Klaus had no idea how Elder Quinn would punish him. Would he also assign Klaus to conquer other tribes?
"While we knew that the Snake Man and Bear Man tribes were planning to attack us, we didn't have any intelligence on them, and our scouts couldn't find the Snake Man's lair." Elder Quinn said to Klaus, "I understand you've befriended a snake woman and discovered a way to get her to take you to the Snake Man's lair. We must act before they attack us."
"I'll do it," Klaus said.
Elder Quinn glanced at Rand and Klaus, then dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "Get out of here."
Lyme intercepted Klaus as he was leaving the tent, pulling him aside to a secluded area.
"Are you okay?" Lyme asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Klaus replied curtly, wondering how he was supposed to find the lair of the serpent woman, whose loyalty to him he wasn't entirely sure of, even though she had become his slave. Would the serpent woman betray him, like Yuna had?
"I heard you were seduced by a succubus," Lyme said. Lyme then approached Klaus, who took out a clear glass vial filled with a red liquid from his pocket.
"This is my new energy-restoring potion with rhinoceros blood in it," Lyme said mysteriously. "I'm only giving you this privately. Don't let anyone else know, especially not Elder Quinn."
"So, you want me to test the effects of this potion?" Klaus surmised, having read Lyme's intentions. He guessed that the potion must have been secretly developed by Lyme without his knowledge.
"Lyme just wants me to study dark arts and poisons with him," Lyme complained. "But I don't want to be like him."
"Is this potion safe?" Klaus asked.
"Actually, I'm not so sure," Lyme smiled wryly. "You're the first to try it."
"Any side effects?"
Lyme shook her head, indicating she didn't know, and Klaus asked, "Will this potion kill me if I consume it?"
"No, it won't."
Klaus unscrewed the cap and drank the draught in one gulp.
"How does it feel?" Lyme asked expectantly.
"It tastes terrible," Klaus said, his stomach just starting to settle down after the initial churning.
"Don't you feel your energy returning?" Lyme asked reluctantly. "Maybe you can test your strength."
"Lyme, to be honest, this potion doesn't work," Klaus said. "I don't feel any difference."
Lyme cursed, and just as she was about to leave, Klaus suddenly remembered something.
"Lyme, I have something to ask you."
"What?"
"Is there any spell that prevents a slave from betraying his master?" Klaus asked.
Lyme thought for a moment, "I saw an additional contract spell in Lyme's magic book. It's a spell similar to a telepathic link. When a slave has a rebellious heart, the master can detect it at any moment. But the implementation of such a spell usually requires a medium."
"Can this spell be attached to metal?" Klaus asked, remembering the slave collar he had had made by the blacksmith.
"Absolutely."
"Can you operate this spell?" Klaus inquired. "If you want to attach a spell to the collar."
"I'm a wizard," Lyme confidently said. "It's easy for me."
"Good." Klaus said, "I'll let you know when I need you."
After bidding farewell to Lyme, Klaus was about to go to the blacksmith's tent to retrieve the collar, but just then the panel suddenly appeared.
[Message: Ignoring system warnings will cancel your luck and you will be penalized.]
[The punishment will start in 3 minutes, so please be prepared for the transfer.]
"Damn, there's even a punishment."
Klaus glanced around and saw several patrolling troll warriors walking in his direction. So, pretending to be innocent, he hastened back to his tent, instructing the serpent-woman not to let anyone in.
[Host is about to transfer after 10 seconds of countdown]
Klaus stood in the middle of the tent, waiting silently for the time to pass.
[10, 9, 8, ... 2, 1]
The roar reached Klaus's ears, and suddenly his feet sank into the ground, sending his whole body tumbling rapidly.
The blinding sunlight fell directly on his eyes, and when he regained consciousness, he saw that he was actually in a barren desert.
[Requirements: Survive in the desert for 40 minutes.]
[15% HP remaining]
Under the scorching desert sun, Klaus felt a stifling dryness. His skin was mercilessly burned by the sun, and every breath seemed like a consuming flame. He was disoriented and physically and mentally exhausted. However, little did he know that the real crisis had just begun.
Suddenly, he felt a strange tremor, as if the entire desert were trembling. He looked up and saw a huge centipede crawling towards him. The centipede was enormous, its body resembling that of a giant dragon, each segment gleaming with a metallic sheen. Its hundreds of legs churned through the sand, kicking up clouds of dust.