IRM Chapter 140

“Should we kill them? Little Master?” the Light Spirit asked softly, addressing Ji Chi on his back.

Ji Chi lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment, his long black lashes concealing the dimness in his gaze. “No need. It won’t be too late to kill them after they make their move. Besides, we just so happen to be short on experimental materials.”

The Light Spirit smiled knowingly. “You’re quite right.”

“There’s one more thing…” Ji Chi thought for a moment, “Unicorns shouldn’t die that easily. Their capture and entrapment is partly our responsibility, and I want to find out the unicorns’ whereabouts from them.”

The Light Spirit nodded. “Do you need my help?”

“No need,” Ji Chi smiled slightly, “We still have a whole night’s time. Eavesdropping on their conversation should be quite interesting.”

At this moment, the adventurers happened to be discussing the matter of the unicorns.

One of them, a burly warrior with fierce features, lowered his head and exchanged quiet words with another person. “Those unicorns were obtained at the cost of two people’s lives. Are we really just going to abandon them like this? Should we go look for their corpses… Those are unicorns, even their corpses could sell for quite a lot of gold coins!”

The person beside him replied equally quietly. “Do you remember where their corpses were thrown? Mog has been keeping secrets from us. He probably wants to go find them himself…”

The warrior sneered. “Of course I remember. I was the bait and nearly got killed by Mog there too—how could I possibly forget? Let me quietly tell you, don’t—”

“What are you talking about?” Mog, who had been walking ahead of them, suddenly turned around, his small, vicious eyes staring darkly at the warrior.

The hair on the warrior’s back stood on end. He looked away uncomfortably. “Nothing…”

Mog stared at him for a long time, then sneered, his tone carrying a warning. “After you’ve escaped with your life, don’t forget the poacher’s rules. The location of the goods is far more important than your life.”

The warrior fearfully shut his mouth, not daring to say anything more.

“Alright, alright.” The uncle blocked Mog’s gaze and mediated between the two. “The sun’s about to set. We need to hurry and find a place to camp. The nights in the Elven Forest must be carefully endured…”

The dusk in the Elven Forest was beautiful. Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps between branches and leaves, falling into the dense forest, and everywhere the eye could see were floating points of light like scattered gold.

But no one would choose to stop and appreciate it, because on this continent, most things paired beauty with danger—after the beautiful dusk came the dangerous night.

This temporarily assembled group of more than a dozen people had already walked a long distance in the opposite direction from the black fog.

Ji Chi and his companions walked in the middle of the group, surrounded by these self-proclaimed adventurers who, under the pretext of protection, had cut off their retreat. They were encircled on all sides by these “kind-hearted people.”

The leading uncle climbed up a tall linden tree, narrowing his eyes to gauge the distance between them and the black fog.

“This spot should be good enough.” The uncle jumped down nimbly, dusting off his palms, “The black fog has slowed its spread now. It shouldn’t reach here tonight.”

Under this linden tree happened to be a flat, small clearing—a good place to camp.

“We’ll rest here tonight. You brought sleeping bags, right?” The uncle asked Ji Chi’s group with a genial smile.

Ji Chi and the others nodded.

The uncle said, “That’s good, but sleeping bags alone won’t get you through the night… I’ll arrange for everyone to collect camping materials. Can you help out together?”

They nodded again.

The uncle smiled kindly. “Very good, thank you all.”

“Then…” The uncle observed them in a circle, “This golden-haired gentleman and gray-haired gentleman will go find some food. Newin’s team will be responsible for protecting you.”

“The two elf gentlemen will collect wood nearby. The red-haired gentleman and Gene will patrol the surroundings. Report any abnormalities to me immediately.”

He looked at the remaining two human girls and the black-haired blind man, smiling. “You just rest well here. Beautiful ladies and the injured are entitled to preferential treatment.”

He made it sound nice, but essentially he was holding them hostage here to prevent the others who went out from escaping.

Chloe and Saintess Coralie accepted this arrangement. They glanced at Ji Chi on the Light Spirit’s back, then at their teammates, and nodded gently to put them at ease.

However, they didn’t need to signal reassurance—their teammates were quite at ease anyway, because just one of Chloe’s fingers would be enough to crush these adventurers.

Poor little Ji Chi was thus neatly arranged, obediently sitting between them, with a somewhat helpless expression. “You don’t need to look after me like this… I’m really fine. I’ll be able to see again tomorrow afternoon.”

