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

At night, the stone paths of Windhowl Town are quiet and desolate.

The damp air from the soil kept swirling around, making Benjamin's head ache.

He walked home alone, reflecting on everything that had happened that day.

Avery agreed; he would send a guard regiment to accompany Benjamin to search for the so-called resources.

However, there are conditions.

Benjamin was to pay each of his attendants £2 a day for their services, with an additional £5 per person if they were to go down into the crypt.

Furthermore, Benjamin had to pay for equipment repairs at £10 per day.

Furthermore, Avery would be involved in Benjamin's business, taking a 30% cut of the total transaction amount.

What a heartless bastard!

Benjamin let out a burp and staggered.

Over the dinner table, he gained a general understanding of the current predicament outside the city walls.

The evil spirits outside Wind Howl Town frequently attack pedestrians and carriages, and no decent exorcism organization can eradicate this problem.

According to Avery, the town lacked the financial means to hire a professional exorcist.

The mayor had originally hoped to bring in clergy from the monastery to resolve the evil spirits.

But to my surprise, those guys turned out to be a bunch of scammers who spent their days selling holy water and courses.

However, due to the presence of the abbot, the mayor did not break off relations with him, since the abbot and Professor Locke of the exorcism academy were acquaintances.

The town mayor and the captain, the highest-ranking commander of the guard, are currently heading to Moonstone City in the northwest to discuss cooperation with the Exorcism Academy, introduced by the abbot.

They hope that the Exorcism Academy can bring its students' practical projects to Windhowl Town.

In this way, Windhowl Town can obtain exorcism labor at a very low cost.

This routine felt so familiar to Benjamin.

For Benjamin, he is now like an arrow shot from a bow, with no turning back.

The £456 on my waist can last for a while longer.

During this period, on the one hand, he must improve his strength.

The guard regiment has training requirements, and he can participate in the training.

Exorcists possess the power of perseverance and a tenacious vitality.

Although the guards of Windhowl Town did not know how to exorcise demons, they had rich practical experience, which Benjamin believed was much better than self-taught.

Therefore, developing a strong physique is an essential path.

On the other hand, he needed to establish a firm foothold and find Avery's weaknesses to prevent being suppressed by him.

With this in mind, Benjamin's steps became much lighter.

When he came to his senses, he finally saw the small wooden house located in the northwest corner of Windhowl Town.

This is a secluded and remote dwelling, located next to an abandoned stable and the ruins of houses.

A few years ago, a few tenant farmers and vagrants lived here. But after the cases of injuries and deaths caused by evil spirits came to nothing, these long-term wanderers immediately sensed something was wrong and fled Fenghou Town.

Now, only Benjamin lives here.

Pushing open the door, Benjamin relit the fireplace. Just as he stood up to rest, he noticed several loaves of bread and a bowl of cold potato soup neatly arranged on the table.

A note next to it had beautifully written words:

"My dearest Benjamin, please forgive my intrusion. I wanted to see you one last time before I left, but you seem too busy pursuing your dreams to disturb you. As I mentioned before, Ms. Roland's bookstore has closed. She has a way to leave Windhowl, so I plan to return to Moonstone with her. A major cold snap is coming soon, so I've left you a blanket. There's also £30.8 shillings under the bed. If you come to Moonstone, be sure to look me up. I look forward to seeing you again. —Sincerely, Lillian."

Benjamin sat in his chair, recalling his last meeting with Lillian, when she seemed to have asked him if he wanted to go to Moonstone City with her.

At the time, the original owner was having a lively conversation with Niya, so naturally he didn't agree.

Looking at the stacks of blankets on the bed, Benjamin suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.

Thinking of Lillian reminds me of the sun in the cold winter; even with the biting wind, I can still feel its warmth.

He groped under the bed and found a small purse with red embroidered patches on it.

She had both large and small sums of money, and she really didn't leave any for herself.

Benjamin lay on the bed, clutching a blanket that carried Lillian's unique floral scent.

He touched it; the texture was unfamiliar, like silk.

Even Benjamin, who came from a tenant farmer background, could sense the value of this gift.

Ok?

The blanket appears to have some texture, likely from needlework.

Items with embroidery are generally not cheap.

Unfortunately, the light was too dim to see clearly.

Benjamin took a breath, inwardly marveling at Lillian's meticulous care for him.

He secretly made up his mind that he would definitely go to Moonstone City to see her when he had the chance in the future.

Benjamin covered himself with a blanket, lay on the bed, and closed his eyes.

