Li Xi maintained a relaxed attitude, considering it a free opportunity to draw a lottery.
"Spin it," he said.
The pointer spun wildly. Li Xi neither prayed to the gods nor chanted his lucky numbers, adopting a laid-back stance.
"Stop."
The pointer's speed decreased, and under Li Xi's watchful gaze, it landed on the Ration Pills.
"Congratulations, Master, you have obtained a small bag of Ration Pills."
A small bag of Ration Pills appeared in his hand. Li Xi opened it to find a hundred small, grey pills, each the size of a glass marble, identical in shape.
He casually picked one up, popped it into his mouth, and it crunched with a satisfying sound. The taste wasn't great, but after swallowing, a feeling of fullness spread from his stomach, and his depleted chakra instantly replenished.
"This actually restores chakra. Not bad."
Initially, Li Xi thought they were just military rations, but he hadn't expected them to have the ability to restore chakra. This was very important. In the midst of a great battle, when both sides had exhausted all their means, a single Ration Pill could make a decisive difference.
Satisfied with the first prize, Li Xi proceeded to the next.
The pointer spun again.
"Stop."
The pointer swept past Shuriken and Kunai, and Li Xi breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't these two useless items, he could accept anything else.
Unfortunately, after making a full circle, the pointer returned to Kunai.
"Let's go, quickly, let's go."
Li Xi was almost in tears. If it truly was these two items, he felt like dying.
Perhaps the pointer sensed Li Xi's distress and began to move its body slowly.
It passed by the Clone Technique again and, with the speed of a snail, reached Taijutsu (Basic). Finally, the pointer stopped between Taijutsu (Basic) and Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. From Li Xi's perspective, it was difficult to discern which side the pointer had stopped on.
In the end, it was Xiao Fan who provided the answer.
"Congratulations, Master, you have obtained Taijutsu (Basic)."
A surge of memories flooded into his mind. The memories were not extensive, but as they entered, powerful energy coursed through his entire body. The previously uniform muscle contours transformed rapidly with the infusion of this energy, becoming robust. His slightly loose leather armor now fit perfectly, and his previously relaxed posture straightened. In just a few breaths, Li Xi transformed from a frail scholar into a warrior.
Li Xi clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and felt the strength within. He laughed heartily.
"A basic version of Taijutsu alone grants me the strength of an intermediate warrior. I won't have to fear close combat anymore."
Feeling the power of the basic Taijutsu, Li Xi couldn't help but ponder how formidable the ultimate Taijutsu, Eight Gates, would be.
Madara Uchiha of the Six Paths would not be weaker than the gods of this world. When compared, the Eight Gates would be a god-slaying Ninjutsu. God-slaying, a feat that had never occurred on the main continent. Even during the Great Chaos, no more than three gods had fallen.
Ninjas emphasized Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. Ninjutsu and Taijutsu were now covered, but Genjutsu had not yet appeared. However, given the current pace of development, Genjutsu appearing on the great turntable was only a matter of time.
With his strength further enhanced, Li Xi couldn't resist the urge to test his skills on something. Fortunately, he had completed his mission early today, and it wasn't even noon yet.
However, this time was rather awkward. Most missions were refreshed in the morning. By noon, all the missions that could be done or accepted had been completed.
It wasn't that there weren't any missions that took a long time or had unlimited attempts. It was just that Li Xi's mercenary rank was too low to take on any good missions.
Since there were no suitable missions to be found at the Mercenary Hall, Li Xi decided to wander around Kado City.
Since his transmigration, he hadn't truly explored the city. Although Kado had lived here for over a decade, his low self-esteem had kept him from venturing to many places, leaving Li Xi both familiar and unfamiliar with Kado City.
With ten gold coins in hand, he felt a sense of opulence, like carrying a fortune to Yangzhou.
Kado City was essentially divided into several strata: the slum where the poor lived, which was Li Xi's home, a place where living conditions could only be described as dirty, chaotic, and poor; the ordinary district where the middle class resided, with better living conditions; and finally, the upper district where the major temples, the city lord, and the wealthy lived.
Although there were no distinct boundaries between these three districts, everyone had a psychological sense of their own position and rarely ventured into other districts.
That day, Li Xi witnessed the life of the rich. There was lighting from magic crystals, streets paved with smooth stone slabs, and various magical creations for convenient living. It was clean and hygienic, even more luxurious than the manor of the great merchant Bellos he had visited before. Perhaps Bellos hadn't lacked such things, but they hadn't been activated at the time.
After seeing these, Li Xi felt that some aspects of life here were even more convenient than in his previous life on Earth. For example, some wealthy households kept numerous automatons as servants. These automatons possessed quite high intelligence, comparable to that of a seven or eight-year-old child, and provided 24-hour service, essentially intelligent robots.
This was unimaginable in his previous life.
Although ten gold coins were a significant amount, Li Xi spent them all without reservation. Two bottles of basic Holy Water alone cost eight gold coins, exorbitantly expensive, but he had no choice but to buy them.
Holy Water was water imbued with divine power, capable of healing injuries and illnesses, with certain efficacy for both external and internal wounds. Moreover, if splashed on a demon, it would be like sulfuric acid being thrown in its face.
At a crucial moment, this was life-saving water. Before he acquired Medical Ninjutsu, he had to resort to spending money to solve the problem. Fortunately, Li Xi lacked nothing now except money.
Mercenary Hall.
"Good morning, Sister Ais."
Li Xi, as usual, greeted Ais first. A B-rank mercenary who could stay and had a good disposition.
Ais was sitting idly, looking at the visibly sturdier Li Xi. She flashed a smile brighter than the sun. "Little brother, you're here so early. You're truly diligent."
