《Assassin's Chronicle》


 Chapter 1: Unlucky Assassin

    Chapter 1: Unlucky Assassin


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Isn¡¯t it Manager Cai? My god, it has been a while, hasn¡¯t it? How are you?" Anfey asked, smiling warmly and holding out his hand in front of him.


    Cai Guangyao started moving his hands away from his belt. In fact, he found himself disliking this man who greeted him in the bathroom. For someone experienced with the way of the business world, the first thing one needed to do was stay calm, keeping their emotions a secret to the world. The man was wearing a friendly smile, and his clothes were finely made. It was in Cai Guangyao¡¯s best interest not to offend anyone, especially someone whose background was unclear. Cai Guangyao, realizing this, put on a smile and took the man¡¯s hand, "Evening! Pardon me, I was a little bit drunk, you know, but you are...?"


    "Powerful men never remember us little guys," the man said, blinking. "I heard Manager Cai¡¯s real estate business is going through the roof; of course you would forget someone like me."


    "Nonsense," Cai Guangyao said awkwardly. Before he could finish, something pricked his palm. Instinctively, he yanked his hand back. "What was that?" he demanded, holding his stinging hand.


    "Me? I didn¡¯t do anything," Anfey widened his eyes.


    "Nothing?" Cai Guangyao said angrily, looking down at his hand. There was no wound.


    "Oh, I got it," Anfey said, throwing his hands into the air in a moment of sudden realization. He pointed to a ring on his finger. "It must have been my ring," he said. "You see, it is ufortable to wear, but it is a family heirloom, what with my father¡¯s recent passing..."


    "Alright, alright," Cai Guangyao said impatiently. "If you don¡¯t have anything else to say, would you please leave? I have other people to attend to." At first, he didn¡¯t want to offend anyone, but as soon as the pain shot up his hand, Cai Guangyao felt a sudden irritation he hadn¡¯t felt before. He didn¡¯t know where it came from, since pricking his hand was usually the least of his problems.


    "I am very sorry," Anfey said, defeated. "I am very sorry. I will stop bothering you, Manager Cai." He bowed and left the bathroom with a troubled look on his face.


    "Weird," Cai Guangyao said, as he turned around and unbuckled his belt.


    As soon as he was out of the door, Anfey exchanged his upset look for one of nonchnce. The jade-colored floor glowed softly beneath his feet, weaving together with the golden light of the wallmps. All around Anfey, the sound of men¡¯s coarseughter and women¡¯s soft flirts flooded into the long hallway. All the doors were crafted from exquisite eaglewood, filling the hall with a gentle fragrance. However, none of these could distract Anfey now. To an onlooker, he was walking rather slowly. In reality, his speed was almost two times faster than a normal man¡¯s, and he did not slow down until he had reached the staircase.


    Just as he rounded the corner, he saw the elevator door close. He sighed in a moment of defeat. Nothing seemed to go well today. He had rented a Chevrolet to get to the Jingdu Hotel, but somehow the brake had broken halfway, and it took him way longer than he foundfortable to get rid of the police officers nearby. After that he found a Toyota, but had only had it for a few minutes before ramming it into another car. The young man that drove the other car refused to leave him alone unless Anfey agreed to drive the young man to the hospital; it cost Anfey three thousand dors to get rid of him. Anfey was a fairly skilled driver and had never been in an ident. What happened today could only be described as strange.


    When he arrived at the Jingdu hotel, he was prepared to do his job, but the elevator broke only ten minutester. He remained calm and didn¡¯t appear too agitated, gesturing to the video camera to hurry the hotel security team.


    He was rescued after ten long minutes. Anfey had always been a strict follower of time, and he thought that it was all but certain that he would fail his mission tonight. Luckily, he found a chance to finish what he intended to do at thest minute. Of course, luck was an unreliable thing. Anfey smiled bitterly as he nced at the number blinking above his head.


    The elevator next to him was broken, and the other two were approximately a hundred meters away. Should he walk? He quickly estimated how much time he had left. Three minutes should be enough. The number twenty shed above him. Anfey pulled out a stick of gum and began walking towards the other end of the hall.


    Thirty secondster, Anfey found himself standing in front of an elevator. After another thirty-five, the door slid open. Anfey disguised his anxiety as he stepped into the elevator. There were only two young women in there. They shot a nce at him and returned to their whispers.


    Fifty secondster, he was in the eighth floor bathroom. He nced around, making sure there were no approaching footsteps. Then he jumped upwards, his left hand grabbing the pipe, and his right hand sticking his gum onto the surveince camera. Having cameras in bathrooms tended to cause unrest in customers, but the hotel management did so anyways. Of course, to avoid problems, they were kept hidden, and only in the men¡¯s bathroom, but it was still an amateur move. It only took him a few seconds to find them the first time he came to the hotel.


    He let out a sigh of relief. Thank god he was alone in here. If there was anyone else in the bathroom he would¡¯ve been in big trouble. The hotel¡¯s surveince room was on the thirtieth floor, and the security teams were on the first, seventh, and twenty-first. If the surveince team was doing their job well, then they would have already found the malfunctioning camera on the eighth floor. Still, the nearest security team was on the seventh, and it would take them a minute to arrive. A minute was more than enough time.


    Anfey grabbed onto one of the bathroom doors and jumped up,nding in the stall. He had already prepared his getaway clothes and hid them in that bathroom. He had glued the door shut to prevent anyone from messing up his n, since any normal person would simply move on to the next stall. They wouldn¡¯t contact security if a bathroom door refused to give way.


    Nowadays, though, weird people were on the rise, and would cause Anfey great trouble should he ever cross paths with one. There was no such thing as being one hundred percent safe, so Anfey had prepared for all the scenarios he could imagine. With extensive preparation, he could outwit anyone.


    Anfey walked out of the bathroom looking like another man. His hair was shorter, the ck suit became a t-shirt and jeans, and his dress shoes were changed into sneakers. At the same time, Cai Guangyao, who was flirting with an escort, slumped over the couch and clutched at his heart.


    Anfey looked very rxed as he stepped out of the hotel. He didn¡¯t bother hailing a cab, instead walking south along the road.


    Anfey was an assassin. He was an odd one, but one nheless, because he would never admit that he was a killer. He believed that killers were mechanical, emotionless, and numb¡ªobeying their masters¡¯ everymand, or forsaking their lives, to achieve their goals. He, however, was noble, free and elegant, and would never ce himself in danger. Before he exposed his intentions, he would be a respectable guest, and no one would realize his purpose. Afterwards, there would not be anyone able to reveal his identity. Some jobs he would take, some he would never take, some he would regret taking, all without a care for his reputation. He thought that the world was dark enough, and he didn¡¯t want to harm those people with talent and sparks. Although he was exceptionally skilled and could often mask his work as anatural death, hecked a steady stream of customers.


    A kebob peddler poked his head out from an alley, made eye contact with Anfey, and nodded. These people didn¡¯t have an easy life. In a city this size, they lived in the poorest houses, leaving before the sun rose and returning long after the sun had set. They could only earn enough to feed themselves. A few decades ago, even a street peddler could earn more than a nuclear physicist. Now, after years of government interference, these peddler¡¯s lives sank below the average. Of course, they could fight to raise their living standards, but there were a lot of people who didn¡¯t want them to do that. As soon as the police cars appeared, the peddlers scattered in fear of confiscations and beatings. It wasn¡¯t anything new that city police beat people to death.


    Under the teachings of a few skilled men, the general masses had mastered the skills of gueri warfare. Running when the enemy appeared anding back when they left, a man was able to earn a living.


    Anfey was an easy-going man. He smiled at the kebob peddler. "Busy?" he asked. "I want ten dors ofmb."


    The man nced around, making sure the coast was clear, and then he smiled. "Of course, sir," he said. "Right away."


    Anfey nced towards the hotel, waiting. Not long after, an ambnce howled past, stopping sharply in front of the hotel. A few emergency workers rushed out, carrying stretchers and emergency kits.


    Anfey sighed. He had the habit of lingering near the scene whenever he finished a job, so that should anything be amiss he could formte a n to deal with the problem. For now, the death attracted no suspicion. Cai Guangyao had an extramarital rtionship, and the two women, each with his child, had always been at each other¡¯s throats. Now that he was dead, the two women would redirect all their attention to his inheritance. No one would care whether he had a natural or an unnatural death. He would barely be cold underground. Pity!


    The police should pose no problem either. The officers with more unclosed cases were more likely to be fired. No one wanted to be in charge of a cold case, and no one wanted to be investigating a case like this. If the two women were just focusing on his inheritance, of course the case would be dropped.


    "Hey, want any spices?" the kebob peddler asked.


    "Not too many," Anfey said, rubbing his hands together, causing a lump of white putty toe off into his hands. His fingertips were covered with a specially made grease that concealed his fingerprints. It dried off when applied; even if he shook hands with someone, it would leave no residue. The only loophole was his clothes, but he had sprayed them with chemicals. The police canines would suffer a hard blow should they inhale too much. Plus, unless the death was suspected to be foul y, his clothes would never be evidence. If the police didn¡¯t interfere, his clothes would simply be left at the hotel¡¯s lost and found, waiting for an owner who would never return.


    "There you go," the peddler said, handing him his kabob.


    Anfey took it, thanked the man, and stood there, eating it in small bites. He needed to wait a bit to see what the doctor¡¯s verdict would be. If it was suspicious, the police would be here in no time. If Cai Guangyao was determined to have died from cardiac arrest, his family would be contacted to take care of the aftermath. For now, the truth about the man¡¯s death was in unknown, but Anfey was careful and hoped to get some confirmation.


    At that moment, a Santana and a small truck drove towards where Anfey was standing. Instinctively, Anfey took a few steps back, trying to figure out the situation within the alley.


    "That¡¯s him! Get him!" a fat man called out, sticking his bandage-wrapped head out of the car.


    Anfey recognized the symbol on the car. It was a car from the city police, and it had nothing to do with him.


    The peddler looked like a spooked animal. He grabbed his cart and dashed into the valley, right into Anfey. In a moment of panic, the peddler pushed Anfey aside, "Get out of my way!" he called.


    Anfey was well trained. If the man wasing at him with a knife, he would have known exactly how to deal with it. He didn¡¯t want to hurt him though, and only took a step back.


    The peddler slipped, and his hand pushed against Anfey¡¯s, triggering a series of reaction that would otherwise only happen in movies.


    Perhaps it was because the peddler wanted to save money, but the peddler didn¡¯t use disposable skewers; he used a sharpened bicycle spoke, to more conveniently pierce the meat chunks. Anfey was eating while the peddler dashed towards him, and since the peddler had no intention of attacking, Anfey wasn¡¯t rmed. In a moment of confusion, the spoke was pushed into his throat. Anfey grunted in pain, and tears welled in his eyes. Not out of pain, but out of natural reflex; wounds to the mouth and throat always triggered tears.


    The peddler froze and cried out in panic. After seeing someone hurt, he was terrified out of his mind. He ditched his cart and dashed into the alley.


    Unfortunately, the police car stopped, but the truck did not. It crashed into the cart, which was sent flying into Anfey¡¯s face. He was holding onto the spoke, trying to remove it from his throat. His eyes were blurry with tears, and then it wentpletely dark.


    When the cart flipped over on the ground, Anfey was slumping as well. The spoke was pushed in so deep it came out under his hairline on the back of his head. To a normal man, such a wound would be fatal.


    The next day, a headline made it to a newspaper that city police had killed someone, again... Why did they use "again" again...?

 Chapter 2: Not a Nice Person

    Chapter 2: Not a Nice Person


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Light-grey clouds moved quickly while the winds blew through them. The ocean lost its beautiful blue hue, and darkness prevailed as the clouds thickened. An isted ind was quietly taking the angry waves mming onto its shore. The gloomy look lingered around the ocean for miles.


    There was a decent sized house at the very center of the ind. Yagor, one of the top ten archmages in the Pan Continent, stood in the basement working on his self-invented magic array.


    A long incantation was chanted to start the ritual. Various runes suddenly appeared in the air around him and swirled rapidly along the magic array. A pale-looking young man was trembling and shaking inside of the array. He stared at the runes approaching him as if seeing an approaching demon, his eyes filled with desperation and sadness.


    Soon, Yagor finished chanting and tapped the ground with his wand. A cloud of deep darkness materialized, seemingly able to swallow anything close to it, and engulfed the young man.


    Yagor took a deep breath, then gathered his power and yelled out the incantation one more time. The light-grey clouds had already turned dark. Silver lightning bolts wereshing out with vicious, destructive attacks. Waves rushed towards the shore. However, the waves seemed to get scared of something, backing out even before reaching the sands in front of the house.


    After a while, the anger from the sky and ocean seemed to fade away, the cloud of darkness gradually disappearing into the array. The young man started to emerge, as if the darkness finally let him go.


    Yagor gripped the wand tighter with his right hand, took out a scroll-like amulet, and stared at the young man, unblinking. He would throw out the scroll instantly if anything went wrong.


    Yagor, one of the top ten archmages, didn¡¯t hesitate to give up his fame and power to live on this isted ind. He practiced his skills, hoping to break through the bottleneck of his career. Yagor was over fifty years old, but he was still unwilling to give up the power, wealth and beautiful women. He could only set them aside temporarily because he believed he was nobody without his achievements in magic. He would be the leader in the mages¡¯ world of the Pan Continent if he could break through this bottleneck. His power would double, and his fame triple.


    No pain, no gain. Not just the joy he would obtain in the future, even his name would be worshipped well after his death. With this hope, everything¡ªincluding wealth and fame¡ªcould be temporarily set aside. Yagor hoped to be able to understand the myth of death, achieving immortality. The array he set up was a path to the Evil Abyss.


    When Yagor saw that the young man wasn¡¯t moving, he whispered, "Ajia..." Ajia definitely wasn¡¯t the first one to be used for these kinds of experiments. There were hundreds of young men buried in the backyard, the products of failed experiments. Yagor¡¯s fame could undoubtedly attract some young men with dreams of wanting to learn magic from him. Even if he couldn¡¯t get enough young men toe voluntarily, he could still purchase ves to do the job.


    For the past seven years, hundreds of experiments were conducted, but they all failed. However, Yagor was a man with great willpower, and he understood that there were no true geniuses in the world. The achievements he had now were because of his persistence and hard work. He endured unbearable pain and worked extra hard to gain his fame.


    Yagor was initially a fire archmage. He started to learn dark magic only a few years ago, and he also had some understandings of space magic. He learned that there was a limit to the space he lived in. When another alien power came entered his space, it would be constrained. But when the alien power was strong enough to break through the space, it would cause the entire space to crash. Therefore, no matter how determined he was to do something, Yagor could not utilize all of his power, as the scroll in his hand would limit his power in the affected area. Unfortunately, there were only three scrolls left. One scroll had been used by Master Richard to capture the orc leader, Ahdibaijan. The battle of the God of Law and the Sword Master against Demon Harold had be a legend. Scrolls couldn¡¯t be made by anyone anymore. If nothing sudden urred and his life was not threatened, Yagor would never ever use this scroll.


    "Ajia..." Yagor called again. The young man named Ajia slowly opened his eyes, clearly confused. He turned to Yagor and said with great sadness, "Master..."


    "Are you all right?" Yagor asked. He was upset with another failure, but he was intrigued as well. Ajia was the very first one that could talk after an experiment. All the other human subjects from his previous failures could not talk at all. They all lost consciousness during the experiments. His array first extracted the human subject¡¯s spirit, to allow an evil spirit to enter their bodies. Was there anything wrong with the array? Yagor checked the array with his power. Everything seemed fine, which made Yagor even more curious.


    "I am fine." Ajia touched his own body. "Master, what happened? Anything abnormal?"


    "No, as long as you are okay." Yagor smiled affably. "What did you see? Did you feel anything?" He focused on Ajia and scanned him all over, finding that Ajia was a lot weaker. Yagor eliminated the possibility that the evil spirit had entered Ajia¡¯s body. Even though evil spirits were powerful, they were merely stupid, furious creatures, only knowing how to angrily rage at their surroundings. They were not capable of using strategy. Moreover, due to the experiment, the human subject¡¯s body would get many times stronger. In thest experiment, the human subject couldn¡¯t take much of the evil spirit¡¯s power and copsed. With how weak Ajia was right now, there was clearly no trace of the evil spirit in his body.


    "I felt I was flying in a dark tunnel, flying, flying... I couldn¡¯t see any light. Then I heard you calling me, and then I was awake," Ajia murmured.


    It seemed something was wrong with the array, Yagor thought.


    "Master, what time is it now? It should be time to make your dinner," Ajia said, but he could barely stand up.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s still early. Go and take a rest." Yagor was somewhat touched. Among the young men he had used his tricks on to bring to the ind, Ajia was the most caring. The leaders in Tumen Commercial Union had been alerted because so many young men went missing, and it would take Yagor a long time to retrieve test subjects from the Maho Empire. Otherwise, Yagor wouldn¡¯t have had Ajia go through these experiments.


    "No, Master, you should go and have a rest," Ajia said firmly. "In order to make me be a mage, you are using your power to build this array to rebuild my body, I... In my mind... How can I be your student if I cannot even take care of you, Master?"


    "Rebuild the body" was an excuse Yagor used to make those young men voluntarily undergo experiments. When Yagor heard what Ajia said, he was not touched, but rather satisfied. He nodded and smiled. "Ok, I do feel tired, however... Ajia, you should rest a little bit first and prepare dinnerter. Don¡¯t forget to take the wine out of the cer. You can have some wine to rx."


    "Yes, Master." Aja bowed respectfully.


    Yagor smiled at Ajia, then he turned around and walked out of the basement. He did not notice the coldness and hatred in Ajia¡¯s eyes.


    Yagor believed that the evil spirits were just furious creatures without brains. In fact, Yagor was one of them. This was amon phenomenon among living creatures, when the powerful ruled the world. They liked to simply use their power to battle. There was a tremendous power difference between Yagor and the young men undergoing the experiments. Even if all the young men united, Yagor could easily kill them. Because there was no need for Yagor to set up any traps, his excuses and attitudes had many ws.


    Whether or not the other human subjects could see through Yagor was unknown, but Ajia could. Otherwise, he would not have been so sad and desperate after seeing the array start.


    For the past few months, Ajia was trying to escape the ind. He wanted to tell the world the truth. He wanted to take revenge on Yagor for those young men who died in the experiments.


    But Ajia was a smart kid. He knew that flying over miles of ocean would be nothing to Yagor, who could easily use his medium-level power to do it. However, it would be very, very difficult for Ajia.


    Ajia had been waiting for an opportunity to escape, but that opportunity did note; instead, the time for the experiment arrived. Ajia understood well that reality did not permit him to fight back, so he bet everything on an evil spirit helping him take revenge on Yagor. He was willing to pay for the deal with the evil spirit with everything he owned. Of course, what Ajia did not know was that, after the array started, his spirit would be extracted to make room for the agent of the Evil Abyss. His hope was doomed from the start.


    Ajia dragged himself back to the room and fell into the bed with great exhaustion. In fact, Yagor¡¯s experiment was already a sess, and a huge sess at that.


    To be more urate, Ajia should not be called "Ajia" anymore, instead he should be called "Anfey"!


    Anfey used to me God for treating him unfairly. He never ever did anything to hurt anyone. All the people he killed deserved death sentences for the sins they hadmitted. Howe he got killed by a spike and fell into the Evil Abyss? However, the Evil Abyss had turned into a promisednd for him, after a while. There were several rulers in the Evil Abyss, and Anfey learned to kiss their asses. He used strategies to make them feel as if he was only loyal to them, despite being a spy to another. Unforeseeably, after he¡¯d grown ustomed to the Evil Abyss, a strange suction pulled him out and returned him to the earthly world.


    Was there really a God? Maybe he was afraid of Anfey breaking the messy-but-organized bnce of the Evil Abyss? Anfey pondered these questions with his eyes closed. The rules of survival in the Evil Abyss were really simple. The first was self-protection. The second was to be stronger and stronger! Anfey had made it his goal to be stronger than any of the rulers in the Evil Abyss. It was not impossible to think he could control the whole Evil Abyss one day, since it was a ce where everything would fall into the hands of the most powerful.


    Never mind... There was no point thinking about matters of the past. For now, he¡¯d better think about himself. Anfey opened his eyes. The coldness and hatred appeared again. He had absorbed a fraction of Ajia¡¯s spirit and, through it, learned of this world and Yagor.


    Anfey had a strong learning ability. In the Evil Abyss he was like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge he¡¯d never had a chance to learn, and thus receiving all kinds of information about different aspects of the world.


    As the saying goes: "take things as theye." First, he had to kill Yagor, who definitely had some evil ns. Otherwise, it was unknown whether Anfey¡¯s spirit would survive sitting in the array again. Yagor thought Anfey¡¯s spirit could be used as an agent to another world with strong power, but this might allow countless evil spirits toe down to earth. For the people on the earth, he had to kill Yagor. Anfey had always been putting himself on a higher moral ground to convince himself that a person deserved to be killed. This was Anfey¡¯s thought process before he nned to kill anyone.


    What was bothering him now was his weak body. He had to be daydreaming if he thought he could kill Yagor with this weak body; it was much more likely that he would be killed instead.


    Another matter bothering him was that he was very likely to give the game away, since he had only absorbed fractions of Ajia¡¯s spirit, and thus only understood some of Ajia and Yagor¡¯s habits. He had to kill Yagor fast; it was best done within three days.


    There was a crystal formed at the time he umted his power in the Evil Abyss. It was just like the crystals in the warriors. The difference was that the warriors knew how to use these crystals, but Anfey didn¡¯t. The reason he couldn¡¯t use it was unclear, but he had no time to ponder this. He needed to kill Yagor in a very simple fashion.


    Finding the simplest approach to killing a master archmage with his weak body, and it needed to be done fast... "F*ck!" he blurted out.


    To be a master archmage, it meant that one could use his low-level power within one to two seconds, and medium-level power within two to ten seconds. High-level power was not even something Anfey couldprehend. Even though Yagor was merely a stupid pig, he wouldn¡¯t waste his time chanting for several seconds to use high-level power when someone was going to kill him. Everyone knew that it would not be a quick battle.


    As a sessful assassin, Anfey liked to systematically n his time in detail. No matter how well he could n, the odds he could kill Yagor were slim. Anfey continued to search the fractions of Ajia¡¯s spirit for any possible weaknesses Yagor might have.

 Chapter 3: A Fatal Recall

    Chapter 3: A Fatal Recall


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Early in the morning, Yagor awoke from meditation. He stretched his body, put on his magic robe, and walked to the window. He muttered a few incantations and the numerous shing, star-like spots that were floating about the room immediately disappeared. An archmage would be quite vulnerable when entering a meditative state, and any ordinary man had the capacity to kill him. Yagor had always been a lone wolf; even though he was one of the ten greatest archmages, he rarely interacted with his counterparts and had no family or friends. In order to better protect himself, he carefully set up a few tricks and traps on this small ind, even though it was unlikely for others to hurt a person with as much magic power as Yagor. What was more worthy of his attention than his own life?


    Yagor opened the window and immediately felt the sun¡¯s warmth; his cold heart started warming up. "What a nice day today," he muttered to himself.


    This warm feeling vanished when yesterday¡¯s failed experiment came to mind. He decided to give it another try, since he still had enough magic power.


    Through the darkness along the hallway, Yagor stepped down the stairs and rushed into the basement. All of a sudden, he was alerted by a slight noise from the storage room, where only essential everyday items were stored; his precious things were already hidden in his spatial ring. Mice? Thieves? Yagor shook his head, frowning, and thought, "The traps and tricks are everywhere both inside and outside this house. Forget about mice and thieves, only a powerful archmage like me could get in."


    Yagor used his levitation magic to fly to the front door of the storage room and peek through a crack in the door. To his relief, it was Ajia. Yagor pushed open the door and asked, "Ajia, what are you doing here?"


    To his surprise, Ajia turned around and said to him, "Master, you got up early today."


    "You are..." Before he finished his sentence, Yagor had already figured it out. This room was once full of dust as no one had entered it for almost half a year, but now it was clean and organized. Holding a cleaning rag with dirty, dark water by his feet, Yagor knew that Ajia was cleaning for him.


    "Master, your breakfast was ready. I had nothing else to do after cooking breakfast, so I came here trying to make things a little more organized." Ajia said.


    "Ah, diligent boy," Yagor said to Ajia, and was moved by him once more. Maybe... He should keep Ajia around and go to Maho Empire to look for substitutes, so Ajia could help more here.


    "Ha ha. Thank you, Master. It¡¯s my responsibility to take good care of you." Ajia blushed and scratched his head.


    "I¡¯m going to eat my meal, then. You can eat some after you finish here. You are still growing, so don¡¯t be too harsh on yourself. And..." Yagor paused a little bit and continued, "You can start learning magic from now on." Yagor thought it would be a good idea to have an apprentice like Ajia. Someone who not only looked after him, but could also possibly be his helpful assistant, after he was taught some tricks. Not every trick, of course. This way, if Ajia misbehaved in the future, it would not be too hard to destroy him.


    "Master, really?" Ajia went wild with joy, "I really can start learning magic from now on?"


    Yagor nodded. Killing could bring fulfillment, as could breaking through one¡¯s limits, but helping weaker people could sometimes do so too.


    "Thank you, Master!" Ajia bowed to his mentor. Right at that moment, Ajia¡¯s back touched a portrait in a crystal frame, which promptly fell to the ground. With a crash, the portrait broke into pieces.


    "You idiot!" Yagor didn¡¯t want to scold Ajia until he saw what was broken on the ground.


    "Bastard!" Yagor shouted at him, and whips made of lightning fell heavily on Ajia¡¯s hands, arms, and entire body. The lightning whips, consisting of numerous electrical sparks, fell onto Ajia¡¯s body like raindrops. He crawled, twisted, and frothed due to the unbearable pain. It almost made him faint.


    Yagor stood up and lifted his arm holding the long whip. Again the lightning whips hit Ajia, but this time he passed out.


    Yagor breathed heavily. He¡¯d still shown mercy to Ajia, otherwise Ajia could have easily been killed by a small fireball from Yagor.


    Yagor gradually pulled himself back together. Anger faded away and sadness crept onto his face. His stooped shoulders looked even lonelier in his shadow.


    Yagor squatted down and very carefully picked up the portrait from the crystal pieces. He stared at the woman with long red hair in the portrait. She wore a light-green leather vest and held a shining longsword. With tightly closed lips, and big eyes full of energy and determination, she looked very cute; one might even say beautiful. Yagor¡¯s heart sunk and hurt whenever he thought of her and the life spent with her.


    He slowly approached the door holding the portrait, tears dropping to the ground.


    "Yagor, you can, I believe in you! You will be the greatest archmage ever!"


    "Yagor, buy it, only 3 coins! Not a big deal! You can¡¯t fully release your potential without a good wand."


    "Yagor, how stupid you were! I was lying to you. I really don¡¯t like the leather vest. It won¡¯t look good on me. We should buy the magic wand instead. It suits you."


    "Yagor, can¡¯t you stay with me? The only thing I want is to be with you! Though we will be paid well forpleting the task of finding the sh Leopard Crystal, it will be too dangerous. Let¡¯s give it up, ok? Please!"


    "Go. Go! I¡¯m a warrior. I will be more likely to survive than you! Hurry up!"


    BAM! Yagor¡¯s head hit a pir. It finally brought him back to reality from those beautiful memories. He covered his face with his hands, but he couldn¡¯t stop his tears from pouring out. Although he was a master archmage, he couldn¡¯t stop sobbing like a woman.


    The cherished and precious time spent with this woman always meant a lot to him. One was a genius archmage and the other was a strong warrior. One was always ready to sacrifice for the other. A perfect couple! The man wanted to buy a magic vest for the woman. On the other hand, the woman wanted to buy a magic wand for the man. In the end, the man chose the wand because the special wand could improve both of their powers and unleash more of their potential. But he knew, from the bottom of his heart, that she was really obsessed with the leather vest. This was the exact reason that he undertook the dangerous task: in order to earn the money to buy her the vest, so that he could bring back her beautiful smile.


    The damn leopards! They nned to kill just one, but they ended up fighting against seven. At the most dangerous moment, she stood up, protecting him from the group of leopards and buying him some time to escape. She, however, ended up dying. Her gorgeous body was torn to pieces by the merciless wild leopards.


    When Yagor finally led the troops to rescue her, it was toote. At that time, everything¡ªincluding their happiness, their dreams, and their future¡ªwas ruined. His heart was shattered. Losing happiness was easy. It was hard to obtain happiness, and it would be even harder to get it back once it was lost.


    Since then, he shut himself away, rarely making any friends. He stopped loving any women. No matter how beautiful they were, they were just tools to him. Instead, he concentrated on improving his magic power, which finally made him the youngest master archmage on this continent. But at the same time, he became a stranger and a loner that no one wanted to be with.


    Yagor had earned the nickname "sh Leopard Killer." Before he became a master archmage, he liked to go to different ces to hunt and kill sh leopards for revenge, but he left the other beasts alone. Other warrior groups learned of his story and his actions. They followed him and collected the crystals after he killed the sh leopards.


    This continued until recently, when Yagor got lucky and found a diary from a dark archmage. He finally got back on his feet again. He wanted to learn as much as he could from the dark magic and explore the mystery of death. He was eager to create a new Lisa, hisdy, just like God creating the whole world.


    By watching the portrait drop to the ground and the crystal frame break into pieces, Yagor was once more brought back to those old memories that made him deeply sad and broken-hearted. His feeling of hatred was so overwhelming, he decided to reset his magic array and use Ajia to test it again. He was d that he didn¡¯t kill Ajia just now. He still needed to use him for the experiment. He had confidence that, sooner orter, he would bring back his Lisa.


    Yagor held the portrait and walked like a zombie. Suddenly, he smelled an aromaing from the cer: the aroma of wine. He paused and then turned around, walking towards the wine cer. He wanted to get a ss of wine, hoping the wine would help him with his anger, sadness, and despair.


    He opened the door and noticed that the cer was clean and organized. Apparently, Ajia did the cleaning the other day. Unfortunately, right now none of Ajia¡¯s kind acts could touch Yagor¡¯s heart.


    Yagor walked up to the wine cab, where the bottles were lined up neatly. Strong liquors were lined up in the front, while mild wines were in the back. Without caring too much, he grabbed two bottles from the front and started pouring the liquor into his mouth, all the while still staring at the portrait in his hand.


    Yagor always regretted allowing Lisa to keep fighting while he tried to escape. It was a normal procedure when a crisis arose; the warriors always needed to try their best to help the mage escape by continuing to fight. But Yagor would never forgive himself for what he had done, for the bad things he had let happen to her. With more and more empty bottles thrown on the ground, Yagor became more and more drunk. He seemed to feel better under the influence of alcohol, but he subconsciously knew that he had to stand up and keep doing what he needed to do, otherwise he would lose hisst hope for reviving his Lisa. He slowly tried to get up.


    "Get up! Get up, or you will lose this chance!" Anfey tried tomand himself, using all his strength to get his body to stand up in the storage room while Yagor was drinking in the wine cer. He noticed that this body was not strong enough andcked proper training and exercise. He barely withstood the first round of whips, and the second round of whips made him almost pee in his pants. Anfey thought to himself, "I really need to undergo some tough training if I want to survive. Otherwise, I will not be able to survive in this world." There was always the saying "survival of the fittest." It was like Iraq invading Kuwait because Kuwait was weak. Some med Iraq, but others apuded Iraq. Other examples include America¡¯s invasion of Iraq, the Uprising of the Five Barbarians, and the Eight-Year Anti-Japanese Invasion. It was always the case that the strong attacked the weak!


    Compared with the modern world, the world of evil spirits was much simpler. It was simple enough that everyone, even as a beginner, knew that the only way to survive was to make oneself stronger than others. Otherwise, he would have a hard life, always worrying about his safety. Anfey didn¡¯t want to be the weaker one!


    Anfey slowly crept towards the door, cold sweat dripping down his head nonstop. He tried to figure out the proper timing.


    Anfey didn¡¯t sleep at allst night. From the fraction of Ajia¡¯s spirit, he learned of the tricks and traps set up by Yagor in this mansion. He was cautious enough not to walk everywhere in the mansion. He only went to rooms that were safe, and the storage room was one of them. In the beginning, he didn¡¯t discover any valuable stuff in the room, but he didn¡¯t want to give up and start all over again. Finally, he found Yagor¡¯s diary in one of the secret boxes.


    This was the diary Yagor started writing after losing Lisa. In the spare time between practicing his magic, in order to help him grieve, he pricked his fingers and used his blood as ink to write Lisa¡¯s name over and over again. This diary wasn¡¯t that important, so Yagor kept it in the stockroom. On the other hand, he always kept the Archmage¡¯s Diary with him wherever he went.


    Anfey was smart enough to catch this opportunity. He was confident that the woman in the portrait hanging in the storage room was Lisa, the cause of Yagor¡¯s suffering. So Anfey made a n based on all the information he gathered. He would "identally" break the crystal frame of the portrait. Beforehand, he rearranged the wine bottles so that the hard liquor bottles were in front. He believed that Yagor would not think to avoid drinking hard liquor, as he would be lost in sadness and despair. In order to seduce Yagor, Anfey purposefully poured a bottle of wine in front of the wine cer, so that Yagor could easily smell it. Anfey believed the hint of the wine¡¯s aroma would be very enticing for someone who was so deeply sad.


    At this point, Anfey didn¡¯t have enough time or energy to think about whether or not the n was perfect, he had to give it his all. Even if it cost him his own life, he would happily go back to the Evil Abyss and start over again.


    Anfey tried hard to listen to any sounds from the wine cer. When Yagor walked into the cer with a very low mood, he forgot to close the door behind him. It gave Anfey a great opportunity.


    Yagor was making louder and louder noises. At the beginning, he tried to put the bottles cautiously on the table, hoping not to scare his Lisa. The more he drank, the louder the noises he was making. Then Anfey heard the noise of broken sses and knew it was time for action.


    Taking a deep breath, Anfey stepped down and walked into the wine cer. He slowly approached Yagor and said, "Master, you drank too much. Let me help you get to bed."


    Yagor looked at Anfey with a grimace and ignored him, then drank another big mouthful of wine. An ant was never worthy of a lion¡¯s attention. In Yagor¡¯s mind, Anfey was just like an ant. His fate was entirely within Yagor¡¯s control.


    Anfey approached Yagor slowly and cautiously, trying not to make him suspicious. "Master, let me help you get some rest," Anfey said while adjusting Yagor¡¯s wrinkled clothes.


    "Go away!" Yagor shouted. He was concerned that he would lose his temper and end up killing Anfey. In that case, he would not be able to continue tonight¡¯s experiment.


    Just at this exact moment, Anfey hit Yagor¡¯s throat with his left elbow. The throat was not considered the most vulnerable ce in the human¡¯s body, but once it was hit, the trachea and esophagus would suffer a short spasm and the cartge of the throat would lose control. Even being hit with low strength, it could still make people non-responsive for one or two seconds.


    Anfey knew how powerful a master archmage was, so his first attack was aimed to hit Yagor¡¯s throat, depriving him of the ability to use his magic.


    Yagor¡¯s head looked up, and his eyes were full of pain. Regardless of the level of his magic, he couldn¡¯t change the structure of his body! While Yagor was painfully holding his throat, Anfey did a semi-spin, using his right hand like a knife to forcefully cut straight through the side of Yagor¡¯s neck.


    Anfey practiced this many times. Usually, such an attack would take 0.4 to 0.6 seconds. But since his body was weak after Yagor¡¯s punishment, it might take even longer than one second. In order to win one second of time, Anfey had first tried to attack Yagor¡¯s throat with his left elbow.


    When the side of Yagor¡¯s neck was attacked, his body immediately leaned towards the other side. The result of this attack was more serious than the one he originally took to the throat. One reason was that Anfey used all of his strength, and the other reason was that the attack on the carotid artery would directly decrease the flow of blood to the brain. If the attack was by a professional, it would either cause aa or up to seven or eight seconds of unresponsiveness. Although Anfey was not strong enough for that, it would still make Yagor turn into an idiot for a few seconds.


    Wasting no time, Anfey grabbed a bottle of wine and smashed it down onto Yagor¡¯s temple. The bottle shattered, and ss and wine sshed everywhere. Yagor was bleeding heavily from the temple and was knocked out without any struggle.


    Anfey suddenly jumped up and forcefully stomped down. He felt something akin to a rubber ball breaking. Yagor immediately passed out without uttering a sound. An archmage¡¯s body was rtively weak. If a warrior closed the distance, it would have disastrous consequences. Anfey¡¯s evil attacks one after another, even warriors would be unable to handle it. The poor master archmagepletely lost the battle without even getting a chance to use his magic.


    But to y it safe, Anfey rushed to the door, grabbing a knife hidden underneath the rug, and turned back to Yagor. He didn¡¯t dare to bring the knife with him, as Yagor had the ability to scan one¡¯s body. If Yagor had found out that he had knife with him, he would¡¯ve lost this opportunity.


    He lifted Yagor, with his half-white and half-ck hair, in his left hand. Anfey stabbed through his throat one time, two times, three times. The blood sttered everywhere. It reminded Anfey of killing a chicken. Finally, Anfey walked towards the door, extremely exhausted. He fell down and passed out once more.

 Chapter 4: The Aftermath

    Chapter 4: The Aftermath


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey regained consciousness after a while, but he stayed still. Any experienced assassin knew that one couldn¡¯t move even the tiniest amount before making sure the surroundings were safe. No one would pay attention to a dead person until he moved.


    After a few minutes passed noiselessly, Anfey opened his eyes and looked around, but found nothing suspicious. He slowly got up. Yagor was lying in a pool of blood which had already turned dark red. Anfey stared at him for a while, a slight grin crawling up his face. People who deserved hatred also deserved mercy, but Anfey himself was not the kind of person who could give mercy to others. He himself had to be stronger, otherwise he would be the meat on another¡¯s te. He knew very well that he would have been killed if he hadn¡¯t grabbed the chance to kill Yagor. Was it morally justified to kill in order to survive? Right or wrong? Let the philosophers handle those questions!


    First, he had to rebuild his strength, so he needed food. Lead by the information he obtained from the fraction of Ajia¡¯s spirit, Anfey slowly walked into the kitchen. Yagor didn¡¯t care what food he ate, instead putting all of his effort towards improving his power and skills. There were some sausages and pieces of bread in a freezing array, which was the perfect ce to store them. Ajia knew how to do it, so Anfey knew as well. Like Yagor, Anfey didn¡¯t care what food he ate either. In order to restore his energy, he couldn¡¯t afford to be picky, so Anfey ate whatever he could put into his mouth.


    Once he felt he was almost full, he stopped eating and put the leftovers back in the array. He knew that this was the ideal state to help his body recover quickly.


    After resting for a while, Anfey returned to the cer and searched Yagor¡¯s corpse, grabbing everything he could find on the archmage¡¯s body. Right now, he didn¡¯t care whether he knew their functions or not, as he nned to spend time researching themter. An archmage would not carry anything worthless. Anfey tried to exam Yagor¡¯s body carefully, to see if he had left any marks or wounds on Yagor, lest he had to change how he buried the body. Anfey happily found dozens of essories. By instinct, he immediately knew that these were not just simple essories, but instead all sorts of magic tools. There were some red fire-like crystals, which must have been Yagor¡¯s high-quality fire crystals. The most valuable things Anfey found were two magic books and four diaries. Anfey flipped over a few pages of the books. One was the Fire Series and the other was the Dark Series, with all of Yagor¡¯s practice notes. They were so valuable! As an old saying went, books were the spiritual food of mankind. To Anfey, books were also the doors to a new world!


    With great effort, Anfey finally moved Yagor¡¯s body into a small garden in the backyard. He dug a pit and threw the body into it. It took Anfey some time to cover it with sand and soil. In a short period of time, it would quickly turn into ashes, and the evidence would be permanently erased.


    After all of this, Anfey was so exhausted that he couldn¡¯t move at all. He didn¡¯t sleep the previous night, but had instead used his endurance and persistence toplete a suite of tough tasks. An ordinary person could not have done that.


    Heid down in Ajia¡¯s bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep by way of a special breathing technique.


    After a night of sleep, Anfey was greeted by bright sunshine through the window. It had been fifteen hours since he¡¯d fallen asleep, and all of the pain and tiredness were gone. He took a deep breath and jumped off the bed; lots of tasks were waiting for him.


    Anfey stood in the basement, picking up the smallest low-grade fire crystals and throwing them into the array he so despised. In the array, there was a key spot that started it. It could transfer or transport the energy. As Ajia recalled, Yagor always ced the dark crystal in the same spot, which made the array start automatically. Then he would mutter some spells toplete the whole matrix. If the properties of the array and the crystal didn¡¯t match, an explosion was inevitable. The explosion made from the water and fire elements were the most dangerous, so Anfey ced the fire crystals into the array on purpose, which would definitely lead to a big explosion. By doing so, Anfey crafted a perfect exnation for Yagor¡¯s death.


    In order to survive in this world, one needed both personal power and a proper, and legitimate, identity. The identity of Archmage Yagor¡¯s apprentice was a good one, but Anfey didn¡¯t want to draw too much attention to Yagor¡¯s death. When the runes in the array started shing, Anfey, without any hesitation, rushed upstairs and hurried out of the mansion.


    A while passed with nothing happening, but Anfey still sat patiently on thewn, practicing his breathing. Bang! A loud sound came to his ears as the big explosion finally went off. Anfey stayed outside the house until it was dark, making sure there were no further explosions.


    The explosion didn¡¯t have enough power to damage the house, but it did destroy all the windows and bottles of wine. Anfey liked to drink once in a while; he regretted forgetting to move the bottles of wine when he moved the essories. What a waste of so much delicious wine! It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to drink for a while.


    Half the entrance to the basement had copsed. It took Anfey a while to knock down the leftover wobbly rocks with a stick. He crawled down the entrance with half of his body, but all he could see was heavy smoke.


    It was finally over. Anfey got up and fell deep into thought. The reason for Yagor¡¯s death appeared obvious. He decided to build a nice grave for Yagorter, and then this chapter would be over. No one would suspect him.


    What he needed to do next was wait for someone toe to the ind to visit Yagor, so that they could serve as a witness. If he went out now iming his identity as Yagor¡¯s apprentice, nobody would believe him.


    Anfey didn¡¯t want to waste any time. While waiting for guests, he decided to spend his days practicing. After another day of rest, he adopted a regr schedule in order to gain more strength. In the morning, he ran around the ind ten times, then did push-ups, sit-ups, jump ropes and pull-ups. After breakfast, he sat down and studied Yagor¡¯s books. To be honest, Anfey was more interested in fighting techniques than in magic powers. Unfortunately, nobody here would teach him how to fight. In order to gain more power, he had to learn some magic spells. After lunch, he practiced the boxing techniques he inherited from his previous life¡¯s family. At the end, he would meditate. He would also spare a few hours to go fishing, as the food in the freezing array would notst long. He also used the opportunity to practice fencing and breathing technique.


    Anfey¡¯s family used to practice fencing with longswords, but nowadays fewer and fewer people were interested in practicing. For Anfey, though, fencing was the best way to train his eyes and unleash his potential. Holding his breath was another skill he valued a lot. Scientifically, the respiratory system didn¡¯t just refer to the mouth and nose. Humans used the skin to breath, too. If some golden powder was applied to the skin, one could be choked to death even though one could breathe through their mouth and nose. So, in a sense, holding one¡¯s breath was a survival skill. Embryonic breathing was the highest level of breathing practice. Anfey could hold his breath for ten minutes in the other world, but only one minute in this world. He had to start from scratch.


    After dinner, Anfey started walking around the ind and searching for herbal medicine. Martial arts could strengthen the body, but they couldn¡¯t fill the body. Anfey¡¯s ancestors practiced traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, for generations. But in his generation, TCM was practiced less and less. He couldn¡¯t live a good life working as a TCM practitioner, so he decided to be an assassin instead.


    Anfey never thought he would find Chinese medicine on this ind. Surprisingly, he found some peonies. He didn¡¯t think they were peonies at the beginning, because they mostly grew ind, rather than by the ocean. Anfey was pleased to find such herbs on this ind, as it meant that he might find other types of Chinese medicine. If necessary for survival, he could start practicing traditional Chinese medicine again.


    Day after day, Anfey lived his life without knowing what awaited him.

 Chapter 5: Uninvited guest

    Chapter 5: Uninvited guest


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey drew more than seven hundred lines on the walls of the mansion. His physical capability finally reached its best condition yet. Every line represented one day. There wasn¡¯t a clock on the ind, so he could only use this most primitive way to record the passing of time. More than two years had passed, and Anfey had lost patience several times, trying to cross the strait to find someone to talk to and ease his loneliness. But each time, after swimming about ten miles, he gave up and returned to the ind. The one who was not able to endure loneliness could not win big! Rather than going out now, it was better to continue waiting, because the outside world was unpredictable!


    Anfey¡¯s training method was systematic. Since the original owner of his body was too weak and cowardly, the progress was slow. The first step ofbat training was improving his eyes and movement. More urately, it was to control the instinct to blink. When an object flew towards a person¡¯s head, ordinary people would involuntarily blink to avoid their eyes being damaged. This was the main difference between ordinary people and people who had undergone training. When boxing, no matter how heavy the blow was, and no matter what part of the body was hit, the boxers would not blink. Those who didn¡¯t train for it couldn¡¯t do it.


    It seemed like eye blinking was irrelevant, but it was actually the most important step! For example, if someone standing three meters in front of you was ready to hit you with a brick, it wouldn¡¯t take more than 0.5 seconds to reach your body. Blinking would normally take 0.2 to 0.5 seconds. For ordinary people, it could take even longer than a second to blink, such as if they were afraid. If the eyes weren¡¯t fully opened after blinking, they would already be hit without any time to react. The boxer would observe the attacker from beginning to end, and 0.5 seconds was enough time for his brain and nerves to respond.


    Anfey vividly remembered when he first began his training on controlling his blinking. He was hit hard during a snowball fight with his peers. The next day he spent half of the nightpleting the entire training regimen, followed by more practice to reinforce the results. Three dayster, he had another snowball fight with his peers, but this time he could easily deal with more than a dozen peers. He won the game by using only his natural human reactions to avoid being hit by the snowballs, instead of using his superior physical strength. That day, he was crowned as the Snowball Prince. The fun experience made Anfey more and more interested inbat training. Since that time, he had trained for more than ten years.


    In the Evil Abyss, it took Anfey only a few days toplete the eye training. However, due to the weakness of his current body, it took him half a month to finish it here. The other trainings were progressing slowly as well. It took Anfey two full years toplete all of his training goals.


    Although Anfey had Yagor¡¯s diary, the mage¡¯s training was also very difficult. The diary could be very valuable to top archmages, as it held a lot of Yagor¡¯s thoughts and experiences, but Anfey felt it was temporarily useless when it came to learning spells. Anfey needed to heavily rely on himself to explore magic.


    But Anfey was pretty talented. After practicing by himself for two years, he could finally release a small fireball, although he didn¡¯t know how to do any other spells yet. Normally, it would be shameful for an apprentice to take two years to only learn how to release a small fireball, but Anfey was satisfied because it was very handy. No need for a shlight when exploring in the dark, no need to prepare firewood in winter, and no need for a stove to bake sweet potatoes... How great it was!


    The majority of magic apprentices thought that releasing small fireballs was an offensive skill, but Anfey transformed it to handle his daily needs. Sometimes he ran holding a small fireball during his morning exercise, looking like an Olympic torch ry.


    Although the transformation was pretty good, Anfey¡¯s magic power was never enough. Anfey had to extend his mediation time in order to gain more power. Fortunately, he had enough endurance, as he regrly practiced holding his breath as a child.


    One day, Anfey was practicing his breathing while sitting on a rock alongside the ocean. He felt that he had made rapid progress in his breathing, perhaps because of his hours and hours of training. Within two years, he had already transformed this weak body into one that was much stronger than what he¡¯d had in the Evil Abyss.


    In October, the sea breeze had brought a little chill, but a person who was good at breathing techniques could easily handle winter chill and summer heat. Anfey enjoyed sitting barechested in the sea breeze.


    Suddenly, he felt something approaching him. He took a deep breath, counting up to twelve and then slowly down to one. Opening his eyes, he saw two small ck spots appeared on the ocean.


    Someone wasing! Anfey was not just surprised, but also delighted. This was a fantasy world with mysterious tricks, magical vindictiveness, various branches of magic, and even dragons. He didn¡¯t know how well he could survive in such a world, but either way, since the opportunity had emerged, he couldn¡¯t find any excuses to escape from it!


    Anfey jumped off the rock, rushing to the mansion. As an assassin, his thoughts were much moreplicated than those of an ordinary person. For an ordinary person, he would most likely stay in one ce waiting for the vessel, but Anfey thought totally differently. Visitors could be divided into two types. One type of person came to visit Yagor or the ind. The other type wasing to take revenge on Yagor, or perhaps they were evil pirates. Anfey didn¡¯t want to test his luck, so he was well prepared!


    Rushing into the mansion, Anfey grabbed a bag and rapidly ran to the woods in the back of the mansion, where he had dug a deep pit a year and a half ago. Without thinking too much, Anfey immediately threw the bag into the pit and pushed a rock from the edge into the pit. He then used his feet to sweep all the sand and soil on the side into the pit, after which he spent a few more minutes doing some final touches. He didn¡¯t want anyone to find anything unusual here.


    The bag was filled with Yagor¡¯s diary, magic books, and a lot of magic tools which Anfey couldn¡¯t understand. Anfey had already hidden somerger tools in other ces. Even if someone was Yagor¡¯s old friend, when they found out that Yagor had died, leaving behind his most valuable diaries and magic books, they might try to steal them.


    Of course, Anfey was smart enough to leave behind some props in the mansion. As Yagor was a top archmage, if nothing was left, it would make people suspicious.


    Anfey did not touch the gold and silver artifacts in the mansion, which were prepared for any bad guys. The money was insignificantpared to his life. If the visitor was a robber, he could give out money in order to protect himself. Anfey was willing to surrender all the visible treasures, plus some hidden gold coins. Hopefully the robber was kind enough to let him go. However, if he was unfortunate enough to meet some really cruel guys utterlycking in humanity, then he would fight without any hesitation!


    Back at the mansion, Anfey put on his self-made mage robe. He had made some alterations to Yagor¡¯s robe. No matter what level a mage was at, their robes would all follow simr styles, just like a soldier¡¯s armor followed a particr style, unless they were made of special materials. The only difference was that the top archmage¡¯s robe was iid with golden lining, the middle level¡¯s was iid with silver lining, and the beginner level¡¯s was iid with silk lining. An apprentice was not even qualified to wear any mage robes. It was rare that someone would fake wearing the wrong level robe. If someone did that in order to draw attention, he could lose his reputation or even be killed by the Mage Union, if discovered.


    Anfey removed the golden lining without putting silk lining in the robe, so that others couldn¡¯t guess his level. Another purpose for him to deliberately wear the robe was to hide his power to confuse others! When speaking of magic spells, Anfey was only able to release a small fireball, but he had confidence in fighting with his physical strength. If others saw him in the mage¡¯s robe and tried to use a mage¡¯s way of fighting against him, he would definitely take advantage by using his own strength!


    Anfey readjusted his robe. He slowly walked out of the mansion and towards the beach. There was a warm and sincere smile on his face. The pace of his walking was unhurried, firm and confident. Sometimes, dealing with humans was like dealing with dogs. If one approached the dog with confidence, the dog would not dare to act recklessly. On the other hand, if one showed fear, or wanted to escape, the dog would bark, or even bite one¡¯s feet.


    The ship getting closer and closer, Anfey was able to see the appearance of the sailors on board. Two figures from the ship flew up. The difference was, one flow above Anfey like a ray of smoke andnded slowly, while the other one drew a nice parab in the air andnded on the beach, sshing some sand and gravel.


    Anfey felt shocked that one was a mage, using middle-level levitation magic. The magic could make people fly in the air, moving up and down, or even turning around, but they couldn¡¯t fly freely. This mage could fly freely like a bird. He had reached at least the middle level, based on Anfey¡¯s evaluation! The warrior did not use all his power, instead depending solely on the force of his leap to achieve the same effect as the levitation magic, without sshing too much sand and gravel whennding. Thatpletely vited the rules of gravity as Anfey knew them. It seemed that the warrior¡¯s level was not low either!


    Despite being shocked, Anfey still had a warm smile on his face. "My honored masters, how are you?" While talking, Anfey observed the two¡¯s appearances carefully. The mage was in his fifties with two slightly-drooping longevity eyebrows and light-blue eyes as deep as the ocean. His high-bridged nose and light-blond hair made him a little bit charming. The warrior was more than forty years old, looking very ordinary. He was very tall, eyes brown and filled with calmness, as if he didn¡¯t care about anything.


    "My little boy, how are you?" the mage smiled and asked. "Does Archmage Yagor live here? "


    "You are...?" Anfey neither confirmed nor denied the question.


    "My little boy, please tell Archmage Yagor, just say... His old friend came to visit him," the warrior continued.


    "My name is Saul, and his name is Ernest. Just tell Archmage Yagor our names, he will know who hase." The mageughed.


    Anfey looked Saul up and down, feeling a little bit confused. To his knowledge, a mage¡¯s robe should have some signs representing his level. Anfey¡¯s robe was made specifically to confuse others. He couldn¡¯t believe that the mage in front of him was wearing a nice, clean robe without lining, just like him. Anfey couldn¡¯t figure out the mage¡¯s identity and level of power.


    It was normal that Anfey couldn¡¯t figure it out, because he hadn¡¯t reached that level of understanding yet. A newly rich person always liked to show off by dressing up in a lot of jewelry, while a truly wealthy man never needed to prove himself with those things. The same theory applied to the world of mages. A lower level mage might like to use the robe with linings to win the respects from others, but the top ones didn¡¯t even bother to have any linings on their robes, since they had real high-level power and strength.


    It was Anfey¡¯s mistake to judge others based on Yagor¡¯s habits and behaviors. Because Yagor was a unique individual, he put all of his time and energy into studying magic. He had such a casual life, not even caring about what he wore. All the clothes were given to him by the Mage¡¯s Union. The golden lining of the robe was so shiny...


    "Please follow me, dearest guests," Anfey turned aside and said with a smile.


    "Don¡¯t you need to notify Archmage Yagor first? As I know, he doesn¡¯t like being bothered by people. He will me you if we do that," Saul said to Anfey with wonder.


    "Oh..." Anfey sighed with the right volume. He knew that sighing too loud would be too fake, but sighing too weakly would be hard to hear. "Archmage Yagor will not me me."


    "OK." Saul smiled and walked behind with Anfey. Ernest then hurried and caught up with them. He seemed very calm, but was still cautiously observing the surroundings.

 Chapter 6: Loyalty

    Chapter 6: Loyalty


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Standing in front of Yagor¡¯s tombstone, Saul and Ernest looked a little dazed. Anfey was taking advantage of this rare opportunity to carefully examine their expressions, secretly guessing at their thoughts.


    Ernest¡¯s face had little expression. He just sighed and seemed to rx. Compared to Ernest, Saul had initially looked surprised, followed by a look of sadness, and finally a look of doubt. Saul slowly stretched out his hand, hovering in the air for a long, silent moment. Finally, he said, "I can feel the fire element radiating from here... It really is Yagor that is sleeping here."


    "Archmage Saul, did you think I was lying?" Anfey looked surprised. In his words hid a trap. If Saul acknowledged his title of archmage, it would prove he was of high status, equal to Yagor. But if Saul looked unnatural or did not take the name, he would not quite yet be on the same level as Yagor.


    "I¡¯m sorry, little friend. This situation is very critical, so every step must be taken cautiously," said Saul. After a moment, he said, "I have not asked for your name yet, little friend."


    "My name is Anfey." His heart shook a little. Was this man named Saul also an archmage? Hiding his excitement, Anfey calmly asked, "Excuse me, may I ask where you are from, Archmage Saul?"


    "I am from the Maho Empire, where I am a court archmage. Ernest is my old friend." Saul replied. "Anfey, tell me, how exactly did Archmage Yagor die?"


    "Archmage Yagor was conducting a magic experiment when he suffered an ident. The injury was very severe. After two days, he passed away." Anfey started liking Saul as a person. Saul, as a high ranking archmage, calmly spoke to him without a trace of arrogance or impatience. He was surely a well-educated, reserved man.


    "Could a great archmage like him suffer an ident like that?" Saul asked himself incredulously. He turned to Anfey with another question. "Are you Archmage Yagor¡¯s apprentice?"


    "Yes, Archmage Saul," Anfey replied. "Since Archmage Yagor started living in seclusion, he no longer studied fire magic. Instead, he tried to find a breakthrough in other areas. Who knew that an ident would ur?"


    "What magic was Yagor studying?" Saul stared at Anfey. From the corner of his eyes, Anfey could see that Ernest and Saul¡¯s faces had be even more solemn. Anfey knew that this subject was of great importance to the two. He deliberately hesitated for a moment.


    "Um..."


    "You do not need to tell us if you do not wish to." Saul smiled and said, "This is Yagor¡¯s secret, and if you want to keep this secret, I will not force you."


    "Thank you for your understanding, Archmage Saul." Anfey gave a secret sigh of relief.


    "But... I have one thing I want to ask; hopefully it doesn¡¯t hurt your feelings." Saul looked up at the sky but kept an eye on Anfey.


    "You can ask me anything, Archmage Saul." replied Anfey.


    "You are Yagor¡¯s apprentice, but... I couldn¡¯t find a trace of sadness on your face while we were talking about this sad topic, which I don¡¯t understand," Saul said cautiously.


    "Archmage Saul, you aren¡¯t aware, but Archmage Yagor died in peace. He said that this ident had let him find a piece of himself he had lost. I am not sad, but rather happy for him." After Anfey had answered Saul¡¯s question, he gave another sigh of relief. In fact, Anfey had thought about how to exin the death of Yagor for a long time. If he acted too sad and grief-stricken, people would start to suspect him. He had to evaluate how to act, and how much others would believe him.


    From another point of view, people with ulterior motives, in order to not raise suspicion in others, would deliberately act in a grief-stricken way. Instead, Anfey had acted in the opposite way, leading others to a wrong conclusion.


    After listening to Saul¡¯s question, Anfey knew that Saul was not a suspicious man. If he had been in Saul¡¯s ce, Anfey would have waited to take fatal action after acquiring enough evidence, instead of asking a question as soon as it rose up. Of course, there was the possibility of another factor, which was the power difference between the two parties. Saul clearly did not want to antagonize such a small figure as Anfey.


    "Oh, even facing death, Yagor was still peaceful?" Saul¡¯s attention was readily attracted to another facet of this matter, just as Anfey had intended.


    "Yes, Archmage Yagor passed away with a smile on his face."


    "I am getting more and more curious. Can tell me why?"


    "This..." Anfey slightly sighed. "I¡¯m sorry, I cannot tell you why."


    "In the past few years, Yagor has been practicing dark magic!" Ernest suddenly inserted a sentence. His de-like eyes were staring at Anfey¡¯s face, making Anfey feel ufortable.


    "What¡¯s that?" Anfey asked, frightened. "No, no, no... You make no sense!"


    "In these graves, there are young men buried because of Yagor¡¯s failed experiments, right!" Ernest stretched out his hand, pointing forward. Not far from the tombstone of Yagor, there were many graves. Anfei intentionally dug out the bones of those juveniles and re-buried them. He was concerned that some careless people would not notice this, so he purposefully built these graves less than 100 meters apart from each other.


    "..." Anfei kept silent, cold sweat dripping down his head. In this scenario, others would think he was scared.


    "Despicable Yagor, what a lost soul! If¡ª"


    "Shut up!" Anfey interrupted Ernest. He began to remember the pieces from Yagor¡¯s Diary. Yagor recorded his concerns and anxiety fromcking experimental subjects, and the responses from Tumen Commercial Union and Maho Empire. Yagor also emphasized that the court archmage of the Maho Empire took a lot of apprentices out travelling without returning shortly after. Anfei could feel Yagor¡¯s anger and hatred for the court archmage. Yagor always thought about leaving the ind and looking for another ce to hide. If he was right, then Saul should be the court archmage Yagor mentioned in his diary. He finally came back to find Yagor with an assistant!


    "Whom do you want to shut up?" Ernest gave Anfey an extremely cold, serious look. Although he didn¡¯t move his body at all, his powerful charisma, like a lion ready to pounce, made others frightened.


    "Yes! Archmage Yagor did some bad things in order to break through the bottleneck in his magic, but... but he finally came to realize the truth! Who has never been confused? Who has never done wrong? Archmage Yagor is gone, and gone forever. How could you still me the deceased?!" Anfey¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. "Please leave now. You are not wee here!!" Ernest¡¯s threat confirmed Anfey¡¯s judgement. If there were two sides to this matter, Saul and Ernest were undoubtedly the ones on the side of justice. Such a person would not kill anyone for no reason, not to mention that the body Anfey was in now was that of a teenager!


    Ernest walked towards Anfey without any facial expression. "I want to dig out the body of Yagor and hang it on the gallows. I want him to be treated with contempt by the public!"


    "No!" Anfey opened his arms, trying to block Ernest.


    "Oh, go away!" Ernest roared, hitting Anfey with a backhand swing of his sword.


    Anfey proudly blocked Yagor¡¯s tombstone, looking at the soon approaching sword, motionless. His eyes showed stubbornness, but also despair. In fact, Ernest¡¯s actions were not fast, and Anfey could have easily escaped. However, now was the time to gamble, so he had to stick with it.


    "Don¡¯t freak out the kid..." Saul started talking.


    Ernest recovered his sword quickly, as if nothing had happened, with his eyes full of curiosity. His frightening power also disappeared.


    Anfey staggered a few steps, slightly out of breath, which proved that he used all of his strength to block the sword.


    "Are you really Yagor¡¯s apprentice?" asked Saul in a milder tone.


    "Yes!"


    "Why did you not discourage Yagor when he practiced dark magic?"


    "I..." Anfey paused, his eyes looking at the cemetery in the distance and a bitter smile on his face. A knowledgeable archmage would not easily believe in what others said to them, but preferred to find their own answers. Anfey used the right bodynguage to lure him into finding the answer. This conclusion would be the most convincing, because people could doubt others, but would not doubt themselves!


    "Were you kidnapped by Yagor too?" Saulughed.


    "You... How did you know?" Anfey looked at Saul with shock.


    "Hehe... When did you be his apprentice?"


    "Right before Archmage Yagor died." Anfey lowered his head.


    "Was it after the ident?"


    "Yes."


    "At that time how many people were left on the ind?"


    "Only Ajia and I... Ajia went with Archmage Yagor to do the experiment that day."


    "Ajia? If that day Archmage Yagor took you to do the experiment, it would be Ajia talking to me now, right?" Saulughed.


    "Yes."


    "You are a poor but lucky child." Saul sighed.


    "Yagor is dead, so who taught you magic? I could feel the fire in your body fluctuating. Have you been self-studying? Did Yagor leave anything to you?" In the end, he was the court archmage. He couldn¡¯t say three sentences without talking about magic.


    "Archmage Yagor gave me a book, and I have been studying it."


    "Can I take a look at the book?"


    "Sure." Anfey took the fire magic book out of his chest naturally, handing it to Saul. But he took it back when Saul reached out to him. "Archmage Saul, you... Archmage Yagor has died. I hope you can forgive him for what he has done, to preserve his reputation and integrity?


    "No worries, we will not go after the deceased. What has passed is in the past," Saul said with a smile.


    "Ah!" Anfey nodded his head and sincerely handed over the fire magic book. Although a magic book written by an archmage was priceless, Anfey thought Saul was not into the magic book, but feeling out his temptation.


    Saul took the magic book, ncing over it for a moment, and gave it back to Anfey. "Keep it safe. It¡¯s the estate that Yagor left for you. Don¡¯t lose it."


    "I know." Anfey put the fire magic book carefully back into his chest area.


    Saul looked at Yagor¡¯s tombstone for a long time and sighed. He turned and walked back. Ernest slowly followed Saul by walking at his side, leaving Anfey nkly staring at their backs.


    "Do you want to stay on the deserted ind forever?" Ernest suddenly turned and said.


    "You... You want to take me?" Anfey asked with surprise and delight.


    "If you want to stay, we will not force you." Saulughed.


    Anfey cheered, dancing up and down. "Wait a minute, wait a minute, I will go and pick up my stuff!


    Saul and Ernest looked straight into each other¡¯s eyes, spontaneously giving a smile. Who could be more loyal than one that protected the deceased at the expense of his own life? Anfey¡¯s stubbornness had sessfully won the trust of Saul and Ernest.

 Chapter 7: A Pathetic Master Swordsman

    Chapter 7: A Pathetic Master Swordsman


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Is this what you¡¯ve packed?" Saul asked with a dull look in his eyes.


    "Yes." Anfey gave a coy smile. He packed very simply: two pieces of worn out clothes, a few packages of fish jerky, and a stick which looked like a wand but could not perform any magic. There was even a crab freely blowing bubbles on Anfey¡¯s shoulder.


    "Yagor was an archmage, his possessions should not be... so few, right?" Saul asked, not sure whether he shouldugh or cry.


    "Those are my master¡¯s possessions, not mine," Anfey responded.


    "But... Yagor is dead, and you are his only apprentice. I believe you have the right to keep his possessions."


    "No, not exactly!" Anfey answered. There was stubbornness in his voice. "Archmage Yagor¡¯s grave is here, and he will be lonely on this deserted ind. Let his collection stay with him. If I am determined and work hard, I believe my future achievements would not be less than Archmage Yagor¡¯s."


    Unbelievable! Unbelievable! What a decent young man! Saul was touched from the bottom of his heart. He did not know how talented this young man was, but he was for sure one of the best¡ªno, he was the best in terms of morality. Saul was jealous that Yagor had the luck to have a such wonderful young man as his apprentice before he passed away.


    "Since Yagor has died, the magic array has stopped working. If others discover these items, do you think they will do the same as you, leaving all the items with Yagor?" Ernest asked drily.


    "Ah..." Anfey hesitated, then showed a look of annoyance. "Then... what should we do? What should we do?"


    "Don¡¯t worry. I do not have magic crystals with me right now, but I will bring the crystals back next time I return. No one can disturb Yagor¡¯s peace once the magic array is setup with crystals," Saul said with a smile.


    "Thank you, Archmage Saul." Anfey said with sincerity.


    "You¡¯re wee, kiddo." Saul saw the crab on Anfey¡¯s shoulder. "Is that your magic... pet?"


    Saul thought the crab was Anfey¡¯s magic pet. He ran his eyes over the crab and realized the crab did not give off any sense of magic. It was just a regr crab.


    "Yeah, his name is Liuliu. He has been mypany on this ind for a couple of years. I can¡¯t leave him on the ind." Anfeyughed.


    "Yagor has... How long have you been on this ind by yourself?" Saul initially wanted to ask how many years since Yagor died, but he changed the way he asked because he didn¡¯t want Anfey to feel sad again.


    "Ah..." Anfey fell into thoughts. "Almost three years."


    "Three years..." Saul felt that three years could be the most precious time for any young man, regardless of whether he wanted to learn magic, the sword, or even a trade. Three years could be enough time to build a good foundation for a bright future. Obviously, Anfey had wasted those precious three years.


    "All right, Anfey, go and get some rest. Your room is downstairs on the second floor. A person will show you the way once you go downstairs," Ernest said.


    "Yes, Archmage." Anfey smiled. "Archmage Saul, Uncle Ernest, good night!" Anfey said with a smile, then he walked down the deck.


    Ernest watched Anfey disappear down the deck and abruptly said, "What a pity!"


    "What¡¯s a pity?"


    "If I met him a few years earlier, I definitely would have taken him as my student." Ernest shook his head. "But right now... his future achievements would still be limited even if he started to practice the sword immediately."


    "Don¡¯t forget, he was an archmage¡¯s apprentice¡ªYagor¡¯s apprentice!" In fact, Saul was also thinking of taking Anfey as his apprentice. However, he was concerned by the fact that Anfey was Yagor¡¯s student and was still very loyal to him. He was afraid Anfey would reject his offer and cause him to lose face, even though there were so many young men on the Pan Continent eager to be his apprentices. Saul made himself stop thinking about it. It was quite unpleasant to hear Ernest¡¯sments.


    "So, you want to take him as your apprentice too?" Ernest smiled.


    "He is a great kid." Saul hesitated. "The problem is the tie between him and Yagor..."


    "He was just a human subject in Yagor¡¯s experiments. There was no master-apprentice rtionship. Anfey is still young and does not understand that life is full of danger. When he grows older, he might realize that he almost became a victim of Yagor¡¯s experiments. At that time, he would not view Yagor the same way he does now\," Ernest said. "Let¡¯s put it in another way. You are looking for an apprentice, not a wife. It¡¯s unnecessary to think too much. If you think he¡¯s good, then take him as your student. If you think he¡¯s not good enough, just let him go. Don¡¯t bother too much!"


    Saul forced a bitter smile. "You should not say it like that..."


    "How should I say it, then?" Ernest¡¯s lips twitched. "I can help you ask him if you don¡¯t feelfortable doing so."


    "Are you sure?" Saul hesitated and asked, "We have only known Anfey for just a day. Do you think he would trust us?" What Ernest offered was exactly what Saul wanted. Sending Ernest to ask Anfey was a great idea. It would be great if Anfey agreed. If not, Saul would not lose face either.


    "All right, I won¡¯t ask if you don¡¯t like the idea. It would help save my energy too."


    "You..." Saul couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    "Ok, let¡¯s get to the point. Honestly, do you want Anfey to be your apprentice or not?"


    "Yes," Saul answered honestly. He knew Ernest very well after being friends for so many years. Ernest looked like a strong man with desires for a simple life. In fact, there was a very naughty side to him, which made his old friends not know whether they should cry orugh sometimes. In order to admit a good apprentice, it would be ok to give in to Ernest once in a while.


    "Isn¡¯t it great to tell the truth?" Ernest smiled with satisfaction. "Saul, I noticed that you¡¯ve been thinking way too much as you grow older. You¡¯ve also grown a lot more timid. I was forced toe all the way here with you just to fight Yagor. Are you scared of Yagor that much?"


    "I was not scared of Yagor and Yagor was not scared of me either. We both did not want to see anything go terribly wrong in the fight." Saul sighed. "There are many unexpected urrences in a battle between archmages. A slight change can cause the bnce to shift irreversibly. You are single, but I am not, I..." Saul stopped when he realized he might have touched one of Ernest¡¯s sore points.


    "Then why do you need me to be your assistant?" Ernest gave a slight smile. "Do you think what you have already done was just?"


    "I am not a knight, and never wanted to be one." He looked on with a cold smile. "Ernest, you said Anfey doesn¡¯t know about life¡¯s dangers and deceits. How about you? You still believe in justice? Did you forget your experiences? Yagor was a lone wolf. He preferred to work alone. No one liked to help him, otherwise he would definitely have assistants to fight me."


    Ernest became silent. The miserable memories starteding back to him. After he had just became a master swordsman, Ernest constantly challenged other swordsmen to look for breakthroughs in his skills. One time, he fell into a trap and was surrounded by a number of people. Two of them were swordsmen he had defeated before. Although he was not killed in that battle, it took him two years to recover, and five of his students died at the battle on Mount Torrez Hill. What upset him more were the rumors of being med for putting poison on his sword. Opponents imed that Ernest should not be named as a master swordsman anymore since he wounded Jerrofick with a poisoned sword, even though they had nned everything before the battle. They also lied and said that the swordsmen who came to watch the battle ending up saving Jerrofick¡¯s life through a group effort. And Jerrofick was the one of the swordsmen Ernest tried to challenge.


    Of course, Jerrofick was wounded by a sword, and poisoned as well. Both sides tried to argue that they were the ones telling the truth. The voices of the swordsmenbined were definitely louder than Ernest¡¯s. Ernest lost the argument badly and became a loser everyone could mock.


    Since then, Ernest was not a master swordsman anymore, but a thinking man who developed many philosophies of life.


    To the people at the peak of their lives, fame sometimes was more important than life itself. Therefore, Jerrofick would rather wound himself with a poisoned sword than have a fair fight. Undoubtedly, he also paid for his demeanor, because it was very difficult for him to have any breakthrough in his sword skills with this unspeakable mindset.


    Seeing the sadness on Ernest¡¯s face, Saul knew he touched Ernest¡¯s sore point. He changed the topic "Ernest, I found... You are quite keen on helping Anfey too, why?"


    "I see the old me in him. I want him to find someone who is strong and reliable to back him up." Ernest said tly.


    "You also can have him as your apprentice. We can have a fairpetition to see who can win his heart first." Saul joked.


    "I can¡¯t. I have too many enemies. But you are not only the court archmage, but also a director at the Mage Academy. You are his best choice because you have both power and social status. "


    "You... Is that sarcasm?" Saul forced out a bitter smile again.


    "No, I am just stating a fact. That¡¯s all."


    At the same time, "the good kid" Anfey was sitting on his bed. He was bored, ying with a fireball in his hands.


    It was both great and sad if someone could wear various facial masks to hide who they really were, in order to survive in this forever changing world. But changing the facial masks too frequently could cause the person to forget who he really was, and which mask he wore. Anfey was one of those people. He already forgot who he was. He was able to switch to any role he needed to y since he became an assassin. He could y a dumb young man one day, and mature sessor another day, then a clich¨¦ new rich. He could not remember how to be himself anymore!


    Luckily, Anfey never crossed the bottom line. No matter how tempting it was, how much money he could earn, he would never kill anyone who did not deserve to die. This rule was the lighthouse in his purposeless life. Because of it, Anfey could still have a sliver of kindness left even though he had killed so many people that his hands were full of blood.


    Anfey was lying to Saul and Ernest, but it was a white lie. He only wanted to protect himself. It did not take him long to figure out that Saul and Ernest were nice people. They were not greedy at all when they were talking about Yagor¡¯s possessions. There was sincere concern for him in their eyes as well, unless they were ying their roles better than him. From another point of view, he was simply a poor young man; there was no purpose in taking advantage of him. There was no point for them to y with him, so Anfey trusted his judgement that Saul and Ernest were nice people.


    Should he continue to y his part to gain more of their affection and have them back him up, or should he explore the world by himself? Anfey wasn¡¯t sure what to do. He already felt like he owed Saul and Ernest based on the current situation. He wasn¡¯t used to owing people. He always returned favors back to the people he owed. The problem was... with this innocent kid¡¯s facial mask, what could he do to help them? With the rhythm of breathing, the burning fireball was contracting and swirling, like a blooming lotus flower. There would be no other magic apprentices spending years on practicing fireballs.There were many powerful, fancy skills to learn in fire magic, earth magic, water magic, electricity magic, space magic, dark magic, and spirit magic. There was no one but Anfey who spent so much time and effort on this lowest-level magic.


    In fact, Anfey didn¡¯t take learning magic seriously. He never wanted to put too much effort into magic. Rather, he believed that breathing exercises could empower the body. ying with the fire element was just a game to him; Anfey believed the skills that could save his life were not magic skills.

 Chapter 8: Go with the Flow

    Chapter 8: Go with the Flow


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "This is it..." Saul sighed. He exined the current situation on the Pan Continent at the table. For some reason, Saul¡¯s exnation of the situation was a lot more exaggerated than reality.


    Tumen Commercial Union was a union consisting of many cities. The union developed in a special way because of specific characteristics of its organization. Each city in Tumen Commercial Union was extremely wealthy, and people lived good lives there. Each city took turns leading the union. Since each city held its own interests, when the time for war came, requiring them to band together to fight the invaders, they could not agree on when and how to fight. What usually happened was that some cities fought, while others refused to do so. It had been a mess in terms of battles. To survive, Tumen Commercial Union relied heavily on the Maho Empire. Every time Tumen Commercial Union was under threat, the Maho Empire would send troops to help. Undoubtedly, Tumen had to pay gold coins to the Maho Empire as tribute to keep this rtionship going.


    Kings of every era in the Maho Empire understood that it was not a smart move to kill the goose thatid the golden egg. They provided security for Tumen Commercial Union with everything they had. When Tumen needed help, Maho Empire lent a helping hand. There were hundreds of young men continuously going missing in Tumen, so Maho Empire sent out their best archmage to do the investigation. This was the reason Saul hade to Yagor¡¯s ind. It was very obvious that the Maho Empire took Tumen¡¯s issues seriously.


    There were other powerful empires that did not like the Maho Empire¡¯s monopoly on Tumen Commercial Union¡¯s tributes, so they picked fights with the Maho Empire a couple of times. The rtionships between the Maho Empire and the other empires were getting seriously tense, which forced Maho Empire¡¯s troops into defensive mode.


    Saul exaggerated the tension between empires as being a lot worse than it really was. He also lied about the involvement of the Dark Mage and the Necromancer. He even advised Anfey to be careful about a flying route since he could suddenly turn into a zombie on that route.


    Anfey¡¯s face turned pale with Saul¡¯s words. He used to watch horror movies. He knew they were just movies so they didn¡¯t scare him. However, everything could change in a single second in the magic world! If he turned into a walking dead... he¡¯d rather die.


    "Anfey, which level did you reach with fire magic? Can you use medium-level magic yet?" Ernest asked


    "I...I can only shoot out little fireballs."


    "Only shooting out little fireballs?" The look on Ernest¡¯s face was quite weird. "With the skills you have, you cannot survive in this dangerous world at all..."


    "What should I do, then?" Anfey asked anxiously, "How about... going back to the ind? It¡¯s safe there!"


    Anfey had already read Saul¡¯s minds, but he still had to y a simple and kind young man. He couldn¡¯t screw it up!


    "Going back? To that ind?" Ernestughed. "You want to live alone for several years, even many years? There won¡¯t even be a single person you can talk to! You will probably die one day and nobody will notice. You will be unnoticeable, like a grain of dirt blown away on the earth. You will be forgotten by the world. Do you really want that kind of life?"


    "I..." Anfey¡¯s face got even paler.


    "Ah, I have an idea." It seemed that something had struck Ernest.


    "What idea? Uncle Ernest, please tell me!" Anfey urged.


    From the very beginning, Anfey acted the way Saul and Ernest had expected. Life was like this. Everyone thought themselves to be the director. What he did not realize was that he was on a trackid by someone else.


    "You are still young. Why don¡¯t you study in the Mage Academy for a few years? Not only will you get protection from the Mage Academy, but you¡¯ll also learn magic skills to make yourself more powerful." Ernest smiled "The Maho Empire Mage Academy is a good school, very popr on the Pan Continent, however... They do not currently ept apprentices!"


    "Uncle Ernest, are there any other ways to get into that Academy?" Anfey asked nervously.


    Saul gave Ernest a grateful look. He took out a book, the Legend of Magic. He posed like he was reading it.


    Ernest approached Anfey and said in low pitch "Dummy, Archmage Saul is the director of the Maho Empire Mage Academy. You can ask him to do you a favor. There shouldn¡¯t be any problem getting into that school if he agrees."


    "Is that true?" Anfey was so excited and turned to look at Saul. "Archmage Saul..."


    "Ah? Can I help you?" Saul put down the book and looked kindly at Anfey.


    "I ...I am only a magic apprentice at the beginner level, capable of shooting little fireballs right now, but I really want to learn magic at the Maho Empire Mage Academy. Can you help me?"


    "So... you are still a beginner level apprentice..." Saul frowned. It seemed like such a difficult decision for him to make. He stopped ying around when he saw the disappointment in Anfey¡¯s eyes. "All right, I will admit you to the Academy!" He could not wait to have Anfey join the Academy.


    "Wonderful! Wonderful!!" Anfey was screaming out of happiness and excitement.


    "Dummy, say thank you to Archmage Saul!" Ernest smiled.


    "Thank you, Archmage Saul," Anfey said in a such formal and sincere way.


    "Kid, Since you are a student of the academy, you cannot call me ¡®archmage¡¯ anymore" Saul smiled "You can call me professor."


    "Yes, Professor." Anfey was really good at taking good advice.


    "Haha..." Saul said happily, "Kid,e over, tell me your understanding of the myth of fire magic. I am a space mage, but the theories in magic are rted. Maybe you can find some inspirations by talking to me." Saul was very humble. People in high positions need to remind others by starting the sentence with "please". Therefore, it was very likely for them to be even more humble.


    In fact, with Saul¡¯s instruction and help, it was not a question of maybe. Anfey would definitely be able to learn and improve a lot.


    The students in the Pan Continent Mage Academy were quite different than their peers in other Academies. They had more potential than the ones from other academies. All the top archmages on Pan Continent were alumnae of the Pan Continent Mage Academy.


    One person¡¯s wisdom was limited. Each archmage was a collector of wisdom. It was the reason they could be famous and make breakthroughs in their magic. They collected various magical objects and gained experience through battles and learning from others. These archmages were striving to be the legends in the magic world. In many senses, the mages who studied on their owns were notparable to the mages in great ns.


    Archmages would pass their knowledge and experiences to their children and apprentices. What a gift to them! Archmages didn¡¯t fret over their apprentices one day surpassing them. It would be a dreame true instead!


    Saul already had 16 apprentices whom he saw had great potential. Saul had a different feeling about Anfey.


    He liked Anfey for his simplicity and loyalty. There was sadness and desperation in Anfey¡¯s eyes when he was almost defeated under Ernest¡¯s sword. However, Saul would never forget his stubbornness in not giving up.


    Of course, there were many people who were simpler and more loyal than Anfey, but it was fate for Anfey and Saul to meet.


    Saul invited Ernest toe to the ind and fight against Yagor. It could¡¯ve been a tough battle. Although Saul had more help on his side, he was still somewhat nervous. As an archmage himself, Saul understood how tremendous the damage could be if an archmage was pushed too far and tried to die with his enemy. However, he could not avoid Yagor either, as it would backfire on the Maho Empire if Yagor partnered with an enemy empire. Saul heard that Yagor was practicing dark magic alone on a deserted ind. No wonder countless monsters from the Evil Abyss came to Tumen and rushed to the border of the Maho Empire. What happened to Tumen and the Maho Empire made Saul worried.


    Saul was relieved after feeling the intense flow of fire element at Yagor¡¯s tomb, which assured him that Yagor had died. Saul¡¯s defensive mode was turned off after experiencing the tension and relief. Anfey stubbornly never giving up was magnified a couple of times in Saul¡¯s eyes. In another word, Saul was impressed by Anfey¡¯s strong willpower.


    Saul expected his other apprentices to be sessful in the future. Every mage had the hope of revisiting the glory of the magic world from thousands of years ago. The reason Saul wanted Anfey to be his apprentice was simply the affection he held towards this kid. Saul would not regret his decision even if Anfey did not have the potential to be a great mage.


    Anfey lifted a chair, approached Saul, and asked excitedly, "Professor Saul, Is it true that I can ask you any questions?"


    "Yes, I believe I have the ability to answer all your questions." Saul smiled.


    "Can magic be done without chanting an incantation?" This question had bothered Anfey the most for a long time. He hated incantations and felt it was like the symbols burned in his own world. He actually answered this question by himself today. Anfey never chanted any incantation when he practiced fireballs. Today he focused all his energy on responding to the fire element. He sessfully shot out his first fireball without an incantation after one year of practice.


    "Yes, you can. You can silently or simultaneously use low level magic when you can focus your energy to a certain level." Saul reached out his right arm. A sword de was shot out from his hand and a hole appeared in the wooden cabin.


    "Wow... Professor, you¡¯re awesome!" Anfey yelled out. Anfey did not add Saul after professor on purpose. He simply called him professor. Anfey knew Saul wanted to take Anfey as his apprentice. He just went with the flow and got an archmage to have his back. His life would be a lot easier this way. It wasn¡¯t bad to have such an old man aspany, since he did like Saul as a person.


    "Haha... Don¡¯t worry. As long as you are willing to work hard, you can do it too!" Saul smiled.


    Ernest watched them talking to each other happily and he quietly walked out of the cabin. In fact, Anfey surprised and touched him a lot today.


    Stars twinkled in the sky and the milky speckles danced along. The light shone from the moon was like the currents moving on the river. Ernest stood on the bow as his eyes moistened. He was remembering his own apprentices who rushed into the fight against the three swordsmen and their own apprentices. They risked their lives by joining the battle. Otherwise, Ernest definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive the battle on Mount Torrez Hill.


    The memory of his apprentice Jenison¡¯s words still seemed real to Ernest, "Master, go, go! They don¡¯t want anyone to know what happened today so they have to kill us. We cannot escape even if we want to. Professor, hurry, go! Get revenge for us someday!"


    "Jerrofick, wait for me. Just because I am not looking for you now does not mean I have forgotten about revenge. Soon, soon... Wash your neck clean and wait for me!" Ernest said quietly to himself.

