Bai Shi looked in the direction the wooden sign was pointing.
From the ruins in the dead of night, it seemed some unusual sounds were emerging.
The torches began to flicker, as if the people holding them were fighting something.
Bai Shi gestured for Torrent to move a little closer so he could see what was going on.
If he wasn't mistaken, that place should be Summonwater Village.
Summonwater Village was home to a Tibia Mariner, which could summon spiritual Those Who Live in Death, and there were physical ones nearby as well.
If any Tarnished or other people encountered it, they would be in grave danger.
Bai Shi drew near and got a clear look at the situation:
Several Tarnished, holding torches in one hand and weapons in the other, were fighting against a continuous stream of Those Who Live in Death.
Although the undead here were quite fragile, just ordinary militia and bandit skeletons, falling apart after a couple of swings from the Tarnished, there was a problem.Even so, because these Tarnished had no way to permanently kill the undead, their numbers inevitably grew.
No sooner had they smashed the skeletons in front of them than more swarmed in from behind, and the scattered ones on the ground were gradually reassembling.
This group of Tarnished had been surrounded by the undead and separated from one another.
"What's with these things? Why can't we kill them?!"
A terrified shout erupted from the group of Tarnished.
A more seasoned Tarnished tried to rally the others.
"Stay calm! We need to find a chance to break out!"
"Everyone, move toward the center! Let's regroup and break through together!"
Unfortunately, the other Tarnished were quite young and inexperienced, and they failed to follow his instructions perfectly.
In the end, their formation never came together.
Bai Shi had already urged Torrent to move in, ready to save them.
However, a sudden turn of events made Bai Shi pull tight on Torrent's reins, stopping in his tracks.
From out of nowhere, a group of people emerged from the darkness, all dressed in standard soldier attire.
With a loud laugh, a bald man stepped out from the crowd.
"Hee hee hee hee hee hee, I, the great Savior Patches, have arrived!"
Indeed, the man who had appeared was Patches.
After charging out, Patches and his men continuously threw the pots in their hands.
They tossed them with such vigor, as if they were free, throwing them out desperately.
These pots shattered among the undead, and the glowing liquid within splashed onto them.
They were Holy Water Pots! They were using Holy Water Pots!
With the use of the Holy Water Pots, the undead fell apart one by one, showing no signs of reviving.
The remaining undead instinctively recoiled in fear at the sight of the holy water, backing away step by step.
Soon, the ground was littered with shards of Holy Water Pots.
"Ah, we're saved, we're saved!"
The Tarnished watched as the undead encirclement collapsed, immediately seized the chance to rush out, and gathered beside Patches and his group.
"That was incredible!"
"Thank you!"
Patches revealed a strange smile.
"Heh heh heh heh heh heh~"
"Of course. Who do you think I am? I'm the savior."
"Oh, and by the way, in case you didn't know."
"I'm good buddies with the Lord of Stormveil, the Stormhawk King Bai Shi."
The other Tarnished were instantly stunned.
Although they had never heard the title of "Savior" before, the titles of "Lord of Stormveil" and "Stormhawk King" were incredibly famous.
They were, in fact, Tarnished on their way to Stormveil to pledge their allegiance, but they had seen a few signs nearby that read "Treasure Ahead," all pointing to this ruin.
Since this man was a good friend of the Lord of Stormveil, his credibility skyrocketed in an instant.
Moreover, this lord had used so many throwable pots when he rescued them.
Though they didn't know how much effort and materials went into making them, to be able to repel those strange monsters so easily, they must be very important items.
This Lord Patches was simply too good.
The Tarnished now completely trusted Patches.
After all, he had appeared suddenly to help them when they were in crisis, even using what seemed to be priceless items. It was hard not to trust him.
Besides, he called himself a savior.
However, they had no idea what kind of person Patches truly was.
Nor did they see the strange smile on his face as he turned his back to them.
"Alright, we'll retreat for today. We won't fight them to the death. We'll settle the score with them another day."
"If it weren't for protecting other Tarnished today, I definitely wouldn't have let you bastards off!"
"I, Savior Patches, will drive every last one of you undead from the Lands Between, leaving none behind!"
Patches shouted at the undead, then led the group in a retreat.
Bai Shi watched this bizarre scene with a strong urge to comment, but in the end, he held his tongue.
Although Bai Shi had long suspected that the nearby signs were placed by Patches.
He didn't expect Patches to pull a stunt like this.
Was he trying to set a trap and play the hero?
Patches was no stranger to swindling and deceiving.
Most of the time, he would tell someone there was a great treasure, and once they got close, he would kick them off a cliff.
These places were often inescapable or inhabited by powerful monsters.
He would wait for the person to be killed by some monster, then go and loot their corpse and belongings.
However, Bai Shi had guessed the beginning but not the end.
Originally, Bai Shi thought this was Patches's usual trick: lure people to a place with monsters, wait for them to be killed, and then collect the spoils.
But it turned out to be a staged rescue where he himself appeared to save the day.
He just didn't know what kind of scheme Patches was brewing.
