Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

The monster didn't answer, but in an instant, it transformed into a whirlwind again, lunging towards Leslaufer. Dople drew his sword to meet the attack; a layer of shimmering mage armor flashed around him, providing extra protection for the warrior who hadn't had time to don the Broken Halberd's armor. At the same time, Angrita and Marie, on either side, simultaneously extended their blades towards the two-headed tiger that was trying to threaten Leslaufer.

With a "crack," the monstrous tiger retreated immediately after its failed attack, its teeth clashing loudly with the blade of Shouzhi Changshi's sword. However, as it lunged forward again, its other head suddenly turned and bit at Mary on the other side.

"You think my sword is thinner?" Margaret was no longer the same person she used to be. Faced with such a sneak attack, her feet moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, while the Sea Song Blade was as sharp as a wasp's sting. As she dodged the bite, the tip of the rapier immediately touched the tiger's ribs, causing it to roar in pain.

But it had little time left to roar and howl, for Raslaufer's black flame greatsword had just switched from offense to defense and was now on the offensive again. With a series of alternating strikes, one above and one below, the tiger blocked all of the monster's escape routes as Raslaufer advanced. Finding itself unable to maneuver further, the two-headed tiger was forced to unleash its full ferocity, charging towards Raslaufer, who was only wearing an undershirt, in a desperate, life-or-death attack.

This is very unusual for ordinary wild beasts, and even monsters with sufficient intelligence often do not act this way. Only creatures caught in the middle would fight back so desperately.

But this time it had chosen the wrong opponent. When it was ferocious, Reslaufer was even more ferocious! Reslaufer's black flame greatsword crackled through the air, creating a powerful gust of wind that even distorted the light from the campfire and the Light spell. After a brief exchange, as the two-headed tiger's left head lunged to bite, he suddenly released his left hand, letting the hilt rotate half a turn in his palm. He then gripped the unsharpened part of the branch with his other hand, reversing it, and the fiery backblade instantly and precisely wedged into the monster's jaw, reaching its throat.

Driven by primal instinct, the monstrous tiger was terrified of impending death and hastily retreated. But Raslaufer did not thrust his sword forward; instead, he drew it back towards himself, and a streak of blood flashed through the air as the two figures separated. When the giant tiger landed, its left jaw was ripped in two, hanging limply and dripping with blood!

“Annie! Remember, the worst thing you can do at a time like this is to keep pushing forward, understand?” Compared to the monster that was already badly injured, Leslaufer seemed calm and even had the leisure to lecture Angreta, “Length is an advantage, but the source of this advantage lies in the ability to control it. If you only extend it without retracting it, the power will not reach the end, and the advantage will turn into a disadvantage, understand?”

"If I continue to thrust my sword forward, but it retracts, then its speed in lunging forward again will inevitably be faster than the speed at which I withdraw my sword and power, and the landing point of its attack will be determined by it, and I will lose the initiative!"

Raslaufer's gaze remained fixed on the monster. He didn't care whether his attack had landed or not; it was just a natural reaction. Even if the monster had dodged, this retreat would have given him the strength to continue fighting.

But now that he has succeeded, the outcome is predictable.

Despite having almost completely lost its ability to fight or even survive, the monster showed no intention of retreating. It seemed to have gone mad, completely abandoning its speed advantage and only wanting to rely on brute force to fight Reslaufer. But how could it possibly be a match for Reslaufer with its left head and ribs injured? After only two exchanges, Reslaufer once again gained the upper hand, severing its outstretched claw with a single sword strike.

However, as the two-headed tiger stumbled and lost its balance, Leslaufer caught a glimpse of a pair of bright blue lights slowly illuminating deep in the woods not far away.

what is that?

Raslaufer was instinctively drawn to it. He had to figure out whether it was a threat or what they were looking for, but before he could see clearly, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed, and then a rolling darkness enveloped him from head to toe. Not to mention the blue light, even the campfire behind him was extinguished in that instant!

"Old Lei, don't look into those eyes!" Daisy's urgent voice rang out from behind. "Everyone! I'll cover everyone up first, don't panic!"

"That's the gaze of a petrified lizard!"

The news that it wasn't an attack by the spellcaster was a relief to everyone, but they quickly realized something was wrong.

“Daisy!” Mary’s voice trembled slightly. “How did you know?!”

