Chapter 115

Wealth Temple

Mu Yi looked at the golden statue of the Wealth Goddess at the entrance of the Wealth Temple, and a sudden desire to move it sprang up in his mind.

However, Mu Yi did not dare to put it into practice, not to mention the two plain old men sitting beneath the statue like roadside elders.

The statue itself is imbued with the Wealth Goddess's divine power; touching it recklessly would likely turn one to gold and have the goddess take both wealth and soul away.

Inside the Wealth Temple there is a famous blessing ceremony, where one spends gold coins to request the Wealth Goddess's favor, which can increase a fixed amount of Wealth Luck.

Even Legend-level strongmen need Luck; many people use their power to amass a mountain of gold, then exchange it for the Wealth Goddess's blessing.

However, it is said that this ceremony provokes the Luck Goddess's displeasure, since Luck is her divine domain, and the Wealth Goddess's interference naturally creates conflict.

Yet Wealth Luck is also part of wealth, and because both are neutral deities, their contradictions have always been restrained, never erupting into any grand war.

Of course, a greater possibility is that the Luck Goddess cannot defeat the Wealth Goddess, so she can only tolerate the Wealth Goddess's borderline overreach.

Among deities, none is more expansive than the Wealth Goddess; she is so rich it drives people mad. In the past, countless worshippers fell at her skirts, crying and begging to cling to her leg and serve her, simply because her wealth was outrageously abundant.

Wealth is an abstract noun; gold and silver are merely common equivalents. In fact, health, skill, and ability are all wealth, and the Wealth Goddess's divine jurisdiction is so broad it seems she can intervene in anything.

Thus the Wealth Goddess is exceedingly generous, and this generosity manifests in every aspect.

If there were a ranking of the most easily encountered deities, the Wealth Goddess would surely be in the top three, truly allowing money to be used for anything.

Mu Yi does not dare to stare at the golden statue of the Wealth Goddess any longer.

He fears his own impulsiveness—impulse is a devil—so it is better to keep it out of sight.

Although he has no fervent desire for gold or silver, upon seeing this statue equivalent to a mountain of gold, Mu Yi feels an inexplicable surge of a restless desire to claim it as his own.

Inside the temple, a priest dressed in glittering jewels greeted Mu Yi.

"The Wealth Goddess will favor all who worship her!"

Mu Yi slightly inclined his head to show courtesy.

"This is your reward!" the priest handed a sack of money to Mu Yi while warning him.

"Bounty hunter, take the reward and leave this city. We do not wish to see unrest caused by you. If there is a next time, we will show no mercy!"

The unrest caused by Mu Yi and his group undoubtedly affected the Wealth Church priests' commerce in the city, and they hold no goodwill toward these bounty hunters.

Mu Yi weighed it; it was extremely heavy, and roughly estimated to contain several hundred gold coins.

Based on the cost of living where he resides, this sack of gold would likely cover a normal family's expenses for ten generations.

"May I know the priest's name?"

Mu Yi politely took out a gold coin and handed it to the priest opposite him.

"Just call me Fei Er!" The previously impatient priest instantly became friendly, smiling as he slipped the coin into his pocket.

"Priest Fei Er, I would like to make a deal with you!"

Mu Yi's words made the now‑friendly priest's smile even more sincere.

"Of course, my friend, followers of the Wealth Goddess never refuse a transaction!"

Mu Yi also smiled, seeing that his anticipated plan was feasible.

"I heard some incorrigible traitors have infiltrated the city; I wish to eliminate them for the people. I wonder if Priest Fei Er can lend me a hand!"

Mu Yi took out several gold coins from the sack and pushed the bag toward Fei Er.

"This matter is a bit difficult..." Fei Er said hesitantly after receiving the bag, hearing a crisp, pleasant clink of coins inside.

"They have already paid their wealth and received the goddess's pardon..."

"That is unfortunate!" Mu Yi said, reaching for the bag in Fei Er's hand, but Fei Er clutched it tightly, showing no intention of letting go.

