Chapter 60: Land Naga

"There is someone there, Master."

Tally warned.

"I see him. Do not reveal yourself yet."

The 【Dedication Divine Sword】 unleashed an ultra-long beam of light, instantly sweeping down and severing two high-temperature worms.

The spiritual consumption of 【Giant Form Slash】 is extraordinarily high; after these two strikes, nearly half of the spiritual energy within his body was depleted.

Fortunately, the continuous recovery of 【Tree Blessing】 kept taking effect, forcing a massive lump of spiritual energy recklessly into his body.

Rod and the remaining two worms circled around, taking a detour.

He suddenly stomped with his right foot.

【Steel Vine Charge】.

Steel vines burst from the earth, piercing one worm and locking it in place.

"Perfect timing to test a new skill."

Rod raised his hand and grasped at empty air.

Crash—

A tearing sound erupted beside the last worm, revealing a dark purple rift in the alien space.

Five thick iron chains carrying purple spiritual energy suddenly burst forth from the rift into the mortal world, firmly binding and securing the giant worm.

【Gravity Chains】.

Almost all gravity-type spiritual arts or spells on the continent are linked to alien space; they can be said to be the most mysterious faction of magic.

"Not bad."

Watching the giant worm become incredibly slow, Rod commented.

For his current fighting style, this 【Gravity Chains】 technique was not particularly necessary.

Originally, he had intended for Tally, the assassin, to learn it, but she was far too lazy, and gravity-type spells consume mana at a top-tier rate.

Rod ended the lives of these two worms.

He was currently collecting their mouthparts.

As for that Land Naga, he was too lazy to pay attention unless the other party actively provoked him.

Having thought this through,

that Land Naga immediately walked toward his direction.

"Human Mr., what a breathtaking battle!"

She stepped out boldly, clapping her hands in praise.

Only then did Rod get a clear look.

She was a Naga with four arms.

They were not arranged vertically like a spider, but rather two arms on each side growing from the shoulders, one front and one back, appearing very coordinated and not jarring.

Her attire consisted of two strips of black cloth, each wrapping one of the two large Bai Tu, with the rest secured by thin ropes, looking like a bikini from Earth.

Her snow-white, slender waist contrasted with the thick snake body below, highlighting an extreme waist-to-hip ratio.

"Greeting someone alone in a place like a maze is not a good idea, beautiful Young Lady Naga."

Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall down to her waist, with a single strand falling between the two large Bai Tu, bouncing as she slid and moved.

"Indeed so, but my judgment has never been poor; a respectable man like Mr. would never lay a rough hand on an innocent Young Lady."

Rod chuckled lightly, then introduced himself.

The Land Naga's expression turned serious, and she performed a bow very characteristic of her tribe.

"Mr. Rod, my name is Eve Scripconco Brall Jingmo, Princess of the Brall Clan of Jingmo. Here, I request your help; once the matter is accomplished, I shall bestow precious treasures and money."

"I'm afraid not, this Princess."

"Why?"

"A Princess alone in a maze? The Snow Hill Evening Post has too many examples of fraud cases impersonating Princes and Princesses; I am not someone driven by lust."

Eve paused, then revealed an expression of shame and anger.

"Are you insulting me, Mr. Rod?"

"Not at all, merely the vigilance one keeps when traveling alone."

She took a deep breath, calmed down, and said:

"I can understand that. Then we can sign a magical contract; payment upon delivery."

"I'm afraid not either."

"?"

"I am currently undertaking the challenge for a Maze Pass."

Monsters will not come in just one wave.

The Maze Pass marked on the monsters will cause them to leave their territory and head toward Rod's location one after another.

Eve's face bore features of both East and West, the kind of Western Region charm spoken of in her previous life.

Rod scanned her snake body, but for a moment could not find where the entrance was.

Are Nagas asexual? That shouldn't be the case!

Eve was slightly surprised; this was the first time she had encountered a human possessing a Maze Pass.

But she cared little; in fact, she possessed passes for more than one maze, and undertaking the challenge was not difficult.

"I can assist you in obtaining the Pass; it is not too hard."

The Naga Princess's spiritual accumulation appeared to be at the early stage of the sixth tier; a curved blade and a crossbow hung at her waist.

She also bore signs of battle; she was no mere ornament, after all, the Land Naga is a warlike and battle-hardened race.

Anyway, it's much better than those two, Xia Li and Gema.

"First, let's talk about the contents of the commission and the payment."

"Originally I shouldn't be telling outsiders, but at this point there's no point fussing over it — a coup has taken place within the Mirror Desert Clan. The rebel army received a massive influx of support and stormed the royal palace in one fell swoop. I took the chance to escape, but there's still a band of pursuers behind me."

"Uh, a princess whose kingdom has fallen?"

Rod instantly lost much of his desire to take the commission.

What profit could there be in a princess whose kingdom has fallen? Compensate with her body? I wouldn't care for that. Hmm, but the taste of a Naga... trying it wouldn't be out of the question.

Without Rod even knowing it, deep in his heart a collection plan covering every race on the continent quietly kicked off.

"It hasn't fallen yet!" Eve snapped angrily.

"Alright, alright, alright."

"Among the pursuers are four sixth-tier warriors, and they also have a batch of magic rings on them. I can't deal with them, so I need your help."

"Magic rings? It couldn't be that the Celestial Flower Kingdom supported the rebels, could it?"

"Exactly so. In recent years the Celestial Flower Kingdom's magic ring technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, output has surged, and their ambitions are gradually surfacing."

Rod suddenly twisted his head — a high-temperature worm burst from the ground and leapt high into the air.

His golden sword extended a pillar of light, slicing it clean in two with a single strike.

Scalding blood splashed across the earth like rain.

"You see, I'm no ordinary upper fifth-tier. A fifth-tier magical beast like this isn't even two strikes' worth for me. If the pay's too low, I won't take the job."

She tossed over a spell satchel.

Rod opened it and raised an eyebrow.

Nearly two thousand Jin Along, three or four pieces of clearly very rare metal, a series of potions radiating a high-grade magical aura, and so on.

"This is the down payment. Once the mission is complete, on top of this I'll also give you a ninth-tier dragon scale. Mr. Rod, dragon scales aren't something you find every day."

"Still not enough."

Eve clicked her tongue.

Damn it, how can this person be even greedier than a Naga!

"I also want your body."

In the shadows, Tally secretly pinched him.

"Want me?"

She gave Rod a strange look, then her expression turned seductive.

"You know the Naga custom? One partner for life — that means you'd have to become my husband."

"Just the one time, I won't cling to you after." Rod pursed his lips; he didn't reject a fleeting fling like Xia Li's.

"Deal~"

"Sounds good!"

Soon, a magical contract was drawn up, and both parties signed their names, formally sealing it.

Watching Rod's gaze roaming over her body.

Eve couldn't help but smirk coldly in her heart.

Greedy?

No one can be greedy on a Naga!

She casually toyed with the jadeite on her wrist; no one noticed it faintly emanated a spiritual essence.

Then, with quiet confidence, she smiled to herself and shook her head.

Ignorant, shallow humans.

I am very much looking forward to the expression on your face when the magical contract is dissolved by my treasure at the moment the mission is complete.

(End of this chapter)