At this moment, Leylin’s physical power had already reached the Knight stage. Against these hoodlums, he naturally did not have to exert much effort.
“Boss! Boss!” The rest of the hoodlums shouted, but none of them dared approach.
Leylin smiled. He turned into a black shadow and dove right into their midst.
* Bang! Crack! Argh! *
The pitiful cries of the hoodlums and the gut wrenching sound of bones being crushed could be heard continuously. Leylin was like a black gust of wind. In a few moves, he knocked them all onto the ground, each one sporting a broken arm or a broken leg.
Leylin smiled amiably at them and walked towards the spot that Cross-Eyed had fainted at. He raised his foot and stomped viciously on the boss’s right leg.
“Argh!” Very soon, the pain jolted him awake. Both his eyes rolled around, and then he fainted once again.
“Take your boss away! You can call on me anytime if you want revenge. But if you ever do, it won’t be as simple as getting a broken arm or a broken leg!”
Leylin said to the hoodlums. In their eyes, his smile was like that of a devil’s.
After seeing these hoodlums scampering away, Leylin returned to the bar.
“At the least, he has the physical power of a Preparatory Knight!” The bartender groaned inwardly as he put on an even gentler and humbler expression.
“My most respected sir! Is there anything I can do for you?”
Seeing the deathly quiet that loomed over the pub, Leylin couldn’t help but inwardly smile with bitterness.
He did not want to be seen as a monster. However, he had brought many goods along with him, so what could he do if someone were to steal them when he was in the room? Although he left a Tracing Spell on his belongings, if the spell were to disappear, Leylin wouldn’t even have a place to cry.
However, after Leylin displayed the strength of a Preparatory Knight, many of those who had some malicious intent towards him quietly retreated.
“Help me bring these chests to my room, put my horses in the stable and give them the best fodder you have!” Leylin said as he tossed another silver coin at the bartender.
“That hoodlum from earlier, what kind of background does he has?”
The bartender lowered his head, “Sir, you completely don’t have to worry about it. He may have some shady dealings with a public security officer but nothing too serious, though.”
Having the strength of a Preparatory Knight means having access to a Knight’s training technique.
Such people are either nobility or have some huge power backing them. A small city’s public security officer will not dare to do anything at all.
“Take me to my room!” Leylin asked casually
The bartender intentionally took him to a room at the very back of the building, furthest from the pub. He took out a key and opened the room.
A ray of golden sunlight shone through the window into the room
The bed was in the middle of the room, and the bed sheets on it seemed to be very clean. There was a blue vase on the bedside table with some unknown wildflowers in them.
“It seems very clean. This place will be fine!” Leylin nodded.
“Here is your key, please keep it safe!” The bartender respectfully handed over a brass key.
Leylin took the key and sent the bartender away to take care of his horses. He unpacked the contents of the chests and ordered a steak to be sent to his room. After he telling the bartender not to disturb him, he closed the door.
As he closed the wooden door, he found the room’s noise cancellation effects to be rather good. The noises from outside were greatly reduced.
“My actions today were a little too eye-catching! I didn’t have a choice though. Grey Stone City is too small, the activities of any stranger will definitely arouse unwanted attention. However, it is still much safer to be behind city walls. People will, at least, think twice before casting large area-of-effect spells!”
“Furthermore, there is a 50-50 chance of the faction which sent people to block the path sending someone after me. It’ll be best if they haven’t. If not, I must definitely kill the next wave of pursuers so I can get away cleanly.”
Leylin was deep in thought, “The Spiritual Force energy waves and the spirit sent to follow the trail look like the doings of an official Magus. But this seems like a waste of resources. Afterall, who would send an official Magus to track down and kill a Level 2 Acolyte?”
“The greatest possibility is a Level 3 Acolyte with a Magic Artifact or some pet reared by a Magus!”
“I should recuperate and remain observant of any activities that are happening while preparing to get rid of the enemy! I also need to cast the Transfiguration Spell daily!”
Leylin thought as he brought a piece of the piping hot steak that he ordered to his mouth.
The steak’s flavour was not bad and Leylin, who was famished, ate it all up in the blink of an eye. When he was done, he asked the bartender to clean up the mess. After the bartender left, Leylin hung a wooden ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign outside his door and set up a layer of energy particles to act as an early warning alarm system before falling into a deep meditative state.
