I Have a Task Log

Chapter 307: Chapter 306: A Temporary Improvement

Orelia looked at the necklace he was holding out to her.

She frowned and clenched her jaw, as if she were fighting against something.

Sitting beside her, Ale gently patted her on the back, murmuring something in the Elf Language. Edwin stood as still as a stone statue, his eyes fixed on Orelia’s every move.

Seeing the tense scene, Colin steeled himself.

’This is cruel, but I know Orelia wouldn’t want to hurt anyone after being corrupted by the Teleportation Array...’

The four of them remained in a standoff on the stairs for quite a while.

Just when Colin was starting to lose hope, Orelia bit her lip and extended her right hand.

Her small, frail hand—weak from being unable to eat properly for so long—reached slowly, slowly into the sunlight, and tremblingly grasped the necklace in Edwin’s hand.

Orelia took a deep breath.

She clasped the necklace with both hands and put it around her neck. The moment it was on, her whole body shuddered. After letting out a long exhale, she collapsed into Ale’s arms like a pile of cotton.

"Well done, Orelia," Edwin said, sighing in relief.

The Tiefling no longer had the strength to speak.

Judging by her eyes, however, Colin felt she looked much more lucid than before, as if she were waking up from anesthesia. He wondered if it was just his imagination.

"Colin, come downstairs with me," Edwin said before quickly heading down.

Colin hurried after him.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Edwin asked, "That must be the Half-Elf from the Silver Star Court you met, right?"

Though he didn’t know why Edwin was suddenly asking this, Colin nodded.

He was also a bit curious about the name "Solance" written on the necklace’s Panel, but he felt it would be impolite to ask, so he swallowed his question.

"Orelia should be mostly fine now. I’m going to talk to a few friends and see what we should do next. Please take care of her for the next couple of days."

After speaking, Edwin clenched his right fist, placed it over his chest, and began reciting a prayer.

Colin saw an Array made of golden light suddenly appear on the ground in the alley. It looked somewhat similar to the Demon Array he had seen beneath the White Dove Monastery.

A pillar of light flared up in the center of the Array. A giant eagle’s talon, large enough to easily crush a horse’s head, stepped out from the pillar. The light gradually dissolved into a flurry of glowing specks, revealing a Griffin of astonishing size!

The Griffin looked at the narrow alley and let out two dissatisfied cries. The sharp screeches made the surrounding windows tremble.

"Alright, little lady," Edwin said as he swung himself onto the giant beast’s back.

The Griffin kicked its legs, nimbly leaping onto a nearby wall. After a few more bounds, it was out of the alley. It spread its wings and soared into the air, flying over a hundred meters in just a few powerful flaps.

Colin ran back upstairs.

Ale and Orelia were still sitting in the hallway.

Colin looked at the two of them, unsure of what to say.

He had never believed in any Gods, so he couldn’t possibly understand what Orelia was feeling. The only thing he knew for sure was that she must be in a terrible state.

The pillar of her faith and the source of her power had suddenly started to reject her overnight. The dream she had sacrificed everything for had become nearly impossible to achieve. Anyone in her shoes would find it unbearable.

"Edwin said he’ll figure something out, so we don’t have to worry too much," Colin said. "I’m going to go deal with the Dragon Beast materials and loot in the [Dimension Bag]. Ale, you should stay with Orelia for now."

Ale nodded.

She patted the Tiefling’s shoulder and said, "I told you before I had some classic stories I wanted to share with you. Come with me."

Orelia managed a very strained smile. It was clear she was fully conscious now, but she still lacked the strength to speak.

Colin was about to go over and carry Orelia to her bed, but Ale lifted the Tiefling with ease, looking like she didn’t need his help at all.

Watching the two of them enter the room, Colin sighed.

He went upstairs, slung the [Dimension Bag] over his back, and headed toward the Dwarves’ place. Since Orelia’s problem was settled for now, it was about time to take care of his own business.

He made his way through the sewers to Donkexes’s herb shop.

The old Dwarf was standing behind the counter, using a scale and a ledger to do his accounts, counting some Gold Coins and cut Gold.

When Colin entered the room, Donkexes, with his head down, glanced up at him over the top of his spectacles, a hint of a smile in his twinkling eyes.

"Got some new goods?"

"Some materials from a Dragon Beast and a Demon." Colin opened the [Dimension Bag] and dumped the Dragon Beast hide and head, both coated in Antiseptic Oil, onto the floor. Finally, several Activated Iron Chains, glowing with a faint red light, slid out of the bag’s opening and fell to the ground.

"These are just from a young Dragon Beast, not even fully grown... But they’ll do." Donkexes’s eyes lit up when he saw the chains on the floor. "You fought a Chain Demon?"

"How else would we have gotten these?" Colin retorted.

"Not bad. To think you actually survived an encounter with a Middle-Tier Demon. It feels like centuries ago that you first came to me with that Frost Star Grass." Donkexes glanced at Colin’s expression and asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"

Colin waved his hand. "No. There’s something I want to discuss with you all."

He chose his words carefully and said in a low voice, "You want to get into the Undercity, don’t you?"

The moment he said this, Donkexes’s expression changed completely.

His entire face scrunched up, resembling a piece of dry, hard old tree bark.

The Dwarf whispered seriously, "Don’t talk about this outside, and don’t even mention it in here. Just act like you don’t know anything, and I’ll act like I didn’t hear..."

"You want to cooperate with us?"

Just then, Durkin’s voice came from the inner part of the room.

Colin turned to see the black-haired Dwarf standing silently in the doorway, watching him. Langgrin, clad in full Plate Armor, stood behind Durkin with his arms crossed.

"Uh, Durkin..."

Donkexes hopped off his box and went over to Durkin, his tone pleading.

Durkin glanced down at the Chain Demon’s chains on the floor and asked, "You dealt with this?"

"Not by ourselves. The Morninglord Cathedral provided several Tier Three Magic Scrolls and potions, plus two Guards for support," Colin said frankly. "Without their help, it would have been nearly impossible for us to defeat such an opponent."

"But you still dealt with it."

After saying this, Durkin fell into a long silence.

Just as Colin was about to speak again, the Dwarf continued, "Since you know we want to enter the Undercity, then you should also know what we’re looking for."

"Donkexes knows about my ring. I just want to see if there are any clues about Ora Kaim down there," Colin replied. "At the very least, I think we can both get what we want."