**"Child of Flesh and Blood"?**
Gawain was intrigued by this new term.
Mrs. Pence didn't answer immediately. Instead, she bent down and carefully examined the corpse.
After about half a minute, she stood up and looked at Gawain with undisguised admiration in her eyes.
"He is not a true 'Child of Flesh and Blood,' but rather a high-level 'Flesh and Blood Follower' who hasn't yet completed the 'Baptism.' He's just one step away from becoming a 'Child of Flesh and Blood.'"
"To defeat the extraordinary as a mere mortal… Gawain, you are the most exceptional young person I've ever met."
"Morey's previous praise of you—it's clear he was being modest."
"You're even more outstanding than he described!"
Mrs. Pence directly complimented him.
"'Flesh and Blood Follower,' 'Child of Flesh and Blood'?"
Gawain seemed indifferent to the praise and instead asked about the terms.
Mrs. Pence didn't hide anything and explained directly.
"In the 'Church of Flesh and Blood,' there is a very strict hierarchy. Apart from ordinary members, those who have mastered the 'Arcane Arts' are 'Flesh and Blood Followers.' After completing various trials, 'Flesh and Blood Followers' can undergo the 'Baptism.' After the baptism, a 'Flesh and Blood Follower' becomes a 'Child of Flesh and Blood.'"
"And once you become a 'Child of Flesh and Blood,' you'll lead a team of 3-5 'Flesh and Blood Followers' as a 'Hunting Squad' of the 'Church of Flesh and Blood,' attacking from all directions."
"For a considerable period of time, the extraordinary world was in great turmoil because of the 'Hunting Squads' from the 'Church of Flesh and Blood.'"
"It reached the point where the 'Keepers of Secrets' had to establish a corresponding department during that time."
"In the end, it took the combined efforts of several secret organizations to force the 'Church of Flesh and Blood' to stop hunting openly and instead operate in the shadows, becoming even more ferocious and ruthless."
At this point, Mrs. Pence glanced at Gawain with concern in her eyes.
"Gawain, you killed a Flesh and Blood Follower who was about to undergo the 'Baptism,' so you will inevitably face the pursuit of the 'Church of Flesh and Blood'—and according to their rules, a Flesh and Blood Follower who is about to undergo the Baptism will always have a 'Child of Flesh and Blood' nearby…"
Mrs. Pence stopped mid-sentence.
The meaning was clear.
Gawain was about to face the relentless pursuit of a 'Child of Flesh and Blood.'
Sure enough...
It could always get worse.
Gawain sighed inwardly.
He had already suspected as much, and now it was confirmed.
But Gawain didn't panic.
He knew that panic was useless; only by staying calm could he find a way out of his current predicament.
Seeing Gawain calmly thinking, Mrs. Pence nodded slightly.
Gawain was the most outstanding young man she had encountered in recent years.
No wonder Morey praised him so highly.
"Come, let's go see Morey."
Mrs. Pence said.
"Hmm?"
Gawain was taken aback.
Morey was indeed the key to solving the current problem, but finding him wasn't an easy task. Gawain had already planned to negotiate with Mrs. Pence to protect him until dawn.
But he hadn't expected that Mrs. Pence would know Morey's whereabouts.
Although, based on Morey's and Mrs. Pence's conversation, Morey was likely once Mrs. Pence's student, but if he had informed her of his location even while injured, what did that imply?
Morey trusted Mrs. Pence completely.
Such a relationship went far beyond that of a 'temporary student and teacher.'
"I was once a member of the 'Keepers of Secrets,' although not in a combat role—I was a support member of the action team."
"Now?"
"I'm retired."
Mrs. Pence saw Gawain's confusion and immediately explained.
No wonder Morey trusted her so much and had her teach him and Kelturian!
Gawain suddenly understood.
Then he quickly said, "Madam, please wait a moment."
Goethe pointed to the returning carriage. Instead of going through the door, he jumped out of the window.
"I sent the telegram."
As soon as they met, Swart lowered his voice and said, then noticed that Goethe was looking down at his own crotch.
Instantly, the sheriff's voice rose slightly.
"I just changed my pants, what's wrong with that?"
There was a hint of grievance in his voice.
The thought of rushing back to the station with wet pants filled Swart with shame and anger. Even though he tried to cover it up with water from a kettle, the officers still gave him strange looks as he left. It was as if...
His fly was undone.
"Nothing, it's just that your fly is undone."
Goethe shook his head. Swart had already done his best, so what more could he say? However, a reminder was still in order.
Swart was startled and looked down.
Sure enough, the fly was open! But it wasn't that it wasn't pulled up; it was just that it had broken, revealing his red underwear, stained with some spots.
Clearly, he had changed his pants but not his underwear.
"Ahhh!"
"That damn little James! He said the zipper technology was mature and that it would bring a wave of fashion!"
Swart cried out in despair.
Especially when he saw the dignified Mrs. Pence approaching, the sheriff had no choice but to tug hard at the front of his pants to overlap the zipper area and cover it up.
Doing so was, of course, uncomfortable.
But it was better than exposing his underwear.
Mrs. Pence ignored Swart and focused on Goethe.
She watched as Goethe took out his wallet and pulled out a gold note.
"Goethe, there's no need. I didn't really..."
"No, ma'am, this was agreed upon earlier."
"I won't go back on my word."
Goethe naturally wouldn't invite Mrs. Pence without proper compensation, so he offered her 100 gold krons.
After taking out a 50-gold note from his wallet and handing it to Mrs. Pence, Goethe turned to Swart.
"Half."
Goethe said.
"I have to pay too?!"
Swart was shocked.
"We're partners. We share the profits, so we naturally share the risks too."
Goethe explained.
Without hesitation, Swart immediately took off his shoe, pulled out a 50-gold note from beneath the insole of his left foot, and handed it to Mrs. Pence—within a split second, the sheriff understood.
Mrs. Pence, like Lord Moray, was one of those powerful people.
Such people were worth currying favor with whenever possible.
Fifty gold krons was nothing.
If he could win her favor, he'd even be willing to fork out 500 gold krons.
He could just raise the collection rate from the street by 20%, and he'd recoup his money in ten months.
As long as he didn't push too hard, those guys wouldn't resist.
Swart knew this well.
He also understood Goethe's subtle guidance.
Immediately, the sheriff discreetly cast a grateful glance at Goethe.
Goethe simply smiled at Mrs. Pence.
This was why he liked working with Swart.
Despite his many flaws, Swart knew what to do at critical moments.
"Very well."
Mrs. Pence accepted the gold note, looking at Goethe with even more appreciation.
Of course, when she took Swart's gold note, she wrapped it in a handkerchief and her face showed a hint of disgust.
Although she had a pension, Mrs. Pence didn't mind earning more as long as it was justified. Why else would she have set up "Mrs. Pence's Classroom"?
Aside from truly enjoying teaching, it was to earn more gold krons for her retirement.
Then, under Mrs. Pence's watchful eye, Goethe began touching the weapons that the patrolmen had laid out—from No. 32 Little Durian Street—under the guise of an inspection.
A two-handed sword, a longsword, a crossbow.
Goethe touched each one in turn.
Then his face darkened.
(To be continued...)