No Way to Refuse

Chapter 18: No Way to Refuse

Amber Xiu found Isabelle's question practically pointless and didn't even bother to answer. He simply said to her, "Are you so tired your brain is all muddled? Get lost and rest if you're not feeling well!"

After speaking so rudely, Amber Xiu turned and left the Laboratory.

Humans were truly too fragile. They'd only worked a few extra days, and she was already confused.

Isabelle watched his retreating back, wondering why her teacher had suddenly gotten so angry.

"It seems his Undead identity is a huge blow to him. That's understandable. A genius Alchemist his age turning into a wandering soul in an Ancient Castle must be a memory he'd rather forget. I was so foolish to ask about it.

"But even if he's angry, he still cares about my well-being. He's truly too kind."

Isabelle sighed inwardly, realizing there were indeed kind Undead in this world. At the same time, she warned herself that she would never mention anything related to the Undead again the next time she saw him.

Amber Xiu left the Ancient Castle under the cover of night.

Finding Slimes wasn't an easy task. Although they were very weak monsters, their weakness meant they were good at hiding.

The Slimes in this world didn't have cute, jelly-like appearances. More often than not, they resembled mud, hiding in various dark corners.

Excessive light and extreme temperatures were not conducive to Slime survival. Damp, dark environments were ideal. Humidity helped maintain their body form, while darkness was perfect for hunting.

Slimes usually remained motionless, waiting for prey to come to them. Their sticky bodies could silently glide across floors, drip from walls or ceilings, squeeze through cracks... They were incredibly difficult to detect when hidden.

Once prey passed by, the Slime would launch a surprise attack. If caught within the Slime's acid-filled body, most prey would be broken down into nutrients and absorbed. However, this ambush hunting method wasn't very efficient. Most of the time, Slimes primarily fed on dirt, fungi, or even garbage.

Amber Xiu hadn't studied Slimes much and didn't know where to find them immediately. One or two might not be difficult, but Amber Xiu was starting his research from scratch and needed at least a triple-digit number of Slimes. He couldn't just wander around aimlessly; he needed to find a professional.

When in doubt, post a quest with adventurers. Most problems could be solved that way.

Amber Xiu, as usual, flew to Alchemy City in the middle of the night and then arrived at the rather lively Southern Cross Street.

The weather was gradually growing colder, and Alchemy City was nearing winter. On days like these, taverns always attracted customers.

Even though this tavern, named Iron Dregs and Embers, was known for watering down its alcohol, it was still packed with down-on-their-luck mercenaries and adventurers as it was the cheapest tavern in Alchemy City.

The drinks, costing ten copper coins a cup, filled the patrons with anger, which they could only vent on other things.

They slammed tables and cursed, occasionally reaching out to grope passing waitresses with ample bosoms. Touching their thighs was considered half a win, but touching their buttocks was pure profit.

This was exactly the place Amber Xiu needed to find.

As soon as he entered, the blast of heat made Amber Xiu frown. Liches generally preferred the cold, and a warm environment would make his bones sticky with uncomfortable moisture.

The Dwarves in the corner singing folk songs with their "ee-ee-ee" sounds were even more of a torment to Amber Xiu. He wasn't asking for an Elf bard, but couldn't they at least hire a human? Did Dwarven voices sound like two rocks clashing, capable of singing arias?

The economy was in decline, and even the resident singers were so perfunctory.

Amber Xiu shook his head and squeezed through the crowd to the bar.

The Orc bartender, wiping a mug, said enthusiastically, "Young mage, I haven't seen you before. First time here? This drink's on the house."

A small mug of ale was placed before him, its murky yellow color rippling. Even though he no longer had a nose, Amber Xiu could sense the sour smell emanating from it. This was spoiled ale, watered down. Undead didn't have a sense of smell or taste, but that didn't mean they couldn't distinguish odors. Amber Xiu sensed it through his soul fire.

He took a small sip, then placed a few copper coins on the counter before saying, "I need to gather some information."

It was the custom to tip first when asking for information.

The tall Orc extended a finger and pressed it onto the copper coins. With the Orc's naturally thick digits, a light press held down five coins, which he quickly swept into his pocket.

"Generous patron, what would you like to know?"

Amber Xiu: ...

A miscalculation. He should have spread the copper coins out.

This Orc was naturally thick-fingered; one press grabbed five coins. For a human, it would have been at most two.

However, he couldn't dwell on the loss. Amber Xiu asked, "Are there any Slime gathering spots around here? I need a large gathering."

The Orc bartender was quite professional and immediately replied, "Of course, in the vast sewers of Alchemy City. However, the sewers haven't been very safe lately. For some reason, many dangerous mutated Slimes have appeared."

"Dangerous mutations?" Amber Xiu pressed, "What's going on?"

"Heh, would you like another drink, patron? Only ten copper coins."

Amber Xiu placed more copper coins on the counter and warned, "I hope this money is worth it."

The Orc bartender confidently swept the coins into his pocket and provided the information Amber Xiu wanted: "You should know that the waste from Alchemy requires special disposal, which is a significant expense. Recently, Alchemy City's finances have encountered some problems, which you should also be aware of, so..."

Just like industrial waste, large-scale Alchemy produced a lot of pollutants, all of which were troublesome and expensive to handle. Amber Xiu understood what the Orc bartender meant. Those madmen had simply dumped the alchemical waste into the sewers, leading to the mutations in the Slimes.

"No, it might not just be the Slimes..."

Amber Xiu knew quite a bit about Alchemy. The common alchemical waste quickly formed a list in his soul fire. If all of that were dumped into the sewers, something truly terrifying might emerge over time.

But now was not the time to retreat. He should collect the Slimes as quickly as possible before truly terrifying monsters were gestated.

"Help me post a quest. I need to collect... no, I need a guide familiar with the sewer environment."

Amber Xiu had originally intended to pay for the Slimes directly, but the danger in the sewers had skyrocketed, and so had the prices demanded by adventurers. Therefore, he'd rather spend a little more time finding a guide to take him down, and then catch the Slimes himself.

Although he was a "watered-down" Legendary, even a watered-down Legendary could easily defeat ordinary monsters.

The bartender immediately said happily, "Haha, guest, you're really lucky. There's an adventuring party just about to explore the sewers, and they happen to be short one mage. If you can join them successfully, they'll even waive the guide fee, and you'll earn a considerable commission."

Amber Xiu frowned, gritting his teeth slightly, and said, "You shouldn't have said that word."

The Orc bartender paused and asked, "Sorry, what did you say? I don't think I used any impolite words, did I?"

Amber Xiu said, word by word, "You shouldn't have said 'earn', and you definitely shouldn't have said 'considerable' or 'commission'."

"What's wrong with those words?" The Orc bartender became even more confused.

Amber Xiu sighed and said, "After you said those words, I couldn't refuse anymore."