Chapter 728: Adam’s Game
Adam’s swords cleaved through the basilisk’s carcass. Muscles were torn, and archaic scales clinked on the ground like coins, making Yann’s stomach churn with desire. This amount of wealth could secure a manor in the lower noble district of any major city. Even the capital wasn’t off-limits as long as one had the right relationship, like he did. But what made his breath come out ragged was the core Adam pulled out from the beast’s stomach.
It was shaped like a diamond, flickering between ethereal grey and unholy green light—as if mirroring the basilisk’s favorite diet. A magus-level beast core with soul and demonic affinity. From memory, he couldn’t recall having read about such a thing in the archipelago’s history. He knew some things were never meant to be recorded, but even then, he doubted more than a handful had ever witnessed something similar. As for its value...
He took a deep breath, hoping to calm his racing heart—it didn’t work. This core alone was worth a medium-sized mansion among the noblest families of the capital, right inside the highly coveted college district.
They hadn’t entered the archipelago for a day yet, but Adam could already earn so much. This was madness. His strength was, too. He had thought he was a powerful archmage who escaped the Celestial Frost Matriarch because of his demonic cleaver, flying fortress, and the leviathan’s unexpected help. Now he realised Adam was a powerhouse himself. But how did he achieve so much at his age? Not only magic but cultivation, too.
He scratched his head and kicked at a gnarled root. Fur crawled back beneath supple skin as his muscles lost their feral might.
Questions, questions, but no answers. And asking... Well, why would Adam answer when he, himself, didn’t want to share his origins or magical knowledge? Anyway, curiosity mattered less than benefits, and those he could get as long as he followed the lad.
He approached Adam carefully, knowing a battle-ready mind could lash out at the slightest abrupt movement. Then, he rubbed his hands and called out in the softest voice he had ever produced.
"What do you plan on doing with your spoils, lad?" He pointed at the dead creature as soon as Adam turned. "Even if they make exquisite materials, they come from the guardian of the groove. It’ll be hard to sell without drawing... unwanted attention."
Adam raised a brow. "The enforcers again?"
"Indeed." Yann nodded. "You can hunt pretty much anything on the archipelago, except ancient creatures and guardians."