 Chapter 9: Friendship

    Chapter 9: Friendship


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Lower the skiff, we willnd elsewhere," Saul said to the captain, ncing at the coastline in the distance.


    "As you say, Archmage Saul," the captain blinked before putting on a smile. "But... City Chief Basdack has already prepared your wee feast, my archmage..."


    "There is no time for that. My friends and I have some business to attend to. Plus, I need to get back to the Maho Empire right away. I have no time to linger in Tumen." Saul hesitated, then said, "Please tell the chief that Yagor was dead. He can sleep soundly tonight." He paused. "There is one more thing. I don¡¯t want Basdack to unt the news around. I will be back in ten days. Yagor may be my enemy, but I still wish him peace in death."


    The captain was a smart man, and of course knew what Saul meant. "I understand, my archmage," he said hurriedly. "None of these sailors know your identity or what happened on that ind. Only City Chief Basdack and I know. If we keep it a secret, no one would know anything."


    "Good," Saul said with a nod. He nced at Anfey, who was lingering behind him. "Anfey," he said, grinning. "Do you want to go see Tumen in all its glory?" After their long conversation yesterday, Saul found himself liking the schrly young man more and more by the minute. Should Anfey express his wish to stay in Tumen for a few days, Saul would very happily change his original travel ns.


    "No, Professor," Anfey said. "Maybe it is because I¡¯ve spent too much time on that lonely ind, but I prefer solitude."


    "I see," Saul said. "That is a good trait. Only those undistracted by worldly chaos can really achieve greatness. Keep that in mind." To Saul, Anfey was the embodiment of the traits he most admired. Not only was the young man schrly, down to earth and loyal, but Anfey purposefully woke up early this morning to prepare warm water and breakfast for Saul and hispanion Ernest. It was a small thing, but Saul found himself admiring the hard-working young man even more than he thought possible.


    "Archmage Saul, the boat is ready," the captain said. "Do you need anything else?"


    "No, this will do. You stay docked here for a bit, then go into the city, okay?" City Chief Basdack was a very weing man, especially towards Saul. Saul knew the reason for such hospitality was his position as the court archmage, but it never hurt to have a friend. He had always found it hard to reject Basdack¡¯s overwhelming enthusiasm, so slipping away unseen and unheard was the easy solution.


    "Quit wasting time here!" Ernest said impatiently. He marched to the small boat and hopped into it. Ernest¡¯s movement, although it appeared simple, was a show of self-control and power. Hisnding point was in the middle of the boat, and the boat took the fall evenly, without tipping over or making a ssh. Should he have leaned a hair to the left or right, thending would not have been so steady.


    Saul grabbed Anfey, and the two of them fell into the boat gently, mostly thanks to Saul¡¯s levitation spell. Anfey sat down and grabbed the oars. There was no sailor in the boat, and he couldn¡¯t let Saul or Ernest do the physical work.


    "You know how to paddle?"


    "Yes, I do," said Anfey, smiling brightly.


    "There is no need. Sit still." Saul said, pointing to the boat and whispering a spell. A gust of gentle wind answered his call, and the boat lifted out of the water slightly before driving tond at high speed.


    Anfey lifted his brows. He had only spent a day with Saul, but the man had already changed many of Anfey¡¯s prejudices towards magic and its uses. It didn¡¯t matter to him if high-level magic was really as powerful as the stories said; its usefulness in daily life had already been made apparent to him.


    The captain stared after the boat, his eyes filled with resignation. His task, given to him by City Chief Basdack, was to keep Archmage Saul in the city for a few days. Even though he was a top-ranking captain, he did not dare to stop the great archmage. The only thing left for him to do was figure out how he would report this to the city chief.


    After a few moments, the boat hit the shore with a soft thud. Theynded at a ce far from the major port city; the only ce in sight was a small fishing vige not far ahead. A few tanned fishermen fearfully watched the strangers from afar. In viges like this, even seeing an apprentice was rare. Amon mage would appear high and mighty to them. Everything, from the people to the small bugs crawling onto the side of the boat before scurrying away, knew what to fear and when to stay away. Saul and Anfey both wore their mage robes, a garment more eye catching than a king¡¯s crown, and the fishermen knew better than to try to speak with them.


    "Saul," Ernest said as he stepped onto the sand. "This idiot is going to be your responsibility now."


    "I¡¯m not an idiot," Anfey protested quietly.


    "Ernest, are you leaving again?" Saul asked, realizing that Ernest had intentions other than staying. "Where are you going?"


    "Me? I am used to wandering. I don¡¯t need a destination. Go, go back to the Maho Empire. I¡¯ll probably look around in the Tumen Commercial Union before deciding."


    "Ernest, why don¡¯t youe with us to the Maho Empire?" Saul asked, taking a step forward.


    "You¡¯re not worried about me causing trouble?"


    "Trouble?" Saul frowned. "Ernest, if I considered you a troublemaker, I wouldn¡¯t even extend this invitation to you. You are my friend, one of the closest. How many times have I asked you? If you and I team up, there is no man that can stop us, not even Jerrofick. Ernest, I am begging you. Stop turning me down! Forget that damned justice. I am the court archmage, I know things you couldn¡¯t possibly imagine. Have you forgotten how Jerrofick treated you?"


    Ernest stared at Saul silently. After the event that stripped Ernest of his innocence, he could distrust anyone or anything, but he would never doubt Saul. Even in his darkest days, when all had betrayed him, turning to that coward Jerrofick, it was Saul who had trusted and helped him. Ernest knew deep in his heart how precious this friendship was to him and Saul.


    Saul stole a nce at Anfey. He was worried that such a conversation would bring unnecessary negativity to the young man, but Anfey appeared calm. Saul turned back to Ernest. "Listen to me, my friend. I know you are waiting for your chance at revenge, but you can¡¯t wait for that chance to drop into yourp, you need to find it yourself. Jerrofick is now a high-ranking general of the Alisen Empire¡¯s Storm Squadron. He is surrounded by the most powerful men and women in that empire. Jerrofick is rising in the ranks, and your chance of vengeance is diminishing. Come with me to the Maho Empire, my friend. The rtionship between the Maho Empire and Alisen is tense now. Should war break out, the Storm Squadron would surely be a major yer in the field. Then you would surely find your revenge. Listen to me. I have troubles of my own in the Maho Empire, and you would be of great help to me."


    "My friend," Ernest began, his voice shaking, "I know. You are the court archmage. You have all this power in your hands, but you keep finding me. I know, I know. You want me to help you now, so you will have an excuse to help me when I go against Jerrofick, right?"


    Saul felt a rush of blood to his face. He started, frustrated by his friend¡¯s stubbornness. "Then why are you still resisting? Just tell me, yes or no?" Ernest was right. Saul wanted to show him that he didn¡¯t need to be alone. Like how he sought Ernest¡¯s help against Yagor, the end justified the means. How they reached it didn¡¯t matter. The only thing that mattered would be that Ernest finally got his revenge against Jerrofick.


    Anfey watched them, and felt himself moved by the two men¡¯s friendship. No, this was not an act. This was true friendship. One, running, was afraid that he would bring unnecessary trouble. The other, chasing, was determined to help no matter what, regardless of whatever excuses his friend had. Friendship this pure and this devoted was hard toe by nowadays.


    As an assassin, Anfey was born to be a stranger. He didn¡¯t want to, and could not, have a close friend. There would be too many ways to make him spill his secrets¡ªsleep talking, drunken slurs, idents which could all lead to the exposure of his secrets. Whenever he was with someone else, Anfey felt uncontrobly nervous, fearing that others would find out who he really was. Only when he was alone could he truly rx. An assassin needed to rest his body and mind, or his mission would hardly be sessful. Anfey would rather shut himself away in his bathroom than speak with a tavern owner or a patron.


    If it was anyone else, being alone on an isted ind would cause at least some degree of psychological damage, but Anfey found himself like a fish in water there. He tried, on a few asions, to cross the narrow channel that separated him and the world, but in the end he smothered that urge and kept himself on the ind. Of course, he could manage it simply because he was used to loneliness.


    "I..." Ernest smiled bitterly. Saul had left him no room to reject. "Alright. I will go with you to the Maho Empire."


    "Good," Saul let out a sigh of relief and grinned. "We have a deal."


    "Looks like you have to cross paths with Basdack now," Ernest said. "He controls Tumen¡¯s Commercial Union¡¯s teleporters."


    "Why use teleporters?" Saul asked. "Let¡¯s go find a carriage. We can see some scenery on the way."


    "Carriage?" Ernest asked, amused. "Since when are you willing to settle for carriages?"


    Saul shot a nce at Anfey, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Ernest nodded. For a young man fresh from istion, the world had be a stranger to him. If they just sent Anfey to the Mage Academy like this, he would perhaps be even more isted. The best thing for him now was to have more contact with the world. A carriage was just an excuse to give Anfey more time to immerse himself in the culture of a world unfamiliar to him. Ernest had to admit, Saul did have the qualifications of a teacher. He was even more considerate of Anfey than Ernest had initially expected.

 Chapter 10: Whereabouts

    Chapter 10: Whereabouts


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    On the boxing stage, two werewolves and a barbarian warrior were in a silent confrontation. The two werewolves kept roaring, their ws full of flesh and blood from a dead warrior. The barbarian looked very nervous, breathing in and out rapidly, both fists gripping so tightly that the knuckles turned white.


    "Go, kill him!"


    "Bite his throat, bite!"


    "Hurry up, don¡¯t just stand there!"


    The boxing stage waspletely surrounded by a noisy crowd. Everyone was shouting, hoping the fight would start soon.


    "After the rise of the Brilcardin Empire, with the advantage of its geographical location, they sessfully blocked the invasions of the barbarians from the Pan Continent. Throughout the years, although the maind was not peaceful, no country dared to attack the territory of the Brilcardin Empire, even in the most chaotic of times; whoever did so would be the enemy of all mankind! Seventy years ago, there was a truly strong one among the barbarians named Ahdibaijan. He won the respect and obedience of all of the barbarians and became their leader. He gradually became more and more ambitious and wanted to conquer the humannds with a concentrated attack against the Brilcardin Empire. It was a very tough period of time for the Brilcardin Empire, as they lost battle after battle and were pushed to their breaking point. But Archmage Richard stood up and went to visit Ahdibaijan as a messenger. They used to be good friends, so Ahdibaijan was not vignt against Richard. Richard carried a vacuum confinement scroll with him. While Ahdibaijan was talking to him, Richard suddenlyunched the scroll and instantly froze Ahdibaijan in the vacuum scroll. But Richard, the archmage, was also under countless barbarian attacks and died in the Moon Shadow City. Without strong leadership, the barbarian warriors were torn apart, and their power greatly reduced. When the Brilcardin Empire took the opportunity tounch arge counterattack, they recaptured the lostnds and regained their authority," Saul said slowly. He found Anfey knew nothing about the Pan Continent¡¯s historical events, so he took every possible opportunity to instill a variety of historical knowledge into Anfey. To Saul¡¯s relief, no matter how long he talked, or how boring the topic was, Anfey showed great interest.


    "What was going on with the barbarians at that stage?" asked Anfey.


    "The barbarians live in the bitterly coldnds, envious of the bustling mankind, always wanting to steal humannd and get a share of their prosperity. This... This is what they ended up with." Saul pointed toward the barbarians on the stage." In fact, in the battle against the invasion of the demon tribes, both the barbarians and the humans were united together against the demon tribes. However, humans valued the rules the most, as they thought the world would be chaotic otherwise, while the barbarians liked to challenge the rules. Perhaps because of this built-in nature, the barbarians always thought that challenging the old rules was real power. As time passed, people were increasingly unable to tolerate the barbarians. The conflicts could not be suppressed any longer. The barbarians lost the fight against the humans and were driven away from thisnd. They were expelled to the remote western desert with no hope of returning." Saul paused, then asked, "Anfey, are you feeling sympathetic towards the barbarians?"


    "There is nothing to be sympathetic of. If the humans had lost that war, we would be the ones living in the bitterly cold West," Anfey faintly said. A person¡¯s role was not static, Anfey could tell that Saul and Ernest cared about him dearly. He did not want to lie to the ones who cared about him the most. Of course, Anfey couldn¡¯t let them know that he himself was too wise, otherwise he would be treated as a suspicious person.


    "Well, yes!" Saul nodded. He was not worried that Anfey would be another Yagor. Instead, he was worried that Anfey would be a good person. Over the years, Saul had seen a lot of the dark side of this world. He knew well that a good man could only receive the fate of being fooled.


    "What are those beasts?" Anfey looked at the two werewolves on the stage.


    "They are orcs, originating from the barbarian species. But in the most critical battle between humans and barbarians, the orcs were deceived by the humans and suddenly betrayed their own species, making the barbarians suffer heavy losses." Saul sighed softly, then said, "Speaking in terms of physical strength, both barbarians and orcs are much stronger than humans, but in terms of intelligence, they are far worse andg behind. The orcs did not expect, after the barbarians were defeated, to be the target of the human¡¯s attack. In the end, those orcs had to flee away into the deep forests, where they mixed with the demons. The barbarians to the west would not ept traitors, and the human armies were everywhere to the east, trying to push those orcs towards extinction.


    "Unfortunate people must be full of hatred." Anfey frowned. "I feel the orcs are more brutal than the barbarians!"


    "The truth is the truth." Saulughed. "In the countless years of exile thereafter, resentment rooted so deeply in their hearts that their characteristics became more and more extreme. In the eyes of humans, the orcs were nothing more than magic beasts. In the Mage Academy¡¯s graduation exam, the students had to kill a certain number of orcs in order to graduate."


    At this point, the fight on the stage had already begun. The barbarian was obviously a newbie. That¡¯s not to say that his skills were poor, but he didn¡¯t understand the brutal nature of fighting. His attacks weren¡¯t strong enough, and it seemed like he was still holding back. Instead, the two werewolves worked together very well, attacking without reservation. It seemed that they had a lot of fighting experience.


    Suddenly, a werewolf, desperately suffering from the barbarian¡¯s heavy attack, stretched out its ws towards the barbarian¡¯s face and left five deep bloodstains on his forehead and left cheek. The barbarian¡¯s left eye was also destroyed.


    The barbarian roared with great madness. He had retained his strength until now. He didn¡¯t want to be enved by humans and was always looking for opportunities to escape, but now things had changed; he would not have a chance if he didn¡¯t use everything he had!


    Facing the big crowd at the bar, Saul and Ernest were already used to this. To them, these types of fights were dull and boring. The only reason they came here was because they wanted Anfey to see things like this and get a taste of what real fighting was like.


    Soon, the barbarian on the stage could not support himself, and blood poured out of his wounds. The madness reflected in this barbarian¡¯s red eyes gradually faded. When his eyes changed from red to brown, his body hade crashing down on the boxing stage.


    The two werewolves did not let go of the dying barbarian. They rushed up, biting at the barbarian. The boxing moderator saw that the fight had ended and removed the shrouded boxing enchantment. But at that time, one of the werewolves suddenly jumped outside of the boxing stage, howling. Without the enchantment, to the werewolf, the iron was very fragile and would easily break after a few strikes.


    The audience was a mess, and the guests backed away from the stage. Several guards rushed out from the corner near the back door, holding longbows. They started shooting arrows, but the two werewolves in the desperately struggled to break a hole and escape. Obviously, the two werewolves were obedient in the past, so the guards were simply not prepared or vignt enough. The moderator was a medium level mage who cast a spell on them again, but in the end, it was unknown whether or not these two werewolves could sessfully escape.


    Guests inside the bar retreated, but Saul and two others indifferently sat there, motionless.


    "Come and help! You will run out of luck if you let the werewolves escape!" A guard shouted at Saul, as he had seen the mage gowns Saul and Anfey wore.


    "Anfey, are you afraid?" Saul said to Anfey with a smile.


    "What should I be afraid of with you and Uncle Ernest here?" Anfey smiled.


    After breaking the mage¡¯s spell, a werewolf had stuck half his body out of the. His mouth issued a terrible roar, a pair of blood red eyes staring at the people around. They were smart¡ªin order to reduce the alertness of those around them, they behaved like weak and obedient animals, making the bar guards gradually think they were no longer a threat.


    Today was a rare opportunity for them. From the morning until now, they only killed three opponents who were rtively weak, allowing them to retain enough strength. The boss of the bar also went out with three high-level swordsmen. There wouldn¡¯t be a better chance than today!


    Just as a flood was the umtion of individual drops, so was the werewolves¡¯ anger and revenge! Their wild hearts were imprisoned for a long time, inevitably bing more violent! The werewolves struggled outward from the iron, staring at the people. Escaping had be a secondary goal, before he fled, he first wanted to get revenge on all the people around him!


    A subtle but dazzling electric arc suddenly pierced and hit the iron. The two werewolves screamed miserably. The second werewolf was heavily struck by the electricity and paralyzed on the ground. The bar was suddenly filled with a toasted smell.


    The bar became extremely silent, and everyone turned to look at Saul, who had silently cast a middle-level spell. Everyone with a little knowledge knew that this old guy was certainly a middle-level, or maybe even a high-level, magician! If people knew that Saul was not an electric spell master, they would be more surprised, because only the top archmages could cast silent and fast spells!


    "Let¡¯s go, the air is too turbid here." Saul took out a few gold coins and threw them on the table.


    Ernest smiled, standing up and walked towards the exit with Anfey. The silent crowd moved quickly to give a way to the three mystery men. The bar guards didn¡¯t have to courage to stop them or even say "Thank you."


    "I remember now!" A fat man suddenly shouted, shocking the people around him. "He is Saul, the Greatest Archmage Saul, ah!!"


    The crowd got even more shocked, the Greatest Archmage Saul! To them, he was a legendary figure!


    Hiding in the corner, a blonde young man was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "He is Saul! He is here!"

 Chapter 11: An Eventful Night

    Chapter 11: An Eventful Night


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Saul did not meet up with Basdack. It ruined our n. Luckily, Eddie tracked him down. We still have a chance to make it up!" a very thin old man said gloomily.


    "Very difficult," another old manmented. "Don¡¯t forget, Saul is a top archmage and has power we cannot even think of! If it¡¯s in the city of Basdack... we might have a slight chance, but right now... probably isn¡¯t a good idea!" That old man shook his head. It was obvious they could not act without doubt or hesitation, considering it was Saul.


    "Layton, you practiced in the Magic Beast Forest for three years, but I think... your vision and risk-taking skills have not improved at all."


    The gloomy-looking old man sneered. "Archmage? So what? I used to challenge master swordsmen when I was only a medium-level swordsman. I did it, didn¡¯t I? Levels are not everything, wisdom matters!"


    Layton¡¯s face turned purple with rage. Words lingered infuriatingly on his tongue.


    Golden light shone on a young man standing at the door. He cleared his throat and said, "Sir, I think Mr. Layton¡¯s concerns are right. If something goes wrong and affects our whole scheme, it would do more harm than good." That young man looked sincere and respectful, but he had no respect for that old man. Of course, the old man did kill a master swordsman, but not in a fair fight. He killed the whole family of the master swordsman and disguised himself as a family member lying among the dead bodies. He attacked the master swordsman by surprise when he was still in shock from seeing the bloody scene.


    It might gain some respect if it was mentioned only once. It would get very annoying if it was talked about all the time.


    "Eddie, there is no ce for you to talk. Get out!" The gloomy-looking old man yelled.


    "Yes, sir," Eddie answered in a low pitch, then turned himself away. The moment he stepped outside of the door, a ferocious look appeared on his face. His face returned to normal after he walked out of the room. He continued to walk along the corridor and went downstairs.


    The gloomy-looking old man said, "Tanane, you go first... Everybody, rx. My n will work without a doubt."


    "Alvin, what are you doing here? Anything urgent?" Eddie stopped a man in a ck jumpsuit who was rushing into the building¡¯s entrance


    "Mr. Eddie, I recognized the middle aged man standing next to Saul. He is Ernest!" Alvin said hastily.


    "Who?" Eddie was shocked.


    "It¡¯s Ernest! Master Swordsman Ernest!!"


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes!" Alvin breathed heavily as he said, "Where is my master? I need to report to him immediately!"


    "He¡¯s in theb. Ok, I will take you there." Eddie¡¯s eyes were moving fast.


    "Thank you, Mr. Eddie."


    "No worries, we are together." Eddie smiled while he was talking to Alvin. He showed the way and Alvin followed him leniently.


    "It¡¯s right here." Eddie moved to the side, "Alvin, you did a good job, your master will definitely reward you for it. Don¡¯t forget about me at that time."


    "Mr. Eddie, you must be joking." Alvin pushed theb door open with a bright smile on his face. No one was in theb and only two candles flickered. The moment Alvin was shocked by what he saw, his mouth was covered by Eddie. He felt a tremendous pain from his back. Alvin slid down to the ground after a few attempts to struggle.


    "Stupid, go, you will nevere back..." Eddie said grimly.


    The gloomy-looking old man had set up theb upstairs. "It¡¯s done! There is no chance for Saul if Layton and I are fighting against him together. Saul will be taken off guard if he is in deep sorrow. Do you all understand?"


    "Yes, sir." It didn¡¯t really matter whether or not they agreed to fight against Archmage Saul. They had to obey their leader¡¯s order.


    Saul, Ernest and Anfey returned to their hotel after walking around for quite a long time. There was no doubt that Saul had been taking good care of Anfey. Even though he had decided to personally craft a space ring for Anfey when they got back, he bought a substitute ring at a magic shop which cost him over 50 gold coins.


    It seemed that Anfey liked the ring a lot, as he kept staring at it. In fact, he was thinking about Yagor¡¯s space ring he had hidden since he did not know what to do with it. Anfey wouldn¡¯t know how much joy it would bring him until he returned to the deserted ind.


    "Anfey, are you tired?" Saul smiled at Anfey. Saul was happy to see Anfey really liked his gift.


    "No, Professor," Anfey responded with a smile. "Professor, can I borrow a silver coin?"


    Saul took out a few gold coins without hesitation and asked curiously, "What do you want to buy?"


    Anfey shook his head. "I don¡¯t need that much. One silver coin is enough."


    "Take them if the archmage is giving them to you," Ernest suggested. He snickered. This dumb kid would have passed out if he knew that ring cost over 50 gold coins. Luckily, Saul sent Anfey to do something else while he was buying the ring, so Anfey did not see how much Saul paid for the ring. Everyone believed themselves to be correct. However, Ernest would be the most shocked by who Anfey really was.


    "Then... I will borrow a gold coin." Anfey reached towards one of the gold coins and picked it up with two fingers.


    "Stupid..." Ernest didn¡¯t know whether or not he should be happy. Ernest knew Anfey was simple and kind. He still could not help cursing when he saw Anfey did not take those free gold coins.


    Saul did not say anything. He put away the rest of the gold coins. There was no doubt that Saul was rich, but he never showed this generosity in front of his other students. Anfey was the exception.


    Anfey walked quickly towards a stand that sold magic tools across the street. He looked at those crafts at the stand. Saul and Ernest gave each other a wry smile. Those crafts on the stand were notparable with the ones in a famous store. They were almost like toys for kids. The ones in the famous stores could actually perform magic and save lives when they were needed!


    "Sir, you have good eyes. This is the best one at my stand!" The peddler was showing him the items. "Sir, look at this bracelet, look at the pure and strong magic flow. It¡¯s only four silver coins. Look at this one..."


    "Here!" Anfey gave the peddler a gold coin.


    The peddler was shocked and hesitated for a second, before reaching out with his hand. Anfey put the gold coin in his palm and brushed it lightly with his fingers. It seemed that he did not do it on purpose.


    "Sir, what else do you want to buy?" The peddler gave a friendly smile. "Everything here is..." He stopped talking when he noticed Anfey was staring at him. The disdain in Anfey¡¯s eyes turned into killing intent.


    The peddler felt uneasy. "Sir, which one would you like to buy? You... Can you say something! You..."


    Anfey stared at the peddler for a while, then smiled. "I¡¯m sorry. I thought you were someone else. I was cheatedst month by a guy who looked like you. He had an incisor missing, but you do not. I am sorry."


    "No worries." The peddler smiled. "Sir, which one do you like?"


    "This bracelet." Anfey picked up a bracelet.


    "Sir, you have great taste. This bracelet was passed down through generations of my family. Ahh... I wouldn¡¯t sell it if I didn¡¯t need money urgently." The peddler said with some regret.


    "How much is this bracelet?"


    "Ten silver coins."


    "What? Didn¡¯t you say four silver coins before?!"


    "No, I didn¡¯t, sir! This bracelet is so nice that I would never sell it for just four silver coins." The peddler scowled. "You must have heard it wrong. It¡¯s ten, not four!"


    "Nonsense! I heard four!" Anfey angrily said, "Are you bullying me now? Because I am a neer? Ok. I will ask my master toe. He can back me up."


    "Don¡¯t..." That peddler was worried, "Sir, you... you really heard it wrong. Alright, alright, take it. It¡¯s just my bad luck, alright?"


    "Just joking." Anfeyughed, "You can just give me a silver coin back as change. 99 is my lucky number."


    "You... What did you say?" The peddler was lost.


    "You can just give me a silver coin back. Didn¡¯t you say you need money? I am just helping you out this time, what do you think?"


    "Thank you, I really appreciate it. You are a kind man," the peddler gratefully said. " Sir, you are a nice man!" That peddler took out a silver coin from his inside pocket and carefully passed it to Anfey.


    Anfey rubbed the seller¡¯s palm with his fingertips again when he picked up the silver coin. Anfey grinned at the peddler after putting the silver coin away. He hastily walked back to the hotel with the bracelet.


    "Professor, does this bracelet look nice?" Anfey showed the bracelet to Saul.


    "Yes, very nice." Saul would not say anything to upset Anfey. "Anfey, what will you do with the bracelet?"


    "Professor, you¡¯re allowing me to move in with you after you admit me to the Mage Academy, so I don¡¯t have to stay in the dorm. At the very least, I need to buy you some gifts."


    "Good kid, you are very considerate." Saulughed.


    Anfey pretended to smile in front of Saul. However, he knew there was nothing worth smiling about at all.


    As an assassin, Anfey had a great short-term memory. He could remember everything his eyes captured within a certain period of time, regardless of how important or unimportant it was to him. For example, Anfey walked into a messy room and came out right away. He could correctly tell exactly where everything was at. He would wipe any useless memories from his brain after several hours. Assassins might experience many unexpected situations. It was very possible that some minor things an assassin saw a few seconds earlier, which most people would easily neglect, could save their lives. Short-term memory was the most basic skill assassins needed to learn.


    Anfey was suspicious of the peddler. It was confirmed when he saw the movements of the peddler¡¯s sly eyes. Anfey had seen this pair of eyes three times in two hours. One time was when he walked out of the hotel room. Another time was at the magic store. Thest time was across from the hotel!


    Anfey had a very simple but effective way to test out any suspect. It was to create an opportunity to look at the suspect¡¯s eyes. The eyes would tell if the suspect was scheming something. Anfey might be scolded for being a psycho if the suspect was innocent. However, it was better to be scolded than to make mistakes and fall into another¡¯s trap.


    The peddler¡¯s pam felt dry when Anfey first touched his hand. Then Anfey sent out hostile vibes when he stared at the seller. The peddler¡¯s hand was wet, along with the silver coin, the second time Anfey touched his hand, after he mentioned calling Saul over. People¡¯s hands would be wet only under three circumstances. One was when exercising. Second was the weather. The third was nervousness. The first two possibilities were eliminated, so what was the peddler nervous about?


    It would be an eventful night today... Anfey secretly moved his fingers a little bit. This was his habit.

 Chapter 12: First Battle

    Chapter 12: First Battle


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Professor, why do I feel something is wrong?" Anfey asked, his eyebrows knit together, as he walked into his own room.


    "What happened? Are you not feeling well?" Saul asked.


    Saul and Ernest were both at the peak of their careers. However, they were not better than Anfey when it came to their sensitivity to their surroundings, since Anfey was an assassin. Saul and Ernest didn¡¯t notice anything fishy around them. Anfey could not tell them the reason he made that kind of judgement, because he could not contradict the role he was ying.


    "Nothing, Professor, you should get some rest. I might just be too tired." Anfey closed the door slowly. "So... It¡¯s all on me now!" Anfey¡¯s eyes were cold, but a confident smile was on his face. Self-esteem was one of the basic qualities an assassin should have. In other words, it was hypnotherapy he was doing to himself. A more powerful enemy will bring out a better version of him. He could often fight beyond his ability when in grave danger. A person in battle would perform below his ability if he was intimidated by the enemy, and would be unlikely toe away from the battle safe and sound.


    It was said that the dark of night was ideal for killing, as were high winds for setting a fire. However, in terms of the changing weather, it was impossible for one person to predict. Moonlight cast on the water lightened up the ce. People with evil intentions were setting out towards Archmage Saul¡¯s Rose Home Hotel from all directions.


    Three cuckoo calls appeared in the air at night. A dark shadow pulled out a scroll from his shirt and tossed it out with all his strength. The scroll transformed into a flying ming dragon the moment it left his hand. The whole sky was lit up by the humongous ming dragon. It swooped down to the room at the far end of the Rose Home Hotel with irresistible power. That dark shadow was too afraid to see the result of his ambush. He turned away and ran away from the hotel. He ran so fast and so far away from the hotel, he seemed like he was running for his life.


    Archmage Saul was meditating in his own room. Saul¡¯s eyes opened wide the same moment the ming dragon appeared in the dark sky. The next second, he was standing in front of the window. He heard a loud cracking sound from the next room before he could open the window. Ernest rushed out the window and chased after the dark shadow that was already running far away from the hotel. It looked like Ernest was covered by a bright white light when he rushed out of the window.


    Saul started to chant when the ming dragon was 300 meters away from the Rose Home Hotel. He finished chanting when the ming dragon had approached to 200 meters. A mirror suddenly appeared suddenly in the air, like a floating aurora. The ming dragon ran into the mirror and disappeared, like a stone tossed in a deep pool. Everything went back to normal, as if nothing had happened.


    Saul secretly used levitation magic to set up a barrier in front of Anfey¡¯s windows. It was not a great defense system, but Saul could sense any intense magic surges orbat power the same time Anfey would. Saul followed Ernest and chased after the dark shadow. He did not know who attacked Rose Home Hotel with a ming dragon, but he knew it would have burned down the hotel and killed everyone inside of it if he was not there. He had to capture this murderer and interrogate him as to why he was so inhumane and cruel.


    "These two old men! Can¡¯t one of them stay?" Anfey smiled bitterly. He did not sleep. Obviously, he did not dare to fall asleep. The rival obviously did not expect to kill Saul with the ming dragon spell, so... was this a trick to get Saul and Ernest out of the way, or a diversion to lure them out and kill them? The second possibility could be eliminated because, if they wanted to catch Saul by surprise, it would be better to find a time when he was not on guard. Right now, Saul was awake, which left them no opportunity to kill him. Saul was a space archmage. There was no way they could attack him. Anfey already understood the traits of space magic, having hung out with Saul for the past few days. Saul was not invincible, but he was nearly unkible. Even falling into a trap and being surrounded, Saul could still escape with his space magic! Saul was not afraid of fighting against anyone unless they wielded dark magic or spirit magic.


    "So the only possibility left is that they¡¯re trying to clear Saul and Ernest out of the way... Who was their target? It couldn¡¯t be me, could it?" Anfey thought.


    Anfey was in thought for a while, with his brows knit together. He could not find the potential value in himself. It seemed pointless to think about their motive since it had already happened. "Adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation. Be careful, I am a tough nut!" Anfey spoke aloud to himself.


    High-ranked swordsman, Mott, strode towards the corridor. He could barely cover the sound of his footsteps. His best friend, Tanane, had already lured Saul away from the hotel. What else should he be afraid of? Tanane was just a low-level mage, but Mott was not concerned about his safety. Tanane was a master when it came to escaping. He had been on the Wanted List of both the Mage Union and Mercenary Union for three years, but no one hadid a finger on him. Tanane nned on escaping through the sewer at the end of the chase, betting that Saul would not chase after Tanane in the filthy sewer. Saul had too much pride to do so. He would have to reluctantly go back to the Rose Home Hotel without Tanane. The Master seemed to know everything and could predict what would happen. This time was no exception either.


    Mott pushed Anfey¡¯s door open. Although the young man showed neither any magic surges norbative vibes, Mott still vigntly scanned the room out of professionalism.


    The room was decorated simply. A bed was against the wall in the south, a loose mage robe on a hanger above the end of the bed. A man wasying on the bed, sound asleep. Two closets were opposite the bed. There seemed to be nothing abnormal about the room.


    It was pretty good to be able to see these things in the dark, but what Mott did not see was what was inside a normal looking closet. Two bent bamboo sticks were pressed against the closet, but the pressure from the bamboo wasn¡¯t enough to push the top of the closet open. The closet door was held tight with clothes stuck in between. There were two strings hanging on the closet handle, drooping all the way down the ground and connected underneath the bed.


    Mott walked to Anfey¡¯ bed in big steps, lifting the nket quickly with his hand. He was shocked by what he saw; there was no trace of the young man, only nkets shaped into a long roll under the nket.


    Damn it! The moment Mott realized what happened, he heard a banging sound, like that of a heavy object dropping onto the ground behind him. He felt that something was shooting towards him. Mott shed his sword backhanded, and gathered Qi to fight. The sword was covered under a cloud of bright redness.


    At the moment Mott turned around, he saw, from the corner of his eyes, a silver lightning shooting out from under the bed. He felt a surge of pain in his lower leg. He was tricked! That damned kid was under the bed!


    Mott swirled away with all the strength he had while prodding with the sword. He¡¯d run out of time to catch the young man alive, as the young man had already obtained the advantage in this fight. If he was given another chance to fight, he might be crippled even if he could kill his foe.


    If Mott¡¯s moves slowed down and the room was brightened up, the scene would be like this: Mott gathered all his strength and leapt off the bed with his sword. He could not take any new actions to protect himself at that moment, as Anfey flew out like lightning from the robe and jabbed the wooden stick into Mott¡¯s throat. A humming sound followed.


    The magic wand Anfey used looked ridiculously powerless at the top, but it was sharpened at the bottom. Anfey was an assassin who was familiar with the human body structure. He would never try to pierce the strong bones, instead he attacked the throat, which was the weakest part with the least muscle!


    Mott¡¯s face crumpled in pain, dropping his sword on the floor. He tried to grab the wood stick. Anfey smirked at him while he lifted the wood stick and knocked it on Mott¡¯s chin.


    If Mott¡¯s chin was a fulcrum, Anfey applied the force from his hand on the stick. ording to the Law of the Lever, if ten kilograms of force was applied, then hundreds of kilograms of force was amplified on the short arm of the lever. The wound on Mott split open. His eyes began to water, his nose began to run, and he was rendered incontinent from the pain. No strength was left in his hands.


    Anfey stepped forward and took the stick out at an angle on purpose. Blood oozed out from the wound, and Mott slid down to the ground helplessly. He lost his life after trembling a few times.


    Anfey walked towards Mott, picking up his sword and shed a few times, then slightly smiled. "If the adversaries are at this level, then... they will just embarrass themselves."


    "Master, we still... I have been feeling that young man is not as innocent as we thought," Kalibim said in low pitch.


    "So what? Are you asking us to stop now?" The gloomy old man grunted with dissatisfaction.


    "Master, we¡¯d better be careful."


    "Did that young man figure anything out?" Layton asked in surprise.


    "Layton, be smart! How could Saul fall into our trap if that young man figured something out?" The gloomy old man sneered.


    "Master, but...there was something about his look that frightened me, I think he..." Kalibim was that peddler selling magic crafts in front of the Rose Home Hotel. He could not forget the way Anfey had stared at him. He could not tell exactly what about Anfey had frightened him either.


    "Ok, Ok! There is no way we are stopping our n!" The gloomy old man said impatiently, "Kalibim, if you think that young man was not that innocent, could you please help Mott? You are a master swordsman, and Mott is a high-level Mage. There is no way you will be defeated by a young man, right?"


    "I understand, Master." Kalibim sighed, turning around and walking out of the room.


    "Layton, you do not need to wait here. Do you think you can lure Saul away if Tanane did not make enough time for us?"


    "Yes, Master."


    Kalibim walked down the fourth floor to the second. He hesitated for a while but finally walked towards Anfey¡¯s room. In his mind, he was afraid of fighting against this young man, but he did not dare to disobey the Master¡¯s order.


    Suddenly, Kalibim pricked up his ears. He heard a very light sound from another room, belonging to Archmage Saul. Saul should have been lured out. Who was in the room? Or... was it a hallucination?


    Kalibim held his breath to get a sense of the surroundings. He did not feel any magic surges orbative vibes from the room. He was slightly relieved. He walked slowly to the door. The moment he grabbed the doorknob, it mmed open with a loud banging sound, which took Kalibim by surprise. It knocked him out so hard that he saw stars and felt some coldness from his chest. A long sword had pierced through the door and into his chest.


    Anfey walked out like nothing happened. Before he started the fight, he could tell the person outside of the room was a mage instead of a warrior. This judgement was based on the uniforms... Mages would not wear armor, while warriors would not wear a mage¡¯s robe. The sound of footsteps could barely be heard and his shadow moved fast, like he was floating in the air. Although these helped Anfey make a reasonable judgement, he paid too much attention to the timing of the attack, instead of the force of the attack.


    Kalibim already recognized Anfey. His pupils contracted. Then he tried to scream out the warning. Anfey strangled Kalibim¡¯s neck in his arms. "I will give you some advice. You¡¯d better not walk in a corridor with burning candles. Your shadow sold you out!" Anfey told him. He added more force on his arm. Kalibim¡¯s neck broke.

 Chapter 13: Assassination

    Chapter 13: Assassination


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey, like a cheetah, slowly and arrogantly walked to the third floor. It seemed that he was looking straight forward, but his eyes were not focusing on anything. Things were never perfect. Anyone who gained something would lose other things at the same time. A person would neglect other things easily if he focused too much on one thing. Details were captured only if attention was diverted away from your focus.


    Anfey was not blindly confident. He was able to quickly analyze and then utilize the advantages and disadvantages of both him and his opponent, no matter where he was or whether or not it was a good time for him to do so. He learned a lot from Saul and Ernest recently. Judging from the current situation, Anfey thought he held the advantage in this battle. When advanced-level people fought, they searched their opponents for magic surges andbative vibes, to identify both surprise attacks and counter attacks. Anfey did not possess anybative vibes and only had very slight magic surges. In other words, they couldn¡¯t find him unless they saw his actions with their bare eyes. However, Anfey could easily locate all of them with his senses.


    Anfey walked into a room on the third floor and blew out the candle behind him. He waited there for a while before he took a small package, wrapped in a piece of cloth, out from his shirt. He unwrapped it and took out a ma he¡¯d bought today, but hadn¡¯t expected to use so soon.


    Anfey checked Saul¡¯s, Ernest¡¯s, and his own room. He found every door in the Rose Home Hotel was locked with a snap bolt. The outsideyer on the edge of the door bulged out, which made it very hard to open the door with a card. He hadn¡¯t brought a card anyway. It might sound stupid to unlock the door with the ma but it could be very effective.


    In two minutes, Anfey was already in the room. There was a bald, middle-aged man sound asleep. "Dumb luck! It is fortunate to be amoner. He can neither feel the surges from the ming dragon nor notice me walk into his room. Even if the ming dragon turned the hotel into a ming hell, he wouldn¡¯t notice. He would die without any fear or pain," Anfey thought aloud.


    Anfey walked quietly toward that middle-aged man and chopped, with the edge of his palm, towards the man¡¯s neck. That man was sleeping deeply earlier, but bing unconscious now.


    Anfey stood in the middle of the room, pulling out his sword from its sheath in slow motion. He thrust it downwards and stuck it into the ground. Anfey pulled out the sword afterwards and fell into thought while making observations.


    The gloomy old man was worried. Tanan should have already gotten down to the sewer and escaped from Saul, ording to the timeline. It meant that Saul coulde back at any minute. However, he didn¡¯t understand why there were no messages from Mott or Kalibim, or why there weren¡¯t any loud fighting noises.


    "Stupid pig! I have to do every little thing myself!" The gloomy-looking old man cursed. He couldn¡¯t wait anymore, so he stood up and walked outside.


    Anfey suddenly opened his eyes in the dark. He sprang up and thrust his sword upwards, like a poisonous snakeunching a sneak attack.


    Anfey had done the experiment three times in his room and one time in theb on the third floor. The structure of Rose Home Hotel seemed to be all wood. He noticed the floor was only five to six centimeters thick; to be more exact, he only needed to use 60 percent of his power to punch through the floor. Therefore, it would be a piece of cake to pierce it with a sword.


    The gloomy-looking old man never expected the attack toe from beneath the floor. Anfey had already stuck his sword into the man¡¯s foot before the man realized something was wrong. The sword pierced his foot all the way up to the lower leg. The old man screamed out loud.


    Then, there was a huge banging sound. The floor behind the old man was punched through by Anfey. The old man was a medium-level swordsman and his ability was way above that of Mott or Kalibim. No wonder he could still stay calm even when in serious pain. The old man shed the sword backwards instantly. Even though he did not use anybat power, there was still the sound of the des whipping through the air.


    Anfey was moving so fast that the old man didn¡¯t have time to think before making a move. The old man responded totally out of instinct, causing him to neglect a few things he shouldn¡¯t have.


    Anfey did not pull his sword out from the floor after his first sessful strike. The sword was still stuck in the floor. The old man¡¯s heels inevitably turned at a certain angle to allow him to sh backwards. The de was turning and twisting inside his lower leg. What torture! This torture was tearing his tendons and breaking his bones. It was so painful that it went beyond human endurance. The old man screamed out one more time. Anfey punched the ceiling so hard that it almost fell. He jumped to the fourth floor through the hole andnded three meters away from the old man. Anfey ran to the old man and stabbed the old man¡¯s chest with a pointed candlestick.


    No wonder the old man was a medium-level swordsman, he was still trying to fight back by shing his sword all over the ce, even after he suffered a few surprise attacks. The old man shed the candlestick by ident. Anfey was forced to drop it because of the pain in his hands. The candlestick hit the ceiling, fell onto the floor, and rolled a few times before finally stopping.


    Anfey stepped back to keep some distance between him and the old man, saying with a smile, "Not bad, you are very tough!"


