I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Chapter 124 The Fire Witch

He had witnessed the power of this flame, and the fact that it could repel the mad dragon Stark when it was in the hands of the church squad was quite remarkable.

And now, that flame burns at his fingertips.

Although faint, although only a trace, but—

This is real.

Xia Lin stared at the wisp of silver flame at his fingertips and remained silent for a while.

He stared at his fingertips, savoring the feeling of that moment just now.

With this, we now have another way to attack.

He was secretly delighted, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Then he remembered a classic scene from a novel in his past life.

As if possessed, he raised his hand, spread his fingers, and swung it sharply into the air, his chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) spirit burning brightly: "Buddha's Wrath—Fire Lotus!"

The silver flame at the fingertips burst forth in response!

The wisp of flame, which was originally only the thickness of a thumb, suddenly expanded under his deliberate urging, transforming into a ball of silver light the size of a fist!

It rolled and spun in the palm of my hand, gathering into a ball of fire the size of a fist!

The room was brightly lit.

Xia Lin's eyes lit up as well.

Holy crap, that's amazing?!

"Dude—!"

Woody's shrill voice suddenly exploded, his wings flapping so hard he almost fell off my shoulder: "Calm down!! Look at the ring—!!"

Xia Lin was taken aback and looked down.

On the ring finger of his right hand, the simple silver ring was now emitting a faint glow. But what made his pupils shrink was the almost imperceptible, rapidly changing light on the ring's surface—

Energy value.

1.0%——————0.9%————0·.——5%——0·.92%——

"Oh my god—!!" Xia Lin frantically extinguished the flame, and the silver flame in his palm went out instantly.

The charge level is currently at 0.9%.

Xia Lin stared at the number, her heart almost stopping.

0.9%.

Just those few seconds of "Buddha's Wrathful Lotus" burned away a full 0.1% of the energy!

His face turned pale, and he muttered, "Is this fucking running on 98-octane gasoline? It's so expensive?!"

Woody landed back on his shoulder, patting his chest with his wing, looking visibly shaken. "What did you think this thing was? Unlimited refills of free ale? This is a sacred relic of the church! Every release requires consuming accumulated monster energy! And you, you used it like fireworks?"

Xia Lin took a deep breath, suppressing her regret, and carefully turned the ring around, as if looking at it any longer would cause its value to drop further.

Okay. He silently told himself that this thing would be his trump card from now on. He absolutely must not use it unless absolutely necessary.

Save it, save it —

He looked at Woody and forced a smile: "It's okay, just think of it as—testing the performance."

7

Woody rolled his eyes: "Try to use it sparingly from now on."

Xia Lin didn't reply. She put the ring away, leaned back in her chair, and let out a long sigh.

He recalled his gains along the way—the materials from the wolf-winged dragon, the energy gained from exchanging dragon scales, and the heavy holy symbol ring.

This trip has yielded a bountiful harvest.

It's time to take a break.

He planned in his mind that after Sinda repaired the equipment, he would go to Targen and tell him about Lance.

Although the news is bad, there has to be some explanation. Then I'll take on a few simple tasks and slowly process what I've learned this time.

The plan was well done.

Unfortunately, plans never keep up with changes.

a few days later.

A carriage decorated with silver flames and arrow emblems was traveling smoothly along the road leading to Waterdeep.

Inside the train carriage.

A black crow perched by the window, pecking at a small plate of French fries.

It ate with great concentration, occasionally letting out a satisfied "gulp," completely oblivious to the atmosphere around it.

Xia Lin leaned back on one side of the carriage, her expression complex.

Opposite him, the orc Garu and the dragonborn Kyle sat side by side.

Garu was looking at him with an "I can't help it" look, while Kyle remained expressionless as he gazed out the window at the fields rushing past.

Between the three, there was one person resting with their eyes closed.

woman.

Her fiery red mage robes couldn't conceal her curvaceous figure, even when she was seated.

Her rare long purple hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making her already fair skin appear even more radiant.

She placed her hands on her knees, her breathing steady, as if she were truly asleep.

But Xia Lin knew that she wasn't asleep.

Although those eyes were closed, he felt as if he were being secretly locked onto by something, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Alice.

Silverflame Church Investigator. Her profession is a fire-wielding witch, and an elite one at that.

Three days ago, when this woman appeared in the town of Elvin and specifically asked Xia Lin to return to the upper town to cooperate with the investigation, Xia Lin's first reaction was—

Refuse.

Are you kidding me?

The stolen ring is on my person. If the church has some means to sense sacred objects, wouldn't going there be like walking into a trap?

So when the other party made this request, Xia Lin shook her head vigorously.

No matter what conditions or benefits the other party offered, he always replied with one sentence: "Not interested."

Then----

Then he sat in the carriage.

The reason is also very simple.

We can't beat them.

Only after Kyle's whispered explanation did Xia Lin realize what level of being he was facing.

The Fire Witch is a master of fire magic, and her destructive power is terrifying among her peers. Moreover, Alice has already reached the level of an elite professional.

Elite professionals.

What does that mean?

Veteran adventurers like Kyle and Garu are merely the cream of the crop among formal professionals. Elite professionals, on the other hand, are those who can serve as officers in the kingdom's army or hold significant positions within the church.

So when Alice opened her eyes again, her bright eyes looking at him calmly, and softly asked, "Are you willing to cooperate now?" Xia Lin remained silent for a full three seconds.

Then he nodded.

Those who know the current affairs are handsome.

A wise man doesn't suffer a loss he can avoid.

Where there is life, there is hope.

He silently recited these profound words ten times in his mind before he could barely convince himself to accept this reality.

The carriage continued on its way, its wheels making a rhythmic creaking sound as they rolled over the gravel road.

Seeing the somewhat somber atmosphere, Garu cleared his throat, trying to comfort Xia Lin: "Um—Xia Lin, don't worry. Kyle and I have already told the Ilmat Church about what happened to you in the forest."

The Silverflame Church is just asking you to explain the mission; they won't do anything to you. You know, they're just going through the motions.

Xia Lin glanced at him and forced a smile: "I hope so."

He silently added to himself: The problem is, what they're looking for is right in my hands—

He glanced at Alice, who was still resting with her eyes closed.

The woman had a great figure and a beautiful face; her long purple hair and fair skin almost glowed in the sunlight.

But at this moment, Xia Lin's eyes held no admiration, only wariness and curiosity.