Chapter 276: Elves' Red Plum Great Sore (23)

"Damn, how filthy this bunch of prostitutes is!"

"In a hidden basement of Meidaxilin Cheng, a man of extremely sturdy build, with bronzed skin, complained irritably."

"He was not the only one in the room."

"In fact, there were twenty people."

"Three of them were very sturdy, nearly two meters tall, while the other seventeen were also strong but not to that extent."

"Aside from the three sturdy men, the remaining seventeen men stood in a row in the room."

"They wore shirts but had taken off their pants, each with a listless, dejected expression."

"One could see that the men's lower bodies were covered in red papules, especially abundant on the toy guns."

"This thing is not only ugly, it also causes intense itching."

"The men from time to time reached out to scratch, scratching so hard that they raked their skin into bloody streaks."

"The three sturdy men, however, were fine, showing no symptoms."

"At that moment, the second sturdy man gloated with a hehe laugh."

"\"Captain Taierze, we all went looking for fun, and before doing so we carefully inspected them, confirming that those prostitutes had no health issues. \""

"\"Now we three are fine, but these guys look like this; apparently they lack the fortune to enjoy good things. \""

"\"Salai, you can still laugh? This seriously delays our plan! \""

"The third sturdy man spoke."

"He held a handful of steel balls, and after speaking he shoved them straight into his mouth, crunching them 'ga bang ga bang' like eating fried beans."

"Then he gave his evaluation: \"Mm~ human metallurgy keeps improving; these steel balls taste far more potent than the iron ore in the forest. \""

"The man called Salai smirked: \"Laibiao, eat a little less, watch out for constipation! \""

"The man called Captain Taierze ignored the two deputies' offhand teasing."

"Looking at his subordinates scratching their crotches, he felt annoyed: \"Put on your pants and all get out! \""

"A group of soldiers, as if pardoned, pulled up their pants and ran off, fidgeting."

"\"Ah~ these guys are hopeless; we can only rely on the three of us. \""

"Taierze sighed deeply, then slapped his thigh hard, full of regret: \"I shouldn't have been soft-hearted earlier. \""

"When the soldiers first left the forest, everything seemed novel; passing a brothel, they were drawn to the signboard girl at the door, unable to move their feet."

"He thought the men were doing grueling work, while that brothel girl was indeed extremely alluring; his soft heart led him to agree to let everyone have a good time."

"As a result, this mess occurred."

"Deputy Salai, however, shook his head: \"Now like this, regret is useless. \""

"Another deputy, Laibiao, said: \"Better leave it as is; fewer people also have their advantages. \""

"A knocking sound came from outside the door, and a voice drifted in."

"\"Sirs, things are bad; everyone's symptoms are worsening, they're about to scratch the toys off. \""

"It was the platoon leader's voice, full of anxiety and irritation."

"Taierze startled, took a quick step to the door, yanked it open: \"I'll go see. \""

"As the door opened, he saw the platoon leader looking anxious, his complexion poor, his legs occasionally twisting and rubbing together."

"Meanwhile, various wailing sounds came from the neighboring room."

"Taierze strode into the neighboring room and found the soldiers lying on the bed, wailing while scratching, their bodies covered in horrible bloody streaks."

"He was shocked, but there was nothing he could do; he rushed forward, punching each one, knocking all his subordinates unconscious."

"After returning to the room, he wore a worried look: \"This illness is very serious; the soldiers seem unable to hold on. \""

"He felt that if this continued, people would likely die."

"The two deputies were also at a loss."

"They are warriors, not healers; moreover, this mysterious ailment would be beyond them even if they were healers."

"With the Empress's birthday banquet approaching, seeing his comrades in this state made the three feel terrible."

"In their helplessness, suddenly a strange movement appeared on the secret room's floor."

"Immediately, a line of Elvish text appeared on the floor."

"\"If you want to be cured, find me at Hudie Gu, thirty li outside Meidaxilin Xijiao. \""

"The text floated up automatically, and despite the three's sharp senses, they could not sense the position of the scribe mage."

"The three stared at each other."

"After a long while, Taierze said: \"I fear it's not an illness but poison, the toxin of that hidden-headed lawless mage! \""

"\"Come on, let's go to Hudie Gu now and drag that mage out! \""

"\"Indeed, I must beat that vile mage to death! \""

"The three sturdy men left the secret room without hesitation, then departed from the Meidaxilin Cheng district."

"Along the way they asked locals, after a bit of stumbling search they found the so‑called Hudie Gu in a remote hillside."

"Hudie Gu is surrounded by mountains, but the valley floor is flat; in the middle lies a huge stone, on which a black‑haired man lies half‑reclined—it is Luosen."

"Upon thinking how this person had tormented their subordinates so cruelly, the three sturdy men blazed with anger and stepped forward to attack."

"Meanwhile, Luosen watched the three angry men approach, still lying unmoving, merely turning his head slightly and smiling: \"Good afternoon, three Golden Warriors. \""

"Upon hearing the words 'Golden Warrior,' the three instantly felt like facing a formidable foe, and their advancing steps halted."

"Captain Taierze immediately said: \"How do you know our identity? \""

"Indeed, they are the Elves' Golden Warriors."

"Luosen pointed his staff at his own head: \"I am a mage; a mage's greatest ability is erudition. \""

"Seeing the three about to rush forward again, he quickly said: \"Don't rush, hear me out a few words. \""

The three Golden Warriors surrounded the boulder in a triangular formation, and then Taierze said:

"Very well, I'll give you a chance to leave your last words, but you only have five minutes."

Luosen stretched lazily, sat up from the boulder, and looked down at Taierze, who was clearly the leader.

This elf Golden Warrior before him was nearly two meters tall, with thick brows and large eyes, a square face, and ancient bronze skin that gleamed with a metallic luster, giving the impression of a body of steel.

He sensed their souls: his had reached Legendary 11, while the other two were Legendary 10, making them extraordinarily powerful.

But he felt no magical aura; instead, it was a force similar to metallic strength, yet clearly more condensed and pure than mere metallic strength. Luosen knew this should be called Golden Power—a supercharged version of his ancestors' metallic strength. Once activated, it could almost completely resist all spells and physical blows, as if he had turned on invincibility.

If invincibility lasted only a few seconds, it wouldn't matter much.

The problem is, each of their Golden Powers is enormous; converted to magical power, it equals 3,000 to 4,000 times Luosen's base magical power.

Moreover, Duola told Luosen that the recovery speed of this power is astonishing; after exhaustion, a half-hour rest restores them to full strength.

Thus, invincibility can be maintained for a very long time; if combat intensity is low, it can even stay active continuously.

Such warriors are the nightmare of mages of the same rank.

Once they set their sights on you, you can only run; if you can't escape, you can only wait to die.

Moreover, even if they are at a disadvantage and turn to flee wholeheartedly, a mage finds it hard to keep them from escaping.

Therefore, even for Luosen, to be sure of capturing these Golden Warriors, he must throw some bait.

He smiled and said: "You're here to take revenge on the Empress, right?"

Taierze snorted coldly: "What's it to you?"

Salai interjected: "Cut the nonsense!"

Laibiao shouted angrily: "Let's do it, everyone?"

Hearing these words, Luosen felt he was facing three extremely confident bulls.

He immediately sped up his speech: "Do you know why your teammates contracted that strange illness?"

Taierze gave a cold snort: "That must be you poisoning them despicably!"

Luosen gave a slight smile: "If it were poison, why wouldn't I have poisoned you as well?"

Taierze blinked, then immediately said: "You surely thought so, but we're immune to almost all toxins; even if you poisoned us, it would be wasted."

That statement is actually true; in fact, what Luosen administered counts as a poison—it is a virus.

He developed this virus specifically targeting elven bloodlines, putting great thought into it.

To avoid losing control, he created a structurally stable DNA virus that must be transmitted via bodily fluids and basically does not mutate.

He had originally intended to take down the Golden Warriors as well, but he did not understand their physiological structure.

At that moment, deputy Salai shouted: "Stop the nonsense and bring out the antidote, or we'll make you taste the same fate."

Luosen shook his head: "Sorry, I didn't poison them, and of course I have no antidote. But I do know how to treat their illness."

Taierze heard this with some puzzlement: "An illness?"

Luosen nodded: "Exactly, an illness. It's a disease currently spreading among humans, called Red Plum Great Sore."

Taierze listened half-believing, half-doubting, and his hostility toward Luosen lessened considerably.

Because the appearance of his subordinates clearly did not look like poisoning.

And if it were an illness, it would most likely have been transmitted from those prostitutes, having nothing to do with the mage before him.

After all, no one forced them to seek pleasure.

Luosen sensed the shift in their attitude and smiled narrowly: "You must be curious about my identity, right?"

All three Golden Warriors nodded.

"Exactly, who are you then?!"

"My name is Luobin, a battle mage who travels across the planes."

While speaking, Luosen remained completely unprepared.

"I'm very curious about your martial prowess and would love to spar with you."

Taierze snorted: "We don't have time!"

Although he said that, there wasn't much hostility either.

Luosen immediately said: "How about this—let's make a bet."

"Just stand on this boulder, not fighting back, and let you attack freely to see if you can break my magical defense."

"If you agree to spar, regardless of whether I win or lose, I will give you the medicine that cures Red Plum Great Sore—how about that?"

"This medicine of mine is especially effective; I guarantee it will eradicate the disease."

The three Golden Warriors exchanged glances and began discussing again.

The discussion concluded that this mage probably has some skill, but is also truly arrogant.

His words can't be fully trusted; he might have some hidden trick.

But their subordinates' illness truly needs curing, because relying only on the three of them would greatly increase the danger.

And they certainly don't want to die.

Therefore, it's best to capture this mage alive, torture him severely, and get to the bottom of things.

Thus, Taierze pointed at the boulder beneath Luosen's feet.

"Fine, let's spar, but you need to change position; we suspect the stone under your feet is suspicious."

"So you cannot stand on that stone; your position must be designated by us."

Luosen laughed: "Sure, go ahead and pick any spot."

This attitude was overly confident, making the three Golden Warriors feel a bit uneasy.

The three of them conferred again.

After a full five or six minutes, Taierze spoke: "It can't be this valley; the valley surely has problems—we must go deeper into the hills."

Luosen burst out laughing: "Hey~ I thought the Golden Warrior was strong, but it turns out he's such a coward?"

"You three are ganging up on me one-on-one, yet you're still acting like timid mice—aren't you tired?"

The three warriors flew into a rage upon hearing this; after another discussion, Taierze said: "Then you go over there, yes, right under that big tree."

Luosen leisurely jumped down from the boulder, walked over to the big tree, and stood with his arms crossed, leaning against it.

"All right, Golden Warriors, stop dawdling."

"I heard the Empress's birthday banquet's main feast is the night after tomorrow; don't let this little flaw delay the important business."

Upon hearing that, the three Golden Warriors immediately grew anxious.

After exchanging a glance, the three nodded at each other and decided to attack.

(End of chapter)