Chapter 51 |
The more O’Brien listened, the tighter his brows furrowed.
He had already confirmed that the one they were talking about was Kyle, that vampire. No wonder he had never heard of any vampire attacks injuring people; so this vampire had simply been buying human blood on a large scale.
And it had even been the kind that was in short supply.
But the other party had suddenly vanished, and even he did not know where exactly the other party had gone.
Most likely, only that fat man might know some news.
O’Brien put down the iron hammer in his hand. He was going to take a look at what exactly had happened.
As a paladin, he had to do something within the limits of his ability. He could not just watch these people fall into despair with his eyes wide open.
“I’m going out for a bit. You continue.”
O’Brien changed into an inconspicuous adventurer’s outfit, gave Dean an instruction, and headed toward the headquarters of the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce.
However, after a round of investigation, O’Brien fell into even deeper silence.
He discovered that his worries had been somewhat unnecessary.
In this super metropolis with a population close to ten million, the number of patients every day was an astronomical figure.
He knew deeply the principle of relieving urgent need, not poverty; human nature could not withstand testing. Paladins were never bottomless philanthropists. It was impossible for him to pay people’s medical fees for no reason at all. That would only encourage dependence and greed.
Moreover, he discovered that the commoners here could basically all afford ordinary medical expenses. What was difficult were those suffering from severe illnesses, as well as those poor people who had encountered sudden misfortune and urgently needed cash flow.
No wonder that even when the gangs here had been so rampant before, countless commoners had still poured into this city.
Compared to other places, this was already considered heaven for commoners!
Now that the Shadow Guild had fallen, and most of the gangs had also been purged, the environment had improved even further. Coral Thorn City would probably welcome another wave of new immigrants.
Even if Kyle returned and restarted blood purchasing, it would be impossible for him to buy blood without limit.
The cruelty and helplessness of the world would not be completely changed because of an individual’s kindness.
But now that he had encountered these people’s problems, he still had to think of a way to see whether they could be solved. Even if he did not succeed, he had at least done his best.
“Hey! Did you hear? Latest news!”
“Heard what? Why are you acting so mysterious!”
“Keep it down! I heard······that lord who was buying fresh blood wasn’t away temporarily at all. He was chased off by a paladin……or even killed!”
Just as O’Brien was passing an old tavern overgrown with ivy, he sharply caught the words paladin and vampire coming from inside, and his advancing steps stopped at once.
“What?!”
“Shh! I told you, keep your voice down!”
“Could it be that that lord really was······a vampire?”
“Nine times out of ten!”
“Real or fake?! Where did you get that news?”
“You really don’t know? A lot of people on the south side of the city have been spreading it. They said that one month ago at night, powerful experts fought there, and one of them was a paladin!”
“No way? How did they know that was a paladin? Was there an insider?”
“Not that, actually. It was because many people on the south side heard one of them shout something like ‘The greed and sins of mortals naturally have secular laws to judge them, and a paladin’s sword will only be swung to shatter darkness!’ Think about it, really think about it! If that wasn’t a paladin hunting down a dark creature, I’ll twist my own head off!”
O’Brien had not expected his pale declaration to come back and hit him like a boomerang at this time?!
“Hiss——!”
“If you put it that way……then the one at the hospital really was……a vampire?”
“Eighty percent, yeah!”
“But didn’t the Chamber of Commerce say that that lord was only temporarily away? He shouldn’t be dead, right?”
“How would anyone know? Didn’t the president of the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce only advance those people’s medical fees for two months? Maybe he’s just stalling for time while looking for a new vampire to take over.”
“Tsk……would a vampire really spend money to buy blood to drink? Don’t they all sneak into girls’ homes in the dead of night to pick up tea bags?”
“Tch! What you’re talking about are all low-level vampires. Those pureblood vampires know how to have fun. They don’t avoid either men or women. It’s said that……”
······
Listening as the conversation inside became more and more outrageous, even beginning to develop in strange directions, O’Brien’s expression turned odd. He held back his laughter, decisively turned around, and left.
He was afraid that if he kept listening, this paladin would first need to purify himself, and then purify this group of fellows with mouths that ran wild together with him!
The speed at which this rumor evolved was even faster than him purifying an evil spirit!
If that vampire Kyle found out about these words……tsk tsk……he did not dare imagine it……
Not long after, O’Brien appeared at the headquarters of the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce.
He revealed the identity of Grandmaster Forgemaster registered at the Adventurers’ Guild, as well as the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce honorary token Kyle had given him, and requested a meeting with Mills.
In only a moment, Mills squeezed into the reception room with his big belly.
“Master’s visit is an honor I failed to welc……”
Mills’s warm smile lit up when he saw clearly who had come.
He had received a report from his subordinates saying that a Grandmaster Forgemaster named ‘Ryan’ had come looking for him, but he had not expected it to be this one!
It seemed this one intended to hide his paladin identity, but that was normal. A paladin’s identity drew too much attention. When the time came, whatever he wanted to do would become very troublesome.
“My lord, may I ask what matter has brought you to see me?”
“The matter of the hospitals stopping blood purchases, you know about it, right?” O’Brien did not exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point.
Mills’s little heart immediately gave a thump. This one was not here to make him pay for those patients, was he? He had already advanced two months’ worth!
“I-I know a little……my lord, what do you mean is————?”
Mills wore an ingratiating smile as he asked cautiously, his back beginning to sweat.
“Do you have a way to contact Kyle?”
O’Brien did not beat around the bush.
“Uh, this……really, no……”
Mills’s face completely fell. He slumped into the chair in dejection. He wanted one too. After working together for so many years, the other party had never left him any contact method.
Either he had to queue in the dungeon and rely on luck, or he had to wait for Kyle to contact him on his own initiative.
As a collaborator, he could not have been more humble.
“Then what about his subordinates? You don’t have any way to contact them either?”
Mills shook his head. As for Kyle’s subordinates, he had never even seen what they looked like. And every time, they either smashed his belly or smashed his head. Not once had there been any normal communication……
But thinking that they were all monsters and demons, he felt relieved again.
Could he really reason with monsters and demons?
O’Brien frowned.
He had not expected that Mills did not even have a way to contact the other party’s subordinates. Was this vampire really that cautious?
“There isn’t a single way to contact him?”
“No……but, my lord, at the October auction, even if His Excellency the intelligence broker does not appear in person, he will definitely send someone to take over. By then, we should be able to contact him.”
O’Brien helplessly rubbed his brow. It seemed he could only return empty-handed.
“If someone from his side contacts you, remember to help me pass on that I want to meet him and talk.”
“Understood, my lo……”
“No need to pass it on.”
A deep, heavy metallic voice sounded in the room without any warning, cutting off Mills’s words.
“We’ll talk right now.”