New Gods of North America

The number of people invited to the dinner wasn't large.

Reverend Mace Tyrell, whom David Mills had mentioned before, was sitting at the head of the table, behaving like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, chatting with Ineisa while slowly eating:

"So, Miss Ineisa, you're spending your days in the detective agency dealing with ordinary criminals and wanted people? Isn't that a bit of a waste of your talents? Ah, Wayne, I don't mean to belittle your detective agency; you're actually developing quite well. "

Reverend Tyrell seemed more interested in Ineisa, hinting at wanting to recruit her, while Wayne was basically just an afterthought.

Reverend Bazzini was playing the role of a discreet guest tonight, only occasionally echoing Reverend Tyrell with polite remarks.

As for David Mills, he hardly spoke at all.

Actually, Wayne had met quite a few "big shots" from the church by now.

So, after being "escorted" by David Mills to a rather luxurious manor house with Ineisa,

he had initially thought he would be meeting another solemn, wise, and astute old man tonight.

Well...

Okay, this Reverend Tyrell from the Exorcist Association was indeed an "old man,"

wearing a seemingly comfortable monk's robe, with white hair and beard, probably in his sixties, with a plump figure and a bald head, leaving only a semi-circle of "Mediterranean" hair at the back of his head and temples, stubbornly defending his hairline.

However, Reverend Tyrell's temperament was completely different from that of Reverend Tywin, who was said to be of similar status.

If Reverend Tywin seemed like a sharp-minded, efficient, stern, and authoritative "big shot,"

then this Reverend Tyrell was more like a small street vendor that Wayne felt he had seen somewhere before.

He not only seemed unpretentious but also seemingly lacked "guile."

After a brief interaction, one could notice that Reverend Tyrell kept a low profile when talking to people, smiling obsequiously, and his expression seemed to unconsciously reveal a bit of flattery, doing this to everyone.

He gave the impression of being honest, meek, and not very intelligent...

If Wayne had to use a short phrase to describe him, it would probably be "unregal in appearance."

But he didn't seem like a "bad person" either.

So, with Reverend Tyrell adopting such a low posture, Wayne reciprocated with an even lower attitude.

It was like encountering a husky as the "wolf king" when encountering a wolf pack in the wild; regardless of how he got to that position, since the wolf pack acknowledged him, it was best for a sensible person not to be presumptuous.

"The Emperor's New Clothes" might be a bit childish for children,

but for seasoned veterans in the workplace, it might be just right.

So, Wayne followed Reverend Bazzini's example, discreetly acting as a guest, observing, listening, and speaking little.

There was an advantage to eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

Many things that were usually difficult to investigate might be casually blurted out from their mouths, especially when the speakers included so-called "big shots."

Therefore, as details were gradually added during their conversation, Wayne learned the specific circumstances of Ineisa's "arrest" by the Exorcist Association after she came to the American Federation—

For Windsor Kingdom, Ineisa was considered a "defector," and initially, quite a few people were chasing after her.

Just the route she mentioned, from Windsor Kingdom to America, sounded a bit repetitive and circuitous.

At first, it was just "escape and pursuit," with a sense of proportion, tense but not "too exciting."

Eventually, some people successfully set up an ambush in Maine, where Ineisa landed, trapping her in an encirclement.

After setting foot on the New World, perhaps because a new group of people took over, the other party's attitude underwent a drastic change.

Ineisa's life and death probably didn't matter anymore; the more important thing was likely "rather than strengthening a potential enemy, it's better to destroy her with our own hands," and they began planning a desperate struggle.

Better to kill by mistake than let go.

Then, those people huddled together and "hit the road..."

Reverend Hawke was a lucky man who happened to witness the scene while vacationing there; at that time, he wasn't yet a "reverend" but a logistics staff member in the Exorcist Association.

Then, Reverend Hawke went to report the case.

Wayne guessed that the local church's reaction was probably "Holy crap? A dangerous big shot has arrived?!" and "Hey, this guy is professionally matched and a foreigner; it's perfect to let him go,"

So, the specific process was unclear, but the task of arresting Ineisa ended up being led by Reverend Hawke.

Ineisa was a reasonable person; if someone told her this was murder, she definitely wouldn't agree; if you dared to attack, she would dare to resist arrest.

But coincidentally, Reverend Hawke was someone who could only reason; the reason he gave at the time was also appropriate: "unidentified," "a Fallen," "indeed a huge danger."

After all, so many people had died; even if it was self-defense, you had to cooperate with the local law enforcement agencies' investigation, right?

Originally, according to the local church reverend's promise, as long as the matter was investigated clearly, if Ineisa indeed had no subjective malice, it could be treated as reasonable self-defense.

As a result, the news was reported layer by layer, and clues were excavated and verified time and time again.

It was said that it eventually alarmed the local cathedral and the headquarters of the Exorcist Association.

Then, Ineisa found that she had been tricked.

The local church reverend still kept his promise, roughly confirming the situation—among the dead, except for the little friends who friendly received Ineisa, none were acquaintances of the townspeople—and notified Ineisa in advance to quickly escape.

But the power gathered by the Exorcist Association headquarters was not so easy to deal with.

Both of them avoided talking about the details.

Ineisa probably had no way to leave the layers of encirclement alive at that time, but she didn't start a massacre or cause a bloodbath.

The Exorcist Association seemed to gradually confirm Ineisa's abilities and attitude; at least Reverend Tywin and this Reverend Tyrell, who knew about it afterward, seemed to recognize Ineisa's abilities.

Both sides probably took a step back in the end, and Ineisa unwillingly had "shackles" added and became a working girl in the Exorcist Association.

Reverend Hawke, on the other hand, unexpectedly accumulated contributions and qualifications due to the initial handling results, and many credits were added later.

Moreover, Miss Ineisa's perception of him was also okay; he was considered a more suitable "guardian" that the Exorcist Association could choose.

So, they unexpectedly became partners.

Otherwise, according to Reverend Hawke's previous resume, under normal circumstances, he would not have been able to directly become a full-fledged church reverend in Black Stone Town, which wasn't too far from its founding date.

—The wilderness of the American West was still gradually being developed, and there were plenty of smaller or more remote frontier towns.

And even for a "small parish," it was not so easy to be granted formal ordination.

Ineisa and that Reverend Tyrell were chatting about old events over there.

Wayne, Reverend Bazzini, and David Mills were listening with great interest while imagining the details, basically not interrupting casually.

Many of the details seemed to be the first time they had heard, and Reverend Bazzini felt that he had some changes in attitude towards Ineisa because of this, and even the way he looked at Wayne seemed a little different.