Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 158 - 157: Sincere Advice

Chapter 158: Chapter 157: Sincere Advice

Under normal circumstances,

walking home with a beautiful girl late at night is a very relaxing and enjoyable thing to do,

especially in the romantic setting of a snowy evening.

But for Ronald, this seemed to often not apply.

The two were walking back to Greenwich, with Audrey closely following Ronald, her gaze almost constantly fixed on his back.

Although her smile was gentle, and she wasn’t much of a talker,

anyone with sense could tell that her unwavering attention must include her own schemes.

Not to mention that Ronald had quietly inquired with the exhibition people earlier.

Usually, the church would send a priest to pass on information, so why was it that today, of all days, it happened to be this nun he knew?

The key to this matter made it hard not to have some meaningful speculations.

A four-kilometer journey.

They hadn’t even walked half the distance, and Ronald was already feeling the road stretch on endlessly.

If possible,

he, of course, would also wish for the two to quietly walk the rest of the way home.

But given the nun’s identity, and the foreseeable fact that he would still be staying in Greenwich for a while,

even if he played dumb today and made it home, she would likely find another opportunity later.

Not to mention that the Church was a vast organization with connections everywhere.

"..."

After some internal deliberation, before reaching Greenwich,

Ronald was the first to speak up:

"Miss Audrey, you’ve been staring at me like this."

"Do you have something to tell me?"

"..."

"Mr. Ronald, you should know why I’m looking at you like this."

Seeing Ronald, who was walking a bit ahead, take the initiative to ask,

the smile on the nun’s face slightly changed, barely concealing a taste of triumph.

Then, she said somewhat subtly:

"The spell you used at the vineyard outside the city to deal with those heretical magicians was quite a powerful one."

"..."

As expected, it was this.

The powers from the "Divine Comedy" series that he had used had caught the Church’s attention.

This was exactly what Ronald had anticipated.

Or shall we say, the only reason she could show such an attitude was this.

So, how should he respond?

Should he openly admit it, or continue to find excuses to feign ignorance?

For now, he might as well feel out the situation a bit more...

While analyzing his own position and the Church’s stance, Ronald casually replied:

"You flatter me."

"Dealing with those heretical magicians also relied on the efforts laid by the investigators beforehand, which allowed everything to go smoothly in the end."

Crunch—

The two of them, one after the other, continued towards Greenwich, maintaining a pace that was almost in sync.

Absolutely, at the moment he uttered those words,

the nun stepped on the snow, making a crunching sound.

And paused.

Although brief, there was definitely a momentary halt.

"..."

Ronald, who had been responsible for security at the exhibition earlier, had not deactivated his "Fury" power, so a faint mist of darkness lingered at his sleeve.

And his ability to sense emotions told him.

There was no anger in the nun’s heart.

But for some reason,

Ronald subconsciously paused along with Audrey.

Maintaining the same expression during a conversation often exerted emotional pressure on others.

A stoic expression, if worn long enough, could be mistaken for a certain dignity.

At this moment, Ronald thought that the nun’s consistent smile might have been for this very reason.

Then, Audrey spoke.

"Let’s talk frankly."

The nun, standing still on the snow-covered path, spoke earnestly,

"Mr. Ronald, we have also discussed your personality on our side."

"Perhaps you prefer straightforward negotiations over beating around the bush?"

Ronald also stopped in his tracks and gave the nun a slight nod.

Standing on the snowy ground, he waited quietly for what she would say next.

The nun looked at Ronald and then continued,

"Simply put, we hope you will join the church."

"You must know that the mystical faction you study is actually very closely related to our church’s academic system, and we certainly do not intend to deceive you."

"Exchanging knowledge between similar factions would be a very good choice, both for you and for the church."

Ronald immediately asked,

"Is this invitation just a pure invitation?"

"Yes, it is a very simple invitation."

The nun nodded seriously and added,

"Our church is officially recognized, dedicated to maintaining world peace as a charitable organization, so don’t have any other absurd thoughts. It’s just a simple invitation."

"If you agree, we would be very happy to welcome you and offer you a corresponding church position; if you do not wish to, we can continue to wait until the day your thoughts change, or perhaps one day in the future, other people from your faction might join us."

"It’s that simple."

"..."

"!"

At that instant, a rather bold idea suddenly popped into Ronald’s mind, a risky yet tempting thought!

The thought was so nefarious that even he hesitated to voice it.

"Mr. Ronald, the church bears no malice towards you."

At this moment, the nun spoke again.

She probably sensed Ronald’s hesitation to join, so she said even more earnestly,

"I am inviting you very seriously and hope that you will consider this matter."

Well...

The nun’s persuasive tone seemed to declare something to Ronald, who stood in the snow, prompting him to make a decision.

Controlling his smile so as not to be too abstract,

Ronald looked straight into the nun’s eyes and pretended to say,

"Miss Audrey, the truth is, due to some personal identity issues, I really cannot serve the church."

"I truly find that regrettable."

"However, if your offer is sincere, I might have a more compromising solution."

The nun maintained her smile and nodded:

"Please, do tell."

So, Ronald began,

"Actually, there are other friends of my faction active in Berenwich. I could introduce her to the church."

The nun’s eyes lifted, her smile still in place, as she asked,

"Then, may I know who you would like to recommend?"

Ronald put forth his condition quite straightforwardly,

"I have no problem with making a recommendation, but I hope that you will keep it confidential. I don’t want others to know that this information came from me."

The nun replied with confidence,

"You can rest assured, our church has always been quite adept at keeping secrets."

Thus, Ronald voiced the thought that had just sprung to his mind,

"Actually, the warden, sir, announced a few days ago that he had adopted a little girl who is directly descended from my faction."

"She’s quite a formidable character indeed."

"..."

In the sky, the snowflakes continued to fall.

And watching the emotions change in the nun’s eyes,

Ronald felt that his attempt to test the free labor at the warden’s side had now found its opportunity.