"Rupture"

"And so, I had to leave. I couldn't really stay anywhere, and it might even affect my friend, causing him to lose the wealth he had worked so hard to acquire."

Lumian took another sip of the bright green Absinthe.

Bar Boss Pavar Nissen put down his glass and remarked with a touch of melancholy, "It's truly pitiful."

Lumian smiled:

"Alright, I've finished my story. Shouldn't you buy me a drink now?"

Pavar, with his artist-style ponytail, froze for a moment.

As dawn approached, Charlie, wearing a black coat, left the Basement Bar of the Golden Rooster Inn and headed back to his rented Apartment.

The autumn night breeze was pleasant, neither making you shiver nor lacking a refreshing coolness that cleansed your body and mind. Charlie couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Dog Shit, which drunkard is peeing everywhere again?" The stench in the wind ruined Charlie's mood.

Just then, he saw Daoist emerge from the darkness ahead.

The figure had dark brown hair, bright and sharp blue Eyes, and a handsome and masculine face; he was none other than Charles Dubois.

"You haven't left Trier yet? "Charlie was delighted and was about to ask.

Almost simultaneously, he noticed that Charles's expression was extremely gloomy, and there seemed to be a storm brewing in his eyes.

Charlie was startled. His mind raced, and he instinctively blurted out, "I... I wanted to inform you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lumian had already walked up to him, raised his right fist, and slapped him across the face.

The punch was quite powerful. Charlie's vision was filled with Golden specks of light, and his body tilted as he staggered back a few steps, unable to maintain his balance.

Lumian said with a grim face, "Out of consideration for our Past relationship, I won't kill you this time."

After saying that, he turned around, wearing a dark jacket, and walked towards the alleyway on the side, which had no streetlights.

Charlie, clutching his swollen, red face, watched Charles's figure gradually disappear into the darkness, and said anxiously and angrily, "But I can't find you! How could I have notified you that you were wanted?"

Lumian didn't respond and disappeared into the alley.

Seeing this, Charlie, who was standing still, couldn't help but swear.

He was both angry and felt wronged, as if he had been wronged:

Why has this person suddenly become so unreasonable?

It's not my fault that you're wanted by the police; I've tried my best to help you!

I'm just a low-level employee; there's only so much I can do!

The next morning, Charlie had just sat down at his office in the Underground of Saint Robles Church with his Meat Pie, and before he could even make himself a cup of coffee, he saw Deacon Angoulême, wearing a brown double-breasted coat, walk up to him.

"Good morning, Deacon." Charlie stood up abruptly and greeted him in a fawning manner.

Angoulême glanced at the bruise on his left cheek:

"What happened? Did someone beat you up?"

"No, no, I bumped into, I bumped into Statues!" Charlie suddenly tensed up, waving his right hand. "You probably won't believe how crazy those bastards can be when they're drunk. Some shout to overthrow the government, some think what they vomit is delicious food, and some moved such a heavy Statues to the corner. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into it."

Angoulême stared at the office worker and said in a calm tone, "Your Lie is clumsy. Do you remember the clause in the contract that forbids the concealment of important information?"

Charlie's expression froze. After a moment of hesitation, he stammered, "Yes, it was Charles. Charles Dubois beat me up. He's probably resentful that I didn't warn him beforehand that we'd be wanted."

Angoulême listened in silence, then after two seconds said, "Very good, this is what a qualified ' Purifier ' civilian staff member should be like."

Where did you meet him?

"Outside the Golden Rooster Inn, in the first alley leading towards Market Avenue," Charlie replied, both nervous and worried.

After asking a few more questions, Angoulême said to Charlie, "Because the truth about Charles Dubois exceeded our expectations, we reviewed all the files related to him and found that you had a close relationship with him. We also found that he was involved in the supernatural case of Suzanne Matisse. After putting him into that case, I can clearly see that you have concealed a lot of details."

Upon hearing the Deacon's words, Charlie tensed up, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

"I, I..." He didn't know what to say, as if he could already see his tragic end.

At this moment, Angoulême asked, "Did Charles force you to keep it a secret?"

"No, it wasn't forced," Charlie answered instinctively, then quickly added, "It was his request."

"As expected, it was his request." Angoulême nodded slightly, then turned to ask about every detail of the Suzanne Matisse incident.

Charlie, whose mental defenses had been broken, told the "Purifier" Deacon everything he could remember.

After he finished speaking, Angoulême said sternly, "Normally, someone like you, who concealed the true details of a case to become a civilian employee of the ' Purifier,' would be immediately dismissed, even if not thrown into prison..."

