After seeing Gelos and that old man off, Iri immediately propped her head up with her hand and lay across the sofa, thinking about what had just happened.
Who was that old man?
While it was certain he was a high-ranking member of Theocracy, he wasn't a Chief Priest of the Six Scriptures. Iri had met the Chief Priests of the Six Scriptures before and still had some impression of them, but she had never seen that old man. Who exactly was that guy?
Iri recalled the scene: after she shattered the mithril rod, the old man, overjoyed, knelt on the ground and excitedly picked up all the fragments of the mithril rod with his hands, placing them into a strange wooden box.
And that wasn't all; after collecting them, he kept staring intently at the half of the rod Iri still held. Iri had intended to keep that half for her own research.
She wanted to see how much damage her made-up 'internal implosion' could actually inflict on mithril, but seeing the old man's gaze, Iri could only hand over the unbroken half of the mithril rod to him.
After returning it to the old man, Iri expected him to ask how to cast this magic, something she couldn't possibly explain clearly. However, the old man didn't ask at all.
He just held the half-rod, praised Iri a few times with a happy expression, and then directly took his leave. Gelos also hastily said goodbye and followed the old man out. Iri had prepared how to deal with the old man's inquiries, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
"Bell, who was that old man?" Iri asked, looking at Bell, who seemed confused and was staring at the various pastries and fruits piled next to the table.
"That gentleman just now? He is the Director of the Magical Research Institute, Ruoqiebeien. He is probably interested in your new magic, isn't he?" Bell said.
"Uh... new magic?" Iri thought for a moment. Looking at his excited expression, it wasn't just 'possibly interested,' but 'extremely interested'!
It seems he must be someone deeply engrossed in that field. If that's the case... could she take advantage of this?
Just like the trick Ainz used on Fulda, but with Theocracy's doctrines and dogmas, the brainwashing is so severe that it might be difficult to pull off the same trick again, right?
It feels like it would be very difficult. Hmm! I'll make a note of it... and find an opportunity to probe him again. If it's feasible, hmph! Cultivating another 'Fulda' from Theocracy would be excellent.
"Clementine, these things?" Since returning, Bell's attention had mostly been on the piles of pastries stacked as high as small mountains.
"Oh! They're all offerings from Gelos. They're all yours." Iri didn't even glance at them, just handed everything over to Bell. After all, what was there to care about with pastries made by natives?
"R-really?! Then thank you so much!" Bell's eyes lit up, and she immediately ran over to carefully inspect what was in the piles of pastries.
"Wow! Wow! This is the goat milk pudding only found in Rumt Village! Wow wow! They even have this! Gelos is so generous! He even managed to get pastries that are impossible to buy in the city?" Bell said with a joyful smile as she opened a pastry box.
Hmm? Pastries that can't even be bought in the city?
Bell's words caught Iri's attention. She had only told Gelos to make offerings yesterday, and today he had brought so many good things.
According to the Black Scripture's regulations, one cannot leave the city without a special mission. Where did he get things not available in the city? Or did a friend just happen to give them to him, and he kept them? Could it really be such a coincidence?
"Bell, are these pastries and fruits very difficult to get?" Iri asked, looking at Bell, who was about to put a pastry in her mouth.
"Hmm! This can only be made in Rumt Village, and the production is very scarce. Just one box like this is almost worth half a month of my salary! Clementine, you should try some too!" Bell said, then held out the one in her hand.
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