Bai Shi shook his head, feeling no desire to comment, and had Torrent run in the direction Patches and his group had left.
That despicable Patches had even dragged him into his bragging. Bai Shi certainly didn't remember being brothers with him.
—
Patches and his wandering soldiers led the rescued Tarnished far away from Summonwater Village.
"Thank you so much for saving our lives, my lord."
"We truly don't know how to repay you."
"Is there any kind of reward you would like?"
The group of Tarnished was still thanking Patches.
"Heh heh, no need to thank me, and no need for a reward."
"After all, I am Savior Patches!"
The Tarnished were still moved. What a good person!
Then they saw Patches extend his hand toward them with a sleazy smile.
This group of Tarnished was stunned, not understanding what Patches meant.
Was he asking for a reward?
But hadn't he just said he didn't need one?
The Tarnished looked at each other in confusion.
"Um, my lord, what do you mean by this?"
The seasoned Tarnished who had organized the others earlier stepped forward.
"What do I mean?"
"Of course, it's because I used our precious Holy Water Pots to save you!"
"Those were items we were saving for a decisive battle with the undead tomorrow. You don't think they're something that can be made just like that, do you?"
"We are under orders from the Two Fingers to eliminate these undead from the Lands Between. I didn't expect that saving you would delay our task and force us to use our important Holy Water Pots."
"I indeed don't want a reward for saving you, but surely we can't be expected to cover the cost of these Holy Water Pots ourselves!"
"Losing money to save you is a small matter, but if our grand mission is delayed, that's a serious problem! Do you understand?!"
Patches blabbered on, spewing nonsense he had just made up.
Patches's string of words came out all at once, the sheer volume of information assaulting the Tarnished's minds.
Although they felt something was off, what Patches said seemed to make sense.
The rescue was indeed free, but in order to save them, he had used precious items, potentially affecting their important mission.
And Patches did indeed use many Holy Water Pots.
In that case, they really should compensate Patches for the Holy Water Pots used to save them.
Even though they couldn't craft Holy Water Pots themselves, they should at least make up for it with an equivalent value in Runes, so that Lord Patches and his men could purchase more through their channels.
Otherwise, if they delayed their important mission, wouldn't they become sinners? That was a mission bestowed by the Two Fingers!
"Then, my lord, please tell us, how many Runes are these Holy Water Pots worth?"
Seeing that these fools had believed him, Patches knew he had succeeded again.
Patches solemnly rubbed his own bald head, barely suppressing the urge to laugh, but his constantly twitching mouth betrayed the fact that he was on the verge of cracking.
Patches seriously held up a thumb and an index finger, making the number eight.
One of the Tarnished let out a small sigh of relief.
"80 Runes each? Okay, we'll get it right..."
"No, no, no, eight hundred Runes each."
Patches couldn't hold back any longer; a treacherous smile hung on his face as he shook his hand.
"Ei-eight hundred?!"
The Tarnished all swallowed hard upon hearing the price.
Surviving in the Lands Between, everyone had some savings. If it were just eight hundred, they could still afford it. But he had used quite a few Holy Water Pots, which meant each of them would have to pay for several pots worth of Runes.
"This... may I ask how many Holy Water Pots you used in total? We can pool our money, we should be able to cover the loss for you..."
The seasoned Tarnished's voice grew weaker as he spoke.
Patches pretended to count, but in reality, he just pulled a number out of thin air.
"About twenty-something, but I have a kind heart. You can just pay for twenty."
The Tarnished were crestfallen. The total amount of Runes was probably worth more than all of their lives combined.
"T-t-then, why did you have to use so many important Holy Water Pots?"
There were seven of them here; each would have to pay at least two thousand.
Patches's face soured a little.
"Hahaha? What do you think? It was to save you!"
"Those Who Live in Death are a tough bunch; you experienced it firsthand just now."
"If I hadn't used that many Holy Water Pots, I couldn't have saved your lives!"
Hearing this, all the Tarnished were shaken.
It was true. Those undead were indeed very tough, and with their skills, they would never have been able to escape.
Even if there was a way out, it would likely have come at the cost of heavy casualties.
Now, Lord Patches and his men had taken the initiative to use their precious Holy Water Pots to save them, yet they were here shamelessly haggling with him.
At this thought, all the Tarnished lowered their heads in shame.
Seeing this, Patches knew he had completely fooled them.
'Heh, I really am a genius.'
'I wonder how much I can make this time?'
Just as Patches was thinking, a cold voice suddenly rang out in everyone's ears.
"A load of nonsense."
Everyone turned to look and saw a figure clad in peculiar armor.
This suit of armor was forged from a blend of gold and silver, as if two different people had been fused together, inseparable.
The parts of the torso were melded together, with a relief depicting a gold and silver figure embracing each other.
Extending from the chest plate was a silver helmet, with a golden hand gently caressing it.
The newcomer was D, Hunter of the Dead.
Or rather, the elder of the two D brothers, Darian.
He had felt the tremor of his beast eye, knew there was Deathroot nearby, and had come to remove it.
