Holy Warrior Liu Bei

Chapter 27 The Art of Communicating with the Dead

Don't look for the reason with the answer in mind!

Because if that were the case, all the fun hidden in the solution process would be lost.

He saw a corpse at the foot of the cliff where the expropriation office was located.

"Liu Bei, I know the art of communicating with the dead!"

After examining the well-preserved body, Ansel immediately jumped forward.

"Aren't you a warlock?"

Now Liu Bei was completely baffled. He learned the Fireball spell after sleeping, which could be explained by his bloodline talent, but wasn't the Talk to the Dead spell a necromancy spell? How could a warlock with the Golden Dragon bloodline possibly have such a thing inherited in his bloodline?

Ansel chuckled, then pulled a pendant from around his neck, adorned with a skull.

"This was given to me by Sister Yingxin! She said she didn't need it anymore, so she gave it to me! It just so happens to have a script for communicating with the dead on it! Perfect, this will come in handy!"

"Then cast the spell!"

In fact, Liu Bei did not know that there was such a spell as communicating with the dead. What kind of world did he live in before? It was a world without magic where dust returned to dust and ashes returned to ashes. When a person died, they were simply dead!

Even though I've been in Faerûn for a while now and have gotten used to all sorts of strange spells, talking to the dead is still a really strange thing!

However, given his prior knowledge of resurrection spells, he wasn't surprised that such spells existed.

However, he still instinctively resisted this kind of magic. No matter what, it was blasphemy against the dead. Disturbing the peace of the dead is a very serious matter!

The magic light shone on the dead body, and Ansel reminded him, "Liu Bei, you can ask now! But you can only ask five questions!"

"Who are you?"

"...Vans...the toll collector..."

The voice was hollow and echoing; it didn't sound like the voice of the deceased, but rather like it came from the underworld.

"How did you die?"

"...jumped down... ran away... and broke his leg..."

"where are you going?"

"...Safe...anywhere...anywhere..."

Liu Bei remained silent. From these few words, it was not difficult to guess that this person was the toll collector at the toll collection station above. However, the toll collection station was invaded, and in the chaos, he fell from above and died there.

"We avenged you! What do you have to repay us with?"

Seeing that Liu Bei remained silent, Ansel immediately asked a question.

Ansel's words immediately pulled Liu Bei back from his reverie. Before he could speak, the corpse answered the last question: "...Gold...basement...locked..."

After answering the last question, the magical aura on the corpse completely dissipated, and it slowly fell to the ground.

"Ansel!" Liu Bei felt that Ansel's last question was somewhat inappropriate!

"Liu Bei, adventurers need to eat too. Blindly giving without expecting anything in return isn't what adventurers should do! Taking on missions, completing them, and receiving rewards—that's the normal way. Not seeking anything in return will only discourage others from becoming adventurers. Without adventurers, who will help ordinary people deal with those goblins and evil? No one will take on missions to fight evil anymore!"

"Fighting evil is indeed what we should do, but it costs money. Food costs money, spellcasting materials cost money, scrolls cost money, and equipment repair costs money! Not every adventurer is as wealthy as me, able to support adventures without expecting anything in return! Doing this once or twice without seeking anything in return is fine, but if it happens repeatedly, it will create an invisible psychological burden for everyone!"

"If all kind people follow your example and no one takes payment for their efforts, then they will only struggle in poverty and eventually stop doing these things."

"And if too many people do what you do, those who post quests will think that doing things related to evil is what adventurers are supposed to do. From now on, there will be no more rewards for posting quests, and without rewards, there will be no more adventurers!"

For the first time, Ansel boldly voiced his thoughts.

Liu Bei was a good person, that's true, but his actions don't necessarily mean they were right!

You should be rewarded for completing tasks!

Liu Bei's selfless approach undermines the very foundation of adventurers' survival.

Liu Bei was speechless. He felt he had seen Ansel's words somewhere before, though not in Faerûn.

It seems to be a story I heard when I was still in elementary school.

That's right, it was Zigong who redeemed people!

Different worlds, but operating under similar social norms.

"I'm sorry, you're right, I didn't think it through!"

Liu Bei immediately apologized to Ansel!

"Why apologize? Liu Bei, you haven't done anything wrong! It's just that your benevolence is a bit out of step with this world!"

Ansel stood with his hands behind his back, feigning seriousness.

Liu Bei was immediately taken aback. Something was off about these words; this didn't seem like something this kid would say!

However, he didn't pursue the matter further, merely teasing, "Ansel, your magic disturbed his slumber, so you're responsible for burying him!"

"Why?! Liu Bei, you're so petty!"

......

Of course, in the end, this was something everyone did together. It was just a pit to bury people; a paladin and a barbarian had plenty of strength.

Only after burying the toll collector's body did Liu Bei feel at ease to leave, after all, the peaceful rest of the dead should not be disturbed at will!

Liu Bei climbed up the wooden ladder on the cliff. Before he climbed up, he told Karak to stay at the bottom of the cliff so he could check it out himself.

Climbing up the rope ladder, you'll find a female adventurer in leather armor guarding the narrow platform.

"Who?"

Liu Bei's arrival immediately attracted the attention of the adventurers on the platform.

Liu Bei had not expected that someone was lying in wait there, so he took advantage of the moment before the man could react and climbed onto the platform.

"That scared me to death! I thought it was a gnoll!"

Upon seeing that the person approaching was human, the man immediately lowered his guard and put down his weapon.

After Liu Bei, Ansel and Will also climbed onto the platform.

The man warned, "You're adventurers, aren't you? There are gnolls everywhere outside. Be careful."

After saying that, she immediately left the platform and walked into the expropriation office.

Liu Bei gave him a wink, and Ansel immediately tore open a bottle of invisibility potion and drank it, then silently followed. The two of them took a detour through the main gate of the collection office.

Sure enough, several jackal corpses lay scattered haphazardly at the location of the main entrance to the expropriation office.

Standing outside the main gate of the expropriation office, Liu Bei looked at the bloodstains everywhere and asked, "Will, do you trust Karak?"

"If it weren't for the brain worm, I probably wouldn't believe it," Will hesitated for a moment. "It's only one side of the story; you know, the devil always lies!"

"Even if the collection office she mentioned was infiltrated by Zariel's henchmen?"

"If we only look at the surface, wouldn't the invasion of these gnolls also cause the toll collector to flee in panic and fall off a cliff?"

"I used to firmly believe one thing: seeing is believing! But now I no longer believe the latter half of that saying; even the eyes can deceive!" Liu Bei pointed to the corpses of the gnolls: "Look, only gnolls are dead here. You should be able to tell how they died!"

"It was a one-sided massacre. If the toll collectors at the toll station had that kind of ability, why would he have fled in such a panic, only to fall to his death off that cliff?"

Will looked at Liu Bei with a surprised expression. After spending the past two days together, he still thought Liu Bei was a novice adventurer, and an adventurer with a lot of common sense, just like a traveler from a foreign land.

At this moment, Liu Bei's analysis is consistent with his analysis, while Will's analysis is entirely based on his adventurous career over the years, but Liu Bei?

"Liu Bei, there are dead bodies inside! They've all been thrown into the basement! I didn't dare follow them."

As the two were talking, Ansel had already quietly returned to their side.

"That woman from just now?"

"Yes, she went in to deal with the body!"

"Bring Karak up here; it's time to expose these clowns' true colors!"