Wu Yao stared at the spot where the corpse had vanished. The ID above that person's head had clearly been “Serpan Primus”.
Where did this Bort come from? Why did these mages always love playing these kinds of tricks?
But she couldn't be bothered to care. She would just pay a visit to the Mage Association and slaughter them later anyway. They were going to die sooner or later; she would just consider letting them live a couple more days as an act of her generosity.
She turned and walked back toward the tavern.
Xuanmiao, inside her hood, was completely asleep. Her breathing was slow and steady, and her tail occasionally brushed against the back of Wu Yao's neck unconsciously.
The fight just now hadn't been particularly intense. Xuanmiao had slept lightheartedly inside her hood the entire time, leaving Wu Yao to occasionally tug at the hood to save her own neck.
Wu Yao opened her quest panel, wanting to check Darian's current coordinates.
The little light dot representing the Renegade Mage was moving.
This wasn't surprising.
Darian was someone who talked absolute nonsense all the time. If she had actually stayed put obediently, that would have been a miracle.
She was in no hurry to give chase. Instead, she retraced her steps toward the tavern from memory.
The lobby was in complete disarray.
Splintered remains of tables and chairs shattered by spells were scattered everywhere. Charred black marks from fire and water stains from melted frost still lingered on the walls.
The corpses of several mages lay scattered haphazardly across the floor, their robes torn with several gashes from the previous battle, exposing fingers that were already starting to stiffen.
Unfazed, Wu Yao commanded the elements to begin looting them one by one.
When searching Ester's corpse, the wind element retrieved several sheets of parchment from an inner pocket of his robe, presenting them to her eagerly to claim credit.
Wu Yao glanced over them. They were packed with official jargon she couldn't understand. Skipping over the nonsense, she pieced together the general meaning.
A meeting was scheduled for exactly 12:00 PM on the 30th of the Golden Ear Month; remember to attend on time.
Wu Yao checked today's date: the 22nd day of the Golden Ear Month. There were still eight days left.
She casually tossed the meeting invitation into her Inventory. Since she, a player, had received an invitation, she would definitely do them the honor of attending.
Once she finished looting, her Inventory gained another pile of miscellaneous magical tools and items. Although most of them were low-grade, they made up for it in quantity.
The most useful-looking item was the necklace she had taken from that Serpan guy. Wu Yao cast an Appraisal spell on it.
【Heart of the Ocean Fragment】
【Grade: Epic】
【Type: Special Product / Main Forging Material】
【Source: Endless Deep Sea】
【Description: A clear blue crystal. When turned toward the light, silvery-white ripples emerge inside, which are the trails left by the sealed water element as it drifts. Holding it close to your ear reveals extremely faint sounds of the tide, like breathing coming from the distant seabed.】
【Effect: Activates “Tide of the Abyss,” forming a deep blue ring with a twenty-meter radius. All matter within range will bear extreme water pressure, instantly crushing ordinary objects into fine powder and forcibly dispersing magical creations. This effect does not distinguish between friend and foe; the holder must wear a matching protective amulet. The fragment will shatter after use and cannot be repaired.】
【Trait: Once cracks appear on the seal, the water element will go berserk within three breaths. This process is irreversible and cannot be stopped. Only those of deep-sea descent can soothe the rampaging water element through bloodline resonance.】
It seemed Appraisal had only identified the gemstone embedded in the necklace.
Avoiding the Heart of the Ocean Fragment, Wu Yao cast Appraisal once more.
【Mithril Peeping Chain】
【Grade: Rare】
【Type: Accessory / Alchemy Product】
【Description: The chain is woven from drawn mithril wire with crude workmanship. The main body of the pendant is a raw Shadow-Merging Stone.】
【Effect: Once equipped, the holder of the mother stone can activate a peeping spell to perceive the wearer's surroundings. The effect lasts for 30 seconds.】
【Trait: Due to the crude enchanting technique, the Shadow-Merging Stone will gain a crack every time the peeping spell is activated. It will shatter on its own after being used three times.】
What a waste of such precious resources!
Making such a subpar item out of such excellent materials!
Wu Yao put the necklace away, planning to extract the fragment and the Shadow-Merging Stone once she got back, then melt down the chain to remake it.
Reopening the map, she saw the light dot draw a crooked circle on the map, ultimately getting closer and closer to her current location.
Looking at the cursor on the map that almost completely overlapped with her own, Wu Yao raised an eyebrow.
She squatted down, pressing her right hand against the floor as her Mental Strength reached into the soil beneath her feet like tentacles.
The earth element lazily responded to her call, faithfully reporting the state of the underground layers to her.
About one meter down, it was hollow.
Wu Yao withdrew her hand. Under her command, the earth element began to churn, tossing the floorboards aside and peeling away the soil layer by layer to reveal several neatly fitted wooden planks beneath.
She pried the wooden planks open and looked down, locking eyes with a pair of terrified eyes.
A dozen or so people were squeezed into the basement, and the one at the very front of the crowd, staring straight up at Wu Yao, was none other than Darian.
She was half-squatting beside an overturned wooden barrel, holding a dagger defensively in front of her, her pupils reflecting Wu Yao's face peering down from the opening.
Wu Yao smiled at Darian.
Before Darian could even react, Wu Yao pinned her down firmly.
Wu Yao sat astride her waist, pressing one hand against her shoulder to keep her from thrashing around.
The others were still huddled in the corner, their faces filled with terror, yet not a single person screamed or ran away.
They merely watched the scene tensely, as if awaiting an unknown judgment.
“You run pretty fast,” Wu Yao said, looking down at Darian's face, which habitually wore a hint of a smile. Her tone was light. “Tell me, how do you plan to thank me?”
For the first time, Darian's usually silver tongue got tied.
Wu Yao looked around. The basement was dimly lit, illuminated only by a small oil lamp in the corner.
The people hiding here ranged in age from their teens to their fifties. Their clothes were simple but clean, and a few of them even wore tavern server aprons, with charcoal pencils for taking orders and bottle openers tucked into their pockets.
Aside from fear, their faces also bore a certain united, tense resolve.
Wu Yao raised a hand and waved casually. “Good evening.”
A figure rushed out from the crowd.
It was a middle-aged woman with wrinkles on her face. Her hair was gathered in a loose bun, with a few strands of graying hair sticking to her temples.
She rushed up to Wu Yao, bent her knees, and knelt on the dirt floor.
“Please spare her!” Her voice was dry and hoarse, her tone trembling, but she pronounced each word with heavy emphasis, as if dragging them forcibly from her throat.
“My Lady, she is just a child. No matter what she took, we are willing to repay you double. We only beg that you do not hurt her.”
As she spoke, she was about to lean forward to kowtow, her shoulders shaking like leaves in the wind.
Before Wu Yao could even speak, Darian, pinned beneath her, suddenly blew her top.
Rate on N.U.
