Chapter 28 Gem, do you want me to help you take a bath?
Next to the blood pool were buckets and net bags, covered with blackened blood clots. It was unknown how long they had been used.
Darien suppressed his nausea, wrapped the handle twice with a handkerchief, and fished it into the boiling pool of blood.
The net touched the bottom and encountered something in the pond. It was not heavy and not much, so I had to scoop it out twice.
Darien lifted it up, and the blood fell back into the pool of blood. The blood wrapped around several objects of unclear weight, making a crisp collision sound.
"Lianna?" Sewell's voice came from the deepest part of the cell.
Darien tilted his head slightly, but quickly turned back, opened a potion bottle, and poured the clear potion inside as detergent on the things he had fished out of the blood pool.
There was a sizzling sound from the blood, and a puff of smoke rose up. The potion and blood interacted with each other, and eventually the blood turned into smoke, and the things were washed clean.
They were a few blood-red crystals that reflected dazzling brilliance even in the dim firelight.
Darien wrapped up all the crystals in a handkerchief and took them back to further verify his guess.
"Did you find Lianna?" He walked towards the cell.
"She doesn't seem to hear me," Sevier replied.
Darien walked in and saw Sewell standing in the corner looking up.
In the cell with only cold walls, a figure that was so illusory that it was about to disappear was stuck to the highest point of one corner, like a crystal with the faintest light.
"Lianna? Lianna." Darien tried calling twice.
The illusory figure moved, but still maintained the posture of looking up.
"Lianna, Lady Mary asked us to take you away from here. Do you want to go home?" Darien thought for a moment and said.
"Mary... Madam..." Lianna finally lowered her head and looked at them standing on the ground.
"Come down, good girl." Darien imitated Lady Mary's tone and gently called Lianna.
"Madam..." Lianna's body floated and really fell from that small corner.
"Don't be afraid, we'll be able to go back soon." Darien put her into the small bottle that he had just poured out the potion.
They left here quickly and chased Tina as fast as they could, and finally caught up with them when they were almost at the exit.
They were blessed by the God of Destiny along the way, and did not encounter any enemy obstruction until they ran back to Tina's tavern.
Tina sent carriages to take back those who were just frightened and whose bodies were intact, and those who were still injured were all stuffed into the clinic.
"I didn't expect things to go so smoothly. We didn't encounter any of those bugs at all," Tina sighed. "I've already reported this to the patrol. They're already paying close attention to this terrible incident. I heard they've already loaned paladins from the church, hoping to catch them."
"Maybe they won't come back. They don't guard that place closely, but it's just a temporary place. I guess there's a formation at the bottom of the blood pool, and they can find another place at any time." Darien said.
"That's why it went so smoothly, so unbelievably smoothly," Sewell said.
Darien and Seville rarely come into contact with scenes requiring combat. If they were to encounter a head-on collision, Mr. Mage would most likely throw out eight Molotov cocktails to collapse the sewer.
"Well... well, how can we catch them? The patrols and the paladins can't sweep the entire sewer. Of course, I don't want them to do that. I have some extra business." Tina sighed.
"The wizards' underground market will not be open to them. Miss Tina, have you seen this thing?" Darien took out the handkerchief wrapped in the blood crystal stone.
The unusually bright blood-red crystal immediately attracted Tina's eyes.
"I've never seen them, but they are very beautiful. What kind of mineral is this? It doesn't look like ruby. The texture is not crystal, nor is it garnet. It has nothing to do with topaz or red tourmaline..." Tina picked up a blood crystal stone and put it in front of her eyes, looking at it over and over again.
"But this isn't a real gem." Sevier sighed.
"These were fished out of that blood pool. I guess they are blood crystals. A person's blood is refined and transformed by the magic circle and finally coagulated into this crystal stone about the size of a pigeon egg. A person's life has only this much weight." Darien said quietly.
"It's so disgusting." Tina had completely lost her previous admiration, and her stomach was churning with nausea.
