Chapter 177: Chapter 172: Detecting Evil Chapter 177: Chapter 172: Detecting Evil “Thankfully, I didn’t harbour any unrealistic expectations for the human cities in this world!” Muria, riding atop the giant wolf, shook his head as he surveyed the bustling, fetid streets before him.

The streets were crowded with people coming and going, making quite a racket. However, the roads were littered with feces emitting a putrid stench. These were the droppings of the merchant corps’ cart-pulling lizards or the mounts of adventurers. Fortunately, he had yet to see any human excrement thus far.

This city, in a way, paid some regard to hygiene, as Muria noticed individuals tasked with cleaning up the dung. However, their efforts were grossly inadequate.

“Filthy city!” Muria shook his head and patted the back of the giant wolf’s neck. “Thank goodness I brought you along or else I wouldn’t have known how to get around. Now, lead me anywhere you like, I want to get a good look and see how bad this human city can be.”

With Muria’s orders, the giant wolf started to trot around the city with him on its back, completely disregarding the feelings of the city’s inhabitants.

That day, many residents of Red Leaf City witnessed a blue-black giant wolf, larger than a man, strolling leisurely past their homes with a young man on its back.

Then, countless women were frightened into screams, numerous children were reduced to tears, and plenty of people were scared into incontinence. At every corner they turned, the wolf’s colossal frame brought about a wave of chaos from humans unaccustomed to its presence.

Just as the merchant had said, this city was only a small place, the appearance of a powerful being with a Silver Rank mount was indeed a rare event.

Even the well-travelled merchants were astonished, not to mention the small-town residents without much exposure to the world.

“Dirty, chaotic, substandard!” This was Muria’s only impression of the city before him. With furrowed brows, he was greatly displeased by the extreme disappointment this city brought him.

The city outskirts were slums, filled with filth and rampant crime. Further in, was the most densely populated area, the commoners’ district. The buildings there, well…

They were somewhat better than the slums, and just barely habitable. As for the city dwellers he saw on the streets, they all bore the signs of hunger. Unlike in his previous life where anyone on the streets was jolly and well-fed. Moreover, their clothes were far from splendid, all bearing patches that rendered them somewhat shabby.

It was clear to Muria that the ordinary people in this world did not have it easy. Hence, he was quite upset.

“This is too lousy!” Muria scowled at the pedestrians and the shabby buildings on both sides of the road, feeling mildly irritated.

…

In a rundown house that was barely standing, a brown-haired boy, around fifteen or sixteen years old, bent down to pick up his sister who was tightly wrapped in a coarse cloth. Then, with a resolute look on his face, he walked out of the door, seemingly marching towards his death.

The moment the boy stepped out of the door with his sister in his arms, a few eyes full of schadenfreude and amusement turned towards him.

“Look, it’s Solon again, the fool. He’s taking his sister to see the doctor again. Tsk, tsk, why bother? They won’t be able to cure her anyway. Better take the money and have fun with a few girls in the brothel. What a waste.”

“Right, among us in the slums, his thief talent is the strongest. If it wasn’t for the curse on his sister slowing him down, he could have left the slums years ago with his abilities.”

“I’m kind of curious, how much money has Solon spent on his sister?”

“Who knows, anyway, it’s a figure we can only dream of.”

“Hey, do you know what curse Avril has? Solon has hired so many alchemists and even a couple of mages, but they still couldn’t cure the curse on her.”

“Not only has it not been cured, I heard the curse has become even more severe!”

“How do you know?”

“Didn’t you notice the disgusting stench?”

“Damn it…!”

The patch-ridden boy, hugging his tightly swaddled sister, moved swiftly along the streets, trying not to linger in any one place.

Even so, pedestrians in the streets stepped back abruptly upon seeing Solon, as if avoiding a venomous snake.

The retreating citizens watched Solon’s departing figure with loathing; many of them muttered under their breath,
“Damn wretch!”

“Despicable spawn!”

…They had all seen the boy coming out of the slums, which was why they cursed him. The place was a hotbed for thieves, robbers, and petty criminals. It was the dark side and a dump of Red Leaf City.

The boy carried his sister and walked through the city towards the central district. There, the nobles resided, and many temples were erected, worshipping the deities of Baiye Duchy.

