In that instant, the three eyes seemed to have completed an epic exchange.
"Is that you?"
Li Ziran asked softly, but received no reply. The pale eyeball rolled twice, then slowly closed again.
Yet after that disturbance, not a single Snake Woman dared approach again. They kept circling, seemingly hesitant over whether to advance or retreat.
But Li Ziran would not give them another chance. Every one of these Snake Women was a valuable slave comparable to the Goathead Chief.
With a light tap of his wand, faint green motes appeared beneath the pool like ghostly flames in the night. After each green mote passed, a Frog was born.
His slaves were piling up. This was an unexpected fortune.
Driven by the lure of money, Li Ziran was like a tiger charging into a herd of yaks, greedily claiming his prey.
The orderly Snake People squad collapsed in an instant. Wave after wave surged across the water as the Snake Women thrashed their tails, desperately breaking free from the pool. Once ashore, they swiftly transformed into human-bodied, snake-tailed forms and slipped into the tall grass.
Li Ziran smiled faintly. Could anything he had bitten really get away?
Bang! Bang!
But just then, several explosion-like sounds erupted from the grass. A fireball shrieked through the air and smashed into the water, causing the entire swamp to billow with clusters of thick white smoke as though white phosphorus had been ignited.
At the same time, shouts of varying pitches rang out from the two-man-tall grass.
The Snake Women who had just escaped onto the shore strangely turned back from the grass, transforming into giant snakes as they rushed toward Li Ziran.
But before they could dive beneath the water, a long Cold-Iron Arrow tore through the sky and pierced precisely through the back of one's neck.
At the same time, two Fishmen lurking in the river swiftly grabbed both ends of the Cold-Iron Arrow and leaped high into the air.
The water snake's slender waist twisted continuously in midair. Gradually, a woman's torso appeared, and that long diamond-shaped snake face was gradually replaced by an exquisite human face.
The instant the woman's face appeared, the cheers around them grew even louder. More and more Cold-Iron Arrows sliced through the Void, and after every shot, a Snake Woman would be hoisted high into the air.
In the blink of an eye, the pond had been occupied by sturdy black-headed Fishmen of all kinds.
As for the Snake Women trying to escape the encirclement, ill-timed fireballs would always fall from above and smash them back into the lake.
Sharpshooters, Fishman laborers, Mages.
A standard Slave-Catching Group setup. The moment Li Ziran saw their scale, he knew he had encountered the Slave-Catching Group he had most wanted to find.
Clearly, these Snake Women were doomed.
About half an hour later, the large fireballs finally ceased, and the Cold-Iron Arrows stopped flying as well. Apart from the bloodstains left behind by failed hunts, there was no longer any sign of battle on the water.
But on the distant grassland, more than twenty Pigman laborers were busy stuffing the captured Snake Women into nylon sacks. Behind those Pigman laborers stood three Dark Elves with pointed ears and dusky skin, each with black-feathered arrows slung across their backs.
Dark Elves, also known as shadow elves, came from underground and possessed the ideal traits and physical attributes of archers.
Three Dark Elves. Something was off.
From beneath the water, Li Ziran looked past the Elves and saw black-skinned Fishmen gurgling something to two young men.
One of the young men had standard human blond hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and a red-hot magic wand.
Clearly, the cannonball-like fireballs from earlier had been his work. A fire Mage.
Beside the fire Mage stood a tall, fair-skinned young man in a silver robe. A glittering golden Bauhinia Flower was embroidered in the center of the robe. He wore a smile as he inspected the results of the recent battle.
His prey had been stolen!
By the very Slave-Catching Group he had most wanted to meet, though now he did not want to see them at all.
Clearly, they had been lying in ambush here all along.
They had struck the moment he had fully seized control of the situation, their timing impeccable.
There had been such a large Fishman force, yet he had only caught seven. The rest had all gone into the Slave-Catching Group's pockets.
Damn it!
But there was nothing he could do!
Li Ziran understood that he had to swallow this grievance. Reaping where others sowed was the simplest and most useful rule of survival.
"Friend, won't you come out and meet us? We saved you, you know!" Just as Li Ziran waited for the Slave-Catching Group to quietly leave, the fire Mage walked to the edge of the pool and grinned at the water.
Li Ziran smiled bitterly. These people really were thorough.
He dispelled the Transformation Spell and slowly rose from beneath the water. He did not run. The other side was more capable than he had imagined.
