Chapter 034: Impostor High Priest
“Uh, is there a special welcome for me…”
Chen Ran hadn’t expected to be so warmly welcomed upon his arrival. The bearded middle-aged man running toward him clearly held some status in the village.
“Your Excellency High Priest, we’ve been waiting and waiting, and we’ve finally got you here. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” the middle-aged man said, greeting him enthusiastically and helping him off his horse.
“Who are you?” This situation left Chen Ran completely bewildered.
“Your Excellency High Priest, I am the mayor of Redleaf Town, my name is Tado. We sent people to the nearest few cities to ask the lords of the church to come and help us with the matter in our town. Now, we’ve finally got you here,” the mayor said, sizing Chen Ran up with a hint of surprise. “I didn’t expect Your Excellency High Priest to be so young.”
“Uh,” Chen Ran finally remembered. It turned out these people were waiting for the pig-faced High Priest who had been killed on the road. Because he was wearing a priest’s robe, they had mistaken him for the High Priest sent by the church.
Originally, Chen Ran had wanted to explain that he was just a passerby, but on second thought, this guy in front of him seemed to be someone of importance in the town. Since he was new here, he might need this man’s help. Besides, that High Priest was already dead on the road. It was probably a crime of passion or a murder. With no evidence, who could guess he was a fake? Moreover, he only planned to stay here for a few days. Although this place was nice, it was still a far cry from the big city he was looking for, so he didn’t plan to stay long.
With his mind made up in an instant, Chen Ran couldn’t help but reply affably, “Heh, they were originally going to send another High Priest. But after some discussion, they decided to send me instead.” Chen Ran blinked and asked, “What’s the situation here now?”
“Your Excellency High Priest, this is not a suitable place to talk,” Mayor Tado said, glancing at the crowd of onlookers with a troubled expression. He then said to Chen Ran, “The small church in the town has been abandoned for a long time, so for now, please condescend to rest at my home.”
“Um, alright…”
Chen Ran didn’t feel unnatural at all. What was so difficult about pretending to be a mere High Priest? He was an Oscar-worthy actor who had even played a Divine Emissary. He would see if he could get some small benefits here for now, then find a chance to slip away.
As they traveled, Chen Ran noticed that this town was not small. It had a population of over ten thousand. To call it a town was an understatement; it was more like a large, wealthy village. Most of the people here were farmers, mainly engaged in animal husbandry. Although it was remote, every family was well-off.
At Mayor Tado’s invitation, Chen Ran arrived at his home.
The mayor’s house wasn’t particularly beautiful, but it was spacious. It should be said that in such a remote place, the town had plenty of land, if nothing else. The front yard of the mayor’s house alone was large enough to accommodate a small orchard.
When he entered the house, the furnishings were quite nice. Although not luxurious, they were complete. The windows were bright and clean, and the room was filled with light, giving it a strong medieval rustic flavor. The creaking of the solid mahogany floor under his feet was very atmospheric.
Chen Ran was quite satisfied with his current living environment. Seeing that the mayor himself had invited him to stay, he didn’t stand on ceremony. He found a sofa and sat down, then skillfully asked the mayor the previous question.
“I’ve just arrived and don’t understand the specific situation here. Please give me a detailed account first.”
Chen Ran felt that he needed to understand the current problem first. Although this impostor High Priest could get him some benefits, he didn’t want to get caught in any unnecessary trouble. He would leave when it was time to leave.
Then, Mayor Tado honestly explained the whole story.
“Just a year ago, there was an unsolved murder here. A small-time hoodlum in the town was killed. The cruel part was that the person’s head was taken. At first, we briefly investigated the case but found no results. Because the deceased himself was a parasite in the town, we didn’t pay much attention to it. But then, about once a month, another person was killed. The deceased were mostly insignificant small-timers. The town became much quieter without them. Some people interpreted it as divine punishment, specifically to punish those who reaped without sowing.”
At this point, the mayor couldn’t help but sigh. “If it had stayed that way, it would have been fine. But then, the deaths became more and more frequent, from once a month to every twenty days, then fifteen, then ten, until now, one person dies every three days. Dozens of people have died in our town. Because the murders are becoming more frequent, and the victims are mostly found in deserted corners with their heads cut off, the terror in the town is growing. Now, basically no one dares to go out at night. We’ve hired many mercenaries, but not only did we spend a lot of money, but those guys were all scared witless and ran away the next day. The only information we got was that the perpetrator is a knight in black armor.”
“Pfft, what? A black-armored knight, a headless body?”
Chen Ran choked on his water. He immediately thought of the headless High Priest who had been killed on the road. And the murderer’s strength was that of a full Tier 7 elite knight, whose combat power could even rival most Tier 8 creatures.
(PS: The so-called elite here mostly refers to being stronger than the average of the same tier, and having richer combat skills or special skills, with the ability to fight above their tier.)
With his current strength, fighting that guy would be suicide…
Chen Ran was silent for a moment. He felt that this place was not suitable for a long stay. After a few days, he would find a suitable reason and slip away.
Seeing Chen Ran’s thoughtful expression, Mayor Tado noticed and asked in a low voice, “Your Excellency High Priest, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, I’m just a little tired from the journey. As for the problem you mentioned, I seem to have some clues, but I still need to think about it.”
The mayor nodded and asked enthusiastically, “By the way, Your Excellency High Priest, how should I address you?”
“Oh, my name is Chen Ran.”
“So it’s Your Excellency Chen Ran,” the mayor said, as if suddenly enlightened. He looked at Chen Ran again and said, “Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never seen such a young High Priest. There used to be an old priest in our church here. He knew some healing spells. If anyone in the town was injured, he could heal them very quickly with his magic. I heard that the power of a High Priest is much stronger than that of an ordinary priest…”
Chen Ran immediately understood what the old fellow meant. He was doubting his abilities.
Chen Ran didn’t mind. His style was indeed a bit high-profile. Besides, if you don’t have the diamond, don’t take on the porcelain work. If you don’t have the golden cudgel, don’t wear a miniskirt. Since Chen Ran dared to assume the title of High Priest, he naturally wouldn’t be a fraud.
