"This is already more than enough." Glenn continued smiling, admiring the statue in his hands.

  "Besides this, the pond holds treasures left behind by those—humans or otherwise—who perished in this forest over the past century. The Forest Will always suspected they might one day be useful, so it gathered them all here. You can go down and take whatever you can carry."

  At those words, Glenn’s eyes lit up again. He handed the statue to Gortaya and, without a moment’s hesitation, dove straight into the pond.

  The water was icy cold, sending a wave of exquisite comfort through his body. He even tasted a little, unable to resist—and discovered it was sweet.

  What was this water? He would have to ask later... Glenn continued diving downward.

  It wasn’t long before he saw shimmering points of light—surely the promised treasure.

  As he drew closer, the sight nearly took his breath away: gold and silver coins strewn across the pond floor, glittering trinkets, and brilliant gems and pearls dazzling enough to entrance any mortal.

  He didn't waste another second; he lunged forward and began grabbing everything in sight.

  His enhanced physique allowed him to hold his breath for an extraordinarily long time.

  Meanwhile, on the bank, the elven girl suddenly saw metallic objects shooting out of the water like a rain of glinting meteors, landing precisely at her feet.

  Then came a steady stream of small sparkling items.

  Having grown up in the primitive jungle, she had absolutely no interest in such things. But Glenn clearly adored them, so she dutifully gathered the scattered treasures into a neat pile.

  After several hours—just as Gortaya was marveling at Glenn’s astonishing lung capacity—he finally burst out of the water and inhaled deeply.

  His arms overflowed with treasure, and his neck, arms, waist, and even every pocket of his clothing were stuffed with glimmering spoils.

  "Such a greedy human..." Gortaya muttered under her breath—only to be promptly struck on the forehead by a gold cup, yelping in pain.

  "You elves think you’re so superior, so pure—if you’re that lofty, try living without food!" Glenn grumbled as he paddled to shore, using only his feet in a ridiculous posture.

  The elf girl flushed scarlet and lowered her head, not daring to respond.

  Glenn dumped all his loot onto the ground, shook his head, and the Blazing Fangs automatically evaporated the water from his clothing.

  Surveying the hoard at his feet, Glenn was utterly overjoyed. His only concern now was how he would spend it all.

  He would need a proper budget... With that thought, he glanced around for something he could use to carry everything.

  He could quickly weave a makeshift basket using branches and vines—a small survival trick from his time in the wild.

  But before he could act, a massive leaf drifted down before him, along with several sturdy, flexible vines.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Glenn looked up—there was nothing above but dense canopy.

  "Use these. The Forest Will brought them forth," Gortaya explained.

  "How considerate!" Glenn said sincerely, immediately bundling the treasure into the leafy container.

  "By the way, what is this pond water? It tastes pretty good."

  "The Forest Will says it’s a type of elemental essence. Very versatile."

  "And quite sweet..."

  The two made their way back to the town with Glenn humming a cheerful tune.

  As soon as they reached the door to Glenn’s home, they saw a tall woman seated in front of the yard.

  It was Bloodaxe. The muscular warrior looked utterly worn out—heavy dark circles under her eyes, head drooping as if she might fall asleep at any moment.

  Hearing footsteps, she turned. The moment she recognized Glenn, she forced herself upright and boomed:

  "At last! Glenn, I finally found you. I brought what you asked for."

  She strode over and stood before Glenn and the elf girl.

  Glenn set down his enormous bundle, pointed at her face, and said, "What happened to you? You look like one of those men who've been completely drained."

  Bloodaxe’s eyes widened. "I am a woman!"

  "I know, it was just a figure of speech. What happened to you?"

  Bloodaxe grimaced, reluctant to recall it. "Heavens, don’t even mention it! I ran into a lunatic preacher. She spent every waking moment preaching about how magnificent her deity was. I’ve never hated a god so much in my life. I don’t care who her master is—I will never worship them!"

  She glanced around. "But after I came here, she stopped appearing. Seems the terrifying aura of this place scared her off."

  "How did she preach to you? Tell me." Glenn’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  Bloodaxe answered immediately, "Her first line is always the same: 'Do you yearn for salvation?' And then—"

  "All right, that’s enough." Glenn cut her off. He already knew—it could only be the God of Truth. He hadn’t expected the deity’s envoy to still be this active after their last confrontation.

  Bayek Town’s allure to that god must truly be limitless. Far too eager... Glenn thought.

  "You were harassed by her too? Well, you’re fortunate—she wouldn’t dare step into this place."

  Bloodaxe, finding a kindred sufferer, instantly launched into a litany of complaints.

  Glenn tolerated it for a while before seizing an opening to ask:

  "When she preached to you, did you feel anything strange?"

  Last time he was preached to, a subtle bewitching force had influenced his mind. By his understanding, ordinary people shouldn’t be able to resist something like that.

  "Strange?" Bloodaxe thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nothing unusual. Just unbearably annoying."

  Now Glenn was even more perplexed.

  Either the one who preached to Bloodaxe was merely human, possessing none of the divine authority of a god’s avatar—

  Or Bloodaxe herself was unusually resistant to such manipulation.

  Lost in thought, Glenn instinctively glanced at the towering woman beside him.

  She scratched her head, unsure what he was thinking, politely staying silent.

  "It’s best to stay far away from suspicious preachers. You should leave here as soon as possible."

  Glenn handed her three gold coins. She accepted them and then passed him the prepared goods.

  "Sir, I did the calculations. These are worth about two gold and twenty silver. You’ve given too much—I don’t have change—"

  "Keep it. Consider it a tip." Glenn waved her off.

  Bloodaxe had been waiting for those words. She beamed with such joy that she nearly swept Glenn into a bone-crushing embrace. "Thank you, boss! If you ever need anything, call for me! I’ll come running!"

  "Of course."

  After chatting a little longer, Bloodaxe was about to leave with her pack when she suddenly remembered something. She reached into her belongings and pulled out an object.

  A red crystalline lump appeared before Glenn’s eyes.

  "This was found inside a beast during a hunt," she said. "I don't know what it is, so I figured I’d just give it to you."

  Glenn took the object, suspecting it might be a magic beast's kidney stone.