A throwing knife was tossed into the air, piercing through layers of apple branches and leaves. An agile figure flashed three times along the knife's trajectory, performing a series of incredible movements, before finally landing steadily on the ground as the knife touched down.
The girl held a green apple in each hand, with another one in her mouth, and looked at the nun in front of her with a proud smile on her face.
Rachel smiled and clapped: "Kalin, that's fantastic! You've managed to use your ability three times in such a short time. Your progress is amazing!"
The girl's happiness lasted only a short while before her face fell again.
Rachel stood up, clutching her chest. Looking at the other person's expression, she asked calmly, "What? You're thinking about the priest again?"
"I didn't even go to see them off..."
The nun patted her head, her voice unusually gentle: "I've heard you talk about the trial of heretics before. The priest took the blame to protect you, didn't he?"
Karin nodded dejectedly.
"Do you know what that means?" Seeing the other person gently shake her head, the nun smiled and patted her forehead: "He willingly entrusts a part of his destiny into your hands."
"Still don't understand? Let me put it simply. Todd said there's no affair between you and him, and your only purpose in entering the monastery is to study. But if you idle away your days and always go to his place, what will people think, what will they speculate about?"
Seeing a hint of realization in Karin's expression, Rachel dusted herself off and beckoned to her, saying, "Come on, Karin, it's time to go back to town. Let's not talk about these boring things, let's talk about something interesting... Hmm, like, who did the priest learn alchemy from? What funny things has he ever said about alchemy?"
Old craftsman Aiden Colm is in a very depressed mood.
Having just had a big argument with his wife and children, he walked into the small tavern he frequented, his face still showing resentment, and found a table where two people were already seated.
After ordering a jug of beer and a plate of braised beans, Aiden asked the other two, "So, how much did you manage to scrape together?"
One voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "Thirty-three bronze stars."
The other person's voice was even lower: "Twenty-one bronze stars..."
Old Aiden's face twitched, and he sighed: "Your family doesn't agree with this idea either?"
The other two exchanged a glance and nodded.
The old craftsman took out a small money pouch, placed it on the table, scratched the back of his head, and said, "With what I have here, the three of us should be able to raise enough for a Silver Moon. By the way, how's the market price for Sacred Bones these days?"
One of them said, "Fifty copper stars are definitely enough to buy it. If we bargain, we might be able to get it for forty-eight or forty-nine."
“If it weren’t for Lord Todd, I would still be a poor craftsman at the foot of the monastery mountain. Where would I get the money to hire apprentices, buy tools, and even open my own workshop…” Old Aiden took a swig of ale and said, “God above, how can a mortal do things without remembering His kindness?”
Another person nodded and said, "That's right. If it weren't for that exorcism ritual, if it weren't for the Holy Son's selfless rescue, my soul would probably be food for the devil. How could I have the chance to sit here, drinking and chatting?"
The remaining person echoed this sentiment.
It turns out that these two were the craftsmen Todd had rescued in the past who were suffering from "acute lead poisoning"...
Aiden Com grabbed a handful of hard-boiled beans and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing them a few times: "Some people outside say that Lord Todd ran away with the money, and others say that he lost all the money. I don't believe it. Even if what those people say is true, I don't care."
"We want to buy the sacred relics, but we don't have any money. What should we do?"
The old craftsman touched the ring keychain at his waist and murmured, "My newly built workshop, and all the tools I bought, if I pawned them to a merchant, I should be able to raise some money..."
"That's right! I also have some things that I can exchange for money."
In Muxi Town, conversations like this are not uncommon; they happen in every corner of the town.
In the following days, the price of the holy relics from the "Muxi Mutual Aid Fund" hit a low of 45 copper stars. Most of the sellers were merchants, while poor believers who had received Todd's favor or deeply believed in his miracles joined forces to "buy at the bottom," causing the previously depressed price of the holy relics to rise back to 60 copper stars...
"Walton, you bought another holy relic?!"
As the short, stout man walked out of the church, Leslie looked at her companion speechlessly.
Walton picked at his ear with his pinky and gave the red-striped boy a disdainful look: "You don't understand the ins and outs of this. You're just relying on that... what was it again..."
"microscope."
"Yes! A microscope! Just based on this, I know the priest definitely won't let me down!"
Leslie curled her lip: "I thought you had a grudge against him, but I didn't expect your stance to be so wavering."
Walton laughed: "As long as he gives me money to buy alcohol, I wouldn't care even if he bled me every day..."
Alfonso de Cabeau stood atop a hill outside the town of Musi, with a panoramic view of the entire town.
The knight removed the armor from his chest, took out a bronze pendant from below his neck, and gently pressed the button on the slot. Three strands of hair lay quietly inside the bronze shell.
"Boss, it's time for dinner." Adelina's voice came from behind, prompting Alfonso to put away the pendant.
"The scenery here is so beautiful!" The woman in white ran her fingers through her long hair, which was being gently blown by the breeze, and gazed at the sea, beach, fishing boats, and houses below the hills, and couldn't help but exclaim.
As the knight gazed at the smoke rising from the chimneys of every house, he suddenly asked in a low voice, "What is it that drives us to live on this earth, adorning this world day after day, year after year?"
Adelina paused for a moment at the strange question, then crouched down and touched a field mouse that had poked its head out. She gestured with her chin forward, and the mouse raised its front paw, nodded, and ran away.
"Perhaps it's because I want to achieve something..."
Upon hearing the woman's answer, the knight turned his head and waited in silence for her response.
Adelina watched as a field mouse found a fallen fruit on a large rock not far away, hopped and dragged it into its burrow, stood up, and said softly, "Before losing my husband, I wanted to be a mother. Now, I hope to protect every woman who wants to be a mother..."
Alfonso closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the sea breeze blowing past his ears, and tightly gripped the pendant on his chest.
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