The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 223: Relief Pitcher (2)

Shakus was the ruler of the Snowy Mountains. As the saying "much ado about nothing" went, his name was grand, but there was no substance behind it. His level, 420, was relatively high, but when compared to Kai, it was nothing.

“I’ve properly dealt with the Dominator Clan, so you two are safe to go now.”

Sora and Luna, seeing Kai return without a single drop of sweat, were at a loss for words.

“Kai... We don’t even know how to begin to thank you.”

"We feel sorry for continuously receiving your help, and we are filled with nothing but gratitude."

“I just don’t see you two as strangers. I have an older sister too, you know,” Kai replied.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The siblings tightly gripped the recommendation letter from Kai and bowed again. The letter was addressed to Baron Arsen of Glendale, requesting that he assist the two.

“And, Kai... This might seem small in comparison to all you’ve done, but this is all we have to give.”

Blushing with embarrassment, Sora handed over a large set of antlers. As a reward for slaying the Death Dragon and subduing the Dominator Clan, it was not just insufficient—it was pathetic.

However, Kai accepted the antlers with a bright smile. “Wow, this is perfect! I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately, so this is just what I needed. I’ll make sure to brew it and enjoy it.”

Of course, the siblings weren’t foolish—they understood Kai’s words were meant to make them feel better.

“Thank you so much. Meeting someone like you is the greatest fortune of our lives.”

“We will never forget your kindness. If there’s ever a moment you need our help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

After giving the siblings a teleport scroll, Kai watched them depart and glanced back.

The villagers of Cordo stared at Kai with fear, the adventurer who faced the ruling clan, whom the Cordo villagers revered as gods, and returned without even a scratch.

Well, they just wanted to survive. I doubt they acted out of a bad heart.

People were inherently selfish. They didn’t want to lose what belonged to them, and they prioritized their safety above all else. From the perspective of the one suffering, it would feel unfair, but the world operated on the principle of sacrificing the few for the greater good.

But I can’t help feeling bitter about it.

Kai still couldn't figure out who was truly right in such situations.

Shaking his head, he left the Cordo villagers behind and left.

***

After leaving Snowy Mountains, Kai headed straight for the capital of the Kingdom of Rashion, Rayark. The place he was in such a hurry to get to was none other than Sammy’s Snack Shop, a shop known as a paradise for children, selling all sorts of snacks.

“Oh my, it’s a bunny!”

“Huh? A bunny?”

“How adorable. Did you come for some candy? Oh, you sweet little thing.”

A rabbit darted into the shop, hopping around energetically out of nowhere.

“Don’t worry, customers. We’ll handle this rabbit right away... Wait a minute, this rabbit is...!”

The shop manager hurried over, and upon recognizing the rabbit, his eyes widened in shock.

“Oh my!”

Then, he immediately called over some staff, and they began shoveling snacks into large sacks.

"Put in cakes too, and don’t forget the new cookies and candies! The big spender always buys the new items, so make sure to include everything. Also, add this month’s catalog!"

For ten or so minutes, the manager and his staff stuffed snacks into bags!

Then, the manager carried eight large sacks of goodies, and headed out the back door to wait for someone.

"Sorry for the trouble, as always."

A man emerged from a corner of the alley, wearing an apologetic expression. That man was none other than Kai.

The manager greeted Kai with a beaming smile.

"Not at all. We’re more than happy! Our sales go up thanks to you. No one else buys in such large quantities."

The rabbit, Mimic, which had been hopping around the floor, leaped onto Kai’s shoulder.

This is definitely the most convenient way.

The moment Kai appeared, the city's streets became chaotic. Moreover, it became nearly impossible for Kai to carry out his tasks. As a result, he had arranged with the candy shop manager to purchase his snacks separately.

"That’ll be 4 gold and 46 silver, sir."

"Here’s 5 gold. Keep the change."

"Oh, thank you so much!" The manager gave a deep bow, grateful for the generous tip. "Until next time!"

