Ethan and Igimo had come to an agreement. Ethan would help with matters of the church and assist Igimo in some matters, and Igimo would teach him about the Culture of the Lands of the Beasts and the continent as a whole, as well as the languages of the land.
Ethan, a son of an Arch Duke, heir to the largest noble estate in all of Vakuma, had been reduced to a helper of a minor church in a village. However, he wasn't mad about it, strictly speaking. He knew he had no other choice.
The tasks Ethan was entrusted with were quite simple. He had to clean the church and help Igimo during the evening prayer. Quite a few people would attend the prayer, and Ethan would simply have to take care of the noisy children and play with them during this time.
Other than this, there were menial tasks, such as fixing the fences around the church, filling in some random holes, and tending the garden. Ethan liked tending to the garden; it allowed him to learn about the plants of this continent and offered him peace of mind. Surprisingly, in a foreign land, Ethan found a hobby. When he was done with all of his chores, he would train and hone his skills. When the sun fell, he would learn about Alapur from Igimo.
Days passed like this, and Igimo was astonished to see Ethan actually working honestly; he hadn't expected someone like Ethan to actually be capable of doing work like this. One look at the youth and one would be certain that he was the son of a noble, but Ethan rarely complained.
The only thing he complained about was the food. He simply couldn't understand why Beastfolk loved to put salt in their food... Even in the sweet dishes! A little bit of salt was acceptable, to bring out flavor... but they really went overboard.
Regardless, Ethan was someone who took everything seriously, and as a result, the church had experienced a transformation in a mere week. The old and gloomy church was now filled with life; flowers lined the path to the entrance, the fences had been fixed, and they had their own unique charm. He had fixed the broken furniture and introduced orderly arrangements inside. The inside of the church was as magnificent as the outside.
While Igimo was a great priest of the Beast God, he didn't pay much attention to these kinds of things and was pleasantly surprised, so much so that he agreed to Ethan's request to go and buy paint. Ethan... was enjoying this far too much.
The greatest improvement was the garden in the back, which was the best in the village, and Ethan had built a small gazebo in the middle of the garden, which he furnished with two chairs and a simple table. He liked to drink tea there as he watched the sunset.
His noble habits were still prominent; Ethan was adamant on not missing his tea time, as it was the only time when his food was not laced with salt... Ethan's greatest regret was not learning how to cook; he could barely manage to make some tea. Regardless, he was obsessed with making sure the church was in the best condition. It was his form of relieving stress.
Other than this, he had gained useful information about the surrounding lands. The principality of Miniac was made up of only one city and a few villages. The city shared the same name as the state, Miniac, and was one of the five great cities of the Alapur Continent, the home of the BeastFolk. According to Igimo, it was the second-largest city that existed on the continent, bested only by the capital of the Empire of Dragons. The principality was surrounded by five beastfolk kingdoms, all of which were said to be in an alliance with each other.
They all formed a wall around the Principality, protecting their holy land. The countries were the Kingdom of Eagali, The kingdom of Leon, The Federation, the Kingdom of Bravadi, and the Kingdom of Tigris, all five formed a wall around the Principality.
Among these, the Federation was the biggest, it was a republican country, while the others surrounding it were ruled by royalty. The Principality was a theocracy, ruled by whomever the Beast God chose to be the pope, who also shared the title of Prince.
Among these, the Kingdom of Leon and the Kingdom of Tigris weren't fond of each other according to Igimo, Bravadi was mainly an agricultural country, and Eagali was, according to 'Igimo', a country filled with cunts. Beastfolk capable of flight mainly lived in Eagali... and for some reason, Igimo loathed them.
Ethan learned a lot of new curses the day he was studying about them. There was another point of civilization in this half of the continent besides these states, one which was disconnected from them all.
Beyond the great city of Miniac, beyond the villages, traversing through the Forest of the Beast God, and finally managing to get through the terrifying Helios mountain range, it is said one would come across a golden plain, where the Grand Cathedral of the Beast lay, accessible only to a few of the Beastly Aris, the holiest place of the BeastFolk, at the edge of the world.
The Birthplace of their God, Heliova, The Ruler of the Lands, The Creator of Mountains, and the Lord Of Beasts.