29: Chapter 29 Rich Loot

Richard gripped his halberd tightly, grinning viciously as he lunged forward again.

The male Petrified Lizard glared at him with its only remaining eye, grey-green light reconverging within it.

Before the Petrifying Gaze could be unleashed, Richard activated his Charge skill. His entire body transformed into a straight black shadow, and with the added force of his Powerful Strike, the tip of his halberd instantly pierced the male Petrified Lizard's still-glowing right eye.

The light of the gaze exploded the moment the spear tip pierced through, and the grey-green energy backlashed into the lizard's skull, petrifying half of its brain tissue from within.

The halberd tip followed through, penetrating the partially petrified brain tissue, exiting from the back wall of the eye socket, and skewering the lizard's brain.

The male Petrified Lizard's body stiffened abruptly; four of its seven legs stopped struggling simultaneously, while the other three continued to twitch instinctively.

Its large mouth opened and closed, closed and opened, before it quickly ceased its final struggle. A purple tongue slipped from the corner of its mouth, hanging limp onto the gravel ground.

Richard pulled out his halberd and stepped back to quickly check it; fortunately, the halberd had not been affected by the petrification.

The system panel popped up in his field of vision, and golden text flashed quietly:

[Killed Petrified Lizard (Male) × 1 — — Gained 200 Experience Points]

[Assisted in killing Petrified Lizard (Female) × 1 — — Gained 100 Experience Points]

[Current Experience Points: 600/1600]

He was exactly one thousand experience points away from reaching level six.

He closed the panel and used the halberd shaft to support himself on the ground while he caught his breath.

The remaining petrified skin on his legs had not yet completely fallen off, but the newly grown flesh was already firm enough, supporting his weight without any issues.

He looked back at the battlefield; the lingering smoke from the smoke bomb was still slowly drifting through the canyon, and the ground was covered in pools of purple blood and shattered scales.

Morpheus finally emerged from behind the rock where he had been hiding, his purple eyes scanning nervously back and forth.

The Black Cat poked her head out from cover, and only after confirming there was no threat did she stand up. Her dagger had already been returned to the tool belt at her waist, and her hand crossbow remained cocked.

Jinbao brushed the gravel and dust off his body, took off his goggles to look, and then put them back on.

"Two complete Petrified Lizard corpses!" His voice was full of excitement.

"Lizard skin, eyeballs, fangs, stomachs, digestive glands—they are all valuable! Don't just stand there, help me process them. These things are rare finds on the market!"

Morpheus said to Richard, "Your constitution is truly special. To be able to recover so quickly under a Petrifying Gaze is practically comparable to a troll."

Richard just smiled. "Everyone has their own secrets."

He didn't say anything more, just shouldered his halberd, and looked down at his calves, which were still shedding stone fragments.

The gnome's voice interrupted their conversation. "Wahahaha, I don't care about any secrets; I only care about money! Hurry up and help, thanks."

Jinbao pulled several sharp skinning knives from his tool kit, distributed them to everyone, and then walked toward the female lizard.

The gnome's height only reached the base of the lizard's leg, and he had to stand on his tiptoes to see the position of the joints.

He muttered, "My smoke bomb and flash powder were the deciding factors in this battle. Hehehe, if not for my..."

"Alright, alright, stop nagging." The Black Cat walked past him, efficiently skinning the lizard.

Morpheus walked over to the two Petrified Lizard corpses and lowered his head to examine them closely.

Then he crouched down, carefully using his dagger to extract a broken eyeball that hadn't fully solidified from the male lizard's corpse, placed it in a glass bottle, and tucked it into his pouch.

Jinbao continued to explain, "Petrified Lizard eyeballs are excellent alchemy materials. The poison glands can be used to extract paralytic toxins, and the secretions in the stomach can be used to make anti-petrification potions. They're worth quite a lot of money!"

After resting for a while, Richard turned toward the deepest part of the canyon; he had not forgotten the mission that brought them here.

"If Victor is still here, whether he is dead or alive, he must be deeper in these fern forests. Let's hurry."

Deep in the canyon was a naturally formed semi-open cave, and the entrance was piled with a large amount of gnawed petrified fragments.

Some of the fragments still retained the shape of human limbs: a petrified finger, half a severed foot, and a human skull bitten open down the middle. The cranial cavity was empty, completely licked clean.

Scattered on the ground were shreds of luxurious clothing; the remnants of expensive silk were stained with stone powder and dried bodily fluids.

A strong odor, a mixture of decay and the foul stench of reptiles, wafted from the depths of the cave, making Richard sneeze three times in a row.

The Black Cat was the first to find the head.

In the middle of a pile of messily gnawed petrified fragments, a young man's head had rolled into a corner, buried face down in stone powder.

She crouched down and carefully used her dagger to turn the head over.

It was the face of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, with regular features but carrying the childishness born of long-term coddling.

His mouth was wide open, the petrified root of his tongue stiff in his oral cavity, and his eyes were wide open, his pupils filled with despair and terror.

The petrified cross-section of his neck was jagged, with clear tooth marks visible; it had been bitten off his body by a Petrified Lizard.

"Victor Brandon." Richard walked over to the Black Cat, looked down for a moment, and then sighed softly.

"A foolish and pitiful child. Wealth could not save him, and his guards could not save him."

"Wrap up the head and bring it back to his father. At least let him have a proper funeral."

Looking at the petrified head, Richard shook his head helplessly. He really couldn't judge these rich young masters who came adventuring just for the sake of seeking thrills.

The Black Cat took a large piece of oilcloth from her backpack, wrapped the head in several layers, and carefully placed it into a separate pocket.

Jinbao was already crouching at the cave entrance, sifting through the petrified remains, muttering "This can still be sold" and "This is useless."

He found a family ring that hadn't been completely petrified; the crest on it was identical to the Brandon family crest that Morpheus had seen earlier on the mission commission, sufficient to serve as proof of identity.

"And this." Cecilia's voice came from the deepest part of the cave.

She was standing at the edge of a depression at the very back of the cave. The bottom of the depression was covered with a thick layer of dry fern leaves and gravel, and in the very center lay an oval egg.

The surface of the eggshell was rough and tough, presenting a dark grey-green color, and the shell was covered in complex patterns similar to granite texture.

The egg was about the size of a human head, and its surface temperature was rather cool.

But when listening closely, one could vaguely detect extremely faint movement inside the eggshell, a rhythmic pulsation.

Morpheus practically ran to the edge of the depression.

He crouched down, used both hands to extremely carefully lift the egg, and held it up to his eyes to examine it for a full dozen seconds; the excitement in his purple pupils grew brighter and brighter.

His voice carried a joy that couldn't be suppressed, forming a sharp contrast to his usual elegant image:

"Good heavens, a live Petrified Lizard egg! By the gods, do you know how much this egg can sell for in the Blackwater City market?"

"At least three hundred gold coins. If sold to a wizard's tower or some great noble who needs to tame a Petrified Lizard, four or five hundred gold coins is not impossible."

Morpheus continued to educate the group, "Petrified Lizards raised from hatchlings can recognize their masters and become loyal magical beasts upon reaching adulthood. Even if not tamed, the egg itself is a top-tier material for making magic potions."

"Put the egg away first. Someone is coming."

When the group reached the cave entrance, Cecilia said suddenly and alertly, her gaze sweeping toward the direction of the canyon entrance.