Chapter 377: Brad's Heartbeat

Chapter 377: Brad's Heartbeat

Brad had left the wizard utterly speechless.

He called him up the mountain so urgently, like it was life or death, that he thought something bad had happened.

Turns out he just wanted to learn divination from him!

After a while, Brad, being quite clever, said, "I see, I've got it now. Thanks."

The wizard waved his hand dismissively, just wanting to get down the mountain quickly. He couldn't care less what Brad was up to!

"I'm leaving, don't bother me unless it's important!"

Brad packed up his things and headed down the mountain too.

The night was crisp and clear, the dark sky like a chessboard scattered with stars.

Brad sat in a small teahouse at the foot of the mountain, his clothes rustling in the wind, the cross in his hand glowing faintly.

His eyes landed on a girl rushing past at full speed on a... bicycle.

Juniper parked her bike to the side, finally finding a spot, and came to sit across from Brad at their agreed meeting place.

"Sorry Mr. Thornton, there was too much going on at the lab, got a bit delayed. Let me make a pot of tea for you."

"No problem."

The teahouse was quite busy, so Juniper simply made a pot of tea herself and handed it to Brad.

Brad took a sip. "I've looked into it. From what I can tell, your mother stumbled upon the people behind the Galactic Aurora Collective project.I asked Catherine, the person who made the Galactic Aurora Collective project possible."

Juniper nodded.

"You mean my mom got into trouble becauseshe saw someone that important?"

"Yes, the fire and illness weren't accidents. Catherine mentioned her grandmother came into contact with a project before she died, and she's investigating it too."

Brad took another sip of tea.

"According to the divination, Elodie and your mother may have both been involved in the same project."

Brad paused, then chose to speak frankly.

“If you didn’t belong to the Windsor family, you’d probably be locked away in the Galactic Aurora Collective Lab as a... test subject.”

The moment he said “test subject,” Brad swallowed hard and awkwardly took another sip of tea.

Juniper was too smart, a kind of intelligence rare even in the Windsor family.

She'd been targeted by the Galactic Aurora Collective for many years!

That was the year Catherine went to the Galactic Aurora Collective and brought the whole organization crashing down.

That's what prevented what came after.

Juniper rested her chin on her hand. “I want to know about the Galactic Aurora Collective. Who should I ask? I don’t want to bring up painful memories for Catherine. And Franklin is just awful!”

Thinking about all the suffering Catherine endured, Juniper felt Franklin was a complete psycho!

Brad said in a calm voice, “I was at the Galactic Aurora Collective… with Catherine.”

“If you want, you can ask me. But I can’t say much because it’s classified, so it’s better to ask Catherine.”

Brad thought for a moment and added, “She’ll probably answer your questions.”

"Still no!"

Juniper refused righteously.

“You don’t understand at all. Even if Catherine is okay with it, I’m not.”
She turned to look at the river outside. A breeze rippled across the calm surface, blowing aside Juniper's bangs.

She smiled gently, her lips curving upward.

"I really like Catherine! At first I worried she wouldn't like me, that she'd think I was stealing her place, but Catherine is really wonderful. Being her sister makes me so happy."

"Since I'm her sister, protecting her is what I should do."

Watching the tenderness on Juniper's face, Brad felt something stir in his heart.

"...Catherine is lucky to have her current family."

Brad knew all too well how painful Catherine’s past had been.

Juniper stood up. "I should go. See you next time, thanks... Fuck! Who's so shameless they'd steal a bike?!"

Just as Juniper stood up, she saw someone on the roadside pick up her parked bike and run off with it!

This place at the foot of Eternal Light Cathedral was just a small teahouse with hardly any visitors.

For miles around, you couldn't find another bike.

And now hers had been stolen!

Juniper was on the verge of tears. She needed to get back to Imperia City by taxi, but she at least needed to bike to somewhere she could catch a ride!

Brad brushed the dust off his robe.

"I'll take you."

“What? Mr. Thornton, you know how to drive?”

Brad could indeed drive, but when he said he'd take Juniper, he didn't mean by car. He pointed to a ferry on the river.

“Taking the boat is faster. It goes into the city, then you can get a taxi. It’s very convenient.”

"That works!"

Soon on the boat, Juniper stood at the bow looking at Brad standing on the riverbank, waving to him.

"Mr. Thornton, the wind's picking up, you should head back! See you next time!"

Brad waved back, waiting until the ferry carrying Juniper completely disappeared on the river.

He recited scripture in his mind several times until his mind settled, then turned back to the small teahouse.

He drank another sip of the tea from before. It had steeped too long and was bitter now.

He straightened his wind-ruffled robe and murmured to himself, "It's not the wind moving, nor the banner moving."

What was moving, perhaps only he would know in this lifetime!

Sitting in the restaurant, Catherine looked at the message on her phone.

She raised an eyebrow. "Brad says he has things to do and needs to travel the world? What's he going out for all of a sudden?"

Last time Brad said he'd be staying at Eternal Light Cathedral for a while, didn't he?

And now he's leaving?

He sent a special message because something came up!

Alexander picked up a napkin and carefully wiped the cake frosting from Catherine's fingers, saying gently, "Brad is a priest, traveling is normal for him."

"Normal is normal, but he's telling me Juniper is investigating her mother's case, which might be related to the Galactic Aurora Collective, and asking me to... cooperate?"

Since when did Brad speak so politely?

After thinking it over, Catherine called Brad to ask what exactly he wanted to do. Since it couldn't be explained clearly over the phone, she simply had Brad come to the restaurant.

Brad had changed into his traveling clothes. Though only a few days had passed, Catherine couldn’t help but feel his presence had become even more serene.

"Do you need me to arrange anything for your travels?"

"No need, my martial arts skills are sufficient. I probably won't have a chance to see you for a while. I just have something I need you to pass to Juniper for me. Thanks."

After saying this, Brad turned and left without another word.

Catherine opened the box Brad had left with confusion. Inside was a cross engraved with scripture.

Catherine was quite surprised!

Wasn't this the cross Brad had carried since childhood, the one he never parted with?