Chapter 506: Thanks and Conscription

Shutting yourself up to build a cart won't help much.

After Luo De neutralized the plague in the medical station, he summoned the arachnid elf Yuna to clean up.

He himself, leaning on a cane, went out for a walk.

After a night's rest, he was already nearly recovered—only his skin still looked red and swollen.

The cane? Just a whim, a bit of theater.

He wandered around for a long while.

Luo De went to Henry's farm to watch the workers feeding the livestock, chewing slowly.

Though boring, he watched for a long time without wanting to leave.

"Luo De! How are you out already?"

A familiar exclamation.

Luo De turned to see the witch Dimeya approaching with yesterday's six-dog-man squad.

The witch hurried over, running.

She must've seen his cane and assumed he was severely injured or suffering complications.

Today, the witch wore a velvet robe over a high-collared white shirt; as she ran, the fabric bounced, her buttons straining tight, on the verge of bursting open.

"Ah, Dimeya."

Luo De raised an eyebrow.

Just as he was about to explain, a shadow darted across the ground—intentionally tripping his foot.

It couldn't possibly trip him.

But Luo De deliberately stepped into it.

His foot slipped, the cane lost support, and he tumbled—right into Dimeya's arms.

"Ah!"

Dimeya cried out in pain, clutching his head tightly against her chest to prevent him from falling.

Her scent filled his nose, soft as a water balloon.

Luo De, in a flash, plucked one interesting thought from the flood in his mind.

—If the plague domain and 【Yudian's Ice Blade Domain】 are incompatible, flawed, could I force a catalyst to make the error work?

The answer is yes.

The 【Erroneous Spirit】 first produced by 【Trembling Soul Blade】!

"Tally! What are you doing!"

Dimeya complained.

She wasn't blind—she saw the shadow and knew it was the succubus's mischief.

But then she felt the hot breath against her chest, slipping freely through the soft crevice, sending a shiver through her.

Her baby-fat cheeks flushed pink.

Luo De lifted his head from her chest.

He quickly wiped the look of refreshment from his eyes, feigning embarrassment.

"Sorry, that guy was acting up last night—I punished him, probably sulking now."

He glanced down.

Saw Tally's small face peeking from the shadow, grinning with a knowing, sly, foolish smile.

Hmph.

This thing probably wants to speed up Luo De's progress with girls, hoping to earn forgiveness.

Luo De didn't care.

"And you—why are you out if you can't even stand? Where are Kallist and Yuna?"

". orget that for now—what happened to them?"

He nodded toward the dog-men behind him.

The gray-furred dog-man Nick and the scarred female dog-woman had recovered somewhat, but still looked pale.

They had bound the affected Micky tightly with ropes and brought him along.

None dared approach; when they saw Luo De looking at them,

they all knelt and bowed their heads—partly to thank him, partly to beg forgiveness.

These people had been kidnapped as children, ignorant of social customs, only knowing this way.

"They insisted on coming to apologize—I couldn't refuse, so I let them follow."

Dimeya sighed.

"Mr. Luo De, please don't blame Miss Dimeya—it was our idea to do this. And here's the promised compensation. We've only managed to gather this much so far—we'll make up the rest later. We're truly sorry!"

Saying this,

gray-furred Nick rose shakily and offered a heavy little bundle.

Luo De took it, weighed it in his hand.

Probably around two hundred Jin Along total.

For a squad with two seventh-rank members, it was outright destitute.

They couldn't even afford a spell satchel; the weapons they'd re-worn were broken blades Luo De had snapped yesterday.

"."

Luo De fell silent for a moment.

He said to them: "I need people to deal with the dragon at Coral Bay. Are you coming?"

"Yes!"

Nick's face twisted with hatred and fury.

He'd learned from Dimeya that Micky's condition was caused by the Black Dragon Dagger.

How could he not hate it!

Luo De tossed the little bundle back to him.

"This is your advance payment. The compensation will be deducted from your wages later."

Nick froze: "But—"

"Stop being so timid. Listen: this deal is one-time. After Coral Bay is settled, you and I have nothing more to do with each other."

The dog-men understood—this forest warden was helping them on purpose.

Their hearts swelled with emotion; their noses tingled, tears nearly falling.

They knelt again.

Luo De ignored them.

Leaning on his cane, he walked into the forest—he needed to test the 【Erroneous Spirit】.

Behind him, Dimeya and the dog-men exchanged a few parting and comforting words, then ran after him.

She whispered:

"Rosalilia sent you a secret letter, Luo De."

"Oh?"

The tooth fairy Rosalilia had been forcibly recalled by Stormwind City a month ago. She'd gotten along well with Dimeya here and reportedly kept up correspondence.

