Holy Water

Shana acted very generously: "What do you need to prepare? Just tell me, as long as it is available in this town, I can get it for you."

Mason did not refuse: "Is there any monster in the Dark Forest that can cause trouble and chaos to these paladins?"

"Yes, there is. You want to use monsters to attack them? But I don't recommend you to do that. Monsters that can cause trouble to them will naturally cause danger to us."

"Please believe me." The silver-haired young man replied expressionlessly. "I need you to prepare the powder that can trigger a monster riot and something to remove the smell. Miss Aisana, what is the range of plants you can control?"

"About three meters. I can manipulate plants, control seed growth, and am also good at healing magic. Under normal circumstances, monsters will not attack me. But if it is a rioting monster, I'm not sure."

"That's enough."

He nodded and turned to look at the goblin. Pica swallowed and said shyly, "Sir, I don't need it. With my small body, I can only feed the monsters!"

"You are the most important part."

Mason stared at it. "Tell me, can you steal the key from those paladins?"

When Mason read the pollutant "Leprechaun Pica", its content had been modified beyond recognition. But in the story, Leprechaun Pica was only caught once from beginning to end. When it was old, it accidentally revealed that it had stolen something, so it was caught by the law enforcement officers who rushed over.

Humans got back their stolen treasures, and the goblin Pika cried and repented. After recounting his countless thefts, the judge found him guilty.

The normal story ends here, but on the last page of the seal, someone wrote in bloody words: "...After being convicted of a crime, the goblin Pika was tortured miserably. With hatred for humans, it was reborn into the world, wandering in the night, stealing human lives with its empty bag. Anyone who reads this, the goblin Pika will find you."

After twisting its normal ending, the Leaf of the World Tree made the Goblin P.E.K.A. a monster that died because of stealing, even if the Goblin only picked up this thing, Mason was sure that it would definitely get a certain bonus.

Sure enough, Pika hesitated for a moment and whispered, "As long as we can get close, it should be fine..."

Mason was certain. He looked around and said in a gentle tone, "Thank you for your help. But I need to remind the two ladies to keep your identities confidential during the mission, otherwise it will easily cause trouble for you."

Shana was very straightforward: "Don't worry, as mercenaries, we are very experienced!"

Theocracy and kingship have been incompatible since ancient times, not to mention that using one's own body to interfere with the position of God has long been the focus of secret research by all races. The friction between them is getting more and more intense, and Shana doesn't care about the occasional minor friction.

Otherwise, no devout believer would come up with a plan to rob the Holy Knight midway, as this is blatant blasphemy!

After receiving a clear reply, Mason calmed down a little: "Okay, then I will arrange the battle plan now. Before that, I need an exact data. How long will it take for the Paladins to arrive here?"

Bright stars shone in the elf's emerald eyes, and her voice was as ethereal as a sigh: "Sana and I were delayed here for a day, so they should arrive this afternoon."

Mason looked out the window at the sky.

The hot ball of light radiated endless energy and was constantly moving towards the center of the sky.

......

There are twelve true gods worshipped by various tribes, and the rest are heretics. As the god of the moon and stars, the goddess Davina was born in the moonlight. Although gentle and peaceful, she still does not tolerate any violation.

As his believers, when Jack's team of paladins received the mission order, they were inspired and determined to complete the mission in the best condition.

A group of well-equipped knights on horseback escorted the prisoner wagons holding the pagans, always on the lookout for any suspicious movements. A recent incident of a cleric being robbed in the Dark Forest had occurred, and in addition to the frequent conflicts between mercenaries and monsters, the relationship between the local forces and the church had also become tense.

Before setting out in the early morning, the captain had already told everyone to speed up and leave the area of ​​​​Kelton before dark to prevent any accidents.

But as expected, the prisoner car was moving slowly. The paladins divided into two teams to investigate the situation ahead. This time it was Jack's turn. He and his teammates quickly checked whether there were any traps ahead. After eliminating the danger, they were about to report. Suddenly, his teammate whispered, "Is there someone behind the tree over there?"

Jack's nerves tensed, and he raised his hand and made a silent gesture, then he pulled the reins and the horse stopped in place as if ordered.

