Jacob sighed as he glanced over the tens of tomes that lay before him. Each one would boost his fighting prowess and support, but he could not learn them all. There was not a cap on skills he could acquire, but with the situation the way that it was, he currently did not have the time to do so. Therefore, he had to settle on what he needed going forward. All the tomes were strictly for his priest class, nothing else.

After analyzing them all and giving it some thinking, Jacob chose three that would suit him. Defiance, Rapture, and Iron Will. After a moment of hesitation, he also picked Nessa's Light. Four new skills he could add to his arsenal, but they would be added after he left the city.

Jacob stuffed the four tomes into a large brown sack and tied it. It was all he could carry, and he should be grateful for that. After all, there was no reason that Leah had to allow him entry into this great hall. He was not an actual priest, but given the two of them were working together she saw no qualms with her decision. Not to mention she could not take every single tome here with her, a lot of them would have to be destroyed.

Leah and the residents of the temple were joining Jacob. It took a bit of convincing, but she finally gave way after coming to a better understanding of the situation at hand. They could die here without passing on their knowledge and teachings, or survive to help create something better. Although many of the other priests advocated for them to set off to another temple, Leah did not believe that would be her path. Nor did she see Jacob escorting them to the next temple.

There was a lot of corruption within the minds of her fellow priests, and Leah wanted to cleanse it. What better way to do it than start anew?

The doors to the hall Jacob was in opened up as Leah walked in. Her steps were not hurried, but they were not slow either. Jacob had to admit that she did not seem too bothered by what was going on, but he knew that was truly not the case. Leah just did not show it, although he had seen it.

"Lord."

Leah spoke as she entered the room. She stopped a fair distance away from Jacob and looked at the row of tomes that were placed in stone shelves. Her hand reached out to touch one, but she paused before she actually did.

"Have you found what you are looking for?"

She asked Jacob.

"Yes. Are you really planning on destroying the others? So much knowledge. It would be a shame for it to be lost."

Jacob told her even though he knew that would not really be the case. There were copies of all these books in different temples across the continent. He did not find any of the highest-ranked skills here, but Jacob did manage to spot some high-tier ones. Nothing that would cause a priest to be on par with the Archbishop, but enough to establish themselves as the ruler of their own domain.

"They won't be lost. What is gone here can be found at another. The Archbishop may punish me for committing such an act, but he will understand it is for the best. Although many cannot comprehend the teachings told on the tomes, that does not mean there are not people who can't. Everything must go to protect ourselves."

Leah said.

Jacob raised his eyebrow but did not push to ask her what she meant. The history behind her order was a deep one, but Jacob was not the religious type and never delved deep into their lore. He knew a lot about this world and its history, but the current ongoing related to the temple was not something he knew well. All he knew were key pieces of the order and the current leader.

"Since you have what you asked for, I will inform the others that it is time."

Leah paused for a moment before she continued to speak as she looked directly at Jacob.

"As we finish up here, I suggest you go take a look at the situation. Amelia has returned, and with her she brings news. The path to Dauntless is blocked, so you'll have to find another way around. I suggest you ask her for more details on this matter, as well as take a look at your guard. He was injured, and has yet to wake."

Hearing this, Jacob's fingers twitched. He had not expected Jack to suffer, but then again as he thought about it. It was possible. If they ran into an opponent of Ian's strength, he could understand how it happened. Still, he would have to ask Amber or Teressa about the specifics to be sure.

Nodding his head, Jacob held on to the sack and left.

Seeing as how Leah did not mention either of his knights, Jacob knew that they probably were not here. He did tell Teressa that she had to gather those up at the estate and bring them here. It was not something absolutely necessary, but Jacob wanted to give them a chance. He would not leave them here if it was within his power to allow them to escape. In the eyes of the rest of the world, the people staying at the mansion were of low class, meaning they were always disposable. However, that was not the case in his eyes. Just because people had a value, did not mean he had the right to put that value on them. Someone that was not worth much now could be reliable down the line, a person could always change and adapt, meaning you never knew what a person was capable of.

As he left the room, Jacob could see people scurrying off here and there, gathering books, maps, scriptures, and some even had sculptures. A lot of it looked useless in his eyes, but Jacob said nothing about it. If those sculptures of Mother Nessa or the Archbishop or one of the Saints gave them hope then let them carry them.

It did not take him long to find Amelia. She was standing by the stairs that led to the upper rooms. She seemed to just finish up a conversation as the woman she was conversing with left as soon as Jacob approached.

"Lord."

Amelia greeted him once he was spotted.

"I heard Jack was injured, where is he?"

Jacob got right to the point.