Mystery: From Celestial Venerable's Backup to Red Priest

The weather in Backlund is unpredictable; just moments ago it was drizzling and hailing, but two hours after Evan had breakfast, the rain stopped and the sun shone brightly.

Having completed the government staff recruitment report, Evan naturally wouldn't linger in the villa any longer. After saying goodbye to Butler Walker, Evan left the villa, hailed a carriage on the road, and headed to the North District of Backlund.

The Church of the Night Goddess is one of the mainstream churches in Backlund, with churches in various locations. The Church of St. Samuel in the northern district of Backlund is the headquarters of the Church of the Night Goddess in Backlund.

As a believer favored by the goddess of night, Evan had not prayed to her for two or three days, which made him uneasy.

St. Samuel's Church is located on Pesfield Street in the western part of North Backlund, very close to Queens where Evan now lives, so it only took Evan less than half an hour to reach his destination.

This is a pure black church with a bell tower on each side, displaying a symmetrical beauty when viewed from a distance.

Carrying a gold-inlaid cane, Evan crossed the large square in front of the church, entered the church, walked through the quiet corridors, and strolled in the sunlight reflected off the stained glass windows. He entered the main prayer hall, found a seat at random, clenched his fists, and listened to the bishop's sermon with the others.

As the bishop preached, Evan felt an unparalleled peace in his heart. He even felt that coming to the church more often could soothe the spiritual imprint on the potion—both of the Assassin's Potions that Evan drank were made directly using extraordinary properties.

Although neither Helen nor Mrs. Sharon explicitly stated it, Evan was able to clearly sense it, which was likely a perception brought about by that mysterious city.

The bishop's sermons do not end in a short time, and most believers, due to various reasons, cannot actually stay in the church for too long. So after listening to a sermon, believers leave one after another, while some devout believers will quietly step forward and donate some money.

Evan wouldn't spend the whole day here; he'd just come to the goddess every now and then to express his devotion. Doing too much might annoy the goddess.

From Klein's responses to his followers in the original work, it's clear that people like Evan, who were personally blessed by the Goddess of Night, were special individuals who received special attention.

Praying randomly for no reason can be incredibly annoying, something anyone who's constantly being bossed around via WeChat by their boss will understand.

So Evan, understanding the difficulties the goddess faced with her large family and many believers, stopped praying, quietly walked to the altar, bowed to the bishop, and put the two 10-pound bills and six 5-pound bills, totaling 50 pounds, into the donation box.

Evan had been praying in the back row, but when he stepped forward, his handsome and refined appearance, along with his luxurious and elegant attire, had already attracted the attention of the gentlemen and ladies in the front row, while the young women who followed him had their eyes shining.

When Evan donated 50 pounds at once, it caused a stir among the people present. They abandoned all restraint and began asking around about Evan's identity, which made the prayer hall a little chaotic and no longer had the sacred and peaceful atmosphere it had just had.

Seeing this, Evan shook his head inwardly. He hadn't expected the Backlunds to be so unreserved. At the same time, he looked apologetically at the bishop who had stopped preaching.

The white-haired bishop saw Evan's apologetic look and shook his head kindly, clearly not blaming Evan.

Evan pointed four times clockwise at his chest to the preaching bishop, then left St. Samuel's Cathedral, ignoring the eager looks from the girls in their seats.

After leaving the church, Evan fed the pigeons in the square for a while. Seeing that it was still early, he went to the shopping street in the west district to stroll around. There were not only jewelry stores and clothing stores that ladies were keen on, but also cane stores, pocket watch stores, and other shops for men.

These were not Aiven's goals. Aiven was actually here to find some shops like pharmacies, because some of the auxiliary materials in potion recipes are actually quite common in pharmacies.

Shopping always flies by, and before he knew it, it was noon. Evan thought about the magazines and newspapers he had read before and finally decided to find an Intis restaurant to see if Russell, the time traveler, had copied the dishes from his previous life into this world.

To be honest, both the chefs at the Earl of Tingen's mansion and the chefs at the Villa Backlund were very skilled at cooking. But for Evan, it was fine to try it once in a while, but he couldn't get used to eating it for a long time. Evan didn't believe that Roselle, who was also a member of the great foodie empire, could tolerate his mouth being wronged.

Having made up his mind, Evan once again hailed a carriage and headed to the Intis Serenzo restaurant in the western district.

