Chapter 445
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Chapter 445: Hillsbrad in Summer
In Southshore, Jesse was almost forgetting about the summer days in Southshore.
A deep green covered the entire Hillsbrad Foothills. He looked at the rolling hills, forests, and the distant mist-covered snowy mountains. He couldn’t help but take a deep breath of the salty sea breeze.
Standing on the bustling dock, Jesse used Detect Demon to scan the whole town. Apart from the two beside him, there was no demon around, which made him feel extremely relieved.
"It seems like I am the worst one here," he thought to himself.
"Mr. Jurke!" the dwarf approached Jesse cautiously and said, "That… that…"
Jesse nodded and took out the box, opening it and handing out the gem, asking, "Can you tell me where this thing comes from?"
The dwarf happily took the gem and said, "Stranglethorn. I bought it from a group of Booty Bay pirates. They said it was obtained from the southern coast of Stranglethorn, and it can fetch a good price in Dalaran."
Jesse nodded, having an idea of the place now.
Near Booty Bay, there is an island in the Sea Horn and the Whirlpool Bay occupied by Naga. There is a Naga altar on it. Perhaps this gem was found there.
He couldn’t sense any Naga shadow presence on it, but the Arcane energy within seemed distorted by some force. It was a bit of a stretch to say the gem was evil.
After encountering the female statue of Yogg-Saron in Loch Modan last time, this thing seems quite normal in comparison, at least there doesn’t seem to be any obvious mental disorder.
Jesse asked, "Why don’t you sell it to the Explorer Association? It’s much safer there in Ironforge, isn’t it? You’re a Bronzebeard after all."
The dwarf chuckled and said, "I’d rather throw this thing into the sea than sell it to those stingy folks at the Explorer Association! The elves in Dalaran are more reasonable with gold, if you’ve met them before, you’d know I’m right!"
"I’m not familiar with the Explorer Association, but indeed, the elves." Jesse nodded and said, "I suggest you leave Southshore with it soon and go to Dalaran to sell it to the elves. It’s not a good idea to keep this thing with you."
"I understand now." The dwarf said, "Also, thank you for helping me out on the ship, otherwise those Kul Tirans might really have…"
Jesse chuckled and said, "I don’t think the captain would actually throw you overboard, but if you had fired a gun, who knows?"
"So, thanks to you! Hope to see you again, Mr. Jurke!"
The dwarf quickly stuffed the gem into his pocket and vanished into the street. Jesse watched his back before checking his own small box to make sure it wasn’t tainted by the gem, then he took out the ice crystal from his pocket and placed it inside.
As the Living Ice Crystals fell into the box, the frosty air instantly cleared Jesse’s doubts about its cleanliness. Jesse sighed deeply, recognizing the craftsmanship of a skilled individual.
In Southshore, it was livelier than when Jesse returned to Stormwind half a year ago. Maybe it was because the weather was much warmer now, and most importantly, the damage caused by the young dragons was hardly visible anymore.
The burnt ruins had been cleared, the destroyed houses rebuilt. Except for a few houses near the forest that still showed some scorch marks, most of it no longer bore any signs of the black dragons’ presence.
At the town hall’s entrance, Jesse saw a snake-like, dried head hanging on the clock tower.
That was Mafra. Yes, Jesse remembered his name, very clearly.
Even witnessing the adult dragon from who knows where in the Badlands, even the young dragon killed by him and Vereesa in the ruins of Thaurissan, all paled in comparison to the impact Mafra had on him.
After all, this was the first real dragon he had ever seen and hunted.
Jesse walked into the inn, glanced at a few Dalaran mages sitting in the corner, and approached the counter.
The man behind the counter was a strong young man about Jesse’s age, possibly the son of the real owner.
Jesse looked at him and asked, "Sir, are there many caravans heading to Lordaeron?"
"Of course," the boss said, "There should be a convoy leaving tomorrow morning, and the convoy leader is staying here. Are you planning to stay at the inn, sir?"
Jesse nodded and said, "For one night, in a slightly more remote location, as close to the wall as possible. And then another pack of smoked meat and a cup of beer."
"55 copper coins, sir."
Jesse placed a silver coin on the table and said, "You don’t need to give me back the change. But could you deliver the food and wine to my room? I’ll return the dishes and cup before I leave."
"No problem, sir," the boss said with a smile.
Jesse nodded and entered the room indicated by the boss. He pushed open the door and flopped onto the bed. A stable bed that didn’t sway back and forth was comfortable. Now that his feet were on solid ground, he felt like his brain was still swaying inside his skull.
"Close the door, Molofeel… I don’t want to get up to do it myself."
"I’m here to serve you, master," the succubus said, closing the door with a smile and sitting on the bed. She asked, "Is this your hometown? It’s very beautiful."
"Don’t say things you don’t mean," Jesse stared at the ceiling. "You only like worlds full of fel magic lava, purple shadowy lands, and iron chains and hooks hanging innocent beings everywhere."
Molofeel licked her lips and said, "I have always been good at finding various kinds of beauty… Master!"
"By the way, I need your help with something," Jesse took out a box from his robe and said, "The mage who gave me this said it can protect against demons’ mental disorders. I will hold it while you try to Charm me, to see if it works."
"My mind is already disturbed by seeing this thing," Molofeel said unhappily.
After saying that, she glanced again at the ice crystal and said, "But since you want me to Charm you, well… it’s worth playing with you."
Imp overheard this, peeked out from the side, biting his finger and showing a curious half-smiling face, staring at the humans and demons in front of him.
"Remember to use your strongest magic to hunt down the succubus," Jesse instructed.
"As it is an order from my master… please be careful," replied Molofeel.
As she spoke, magical flames blazed in Molofeel’s eyes.
She waved her right hand in front of Jesse’s eyes, and Jesse saw a flicker of confusion in the magical flames in her eyes, as if they no longer looked like demon eyes… but more like, human eyes.
Not only did it look like, but for a moment, Jesse even felt as though this wasn’t a succubus, but rather he had mistaken a real human girl for a demon…
Wait, is this the effect of Molofeel’s Charm?
Looking closely, Jesse had never seen such a beautiful woman, unreal like a picture that didn’t exist in reality. In a strange way, it hit his sense of beauty precisely…
So, was he tricked or not?
Does this mean that this thing in his hand doesn’t work properly?
He looked disappointedly at the ice crystal in his hand, surprised that the cold aura emitted a golden light like sunshine.
The girl in front of him frowned, coughed, and said, "No… I can’t do it, master. I couldn’t completely Charm you in the first place, and this thing… even stops me from casting spells."
Jesse seemed to understand a bit – this thing could backfire on the demon’s mental magic affecting him, disturbing their spellcasting, rather than boosting his willpower to resist the disruptive effects.
This reminded Jesse of the night when Greed rode Geryphon Goergette into the Doomguard formation. He tried to use Fear on a Doomguard but felt his consciousness burning painfully like it was engulfed in demonic flames.
This is probably the other side using some unknown magical willpower to counter his own mental magic, after all, Fear is also a kind of mental disorder.
Looking back at the succubus, she had returned to her original appearance, but the blue flames in her eyes had started flickering, looking quite weak. Do demons get tired too?
It’s really difficult for Molofeel to compete with Aegwynn’s gem with her own magic power.
