Witch Monastery

Chapter 464: Black Rod District, Long-lost Lover

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present fell into silence.

"Alas, it's really hard to find such a candidate," Koval said with emotion. "We have excellent priests like you and me who strictly abide by the commandments and are strict with ourselves. We can use ourselves as examples to transform ordinary people into devout and self-disciplined believers. However, we really have no experience in the reverse transformation."

This is the truth. After all, the Goddess of Life has always been lenient with her believers, so the lax attitude of the believers is a common problem faced by managers.

Even the most self-disciplined believer cannot remain unaffected when surrounded by a group of believers who practice the Goddess's idea of ​​"enjoying the beauty of life". Over time, he or she will naturally become lax.

Juana pondered for a moment, and suddenly said, "How about sending Kasha to his monastery?"

Koval's eyes widened in anger: "That shameless, spendthrift, lazy moon elf?!"

Juana thought that what you said about her was really too much. After all, she was a rare genius among the moon elves. She was recognized by the Moon Goddess before she even reached adulthood, and she also sealed a fallen angel - or rather, a lust demon - by herself.

Now he is out there on his own, and due to lack of experience he has suffered some hardships, so he is staying with us temporarily, feeling a bit depressed. It is really wrong for you to say such things about him.

Juana liked this elf girl very much, but she didn't dare to defend Kasa in front of Koval. Instead, she said, "Yes, you see, she goes shopping, does beauty treatments, eats snacks, buys luxury goods, and holds parties every day. Isn't she the most vulgar person?"

"If we use her to educate those extreme nuns, and they influence each other, maybe in the future Kaisa will become more self-disciplined, and those nuns will become more secular?"

Koval was still hesitant. Whether as a dwarf or as a self-disciplined believer, he was full of prejudice and distrust towards the moon elf, and always felt that her going would only make things worse.

When he didn't say anything, Juana quickly added, "Besides, I can't afford to support her at the rate she spends money. And you just said that Father Hawthorne is good at making delicious food with cheap ingredients. Maybe they are a perfect match?"

Evan also chimed in, "Not only that, we also heard before that Father Hawthorne also cooperates happily with the blue dragons, right? He is not short of money, so he should not mind spending money to support a powerful elf like Kassadin?"

Juana's eyes lit up and she nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it's a good opportunity to let Kasa teach his nuns how the followers of the Goddess of Life should fight!"

These words combined together suddenly became the final ten barbells that overwhelmed Koval's heart.

"Okay!" he decided, "Send Kasha to his monastery!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Only Hawthorne didn't know that a huge trouble was approaching him at a rapid speed...

He also had his own things to do, and the day after Koval left, he came to the Black Rod area alone by carriage.

Because of dealing with the aftermath of the demons and the problem of the cult's stronghold he reported, An Nuo has been very busy recently. She originally agreed to go to the monastery to get it, but in the end she really couldn't spare the time.

There was no other way. Hawthorne didn't want to delay any longer. After all, it was almost the end of the year. In the end, he had to come in person and deliver the things to her.

Compared to the poor South Port area and the wealthy central area, the Black Rod area seems to be somewhere in between the two.

It is not like the central area, which is full of newly built skyscrapers and bustling like a commercial center of a modern metropolis, but it is also not like the Nangang District.

There are slums everywhere and poor fishermen struggling to make ends meet can be seen everywhere.

It well shows the characteristics of this era, or what the Sayin Empire should have after a long period of rule: a low, old, solid but durable two or three-story marble building with various old signs hanging on it.

Although the road here is also a wide gravel road, it is obviously a bit old, with potholes everywhere and not flat, and the carriage seems to be quite bumpy on it. I don't know if it is because the city hall is unwilling to allocate money to the Black Rod District to repair the road, or the main users here don't mind and don't usually use these bad road conditions.

After getting off the carriage, Hawthorne paid the driver and walked into the "Centaurs" coffee shop that Annuo had specified. The coffee shop had an old-fashioned interior but was very clean. She said that the craftsmanship of this coffee shop was top-notch in the entire Black Rod area.

The store manager was also as Anno introduced, a somewhat elderly female centaur. She had a gentle smile on her face and recommended the store's signature coffee to him without haste. After Hawthorne decided to order two cups, she charged him four gold coins.

