Even goblins are dangerous in this other world!

Page 176

But she never expected to have to use such a tool. You see, she was a fourth-tier high-level being known for her strength, and close combat had always been her forte.

Her abdominal wound continued to worsen, a result of Qiao Wei's sword, which could inflict secondary damage on injured enemies. Unfortunately, it hadn't even managed to injure Luo Xiu before he was knocked unconscious by a single punch.

Blood gushed from Elijah's abdomen. Despite the pain, she swung her staff, and an even larger crimson magic circle opened up above them, filling the sky above their heads.

A terrifying aura seeped from the magic circle.

Even without the prompting of the supreme being within him, Luo Xiu felt the arrival of divinity.

He had seen divinity far too many times and had long since memorized that aura.

"This must be the priestess's ultimate move," Luo Xiu thought to himself, then suddenly exerted force with his feet, instantly appearing in front of Elijah again.

He threw a punch, bracing himself to receive the emerald light.

What he didn't know was that the item needed a certain amount of time to charge, and that Elijah's other two Tier 4 items were both power-enhancing items.

So the emerald light didn't shine again. Instead, Elijah's arm, the one not holding the staff, crossed with Luo Xiu's fist and swung towards Luo Xiu's chest.

Her plan was simple: to restrict Luo Xiu's movements by taking a heavy punch from him, and once the magic circle in the sky was fully summoned, she would still be the victor in this battle.

The idea was great, but something unexpected happened.

For some reason, she felt a sense of weakness rising from the bottom of her heart, which greatly reduced the speed and power of her punches.

What power is this?

She opened her eyes wide in horror, watching as the shadow of Luo Xiu's punch grew larger and larger.

Chapter 136 First Encounter with Rivers (Five Minutes Later)

boom!

Luo Xiu's punch landed directly on Elijah's head.

The sound of bones cracking rang out, and Elijah's head snapped to one side, bent like a broken plank of wood; her neck was likely broken. Her eyes bulged beneath her mask, and she let out a piercing scream, her face frozen in agony.

Luo Xiu used his full strength in this attack; if Elijah hadn't been physically strong enough, it would have killed her.

Facing a fourth-tier opponent, Luo Xiu had no intention of holding back.

Elijah's fist naturally landed on Luo Xiu as well. However, after being weakened, her strength seemed weak and powerless against Luo Xiu's advanced fourth-tier physique, and her original killing move turned into something like flirting between a man and a woman.

The sword disappeared from Luo Xiu's other hand. He directly reached out and grabbed the wrist of the hand that was resting on his chest, and suddenly flicked it away.

A heart-wrenching scream escaped from Elijah's lips as she was lifted high into the air and then slammed violently to the ground.

boom.

With a single tap, the crimson magic circle above her head vanished. Elijah landed face-first on the ground, her wooden mask shattering into pieces.

That was also an item, a third-tier one, capable of enhancing the priest's summoning success rate. Like Luo Xiu's Thorn Guardian, it was a rare and powerful low-tier item, and now it has been destroyed.

Even though the mask was destroyed, Elijah's true face was no longer visible. Dust and tears had covered her face, making her look like a refugee from somewhere.

Luo Xiu didn't stop. With each strike, he slammed Elijah to the ground. Her screams gradually faded with each repetition until the "Scrutiny" indicator in her eyes showed that she had completely lost consciousness. Only then did he finally stop.

At this moment, Elijah's priest's robes were already tattered and torn, her entire body was stained with blood, and she was covered with countless wounds of all sizes, making her look extremely pitiful.

Luo Xiu remained expressionless, his heart unmoved.

It's not hard to guess Elijah's intention in attacking him at this time: either she wanted to kill him outright, or she wanted to seriously injure him and then indirectly kill him in the duel a few days later.

Unlike Kado and Qiao Wei, this person genuinely intended to kill him, so he didn't need to hold back.

The silver sword in his hand reappeared, pointing directly at Elijah's neck.

"Your Mightiness!!!"

The panicked shouts interrupted Luo Xiu's actions.

Luo Xiu turned around and saw the disheveled nobleman who had appeared with the priestess earlier that day and had even followed him.

"Sir, please show mercy."

Lode looked surprised, his squinty eyes widening considerably. He truly hadn't expected Luo Xiu to kill Elijah so directly, without the slightest hesitation.

"Your Excellency, I am Lordi, from the Merchant Guild. The Lady Eliga you are holding is also from the Merchant Guild. She was the runner-up in the competition five years ago and is the most valued genius by the Merchant Guild now."

Lodey recounted his and Elijah's backgrounds at top speed, attempting to sway Luo Xiu.

But Luo Xiu frowned upon hearing this:

"so what?"

"so?"

Lodey was stunned and didn't react. He thought he had said enough, and that Luo Xiu would at least spare Elijah's life in order to avoid antagonizing the Chamber of Commerce.

"What is your reason for asking me to spare her life?"

Luo Xiu was already losing patience; he was preparing to rush back to alchemy.

"She...that...she is...the reason..."

Lodey's face turned red with frustration, unable to come up with a new reason. He was never good at socializing, and now that Luo Xiu didn't care about Elijah's identity, he was at a loss for what to do.