Yet, the places where the nobles lived was off-limits for a little commoner like him. He was heading for the largest temple in the city, the one that paid reverence to the mightiest deity.

In the heart of Red Leaf City, towering temples rose one after another. Grand and majestic, the transparent colors of divine light shimmered upon them. One look would invoke fear, giving birth to a desire to respect and worship the deities.

In the middle of the temple district, a giant temple stood like a castle. It was taller than all others and situated at the central position, surrounded by other temples, manifesting its ultimate prestige in the city.

It was a temple constructed from white marble, grandiose and impressive. A faint divine light floated above it, like the morning glow of dawn, solemn and awe-inspiring.

This was the Dawn Temple of God Lansendelle, inside of which standing his idol, serving to collect the faith and prayers of all followers in the city.

Cleanly dressed citizens kept stepping into the temple. They were followers of the God of Dawn, some came to the temple to hear the priests interpreting the teachings of the God of Dawn, and some came to offer their faith to the deity, seeking for their blessing.

In front of this pure white temple, eight sturdy temple guards stood by the main gate without as much as a sideward glance, protecting the temple from any rogues. Their actual duty, of course, was to serve as a grand show of the power of the Dawn Church.

At this moment, a guard’s expression shifted subtly as he looked in one direction. On the teeming street, a shabbily dressed boy was approaching their position, holding something in his arms. As he passed by, the crowd retreated as if smelt an unbearable stench from him.

Soon, the boy had arrived at the Dawn Temple, about to join the crowd and step in, but “Stop there!”

Interrupted by the admonishing shout of the temple guard, the boy halted outside the square in front of the temple’s gate while holding his sister tightly wrapped in swadding. “What are you carrying there?”

“My sister!” The boy replied in a low voice. “She’s under a strong curse. I’ve tried everything to cure her, but to no avail. So, I’m seeking help from the noble God of Dawn.”

However, a gust of wind blew from where the boy was standing toward the guards, and a nauseating stench wafted through the air, the obvious displeasure was visible on each guard’s face. Every believer about to enter the temple started to look rather sickened.

Thus, several guards fixated their harsh gaze on the boy as the source of the terrible smell was his shabbily wrapped bundle within his arms.

“Let me see what your sister looks like!” One guard strode up and reached out, about to pull away the rough cloth from the boy’s arms.

“Sir!” The boy takes a step back. “My sister… she’s under a curse, so she looks quite awful.”

“Awful?” Does she look worse than a goblin or gnome?” The guard insisted to see the boy’s sister. The stench was unbearable. He had to confirm what the boy was carrying.

Seeing the guard’s insistence, the boy fell silent and didn’t back away anymore. Thus, the guard slowly lifted the cloth covering the girl’s face, revealing a visage full of festering wounds, emanating a stomach-churning odor.

“What…” The guard involuntarily took a step back upon seeing the face of the young girl, almost half-rotten. However, the middle-aged guard quickly realized his inappropriate behavior and flashed an apologetic smile at the boy.

“You may go in now.” A hint of sympathy and pity crossed the guard’s face. Waving his hand, he prepared to let the boy enter. “Pray sincerely to our God, and He will surely bestow grace upon you, eradicating the disgusting curse from your sister.”

“I know!” A flicker of happiness crossed the boy’s face. He was about to carry his sister into the temple. He did not actually expect the God to bestow any grace; he knew his place. But if he could seek the help of any of the priests in the temple, his sister still had a chance.

“Wait a moment.” At this point, another guard spoke, stopping the boy from entering the temple once more.

This guard walked up to the boy. He scanned the boy without expressing any contempt for the boy’s ragged clothes, but his gaze settled on the boy’s hands that were holding his sister.

They were a pair of exceptionally clean hands in stark contrast with the boy’s dirty, old clothes. His fingers were slender, and his nails well-kept, hinting at how nimble these hands could be when in use.

Noticing the guard’s gaze, the boy subconsciously pulled his hands a bit closer to him.

“Huh!” Seeing the boy’s actions, a sneer crossed the guard’s face. Then, the divine light of divine art lit up in his hand and threw it towards the boy.

“Detect Evil!”

Then, a faint red spirit light appeared around the boy…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read