by Zhuang Bifan
They heard that there was a young mage with the rescue team too. But, what could a young mage do at age of 20? After all, Mages were not Warriors. Before one became a Magic Shooter, he would not be able to create much impact with magic.
Jason's reputation peaked after he came back from the ruins of Syer. He became the most popular Adventurer in the whole Doland. Numerous high-paying missions would appear at his doorstep without reporting to Doland's Adventurers Guild.
Even Johnathan who lived in Aminya knew about the top Adventurer of Doland. His eyes lit up the moment he saw Jason walking out from the tent, looking just like a crazy fan who chanced upon his idol. Johnathan grabbed onto Lin Li excitedly and squealed, "Brother Felic, brother Felic…! D-did you see that? That's really Jason!"
"Yes, yes…" Lin Li did not know if he should laugh or tear at his excitement. Since he could not reveal much about Jason, he could only go along with his enthusiasm.
"That's great, Brother Felic! We are really lucky this time. We can not only get 10,000 gold coins, but also fight alongside Jason! Haha, that's the dream of every Adventurer. I will let all of my friends know when I return to Aminya!"
"Isn't that exaggerating…?" gasped Lin Li.
"Exaggerating? Brother Felic, this is not exaggerating at all. You must know that Jason is the top Adventurer of Doland. It will be an honor to take part in the same battle with him…"
"…" Lin Li rubbed his nose and sensibly shut his mouth.
"Brother Felic, you are from Doland, aren't you? Have you met Jason before?"
"Nope, I didn't…" Lin Li scratched his head. "That's because I've been living in a small village, and rarely had the opportunity to go to Doland City," added Lin Li after seeing that Johnathan did not seem to believe him.
He had no choice but to tell this white lie. Lin Li felt too embarrassed to tell Johnathan that he'd not only met Jason before, but also used a Cloud Storm to turn his Bandit teammate into a cripple.
"Ah, that's such a regret…"
"Yeah, yeah, such a waste…" Lin Li rubbed his nose and went along Jason with insincerely.
"Oh, yes. Brother Felic, have you completed the form?" Jason's leave brought Johnathan back to the reality.
"I've completed it long ago…" Lin Li rolled his eyes secretly. He has to be a crazy fan to only remember the form now…
"Brother Johnathan, the Malfa Family must be hiring over a hundred Adventurers, right?" Lin Li brought the topic back as he handed the form to Johnathan.
"Over a hundred? Hehe, I think it is not less than two hundred. Look at all those tents, they were set up to accommodate all the Adventurers. People from the Malfa Family will only arrive tomorrow…" Johnathan replied as he flipped through the forms in his hands. Then, he showed some amazement. "Brother Felic, I didn't expect you to be a Magic Shooter at such a young age! That's so impressive. Haha, please don't forget your Brother Johnathan when you progress higher in the future…"
"Hehe, Brother Johnathan has to be joking. How would I be more successful than you? Although there is a lot of Adventurers in Aminya, I presume that there are not many people who could become a level-14 Warrior at 30 years old…"
"Hehe…" Johnathan laughed and tacitly accepted Lin Li's compliment. It was indeed an achievement Johnathan was proud of. Reaching level-14 before the age of 30 meant that he had the chance to become a high-ranking Warrior in the future.
Although the gap between level-14 and level-15 was just a single level, the difference in their respective ability was actually very far apart. One would only gain true respect from the others when he reached level-15. Otherwise, no matter how hard he worked, he would only become potential cannon fodder to be sacrificed.
While Johnathan was looking through the forms, Lin Li tried to ask other questions to discover more about the contents of the mission. Johnathan was very friendly and nice to talk to, and told Lin Li everything he knew unreservedly.
But, Johnathan knew too little, so Lin Li did not obtain much information from him despite a lengthy exchange. Just when he was prepared to find an excuse to leave, he suddenly heard a playful laughter behind him.
"So there's a s.e.xy lady here. I was still wondering what's smelling so sweet…" It was a young man in his 20s. He had a fair complexion and sharp and clean features. From his fashionable dressing, Lin Li could tell that he was a rich dandy with an influential background. His breath reeked of alcohol when he staggered past them.
"Hi, pretty lady, tell brother, what's your name…" The youth had his eyes fixed dangerously on Rina as he burped and smiled l.e.w.dly.
"…" Lin Li rubbed his nose. He had seen enough perverts, but this man was the most unlucky pervert he had met. How could he seduce the Paladin from the Brilliance Shrine…?
"Back off," Rina warned as she frowned slightly.
The small action made by Rina did not reduce her beauty in the drunkard's eyes a single bit.
"It is a waste for such an attractive girl like you to become an Adventurer. Fighting is for the peasants. Since you are so pretty, why don't you follow this brother? I'm from the Malfa Family—"
Before he could finish speaking, the sound of a sword being drawn could be heard. When he realized it, the cold and shiny sword was already pressed against his neck. Then, the chilliness of the sword woke the drunk man up.
"You… What do you want?!" the dandy asked in a shock. He thought that the young lady was just a new Adventurer without much background. On top of that, he was certain that with his background, Rina would repress her anger if she was angry, or even submit to him if she was timid…
Never had he expected that the girl was a rose with thorns. She drew her sword without saying anything! From the deadly vibe emitted by the blade, a fool would have known that the woman was serious about it…
"Hey, you'd better put down your sword. Do you know who this is? If you were to injure Sir Harvey, 10 lives are not enough for you to repent!"
The followers around were also stupefied. How could the heir of the Malfa Family be threatened with a sword? If the patriarch were to know that, the girl might not even know how she was going to die!
"I… I warn that you calm down. There's no benefit if you were to injure me. If you do, your teammates wouldn't be let off easily. Why don't you… put down your sword first? We can discuss…"
The other frantic followers also nodded their heads profusely. "Yes, yes! This is the second young master of the Malfa Family, and it is your honor that he decided to talk to you. If you injure the second young master of the Malfa Family, your family members are going to be doomed. Think of your parents, and your relatives…"
"Get lost!"
After the sharp sword was put down, Harvey retreated cautiously. Only after he got behind his followers did he holler to Rina, "I will not let this pass!"
This incident occurred at the corner of the campsite. Apart from a few people around, the matter did not create much commotion. After Harvey and his followers left, the surrounding people resumed their normal activities very quickly. Rina put away her sword very slowly. "I'm sorry, I should have controlled my emotions better," she said to Lin Li in a low voice as she walked past him.
Lin Li looked into Rina's eyes carefully for quite a while.
"As my teammate, I hope that you can understand that to me, my teammates are the most important.
"Yes. Although I want to make use of the Malfa Family to find the nest of the Crimson Python, if this requires my teammates to repress their emotions and suffer, I'd rather climb the Blackstone Mountains to look for it alone. Next time, I hope you don't put down your sword so quickly…"
Chapter 381 - Finding Trouble
"That's weird, why is Sir Harvey here…" Johnathan muttered as he walked over with a few sleeping bags. While he said that, he turned to look at Harvey's back. Earlier on, when Rina had her sword against Harvey's neck, Johnathan went back to submit the forms and collect some sleeping bags for them. Hence, he did not see the conflict a few minutes
ago.
Since Johnathan was not aware of it, Lin Li naturally did not mention it to him.
"Oh, yes. Brother Felic, I hope Sir Harvey did not create any trouble for you?" Johnathan said with concern as he handed the sleeping bags to them.
"Nope." Lin Li shook his head and smiled. Then, he asked curiously, "Brother Johnathan, you mean that this Sir Harvey tends to stir up trouble?"
"Erm… Actually, he doesn't do it frequently…" Johnathan smiled bitterly. "But, Sir Harvey is more… arrogant, and doesn't think highly of us common people. People who offend him would be in trouble…"
Lin Li could tell that Johnathan was trying to phrase his words really carefully. How would he not know the idea that underlay them? To boil it down, Harvey was a rich and pampered man who had zero respect for the Adventurers. Hence, Johnathan feared that Lin Li's language would offend Harvey, and cause the latter to seek revenge.
