"What! M-m-m!.." Zhou Min screamed at the top of her lungs, but Jiaxing Er soon covered her mouth, but it was already too late, and the scream attracted the attention of all the cave's inhabitants.
"Well, here we go!" I chuckled, making Zhou Min's eyes almost pop out of their sockets again. I thought she had gotten used to my antics.
Thanks to the fact that I had already learned about the spiritual seed in the center, I was ready to attack when Zhuo Min screamed. I would have rushed into battle myself after my words, but she ruined the element of surprise, although, what the hell, it's even more fun this way. Instantly, upon finishing my last phrase, I unleashed two lightning blades of wind that I had prepared. Both blades hit the lizards, who had just woken up and hadn't fully realized what was happening.
As a result, their heads flew off to the side, and the remaining eight realized what was happening and, with screams, shouts, and roars, rushed at me. However, I already had a plan for the further development of events. Taking a couple of daggers from my spatial bracelet, I threw them at two other lizards running ahead of the rest, simultaneously accelerating them with a gust of wind and spatial magic. As a result, the daggers, hitting the lizards' heads, shattered them, killing them instantly.
It was foolish to stay in one place any longer, so using a wind gust, I rushed into the thick of the lizards. After all, they were far from true leaders. I retrieved my daggers. Adjusting my flight with the wind step, I landed with great force on the head of one of the lizards, forcing it to retreat slightly, sticking my daggers into its head and passing through them a shock of lightning. Due to its burnt brain, it died, and I immediately soared back up using the wind boots.
Reaching the peak of my jump, I slammed two more lizards into the ground with a slightly concentrated lightning wrath. By this time, the remaining intact trio had entered combat mode and tried to burn me by combining the flames exhaled from their mouths and directing them at me. Unfortunately, their plan was not to be fulfilled, as I changed my trajectory, landing on the head of one of the lizards injured by lightning wrath and finishing it off with a shock. At this moment, one of the three intact ones jumped at me, with its mouth open, trying to roast me. It was unlucky that it was close. However, I didn't panic and quickly turning around, I threw it back with two lightning wrath attacks into its mouth, then finished it off by piercing its head with my daggers. And once again, flames from three lizards rushed towards me, from which I escaped thanks to the upgraded wind boots.
Taking a short detour, I jumped onto the head of another lizard, which was still trying to burn me, not noticing my escape, and eliminated it with a double shock directly to the brain. Performing a somersault, I landed on a neighboring lizard, which had just realized my escape and was preparing to attack me with fire but was immediately killed. The last one, with a damaged head, from the lightning wrath, no longer posed any problem for me and was finished off with a lightning wind blade as I was already heading back to the girls, paying no attention to it.
After the battle, I was quite battered, but it was only at first glance. Besides the accumulated fatigue and minor burns on my legs and arms, after all, I was sitting on burning lizards! There were no problems. However, I should rest thoroughly before continuing my journey, as all the battles today have exhausted me considerably!
"Incredible... Ten... Ten, damn it... junior leaders..." Zhou Min repeated with a devastated look. "Jiaxing Er, darling, how long did it take him?"
"A little less than a minute," Jiaxing Er stated confidently and with a smile, looking proudly at me, as girls usually look at their boyfriends when they do something cool. Although, if I thought about it, I could have finished faster, using the spiky turtle; their skulls are quite fragile, so ten seconds would have been more than enough. They wouldn't even have understood what happened.
A minute, for ten junior leaders… For a mid-level first-stage mage, even with spiritual seeds… No, I'm not surprised anymore… This time I'm really fed up… - She muttered, staring with an empty gaze at the battlefield.
"Stop talking nonsense and go get your seed!" - I shouted at her, stopping. - "Although no, I'll study it first, then you can take it." - I said, turning towards the crater.
Standing on the edge of the crater, I saw a red sphere, the size of a soccer ball, maybe a little smaller. A close examination of the energy it emitted made it clear that this seed had long since ripened and had been used by the lizards before. Without precise instruments, of course, it was difficult to determine by eye how many times it would strengthen magic, but by approximate estimation, it was still a large spiritual seed. It is also worth noting its unusual aura; I studied the theory of seeds in school from various books and by talking with teachers, so I was able to identify an additional effect of this seed. Namely, an increased immunity of its owner to fire, even higher than that of ordinary seeds. However, more precise judgments would require time and precise instruments, neither of which I have at hand right now, so I can only give it to Zhou Ming, and she will figure it out herself.
"Can I really take it?" - Zhou Ming asked, examining the seed with me and looking at it greedily.
"Yes, why not?" - I asked indifferently. - "Neither I nor Jiaxing Er have the element of fire, Mo Fan already got one for himself. Although this one will be stronger, I'm not going to drag this seed to him."
"But, this… How should I put it… You found it yourself and killed those who guarded it." - Zhou Ming began to refuse. - "Yes, and I didn't help you at all, you are too strong to need my help…"
"I said take it, period!" - I snapped, losing my temper. - "What am I supposed to do with it, sell it? Money is useful, but I'll get as much as I need anyway. Don't forget I know how to make artifacts, and they are damn expensive. Besides, you are my student, it is in my interest that you be strong. Or are you going to drag yourself behind me, constantly relying on me? And what will happen if I am not around in a moment of danger?"
