"Sir, are you here to pray at the church?"
The tall, thin nun had appeared before Su Xuan at some point, staring at him indifferently.
"Yes. A relative of mine is sick, and I wish to pray to the God of Light for her health."
Su Xuan replied calmly to the tall, thin nun.
He felt there was something strange about this nun, so with a thought, he pulled up her information panel.
[Moran (Rare)]
Level: 10 (400/2000)
Race: Human (?)
Power: 100 / Agility: 100 / Magic Power: 100 / Physique: 100
Growth: 6 (Gains 6 points in All Attributes with each level)
Skills: (Expand)
Status: ? (Unqueryable)
'Why are there two question marks?'
Su Xuan's brow furrowed. 'Could this Sister Moran be the Demon mentioned in the quest?'
"I see. We sell Holy Water in the church for treating illnesses. If you need some, you can buy a few vials. That stuff is probably more effective than praying." The tall, thin nun kept a straight face, as if someone owed her money.
"Thank you for the suggestion. I'll be sure to buy some to take with me."
Su Xuan nodded in agreement.
After that, the tall, thin nun left.
But she kept looking back at Su Xuan. Was she looking at him as if he were an enemy?
"Mr. Su Xuan, what were you discussing with Sister Moran?"
Ivsha had suddenly appeared at Su Xuan's side, asking with a bright smile.
"Nothing much." Su Xuan shook his head, then continued, "Ivsha, besides Sister Kelly, who else in the church knows your identity?"
"Well, there's Sister Moran~ Her and Sister Kelly are the two most respected nuns in the church. They're the ones who keep this place running," Ivsha replied.
"Oh~" Su Xuan nodded thoughtfully.
"Ivsha, this must be the Mr. Su Xuan you're always talking about, right?"
Just then, a group of nuns crowded around them.
Among them, a chubby nun with smiling, narrowed eyes asked Su Xuan.
"Yes, Sister Kelly, this is Mr. Su Xuan." Ivsha beamed and wrapped her arm tightly around Su Xuan's.
"Hello, Sister Kelly. It's a great pleasure to meet you." Su Xuan felt a little nervous, like he was meeting Ivsha's parents.
"This guy's pretty handsome," a blue-haired nun suddenly complimented Su Xuan.
"He is, and he doesn't look like he's from our Silver Moon Town."
"He must be from another country. So handsome~ No wonder Ivsha is head over heels for him."
"Ah~ Mr. Su Xuan~ Ah~ My Mr. Su Xuan~ Please punish me~"
"What nonsense are you all talking about?"
"Hahahaha~"
The nuns chattered amongst themselves, extremely curious about Su Xuan's sudden appearance.
Su Xuan simply responded with a smile. He could feel that the big family Ivsha lived in was full of warmth and happiness.
Just as everyone was enjoying the leisurely moment amidst laughter and cheerful chatter, a group of people burst into the church, shattering the peace.
"My beautiful nuns, what are you all so enthusiastically discussing? Care to share so I can have a listen?" A harsh, shrill voice rang out, making Su Xuan's ears ache.
He turned his head to see a bloated merchant, dripping with gold and silver, walking toward him and Ivsha, accompanied by his servants.
The surrounding townspeople all seemed to fear this man, and they quickly backed away.
"He's here again!"
"What a scoundrel!"
Seeing him, all the nuns stepped back, their eyes filled with deep disgust.
Only Sister Kelly took a step forward, blocking the merchant and his numerous servants. She asked calmly, "Mr. Mole, is there any special reason for your visit today?"
"Nothing special. Just came to stroll around the church and take in the sights of the world," the merchant Mole said, glancing around with a mocking smile, seeming to relish the townspeople's plight.
"What a sin!"
Sister Kelly's brow furrowed slightly as she clutched the Cross on her chest tightly with both hands.
"A sin? Sister Kelly, the world has changed. In this day and age, you can't get by on goodwill alone!" The merchant Mole sneered, his sharp, rat-like eyes sweeping over the nuns behind Kelly.
His gaze was filled with greed and delight, until it landed on Su Xuan, at which point a flash of anger appeared.
"An outsider? More and more outsiders have been coming to Silver Moon Town lately. Who knows what they're all here for," the merchant said coldly. "I hope Sister Kelly can keep the church's nuns away from these outsiders, lest they get tricked and led astray, breaking your heart!"
"That is no concern of Mr. Mole's. The nuns of the church are very obedient. They know who the bad people are and who the good people are," Sister Kelly replied calmly.
"Is that so? I'm not so sure!"
Mole strode forward until he stood before Sister Kelly. His large frame was a stark contrast to Sister Kelly's petite figure.
However, Su Xuan saw not a trace of fear in Sister Kelly's eyes, only calm and composure.
After a moment of silence, Mole continued, "I hope you and Sister Moran understand clearly that this church is on the verge of collapse. Only by accepting my demands can you save it. And at the same time, protect this flock of nuns you're so proud of! Hehe!"
Mole's greedy eyes once again swept over the nuns behind her as he grinned, revealing a row of gleaming yellow-gold teeth.
"Cut the hypocrisy! We can protect the church ourselves!"
A young nun, Emily, rushed out and shouted bravely, "Handing the church over to someone like you would be the real fall into the Abyss!"
"Emily!"
An older nun immediately pulled Emily behind her, afraid the merchant's servants would use rough methods on her.
"You think you can protect the church?"
Mole raised a fat palm, smoothed down his fine hair that was about to be blown away by the wind, and said with a cold laugh, "And who will you rely on? That Baron from the Royal City? He can only solve your immediate problems. Without my support, the church's collapse is just a matter of time. I think you all know that very well!"
"As for falling into the Abyss?" Mole grinned lecherously and reached a groping hand toward Emily. "You've never even experienced it, so how can you say it's an Ab—"
"Rosaline!"
Before Mole could finish his sentence, the sharp edge of a longsword was already pressed against his throat.
"Y-y-you!"
Threatened by the sudden killing intent, Mole trembled from head to toe.
He never would have imagined that someone in Silver Moon Town would actually dare to make a move on him.
Mole tried to order his servants to rescue him, but this Knight in White Gold armor struck a deep-seated fear into his heart!
He could only look at Su Xuan in a panic and demand, "You! What do you think you're doing?"
"You're too loud. A church should be quiet."
Su Xuan said indifferently.
The merchant's words disgusted him. After confirming that the combined combat Power of the man's servants was lower than Rosaline's, he decisively chose to start the fight!
After all, when he was certain that his side had superior combat Power and the opponent was an absolute scoundrel, Su Xuan had no reason to hesitate!
Besides, he had learned from Ivsha about the merchant's background; he was just a nouveau riche upstart.
'As a Player, why should I put up with an NPC?'
"Rosaline, make him get out," Su Xuan gave the ice-cold command.
"As you command!"
"You dare? I'm... ARGH!"
Before Mole could finish speaking, Rosaline kicked him in the stomach. Su Xuan had specifically instructed this to avoid staining the holy ground of the church with the merchant's blood and frightening the younger nuns.
In an instant, the merchant Mole was sent flying out of the church doors like a rubber ball...