Upon hearing this answer, the contact remained stunned for a full 10 seconds before managing to squeeze out a single sentence.
“You really are ruthless…”
“Whether I’m ruthless or not isn’t the point. I want to ask, can this be exchanged for money? I urgently need money to flee the Kingdom of Huiyao.”
Ainola’s goal for this trip was solely for money.
Naturally, the contact’s answer to this was a firm rejection.
“The assassination target didn’t die, so the mission isn’t considered complete. Furthermore, Anderson will surely go insane retaliating against you now, so we need to distance ourselves from you even more. Therefore, there will be no payment.”
“How regrettable.”
Ainola sighed with a hint of true regret after hearing that.
However, she was not discouraged; instead, she rose to her feet, preparing to head toward the Canyon of the Abyss.
Ainola’s plan would not stop just because she lacked funds.
She had to lure a sufficient number of Paladins to watch her jump off the cliff.
As long as her death was confirmed, Anderson would surely give up.
The bottom of the Canyon of the Abyss was incredibly deep, and to this day, no one had ventured inside to see what it was actually like.
By that time, Anderson shouldn’t waste his time on someone who had already fallen into the abyss, and would instead turn his attention to searching for an antidote.
However, Ainola could assert one thing with total confidence.
No one but her could produce the antidote for this Stomach-weakening Curse.
Therefore, Anderson would ultimately end up with nothing to show for his efforts.
“Are you leaving now?”
Watching Ainola’s resolute expression, the contact couldn’t help but feel a flicker of sympathy for her.
He pulled a pouch of gold coins from his pocket and spoke.
“Although I cannot help you much, there should be 1,000 Gold Coins in here. That should be enough to sustain you for a while.”
1,000 Gold Coins might seem like a high value.
But it was just a general currency term, and its purchasing power was roughly equivalent to about 5,000 units from her previous life.
Even if it wasn’t much, Ainola was still very grateful for his help. She bowed slightly and said.
“Thank you, Uncle Da.”
“Leave quickly. I’m sure those Temple Knights have already sealed the various checkpoints. Try to take the smaller paths; it would be best to exit through the south.”
The contact known as Uncle Da didn’t know Ainola’s plan. Having always been known as a cold-blooded assassin, he was even willing to point out a path for Ainola today.
“Also, take this.”
Uncle Da took out a bundle of scrolls and explained to Ainola.
“This is an Unstable Teleportation Scroll. It can transmit you randomly to a location, but the destination isn’t fixed; it could be the bottom of the ocean or a primeval forest, so don’t use it unless it is an absolute last resort.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’m not that foolish.”
Ainola accepted the final kindness from the other party and set off on her journey of escape.
However, she still had one thing to do before that… she had to lure Anderson, who was the fastest runner, away first.
Otherwise, Ainola estimated she would be caught before she even reached the Canyon of the Abyss.
***
Unknown to her how much time had passed, Anderson arrived at a Forest Cottage.
He knocked on the door and said.
“White Wizard, is this a convenient time?”
“Please, come in.”
From inside the house came a very cold, feminine voice.
When Anderson walked in, he saw a woman wearing wizard robes and a pointed hat, busy stirring her large cauldron.
The cauldron was constantly bubbling, emitting a very rich, medicinal aroma.
“Is something the matter, Prince Anderson?”
The wizard stirred the pot, and although she didn’t look directly at Anderson, her peripheral vision remained fixed on him.
“White Wizard, I would like to ask for your help in curing the toxins in my body.”
Anderson came here, of course, to resolve his poisoned status.
After all, this current state of forced, permanent sage-hood was simply too frustrating.
Anderson truly hadn’t expected that piece of trash Ainola to act so decisively and mercilessly.
Oh wait, she did leave a little bit of mercy, otherwise, he would be lying in a coffin from the poison right now.
But why does thinking about it still make him feel so annoyed?
Anderson clicked his tongue, his heart itching to hang Ainola up and whip her with a club.
“You’re poisoned?”
Hearing Anderson’s words, the White Wizard looked over. She wore a look of confusion, checked him over once, and then another time, before saying even more baffled.
“You… don’t seem to be poisoned at all?”
“I really am poisoned.”
Anderson nodded with certainty, but no matter how the White Wizard checked, she could not find any trace of toxins in Anderson’s body.
“No, you aren’t poisoned. You can state the symptoms of your poisoning, as that would make it easier for me to conduct an examination.”
The White Wizard’s words made Anderson feel somewhat embarrassed, but after overcoming his shame, he took a deep breath and said.
“I was hit with a Stomach-weakening Curse.”
“…”
The White Wizard’s small face, hidden under the pointed hat, became distorted as she tried to hold back her laughter.
Seeing the other party turn her face away, Anderson’s desire to beat Ainola grew even stronger.
How could there be such an infuriating curse!
“Ahem!”
The White Wizard pretended nothing had happened and said:
“I wasn’t laughing just now, really.”
“So, can you find the antidote?”
Anderson didn’t dwell on the White Wizard’s offense.
The latter, after confirming the symptoms, was able to conduct a more targeted examination.
But after the inspection, the expression on the White Wizard’s face grew increasingly solemn. She muttered in disbelief.
“How is this possible… this… this is not a toxin.”
Listening to the White Wizard’s muttering, Anderson couldn’t help but ask anxiously.
“If it’s not a toxin, then what is it?”
To this, the White Wizard explained.
“This is a type of Curse of the Lost Art that has been forgotten for a very, very long time. Because it has been lost, that is why I am so shocked.”
A curse; this was a type of spell completely outside of the existing spell system.
Moreover, to lift this kind of lost spell, only the caster could remove it.
“Being able to use medicine to cast a curse… Your Highness, the person who poisoned you is no weakling.”
The White Wizard narrowed her eyes, a hint of a smile on her face.
“She clearly could have cast a much more powerful curse, right?”
After hearing the White Wizard’s explanation, Anderson’s face turned even darker.
He gritted his teeth and muttered.
“Ainola… you little brat…”
The current Anderson held a mix of love and hate for the trash that was Ainola.
How could someone who looked so cute do something so wicked?
“Your Highness, according to what you said, is the other party the notorious assassin Red Sparrow?”
“Correct. She is very skilled at shapeshifting and disguises, so trying to capture her is truly a bit difficult.”
Although Anderson had already ordered the closure of all outbound checkpoints, it was inevitable there would be oversights.
Once Ainola left the country, it would be very troublesome for him to catch her.
While Anderson was deep in thought, the White Wizard took out a Tracking Pointer carved with an obscure Magic Formation and said.
“This thing can track the location of the curse caster. It will point toward her continuously until you find her.”