Facing Horamick

Kronos didn't dwell on the matter any longer. In any case, he had the Mask in his hands and it was confirmed that it wasn't an ordinary item, so there was no problem.

The next step is to consider how to deal with Ikanser.

Kronos wasn't too worried about this, because he didn't really need to do much; he just needed to report the situation.

Ikanser is indeed a smart man, but when facing Kronos, he seems to have a natural sense of superiority, perhaps because he knows the story between the Church of Steam and Machinery and the Argel Family.

People with an innate sense of superiority are easy to deal with because this sense of superiority makes them lose their original level, making it easy for Kronos to pass the test.

It was quite late when we arrived at Saint Ceyran Grand Church; it was almost nine o'clock, and it was completely dark outside.

Generally, Church should be closed at this time, but Saint Ceyran Grand Church is the headquarters of the Church of Steam and Machinery in the entire Loen Kingdom, so Church is brightly lit.

Kronos gently pushed open the Church Gate and slowly walked into the hall.

The entire hall was completely empty; there wasn't a single believer, not even a single Clergy.

Just as Kronos was looking around recruiting, a voice rang out.

"Little Argel Family, come and meet me."

Kronos didn't see anyone, nor did he know where the voice came from, but he recognized it.

Although he had only met this person a few times and had only spoken to him once, he still recognized him as Archbishop Horamick.

At this moment, Kronos felt a little uneasy. Could this old guy be on the same level as Ikanser?

Kronos couldn't guarantee he could get away with it when facing this Archbishop.

But since he had already invited me over, there was no turning back.

Kronos wasn't just hanging around in Saint Ceyran Grand Church for nothing; he could find Archbishop Horamick's room, so he slowly walked towards it.

The reason for taking it slow is to give yourself time to mentally review what happened, making sure there are no mistakes or omissions.

Even at his slowest pace, Kronos reached Horamick's room in just seven minutes.

Just as Kronos was about to raise his hand to knock on the door, it opened directly.

The first thing that came into view was a Reception Room, where Archbishop Horamick sat on the Reception Room, looking at Kronos with a kind expression.

Seeing this, Kronos panicked even more, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

"Greetings, Archbishop. I am Kronos Argel of the Argel Family. We met before."

Horamick smiled. "I know, we had something to talk about that time, so we didn't keep you. This is a good opportunity."

Kronos scratched his head. "I was being foolish last time; I never expected to follow you all the way to the conference room."

"It's alright, it's understandable for young people to be a little impulsive. Come on, sit down first, what are you standing for?"

Seeing Horamick point to the sofa opposite him, Kronos sat down as well.

"How's your father doing lately? I haven't seen him in ages."

Kronos was getting used to it; whenever he met someone of a certain age, the first thing he would say was always something like, "How is your father? I haven't seen him in ages," or "It's been so long since I last saw him."

Kronos had no idea how many people his father knew, or how long he had been staying at home on his Manor.

"My father is doing well, but he went back to Midseashire with my mother and Younger Sister a few days ago."

Horamick's face showed a perfectly timed look of surprise. "Left Backlund? After so many major events, why would you leave?"

Look at that acting! Kronos is utterly impressed. Kronos would never believe that the Archbishop didn't know that Marquis Argel had left Backlund, but that expression was just too convincing.

Now that he'd started acting, Kronos wasn't going to be left behind.

Kronos looked ashamed. "I'm the one who caused all this trouble lately. I was hoping to impress Father, but things turned out differently than I imagined."

Without even thinking, Horamick already knew about this.

"May I ask what you were thinking at the beginning?" Horamick asked kindly.

Here comes the main event: Horamick wants to find out what the Argel Family thinks about this matter.

Kronos said, feeling wronged, "My father gave me some money, intending for me to start a business, but I really have no interest in any of that. I much prefer doing research."

"I happened to be chatting with Professor Portland once, and we talked about the reorganization of Backlund Technical College. He then invited me to join Backlund Technical College."

Kronos was about to continue speaking when Horamick interrupted him.

"I remember you were invited to Backlund University when you graduated, but you declined at the time. Why did you accept now?"

Kronos was startled, not because he was speechless, but mainly because he hadn't expected Horamick to know about this, since very few people actually knew about it.

Despite his shock, Kronos's answer remained unaffected, "I don't like the feeling of being tied to one place, and if I had joined Backlund University at that time, I wouldn't have had any leverage to negotiate."

"Now that I've participated in the Ironclad Project and have several Patent, I'm qualified to negotiate some terms. Besides, Backlund Technical College and Backlund University are not on the same level, so I'm more suited to this place."

Horamick was well aware of these pros and cons; he asked simply to hear Kronos's explanation.

Seeing that Kronos was articulate and logical, Horamick nodded and then gestured for him to continue.

"Because I felt I couldn't teach the students, the final agreement was that I would provide them with practical training opportunities, and they wouldn't need to come to the school to teach."

At this point, Kronos became a little embarrassed, "As you know, the Argel Family is quite wealthy, so I decided to build a materials Research Center, mainly because I'm interested in it."

Faced with these words, even the great actor Horamick almost lost his composure. "Does your family have a little money?"

Kronos continued, "Professor Portland loved it after it was built. He said Scientists should work in environments like this, and I wholeheartedly support that."

"Furthermore, Professor Portland later became the president of Backlund Technical University, where I proposed the idea of establishing a large Research Center. You know what happened after that."

In this statement, Kronos shifted the blame onto Portland, completely concealing his own ambitions. However, this blame really applies to Portland; at least, Horamick believes that's exactly the kind of person Portland is.

Horamick was silent for a moment, then said, "What brings you here now?"

Kronos was taken aback; he had almost forgotten about it. "I'm here to see Captain Ikanser. There was a meeting in the group today, and I'm here to report on the situation."

Horamick said calmly, "You don't need to make a special trip next time. We already know."

Kronos had anticipated this; the Church of Steam and Machinery might not have had an inside source in this group before, but it was impossible for them not to now.

However, in order to maintain his public image, Kronos was taken aback at first, then showed a hint of grievance, hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind to say, "Well... Archbishop, I'll be going now."

This performance was absolutely divine; Kronos went through all the grievances of his two lifetimes, and his eyes even began to fill with tears.

Horamick hadn't expected the Argel Family heir to have such an expression, a look that was beyond his control for the first time: a blank stare.

Actually, what I just said was a warning, to tell Kronos that we have more than just him to rely on.

No wonder Horamick was stunned; who would have thought Kronos would pull such a move, and even cry in grievance?

At several hundred years old, Horamick was truly at a loss; asking him to soothe a child was really asking too much of him.

Kronos also felt ashamed. This move would definitely not be effective against Ikanser, but it was a different story against Horamick —a sure kill.

He wasn't trying to get Horamick to comfort him; his main goal was to get out of this situation as quickly as possible and leave. Nobody knew what Horamick would ask next, or if things would go wrong, so the best option was to avoid him reasonably.

The two stared at each other, Horamick clearly saw one thing in Kronos's eyes. "I'm angry, and I'm not easy to appease!"

Finally, Horamick gave in, "I apologize for being a bit too harsh. You should go back and rest. Thank you very much for coming to tell us."

Upon hearing this, Kronos felt relieved, but his expression remained unchanged, still showing that aggrieved and angry look, before he turned and left.

After Kronos left, two people walked out from the door in the Reception Room, one of whom was Ikanser, the Captain of Steam Heart.

The other one, dressed in a white robe, looked refined and approachable, with an overall demeanor exactly like Horamick's. He was Horamick's "adopted son," the bishop of Saint Ceyran Grand Church, Sequence 5 Astronomer — Nosk.