"They are very beautiful, and one can be sold for tens of thousands of gold coins. In addition to being used as decorations, they can also be used as a potion ingredient and added to those forbidden prescriptions. Only wizards who walk on the edge would do that." Darien said.
"They should be hung up too and let them experience the same death. Those bedbugs have souls too, right? Their souls should be burned in fire or torn into pieces of paper so that they can also taste the pain." Tina put the blood crystal stone back.
"We will find them out. Miss Tina, can I borrow your carriage? It's time for us to go back. If the sheriff or people from the church come to ask us, please don't reveal our whereabouts or our identities." Darien said.
"No problem. Do you still need my help? I caught a little bit of their scent in the dungeon. I think if I smell it again, I might be able to find them out immediately." Tina said.
"It's getting late now. How about tomorrow morning at ten o'clock? We'll meet you here," said Darien.
"Then it's a deal. See you then." Tina said.
The lower town was already quiet. Sewell drove the carriage, and the sound of wheels and horseshoes echoed in the empty streets. Only the moon above their heads accompanied them all the way until it took them to Lady Mary's mansion.
Lady Mary left the door open for them, and the night watchman led the carriage in.
This night took a lot of energy from Darien, and the journey back was bumpy, but he still fell asleep with his head leaning against the car window.
"Shh. I'll do it." Sewell said to the servant who was about to come forward to help.
He picked up Darien, carried him inside, upstairs, and laid him on the couch.
"Dear master, wake up." Sewell shook Darien gently.
"Um...I can't bear it..." Darien hummed softly.
"Do you want me to give you a bath?" Sewell asked as he continued shaking.
"No..." Darien was on the verge of losing consciousness.
The dazed wizard felt like there was an annoying fly next to his ear. He couldn't understand what it was saying, but it kept buzzing and he really wanted to slap it away.
"We went to the sewer today, and you don't want to go straight to bed, right?" Sewell pressed Darien's hand and said it again.
Mr. Mage finally woke up.
"You should have said it earlier. It's so dirty. I feel like a frog in the sewer, covered in green smelly algae." Darien began to throw his clothes on the ground.
Sewell hurried to the bathroom and prepared enough hot water for it before Darien stripped himself naked.
There were some disposable magic stones on the shelf next to the bathtub. Each one was only a small piece the size of a fingernail. The magic stone of the fire element could be thrown into a bathtub filled with cold water, and it would make the water warm in less than a minute.
"I want to listen to my bedtime story later. Clean yourself up and don't let me smell like you do now, otherwise I will strip all the bird feathers off your body." Darien stood behind Sevier, frowning and pinching his nose.
"Okay, master." Sewell lowered his head and looked pleasing.
Looking down from this angle, you can only see Mr. Mage's straight legs.
Then he was kicked out, and Darien was left to enjoy his bath alone.
The servants placed a lot of bathing products on the shelves, including dried flowers, salt grains of various colors, and some soap grains.
Darien looked at the various colors in the containers, picked each one up and put it to his nose to smell it, picked out the scent he liked, and sprinkled it directly into the bathtub.
Halfway through he felt something was wrong.
Floating petals, melting salt grains, small pieces of scented essential oil soap... Why do I feel like I'm sitting in a crucible, and now all I need is a spoon and a flame underneath.
Darien quickly shook his head to drive away such strange thoughts, washed up quickly and went to bed!
Throwing away the strange thoughts, the comfortable hot bath made Mr. Wizard swell up like a ripe dandelion. He floated out of the bathroom, half-closed his eyes and rolled back into bed, waiting for the bedtime story.
The hot bath was so comfortable and the bed was so soft that I fell asleep without realizing it.
When Mr. Crow gently pushed the door open, Mr. Wizard was already fast asleep.
Mr. Crow felt sorry that the carefully selected storybook would not be opened tonight.
But it doesn't matter, double the goodnight kisses can make up for this little shortcoming.
Sewell leaned over and gently touched Darien's forehead twice. He smelled the scent of flower petals, bath salts and essential oil soap colliding together.
