by Zhuang Bifan
"I wonder which bastard made up this rumor. Why would there be Undead creatures in Syer Town? Don't worry, Leader Sienna, I'll teach the bastard a lesson when we go back! How dared he make such a rumor, no conscience at all…" Lin Li denounced the culprit behind the rumor angrily, and never once turned to look at the Skeletal Warrior that had been torn apart.
"…" Sienna stood with a blank look as he opened his mouth to speak, but was at a loss for words. All he could do was stare at the shadow that was Norfeller as he tore apart the Skeletal Warriors that sprouted from the ground.
Chapter 323 - Bell Tower
The sound of bones cracking continued, making everyone's blood run cold as they stared at the scene in front of them dumbfounded. Neither Jason nor Sienna had ever seen so many Undead creatures at once—they were in the barren fields, in the withered forest, underneath the decayed barrow, and next to a few houses that had collapsed. The Skeletal Warriors came pouring in from every direction, and all they could see was a sea of eerie white gathering towards them, much like a sea of locusts.
Norfeller had turned into a black spirit by now, weaving his way around countless Skeletal Warriors as he tore them to shreds mercilessly with his sharp claws, making him resemble a scythe-wielding Grim Reaper. The quietness of the night made the human group short of breath as silence loomed over the world; they stood still as they stared with big eyes and mouths wide agape, and all was silent save for the sound of cracking bones and their own beating hearts…
"Prepare to fight…!" It felt like an eternity before Sienna, who almost went into shock from fear, gave a throaty command.
Almost at the same time, Jason brandished his rune's adamantine sword, and it glowed blindingly after being infused with a strong dose of Combat Energy. His fighting techniques remained simple, neither showy nor flamboyant, and even seemed clumsy at times, but it was precisely this that made the explosion of power all the impressive. The rune's adamantine sword was like a fire dragon in Jason's hands, slicing through any Skeletal Warrior that dared to come near him.
Behind Jason, the mousy-looking bandit held a dagger that glittered blue in each hand as he crept silently in the dark, and while he did not fight much, each time he did something, it was at a critical juncture. It could be a lone Skeletal Warrior that broke through the barrier as Jason fought and endangered the Archer and the Mage, or maybe Jason made a mistake and his back was made vulnerable to an attack. The Priest continuously chanted prayers, and Divine Magic rained down as a holy light lit up the sky, her face beginning to turn a sickly shade of white due to nerves as well as from her immense concentration.
"Fight…! Fight…! You idiots, are you waiting for death…!" Sienna's voice had turned unusually throaty, and he sounded like he was being choked. Thankfully, the Adventurers who had turned pale from fear finally heard the command, and the Warriors and Archers raised their weapons while the Mages started chanting frantically…
Well, they did fight an Ice Howler, and while they were no match for a level-17 monster, dealing with Skeletal Warriors that were no more than level-5 was a breeze to them, especially with Sienna's throaty commands. The group fell into position as they once again showcased their impeccable teamwork honed from fighting many battles together. The Skeletal Warriors continued pouring in, and they could only rely on the Mages to cause explosions amidst them, causing sparks to fly everywhere.
Everyone was in combat mode… except Lin Li.
Lin Li stood away from the fight, and while he held the Aether Staff in his hand, he did not use many magic at all. He looked on like a bystander while everyone was busy fighting the Undead creatures; the most perplexing thing of all was that Lin Li kept staring into the distance…
Syer Town was not a big place, and he could clearly see a long street from where he stood at the entrance of the town. The street was filled with debris and weeds, evidence that nobody had walked through it in a very long time. Both sides of the street were lined with fallen houses, and Skeletal Warriors occasionally emerged from gaps between the walls. The only building in sight that seemed in a somewhat good condition was the bell tower of Syer Town. It stood next to the plaza, and while it was only around evening time, the surroundings of the bell tower were eerily dark as though trapped in a thick fog.