Although he was no longer short of money, a cup of coffee cost him two gold coins. When Hawthorne took out the money, he couldn't help but sigh secretly, "What a waste."

After the Centaur prepared the drink for him, he held the cup and chose a seat by the window. He savored the drink while waiting for Anno to arrive.

In fact, coffee is not a traditional drink of the Sein Empire. However, due to their decline in recent years and the rise and expansion of the Golden Dragon Empire, the pursuit of fashion in Libel Port has naturally changed to the latter.

Because the gold elves like this drink, as the gold dragons travel around the world, upholding justice and gaining worship, this drink is naturally regarded as a high-class enjoyment and becomes popular in Port Liber.

More than 90% of the coffee business is dominated by merchants from the Golden Dragon Empire or businesses invested by the Golden Dragon Bank.

There is no way. Several major coffee bean producing countries have signed free trade agreements with the Golden Dragons. Therefore, they can get coffee beans at the lowest average price, and their cost advantage is very obvious.

If businessmen from other countries want to do this, they will naturally have no competitiveness.

And looking at it now, this thing is definitely a huge profit.

Looking at the coffee in front of him, Hawthorne couldn't help but sigh. Just for such a small cup of coffee, they dared to ask him for two full gold coins: this was a skilled senior blacksmith's entire day's income. Even if the fishermen in Nangang District returned with a full load every day, they could not earn this much money in a week.

However, on the other side of the ocean, farmers in several major coffee bean producing countries can only earn an average of five copper coins a day, and the whole family is struggling to make ends meet. Sometimes famine or even war breaks out.

Instead of bringing them happiness, the global demand for coffee beans has become a huge mountain weighing on their shoulders.

The huge profits have made the Golden Dragons so glorious today. However, outsiders really can't find any fault with it, after all, this is completely free trade.

The Golden Dragons adhere to and practice the concept of "freedom", advocating that defending freedom is the greatest justice. Out of noble morality, they will provide some assistance to those small countries when famine occurs, but they will never change the order set by "free trade".

After all, they are the most powerful ones nowadays and are the biggest beneficiaries among them.

Hawthorne was thinking about all these things in his mind, so he didn't have to wait too long. Soon, a beautiful figure came into his sight. An Nuo, carrying a small bag, walked into the coffee shop quickly, saw him, and then showed an angelic smile.

She was not wearing armor today, but a white sheepskin coat. She looked fresh, beautiful and extremely cute.

She couldn't wait to walk to Hawthorne, sat down next to him, stretched out her arms, hugged his arms, and said coquettishly: "Did you miss me?"

Hawthorne understood that the real meaning of these words was "I miss you."

He also put on a smile, stretched out his hands, hugged her in his arms, and said softly: "Of course I do, dear, I miss you so much."

"Come, let me kiss you first."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and pretended to kiss An Nuo on the lips. An Nuo was immediately both happy and shy. He glanced at the Centaur behind the counter and reached out to pinch his thigh: "No, there's someone here."

The Centaur turned his head to the side, took out a pair of scissors and started trimming the potted plants, pretending not to notice what was happening here.

Hawthorne raised a hand, covering their cheeks, and said with a sly smile, "Well, now they can't see."

An Nuo's heart beat faster, her face flushed, she raised her cheeks and kissed him gently.

After all, this was indeed a public place, and there were pedestrians passing by outside the window, so Hawthorne didn't dare to really kiss An Nuo.

He then just kissed her bright red lips lightly, expressing his deep love for her, and then hugged her without any further indiscretion.

An Nuo leaned her head on his chest, her lips curled up, her smile full of sweetness. She didn't want to think about anything now, she just wanted to empty her mind and enjoy this rare tranquility.

But unfortunately, she didn't have so much time to waste. After a while of tenderness, she whispered, "What do you want to give to me?"

Me?

Hawthorne took out his dimensional bag, looked at her face, and said seriously: "This is it, well, there is a very dangerous thing stored in it."

Chapter 465: Casalante, related to Malena?

Then, Hawthorne told Anno everything about the origin, characteristics, and information stored in the Stone of Graol. After hearing this, Anno was filled with disbelief: "No, you wiped out the Sannasa Guild in just a few days?"

