Chapter 207: Don't Put It On

Seeing how Vincent was inspired by Boss Lin ignited Joseph's fighting spirit. Immediately, his decadent lifestyle over the past two years came into mind.

Without Boss Lin, perhaps he too would've been like other former wielders of the demon sword, straying onto the path of madness and gradually succumbing to the devilry of the blade.

But now, besides being freed from the demon sword, he even had an opportunity to ascend to Supreme-rank.

He walked forward and patted Vincent's shoulder before speaking to Lin Jie sheepishly, "I've never collected objects as intriguing as these before.

"I've managed to save quite a sum from the years in my career, but I believe it isn't something that is of interest to you. However, so long as you're willing, you can mobilize my subordinates any time using this particular insignia of mine."

Joseph proceeded to take out an intricate gold badge from his chest pocket. The design was a shield with a pair of crossed swords on it. Stars and gems embellished the insignia and engraved at the very center was Joseph's name.

This was the medal of honor bestowed on him for becoming a Great Radiant Knight and it was something that wasn't casually passed around. If shown to a former subordinate or follower of his, they would immediately understand the one wielding this insignia was someone Joseph treated with great importance.

It had to be known that of his former subordinates, two of them already ascended to Destructive-rank and were granted the title of Great Radiant Knights. Hence, the weight of the badge Joseph held was of great importance.

No... I'd really still prefer the cold hard cash...

Lin Jie cried inwardly as he accepted the badge with a smile.

Old Wil, what a trendsetter you are. Now every one of them believes that I love crappy local souvenirs.

Truth be told, this badge was worth more than the two sacred artifacts that Vincent had gifted him. The ability to mobilize personnel from the Central Police Unit could be a pretty handy option in times of trouble.

But, the only problem was that Lin Jie didn't seem to have much interactions with the police, and this rundown bookstore didn't face any grave predicaments most of the time.

Lin Jie reckoned that Joseph must have a certain misunderstanding about him.

But it was the thought that counts and Lin Jie couldn't let his customer misjudge him.

"Speaking of which, Joseph, what was your position in the force?"

Lin Jie was suddenly reminded of his ignorance regarding the specific capacity that Joseph once held.

From their usual conversations, he could determine Joseph was a man who held a high position and probably had a great reputation, but only left the force due to setbacks as well as the influence of Candela's soul within the sword that caused him to decline.

Even though he had since left the service, it still appeared like he held an important position.

After all, even his disciple Claude was a police captain. The two policemen that had come to search the bookstore were nearly scared witless when they encountered their superior back then. Joseph must be of an even higher position to be able to order Claude about at will.

Incidentally, Claude hadn't come, so he must have probably been covering the follow-up on behalf of his teacher.

A moment of silence for his hairline...

In his heart, Joseph told himself that there was no way Boss Lin didn't already know this. This whole situation was surely a prelude to something.

"Intelligence Division. I am currently the Section Chief of the Intelligence Division."

"Oh ... Intelligence Division."

Lin Jie calmly nodded his head as if he had a sudden revelation... not.

He was aware of the structure of a normal police station. The structure of Norzin's Central Police Unit should be similar, and yet he had never heard of the existence of an 'Intelligence Division.'

However, Joseph clearly wasn't trying to deceive him and the word 'Intelligence' was always associated with spies, espionage, and other such activities. This was probably why this secret branch wasn't made public.

This question did feel rather abrupt.

To mask his embarrassment, Lin Jie started to change the topic, "Speaking of which, you've already achieved a high position in the unit, any thoughts on progressing even further?"

Although he was not aware of the exact situation, eradicating a tumor of society like the Church of the Dome was not an easy feat. Besides Vincent, Joseph and Claude must've played the largest role.

Although this secret agency seemed like it held great weight and authority, Joseph would definitely have room to progress.

"Uhh..."

Joseph was at a loss for words. The four different divisions were already the entire composition of Secret Rite Tower, and a Great Radiant Knight was simply just one of the ten strongest personnel chosen from within the organization.

His current appointment Chief of the Intelligence Division meant that he was already one of the four with the most authority on the surface. If he still wanted to climb further upwards, he would either need to recover his position as a Great Radiant Knight or claim a seat in the Council of Elders.

Joseph hesitated for a while before replying, "I might still need some time to think about it. After all, I've been away from the battlefield for quite some time and am quite satisfied with my current lifestyle.

"Also, I've pondered a lot over the last few years and slowly come to the notion that I still have some responsibilities since I'm a family man.

"I've never had time for Melissa in the prior years, which led to her having a somewhat strange personality and getting into trouble because she wanted attention."

Yes... an imprudent child whose first impression is to demand an arm wrestling contest can rather aptly be described as attention-seeking.

Lin Jie nodded his head. "That's not bad either. Though work is important, family is more important than that. By the way, Melissa purchased quite a few books when she came previously. Has she been studying hard? Do remind her to have a healthy work-life balance."

Haa... It's been a few months since the young lady's visit. If presumably she has been spending all this time studying, surely she must have made some substantial progress.

Joseph's lips twitched slightly. "She... spends all her time during this period locked in her room studying and hasn't come out since. However, she seems to be in surprisingly good condition and is lively every day so you needn't worry about her."

He had heard a brief description from her daughter regarding her visit to the bookstore and had understood that she had somewhat annoyed Boss Lin with her rash behavior.

However, it wasn't like Boss Lin would get bothered with a young kid and merely give a little lesson to prevent her from making worse mistakes in the future.

In addition, those books had brought about an even greater benefit for all involved.

"That's good to hear. Once she's done with her studies, she's welcomed to visit the bookstore to read the books here.

"Well, maybe the book cafe next door would better suit the tastes of youth like her... She has certainly caught my attention, perhaps I could even provide consultation for her in my free time."

Time to attract more customers, thought Lin Jie to himself as he stroked his chin.

"Of course, of course," Joseph promised with a hearty laugh. To be held in high regard by Boss Lin was the best thing for Melissa.

After continuing their chat for a while more, Lin Jie waved the two goodbye.

Although the situation with the Church of the Dome had reached a conclusion, Vincent and Joseph still had many things to do and couldn't stay for long.

Mu'en, who was clearing the counter, also looked rather tired. Although Lin Jie didn't notice it previously, he now had realized that Mu'en's skin seemed to have lightened a few tones.

Mu'en had always been rather pale in the past, but not to this extent. Now, her skin was as white as moonlight and ghastly pale. Her skin seemed flawless and sparkled like gemstones.

Lin Jie couldn't help but pinch Mu'en's cheeks and pull them wide apart.

"Drr..." Mu'en couldn't speak clearly with her cheeks being pulled. She had a confused look on her face as if she had suddenly recalled something.

She pointed to the ring and struggled to express herself, "Dorr... Drrt... Put it on..."

"Put it on?" Lin Jie asked as picked up the ring to try it on and found that it fit onto his ring finger snugly. However, when trying to remove it, Lin Jie realized he couldn't do so.

Tugging at it twice to no avail, he frowned. "Seems like I can't remove this ring. I haven't even washed it yet... Who knows how unsanitary it is after being consecrated for so long."

Mu'en's face fell.

She had intended to say not to put it on...