Not finding Kase there, Colin went to his house to wake the soundly sleeping Half-Orc and give him a rough summary of the situation.

Kase sat on his bed, rubbing his eyes. "So, you’re saying we’re taking the Tiefling south to make money, right?"

"An extra person always makes things easier," Colin said, standing by the bed.

Kase’s home was similar to his, just a small place to crash.

"Alright then, let’s go talk to her."

Kase climbed out of bed, shouting, "An extra Shaman isn’t a bad idea. That way, if you suddenly drop dead one day, you won’t be beyond saving."

"I think with your personality, you’re the one more likely to die. Oh, right, we still have to deliver the hyena hides to those Dwarves."

After fetching the hyena hides and delivering them to the sewer outlet, the two headed for the Morninglord’s Divine Hall, the Hall of Justice. They soon arrived in the vicinity of the Divine Hall.

By the time they arrived, evening had fallen.

Four smaller towers stood guard around the central main tower. The interconnected towers were all built of pure white marble, and the stained-glass windows were mostly made of pale gold glass.

The entire Church had prominent pointed arches and a soaring structure, looking like an unconventional Gothic church.

Seen from a distance.

The entire Divine Hall glowed golden in the sunset, inspiring a strange sense of holiness in anyone who looked upon it.

Compared to the Church of the Deity of Knowledge, the Morninglord’s Divine Hall seemed considerably busier.

Many sick or injured refugees were coming and going. Weary-faced Priests in white robes bustled about, caring for the poor souls. Even the beautiful flowerbeds around the Church were filled with racks for drying bandages and bedsheets.

"Pardon me, is Orelia here?"

Colin walked into the Divine Hall and stopped a Priest, showing his ring as he asked.

The Priest only spoke after seeing the Seal Ring. "She’s in the rear courtyard. Head to the back, and once you enter the garden, turn right and keep going. You’ll see her."

The two of them then headed deeper into the Divine Hall.

Inside the Divine Hall, the pews in the prayer hall had all been moved away. In their place were countless sleeping bags and sickbeds for sleeping refugees and the wounded, and the air was filled with the smell of herbs and the faint stench of blood.

Some of the refugees in the aisle shrank back in terror at the sight of Kase, which conveniently cleared a path for the two of them through the crowd.

Eventually, they arrived in a small courtyard, likely the living quarters for the Clergy.

From a distance, they could see Orelia sitting on the steps. The Tiefling had her chin in her hands, staring blankly at the flowers and plants in the courtyard. Her pointed tail swished back and forth behind her, betraying her anxiety.

Colin called out from a distance, "Orelia?"

The Tiefling started and looked up. The moment she saw who it was, her pale gold eyes lit up.

"There’s something I need to discuss with you. How about we head to a tavern? It’ll be easier to talk there," Colin said.

Orelia looked down and took a deep breath, as if she had just made up her mind about something.

"Alright, Mr. Colin."

The three of them then went to a tavern not far from the Black Heart Tavern and found a place to sit.

After ordering dinner, Colin silently glanced around.

Normally, when he and Kase sat down in a tavern, the tables immediately around them would be empty.

But now, even though the rest of the tavern was full, the two rings of tables around theirs were completely empty. Even the tavern owner was giving them a look.

’It’s a good thing I expected this,’ he thought. ’At least we didn’t go bother Old Black Heart.’

"Making money around Thousand Masts City has gotten a bit risky lately. Edwin warned us about it, so we’re planning to head south to find work." Colin looked at her and asked, "Of course, Edwin also suggested you join our party. Do you agree, Orelia?"

The Tiefling flinched when asked, and a good amount of foam sloshed out of the beer mug she was holding.

She quickly bowed her head, her horns pointing toward the other two.

’She’s probably blushing, right?’ Colin thought. ’But since a Tiefling’s skin is already red, you can’t really tell.’

"I—I’d love to," Orelia said.

"Then there’s the matter of splitting rewards and such. We usually split everything evenly," Colin said. "Also, the two of us prefer to take on quests where we can earn money or get equipment, rather than working for free. I assume you’re okay with that?"

The Tiefling nodded.

"Alright then." Colin cleared his throat. "There’s one other main thing. This ring has given me a bit of guidance, so I plan to head over there and see what’s going on..."

Kase blew the foam off his beer. "If I were you, I wouldn’t be asking all this pointless stuff, little brother Colin. I’m definitely gonna help you. But let’s get one thing straight: we need to take on some quests to make money along the way."

"Of course," Colin said.

Orelia raised her hand. "So, the item that’s guiding you is...?"

"Edwin already took a look at it. It’s not a Cursed Item." Colin showed them the [Silent] ring on his finger.

"Mm, I think I understand Mr. Helder’s intentions now," Orelia said. "But please be sure to clarify this point in my evaluation."

"Evaluation?"

"All of the Priests sent to help Thousand Masts City this time will be evaluated by everyone. It will be recorded in the Divine Hall’s archives. Please, Mr. Colin." Orelia pressed her hands together.

’Feels like a college internship.’

While complaining inwardly, Colin nodded. "Since you’re helping us, of course I will."

With the conversation finished, they each started on their dinners.

Taverns in the slums were all pretty much the same. The stew tasted like stew, the bread tasted like bread. You couldn’t really say one was better or worse than another; it was just what it was.

Still, compared to the previous days of eating oatmeal porridge and gnawing on bread, this was definitely much better.

As he thought this, Colin mentally calculated his savings.

He had saved up nearly forty Gold Coins. Factoring in the equipment he was wearing, his total net worth was definitely over a hundred.

Still, the amount of cash on hand was a bit awkward.

It probably wasn’t enough to buy a "Refined" grade or Enchanted Hand Half Sword. And while a proper Long Sword was more powerful, you couldn’t swing it in tight spaces. A Hand Half Sword was still more practical.

As a Mage, he didn’t need a Longbow for ranged attacks either.

So he probably didn’t need to change his weapon.

If he replaced his Chain Armor, he’d still have some money left over.

If he absolutely had to upgrade, his only options were Scale Armor or a heavier Long Chain Armor. But both types of Armor were too heavy. They had to travel, after all, and taking off his Armor during the journey felt unsafe.

Considering its practicality, Colin still felt the Chain Armor Shirt he was wearing was more reliable.

As for Potions, he still had a weak Healing Potion on hand, and the party now had a Priest. There was no urgent need to buy more.

’With that in mind, I’d better just keep the money in my pocket.’

’Speaking of which, there’s one more thing to take care of before we leave.’

"Orelia, can you read?"

"Of course." The Tiefling scratched her cheek. "Why do you ask?"

"That’s great. There’s actually an important matter I need to discuss with you. Are you free tomorrow?"

The Tiefling blinked in confusion, then silently nodded.

「The next morning.」

Sitting in the library, Orelia stared blankly at the several brick-thick books in front of her.

She asked quietly, "Do I... have to copy all of these?"

"Not just copy. You need to extract the key points and summarize them on paper," Colin said. "After all, it seems the books here can’t be checked out. There’s no other way."

"Oh, oh," Orelia responded, then obediently took a sheet of parchment and began to write.

Colin also opened a book and began his own summarizing.

’It’s so great to have a companion who can read.’