Chapter 114: Ally +1
"Blazing Flame Lord, Oss Guinn? Isn't that Donkey Bro? No one else would dare call themselves the Blazing Flame Lord."
Baha was surprised. He never expected the first customer to be Donkey Bro.
"Yeah, the Donkey Bro who sent me flying several kilometers with a single hammer strike."
Kaiza signaled for them to follow, sneaking out furtively.
Su Xiao didn't ask too many questions. Since Kaiza chose Donkey Bro as a customer, there must be a reason. He might not trust Kaiza's character, but he could trust Kaiza's greed—betraying him versus continuing their alchemy cooperation yielded benefits on completely different levels.
Leaving the courtyard, the streets were empty. After curfew, only extremely special circumstances allowed going out. Upon encountering the night patrol, one had to immediately raise both hands and explain the reason. If the matter was truly urgent, it was fine; otherwise, they'd be skinned alive at best.
Kaiza walked in front, shifty-eyed as he scanned the surroundings, occasionally pulling out a map to glance at. After crossing several blocks, messy footsteps came from around the street corner ahead.
Six night patrol members emerged. Due to their turning direction, they didn't see Su Xiao and the others, causing Bubu Wang and Baha to temporarily abandon stealth.
"Hey!"
Kaiza suddenly shouted loudly. Su Xiao personally saw two of the six night patrol members nearly jump in fright.
"Who goes there!!"
The night patrol captain's voice cracked—both startled and angry. Not only were these people violating curfew, they dared to shout and scare them. This was like looking for shit with a lantern in a latrine.
"Which bunch of bast—"
The word "bastards" hadn't fully left his mouth before being choked back. He extended his lantern forward, staring at Kaiza. The night patrol captain's expression shifted from anger to surprise, then frustration, finally showing a hint of fawning.
"Mr. Kaiza, why have you come out? It's so dangerous on the streets this late. How about we escort you back?"
The night patrol captain made a gesture to invite.
"I'm asking you, where is this."
Kaiza tapped a point on the map. The night patrol captain leaned in to look, his face showing difficulty.
"Well..."
The night patrol captain was speechless inside. Ignoring curfew was bad enough, but now they were asking for directions?
The five behind the captain all stared at the sky, as if there were endless stars there.
Had Kaiza bribed the night patrol captain? No, Kaiza had bribed the highest boss of the night patrol department, plus he was a distinguished guest invited by the Sea King—no one dared touch him.
"The map shows the lower district, Mr. Kaiza. Please go back. Acting like this... makes things difficult for us."
"Take us here. The terrain in the middle ring is too complicated."
Kaiza's request seemed like an unnecessary complication, but was actually about recruiting allies. Violating curfew would become routine, and they needed to buy off people in this area. This night patrol captain named Berna was a good choice.
"Mr. Kaiza, you should return as soon as possible."
Captain Berna's fawning expression vanished completely.
"Oh? You're refusing?"
"Of course."
"The bribes you took..."
"At worst, I'll be punished."
"You secretly work for the Great Prince's men."
"Kaiza... are you... threatening me?"
Captain Berna's face darkened, his hand moving toward the sword hilt at his waist.
"You even slept with your boss's wife, got her pregnant, and made your boss raise your son for you..."
*Thump!* Captain Berna knelt upright before Kaiza, his face piled with smiles as he fawningly said, "Lord Kaiza, we need to leave quickly. After 9 o'clock, two other night patrols will pass through here, and here."
Captain Berna, still kneeling, twisted sideways and pointed at two spots on the map.
"You, kid, have good awareness."
Kaiza patted Captain Berna's shoulder. Soon, the group continued on, with Captain Berna now among them.
Kaiza had planted many such "spikes" over the past three days. Kaiza was greedy, yes, but he worked steadily—mainly because he feared death.
Wandering through the middle ring district, they reached the outer city area. Kaiza found a designated statue, used it as a landmark, and the group entered an underground passage from an abandoned old mansion.
Torches scorched the walls. The underground passage was about four meters wide and five meters high, with a layer of sewage just covering their shoes.
Only Su Xiao, Baha, and Kaiza went deep into the underground passage. Bubu Wang guarded the entrance, while Captain Berna stayed on the surface.
