Two Conditions

Not long after Gu Ding and the other two woke up, the door to the room where they were being held was pushed open, and a woman dressed in Beast Robe walked in carrying a plate.

The woman's face was painted with strange, colorful stripes, making it impossible to guess her real age. When she looked at Gu Ding and his companions, her eyes were full of wariness. As she placed the food on the plate in front of them, her gaze never left them for a moment.

After putting down the plate, she immediately turned to leave, seemingly not intending to linger for even a moment longer.

"Hey, I'd like to speak with your High Priest! I hope you can pass on my message." Gu Ding's sudden words surprised the woman slightly.

"You understand our language?"

"That's right, so I hope we can talk." Gu Ding felt there was a chance.

"It's no use. Tomorrow you will be offered as sacrifices to our great god. Enjoy the last meal I just served you." The woman's words startled Gu Ding.

"I'm a pharmacist, and I personally feel that my existence and that of my partners are a help to you. I hope you can pass on this message; I think he'll be interested in meeting me." Gu Ding was determined to take a gamble.

"A pharmacist?" The woman hesitated slightly upon hearing the word "pharmac," as people in this profession were generally respected. After a moment's thought, she finally asked, "What level?"

"E-grade, but I should be able to make D-Grade Potion too," Gu Ding told a little lie.

"Your level is too low to help us," the woman said, opening the door and preparing to leave.

"My teacher is a very renowned A-level pharmacist, only a step away from S-level. I have a large number of various potion formulas. You can pass this on to your High Priest; I believe he will be interested in meeting me," Gu Ding shouted loudly towards the door.

The woman closed the door behind her; it's unclear whether she heard Gu Ding's words.

Liliath and Bigge had overheard Gu Ding's conversation with the woman through the Sea Emperor's translator, and to them, the conversation didn't seem to be going well.

"What does it mean to offer them as sacrifices to their gods?" After a moment of silence, Liliath suddenly asked.

"If the sacrifice is a beast, they will kill it on the spot and use it as a sacrifice. But if the sacrifice is a human, they will use Demon Sealing Nail to nail the person's limbs to a high cliff and let them die naturally. Generally, they don't sacrifice humans, because the person being sacrificed cannot have any abilities extracted and must maintain the integrity of their body as a sign of respect for the gods. Sacrificing humans indicates that something major has happened within their tribe, and they need to pray for the protection of the gods." The Sea Emperor's database contains quite a few records about the Witch Clan.

"We have to find a way to escape!" Bigge said to Gu Ding and Liliath. "If you can untie this vine, I can take you away."

"It's no use. Their High Priest is Twelfth-Order Gene Body. The fog you encountered earlier was his doing. The spaceship is also in their hands. You have no way to escape this planet." The Sea Emperor was well aware of the situation they were facing.

"Does this mean we can only wait for the time rewind to end?" Liliath was somewhat unwilling.

"Their High Priest is walking in this direction. Let's see if this conversation can proceed smoothly," the Sea Emperor suddenly reminded him.

The three of them immediately fell silent and waited patiently.

Not long after, the door was pushed open again, and a thin, elderly man entered. He was short, with a dark complexion still adorned with intricate, colorful stripes. He held a short, thin wooden cane in his right hand. <g>This sounded very unpleasant.

"Yes, High Priest." Gu Ding could not sense any aura from the other party, as if the other party was just a lifeless piece of wood. He could not detect the other party's attitude towards the three of them, or whether there was any hostility.

"Tell me what you can do?" The old man's gaze fell on Gu Ding, his dark eyes revealing no emotion.

"I know you don't usually perform rituals against humans, so I'm guessing your tribe must be facing some trouble. I think I might be able to help." Gu Ding met the old man's gaze without a trace of fear. The other party had probably come to him because they had no other choice and were willing to try anything as a last resort.

"Your guess is very bold!" The old man paused after saying this, and stared at Gu Ding for a long time, as if trying to get some emotion from Gu Ding's eyes, but all he saw was honesty.

After a moment of silence, the old man finally spoke, "Alright, 80 bottles of D-Grade Purification Potion and 500 bottles of E-Grade Purification Potion, at least of the Ultimate Quality. If you can't do that, then we have nothing more to discuss."

"As long as you have enough materials, I can do it." Gu Ding indeed did not have any materials on hand to make the Purification Potion.

"We have plenty of materials here!" the old man said, standing up to leave.

"I have two more conditions!" Gu Ding suddenly spoke again.

The old man squinted and stared at Gu Ding for a second look. "Do I look like someone who's easy to talk to?"

"My first condition is that you promise to let the three of us leave safely after I finish making all the potions, and to return our spaceship to us intact." Gu Ding ignored the old man's question and directly stated his conditions. "If this condition cannot be met, then I'm sorry, you'll have to wait for the next alchemist."

Sea Emperor hadn't originally intended to translate it this way, as it would only anger the other party. However, Gu Ding had repeatedly stated that it had to be translated according to his instructions, and Gu Ding in advance, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and translate the words.

"I can agree to this condition, but I advise you not to push your luck!" The old man's lips curled up slightly, his smile carrying a clear threat.

"My second condition is that I need an Energy Crystal from the Mechanical Race." Gu Ding was somewhat apprehensive when he made this request. It wasn't that he was worried about the old man's rage, but rather that he was concerned the old man didn't possess such a crystal.

"We don't have that." The old man had thought that Gu Ding would ask for something expensive, but he didn't expect that he wanted the Energy Crystal of the Mechanical Race.

"Alright then, I was just asking. If you have it, that's great; if not, that's fine too." Gu Ding nodded.

The High Priest flicked his finger, and the Gu Ding binding Guding immediately loosened on their own. "Come with me."

Gu Ding stood up and looked at Bigge and Liliath, who were still bound.

"They'll be fine," the old man said casually, noticing Gu Ding's gaze.

"Old man, at least untie our hands, okay? How are we supposed to eat like this?" Liliath protested to the old man, thankfully the Sea Emperor's translation was more tactful.

With a flick of his finger, the old man freed the two men's arms, and he turned and walked out of the room.

"You two bear with it a little longer. If all goes well, these potions should all be ready by tomorrow night." Gu Ding also made an estimate based on his current potion-making speed.

The old man was slightly surprised to hear this, but he didn't say anything. He simply pushed open the door and went out, and Gu Ding followed him out of the room.

(Thanks to Yi Shi Zai Wai the donation~~)