Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon
Chapter 329 - 328: The Interview

Chapter 329: Chapter 328: The Interview

Lanqi Brindon arrived at the top floor of the cathedral and unexpectedly saw several "old acquaintances".

"Well... if it isn’t the former lord," Kash, the sawmill owner, sized him up, "You here to see the Archbishop?"

"Yes, what about you?"

Besides Kash, the others were also scions of noble families; they had escaped disaster because they had not participated in Baron Thorn and Sergey’s schemes.

But their escape was merely from immediate reckoning. Once the baron’s heinous conspiracies came to light, both the nobility and traditional merchants saw their reputations plummet, and even a walk down the street would bring them disdainful glances—a far cry from their past glory.

"You better come back later," Kash didn’t take up his question but instead told him to leave, "Today is an important day; the Archbishop probably won’t have time to see you."

Watching him talk while subconsciously wringing his hands and constantly glancing at the office door, Lanqi felt a slight surge of satisfaction. That’s right, the Brindon family may have lost everything, but you’re not faring any better. The current Kash was as honest as a child awaiting a parent’s scolding.

He found an empty chair and sat down, "An important day? I suppose it’s only important to you."

"What do you mean?" Kash asked, unsatisfied.

"Don’t think I haven’t heard that the Paradise Sect is planning to re-plan the city. Your sawmill, your leather shop... Oh, and your pinecone processing workshop..." He pointed to the several noble merchants including Kash, "will all have to fit into the overall plan, and might just disappear. That’s why you’re thinking of joining this public recruitment by the government, wanting to save your businesses by switching allegiances, am I right?"

At this point, Lanqi glanced at the office, "And today is the day of the interview."

"How did you know?" Kash said in surprise.

Lanqi shifted his gaze uncomfortably.

One noble quickly caught on, "Wait a second, Mr. Lanqi, you’re not here to attend the interview session too, are you?"

"Ah? The former lord, Count His Excellency Brindon, choosing to serve the Paradise Sect that took away his family’s property?" Kash suddenly perked up, getting close to Lanqi and looking him over from head to toe, "Honestly, if you do this, you won’t be able to be a lord anymore."

According to the laws of the Kingdom, feudal lords have the duty to defend their territories, and surrendering to an enemy was better than switching allegiances.

Although Lanqi had been mentally prepared, knowing that he would have to face this day eventually, being mocked to his face still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. "Is that so? Yet, it was the Kingdom Army, the Airco unit, that took my property. Even if the Paradise Sect did not come, this position would not return to me. As for you all, didn’t you get along well with Sergey and the others before? Now that their heads hang at the city gates, you want to join Paradise instead; surely, this will make for a great story if it gets out."

"You..." Kash glared at him fiercely, "The Archbishop said, ’each matter is its own’. Even the sinners have a chance to remedy their ways, much less I who am not a great villain."

That was indeed true.

After the Paradise Sect eliminated the underground syndicates, it began screening the nobility and top corporate executives for serious crimes, almost all of which would face imprisonment. For example, Buleike, who turned himself in, was still sentenced to three years’ imprisonment despite several reductions in his sentence. The fact that these people were still able to move around freely showed that they had passed the Paradise Sect’s evaluation.

"Being spared from punishment is not the same as being innocent, and you know it in your heart." Lanqi folded his arms, "I think it won’t be so easy for you to join Paradise."

"Hmph, we’ll see about that," Kash snorted.

Just then, the door opened, and a nun peered out, "Has Mr. Lanqi Brindon arrived?"

"I’m here," Lanqi quickly stood up from his seat.

"Please come in."

He straightened his collar and walked into the office with proper steps.

Aside from a nun serving as an assistant, three people were seated in the room. Lanqi had seen them all: they were the Grand Archbishop of Paradise, Lord Chao, the enigmatic Mr. Xue Quan, ranked just below Chao, and His Excellency Wang Shengli, the executive who had been overseeing the city’s operations lately.

He stepped to the center of the room, bowed respectfully to the three, his gesture graceful and standard.

"Good day, I am..."

"That’s enough, you’ve passed," Chaoyang waved him over, "Come take a look at these positions and pick one you’re proficient at."

Lanqi’s subsequent words jammed in his throat.

Was this the interview for the Paradise Sect?

Lanqi hesitantly approached the table, where several sheets of paper lay, each listing a department name and job requirements. The salaries shown were not much different from each other, amounting to about twenty-five Serirs a month, nearly equaling the income from a minor noble’s land holdings. The departments were Construction and Development, Economic Trade, Industry, and Population Coordination. The rest were self-explanatory, but the Population Department made him think at first that the Paradise Sect was planning human trafficking.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that this department was actually responsible for managing all matters related to the population of the territory, small as job availability and education level, large as life and death; the department had to manage it all. For instance, if there was a high unemployment rate, the department would need to create job positions and accept more people... Reading these novel descriptions, Lanqi felt that his past role as a lord had been decidedly unsophisticated.

In the end, after pondering, he picked up the paper for the Economic Trade Department.

"You’re good at this?" Chaoyang asked.

"I haven’t done it before, but I’ve discussed and studied with the Minister of Commerce. My family was involved in business before we became lords. My grandfather always said that the essence of business is a game of competing relations, and that nobles have a natural advantage," Lanqi replied carefully.

"Alright, then try out this department, starting as the deputy minister."

"May I ask who the minister is..."

"It’s me," Xue Quan smiled, "Of course, this is only temporary. Currently, considering that you’re not very familiar with Paradise’s leadership style, Professor Wang and I will be involved in all departments. Tomorrow, go to Thorn Mansion for work, it has been converted into the sect’s office."

Lanqi nodded vaguely, and uncertainly asked, "I don’t need to take any other tests?"

"Had you served the Paradise Sect from the beginning, you might already be in charge of a department by now," Chaoyang shrugged, "Your resume is very clean, a rarity among nobles, and now that you’ve lost it all, you were quite a suitable candidate. If you really want to ask... it would be why you decided to devote yourself to Paradise now. But I can guess one or two reasons for that, so let’s skip it."

Lanqi gave a wry smile within, indeed... because reclaiming his lordship seemed bleak, because his and Alice’s lives had to go on, because the Paradise Sect had displayed unimaginable strength, because miracles had occurred here repeatedly... Just as the other had said, most of the city’s residents had become followers of the Paradise Sect, and their reasons were mostly one of those mentioned.

"Then... may I receive a believer’s badge?"

Chaoyang lifted his head and gave him a look, "No."

Surprised by such a blunt refusal, Lanqi felt a chill, "May I... know why not?"

He had previously applied for the badge at the cathedral, but heard nothing back, while many ordinary people had received their own followers’ badges. He thought it was because he had not accepted Paradise’s invitation initially but now, even after passing the interview, the Archbishop still rejected him.

"Because you’re not a believer," Chaoyang replied sparingly, "The jade badge is only for the use of believers."

"I’m willing to worship the Paradise Master!" Lanqi emphasized.

He shook his head, "This isn’t something you can just say and it happens. Maybe there will be an opportunity to see in the future."

Lanqi felt aggrieved, "You say I’m not a believer, yet you agree to let me work for the Paradise Sect... Isn’t that illogical?"

Chaoyang laughed, "When did I ever say that only believers could serve the Paradise Sect? We welcome anyone with ability and provide a salary commensurate with the position. Besides, the Paradise Sect is not an organization revolving solely around the Paradise Master; divinities wish to turn the entire world into Paradise, in other words, a place where everyone can live a life free from worries about food and clothing. If you inherently resist this idea, it’s likely that you’ll find it difficult to become a believer of our Master in the future."