    The old man could barely contain his rage. Usually, he was the one stabbing people from behind, not the other way around. He felt that what had happened this time was really unfair. The old man stared at Anfey with hatred. He put all of his weight on his left leg to keep the right one still. However, the right leg had to bear some weight to keep him bnced. He felt sharp pain from his right leg. The old man tried very hard to focus, gathering his Qi. A Qi-covered long sword shone with white light.


    Anfey jumped swiftly on the sill. The window was open, so Anfey grabbed the top edge of the window frame and lifted himself upwards, leaving the room with a fleeting smile.


    Anfey¡¯s climbing skill was not as great as Qing Gong[1]. It did not allow him to jump up and down freely, but he was able to climb up and down as long as there was a ce for his hands to hold. He climbed onto the roof easily, then he took out something from his shirt and tossed it upwards.


    What he tossed was dried peas he had prepared. They made loud sounds when they rolled down from the roof.


    The old man could not let his guard down despite seeing Anfey disappear right in front of him. He held the sword and pricked up his ears for any suspicious sounds. What confused him was the continuous sounds made from the peas hitting the roof. He had no idea what Anfey was trying to do.


    Anfey had already returned to the third floor and was quietly looking at the sword hilt in the ceiling. Looking through the hole on the ceiling, Anfey found the shadow was moving. Anfey was trying to find a perfect spot to attack the old man. Could he create some illusions? Yes, every great mage is a master of creating illusions to distract the audience!


    Anfey climbed up to the roof and made some sounds on the roof. The purpose was to fool the old man into believing Anfey was still on top of the roof, waiting for the perfect moment to attack him. The old man fully focused on the roof. However, Anfey unexpectedly climbed down to the third floor, right underneath him again.


    "You cannot step into the same river twice." Deceiving a person twice in the same way shared the same idea. If an assassin tried to kill a person twice in the same way, it only showed how impotent he was. Anfey would be the one to suffer if he couldn¡¯t deceive the old man in a different way.


    The old man was in a disadvantage in this fight since he was suffering from severe pain. Moreover, Anfey¡¯s unusual tricks frightened him. He subconsciously considered Anfey to be his most dangerous opponent. He did not think Anfey had left. He believed that Anfey had not had a chance to show his finale yet. Anfey was such a formidable opponent that he would not act silly and repeat the same tricks. The sounds on the roof continued.


    The gloomy-looking old man was covered by a cloud of white light, as was the tip of his sword, as he gathered all his strength onto himself and his sword. He knew he could not move much, so he tried to do a quick attack against Anfey with the Qi on his sword. He was trying to turn this fight around even though he knew he at a disadvantage.


    Anfey was hesitating about whether to kill or just hurt the old man when he found a spot to attack from. Anfey held a candlestick in his hand. If he tactically attacked the old man¡¯s crotch with a candlestick, it was unlikely Anfey would kill him in time! If he waited until Saul came back... This was not what Anfey wanted to happen. He did not want to lose the trust Saul and Ernest and given him.


    Anfey made a quick decision. He raised his arm and jabbed the candlestick upwards into the ceiling. There was huge pain from the old man¡¯s left foot while he was still looking upwards at the roof. He screamed and fell onto the floor. It did not matter that he was a medium-level swordsman, even an advanced swordsman would not be able to continue to stand up if both feet were severely hurt.


    The old man was forced to pull the sword and candlestick out of his feet as he fell. The momentum had almost gone away after the candlestick pierced through the ceiling. The force left on it was not very strong, so it didn¡¯t cause too much damage to his right foot. The sword was deep in his leg. It hurt unbearably when it was broken by his body weight. The old man fainted, the pain so bad that his body curled up into a ball.


    Anfey jumped up and punched a hole through the ceiling with his right fist. The old man sprang up instantly when the ceiling pieces fell and smashed into his chest.


    Anfey jumped through the ceiling to the fourth floor. He shook his hands and a set of forks and knives slid down his sleeves. They disappeared the moment his fingertips touched the forks and knives. The next second, they were stuck in the throat of the old man. Anfey breathed out lightly. He turned around and rushed downstairs. He needed to take care of a few things before Saul and Ernest came back.


    In fact, Anfey could have chosen to hide away and waited for Saul and Ernest to return after killing Mott and Kalibim. Mott and Kalibim were never threats to him. Anfey needed topare his ability to someone else. He targeted the strongest person he could sense. The reason he needed to judge his own ability was to make sure he would not fail to do things beyond his ability in the future.


    [1] There is a Kung Fu skill called Qing Gong, which allowed the practitioner toe and go as swift as the wind.

 Chapter 14: Luck

    Chapter 14: Luck


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Ernest sprang up like a shooting rocket. The Forbiddance Array Saul set up only blinked once, then totally disappeared. Ernest had used all hisbat power just now, so the Forbiddance Array did nothing to Ernest.


    "Who is it?" A voice rose in the dark.


    "Are you all right, kiddo?" Ernest asked, heaving a long sigh of relief after hearing Anfey¡¯s voice. They went to chase after the wizard who brought out the ming dragon; who would think that wizard would dive into the sewer? Neither Saul nor Ernest was willing to chase after him into the filthy sewer, so they had to give up and let him go. At the same time, Saul felt intensebative power from the Forbiddance Array. Both of them were surprised and rushed back to it.


    In fact, Saul got back to Rose Home Hotel earlier than Ernest. He was a space archmage, allowing him to act a lot faster than other mages at the same level as him. Saul used his power to focus on sensing Anfey¡¯s breath. He found Anfey was still alive. Saul also sensed that a man at his magic level was running away from the hotel. That mage was Layton. Saul did not get a chance to check on Anfey, but it would be alright since Ernest woulde soon. Saul felt today¡¯s happenings needed to be exined, so he left the hotel to chase after Layton.


    "Is it Uncle Ernest? I¡¯m okay," Anfey said. He lit the candle with his fireball.


    Ernest¡¯s attention was drawn to the dead body of Mott. Anfey had done some work on Mott¡¯s body. It was now covered with hundreds of fireball burns. Mott¡¯s clothes were almost burn down to nothing. His face was burned charcoal ck and barely any hair remained. These burns could not cover the wound in his throat. Anfey used some sinister tactics and turned the two-fingers-wide wound into a fist-sized one. It looked horrible where the extruded muscle was mixed with blood vessels.


    "Did you do this?" Ernest asked in surprise. He noticed a sign on Mott¡¯s cor. Entry-level swordsman only had one small sword sign, medium-level had two, advanced-level had two swords with a shield print. The sign on Mott showed he was an advanced swordsman.


    "Yes." Anfey nodded but was still startled. "Uncle Ernest, he was powerful! I could not beat him with my fireballs. In the end, I had to use all my fireballs to shoot his face and thrust my wand at his throat."


    "Ahh?" Ernest had some doubts about what Anfey said. Anfey was merely a magic apprentice. He could only shoot out the lowest-level fireballs. This entry-level magic would not allow him to present any threat to an advanced level swordsman. Anfey was hiding something from him. "He should not have lied to me, what happened?" Ernest thought.


    "Anfey, Can you tell me what happened¡ª" Saul came in from the window before Ernest could finish his question. Ernest raised his brows, "You did not catch him, did you?"


    "No." Saul did not look too good. It was almost an insult for Saul to let the antagonists escape twice. He was an archmage.


    "Howe?"


    "He was a death mage."


    Ernest¡¯s eyes shone with coldness. He asked seriously, "A death mage?"


    "Yes, I was not able to locate him in the death fog. He had already disappeared when I finally blew away the death fog."


    "When did death mages be so aggressive? How daring was he to show up and do whatever he wanted? It¡¯s going to be a mess..." Ernest sighed.


    "Anfey, are you all right?" Saul asked again. "Is this person... You killed him?"


    Saul and Ernest looked at each other. They both felt something wasn¡¯t right. Ernest asked, "Anfey, can you describe what happened one more time?"


    "He kicked the door open and ran into my room. I was woken up by him. I was shocked, but I quickly jumped off the bed and started shooting fireballs at him. Professor, he was very powerful, very powerful! My fireballs couldn¡¯t even get close to him. He shed his sword casually and all my fireballs were blocked by his sword. Later, he did not even need his sword to block my fireballs. He was catching them with his bare hands." There was confusion in his eyes as he tried to recall what happened back then. His eyes showed a hint of being "appropriately" startled.


    "This is what was expected!" Saul and Ernest thought. They looked at each other again. "What happenedter?


    "Then he screamed ¡®Ahhhhh¡¯, and ran towards me. I was so frightened that I shot out as many fireballs as I could. I don¡¯t know what happened, but he suddenly started acting silly. He didn¡¯t care about my fireballs hitting him all over. He didn¡¯t even bother to use a sword to knock them down."


    "I finally had to hit his face with my fireballs and thrust my wand into his throat. Then he fell on the ground." Anfey thought about it a little bit and tried to sound smart. "Professor, is it because he used up hisbat power?"


    "No way." Ernest shook his head, checking the body carefully. He turned the body over by foot. His attention was drawn immediately to a serious sword wound Mott had on his back. The cut was so deep that the bones were exposed.


    "Did you do this?" Ernest asked.


    "No..." Anfey was shocked.


    "Who did it?"


    "No... I don¡¯t know. I was facing him when we fought. After he fell down and died, I hid in the corner and waited for you and Professor toe back. I did not move. I don¡¯t know what happened," Anfey murmured. This was his way of doing things. No matter what kind of secrets were out there, Anfey would not speak them directly. He would guide them to the secrets, but leave them to investigate and make their own judgements. Anfey acted like nothing happened and waited for Saul and Ernest to figure everything out. When given the choice of believing themselves or believing others, most people tended to choose the former. Saul and Ernest couldn¡¯t help specting based on Anfey¡¯s story. They would trust whatever they found out themselves.


    "You are lucky, it looks like someone helped you again." Ernest checked the wound on the body carefully. The cut was deep, but it was not fatal. This only proved Anfey was telling the truth. If Mott was not attacked and wounded, Anfey would be gone for good. An advanced swordsman defeated by a magic apprentice was not a likely scenario.


    Saul did not look good. He was ming himself for putting Anfey in danger. Reality wasid out right in front of him. If this advanced swordsman were not hurt, what would have happened to Anfey? He would never forgive himself if things happened in that way. "Ernest, you are bing even more impulsive! This time Anfey was lucky, what about next time? Next time, you have to stay to protect Anfey!" Saulined.


    "I..." Ernest did not know whether he shouldugh or cry. He was ming himself for leaving Anfey behind as well. However, shouldn¡¯t Saul stay and protect Anfey, as Ernest was the first one to rush out?


    "Professor, I can take care of myself," Anfey said quietly.


    Saul sighed at him. This silly kid still had no idea how dangerous it was. Whom to me? There was no one but him. He brought Anfey here and admitted Anfey as his apprentice. It would be a loud p to his face if anything happened to Anfey in the Rose Home Hotel.


    After giving it some thought, Saul wanted to set up a few touch-sensitive arrays for Anfey. However, to be honest, considering Anfey was only a magic apprentice and only understood entry-level magic, it might put him in danger if the elements in the magic array were identally disturbed. Saul did not have much material for building the magic arrays. He might build an unstable one, which could be interfered with and might not work properly. He¡¯d rather wait to build one after he went back to the Maho Empire.


    "Saul, can you stay here? I will check out a few other ces." Ernest could tell Saul looked even worse than before. He did not want to stay here and have a conflict with Saul.


    Saul nodded without saying anything. He was still thinking about how to protect Anfey.


    Ernest gave Anfey a smile and walked out of the room. There was a person in the opposite room lurking outside and watching their room. The person in the opposite room mmed the door closed after seeing Ernest walking out of the room. Rose Home Hotel had more and more guests noticing something was wrong. They woke up from it. Ernest had strong and intensebat vibes, and he never meant to cover them either. Even normal people can feel the unease and fear, so none of them dared to walk out of their rooms.


    Saulid his eyes on Anfey¡¯s "magic wand." "Anfey, why did you make your wand in this shape?" Saul hadn¡¯t paid attention to Anfey¡¯s wand until Anfey said he killed Mott with it. He just noticed the end part of the wand was shaped to be sharp and pointy.


    "Professor, there were a lot of snakes on the ind. I was almost bitten by them several times. I didn¡¯t know how to shoot out fireballs back then, so I made this wand to kill the snakes."


    "I see." Saul nodded. He was quiet for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Anfey, tell me, what series of magic interests you the most? Or... have you decided to be a fire mage?" Saul did not have the urge to ask before, but he felt it was time for Anfey to make a decision on his future path. Once Anfey made a decision, he could start systematically practicing magic. This way he could have the ability to protect himself, and Saul wouldn¡¯t need to worry about him. The odds of Anfey getting so lucky again were very slim.


    "I... I like space magic." Anfey was telling the truth. Anfey, as an assassin, was facing two problems. One was looking for opportunities to kill his targets, and the other was leaving the murder scene as fast as possible. If he couldn¡¯t kill the target in one strike, he would be able to escape quickly with space magic. There would always be a second chance if he could escape and survive. A dead body could do nothing.


    "Are you serious?" Saul was shocked by Anfey¡¯s answer.


    "Yes." Anfey nodded sincerely.


    "Great... Great..." Saul was so happy that he wore a bright smile on his face. Anfey choosing space magic over fire magic showed that Saul had more influence on him than Ernest did. Now Anfey was literally his apprentice.


    "Do you know about the ck Wraith?" Ernest appeared at the window. He jumped off the window andnded lightly on the floor.


    "ck Wraith? Isn¡¯t he the killer? That wretch! I know him!" Saul¡¯s brows twitched. "I heard he sessfully killed a master swordsman. Is it true?"


    "Yes, that guy has a gloomy personality and is hard to track down. He never ever trusts anyone. He doesn¡¯t have any family, so he spent all his life killing people for money," Ernest said slowly. "I also heard that he joined a secret organization and works for them now."


    "Does what happened today have anything to do with them? Ernest, you are also a master swordsman, so... be careful!"


    "You are an archmage, you should be even more careful!" Ernest smiled. "But he isn¡¯t a threat anymore, because... he has already been killed!"


    "Who was able to kill him?" Saul asked in surprise, "He should be the most dangerous killer on the Pan Continent. Who has the ability to kill him?"


    "It should be... the one who secretly helped Anfey." Ernest turned to Anfey.


    Anfey kept his face peaceful, but he wasughing inside. What is the definition of the most dangerous killer? The real killers alwayse and go on their own, making them hard to track down. Didn¡¯t Ernest say that old man had joined an organization? It seemed this information was correct. For a killer, no matter what organization he joined, he would be less of a threat. Even if he was powerful and had an advanced ability level, he would only be an official in the organization. Killers without mystery have nothing to do with "danger."

 Chapter 15: Gifts

    Chapter 15: Gifts


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey was finally able toy down and rest a little at night, but Saul and Ernest were not. Ernest checked ck Wraith¡¯s body. Saul went to check on the body few times as well. They could not agree on things that mattered.


    Ernest didn¡¯t find any wounds on the body, which revealed there wasn¡¯t a physical fight. In other words, ck Wraith¡¯s level was not high enough to fight withbat power! It was inconceivable. ck Wraith was a medium-level swordsman. It would take some effort to take him down without usingbat power, even if it was Master Swordsman Ernest. It was even possible to force Ernest to usebat power in the end. Ernest felt the chill on his back when he really thought about. Judging from the scene, that guy must be really good at cunningly using diversions to make surprise attacks. An assassin good at surprise attacks was usually able to take down people a lot stronger and more powerful than them. An assassin that had the same ability level as a Master Swordsman... Ernest clearly felt the threat. Luckily, that guy saved Anfey. It seemed that he was not hostile towards them.


    Saul focused more on the methods that guy used to kill ck Wraith. What scared the mages? It had to be killers who can quietly kill people. Mages usually held the advantage at the beginning of the battle, regardless of whether or not they were fighting with a master swordsmen or a golden knight. However, whether or not they were able to maintain that advantage in battle depended on their experiences and magical knowledge. Only assassins who could kill quietly were able to force mages into a passive stance at the very beginning of the battle. Without their magic, mages were no different from ordinary people. The odds were very high that the killer could defeat a mage with a single strike. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call assassins the natural enemy of mages. Saul was concerned about that killer because he had the ability to hide hisbat surges. Saul was so worried, he had no appetite or desire to fall asleep.


    Anfey slept through the night, while Saul and Ernest spent the night talking. They decided to stop having Anfey explore the world, instead taking him to Empire Maho immediately. If they didn¡¯t have to worry about Anfey¡¯s safety, Saul and Ernest would have preferred to stay and find out who killed ck Wraith. At the very least, they could figure out what the ck Wraith wanted with them and why he started the battle at Rose Home Hotel. However, with Anfey¡¯s presence, they didn¡¯t dare do anything. They did not want to get Anfey involved in a battle.


    At dawn, Saul and Ernest walked out of the hotel with Anfey. The hotel was surrounded by Tumen Commerial Union¡¯s army. A soldier had knocked on Saul¡¯s door at night. Saul told the soldier who he was, and no one dared to bother him afterwards. No one dared to stop Saul when he wanted to leave the hotel. A few patrol sheriffs watched the three of them walk away until they disappeared. They really wanted to beg for Saul¡¯s help to investigatest night¡¯s murder. The Chief was not in town. None of them dared to ask Saul to do anything. They had to swallow down what they wanted to say to him.


    Saul, Ernest, and Anfey arrived at Freedom City, the downtown of Tumen Commercial Union, in a couple of hours. He put his mage insignia on. It was awarded by Tumen Commercial Union and allowed them to go anywhere without any trouble. They went to a Path Array, started it, and disappeared in a bright light before Chief Basdack rushed to the array to see them.


    Anfey was trying to feel the magic surges. The scenery around him changed dramatically in the blink of an eye. They heard a warm voice wee them, "Wee back, Sir."


    "Miorich, why are you here?"


    "Sir, you should have told us!" A man over 40 walked up to them. "Don¡¯t forget you are the archmage of our Maho Empire. It would an unbearable loss for the empire if anything happened to you. Do you think we aren¡¯t able to help you?"


    "There is no point talking about ¡®lost¡¯. It is a talk between us, not a negotiation in the pce!" Saul muttered, "Miorich, Does... the king already know about it?"


    "Of course. Do you really think we didn¡¯t know anything about it?"


    "No, never..."


    "The king received a secret letter from Basdack and knows about everything." Miorich smiled. Miorich, with his sideburns and pair of warm,passionate eyes, was likely to leave people unnerved. He was not at a young age anymore, but Anfey found him interesting.


    "That guy! Dare to betray me?" Saul was enraged.


    In fact, Saul underestimated Basdack¡¯s political power as a chief. Basdack had his own way of dealing with things. Basdack did not send out the secret letter until Saul safely returned to Tumen Commercial Union. If anything happened to Saul, Basdack would never admit they had any contact. Then, the fight between Saul and Yagor would simply be Saul acting on his own. It would have nothing to do with Basdack. This was the only way that the king of the Maho Empire would not be mad at Basdack for losing his best helper. To most people, this would look cunning. However, it was normal for a chief to act this way, especially he who was trying to survive among empires.


    "Have you ever thought of how to reduce the king¡¯s anger, instead of whether or not Basdack betrayed you?" Miorich smiled.


    "Are youughing at me?" Saul rolled his eyes.


    "Maybe." Miorich had been very polite until this point...


    "You... Never mind, no point getting heated with you." Saul shook his head.


    "This is..." Miorichid his eyes on Ernest. Intuition told him that Ernest possessed unneglectable power.


    "He is Er¡ª"


    "Ahem, ahem..." Ernest coughed to stop Saul¡¯s talk.


    Saul shrugged. "This is my new apprentice, Anfey. Please help him in any way you can. Otherwise, if you do not treal him well, I wille after you."


    "Uncle Miorich, how are you?" Anfey smiled. This was Anfey¡¯s other strategy. When he met someone for the first time, even if they were a 70- or 80-year-old man, he would call them "Uncle." Who did not want to feel young?


    "What a polite kid." Miorich brieflyid his eyes on Anfey. He was very nice to Anfey, but he was not a moron. Saul introduced this young man in such a formal way, it revealed Saul must like him a lot. Even though Miorich only sensed weak magic surges from Anfey, he would have to treat Anfey well.


    Anfey was not so happy to be called a kid. Why was everybody calling him "kid" or "dummy"? Judging from the body he inhabited, he should be almost 18 years old. He was mature and no shorter than Miorich, where was the "little" from?


    "Miorich, did anything unusual happen in the empire?" Saul asked with a lowered voice.


    "Unusual? Do you mean..."


    "I met a death mage in Tumen Commercial Union. Unfortunately, he escaped from me."


    "Death mage?" Miorich looked startled. "Really?"


    Death magic was a very strange magic. Maybe death mages and apprentices were not able to beat other types of mages with the same ability level, but once they reached the level of an archmage, the death mages¡¯ power would be amplified several times. All of their spells would reach their maximum power. Then, archmages of other types of magic were not their counterparts. Several archmages needed to fight together to beat one death archmage. They were only able to beat him. It would be a lot harder if they wanted to kill him.


    "I did not lie to you." Saul sighed quietly. "And... I met a very dangerous killer!"


    "Dangerous?"


    "Yes, very dangerous!" Ernest said seriously, "I bet you have heard of ck Wraith. ck Wraith was killed by him, and that killer did not use anybat power!"


    Miorich looked at Saul with suspicion. Saul nodded firmly at him.


    "Tumen Commercial Union..." Miorich took a breath. "Sir, I think I need to report to the king about these matters."


    "I agree."


    "Sir, do you want to see the king now, or after you go back and get things settled?"


    "I will go back first." Saul nced at Anfey.


    "Sure, I will go to the pce first and wait for you there." Miorich said. Miorich nodded at Ernest and walked out hastily. Tumen Commercial Union was an important and strategic ce for the Maho Empire. The reason the Maho Empire could provide its people good lives had everything to do with the tributes from Tumen Commercial Union. If there was any change in Tumen Commercial Union, the economy in the empire would suffer a huge loss. They could not afford to let that happen.


    "Let¡¯s go, Anfey. I will take you home." Saul smiled.


    The soldiers who were responsible for watching the magic array stood in two rows. They tapped the floor three times with the handles of their polearms to salute Archmage Saul.


    "Going back to your house?" Ernest stopped. "You guys go back first, I will walk around a little bit."


    Saul smiled at Ernest wordlessly.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I will contact youter. I won¡¯t break my promise of staying in the Maho Empire."


    Ernest exined that he was used to the freedom and worried that he would feel uneasy living in Saul¡¯s house.


    "My house is huge. Are you worried about bothering me?" Saul said without emotions. "And I have few other students live with me in my house. Two of them are already entry-level mages."


    Ernest gave a wry smile. He already guessed something from Saul¡¯s weird speech. The reality was thatpetition was everywhere in life. Saul was worried about Anfey being bullied and looked down upon by his other two apprentices. Those two apprentices seemed to have their own pride. Saul was their professor, so he couldn¡¯t show any favoritism towards a student. If Ernest lived in Saul¡¯s house, Anfey could go to him.


    "Ok, I will go with you." Ernest said.


    "Professor, should I buy some gifts for your family?" Anfey asked. "I heard you have a daughter. I only got a present for her." Anfey took out that toy-like magic bracelet as he spoke.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. You can wait until you get to know everybody." Saul smiled.

 Chapter 16: A Talkative Girl

    Chapter 16: A Talkative Girl


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Saul¡¯s house was like a mix between a castle and a garden on arge plot ofnd. Across the street from his house was the Maho Empire¡¯s Mage Union. The Mage Union was at the foot of Mount Saint Brunswick. The pce was built on top of the mountain.


    Mount St. Brunswick was named after a human leader, Brunswick. Brunswick was leading 30,000 troops to fight a tribe of magic beasts. They fought hard for almost a whole month. All of them died at the battlefield. No one surrendered; nobody ran away.


    Anfey looked up at Mount St. Brunswick. He¡¯d heard the project of building a pce on top of Mount St. Brunswick started with the establishment of the Maho Empire. They dug so deep into the mountain that the mountain was almost hollow. The pce had thousands of rooms of different sizes. It had a museum, library¡ªany facility one could think of.


    Many magic arrays were set up in the pce. There was a magic array every three floors all the way down to the bottom of the mountain. This was an escape channel for royal family members when an enemy archmage sessfully released grand runes. Although the chances of an archmage spying on an enemy¡¯s territory and releasing grand runes sessfully were slim, it was not impossible. Someone had done so in the past, so the Maho Empire needed to be prepared for any possibility.


    "So... people in this world seemed to have experienced a ¡®nuclear bomb¡¯," Anfey thought aloud.


    "Is my father back? Is he really back?" a girl asked in a singsong voice.


    "Niya!" There was a broad smile on Saul¡¯s face.


    Following the cheers, a girl jumped out, strode across, and ran into Saul¡¯s arms.


    Anfeyid his eyes on the girl from Mount St. Brunswick. He could only see the gist of her features. She had the same blond hair as Saul¡¯s. In Anfey¡¯s eyes, blondes usually had curly hair, but this girl had smooth, shiny, straight hair. It looked like a golden silk cloak on her back.


    A smiling old housekeeper walked up to them. It was him that had told Niya about this good news earlier.


    "Niya, this is your Uncle Ernest." Saul introduced Ernest to her.


    "Hello, Uncle Ernest," Niya greeted Ernest politely.


    "This is Anfey, my new student. He will be living with us from now on."


    "Hi." Niya turned to look at Anfey.


    "Ni... Miss Niya, how are you?" Anfey stuttered, "This is... This is a gift for you. I hope you will like it." At this moment, Anfey discovered Niya had very beautiful light-blue eyes, inherited from Saul. She had a tall, slender nose, and slightly thin and sexy lips. Saul did not lie about Niya¡¯s beauty. Niya was undoubtedly a gorgeous girl.


    "Thank you." Niya took the magic bracelet from Anfey. The bracelet disappeared in her silky hand after a few movements. She must¡¯ve put it away in her space ring.


    Anfey watched her face. He knew what kind of gift that magic bracelet was. Niya didn¡¯t show any disdain for it, but she also didn¡¯t show any excitement. With some reasoning, it was easy to tell that Niya, as the daughter of Saul, must have seen many nice things. She probably didn¡¯t pay attention to that bracelet at all. Anfey was surprised by Niya¡¯s response to the gift he gave her. Not bad. Niya was ady with ss.


    "Niya, why don¡¯t you show the guests around. I need to see the king at the pce. I will be back soon."


    "Leaving again?" Niya shook her head, "No...."


    "Be good." Saul said something at her ear, Niya¡¯s eyes popped wide with excitement, looking at Ernest without blinking. After he sessfully distracted her, Saul smiled in satisfaction. He cast a levitation spell, raised himself into the air, and flew towards Mount St. Brunswick.


    Anfey saw a longsword hanging from Niya¡¯s waist. It was hard to tell if the de was sharp or not, but the handle was designed in an old-fashioned way, without any girly decorations. There are many ways to tell someone¡¯s personality. One could look at their eyes, living spaces, habits, or even the jewelry they wore. All of them could provide information about the person. Niya didn¡¯t seem to be a girl flirting around if she liked to wear this kind of sword. Hold on... Longsword? Was Niya a swordswoman? No wonder Saulined no one would be able to inherit his magic skills! His daughter was a swordswoman!


    Anfey turned towards Ernest with a sly smile was in his eyes. It was notmon to be as smart, sensitive, and quick to respond as Anfey. Ernest did not understand why that girl looked at him strangely. He managed to keep his face straight, no facial expression changed.


    "Uncle Ernest, do you want to take a rest or walk around the house with me?" Niya asked respectfully.


    "Whatever," Ernest answered.


    It got to Niya. So whatever meant what? She had to turn to Anfey, "Hi, An..."


    "Anfey." Anfey helped in case she forgot his name.


    "Anfey, do you want to take a rest or walk around the house with me?"


    "Whatever."


    "You..." Niya could not help giving him a dirty look. She did not dare to be rude to her father¡¯s guest. However, it was a different story when Anfey was a student of her father. Anfey was a kid with barely any magic surges. Even the two students, who were already entry-level mages, had to behave well in front of her! She was the daughter of an archmage, who dare to make her unhappy?


    "Sir Anfey, how about walking around with Miss Niya and getting familiar with the house?" The old housekeeper stood up immediately to make peace.


    "Sure," Anfey agreed quickly.


    "Huh!" Niya hummed so quietly that no one could hear it. Niya¡¯s face had a lovely and bright smile when she turned to Ernest. "Uncle Ernest, please join us."


    "Huh." Ernest said tly.


    In fact, it was superficial to think that this was Ernest. He always looked cool in front of strangers, but opened up and talked a lot more with the people he knew well. Anfey had seen Ernest and Saul have some hot arguments. Anfey even had the experience of being their judge.


    "Uncle Ernest, this way." Niya was excitedly showing them around the house.


    A group of four was divided into two. Ernest followed behind Niya, while Anfey fell behind on purpose to walk with the old housekeeper. Anfey asked him many different questions, pretending he wasn¡¯t doing it on purpose.


    Anfey was paying attention to what Ernest and Niya¡¯s were saying while he was talking with the old housekeeper. After listening for a while, he slowed down his walking and intentionally kept a distance between them.


    Maybe it was out of admiration for Ernest, but still¡ªNiya was a little too talkative.


    "Uncle Ernest, does your sword have a name?"


    "No."


    "May I see it?"


    "No."


    "Uncle Ernest, my father said you are the best swordsman. You also have the potential to be a saint swordsman. I¡¯ve been looking up to you since I was small. You... teach me some sword skills?" Ernest¡¯s coolness did not stop Niya. Instead, she asked for a favor.


    "You... Have you heard about my rumors?"


    "Yes."


    "Then do you still want to learn from me?"


    "Did you mean... those things? Haha, Uncle Ernest, my father told me what¡¯s seen by bare eyes was not always true, what¡¯s heard should not always be trusted. I trust my father. You are his friend. I trust you too. I just had an argument with my friends a few days ago. I told them you would never engage in any conspiracy if you dared to go to Alisen Empire to battle with Jerrofick. It must be Jerrofick afraid of you and setting you up on purpose. He was a coward!"


    "..." Ernest became quiet.


    "Uncle Ernest, can I see your sword?" The talkative girl switched the topic back.


    "There is nothing special about it." Ernest¡¯s tone did not seem to be as cold as before.


    "Let me see it," the talkative girl whined, not letting her request go.


    "..." Ernest took out his sword reluctantly.


    "Uncle Ernest, your sword is toomon. It does not match your title!" The talkative girl opened her eyes wide, hardly believing what she saw.


    "It is just a sword." Ernest said. There were things that couldn¡¯t be exined. At least, it was not possible to exin to this girl that he would never make breakthroughs and be a master swordsman if he relied on things like swords.


    "Uncle Ernest, this is my sword!" The talkative girl pull out her long sword. The sword made a sound in the air like wind chimes. The light reflected on the sword was like the clear water. The de sent out strong magic surges. It was a magic sword!


    "Nice sword!"


    "Uncle Ernest, take it!" The talkative girl was quite generous.


    "Huh? No, thank you. I do not need it."


    "Take it, Uncle Ernest. I really want to give it to you."


    "I... really do not need it."


    "Uncle Ernest, my father asked me to treat you like my real uncle. This is your home. Take it!" The talkative girls was very stubborn about it.


    "But... I really do not need it."


    "Uncle Ernest, take it, otherwise I will be sad."


    "I really..."


    "I will cry!" The talkative girl bit her upper lip.


    "I ..." Ernest had a headache. If it was someone else doing this to him, he would have walked away. However, this girl was the precious daughter of his old friend, and she was just an innocent little girl with some silly ideas. She trusted him and even argued with her friends for him. Ernest did not want her to be sad, but... he really did not need a magic sword!!


    "Okay, I will take it." Ernest took the magic sword.


    "Haha." The talkative girl stopped crying and smiled. "Uncle Ernest, can you teach me sword skills?" This sword was a gift to ask Ernest to be her teacher.


    Ah... Wasn¡¯t it too much to ask for a favor in the time it took to blink? Shouldn¡¯t she be a little more considerate?


    "Ok." Ernest nodded reluctantly.


    "Uncle Ernest."


    "Uncle Ernest..."

 Chapter 17: Trouble

    Chapter 17: Trouble


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Professor, I¡¯ll go rest," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Yeah, rest early. We are going to the Mage Academy tomorrow." Saul nodded his head.


    Anfey pushed his chair away, standing up and smiling to a few ¡¯brothers¡¯ whose names he didn¡¯t remember. He turned and went outside.


    "Father, I also want to go to rest." Niya pushed away the te and elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin.


    "Ok, Niya." Saul didn¡¯t think too much about this.


    Anfey was going along the stairs to his room. Suddenly, a voice came from behind, "Anfey, wait!"


    Anfey stopped, he didn¡¯t need to look back to know that Niya was calling him. He just didn¡¯t know why Niya was calling him.


    "I didn¡¯t imagine you could walk so fast, and your walking posture was also very strange." Niya said, slightly short of breath.


    "Miss, what can I do for you?" Anfey asked calmly. His mind became vignt. Some habits could not be changed, such as the way he walked! It was a kind of footwork, always giving people a slow feeling; in fact, the speed was very fast, only a little bit slower than a trot. When he went out shopping with Saul and Ernest, he deliberately controlled himself in order to not reveal any clues. But habits are habits. Inadvertently, he used the previous footwork. He needed to be more careful!


    "Let¡¯s go to my room and talk."


    "This..." Anfey hesitated.


    "Why are you still there? Hurry,e with me." Niya waved her little hand authoritatively.


    Anfey simply followed Niya until they entered her room. Once they entered the room, the appearance of Niya changed and her smile disappeared. Her face was full of disguised grimness. She was scanning Anfey with a pair of very vicious eyes.


    Niya pulled out her sword and started attacking Anfey. Anfey dared not to move at all as he didn¡¯t know what her skill level was. He didn¡¯t want either of them to get hurt.


    "Miss, what are you doing? I am Anfey, your father¡¯s apprentice," Anfey said lightly.


    "How did you¡ª" Niya suddenly covered his mouth. "Do not interrupt! What is your purpose in bing my father¡¯s apprentice! I am warning you that I have limited patience!"


    "Miss, can you just take away the sword? I will tell you the truth." Anfey felt a trace of sadness. The most likely reason was that Saul was too intimate with him, which triggered someone¡¯s jealousy. This ced obstacles in the way and even pushed the naive Niya out! It seems that wanting to stay here was not an easy thing.


    Anfey always gained the upper hand by striking only after the enemy had struck. This did not mean that he was afraid, or that he wasn¡¯t strong enough, it was just his personality. Some people were naturally arrogant and despotic, so they fought over things that they liked. If they could not get it, they destroyed it so that nobody else could get it! Some people liked to be quiet, avoiding fights, and they took a step back to defuse the situation. And for thetter, there were some special types; they did not stir up trouble, but when things happened to them, their counterattacks were much more intense than others¡¯. This so-called tit for tat was fair y, and Anfey was one of those special people.


    "Well, you¡¯d better be honest. Do not waste the opportunity I¡¯ve given you!" Niya tried to look majestic.


    "Miss, where should I start? I have to start from the beginning." Anfey sighed. "My life is full of danger, the threat of death always looming over me. When I watch the sunset in the evening, I pray that I live to see the sunrise in the morning."


    "Where did you live? In the world of magic beasts?" asked Niya, surprised.


    "No, I lived with a great archmage and a group of young kids," Anfey said lightly.


    "Great archmage?" Niya shook the sword in her hand. "Do not spout nonsense! Tell me, who is this great archmage? Don¡¯t try to muddle your way through!"


    "I am sorry, Miss. I cannot tell you the name."


    "Then you are lying!" Niya¡¯s sword moved forward a step.


    "Noble Miss Niya, you can doubt me." Anfey did not change his expression. "Living under the protection of Archmage Saul, everyone is trying to please you. No one dares to make you unhappy, which developed your character. You can doubt whoever you want, you can make anyone exin, or you can kill them without fear, is that right? I am just a little man, and you aredy from above. There is no fairness between us. You do not need to talk to me about what is fair or just. The sword is in your hands. You can just kill me!"


    "You... That¡¯s nonsense!" Niya¡¯s angry face flushed. Her sword approached Anfey¡¯s chest.


    "I can prove that he is not talking nonsense." Ernest opened the door. Watching Niya quietly, his eyes became very indifferent.


    Ernest was a principled person. A simple magic sword and a special identity could not change his position. Anfey passed his test, and Ernest personally brought Anfey away from the ind. He trusted Anfey. If Niya still tried to hurt Anfey, he did not mind teaching this noble girl a lesson, even though she was Saul¡¯s only daughter. Friendship was friendship while morality was morality, and Ernest would never be against morality out of friendship! He also believed that Saul would not take his own daughter¡¯s side.


    A person like Ernest was rare. Anfey was a lonely juvenile with very low strength; he was just an apprentice. In the eyes of many people, offending Niya for Anfey was not wise. But what would the world be if everyone made decisions based on what was wise or unwise?


    For some things, Ernest could temporarily put down fairness and justice, like when he and Saul went to deal with Yagor. But for other things, Ernest could never give up his own principles. He¡¯d rather die than live in regret!


    People like E let the world understand what pride meant! If the world was dark, they were the torches at night, illuminating themselves and others.


    "Uncle Ernest..." Niya was stunned.


    "I can swear with my life, what Anfey said was the truth. Miss Niya, what else do you want to ask?" Ernest said indifferently, "If there is nothing else, I hope you won¡¯t disturb Anfey in the future. If you hate Anfey, and you cannot change your emotions, then you can go to your father and tell him to change their rtionship as professor and student. Then I can let Anfey be my apprentice!"


    Anfey¡¯s hands suddenly tightened into a fist, then slowly rxed. Anfey and Ernest were not the same type of people. Ernest¡¯s dislike for Niya was written on his face. But Anfey was the walker in the night. Regardless of any excitement or disappointment in his heart, his face rarely changed, unless it was deliberate. Anfey was an activist, he believed in action more than anything else. Tons of words being said was nothingpared to a cup of hot tea!


    "Anfey, sorry..." Niya lowered her head. By the influence of Saul, Niya worshipped Ernest very much. Although she did not believe Anfey, she had to believe Ernest. Moreover, Ernest made an oath. That was even heavier than she was able to afford.


    "Everything is all right now, right? Can I go?" Anfey asked lightly.


    Niya nodded, at a loss for what to say.


    Anfey did not look at either Niya or Ernest, taking a big step out of Niya¡¯s room. Ernest¡¯s eyes went back to Niya from Anfey, and he whispered, "What Anfey has been through is not anything that you,dy, could ever imagine. I¡¯ll repeat it again. Do not bother him!" These words had been full of warning.

 Chapter 18: Guidance

    Chapter 18: Guidance


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    At the crack of dawn, Anfey pushed himself off of his bed and took a few deep breaths. Yesterday¡¯s quarrel was behind him; his eyes were made to look forward, not back. If he didn¡¯t let go, it would only be harder on himself. To live was to let go, he told himself. Niya was Saul¡¯s only daughter, he couldn¡¯t do anything to her. It was in his best interest to simply let it go.


    When he pushed open the window, he spotted Ernest practicing his sword below. In truth, it was more a warm up than serious practice. For someone to be as skilled as Ernest, practice was not merely enough.


    Anfey grabbed a towel and left his room. He descended the stairs and entered the courtyard. "Ernest, sir," he called as he threw the towel to the man. "Please take a break."


    "Anfey, morning," Ernest said as he walked over with the towel, wiping his neck. "You¡¯re up early," he added as he handed the towel to Anfey.


    As Anfey extended his hand to grab the towel, Ernest frowned. "Your hands..."


    "My hands?" Anfey blinked, feigning ignorance.


    Ernest held out his hands. Their hands were of simr sizes, their fingers long and powerful. The only differences were his rough skin and the tendons sticking out on the back of Ernest¡¯s hand. Ernest grabbed Anfey¡¯s hand and turned it over, finding a thinyer of calluses on his palm, where the thumb met the hand. Ernest had never paid attention to Anfey¡¯s hands before, so he was only now discovering the unusualness of the young man.


    "You have experience with swords?"


    "A little, a long time ago."


    "With whom? I can¡¯t feel any fighting intent from you."


    "With a strange old man in my vige. Not for long, though. I was only ten when Yagor took me to the ind."


    "Still don¡¯t remember where you lived?"


    "No," Anfey said, scratching his head. "I didn¡¯t have a father and my mother raised me. I can only remember her name and the vige head¡¯s name. Everything else is blurred."


    "Don¡¯t worry. All in due time," Ernest said. "What was the vige head¡¯s name?"


    "Bin Laden. Do you know him?"


    "No," Ernest said, shaking his head.


    "Like you would know," Anfey thought, disying his disappointment for Ernest to see.


    "Come, boy, let me see your skill with the sword," Ernest said, suddenly interested.


    "Me? With you?" Anfey asked, widening his eyes.


    "Come, don¡¯t be afraid. I will not harm you," Ernest said, smiling, as he handed Anfey the magic sword from yesterday.


    Anfey took the sword reluctantly, clearly regretting his decision of ever leaving his room.


    "Watch out!" Ernest said as he drove his sword forwards. He didn¡¯t intend to actually fight Anfey, so although the sword was fast he didn¡¯t use much strength.


    Anfey blocked the sword, pushing Ernest away from himself. Then he flicked his wrist, brushing Ernest¡¯s wrist with the tip of his sword. Ernest blocked Anfey¡¯s attack, shocked.


    Like the way mages focused on the strength of their magic and their senses, the swordmasters of this world focused on their qi. Their actual skills with the swords were in fact very easily learned. In Jin Yong¡¯s world, there was the conflict between the Qi Zong and the Jian Zong[1]; in this world, all the warriors belonged in the Qi Zong. Their skill level was determined by qi as well.


    Even though Anfey only used the simplest form of Tai Chi Sword, Ernest could still tell just how effective it was. What was even more shocking was that Anfey was taken away by Yagor at ten, meaning his skills were simple and crude at best. But even so, his skills with the sword were mesmerizing. Just how skillful was that old man from his vige?


    "Anfey, what was the name of the man that taught you this sword art?"


    "I don¡¯t know. He was a strange man, and no one wanted anything to do with him."


    "Can you remember what he looked like?"


    "Of course. He had white hair and beard. He wasn¡¯t tall, and always wore loose-fitting clothes. Oh, on his clothes there was an embroidery."


    "What?" Ernest thought he was onto something, and his expression became somber.


