Wizard Earl

Gagliardini's words, coupled with his expression, seemed very sincere, but in reality, they were only half true. Broadly speaking, Gagliardini was indeed a follower of the Storm Goddess, but his claims that he was baptized by a priest of the Storm Church at birth and that he went to the Storm Church to pray every week were pure nonsense.

Unlike the Earth God Church, which takes a grassroots approach, the main believers of the Storm Goddess are urban residents, the petty bourgeoisie or the middle class. So, for things like baptizing newborn babies, the priests of the Storm Church charge at least one gold pound. Gagliardini's parents, on the other hand, are genuine farmers in the countryside, toiling in the land to make a living. They are lucky if they can have enough to eat all year round. Where would they get the spare money to baptize their newborn Gagliardini?

As for going to the Storm Church to pray every week, that's even more absurd. Gagliardini's job as the warehouse night watchman is extremely demanding. Gagliardini spends most of his daytime resting. Plus, going to the Storm Church to pray isn't free; there's a two-pence fee to enter the church. Even if Gagliardini had that kind of money, wouldn't it be better to buy himself something nice to eat?

Ultimately, although Gagliardini claimed to be a follower of the Storm Goddess, in reality he just occasionally remembered to offer a rather perfunctory prayer to her at home; it was far from being considered devout...

Although half of Gagliardini's words were lies, unfortunately, the fierce-looking, burly man in front of him did not see through his lies and was even deceived by his feigned honesty.

The burly man scrutinized Gagliardini again, and seeing that Gagliardini didn't seem to be lying, he gradually made up his mind. He said to him in a gruff voice, "Remember what you said, and shut your mouth properly, or I'll break all your teeth out, one by one!"

Gagliardini nodded frantically at the burly man's warning, indicating that he understood. Seeing that Gagliardini was relatively obedient, the burly man stopped making things difficult for him and instead went to a dimly lit corner of the room to sit down and rest with his eyes closed.

Having successfully freed his mouth from the rag, Gagliardini leaned quietly against the wooden stake binding him. Though he didn't speak, his eyes were subtly observing the burly man sitting in the corner. After a moment of observation, Gagliardini's gaze settled on a wave tattoo on the man's right wrist. If Gagliardini remembered correctly, he had seen a similar tattoo on a highly respected old priest of the Storm Church in Frosinone, from afar…

It is said that this tattoo, called the Ansedon tattoo, has many benefits. Only those who have made great contributions to the Storm Church are likely to be tattooed with this tattoo by the Storm Church.

Thinking of this, and recalling that he had previously confirmed the group that had captured him was not a gang, and the burly man's reaction upon hearing that he was a follower of the Storm Goddess, the quick-witted Gagliardini's eyes lit up with surprise. Although there was no evidence yet, he seemed to know the identity of the group that had captured him!

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In a café at 37 Via Cristiano in Frosinone, Connor and Margaret sat facing each other.

"I met Elena!" After taking a sip of the fragrant Empoli coffee from the Persis Empire, Margaret looked at Connor and said:

Upon hearing Margaret's account, Connor, who had anticipated this, showed no change in expression, simply nodding to indicate to Margaret that he understood.

Seeing Connor's reaction, Margaret knew she was right. She hadn't hidden the fact that she'd given Elena the potion from Connor; he'd guessed everything but hadn't said anything, which made her slightly helpless. However, seeing that Connor didn't seem inclined to ask, she didn't dwell on the matter. Instead, she carefully chose her words and tentatively asked Connor, "Connor, do you still want to cooperate with Elena again?"

Connor narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this. Under Margaret's gaze, he quickly pondered for a few seconds before not giving her a direct answer. Instead, he softly asked her, "What did you talk about after you met with Elena?"

"Hummels has arrived in Frosinone!" Without the slightest hesitation, Margaret answered Connor's question directly, enunciating each word clearly.

Although Margaret had prepared Connor for Hummels' arrival, and Connor himself was mentally prepared, when he heard Margaret confirm with absolute certainty that Hummels, the most powerful cardinal in the Church of Storms, had arrived in Frosinone, Connor's calm demeanor was still tinged with emotion...

After a moment of contemplation, Connor asked Margaret, "What are Elena's plans?"

"She doesn't want to give up; she wants to make one last attempt in Frosinone. If she leaves Frosinone in such a disgraceful way now, she will forever bear the mark of a loser in the Church of Storms, and it will be very difficult for her to recover. And a loser can never become the next Pope of the Church of Storms!" Margaret said in a deep voice.

Connor nodded upon hearing this. He needed to know the reasons behind Elena's persistence and the strength of her efforts, as this was crucial for any potential collaboration between him and Elena in the future.

"Margaret, you know I've been planning to meet her, so if Elena wants to meet, I don't mind. We can arrange a place, a good time, to sit down and have a proper talk. But I think I should at least know what we should talk about!" Connor looked at Margaret and said very seriously.

Sensing Connor's attitude, Margaret, acting as the intermediary between Connor and Elena, stopped keeping them in suspense and revealed to Connor...

"Connor, Elena needs your help with something!"