Kaiza, holding a torch, walked in front. He hadn't been here either. According to him, the client this time wasn't Donkey Bro himself, but the Great Prince, Oss Conrad—the Sea King's eldest son, that filial son who really wanted to kill his father.
The commission to treat Donkey Bro came from Oss Conrad. This seemed rather peculiar.
In the Sand World, Su Xiao had scanned the Blazing Sun Lord's information, so naturally he knew the other's ultimate passive ability was to have the Blazing Flame Lord reborn.
The skill description stated that when the last royal descendant of the Oss clan died, it would awaken the Blazing Flame Lord, resurrecting him in the world to endlessly pursue and kill whoever killed the last descendant until that person died.
The appearance of the Blazing Flame Lord, i.e., Donkey Bro, actually represented the extinction of the Oss clan's bloodline. But in the main city, the Sea King was called Oss Atlantis, and the Great Prince was Oss Conrad.
Su Xiao could only think of one possibility: the nest was taken over. The underwater main city established by the Oss clan was occupied by the Sea King. To avoid giving people leverage, the Sea King called himself Oss Atlantis and gave all his children the surname Oss.
As Su Xiao pondered, he entered a building without standing water. It was a small abandoned hall. Against the right wall were several steps covered with candles.
In the candlelight, Su Xiao saw a half-human, half-horse figure prostrate in the darkness, its skin wet all over and covered in bloodstains. It was Donkey Bro.
Donkey Bro no longer had his former glory. The scales on his horse body had all fallen off, leaving bloody, mangled flesh. His upper body was somewhat twisted and deformed, with several ribs protruding.
Only half the flesh remained on his head, revealing the skull and wide, flat teeth. The hair that once connected from his crown, neck, and back was matted with blood and grime. His eyes, wrapped in flesh, were cloudy.
"Oss Guinn."
Su Xiao spoke. Hearing someone call his name, Donkey Bro's gaze slowly shifted.
"Who... are you?"
Donkey Bro's voice was very weak. He was dying. This was also why he hadn't pursued Seafood (Zuiyasi), and he cared even less about White Legs (Lilim) and Black Bones (Wude).
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak, signaling Bubu Wang to hurry over. A few minutes later, Bubu Wang arrived, activating all four aura abilities.
"So it's... a friend. Thank you for your help in the last battle."
Donkey Bro propped himself up with one hand, splashing some bloody water. As he stood, his aura recovered slightly.
"I, Oss Guinn, never owe... favors, let alone... a life-saving grace. While I can still move, let me... repay this favor. Please."
Donkey Bro was doomed. From entering this world until now, Su Xiao had seen beast-transformed individuals driven mad by "Mental Beast Transformation," and poor souls turned into brain monsters by "Ocean's Wrath."
But Su Xiao had never seen anyone simultaneously suffering from both "Mental Beast Transformation" and "Ocean's Wrath." He had once thought the two were mutually exclusive and couldn't coexist.
Donkey Bro's existence showed him they could coexist. Donkey Bro endured the dual torment of "Mental Beast Transformation" + "Ocean's Wrath." Worse than death couldn't describe his current state.
Su Xiao raised his hand. Seeing this, Kaiza and Bubu Wang began backing away.
"Your kindness, I must repay."
At some point, Donkey Bro had grasped his dark gold long-handled hammer. He sensed it—being too close to Su Xiao, he sensed the hatred buried in his bloodline. This was the one who personally killed the last bloodline of the Oss clan. Donkey Bro didn't attack immediately.
Su Xiao remembered this well. The Blazing Sun Lord was the only boss he had ever one-shot. Its memorability rivaled that of the Moon Goddess.
"Now... I'll repay the favor."
Donkey Bro tore a black gem pendant from his neck and tossed it to Su Xiao.
"Accept this insignificant gift. Be careful—I've already sensed it. You are the one who killed the last bloodline of my Oss clan. Your name is?"
"Bai Ye."
"Strange fate... but I must... kill you."
Donkey Bro's hoof stamped the bloody water beneath him. His single eye glowed faintly, and the bloodstained hair on his head stirred without wind.
*Zheng~*
Su Xiao drew the long blade at his waist. This treasure chest delivered to his doorstep—he accepted it.