"You're probably using slang you don't understand! How else could I have known? Of course, I saw it—"

Daisy's voice suddenly vanished into thin air, and the darkness spell she had maintained dissipated. Behind the group, however, stood a lifelike statue of a bard.

“Daisy! Damn it, how could you—” Mary stomped her foot abruptly, “Lord Raslaufer, I’m going to kill that beast!”

"I'll go with you!" Bella swung her wooden stick, and the branches on both sides suddenly grew wildly, lifting her and Mary into the air, propelling them into the distant forest. "Leslaufer, watch out for that monster's saliva! Daisy can't maintain your shield anymore!"

"I don't need your reminder!" Raslaufer roared, suddenly swinging his greatsword down at the other, still-intact, head of the monstrous tiger. Just as it raised its last remaining paw to deflect the incoming sword, Dople suddenly abandoned the greatsword and rammed headfirst into the two-headed tiger's embrace, its arms protruding into its chest with a sudden burst of strength!

"Open it for me!"

Chapter 558 The Song of the Sea Blade

The tips of his palms pierced the flesh, and as Dobulle's shoulders suddenly opened to the sides like steel machinery, the monster let out a heart-wrenching wail in his grasp.

At this moment, it was no longer a description, but its entire chest cavity was torn open to both sides by Raslaufer! The two ribs that had been tightly closed were so loose as if they were not attached to any part of the body, and were easily torn apart by the enemy in front of it, along with the internal organs that rushed out!

An indescribable stench immediately enveloped Raslaufer, and even after the giant tiger was knocked flat on its back and crashed into the dust by Raslaufer, it was still not dead, trying to continue to tear and scratch with its gradually cooling teeth and claws, leaving some souvenirs on this opponent that it could not possibly defeat.

But it was destined not to do so. Angelita rushed forward, her emerald sword flashing twice, severing both of the giant tiger's heads. As Raslaufer crashed into the tiger's body, he ripped out its heart, and the ferocious beast finally stopped beating.

Meanwhile, Bella and Mary also cornered the second monster that was sneaking up from the shadows—Daisy was right, it was indeed a petrified lizard, and most likely the same one Louise's team was chasing.

But like that giant tiger, it had now shaken off its pursuers, with only a few arrows stuck between its scales on its back serving as proof of their existence.

"Go around to its side and back!" Bella leaped up, transforming into a Deinonychus in mid-air, and pounced on the back of the eight-legged creature. She immediately noticed several scabs and bloody holes that had been smashed open and cracked around the creature. Without hesitation, she kicked out her claws and slammed them into the holes.

The petrified lizard, in pain, began to shake violently, trying to throw the predator off its back. Mary seized the opportunity and extended her rapier, attempting to blind the lizard first.

Unfortunately, facing this creature, which was even larger than the monstrous tiger, it was difficult for her Sea Song Blade to lock onto a precise landing point. The tip of the sword repeatedly protruded forward, only to miss its mark time and time again, leaving small wounds of varying depths and sizes on the petrified lizard's head, neck, and shoulder blades.

"Damn it, Bella! Can't you make it stay still?!" Mary complained, somewhat annoyed. "I can't aim at it like this!"

The druid, now in Deinonychus form, roared in dissatisfaction. But just then, the petrified lizard suddenly rolled to the side, seemingly trying to pin Bella down. Helpless, Bella could only leap high into the air, transforming back into human form the instant she landed. At the same time, she used the surrounding thorny vines to bind the petrified lizard's eight legs, torso, and neck.

"This guy's upside down like a turtle!" Bella said, as the thorns binding the petrified lizard snapped open. "Hurry up, the soil here is too bad; it won't grow any decent vines!"

Mary rushed forward and aimed her sword at the monster's eyes. However, just as she thrust her sword out, the monster suddenly unleashed its gaze ability again—even as it was knocked to the ground, it still kept its bright blue eyes fixed on Mary!

"Oh no!" Bella and Mary cried out almost simultaneously, but it was too late. Mary felt as if her blood was freezing, and her movements became sluggish.

Could it be that she's going to follow in Daisy's footsteps? But at least the poet protected others; what... has she done?

Mary felt her thoughts begin to freeze. Was this what it felt like to be petrified? So this was what Daisy had just experienced? It must have been incredibly painful for her mind…

The rapier stopped just one or two centimeters from the eyes of the petrified lizard lying on its back, unable to advance any further. Bella looked at Mary, whose body was mostly petrified, in a panic. This brief moment of distraction caused several more of the thorns binding the petrified lizard to break, and it was about to regain its freedom.

