A Druid told an undead that she would help for free and even risk her life to protect him.
Amber Xiu couldn't begin to count all the ridiculous things about this scam.
Amber Xiu snorted and said to her, "Don't tell such a stupid lie. Nothing in this world is more expensive than something free. Tell me what you really want, and then I might consider working with you."
The Druid girl glanced around, then said, "We can find somewhere private to talk."
Amber Xiu snapped his fingers, and a pitch-black barrier enveloped them both.
Amber Xiu said, "It blocks sound and light, and ordinary detection spells can't see through it. Now you can talk."
The Druid girl stared at the dark curtain in shock. She was a spellcaster, too, and it had taken her only one spell to recognize how powerful Amber Xiu was.
Spells required words and gestures. That was the most basic principle. Silent casting was already an advanced technique, yet Amber Xiu hadn't used a single word and had erected the barrier in an instant. If he could cast that quickly in battle, how fast could he fire off a fireball? The famed Three Fireball God Cult could only manage three fireballs in six seconds.
This undead was far more powerful than she'd imagined.
She really had found the right person.
The Druid girl took a deep breath, then said to Amber Xiu, "I went exploring in the sewers of Alchemy City with my people. Then we encountered something terrifying, and my companions got trapped down there. I need to rescue them."
"Your people are all trapped, and you're going to rescue them by yourself? If you want me to help, that's more than just asking me to be your guide for free. You'll have to pay extra," Amber Xiu said, puzzled.
"You don't need to. I have my own way. All you need to do is help me find them. You're undead, so you're more sensitive to the Druids' life force. You can find them accurately in the sewers. In exchange, I'll help you find the slime you're looking for."
Amber Xiu pondered for a moment, then asked, "How long have they been trapped?"
The Druid girl fell silent for a moment, then said, "More than two months."
Amber Xiu: ...
Two months? They'd probably been reduced to bones by now. What life force could he possibly sense?
The Druid girl seemed to realize what Amber Xiu was thinking and hurriedly said, "My people can protect themselves. They're only trapped. As long as I can find them, I can help them escape. They're definitely still alive!"
The last words sounded as though she was trying to convince herself. Her voice was already breaking with tears.
Amber Xiu was more interested in the secrets of the sewers now. The place had attracted Paladins from the Lyne Empire and Druids... Surely there wasn't really a Legendary Dragon hiding down there?
"What did you encounter in the sewers?" Amber Xiu asked.
The Druid girl knew how valuable that information was, too. "You have to agree first. Otherwise, I won't tell you anything more."
"No problem. I can sign a contract with you right now. If your people are still alive, I'll do my best to find them."
Amber Xiu thought it over and didn't refuse.
This Druid girl seemed like a much better deal than the other two guides.
The dangers in the sewers wouldn't change depending on which guide he chose. On the contrary, the girl had seen the horrors down there, which was an advantage.
The Druid girl eagerly signed a contract with Amber Xiu.
Naomi Watts—that was the first time Amber Xiu had learned the Druid girl's name.
That surname didn't sound very Druid-like. Most Druid surnames were tied to nature, and each circle had its own variations. Moon Eclipse, for instance, was the hereditary surname of one branch of Druids in the Moon Society, and it was quite famous.
Watts... sounded more like a human noble's surname, and her family probably had some connection to lightning.
It seemed the Druid girl's background held plenty of mysteries.
But Amber Xiu wasn't interested in other people's gossip. He only wanted information about the sewers.
"Now, please tell me what's really down there, Miss Watts."
Naomi Watts recalled, "I can't be sure what kind of monster we encountered. I was exploring the sewers in the southern district when the filthy tunnels suddenly turned into a beautiful garden, just like our homeland..."
The Druid girl carefully described everything she'd encountered. To Amber Xiu, it sounded like a large-scale, high-level illusion filled with disguised dangers: apples that bit, sheep that suddenly sprouted sharp claws, and so on.
It was sinister, but not all that powerful. The Druids were simply trapped in the illusion and couldn't get out. As for the Druid girl in front of him, the other Druids had worked together to send her out of the illusion to get help.
"So you came back alone? What about your other people? Don't tell me your entire Druid tribe is down there in the sewers," Amber Xiu asked.
"That has nothing to do with our deal."
"Heh, fine. I won't pry. But from what you've said, that monster doesn't sound too hard to deal with."
A large-scale illusion was impressive, but if the creature had to rely on illusion magic to trap people, it probably wasn't very good at direct attacks. A Mage from the School of Evocation who specialized in the Three Fireball God Cult could blast those Druids to ash in six seconds. The sewers might even collapse in the process.
Several monsters known for using illusions crossed Amber Xiu's mind. He figured he could handle them.
"Then let's not waste time. We'll set out now."
Amber Xiu dismissed the barrier and registered the contract at the tavern, making it official. Taverns frequented by adventurers all offered this service to reduce disputes, and most city-states recognized the legal validity of such adventuring contracts.
If not for this service, neither watered-down sour ale nor Dwarf Roarer songs would have been enough to draw so many customers.
As soon as they left the tavern, Naomi eagerly started leading Amber Xiu toward the entrance to the sewers.
But Amber Xiu grabbed her and cast Greater Invisibility.
Their bodies quickly turned transparent, then vanished from sight completely.
Naomi jumped in surprise, unsure what Amber Xiu was doing. But she soon saw two male adventurers leave the tavern. They were the Rogue and Ranger who'd interviewed alongside them earlier.
They seemed to be working together.
As soon as they stepped outside, both men started looking around. They were clearly planning to follow Amber Xiu and Naomi.
The Ranger even summoned a hound and tried to track them by scent. But the hound circled several times and still couldn't find them.
Druids were in harmony with nature, and their scent blended perfectly into the environment. As for Amber Xiu, he was a Lich. Any strange smell marked him as foreign, which meant his experiments might be contaminated, so he'd always been careful about cleanliness. Even his Lich body had no odor at all.
But the two men still wouldn't give up. They headed toward the sewer entrance, apparently intending to keep following.
Once they were gone, Amber Xiu ended the invisibility spell.
Naomi asked in confusion, "What are those two trying to do?"
Amber Xiu explained, "One acted like a clumsy con man, and the other quoted a price that sounded reasonable but was way too high. A classic routine. Now that they failed to scam me, they want to follow us and pick up whatever scraps they can. If we run into trouble in the sewers, they'll gladly kick us while we're down and take everything valuable we have."
That was adventurers for you. In places without rules, they weren't much better than bandits.
"So what do we do now?" Naomi was clearly an inexperienced novice. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spent so long waiting in Alchemy City without finding suitable companions, only to turn to Amber Xiu, an undead, in desperation.
Amber Xiu answered matter-of-factly, "We follow them, of course. They won't give up. They'll definitely go into the sewers. They want to take advantage of us, so why shouldn't we take advantage of them?"
Amber Xiu grinned happily. He'd missed a chance to turn the tables on some opportunists earlier, so now he could make up for it. Thanks, God of Destiny, for sending him such easy prey.
Before you continue