Chapter 60: The Burden of the Curse and an Unlikely Alliance

Within the Spanlam Mountains, Ellis was diligently performing her role as a ‘cleaner’.

Dispelling curses was something Ellis excelled at, yet she found herself overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity and ceaseless flow of this particular affliction.

Had the Thunder Kun Bird King, disguised as a little girl, not informed her that these cursed Thunder Kun Birds, acting as pathogens, needed to be cured first, the curses would continuously proliferate by siphoning the life force of the infected. Ellis feared she would never finish the task otherwise.

Even with the root cause identified, it didn’t mean the task suddenly became easy.

After all, the Thunder Kun Birds had been infected for an unknown period, and their sheer size dwarfed Ellis and her companions many times over, making the cleanup effort truly arduous.

Treating roughly three Thunder Kun Birds would nearly deplete Ellis’s elemental energy in just over an hour.

Of course, she couldn’t afford to completely overdraw her elemental energy. Doing so would not only induce a state of weakness, but also drastically reduce her recovery rate.

Moreover, Ellis needed to maintain the two barrier formations that blocked the curses: one for the treatment room and one for the isolation room. All cured birds had to be moved to isolation to prevent secondary infections and to observe if the curse had truly been lifted.

Ellis had assumed this arrangement would allow her some much-needed rest. To her surprise, the little girl suddenly tossed her a stone as clear as jade.

“What are you doing? Is an hour all you ‘cleaners’ work? Hurry up and absorb this, then get back to it.”

Ellis stared blankly at the cyan jade stone in her hand. This object was called an Elemental Stone, a pure energy stone that could directly replenish elemental energy. Naturally, they were graded by their purity.

The one the little girl had given her was of the highest quality, completely free of impurities, boasting an elemental energy conversion rate of nine tenths.

“How lucky you are, Ellis, to get such a high-quality product for free. You must be thrilled.”

Larry’s teasing voice drifted over from nearby. Ellis’s forehead creased into a ‘hash’ mark, and she clenched her fists, her expression darkening.

Suddenly, the little girl looked at Ellis with suspicion.

“What, do you have a problem with me? Don’t worry, I’m very democratic.”

As she spoke, cyan lightning began to flicker around the little girl’s hands.

“If you can beat me, I’ll democratically allow you to leave.”

‘What does that have to do with democracy?!’

Ellis suppressed the retort bubbling inside her, bitterly absorbing the elemental stone.

Larry silently stayed by her side, while Julia and Irene helped with other ‘cleaning’ tasks. This, of course, referred to tidying up the Thunder Kun Birds’ normal activity areas, clearing away ‘weeds,’ ‘feathers,’ and ‘stones’—things that were bothersome to the Thunder Kun Birds but treasures in Julia’s eyes.

Had Ellis not sent Julia down the mountain to prepare medicine, Julia would have already planned to transform into a master architect with Irene again, becoming neighbors with these Thunder Kun Birds. After all, with the Thunder Kun Bird King’s instructions, they wouldn’t be attacked.

As for Irene, she was also lingering there, seemingly taken with one of the Thunder Kun Bird King’s children, trying every method to abduct it.

Everyone else was engaged in work that interested them, yet Ellis alone wore a bitter expression, painstakingly clearing curses.

But then again, it was her suggestion to come up at this time, so she could only swallow the bitter fruit herself.

During a brief lull, Larry curiously inquired, “Where did these Thunder Kun Birds get infected with such a fierce curse?”

The little girl casually replied, “My children encountered some filthy things during their migration. Although I intervened in time and repelled them, many of my children still became infected with this curse. To prevent them from losing control, I followed them here.”

“With an elder like you present, what would dare not know its place?”

Ellis seized the opportunity to interject, her overly cautious address of ‘elder’ to a girl who looked about ten years old seeming particularly out of place.

The little girl sighed and said, “No, I arrived later. I don’t just have this one clan to look after. Initially, I wasn’t too worried because they were coming to the Spanlam Mountains, but I didn’t expect to encounter such troublesome matters. Although I’m not afraid of these curses, my other children can’t handle them. You see, these infected children are so docile only because my suppressive aura remains here. As long as they retain a shred of consciousness, they will never cause trouble.”

Any matter an S-rank elemental beast deemed ‘troublesome’ was certainly no small feat. Ellis didn’t press further; she had no desire to invite trouble. However, one thing still puzzled her.

“Speaking of which, aren’t S-rank elemental beasts bound by an agreement with the Guild not to operate on the Mazesli Continent?”

“It’s just an agreement. It’s fine as long as you don’t get caught.”

The little girl stated righteously, “Besides, what if I am discovered? Those who can chase me can’t beat me, and those who can beat me can’t chase me. As for those who can both beat and chase me, I’ve already ‘taken care of’ them, hehe.”

Ellis’s mouth twitched. She felt the most profound part of that statement was ‘taken care of.’ Indeed, wherever there were people, there was intrigue. But who possessed such immense power to secretly allow an S-rank elemental beast to enter?

