Rye Wine Adds Another Voice

Chapter 88 Rye Wine Adds Another Voice

The boat was found by Culan, who was very interested in the snake people that the rye wine kept mentioning and had placed his bets on the operation.

If you find the snake-man, it's best to catch one alive. He will skin these monsters from out of town alive in the square and, while they're still breathing, throw them into the Nileka River to feed the water ghosts.

Marcus readily agreed, of course. A usable boat was hard to find; apart from the boat that Granny Keshachi had personally inscribed with spells and blessings, no small boat could safely navigate the Nileka River.

As is well known, witches demand high rewards. Unlike shrewd sorcerers who use profits and gold to win people's hearts, no one would be foolish enough to exchange their soul for a small boat that could sink at any moment.

The boat was moored on the boardwalk. It was a dugout canoe no more than six meters long, with a half-length statue of a woman whose face was covered by long hair at the bow.

Viktor, holding a torch, gazed at the canoe swaying and bobbing in the wind and waves, and for a moment felt it was nonsense: "Nolfitz, the fifty gold coins I gave you are enough to rent a reliable and stable sailboat."

"Sir, where can I find you a reliable and stable sailboat? There are only four of us, so a canoe is the most suitable. Don't worry, this boat is sturdy enough that water monsters and crocodiles won't come near it."

"Are you sure?" This time it was Trish's voice that questioned in a low voice. She didn't want to fall into the water; that would be terrible.

"Sure."

Marcus was the first to jump onto the canoe, picked up the oar and swung it around for a while. He then placed his shield, longsword, and baton beside him, grabbed the gunwale, and shook the canoe vigorously. The canoe remained stable without any undulation.

"Come on aboard. This boat can sail smoothly on the Nileca River, but how to find the snake people is not the Water Ghost Queen's concern."

"Damn it, tough guy, I hate boating."

Despite his complaints, the dwarf reluctantly jumped into the canoe, placed a log under the paddle, and secured the paddle in the trough, preparing to support the action with his strong arms.

"Sigh—" Zhuo Er smoothly entered the canoe.

Only the uneasy priest Victor remained, looking around between the rushing Nileca River and the canoe. He felt uneasy, but this secret operation could not be made public. Without the support of the church, he could only trust this strange group of adventurers.

"If Tyr is guiding you to uphold justice, then you shouldn't hesitate, sir. Rye wine is a helper to justice," Marcus urged him to come over in a way that the priest could accept.

He couldn't be foul-mouthed, because fifty gold coins was just too much.

Victor jumped into the canoe and saw Drow grabbing the corner of her cloak, which was lying on the plank, with obvious meaning: stay away from her.

Bardin beckoned the pastor to come closer, and the two sat side by side in a row, nodding to each other.

Marcus untied the ropes securing the wooden stakes to the boardwalk, and with a push of his paddle, the canoe smoothly entered the edge of the Nileca River.

Victor said the snake people's stronghold was in the north, and the four of them could only row hard to resist the huge resistance of the upstream current.

Trissy's half-hearted approach caused Marcus's eyebrows to twitch: "Trissy, perhaps you should—do something?"

"No way. Even the dumbest hunting dog will at least sniff out the scent before setting off to hunt. Yet this pious and arrogant priest has never even seen a snake-man, yet he's convinced they're hiding somewhere in the rainforest. Oh—I really should learn from humans' foolish yet shrewd attitude."

"Half-elf, are you provoking me?"

"Provocation? I never provoke; I only kill."

The captain watched their argument with great interest, but he never quite grasped the essence of their sarcastic and obscene manner; his vulgar and obscene tone was truly an insult to civility.

In their previous interactions, Zhuoer had clearly restrained her sharp tongue, only exhaling and threatening to kill him and Badin.

But this time, dealing with Viktor was much more elegant.

The group paddled upstream in their canoes, their slow, deliberate movements resembling fallen leaves drifting on the river. After realizing they couldn't win an argument with Drow, the priest, his face flushed, turned to talk about the snake people.

"Enough! To negotiate with an evil drow who worships Lolth is utterly blasphemous! But there are more important matters at hand: how much do you know about the snake people? I need sufficient information about your individual abilities to devise a flawless plan!"

The rye wine momentarily froze. Marcus looked at Victor with an expression as if he were an idiot. "We're a brotherly adventure team, understand?"

Why was I able to become the captain of the rye beer team? Was it because I beat Bardeen in a card game?

No, it's because of my exceptional intelligence, unwavering perseverance, and strong, powerful arms.

The captain coughed twice: "Sir, you hire Ryebrew to help you, but that doesn't mean we have to listen to you. Fifty gold coins are nothing to an elf."

"Upholding justice is a duty. Tyre asks me to awaken the dormant justice in your souls. The pastor's duty is to guide the innocent lambs to understand God's word."

Marcus was silent for a moment, then looked at Bardin and said, "I suddenly feel like throwing him down."

"Sigh, he's just an old stubborn man, a tough nut to crack. I hate talking to old stubborn men."

Viktor, caught up in a frenzy, interrogated the drow and threatened the warriors and rangers. His sharp and sarcastic voice made it difficult for anyone to feel any goodwill towards his so-called path of justice.

"Dwarf master, I respect your tradition of believing in your ancestors, but whether human or dwarf, all should heed Tyr's path of justice. If justice crumbles, then no one deserves to live in this world!"

"Let's just throw him down," Marcus muttered, stopping what he was doing.

The rye wine's unfriendly attitude, and the splashing waves of the Nileka River against the canoe, caused Victor to suddenly draw his longsword. He stood up, his gaze piercing as he stared intently at the rainforest to his left: "I heard it, the snake people's schemes, they're hiding here!"

A breeze brushed against Marcus's cheek, carrying a dry, musty smell in the cool, moist night air.

He looked eastward toward the Nileca River, where the wind seemed to be blowing from Bloodline Doomsday.

"Let's dock. Tomorrow's breakfast will be snake soup!"

As the canoe slowly approached the mosquito-infested mangrove forest, Marcus reminded everyone to find something to cover their mouths and noses. The water ghost queen could hold the people on the boat so they wouldn't be eaten by the water ghosts, but the little darlings buzzing in the forest always liked to inject insect eggs and viruses into living things.

Viktor scoffed at the mockery, believing it to be a heretical conspiracy. His body burst into golden light, transforming into a dazzling sun in the darkness, mercilessly burning the mosquitoes to ashes.

"Sir, the snake people will notice if you do this."

"They already knew that justice would prevail!"

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