"Lord Fei Er, since the deal cannot be completed, this is not a friendly act!"

Mu Yi narrowed his eyes. Not doing the job yet wanting the money? It can't be that easy!

"The matter is not impossible! It's just a bit tricky. I need to arrange something within the church."

Fei Er felt a bit embarrassed by the words, yet his grip on the bag remained firm; with such money in hand, how could he possibly let it go?

"What does Priest Fei Er mean?" Mu Yi released his hand that had tried to snatch the bag.

"Add more money!"

Priest Fei Er wore a righteous expression; those who didn't know might think he was doing some patriotic public‑welfare work.

"For the bounty on those criminals, a 70/30 split—I'll take seventy, you thirty!" Mu Yi mused briefly and proposed a new price.

"Fifty‑fifty!" Greedy eyes flashed in Fei Er's gaze.

"Let's each concede a step: forty‑six to forty‑four, and I also want all the wanted criminals' data!" Mu Yi bargained.

"Deal!" Fei Er nodded promptly without hesitation.

Damn, I should have stuck to the 70/30 split!

"These are all the pardon slips! And their information!"

After turning away, Priest Fei Er reappeared before Mu Yi holding a stack of documents.

"..."

Mu Yi had reason to suspect that the members of the Wealth Church had long planned this, but lacked a suitable candidate; now he volunteered, hitting their target.

When Mu Yi took the documents, his retina began to refresh with a prompt:

"Zongwang Prompt: You have triggered a Dungeon event: Win‑Win Cooperation"

"You have obtained detailed information on 18 kingdom traitors; other data will continue to update. When they appear in your view, Zongwang will automatically mark them crimson and display all their information."

"The traitors you slay will receive certification from the Wealth Church."

"The cumulative bounty for slain traitors will be reduced to 60%, and as long as you cause no unrest, killing traitors will not trigger a pursuit by the Wealth Church."

Sure enough, this Dungeon has a shortcut; the Wealth Church, after all, is the Wealth Church—give them money and anything can be negotiated.

Anyway, the world's currency is of little use to him; even exchanging it for Zongwang Disaster Coins yields little, so he is glad to invest it directly.

And obviously, this move works very well.

……

"What a true paradise for traitors!"

Mu Yi curled his lip as he looked at the lavish alley before him; his first target lay within.

As a traitor to the kingdom, this target is named An Er-Daisen, the top figure of the Black Vitality Society within the Silver Moon Kingdom; after his treasonous arms‑smuggling operation was uncovered, he fled here.

After paying a redemption fee, he became a member of the City of Wealth; as long as he stays within the city, law‑enforcement from other kingdoms cannot capture him, which is why bounty hunters like Mu Yi appear.

An Er-Daisen, relying on his amassed wealth and wit, quickly resumed his old trade in this traitor's paradise, becoming one of the City of Wealth's dark sides.

The opulent brothel and casino at the entrance are merely business; the true core lies at the alley's end, the headquarters of the Black Vitality Society.

But both rise and fall come from the Black Vitality Society; evidently these guys angered the Wealth Church over something, so the Wealth Church hired Mu Yi's blade to kill.

All talk of doctrine, all thought of profit—Mu Yi isn't surprised; after all, most members of the Wealth Church are less believers than a gathering of the rich, and the Wealth Goddess is the richest of all.

Anyway, those petty schemers have nothing to do with Mu Yi; he's only here to complete his mission.

Passing the outer part of the alley, Mu Yi walked toward its gradually darkening end.

The information from the Wealth Church even marked the traps and their types deep within the alley, giving Mu Yi reason to suspect those unscrupulous guys sold the intel to the other side, and perhaps the Wealth Church themselves installed the traps.

One deal, both ends profit—this is the quintessential ugly face of merchants.

A few sentry members of the society noticed Mu Yi's approach.

