Walast

The Temple is always well-informed.

Even so, due to the king's deliberate suppression of information, they didn't obtain any firsthand information. It wasn't until the caravan entered the capital and set up shop that the paladins received reports and notifications. This was naturally earth-shattering news for them, as the appearance of Dark Elf in a human city was unprecedented. The Temple immediately raised its alert level. Of course, they weren't naive fools; they understood that the king's failure to notify them meant there must be something amiss. Moreover, unlike humans, Dark Elf couldn't enter the city openly without the consent of certain individuals. However, as champions of justice, they couldn't allow evil to roam freely under their noses. Therefore, the Temple ultimately dispatched a team of paladins to assess the situation first.

Undoubtedly, this was an unfriendly start, and the atmosphere quickly turned cold. The fat businessman's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression, while Li Lin and Angela stood by, seemingly oblivious, watching the spectacle with amusement, as if they had no intention of getting involved.

But just then, a paladin, nearing fifty and somewhat aged, stepped out from behind. He wore smooth, gleaming armor, his expression serious and solemn, yet also exuding grace and tolerance. A long scar ran across his left cheek; such a scar would be understandable on a thief's face. But now, it was rather strange that such a menacing scar appeared on the face of a gentle, dignified, and approachable old paladin.

"I am Walast, the Knight Commander of the First Knight Order of the Temple. I apologize for the intrusion and hope you will forgive me. We have some very important matters to discuss with the master of this place. I wonder if he is here at the moment?"

Faced with the paladin's question, the fat merchant hesitated, glancing at Li Lin and Angela. After confirming that they were determined to watch the show from the sidelines, the fat merchant had no choice but to put on a friendly smile and greet them.

"Hello, esteemed Holy Knight. I am Pikachu, the president of the Hundred Thousand Thunders Commercial Association. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"We have received intelligence that a group of unruly Dark Elf are operating within your merchant caravan."

The old paladin's tone was gentle, yet carried an undeniable air of seriousness.

"It is common knowledge that Dark Elf are believers in evil, therefore we cannot turn a blind eye to this."

"So, what do you want...?"

"Since they are in your caravan, it means you have the power to control them."

The old paladin abruptly changed the subject.

"I am here on behalf of the Temple, hoping that you can restrain those Dark Elf and prevent their evil ways from becoming a stain on this beautiful city. If they commit any act contrary to justice, then we will punish them."

"It seems you don't intend to just kidnap them and leave."

Li Lin suddenly spoke up, interrupting the conversation.

"This seems to be quite different from what I just heard."

"Indeed, those weren't well-intentioned words, and I understand your displeasure, young man."

Upon hearing Li Lin's interruption, the old paladin turned to look. When he saw Angela, he paused slightly, as the vampire Vampire Species beautiful, and even a saint could not resist her allure. However, the old paladin quickly fixed his gaze on Li Lin, pondered for a moment, and then continued speaking.

"That was not our intention, young man. Indeed, we currently have no evidence to prove that the Dark Elf are engaged in evil activities in the city. However, I hope you can understand that wherever there are people on Earth, Dark Elf are accompanied by bad rumors. Of course, such situations occur from time to time in a human-dominated world. However, where there are rumors, there is naturally fertile ground for their creation and growth. We are unwilling to take unnecessary risks to disrupt the peace and tranquility of the entire city. Therefore, it is only natural that the Temple will pay extra attention to the Dark Elf, and I hope you can understand this."

"Oh?"

Hearing the old paladin's words, Li Lin raised an eyebrow slightly.

So, you don't intend to capture them?

"Of course, young man."

As the old paladin spoke, he gestured to the young paladin beside him to calm down.

"Indeed, generally speaking, non-human races rarely come to, and even enter, human cities and book markets. But these Dark Elf have entered. No matter how infamous their race is, we cannot punish them based on unfounded legends. But..."

At this point, the old paladin became even more serious, his deep voice like rolling thunder from the horizon.

"If they commit any evil act, then we will, in accordance with the will of the Great God, destroy them and all the evil they bring."

As he spoke, he looked at the fat merchant again.

"I hope you can understand, sir merchant, that although we intended to treat everyone fairly, there are indeed members in your caravan who cannot be ignored."

"Of course... Your Excellency, esteemed Holy Knight."

The portly merchant hesitated slightly. After all, the Dark Elf weren't under his control, so he couldn't very well speak up. He was well aware that this was a situation he couldn't resolve on his own. He glanced at Li Lin again, and only gave his reply after Li Lin nodded in agreement.

"Of course. We don't want such a problem to occur either. I assure you that these Dark Elf will not cause any disturbance in Dragon Cry City."

