aircannonsinc Chapter 7 The Rules of the Dead Bird
Chapter 7 The Rules of the Dead Bird
Suren walked to the table, picked up one of the contracts, and looked at the paper.
This contract mainly includes the following points:
First, you must participate in any missions forcibly assigned by the Deathbird Monks.
Second, attacks on members of any religious sect are prohibited.
Third, it is forbidden to disclose any internal information concerning the Church and the Dead Bird Brotherhood.
The contract did not specify the consequences of breaking it, but Suren's "Source of Knowledge" trembled slightly, and he could feel that the contract carried extraordinary power.
This contract is more like an alternative form of indenture.
Suren communicated with the nodes in his consciousness, and like in the "Book of Secrets," these nodes displayed a naming convention consistent with his personal habits: [Information Shackles].
Its capabilities naturally came to mind: [It can actively encrypt information, items, events, etc., and mislead others by providing them with information barriers of equal strength to your rank.]
Although Suren is not yet clear on what the so-called "information barrier" means, considering that even Corrigan could not detect the mutation of the Book of Secrets, the strength of this shielding and misleading is at least at the level of an Awakened.
Suren picked up the dip pen on the table and dipped it in ink.
At the same time, he mobilized the source knowledge within his body and communicated with the node called the [Information Shackles].
It was a wonderful feeling, as light as moving his fingers, and he felt that the pen in his hand was full of mysterious power.
After thinking for a moment, he signed his name with a mischievous grin.
"Sherlock Holmes".
The ink spread across the rough paper, outlining each letter of the name. Suren nodded in satisfaction; he knew that to others, this string of letters represented Suren Chern.
Suren didn't look up, but he could feel Corrigan's gaze. Suren knew he had signed too decisively, completely out of character for him.
Suren was still somewhat uneasy. He wasn't sure if the [Information Barrier] could fool him, and he was prepared to use the "Mirror Demon" at any time.
Sure enough, Corrigan walked up to Suren, picked up the contract and looked at it carefully, then shook his head and put the paper back on the table.
Suren felt relieved, and at the same time, he became even more convinced that the power contained in the Book of Secrets far exceeded his imagination, and that he had completely won at the starting line.
However, Suren faces an even more serious problem: his abilities and the "Battlefield Alchemist" are not entirely unrelated, but they are completely unconnected. Once he needs to demonstrate his abilities, his secret will be exposed immediately.
The only good news is that, judging from the notice board in the hall, the Deathbird Monk Order's operating model is very likely a mercenary system, which means that in the early stages, I only need to choose those solo missions.
As for the future, Suren had no intention of staying here any longer. For a "filial person" like himself, staying in the church would be suicidal. Getting in touch with grassroots organizations as soon as possible was the right thing to do.
With everyone's contracts signed, Corrigan, while organizing them, once again warned everyone:
"We must always remember the doctrine and never violate it from this moment on."
Thinking of the horrific cases they had seen in the files, everyone nodded solemnly, as no one wanted to be punished for violating religious doctrine.
Only Suren felt a little uneasy, wondering what rules she was supposed to follow.
On a sudden thought, he remembered the existence of the Book of Secret Knowledge. Perhaps the secret knowledge recorded in the book was not to be revealed?
At this moment, the Book of Secrets in Suren's consciousness provided timely feedback. It unfolded in the air, and the two "core secrets" emitted a scarlet light, seemingly warning Suren not to reveal them.
Suren immediately felt relieved, and he also had some thoughts in his mind: it's not that we can't reveal it, but it's not that we can't hint at it.
Recalling the mystical rhetoric of those charlatans in his past life, Suren's lips twitched slightly. Perhaps in the future, he would inevitably follow in their footsteps.
Corrigan led everyone back to the hall, handed Lawrence five signed contracts, and gave him instructions:
"Go and get five sets of the Deathbird standard equipment for these newbies. Their body measurements are recorded in their files."
Then Corrigan turned around, reverting to his previous rude manner of speaking:
"Newbies, although the Deathbird is also a member of the church, you should know that in the eyes of those robed men in the church, you are nothing more than dogs kept by the church!"
Corrigan paused, then let out a long breath. "There are no salaries here. Your only source of income is completing different bounty missions."
He pointed to the notice board on the wall, "Some of these bounties are issued by the church, while others are issued by wealthy nobles and self-proclaimed middle-class gentlemen. In addition to monetary rewards, these bounties also provide some contribution points."
Loren Town isn't a particularly developed town, so these bounties are generally not difficult to obtain.
Then he changed the subject: "But you must remember, your lives are your own. There's no need to risk your lives for those bastards."
The group exchanged bewildered glances, surprised that Corrigan would suddenly say something like that. While Corrigan might have a foul mouth, he seemed to treat his subordinates fairly well.
Suren recalled the hatred in Corrigan's tone when they were in the basement, and thought to herself that Corrigan didn't believe in the church as much as he seemed.
Afterwards, Corrigan added some benefits for being a Deathbird. In addition to basic rights such as medical care and judicial protection, they can also exchange money and contribution points for potions, equipment, or promotion materials.
Of course, the exchange of certain dangerous weapons or promotion materials needs to be reported.
What pleased Suren the most was that the Deathbird provided free dormitory accommodation, located behind the duty station, which was a one-bedroom apartment.
There's a separate washroom, and even a flush toilet. It's so much better than the filthy conditions in the pious community.
Of course, with benefits come limitations. The Dead Bird is prohibited from engaging in any legitimate industry that competes with the church, and 30% of the reward is deducted as a cut for the church each time a bounty is offered. There is also no social security such as pensions.
"They're even more capitalist than capitalists," Suren thought to herself.
"In addition, the church regularly issues mandatory tasks. As newcomers, you do not need to participate in this mandatory task. However, if you can complete it, the rewards for the mandatory task are quite good."
Just as Corrigan was explaining the relevant information, Lawrence placed five canvas bags on the counter with a thud.
Corrigan took out his pipe, lit it, and without saying a word, simply pointed to the five bags.
Suren stepped forward and saw that the bag was a very ordinary canvas bag with brass corners and a crow printed on the body.
Inside the bag were two uniforms and a key. The uniforms were similar to Corrigan's, except the crows on the arms were gray.
There was also a gun holster, a revolver, and six silver special bullets placed under the clothing.
His past work experience gave Suren extensive knowledge of firearms, which allowed him to easily identify it as an Adams Model 1851 double-action revolver, with an almost identical construction—of course, that was the name he used in his previous life.
The church has a history of over a thousand years and has a supernatural profession like alchemists, yet it still uses gunpowder and outdated revolvers.
Although she had only been in this world for two days, Suren already felt the disharmony of the entire world.
"The key has a door number on it; it's right behind the duty station. You can buy the bullets yourself later with money or contribution points; they're cheaper than on the black market."
There is an archive room upstairs where you can look up information about your professional skills, but you are not allowed to take it out of the duty station.
The Deathbird team doesn't require daily assemblies, but there's a mandatory weekly meeting every Monday, three days later, which everyone must attend. You'll officially start working on that day; for the next few days, just study on your own.
Corrigan spoke quickly, as if he had finally gotten rid of trouble, and walked upstairs while smoking a cigarette.
As he reached the top of the stairs, he seemed to remember something and turned back to give a word of advice:
"Furthermore, due to the enhancement of 'Source Knowledge,' you should now possess powerful learning abilities, but researching forbidden technologies is strictly prohibited; if discovered by the Church, it will result in the death penalty!"
Suren speculated that the enhancement of learning ability corresponded to the enhancement of his own memory, and the source was the so-called "source knowledge".
Thanks to the enhancement of his memory, the original owner's fragmented memories gradually became clearer, and he also remembered a key piece of information—in this world, "electricity" is an absolute taboo.