That bard is such a charmer!

Chapter 41 The Enemy Who Passed By

Living in Cinderella's house?

Hmm... that seems like a good idea.

Although this place is a bit dilapidated, it can be used to open a shop, so there is definitely no shortage of empty rooms.

Moreover, judging from the way the mother and daughter practically wore their expressions of gratitude on their faces, giving them a chance wouldn't be a bad thing.

After thinking it over, Richard nodded to Elsa and Mary:

"Since you've extended such a warm invitation, then... I won't stand on ceremony, will I?"

"Very good!"

Elsa jumped up with a laugh, then dashed into the kitchen: "Have you had breakfast? We just bought eggs and parsley yesterday..."

Mary smiled and stepped forward, despite her recent recovery from a serious illness, wanting to help the two of them carry their luggage.

Richard quickly stopped the man.

"I take back what I just said. Let's be polite to each other; wasting a little more breath is good for our mental and physical health!"

An hour later.

Despite the repeated requests from Chapman and Grace that it wasn't necessary to go to so much trouble, the mother and daughter still tidied up the room for them, found two sets of bedding, and made a plate of scrambled eggs with herbs and two bowls of oatmeal porridge, which they placed on the dining table.

Looking at Elsa, who was standing at the table with her chest puffed out and a look of wanting to be praised, Richard sighed:

It is said that children from poor families mature early, and this little girl is so diligent at only ten years old. It is clear that she had a really tough time before.

Since that's the case, he can't be stingy.

So he immediately pulled Grace to the table, where they ate and drank heartily while praising her, raising their thumbs up as if they were knights standing guard for a princess.

As it turns out, Elsa really falls for this.

She even ate too much later on, and when praised, her face turned red. She turned her head away, not daring to look Richard in the eye.

The pleasant mealtime passed quickly.

After Richard insisted on helping to fetch water and clean up the dishes, he went straight back to the room that the mother and daughter had vacated for him and collapsed onto the makeshift bedding.

After working all night, he really wanted to catch up on his sleep.

However, before he completely fell asleep, he couldn't help but think about the last important thing at hand.

How should we deal with Pastor Bill?

What should I do if the other party keeps hiding in the temple of the goddess of wealth?

the next day.

In Sawyer's shop in the Phoenix Black Market.

Although the vast majority of those who received Richard's money kept quiet about it, the total amount was so large that the news eventually leaked out.

After learning about this, the boy who was acting as Sawyer couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Sir, have you heard? After killing people, Robin Hood didn't run away; instead, he went back to town and gave everyone a lot of money!"

"I heard, I heard. You're the third person to talk to me about this today. Damn, do I look like a middle-aged woman who's good at gossiping?"

Sawyer adjusted his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled smoke rings as he sighed:

"Speaking of which, to give away such a large sum of money so easily, that Robin Hood is truly ruthless. I completely don't understand him anymore. If his money hadn't been stolen, I would have suspected that he was a member of the Harpists' Alliance."

"Actually, I have the same doubts. Would you mind discussing it with me?"

"who!"

A gentle, elegant male voice suddenly interrupted their conversation, causing Sawyer to look up warily and see the tall man entering the shop.

He was about to say something impolite when he saw the man lift his hood, revealing a familiar face and a pale gold collar that signified his status as a formal priest of the Temple of Wealth.

Sawyer immediately swallowed back what he had said.

Bill Benjamin?

The rumors are true. Has this kid really been promoted from altar priest to priest in just one month?

His eye twitched slightly, and he put on a smiling face: "It's you, Bill. You startled me... What do you want? If you're buying medicine, I can give you a 20% discount."

Bill shook his head and replied:

"Don't be nervous, Sawyer, I'm here for Robin Hood."

"He first stole the Phoenix family's jewels, and then distributed large amounts of cash to countless poor people, severely disrupting market order."

"The church wants to bring him to justice, which is why they sent us out. I heard you've been in contact with him, so I wanted to ask if you have any new information."

Oh, I see.

Realizing that the other party wasn't looking to cause trouble for the black market, Sawyer relaxed and then frankly revealed everything he knew...

After all, he knew nothing about it and had nothing to hide.

Bill, of course, was not satisfied with this answer.

But unlike Jostein before, he maintained his smile and even bought a potion to restore his energy before leaving.

After he completely disappeared, the curious boy couldn't help but ask again:

"This is the first time I've ever seen a priest come to the black market... Why is he being so polite? I mean, he shouldn't be..."

"Should you yell, pull out a hammer, and smash my counter? Can't you think better of me?"

Sawyer rolled his eyes at the boy.

"Since you're still young, let me explain this to you properly."

"Not all gods openly worshipped by human nations are benevolent. The Goddess of Wealth is a typical example. She is in charge of trade, money, and wealth, and her allegiance is more neutral."

"This means that His followers will not be as righteous as the followers of the Lord of Radiance, Mother Earth, or God of Law. On the contrary, they believe that black market activities are still activities, and dirty money is still money. If two gold bars are placed in front of them, there is no need to distinguish which is noble and which is evil."

"The reason they pretend to be so proper is simply because they believe that order facilitates the flow of wealth; to put it bluntly, it's about maintaining appearances. But in private, where appearances are unnecessary... as long as the profits are high enough, they have no scruples!"

"What kind of business is this—buying and selling corpses, issuing loans with 391% interest rates, commissioning gangsters to turn people who can't repay their debts into things like candied apples… Have you eaten? No? Well, I'll explain what a candied apple is after you've eaten, hehehe~"

In the end, the young boy, Soyechong, chuckled.

The boy stared wide-eyed, realizing that his understanding of the world was still far too superficial...

at the same time.

Bill put his hood back on and went out onto the street.

He walked and thought:

That Robin Hood is really hard to find; no wonder he caused the Phoenix family such a big loss.

I wish that person could appear right in front of me the next second...

Ha, forget it, let's stop this pointless fantasy.

Since this job is difficult, let's put it on hold for now.

Anyway, he had been promoted two ranks for offering the dragon's treasure to the church, and was at the height of his power, so he had no shortage of opportunities to showcase his abilities...

Just then, two hooded men passed by Bill, interrupting his thoughts, but he didn't pay them any mind. He just glanced at them briefly and continued walking.

The words are divided into two parts.

Richard also paid no attention to the hooded man who almost bumped into him.

He was struggling to figure out how to settle accounts with Bill, and even couldn't help but fantasize that his lucky talent would work its magic, making the other man appear right in front of him the next second...

However, he quickly shook his head and stopped having such unrealistic expectations.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a building on the right side of the road out of the corner of his eye, and an idea popped into his head!