Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 73: A New Quest

Riku, seeing the suffering of the people here, could not just walk away.

He approached one of the volunteers, a weary-looking woman. "Sister," he said in his disguised acolyte voice, "the suffering here is great. While the Sunpetal Draught offers some respite, perhaps a direct blessing of the Light might ease their immediate pain? With your permission, and theirs, I would like to try."

The volunteer looked at him, surprised, then a flicker of hope crossed her face. "Brother, if you have the strength and the skill... any relief would be a mercy. Please, ask them."

Riku moved to the nearest pallet, where a young woman was moaning softly, her skin flushed with fever. "My child," he said gently, "I am an acolyte of the Church. I wish to offer a prayer of healing, to try and soothe your discomfort. May I?"

The young woman looked up, her eyes dull with pain, but she managed a weak nod. "Yes, Brother... please... anything..."

Riku placed his hands gently over her forehead. "Light, grant thy solace."

Advanced Heal.

A soft, warm golden light emanated from his hands, visible to those nearby. The young woman sighed, her tense body relaxing slightly. The angry flush on her cheeks seemed to lessen.

"Oh... oh, the burning... it’s easing," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "Thank the Light! Thank you, Brother!"

Seeing this, others nearby began to stir, hope igniting in their weary faces.

"Brother, please! My son, he’s so weak!"

"Over here, Acolyte! My husband, he can barely breathe!"

Riku moved through the crowded warehouse, now openly casting ’Advanced Heal’ on the afflicted. He focused on one patient at a time, the golden light of his magic a beacon in the dim, desperate space.

One by one, under his touch, coughs eased, fevers lessened slightly, and a touch of color returned to pale cheeks. He worked his way through the makeshift hospital, treating close to a hundred patients.

"A miracle!"

"The light has not forgotten us!"

Echos of praise rang through the warehouse. Many patients wept with relief, hailing the Church of Light and the kind "Brother" who had brought them swift comfort.

Ding!

[Goodwill Points Consumed: -3,000]

[Goodwill Points Gained: +2,500 (Alleviating Suffering of the masses)]

[Current Goodwill Points: 512]

Huh? Why did I gain so less goodwill points this time, system?

[The Host was operating under the guise of a Church of Light Acolyte. A significant portion of the goodwill generated by these acts of healing was attributed by the recipients to the Church itself, rather than directly to the Host]

Wait, but why did this never happen before? I have used the travelling monk’s excuse so many times before. frёeωebɳovel.com

[The Church has a much stronger presence in the hearts of the people, host. The people here truly believe that the Church was the one who helped them, so the goodwill here is automatically shared.]

[As for the monk, no one really knew who that person was, so they only thanked the person responsible, which was you, host.]

But I lost points overall. Can’t you give me more points for helping everyone here? This is just a loss

[Keep on spreading peace and goodwill, host. Your efforts shall bear fruit soon.] The system went silent once again.

Hmph, stingy system.

Riku cursed a bit, but he was quickly distracted by the patients who started surrounding him. All of them started to express their heartfelt gratitude, many of them weeping with relief. Some even offered RIku coin, which he politely declined.

"Bless you, Brother!"

"The Light has sent an angel!"

"Thanking you and the Church for its mercy!"

Looking at their thankful eyes, Riku’s slight dissatisfaction faded, and he smiled back at everyone. Given a choice, he would probably still have helped the people here, just maybe not using the disguise of an acolyte of the Church.

-------------------

Soon after treating everyone, RIku left the makeshift hospital. In a dark side street, he dropped his disguise and turned back into his original form.

All in all, this outing had not been a big success. Though he had helped many people, there were no new concrete leads on the Crimson Creep’s origin or cure. The Sunpetal Draught was a dead end.

System, are you there?

Riku mentally called out.

[Affirmative, host. What can I do for you?]

I need a real lead. A path. This... this isn’t sustainable. What can I do to actually fight this blight, to find a cure?

The blue panel shimmered, as if processing RIku’s request for a bit.

[Analyzing Host’s Query. Cross-referencing available data on ’Crimson Creep’ and Host’s capabilities...]

[New Objective Path Identified.]

[Quest: The People’s Panacea]

[Objective: Bring tangible relief and earn the genuine goodwill of 5000 individuals afflicted by the Crimson Creep. As the Host alleviates suffering and builds trust, hidden knowledge and pathways to a true solution may be revealed. The collective hope and gratitude of the people can illuminate the darkest blights.]

[Current Progress: 131/5000]

[Reward: Revelation of the ’Path Forward’ to understanding and combating the Crimson Creep.]

[Recommendation: To avoid attracting undue attention from powerful factions, interventions should be conducted discreetly. However, going forward, the goodwill of the people has to be attributed to the host directly.]

5000 people.. Riku mused.

It seemed like a lot.

And what was with all these conditions? He had to remain discreet, and he had to get the attribution of the goodwill as well? Weren’t they self-contradicting?

However, this was still a path ahead. It was better than going about without any open leads.

Riku’s mind began to race.

The quickest way would probably be to make talismans containing his advanced heals and distribute them among the sick, but due to the high cost of 30 goodwill points per cast, he could not make many right now.

The only option would be to heal them one by one, probably under the guise of a mystery doctor. This would net off the costs of the spell, while allowing him to steadily progress in his quest.

It would take more time, but it was definitely doable.