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Chapter 247
Chapter 224: Bloodshed is Necessary, VS The Soul of Heroic Spirits
In the cold weather, the corpses had long since stiffened, and the blood that had flowed onto the ground had frozen into a solid mass.
Enri's face was pale, her hands trembling slightly as she packed the supplies on the carriage, not daring to look up in the direction of the corpses.
"Lord." Seeing Tang Zheng emerge from the tent, the Green Leaf Witch stood up and spoke respectfully.
"Let's set out."
Tang Zheng gave a faint nod.
Soon, the tent and other supplies were packed up, and the Evil Spirit Hounds pulled the carriage and set off once more.
Not long after Tang Zheng's party left, several figures emerged from the jungle behind them. They arrived at the scene of the previous night's battle with solemn expressions to investigate.
Afterwards, they followed the party's route. Soon after, several other factions appeared to inspect the traces of the battle. Clearly, more than just a single faction was watching Tang Zheng and his group.
On the carriage.
Tang Zheng picked up a warm water pouch that was placed to the side. His gaze fell on Enri, who was huddled in a corner of the carriage with her head lowered. "Did you fill this with hot water?"
"Yes."
Enri's shoulders trembled.
The scene from last night still filled Enri with fear and dread. Not long ago, she was just an ordinary village girl and had naturally never seen a dead person.
Even though she had heard Uncle Lachimon from the village say that being an adventurer was a dangerous profession where one often saw dead people, and had also heard rumors of adventurers who rashly entered the Touv Great Forest being wiped out and killed by magical beasts.
But these were, after all, just things she had heard. To truly face such a scene still left Enri frightened and afraid.
"Here," a gentle voice spoke.
Enri carefully raised her head. Her dark-circled eyes saw the warm water pouch Tang Zheng was handing her, and she quickly reached out to take it.
The warmth from the water pouch eased some of Enri's fear.
"You are much stronger than I expected, Enri. And you've already prepared yourself, haven't you?"
Tang Zheng said. He could see that apart from some fear, Enri didn't have any other negative emotions.
At least she wouldn't ask a foolish question like, "Why did you have to kill those people?"
It was clear from the anime that Enri possessed a resilience and mindset far surpassing ordinary people, and she could also adapt quickly in terms of perception.
These two points alone were enough to place Enri far above ordinary people.
Enri clasped her rough, pale fingers together, raised her pale face, and nodded solemnly at Tang Zheng. "Yes!"
"I won't let you down, Lord Captain!" Enri's light brown pupils were filled with determination. She clenched her fists, encouraging herself as she spoke loudly.
"Haha, you don't have to be so loud."
Tang Zheng let out a light chuckle. He raised a finger, pointing to the wild jungle on either side of the road and the land beneath their feet.
"Being an adventurer has always been a dangerous job. It's true that you can earn money that ordinary people can't in a short time, but that itself implies danger."
"You must understand that the resources in this world are limited. This is true between adventurers, between villages, between countries, and it even extends to the level of race versus race."
"To obtain more resources and benefits, bloodshed is always necessary. Often, it's not a matter of whether you want to or not, but something you are forced to do."
Enri stood there, looking a bit dazed.
"I will remember your words, Lord Captain."
Enri scratched her light-golden hair, her expression troubled yet showing she was trying her best to understand. She sniffled through her delicate nose.
Although she didn't fully understand, she thought about how everyone in the village would argue over small things, or how it was the same principle as the Kingdom and the Empire going to war every year.
The Green Leaf Witch watched this scene quietly, a curious expression once again appearing on her face as she looked at Enri. She could sense that her master held this ordinary human in high regard.
After Tang Zheng finished speaking, he glanced at the somewhat frail Enri. He suddenly remembered that in the original work, Enri's physical constitution was quite good.
It seemed to be related to the time the Bone King invited her as a guest for a banquet. He remembered the main dish was made with Frost Dragon steaks.
This reminded Tang Zheng of an unfamiliar Job: "Chef"!
