Steam Age: I Fight Against Divine Authority with Otherworldly Tales

Chapter 13 Differences in Color

With a pang of regret, Suren pulled out four gold pounds, placed them on the table, and exchanged them with Lawrence for a box of enchanted silver bullets.

Lawrence gave Sulen a deep look, then got up, opened the door behind him, and went inside.

Not long after, he placed a small box, about the size of a palm, in front of Suren and said slowly, "Are you running out of bullets this quickly?"

"My marksmanship is terrible, so it's better to have more bullets on hand," Suren said, scratching his head and feigning embarrassment.

Seeing Su Lun's embarrassed expression, Lawrence realized he had been overthinking things. He then pointed to the basement: "There are practice bullets at the shooting range in the basement. You can practice there."

After putting the silver bullet into his pocket, Suren considered whether he should prepare an ammunition pouch, but given his current empty wallet, he gave up the idea.

As for Lawrence's so-called training, Suren, who had the identity of a former administrator of the Anomaly Management Bureau, was far more skilled in the use of firearms than Lawrence had imagined.

Upon arriving at the archives on the second floor, Suren found Karl, dressed in his uniform, already reading a book, and another person sitting in the corner of the archives.

Suren recognized the red-haired girl who had asked the question in the basement. The two weren't very familiar with each other, so they didn't greet each other.

He casually picked up a few books and sat down opposite Karl.

Karl looked up at Suren, grinned sheepishly, and asked, "Why didn't you come this morning?"

Suren opened the book in her hand and replied softly, "I went to buy some things. You've been here all morning? I remember you used to hate reading the most?"

Karl curled his lip. "That's different. I'm an alchemist now!"

"You just want to learn how to make potions faster so you can make more money, right?" Suren bluntly exposed Karl. "But with your resources, where will you conduct your experiments?"

Karl grinned. "I asked Mr. Lawrence. The third floor is a large laboratory, since quite a few people choose to become alchemists."

"But making potions requires basic materials, right? Do you have any extra funds?"

Hearing Suren's words, Karl patted his chest, pointed to a small box beside him, and said confidently, "I have completely mastered the methods of purifying and making composite materials. I just picked up some simple crafting tasks, and exchanging the contribution points for basic materials after completing them will be no problem."

Suren chuckled; Karl was exceptionally efficient when it came to making money.

After reading for a while, Suren followed Karl to the laboratory on the third floor. There was only one laboratory on the third floor, so the whole place was much more spacious.

The room was filled with oak lab benches, their surfaces mottled from years of experiments.

There was a sink on the table, surrounded by some glassware and other tools.

There were some cabinets on the side of the room, filled with bottles and jars.

Some people were already busy at work here, and the air was filled with a mixed, slightly pungent smell.

Suren watched Karl busy at the lab table, his hands occasionally emitting light. Suren noticed that the color of Karl's light was different from hers; it was silver-gray.

Suren was a little confused. Was it because their abilities were different that their colors were different?

He looked around and found that everyone here was bathed in a silvery-gray light.

Suren frowned. If colors themselves are differentiated, then his [Cognitive Fog] can only disguise symbolic representations and is completely ineffective at this stage.

Just then, a young man walked into the laboratory, attracting Suren's attention.

The young man had blond hair, which was neatly combed, and he had a rugged face; overall, he was quite handsome.

However, the contemptuous smile on his lips made him appear rather mean, ruining his overall demeanor.

Suren noticed the other person because of his attire. It wasn't the Deathbird's uniform, but a robe that only official church members could wear. It was dark gray overall, and what was particularly noticeable was that his holy emblem was on his chest.

After careful observation, Suren determined that the emblem was made of iron, meaning that the other party was just a cultivator, not a deacon.

The young man ignored a deathbird that greeted him and went straight to a lab bench, where he began to fiddle with the experimental equipment.

Just as Suren was about to look away, he froze.

Because the young man emitted a pale blue light when he used his ability.

Judging from the other party's skillful movements, he was indeed an alchemist, which overturned Suren's previous understanding of the different colors.

"So what exactly do the colors represent?" Surend was even more puzzled. He decided to talk to Lawrence and ask about the blond youth.

After greeting Carl, Suren went to the lobby on the first floor and found Corrigan talking to Lawrence.

Corrigan didn't seem to be in a good mood. He was still smoking his old pipe and occasionally tapping the table. He glanced at Suren coming downstairs, raised an eyebrow, and asked first:

"Did you run into that annoying guy?"

After sitting down, Suren asked in confusion, "Sir, are you referring to that blond guy?"

"Just call me Captain, I prefer that title," Corrigan said, exhaling a smoke ring. "That guy is a saint of the church, named Edmund Vickers."

Then Corrigan sighed: "Because of the mess with the 'Classical Wisdom Society,' this guy was sent from the Holy Court to assist us in completing the mission. He's a disciple of the 'Frostblade Saint.'"

At this point, Corrigan slammed his hand on the table, seemingly venting his dissatisfaction: "A bunch of idiots! What's the use of sending a 'Seeker'? Even if he's a saint, his combat strength might not be as strong as mine."

Suren nodded. Although he didn't know what abilities the "Awakened" level church members possessed, the basic book clearly stated that there were only four ranks of extraordinary beings, with a very wide range of strength. Therefore, it was clear that a single-class "Awakened" was far superior to a "Seeker" saint.

Corrigan was still furious. He stood up and paced around the room, muttering incoherent curses.

Suren couldn't help but wonder what Edmund had said to make Corrigan so angry.

Once Corrigan had calmed down, Suren asked, "Since the Church attaches so much importance to this mission, why didn't the 'Frostblade Saints' come here in person?"

"Since the Rift Age began, and the Church has devoted more of its resources to fighting the demons of the wilderness, some evil organizations in the populace have become active."

Corrigan did not directly answer Suren's question, but later added:

"The 'Frostblade Saints' are also unable to leave because they are investigating the evil organization 'Gate of Truth'."

Suren knew that the Age of Rift referred to the era that began in 1050, which was the era they were currently experiencing. He asked curiously, "The Gate of Truth?"

Corrigan wasn't impatient; it seemed that explaining things to Suren could ease the unpleasantness from before: "These vermin are the Church's greatest enemies. They are dedicated to studying heretical subjects that the Church forbids, and they are the Church's primary targets."

As far as I know, the incident in 1062 was caused by one of the founders of the "Gate of Truth," who was ultimately executed in public by the church. He called himself "Prometheus," what a strange name.

It's not surprising that they're named after mythological figures, Suren thought.

Just then, he suddenly realized a problem—this world has no Greek mythology.