novelnext Chapter 112 The Worshipped Grey-Robed Mage
Chapter 112 The Worshipped Grey-Robed Mage
Chapter 112 The Worshipped Grey-Robed Mage
As Selena's white robes shimmered softly in the morning light, Hughie experienced for the first time the profound feeling of "it's so good to have a priest."
The novice priest of the Lord of Dawn approached the Shoki squad, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and softly recited a prayer.
A soft white light emerged from her palm, like the first ray of sunlight in the morning, warm and pure.
"May the Lord of the Dawn bless the brave, dispel their pain, and soothe their weariness."
She walked up to Max first.
The wound on the goblin warrior's left shoulder had turned black. Although the poison from the Thorn Demon's tail was suppressed by his constitution, it was still corroding his muscles like a bone-deep ailment.
Selena frowned slightly. She took out a small silver bottle from the cloth bag at her waist and poured out some white powder that emitted a light herbal fragrance.
"This is holy ash, which can purify toxins," she explained softly, sprinkling the powder evenly onto Max's wound.
The powder hissed softly the moment it touched the wound, and the black toxins vanished as if they had met their nemesis.
Selena placed her hands over the wound, closed her eyes, and began chanting a healing prayer.
"The light of dawn dispels the darkness; the breath of life heals wounds."
The light flowed from her hand and slowly seeped into Max's wound.
The goblin warrior's left shoulder began to heal at a visible speed; the blackened muscles returned to their normal color, the torn flesh reconnected, and the deep wound that exposed bone gradually closed up, eventually leaving only a shallow scar.
The whole process lasted about one minute.
When Selena withdrew her hands, her face was slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
But there was a satisfied smile in her eyes: "The toxins have been cleared, and the wound has basically healed. However, it's best not to put too much strain on my left shoulder today."
Max moved his left arm, a hint of surprise flashing in his scarlet eyes.
It clenched its fist, feeling its arm regain its strength, and then bowed deeply to Selena, saying, "Thank you, Miss Selena."
The pastor nodded slightly and turned to Ado.
The cannibals are in a much better situation.
With the triple protection of a cloak, chainmail, hardened skin, and sword blade, Ado only had a few minor wounds.
The most serious injury was a scratch on his right arm, left by the Thorn Demon's bone blade; his robe and chainmail were torn open by the bone blade.
A shallow scar was left on the ogre's hardened skin.
It looks like a regular scrape, the kind where the skin isn't even completely broken.
But Selena carefully washed the wound with clean water, applied herbal ointment, and then bandaged it with a clean strip of cloth.
"The wound is shallow, but you still need to be careful to protect it," she said.
Ado looked down at the small bandage on his arm, making a confused gurgling sound in his throat.
It didn't seem to understand why such a small wound needed to be bandaged, but it nodded to indicate that it understood.
Next up is Link.
The young hunter appeared to have no wounds, but when Selena asked him to move his right arm, Hugh noticed a slight stiffness in the boy's movements.
"A slight muscle strain from drawing the bow so quickly for so long," Selena astutely diagnosed. "It's not serious, but it needs treatment, otherwise it might affect your future archery accuracy."
She took a small bottle of pale golden medicinal oil from her bag and gently applied it to Link's right elbow and shoulder joints.
The medicated oil has a refreshing, minty scent and provides a comfortable, slightly cooling sensation as it penetrates the skin.
"This is a special medicinal oil made by the temple. It can relieve muscle fatigue and promote recovery," Selena said as she applied it. "Don't pull heavy bows today."
Link felt the cool comfort coming from his right arm and his face showed gratitude: "Thank you, Lady Selena."
"
"Just call me Selena," the priestess smiled.
Finally, there's Xiuqi.
His injury looked like—he wasn't injured at all.
A hint of astonishment flashed in the priestess's eyes. She nodded to Xiuqi and returned to the center of the camp, beginning to chant a prayer to restore her strength.
This time the prayer was longer, and the chanting was more melodious.
"Lord of the Dawn, you are light, life, and the source of hope. Grant your people strength, dispel weariness, and restore their spirits..."
3
As the last syllable faded, a soft white light spread out from Selena, enveloping the entire camp.
Xiuqi felt a warm energy surge into his body.
That's not a power that heals the body, but rather a nourishment that works on the spiritual level—
The fatigue after the battle receded like a tide, my mind became clear again, and my senses returned to their best state.