Big cold wave......

A seasonal winter disaster during which ordinary people cannot go out at all.

Therefore, when food is scarce, many people will starve to death at home or freeze to death on their way out to find food.

Conversely, Class F evil spirits are insensitive to temperature, so they remain active on the ground during periods of severe cold.

Without exorcists and strong guards to keep watch, evil spirits might even break into a home.

Benjamin sighed deeply, complaining that one problem after another was brewing...

Although Lillian's heartwarming words of comfort swept away the day's fatigue, after experiencing so much, her body still sent out strong signals for rest.

In a daze, he closed his heavy eyelids, and a moment of disorientation washed over him...

The golden diary emerged in the darkness.

【...】

【The Self-Cultivation of a Legendary Exorcist】

Benjamin embarks on a new journey as a legendary exorcist.

Benjamin chose to reclaim his inheritance at the first crossroads in his life after his rebirth—a virtue.

He went to the monastery to outwit the conman priest.

In the first battle between good and evil, Benjamin chose cowardice—torture.

He not only got his money back, but also made a small profit.

Benjamin voluntarily chose to abandon darkness and embrace light, using the funds he obtained from the fraudsters for charitable purposes—a virtue.

Punishing the wicked and helping the poor—this was the most admirable quality of a legendary figure.

Benjamin remained calm and composed; he had a plan in mind to keep this windfall—a virtue.

Benjamin refused to bow to evil forces.

When you're out in the world, you have to choose your own identity. Benjamin believed that a merchant from a central city-state would inevitably make others speculate about his background, and that having a certain identity might earn him the protection of the guards—torture.

Benjamin devised a false identity for himself, but this also meant he would be walking on thin ice.

Benjamin devised a win-win strategy that would allow Avery to make money while he could hone his exorcism skills. Benjamin chose to dance with the wolves—torture.

Benjamin chose to compromise, and although it was a humiliating experience, it gave him a chance to survive.

[Accumulated Virtue: 10%]

[Accumulated nutrients from the ordeal: 16%]

Overall Rating: C+

The path to legend is fraught with thorns, and Benjamin's journey as an underdog exorcist has only just begun. Realizing that virtue is more effective in defeating evil, Benjamin decides to prioritize accumulating virtue unless absolutely necessary, after all, his goal is to become a legendary exorcist.

Name: Benjamin Hodgson (LV0)

Exorcist Class: Undefined

Physical condition: 3

Evasion: 3 + 0.5 (Benjamin dodged the lasso's pursuit)

Defense: 2

Speed: 3 + 0.5 (Benjamin escaped the thugs' pursuit)

Accuracy: 0

Critical strike chance: 3%

Damage: 3 + 0.5 (Benjamin rams the door of the police station)

Benjamin fulfilled his choices as promised and received a reward:

【award】

[Virtue Fountain Accumulation x2: 20%, Total 30%]

[Accumulate nutrients through torment x2: 36%, total 52%]

"..."

-----

early morning,

Before dawn, the icy air was so cold that even breathing it made my lungs sting.

Benjamin pulled his black overcoat tighter and squatted on the path near his house, touching the series of still-dry footprints in the moist soil.

He knew in his heart that someone must have been following him last night.

And there's more than one!

Benjamin remained calm, having already guessed that the monastery was involved, as well as spies from the guard regiment.

Fortunately, apart from Cross Street, Mink Street, South Shore Trail, and Bond Street, there is no residential registration information in other parts of Windhowl Town.

Therefore, no one can find out who they are or where they came from.

Avery might wonder why he, a wealthy businessman, would live in a place like this.

But it doesn't matter anymore. As long as the £400 is well hidden, there will be enough to maintain this relationship.

He hid the money bag under a tree outside the door.

He took out another 20 pounds and put it into the pocket that Lillian had given him, then tucked it into his pocket.

Fortunately, Windhowl Town is currently surrounded by enemies and threatened by evil spirits, so it should be difficult for Avery to send someone to the central city-state to investigate the so-called Hod family.

The only threat is still the monastery.

Benjamin is now certain that relations between the Guard and the Monastery have reached a freezing point, but he cannot guarantee that the Monastery members will not proactively contact Avery in order to capture him and tell him that he is actually the son of a fisherman from Windhowl.

Although he could deny it outright, and as long as he kept the money on him, Avery was unlikely to resort to brute force to steal it.

But it's hard to say whether they will cooperate for this money.

This matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible.