"Ding!
Quest-:Destroy Dima Loan Sharks base and kill all the members.
Rewards-:50,000 system coins"
Sogen glanced at the quest and asked Airo, "Can you tell me more about them in detail?"
"Brother, Dima Loan Sharks is a small organization, but its leader and members are very dangerous. The leader's name is Glenn, and he is a 6th Stage, Bottom Level Cultivator from the Earth Realm. They take advantage of the desperation of poor people. They don't allow anyone else to lend money, and if they find out that someone has lent money, their members threaten that person and demand they recover the loan, ensuring that people will only come to them when they need money. They lend money at exorbitant interest rates, almost doubling the amount every month. I borrowed 40 silver coins from them a year ago, and I ended up in debt for 5 gold coins. Their base is near Rumber Alley. Even though all the members, except their leader, are at the 3rd Stage of the Earth Realm, their combined attacks are very powerful. Some say they possess a White Grade Technique. Once, some low-level local cultivators who wanted to help people formed a group larger than Dima Loan Sharks, but when they went to confront them at their base, they never returned. People say it was due to the destructive power of the White Grade Technique."
[Techniques Grade (from High to Low)]
1. Purple Grade
2. Red Grade
3. Blue Grade
4. Green Grade
5. Yellow Grade
6. White Grade
Sogen thought for a moment and said, "Let's set this issue aside for now. Airo, first tell me how many cocoa trees you have."
"Brother, we have 10 trees at our home, but due to some issues, 9 of them bear rotten fruit."
"Rotten fruit? Airo, take me to your home."
Airo hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.
Sogen smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry, Airo. I just want to see those trees, and I will not harm anyone."
Airo nodded and began to lead the way. However, as she walked, Sogen was shocked to see that she was limping, as if one of her legs were broken.
"Airo, what happened to your leg?"
Once again, tears filled Airo's eyes. She tried to hold them back, but this time it was too difficult. However, she managed to stop the tears, even though she continued to sob.
"Brother, we were a happy family. My mother passed away from a disease when my brother and I were small. Our father took care of us and made sure we never felt her absence. But one and a half year ago..."
Her sobbing starts to increase. But she somehow controls it and says,"But 1.5 years ago, Vilkan and his team members started to terrorize the village. They started to take money from people in name of protection fees. First people would just give them money. But later they demanded different amount of money from different people. They left only that much amount on which a person can only feed himself and his family, nothing else. But one day my father took a stand before this swindle. He went to the town's magistrate to report Vilkan and his team members but the magistrate was also corrupted and was involved with them. Next day Vilkan came to our house. He broke all limbs of my father, but he was not satisfied only in this. He even broke one of my leg and my brother's leg, before the eyes my father. After that incident no one came to help us and no one dared to speak against Vilkan."
After saying it, she begins to cry bitterly.
Sogen's heart starts to pound rapidly, feeling heavy in his chest. He understands how much she has been through and thinks, "This world is much crueler than I thought."
He takes out his satchel and retrieves a pill from it. In reality, he took the pill from the system inventory, but he presents it as if he pulled it from his satchel. It was a Grade 1 Healing Pill, a reward from the system. He hands the pill to Airo.
He gently pats Airo's head and says, "Eat this. It might heal your injury."
Airo, overwhelmed by pain, doesn't think twice and swallows the pill without hesitation. She was so worn out by life that she was ready to accept anything, even if it were poisonous. Miraculously, as soon as she ingests the pill, all her injuries heal. She finds she can walk properly again without any pain in her leg. Wiping her tears, she tries to walk, and this time, she is even able to jump. She hugs Sogen and starts to cry again, but this time, it's tears of joy. Although Sogen had no real connection to her, he helped her for reasons unknown—perhaps because she reminded him of his little sister, Lianer, or maybe it was simply compassion for her pitiful condition.
In the market, not many people noticed Sogen, and no one saw what happened to Airo because incidents like these were common when the Dima Loan Sharks demanded money from people. As soon as the sharks arrived, others vacated the area near Airo's stand, knowing that vendors close to the borrowers sometimes faced danger.
Sogen pats her head again and says, "Let's go to your house. I will also heal your father and brother."
Airo hesitates for a moment before asking, "Brother, why are you helping me so much?"
Sogen smiles at her, replying, "Maybe it's because I see my little sister in you, or perhaps I'm just a softer person than most, or maybe I simply want to help you. Now, let's go home."
After some time, they reach Airo's house.
It is a modestly-sized house, but the land it sits on is quite large. Ten big trees stand in the front yard. More shocking is the sight of an adult man lying on a bunk while a young boy, about ten years old, feeds him porridge. The man's eyes are filled with tears, embodying a living corpse. The small boy is also crying. As soon as he sees his sister, he runs to her and hugs her. But upon noticing Sogen, he hides behind her, tears in his eyes, starting to sob, fearing that Sogen might be a member of the Vilkan group or one of the Dima Loan Sharks.
Hearing the boy sob, the man, despite his condition, turns his head towards them and looks at Sogen with fear in his eyes.
"Sir, I'm so sorry. I will pay back all the money. Please, let us stay in our house. If you force us out, where will we go? Please, sir, please!" the man pleads in despair, attempting to move toward Sogen as if he wants to hold his leg to beg.
Sogen can see the pain, fear, and guilt in the man's eyes.
"Sir, I'm here to help you, not to harass you," Sogen assures him as he takes out two Grade 1 Healing Pills. He hands one to Airo, who gives it to her brother, and she puts the other pill in their father's mouth. Suddenly, all their injuries heal. The man beams with relief as he realizes he is no longer injured. He embraces both his children tightly, tears of happiness streaming down his face. Then, he approaches Sogen and falls to his feet in gratitude.
"Ding!
Hidden Quest Completed: Help Airo and her family.
Rewards: Grade 1 Ancient Healing Pill Recipe and 10,000 system coins."
"System, day by day you're becoming more extravagant with your rewards. Now, an Ancient Pill Recipe?" Sogen mutters to the system in his mind.
"Host, how about you start calling me your godfather from now on?" the system replies.