Lin Li smiled. With his status right now, he did not need to give Harvey any importance. So what if he were to offend the Malfa Family? Would they be heading to the Tower of Dusk for revenge? If so, the All-Kill Array might not be that kind to them, either…
Yet, Lin Li was really grateful to Johnathan. Although he was trying to rephrase the words, Lin Li could clearly tell that underlying Johnathan's words was genuine worry and concern. When he looked at Johnathan again, Lin Li was determined to ensure the man's safety when they journeyed to the Blackstone Mountains.
Johnathan was naturally unaware that his casual words earned himself a gold amulet against death.
At the same time, Harvey was fuming with anger in his tent.
"What's the use of having you dumb*sses around me? My father invested so much in all of you, and this is how you protect me? You guys only know how to brag about being experts all day long. You must be bragging experts, eh? You actually allowed a random woman to hold her sword against my throat? If I were to meet a truly powerful beast, can I still count on you guys?"
"…" The attendants in the tent were all Warriors around level-14, and one of them had even reached level-15. In many other places, he could have been considered an expert Warrior, but now, he had to let the raging Harvey scold him, and even was afraid to lift up his head.
Honestly, these followers felt very wronged too.
They were not close enough to their master when the matter happened. Furthermore, who would expect that a small Adventurer would dare to challenge the second young master of the Malfa Family? When they finally reacted to the situation, a sword had already been pressed against Sir Harvey's throat. What could they do? They surely did not want their reckless action to provoke the unhappy female Adventurer back then. If that woman felt threatened, she might've applied more force on the sword…
"Are you all mute?" After lashing out at his followers, the anger of the second young master of the Malfa Family did not seem to subside. "I will give you guys another chance to think of a way to bring that woman to me. If you succeed, I will let this matter pass. However, if you don't, be prepared to explain yourselves to my father!" he said as he paced around the tent in frustration.
Upon hearing that, the attendants became pallid with fear. Sir Harvey's scolding was nothing to them, but if their failure to protect Sir Harvey were to be known by the patriarch, there would be dire consequences.
At once, the attendants were all wrecking their brains for ideas.
"Sir Harvey, why don't we spike that woman…?"
"Are you a f*cking idiot?" The lousy idea made Harvey even angrier. He raised his hand and gave the attendant a tight slap on his face. "How could you suggest that when my elder brother Hutton is here? If I f*ck that woman tonight, I'm going to be sent back to Aminya tomorrow!"
When that slap landed on his face, the attendant who gave the stupid idea was suddenly reminded that the eldest young master of the Malfa Family, Hutton, would be here too. Hutton was the real heir of the family, and was known to be cruel and inhumane when he got rid of people. If Hutton were to know that he was the mastermind behind that foolish suggestion, not only would he not be able to go back to Aminya, he would be hanged on the spot as well.
"Actually, Sir Harvey, it is not impossible to get that woman here. But, it would require some time…"
"Continue!"
"Although that woman is pretty, she is, after all, an ordinary Adventurer with neither status nor background. Now that she is in our territory, she is in our hands too. If you can't bear it, why don't you let her suffer a little first? It should let her understand that her life would be at stake without you, Sir Harvey. Then, she would be begging to meet you…"
"How are we going to make her life difficult?"
"Hehe, I asked Hahn about it just now. Her teammates and she are foreigners from Doland who do not have any close kin in Aminya. Even if anything were to happen to them, nobody would back them up…" That was a lean and short level-14 Warrior who resembled a mouse.
"We do not need to do it ourselves, either. Just get a few Aminya Adventurers to give her three male teammates a bashing, and that woman would naturally be scared. It would then seem like a conflict between the Adventurers, and none of our business…"
"Sounds good…" Harvey nodded, and became more resolved. "Go get Hahn here!" he added.
"Yes!"
At the same time, Johnathan prepared a place for Lin Li and his teammates to settle down. Rina frowned when she saw the four sleeping bags being placed in the middle of a spacious tent. She glanced at Norfeller, then at Ujfalusi, and shook her head. Then, Rina took her sleeping bag to the innermost corner of the tent.