    "A circle, half white, half ck. In the white half there was a ck dot, and in the ck half there was a white dot." Anfey said, drawing a yin-yang symbol on the ground with his sword. "Do you not know what this is?"


    "No." Ernest said. "Come, let¡¯s spar another round."


    "As you wish."


    The two men set up again, facing each other. Anfey was using very little strength, weak enough that if Ernest used any more power Anfey¡¯s sword would have flown out of his fingers. However, Ernest¡¯s frown was only deepening.


    Anfey had a strange way of using his sword. He barely moved his upper arms, relying solely on his wrist to control the movement of the de. Despite that, his movements were persistent and precise. Ernest could feel that Anfey had at least the skill of a mid- to upper-level swordmaster; enough to be a threat to him.


    After a few moments, Ernest stopped his hands. He gripped his sword and stared at the sky, reveling in his thoughts.


    Anfey ced his sword down quietly. Yes, he did what he just did on purpose. Ernest carried hatred in his heart, waiting for an opportunity. All the while, the object of his hatred had be the general of a powerful army. Saul had said Jerrofick was surrounded by the strongest and the best, and that Ernest¡¯s chance of revenge was getting slimmer.


    Ernest did not fear death, but that did not mean he was actively cing himself in situations that could lead to his death. If Ernest appeared in front of Jerrofick, he would surely be attacked by those ¡®best of the best,¡¯ leaving him no chance for his revenge.


    Anfey had purposefully shown him a few of his moves, hoping to give Ernest a hint or two.


    "Mr. Ernest? Breakfast is ready," Niya¡¯s voice said. Of course, these things could be left to the servants, but Niya knew she had angered Ernest yesterday. She was hoping that her actions could make up for her mistakes since she still wanted Ernest¡¯s instruction on her sword skills.


    Ernest, as if awoken from a dream, looked at Anfey. "I¡¯ll pass on breakfast," he said. "Go right ahead, Anfey. You are going to the Academy today, so do be careful. If anything happens, try sticking through it. But remember to tell me when you get back."


    "It¡¯s okay, Mr. Ernest," Anfey said, smiling. "Who¡¯s going to do anything?"


    Ernest nced at Niya and snorted, but did not say anything.


    "Then I¡¯ll be off to breakfast," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t want to leave a bad impression by beingte on the first day."


    Ernest nodded, "Go right ahead."


    Niya, seeing that Ernest didn¡¯t want breakfast, wanted to saying something more. But, ultimately, she silenced herself and led Anfey towards the dining hall.


    Inside the hall, Saul was already at the tableside, and the food was ready. He had not touched it, as if he was waiting for something. Seeing Anfey entering the hall, he smiled. "Morning, Anfey. How was your night?"


    "I was veryfortable, Master," Anfey said. "I could hardly remember where I was when I woke up."


    Saul, of course, did not know what happened yesterday. Niya was in the wrong and did not dare tell her father about it. Anfey wasn¡¯t one for snitching. Ever since he was a child, he had never told anyone when he suffered an injustice. Ernest was used to freedom; when he encountered problems, he was used to dealing with them alone. He would almost never talk to Saul about his problems. So, to Saul, everyone was still friendly with each other.


    The youngsters sitting around the table nced at each other without saying a word. Even the youngest of them had followed Saul for a few years now, but Saul cared only for their magical abilities, not their personal lives. Only Niya could make Saul worry about her personal life. Now there was one more person that could make Saul worry¡ªAnfey.


    "Morning, everyone," Anfey said, smiling as he sat down. Only two people returned the courtesy, the rest treated him as if he didn¡¯t exist.


    Anfey let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like it was only a minor problem. Yesterday, Niya was talked into starting trouble with him, and he thought that they were a group of sly people. Judging by their reaction today, he had overestimated them.


    Of course, all of this was because of the unusually good treatment by Saul. It caused hostility among his colleagues, but those feelings could be eliminated over time. He could earn their respect by proving himself useful. If it didn¡¯te to that, Anfey didn¡¯t want to make enemies with any of these people. As far as Anfey cared, friendships were much more useful to a man than enmity. It was better to be friends with these people than to fight and conspire against each other right under Saul¡¯s nose. It was obvious the first path was easier for him and his future. He had always considered himself to be easygoing, never holding grudges where grudges weren¡¯t needed.


    "Niya," Saul said. "Take Anfey to the academyter. Tell Steger that he is my student and should be offered the best care."


    "Of course, father," Niya said, smiling sweetly.


    Trantor¡¯s Thoughts


    Nyoi_Bo_Studio Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    [1] Jin Yong is a novelist specializing in Wuxia novels. Qi Zong is a group of martial artists specialized in breathing techniques, whereas Jian Zong is a group of martial artists specializing in sword skills.

 Chapter 19: Work

    Chapter 19: Work


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Saul could not be med for letting Niya take Anfey to the Mage Academy. In fact, the academy was behind the Mage Union, and it wasn¡¯t far from Saul¡¯s home. Niya was toozy to take a carriage, so she directly broke into the Mage Union. Yes, she broke into the Mage Union... Every magician in the union was greeting Niya with big smiles, so Niya reached the back door of the Mage Academy without wasting any effort.


    Anfey never thought he¡¯d go back to school again. He wasughing in his heart while curiously looking at the studentsing and going. Anfey wondered whether these students had the habit of writing mottos on their desks. If they did, what would they write? Dirty poems were not an option, mischievous words could not be written either, what were they going to write? ¡®Do Better Every Day¡¯?


    The studentsing and going were more curious about Anfey. Niya was no ordinary girl, so almost everyone knew her. They couldn¡¯t help but be surprised when they saw Anfey and Niya walking side by side, specting Anfey¡¯s origins.


    In fact, the Pan Continent Mage Academy was mainly open to civilians; the truly powerful people wouldn¡¯t be here. They could have a few or even a dozen private teachers, or find ways to make their children be the students of top mages or high-level archmages. Those who had no other option came to learn at this academy.


    Niya never went to the Swordsman Academy. Three children of the king of the Maho Empire were mages, and they never stepped into the Mage Academy. What did the court archmage do? Were they kept around just to be used? Saul¡¯s status in the Maho Empire was so high because, in addition to having strength, he was the teacher of the three princes of the Maho Empire. Even the king of the Empire, Mr. Yoda, listened to Saul¡¯s guidance, and he said that it wouldn¡¯t be too excessive to say Saul was the second most powerful man. Even when the prime minister was in front of Saul, the prime minister had to be polite.


    If Anfey¡¯s skills reached the level of a mage, even if only the initial stage, Saul would not let Anfey go to the Mage Academy. Anfey¡¯s strength was too weak, so he had to spend some time to absorb all kinds of basic knowledge. This way, in the future, he could be expected to make certain achievements.


    Even so, the admission requirement of the Mage Academy was still very tough. Apprentices were not qualified to be trained in the Mage Academy. Saul took advantage of his influence to get Anfey in. Anfey also understood what was happening.


    Through the shade, an isted small building became visible. This small building looked very old. A ce about a meter from the top of building was filled with a full circle of moss. The roof was covered with creepers, and some windows even had weeds.


    Niya opened the door and went in. Anfey quickly followed. Although he held no grudge and his magic skill was at low level, he was very sensitive. Anfey felt the small building had strong magical fluctuations, and these fluctuations were ten times more powerful than the fluctuations from when Saul fought Anti-Fire Dragon. If there was a magic array inside, and he stepped into it, then he would be dead before he knew it.


    Niya walked up to the second floor, and she stopped before a ck door. She knocked twice and pushed the door open before anyone answered her knock.


    "I was wondering who it might be. So it is Miss Pearl from the Holy City. Come to see this old man?" An old voice came out.


    "Uncle Steger, you have not been to my house for a long time," said Niya.


    "Your father held the title of dean but did nothing. He put everything on my shoulders; how could I have the time?


    "So, ah, when I go back, I will tell my father that you have beenining about him!"


    "Haha... Niya, why don¡¯t you introduce me to your guest?" Steger quickly shifted the topic.


    "He is Anfey, and he wanted to go to the Mage Academy. My father said to let Uncle Steger make an arrangement."


    "Uncle Steger, hello," said Anfey, smiling.


    "Hello." Steger nodded.


    "Well, I have brought you here, so there is nothing else, right?" Niya pped. "Then I should go now?"


    "Come on? You just get here and you want to leave. Am I too old for you?"


    Niya grimaced, then turned and walked out. It was not that she despised Anfey, she was just ignoring him. No matter how Saul tried to convince her otherwise, in her mind Anfey was nothing but a lesser man, so she did not need to ask Anfey¡¯s opinion.


    Steger looked at Anfey, slightly surprised, but he was in control. "You are Anfey, right? Saul has informed me, and I have been waiting for you. "


    "Uncle Steger, sorry for the inconvenience," said Anfey respectfully.


    "Not at all." Steger pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "But... some things are not easy for me to do. You are just a magic apprentice, right?"


    "Yes."


    "cing you in the first level magic ss is not impossible, but today you came to the Academy with Niya. Many people think that you are Saul¡¯s apprentice... The news wille out sooner orter. Since the establishment of the Maho Empire¡¯s Mage Academy, it has only been open to mages. This is the number one rule of the school, and it cannot be vited. If people knew that Saul used his power to send his apprentice to get to the Mage Academy, I am afraid... If this news spread, there would be some bad rumors about Saul. Do you understand what I mean? "


    "Yes, I understand." Anfey smiled and asked, "Uncle Steger, can I work in the Mage Academy? Just let me go to the library to read the magic notes, so I can work while learning magic. If I am not a student, then it will not negatively influence the archmage. "


    "You misunderstood me." Steger smiled and shook his head. "Although the basic magic skills are very simple, they are also very important. If there is no one to guide you, you could easily take the wrong path. If learning through the magic notes was sufficient, then it wouldn¡¯t be necessary for Saul to send you here. You could just learn at Saul¡¯s house. Haha... Although Saul¡¯s private collection may lose out to the library¡¯s in quantity, it definitely wins in terms of quality. Almost every book is useful, unlike the library here. I can frankly say that at least half of the library¡¯s books are scraps, not worth wasting the energy to read."


    "Uncle Steger, then what do you mean..."


    "I mean that you do not need to go to the first level magic ss. You can directlye to me when youe to school every day. I will find a few teachers to tutor you individually. When you be a first level mage, then you can learn together with everyone. Is that okay?"


    Anfey thought for a long while. "Uncle Steger, thank you for your kindness. But all of these arrangements just for me... I will feel bad. Uncle Steger, please just let me work here. I believe in my ability. When I be a first-level mage, I wille to you again."


    Steger could not help but shocked by Anfey politely declining his good intentions. Special tutoring by a few teachers was an opportunity only those big aristocratic family¡¯s children could enjoy. In Steger¡¯s opinion, Anfey¡¯s response was like not knowing chalk from cheese.


    "Anfey, I hope you can reconsider. You do not have to rush your answer," Steger said slowly. He was willing to help Anfey just because Saul asked him to. Not only did Saul Saul to him personally, but he also had his daughter take Anfey here, which meant Saul took Anfey very seriously! Although Steger did not understand why Saul paid so much attention to a magic apprentice, helping his old friend was his responsibility. In fact, Saul sending Anfey to the academy would cause gossip and hurt Saul¡¯s reputation. Steger used his power to arrange a few teachers to tutor Anfey. The consequences were the same! Because of this, Saul would be criticized and his reputation would be damaged. Seeing Anfey refusing his kindness, Steger was very upset!


    "Uncle Steger, please let me try," Anfey sincerely said. "If I really can rely on self-study to be a mage, then I can avoid a lot of trouble. If it doesn¡¯t work, I wille back to you again."


    The day Saul set off to fight Yagor, he felt nervous. After Saul confirmed that Yagor was dead, he felt relieved and let his heart open. Seeing Anfey¡¯s loyal and iparable performance, it was natural to ept Anfey. On the other hand, it was the same for Anfey. Putting aside all kinds of differences, Anfey spent thousands of days and nights on the ind. His inner loneliness could not be described with words, so he epted that Saul and Ernest truly cared about him. He also let go of the wall around his heart, fully epting Saul and Ernest. It could be said that Anfey had taken Saul and Ernest as his own kinsfolk.


    Anfey could ept the help of Saul and Ernest, but did not want to owe others, even if it would hurt Saul¡¯s reputation. This was the reason Anfey refused Steger¡¯s good intentions.


    Steger looked at Anfey for a long time. "I hope you will not regret your decision today."


    "Well..." Anfey scratched his head and smiled. "If I still cannot be a mage within three months, then I wille back to bother you." Anfey was admitting being defeated. If he replied that he would not regret it, Steger may be disgraced. If he showed that hecked the confidence, it would ease the atmosphere between them.


    "Kid..." Steger grinned. "Well, that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve been looking for a servant, and this work is being handed over to you. I am old, but my body is always healthy. I have nothing that needs to be taken care of. You will have a lot of time to read books at the library. If you have something you do not understand, you can always find me." Steger feared that Anfey would think the identity of a servant was too low, once again refusing his kind offer. So he implied to Anfey that he did not need to be taken care of and Anfey could go to the library to read books.


    "Uncle Steger, thank you so much." Anfey bowed to Steger, although this bow was really sincere, but he was tired of being a kid and wanting to return to a normal adult.


    "Great." Steger grinned. He searched the table and took out a card. "It¡¯s proof of being able to go in and out of the library, so you can start working now."

 Chapter 20: The Third Wheel

    Chapter 20: The Third Wheel


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    It was during ss time, so there weren¡¯t many people in the library. Anfey nced around and found only a dozen people around the long tables. The northern and southern side of the walls were lined with tall shelves filled with books of all kinds, separated by their magical disciplines.


    Anfey had sharp eyes and found several booksbeled Dimensional. He walked over, selected a few, and started flipping through one. However, as he leafed through the pages, he quickly discovered that the book was filled with myths about the gods and the origins of the world. He put the book back with a bitter smile.


    No wonder Steger said that many of the books in the library were useless. After all, he was here to study magic, not read stories.


    After flipping through five books, Anfey realized that none of the books here were what he wanted. After a moment of deliberation, he turned to the stairs to go to the second floor.


    Just as he set foot onto the stairs, he felt the familiar feeling of magic around him. He stopped quickly, but it was already toote¡ªhis body was already in the perimeter of the spell, and there was no going back now. He felt as if he hit a wall and skipped back a few steps in order to bnce himself.


    A wave of stifledughter arose around him. Anfey rubbed his nose and retreated.


    "You can go to the second floor after you be a high level mage," said a young woman with long, brown hair and ck mage¡¯s robes.


    "Thanks," Anfey said.


    "You must be a new student."


    "Not exactly. I am Headmaster Steger¡¯s servant, not a student," Anfey said, smiling.


    "Servant?"


    "Yes. I wanted to study here, but I was rejected as I am only an apprentice now. He cannot break the rules, so I was given the rights to use the library."


    "Ah," the young woman said. "It¡¯s okay. Even the best archmage was once an apprentice. Don¡¯t give up. I hope to see you in the new recruits next year."


    "Thank you." Anfey said, stealing another nce at the young woman before going back to reading books.


    Around him, some were still talking about him,ughing at his stupidity. They couldn¡¯t remember thest time such a fool had appeared. Who didn¡¯t know the basic rules of the library? What an idiot.


    Anfey, however, did not bother paying attention to the other students¡¯ words, as if he couldn¡¯t hear them at all. He wasn¡¯t feigning his calmness. He had always been able to easily ignore what other people said about him. He was an actor, and they were justughing at another one of his masks. He wasn¡¯t someone who lived for other people¡¯s opinions about him.


    After a few books, Anfey still could not find what he was looking for. Some books had nothing to do with magic and were merely storybooks, some talked about magic Anfey had already mastered, and some talked about things Anfey couldn¡¯t even begin to understand.


    A normal person would have been annoyed at this point, but Anfey was calm, quietly reading one book after another. He was an assassin; if he didn¡¯t have patience he would¡¯ve died a thousand times over. He was confident that normal people couldn¡¯t match him in terms of patience.


    The young woman from earlier was watching Anfey. She was obviously amon visitor to the library. Seeing Anfey putting back easier books after a few pages but frowning and dwelling on others, before putting them back as well, she somewhat understood his level of knowledge. She quietly picked out a few books and walked to his side. "Try these ones," she said softly.


    "Ah, thank you," Anfey blinked and said. He picked up the book on the top of the pile and flipped through it. He smiled and turned to the young woman. "Thank you," he said sincerely.


    "You¡¯re wee."


    The young woman had brought exactly what Anfey wanted. It was everything a beginner like him would want: from the different elements¡¯ traits and differences, to theirbined effects, to simple spell anatomy. Anfey sat down on the bench nearby and began devouring the books. He wanted, and needed, to remember everything in these books.


    Although Anfey ced more value on the fighting techniques that were unique to him, he needed to create a proper identity for himself. It was not enough just being Saul¡¯s student, he had to at least be a mage.


    Time always flies when one is focusing on a certain thing. Anfey concentrated all of his effort on the books,pletely ignoring any movement around him, totally unaware of the passage time. It was not until a hand reached over and closed the book that Anfey snapped out of his trance. He turned around and found himself staring at Steger, smiling kindly behind him.


    "Uncle Steger," he said in surprise, pushing himself off of the bench.


    "Child," Steger said, smiling. "You are still young and have plenty of time. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard; your body may not take it well. It is already dark now, and Niya is waiting for you by the door. Go home,e back tomorrow." Steger felt that he knew why Saul had taken Anfey as his student. Anfey was only an apprentice, but his determination was valuable. Steger had stopped by a few times and seen Anfey reading each time, scarcely moving. Steger was satisfied with the young man.


    Anfey nced out the window, and to his shock he found that the sky had really darkened. He smiled shyly, "I¡¯m sorry, Uncle Steger. I seemed to have lost track of the time."


    "No need, no need. Your dedication should be encouraged. Go. You won¡¯t like Niya when she¡¯s angry."


    "Ok, I¡¯ll be on my way, Uncle Steger."


    "Good night," Steger said, nodding.


    Anfey jogged out of the library and found the back door by memory, only to find it empty. He realized that Niya must be at the front door. Who was to me for this? Did Anfey¡¯s brain took a break, did Steger make a mistake, or was Niya simply taking pleasure in circling the school? Anfey took a breath and marched towards the front door.


    He crossed the school ground at a moderate speed, stopping to ask for directions a few times. When he reached the front gate, he found avish carriage. Niya was lifting the curtains on the window and looking out impatiently. Upon seeing Anfey, she snorted and dropped the curtain so hard she ripped half of it off. She was obviously displeased.


    "Miss Niya, why are you here? I thought I was going back alone," Anfey said as he climbed into the carriage, cing a smile on his face.


    "Father made mee, what could I do?" Niya replied coldly.


    "I am sorry," Anfey said apologetically.


    "Niya, are you not going to introduce us?" The young man next to Niya asked gleefully.


    "Do it yourselves if you want to," Niya snapped. "Don¡¯t bother me."


    The young man shrugged and smiled at Anfey, "Alright, guess we have to introduce ourselves. My name¡¯s Granden, Uppe¡ª" the young man noticed Anfey¡¯s magical surge and changed his words, "I¡¯m a mage as well."


    "Greetings," Anfey said. "Anfey, Apprentice."


    "Ah, Anfey," Granden said. "I hope you don¡¯t take this personally. As you¡¯ll find out, Niya is always like this. Plus there was something unpleasant today, so..."


    "No, no, it is quite alright," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "What, are you tired of me now?" Niya snapped, ring at Granden.


    "No, of course not! I would never," Granden said, frowning.


    "Obviously!"


    "Niya," Granden said, "I don¡¯t want to fight with you right now, and there are things you shouldn¡¯t say in front of other people. Can¡¯t you be silent for a bit?"


    "Say what you want!" Niya screamed at Granden. "Go ahead!"


    Anfey sighed. It seemed like Niya and Granden were more than just friends. They were probably a couple. Obviously he was a third wheel. He looked at them awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He took a breath and said, "Guys, calm down, take it easy."


    "Shut it," Niya turned and snapped, turning her rage sharply onto Anfey. "You know who he is? He is second in line for the throne of the Maho Empire. We are talking, who are you to interrupt?!"


    Anfey blinked, unable to find words to retaliate. Of course, he had no right to interrupt.


    "Niya!" Granden said, clearly enraged as well. "You can yell at me all you want, but you shouldn¡¯t yell at someone innocent. Apologize right now."


    "No!"


    Anfey smiled bitterly. Great, now the attention was on him, and it didn¡¯t matter if Niya apologized or not. His rtionship with her was not improving.


    In that moment, a sudden gallop of horses interrupted them. Someone screamed, "Out of the way, out of the way! Military emergency! Out of the way!"


    The driver swerved the carriage aside, and silence fell inside.


    "War..." Granden muttered, his eyes filled with anxiety.


    "War¡¯s starting..." Niya whispered. Her eyes, however, were sparkling with excitement.


    "Niya," Granden said. "I cannot linger anymore. I must return."


    "Wait, Granden!" Niya said hurriedly. "Did you consider what I said? Don¡¯t worry, if you say yes, my knights will gather on a moment¡¯s notice, and we can go together to the frontline."


    "Niya! This is war, not child¡¯s y!"


    "Come on, Granden," Niya said, pouting, and grabbed Granden¡¯s sleeve.


    Anfey sat there watching quietly. They say a lover¡¯s quarrels rarelysts, of course. Him intervening was an unnecessary move, and brought only trouble. He grunted to himself.

 Chapter 21: A Legend

    Chapter 21: A Legend


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Anfey, this was your first time going to the Mage Academy. How was it?" Saul asked.


    "It was very nice, Professor. I had a good time there," Anfey responded.


    "Which ss did Steger put you in?"


    "Ehh, Uncle Steger thought that I didn¡¯t have a solid foundation, so he put me in the library for self-study."


    "This old guy probably forgot what I told him!" Saul showed a bit of annoyance.


    "Professor, I think this is good. I can go to Uncle Steger for help if there is something that I don¡¯t understand."


    "No way, Anfey. You willg behind if you keep staying in the library. I will talk to Steger!" Saul shook his head.


    "Professor, I think it is ok for me to do self-study at the library. I¡¯ve already learned something from you. I don¡¯t want the ss to slow down just because of me."


    "Well then, you just let me know if you want to join the ss," Saul said.


    "Yes, Professor."


    "What¡¯s wrong, Niya?" Saul noticed that there was something wrong with Niya because her face looked pale.


    "Nothing, father. I am just feeling a little bit ufortable," Niya replied. Her suggestions weren¡¯t epted by Granden. He had rushed back to the pce to see his father, the king, to get more information on the frontier battle. As such, Niya felt ignored.


    "Where are you feeling ufortable?"


    "I¡¯m just notfortable!" Niya pushed the chair away and left the table. "I¡¯m not going to eat dinner. You two can help yourself." She left and entered her room alone.


    "Anfey, what¡¯s going on?"


    "I have no idea. It seemed like something happened between Niya and Granden."


    "Granden? The second prince?"


    "Yeah."


    "What do you think of him?"


    "Eh?" Anfey paused a bit and reluctantly said, "I think he is a nice person."


    "Haha, oh, Anfey. You don¡¯t have to be bothered by all the rules here in my house, but don¡¯t say the prince¡¯s name so casually outside. Otherwise, some people will not like it."


    "I understand." Anfey smiled. "The second prince is an easy-going person and he treated me with respect. I didn¡¯t realize that he was a prince until Niya introduced us."


    "I like his personality as well. He is easy-going and forgiving, unlike his brother, the oldest prince."


    "What¡¯s this? It smells so good." Anfey pointed at the dishes on the table, interrupting Saul.


    It was not polite to interrupt Saul, but Anfey had to do so. He knew very well that this topic was sensitive. It wasn¡¯t good for an outsider to know much about the princes¡¯ battle for the throne. Granden was about twenty now, and the fighting for the throne might¡¯ve already started. Although Saul was well respected by the three princes, it might not be wise for Saul to support any one of them. If the one Saul supported got the throne, Saul¡¯s status couldn¡¯t get higher than it was now, otherwise it would be a threat to the new king. If the one he supported lost, it could be imagined what would happen to Saul.


    Of course, it would be ok for Saul to support the second prince if he could use all of his means to make sure the second prince obtained the throne. Unfortunately, Saul was not the type of person who was good at petty tricks. Anfey knew Saul well enough. Saul sometimes could do some things if he wanted to. Working with Ernest to fight against Yagor was a good example, but there¡¯s a difference between petty tricks and deceit. The deceit where one knows how and when to show ruthlessness or tolerance, how and when to show ambition or cowardice. But what did Saul have? Nothing! He had so much to worry about, even the stubborn young man from the deserted ind could gain his trust. If Saul decided to be deceitful, he could lose everything.


    What Anfey felt was even more absurd was Saul¡¯s casualness! Anfey didn¡¯t know what the status of the battle for the throne was, but it was easy for Anfey to guess what was going on. If the oldest and the youngest princes wanted to take the throne, seeing Saul was so close to the middle one, they had to try and recruit spies among Saul¡¯s students or family members to discover Saul¡¯s moves. As the saying goes, "Know oneself, and know one¡¯s enemy, and one shall win a hundred battles."


    Currently, Saul had his students sitting on the two sides of the dining table, with seven servants standing in the room ready to serve. Saul casually discussing what went wrong with the oldest prince... This could definitely cause future troubles. What would happen if Saul¡¯s words spread even before the oldest prince got a chance to ce spies within his students and family?


    Through Anfey¡¯s eyes, Saul was in a higher social ss, knowing how to deal with other people. His daughter was quite the opposite. She was na?ve and quite spoiled. But both the father and the daughter had something inmon: they were pretty lucky in their lives and didn¡¯t face much adversity. For Saul, he was lucky enough to be a student of Archmage Cheronio and be a beginning-level mage in his twenties. Heter became an archmage in his forties after breaking through the bottleneck. Saul was used to being treated like a king, and even the king himself had to show respect to Saul.


    Saul thought he was the greatest archmage in this empire and the professor of the three princes. As such, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal for him to say something about them or even criticize them. But in fact, it could possibly bring him trouble in the near future.


    Nothing should be taken for granted. Clouds fluttered, the wind blew, water formed waves and trees shook in the wind, nothing was immutable. Everything in the world was constantly changing!


    Saul paused a bit and tried to get some food from the dish which Anfey liked most. The dinner was kind of boring and Anfey wanted to leave. "Professor, I am full now, can I go check on Uncle Ernest?" Anfey asked.


    "Sure." Saul nodded.


    "Please take your time," Anfey said politely to everyone at the table and went downstairs.


    Saul took a second look at Anfey, but still kept silent.


    Anfei went straight to Ernest¡¯s door way and was about to knock, but stopped. Ernest must¡¯ve been meditating inside, otherwise he would havee to Anfey for some advice or to learn some new skills.


    Anfey turned around and started walking towards his room. He needed to meditate as well. Choosing to learn magic was a mature choice made after much thought. He needed not just a legitimate social status but also a proper disguise.


    When a swordsman and a mage were fighting, each would try to achieve their highest speed. But when they got closer to Anfey, they all felt that Anfey didn¡¯t have anybat power, but instead tricky techniques. When a swordsman and a mage fought against each other, they would always put on all types of protective gear and use some defensive magic arrays. But even before they got ready, Anfey could already rush in front of them.


    No matter how strong their magic andbat power were, Anfey would never give up his own martial arts skill. Martial arts were his foundation, and he would never stop practicing. He had not practiced in a while, so now was the time to do some makeup sessions.


    After getting back to his own room, Anfey put out the candle on the table and started practicing breathing.


    There was a secret book carried on from generation to generation in Anfey¡¯s family. Anfey read it from cover to cover and practiced the first half, but he never touched the second part. He understood the Theravada Zen, and had already achieved it, but not the Mahayana Zen[1]. For him, the Mahayana Zen was total nonsense, especially the Six Supernatural Powers[2]. In order to verify his thoughts, Anfey went to Tibet several times and tried to see the so-called Nirvana. However, no monks passed away during his visits, so he left without any evidence.


    But now, with more and more experience and strange feelings inside his body from the increase in his magic power, he started questioning his original thoughts about the Mahayana Zen. In this world, the spirit was much heavier than in his old world. After practicing for two years, he had made big improvements in circting his small circle of vital energy, and was close to the big circle of vital energy! Maybe he should try his luck to break the big circle and see what would happen afterwards!


    It was for this reason that Anfey never wanted to learn magic skills orbat power. He never wanted to be a real mage or swordsman, even though he had the two best teachers.


    It was dark outside; a dark shadow shed into the corridor and creeping towards Anfey¡¯s room.


    Trantor¡¯s Thoughts


    Nyoi_Bo_Studio Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    [1] Mahayana (Sanskrit for "Great Vehicle") is one of the two (or three, under some ssifications) main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for ssification of Buddhist philosophies and practice.


    Theravada (Pali, literally "school of the elder monks") is a branch of Buddhism that uses the Buddha¡¯s teaching preserved in the P¨¡li Canon as its doctrinal core.


    [2] The Six Supernatural Powers are:


    1) Developing mental pureness and eventually enlightenment.


    2) Telepathy: Being able to read the emotions and thoughts of others.


    3) Magic Powers: Such as levitation, teleportation, and telekinesis.


    4) The Divine Ear: Being able to hear things from very far away, being able to hear astral beings from different levels, and being able to understand thenguage of animals.


    5) The Divine Eye: irvoyance, being able to perceive the different levels of the astral realms and the process of rebirth.


    6) Remembering past lives.

 Chapter 22: Being Framed

    Chapter 22: Being Framed


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey opened his eyes slowly. Under a zen state, a person¡¯s senses were unusually strong. Anfey had known someone was there as soon as the stranger approached his door.


    The door slid open silently, and Anfey quietly moved over andid down on his bed, pretending to sleep. The shadow stopped a few steps from his bed. It felt around the bed before turning and leaving through the door.


    As the shadow pulled the door behind him, Anfey pushed himself off of the bed. He stalked across the room and leaned against the door, listening for any movement outside.


    Whoever just came into his room was obviously not used to doing this. He was careful enough, but his breathing was too heavy, the floorboards had creaked, and when he was walking up the stairs he had almost knocked over a vase.


    Seeing the stranger¡¯s clumsy moves, Anfey snorted. He had the ability to hold whoever it was down, but the whole situation seemed too strange, and Anfey didn¡¯t want to startle the stranger before figuring out exactly why someone was in his room.


    Anfey followed the person to the fourth floor, and saw him disappearing into a room. Anfey inched over, sticking close to the wall, listening to the sound inside.


    There were someone talking inside, but with the door closed Anfey couldn¡¯t hear much. "Time to eavesdrop," he thought.


    A few minutester, he was back in his own room. When he lifted his nket, he found a small orange orbying on his mattress, shining eerily.


    "What is this?" Anfey frowned, poking it with his finger. When nothing happened, he grabbed it with his hand.


    After a few moments ying with the orb, he put it in his pocket and left the room. He found Ernest¡¯s room and knocked softly on the door.


    "Anfey?" asked Ernest.


    "Yes, Uncle Ernest," Anfey said. "I¡¯m sorry to bother you sote."


    "Nonsense," Ernest said, smiling, and opened the door.


    "Uncle Ernest, how did you know it was me?"


    "How can I not? No one here knocks on my door. Saul never knocks, either. You¡¯re the only possible one," Ernestughed. "Of course, I wanted to talk to you too, so thanks."


    "Uncle Ernest, why are you thanking me?" Anfey said, surprised.


    "Your sword skills gave me inspiration," Ernest said slowly. "You showed me a path. I believe my skills can grow significantly after some practice. Perhaps then I¡¯ll get my revenge."


    "I don¡¯t know any sword arts," Anfey said shyly. "It¡¯s something that old man taught me for fun."


    "No, no. I can feel it, that old man you speak of was a powerful man," Ernest said slowly. "A sword master at least, maybe even more. Anfey, you have to find him again if you get the chance."


    "Uncle Ernest, are you going to spar with him?"


    "Me? No, I am no match for him," Ernest said bitterly. If the man¡¯s Qi matched his, then he could never win. Even Anfey, a child, could shock him, so how powerful would the man be?


    "But..." Anfey lowered his gaze. "I cannot remember where I came from."


    "You will remember," Ernest consoled. "By the way, Anfey, what did you want to talk to me about?"


    "Ah, yes," Anfey said. "What is this?"


    "This..." Ernest stared and frowned, taking the orb. "Anfey, where did you get this?"


    "Someone gave it to me," Anfey said. "What is it?"


    "Someone gave it to you?" Ernest repeated. "Impossible. This is a Chasm Dragon Crystal."


    "Chasm dragon? Is it rare?"


    "Not just rare," Ernest said. "This is the only one, ever. Tell me everything."


    Anfey told Ernest everything that had happened, including him following whoever it was that went into his room, hiding nothing. Ernest contemted a bit, then looked up and said, "Anfey, what do you think?" Ernest had already had an idea of what the person who ced this on Anfey¡¯s bed wanted to do, but he wanted to train Anfey to think for himself, to recognize the vileness in people.


    "Uncle Ernest, you mean... this belongs to Master Saul?"


    "Yes," Ernest said. "Chasm dragons are horrible creatures. Dark, skilled with dimensional magic. In my knowledge, they¡¯re perhaps the most powerful dark creatures out there, with the ability to rip through time and space without any help. This crystal is very important to Saul. He treasures it."


    "Ah," Anfey said. "I know what¡¯s going on."


    "Tell me."


    "Someone stole this crystal and nted it in my room. When Master Saul discovers it is missing, they¡¯ll find it in my room. Then I will be the thief."


    "Is that so?" Ernest said, surprised. "Do you know why they would do this?"


    "Because Master Saul is too good to me," Anfey said. "Uncle Ernest, you saw how Miss Niya treated me yesterday. There are things you do not know. She was a victim too, talked into questioning me."


    "What do you want to do?"


    "Master Saul is so careless. Treasures like this should be kept in secret. How could people steal it?"


    "On that point, you¡¯re wrong." Ernestughed. "Saul would never be careless. You cannot feel it, but Saul had already ced a spell on the crystal, and ced the same spell in the storage room. If the two spells are separated by more than a hundred meters, the spell would activate, and no one can leave with it. It¡¯s a live coordination. Do you think anyone can leave alive with a live coordination, with one of the greatest archmage on their heels?"


    "Ah," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, say, what do you want to do?" Ernest asked.


    "My idea... it¡¯s... well, it¡¯s slightly embarrassing." Anfey said, scratching his head.


    "Nonsense. Tell me."


    "If we return the crystal right now, whoever was setting me up would realize something was wrong and change their mind, then it would be more difficult to track them," Anfey said slowly. "Uncle Ernest, if this person can steal this, surely he is close to Master Saul?"


    Ernest nodded.


    "So we have to keep quiet, like nothing had happened," Anfey said, smiling. "Let them say what they want. They may think they¡¯re cornering me, but in truth they¡¯re just back themselves into a corner."


    "And then I can step in as a witness?" Ernest asked. "Smart."


    "No, Uncle Ernest," Anfey said. "Evidence is stronger proof than spoken words. I think whoever did this will try to make Master Saul angry, make him lose control, leaving me no chance to exin myself. Uncle Ernest, if you step up then, Master Saul will think you¡¯re covering for me, and we won¡¯t have a chance to defend ourselves." Anfey kept referring to him and Ernest as "us," hoping to hint that they are on the same side.


    "You¡¯re confusing me," Ernest said. "Anfey, you think that when I present the crystal, Saul would trust them and not me?"


    "I cannot predict anything," Anfey said. "But it is possible. We can¡¯t risk it."


    "What do you want to do then?" Ernest asked.


    "Easy. When theye for me with Master Saul, ce the crystal in a room on the fourth floor." Anfey smiled, "Uncle Ernest, you have to hide it well, not letting master realize where it is. Can you manage it?"


    "Short term, maybe. Long term is practically impossible," Ernest said, closing his hand around the orb. "But trust me. You know, kid, you aren¡¯t that dumb after all."


    "You know, Uncle Ernest, there are things I¡¯ve never told you," Anfey said slowly.


    "Can you tell me now?" Ernest asked, interested. "Of course, I won¡¯t press you if you don¡¯t want to say."


    "You shouldn¡¯t me me, you never asked. You should have noticed some of it," Anfey said slowly. "Yagor kept using us for experiments. We weren¡¯t lined up ording to age or height, Yagor tended to pick randomly, and whoever was picked never came back. After a while, we all got scared, so things happened."


    "Keep going."


    "No one wanted to go with Yagor, but none of us could fight him, so we started ying games with each other. We aggravated each other, making Yagor mad at other people. We hated each other, and... these are things I would rather not think about. Uncle Ernest, do you know why I¡¯m grateful to Yagor?"


    "Why?"


    "Because ever since I was young, I¡¯ve been framed time after time. I don¡¯t know why, but Yagor always spared my life, even giving me a room at the end, letting me tend to his everyday life. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I would¡¯ve been long dead."

 Chapter 23: Shameful Opponent

    Chapter 23: Shameful Opponent


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "I never knew kids could behave like that as well!" Ernest sighed slightly and said, "In order to survive, people often maximize their potential, physically and emotionally. Kids your age are usually naive and innocent, but instead you learnt to scheme against each other."


    Ernest thought of himself. After he had escaped from the trap set by Jerrofick, he managed to run for over one thousand miles with wounds all over his body. One day, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the way. When he opened his eyes, he found himself still walking, but with totally different surroundings from what hest remembered. He could not recognize where he was. He finally got the chance to ask an old farmer, and surprisingly found out he had travelled over 40 miles in his sleep!


    He marveled at this experience every time he recalled it.


    "Adversities leads to maturity." Anfey smiled.


    "Then... how did you manage to be thest survivor? By luck?" Ernest asked slowly.


    After a long pause, Anfey grinned. "Notpletely by luck!"


    "It seems that Saul and I were both deceived." Ernest let out a sigh. "However, I trust you. Want to know why?"


    "Why?"


    "When you found out you were set up by someone, you could have handed the magic crystal to me and let me handle the rest. That way, you could continue being this nice and innocent kid. You should know me well enough to believe that, knowing that you were framed, I would do whatever is needed to protect you." Ernest smiled. "But instead, you opened your heart to me. You showed me your other faces so I could understand you better. I am d that I earned your trust."


    "Uncle Ernest, the most blessed thing that happened to me in the past several years wasing across master and you!" Anfey beamed.


    "If it was in the past, I would have believed what you just said. But now I have to question if you are ttering me or not." Ernest chuckled, shaking his head. "Anfey, whom did you learn your sword skills from?"


    "Uncle Ernest, I am always honest with you. I learned them from the strange old gentleman in that little vige." Anfey smiled rather wryly.


    "And you forgot about where your hometown was?"


    "I really can¡¯t remember. If I could, I would try everything to get back there." Anfey shook his head, "My mom is still there... I really miss her. As I get older, I feel more and more that it is very useful to master these sword skills, and it is the best choice for me to continue learning."


    "Your true sword skills must be even better than what you showed me in the morning, right?"


    "A bit better, but I don¡¯t know how to fight withbat power."


    "I know. There is no way you could hide yourbat power from me if you had any." Ernest smiled. "If you want to learn, I can teach you. But remember, even though there are quite a few people who practice both magic and the sword, no one has been able to break through and master both at the same time. One has limited time and energy, and it is too difficult to focus on both skills. Even a genius who practices both just turns out to be an average fighter."


    "I want to give it a try!" Anfey insisted.


    "Young man, you¡¯re quite confident, huh?" Ernestughed, but then he switched the topic. "Anfey, about the magic crystal, do you n to keep it from Saul?"


    "I need to find the opportune time."


    "Well then."


    "Uncle Ernest, I have to go back now. They will find me soon. Trouble ising."


    "Sure. I will stick to the n." Ernest nodded.


    Anfey let out a sigh of relief; he¡¯d been betting on Ernest¡¯s trust. Anfey took multiple factors into consideration. First, when he interrupted Saul, he noticed that the way Saul looked at him changed. Anfey didn¡¯t regret what he¡¯d said, as he wanted to repay Saul for everything Saul had done for him. But if Saul started suspecting him, things might get out of control. Thus, Anfey had to reveal himself to Ernest ahead of time in order to gain Ernest¡¯s help.


    Second, for Anfey¡¯s own sake, he also needed someone who understood him. He could not practice without help. Anfey needed a safe and quiet ce for his training, which he couldn¡¯t secure in Saul¡¯s home. There was no such ce in the Magic Academy either. Obviously, he couldn¡¯t leave Saul altogether. Therefore, Ernest was the best candidate for being able to freely take Anfey away from Saul¡¯s home for any reason.


    Of course, Anfey would not confess everything to Ernest, regardless of how reliable he was. Anfey was well aware of what he could and could not say, and what he should and should not do. He knew he could share some of his secrets, but that was it!


    After a while, the door was pushed open and Saul brought some students into Anfey¡¯s room. "What¡¯s the matter, master?" Anfey sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes.


    "Take it easy." Saul smiled softly at Anfey and turned towards a thin student who seemed to be very excited. "Maris, are you sure this is the room?" Saul asked.


    "Yes, I¡¯m sure of it! I noticed Anfey sneaking into this room when I was walking downstairs. I didn¡¯t think too much until I got to theb, but then Melinda told me the Chasm Dragon Crystal was missing. Anfey is the suspect!" Maris got more and more emotional. "Master, why didn¡¯t anything bad happen before Anfey came here? It¡¯s only been several days since Anfey came here, and this crime urred?"


    "Are you sure it¡¯s him?"


    "Yes, I am absolutely sure!"


    "Ok, you guys carefully search this room," Saul ordered coldly. But when he looked at Anfey, Saul suddenly became soft and gentle. He winked at Anfey.


    "This can¡¯t be right. Saul should have been outraged at me, but now he is winking at me? Why? There must be something going on," Anfey thought.


    Maris got the go-ahead from Saul and went straight to Anfey to start his investigation. He hummed at Anfey, bent down and looked under the bed, and went on to flip open Anfey¡¯sforter. Anfey rolled his eyes, "Such an idiot! How dumb do you have to be? Setting someone up is an art, not anybody can be good at it. How about you act a little more real? Come on, what is this? Going straight for my bed? Why did I even waste my time and energy on this fool? Even if I did nothing and just let them manage to find the crystal right here, I could still persuade Saul that I was innocent!"