"Can't help it, I'm poor. If I don't work hard, I won't even have food to eat," Li Xi sighed theatrically, trying to evoke sympathy. His eyes then shifted as he set his sights on Ais. "Sister Ais, do you have any good missions to introduce? There are too few good missions on the big screen, and I can't grab any suitable ones. If this continues, I'll have to sell my assets."
"Then you're too picky. As far as I know, you're almost a E-rank mercenary. Your speed is almost catching up to mine back then, and you're still not satisfied," Ais chided playfully.
"Hehe."
With his true situation exposed, Li Xi gave an embarrassed smile.
However, Ais still took out a piece of paper from behind the counter and handed it to Li Xi. "Take a look at this mission first. It hasn't been announced yet. If you can do it, I'll give it to you and won't post it publicly."
Li Xi took the mission, wondering if this was the legendary backdoor entry or leeching off someone. He had indeed recognized the right person, his "sister." If all future missions could be vetted by her first, life would be wonderful.
E-rank mission: "A large number of moles have proliferated in the City Lord's mansion sewers, showing signs of demonization. Mercenaries are recruited to clear them. Commission starts at 1 gold coin."
After reading the mission, Li Xi asked Ais, "Sister Ais, what is the strength of these moles?"
Ais thought for a moment. "Currently, they are a bit stronger than ordinary wild beasts, but not quite level one magical beasts. A few might have broken through, but not many."
Perhaps feeling uneasy, Ais further explained the mission details. "The difficulty of this mission doesn't lie in the moles evolving into magical beasts, but in the sheer number of ordinary moles. Clearing them is very tedious. Mercenaries of D-rank and above are unwilling to do it, finding it too troublesome. Ordinary F-rank and E-rank mercenaries would find it somewhat difficult. I think only a mercenary like you, with a certain level of strength, is suitable for this task."
"Sister Ais is joking. I'm just an ordinary F-rank low-level mercenary, very weak," Li Xi immediately retorted, portraying himself as a noob.
"Then, will you do this mission?" Ais held up the mission.
Li Xi snatched the mission. "I'll do it. Sister Ais considering me so much, it would be a disservice to her kind intentions if I didn't."
Ais was amused by Li Xi's shamelessness. "If you're doing it, give me your badge, and I'll register you."
A short while later, Li Xi bought some supplies, slung a small backpack over his shoulder, and headed towards the mission location. The mission location was underground in the affluent district, where a vast sewer system existed. It was perpetually dark and damp, a paradise for many shade-loving creatures. Originally, it needed to be cleaned periodically, and now Li Xi had stumbled upon it.
Li Xi circled around the city and found the entrance to the sewer system on the back of a hillside.
Murky yellow water flowed, emitting a foul odor. Dead rats, cockroaches, bats, and other carcasses were occasionally found in the dirty water flowing out of the sewer. The environment was extremely harsh.
"This mission isn't going to be easy either."
Fortunately, Li Xi had bought a gas mask before coming, and once he put it on, he couldn't smell anything.
He stepped into the sewer. When the sewer was built, a walkway above the dirty water was left beside it, preventing people from having to wade through the filth.
Not long after entering, the sunlight could no longer penetrate, plunging the entire sewer into darkness.
Li Xi took out a magic glowstone from his pocket. A magic glowstone was a magical item that provided continuous illumination. It cost Li Xi a full three gold coins. It was only the size of a ping pong ball, but the light it emitted was no less bright than the 200-watt bulb from his childhood home in the countryside.
The sewer for about ten to twenty meters ahead was illuminated. The animals that lived on this stretch, suddenly exposed to the bright light, immediately scattered in discomfort, chirping and fleeing.
Li Xi walked further, but he still couldn't find the vast number of moles that Ais had mentioned. He only saw a few isolated ones, not enough to even pique his desire to kill, far from the quantity Ais had described.
However, the situation changed when Li Xi reached the first intersection.
As he was marking the junction to avoid getting lost, a flood of moles suddenly surged from another section of the sewer.
The mole tide was at least half a meter high. From a distance, countless blinking dots could be seen rushing towards Li Xi.
A large portion of the moles were carried forward by the momentum, with no footing. These moles frantically trampled over their companions, disregarding whether they were crushed to death.
Such a large number, at least several thousand. Anyone else encountering this situation would have turned and fled.
However, facing the current Li Xi, whose strength had now been forged, he certainly wouldn't run. He quickly formed hand seals, his hands a blur.
"巳－未－申－亥－午－寅"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A fireball with a diameter of four meters was spat from Li Xi's mouth.
The intense heat and the powerful impact instantly halted the approaching mole tide, and many moles were blown away.
Simultaneously, these moles, covered in filth, were ignited. Thousands of moles burning at once filled the sewer with the stench of burning.
The moles shrieked madly. Those caught directly in the Great Fireball Technique were instantly reduced to ashes, unable to resist. Those who weren't immediately incinerated jumped into the dirty water of the sewer, hoping to extinguish the flames with it. However, the Great Fireball Technique lasted for four seconds.
In those four seconds, the dirty water in the sewer was boiled and evaporated. Amidst the bubbling sounds, the fate of the moles that jumped into the dirty water was to be cooked, either fully or partially.
After the Great Fireball Technique ended, only a few moles that had not been affected frantically fled back.
Li Xi, unwilling to let go of this lead, pursued them closely.
Innumerable岔路口 appeared, but these moles, as if guided by a GPS, ignored other diverging paths and only pursued one route madly.
They ran for at least one to two kilometers, and Li Xi felt they must have gone directly beneath Kado City before the moles finally stopped.
The place where they stopped was no longer part of the underground sewer system but a vast space they had dug out next to the sewer.