A One-Oren Commission

"Ailin..."

Mary, who was squatting on the side of the street retching, suddenly exclaimed.

Thinking something unexpected had happened, the witcher quickly went over.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

The girl covered her mouth, her eyes filled with tears, her left hand gripping his sleeve tightly, her right hand trembling as she raised it.

When the Witcher looked in the direction her index finger was pointing, he trembled and froze on the spot.

In that dim ruin, a person was half-buried in the red bricks and tiles.

An elderly woman with gray hair.

Just recently.

He spent an Oren to buy a rose from her because of the words, "Such a beautiful girl deserves any gorgeous flower," and her kind smile.

The old man also gave Mary a pink carnation, wishing her "to find a good match and enjoy health and happiness."

The Witcher instinctively tilted his head.

The pink carnation was pinned to the girl's chest back then, but it can't be found now.

But the red rose was still stuck in Mary's hair, though it had some dents and dust, it still bloomed steadily in the girl's hair.

Stunningly beautiful.

"This Oren was well spent."

An untimely thought suddenly popped into the Witcher's mind.

"She's the Flower Granny ..." Arthur approached, speaking softly as if afraid of disturbing the spirit of the deceased, "She's the best at growing flowers and styling hair in all of Arland, and of course, the most expensive flower seller..."

"I remember she also had a grandson..."

The middle-aged knight suddenly paused in his speech.

The Witcher followed his gaze.

About three or four meters away from Flower Granny, at the edge of the collapsed wall, a small, round hand covered in dust appeared.

"Ooh—ah—"

Mary also witnessed this scene, burst into tears, and suddenly threw herself into Ailin.

The Witcher remained silent, gently patting her back; his chest was quickly soaked with sweat.

The middle-aged knight sighed.

Flower Granny was a kind and cheerful person, always smiling, and is a cherished memory for many in Arland.

The most beautiful memory in one's life.

After a while, Mary seemed to remember that there were more than just her Ailin here. She wiped away her tears, blushed, and somewhat flusteredly broke away from the Witcher's embrace.

However, it is obvious.

In the midst of the pervasive stench of burning and blood, no one was in the mood for jokes.

The sweet scent of citrus wafted from his arms, and the Witcher swayed forward, intending to remove the heavy objects from Flower Granny and the child so he could give them a proper burial.

We were just strangers who met by chance.

Just then.

His gaze was suddenly drawn to a flash of silver light.

"Da da da~"

The Witcher walked over.

Not far from Flower Granny's body, a flower basket was covered by rubble and debris. The gray linen that had been covering the basket had slipped out and was stained with dark red blood.

Flowers of various colors, vibrant and beautiful, are scattered around the flower basket.

The torch flames flickered, and silver specks of light shimmered among the flowers.

Under everyone's gaze, the Witcher crouched down, carefully brushed the dust off the flowers, and placed them in the basket.

One, two, three...

When Ailin picked up the fourth flower, he suddenly paused, and then picked up a silver Oren.

There is only this one Oren on the ground.

Under the Witcher's keen senses, Oren was filled with his and Vesemir's aura.

This is the money he used to buy flowers.

After a few seconds of silence, Ailin carefully flipped through the flower basket.

"Ding ding ding~"

With a crisp metallic clang, the Witcher discovered a small cloth bag inside.

Both the Oren and the copper coins were placed inside; not a single one spilled out of the small cloth bag, not even into the flower basket.

"Is this a coincidence?" Ailin wondered.

He got up, picked up the flower basket, and walked to Arthur:

"Could you please find someone to return this flower basket to Flower Granny's family?"

"There's still a lot of money inside..."

Arthur instinctively took the flower basket, glanced at Mary who was bowing her head and whose eyes were red from crying, hesitated for a few seconds, and whispered:

"Flower Granny has no relatives left."

"Her son died in the Falga's Rebellion, and her bride died from the Black Death that spread from Vizima..."

"So..."

Arthur glanced at the dusty little hand again, handed the flower basket back, shook his head, and sighed softly.

He didn't say anything more.

"Waaah~"

The middle-aged knight had clearly underestimated the Sorceress's perception. Mary, who had heard everything, suppressed her sobs and began to cry again.

Ailin paused, her gaze slowly shifting from the flower basket on her right to Oren on her left.

"Is this considered an advance payment for the commission?" he muttered a few times. "It seems a bit too little..."

Then, looking at the devastated landscape of Arland, a glint of light flashed in his azure eyes.

