The Second Source

Chapter 22: The Second Source

Pierre nodded.

"Didn't you just say that there were no living Leyline Creatures to be found in Hogan City? Isn't this one?" Having received an affirmative answer, Gao De was delighted.

"This counts too?" Pierre found it hard to understand.

In his mind, the Leyline Creatures Gao De wanted to "buy" were either ones that could be used as ingredients or ones that could be kept as pets.

How could this kind of worm that lived in the sewers count?

Leyline Creatures were extremely dangerous, but they were all kept outside the city. Mages regularly patrolled and cleared the areas around the city as well, ensuring that Leyline Creatures could not easily approach human settlements.

Thus, under normal circumstances, Leyline Creatures would not appear within a city. If they did appear, they were generally under control.

Only Leyline Creatures like Ash-Eyed Rats, which posed no threat to humans whatsoever, were exceptions.

Though they possessed Leyline Creature bloodlines, because they were not threatening, humans saw no difference between them and ordinary animals.

Dark Mire Lurkers were the same type of Leyline Creature.

Of course, Leyline Creatures of this type were exceedingly rare. Most Leyline Creatures were extraordinarily dangerous.

How could this not count?

Gao De muttered inwardly, though he certainly would not say that aloud.

"Since these worms are so good at hiding, how do you usually clear them out?"

"Either we flush the sewers with large amounts of boiling water, driving out and clearing away some of the worms."

"Or we use insecticide, dilute it, and pour it into the sewers to kill these Dark Mire Lurkers." Pierre spread his hands.

"Since these Dark Mire Lurkers are Leyline Creatures, they're incredibly tenacious. Driving them out with boiling water often takes a great deal of time, so insecticide is generally used instead."

"Is the insecticide expensive?" Gao De seized on the key point.

"Not really." Pierre shook his head. "It's just worm-killing medicine. How expensive could it be? If it cost too much, no one would buy it. At worst, they'd spend more time."

"Then what is it?" Gao De could tell that Pierre was troubled by this job.

"Mainly because the sewers stink to high heaven and are dark and damp. Who would want to go down there?" Pierre said helplessly.

Gao De suddenly understood.

Anyone who could afford to run a shop in the business district had some money to their name, and their daily lives could barely be called pampered.

To suddenly make such people go into a "filthy place" like the sewers to clear worms would naturally leave them feeling disgusted.

The larger shops were better off, since they could hand the work over to their clerks.

Pierre was the unfortunate one. Other than himself, the proprietor, Pierre's Odds and Ends had no clerks at all.

And the City Guard had only given notice at the last minute. The trading day was only two days away, and with time so tight, he had no chance to hire a temporary worker. He could only do it himself.

"Two Shamrock Silver Coins. You provide the insecticide, and I'll clear the Dark Mire Lurkers for you." Gao De's offer caught Pierre completely off guard.

"You're interested in earning this kind of money?" he asked in surprise.

"Why not?" Gao De spread his hands. "Are you unwilling to pay?"

Two Shamrock Silver Coins to clear Dark Mire Lurkers was, honestly, a little high.

In normal times, one silver coin plus a few copper coins would be enough to hire someone. But with time pressing, Pierre naturally would not fuss over the difference.

"If you don't mind the sewer environment and are willing to take this job, I couldn't ask for more." Pierre readily agreed.

"Then let's do it today. I'll clear the Dark Mire Lurkers for you before I leave." Gao De looked calm on the surface, but inwardly he could hardly wait.

"Fine. There are still a few bottles of insecticide in the shop. Just take them and use them." Seeing Gao De so eager, Pierre had even less reason to object.

Taking the insecticide, Pierre led Gao De to the nearest Hogan City sewer entrance to the odds-and-ends store.

Compared to his previous life, the sewer system in this world was still extremely crude and lacked any systematic design. It was far removed from sewers in the modern sense, and its entrances were even more casual—drainage openings set beneath buildings or at street corners.

They were called drainage openings, but in truth they were merely simple holes directly connected to shallow underground stone channels, without manhole covers, grates, or any other protective measures.

The opening itself was not large, only wide enough for one person to pass through.

When the wind blew, a wave of foul stench drifted out from the hole, making Pierre instinctively retreat two steps and cover his nose and mouth with his right hand.

The smell was naturally no easier for Gao De to bear.