“So, we just coincidentally stumbled in and ran into you, then?”

The little girl frowned slightly upon hearing this. “…Why did you come to the Spanlam Mountains?”

Ellis said with exasperation, “To collect Startle Thundergrass. A certain medicine requires it.”

“And besides that?”

“Nothing else.”

Ellis and Larry looked at the little girl, perplexed, unable to understand why she was asking such questions.

Upon hearing their reply, the little girl suddenly broke into a brilliant smile. “That old bastard, I thought he was handling things seriously for me, but he pulled a stunt like this. Just wait until I get my hands on him…”

The little girl suddenly radiated a chilling aura and killing intent, causing Ellis and Larry to tremble beside her, unsure what had provoked this formidable being.

However, the killing intent came and went swiftly. She seemed to realize that venting her anger in front of two juniors, whose ages weren’t even a fraction of hers, was rather undignified. Thus, she addressed Ellis and Larry, “Do your work well for me. I’m going out for a bit to get your compensation back.”

“Huh?”

Larry and Ellis exchanged bewildered glances, unsure what the little girl was talking about. But then she cautioned them, “Don’t think of sneaking away. Your location has already been sold out. I can find you anytime. If I catch you…”

The familiar cyan flash appeared in their eyes. The two looked at each other, then immediately nodded like beckoning cats, indicating their understanding.

“Also, if any of the children truly can’t hold on… help them find release.”

Leaving them with that instruction, the little girl soared into the air, instantly transforming into her true form, then vanished without a trace in the next second.

Larry and Ellis still didn’t fully grasp what had happened, but with the little girl gone, Ellis finally let out a sigh of relief, then immediately pounced on Larry.

“You rotten scoundrel! Not only did you not help, but you dared to fan the flames!”

Ellis unleashed her ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Claws,’ leaving Larry’s face covered in red marks.

“Stop, stop, stop! I was just thinking about safety!”

“Pfft, safety my foot! Prepare to die!”

“Those two are still as boisterous as ever.”

From a distance, Julia, who had come up to bring food to Ellis and the others, sat with Irene, unable to help but sigh at the sight of Ellis and Larry bickering.

Irene nodded, then hesitated before saying, “Julia, I don’t know what you think, but I’m not going to pursue Larry anymore.”

“Oh, you’re giving up?”

Julia chuckled, counting on her fingers. “So Daisy, Meixia, and you have all given up. That leaves just me. Doesn’t that make Larry mine for the taking?”

Irene looked at Julia and laughed, “Yes, yes, yes. Go and claim him quickly.”

Julia rolled her eyes. “Claim what? I didn’t have a chance when Ellis was a man, and now that he’s like this, why would I bother fantasizing?”

“Aren’t you preparing medicine to change him back?”

“Even if he changes back, there’s no hope. He never considered any of us as an option.”

Irene looked at her best friend and said, “So you knew all along.”

Julia sighed. “I knew, but before, I always felt unwilling. Why did I lose to a man? Alas, now I have to admit defeat.”

Irene and Julia fell silent afterward, quietly watching their troublesome friends, lost in their own thoughts.

The high-quality elemental stones left by the little girl were plentiful, providing Ellis with a continuous supply of elemental energy, allowing her to work almost without pause.

Larry stayed by her side, wiping her sweat, offering water, and feeding her.

Seeing Ellis’s fierce dedication, he didn’t say much. As her friend, how could he not understand?

Although encountering the Thunder Kun Bird King was an accident, Ellis felt guilty for bringing him, Julia, and Irene into danger due to her impulsiveness. Even if they didn’t voice it, the guilt weighed on her. Now that there was a way to turn their peril into safety, she couldn’t possibly not give her all.

At this point, advising her to rest would be useless; he could only silently support her by her side.

Just as the two were working feverishly, they suddenly heard a frantic cry. Looking up, they saw a Thunder Kun Bird completely stained in inky black, its dark, lifeless eyes radiating madness and killing intent.

Other Thunder Kun Birds, both normal and abnormal, also looked over, their eyes revealing deep sorrow.

A heavy feeling settled in both their hearts as they remembered the Thunder Kun Bird King’s parting instructions.

Larry decisively drew his sword. Ellis, seeing this, provided Larry with a protective barrier. Before the Thunder Kun Bird could cause any damage, Larry instantly appeared before it. A flash of sword light, and the Thunder Kun Bird was decapitated, its life extinguished completely.

The massive body collapsed within the nest. Larry noticed its form rapidly decaying, finally dissolving into a dense black mist that permeated the air. This black mist was precisely the insidious curse.

Observing the thick black mist surrounding them, Larry quickly retreated into Ellis’s barrier, saying helplessly, “It looks like your workload is about to increase.”

“Alas.”

Two sighs echoed, one belonging to Ellis, and the other…

Larry and Ellis spun around abruptly, only to find the little girl, the Thunder Kun Bird King’s transformed guise, standing behind them. She gazed with a complex expression at the recently deceased Thunder Kun Bird.

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