    Maris examined the entire room without any luck, and could not help but nce back at Anfey. He then pretended to move on to some other spots in the room. Other students also joined the search. However, they were much more respectfulpared to Maris. They avoided leaving anything in disarray, putting everything back where it belonged once they had checked it out. Maris, on the other hand, was making a mess. What¡¯s even more ridiculous was that he came back to the bed and searched under theforter three times. Anfey was so annoyed that he got off the bed and watched all of this while sitting at a round table.


    Saul nced at Maris several times. Every time he looked at Maris, the look on his face grew colder.


    "You can¡¯t find it?" Saul asked icily.


    Maris stepped forward, grabbed Anfey¡¯s cor, and started yelling at him. "You¡¯re such a bastard! Where did you hide the magic crystal?"


    "Watch your manners!" Anfey caught Maris¡¯ hand and pushed it down. "I¡¯ve never seen such a magic crystal," Anfey argued as Maris fell backwards in pain.


    "It must be you that..."


    "Maris, since you are wrong, you have to apologize to Anfey!" Saul ordered.


    Maris hesitated and struggled. Finally, he lowered his head and said, "Sorry."


    "Madelyn, didn¡¯t you say that Anfey went to theb before?"


    "Yeah, eh, yes."


    Saul¡¯s words made Madelyn nervous, as well as Anfey. It seemed that Saul was talking to him too.


    "Who else went to theb other than Anfey?"


    "No one else, Master."


    "Who knew that such a weird situation could happen in my house!" Saul suddenly started to smile. "Well, it seems to me that it is necessary to search every corner of this house!"


    Everyone, including Anfey, kept their silence.


    "Anfey, please go ahead and get some rest," Saul said considerately, as he exited Anfey¡¯s room. The other students followed Saul out. Maris stared at Anfey ferociously for a second but had no other choice than to leave as well.


    Rest? How could Anfey go back to resting without figuring out what on earth was going on here? He grabbed his magic robe and stepped out from his room.

 Chapter 24: An Awkward Outcome

    Chapter 24: An Awkward Oue


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Outside of his room, Anfey saw Ernestzilyying against the door with his arms crossed, watching Saul and his crew walk upstairs. Anfey hurried over to Ernest , "Uncle Ernest, from the look on Professor¡¯s face, something must be going on."


    Ernest nced at Anfey andughed. "It¡¯s not me. You have no one but yourself to me."


    "me myself?"


    "Yes." Ernest nodded. "You must have assumed that Saul would use his telepathy to look for the crystal, that¡¯s why you asked me to hide it, right? "


    "Yes, was there a problem with that?"


    "Not only a problem, but a big problem." Ernest smiled. "Your understanding of magic is too shallow. Saul¡¯s magic array did not start, which meant the Chasm Dragon Crystal had not left this house. But if he couldn¡¯t find it with his telepathy, guess what? That meant someone hid the Chasm Dragon Crystal intentionally! If anyone had the ability to hide anything from Saul in his house, it would be me. Therefore, as soon as Saul found out the crystal was lost, he approached me."


    Anfey¡¯s face froze up. He was so upset that he hit his forehead with his hands. He was not acting this time¡ªit really was how he felt after Ernest¡¯s exnation. Anfey suddenly realized the n he had thought to be cunning had turned out to be a joke. What happened to him? Was it because he lived alone on an ind for so long that he lost his intelligence? How could he overlook such a huge blind spot! Not long ago, he hadughed at Maris¡¯ stupidity. Well, he wasn¡¯t that much smarter than Maris after all.


    Realistically, it was not all Anfey¡¯s fault. A painter needed to deeply understand the colors before he could turn them into art, and a tactician needed to be fully aware of the pros and cons of the different branches of his army before he could win a battle. Ernest was right about Anfey. He didn¡¯t understand magic well enough to correctly predict Saul¡¯s reactions. This result was not surprising.


    Anfey would probably not have made such a mistake if he was in a world where he hadprehensive knowledge of everything. Many things that no one else would even pay attention to, such as a circuit breaker, a tea cup, an iron wire, even a toothpick, could be turned into a fatal weapon by Anfey. However, this world was still too foreign to him.


    "Uncle Ernest, did you tell the professor about me?" Anfey asked Ernest with a bitter smile. He chose Ernest over Saul because Ernest was a straightforward person, while he had some reservations about Saul.


    "No, it¡¯s your problem. You should tell Saul the truth yourself," Ernest responded mildly.


    "So... what did you tell him?" Anfey asked with a sigh of relief. He still wanted to be fully informed of what Ernest spoke to Saul about. It was necessary to know, otherwise his lies could give him away.


    "I said you discovered that someone secretly left the magic crystal in your room. You handed it to me and asked me about it. I discussed your n with Saul as well, but I told him it was my idea."


    "Uh..." Anfey sighed. He didn¡¯t have much confidence that Saul would believe it was Ernest¡¯s idea. Ernest was a blunt person and would not normally be able toe up with such a scheme. "Let¡¯s y it by ear," Anfey thought. "Worst case, I can just leave the Maho Empire if things don¡¯t work out."


    "Yes?" Ernest was confused.


    "Nothing." Anfey shook his head. "Let¡¯s find out what Saul will do first," he thought.


    It did not take long before loud noises and the sound of crying reached them. Anfey and Ernest exchanged a look, and they moved upstairs together.


    In a room on the fourth floor, Saul was ying with the Chasm Dragon Crystal in his hands. He sneered at Maris while Maris and Melinda argued back and forth. One was saying the other one had asked him to steal the magic crystal and leave it in Anfey¡¯s room to set Anfey up, while the other one quarreled that it was all the other person¡¯s idea. They med each other and tried to defend themselves.


    Anfey could not tell who started this argument. The quarrel would have turned into a fight if Saul was not there. They looked at each other with hatred, like they wanted to suck each other¡¯s blood and eat each other¡¯s flesh.


    Anfey looked at the Chasm Dragon Crystal in Saul¡¯s hand. He could not help getting worried. Ernest said the magic crystal was returned to Saul. "Obviously, Saul set them up... I never thought the usually kind Saul would do things like this," Anfey marveled. Had Maris and Melinda stayed calm and pretended to know nothing after seeing the crystal in front of them, Saul might have suspected that there were proper exnations for what had happened. However, they lost their calm at the sight of the magic crystal. They thought Anfey already knew their n and snuck the magic crystal back into their room. To save themselves, they were quick to sell out their partner. What they did not know was they had lost theirst chance by doing so.


    "Still no answer?" Saul asked coldly.


    "Professor, it¡¯s all his idea. I am innocent! Maris did not see eye to eye with Anfey and wanted to teach him a lesson. He even asked Miss Niya to make some trouble for Anfey yesterday! Professor, you can check with Miss Niya!" Melinda yelled. She threw out another bomb for Maris.


    "Professor, don¡¯t listen to him. She asked me to get Miss Niya involved. It was all her. Bastard! Son of a bitch!" Maris cried out.


    Niya had woken up a long time ago. When she heard their argument, she got so mad that her teeth clenched. She looked back and forth at Maris and Melinda, wishing to beat them up right now to let out some of her anger. Miss Niya was so arrogant that she had been thinking of herself as a very smart person. She didn¡¯t realize she had been used until now. How could she not be mad about it? Yesterday, she had stopped suspecting Anfey after Ernest offered to be his witness. She still disliked Anfey, however, because Ernest had lost his fondness for her as a result. Her hope to learn sword skills from Ernest was shattered. But now... it turned out to all be her fault. Niya didn¡¯t dare to look at Anfey. She was ashamed to do so.


    "Did Niya bother you?" Saul nced over Anfey, seeming to me Anfey for not bringing it up.


    Anfey looked down. He was not sure how Saul felt about him. If Saul had already sensed something, it would be too risky to y dumb, as it would very likely cause Saul to dislike him. Better to just let it go.


    Just then, Saul and Ernest both frowned. Anfey also subsequently felt a strongbat power approaching Saul¡¯s house.


    "Be quiet, guests are here," Saul said coldly.


    Maris and Melinda already had a dry mouth after their bickering, so they shut up immediately at Saul¡¯s words. They also saw Anfey, who was supposed to be kicked out by now, standing there indifferently. No one knew how Maris and Melinda felt about it.


    Quiet and fast footsteps were heard downstairs. Soon came Miorich, followed by two men in knight suits. They were confused for a second by the situation, but then smiled. "Sir, Ie here too often to deserve such a prestigious wee."


    "It¡¯ste... Miorich, how can I help you?" Saul asked directly. Being in a bad mood, Saul did not appreciate Miorich¡¯s humor.


    "The king wants to see you now," Miorich put away his smile and said seriously.


    "Huh? Is it ..." Saul nced towards the north.


    "Yes." Miorich nodded.


    "Alright, I will be there, but I need a little time to settle things here."


    "I see. Sir, please excuse me now. I need to take care of a couple errands too." Miorich left without dy. A person in a high position like Miorich was able to control his curiosity very well. It was obvious that something had happened at Saul¡¯s home. It would only bring him trouble if he wanted to invade Saul¡¯s privacy!


    At Miorich¡¯s absence, Saulid his eyes back on Maris and Melinda. "You two have to leave. I am not qualified to be your teacher anymore," Saul said firmly in a cold tone.


    Maris and Melinda¡¯s faces turned pale. If Saul were a little softer to them and allowed them to stay, there would still be hope for them. Being kicked out would end their future. No one would wee any mage, even an archmage, if they were expelled by their teacher. The magic level one could reach was tightly rted to talent, opportunity, andmitment. However, being thrown out by their teacher indicated an unbearable fault in their morality. Going forward, even being a magic apprentice would have a better position than them. Regardless of their low level in magic, magic apprentices were at least trustworthy. Who would trust Maris or Melinda again? They would have no opportunity to study further, not to mention the respect of others. He would be mocked by his peers in the Mage Union! In other words, there was only darkness in their futures from the moment Saul made his decision!


    "Professor..." Melinda said with a trembling voice. He was already an entry-level mage and one of Saul¡¯s two best students. He could not ept this dooming fate.


    "Get out! Get out now!" Saul said without any pity.


    Melinda looked around desperately, hoping someone could help him out and say something nice about him. But who could tolerate what he had done? Disliking Anfey was one thing, and even jealousy could be forgiven, but circumvention was another story entirely. Other students would not want to guess when the same thing would happen to them.


    Melinda received aloof and disdain looks and his heart was sunken. He turned around silently, walked to his bed, and started to pack up.


    Howe did it end like this? Anfey felt awkward. He could sense the hatred from Maris and Melinda, especially from the look as Melinda left. It was full of malice and spite. Anfey¡¯s personality would not normally allow Melinda and Maris to leave here alive. He heard one of them was a high-level mage, and the other one was an entry-level mage, such a great way to make enemies for himself! In the field of kung fu, students¡¯ martial capabilities would be destroyed if they were kicked out. Wouldn¡¯t Saul wipe out Melinda and Maris¡¯ magic capabilities? He would feel a lot better if they became ordinary people.


    Unfortunately, Anfey did not dare to take any action, not even to talk Saul, let alone execute his n of killing Melinda and Maris. He would do nothing before he could figure out how Saul saw him.


    "Anfey, were you frightened?" Saul looked at Anfey.


    Anfey looked down again. He did not dare to say anything. Was Saul testing him?


    "It¡¯s ok. Don¡¯t act like a little kid. This is a gift for you." Saul opened his hand. There was a sparkling ring in his hand.


    Saul¡¯s students gasped. Even Niya opened her eyes wide. Anyone with basic knowledge of magic could tell it was a supreme-level dimensional ring!


    "Thank you, Professor." Anfey took the ring calmly. He was the only person who did not know how precious the ring was.


    "I have taught you how to use the dimensional rings. You need to practice more. Ask Uncle Ernest if you have any questions." Saul smiled.

 Chapter 25: The Heavy Ring

    Chapter 25: The Heavy Ring


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey leaned against a tree trunk with a book in his hand, appearing to be at ease. He was feeling exceptionally good. Saul had arrived at the pce to meet the emperor of Maho, Ynthe. He had quickly returned and left a few words for Ernest, and then he left again without seeing Anfey.


    The next morning at dawn, arge group of people left the Maho Empire¡¯s Sacred City, including Archmage Saul and Prince Granden. The two men lead a third of the court mages towards the northern front.


    The Alisen Empire was menacing, as they frequently ced their army by the border, increasing tension. When the other major power in the Alisen military, the Dark Moon Magic Legion, appeared, the bnce was shattered, and Ynthe was forced to react. He sent his mages out first, led by Archmage Saul, to gain an advantage over the Alisen mages.


    Who was the happiest about this? Anfey, of course. Saul had left, and it was unlikely he would return anytime soon. He was at the center of the conflict, and he couldn¡¯t afford to leave the front line. The Dark Moon Magic Legion had the famous Fire Mage Newyoheim. Even with Saul there, Maho was still on the weaker side; should Saul leave, he would be abandoning hundreds of thousands of soldiers to their deaths.


    Anfey knew that a war between two equally powerful empires would take a long time. There would be standoffs, skirmishes, and melees, ending in full-scale battles. This was the usual routine of war. No one would sit down at a poker table just to use all of their trump cards in the first round. Maho wouldn¡¯t, nor would Alisen. Anfey could tell there were something off from Ernest¡¯s actions. He didn¡¯t leave with Saul despite his hatred for Alisen, instead staying to take care of Anfey. He was always practicing with his sword, asking Anfey about his strange ways with the sword. Anfey knew he was waiting for the finale.


    Of course, the least happy person was Niya. She had tried gathering her friends to form a small squadron to follow Granden to the frontline, but was rejected. She had gone to Saul but hadn¡¯t received any favorable news. After that, she was isted by her friends. As the daughter of an archmage, all of her friends were children of nobility as well, and no one wanted to see their children go to war. Some kids were locked in their homes, while others were sent back to their fiefdoms. In the end, Niya had lost most of her friends, and her unhappiness was evident even when she went out on her walks. On top of that, she had to face Anfey every day at home. Although Anfey had never med her for anything, she felt too embarrassed to face him. She was in obvious pain.


    Anfey closed his book, and with a flip of his hand the book disappeared. It had only been a few days, but he had already mastered the usage of dimensional rings.


    As the saying goes, hard work could make up for inadequacies. However, hard work could only take one so far, and couldn¡¯t turn inadequacies into advantages. A hard working genius was way out of the league of someone who simply worked hard.


    Anfey couldn¡¯t say he was a genius, but he was a brilliant man. More importantly, he was a hard worker. As an apprentice, he only spent two days to master the art of using a dimensional ring.


    He stretched out his left hand, and another book appeared out of thin air. This was how he learned. Whenever he encountered something he could not understand, he switched to a new book, hoping to find something that could help him understand the other book.


    "I knew you would be here." A young woman with long, hazel hair walked into the forest.


    "Doris," Anfey said, smiling. "Why aren¡¯t you in ss?" Doris was the young woman that helped him picked out the books in the library. They¡¯d met a few times, and had gotten to know each other better. They weren¡¯t exactly friends yet, but every time they saw each other they would strike up a conversation.


    "I¡¯m about to have an exam," she said. "I thought I would take a walk to distract myself a bit." Leaning against the tree, Doris said, "I really shouldn¡¯t have shown you this ce. This was mynd, but now you¡¯ve taken it."


    "Let¡¯s split it," Anfey said, drawing a groove in the ground with a branch. "This half is mine, that half is yours."


    "Man," Doris said,ughing. "You¡¯re really something."


    "Thank you."


    "Why don¡¯t you go to the pce and tell our emperor ¡®this half is mine, that half is yours¡¯?"


    "You sure I¡¯lle back alive?"


    "Who knows?" Doris smiled. "You softie. Taking mynd without remorse."


    "Hey, hey, who bullied you? You¡¯re a mid-level mage, and I¡¯m just an apprentice."


    Upon hearing "mid-level mage," Doris¡¯ smile disappeared. She rested her face in her hands and stared into the distance.


    "The uing exam must be stressful," Anfey said.


    "Of course it is," Doris replied. "My entire life is on the line here."


    "You wanna talk about it?"


    "No, it¡¯s ok. You wouldn¡¯t understand." Doris shook her head.


    Anfey didn¡¯t say anything more. He wasn¡¯t that familiar with Doris; if he pressed on, he would only make the situation more awkward.


    "When can I be as carefree as you?" Doris sighed and asked.


    "Me? Carefree?" Anfey asked, almostughing. He was merely good at hiding his own emotions and stress. Ever since arriving in this world, he had been building his knowledge and power. He was far from carefree.


    "Yes, you."


    Anfey didn¡¯t say anything else. He put the book back into his ring, straightened himself, and was nning to ask where Doris got the idea that he was carefree.


    "That¡¯s your ring?" Doris asked, stunned, having noticed his ring for the first time.


    "Yes, why?"


    "Didn¡¯t you say... you¡¯re just Headmaster Steger¡¯s servant?"


    "I am, why?" Anfey asked, confused.


    "Steger¡¯s ring might not be as good as yours," Doris said, frowning. "Tell me, who are you?"


    "What?" Anfey stared at the ring absently. "I really am just his servant."


    "You¡¯re still lying," Doris said, angered.


    "I¡¯m Archmage Saul¡¯s apprentice," Anfey said. This information was already widespread in the school, so Doris would find out sooner orter.


    "Saul? Archmage Saul?" Doris gasped.


    "Yes."


    "Then... are you Headmaster Steger¡¯s servant?"


    "Because I was supposed to study here, but I¡¯m just an apprentice. If I really became a student I could unnecessarily hurt Archmage Saul¡¯s reputation, so I¡¯m just studying with Headmaster Steger for now. I¡¯ll start studying magic in the academy after I be a real mage."


    "Interesting," Doris said, her eyes filled with envy. "You¡¯re lucky!"


    Anfey grinned but didn¡¯t say anything.


    "Even so, you should not show off so much," Doris suddenly said.


    "I didn¡¯t."


    "Don¡¯t you understand how valuable that is?" Doris asked, agitated. She held out her hand. "This is mine. You know how many things mine can hold? It can only hold up to five books that size."


    "Five?" Anfey frowned. "That few?"


    "Few? This cost me five years of my savings. Go around the school, at least a third of the students don¡¯t even have rings."


    Anfey lowered his gaze and looked at the ring, feeling it grow heavy on his finger. Even the ring Saul bought for him at Tumen was ten times better than Doris¡¯, so how much did this one cost? How much trouble did Saul go through to acquire this?


    "They know you¡¯re Archmage Saul¡¯s apprentice, and they won¡¯t do much to you, but there are people who don¡¯t know. Seeing an apprentice like you wearing a ring like that, what would they do? You¡¯re looking for trouble."


    Anfey nodded. He knew what Doris meant when she pointed out how expensive his ring was. Sometimes things would be this interesting. Saul wouldn¡¯t brag about how much his gifts were worth, as he didn¡¯t like that. Ernest thought Saul was right, and Ernest had forgotten to warn Anfey. The other students were too busy being jealous, so no one told him. So there Anfey was, walking around with a gift some people could never afford. The authors of the books would never brag about how much their rings would hold, either. Anfey had thought that the rings were like cellphones in this world. He thought that, even though some people had better models, everyone had one.


    "There, for you," Anfey found the ring he got in Tumen and handed it to Doris.


    "I can¡¯t have this."


    "Take it," Anfey said. "For some reason this one stopped working after I got the new one. There¡¯s no use keeping it."


    "Of course," Doris scolded. "You can only use one ring at a time. If you could use multiple rings at the same time, your ring wouldn¡¯t be so precious."


    "Good. Take it."


    "No," Doris said, her face suddenly became serious. "Anfey, if you still want to be my friend, don¡¯t make me take this."


    "Alright," Anfey said, shaking his head. He could tell Doris genuinely didn¡¯t want to take the ring. Maybe it was Doris¡¯ personal moral code, maybe it was not, but either way he didn¡¯t want to put Doris in a bad ce.

 Chapter 26: Disappointment and Protection

    Chapter 26: Disappointment and Protection


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "General Miorich, is my father inside?" A handsome young man stepped out of the transport portal. Next to him was another man, just as young and handsome. Judging by his robes, he was already a high-level mage.


    "My lord, His Grace is already waiting for you." Miorich dipped his head. "And this is...?"


    "This is my friend, Brufit."


    "Ah, the friend you¡¯ve mentioned in your letter. The one that saved your life."


    "Yes."


    Miorich hesitated, then moved out of the way, "this way, my lord."


    The oldest prince of the Maho Empire, Wester, smiled, nodded, and walked into the great hall. Miorich followed the two silently. He was the leader of the King¡¯s Guards and had to be on guard at all times. The prince was not an object of concern, but the young man Brufit was. They had only met once, and Miorich did not know who he really was.


    The emperor of Maho, Ynthe, appeared to be a young man. If it wasn¡¯t for the wrinkles around his eyes and his slightly bloated physique, he could have passed for a thirty year old. Seeing Wester, he dropped his scepter and hurried over with his arms wide open, "Son! It¡¯s good to see you back here. I heard you ran into some trouble on the road?"


    "Father." Wester hurried over and embraced his father. "It was because of my carelessness. I apologize for the trouble."


    "You saved my son?" Ynthe¡¯s gaze turned to Brufit. "Tell me your name, child. You saved the hope of the empire, and I will repay you for your kind act."


    "You¡¯re too kind, Your Grace," Brufit said. "Anyone with honor would not have stood idly by. It is my honor to help a prince."


    "Well said." Yntheughed as he sat down on the throne. "Honor lives. Wester, you¡¯ve taken care of your business?"


    "No, Father. I heard Alisen Empire¡¯s Dark Moon Legion arrived at the front line, and we were facing immense threats. I was worried and thought my business could wait."


    "Really?" Ynthe looked around. This kind of confidential military information could not be kept secret forever, but Wester shouldn¡¯t have known about it so fast. The only exnation was that there was someone who had leaked information. After twenty years on the throne, there was no way Ynthe didn¡¯t understand this. Wester had already began gathering his own informants.


    "Father, I only have one request," Wester said, kneeling down in front of Ynthe.


    "Speak," Ynthe said, looking at his son, smiling.


    "Our empire is facing an incredible threat. As the eldest son, I cannot sit idly by! Father, I request to go to the front line immediately, so that I may help Granden with the threats from the Alisen Empire."


    Ynthe didn¡¯t say anything. Wester was his oldest son, and he had watched Wester grow up. Wester had just started on his road to power, and his ns couldn¡¯t evade Ynthe¡¯s eyes. Wester imed that he wanted to help Granden, but he really wanted to limit Granden¡¯s power.


    His request was impressive, but Ynthe could not agree. Granden was a supervisor. With two supervisors, the front line would be filled with quarrels and infighting.


    To Ynthe, Wester was amazing. He was smart, cunning, and knew how to talk his way into things. He was Ynthe¡¯s oldest legitimate son as well, and for the longest time Ynthe had ns for Wester to take over the throne once he died. However, he was concerned about Wester¡¯s ambition. He could not endure his brothers being better than him in any field. When they were, he had to prove he was better.


    Even before Alisen sent the Dark Moon Legion, Ynthe had already detected Alisen¡¯s intention ofunching a full-scale war. So he sent out Wester to meet someone. Ynthe knew Wester had never experienced a truly harsh situation, and he was worried Wester would make mistakes, so he had told his entire n to the man Wester was going to meet. Ynthe told him to strike a marriage between Wester and the Shansa Empire. This would relieve tension and draw the army from the eastern front to face Alisen Empire.


    He never thought that Wester would turn back halfway, overturning his entire n. After the message, Ynthe was disappointed, to say the least.


    As a father, Ynthe was amazing. He didn¡¯t show how upset he was in his expression and instead had tried to lighten the mood, so that he wouldn¡¯t hurt Wester¡¯s pride. But for a king to protect his child so much, was he choosing to do the right thing?


    "Father," seeing that Ynthe had remained silent, Wester urged him on.


    Ynthe sighed, ripping off a piece of bamboo from a curtain nearby and tossing it to Wester. "Break it."


    Wester blinked but did as he was told.


    Ynthe asked a maid to roll the curtain together and tossed it to Wester again. "Break it."


    "Father," Wester frowned. "This is impossible."


    "Why?"


    "Because it¡¯s too thick!"


    "You¡¯re wrong," Ynthe said. "It is because they are united. I cannotpare to Baidah or Miorich in terms of military tactics. I cannotpare to Saul in magic, or to Scotty in knowledge. And yet, I am the emperor. Do you know why?"


    Wester stared at his father, speechless.


    "Compare to the powerful and the skilled, I am the weakest," Ynthe said, pacing to the curtain and breaking off a piece of bamboo. "You can break me, just like this."


    "Father.."


    "But," Ynthe said, unfolding the curtain. He ced the piece of bamboo inside and bundled it together. "Who can break me now?"


    Wester looked at the curtain, then back to his father, and sank into deep thought.


    "As a king, you must learn how to unite and ept. ept forgivable mistakes and unite all that you can. That is the only way to be the most powerful man." Ynthe didn¡¯t want to give up on Wester, and wanted to help him understand the situation with his words.


    "When Baery became a top-tier swordmaster, I left my scepter and my good clothes behind, and we drank ourselves unconscious in the tavern. When Miorich became a gold knight, I..."


    "Your Grace!" Miorich interrupted, fluttered. They obviously did something embarrassing.


    "What are you scared of?" Ynthe grinned.


    Miorich looked away, still blushing, and did not make any eye contact.


    Ynthe¡¯s eyes turned to Wester, "Child, do not be envious of your subjects¡¯ sess. Do not strip them of their glories. Otherwise," his voice turned sharp, his scepter turning to his son. "Otherwise, you have no right to sit on that throne."


    Wester stared but didn¡¯t say anything.


    "Granden has always liked the military, and he is stronger in that field than you and I. Let him worry about the war. Do not interrupt him." Ynthe rubbed his temples. "Once the war broke out, my work increased. I¡¯m old now. Stay, help me."


    "I understand," Wester whispered.


    Ynthe waved his hand. Wester stepped out of the hall, wiping his brows. In his memories, his father was always kind and loving, but today his words were so pointed that Wester didn¡¯t know how to deal with it.


    "My lord, are we still going to the frontline?" Brufit asked.


    "What do you think?"


    "Then petition..."


    "Stop that. Stop all of that," Wester growled. "I can feel it. Father is angry with me. I can¡¯t be too careless right now."


    "I understand." Brufit nodded.


    The two stepped into a portal and activated it. Wester, standing in the front, couldn¡¯t see it, but Brufit¡¯s left pinky suddenly became a fragment of a bone. A drop of ck liquid fell silently onto the portal and disappeared. When they emerged from the portal, his finger had returned to normal.


    "My lord, where are we going?"


    "To my mother. My father always listens to my mother. She will talk some sense into him."


    "Ah," Brufit said. "My lord is wise."


    "From what I can tell... Father always liked me. If I had known about this, I wouldn¡¯t have returned."


    "My lord, these small problems will surely be resolved soon by your brilliance."


    "Hopefully." Wester sighed.


    On the other side of the portal, a grey shadow abruptly appeared. It stared at the portal and, finally, sighed.

 Chapter 27: A Time of Peace

    Chapter 27: A Time of Peace


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Be careful!" Christian called urgently.


    Before he could finish, though, Anfey was already falling more than twenty feet to the ground. Christian hurried over, conjuring a levitation spell to try and save his falling colleague. However, he was only a novice mage, and could not conjure such aplicated spell in such a short time. Before he could finish casting the spell, Anfey had already hit the ground. Christian was scared speechless, but he soon saw Anfey¡¯s body fold into a ball. After a few rolls on the ground, Anfey stood up, smiling.


    "You... Are you alright?" Christian asked, unable to believe what he had just seen. For a normal mage apprentice, levitation spells were the hardest to master. For other spells, one only had to worry about losing control of their magic. However, a badly done levitation spell could result in lifelong disability or worse.


    "I¡¯m alright," Anfey said as he stood up, dusting himself off.


    "You¡¯re too stubborn," Christianined. "You¡¯re just an apprentice, you shouldn¡¯t be doing any intermediate magic. I¡¯m so tired of trying to lecture you, but you still won¡¯t listen."


    Lately, the rtionship between Anfey and Saul¡¯s other students had been improving significantly. They had been hostile towards him because of Maris and Melinda, but people tended to pity the weak. Maris and Melinda¡¯s actions were repulsive, and their fellow students had preferred Anfey from the beginning. Most importantly, every time Anfey met someone, his first move was to smile and greet them, and he spoke ever so politely. His attitude had helped him make several friends; very few still held their initial grudges against him.


    Out of everyone, Christian was the closest to Anfey. This was very closely tied to how Anfey treated everyone around him. Every time he saw that Christian wasn¡¯t doing anything, he would always appear and sincerely ask Christian about magic. When Christian was busy, Anfey would never bother him.


    "Actually... I was close to seeding. It was my first time, and I was nervous. I can probably get it after a few more tries."


    "Never mind," Christian said. He was terrified. Should anything happen to Anfey, he, as the person who had taught him the levitating spell, would be severely punished by Saul. "Anfey, it¡¯s magic, you have to take it one step at a time. You can¡¯t push it. This time you simply lost control, but who knows what will happen next time?"


    "I understand." Anfey nodded, smiling.


    "You!" Christian sighed. He couldn¡¯t find any problems with Anfey¡¯s attitude, but he had a feeling that Anfey would be practicing in secret anyway, no matter what he said.


    "Anfey!" Niya said.


    "Here," Anfey replied.


    Niya walked over, smiling, and extending her right hand. "There you go," she said.


    Anfey epted his dimensional ring, now looking very differently than before. The extravagance had disappeared; it was now an ordinary looking silver ring.


    "I used the power of a magic-concealing crystal to disguise the surge of the ring and covered it with tinum. No one can tell," Niya said, smiling. "Anfey, you¡¯re such a coward. Are you scared of people stealing it?"


    "Mydy, Anfey¡¯s right. He¡¯s just an apprentice, wearing such a ring would attract unnecessary attention."


    "Thank you, mydy," Anfey said sincerely.


    "No problem," Niya said. "Tell me if you need anything." Niya might have seemed rude and uncaring at first, but she was still kind in the end. She felt sorry for Anfey, so when Anfey had asked her for help, she agreed immediately. Whether it was finding a magic-concealing crystal or looking for an alchemist, neither was something a normal mage would be able to aplish. But in the end, Niya was the daughter of the greatest archmage. She went to the pce and talked to the emperor himself. She then found the best alchemist in the empire, Monf, andpletely transformed the ring.


    Anfey smiled but didn¡¯t say any more.


    "Christian, say, what do you think about Anfey¡¯s potential?" Niya asked. "How long do you think it will take him to be a mage?"


    "Anfey is very hard-working," Christian said truthfully. "If he can be patient, half a year at most." His words were not just a reply to Niya, but also a hint to Anfey that he should be more patient and move forward one solid step at a time.


    "Anfey, hang in there," Niya said, waving her fist.


    "Of course."


    "All right," she said. "I won¡¯t bother you two anymore." She turned and left. She was going to ask Ernest for instructions in sword arts. If Ernest heard about her helping Anfey, maybe he would change his mind about her and teach her what she needed.


    "Christian, do you have any advice for levitation?"


    "God, let¡¯s not talk about the goddamn levitation spell anymore, alright? Your strongest affinity is fire, so I¡¯ll teach you that first. Inparison, mages tend to be weaker in their physical bodies. So before you start attacking, you have to have a defensive line. Don¡¯t underestimate a Fire Shield. It may be easy to do, but its shield power will increase with your strength. A proper mage¡¯s shield can block a novice swordsman¡¯sbat power."


    "Alright, alright," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    Christian let out a sigh of relief, and exined to Anfey everything he needed to know to conjure a Fire Shield. Then, he said solemnly, "Anfey, I will be in theb, so practice here by yourself. And promise me you won¡¯t try levitation again, alright?"


    "I promise," Anfey said with determination.


    Christian shook his head with a bitter smile. Anfey¡¯s attitude was apudable, but he had the feeling Anfey wouldn¡¯t listen to him.


    Christian was still worried, so he doubled back quietly, checking on Anfey. It was only after seeing that Anfey really was practicing Fire Shield that he left, satisfied.


    For a youth like Christian, his experience was very limited, so his idea of good and evil was very basic as well. When they dislike someone, they would rarely interact with the object of their disapproval. When they ept someone, they would try their best to take care of them and provide help. Maris and Malinda teamed up to frame Anfey, but their n was wed at best and could not withstand the truth. After they were exposed, they had fought each other and tried childishly toy me for the crime on each other. If someone more experienced had helped with their ns, it would have been much less wed.


    Unlike Christian, Maris, and Malinda, Anfey had been an assassin for a long time. He was cunning and patient, and his hands were not clean. Even Saul and Ernest had not uncovered the truth about him, much less youths like Christian.


    "Alright, you can stop pretending," Ernest said, walking out from behind the trees. "I know you¡¯re not interested in Fire Shields."


    "I don¡¯t know why, I¡¯m just particrly interested in levitation," Anfey said, smiling.


    "Maybe it¡¯s because we all like freedom," Ernest said, smiling. "But Christian¡¯s right. You have to be careful. If you lose control as you are now, you will not be able to handle it."


    Ernest, however, was not nervous. He was the one that understood Anfey the best in this world. Anfey wasn¡¯t a hotheaded youth. Every move he made was done after careful consideration. If Anfey wanted to practice levitation, Ernest knew he had a certain degree of control over the spell already.


    "Uncle Ernest, can¡¯t you use yourbat power to levitate?"


    "I cannot," Ernest said. "The master swordsmen from a thousand years ago could shoot themselves right into the sky, but such a usage ofbat power was very depleting, and nowhere as free as that of mages."


    "Then how are you going to fight against mages? They can all use levitation."


    "Mages have magic, and we have our swords andbat power, so we are not terribly disadvantaged," Ernest said. "Mages tend to be weaker in hand-to-handbat. If a warrior approaches, no shield can protect the mage forever."


    Anfey nodded. "I see. And if you fight Master Saul?"


    "Among all the archmages of the Pan Continent, Saul¡¯s power is medium at best. But for master swordsmen and golden knights, he is deadly, because we can never catch him. If I had to choose, I would choose anyone but Saul."


    "Then I must master levitation!"


    "Of course, but don¡¯t overestimate it either. When you try to fool a master swordsman or a golden knight, you¡¯ll realize how childish your idea is," Ernest told him. "Levitation may be quick, but you still cannot be much quicker than a master swordsman¡¯s sword. You¡¯ll be chopped down like a bird. Even a mid-level swordsman can pose a serious threat to you. Unless you be the Dimensional Archmage, you have no reason to be arrogant."


    "I will do my best," Anfey said, smiling bitterly.

 Chapter 28: Change in Secret

    Chapter 28: Change in Secret


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Currently, the situation in the Tumen Commercial Union is very unstable. Among the seventeen mayors, nine of them firmly advocated the original position, while the other eight mayors responded ambiguously, they¡ª"


    "I¡¯m not listening to that! Just say what¡¯s important!" Ynthe said.


    Ynthe was sitting on the throne in the main hall. The strange thing was that there were only two people in the whole main hall; there were no guards or ministers. The one sitting on the throne was Ynthe, and the other was a gray shadow covered in gray smoke.


    "ording to our analysis, their target was Saul. The whole action was chaired by the ck Ghost. But, surprisingly, Saul did not go to see Basdack, so their n failed."


    "Young people nowadays really have the courage to challenge themselves, even wanting to deal with the greatest archmage..." Yntheughed. "I admire their courage."


    "Your Majesty, my people told me that the ck Ghost is very confident. I think that... this self-confidence is not arrogance."


    "Self-confidence? Was Basdack on their side?"


    "We don¡¯t know." The gray figure shook his head.


    "Continue." Ynthe closed his eyes, as if meditating.


    "Saul recruited a young man from an isted ind, named Anfey, to be his apprentice..."


    "Wait! Anfey? I think... this is the second time I have heard that name," Ynthe said. "Yes, our beautiful pearl came to me to ask for a magic-concealing crystal for Anfey!"


    "Yes, Anfey is living in Saul¡¯s home now." The gray figure nodded his head. "Back to Saul, though. Later, he stayed in the Rose House Hotel in Wild Willow City. The ck Ghost was not willing to fail. They first sent people to lure Saul and Ernest away, and then were ready to seize Anfey. They had Ghost Master Layton control Anfey¡¯s soul to trap Saul. Your Majesty, here I want to say that the ck Ghost did not know the middle-aged man was Master Swordsman Ernest, or they would not have risked doing this!"


    "That¡¯s a problem. The ck Ghost should not have made such a foolish mistake!" Ynthe shook his head. "Even if the ck ghost made a mistake, do not forget their master, Magic Fog. This mysterious organization has been secretly developing for hundreds of years. Their forces were veryrge, and even I knew that Master Swordsman Ernest was apanying Saul; they had no reason not to know!"


    "Your Majesty, what do you mean..."


    "I felt like someone wanted to let the ck Ghost die, but... killing Saul was the most important task of the Magic Fog organization, so I¡¯m not sure. Maybe my judgment was wrong?" Ynthe pondered a while. "Well, you may continue."


    "On that night, Saul and Ernest were fooled and led astray. However, in the Rose House Hotel, a strong, mysterious man suddenly appeared and saved Anfey by destroying the ck Ghost¡¯s n, eventually killing the ck Ghost.


    "Oh? Interesting..." Ynthe smiled.


    "Your Majesty, there was something even more interesting."


    "Continue."


    "Besides the three people in Saul¡¯s party, there were twenty-one guests in the Rose House Hotel that day: two businessmen with eight bodyguards, a couple that seemed to be having an affair, a small mercenary group of six men, and three prostitutes staying on the third floor as permanent residents. My subordinates tested them and found that the strongest one was only a middle-level swordsman!"


    "Go on!"


    "The owner of the Rose House Hotel had a lower-level title denoting his family¡¯s loyalty. There are a total of thirteen people in his home. The hotel employed four male waiters, all less than 20 years old, and two maids. We did a detailed investigation on all those people, but none could have posed a threat to the ck Ghost!"


    "You mean... that strong, mysterious man fell out of the sky?"


    "No, sir, there was a man present who should not be forgotten!"


    "Who?"


    "Anfey!"


    "Sure enough... Interesting!" Ynthe¡¯s big hand was stroking the huge sapphires, pondering. "Have you investigated Anfey?"


    "We just performed an investigation."


    "What kind of person is he? What do you think?"


    "An idiot, a very naive idiot," the gray figure slowly said. "Based on our observations, Anfey simply cannot be that strong, mysterious man. He only has weak magic fluctuations in his body, which are easily ignored, and he has nobat power. But from all the clues collected from the Rose House Hotel, Anfey should be suspected the most!


    "It seems... we should send someone to test Anfey."


    "Your Majesty, that is not necessary."


    "Oh?"


    "When my group was doing their investigation, we found the Magic Fog group was doing the same. After the ck Ghost was killed, they stopped all actions against Saul, instead focusing their investigation on the ck Ghost¡¯s death. What we have done, they have done too. Anfey attracted their attention as well." The gray figure paused. "The Magic Fog group has sneaked into the sacred city in batches!"


    "What do you think the result will be?"


    "If Anfey was really that strong, mysterious man, the Magic Fog people will not be Anfey¡¯s opponent! Anfey was able to kill the ck Ghost without using anybat power. Once he begins to use that power, he will be unstoppable. With Ernest¡¯s help, Anfey will not lose the battle with the Magic Fog group. Please, your Majesty, please pay attention. Anfey must have a unique way topletely hide his power! If we can master this method, we will have a huge advantage!"


    "You said that Anfey was recruited as Saul¡¯s apprentice on that ind? Before this, where did Anfeye from?"


    "I don¡¯t know. It seems... no one knows."


    "Well, let the Magic Fog test Anfey, and we can wait for the results, but..." Ynthe lowered his voice and said, "No matter what the results are, kill all the Magic Fog people!!"


    "Yes." That gray figure nodded. "Your Majesty, the oldest prince..."


    "There¡¯s no need for you to care, and I have my own thoughts." Ynthe waved his hand.


    "Yes, your Majesty."


    ¡ù ¡ù ¡ù


    Anfey could hide his real self from Saul and Ernest, but, under the empire¡¯s impermeable investigation, some people had already paid attention to him. However, Anfey didn¡¯t know any of this.


    The next morning, Anfey got up, putting on clothes as usual, and knocked on the door to Ernest¡¯s room.


    "Boy, it is still dark. I really doubt you are a magician!" Ernest said while opening the door.


    "Uncle Ernest, can we go running together?" Anfeyughed.


    "Running? Like what you did yesterday?"


    "Yeah, don¡¯t use anybat power. Run the entire course depending on the body¡¯s original strength."


    "The old man in the vige taught you this?"


    "Ah." Anfey nodded.


    Ernest hesitated. Running blindly like a fool? Other people certainly wouldugh at him. He had never seen this method, but it was still dawn, so most of the people in Saul¡¯s home were sleeping. Why not give it a try? Maybe this would be a unique practice for the elderly!


    "Well, wait for me."


    A momentter, Ernest and Anfey were running in the garden trails. Anfey¡¯s movements were natural and coordinated, full of energy, but Ernest constantly looked around, fearing that anyone would see him. His eyes soon fell on Anfey¡¯s feet. He noticed that Anfey¡¯s running pace didn¡¯t change, but sometimes he ran with the toes, and sometimes with the heels. Ernest could not help but learn from Anfey.


    Anfey gradually elerated his speed, Ernest following immediately on his side.


    Ernest did not even use anybat power, since his physical strength was still far above Anfey¡¯s. After a fewps, Anfey was already out of breath, but Ernest seemed like nothing had happened.


    "Uncle Ernest, how did you feel?" Anfey stopped, rxing his shoulders.


    "Pretty good." Ernest imitated Anfey¡¯s movements. "What¡¯s next? Let¡¯s try the swords again."


    "Sure," Anfey answered very readily.


    "Where is your sword?" Ernest was overjoyed.


    "Today I am not using a sword!" Anfey smiled very mysteriously. In fact, he was ready a long time ago.


    "What will you use?" Ernest was surprised.


    "Uncle Ernest, promise me. You will neither usebat power nor cut my weapon with your sword, or you lose!"


    "Good boy, let¡¯s begin and let me see what tricks you have!" Ernest was interested.


    "Be careful not to lose, Uncle Ernest!" Anfey¡¯s hand was touching the other side of the tree.

 Chapter 29: Being Upset

    Chapter 29: Being Upset


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey took out a three-meter-long, white wax stick from behind the tree. He stepped forward and thrust at Ernest without any hesitation. That thrust was called Golden Rooster¡¯s Three Nods. The white stick was shaking so hard and so fast that it created three imaginary shadows.