To be honest, he didn't want to get involved in Eliga's mess, but he already knew that Eliga was going to make a move against Luo Xiu, yet he didn't stop her. If Eliga really died and it was discovered, he wouldn't have a good ending either.

Just as his mind was racing, a gentle voice rang out.

"My reason is that I want to spend money to save her life. I wonder if Your Excellency would allow it."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Lord's eyes widened even further. He knew who it was—a very important figure in the Chamber of Commerce, whose contributions were indispensable to the Chamber's current success.

A man slowly emerged into the air, with a dazzling golden light beneath his feet, allowing him to float.

He wore a red and black overcoat, printed with dark floral patterns that looked like some kind of flower blooming in the night. A wide belt cinched his waist, revealing his tall and straight figure.

“Nice to meet you, sir. My name is Rivers. You may have heard of me before.”

The man's smile was gentle, and his voice was like a spring breeze.

Seeing him like this, Luo Xiu was reminded of Bota, with the same gentle smile and the same polite demeanor.

He had certainly heard of Rivers, the master of the Silver Dragon Blood and the second-in-command of the Chamber of Commerce.

Based on the results of the "examination," Rivers in front of him indeed had no negative emotions towards himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rivers."

Luo Xiu bowed slightly.

Since the visitor was friendly, he treated him politely. However, the Elijah he was holding was still dripping blood, and the cloak he was wearing was also soaked in blood. His golden hair looked as if the ends of his hair had been dyed red, making this greeting not so much a polite expression, but rather somewhat eerie.

"Your Excellency, I wonder if you are willing to accept what I just said. If you are willing to spare Elijah's life, I will be extremely grateful and am willing to pay you a reward that will satisfy you."

Rivers said with a smile.

From these words, Luo Xiu could tell that the other party was no ordinary person. As the second-in-command of the Chamber of Commerce and a senior who was much older than him, the other party put himself in a humble position in his choice of words.

"Since Your Excellency Rivers has put it this way, I certainly cannot refuse. I just wonder what kind of reward Your Excellency is referring to?"

Politeness aside, if you want to let someone go, you have to offer something in return.

Rivers smiled slightly, and a magic circle appeared in his hand, from which a yellowish-brown heart rose.

The surface of the heart looked like it was covered with a layer of mud. With each beat and contraction, the blood vessels inside were clearly visible, and you could see a blood-like liquid flowing inside, which was surprisingly gray.

Rivers slowly began to speak:

"The heart of the fourth-tier stone golem."

"A type of monster in the western part of our kingdom, known for its immense strength and tough body. A single punch from a fourth-tier stone golem can easily destroy a high wall."

"Stone figures are usually heartless, but there are always one or two exceptions. About one in several thousand stone figures will develop a heart. The heart of a fourth-tier stone figure has the effect of enhancing strength and physique, and can be used directly."

"This heart is worth about 1000 gold coins on the market. I wonder if you are satisfied?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Xiu used his [Survey] ability to tell that the other party was not lying. Rivers must have been observing him secretly all along, noticing his lack of power, before taking out the stone golem's heart.

"no problem."

Luo Xiu nodded. The market price was 1000 gold coins, and the cost price was about 650 gold coins. It was indeed a rare high-level item, and it was exactly what he needed right now.

As for Elijah in his hands, her life isn't worth that much money.

Seeing that Luo Xiu had agreed, Rivers waved his hand gently, and the magic circle in his palm carried the stone heart to Luo Xiu's front, seemingly not worried at all that Luo Xiu would turn his back on him after taking the things.

Seeing Rivers's straightforwardness, Luo Xiu said no more. He put away the stone golem's heart, reached out and quickly stripped Elijah of her three fourth-tier items, along with her staff and magic pouch. His skill in doing so left Rivers, who was opposite him, stunned.

In just a few seconds, Elijah, stripped naked, was thrown into Rivers' hands.

"Good deal, Mr. Rivers."

Luo Xiu gave a slight bow, said hello, and then turned and left.

Including the sacrificial staff, Elijah has a total of four fourth-tier items. Adding the gold coins and points in her magic pocket, Luo Xiu didn't spend much money today, but got five materials that could increase his stats for free.

Another fruitful day.

Luo Xiu was in a great mood, anticipating that his alchemy practice tonight would also go smoothly.

After Luo Xiu left, Lode looked at the silent Rivers and cautiously spoke:

"Lord Rivers, I'm so sorry to have troubled you with this mess."

Rivers didn't speak, but just stared in the direction where Luo Xiu's figure disappeared, the smile on his lips vanished.

Seeing Rivers's expression, Lorde's heart tightened, and he forced himself to speak:

"My lord, Lord is willing to accept punishment upon returning to the merchant guild. I hope you will not be angry."

“Lodey”.

Rivers finally spoke, his tone completely different from when he had just spoken with Luo Xiu.

"My lord, please tell me."

Do you know how many gold coins the Chamber of Commerce has invested in Elijah?

Lode shook his head hesitantly.

"1900 gold coins."

Rivers began by saying: