Nothing but Werewolves

As soon as Lin Qi picked up a history book, he lost track of time. He read from morning until sunset, and only when the pages were bathed in warm golden light did he reluctantly put the book back.

"What a wondrous world this really is. I never imagined there were elves in the Hundred Beasts Kingdom! How could anyone not long to see them?"

As a transmigrator, who wouldn't want beautiful elf maids to serve him tea and water, elf archer attendants of exceptional skill guarding his side, and elegant, noble elf princesses and queens?

When there was work to do, they could be reliable helpers; in his leisure, he could admire their beauty. As the saying went, when there was work, let the elves do it; when there was no work, do the elves.

"Hehehe..."

At the thought, Lin Qi couldn't help grinning from ear to ear and letting out a foolish chuckle.

Just as he was lost in his own little world, a deliberately loud cough suddenly sounded behind him, making his whole body go rigid.

"Ahem."

Lin Qi whipped around to see Alicia standing beside the bookshelf. Her golden eyes were full of confusion as she looked at him, along with a trace of something indescribably strange.

"Alicia? Y-you haven't left yet?"

He hurriedly suppressed his grin and tried to look serious, but the muscles in his cheeks hadn't fully relaxed, leaving his expression unusually stiff.

Alicia's expression was even stiffer than his.

She should have left at noon, but when she saw how engrossed Lin Qi was in the history books, reading one after another, she had inexplicably stayed behind to see whether this merchant, whose head was full of Ka'en, was putting on an act.

Now it seemed that Lin Qi probably hadn't been pretending. He genuinely liked reading history, except... his interest seemed to be entirely focused on elves.

"Hmph."

Alicia put the book in her hand back on the shelf with a smack, shot him a fierce glare, and turned to leave.

The hem of her skirt swept across the floor, stirring a breeze, and she didn't spare him another glance.

She had already looked down on this "profit-obsessed" merchant from the bottom of her heart for choosing Lin Qi instead of the Wind Chime Cat's advancement materials last time. Now that she'd caught him looking like a fool lost in a daydream, her opinion of him fell even further.

"This noble lady's quite the tsundere."

Lin Qi watched her upright figure retreat and muttered, "I wonder if the princesses in this world have the same kind of temper."

Shaking his head and casting the jumbled thoughts aside, he stepped out of the study and headed for the statue in the center of the church.

"Today is the monthly Natal Card awakening day. The bishop must be extremely busy. Come to think of it, it's been exactly a month since I formally awakened my Natal Card."

Lin Qi settled down cross-legged beside the statue of the God of the Flame Hell and cultivated.

Only after night fell did he hear a set of soft, measured footsteps approaching from a distance.

"Bishop."

Lin Qi rose and bowed, his gaze falling on Xiaoduo.

The old man was nearly eighty, yet despite having been busy all day, he was still full of energy. There wasn't the slightest sign of fatigue on his face; instead, it had a rosy glow.

"Child, your cultivation speed is truly far beyond that of ordinary people. Even Alicia can't compare to you." Xiaoduo patted his shoulder, his voice full of undisguised praise.

Lin Qi looked modest. "You flatter me, Bishop. How could I possibly compare to Miss Alicia?"

His words were half politeness and half humblebrag. Although he was one star below Alicia, with the advantage of the Fusion Card and enough Source Crystals, breaking through to Four-Star Card Master within a few weeks would be no trouble at all.

But Xiaoduo evidently missed what he was implying. Instead, he encouraged him earnestly, "You are the Messenger of God. Even if you can't compare to Alicia now, you'll be able to catch up to her in a few years."

A few years? And only catch up to her?

The smile slipped from Lin Qi's face, and he nearly lost control of his expression.

"Bishop, I may be a Three-Star Card Master now, but it'll only take me a month to break through to four stars. There's no need for it to take years, is there?"

"Oh?"

Xiaoduo raised an eyebrow and looked at him with the hint of a smile. "Who told you Alicia was only a Four-Star Card Master?"

"Uh..."

Lin Qi froze and replied instinctively, "I saw her fight a Five-Star Card Master with my own eyes. The fluctuations of Source Power around her were definitely at four stars then."

"Hehehe."

Xiaoduo stroked his beard and laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out. "Child, what your eyes see is often the easiest thing to fool you."

"What do you mean, Bishop? Are you saying Alicia is above four stars?" Lin Qi's heart skipped a beat, and he had a vague sense of foreboding.

But Xiaoduo kept him in suspense, leaning closer with a mysterious air.

"Doesn't everyone in Stone Iron City say there are two Grand Card Masters in the city lord's manor? One is the city lord himself. Guess who the other one is?"

Lin Qi's heart sank as a bold guess took shape in his mind.

He took a deep breath. "Don't tell me it's..."

Xiaoduo nodded, his expression saying that was indeed the case.

"Could it be the maid Xiao Lan?"

"Cough, cough, cough."

Xiaoduo choked on his words and broke into a coughing fit. He raised a hand and rapped Lin Qi on the head.

