As soon as the guard left happily with his very fat tip, Michael turned to Christine.

Judging by the scrunched-up face and furrowed brows, there was no good news.

"What did he say?"

[Mumbling. 'How did this happen? I shouldn't be holding this in my hands; it should be...' Then, a woman's voice stopped him. 'Restraint, my lord. Restraint.'](Christine)

[This...](Burt)

[After that, the man answered with 'Ah, yes. Of course. Cary on, Isthe.'](Christine)

The party was stumped and lost on what to say or do next.

[There's obviously more to Monk Bozan being attacked so suddenly on his way to Menestad. Do you think...](Aybdah)

With a wave of his hands, Michael stopped Aybdah from continuing.

"This is not the place to talk about it. And even if it's the case, it's not our place to investigate further or involve ourselves. Don't forget that we're just slightly stronger commoners at this point. Someone called Merchant Lord by the Sanctuary can't possibly be a small character. If we stick our noses in this mess, we could meet a similar situation as Bozan did, with more and higher-leveled Wanderers there to greet us."

[You don't think that's possible, right? We're talking about Wanderers here...](Burt)

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but people do crazy things for money. Why wouldn't Wanderers take an easy task that pays well if all it asks of them is to get rid of four newbies?"

[ Quest complete - Menestad Coffers

Reward 1: 2,700 experience points

Reward 2: 680 Gold coins

Reward 3: Herb Cache. ]

Looking at the incredibly high amount of experience gained, Michael decided to have the rest of the party members retreat to Kyovashad and consult with more experienced people before doing something dumb.

Also, he reached Level 12, stunning the trio and leaving them speechless. They also leveled up accordingly, so they didn't kick a fuss this time.

'My current experience bar is 145/2,990. Not only do I have 3 Skill Points to assign, but my attributes increased by 6 points each as well. These past three days have been truly ludicrous...'

The party jumped into the Waypoint without a second thought, even if both they and Michael noticed a couple of people with blue exclamation marks above their heads.

While chanting 'greed is the root of all evil,' the party safely returned to Sleepy Peaks, where Aunty Raskya happily served them lunch.

It wasn't as much because they returned safely as it was the fact that all four of them extended their stay at the inn for an entire month.

[What do you think we should do? I'm not exactly a goody-two-shoes, but it doesn't stand right with me that the merchant might've wanted to kill the Monk.](Burt)

[Mhm.](Christine)

[I don't want to seem like an asshole, but I don't care either way. However, if we get a Quest about it, I'll be more than happy to agree. Also, did you guys notice the amount of experience we gained?](Aybdah)

[Michael is at World Tier 2.](Christine)

"Mhm. I didn't realize before, but this is something that affects you guys as well. My apologies!"

[Don't worry about it. There's not much difference between the two world tiers. Rather, when going out as a party, it's better to be at the second World Tier for the extra experience. At least, that's what my father taught me.](Burt)

"I'm just confused about this whole thing. My biggest question is, 'why?' It makes no sense to attack the Monk as he's traveling with an empty box with only a letter of demand in it."

Everyone paused as they indulged in the food, though, judging by the frowns on their faces, they couldn't understand the situation either.

[Could it be that the man didn't want to pay the tithes, so he decided to kill the Monk?](Burt)

"Would that even make sense? After all, the Cathedral of Light would send another person. Next time, with better protection. The best he could gain is a couple of days."

[Maybe he doesn't have the money for various reasons; therefore, by killing Monk Bozan, he can gain enough time to gather the amount?](Aybdah)

[He paid the guard to betray and kill the Monk.](Christine)

"Mhm... I was thinking the same, but it's all speculation. Tithes... It's a form of tax, if I'm not wrong. But how much is it?"

[Don't know.](Christine)

[No clue.](Burt)

[No idea.](Aybdah)

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Silence ensued for the remaining duration of the lunch, forcing the party to stop talking about the subject. Leaving aside the curious ears in the inn, they themselves didn't know the whole picture, so it would be bad to say something they could be held accountable for.

"I've decided. As embarrassing as it is, I'll revisit Helen and ask her opinion. In the meantime, let's not talk yet with Monk Bozan. We can let him know of the matter being settled later."

[What if he comes by?](Burt)

"Just tell him that we finished the Quest, but don't tell him anything about our suspicions yet. As a Monk of the Cathedral, if we tell him that and he makes a scene about it, we might cause the death of someone innocent. After all, we don't have proof of Telgun doing anything."

[It's too bad that we left in such a hurry. There were so many Quests in Menestad...](Aybdah)

"Well... I don't feel safe taking any."

[Me neither. It might be related.](Christine)

"Exactly. Based on how much experience we gained from just this Quest we completed, it's likely that the Sanctuary considers the matter at least somewhat important. If we grab any Quests we see, there's a high probability of getting embroiled in whatever mess is happening now in Menestad with this Merchant Lord."

It was only after getting everyone's consent to keep quiet about this matter - albeit temporarily - that Michael ran to meet with the girls living in the Pink Palace.

Unsurprisingly, they were in their pavilion brainstorming about the materials needed to create a proper deck of cards. They even made a couple of samples, which Michael found very interesting.

Unfortunately, creating just a couple of cards took a lot of work, so it wasn't feasible in the long term.

'If they react like this to Poker cards and Chess, how would they react to a TV and the internet? It shouldn't be too difficult to bring about an industrial revolution, would it?'

Just as the thought occurred to him, a lighting bolt accurately struck him in the middle of his chest, catapulting him from his seat next to Helen.

The girls were shocked and sent into a frenzy when they noticed the weird phenomenon, but Michael was even more so as he watched the red-colored announcement boxes used by the system.

