Before setting off again, Chen Bugu and the two introduced themselves to each other.
The Elf Clan maiden was named Ailijia, and she came from the High Heaven City Elf Clan.
According to her, she was the most outstanding Pharmacist in the Elf Clan in the past century, and also a rare Elf Clan member who could simultaneously control both wind and wood elements.
Although Chen Bugu had never asked about her dream, her dream was to become the top Pharmacist in the entire Zero Realm Continent.
However, according to the ruthless Human Awakened Xing Yifu, who inadvertently revealed it loudly, Ailijia was actually a well-known good-for-nothing within the High Heaven City Elf Clan.
She was born with a strange illness; her lower body was withered and weak like dry wood, and even though she could control two elements simultaneously, Ailijia had no talent for combat; let alone fighting, she didn't even possess very flexible mobility.
Although Xing Yifu was not clear about the specific situation, it was well-known in High Heaven City that Ailijia was ostracized within the Elf Clan.
"Hey, Big guy, I'm still here! You're slandering me, showing disrespect to your employer!"
"It's alright, I'm talking to him. Just pretend you didn't hear it; it has nothing to do with you."
Chen Bugu looked at this strange duo and for a moment didn't know where to begin complaining.
However, he did clarify the relationship between Ailijia and Xing Yifu.
Ailijia needed to collect some materials for her medicine, but due to being ostracized within the Elf Clan, she could only issue external bodyguard commissions.
Most mercenary teams didn't dare to accept the commissions Ailijia put out because they didn't want to offend the Elf Clan, so eventually, the fearless Xing Yifu took it on.
But Xing Yifu's team consisted of only him, and if he encountered a special situation where he couldn't look after Ailijia, he somehow managed to get a baby carrier and hung Ailijia on his chest, thus creating this strange duo.
After leaving High Heaven City, the two descended to the bottom of the cliff, heading northwest.
The main ingredient Ailijia lacked for her alchemy was the "web ash" of Zaoyan Spiders, so the two ventured into the Zaoyan Spiders' nest on the cliff face and stole the largest handful of web ash.
Unfortunately, this action still disturbed the Zaoyan Spiders in the nest.
Xing Yifu led Ailijia out, cutting a bloody path, but unable to turn back, they could only flee in the opposite direction of the cliff, hiding in the mountains.
However, the needle-like rain in the mountains not only failed to hinder the Zaoyan Spiders but also posed a threat to Ailijia, preventing Xing Yifu from fighting without restraint.
He had thought those spiders would give up after chasing for a while, but unexpectedly, the chase lasted a full day, which is why Xing Yifu saw Chen Bugu as a savior.
After all, if Chen Bugu could protect Ailijia, he was confident he could kill all those annoying spiders.
"A day?"
"Yes."
"You're quite persistent, but if it weren't for her, you wouldn't be in such a miserable state."
"She pays me, and I protect her life."
Chen Bugu looked at the bald man and suddenly realized that for such an extreme martial artist, being straightforward was the simplest way.
"But what is 'web ash'? Is it some precious material? I've never heard of it," Chen Bugu looked back at Ailijia.
In Chen Bugu's memory, the valuable parts of a Zaoyan Spiders were nothing more than spider legs, spider eyes, spider glands... Among them, the only one that could be used in medicine was the spider gland. He knew nothing about this "web ash."
"You've asked the right person for this; only excellent Pharmacists know about this ingredient. So-called 'web ash' is the powder and crystals left after a Zaoyan Spiders' corpse decomposes naturally after its death. Because it appears net-like, it's also called web ash."
"The quality of web ash is closely related to how long it has existed. The web ash we collected this time has existed for at least a hundred years. Its high quality, combined with refining over a large fire, will surely help me successfully produce the medicine."
Ailijia grew more and more excited as she spoke. When she brought up the specific refining process, she seemed to enter an unusually agitated state, talking endlessly and non-stop.
But the more Chen Bugu listened, the stranger his expression became.
What "web ash"? Wasn't that just the ashes of a Zaoyan Spiders!
So, these two really dug up someone's ancestral grave!
"Wait, Ailijia, you just said that the Zaoyan Spiders' 'web ash' is your main ingredient for alchemy?"
"That's right. When I return to the city and complete the refining, both of you will be the first to receive the legendary medicine from the Master Pharmacist Ailijia."
Chen Bugu's gaze at Ailijia grew stranger; he was already starting to suspect if she was a charlatan, so he politely declined.
"Thank you for the thought, but I have already accepted the beast core. How could I be so greedy? This blessing should be left for Brother Xing."
Xing Yifu heard this, looked at Chen Bugu, then at Ailijia, and said expressionlessly, "This is your matter; what does it have to do with me?"
"No need to worry, and don't decline. As long as you assist me well, with this genius's success rate, everyone will get a share."
Ailijia thought Chen Bugu was worried about insufficient finished medicine, which was why he was so humble, so she quickly patted her chest and made a guarantee.
At this point, Chen Bugu understood that although this Elf Clan member was wealthy, she was clearly not very intelligent.
And the assistance she mentioned was for Chen Bugu to help her control the wood element from the side, which was crucial for successful pill refining. It was just that Ailijia lacked strength and often couldn't multitask during refining, so she couldn't control the wood element very well.
This was the transaction Ailijia proposed.
Chen Bugu's affinity for the wood element was not only extremely high, but he could also flexibly control two elements, just like her, which gave Ailijia a hunch—Chen Bugu was destined to be with her.
Chen Bugu didn't refuse; he had no reason to turn down a beast core, but he did make one request: he wanted to find his companions first.
Regarding this, Xing Yifu provided some information about Bai Ting and the others.
High Heaven City was different from Obsidian Town; this city was vast, rich in races, and populous. To facilitate management, it had developed survivor camps similar to "satellite cities."
Huangmu Camp was precisely such an existence.
There were four or five such camps around High Heaven City, where thousands of Awakeneds who couldn't settle in the city lived.
Besides diverting the population, the most important function of such camps was to differentiate between "city dwellers" and "migrants."
Awakeneds living in camps outside the city were collectively referred to as "migrants"; they could not enjoy the same rights as "city dwellers."
The only way for "migrants" to become "city dwellers" was to accumulate military merits during beast tides to obtain an opportunity for status conversion.
It was precisely through this incentive that the many camps guarding High Heaven City continuously became the first line of defense during beast tides.
Xing Yifu knew that Bai Ting and the others lived in Huangmu Camp because he himself lived there.
They were currently the only two Human mercenary teams in that camp, and having met when they left the Starting Forest, plus Bai Ting also having a Mythological Ability, it was hard not to be impressed.
"I last saw them about a week ago. At that time, they had just returned from an outing. Although they were all injured, overall, they were fine."
"However, they seem to be as eager to break through as I am, so they always snatch hunting commissions with high-risk factors."
Chen Bugu nodded after learning this news.
The reason Bai Ting and the others were eager to break through was probably because of him.
As for the situation in High Heaven City, he was also very clear.
But it didn't matter; he had no intention of becoming a "city dweller" anyway.
As they got closer to the High Heaven City area, and after hearing about the situation of Bai Ting and the others, Chen Bugu's steps unconsciously quickened slightly.
He and Xing Yifu didn't discuss the topic much further. The two, with Ailijia, quickly headed towards the nearby cliff face.