"But..."

"I'll take this job!"

A dozen minutes later.

Ailin and Mary were clearing the bodies of Flower Granny and her grandchildren from the rubble, trying to remove them intact.

Once things settle down in Arland, a duke or someone from the temple will surely be responsible for burying them and allowing their tragically deceased souls to rest in peace.

"Da da da~"

The sound of horses' hooves rose from beside the crowd.

As soon as they entered the city gate, Arthur arranged for the knight who had delivered the battle report to Duke Mason to ride back on horseback.

As soon as the knight dismounted, he whispered in Arthur's ear:

"The bandits who took advantage of the chaos have all been eliminated. The Duke instructed us to send the guests back first, and then go to the Arland Market Square to clear the ruins and the remains of the dead..."

The middle-aged knight nodded, glanced at Vesemir, and was about to speak.

"Let's help clean it up. After all this has happened, don't be too polite..." Vesemir interrupted.

Then it seemed he remembered that there were more than two witchers standing there.

He glanced at Vesemir cautiously.

"Mary and I are going too..." the Sorceress said succinctly.

The middle-aged knight didn't say much. He glanced gratefully at everyone, then mounted his horse and headed towards the Arland Market Square.

We arrived at our destination.

Ailin discovered that there were already quite a few guards and priests from the Temple of Melitele dealing with the dead, the wounded, and the ruins.

After consulting with Arthur and Sala, the Guard Knight and the soldiers of the Monster Hunter Army went to help.

Seeing this, Ailin and his group quietly joined in.

The two witchers are strong enough to move the wreckage of buildings.

The Sorceress had all learned the basic Earth Element spell Magic Heal.

For those with serious injuries, Vesemir would snap her fingers and pull out an expensive potion.

However, this is not free.

Duke Mason had given orders to Arthur after learning that the witchers and Sorceress had joined the fray.

For any injury recognized by the temple's priests and apothecaries, the Duke would reimburse Vesemir for every potion she produced using his own treasury.

certainly.

Except for potions like Veridian Sigh.

that's all.

After working for several hours, the full moon gradually sank in the west, and a sliver of dawn appeared on the horizon.

Ailin and his party had just returned to the temple when Arthur and Sala escorted them back.

It's not that they don't know the way.

Ailin and Mary were indeed unfamiliar with the city, but Vesemir and Vesemir were both quite old and must have visited it countless times; how could they not know the way?

This is what Arthur and Sala insisted on doing, even though they themselves had large dark circles under their eyes and bloodshot eyes.

"Please rest well today," Arthur said, standing at the entrance of the Temple of Melitele. "Tomorrow or the day after, after all the complicated matters arising from the May Festival in Arland have been dealt with, Lord Mason will surely summon you all..."

"No rush, we'll stay in Arland for a while longer," Vesemir said.

He had already finished organizing the documents about the Wild Hunt in the temple, but it would still take him a few more days.

Arthur nodded.

Then he glanced at Sala, and led the more than two hundred Guard Knight and Monster Hunter Army behind him, bowing in unison to the demon hunters Sorceress.

And it's unclear whether it was intentional or unintentional.

The direction in which everyone bowed seemed to be towards Ailin, even though he was actually standing on the outside.

Except for Mary, who seemed a little uncomfortable, none of the four were modest and accepted the greeting calmly.

then.

Arthur and Sala glanced at Ailin again, nodded to them, and then led their army away along the mountain path.

As they watched their figures gradually disappear into the dawn, Ailin suddenly heard Vesemir ask with concern:

"Has the Gaze of the Great Old One disappeared?"

"I don't know," Ailin shook her head, "But it shouldn't be yet..."

After all, nothing happened after the monster tide was dealt with.

Not only were the fragments of the Gate of Ad Gais as usual, but the link to the Mirage Pearl in his mind also remained completely still.

"What should we do?" Vesemir said worriedly. "Ianna should still be at Duke Mason's castle at this time. She probably won't have much time these next few days..."

The Sorceress was right.

They returned with the Monster Hunter Army and the Guard Knight because they had done all they could.

certainly.

There will definitely be a shortage of people to clear the rubble and change the bandages for the injured.

But they aren't actually from Arlanders, so it's impossible for them to do all the rough and tidy work.

Once the situation stabilized, they were naturally allowed to go back and rest.

But the priests, herbalists, and healers at the Temple of Melitele were different; their work was only just beginning.

On the one hand, there are many wounded, and manpower is needed to accompany and treat them.

