Two years passed in the blink of an eye, and the year became X776.
During these two years, Riyao was focused on saving money to buy land, traveling everywhere to take on commissions.
His top-tier Healing Magic unknowingly became famous throughout Fiore.
Healing Mages were already scarce, and his skills were exceptionally brilliant. His reputation soon resounded across the continent, and even the royal family of the kingdom sent people secretly, hoping to poach and recruit him.
The first year was fine; he took all kinds of commissions—slaying monsters, escorting, and scouting—steadily earning bounties.
But in the second year, once his fame spread, a massive influx of designated commissions poured in. They were almost entirely requests for medical treatment and injury healing, impossible to turn away.
Riyao would occasionally engage in combat, but only when he encountered bandits blocking the road or troublemaking monsters while on his way to a consultation, dealing with them casually.
Looking down at the medical consultation commissions piled high on his desk, he sighed inwardly: It had been a long time since he had taken a proper combat-oriented subjugation commission.
Riyao efficiently organized all the documents, stuffed the stack of commissions into his backpack, and walked slowly out of his temporary camp tent.
This was the last job on his hands: a sudden, virulent plague had broken out in the town of Gresse. The situation was urgent. This commission, jointly issued by the Council and the Kingdom, had been thrust into his hands by Council members who intercepted him right after he finished his previous job.
After a brief rest, he took out a handful of ordinary plant seeds. Warm magic and pure life force flowed through his palm. With a wave of his hand, he scattered all the seeds throughout the town.
These seeds were special seedlings Riyao had personally cultivated during his spare time over the past two years. Originally intended for his future fields, they could not only gather pure vitality but also possessed a certain inherent purifying power.
Amidst swirling points of light, the seeds that hit the ground extended their roots deep into the earth, and the sprouts that broke through the soil grew wildly in the wind.
In an instant, branches sprouted and trunks rose. One by one, the saplings rapidly grew into sturdy, upright trees, covering the streets and alleys of Gresse.
The groves of trees were surrounded by a faint green glow. As the branches and leaves breathed, the foul air was purified, and the entire town was completely enveloped in refreshing, vibrant vitality.
However, this only treated the symptoms rather than the root cause, temporarily stabilizing the plague situation.
Riyao's fingertips gently brushed the trunk of a nearby tree. The green glow flowed along his palm as he felt the last trace of the plague's aura in the town being completely dissolved. He turned his head toward the Council medical personnel who were re-examining the residents nearby and walked over.
"Excuse me," Riyao said in a calm tone. "This plague came about strangely. It doesn't seem like a natural outbreak, does it?"
Upon hearing this, the medical staff member wearing white gloves pushed up his glasses, his expression turning more serious. "Mr. Riyao is indeed sharp. We have examined the patients and found subtle traces of magic in their bodies. Without a doubt, this is a plague created by a Dark Guild, specifically targeting ordinary civilians and being highly contagious."
"A Dark Guild?" Riyao's eyebrows quirked slightly. "Any specific leads?"
"We're not sure which faction it is yet." The medical staff member shook his head and pulled a report from his briefcase. "However, over the past six months, three towns on the border of Fiore have successively suffered similar plague outbreaks. The methods are identical, suggesting they were done by the same group. The Council suspects an emerging Dark Guild is testing some kind of ritual or trying to create chaos through the plague."
Riyao took the report and scanned it quickly. As his finger traced the locations of the infected areas marked on the paper, he understood. These towns happened to form a line, as if by deliberate design.
"Thanks for letting me know." He handed the report back, his gaze falling on the tallest Purification Tree in the center of town.
A flash of joy appeared in the medical staff member's eyes. "That would be wonderful! With a top-tier Healing Mage like you present, along with your Purification Trees, we'll have much more time to handle things."
Riyao tapped the trunk of the Purification Tree with his fingertip, the green glow flickering slightly between his fingers. "Since a Dark Guild is behind this, we can't let them continue to harm other towns."
He turned to the medical staff member, his tone still casual. "You keep an eye on the situation in town; I'll go check the surroundings. These infected areas are connected in a line; perhaps I can find their tracks."
Without waiting for a response, Riyao had already picked up his backpack and started walking out of town. A long-awaited scouting mission was much more interesting than facing stacks of medical commissions. It was a good chance to stretch his muscles; he couldn't just be a "mobile first-aid kit" every day.
In the wild forest outside the town, the roots of the Purification Trees were still quietly spreading. The green glow permeated through the soil, helping him track the residual magic traces. Riyao followed the faint ripples of spellwork. Before long, he smelled a faint stench of rot mixed with distorted magic.
Pushing aside the dense bushes, a crude magic circle was revealed in the clearing ahead, with blackened herbs and broken magic items scattered on the ground. Riyao crouched down and touched the ground with his fingertips. Pure life force slowly seeped in, instantly capturing the residual dark magic from the circle.
"The technique is quite crude, but very targeted, specifically used to catalyze the plague virus." He clicked his tongue and stood up, heading deeper into the forest. This magic hadn't dissipated long ago; they shouldn't be far.
Sure enough, after passing through a withered forest, voices could be heard faintly ahead. Riyao quietly hid himself. He saw several Mages in black cloaks gathered together, holding clipboards and discussing something in low voices.
"The plague in Gresse was suppressed? That Healing Mage named Riyao is indeed a nuisance."
"What's there to fear? The experiment has already collected enough data. We'll just proceed with the next target as planned."
"The Lord said that as long as we sacrifice the lives of these towns through the plague to the Black Mage Lord Zeref, the ritual will succeed."
Riyao stepped out from the shadows and said with a smile, "Mind if I join the group chat? Jie jie jie."
Without giving them a chance to react, he rushed forward and punched the nearest black-robed Mage in the abdomen. The magic that had just been brewing instantly collapsed, and the man's body curled up like a shrimp. His black robe shook violently as he stumbled and flew backward uncontrollably, crashing into his accomplice. He immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood, and both completely lost their ability to resist.
He caught the last one, pinned him to the ground, and began a Riyao-style interrogation—beating him while healing him, asking questions with every blow.
"Name? Gender?"
"Where do you live? Which faction?"
"How old are you this year? Do you have a partner?"
A mess of questions accompanied the falling fists. The lackey was in great pain, yet felt the soothing relief of the healing. His head buzzing, he broke down and said, "I was wrong! Stop hitting me! Stop healing me! I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"
He soon learned from him that they were from the "Black Light Society," another unknown small guild. He suspected it was once again the work of the "Magic Development Bureau," the predecessor of the Oración Seis.
Riyao tied them all up and sent a signal for the Council to come and collect them. Then, he headed toward the enemy's hidden stronghold.