Chapter 261: Deal

She stared fixedly at Luo De.

"I can guess you want to collect girls from other races—there are no dog-people girls in the forest yet. Don't you want to try one now? By the way, I'm a virgin, never touched by any man."

Saying this, Sharon lightly traced her finger across his chest.

"And then there's the 【Plague Domain】—you understand its corrosion and regeneration, right? What if you used it on a bed? Don't you want to try?"

Luo De: "."

It seemed Sharon understood him well.

Spiritual and magical fluctuations came from nearby ahead and behind.

From the forest and Henry's farm, the girls had already appeared.

Luo De raised his hand, signaling them not to approach yet.

"Just say it outright—why target Kalist? This makes it hard for me to trust you."

"Mr. Luo De, you don't understand. In the history of exploring the Strange Space, elves suffered great losses, which made them fearful and hesitant toward it—you know, one downside of long-lived races is they hold onto fear for too long, never breaking through. Kalist is a conservative, rigid elf. Her feelings for you—well, suffice it to say, she'll do everything to stop you from taking risks."

The dog-girl's pale little face pressed against his chest.

She gently rubbed her ears against him like a puppy.

"More importantly, I hate her—I did it on purpose to annoy her."

"Didn't you two once collaborate on researching the ritual for planting mazes? I remember you got along fairly well."

"Precisely because of that, I hate her. Even by elf standards, her knowledge is too vast—so vast it makes me sick."

【Jealousy +68】

Luo De glanced at the 【Negative Emotion Absorption】 prompt.

"You've changed a lot, Sharon."

"This is me, Lord Luo De. No point in beating around the bush—I won't hide it: the Botanical Garden is an outsider in the Dread Field. They drove out the Dread Beasts and took over their nest to absorb nutrients. The spiritual energy and aether accumulated there are immense, and within it, a treasure called the 【Rotting Moon Seed】 has been nurtured. We split it fifty-fifty afterward—how about it?"

"Why me?"

"Your 【Plague Domain】, your extremely high mental resistance—either one is a great asset. Besides… I recall the things in the Botanical Garden mistook you for some being, didn't they?"

Indeed.

Due to the 【Tree's Blessing】, Luo De received a pass to the Botanical Garden.

This was clearly a rare thing—it caused the creatures inside to mistake him for the Garden's caretaker, the "Great Cultivator."

Spiritual energy and aether?

To be honest.

Luo De's seventh-rank path leans toward the Battle Spirit line.

The prospects are good—once he solidifies a Battle Spirit, he gains various bonuses.

Given his current physical condition, he can still accommodate three to five Battle Spirits.

According to 【On the Exploration and Speculation of the Land Naga Spiritual Art: Battle Spirit】, some Battle Spirits that wield supernatural abilities require spiritual energy.

Though such energy bodies exist everywhere in the universe, those with tangible form and practical usability are exceedingly rare.

At this moment.

Zombie Selina sent a message.

The town had not set up the ritual for Rotting Pustule explosions.

But the witch Demia had run into trouble—apparently, she fell ill last night for no clear reason.

"What's wrong with Demia?"

"Her usual problem—emotional fluctuations causing magical imbalance. I can't fix it; I can only tell her to rest for a while."

Luo De narrowed his eyes.

He thought for a moment.

Before he could speak,

Sharon: "Your 【Lie Detection】 hasn't stopped. What are you so afraid of?"

"Not enough."

"What?"

"My payment isn't enough."

She rolled her eyes: "Come on, I thought we were friends."

"Your behavior just created a crack in our relationship—I need more payment."

"Hmm… you're not planning to enslave me with a binding spell, like the girls in the forest?"

Luo De nodded honestly.

He felt Sharon was becoming dangerous—her personality had grown bold and flamboyant, her actions reckless.

"You think I'll ruin the town or the forest? You're overthinking. After this deal, I'll leave Aitheron and head east to Faye."

Faye.

The three-sided coastal nation that once suffered a massive rat invasion, which birthed a vast Plague Domain.

It is the pilgrimage site for plague mages.

Sharon tightened her thick coat.

"How about this? Afterward, I let you have me for one whole night—entirely, all night. Honestly, I've never liked touching men, but with you, it's fine. I like you, and I like your scent… you know, dog-people care deeply about a partner's scent."

One whole night.

You, a mage, plan to carry me all night?

That's practically being enslaved by you.

To be honest, Luo De hadn't had much romantic interest in Sharon before.

But as the saying goes: if food is offered and you refuse, it's a grave sin.

"Deal."

Sharon's face instantly twisted with disdain: "You really are a lecher. After I give myself to you, don't you dare lay a hand on Demia, got it?"

Luo De smiled: "Men and women, these things are hard to avoid. Since you like me, you must know how perfect a man I am. By the way—is that 【Rotting Moon Seed】 meant to cure Demia's chronic illness?"

"You guessed right! Demia helped me, so I owe her. Heh—no time to waste. The Strange Space is chaotic lately; entrances don't appear often. Let's go now."

He didn't mind.

He was always ready.

He used 【Far-Speech Chain】 to notify all the girls he was going on a trip.

The girls each had worries and reservations, but none defied him.

Kalist was different.

She knew Luo De was going to the Dread Field again—and she openly opposed it.

She rambled and scolded, clearly enraged by Sharon's ambush.

Luo De sighed and comforted her briefly.

The Dread Field—same old place, he knew it well.

"Do you have a way out of the Dread Field?"

Last time, they escaped thanks to Bone Dragon Meghan. Who knew if she'd be there this time.

But even if she wasn't, it didn't matter.

Recently, he obtained a small tree-realm item from the giant squirrel Cui Qian, combined with Vivian's vine leaves—it was enough to let him communicate with the Tree Realm and leave.

Sharon pulled a human corpse from her spell satchel. Its attire suggested a thief or wanderer.

The corpse's surface was covered in runes.

"Unlike last time when we were dragged in against our will, plague mages have their own methods—we're entering with our bodies directly. The Dread Field's rejection will be stronger, but the advantage is easy exit—you can leave anytime you want. Let's begin."

Sharon activated the runes on the corpse.

Tearing—

A juvenile Dread Beast burst from the corpse's abdomen, about to roar—immediately choked by the runes, then sacrificed.

Then, a strange green light flared, engulfing the two of them.

(End of Chapter)