The paladin silently dismounted, drew out a short sword, and deftly reached the tree. He narrowed his eyes, placed the sword directly on it, and said in a low voice: "Shut up, don't make a sound."

It is naturally impossible for an unconscious person to make a sound.

The long silver hair fell fragilely on the grass, matching the elf's pointed ears. From Jack's angle, he could only see the pale side of the other person's face and half of his chin exposed from the shadow. He didn't look like a living creature, but a symbol of natural purity such as a unicorn or a flower fairy. Jack looked around vigilantly, and only after confirming that the other person didn't have any magic traps on him did he lift the alert for his companions.

The companion who had been holding the alarm fireworks let go and checked the situation as well: "Why are there elves here? The territory of the goddess of nature should not belong here."

Jack shook his head. "I don't know either. But the Goddess of Nature has a good relationship with our Lord. We can't watch him stay here alone. Let's take him back and let the captain decide."

"Then let me take care of his stuff."

The companion squatted down and took away the things on Jack's body under his vigilance. A few gold coins, a green leaf necklace, and an empty water bag...

Most of the items were ordinary, but when his fingertips touched something hard, his companion's expression froze. He pulled out the object with a solemn look. The wooden shell was cold and smooth, but there were no common patterns. It looked ordinary, but every paladin had received a good secret education. The two of them easily identified what it was.

"A box for holding high-level relics..."

Jack muttered. This could not possibly be the property of the elves. They would not seal their holy objects in a way that harms nature. Thinking of the rumors about the church's failure, the paladin's heart skipped a beat. Under his gaze, his companion held his breath and carefully opened it.

The box was empty.

When Mason slowly woke up from his coma, the first thing he felt was the jolt.

Shana punched him hard, as if she was afraid that he was not unconscious enough. The young man calmed down, opened his eyes and looked around. What he saw was the shaking road. He was sitting on a horse, and the bearded paladin behind him smiled at him: "Hey, are you awake?"

Obviously, the lightly-equipped paladins could not have carriages, so he was placed on the horse of one of the paladins. The beard magnified at close range was quite eye-catching. The silver-haired young man took the lead and touched his arms secretly. The big bearded man took note of this action and secretly had some consideration in his eyes.

After discovering the anomaly, the silver-haired elf frowned slightly, then said: "Thank you for your help, I am Aurora Carlo Ekol Rona... Bai Crisanti."

The full name of the elves is simply outrageous, it is a combination of various ancestor names and places of residence. The bearded man listened carefully, and it was really difficult to distinguish the truth from the false from the human perspective.

"We are believers of the God of the Moon and Stars. My team found you unconscious on the roadside. Did you encounter robbers?"

On his breastplate was a crescent moon and a group of stars, symbolizing the goddess's favor. When the elf heard Zheng's words, his expression was obviously relaxed. His face was still pale, but his tone was gentle: "Thank you for your help, believers of the Moon Goddess. I am a traveler. I found a strange goblin when I passed by the Dark Forest. When I was tracking it, I ran into a group of monsters, so I fainted after barely escaping."

The bearded man was surprised: "Monsters? Why would they attack the elves?"

"They were driven by the goblin with a powder. I calmed them down and was badly injured myself."

The elf smiled bitterly: "That is not an ordinary goblin. I found a reliquary on it, which contained a leaf of the World Tree. I wanted to take it back to the city, but I accidentally fell into the goblin's trap."

Leaves of the World Tree!

The bearded man's pupils shrank and he said in a low voice: "Are you sure?"

The elf nodded solemnly: "I swear to the goddess of nature that it holds the leaf of the world tree. I saw it with my own eyes. If such a holy thing is allowed to fall into the open, it will surely cause brutal disputes. I beg for your help and that of your subordinates."

"This..."

The bearded man frowned, looking a little hesitant. The matter of the World Tree Leaf was of great importance, but they also had the mission of escorting the heretics. He looked back at the prisoner car, and the heretics wearing magic shackles were silent and haggard.

Among these people, some looked fierce, some looked timid and ordinary, but the most striking ones were the three silent men sitting by the railings.

The faces of the others were somewhat flustered, but the three of them stood straight, looking out of the prison van the whole time, with faces full of firmness and piety. If there were any believers among them, it was undoubtedly these three.