[ Warning!

The player is not allowed to interfere in the development of the world. If it's perceived that the player contributed knowledge that is detrimental to the natural development of the Sanctuary, the player will be terminated. ]

Blankly staring at the message, Michael stood up under the worried gazes of the girls and waved to calm them down. He wasn't acting, though; he wasn't injured.

[This... what happened? What did you do?](Helen)

"You've seen this before?"

[Yes. It's the punishment of the Sanctuary. But usually, there's nothing left of the person except ash.](Helen)

"Uhm... don't worry about it. It was only a warning. It seems I might've overstepped my boundaries, and the Sanctuary wasn't pleased. I got an actual written warning as well."

Seeing the worried looks, he shook his head and smiled, comforting the girls. Although he was the one stuck by lightning, there wasn't much he could do as he inflicted mental harm upon the ladies.

[As long as you're sure. Don't push where you shouldn't! It's ridiculous to think that the Sanctuary has to go through the trouble of keeping an eye on you...](Helen)

"*Cough* Well, sorry again."

[It's okay, Helen. Stop nagging him, or you might turn single. So? You didn't tell us, Michael, but to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?](Mina)

"Hmm... It's a sensitive situation, and I didn't know whom to turn to. It's about what happened in Menestad when we completed our Quest."

[Is it about that Altar of Lilith you mentioned last time? We gained two extra attributes in Intelligence this morning. I guess it was you and your party?](Mia)

"Oh, right! There was that as well... so much happened that it completely slipped my mind. Yes. I found another one on the road from Kyovashad to Menestad. After considering the benefits, I decided to activate it."

[We've been talking about it as well since this morning.](Mina)

"And? What do you think?"

[It's a good idea to use them. After debating for a while, it's power that comes with almost no strings attached. Most Wanderers know how to read and are aware of the past. We know of both the Mother and the Father...](Mina)

"So that means..."

[We'll judge the situation accordingly. So don't worry about it, and activate the Altars. We'll also run some tests by visiting the other areas on the continent. We need to know if these changes apply to other areas or just to our Fractured Peaks. Maybe it's even the entire Sanctuary, and in that case, it's even more important to do it.](Helen)

"Got it. Now, as for the matter, I need your advice in..."

Michael explained the situation, the details of his Quest, and how the Merchant Lord reacted. Furthermore, the girls immediately frowned after recounting what Christine heard through her enhanced senses.

"Damn... that bad, huh?"

[It is. If this is true, there might be more interests at play. You did well in not butting in. Being caught between the Cathedral and the Merchant Alliance is an easy recipe for a quick death.](Tia)

Seeing Tia shrugging as if it wasn't her problem, Michael rolled his eyes at the little devil.

[Some investigation is needed in this regard. But it would be bad for you or your party to become involved. I'll go talk with Prava today.](Helen)

"Ugh... sorry, Helen. I know you're on vacation, but I keep putting you to work."

[If you feel bad, just come by more often and cook more for us.](Hella)

"That I can do. Though, not today, most likely. Remember how I had to talk with Prava about what happened in Nevesk?"

[Mhm?](Helen)

"I did that yesterday. I... got a Main Quest after doing that."

After a short bout of silence, the girl erupted into a cacophony of sounds, including gasps, yells, shrieks, and even sobbing.

'Why the hell is Tia sobbing!?'

[Damn! Another Main Quest!? How come? That's very dangerous for a Level 9 Wanderer.](Helen)

"Well... after I finished some Quests, I'm Level 12 now."

[...](Helen)

[...](Mia)

[...](Mina)

[...](Tia)

[...](Hella)

[...](Evelyn)

"*Cough* Well... I got lucky yesterday..."

Michael felt awkward seeing the dead fish eyes stare they were giving him. He did go up three levels in the short span of a day.

[Where do you need to go and why?](Helen)

"It's Yelesna. Apparently, there were demon sightings of a horned woman near the mines. Prava wanted me to go and get a more... in-person confirmation of the situation over there and come back to report it."

[Do you think it's her... Lilith?](Mina)

"Probably. But I shouldn't be in danger, at least not from her. After all, the Sanctuary wouldn't allow it. So there shouldn't be anything I can't handle alone."

[Alone?](Helen)

"Mhm. I don't plan to bring the rest of the party. I tried sharing the Quest with them during lunch today, but it didn't work. So, if they can gain nothing, there's no reason to have them take the risk. Plus, we're not close enough to the point where I can have them risk their lives for me. For free as well."

Seeing the girls nodding, Michael knew he made the right call. Even if the danger was higher by himself, there would be fewer complications.

Explaining how he knew about the Altars of Lilith was troublesome enough, but he had Nevesk to use. If he were to bring them randomly to Yelesna and then have them find out about him having a Main Quest, issues would surely crop up.

[When are you leaving?](Helen)

"I was planning to leave as soon as I returned from Menestad, but with the whole mess we caught ourselves into, I wanted to get some advice before leaving. As life usually works, you can't exactly hide from your problems."

[Do you have flares with you?](Mina)

"Mhm. Two of them. Didn't use them this morning, fortunately."

[Now that you're Level 12, you should revisit the stores. Especially the Jewler and Helen dad's. They are next to each other, so it should be a quick trip.](Hella)

"I will do that before leaving."

After waving goodbye to the rest of the girls, Helen walked with him to the gates. Michael hugged and kissed her before leaving.

She promised they'd look further into it and get Prava to use her connections. Fortunately, he and the rest of his party wouldn't be involved.

Too many unnecessary words might raise flags.

"Well then... let's see what these stores have to offer, I guess."