After confirming Nicholas's intentions, Mr. Edwin nodded and granted his request.
The man in white pondered for only a moment before speaking to the young man before him.
"Shelf 14, Codes 009-550. Remember, you only have until nine o'clock tonight."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man in white gave a casual flick of his hand.
Nicholas immediately sensed a change within the room. The sound of wooden shelves shifting echoed through the library as though they were alive. When the movement ceased, Nicholas followed the direction of Mr. Edwin's hand and saw Bookshelf Fourteen standing in the far-left corner of the room.
"Thank you, Mr. Edwin."
Nicholas offered a respectful salute to his superior before making his way toward the designated shelf.
However, as he walked, his eyes repeatedly drifted toward a distant section of the wall.
Something was moving, crawling along the surface in complete defiance of gravity.
Its existence was strangely indistinct. Though Nicholas knew it was there, he could not honestly say that he truly saw it.
The reason he showed no reaction was simple: he sensed no hostility from it. Furthermore, with Mr. Edwin present in the room, there was no reason for him to be alarmed. Nicholas suspected that this unidentifiable being was connected to Mr. Edwin in one way or another.
Naturally, such subtle reactions did not escape the notice of the man in white seated behind the desk. An untraceable whisper brushed faintly past the middle-aged man's ear. Although his facial expression remained unreadable, a flicker of curiosity surfaced in his eyes.
Nicholas's subtle responses just now affirmed his suspicion—The young man had undoubtedly sensed the presence of his Bound Spirit. Yet unlike their previous encounter, Nicholas now seemed capable of vaguely perceiving its form.
Even though Nicholas had already become a Spirit Medium, being able to perceive Mr. Edwin's Bound Spirit was hardly reasonable. After all, even an Extraordinary of the Tría rank would struggle to catch sight of it, let alone an Enna rank Spirit Medium like him.
After considering the matter, the master of this facility could think of only one explanation.
' Not only does he possess exceptional spiritual energy, but he has also accumulated a considerable amount of Insight.'
Mr. Edwin's sharp gaze remained fixed on the young man's back.
In truth, when he had explained the concept of 'Insight' to Nicholas earlier, there was something he had deliberately left unsaid...
Accumulating Insight did not carry only harmful consequences. Rather, it was more akin to a double-edged sword.
Though its drawbacks were severe, it also possessed undeniable benefits.
Accumulated Insight resembled eyes that opened wide. The more Insight an individual accumulated, the more capable they became of perceiving things others could not see— hidden truths concealed beneath spells and enchantments, or realities obscured from ordinary perception.
There were even certain groups of Extraordinaries who believed that the pursuit of Insight was the ultimate path to enlightenment and godhood, such beliefs were especially prevalent among one of the most influential Extraordinary factions operating within the capital of the Republic of Alodia.
Naturally, Mr. Edwin did not subscribe to such a philosophy. An expanded perception could just as easily lead one to catch a glimpse of forbidden secrets that should never be known. That danger far exceeded the risk of remaining ignorant.
Thus, the sole logical explanation for how Nicholas could see through the concealment of his Bound Spirit—one capable of cloaking itself from Extraordinaries of far higher ranks—must be that he had accumulated and been exposed to Insight of a far greater origin than that possessed by ordinary Extraordinaries.
This theory also aligned perfectly with Mr. Edwin's earlier speculation regarding Nicholas's unnaturally rapid accumulation of spiritual power.
Piecing all these details together, the middle-aged man was now fairly certain that some supernatural anomaly must have befallen the young lawyer over the past week… And it was by no means an ordinary supernatural occurrence.
Having reached his conclusion, the man in white finally withdrew his gaze from the young man's figure and returned his attention to the documents on his desk.
Mr. Edwin had no intention of investigating or prying into the secrets he had deduced from Nicholas.
Every Extraordinary carried secrets of their own, and he had never believed in forcing others to reveal them.
...At most, he simply found the matter rather intriguing.
Nicholas, meanwhile, was completely unaware of Mr. Edwin's thoughts. Nor did he realize just how profound an unseen impact learning about the Moon Worship Cult and Zar, the Trickster Moon, that day had truly had upon him.
