He took the script of an exorcism legend, but became the number one anti-fraud expert.

Wind Howl Town, military camp.

The sun was shining brightly, but the temperature suddenly dropped.

Everyone was exhausted. In the barracks, all the survivors lay sprawled out in disarray.

Some of them lay on the wooden planks with bandages wrapped around their bodies, while others, uninjured, were fast asleep, embracing Brown Bess against the wall.

Inside the barracks, the sounds of snoring rose and fell.

Although Benjamin was not injured, as one of the heroes, he was arranged to sleep on the table.

He was sleeping soundly at that moment, and he even dreamed that he was snoring loudly.

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

The door was kicked open, and the door panel was almost smashed to pieces.

"Damn it! Someone tell me what happened!?"

Avery's roar startled everyone awake. They groggily looked up and reluctantly stood up.

"We're in trouble, Lieutenant."

"Trouble? Did you guys raid a siren's lair today? Aren't the fishmen on the shore almost wiped out by you?"

No one spoke.

The operation resulted in two deaths and five injuries.

The most urgent task now is to find a way to get some holy water.

Soldiers attacked by evil spirits will inevitably be tainted with some evil intent. If this is not cleaned up as soon as possible, the wounds will become infected and there will be no hope of recovery.

But now that there's a rift with the monastery, those monastery guys won't send holy water to the guards at all.

These soldiers only earn £2.50 a week, and a major cold wave is coming soon.

Those with families would cover all the expenses for their families, while those without families would rather drown their sorrows in alcohol than spend their own money on holy water.

Some soldiers knew perfectly well what was going on.

When the captain was there, the monastery always delivered holy water to the guard on time. But after the captain went to Moonstone City with the mayor and the abbot, something must have happened between Avery and the monastery.

In short, the monastery not only refused to send holy water, but the relationship between the two sides also became very strained.

Especially yesterday, he stole a large sum of money in front of everyone, but then lined his own pocket.

Although I know this was caused by Benjamin, Avery's actions were indeed unkind.

Seeing the soldier's displeasure, Avery felt a little guilty, but to maintain his authority, he still launched into a tirade:

"What? You have a problem with me? If you don't want to do it, then don't! Do you think it's easy for me? Your captain ran off to Moonstone City to escape the great cold wave, while I'm the only one left to keep up with you!"

"......"

Seeing that everyone was silent, Avery's gaze fell on Benjamin, and he beckoned Benjamin to follow him out.

At the door,

Avery stretched out his hand bluntly: "You saw it yourself, everyone in the house suffered because of you. You should at least add a little something, an extra pound for each person killed, and an extra pound for each weapon lost, how about that?"

"no."

Avery was stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if he couldn't believe that anyone in Windhowl Town would dare to defy him.

"We agreed on £2 per person, £10 for each weapon damaged during the operation. If you go back on your word, I will immediately terminate the deal in the name of the Hod family."

Benjamin knew perfectly well that if he gave in even once, things would become much more difficult afterward.

Even if Avery had doubts about his family, he had to pretend to be.

"Hey kid! You've got quite a haul today. Look at these weapons covered in seaweed and barnacles. My soldiers don't dive to salvage them!"

Avery pointed to the equipment dropped by the murlocs outside the door.

"What do you think about abolishing the transaction tax after that?"

Avery gritted his teeth: "You're playing with fire! Do you think the monastery will let you off without my protection?"

Benjamin felt a sense of unease in the face of Avery's threat.

He would choose...

[Virtue: For the sake of the wounded soldiers, Benjamin decides to maintain a stable relationship with Avery, +5%]

[Torture: Benjamin plans to break ties with Avery and use the name of the Hod family to suppress him]

"Offending the Hord family will cost you more than just money."

Benjamin chose to intimidate Avery with lies.

[Torment: Nutrient accumulation progress: 107%]

Benjamin crossed his arms, indicating that he was not buying it.

[Benjamin's acting talent kicks in: Benjamin's tough response leaves the usually arrogant Avery at a loss, making him more wary of the Hod family's reputation.]

Seeing Benjamin's fearlessness, Avery began to have some doubts.

He was indeed uncertain about the situation concerning the Horde family.

However, he understood that the wealthy merchants in the city center and the royal family were all related in some way.

If the Hod family has any business dealings with marquises or even royalty, this lieutenant in a small border town can't withstand the consequences.

Thinking of this, Avery took a deep breath and immediately changed his expression.

"I just want to get more compensation for my people's hard work. If you're not willing, then forget it."

After saying that, Avery breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the three heads and the money for repairs as promised. He then called Abby and left.

Seeing Abby looking back every few steps, Benjamin understood.

This is his bottom line.

From the dried mud marks on Abby's feet, he knew that Abby was the one who had been following him last night.

I saved Abby today, and Abby gave me a guarantee, but that's not the most important thing.

Most importantly, Abby gained nothing by betraying herself.

On the contrary, judging from Abby's series of actions, he felt that Abby valued exorcists and his family very much.

Abby would never tell Avery anything that would be detrimental to him.

Benjamin had a general assessment of the current situation and could basically conclude that there was no point in fantasizing about getting along amicably with Avery.

Even mutual benefit is not an option; he has no way of bringing himself any benefit, only endless exploitation.

Judging from his behavior inside the room just now, even though he's a leader, he's not shrewd enough.

His subordinates do not respect him, and this can be exploited.

He was now eager to see if these soldiers, driven to the brink of desperation, would cause Avery to lose command.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

That night, Benjamin arrived at the Oak Inn on the South Bank Lane as promised.

Fortunately, after sleeping in the barracks for an afternoon, Benjamin is in good spirits now.

The tavern was quiet, save for a red-nosed drunkard and a few soldiers celebrating their survival.

Ironically, in the end, the soldiers never thanked Pete and the others.

They didn't even offer themselves, Pete, or John a drink.

"Don't worry about these little things, buddy. They're not having an easy time either. You'd be better off letting them die on the beach than buying you drinks. Making money off Avery is much harder than killing a siren."

"You know a lot about evil spirits?"

This was the conclusion Benjamin reached after a day of observation, and it also left him with a question.

After all, even the "Exorcism Manual" doesn't mention what a siren is.

Even the drowned ghost Pete recognized it at a glance; this was not something an ordinary guard soldier could do.

"That's right, because I come from Terami, the hometown of heroes."

Terramy.....

Benjamin pictured a map of Hamlet in his mind; Tiramisu was a city located west of the Hamlet Federation's center.

It's not a big deal, but after Pete said that,

It seems that one can also understand its powerful exorcism background.

At the same time, when the word "hero" appeared, Benjamin unconsciously thought of that mysterious man.

The heroic souls lying in stone coffins in seaside crypts.

Is there a connection between them?

"Hero, could you elaborate?"