Chapter 51: Locking onto Each Other, Round Two!
Roger thought to himself:
The City Defense Force agents are very capable. A few minutes for me to visit a wounded friend won’t affect the investigation, right?
I’m just working for Her Majesty, not sacrificing my life for her. As long as the investigation isn’t delayed, who’s going to chop me for wasting a few minutes?
A voice answered “Come in” from the hospital room, and Roger pushed the door open.
On the pure white hospital bed, Little Joey was reading the “Long Live the Empress News.”
Once the Empress of Eternal Night expelled the divine power erosion, the healing spells could restore those external wounds.
Keeping the officers here in the sanatorium served as both observation and rest, as well as a form of surveillance to prevent any disguised Believers among them.
Little Joey read the newspaper and learned that there had been more than one attack in the City of Mysteries last night.
She realized not only had she lost comrades in the explosion, but countless Big Shots and commoners had lost loved ones as well…
She was a very pure soldier, not good at dealing with schemes or analyzing the grand scheme of things.
Seeing the flames of war burn into the core hinterlands of the empire, she felt deeply ashamed.
“When I find the real culprit, I’ll personally go to the front lines for revenge!” she clenched her fist.
“You won’t have to wait too long.”
A clear voice sounded from the doorway.
Roger, in his crisp City Defense Department Director uniform, medals gleaming, appeared in Little Joey’s line of sight.
Already handsome, now with the added aura of a high-ranking official, he was simply dazzling.
“Lord Dio, are you alright?” Little Joey, not even bothering to put on her shoes, rushed out of bed barefoot towards him.
But a step before Roger, she suddenly stopped.
Although they had faced mortal danger together, he was not her comrade.
It wouldn’t be lady-like to hug upon meeting, would it? She’d be looked down upon, right?
Roger sensed her awkwardness and, looking at the fading bravery on the Young girl’s face, sighed in his heart.
He opened his arms and pulled her into a hug.
“Thank you for saving me yesterday.”
“I, I should have done it!”
Little Joey felt her face heat up so much she could fry an egg.
So happy!
Even if Lord Roger’s hug was just a courtesy, it was still a phased victory!
Roger patted her back, released her, and asked her to lie back down and rest while they talked slowly.
He asked about her physical condition and her feelings about being here, and she asked what he was doing now…
Suddenly, the conversation ran out of topics.
Their understanding of each other was limited, and they had no past interactions, so they couldn’t even find anything to talk about for awkward small talk.
This fully explained that desiring someone’s body needs no reason…
Roger bid her farewell.
“Are you investigating the culprit behind the Blood Night of Autumn City? I’d love to follow you!” Little Joey said with some reluctance.
“Didn’t you just say you wanted to go to the front lines to kill the enemy? The City Defense Force doesn’t have that opportunity.”
Her face turned red again.
She scolded herself in her heart, “Little Joey, you’re so superficial, letting your looks dictate your morals. You can’t be like this!”
But what came out of her mouth was: “I… I just want to stay by your side!”
Roger pondered for a moment and probed, “If you really want to follow me, don’t join the City Defense Force. Go apply for a Head Guard position at Charles’ manor?”
Dio’s identity would likely “die for the country” soon. If he wanted to return to being a dissolute young master, having a beautiful attendant would match, right?
“Yes, yes! Thank you for taking me in, my lord!”
Little Joey agreed without hesitation.
Roger, after a long pause, asked suspiciously, “You agreed so readily. Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you off?”
Little Joey answered righteously, “Since I’m going to follow you, I naturally trust your character!”
He was a little defeated. He waved his hand and left the ward.
Perhaps this was what they called fate?
If viewed from a God’s perspective, Roger’s arrangement perfectly avoided the Empress’s blockade on Little Joey…
This was truly a significant twist of fate.
…
…
The background investigation of the officers involved in the self-detonation attack was quickly completed.
By retrieving their action memoranda from the military, Roger successfully pinpointed the mastermind behind the Autumn City Blood Night.
The Church of the War Goddess.
The lieutenant colonel who delivered the final blow to his comrades, and the officers who self-detonated at the celebration banquet, had all previously requested supplies from the Church of the War Goddess.
Furthermore, their action memoranda mostly mentioned a High Priest of War named “Jostar.”
A High Priest was at least the head of a diocese, with a starting strength of Archmage, and a high probability of reaching the level of legendary priest.
He possessed sufficient strength to orchestrate last night’s plan.
“My lord, you’ve confirmed the culprit just like that?”
A colonel from the City Defense Force furiously took notes, simultaneously expressing disbelief.
