42: Fancy purification service

Chapter 42: Fancy Purification Service

In a wooden house on the back mountain, Dick and the three others were sitting cross-legged around a bonfire, while Donald was making tea nearby.

Like most Elves, Donald had a soft spot for bitter tea.

Xiao Nai was a little dazed; she had actually become a guest of the Gravekeeper. It was hard to believe if she told anyone.

Amidst her excitement, Xiao Nai curiously looked around the wooden house and found it extremely simple, with very little sign of daily life.

A single bed, a simple stove, plus the bow and arrow and the giant scythe hanging on the wall – these were Donald's furnishings.

As for the thick red liquid on the giant scythe, it came from a plant called "Blood Grass," which Donald got on him while weeding.

"Apart from Tom, hardly anyone visits here. Please forgive my rudeness..."

Donald's voice was still hoarse; his vocal cords seemed severely damaged, which was one of the effects of the Witchcraft Poison Curse.

Dick had some understanding of this curse; it was a type of witchcraft that caused the body to slowly rot until it turned into a puddle of viscous liquid.

Looking at Donald, he had clearly been cursed for a long time and was likely using some method to alleviate the pain.

Dick's eyes were sharp; he saw that the Witchcraft Poison Curse had already invaded his heart, and Donald had at most a few months left to live!

Before long, Donald distributed the brewed tea to everyone. He deliberately wore white gloves to avoid contact with the sores on his skin.

Dick picked up the teacup and drank it in one gulp. Seeing this, Mina also drank the tea, but she frowned, as it was really too bitter.

Xiao Nai was excited and drank in large gulps, almost choking. It was her first time drinking tea brewed by the Gravekeeper.

Alice had a phobia of germs and hesitated while looking at the teacup, but out of noble etiquette, she still took a small sip through clenched teeth.

After a few exchanges, Donald confessed that in a sense, he was a Gravekeeper, but he was guarding the body of Tom's wife.

A long time ago, the back mountain of the Academy was still open to the public. It was a famous garden in the Academy, where many young men and women liked to come to talk about love.

"Tom and Ina met in the back mountain garden. At that time, he was still a young man about your age..."

Old Tom was a loyal and romantic person in the past. He was wealthy but only loved one person, and was known as the most devoted person in Amyria.

Because Ina loved the back mountain garden the most during her lifetime, Old Tom buried her here after she died and sealed it off.

"There is a spiritual spring in the back mountain that can alleviate the curse on me. After several pleas, Tom agreed to let me heal here."

Donald took a sip of tea and said self-deprecatingly, "Just right, Tom needs someone to guard the grave, and this ugly body of mine has come in handy."

This was the truth of the 'Gravekeeper of the Academy's Back Mountain' tale, spoken by the Gravekeeper himself.

Dick immediately looked at the upper left corner of his vision and found that the progress of the 'Former Terrifying Tales' quest had indeed changed, becoming [Completed 5/7]!

Easily and simply, there were only two tales left: 'Stairway to Another World' and 'The Ancient Tree of Proven Love'.

Dick had a premonition that these two would be the most difficult.

Although he had finished the 'Gravekeeper of the Academy's Back Mountain', Dick was not in a hurry to leave.

"Uncle Donald," Dick said kindly, with a look of concern, "Your physical condition seems... a bit poor?"

"Alas, the effect of the spiritual spring is getting smaller and smaller. I am in unbearable pain and haven't been able to sleep for weeks."

Donald lowered his head and sighed. He knew his physical condition better than anyone and estimated he didn't have much time left.

"Looking at your symptoms, could it be the legendary Witchcraft Poison Curse?" Dick asked knowingly.

Hearing this, Donald was a little surprised, as the Witchcraft Poison Curse was not common. He estimated that he was the only one in the entire Aimiya Empire who had it.

"That's right, it's the Witchcraft Poison Curse..."

A long time ago, Donald was a powerful mercenary. He was active on various battlefields in the northern part of the Demon Spirit Continent.

In a certain battle, Donald was ambushed by a high-level Black Wizard.

After several life-and-death struggles, the Black Wizard was no match for Donald and ultimately infected Donald with the Witchcraft Poison Curse by self-destructing.

This was a very tricky witchcraft that required a high-level Healer to break, and it was also difficult to eradicate.

Healers were a branch of the Healer profession, and only sects with deep foundations could cultivate them, making them top-tier rare talents.

However, the awkward thing was that all sects refused to help Donald because he was a mercenary who had killed countless people and was burdened with too much karma.

Donald was unwilling to just wait for death. After several inquiries, he finally found Old Tom, attempting to use the spiritual spring in the Academy's back mountain to eliminate the Witchcraft Poison Curse.

As the price for using the spiritual spring, Donald promised Tom that he would help if the Academy encountered danger. This was an agreement only they two knew about.

"So many years have passed, my Witchcraft Poison Curse hasn't gotten better, and Tom is also about to die of old age. No one in this world will remember my name, Donald..."

When he said this, Donald looked unwilling, but after drinking a cup of bitter tea, he shook his head and sighed lightly, looking as if he had come to terms with it.

"Perhaps, this is the punishment from the gods, the vengeful spirits of those who died by my arrows coming for my life. This... is my fate."

Originally, Donald would not have told these things to others, but his time was running out, and he had kept it bottled up for decades, so he finally couldn't help but confide in Dick and the others.

"Uncle Donald," Dick said seriously and sincerely, "I might have a way to cure your Witchcraft Poison Curse."

Hearing this, Donald's eyes widened, his face full of emotion, but he quickly smiled stiffly and said, "Young man, don't joke with me. This Witchcraft Poison Curse can only be broken by high-level purification techniques..."

"Purification techniques are just one solution. Besides that, there are purification arrays, purification runes, purification magic items, and other methods!"

Donald was stunned for a moment, then nodded lightly. This was basic magic knowledge that even newly enrolled students understood.

Over the years, it wasn't that Donald hadn't looked for other methods, but arrays, runes, and magic items related to purification were too rare. Where could he find them?

If he had a choice, who would want to stay here and wait for death...

"Hehe, Uncle Donald, I just happen to know a purification array that might break your Witchcraft Poison Curse!"

In fact, Dick knew hundreds of them and could draw the techniques on the spot, providing Donald with attentive and fancy purification services.