Regardless of whether the problem was with his Chinese incantations, Ren Xiaosu was currently more worried about whether Melgor was alright.
After all, Melgor was a key figure in his infiltration plan into the magus order. If that guy were to accidentally get killed, Ren Xiaosu would probably have to rework his Prosperous Northwest 3.0 plan again.
And more importantly, Ren Xiaosu found Melgor to be quite a good person after a few days of interaction. Moreover, he had a "lucky charm" effect, so it would be very suitable to bring him back to the Prosperous Northwest.
Therefore, how could he let a potential comrade like him die?
Ren Xiaosu hurriedly ran back while holding up his pants to make it look like he was returning from relieving himself. "What's the matter? What happened?"
He saw that the tents next to the campfire were gone. Meanwhile, Melgor and the two servants were buried in the ground with only their heads exposed. They looked anxiously at Ren Xiaosu.
"What happened to y'all?" Ren Xiaosu asked curiously. He was not pretending. He really did not know what kind of spell he had cast this time!
When Melgor saw him approaching, he suddenly shouted, "Don't get too close. There must be a sorcerer nearby sneak attacking us. Be careful!"
When Melgor said this, he scrutinized Ren Xiaosu's expression to see if there was anything unusual about him.
Ren Xiaosu suddenly turned around and roared, "Who is it? How dare you attack Lord Melgor!"
Melgor looked in the direction of where Ren Xiaosu was looking. He was surprised to see a figure in a white mask turning around and quickly running off into the shadows.
Ren Xiaosu wanted to give chase, but he heard Melgor shout, "Don't give chase! That's a sorcerer. You're no match for him!"
"Wait, you should hide. Be careful in case he ambushes you." Melgor shouted, "I wonder where that sorcerer came from? His methods are really quite despicable!"
When Ren Xiaosu heard this, his mouth twitched. Then he said very sincerely, "What would happen to y'all if I just hide myself? I've got to save y'all first!"
"What if he ambushes you from behind…"
Ren Xiaosu yelled, "No, I must save y'all first!"
Melgor was absolutely moved. "Ren Xiaosu, it's my greatest fortune to have you as my steward. Thank you!"
"Gratitude received from Melgor, +1!"
Next to him, Li Chengguo also said, "I won't speak ill of you behind your back again!"
Liu Ting looked ashamed as well.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that anymore. That sorcerer from just now is probably not that strong. That's why he ran away when he saw me." After that, Ren Xiaosu cautiously approached Melgor and the two servants before pulling them out of the ground one by one.
After that, the four of them did not even bother packing their stuff and fled frantically westwards.
Melgor was no longer suspicious of Ren Xiaosu. In fact, he even felt a little remorseful. 'Why did I doubt a good person like him? I'm such a jerk!'
Melgor kept muttering while fleeing, "Don't worry, Ren Xiaosu. From now on, I'll do everything to teach you about sorcery. It doesn't matter if you don't have enough money to buy an Eye of True Sight. I'll get one for you after I've collected several years of taxes from my fief!"
Off to the side, Li Chengguo also said, "You're our savior. Previously, I didn't mean it when I said I would give you an Eye of True Sight if I obtained an extra one from stone gambling. But I hereby promise you that if I get an extra Eye of True Sight and don't give it to you, I won't cast any spells for the rest of my life!"
Liu Ting panted, "Me too!"
"Alright, alright." Ren Xiaosu did not know whether to laugh or cry. He was starting to feel a little embarrassed.
Seeing that Ren Xiaosu did not believe him, the dumbass, Li Chengguo, turned anxious. "What? Don't you believe me?"
"I do, I believe you," Ren Xiaosu answered casually.
Sensing that Ren Xiaosu was still not taking him seriously, Li Chengguo said anxiously, "I'll give you the money so you can buy a stone for yourself!"
Ren Xiaosu was stunned for a moment, then said shamelessly, "That's a little sudden, but I don't mind."
At the beginning, Melgor, Li Chengguo, and Liu Ting were all actually a little suspicious of Ren Xiaosu. After all, it just so happened that Ren Xiaosu went to relieve himself when they got into trouble. Wasn't it a little too coincidental?
But after the appearance of White Mask, everyone dismissed their doubts. First, Ren Xiaosu was really from the Central Plains and had not learned sorcery before. Second, Ren Xiaosu did not have an Eye of True Sight, so he could not possibly cast any spells.
Moreover, the perpetrator had already shown himself. It was that White Mask!
Meanwhile, Ren Xiaosu was thinking about something. Did his spells have eyes? Why did it keep targeting the three of them?
He asked while running, "What happened to y'all just now?"
"We were sleeping when we suddenly felt our tents sinking into the ground as it turned into quicksand." Melgor said, "However, the Liquefy Ground spell stopped immediately after that. During that time, we quickly went outside our tents. But before we could get far, we were hit by another Liquefy Ground."
"Liquefy Ground?" Ren Xiaosu silently noted that in his mind. So it turned out that "may you be prosperous" was the incantation for the Liquefy Ground spell.
"That sorcerer is extremely vicious. I wonder what he was planning by burying us in the ground with only our heads exposed." Li Chengguo grumbled, "How can there be such a vicious sorcerer!"
Ren Xiaosu's eyes twitched. It did not feel good that he could not retort after being scolded by someone. He immediately changed the subject and asked, "By the way, Mel, how's that sorcerer's spell proficiency?"
Melgor was no longer bothered about being called "Mel" at this point. After all, Ren Xiaosu had just saved his life. If he were to react with hostility now, that would make him really ungrateful. He thought for a moment before saying, "He's quite strong, even stronger than me!"
"Why do you say that? Ren Xiaosu asked.
"Although Liquefy Ground is a basic spell like Fireball, the area of effect of his spell is several times larger than that of standard Liquefy Ground spells that I know. It looks like he's been practicing it for many years, or at least much longer than the time I spent practicing my Earth Bind spell," Melgor explained. "But most importantly, he was able to cast the Liquefy Ground spell twice within a very short interval, so his level of elemental control is far superior to mine."
Ren Xiaosu was listening with gusto next to them. He even humbly said, "I don't feel like he's that powerful."
Melgor said in seriousness, "You're not a sorcerer yet, so you can't appreciate how powerful he is."
"Mhm, I'll try to understand it if I get a chance." Ren Xiaosu chuckled.
Melgor suddenly realized Ren Xiaosu did not seem nervous at all even in the face of danger. He could still laugh while they were fleeing.
Of course, this was definitely not a bad thing, because it showed he had found a capable steward who could remain calm in the face of danger. It was indeed worthwhile to risk crossing into the outposts' perimeter and abducting him!