Saintess Coralie spread a thick layer of waterproof cloth over a fallen tree trunk, covering the damp moss, and pulled Ji Chi to sit down. She examined the dimness in Ji Chi’s pupils carefully and said, “But this is the first time I’ve seen you injured.”

Ji Chi: “…” Could you please put away that gloating tone? I can still hear it, thank you very much.

Chloe nodded beside them. “This is also Chloe’s first time seeing something that can injure you.”

That wasn’t quite accurate. Chloe thought for a moment and added, “Except when you do it yourself.”

Saintess Coralie was surprised. “Do it himself? Does he self-harm?”

Chloe recalled seriously. “You could say that.”

Saintess Coralie looked at Ji Chi with a complicated expression. “… I didn’t expect you to have such a hobby.”

Ji Chi: “…” I can’t stay here anymore. Hunting, gathering materials, patrolling—take me along for any of them. Even if I have to grope around, I’ll complete the task well!

“What are you all chatting about?” Mog sidled over, his face wearing a sinister smile.

He had originally been keeping watch in the linden tree with his bow and arrow still held in hand, but with only a blind man and the two girls he’d been lusting after left below, he finally couldn’t resist. He hung his bow and arrow back on his shoulder, jumped down from the tree, and walked toward them.

Mog’s gaze, sticky and cold like a venomous snake, swept over Saintess Coralie and Chloe, finally choosing to sit down beside Chloe.

Actually, he preferred the golden-haired, blue-eyed young lady more, but for some reason, the seemingly holy and pure Saintess Coralie subtly carried an extremely oppressive aura that instinctively made him afraid to approach.

So, following his sixth sense, he chose the beautiful and harmless-looking Eastern girl.

Mog had initially felt some regret, but the closer he got to Chloe, the more he noticed her obsidian-like clear eyes, petal-like red lips, and snow-white skin that made her look like an innocent, naive white deer in the forest.

Mog’s eyes grew fanatical. He sat down close to Chloe, his left hand naturally resting on her snow-white hand that hung at her side.

Chloe noticed and quickly withdrew her hand, looking at him warily.

Mog had only touched a bit of her skin, but the sensation transmitted through his fingertips was hard and cold, unlike the touch of human skin.

He thought he was experiencing an illusion and grinned. “Sorry, I didn’t notice. I didn’t offend you, did I?”

Chloe scanned his expression and breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed this person hadn’t recognized her as a machine.

Chloe lowered her eyes and quietly shook her head.

Mog was secretly delighted—she was so innocent and easy to fool!

“Eh? There’s something on your face?” Mog’s eyes rolled around as he leaned closer and closer to Chloe, his round, flat nose almost touching the hair beside her cheek.

Seeing his lecherous appearance toward Chloe, Saintess Coralie’s eyes turned cold, and her wand had already slid out of her sleeve—

Ji Chi blinked his dry eyes, seeming to sense something. He suddenly stood up, reaching back to feel his pants. “Huh? Is this waterproof cloth? I feel like my pants got wet.”

Saintess Coralie and Chloe were both startled and stood up at the same time, reflexively doing the same motion as him. “No, they didn’t…”

Getting one’s pants wet while sitting was probably something all races dreaded, and for a moment they failed to notice this was Ji Chi’s excuse.

Ji Chi: “…” Wait, why are my teammates so easily fooled too…

Ji Chi fake-smiled. “Oh my, sorry, it was probably from getting wet when we arrived.”

Mog, who had been about to lean against Chloe, toppled headfirst and, following his momentum, rolled into the decaying leaves beneath the tree trunk, his body covered in sticky fermentation juices, the whole person emanating an indescribable odor.

Seeing this, Chloe slowly stepped back two paces, making a disgusted expression.

Mog was nearly furious to death. He climbed to his feet, glaring viciously at Ji Chi. In his rage, he even took down the bow and arrow from his back and aimed it at Ji Chi, saying through gritted teeth. “I said, don’t cause trouble, or I’ll kill you with one arrow!”

Just as he was about to draw the bow, a startled cry suddenly came from behind. “Watch out! Get out of the way—”

Mog turned his head to see a scarred wild boar charging toward him, its deep yellow tusks sharp and deadly, ramming straight at him.

