Chapter 306: Commission and Thoughts

Deliberately infecting oneself with beastification disease?

When Luo De saw these words, he was stunned for a long while.

Such an unusual line of thinking?

Luo De's gaze toward the Star Spirit girl Hali grew slightly colder.

Still, he politely introduced himself, though he did not say he was the forest warden of Windwall Forest, but rather a traveler who happened upon injustice.

There are plenty of people with the same name; just in Shiying Town, there are three or four named Luo De.

And when Hali heard that Luo De was a traveler,

Her eyes brightened slightly.

"Mr. Luo De, I'm sure you've heard rumors about our Star Association. To be frank, we do hope to study beastification disease blood more deeply—that's why we came here. But we didn't anticipate the increased strength of beastification patients, so our manpower is insufficient. Could you accept a commission to assist us?"

"What does the commission entail?"

Luo De wasn't truly interested in taking it.

He mainly wanted to see whether these folks had done anything harmful to Shiying Town.

"Mainly assisting us in driving off or killing high-tier beastification patients. The Koshi Plains are home to trolls and goblins; once infected, they become extremely troublesome and constantly destroy our survivor camps. To be honest, we crave to understand beastification disease blood, yet we also uphold the dignity of mages—we've been researching spells to cure it."

The Star Spirit's eyes were a slightly deeper blue; though different from humans', Luo De could still see sincerity in them.

"Survivor camps? I'll be honest too. Given past experiences, I don't trust unfamiliar mages. If I find you doing anything I consider problematic, don't blame me."

He had considered eliminating the high-tier beastification combatants on the Koshi Plains; for now, their interests aligned.

A brief collaboration posed no problem.

Moreover, they seemed to understand the Koshi Plains better than he did—perhaps they could locate hidden high-tier combatants faster.

When the Star Spirit girl Hali saw him nod,

She offered a faint smile.

But Jeremy's expression turned distinctly annoyed.

He disapproved of Captain Hali's favorable attitude toward this man, and even more so toward that handsome, masculine face.

Then he turned his gaze to the two girls beside Luo De, as if he'd found an opening.

He sneered:

"Who are these two? Mr. Luo De, are they both your lovers? You're quite the charmer."

Luo De smiled slightly and shook his head.

"Not lovers. Slaves."

Boom—

A massive sword of spiritual energy descended from above, severing the stone path, small hills, and stream alike.

Dust surged wildly into the air.

Instantly engulfing the entire area in a tidal wave of sand, blending seamlessly with the hazy yellow fog.

Hali and Jeremy, suspended midair, stared in shock at the scene below.

Jeremy's mouth hung open in disbelief, unable to speak for a long while.

"Captain Hali… is this really a sixth-rank? I have no doubt I couldn't block this slash."

"Such power… this man must be the strongest sixth-rank spiritual warrior alive. Even the eldest daughter of the Argyle family can't match him. If caught off-guard by this man's close range, it would be every mage's nightmare—including mine."

"What? Even Captain?"

Jeremy was stunned.

Unlike him, a newly promoted seventh-rank, Captain Hali was a high-tier seventh-rank mage who had remained there for a decade, mastering all manner of spells.

Hali's expression turned grave:

"And this slash—he released it casually, not even at full strength. A man with such power could never remain unknown."

"I'll look into it."

"No need, Jeremy. Probing a powerful individual's background is a grave offense—unless they reveal it themselves."

The captain stopped him: "Besides, this man focuses on clearing areas near Claw Valley's mountains—that's a critical defensive line separating Dusk Hills. It's not hard to guess."

Jeremy's face darkened.

"Did I just insult him? Will he hold a grudge?"

"Probably not… Mr. Luo De has some breadth of character—at least in front of girls."

As she spoke, Hali let out two cold laughs.

Yet her gaze remained fixed on Luo De, thoughtful.

Jeremy noticed this and teased:

"Aunt Hali, he seems taken with you. Should my mother be glad her sister might finally marry?"

"Hm?"

A warning, icy hum echoed.

Jeremy's smile vanished instantly. He shrank his neck and dared not speak again.

Hali shook her head.

"Star Spirits are naturally frail—we can only become mages. A race with such a single profession is too easy to target, so we developed enslavement spells. Gargoyles, trolls, giants, even dragons become our vanguard—humans included."

"You want to enslave him? But he's only sixth-rank. Below seventh-rank, you can bully him all you want—we've encountered far stronger enemies among the stars. Even you, Auntie, are nearly ready to ascend to eighth-rank!"

"Mind your title. Outside, call me Captain."

Hali paused, then added:

"There's always someone stronger, Jeremy. Don't underestimate humans—their talents constantly shatter all expectations. Like the Legendary and Domain paths—we still haven't deconstructed them. Besides, this isn't enslavement. It's hiring."

As she spoke,

She found Luo De's figure again through the dust.

There, the cat girl leapt joyfully into his arms, clinging tightly, affectionate and clingy.

Yet the human paid no attention to the cat girl in his arms—he turned his head toward the sky, meeting Hali's gaze.

Then he smiled gently.

Hmph.

A childish trick to win over girls.

If emotion could bind this man, it would save considerable effort.

The two Star Spirits descended slowly.

To ease tensions, Jeremy immediately showered praise:

"Incredible, Mr. Luo De! You're the strongest sixth-rank spiritual warrior I've ever seen."

Luo De laughed and waved his hand dismissively.

He didn't care much about the earlier insult.

"Nothing much, nothing much—hahaha—"

This collaboration saved considerable effort.

The two Star Spirit mages clearly knew the Koshi Plains well; in just five hours, they had slain eleven sixth-rank and one seventh-rank beastification combatants together.

Though most time was spent traveling and searching.

"Let's move on to the next location without delay."

Hali suggested.

But Luo De said: "We'll stop for today. It's getting late."

"Oh?"

The Star Spirit girl Hali looked genuinely disappointed.

Luo De paused.

He sensed a difference from her earlier demeanor.

Before leaving, Hali gave him the agreed payment and additionally gifted him a communication magic stone, saying he must contact her again if he ever returned.

(End of Chapter)