But he had taken the money, so he had to do the work. Taking a deep breath, he crawled into the opening.

The moment he entered the sewer, a stench mixed from countless odors assaulted him head-on. Even though Gao De had prepared himself mentally, he still could not help dry-heaving twice.

Money was hard to earn, and shit was hard to swallow. The ancestors had not deceived him.

Fortunately, Gao De's main purpose was not those two silver coins, but the Dark Mire Lurkers.

The reason he had asked for payment was, first, to make his actions seem reasonable, and second, because money that went unearned was money wasted.

Hogan City's sewers stretched in all directions. The damp ground was wet and slippery beneath his feet, making him nauseated.

Not only was the place narrow, there was almost no light, making it difficult to distinguish directions.

Besides the insecticide, Pierre had also provided a handheld oil lamp for Gao De to use as illumination.

Using the light at the entrance as a reference point, Gao De quickly determined his direction.

Following Pierre's instructions, he carefully stepped along the narrow walkway of the channel, which was covered in slick moss.

After passing two forks, he arrived at a bend in the sewer.

Pierre's Odds and Ends was directly above, and this stretch of sewer before him was the one Pierre needed cleared.

After confirming that he was in the right place, Gao De swiftly took out the insecticide Pierre had given him.

Insecticide was not as precious as magical potions, and because it was primarily poured into sewer water to kill insects, it came in larger containers.

For instance, this bottle of insecticide held a full pint—twenty ounces, nearly six hundred milliliters.

Gao De unscrewed the cap and fitted on the accompanying special nozzle, which had been provided for precise application.

But rather than immediately targeting the Dark Mire Lurkers that might be hiding in cracks in the pipe walls, he aimed at the worms that might be lurking in the sewage at the bottom of the channel.

It was the perfect chance to conduct an experiment he had long wanted to try.

—To obtain a Source, did he have to kill the target personally, or would it work if the target died to an "item" he used?

Gao De sprayed the medicine into the murky water, sending ripples spreading outward.

The medicinal effect quickly dispersed through the current.

After spraying roughly ten ounces of insecticide, Gao De raised the oil lamp to illuminate the water's surface. Without blinking, he stared at the flowing sewage and quietly waited for something.

Several minutes later, with a gurgle, part of a worm's corpse bobbed to the surface and was carried by the sewage toward the drainage outlet beyond the city.

Gao De knew the insecticide had taken effect.

He steadied his mind and immediately turned his attention inward.

Source:

0-ring—Human (1/7), Ash-Eyed Rat (used), Dark Mire Lurker (2/7)

Spells:

0-ring—Mage Hand, Repair+, Acid Splash, Ray of Frost, Resistance Boost

Sure enough, he did not have to kill them personally to obtain a Source!

This was tremendous news for Gao De.

If he had to kill targets with his own hands to obtain Sources, then killing with magical potions or other Magic Items would mean he could not obtain any Sources.

For a mage, that would have been an enormous restriction.

When good fortune came, one's spirits soared.

Gao De was instantly filled with motivation.

With a thought, the bottle of insecticide in his hand floated into the air.

Mage Hand!

Using Mage Hand, he guided the nozzle toward cracks in the sewer wall. Then he squeezed the trigger, and the insecticide instantly became a fine misting stream that sprayed into the crevices.

The Dark Mire Lurkers hiding in the cracks, along with some ordinary worms, began reacting abnormally the instant they touched the medicine. Their bodies writhed and convulsed as they tried to flee the sudden deadly assault.

But the medicine was potent. It quickly penetrated their skin and reached their nervous systems, causing the worms to lose vitality within a short time. Gradually, they went limp and lost all signs of life.

Most of them were ordinary worms, however. There were still not many Dark Mire Lurkers.

Gao De advanced step by step along the channel, meticulously spraying every crack-filled area while also pouring medicine into the sewage.

With Mage Hand, Gao De worked with tremendous efficiency. A few minutes later, he had finished clearing this stretch of sewer.

A faint chemical smell spread through the air. The insecticide's active ingredients would continue working for some time. While it could not achieve a once-and-for-all cure, it would at least keep the worms from staging a comeback anytime soon.

And the second Source had long since been gathered.

Source:

0-ring—Human (1/7), Ash-Eyed Rat (used), Dark Mire Lurker (7/7)