However, at that moment, a melodious song suddenly rang in Mary's mind, which had almost completely frozen. The song was not Daisy's, but it was just as pleasant, and behind the song, there seemed to be the sound of splashing water, wave after wave.

In a daze, Mary seemed to see a vast blue ocean, with dark clouds covering the sky, the thick clouds almost completely blending into the sea. But at that moment, as the waves surged back, a graceful woman with a human torso and a fish tail suddenly emerged from the waves, pushing the waves with her hands, cutting through the water in Mary's direction.

Amidst this series of sounds, just as Mary was about to be plunged into complete darkness, she saw the mermaid open her lips; just as her hearing was about to fall into silence, she heard a high-pitched yet unfamiliar shout:

(A mixture of aquatic and mermaid languages) "Vasha rel'enth thalassar, zhoth'velen dorn! Iliath marenthiel zhoth'vundu, Sylvanash ir'inthael dor'undomar. Zhar'vundu thalassar primordis zhoth'meira! Vashanar il'korthis zhoth'dor'undu venash! Zhar'vundu... Melukina——Ith'vundar!" (Translation: O oppressed mortals, you have set foot in my boundless sea, and deserve absolute freedom. I am a descendant born from the first drop of the primordial sea, I am the enemy of all shackles and oppression, I am, Melukina—awaken!)

All the preceding songs, illusions, and words seemed to be a prelude to the final syllable. As the mermaid uttered the last sound like lightning and thunder, Mary, who had been gradually falling into silence, instantly awoke!

And that's not all!

The petrified lizard's pupils suddenly contracted. It was just a beast and had no way of understanding what had happened, but the result was obvious—the two-legged creature, which had been frozen in place by its gaze and could only become its prey, had its hardened stone surface completely reversed in just a few seconds—it had come back to life!

Without any hesitation, Mary continued forward with the Sea Song Blade she had already thrust out, the tip of the sword entering from one side of its head and exiting from the other, piercing straight through the petrified lizard's eyes, plunging the monster into excruciating pain and madness.

Its eight legs flailed wildly in the air. Although it had broken free from all its restraints, it could not turn its body over, and Mary was not going to give it that chance.

Subconsciously, entirely stemming from the illusion she had just experienced, she uttered a series of prayers in a strange, three-part aria:

"Thalas'shar... zhoth'vundar!"

The second syllable, accompanied by a tremor in her throat, stirred up a power that was not originally present. In an instant, a thick mist of water surged from the entire blade of the Sea Song Blade. The mist quickly condensed into water droplets, which then transformed into waves. It spiraled and swirled with the melody in Mary's mouth, and when the final "ar" sound was extended to the third beat, it suddenly expanded, instantly blasting the petrified lizard's head, which had already been blinded, into a sky full of blood mist and fragments!

Chapter 559 The Petrified Lizard's Stomach

This unexpected turn of events startled Mary so much that her wrist trembled, and she almost dropped her sword. But when she came to her senses, the petrified lizard in front of her had already collapsed to the ground, its head and most of its neck gone.

“Mary?!” Bella was taken aback. They all knew that Mary didn’t have much talent for magic, and even if she did, it probably shouldn’t be expressed in this way.

Is it because she comes from Qingzun City that she is better at manipulating water? That doesn't make any sense.

Moreover, she had witnessed Mary being petrified by the attack!

"It's not me, it's this sword!" Mary took a deep breath, took two steps back, and raised the rapier in her hand. "It's the power of this sword!"

“Daisy has had it for so long, and she didn’t even notice the magic inside?!” Bella was stunned for a moment, but then she thought of something more important. “Right, Daisy!”

"Quick, cut this guy's stomach open!" the druid commanded hastily. "We need its stomach—hopefully we can get enough secretions from it!"

At that moment, Raslaufer arrived. He didn't have time to care how the monster died. Upon hearing Bella's words, he immediately turned the headless corpse over and raised his greatsword: "Are you sure this will work?"

Only extracts properly processed by alchemists can be sold as commodities, but they are clearly not doing this to make money, so this is barely acceptable.

“The petrifying lizard’s original way of eating is to swallow the petrified objects into its stomach and transform them. Only after they are restored to their original form can its prey be digested,” the druid quickly said. “The active ingredients are the same, there are just a few other things—but that doesn’t matter!”

Raslaufer's hands hadn't stopped moving, and upon hearing this, he sped up even more, quickly cutting open the petrified lizard's belly and reaching inside to search for the necessary organs.

This is not difficult. The stomach of a petrified lizard is somewhat similar to that of a cow or sheep, except that it only has one additional chamber. It is here that the swallowed stones are softened and restored to prevent the hard spurs from damaging its real, relatively softer stomach.

"This must be it!" As Leslaufer cut off the cavity along with a large section connecting the top and bottom, Bella quickly took it and ran towards Daisy, who was being guarded by Angrita. The viscous liquid with a strong corrosive and pungent smell burned her hands and would burn Daisy as well, but now was clearly not the time to worry about that.

Bella reached into the "restoration bag" and scooped out the oil, applying it to Daisy's petrified body—focusing on her skin. Angreta also helped, covering as many areas as possible, even the matte in her hand. The effect was remarkable; in no time, the bard's physically "stone-like" face began to soften again, and her entire body returned to normal.

"Phew—" After being freed, the first thing she did was let out a long breath, then blinked a few times. Although she remained still, she looked at her anxious companions around her. "It seems like I didn't sleep for very long, did I?"

"It's not even dawn yet."

"You still can't move?" Unlike the poet, the druids and Angreta didn't have the leisure for such banter. They looked anxiously at Daisy, whose appearance had completely recovered, and were even ready to help her. "Should we help you move around..."

"No, don't move, let me rest for a bit," Daisy quickly stopped her, "I'm a little sleepy..."

In a petrified state, time almost stands still for the petrified person. Therefore, if we disregard the various emotional changes at the moment of petrification, it's more like entering a deep, dreamless sleep. And for Miss Daisy, who never does things the conventional way, her reaction at this moment is predictable—

She's out of her petrified state, but... she's having a bit of a cramp.

“You…” Bella walked to the side speechlessly. “I’ll go get a container to hold it. There’s still some left here, and we can’t let it all go to waste on you.”

If we were talking about the petrified lizard oil commonly sold, a small bottle the size of an index finger would be enough to restore a person. But since this was their companion, and the effects of unextracted material were uncertain, they used up most of the secretions, leaving only a tiny bit.

But there are always some. This petrified lizard is quite large, and so is this part of its organ.

“Mr. Raslaufer, please take a look at this…” Bella and Daisy then treated the three of them one by one, while on the other side, Mary called out to Raslaufer. She was now standing in place of Dopler in front of the disemboweled petrified lizard, with a broken stomach pouch pierced by a sword tip at her feet.

Inside are the food that the petrified lizard ate and which was then reconstructed to its original form, along with the "packaging" that contained the food.

What Mary wanted to show Leslaufer was a piece of tattered linen that hadn't completely rotted away.

“Even if it were restored to its finest form, it would still be the cheapest fabric, the kind that farmers weave themselves,” Mary believed Leslaufer would recognize it, but she still explained, “If it came from Louise Strongman or the Earl of Cartier’s retinue, its owner must have been extremely poor.”

"And I have not found any better fabric or armor fragments here."

“When Dieter first came to our house, he even had a red carpet laid out for him. His sisters could never be more frugal,” Raslaufer understood. “As for the count, as far as we know, only a few knights, all noble lords, have followed him to this area.”

They went back and opened the monster tiger's stomach again, arriving at essentially the same conclusion. Therefore, they could roughly conclude that the person they were looking for was, at least not yet inside the monsters' bellies.

Even if they were only planning to kill those people, surely they wouldn't refuse to eat a single bite?

“How interesting,” Daisy said, now that she could move again. She came over with a water bottle and, while Reslaufer washed his hands, she also tended to Dopler’s wounds. However, Reslaufer’s attention was elsewhere. “There should be pursuers behind them, but where are they now?”

"I'm afraid we'll have to keep investigating to find out."

Chapter 560 The Trap on the Mountain

With their prey dead, continuing the pursuit was pointless, but fortunately, human traces remained, still valuable targets. After another night of rest, the group set off again.

But Daisy was very unhappy.

"You mean, as a spellcaster, I carried this thing for so long and had no idea it was actually imbued with a third-circle Tidal Surge and a fifth-circle Greater Restoration spell?!" Daisy struggled to snatch the Sea Song Blade from Mary's hands and examined it carefully. "Incredible!"

"This is an unbelievable possibility! You know, even now, I can't see what abilities it has! If you all didn't say that—oh no, could it be that I've already lost my mind and you're all just my hallucinations?!"

The bard stared at Mary with her beautiful but seemingly dim-witted eyes, pleading, "Quick, do you have any little blue pills or something to wake me up...?"

With a sharp "snap," Bella stood expressionlessly behind Daisy, who was crouching defensively with her head in her hands, and withdrew the stick from her hand: "No pills, but I do have a stick. If you think you're still not awake, I don't mind hitting you until you are."

Still hallucinating? Her hands, which were still red from scooping secretions from the petrified lizard's "restore bag," are still red. Is that also a hallucination of yours, Daisy?

"Never mind," the bard said sheepishly, rubbing his head as he got up, but as he handed the Blade of the Sea Song back to Mary, he was still muttering to himself, "But what exactly happened?"

She wasn't looking at this sword alone; there was a devil standing behind her! How could she possibly be completely unaware of its power?

“The only possibility is that the power in this rapier is not only immense, but also requires strict and subtle conditions to be used,” Zheng Ling’s voice slowly rose, “so much so that we didn’t discover it at all.”

"Remember the inscription on the inside of its gauntlet? 'The Blade of the Sea Song - Dedicated to Melukina, the noble descendant who rides the storm.' I pulled some strings to look up Melukina. She was the first princess and the first queen of the mermaids in this world. Long ago, she liberated the mermaid race from the enslavement of evil creatures like the Kraken. She was known as the spirit of freedom, the enemy of all shackles and oppression. Tsk, what an arrogant and blind title."

Zheng Ling wasn't particularly interested in any of this, but then she mentioned something even more important: "Whether in the open ocean or the deep sea, there aren't many followers of the devil, so the information I have is limited. However, one piece of information points out that Melukina is very likely a descendant, chosen one, or incarnation of the god of storms and oceans in your world, the primordial sea Fakus. Fakus is considered the embodiment of the most primordial ocean that has existed since the beginning of time, and Melukina was born from His first drop of water, thus possessing unparalleled power."

"You're not trying to tell me that the Blade of the Sea Song is a divine artifact, are you?"

“You’ve all seen real divine artifacts before, and besides, Melukina herself isn’t a god,” Zheng Ling sneered. “But that rapier that was written as being dedicated to her now seems to be no ordinary offering.”

"But you don't need to worry about being found. Although mermaids can be amphibious, it's too much of a challenge for this species to venture deep inland."

"So how should we use this sword? Does it have any other powers?"

This time, the devil's silence was a little longer: "Well, I have no way of knowing. You intend for someone like me, who's in the Hellfire, to research magical items related to the Sea God?"

"However, I do have a speculation: Didn't Mary say that she only triggered its power after being petrified? Maybe that was the correct way to unleash its power."

The bard was taken aback, but in the end he could only accept this explanation: "Shackles and oppression are enemies... If you had already killed the enemy, where would the shackles and oppression come from..."

“Ah, at least we can agree on this point.” Zheng Ling laughed immediately.

Due to the elusive and unique nature of this power, the Blade of the Sea Song was ultimately continued to be used by Mary, and as time passed from morning to night, the group finally officially stepped into the mountains ahead.

Compared to the dense, almost impenetrable forest around them, the path Louise and her companions had taken was as clear as day in the darkness. Raslaufer quickly found their trail again and followed it towards the mountainside.

Here, however, the monotonous journey finally took a turn for the better. After rounding two felled trees blocking their path, they looked up and saw a hunting horse and two attendants trapped in a high-hanging net, their blood splattering on the ground below in dark brown spots.

No one intended to put them down; it would all be in vain—they were already dead.

“I recognize that horse,” Angelita said, tilting her head back to look at the magnificent steed, its coat a pure crimson, without a single blemish. “It belongs to Count Katina. But I don’t know anything about those two men…”

“They’re all mercenaries, probably employed by Louise,” Raslaw stroked his chin. “Interesting. It seems their two families have indeed joined forces.”

"But who set this trap? It can't be that they caught themselves, can it? If so, it would be incredibly stupid."