Arknightcraft Modpack

“You’re too kind,” Steven replied with a smile. “I’m not some high-ranking noble, Village Chief. You don’t need to be so humble. Trust me, I’m a reasonable person.”

Steven didn’t have any intention of pursuing the group of villagers who had attempted to extort him.

At most, they were guilty of attempted extortion, and he could deal with them later.

However, he was more curious about what the villagers meant when they said that Aegirian would bring them danger.

Now that there was an obviously higher-ranked elder present, Steven wanted to take the opportunity to clear his confusion. It would be a shame not to get some answers.

“I hope so, Guest. Is there anything else you need help with? Please feel free to let me know,” the elder named Pande said, his eyes still showing a degree of wariness.

Steven continued, “Yes, I do. Do you have everyday clothing, both for men and women? I can pay extra for it.”

Pande glanced at Steven’s shabby clothes and understood his request. “I’ll bring it to you shortly.”

As the elder turned to leave, Steven called him back, holding the plate of black bread.

“I have one more question, Village Chief. I heard those people say something about ‘taking in an Aegirian bringing risks.’ I’d like to know what they meant.”

Steven didn’t beat around the bush but straightforwardly asked the question he was most curious about.

“Didn’t you, as an Aegirian, realize this yourself?” Pande turned to Steven with a puzzled expression after scrutinizing him. There was a hint of doubt in his voice.

Steven didn’t show any signs of beastification. His appearance was as pure as it could be, a characteristic unique to the peculiar Aegirians.

“I’m not— Never mind. You can pretend I don’t know. Tell me.”

Steven considered that explaining his true identity might be too complicated and opted for a simpler approach.

“All right, it’s nothing special, really. It’s just that the Inquisition seems to have some bias against Aegirians. Many villages that settled Aegirians were discovered by the Inquisition, and they accused these people of colluding with the Church of the Deep and took them away.”

The Village Chief, while puzzled by Steven’s ignorance of these matters, answered his question earnestly. However, when he mentioned the Inquisition, there was no attempt to conceal the bitterness and resentment in his aged eyes.

“The Inquisition? The Church of the Deep?”

Steven’s face lit up with interest. The more he heard about these things, the more intriguing the world seemed.

There was a feeling that if he kept digging deeper, he might stumble upon something significant.

Who knows, maybe there were hidden achievements waiting to be unlocked.

Besides, if the matter involved Gladiia, a plot character, it couldn’t be completely unrelated to the plot.

“You don’t even know about this?” The Village Chief’s surprise grew when Steven kept mentioning these two names.

If Steven didn’t know the previous events, it could be attributed to a lack of worldly knowledge. However, not knowing about the Inquisition, which served as the official mouthpiece of Iberia, was a different matter entirely.

“Please, tell me more.”

Steven smiled and nodded, eager to learn more about the world. The Village Chief appeared willing to share, so Steven felt he could get more information.

“The Inquisition is an organization that emerged from the restructuring of the former Iberian Parliament. It controls the country’s politics and, at the same time, it’s a bunch of mad dogs. They bear a significant responsibility for the state of the country today.”

The Village Chief spoke openly about these secretive matters, not bothering to conceal his disapproval of the organization. He seemed unafraid to criticize the government.

“Ah, like the national authority, the cops, right? Got it.”

Steven didn’t mind the Village Chief’s emotional comments. He had obtained the information he sought, and now he inquired about another topic.

“What about the Church of the Deep?”

The Village Chief’s demeanor changed abruptly.

While he was openly critical of the Inquisition, when it came to the Church of the Deep, he became evasive and hesitant in his response.

“Is that so? I understand. Thank you for clarifying, Village Chief.”

Steven chose not to press further on this topic.

If the Village Chief was unwilling to share more information, he wouldn’t force him.

After all, he couldn’t bring himself to bully an elderly man.

“No need to thank me; this is something you should be aware of. Besides, you’ve already paid the appropriate fee.”

The Village Chief remained respectful, and his polite manner made it hard to believe that he was an elderly resident of a poor coastal village.

Steven had initially assumed that most of the villagers had a similar character to the group that had attempted to extort him.

However, he was beginning to revise his opinion.

“Well then, I have one last question, and I hope the Village Chief will answer it.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Why did you tell me all of this, and if you knew it was risky, why did you take us in?”

Steven leaned against the door frame, fixing his gaze on the elderly man’s slightly clouded eyes.

“Can’t it be for money?” After a brief silence, the Village Chief provided a seemingly reasonable answer.

“Of course, it can. After all, money can solve most problems, right?”

Steven chuckled and turned back into his room, leaving the Village Chief behind.

As he felt the elderly man’s departure, Steven’s smile grew brighter.

The situation was becoming more interesting.

This was the kind of experience that a world should have, not the repetitive battles with various modded mobs that had characterized his previous existence.

Thinking about the [Church of the Deep Followers] titles most villagers had, Steven had a feeling that coming to this village was a very wise decision.

Engaging in a world full of activities and mysteries was far more exciting than simply battling hostile creatures or facing reskinned mods every day.