Female Protagonist Assistance System

Chapter 37 : . Medusa

After emerging from the depths of the cave, Xiao Han led Gu Xun'er and Qing Lin away from the area. They first returned to the Ancient Map Shop to drop off Qing Lin.

At this time, Xiao Han presented her third request to Hai Bo Dong.

She asked him to travel to the imperial capital of the Gamma Empire, find Yafei, the daughter of the Miteer Family patriarch, and protect her for at least five years.

This request was not excessive. Given Hai Bo Dong's notorious reputation as the Ice Emperor, he wouldn't need to do much. Simply spreading the news that he was backing Yafei would deter almost everyone in the Gamma Empire from harming her.

Therefore, Hai Bo Dong readily agreed. For him, it merely meant staying put in one place for five years.

Of course, protecting Yafei and raising Qing Lin would need to be done simultaneously. However, Qing Lin was an obedient and sensible girl, easy to raise. Hai Bo Dong expressed that this posed no problem at all; it was practically a given.

Afterwards, Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er once again embarked on their desert journey. This time, their destination was the royal city of the Snake People Empire deep in the desert—the palace of Queen Medusa.

A few years ago, when Xiao Han came to the desert to find Qing Lin, she had intercepted Queen Medusa, who was searching for Heterogeneous Flame. The two had even engaged in combat. Of course, as a Dou Zong, Xiao Han had held back considerably. In the end, she promised to return to the desert in a few years to help the Queen breakthrough to Dou Zong, which concluded the battle.

Medusa agreed primarily because of Xiao Han's evident superiority. If she had tried to forcibly take it, Medusa would not only fail but also likely perish in the attempt. With Xiao Han's favorable attitude, Medusa had no choice but to acquiesce.

This time, Xiao Han had come to fulfill her promise.

After all, in the original story, Medusa was one of Xiao Yan's wives and provided him with many benefits. If she didn't handle this properly, it might give Xiao Yan an opportunity to exploit. Therefore, Xiao Han dared not be careless.

As for the infant form of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python that Medusa would transform into upon breaking through to Dou Zong... Xiao Han shrugged. She didn't like keeping pets, but she had already found a suitable new home for Medusa, one that wouldn't mistreat Her Majesty the Queen.

However, they were clearly in no rush, advancing at a leisurely pace. Along the way, Gu Xun'er practiced her skills on various magical beasts in the desert.

When they arrived at the fortress city of the Snake People Empire, they discovered that a massive pathway had been forcibly carved through the Snake People's stringent defense perimeter. All the arrow towers near the path had been reduced to rubble by powerful forces.

Xiao Han raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised that even though Medusa hadn't taken the Heterogeneous Flame, human powerhouses had still come knocking.

Could it be that the traces Medusa left at the Heterogeneous Flame cave led those people to believe she had taken it?

Stroking her chin, Xiao Han raised her hand to encircle Gu Xun'er's waist and said in a deep voice, "Hold on tight."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she activated her Dou Qi and disappeared from the spot with Gu Xun'er.

Xiao Han moved at an extremely fast pace. In the blink of an eye, they had passed through the eight major fortresses and arrived outside Medusa's palace.

There, they witnessed the scene unfolding outside the palace.

Hundreds of meters above the city walls, a massive magical beast hovered in mid-air. Several human figures floated not far in front of the beast, emanating terrifyingly powerful auras.

In the sky before the palace, nine figures were suspended.

The woman at the forefront wore a majestic purple brocade robe. Beneath the robe, her figure was full and shapely, exuding a faint allure. Her three thousand ebony tresses cascaded casually from her fragrant shoulders, reaching down to her slender waist. Below the brocade robe, a section of purple snake tail was visible, appearing extraordinarily bewitching. Yet, beneath that enchanting exterior, there was a hint of queenly nobility and elegance.

Even without having met her before, Gu Xun'er could guess the woman's identity.

—Her Majesty the Queen of the Snake People, Medusa.

Behind Medusa were the eight leaders of the Snake People, though they were only Dou Wang level powerhouses.

"I've said it before, human. The Heterogeneous Flame is not in my possession," Medusa's crimson lips parted slightly, her seductive voice tinged with anger, seemingly irritated by the other party's lack of understanding.

In front of the magical beast, a middle-aged man spoke respectfully but firmly, "Half a year ago, I happened to be in the desert searching for medicinal ingredients when I sensed the aura of the Heterogeneous Flame. I tracked it all the way here. Although I didn't see Your Majesty, I did find a few bloodstained seven-colored snake scales along the way... These scales only appear on Your Majesty's body during all-out battles. Moreover, we detected the scent of the Heterogeneous Flame on those scales. I assume Your Majesty was injured while taking the Heterogeneous Flame?"

A female Snake Person leader behind Medusa angrily retorted, "Our Queen has already said she doesn't have it. Are you humans looking for a war with your persistent badgering? We Snake People are not afraid of you!"

Medusa looked at Gu He, her eyes swirling with frost.

His words reminded her of the incident from a few years ago when she failed to find the Heterogeneous Flame and was beaten. That person had even said they would come back in a few years to help her break through... but where were they now? They still hadn't shown up.

Tch, humans were all no good!

