The Warden of The Witches

The Simple Pleasures of Men

In this world where religions abound, each country and region have vastly different regulations governing religion.

Religious sects may find themselves on a purge list in a certain country due to activities that violate its laws, but this does not necessarily mean they will face similar treatment in other nations. Sometimes, for political reasons, some countries may favor sects deemed as cults by countries with whom they have strained relations, building them up as pawns against their adversaries.

The Bountifull Mother Goddess Sect is the successor of the Earth Mother Goddess who's aiming to revive the old Kingdom of Reiss, would certainly be seen as a cult needing eradication by the Dragon Spine Empire and the Kingdom of Gistas. However, this does not mean it is universally condemned in the Autonomous State. Due to certain political and historical reasons, the Caldria Autonomous State in the Southern Continent is now quite a stable neutral zone.

"This sect isn't on the purge list, but it's in the strict security directory," replied Rebecca.

"They're just prohibited from conducting religious activities within the Autonomous State?" Aiden asked casually.

"Exactly."

"What sort of religious activities are they engaged in?" Aiden followed up.

In terms of managing the suppression of religious groups, "strict security" is much more lenient than "cult eradication" in its severity.

"Cult eradication" is generally directed at religious groups with serious criminal activities, high levels of danger, and a need for complete eradication. Actions are typically carried out by Inquisition or even the military. For example, the Blood Moon Cult was directly destroyed by the Inquisition of the Silver City for their severe violation of the laws of the Caldria Autonomous State through human sacrifices. During the capture, those who resisted were all shot on the spot.

On the other hand, "strict security" targets groups that engage in ordinary criminal activities under the guise of religion, like the "Hair Rapid Growth Sect" that Rebecca mentioned, which swindles money using fake medicines. These cults are usually dealt with jointly by Inquisition and other law enforcement agencies, treating them more like ordinary criminals.

The Bountifull Mother Goddess Sect has the ability to challenge the Witch's Gathering, and its leader is very likely a "saint." In terms of danger, they may not be as extreme as the Blood Moon Cult initially was, but the Autonomous State only subjects them to strict security measures. This sect likely operates with a significant degree of concealment, although some of their criminal activities are known.

"Well...," Rebecca hesitated when faced with the question, "Can't you just look at the files yourself?"

Aiden thought to himself, not again with this response. Last time when he inquired about the rapid growth of the Bountifull Mother Goddess Sect, Rebecca had a hard time opening up.

"I heard from a prisoner that five years ago, the Inquisition dealt with the Blood Moon Cult, which also clashed with the Witch's gathering, but they quickly backed down. If the Bountifull Mother Goddess Sect dares to provoke the Witch's gathering, they might not be an ordinary cult, perhaps as dangerous as the Blood Moon Cult. Qimora mentioned that the sect's leader, a priest named Father Bales, wields some special power. I think it's necessary for you to pay attention," Aiden reminded. "You should also inform the old man."

When the Blood Moon Cult was destroyed five years ago and Mephilia was taken into custody, Rebecca was only a junior inquisitor and did not have the authority to know about Mephilia existence.

Therefore, Aiden also found it inconvenient to disclose to her the information related to her divine words. However, by paraphrasing the past, Harold should understand, and it is still necessary to inform the Inquisition of the information obtained here.

"I understand..." Rebecca agreed, "You should also be careful yourself. Even if the Witch's gathering talks about reconciliation, you can't let your guard down."

"Of course," Aiden nodded.

The information provided by Qimora was not complete, but it was highly credible. However, this did not mean the Witch's gathering was trustworthy.

At This moment, there was a knock on the office door.

"Chief, the morning training is done, and I brought back the orb," Veronica's voice came from outside.

"Okay, come in," Aiden replied.

Rebecca, who was about to get up and leave, looked at Aiden with some surprise. "An orb? Are you starting to keep police dogs here?"

"Yeah, I've got a new pet," Aiden chuckled.

The door opened, and Rebecca curiously shifted her gaze over... only to freeze in place.

She saw a silver elliptical mercury orb wriggling on the floor, slowly making its way into the office.

"I'll head back to my post now," Veronica stood at the door, saluted Aiden, then glanced curiously at the utterly astonished Rebecca before closing the door and excusing herself.

"Your mouth can now fit an apple in it," Aiden reminded Rebecca with a smile.

Rebecca finally regained her composure and asked in astonishment, "What is this?"

"This here is Xiaoqiu, the new pet of this prison," Aiden introduced with a smile.

The mercury orb moved to Aiden's feet and emitting an incomprehensible metallic whisper, prompting Aiden to casually feed it a copper coin.

Over the past couple of days, Aiden had done some preliminary taming with it. Since Veronica had some experience in horseback riding with the mounted police, he had also tried to have her train it during her night shifts.

Some progress had been made, as the mercury orb could now recognize its owner and respond to its name and some simple commands. However, at best, it was still just a pet or toy. To train it to be useful, it needed to develop a certain level of loyalty.

"Where did this thing come from?" Rebecca inquired.

"It's a mercury golem created by Vera. Originally, it sneaked into the prison from the sewers to kill me, and I managed to take it over. After the Witch's gathering and I reached a truce, they gave me this thing," Aiden casually explained.

"Keeping such a dangerous thing around..." Rebecca gasped in disbelief.

"I'm all about pragmatism now," Aiden replied nonchalantly, "If it's useful, I'll make the most of it."

The mercury orb trembled at his feet, emitting a pleasant bell-like sound.

Truth be told, Aiden secretly hoped that the mercury golem could transform into a technologically advanced humanoid form like when Vera controlled it, but that seemed to be Vera's unique skill; and he couldn't replicate it himself.

For now, the mercury orb was just that—a mercury orb, and it felt quite intriguing. Sometimes, a man's pleasures are indeed that simple.

"Is it really safe to keep something like this without reporting it to the authorities?" Rebecca voiced her concerns.

"According to regulations, items confiscated by the prison belong to the prison, so there's no issue," Aiden shrugged. "Don't worry, I've already learned about this thing's weaknesses from the Witch's gathering. Overall, it's pretty safe."

He was not willing to easily give up this hard-to-come-by toy, not in the slightest.