Li Ziran would not try to be clever.
Of course, few creatures on the Wasteland would play clever tricks at a time like this.
The moment Li Ziran surfaced, a Fishman was already waiting for him. "Sir, Captain Karen of the Bauhinia Flower wishes to meet you."
Li Ziran followed behind the Fishman and quickly arrived beside the young man.
Fluffy yet orderly blond curls, a sky-blue formal robe paired with light-blue boots—he looked refined from head to toe. Especially that sweet smile, so pleasant it made one want to kiss him, like a spring breeze.
In an instant, Li Ziran raised his guard to the utmost.
He had encountered a young fox. It seemed he would have to bleed a little this time.
"Oh, thank you, my friend of the same race!" Li Ziran spread his arms and shouted. "Without you, I would have been eaten alive by those Snake Women! I truly don't know how to express my gratitude. God must have favored me. Oh, may the God of Light bless me!"
Li Ziran's exaggerated behavior made the young man frown slightly. When Li Ziran approached, he did not retreat despite how filthy Li Ziran was.
After hiding underwater for so long, Li Ziran was covered in mud and algae, mixed with the stench of rotting sludge from underground. Few people could probably endure it.
"It is the God of Light's favor." The young man merely stopped Li Ziran from coming closer. "For us to meet in a place like this, we must also have the Goddess of Fortune's care, don't you think, sir?"
Li Ziran smiled awkwardly. This was a hint.
On the Wasteland, people always liked invoking the Goddess of Fortune when demanding compensation. If he could not offer something suitable or demonstrate special value, then he would not be very fortunate.
He untied the three Frogs at his waist and bit his index finger, pressing it against his brow.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
After three consecutive pulses, the three Frogs became three sturdy Ram-headed People.
"Of course. Thanks to the Goddess of Fortune, I have nothing else. Let these three things serve as gifts to the Goddess of Fortune."
The blond Mage beside him snorted but said nothing. Even the nearby Pigman laborers could not help laughing.
Li Ziran's face reddened slightly. Indeed, slaves like Ram-headed People were probably the lowest-grade goods to a Slave-Catching Group. He subconsciously glanced at the only two Frogs remaining at his waist.
The Goathead Chief and Medusa.
They were the most valuable goods he had on hand.
Even if he gave away the Goathead Chief, this slave merchant group might not be satisfied. As for Medusa, giving her away now would be far too much of a loss.
Besides, he still had not figured out whether the other side had helped him earlier.
If it really had been the Devouring Curse, he could not sell her no matter what.
"Friend, this is merely an appetizer. To repay the favor of saving my life, I must give you my full repayment." Li Ziran pretended to be generous. "I am a Witch Doctor skilled in organ transplants. If you require such services, I can provide one free of charge. As you saw, I know the Transformation Spell. I can help you deal with unnecessary troubles, such as people you do not wish to see alive, or anything else. Of course, if you have no need for it now, you may keep this opportunity. It will remain valid at any time."
Compared to exposing Medusa, Li Ziran felt it was more appropriate to reveal his value.
After all, organ transplantation was a niche ability and might not be of much help to others anyway.
"You're a Witch Doctor?" Karen, the leader of the slave merchant group, suddenly showed a trace of surprise in his eyes. "You're already a Grand Witch Doctor at such a young age?"
Li Ziran shook his head. "I am not a Grand Witch Doctor. I merely have some small insights into organ transplantation. If either of you has business in that area, I can provide some assistance."
The two young men exchanged a look, finding it somewhat hard to believe. Yet they seemed to have a need for Witch Doctors, especially when the word "organs" appeared—it was as though it had struck directly into their hearts.
The blond Mage spoke first. "I do have something that needs transplanting. If you can handle it, then today will count as a lucky day. But I don't want to use anything valuable to let you practice, brother. I think you understand what I mean."
So he simply doesn't trust me!
Li Ziran grumbled inwardly, though it was understandable. Who would trust a stranger for nothing? Still, judging from the information, these two young men truly had business involving organs.
It seemed his life could be saved.
"I would be happy to help. If I can use my humble abilities to repay the Goddess of Fortune, perhaps I too will receive her blessing in the future."
The blond Mage seemed quite satisfied and nodded. "All right. I have a Medusa here. If you can transplant her eyes over, then you can stay here."
Wait?
Medusa?
Another Medusa?
Were Medusas really so worthless?
Before you continue