The shop remained impeccably tidy, showing no signs of disturbance from the group sprawled on the ground, who were in a state of disarray and not lightly injured.
The bishop felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy, fully aware that he had provoked the demon beyond measure. Just moments ago, he had failed to notice any signs of the demon’s capabilities, which were terrifying.
He was at a loss; who could have anticipated that such a powerful demon would exist in this remote town? This was in stark contrast to what the head of the Magic Association, Alik, had said.
Glaring at Alik, who was cowering off to the side, the bishop fought to suppress his growing fear and attempted to explain.
“Your Excellency, please understand, this was not my intention. We were deceived by this wizard, and we ask for your forgiveness; we will leave immediately.”
Ruthian sighed, unable to delve into the specifics of the commotion in the shop, hastily urging the customers to stay.
“Don’t go! I won’t hold you accountable. Seeing how badly you’re injured, why not buy a band-aid?” Ruthian tried to persuade them to purchase a little more with appeal to reason and emotion.
The bishop and the priests exchanged glances, unsure, yet compelled to comply with the demon’s command, and reluctantly stayed, filled with nervous anticipation.
As soon as the bishop moved, his hand brushed against the cool sensation of a bottle of holy water!
He reconsidered; why should he fear? Didn’t he still have a trump card?
He gripped the bottle tightly and took it out. He opened the cap, moved his hand, and intended to splash the water on Ruthian, holding it out in front of him.
Ruthian saw the bottle raised before him, confused about its purpose, but after thinking for a moment, he naturally took the water.
The bishop seemed a bit stunned; he had never seen a demon actively touch holy water before, nor had he expected it to be so easily taken from him.
The bottle was clear and transparent, with excellent water quality, and the packaging was simple and elegant.
Ruthian thought to himself how considerate the customer was, offering him water to drink.
He felt this good intention must not go to waste and promptly lifted the holy water to drink it.
After finishing, he smacked his lips, savoring the aftertaste; it was indeed quite refreshing.
Upon looking up, he met the dazed expressions of everyone around him.
The bishop: “……”
The others: “……”
Heaven help us, the bishop swallowed hard, silenced for a moment.
At that instant, he didn’t know whether to feel pained over his holy water or astonished by the demon’s complete disregard for the sacred.
Here was a demon who could drink holy water as if it were plain water—he had never seen such a thing.
No… perhaps it’s not just an ordinary demon; normal demons could never accomplish this!
He harbored a terrifying guess in his heart, but quickly dismissed it, no longer daring to act recklessly in front of the being.
For nearly a thousand years, such existences had not appeared on the Continent of Lunar Waters. Although he believed in the God of Light, that deity seemed to have fallen into slumber, ignoring the pleas of his followers.
This was a forsaken land, surrounded by beast tides, steeped in despair, embroiled in conflict, and prayers went unanswered.
At this juncture, the appearance of such an entity was a mystery in itself, whether good or bad.
Glancing back at the groaning knights and priests, the bishop bowed his head toward this “demon” and solemnly said, “Your Excellency, please save them.”
Recalling what had been said earlier, he took out all his gold coins and gently placed them on the table.
Ruthian’s eyes lit up; this was quite a large order. “One band-aid for each injured person—do you need anything else?”
The bishop speculated that this shop owner might also be a deity; the items he sold were definitely extraordinary. Perhaps they could be taken to the church for further research, potentially saving even more people.
The church lacked nothing but certainly did not lack gold coins.
“Give me one of everything.”
Ruthian was invigorated, counting the number of injured; it turned out to be twenty-six people, nearly clearing out the entire shop.
He tossed the gold coins into the cash box, which instantly deducted a portion of the payment.
[Congratulations, master, energy coins credited: 9360, balance: 11350]
Having surpassed five figures for the first time, Ruthian was in good spirits as he shook the bishop’s hand and earnestly said, “You’re welcome to come again.”
The bishop, taken aback, nodded repeatedly, his internal balance shifting toward Ruthian.
As long as these items were truly useful, he would not hesitate to promote them to the church.
The atmosphere became warm and harmonious; after applying the band-aids, the wounded knights began to recover at a remarkable speed.
However, at that moment, an unsavory voice broke into the scene.
“Bishop… you really shouldn’t do this, should you? This is a genuine demon. The God of Light dispels all darkness; are you not afraid of punishment for mingling with such a being?!” Alik interjected, sensing the situation was worsening, his anxiety palpable.
He was waiting to take over the shop; who could have predicted that the negotiations would take such a turn?
The bishop furrowed his brow, fearing Alik would anger this powerful being, and waved his sleeve dismissively. “You can take those gold coins back; the church lacks for nothing.”
Alik opened his mouth, but found no more opportunities to speak and had no choice but to retreat in frustration.
This bishop was indeed impervious to persuasion. Once he reported this to the Temple of Light, the fact that a bishop was jovially conversing with a demon would probably leave no room for him in the temple.
Hmph, this is recklessness personified.
How could someone who could not even kill a demon dare to claim the title of bishop?
He cast a surreptitious glance at Ruthian at the counter and no longer dared to speak out.
The earlier inexplicable power had genuinely taught him a lesson; he secretly hid the band-aids he had received and resolved to take them along with the cola he bought before to the main city, aiming to earn the trust of the nobles.
After a significant amount of gold coins fell into his pocket, Ruthian pressed the elevator button, sending everyone on their way one by one.
He had initially purchased thirty-five different items and had now sold off more than half in one go, leaving behind only a few scattered products.