The eerie bell tower was what caught Lin Li's attention.
Lin Li had already sensed a strange magical wave when they neared Syer Town—it was coming from the bell tower. It was filled with the energy of a death aura, similar to the one which Lin Li had experienced in the Shadowglen and the underground palace. Of course, he had also sensed it on the legendary Necromancer, Sendros…
It seemed that old man Basel was not just scaring him…
"Huh?" The magical wave given off by the bell tower intensified suddenly just as Lin Li lost focus for a moment. It made him feel a little suffocated as though a large python had suddenly coiled itself tightly around him and was continuously tightening its hold.
"We've been discovered…" Lin Li came back to his senses immediately. This was a Mental Blast in its purest form; Lin Li gripped his Aether Staff tightly, returning fire with a Mental Blast of his own.
In a second, two huge bodies of mental strength made contact in the air.
Lin Li thought he heard a cry, but he could not be sure. Thereafter, it all disappeared into nothing. Whether it be the strong force of mental strength or the magical wave that seemed to come from deep within the bell tower, none of it seemed to have existed as even the fog shrouding the bell tower had disappeared without a trace.
"What's going on?" Lin Li was shocked. While he had a small advantage when the two Mental Blast made contact, it was so marginal that even he was not confident in beating his opponent for sure. Why would the other party retreat all of a sudden, then? The whole situation seemed premeditated as he had won so easily that it was not in the least bit convincing.
With that suspicion in his mind, Lin Li's gaze fell upon the battlefield once again.
He then realized that something was off with the Skeletal Warriors as well.
"They're gone too?"
Lin Li had not seen wrongly—the Skeletal Warriors that poured in like a flood had retreated like one too. Just a moment ago, there was barely a spot without a Skeletal Warrior, but now, not one of them could be seen, and this all happened in a split second too. If not for the pieces of bones that littered the floor, Lin Li would have thought that it was all just a dream, that there wasn't any Skeletal Warrior or Mental Blast to begin with.
"What… what the heck is this?" Sienna held a machete as he stood frozen with a look of shock on his face. He had yet to fully process the events earlier. The presence of Undead creatures was already beyond his comprehension as an Adventurer, let alone a place covered with them…
"They're called Skeletal Warriors, a kind of low-level Undead creatures… " Lin Li frowned deeply as he answered Sienna's question. He was not surprised by their appearance, since he had already predicted it before entering the town. The only thing he had not thought of was that they would vanish so suddenly; also, their attack and retreat were terribly well coordinated, much like those of a well-trained troop.
This was the nerve-wrecking part. Lin Li had been to the Shadowglen and the underground palace—he had even had an encounter with a Legendary-level Necromancer—so it was only natural that he knew more about Undead creatures than Sienna or Jason.
Controlling the Undead creatures had always been the trickiest issue for Necromancers, even for those outstanding ones like Sendros. Well, Undead creatures were born from all kinds of negative emotions, and did not have thoughts nor consciousness of their own; they were only guided by these negative emotions to kill and destroy. Necromancers were only able to control them because they had mastered a special way to do so, and not because they could directly communicate with them.
Even if one was skilled in Necromancy, it would only guarantee that the Undead creatures they controlled were more powerful and lar
ger in numbers instead of having any effect on the Undead creatures themselves. This was why there were always large numbers of Undead creatures present in fights between Necromancers as they couldn't control these creatures effectively and could only win with numbers.
The only thing that could control them was another Undead creature, just like the Undead Lords in the Shadowglen who were able to easily manipulate every skeleton and corpse there was in that place. They could make these Undead creatures their slaves and make them do anything to their heart's content, which was like what Lin Li saw during the war of the Undead creatures back then—both armies behaved like proper soldiers as they were well-trained and followed every order.
"This isn't going to be fun…" Lin Li sighed resignedly.
