```
After the Ring of Magic shattered, people could no longer derive power from it, but the method of temporarily obtaining certain special effects by drinking a Magic Potion still existed.
"This thing isn't cheap, what does it do?" Lind asked.
"Make you run faster for a while? Stronger? Keep you from getting tired?" Old Cheli scratched his cheek helplessly, the sound of his old skin being scratched resembled the noise Lind made when scratching the sole of his foot: "Just 100 Gold Badges!"
"Old Cheli, my money doesn't grow on trees."
At least not as tedious as picking up money on a windy day, guiding players' work was not easy at all.
He had previously wondered why Old Cheli had suddenly become a good Samaritan, only to find that the man was waiting for him here.
Compared to drinking a bottle of Magic Potion, he would have preferred to buy something more useful.
Old Cheli sighed, "This was given to me by a young lady a few days ago, she said at the time that this potion was worth at least 100 Gold Badges. She asked me to sell it, and she'll come to collect the money in two days."
"Does Ronin have a daughter?" Lind wondered. Apart from Mayor Ronin, he couldn't think of anyone that Old Cheli would be afraid of.
He was the big boss of the market, countless people had to curry favor with Old Cheli.
"The mayor isn't married, and she has no relation to him," Old Cheli said in a low voice: "But she is a witch, capable of brewing all sorts of miraculous Magic Potions. The mayor needs her to make some items, like the one you see here, though no one would actually spend their hard-earned money on this."
You know it's a waste and still you want me to buy it!
"If players knew about it, they would definitely buy it," Lind muttered to himself and then shook his head, "Too bad I have no use for it."
100 Gold Badges for such a thing was a complete waste, so he decisively refused and turned to leave.
Watching his retreating figure, Old Cheli couldn't help but sigh, then his gaze returned to the fur he had just bought without much haggling.
The fur was indeed in demand.
If someone else had come to sell, Old Cheli would have surely driven a hard bargain, but a realization made him feel that he couldn't afford to offend Lind, and that he even needed to show some goodwill.
Because Old Cheli noticed that these wolf pelts were very fresh, probably killed within the last day or two.
Killing over twenty jackals in such a short time, Lind must have a terribly formidable team under him!
One must always leave oneself a way out.
...
The area of Prey Town was actually smaller than that of Star Dragon Ridge outpost, with crowded houses and narrow, cramped alleys.
Lind let the soldiers guard the purchased supplies, while he himself strolled around alone.
The river under the small stone bridge hadn't dried up yet, but it was only ankle-deep, making it difficult for any fish or shrimp to survive in it.
Half of it was in ruins, reminiscent of the apocalyptic scene when the Ring of Magic broke, the day the earth shattered.
Ahead stood a large house, where Mayor Ronin of Prey Town lived. It was said to be built like a castle and could accommodate more than a hundred people.
The gates were wide open, and a flatbed cart trundled out slowly.
Crammed onto it were a group of dwarves, bruised and battered, looking very miserable.
There were quite a few onlookers around. The time close to dusk was a rare moment of rest for the people, free from the worries of daytime work, but not yet the time to huddle in their homes and shiver at night.
"It's the Dwarf Comic Troupe, I heard they were in charge of performing for the mayor. Looks like the performance went poorly."
```
Common folk struggle to survive in these times, let alone a group of dwarfs.
Among the crowd, there were not a few with malicious intentions, begrudging the dwarfs who, unable to shoulder or lift, could earn a better living just by playing the fool on stage than they themselves could.
However, Lind paid no heed to these people, his gaze moving past the ruins, towards the distant church.
As the state religion of the Rand Kingdom, the Sun Church was like the seed of a dandelion, scattered in every corner of the world, its presence found in any city that was slightly larger.
Lind hoped that the Sun Church was still functioning normally, so that at the very least he could get in touch with Goliath's family or his ex-girlfriend with whom he had lost contact for two years.
But once he reached the entrance of the church, any hope within him faded.
The once-renowned "Songbai Knight Guard of the Permafrost Land" statue had collapsed, its wings in the back broken, and spiders spun webs unchallenged, marking their hunting territory.
Passing by the fallen statue that obstructed the path, weeds grew out of the crevices in the elaborately paved stone walkway.
These were a type of vibrant mutated plant, able to grow in any environment, yet no creature could derive nutrition or value from them, and consuming them would result in a hazy and confused state of mind.
Perhaps their sole purpose was to signal to passersby that the land here once held nutrients, but now that we've taken root here, guess what? This place is now a wasteland.
The church's main door was ajar.
Lind looked upwards, at the massive doors of the church, tall enough for three men.
Upon the door lintel, there was a relief of a figure in armor, riding a great dragon.
He pushed open the church's massive doors, which emitted a dull sound.
Entering the church, he was surprised by the absence of a choking dust scent.
The sunset light streamed in through the shattered stained-glass windows, casting a dim but not pitch-dark shadow inside, where several statues stood.
The one closest to the broken window was a life-sized statue depicting a figure with a great sword planted on the platform at his feet, his head extended so the sword rested at a slant against the back of his neck.
There was a noise from behind!
Lind instinctively turned his head, finding an old face full of wrinkles that had appeared behind him without notice, staring at him expressionlessly.
He shuddered violently and leaped away.
This was an old nun, dressed in a black robe, her unblinking eyes making her appear more dead than alive.
The old nun's voice carried the resounding quality of years spent in ecclesiastical service, as though she were singing praises: "That is the Storm Knight, symbolizing repentance and bravery. He was tormented by his failure to save the infants of the Borderlands and was willing to behead himself as penance."
Lind muttered under his breath, "He sure was quick-tempered."
The old nun asked, "Are you a believer here for worship?"
Lind didn't answer; he hardly considered himself a believer, both before and after he had crossed over.
He spoke plainly, "My friend is a clergy member of the Goliath Sun Church, but I can't get in touch with Goliath right now. May I ask how things currently are over there?"
Although he wanted to show some lingering affection for his ex-girlfriend, Lind was well aware that he had not been in this world for long, and he didn't care much about that unfulfilling arranged marriage tucked away in the corners of his memory.
All he wanted to know was the current state of the distant capital, whether someone had organized a stronger force, whether the Prince had plans to rebuild the realm, and... the intelligence left for the players' Undead.
Without the ability to level up through battling, Lind's sole advantage lay in information.
It seemed unlikely that the other party knew any useful intelligence, but since he was here, he still intended to gather more detailed and useful information; after all, this was the Sun Church.