New Gods of North America

The next few days were normal.

Wayne diligently attended classes at the academy. With Ineisha holding down the fort at the detective agency, it seemed unlikely that anything major would happen.

Although Lina was a bit of a worry, "no news" was probably relatively good news.

Seth had no one available to help him lately, so he was basically half-stalled in his investigation. When he had time, he'd come over to give updates and see if Wayne needed help with his homework.

Wayne didn't pay him much attention; he figured Seth would notify him if anything came up.

Doug and Connall took over many of the detective agency's daily tasks, such as buying food or delivering meals to Wayne. They also followed Lina's instructions before she left, delivering bread and sweets to some children making a living on the streets.

Emma received some books from Professor Maisel and had been spending her days reading and writing in the recommended order.

Compared to her struggles with mathematics, her main learning problem now was a lack of vocabulary. She couldn't understand many of the words and meanings in the books and had to ponder them for a long time—some mathematical concepts were as good as un-translated even after looking them up in the dictionary.

Rumor had it that the little loli's sugar consumption had skyrocketed recently. In addition to her daily sucrose intake, she had Chef Parker buy more honey and New World-native maple syrup, and even started fiddling with maltose.

Wayne could only remind Ineisha to supervise the little loli's tooth brushing every day, lest her teeth fall out as easily as her brains...

On Saturday afternoon, David Mills finally brought over the results of the potion's analysis.

To confirm the authority of the assessment, Wayne had the "dorm leader," Macken Reiff, come over to meet David Mills in the dorm.

Having the head of the exorcism department of Georgeberg vouch for him at least proved that Wayne was sincerely trying to help.

Unfortunately, the results of the analysis were very vague:

"As the properties or concentration of the potion may change significantly after mixing with gastric juices or other bodily fluids, leading to substantial alterations in its actual effects, this assessment should only be considered as a preliminary auxiliary reference—

"Based on a comprehensive identification, no directly toxic or obviously harmful components to normal organisms have been detected in the potion. No extraordinary material properties or signs of potential extraordinary effects have been found. There is also currently no basis to prove that taking this potion will have a positive effect or beneficial impact on the human body.

"It must still be emphasized that the sample was interfered with by other components before testing and cannot be subjected to long-term testing. It is currently impossible to rashly deny the potential positive or negative effects that may arise under long-term use, nor can it be ruled out that it may have specific effects on specific groups."

Hmm...

After reading it, Wayne handed the pages over and tried to interpret the results:

"It doesn't seem like the potion is harmful right now, but it's also clear that drinking it doesn't have any obvious benefits. From a safe standpoint, I suggest you try to avoid continuing to take it, or bring the potion over as is for re-evaluation."

It might be a little difficult to sneak the potion out,

but Macken Reiff's expression changed slightly after reading the report. His eyes darted around a bit, and he nodded in agreement. "I'll find a way."

After sending the "dorm leader" away, Wayne planned to return to the detective agency for a delicious meal, as was his custom on Saturdays. He also asked David Mills if he wanted to join him,

but Wayne was "arranged" by David Mills instead.

David Mills pointed to his carriage parked downstairs:

"I didn't come just to deliver the assessment results. Pastor Bazini has invited you and Miss Ineisha to a dinner party. As for tonight's guest of honor, it's Pastor Mace Tyrell of the Exorcist Association. He wants to meet you."

Wayne was very sincere. He took the opportunity to secretly ask while no one else was around, "Who is he? Is he a big shot?"

......

David Mills was speechless at Wayne's question. "Let's get in the carriage first. Are you planning to come with me directly, or go back to the detective agency and go with Miss Ineisha?"

"It's still early. Let's go back to the detective agency first." Wayne decisively chose to delay and learn more about the situation.

......

Sitting in David Mills' carriage and chatting, Connall, who was driving the carriage to pick them up, could only follow behind with an empty carriage.

Wayne didn't really understand the relationship between the Holy Spirit Church and the Exorcist Association before. He only vaguely knew that one was the "superior" and the other was the "subordinate."

David Mills' explanation was much more systematic:

"To give an example that's easy to understand, the churches in various parts of America are somewhat similar to the 'councils' in various towns. Similarly, the exorcism departments in various places are like the local police stations. As for the exorcism departments and clergy directly managed by the cathedral, they are like the 'general police station' and various 'committees' that have the right to manage the entire archdiocese.

"Of course, because the church's structure and the federal structure are not exactly the same, there will actually be some deviations.

"As for the Exorcist Association, it's perhaps closer to the so-called 'state troopers,' and sometimes it may even act as a simple temporary 'judge.' Some people compare them to the Holy See of the Old World, thinking that they are the church's 'court of justice,' but they are not the same.

"The headquarters of the Exorcist Association is independent of the major dioceses and only accepts orders from the College of Bishops, but the exorcists stationed in various places need to accept the supervision and management of the local church or churches. Therefore, some of their teams and the churches in various places are independent of each other, while others are directly managed by the local church."

Wayne thought about it,

and felt that it was roughly like the difference between a "president's special envoy" and various local "prosecutors."

That Pastor Tywin seemed so powerful; he was probably at the level of a "president's special envoy," right? That is, the so-called "imperial envoy" or something?

Wayne used an American example to compare his thoughts with David Mills,

and to his surprise, David Mills actually nodded in agreement:

"Your understanding is basically correct.

"There are still many places in America that have not been officially established as states, and the church also needs to cultivate the corresponding personnel in advance to avoid sudden vacancies. The Exorcist Association, in a sense, is also one of the institutions for cultivating and temporarily placing 'candidate bishops' whose abilities and prestige are higher than ordinary pastors but have not yet obtained a position in the archdiocese.

"I've heard of that Pastor Tywin you mentioned before. It's said that if he has the opportunity, he will be the next newly appointed bishop to be promoted and ordained in the church.

"As for this Pastor Mace Tyrell tonight, his position in the church and the Exorcist Association is about the same as that of Pastor Tywin."