Chapter 45

Regarding Qin Ran's offer to help, Sister Monica and Gong Lanshen had completely opposite attitudes.

"Thank you, Detective Qin Ran!"

"But this is our matter. Involving you will bring a lot of trouble!"

Sister Monica smiled and politely declined Qin Ran.

"Hmm, if you're sorry, you should show it properly, not just with words!"

Gong Lanshen nodded with a smile after hearing Qin Ran's words, then he began to persuade Sister Monica.

"Monica, I have a good impression of him. He has both excellent skills and a good character!"

"Besides, didn't you say he's the best detective in the city?"

"Finding those guys is right up his alley!"

Gong Lanshen's tone gradually became more serious.

He said, "Although we have organized people, those guys are hiding in the dark, while we are in the open. Once their patience runs out and a conflict occurs... I can't leave here due to my vow, and Lid and the others will suffer heavy losses! Moreover, no one can guarantee when those guys will break in—especially if it's during class... such an outcome is definitely not what we want!"

As Gong Lanshen persuaded her, Sister Monica began to hesitate.

Not only because Gong Lanshen held a significant place in her heart, but also because what he said was true.

If such a thing were to happen...

Sister Monica quickly shook her head.

She absolutely would not allow those greedy thugs to harm her students.

"Detective Qin Ran, please help us!"

Sister Monica turned around and looked at Qin Ran seriously.

"Although I don't have enough money to hire you..."

"Sister Monica, I said this is my compensation to you—since it's compensation, of course, I won't charge!"

Qin Ran interrupted Sister Monica, then he said, "However, please tell me the whole story in detail! The more detailed, the better!"

"This story isn't short, I'll go get some stools!"

Gong Lanshen said and took out three stools from the wooden house.

After each of them sat down, Sister Monica began to tell the story.

"St. Paul's School was called St. Paul's Church fifty years ago, the first church where the Goddess of Dawn descended her miracle—about a thousand years ago, of course, people took this as a legend! In fact, even Gong Lanshen and I don't know if it's true or not, but my teacher, the last Pope of the Dawn Church, firmly believed it was all true and looked forward to the Goddess descending her miracle again!"

"Unfortunately, until my teacher's death, nothing happened! On the contrary, the power of the church was constantly weakening, not just the small Dawn Church, even the largest Light Church was no exception! People believed more in gunpowder, steam engines, and electricity, and knowledge was no longer solely in the hands of the church; more people had access to it!"

"However, I see this as a good thing, because everyone has escaped the darkness and become more prosperous and peaceful! This is precisely the doctrine of the Dawn Church! So, from the beginning, I made the books of the Dawn Church available to some renowned scholars and worked with these scholars to transform St. Paul's Church into St. Paul's School!"

"And I changed from the Dawn Saintess to Sister Monica, the principal, and Gong Lanshen, my guardian knight, became the last knight of the Dawn Church!"

Sister Monica spoke calmly, her voice faint, recounting the changes of St. Paul's Church and the transformation of her and Gong Lanshen's identities.

Her calm tone and faint voice made it seem like she was telling a story about strangers.

But Qin Ran, sitting beside her, sensed a faint sadness from both of them.

It wasn't just a change in their emotions.

It was also a change in history.

The wheels of history cannot be stopped; one can only go with the flow.

With good intentions but no power, the result is naturally sorrow.

Because those who obstruct the wheels of history will inevitably be crushed to pieces.

Gong Lanshen being the last knight of the Dawn Church was enough to explain everything.

Where did the other knights go?

Even if they died of old age, illness, or accidents, there shouldn't be only one knight left.

Even from Gong Lanshen's youthful vigor, it was clear that these Dawn Church knights lived much longer than ordinary people.

The change of the times inevitably comes with bloodshed!

The conservative camp was broken by the reform camp.

It's not something that can be achieved with mere words.

Qin Ran's mind was already filled with the image of those conservative knights unwilling to accept the new era, charging forward.

They rode their warhorses, facing rows of muskets and cannons, launching the most brilliant charge of their lives.

Brilliant but brief.

And this was just a small group of the most innocent people.

