Chapter 164: Life and Hatred

"Mm, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing—I’m not someone who gambles with his life. More importantly, help me save her. She has the potential to awaken as a Divine Chosen."

Phield quickly laid Gogris flat on the ground.

Not bringing Rosalia along earlier had been perfectly normal—who in their right mind would take a woman to a nude gathering?

"My healing ability can only be used on myself. You know that."

Rosalia knelt down and glanced at the blood-reeking wound. She licked the corner of her lips. "I thought you brought me a little snack. I was just about to praise you for being considerate."

"What are you even thinking?" Phield tapped her on the head. "Use your blood threads—clear her airway, remove any debris inside her body, then assist her heart in beating. Buy me some time."

"You can assist a heart in beating? Since when?"

Rosalia couldn’t understand, but she obediently complied.

Phield first took out the Awakening Stone and placed it in Gogris’s hand. If she could awaken into a Divine Chosen directly, perhaps she could heal herself.

"As expected... no response."

After waiting quietly for three seconds, Phield shook his head helplessly and gritted his teeth. "Then I can only use the Life Gem. Damn it... I haven’t even had time to enjoy it."

The little girl before him had yet to awaken—she was still an ordinary being. A divine artifact could still work on her.

"Don’t. Keep the Life Gem for yourself. What will you do if you run into danger later?"

Rosalia objected sharply. Seeing that Phield had already taken out the Life Gem, she knew his decision wouldn’t change. She stamped her foot in frustration. "You really... don’t act like a proper noble at all... though somehow, that makes you feel reliable. Honestly."

A typical noble would rather let gold and treasures rot away in a vault than use them on others.

Phield shook his head.

"I’m not acting out of kindness. I’m just thinking further ahead. If I lose the Life Gem, I can always find a Divine Chosen of the Goddess of Life later—or take one from someone else. Saving her will strengthen my territory."

Trading a first-tier divine artifact for a first-tier Divine Chosen—an absolute稳赚不赔 deal.

He placed the Life Gem into the little girl’s hand. In the next instant, a surge of vibrant life force burst forth, radiating thousands of dazzling lights that intertwined into a brilliant, multicolored figure, slowly descending upon her body.

Immediately after, her organs began to regenerate at a visible speed. Flesh wriggled and grew, and the green marker on the mini-map became clear once more.

"...It hurts..."

The little girl murmured faintly, though she remained unconscious.

"Phew... it worked. That cost me dearly."

Phield wiped his sweat, only to smear blood across his forehead. The sticky sensation was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t be bothered to care. Letting out a sinister chuckle, he said, "Heh heh heh... you’d better work hard for me from now on."

Rosalia held her forehead, looking utterly helpless, and handed him a handkerchief. "This place isn’t safe. Let’s head back to the inn. And from now on, be careful—don’t get yourself hurt."

"Alright, I’ll listen to you."

Before obtaining the Life Gem, hadn’t he taken risks all the same? Still, she had a point—the Empire’s situation was growing increasingly chaotic. It was time to be more cautious.

Carrying Gogris with them, the two vanished into the night.

⸻

The underground ball of Maple Leaf Territory would last until dawn.

But the hunter Okas chose to leave early, even giving up his favorite unrestricted segment.

"Damn it... this sense of dread is getting stronger. Who the hell has their eyes on me?"

Space twisted, and as the magical envelope shattered, Okas appeared in the mountainous woodland at the edge of Maple Leaf Territory. Branches swayed, jagged rocks loomed, and strange cries from nocturnal creatures echoed through the darkness, making the place feel ominous.

"The boss is out."

More than twenty men in mismatched clothing gathered around him, grinning wickedly. "Boss, was it fun? Next time, take me with you too."

"Heh, bring me along as well—I wanna see what those noble ladies are like."

"Business bad? Didn’t sell many demi-humans?"

"Yeah, I was counting on that money to treat my mother’s corrupted affliction."

"Shut your filthy mouths," Okas snapped irritably. "You stink worse than your loincloths. Load the demi-humans onto the carts—we’re leaving High Castle Province as fast as possible. Some bastard’s got their eyes on us."

He tossed the chains to his men and kicked the nearest one. "Move it."

"Must be The Eagle Eye Gang. They’re jealous of the gold our Green Lizard Slave-Catching Gang makes—they want to rob us."

"Hurry up. This isn’t a place we should linger."

No one questioned him. Okas had an innate hunter’s instinct, an uncanny sensitivity to danger.

It was this very talent that allowed them to thrive—capturing rare demi-humans and magical beasts in the perilous wilds.

But in the next moment—

"Riiip—!"

A spatial warp gate tore open.

Sixty to seventy demi-human warriors in leather armor, armed with standard weapons, stepped out—both men and women.

"What the hell?! A spatial warp gate? That’s a huge operation!"

Okas jumped in shock.

Normally, small-scale warp magic required at least a third-tier mage, along with exceptional spatial calculation ability. Anyone capable of casting such magic was undoubtedly powerful.

Of course, such spells were extremely dangerous—if an enemy mage interfered with the spatial nodes, those being teleported could be torn apart by chaotic spatial currents.

Clearly, the slave-catching group had no such high-level mage.

Okas’s heart skipped a beat. He spat on the ground and drew his blade, his expression turning wary.

"Help! Help!"

"Thank the Moonlit Goddess—please save us!"

"Waaah—!"

The previously numb demi-humans erupted the moment they saw warriors of their own kind. Despair in their eyes turned into hope as they cried and struggled, begging for rescue.

"Enemy contact! Prepare for defense!"

The slave catchers roughly kicked and shoved the demi-humans back into cages, drawing their weapons.

"These damned humans—how dare they abuse our kin."

"They’re no better than demons."

The demi-human warriors clenched their teeth, barely restraining themselves from charging in.

"Hmph. You dare cause trouble on human territory?" Okas sneered, drawing his bow. "It’s not like I’ve killed my own kind—I only kill other races. Does that make me a demon? Damn demi-humans... you all deserve to die!"

Sylvia leapt out from the warp gate, dagger in hand, her eyes filled with hatred. "It’s you—the one who captured the children of our tribe. We’ve always lived peacefully in our homeland. You are the invaders."

"Oh? My parents were eaten alive by pig demi-humans—as food. I hid under the bed and watched the whole damn thing happen. You savage beasts are the ones who deserve to die! I swear—as long as I live, I’ll never stop slaughtering demi-humans!"