Even smelting Adamant was an expensive and difficult job. After being mined, the metal would be simply molten with regular flames and turned into ingots without any purification of sorts just to make them easier to sell and move.

'F.u.c.k me sideways, if this works like Orichalc.u.m, the smelting will reduce the weight by at least one-fourth. That before using Origin Flames.' He thought.

"As for your two apprentices, Tista performed only minor missions so her contributions don't amount to much. On top of that, Olua and Bodya feel guilty for what happened to you and never leave her side.

"Sending three Awakened for a mission that a veteran could perform alone is a waste of manpower." Xoth gave Lith a single ingot for all her trouble.

"Phloria, on the other hand, is making an excellent job with the humans. Her merits are outstanding. I look forward to thanking her in person." Eight ingots appeared in front of Lith and his hands almost reached the Nue's throat.

Almost.

"Are you telling me that teaching a few words to a bunch of morons is worth four times my life and eight times my sister's?"

"Phloria did more than that." Xoth shook his head.

"Some of her students now perform their civil duty not because they are forced to, but of their own free will. They are leading the others by example and once the others see the benefits that being an active member of the community provides, many more will follow.

"Son, you've been sent here to learn how to act like a beast, yet you keep reasoning like a human. Killing is cheap whereas keeping the balance is priceless and the human race is an integral part of it. We need them just as they need us."

"Are you telling me that if Tista and I joined Phloria's efforts we would have gotten three times as much?" Lith pointed at the ingots.

Once properly purified with Origin Flames, the Adamant ingots would provide him with just enough metal to craft a sword and some rings. And that only if he got lucky. Lith had to take into account his average of failures and prototypes.

Assuming that every craft would go well, especially while trying his own original blueprints, would be more than optimistic, it would be straight-out foolish.

"No. You wouldn't have received any. Teaching Tyris's universal language is something that anyone can do. Your companion is being rewarded because she succeeded where we all failed.

"Phloria managed to make the humans of Jiera come out of their mourning and start their schooling. It will take some time to see if her method will yield results, but she has already achieved more than we did in months." Xogh said, making Lith sigh in relief.

All of his sufferings were only worth two Adamant ingots, but it was still two ingots more than what he would have obtained wasting his time babysitting the refugees.

"If you want to get some more resources, I've got just the mission that's tailor-made for you." Xoth took out eight more ingots, hoping to arouse Lith's greed, yet all he obtained was a suspicious glare.

"Look, as much as I'd like to double my rewards, you've already proven not being big on generosity. What's the catch? Do I have to fight an Eldritch? An Elder Dragon?" Lith asked.

"Nothing of the sorts. It's just a recon mission." Xoth said, trying to sound reassuring.

"How can "just a recon mission" be worth that much?" The more Lith heard, the fishier the situation seemed.

"It wouldn't, if not for your special circ.u.mstances that make you so valuable." Since the baiting had failed, the Nue decided to get it all out on the table.

"According to your mentor, you are familiar with Lost Cities, you are an excellent fighter, and you are capable of improvising. That together with your cracked life force and the pin that Leegaain borrowed you, makes you our first real shot at taking this thing down."

"Sorry. You lost me." Lith shook his head.

"Are you acquainted with the merfolk?" Xoth pressed a few mana crystals embedded in the ground of his office, generating the hologram of a magnificent city surrounded by a golden dome of light.

"I met them briefly. They didn't like my human half and never visited me after discovering what kind of hybrid I am." Lith replied.

"Well, they'll have to learn how to behave since it's their problem that requires your help."

"I beg your pardon?" Lith pointed at the people in the hologram walking on the street and at its cultivated fields. "Such a city can't be located underwater."

"And yet it is. I wouldn't care much if not for Kolga growing like cancer over time. Ever since its foundation, the cursed city has more than tripled its surface, and sooner or later it's going to pose a threat to Jiera." Xoth said.

"It grows? Then what good is the barrier and why didn't the Council take care of it? I mean, sure, destroying a living legacy can have terrible consequences but the fact that thing is on the bottom of the ocean should make things easier." Lith said.

"You would be right if it was the product of a cursed object. The Council has raided Kolga several times, but failed to achieve any real progress or valuable intel. That's why even a simple recon mission is worth this much."

"I'm still not following. Why do you need me?" Lith wondered if it was better to raise the price even further or to just fold.

"The barrier, like it happens for most lost cities, serves to keep its inhabitants confined. The root of our problem is that the ruler of the city didn't make use of a living legacy. The city is fueled entirely by Forbidden Magic." Xoth said.

"What?" Lith said.

"Kolga was founded centuries ago above a very powerful mana geyser. The mage who did it possessed the ability to harness the power of the geyser, and she used it to keep the water out of it while she mined for mystical resources.

"Her name is lost to time. All we know is that she sought isolation to conduct her research in peace. Over time, the merfolk discovered the city and sought the mage's help to have a place where they could practice magic just like the races on the surface.

"It's unclear if the prolonged isolation had driven the mage insane or if she just sought some company, the only thing we know is that she agreed to help them. For a while, Kolga was one of the ocean's jewels.

"A place where humans and merfolk peacefully coexisted devoted solely to the magical research. After the mage's death, however, a merfolk named Myrano achieved full control of the geyser and decided to settle the past grudges with humans.

"Instead of killing them, he used anyone who dared to oppose his rule as test subjects for his experiments. After countless victims, he found a way to provide all citizens of Kolga an extended life span, perfect health, and amazing magical powers." A touch of Xoth's paw made a small sun appear inside the golden dome.

"Why didn't people rebel and why didn't the Council intervene? Dealing with Forbidden Magic is their responsibility." Lith asked.