Chapter 184: Casual Favor

The centaur knight named Palna was badly wounded; the maid had to change two basins of bloodied water while cleaning her wounds.

Fortunately, according to the examination, her injuries were merely superficial—bones and nerves remained largely intact—but natural healing was impossible in the short term. Without a priest's healing, she would need at least three months of rest, and even then, permanent scars might remain.

This also meant the small group would likely be living off their reserves for a while.

"Damn thieves—if I find out who did this…"

With the group now idle, they each tended to their wounds while recounting their experiences.

This five-member team was no weakling squad; even during the monster outbreak, they had time to retreat. But a thief detonated the passage to the upper level, forcing them to detour.

The thief may have intended to hinder pursuing monsters—or simply wanted to kill them outright. They might not have held any grudge; an adventurer team's full gear was worth a fortune.

Hearing this, Li En relaxed slightly—it seemed that, aside from a few unlucky souls, the underground ruins' exploration teams were holding up.

Li En also noticed the team's character was decent; otherwise, the centaur knight would have been abandoned long ago, and they wouldn't now be pooling money to find her treatment.

"Next month is the Harvest Festival. The Church of Wine and Grain should hold its usual grand wine-offering banquet. At that time, the 'donation' threshold will be lower—maybe sixty percent should suffice."

"Even so, it's still at least a dozen gold coins—damn thieves." They only complained about the unknown thief, never daring to criticize the Church's greed.

Li En noticed the team included a knight, a ranger, a warrior, a lizardman who seemed to be a monk, and a gnome spellcaster—well-rounded in class composition, yet lacking a priest.

This was normal. Except for a few peculiar deities, most priests, as clergy, were essentially "civil servants." Unless under special circumstances, they had no need to join adventurer life.

Thus, when a priest did appear as an adventurer, they were fiercely contested; physicians and alchemists were also highly sought after.

Priestly healing had its limits, especially for high-level practitioners with robust lifeforce.

For this knight's injury, rapid healing would require a fourth-rank or higher divine healing spell—meaning the "donation" would be substantial for a young adventurer. A respectable church never directly said "medical fee"; they only presented a minimum donation slip and a donation box. You donated enough, and they'd "freely" treat you.

After all, divine spells consumed divine power—naturally noble.

Thus, for many adventurers, months of hard labor might not cover a single treatment.

Seeing this, Li En hesitated, instinctively reaching for the deer-heart talisman at his chest. If he used this, he could likely heal her in just a few days.

"If you wanted to kill her, you could've just done it—she's a horned, hoofed species, a perfect match, and heals faster when beast-formed."

At that moment, the snake slithered out.

He watched the little group with interest, intrigued.

"That noble girl really treats you well." Suddenly, he spoke out of nowhere.

"Uh… yes, she does."

At that moment, looking at this clearly carefully selected team, Li En thought of Shaliman, who wasn't here.

Looking back now, her arrangements were quite thoughtful. If Li En had collapsed, he could have lived simply by renting out the manor.

If he intended to do something, this introduced team would serve as a bridge to adapt to the new environment.

Re-entering the local arcane world with a relatively stable, reliable network gave him a solid starting point—even if he never planned to join this path, he could buy arcane materials at better prices.

This team looked quite good—at least, they seemed fast enough to survive.

A male lizardman monk, looking lean and sharp, was the least injured; he kept glancing at Li En, seemingly uneasy.

Such keen observation and perception were invaluable.

The female ranger carried twin blades and a bow, both faintly humming with magical energy—she was clearly a seasoned ranger with excellent gear.

Rarely, her race was a white-feathered winged human, uncommon locally—likely an outsider who traveled thousands of miles. Judging by her equipment, she was clearly the team's strongest member.

The dwarf warrior needed no introduction—widely praised in every aspect, generally reputable, and often worked part-time as a craftsman, skilled at maintaining weapons in the wild.

The spellcaster was a male gnome; they were renowned for illusion magic, agility, and escape skills, famously avoiding offensive spells.

This was a melee team with spellcaster support, and except for the dwarf, all members had high mobility—high survival rate.

