You'd Even Deceive the Undead?

Although Amber Xiu didn't buy them drinks, he tossed a few gold coins to the dwarf singer.

That was an enormous tip. In an instant, Amber Xiu had become the dwarf singer's biggest tipper in years.

The little old man's face lit up. He said respectfully, "Wow, generous undead sir! Let me sing you a lamenting aria."

Amber Xiu replied, "No need. That tip was to make you shut up."

The tavern patrons who had been cursing him moments earlier burst into cheers.

The dwarf singer glared at Amber Xiu. It was a naked insult. He should have thrown the coins in Amber Xiu's face and loudly rebuked him, but... the tip was just too generous.

Amber Xiu felt great. Earning money without spending it was as good as having no money at all. Spending someone else's money like a big spender felt amazing.

Of course, Amber Xiu hadn't forgotten why he was here. He took out another gold coin and handed it to the orc bartender.

"I need a guide to the sewers. A top-tier one, and preferably someone who can get started quickly."

Alchemy City dumped discarded potion ingredients straight into the sewers. The longer they were left there, the more mutated monsters appeared. And once their numbers grew, powerful individuals would keep emerging.

If they were left alone, a monster might even advance to legendary rank down there. That would be a huge problem.

Besides, a Paladin from the Lyne Empire had suddenly shown up here. He claimed to be here for training, but Amber Xiu suspected there was more to it. Something big was bound to happen in those sewers. If he didn't hurry, it might delay his experiments.

Money had great power. After Amber Xiu tossed out that gold coin, three guides of wildly different appearances showed up in front of him just before dawn.

Two men and a woman stood before Amber Xiu. From the two male adventurers' outfits alone, he could tell what their professions were.

"Let's see. A rogue, a Ranger, and... young lady, are you a Druid?" Amber Xiu asked curiously.

Rogues and Rangers were both suitable guides, but what was a Druid doing here?

Alchemy City welcomed people of every race, but Druids were an exception.

Druids revered nature. They believed that everything in the world had its own natural order and shouldn't be interfered with too much; the balance of all things had to be preserved.

As for Alchemy City, the existence of twisted creations like Mercury Slimes showed that these madmen would do anything.

The two faiths were complete opposites. It wouldn't be surprising if Druids and Alchemy City were sworn enemies. But Druids were few in number and scattered across the continent, without a powerful alliance of their own, so they hadn't had any major conflicts with Alchemy City.

Druids generally avoided entering Alchemy City's territory. They even kept their distance from its affiliated city-states, and they strongly resisted any attempts by Alchemy City's people to approach them. Their defiance was a bit like a child saying, "I don't want to play with you." Alchemy City had never actually issued an order banning Druids from entering.

In any case, seeing a Druid in Alchemy City was quite rare.

"That's right, I'm a Druid. You need a guide, don't you? I've been in this city's sewers before. I know where the most Slimes are."

The human girl looked to be in her twenties. She had a fit, agile physique that suited the Druid's wild, natural style.

"Hold on. Let's do things in order. I'll talk with these two first."

The rogue was a real hard case. He asked for a flat three hundred gold coins, and would only lead Amber Xiu to two places where Slimes gathered. He wouldn't even guarantee that there were still Slimes there.

"The sewers change every day now. I'm sure there used to be Slimes at those two spots, but I can't say for sure now. Anyway, three hundred gold, take it or leave it. I won't fight, and if things get dangerous, I'll run."

That was one slick way of ripping someone off.

It was bad enough that he wouldn't guarantee they'd find any Slimes. He might point to some random place, claim Slimes had once been there, and then walk off with the money.

That kind of deal was meant to cheat rookies. Amber Xiu couldn't even be bothered to haggle. The man might simply be a con artist.

The second candidate, a half-elf Ranger, seemed much more honest. He opened with a price of five hundred gold coins.

"For five hundred gold, I can promise to help you find at least a hundred Slimes. Of course, I can only guarantee that you'll encounter them. You'll have to handle the capture yourself. If we run into danger, I can summon my animal companion to cover our retreat, but I'll decide whether to withdraw based on the situation. Protecting myself will be my first priority."

The terms were reasonable enough. The problem was that the price was too high.

That was an outrageous price for a guide. Amber Xiu had been willing to pay two hundred gold coins, and the gap was just too big.

Amber Xiu tried to haggle with the Ranger, but the half-elf was as stubborn as a Dwarf, with an unpleasant disposition. No matter how long they talked, he wouldn't budge by even a single coin.

"Sir, shouldn't you hear my price?" the Druid girl asked anxiously.

"You're still here?" Amber Xiu asked curiously. "You heard me say I'm undead, didn't you? You're a Druid. You still want to work with an undead?"

The Druid girl folded her arms and said matter-of-factly, "Why not? Isn't this the open and inclusive Alchemy City? When you're in a place, you follow that place's rules. Druids and undead can work together in peace."

Amber Xiu didn't believe her at all.

Undead were a race that completely overturned the laws of life and death, and their existence was fundamentally at odds with Druid teachings. When Amber Xiu had spoken with the other two, he'd been upfront about being undead, so they couldn't use some excuse about being deceived to swindle him.

He'd assumed the Druid girl would have turned around and left by now. But she was still trying to volunteer herself. Wasn't that as good as saying she had an ulterior motive?

Amber Xiu could tell at a glance that the Druid had a secret, but the last thing he wanted right now was to deal with secrets. The more trouble he got into, the more time it would waste.

Reason told Amber Xiu he should reject the Druid girl outright. But it was as if she'd read his mind: she said the one thing he absolutely couldn't refuse.

"I can do it for free!"

Her words rang out, each syllable shaking Amber Xiu's soul.

"What did you say?" Amber Xiu asked in disbelief.

The Druid girl shoved the other two candidates aside and leaned forward with both hands on the table. In a forceful voice, she said, "I said I can do it for free. I'll guarantee that I help you find plenty of Slimes, and I won't run away either. If we run into danger, I'll cover your retreat and keep you safe."

Amber Xiu looked at the Druid girl and thought, This time, I've really met someone who'd burn paper money in front of a grave to fool a ghost.

A free guide who'd even cover his retreat in danger? Anyone with more sense than a Slime wouldn't believe that.

You'd even deceive the undead? Don't make it so ridiculous.