Chapter 293: This chapter contains part of the original plot; if you mind, you can skip

Damn! My fire had no effect on him; I must think of a way to escape. At least, at least I need to get this message to the captain.

For a moment, a tragic emotion spread across Daniz's chest.

He gritted his teeth, quickly made a decision, then knelt on one knee and pressed his palms to the ground.

Crimson flames rose, starting from his palm, two swift streams of fire spread forward, forging a wall of roaring fire before him.

He isolated Steel Maiweit and the wind and snow he had summoned.

He didn't expect this wall of blazing fire to stop Steel Maiweit's advance, but he still spread as much spiritual energy as possible, making the flames burn more fiercely.

As long as it could block his view, that was enough. The thought had just flashed when he sprang to his feet, thrust his hands forward again, and condensed a crimson Fire Crow.

He assigned a bit of spiritual energy to each Fire Crow, so that even after leaving his body they could still be controlled to some extent.

These Fire Crows flew around the wall of blazing fire, heading toward the door.

His danger sense warned again, and Daniz lunged sideways.

At the same moment, the wall of fire before him was suddenly breached; a piercing cold wind swept over his body, carrying a rotten stench, making him shudder uncontrollably.

The next instant, a blurred figure shot out of the fire wall and rushed at Daniz.

Because of the earlier shudder, Daniz couldn't fully dodge this attack; a huge impact struck his chest.

Intense pain instantly flooded his mind, followed by a cold numbness that stiffened his flesh, as if even his thoughts were becoming sluggish.

His body flew backward; he could clearly feel his chest torn apart, a piercing cold that numbed spreading.

Boom!

Daniz's body slammed into the cabinet behind him, shattering the wooden door as his whole body sank into it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A violent explosion sounded behind Maiweit, flashing a sheet of crimson light.

This was Daniz mixing a few delayed explosives into the fire crows by relying on added spiritual energy and altering their structure just earlier.

He couldn't tell whether Old Lin'en had been threatened by Steel, had defected, or perhaps both.

Fortunately, the port is nearby; if we make enough noise, someone will soon notice and draw the attention of the Punishment Taker.

As long as I can hold Steel, I can escape successfully and get this message to the captain.

The next moment, a layer of flame ignited on Daniz's surface, dispelling the icy effect on him.

Losing the numbness from the cold, the sharp pain in his chest clearly reached his mind—"Hiss, how painful!" It felt as if his innards had been pierced by that blow.

Daniz gritted his teeth, flipped up, and charged straight at Maiweit; flames flickered across his surface, his expression feral as he sought to take the other down with him.

Maiweit's eyes overflowed with undisguised malice; he looked somewhat ferally at the desperate Daniz preparing to fight to the death. "An arsonist—even if he burns his little flames with all his might, it won't affect me in any effective way."

Daniz's right hand gathered crimson-whitening firelight, then a fireball the size of a washbasin—blazing white at the center, crimson at the edge—was hurled by him, his flame-wreathed body following close behind.

A layer of white frost appeared on Maiweit's body, and the temperature around him instantly turned cold.

He suddenly thrust out his right hand; layers of white frost rose, forming a transparent ice layer, and he launched a straight punch at the incoming fireball and Daniz behind it.

The next moment, he felt his hand seized by Daniz, a few scorching droplets piercing the frost barrier and invading his arm.

"Hmph~" He gave a hard shove, flinging Daniz away.

He saw Daniz, engulfed in flames, using his momentum to twist his body and slam into the nearby window.

Damn it!

Immediately, another mass of crimson flame splattered directly onto his face.

Bang! Crash!

A heavy impact sounded, accompanied by the noise of shattering glass.

Maiweit did not hesitate; his figure suddenly blurred, vanishing quickly like an afterimage—an illusion caused by excessive speed.

His body shot forward like a cannonball, and the already-gapped window was blown straight out.

In the shadow beneath the window, a stifled breath sounded, then faded and drifted away, leaving only a few specks of scarlet blood spattered on the floor.

In less than half a minute, Maiweit's figure burst into the room, his eyes locked on that speck of blood beneath the window, the malice in his gaze flowing like substance.

