Chapter 115 THE TEMPLE THAT GREW WITHOUT ME, AND A BAFFLING SACK OF GOLD

The night air outside the Murkwater area felt like a gift we didn’t deserve.

The damp, sulfur-scented swamp wind brushed my face, and for the first time in two hours, I could breathe without tasting silk at the back of my throat. Behind me, Yuna walked with dragging steps, hugging her new shield like a child hugging a doll. Lumina walked beside her with a face pale as paper, her staff serving as a crutch. Flora had already fallen asleep on Lumina’s shoulder, her tiny azalea petals drooping. And Yuuki, the fox captain who had been crying on my chest minutes ago, now walked with her three tails sweeping the mud like an exhausted feather duster.

[System: Status - Mental Fatigue (Entire Party). Accuracy and reaction speed -5% for 2 hours.]

I stared at the notification and smiled wryly. The system apparently knew exactly when to remind players that they weren’t machines.

"There’s no way we can hunt again in this condition," I murmured. "And I only have twenty minutes before the session limit."

"Twenty minutes," Lumina repeated, closing her eyes. "I’m not even sure I can walk to StoneBrook’s gate, Master."

"Then we won’t walk." I turned to them. "We’re going home to the temple."

Yuuki lifted her head. "Sis Syl’s temple? The one by the lake?"

"Simple algebra. The temple’s altar grants the Blessing of Rest to all followers. We’re all followers. And that temple has nothing to do with monsters, swamps, or silk rain."

"I agreed before you finished talking," Yuna said from behind in a hoarse voice.

Lumina opened her inventory with trembling fingers and took out a parchment scroll glowing faintly blue. "I have two spare Return Scrolls, Master. One for the five of us, and one for you. Your pouch ran out since Chap... uh, since yesterday, right?"

"Thank you," I answered, accepting the scroll with some embarrassment. "I’ll pay you back."

"No need." Lumina smiled weakly. "You just saved us from a total wipe. We’re even."

We tore the scrolls at the same time, and blue light swallowed our vision.

StoneBrook Plaza greeted us with blue lanterns and the hum of players still bustling despite the late hour. I barely noticed the crowd. The six of us headed for the waypoint crystal, and as I dropped coins one by one into the fee box, I let out a small laugh.

"Three silver times six. Eighteen silver." I shook my head. "Two hours ago I spent ten minutes calculating the cost of a single bell tower, and now I’m complaining about eighteen silver."

"Sis Syl is getting more and more like a treasurer," Yuuki muttered, half asleep on Yuna’s shoulder.

"I’m not a treasurer."

"You have a temple, a guild, and an expense notebook," Yuna added flatly. "That’s a treasurer."

I had no argument for that, so I pressed the crystal harder than necessary.

Another white light swallowed us.

Silvergrass Village welcomed us with the smell of damp earth and a cold lake breeze. The village lay asleep in the silence of night, with oil lamps left lit in only a few windows. And in the distance, on the lakeshore reflecting the moon, stood a silhouette that made me stop walking.

"That," I whispered, "is not the temple I left this afternoon."

Yesterday, or more precisely, thirteen game hours earlier, the Silvergrass Moon Temple had been just a beautiful but plain white stone building. Its walls were clean, and its door was carved with ripples, but around it was only flat green grass sloping down to the lake. Not a single tree. Not a single flower.

Now, the temple stood in the middle of a garden.

Not a grand, lavish garden like a noble’s estate, but one clearly made with hands, patience, and affection. A row of young willow trees had been planted along the lakeshore, their branches hanging softly with the wind. Clusters of lavender lined the stone path leading to the temple door, and between them grew azalea bushes with pink petals that made Flora, now awake on Lumina’s shoulder, let out a small squeal.

"Those are my siblings!" she cried. "But there are so many!"

"They’re not your siblings, they’re just ordinary plants," Yuna grinned.

"They’re beautiful," Flora protested, waving her tendrils with a proud face as if she had planted them herself.

In the air, crescent-shaped floating lanterns of silver paper drifted low above the lake’s surface, casting warm yellowish light on the water. Several lanterns had snagged on willow roots, swaying gently like stars that had lost their way. Near a simple wooden pier that had appeared at the lake’s edge at some point, a small child was trying to tie one more lantern to a wooden post with a very serious face.

"They made all this... while we were hunting?" Lumina asked softly.

"Less than fourteen hours," I answered. I could feel my throat tightening. "And all I said was that I didn’t mind."

My steps slowed as we approached the garden gate. I swallowed, then stepped inside.

