"Damn, a bunch of lunatics! Don’t die on my ship." Sela grumbled as she dismissed the ritual.

As the gathered spiritual essence dissipated, the once solidified state rapidly deteriorated, and in Lance’s inspiration, he seemed to sense a power from the deep sea within it.

This is not simply a matter of spiritual overdraft, nor a ritual backlash, but a damn Merfolk Curse polluting Amanda’s spiritual essence.

Sela coldly watched on with a straight face; she never had much fondness for Amanda, so if she died, it was just fine.

That’s what she thought, but it was more of an excuse to convince herself; in reality, there was a slight unease in her heart.

Also, she secretly mocked Amanda for trusting this guy to be able to...

But at that moment, Lance reached out and directly grabbed Amanda’s hand, initiating Bless.

The strange force entangling Amanda shattered like waves crashing into rocks, forcibly driven away from her.

Even the Void days of Alhazred had to step back; Lance really didn’t worry about the Merfolk Curse.

She’s my person!

What the hell are you, just some lousy fish and shrimp?

Get back to the sea bottom for me!

Sela, being a spellcaster herself with no lack of inspiration, naturally sensed the situation, and couldn’t help being taken aback.

This can’t be right! Just like that, it’s over?

This was supposed to be an overdraft of spiritual essence coupled with ritual backlash and a Deep Sea Curse, one of the most tricky problems for a transcendent. The ritual she used just solidified everything.

And now you’re telling me just holding her hand fixed it?

What kind of joke is this? Makes me feel like a clown worrying for nothing!

Lance helped Amanda sort out her spiritual essence, soothing the damage her body had sustained.

But what no one expected was that the dispersed deep sea force didn’t simply return to nature; instead, it seemed drawn by some presence, coalescing into a suffocating deep sea illusion, within which a pair of non-human eyes appeared to be looking over.

"Damn it!" Sela cursed, realizing the situation was off and about to take action, but someone was a step ahead.

Lance noticed the shift in the dispersed spiritual essence, frowned slightly, annoyed by the gaze from the deep sea. Rising, he threw a punch at the phantasm, shattering the illusion as if space itself collapsed.

Sela stood frozen in place, not knowing how to react for a moment.

But she finally understood why Amanda had such faith in him to save her under those circumstances.

This is just too strong...

Yet, Lance felt a bit different and couldn’t help but ask Sela a question.

"Did you feel that just now? Behind that curse..."

Seeing Sela’s baffled look, Lance didn’t continue. It seemed she didn’t know anything.

This curse wasn’t from the merfolk shaman, distinguishing it from the ancestors’ force. These Deep Divers probably possess their own "god."

Sela was caught off guard by his question. Initially indifferent, the half-answered remark was sheer torment for someone used to gathering intelligence.

Just as she was about to probe further, Amanda, lying on the ground, responded.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

A faint cough was heard, as Amanda regained consciousness. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Lance’s face, and the residual unease from the battlefield dissipated, her breathing calming down.

"It’s okay now."

Lance reached out to help Amanda up, his demeanor markedly different from earlier, prompting Sela to purse her lips, almost rolling her eyes.

Damn it! Those two.

Amanda’s condition recovered swiftly; she could feel the evil force dissipating, and even the injuries on her body were cleared.

The state she had lingered in for so long now showed a hint of loosening, as if just one more step would break through to the Master realm.

Sure enough, choosing to stay in Hamlet was the right decision.

Sela had no mood to watch the two and inquired.

"When will the port be open?"

She still felt something was off with this place and wanted to leave quickly. Besides, the information she had obtained needed to be converted into intelligence and sold at a price promptly.

Lance didn’t answer that but brought up something else instead.

"What’s your loss?"

"Huh?" This question caught Sela off guard.

"The loss from combating the merfolk shaman ritual, and also the ritual to save Amanda," Lance briefly explained, "I never let those who help me suffer losses."

Hearing this, Sela couldn’t help but show a delighted expression. Is there such a good deal?

She was already prepared to swallow this bad debt herself, never expecting a reimbursement.

"Somewhere between fifteen hundred to seventeen hundred, not more than two thousand gold coins." Amanda suddenly chimed in, quoting an amount.

This left Sela speechless; she was about to state a higher price to make a little profit, yet you even considered the price fluctuation. Whose side are you on?

Lance didn’t waste words, simply reaching into his pocket, but instead of a chest full of gold coins, he took out a small bag.

"This should be enough."

In large transactions between merchants, they indeed preferred not to use gold coins but rather precious stones or diamonds.

Sela instinctively weighed it in her hands, and just by the feel, her brow furrowed; it didn’t have the sound or feel of gemstones. Was she being played?

But upon opening it, she found it contained crimson Spiritual Crystals. Although the purity wasn’t high, compared to gemstones, it was more sought after in the transcendent market and naturally commanded a higher price.