Respect

The fireball's scorching heat jolted the fishman out of his daze, and he instinctively covered his backside and sprang up.

But everyone saw something strange: a faint pale beam shot straight from his right eye, passed through the air, and landed directly on the water grass three paces away.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The knee-high water grass instantly froze in place. Pale patterns appeared across its emerald surface, and irregular lines spread outward from them. Rice-grain-sized spots formed along those lines and continuously expanded until they completely covered the upper half of the plant.

Crack!

The upper half, now entirely turned to stone, finally could not bear its own weight and snapped in half. The slender stone shard plunged like a dagger straight into the swamp mud, sending ripples spreading outward.

At that moment, the lakeshore fell completely silent.

It was so quiet that they seemed able to hear their own heartbeats. The blond Mage in particular stared fixedly at the stone shard that had already sunk completely into the mud.

"I... this... I..."

The fishman's nervous, helpless voice broke the silence. At the same time, the frozen space seemed to come alive, and chattering voices began to rise.

"It really worked? I've seen Medusa before. Was that truly the Petrifying Eye?"

"My god, what did I just see? A fishman with Medusa's eye—is this witchcraft?"

"That's incredible. Guobu is so lucky. I wish it were me."

Countless exclamations and complaints echoed through the swamp, but they were soon replaced by cries of alarm.

A fishman at the swamp's edge suddenly began to develop bluish patches on his face. The patches spread at a visible rate, and within only a few breaths, they formed a layer of stone-like skin.

All it took to cause this was Guobu sweeping his gaze across the crowd.

"Guobu, close your eyes!" the fire mage Hogg roared. "Don't look at anyone! Damn it, you bastard, join my squad from now on. I'll raise your pay to one silver coin!"

Those ear-splitting shouts left Li Ziran rather surprised. He truly had not expected this refined-looking fire mage to have such a powerful voice. But clearly, that tone worked well—especially the promise of "one silver coin," which was undoubtedly the most motivating reward.

Reputation, status, value—just like that, everything had changed.

The fishman laborers looked enviously at Guobu, who was still standing there dumbfounded. Even the Dark Elf carrying Cold-Iron Arrows cast Li Ziran a friendly look. At that moment, they all seemed to wish they had one of Medusa's eyes.

Li Ziran merely lowered his head and sorted through his tools. The effect was decent. He would give himself another 8.0 for performance. He should be able to stay with this Slave-Catching Group.

Then he could deal with the Goathead Chief, purchase a batch of corpses, and head to the Undead Nest with a full load before this swamp was completely swallowed by the Wasteland.

Li Ziran was thoroughly familiar with this whole corpse-buying process.

As Li Ziran waited, Karen approached him with a broad smile and extended an olive branch.

"Sir, your ability is outstanding. This is undoubtedly my greatest gain since coming to the Wasteland. You created a fishman with the Petrifying Eye for me. I truly don't know how to thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. It was the Goddess of Fortune's blessing. If not for you, I'd have rotted in the belly of a Snake Woman." Li Ziran casually offered the pleasantry.

"Not at all. Even if I hadn't intervened, with your abilities, you could have escaped easily. Oh, right, my name is Kevin. I currently manage this small Thornflower Slave-Trading Corps. And you are?"

"Oh, just call me Li Ziran. No need to be so polite. I told you, it was the Goddess of Fortune's blessing!" Li Ziran laughed.

Karen wanted to recruit Li Ziran, while Li Ziran wanted to take advantage of the Slave-Catching Group's convenience. Their conversation was quite harmonious. The only thing Li Ziran grumbled about inwardly was that these people would never return the fishman they had just seized from him.

"Sir, you're truly humorous. A person like you would be respected anywhere. May I invite you to a simple meal? If possible, could you explain some knowledge about organ transplantation? To be honest, I'm a complete layman in this field." Karen was very humble, and his words and mannerisms began to reveal a noble bearing.

Naturally, Li Ziran was not lacking in etiquette either, and he handled the exchange with calm ease.

This sort of thing required a smile on his lips and a slight lean forward.

"Oh? Is the commander interested in organs?"

Karen nodded honestly. "Of course I am. Since I was young, my father told me that if you met an Organ Witch, it was the same as meeting the Goddess of Fortune. And if he was willing to help you even a little, it meant you had married the Goddess of Fortune and brought her home."

Li Ziran had never heard flattery like that before. He had to admit that Karen was exceptionally skilled at social niceties.

During their idle conversation, Karen had silently arranged a dining table. A plump roasted goose sat in the middle, with various fruit preserves placed beside it, along with a bottle of bright red wine.

The rich fragrance of wine spread freely through the chaotic swamp, even luring out the fish fry hiding among the grass.