"Ujfalusi, you can wake the evil spirit up now," Lin Li said as he glanced at Rina, who was already inside her sleeping bag. He took out a crystal pen from his pocket and used the star sand ink to construct a simple mageweath.
The mageweath had only one function—to cover the aura emitted by the Undead. That was the only thing Lin Li could do for Rina. That girl in the corner was a Paladin from the Brilliance Shrine, after all. It would be very unpleasant for her to be surrounded by the Undead aura.
"Alright, Master." Ujfalusi nodded, and drew a weird picture with his bony finger in the air. A hoarse recitation sounded, and the Undead aura filled the tent.
As the sky darkened gradually, Ujfalusi started to describe Granger's movements.
Now, Granger had returned to his tent. By his side was the same Archmage they'd seen in the morning.
"That Archmage told Granger to return to Black Clouds Town to open the bas.e.m.e.nt of the cathedral after he finishes his task here…"
"Cathedral?" Lin Li scratched his head. He knew that there was a cathedral in Black Clouds Town. It was himself who ordered the Syer Bandits to strip in the Cathedral Square when they were there to collect protection fees. But, what could there be in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the cathedral? Would there still be secrets there?
"Ujfalusi, did that Archmage mention what's there at the bas.e.m.e.nt of the cathedral?"
"No…" Ujfalusi replied while shaking his head before resuming his eavesdropping business.
"Granger agreed to do it, but he raised a condition. He wanted that Archmage to ensure the safety of his father."
"Ensure Alexir's safety?" Lin Li's expression darkened. Although there seemed to be not much context in the exchange between the two men, Lin Li had a bad premonition—there had to be something dangerous inside that bas.e.m.e.nt…
"Now, they are discussing the task tomorrow…
"Master, there's people outside."
"I got it. Let the evil spirit sleep first." After instructing Ujfalusi, Lin Li let out the Warlock's Eyes and controlled it with his mental strength. He let it glide on the ground and out of the tent. He was very curious to know who were the damn bastards who were trying to disrupt his rest.
With the Warlock's Eyes, he saw a group five Adventurers walking towards his tent. They were all level-13 and level-14 Warriors, carrying weapons in their hands as though they were prepared to bash people up. Lin Li r
egained his composure very quickly after he realized that this group of people had to be acting for that Sir Harvey. It made sense too—how could the second young master of the Malfa Family let the matter rest after he got threatened by a woman with her sword? It was no wonder Johnathan was worried that that dude would not let people off easily…
Lin Li felt a bit of a headache when he saw the approaching Adventurers. He was a level-18 Archmage, whose ability was in stark contrast with those people's. If he wanted, he could turn these five Adventurers into ashes with a wave of an arm.
But, it was not the time…
He had just sneaked into the Adventurer team of the Malfa Family, and only heard a part of a secret about Black Clouds Town. If he were to get rid of them now, wouldn't his efforts be wasted?
Free meals are cool, but never free labor!
"Forget it, I shall be merciful and let you fall asleep for a while. It shall not be my problem if you get nightmares, though…" Lin Li muttered, and took out the Magic Lamp from his Ring of Endless Storm. He rubbed the lamp gently and called out a puff of black smoke. Under the dim light, the black smoke distorted, and gradually turned into a hideous face.
"Master, Iminia is here to serve you."
Lin Li could tell that the hideous face seemed even mightier as compared to the time he saw it at the Tower of Dusk. Connoris was right. The phantom left behind by the Lord of Nightmares had grown to be more powerful after he instilled his mental strength into the seal every day. Perhaps one day, it would be strong enough to summon the real Lord of Nightmares…
"Go, Iminia, help me welcome the guests outside. Make them fall asleep, but be careful not to harm them."
"Alright, Master. "
Iminia dissipated in the air right after he answered Lin Li. His hideous face transformed into black smoke and left the tent through a small opening. In the twinkling of an eye, this black smoke surrounded the five Adventurers. Iminia was a phantom left behind from the Lord of Nightmares, who was skilled in using spiritual force to attack souls. A gust of mental strength entered the minds of the five people; Iminia did not even face any obstruction when he dealt with these low-level Warriors…