The paladins were obviously most wary of these three people, their necks, wrists, and ankles were all shackled. Mason recognized their identities at a glance. Noticing his gaze, the bearded man smiled and said, "As you can see, we have a mission to deliver them to the cathedral on time before the trial day. If you don't mind, we can send you to the town of Kelton. There, you can get help from the local church."

His heart was bleeding as he said these words. Whether it was to gain favor from the followers of the Goddess of Nature or to exchange this help for benefits, it was a great choice. But due to the mission requirements, they had to give up.

The silver-haired elf nodded with a worried look on his face. "Thank you for your help. This is a serious matter. I'm worried that it will cause changes if I tell the town. I also saw many well-equipped fake mercenaries in the forest. This must be the work of a noble family."

The bearded man's face suddenly darkened: "Are they so arrogant now?"

"Not only that, the place where I met them was very close to the goblins' residence. I am worried that the leaves of the World Tree have fallen into their hands."

The elf sighed and said, "Ever since the leaves of the World Tree began to fall, all races have been secretly challenging the majesty of the righteous gods. They are so disrespectful. I'm afraid that the previous incident of the clergyman was also related to it. When the leaves of the World Tree fall into their hands, I'm afraid..."

The bearded knight was silent for a long time. "We also want to help you, but we need to escort these pagans. Three of them are from unknown places and believe in gods that have never been heard of. We suspect they come from some mysterious place. This requires the identification of the priests in the cathedral."

"But the leaves of the World Tree are of great importance. How can we let those blasphemers get them?"

The elf unconsciously raised his voice, then lowered it again, coughing repeatedly. His originally pale face turned red, and his blue eyes stared at the paladin, not hiding his anger.

"If you don't go, I'll go alone."

After saying this, he really turned over and was about to jump off the horse. The bearded man dared not let the seriously injured elf act alone, and quickly stopped him: "You also said that this matter is of great importance. How can you, an elf, solve it?"

"Whatever lies ahead, I will do it for the glory of my Lord."

The silver-haired young man was as cold as ice, and his thin spine was like a long sword drawn from its sheath. He dropped his sword and said, "The twelve righteous gods are of the same lineage. Although they each have their own camps, they have formed a sacred covenant. If anyone else doesn't want to go, I'll go!"

After saying this, he coughed rapidly again, his face as white as snow. The bearded man was speechless, and after a moment he sighed, took out a bottle of holy water from his medicine refill bag and handed it to the other party: "This is holy water blessed by our Lord, it has a good healing effect on injuries. You are right, we can't just take care of ourselves. If it is just a goblin, we can finish it off before tonight at the earliest."

Mason took the holy water, and a pure breath came out of the bottle. He raised his head and drank it, and the cool feeling flowed down his throat into his stomach, and was immediately assimilated by his body and transformed into pure energy diffusion.

The bearded man was stunned for a moment, and he felt that he sensed something when the other person drank the holy water. He hesitated for a moment, and handed over another bottle, thinking about how to trick the other person into drinking it. The elf took it without changing his expression and drank it in one gulp.

The subtle energy fluctuations spread again, and were captured by the bearded man who was concentrating on sensing. He stared at the other party in surprise for a while, and simply took out a few more bottles: "Try this."

Mason accepted all who came. It was not until the bearded man reminded him that he had to leave supplies for the whole team that he reluctantly put away the supply box. He turned around and ordered his men to change formation, leaving one person behind to guard the place while the others went into the Dark Forest to check.

After arranging the tasks, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at the elf. The other party looked back at him with some doubt. The bearded man hesitated for a while, and finally asked carefully: "Elf brother."

The Holy Knight licked his lips. It was his first time to do this, so he was not very experienced. If he had not seen the precious physique of the other party, he would not have dared to approach her. Facing those piercing eyes, he felt a little ashamed and a little self-blaming, but for the future of the church, he still asked without hesitation: "You, no, you, how are you treated in the Church of Nature? We in the Moon Goddess Church treat you very well, and we have a good relationship with your Goddess of Nature. There is enough holy water..."

Have you considered switching to a new church?

The exhausted [Heaven] reopened with energy replenishment, making the young man's originally delicate face even more holy in the eyes of others. Mason looked at him calmly for three seconds, and when he heard the last sentence, his heart was shamefully moved.