Chapter 30 Chapter 31 The Saint’s Troubles
On the spacious dining table, five dishes were laid out, including two portions of spiced pan-fried beef. One portion supposedly cost a significant amount of beef, giving off an impression that a single dish could ruin countless pieces of meat.
In front of the fragrant dishes, George sat upright and formal, as he was seated across from the Saintess Jenna. This time, Hima boldly sat next to the Saintess Jenna, very close, adding a thrill of secrecy to the atmosphere.
Saintess Jenna stood up slightly and leaned forward, pushing the spiced pan-fried veal she made in front of George. Hima had been glancing at Jenna, observing the pressure of the mountains that seemed to lean toward the table.
George picked up his spoon and knife, smiled, and asked, “What kind of meat is this?”
Jenna replied, “This is made by me.”
Hima immediately saw the knife in George’s hand tremble slightly.
“In that case, I can’t refuse your hospitality.” George decisively inserted the knife into what looked like barely edible beef.
He cut a piece of meat, not too big nor too small, and elegantly put it in his mouth and chewed for a moment.
A hint of surprise appeared on George’s face. Hima read shock, disbelief, and relief from his expression. She could understand George’s surprise; it would be similar to tasting a fried bean after a lifetime of eating nose-picking.
Jenna’s green eyes fixed on him, and when she saw his expression change, she asked, “How is it?”
George glanced at Hima gratefully and said with joy, “Madam, your dish is delicious.”
Jenna smiled, but soon reverted back, asking, “Madam?”
My madam?
Hima’s imagination instantly filled with thoughts of the golden retriever-like loser staring mournfully at herself, his childhood sweetheart, now becoming the wife of his enemy… Her tail excitedly wagged from side to side.
“I’m sorry,” George said, “this dish is so delicious that it surpassed my expectations, and my mind went blank…”
Jenna asked, “But why did you call her Madam?”
Hima perked up her ears.
George replied honestly, “Because in my hometown, many noble ladies have hairstyles just like yours, Lady Saintess, and it’s easy to mix them up.”
Jenna’s face stiffened.
Hima could barely suppress her laughter, wanting to jump on the table and applaud George.
The truth hurts, especially when it’s coming from George, whose bluntness carried the weight of both a Paladin and a childhood friend.
To mask her embarrassment, Jenna lowered her head and served herself some salad, putting it in her mouth.
Her face stiffened considerably, even George could see that.
Concerned, he asked, “What’s wrong with your face? Is the food not to your taste?”
Jenna was at a loss for words.
Hima, disregarding everything else, laughed out loud, leaning against Jenna’s side, “Hahaha.”
“Hima?”
“I just remembered something happy.”
“But you were just lying.”
Hima, with a mischievous smile, said, “You wouldn’t understand, I won’t tell you.”
“Nothing to fret about,” Jenna lifted her head and said, “Let’s continue eating.”
The Saintess Jenna rallied herself, at least she’d made a significant progress in cooking; George would surely enjoy her dish.
In less than half an hour, four plates were emptied, leaving only the spiced pan-fried beef Jenna made—still nearly half-full. Surrounded by four empty plates, it stood out starkly.
Hima put down her cutlery and said, “I’m full.”
Saintess Jenna, filled with hope, looked at George. He too laid down his knife and spoon, saying, “I’m full as well.”
Saintess Jenna gently laid down her cutlery and said, “I’m full too.”
Seizing the opportunity, Hima declared, “Oh, I suddenly want to eat something.”
With that, in front of both of them, she cut half of the beef Jenna made, placing it on her plate. She cut a piece of meat, preparing to wear a happy expression as she put it in her mouth.
Biting down.
What a tough and unyielding piece of beef! The fibrous meat jammed itself between her teeth, and there was too much salt.
Fortunately, Hima’s succubus talent allowed her to control her facial muscles perfectly; otherwise, Jenna’s expression would stiffen once again.
Hima forced herself to swallow the beef, giving George a betrayed look filled with anger.
Wasn’t it said that Paladins couldn’t lie? This was called delicious? Even a dog wouldn’t eat it! You treacherous virgin!
George looked at her in bewilderment.
Hima knew that George was under the influence of Jenna’s cooking, which skewed his judgment.
She had to begrudgingly eat the beef to spare Jenna from embarrassment and to increase her favorability, hence she needed to finish it.
As Hima forced herself to eat the beef on her plate, she fantasized about kneading Saintess Jenna’s proud peaks.
When that time comes, she’d have to bury her face in it; all that suffering would be worth it.
Otherwise, Hima suspected whether she had the willpower to swallow the beef.
The three conversed for a while.
When George chatted with Saintess Jenna, he was stiff and serious, discussing the issues the church faced in expanding the “Land of Honesty” in the White City.
