I find it very sacred to pick someone up and make them a saint.

All the scholars of the Holy Chapter were seated, and Mien said, "Let me explain the details to everyone."

"Yes." Phyllis nodded, stepped to the front, and a character relationship chart appeared on the magic screen. She introduced it efficiently:

"The starting point this time is Boll."

He was a close associate of Miles, the leader of one of the two major gangs, the Bloods, and was highly favored by him. He was also one of the few core figures who controlled the power of the Cult.

In an attempt to show off and commit violence, he repeatedly violated gang rules and performed curses and sacrifices without permission, which was discovered ten days ago.

The other gang, the Crippled Gang, naturally demanded severe punishment, but Miles, who was close to him, did not want to deal with it seriously. However, this jeopardized the difficult cooperation between the two gangs and could not be glossed over.

Ultimately, they chose to criticize him in a grand manner, but only gave him a dozen or so blows before stopping, raising the issue high and then gently putting it down.

The members of the Crippled Gang protested, but Miles immediately flew into a rage, saying that he had already followed the gang rules and that if they continued to harass him, he would rather break the alliance.

The crippled gang had no choice but to endure it for the time being, but resentment grew in their hearts.

At this point, the magic screen switched to images of Paul and two other people, and Phyllis pointed her wand at the other two:

"The one on top is Theodore, the leader of the Cripples Gang, and the one below is his confidant Fred, who has the deepest grudge against Paul. Before the alliance, their territories were adjacent, and the two clashed directly."

Therefore, he could not tolerate Bohr being treated lightly and kept advising Theodore not to let the matter rest.

This touched on Theodore's mind. Although he was the one who initiated the alliance with Miles's Blood Gang and the direct planner of the cult's activities, he was unwilling to be humbled or swallow his pride.

The two decided to kill Paul after a period of time, but without leaving any evidence, in order to serve as a deterrent and warning, and also to save face for the outside world.

Miles was already in the wrong, and without evidence, he couldn't retaliate; he could only swallow his anger.

Mien asked:

"Do they have any specific plans?"

Phyllis shook her head:

"The above is all deduced from the discussions of other core members and the recent actions of Fred and others; no one knows their specific thoughts."

However, Fred led his men to Paul the day before yesterday. We suspected they were planning to attack, so we caused some trouble on his territory to force them to return, hoping to stall until your arrival. I imagine they will strike again soon.

"You did a great job," Mien praised. "Did Paul notice?"

"Absolutely not."

Mien nodded and immediately ordered all the Holy Chapter scholars to assist in the tracking or investigation. Then he got up and led Phyllis out of the outpost alone.

The air outside was fresh and cool, and the environment was naturally harmonious for most people engaged in agriculture. A breeze blew through their thin scholar robes.

Both of them used magic to transform into ordinary residents and headed towards a densely populated area.

"Tell us the specifics of why you requested the officer's assistance."

"Yes." Upon hearing this, Phyllis frowned slightly.

"There is so much chaos here. We investigated for a long time before we met law enforcement officers for the first time. They were there to collect taxes and did almost nothing. The gangs are the direct managers they deal with."

Aren't they afraid something might happen?

"No accidents have ever happened."

Phyllis shrugged helplessly: "Of course, I mean that for law enforcement officers and nobles, there has never been an incident that could affect their power."

For the residents here, accidents happen every day.

The aroma of wine and milk wafted through the air as they entered the gathering area, where vendors on both sides were busy at work.

The two people started arguing over a trivial matter. The argument escalated into a physical fight, causing them to knock over a small stall and scatter vegetable leaves all over the ground.

Passersby watched as if they had seen this many times before and were used to it.

People's faces were expressionless, filled with indifference, resentment, and sadness, and a somber and oppressive atmosphere permeated the surroundings.

Mien felt a sense of déjà vu; if it weren't for the different scenery and the denser crowds, this place would be almost identical to Iron Can Street.

It seems that similar scenes are not limited to these two places in the Empire, and have become a kind of norm.

"Two weeks ago, I went to the local law enforcement officers as a scholar of the Academy. They were not even familiar with the Academy and their attitude was very perfunctory."

Later, I found the colonel in charge of this area. Although he punished the subordinates who disrespected me, he ignored my explanation of the situation. It seemed he already knew but was too lazy to care.

"Did you visit Count Neuer as a Silver Scholar?"

"I expressed my desire to meet Earl Neuer to the colonel, but he told me that Earl Neuer had been away from the territory for a long time and could not pass on the message. I also had no way to contact him directly, so I had to give up."

He wasn't lying to you about that.

Mien shook his head; he had already done his research before coming.

"Although Miss Neuer is the lord of the city-state of Valgon, she is also the youngest colonel in the army, a knight commander, and a recipient of the Order of the Golden Lion."

She trained rapidly in the army alongside her father, General Sestan, for many years; perhaps the latter was her primary identity.

Phyllis immediately understood and sighed helplessly.

As they were talking, two or three gang members strolled over, kicked open the door of a nearby shop, and casually looked around.

Upon seeing this, the customers inside immediately ran out, leaving only the shop owner helplessly watching them.

"Where's this month's money?" they asked, leaning against the front desk.

The store manager took out some money from below: "This is all I have right now, the rest..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped.

"We have never interfered with this situation as you have instructed. There are simply too many to handle; we have only tried our best to save their lives."

Mien surveyed his surroundings and asked:

Did they request assistance from law enforcement officials or the Vatican?

"They fear gangs, but they also fear nobles and the Papacy, and perhaps even more."

"Finnie!" At that moment, a young woman carrying a shopping basket called out to Phyllis. She was still a teenager, and a happy expression appeared on her face.

What are you doing here?

Phyllis was initially surprised, but upon recognizing the person, she flashed her signature radiant smile:

"I'm here to take care of some things!"

At the same time, she used communication magic to tell Mien that she was a friend she had met during her undercover investigation and that she worked at a nearby hotel.

"Oh!" The man smiled kindly, then looked at Mien and asked with a puzzled expression:

"And who is this?...?"

Before Mien could react, Phyllis pulled Mien's arm into her embrace, her red hair almost touching Mien's face, and said with a smile:

"This is my fiancé, Mr. Mill!"

Mien, at a loss for words, could only greet her with, "Hello, ma'am."

He often suspected Phyllis, who seemed to be harboring ill intentions outside of work, as if she had been waiting for this situation for a long time.

However, there was no evidence, since it was indeed a work requirement.

The young woman looked at Mien with admiration in her eyes: "Fine, this is truly an excellent gentleman."

Following the script, Phyllis hugged the arm tighter and smiled brightly, "Thank you!"

Just then, another young woman recognized Phyllis and rushed over, calling out, "Phineas!"

Phyllis greeted him enthusiastically, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

Mien had no idea how they had developed such a close friendship in just a few days...

But when I turned around, I suddenly realized something:

Although Phyllis and herself had changed their attire, they still looked proper and neat, clearly not commoners here, nor were they from wealthy families.

But these people weren't as afraid as Phyllis had said.

It can build trust and a sense of closeness.

"It seems that among the nobles and the Papacy, they are not afraid of or even hate all the powerful figures of the empire."

Mien pondered thoughtfully.

"What about the Academy of Scholars?"