### Chapter 431: Is Your Reading Club Even Serious?
Once the curtains were fully pulled open, golden sunlight burst into the room, completely scattering the formerly gloomy atmosphere.
Kaise peeked her head into the room and looked around, only to find there wasn’t much decoration at all—just a circle of folks draped in black robes sitting around, with another black-robed individual standing in the center.
Looking closer at these people, their facial expressions were surprisingly normal.
“Phew!” She released Yuliya and let out a heavy sigh. “Lady Riya, for a moment there, I was really scared.”
“Uh…” Inif hesitated to say anything.
Finally, she patted Yuliya and said, “I feel like we shouldn’t be here. Someone like you, Riya, definitely doesn’t fit in.”
“Why?” Yuliya looked puzzled.
“Haha, so funny!” Suddenly, the surrounded folks burst out laughing. “This is too hilarious!”
“You two must be new students, right? And you too, Inif? What brings you here?”
Yuliya turned to Inif. “Do you know them?”
“Sort of. He’s the top student from the Theology Academy, Wales.”
“Ah? Theology Academy?”
Only now did Yuliya turn to face the group of black-robed people.
Their attire, their formation, and that odd atmosphere, along with their nonsense talk…
They can’t seriously be… conducting some kind of ritual, can they?
“So, were you just performing a ritual?”
“Oh, that’s irrelevant now. The most important thing is to address your situation.”
Wales raised his hand, prompting everyone else to stand up.
They removed their black robes, revealing that they were actually wearing the academy’s official uniforms underneath.
About a dozen or so people, most from various races, with only three being human.
As the leader, Wales had an extra eye on his forehead, topped with a little horn.
Well, that’s a sight she hadn’t seen before.
Noticing Yuliya’s curious gaze, Wales smiled, “I’m Wales from the Theology Academy, a member of the Triclops race.”
At this point, everyone repositioned and sat down again while sliding three chairs toward Yuliya and the others.
Once the atmosphere returned to a normal state, these people seemed pretty chill. They laughed, chatted, and engaged just fine.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Wait, one question.” Yuliya reached out and grabbed Kaise’s arm. “We’re here to find a reading club. How did we end up here? This has to be the right place, right?”
“Serene Reading Club?” Wales pointed, “Well, this is it.”
“No way, no way. This looks nothing like… a reading club.”
Yuliya almost blurted out the words “cult.”
It kind of did look like one. But churches are pretty common in places like this, especially in Saint Felis Academy, which had specific subjects, so it probably wasn’t what she imagined a cult to be.
Wales thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, “Looks like our junior isn’t quite familiar with the Theology Academy. A large part of our curriculum is about reading. Inif, as a senior, should… oh wait, maybe she doesn’t know either.”
They both turned to look at Inif, who could only turn her face away.
She used to take pride in her single-mindedness, focusing only on herself.
But now, this was indeed awkward.
“So, this Serene Reading Club is basically a sub-club of the Theology Academy?”
Wales nodded, “Exactly.”
“But you guys didn’t mention that at all when you advertised! From the name to what you’re offering, it looks like just your average reading club, serene and all!”
Yuliya was losing it.
She’d heard of “selling dog meat under a sheep’s head” but never “selling vegetables under a pig’s head!”
Wales frowned and asked someone nearby.
Finally, he shrugged, “Recruitment isn’t something we do ourselves. We’re not too good at it, and with our numbers dwindling, we opted to hire professionals this time.”
“Professionals? Who?”
“The Feihua News Agency.”
Oh my goodness!
So it’s one of those news agencies pulling this off!
“As for the ‘serene’ part, I think it’s supposed to mean ‘confidential’—that’s what the sign at our entrance should say.”
“President, they took the first two words off the sign last time for the news agency.”
Impressive!
Yuliya couldn’t help but mentally throw some serious praise at the Feihua News Agency.
However, if she ever caught them next time, she would be sure to reward them properly.
“Alright, let’s not sweat the small stuff. Junior, please, since you’re already here, why not get to know our… read it secretly… uh, reading club?”
Yuliya was ready to flat out refuse, but then thought, why not check it out a bit?
The college experience classes for new students hadn’t reached the Theology Academy yet, so this would be her first encounter with anything theological.
“How about we sit down and see what they have to say?”
The three exchanged glances.
Two humans and one Cat Race, all of whom didn’t have a family divine being.
Beastmen are slightly better off at least, since they kind of have a category of beasts.
Humans really are devoid of anything divine.
This was also why the human representation in the Theology Academy was so low.
“Or we could just learn a bit. Sometimes understanding our weak spots can be beneficial.”
Hearing that, the two nodded and took a seat, casually putting away their textbooks.
Wales observed their interaction, recognizing that Yuliya was leading the group.
“Riya, I’ve heard about you—quite impressive, I must say.”
Yuliya politely nodded, “Senior, just get to the point about your reading club.”
“Sure, let’s start with the Theology Academy. The essence of our curriculum can be summed up in a single phrase: helping us find the divine beings and establish a connection with them, then receiving blessings and power in return.”
“So, humans can also find divine beings, but it’s a bit trickier compared to other races. And other races don’t necessarily need to connect with their family’s divine being. You might find an outsider divine being that fits your power better.”
“Therefore, within this framework, our ‘secret reading club’ strives to seek the power of another divine being after already establishing a connection with one.”
Yuliya furrowed her brows.
Although she didn’t fully grasp the theology aspect, she could sense some issues lurking beneath the surface.
“Isn’t that a bit greedy? Won’t there be trouble?”
“Of course, it’s possible. Thus, maintaining balance between the two is crucial. Junior Riya, I’ve sensed you have a tremendous potential in this area! Joining us would undoubtedly be a massive boon for you!”
