"Compensation?!"
Adi, who had been ready to close his eyes and await death, immediately widened them when he heard those words.
There was still a chance!
They didn't have to die!
The joy welling up inside made the expedition's vice-captain breathe faster.
He began considering what they could offer as compensation.
Money?
They had some, but the Medium before him certainly wouldn't care for it.
Mystic Arts were no different.
Even the Mystic Arts of their captain, De'erqiao the Gale Sword, were a tier below those of the Medium before him, who had already become a Step-Entry.
As for Mystic Items?
Years of expeditions had indeed allowed them to accumulate quite a few.
But they were all ordinary Mystic Art-level items.
Truly exceptional pieces were rare.
And even those would struggle to impress the Medium before him.
As an archaeologist and something of an occultist, Adi had quite a discerning eye.
Thus, a mere glance at the Medium before him was enough to tell him that Arthur's Mystic Items were worth far more than theirs.
What did they have left, then?
People!
Themselves!
At that thought, a bitter smile appeared on Adi's face.
"To express our apologies, we are willing to serve you..."
As the expedition's vice-captain spoke, he discreetly studied Arthur.
Adi intended to decide how many times to offer their services based on Arthur's expression.
In Adi's mind, twice was the most appropriate number, though three times would also be acceptable.
But...
When the expedition's vice-captain saw the obvious disdain on Arthur's face, he could no longer bring himself to state a number.
The expedition's vice-captain abruptly stopped speaking.
What had originally been "serve you a few times" became simply "serve you."
The loss of those few words completely changed the meaning.
The former meant temporary employment; the