Chapter 224: I've Reported The Bookstore

"Wilde appeared? In the vicinity of the bookstore?" Joseph narrowed his eyes.

Judging from the amount of time they had spent trying to hurt each other, Wilde could rightly be called his nemesis. Furthermore, that battle he had with Wilde had been a crux moment which forever changed his life.

He wouldn't have lost his arm if not for that battle and wouldn't have been plagued by the demon sword's curse which led to him falling from grace.

Even though Wilde seemed to have been blown up by Joseph, the former still had managed to deal a number on the latter. Even worse was that all the old wounds Joseph had accumulated were reopened, and his mental state was also greatly affected.

All of this led him to step back and leave the battlefield.

Yet if not because of this, Joseph wouldn't have come across the bookstore while on his pursuit of Wilde, which ushered in a true turning point in his life — the opportunity to become a Supreme-rank!

After battling the false god within the dream realm, Joseph had truly rediscovered that sword within him.

He could feel that he was already at the final stretch at becoming a Supreme-rank.

And this stretch was now his obsession.

Just like the obsession he had with the battle two years ago!

Once he found Wilde and defeated him, Joseph believed he would truly have the ability to ascend to Supreme-rank and finally reach the level that countless transcendent beings could only dream of.

Claude methodically relayed the information he had obtained so far, "Wilde materialized a short distance away from the bookstore's door, we suspected that it's some sort of technique that has mastery over time and space.

"But judging from the large canine with him as well as the spatial fluctuations occurring at that moment, we believe that he has obtained a Sky Wolf as a summon."

"Sky Wolf... Interesting."

Joseph took some time to think and had a flash of realization. "Isn't the original formula used by the hunter organization White Wolf originating from the Sky Wolf? During the battle back then, there were some traces of Wilde, and we didn't find Heris' corpse afterwards. I'm afraid... there's some sort of link.

"In these two years, while laying dormant, Wilde certainly hasn't been idle."

Joseph's inner fighting spirit was burning brighter than ever. He could barely contain himself from unsheathing the sword at his waist. The demon sword had been handed over to Lin Jie, but Secret Rite Tower didn't lack any high-grade weapons, so Joseph had been reassigned with another. A sword named 'Redemption.'

As he had just been involved in an important meeting held by the council of elders, Joseph was not in his usual white-collar shirt. On the contrary, he was clad in a set of formal mithril armor, hence the sword at his waist was not out of place.

Paired with his decrepit face that was now filled with resolution and intent, the aura radiating off Joseph was at least three times stronger than usual. He was like a slumbering lion that had finally opened its eyes, ready to hunt.

Joseph cleared his throat and reigned in his emotions before looking at Claude. "Go on."

Claude had long grown accustomed to his mentor's 'worked up' state every time Wilde was mentioned and thus continued on, "It seems uncharacteristic of Wilde as he brought four others with him instead of acting alone this time round. We are currently still investigating the identities of these four.

"Nevertheless, we can basically confirm that Wilde probably intends to convert them into patrons of the bookstore."

One of the important issues that came up in this recent meeting was how to approach the bookstore owner and maximize their gains from the bookstore's resources, all while ensuring the safety of the store...

Of course, the last part had been simply mentioned for the sake of it. They had adequately realized the bookstore owner's true strength; trying to control the bookstore's actions and motives was something that was downright impossible.

They could only... adapt to it.

If Secret Rite Tower could think of this, naturally, it only made sense that the first person who came across the bookstore could also deduce the same.

And the easiest method was for those under their control to enter the bookstore and purchase some books!

Indeed, Secret Rite Tower had been prepared to do it as well, yet they never imagined that Wilde would appear abruptly and get the jump on them.

"He's still as crafty as ever... In that case, we have to act swiftly. Plan an ambush and seize him the moment he leaves the bookstore," Joseph said with a chopping motion of his hand, as if it were a guillotine dropping down on the heads of Wilde and his entourage.

Claude nodded. "Understood, I will dispatch our forces right away."

Patting Claude on his shoulder, Joseph then added, "I still have to report some matters to Elder Solomon. I'll head over later on and personally take command. Contact me immediately if any situation arises."

"Yes, Teacher."

Claude suddenly hesitated. "Melissa seems to be feuding with some people from the Combat Division lately. Would you care to intervene?"

"Oh?" Joseph was caught by surprise.

Although Joseph knew how badly he had neglected Melissa in the past and was trying his hardest to repair the damage, Melissa still had already grown up into someone he could no longer decipher.

Melissa wasn't willing to share with him anything regarding the Combat Division and this father-daughter duo didn't communicate much either.

"What's the situation... Nevermind, who are they?" asked Joseph.

"She had a quarrel with some teammates during a recent mission. She's been receiving too much limelight recently and has been acting... eccentric. She'd often use arm wrestling as an excuse to challenge others, and her overall evaluation in the Combat Division isn't too good," Claude said.

He tried his best to phrase it as euphemistically as possible.

In truth, eccentric was an understatement. Ever since she had laid in bed for a week after returning from the bookstore, Melissa's temperament had seen a drastic change.

Once aptly described as a quirky brat, she had now become a fighting addict. Yet at the same time, her talents seemed to have been suddenly unlocked and she excelled in many different combat techniques.

To describe it literally... She was like the younger version of the prickly Joseph.

Boundless brilliance, yet capable of easily blinding others.

"Teammates? That's just some trifles among children. So what if her evaluations are negative, it's all good as long as she's happy," grunted Joseph.

He had thought that someone from the Combat Division who formally held a grudge against himself was tripping up Mellissa.

To encourage team chemistry, members of a similar age range and skill level were usually grouped together to conduct the same mission. As all of them were young and energetic, conflicts were bound to arise.

Haa... This can be an opportunity for her to train.

This was what Joseph thought.

——

Melissa didn't think of this as an opportunity to train.

She'd only felt the people before her were too boisterous.

"Your father is no longer a Great Radiant Knight. Everyone knows of Joseph's fall of grace after he lost his arm; of how he's fooled around at the Intelligence Division for two years. He's definitely proficient at being a leech, especially to the loyal fans of his. Do you know how much money they splurged on him every year... I really don't know how much weight those titles of his held in the past, but since he's sooo proficient at intelligence, he's a natural cheater, right?"

The youth before Melissa told his comrades around him and the whole group burst into a chorus of laughter.

Although they were not the same colleagues Joseph had worked with in the past, they were children of the colleagues Joseph had worked with. Since young, all they had heard regarding Joseph was negative.

The one leading, a young man by the name of Todd, was even the grandson of a Great Radiant Knight.

Melissa was calm. She had heard slanders regarding Joseph that were a hundred times worse than this, and it simply wasn't worth getting angry over.

"Are you done speaking? Because if you are..."

Melissa unsheathed her knight's sword. "Are you ready for the duel you previously promised?"

All the youths subconsciously took a step back. Todd suddenly exclaimed, "Like father like daughter, running around recklessly like a freight train and spreading lies!"

With a rather complacent look on his face, he added, "I've heard from Selena the reason behind your sudden improvement was because you bought some mysterious books from a random bookstore. She said you even tried to get her to read them with you.

"What utter nonsense!" Todd asserted in a self-righteous tone.

"Surely these so-called books are some sort of forbidden magic scrolls. You must be cheating!"

This was the first time the other onlookers heard of this, and they exchanged glances and started whispering in discussion.

Feeling extremely pleased with himself, Todd turned to them. "Melissa is a chronic liar; that bookstore is just ordinary and isn't special in any way. I've already sent Francis and those other Official Knights on their way to the bookstore.

"Rest assured, I won't do anything illegal. I've only reported the bookstore was hiding scrolls of forbidden spells. But if any property damage occurs during the investigation, that's none of my concern.

This novel is _hosted_ by hosted novel.

"In no time, you will see that bookstore being closed down!"

Todd had felt his plan was flawless. When he looked toward Melissa, he knew that this arrogant young lady had taken a huge blow this time.

Indeed, his lips curled up to a grin when he saw Melissa turning pale as she watched them with a look of utter terror.