Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu opened the box, and just as he had deduced, it contained paper, and only one sheet of it.

Ma Lu didn't peek because he couldn't read the words on it anyway.

Li Wei seemed quite satisfied with his reaction and then added, "Go ahead, it's meant for you after all."

"For me?" Ma Lu was somewhat surprised.

"Yes," Li Wei nodded. "That is your graduation certificate, the real one. Congratulations, Knight, you have passed the Church's trial and proved that you possess the power to battle evil."

"So... the silver suitcase was deliberately placed in that abandoned warehouse by someone from the Church?" Ma Lu's expression was peculiar.

"Indeed," Li Wei seemed slightly impatient. "I'm not singling you out. Every newcomer who is promoted to a Knight must face such a trial. The textbook knowledge you rookies learn at school is static. If you want to join the Sacred Order of Knights and serve under my command, how could you do it without some real skills? How could I entrust you with more important tasks in the future if you haven't proven yourself?"

Ma Lu genuinely hadn't expected the box they had gone to such lengths to retrieve to contain something so trivial.

It was all the more incongruous considering the purple-haired girl had even been willing to sacrifice herself for the mission not long ago.

Li Wei appeared genuinely busy. After finishing, he waved his hand and said to Ma Lu, "You may go, there's nothing for you here."

He hadn't looked up from start to finish, he hadn't even asked Ma Lu's name, obviously a minor character like him wasn't worth remembering.

However, Ma Lu didn't leave.

This time Li Wei finally looked up, "What is it, do you have something else? It had better be genuinely important or I'll kick you out of the Order of Knights."

"It's like this, Deputy Commander. I've also taken a Vow of Solitude," Ma Lu explained.

Li Wei frowned at that, "A Vow of Solitude, when? Why would you make a Vow of Solitude? It's usually Bishops who take such vows, and it's becoming less common even among them. Why would a member of the Sacred Order of Knights take a Vow of Solitude?"

"Because I too desire to establish order within my spirit," said Ma Lu solemnly.

Li Wei's frown deepened. "How many days a month will you spend in solitude?"

"At least 26 days."

"What?" Li Wei's expression darkened, "Are you joking? How will you complete the missions assigned by the Church if you are in solitude for 26 days each month?"

"That's exactly what I want to discuss with you. If you could assign me missions with longer deadlines, I could complete them after my period of solitude," said Ma Lu.

"Do you think the Sacred Order of Knights is a marketplace where you can haggle?" Li Wei snapped.

"I'm not haggling. I'm simply trying to resolve the conflict between my Vow and my duties. As a devout follower of the Master of Order, I can't break my vow. At the same time, as a Knight, I wish to continue serving the Church and the Order of Knights."

Ma Lu had prepared this speech first thing in the morning, knowing that his frequent absences would undoubtedly cause him to miss missions from the Order of Knights.

Though the Church is more lenient with Knights than Witches, he would certainly be held accountable if it happened too often, and could even be imprisoned.

In this case, it was better to clarify these complications earlier rather than later. The Vow of Solitude was an excuse he had come up with after discussing it with the Hellhound and Yun Que, a reliable reason.

Monks who took a Vow of Solitude would choose to isolate themselves, severing all ties with the outside world, aiming to establish absolute order within their spirits, as Ma Lu previously mentioned.

However, Vows of Solitude indeed disrupt regular activities; people who aren't recluses, and who have no desire for worldly power or wealth, rarely make such vows.

Such a path means that for much of their lives, they might as well be dead.

Li Wei obviously didn't expect someone so young to make a Vow of Solitude, but it's not something one could fake—send someone to watch his place and they'd know if he broke his vow.

Breaking a vow within the Order Church is considered worse than death.

Ma Lu continued, "I truly have no intention of dodging my responsibilities as a Knight. I've heard that a typical Knight undertakes two missions a month; I could do three or even more."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei's expression relaxed somewhat, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely," Ma Lu said with conviction.

Though curious about Holy Temple City, Ma Lu wouldn't forget that his main purpose here was to discover new ingredients.

To find these ingredients, he would certainly need to venture into the wilderness, and his Knight system also needed battles to level up.

"Since that's what you want, I can assign you some missions with longer deadlines, but be warned, these tasks are often more dangerous," Li Wei said indifferently. "Don't say I didn't warn you; even many Knights with much more experience are hesitant to take such missions."

"No problem, I can give it a try," said Ma Lu.

"You've got guts," Li Wei admitted, seemingly relenting, perhaps just not wanting to waste more time on Ma Lu.

"Alright, as you wish, I will assign you missions with longer deadlines in the future, but I hope you won't regret it."

"Thank you, Deputy Commander." Ma Lu made a circle with his left hand, placing it on his chest.

It was the standard Knightly gesture of the Order Church.

Yet Li Wei was already buried in the documents on his desk, "If that's all, you may go."

The debriefing turned out to be much easier than Ma Lu had anticipated.

Perhaps because it was just a test, Li Wei didn't even ask about the process of the mission. The Deputy Commander of the Sacred Order of Knights only cared about the outcome.

Since Ma Lu had retrieved the silver suitcase, he had technically completed the mission; how it was accomplished was irrelevant.

Instead, it was the discussion about longer-term missions that took more time, though the outcome was satisfactory to Ma Lu.

As long as his outsider identity wasn't exposed, a more challenging mission was acceptable; after all, he had his systems.

Ma Lu then visited his three Witch subordinates, all of whom had completed their baptisms.

From the Chessboard Map, Ma Lu could clearly see that all three had their Sin Value reset to zero, which was quite miraculous.

However, the Bliss Bird hadn't awakened; according to Yun Que, she might need another two days to recuperate.

After saying goodbye to them, Ma Lu returned to the quarters of the Order of Knights, trying to find his residence.

It was a small apartment, about 90 square meters, assigned by the Order of Knights. The furniture was all set up; Ma Lu's predecessor had only managed to leave his luggage there without really settling in before he passed away.

Now Ma Lu benefited from that, as it became his foothold in this world.