Chapter 168: Wisdom-Enhancing Halo

On the hillside outside the city, a figure completely shrouded in a cloak muttered, "Damn Life Acceleration Halo, it got my soul-worm stuck in a crack. Damn little fat dragon, forcing me to sell my soul to a demon. Greedy demon, I've already sold my soul, and all I get is a Demon Monument and Level 8 magic ability. Damn, damn, damn!"

If Nai Ge Li Si had heard his muttering and caught a whiff of his scent, he would likely have recognized him immediately. Wasn't this the cloaked man from the crypt in the Dark Side City who had been executed and soul-searched because his worm got stuck in a crack? How was he not dead? Hadn't his soul already been searched?

Soul-searching is a thorough form of extermination. Unless, like with Yin Bi, there was someone like Ang protecting him midway to preserve a portion of the soul, that would imply the entity protecting him was at least a god.

Just as he was muttering to himself, a terrifying aura suddenly descended upon him. A phantom image of demon horns emerged from his head. At the same time, a low voice echoed in the cloaked man's mind: "What are you muttering about? Your soul is only worth this much. If you want a raise, work harder. Sixty thousand souls, remember that."

Ang had once drowned a High-Rank demon named Tu Lu Si in the Abyss of Rest, and Lu Se had also killed two High-Rank demons, but those demons were completely different from this terrifying aura. Those were just creatures called demons.

Only those who manipulate hearts and trade in souls are worthy of being called true demons.

"Ah, ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Lord of Terror. It is I who am too greedy. I will definitely work hard, I will definitely work hard. Look, the people in this city will soon be plunged into the fear of death," the cloaked man said hurriedly.

"Hmph, remember, I don't care that you were once a follower of He Mo Er Tuo, nor do I mind you muttering behind my back and speaking ill of me. But the deal with the demon was signed in black and white. If you break the contract, you will have to bear the great terror of these sixty thousand souls yourself." The demon's voice was low, with a feeling of whispering right in his ear.

Following the demon's words, a phantom image of a parchment slowly appeared before the cloaked man, then slowly began to burn from the bottom up, finally turning entirely to ash.

The cloaked man shuddered and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, definitely, definitely. I beg you, my lord, grant me a little more time."

The demon horns vanished, and the terrifying aura gradually faded. The cloaked man stood dazed for a while, then let out a series of "Jie Jie" laughs. His demeanor was not as humble as he had appeared before the demon.

Hmph, Lord of Terror, I'll gnaw on you when I get the chance.

It was unknown if they sensed the cloaked man's emotions, but the beetles all around poked their heads out, opening their wings and rubbing them together, emitting a high-pitched, rustling sound.

……

Inside the city, Ang and his group, led by the Minotaur Miss, walked into a narrow, damp neighborhood.

Like in the slums of all cities, trash was dumped directly onto the streets, smelling foul and disgusting. Stones had been placed on the ground one after another, and Wan Niya's hooves stepped nimbly upon them, crossing over without a single drop of filth touching her.

That a Minotaur of such tonnage could have such nimble footwork made Nai Ge Li Si click his tongue in wonder.

To prevent the Little Angel and the Little Zombie from stepping in the water, Nai Ge Li Si had Ang pick them up beforehand, then they crossed by stepping on the stones. At the same time, he gave the two little ones a stern warning: "If you dare step in this water, when we get back, Lisha and Lan Dai will chop off your little feet, wash them clean, and reattach them."

Along the way, they saw many capable people using all sorts of tricks to avoid stepping in the water, such as wearing high-heeled shoes or walking on stilts. Clearly, no one liked the filth on the road, yet they still dumped their own filth onto it.

"Why do you live in a place like this? Isn't your family a Viscount?" Nai Ge Li Si asked, speechless. Compared to this place, the Abyss of Rest was practically a heavenly kingdom; it might be barren, but it wasn't dirty.

"So what if he's a Viscount? A Viscount has to eat too. If he just ate, that would be one thing, but he also practices alchemy. The original manor was sold long ago, and the remaining money is only enough to live here," Wan Niya said.

"……But, alchemists are very rich, much richer than Viscounts, okay?" Nai Ge Li Si said helplessly.

A good alchemist is a walking mountain of gold, even wealthier than a mage. A single bottle of injury-stopping medicine can sell for several magic crystals, a bottle of mana-replenishing medicine for over a dozen, and a bottle of time-delaying or growth-enhancing medicine for hundreds.

Even the lowest-level alchemist, by refining some strength-enhancing or anti-diarrhea medicine, could make a living. There was no reason to be reduced to living in the slums.

"Is that so? Anyway, I've never seen my family's Viscount bring any money home. We're here." Wan Niya stopped in front of a dilapidated two-story house.

