Chapter 298: Theft

Oh?

【Disguise Domain】?

No wonder ordinary scouting skills couldn't detect it.

But can Kali Site even see through domains? She's probably not just knowledgeable—she likely has some domain ability herself.

Luo De pondered for a moment, then decided to spend his scarce Envy Points to activate 【Dark Theft】.

He wasn't sure it would work.

But domains are exceedingly rare—truly a matter of chance.

Envy Points can always be regained, but if you miss a domain, it's gone forever.

Come on.

【Dark Theft】.

2, 72 Envy Points vanished instantly.

To conceal his use of the domain, Kali Site pretended to set up two rituals beside him.

She immediately sensed Luo De was using another spiritual technique alongside the domain, and glanced at him in confusion.

【Dark Theft used successfully】.

【Temporary Theft: 'Disguise Domain'】.

【Theft Duration: 300s】.

【299s 298s 297s】.

Only 2, 00 points for a temporary effect? Just five minutes?

Am I getting ripped off???

Luo De instantly grew furious.

You think I'm giving back what's already mine? Not a chance.

【Maintain Domain】—activate!

The 300-second countdown froze instantly, stuck at 293s.

His internal spiritual energy was draining rapidly, yet at the same time, 【Tree's Blessing】 was pouring in massive amounts.

Output and input reached a delicate balance—even slightly favoring input.

【Tree's Blessing】 was exceptionally potent, as if determined to prove itself, the rate of spiritual influx accelerating further.

"Why do you look constipated, Master~?"

Tally, ever attentive to her master, instantly noticed his expression.

"Need Tally to help you unblock?" She grinned mischievously, making a few thrusting motions with her hips.

"Stop being disgusting."

"Why's it disgusting? I'm just doing what you do to me~~"

Luo De grabbed her cheeks again.

The succubus had always been spoiled and demanding, and lately she'd grown even more unruly.

"Have I been too soft on you lately, Tally? Starting today, I'm cutting back on affection."

"Huh?!"

At once, Tally's face fell.

"Can you two save your nonsense for when no one's around?"

The elf's delicate face was icy.

Even the Tooth Fairy sprite beside them looked awkward, deliberately turning away.

The survey of the water route was temporarily concluded.

Pan Ni and Kris remained stationed at Claw Valley.

Rosalia had long been based here—no need to mention her.

But Luo De planned to bring Little Horse-girl Bond over daily for a while, to ease her stress.

And try to kill as many Beast-Sick as possible.

After all, Beast-Sickness is the dominance of bestial instincts, yet fear still lingers in the mind.

But the Beast-Sick in Ke's Plain are surely far more than the few thousand they've seen—don't expect to wipe them out easily.

The city hall will issue new commissions requiring mages skilled in crafting magical traps.

The goal: zero direct contact with Beast-Sick.

Prepare for a prolonged campaign.

Then again, this won't be cheap—can Shi Ying Town's treasury even handle it?

Return to the forest for now.

The group quickly dispersed.

Kali Site began preparing spell components and designing ritual arrays; the zombie Selina paused ring-making to assist.

Before leaving, the elf gave Luo De a tracking orb, saying it was for locating the human Ryan.

She also delivered a lecture about watching out for schemers and never letting your guard down.

Uh.

Poor Ryan—he now had four tracking skills planted on him.

Shi Ying Town, Violet Inn.

"Damn it!"

Ryan slammed a wooden mug down after gulping down a giant's ale.

His face flushed, expression dark.

Anyone could see he was furious—no other mercenaries dared approach him.

"What's wrong, Brother Ryan?"

But a grinning young mage still sidled up.

One hand held a mug, the other a purple crystal ball.

"Shemesh? Get lost! I'm not in the mood to listen to your prophecy ball!"

Shemesh, the young mage who'd arrived two days ago, was a wandering spellcaster with low magical accumulation—only fourth-rank—but he'd quickly become popular among mercenaries thanks to his habit of buying drinks.

He loved performing a trick: making his prophecy crystal ball speak.

"Don't be like that—I've never shown you this before. At least watch once!"

"I said again—get lost!"

"Come on, this crystal's been specially enhanced—it holds secrets of the future! Sure, I seem unserious, but this time's different. I really think you should listen. It… it might predict something crucial for you, something that could turn things around."

Ryan paused, stirred by his words.

Turn around?

Turn around my humiliation?

". Tell me."

Shemesh's eyes flickered with a strange smile.

He placed the prophecy crystal on a cotton-wrapped pad and slid it before Ryan.

"Put your palm on it, Brother Ryan."

"What a pain."

The drunken human warrior forgot a basic tavern rule across the continent—never touch unknown magical items.

In recent years, spells like 【Suggestion】 and 【Disguise】 had proliferated, and fraud cases had skyrocketed.

Most such mages disguised themselves as spiritual warriors, first gaining trust through appearance, then manipulating with spells.

His rough palm pressed against the crystal.

A blue glow shimmered.

"What follows is visible only to you… a vision of the near future."

Shemesh secretly channeled a different kind of magic than usual.

Because he performed this same trick daily in the tavern, Ryan had grown so accustomed to it he didn't notice anything odd.

Slowly…

A strand of chaotic spiritual energy, twisted like a wireworm, writhed out from within the crystal, hidden among the blue magic.

Ryan grew confused; the chaotic energy curled more eagerly.

Just as it neared his palm—

A massive hand, covered in wiry hair, reached out and slammed down on the crystal.

The violent magical energy and chaotic spiritual force vanished like a snuffed cigarette—no flame, only faint smoke.

"?"

Shemesh turned, startled, toward the newcomer.

It was the tavern owner, Valery.

The owner was a bearded, muscular brute straight out of a storybook, now scowling.

His spiritual accumulation was only first-rank.

Honestly, someone with muscles like that being only first-rank made little sense.

"Boss?" Shemus grinned as usual.

"The Violet Inn forbids trickery and illusions."

Crack—

The magic sphere, forged from the famously hard Apollo crystal, cracked clean through its core from a single hand's squeeze.

The smile on Shemus's face froze.

(End of Chapter)