Chapter 212: Magical Creatures

"The daily wage for one person is 10 Silver Tana. Based on the current exchange rate, it's about 1 Sid per week, so 15 Sid per person for half a month. After all, this is a life-threatening matter. You can hire a few more people; these people will bring their own weapons, but if the person you need to deal with is an Awakened, then you will also need to purchase some Mystical Items."

"Do you have any Seal Objects for sale here?" Mofate was in a state of clutching at straws; he no longer cared whether these people could actually protect him, as long as it was an opportunity.

However, he still kept his guard up. "As for the money, I need to pay a deposit first. I want two people—no, I want six people to protect me!"

"Six people, no problem," Tuorsuo continued. "However, this is Tana City; we don't have any Seal Objects. But if you want a Formation, we have those, though only entry-level ones. I am only responsible for recommending them to you; as for whether you buy them, that's not my concern. You can go to the dock area to take a look. I'll find someone to notify the people who will protect you now."

"By the way, let me remind you: I will arrange six people for you, but you need to tell me how many of these six will protect you during the day and how many at night." The players' login and logout times were fixed; since it was close-protection, it was impossible to protect him during the day but not at night.

Although it was a bit strange, Mofate didn't feel there was any problem. "I want two people to protect me during the day, and four people to protect me at night."

"Alright, Chimu, do me a favor and go to the apartment to pass on a message; bring two people over first," Tuorsuo said directly to Chimu, then turned back to Mofate. "Would you like to go to the craftsman's place to see the Formations yourself, or wait for them to bring the items over?"

"What types do you have?" Seeing Chimu and the other person leave, Mofate felt much calmer now. He realized he wasn't as afraid as before; after all, there were now people willing to solve the difficulties he was facing.

"Mainly defensive types; the attack-type Formations are all at the front lines right now." The Formations Tuorsuo spoke of were all made by the players themselves. The principles were provided by those craftsmen, but because the players' own abilities were limited, the effects were also relatively limited.

Seeing Mofate was interested, Tuorsuo took out a catalog. "This is a Formation for sound; after using it, people outside cannot hear what is being said inside at all. And this one is a defensive type; it can allow the entire house to resist fire, ensuring safety for about three hours. And this one, once someone from the outside enters the room, it will make a sound to alert you..."

There were over a dozen types of Formations in total. Their effects were neither big nor small—fireproof, lightning-proof, waterproof, windproof, etc. Most were functional, with average defensive properties, but they were useful nonetheless.

At least for Mofate right now, these things were useful.

Not to mention that the players didn't have Seal Objects, even if they did, Mofate couldn't withstand the consequences brought by a Seal Object. Of course, he didn't have any Seal Objects himself; when he ran away, he never thought there would be a life-threatening danger. It wasn't until he caused trouble for himself that he knew to seek help.

"I'll take one of each of these," Mofate said generously. "Including the deposit for the mercenaries, how much is the total?"

"If you take them all, it will be 235 Sid in total. Since you are a big client, I can waive the small change; um, you can just pay 230 Sid." Tuorsuo considered himself generous enough. This guy was truly rich; as long as he stayed alive, he might just become a big client.

Soon, the men Chimu called arrived at the shop.

Tuorsuo also had the shop's errand boy help fetch the needed items from the factory.

Looking at the heavy bag of items, Mofate felt a great sense of security.

Moreover, the two bodyguards who arrived also made him feel secure. Because these two looked very sturdy, and the equipment on them also looked quite reliable.

"What about the remaining four people?" Mofate asked.

"They will arrive at night. Where are you staying now? Or do you plan to continue wandering the streets?" The person speaking was named Joyful Entertainment, and standing beside him was an employee of his company, named Messenger of the Dark Night.

The two of them usually played together; although they were superior and subordinate in reality, they counted as good brothers in the game.

"I'm going back to the hotel now. Um, I need a large room; you two must stay in my room, never leaving my side." With two people accompanying him, Mofate felt much safer. Once he left the shop, he found a carriage and took the two of them to the hotel where he was staying.

He was a rich man, staying at the most expensive hotel in all of Tana City, the Golden Hotel located by the river.

Being called the Golden Hotel meant it was a hotel opened by people from the Wealth Church. The top suite had three rooms: a master bedroom, two servant rooms, and a living room.

Back in the room, Mofate hurriedly took out those Formations, only to realize he had no idea how to use them.

"There should be instructions for use in here. Do you need our help?" Joyful Entertainment asked.

"Then I'll leave it to you; set them all up. We must be careful of those people," Mofate shivered. "Those guys are too terrifying."

"May I ask, what kind of crisis did you actually encounter? That way we can respond better," Joyful Entertainment asked while setting up the Formations.

Mofate hesitated for a moment, but thinking of his situation, he said: "I was traveling from the Royal Capital. When I reached Telitena, I stayed overnight in a castle."

"I discovered that castle on a rainy night. Because it was in disrepair, I thought no one lived there, so I lived in that castle for a period of time. Just when I thought this castle could become my new home, those people returned to the castle."

It sounded like a ghost story. The two players turned on their recording functions, waiting for Mofate's next story.

"They are not ordinary humans, but they are definitely not Awakened either, and they have nothing to do with the Zheng Shen Church."

"Can you imagine? A group of beasts that weren't human suddenly turned into human form in front of me. I was terrified and questioned who they were, but they wanted me to join them and become a shapeshifter like them, otherwise, they would kill me." Mofate covered his head. "They forcibly fed me a Magic Potion and demanded that I strictly follow their laws, but I... but I was already an Awakened."

"You drank two Magic Potions? And you're still alive?"