"【Prayer of Vitality】, a first-circle divine spell," Selena explained softly, her face even paler than before. Clearly, casting consecutive healing and support divine spells had taken a toll on her. "It restores physical strength and mental energy, lasting approximately ten minutes."
Captain Cade stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder: "You've worked hard, Selena. Go and rest."
Selena nodded, walked to the fire, sat down, and took out her water pouch to sip. Her blonde hair flowed like honey in the morning light, and the lines of her profile were soft and beautiful.
But her gaze remained, seemingly unintentionally, fixed on Xiu Qi.
It was curiosity, and a hint of undisguised inquiry.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, the young members of squads 31 and 32 were caught up in a different emotion. "One, two, three..." Blake squatted next to a Primal Demon corpse, his fingers counting unconsciously.
He wasn't the only one counting.
Lynn, Old Jack, and several other team members were all counting the demon corpses on the battlefield in their own ways.
This was not easy, because there were just too many corpses.
The sludge-covered bodies of the Primal Demons piled up like small mountains, the gray-green corpses of the Cowardly Demons were scattered everywhere, the dark red remains of the Lesser Demons littered the battlefield, and there were also the three Thorn Demons—
Even in its dead state, its six-foot-tall body and grotesque bone spurs still exude a chilling aura.
"A total of... two hundred and seven bodies," Lynn finally announced the number, his voice hoarse.
He was referring to lower-level demons—Primal Demons, Fearful Demons, and Lesser Demons.
As for Thorn Demons, they were beyond the scope of "lower-level demons" in their understanding.
After a brief silence, someone began to do the calculations.
"The Association's bounty... 1 silver coin for a Primal Demon, 2 silver coins for a Cowardly Demon, and 4 silver coins for a Lesser Demon." Old Jack's voice was calm, but his fingers holding the pipe trembled slightly. "Let's assume eighty Primal Demons, seventy Cowardly Demons, and fifty Lesser Demons..."
He paused for a moment, then quickly calculated in his mind: "That's 80 + 140 + 200... 420 silver coins."
"420 silver coins?!" Blake exclaimed in shock. "That's 21 gold coins?!"
This number left everyone speechless.
21 gold coins—for these low-level adventurers, this is almost half a year's income.
If divided equally among eleven people, each person would receive nearly 2 gold coins.
And this is only the bounty for a lower-level demon.
"What about Thorn Demons?" someone whispered. "Those demons...the bounty must be much higher, right?"
No one knows the answer.
The bounties issued by the association include specific rewards for lesser demons, while for demons of the Thorn Demon caliber, the association determines the final bounty based on the specific circumstances.
But one thing is certain: it won't be low.
For level 2 challenge creatures, the bounty starts at least in double digits of gold coins.
"In other words..." Blake swallowed hard, "the bounty for this battle might exceed 50..."
gold?"
50 gold coins.
That's enough to buy a house with a yard in Summertown, or get a good set of armor, or... do nothing and live comfortably for several years.
But this number brings not joy, but complexity.
"There are only three of them." A voice rang out; it was Tom, a young soldier from Squad 32.
He had been trying to curry favor with Selena, but now, looking at Xiuqi talking with the two captains in the distance, a hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes. "No, even including that goblin, there are only four."
"So what if there are four?" Lynn said coldly. "Are these corpses all over the ground fake?"
"I didn't say it was fake," Tom argued, but his tone was clearly unconvinced. "But didn't you see? Those demons are killing each other!"
He paused, then raised his voice: "What does this mean? It means there's a problem within the demons themselves! They were just lucky to have stumbled upon internal strife among the demons!"
"Good luck?" Lynn scoffed, a mocking expression on his thin face. "Tom, when I reached the edge of the battlefield, the battle wasn't completely over yet."
Guess what I saw?
Everyone looked at him.
Lynn took a deep breath and lowered his voice: "I saw how those demons died. The demons were indeed harming themselves, but they were attacking their own kind even more."
"Especially those two Thorn Demons." Lynn's voice lowered, as if he were telling a terrifying secret.
"They were originally allies, the commanders of this demon army. But at some point, they suddenly regarded each other as mortal enemies and began to fight to the death."
He looked at Tom, his eyes sharp: "Tom, do you think this is a natural occurrence? An organized, commanded demon army, suddenly going berserk and starting to kill each other at a crucial moment in the attack?"
Tom opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't say a word.
