Chapter 535 - 216: So That’s How You’re Playing It, Huh?

"Praise be to the great Dawn, thank you for bestowing upon us..."

At that moment, Pavla hurriedly clasped her hands together and began muttering a prayer.

Wei’en was just about to reach for some food when he heard her words and couldn’t help but interrupt. "Stop!"

"Thank you for..." Pavla opened her eyes, pouting. "Don’t interrupt me. This is something every servant of Dawn must do before a meal..."

"Understandable, but unnecessary."

Wei’en took two pieces of bread, placed them on his plate, added a slice of cheese between them, and took a bite. "I’m the one who provided this food, not the great Dawn you speak of."

"You? I was the one who prepared it all. Shouldn’t you be thanking me, then?"

"Thanks a bunch."

Wei’en thanked her casually, but there wasn’t a hint of sincerity in his words.

"..."

Pavla was a bit dumbfounded. She never thought an Evil Mage could say thank you like that. ’He’s so thick-skinned...’

Resigned, she could only pick up the dessert in front of her and start eating, each bite as if she were biting into Wei’en himself—hard and vicious.

The others listened to the two of them bicker, their expressions unchanging.

Only Clelia had a playful glint in her eyes. She smiled and said, "Captain, it seems you’re in a good mood today, hmm~?"

’Good mood?’

Wei’en kept his head down, eating his breakfast. He’d woken up to find someone had backstabbed him with a taboo item. It’d be a miracle if he was in a good mood.

That was why he had spoken up and interrupted Pavla when he heard her chanting about Dawn.

It was simply because the Dawn Church was no good either. ’What was the difference between praising Dawn and praising the enemy?’

"I’ll be busy with other things next, so I’m leaving the outside to you."

"Oh?"

Clelia was a little surprised. She had expected Wei’en to ask her about that Era Relic, but he didn’t mention it at all... This was even more infuriating than her having to weave that long string of lies last night!

"It’s about the Ghost Soul School," Wei’en explained simply. "I’ve agreed to join the school’s Research Center. I need to lead a team to complete a research project."

Besides that, he also needed to properly manage his identity as a Wizard—or rather, use his position as the Director of Research Institute No. 66 to gain a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of this world.

Just like what happened this morning—if he knew more secrets or had more information, he could have deduced the location of that taboo item and, from there, figured out who had made a move against him.

Strength was certainly important, but he now understood that without a reliable faction backing him, there were too many things that could cause him grief.

However, thinking about the two factions he belonged to was indeed a bit awkward.

As for the Ghost Soul School, strictly speaking, he wasn’t a Wizard cultivated by them. He was merely a peripheral Intelligence Officer.

This was a point that both the school’s upper echelons and he himself were well aware of. It was also why the Ghost Soul School spared no effort in showing him goodwill.

As for the Eternal Life Association he had just joined, he was even more of an outsider—more like a mercenary than a member. To this day, he still didn’t really know the first thing about them.

Therefore, all things considered, whether for his own sake or for Miss Zombie’s mechanical modification, he planned to complete the research project to improve his standing within the Ghost Soul School.

"Is that so..."

Clelia breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. It seemed the things she had fabricated last night wouldn’t be needed for the time being.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be staying in the research area."

"I understand. It just so happens that those adorable Guards need time to grow up anyway. I’ll make some time to go check things out outside."

"Mm," Wei’en nodded. "Don’t forget to remind him to modify the ship when we get to the next island."

"Alright," Clelia said, finishing her breakfast. She asked suspiciously, "Aren’t you planning to go with us then?"

"We’ll see."

Wei’en gave a noncommittal answer. It would be some time before they reached the island to repair the sailboat. In the meantime, he needed to master the Spiritual Mystery School’s Destiny Barrier Spell as much as possible, as well as handle the experimental work related to his research project.

Otherwise, the Dawn Church, the Dusk Sect... and that unknown entity who used the taboo item on him... all of them were like a sword hanging over his head, draining a portion of his energy.

"I understand now."

Seeing him say this, Clelia got up and walked toward the training area. When her hand was on the doorknob, she turned her head and asked, "You... why don’t you ask me about that Relic?"

Wei’en froze for a moment. Once he understood, he couldn’t help but say, half-amused and half-exasperated, "You’ll tell me when you want to. Before then, even if I were to ask, knowing your personality, you probably wouldn’t tell me the truth anyway."

"...You know so—so little about me!"

With that, Clelia pushed the door open, went inside, and slammed it shut behind her.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She looked up and saw the gazes of the Guards who were training. "What are you looking at? Have you mastered the Extraordinary Dharma Assembly this queen taught you?"

’When did Wei’en get to know me so well?’

’Hmph, how dare he suspect this queen would lie... Next time, I’ll make sure he can’t guess a thing!’

Of course, Wei’en had no idea that his decision not to ask potentially private questions out of respect would provoke Clelia into a flurry of silent complaints. Just as he’d said, he had a lot on his plate right now.

After breakfast, he had Tina and Shawa continue their study of the Gonzalez language.

As for Dawn’s Candidacy Saintess, Wei’en didn’t let her stay idle either. He assigned her a pile of chores to clean the theater, such as wiping the stage and audience seats, arranging the set, and so on.

Although they were all minor tasks, based on his observations of Pavla over the past two days, she should be more than capable of handling them.