The fields seed endless, and villages were scattered like stars across this region, said to be the Farol Principality’s largest grain-producing area. It was also the ancestral land of a family that had an affinity with fractures and right hands.
Yes, it was the domain of Richie of the Moriti family.
It was said that the upcoming town was his territory, where the train would unload the first batch of goods—so firearms and bullets, along with a piece of protective armor.
The breastplate jackets made from the skin of Earth Dragons from the Sydney Combined Western Province had always been bestsellers.
Mr. Richie placed an order for these goods after confirming the potency of the newly ard modern army of Baron Anthony, promptly choosing to spend money, so Malin also made a tidy profit.
Mr. Richie’s town was nad Iron Mud Town, which had developed from a settlent established by a group of pioneers led by Richie’s ancestors over five hundred years ago. Although called a town, it appeared to Malin to be twice the size of Saint Pedro City.
It also had a design with double gates, presumably to prevent the incursion of zombies, and its walls were heftier than those of Saint Pedro City—which was not a Moriti family territory and naturally lacked such fortitude, given it was only four hundred years old.
However, the sewage system in Farole cities wasn’t well designed, and the streets were full of filth; Malin and the ladies activated the air Purification Array and huddled in the train.
It wasn’t long before Malin saw the Moriti family’s carriage appear outside the station, and then he saw his Uncle Richie erge from the vehicle.
"You know each other?" Seeing the middle-aged man waving to Malin, Clovis, who was with Malin under the sunshade on the train roof enjoying juice, asked curiously.
"I t him once when I ca to Farole with Lady Anna on business," Malin explained while responding to the man waving at him, "Mr. Richie, what can I do for you?"
"Of course, I hurried over as soon as I heard you were on the train." The middle-aged man stopped on the platform, his young companion curiously eyeing Malin, likely his child by the facial features.
"What’s the matter, Mr. Richie?" Not wishing to be rude by staying seated, Malin hopped down from the roof and stood before Richie.
"I need your help to deal with a creature, especially now with your activated bloodline, which happens to be suitable for the task." Richie said, while rubbing the boy’s head, "This is my fourth son, Dochie."
"Greetings, Sir Malin," the boy said with a respectful look to Malin.
"Hello, Dochie," Malin smiled and then turned to Richie, "What is it?"
Given that Richie used "it" rather than "he" or "she," Malin was all ears.
"A Wraith, in the old village outside the city. We sent a team of Demon Hunters, but they haven’t returned in a week. I don’t have much experience with Wraiths... So, may I hire you?"
"My appearance fee is quite expensive," Malin said with a smile.
"I’ll do my best to et your demands," Richie said, looking earnestly at Malin.
With that, Malin told the ladies and then boarded the carriage with Clovis—as for exorcisms, he should have brought Lillim, but Malin himself was a Clergy, equipped with enough thods to deal with a Wraith. It was better to bring Clovis, in case so Cannon fodder needed handling, which Clovis could dispatch with a Fireball.
The carriage left the city through the sa entrance the train had used, sparing Malin the peculiar odors and quickly revealing to him why Mr. Richie was willing to pay a large sum to rid himself of the Wraith—what was referred to as the "old village" was actually Ode Village.
A misunderstanding caused by the Farole accent in Sydney language.
This village was the largest under Iron Mud Town’s jurisdiction, with thousands of tenant farrs cultivating the vast wilderness. The appearance of the Wraith forced them to abandon the village.
To give the tenant farrs a ho to return to and to ensure his own harvest wouldn’t be wiped out due to the Wraith, Richie offered Malin a bribe that was impossible for him to refuse: "Five thousand Mowish coins, how does that sound?"
Clovis beside Malin couldn’t help but chuckle.
"This... I’ve heard you indeed killed a Great Demon, but as you know, I just bought a lot of things..." Richie said awkwardly.
Malin smiled and stopped him from continuing, "I am a follower of the Goddess of Harvest, Mr. Richie, and I am fully aware of everything you’ve done for the tenant farrs under your na. Therefore, I’ve decided to rid that village of its wraith for free."
As a mber of the Church of the Goddess of Harvest, Malin didn’t mind showing the Goddess’s compassion to the world—especially when it was the farrs who were receiving the blessings.
"But if I don’t pay you, it might cause you trouble," Mr. Richie said.
"I am spreading the Goddess’s rcy. Since you put it that way, how about this: I’ll charge you two thousand Mowish. Please contact the Bishop of the Church of Justice locally and tell him that Malin from the Church of the Goddess of Harvest hopes to establish an orphanage here. This two thousand Mowish is the initial funding I’m providing."
Malin also didn’t want to embarrass this gentleman, especially in front of the children.
Upon hearing this, Richie smiled and agreed to the deal, "On behalf of all the holess children in my territory, I thank you, Mr. Malin."
"It’s nothing," Malin raised her little hand.
Four World Tree Saplings landed simultaneously, turning into four humanoid plant creatures.
"Eh, aren’t wraiths usually only active at night? What’s going on now...?"
"At night, that’s the main stage for wraiths. We just need to drag it out of its nest and purify it in the middle of the day."
While saying this, Malin whistled.
Fio, as the leader, led the three little brothers into the village.
Shortly after, the village’s little bell tower began to ring on its own, followed by a shrill scream. Those standing on the main road outside the village saw the dead—zombie hunters already beginning to rot—bursting out of the door, only to be caught by a tree branch and hoisted onto the tower.
The next second, the wraith ejected from its host fell to the ground. It shrieked, attempting to flee, then a small tree branch erged from the ground, entwining its leg and causing the wraith, as if it had a physical body, to fall heavily.
Then two humanoid plant creatures, transford from World Tree Saplings, burst through the wall, wielding clubs and starting to beat the wraith rcilessly.
The World Tree Saplings took roughly a minute to completely purify the wraith.
"Is it over?" Mr. Richie felt like he had witnessed sothing that could shatter his entire worldview.
Malin nodded with a smile and signaled for the small tree branches to co back, "It’s over now."
Honestly, a wraith of this intensity, even being at danger-level, gets stronger at night, possibly rising by another level.
But in broad daylight, its strength was not much different from a mischievous child.
The World Tree Saplings, designed to target the Undead, combined with daylight, handled the wraith with ease. Malin smiled as she retracted the small branches, "There shouldn’t be any other issues, but if you don’t find it reliable, you can contact the Church to get so Apprentices who are proficient in Purification. They will charge very little."
"I understand," said Mr. Richie, naturally not having any more questions since Malin had put it that way.
At the sa ti, he once again thanked Malin for her help—while Malin made quick work of the problem, Richie was also well aware of his own limitations—Spirits that Malin could handle lying down, would likely have been the death of him, a fighter with absolutely no Spell Talent.
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