"She says Stormwind City received word: the Aitheron front is short on troops. The Igo Sect has formed an inspection team and may send knight orders to forcibly conscript forces across the region."

"Wait—does Aitheron even have the strength to conscript like this?"

"Don't underestimate Aitheron. Even if it's a sick tiger now, it's still a tiger. Its knight orders vary wildly—some specialize in surveillance, crime investigation, suppressing rebellions, but are useless on open battlefields."

Got it.

Like the Eastern and Western Factories, huh.

"You think they'll come conscripting us?"

"I think it's likely—especially if we succeed at Coral Bay. Bards will sing of you—you know how it goes: fame attracts attention."

Luo De smiled:

"What do you think? Your rank's higher than mine—I'm just a lowly forest warden."

Dimeya grew serious: "I don't care about Aitheron. I care only for Lady Daphne. If not for her taking me in, I'd have been a dead corpse on the roadside. Before she left, she told me to protect Stonehenge Town—I won't break that promise."

Luo De sighed too: "Too bad the 【Divine Heart】 still hasn't been found."

The noble young lady had a gentle, kind nature.

As a friend, Luo De held her in high regard.

He'd asked about the 【Divine Heart】 everywhere he went—but no one had ever heard of it.

"After all, even the Argyle family couldn't find it. Maybe the half-deer elder's prophecy was nonsense… Perhaps because they couldn't find a way to save Lady Daphne, the Argyle family made some deal with the Igo Sect—hence their blind rush to the front."

"I see."

At the mention of the Igo Sect,

Luo De felt nauseous—even though they hadn't shown their faces in Dusk Hills for a long time.

Evening.

Forest Warden's Cottage.

Having received clearance from the elf Kallist regarding her injury assessment, Luo De finally returned to his cottage.

Of course.

A succubus under punishment was still barred from entering.

At this moment.

Luo De sat slumped on a fur sofa discolored by excessive cleaning, with no lights turned on.

After all, before him glowed the 【 Wanxiangronglu 】, its orange flames bright enough to fully illuminate the modest forest guard cabin.

Not long after.

Luo De's eyes lit up.

A message appeared on the panel:

【Refinement Successful】

【Name: Ice Maggot Matriarch】

【Details: A natural spirit with rudimentary sentience, yet its state is anything but naturally occurring—it is an aberrant creature that should never have come into existence.】

Upon absorption, it enhances "Yudian's Ice Blade Domain" and grants the following effects:

Rotting Ice Blades: Each cold damage dealt inflicts the "Necrotic Decay" status, reducing the target's next healing effect by 25%.

Disease Nest: Creatures slain by the ice blades explode into 1–4 ice maggots, which automatically attack the nearest warm-blooded being; those possessed may trigger "Ice Sore Outbreak."

Plague Siphon: Every living being within the Ice Blade Domain is drained, restoring the caster's vitality, spirituality, and mana—the rate depends on the level gap between caster and target.

Wailing Ice Tree: Every five minutes, a "Wailing Ice Tree" grows within the domain; each tree increases ice blade strength by 5%, and can be forcibly grown by consuming 50% of the caster's spirituality.

【Rating: 62/100】

"."

Isn't this a bit too much like a plague?

And maggots, of all things.

Doesn't that clash with my dignified persona?

Sigh.

Fine, if it's undignified, then so be it.

After all, I spent my last 50 points of erroneous spirituality to obtain it—there won't be another chance.

Luo De gripped the half-palm-sized Ice Maggot Matriarch, ignoring how it rubbed against his palm as if seeking affection.

He crushed it suddenly.

Its skin was a thin, resilient layer of ice; with a squeeze, it burst open, spraying a thick mass of frost mixed with yellow-green viscera.

Suppressing his revulsion, Luo De absorbed it into his spirituality.

Not long after.

He felt a duplicate of the Ice Maggot Matriarch—identical in appearance but formed entirely of spirituality—attached to his heart.

He checked the panel again.

"Yudian's Ice Blade Domain" had increased to +4.

"That's quite a boost."

He shook the ice shards from his hand.

Luo De stood, stretched, and was just pondering whose home he'd spend the night at when someone knocked at the door.

A brief sensing revealed it was Tally.

"Come in."

"Hehe."

Tally stepped in, grinning foolishly.

Today she appeared as a young girl, wearing a simple, pure dress; her chest was unadorned, merely naturally rounded.

"Master, Tally has been good—today I didn't beg for food at all."

"Mm. Come here and help yourself. I won't stop you." Luo De sat back down.

"Oh."

The succubus knew her master was in a foul mood and dared not pout.

She quietly approached, sitting cross-legged on the rug before him.

(End of Chapter)