"This... this is way too much!"
In her dazed confusion, Master Yalanzhuo of the Temple of Waves heard a familiar voice.
"Don't worry. I've done this plenty of times—I'm very experienced."
"Hmph!"
Eithris—the brightest Apprentice Yalanzhuo had ever seen in the Temple of Waves—had ventured deep into the mainland a month ago in search of a Human Race Mage, only to be declared by the Sea God a promising talent whose soul had scattered and vanished.
At that moment, Yalanzhuo could feel something wrapped around her, suspending her in midair. There was a sizable wound on her leg, and blood was pouring from it at a rapid pace.
"Hey, don't misunderstand. The cleaner we drain it now, the safer she'll be later. If we go too easy now and leave even one or two behind, they could still claim her life afterward."
A somewhat youthful voice reached Yalanzhuo's ears. If she had not felt herself losing blood, she would have thought the voice was discussing the slaughter of livestock.
"Did you drain that much blood from me back then too?" Eithris's voice rang out again.
"Of course. Aren't you perfectly healthy now?"
"I really have to thank you! On behalf of my entire race, I thank you!"
"Hey, we're all Lord Landen's subordinates. No need to be so polite!"
"You..."
The noisy voices kept Yalanzhuo hovering between sleep and wakefulness. She could feel the magic within her body gradually draining away. Yet after several minutes, something even more terrifying came—where her Magic Pool lay began to swell and harden, even seeming to gain sensation and move of its own accord.
"Ah... ah..."
Half-conscious, Yalanzhuo suddenly made a sound. Gastric fluid and filth spilled from her mouth.
"Almost there! Turn her upside down!" That voice rang out again, and in an