Don't confiscate my identity as a human race

Chapter 272 - 260: The Theoretical Exam Lanci Participated In_1

Three 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.

"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.

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.