How Much Can You Offer?

Naomi did not yet know that her clan was already aware of her cooperation with an undead creature. Right now, she followed closely behind Anbaixiu, terrified of being left behind. Before today, Naomi's life had been like a blank sheet of paper. Though she had heard that the world was dangerous, she had never witnessed it firsthand. It wasn't until the hag appeared that she understood what the world was truly like, and meeting Anbaixiu was the second major turning point of her life. The legendary tier was something she had only heard of in tales. Rumor had it that a druid who reached the legendary tier could turn an entire city into a forest in a short span of time, wielding natural magic akin to a natural disaster. Yet that was merely hearsay; she had never seen it with her own eyes. And now, Anbaixiu was personally showing her what it meant to be a legend. Under Anbaixiu's control, dozens of diminutive aberrant skeletons moved forward like a well-drilled army. Whether they encountered lurking slimes, kuo-toa, or mutated alligators—no matter what monster appeared—it was torn to shreds by these skeletons in an instant. Then, their souls became Anbaixiu's spellcasting components, providing powerful buffs to this army—things like Mass Bear's Strength, Cat's Grace, and the like—multiplying the combat prowess of the skeletons over and over again. The bones left behind by those monsters were transformed into new aberrant skeletons, swelling the ranks of Anbaixiu's force. The combat power of these little skeletons was so terrifying that Naomi estimated even an army from the City of Alchemy would be easily wiped out if it faced this skeleton horde. Anbaixiu's mana seemed inexhaustible. If this lich ever wanted to move against her tribe, he could probably slaughter the entire Golden Vine Clan in less than half a day. Was this the power of a legendary lich? Anbaixiu casually commanded the little skeletons as they swept through the entire sewer. Facing sewer monsters that had little to no spellcasting ability, Anbaixiu's slaughter was effortless. How could pure brawlers ever hold back a tide of skeletons, especially aberrant skeletons whose close-quarters combat capabilities had been multiplied several times over after Anbaixiu's modifications? These little skeletons were all similar in form to Kha'Zix No. 1: a three-legged structure with a pair of crude claws. They couldn't perform many complex maneuvers, but their strength and speed far exceeded ordinary skeletons of the same level. Combat didn't need to be so complicated—just lunging forward and tearing with claws and teeth was enough. After all, no one expected a skeleton to unleash a monk's chain punch, so there was no need to add so many articulated joints. Following Raul's field tests, Anbaixiu had further optimized the structure; these could now be considered Kha'Zix Mark II. Operating at full power, Anbaixiu advanced through the sewers at blistering speed. The skeleton army beside him continued to swell, expanding until Naomi could no longer see the end of it with a single glance. Then, Anbaixiu suddenly came to a halt. "What is it?" Naomi asked, puzzled. "Hmm, looks like I found it." Anbaixiu pointed forward into the distance, but all Naomi could see was pitch darkness. Anbaixiu didn't bother explaining. He simply commanded the skeleton army to steamroll ahead. Soon, a cacophony of frantic squeaks and chitters echoed from up ahead, as if the skeleton army had run into a swarm of rats and plunged into fierce combat. Yet in less than half a minute, the squeaking rapidly subsided into silence, leaving only the clicking and clattering of skeletal frames marching across the stone floor. Evidently, the rat swarm had been utterly crushed. Anbaixiu's skeletal face showed no change in expression. He calmly kept the skeleton army advancing, and before long, a roar echoed from the other end of the sewer. Naomi heard the strange cry as well. It was as grating as the screech of an owl, yet also like the dying shriek of a crow. "Is that the hag?" Naomi asked. Anbaixiu nodded. "Indeed. Her swarm of rats is almost entirely dead." "Huh? Why didn't she pull your skeleton army into the illusion? Wouldn't her rats have had a better chance of winning that way?" Naomi asked, perplexed. Logically speaking, the skeletons should have been affected by the hag once they entered the illusion. Why would the hag abandon such a great geographical advantage and instead send out her rats to battle the skeleton army out in the open? Anbaixiu turned to her and asked, "How can you not understand something so basic? Oh, right, I forgot—you druids don't invest in Intelligence. Your natural magic relies on Wisdom, borrowing the power of the natural environment." Even though both druids and wizards could cast spells, the fundamental principles behind their magic were worlds apart. "Fine, let me teach you a bit of common sense. Any caster who relies on their own power to cast spells must take consumption into account. In a large-scale illusion like this, if you want to keep people trapped inside, don't you have to manipulate their senses at all times and from every angle?" Naomi nodded half-comprehendingly. That seemed to make sense. "At its core, illusion is a clash between souls. Creating an illusion domain consumes one's own mental energy. Right now, that illusion is already holding a group of druids captive; keeping them from finding their way out is already stretching the hag's limits. If my skeleton army were to surge into the illusion all at once, how could a mere hag confound hundreds of skeletons at the same time? Are skeletons' souls not souls? Her head would blow apart in an instant, and the illusion would collapse on its own." Listening to Anbaixiu's explanation, realization dawned upon Naomi. The hag simply couldn't affect so many individuals at once, which was why she had unleashed the rat swarm instead. She just hadn't expected the rats to be so fragile against these skeletons, collapsing into total defeat immediately. Naomi's face flushed with excitement. Parting her lips, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Old Man Jones, I'm here to save you!" Anbaixiu glanced at Naomi, too embarrassed to point out that the illusion had not been broken yet, so her voice couldn't carry inside. Still, it was about time; there was no need to waste any more time. Earlier, Anbaixiu had bragged about how terrifying the hag was and how only a legend could handle her, but that was just him bluffing this rookie druid. For a legend, an insignificant minnow like a hag could be snuffed out with a snap of his fingers. Anbaixiu's consciousness had already pierced through the crude illusory barrier and locked firmly onto the hag. Now, all it took was a wave of his staff, and a volley of Ray of Frost spells would send her straight to the grave. However, just as Anbaixiu raised his staff, the hag's shrill voice cried out, "Enough! We can talk this through! If I've encroached on your territory, I can leave right now! We're both creatures of evil—there's no need for us to slaughter each other, is there? Can't we negotiate?" The hag's voice was sharp and shrill, making Naomi's ears ache. Yet she didn't even think to cover them, turning her eyes anxiously toward Anbaixiu instead. Naomi was terrified. What if Anbaixiu listened to the hag and turned around to deal with her? Even with the protection of the Statue of Silvanus, Naomi was utterly no match for this legendary lich. What should she do? Would this esteemed lich keep his promise? Naomi tried to comfort herself: throughout their journey, this Master Ultraman had conducted himself with rationality and propriety. He didn't look like someone who would tear up a contract, so surely he wouldn't accept the hag's proposal, right? Yet, without a shred of hesitation, Anbaixiu blurted out, "How many gold coins can you offer?" Naomi: (°ー°〃) Would it be better for her to run away right now?