The Great Thief - Chapter 226

Chapter 226
Lu Li’s ring could only be upgraded by exchanging a sacrificial offering into energy, or at least, that is how it was done for the first three levels . Hence, there was a need for an altar that could supply energy to the ring .


In saying this, the Altar of Tides was not the best option out there . Perhaps there were other altars that could provide a better upgrade for the ring .
However, the Altar of Tides was the best altar that Lu Li could get his hands on . It wasn’t just a random altar built on a deserted island – it was one with a long history .
Stranglethorn Vale appeared to be the only peace zone in Azeroth where the war had not yet breached .
Within the Vale resided a great Troll civilization from the ancient past . They had built grand cities that the Trolls and Goblins lived in .
Most of the Trolls still followed the tradition of eating humans and a few of the troll tribes had already been recognized as man eaters . These included the Mossflayers and the Vilebranches .
Besides these tribes, Ice trolls had also been proven to be man-eaters . Desert trolls, Forest trolls and Jungle trolls also occasionally displayed man-eating behavior .
Even the mysterious Dark trolls showed man-eating behaviour, however, there were still some noteworthy exceptions . For example, the Zandalar clan and Raventusk clan would eat any food that looked like a human, but they wouldn’t eat their own kind . The Darkspear clan also kept their man-eating tradition until they joined the tribe, however, they gave up on their cannibalism .
The cooking recipe that Lu Li had looted was evidence that the trolls seemed to enjoy eating barbecued Murlocs .
According to records from the past, Murlocs who were afraid of being eaten called upon the Tidelord to descend upon them .
Neptulon responded to their call and sent a huge wave to sink the grand city . The tides even raged through the entire Stranglethorn Vale .
The city was flattened into ruins and the trolls turned against each other to form a few opposing tribes .
After that, Thrall led the orcs and their allies, the Darkspear clan, to move to this land together . The Deakspear clan were the group of trolls from the Jungle troll tribe who gave up on cannibalism .


The island under Lu Li’s feet was only the tip of the iceberg – underneath it slept an ancient troll city .
The altar that the Murlocs used to call upon the Tidelord stood in front of him .
It should be noted that the words used in the lore were “call upon” and not “summon” .
With their limited abilities, the Murlocs were not strong enough to summon a demigod, such as an elemental lord .
However, this altar was enough for Lu Li .
All he needed now was a caster, as Thieves could not activate altars .
Fortunately, he was prepared .
Lu Li walked towards the altar and placed down the Jade Statue that was in his hands .
The crystal-clear statue radiated a green glow with a ripple-effect that began to spread outwards .
Unfortunately, this was only an average Jade Statue of Neptulon . The altar reacted to the statue because Neptulon had descended here before, but the statue itself was not enough to summon Neptulon .
Lu Li wasn’t planning to summon Neptulon anyway – he still wanted to stay alive .
“Who is summoning the great God of the Tides?” A violet teleportation channel appeared in the inscriptions outside of the altar, followed by a Murloc priest wearing a green robe .


“Luna on high, this night elf from Darnassus greets you,” Lu Li said as he took the Jade Statue and passed it to the priest .
The murloc priest grabbed the statue and exclaimed with excitement, “Oh, what is this I’m seeing?!”

“It’s a gift . I hope you like it . ” Lu Li was relieved to see the glow of the Murloc priest change from hostile-red to friendly-green .
Only Murlocs could activate the Altar of Tides, so it would be quite troublesome if the priest hadn’t shown up .
“Young elf, you’re such a well-mannered child . Speak, what is your request of me?” The priest was in a good mood and carefully carried the statue in his arms .
“I am an adventurer who is seeking great power . I wish to obtain the power of the tidelord,” Lu Li replied, cutting straight to the point .
The priest immediately changed his expression .
“What? How dare you set your target on the altar . ”
He was only slightly stronger than an elite monster, and there was no guarantee that he could beat this thief who had a Jade Statue, so he remained on his guard .
Night elves were very strong and were even capable of defeating what the Murlocs feared most – Nagas .
Murlocs had always been cowards and were only tough on the outside . They swarmed upon their enemies and ran away when they couldn’t win .
“You’ve misunderstood – I do not plan to use this altar without paying a price . I’ve brought you rewards in exchange . ”
Lu Li took out a great amount of rare materials and placed them in front of the altar, one by one .
The priest widened his eyes at the sight, mumbling the name of Neptulon to try and maintain his sanity .
The NPCs in Dawn were also capable of leveling up through two methods . The first method was to defeat strong opponents and grow through battle . This method was ineffective for the Murloc priest, as he had to stay and protect this altar .
The second method was to gain power from an outward source .
The materials that Lu Li had brought were extremely tempting for the priest . Not only could the priest use these materials to absorb energy, he could even use them to absorb purer, divine power from the altar .
“Help me drain the power from the altar and these will all be yours . ”
Like the whispers of a devil, Lu Li’s words were filled with temptation .
“No, the altar’s power cannot be used carelessly . Punishment will descend upon us from the great tidelord . ” It was easy to tell from old priest’s dry face that he was in a dilemma .
“Don’t be silly – the tidelord won’t descend upon these ruins . Ask yourself, what does this wasteland have that can possibly attract a demigod?” Lu Li interrogated, persecuting the murloc’s soul .
The poor old thing was almost about to cry .
“Murlocs shouldn’t be enslaved . You all need to break away from the grasps of the Nagas . Only then will you guys have the chance to find great power – power great enough to summon your tidelord . ” Lu Li decided to tackle this from another angle .
“Yes . ”
The old priest’s eyes sparkled as he declared, “We were once rulers of the seas . No one other than the gods can enslave us . ”
“As a friendly elf, I must agree with your words,” Lu Li replied, pretending to side with the Murloc priest .
His words were clearly untrue . Elves loved nature and balance, but they were never a friendly race to begin with .
Unfortunately, all that the old priest could think about now was the blueprint that Lu Li had just described to him .
Murlocs shouldn’t be enslaved, they shouldn't be struggling in these ruins, and they needed a strong leader . The old priest felt as if his youth had returned to his body once again .
Lu Li collected the materials and pushed them towards the priest, saying, “Take them, for the sake of greater power and for the future of the murlocs . ”
“I need to check if these materials are really what I need . ”
With his bloodshot eyes, the old priest nodded his head heavily .
Of course, these were the materials that he needed . Azure Sea Breeze had already interacted with this old Murloc priest in his previous life and received a long list of materials from him .
“I doubt that anyone else will be able to provide you with better materials than me . ” Lu Li was slightly anxious – who knew if this NPC would suddenly change his mind?
Fortunately, these materials were what the Murloc priest wanted .
The pile of materials that Lu Li offered not only contained the rare materials that the priest needed, but it also included the sacrificial offerings required to activate the altar . The priest didn’t need to supply anything at all .
The old priest was surprised, in a good way of course, as he checked every single material and held all of them tightly in his arms .