Chapter 506

"Just like that, I had to leave that place, unable to truly stay anywhere, and I might even affect my friend, causing him to lose the wealth he had worked so hard to obtain."

Lu Mian took another sip of the emerald-green absinthe.

The bar owner, Paval Nisen, put down the glass in his hand and said with quite a bit of emotion:

"That is indeed sympathetic."

Lu Mian revealed a smile:

"Alright, my story is finished. Shouldn't you treat me to a drink?"

Paval Nisen, who had an artist's ponytail, was stunned for a moment.

…………

Near midnight, Charlie, wearing a black coat, left the underground bar of the Golden Rooster Hotel and returned to the apartment he rented.

On an autumn night, the wind was very comfortable, neither making one shiver nor carrying a coolness that seemed to cleanse the body and mind. Charlie couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Dog shit, which drunkard is peeing everywhere again?" The smell of urine in the wind ruined Charlie's mood.

Just then, he saw a figure turn out from the darkness ahead.

That figure had gold-tinged black hair, bright and sharp blue eyes, and a handsome, masculine face—it was none other than Charles Dubois.

You haven't left Trier yet? Charlie felt a surge of joy in his heart and was about to ask.

Almost at the same time, he noticed that Charles's expression was extremely gloomy, and a storm seemed to be brewing in his eyes.

Charlie was startled, and as thoughts raced through his mind, he instinctively said:

"I, I wanted to notify you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Mian had already walked up to him, raised his right fist, and slapped him in the face.

This punch was quite forceful. Golden spots of light immediately appeared in Charlie's vision, and his body tilted, staggering back a few steps as if unable to maintain his balance.

Lu Mian said with a gloomy face:

"For the sake of our past friendship, I won't kill you this time."

After speaking, he, wearing a dark jacket, turned his body and walked toward the alley on the side that had no streetlights.

Charlie covered his red, swollen face, watched Charles's back gradually disappear into the darkness, and said anxiously and angrily:

"But I couldn't find you! How could I notify you that you were wanted?"

Lu Mian didn't respond to him and disappeared into that alley.

Charlie, standing where he was, couldn't help but curse.

He was both angry and felt the grievance of being wronged:

Why did this person suddenly become so unreasonable?

You being wanted isn't my fault; I tried my best to provide help!

I'm just a small clerk; there's a limit to what I can do!

…………

The next morning, just as Charlie sat at his office desk in the basement of St. Robert's Church with a meat pie, before he could even brew a cup of coffee, he saw Deacon Angouleme, wearing a brown double-breasted coat, walk up to him.

"Good morning, Deacon." Charlie stood up instantly and greeted him ingratiatingly.

Angouleme glanced at the bruise on his left cheek:

"What's wrong? Were you beaten up?"

"No, no, I bumped into, I bumped into a statue!" Charlie suddenly became nervous, waving his right hand, "You might not believe how crazy those bastards get when they're drunk. Some shout about overthrowing the government, some think what they vomit is gourmet food, and some moved such a heavy statue to the corner. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into it."

Angouleme stared at this clerical staff member and said in a calm tone:

"Your lie is clumsy. Do you remember the clause in the contract you signed about not concealing important matters?"

Charlie's expression froze instantly. After mumbling for a while, he stammered:

"It, it was Charles, Charles Dubois who beat me. He might have resented me for not notifying him in advance that he was going to be wanted by us."

Angouleme listened in silence, and after two seconds, said:

"Very good, this is the mark of a qualified 'Purifier' clerical staff member.

"Where did you meet him?"

"Outside the Golden Rooster Hotel, outside the first alley leading toward Market Avenue." Charlie answered nervously and anxiously.

After Angouleme asked a few more details, he said to Charlie:

"Because Charles Dubois's true situation exceeds our expectations, we re-examined all the files related to him and found that you have a close relationship with him. We also found that his figure exists in the supernatural case of Suzanne Mathis, and after placing him into that matter, I can clearly see that you concealed quite a few details."

Hearing the Deacon's words, Charlie tensed up, and dense cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"I, I..." He didn't know what to say, as if he could already see his tragic end.

At this moment, Angouleme asked proactively:

"Did Charles force you to conceal it?"

"No, not forced." After Charlie answered instinctively, he hurriedly added, "It was requested by him."

"As expected, it was requested by him." Angouleme nodded slightly and turned to ask about every detail of the Suzanne Mathis incident.

Charlie, whose psychological defenses had been broken, told this "Purifier" Deacon everything he could remember.

After he finished speaking, Angouleme said seriously:

"For someone like you who conceals the true details of a case to become a 'Purifier' clerical staff member, normally, even if you aren't thrown into prison, you would be fired immediately..."

