46 Escaping Phoenix Part 1 (2/2)

”Nailisi, take a break. Sika can’t go on any longer.”

Sika sat on the floor gasping for breath. Back in her hometown, she had never felt that running was something this difficult. While chasing their prey, Caucasus people could go without rest for tens of hours until their prey ran out of energy. Using this method, they could overpower creatures that were stronger than humans.

However, the imp ran too fast and by Sika’s estimate, the imp could outrun any living thing on the ground with this kind of speed. Sika wordlessly brought out her boots. With a pillow under her head, it only took her a few seconds to fall into a deep sleep.

”Nailisi, how far have we run?” Saleen’s ancient Myers was getting better and he was lazy about nagging the imp to learn the common language. In any case, they had a long way to go and it seemed that they had escaped danger.

”Almost five hundred kilometers. By daylight tomorrow we can leave the Chaotic Swamp.”

”So soon?” Saleen was shocked.

”Yes.” Nailisi did not continue the conversation. She was thinking about the times back at her home when she had always been prey for larger demons. In the times that she had been chased by them, it seemed as though she could run even faster.

Saleen saw that Nailisi was done talking and went to sit beside Sika. He had slept enough and might as well have used the time now to manage his items.

A green dragon magic nucleus to be sent to the Bitter Water Prefecture and a set of empty magic books for him to use in the future. The rest were all gemstones and minerals. Saleen reevaluated his loot, as all of the gemstones were primitive and had not been processed. Many of them still had an outer covering of mineral.

”Nailisi, are you tired?” Saleen was concerned.

”No, I’m not master.”

”Alright. Can you help me get rid of the outer covering from these gemstones? I only want the purest parts inside.” Saleen looked at Nailisi’s snow white teeth and smiled. At least he could save money on processing gemstones next time. He had heard that cutting minerals was an expensive service that was only found in big cities.

Nailisi realized then that Saleen was not concerned about her body. She sighed and sat beside Saleen, starting to use her teeth to process these gemstones. As a demon, she should not have expected anything of him. Humans were greedy creatures.

These gemstones were large and even the smallest ones were the size of Sika’s fist. Once they were processed, they became smaller. Saleen placed the processed gemstones back into the Ring of Gifts and the fragments that Nailisi had bitten off into the leather bag. These fragments were impure, but to a normal mage, they were a dream come true.

”Master, I’m hungry.” Nailisi saw Saleen attentively wiping the gemstones and carefully storing them away piece by piece. She was a little annoyed and wanted to find an excuse to take a break.

”Even I don’t have anything to eat. What are you harping on about? Wait until we get to Phoenix Duchy.” Saleen’s stomach growled. He had thrown out all his dried food back at the temple to fit the gemstones in the remaining space.

Nailisi teared up as she continued processing the stones, not caring about Saleen’s worries.

Saleen certainly was a little dejected. Although Sika was pretty, she was a bulky Caucasus warrior and not many people would have feelings for her. This imp had transformed into the likes of the Myers Goddess and was naturally attractive. With this appearance, they could get into a lot of trouble in the future, and she certainly enjoyed creating trouble.

”Nailisi…”

”Master?”

”Just continue and listen to what I have to say.”

Crunch crunch.

”Nevermind. We will talk about this in the future.” Saleen was a little defeated. He didn’t know how to mentor a demon.

Crunch crunch…

Sika had a beautiful dream where she dreamed that her magic beast soul had been revived. In her dream, she was waving her cudgel and beating the crap out of the Holy See priest she was chasing. In her dream, Sika giggled.

”Keke, I shall let you run. Go die!”

Saleen was feeling more dejected by the minute. He revealed the left hand that he hid under his sleeve. The dried up left hand was almost like the body of a deceased creature. He carefully cast a Grade 1 magic: Restorative Water. Saleen patiently used the water to moisturize his injured flesh.

He might have been rich now, but his skills had decreased tremendously. Before his left hand healed, he could not continue learning Grade 2 magic. From the start, he had needed to use both hands to hold the spell while casting it, and this process would allow him to gradually grasp it. Saleen carefully lifted the index finger on his left hand. The finger bent slowly, and even though it had not been entirely lost, it was possible that it would take up to half a year to heal.

It seemed like a good idea now to look for the prefecture head of the Bitter Water Prefecture for support. Hiding among the wealthy, he could avoid any unnecessary trouble. Now that he had money, he no longer needed to go around risking his life.

It was too bad he had to give up the magic nucleus of the green dragon to do so.