Chapter 372 - Daily Benevolence

"I hope to be able to reside in the manor for a while, rest assured, I will restrain myself and will not do anything excessive..."Before Darnell could finish, Gaven shook his head without hesitation and refused, "Sorry, Mr. Darnell, I understand your good intentions, but your presence would not solve the problems of the manor. On the contrary, it might create many new issues and bring inconvenience to both parties."

Darnell thought about it and realized it was true. Ordinary people fear the undead, while sage undead keep their distance from holy warriors.

My moving into Weizemay Manor isn’t just about whether it’s inconvenient for me; it’s about whether it’s inconvenient for the ghosts of the manor.

The slightly changed expressions of Estelle and her daughter perfectly illustrated this point.

Darnell could only suggest as a compromise, "I don’t have to move directly into the manor. I can set up a temporary dwelling nearby, or even just a tent."

"Sorry." Gaven still shook his head in refusal.

Although he didn’t plan to engage in any evil deeds at Weizemay Manor, it still contained many of his secrets.

Especially after being infused with Undead Divinity, the manor had become anything but ordinary.

Many of its functions, even he had not fully figured out.

Having a Transcendent Holy Knight at the door would severely limit his actions in many things.

However, having a powerful holy warrior in one’s own territory is not without its benefits. At the very least, it plays an extraordinary role in steadying people’s hearts.

Soon, Gaven proposed a compromise, "If you are willing, sir, I can set aside a separate courtyard for you, for the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice in the new village. You’re always welcome to stay temporarily or permanently. If that’s agreeable, I hope you can establish a civil court there to adjudicate civil disputes. As a token of gratitude, I will donate a cart of Ghost Grape Wine to the monastery every year."

Outsourcing the court to holy warriors, especially those of Tyr, is common in the valley. Many places cannot establish a permanent court and thus enter into agreements with nearby monasteries. When needed, they invite the monastery to send holy warriors to form a temporary court for judgment and arbitration.

The Monastery of the Hammer of Justice is a leader in this regard, and a model among models. This is another reason for their renowned reputation in the surrounding valleys.

Outsourcing judgment is only a temporary solution.

Once my power grows, I must take it back and firmly hold it in my own hands, establishing my own legal system.

This time Darnell did not respond immediately: "Since Mr. Gaven, you’re planning to visit the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice in person, let’s discuss this matter then. The temporary stay here is my personal affair, unrelated to the monastery. Well then, just set aside a single-person dwelling for me in the new village; I’ll pay for it myself."

Darnell’s request had already probed Gaven’s bottom line.

The secrets hidden behind Weizemay Manor were more numerous than he had imagined; there was no way the other party would let him guard the front door.

Allowing him to stay in the new village freely was already an accommodation of the relationship between both parties.

"We’ll discuss this affair later," Gaven didn’t insist on this matter much. After all, the construction of the new village wouldn’t happen overnight. By that time, who knows how much would have changed.

"Alright," Darnell apparently realized this as well.

He still vividly remembered traveling with Gaven to Weizemay Manor, an event from just over a month ago.

But the changes at Weizemay Manor felt as if years had passed because everything was so great and so fast.

In many places, this was a feeling that only arose after not visiting for several years.

Gaven was unwilling to continue on this topic and directly turned to the main purpose of the visit, "Mr. Darnell, how much do you plan to take back with you?"

After pondering for a moment, Darnell said, "Five carts, five carts will be sufficient. The rest, Mr. Gaven, please handle it at the auction on the first of next month. We’ll offset the goods and money received against our accounts."

Although Darnell was a holy warrior, he had no quarrel with money and was certainly frugal and shrewd.

Bartering goods to offset debts is a common trade method in Felen, all in order to reduce transportation as much as possible.

The less that needs to be transported, the greater the cost savings. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt

"No problem, I’ll have it loaded onto the ship today. Tomorrow morning, we set off early for the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice. I believe you, Mr. Darnell, will need to prepare tomorrow’s dinner," Gaven promptly agreed.

With eight hundred gnolls and over four hundred Tesser immigrants suddenly present in his territory, securing a new supply of food was the most pressing matter.

Although game was not hard to come by in the Three Rivers Region.

But the instability of such a situation was far too great, and suffering from hunger after a full meal was a minor issue.

If war breaks out and hunting becomes impossible, that’s a serious problem.

Only by holding a large quantity of food in hand can one remain calm and better soothe the hearts of the people.

After settling the main matter, Gaven then turned to address another minor nuisance outside the manor.

Before stepping out of the manor, Gaven said to Darnell, "Sir, I hope that when I address the disagreement with Miss Ceylon, you can calmly observe from the sidelines and not intervene rashly."

"This..." Darnell showed a troubled expression. As Gaven had given him a heads-up, he was certainly preparing to use more extreme measures. Although he wasn’t worried for the other party’s life, she was still an apprentice of the Hammer of Justice, and he was her temporary guardian and mentor.

Gaven earnestly said, "I am merely teaching her a lesson now, to let her understand that she must consider her own strength before expressing her extremist views, otherwise she’s simply throwing her life away needlessly."

Considering the other party’s propensity for extremism, Darnell nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll give you one minute. We’ll come out after a minute. Please talk things over..."