An old man with a white beard stood before the temple door with two village youths carrying buckets. The moment he saw me, he lowered his spoon, wait, not a spoon but a small shovel, and his face instantly lit up.

"Miss Syl! You’ve returned!"

"Village Chief," I bowed deeply, deeper than I usually did. "This... all of this..."

"We couldn’t wait for your permission, so we moved first." He chuckled with an unrepentant face. "The young ones apologize for digging in holy ground before asking. But the Silver Mother isn’t angry, as you can see, no lightning."

"No lightning," one of the youths said eagerly. "Only moonlight that grew brighter when we planted the first lavender!"

I looked at them, then at the garden, then at them again. Then something in my chest that had held only calculations, plans, and worries for days suddenly felt full and warm.

"Thank you," I said, and my voice came out hoarser than I’d expected. "Truly. Thank you. I don’t know how I could ever repay this."

"You’ve already repaid it," the village chief said gently. "This temple lives again. That is more than enough."

Behind him, the bread-seller woman emerged from the temple door with an apron full of flour and a tray of warm bread. The old yard-sweeping granny followed, leading her grandchild by the hand, carrying a bundle of fresh lavender. One by one, the villagers came out, whether from the garden, their houses, or inside the temple, greeting me with smiles and small nods.

I returned their nods one by one. Mira, who had been standing quietly beside me, bowed softly too, and I caught her eyes glistening.

"They love you, Syl," she whispered.

"They love the Goddess," I corrected, though not wholeheartedly.

"They love you," she repeated, more firmly.

I didn’t argue again.

Before entering, I opened the temple panel from a distance through the remote altar, now automatically linked to my title status. A large window opened before my eyes.

[Silvergrass Moon Temple - Tier 1]Owner: Syl (Saintess of the Moon Goddess)Followers: 117From NPCs: 106 | From Players: 11

My eyes widened.

"One hundred seventeen?" I repeated in a small voice. "Yesterday it was still sixty-five."

"That’s because most of the surrounding villages have come," the village chief explained, scratching his beard. "From Cedar Hollow, from the plantations in the north, even two merchant caravans who happened to stop by. News spreads fast when a Silver Mother’s temple reopens."

[System: Quest [Spreading the Moonlight] Tier II complete! 117/100 Followers.]

[System: Quest Reward Unlocked - Moon’s Blessing II.]

[Moon’s Blessing II: Sunlight exposure penalty for all followers with a dark race and the Albinism trait reduced by 10%.]

[System: Temple Tier raised to Tier 2. New upgrade options available.]

I read those lines three times, and a wide smile appeared that I couldn’t suppress.

"Ten percent," Mira whispered beside me, her voice almost trembling. "The sun penalty reduced by ten percent?"

"For dark races and Albinism," I answered softly. "Including both of us."

For dark-race players like Mira, sunlight was an absolute enemy. The daytime debuff could cut HP and stats by up to ninety percent, forcing them to hide in caves or inn rooms. A ten percent reduction might sound small to outsiders, but for them, it was the difference between being able to walk in the morning without burning, and having to curl up under a blanket until dusk.

For me, the effect wasn’t negligible either. The [Moonlit Albinism] trait wasn’t as extreme as a dark race’s penalty, but at the height of a scorching day, my HP slowly shrank because this snow-white skin couldn’t withstand the sun. That was the real reason I always wore my robe’s hood in the daytime, not for style but out of necessity. A ten percent reduction in the penalty meant that hood might become optional.

"The Moon Goddess," I murmured, looking up at the star-strewn sky, "turns out to have good taste."

But the surprises weren’t over.

The temple door opened, and several figures came out with slow steps. The first was a tall man whose entire body was made only of yellowish-white shin bones, wearing a shabby priest’s robe clearly bought cheap at the market. Beside him walked a pale gray-skinned man with crude stitches at his neck and one arm visibly longer than the other. Behind them came a hooded woman with a face as transparent as mist, and two more with vampire features like Mira’s.

"Dark-race players," Mira whispered, her eyes widening. "They’re... here."

The skeleton saw me and froze instantly. His jaw moved up and down silently for two seconds before an awkward clatter of bone finally sounded.

"S-Saintess..." he stammered. "I mean, Syl. Or Grand Master. Uh... you’re the... Saintess, right?"

"My name is Syl," I answered with an awkward smile. "And you?"

"Soft Bone," he answered, striking his bony chest with respect. "Skeleton player, Lv 31. These are my friends. Chicken Meat, Zombie Lv 29."

The man with the stitched neck nodded slowly, growling. "Chicken Meat," he repeated in a deep voice. "Don’t laugh. My younger sister gave me that name."