In YGGDRASIL, Players without the "Chef" Job couldn't cook. Of course, this wasn't the case in the Otherworld.
Additionally, the "Chef" series of Jobs could create food that boosted Attributes. However, the Attribute increase from this food would diminish as the Player's Level increased or with repeated consumption.
For a Level 100 Player, it could at most simply satisfy their appetite.
This was clearly another route to increasing one's attributes.
However!
Tang Zheng shook his head, pushing this route to the back of his mind.
In the entire Great Tomb, it seemed the only ones who had "Chef"-type Jobs were Yuri, the big sister of the Maid Squad, Head Chef Xihowoods, and Assistant Head Chef Crab.
There might be people in the Otherworld who had accidentally obtained the Basic Job of "Chef," but Intermediate Job Classes like "Master Chef" or High-Tier Job Classes like "God of Cooking" probably didn't exist.
Therefore, Tang Zheng couldn't be bothered to waste his thoughts on it.
The Evil Spirit Hounds pulled the carriage, continuing westward. As they gradually left the border region, the hilly terrain gradually flattened out, and the wild jungle on either side of the road began to thin out.
In the evening.
To the north side of the road, a small village appeared in their line of sight. Tang Zheng didn't have the Evil Spirit Hounds continue forward, but instead had them head towards the village.
The appearance of the Evil Spirit Hounds inevitably caused a commotion. However, only after Tang Zheng revealed his status as a Gold-rank adventurer by showing his badge did the village chief reluctantly allow Tang Zheng's party to stay the night.
This was a small village called Bude Village. The village was much larger than Carne Village, with a population of about 100 people, but it was by no means wealthy.
After settling in,
Tang Zheng took out some "Regeneration Potions," diluted to a price of 5 copper coins each, and had Enri go sell them.
Of course, he wasn't doing it just for the money. Since he planned to solidify his reputation as a "Genius Alchemist" and increase his fame, he naturally had to take action. This entire journey to the Royal Capital was an opportunity to quickly build his reputation.
A potion priced at 5 copper coins was naturally not expensive, but for ordinary villagers, it was an expense worth deliberating over.
So at first, no one bought any. It wasn't until a villager bought a bottle to treat an accidentally injured leg and the injury healed rapidly in the blink of an eye.
The entire village then sprang into action, scrambling to buy the Regeneration Potions.
In the village's plaza.
Enri's face was covered in sweat. Her voice was a little hoarse as she shouted to the villagers who had formed a large circle around her:
"Everyone, please don't push! There are plenty of potions left!"
"These 'Regeneration Potions' can only be preserved for seven days. After that, their effects will completely disappear. They can't be stored for long periods, so it's useless to buy too many."
Not far away.
The Green Leaf Witch watched the sweat-drenched Enri with boredom. Her task was to protect Enri from harm. Naturally, she wouldn't interfere with anything else.
"Sister, how is your mastery of the 'Wild Transformation' ability coming along?" The pleasant, faint voice of the White Mist Witch came from her chest.
The Green Leaf Witch glanced around out of the corner of her eye and shook her head. "It still needs some time. This skill is far more complex than ordinary magic."
"With your talent, if you were the one learning it, you would probably master it quickly."
The White Mist Witch's ethereal voice sounded out: "Heehee, but that's because you're the one skilled in Faith-based Magic, Sister."
"Aren't you curious, Sister, about the method master mentioned for increasing our strength after mastering this magic?"
The Green Leaf Witch's bright yellow pupils stared in Enri's direction without speaking.
Meanwhile.
Tang Zheng had already left Bude Village. He first went to the Touv Great Forest to check on the number of Goblins, then returned to the Lava Zone.
Scarlet heat rose into the air.
The searing Magma Sea churned below, occasionally sending up fiery red waves.
Boom!
A pure white figure flew out of the Magma Sea. It was periodically knocked away by a powerful force, only to crash heavily back into the lava below with a roar.
Thump!
With another surge,
Tang Zheng flew out of the Magma Sea, hovering in mid-air. He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, a look of excitement on his face as he looked at the white figure.
