"If you're scared, I can hold you tight. It's a special service our church offers to Mr. Su Xuan~"
Ivsha's enchanting voice echoed in Su Xuan's ear, making his body tremble slightly. He was surprised to find that even after all this time, he still couldn't completely resist Ivsha's temptations.
'What a tempting Succubus!'
"Ahem! I'll think about it. For now, let's get ready and head to the church."
"Mhm~"
"Rosaline, it's time to go."
Su Xuan immediately told Rosaline, who was working on a puzzle, to get ready to go to the church with him.
"Mm."
Rosaline nodded, put down the puzzle piece in her hand, and stood up to follow closely behind Su Xuan.
"Please believe me, Mr. Su Xuan~ A Holy Light Baptism can really dispel your wicked thoughts!"
"Ivsha, if my wicked thoughts are dispelled, I won't be able to give you any more rewards."
"Ah~ Then never mind~ Mr. Su Xuan doesn't need a Holy Light Baptism after all!"
...
In the blink of an eye, the three of them arrived at Ivsha's church. Located in the center of Silver Moon Town, the church wasn't large, but it was currently packed with people.
Su Xuan observed the surrounding crowd and noticed that some of the townspeople were unusually pale, as if they had been drained of all color.
"What's going on here?"
Su Xuan asked Ivsha, confused.
"Lately, an Evil Demon has been causing trouble in Silver Moon Town, and the Law Enforcement Knights haven't been able to capture it yet," Ivsha explained to Su Xuan. "The townspeople affected by the Evil Demon have been flocking to the church for help, which is one of the reasons for our financial deficit."
"In that case, shouldn't the town's mayor be providing financial support to the church?" Su Xuan asked.
"Silver Moon Town was never a wealthy town to begin with, and with the recent chaos caused by the Evil Demon, the mayor can barely protect himself," Ivsha continued. "Besides, our church has far more Nuns than other churches, so our expenses are huge. We've been operating at a loss for a long time."
Hearing this, Su Xuan glanced around.
Indeed, there were at least sixty or seventy Nuns in Ivsha's church. Most of them were orphans, just like Ivsha, who had been taken in by the church.
After getting a brief overview, Su Xuan began to understand why the church was on the verge of bankruptcy.
The only profitable services the church offered were exorcisms, prayers, and the sale of Holy Artifacts, but the profits were meager. Although many townspeople had recently been affected by the Evil Demon, the church couldn't earn enough income because the general populace was poor.
Following the principles of the Bright Church Court, the church even had to frequently provide free treatment to its followers, which undoubtedly added to its financial burden.
Furthermore, with sixty to seventy Nuns living there, daily expenses were unavoidable, even if they ate very little. Not to mention the reconstruction costs for the church and dormitories after natural disasters.
All these factors combined had gradually pushed the church into a financial crisis, bringing it to the brink of bankruptcy.
However, what was strange was that Silver Moon Town wasn't in a remote area. So why were the townspeople so poor?
"Ivsha, who are the higher-ups at the church?" Su Xuan inquired.
"They're two Priests sent from the main cathedral in Blue Moon City, but they spend most of their time living in Blue Moon City, not here at the church," Ivsha explained.
'Management parachuted in from above?' Su Xuan's brow tightened. He was speechless.
'Why is a church using such a bizarre tactic?'
"Ivsha, the Holy Light Baptism is about to start!" At that moment, a young Little Nun came running over. She was about 1.4 meters tall, looking petite and full of youthful energy.
He guessed she was only about eleven or twelve years old.
"Okay, Emily, I'll be right there!" Ivsha nodded lightly, then stood up, ready to join the other Nuns for the Holy Light Baptism.
"Oh, right, Mr. Su Xuan, this is for you!" Ivsha suddenly handed Su Xuan a talisman carved in the shape of a Nun.
"What's this?" Su Xuan asked, puzzled.
"It's one of the Holy Artifacts our church sells, called a Nun's Talisman. Of course, I made this one myself," Ivsha explained. "Wait for me for a little while. I'll be back as soon as the Holy Light Baptism is over."