Charlie had somewhat anticipated this punishment, but when he actually heard it, it felt as if he had been hit hard on the head with Wooden Stick; he swayed and almost lost his balance.

Before he could make his final plea, Angoulême abruptly changed the subject:

"But you've done very well these past few months. You've been diligent and hardworking, and you've also studied hard. It seems you haven't betrayed any information to Charles, which has caused him to resent you."

"As Deacon of the Market District Tribunal, I feel I cannot push someone who is trying to climb out of the Abyss back in and destroy their last hope. Since you haven't made any substantial Error since becoming a ' Purifier ' civilian employee, and what happened with Suzanne Matisse was true, I'll give you another chance. I can't just push you out there and wait for Charles to kill you, or for the ' Gifted of the Mother Tree of Desire ' to come after you again, can I?"

"You've been fired, but you can still intern here, and your salary will be adjusted back to the intern level for six months. If you perform well and don't make any more mistakes during these six months, you can be rehired; otherwise, you'll be fired immediately."

"In short, your punishment is probation within the team for six months."

After hearing the Deacon's words, Charlie felt an immense joy, as if he had fallen into Hell and been pulled back to Heaven.

He thanked her profusely, then slumped back into his seat as if all his strength had been drained.

After watching Angoulême leave, Charlie's mind was a jumbled mess, filled with a jumble of images.

A few seconds later, he raised his right hand and slapped himself.

He muttered to himself, filled with regret and remorse, "I was bragging at the Bar last night that Charles and I were friends who had been through life and death together..."

Not long after returning to his office, Angoulême received a Telegram.

That came from the Saint Viève Church, from Plessy Descartes, who was in charge of the Trier Diocese.

The Cardinal asked Angoulême to go to the Saint Viève Church, saying he needed to speak with him.

Saint Viève Church.

After spiraling up the magnificent golden staircase to the area near the Dome, there is a small room, which is one of the closest places to the Sun in all of Trier.

Cardinal Plessy, dressed in a white robe embroidered with gold thread, resides here year-round, bathed in Holy Light.

He was an elderly man with high cheekbones and blond hair that was Blond Hair white. He didn't have a serious demeanor, but he possessed a kind of radiance that made it impossible to look directly at him, so much so that the entire room was unusually free of any shadows.

"Although you weren't able to handle the Calamity the night before last in time due to various accidents and intelligence gaps, you demonstrated a very high level of competence in both grasping key information and making follow-up arrangements. We also haven't overlooked your performance in the Market District over the past year," Plessy said amiably.

"Praise the Sun!" Angoulême opened his arms and gave glory to the Lord.

Plessy was increasingly satisfied:

"Based on the current situation and the foreseeable Future, we plan to form three more ' Purifier ' squads directly under the Trier Diocese to handle various Paranormal Event flexibly."

At this point, the Cardinal smiled, a rare occurrence for him:

"You've been really busy for the past six months, and you seem to have been complaining about not having time to rest. Don't blame yourself; it's a normal human reaction. Now that you've become a Deacon in the Trier Diocese's direct squad, you should have plenty of free time. You only need to handle cases that the ' Purifier ' in each district can't handle or don't have time to handle."

"Of course, this also means danger, and you must be clearly aware of that."

"François, Sequence 4 is a turning point. There are still many in the Tribunal waiting to become Saint. If you want to surpass them, you must make outstanding contributions. The first step is to become Deacon in the direct squad of the Grand Diocese. The second step is to accumulate contributions and take charge of a certain Sacred Artifact. The third step is to wait for the opportunity."

"Do you wish to be this Deacon? I respect your decision."

The power of mobility... handling cases that the "Purifier" in various districts couldn't handle... Normally, I should be quite free; there aren't that many major events... Whether Gandalf's Apocalypse Prophecy is true or false, improving myself is never a bad thing... Angoulême hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Cardinal, your will is my will."

Plessy smiled slightly and said, "As the Deacon, you are responsible for selecting the team members."

"Yes, Your Cardinal." Angoulême opened his arms and praised the Sun once more.

Back in the Underground Saint Robles Church, he called the half-breed Imre into his office and told his Subordinate about the Trier Diocese's direct squad.

"Would you like to come with me?" Angoulême asked.

Imre laughed, "Does that mean I can get Sequence and earn a higher salary?"

"I'm fine!"

After agreeing, the mixed-race man asked, "Who else should we choose?"

After a dozen seconds of silence, Angoulême said, "Don't ask about players like Valentine who have wives and children. Ask the single players instead."

"Being directly subordinate to a team is both an honor and a danger."

At this point, Angoulême sighed softly and said, "What ' Purifier ' with a happy family doesn't want to see their children grow up and spend more time with their wife? Let us single guys bear this burden."