Chapter 55: Clever Little Dragon Girl

This was a small hill hidden behind the main street of the commercial district, dotted with a few scattered, low houses.

In contrast to the grand buildings of the commercial street, the houses here were squat and small, with moss covering the walls. The surroundings were especially quiet, as if it were a secluded village far removed from the dust of the world.

And if you followed the winding path upward from here, in less than ten minutes, you would see a gray-black church with a spire and stained-glass windows—known by everyone as the “Old Church.”

A few days ago, Ino had brought Lulumiya here to have a look. The Old Church covered an area roughly half the size of a soccer field and was very spacious. Although all the valuable furnishings inside had been taken away, the murals on the dome, the columns, and the ornate carvings on the walls all spoke of its former glory. If it were in her previous life, it would certainly be considered a treasured historical monument.

Unfortunately, the Old Church now was filled with nothing but dust, rats, insects, and traces of beggars living here. The ground was littered with dead grass, filth, and all kinds of trash blown in by the wind. Even the murals on the dome were flaking off. Its lifeless appearance was like an abandoned graveyard, drawing a sigh from anyone who saw it.

“Miya, you’re here.”

Just as Lulumiya arrived at the deserted square in front of the Old Church, she was immediately surrounded by a group of students wearing the Saint Estelle Academy uniforms. This was the group that Lijie had gathered ahead of time at her request.

Lulumiya glanced around—Lijie had brought far more people than originally promised, about thirty or so in total. Sensing the surprise in Lulumiya’s eyes, Lijie lowered her voice a bit sheepishly.

“There are a lot of people who want to do work-study outside school. Once everyone heard it was for the Church and a chance to stand out, they all insisted on coming. I couldn’t stop them. If there are too many people, just weed some out, don’t worry about me.”

“The more the better. Lijie, you’ve helped me a lot, no need to feel embarrassed.”

Many people never learn how to “refuse others.” Lijie was not even fourteen yet, so it was normal she couldn’t stop her classmates’ enthusiasm.

Lulumiya raised her right fist to her lips and coughed twice, her tone suddenly turning stern.

“Everyone, quiet down for a moment.”

Soon, the crowd fell silent.

“The newspaper office will be established soon, and I understand everyone’s enthusiasm. But since this is work, it won’t be easy. Today’s task isn’t actual work yet—it’s to help clean the church. This is a test before hiring. If you don’t want to participate, you can leave now and wait for further notice.”

As expected, at her words, a stir went through the crowd. The students didn’t say anything, but their fidgeting showed their wavering. Yet even after several seconds, no one actually left.

Lulumiya understood this very well. Students cared about saving face; leaving now would make them seem out of place. Once the real cleaning started, those who didn’t want to stay would naturally slip away quietly, and Lulumiya would not hire those people again.

Only students who truly needed the money would do work-study. These were the people she needed—not those who were just momentarily enthusiastic, thinking they could stand out with a little effort, but whose ambitions soared higher than the sky. Training took time, and time was what she lacked most. As for those who thought their youth or lack of status meant their words carried no weight, it was best to filter them out early too.

Seeing no objections, Lulumiya’s expression softened. She took out the church keys she had gotten from Sander and opened the iron gate. “It’s still early. Let’s go inside, take attendance, and record what everyone is good at, so we can divide up tasks later.”

Lulumiya didn’t know anything about the background of the people Lijie had brought, so she dragged a table out of the storage room and had the students line up before it, recording each one’s name, age, class, and their reading, writing, and speaking abilities on paper.

The last two were especially important. Those strong in reading and writing could become editors or typesetters for the newspaper office. Those strong in speaking could be sent to gather information or work at the newsstands as salespeople. Among these, Lulumiya even asked a seemingly unnecessary question: which noble students they were on good terms with. News reports would inevitably touch on noble affairs, so knowing this in advance could help avoid future trouble.

The students had never seen anything like this, as if submitting job applications for employment. It was novel and exciting, and they were all eager to show off their talents to win Lulumiya’s favor.

When the lively tally was halfway through, a figure finally arrived—a man in stately white vestments and a ceremonial bishop’s hat. It was Cluren, fashionably late.

With a goatee and extremely formal attire, he looked solemn and imposing enough to make an ordinary person feel nervous and inadequate in his presence.

He entered the church and, seeing the long line at the entrance, raised his eyebrows in surprise. The Old Church hadn’t seen this much activity in ages; the sudden bustle was something Cluren wasn’t used to.

“Who are you all? What’s going on here?”

“They’re students from Saint Estelle Academy. I’m Lulumiya, Magus Doll of the Immaculate Holy Son Ino. Are you Bishop Cluren, sir?”

Lulumiya quickly stood up to introduce herself. Everyone who knew Cluren had told her he had a fiery temper, so she was especially nervous.

“Hmm…”

Cluren was thin and bony, his face giving off a rigid impression as he scrutinized Lulumiya up and down.

Sander had already told him about Lulumiya’s plans, so he had expected her to be a Clever Little Dragon Girl. But now that he saw her in person, he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. The Lulumiya before him was just a child who hadn’t even grown up—what ideas could she possibly have? When he was her age, he could barely string a sentence together when facing strangers.

He quietly thought that the plan to repurpose the Old Church was probably doomed. Of course, he didn’t let any of this show on his face. No matter how gruff his reputation, he was the former bishop and wouldn’t lose his temper with a little girl for no reason.

“You’re Lulumiya? I thought you were just coming to see the place today. Why bring so many people?”

“Elder Sister Ino brought me here before. I saw the Old Church had been abandoned for a long time, so I talked it over with my classmates. When everyone heard there was a chance to help the Church, they were all eager. We thought we could start by cleaning up and making the church look presentable. Do you mind?”

“Oh?”

Cluren raised his eyebrows, surprise flashing in his eyes. This little girl was indeed different—she really knew how to handle things.

“This isn’t what we agreed on beforehand. I haven’t prepared anything.”

“We’re all students of Saint Estelle Academy and have already received Lady Estelle’s grace. Cleaning is just a small token of our appreciation—you don’t need to trouble yourself for us.”

“Hmm…” Cluren stroked his goatee, his stern face showing a bit of satisfaction. “All right. The cleaning tools are all in the storage room—see if you can use them. If not, I’ll send the sisters to bring over more.”