It was like a cat jumping onto a table and knocking over several perfume bottles.
"Good night, my dear...Darian." The faint murmurs quickly dissipated in the room and the curtains were lowered.
Darien was woken up very early the next day.
Before I could get angry, Seville said, "We have an appointment with Miss Tina today. Before we go out, we have to hand Liana over to Madam Mary."
Darien rubbed his face: "Oh..."
Lady Mary usually spent her mornings in the garden.
On a sunny day, she didn't like having breakfast alone in an empty restaurant, nor did she like the privilege of a married lady - having breakfast in bed.
The best place to stay is where there are blooming flowers and soft sunshine.
"Thank you for bringing back Lianna." Lady Mary stroked the small bottle.
The bottle containing the soul flickered slightly, as if responding to what she said.
"You're welcome. She responds to your name. You brought her back." Darien said.
"Dear Darien..." Lady Mary didn't continue.
"We have another question for you." Sewell changed the subject.
"Go ahead," Lady Mary blew on the hot tea.
Breakfast has just ended, so now is the time to talk about those blood crystals.
"Do you know this kind of stone?" Sewell spread out his handkerchief.
The blood-red crystal inside shines brightly in the sunlight.
"I know. They say these are Anatara's tears. Last time I attended Lady Britta's ball, she had a gemstone necklace inlaid with this stone around her neck. It was very sparkling. She was the most beautiful and dazzling woman in the audience that night." Lady Mary pointed a blood crystal stone towards the sunlight.
A colorful halo immediately passed through the crystal and fell onto the tablecloth.
"This is a blood crystal." said Darien.
He repeated to Lady Mary what he had told Tina last night.
Mrs. Mary is much calmer and more controlled than Tina.
She said, "It's something made of human life... It's truly beautiful... Many ladies were interested in it. After Mrs. Britta had built up enough anticipation, she told everyone it was a secret. She collected many deposits, and only she knew the jeweler who supplied it."
Darien said, "Each blood crystal can be sold for tens of thousands of gold coins. How many crystals are in Madam Britta's necklace? Is her and her husband's assets enough to cover such a bill?"
Lady Mary shook her head. "She can't afford the bill. There are 23 blood crystals, and they're weighing her down. I didn't order such a necklace. Lady Britta's attitude is strange, and I don't like the look in her eyes, but I can ask her."
Darien said, "Then please ask Mrs. Britta as much as you can, and we will look for other clues."
"Thank you for your hospitality," said Sewell.
Tina had been waiting in the tavern for a long time.
As a survivor, Rona was frightened for several hours and was questioned by various people all day long.
Tina simply gave her three days of paid leave.
"You are finally here. I have already eaten three roast chickens. If you don't come soon, I will eat all the last ones. I haven't asked you if you want to have breakfast. Here are roast chickens, roast potatoes, and free drinks." Tina threw a pile of clean chicken bones in front of her.
"We've eaten, thank you Miss Tina," said Darien.
The roasted chicken had a greasy and crispy skin, and the golden skin wrapped around the juicy chicken looked really delicious. He took a second look at it and now felt like eating it.
"Thank you for your invitation, Miss Tina. The roast chicken smells delicious, and I do feel a little hungry," said Seville.
Tina brought out two plates that had been prepared long ago. "Hehe, I knew no one could resist the roast chicken made by Chef Nok. Come on, have some so you can have the strength to continue working on your big things."
Darien wasn't hungry, just a little greedy.
He sat down with dignity and slowly separated the crispy chicken skin with a knife and fork. Golden oil drippings and chicken broth flowed at the bottom of the plate. Before putting the chicken into his mouth, he couldn't help licking his lips.
The tender chicken and the salty crispy skin collide between the lips and teeth. Just as Tina said, no one can refuse the roast chicken made by Chef Nok.
The pleasant meal did not last long. Darien wiped his greasy mouth with the handkerchief he had borrowed from Seville and ended the snack.
