Do everything possible to improve the abilities of the Slave-Catching Group's members, screen captured slaves for special organs, and provide the group's members with necessary organ-modification consultations.
That was how Li Ziran defined his new job.
Li Ziran's concession, combined with Karen's deliberate recruitment, quickly led to an agreement between them. Li Ziran also cast the Never-Betrayal Divine Curse to prove his sincerity.
Of course, neither side would place their hopes on some illusory divine curse. After detailed negotiations, they agreed on a three-month probationary period.
The Slave-Catching Group needed to assess Li Ziran's abilities, determine his exact value, and formulate appropriate compensation.
After all, the high-standard treatment they had mentioned before was too vague. Once he joined the Slave-Catching Group, it had to come down to exactly how many silver coins he would receive each month.
Li Ziran had no objection to the three-month probation period. He had no plans to stay long anyway. He fully supported the proposal—once he achieved his goal, he could dust himself off and leave.
Li Ziran had never thought that the Devouring Curse and becoming a potion expert would actually become reality.
"Captain, I'll do everything I can!" Li Ziran stepped forward and tightly grasped Karen's hand. "As a new member, I can't wait to familiarize myself with the work environment."
"I know!" Karen held Li Ziran's hand and smiled gently.
The two of them moved through the swamp hand in hand like brothers reunited after a long separation. This strange sight drew the attention of every member of the Slave-Catching Group, leaving them utterly baffled, as though such behavior should never have appeared on Karen.
About a quarter of an hour later, under everyone's watchful eyes, the two arrived at a camp with a remarkably open field of view.
It was a row of small islands covered in oily green. Smoke rose from the gaps between tents, carrying the aroma of roasted meat mixed with the stench of excrement.
The two smells intertwined into an indescribably bizarre odor.
This sort of utterly uncivilized scene was common. Li Ziran was speechless, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He could only turn his attention to his prey.
Or rather, potential corpses.
At the outermost edge, a group of copper-gray-skinned dwarves wielded iron hammers twice the size of their bodies, pounding tree stumps with all their might. These Gray-Copper Dwarves, who lived underground, possessed immense strength but were not expensive. One cost roughly eighty copper coins, making them extremely cost-effective.
Because they were large enough, necromancers also liked using their skeletons to summon skeletal warriors. They suited Li Ziran's tastes perfectly.
Low-level slave-catching groups on the Wasteland liked using these fellows. However, because they were dim-witted, high-level slave-catching groups did not favor them. Such groups preferred stronger Taifen Elephantfolk or Dwarf Giants for hard labor.
Behind the Gray-Copper Dwarves stood two tall Giraffes, their slender necks constantly circling around the camp.
They were Giraffe Scouts. From their height, they could see scenes several kilometers away. Most special of all were their four long hooves, which could determine whether creatures were approaching through vibrations in the ground.
There was a small fleshy sensory wave inside their hooves. One such thing could probably sell for thirty copper coins.
What truly caught Li Ziran's eye were the two giant bats circling above the camp. They were Ultrasonic Bats. Their sonar detection was more precise, and paired with the Giraffe Scouts, they could fully ensure the Slave-Catching Group's safety.
But few people liked such corpses. Bats carried many bacteria and could easily spread diseases, some of which even necromancers could not resist.
On the Wasteland, only wizards studying plagues were interested in such creatures. If he encountered one, he could sell it for a good price or exchange it for rare plague potions, but that required luck.
Li Ziran immediately crossed the bats off his list of goods.
Aside from the bats, he greatly admired Karen. The species before him were undoubtedly the most cost-effective choices.
But such a captain might not necessarily be good news for Li Ziran. A shrewd captain would endlessly squeeze the value out of his subordinates, leaving Li Ziran with far fewer opportunities to exploit loopholes.
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!"
The cries of several Gibbons drew Li Ziran's attention back, but they were immediately followed by a crackling barrage of whips and the miserable screams of apes.
Ordinary creatures were worth only a few coins.
But those cries came from the northwest of the camp, where there was a large open area.
It reminded him of a special place in a Slave-Catching Group: the taming room.
It was standard equipment. After all, captured slaves always had to be tamed before they could be sold for money.
"Li, this is the temporary camp. You don't have any particular duties yet. Of course, if you want to practice, you can choose any organ from here."
Karen's meaning was obvious. The organs Li Ziran screened were not limited to slaves; they also included the Gray-Copper Dwarves working so hard.
Li Ziran indicated that he understood, then followed Karen through the camp.
Compared with the order outside, the interior was quite lax.
There were only simple large tents. Even Karen's tent merely had one extra wooden door, through which the cluttered furnishings could be seen.
There was a desk and a temporarily assembled wooden bed, simply covered with a wool felt blanket.
The tent beside it, however, was exceptionally luxurious. Its shell was made of solid-colored Fire Fox fur, paired with Fire Rat supports. Together, these two materials could filter fire elements from the Elemental Tide while blocking the swamp's heavy moisture from affecting the tent's interior.
