Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 121: A Chance Encounter on the Way Home

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: A Chance Encounter on the Way Home

After handing over the reward to Ronald, the nun crossed her hands over her chest and bowed slightly.

Having completed the local church’s gesture of courtesy, she turned and left.

From then on, the nun, who had maintained a gentle smile, never appeared in Ronald’s view again.

"..."

He watched quietly as she moved away.

Before getting up and leaving Lierdel Cathedral.

Ronald first opened his pocket to check his paycheck.

Perhaps because he was just a temp, his weekly wage for the week’s work was not as much as he had imagined; a simple comparison showed it was only about one-fifth higher than what he would earn at the train station.

"It’s decent enough..."

After counting his wage, Ronald carefully placed the money bag in his pocket and then stood up from the bench.

Smoothing out some creases in his clothes, he headed for the exit of the church.

After several days of continuous work, it was time to take a rest.

With the setting sun slowly descending, Ronald left Lierdel Cathedral and headed towards the apartment where he rented his meals and lodging.

Everything was as usual on the streets of Berenwich.

Passersby were living their lives, with nothing out of the ordinary in sight.

If it weren’t for his work at the Investigation Bureau, Ronald would hardly be aware of the dark deeds occurring in the city.

In a sense, this calmness was the most dangerous situation.

It’s just like staring at calm river water; if you don’t dive in, it’s hard to detect the undercurrents lurking beneath.

Walking slowly by himself, Ronald calmly returned to his meal and lodging apartment.

The entire journey was uneventful.

Standing in front of the apartment’s door, Ronald took out his keys and entered his place.

Click—

Accompanied by the clear sound of the door opening, the landlady seated on the first-floor chair noticed Ronald’s movement and lifted her gaze from the sweater on her lap.

Confirming it was her tenant returning, a calm smile rose on the landlady’s face:

"Mm..."

"It’s Mr. Ronald."

"Have you been very busy these last few days? I hardly saw you come back."

Ronald gave the landlady a smile, then explained:

"You’re right."

"I’ve been quite busy with work in the past few days."

"But from today onwards, it shouldn’t be like the last couple of days anymore."

"I see..."

The landlady didn’t think too much about it, nodded simply upon hearing Ronald’s explanation, and returned her attention back to the sweater she was knitting.

After a brief chat, Ronald then headed towards the second floor where he lived.

Thump thump thump—

At that moment, he heard footsteps descending from the floor above.

Out of curiosity, Ronald stood still instead of pushing open his door, craning his neck to glance upwards.

Then, he saw a familiar figure.

—Patricia.

The tall girl was dressed quite casually at the moment, her signature platinum blonde hair not tied up but loosely draped over her shoulders.

Wearing loose casual clothes and warm slippers on her feet.

She was on her way downstairs.

While descending the stairs, she seemed to be about to inquire something from the landlady on the first floor:

"Excuse me, over here..."

"Ah!?"

Almost at the same time, Patricia saw Ronald.

The words in his mouth shifted from questioning to puzzled.

Both fell silent together.

On the staircase between the second and third floors, they stood one above the other, gazing intently at each other.

It was obviously quite unexpected to encounter the person before him in the residence.

After several seconds, Ronald tentatively asked Patricia,

"Are you the new tenant on the third floor?"

Patricia shrugged her shoulders,

"There shouldn’t be anyone else but me..."

While conversing, Ronald actually understood everything in his mind.

Thinking back to when he first arrived in Greenwich, for the sake of convenience and comfort, he found some houses that were close by and in nice environments through an intermediary.

Mrs. Hudson’s lodging house was the result of his careful selection.

—And what about Patricia?

Being a stranger to Greenwich just like him, if she had looked for a house through an intermediary after getting off the train, then this lodging house with quite favorable conditions would naturally be her top choice.

It was more like a coincidence that the two of them lived in the same building and only met for the first time today.

This was the real low-probability event!

"..."

"Shall I go down and find something to eat?"

After another few seconds of mutual gaze, Patricia spoke first, glancing down the stairs at the same time.

Seeing her casual attire and the tone she’d use to chat with friends, Ronald graciously stepped aside to clear the stairway, politely watching her as she walked downstairs.

Only after Patricia’s figure disappeared at the corner of the staircase did Ronald open his door and return to his room.

He casually hung his hat on the coat rack.

Ronald thought for a moment, then decided to put his overcoat away in the wardrobe by itself.

Given the current situation in Greenwich, he didn’t plan to walk around outside dressed like that in the following days.

After roughly organizing his clothes, Ronald sat at his desk.

He unfolded the letter that Miss Mapple had sent him and immediately placed the latticed card on the shadow cast by the envelope.

At once, the text appeared through the shadow of the Moiré stripes.

Just a few sentences recorded the arrangements for Ronald’s subsequent work.

—The content was very simple.

After all, Ronald was just a temporary worker for the Investigation Bureau.

In such an urgent situation in the city, it was only natural that he wouldn’t be entrusted with important tasks by the bureau, and his future orders were simple and straightforward.

He had to pay attention to messages sent through the mailbox every day and patrol the streets near his residence, reporting any anomalies directly to the Investigation Bureau’s informants at designated locations on the street.

That was all, nothing more.

"..."

Having memorized the contact address on the letter in his mind, Ronald took out a match from beside him and lit it.

Sizzling—

Blue smoke curled up from the flame, and he quietly watched as the burning page turned to ashes.

At the same time, Ronald’s train of thought shifted.

Now that Patricia lived right above him, how should he discuss today’s events with her in the future?

Thump, thump, thump—

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Patricia’s voice appeared outside the door not long after she left.

"Ronald, didn’t you just come back?"

"Shall we eat something together?"

"Delighted to."

While responding to Patricia,

Ronar quickly stood up and walked to the door to open it.