Nicole Bailando

The great windwheel atop the mill turned slowly, stirring currents from the Elemental Tide and bringing the travelers a rare touch of coolness.

Outside, the sky had gradually darkened, and the clamorous slave market finally welcomed a rare moment of peace.

Creatures who had toiled all day poured into this ordinary windmill from every direction.

The great mill platform, relatively quiet during the day, was now packed tight. Busty young women weaved through the crowd around it; this was the most profitable time of their day.

Barrels of rum were carried out from the windmill's storeroom and poured into the cups of every customer.

The liquor was strong but cheap. Dwarves loved it most. Li Ziran could drink a little too, though it went to his head easily. He preferred red wine, grape wine, or cocktails.

Li Ziran found a corner. His cheeks were already somewhat flushed as he propped up his face and watched the swaying wine in his cup. He needed to think about what to do next.

First were the two Elfstones. They were precious items, best handed to an auction house. He could make a fortune without anyone being the wiser.

But Li Ziran had another idea: using them himself.

Karen had shown him in detail how to modify one's body through a Corpse Witch. That meant Li Ziran could transplant Magic Organs into himself and become a mage.

Moreover, he currently had two Lunar Meridians and a mid-level fire mage slave. If he possessed a Corpse Witch, he could instantly transform himself into a mid-level fire mage.

Mages were undoubtedly the strongest survivors in this world. With their unique Magic Organs, they could manipulate the Elemental Tide. Such power allowed them to tear apart the Void Expanse, create Derivative Spaces, and contend against apex creatures such as Great Dragons and Giants.

With a lift of the hand or a step of the foot, they could destroy heaven and earth. That was true survival ability.

Not like him now, living in constant trepidation by relying on a single Frog Transformation.

If he became a mage, he would need a special wand, and its core would undoubtedly have to be an Elfstone.

He wanted to use the Elfstones himself, but forging a top-tier wand required so much money that he did not even dare imagine the amount.

Then there was the matter of corpses. He had to build a good relationship with Necromancers. Those picky fellows were exceptionally fond of unusual corpses.

If he had obtained the corpse of a Cannon Elephant from the Thornflower Slave-Trading Corps last time, or even the corpses of Crocodile Warriors, he could have gained some bargaining leverage before a Necromancer. Unfortunately, that wastrel Karen had sacrificed everything.

The Medusa in his possession was decent, but there were too few of them. The most valuable thing was the scattered remains of a Corpse Witch. A Necromancer might be interested in Karen's head, but that bargaining chip was not enough to make one teach him Soul Replacement and Corpse Witch summoning.

He needed to obtain a batch of special goods.

They had to be stunning!

"Honored guest, is it good enough if I blow it like this?" The Horse Dwarf held Li Ziran's clothes high, speaking while continuously blowing on them.

"Blow a while longer." Li Ziran spoke simply. He needed the clothes to dry quickly before setting off.

Mading'er Town was some distance from the Undead Nest. He had decided to leave after finishing this cup of wine; otherwise, he would not have resorted to using such brute force to dry his clothes.

"Sir, care for a drink?"

Before the voice even reached him, a thick cloud of perfume had already rushed over.

Li Ziran disliked this sort of seductive woman and instinctively wanted to refuse, but something was tossed beside his wineglass.

A frog.

Wolf, the one he had just transformed and thrown into the pool.

Only then did he raise his head to look at her. What entered his eyes was an exquisitely beautiful face beyond replication. She was slender, her voluptuous figure wrapped in a leather skirt as though it would burst out with the lightest touch. Her brown-blue hair had been curled into large waves, and with a casual toss of it, a pungent wave of perfume rushed toward him.

She was a peerless beauty with a fiery figure. If Li Ziran were a little taller, he would have been able to clearly see the ravine before her chest.

Her expression toward Li Ziran was far from friendly. One leg was planted directly on his bench, while she played with a gleaming dagger between her fingers.

Such behavior naturally sparked a round of heckling, especially from such a stunning beauty.

Had trouble come looking for him?

"Your man?" Li Ziran bit open his index finger and was about to dab his blood onto the frog's brow to undo the Transformation Spell.

But the woman did not let the blood fall upon the frog's brow. With a whoosh, the dagger she had been playing with slipped through Li Ziran's fingers and nailed his palm to the wine table.

That beautiful move immediately drew a wave of shrieks through the windmill. Several troublemaking hippos directly shouted:

"Kid, time to pay off your romantic debts!"

Li Ziran smiled helplessly. It truly was a fine concealed weapon technique, but if he were frightened by something so simple, he would not be Li Ziran.

He pulled his fingers free from beneath the dagger, drained the rum he had ordered in one sweep without haste or panic, then bent down to take the wizard robe from the Horse Dwarf's hands. Draping it over himself, he smiled at her. "Let's talk outside."

Ignoring everyone's expressions, he walked straight out of the windmill.

His composure in the face of upheaval made the girl pause, but she soon broke into a strange smile. Her fragrant tongue lightly licked her lips as she casually tossed the frog onto the table.

Ding!

The dagger accurately pierced through the frog's throat, pinning it firmly to the center of the table. Bright red blood dripped along the table's edge.

