Chapter 174: Taking Action

A gust of wind swept across the plaza in front of the temple, lifting the black robe off Muria and revealing the splendid armor hidden beneath.

"Hisss!" A gasp echoed across the plaza, not because of anything else but the blinding brilliance of the armor under Muria's black robe.

The exquisitely perfect design and the thick spiritual light enveloping it made it clear that this was a set of extraordinarily precious and powerful transcendent armor.

"Your gold coins!" Seeing the young boy staring at him in a daze, Muria extended his hand forward, reminding him once again.

Seeing the warm smile on Muria's face, the emotions of the young boy, Zolong, collapsed in an instant. Tears streamed down his face as all the suppressed feelings were released.

He and his sister were orphans, uncared for and unattended, and even in death, no one would claim their bodies. They grew up hiding in slums, surviving on leftover food scraps from others.

At the age of seven, Zolong was noticed by a thief leader in the city for his dexterous hands and became a thief, learning to steal. Without stealing, he would starve to death.

From that day on, he faced insults and curses daily. The better his thieving skills became, the more people insulted him, with some peers jealously targeting his orphan status with filthy language.

Initially, his sister was also insulted, but Zolong could tolerate others insulting him but not his sister. Anyone who dared to insult his sister would face his wrath.

As he grew older, he began to learn stealth and hunting, killing low-level monsters outside the city for money. He didn't want to be a thief or live by stealing.

However, the city's perception of him was fixed, and everyone still saw him as a thief. Despite enduring countless insults and discriminatory looks daily, he didn't care because the sixteen-year-old boy had grown accustomed to being insulted. When several guards insulted him, he easily ignored them.

Yet, he was accustomed to the world's hardships and others' indifference but not the warmth from strangers.

Thus, when Muria spoke those words, it completely shattered the mask the boy had built for himself in this indifferent world.

"Sir!" The young boy sobbed, bowing deeply to Muria, his forehead hitting the ground hard, "Please save my sister, she really can't hold on any longer. I can't lose her, she's my only family."

Hearing the sound of the young boy's forehead hitting the ground, Muria's indifferent golden pupils showed a flicker of emotion, and he smiled slightly, looking down at the boy begging him for help:

"What can you offer me in return for my help?"

"Everything I have!" The boy was slightly stunned, then looked up, straightened his back, and looked at Muria with a determined gaze.

"Everything?" The curve of Muria's mouth widened, "What if I say I want your life in exchange for saving your sister, would you still be willing?"

The boy fell silent, his gaze shifting to his sister lying on the ground, her breaths weak.

"Brother, don't." Hearing Muria's words, the girl tormented by illness slowly opened her listless gray eyes.

"Sir, could you give me ten years? After ten years, you can take my life."

"Oh? Your reason?"

"If I die now, there's no one to take care of my sister. She knows nothing and without anyone to protect her, she'll be bullied."

"You were hesitating about this?" Muria's eyes showed surprise.

The boy bowed again, pleading, "Please save my sister."

"Ha!" Muria's face lit up with a brilliant smile, "Finally, something worth seeing in this city."

"Alright, I'll save your sister."

"Sir!" A temple guard called out, "He's a lowly thief, not worthy of your intervention. Not killing him for his crimes is already merciful."

Then, another guard spoke, his voice laced with disgust, "They live in the slums, a place of chaos. And this girl's curse, who knows if it's from engaging in illicit activities?"

Hearing this, Zolong, kneeling on the ground, lifted his head, his eyes turning red. He drew a dagger, aiming to stab the guard who had uttered those filthy words.

But,

"Bang!" "Peng!" Just as Zolong rose, Muria slapped the two temple guards away, sending them flying and crashing into the temple's sculptures.

"Did I allow you to speak?" Muria turned, his gaze falling on the guards he had slapped, causing them to spit blood.

The crowd was in shock at the sight of Muria striking the temple guards, an act of inconceivable boldness.

"Ridiculous!" Seeing Muria act, the remaining six guards drew their swords, aiming at him, "Do you realize what you're doing?"

"Merely teaching a couple of noisy fellows a lesson."

"Ridiculous, we are guards of the Dawn God's temple, do you understand the consequences of attacking us?"

"Oh!" Muria responded indifferently, "I really don't know what consequences there could be!"

"He's helping a thief; he must also be a villain!" One of the guards who had insulted the boy shouted, casting a divine spell: Alignment Detection.

Then, dazzling golden light burst forth from Muria, like a golden sun descending upon the earth.

"What joke is this?" Seeing the golden light around Muria, one of the guards stood dumbfounded. Under alignment detection, golden light signifies a lawful good alignment.

But this display of spiritual light was excessively dramatic; it was as if a saint or a true god had descended, utterly unbelievable.

"Have you detected enough?" Muria, surrounded by rich golden light, showed a hint of impatience.

"Don't be careless, this must be a fake." The guard shouted, "How could there be such a blinding alignment light?"

"Idiot!" Muria couldn't help but curse softly, then slapped the guard unconscious with a wave of his hand.

After Muria acted, the temple guards looked at each other, none daring to move. The result of the alignment detection truly stunned them.

"Um!" Muria crouched in front of the girl, attempting a cursory examination, then scratched his head. He was always ready for a fight, but healing and saving lives were not his expertise.

Thus, Muria's gaze turned to Zolong, "Are you sure the priests inside this temple can cure your sister's curse?"

"Sure!" The boy nodded affirmatively.

"Go, call out the highest-ranking priest from your temple!" Muria commanded the standing guards.

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