The Tooth Modification Job

Li Ziran's heart skipped a beat. She had to be talking about the eyeball transplant he had performed not long ago.

He instinctively tried to argue, but the petrifying chill had already spread through his entire body. Wherever it passed, cracks began to appear across his fully petrified body.

Strangely, he could not feel the slightest pain. He could only let the creaking sounds of his breaking body spread through the bathroom.

"I can help you get your eyeball back!" Li Ziran shouted with his spiritual power.

What came in return was an even colder voice. "Don't worry, you won't die. I'll split your soul into every piece of stone. This is the best punishment for a butcher!"

The Crushing Stone Punishment!

Li Ziran had heard of this punishment. A person's soul stone would be smashed into countless tiny fragments, then carried by hurricanes to every corner of the Red Soil Continent.

At first, they might still know who they were. But as the Elemental Tide continuously battered their bodies, their memories would gradually fade, until they completely and utterly believed themselves to be a stone.

If that were all, it would not count as torture. The truly terrifying part had only just begun.

Since these fragments came from the same soul, every stone attracted the others like magnets. Whenever two stones collided, the living being's memories would awaken again, and they would begin desperately chasing after the remaining pebbles.

But such pursuit was futile. Stones could not truly fuse by their very nature. One Elemental Tide would scatter them apart again, their memories would continually blur, and when two pebbles collided the next time, those memories would awaken once more.

This cycle repeated over and over, leaving the condemned soul forever trapped in pursuit, unable to rest.

That was why the Crushing Stone Punishment was known as one of the Red Soil Continent's ten greatest tortures.

Li Ziran had never expected this torture, which had long vanished without a trace, to be used on him. He was frightened, even wishing he had never learned its name.

At that moment, he understood that he was in deep trouble. This woman showed absolutely no mercy when taking revenge.

His thoughts raced as he considered how to survive this deadlock, but urgent knocking suddenly interrupted his train of thought.

"Li, are you in there? Hurry up, I need your help!" Karen's anxious voice sounded distorted, like a mad dog's bark.

Li Ziran instinctively stared at Medusa. Sure enough, the moment this woman heard Karen's voice, her expression changed drastically. Her eyes darted wildly around the enclosed space, and her whole body began trembling for no apparent reason.

That was an extreme display of panic. She seemed to know Karen.

"Let me speak!" Li Ziran shouted with his spiritual power. "You're afraid of him, aren't you? Don't worry, I won't betray you."

The panic on Medusa's face settled somewhat. Compared to Karen, she seemed to trust Li Ziran more at that moment.

She extended her middle finger and tapped Li Ziran's lower lip. The cracks vanished, and the stone that had climbed to his mouth rapidly receded, only to stop at his neck.

This woman was only allowing him to speak.

"What's going on? You know him?" Li Ziran asked, feigning calmness.

Medusa did not answer, but Karen began shouting from outside.

"Something happened! We walked into Medusa's trap. Those bastards! Now we have to join forces with the other Slave-Catching Groups. Li, I have something I need to ask of you." Karen rattled it off at breakneck speed.

Li Ziran ignored him and stared motionlessly at Medusa. Her pupils were filled with fear and rage, and her gaze was even more vicious than when she had looked at Li Ziran.

It seemed that the suffering Karen had inflicted upon her far surpassed Li Ziran digging out one of her eyes.

"Are we retreating?" Li Ziran pretended to respond to Karen, while keeping constant watch on Medusa's reaction.

She seemed extremely interested in Karen's plan.

"No, it's too late to retreat. Several of our slave-hunting groups have discussed it and decided to sweep every living thing in this swamp into one net. We've already investigated it clearly. There are over a hundred Medusas here, and more than seventy immature Medusa girls. If we land this job, we'll have enough to eat for ten years."

Li Ziran's heart lurched. Brother, you're really trying to get me killed. Won't this little Medusa girl skin me alive?

But Medusa was not angry. She stared blankly at the wooden board, seeming more interested in Karen's plan. Li Ziran sharply caught that detail and asked while the iron was hot.

"Trouble?"

"Yes. They have groups of petrification spells and Crocodile Warriors. We're no match for them head-on, but we've thought of a way. We need a Corpse Dragon to deal with them. Corpse Dragons are the bane of all swamps, especially fond of devouring Crocodile Warriors. And this swamp will soon be destroyed by the Wasteland. That's our chance," Karen said rapidly. "Li, we have to hurry. Opportunities to get rich won't wait for us."

A Corpse Dragon?

Li Ziran and the Medusa girl frowned at the same time. Li Ziran did not understand, while Medusa was filled with worry.

