By the time the six of them left the guild, Lu Mao was already dressed as a ranger:
【Name: Ranger Standard Leather Armor】
【Grade: Fine】
【Trait 1: Pierce Resistance—Provides excellent protection against piercing and slashing attacks】
【Trait 2: Lightness Enchantment—The entire set weighs only five pounds, minimizing stamina consumption during long-distance sprints】
【Trait 3: Silence—Soft rivets connect the pieces of leather armor, integrating the entire suit so it makes no metallic friction noises when moving】
【Name: Ranger Standard Recurve Bow】
【Grade: Fine】
【Range: Effective range of 120 yards, maximum range of 200 yards】
【Trait 1: Stable Draw—The bow limbs utilize a laminated construction, ensuring that draw weight decay does not exceed ten percent within twenty consecutive shots】
【Trait 2: Silent Bowstring—The bowstring is treated with a mixture of beeswax and pine resin, reducing the sound of release by approximately thirty percent compared to standard bowstrings】
Warrior, swordsman, mage, priest, thief, ranger—with this, their party had assembled the most essential classes.
Rhode City's night market was starting to wind down.
Only the tavern on the street corner with the “Open 24 Hours” sign still had its lights on.
Rayne led the party down a narrow alley, passing through a gap between two houses draped with hanging bedsheets, and stopped in front of a three-story building made of wood and stone.
Half-withered ivy climbed the walls, and a faded wooden sign hung over the lintel, with “Cornflower Inn” carved into it in elegant cursive script.
The lettering was somewhat worn by time, but the pot of blooming cornflowers at the entrance was strikingly vibrant.
“You're back?”
Pushing the door open, the landlady behind the counter looked up. She was a human woman in her early fifties, her hair pinned up meticulously, her apron dusted with flour.
She clearly knew Rayne and the others. As her gaze swept over their brand-new equipment and the silver badges on their chests, her eyebrows arched. “This is... you got promoted to Silver Rank?”
“Just got promoted. We have a new member, so we'll need to open another room for him.”
Rayne pulled a silver coin from his waist and placed it on the counter.
“No charge for tonight. Consider it my congratulations.”
Pushing the silver coin back, the landlady took a ring of copper keys off the wall and pressed them into Rayne's hand. She then tilted her head to look at Lu Mao, sizing him up. “So this is the newcomer? He's even skinnier than you. He needs to eat more.”
She fished out a loaf of dry bread wrapped in coarse cloth from under the counter and stuffed it into Lu Mao's hands, leaving no room for refusal.
Standing to the side, Balen muttered sourly, “I've been here so many times and I've never seen her give me any bread.”
The landlady didn't even turn her head as she shot back, “Every time you come, you dirty the bedsheets I hang out in the alley. It's generous enough of me not to make you pay for them.”
Reaching the third floor, Lu Mao found his room. It had a bunk bed; sleeping alone here felt like a bit of a waste.
The bedding was made of coarse cotton, folded neatly, and the pillow carried a faint scent of dried lavender.
Right next door were the two rooms occupied by Rayne's group of four.
“I'm going to check on Liz. You guys should rest first.”
Lu Mao finally heard the name he had been waiting for.
Liz. It sounded like a girl's name.
Misha's room was separated from Lu Mao's by three walls. It was smaller, but quiet.
Lu Mao felt a bit concerned. He followed her from a distance to her door. Before she could push it open, a muffled cough drifted through the gap in the door.
The sound was very shallow and soft, as if the person coughing was afraid of being heard. After each cough, there would be a pause of several seconds to gather strength before another cough came, over and over again.
The moment Misha heard the coughing, her expression changed.
She pushed the door open and rushed to the bedside, not even taking the time to put down her staff.
The room wasn't large. A single bed sat near the window, and on the nightstand rested an oil lamp dimmed to its lowest setting and a half-empty cup of water.
A girl was half-reclining on the bed. She looked about three or four years younger than Misha, with the same light flaxen hair, though hers was more withered, spilling across the pillow like faded straw.
Her features bore a fifty-to-sixty percent resemblance to Misha's, but her cheeks were deeply sunken, her lips completely devoid of color, and her skin so thin that the faint blue veins near her temples were clearly visible.
She looked somewhat like the legendary vampires.
Hearing the door open, she quickly wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand before turning her head, forcing a smile.
“You're back, Sister?”
Lu Mao stood at the doorway without entering. He silently chanted in his mind, “System, Scan.”
【Scanning...】
【Target: Liz, Cleric (Apprentice)】
【Status: Blood-Thirst Syndrome (Late Stage)】
【Cause: Congenital Blood Curse—The patient's hematopoietic function is continuously dismantled by the curse, leading to blood necrosis】
【Symptoms: Early-stage symptoms include mild anemia and degradation of magic perception. Mid-stage symptoms include coughing up blood, fainting, and loss of affinity for Holy Light magic. Late-stage symptoms will result in organ failure and death due to complete depletion of blood throughout the body】
【Optimal Treatment: Panacea. The core ingredient of the Panacea, the “Flower of the River Styx,” can reverse the necrotic process of the blood curse, reconstructing the normal connection between the mana circuit and the hematopoietic function】
【Remarks: The curse mark within her body has already spread to the aorta near her heart. Without effective intervention, her remaining lifespan is estimated to be approximately one month】
Lu Mao read the remarks on the system panel back and forth twice—one month.
It was impossible to get the Panacea now.
Even if they obtained the Flower of the River Styx today, brewing the Panacea would still require at least one High Alchemist and one high-tier cleric to work together for several days.
Time waited for no one.
Misha sat by the bedside, using her sleeve to wipe away a trace of blood remaining at the corner of the girl's mouth.
Her voice was steady, but Lu Mao noticed that her hand gripping the staff was trembling.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Much better.”
Liz glanced at Lu Mao standing at the door. A flicker of curiosity crossed her eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by fatigue. “Who is this...?”
“Our new teammate, Lu Mao. He just skipped grades from Apprentice to Silver Rank today.”
“Skipped grades?”
Liz's eyes widened slightly, and Lu Mao saw the corners of her mouth curl up a tiny bit. “That's amazing.”
Misha didn't reply. She fished out the silver badge and the old silver ring from the pouch at her waist, placing them on Liz's nightstand.
Liz looked down at the badge, then at Misha. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Misha's sleeve.
“Sister, did you go to the dungeon again? You smell like blood—and the stench of monsters.”
“It was just a very simple, small quest. The client promised to give us a Panacea.”
Misha leaned her staff against the headboard, testing Liz's forehead temperature with the back of her hand. Her brow furrowed imperceptibly. “We're going to collect the reward tomorrow morning. Once you drink the Panacea, you won't have to cough up blood anymore.”
Seeing Liz in such pain, Misha wished she could head to the meeting place agreed upon with the client right this instant.
But at this hour, even if she went, she wouldn't necessarily meet up with them.
And yet...
Misha harbored a deep worry in her heart, but she didn't voice it.
Liz didn't say anything either.
She only gripped Misha's sleeve a little tighter, then slowly let go, turning her head to look out the window.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, falling onto the back of her skeletal hand, clearly highlighting the thin, intricate veins beneath her skin.
Rate on N.U.
