by Zhuang Bifan
They had initially planned on holding out for a little more, but as soon as the Humerus Wyrm appeared, they broke down completely. In an instant, their cries for help intensified; the bandits were scared out of their wits, leaving their weapons to run for their lives. They feared that the terrifying creature would catch up with them.
What a pity that they would never outrun a Humerus Wyrm's ice flame given their abilities.
After letting out a deafening growl, the Humerus Wyrm opened its mouth, and the mountain slope was soon covered in its ice flames…
The Humerus Wyrm's ice flame was so powerful that even a level-17 Archmage like Adelo nearly fell prey to it, much less these level-10 Bandits. All they saw was a blue light sweeping over the mountain slope before dozens of ice sculptures appeared.
This was a massacre as the level-20 Humerus Wyrm was in itself an undefeatable existence. Even the level-18 Vanskore was insignificant in the face of the Humerus Wyrm, much less the other bandits. Moreover, Vanskore was unable to do anything as he was bound by Lin Li's Gravity Spell.
Even though Vanskore was a powerful level-18 Warrior, he was unable to retaliate before he was bound by Lin Li using a Gravity Spell. This was not unusual, as Lin Li was indeed terrifyingly powerful as he had benefited a lot from the fights in the Scar of Death. While he was still a level-19 Archmage in terms of strength, he was comparable to Legendary-mages in many other ways. Coupled with his seemingly endless mana and mental strength, Lin Li was only a step away from the Legendary-realm at this point.
Purely in terms of combat abilities, Lin Li was definitely the most powerful in the whole of Anril apart from the Legendary-realm individuals, and this was merely in terms of his own combat abilities. He might even be able to go against those in the Legendary-realm if he used both the Holy Light and Gloomy Dark as well…
This was way beyond what a level-18 Warrior like Vanskore was capable of going against, and it was merely a matter of wasting more energy for Lin Li.
"Good evening, Mr Vanskore. I didn't think we would meet in such circ.u.mstances…" After binding Vanskore using a Gravity Spell, Lin Li was in no hurry to make a move; hence, he happily struck a conversation with the bandit leader.
"What… What do you want?" Half of his most elite men had died, and he was now bound by magic. It was no wonder that Vanskore's usually calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
Vanskore was filled with utter regret after seeing for himself how powerful this young mage was.
If he'd known it would come to this, he would never have sent men to harass Black Clouds Town. To think that he had thought that this young man was a rising talent, and had even thought of buying him over for the Syer Bandits.
He had to have been blind, and should have known better than to mess with this young mage after he killed 30 of his men. Why had he not realized it earlier? To think that he'd even volunteered to help Hutton get rid of him. Look where this brought him? Even though he finally knew how powerful this young mage was, he had already paid too heavy a price. All of over 300 elites of the Syer Bandits were going to die here, and even if he did make it out alive of the Blackstone Mountains, the Syer Bandits would have lost their position as one of the top 10 bandit groups in the Breezy Plains…
"Calm down, Mr Vanskore. I just want to ask you something…"
"What is it?" Vanskore's heart skipped a beat as his initially dull gaze suddenly brightened up. He already knew what kind of a person he was going against even before the fight. This mage was unusually ruthless, and even though he was young, he was a seasoned executioner who did not hesitate to kill. Vanskore never thought that he would make it out alive if he were to ever fall in the hands of such a person.
But this person seemed to be asking something from him…
This discovery made Vanskore heave a sigh in relief as this made everything easier. While he was merely a bandit leader, he had acc.u.mulated considerable wealth after all those years, and would be able to give Lin Li a satisfactory answer regardless of whether it was wealth or equipment that he d.e.s.i.r.ed. If Lin Li was still not pleased, Vanskore could well give him everything he had. It was alright, nothing was more important that staying alive…
As long as he was still alive, it was only a matter of time before he would get it all back.