With the sacks of goodies in hand, Kai used Shadow Shift and headed to the Celestial Garden.

"You! What took you so long?! It felt like I waited for forever!”

Helik came leaping toward him and went straight for the bags of snacks. It was hard to tell if she had been waiting for him or the snacks.

"Helik."

As Kai lowered his voice and put on a stern expression, Helik pouted and put her hands together.

"W-why do you scold me the moment you arrive..."

"Please wait."

Kai placed the sacks of snacks into his inventory and walked toward a corner of the Celestial Garden. It was a sort of snack pantry where he gathered all the treats he had brought.

And as expected, it was completely empty. By his calculations, there should have been at least nine snacks left.

"Helik, didn’t I tell you to limit yourself to only three snacks you want per day?"

"L-Listen! It’s not what you think!"

"Then please, explain."

At Kai’s cold tone, Helik put on a face as if she was unjustly wronged and pounded her fists lightly against her chest.

"The truth is, sometimes, neighboring gods drop by my home, and I use the snacks to serve them."

"Neighboring gods?"

As Kai tilted his head, Helik nodded.

"Yes! I don’t have many close friends among the gods, but they occasionally come over to have tea."

"Who are those close god friends?"

"The god of earth, Horn, the god of water, Haku, and the god of love, Roby, occasionally visit."

"So you served them the snacks during their visits?"

"Are you doubting me?"

Helik frowned, puffing out her cheeks and placing her hands firmly on her hips.

“Hmm.” Kai squinted and reluctantly nodded. “Well, if you insist that much... I believe you.”

“As expected of my envoy! You truly understand me so well!”

Helik’s face brightened instantly. If she had a tail, it would likely be wagging enthusiastically by now.

“These are this month’s snacks. You know the rule, right? Three a day.”

“Mm-hmm, I know.”

Like a child unwrapping a gift, Helik sat down and chuckled as she opened the snack sacks.

Watching her with an adoring, fatherly smile, Kai said, “Oh, by the way, I’ve gathered all three holy relics.”

“Hm? Ah, yes, I’m aware. How is the holy sword?”

“It’s great. It does consume an absurd amount of holy power, but since my regeneration rate is high, I can manage it well.”

“The holy sword is a holy weapon that only those with a pure heart can wield. Always keep your heart clean from now on.”

“Of course! Clean, clear, and confident!” Kai grinned as he responded.

Helik smiled as well before asking, “Hehehe, then can I have five snacks today to celebrate?”

“No.”

“Aww...”

Helik’s expression drooped.

***

“How do things seem?”

“They can’t handle it. Not at their level.”

“Hmm...”

Cheonhwa guild’s master, Seol Eun-Yeong, was watching the same screen as Boyd.

—Ah! The Nihonichi guild! Are they going to fall apart here?!

—In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the Nihonichi guild has put everything into this Zatan raid.

—Exactly. While the top ten guilds... or rather, now the top nine guilds, may not be as dominant as before, they’re still powerful. However, only the Nihonichi guild hasn’t been seeing much success recently in the territorial wars. @@novelbin@@

—Even the Titan guild, now expelled from the top ten guilds, managed to secure a city. So why hasn’t Nihonichi been able to do the same?

—The biggest issue is the small number of members. Nihonichi only accepts guild members who are Japanese, but Japan has been a market dominated by single-player games rather than large-scale MMORPGs. In the early days of the game, they were undoubtedly one of the top ten guilds, but now, operating with just eighty members is proving to be quite challenging.

Everything the commentators said was accurate. The Nihonichi guild had hit a wall due to their limited numbers.

This isn’t good.

The world’s top ten guilds. Just a few months ago, they were forces that dictated the flow of MID Online. But after the downfall of the Black Bees and Titan, Nihonichi was also now on the path to self-destruction.

If the image of the top ten guilds continues to be damaged like this, things will be troublesome.

