Chapter 9

The transaction was completed, and Nalasha, who had received the money from selling water, showed a happy smile. The thirty adventurers guarding her had worried faces, fearing the lack of water. The leader of the caravan also smiled, laughing as he said, "Can you still let go of the water now?"

"Prepare for battle!" Upon hearing the other party's words, Kelliselle didn't need to think further and shouted, running towards Nalasha.

"Kill~!" The caravan leader harshly squeezed out this word from his throat.

"Wealth~!" Nalasha floated in the air, excitedly shouting.

Before her voice faded, the air began to stir, the wind blew fiercely, and the sand flew, darkening the sky and obscuring the light. Then Nalasha's voice rang out again, "Mourong, close your eyes, Nalasha will guide you."

"Kun Yi Si, Ren Wu Zhi, Kun Xiang Dui, Gen Feng Shi, Zhen Chu Jia Shen Xin Gui Bian, Yin Yang Ni Zhuan Sheng Men Si, Li Ding Mao, Kan Qian Zi..."

Words like a nursery rhyme were shouted by Nalasha, and everyone heard them, but no one understood what they meant.

As Nalasha's voice spread, cries of pain came from the caravan, mixed with the sounds of weapons cutting into flesh or armor. Kelliselle and the others could only cover their faces, kneel, and breathe carefully to avoid swallowing too much sand.

After two minutes, the cries stopped, the wind... ceased, and the sand... slowly settled. Kelliselle slowly removed his hands from his face and looked towards where the caravan was, and the others followed suit.

They saw that all the caravan members had fallen, some with their necks nearly severed, some with their bellies sliced open and their organs spilling out, some with large chunks of their heads missing, some frozen into ice crystals, some still on fire, and some impaled on the tips of stalactites.

The scene was gruesome, similar to a battlefield, especially one where mages were involved, though there were fewer people. The ways of death were numerous, just like in places where large numbers of mages had crushed an army.

"Get up, get up, clean up. The money must be handed over to me, not a single copper coin less, and the weapons and armor too. Ha! The harvest is great, twenty sand camels. I decide to have a celebration party when we rest."

Nalasha called out to everyone to do the work, and she herself gently landed on the ground, her sweet smile showing how happy she was. Then she suddenly paused, showing a look of fear and anxiety, saying, "Quickly, look for any gold tickets that might have been burned. Oh, I forgot, please, please don't let anything happen to them!"

Kelliselle, Moses, and the others looked like they had lost their souls. Their eyes were hollow and blank, as if they had just woken up in a strange place and hadn't fully adapted yet, still in a state of reminiscence.

"Work, work, don't daydream. Moses, if you dare to pinch my little gold, I'll have Mourong throw you into its parents' den." Nalasha urged, threatening Moses, who was holding the little tiger.

"Oh, yes, yes, as you command, Miss Nalasha. Your voice is so beautiful, a hundred times, no, a thousand times more beautiful than their dying screams. Can you tell your loyal servant what you just recited?"

Moses quickly put down the little tiger and slowly moved towards the 'battlefield,' unable to resist asking. The others also perked up their ears.

Nalasha picked up the little tiger, her smile forming two dimples, and said, "Nothing, nothing. The wind and sand made it so Mourong couldn't see. I told Mourong the positions of the bad guys and what attacks I would make. Mourong listened to my guidance and fought the bad guys bravely. This is the victory of justice over evil. Despite the bad guys' fierce attacks, we resisted and survived."

"Fierce... attacks? Yes, Miss, you're right. Justice triumphed over evil. You and Master Mourong fought bravely against the bad guys' weapons. In the end, the light of the goddess of luck shone upon us. I'll go clean up the battlefield now."

Moses lowered his head and ran over, and Kelliselle and the others followed, speeding up to start clearing the bodies of the evil bad guys who had been attacked like a storm.