A dark gray stone sat in one corner of the tent. It was volcanic rock, and spread across it was a pool of blood as red as gold. The blood continuously writhed as though alive, forming scarlet vortices that drilled into the tent.
This was the effect of magical beast blood mixed with a large amount of Mithril.
Without even entering the tent, Li Ziran could feel the terrifying heat inside. The air seemed ready to ignite at a spark. This area, dangerous to anyone, was a paradise for fire mages to cultivate.
With Li Ziran's limited knowledge, he could barely identify the blood on those volcanic rocks as coming from seven fire-element magical beasts.
Extravagant!
Extravagant to an absurd degree!
While marveling at the tent's luxury, Li Ziran began taking Karen completely seriously. This spirit of putting others before himself was greatly disadvantageous when found in the captain of a Slave-Catching Group.
It seemed that if he wanted to get corpses from the Slave-Catching Group within two days, he would have to put in some effort.
"Li, this will be your workshop from now on!" Karen led Li Ziran into another tent constructed entirely from patterned snowcloth.
The instant he stepped inside, a chill washed over him, as though he had returned to a snowy plain.
Patterned snowcloth came from the leather of Icefield Snow Rats. Since they lived on icefields for long periods, their leather could filter precious snow elements from the Elemental Tide. It also possessed insulating properties and produced a specific warm hormone. When the two energies merged, there was neither the piercing chill of snow nor any deliberate stuffiness, creating a uniquely mild and cool environment.
According to the classification of magical beasts from levels one to nine, Snow Rats were only level-one magical beasts, yet their leather was unquestionably a luxury item, with a price nearly matching that of level-four mid-tier magical beasts.
The Snow Rat hide used for this large tent was worth as much as three gold coins.
What a generous gesture!
Li Ziran was so touched that he almost wanted to cry. After scraping by on the Wasteland for two years, no one had ever been so considerate toward him.
"Li, you've only just joined, so the arrangements are a little simple. If you have any requests, feel free to bring them up. I'll find a way to satisfy them!" Karen spoke with utter sincerity.
The more sincere he was, the harder it was for Li Ziran to bear. The current environment was completely Li Ziran's ideal workplace.
At times, it was even something he had sketched out in his dreams. Yet now it was truly placed before him, making him feel as though he were dreaming.
Terrifying!
"No, I'm very satisfied. Let me take a look at the slaves instead. You've treated me so well that I'd feel terribly indebted if I didn't do something. At the very least, I have to earn back that bottle of red wine I just drank, right?"
Karen did not seem surprised by Li Ziran's loyalty. He merely gave a perfunctory smile.
"All right, come with me!" Karen did not leave the tent. Instead, he opened a wooden curtain at the rear, revealing a straight corridor. "Li, you can use this passage to reach the warehouse from now on. I've already given the order. You may enter and leave the warehouse freely, and you may take slaves without my permission!"
The warehouse, as its name implied, was where slaves were stored.
But Karen's delegation of authority made Li Ziran uneasy. He was granting far too much power.
The warehouse was the core of a Slave-Catching Group, a privilege only the captain should control. Yet now he was giving that authority to Li Ziran.
Either Karen truly trusted him, or there was something fishy going on.
Li Ziran did not believe that two people who had known each other for less than half a day could reach such a level of mutual understanding. This was clearly a trap being dug for him!
It seemed he had not chosen some foolish Slave-Catching Group. Instead, he had somehow stepped straight into a pit of fire.
Even knowing it was a pit of fire, he had no choice but to act. He could only look toward the warehouse.
Blood!
The stench of blood hit him head-on!
Li Ziran knew that smell all too well. He had visited quite a few Slave-Catching Group warehouses, but the scent of blood here was far stronger than he had imagined.
Mixed into the bloody stench were the sharp odor of urine and foul reeks, as though he had entered a stable.
Li Ziran lightly covered his nose. After passing through the cloth curtain, a vast space filled with iron cages unfolded before his eyes.
Square iron cages, each half a person's height, were stacked layer upon layer, making it seem as though he had entered a zoo.
At this moment, those cages were packed full of living creatures.
Swamp Fishmen with gray-spotted fish tails, Snake Women constantly flicking their forked tongues, Black-Spotted Scale Snakes with long, slender patterned bodies, and more than a dozen slender lizards. At the end of the lizards hung three iron cages.
These cages were three times larger than the others. Inside were enormous beasts five times Li Ziran's size, with sharp fangs, thick tails, and rings of dense armor. Their jaws could seemingly bite Li Ziran's head clean off in a single bite.
Marsh Crocodiles!
The strongest close-combat fighters in the swamp, also known as Crocodile Warriors.
But behind the Marsh Crocodiles were three nylon sacks. In that instant, the blind frog at Li Ziran's waist suddenly twitched.
Long chains lay in the gaps, and three burlap sacks hung from the ends of those chains.
The instant he saw the sacks, an inexplicable strange feeling suddenly rose in Li Ziran's heart.
That was... Medusa.
Before you continue