Things would become very complicated if the one controlling them was an Undead creature. They were detestable creatures, and since they were born from negative emotions, they remained filled with hatred for the world even if they had surpassed a certain point and gained consciousness and the ability to think on their own. They hated those who were alive, and their d.e.s.i.r.e to destroy everything completely was what kept them going. They were capable of neither communicating nor compromising, and were basically the epitome of stubbornness.
The last thing Lin Li could tolerate was a stubborn fellow as they were completely impossible to negotiate with, and he could only rely on violence to solve any issue.
"Damn it, I seriously hate using violence!" Lin Li cursed angrily, and just as he was going to explain the situation to Jason, the castellan's missus suddenly stood up. "I hear my brother, he's there!"
"Where?" Lin Li was shocked as his gaze unconsciously followed the direction where the young lady was pointing…
"What the heck!" Lin Li felt a headache coming as soon as he took a glance—the young lady was pointing right at the eerie bell tower!
Chapter 324 - The Deal
If there was anybody feeling more perplexed by the situation than Lin Li, it would have to be Sienna…
Sienna felt his legs turn to jelly at the thought of the thousands of Skeletal Warriors. He would have left this place as soon as he could, as far away as he could get from these Undead creatures. However, he knew very well that not only could he not leave this place, he would have to lead his men into the eerie ruins of the town as well. Well, he did accept Miss Yvonne's payment…
That was 50,000 gold coins worth of deposit—she could have easily hired the best Adventurer in the whole of Roland City with so much money. When he accepted the mission, he had secretly been celebrating, thinking that he had stumbled upon an easy mission, one that could easily earn him so much money at that.
Only now did Sienna know that he had actually stumbled upon something else…
He did not know if he would be able to receive the remaining payment of 15,000 gold coins, but the most important question was whether he and his men would make it back alive to Roland City. Damn it, to think that there would be so many Undead creatures hiding in the ruins of Syer Town. It would be a most difficult task for him and his men to save someone from this place.
He had already witnessed the ability of these Skeletal Warriors. It was safe to say that they were only slightly trumped by Roland City's army in terms of agility. There were thousands of Skeletal Warriors, which meant they would have to go against thousands of soldiers—for 30 Adventurers to fight against such an army, it was like trying to break a rock with a stone.
Sienna looked at the bell tower in the distance, and then at the castellan's missus, who stared at him, and felt a headache coming. Barging in blindly was out of question since he had no idea what other monsters could be hiding there, and he could not abandon the mission, either, since it was already clearly written in the files that he had accepted Miss Yvonne's payment. If he dared make a run for it, he could bid farewell to his career as an Adventurer since nobody would even hire him for menial tasks in future.
"Mr Jason…" Sienna could not help looking to Jason for help after much pondering. "Can I have a word with you?"
Honestly, Sienna had no one else to turn to for help. While he and his men were the largest group here, they were no match for Jason and his companions. Jason was a level-15 Warrior who was the top adventurer in Doland, and his companions were all level-15 too. A group as strong as theirs would be hard to come by in the Breezy Plains, not to mention that they had the incredibly powerful Norfeller, who had killed the Ice Howler with his b.a.r.e hands. Sienna thought that Norfeller was much stronger than Jason, so if he could get their help, they might stand a bit of chance facing their mission after all.
Sienna could not be bothered whether he was endangering them by asking for their help, since he was standing at the edge of a cliff himself. How would he have time to care about others?
"Well…" Jason looked around him and at his employer standing in the distance before nodding his head reluctantly. "Alright…"
Everyone was minding their own business after the fight, and nobody noticed the two of them creeping away to the decaying barrow to make a deal…
"Let me think about it…"
"Sure, sure…" Sienna's voice was filled with anxiety and trepidation.
Jason frowned as he weighed his options.
Frankly speaking, Sienna's offer had very good terms: a reward of 10,000 gold coins in exchange for their help, and it was paid on the spot. Even if the mission was not completed, he would still get to keep the payment, and most importantly, Sienna promised him that he could leave with his companions without regard for Sienna and his men if they met with any unexpected danger.
