Only God

At that time, religious interactions and proselytizing among different faiths were very frequent. Not only that, but they often borrowed from each other, adapting theological knowledge, famous sayings, and warnings from other religions to fit within their own beliefs. Even if they couldn't completely tolerate each other, they still kept out of each other's way. Even in Danschel, where True Religion was the state religion, a large number of religious texts of other faiths circulated within its borders.

Only in areas where religious conflicts were intense did bans on texts of other faiths occur, and these measures were often temporary.

After all, no one wanted to anger the Divine, even though the Divine usually did not meddle in such worldly matters.

Now, in this city, Eden had looked all around, only to find not only the absence of Giant King Sect texts but also a total lack of books on other Divine beliefs. Here, there was only True Religion.

"Perhaps it's because of the war situation."

Eden tried to rationalize,

"This isn't normal; it would be different in a time of peace."

Realizing he couldn't find any heretical Scriptures, Eden sighed. He planned to visit other markets to see if there was anything notable.

Aside from things like bread, the market offered an array of bizarre and previously unseen trinkets, among them appeared to be steam machines crafted by Dwarves.

"This is..."

Eden stopped in front of a shop.

"May you be blessed, what would you like?"

The herbalist rubbed his hands together, eagerly.

Eden glanced down at the items on the table, his breath quickened; he could hardly believe his eyes.

There, he saw mounds of Oronix Dragon teeth piled up like a little hill, their yellow-white tint especially stark in the sunlight, matching the descriptions in the books so perfectly that Eden was incredulous.

"What is this?"

Eden pointed and asked.

"Oronix Dragon teeth."

The herbalist stated oddly,

"Don't you recognize them?"

Eden picked up a tooth, scrutinizing it closely. He suspected these were fakes.

Such rare and precious Oronix Dragon teeth, how could they be piled up here in mounds?

Thinking about it, Eden temporarily turned away, planning to check with other herbalists.

After a while, when he had walked a full circle, Eden widened his eyes in surprise.

"Why are Oronix Dragon teeth everywhere?"

He returned to the first herbalist and couldn't help but ask.

The herbalist responded with more familiarity than surprise:

"An Oronix Dragon isn't that rare of a creature; we even have one at home, about half a meter tall.

It grows new teeth every year, don't you know this?"

Eden was stunned; little did the herbalist know, he truly didn't know.

After some inquiries, he discovered that, in this era, Oronix Dragons had already been domesticated. Although not as numerous as pigs, cows, or sheep, they were as common as horses, camels, and mules.

That meant the once precious Oronix Dragon teeth, from his own era, were now commonplace in the streets.

He could even carry these teeth on his person, sell them at a high price when he returned to reality, make a fortune, and then use that wealth to stock the church and give more alms.

That's what Eden thought.

After inquiring further, Eden found, compared to Oronix Dragons, Unihorns were nearly extinct.

There was not a trace of seawater from the Unihorn's active areas available in the entire market.

However, the most important element for the Ascension Ceremony was the Oronix Dragon teeth; the seawater from Unihorn-active areas played more of a supporting role.

Thinking of this, Eden no longer hesitated. He took out silver coins given by Veldor and bought a small bag full of Oronix Dragon teeth.

Though the coins bore the head of Constantine VI and were different from the various currencies in circulation, silver was still silver; after confirming the weight, the herbalist accepted them.

Eden held the bag in his hand, and although he had not found any heretical Scriptures, this trip through time was still fruitful.

He lifted his foot, intending to find an inn to rest.

Suddenly, a tumultuous uproar arose in the market.

"Catch him! Catch that heathen thief!"

"Damn heathens!"

"God curse her, that damned woman is stealing with her child!"

The noise in the market grew louder, and many people converged in one direction like a spiral of a storm, and several traders even left their stalls unattended as they crowded over.

For some reason, Eden felt a tightness in his chest.

"What in the world happened?"

Eden quickened his pace.

Words of hatred swirled above the market; Eden's steps hastened as he maneuvered through the crowd, breaking into the center as quickly as possible.

There, a mother and son were kneeling at the center, surrounded by scattered bread while a baker picked it up, simultaneously scolding the pair. The mother clung tightly to her child, who in turn held a Scripture, gazing blankly around at the people.

As the crowd's voices intensified, the child partly covered his ears, his face showing fear, and the Scripture fell from his hands. People shouted even louder, as if it were some malevolent object.

Eden watched the scene dumbly, as True Believers reviled the mother and son, wishing they would be banished from the city, cursing them to Hell.