Hawthorne nodded: "Not only that, I also turned that beholder into my familiar. Shannasa, come out and meet your mistress."

Behind his neck, the palm-sized eye demon pet reluctantly showed its head, allowing An Nuo to see its true form. The past memories still existed, and the Black Rod Tower was of course its enemy. It would feel extremely embarrassed to let its former enemy see its current posture.

"Oh my god!" An Nuo covered his mouth, unable to express his surprise. "This guy is a big trouble. The Black Rod Tower has wanted to eliminate it for a long time, but because we can't find the location of its lair, we have never succeeded."

"How did you find it?"

Hawthorne smiled softly: "Hey, of course I have my own methods. Some friends who are used to living in the dark helped me a little."

"Besides, this guy didn't hide that deeply."

An Nuo hit him twice to express his dissatisfaction: "You bastard. You didn't even call me for such an important matter."

"I want to go too, to try out the power of the legendary Eye Demon, to see if it's really as magical as they say!"

Hawthorne hugged her and comforted her, "Next time!"

An Nuo hit him twice again, but did not continue to dwell on this topic. He continued, "So, my task is to hand this thing over to Ms. Vajera and ask her to take out the dragon gold?"

Hawthorne nodded: "Yes, this secret key and the treasure house are too dangerous. I am afraid that only relying on her knowledge and power can we safely take out the treasure of the former city lord."

An nodded: "Okay, then I'll go see her later."

Having said this, she put away the dimensional bag and continued, "Besides this? I remember you have something else you want me to help you with?"

Hawthorne nodded: "Yes, after destroying the Shannasa Guild this time, I found some very unusual information, but there is no conclusive evidence yet."

"So, can you investigate the information of a noble family called 'Casalante'? They may have had their hands in some, um... I can't really say, saying too much may constitute defamation, but anyway, it may be something not so clean."

An Nuo nodded, and then, a look of reminiscence appeared on her face: "The Casalante family... I don't know much about it. Uh, our family didn't interact much with them, so we are not particularly familiar with them."

"But I remember some basic information about their family. The industries they controlled were basically all in the Muse District, including various entertainment industries and news organizations. But it seemed that these were all acquired by their family a few years ago, and then they grew stronger."

Could it be Malena’s family property?

Huo Sang was somewhat puzzled, and then he heard An Nuo continue: "Then, the male owner of their family is actually an irresponsible and incompetent guy. He usually doesn't care about anything related to the family and the industry."

"Although he still appears in public at various family events, everyone knows that he is just a rubber stamp and the real decision-maker in the family is his wife."

On Hawthorne's shoulder, the petite beholder nodded repeatedly. The situation it encountered was the same. The one it was in contact with was always the fat mistress of Casalant. The man in her family, Sanasa, had never seen him once.

"But that's all I know." An Nuo looked a little helpless. "I'll help you find out later, but it may take some time."

Hawthorne lowered his head and kissed her gently on the forehead: "Thank you for your hard work, dear."

Two attractive blushes appeared on An Nuo's face, and then she whispered to him, "Are you going back today?"

Huo Sang was delighted, then he looked up at the big sun outside the window. He looked embarrassed, "It's getting late now. If I go back, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a carriage that is willing to go to Nangang District..."

An Nuo's heart beat faster, knowing that he was thinking the same thing as herself.

Hiding her inner thoughts, she whispered, "How about you come to my house and stay overnight tonight?"

Hearing this, Hawthorne's expression froze.

Damn, am I going to meet my parents-in-law?

Hiss... I'm not mentally prepared yet.

Hawthorne was instinctively a little timid, but he couldn't find a suitable reason to refuse. It seemed that the meeting tonight was inevitable, so he gritted his teeth and decided to agree.

But at this moment, the communication stone on his body suddenly lit up. Hawthorne was startled, picked it up, injected magic into it, and after reading the information inside, his expression became a little ugly.

Noticing his change in mood, An Nuo had a bad feeling in his heart: "Did something unexpected happen?"

Hawthorne looked unhappy and nodded: "Yes, you still remember what I said a few days ago, the people from the headquarters of the Church of the Goddess of Life sent people to me.