"A miraculous item."

Maiweit murmured in a hoarse voice.

Then he half-squatted, extended a finger to rub the bloodstain on the floor, put the finger in his mouth to lick, and threads of black mist-like silk exhaled from his nose and mouth.

He suddenly rose, twitched his nose, found a direction, and burst through the door.

In a dim corner of the dock's warehouse area, shadows writhed, and Daniz emerged, cloaked in black.

Gusts of salty sea wind blew over, masking the smell of blood on him.

Damn it! Why isn't this downpour coming? Without the rain's cover, Steel will soon track me by scent.

Ge'ermàn·Sīpàluó, I'm going to find that madman-like adventurer; only he isn't afraid of Steel's threats, and maybe, out of respect for our recent dealings, he'll help me get this message to the captain.

As his thoughts churned, Daniz felt the waves of pain in his chest and abdomen lessen, though his head began to spin.

No, I must hold on; at least, at least I can't fall here. He gritted his teeth, following his memory of Bàyàmǔ, he hurried through alleys and streets where smells were strong, drawing near the Coastal Defense Road on the way to Ge'ermàn·Sīpàluó.

The rising sea wind grew stronger; thin leaves at the roadside fluttered, and Daniz felt he might be knocked out by a falling leaf at any moment.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He strained to run forward, already somewhat exhausted, his steps inevitably becoming disordered, the scene before him beginning to sway.

Damn it! How can Ge'ermàn·Sīpàluó move so fast? If I can't catch up, I'll collapse in the street before Steel catches me. A £3000 bounty—no idea which lucky soul will get it.

Just as he felt he could barely hold on, he saw Ge'ermàn·Sīpàluó standing at the corner; he had never thought that the refined yet wildly crazy face could be so affable.

This gave him a moment of relaxation and reassurance.

Thump!

Daniz's legs gave way; he fell flat on his back, his hands clutching his chest and abdomen limp, exposing a feral, grotesque wound through which his innards could be seen.

Daniz saw Ge'ermàn·Sīpàluó crouch beside him, and, heedless of everything, blurted out the message he needed to get to the captain.

Tell the captain, Old Lin'en has been found, 'Steel' Maiweit, someone is investigating the Golden Dream, for, for that treasure!

Klein recalled the bounty on 'Steel' Maiweit and asked back:

"Blood Admiral?"

Is this guy a fish that slipped through the net on the Blood-Flesh Tree? For the treasure? No, it should be the forces behind the Blood Admiral investigating the cause of the Blood-Flesh Tree incident.

"Yes, tell the captain, tell the captain!"

Daniz lacked the energy to pay attention to what Klein was thinking; he panted and urged.

After saying the key point, he showed a sorrowful smile.

"Don't mind me, I'm, I'm about to die."

"Tell the captain, my savings have turned into, turned into property, on Bayam Fragrant Tree Avenue, the deed is hidden, hidden in the wall of basement 13, help me sell it, help me sell it"

"Take the money, take it to Noxie Town in southern Etis, to my parents, say, say I really struck it rich."

Daniz paused, caught his breath for a moment, then continued speaking with difficulty.

"Say I have become an outstanding, outstanding adventurer."

Also. Say a word, a word, sorry.

Before his eyes seemed to flash back to memories of his youth, his eyes suddenly welled up. Is this the last burst of light before death?

Just then, he saw Gehrman Sparrow press a hand onto his wound, then quickly wipe it outward.

Daniz stared blankly at Klein, Klein likewise maintained the persona of Gehrman Sparrow, silently looking at him; for nearly two seconds, no one spoke.

Finally, Daniz, with doubt and astonishment looking down, found his fatal wound mysteriously healed, while his previously uninjured left arm turned bloody and blurred, with bones protruding.

I, I'm okay?. Daniz blinked, still somewhat immersed in the sorrow and dejection of just being near death.

"Why not, treat first?" he asked, somewhat dazed.

Klein gazed across the deserted Haifang Street, his tone calm as he said:

"Wait until you finish."

"This is courtesy."

Courtesy, you bitch! I was really giving my last words just now!

(End of chapter)