"How many sets do they want to buy? Have they paid a deposit?"

"The merchant wants to discuss it with you in person. The Lord of the city has ordered a set of tableware for five people and has already paid a deposit. Madam Rossetti has ordered two sets of personal tableware and one set for small banquets. She has paid in full, requesting that her order be prioritized and that her family crest be engraved on the tableware."

Luo Wei instructed, "Then prioritize Madam Lilith's order. After work, take their orders to the small courtyard and hand them over to Troy. Let him go to the kiln and discuss it with the workers."

The price of a single white porcelain plate was one gold coin. A set of personal tableware, including bowls, plates, cups, and spoons, cost eight gold coins. A set of tableware for five people, including bowls, plates, and soup spoons, cost forty-five gold coins.

As for the small banquet set, which consisted of ten sets of cups, plates, bowls, and spoons, it totaled one hundred and one gold coins.

The Lord and the Princess were indeed wealthy—how enviable.

But this would mean more work for Troy and the griffin; they would have to dig up more clay.

"If that merchant comes again, just tell him that I am too busy to meet. Also, inform him that all ceramics in the shop are non-negotiable in price."

"If he wants a long-term partnership, let him draft a contract for me. Only after completing one transaction will I know if he is suitable as a business partner. Relay this message to him word for word."

"If it's a merchant who immediately inquires about the ceramic-making process, dismiss him directly. If he's just trying to negotiate, then you can deal with him accordingly."

"Understood, Master," Teresa responded excitedly.

Such an important task, and her master entrusted it to her. She must not let her master down!

Luo Wei walked out of the dessert shop and headed to a relatively quiet place.

"Troy."

"Here."

Troy suddenly appeared from some obscure corner.

"Anything new in the city yesterday? I didn't come out."

Yesterday, the Holy Knights had wandered around the city for so long—surely they must have done something.

"There are two pieces of news," Troy said, his expression slightly odd. "The temple's bishop has been stripped of his red robes and demoted to a purple-robed archbishop."

"The Holy Knights' doing?"

"Yes, they claimed he was incompetent. The demotion was actually the lightest punishment he could have received."

"Will the church send another red-robed bishop here?"

"Probably not," Troy explained. "The church originally had only nine red-robed bishops, each overseeing the religious affairs of a nation. It's unlikely they would send one to Siria."

"The red-robed bishop in Siria is essentially a nominal position. The archbishop was only granted the red robes by the Pope after the establishment of Siria Magic Academy. Although he held the title, he still operated as an archbishop."

Luo Wei nodded. "So, whether he's demoted or not doesn't really make a difference, does it?"

"There is a difference. It's said that when the archbishop heard the decree of his demotion, he fainted. After being revived with holy water, he knelt in the temple, repenting all night."

Serves him right!

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He dared to splash her with holy water!

Luo Wei felt quite pleased. "Didn't you say there were two pieces of news? What's the other one?"

Troy glanced at her and lowered his voice. "The temple posted a notice."

"The notice claimed that there is no God of Death and Time in this world. They announced that they had captured an imposter who had deceived people by pretending to be a divine messenger. They plan to burn him at the stake before sunset today."

After he finished speaking, the air fell silent for a moment.

"Heh," Luo Wei narrowed her eyes slowly. "How interesting. This must also be the Holy Knights' idea, right?"

So, the Holy Knights' real purpose for coming here wasn't to preach doctrine but to catch someone who was collecting faith in an attempt to ascend to godhood.

Having failed to capture the real culprit, they decided to find a scapegoat, dress him up as her, and burn him at the stake?

But how did the Holy Knights discover this matter?

When she had disguised herself as the Dark God's messenger to raid the execution ground, she hadn't alerted the church. Yet, just as she began hearing prayers from believers, the church dispatched the Holy Knights.

Could it be... a divine revelation?

Had the gods noticed her?

If her guess was correct, then the Holy Knights were likely still hiding somewhere in the city, far from having left.

Where could they be hiding?

A location immediately popped into Luo Wei's mind: the temple.

"Troy, I'm heading back to the academy. On your way back to the small courtyard, remind Hol to wear his mage robes tomorrow. He needs to leave a good impression on Rosie."

Troy nodded. "Understood."

Luo Wei hurried back to the academy and shared the news that the Holy Knights hadn't left Siria with Gladys and Theodore.

Both of them looked grave after hearing it. Theodore even cursed, "I knew the church people were cunning and deceitful! The Holy Knights are just a bunch of despicable scoundrels!"

"Keep your voice down," Luo Wei reminded him. "We know, but don't let the news leak."

"But," Theodore frowned so deeply that he could crush a mosquito, "Laura is returning today. What if she runs into the Holy Knights?"

Luo Wei: ...

"Don't tell me Laura is also..."

Theodore's gaze wandered. "Well, uh, she did get her leave approved, so we didn't tell you about her identity. Anyway, you'll find out soon enough. I'll bring her to meet you when she gets back."

Luo Wei felt exhausted. Their little "death squad" was growing larger by the day.

How many monsters and demons was Siria Magic Academy hiding?

By sunset, a towering blaze erupted in the temple square.

Thick black smoke billowed above the plaza, and agonized wails echoed from the flames.

Nick recognized the man in the fire. He wasn't a divine messenger—he was a bandit who had even stolen lambs from their village last year.

When Nick heard that the temple was executing a fake divine messenger, he had rushed over with the villagers, leaving his chickens unfed.

The moment he saw the criminal, Nick knew the temple was lying.

He had seen the real divine messenger with his own eyes. How could he not tell the difference?

The temple's attempt to use a fake only proved that they feared the God of Death and Time and dared not confront the real divine messenger.

Nick's faith grew even stronger. Quietly, he left the crowd and returned to his village.

He needed to raise more livestock and farm diligently to offer abundant sacrifices to his god.

...

The Holy Knights stayed in Siria for two days and two nights, leaving on the morning of the third day.

How did Luo Wei know this so clearly?

Because on the third morning, the Holy Knight Commander Arvic visited the academy again to bid farewell to the Headmaster and entrusted him with something for her.

"Luo Wei, this is a token of apology from the Holy Knight Commander. He asked me to give it to you," Headmaster Morrison said as he handed her a silver box outside the classroom.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

Luo Wei opened the exquisite silver box and froze.

Inside was a ruby necklace, the gemstone's base carved in the shape of a rose. Beside the necklace lay a freshly picked laurel branch, its green leaves still glistening with dew.

"This is..."

Laurel leaves—weren't they symbols of power and glory? Why would Arvic give her this?

The Headmaster also noticed the laurel branch. His refined face showed a trace of surprise, followed by a sigh and a shake of his head.

"Arvic has dedicated his life to the gods. Love is a forbidden fruit for him."