He didn’t understand logical reasoning or the concept of eliminating all impossibilities to arrive at the truth.
He just felt that declaring the case solved without any magical verification was a bit crude.
Roger retorted, “Then arrange for a divination spell to verify it?”
“I cannot do that!”
The colonel’s expression turned stiff.
The gods’ direct interference left them feeling helpless.
“So, if you don’t have any better methods, my judgment will have to suffice for now. Let’s begin the second phase of the operation: lure and capture the Believers of the Church of the War Goddess. Find a way to capture one alive, and we can directly read their memories for verification.”
Roger, feeling confident of victory, immediately led his team back to the City Defense Force headquarters to arrange the subsequent actions.
As a slacker, the sooner the mission is completed, the sooner I can slack off!
…
…
City of Mysteries, City Defense Force Headquarters.
Roger encountered an unexpected visitor.
Angelina Charles, his beautiful and kind elder sister.
“Dio, the Charles family owes you one,” Angelina bowed to him. “If you need any assistance from my side, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Sis, ahem, Your Highness the Right Prime Minister, you’re too kind. I just felt this task was something anyone could do, and not accepting it would be foolish. I didn’t really consider your… uh, your younger brother,” Roger maintained his persona as a rogue.
I save myself, and then my sister owes me a favor…
What kind of messy bookkeeping is this?
Angelina chuckled, covering her mouth. “Dio, you’re as confident as ever. No need to be so polite, just call me Ange.”
Roger blinked his eyes. He vaguely recalled this was the second time she had made such a request.
Everyone else in the cabinet avoided him, yet his sister showed a proactive attitude of friendship?
Was it because of the connection between Dio and Roger that she extended her goodwill?
Oh, Lord Roger is indeed quite distinguished~
Roger didn’t think much of it. Dio’s identity would be phased out soon anyway, so he spoke more casually. “Ange, if you want to help, then I’ll state my request directly.”
“As long as it’s within my purview,” Angelina smiled.
She genuinely hoped to befriend an excellent and brave minister like Dio and work together for the empire.
Roger cleared his throat. ” então, I’d like to trouble you to find fifty breeding pigs with good stamina and deliver them to the City Defense Force headquarters!”
Angelina’s face almost cracked: “Wh-what’s the use of that?”
She was in charge of national resource allocation, so this request was easily fulfilled.
But Dio, who was supposed to be hunting down church Believers and investigating the culprit of the Autumn City Blood Night, was suddenly dabbling in pig breeding. What kind of divine operation was this?
Roger flashed a triumphant smile. “The gods delude people with faith, and people are trapped by faith. Imagine if some impudent beast were to commit acts of blasphemy against the War Goddess in the street… Do you think that High Priest Jostar, who has offered his heart to the Goddess and is on a suicide mission in Autumn City, could continue to hide?”
Angelina pictured the scene and quickly shook her head.
She was disgusted; the smell was too strong!
Honestly, even ordinary people wouldn’t stand for it. True Believers would probably have a complete breakdown upon seeing it.
Her pretty face flushed red, and she bit her lip, “Your idea is truly wild. I will help you procure… breeding pigs with strong business capabilities.”
“Thank you, Ange.”
“That’s all then. I still need to visit the children at the National Welfare Institute. If they knew that you, Dio, had already identified the culprit who killed their families in such a short time, they would surely be comforted.”
Angelina rose to leave, relieved to know that Roger’s actions were proceeding smoothly.
Kindness did not mean repaying evil with good or mindlessly forgiving the perpetrators of the Autumn City Blood Night.
Kindness was merely believing in the inherent goodness of human nature and willing to view the world from a better perspective, rather than indulging evil.
To act with the means of a Vajra while possessing the heart of a Bodhisattva was also a way of doing good.
When Roger heard about the welfare institute, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He immediately asked, “Ange, have you never heard the name High Priest of War Jostar before?”
“I don’t usually deal with military intelligence, so I’m not familiar with this High Priest. If you want more information about him, you can ask Margaret.”
“Oh, no need. I was just asking casually. I don’t want to delay your schedule.”
Roger quickly waved his hand.
After Angelina left, he revealed a look of confusion.
He had just suddenly remembered that in the main storyline, the first time the Player encountered Angelina was at a National Welfare Institute.
She, who always had a gentle demeanor, had displayed extreme anger upon learning of High Priest of War Jostar’s whereabouts.
It was a rare display of losing composure for Angelina throughout the entire storyline.
But the current Angelina had never heard the name Jostar…
Something must have happened after this point in time for Angelina to hate Jostar.
Roger’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he thought of a possibility.