This could be considered a feast. That bottle of red wine was certainly worth a great deal.

Li Ziran rather liked drinking. Whether before or after arriving in this Wasteland, he had never deliberately changed that habit. Especially when it came to good wine, he could drink alone before the sunset for two hours.

Yet the people here seemed completely uninterested in the fragrant wine. Could it be that none of them drank?

"Just a little something. I hope Master will find it satisfactory." Karen poured Li Ziran a glass of red wine first.

"All right, stop calling me Master. I can't bear that title with my little bit of skill. Look, you've made my face turn red." Li Ziran rubbed his cheek, glanced at Medusa's remains not far away, and sighed. "To be honest, if it weren't for today's life-saving favor, I would not casually do this kind of business. After all, organ transplantation goes greatly against nature."

"Yes, I oppose this kind of witchcraft as well." Karen tore off a greasy roasted goose leg for Li Ziran and said with feeling, "Many things in this world are not for us to decide. Ability is secondary. Whether something is good or bad depends on the person who controls it. Take today, for example. In Master's hands, it created a miracle."

Li Ziran smiled. This nonsense conversation was nauseating, but necessary.

If everything were really as people said aloud, that would be wonderful. Unfortunately, the more refined their words, the more cruel their actions behind the scenes.

The natural law of elimination made every living creature think of every possible way to survive—and to live even better.

There was no need for him to offend the other party. A conversation full of lies could at least create a harmonious atmosphere.

"Master, when did you come to the Wasteland?" Hogg interjected from the side. After seeing Li Ziran's earlier display, he had become much more respectful. More importantly, it was Karen's attitude, and even his tone had become somewhat ingratiating. "Judging by your appearance, you seem to be from Chailuo Island."

Chailuo Island lay at the easternmost edge of the Red Soil Continent and covered an immense area. It was home to humans with yellow skin and black eyes, and was also called Yellow-Skinned Island. They resembled the Asian ethnic groups Li Ziran remembered.

But he had transmigrated here and knew nothing at all about Chailuo Island.

"I'm not sure either. I grew up in Storm City and was later sent into the Wasteland by a slave-trading group." This was the background Li Ziran had long fabricated, so he would not have to worry about them probing too deeply.

The two clearly were not interested in Li Ziran's background. "Oh, that's such a pity. Li, were you sold as a slave too?"

Li Ziran nodded. "Yes, but fortunately, it was only for two months. Though I suffered a little, I met my teacher. Without him, I could never have survived alone in the Wasteland."

"Your teacher must have been an extraordinary figure." Hogg seemed very interested.

"Yes, he was great. He came from the Amphibian Frog Clan. Though he was not human, he never discriminated against me for being human. On the contrary, he patiently taught me witchcraft. The years I spent by his side were the happiest days of my life." Li Ziran reminisced about the past.

"Oh, me too." The blond Mage seemed to share the sentiment. "My master was very patient when teaching me fire magic, though he was somewhat strict. Whenever my chants were even slightly off, he would whip me without mercy. Even after leaving my master, I still tremble whenever I hear the sound of a whip these days."

As he spoke, he kept watching Karen's expression.

Hahaha!

All three of them burst into laughter.

"Sigh, it's nice that you had masters. I was raised by my father. I also had two older brothers and three older sisters. They were all outstanding, so I was terribly discriminated against." Karen complained to himself. This playful exchange brought the three of them much closer. "By the way, Li, why didn't you continue training with your master? I heard witches have many things to learn."

As he spoke, he poured Li Ziran another glass of wine.

Li Ziran took two sips and already felt slightly dizzy, but he still had basic vigilance. His tongue could tell that the wine contained no ordinary poison.

Since this man had not tampered with it much, Li Ziran spoke with less restraint than usual.

"I wanted to, but my master drove me out himself."

"Why?" Karen asked. "He was your master!"

Hogg laughed. "Commander, you wouldn't understand. You're not a practitioner, so you don't know these things. In the snowy highlands, powerful snow leopards carefully raise their young for two years. Once they reach adulthood, they drive them out of the home. They may never see each other again for the rest of their lives. Only that can make them strong. The Thunder Roc, king of the skies, is the same. They..."

Hogg's voice abruptly stopped. He noticed Karen's expression was off, as though Karen was even somewhat disgusted by this bullshit story.

"Oh, that sounds so heartbreaking." Karen clutched his chest and said with grief, "We humans are social creatures. Being all alone in the Wasteland is far too pitiful. Li, why not join my Slave-Catching Group? I can guarantee that you'll receive the finest treatment!"

After saying that, he picked up the wine bottle and filled Li Ziran's glass again.