"I haven't been to the underground market for a long time. Fortunately, the road hasn't changed much. I should be able to take you there." Tina said.
Still drilling into the sewer.
They were like three mice thrown into a maze, led by the most experienced one. After repeatedly hitting the wall, they finally reached the entrance to the underground market.
"Welcome to the underground market. You must be a real wizard to pass me... even guests are welcome." The brass face above the door handle said listlessly.
Darien reached out and opened the door.
"Good luck to you." The voice of the brass-faced man was left far behind.
They walked quickly and after passing through an empty passage, they entered the underground market.
All kinds of shouting poured into my eardrums. The wizards who were spreading a piece of cloth on the ground were very enthusiastic and competed to sell their potions and amulets.
"One gold coin for one protection bracelet!"
"One silver coin for a box of golden phantom flower powder!"
"Three copper coins for a piece of sweet alyssum!"
Some items were sold at such a low price that Darian was tempted to buy them and then resell them in the store...
"I seem to smell the scent of those stink bugs and that crystal. It should be... this way?" Tina's nose twitched hard after sticking out from the edge of the hood.
There were too many and too mixed smells here, and she couldn't identify the direction of the smell accurately at once.
I can only look for it bit by bit.
The underground market is indeed a good place. While following Tina, Darian kept using his peripheral vision to identify the magical items. Because of the fierce competition, most of them are worth their prices.
When profiteers pass by, profiteers go away.
The unscrupulous businessman was about to spend money, but when he felt his pocket, he found no money.
"It's getting closer. I can feel it. It should be here." Tina looked up at the store sign in front of her.
The sign says Moonstone.
"Let's go in and take a look," Darien said.
"I'll wait for you outside. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself and will destroy the store." Tina scratched her head.
"Walk around here, don't go too far, and don't get too close." Darien nodded.
He and Sewell pushed the door open and walked in.
There was no one in the store, only a puppet.
The ceramic body, wooden support and rubber bands allow it to perform simple movements, which are simple but stiff.
"Guest, what do you need?" said the puppet.
"I need to see your master," Darien said.
"Sir, what do you need?" The puppet would only repeat this sentence.
"How was it made? Although it is very stiff, it should be able to understand simple instructions. I want apatite." Seville pried open the puppet's head.
"Good guest." The puppet turned its body.
But it was caught by Sewell, and its body could not move its head back.
"Sevier, let it go," Darien said.
Sewell let go of the puppet's head; its body was now halfway there.
The puppet walked to the cabinet containing the apatite, opened it, took out the apatite, walked back to the counter, and placed the stone on the scale to calculate its weight in grams.
If it had a head, this scene might not be so weird.
"I want the blood crystal." Darien said suddenly.
Click, click, click.
The puppet twisted its neck and its head looked at him from the table.
"I want the blood crystal." Darien repeated.
The puppet stopped moving and suddenly fell down, turning into a pile of broken pottery.
"Sevier, cover your nose and break the door open!" Darien suddenly covered his mouth and nose and shouted.
He took in a little of the sleeping potion, and his eye sockets began to lose their support.
Mr. Wizard is very sensitive to potions, and even smaller amounts of potions will have a very obvious effect on him.
Seville kicked open the door behind the counter. It turned out to be a storage room with an open door in the middle of the shelves of various gems.
The man ran away through the shopkeeper's special channel.
The werewolf's hearing was equally sensitive. When Darien's body was about to slide off the counter, a pair of strong hands lifted him up and gently placed him on the ground.
"Keep an eye on him! I'll chase him!" Tina said and rushed out of the back door very quickly.
A werewolf is a natural tracker, she will track people down.
"How do you feel now?" Sevier came back and helped Darien up.
"It's bad. I'm very sleepy. Quick, take out all the gems in the cabinet. I want to hear their sounds." Darien struggled to keep his eyelids open.
On the other side, Tina ran forward with her legs alternating rapidly, getting closer and closer... Run faster with your dead legs!
With a tearing sound, her body expanded rapidly, and suddenly her limbs landed on the ground.
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