Meditation is something a Magus has to do regularly. Although the increase in Spiritual Force from this is rather small, Leylin still persevered each and every day.
After toiling for over an hour, Leylin’s head slumped and he entered into slumberland.
……
Outside Grey Stone City, in the air above the scorched woods.
* Pss Pss! * A green coloured winged creature suddenly swooped down.
“Doris has finally caught a whiff of the enemy’s scent!” The Green Tree Sprite Doris retracted its wings and stepped onto the burnt wood with its bare skin with a puzzled expression.
“This is where the scent ends.” At this moment, the Green Tree Sprite no longer had the same appearance as before.
Previously, It had merely been the size of a human head. However, Doris was now as big as a 7 or 8-year-old child.
Moreover, the originally pretty face now had layer upon layer of warts marring it. It looked extremely repulsive.
Its mouth was filled with fangs, and its tongue constantly flickered like a snake’s.
Its body now had many creases, as well as some strange looking scales.
Originally, Green Tree Sprites were a kind of living creature that represented extreme beauty. Now, no one would link Doris with the Green Tree Sprites.
Doris let out a yell filled with hatred, “Human, you won’t be able to escape!” Its tongue flickered. It suddenly spread its wings and flew towards the additional horse that Leylin had released.
In the next two days, Leylin stayed inside, finally recovering his strength and Spiritual Force back to its peak.
“It has been two days already, and they still have not caught up! It seems like it’s not an acolyte chasing me or they would have used magic to sniff me out by now! It’s probably some slave or creature reared by the Magus!”
Leylin surmised. His movements had been extremely quiet these two days. The only noteworthy event was when the public security officer brought gifts as he paid Leylin a visit. The officer said that he was there to plead for his wife’s younger brother. He then tried to ask about Leylin’s past, but Leylin only deceived him and did not reveal any information at all.
Later, Leylin changed into black robes and pulled up the hood to cover his face as he jumped out of the window.
In a gloomy and dark alley.
“Sir!” “Sir, you’re here!” A few hoodlums, upon seeing Leylin’s black robes, immediately came forward to receive him.
“How is it? Have there been any strange happenings around Grey Stone City these past few days?” said a hoarse voice from under the black robes.
“I’ll speak first, I’ll speak first! In the nearby village, Auntie Sofia’s cow gave birth to a two-headed calf. The others all said that it was cursed!”
> This was what the hoodlum, who pushed the others away, hurriedly said.
[The target’s blood flow has increased by 12.4%. His brain waves appear to be stable. Judgement: It’s not a lie!] The A.I. Chip intoned inside his head.
Leylin nodded his head and tossed a silver coin to the hoodlum.
“It’s my turn now, Uncle Hugo and his son disappeared in the nearby woods while travelling! And traces of a wolf pack have been discovered at the scene!”
……
These were the hoodlums that Leylin had subdued over the past two days. They were extremely convenient for gathering news.
At first, they tried to give false information to get the reward, but how could Leylin be fooled by an average human like them with the A.I. Chip to help him? He immediately broke the arms of the liar on the spot, shocking everyone present at the time.
Under the coercion of both money and the threat of violence, these hoodlums were very soon, faithfully reporting all the news happening in and around Grey Stone City.
“What did you say, human corpses were discovered? There were also traces of thick green fluids?” Leylin was obviously interested, “Speak clearly and this gold coin is yours!”
A skinny red-haired youth gulped down his saliva, “This is news I just heard. In the mill beside Messi Village, a few corpses were discovered. All the blood had been sucked dry. Everyone suspects this to be the work of a vampire. The city lord even sent several Knights to investigate!”
“En! Very good!” Leylin asked for the location again and realised that the area was very close to where he had last erased his tracks. He nodded his head and gave the gold coin to the youth. After listening to the rest of the news, he left the alley.
046 - Ambush
“Based on the latest news and the A.I. Chip’s calculations, the creature sucking the blood of others might be after me!”
“Moreover, it’s tracking me down by smell! Their numbers are unknown, but they shouldn’t exceed two, or there might actually be just one!”