Shelf 14, though not large, contained a substantial collection of Books and Records. The shelves were divided into two sections.
One side contained books concerning history, folk beliefs, religion, and fundamental information related to Extraordinaries.
The other side was densely packed with thick ledger-like notebooks, resembling official reports compiled using typewriters.
Nicholas observed numerous books arranged alphabetically, along with folders organized by date and time. There was simply no way he could read everything before the deadline Mr. Edwin had given him. As such, he could only do his best to search for the books that caught his eye and matched his interests the most.
At first, Nicholas picked up a book titled History of the Empire in the Tenth Era.
Much of its content was similar to what he had already learned, though it provided far greater detail. It described the founding of the Empire in the ninth year of the Tenth Era, the reign of its founding king, Elijah the Great, the subsequent history of the kingdom, notable figures, inventions, and the locations of strategically important cities.
Nicholas merely skimmed through these sections. However, a question that had lingered in his mind ever since arriving in this world resurfaced once again.
According to the calendar of the Tenth Era, only 550 years had passed. Yet judging from the contents of these books, civilization had clearly not been rebuilt from scratch. Instead, it appeared to have developed naturally from the preceding age.
So why reset the calendar at all?
Why wasn't it simply a continuation of the Ninth Era?
Initially, Nicholas assumed that only the recently established Empire used this dating system. However, after consulting several additional books, he discovered that every nation counted the years in exactly the same way.
Unfortunately, even within the Order's library, there were no records detailing the history of the prior eras. Or perhaps, Mr. Edwin had intentionally screened those specific files from his access.
Nicholas studied the map of the Empire, committing as much of it to memory as possible for future use. Once he felt he had memorized enough, he set the book aside and turned his attention to something far more important.
The next volume he selected was titled Records of the Extraordinary, written and compiled by Martin Mueller, a traveler and scholar, Published roughly a decade ago.
The book never explicitly stated whether its author was an Extraordinary. However, considering that it had been published and preserved within the heart of this secret organization. The author must have possessed considerable knowledge regarding the supernatural world.
In truth, this book resembled a travelogue of his journeys across the continent of Ukus.
The traveler had roamed extensively throughout the continent and had even joined voyages to neighboring lands across the sea. He could be counted among those who had seen the broadest expanse of the world.
Fascinating as it was, Nicholas lacked the luxury of time to indulge in tales of adventure. He immediately flipped to the table of contents to scan for sections regarding Extraordinary organizations.
...And as he poured through the pages, he stumbled upon information that instantly piqued his interest.
For the first time, Nicholas learned that there were two other major divine churches that wielded tremendous influence throughout the continent of Ukus.
The first was known as The Church of the God of Nature.
Unlike the Church of Death and Rebirth, which believed in the cycle of reincarnation, and the Church of Love and Redemption, which sought divine compassion to escape suffering, The Church of the God of Nature adhered strictly to the natural world.
Its teachings revolved around natural laws, universal truths, the inherent order of creation, and the philosophical premise that Nature itself watches over the actions of mankind—and through such belief, nature would ultimately punish sinners and that one day the world would undergo a great purification.
Naturally, such ideals did not align particularly well with governance in large cities. As a result, most followers of this faith were common folk living in rural regions and frontier towns far removed from civilization's prosperity.
As a result, the Church of the God of Nature possessed highest number of sanctuaries compared to any other faith, though they were correspondingly smaller in scale.
The next church he encountered in the text was The Church of Prosperity and Immortality.
Unsurprisingly, the church's teachings could be inferred from its name alone.
Its followers believed that worshipping their deity would bring both wealth and longevity. Thanks to the appeal of these promises, the church had grown into one of the largest and most influential religions within the capital of the Maureen Empire.
Nicholas carefully memorized the details regarding these two churches.
After all, they were among the most powerful and dominant organizations on the continent. His eyes quickly moved to the information he truly wanted to know—the secret organizations operating beneath these churches, along with the Extraordinary lineages they commanded.