"I understand, I got it." - Zhou Ming agreed, lowering her head, descending into the crater and touching the seed. Gradually, the fire energy flowed from it, through her hand directly into her inner world, like a reddish haze, and the sphere itself gradually began to shrink. It took less than a minute for it to disappear completely. - "Am I done?…" - Zhou Ming said uncertainly, more asking than stating a fact, turning to me and Jiaxing Er, who had approached.
"Yes, apparently, do you feel any changes?" - I asked.
"No, nothing, it seems." - After that, she traced the star path of the fire wave and cast a spell to the side. The flash was about three times larger than usual. - "Wooo…" - Zhou Ming drawled, greatly surprised by what she saw.
"Alright, let's go back, I still have a lot to do, you'll study your new power later." - I said, waving my hand and heading for the exit. I need to make a lot more artifacts before I go to the tournament of the three families for body tempering, and I have about three weeks!
Emerging from the cave, we saw that it was already starting to get dark. Walking at night was naturally a foolish idea, so we decided to spend the night in the cave. This time, Zhou Ming herself sat down to cultivate, and even more diligently than usual; it was clear that obtaining the spiritual seed had a significant effect on her. When Jiaxing Er fell asleep, I went to meet the "rich kids" who were now listed as my slaves. I found them not far from the place where I fought the tiger; they had also set up camp, but they weren't going to sleep, evidently all deciding to wait for me.
"Oh, you've returned." - Kang Guang replied, noticing my arrival first. - "We were already starting to worry."
"I was a little delayed." - I honestly replied, not believing his flattery for a moment. If I were to accidentally meet my death not through their fault, it would mean automatic release from the contract. Of course, to their deepest regret, they themselves could not influence this in any way; on the contrary, if they knew that I was in danger and did nothing, except that I myself ordered them not to interfere, then their souls would be torn apart by the power of the contract.
"Here, everything we managed to collect." - Kang Fu replied dejectedly, pointing to several rather heavy bags.
"Excellent, you worked well." - I said, praising them. - "I think in about a month or two, I'll visit you again with gifts."
"What? What gifts?" - Yin Lan asked, slightly alarmed and a little livelier.
"Didn't I tell you I know how to create artifacts?" - I asked a rhetorical question. - "So I'll give you an artifact each, what are your wishes, while I'm in a good mood?" - I asked, looking at them all with a questioning gaze. I decided to give them artifacts for several reasons. The first is completely natural, the desire to have better tools, that is, stronger pawns. The second is that I still need to practice and develop my skills in artifact creation. Well, and also for one more reason, but that's for another time.
"What? You'll personally make artifacts for us?" - Meng Ji asked with excitement, convincing me more and more that she had a foxy character, and that she was more dangerous than anyone else in this group.
"Yes, since I said so, it will be so." - I declared, completely seriously. - "Only if you want something truly good, you'll have to help me both financially and with finding suitable materials. I think that's quite natural. If you doubt my skills, then here, take these, I made a lot of them, the price is about ten million." - I said, handing them shields that I had once shown to Luo Sun. Of course, there was no particular point in giving them away, but as a gesture of goodwill and to earn the trust of new subordinates, it would do. Fear is good, but it will never make people work for you with all their might; respect is what an employee should truly feel towards management. And how management thinks about employees is another matter, the main thing is that no one knows about it. So, a contract is good, but respect doesn't hurt either.
"Well, since you're offering, I'd like something that will increase my abilities in earth magic, as well as strengthen me in close combat." - Kang Guang said respectfully, raising his head, holding a shield in his hands.
"Gauntlets will do?" - I asked, looking at his build and estimating what kind of artifact I could make for him.
"I think so." - He replied, after a moment's thought.
"Now it's my turn!" - Kang Fu raised his hand, with excitement in his eyes. - "I want magical daggers. I was very interested in your fighting style, I want to try it too."
"Okay. I'll come up with something." - I nodded, without a hint of irritation at his inappropriate tone; I frankly didn't care.
"Then can I have a speed-type artifact, so I can dodge opponents?" - Meng Ji asked.
"I'll come up with something." - I nodded, shifting my gaze to Yin Lan.
"Well, and I would like armor." - She stated honestly, slightly embarrassed.
"Excellent, I'll take your measurements now to fulfill the order, so please stand up." - I said, taking a measuring tape from my spatial bracelet, and at the same time thinking, what kind of junk am I still carrying there? Finishing and estimating what I was going to do, I added. - "For now, each of you owes me fifty million yuan, you can transfer it to this account." - I said, giving them my card details.
"Fifty!" - Kang Fu almost choked on air. - "What will we tell our parents when we ask for the missing money?"
"Don't you earn everything yourselves?" - I asked, slightly surprised.
"Yes, but fifty million, as you can easily understand, is an insurmountable sum for us. We are certainly stronger than ordinary mages, but you can't earn much by selling monster parts." - he said.
"Well, I don't know." - I replied, scratching my head and remembering how much I earned from it. Although he's right, my main profit was souls, not the materials from monsters themselves. - "Alright, just say that during the hunt you met the blacksmith's apprentice Tan Tao from Nanjing, Tan San, and taking advantage of his good mood, you were able to order good artifacts for yourselves cheaply. Bye." - I said, waving my hand and leaving them in shock.