A man among dragons, building a mysterious ancient church.

Chapter 41 The Bishop Attempts to Restore His Authority
Why did things become like this?
Aso Makoto walked ahead, and with a casual glance back, she could see Inuyama Taro and Fuma Matsu diligently helping her carry the medicinal herbs.

The ugly duckling of the past seems to have transformed into a swan. A poor girl who often had to work to pay for her college tuition has suddenly become a rich young lady who has someone to carry her bags whenever she goes out.

All these changes were too sudden and too rapid, leaving Aso Makoto's mind in a state of chaos. There must be something wrong with this, right?
She's only seventeen, and will be a senior in high school next semester, yet she's become the bishop of a district? And she's responsible for managing more than ten believers?
No, although Xu Jun's trust in her really made Aso Makoto very happy, Aso Makoto was particularly worried that she would mess things up if she trusted him too much.

Xu Jun is so casual!

"Bishop Aso," Inuyama Taro said, feeling uneasy as he watched Aso Makoto walk silently ahead, "I heard from Ryoma Ken that..."

"If I join the church, I can receive a bottle of calming potion?"

Oh right, Xu Jun mentioned this in his text message as well.

Although they didn't know who this Longma Jian was, Xu Jun had said that he would give them a bottle of tranquilizer for free.

When facing strangers, Aso Makoto's words and actions were rather submissive. He pointed to the medicinal herbs in Inuyama Taro's hand and said, "Not yet. I'll make them for you when I get back."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Your Excellency." Inuyama Taro indicated that he understood, and then exchanged glances with his three companions.

Aso Makoto appeared very weak, which is unusual among mixed-race individuals.

Since the four of them were waiting near Aso's house, they hadn't walked far when Aso Shin arrived home: "If you're in a hurry to take your medicine, please wait patiently. I'll bring it out when I've made it."

She bowed apologetically, took the two bags of herbs, and went into the house, leaving the four of them looking at each other in bewilderment. This bishop didn't seem like a mixed-race person at all.

When Asou Makoto returned home, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had been terrified. After putting down the medicine, Asou Makoto went back into the room to check that her grandmother was still asleep.

She knew very well that her grandmother had a little habit as she got older: she would often wake up before dawn to make breakfast for two, and then go back to her room to catch up on sleep after eating.

Aso Makoto quietly closed the door, quickly took out his phone, and dialed Xu Lie's number.

"Hey?"

"Good morning, Mr. Xu." It has to be said that Aso is truly gentle and polite; even in this situation, he still remembers to greet people.

After saying good morning, Asou Makoto lowered his voice, covering his mouth with his other hand to avoid waking his grandmother: "Um, um, isn't the matter of the bishop too casual? I can't do it."

Xu Lie had anticipated this, and without hesitation, he blurted out his prepared statement: "Don't worry, didn't I tell you about the Fierce Ghost Clan yesterday?"

"These believers were all recruited from the Ghost Clan. Although their bloodlines are dangerous, they still adhere to the bottom line of being human, but their mental state is worrying."

"After taking one bottle of calming medicine, everything was fine."

"And I also told you about the method of acting. A pharmacist can't just prepare medicine for me alone. He needs to prepare medicine for more people so that he can better digest the magic potion."

“No.” Aso Shin said with some anxiety, “I don’t know anything. How can I manage the Tokyo Diocese? How can I serve as bishop? Xu-kun, can’t you find someone else?”

"I'm already very content that I can help with the pharmaceutical production."

Xu Lie reassured him gently, "No one is born knowing how to manage a parish. Everyone learns and adapts gradually. I believe in you."

Believe? Asou pursed her lips; she was a girl who always held onto hope for tomorrow.

Even though her neighbors were advising her against it, and her teachers and students at school were also against her, Makoto Aso still insisted on working part-time to earn money so that she could go to university.

For more than a decade, only Grandma believed in Makoto Aso and thought that he could realize his dream.

Now, there's one more person who believes in her.

A strange warmth surged through his heart and spread to every part of his body, gradually replacing his panicked emotions with comfort. Asou Makoto unconsciously gripped his phone tighter: "Then, shall I give it a try?"