For the Church of the God of Nature, the secret organization hidden behind its religious facade was known as the Crimson Rose League, comprising Extraordinary lineages known as 'Thaumaturgists.'
According to the records, Extraordinary of this lineage were said to possess the ability to command wind and rain manipulate atmospheric elements, and cause plants to flourish. Reading the descriptions recorded in the book, Nicholas could not help but think of the white-robed adversary who had appeared yesterday.
That power to control mist and the surrounding atmosphere—if it wasn't a Thaumaturgist, it had to be a closely related Extraordinary lineage.
On the other hand, the faction tied to the Church of the God of Prosperity and Immortality was rather distinct from the others. They could hardly be classified as a secret organization, for they operated openly in the light of day.
The public generally referred to them as 'The Sanatorium,'
The institution served as the gathering place for Extraordinaries called 'Plague Doctors.' They typically appeared in long cloaks accompanied by raven-shaped masks. Strangely enough, their appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to the plague doctors who had emerged in Nicholas's former world during the late sixteenth century.
These Plague Doctors were specialists in medicine and human anatomy. The record stated that they possessed powers related to healing, altering the structure and condition of flesh, and even controlling plague. In this final section, even the author admitted that he could not verify its authenticity. Nevertheless, rumors persisted throughout the frontier regions that devastating diseases often appeared wherever Plague Doctors had been sighted.
These were the public faces of the secret organizations that formed the four major factions overseeing and governing the territories of Maureen Empire. Each church maintained clearly demarcated boundaries, keeping their distance from one another—minding their own business like well water and river water.
Yet Nicholas understood in his heart that these omnipotent organizations were, in fact, secretly competing for dominance.
The influence of the four churches was overwhelming throughout the Empire. However, the situation was very different in neighboring nations.
Over the past century, the influence of religion had steadily declined within the Republic of Alodia.
To the extent that in its capital city, Vhargen, not a single of these orthodox churches remained. Instead, a new power had risen to prominence—
The Scientific Schools of Thought
This faction controlled the entirety of the republic's educational system, promoting scientific inquiry, realism, and rationalism—ideologies fundamentally opposed to traditional religious doctrine.
Martin Müller further noted his personal observation that the ideologies and methodologies of these academic institutions were expanding at such a rapid pace that they seemed poised to engulf the entire nation within a relatively short period of time.
Nicholas was not particularly surprised by this transformation occurring in the neighboring country. After all, an organization controlling the entire educational system must naturally exert overwhelming influence on the population's thoughts and ideology, with many examples evident throughout the pages of history.
This influential institution served as a haven for two Extraordinary lineage who called themselves Scholars and Alchemists.
Martin himself had encountered a few of these Extraordinaries on several occasions, so he possessed limited information to record regarding their abilities.
Nevertheless, he did record his conversations with them and ultimately concluded that these Extraordinaries were little different from academic scholars who lived solely to pursue knowledge and wisdom.
All the details mentioned so far were merely information concerning the major organizations wielding influence on the continent of Ukus—organizations that could be considered prominent factions that openly influenced the lives of ordinary people.
In reality, however, countless secret organizations and heretical cults still lurked within the shadows.
One example was the Sixth Finger.
Nicholas had personally experienced the danger posed by an Extraordinary belonged to this heretical organization firsthand.
The book also cataloged various noble lineages that maintained deep-rooted ties with the Extraordinary world. Nicholas immediately focused his attention on these entries. Regrettably, he found absolutely no mention of the 'Parlay family,'
Perhaps the author had never encountered them or uncovered any clues concerning their existence.
Or perhaps the family was simply too ancient to have been preserved in modern records.
If Antonio's words were to be believed, this noble house did indeed exist, but its lineage stretched back since an age long before the present era. As a result, Nicholas remained unable to resolve this mystery.
He turned the page.
The next section contained content of the greatest interest to Nicholas in this book It contained records of every secret organization and heretic cult whose identities were not publicly revealed that the author had encountered during his travels.
Nicholas hoped that somewhere within these pages he would finally uncover a clue related to the Moon Worship Cult.
10.11.550
Nicholas Parlay
Spirit Medium (Éna)