The task was simple, so the reward was equally simple.
Rod collected the hand sanitizer and stored it in his inventory space.
"Does the Hero Faction have a headquarters or something?"
"It's… currently under construction…"
"So, in other words, you don't have one."
"Uh…"
Jeanne gave an awkward smile.
"Well, the Hero Faction has only just been established, so things like headquarters haven't been finalized yet."
"What about salary?"
"?"
"I mean, after joining the Hero Faction, do members receive a fixed salary, or do we only earn commissions after completing assignments issued by the organization?"
"…"
Jeanne suddenly felt a little guilty under the questioning. She turned her head aside and whistled, pretending she hadn't heard.
"And if the Hero Faction organizes group missions in the future, how are operational expenses handled?"
"Th-there aren't any… Usually we pay out of pocket. But the Hero Faction is still under development, there will be bread, and there will be milk!"
Afraid that the recruit she had finally managed to bring in might run away, Jeanne hurriedly painted a bright future for Rod.
"So I have to pay my own expenses just to go to work? That's something."
Rod forced out an ugly expression.
Previously, when he worked for Griselda, it was partly for mission rewards and partly for the money.
Now that the Hero Faction had actively recruited him, he was somehow expected to pay to be involved.
"Don't tell me we'll even have to pay regular membership dues later?"
"Th-that… just contribute according to your ability. According to your ability is fine."
Jeanne was practically sweating waterfalls by now.
She used to think the Hero Faction was a prestigious organization. But after hearing Rod lay it out like this, why did it suddenly sound so pitiful?
"Then how do I verify that I'm a member of the Hero Faction? Some kind of special magical badge, maybe an ID card? You don't mean to tell me you don't even have those."
"Th-those things… will exist in the future."
Jeanne's voice had grown noticeably smaller.
Though she was technically the senior member, she looked timid in front of Rod, almost like a shy child.
"Alright then. If there's nothing else, I'll head out."
Rod had no interest in worrying about Jeanne's feelings.
His own mood wasn't exactly great.
Back when he used to watch the series, the Hero Faction's first appearance had been incredibly impressive, every member was a descendant of legendary heroes, each possessed a Sacred Gear, and several even wielded Longinus-class Sacred Gears.
Even the strongest Sacred Gear, the True Longinus, was in the hands of the faction's leader, Cao Cao.
But now that he was seeing things firsthand, the whole organization looked like nothing more than a makeshift operation, relying mainly on their members' wealthy backgrounds and brute strength.
And the one thing Rod really wanted to complain about was how much the Japanese seemed to love the Three Kingdoms.
Just as Rod stood up and walked toward the door, he suddenly turned back.
"Let's exchange contact information."
"Huh?"
"You don't mean to tell me you don't even have a phone? Oh, right, I remember hearing that Jeanne can't read."
After saying that, Rod turned away again.
But just as he did, Jeanne suddenly reacted and grabbed his sleeve in a panic.
"I can read! I absolutely can read! That rumor about Jeanne being illiterate is completely false! I'll give you my phone number right now!"
In the end, Jeanne not only gave Rod her phone number, but also sent him her social media accounts.
…
After joining the Hero Faction, Rod didn't even get a welcome party.
Once they left the bar, Jeanne went her separate way. As a cadre within the faction, she still had plenty of matters to handle. If she hadn't happened to be wandering around at night, run into a vampire, and followed the trail to this place, her meeting with Rod would probably have been delayed for quite some time.
After leaving the bar, Rod found a legitimate restaurant called Authentic Northern Beef Noodle House.
The name nearly made him lose his composure, but he still went in and enjoyed a taste of hometown cooking.
To be fair, the flavor was genuinely authentic.
Afterward, Rod checked into a hotel and went straight to sleep.
When he woke up, it was already noon the next day.
Out of habit, he glanced at his phone and noticed new notifications.
One was a transfer message, $200,000.
The other was a message on a communication app.
Seeing the chibi nun avatar, Rod immediately knew it was from Griselda.
When he opened it, there were only two words:
"In person."
He rolled out of bed, tidied himself up quickly, then opened the system map and selected the Heavenly Realm teleport anchor.
Moments later, he appeared in the familiar office.
Pushing the door open, Rod saw that Griselda had already been waiting for some time. She showed no sign of blaming him for being late.
"I've heard about what happened last night. I didn't expect a vampire hideout to exist within Rome, but fortunately you discovered and eliminated it in time."
"Although it wasn't an official assignment, that reward is still something you deserve."
"Those vampires probably thought they could hide in plain sight. Did the follow-up investigation uncover anything?"
"No. Those vampires had little contact with the outside world. They were most likely rogue deserters, so I didn't pursue the matter further with the vampire faction."
Rod nodded. "So you didn't call me here just for that, right?"
Since she hadn't mentioned Jeanne, it meant Griselda was still unaware of the Hero Faction's existence.
At present, the Hero Faction was basically a pyramid scheme combined with a potential terrorist group. Once the main storyline began, they would start causing trouble everywhere. Most likely, they also had no idea that Rod maintained connections with the Heavenly Realm.
"Yes. It's actually about the matter you handled last time. The demon who died was most likely a pureblood high-ranking demon from a prominent Underworld family. If the Underworld learns that you were the one who killed him, it could bring trouble upon you. However, I've already warned the nuns not to disclose your involvement."
"And there's also an official decision regarding the Saint, Asia."
At this point, Griselda's voice grew noticeably hoarse and subdued.
"Because many church members, including several bishops and nuns, witnessed her healing a demon, the higher authorities have decided… to expel Saint Asia from the Church."
Rod thought to himself, As expected.
Even though he had killed Diodora, as long as Asia's ability to heal demons became known, her fate of being expelled would not change.
After all, everything the Heavenly Realm did was ultimately for the proper functioning of the "system."
Griselda watched Rod's reaction closely.
In truth, she felt helpless as well. But the decision had been made unanimously by her superiors, and there was nothing she could do to change it.
Asia was a good girl.
But unfortunately, being a good person alone was not always enough to survive in this world.
Still, there was more she could do than just this.
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200 P.S / 1 Extra Chapters
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