Such a change in the new era inevitably affected countless people.

In the end, the outcome was clear.

Qin Ran remained silent, the weight of history making it impossible for him to speak casually.

Even though... this wasn't a history he was familiar with.

Sister Monica and Gong Lanshen were also silent, seemingly lost in memories of the past.

After a long time, Sister Monica came to her senses.

"Sorry, I was thinking about some memories—lately, I often think about things from back then!"

"And the trouble we're facing now is also related to things from back then!"

Sighing, Sister Monica continued.

"Back then, the Dawn Church was just a small church, not even a tenth the size of the Light Church, but it still had a thousand years of accumulation—both in knowledge and wealth!"

"My teacher, the last Pope of the Dawn Church, hoped that the Dawn Church could rise again, so he hid this wealth!"

"But my teacher hid this wealth too well... even Gong Lanshen and I don't know where it is!"

"Or perhaps, because Gong Lanshen and I disappointed him, he didn't tell us but told someone else!"

"But in the end, that wealth disappeared completely!"

"And just when Gong Lanshen and I were about to forget about it, a group of people suddenly found me, hoping I could tell them the whereabouts of this wealth—they promised to bring the Dawn Church back to life!"

"I refused them, but they were persistent, and their methods became increasingly extreme!"

"That's why Lid was so nervous when he saw you!"

Sister Monica expressed her apologies again.

"So that's how it is!"

Qin Ran understood.

"Rebuilding the Dawn Church? Just a bunch of greedy people who somehow learned a bit about the Dawn Church's secrets!"

"Even if we knew, we wouldn't tell them!"

"If it weren't for my vow, I would definitely make these greedy people understand what it means to seek death!"

Gong Lanshen clenched his fist in anger, looking extremely furious.

Qin Ran had no doubt about his words.

Their previous encounter had already given Qin Ran a deep understanding of his strength. In hand-to-hand combat, he was definitely no match for him.

His powerful physical attributes and special techniques were all superior to Qin Ran.

Moreover, he was not just skilled in physical combat; he was also familiar with weapons.

At least from what Altria Hunter had seen, Qin Ran knew that the last knight of the Dawn Church was not unfamiliar with firearms.

In fact, he should be quite familiar with them.

Such a person, with strong physical attributes, combat skills, and knowledge of firearms, would make it best for others to pray they never find him if they wanted to get rid of someone.

"What are the characteristics of these people?"

Qin Ran asked.

"They sneaked in quietly, all masked. Only two appeared before me, and I don't know if there are more!"

Sister Monica shook her head, unable to provide more clues.

"Alright, leave the rest to me! I promise to find these guys as soon as possible!"

Qin Ran didn't expect to get more information from Sister Monica. Those who wanted to find the wealth left by the Dawn Church would naturally be prepared.

But this didn't stop Qin Ran from accepting the side quest.

[Discovered Side Quest: The Watchers!]

[Side Quest: A group of unknown people discovered the secret wealth left by the Dawn Church. They want to obtain this wealth through Sister Monica! You agreed to help Sister Monica find these people and protect St. Paul's School from any harm!]

Qin Ran glanced at the side quest prompt.

Compared to the first side quest, the difficulty of this one was at least doubled.

Not only was the number of people uncertain, but their whereabouts were also unknown.

Apart from waiting for them to show up, Qin Ran had no better plan at the moment.

However, Qin Ran didn't show any difficulty.

He smiled and bid farewell to Sister Monica and Gong Lanshen.

Of course, to avoid meeting the school's security captain, Qin Ran entered the [Stealth] state again.

This time, it was different from when he entered.

He had Sister Monica's permission.

After leaving St. Paul's School and the street where the school was located, Qin Ran tidied up his clothes, shouldered the box containing the [Viper-M1], and walked out of the shadows.

Qin Ran didn't call a carriage.

Because the street was not far from his residence.

Looking at the sky that was about to turn dark, Qin Ran decided to walk back and buy some food on the way.

After all, he hadn't eaten all day.

However, when Qin Ran had barely walked twenty meters, he suddenly realized someone was following him.