"I believe you can do it. If you encounter any problems, you can contact me anytime. If they can't find a place to stay, you can let them go to the Sumitomo Group in Tokyo Bay."

That was a hideout Xu Lie had prepared for the mixed-bloods who had defected from the Ghost Clan. He could simply find a high-ranking member of the Sumitomo Clan, parasitize them, and that was it—it didn't take much effort at all. Xu Lie said a few more comforting words before hanging up. Asou Makoto stared blankly at his phone for a few minutes before exhaling, putting it down, and patting his face with both hands.

I cannot let Xu Jun down!
Aso Shin first cheered himself up, then went to the entrance, opened the door, and waved to Inuyama Taro and the others outside.

After the four approached, Makoto Aso raised his index finger and put it to his lips: "Shh, keep your voice down, my grandma is still sleeping."

"You all come in."

While taking out slippers for the four to change into, she explained softly, "Our church bestows blessings upon devout believers. For example, my pharmaceutical skills were given to me by the church."

"Watch me brew the medicine later, and you'll understand once you repeat the process yourself."

Aso Shin thought a lot while he was in a daze, and realized that he was too weak when he first came into contact with Inuyama Taro and the others.

This won't do. The important figures I've seen on TV and in comics are all very dignified, so Aso Shin wants to make up for it.

"Huh?" Inuyama Taro and the other three were a little confused. This old church was a bit strange.

Is pharmaceutical skill a gift, or something learned?
Half-believing and half-doubting, Makoto Aso deftly took out the herbs and began to cook a large pot of calming medicine, occasionally adjusting it with his spiritual power during the process.

This is a key ability for a Sequence 9 Pharmacist. It's not enough to simply follow a prescription and add the herbs to brew a calming potion; you also need to use spirituality to harmonize the various herbs.

This is why Aso was so confident that he could get Inuyama Taro to learn it once.

On one hand, Taro Inuyama felt that this was not good, but on the other hand, he felt that it would be very beneficial if he could learn how to make calming medicine.

Hesitantly, he finally followed Makoto Aso's procedure and ended up brewing two pots of medicine with different colors.

The potion brewed by Asou Makoto was the same calming potion they had seen last night, emerald green in color. Inuyama Taro's completely copied dark potion was not exactly the same, but rather completely unrelated.

Taro Inuyama was completely dumbfounded: "This shouldn't be the case. I... I controlled all the processes perfectly."

Aso Makoto acknowledged Inuyama Taro's practical skills: "That's right, the process is the same, the ingredients are the same, only the blessing of the old church is missing."

"When you pray and let the church witness your piety, the church will also give you strength and blessings."

"Let's drink the medicine first." Aso Makoto scooped out four bowls of medicine from a large pot and had them drink them.

Sakurai Masami and the other two were naturally impatient; they had long been eager to calm their nerves, and disregarding the scalding heat, they forced themselves to drink it all.

The moment the potion was ingested, the tranquility that permeated their entire being completely captivated them, and the dragon blood turmoil that had plagued them for so many years vanished so easily!

Their gazes toward Aso Shin became increasingly intense. Just moments before, they had been discussing outside the door whether the bishop was too weak and whether the old church was unreliable.

Now? Weak? Unreliable? Get lost! No force is more reliable than the church, which provides tranquilizers.

As for the bishop being weak? Then they'll protect him! Anyone who wants to harm the bishop will have to step over their corpses first!

Those who haven't experienced something akin to a split personality or the restlessness of dragon's blood can hardly understand the yearning for tranquility in the hearts of people like Masami Sakurai.

Only Inuyama Taro, recalling his promise, looked troubled: "Your Excellency, may I take this medicine with me?"

“Ryoma Ken, who guided us to join the religion… was unfortunately hunted down and killed by the clan’s enforcers. I promised him that I would sprinkle tranquilizers on his grave.”

"Sure," Aso Makoto replied gently. "But Mr. Inuyama's mental state isn't too good, is it?"

"Consider this bottle a personal gift from me."

(End of this chapter)