Chapter 1603: Chapter 487: Elder Clinton, Archbishop, Black Coffin Chapter 1603: Chapter 487: Elder Clinton, Archbishop, Black Coffin William walked over, leaning casually yet gentlemanly against the bar and tossed a gold coin with a flourish, “Two glasses of Gimlim.”

The amount he gave far exceeded the price of the drinks–it included a generous tip for the bartender as well as an extra fee for cutting the line.

This was the way young gentlemen often flaunted their wealth and manners.

The bartender took the money and quickly served up the two glasses of drinks.

William handed one to Sophia Jones.

Then, he raised his glass and with a tone as if talking to an old acquaintance, he asked, “Oh, Captain Johnson, what a coincidence to meet you here again.”

Sophia had her own drink, so she didn’t touch the Gimlim, lifting her drink instead and responding politely with a “Hmm.”

She wasn’t wearing her helmet because she was drinking.

Her hair was carelessly tied up, and a coarse linen shawl was wrapped around her neck, covering most of her face.

Even so, if one looked closely, her strikingly beautiful face was still hard to conceal.

William, noticing this, allowed a hint of fascination to flash across his eyes, smiling what he thought was a gentlemanly smile. Lacking topics to discuss, he initiated the conversation, “Ah.. the Magical Beast Forest isn’t very safe lately. It’s not a good time to come hunting… A lot of high-tier Demon Beasts have mysteriously escaped from that Mysterious Realm… Captain Johnson, have you had a smooth journey here?”

Sophia wasn’t particularly interested in chatting with strangers and simply replied with a “Hmm.”

William wasn’t annoyed and continued, “I heard that Captain Johnson comes from Mona County in the northern part of the Red Dragon Kingdom? I once went there with a lord and even met Earl Barney. Oh, the blackberry wine from Claymington is the best fruit wine I’ve ever tasted…”

While William rambled on, Leonard Churchill, who was standing beside Sophia, allowed a barely detectable smirk to cross his face.

It sounded like a typical line to chat someone up.

Discussing their homeland could likely bring up common topics.

But it was actually a probe.

If she was genuine, it’d be fine, but if she was using a disguising identity, the conversation wouldn’t go far.

Clever guy, William.

However, before William caught on to anything, Sophia showed a spark of interest and spoke the longest sentence since they met, “Earl Barney passed away the year before last, and now his son, Little Barney, has inherited the title. Claymington was destroyed during the war, and their fruit wine is almost extinct. I haven’t had it in a long time…”
Since Leonard had thought of this loophole and discussed the cultural details of a fabricated identity with Sophia beforehand,
As soon as she said this, William no longer suspected anything.

The hint of fascination in his eyes vanished altogether, and he said smoothly, “Oh, that’s unfortunate. I haven’t been to the north in a long while and had no idea… Since we’ve met by chance, if it’s alright, I’d like to invite Captain Johnson for dinner. My team recently hunted a very rare white deer…”

Sophia replied, “I’m sorry. I just got to the camp and I’m a bit tired, I might rest for a while.”

William said, “Oh, my apologies for being presumptuous…”

…

It must be said, William sure knew how to keep a conversation going.

He managed to fill such an awkward atmosphere with chat for quite some time.

Leonard and Bonnie had no intention of giving them privacy, making the situation even more awkward for the young gent.

Eventually unable to continue, after saying, “See you next time,” William took the hint and left.

Once he was gone, the atmosphere among the three relaxed.

Bonnie muttered, “What an annoying guy.”

Then, raising her glass, she looked at Leonard teasingly and asked, “Leonard, you agree, don’t you?”

They had become familiar over these days.

Leonard knew what she was teasing about and meaningfully commented, “Hmm. Indeed.”

Sophia, realizing they were both teasing her, rolled her eyes at them and asked, “Notice anything?”

Bonnie shrugged, her casual demeanor tightening as she finally said, “That guy has a scent marker I left on him, he must’ve gone to the Divine Temple in Blackwater Swamp.”

Bonnie, as a chief Poison Master, had abilities that were not just limited to combat, but included many unique secret skills.

They had previously suspected that they were being observed, so they had prepared some measures in the temple.

Unexpectedly, it turned out William had visited.

Coincidences were few for High-Order Card Masters, and even if they occurred, they were usually planned.

They could almost confirm that the Great Sword Group might have attracted someone’s notice.

But both Leonard and Sophia didn’t find it odd listening to this. Being a strong group of Loose Practitioners, getting noticed during such a sensitive time was normal.

However, a sense of crisis also emerged.

Bonnie looked slightly solemn.

Sophia glanced at Leonard again and asked, “What do you think?”

“Not a big problem,”
Leonard knew she was asking about the risk of remaining.

He pondered for a moment, then provided a response that surprised both Sophia and Bonnie, “Moreover, I think that guy’s identity might not be from the Holy Church. He’s not a Vampire, so he very well could be from the Church of Light…”

“Ah?”

The thought process was too out of the blue. Bonnie couldn’t quite grasp why he thought that.

But the facts over the days had proven that Leonard’s insights were reliable, and she grew even more curious, “How did you figure that out?”

Sophia looked at him curiously too.

“Guessed it.”

Leonard chuckled and said, “That guy probably suspected the identity of the Great Sword Group before. After all, identity can be disguised, but demeanor cannot… If he were a devout believer of the Holy Church, then upon seeing us arrive at a place like the Firefly Camp, it wouldn’t have been him who approached us but someone from the Church. That’s why I think there’s something off about his identity too…”