This meant that the 10,000 gold coins were as good as his if he accepted it; there was no reason for him not to accept the offer.
Jason hesitated a bit before making a decision. However, he wanted to leave an alternative for himself, and thus did not agree right away. "Well, Mr Sienna, as you can see, Mage Felic makes the decisions in our group. I'll tell him what you proposed, but I cannot guarantee he will accept your offer…"
"Of course, of course, as long as you're willing to speak for us, we would be beyond grateful." While Sienna thanked him, he could not help cursing him in his mind. Damn this hypocrite, "Mage Felic makes the decision in our group?" Whom are you kidding? He's as cowardly as a mouse, how could he possibly lead Adventurers like you and your companions? Besides, all he does is hide away in his tent, anybody can tell he has no experience with the life of an Adventurer. You say he's your employer, but he does nothing at all. Isn't it you who calls the shots? You can fool others with this, but there's no use doing it in front of me…
Jason returned to the camping ground nonchalantly, and found Lin Li, who was meditating. "Mage Felic, I have something to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"Well, you see, Mage Felic, Sienna just told me that they will be heading to the ruins in half an hour to rescue Miss Yvonne's brother, and after thinking about it, I thought that it will be a great chance for us to head inside with the protection of 30 Adventurers. Why don't we go in with them since it will be easier for us with their help?"
"Is that it…?" Lin Li glanced at Jason cynically. To be honest, he would go in with the mercenary corps even if Jason did not mention it. He had also intended to help them if he could since he would have future dealings with the castellan of Roland City anyway; wouldn't it be awkward for him to face the castellan's daughter if he didn't help them today?
However, this did not mean that Jason could have agreed on his behalf.
Sienna and Jason thought that nobody knew they had left. Unfortunately, Jason did not know that when a mage went into a state of meditation, his senses became incredibly s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e—even more so for someone with almost unlimited mental strength like Lin Li. Once he went into a state of meditation, his strong mental strength would take over his senses—in other words, Lin Li used his mental strength to connect with the world then. In that state, he would become all-knowing, and could even hear the roars of magi
cal beasts in the Dragon Mountains as well as the chanting of spells from the bell tower. Given that he could hear all that, Sienna and Jason sounded as if they had been speaking right next to his ear…
It seemed like he had been way too nice these past few days, and now Jason thought he was a pushover. He could tolerate the fact that Jason had decided on his own to travel with the mercenary corps, but for him to accept the 10,000 gold coins as reward in exchange for their safety, Lin Li could not accept that. The only reason he did not lose his temper was because the time was not right yet. He would have to discuss this issue with Jason at another time and place…
"We can go with them, but, Jason, I have to tell you this: as far as I know, there are hidden dangers in Syer Town, and if you spare too much thought caring for your companions, you may not be able to guarantee your own safety…"
"Alright, Mage Felic, I'll be careful."
Jason heaved a sigh of relief after gaining Lin Li's approval. He had the 10,000 gold coins now, what danger could there be? In Jason's eyes, there was nothing more dangerous there than the Skeletal Warriors, and while he had no idea where they came from, he was not afraid of them. Having fought them previously, he was aware that while he could not exterminate them all, he more than capable of fending them off long enough to guarantee his escape. Furthermore, Sienna had given him his word that he could leave with his companions if they met any danger.
"Alright then, you can go tell Sienna that we'll leave in half an hour."
Half an hour went by in the blink of an eye. The mercenary corps gathered and set off towards the eerie long street.
It was strange that they had not met a single Undead creature after walking for over 10 minutes. They had originally thought that the place would be filled with dangers, but it was unusually quiet, with nothing but the suffocating stench of decay surrounding them. It looked like any other ruins, and Sienna could not help thinking that all the Undead creatures in the town had been summoned during the fight, which was why there was none now.
