Chapter 324: Your Method Is Wrong

Fitch stood rooted to the spot, feeling the chill of the night air. That chill was as if a bucket of cold water had drenched him from head to toe, seeping into his bones and dousing whatever excitement he had.

These words echoed in his ears for a long time and he could clearly hear the faint sarcasm and helplessness in Lin Jie’s sigh.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

At any other time, such a sigh would be warranted because they had seen the glamor and glitz of those other guests and mocking the doorman who only had eyes for guests dressed in luxury. Given that Lin Jie and Fitch were both a bunch of poor guys, it was understandable that they would feel a little self-defeated upon seeing how poor and insignificant they were in comparison.

But that wasn’t the case now.

The clearly different invitation that Lin Jie produced had actually been verified to be genuine by the doorman, who even seemed to treat him with even greater respect while inviting him into the estate. Perhaps others couldn’t see it clearly, but Fitch, who was right next to him, could intuitively sense the doorman bowing slightly more.

This in itself was the greatest honor, even more so than other guests that wore the most luxurious and expensive clothes. There was simply no reason for him to be ridiculing the inconstancy on show here.

What's more, Fitch had tried using his ability only to realize it wasn’t effective, and the person he had been targeting, who should have made a fool of himself, had given Fitch a smile and told him to stop staring.

Wasn’t that the same as telling him to stop wasting time, for his powers wouldn’t work?

Thus, there could only be one possibility.

The meaning of the words and the irony contained in that smile were mocking Fitch’s ignorance and overconfidence.

Gulp.

Fitch heard himself swallow nervously. For a moment, his heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest as he saw the young man approaching him.

H-he wouldn’t really be that displeased, would he? Lin Jie could only sigh. He felt a sense of camaraderie with this fellow with him. They were both in the same boat, both poor fellows… Attending such a high-end banquet really required courage.

Who, not for circumstances, wouldn’t wish to be a freeloader?

And although the doorman was professional and well-mannered, Lin Jie had still caught the momentary change in his expression.

When Fitch had handed over his invitation, the doorman had pursed his lips slightly and given a look as he saw the former’s ill-fitting attire.

This vaguely signified that the seemingly impartial doorman also had some disdain and arrogance toward the poor.

And with Lin Jie, it had been even more obvious. Before Lin Jie handed over his invitation, the doorman had treated him only slightly better than a nondescript like Fitch, completely unlike those more dignifiedly dressed guests.

But once Lin Jie handed over the invitation, the doorman had even lowered his head to bow.

These changes before and after were truly an apt description of being a ‘snob.’

That had been why Lin Jie sighed.

How could these eyes that only looked toward the rich turn back to meet the yearning gazes of the poor?

That's right. In Lin Jie's eyes, Fitch's gaze of ‘reluctance’ at the doorman was the look of a poor fellow with a heart full of yearning.

However, Lin Jie felt that saying it outright would probably be inappropriate and embarrass the young violinist. Thus, he corrected himself tactfully and shrugged. "I mean, he won't look at you, nor would he possibly look at me. After all, he doesn’t view us as the same level as him, even if he’s just a doorkeeper himself. Or putting it in another way, what you are hoping for deep down probably isn’t going to happen. You… Do you understand?”

Lin Jie deliberately lowered his voice a little so that the doorman or others wouldn’t overhear them.

As for what Fitch was on Fitch’s mind… Given the way he was acting, he had probably been quite confident about his reputation only to experience a nonchalant greeting by the doorman before he even got the chance to bask in the limelight…

It was just too bad the doorman only had eyes for the rich.

Then, as Lin Jie attempted to pat Fitch’s shoulder in a bid to comfort him, the young violinist raised an arm and hopped back, like a monkey whose tail had been stepped on, backing away and shaking his head anxiously as if on the verge of crying. “I know, I understand, I’ll never think like that again! Never again!”

If Fitch had already had his own guess before, this was clearly telling him — I’ve cut off the doorman’s perception of us. We are ‘on different levels’, so your ability won't work. Stop dreaming.

Unfortunately, he had really met a transcendent being even stronger than himself!

Furthermore, Fitch had even tried to embarrass him in public…

Fitch trembled at that thought.

"???” Lin Jie appeared baffled and rubbed his chin. Something didn’t seem right. He glanced at Fitch, who seemed to be overreacting, and asked after a moment’s pause, “Do you really understand?”

Fitch stiffened, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. “I understand. I really do. I really shouldn't have had those thoughts…”

Hearing this, Lin Jie could only sigh. “Indeed, you still haven’t understood what I meant.”

Fitch shuddered. He swore he'd never seen anyone as temperamental before. "T-Then what do you mean?"

Lin Jie explained sincerely. "I mean, what you had in mind wasn’t bad, but not everyone would fall for it, especially these doormen, who guard the homes. They’ve received more upper-class people than you’ve seen in your entire life, so it’s impossible to make them think more highly of you.”

He paused, then waved a finger in mock seriousness. "Besides," he said, "your method was wrong."

Fitch was a little dizzy from all that beating around the bush. “Then what should I have done?”

Lin Jie blinked and flashed his usual kindly professional smile. The hand that had been behind his back all this time appeared with a book in hand. “I have a book here…”

Sun’s Faith.

The church that had once belonged to the Church of the Dome had been refurbished by the new religion. However, besides changing the symbols of the Church of the Dome into the Sun, not much other structural changes had been done.

In the words of the first Pope, Vincent, the new religion was still in its infancy and there were many other things that needed to be done. Instead of wasting financial and material resources on such a place, it was more important to focus on the congregation and the followers themselves.

Naturally, such an approach drew praise.

At the moment, Vincent was sitting in his papal seat in his intricate golden robes. His eyes were no longer covered with strips of cloth, but instead closed as he ‘looked down’ at the congregation beneath him.

One of the apostles was currently giving a report. "Secret Rite Tower and the Corpse Devouring Sect are officially warring. The people we dispatched have joined the battle to assist Secret Rite Tower. At the moment, the bulk of the fighting is concentrated between Avenues 67 to 71 and most residents have already been evacuated because of the fire."

Vincent tapped the armrest of his seat and asked, “What about the Truth Union?”

"The Truth Union has currently refused to provide assistance on the grounds of verifying Boss Lin’s safety first."

Vincent paused to think for a moment. Then, his ‘eyes’ opened revealing what appeared like blazing magma. “What the Sun wants is ‘Justice’. The evil Corpse Devouring Sect must be burned to the ground. That is justice—

"Therefore, the Truth Union supports the Corpse Devouring Sect in secret by obstructing justice and needs to be purged."