"Okay."
Su Xuan nodded and then looked down at the Nun's Talisman in his hand.
'A Nun's Talisman?'
[Nun's Talisman (Rare): Luck Value +5 (Triggers the Unwavering Loyalty trait, effect increased by 100%)]
'An item that increases Luck Value!?'
A faint glint appeared in Su Xuan's eyes. Five points of Luck Value might not mean much to the people of this world, but for a Player, it was an extremely precious item!
Of course, identical items couldn't be stacked.
Su Xuan put the talisman, filled with Ivsha's affection, into his pocket and then turned his gaze forward.
The church's Nuns were gathered in the center of the chapel, standing in neat rows, waiting for the Holy Light Baptism.
In front of them, a plump, elderly Nun held a book in her hands, which must have been the Bible of the Bright Church Court.
As the old Nun began to chant from the Bible, a Golden light flickered gently above the heads of all the Nuns.
Dozens of Nuns clasped their hands together and sang a Holy Song.
The brilliant scene was intoxicating to Su Xuan. And also... 'What kind of church is this?'
'Why is every single one of them so beautiful?'
Just as Su Xuan was absorbed in the Nuns' Holy Light Baptism, a figure caught his attention.
It was a tall, lean Knight with short, bright yellow hair and a handsome face. He looked to be only about twenty-four or twenty-five years old.
'Who is he?'
Su Xuan's gaze focused, and the other person's information was laid bare before him.
[Noda (Elite)]
Level: 20 (500/6000)
Race: Human
Power: 350 / Agility: 360 / Magic Power: 300 / Physique: 380
Growth: 8 (Gains an 8-point Attribute Amplification to All Attributes with each level up)
Skills: (Expand)
'A Level 20 Knight? Are all his Attributes higher than Rosaline's? Looks like he won't be easy to deal with.' Su Xuan's eyes narrowed. This was clearly the young Baron that Ivsha had mentioned.
Judging by his Attributes, defeating this young Baron in a head-on fight would be no easy task.
But it wasn't as if he stood no chance. If he used every trick up his sleeve...
"Hm?"
Su Xuan suddenly noticed a tall, thin, elderly Nun walking toward Baron Noda.
'What are they talking about?'
Although there was some distance between him and them, a Player's five senses in the Otherworld were sharper than a normal person's. This was likely because a Player's hearing, sight, touch, and so on were transmitted from the game console to their brainwaves.
Therefore, he could just barely make out their conversation.
"It seems the target you're looking for is not in our church," the tall, thin Nun said to Baron Noda.
"This is just one Holy Light Baptism. It's not enough to determine the final result," Noda said calmly. "I will find the Demon hiding in this church and bring it back to the Royal City to report my success. I believe the recent disasters in Silver Moon Town are also related to it."
"In that case, we naturally won't interfere with Lord Baron," the tall, thin Nun said with a blank expression. "However, I must ask you to keep the promise you made to us."
"I won't go back on what I promised you," Noda continued coolly. "But if I find that the church is sheltering a Demon, don't blame me for being merciless."
"Of course."
After their conversation ended, Baron Noda turned and left the church.
'His target is Ivsha!'
Su Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He was certain that the Baron's purpose in coming to Silver Moon Town was related to Ivsha.
As for the Evil Demon that had recently appeared in Silver Moon Town, the Baron must have mistakenly believed it was Ivsha's doing.
Su Xuan knew that Ivsha would never harm the townspeople. The Evil Demon had to be someone else.
'Also, judging from the Baron's words, he was sent to capture Ivsha? Is the real culprit someone far away in the Royal City?'
'This is probably the hidden quest mentioned in the character mission—saving Ivsha.'
A cold glint flashed in Su Xuan's eyes. He would never let them succeed!
'Ivsha is an Adventurer in my Guild!'
'No one is going to hurt her!'
"Sir, are you here at the church to pray?"
Suddenly, a voice spoke up in front of him.
It was the tall, thin Nun. She stared coldly at Su Xuan, a strange, dark red light glinting in her eyes...