Previously, Leylin got rid of his scent using the Scent- Masking Powder and changed his appearance before he entered the city. He wanted to use the mixed scents of people to conceal his. He would then gather sufficient information about the enemy before planning a counterattack.
Now, it seemed to have paid off pretty well.
“What a pity! My Scent-Masking Powder is almost used up, if not, I would have been able to leave here long ago!” Leylin surmised regretfully.
The Subterranean Blind Worm was a rather rare ingredient used by the Magi, and its price was never cheap. Leylin had spent quite a lot to obtain a small packet of the ingredient before refining it into a Scent-Masking Powder.
However, he had enough for only about 3 or 4 days. Within such a short period, he could not possibly run far. Once the enemy expands the range of detection, his traces would definitely be discovered.
“It’s better to settle this as soon as possible. If they chase me to my destination, then that wouldn’t do me any good!”
Leylin’s face became solemn.
Even now, the effects of the powder were wearing off. He was relying more and more on the complicated mix of smells in the city to mask his scent. Alas, the unknown creatures were still able to trace him even after all he did.
After returning to his room, Leylin casually sat on the bed and mentally called up the A.I. Chip.
“A.I. Chip! In accordance with the news obtained during these past two days, simulate the enemy’s movement patterns, and design a plan for killing them!”
[Beep! Establishing mission parameters, beginning simulation……Map imported……The Host’s battle strength imported, analysis in progress……”]
The A.I. Chip’s icy cold and unfeeling mechanical voice intoned within his mind.
The A.I. Chip was a tool specifically allocated to scientists in his previous world, so how could it have the intelligence or even emotions? Due to human rights concerns, they had forbidden A.I. Chips from manifesting intelligence and emotion as a core directive in its programming.
[Simulation complete. Host kills the target but will sustain light injuries. Success rate: 67.7%]
The A.I. Chip’s voice intoned while transmitting a large amount of information into Leylin’s mind.
“Sustain injuries?” Leylin stroked his chin, “Are there any possibilities of killing the target unscathed?”
[Insufficient Data! Requires more detailed information on the target!]
“So it’s like this,” Leylin shook his head. According to the news he got from the hoodlums, the creature outside the city was already in an enraged mood and had started attacking the locals. At this rate, it would definitely charge into the city within 24 hours.
Although there was a mutual accord among the Magi to not disrupt the lives of the regular humans, there were still some who were crazy enough to do so.
If massive casualties resulted, and his identity was discovered, Leylin had to take responsibility for the collateral damages, aside from taking into consideration the creatures and the Magi behind them. This was a problem that he clearly did not want.
“67.7%, this is enough for me to take my chances! I also have confidence in being able to retreat fully!” Vehemence marked Leylin’s countenance as he walked out.
The pub’s atmosphere remained as boisterous as ever. Upon seeing Leylin, the bartender went forward and bowed, “Sir, do you have any instructions?”
“Help me find a person……” Leylin spoke slowly and made his request.
“No problem! Although there aren’t any mercenaries of the sort in this city, there are bandits here. I can contact them on your behalf.”
The bartender said, “By the way, Lord Roland, the city’s lord, sent men over. He wishes to meet you, sir!”
“The city’s lord?” Leylin nodded his head. No matter where a Preparatory Knight went, they would always be warmly greeted and received by lords. If Roland were to know of Leylin’s status as an acolyte, the treatment would be even grander.
“I have something on right now. How about we change to meeting time to the day after tomorrow?” Leylin enquired.
“Of course!”
“Also, the steak that you guys have here isn’t bad, send a serving of it to my room tonight.” Leylin instructed once again.
“As you wish!” The bartender smiled.
……
The second day, late in the night.
A grey robed figure appeared in the charred woodland nearby.
“Investigate? What is there to investigate here? There aren’t any treasures here. Most likely this was caused by some careless farmer, which resulted in this area going up in a blaze!”
The grey robed man was quite skinny. His movements, though, were rather swift as he continuously rummaged through the piles of charred wood.
“Something isn’t right! These scorch marks were not done by normal flames!” The man’s brows furrowed. His experience as a bandit made him realise something obviously wasn’t right just by looking at the scorch marks.
Warlock of the Magus World 1-596 Page 37
