his sentence, he looked earnestly at Jenkins.
“Like Bishop Parrold said, you sure are really slippery. For now it is enough to profess faith in the Goddess, there is no need to be deliberately fancy to show your allegiance. By the way, your grammar leaves something to be desired.” (TN: and your brain leaves something to be desired)
“He misunderstood! He misunderstood!”
Jenkins exulted in his heart, then nodded heavily as if to say “I repent”.
“That’s good, Jenkins Willams. Your whole family is a believer in the Goddess, and your father has made an indelible contribution to the Church, so this step was not necessary. The events of last night have been pretty much spelled out by Barnard, the Night watchman of the Lightless Moon, and we have been given first-hand information. Please forgive us, we have to be cautious regarding the newly emerged [Endbringers].”
As he spoke, he brought his left hand, which was hidden under the table, to the tabletop while revealing a four-sided brownish-red block of wood in his hand.
Jenkins immediately and appropriately acted as if he was “puzzled”, and with his knowledge and eyesight, he could not immediately appear to realise what it was.
“This is B-10-4-6712, the full name is [Lies Discriminator], the B means it belongs to [Transcendence], the 10 means the item was originally recorded by the [Knowledge and Books] church, the 4 means the item can be used after application, and the 6712 is a random number.”
Jenkins opened his mouth slightly in feigned confusion as certain information from the legitimate gathering was corroborated.
“Okay, okay, since you passed the investigation, that means you can be fully trusted, let’s take our time discussing these things.”
“Sir.”
Jenkins interrupted for the first time, “About that investigation, what does it mean?”
For the first time a smile appeared on Bincy’s face, “Mr. Williams, there really are those strange people of myth and legend in this world. And you have become one of them, I’m afraid you still haven’t forgotten your experience of last night. But what you need to understand is that those who have abilities are commonly known as [the Enchanters]. We wield more power, but that also means more danger, so the [Enchanters Registration Act], which was created and enforced 300 years ago, was introduced.”
“That mean I need to register?”
“Yes. By registering, you will not only receive a certain monthly allowance from the church, but you will also be given more opportunities to improve yourself. Of course, you also have some corresponding obligations to undertake, but they are not compulsory.”
Jenkins silently savoured Bincy’s words, the [registration law] he had heard about last night turned out to be this.
“Okay, I agree to register.”
One should take a step back when it is necessary, and from memory, the [Inheritance Sage] church had a very good relationship with his own family, and they showed no extreme restrictions on character or custom.
“No, Mr. Williams, you misunderstand. The so-called registration is simply a matter of reporting yourself to the corresponding church; you do not need to fill out any forms or go through strange rituals.”
“So, I’m done registering here?”
Jenkins asked hesitantly, then noticed that not only had his clothes been changed, but it seemed that even the filth on his body was gone. Who gave me a bath? Please goddess, it must not be this man before him.
He was still trying to get used to the world.
“Yes, you will now be faced with a choice – do you wish to join the [Inherited Sage] Church and become a qualified [scribe]?”
“Scribe?”
It was the third time Jenkins had heard that word.
“Yes, the Enchanters who belong to the Church of the [Inherited sage] are all known as Scribes, and we transcribe and pass on knowledge for the Goddess in the mortal world. Barnard, who went through the trick realm with you last night, is known as a Night watchman by the title of the benefactor of the [Lightless Moon] Church to which he belongs.”
The tidbits of knowledge were very interesting and Jenkins took them to heart. Instead of rushing to agree or consent, he displayed the affliction befitting his age: the
“If uhhh….I just mean. What will happen if I don’t join?”
“Don’t be nervous, nothing will happen, Mr. Williams.” Bincy tapped his fingers on the table and explained amiably, “But without guidance, it will be difficult for you to continue on the path to transcendence. In the meantime, the major churches are on guard against unregistered benefactors, and I’m afraid you will have to come to church every month for the rest of your life to give an account of all you have said and done during the month.”
“Very well, there are limits to imprisonment. So believers of false gods who do not wish to register with the Church of the Righteous God must promote themselves through private meetings. But, I don’t seem to have a reason to refuse, do I. It’s not like I’m a follower of the false gods ……”
Jenkins concluded in his mind, then nodded heavily, “I want to become a [Scribe] and proclaim glory for the Goddess.”
The middle-aged man smiled, “Well sir, you don’t have to use such fancy language – although I personally appreciate that.”
(TN: ಠ_ಠ )
Sweet-talkers never suffer, Jenkins knew this well.
“Very well, then congratulations.” Bincy gave him a slight nod, “[Scribe] is very sacred and has a unique place in the Church, as you will come to appreciate later. The exact job that will be assigned to you will need to be decided after the test. I will now explain some of your doubts. I’m afraid you are still confused about what happened last night?”
“Yes.”
Jenkins nodded busily, “How is Mr Barnard? I arrived at the church as soon as I woke up.”
“He is fine and has been fetched back to the church by his fellow Nightwatchman. Although I didn’t see it with my own eyes, the curse that he was under wasn’t very troublesome and he should be fine.”
He looked appreciative of Jenkins’ first question.
“That’s great, Mr Barnard saved my life, I must go and thank him.”
It wasn’t a lie, had Barnard not appeared to slow down the giant octopus, Jenkins feared he would never have had the chance to take over a full flesh body.
“That octopus ……”