Gift of the God of Destiny

Chapter 23: The God of Destiny's Gift

A Druid told an Undead, "I'll help you for free, and I'm even willing to give my life to protect you."

Amber Xiu couldn't even begin to count how absurd this scam was.

Amber Xiu snorted coldly and said to her, "Don't spout such ridiculous lies. The cheapest things in this world are the most expensive. Tell me your true purpose, and only then might I consider cooperating with you."

The young Druid glanced around and then said, "We can find a private place to talk."

Amber Xiu snapped his fingers, and a pitch-black barrier enveloped them both.

"It's soundproof and lightproof," Amber Xiu said. "Even normal detection spells can't penetrate this barrier. Now you can speak."

The young Druid stared at the dark curtain in shock. She was also a spellcaster and could tell how powerful Amber Xiu was from just one spell.

Casting spells required incantations and gestures; that was the most basic aspect. Silent casting was already extremely advanced. Amber Xiu not only didn't use any incantations but also cast the barrier in an instant. If this was during combat, how fast could this person cast a fireball? The famous Three-Fireball Cult on the Continent could only cast three fireballs in six seconds.

This Undead was far more formidable than she had imagined.

She had indeed found the right person.

The young Druid took a deep breath and then said to Amber Xiu, "My clansmen and I were exploring the sewers of Alchemy City when we encountered something terrifying. My clansmen are trapped inside, and I need to rescue them."

"Your clansmen are all trapped, and you expect to rescue them alone?" Amber Xiu asked strangely. "If you want me to act, it's not as simple as a free guide. You'll have to pay extra."

"No need. I have my methods. You just need to help me find them. You're an Undead, so you're more sensitive to the Druids' Light of Life and can accurately locate them in the sewers. In exchange, I'll help you find the Slime you're looking for."

Amber Xiu pondered for a moment and asked, "How long have they been trapped?"

The young Druid fell silent for a moment, then said, "It's been over two months."

Amber Xiu: ...

Two months? Their bones were probably dust by now. Where would the Light of Life come from?

As if sensing Amber Xiu's thoughts, the young Druid said anxiously, "My clansmen have the ability to protect themselves. They're just trapped. As long as I can find them, I can help them escape. They're definitely still alive!"

The last sentence sounded like she was talking to herself, her voice already tinged with a sob.

Amber Xiu became even more interested in the secrets of the sewers. This wretched place had attracted not only Paladins from the Lyne Empire but also Druids... It couldn't be that a Legendary Dragon was hiding in the sewers, could it?

"What did you encounter in the sewers?" Amber Xiu asked.

The young Druid knew the value of this information well and said to Amber Xiu, "You have to promise me first, or I won't tell you anything more."

"No problem. I can sign a contract with you right now. If your clansmen are still alive, I will do my best to help you find their location."

Amber Xiu thought about it and didn't refuse.

This young Druid was clearly more cost-effective than the other two guides.

The dangers of the sewers wouldn't change regardless of the guide chosen. On the contrary, this young woman had experienced the terrifying things in the sewers, which was an advantage.

The young Druid eagerly signed the contract with Amber Xiu.

Naomi Watts. Amber Xiu only learned the young Druid's name now.

That surname didn't seem like a Druid's. Most Druid surnames were related to nature, with special adaptations based on different covens. For example, Moon Eclipse was a hereditary surname for a branch of the Lunar Coven Druids, quite famous.

Watts... it sounded more like a human noble's style, and she guessed the family might have some connection to lightning.

It seemed this young Druid also had many mysteries in her background.

However, Amber Xiu wasn't curious about other people's gossip. He just wanted information related to the sewers.

"Now, please tell me what exactly is in the sewers, Miss Watts."

Naomi Watts recalled, "I can't be sure what kind of monster we encountered. I was exploring the sewers in the South District, and suddenly the filthy sewers turned into a beautiful garden, just like our homeland..."

The young Druid described everything she had experienced in detail. To Amber Xiu, it sounded like a large-scale, high-level illusion. Within this illusion, there were many disguised dangers. Things like apples that bit, or sheep that suddenly grew sharp claws.

Although very insidious, it wasn't too powerful. These Druids were merely trapped in the illusion and couldn't leave. As for the young Druid before him, other Druids had worked together to send her out of the illusion, specifically to get help.

"So you came back alone? What about your other clansmen? It's not like the entire Druid tribe is in the sewers, is it?" Amber Xiu asked.

"That has nothing to do with our cooperation."

"Heh, alright, I won't ask any more questions. However, based on what you've said, this monster shouldn't be too difficult to deal with."

Although a large-scale illusion was powerful, using an illusion to trap people indicated that the opponent lacked strong direct combat capabilities. A specialist from the Evocation school of magic, like a Three-Fireball Cult mage, could have turned these Druids into ashes in six seconds, possibly even collapsing the sewers.

Amber Xiu thought of several monsters skilled in illusions and felt he could handle it.

"Then let's not waste any time. We'll leave now."

Amber Xiu dispelled the barrier and registered the contract at the tavern, making it official. All taverns frequented by adventurers offered this service to reduce disputes, and most city-states recognized the legal validity of these adventurer contracts.

It was the only version without errors.

If it weren't for this service, they wouldn't have attracted so many customers with just watered-down sour wine and the songs of Dwarf Roarers.

Exiting the tavern, Naomi was eager to lead Amber Xiu to the sewer entrance.

But Amber Xiu grabbed her and cast Greater Invisibility.

The figures of the two quickly became transparent, finally disappearing completely into the air.

Naomi was startled, not knowing what Amber Xiu was doing, but she soon saw two male adventurers walk out of the tavern. They were the Thief and the Ranger who had interviewed earlier.

Judging by their appearance, they were working together.

Moreover, as soon as the two left the tavern, they started looking around, clearly preparing to follow Amber Xiu and Naomi.

The Ranger even summoned a hound and tried to track the pair by scent. However, the hound circled a few times but still couldn't find any trace of them.

Druids are one with nature, their scent perfectly blending with the environment. As for Amber Xiu, even though he was a Lich, any foreign smell would indicate contamination, potentially ruining experimental results. Therefore, he always paid close attention to cleanliness, and even his Lich body had no scent whatsoever.

But the two were persistent, walking towards the sewer entrance, seemingly intending to continue their pursuit.

Once they were gone, Amber Xiu deactivated his stealth.

Naomi asked, confused, "What exactly do these two want?"

Amber Xiu explained, "One acted like a clumsy con artist, the other quoted a price that seemed reasonable but was wildly inflated – a classic tactic. Since they couldn't trick me, they now want to follow us and pick up scraps. If we run into trouble in the sewers, they'll have no hesitation in kicking us while we're down and taking everything valuable from us."

This was the life of an adventurer; in a place without rules, their bottom line was no different from that of bandits.

"So, what do we do now?" Naomi was clearly a novice with little adventuring experience. Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited so long in Alchemy City without finding suitable teammates, leading her to desperately seek help from Amber Xiu, an Undead.

Amber Xiu replied as a matter of course, "Of course, we follow them. They won't give up and will definitely enter the sewers. They want to take advantage of us, so why shouldn't we take advantage of them?"

Amber Xiu flashed a delighted smile. He had missed out on a chance for a double-cross before, but now he would make up for it. He thanked the God of Destiny for sending him these fat sheep.