Noticing the hostility in Queen Medusa's eyes and misinterpreting it, Gu He carefully retreated behind the black-robed figure. He said with a bitter smile, "Your Majesty, I meant no offense. You surely understand how important a Heterogeneous Flame is to an alchemist. In my search for it, I've traversed many strange places in the Gamma Empire... The Snake People's bloodline is cold and yin in nature, so the Heterogeneous Flame isn't of much use to you. Therefore, I hope Your Majesty would be willing to trade the Heterogeneous Flame for other valuable items."

"Heterogeneous Flame... Are they talking about the Green Lotus Core Flame?" Gu Xun'er asked in surprise.

Xiao Han nodded, a faint trace of mockery flashing in her eyes. This Gu He had been a high-level alchemist for too long, becoming too accustomed to flattery and losing his direction. What gave him the right to think the Heterogeneous Flame should be his? So what if he had searched for a long time? Throughout history, which alchemist hadn't been driven to despair searching for a Heterogeneous Flame? Some alchemists spent their entire lives without ever seeing one. How long had he been searching to feel so entitled and aggrieved?

Moreover, even if Medusa had found the Heterogeneous Flame, she obtained it through her own abilities. This man had no right to barge into someone else's tribe, injure their people, and arrogantly demand it.

Who did he think he was? Why should the Snake People's queen indulge a mere human?

"Trade?" Hearing this, Queen Medusa's eyes curved in a shallow mockery.

Gu He's brows furrowed slightly. After pondering for a good while, an expression of pain rarely seen on his face appeared. He raised his head and said in a deep voice, "I am willing to offer two sixth-grade Dou Ling Pills... and one seventh-grade Transformation Pill in exchange for the Heterogeneous Flame! What does Your Majesty think?"

As soon as Gu He finished speaking, the people around him widened their eyes, looking at him with faces full of astonishment. Even the black-robed person beside him turned their head slightly, presumably also not expecting Gu He to be so generous for the sake of the Heterogeneous Flame.

The sixth-grade Dou Ling Pill was a type of pill that even Dou Wang level powerhouses would covet. Its effect was simple yet tempting—it could increase the star level of a Dou Wang powerhouse by one!

As for the Transformation Pill, it was even rarer, scarcely seen even across the entire continent, with a rarity comparable to eighth-grade pills.

Gu Xun'er's lips curved slightly. "This person is truly extravagant. However, judging by his badge, he should only be a sixth-grade alchemist, right? I wonder how he plans to obtain a Transformation Pill."

"If he could refine a Transformation Pill, he wouldn't still be just a sixth-grade alchemist," Xiao Han said with a cold laugh. "It's nothing but an empty promise. After all, once he gets the Heterogeneous Flame and retreats to the Gamma Empire, Medusa won't be able to do anything about it. Whether he fulfills this promise or not becomes meaningless."

Gu Xun'er turned her head and asked, "But Senior Sister, didn't you say that integrity is the most important thing for an alchemist?"

"Those not of our kind must be of a different heart," Xiao Han's voice turned cold. "Lying to Snake People won't be criticized by humans. After all, in their eyes, Snake People are just animals, and hostile ones at that. If Gu He takes the Heterogeneous Flame from Medusa without giving her the pills, it would be seen as weakening the Snake People's strength. He wouldn't be criticized; he might even be praised by some humans."

Gu Xun'er frowned slightly.

"Xun'er," Xiao Han suddenly called out to her.

"Hm?" Gu Xun'er tilted her head.

Xiao Han looked straight ahead, her voice suddenly becoming very serious: "I can't control how others think or act, but you must remember this: integrity is the bare minimum standard for being a person. No matter who you're dealing with, once you make a promise and obtain what you want from the other party, you must fulfill that promise."

"This is also a rule of our sect."

Xiao Han's gaze turned cold as she glanced at Gu Xun'er. "Those who violate it will be expelled."

Under Xiao Han's gaze, Gu Xun'er suddenly felt her body stiffen. The other's gaze was cold, as if infused with ice. An overwhelming pressure descended, making Gu Xun'er feel like she could hardly breathe.

"Yes, Senior Sister."

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Xiao Han didn't intentionally use her pressure to frighten Gu Xun'er. This was their sect's tradition, aimed at instilling a sense of reverence for the sect rules in the disciples, ensuring they would keep these rules firmly in mind throughout their lives.

She was being very gentle, okay? When her master taught her back then, the pressure had made her collapse to her knees with a "thud", unable to even lift her back. It felt as if her spine was about to snap.

But clearly, the effect was significant. Afterwards, every time Xiao Han faced a choice that might violate the sect rules, she would feel a phantom pain in her knees...

"Of course, right and wrong, you'll have to judge for yourself," Xiao Han continued. "Xun'er, you are your own person. You have your own thoughts and judgment. You shouldn't just accept whatever others say. What I'm telling you is just the basics of being a person. The rest depends on how you think and act yourself."

A glimmer of understanding flashed in Gu Xun'er's eyes. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Then, Senior Sister, what you've always emphasized about being a true powerhouse..."

Xiao Han glanced at her, then quickly looked away.

"Xun'er, I've said it before. Some things need to be thought about and done by yourself."

"Not every question has a standard answer."