On the other hand, there was the disposal of the corpses.

People who die tragically like tonight are very likely to transform into demons due to the intense emotions they experience before death.

With so many corpses, they could work all night for days on end, and might not even be able to return to the temple.

Just like now.

They had been standing at the entrance of the Temple of Melitele for quite some time, but no one else had returned.

As the High Priest of the temple, Ianna will only be busier, after all, she is the most powerful priest, healer and herbalist in the Temple of Melitele.

Not only did they have to perform the duties of priests, doctors, and herbalists, but they also had to discuss with the nobles of Arland the aftermath of May Festival and how to deal with those aftermath.

"It's nothing." The Witcher shook his head.

In terms of the Gaze of the Great Old One, there's actually nothing Ianna can do.

"I'll go to the sanctuary in a bit; maybe I can resolve this problem," he continued.

Vesemir could only nod, and then, with a somewhat reluctant Mary, walked towards their lodgings.

Vesemir followed him for a while, and when they reached the point where they had to part ways, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good job tonight. Don't worry, there'll always be a way..."

after.

They left too.

"Da da da~"

Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Although I haven't been here for almost half a month, there is still a corridor and a mottled, ancient statue.

In these few short days, the sanctuary will naturally not undergo any major changes.

Because the Temple of Melitele is hidden in the Mahakam Mountains, not only did the icons remain unchanged, but the attacks of the Wild Hunt did not affect the temple complex.

certainly.

Vesemir once snapped her fingers and summoned magical materials that occupied most of the icon room. After she left the icon room, the Sorceress naturally snapped her fingers again and collected them away.

On the marble floor, traces of ritual formations can still be faintly seen.

"Phew~"

The Witcher sat back in his usual spot and let out a long sigh.

Looking at the familiar statues of the young girl, the pregnant woman, and the old woman, all that flashed through my mind was the hellish scene I had just witnessed.

He took the Oren from the inside pocket of his breast and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.

A somewhat offensive question suddenly popped into the Witcher's mind.

"Was the Goddess Meritellie truly as Ianna claimed, unwilling for humanity to rely on the power of the gods?"

"Or perhaps..."

"He simply cannot, he simply cannot truly intervene in human affairs?"

Otherwise, the Wild Hunt's attacks and the emergence of the demon tide are clearly disasters that Arland cannot withstand, and are not even caused by humans themselves.

Why doesn't He intervene?

If it weren't for Ailin being there and having the Specter Oil, it's hard to say what would have happened to Arland, which had just suffered a severe injury, when it encountered so many demons.

At the very least, the prestige of the Temple of Melitele in the Northern Kingdoms will certainly be greatly diminished.

actually.

Even now, the Witcher doesn't believe that tonight's events won't have a negative impact on the followers of Meritellie in Arland.

Does He really not care about human faith?

But if He truly doesn't care, then why does He exist?

What exactly are the gods in the Witcher world?

He pondered for a moment.

However, these are problems that cannot be solved by simply thinking about them.

The three statues of the goddess remained motionless, their kind faces gazing at everything in the iconostasis, seemingly offering no answers to him.

then.

The Witcher gave a wry smile, shook his head, and stopped dwelling on these somewhat offensive ideas.

With a thought, he opened the Witcher's Handbook.

[Inventory: 3 One-Eyed Nekker's Purification Spirit, 45 Experience Orbs, 18 Nekker's Chest the One-Eyed Demon, 630 Nekker's Purified Spirit, 18 Nekker's Chest...]

As he rubbed Oren's thumb against the overflowing spoils of war, his somewhat dejected mood instantly improved.

Whether the "curse of the Evil God" can be lifted here, or even today, remains to be seen.

The main reason for coming to the Sanctuary at this time is to avoid other people, use the Purification Spirit, and open treasure chests.

Ailin thought for a few seconds and used the Nekker's Purified Spirit one by one. It was only on the fifth spirit that the purification spirits lost their effectiveness.

The perception attribute has been increased by two points.

This is not surprising, since he has already used the Nekker's Purified Spirit.

The water ghost and Ghoul Heart Essence Fluid were both at their limit of twenty portions. He used an extra portion of Purification Spirit for testing purposes, and also to take a sliver of hope.

Unfortunately, only twenty copies can be used.

After using the Nekker's Purified Spirit, the demon hunter took a deep breath and focused his gaze on the first item in his inventory...

[Ding! Use the One-Eyed Nekker's Purification Spirit?]