Chapter 200: A New Sub-Profession
"Fair enough," Zhou Ning nodded indifferently.
Sherlock thought for a moment and said, "I'll take you to St. Raymond Cathedral to meet Mr. Kien right now. I might need your help with something later."
"Need my help?" Zhou Ning's eyes flashed. If he guessed correctly, this was likely another hidden storyline. So far, it was Sherlock who had given him the most quests—naturally, also the most troublesome ones. He still had a giant-related quest stuck in progress.
He glanced at his quest panel, which he hadn't checked in a while. The "Literary Life (IV)" quest was temporarily sealed away. Apart from "History Enthusiast," currently at (6/9), "Heroic Essence," which required becoming a great hero, had moved from (3/9) to (4/9) after clearing the last level featuring the fierce tiger Lu Bu. There was a glimmer of hope.
The extra progress in "History Enthusiast" must have come after obtaining the Traveler's Ring... The most glaring item was still the giant quest from Sherlock, which stood at 23.9% progress—a completion that seemed light-years away.
That bastard!!!
Just then, the door creaked open, and in came Polly, whom he'd seen a few times before, accompanied by a young man in red whom he didn't recognize.
For some reason, Zhou Ning felt the young man looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't immediately recall where they'd met.
Compared to last time, Polly now wore a round badge on his chest—a symbol of the "Sunwatcher," the elite unit of the Sunwatchers. It was clear that his strength had significantly improved.
"Good morning, Mr. Wayne."
Upon seeing Zhou Ning, Polly's usually cold face showed a smile as he greeted him. However, the young man beside him maintained an aristocratic air of arrogance, scanning Zhou Ning from head to toe, seemingly waiting for him to initiate a respectful greeting.
Zhou Ning had no intention of indulging that typical Bryston noble arrogance. He gave the young man a cool glance.
That look alone made the other man's hair stand on end. He stood frozen, shuddering all over.
"You two stay here. I'll take Wayne to St. Raymond Cathedral," Sherlock quickly stepped in, having noticed the tension in the room.
"Yes, Captain," Polly nodded.
Once Zhou Ning and Sherlock left, the noble youth finally snapped out of his daze. Warily and with some confusion, he asked, "Mr. Polly, who is that guy?"
"That's Wayne Sturwell," Polly replied, his expression complex.
The first time he met Wayne Sturwell had been months ago during the Elvis incident. Back then, Wayne had seemed like an ordinary student—not even as handsome as Polly himself. But now, even after Polly had consumed a Devil Fruit and become a Sunwatcher, Wayne had already become a legend in this city, leaving him far behind in terms of strength.
"Wayne Sturwell?"
Recalling all the stories and rumors about Wayne in Darkland, the noble youth shivered as he remembered the composed, striking young gentleman just now. Every gesture, every movement had carried an overwhelming presence—too intense to look at directly.
He broke out in goosebumps.
By now, Zhou Ning and Sherlock had reached the street corner. Zhou Ning told his coachman to return for now and boarded the spacious standard Sunwatcher carriage bound for St. Raymond Cathedral.
Sherlock let out a breath and leaned against the carriage wall with a smile. "That guy's name is Kyle Robbins—part of the 'Wisdom' Robbins family. He's a Deer-Deer Fruit user. He joined the Sunwatchers at his own expense and is temporarily under my command. Bit arrogant, but he's not a bad guy."
Ah, so it's him. Zhou Ning suddenly realized why he looked so familiar. He was the one who had used a Modorik Cube to "trick" a Devil Fruit out of him at that Supernaturals' gathering.
And he still didn't know what that cube did—or how to open it!
"Robbins family? Is he a Creed Knight?" Zhou Ning asked.
"He's from a collateral branch of the Robbins family, so he probably didn't inherit the Creed ability," Sherlock shrugged. "Sometimes, Creed abilities are like a beautiful woman on the street—she might look great, but she's not yours."
A sharp metaphor—but probably a painful one for Kyle Robbins to hear.
Zhou Ning nodded, indicating he understood.
So Creed abilities weren't inherited strictly by family unit—it might also depend on bloodline proximity?
He was now thoroughly intrigued by Kyle Robbins. This guy might just be a useful opening.
They chatted for a while, and Sherlock gave Zhou Ning some background on the Robbins family's illustrious history. From what Sherlock said, the family's legacy was practically synonymous with the ancient Falric Kingdom itself—witnessing over a thousand years of history from the fall of Falric to the rise of Bryston.
One Robbins Count was even said to be a close friend of Sir Archibald.
So… did he also know a certain Pirate King? Zhou Ning thought with some amusement.
Not long after, the carriage arrived at the gates of Withershire Cathedral Square. The two got out and headed toward the distant St. Raymond Cathedral.
It was still morning, but being a Mass Day, Withershire Cathedral Square was already bustling with people.
As one of the largest righteous churches in the Apocalypse World, the Ascetics' Church didn't have many feast days. The most important was Christmas on July 23rd, followed by Summerlight Day—the longest day of the year—and finally, regular Mass every Saturday.
Zhou Ning followed Sherlock through the side entrance of the church. A priest was reciting and sharing sacred scripture.
In such a solemn atmosphere, as a nominal follower of the Sun Goddess, Zhou Ning could only mimic Sherlock by standing still for the moment. He glanced at the Sun Emblem above the altar and the legendary nail in its center said to have pinned Death itself—and closed his eyes as well.
A few minutes later, the Mass concluded. Zhou Ning followed Sherlock into the underground headquarters of the Sunwatchers, where they found Kien West.
After hearing Zhou Ning's purpose, Kien West readily agreed, without hesitation. "No problem. We owe you a lot already, and there's trust between us. From today forward, you're officially a consultant for the Sunwatchers."
He stood, took a standard contract from the bookshelf, made a few edits with a quill, and passed it to Zhou Ning.
"Take a look and let me know if there's anything that needs changing."
There weren't many terms. It essentially echoed what Zhou Ning had proposed: no obligation for regular attendance—just provide assistance when requested. There was, however, a confidentiality clause barring him from disclosing internal Sunwatcher matters.
The term was three years. The benefits matched that of a regular Sunwatcher member, but with a captain-level salary of 300 Vecktas per month, and a tenfold death compensation payout.
Pretty generous. But the death benefit could stay—he had no plans to die on the job.
After reading the terms again, Zhou Ning looked at Kien West. "No issues."
Kien pointed to the quill pen he had just set down. "Then go ahead and sign."
Zhou Ning picked up the feather pen and signed his name at the bottom of the contract: Wayne Sturwell.
Contracts in this world held real binding power. The moment he signed, Zhou Ning felt the weight of that magical force descend upon him once more.
A prompt appeared on his panel:
"You have joined the Sunwatcher faction. You have acquired a new sub-profession: Sunwatcher. Your reputation with the Sunwatchers has increased by 3000 points. Current status: Respected."
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