Chapter 23

Bain and his group turned to look, and they saw a young man dressed in luxurious attire, with a long sword at his waist.

"Who are you?"

Bain suppressed his anger and calmed down. He was a man who knew how to assess the situation. From the young man's attire, he could tell that this was not someone he could easily provoke.

"I? Just a passerby." The young man adjusted the long sword at his waist and said, "I just bought a nice weapon, and on my way back, I saw an interesting scene."

"What do you want, then?" Bain put down Novin and used respectful language in response to the young man's question.

"Nothing much, just felt that forcing things won't yield results, so I couldn't help but give a reminder." The young man said nonchalantly.

Bain felt a sigh of relief inside. It seemed the other party had no intention of meddling, otherwise, things would have become complicated. Although he was fierce and powerful among commoners, he was just a small clown in front of the nobility.

"Sir, you may not know, but this man owes our boss a huge debt. He has money but prefers to play with women at the Fitz Club rather than repay the debt. Our boss, unable to tolerate it any longer, asked us to give him a lesson to urge him to repay the debt quickly. I believe you understand the principle of repaying debts."

Since the other party was just here to watch, Bain explained, hoping that after he finished, he could quickly get rid of this troublesome young man.

"Oh—so that's how it is." The young man seemed to agree with Bain's words and nodded. Repaying debts was indeed a recognized principle in Eldoran, and there was no reason to obstruct someone from reclaiming their debt, even if violent means were used, they still had the moral high ground.

"Then continue—"

The young man seemed to be about to leave, as he had no reason to interfere in this matter. Even if he did, it wouldn't be justified, and why seek trouble for himself?

"Please save me, sir! I will repay you!"

Bain saw the young man about to leave and heard Novin's sudden shout, his face changed instantly, and the tension and anger he had just relaxed returned.

But Novin, at this moment, clung to this lifeline. He didn't want to die, and he was willing to try any chance.

"Shut up!" Can't I deal with you? Bain couldn't hold back and turned to kick Novin fiercely.

"Clang—"

A white light suddenly flashed before Bain's eyes, making him feel an immense threat. His foot, which was about to kick Novin, stopped in mid-air.

When he looked, he saw an elegant and ancient long sword, gleaming with a cold light, embedded halfway into the wall at the entrance.

"Wait a moment."

Bain and his group turned to look at the young man again, who had a faint smile on his handsome face.

"Sir, is there anything else?" Bain took a deep breath and asked. He knew trouble was coming, especially after the warning sword strike, which made his scalp tingle. The other party was definitely not a simple noble.

"What do you think? Why should I save you?" The young man ignored Bain's words and looked at the battered Novin.

"Because I am a scholar, and I know a lot. I can definitely help you." Novin, struggling with his injuries, hurriedly said. This was his chance for survival, and he had to seize it.

"But I know a lot too, and you don't seem very useful." The young man smiled.

"Sir—" Seeing himself being ignored, Bain endured the humiliation and said angrily, "Are you going to interfere in our business?"

"Commoner, shut up! It's not your place to tell me what to do!" The young man suddenly changed his demeanor and glared at Bain coldly.

Bain's forehead veins bulged again. His subordinates, knowing the severity of the situation, quickly pulled him back, whispering to him not to act rashly.

"I'll watch how you handle it, sir." Bain's reason overcame his impulse, and he calmed down, stepping back with his subordinates, gritting his teeth.

"What about you? If you have no other value, I won't save you." The young man glanced coldly at Bain and then looked at Novin on the ground.

"I—"

Novin couldn't think of any other reason. He was just an ordinary scholar, and his only achievement was being a counselor in the First Prince's mansion, a position he was increasingly being sidelined from.

"I can be your attendant!" Novin clenched his fists, as if making a decision, and said, "The Sage once said: the path of knowledge has no end, even the wisest have things they don't know. I believe I can help you."

The young man nodded slightly, seeming interested, and thought for a moment, "Perhaps you have a point."

"Sir! If you want to save him, you must repay his debt!" Seeing the other party seemed willing to negotiate, Bain immediately jumped in. He remembered his boss's instructions; if he messed up, he would have no good outcome. He couldn't help but be anxious.

"Oh? How much does he owe you?" The young man had no good expression towards Bain, his tone cold.

"Principal plus interest, it's now 851 gold tols, no, 900 gold tols." Bain counted on his fingers and looked at the young man, slightly angry.

"Liar! You're liars!" Hearing the debt amount, Novin shouted as if his tail had been stepped on, "I clearly remember my debt was only 500 gold tols, there's no such thing as 900 gold tols! They're lying!"