    Anfey¡¯s ancestors used to practice the spear. Later, in modern times, spears were reced by knives and short swords, with which Anfey¡¯s great-grandpa had developed a new set of thrusting techniques. They did not totally ditch spear techniques that were the origin of his family¡¯s martial arts skills. Instead, they first learned the spear techniques, which made learning other skills much easier.


    Ernest had never seen any martial art like this. He stepped back fast enough to be out of Anfey¡¯s attack range.


    When the momentum of Anfey¡¯sst move stopped, he lifted his left hand and pressed against the white wax stick with his right hand. The pointy stick thrust towards Ernest¡¯s right foot. The stick moved so quickly that it looked like a serpent¡¯s tongue.


    Ernest finally took out his sword and parried the stick with the edge of his sword. Then he immediately stepped forward.


    Anfey pushed the stick down with his left hand and lifted the front of the stick with his right hand, thrusting towards Ernest¡¯s cheek with lightning speed.


    Ernest moved backwards, barely dodging away from Anfey¡¯s strike. He could feel the stick swiping against his cheek. Ernest was astonished.


    Anfey took the upper hand first in the battle. Of course, he would continue to have the upper hand as he attacked more. He moved the stick a little to point at Ernest¡¯s chest and thrust it forward.


    If a sword was considered a gentleman, then a knife would be a knight, and a spear would be the king amongst all weapons. Anfey moved his stick like a "dragon" in an agile and urate way. His attacks were so intense that it looked like a storm and strong wind were centered on Ernest. Anfey did not use one hundred percent of his power to attack Ernest, but Ernest already felt the threat and was forced to step back continuously.


    The longer they fought, the more shocked Ernest felt. The agile movements, abnormally angled and dangerous moves, and the agreement they made that Ernest was not allowed to use anybat power to block Anfey¡¯s weapon forced Ernest to continuously move backwards. Anfey was greatly shocked as well. He had tried to constrain Ernest¡¯s power with an agreement. He thought he would win without a doubt, but he could not hit Ernest with the stick even though he tried his best. At each critical point, Ernest was able to dodge away from his seemingly dangerous strikes or move backwards out of his attacking area. These failures at the verge of sess made Anfey frustrated and upset.


    When Anfey thrust from the left towards the area below Ernest¡¯s ribs, Ernest did not move to the right to dodge but took the risk of "losing the battle" and moved diagonally to the left. Anfey did not have time to think about the reason for Ernest¡¯s move, instead he quickly thrust again towards Ernest¡¯s chest.


    Ernest crouched down, causing the stick to pass over his head and fall into the bushes behind him. Anfey was shocked for a second. The key to striking with a spear was to "thrust." When one strike did not work, the spear should be pulled back or swept sideways. It was a strategy of defense by forcing the opponent to move backwards to defend. Anfey seemed to have lost the ability to continue the fight, since his stick fell into the bushes. He immediately realized that he had fallen into Ernest¡¯s trap and quickly moved backwards.


    Ernest was so experienced in all kinds of battles that he definitely would not let this opportunity go. He ran towards Anfey and thrust his sword towards Anfey¡¯s shoulder.


    Anfey slid to the side, away from Ernest¡¯s sword. He shook both his hands and picked the stick up from the bushes. Before Anfey could get into position to resume fighting, Ernest flicked Anfey¡¯s head with his left hand with just the right amount of force.


    "s..." Anfey was upset and tossed away his stick.


    "Anfey, what weapon was that? Did the old man teach you that?"


    "Yes." Anfey nodded. "This is a spear, Uncle Ernest. How was it?"


    "Very nice!" Ernest said seriously, "Someday, when you have the same level ofbat power as me, I bet very few people will be able to beat you."


    Anfey smiled grimly. Practicing and actually fighting were quite different. He saw what Ernest could do with hisbat power in the Rose House Hotel. Ernest didn¡¯t even use his sword to fight. He had rushed into the battle with merebat power. He had fought in such an uncontrolled manner that stones, walls, and trees were crushed into powder beneath hisbat power.


    Anfey knew himself. If he could not beat Ernest with a white wax stick, he would not even be able to cause damage to Ernest with a long steel spear. Ernest could have easily broken his long spear in half with hisbat power.


    Anfey had been deep in thought until breakfast. He figured that he could easily kill entry-level mages, and maybe some powerful ones with surprise attacks. He would not have any chance to fight back if he met a really powerful mage.


    Ernest signaled everyone not to bother Anfey. Anfey walked out of Saul¡¯s house without any breakfast. He had gained a lot of confidence by posing a threat to Ernest when he got the chance to fight with Ernest for the first time. He thought he could defend himself with his attacking techniques. Even if his opponents had strongbat power, he still would be able to fight against them with his dodging skills. As long as he was able to consistently leave some wounds on his enemies and defend himself well, victory would eventually be his.


    But today¡¯s battle was mind-blowing for Anfey. He realized there was a huge difference between being a threat and attacking his enemies. Besides holding back a little on the speed and power, Anfey had put a hundred percent into that fight but wasn¡¯t even able to touch Ernest at all. With a huge difference in power, techniques became something ridiculous. The reason Ernest focused on techniques was that they were the deciding factors in battle when his rivals had the same level of power.


    After turning into another alley, Anfey saw more people on the street. Saul¡¯s house was located on a street where reclusiveness was not allowed. The street across from the Mage Academy was a public street, open to civilians.


    Sacred City, as the capital, was very prosperous. The stores on both sides of the street were mainly selling magic tools, since the Mage Academy was not far away. Besides the magic stores, there were also some hotels, jewelry stores, entertainment facilities, and luxury stores.


    Anfey felt unexpectedly nervous as he was walking. He stopped for a second, suddenly bing alert. He unintentionally bumped into a little kid, knocking the kid down by ident.


    Anfey hurriedly bent down, smiling andforting the kid. He took out a silver coin from his pocket and put it in the kid¡¯s palm.


    The power of money couldn¡¯t be ignored. That kid may not understand the importance of money, but he knew this silver coin could be exchanged for a lot of good food. He stopped crying, then smiled and stood up.


    Anfey was like a nice older brother, watching the kid walking away with a grin. ncing quickly at the people behind him, Anfey turned around and walked rapidly and nimbly towards the Mage Academy.


    "Hey, Anfey, howe are you sozy today?" A girl¡¯s voice arose from behind him.


    "What do you mean by that?" In fact, Anfey had already seen Doris, but he pretended not to and walked by her. He turned around as she called him.


    "I can usually see you in the woods by the time I get to the Mage Academy, but you came at the same time as me today."


    "Wow... The woods!" the girl next to Doris screamed. "Doris, tell me, tell me, which woods was it?


    "Doris will never tell you! That¡¯s her secret!" Another girl burst intoughter.


    "Stop it." Doris blushed. "This is my friend, Anfey. This is Rhone. This is Jenova. They are my good friends."


    "Hi, Hi." Anfey smiled and nodded at them. His attention was drawn by the crowd behind them.


    "Anfey? You are Anfey?" Rhone screamed in surprise.


    "Is there any other Anfey?" Anfey asked, confused.


    "The apprentice of Archmage Saul, who came to our academy to be a servant. Is that you?"


    "Probably... Yes."


    "We were talking about you a few days ago. Oh, right, Doris. How could you keep this a secret for so long!" Rhone said loudly.


    "You never know, Rhone!" Jenova posed like she knew everything. "Good stuff is always kept to oneself!"


    "You... The two of you..." Doris could not take it anymore and she threw herself at them.


    Unfortunately, Rhone and Jenova were well prepared for her reaction. They ran away immediately. Rhone even turned around, screaming as she ran, "Doris, you do not need go to school today. I will ask the professor for a day off for you. You guys hurry up, otherwise the woods will be taken!"


    "They... They were just joking... Please don¡¯t mind them," Doris said with a red face.


    They felt awkward to be called a couple since they were just friends. Anfey didn¡¯t know what to say. "It¡¯s fine."


    "Then... I am going to ss now," Doris said. If they hadn¡¯t been made fun of, she might have gone to the woods with Anfey. She had learned everything in the Academy, but to be an advanced-level mage she needed to rely on her own understanding. However, she didn¡¯t dare to miss school today; she didn¡¯t want to risk being made fun of by Rhone and Jenova.


    "Hold on," Anfey yelled.


    "What¡¯s up?"


    "Doris, can we find a quiet ce? I need to ask you about something." Anfey thought about levitation magic.


    "Uh..." Doris hesitated for a second and then nodded. "Alright."

 Chapter 30: Waiting

    Chapter 30: Waiting


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Anfey, what is it?" Doris asked beneath her breath, ncing around. There wasn¡¯t really anything between them, but now, after people began joking about it, it was as if there really was something. Doris shifted ufortably.


    "Do you know how to use levitation magic?"


    "Um, not particrly. Why?"


    "Didn¡¯t they say mages can start practicing it at the novice level?"


    "You mean a space wizard," Doris said, grinning. "I¡¯m a water wizard. I can¡¯t practice other element¡¯s magic before I be an actual mage. Why?"


    "You can¡¯t help me then," Anfey said, disappointed.


    "Help you? You¡¯re not saying you want to do levitation, right? You¡¯ve got to be crazy."


    "I¡¯m not," Anfey said, whispering a few spells. His body began rising in the air.


    "Anfey, no!" Doris covered her mouth with her hands, trying not to make a loud noise. An apprentice using high-level magic was unheard of, as they might very well lose control over the magic. If she startled him, something would surely go wrong.


    However, in her panic, Doris did not notice the fact that Anfey¡¯s magic had been used silently.


    Anfey was entirely focused on the control of his magic, despite how seemingly dangerous his wobbling body was. He could feel the surge of his magic, but he could control so little of it. It felt as if he had the entire ocean at hand, but he could only hold a tiny scoop in his hands.


    The longer he stayed in the air, the more magic escaped from him. He began falling from mid-air.


    Doris raised her right hand, and a ribbon of water suddenly appeared from the grassy ground and caught Anfey in the air. He tumbled onto the ground.


    "You¡¯re absolutely out of your mind!" Doris cried angrily. "You¡¯re just an apprentice. Using intermediate level magic will kill you!"


    "I..." Anfey opened his mouth to say something but, in the end, chose not to argue. He wouldn¡¯t get hurt falling from this height. Now that he was drenched in water, he felt his nose itching and knew that a cold would being soon.


    "Do you know how dangerous that was?!" Doris asked pointedly.


    "I said I would be fine!"


    "Those wizards that lost control over their magic said so too! Nonsense!"


    "Alright, alright," Anfey said, defeated. He came from a world where innovation and novelty were apuded, and there were easy ways to solve almost every problem. He wanted to use the least amount of work to achieve the greatest amount of sess. This world had already developed an entire system of magic and its studies, but he didn¡¯t want to follow tradition. He looked up to Doris because he wanted to exchange some of his experience with her. At this time, he was far too juvenile to discuss magic with people like Saul or Steger. Doris was his best choice so far.


    "Anfey, I understand. For someone like you, studying magic in the Academy in secret as a servant is going to be embarrassing. Men, always leaving everything behind your honor. But you¡¯re pushing yourself too much!" Doris eximed. "Last year a student did what you did, and he lost control over his magic. Three years ago, a high level mage used a forbidden spell, ten years ago..."


    "Doris, I understand. I get it," Anfey responded as Doris¡¯s example began tracing back hundreds of years. He had to respond sincerely to stop Doris from going mad.


    "You¡¯re lucky," Doris said conclusively. "If you keep this going, your body may not hold magic anymore."


    Anfey closed his eyes and pretended to meditate, but was interrupted by several sneezes. "I¡¯m fine," he said. If he didn¡¯t do anything, then he would probably be sick by tomorrow.


    "You¡¯re too careless," Doris said. "God, why did Saul ever take you in?"


    "Doris," Anfey said, trying to shift the topic. "Are you freeter? After ss, I mean."


    "What?" Doris looked at him, surprised. Who would ask a girl out so directly? Doris smiled.


    Anfey was direct in learning magic, and it appeared that he was direct with girls too.


    Girls tended to be sensitive, and after a few jokes, Doris began to notice Anfey as well. And now this question... His intentions seemed very clear.


    "I want to ask you a favor."


    "What is it?"


    "I have a letter. Can you go to Master Saul¡¯s ce and hand it to someone called Ernest?"


    "Letter? Ah, alright," Doris said, blushing. She had thought that she didn¡¯t know Anfey well, and was going to turn him down. Now that she realized his intention wasn¡¯t anything romantic, she felt embarrassed and disappointed.


    "You have a pen?"


    "Yes," Doris said, pulling out a quill from her pocket.


    Anfey nced around. He found a book from his ring, opened the book to the blurb section and ripped it out.


    "Hey!" Doris called, but it was toote, and the page was already separated from the book.


    "What?" Anfey looked at her, strangely.


    "You are so careless with public property! Why are you ripping apart the book? Do you know how much effort I had to make to get one when I was an apprentice?" Doris asked angrily.


    "This is not the school¡¯s, but my professor gave it to me."


    "Then it¡¯s even more wrong! You should treasure a gift from your professor forever, not ruin it like this." Doris suddenly felt that Anfey perhaps had a lot of shorings: rushing into things and disregarding property. So as a friend, she felt responsible to help him improve.


    "I¡¯m sorry," Anfey said. "It won¡¯t happen again." He wrote down a few words on the paper and handed it to her. "Don¡¯t forget it."


    "No worries, I have an excellent memory," Doris said, putting the paper in her pocket. "Anything else?"


    "No." Anfey shook his head.


    "Then I¡¯ll be on my way."


    "Go ahead," he said.


    "Alright. Remember to change your clothes, as you¡¯re all wet. Otherwise you¡¯ll get sick."


    "I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m going to find Headmaster Steger in a bit."


    Doris nodded. She began trekking out of the woods before turning back, "Anfey, who did you say I should give the letter to?"


    "Ernest. A man called Ernest."


    "Alright," Doris said. "Ernest? You mean Master Swordsman Ernest?" Ernest¡¯s reputation may not be good, but it was still there. There were very few who did not know his name.


    "Shhh, keep it a secret for me, would you?" Anfey asked, pressing his finger to his lip.


    "Alright," Doris nodded. It was Anfey¡¯s secret, and she wasn¡¯t in a position to ask anything.


    Seeing that Doris had disappeared, Anfey extend his right hand and summoned a small ball of fire. The fire traced along his body as if it had a mind of its own. As it passed, the water evaporated from his clothes. If Saul had seen it, he would be shocked. Even an archmage like him could not control elements as well as this. Anfey had already mastered the way of controlling small amounts of elemental magic.


    After a few seconds, his clothes were mostly dry. He dispersed his magic and sank into his thoughts. Anfey was certain that he was being followed. After a few nces he had already spotted his followers, but Anfey didn¡¯t know why anyone would bother to do such thing.


    Ever since leaving the ind, Anfey thought that he was careful enough to not catch any attention. He had only two enemies, Maris and Melinda. Were they finally deciding to strike out against him? Possible.


    He never thought he would be in trouble, since he hadid low for so long. Of course, things happen because they were bound to happen, not because he wanted or didn¡¯t want them to happen.


    Anfey closed his eyes and began meditating. The Academy was full of powerful mages. As long as he was with a teacher or any mages that were above him, whoever was following him wouldn¡¯t dare to move carelessly. As long as he was in the school, he would be safe.

 Chapter 31: Fruitlessness

    Chapter 31: Fruitlessness


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Anfey!" Christian smiled as he approached.


    "Christian, why are you here?" Anfey raised his head in surprise.


    "Mr. Ernest told me to." Christianughed. "You really aren¡¯t easy to find. It took me a while. Eventually, I ran into a girl called Jenova and found out you were here."


    "What did Uncle Ernest say?" asked Anfey.


    "Mr. Ernest asked me to apany you home. He said he knew." Christian looked at Anfey.


    "Oh, yes, on the way to school today I found Maris following me quietly. Christian, you know that I am just a magic apprentice. If they wanted to hurt me, I would be screwed, so I asked for protection from Uncle Ernest," Anfey justified. He intentionally brought up Maris, or else he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin his concerns.


    "How dare they!" Christian frowned. Since Maris had been driven out of Saul¡¯s home, they were no longer family. Christian would not allow Maris to harm Anfey.


    "They both probably hate me a lot." Anfey shrugged his shoulders.


    "Shameless people are everywhere!" Christian sneered. "They conspired against you first. If they want to frame someone, should that person just do nothing and wait for trouble? I think not! What do they want? Professor only kicked them out of his home, but I think that punishment was too light! If I was Professor, hum..."


    "Oh, I felt very awkward too. Not much you can do." Anfey smiled back wryly.


    "But caution pays dividends. Anfey, do you normallye to the academy after breakfast?" Christian became Saul¡¯s student long ago, so he rarely went to the Mage Academy. There was no wonder that he was not familiar with the school schedule.


    "Yes."


    "I¡¯ll apany you to school starting tomorrow."


    "Thank you, Christian." Anfey grinned.


    "You¡¯re wee! Let¡¯s go. Anything else you need from school?"


    "Nope." Anfey shook his head. They took their time and left the Academy side by side.


    Although the day¡¯s sses had been over for a while now, the nearby street was still quite busy. Anfey and Christian were carrying a quiet conversation while enjoying the night¡¯s view. Anfey appeared to be poised, as he was used to following instead of being followed, but Christian acted a bit nervous. From time to time, he would look over his shoulder, seemingly looking for something.


    "Christian, rx. There are so many people around, they are not going to bother us right now."


    "I know¡ª" Before Christian could finish, they saw a carriage in the distance rushing toward them. The people on the street dashed to the sides to make way for it. Anfey was more alert, but Christian also gathered his magic power and pulled out a scroll with his left hand.


    The curtain in the cart was blown open while the carriage flew by Anfey and Christian. A sharp, hawk-like gazeid on Christian, and then turned into a mild smile.


    Though the carriage passed Anfey in a sh, he saw exactly what happened. He could not help but start observing Christian covertly.


    "Why did hee back?" murmured Christian.


    "Who is he?"


    "Baery."


    "You know him?"


    "I..." Christian had recovered from the shock. He smiled and shook his head. "I do not know him in person, but I know his name. Everyone in Maho Empire heard about Master Swordsman Baery!"


    Anfey chuckled. "I don¡¯t."


    "You... Go to the library and check it out. Books about him will take you days and nights to read!"


    "That famous? Fill me in with a summary, please."


    "He is the vice marshal of the Maho Empire East Corps, and themander of the Death Roar Legion. I couldn¡¯t list all of his meritorious services within a day even if I tried." Christian regretted that he negligently revealed the name of Baery. Baery secretly returned to the Sacred City, apparently a result of a new deployment by the empire. The spread of this news could be very unfavorable to the empire. But since Anfey already knew, Christian could not just blow it off. He needed to find ways to make it up. "Anfey, what I just told you, please keep it to yourself and don¡¯t tell anyone. Anyone! Ok? "


    "You can rest assured that I will keep this secret." Anfey rubbed his nose and concluded the conversation. He felt that Christian and Baery must have a tight rtionship, and that Christian was lying. However, since Christian did not want to talk about it, Anfey needed to not pursue an answer. Especially since he was new in town, even if he wanted to collect information, he would not know whom to go to. Anfey nned to just drift along.


    "Go here." Anfey suddenly pointed to an alley.


    Christian immediately understood Anfey¡¯s idea. Even if Maris had the nerve to do something, he would not dare to publicly take Anfey down in the middle of the Sacred City. Anfey was trying to lure Maris out. Gutsy move!


    Christian followed Anfey into the alley. He turned to Anfey seriously. "You are not afraid of Maris¡¯ assault?"


    "I have you here, why would I be?" Anfey smiled. In fact, the truth was "I have Ernest here, why would I be?"


    "Do not lower your guard," Christian warned Anfey.


    "I don¡¯t want to be too bothered by it. I just want to get it over with. Christian, if Maris really does attack, and there¡¯s a casualty... what should we do?"


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. Maris has be a joke. His deed was well-spread, and even the Mage Union wouldn¡¯t support him anymore." Christian shook his head. "But... Anfey, are you sure it was Maris?"


    "It has to be him."


    "I didn¡¯t feel any magic fluctuations." Christian frowned. "Did you just identally run into Maris?"


    "He followed me along the entire street. It can¡¯t be an ident," Anfey said firmly. "Let¡¯s slow down. They might not have kept up with us."


    Anfey and Christian reduced their speed. But even after they passed the entire alley and waited for a while at the end of the street, nothing happened. They did not sense anyone approaching them either. What a headache! Anfey felt himself being tracked for sure, and those people must be after him for something. The problem was that he had shown himself, yet the enemies were still hiding in the dark. Ernest could protect him for some time, but not every day going forward. If those people really had the patience, then they would find their opportunity soon enough.


    "Anfey, it didn¡¯t seem... there was anything." Christian looked at Anfey.


    "Maybe they didn¡¯t think today was the right time," Anfey muttered. As an assassin, he was used to hiding in the dark. Suddenly bing someone else¡¯s target, Anfey was very unsettled.


    "Anfey, do not worry. I will send you to school and pick you up every day. You have my protection. You will be OK."


    Anfey grimaced. He was not a kindergartener and really didn¡¯t need to be babysat every day. What he needed to do was find ways to solve this problem for good.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go home first," said Christian.


    "OK." Anfey nodded. Go home first, thene up with something.


    In Saul¡¯s dining room, Niya was sitting at the table and talking with the other students. Ernest was not here, as he had not yet returned. Niya was cheerful and was dancing around. She seemed to be very content.


    Anfey and Christian took their seats, as Niya shouted, "Anfey, do not me us for starting without you. It was Christian that told us not to wait."


    "It¡¯s alright." Anfey smiled. "Look how happy you are! What are you chatting about?"


    "Miss Niya was talking about her future." viughed.


    "Future?"


    "Miss Niya said her future Prince Charming would be the most powerful, most handsome man in the the Pan Continent. He will protect her and bring her¡ª"


    "Shut up!" Niya disrupted him.


    Anfey was confused. Hadn¡¯t Niya¡¯s prince already been chosen? The second prince, Granden, wasn¡¯t he? Why was she still daydreaming? "Granden¡ª"


    vi kicked Anfey under the table before Anfey could finish his sentence.


    "I am warning you all! No one will ever mention him again!" Niya¡¯s face turned cold.


    Anfey snickered. Niya¡¯s mentality was still far from being mature. Her so-called "love" was just like a child¡¯s new toy. Anyway, based on her reaction, she must still think very highly of Granden.


    "Miss, Prince Wester is here!" A servant hurried into the dining room.


    "Lead him to the living room and wait for me. I¡¯ll be right down." Niya pushed the te aside quickly and ran to the stairs.


    Christian and the rest of the students looked at each other. To be fair, Niya was blessed with exceptional beauty. Otherwise, she would not be known as the Sacred City Pearl. There were all young men here, and inevitably, they all more or less were fond of her. But the status disparity between Niya and the students, on tops of Niya¡¯s bad temper, made everyone think twice about romance and suppress their inner desires. Reality proved that they were correct. Niya would never pick them for a rtionship. The younger prince had just left, and now came the oldest prince...


    Rate T

 Chapter 32: A Gadget

    Chapter 32: A Gadget


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Anfey, what are you doing?" Ernest walked out of a bush, looking curiously at Anfey.


    Ernest had no idea where Anfey brought a huge pot from. Anfey had built a simple stove with stones. There was a big fire inside the stove and no water in the pot. The pot contained very fine, greyish-white stones, which Anfey was constantly stirring with an iron stick.


    "A gadget." Anfey smiled. "Uncle Ernest, why didn¡¯t I see you yesterday? I went to your room to look for you several times, but you weren¡¯t there."


    "Yesterday you asked that little girl to send me a letter, saying you had some unavoidable trouble which had to be dealt with immediately. I sent Christian to look for you. He could help you if anything happened, and I was following the two of you as well."


    "How about this evening?"


    "I walked around here at night, but didn¡¯t see any suspicious people." Ernest smiled.


    "You didn¡¯t find anything?"


    Ernest shook his head. "Not even a shadow."


    "It might... be me being too cautious, haha." Anfey decided to solve this problem on his own. He should not have involved others.


    "No!" Ernest had a sly smile on his face. "Do you still remember the Rose House Hotel?"


    "Yes, that night was so dangerous!"


    "You told Saul that you felt something was wrong before you went to sleep that night, right?"


    "Huh... yes, that day I felt..."


    "You don¡¯t need to exin anything; I trust you." Ernest smiled. "After I received your letter, I got really nervous. You wouldn¡¯t ask for help from me if you didn¡¯t run into serious trouble."


    Anfey didn¡¯t respond with anything. "Thank you" was not enough to show how much he appreciated it.


    "Anfey, what are you going to do with this?" Ernest looked inside the pot.


    "You will knowter." Anfey gave him a sly smile and poured the powder in the pot into a small iron wok he had prepared.


    "You..." Ernest grinned and shook his head. "Huh? Anfey, why did you pick those flowers?"


    "I like their fragrance."


    Ernest grabbed a handful of withered petals and smelled them. "Fragrance? I cannot smell anything."


    "Uncle Ernest, is there anything wrong with your nose?"


    "Nonsense!" Ernest threw the petals away. "You could have practiced magic with all this time. Why would you act like a little girl, picking flowers everywhere?"


    "These petals are good for your body!" Anfey rolled his eyes.


    "Bullshit. Why don¡¯t you buy some perfume if you like the fragrance?" Ernest stood up slowly. "Move, let me see that... Snake Spear!"


    "Uncle Ernest, I am busy now. Tomorrow, ok?" Anfey smiled grimly. He went to pick up all the petals Ernest had tossed away, putting them on a stone and cing an iron stick on top of them.


    "Making it so mysterious, I think you are already qualified to be an alchemist." Ernest felt helpless and sat down.


    Anfey gave Ernest a big smile but didn¡¯t say a word to him. He continued to focus on his work.


    "Anfey, from now on, I will have someone take you to school. Don¡¯t worry, I will follow you without anyone seeing."


    "Christian already agreed to go with me." Anfey smiled.


    "Ok." Ernest nodded. "Christian is a good kid."


    Anfey did not stop working until breakfast time. He put all the stuff away carefully. Ernest was still quite confused about what Anfey was doing. Ernest tried to test him a few times, but Anfey didn¡¯t tell him anything, so Ernest didn¡¯t bother asking again.


    Christian usually meditated until midnight and woke upte in the morning. He rarely had any breakfast, but he remembered his promise to Anfey and woke up very early this morning.


    Anfey chatted with Ernest in private for a while before leaving the house together with Christian.


    It had been a safe trip so far and they already saw the gate of the Mage Academy in front of them. Anfey was a little disappointed. "Christian, you can go back now. I think I will be fine today."


    "Okay, be careful." Christian nodded.


    Suddenly, there was a quarrel in front of them. A woman with long light-green hair and a graceful figure was arguing with a big man with a long sword hanging on his waist.


    No matter where it was, there was never ack of onlookers. In a second, there was a big crowd around the couple.


    "You b*tch. Will you go with me or not?"


    "Go f*ck yourself. You are trash. Stop bothering me!"


    "Do you f*cking dare to say that again?"


    "I said it. What are you going to do?"


    Their argument was clearly getting intense. Onlookers were chatting andughing quietly. They were either guessing the reasons behind the couple¡¯s fight or talking about the woman¡¯s figure and appearance. Most people held the attitude that the argument was none of their business. At the end, a high-level swordsman with an ugly face walked into the scene, trying to stop their argument.


    Anfey and Christian walked into the crowd. Something happened which moved Christian to the front of the crowd. Before he could stop, Anfey dragged him through half of the circle, ending up in front of a few females students of the Mage Academy. These female students gave them a lot of dirty looks. They were unable to move anywhere else, as the crowd seemed packed, and had to stand on the tips of their toes to watch the couple.


    The couple¡¯s argument was getting hotter and hotter. It was unexpected to see a woman with a nice figure and a beautiful face have such a hot temper. She yelled out a curse and then pulled out her sword, thrusting it backhanded towards the man¡¯s chest.


    The man had a quick reaction as well. He moved sideways and slid diagonally. He avoided the de of the sword and then hit her hard in the back. In other words, he pushed hard on her back.


    The woman failed at stabbing his chest and could not control her body, continuing to rush forward. With the push on her back, her rush was sped up. However, her sword was pointing at Anfey in the crowd, not anyone else.


    Once Anfey was in fighting mode, nothing seemed to be unexpected to him. Assassinating, guarding, tracking, and covering tracks were nothing to Anfey. He was exceptionally experienced with these. In any unusual situation, he would be 120% alert and would not allow himself to miss any details.


    The moment the woman pulled out her sword, Anfey had already grabbed the paper package under his belt with his left hand and tossed his simple-looking wand out with his right hand. What he tossed outter was that paper package. In other people¡¯s eyes, this magic apprentice was panicking in shock. He threw away the wand and the gadget he carried around. They must have thought Anfey was thinking of neither attacking nor defending. He must have acted on instinct.


    The woman did not show any fierceness in her eyes until the sword was two meters away from Anfey¡¯s chest. The man followed next to the woman. The high-level swordsman showed his true colors as well, throwing himself at Anfey from the side. Obviously, this was n A, B, and C. If one missed, the next one would continue the attack. If the second strike failed, then the third one would attack.


    Anfey could finally show off the fireballs he had practiced so long and hard. He swung his hand out, and a fireball rapidly shot towards the paper package. The fireball¡¯s speed was a lot faster than what most magic apprentices could do.


    With a huge noise, the fireball sttered the contents of the paper package. The quicklime inside the paper package formed into a cloud of smog, and all three of them were submerged in this smog.


    Anfey did not randomly switch his position. The girls standing behind him were real students from the Mage Academy. He didn¡¯t have to worry about any attack from behind. Where he stood was upwind, which ensured the quicklime would not blow back to him.


    The couple did not know what Anfey had thrown out andughed inside when they saw his fireball falling before it hit them. They were rushing forward with no idea of what was going to happen to them. Their cries and screams rose in the air. The high-level swordsman behind them was confused when he heard his fellows screaming. He stopped himself and take a few steps back, watching what was happening ahead of him.


    Christian¡¯s reaction time was a lot slower than Anfey¡¯s. Christian shot out an entry-level lightning arrow which hit the woman in the front. She was rubbing her eyes hard, not able to see anything. She even forgot to use herbat power to protect herself. With a numb feeling, she could not help but fall to the ground. The man was running around like a blindfolded donkey. He identally tripped over the woman¡¯s leg and fell on the floor.


    Christian now had time to chant. Anfey took out a paper package from his shirt, tossing it towards the high-level swordsman.


    The high-level swordsman realized his fellows must have been hurt by the "dirt" Anfey tossed out at this moment. He knew they had failed when he saw Anfey tossing out another paper package, and the entry-level mage was chanting next to him. He didn¡¯t dare to stay where he was, so he turned around and shed his sword toward the crowd.


    The people in the crowd scattered in all directions, making a path for the high-level swordsman. By the time Christian finished chanting, he swung magic wand forward. There was an electric arc cleaving towards the high-level swordsman.


    The high-level swordsman was quite alert. He lifted his sword, tossing it into the air. The electric arc hit the sword. The sword span in the air and fell to the ground. Luckily, no one got hurt.


    Soldiers didn¡¯t usually throw their weapons in battle, since they wouldn¡¯t be able to continue to fight even if they could escape. However, it was to save his life, so he didn¡¯t hesitate.


    Christian was so enraged that his teeth clenched. Before he could use his magic again, that high-level swordsman had already run into a store and disappeared.


    "Chase!" Christian yelled.


    "No need," Anfey said as he held Christian back.

 Chapter 33: Knell

    Chapter 33: Knell


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    The Sacred City was prosperous, but like every other city, it had its own slums. Located at the northwestern part of the city was a group of squalid wooden houses, and near where the wall was were straw huts.


    In one of the huts, a man sat in silence, staring at a candle. He was around fifty and had on a pure-white wizard¡¯s robe. There were no windows in there, and since he could not pull aside the piece of fabric used as a door, the candle was necessary for him to see what was around him.


    A carriage came toward the slum. It was slow and appeared old, a fitting appearance for the slum. If it wasvishly decorated, the residents would all be gathered around the street, trying to catch a glimpse of the carriage.


    The curtain of the carriage was pulled aside and someone observed the slum from the inside. Then he jumped out of the carriage and hurried into the hut.


    "My Lord!" he called. "Trouble, my lord! Trouble!" He was clearly a high level swordsman, which made his action of kneeling on the floor seem strange and borderline ridiculous.


    "You failed?" The old man asked.


    "Yes."


    "And you were not followed?"


    "My lord, I came ording to our first n. They could not have followed me," the swordsman exined.


    "Mhm," the old man said, nodding.


    They were both a part of the secret organization called Magic Fog. It had existed for hundreds of years and much of its way of operating had be systematic. Many things, such as escape routes, had four different types: blooming, falling leaves, scurry, and puppet. The leader of the operation usually decided which n to use.


    "Blooming" meant that there would be a temporary safe house near the target. When a member of the organization entered the safe house, the house would dispatch several carriages that would go in several different directions. When the carriage arrived at a designated location, more carriages would appear, heading in more directions. This greatly lowered the chance of any members getting caught.


    Inparison, "falling leaves" was much more dangerous. The leader of the mission would ce the strongest member at an ideal point for ambushes, or he would be involved in the n himself. In case the mission was unsessful, the leader would lead the target to the ambush, sacrificing his life to ensure the mission was sessful.


    "Scurry" meant that the members would use the city¡¯s sewage system or premade tunnels to escape. "Puppet" involved the use of several decoys to confuse the pursuers. Of course, specific missions had their own specific ns.


    "Did Anfey use anybat power?"


    "No, my lord."


    "Then how did he defeat you?"


    "I saw him throw a paper bag, my lord, and light it on fire. There was some dust flying out of the bag, and I heard Gina and Peter¡¯s screams. I was frightened, my lord..."


    "You said Anfey defeated them with a bag of dirt?"


    "Yes."


    "Then you came back by yourself?"


    "My lord, I couldn¡¯t stay there. Anfey had a junior magister with him, I couldn¡¯t risk staying there any longer," the swordsman loudly begged.


    "Be quiet. You know this is only a probe. I won¡¯t punish you, even though this result is unsatisfying..." Before he could finish, however, he suddenly summoned a shield of water and his body stooped downward.


    The sh of a sword swept across the hut, cutting the shield into droplets, grazing the head of the old man, and hacking the back wall of the hut in half. Two people appeared in the hut that now seemed more like fence.


    The swordsman recognized Anfey and Ernest, bing pale. "Impossible!"


    Anfey didn¡¯t say anything. He yed with a white candle and stared at the old man. He had many questions, but with Ernest there, he didn¡¯t want to ask anything. Did he make a series of mistakes he wasn¡¯t aware of that required him to lie even more? More lies in order to exin to Ernest his unexinable past?


    Although many didn¡¯t realize it, lying was a very strenuous and difficult thing to do. Lying was easy, but keeping up with the lie was extremely difficult. One lie required a hundred more to cover it up. Like a snowball, it would only keep rolling and growing.


    "Swordmaster Ernest?" The old man smiled bitterly. "I¡¯m curious. How did you find me?" He couldn¡¯t think of any weak links in his n.


    Ernest pressed his lips together and tightened his grip on his sword, which was now shining even brighter than before. He wasn¡¯t the kind to make jabs once he had the advantage. Winning was winning, and Ernest didn¡¯t want to bother speaking.


    Anfey didn¡¯t want to say anything either. It hadn¡¯t been hard to find them. The dirt had Anfey¡¯s custom spice, and unless they hid in a sealed room or a car, like a modern man, they could not outrun him.


    "It is my deepest honor to spar with you," the old man said politely, holding out his wand, waving it at Ernest. "The Great¡ª"


    Before the old man could finish his spell, the white candle flew out of Anfey¡¯s hand. The old man had focused all of his attention on Ernest; although he didn¡¯t know the extent of Anfey¡¯s abilities and hade to the city to probe them, his enemy at the moment was Ernest. He didn¡¯t pay any heed to Anfey, and the candle flew right into his open mouth. He screamed, falling backwards and stumbling to the ground.


    "Anfey, respect your opponents," Ernest said, smiling.


    Ernest was used to his own way of sparring, but Anfey was someone who wanted to take advantage of as much of the situation as he could. The two men had twopletely different personalities. Them bing as close as they were could only be chalked up to fate.


    "They only know how to ambush, never showing themselves. They deserve no respect," Anfey said righteously. Who knew if he was talking about himself or the man in front of him.


    "You," the old man pushed himself off of the ground, looking at Anfey with eyes filled with hatred.


    "Do not celebrate just yet." Before he could finish, he began coughing and spitting out blood.


    The candle had ruined his mouth, knocking out several teeth, making it hard to say anything at all.


    "You do realize that he is issuing a challenge, right?" Ernest said weakly.


    "Uncle Ernest, he is not qualified to challenge you! It¡¯s a disgrace!" Anfey said. He was never easily persuaded, and in fact was often persuading others.


    "The Magic Fog will not..."


    "Just go to sleep already," Anfey snorted, raising his hand. He couldn¡¯t hear what the old man was saying, and even if he did he wouldn¡¯t understand. He had decided to kill the old man to prevent him from spilling his secrets.


    "Wait!" Ernest said, stopping Anfey. "You¡¯re the Magic Fog?!"


    "Ha," the old man said, slumping on the ground,ughing, "ha, ha." Then his face began bloating, turning an unnatural ck. A puff of ck clouds emerged from his mouth, covering his entire body.


    The swordsman by the door screamed. Like the old man, he was surrounded by the ck cloud, but while the old man appeared happy, he was clearly in pain.


    "What is that?" Anfey asked, alert.


    "Damn it," Ernest said, return his sword to its sheath. "It¡¯s the death mages again."


    "Death mages?" Anfey frowned. He knew very little about those people, only that they could turn the living into the dead and use bodies as puppets.


    After a few moments, the clouds dissipated, and only two skeletons remained. The bones were gleaming; it was as if the two men had died years ago, rather than just now in front of Anfey and Ernest.


    "They were both death mages?" Anfey asked, curious. One of the men was obviously a swordsman, and he had never heard of anyone that could train as both a mage and a swordsman.


    "No, but a terrible one is controlling them," Ernest sighed. "Anfey, they will likelye back for you."


    "It¡¯s alright," Anfey said. "If you¡¯re here to protect me, I have nothing to fear."


    "Never mind, let¡¯s go home," Ernest said. Anfey was brave, but for Ernest it was a difficult and delicate situation.


    Outside of the hut was a group of peasants trying to catch a glimpse of what had happened. The screams were so loud that everyone except for the deaf had heard themotion. They wanted to know what happened, but seeing the two strangers leaving the hut, they automatically made way, watching the strangers fearfully.


    Ernest had wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a wave of slow, solemn bells. The peasants turned, staring nkly at Mount Saint Brunswick.

 Chapter 34: Intrigue

    Chapter 34: Intrigue


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    As soon as Anfey and Ernest stepped into Saul¡¯s ce, they were escorted into the front hall by a gloomy butler. Confused as to what had happened, they saw that Niya and all of Saul¡¯s students had gathered there, and the atmosphere seemed heavy. Niya held her face in her hands, staring nkly at nothing, tear streaks still visible on her face. Christian¡¯s face was buried in his hands, and he was sobbing softly. vi was softly whispering something to Christian.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked, his heart sinking. His instincts as an assassin caused him to be pessimistic. The only person that could cause this heaviness, that he could think of, was Saul.


    Did something happen to him?


    "Lord Anfey, did you not hear the knell?"


    "Knell?" Anfey nced towards Ernest. The bell from atop Mount Saint Brunswick? Sure, they had both heard it, but neither had thought much of it.


    "His Grace has been reimed by the gods," the old butler sighed.


    "Oh lord..." Anfey said and let out a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t care for this majesty or that grace, just that Saul was fine.


    Next to them, Niya sighed. She was very upset. The emperor had treated Niya like his own for as long as she could remember. If anything was wrong, Saul would still scold her out of courtesy, but Ynthe would not tolerate any degree of mistreatment towards Niya.


    Christian was sobbing even harder now, his shoulders shaking. Anfey, seeing that everyone was upset, decided that he would feign some sadness as well. No one here was as good as him when it came to acting.


    The news of Ynthe¡¯s death quickly travelled through the city. His manner of death was perplexing. The magic transportation portal he was using had a sudden mutation, and it had disappeared with the emperor inside. The four guards responsible for the portal were killed in a subsequent explosion.


    The Royal Guards of the Sacred City now had no leader. If this situation continued, there were sure to be riots. Thankfully, Miorich was in the city. Using his position as a powerful golden knight, he was able to assume control over the Royal Guards and issue a state of emergency to stabilize the situation in the capital.


    On top of Mount Saint Brunswick was arge tform. On the tform was a building with a huge dome adorned with realistic carvings. Near the railings was a throne made of warm jade, and in front of it was an eagle carved from stone. This was Ynthe¡¯s ambition¡ªeven the eagles that ruled the sky must bow before him.


    Usually, Ynthe loved sitting in the chair and watching the scenery, but now the man on it was the oldest prince of the empire, Wester.


    The portal on the tform lit up, and Wester¡¯s friend Brufit came onto the tform and slowly walked towards Wester.


    "Your Grace..."


    "I said not to disturb me," Wester said hoarsely.


    Brufit¡¯s eyes lit up with a moment of sarcastic coldness, but soon turned to sadness. "Your Grace, I know you are upset, but now is not the time. You are in trouble, my lord, big trouble."


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. Do not bother me."


    "Your Grace..." Brufit sighed but didn¡¯t say anything more.


    Not long after, Wester closed his eyes slowly, on his face an expression somewhere betweenughing and crying. "When I was young, father always brought me here. He told me stories, looking at the moon and stars and the Holy City¡¯s lights. He had said that everything would be mine one day. I was too young then! I had asked if the moon and stars were mine, and he said they were."


    Brufit didn¡¯t say anything. He knew he was better off listening.


    "Then I got older and had two younger brothers. It was then I began to harbor a dislike for Granden and Rodhart. I was afraid that what was promised to me would one day be taken away from me.


    "After I heard that father had died, I realized, why are we like this? We never know what we have until we lose it." Wester shot up from his seat, hitting the ground with his scepter. "What is this? What is the good in this? Tell me. What has this brought me?"