"My constitution is quite special, or rather, my previous awakening was hereditary." Mofate shivered. "That Magic Potion might not have been complete, or it was just a transformation potion. In any case, after I drank it, they locked me in a cage, and then I turned into a monkey and was sent to a circus."

"That circus knew I couldn't turn back into human form and started enslaving me. And because I possessed human intelligence, they kept training me..."

"Just like that, half a year passed before I finally found a way to return to my human state, and then I found a way to escape the circus. But those guys found out. They were afraid I would report them to the Zheng Shen Church, so they set up people on the roads to the Royal Capital and various churches... I was almost discovered by them several times, but now I can't escape."

"Why do you think that? You've already reached Tana City. Maybe if you take a Train directly back to the Royal Capital, those people won't be able to find you," Messenger of the Dark Night said, somewhat confused. "And where did you get so much money?"

"Of course I took the circus's money! They have a lot of money, and that money was all earned by me. As a monkey smart enough, I earned them quite a lot of money! But they never shared any with me!" Mofate said bitterly. "Besides, would they dare to report to the Police Station or the Zheng Shen Church?"

"I think I know why they are hunting you down," Huiwan Yule shook his head speechlessly. "Couldn't they become animals in the circus themselves?"

"No, they have a lot of influence in that group, or at least they are very powerful within their organization. Most of the guys they turn into animals can't change back, but because I was an Awakened to begin with, I was able to recover."

"How do they track you? This is the Wealth Church's hotel, after all, and there are quite a few protectors here. They wouldn't want their merchants to be robbed," Anye Shizhe continued to ask.

"They must have left some mark on me, so they can always find where I'm hiding. I can't run anymore. People among them can transform into animals; after turning into birds, they can even monitor me the whole way. They must know I'm in Tana City. I can't run anymore. If I run to the sea, they'll still be able to find me, and then I'll only be able to jump into the water and feed the sharks!"

It must be said that this guy's encounter is truly worthy of sympathy.

It's like someone who was abducted, finally escaping the devil's den, only to still have to hide from the people hunting him.

"Don't you worry, you are definitely safe in Tana City. Also, why don't you ask the Zheng Shen Church for help? You were able to find us; we can help you find people from the Zheng Shen Church."

Mofate sighed. "I am an Awakened, after all. I don't want to be controlled by the authorities, and if that happens, my family will also be implicated by me."

"Alright, then we can only be the ones to help you. How do those people usually appear? Do you have any clues about that? I don't want an ant to appear in the room, and I have to be careful if it's one of their people." Huiwan Yule immediately started thinking about how to deal with this problem, although the possibility of the other party appearing during the day might not be that high.

After thinking for a while, Mofate said: "I only know they like to turn into owls. They rarely appear during the day, possibly because the Zheng Shen Church is stronger during the day. Also, they are very afraid of the Sun Church and the Storm Church; they even have to avoid the churches of these two faiths when they see them."

"Then a Sun Charm and a Storm Charm should be very useful. Any other clues?" Huiwan Yule continued to ask.

"I don't know. I only know that sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I find a snake coiled around me. If I weren't an Awakened myself, I would have definitely been strangled to death. I don't know which deity these guys are Believers of. I... I really don't know how to deal with them. Their blood doesn't taste good either, I really..."

As he spoke, Mofate was nearly on the verge of a breakdown.

It seems he can only ask through other means.

After setting up the Formations, the two players found that Mofate had already fallen asleep on the sofa.

This guy must not have had a good night's sleep for a long time. The two observed for a moment, then exchanged glances with their eyes. Afterward, one of them closed their eyes to log out and report the situation.

Huiwan Yule: Took a bodyguard quest from an NPC, have some clues that need to be asked about.

Are there any Believers of an Evil God who can turn into animals, mainly into owls, and can use Magic Potions to turn others into animals?

What kind of Awakened lives by drinking blood? A vampire or something else?

Is there any way to deal with those Evil God Believers who turn into animals? Can using a Sun Charm purify them?

……

Almost no one could answer this post, and those who saw it could only go and ask an NPC.

For example, Xiaoli, as a translator, needed to log on and off frequently, living a somewhat inverted life.

After memorizing this post, he returned online, and then he encountered Ansain Riddle, who had come to discuss a new book.

This NPC was a loyal Believer of the Wealth Church and should know a few things, so after the other party finished discussing publishing matters, Xiaoli asked curiously: "I wonder if you know of a certain type of Awakened who can turn into animals?"

"Animals? Do they like turning into owls or snakes or something like that?" Ansain said, frowning. "They should be nearly extinct by now, because ten years ago the Sun Church carried out a purge against them. Those guys like to turn ordinary people into animals; that is a very terrifying thing!"

"There really are some!" Xiaoli was even more curious. "If they are discovered, will the Sun Church deal with them?"

"If it were elsewhere, they would likely dispatch a squad of transcendents, but Tana City is different; their church hasn't even been built yet, let alone transcendents. I'm afraid only that Bishop is an Awakened. Of course, the Storm Church is also looking for them, but Tana City doesn't have a Storm Church church either, let alone transcendents."

"Do other churches not target them?" Xiaoli continued to ask.

Ansain shook his head. "The Wealth Church won't concern itself with such matters; they don't affect our ability to make money, and under normal circumstances, they won't turn people into animals. Once discovered, the consequences are very severe. Merchants have all registered with us, and if one goes missing, there are specialized Awakened who will investigate, so..."

"Does the Wisdom Church not care either?"

"The Wisdom Church can directly save people; don't underestimate their research into Magic Potion. Moreover, most of their people are in the city and don't run around, so it's hard for them to go missing."

(End of chapter)