Chapter 76: I Like Tradition

Leaving the mayor's house, Wu Chang headed toward the police station.

Passing by the cathedral, he saw Spirit Fox sweeping fallen leaves again.

Compared to yesterday, Spirit Fox's mood had steadied a bit, and her spirit wasn't so downcast.

When Spirit Fox saw him, her mood visibly lifted, and she trotted toward him.

"You look much better."

Spirit Fox said with a smile, "Thanks to you, I calmed down. You were right—as long as we do what we're supposed to, everything will get better."

Spirit Fox's class is Nun; her hidden side quest is to find the Holy Maiden. If the Holy Maiden had ever appeared in Bluff, she would definitely have stopped at the cathedral.

Right now Spirit Fox seemed to have no guard up against him, and had a strange, inexplicable trust in him—the perfect chance to extract information.

Wait, something seemed off; he probably should be doing something else. Forget it, now wasn't the time to be distracted.

Wu Chang shook his head, tossing the inexplicable sense of wrongness out of his mind, and asked, "How are things going for you at the cathedral?"

Hearing Wu Chang ask about her, a smile appeared on Spirit Fox's face.

"Everyone in the church is really kind—much easier to get along with than those people at the workplace. Especially the priest; after dinner he leads us in prayer together. After praying, my heart feels much calmer, and I even gain 0.5 temporary Will."

Wu Chang was a little surprised—other classes' work all lowered attributes, so how could a Nun completing her work actually raise a temporary attribute?

He really wanted to ask if the church was still short-handed, if they'd take a part-timer.

Spirit Fox continued, "The only strange thing is the bishop is a bit odd—he sewed his own eyes shut with rough wire. Every time I see him, I get the feeling I'm being watched by something dangerous."

Wu Chang nodded, making a mental note of the bishop who'd sewn his eyes shut, then asked, "Why didn't you tell Sword Star this intel last night?"

Spirit Fox said quietly, "I was worried he'd make me go probe the bishop."

"Then you can tell me without worry?"

"You wouldn't do that."

Wu Chang shrugged. He didn't even consider himself that reliable, and had no idea why Spirit Fox had faith in him.

"By the way, how are you doing?" Spirit Fox paused for a moment, as if summoning her courage to ask.

"I'm doing well. Right now I'm about to deliver her parcel to the sheriff." Wu Chang finished speaking, waved to Spirit Fox, and continued on toward the police station.

Seeing Wu Chang's perfunctory reply, and that he was rushing off the moment he got his intel, Spirit Fox's face showed disappointment. "In such a hurry…"

Wu Chang remembered something halfway there. He expected a decent haul today, and might need the church knowledge Spirit Fox had picked up, so he turned and called out:

"I'll come see you again tomorrow. Wait for me."

Spirit Fox answered with a smile, "Okay!"

Arriving at the police station, Wu Chang didn't see Mo Leina in the lobby, so he asked the hamster who was mopping the floor:

"Where's the sheriff?"

The hamster pointed at the tightly shut sheriff's office door and whispered, "The sheriff locked herself in her room the moment she came in today. She won't open up no matter who knocks. Her situation's strange—be careful."

"Got it." Wu Chang made an OK gesture and walked toward the sheriff's office.

Knock, knock.

"Sheriff Mo Leina."

A hoarse, trembling voice came from behind the door: "What is it."

Wu Chang: "You've got mail."

"Leave it at the door."

"There's one more thing I need to trouble you with. Mayor Harrison gave me a letter of recommendation—I'd like you to sign it for me."

Creak~ the sheriff's office door opened a crack.

Wu Chang thought he was going to slide the letter of introduction through the crack. The moment he leaned in, Mo Leina suddenly reached out and yanked him inside.

Just as the hamster had said, Mo Leina wasn't in good shape.

She was curled up in her office chair; her normally healthy, light wheat-colored complexion was now deathly pale. She was sweating heavily, and her white shirt was soaked through with sweat, revealing the black undergarment beneath.

