I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Chapter 86 Church Outsourcing (Seeking First Subscriptions)

Xia Lin stood in the shadows around the corner, not revealing herself immediately.

He glanced at the tall back of the orc Garuna, then at the two unlucky thugs on the ground, and a thoughtful smile appeared on his lips.

This orc from the church, under the tutelage of the old pastor Far for many years, had a personality and habits that were clearly unlike his distant cousins ​​who roamed the wilderness.

Garu, the half-orc, watched the boy run away, dusted off his hands, as if he had only done something insignificant.

His keen hearing caught the subtle movement around the corner. He suddenly looked up, his wary beastly eyes narrowing in the dim light, and then recognized the figure in the shadows.

"Xia Lin?" His tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

"it's me."

Xia Lin emerged from the shadows, his gaze sweeping over the two unconscious thugs on the ground before returning to Garu. "Just passing by and happened to see this. You acted swiftly."

Garu snorted dismissively, as if he had merely swatted two flies unconscious.

Then, he remembered the important task his teacher had assigned him.

He rummaged around in a thick leather pouch at his waist, pulled out something carefully wrapped in soft cloth, and handed it to Xia Lin.

"I was just looking for you. My teacher asked me to give this to you as a thank you gift for helping me before."

"We're going back with the church's convoy first thing tomorrow morning."

The orcs' way of expressing themselves was direct and simple. Xia Lin took it; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.

He unfolded the soft cloth, revealing an antique-style pendant.

Chains are made of the most common silver metal, not particularly precious, but they are polished very smoothly and have a unique design.

The pendant is a badge about the size of a thumb joint, made of some kind of gray metal material with rounded edges and a slightly cool feel to the touch.

The emblem's design is simple and unadorned—a simple red heart shape with a small crack in the center, with symbolic thorns faintly surrounding the heart above.

The classic symbol of the Church of Irmat, with its broken heart, represents the love and mercy from the "Lord of Suffering".

This perfectly matches the description of the "Church of Suffering," which the Druids had briefly introduced, and which enjoyed a high reputation among the lower classes of the Upper City and even the entire kingdom, with its core mission of "sharing suffering, healing wounds, and protecting the weak."

"This is a church token of the Church of Ilmat," the orc Garu added, his tone unusually solemn. "The teacher is one of the church's leaders here."

With this, if you ever go to a place with the Temple of Ilmat and encounter trouble or need simple treatment or protection, show it to the brothers and sisters in the church, and they will give you some help within their capacity.

Of course, expecting them to fight for you might not be an option, but a bowl of hot soup, a safe bed to rest in, or help you spot some evil traces—that should be no problem.

Xia Lin, who had many years of memories of working in her previous life, immediately understood the value of the pendant – it was from a large factory outsourcing project.

This is like obtaining a basic accreditation certificate from a reputable large "non-profit organization," similar to the "partner" or "friend" designation of some large corporations in the past.

When undertaking dangerous missions in unfamiliar territory, such a symbol of kindness and neutrality can sometimes be more "healing" than a few gold coins.

It represents a potential endorsement of credibility from the church, equivalent to telling the other party that I have connections!

There is no reason to refuse this practical and kind gift.

Xia Lin carefully put it away and nodded his thanks: "Please thank Lord Far for me. This gift is very thoughtful."

"Okay," Garu replied, indicating that the mission was complete.

"Are you leaving so soon?" Xia Lin asked casually, putting the pendant into her inner bag.

"It's the teacher's arrangement," Garu explained. "From what the teacher said, there's a lot of backlog at the church."

Although each church has its own task force, sometimes there are too many tasks, or troublesome matters involving remote areas or investigating traces of demons, and there are never enough people.

You know, the adventurer profession is incredibly fast-paced. A teammate you're drinking with today might be gone tomorrow. Reliable people are hard to find, especially when carrying out secret missions within the church.

He paused, then, remembering his teacher's instructions, added a few more words: "The teacher's report has already been sent back to the Upper City Headquarters Church through church channels."

This unusual occurrence in the forest may have significant implications.

Perhaps after some time, when dealing with the follow-up investigation, I might return with a group from another church.

Although different churches may have some private rivalries over details of their faith, when faced with truly serious problems, such as an overabundance of the dead or signs of demons—issues that concern the lives of many—they are usually of one mind.

Xia Lin nodded.

It sounds like the Ilmat Church, or at least the old pastor and his apprentice, are quite dedicated to their duties.

It is not the kind of religious organization that only knows how to make money and disregards the lives of believers.

This improved his impression of the concept of "church" here.

At the very least, the donations and prayers of believers seem to genuinely translate into protection for the weak and resistance against evil.

Instead of becoming someone's luxury cars and goods as in their previous life, or simply adding another mistress to their collection.

After exchanging a few more words, the two said goodbye at the alley entrance.

The burly figure of the orc Garu quickly disappeared, and Xia Lin turned towards the dwarf tavern.

The tavern was still noisy, filled with the strong aroma of beer and roasted meat.

Xia Lin found Druid Griffin in his usual spot at the tavern counter.

He had already packed his bags and was now sitting with Targen and the dwarf boss, with several wine glasses in front of him. Apparently, when he saw Xia Lin coming from the farewell gate, Griffin smiled, took out a money bag from his pocket, and pushed it over.

"You've arrived just in time. We've finished processing the materials from those ghouls and demons, and sold them for a total of 16 gold coins."

As agreed, including the reward for this mission, here are your 28 gold coins.

With the heavy money bag in his hand, Xia Lin was overjoyed, his entire fortune soaring to an astonishing 63 gold, 2 silver, and 10 bronze coins.

At this moment, his joy was no less than that of a newly rich businessman who had made it onto the "small town Forbes rich list".

This windfall is quite cost-effective, since the druids do most of the tedious and messy work of identifying and processing materials.

I mostly learned from the sidelines and lent a hand, and I also gained access to a lot of valuable collecting knowledge for free.

I didn't do much work, but I earned a full coin. The cooperative experience couldn't be better.

"Thanks, Griffin." Xia Lin put away the money bag and thanked him sincerely.

"You're welcome. It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Griffin waved his hand, seemingly in a good mood.

Immediately, a look of expectation and solemnity appeared on his face as he looked at his two old teammates beside him. "Actually, there's another reason why I'm in such a hurry to go back this time—after this mission in the forest, I think I've vaguely touched that threshold."

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