CHAPTER 393: 153 SACRED SKILL - ANGEL’S STAB_2

"Mei Lun!"

"Yes."

"I recall that you are hosting a small trade fair in a few days, inviting people from all over."

"That’s correct."

Mei Lun nodded.

"I need you to spread a message," Carl said, his eyes narrowing. "I am collecting Holy Skills. Anyone who brings me a Holy Skill, I am willing to trade one hundred thousand catties of fine meat for it."

"No!" Carl declared. "Two hundred thousand catties!"

The Magic Forest was lacking in many things, but beast meat wasn’t one of them. Since he didn’t have a specific target, casting a wide net was the best strategy.

As long as the bait was sufficient, he refused to believe that no fish would bite, especially since this was a genuine trade.

"What?" Mei Lun’s expression changed dramatically, his voice trembling as he repeated, "Two hundred... thousand catties?"

He suspected he had misheard the number, as the amount was truly staggering.

"Yes."

Carl said with a stern expression, "It is two hundred thousand catties!"

With that, he waved his hand grandly and took out 10,000 catties of fine meat from his storage space, filling the clearing.

"This is the down payment. If the trade fair in a few days yields satisfactory results, I will pay you a ten percent commission."

"There is no upper limit to the number of Holy Skills!"

Ten percent?

The fine meat piled up like a small mountain before Mei Lun. His mouth hung open for a long while, his eyes blazing with increasing fervor.

"No problem!"

He clenched his teeth and shouted, his lean body trembling, "Mr. Karl, please rest assured! I will ensure you are satisfied with the trade fair, no matter what it takes."

"It’s just Holy Skills, right? Just the Flame Knight Graindel?"

"If worst comes to worst, I’ll head to Freedom Port right now. Even if I have to drag him here by force, I’ll do it."

"Hmm," Carl nodded. "I hope you don’t disappoint me."

"Absolutely not!"

Mei Lun waved his arms. "Mr. Karl, I’m off to get busy."

「...」

After leaving Mei Lun’s shop and just as he returned to the lodgings he occupied in the bazaar, an unexpected visitor arrived.

"May I ask?"

A timid voice sounded from the doorway: "Is this Mr. Karl’s place?"

"It’s me!"

Carl had just picked up the book *Spiritual Power: The Influence of the Star Realm on Flight* when he heard the voice and looked up.

A girl around ten years old stood at the doorway, hesitantly looking around the dilapidated room.

"Come in."

Carl gestured.

A Mage Hand swept away the mess in the room, clearing a space and simultaneously pressing down the stirred-up dust.

"The place is a bit spartan, but it shouldn’t hinder our conversation."

The little girl watched as an invisible force swept through the room, like a group of transparent people bustling about. She couldn’t help but gape in astonishment.

How magical!

What kind of Dharma Seal is this?

Carl watched her with interest.

The little girl had rosy lips, white teeth, and tender skin. Her eyes were full of innocence, and she even carried a faint milky scent.

Her ornate clothes still bore a touch of childishness; even if she tried to feign maturity, she couldn’t hide her youthful air.

Judging by her aura, she had practiced breathing techniques, but her strength wasn’t formidable. He wondered why the man-eater flower at the market entrance had let her in.

Or perhaps...

Carl asked, "Little girl, where are your elders?"

"I came in alone, not with any elders," the little girl pouted, seemingly a bit upset.

"Alone?" Carl’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he slowly set down his book.

"Yes, alone," the little girl said, her face paling. She instinctively stepped back and threatened, "But my family’s elders will be here soon, so you’d better not think of bullying me."

"Okay!" Carl shrugged. "You’ve come looking for me. Is there something you need?"

"Yes!" The little girl steadied herself. Remembering her urgent business, she nodded vigorously and said, "I want to commission you to escort me, my older brother, and my older sisters out of the city to a safe place."

"Out of the city?" Carl tilted his head. "Are you natives of the City of Death?"

"Yes," the little girl nodded. "But we have already paid the atonement money. Once we are cleansed, we can leave this city."

To leave the City of Death, one either needed a special pardon from the City Lord or had to pay the atonement money; there was no other way.

Once the money was paid and one had bathed in the Cleansing Pool, the Curse of the City of Death could be lifted.

This sum was extremely expensive.

Even a moderately wealthy household might not be able to afford the atonement for a single person.

"It appears your family is quite wealthy," Carl nodded and asked curiously, "Why seek me out?"

"I have heard of your name," the little girl said. "The Legendary Knight of Freedom Port, the mysterious Pharmacist of Jiliu City—you are powerful enough."

"That I don’t deny," Carl shrugged. "But I’m curious. Since your family has enough money to pay for your atonement, didn’t they hire any guards?"

"And even if you were to seek me out, why send a child like you to do it?"

"I’m not a child!" the little girl puffed her cheeks and said sullenly, "We have to leave this city because we offended someone important. Although we’ve hired guards, our safety isn’t guaranteed."

"My family sought help from others, but I felt it might not be sufficient, so I came to find you."

"I understand," Carl nodded knowingly. "So you came here secretly, without your family’s knowledge. I appreciate your faith in me, but I don’t accept such commissions."

"Why?" the little girl asked, her face etched with anxiety.

"It’s not about money," Carl shook his head. "It’s about time."

"Your family is wealthy and must hold a high position in the City of Death, yet you’re being forced to leave. The person you’ve offended must be formidable. Besides the City Lord, the only others I can think of would be those few Death Knights."

"I’m not afraid of the Death Knights. However, if you want to ensure your safety, you’ll definitely want to get far away from the City of Death, most likely heading to the Duke Territory. A round trip like that would take over a month at the quickest, and I don’t have that kind of time to spare."