Chapter 408: Bishop Renee

May's stance had always been very firm on this matter, and she had made it clear that she wasn't going to take on the southern congress.

She had only agreed to help Adam take down Hebi no Miko as she was essentially a ticking time bomb, and neither of the congresses wanted to see someone so volatile and dangerous roaming freely in Sandrise City.

Furthermore, that had been a well thought-out operation, and they had assistance from Mechguard, leading her to believe that there was no chance of failure, which was why she had agreed to help.

May's psychic body was the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, and that reflected her personality, which was akin to that of a hunter in that she was extremely cautious and only struck to kill.

Hence, there was no way she would engage in something so dangerous.

Having interacted extensively with May in the past, Adam knew her very well, and he had already anticipated this outcome.

"I'm not here to ask you to help me take on the southern congress."

"I won't help you in your election bid, either. That's no different from going against the southern congress, and truth be told, I don't think you have any chance of winning the election," May said in a direct and straightforward manner. "There's no way that the southern congress would allow you to come out on top in this election."

"I know, I know." At this point, it seemed that Adam's plan to recruit May to help him take down Beth had completely failed. "I wanted to ask you if you have a friend that's not only quite a powerful adapter, but is also very reliable and has always led a happy life."

"What kind of strange question is that?" May asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Ask me the question in a way I can understand."

"I wanted to know if you have an adapter friend that can satisfy the three following criteria: firstly, they have to be no much weaker than you. Secondly, they have to have lived a very happy life. Thirdly, they have to be reliable and someone you trust."

Adam didn't really have high hopes for this visit. In his mind, these three criteria were too difficult for a single person to satisfy.

However, to his surprise, May asked, "You're not asking for someone to help you go against the southern congress, are you?"

The fact that she was asking this question immediately tipped Adam off to the fact that she had someone in mind, and he hurriedly replied, "No, it's to help me take down an anomaly, and it has nothing to do with the southern congress."

"In that case, I do have someone suitable," May replied with a nod. "I can help you, but in return, if you really do get elected as mayor, you have to expand the pawn shop's operating area by threefold."

"Didn't you just say that I have no chance of winning the election?"

"There's always a possibility for miracles to happen, and you've already proven that many times, so it's not impossible for you to pull off another miracle. Having said that, I still don't think you have much of a chance. The one who's currently on top of the voting leaderboard is way too difficult to overcome."

"Clyde is his name, right?"

Adam was naturally aware of the name of his main competitor. Clyde was from the southern congress, and at the moment, he had a dominant lead on the voting leaderboard.

Even though he had the southern congress's support, he was actually an amateur politician, just like Adam.

Furthermore, he was from the Dataist Union.

His political ethos was that all politicians had to be assumed to be evil, and he wanted to implement the rigid law-enforcement philosophy of Mechguard into the political sphere.

"It won't be the best, but it also won't be the worst, and at the very least, it'll be fair."

That was Clyde's election slogan.

During the past century, there had been a very low level of trust toward politicians from the general public, particularly following the nuclear war 30 years ago.

As opposed to placing their trust in politicians, people much preferred to trust machines.

Clyde's identity and slogan were both very compelling, and if it weren't for the fact that he still had his own objectives to complete, Adam would've been inclined to cast Clyde his vote.

"He is indeed quite a difficult opponent to overcome, and that's why I need to speed up in my preparation. When can I meet this friend of yours?"

"Today. She just so happens to be in Sandrise City," May replied, then made a call to the friend in question.

That night, the three of them arrived at a high-end restaurant.

It was already midnight, yet the business district of Sandrise City was still brightly lit.

Under the neon lights and the artificial sun, Area 36 was an area that never slept.

There was no night time here, only people indulging in their vices.

Almost at the exact same time as Adam and May's arrival, a golden vehicle descended out of the sky, following which a woman emerged, accompanied by four or five young men as she made her way to the entrance of the restaurant.

Adam was struck by a sense of familiarity at the sight of the woman, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

After some thought, he realized that the woman was one of the 12 bishops of the Psychic Church, but he couldn't recall her name.

He only had a recollection of her from the research he had conducted following the Carlin Asylum incident.

Through his research, he had discovered that the director of Carlin Asylum was another one of the Psychic Church's 12 bishops, Li Pengfei, and while researching Li Pengfei, he had briefly researched the other bishops as well.

"Hello, May, long time no see. Thanks for taking care of that problem for me last time. Ah, if I'm not mistaken, this must be our mayoral candidate, Mr. Adam, right?"

It was impossible to tell the woman's age from her skin, nor from her expression or disposition.

She possessed both the regal grace of a mature and wealthy woman and the sense of mischievous vitality only seen in young girls.

This was a very unique combination that made her appear quite affable and approachable, but also ensured that she wasn't looked down on by anyone.

Having conducted some research on her, Adam knew that she was not a young woman. The average age of the 12 bishops was over 50, so this woman had to have been old enough to be his mother.

As for how she had managed to keep such a youthful appearance, or whether she had switched bodies, that was not for Adam to pry into.

"Hello, you can just call me Adam."

"Renee," the woman replied, then casually tossed her shawl to one of the handsome young men beside her before making her way into the restaurant. "I'm starving! Let's have some dessert first. I recall that this restaurant is really well-known for its ice cream."

Renee's entourage followed her into the restaurant, while Adam was slightly dazed as he looked on at her from behind.

"You wanted someone who's lived a happy life, and she definitely fits the bill."

"Indeed, she does."

In contrast with Adam himself, who was constantly tightly wound, or May, who resembled a prowling hunter that was always in search of business opportunities, Renee was like the very embodiment of relaxation.

It was as if she had been born into this world to enjoy herself, and everyone and everything around her were designed to serve her.

She was the main character in this world.

Actually, that wasn't accurate. It was more like this world existed for her, and she was the center of the universe.

What a powerful aura!

One's aura was a reflection of their psychic power, and with that in mind, Adam gave May a nod before following Renee into the restaurant.