"I’m not laughing," I answered, though the corner of my lip trembled.

"We’ve been here since this afternoon," Soft Bone continued. "There was word that this temple reduces the sun penalty for dark races. At first we thought it was a hoax, but after praying earlier..." He paused, his skull tilting. "I could stand in the morning sunlight for three seconds longer without burning. Three seconds!"

"Three seconds longer?" asked Mira, her eyes shining.

"Three seconds, Miss Vampire," Soft Bone nodded firmly. "For us, that’s a miracle."

Chicken Meat patted his friend’s shoulder with his long hand. "We don’t expect anything. But if we can, we’d like to say thank you. The NPCs say the Saintess built all of this."

I scratched my cheek, feeling it warm. "I only moved a building. Everything else was the villagers’ work."

"Then we thank the villagers and you," said the hooded woman with the mist face, her voice soft as a whisper. "And, if we may, we’d like to come pray often. None of us has a guild yet."

I turned to Mira, who was looking at me with eyes full of hope. Behind me, Yuuki, Yuna, and the others were already chuckling with knowing smiles.

"This temple is open to anyone," I said at last. "But remember one thing." I raised a forefinger. "Respect the villagers. They built this place, and they’re the ones who will protect it when I’m not here."

"Yes!" they answered in unison, and the skeleton saluted with one stiff motion that made several of his finger bones clatter to the ground.

"Wait, wait, my finger came off..." Soft Bone muttered in a panic as he picked his bones off the ground.

I held back my laughter with great difficulty.

We went inside the temple. The main hall was warmer and brighter than I remembered, with lavender incense curling softly from the corners of the room and a soft pink carpet sewn by the villagers covering the stone floor. The altar at the front radiated a soothing silver glow.

I touched the altar’s surface, and a window opened.

[System: Blessing of Rest available. Pray to restore HP, MP, and Stamina of all followers and remove Fatigue status. Cooldown: 1 hour.]

"Everyone, pray," I said. "Thirty seconds is enough."

Yuuki, Yuna, Lumina, Flora, and Mira knelt before the altar and touched the stone surface one by one. Soft silver light enveloped each of them, and I could see their shoulders loosen, their breathing slow, and the tired expressions vanish from their faces like mist blown away by the morning wind.

[System: Mental Fatigue removed. HP, MP, Stamina fully restored.]

"Ahhhh..." Yuuki groaned long and loud as she sprawled on the floor. "That feels amazing! It’s like I just woke up from a nap!"

"One hundred percent MP," Lumina murmured in awe. "From twenty-seven percent. Master, this temple is incredible."

"Incredibly expensive to maintain," I muttered softly.

But I had no time to think about it further, because Yuuki suddenly leapt from the floor with glittering eyes.

"Sis Syl! The lake! Let’s go play at the lake! I’m not tired at all!"

"I’m not coming," I answered. "I have to log out soon. You go ahead."

"Eh, but..."

"Just enjoy it," I said, stroking her head. "You’ve earned it."

Yuuki stared at me for two seconds, then nodded and ran outside, calling to the others. Yuna followed with a thin smile, her new shield tucked on her back. Lumina carried her book, and Flora hopped onto her shoulder, squealing happily about the azaleas in the garden.

In an instant, the temple hall, once bustling, fell quiet. Only Mira and I remained.

From the temple window, I could see them playing at the lakeshore. Yuuki chased silver fish leaping between the floating lanterns, Yuna sat on the pier with her feet in the water enjoying the breeze, Lumina opened her book beneath a willow tree, and Flora danced among the azalea bushes with a radiant face. Their laughter drifted softly to my ears.

I smiled. This temple had achieved something I’d never imagined: a place where weary people could truly rest.

"They’ll keep hunting until morning," Mira said quietly beside me. "As usual."

"And we’ll log out," I answered. "In ten minutes."

"Is there something you want to do before that?"

I looked at the altar, then at the temple panel still open at the edge of my vision, and let out a long sigh.

"Yes," I said. "I want to face a problem scarier than Arachne."

The temple upgrade panel opened wide before me.

[Silvergrass Moon Temple Fund]Balance: 1,000 Gold Coins (Source: Follower Donations)Weekly Maintenance Fee: 50 Gold Coins

I read the number and blinked repeatedly.

"One thousand," I murmured. "One thousand gold coins. In a single day."

The followers, especially the villagers and passing merchants, had apparently left offerings in the donation box I’d hidden in a corner of the hall. Not much per person, but with over a hundred followers, the total shot past my expectations.

