Chapter 281 - 117: Moon Priestess! Elune’s Song: Seren Hill

Chapter 281: Chapter 117: Moon Priestess! Elune’s Song: Seren Hill

Leisuo’s eyes went wide, the hesitation and fear on his face completely vanishing.

"My lord, please! It is my honor to contribute to Her Little Highness’s recovery!" He shot to his feet, puffed out his thick chest, and boomed, "Come, Your Highness! Don’t hold back—drink until you’re full! I’m built tough, you know!"

The other guards and members of the enforcement team resting nearby all turned to look at him, their eyes filled with immense envy.

’A thousand Gold Coins per sip...’

Upon hearing this, Esther lazily flapped her wings, lifting off from Lynch’s back. She flew in front of Leisuo and sized him up.

’Tier Four. Acceptable.’

The process that followed needs no further elaboration.

A moment later, some color returned to Esther’s pale little face, and she was clearly in much better spirits.

She licked the corners of her mouth contentedly, then flew back to Lynch’s side and nuzzled his neck affectionately.

Leisuo, however, looked as if he had been drained of all strength. His face was white as a sheet, and his legs gave out from under him as he staggered, nearly falling to the ground.

But in his hand, he tightly clutched a thick stack of unmarked promissory notes from Lynch, inscribed with magical anti-counterfeiting runes.

A quick glance revealed that the notes’ face values added up to well over two thousand Gold Coins.

Lynch had given him an extra thousand for his trouble.

The surrounding gazes of envy instantly escalated into looks of burning jealousy.

As for Leisuo, despite his extreme physical weakness, his spirit was incredibly energized. He looked at Lynch and stammered, "M-My lord! C-Could I request... to serve by your side permanently? I’ll go back and recuperate, get my body all built up again, and Her Little Highness will be welcome anytime to... you know, get more nutrients. I-I’ve got thick blood."

"Scram!" Lynch shot him an annoyed glare. "You wish. If Esther hadn’t been so badly injured from fighting so desperately to protect me, who the hell would be willing to pay such a high price for your blood?"

That being said, from the way Leisuo was hugging the stack of notes and grinning like an idiot, it was obvious he felt he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

When all was said and done, however, the loss that pained Lynch the most wasn’t the Gold Coins. It was the single-use, Tier Seven [Hellfire Pendant].

He walked over to where it had detonated, bent down to pick up the pendant, and examined it carefully in his hand, unable to suppress a sigh.

The crimson crystal on it was now dim and lusterless; clearly, the sealed essence of Hellfire within had been completely depleted.

Fortunately, the pale white sealing sigils left by Elegy’s mother were still faintly glowing.

’The sealing structure Elegy’s mother left is still intact... Theoretically, if I can find some high-quality Hellfire energy to replenish it, I could reuse it a few more times.’ Lynch mused, toying with the warm crystal.

Unfortunately, high-quality, High Tier Hellfire energy was almost exclusively found on the Hell Plane. He didn’t currently have the power to make a special trip to Hell just to recharge the pendant.

Having used up this ace in the hole, his sense of security plummeted. He felt an urgent impulse to get his hands on a few more trump cards to keep in reserve.

However, he quickly calmed down. His gaze fell once more upon the battlefield before him—a total mess, yet filled with the spoils of victory—and his spirits lifted again.

For one thing, the two hundred-plus Gnoll corpses, all at least Tier One in strength, were a massive fortune on their own.

That wasn’t even mentioning the several corpses of Tier Four Centurions, or the body of the Tier Four Peak Shaman, the "Blood Claw Priest."

Of course, the most important prize of all was the remains of "Grom"—a body that, while mostly demonized, still vaguely resembled the silhouette of a Gnoll.

For the moment, Lynch couldn’t determine whether the thing counted as a Tier Five or Tier Seven material, but it was, without a doubt, immensely valuable.

All of these materials needed to be hauled back to Lakefront Town first, where they could then be slowly processed, converted, and put to use.

Next came the thorough looting of the main Gnoll encampment.

This process also yielded a great deal of loot.

This Jackal Wolfman Tribe’s overall strength had been quite impressive, and they had accumulated a great number of valuable pelts, Magical Beast materials, Gemstones, and Demon Crystals in their lair. There were even some plundered Gold and Silver Coins and human artifacts.

After a final tally, it was clear that while the battle had been costly, they had made an absolute fortune.

After a round of urgent medical treatment, inventorying the loot, and a preliminary cleanup of the area, night had fallen.

The army simply made camp on the outskirts of the battlefield to rest for the night.

Early the next morning, the massive column set off on its return journey, hauling large flatbed carts. The carts were laden with Gnoll corpses and various spoils of war that had been sorted and packed. Seen from a distance, the procession was vast and magnificent.

Although nearly everyone in the column was injured and weary, their morale was exceptionally high.

This was especially true for the militia and the Soldiers of the Ninth Battalion. Every one of their faces shone with the excitement and pride that came from sharing in the glory.

They had taken part in defeating a Jackal Wolfman Tribe that possessed an Abyssal Demon!

It was an experience they could brag about for the rest of their lives.

Without the need to advance cautiously, the return journey was much faster than the trip out. Even so, it still took them nearly a full day of travel, and they only reached Lakefront Town as evening fell.

When the triumphant army appeared on the main road outside Lakefront Town, the entire town instantly erupted in celebration.

Aus had received the news ahead of time and had led the townspeople to gather early on both sides of the road, craning their necks in eager anticipation.

At the very head of the column, Lynch was a conspicuous figure. Clad in a black Mage Robe, he rode atop the majestic, three-headed hellhound zombie, "Red Rabbit."