Mog’s eyes widened. Before he could dodge to the side, the boar rammed him to the ground, then its heavy body trampled him viciously as it leaped forward!

Mog was trampled until his internal organs were displaced and shattered, spurting a mouthful of fresh blood containing fragments, letting out a low wail—

Whoosh—a light blade shot from Evan’s wand, precisely severing the boar’s head. The foul-smelling headless corpse fell from mid-air and crashed onto Mog, who was half-dead.

Evan put away his wand and ran over with a panicked expression, crouching down and looking sadly at Mog. “Oh dear, sorry, that pig was clearly already dead. I don’t know why it suddenly broke free…”

In his semi-conscious state, Mog only vaguely heard the first half of the sentence, finding it oddly familiar, as if someone had apologized to him in this same tone not long ago…

Saintess Coralie stood behind Evan. Taking advantage of the chaos, she moved her finger slightly, helping him erase the traces of light element resurrection left on the boar. The two cooperated seamlessly.

The next second, the uncle who had returned with them rushed over. He didn’t immediately attend to Mog’s injuries but carefully examined the boar’s body. Finding no traces on it, he wondered if he had been mistaken—this boar should have been as dead as could be.

But there were no other suspicious signs. Perhaps it really was just an accident…

After thinking this through, he then looked at the half-dead Mog. He reached out and rifled through Mog’s magic bag, pulling out a potion and pouring it down his throat, complaining, “Weren’t you supposed to be keeping watch in the tree? Fortunately, it was our prey that ran into the camp—what if it had been some other monster?”

Mog finally recovered somewhat, his face deathly pale. All his lustful thoughts were gone. He silently climbed to his feet, glancing at Ji Chi and Evan, the malice in his eyes completely unconcealed.

The uncle sighed and took the wood the elves had collected, piling it into the shape of a campfire. He struck a fire stone to ignite the flames, saying, “Mog, you continue keeping watch. I’ll prepare the prey. I’ll call you down to eat when it’s roasted.”

Mog said nothing and climbed back up the tree with a dark expression. Sitting between the branches, he watched the distance for a while, then let his gaze fall coldly on Ji Chi’s group.

Everyone had returned to the camp, and the small clearing instantly became busy.

Linton found an opportunity to ask Saintess Coralie what had just happened, and she gave him a brief description.

Brandon, Evan, and the others’ movements froze for an instant as they silently added another mark against this group of “adventurers” in their hearts.

Linton was also very angry. He looked toward Chloe, but all his fury drained away under her uncomprehending gaze.

His shoulders slumped as he earnestly said to Chloe, “Chloe… um, girls have certain places that others aren’t allowed to touch. If someone deliberately tries to touch you, you have to beat them fiercely! Don’t be afraid! Don’t hold back!”

Chloe tilted her head. “This is the first time I’ve heard this. How fascinating. Which places are they?”

Linton instantly fell silent. He opened and closed his mouth, his eyes vacant. “Heh heh, right, which places indeed… Perhaps your master would know…”

Ji Chi: “…” Damn it, Linton! Why are you cueing me?! Why should I be responsible for my classmate’s sex education!

Ji Chi exerted great effort to express anger through his gaze and sought help from his other companions, but not a single person paid him any attention. They were all silently doing their own things, their movements extremely light, afraid of being sensed by the blind Ji Chi.

You plastic teammates! What about helping each other!

In the end, it was Saintess Coralie who stepped up, carefully educating Chloe about girls’ special characteristics.

“Oh… so that’s how it is…” Chloe nodded. She pressed on her chest but was still confused. “But why would anyone want to touch here? This is the laser port. Aren’t they afraid of having their arms burned off by the laser?”

Saintess Coralie: “…”

Ji Chi and his companions: “…”

Fine then. What danger could a humanoid machine possibly face? This knowledge should really be explained to the people who covet her.

“What are you all chatting about? Come over and eat dinner!” The uncle sat before the campfire with a laugh, holding a skewer of fragrant roasted meat in his hand and waving it at them. “It’s relaxation time—let’s think about the plan going forward, shall we?”

The uncle smiled. “Where do you want to go next? I remember there’s a place near the black fog where antidote grass grows. Why don’t we accompany you to look for it?”

His smile twisted under the flickering firelight’s reflection, his originally kindly face looking inexplicably sinister.