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

"The Humus Forest was once a sacred place to mourn the victims. Twenty years ago, in a moment of crisis, to defeat the barbarians from distant lands, King Hanova had to ask a sorcerer to summon the ancestors of humankind. They rose from the earth and guarded this sacred land..."

This is what the Exorcism Manual says.

However, it doesn't mention that those "ancestors" later became ghouls and roamed around, nor does it mention that the mysterious summoning also brought out the big guy in the cave, which forcibly opened up a cave entrance and led countless evil spirits to the north of Wind Howl Town.

If it weren't for the countless exorcists who risked their lives, this land east of Hamlet would have long since vanished.

While bandaging Benjamin's wounds, Pete explained the true history to him.

Benjamin shook his head, feeling inexplicably that history was strikingly similar, and victory was always accompanied by a huge price.

Looking up, the soldiers were all slumped on the ground, bandaging each other.

Although they were all injured, they both had smiles on their faces.

Ever since Benjamin shared the credit for the victory with everyone, the discussion has been endless.

For example, who hit the grandmother spider, who bravely withstood the attacks of the baby spiders, and how many spiders each person killed...

Fortunately, the credit was distributed, so everyone just showed off a little.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing; at least complacency is a positive emotion that allows people to have something to look forward to in the future.

Benjamin had long been fed up with the deathly atmosphere of Howling Town...

"Lieutenant Hord... Benjamin, may I have a word with you in private?"

Victor approached Benjamin, hesitant to speak, but his gaze towards Pete indicated a need for personal space.

Pete stood up and made way for him.

Viktor, crouching beside Benjamin leaning against the tree trunk, said:

"I just heard something from those soldiers, like 'Second Lieutenant,' 'Guard Regiment,' and judging from how that short, brown-skinned guy addressed you, you're Second Lieutenant Benjamin Hod of the Windhowl Town Guard Regiment. It seems this town isn't very peaceful, not only because a major cold wave is coming, but also because of constant factional strife and widespread suffering, isn't that right?"

Benjamin wasn't surprised by Victor's keen observation; judging from his previous reactions, he knew this undead was someone who understood the human world and its social rules.

"That's right, so you're leaving?"

Viktor's face was stiff, because it was a fake face to begin with.

"No, I am a businessman, strictly speaking, an adventurous businessman. I believe that the more chaotic the place, the more opportunities I have to make money. I have traveled to countless regions and dealt not only with humans but also with different races. I hate peace because strict rules only concentrate wealth in the hands of a few. You understand what I mean?"

So, Benjamin, may I call you that?

"Can."

Once Viktor got permission, he immediately plopped down on the ground: "You're a smart man, no, in fact, you have foresight and great wisdom. You can tell from the way you just handed over the credit. What you want isn't easy short-term rewards, but control."

I enjoy dealing with people who wield power, but those kinds of people charge exorbitant prices. So... I'm going to bet big on you, and I believe you can make me a fortune as you rise to power.

Benjamin raised his chin; he wasn't basking in the flattery of Victor's description of him as a "big shot."

In his mind, he had already formed a general assessment of Viktor, this undead.

Victor's goal was clear: to make money, although he didn't understand why an undead person needed money.

However, he didn't care. Everyone has their own ambitions, and as long as their interests don't conflict, they can become friends.

To maintain a long-term friendship, don't be curious about secrets that others keep to themselves.

Benjamin showed strong interest in Victor's cooperation proposal, as he was currently lacking a source of funding. However, it remained unknown why Victor, an undead, was so easily trapped by an F-rank evil spirit, and his purpose in coming to the Black Swamp was also puzzling.

He would choose...

[Virtue: The Undead are evil and cannot be cooperated with, +10%]

[Torment: Everything is geared towards self-interest; Viktor can bring benefits to oneself, +10%]

Benjamin pondered for a moment, then extended his hand and said, "Welcome to Windhowl, Victor...Hodd."

Benjamin chose to cooperate with evil spirits, which went against the principles of exorcists, but he believed that one should not be bound by factions or races on the road to success.

[Torment: Nutrient accumulation progress: 67%]

Victor stiffly shook hands with Benjamin with his cold and unnatural hand.

Benjamin continued, "Your judgment is spot on. I do have things I want to do, and it's a difficult path, but I can assure you that if you help me, I will make sure you don't fail."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I will provide you with the spoils of war, but I need a lot of money right now. With money, I can win people's hearts. With people's hearts, I will have more ways to make money. At that time, I will definitely satisfy your desire for money."

Viktor forced a smile, the kind that almost made the white patch on his face collapse: "Of course, profiting from disasters isn't that easy. Impoverished border towns don't have much tangible gold and silver. I need to dig out some undiscovered potential value here, like..."

Victor gestured towards the Grandmother Spider's corpse: "Although it's an F-rank evil spirit, it was definitely a leader. This guy is a treasure from head to toe. That's your spoils, so I'll wait for you to make an offer. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're satisfied."

Benjamin looked at the Grandmother Spider's corpse; to be honest, he himself wasn't sure what was going on.

He didn't know exactly how much the leader should be worth; if he asked for too much, it would mean he wasn't sincere about cooperating.

If the target price is too low, it's equivalent to lowering the future cost base.

Most importantly, it will expose your lack of market knowledge.

Although both appeared frank, they never forgot that the essence of a businessman is still profit.

"How much do you think it's worth?"

Benjamin threw the question back at him, keeping the initiative firmly in his own hands.

Viktor's sincerity was evident in the bargaining.

Viktor understood immediately. He turned to Grandmother Spider and, without hesitation, laid out his valuation:

"This is an ancestral spider with magical markings. Evil spirits with magical markings are worth several times more than ordinary ones. Their venom glands can be used to make antidotes, poisons, and even holy water, and can also be sold at high prices to alchemists and sorcerers to make binding artifacts, etc.; the spider's abdominal eyes can also be used as materials for artifacts, but if sold to blacksmiths, they can enchant weapons, and sorcerers can use them for rituals; the heart can be traded on the black market, who knows what they use it for; the carapace can be used to make armor, the legs can be used to make weapons, and the leg bones can be used to make staves; the blood can be used for alchemy, and the egg sacs can be used to make medicine, of course, depending on the strength of the life force..."

A barrage of elaborate explanations left Benjamin completely bewildered; the sheer volume of information made him truly realize that the world was far more complex than he had imagined.

He had never met any alchemists or sorcerers before.

At this moment, Benjamin listened attentively to Viktor's earnest description.

On the one hand, one can learn knowledge from his words that one has never known before.

On the other hand, Victor seems to be a very expressive undead, and Benjamin is worried that the other party will take advantage of him because he doesn't know the market.

Fortunately, Victor noticed Benjamin's embarrassment and patiently explained, making his stance clear: I am sincerely looking to cooperate, not just doing short-term business.

"Alright, you've said enough. I'm not a businessman, just give me a price."

Victor tapped his chin lightly with his fingers, looking at Benjamin with a serious expression: "The magic runes are yours. After all, you're an exorcist and need them to enhance your strength. As for the rest, how about we round it up to 1200 gold coins?"

"gold?"

"Oh damn, I forgot, the British pound is the universal currency in the human world, so generally speaking, a gold coin is equal to 1.2 pounds, which would make a total of 1440 pounds. What do you think?"

Benjamin suppressed the trembling of his Adam's apple to avoid being seen swallowing.

1440 .....

That's amazing, absolutely amazing!