The team indeed had too many physical damage dealers—typical for most adventurer squads. Low-barrier, low-cost melee teams remained the mainstream; having a ranger with short-range flight, a heavy-armored centaur, and a rare spellcaster already proved this team's skill and potential.

"Snake, help out." Li En thought for a moment—seeking a paladin squad for such injuries would be useless; Snake must have a way.

If the price was too high, he'd refuse—it was just a favor, after all.

"I'd love to blackmail you—but no need. Tsk. Too late."

Immediately, Li En understood what he meant.

"Tap tap tap." The open front door was deliberately knocked on—an outsider deliberately drawing attention to avoid the misunderstanding of intruding.

"Lord Li En, long time no see. Seeing you well brings us great relief." The polished diplomatic phrasing came from Kuku's now-promoted apprentice.

Alekne Tarabal entered slowly, accompanied by two dark elf maids.

The rings on her fingers and the necklace at her chest emitted a faint glow, further illuminating the room lit only by candles.

"Forgive me for not knocking—the front door seems to have moved from its usual place."

Li En's small manor had no doorkeeper; Alekne had planned to wait for her maids to announce her, but seeing the door was gone, curiosity led her to enter directly.

"Ah… so there's a patient." Above the dismantled door panel in the hall lay the centaur.

She was a "great centaur," two meters tall and three meters long; her heavy armor had been partially removed.

Her face was flushed and drenched in sweat; her condition was poor.

Her size allowed vertical passage with care, but horizontal movement was a major problem.

A cheap wooden door had been taken apart to serve as a makeshift stretcher; they'd planned to reattach it once she recovered enough to be moved to bed.

Seeing the chaotic hall and smelling the sharp stench of blood, the dark elf maids instinctively covered their noses—their scolding words rose to their lips but were silenced by Alekne's glare.

This wasn't the Underdark's Mordosdilka; the owner of this manor was no ordinary person to be bullied.

"Thank you, Lord Li En, for your care in the underground world, and for your timely intervention the other day. If the Princess had suffered harm due to our advice, we could never bear such a loss."

The noblewoman had come to thank him. To others, the "high-flying knight" story was a joke—but it had terrified her.

This expedition was her suggestion.

She had assumed it was just a band of petty thieves, easily handled by the Princess and her knights—boosting her reputation while strengthening ties between the two cities. Normally, the thieves would be "coincidentally" ambushed simultaneously by both cities, allowing the two "princesses" to "accidentally meet."

Thus, despite insufficient mutual trust, the diplomatic meeting was prematurely enacted in the wild beyond either jurisdiction, thanks to the "accidental encounter."

But now, knowing it was a ninth-rank lich, all who knew were terrified. Evidence of Meteor Burst (a ninth-rank spell) had been confirmed—their identity as a top-tier spellcaster was certain.

"Fortunately, fortunately for your timely intervention—otherwise, the two cities might have reignited war." This was no empty flattery; if Dainya died in the underground, Mordosdilka could never explain it away.

And above, in Huicheng, even if they knew it was an accident, they'd likely send troops to demand justice for the kingdom's future ruler.

As she spoke these flatteries, under Alekne's glance, the reluctant maids lifted a tray and offered a carefully selected "gift."

It was gratitude—and an opportunity to build closer ties. The more this dark elf noblewoman understood the Hero Souls and apprentices, the more she grasped the importance of Li En as the "Hero Soul Overseer."

Li En naturally reached out to accept her goodwill—but in the center of the hall lay a groaning, feverish patient.

It was slightly absurd.

"The Silver Vial Maid's Circle of Mercy." A faint silver light descended; the spectral image of the goddess holding the vase flickered past.

Alekne cast a fifth-rank healing spell—the knight's shoulder wound visibly healed before their eyes.

She wasn't merely a high priestess—she was a "Child of Divine Favor," with endless divine power and exclusive spells.

What would take months—or even half a year—for low-rank adventurers to solve, she fixed in a single favor to Li En, effortlessly.

(End of Chapter)