Chapter Eighty-One: Arrangements

"Why is it you?" Zhou Tian hadn't expected that the person who had just saved him with a single sword stroke was none other than Anna, the Sword Saint of Gale, who was nominally his subordinate. By rights, he hadn't contacted them yet, and Anna should have been staying by Vivian's side as her guard. Why had she suddenly shown up here?

"Why can't it be me?" Vivian glared at Zhou Tian, clearly irritated by his words, and retorted with annoyance, "My elder sister already has Afra protecting her. As the captain, and our team's summoner, it's only natural for me as a swordswoman to stay near you and ensure your safety. Besides, if I hadn't rushed over today, would you still be alive now?"

Zhou Tian had no response to that. He couldn't very well claim it was all just a fluke. What had happened was fact—whether through carelessness or lack of ability, he'd truly been in danger. If it hadn't been for Anna, he probably would have died at the hands of that assassin. Now, faced with Anna's reproach, Zhou Tian found himself utterly unable to offer any retort.

He secretly regretted not having worked harder to improve his own strength, silently vowing to focus on raising his level from now on. Not daring to pursue the topic further in Anna's presence, Zhou Tian turned his attention to the assassin. He slowly walked over, crouched beside the man, and asked, "Tell me—who sent you?"

...

"Hmm?" Zhou Tian was startled to find the assassin completely unresponsive to his question. Alarmed, he quickly tore away the black cloth covering the man's face.

"Damn it!" Zhou Tian had thought that, with the captive bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, the assassin could never escape his grasp. Yet, while the man had indeed lost the ability to flee, he'd still had poison hidden in his mouth. During Zhou Tian and Anna's conversation, the assassin had already taken the poison and committed suicide.

With the various treasures in Zhou Tian's system, saving the assassin was not impossible. But even if he managed to keep the man alive, the assassin would have limited value as a prisoner. Zhou Tian was not about to waste a large amount of spiritual energy on someone of minor use. So, now that the assassin was dead, the trail was once again cut off, and Zhou Tian was furious.

He casually ordered the swarm of snakes to consume the corpses as food and, together with Anna, returned to the cathedral.

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"Let me introduce you, Captain. This is Catherine, the nun that Afra mentioned to you before." As soon as they returned to the church, Zhou Tian had barely caught his breath when Vivian brought a nun over and introduced her to him.

Hearing Vivian's introduction, Zhou Tian realized that the rather ordinary, somewhat older nun before him was actually the protagonist of the story Vivian had previously recounted. Although, inwardly, he always thought the nun seemed naive and a bit foolish, such thoughts were best kept to himself—he would never say them aloud.

Instead, after hearing Vivian's introduction, Zhou Tian put on a warm smile and courteously greeted Catherine, "So you are the admirable lady I've heard so much about! It's truly an honor to finally meet you in person."

"N-no, Bishop, you're too kind. I was only doing what I ought to... Your words..." In Vivian and the others' hearts, Zhou Tian would always be the indecisive captain of old, no matter what title he bore. But for Catherine, who had only just met him and was not even formally ordained, it was overwhelming to meet such a 'great figure.' Hearing the bishop speak to her so courteously, she was so flustered she could barely get her words out.

"No need to be so nervous. I'm nothing special—apart from being a bishop, I'm no different from any ordinary person you know." After reassuring Catherine, Zhou Tian exchanged a glance with Vivian, then suddenly said, "Vivian, talk with Catherine and ask her about everything that's happened in the church these past few years. I may not have managed this place before, but now that I've become bishop, I can't allow anything that harms the church's interests to happen here."

Vivian's eyes lit up at his words. Without waiting for Catherine's consent, she half-dragged and half-coaxed her away to another part of the church.

Afterwards, Zhou Tian returned to his room to rest, then summoned Mike.

"You called for me, Bishop?"

Zhou Tian frowned slightly at Mike's words, sounding a bit displeased, "Just call me Captain."

"But..."

"No buts. You see, Vivian and the others all call me that, don't they?" Not giving Mike a chance to argue, Zhou Tian 'forcefully' made the decision then and there. Ignoring Mike's wry smile, he continued, "I have several urgent matters to attend to, but I don't have anyone else I can trust right now, so I'll have to trouble you with them."

"Captain, you're too polite. Just tell me what you need done."

"You've heard about Catherine's situation, I assume?"

"Yes." Mike nodded heavily, and when this matter came up, his expression darkened. As a thoroughly orthodox priest, he had rarely encountered the church’s dark side. To suddenly discover that their place of work was rife with embezzlement and the persecution of believers was infuriating.

Seeing Mike’s expression, Zhou Tian nodded to himself, then instructed, "We’ll deal with the local bullies later. But first, we need to clean up our own house. Go issue a notice: all clergy originally belonging to this church are to be dismissed from their posts. They have three days to return and confess their crimes. Anyone failing to do so will be considered fugitives, and anyone who captures them—dead or alive—will be awarded one hundred gold coins."

Mike knew all too well what consequences such an order would bring. Although he held no fondness for those clergy, he still couldn't help but plead, "Captain, must we punish them so harshly? With this proclamation, few of them will survive to confess."

"Everyone must bear responsibility for their own actions." Zhou Tian did not waver in his decision, refusing Mike's plea outright. Continuing, he added, "One more thing: you know Catherine’s story. A nun like her is worth emulating. I intend to promote her to abbess of our church. Please make the necessary preparations."

"No problem."

For some reason, when Mike answered Zhou Tian, his tone betrayed a hint of delight, as if he were genuinely pleased at Catherine's promotion.

And so, under Zhou Tian’s orders, Mike quickly busied himself. As for Zhou Tian, the bishop, he had no intention of helping; rather, after taking a piece of paper from Vivian, he set out from the cathedral with Afra in tow.