Chapter 382: "My Money Down the Drain!"
Chapter 382: "My Money Down the Drain!"
"You must be joking?"
"My money down the drain!"
Kuai Te's expression turned from surprise to anger, and then to fear and worry.
The reason for his previous action was that he had seen through Lindsey and Kaghi's true strength, so he had them stay back to delay the monsters.
But now?
A man who could easily resist the temptation of his Twin Serpent Coins couldn't possibly be ordinary.
However, reality had other plans.
In the blink of an eye, Lindsey caught up and was right behind Kuai Te.
The merchant's face turned from black to red, and he forced a flattering smile.
"Sir, I think we can have a good talk!"
"Since we've all come to this secret realm together, we should face the challenges together and deal with the creatures behind us first!"
Kuai Te was unaware of the Garden's secrets.
Based on his observations, he believed this place to be the core ruins of the Forest Vein and a super-large secret realm.
"That makes perfect sense!" Lindsey, uncharacteristically, agreed with Kuai Te.
The merchant quickly introduced himself:
"Hello, I'm Kuai Te, a merchant from the Riverbank Merchant Guild."
"If you're active in Distant City, you should know that we operate with integrity."
"Diablo," Lindsey nodded slightly, asking as he ran, "Kuai Te, since you're being chased by this thing, you should know its origins. Tell me the details."
While they talked, Lindsey switched the game module to Hunting Simulation.
His Game Player skill now had three module slots, one of which was always occupied by RPG, leaving two others that were still not enough, requiring frequent switching.
Kuai Te quickly replied:
"Sorry, I don't know what happened either!"
"This thing might be the guardian of the secret realm, so it's attacking us intruders."
—You're the intruder, not me.
Lindsey smirked inwardly, but continued to gather information:
"Then you should know where this thing came from, right?"
Kuai Te immediately explained:
"There should be a pioneer ahead of us, who entered before us! I followed his traces inward and reached a garden-like place. The vines there suddenly became active, growing wildly and lunging at me."
Lindsey raised an eyebrow:
"Someone entered before us?"
Kuai Te hurriedly replied:
"Yes! I'm certain there's someone else, but I'm unsure of their identity. I estimate they arrived about a day before us."
Lindsey asked further:
"No other news?"
"Yes, I was suddenly attacked too." Kuai Te began discussing how to deal with the current crisis, "I think we should first test its specific situation. I have an Appraisal skill, which I can use only once a day. I used it to search for a path when I entered. In our current situation, time is the most crucial factor!"
"I think you're right, time is what we need most right now."
Lindsey agreed with a nod.
Then, as he ran, he suddenly swept his right leg sideways, aiming for Kuai Te's feet.
Bang— "Huh?!"
Lindsey's kick was swift and precise, with no warning.
The merchant couldn't react in time and stumbled to the ground.
As Kuai Te got up, he looked up.
Lindsey's figure was already disappearing from view, and his polite farewell echoed slowly from the tunnel a few dozen meters away:
"Kuai Te, it would be a great help if you could hold off this creature and buy us some time—"
"..."
"Damn!"
"Diablo, right? I'll remember you."
Kuai Te cursed.
He stared at Lindsey's retreating figure, wanting to throw the Twin Serpent Coins to control him again.
But the scene of Lindsey's immunity to control was still fresh in his mind.
The merchant's skills were useful, but their foundation lay in his wealth.
If one were to exhaust their funds...
Even a Phase Six grand merchant like Quete would find himself in a helpless predicament.
"I can't afford to gamble here!"
Quete stumbled forward, taking two steps before hearing the creaking sound behind him.
He turned to see the crazily surging plants drawing closer. Helpless, he could only pay up:
"Stop, no advancing from here!"
Clang!
Quete tossed out the Twin Serpent Coins, momentarily halting the plant's rampant growth.
But upon closer inspection, one would notice that the rear part of the plant still twitched, ready to resume its earlier frenzy as soon as the coins' influence faded.
"What kind of business is this, losing money?" Quete cursed.
He dared not delay and hurriedly continued running.
Earlier, while chasing, he had tried to control this plant with the Twin Serpent Coins.
Unfortunately, the plant's size far exceeded his financial means, so Quete could only delay its pursuit.
At this moment, he took out a substantial sum.
His face contorted in pain as he fled to another location, also beginning to devise a new plan.
Quete's earlier negotiation skills weren't just talk.
Drawing from his merchant knowledge of appraising goods, Quete developed a unique scanning technique. He could use it once every half a day, not a full day.
As long as he could stall for enough time, he could activate the skill and find the plant's weakness!
...
Further ahead, Lindsey had Kaghi tucked at his waist, still running towards the distance.
The Twin Serpent Coins had the same control over Sensors.
After they ran far enough, the sounds of Quete and the plant's growth faded. Only then did Lindsey toss the Sensor to the ground.
Kaghi looked up in a panic:
"Lord Diablo, why did you abandon Mr. Quete?"
"He should... Ah—Urgh—"
Over ten minutes passed.
The coercive effect on Kaghi wore off, and he shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut as he began to retch.
His behavior and will were forcibly influenced by the Twin Serpent Coins.
It was definitely not a pleasant experience.
But immediately, Kaghi's attention returned to Lindsey:
"Lord Diablo, were you not affected by the Twin Serpent Coins' coercion?"
"That's a Phase Six grand merchant's skill!"
Lindsey shrugged, offering no comment. Instead, he instructed Kaghi:
"Use your sensing ability to confirm their location."
"That thing is not something we can handle. We must adjust our route ahead."
The Sensor obeyed, immediately sensing the surroundings.
Lindsey sighed, barely noticeable.
The Map skill was currently affected by the Garden, unable to function normally.
The greatest advantage of having Kaghi was that he could assist Lindsey in scouting the environment with his sensing ability.
Lindsey didn't mince his words.
Without Kaghi, it would be troublesome.
Lindsey checked his Hunt Notes.
Thanks to timely switching game modules, his Hunt Notes already displayed the specific attributes of the frenzied plant.
The Garden had been sealed within the Forest Courtyard for countless years.
The threat brewing within was the terrifying plant that had chased them earlier.
[Yuramanthor]
[Plant - Rampaging Nature Spirit - Failed Seventh Stage Ascension]
[Body Length???]
[Weight???]
[Running Speed - 0]
[A greedy carnivorous plant with a fixed root system but an extremely fast growth rate. It captures prey based on sound and temperature.]
[Yuramanthor was originally a nature spirit born in the great forest. However, during its Phase Six to Phase Seven ascension, due to isolation from the external environment, the ascension failed, and it eventually transformed into a greedy, predatory plant devoid of intelligence.]
[Weakness: Tropical Plants, Aversion to Cold.]
[Hunting Notes: Hunting not recommended.]
[Kill Achievement: 0/0]
(End of Chapter)
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