Seol Eun-Yeong had worked endlessly to secure a position among the top ten guilds. As the guild master, she had meticulously managed her guild to ensure they avoided even the smallest of troubles. She had invested her abundant wealth to select the best talent and build the ultimate guild, and now, others were tearing down her efforts.

I don’t like this.

Seol Eun-Yeong furrowed her elegant brows.

She looked at Boyd and asked, “What about that rumor I asked you to look into last time?”

“The rumor you mentioned? Oh, that?” Boyd shrugged as he continued, “I have a hunch, but no solid evidence yet. But why are you so concerned about this issue?”

“If it’s true, I need to let Unknown know.”

“I don’t know about that. Even if it’s true, that guy doesn’t seem like the type to care...”

“He’s still human and capable of mistakes, but he’s in a position where even one mistake is unacceptable.”

“You really care about him so deeply.” Boyd shook his head and added, “I’d say there’s a 70% chance the rumor is true.”

“That high?”

If Boyd, known for his meticulous evaluations, mentioned a 70% probability, it was almost a certainty.

Seol Eun-Yeong’s brows furrowed again.

“Yes. But it feels like there’s something we’re missing. Even after pushing our intel team to their limits, we’ve made no progress,” Boyd said.

“The intel team of the Cheonhwa guild couldn’t dig into it?”

“Smells fishy, doesn’t it?” Boyd grinned slyly, his expression showing how entertained he was. “Someone’s meddling in the middle of all this.”

“What do you think their goal is?”

“Hmm. Honestly, suppressing a rumor that’s already out doesn’t require this level of information control. That’s why I think there’s something bigger I don’t know about.” Boyd stroked his chin before continuing, "Black Bees and Titan. I don't know what those two damn groups are scheming, but it does seem like they've formed an alliance."

“They’re not much of a threat, though.”

“No, not really. Honestly, when looked at individually, they’re nothing to fear. They’ve fallen way behind in levels, and the number of territories they hold doesn’t even compare. But even if they may have fallen, they were still in the top ten. If those two really are teaming up, they might grow to about the size of Cheonhwa.”

“Hmm...”

Currently, the Cheonhwa guild was considered to be among the top three of the top nine guilds. Could Black Bee and Titan teaming up really generate that much synergy?

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just guessing here. And you already know this, Master. The only reason Sting and Goliath ended up on the sidelines was because Kai is such a monster. Those two are incredible gamers,” Boyd replied.

“Then find out what they’re scheming.”

“Did you not hear anything I said until now? I told you, there are people tampering with information.”

“You’re all paid a lot for a reason. Push the intel team harder.”

Faced with the stubborn attitude of the queenly master, Boyd raised both hands and shrugged as he responded, “Alright. So, what’s the plan for the Zatan raid? The Pray guild is nowhere to be seen lately, the others are too busy gathering territories, and Warriors said they’d join, but we’ll have to wait and see... Are we going for it ourselves?”

“We finished Veghas ourselves. Zatan needs to be ours too.”

“Oh, you’re aiming to brand Cheonhwa as the main episode conquerors, huh?”

“Why? Do you think it’s too much for our guild to handle?”

“Hmm...” Boyd closed his eyes, calculating the odds, then replied, “You saw it too. Based on how Nihonichi handled it, the strategy revolves around dodging Zatan’s attacks and surviving until its invincibility pattern ends.”

“We have a few who could manage that, don’t we? You, for example.”

“That’s the problem—I’m the only one who can. We don’t have anyone else at that level in the guild. At least one more person is necessary, and if we want to approach it comfortably, we’d need two.”

“Two people, huh...” After a moment of consideration, Seol Eun-Yeong said, “Contact Yoo Ha-Rin.”

“Okay. And the other person?”

“I’ll take care of that.”

With that, Seol Eun-Yeong logged out of the game.

Then, she threw on a coat, tidied her hair, and stepped into the elevator heading downstairs.