The original plot did not include the Autumn City Blood Night. The Empire, which Angelina cared about most, wouldn’t be injured. So, the culprit would have to be found among her loved ones.
But Angelina’s only relative…
Wasn’t it me?
Could it be that in the original plotline, Roger died at Jostar’s hands, which is why his sister cared so much about Jostar?
The logic was sound, but there was no evidence.
The game didn’t further elaborate on the relationship between Angelina and Jostar. Perhaps related side quests were not fully explored, and even eternal scholars couldn’t verify it.
“Whether it’s true or not, killing this Jostar will definitely make me safer.”
Roger muttered the mantra of stability.
Even if it was just a possibility, as long as this Jostar was still in the City of Mysteries, he had to be crushed in his cradle!
…
…
City of Mysteries, a National Welfare Institute.
In this era of backward productivity and frequent natural disasters and wars, there were naturally many homeless orphans.
After the establishment of the empire, Angelina, moved by this situation, strongly advocated for the construction of many National Welfare Institutes, with their expenses directly covered by the national treasury.
Although not yet widespread throughout the empire, at least in the City of Mysteries, the orphans’ food, clothing, and upbringing were guaranteed.
On the playground behind this welfare institute, a group of children were playing.
A tall and strong cook, dressed in commoner’s clothes, secretly moved to the outside of the wall.
He squatted in the shade of a tree, observing the innocent children silently through the fence.
This was Jostar, disguised as the restaurant owner using illusion magic.
As time passed, the death of the young restaurant owner would eventually be discovered. This identity was no longer safe, so he had left beforehand.
Damn it, the competition of stubbornness between myself and that good-for-nothing younger brother had not yet been decided, and I have to exit like this!
However, the City of Mysteries was now sealed off, and he couldn’t leave the city. He had to find a place to continue hiding within the city.
After some observation, Jostar set his sights on this welfare institute located in a bustling area.
The more dangerous the place, the safer it was. Slipping into sewers was the unwise choice.
A minute fluctuation of divine power.
A little girl with pigtails, about four or five years old, seemed to have discovered something interesting and ran towards where Jostar was.
She stood obediently by the wall, leaning on the railing, her eyes losing focus.
Outside, Jostar’s body turned into a pool of blood, crawled over the wall, seeped through the railing, and flowed into the little girl’s body through her nostrils.
A moment later, the little girl’s eyes regained their light, she touched her face, and grinned.
“Jinx, I’ve been looking for you! Her Highness the Right Prime Minister is coming to see us, hurry up and get dressed!”
Just then, a gentle middle-aged woman appeared behind Jostar and took the little girl’s hand. The little girl turned her head.
Ah!
The middle-aged woman dropped the basket in her arms in fright and let go of the little girl’s hand.
Jinx’s smile was so scary!
Gloomy, fanatical, bloodthirsty, exuding a predatory excitement.
Such a smile on a young and pure little face was truly eerily frightening.
But the next second, Jinx’s innocent voice rang out, and her smile was still as innocent and pure as before:
“Mother Teresa, is the Right Prime Minister coming to see us again?”
The middle-aged woman rubbed her eyes, as if the scene she had just witnessed was an illusion, and the person before her was just a pitiful little girl who had lost her relatives!
She said softly, “Yes, the Right Prime Minister is truly rare among the Big Shots for his kindness, truly pitying us Commoners.”
In a corner where she couldn’t see, Jinx licked her lips with her small tongue.
Right Prime Minister?
Angelina Charles?
The hunt that had already been abandoned had a new turn?
If it were his sister, killing that stinky younger brother would be simple, hehe…
In the City of Mysteries, a dangerous game where both sides were hunters and also prey, officially entered its second round.
On Being Published & Unlimited Bonus Rewards
Today’s extra four chapters add up to over 10,000 words! I wonder if my dear readers got their fill?
Of course, whether you got your fill or not, I have to inform you that this book is about to be published.
This book indeed draws inspiration from another website’s ideas, which is undeniable. However, its performance truly began to improve after the author found his own rhythm.
It automatically made it onto the charts and then secured first place on the Click Chart and first place on the Collection Chart.
The Complaint Chart was also climbing. When the situation was bright and rosy… Meow Station shut down the discussion thread.
Writing until publication in a solo state is a huge blow to a lighthearted, comedic work.
Without discussion threads to copy from, I’ve had it really tough.
But still, it has climbed to over 40,000 collections.
For a struggling author who has long been held down, this is a dreamlike number.
The more beautiful the dream, the more I fear it waking up.
The webnovel world is too deep, and I can never grasp it.