Dragons were unquestionably the pinnacle creatures of this world. Even the lowest-level Corpse Dragon was as formidable as a level-seven Magic Beast. A crazed dragon could even directly devour an Elemental Tide.

He was only a Witch Doctor Apprentice. Strictly speaking, he was on par with a level-one Magic Beast. What help could he possibly offer?

But Medusa was interested. As long as the other party was pleased, perhaps she might release him from his petrified state.

"What do you need me to do?"

"We need your special methods. The seven slave-hunting groups have already found a Necromancer capable of summoning a Corpse Dragon, and there's a Dwarf engineer helping as well. But the Corpse Dragon's teeth are too sharp, so we want to modify them. The slave-hunting groups have discussed it already: whoever contributes more will receive more chips when the time comes. I've already signed us up, Li. As long as we complete this job, I'll find you a high-level pharmacist to be your teacher!"

Modifying teeth was child's play.

But Li Ziran did not take the high-level pharmacist seriously. From the very beginning, he had never intended to serve the slave-hunting group properly.

With such an important task at hand, only a fool would accept it. Since there were seven slave-hunting groups, this was much easier. Once he escaped from here, he could simply find another slave-hunting group and purchase corpses.

"Agree to him!"

The Medusa girl suddenly spoke. Her slender fingers slid across Li Ziran's body, and the petrification rapidly lifted.

Li Ziran was delighted, but just as he tried to move, stone patterns spread over his feet again. Once he stood frozen in place, the patterns slowly disappeared.

"Do not leave my side by even half a step, or you will instantly turn to stone!" Medusa threatened.

Li Ziran smiled bitterly. Sure enough, there were no simple creatures in this world. Even such a pure-looking girl knew how to scheme with her little brain.

"Sorry about this." Li Ziran pulled out his wand and lightly tapped Medusa. An oily green sticky film wrapped around her, restoring her to the size of an ordinary frog. He then pulled out a red string, tied it around her hind legs, and hung her upside down from his belt.

At that moment, he was rather speechless. Could it be that this girl wanted him to infiltrate the slave-hunting group and find a way to save the Medusa clan?

She thought far too highly of him.

Still, this girl's petrification methods were truly extraordinary. Perhaps he could make use of her.

He took a step forward, and sure enough, no stone patterns appeared on his body this time.

He opened the door and found Karen standing there with an anxious face. Li Ziran looked as though he had truly finished relieving himself, and said with a refreshed smile, "No problem. I told you before that I'm ready for jobs anytime. Tell me the details. What exactly is this Corpse Dragon? Is it summoned from a dragon's corpse?"

"No, but it is related to dragons. A Wyvern. Though its dragon bloodline is thin, it still has some dragon blood. The slave-hunting group already killed the Wyvern. After a Necromancer summoned it, its corpse mutated and has basically taken shape."

Corpse Dragons were high-level Magic Beasts. They could devour flesh and blood and transform it into corpse energy.

"With this Corpse Dragon, we can tear apart the entire swamp's defensive net and sweep those Medusa, who only know how to fire rays, into one net!" Karen was so excited that he could barely stop talking.

"Then what's the matter with the teeth and stomach? Even a low-level Corpse Dragon should be enough to tear apart those swamp creatures, right?"

Karen shook his head and smiled. "Li, you don't understand this, do you? What are we? Mercenaries? Demon hunters? Neither. We're slave traders. You have to know that an ordinary Fishman sells for eighty copper coins on the market, while an adult from the Crocodile Warriors costs five silver coins. If it's a Crocodile Warrior with an awakened Frenzied Bloodline, his value rises another fivefold. Tell me, can we let the Corpse Dragon's stomach acid dissolve that money?"

Li Ziran suddenly understood. As expected of the one controlling the Slave-Catching Group, Karen's calculations were thorough.

He glanced at his waist and deliberately raised his voice. "Tell me your plan. What do you need me to do?"

"Very simple. We plan to replace the Corpse Dragon's teeth and stomach, so its teeth cannot tear apart Crocodile Warriors. We'll set up an outward teleportation passage in its stomach, transferring out every Crocodile Warrior it swallows. So we need a capable Organ Witch to help modify the teeth. If you make a move, our merchant group will get at least twenty percent of the distribution rights!"

Twenty percent!

Li Ziran boldly estimated that there were at least fifty Crocodile Warriors, perhaps even more.

"Are there other witch doctors?"

Karen nodded. "Three in total, including you. One is a dwarf engineer, responsible for building the teleportation array in the stomach. I heard the other is a Tego high-level fang identification scholar, a half-baked witch doctor. Don't take him seriously. He'll assist you, of course. But you'll still be the one wielding the blade for the dragon tooth modification!"