She hugged her legs with one hand, desperately trying to stop her body from trembling. With the other she released Wu Chang, brushed her disheveled red hair aside, then bent her index finger and gently bit it.

Wu Chang frowned. Mo Leina's state looked a lot like some kind of withdrawal.

Mo Leina bit her finger and looked up at him. "Harrison wants you to join the town council?"

"Yes, I'd like you to be my recommender." "What a lucky bastard—you have no idea what kind of miracle you're about to receive," Mo Leina muttered under her breath.

Mo Leina seemed to think of something, stood up from the chair, and walked over to stand in front of Wu Chang.

The two of them were very close—close enough that Wu Chang could feel Mo Leina's breathing and smell her scent.

Don't they all say a beautiful girl's sweat smells like strawberries? So why does Mo Leina's sweat smell faintly of fish? Did she spray on some fishy-herb-scented perfume?

Mo Leina pressed close to Wu Chang and said, "Letting you join isn't impossible, but it depends on your performance."

Wu Chang twitched the corners of his mouth and said, somewhat reluctantly, "Sheriff, I sell my art, not my body."

Of course, if Mo Leina insisted, holding his nose wasn't out of the question.

Mo Leina spoke in a hungry, thirsty tone, saying something of a mood-killer.

"I don't want your body—at least not right now. Half of whatever you obtain tonight—I want half. You agree, and I'll sign!"

Wu Chang asked, puzzled, "What am I going to get?"

"A miracle!"

"Can a miracle be cut in half?"

"It can!"

Wu Chang shrugged. "Then it's a deal."

He had no intention of haggling back and forth with Mo Leina over something he hadn't even gotten yet.

If what he got really turned out to be something incredible, he could always go back on his word then.

With Mo Leina's signature in hand, only Mattie remained.

As agreed that night, Wu Chang waited until four in the afternoon, after the general store closed, and entered through the back door.

Marty was right—the back door of the general store was extremely secluded, surrounded by weeds and shrubs, and no one would notice anyone going in from here.

Inside the general store, only Marty was home. Wu Chang scanned the area in spirit form and confirmed no one else was inside.

After casing the place, he coughed once and shook the bell hanging at the back-door entryway.

Soon, heavy footsteps came from the wooden floor.

As the footsteps drew closer, Marty—bear-like as he was—squeezed his way out of the narrow corridor.

Seeing the package in Wu Chang's hands, he flushed with excitement, took the package, and then gave Wu Chang a bear hug to the death.

"Brother Xiao En, it's a real shame you didn't come to town sooner. I swear on the Great Mother, you are absolutely the most professional fellow I've ever met."

Wu Chang wrested himself free from Marty's death-grip embrace, rubbed his aching, compressed ribs, and then took out the letter of recommendation.

"Mr. Marty, I'd like to ask you to be my recommender."

"No problem! You've earned it!"

Marty signed his name on the letter of recommendation right then and there.

"Brother Xiao En, you know what? Since the town council was established, the number of councilors has always stayed at twenty-one—never more, never less."

"Your appearance has broken that convention!"

Marty handed the letter of introduction, now bearing three signatures, to Wu Chang.

"Congratulations on becoming the twenty-second town councilor. To be honest, I've always hated those so-called traditions. Traditions should be broken for outstanding talent—especially for someone as outstanding as you!"

Wu Chang offered a modest smile. "I'm glad to have earned everyone's recognition. I'll keep working hard."

Marty: "I have high hopes for you!"

Leaving through the back door, Wu Chang put the letter of introduction into his随身 space, then turned to look at the general store.

Unlike Marty, he liked traditions—especially ones with a sense of ceremony.

He tilted his head slightly, looking toward the tangled shrubs. A True-Self clone in a black robe stepped out from behind the shrubs and moved silently toward the general store's back door.

The town council has always had only twenty-one members—what a fine tradition.

When a new face takes a seat, an old one should step out.

Wouldn't you say so.

(End of chapter)