He would not even have to wait long. All he had to do was make it alive to the Dragon Mountains, where he could agree to Master Lucin's terms. As long as he had the help of Master Lucin, he would be able to take back everything he had lost—even the life of this young mage…
"It's nothing much, actually…" Lin Li had no idea what Vanskore was thinking, and he did not care about it, either. Why would he bother with whatever a dying man was thinking?
"Rest assured that if it is anything I own, I will give it to you without any hesitation as long as you'll let me go. I can even give you the whole of Dragon Mountains, there is a treasure cove that I've had for over a decade, and you can easily buy half of Doland with all the riches inside…" Vanskore hurriedly added, fearing that Lin Li would change his mind.
"Alright. Since you're so generous, Mr Vanskore, I will cut to the chase. I'm interested in taking over your men. Well, I've got no choice, you see, I was forced to become the President of some Guild, and there are matters that I'm unable to see to myself. So, I'm going to need some help, but then there's a problem. As you know, your men are immensely loyal to you, and may not listen to my orders, so I'd like to discuss with you to see if I can threaten them with your death…"
"You…" Vanskore's face paled, and he suddenly channeled all of his Combat Energy to try and break free from the Gravity Spell. Unfortunately, his struggle was too late. Just as he channeled all his Combat Energy, a blood-red vine crept up his neck…
And thus, the Combat Energy of a level-18 Warrior eventually lost to a tiny blood-vine.
The thorn in the heart of Roland City and the head of one of the most powerful bandit groups in the Breezy Plains had been vanquished by a tiny blood-vine…
The killing on the mountain slope came to stop just as Vanskore took his last breath. Only 10 of the over 300 bandits were spared. Even then, they were spared only because Lin Li had given the Humerus Wyrm orders to do so, allowing them to leave the Blackstone Mountains alive.
It was because Lin Li needed people to bring the message back to the Dragon Mountains.
Lin Li could not care less as to what reaction the people at the Dragon Mountains would have to such a message, because he had more important matters to see to at the moment.
"Hey, wake up, the sun's shining on you…" After turning the whole Syer Bandits upside-down, Lin Li was in no hurry to return to the Malfa Family's campsite. Instead, he kicked the unlucky bandit who had fallen next to him.
"Ah…" After a few consecutive kicks from Lin Li, the unlucky bandit finally woke up, but his sight was still blurry as he was out for a while.
Of course, that did not last long, as he quickly realized who had kicked him awake…
The unlucky bandit paled as soon as he saw Lin Li. "I-I-It's… It's you!"
"Why, you know me?"
The unlucky bandit did not even dare to look at the smiling man as he buried his head and gulped with difficulty, hesitating for a while before he chose to answer truthfully. "Y-yes."
"Tell me about it."
"You once took off my pants in Black Clouds Town…"
"…"
Chapter 421 - Special Welcome
Although Lin Li did not know if he should laugh or cry at those words, they reminded him of his deed of stripping the Syer Bandits b.a.r.e when they first came to the Black Clouds Town. If he did not remember wrongly, the fella before him was the one who was the first to pull his pants down and the fastest to flee…
"What's your name?"
"I'm Roger, Roger Garcia…"
"Hi Roger, nice to meet you," Lin Li said, and reached out his hand smilingly. "Oh, yes. I just want to know your position in the Syer Bandits," he said to th
e robber whose pants he had once striped.
"H-hi there…" Roger stuttered. Lin Li's smile was terribly horrifying to him. Roger remembered it was with the same smile that he'd slain the hundreds of people earlier on. The thought of that magnificent icy flower made his knees tremble.
After greeting Lin Li cautiously, Roger swallowed his saliva with much difficulty. "I… I am just a small team leader of around 10 men."
"Do you have the confidence to let everyone follow your orders if I increase the strength of your men by a few thousands?"
"Huh?"
"Yes. I will let you become the next Vanskore," Lin Li affirmed at ease with the same smile and very casual voice. It was as though he was not talking about one of the top-10 bandit groups in the Breezy Plains, but a work that required one to run errands and do odd jobs across a few hotels.