I opened the upgrade list, and my brow furrowed at once.

[Available Upgrades - Tier 2]

Prayer Hall Expansion (Capacity 30 -> 80): 800 Gold Coins

Healing Altar (HP/MP regeneration buff for visitors): 1,200 Gold Coins

Moon Archive Library (Ancient manuscripts readable by players): 1,500 Gold Coins

Guardian Bell Tower (Protective aura across the village radius): 2,000 Gold Coins

Lake Mirror Pier (Special effects at night): 2,500 Gold Coins

Pilgrim’s Inn (Players can log out at the temple with a rest bonus): 1,800 Gold Coins

I stared at the list like someone offered ten roads to the same city.

"I can help," Mira said quietly, and I turned. She stood with her hands folded in front of her stomach, a posture so familiar from home, that of a housekeeper facing a budget problem. "May I hear your considerations?"

"Of course." I pointed at the panel. "A thousand gold, and I don’t know where to begin."

Mira studied the list seriously. "First, the available funds are one thousand. The maintenance fee is fifty per week. If we spend everything, the temple won’t be able to pay its maintenance, and the building could deteriorate."

"That’s what I was thinking too," I murmured. "So I need to keep at least two hundred for the first four weeks."

"That means the spendable fund is only eight hundred," Mira concluded. "And only one upgrade fits that figure."

"The Prayer Hall Expansion," I nodded. "Eight hundred. But it leaves zero."

"Zero," Mira repeated, furrowing her brow like a household manager hearing the word bankruptcy. "That’s not healthy."

I sighed and began thinking the way I knew best: a comparison table in my head.

The Hall Expansion was a real need. The hall could now hold only thirty people, while followers numbered over a hundred and would keep growing. Not everyone would come at once, but sooner or later there would be overcrowding, especially during a celebration like the one the village chief had proposed.

The Healing Altar was a sexier investment: a regeneration buff for visitors meant the temple could become a recovery center for high-level players, and that might attract more player followers, not just NPCs. But twelve hundred exceeded the available funds.

The Guardian Bell Tower was the most pragmatic choice in terms of safety: a protective aura across the village radius meant Silvergrass’s residents would be safer from monster attacks. But two thousand gold was double the funds I had.

The Pilgrim’s Inn had only appeared after Tier 2, and its description intrigued me: players could log out at the temple with a rest bonus. That would be a major draw for dark races and all weary players. But again, the price was eighteen hundred.

"Syl," Mira said gently. "You know, don’t you, that there’s no obligation to decide tonight?"

"I know."

"And that the money won’t disappear?"

"I know."

"And that you don’t have to build everything in one day?"

I shut my mouth and looked at her. This girl was too good at reading my mind.

"Maybe," I admitted softly, "I’m just afraid of wasting something people gave with such effort."

Mira smiled gently. "That’s what makes them trust you."

I didn’t answer. My eyes were still fixed on the number one thousand at the corner of the panel, and for the first time in days, the weariness on my shoulders came not from battle but from invisible responsibility.

Outside the window, Yuuki’s laughter rang clear from the lakeshore, followed by Flora’s shriek as she got soaked.

[Warning: 9 minutes of session time remaining.]

"Nine minutes," Mira murmured. "We should start preparing."

I looked at the temple panel once more. Eight hundred for the hall. Or wait for four hundred more for the altar. Or save up two thousand for the tower. Or everything at once, with a small loan from the raid proceeds still sitting in the guild storage.

"I won’t decide now," I said at last, and closed the panel without pressing a single button. "Let’s sleep first. Tomorrow morning, after eating, I’ll think it over with a clear head."

"That’s a wise decision," Mira smiled contentedly and held out her hand. "Come. I’ll walk you to the pier. We can watch them play for a while before logging out."

I accepted her hand, and we walked out of the temple, past the garden, past the floating lanterns swaying gently, toward the wooden pier at the lake’s edge. In the distance, the full moon still hung round and clean in a cloudless sky.

On the pier, Yuuki waved with great enthusiasm.

"Sis Syl! Over here! The fish are silver! Real silver!"

"Silver fish?" I tilted my head. "That must be... some special effect of the Goddess."

"Whatever effect it is, hurry over before they swim away!"

I laughed, and for the first time that day, the laughter came out without weight.

"Mira," I said quietly as I walked, "about our promise..."

"Later, in the real world," she answered softly, without turning. "After dinner, and after you take your medicine."

I smiled.

"Agreed."

And beneath the moonlight reflected on the lake’s surface, the two of us stepped toward the pier, toward our friends’ laughter, and toward the last night before dawn.