Can't I Just Raise Myself?

I have to admit, the AFK bot really understands what players want—its efficiency is terrifyingly high.

"But what is Caslathdi doing at the church?"

Ryan was quite puzzled by this.

Coming all the way to Berman City ahead of schedule definitely meant she had some goal in mind. He remembered that in the game's storyline, Caslathdi came to Berman City to win over Mayor Bill, who was a classmate of her mother's. The two had a good relationship, and Bill becoming mayor was largely thanks to Caslathdi's mother.

But what Caslathdi didn't know was that Bill had secretly sided with the Second Prince and was planning something big in the Berman City arc. The final boss to take down at the end of that storyline was him.

He was even more deeply hidden than Adler, and even now, no one knew Bill's true situation.

Considering the changes in the plot, Caslathdi might have already contacted Bill in secret. Ryan pondered for a moment and decided to let 'Lin Qi' handle the storyline.

Since she was already tied to Caslathdi, 'Lin Qi' now had a legitimate reason to step into the spotlight. The game's advantages couldn't be wasted. Since Ryan himself had no intention of following the plot, he might as well let 'Lin Qi' do it.

On the surface, she was a priest of the Gate of Janus and Caslathdi's good friend.

Behind the scenes, 'Lin Qi' was Ryan.

If she latched onto the main storyline, farming resources would be easier. Otherwise, his own growth rate was far too slow.

"No rush. Let's get the class change done first."

At midnight, 'Lin Qi' heard the echo again. Following the procedure step by step, the evil spirit that appeared this time was level 10.

After clearing the evil spirit, she smoothly obtained the Ancient Evil Spirit Remnant fragment. Ryan set the AFK bot and logged out of the game.

Over the next two days, the entire Bureau of Governance threw itself into investigating the incident at 228 Black Ding Street.

During this time, Adler fed Ryan plenty of information about the Hand of Darkness for him to claim credit, taking down several of their secret strongholds. As the investigation progressed, the 228 incident became increasingly clear.

On the afternoon of Caslathdi's scheduled arrival in Berman City, urged on by Adler, the Bureau of Governance closed the case on the heretical ritual incident, labeling it as an act of anti-empire violence by the 'Mafia' organization.

As the name implied, the Mafia was a gangster force that had long entrenched itself in Berman City, notorious for its evil deeds.

Making them the scapegoat couldn't have been more fitting.

Jonathan offered no opinion on this. Based on his and Ryan's meticulous deductions, the full sequence of events at 228 Black Ding Street was likely this: the ritual prepared by the Hand of Darkness was discovered by Janus, leading to a fierce clash between the two sides. The previously inferred third party was most likely the Gate of Janus operatives lying low in Berman City.

Because Jonathan had gotten word from within the Burning Covenant that High Priestess Lia Mansdekar had personally promoted a nun to the rank of priest. Clearly, that gun-wielding nun had made significant contributions at 228 Black Ding Street.

See? Everything fit together perfectly!

As for whether it was actually true, Jonathan still needed more time to investigate. But his superiors wouldn't give him that much time, so closing the case first was a necessity.

After the case was closed, the General Bureau of Governance intended to promote Ryan to work at headquarters due to his outstanding performance. However, Jonathan refused on his behalf and immediately appointed Ryan as Deputy Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division, adding him to the Core Personnel List of East District within the Bureau of Governance.

With this status, headquarters couldn't easily transfer him away. Of course, the main reason was Jonathan's strong stance. How exactly he had flipped the table on headquarters, Ryan didn't know.

Either way, a promotion and a raise were good for him—no reason to turn that down.

"Come on, Ryan. Her Highness the Princess is about to arrive in Berman City. Come with me to welcome her."

Inside the Bureau of Governance, Jonathan waved Ryan over and reminded him, "Make sure to bring your gun."