NOVPUBThree days later.
The late February wind swept swiftly through the towering structures of the capital city, Herram. The vast edifice of the Temple of the Nirvana Knights stood tall in the crisp winter morning air, exuding an aura of solemnity and authority.
The towering spire of the building punctured the sky, its facade engraved with ancient legends of battles against demons. The frost-dusted white stones that piled up to form its exterior walls added an extra layer of mystique.
Near the entrance, two knights, clad in their dark grey armor and wielding long spears, stood guard. The several-meter-tall gate was adorned with a metal pattern representing the Holy Seal of the Nirvana Branch—a hollow eye in the cold grey totem’s center. This eye, devoid of a pupil, radiated a faint glimmer as if it symbolized the final shred of hope it had devoured. A series of twisted, intertwined chains and vines covered with sharp thorns wrapped around this eye, holding it firmly in place.
The Nirvana Branch, once considered a taboo entity in the Northern Continent, now had a functioning office in the capital city of Herram named ’The Temple of the Nirvana Knights’.
The priests working here, coordinated with other provincial divisions headed by Herram and handled logistics. They had also recently been screening potential new priests for the Nirvana Branch.
After the Rebirth Church gained safety permissions across the Protoss Empire, all three branches belonging to the three bishops who sought decision-making positions expanded rapidly within the empire, providing a direct channel for those who had been in the grey zone to join the Rebirth Church.
The day before, they had organized a preliminary test for the new priests here.
The complete examination process included a preliminary test, a retest, and a final evaluation.
The conceptual written exam, which was the preliminary test, had already been conducted.
The Nirvana Branch would notify the successful candidates on the morning of the next day.
The retest and final examination would be conducted simultaneously in the afternoon.
Despite the compact schedule, the high level of execution acumen required of priests was also a key principle of the Nirvana Branch.
As the grand door of the Temple of the Nirvana Knights slowly swung open, a spacious hall was revealed. A colossal chandelier hanging from a high dome emitted a white glow. The walls around were adorned with oil paintings themed around the Rebirth Church’s exploits during the holy war in Northern Continent.
The arched doors on both sides led to various rooms inside, with the council chamber at the end of the long corridor.
The main council chamber was the most solemn place in the Nirvana Knights, with a grand door made of sturdy oak wood. Behind it was a large roundtable hall, brightly lit by large windows. The sunlight filtered through the glass, spilling onto the table and walls, creating captivating, kaleidoscopic colors.
Even though it was still morning, several Grand Priests of the Nirvana Branch were already seated around the table. They had solemn faces, the purple glow from the Holy Seal pendant on their chests reflecting their elevated statuses.
Piles of classified scrolls and folders lay on the table, detailing the identity information and test scores of Protoss Empire residents who had taken the preliminary test the previous day.
In the center of the large hall, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark grey robe was meticulously flipping through the papers. He wore a skeletal ring and touched the pages now and then.
He would occasionally look up to consult with the two Grand Priests sitting next to him. A young knight in dark grey armor was jotting down the conversation of the Grand Priests. On the other hand, the other two Grand Priests were holding a few files each and occasionally discussing the scores of some candidates.
The atmosphere in the room was grave. Every priest knew that this test was a part of the Nirvana Branch’s power expansion plan within the Empire, and the selection of talents who could adapt to the new policies of the Empire could significantly affect the chances of victory in the upcoming bishops’ election in over two months.
Under the current situation and policies of the Protoss Empire, they needed personnel adept at planning and strategic thinking more than those skilled in frontline combat.
The one leading this operation in the council chamber was Grand Priest Caius. He was the decision-making core, and everyone was awaiting his final decision.
The objective and subjective questions in the written test not only evaluated the candidate’s wisdom, learning ability, and basic grounding but also helped analyze their character, nature, and behavioral patterns to some extent.
"I did not expect him to pass the test. It looks like he did some homework."
Grand Priest Caius pulled a test paper and, comparing it to the corresponding resume, commented.
Each of the candidates was investigated by a designated intelligence officer from the Church.
In the document at the hands of Grand Priest Caius, the name column stated: ’Iron Fist’ Serio. The photo next to it displayed a burly, half-demon with deep brown skin, a single horn on top of his head, and a heavy black gold bracelet on his wrist.
The intelligence reported him as a once renowned gladiator, banned from the arena due to brutal killings. He seemed to have a near-mad love for fighting, but he disdained to engage the weak, such as children and women, resulting in imprisonment several times.
"He’s the type that’s out of options in this country, but our Rebirth Church doesn’t particularly reject half-demons."
A Grand Priest sitting next to Caius, took the exam paper that just scored 65 points, passing the threshold by a mere 5 points, and gave a slight chuckle.
"If the Hegemony Branch was also recruiting, he’d be more likely to go there."
Another Grand Priest commented.
Generally, the Hegemony Branch would compete with them openly and secretly, especially as they were now in a clear rivalry. However, surprisingly this time, the Hegemony Branch didn’t start recruiting new priests in the imperial capital.
"Those fools are likely afraid of our people infiltrating again, they’re being unusually cautios this time."
"But we should also be careful of a sabotage from the Hegemony Branch."
Caius spoke calmly, filtering out several failed exam papers and picking up another one that barely passed. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Originally, both the Nirvana and Hegemony branches were on the empire’s wanted list, they had nothing to fear, and could openly attack each other.
Now neither side could openly use force within the empire, ironically, it was the Hegemony Branch that was often put on the defensive, falling victim to the schemes of the Nirvana Branch’s priests.
The priests of the Hegemony Branch were not less clever, it’s just that their doctrine and personality dictated that they preferred open schemes while the Nirvana Branch excelled in secret ones.
The Bishop of Hegemony was not the type to tolerate either.
Even though it seemed like they were doing nothing now, they would retaliate against the Bishop of Nirvana as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
On the next profile that Caius picked up, was a youth named ’Fire Tongue’ Leodore, with red long hair and dressed in a black priest’s robe.
The information stated that he was considered a dangerous fire mage, who had burnt down an entire village for no apparent reason. His temperament was irritable and impulsive.
"It’s clear that he’s immitating the Bishop of Destruction, Ivanos. It seems he even dyed his hair to resemble the Bishop of Destruction more."
Caius’s voice carried a hint of resignation.
The candidate seemed mentally unstable, but his score was impressive, a full 76 points. Seeing that, his potential for wickedness and breeding chaos was very high.
"If this guy was in the South Continent, he probably would follow the Destruction Branch."
"Unfortunately, according to Bishop of Destruction Ivanos’s personality, if he saw someone imitating him, he would likely turn them into ashes or torture them in the most cruel way."
"But the heavyweights are probably still to come, these two are just... unique."
The other two Grand Priests also chimed in with a laugh.
