There’s Absolutely No Problem With The Magic Cards I Made!

"We'll start working tomorrow morning. Tonight, I need to go back to the guild to rearrange manpower and materials to save costs," Mauleon said to the mayor with a business-like smile as he collected the bag of holy coins.

"Alright," the mayor responded.

Before he could say more, Mauleon briskly turned and left.

Watching Mauleon's retreating figure, the mayor gradually felt an inexplicable sense of unease settling in.

"Hmm?" The mayor scratched his head, sensing something amiss. Why had he agreed to this deal without more careful consideration? He should have asked more questions and taken some time to think.

The more the mayor thought about it, the more things seemed off. Why did he suddenly faint when he entered the church? Where did the guard disappear to? Why did the engineer suddenly raise the price?

But those holy coins were already spent, and there was no going back now. All he could do was hope that the contractor would successfully build a normal bridge.

...

Mauleon quickly returned to the church with the coins and found Dekan waiting for him. Dekan had already organized the documents and was ready.

Mauleon: "What’s the budget?"

Dekan: "The material cost is 20 holy coins; I haven't calculated the labor cost."

Mauleon: "No problem, I'll find a way to get the manpower for free."

The two, in their first collaboration, were quite satisfied with each other's business capabilities. They left the church and Dekan locked the door. Then, the two of them left the town together, riding on the wyvern to the other side.

The caravan waiting on the other side seemed quite impatient. The engineer had been gone for over an hour, leaving them all stranded there.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting, but we must return today," Mauleon said to the construction team leader.

Mauleon's words clearly did not sit well with the guild members. However, due to the engineer's high status within the guild and out of consideration for the priest by Mauleon's side, they couldn't express their anger openly without being rude.

The construction team leader, who seemed to have a bit of a temper, couldn't hold back. He raised his eyebrows and shouted at Mauleon, "We've been waiting for so long, and now you want us to go back with just a word?!"

However, Mauleon didn't say anything. Dekan, standing beside him, stepped forward and explained, "There seem to be vampires lurking near this town. If you want to stay and work until dark, it's hard to imagine what might happen."

The construction team leader fell silent. Because of the priest’s words, he seemed to calm down. Considering the incident with the broken bridge and Dekan's warning, the construction team leader obediently lowered his head.

"We'll follow your lead, Lord Priest. Please forgive my rudeness," he said.

Although the priest seemed a bit odd, he should be the priest sent to investigate the town. It wouldn't hurt to listen to him.

"It's fine," Dekan replied calmly, his expression behind the mask unreadable.

As soon as Dekan finished speaking, Mauleon quickly added, "Although we've taken on the task of repairing the bridge this time, we also face a serious challenge. The town has given us a very low budget. We'll need to replan the project, so it might not be necessary for you all to work tomorrow. However, your wages for today will be settled by the guild."

"What?!" The construction team leader was clearly quite unhappy.

But looking at Mauleon's arrogant manner, and considering the humility he had just shown towards the priest, the construction team leader forcefully suppressed his anger and obediently turned to command his team to return.

When someone asked about the guard who had gone to the town with the engineer and was now missing, Mauleon simply brushed it off, saying, "Lord Priest needs to assign guards to watch over the church."

Since everything seemed to be attributed to the priest, no one questioned further.

And so, the guild members returned to the city before nightfall.

This city was a key stronghold in the southern border of the Holy Kingdom, its magnificent walls constructed as if they were cutting through the mountains.

Below them, the streets extended with an ancient iron and stone brick motif. The roads were bustling with countless merchants, far more prosperous than any border city Dekan had seen.

However, Dekan had learned along the way that this was related to the situation of the Holy Kingdom. The capital was closer to the south, where resources were abundant and it didn't border with other countries.

On the other hand, the northern border of the Holy Kingdom was lacking in resources, often in a state of war. So, the southern border was like heaven, while the northern border was like hell.

Dekan and Mauleon rode a carriage directly back to the guild. Dekan found that the identity of a priest was indeed quite convenient, as he wasn't easily suspected no matter where he went. Of course, his mask did attract a bit more attention from others.

However, Dekan wasn't ready to remove the mask just yet. Wearing it was better than being recognized suddenly by members of the Resurgence Church on the road.

"First, help me find Cornelia and Teacher Cat," Dekan instructed.

"No problem."

They quickly learned through the guild's connections that Cornelia was serving as a squad leader in the city's knight's order. They set off to find her.

When Cornelia saw Dekan, she ran towards him trembling with excitement. She seemed on the verge of wanting to hug him, but realizing it might not be appropriate, she stopped in front of him.

"You, you finally came to find me!" Cornelia's voice couldn't hide her excitement.

"I'm sorry, next time I'll make sure to find you sooner," Dekan said gently.

However, as they chatted, Mauleon seemed to instinctively step back a few paces, keeping a certain distance from Cornelia and Dekan.

"Mauleon, why are you standing so far away?" Cornelia asked.

"I feel that when you two stand together, a certain aura seems to elevate, and I dare not get too close," Mauleon said as he took two steps back again.

Cornelia's attire was also quite unique. She was wearing a white mask adorned with black-painted squares.

[White Slate Mask]

[Category: Equipment Card]

[Rarity: Purple Rare]

[Tier: 3]

[Effect: When equipped, this mask can block lower-tier detection skills without obstructing the wearer's vision or perception. It significantly reduces the wearer's presence. When there is a wearer of the Red Center Mask nearby, the wearer of the White Slate Mask will transfer all damage to the wearer of the Red Center Mask, with no change in the source of the damage.]

[Note: You can't see me.]

Mauleon looked at the Red Center Priest and the White Slate Knight. Their overwhelming aura made him feel like he was being held hostage by two terrorists. Their style seemed a bit out of place!

"We're not Resurgence Church followers. How could we possibly harm our own people during the raid on the Shadow World?"

"I'm not suspecting you, I just find you both rather intimidating," Mauleon explained.

"Why don't you join us then?" Dekan suggested.

"Do you have another mask like this?" Mauleon inquired.

Dekan took out a card and handed it to Mauleon.

"Here."

On the card was an identical mask, but this one had strange characters written in green paint — "Wealth."