Ethan found the appearance and attire of the clergy members in the Sanctuary of Logic to be quite distinctive. As he followed Lindong up the grand staircase and into the vast Holy Sanctuary, they were greeted by a priestess nearly three meters tall, clad in a red robe. As she approached, Ethan noticed that half of her face had been replaced by cold metallic implants.

The cold alloy and ceramic composite made no attempt to mimic human facial features, showing only exposed interfaces, tiny heat dissipation vents, and indicator lights that flickered intermittently. Her neck was also made of metal, extending into her robe.

"Monk Vidis."

Lindong greeted the elder welcoming them. The priestess’s eyes, glowing with a red halo, scanned their bodies. She bowed her back and saluted them, "May my Lord guide you both."

For the Sanctuary of Logic, Lindong was a rare visitor. However, the relationship between the two sides had not reached a point of outright hostility. In fact, even though the Origin Society looked down on the priests from the Sanctuary of Logic, they barely interacted, maintaining a relationship that was delicately at a stage of strangers.

But regardless, with the First Seat visiting personally, Archbishop Vidis naturally had to welcome her visit herself.

Especially at a time when the Holy City was undergoing trials.

Standing at the entrance of the Sanctuary, Ethan observed the clergy members inside the sanctuary and confirmed that this half-human, half-mechanical appearance was the fashion among the priests. They seemed more like mechanical creations than bionics.

"And this is..."

Vidis immediately inquired, "I did not detect any entry information for this gentleman."

"He is a friend of mine."

Lindong replied smoothly, "From the Edge World, just arrived at the First Special District."

Vidis nodded.

The information of all residents of the Core World would be logged into the database, but the Edge World was not included.

Compared to humans, to the Holy City, they appeared more like tools of production.

"I can see the darkness hidden within your heart."

Vidis said, "May you open your heart to my Lord."

"In fact, I wish to discuss something about Node Space with you."

Lindong got straight to the point, "The creatures observed by the patrol are called grotesque beasts, one of the most common node creatures I have observed. To prevent them from drawing more power from panic, I hope to receive help from the Sanctuary."

The human half of Vidis’s face grew more solemn. She no longer probed Ethan and quickly said, "Please follow me."

As Lindong and Vidis entered the private chamber within the sanctuary, Ethan was given the opportunity to move freely. He had been searching for the whereabouts of Zhuang Xiao, but as they entered the Sanctuary, Zhuang Xiao was nowhere to be found. The hall was filled with half-human, half-mechanical priests, and machines that seemed to be their creations.

This was vastly different from the conventional image of a church in Ethan’s mind; there was no confessional chamber, nor was the statue of the Lord of the Holy City placed in the most prominent position in the sanctuary. Instead, they left the western side of the hall for the lost souls seeking guidance from the Lord of the Holy City, but to Ethan, the western side hall looked more like a hospital waiting room.

Near the entrance was a ticket dispenser, and the ceiling’s holographic screen scrolled through numbers.

The hall was silent, even among those sitting side by side on benches, there was not a single word exchanged. They hung their heads like puppets, waiting for their turn. When Ethan took a ticket at the door, there were already 367 people ahead of him.

"These people have already lost their minds."

As soon as Ethan sat down, a familiar voice came from beside him.

The electric element, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle and wearing a suit, said. He had somehow procured a pair of sunglasses and was holding a newspaper.

For Imperial People, his outfit was at the cutting edge of fashion, yet in this place, he seemed more like an old antique unable to keep up with the times—who still reads newspapers these days?

Even the medium of newspapers had vanished with the entire industry, either becoming waste paper or museum exhibits, so this era’s people might know that people hundreds of years ago used such outdated means to communicate news.

"Don’t worry, they won’t pay any mind to our conversation."

The electric element said, "They pin their life’s hope entirely there."

He lowered the newspaper, gesturing like a detective with a hidden identity towards the few closed rooms. Everyone only had five minutes of confession time. People continuously went in and out of the compartments, as if even the act of prayer had become a mechanically operated routine.

"Why are you here?"

Sitting beside the electric element, Ethan whispered in the eerily silent hall, feeling an inexplicable tension as if the two of them were conspiring over some unspeakable secret.

But in reality, he planned nothing, only wanting to see if Zhuang Xiao was there.

He was curious about how Zhuang Xiao had regained his body and why he would enter this sanctuary.

The only clue pointed to a prayer Rowena mentioned last night. After that, the indignant Zhuang Xiao grew quiet, his mental state somewhat unusual.

"Because it is interesting here."

The electric element surveyed every person in the western side hall, "Hundreds of people sit here, yet there is no activity of thought. I have already begun to doubt whether they are truly human."