"One minute will suffice," Gaven stepped out of the door before Darnell finished his sentence.

The moment he stepped out from the Mystlock Locks,

A longsword, shimmering with dazzling light, swooped down heavily on Gaven.

Ceylon roared in anger, "All protectors of the undead are as guilty as the undead themselves, all must be purified."

Bang!

Instead of dodging, Gaven surged forward a step, intercepting the longsword with his Crown Shield.

Just this one step caused a huge deviation in offense and defense.

The hit on the Crown Shield wasn’t on the part of the longsword best suited for slashing, but on the relatively weaker rear half.

On the contrary, the force exerted by Gaven’s thrust was more powerful, leaving Ceylon wide open.

Gaven’s other hand wielding the Death Roar had already reached her front, and he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang!

The Death Roar let out its distinctive roar.

Ceylon only had time to raise her Holy Warrior Shield in front of her before she was blasted away by the terrifying force.

The fine steel Holy Warrior Shield couldn’t withstand the blow of the Death Roar; it burst open immediately, and the unimpeded bullet slammed into Ceylon’s chestplate, creating a fist-sized shallow dent and ironically outlining her feminine features.

The booming sound of the Death Roar disturbed Mr. Darnell in the manor.

He couldn’t care less about their one-minute agreement and rushed out immediately, just in time to see Ceylon being blown away and crashing to the ground, her life and death unknown.

Mr. Darnell spoke out angrily, "Mr. Gaven, have you lost your mind? To think you would resort to using that weapon."

These Holy Warriors had a profound impression of the Death Roar in Gaven’s hands.

It was capable of blowing vampire skulls to bits and breaking through their bone chestplates.

Gaven said calmly, "Relax, I know my own strength. If I really wanted her life, I would not have aimed at the shield. See, she’s waking up."

What kept Ceylon down wasn’t the impact of the Death Roar, but the Psychic Bullet from the Double Tap that had stunned her.

Because the physical attack of the Death Roar was too overpowering, there was often no occasion to use the Double Tap.

But this time it worked.

Ceylon’s will was strong enough; the shock only lasted a few seconds before she regained consciousness. Gritting her teeth, she tried to jump up from the ground but stumbled. The piercing pain in her chest impeded her movement; it was likely a fracture or crack.

A brilliant light emanated from within Ceylon’s body, healing her injuries without the need for medicine.

The self-healing of a Holy Warrior.

Ceylon picked up her sword, still wanting to attack, but the Death Roar was already pressed against her smooth forehead.

Gaven said with a friendly tone, "Miss Ceylon, I admire your courage and your will to fight against death and evil to the end, but before that, please consider your own strength.

You can’t even take one of my shots, what to speak of purifying my manor behind me. If Mr. Darnell was not here, with your level of ability, once you went in, you’d be turned into a shadow within minutes, believe it or not?

If you want to purify my manor, that’s fine—when you have the strength to defeat me. Then, without your purification, I’ll willingly burn the manor down myself."

Seemingly sensing Gaven’s kindness, Ceylon finally calmed down.

Seeing that Ceylon was unharmed, Mr. Darnell also stopped in his tracks, his expression showing his dilemma.

This kind of incident inherently had no absolute right or wrong.

Ceylon was in pursuit of purifying the undead.

Gaven was defending his own manor, a passive counterattack.

"Alright, you can take it away now," Ceylon said coldly. "You wait, I will defeat you, and soon."

Gaven, seeing that she had shifted her goal to himself, breathed a sigh of relief and moved the Death Roar away.

Ceylon was the most persistent, most stubborn person he had encountered in his past and present life, and also the one most true to her word.

Now that she had targeted him, she would not mess with the manor until she had defeated him.

But acquiring the strength to defeat him was easier said than done.

While she was growing, he wouldn’t be idle either.

Gaven reached out to help her up, but Ceylon, acting as if she hadn’t seen it, got up on her own and picked up the blown apart Holy Warrior Shield.

Looking at the Holy Warrior Shield and then at her deformed armor, she seemed thoughtful; to confront Gaven, she would first need to find a stronger shield and better armor, and cope with his psychic shock.

If they had really been fighting to the death, the few seconds she lay unconscious would have been enough for her to die several times over.

Seeing that Ceylon had regained her composure and was no longer fixated on purifying Weizemay Manor,

Mr. Darnell naturally wouldn’t dwell on this matter. Wisely, he chose to ignore it, resolving in his mind that once he returned to the Monastery, he would definitely throw this trouble onto his teacher or the Monastery itself.

Such extreme personalities often weren’t helpful but the source of disaster, and a slight carelessness could push the team into an unrecoverable situation.

Mr. Darnell had seen such cases more than once.

For such Holy Warriors, he kept his distance.

After this ordeal, naturally, Mr. Darnell couldn’t propose staying at Weizemay Manor for the night anymore.

He returned to the Tesser Camp with several apprentices.

By dawn the next day, when they completed their prayers, Gaven’s side had already made all the preparations.

Loading heavy cargo onto ships and carts was a big problem for ordinary people.

But for Gaven, for Weizemay Manor, it was a piece of cake.

A few treants took up the task, and it was done in minutes.

Five heavy carts loaded with Ghost Grape Wine, and Gaven brought six treants—Thornspike and Five-Willow.