Nalasha stroked the little tiger and said to Gongsun Mourong, "I wish there were more caravans like this, don't you, Mourong?"

Gongsun Mourong didn't speak, just rubbed Nalasha's head.

The blood stained the yellow sand, the ice crystals reflecting the sunlight in dazzling colors, the smell of burnt flesh permeating the air, and the limbs of the caravan members twitching unconsciously. Moses, Kelliselle, and the others' hearts were also twitching.

Eighty people were dead, the fifth-level ninth-rank guard with a red dot on his forehead, his eyes wide open, perhaps recalling his life in that instant.

The caravan leader's harsh voice still seemed to linger in everyone's hearts. His cry of "Kill" had resulted in the scene two minutes later.

Moses was responsible for collecting the money, while Kelliselle and the others cleared the various armors and weapons, even the cracked and broken ones.

"Miss, here it is. Your humble servant awaits your orders." Moses brought a bag of money to Nalasha, indeed showing a humble expression.

Nalasha's eyes darted around, seeming to remember something, and she licked her lips, asking, "Are you thirsty? I'm thirsty."

Then she opened her arms, "Under the guidance of the god of magic, the water spirits of the world, please heed my call, my call... call..."

At this point, Nalasha looked at Moses, having forgotten the next part.

This was something Moses had previously told her, advising her not to directly manifest the magic, as it was too frightening. Only those above the level of a great mage could do that. Wasn't it better to be low-key?

"Come out, little water ball." Moses reminded her.

"Right, right, you reminded me." Nalasha nodded vigorously and shouted, "Call, come out, little water ball."

A water ball about a meter in diameter appeared between Nalasha's hands, the sunlight reflecting on it, creating a dreamy and enchanting scene.

"This place definitely had an oasis before, it's so easy." Nalasha held the large water ball without any effort, speaking confidently.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she divided the large water ball into thirty-nine smaller ones, each flying to a person's mouth. She paused for a moment and then added, "Under the guidance of the god of magic, the water spirits of the world, please heed my call, water ball separation."

Moses was taken aback, his hands gripping his hair as he squatted down, the small water ball following him and stopping at his mouth.

Kelliselle and the other adventurers stood motionless, like wooden stakes.

"Uncle Kelliselle, drink, it's clear water, cool and refreshing." Nalasha kindly urged.

Kelliselle's face showed a look of委屈 (grievance), like a wronged little wife, obediently opening his mouth and swallowing the water ball. It was indeed refreshing, cool, and had the same taste as the water in the ruins.

The other adventurers, even if they weren't thirsty, also opened their mouths and drank the water, feeling the same as Kelliselle.

The team, now with more sand camels, set off again, but the hired adventurers were silent.

The team moved south, stopping to set up tents about thirty miles away from where the oasis should have been, to rest. This way, they wouldn't worry about encountering other teams.

Now wasn't a good time to sell water, with too many people and eyes. It was better to reach the city as soon as possible.

Nalasha saw everyone settled and prepared to provide more water, so she recited, "Under the guidance of the god of magic..."

"Dear Miss Nalasha, you don't need to suffer like this anymore. When you couldn't remember what to recite and separate the water balls, you already told others that you are not bound by the god of magic."

Kelliselle spoke directly and explained to Nalasha.

"Ah? Why? I admit I recited the separation late, but before that..."

"Never seen a mage interrupt their incantation and continue it. And your water ball wasn't a small one. It should be like this: Under the guidance of the god of magic, the water spirits of the world, please heed my call—Water Spirit Transformation, then Water Shield, Water Arrow, Water Blade, Water Rope, etc."

Kelliselle answered very seriously.

"Ah? Uncle Kelliselle, you know so much." Nalasha said admiringly.

Kelliselle sighed, looking at Moses and the others, and said painfully, "I also know why Moses, George, and the others became your and Master Mourong's servants."

