The Paladin in the Abyss
Chapter 873 - 850: Drink

Chapter 873 -850: Drink

“That’s a bad idea,” Alamir expressed his opposition, “This is not just any ordinary water, it’s the black water of the Stygian River. Any land soaked by it is utterly ruined. We absolutely cannot do that!”

“We can’t dive down, and we can’t drain it, so what do you suggest we do?” Bruto glared at Alamir discontentedly, “Given the situation, is defeating the Lich more important, or is a few acres of worthless forest more important?”

“Of course I know what’s more important, but we must consider the consequences of our actions!” Alamir was clearly a bit angry, “This is, after all, Soveris, and the home of thousands of mortal residents. And that is not just any forest—many animals live there…unless there really is no other way, I steadfastly oppose recklessly destroying it!”

“Wow, really considerate, but if you’re just offering objections and not solutions, you’re purely wasting time.” Bruto argued back uncompromisingly, “From my perspective, the situation is not complicated at all. There’s a lake here, with something we need at the bottom. The lake water is poisonous, so we have to get rid of it. If this doesn’t work and that doesn’t work, why don’t you go drink up all the water in the lake, then there’ll be no problem!”

“You!” Alamir was choked with words for a moment, unable to speak, and could only look for a third party for support, “Lancelot, you say something!”

“Hmm…” The Human Knight rubbed his chin, his beard having grown a bit long over the past few days, “I think your considerations are not unreasonable, but Bruto indeed proposed a feasible solution…”

“What?” Alamir showed a disappointed expression, “Even you agree with that irresponsible plan of his?”

“No, I was referring to his latter suggestion.” Lancelot shrugged, “The one about drinking up the lake water…”

“What?”

“You heard me right…Tanya, how is the feint operation going?”

“It’s already underway,” the Half-elf looked at him strangely, “I have a Message Stone that can contact those companions. Do you have any instructions?”

“Have them make a bit more noise; I might need a bit of time…” Lancelot stepped towards the lake shore, “In a moment, I may not be able to pay attention to other matters. If enemies interrupt the ritual, you’ll have to deal with them. Just a reminder, Bruto, you can argue with the Elf all you want, but if a fight breaks out while I’m gone, you’ll have to follow his commands…”

“Wait, wait!” Bruto scratched his head, trying to clear his thoughts, “You can’t be serious, right? Even if you could ignore its amnesiac effects, you couldn’t fit it all in your stomach…”

“Hahaha, of course, I’m not going to drink it.” Lancelot laughed, shaking his head, and sat down cross-legged on the ground, giving a firm shout: “Watch this!”

With that, he formed a series of intricate gestures with his hands. The ground beneath everyone’s feet began to tremble slightly, as if a burrowing creature was moving underground. Moments later, a vine as thick as an arm broke through the soil before the cross-legged Human Knight, growing shakily to about a foot high, looking like an ordinary fern plant, trembling shyly under the gaze of the onlookers.

“Uh…” The Dwarf’s face was full of question marks, “Is it… a bit small?”

“Don’t just look at the surface. I put in a lot of effort; its roots have extended to the lakebed.” Lancelot shrugged, “Don’t underestimate this vine. It can absorb the Stygian River water just like ordinary water. It’s a special variety I inadvertently discovered while gardening…”

“Oh.” The Dwarf nodded, “But relying on this little pipe alone, when will it ever finish?”

“If left alone, never. So it needs a bit of assistance.” Lancelot pulled out a delicate little Jade Bottle from his robe, “Plus, some special stimuli…”

“Oh oh oh! Here comes your magical fertilizer!”

“What fertilizer, this is the Essence I condense daily during my Cultivation!”

“So does it have any use besides being fertilizer…”

“Uh…”

“Then that’s it.” Bruto crossed his arms, “The stuff I put in my night pot every night can only be used as fertilizer too. Maybe it’s not as effective as your Essence, and it’s not suitable for carrying around, but the use is the same.”‘

“This conversation ends now.” Lancelot replied with a stiff expression, turning to the vine before him. After a bit of thinking, he carefully tilted the bottle, pouring out a drop of emerald green liquid. The moment the green liquid touched the vine, the vine itself didn’t react, but Lancelot shuddered all over, with a phantom of an emerald green vine appearing behind him.

The Human Knight immediately held his breath, concentrating all his Divine Sense on the vine before him. To the eyes of the surrounding companions, the vine suddenly began to sprout a branch, like a snake rising up, quickly coiling around the seated Lancelot until he was completely wrapped inside, forming what looked like a cocoon. The main vine grew rapidly thicker and longer, surpassing the width of a wagon wheel and extending over a hundred feet in length, still continuously growing, twisting and writhing like an octopus’s tentacles.

“Moradin’s beard…” Bruto retreated in fear at the eerie sight, “Is this the stuff he waters his garden with?”

“Diluted by several hundred times.” Alamir nodded, pointing towards the lake, “This method of Lancelot’s looks promising, but it’s making too much of a stir…Prepare for combat.”

The previously calm lake surface was now churning violently, as if an invisible storm was raging above. Despite other companions launching a feint attack to distract the defenders, it’s impossible for such a commotion to go unnoticed.

As expected by the Elf Priest, very soon, Undead creatures started rushing out from the forest edge—here two skeletons, there a zombie. None were significant threats, but their numbers were worrying.

Bruto let out a battle cry, but before he could take a step, Alamir held him back firmly.

“What?” The Dwarf turned sharply but remembered Lancelot’s earlier instructions and forced down his rising anger, “How do you want to fight this?”

As he posed the question, the Scholar had already completed his first Spell, pointing towards the ground ahead, causing a massive silver web to appear, entangling the fastest approaching enemies. Following that, Barrend, Tanya, and Little Issa all took action, either throwing Throwing Axes, drawing Short Bows, or releasing black-purple magical energy, all aimed at the enemies trapped in the web.

“See that?” Alamir patted Bruto’s shoulder heavily, “You’re our strongest Melee Fighter right now. Don’t waste your time on these small fry. If any enemy makes it through to us, it’s up to you to deal with them, got it?”