Rise to Your Feet, Reach Out Your Hand

After taking a trip to the jewelry store and getting nearly forty thousand for free, even Yang Yu hadn't expected it. He had anticipated that the jewelry store owner would refuse his request, but he hadn't expected the owner to directly play the trump card that someone had bought the glass beads, saving him the trouble of persuading him.

Next, all that remained was to return and discuss the details of sneaking in and escaping together with Bai Jin.

When he returned to the inn, Bai Jin and He Meng were playing together in the lobby. Perhaps because Bai Jin was a Curse Mage, she seemed able to understand some of what He Meng meant.

The girl and the Slime got along very well.

Yang Yu led Bai Jin to a table and sat down without beating around the bush. "Today, I asked around about you."

"I already told you, I'll treat my own illness myself. You don't need to worry about it." Bai Jin's tone carried unmistakable displeasure. Yang Yu had treated everything she said yesterday as if it had gone in one ear and out the other.

"You weren't originally an adventurer here. You came because you heard that the big city near this town had medicine that could cure all illnesses." Ignoring Bai Jin's displeasure, Yang Yu continued on his own. "A lot of adventurers often saw you holding flyers and reading them over and over. That was probably the medicine you wanted, right?"

Having been found out, Bai Jin had nothing left to hide. She once again revealed that eerie, terrifying smile. "Hehehe, that's right! That potion really can cure my illness. I've been living frugally for it, and now I'm only a little short of my goal.

"As long as I buy that medicine, I can get rid of this hateful disease. After all these years, I've completely mastered how this disease works. Once I'm cured, I can produce large quantities of it and turn it into a new source for my curses. My strength will rise even further."

Yang Yu took a poster from his clothes and pushed it toward Bai Jin.

It was a poster for an auction, listing all kinds of items. The most eye-catching one was a golden liquid stored in a crystal bottle.

"Unfortunately, that's ultimately just your fantasy. The Resurrection Potion apparently isn't just empty advertising. A general whose waist had been injured on the battlefield drank it and actually stood up again, even more mighty and imposing than before.

"That was more effective than any advertisement. The Life-Restoring Potion, originally fifty thousand per bottle, saw its price soar because of it.

"Because this potion's production was extremely low and demand exceeded supply, the price climbed even further. Eventually, it had no choice but to be sold through auctions.

"The starting bid was at least five hundred thousand, and it often ended at tens of millions. That was a potion only true nobles could afford. I don't think you can slowly save up enough with the meager income of a D-Rank Adventurer and compete with those nobles."

Bai Jin clenched her hands. Yang Yu was right. Even though she had lived so frugally, even though she hadn't spent money on taking care of herself, she was only getting farther and farther from her goal.

But she had not lost hope because of that. If the technology to produce that potion were cracked and production increased dramatically, causing the price to drop, then she would still have a chance.

"I advise you not to be so naive. Even if that potion could be produced in large quantities, those capitalists would only restrict supply for their own benefit.

"They'd still keep the production rate at one bottle per week and drive the price up to the sky. With a tiny cost, they could earn enormous premiums. Before competitors appeared, what reason would they have to change their current sales strategy?

"As for the extra potions they produced, they had plenty of ways to distribute them internally. They would never reach you. That's the cruelty of reality."

Yang Yu's merciless words shattered Bai Jin's fantasy. Tears welled in her eyes. Even hidden beneath her messy hair, Yang Yu could feel her sorrow and helplessness.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Bai Jin's voice trembled. She no longer knew what to do. "Did you come here just to Taunt me and make me give up on that unrealistic fantasy?"

Ever since her father had left her, she had wandered alone for a long time. She had finally glimpsed the slightest bit of hope and reached out her hand, only to find that no matter what she did, she could not grasp that illusory hope.

In the end, she could only numb herself. As long as she had a goal to keep moving toward, she would not lose the courage to keep living.

"I don't have the time to come here and Taunt you." Yang Yu smiled, his smile as bright as sunlight. "I just wanted to say that I have a way to get you that potion. Wouldn't that cure your illness?"

Get her the potion? Bai Jin opened her mouth in disbelief. That was medicine worth tens of millions. Did he really have a way to obtain it?

"Why do you want to help me? Don't tell me you've taken a fancy to me? Hehehe, you'll use medicine to cure me, and then I'll be deeply grateful to you.

"Then you can toy with my body however you want, like sticking needles into me one by one and listening to my screams. The more miserably I scream, the more excited you'll become.

"After that, you'll cure me again and keep conducting all kinds of strange experiments on me. When you finally get tired of me, you'll kick me aside and leave me to fend for myself.

"I'll be alone and devastated. Then, when I regain hope for life, you'll enter my life again and destroy all of my beautiful days. Hehehe, you're really a sadistic man."

Yang Yu nearly spat out the water in his mouth.

"Don't have such weird victim delusions. Do I look like the kind of person who'd do that?"

Calm and confident—absolutely not. Bai Jin hugged her staff tighter. "Then why do you want to help me?"

"To put it bluntly, I want your body."

Yang Yu said something that shocked Bai Jin with an utterly calm expression. She hurriedly tried to tidy her messy hair, but no matter how she smoothed it, she could not flatten the stray ends.

"So that's how it is. Ah, ah, can I understand this as you liking me? No, that shouldn't be possible.

"Hehehe, I get it. You probably just want to use me as a tool for release. Even though I'm so gloomy and like saying strange things, some people like strange girls like that!

"Hehehehe, fine. If you can really help me cure my illness, becoming your tool wouldn't be unacceptable.

"But you have to treat me well, just like ordinary lovers. If you want to hand me over to other men or make me go in and out of certain special places, I absolutely won't forgive you. If you shatter my fantasies about love, I'll pay with my life to curse you for the rest of your days."

Miss, you're going a little too fast. The wheels are already running over my face.

Miss, to put it bluntly, I do want your body, but what I want is your intelligence of over 200, your incredible magical talent, and your [Healing Prohibition]. Don't misunderstand what I mean.

[Healing Prohibition] was a god-tier skill. In the later stages, against all kinds of zombies, vampires, and other bizarre monsters with powerful healing, you simply couldn't fight without reducing healing. You'd deal less damage than they recovered. There were countless examples of a single Mouthful of Despair Milk wiping out an entire party.

That was why Yang Yu valued Bai Jin so highly.

"Sorry, I lied to you just now."

"Eh—is that so?" Bai Jin lowered her head in disappointment. "Was all of this just a lie to deceive me? I knew such expensive medicine couldn't possibly be given to me so easily. I had even prepared myself to give you my body..."

"The part about helping you get the medicine wasn't a lie."

"Eh?"

Bai Jin raised her head in disbelief. Through her messy hair, she saw the extremely serious expression on Yang Yu's face.

"Besides, love should be between two people who like each other, shouldn't it? I won't force myself to love someone, and I won't force someone to love me. You can rest assured."

"Then why are you helping me?"

"How should I put it? I'm undertaking an unprecedented grand adventure, and I need reliable companions. Didn't I tell you from the very beginning? You're strong, so I hope you can join my party.

"That idea has never changed from the start.

"If I really obtain the medicine and cure your illness, I hope you'll become my true companion, stay by my side, and see my adventure through with me."

Yang Yu stood up and reached out his hand to Bai Jin.

"I can guarantee that this will be an unprecedented grand adventure. So, how about it? Won't you come with me?"