Chương 85: The Fox Girl Descends to Jiangnan

As we followed Coco the cat into the outer ring area, the temperature began to drop.

The clothes of the people around them also changed to cheap, coarse linen cotton-padded jackets filled with wool, animal hair, and hay.

The contrast with the three men's well-equipped winter gear was striking, but no one paid much attention to it.

Just as Nightingale said, the people in the surrounding area were already used to the Roland Group's deliverymen, especially since the three of them had animal ears on their heads.

A beast-eared delivery operator with exceptional mobility—it wouldn't be surprising if she appeared out of nowhere.

Relieved, Roland began to look around at everything in the outer ring area.

Besides the messy shacks, the most eye-catching thing is a large notice board by the roadside.

There is also a canopy on top of the notice board to protect it from wind and snow.

A large, dark crowd surrounded him.

Delivery drivers and sheriffs are standing below, distributing food and assigning tasks.

Considering that the homeless are illiterate, simple pictures and verbal explanations are used, and each notice board requires two employees.

One person maintained order, while the other distributed food.

Strangely, the younger children and those with disabilities were all asked by the deliverymen to finish the relief food on the spot.

Seeing Roland staring at this scene, Coco the cat walked over to her and explained.

"This is an improved relief model based on your instructions."

"Food delivered by delivery drivers to vulnerable groups must be eaten on the spot; any uneaten food is recorded and accumulated."

"If we don't do this, they'll have their food stolen when they go back, and there have been quite a few casualties from this before."

"Casualties...?"

Roland muttered to herself.

She gazed at the children wolfing down their food; their bodies were thin, their faces bore a numbness beyond their years, just like Alice had been back then.

These children, no more than eleven or twelve years old, were fighting for jobs in the freezing cold to survive. As a modern person, this was the first time I had ever witnessed such a scene.

Coco the cat observed Roland's expression and offered words of comfort.

"Miss Roland, you don't need to worry. The situation this year is much better than before, meow."

"In addition to your assistance, the other three major churches have also launched relief activities, so the situation of the homeless is not so bad anymore."

Coco the cat's words caught Roland's attention, and she asked curiously.

"What exactly are the relief activities of the three major churches?"

"Specifically, it involves distributing food and providing medical care, and the volume is quite large. I saw it when I went to order takeout Krabby Patties; there was a huge crowd of people queuing up."

Coco the cat tapped her chin as she recalled, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Although there were a lot of gifts, the scene felt too chaotic."

"Often, people would be receiving relief on the street, and then a fight would break out at the other end of the street. There were also gangs collecting tolls. Smaller churches didn't have enough staff to manage it all."

"But all in all, it's a pretty good thing."

Roland nodded. This was within her expectations. Now that the church had the technology to transform faith into divine power, it would naturally pay more attention to the homeless.

However, the current relief methods are still relatively primitive, so she still has room to maneuver.

Next, Coco the cat acted as a guide, leading Roland to the very edge of the outer ring area.

……

If the neighborhoods closer to the center are considered dirty and chaotic, then this outskirts is downright lawless.

Those who fly leaves from the west, those who solicit prostitutes for the pink industry, those who fight, those who steal and rob, those who sit in corners waiting to die...

Good news, thankfully no one drank the "addictive potion" directly.

The bad news is that poor people aren't qualified to drink such high-class stuff; at most, they can eat "Western Poisonous Leaves" and experience the whole process of dizziness, poisoning, and death.

Throughout the journey, Roland's furrowed brows never relaxed.

However, due to the chaotic security situation, many hastily formed gangs and thug groups have also taken root here, so some people have started buying Krabby Patties from Roland and others.

The three pretended to be food deliverymen, hawking Krabby Patties while gathering information.

Especially Roland and the Nightingale.

Nightingale is responsible for detecting magical fluctuations and identifying skilled individuals hiding among the crowd.

Roland then coiled a magic crystal ball in her pocket and infused it with magic.

She borrowed this thing from the succubus president, Salia, and it has the powerful effect of detecting residual magic.

Sure enough, after wandering around for a while, Roland made a discovery.

The three pretended to pack up the insulated box and stopped in a small alley.

Roland squatted on the ground, looking at the crystal ball, which was tinged with a bluish-black light and was constantly pulsating.

The frequency of the pulsation reached its highest point in this alley, like a vibrating little toy.

"What does this mean, Nightingale? Do you understand?"

The nightingale looked her over, somewhat puzzled.

"This looks like a necromancer's magical reaction, but why is there purple mixed in? This is the first time I've ever seen this."

"Generally speaking, purple is associated with toxins or flames. Shall we try to sense it?"

Upon hearing this, Roland extended her magic to the crystal ball, and the crystal ball responded.

"Uh... this stuff is sticky and slippery, it's a bit disgusting, it's not poison or fire at all."

"But the main culprits are definitely necromancers. How dare these little brats cause trouble on the territory of the Church of Light?"

Cat Coco tilted her head and watched Roland's actions. Although she didn't quite understand them, she was good at talking about everyday life.

She patted Roland on the shoulder, gesturing for the two of them to look over.

"That makes sense, meow."

"Although they don't usually come out and stay in their strongholds, a steady stream of sheep will come to them, this year might be different."

"Now that everyone has a glimmer of hope for the future, not many people are willing to go to the necromancer anymore."

"Maybe they don't have enough people, so they have to come out and arrest people themselves."

Nightingale only partially agreed with what Coco the cat said.

"What you said makes some sense, but necromancers want people of all ages, so why would they only target teenagers, especially those who are healthier?"

"I think this is probably related to the sacrificial ritual. Miss Roland, we must not be careless."

Roland nodded solemnly.

She wasn't some easy heroine from a shonen manga; she immediately prepared to call in reinforcements.

The calling seed given by the Tree Lady, and Salia's bat pendant.

Even the marks of Elizabeth and Seraphim transferred some magic power and entered the activation mode.

Then check all the protective gear you have on.

Seraf's High-Grade Holy Light Shield Ring, Resurrection Earring, Kalil's A Collection of Magic Scrolls, and so on...

Kalil gave her protective ring to Coco the cat, while the magic scrolls were divided among themselves; the three of them were truly armed to the teeth.

Even if a high-level superhuman comes, you can still run into them, and you can also summon a bunch of ruthless people.

Although Roland might suffer a loss after calling for reinforcements.

For example, she could wear a glamorous dress, dance, or drink with customers, but from an insurance perspective, it would be perfect.

……

After tidying up her gear, Roland revealed a confident smile.

"Alright, let's follow this alley now."

"Now that we're well-equipped and have our dragons charging in, I don't know how we're going to lose, hahaha."

……

In a basement some distance away, a man with a crazed and twisted face burst open the door in surprise and shouted.

"Master, we've found it! We've found it!"

"Finally, we've found someone who can arouse the [Tentacle Mother]!"