Chapter 18: A large pornographic book research team

“This magazine has been replaced; it’s not the ‘Playboy 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition’ that Little Ver had, but a completely new one.” Inside the meeting hall of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn, the Bishop listened to the report from Sir Vol, the Temple Knight. “Initially, I just wanted to acquire this magazine to satisfy my collector’s desire as a gentleman, so I left a mark on it—a unique mark belonging to our family. Most people, even junior wizards, might not notice it, and it’s even harder to remove. I just didn’t expect that magazine to have such a difficult journey. Before it reached me, it went through many twists and turns, and in the end, I only received a fake.”

“I can confirm that this is indeed an authentic ‘Playboy 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition,’ but it’s not the original one Little Ver had. A week ago, when Little Ver first took it out, I could clearly feel the mark I personally left. But now, not only is the aura completely gone, some of the traces on it have also disappeared. So, I can confirm that this ‘Playboy 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition’ magazine was later replaced with a fake—a genuine fake.” Sir Vol, the Temple Knight, no longer had a cynical expression; instead, his face showed deep contemplation. He was far from as simple as he appeared. Not every Temple Knight had the courage and qualifications to speak so eloquently in front of the Bishop.

Only the Bishop and Sir Vol, the Temple Knight, were in the entire meeting hall. The Bishop also seemed to have dropped his pretense, looking somewhat weary: “The ‘Playboy First Edition’ you retrieved from Professor Weizel’s bookstore is truly hard to find a second copy of. My application was submitted to the General Assembly of the Church, and it took them two full days to find a believer willing to transfer it. After appraisal by several bishops, priests, pastors, and high-ranking Temple Guardian Paladins, the ‘Playboy First Edition’ you retrieved has a problem. A small part of it has been tampered with, and the altered content is extremely bizarre, vaguely related to ancient script. Considering Professor Weizel’s status as a sage and his ancient language courses taught at Mirdis Intermediate Academy, the information within becomes even more intriguing. Unfortunately, we obtained too little content. Although we vaguely deciphered some parts, we only know that it’s related to demons, slaughter, and sacrifice; the rest is fragmented and incomplete.”

“It would be great if we could get the original ‘Playboy 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition’ that Little Ver had and recover the ten stolen Playboy magazines,” Sir Vol, the Temple Knight, took a deep breath. “The whole matter seems very strange, but setting aside Little Ver as an unexpected factor, if we rethink it, the most crucial point still lies with Professor Weizel. Why would this great sage suddenly come to teach at an ordinary intermediate academy in the remote Drake City, and stay for three years? If he hadn’t been reported, none of us would have imagined that such a prominent figure was hidden right under the Church’s nose.”

Sir Vol, the Temple Knight, seemed to want to organize the entire matter clearly: “After Professor Weizel was reported, he sent out a silver box in advance, and then, during his battle with us, Professor Weizel symbolically resisted for a while and then gave up. His resistance was more like acting. Then, many wizards came to snatch the silver box. It is said that the box contained fragments of the Book of Wisdom collected by the Classical School. The Beast School and the Transformation School all made an appearance. And then, something unusual happened at Mirdis Intermediate Academy, where Professor Weizel was employed. If the silver box in Little Ver’s hands being taken away in advance was just an accident, then to whom did Professor Weizel ultimately want to send this box? And why go to such great lengths to send it?”

“The Church? Other wizard schools? I think both are possible, or rather, Professor Weizel believed that no matter who got the contents of the silver box, the final outcome would be similar.” Sir Vol, the Temple Knight, analyzed calmly: “As for why he made everyone fight for it, hehe, that’s the thinking of smart people. Only things obtained through one’s own hard work are valuable; things given away for free might be a trap.”

“So, what’s your opinion?” The Bishop seemed to value Vol very highly.

“Poor Little Ver is just a pawn, a pawn who should have been eliminated immediately, but because he lost the silver box at the first opportunity, he continued to be monitored. We know his value is no longer great, but others don’t know, and some people are still watching him. Also, Mirdis Intermediate Academy might be the real problem. An academy that could keep a great sage like Professor Weizel for three years can’t possibly be without problems. The Church’s strength in Drake is still somewhat insufficient and needs further reinforcement.” Sir Vol, the Temple Knight, stretched, casually taking the ‘Playboy 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition’ in his hand. “Since it’s confirmed that this magazine is fine, let me return it to Little Ver. Hehe, poor Little Ver still doesn’t know he’s been used all along and hasn’t been freed yet. But the little fellow is quite talented in knight training. To compensate him, I’ve decided to teach him some more important things.”

“You decide yourself, as long as it’s not central to the Church, no one will restrict you.” The Bishop waved his hand, dismissing Sir Vol, the Temple Knight, and then walked deeper into the Temple. It was time to request further reinforcement from the General Assembly. Vol was right about one thing: a problem that could make a great sage like Professor Weizel use the Book of Wisdom as bait to attract many wizards to solve it was certainly no small problem.

The Bishop made a circle on his chest, silently praying for Little Ver in his heart. “I’m sorry, child. For the greater good, I can only sacrifice you. Pushing you into the open as bait to mislead others was truly unavoidable. Who made you, by chance, be chosen by Professor Weizel?”

In a luxurious courtyard in Drake, in a basement thirty meters underground, or rather, a subterranean palace, five wizards sat amidst a pile of colorful magazines, meticulously comparing and analyzing something.

“Professor Weizel hid the Book of Wisdom somewhere in Drake City. From these hidden messages, we have largely confirmed at least six suspicious targets, including the pond at Mirdis Intermediate Academy, the ancient opera house in the East District that is on the verge of bankruptcy, the cemetery not far from the West District slums, the sewage river behind the textile factory in the North District, a clock tower in the bustling commercial street of the South District, and finally, the Nobili Noble Academy library.” A tall, but gaunt middle-aged man, resembling a skeleton, stared intently at the Drake map, drawing six small circles on it.

“Ten magazines can’t only indicate six locations. There are still four that we haven’t deciphered, and we can’t conclude what secrets these places hold. No one knows if the information about the fragments of the Book of Wisdom is accurate or not.” A young female wizard shook her long golden hair and stretched her shoulders. “Being able to decipher six locations in a week is already a result of Professor Weizel going easy on us. A great sage is not to be trifled with. What should we do? Should we start investigating now? The Church seems to still be watching that poor young man, and one magazine seems to have fallen into the Church’s hands. That magazine is different from ours; it doesn’t seem to indicate a location.”

If the Bishop were here, he would certainly be very surprised that such confidential matters would be known by a group of outside wizards. It seemed that not only the City Hall was a sieve, but the Church also appeared to be deeply infiltrated.

At Mirdis Intermediate Academy, Director of Education, the big, greasy man Greenson, was hunched over a ‘Playboy 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition,’ meticulously studying several circled areas with a magnifying glass, comparing the magazine with an ancient text.

“Damn Weizel, all sages are damned! Why create so many strange things? Wouldn’t it be better to just say what you want directly? Damn, damn! Ah, I’m going crazy, God save me!”

“Hehehe, God won’t save you. He hasn’t since ten years ago, my devout follower. Are you in some trouble? The great and omnipotent demon can help you. You might consider signing this agreement.”

“Please allow me to refuse!” Greenson’s voice was extremely sinister. “If I believe your words again, I’m a pile of dog shit!”