Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

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"Is his name Malin, Malin Gaiate?" The question from his cousin left Richard stunned; he was silent for a moment, then nodded: "His name is Malin, but I don't know his last name."

"The characteristics of Malin Gaiate... small in stature, harmless when he smiles, with a bit of hair naturally standing on top of his head, and a ponytail... that's him right? How much did Leon spend again?" His cousin put down the notebook in his hand, staring intensely at his cousin before him.

"A thousand... Is there a problem?" Richard was a bit puzzled.

"You've made a huge profit. Do you know who the Apprentice from the Church of the Goddess of Harvest in the Western District who drove away the Spiritual Body by themselves a while ago was?" Richard's cousin stared at him: "It's him."

"He?" Richard turned his head to glance at the carriage, as if trying to take another look through the coach wall at that seemingly unremarkable little fellow.

"Yes, him, the monster who swept through his peers to the eighth grade in less than half a year! He hasn't even finished his formal Apprentice exam and has already started mastering the second ring Spell Formation! It's said he's a genius with a Blessing Ten! With him present, ordinary low-level Spiritual Bodies won't be able to hurt you at all, the thousand you spent is worth it!" Saying this, the expression of Richard's cousin softened: "When you go back, help me establish contact with him, tell him I need a favor from him early next year."

"But cousin, haven't you already graduated from your apprenticeship?"

"You silly boy, your cousin, my younger brother will enter the graduation process next year. If he comes over to help, it will double the results with half the effort!" After saying this, Leonidas took another glance at the carriage: "A thousand coins for a band of mercenaries might be too much, but spending a thousand on a useful fellow with a Blessing Ten is a real bargain. Besides, such assistance brings our relationships closer. Often, having one more person willing to help you, whether for yourself or for the family, can change your Fate. The Thanan have a proverb that goes, 'One more friend, one more path.' Understand?"

Richard quickly nodded: "Of course I understand, and now I see why that guy Leon is so confident. No problem."

His cousin finally nodded in satisfaction: "Good, by the way, aren't your twin brother and sister also in their first year as Apprentices at the Church of the Goddess of Harvest? Tell them to socialize with this Malin."

"No problem, if this kid is really that strong, I'll ask him for a hand too. I can afford a thousand."

......

Colin yawned, having slept for only four hours this morning, the young man had been busy for most of the day at the strategy department established by the Byde family estate, because as the event progressed, a sacrificial site virtually identical to the previous ones was discovered. After receiving the intel provided by Colin, all the Archbishops felt there was something amiss with the situation, so they decided not to rush to close the case, hoping to find fresher clues.

With the addition of a large number of personnel, a new lead emerged quickly—the new sacrificial site was confirmed to be an incomplete sacrifice.

That is to say, the person responsible for the sacrifice went through all the necessary steps of the ritual, yet did not summon the Evil God.

This was very intriguing, what follower of an Evil God would engage in such a loss-making enterprise.

So now, a large number of Church members are screening the recent social network of the Byde family, to see if anyone is committing crimes under the guise of being cultists—while the latter indeed deserve death, the former should at no point be evading the court's judgment.

Just like what that boy Malin had said, everyone must pay the price for their actions.

This murderer was no exception.

Rubbing his nose, Colin noticed a group of Proxies entering the gates of the mansion, and one of them immediately came over upon seeing him: "Good evening, Brother Colin of the Church of the Goddess of Harvest, I am a Proxy from the Church of the God of Wisdom, where is Madam Val?"

"Madam Val has just gone to bed, she has been up for four whole days for the Harvest Ritual and tomorrow is the Bonfire Ritual, she still needs to care for the children of your Church's choir, so, brother, what do you need? If possible, you can tell me, Madam Val asked me to handle some non-church affairs for her." Colin responded with a smile, as this was Madam Val's instruction; the Church of the Goddess of Harvest had always had a friendly relationship with the Church of the God of Wisdom, and Colin and Madam Val were acquainted, so solving some minor issues for each other wasn't a big deal.

"That's great, it is indeed a non-church matter. We have just apprehended a group of cultists of the Lord of Eternity in the Western District. After interrogation, someone said that their summoner in the Northern District is calling Undead of a different kind, aiming to perform a blood sacrifice ritual during the third night of the Harvest Festival, the Bonfire Ritual. Sir, please summon the Punishers of the Church immediately; we need support."

This news furrowed Colin's brow: "Don't worry, we'll take care of these damned wastes, you go and inform the others."

"Yes, Sir."

The Proxy was about to leave when Colin, sensing something was amiss, called him back: "Where exactly is the location you are talking about?"

"It's that abandoned fortress in the Northern District." The Proxy said after saluting, then turned and left.

Colin took a deep breath and then turned to stride towards the conference room.

"Sir, the Bishops from the Church of the War God, the Church of the Sea God, and the Church of the God of Justice are inside holding a meeting, and they said they do not want to be disturbed." The guard at the door put out his hand.

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