"Hey, kid, this isn't a place for you!" a tall member, seemingly of the leader's crew, shouted at Mu Yi.

"Keep going this way, and I can't guarantee you'll be able to walk out standing up."

After all, in an alley drunkards and red‑eyed gamblers often appear; they stand here to drive away those who can't see straight.

Even so, this is still the City of Wealth's territory; reckless killings will force An Er-Daisen to answer to the Wealth Church.

The Wealth Church isn't a benevolent congregation; each accountability comes with hard‑core extortion, so the Black Vitality Society is, in a sense, the most rule‑abiding entity in the city.

Mu Yi halted, looking at the few people before him; the scent of blood already seeped from their bodies.

"The intel was spot‑on; this Black Vitality Society is basically full of heinous scoundrels!"

Mu Yi sighed; wealth truly builds upon blood, dripping from every pore from head to toe.

Even in a town that looks unusually prosperous, who knows how many innocent skeletons lie buried beneath.

"I may not be a Holy Warrior, but since you block the way, you'll all die!"

Lightning flickers.

The sentry members instantly collapsed, sinking into an eternal slumber, while Mu Yi stepped over their tangled corpses and continued toward the alley's end.

When Mu Yi reached the end, a pitch‑black, finger‑invisible dark alley stretched before him.

"They may be sewer rats, but this is absurdly dark!"

Mu Yi surveyed the entrance of the dark alley and stepped inside.

"You've already found me, huh?"

Malice in the darkness was clearly visible; Mu Yi paused, then flames rose, instantly lighting the alley, and his figure shot forward like an arrow.

A hidden sentry concealed among debris hadn't reacted before its head collided violently with a solid wall, resulting in a mutually disastrous outcome.

The wall cracked from the point of impact, and the sentry's head was burst open by the force, like a smashed watermelon, spraying red and white everywhere onto the wall.

First!

Mu Yi became lightning, appearing like a phantom throughout the alley; amid the flickering light and darkness, he slaughtered every patrolling member.

Almost every member exuded a heavy scent of blood, making Mu Yi's strikes even more brutal.

The hidden sentries and patrols, well‑trained, stuffed whistles into their mouths the instant they saw Mu Yi.

But Mu Yi was faster; when they tried to blow the whistles, they horrifiedly found their heads already lifted, then, unwillingly, plunged into utter darkness.

Mu Yi was like a venomous snake; each opening of his mouth claimed a life.

Mu Yi moved swiftly, yet the heavily fortified headquarters of the society eventually detected him.

In the next instant, the entire headquarters heard a shrill, piercing alarm.

When the alarm blared, a fully armored warrior wielding a round shield and war hammer appeared before Mu Yi.

Hao Weier, the Black Society's second‑in‑command, a Level 10 heavy‑armored warrior.

"You clueless fool, daring to trespass here—you'll have your limbs cut off and lie at the door for all to see the fate of those who offend our Red Wolf!"

A formation blade slashed the round shield, sparks flying, and Hao Weier's snarling face resembled a hellish demon.

"Nice idea, but after tonight there will be no Red Wolf left!"

Mu Yi's formation blade flashed again, scattering countless sparks across the round shield.

A whoosh rang out; Hao Weier, like a raging bull, hoisted his hammer single‑handed and slammed it down at Mu Yi's head.

"Boom!"

It hit!

Joy surged in Hao Weier; in his youth he had dragged several raging wild bulls to the ground, and now in his prime his strength surpasses his younger self, his hammer the perfect weapon for force, making the strike inescapable.

Blood and wailing will be the night's sole melody.

He still intends to kill this clueless fool, as he just said, chopping off its limbs and leaving them at the door so others understand the fate of provoking their Red Wolf.

But suddenly, Hao Weier sensed something amiss.

The impact didn't feel like a head strike, but more like hitting a massive stone statue; the recoil numbed his palm.

Mu Yi's strength is indeed less than Hao Weier's, but his will and Inner Qi bridge the gap.