After passing the queue and finally entering the main gate of Floren City, I finally see what's inside this converted trade city. One can still notice a semblance of it being a fortress due to the traces of noticeably fortress-like structures and buildings within while it blends with other structures and buildings that were clearly added afterward. These old buildings share the same composition and color of materials that the giant wall surrounding this city was made of; darkish gray colored stone and the hints of accumulated moss in the crevices may also show that this place was built a long time ago.

Looking at the many people walking at the side of the main road, a variety of individuals that are clearly not human can also be seen. Although they all have humanoid-like features, such as being bipedal and walking straight, their other extra physical quirks would clearly show that they aren't 'human', but their individual actions as they mingle and socialize with other non-human individuals would certainly say that they are sentient and social creatures similar to humans.

Based on what the two learned during their stay in Sevis City's Church of Hure, each of these strange and unique individuals is a separate race but are collectively called Arkind; humans are also part of this collective name and there is no such word as 'mankind' here, not that I'm aware of any term in the languages here.

Those individuals that have plants and leaves sprouting from their light green skin are called the Evergreens. Those who have features similar to animals that are actually familiar to creatures from my previous world are called the Packals. Those that look like normal humans except for the wings that are growing from their backs are called the Passerines. And of course, those tall persons with somewhat longer than normal pointed ears are Elves. There are other races of arkind, but those are the ones I can see right now as I observe from inside the vehicle. Apparently, all these races of sentient creatures, including humans, came from different worlds.

The very first race, the Arcanians, were known as beings of pure light or darkness that could traverse the various worlds by themselves without the assistance of any tool or other being. They invited creatures from other worlds and brought them here to propagate and multiply. Why they did it could be anyone's guess, but this led to a very diverse collection of races; which is unlike in my previous world where the only differing quality is the color of the skin or the general facial features.

Back then, these various races fought one another and waged wars; arguing their race's supposed superiority from the others, and other sources of disputes such as land, resources, or just for the reason conquest. However, the truth was eventually made known to everyone by the Arcanians themselves when these various races eventually disturbed them. When they learned the truth of their origins, the animosity they had for each other slowly dwindled. Proving one's insignificance is truly a humbling experience. This doesn't mean these races stopped being stubborn or apprehensive with one another as there are certainly some biases or stereotypes that definitely persisted through the centuries that have passed. These are what's currently fueling the race-based factions.

Although the Daxtrion Kingdom and its neighboring nations are predominantly human nations, trade cities like Floren City would definitely be an exception. This is also the reason why the Church of Hure has little influence here, as the faith was initially established by humans. Seeing the ratio of people here, I can say that there are a lot more non-humans here than there are humans, and I can imagine the difficulty of spreading a faith to someone where the race of their patron god is different from the one they're trying to convince.

...

After some time, we eventually arrived at the branch of the Church of Hure here in the city. Entering the building, it was definitely not as grand when compared to the one back at home, but almost all the necessary facilities that were found in the usual Church of Hure were found here. At the sides were the entrances to only a few rooms that may serve as the chambers and the waiting area is not in a separate room. There were chairs everywhere but not as coordinated and uniform as that in Sevis City's, and the most similar thing I found in this branch that is similar to the one in Sevis City was the intricate and well-crafted statue of Goddess Hure. This statue featured a robed long-haired woman spreading her arms towards the sky as underneath her feet was a small mountain of weapons, armor, and what looked like corpses of demons.

There was no receptionist, but a fellow acolyte decided to welcome us. Upon seeing this, Caltero, who was actually Caltro's father, decided to say his farewell as he left my luggage beside me.

"Acolyte Alkef Asketon?"

"That would be me.", I said as I slightly bowed my head as a form of respect and greeting.

Sighing with relief, the acolyte introduced himself.

"Welcome to Floren City's Church of Hure. I am Acolyte Marcs Mertens.", the acolyte, known as Marcs, also bowed as a response. This fellow who was probably around eight or nine years old judging from his height had a slightly chubby physique, and both his hair and eyes had a redish-brown color to it.