Is it time to inspect it in the monastery?"

"Anyway, the result of the inspection was that, uh, that old-fashioned dwarf priest found a lot of faults in me, saying that I was too strict with the nuns."

An Nuo looked slightly surprised: "Can this be considered a problem?"

"Yeah, I really don't know what he's thinking." Hawthorne sighed, "Then, he said he would send a special person to my monastery to guide us in long-term rectification."

"Now, that person has come, and he is in my monastery. I need to go and receive him personally."

An Nuo looked a little disappointed: "Okay..."

Then, she forced a smile and said, "It's okay. There's no need to rush to meet my parents. At worst, we can just wait until the day of the awarding ceremony. We will definitely be able to meet them then."

As the greatest contributor to the destruction of the Abyss Lord, it was no longer a secret that he would be included in the honors list at the end of the year. After all, this was a common practice in Libel Port, but the specific title he would be awarded had not yet been announced.

Hawthorne lowered his head, kissed her forehead gently, and said softly, "Well, let's meet formally then. I'll prepare some small gifts for my uncle and aunt."

An Nuo held him like this, reluctantly and tenderly for a long time, before finally parting ways and returning to the Black Rod Tower. Huo Sang sighed, then walked outside, hired a carriage at a high price, and then quickly returned to the South Port District.

On this side, after returning to the Black War Tower, Annuo immediately reported to his superiors, requesting an urgent matter and requiring to see Ms. Black Staff immediately.

The high-ranking officials of the Black Rod Tower also generally knew that this female paladin who had made great achievements on the battlefield was currently admired by Vajra. In addition, her origin was already noble, so they dared not neglect her at this moment, and quickly reported to the top leaders to arrange this meeting for her.

Therefore, after waiting for less than ten minutes, a special person came to find her and took her through the portal to the top floor of the Black Rod Tower.

Chapter 466: Black Staff Lady's Concern

In front of the Black Staff Lady's private lounge, the wizard-robed guide stepped back. An Nuo stepped forward and knocked on the door gently, but just after knocking once, the heavy door opened automatically, revealing the spacious reception hall inside.

There is a huge floor-to-ceiling window in the far end of the hall. A magic glazed chandelier hangs from the ceiling. The floor is covered with a giant red plush carpet embroidered with golden patterns, and there is a huge brown cowhide sofa on each side.

An Nuo took off his shoes and walked in wearing only socks. He saw Vajera wearing a luxurious black silk magic robe, lazily sinking her whole body into the sofa. She was barefoot and looked very comfortable.

An Nuo's eyes couldn't help but fall on her pair of beautiful bare feet. Although her skin color was dark, Vajera's skin actually tended to be the kind that was specially tanned, with a bright and delicate color.

It is as if the color was specially tanned on the beach, so although it is dark, it does not appear rough or ugly at all. Instead, it is like smooth dark chocolate, with a delicious and tempting luster.

"Anno." Seeing this girl coming in, it was Vajera who spoke first, "What's the important matter you want to talk to me about?"

An Nuo took out a dimensional bag from his pocket without any hurry. "This is it, Madam Black Staff. It was my partner before, the hero who eliminated the Lord of the Abyss, Monbot, a believer of the Goddess of Life from the South Port District, Father Nigel Hawthorne."

She reported all of Hawthorne's names, fearing that Vajra would not remember him. "A few days ago, he followed the clues of the cultists he had investigated and went deep into the underground of the port, eliminated the Eye Demon Shannasa and its criminal organization, and obtained this key to a treasure house built by the previous city lord."

"Because this is public property and the amount involved is extremely huge, after Father Hawthorne confirmed the information inside, he immediately handed the key to me and entrusted me to hand it over to the Black Rod Tower for you to handle."

Vajra, who had seemed absent-minded just now, immediately perked up after hearing this. Although destroying Sannasa and its criminal organization was a great achievement, it was not enough for her to personally commend them.

But the latter incident, although it has not yet involved the safety of the entire city, is very important to Vajera herself.

After all, she was a cadre promoted by the former city lord himself, and a remnant of the previous dynasty. After the former city lord was liquidated and exiled, her current position in all aspects was very embarrassing.