How much are you offering?

Chapter 28: What's Your Price?

Naomi was still unaware that her cooperation with the Undead had been discovered by her own people. She was now sticking close behind Amber Xiu, afraid of being left behind.

Before today, Naomi's life had been like a blank slate. Although she had heard that the world was dangerous, she had never experienced it. It wasn't until the appearance of the Ghost Hag that she understood the true nature of this world, and meeting Amber Xiu was the second turning point in her life.

Legendary rank. She had only heard of it.

Rumor had it that Druids who reached the Legendary rank could transform an entire city into a forest in a short period, wielding nature magic as if it were a natural disaster.

But this was just hearsay; she had never witnessed it firsthand.

And now, Amber Xiu was personally showing her what Legendary meant.

Dozens of small Mutated Skeletons, under Amber Xiu's control, moved forward like a well-coordinated army. Whether they encountered hidden Slimes, Kuo-Toa, or mutated crocodiles, etc.

No matter what kind of monster it was, it would be torn to shreds by these Skeletons in a very short time.

Then, their souls would become Amber Xiu's spellcasting material, providing powerful buffs to this army, such as "Bear's Strength" and "Cat's Agility," doubling and redoubling the combat power of these Skeletons. The residual bones of those monsters would then become new Mutated Skeletons, strengthening Amber Xiu's forces.

The combat power of these small Skeletons was so terrifying that Naomi estimated even the army of Alchemy City would be easily wiped out by this Skeleton horde.

Amber Xiu's magic power seemed inexhaustible. If this Lich wanted to deal with her tribe, he could probably slaughter the entire Golden Vine tribe in less than half a day.

Was this the power of a Legendary Lich?

Amber Xiu easily commanded the small Skeletons to sweep through the entire sewer.

Facing the sewer monsters that had little spellcasting ability, Amber Xiu slaughtered them with extreme ease. How could those who relied on melee combat possibly withstand a sea of Skeletons, especially Mutated Skeletons whose close-combat abilities had been enhanced several times by Amber Xiu?

These small Skeletons were similar in form to Kazik One, with a three-legged structure and a pair of rudimentary claws. They couldn't perform many complex movements, but their strength and speed far surpassed Skeletons of the same level.

Combat didn't need to be complicated; they just needed to pounce and tear. After all, no one would expect a Skeleton to perform a series of "Sun Fist" techniques like a monk, so there was no need for so many joints.

After practical testing by Raul, Amber Xiu had optimized the structure once more. It should now be considered Kazik Type Two.

With his full power unleashed, Amber Xiu advanced through the sewer at an extremely rapid pace. The Skeleton army beside him continuously expanded until Naomi couldn't see the end of it. Suddenly, Amber Xiu stopped.

"What's wrong?" Naomi asked curiously.

"Hmm, seems like I've found it."

Amber Xiu gestured forward, but Naomi could only see darkness, nothing else.

Amber Xiu didn't explain, merely commanding the Skeleton army to crush forward.

Soon, a cacophony of squeaking sounds came from ahead, as if the Skeleton army had encountered a swarm of rats and engaged in a fierce battle.

In less than half a minute, the squeaking sounds quickly subsided, leaving only the crunching sound of skeletons walking on the ground.

It was clear that the rat swarm had been utterly crushed.

Amber Xiu's Skeleton face remained unchanged as he calmly controlled the Skeleton army to advance. Before long, a roar echoed from the depths of the sewer.

Naomi also heard this strange cry, which sounded as unpleasant as the hoot of an owl or the death rattle of a crow.

"Is that the Ghost Hag?" Naomi asked.

Amber Xiu nodded and said, "Indeed. Her rat swarm is almost completely wiped out."

"Huh? Why didn't she put your Skeleton army into her illusion? Wouldn't her rat swarm have had a better chance then?" Naomi asked curiously.

Logically, the Skeleton army should have entered the illusion and been affected by the Ghost Hag. Why did the Ghost Hag give up such a favorable position and instead release her rats to fight the Skeleton army?

Amber Xiu turned to Naomi and asked, "How can you not understand such a basic thing? Oh, I forgot, you Druids don't invest in intelligence. Your nature magic relies on perception and borrowing the power of the natural environment."

Although Druids could use magic, and Mages could also use magic, their casting principles were entirely different.

"Alright, let me teach you some common sense. All spellcasters who cast spells using their own power need to consider the cost. For a large-scale illusion like this, if you want to trap someone inside, don't you need to constantly affect their senses?"

Naomi nodded as if she understood, as if it made sense.

"Ultimately, illusions are a clash of souls. Creating an illusion consumes one's own spirit. The illusion has already trapped a group of Druids, and keeping them from escaping is already making the Ghost Hag struggle. If my entire Skeleton army were to rush into the illusion, how could a mere Ghost Hag possibly deceive hundreds of Skeletons simultaneously? Are the souls of Skeletons not souls? Her head would explode instantly, and the illusion would collapse on its own."

Under Amber Xiu's explanation, Naomi suddenly understood.

The Ghost Hag couldn't affect so many individuals at once, which was why she released the rat swarm. She just didn't expect the rats to be so vulnerable against this group of Skeletons and be utterly defeated.

One look, no mistakes!

Naomi's face flushed with excitement, and she opened her small mouth, shouting, "Father Jones, I'm here to save you!"

Amber Xiu glanced at Naomi, feeling too embarrassed to tell her that the illusion hadn't been broken yet and her voice couldn't get through.

But it was almost time. There was no need to waste any more time.

Amber Xiu had previously boasted about how powerful the Ghost Hag was, claiming she couldn't be dealt with by anyone below Legendary rank. In reality, it was all a ruse to fool this rookie Druid. A minor character like the Ghost Hag would be gone with a snap of a Legendary being's fingers.

Amber Xiu's consciousness had already penetrated the rudimentary illusion barrier and locked firmly onto the Ghost Hag. Now, all he needed to do was wave his staff and cast a few ice rays to send her to her demise.

However, just as Amber Xiu raised his staff, he heard the Ghost Hag exclaim, "Enough! We can discuss anything. If I have offended your domain, I can leave right now! We are all evil beings, there's no need to kill each other. Can't we just talk about it?"

The Ghost Hag's voice was shrill and thin, making Naomi's ears ache. But she couldn't cover her ears and turned to look at Amber Xiu.

Naomi was very worried. What if Amber Xiu listened to the Ghost Hag and turned to deal with her instead? Even with the protection of the Sylvanus Statue, Naomi was absolutely no match for this Legendary Lich.

What should she do? Would this Lord Lich keep his promise?

Naomi had tried to comfort herself. Throughout their journey, this Master Ultraman had behaved rationally and properly. He didn't seem like the type to break a contract. He probably wouldn't agree to the Ghost Hag's proposal, right?

However, Amber Xiu blurted out almost without hesitation, "How many Gold Coins can you offer?"

Naomi: (´-ω-`)

Would it be better for her to run away now?

(End of Chapter)