"You…" Roger gasped as he opened his mouth wide. Even Adelo who was a distance away could hear the rough breathing of the unlucky Bandit. "Y-y-you mean… You want me to become the chief of the Syer Bandits?"
"Yeah, it's similar to that. But, we are not going to use the name of that organization. It sounds too lame. Moreover, your previous occupation that required you to rob seems not to allow you to reap good income when you offend other people due to it. I have to find other things for you to do. We are not in a rush now. The priority right now is to gain the respect from the thousand of men…"
"Erm…" Roger's mouth went dry as he heard the young mage's words. He realized that a rare opportunity had landed before him…
That was right. It was indeed a rare opportunity.
If that mage was not joking, it would mean that he had the intention of raising him as the new chief of the Syer Bandits…
It had always been his dream to become like Chief Vanskore, who could march through the Breezy Plains unhindered with his thousands of men. Still, Roger never dared to think about it frequently. But now, an opportunity was actually right before him in reality…
Roger believed that the mage had the ability to support him.
The 300 people who planned the sneak attack that day were already the elites of the entire Syer Bandits, but they were defeated instantaneously without a chance of fighting against him. From how Lin Li killed the seemingly invincible Chief Vanskore, Roger knew that it would not take much effort for Lin Li to back him up.
Roger gaped in a daze after hearing Lin Li's words. That wasn't surprising, for those words were even more impactful as compared to the battle earlier on…
Roger needed some time to digest the situation…
Since it was not an urgent matter, Lin Li did not insist that Roger give him an immediate reply. Lin Li stood there patiently, and waited for Roger to recover from his shock.
Roger finally reacted after a minute. "I have the confidence, Mr. Mage. I have confidence that they would listen to me…"
"Very good," Lin Li said as he nodded. "From now on, you are my man. Follow me for the time being. When I settle the things here, I will tell you how to become the new Vanskore."
"Y-Yes, Mr. Mage…"
After sealing the fate of the Syer Bandits in a few words, when Lin Li wanted to call upon some of his men from the Tower of Dusk to introduce them to Roger, Adelo rushed towards him from behind.
"M-Mage… Mage Felic, could you please listen to my explanation for the matter just now…?" Adelo said anxiously. The sight of that hill covered with blood and dead bodies caused Adelo to feel really complicated. He was nervous, but at the same time relieved…
Adelo was nervous due to the fact that it was Hutton who allowed the sneak attack. It was that obvious. Adelo had been participating in most of the secret projects of the Malfa Family for a few decades. He knew that there was a partnership between the Malfa Family and the Syer Bandits, and that Vanskore was on good terms with Hutton. If Hutton was not the mastermind behind the sneak attack led by Vanskore, he at least had to have given his seal of approval for it…
Adelo would not have dared to imagine what would happen if Mage Felic were to know about everything behind the scenes.
But, Adelo felt a sense of relief at the same time.
Thank goodness! Although Hutton did a foolish thing, he was clever enough to know he could silence people. Since neither the Adventurers hired from Blackstone Town nor people from the Malfa Family had direct involvement in it, one could not simply tell that the sneak attack was planned by the Malfa Family.
That made things easier. As both parties had yet to engage in any direct confrontation, Mage Felic's suspicions would not be able to stand without sufficient evidence. With that, the authority of the Malfa Family in the Breezy Plains and Mentor Cheyenne's powerful influence would have their effect…
Furthermore, if he could flatter Felic a little, the issue of the sneak attack might even be resolved.
Yes, Adelo had clever ideas. However, he committed another unfortunate mistake…
Who was Lin Li? To Gerian, he was a fella who would never take a loss willingly. How would such a troublemaker give in obediently?