I’ve been suffering from insomnia for over a week, my writing speed is getting slower, and I’m living in constant fear.
However, the current results are already better than expected.
I even received a mysterious blessing from the editor.
Editor: If the first-day subscription exceeds 4,000, you can apply for a large bookshelf.
Me: But if the subscription-to-collection ratio collapses, it’ll be gone, right?
Editor: Nonsense, but it shouldn’t be a big problem.
Me: Brother Suanzi, you know me. When I take action, everything goes wrong…
In short, I have no idea about my own abilities.
My best book had a ratio close to 3:1; my worst had a ratio of 200:1.
With 40,000 collections now, how many little friends will stick around? I honestly don’t know, I can’t be sure.
To be honest, I’m also realistically bad. I’ve been writing since 2012, and I’m still on the verge of survival.
If I had to use an analogy, it’s like writing millions of words in Shu Ke, but for various reasons, never having experienced a major bookshelf.
I’m clumsy and unlucky, that’s me.
But being unskilled and addicted is also me. I’m still writing, and quite a lot, so I can’t be classified as someone who quits easily.
I attended a music live show at the beginning of the year and heard “Fairy Tale Town” with an added rap part for the first time:
[This journey hasn’t been a complete defeat against life
It’s just that detours and twists can still lead to the same destination
They ask me why I’ve persisted for so long?
I say I haven’t persisted, I’m happy because I like it
Many people spend their lives busy and won’t understand:
What if a ridiculed dream comes true one day?]
At that time, I couldn’t help but cry and sing along in the audience. Now, I’m holding back tears and silently anticipating and watching.
Yes, because I like it, I’ve always been happy when I’m writing.
However, after finishing and publishing, and opening the cold, deserted backend, I can’t be happy.
The prosperity in the book is false; the reality outside the book is cruel.
So, ultimately, I still have to strive for innovation and change, stepping out of my comfort zone once.
This book is my experimental product.
I feel that I have indeed improved significantly compared to before.
Shamelessly, I’ll say that after the later story and character development unfold, and we move past the exploration of the theme, I can reach even greater heights.
So, I’ve unknowingly stood outside the door of my dream.
There’s a possibility to look forward to, “what if,” and it comes true?
Even if I don’t know if this door leads to a bottomless abyss or lush gardens.
Or perhaps it’s just a life that remains as plain as water, slapping me in the face with “next time for sure.”
Ordinary people, how much great joy or sorrow, great ups and downs do they have?
But at least for now, it’s been a rather successful start. With readers who support this book, I have no reason not to write every chapter well.
If there are shortcomings or areas of dissatisfaction, it’s truly due to a lack of ability.
I’ll stand tall and accept the punishment, humbly learn, adapt, and practice.
As long as I don’t die, my future is promising, right?
Alright, alright, the bragging part is over. Let’s talk about something serious now: rewards.
Some readers have asked about how to set up rewards before.
But I was waiting for the full attendance bonus.
Now it’s July, and as usual, let’s start the rewards.
Based on 2 additional chapters and 4,000 characters, from July 1st to July 31st, I’m launching a reward system with no upper limit for one month.
200 monthly votes equals one additional chapter.
A 15,000 reward equals one additional chapter.
100 blade tokens equals one additional chapter.
Don’t worry about the author’s ability to fulfill extra updates. I owed about three to four hundred chapters in my last book, but I’ve paid them all off.
As long as I’m in good condition, I should be able to guarantee five updates a day.
Additionally, I’m adding a first-day subscription gamble as a plea for initial subscription support.
The baseline is 1,500 subscriptions for this book.
For every additional 500 subscriptions, one extra chapter will be added.
The higher the initial subscription, the more additions.
This means that if we reach 3,000, an additional three chapters will be added.
However, I must state in advance that because the existing drafts are depleted, these additional chapters will not be completed tomorrow but within the next month (or several months?).
In short, there’s no retreat. I’ve flashed and engaged in the team fight. If I don’t come back, then I don’t come back.
There aren’t many choices; I can only fight against fate to the end.
As for whether I live or die in the end, whether I achieve my dream or am nailed to the pillar of shame and laughed at for a year, it all depends on the favor of my dear readers.
Recalling the original intention of writing, it was simply to be able to say with a smile one day when I’m mocked again, “I’m poor, but at least I’ve written something that makes people happy, right?”
I express my deepest gratitude to every reader who has accompanied me this far.
That’s all.
P.S. The base data for the rewards cannot be uploaded as images. The handwritten record is as follows:
Monthly votes: 1561
Rewards: 17796
Blade tokens: 273
Images will be uploaded simultaneously to the reader group.