Charlie had anticipated such a disposition, but when he truly heard it, it was as if he had been hit hard on the head with a wooden club. His body swayed, and he was about to lose his footing.

Before he could make a final plea, Angouleme changed the subject:

"But you have performed quite well over the past few months, being both diligent and down-to-earth, and working hard to learn. Moreover, it seems you didn't sell information to Charles, which would have made him resent you.

"As a Deacon of the Market District Tribunal, I feel that I cannot push someone who is struggling to climb out of the abyss back down and destroy his last hope. Since you haven't committed any substantive errors since becoming a 'Purifier' clerical staff member, and the matter with Suzanne Mathis was also true, I will give you another chance. I can't just push you out and wait for Charles to kill you, or for the gifted ones of the 'Mother Tree of Desire' to find you again, right?

"You are fired, but you can still intern here. Your salary will be adjusted back to the level of an intern for a period of six months. During these six months, if you perform well and don't make any more mistakes, you can be rehired. Otherwise, get out immediately.

"Simply put, your punishment is probation, with a duration of six months."

Hearing the Deacon's words, Charlie felt a huge joy, as if he had fallen into hell and been pulled back to heaven.

While thanking him frantically, he sat back in his seat as if all his strength had been drained.

Watching Angouleme leave, Charlie's mind was a mess, and many images flashed through it.

After a few seconds, he raised his right hand and slapped himself.

He muttered with quite a bit of annoyance and regret:

"I was still bragging in the bar last night, saying that Charles and I were friends who had experienced life and death..."

…………

Not long after returning to his office, Angouleme received a telegram.

It came from St. Verief Church, from Plessis Descartes, who was in charge of the Trier diocese.

This Cardinal asked Angouleme to go to St. Verief Church; he had something to discuss with him.

St. Verief Church.

After spiraling up the magnificent staircase to the area near the dome, there was a small room. This was one of the places in all of Trier closest to the sun.

Cardinal Plessis, wearing a white robe inlaid with gold thread, stayed here year-round, bathing in the holy light.

He was an old man with high cheekbones and white-tinged blonde hair. His temperament wasn't considered serious, but he possessed a radiance that made it impossible for people to look directly at him, to the point that there wasn't a single shadow in the entire room.

"Regarding the disaster the night before last, although you couldn't handle it in time due to various accidents and the interruption of intelligence, you demonstrated quite high quality in both your grasp of key information and subsequent arrangements. And over the past year or so, we haven't ignored your various performances in the Market District." Plessis said with a kind attitude.

"Praise the Sun!" Angouleme opened his arms, attributing the glory to the Lord.

Plessis was increasingly satisfied:

"Based on the current situation and the foreseeable future, we plan to form three more 'Purifier' squads directly under the Trier diocese to handle various supernatural events with mobility."

Speaking of this, the Cardinal smiled rarely:

"You have indeed been too busy in the past six months, and you seem to have been complaining privately about having no time to rest. Don't blame yourself; this is a normal human reaction. After becoming a Deacon of a squad directly under the Trier diocese, you should be quite free usually, only needing to handle those cases that the 'Purifiers' of each district cannot handle or cannot handle in time.

"Of course, this also means danger. You must clearly realize this point.

"Francois, Sequence 4 is a node of qualitative change. There are still quite a few people in the Tribunal waiting to become saints. If you want to surpass them, you must make outstanding contributions. The first step is to be a Deacon of a squad directly under the diocese, the second step is to accumulate contributions and hold a certain holy artifact, and the third step is to wait for an opportunity.

"Do you wish to be this Deacon? I respect your wishes."

Mobile power... handling cases that the 'Purifiers' of each district cannot handle... it should indeed be quite free usually; there aren't that many major events... I don't know if the doomsday prophecy mentioned by 'Gandalf' is true or false, but improving oneself is never wrong... Angouleme deliberated slightly and said:

"Your Eminence, your will is my wish."

Plessis smiled slightly:

"As a Deacon, you are responsible for selecting the members of the squad."

"Yes, Your Eminence." Angouleme opened his arms and praised the Sun again.

After returning to the basement of St. Robert's Church, he called the mixed-blood Imre into his office and told this subordinate about the squad directly under the Trier diocese.

"Are you willing to follow me?" Angouleme asked.

Imre smiled:

"Does this mean I can increase my sequence and get a higher salary?

"I have no problem!"

After agreeing, the mixed-blood asked:

"Who else should I select?"

Angouleme was silent for more than ten seconds and said:

"Don't ask those like Valentine who have wives and children; find single team members to ask.

"A direct squad is both glory and danger."

Speaking of this, Angouleme sighed softly:

"Which 'Purifier' with a happy family doesn't hope to see their children grow up, doesn't want more time to spend with their wife? Let us single guys bear these things."

(End of chapter)