Chapter 035: The Beautiful Elena
A full round of support spells was cast on the mayor. Endurance, Divine Power, Inner Fire, Wings of Light—various lights flashed on his body, including the priest’s essential Heal.
After being buffed by Chen Ran’s various spells, the mayor’s body immediately became more vigorous. His back straightened, and his spirits lifted. He said with a look of amazement, “Your Excellency High Priest, your spells are so magical! The priest we had before only knew that last healing spell of yours, but your power is clearly much purer than his!”
Chen Ran waved his hand and said, “The path of magic also depends on talent. It’s not that the older one is necessarily more reliable. To send a High Priest of my age here clearly shows the importance they place on your situation, and it was a carefully considered decision. I think you wouldn’t feel at ease if they just sent anyone over, right?” Chen Ran’s piercing gaze made Mayor Tado involuntarily shrink back.
“Your Excellency High Priest is too kind,” the mayor said, wiping his forehead with a fawning smile. “This matter is of great importance. I’ve worried so much over it this past year that my hair has turned white. But after hearing you say that, I finally feel much more at ease.”
Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from the top of the stairs.
“Father, do we have an important guest today?”
Her voice was heard before she was seen. The sweet sound instantly sparked endless imagination, making Chen Ran instinctively turn around.
A fragrant breeze wafted over. A girl in a white long dress emerged from the bend in the staircase and walked smilingly toward the hall where Chen Ran was.
A young girl of about eighteen or nineteen years old arrived gracefully, her posture elegant, her appearance extraordinary. Her rare, slightly curly, light purple long hair set her off, making her look exceptionally elegant and noble.
It had to be said that the girl’s appearance instantly added a bit of brilliance to the already bright room.
Just a silhouette was so stunning. Chen Ran couldn’t help but be surprised that such a small town would have a girl with such a temperament. He had thought that the girls in a small town would mostly be the diligent, wheat-skinned girls who worked in the fields, but his first impression of this girl was more like that of a noble lady who had lived in a castle for a long time.
“Elena, you’re here. Just in time. We have an important guest at home. He was sent by the church to help us with the matter in the town. He’ll be staying with us for these few days,” the mayor said, waving to her. “Come, meet High Priest Chen Ran.”
“Is that so?” the girl said with a faint smile, turning to look at the seated Chen Ran.
Observing her up close, Chen Ran was even more surprised.
The girl was very beautiful. Her exquisite face was flawless, especially her eyes. Her light purple pupils shone with a captivating luster.
Her skin was very good, visibly fair and delicate, like a ball of white snow, not at all like someone who had been in the sun. Her figure was incredibly enchanting. The symbols of her girlhood were exceptionally proud. Outlined by a simple yet exceptionally fitting slip dress, it couldn’t help but make one’s imagination run wild.
“Your Excellency High Priest, hello. I am Elena. Welcome to Redleaf Town.”
The girl’s sweet smile was melting. Elena held the corners of her skirt with both hands and curtsied.
Whether it was intentional or not, perhaps because Chen Ran’s position was too classic, when the girl curtsied, his gaze slid down her long, fair, jade-like neck and was almost sucked into the deep, milky-white cleavage.
Chen Ran had seen beautiful girls before. Lia was also a beautiful girl. In terms of looks alone, she was not inferior to the Elena before him; perhaps they were each beautiful in their own way. But unlike Lia’s pretty and nimble girl-next-door charm, Elena’s temperament was more inclined toward a girl’s most essential attraction. Although she seemed noble, she did not have a high-and-mighty arrogance. From a purely womanly perspective, Elena’s charm was probably more attractive…
Ahem…
Perhaps realizing the impropriety of his gaze, and after his experience with Lia, Chen Ran’s resistance to beautiful women had increased a little. Chen Ran carefully concealed his embarrassment and praised the mayor, “Your daughter is very beautiful.”
This seemingly sincere sentence instantly concealed his brief lapse. Not only did it not make him seem hypocritical or pretentious, but it also indirectly flattered both of them. Chen Ran was surprised to find that his social skills had improved a lot without him realizing it. He was no longer the person who only knew how to joke around with his teammates.
“Hehe, Your Excellency High Priest, you’re too kind,” the mayor laughed. “Actually, Elena was quite ordinary when she was a child. But later, she grew more and more beautiful. If I hadn’t watched her grow up with my own eyes, even I would be surprised that she’s my daughter. It’s true that a girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood.”
Hearing this, Chen Ran couldn’t help but look at the mayor’s appearance. He looked for a long time but couldn’t see any resemblance between Elena and the mayor.
Could it be his wife and some other pretty boy…
The Buddha said, “It cannot be spoken!”
After praising Elena’s beauty to the mayor, Chen Ran gracefully returned the courtesy. “Miss Elena, I will be staying at your home for the time being. Please take care of me in the future.”
“Your Excellency is too polite,” Elena said with a gentle smile, giving one the feeling of a spring breeze. “It is my honor.”
Chen Ran said no more. He had just arrived and had to maintain a good image. He felt that if he stood in front of a girl like Elena any longer, he would sooner or later make a fool of himself, which would definitely be a disservice to his upright image. So, he took the initiative to take his leave. “Sorry, I’m a little tired from the journey. Could you arrange a room for me to rest?”
“Of course!” the mayor said enthusiastically. Perhaps seeing that Chen Ran could maintain such a calm demeanor in front of his daughter, his brow also relaxed a little. He quickly called for the family’s maid to arrange a resting place for Chen Ran.
Just as Chen Ran was about to go upstairs, Elena greeted him again.
“Your Excellency High Priest, if you have time, I have some questions about the outside world that I would like to ask you. I hope you won’t refuse to enlighten me.”
Chen Ran was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “Miss, you’re being too serious. But if there’s anything you need clarification on, don’t be polite. I’d be happy to oblige.”
With an almost pretentious coolness, Chen Ran followed the mayor’s family maid to his room.
Elena watched Chen Ran’s figure go upstairs, a subtle smile playing on her lips.
After a nice bath in the mayor’s family bathroom, Chen Ran scrubbed off a good layer of dirt.
He hadn’t had a proper bath since leaving the Sunlit Tribe. If it weren’t for the fact that he had followed the truth of “a man needs his face, a tree needs its bark” and, in the great spirit of “my head can be cut off, but my hairstyle cannot be messed up,” had combed his hair in a pool of water beforehand, this impostor High Priest wouldn’t have been able to get in so easily.
“I love to take a bath, my skin is so good…”
He sang a vulgar song until he was finished. After using various fragrant spices and putting on his clothes, he felt much refreshed. He went to his room and, on the tolerably soft wooden bed, Chen Ran dove headfirst. After marveling at finally sleeping on a normal person’s bed, he stretched, rolled around on the bed for a while, and quickly fell asleep.