The house's door was very narrow. Of course, compared to a skeleton like Ang, it was very spacious, but for Wan Niya, it wasn't very friendly. She turned sideways, but the flesh at her waist still got stuck. With a forceful squeeze, the door frame let out a 'crack' and splintered.

Wan Niya was unfazed. After entering, she turned around and skillfully wedged the door frame back into place, only then letting Ang and the others in.

This situation made Nai Ge Li Si very worried. If Wan Niya moved around inside, would she crush the house? This type of building was clearly not built to support a Minotaur of her tonnage.

Nai Ge Li Si's worry was not without reason. As soon as Wan Niya entered the house, the floor immediately let out a painful groan, feeling as if it were about to break at any moment. When she stepped onto the stairs, the treads bent as if they were about to snap.

But having lived here for quite some time, if it were going to collapse, it would have already. Amidst this trembling and swaying, the house surprisingly held firm.

Going up to the second floor, Wan Niya quickly carried a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl down with one hand. She brought her before Ang, shook her a bit, and said, "Sure enough, fainted from hunger."

Seeing Wan Niya's practiced posture, it was clear that fainting from hunger wasn't the first time. And the Viscount was actually a little girl. When Wan Niya spoke the human common tongue, she had always used the masculine "he," which made Nai Ge Li Si think the Viscount was a man.

Carrying the female Viscount, Wan Niya leaned over to the water vat, preparing to scoop up water and pour it into her mouth.

Nai Ge Li Si shouted in alarm: "What are you doing!?"

"Ah? Feeding her water. We didn't get any food today, so pour some water to tide her over. Sigh, my mother is gone, otherwise I could squeeze some milk for him to drink. He and I both grew up drinking mother's milk." Wan Niya didn't know why she suddenly thought of the Minotaur mother, and her eyes turned red.

"Uh, don't rush, don't rush. We have food. Also, use 'he' for males and 'she' for females. Finally, aren't you going to boil the water? Water like this is so dirty," Nai Ge Li Si said.

"Really!? You have food?" Wan Niya couldn't hear anything else.

First, he took out two beetroots for Wan Niya to fill her stomach. Nai Ge Li Si looked into the water vat and sighed, unable to bear it: "Ang, purify this water. Drinking such dirty water, aren't you afraid of getting diarrhea?"

Wan Niya was gnawing on a beetroot, her face covered in juice. Hearing this, she said nonchalantly: "Not afraid, you get used to it after a while." As she spoke, she tucked the second piece of beetroot into her bosom.

Seeing this action, Nai Ge Li Si was surprised: "Why are you hiding it? Is one piece enough for you?"

Except for that beetroot Sword Saint Lu Se, only the Minotaur auntie's family could finish a fresh beetroot weighing two or three jin in one go. Seeing that Wan Niya was a Minotaur, Nai Ge Li Si had specifically instructed to take two, and that was just to tide her over.

"Hehe, save some for the Viscount to taste," Wan Niya replied with a silly laugh.

"There's more. Grain, aren't you a cook? Go cook the rice." Nai Ge Li Si had Ang take out two more bags of grain.

He had learned his lesson. Back then, when the Minotaur auntie ate freely, one bag of grain wasn't enough. This Wan Niya's ability to devour food was definitely stronger than the Minotaur auntie's.

Wan Niya felt a bit embarrassed and scratched her nose: "No firewood."

"……"

Actually, it wasn't that there was no fire. The alchemy room upstairs had a magic crystal furnace, and there was still half a magic crystal on it, enough to cook a meal. But clearly, a magic crystal furnace was not a good utensil for cooking rice.

In the end, it was Ang who cooked the rice. First, under the Minotaur's stunned gaze, he used holy light to purify the water in the vat, washed the grain, skimmed off the hollow or shriveled ones, and then added clean water to boil.

This was the normal rice-cooking procedure. Of course, one step was omitted: husking. However, unhusked grain would burst after boiling, and by pressing it with your teeth, you could eat the germ inside.

Those with good teeth didn't even need to press it; just like the Minotaur, *crunch, crunch*, not even afraid of the heat, half a pot of rice was gone in the blink of an eye.

The Viscount had fainted from hunger. Fresh beetroot juice was squeezed and poured in, and before long, she slowly woke up. Without even opening her eyes, her nose twitched—she must have smelled the rice—and she snapped her eyes open.

Alright, another foodie. The newly awakened Viscount didn't even say hello, pounced on the rice pot, and started gnawing. The other half of the pot of rice was in her stomach in the blink of an eye.

It was hard to believe that she, whose body size was not even one-fifth of the Minotaur's, had actually finished the same amount of food as Wan Niya. However, she ate too fast and had a stomachache afterward. In the end, it was Ang who saved her again.

Clutching her bulging little belly, Alchemist Sawa lay sprawled on the chair in a star shape. The warm feeling in her stomach from the holy light made her not want to think about anything. She waved her hand lazily and said: "Alright, this meal is worth everything. Whatever is in the house, you can move it yourselves."