Upon arriving at the restaurant entrance, after passing through the revolving door invented by Russell, Evan handed his coat, hat, and cane to the waiter in the red vest and then asked:

Are there any seats available? I haven't made a reservation.

"There are still seats available!" the waiter said respectfully. "Is this your first time here? Are you traveling with someone?"

"Yes, I just arrived in Backlund. I have a companion. Please give me a quiet spot and some space for me and the lady."

"Yes, sir, please come with me."

The waiter agreed to Evan's request without hesitation and led him deeper into the restaurant.

Evan followed the waiter into the restaurant's dining area, and it felt as if he had instantly entered a magnificent vault. The walls were decorated mainly in yellow, exuding luxury.

The oil paintings hanging on the walls were all works by famous artists, and the stone sculptures placed everywhere were lifelike. Even Evan could faintly hear music. Looking around, he could see a professional band playing on the stage, with beautiful and moving melodies.

The waiter led Evan to a relatively secluded table, handed him a menu, and then began to introduce the restaurant's specialties.

Evan took the menu and looked at the descriptions written in Old Fussac. He felt a little disappointed because the dishes were clearly modified. Although you could still see traces of Chinese cuisine in them, this was not what Evan wanted. He could only sigh inwardly.

"Looks like if you want to eat authentic Chinese food, you have to cook it yourself!"

After closing the menu, Evan ordered two different £15 set meals and then sat down to enjoy the performance on stage.

"Why did you order two set meals? Did you know I was coming?"

Suddenly, a pleasant voice came from the seat opposite Evan. The performance on stage had ended, and the performer was bowing to the diners, who were all applauding. Evan was no exception, but while clapping, he looked at the beautiful woman in the black dress opposite him.

"I've been in Backlund for two days now, and I didn't believe you hadn't heard, so I ordered you a set meal too. I hope you like it."

Sitting across from Evan was Helen, his guide on his extraordinary path and also his bed partner.

However, Evan knew that Helen was with him because the Mysterious City gave him the 'Gray Vision' that allowed him to detect all the hunters, assassins, and extraordinary individuals around him.

Evan knew from the moment he left the villa that morning that an "assassin" was following him, and after a little thought, he knew it must be "Helen," but he just pretended not to know.

Evan originally thought Helen would only follow him for a while and would show herself once she realized that no witches from the Witch Cult were following her. However, she was still following him from a distance until noon and showed no intention of showing herself. This made Evan a little impatient because he had to go to the Brave Ones Bar to see Kasperas Kanlinin that night.

So Evan could only tell her by ordering two set meals that he had guessed she was being followed.

"How did you discover I was following you while invisible? You know, a witch's invisibility is very difficult to detect!"

Helen brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and asked with captivating charm.

Before Evan could even answer, they heard the sound of a plate shattering on the ground nearby. The restaurant manager was pulling the waiter who had made the mistake to apologize to the surrounding customers. Strangely, the waiter's eyes were darting around, and he didn't dare to look at Evan and his group at all.

Evan knew the waiter had lost his composure due to Helen's earlier allure, and looking at Helen, who was chuckling softly, he said:

"You sent me to infiltrate the witch cult, but then you didn't have me by your side for a few days. Any cautious person would secretly follow me and test me to prevent me from secretly betraying you. That's only human nature."

As the waiter brought the set meal over, Evan and Helen both stopped talking.

Helen couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, because Evan was no longer the sycophant he had been in Tingen, which made Helen feel like she couldn't quite control him anymore.

But when she discovered that Evan had ordered the same foods she liked in Tingen, she felt relieved, realizing that Evan still cared about her and hadn't slipped out of her control.

"I've already obtained the formula for the Instigator's Potion from Lady Sharon, so the Spirit Cult should provide the necessary materials. It wouldn't be right for me to have the formula and then not bother gathering the ingredients, would it? If the Witch Cult finds out, they'll become suspicious!"

Helen ate a piece of fried bream and said with a hint of jealousy:

"You really went all out! You managed to get him to hand over the formula to you even though you hadn't done anything to benefit the sect."

Evan took a sip of Olmir red wine and said quietly:

"Isn't this what you wanted to see?"

Helen sensed something was off about Evan's tone and quickly grabbed his hand, trying to smooth things over:

"Don't worry, we won't forget your contribution. We will definitely keep our promise. I'll get the necessary materials ready for you as soon as I get back."

Evan nodded, picked up his knife and fork again, cut a piece of beef, put it in his mouth, and then casually said as he ate:

"I'll be joining MI9 next week, just letting you know in advance."