"What nonsense are you spouting? It's Alicia!"

"Ow!"

Lin Qi clutched his aching head and grumbled inwardly, This little old man really can't take a joke.

He rubbed his head with an embarrassed smile. "Hehe, I was only joking with you. But even if Alicia is a Grand Card Master, I'm confident I can surpass her within two years."

"That's not necessarily true."

Xiaoduo looked smug, and it could even be said that he could barely keep the smile off his face.

"Alicia! She awakened her Natal Card at eight and became a Five-Star Card Master at ten. After she turned ten, her cultivation slowed because she had too many other things to learn. Even so, at eighteen, she has become an Eight-Star Grand Card Master! You could search the entire Iron Anvil Duchy and not find another person her age more outstanding than her."

"What?!"

Lin Qi stood frozen, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

He had indeed guessed that Alicia was no ordinary person and had just been teasing the little old man, but he had never imagined that Alicia was an Eight-Star Grand Card Master. Didn't that put her just one step away from becoming a Card Mastery Grandmaster?

"I-I didn't offend Alicia just now, did I?"

He suddenly recalled the sharp glare Alicia had given him when she left, and panic seized him.

"I think she glared at me before she left. Should I go to the city lord's manor and apologize to her in person right now?"

Seeing Lin Qi in such a panic, Xiaoduo nodded with satisfaction, as though he had achieved some goal.

"Child, remember this: never underestimate anyone around you. Other third-tier towns might go a lifetime without seeing a single Grand Card Master, but because of your existence, the people around you will often hold unexpected surprises."

"What... do you mean by that?"

Lin Qi quickly picked out the key point. "What do you mean, because of my existence?"

Xiaoduo's gaze grew profound, as though he could see through to the future.

"Because you are the Messenger of God, your path may be fraught with hardship, or it may be very smooth. But no matter how things unfold, the people around you will not be ordinary. This is God's arrangement. They may be your enemies, or they may be your friends."

"Bishop, could you please stop saying this kind of bullshit in the future?"

Lin Qi badly wanted to say that aloud, but he didn't dare. He was afraid the little old man before him was also hiding his abilities and might very well be a Card Mastery Grandmaster rather than a Grand Card Master.

After all, who would believe that a cardinal who could use vast quantities of Fire Crystal Ore to make sculptures didn't have a few trump cards to protect the church? This old man might be concealing his abilities even more deeply than Alicia.

"Oh no! I almost forgot the important thing!"

Lin Qi slapped his forehead, his expression instantly turning grave.

"Bishop, the bandits of Stone Iron Mountain are coming to attack Stone Iron City in three days. I suspect the city lord's manor is in league with them. If Alicia is a Grand Card Master, aren't we doomed?"

"Let them do their robbing. What does it have to do with our church?"

Seeing how unconcerned Xiaoduo looked, Lin Qi grew anxious.

"Bishop, the attack on the city is just a pretense. What they really want is to kidnap me."

Even after hearing that, Xiaoduo remained perfectly composed. He waved a hand and said, "It's fine. When the time comes, I'll just speak to Alicia and have her step in and deal with it."

Lin Qi stared at him, dumbfounded, and couldn't help wondering, Why is this old man so confident?

"Bishop, Alicia is an Eight-Star Grand Card Master. What if she doesn't give you face..."

Afraid of hurting the old man's pride, he had already put it very tactfully.

But Xiaoduo didn't respond. He walked unhurriedly to the statue of the God of the Flame Hell and began to worship, his expression solemn, plainly not taking the matter to heart at all.

Why isn't this little old man worried at all?

Full of doubts, Lin Qi held his patience and waited for him to finish worshiping.

Only when he was done did Xiaoduo turn around and say unhurriedly, "Alicia is my student. You can put your mind at ease."

"What?"

Lin Qi was stunned.

"An Eight-Star Grand Card Master is your student?"

When he recalled the rumors in the city that Bishop Xiaoduo was a Seven-Star Grand Card Master, Lin Qi felt that everyone in the city was a liar.

For one moment, he even felt that he was surrounded by werewolves.

Anyone who happened to stroll out was a ruthless figure!

He immediately hurried over to Xiaoduo and dropped to his knees with a thud, carefully copying the worship gestures, every movement impeccably precise.

Seeing this, Xiaoduo raised an eyebrow, clearly somewhat surprised.

"Child, didn't you say your back hurt and you couldn't kneel? How come it's suddenly better today?"

Lin Qi raised his head, looking solemn and sacred, his voice as devout as could be.

"Dear Bishop, the great God of the Flame Hell must have heard my prayers and healed my pain! As the Messenger of God, I should devoutly praise the Lord God and serve you, Bishop!"

Seeing how shamelessly Lin Qi had gone from arrogance to deference, Xiaoduo wasn't angry. Instead, he nodded with satisfaction.

Stroking his beard, he thought, That quick wit is indeed what God's chosen one should have.