Chapter 505 - 504: A Good Dividend

Chapter 505: Chapter 504: A Good Dividend

The final Bullywug was struck by a Flaming Arrow.

Its charred body immediately went limp, collapsing with a SPLASH into the filthy shallows.

Donkexes said, "We used a bit too much Magic this time."

"Well, we didn’t have our weapons on hand. Orelia, give me back my hammer," Langgrin said.

"Oh, right."

Langgrin then handed both his axe and hammer to Donkexes.

"I need to rest for a bit before I can use Tier Five Magic. You hold onto them for now," Donkexes said.

Langgrin put his weapons away, then grabbed his beard, wringing it out and forcefully squeezing the blood that had soaked into it. Seeing this, Ale cast a spell to clean it for him.

At that moment, the group all turned to look at the now-empty Bullywug village in the distance.

Donkexes said, "These frogs are such morons. Couldn’t they have just taken the money? They had to make things so difficult."

"If everyone was that reasonable, the world would probably be a much more peaceful place," Colin said with a yawn.

"Fair point," Donkexes said.

Colin felt nothing as he looked at the nearby village.

’Durkin was ready to pay them off and be on his way, but the Bullywugs still wouldn’t let them pass. If they had been the least bit smarter, none of this would have happened. They brought this on themselves entirely.’

Meanwhile, the party of Dwarves behind them began to regroup.

Despite their large numbers, they hadn’t managed to kill many Bullywugs in the end, and several of them had sustained minor injuries.

Fortunately, their Armor was thick enough that at least no one had been killed.

Orelia and a few of the other Dwarves who knew healing spells immediately began treating the wounded. Widespread infection would be disastrous in this environment. After all, their daily Divine Arts were limited, and if things dragged on, people could really be in trouble.

Colin and the others, who were mostly unscathed, headed toward the temple to see what loot there was to be had.

The group arrived at one of the Bullywug huts and glanced inside.

The huts mostly contained Beast Hides and a few simple tools. Forget anything valuable; there wasn’t even any furniture. The term "bare-bones" would be an understatement.

Colin said, "A Bullywug’s status in the tribe is determined by the tribute they offer their king. The money should all be inside that temple."

"Then why didn’t you say so sooner?" Langgrin said.

"I was curious what the inside of a Bullywug hut looked like. I wanted to see for myself," Colin said, then started walking toward the nearby temple.

The group climbed the steps outside the temple and soon found themselves in the main hall.

Inside was a massive bed made from a mattress of fungi, which they assumed belonged to the Bullywug king.

Beside the bed was a small mountain of mud-caked coins. At its peak sat a clay crown inlaid with a few unpolished Gemstones. Nestled within the crown were several grimy little vials.

"It’s probably worth about seven hundred Gold Coins. If we find a collector interested in Bullywug artifacts, we might get a few dozen more," Ale said.

"You can tell how much it’s worth with just a glance?" Langgrin asked in surprise. "It’s still covered in mud."

"Everyone has their talents," Donkexes said as he stepped forward to pick up the crown and examine it.

He then picked up one of the small vials and wiped away the sludge on its surface.

The vial contained a blue-green Potion with something resembling a jellyfish floating inside. The lip of the vial was wrapped in a layer of silver metal, giving it a rather beautiful appearance.

Donkexes uncorked the vial and sniffed its contents. He then glanced at the other Potions before finally saying, "These are a few Underwater Breathing Potions. They were probably dropped by some Adventurers on their way to the next level."

[Underwater Breathing Potion / Non-Ordinary Level Magic Potion]

[Water Breathing: After drinking this Potion, you can breathe underwater for one hour.]

No wonder these Potions were left untouched. The Bullywugs can already breathe underwater, so they have no use for them.

Colin asked, "Is the next level full of water?"

"The next level is called the ’Lake of Thousand Eyes.’ I hear there’s a forest surrounding the lake as well," Donkexes said.

As they spoke, Ale began Casting to clean the grime off the coins while the others stuffed the now-clean currency into a Dimension Bag.

Most of the hoard consisted of Copper Coins, interspersed with some Silver Coins, Gold Coins, and a few unpolished Gemstones.

As they reached the bottom of the pile, Colin suddenly noticed a scroll case. He opened the lid and tipped out the well-preserved Scroll inside.

Before he could get a closer look, Donkexes took the Scroll from him.

He took a monocle from his pocket, put it on, and examined the Scroll carefully before speaking. "This is a Scroll of Enlarge Person. You should try to learn it. It’s a rather useful spell. Once you grasp the underlying principles, you’ll be able to cast Reduce Person as well. You know of those two spells, right?"

"I do," Colin said, taking the Scroll.

Just as their names implied, Enlarge Person and Reduce Person allowed a Caster to increase or decrease the size of an ally or enemy. An enlarged creature gained strength but also became an easier target. The effects of being reduced were the opposite.

In short, it was a situational Support Magic.

"As for the loot, let’s split it fifty-fifty. We have more people, but you all put in a lot of effort, so this is a more than fair offer," Donkexes said. "Is that acceptable to you?"

"Of course," Colin replied, nodding quickly.

’They have more than thirty Dwarves, and Donkexes and his companions are stronger than us, too. A fifty-fifty split is practically a gift.’

In the end, Colin’s party received the Scroll, two Underwater Breathing Potions, and several dozen Gold Coins.

The group carried their loot back toward the main party of Dwarves.

The Dwarves over there were butchering the giant frogs from the battlefield. The massive, donkey-sized amphibians had a lot of meat on them, which would help replenish their food stores.

Once the party was regrouped, they continued to follow Dorn.

As the party followed the tunnel into another cavern, they discovered beds of kelp planted in a deep-water area. The kelp was arranged in regular, dense rows, looking for all the world like a Bullywug farm.

At Dorn’s suggestion, they collected some of the kelp to supplement their food supplies before moving on.

Colin’s group had no intention of wasting time destroying the crops. Their goal was simply to reach the next level, not to exterminate the Bullywugs.

There was no benefit in such a malicious and pointless act. For now, making good time was what mattered most.