"Hmph, an overconfident fool!"

With that, she smiled at the crowd and skipped out of the windmill in a few quick hops.

This abrupt act made everyone uncomfortable. Everyone knew that was not a frog, but someone upon whom a wizard had cast a Transformation Spell.

Even so, it should not have been shocking. But the crucial thing was that the dagger's owner was such a young and beautiful woman.

Li Ziran had not gone far and happened to see the frog being nailed to the table. He sighed inwardly but did not stop her, nor did he have the strength to.

This girl's seductive charm stirred his heart, but not enough for him to abandon his bottom line.

About half a minute later, she caught up with him.

The scorching air of the Wasteland mixed with her perfume, more intoxicating than the strong liquor inside the windmill.

"Wait for me! Are you trying to wear me to death?"

Li Ziran rolled his eyes and smiled. "If someone from the Madelong Family could be worn to death, then shouldn't the Venice Rat be flying into the sky?"

The girl gave a coquettish huff. Ignoring the looks of those around them, she directly linked arms with Li Ziran and pressed her whole body against him. "Why are you so lacking in romance? I came all this way just to see you."

"What are you seeing me for?" Li Ziran asked. "We've always kept to our own waters and never crossed into each other's river. Your father is still hunting me down. Last time, he hung me from a tree for an entire day and made me swear I would never look at you one extra time, or he'd gouge out my eyes!"

"Really?" The girl pretended not to know. "But you've already looked at me several times, haven't you? Let me count. Once, twice, three times... at least a dozen times, right? So should I gouge out your left eye or your right?"

"You decide." Li Ziran spoke casually. "What, your father finally let you out? And dressed like this too, all gaudy and flashy. Who dyed your hair? Those huge curls as well. Don't you ever consider how old you are?"

"I'm already eighteen. Why can't I have big curls? Hehe, feeling guilty now, aren't you? I knew you liked this kind of girl." The girl was as delighted as though she had discovered some earth-shattering secret, utterly unconcerned that she had just disposed of a life.

"Bullshit!"

"Hey, arguing is just covering up. You said that yourself. Hehe, I noticed it long ago. You secretly glanced at me several times just now. I knew it. With my charm, how could I possibly not be worthy of you?" The girl proudly inspected her new appearance, not forgetting to deliberately toss her brown-blue curls before Li Ziran.

"Enough playing around. If you have something to say, say it!" Li Ziran did not dare entertain thoughts of romance.

This girl's treatment was as different from Wolf's as heaven and earth, naturally because she possessed absolute strength.

Li Ziran's high-level VIP was named Nicole Malando, the pearl in the palm of Malando City in the Wasteland.

Malando City was named after Malando, leader of the Malando Slave-Trading Corps. It was one of the Wasteland's only three slave city-states.

Malando was something of a legend. Starting with a tiny Slave-Catching Group, he had risen through the slave trade to become a slave master who possessed an entire city-state.

He now commanded ten slave-trading corps, three independent large-scale slave markets, and one core slave auction house. He was the slave overlord of the East Wasteland.

Nicole could allow Li Ziran to make use of the advantages of that city-state.

Nicole had been born with a congenital heart condition, and when she was sixteen, her heart had nearly stopped beating.

Li Ziran had successfully transplanted a Wind Elf Heart into her, allowing the girl to survive and elevating her into one of his few high-level VIPs.

And for a high-level VIP, Li Ziran would almost give everything.

Li Ziran knew better than anyone that the more he gave, the more he would receive.

Whenever he looked at this girl, Li Ziran felt a trace of regret. The previous operation had not been perfect.

Because of the Wind Elf Heart, her hair had changed from its original golden color to its current brown-blue, yet she had not gained a Wind Elf's ability to refine Wind Elements within the Elemental Tide. The only thing she inherited was a Wind Elf's natural familiarity with daggers.

At first, their relationship had been fairly ordinary. Li Ziran collected corpses from her, while she learned some Wasteland survival experience from him.

But then one day, Nicole had grandly announced before Brando that she wanted to become Li Ziran's woman.

And so, his disaster began.

In the name of seducing his daughter, Brando had hung Li Ziran from a tree for an entire day and made him swear a heavy oath that he would never look at Nicole one extra time.

Li Ziran had broken plenty of oaths and did not care much about such things.

After escaping Bailando City, he occasionally made a few deals with Nicole and elevated her to a high-level VIP, though he had not carried out any more large corpse-purchasing businesses.

Although Brando turned a blind eye, Li Ziran had gained more business channels over the past two years and had deliberately begun freeing himself from his reliance on Bailando City.

Thinking about it, they had not met for roughly two years and three months. He had never expected that when they met again, she would already be a graceful young woman.

"It's nothing. I just missed you." Nicole said gently.

"Tell me the truth. If you don't, I'm leaving. You know my time is precious." Li Ziran quickened his pace.

Nicole immediately grew anxious and blurted out, "Don't, don't, don't! Why are you still so impatient? I'm going to tell you something serious. Aren't the Elves going on pilgrimage soon? I was wondering if you could help me with a small favor."

This small favor was no longer the kind of social phrase Wolf had used.

If a princess like Nicole had come to find him, the trouble would definitely not be small.