"Did my arrival take a while?"

"Fortunately, it hasn't. We were actually expecting you tomorrow as estimated in the [Comco] conversation with Head Priest Tianle of the Sevis City Branch. We could've given you a more presentable and formal welcome, but as you can see, services have just ended and we were planning to clean the place up after we have rested.", Marcs said with a hint of embarrassment in his face.

I looked around inside the church once more, and it was looking disorderly. But this was definitely more disorderly if compared to the Sevis City branch after all services have ended. This may definitely be due to the understaffing in this branch of the Church of Hure.

"It does look like it was a very busy day."

Noticing that I toned down my formality a bit, Marcs seemed a lot more cheerful.

"It was. It's always been like this after two of our Senior Acolytes left Floren City after having finished their duties and thus becoming full-fledged priests of the church."

"Not much of the locals here want to become members of the church?"

"Unfortunately not. Most of the citizens of Floren City are focused on making money. It is a trade city after all. As the people are too focused on material gain, the frequency of harm happening to people increases due to conflicts and disputes arising from it. Our work as members of the Church of Hure, who is the Goddess of Health and Prosperity, has therefore drastically increased."

"If it isn't too much to ask, what do you think is the ratio of human to non-human that receive the healing services of the church?"

"I'd say that most if not all of the people who seek our services are human, but there would be occasional non-humans who seek help, although rarely."

As I guessed, they really are having difficulty with a lot of things here. A church in a city built on greed with a very diverse local populace when the church features a human-looking god, and I can guess that the visible difficulty they must have while dealing with all this would definitely dissuade other people from trying to join the church.

After learning even more of the situation like how many acolytes and priests are in this branch, I decided to ask where would I be staying. Marcs hurriedly led me to a large residential home behind the church. There I saw other acolytes who have clearly been through a lot today as some of them were sleeping on chairs, while others on the ground.

"Why won't they sleep in their rooms."

"As they are very sweaty, they are waiting for their turn in the baths. It is currently the turn of the female priestesses and acolytes."

"There's no separate bathroom for the males and females?"

"Unfortunately, we can't afford such luxuries here."

So not only is this church understaffed, but it's also lacking in funds and facilities.

Are you hearing this Al and Alkef? You've really volunteered on something very bothersome. I would've convinced you guys not to take up this task if you actually revealed your presence to me much sooner, but instead, you guys hid, overreacted, and made me unconscious for two years.

Well, there's really no point to rub it in them now, but at least this cements how much they screwed up and how much they really need me.

But I do respect the hygiene of these sleeping acolytes as well. At least they don't want to stink up their respective rooms despite how tired they must feel. After traversing through the sleeping bodies on the ground, I was eventually led to my room. I thanked Marcs as I entered it; he must've been very tired as well but he was still capable enough to greet me.

Putting my luggage on the side and surveying the room, it was rather modest and plain. A window with blue curtains. A small table and a chair that comes as a pair. A cabinet to store some of my stuff in. Finally, a bed that is just right for my height as I tried to check if my entire straight body would fit on it; which was also pretty futile as I am still rather vertically challenged. As I stood up from the bed, I straightened the wrinkles on my robes that formed when I laid down.

I actually want to talk with Al and the 'disappointment' again and I'm sure they also want to as this may be stemming from the unified intent of us three. I don't know how to accurately describe this sensation but it does feel like I'm being guided to perform an act. This may be a more subtle way of making my body do something without forcing me to actually do it. However, the meeting has to be delayed as I'm sure that someone will be arriving here soon to probably call me to see Astor Noblesa. I should probably inform them as well.

If you plan to initiate a meeting, do it later.

I sat on the chair and waited. Then finally after waiting for a time not exceeding ten minutes, knocks were coming from the door.

I stood up and head to the door. Time to meet the de facto head priest.