Nai Ge Li Si was stunned. Was she treating them as scrap collectors?

"This alchemist, we are here to find you," Nai Ge Li Si said helplessly.

"Find me?! No, I'm not selling," Alchemist Sawa sat up abruptly, hugging her arms in front of her chest, and said vigilantly: "I'm not an adult yet, and I have a Viscount title. Buying me is against the law. Ouch~"

Wan Niya slapped her on the head: "What are you thinking about all day, you dead child? Lord Nai Ge knows you are developing an insecticide and thinks it's a very good idea, so he came to take a look."

Alchemist Sawa clutched her head and smiled bitterly: "Wan Niya, do you believe it? Don't you know what my level is? Can anyone look up to my level of alchemy?"

Wan Niya glanced at her sideways and snorted disdainfully: "If no one looks up to your level of alchemy, then do you think anyone looks up to you being so flat?"

"Ya ya ya, you insult me, I'll fight you."

Not knowing what she was fighting with, Alchemist Sawa, who pounced with claws and teeth, was carried up by Wan Niya with one hand.

Nai Ge Li Si sighed. From the moment he stepped into the slums, he knew this alchemist was unreliable, but he didn't expect her to be even more unreliable than imagined. Could such an underage little girl invent an insecticide that kills a whole patch with one dose?

But since they were already here, Nai Ge Li Si couldn't just turn around and leave. At least he had to ask.

"I heard from Wan Niya that you are trying to invent an insecticide specifically to deal with the insect plague outside, is that right?"

Hearing such a question, Alchemist Sawa couldn't help but hesitate: "Are you really here to find me? To find the alchemist Alchemist Sawa?"

"Yes," Nai Ge Li Si replied irritably.

"Then why can you talk without your mouth moving? Is it ventriloquism?"

"No, this is my true form." He signaled Ang to release the Huang Tong Dragon.

Alchemist Sawa immediately became cautious. That change was just like discovering that someone had arrived in a luxury construct carriage when discussing business; her attitude changed immediately.

A Huang Tong Dragon, no matter how young, was not something a small, pathetic alchemist like her could come into contact with.

"Yes, I want to invent an insecticide, an insecticide that can exterminate a large patch of insects, one that can kill a whole nest in one go."

"What is the main idea? How do you realize this concept?"

"I think like this: don't these insects have the habit of gnawing on the corpses of their own kind? I let one of the insects get poisoned, return to the nest, and then die. Its corpse is gnawed by its own kind, and then it spreads from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and then all the insects in the whole nest will die."

"The concept is good. So what difficulties are you encountering now?"

"The current difficulty is that I can't find a poison that acts slowly but is highly toxic, one that can still kill the insects even after being gnawed by them many times."

"This is very simple. Not only must it be highly toxic, but it's best if it can be enhanced across generations. If an insect gnaws on the corpse of its own kind, the toxicity on its own body will be stronger than that on its kind. Do you know about Angel's Tears?"

"Ah, I know, I know. I just want to use this kind of poison, but I can't get it."

"Put that aside for now. Besides that, what other difficulties are you facing?" Nai Ge Li Si asked.

Alchemist Sawa was both excited and helpless as she said: "The biggest difficulty is, I'm poor."

She was excited because this rhythm was so familiar, just like when she was studying before and doing experiments under her mentor. Her mentor had clear ideas, rich theoretical knowledge, and could often grasp the key points.

And her hands-on ability was strong. Under her mentor's guidance, everything went smoothly. But after graduation, when she was on her own, she would forget this and that, always unable to grasp the key points, and everything she did failed.

"How are you poor? Tell me, we'll eliminate them one by one," Nai Ge Li Si said, guiding her step by step.

Why did he dare to come over after hearing Wan Niya mention it? Because he was the God of Knowledge. Imparting knowledge and helping people succeed was his old profession. As long as Alchemist Sawa was a serious alchemist, he had a seventy percent chance of teaching her something.

An alchemist who already had concepts and ideas often only needed a few pointers to grasp success.

Alchemist Sawa smiled bitterly: "How am I poor? My medicine furnace doesn't even have magic crystals to burn another batch."

Ang flipped his hand, and a large handful of magic crystals appeared in his palm.

Alchemist Sawa gasped. This was a big financier! By hugging this golden thigh, what was there to be poor about?

"Not poor anymore, not poor anymore." Alchemist Sawa excitedly hugged the magic crystals and turned to rush to the alchemy room on the second floor.

Finally, Nai Ge Li Si took out his true form, the Huang Tong Book, tucked it under his wing, leaned over to Alchemist Sawa's side, and pointed things out. The halo of the Huang Tong Book, which actively enhanced others' wisdom while implicitly lowering his own, radiated outward. ===== CHAPTER 169 =====