In the South City District, a monument-like structure was emitting bursts of foul odor. The residents of Alchemy City would avoid it from a distance when passing by; the smell could easily cause dizziness and nausea if inhaled for too long.
It was one of the entrances to the vast sewer system of Alchemy City. Although everyone knew sewers were places where filth congregated, such a strange odor had never appeared before.
After all, in Alchemy City, where even sewer entrances were made into artistic statues, how could they tolerate the spread of such a stench? A few years ago, such a foul smell would have been cleaned up within half a day due to residents' complaints.
Now, people could only pinch their noses and take a detour.
When Amberser and Naomi arrived at the place, they saw the thief and ranger entering the sewers from afar.
Naomi couldn't help but say, "They are even willing to put themselves in danger just to harm others."
The two actually braved the stench to enter the sewers, all just to set someone else up, and the innocent druid girl was deeply shocked by such malice.
Amberser, on the other hand, didn't feel much about it. He thought that the druid girl must have been well protected since childhood, and given the doctrines of the druids tended towards goodness, she probably led a life of simplicity and beauty within her tribe. Now the tribe was in trouble, she had no choice but to face this harsh world on her own.
This feeling of having one's worldview forcibly shattered must be very uncomfortable.
Amberser simply said, "Welcome to the real world."
Having traveled through several hundred years, Amberser might only have mixed into becoming a legendary figure of dubious authenticity, but he had seen countless evils in the human world, and a small matter like the present one didn't even deserve his memory.
Naomi remained silent for a while, not too disheartened, but rather showing a bit more resolve.
"Master Ultraman, shall we go in now?" Naomi asked.
Amberser replied, "No rush. You're a druid, so you should be able to summon beasts, right? Can you summon a crow?"
Naomi nodded. Summoning animal companions was the druid's specialty, and summoning crows was one of the basics. Through a magical ritual, the projection of a crow could be summoned from the distant wilderness, indistinguishable from a real crow, and an excellent scout.
Amberser pointed at the sewer entrance underfoot and said, "Summon a crow. Put it down here, have it take a detour under the statue and see."
Naomi instantly understood Amberser's intention—he was worried that the pair had set traps at the entrance of the sewers.
Naomi couldn't help but think, "This undead is really cautious; I really did find the right person."
Yet, druidic doctrine and the undead were nearly in complete opposition, and Naomi worried that even if she rescued her people, she might not escape punishment.
But now wasn't the time to think about that. Amberser was the only lifeline she could cling to; even if it meant facing the punishment of the Deity, she'd have to wait until her people were rescued.
Naomi, following Amberser's instructions, summoned a crow and sent it through the sewer entrance at their feet. The moment the crow entered the sewers, Naomi's face changed. Summoned wilderness companions share most sensations with their masters, as if they were experiencing them firsthand.
Therefore, Naomi felt as if she had personally entered the sewers—the revolting stench intensified, nearly causing her to lose control of the crow.
Forcing herself to endure the discomfort, Naomi controlled the crow to circle around. She found no sign of the two people who had entered before and saw no traces of any traps. Unable to stand the stench any longer, Naomi quickly recalled the crow and reported her findings to Amberser.
Upon hearing this, Amberser disdainfully said, "It seems they are just two incompetents. If I were to double-cross, I would leave at least five magic traps at the entrance."
"Shall we go in now?" Naomi asked.
"Don't rush, what if they were clever enough to leave a trap that you didn't notice?" Amberser said.
"Then are you planning to search again? You should have gone by yourself from the start, the undead don't have a sense of smell!"
Naomi was quite unhappy. If Amberser didn't trust her, why did he ask her to investigate? Wasn't that just getting smoked in the face for nothing?
"It's always good to be cautious, don't worry, there's no need for further trouble, we can just take a detour."
Amberser cast a spell, and magical power fell upon himself and Naomi. Naomi thought it would be another invisibility spell, but to her surprise, the bodies of both turned directly into two clouds of mist.
This was a spell of Vapor Form that could directly turn a solid into a gas, retaining consciousness and allowing movement by floating. In this state, one could be immune to physical and some magical attacks, but apart from moving, no other actions could be performed.
Naomi couldn't help but feel admiration: "Truly fitting for a mage, such an array of tricks."
Mages are different from other spellcasters in their professions, as they cast spells based on intelligence. In theory, as long as they can comprehend a spell, they can cast it, which means mages know many more spells than other spellcasters.
As for whether they are jack of all trades, master of none, that depends on the individual and cannot be generalized.
Amberser, carrying Naomi with him, entered the narrow sewer entrance in their gaseous state, entering the underworld of Alchemy City.
Contrarily, upon entering the sewers, Amberser swiftly dispelled the Vapor Form effect.
Amberser said in surprise, "How did this wretched place become like this."
Rot, decay, evil... These negative auras seemed to have become tangible, and even he, as a Lich, felt uncomfortable.
Right after entering the sewer in a gaseous state, Amberser felt his body beginning to be corrupted; he didn't know how many disgusting things he would be infected with if he maintained the Vapor Form for too long, so he decisively reverted to his corporeal form.
Naomi had a lower resistance than Amberser, and within a short time, her complexion turned green. The wide exposure to the filthy air in Vapor Form rapidly contaminated her.
After returning to her human form, she was pale and so weak that she could not even stand firmly.
As Amberser was preparing to purge these negative effects from Naomi, he saw a flash of light from the palm of her hand, and suddenly, she had an oak statue.
Pure green light spread like a wave from the statue, life thrived and unfolded, carving out a safe space within the polluted sewer environment.
Naomi's strength rapidly returned, and the pollution in her body was instantly purged clean.
Amberser stood outside this green barrier as if the layer of green light was more terrifying to him than the stench of the sewers.
Amberser stared at the statue for a moment and exclaimed in surprise, "A Sylvanas Statue? Has your tribe been blessed by a Deity?!"
Sylvanas, the natural deity, is the god whom most Druids worship. But worship is one thing—believing in a god doesn't mean the god will concern themselves with you. Yet Amberser could sense powerful divine power within this small statue, a blessed object from a Deity, a treasure that would be the pride of any Druidic tribe.
Things began to get complicated.
Such a treasure would never leave the tribe unless it was annihilated.
Naomi came alone with a Divine Artifact to save someone... Either her tribe had been wiped out, or she had stolen this from her tribe.