Boom!
The white figure also burst out of the lava. But because it was unable to fly, it could only swim, continuously pushing through the magma as it charged toward Tang Zheng.
It was a figure with a completely human appearance!
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the figure looked exactly like Tang Zheng. However, its entire body was colored white and it emanated a faint white glow, indicating that it was not a real human.
"Soul of Heroic Spirits"
The trump card skill of the "Valkyrie" Job Class. It could summon a figure identical to the user, which also possessed the exact same Base Stats, including the stats from equipment.
Of course, the "Soul of Heroic Spirits" only had melee capabilities and could not use magic or class-specific special skills.
To put it simply!
It was like gaining an extra, purely melee warrior.
Even so, in the game "YGGDRASIL," it was still one of the top-tier trump card skills. After all, in PvP combat,
facing a Player with a Valkyrie was equivalent to fighting a one-on-two battle.
The Heroic Spirit Warrior broke through the waves of lava, charging directly in front of Tang Zheng. It raised its hand and slammed it down on the surface of the Magma Sea, launching its body forward and throwing a heavy punch.
Bang!
The air in front of the Heroic Spirit Warrior's fist was compressed, letting out a sharp, piercing sound.
Tang Zheng looked up, magic power fluctuating in his palm. "Fifth Tier Magic: Silver Knight's Lance!"
Swoosh!
A silvery-white spear materialized in mid-air and shot out in an instant. A flash of silver light tore through the air, appearing before the Heroic Spirit Warrior in the blink of an eye.
However, in that very instant!
The Heroic Spirit Warrior's punching motion shifted. Its body quickly sidestepped, by a hair's breadth, dodging the impact of the Silver Knight's Lance.
Seeing this,
Tang Zheng's eyes lit up. "Is that the Martial Art 'Mind's Eye'?"
Bang!
The Heroic Spirit Warrior's fist swung back around. Tang Zheng raised his arms, crossing them in front of him to block. The moment they collided, an invisible shockwave erupted.
Tang Zheng's eyes widened. His body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing into the distant lava.
(end of chapter)
In the cold weather, the corpses had long since stiffened, and the blood that had flowed onto the ground had frozen into a solid mass.
Enri's face was pale, her hands trembling slightly as she packed the supplies on the carriage, not daring to look up in the direction of the corpses.
"Lord." Seeing Tang Zheng emerge from the tent, the Green Leaf Witch stood up and spoke respectfully.
"Let's set out."
Tang Zheng gave a faint nod.
Soon, the tent and other supplies were packed up, and the Evil Spirit Hounds pulled the carriage and set off once more.
Not long after Tang Zheng's party left, several figures emerged from the jungle behind them. They arrived at the scene of the previous night's battle with solemn expressions to investigate.
Afterwards, they followed the party's route. Soon after, several other factions appeared to inspect the traces of the battle. Clearly, more than just a single faction was watching Tang Zheng and his group.
On the carriage.
Tang Zheng picked up a warm water pouch that was placed to the side. His gaze fell on Enri, who was huddled in a corner of the carriage with her head lowered. "Did you fill this with hot water?"
"Yes."
Enri's shoulders trembled.
The scene from last night still filled Enri with fear and dread. Not long ago, she was just an ordinary village girl and had naturally never seen a dead person.
Even though she had heard Uncle Lachimon from the village say that being an adventurer was a dangerous profession where one often saw dead people, and had also heard rumors of adventurers who rashly entered the Touv Great Forest being wiped out and killed by magical beasts.
But these were, after all, just things she had heard. To truly face such a scene still left Enri frightened and afraid.
"Here," a gentle voice spoke.
Enri carefully raised her head. Her dark-circled eyes saw the warm water pouch Tang Zheng was handing her, and she quickly reached out to take it.
The warmth from the water pouch eased some of Enri's fear.
"You are much stronger than I expected, Enri. And you've already prepared yourself, haven't you?"
Tang Zheng said. He could see that apart from some fear, Enri didn't have any other negative emotions.