Several wealthy guilds had united to petition the church to halt the expansion of the “Land of Honesty,” claiming it was infringing on personal privacy and harming family stability.
“About the eighteenth meeting on the Land of Honesty, it pointed out that the Land of Honesty should avoid residential areas. I remember when laying it down, we strictly adhered to this rule,” Jenna said.
“Yet there are still many opponents. They argue that there’s a trend in the city where silence is viewed as lying, and they criticize the Land of Honesty for being ineffective in banning lies since silence is still an option,” George said. “Citizens still don’t seem accustomed to it and have strong opposition. We, as a church, should work on our publicity and take a step at a time.”
Hima felt drowsy while listening, almost as if she had accidentally tuned into the news broadcast.
She raised her hand and interjected, “Can I say something?”
“Go ahead.”
“This petition is quite simple, isn’t it?” Hima said. “The president of the Blacksmith Guild, unable to lie, was discovered by his second wife for having an affair. His wife was furious; it is said that he became president because of her substantial dowry, and his second wife threatened to divorce him, terrifying the president of the Blacksmith Guild.”
“How do you know this?”
“An old woman mentioned it while shopping with me,” Hima said. “As for other guild presidents, some discovered their sons were not theirs. Others were caught having male lovers on the side. And there’s a married couple—the president of the Herbalist Guild, you know, with her husband, they were seen as a model couple. However, while strolling in the city, the female president accidentally discovered a secret and threatened to poison her husband.”
Hima purposely delayed.
Saintess Jenna, who was listening with great interest, urged, “What did she discover?”
Hima replied, “Her husband is gay; she is a beard and doesn’t love her at all, nor does he engage with her for love. She was previously deceived into believing it was pure love. Do you know how furious the female president was?”
George said, “I saw the police report; it took ten armed guards and a trainee paladin to arrest the female president.”
“She’s a bronze transcendent, beating her husband while shouting, ‘I didn’t go to raise a few men; marrying one man is already more than enough for you, a talentless pauper! How dare you deceive me?’”
Saintess Jenna reflected, “I see, I had heard that their marriage was good, and every birthday, the wife would go out of her way to please her husband.”
George stated, “It seems the main contradiction is that many ordinary people still do not know how to conceal their dark secrets with silence, exposing previously hidden contradictions.”
“It’s not just that,” Hima continued, “brawls have spiked as well. I personally witnessed a short man cheekily say to a tall thug, ‘You fool.’ He appeared to want to please the thug but couldn’t manage to keep the pleasantries. I also heard that a prominent matron who is quite overweight has been throwing parties at her country estate recently.”
George remarked, “If what you’ve heard is true, I support the determination to push forward the expansion of the city; the zones should even cover residential areas.”
Hima didn’t feel too resistant about it, since she could lie, but she was not optimistic about the future; she said, “If this continues, the entire city might fall into chaos, societal extinction.”
George shook his head, saying, “Lies only cover up problems. Does hiding those incidents mean they don’t exist? The Land of Honesty merely detonates these issues simultaneously.”
“Humanity needs lies.”
“No society needs lies; lies are a form of addiction. They elevate transaction costs, reduce communication efficiency, and intensify internal strife. We can’t avoid treatment just because there are withdrawal symptoms,” George said. “I believe only a society that is open, law-abiding, and honest can have a bright and prosperous future.”
Hima, who loved to wield a keyboard passionately online in her past life, became excited. She exclaimed, “The road to hell is often paved with good intentions.”
“That’s fallacy; this statement merely emphasizes the disastrous consequences brought about by good intentions, generalizing while ignoring rational behavior,” George replied. “In fact, I’ve seen and heard of many hells created by malice—massacres, wars, cult sacrifices, and green-skin disasters; I found not an ounce of good intention among them.”
Hima, unable to counter with her usual quotes, quickly shifted her stance, “I still think lies are better.”
“Why?”
“People choose honesty only because they can’t or fear facing the consequences of lying.” Hima pointed to her little head, “Lying is a skill that requires thought; the more one lies, the better it is for intelligence.”
George’s wooden brain appeared to be a result of never having lied.
“No, it’s also due to faith and morals.”
Hima glanced at him, saying, “Anecdotes are not persuasive.”
The two continued debating for a while, quite fiercely and in good spirits.
Saintess Jenna felt indifferent to this; she propped her chin in one hand, watching the verbal dueling between the two.
Eventually, when both were parched from talking, they finally stopped. George, still eager, stood up and said, “I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
Hima also felt unsatisfied and waved, saying, “Goodbye.”
With the door closed.
Saintess Jenna immediately stood up, leaning towards Hima with an imposing air.
“Miss, you…”
“Hima.” Saintess Jenna tightly grasped Hima’s hand and said, “Please teach me how to seduce men.”
“Ah?”