In fact, knowledge of the partnership between the Malfa Family and the Syer Bandits and of the shady deal between Hutton and Vanskore was nothing. Lin Li just needed to know that he was currently two kilometers away from the Malfa campsite, and that Hutton had sent a message through magic to tell Adelo to get rid of himself…
Hence, Lin Li did not give Adelo any chance to explain himself. While they looked like they were chatting very casually and harmoniously as they walked down the hill, the topics discussed were all meaningless…
"Look, there has to be a misunderstanding…" said Adelo. He grew more and more anxious as they got closer to the Malfa campsite. How could Adelo not know the young mage's personality after several days spent journeying with him in the Scar of Death? Even though he'd been unaware of it in the beginning, how could he not get a clear picture after witnessing that huge massacre? Furthermore, if that young mage really meant it when he said he did not mind the sneak attack, why did he let that gigantic Humerus Wyrm stay in the air till now…?
As Lin Li's pace got increasingly faster, the sense of foreboding grew for Adelo as well.
Sh*t. Trouble is huge…
…
Hutton walked into Sendros's tent almost at the same time.
Hutton had a very grave expression. Just a few minutes ago, this first inheritor of the Malfa Family suddenly sensed that there was a shocking magical wave at the borders of the Scar of Death. With his wealth of knowledge about magic, Hutton knew it was the work of a level-19 Archmage.
The instant he felt the magical wave, Hutton realized that he had committed a mistake.
The only people who could be at the border of the Scar of Death would only be either Vanskore and his Syer Bandits or that advance party he wanted to silence. However, Hutton was certain that there was no level-19 Archmage in Vanskore's team. Among the 30 mages Vanskore brought along, the stronger ones were at most level-12. He knew it would not be Adelo, either. How could he not know the abilities of his comrade?
By elimination, the suspicious ones would be those who came from Black Clouds Town…
Hutton was quite certain that the young President of the Tower of Dusk was actually that level-19 Archmage.
That was definitely bad news. To Vanskore and his Syer Bandits, a level-19 Archmage was actually formidable. The Archmage would have the ability to deal with the sneak attack by himself. Even if the bandits were to gain the upper hand at the beginning, it would not be what he'd hoped for—trapping the young President in the Blackstone Mountains forever.
That was what Hutton was really worried about. The background of the young President was too scary. It would mean immediate trouble after he came down from the Blackstone Mountains.
Hence, Hutton had no choice but walk into Sendros' tent again. He hoped the Legendary-level Necromancer could fulfill his promise and help him resolve that terrible mess.
"Master Sendros—"
"I've heard
of it already," Sendros said as he reached out his bony right arm for the staff that had been leaning against the table.
Hutton felt it very clearly when that gust of magical waves was sent out. How could a Legendary powerhouse like Sendros not realize it? To be honest, when he felt that, Sendros was actually rather curious. Since when was there such a powerful mage in the Blackstone Mountains? He knew that the wave was generated by somebody who was at least level-19 and a step away from the Legendary-realm.
What could be more interesting to a Legendary-mage other than that? Even if Hutton was not going to find him, Sendros would take his magic staff out to look at the situation. That was neither to repay Cheyenne's favor nor to fulfill his promise to help get rid of anyone. It was purely his d.e.s.i.r.e to meet a potential colleague who was about to break into the Legendary-realm…
Sendros held his magic staff in his hands and muttered a spell. He then transformed into a puff of black smoke, and vanished from the tent.
"Hopefully he can make it in time…" Hutton's expression became calmer as he watched Sendros leave. Yet, he decided to follow behind Sendros after a moment of hesitation…
…
"Mage Felic, could you please give me a chance to explain…?" Seeing that the Malfa campsite was just a short distance away yet the menacing Humerus Wyrm was still in the air while the magical waves from the mage became more rigorous, Adelo was really anxious.
"Such bad luck. I guess I really need to listen to your nagging…" Lin Li said as he stopped in his tracks. His eyes were fixed on the sky…
"Huh?" Adelo was stunned. He looked in the direction of Lin Li's gaze and gasped.
"My Lord…"
That was a bony figure with a long black robe. Its massive magical wave was suffocating. If he did not witness the Lich shatter into pieces, Adelo might have thought that the Lich had reappeared.