At least she wouldn't ask a foolish question like, "Why did you have to kill those people?"
It was clear from the anime that Enri possessed a resilience and mindset far surpassing ordinary people, and she could also adapt quickly in terms of perception.
These two points alone were enough to place Enri far above ordinary people.
Enri clasped her rough, pale fingers together, raised her pale face, and nodded solemnly at Tang Zheng. "Yes!"
"I won't let you down, Lord Captain!" Enri's light brown pupils were filled with determination. She clenched her fists, encouraging herself as she spoke loudly.
"Haha, you don't have to be so loud."
Tang Zheng let out a light chuckle. He raised a finger, pointing to the wild jungle on either side of the road and the land beneath their feet.
"Being an adventurer has always been a dangerous job. It's true that you can earn money that ordinary people can't in a short time, but that itself implies danger."
"You must understand that the resources in this world are limited. This is true between adventurers, between villages, between countries, and it even extends to the level of race versus race."
"To obtain more resources and benefits, bloodshed is always necessary. Often, it's not a matter of whether you want to or not, but something you are forced to do."
Enri stood there, looking a bit dazed.
"I will remember your words, Lord Captain."
Enri scratched her light-golden hair, her expression troubled yet showing she was trying her best to understand. She sniffled through her delicate nose.
Although she didn't fully understand, she thought about how everyone in the village would argue over small things, or how it was the same principle as the Kingdom and the Empire going to war every year.
The Green Leaf Witch watched this scene quietly, a curious expression once again appearing on her face as she looked at Enri. She could sense that her master held this ordinary human in high regard.
After Tang Zheng finished speaking, he glanced at the somewhat frail Enri. He suddenly remembered that in the original work, Enri's physical constitution was quite good.
It seemed to be related to the time the Bone King invited her as a guest for a banquet. He remembered the main dish was made with Frost Dragon steaks.
This reminded Tang Zheng of an unfamiliar Job: "Chef"!
In YGGDRASIL, Players without the "Chef" Job couldn't cook. Of course, this wasn't the case in the Otherworld.
Additionally, the "Chef" series of Jobs could create food that boosted Attributes. However, the Attribute increase from this food would diminish as the Player's Level increased or with repeated consumption.
For a Level 100 Player, it could at most simply satisfy their appetite.
This was clearly another route to increasing one's attributes.
However!
Tang Zheng shook his head, pushing this route to the back of his mind.
In the entire Great Tomb, it seemed the only ones who had "Chef"-type Jobs were Yuri, the big sister of the Maid Squad, Head Chef Xihowoods, and Assistant Head Chef Crab.
There might be people in the Otherworld who had accidentally obtained the Basic Job of "Chef," but Intermediate Job Classes like "Master Chef" or High-Tier Job Classes like "God of Cooking" probably didn't exist.
Therefore, Tang Zheng couldn't be bothered to waste his thoughts on it.
The Evil Spirit Hounds pulled the carriage, continuing westward. As they gradually left the border region, the hilly terrain gradually flattened out, and the wild jungle on either side of the road began to thin out.
In the evening.
To the north side of the road, a small village appeared in their line of sight. Tang Zheng didn't have the Evil Spirit Hounds continue forward, but instead had them head towards the village.
The appearance of the Evil Spirit Hounds inevitably caused a commotion. However, only after Tang Zheng revealed his status as a Gold-rank adventurer by showing his badge did the village chief reluctantly allow Tang Zheng's party to stay the night.
This was a small village called Bude Village. The village was much larger than Carne Village, with a population of about 100 people, but it was by no means wealthy.
After settling in,
Tang Zheng took out some "Regeneration Potions," diluted to a price of 5 copper coins each, and had Enri go sell them.
Of course, he wasn't doing it just for the money. Since he planned to solidify his reputation as a "Genius Alchemist" and increase his fame, he naturally had to take action. This entire journey to the Royal Capital was an opportunity to quickly build his reputation.
A potion priced at 5 copper coins was naturally not expensive, but for ordinary villagers, it was an expense worth deliberating over.