"Our platoon leader..." Lynn's gaze shifted to Xiuqi, a deep awe flashing in his eyes, "I don't know what he did, but this internal strife" is definitely related to him.
At this moment, the main character being discussed was being enthusiastically surrounded by the two captains.
"Captain Xiuqi, last night's battle was truly..." Captain Cade rubbed his hands together, his smile almost overflowing, "absolutely astounding! Absolutely astounding!"
Captain Cade's attitude was completely different from yesterday.
Yesterday he was the same seasoned adventurer with a stern face who questioned Xiuqi's abilities, but today he was so enthusiastic, like meeting an old friend he hadn't seen in years, that it was a little unsettling.
Captain Allen's performance was even more obvious.
The captain of this ranger class, who was arguing with Cade about the captaincy yesterday, completely put aside his airs today and had an almost ingratiating smile on his face.
"Captain Xiuqi, what spell did you cast last night?" Allen asked, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "To affect hundreds of demons simultaneously, causing them to kill each other... that must be at least a third-circle or higher bewitching spell, right?"
He paused, realizing he might have asked too probing a question, and quickly corrected himself: "Of course, I was just curious. I completely understand that you're not comfortable saying!"
Xiuqi looked at the two calmly, his face expressionless.
He certainly knew the reason for the change in their attitudes.
In this world where strength reigns supreme, when you demonstrate overwhelming power, all doubts, disdain, and contempt will instantly transform into awe, flattery, and even fawning.
This is normal.
Xiu Qi wasn't bothered by it, nor did he particularly care. To him, these people were just temporary teammates who would part ways after the mission was completed.
"It's not magic," Xiuqi said simply, without further explanation.
Cade and Allen exchanged a glance, both seeing the "I knew it" look in each other's eyes. If it wasn't magic, then it was some kind of special ability or magical item.
Regardless of the reason, it means that this young mage apprentice has a background and strength far greater than it appears on the surface.
"Regardless, we've certainly seen what it's like in last night's battle." Cade patted his chest confidently. "Captain Xiuqi, from now on, we'll follow your orders completely! If you say east, we'll go west!"
"That's right," Allen agreed. "With you here, this mission will definitely be a complete success!"
The two men made no attempt to hide their flattery.
There was another person silently watching them from behind.
After the treatment, the originally reserved priestess did not return to her teammates, but naturally walked to Xiuqi's vicinity and chose a clean rock to sit down.
She held the water bag and took small sips of water, but her gaze remained fixed on Xiu Qi.
There was curiosity, inquiry, and a faint, almost imperceptible brightness in his eyes.
This was completely different from the polite and distant treatment he had shown to Blake, Tom, and others.
This change was naturally noticed by some people.
"Hmph." Tom snorted coldly and turned his face away.
Blake frowned, but said nothing, only wiping the weapon with a bit more force.
The same thought arose in both of their minds: He only succeeds because of those ogres and goblins, right? If I had partners like that, I could do it too!
But they dared not voice this thought.
Even if you're not convinced, the result of last night's battle is right in front of you—more than two hundred demon corpses, including three Thorn Demons.
This cannot be explained simply by "relying on partners".
The princess remained hidden in the woods outside the camp.
Her silver-gray figure blended perfectly into the shadows, and her [Concealment +8] skill made her almost undetectable even in broad daylight.
Only Captain Allen seemed to sense something at some point.
A ranger's senses are sharper than an ordinary soldier's, and Allen is the type who specializes in tracking and reconnaissance. He vaguely sensed that something was "off" about a shadowy spot on the outskirts of the camp.
That wasn't seeing or hearing, but an intuition—
It was as if something was watching the camp from the shadows, but its presence was so faint that it was almost impossible to detect.
Allen looked at Xiuqi and found that the other's expression was calm and normal, as if he didn't care at all about being stared at.
"As expected," Allen thought to himself, "Captain Hughes did indeed have a backup plan. A partner skilled in stealth... could be a wanderer, or it could be some kind of special contracted creature."
His gaze toward Xiuqi deepened with even greater awe.
It can tame ogres, command the loyalty of goblins, and has hidden companions; its own strength is also unfathomable.
This team is more than just "powerful".
In a place like Summertown, a team like this is qualified to sit at the table of professionals and be on equal footing with those established teams.
It could even be higher.
Allen secretly resolved that after this mission, he must maintain a good relationship with Xiuqi.
This young apprentice monk's future achievements are likely limitless.