He just didn't expect to witness a group of swindlers in action.
D wasn't the type of do-gooder who would go out of his way to help others.
Usually, he would only go as far as to offer a word of warning. If they didn't listen, it was none of his business if they died.
He wouldn't have interfered with this matter, normally.
Although swindling was despised in the Lands Between, at least it didn't cost lives.
But Patches claimed to be a savior, and said he was ordered by the Two Fingers to eliminate Those Who Live in Death... utter nonsense.
D felt that if he didn't step forward to expose him, then the reputation of agents like them who truly serve the Golden Order and eliminate Those Who Live in Death would sooner or later be tarnished by this fellow.
The Golden Order does not permit the existence of Death.
Therefore, they, the executors, must constantly eliminate the undead born from Death.
It was already a thankless job, and now they had to deal with impostors tarnishing their name. It was unbearable.
However, what he said earlier did sound quite impressive.
'Drive all Those Who Live in Death from the Lands Between, leaving none behind.'
Perhaps it could be used as a slogan in the future.
Patches, however, was not at all intimidated by the strangely dressed D. He was just annoyed that his business had been interrupted.
Patches spat on the ground and questioned the suddenly appeared D with a hostile expression:
"Well, well, where did you crawl out from?"
"Didn't your mother teach you not to interrupt?"
D was not someone who would back down from a few words from Patches, not to mention he was stronger than Patches and his entire crew combined.
D spoke again:
"The materials for a Holy Water Pot are not complex at all. In terms of materials alone, one hundred Runes is enough to make one."
"Even accounting for labor, it would only be slightly more expensive."
"He is no savior. There is no such person."
"He's simply trying to scam you, taking advantage of your predicament."
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze toward Patches immediately changed.
The 'savior' had transformed into a 'scammer' in the blink of an eye.
Patches flew into a rage, raising his greatshield and spear toward D, his mouth twisted into a ferocious expression.
"Ho ho, you dare ruin my, the great Patches's, business."
"You're in for a world of hurt today, kid!"
D, unfazed by Patches, drew a greatsword that was also a blend of crossed gold and silver.
"It seems I must teach you a lesson today, lest the name of us agents of the Golden Order be defamed."
"If you had run away with your tail between your legs, you might have kept some dignity."
"I hope you don't end up crying on the ground."
D was unaware that it was Patches who had lured the Tarnished to these undead.
Otherwise, it would be more than just teaching Patches a lesson.
The wandering soldiers by Patches's side also drew their weapons, and the Tarnished, seeing this, drew theirs as well.
The two groups faced off.
The Tarnished weren't actually prepared to cross blades with Patches and his men.
After all, regardless of the circumstances, Patches had in fact saved them.
If a real fight broke out, they would still try to spare Patches's life.
However, it seemed a fight was not destined for today.
Because a strange sound drifted over.
The sound was low and mournful, like a dirge played for the dead.
Then the surrounding lake suddenly glowed with an eerie red light, and countless undead crawled out from it, surrounding them.
A translucent, light purple boat appeared in the center of the lake.
On that boat sat a red-robed skeleton, holding a giant brass horn. The strange music was coming from it.
Watching the undead swarm around them, Patches cursed angrily:
"This is all your fault! Now we're surrounded!"
Seeing Patches continue to twist the truth, D was not to be outdone and retorted:
"If it weren't for your greedy, black-hearted business, you wouldn't have been targeted by them."
"When the fighting starts, I can't look after you lot. You can just hide in a corner and cower."
With that said, D charged forward.
The twinned gold and silver sword in his hand was a sacred blade for hunting the undead.
Possessing divine power, the undead he struck down would not revive.
As he swung it left and right, he quickly carved a path through the undead encirclement.
Patches spat on the ground, hoisted his greatshield, and charged forward as well.
Don't be mistaken; Patches certainly wasn't trying to help.
Since someone else had already cleared a path, it would be foolish not to follow.
The wandering soldiers by Patches's side followed him, throwing their remaining Holy Water Pots.
The other Tarnished followed suit, not wanting to be left behind and surrounded.
D rushed in front of the summoning boat and swung at the skeleton on it.
But the boat suddenly vanished from its spot, only to reappear elsewhere.
The Mariner blew its horn, summoning several spectral skeletons, which surrounded D and hacked at him wildly.
D hastily dodged, emerging unscathed.
After one failed attack, the spectral skeletons dissipated into smoke.
D fixed his gaze on the summoning boat, which was now protected by other undead.
More and more undead appeared, poised to strike, continuously closing in on the group.
D thought to himself that another bitter battle was destined for today, and he tightened his grip on his sword hilt.
Suddenly, a flash of yellow light streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
"BOOM."
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, momentarily illuminating the dark night.
By the light, the group saw the lightning strike a massive spear-sword.
The lightning on the weapon illuminated Bai Shi's figure.
"That was quite a show I just watched."
"Now then, I believe it's my turn to join the performance."
The true savior of Stormveil had appeared.
When Patches saw that set of armor, his heart skipped a beat.