This left a deep impression on him. Nero's perception was stronger than that of an average martial artist in the same realm.
Nero took a glance at Amaya, "So you can survive on your own… impressive." Nero said in his usual condescending tone.
Amaya scoffed, "I never said I was weak, I was only wounded that's all."
"Fire Qi essence attribute… very common but useful."
"Who are you to be so arrogant!?"
"Who am I?" Nero said up to here and smirked.
"If I told you that, then I would have to kill you."
Nero's words were casual but carried a thick wave of killing intent. Amaya shuddered and took a few steps backward. A cold chill ran down her spine as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Amaya trembled, her eyes filled with a deep sense of fear. That wave of killing intent was thicker than anything she had ever felt! Nero looked at Amaya's fearful state and withdrew his aura.
Turning around, he beckoned, "If you don't want me to leave you behind, then pick up the pace."
The fear-stricken Amaya was hesitant at first, but gritting her teeth, she followed after him.
"Listen up, I know you have no business with me and you have no reason to help me. But if you do help me and lead me safely to the State Master's City, you'll be greatly rewarded. What do you think?"
Sensing Nero's killing intent just now left Amaya to think that if Nero wanted to kill her, it would only take a snap of his finger to pinch her to death. Traveling with a stranger that could pinch you to death at any moment was indeed risky. The human heart they say isn't trustworthy. Taking advantage of someone's weakened state to attack was a strategy fondly adopted by humans. It wouldn't be surprising if Nero took advantage of the fact that Amaya was injured to plunder her or even do worse things to her. Feeling that she was at the mercy of someone else made her heart twist in agony, but this was her fate and she had no other option than to accept it.
Striking a deal with Nero was the only safe idea that she could come up with at the moment. Besides, she and Nero had nothing in common, so utilizing his strength and ability to flee this dreadful jungle was indeed a reasonable idea. Nero's interest suddenly piqued.
His brows tilted upwards as he asked, "What kind of rewards can you give me?"
"Any reward you can think of…. But you have to get me there safely to find out." Amaya smirked. To her, she was calling the shots.
On the other hand, Nero was deep in thoughts. What kind of treasures did the powerhouses of this world have?
Saburo who was hailed as a top expert of the Western Earth Kingdom possessed a low-grade spatial ring. According to Nero's standards, that was relatively poor. A top expert was one who had lived for many years and accumulated a huge amount of wealth; some even establish sects with their accumulated wealth. But if a top expert possessed a low-grade treasure, then can they be considered wealthy? And what kind of rewards would they be able to give out?
Treasures are divided into Mortal grade, Profound grade, Earth grade, Heaven grade, and Divine grade, each having three subclasses- low, mid, and top. If Nero was to grade Saburo's spatial ring, it would be a top-class mortal grade treasure, which is considered relatively low. The spatial ring might be of a low grade, but its rarity among martial artists can only be imagined. However, these martial artists can also be considered poor.
Nero had already come to a conclusion that he was in a lesser realm, but he still wanted to know how strong these powerhouses were; which also included the type of treasures they possessed.
Taking his time to think about it, Nero finally nodded in agreement.
"Alright, we have a deal. But don't think of swindling me."
"Do you think so little of me?"
"It doesn't matter what I think. Humans show their true nature when the situation doesn't favor them any longer. It's possible that your Gandor Kingdom can switch sides at any moment and can go as far as holding me captive."
What Nero said what undoubtedly true. Humans have had a lifelong record of betrayal. When the situation places them on top of others, they can use heavy-handed means to achieve whatever they want. But when placed below others, they tend to act humble while waiting for the perfect time to strike. Every logical person would always be cautious against this when striking a deal with anyone. Nero didn't particularly fear this outcome taking place, in fact, he was preparing for it to happen. But he just didn't like being swindled. After all, the reason why Nero attacked the Black Dragon squad was that his five petal blazing was stolen from him. The fact that his flower was directly taken from his hands sent him into an instantaneous rage.
Amaya still tried to convince Nero otherwise, "That's not true! My Gandor kingdom would never-."
"That's enough! We'll have this conversation again when the time comes. For now, you should focus on surviving. Don't think I'll pamper you because I agreed to your deal. If you don't want me to leave you behind, then pick up the pace." Nero waved his hand dismissively.
"Who does he think he is!?" Amaya grumbled in her heart daring not to say it out loud, lest she incurs the wrath of her only hope of leaving this jungle. She bit her lip and followed after Nero.
Their journey continued with the usual silence. They passed many miles and encountered many vicious beasts on their way; Nero undoubtedly butchered them all. Amaya too helped fight off some of them. Her overall condition had also improved and a majority of her injuries were healed.
On this day, they were pushing their way through a thicket of bushes. Nero abruptly stopped in his tracks. Expanding his senses, his eye suddenly lit up, "Water!"