The moment Rod saw the Holy Swords, he already understood what was going on.
The culprits were undoubtedly the Godslayer Faction, but stealing the swords was merely a smokescreen. Their real goal was that battle-hungry Kokabiel, who wanted to reignite the war among the Three Factions and continue the unfinished conflict from the past.
"I don't understand. How could Holy Swords kept in the headquarters of the major factions just disappear? Obviously there must be a traitor among the Protestants!" Xenovia declared confidently.
"Hey! Why does it have to be the Protestants? Why couldn't the traitor be in the Catholic Church instead?" Irina protested angrily.
"Don't be ridiculous! That's exactly why Protestants are heretics! Your values are completely different from those of the Catholic Church, you should be reflecting on yourselves!"
"What are you talking about? The ones bound by outdated rules are the real problem!"
"What did you say, you heretic?!"
"So what, you heretic?!"
Before long, the two girls were practically head-to-head, like rams locking horns or moose fighting for dominance.
Then they suddenly felt a chilling aura coming from behind the desk.
Griselda narrowed her eyes and smiled gently. "I don't mind if you argue, but could you please not do it in my office?"
"Gulp…"
Xenovia instantly deflated like a wilted eggplant. Griselda had personally trained her, and in many ways was both her mentor and an older-sister figure, someone she respected and feared deeply.
Irina also quieted down immediately. She had seen what Griselda was like when truly angry, and she preferred not to experience it again.
"Anyway," Griselda continued, "the two of you will investigate the missing Holy Swords. Report to me immediately if you find anything."
"Yes!"
They answered quickly, afraid that responding too slowly might trigger something terrifying.
Griselda then turned to Rod and smiled faintly. "What about you, Rod? Are you willing to take this mission? If it's you, retrieving even one sword will earn you one million dollars. Recover all three, and that will be three million."
"What?! That much money?!"
"I've never even seen thirty thousand dollars in my life!"
Xenovia and Irina were stunned when they heard the amount.
"Money doesn't matter. I just enjoy taking on missions," Rod said with a solemn expression.
He didn't care about money at all, he simply had several people to support now, and his current funds were starting to feel a little tight.
"Good. The advance payment is three hundred thousand dollars. It will be transferred to your account shortly," Griselda said with a faint smile.
She had long since grown accustomed to Rod's words. He might be shameless and a bit lecherous at times, but his abilities were absolutely reliable.
The disappearance of the Holy Swords left her with an uneasy feeling. If the Godslayer Faction truly was behind it, what were they planning to do? Holy Swords could be used by fallen angels, but their sacred aura could also harm them. Equipping stray exorcists with them would be far too costly, especially since stray exorcists were nothing more than disposable tools in the eyes of fallen angels.
Something about the theft didn't make sense.
Although Xenovia and Irina were excellent Holy Sword wielders, Griselda only felt truly reassured once Rod agreed to take the mission.
Just then, Rod's phone buzzed.
"You have received a transfer of $300,000. Please check your account."
He opened the message, glanced at the balance, and nodded.
Standing nearby, Xenovia and Irina leaned over curiously. The moment they saw the long string of zeros in the account balance, millions of dollars, they froze in shock. They had only ever seen that many zeros on a calculator display.
Their shining eyes conveyed one clear thought:
We want that too!
"Ahem…" Griselda cleared her throat. "The two of you will also receive mission funds allocated by the Church. Go to the finance office later to collect them. Spend only on what's necessary, Church funds are always tight."
At that moment, countless question marks appeared over their heads.
Just moments ago she had transferred $300,000 to Rod, with another $2.7 million potentially on the way, and now she was telling them Church funds were tight?
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Griselda said sternly. "Rod is a mercenary, it's different. Compared to his rough lifestyle, your living benefits are fully covered by the Church. You'll even receive pensions after retirement, and housing subsidies when buying a home. Can Rod enjoy those? And you're still not satisfied?"
After explaining the Church's "difficulties," she began painting a grand vision of their future.
At first Xenovia and Irina still felt a bit bitter, but as they listened, their spirits gradually ignited with enthusiasm. As devout believers, they quickly set aside their doubts and focused on completing the mission as soon as possible, for the Church, for Heaven, and for God.
"You may go now. Collect your mission funds and begin the investigation. Rod, stay for a moment."
The two girls nodded and turned to leave. As she passed Rod, Xenovia patted his shoulder.
"I won't lose to you. I'll find all the Holy Swords before you do."
Whether it was pure competitiveness or simply not wanting Rod to earn the reward, it was hard to tell.
"Mr. Rod, you still owe us a meal at a Michelin three-star restaurant, remember? See you next time!" Irina said with a playful smile.
Huh?
When did I ever owe them a meal?
By the time Rod realized what she meant, the two girls were already gone.
Now only he and Griselda remained in the office.
Griselda moved slightly, and Rod "instinctively" stepped back.
"What are you doing?" she asked, placing an envelope on the desk.
"Oh? So you didn't keep me behind to take advantage of me?" Rod said.
"???"
She had long since grown used to his bizarre train of thought.
"How is Asia doing now?"
"She's doing well, happier than she was at the Church. Though she still prays every day."
"I see… We truly owe her," Griselda sighed softly. "But there are many things in this world that cannot be spoken openly."
She pushed the envelope toward him.
"There's a letter here. I hope you can personally deliver it to Asia."
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