"Yes, I know. I know you and Master Mourong want to hide your strength, but why don't you recall your battle form? The sky changed color, the sand flew, did you recite any incantations? And the burning bodies, the ice crystals reflecting the sunlight, the stone spires, and you floating in the sky."

The other adventurers lowered their heads.

They knew many things: why a little girl and a big boy always had water to sell in the ruins, why they could appear anywhere, why they could sell water for so long and still be alive, how the young golden wind tigers came to be and were so obedient, why Master Mourong was always calm, and why Nalasha was always happy and lively.

Because of their strength, they could wander the desert like a game.

They had no worries, if they had to say, it was how to sell water to adventurers, always having to look for them, right?

"Let's not worry about that for now. Since you all know, everyone take a bath and clean the blood off your clothes. Who will help with the sand camels?" Seeing the sad expressions of the adventurers, Nalasha impatiently ordered.

The adventurers worked like they had lost their souls, the atmosphere in the team changing with the addition of a powerful helper.

The only ones happy were the carefree sand camels, drinking their fill with the abundant water supply.

For a while, everyone spoke less.

It wasn't until the third day that the team's mood changed. Three adult golden wind tigers and five cubs appeared ahead.

Then Kelliselle and the others saw the strength of Miss Nalasha and Master Mourong when they were on guard.

One of the adult golden wind tigers, a male, came forward alone, a fierce presence but giving an elegant feeling.

The adventurers retreated, not having the courage to fight the tigers.

The male tiger had no intention of fighting, just staring at Little Gold when he got close.

"Nalasha, let go of Little Gold, it's a farewell." Gongsun Mourong understood.

"Oh." Nalasha used water to carry Little Gold to the male tiger, thinking for a moment, and said to Gongsun Mourong, "Mourong, let's give them a little more."

Gongsun Mourong took out twenty crystal cores, ranging from fifth-level first rank to fifth-level sixth rank, red in color, representing fire, suitable for the tigers.

Nalasha let the water and ice fall, took the crystal cores, and bravely walked over, placing them in front of the male tiger. "I'll take good care of Little Gold. We'll come to see you in the future. Stay alive, don't separate, and when Mourong and I have an estate, we'll invite you to visit."

The male tiger ignored the crystal cores, instead licking Little Gold repeatedly, making Nalasha feel sad, frowning and saying, "Should I give him back? I heard they sell them in big cities. I'll earn more money and buy one."

At her words, the male tiger pushed Little Gold towards her, squinting as if smiling, picked up the crystal cores, and ran back. Little Gold had no intention of following.

"Wait." Nalasha called out to the tiger family, ran to Mourong, took something, and ran back to the male tiger, putting it around his neck.

"One of my rings, for easy identification when we visit. I'll tell you a secret, it's very powerful." Nalasha said to the tiger, placing her hand on its head, not knowing what she was doing, then turned back, picked up Little Gold, and waved.

The tiger family roared in unison and quickly left.

"Mourong, what's going on with them? Seeing they were reluctant, I planned to give him back, but they didn't want him." Nalasha complained to Gongsun Mourong.

"Because they think you'll raise him better." Kelliselle, who usually kept silent, finally spoke.

He then looked at Moses and asked, "Why don't you use crystal cores to cultivate your battle qi?"

"I... We thought there weren't many for Master and Miss." Moses was almost in tears, giving away twenty so easily. Why didn't he mention it? Why?

Nalasha, listening, asked curiously, "Can this be used by people? Mourong?"

"I don't know." Gongsun Mourong shook his head, having tried and found it useless.

"Miss Nalasha, let's continue. I'll tell you more when we rest. The weather is really nice today, the sun is warm, and the sand is like gold." Moses mumbled, walking beside the sand camels.

Nalasha was carried onto a sand camel, thinking for a moment, and said, "It's really warm. Are you hungry, Little Gold? I'll feed you a sixth-level crystal core."

The group, a line of shadows, gradually moved away on the undulating sand dunes.

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