May the God of Justice bless you.

After receiving the fat merchant's assurance, the old paladin nodded in satisfaction. He then glanced at Li Lin again, about to speak. But in the end, the old paladin said nothing. He stopped the disgruntled young brat and led the other paladins away.

The tense situation eventually dissipated, and the shop became lively again. Since the paladin was only monitoring and had not said he would punish the merchants, no one else would think too much about it.

"I never expected that such a guy would exist."

Angela lowered her blood-red eyes, a rare hint of surprise appearing on her face.

"I thought all paladins were idiots whose brains had been trampled by donkeys a hundred and eighty times, and were filled with nothing but mush."

"Lord Walast was a great paladin."

Just then, Mina, who was standing next to him, spoke up. Hearing her words made Li Lin frown.

"You know him?"

"Yes... he's quite a famous figure in our Southern Sect..."

Through Mina's introduction, Li Lin quickly learned about the old paladin. In his youth, he was an extremely powerful paladin, and under his protection, the southern cities enjoyed a long period of peace, prosperity, and tranquility. However, at that time, this powerful paladin was not popular. His methods of dealing with evil were extremely cruel and ruthless, which, while instilling genuine fear in the evildoers, also caused ordinary people to avoid him. But Walast didn't care about any of this at that time; he continued his campaign against evil year after year, day after day, without ever ceasing.

However, during a purge of demon cultists, Walast encountered a woman, a hired thief tasked with guarding the cult's outer gates. She met Walast unexpectedly and, unsurprisingly, was defeated by the powerful paladin's sword. But facing the fearsome paladin, the female thief made a request. She had retired from her thievery and was living a comfortable life. But her happiness was short-lived; the cultists had kidnapped her child, forcing this mother to pick up her dagger again, attempting to infiltrate and rescue her child. Under Walast's sword, the female thief made a demand: she would lead the paladins through the traps to the ritual site safely, but in return, she hoped Walast would save her child.

"I acknowledge my grave sins, but the child is innocent."

Perhaps it was these words that moved Walast, and he agreed to the female thief's request. Led by the female thief, the paladins easily broke through the heavily guarded lines and penetrated deep into the ritual site, where they engaged in a fierce battle with the cultists who were summoning demons.

This was a fierce and brutal battle. Powered by the demons, the believers possessed terrifying combat strength, which even the Paladin Order could not completely annihilate. In the midst of the battle, a demon suddenly appeared and attacked Walast. Just as the young and promising paladin was about to fall under the demon's claws, the female thief who had led them there rushed forward, shielding Valast's face with her own body. Although the demon's claws left deep wounds on Walast's face, they failed to take the paladin's life.

Ultimately, thanks to the efforts of the Paladin Order, the ritual was broken, and the infants who had been offered as sacrifices to the demons were all returned to their homes after it was confirmed that they had not been contaminated, at Walast's suggestion. The female thief's baby was also taken into the Temple by Walast for care.

After this mission, the young and powerful paladin's thinking underwent a change. Perhaps it was the female thief's actions that made him realize that evil was not a simple thing, but Walast began to gradually reduce his use of force to resolve disputes. Instead, he began to explore how to solve problems more peacefully and reliably, and how to uphold justice.

Mina was originally a member of the conservative faction within the temple. As Divine Chosen, her sensitivity to evil was twice as high as others. This trait deeply troubled Mina. Originally, Mina planned to seek out this legendary figure from the Southern Sect after completing her exploration of the ruins of the Magic Empire, hoping he could help her resolve these issues. She wanted to know how Walast found and achieved a balance between evil and good, evil and justice.

Unfortunately, it seems impossible now.

"Such a paladin..."

After listening to Mina's story, Li Lin seemed thoughtful, while Angela simply gave a cold smile.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the door. Li Lin and Angela exchanged a curious glance, assuming that the paladins had returned. But soon, Kalin, who had entered the room, changed their minds. She stretched as if very leisurely, and then looked at Angela and Li Lin.

"Ah, sir, little fellow, what are you doing here?"

We're just here to check things out.

Li Lin answered casually, then asked a question.

"What were you doing with those Dark Elf?"

"I didn't do anything, just bought some things."

With that, Kalin flicked her finger. Li Lin frowned slightly, noticing that the purse in Kalin's hand was empty—a clear sign of something amiss. Li Lin had already shared some of his profits with the fat merchant, giving a portion to Kalin for her and the Dark Elf. Those diamonds were enough to buy nearby farms and estates; how could they have been spent so quickly?

However, Li Lin soon learned the answer.