So at first, no one bought any. It wasn't until a villager bought a bottle to treat an accidentally injured leg and the injury healed rapidly in the blink of an eye.
The entire village then sprang into action, scrambling to buy the Regeneration Potions.
In the village's plaza.
Enri's face was covered in sweat. Her voice was a little hoarse as she shouted to the villagers who had formed a large circle around her:
"Everyone, please don't push! There are plenty of potions left!"
"These 'Regeneration Potions' can only be preserved for seven days. After that, their effects will completely disappear. They can't be stored for long periods, so it's useless to buy too many."
Not far away.
The Green Leaf Witch watched the sweat-drenched Enri with boredom. Her task was to protect Enri from harm. Naturally, she wouldn't interfere with anything else.
"Sister, how is your mastery of the 'Wild Transformation' ability coming along?" The pleasant, faint voice of the White Mist Witch came from her chest.
The Green Leaf Witch glanced around out of the corner of her eye and shook her head. "It still needs some time. This skill is far more complex than ordinary magic."
"With your talent, if you were the one learning it, you would probably master it quickly."
The White Mist Witch's ethereal voice sounded out: "Heehee, but that's because you're the one skilled in Faith-based Magic, Sister."
"Aren't you curious, Sister, about the method master mentioned for increasing our strength after mastering this magic?"
The Green Leaf Witch's bright yellow pupils stared in Enri's direction without speaking.
Meanwhile.
Tang Zheng had already left Bude Village. He first went to the Touv Great Forest to check on the number of Goblins, then returned to the Lava Zone.
Scarlet heat rose into the air.
The searing Magma Sea churned below, occasionally sending up fiery red waves.
Boom!
A pure white figure flew out of the Magma Sea. It was periodically knocked away by a powerful force, only to crash heavily back into the lava below with a roar.
Thump!
With another surge,
Tang Zheng flew out of the Magma Sea, hovering in mid-air. He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, a look of excitement on his face as he looked at the white figure.
Boom!
The white figure also burst out of the lava. But because it was unable to fly, it could only swim, continuously pushing through the magma as it charged toward Tang Zheng.
It was a figure with a completely human appearance!
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the figure looked exactly like Tang Zheng. However, its entire body was colored white and it emanated a faint white glow, indicating that it was not a real human.
"Soul of Heroic Spirits"
The trump card skill of the "Valkyrie" Job Class. It could summon a figure identical to the user, which also possessed the exact same Base Stats, including the stats from equipment.
Of course, the "Soul of Heroic Spirits" only had melee capabilities and could not use magic or class-specific special skills.
To put it simply!
It was like gaining an extra, purely melee warrior.
Even so, in the game "YGGDRASIL," it was still one of the top-tier trump card skills. After all, in PvP combat,
facing a Player with a Valkyrie was equivalent to fighting a one-on-two battle.
The Heroic Spirit Warrior broke through the waves of lava, charging directly in front of Tang Zheng. It raised its hand and slammed it down on the surface of the Magma Sea, launching its body forward and throwing a heavy punch.
Bang!
The air in front of the Heroic Spirit Warrior's fist was compressed, letting out a sharp, piercing sound.
Tang Zheng looked up, magic power fluctuating in his palm. "Fifth Tier Magic: Silver Knight's Lance!"
Swoosh!
A silvery-white spear materialized in mid-air and shot out in an instant. A flash of silver light tore through the air, appearing before the Heroic Spirit Warrior in the blink of an eye.
However, in that very instant!
The Heroic Spirit Warrior's punching motion shifted. Its body quickly sidestepped, by a hair's breadth, dodging the impact of the Silver Knight's Lance.
Seeing this,
Tang Zheng's eyes lit up. "Is that the Martial Art 'Mind's Eye'?"
Bang!
The Heroic Spirit Warrior's fist swung back around. Tang Zheng raised his arms, crossing them in front of him to block. The moment they collided, an invisible shockwave erupted.
Tang Zheng's eyes widened. His body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing into the distant lava.
(end of chapter)