This made Novin extremely anxious. He feared that the debt amount would make the young man reconsider helping him. 900 gold tols was a huge sum, not something anyone could easily afford.

"Didn't expect you to be so valuable." The young man's eyes flickered as he looked at the agitated Novin, "But I can still afford this amount."

With that, the young man's ring flashed, and a bag of coins appeared in his hand. He threw it to Bain, "20 gold tols each, 30 in total. I think this should be enough to clear his debt."

"But—"

Bain caught the money bag and was about to speak.

"Don't think I don't know about the tricks in the debt. 600 gold tols should be enough to make your boss laugh." The young man glared at Bain, "If you have any objections, have your boss come to me."

Bain clutched the money bag, his face uncertain. He knew continuing would not end well, especially given the other party's identity and the sword strike earlier. Most importantly, the other party had a ring, something not every noble could possess.

Better to go back and report to the boss. With this thought, Bain counted the gold tols and angrily called his subordinates to leave.

"Don't forget to give the promissory note to my attendant, or I won't hesitate to find your boss." The young man reminded Bain and his group as they left.

Bain didn't turn back, unwilling to do so. He needed to report to his boss as soon as possible.

"It looks like you need some treatment." The young man pulled the sword from the wall, sheathed it, and looked at Novin. "Can you stand?"

"Thank you for saving me. I think I can." Novin said, feeling a great weight lifted. He was saved, but the future was uncertain and confusing.

But this was the best outcome for him, Novin thought helplessly.

Outside the entrance of the Cathedral of Radiant Light in the capital.

The young man threw a few gold tols to Novin, telling him to go in for treatment. He didn't want to enter, as he disliked the place.

After the ancient war of the gods, the gods fell and became stars, and Eldoran bid farewell to the age of the gods, leading to a great transformation.

The disappearance of the gods led to the formation of the FerNu Law. The lower races of Eldoran, long controlled by the gods, used this opportunity to rise, ushering in a golden age for the races.

As people lost their faith in the gods, new beliefs began to sprout in Eldoran. Countless new faiths emerged like mushrooms after rain, and the Cathedral of Radiant Light was one of these small religions.

During the golden age of the races, the weak Cathedral of Radiant Light, which preached the true, good, and beautiful teachings of light, gradually grew in a chaotic sea of beliefs. From the beginning of the hegemonic era to the end of the New Faith War, the once weak Cathedral of Radiant Light had become the largest religious faith in Eldoran.

The cathedrals of the Cathedral of Radiant Light were distributed in every human country, more or less. On the monthly day of atonement, the cathedrals would provide free food and treatment to the poor.

Today was not the day of atonement, so if one needed treatment, a fee had to be paid. However, the healing abilities of the Cathedral of Radiant Light were indeed convincing.

The young man, Xialan, disliked the Cathedral of Radiant Light. Perhaps it was a natural aversion. His actions were completely opposed to the teachings of the Cathedral of Radiant Light.

In the previous game, he had been a monk in the Cathedral of Radiant Light, eventually becoming the bishop of a cathedral. He understood the hidden power and darkness of the Cathedral of Radiant Light better than most people.

Therefore, he never provoked the Cathedral of Radiant Light and avoided any contact with it.

Novin came out quickly, his body and clothes clean, showing no signs of injury. After all, his injuries were not severe, and the treatment didn't take long. Moreover, the healers at the cathedral were not without desires; gold tols were their best motivation.

Xialan had his own reasons for saving him. He never helped someone without a reason.

This person would be the beginning of his plan.

"Perhaps you need a meal." Xialan looked at the gradually darkening sky.

"Whatever you decide, sir." Novin respectfully said, but he was confused inside.

Since being saved by this young man, he didn't know who he was or why he saved him. He wasn't foolish enough to think he was worth 600 gold tols.

He had a purpose, and as long as it didn't harm the First Prince or Biling, he didn't care. But what about his future, where would he go?

---

① Note: The Hegemonic Era, the long golden age of peace among the races ended, and the races fought for dominance in Eldoran, leading to a world war that lasted for countless years, causing the extinction of many races and the collapse of civilizations.

The New Faith War, after the end of the Hegemonic Era, the races entered a long period of recovery, and faith began to spread and take root in people's hearts. Different religions influenced the races and countries, and the differences in teachings led to a new, long-lasting war, resulting in the disappearance of many religious beliefs.

The Old Faith War, when the gods were still alive, they manipulated the races to fight for faith, leading to a war.