Upon hearing Mott’s words, the blonde beauty spoke up, "I wonder how many gold coins the esteemed Sir requires?" Mott looked at her with surprise and replied, "You're willing to pay for them? This isn't a small sum, it will be at least a thousand gold coins."

Hearing Mott’s query, the blonde beauty looked troubled and said, "So much? Could you perhaps reduce the amount, Sir? We only have three hundred gold coins on us in total; we can give you everything, would that suffice?" Mott looked troubled upon hearing this and stated, "That difference is far too great; it simply won't do."

Hearing Mott's refusal, the blonde beauty grew anxious. Just then, a voice drifted in from outside the crowd, saying, "I will cover the full thousand gold coins. Could you spare these villagers, esteemed Sir?" Hearing the voice, everyone turned in astonishment toward the young man speaking. He was clad in pristine white clerical robes and wore a brilliant smile.

Mott saw the attire and respectfully addressed him, "Respected Priest, are you willing to aid these villagers?" Mo Han paused, momentarily stunned, unsure how he had suddenly become a priest. Looking down at his own garments, Mo Han seemed to understand the reason. Too lazy to explain, he simply stated, "That is correct. I happen to have something here that should be worth about a thousand gold coins. What do you think?"

With that, he withdrew a small, delicate dagger from his person, which was inlaid with a red gemstone.

Mott examined Mo Han’s dagger and replied with some hesitation, "Certainly, that is acceptable. However, good Priest, the value of this dagger far exceeds a thousand gold coins. I do not have enough money to settle with you. Perhaps you could wait for me to sell this dagger, and then I can repay you? What do you say?" Hearing this, Mo Han felt a surprising degree of goodwill towards the middle-aged man. He simply smiled and said, "That won't be necessary. How about this: use the remaining gold coins to help the villagers who are in need. Consider it a good deed."

When Mo Han finished speaking, seeing the immense trust he placed in him, Mott quickly expressed his gratitude. "Since the Priest places such faith in me, I shall certainly carry out your instructions immediately."

As soon as Mott finished speaking, the villager who had spoken earlier stepped forward and eagerly exclaimed, "Thank you so much for your aid, Priest! We, the villagers of Hante, will forever be grateful for your great kindness, and thank the mercy of the Light God. May we know the esteemed name of the Priest? We must send word to the Holy Capital to express our thanks."

Mo Han hastily waved his hand, saying, "Heh heh, it’s nothing at all, just a small matter, there's no need for such formality." Mo Han spoke the truth; what he possessed from Flame Island was worth far more than this, so it was indeed a trivial affair to him.

The villagers, however, assumed Mo Han was merely being humble and insisted he reveal his name. Having no other choice, Mo Han finally offered his name, thinking to himself that since the so-called Church of Light didn't know of his existence, it hardly mattered.

At that moment, Mott spoke up, "The matter is resolved. Everyone return to your tasks. I shall also proceed immediately to attend to the matters the Priest has entrusted me with." The villagers dispersed as Mott instructed, and Mott happily bid Mo Han farewell before hurrying off to complete his errand.

Then, the blonde beauty walked up to Mo Han with a smile and said, "Thank you for helping these villagers, esteemed Priest." Seeing the beauty approach him directly, Mo Han quickly returned her smile, saying, "Heh heh, it was merely lifting a hand. Miss, you are too polite. Were you not also helping these villagers? I merely provided assistance at the end."

Hearing Mo Han’s reply, the blonde beauty smiled and countered, "But we didn't manage to help with anything substantial, Priest, please don't be so modest." Mo Han smiled in response and asked, "May I be so bold as to ask for your name, Miss?" Hearing the question, the blonde beauty paused for a moment before finally introducing herself, "My name is Kaili. I am the leader of the Flying Cloud Mercenary Group. It is a pleasure to meet you. The elf behind me is Anna, the large warrior is Stone, the mage is Jack, and the finest one, the knight, is Latin."

Mo Han immediately smiled back and began recounting, "My name is Chen Mo Han, I am twenty-three years old, unmarried, single to date, with no bad habits, cheerful, lively, upright, and kind-hearted." Mo Han rattled off the information as if he were at a formal introduction meeting.

Seeing Mo Han's mannerisms, Kaili and the other mercenaries behind her broke into smiles. The elf chimed in with a gentle smile, "Priest, the way you speak is quite odd. Heh heh."

Just then, a cold snort was heard. Mo Han didn't need to look to know it must have been that idiot swordsman; he chose to completely ignore it.

Kaili then said, "Well, it is time for us to leave. Our mission is complete. It was a pleasure meeting you, Priest. Farewell." She started to turn away, but Mo Han quickly called out, "Please wait a moment." Hearing Mo Han, Kaili turned back curiously. "Do you require anything else, Priest?"

Mo Han quickly fabricated an excuse. "Actually, I was hoping to travel with you. As you know, I am merely a Priest with no strength to even tie a chicken, and there are so many forests here. If we encounter any wild beasts on the road, it would be troublesome. I wonder if you could escort me for a while?" Hearing Mo Han’s plea, Kaili smiled and replied, "Of course. Then please travel with us for a stretch. We will see you safely to the city before we depart." Hearing Kaili’s consent, Mo Han quickly offered his sincere thanks with a smile.

On their journey out, Mo Han learned from his conversation with Kaili that their original purpose in coming to the Fire Cloud Forest was to capture Fire Cloud Martens. They had already completed their task and were preparing to return when they stumbled upon this matter of rent collection.

It was the year 30 of the Dragon Ascendant Continent. Ah, nearly five hundred years had passed since his Master's time. He also learned that compared to five centuries ago, both magic and martial arts had significantly regressed. The Great Human-Demon War 500 years prior had nearly wiped out humanity's elite, resulting in the loss of many martial techniques and magical arts.

The highest known cultivation level in the current world consisted of only six Great Archmages. As for Saint Archmages, no one had reached that realm for a long time, and Arch-Gods of Magic were now the stuff of dreams. Martial arts were much the same: there was only one Sword Saint and five Great Swordsmen, unlike the flourishing times before when there were hundreds of Archmages and Great Swordsmen, with Mages and Swordsmen being as common as dirt.

The Dragon Ascendant Continent was currently home to Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and the Beast Races, forming several major factions. The legendary Dragon Race had not been seen in ages.

Humanity was primarily led by five great nations: the Azure Water Empire, the Fire Cloud Empire, the Proud Moon Empire, the Sky Dragon Empire, and the Kanya Empire, which held the most sway. Then there was the Church of Light, independent of the five major powers, respected and feared by all empires, as well as the ever-mysterious Dark Church. The remainder consisted of a dozen smaller nations affiliated with the five great empires.

The location they currently occupied was within the Fire Cloud Empire, and the forest was named the Fire Cloud Forest. The Sky Dragon Empire was the most powerful among the five empires, and the Murong family was one of the four great families of the Sky Dragon Empire. Seeing how completely oblivious Mo Han was to everything, Kaili couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to survive while knowing nothing of continental affairs.

Mo Han, for his part, smoothed things over by claiming he had just emerged from a remote village. Though Kaili still harbored some doubts, she didn't dwell on it. Hearing that Mo Han was heading to the Sky Dragon Empire, she informed him that it was located in the eastern part of the continent, at least a two-month journey from there, and that the route would take them through the Proud Moon Empire and several smaller nations.

After hearing Kaili’s detailed account, Mo Han was finally reassured. Since the Murong family still existed, the task would be manageable. He had worried they might have vanished entirely. As long as they remained in the Sky Dragon Empire, he would eventually find them and fulfill his Master’s dying wish. Thinking of this, he smiled and thanked Kaili.