Chapter 173: Discrimination

"This temple district... is truly luxurious." Muria, riding the giant wolf through the central city area, admired the surrounding majestic temples, radiating divine light that calmed the mind.

The vast and grand temples, in stark contrast to the dirty, chaotic, and poor slums and the dilapidated common areas at the city's outskirts, seemed ironically poignant to Muria.

Seeing the divine light emanating from the temples, Muria knew they were dedicated to gods of the lawful good alignment.

"Gods, huh!" Muria, looking around at the large yet delicate temple complexes, showed a hint of scorn.

"Well, it's normal. If these temples looked as rundown as the outer dwellings, that would be strange. After all, these are places of worship for those noble gods."

"Please..." "Brother, don't..."

Suddenly, faint cries and discussions caught Muria's attention, diverting him from his plan to gather information about the dragons in a tavern.

Following the sound, Muria saw a crowd gathered in front of a particularly magnificent temple in the temple district. Curious about the commotion, he decided to investigate.

"Something's happening? Let's check it out." Muria tapped the giant wolf, eager to explore everything in this new world, vastly different from his previous life. Seeing a crowd, Muria naturally moved closer.

As Muria and the giant wolf approached, the onlookers naturally made way, allowing Muria a clear view of the scene at the temple entrance.

A ragged boy knelt on the ground, continuously bowing his head. Beside him, a girl, barely showing her face, lay wrapped in tattered robes, emitting a revolting stench.

Seeing the girl on the ground, Muria paused, shocked by her appearance. Her face, which should have been youthful and tender, was severely ulcerated, making her once pretty face grotesquely disfigured.

Four temple guards stood in front of the bowing boy, looking indifferently at his ceaseless bows. Nearby, four more guards watched with a hint of sympathy but did not stop their colleagues from scolding the boy.

"Get back to your slum, filthy thief," one guard scolded.

"But my sister, she won't last much longer without treatment. Please, let us in!" the boy pleaded desperately.

"A thief, dreaming of entering the great temple of the Dawn God? Ha, allowing you in would be a desecration of the divine."

"Besides, even if we let you in, no priest would aid a wicked person's sister."

"Thief, get out of the way of the temple entrance."

The guards' scathing words left the boy's pleas unanswered, only earning more reprimands.

"I may be a despicable thief, but my sister has done nothing wrong; she's innocent. Please, save her."

The boy continued to plead with the guards, ignoring their insults.

"Whether she's innocent or not isn't for you to decide," a guard sneered, then cast a divine spell on the girl: Detect Evil, which enveloped her in a transparent light.

"Absolutely neutral!" The guard was surprised by the reaction on the girl, expecting a red light of evil.

"Sir, can my sister enter now?" The boy, seeing the neutral light on his sister, asked hopefully.

"No, the great Dawn God is a god of goodness. Only creatures of good alignment can enter His temple. You cannot."

"Sir, I beg of you." The boy's eyes reddened, almost crying, and he presented a bulging bag of money, willing to donate everything to the temple for his sister's treatment.

Hearing the clinking coins, the guard glanced at Muria and the crowd, then fixed his gaze on the boy's money bag, showing anger.

With a swift kick, the guard sent the boy's money bag flying, accompanied by a faint sound of bones cracking and the boy's suppressed cry of pain. Coins spilled out, shining under the sunlight, and scattered on the ground, causing a brief commotion among the onlookers.

Shiny silver coins and gleaming gold coins covered the ground, with some reaching the crowd, who initially scrambled for them but then calmed down, deterred by the temple guards.

Muria bent down to pick up a gold coin near the giant wolf, noticing no one dared to snatch it.

The guard who kicked the money bag declared righteously, "Thief, don't try to corrupt us with your dirty money. No priest in this temple will accept your bribe. Take your sister and leave."

"This money wasn't stolen; I earned it by hunting monsters outside the city," the boy quietly defended.

"Ha, don't bother lying. Those hands of yours are those of a thief. Lying in front of the gods, really?"

"Damn, why does he look down on people so much?" A young adventurer near Muria muttered, "That money was hard-earned by Zoron."

"Do you know him?" Muria asked the adventurer.

"Yes, sir, I do. He is..."

"Enough, no need to explain further."

Muria, confirming something, dismounted from the giant wolf and approached the kneeling boy, extending his hand:

"Your money, you dropped it!"

The boy, looking at the hand and the dust-covered gold coin, then raised his eyes to Muria's face, showing a gentle smile that warmed the heart.

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