The Task of Tooth Modification

Li Ziran's heart skipped a beat. She must have been 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 body. Wherever it passed, cracks began to appear across his completely petrified flesh.

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

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

But what answered him was an even colder voice. "Don't worry, you won't die. I'll scatter your soul into every fragment of stone. That is the finest punishment for an executioner!"

The Crushed Stone Punishment!

Li Ziran had heard of this punishment before. A person's soul stone would be smashed into countless tiny grains, 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 ravaged their bodies, their memories would gradually fade until they completely believed themselves to be nothing more than a stone.

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

Because these fragments came from the same soul, every piece of stone attracted the others like Magnet Stone. Once two fragments collided, the living being's memories would awaken again, driving them to desperately chase the remaining pebbles.

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

Cycle after cycle, the punished soul would spend eternity in pursuit, unable to rest.

For that reason, the Crushed Stone Punishment was known as one of the ten greatest tortures of the Red Soil Continent.

Li Ziran had never imagined that this torture, which had long since vanished without a trace, would be inflicted upon him. He was afraid now, even wishing he had never learned its name.

At that moment, he understood that he was in deep trouble. When this woman took revenge, she left no room for mercy.

His thoughts raced as he searched for a way to survive this deadlock, but just then, a rapid knock on the door interrupted him.

"Li, are you in there? Hurry, I need your help!" Karen's urgent voice sounded strangely warped, like a mad dog's.

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

That was an unmistakable sign of panic. She seemed to know Karen.

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

Medusa's frantic expression settled slightly. Compared to Karen, she seemed to trust Li Ziran more at this moment.

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

This woman was only allowing him to speak.

"What's going on? Do you know him?" Li Ziran asked, pretending to be calm.

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

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

Li Ziran ignored him and stared motionlessly at Medusa. Her eyes were filled with fear and fury, more vicious than when she had looked at Li Ziran.

It seemed that the pain Karen had inflicted on her far surpassed the loss of one eye to Li Ziran.

"Are we retreating?" Li Ziran pretended to respond to Karen, but his attention never left Medusa's reaction.

She seemed extremely interested in Karen's plan.

"No, it's too late to retreat. Several of our Slave-Catching Groups have already discussed it. We're going to sweep every living thing in this swamp into one net. We've investigated it thoroughly—there are over a hundred Medusas here, and more than seventy immature Medusa girls. If we pull off this job, we'll have enough to eat for ten years."

Li Ziran's heart lurched. Brother, you're really getting me killed. This little Medusa girl will skin me alive.

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

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes. They have groups of Petrification Spells and Crocodile Warriors. We're no match for them head-on, but we came up with a way. We'll use 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 is our opportunity." Karen spoke rapidly. "Li, we have to hurry. Opportunities to get rich don't wait for anyone."

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 absolutely the pinnacle creatures of this world. Even the lowest Corpse Dragon possessed strength comparable to a level-seven Devil Beast. A frenzied Great Dragon could even directly devour an Elemental Tide.

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

But Medusa was interested. As long as she was pleased, perhaps she would release him from his petrified state.

"What do you need me to do?"

"We need your unique methods. The seven Slave-Catching 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 groups have already agreed that whoever contributes more will receive more chips afterward. I've signed us up, Li. If we finish 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 care about some high-level pharmacist. From the beginning, he had never truly intended to work diligently for the Slave-Catching Group.

With such an important task before him, only a fool would accept it. Since there were seven Slave-Catching Groups, things became much easier. Once he escaped this place, he could simply find another 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 dissolved.

Li Ziran was delighted, but just as he was about to move, stone patterns spread over his feet again. Once he froze in place, the patterns slowly vanished.

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

Li Ziran gave a bitter smile. There truly were no simple creatures in this world. Even such a pure-looking girl knew how to work her little brain.

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

At that moment, he was rather speechless. Did this girl intend to have him infiltrate the Slave-Catching Group and find a way to rescue the Medusas?

She thought too highly of him.

Still, her petrification methods were truly extraordinary. Perhaps he could make use of her.

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

He opened the door and saw Karen's anxious face. Li Ziran looked as though he had truly just relieved himself, smiling comfortably as he said, "No problem. I told you before, I can take on tasks anytime. Tell me the details. What exactly is this Corpse Dragon? Was it summoned from a dragon's corpse?"

"No, but it is related to dragons. It was a Wyvern. Though its Dragon Race bloodline was thin, it still possessed a portion of it. The Slave-Catching Group has already killed that Wyvern. After being summoned by a Necromancer, the corpse mutated and has basically taken shape."

Corpse Dragons were high-level Devil Beasts. They could devour flesh and blood, transforming it into their own corpse qi.

"With this Corpse Dragon, we can tear apart the entire swamp's defensive net and sweep those Medusas who only know how to shoot rays into one net!" Karen grew so excited that he could not stop talking.

"Then what is the matter with the teeth and stomach? Even a low-level Corpse Dragon should be enough to tear apart those swamp creatures, shouldn't it?"

Karen shook his head and laughed. "Li, you don't understand. What are we? Mercenaries? Demon-slayers? Neither. We are slave traders. You should know that an ordinary Fishman sells for eighty copper coins, while an adult Crocodile Warrior sells for five silver coins. If it's a Crocodile Warrior with an awakened berserk bloodline, his value increases fivefold. Do you think we can let a Corpse Dragon's stomach acid dissolve that money?"

Li Ziran suddenly understood. As expected of the man controlling a Slave-Catching Group—his calculations were meticulous.

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

"It's simple. We plan to replace the Corpse Dragon's teeth and stomach, so its teeth cannot tear apart the Crocodile Warriors. We'll set up an outward Teleportation Array inside its stomach and transfer out every Crocodile Warrior it swallows. That is why we need a capable Organ Witch to help modify its teeth. If you are willing to act, our trading group will receive at least twenty percent of the distribution rights!"

Twenty percent!

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

"Are there other witches?"

Karen nodded. "Including you, there are three in total. One is a Dwarf engineer, responsible for building the Teleportation Array in the stomach. I also heard there's some high-level Tago scholar of fang identification, a half-baked witch—nothing worth taking seriously. He'll assist you, of course, but you'll be the one handling the dragon tooth modification!"