The crispy bat wings were poisoned?
This wasn't a fucking attempt to murder the little maid-this was an attempt to murder him!
Who on earth had poisoned them?
All right, this wasn't the time to think about that. Jiang Jie wasn't about to let the little maid, who had been cheering with delight just a moment ago, become a cold corpse. He hurriedly shouted, "Help! Someone's been poisoned!" At the same time, he swept her into his arms and pressed his left hand against her back...
Yes, he was treating the little maid's injuries!
"Tip: to treat injuries, sit cross-legged and place both hands against the other person's back, circulating your internal energy to force the toxins out of their body. Since the host has limited internal energy and the patient is severely poisoned, the treatment's effectiveness... well, you know..." A voice rang out in Jiang Jie's mind.
"What the hell? Gaming pod, weren't you hibernating? What's with all the chatter?" Jiang Jie was annoyed, but he followed the instructions anyway.
"Host, although the gaming pod is hibernating, the AI is not. Ahem, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Xiao Feng. Feng as in madhouse."
So a game designed by a mental patient, a gaming pod he'd built, and an AI that was like a lunatic too?
What kind of goddamn golden finger had he gotten?
Strands of internal energy flowed from Jiang Jie's left palm into the little maid's body, then returned to his right palm. Since his internal energy wasn't up to par, the results really weren't either.
A thought suddenly struck Jiang Jie. Why did he have to force the toxins out of the little maid? If he just made her throw up what she'd eaten, wouldn't that take care of most of the poison?
Then...
Jiang Jie turned the little maid around and slapped the spot beneath the left mound of her chest, where her stomach was...
Well, the first slap landed too high. Try again!
A stream of internal energy passed from Jiang Jie's palm into the little maid's stomach. The intense stimulation made her throw up with a retch, and she slumped limply against him. Only then did she regain a tiny bit of vitality, and her complexion improved a little, though only the greater part of the poison had been cleared.
"Little brother, thank you..." The little maid was weak, but her court education still made her muster enough energy to thank Jiang Jie.
"Who's been poisoned?" The door suddenly opened, and a handsome figure appeared before Jiang Jie.
"Your... Highness, it's me..." the little maid said quietly.
Jiang Jie froze.
Prince Arthas! He was Prince Arthas!
A handsome face, an imposing physique, the bearing of a leader, exquisite Paladin armor, the famous Paladin warhammer, the Might of Menethil, in his right hand, and the energy of the Holy Light surging all around him!
He was the pride of Lordaeron, and its future destroyer-His Highness Prince Arthas!
But Jiang Jie's gaze didn't linger on him for a second longer. It was soon drawn to the second figure who walked in.
Her well-tailored mage robes accentuated the curves of her tall figure, with a slender waist beneath her full peaks. Her shoulder-length golden hair shone especially brightly under the nourishment of arcane energy, and her large eyes sparkled with life. She was so fucking beautiful!
Without a doubt, she was the princess of the Kingdom of Kul Tiras, the most dazzling jewel of the Eastern Kingdoms, and one of Dalaran's youngest Archmages-Jaina Proudmoore!
Noble status, breathtaking beauty, formidable power, and every favor showered upon her...
What man wouldn't fall for her?
Only...
The moment he thought of all those messy rumors about Jaina's love life, he lost every shred of interest in this princess of the Kingdom of Kul Tiras and youngest Archmage.
What transmigrator would want someone else's used goods?
Well, going by the timeline, Arthas should already have done that with Jaina by now. You know.
"What's wrong with her? She's been poisoned? How did she get poisoned?" Arthas strode forward and posed life's three great questions to Jiang Jie.
"Food poisoning." Jiang Jie saw that Jaina had also turned her gaze toward him,
with a scrutinizing look in her eyes that annoyed him greatly. Jiang Jie hurriedly turned his head toward Prince Arthas and pointed at the unfinished crispy bat wings. "I was hungry, so she brought me this food. I couldn't finish it and gave her some, and then... she ended up like this."
Arthas looked at the little maid. She nodded and said, "Little brother is right." Only then did Arthas use a holy spell to cleanse her of the poison.
Jaina walked over, glanced at the crispy bat wings, and said, "Arthas, this is food from your victory feast, but no one was poisoned there. That means the poison was added afterward, and the target was this little brother... What's your name?"
Speechless, Jiang Jie hurriedly gave his name.
"Nicholas, you only just arrived here and don't know anyone. Why would someone want to poison you?" Jaina's beautiful, large eyes looked Jiang Jie up and down. After a while, she answered her own question. "It should have something to do with the plague. Do you know some secret about the plague in Andorhal, such as which of Kel'Thuzad's subordinates are spreading it? Is that why the Cult of the Damned members hiding in Lordaeron wanted to poison you?"
At that moment, Jiang Jie really wanted to say, "Jaina, I really admire you. You guessed absolutely right." But!
A noble was spreading the plague, possibly one of Lordaeron's nobles. First, he had to know where Jiang Jie was staying, and he also had to know his every move, such as whether he was hungry. Then he had to be able to enter and leave the palace easily, or have plenty of henchmen inside it. Only then could he poison him!
In other words, that noble's status was very likely extremely high!
In this world, the nobility was immensely powerful. Even a king or prince couldn't deal with a noble lightly. He had no other evidence, nor did he know who that noble actually was. Even if he met him and rashly accused him, even if the man was killed, Jiang Jie would become a thorn in the Cult of the Damned's side. What good would that do him?
He'd get to cling to Arthas's thigh?
What a joke!
In just a few months, this prince would become the big boss of the Undead Scourge! Besides, he would probably head to Stratholme to investigate the plague in just a few days, taking Jaina with him. Who would back Jiang Jie up then?
He wouldn't tell. Not even if they beat him to death!
"I don't know! I remember I was on my way home, and then I suddenly passed out and didn't know anything. When I woke up, I was being burned over a fire, so I shouted for help and passed out again. The next time I woke up, I was here."
Jiang Jie shrugged, his face utterly innocent. "So I don't know anything!"
Jaina had only asked in passing, and she didn't question him further, because she also felt that an ordinary person like him couldn't know much. Presumably, the Cult of the Damned had learned that someone had survived infection with the plague and wanted to erase him while they were at it?
"She's been badly poisoned. Fortunately, she threw up what she ate, so it's not a major problem. She just needs a bottle of antidote and a good rest." Arthas stood up and looked at Jaina. "We should go. Hearthglen needs us. We're leaving now!"
Jaina nodded, then pointed at Jiang Jie. "What about him? If they know he's still alive, someone will probably try again!"
Arthas said, "He's too weak for us to take him along. How about this? I'll have the patrols and security here strengthened. That should be fine. As for the real culprit, don't investigate. We won't find anything, and even if we do, it won't help."
Lordaeron's politics were terribly chaotic, and his father, Terenas, was hardly a wise king. The power of the nobility was too frightening... Most importantly, he was very busy right now and truly had no time to bother with such minor matters. The Scourge plague had him overwhelmed!
Soon, Arthas and Jaina turned and left. Then guards took the little maid away, leaving Jiang Jie alone.