Chapter 49 - 20: [Solar Scheme, Night King’s Poison]

Chapter 49: Chapter 20: [Solar Scheme, Night King’s Poison]

The dawn sunlight rose lazily and reluctantly from the horizon of the Kana Plain, flickering at the edge of the hazy, dust-filled morning like a burnt-out wage slave reluctantly kicking off the covers for work. But regardless, the sun had finally risen.

The cries of Demon Crows echoed across the wasteland. Vague dark silhouettes circled above the Bandit Camp, drawn by the mangled, dismembered corpses of the bandits. Clearly, a certain Black Armor Knight had been exceptionally brutal.

"Sami... Samo!" Talia’s shout came from not far away. Samael looked up.

BANG! A loud crash echoed as the tall, slender figure in Black Armor raised her Hammer Spear, smashing two sharpened wooden barricades. She stepped straight through the gap and hurried toward Samael.

The other three members of Randall’s party and Talia had already dealt with the swarms of low-level bandits. They made their way through the Bandit Camp, heading toward the ruins of the beacon tower. Covered in the blood of the bandits, the tall, slender figure in Black Armor trotted up and looked Samael up and down.

"I thought you weren’t very good at fighting, Little Prince." Her helmet touched Samael’s, their metal foreheads pressing together. She spoke in a low voice, the faint vibrations of her words transmitting through the metallic surface.

"I told you I was just an ordinary person back in my hometown, not some prince... We don’t even have titles like ’prince’ over there anymore," Samael muttered. "I wouldn’t say I’m good at fighting, but... I did all right."

He recalled a very romantic scene from the book "The Three-Body Problem" from his past life: since sound couldn’t travel in the vacuum of space, two astronauts with broken communication systems embraced tightly and pressed their spacesuit helmets together to converse, relying on the vibrations of the contact to transmit their voices.

"I found out a few things. We need to talk in a bit," Samael said softly, subtly gesturing toward the grain sack at his feet. "I’ll go check the situation with Randall first."

Talia looked at the writing on the grain sack, stayed silent for a moment, and slowly nodded.

"This is a bit troublesome... Find an excuse to get away from them. We need some time alone," she murmured.

Samael looked at Randall’s party not far away. The group was gathered around Eliot, checking his injuries.

"Eliot injured his ribs and lungs, and the wounds are barely healing... Don’t move him around carelessly for now," he heard Mage Selena say. Eliot was still coughing up blood in fits and starts.

Swordsman Glad seemed a bit slow-witted. Unable to help or chime in, he stood guard clumsily, using his own cuffs to wipe the blood from the corner of Eliot’s mouth.

"What kind of weapon caused this wound? Why can even a high-purity Healing Potion only barely heal it to this extent?" Alchemist Ruby asked, completely baffled.

"This sword," Randall said, placing the Blood Steel Longsword on the ground. "Please check it."

Ruby took out a small bottle filled with Clarifying Potion and a small piece of white gauze from the leather pouch at her waist. She squeezed a single drop of the potion onto the blood-red Longsword. Ten seconds later, she soaked up the drop with the white gauze and examined the color of the stain.

A brilliant dark blue.

"Magic Quality Indicator. It ranges from light blue to black; the darker the color, the higher the magical essence," Ruby explained, holding the white gauze up to the light to inspect the dark blue stain. "It’s some kind of high-quality Demonization material."

Selena fiddled with her Rune Stone cane. From her Catalyst bag, she took out three Beast Eyes and embedded them into the grooves of the general Magic Array on the Rune Stone. She adjusted the carved stone Rune Wheel, confirming that the Runes and circuits were correct, then aimed at the Blood Steel Longsword and activated the Magic Array.

The three Beast Eyes swiveled rapidly, all staring at the Blood Steel Longsword and scanning it back and forth for a few seconds.

"The results of the Identification Magic show that this sword can plunder life force, using the victim’s vitality to strengthen the wielder," Selena explained softly. "Being stabbed by it severely damages one’s constitution, depleting stamina and Spiritual Power. It’s a miracle Eliot is even alive."

"Thanks to the Samo Cultivator," Randall murmured.

Samael walked over and gently patted Randall on the shoulder. Randall turned around.

"What’s the next step, Brother Randall?" Samael asked. "Do you have a plan?"

"Eliot is severely injured right now and can’t endure a bumpy long-distance journey. Besides, these spoils of war haven’t been sorted out yet. I’m afraid we’ll have to... stay in the Bandit Camp for a day. We probably need to spend a day and a night here. Maybe... we’ll head back to the city tomorrow morning?" Randall rubbed his forehead. "I’m truly sorry, Samo Cultivator, for delaying your precious time once again."

"It’s fine, it’s fine. I just came to check on the situation. By the way, the Monastery that the Talan Cultivator and I belong to has a tradition: we must pray after a battle. According to our religious doctrines, we need a secluded place," Samael explained. "The Talan Cultivator and I would like to find a quiet spot far away to sit and pray. After all, there isn’t much we can do to help Eliot here."

"Of course, of course, please go ahead," Randall nodded in acknowledgment. "You two Cultivators have worked hard on this mission."

Lost in thought, Samael silently waved his hand and headed out of the camp with Talia.

Randall watched Samael’s retreating figure, staring at the Rusted Copper Sword Shield on his back before glancing back at the blood-red Longsword. He thought of the terrified words the Bandit Leader Warrior had spoken during the battle, and he recalled the icy chill radiating from the Samo Cultivator’s armor every time they stood close. He fell silent for a moment.

But in the end, he said nothing. He just listened in silence as Ruby and Selena argued over a treatment plan, then helped Glad carefully lift the blood-coughing Eliot and lay him on a bedroll to rest.