Chapter 052: A New Goal
Chen Ran lay on the ground, motionless.
The black magic shackles had long since faded, but he still lay there, staring blankly at the sky.
“Liars, all of you are liars. You clearly said you loved me, yet you left so decisively. Have you ever asked how I feel…”
The originally bright sunlight seemed so glaring in Chen Ran’s eyes, as if mocking his incompetence. Watching the girls he had once liked leave him one by one, he felt a wave of powerlessness. Although there was a slight improvement this time, at least Elena’s departure wasn’t so silent.
Chen Ran finally stood up, let out a long, weak sigh, his eyes filled with loneliness.
“Heavens, tell me, why?”
Chen Ran admitted that he was indeed very unlucky. Although he had finally experienced what many men dream of, sometimes, the emptiness of the heart is more terrifying than anything else. From Lia to Elena, they had all compensated him in their own way, but was that really what he wanted?
In fact, what is lost is far more profound than what is gained.
“Alright, you can all go. I admit I’m a fool,” a bitter smile appeared on Chen Ran’s lips as he shook his head. “I thought that fate was in my own hands, that I was the protagonist of this world. It’s only now that I’ve sadly discovered that I’m just an insignificant speck of dust in the world, drifting with the wind, going with the flow. It turns out I’ve been played by fate all along. Was it just to tell me that I shouldn’t give so easily?”
Chen Ran finally stood up, patted his face to clear his head, and forced himself not to think too much about the messy things.
If that was the case, his journey had to continue, to continue that solitary journey, just like at the beginning, without any attachments, without any lingering feelings.
But why was the scenery along the way so dim?
Two days later, Chen Ran returned to Redleaf Town alone.
Many people came forward to ask for news. After learning that the black knight had been killed, the entire town couldn’t help but cheer loudly.
Some people also asked why Miss Elena hadn’t returned with Chen Ran, and how the black knight had been killed. Chen Ran calmly replied that he had contacted a team of Church Knights through a secret art and had killed the black knight. Elena was slightly injured and needed to be taken to the Holy City for treatment. He had come back first to report the end of the black knight incident and to reassure everyone.
This explanation, full of loopholes, barely convinced the people of the town. In fact, what everyone was more concerned about was the influence of the black knight. For a group of self-sufficient people, other people’s affairs were not that interesting.
Chen Ran returned to the mayor’s house. It could be said that this place was now his private property. As the mayor’s heir, Elena had the right to inherit everything in this house, and as Elena’s lover, he also had the right to control everything here.
He naturally wouldn’t live here, so he instructed the maid to manage the affairs of the mayor’s house. He also specifically notified the former guard captain, the future successor to the mayor, to help manage this home in Redleaf Town. Perhaps he and Elena would not be back for a long time. This matter was guaranteed by the captain, who patted his chest. In the captain’s eyes, Chen Ran was already almost an idol-like existence.
Because of the lie he had told, he even received many blessings from the town. For a young and promising High Priest like Chen Ran, Miss Elena’s future was happy. The guard captain also repeatedly assured him that there would be no trouble here.
It should be mentioned that the few spells Chen Ran had taught the witch before had already been put into practice. She had actually managed to control a thin and weak man.
Now, the witch no longer looked like a skeleton. After learning to absorb essence, she had gradually replenished her energy and returned to her normal appearance, turning into a dignified-looking woman. Her strange temper was gone. As for her “husband,” Chen Ran learned that he was the village butcher. He had some impression of that butcher. He clearly had a lot of fat, so how could he have become so thin now?
After a careful thought, he understood. He had also been subjected to essence absorption and had lost weight. In this way, the man and woman actually looked quite compatible. It was an unexpected happy event.
After finishing his business here, Chen Ran mounted his horse and was about to start his next journey.
On the way to his new journey, Chen Ran’s mood returned to its original state. He sat quietly on horseback, holding a map, and carefully studied the composition of this world.
This continent, called Casillia, was divided into three major powers and one chaotic power.
The country he was in was called the Turin Empire. Its flag was a griffin on a red background. It was located in the south of the continent, and the land was fertile. To the north of the continent was the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Continuing the fierce nature of the north, this power was the strongest on the continent. Its flag was a golden war lion on a black background. To the east, adjacent to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Turin Empire, was the sea nation of Ikadan, which had a large number of islands. It was a democratic parliamentary country with excellent naval strength. Its flag was a flying silver eagle on a blue background.
Looking at the terrain, Chen Ran found it quite interesting. It was like the Three Kingdoms he had seen before, with Ikadan and the Turin Empire restraining the superpower of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There were certainly some minor frictions.
As for the last chaotic power, it was located in the barren lands of the west. The terrain was treacherous, with countless small countries. He estimated that when it came to conquest, no one would be interested in that slightly barren and difficult-to-defend power until the easiest few countries on the map were dealt with.
With just a glance, Chen Ran had judged the current situation of this world. Of course, these were not his concerns. As for the next city he was going to, it should be a third-tier, medium-sized city, at least the first city Chen Ran would arrive at. Perhaps there were many things to do there.
In his plan, this city might be the first step he would take. For an unarmed priest, the best way was to gather a force, use his own advantages, and gradually grow stronger, attracting enough talent.
At least, while he was still a priest, this was all he could do. He was not a noble mage, nor a powerful warrior. Before his strength reached level 100, he was just a priest, a priest with no offensive skills, and that was it. So, he needed people, he needed power, he needed information, he needed a lot of things to reach the height he wanted faster. This would inevitably require a lot of effort.
As for how far he could go, he didn’t know, but he had to do his best. Although, this thing called fate was too good at playing tricks on people.