    "Your Grace, please, collect yourself," Brufit said.


    "Collect myself? What do you want me to do? Go back to being a petty little princeling?"


    "Your Grace... this is something I don¡¯t know if I should say," Brufit hesitated. "Lord Ynthe was an excellent king, and his brilliance was unmatched. It was because of him that the Maho Empire became one of the most powerful empires. But do you know how he managed it?"


    "Keep going," Wester said softly.


    "Because he had the will to fight," Brufit said. "He had the will to continue. You, Your Grace, have lost that."


    "What do you mean?"


    "This all happened too fast, leaving no time for a will. If you tell everyone that you are the king, who would believe you? Would Rodhart, who holds an entire nation state, believe you? Or Granden, who controls the entire empire¡¯s army? My lord, you have a fire burning under your throne, and if you don¡¯t collect yourself from yourte father¡¯s death, you will be burnt alive."


    Wester sat down slowly, his face pale. Clearly, Brufit¡¯s words had hit a sore spot.


    "Your Grace, you always said that you disliked your brothers. Who could say that they didn¡¯t harbor any dislike for you?"


    Wester smiled bitterly. He knew the rule of the court. When someone smiled at him, he always repaid it with a smile, and he knew that the others did so as well. He knew well what his brothers¡¯ attitude toward him was. But what could he say? He had ruined it single-handedly.


    "Your Grace, I am very disappointed. As a friend, I ask you, you do not realize what you have until you have lost it, but do you want to lose everything once more?" Brufit said. Then he turned and marched towards the portal.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Your Grace clearly has no more use of me," Brufit said, smiling. "My job here is done." He turned and began walking towards the portal once more.


    "Wait! What do you want me to do?"


    Brufit smirked. He knew Wester wouldn¡¯t let him go. He needed friends in his moments of weakness.


    "Your Grace, are you ready to hear my advice?" He turned slowly.


    "Say, what should I do?"


    "Simple. You need to fill yourself with the will to fight. Think, my lord. You have lost your father, do you want to lose the power and throne he left you as well?"


    "No!" Wester said, determined.


    "Right now, you need to spread the news of you inheriting the throne, to seek the approval of the people. Of course, your enemies will oppose you. All you need to do is find the strongest enemy and crush them."


    "Enemy..." Wester smiled bitterly. He understood Brufit, of course, but he didn¡¯t know where to begin.


    "Your Grace!" Brufit said after studying Wester¡¯s expressions. "Who do you think poses the most threat to you?"


    "Who do you think?"


    "Granden, of course. He holds an army of two hundred thousand, and has help from Archmage Saul. He is of the greatest threat to you."


    "What do you want me to do? Miorich has control over all the armies in the city right now, can you make sure he sides with us?"


    "I cannot be sure." Brufit shook his head. "You must earn his trust on your own."


    "What do you mean?"


    "His Grace¡¯s death was too sudden an event for us, as it was for Granden. He has not made preparations. And, my lord, do not forget how influential Archmage Saul is in the empire."


    "That is what I worry about. Granden alone cannotmand two hundred thousand, it was only because of Saul that he was able to manage it."


    "What if Saul was on your side, my lord?"


    "Impossible!" Wester said without a moment of hesitation. "Saul had always liked Granden, and Niya was fond of him as well. Thest time we met, I scolded Granden, and Niya almost lost it."


    "Think, my lord. Where is Niya, and where are Granden and Saul?"


    "You mean..." Wester¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

 Chapter 35: Do What One Should Do

    Chapter 35: Do What One Should Do


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Stepping into Saul¡¯s house, Anfey felt something different in the atmosphere. He could usually see a few servants at the entrance, but no one was there today. Anfey stopped, trying to sense the room. His face grew serious and stern.


    Hesitating for a moment, Anfey lifted his foot, walking straight forward.


    Passing an arch, Anfey met two men in swordsman suits guarding the entrance. They saw Anfey as well, and one of themughed. "There¡¯s one more! Kid,e here!"


    "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Anfey asked loudly.


    "Quiet!" A swordsman kicked Anfey with full force, making him wobble forward. He patted Anfey¡¯s back several times with both hands. It seemed like he was checking to see if Anfey carried any hazardous goods. He pushed hard on Anfey¡¯s shoulders. "Get in!" With his almost neglectable magic surges and ridiculous magic wand, people could tell how "powerful" he was. The two swordsmen disregarded the magic apprentice.


    Anfey stumbled toward one of the swordsmen. He already knew that these people had some evil ns, but... how daring were they to make mischief in Saul¡¯s house? Unless they were not forced, no one would dare to bother a top archmage¡¯s family. It was hard to imagine the consequences of angering an archmage.


    The corners of his eyesid on the sword shaft of one of the swordsmen in the front, as a group of people walked in from the back yard. After seeing who they were, Anfey dispelled his own ideas.


    Niya, with a nk face, walked in front. She was followed by an intermediate mage in a light-green magic robe and a senior swordsman. There were seven or eight guards after them. They were all dressed in the uniformed armors of the Sacred City Pce Guards.


    Niya had dirt on her clothes, and her hair seemed messy. She still wore her sword sheath on her waist, but the sword was gone. It looked like she had been through a tough battle.


    Anfey couldn¡¯t believe what he had just seen. He had been in Sacred City for a while and had heard a lot about Niya from the students in the Mage Academy. Niya was pretty young and not yet mature enough, but no one could deny the fact that she was an important person. There were few people who dared to challenge her. There was one more thing that confused Anfey. Where was Ernest? Did they catch him as well?


    Niya nced at Anfey. It was probably embarrassing for Niya to be seen like this. Shebed her hair back with her hands, sighed, and continued her walk.


    "What are you looking at? Go!" Anfey was poked hard on his waist with a sword shaft.


    Anfey screamed and crouched down with his hands on his lower back, moaning in pain.


    The senior swordsman waved impatiently, and two guards came out, grabbed Anfey¡¯s arms, and took him away.


    Anfey felt darkness in front of him, and then he was tossed past the living room and into the living room. Luckily, there was carpet on the floor, so Anfey wasn¡¯t hurt too "badly." Only, his moaning was getting louder and louder.


    "What are you doing?" Christian yelled. Anfey felt that his neck was held by someone¡¯s arms. The force on his neck wasn¡¯t much, though. "Anfey, Are you ok?"


    "Hurt..." Anfey screwed his face up in pain. He opened his eyes and quickly nced at his surroundings. All of Saul¡¯s students came. Their faces were nk with rage. They volleyed questions at Christian. It was strange for Anfey to see each of them wearing dark and shiny bracelets on their wrists. The bracelets looked so tight that they were digging into their flesh. Were they... cuffs? For mages?


    "Bastard! This is ridiculous. I am charge you!" vi squeezed himself out, pointing at the face of senior swordsman and yelling, "Who gave you the authority...?"


    The senior swordsman pped vi, smacking down the words he had not yet finished, and then he kicked vi¡¯s stomach. vi fell hard on the floor, curling up in pain like a cooked shrimp, with his hands on his stomach.


    "Zeda! Don¡¯t hurt them!" The intermediate mage, who was watching Niya, yelled.


    "Did you forget the order from the Lord? Who is going to be responsible if something happens to them when the Lord pursues this?"


    "I will be fine. As long as the pearl of the Sacred City, Miss Niya, is okay, we will be okay." The senior swordsman named Zeda snickered. "These trash... Haha, who would care about them!"


    An intermediate mage was a lot stronger than a senior swordsman in terms of power, but their positions were not merely ranked by power. Saul and Ernest¡¯s power were almost the same, but one was an archmage in the pce and the other was a skillful master swordsman wandering around. Children from the royal family enjoyed wealth and power, which made it hard for them be outstanding in regards to their power and skill, but they were all in high positions. Niya was an example of that.


    Among these unexpected guests, Zeda seemed to be the leader.


    No! Coldness shed in Anfey¡¯s eyes. It was obvious there was only one lord in the Sacred City. He was Wester. After Ynthe passed away, only Wester could takemand of the Pce Guard Troop. It didn¡¯t matter if Wester was trying to convince Niya, use her to ckmail Saul, or both, he did not want to do it with force. He saved some room for himself if things did not work out the way they wanted. Just as the intermediate mage said, only Wester had the authority to give orders on how to treat Saul¡¯s students.


    The blood on vi¡¯s mouth seemed to tell Anfey that this was not "unleashing some of their rage," but beating vi to death. Normally, Zeda should not have dared to go against Wester¡¯s orders, but what he was doing was trying to intensify the conflict on purpose. Something was wrong with him!


    A swordsman walked in front of Anfey. With two clicking sounds, Anfey received the same kind of bracelet on his wrist.


    "They even used an anti-magic bracelet on you..." Christian smiled bitterly.


    A grinning man walked into the living room, bowed, and greeted them, "Mr. Zeda, I have opened theb¡¯s door, and shut down the magic arrays. You can send people there at any time."


    Anfey looked up, smiling grimly inside. That man was his enemy Maris! Judging from the malicious look he gave Anfey before he left, Anfey already knew Maris would not let what was between them go. However, he could not kill Maris. Who would expect this... After a period of only several days, they got the chance to meet again, but the situation had totally switched. This time Anfey was in the disadvantaged position.


    "Good job!" Zeda smiled.


    "Thank you, sir," Maris ttered with a satisfied smile.


    Seeing the way of vi was being treated, Christian and others didn¡¯t dare to yell and curse, although they hated Maris for what he did. They stared at Maris with hatred to unleash some of their anger.


    Maris¡¯s smiled even brighter once he saw Anfey. The way he looked at Anfey seemed like he had found some treasures. He slowly walked toward Anfey. Anfey pushed away Christian, straightening his back and staring at Maris.


    If Maris hadn¡¯t shown up, Anfey would have pressed down any desire to wait and see what Zeda wanted to do. But now he couldn¡¯t take it anymore, because he wasn¡¯t sure how much torture he would have to endure from Maris.


    "Anfey, Anfey, have you ever thought... you would be like this one day?" Maris approached with a sneaky, kind smile and patted Anfey¡¯s shoulder.


    "Yes, I did." Anfey gave him a sneer.


    "Huh?"


    Anfey looked up at the ceiling and mmed his forehead into Maris¡¯s face. Everybody treated Anfey as a magic apprentice. Zeda and his fellows didn¡¯t think he vould pose a threat to them. Christian and his fellows did not believe a magic apprentice could change the situation. Maris even thought of Anfey as a toy, imagining all kinds of ways to torture him. This fierce and venomous strike turned Maris¡¯ dream into stars in front of his eyes!


    Anfey grabbed Maris¡¯ throat with his left hand with lightning speed. Maris¡¯ scream was constrained by the tightness around his throat. Anfey lifted Maris up by his throat and used him as a shield, running towards Zeda.


    Zeda was in such shock that he didn¡¯t have time to move back. He pulled out his sword and stabbed at Maris¡¯ back. Zeda¡¯s sword was thrust towards Maris¡¯ side. Anfey threw the body at Zeda, forcing him to lift his sword up, which left an area exposed to attacks. Zeda howled and gathered hisbat power, ready to take Anfey¡¯s strike. Anfey had neither a weapon norbat power. Zeda thought there was no way that Anfey could hurt him.


    Even seeing how Anfey fought, Zeda still underestimated how fierce Anfey could be. He only had himself to me for that. In the time Zeda spent trying to gather hisbat power and pull out his sword, Anfey had already poked Zeda¡¯s eyes with two fingers.


    Anfey¡¯s attacks were too fast and the distance between them was too short. Zeda only had time to close his eyes before feeling a sharp pain in his eyes. Anfey¡¯s index and middle fingers were already stuck in his eye sockets.


    As a well-qualified assassin, he could kill a person without any weapon!


    Zeda painfully uttered a piercing cry, stumbling backwards with his hands on his eyes. Anfey reached out to the shaft of Zeda¡¯s sword with his right hand. He pulled the sword out from Maris¡¯ body, and blood spattered everywhere.


    All these happened too fast. When Maris¡¯ body was still flying in the air, Anfey had already beaten Zeda! Anfey slid to the side. He was already two meters away, rushing toward the intermediate mage behind Niya. Anfey was able to urately and correctly calcte everything in this battle. He did not rush to attack the mage. Instead, he slid twice. It seemed so unnecessary, but in fact it was all part of his calctions.


    From the angle he had fought from, he could avoid magic attacks, but Christian, behind him, could not. With his position changed, he not only ensured the safety of Christian and his fellows, but also used Niya to half-block the intermediate mage. From their previous conversation, Anfey knew they didn¡¯t dare to hurt Niya. If the mage wanted to use magic, he had to step sideways to start the magic. Anfey was sure the time taken to slide would be a lot less than the time needed to sidestep. Instead of losing, he had won!

 Chapter 36: Escape Route

    Chapter 36: Escape Route


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey dashed forward with sword in hand, lunging towards the mage like a preying leopard. The mage¡¯s reaction was just as Anfey had expected¡ªhe stepped aside, levitated, and then shot a few dozen des of wind toward Anfey. Putting aside the fact that this intermediate mage could consecutively cast two spells, the ability to generate that many wind des all at once demonstrated his unique and powerful magical prowess.


    Anfey, however, totally overlooked the wind des and continued charging forward. Christian and the rest were cold with fear toward Anfey. Most of them were still stunned, but even the few that were able to wrap their heads around the situation couldn¡¯t help Anfey. The anti-magic bracelets had restricted their magic, so none of them could do anything.


    When the wind des were less than two meters away, Anfey bent backwards. The des grazed his body and nted themselves in the wall behind him.


    The mage did not seem to get worried after the des missed their target. He started chanting a spell. Those wind des were mainly to keep the enemy from getting close; his most threatening skills would be ready after the chant finished.


    Anfey was still dashing forward and had reached his maximum speed. After dodging the des, he did not slow down. He was used to these kinds of movements. Maintaining his momentum, he continued gliding forward while keeping his body close to the ground.


    Although his speed now could notpare to his speed when he was running, it was still faster than the intermediate mage¡¯s levitation. As Anfey reached the mage, who only floated about a man¡¯s height off the ground, he jumped up and shed the man¡¯s leg off, like a hot knife going through butter. No one could maintain control of their magic under such pain. The mage screamed in agony and fell to the ground like a stone. Anfey pulled his sword up and left a fatal wound on the man¡¯s neck.


    Then he turned around and swiped his sword toward Niya¡¯s neck, as if he wanted to cut her head off.


    The senior swordsman behind Niya was greatly frightened. He dragged Niya backwards while holding his sword up to fend off Anfey. But how could he foresee Anfey¡¯s cunning attack? In no time at all, Anfey changed from swiping at Niya to pointing at the swordsman. He grazed Niya¡¯s neck and nted the tip of the sword right into the swordsman¡¯s throat.


    Zeda¡¯s men were horrified. They had seen killing before, but nothing like this. In the blink of an eye, the battle was already over. Their superiors were bloodily in one after another by Anfey, yet no one could even recall exactly how they lost their lives. However, no one backed off. Zeda was still holding his face screaming in pain. They had to retrieve Zeda if they wanted to live.


    The men were holding up their swords, forming a half circle around Anfey as they approached him. He was pleasantly surprised, as he had expected at least one would be sent away to fetch help. Had they done so, Anfey would have had more trouble going forward. Thankfully, the circumstances were favorable for Anfey.


    Niya was still in shock, terrified by what Anfey had just done. She subconsciously believed that Anfey wanted to kill her because she had offended him in the past.


    Anfey pushed Niya away and shook his sword, waiting quietly. Zeda¡¯s men had surrounded Anfey, and they were all staring at him. None of them wanted to make the first move, though; they were all hoping their peers would initiate the attack.


    Suddenly a mage¡¯s chant echoed in the living room. Anfey was nervous for a split second before recognizing Christian¡¯s voice. He breathed a sigh of relief and took a few steps back. The anti-magic bracelet on Christian¡¯s wrist had fallen off. Niya was now busy with Riska¡¯s bracelet. Obviously, Niya was the one who had released Christian.


    Anfey was used to being alone and had forgotten about how powerful a dozen mages would be. Luckily, they had not forgotten about themselves. After Niya had been pushed away, Christian quietly asked Niya to help to get rid of the bracelet.


    Zeda¡¯s group looked desperate. Anfey himself was horrifying enough, and now he had an entire squad of mages with him. It was impossible to win!


    Christian held Anfey¡¯s magic wand and pounded it against the ground. A half circle of lightning began spreading across. When the lightning was about to reach Anfey, it carved a gap for him, as if it knew him, and then closed the gap to stun Zeda¡¯s men. Luckily, although Anfey¡¯s wand was almost useless, Christian himself was a junior mage whose magic was powerful even without a wand.


    Zeda¡¯s men writhed in the lightning. They hadbat power to protect themselves, but Christian didn¡¯t intent to hurt them with magic. Anfey¡¯s target was Zeda, and Christian¡¯s job was simply to immobilize Zeda¡¯s protectors.


    Anfey smiled with praise. He jumped up quietly, swiping across the men with his sword. As Anfey was on his way back to Christian, the men were already falling to the ground. The lightning magic had only dyed them for a few seconds, but it was more than enough.


    Anfey dropped the sword, his eyes shed, and he kicked at the sword hilt. The long sword pierced through the air and nted into Zeda. Finally, the world was quiet...


    Anfey¡¯s movements were very graceful. He had not intended to show off. This was just how he would normally act. Usually, after an assassination, the assassin would take the weapon away. However, sometimes Anfey would leave the weapon, if it was necessary. If the police investigated based on the weapons, they would find that they belonged to someone powerful enough to be out of the police force¡¯s reach. Well, from that point on, it would not be Anfey¡¯s business.


    Anfey didn¡¯t expect to hear Zeda after he dropped his sword. That was why he chose to kick the sword and finish Zeda.


    The room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on Anfey. They didn¡¯t know how to describe what they had just witnessed or how they felt about it, so they simply remained silent.


    "You¡¯re insane!" one of the students cried. "You killed the Pce Guards! Pce Guards! We¡¯re going to be wanted by the empire!"


    "Troick, I¡¯ve already done it. So what do you want me to do now?" Anfey replied indifferently.


    "Anfey, this is your problem," Troick shouted. "Go, turn yourself in. I don¡¯t want anything to do with this."


    "Move," Riska said, shoving Troick aside. "Anfey, well done," he said, "but I want to know, what on earth are you? A mage or a swordsman?"


    "Both," Anfey smiled, looking at Riska. Christian partnered with Anfey well, and he was also calm. Riska talked to him like a friend even after witnessing him killing a dozen men. And Zubin went to one of the bodies, rummaged through the pockets, found his stolen ring, and put it back on his finger. Anfey could tell all three had stories he didn¡¯t know about. The other students were either still in a daze, shaking with horror, or looking at Anfey with horror. Anfey was surprised how those three had handled their emotions.


    "Why didn¡¯t you do something sooner?" Riska said, turning his gaze to their friend, vi, who was huddling on the ground, unconscious.


    Anfey walked over and put his hand on his neck. "He¡¯s still alive."


    "Really?" Christian hopped over and ced his hand outside of vi¡¯s lips. "He¡¯s breathing. Someone get the doctor!"


    "Wait," Anfey said slowly. "Ernest. Has anyone seen him?"


    They nced at each other. Niya said fearfully, "No, no one had seen him for a while."


    Niya had changed a lot. In the past, everyone tried their best to please her and amodate her, and she had never experienced anything like this. She would never forget how terrifying Anfey was.


    "For how long?"


    "Since noon," Christian said.


    "Know where he went?"


    "Not that I¡¯m aware of." Christian shook his head.


    Anfey pressed his lips together. "We must make a decision. I am leaving the Sacred City. Anyone who wants to tag along is wee, but you don¡¯t have to."


    "Don¡¯t listen to that crazy person! He¡¯s going to lead us all to death!" Perhaps because Anfey¡¯s disguise was too sessful, Troick dared to yell at Anfey, thinking that Anfey wouldn¡¯t hurt him.


    "Hurry," Anfey said, ignoring him. "I am not going to hang around much longer."


    "I¡¯ll go with you." Christian was the first one to join.


    "And me," Zubin said lightly.


    Soon, everyone except for Troick had made the decision to leave with Anfey. Things were pretty clear already. After killing so many people, the Empire would not let them go easily. Except for Anfey, everyone knew who Zeda was. Staying meant almost certain death.


    After seeing vi being struck down, everyone had been enraged. Although Anfey¡¯s way of killing was brutal and terrifying, it made them feel better and eased their anger. Plus, Christian and Melinda had always been the center of attention of all the students. After Melinda left Saul, Christian became the one and only focal point. Christian¡¯s decision had great influence on the rest of the group.


    "And me," Niya said frightfully. Sacred City was her home, her safe haven, but now, she was frightened and unsure. She needed to leave, and it was best to do it with someone she knew!

 Chapter 37: Collections

    Chapter 37: Collections


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Anfey, what do you have nned?" Christian asked.


    Anfey waved, suggesting that Christian follow him to the other side. Today¡¯s events were too sudden, so Anfey didn¡¯t have a n prepared yet.


    "Christian, take a few people to theb and take as many things as possible. Here... It seems we cannote back anytime soon," Anfey said.


    "All of them?" Christian smiled. "Do you think we are all like you and have a one-of-a-kind dimensional ring?"


    "Well, take the important or precious things with you, and be careful. There might still be some of Zeda¡¯s people left!" Anfey sighed. "As for the n, we will talk about it when we leave the Sacred City."


    "Okay." Christian nodded and then took a few students to theb in the backyard.


    "Zubin!" Anfey called, turning around.


    Zubin strode over, looking inquiringly at Anfey. He was not used to talking too much, and now was no different.


    "You go and get the carriage ready, and then take two people with you and bring vi to the carriage, ah... How many carriages do we have?" After all, Anfey had not been here too long, so he didn¡¯t know much about Saul¡¯s properties.


    "Four. One belongs to the Professor, one belongs to Miss Niya, and the other two are¡ª" Riska said.


    "I know." Anfey nodded and interrupted Riska. Right now, he needed to make full use of every minute. He didn¡¯t have to know about all the carriages. "Four carriages, get them ready."


    Zubin nodded and patted a student¡¯s shoulder, and they walked out of the living room with together.


    "Riska, where are the housekeepers?"


    "They should have been locked up."


    "You take a person to find them, set them... free, so they will suffer from our involvement."


    "Okay."


    "What about me? You got me into trouble¡ª" Troick barked. Before he even finished, Niya punched his heart. Troick squatted down in pain and couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    Niya was really frightened. She was scared of a sudden reversal of fate. She was afraid of the ruthless Anfey, but she wouldn¡¯t be afraid of Troick in any way. When she saw Troick screaming for no reason, she certainly taught him a lesson.


    At this point, from the backyard suddenly came a strong wave of magic fluctuations. Anfey shouted, "Sante, you take the rest and go help Christian immediately!"


    "Come with me!" Sante called out, as he took the lead toward the outside of the living room with the rest of the students following behind him.


    After experiencing this crisis, the students subconsciously considered Anfey to be the leader of the group. When they heard Anfey sessively issue orders, no one raised any doubts. From the current situation, this small group was pretty stable.


    "Christian will not have trouble, right?" Niya exposed a worried look.


    "No." Anfey shook his head. Niya was their focus, so the strongest person in the group must be responsible for protecting Niya. The other people were nothing but small fries. Anyhow, Christian was a mage. Fighting against a group of small fries, he should be more than enough.


    "Anfey, I... can I trust you?" Niya timidly asked. Looking very erratic, Niya avoided making eye contact with Anfey.


    "This is also my doubt." Anfey smiled. In fact, he could¡¯ve chosen to escape alone, disregarding the others¡¯ lives. His survival rate would be increased, but a man should always have some morals. Saul was very fond of him and trusted him. If he just ran away by himself in this case... he would be letting Saul down. How could he face Saul in personter on?


    "You... what do you mean?"


    "Miss Niya, to be honest, you are not a qualified swordswoman," Anfey said lightly.


    "You! I was not ready, so I was caught by them! If I..."


    "If you had worn those magic guards, you could beat the opponent, right?" Anfey shook his head. "If you rely on external forces, you will never be a master swordswoman!" Ernest and Anfey had previously held a conversation about Niya. If Niya could use every possible magic tool, along with her courage andbat power, she couldpete with a junior swordmaster. But if Niya only had a regr straight sword, she would be an ordinary intermediate-level swordswoman. Winning was uncertain if shepeted with opponents of the same level because she wascking too many skills.


    In Anfey¡¯s view, elderly people could be pampered, but if a child was too spoiled, he or she could be ruined! Niya was an example of this!


    Niya blushed, lowering her head without a word.


    "I am not trying to be mean. Please don¡¯t take it the wrong way." Anfey showed a smile.


    Niya pondered for a long while with her head down. Then, as if she had made a decision, said, "Anfey,e with me!"


    "Ah?" Anfey was a little surprised.


    Niya walked outside without any exnation.


    They went to Saul¡¯s bedroom. Niya bent over, searching for something behind the chair. With some gurgling sounds, a small tunnel appeared on the wall across from the bed corner. The tunnel would allow someone to pass through by crouching down.


    Anfey looked very calm. In fact, he had thought about it earlier. Yagor, who stayed alone on the ind, had so many possessions that it took Anfey a whole week to bury them all. As a court archmage, Saul¡¯s collections should be way beyond Yagor¡¯s! It was a good opportunity for Niya to reveal a secret, as Anfey had sent others away on assignments, leaving her alone.


    "Come with me and be careful." Niya turned her head and said to Anfey, then turned into the ck tunnel.


    Anfey also followed Niya through the ck tunnel. The tunnel didn¡¯t seem too long, as the door appeared to be only six or seven meters away, but Anfey didn¡¯t reach the door even after taking more than 20 steps. There were numerous stars in all directions, and the tunnel bing blurred, gradually being covered by an endless darkness which made Anfey feel like he was walking through space. If he couldn¡¯t see Niya¡¯s figure, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to move forward.


    "We are here!" Niya opened the door, a light red radiance appearing inside. The stars gradually faded in the light, and the tunnel became clearly visible.


    Anfey had done a lot of mental preparation, but he still felt shocked! On the desk, the Chasm Dragon Crystal exuded a mysterious light. It seemed that, after thest incident, Saul was worried that the magic crystal would be stolen again, causing unnecessary trouble, so he specifically hid it here. There was a row of silver frames simr to the supermarket on the left and right side of the room. The top of the left silver frame was filled with magic scrolls in good condition. From the turbulent and horrifying magic fluctuations, Anfey did not think he could escape from any of the scrolls¡¯ attacks. The bottom of the silver frame was filled with dozens of small boxes. Anfey walked closer and picked one up, finding that it was made of Magic-Concealing Crystal. Anfey opened a box and found a light-blue magic crystal in it. Anfey had learned how to identify magic crystals. From its color and magic fluctuations, this was a one of a kind magic crystal! In fact, he did not need to identify them. Obviously, nothing that Saul collected here would be worthless.


    "Magic crystals of different elements should not be ced together, otherwise they will cause a chain reaction," Niya whispered.


    Marvelous! Anfey praised from the bottom of his heart. After the death of Yagor, three to five unique magic crystals were left behind, but now, Saul really had even more possessions! Putting aside the magic crystals, if he just sold the crystal boxes he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about money for the rest of his life.


    "What is this?" Anfey saw a magic scroll ced separately on the top of the silver shelf, wrapped in an unknown leather, which seemed to really stand out.


    "This is the Vacuum Confinement Scroll. Be careful and don¡¯t touch it! Many years ago, there were only three Vacuum Confinement Scrolls left in the Pan Continent. Now, this is the only one, as the other two are nowhere to be found."


    Anfey carefully took the scroll down, looking it over. The magic fluctuations were not very strong, but with a kind of hidden nature. Anfey suddenly found it familiar, like he should have seen it somewhere. Pondering for a moment, Anfey finally recalled that it was at Yagor¡¯s ce! Fortunately, he was very cautious at that time and buried the things he didn¡¯t understand. Otherwise he would regret it if they were casually discarded.


    No one would think Yagor also had some real goods ah! Anfeyughed inside his heart while he turned his eyes to the right silver shelf. There were all kinds of magic books: some thick, some thin, some very old which seemed to have not been read for many years, and some that were only a few sheets of paper. But from his analysis of Saul¡¯s attitude, the information recorded on those pieces must be very important.


    In the center of the wall in front of Anfey, there hung four magic wands. The leftmost magic wand was reddish, iid with a red magic crystal. It was obviously a fire magic wand. The second magic wand from the left was a bit strange, covered with a ck and white circle pattern that looked like a silver ring snake. The third magic wand looked a little bit better than Anfey¡¯s. The one Anfey had was made purely of wood, with no magic crystal, while this one was like a piece of a grindstone with a very rough surface, with no splendor or magic crystal. The fourth magic wand was translucent, a light glow showing from time to time, and the handle looked like a hideous monster, like... the dragon in the books Anfey read in the library!


    Niya opened her mouth but didn¡¯t saying anything. She knew the value of the four magic wands. Each one of them was a priceless, eye-catching treasure. She was afraid... afraid that Anfey would be greedy.


    There was a magic robe hanging on each side of the magic wands. One was pale yellow, looked very refined. The other one was dark, ah... more spiritual. Based on Anfey¡¯s current understanding, he could only make such an analysis. If he did not put them on and use a few magics, he could not understand the real power of these two magic robes.

 Chapter 38: Setting Out

    Chapter 38: Setting Out


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "You see, I wasn¡¯t able to take all of them. There¡¯s too much stuff." Niya nced at the seemingly-ordinary dimensional ring on Anfey¡¯s hand. "I need your help."


    Niya¡¯s dimensional ring was notparable to Anfey¡¯s, instead being several levels lower. It was not that Saul did not want to buy his daughter a nice dimensional ring, but that Niya liked to make trouble. One time she had even hid Ynthe¡¯s scepter in her dimensional ring and taken it home. Ynthe was furious and sent out a troop of pce guards to surround the whole pce, searching it inch by inch. Back then, Niya was only 13 years old. Saul confiscated Niya¡¯s dimensional ring afterwards and reced it with a weak one with very limited space. Niya had always been jealous of Anfey¡¯ ring.


    "Here... Who hase here before?" Anfey took a deep breath.


    "You are the second one besides me."


    "Have you told anyone else yet?"


    "Do you think I¡¯m that dumb?" Niya asked, rhetorically.


    Anfey rxed a bit. He looked at the items and couldn¡¯t help guessing that this was the reason that drew Prince Wester and his men to Saul¡¯s house. Between the choice of trying to win an archmage over to his side or taking said archmage¡¯s magic treasures, the prince was more likely to choose thetter.


    Most likely, someone else knew about the treasures here. If that was the case, Anfey wouldn¡¯t dare to take anything away, or he would suffer endless assassination attempts. If someone wanted the treasure so badly that they weren¡¯t even afraid of an archmage, they must have made the decision to take down anyone in their way, and Anfey didn¡¯t want to get in their way.


    Nothing was more important than one¡¯s life. Hope was meaningless if one was dead, and things could only be reimed if one was alive. Anfey always thought things through before he took action.


    "Let¡¯s start. Don¡¯t let them wait too long."


    "Huh..." Niya nodded, still unsure about her own decision. Niya had panicked and turned to whoever she could find. No one other than Niya could understand how valuable these items were; she had to take all of them with her. Anfey was her only choice, because he had not only saved her but also had a top-tier dimensional ring. This was a gamble. It was an even more serious gamble than whom she would marry. If a woman married the wrong man or gambled her life on the wrong man, that would only ruin her own life. If she bet wrong on Anfey, half of Saul¡¯s lifetime efforts would be ruined. She would spend the rest of her life in regret. However, Niya had no other choice than to give it a try.


    Anfey filled his dimensional ring with almost everything in the secret chamber. Anything left was kept in a few cases Niya had found. After they returned to the living room, everybody had gathered there, waiting for him. On the way back, he asked a stupid question, "Why didn¡¯t the professor keep everything in his dimensional ring?" His subconscious was thinking, "Why did he make a secret chamber? Wasn¡¯t a dimensional ring the safest way to carry everything with him?"


    "The space within a dimensional ring is limited. When my father went to find Yagor, he didn¡¯t bring anything in the chamber with him," Niya said tly.


    It took a second for Anfey to understand what Niya meant. Saul¡¯s dimensional ring was never empty. He was a nice old man most of the time, but if there was a bloody fight, endless magic tools woulde out of his dimensional ring. Saul did not find what was in the secret chamber useful in battle.


    "Anfey, where were you?" Christian hurriedly walked toward Anfey.


    "We went to pack up the professor¡¯s stuff." Anfey smiled. "Zubin, Riska, the two of you go to the professor¡¯s bedroom. There are two big suitcases, the same size as this one. Go get them quickly." Anfey put down the big suitcase as he was talking. He was not a person that liked to give orders. Setting an example was a good habit of his. Although Anfey had not realized what this habit would bring him, it would show as time went on.


    Zubin and Riska nodded and walked out with big strides.


    "Is everyone ready?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, anytime."


    "Huh... right. Do you have money with you?" Anfey suddenly remembered that money was an important thing, especially to people on the run. Money was going to be essential to them.


    "Money? I have a couple of gold coins with me," Christian said.


    Anfey couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. What could a couple of gold coins do? That would onlyst them two days!


    "Niya, how much money do you have in the house?"


    "I don¡¯t know."


    Anfey already knew he asked the wrong person the moment the he raised the question. Of course, Niya¡¯s answer immediately proved that. Anfey smiled bitterly. "You all wait here. I¡¯m going to look around."


    "I have some money," one student responded.


    Anfey turned around to look. It was Feller. Zubin and Feller were the quiet ones among the students, but in different ways. Zubin was cool and quiet, while Feller was timid and quiet. If Feller was in the Mage Academy, he would probably be bullied, but not at Saul¡¯s house.


    "How much do you have?"


    "Um... a lot."


    "How much is a lot?" Anfey felt helpless.


    "A lot is a lot..."


    "Didn¡¯t you fill your dimensional ring?" Sante yelled. "Did you fill your dimensional ring with just the money and leave no space for your other stuff?"


    Feller blushed right away. Anfey noticed that Feller¡¯s body had gotten a lot bigger than before, but it looked very weak. He seemed to wobble a little. Anfey went over and patted on the bulging part of his waist, and continuous ngs arose. Christian and his fellows all burst intoughter. It was supposed to be a dangerous time when everyone was serious, but they couldn¡¯t hold it in at that moment.


    "You did very well." Anfey gave Feller apliment, defying everyone¡¯s expectations. "Any more?"


    "Yes, a lot more." Feller¡¯s eyes brightened.


    "Take three people with you to pack. Only take gold coins, leave the rest alone."


    Feller looked around, not sure whom he could call. He had never given orders to anyone before.


    "Christian, can you help him?"


    "Yes. Sante, and you,e with me." Christian picked two people.


    Soon, Zubin and Riska each held a big suitcase. Christian turned around and ordered someone to walk two horses and follow him. Magic was a career that would burn a hole in the pocket. Saul exchanged almost all of his money for magic items, but there were some savings in the chamber. However, due to the physical weakness of a mage, it was not possible to carry them back with bare hands.


    After everyone was settled, under normal circumstances, there was supposed to be a "Troop Inspection Ceremony" and some encouragement before they set out. However, to a group of escapees, most things were unnecessary. Anfey gave them a briefing and assigned each one with a temporary duty. Saul took three students to the frontier and there were 14 students left, besides Anfey. Of course, he had already struck Troick off the student list. Anfey, Niya, Christian, Riska, Zubin, and the unconscious vi, the six of them were riding Saul¡¯s carriage, which was thergest one among all the carriages. The rest of the nine people were divided into three groups, riding in three different carriages.


    After getting into the carriage, the first thing Anfey did was to feel vi¡¯s forehead. Anfey found some herbs and, from them, made some pills which could help with blood cirction. The situation with vi was a little different. It was hard to predict what was going to happen to him since it was a mage¡¯s body that suffered a hard kick from a swordsman. In a couple of hours, if vi didn¡¯t have a fever, he should be fine. If he had a fever, it might be because his intestines were damaged and had gotten infected. Neither herbal medicine nor the current situation would effectively kill this type of bacteria. Even Anfey would not be able to help him.


    "Anfey, where are we going?" Christian asked.


    "I will tell you once we get out of the city. Which city gate has thexest security?" Anfey knew nothing about Sacred City.


    "All of them are the same."


    "Go to the west gate, but... who here knows how to drive a carriage?" Anfey just thought of this problem. If everybody was in the carriage, who was going to drive it? If they were in BMW or Porsche, he would be the one to drive, but he had no idea how to drive a carriage.


    "I will drive," Niya said.


    "Miss, it¡¯s a matter of life and death." Anfey smiled bitterly.


    "I can do it," Niya insisted.


    "Anfey, don¡¯t worry. Miss Niya is a swordswoman, and she is good at riding a horse too," Riska said.


    Good at it? Like her way with a sword? Anfey looked toward Christian in doubt. Christian nodded at him.


    "Ok, Niya, be careful," Anfey said. Actually, Anfey felt Niya¡¯s behavior had been satisfactory. At least she had been controlling her temper so far. If she threw a fit, he had to manage it with firm control. Anfey didn¡¯t think too much about why Niya had been so good. How could Niya throw a temper tantrum when she knew Saul¡¯s possessions were all in Anfey¡¯s hands?

 Chapter 39: Crisis

    Chapter 39: Crisis


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "No wonder Saul always said you¡¯re the most likely to be a master swordsman in the Pan Continent." Miorich was out of breath. "I lost!" His helmet was nowhere to be seen, and his pale yellow leather armor was tattered. His left boot was torn and showed his toes, and the right boot was covered with dark red patches. What looked funny was his side that had been hit by Ernest¡¯sbat power; the armor had been broken and his red undergarments were showing. But hisnce was gleaming, and it was clear that he had enough energy to keep going, if necessary.


    "Had we sparred a few days earlier, you wouldn¡¯t have lost," Ernest said, smiling. He looked slightly better than Miorich. While Ernest did look like he had just got beaten up, Miorich looked like a soldier that had escaped from the Monster Cave.


    "You¡¯re saying you had a breakthrough in the past several days?"


    "Yes."


    "I should have challenged you earlier then," Miorich said with remorse.


    "I didn¡¯t know you were one to take advantage of others," Ernest pleasantlymented. When he was sparring with Anfey, Anfey imposed too many rules on him. Although he had been inspired by Anfey¡¯s moves, Ernest hadn¡¯t fought like this in ages. The pure and unmasked sh betweenbat powers was something he had long missed.


    "I lost, I have nothing else to say." Miorich smiled. "But who doesn¡¯t want to be the winner?" His smile wasn¡¯t as sincere as before, instead mixed with a hint of sorrow, but Ernest failed to notice.


    Just then, two men dressed in soldier uniforms rushed over. They were shocked to see the condition the two men were in. Within several hundred meters, all the trees around themy t on the ground, and the formerly uniform grasnd was now filled with ridges. There were leaves scattered around, and dark soil was sprinkled everywhere, as if a dragon had just ripped the area apart. Miorich looked so beaten that the two soldiers did not recognize their own general for a second.


    "What is it?" Miorich asked, turning around.


    One of the soldiers jumped off of his horse and hurried to Miorich¡¯s side, whispering something. Miorich frowned, and suddenly his eyes darkened. "Alright, then. Go right ahead."


    "Yes, General." The two soldiers nodded, got back onto their horses, and rode away.


    "You¡¯re busy? I¡¯ll stop bothering you then," Ernest said, sheathing his sword. "Are you freeter?" Today, Miorich had invited him to spar on a whim, and he epted without thinking too much. Now, he realized that this was a fruitful journey, and he was looking forward to the next time he sparred with Miorich.


    "There... probably won¡¯t be another time." Miorich sighed.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Ernest, where are you going? To Saul¡¯s ce?" Miorich didn¡¯t answer Ernest. He instead asked Ernest a question.


    "Where else can I go?" Ernest looked at Mioirich, confused.


    "I would say that you should not go back there."


    "And why is that?"


    "Because Niya isn¡¯t there anymore." Miorich smiled. "Let me just tell you, I had an ulterior motive in asking you toe with me today."


    Ernest wasn¡¯t stupid, but because of their friendship, he hadn¡¯t thought about it too much. Now that Miorich had admitted that he had another purpose and told him he should not return, Ernest¡¯s face dropped. "Keep going," he said.


    "Sorry that I can¡¯t tell you everything, but what I can tell you is that Niya has safely escaped the city."


    Ernest, hearing Miorich say "escaped," felt his heart sinking. He couldn¡¯t imagine why something like this had happened, nor how it had happened.


    "Anfey is your student?" Miorich asked.


    Ernest shook his head.


    "He was good. He killed a mage, two senior swordsmen and... Zeda. Oh, I forgot. You don¡¯t know Zeda is, do you?"


    Ernest was silent, but his eyes were growing colder.


    "You do know Old Phillip though, right? Poor man. Maybe because the many people he killed didn¡¯t want to let him be in peace, be couldn¡¯t keep his son, who died in his twenties. Going through all that work to raise the grandson who was now killed by Anfey. Cursed, I say. Cursed," Miorich said mockingly.


    "Old Phillip?" Ernest said, frowning. After hearing the name Phillip, he could not keep calm any longer.


    "Who else?" Miorich paused before continuing, "This is why I ask that you do not return. Zeda was an idiot, but Phillip treasured him. If I got the news, Philip should have gotten it as well. Unless you can fight four master swordsmen at the same time, don¡¯t go. You might have heard Phillip was a man of temper, but in reality, he was even worse than the rumors."


    Ernest took a deep breath. Of course he knew Phillip. The Maho Empire had two major pirs. One was the mages, controlled by Saul, and the other was the swordsmen, controlled by Phillip. Phillip had a major disagreement with Ynthe years back, and he had retreated into his home, turning away any visitors. Even then, he still had his reputation, and no one wanted to mess with Phillip. What was more was that he had many students, including three master swordsmen, and more than twenty swordmasters. This was not something Ernest could handle by himself.


    Phillip was older than Saul by a more than a decade, and so his students were older than Saul¡¯s students by a decade as well. This decade allowed Phillip¡¯s students to grow far beyond the reach of Saul¡¯s students.


    Saul¡¯s four best students were only senior mages, serving in two different mercenary groups. This was standard. Many mages didn¡¯t want to waste their talents in court, instead trying to polish their skills on the battlefield, just like swordsmen and knights. If Saul and Phillip summoned their students, and the two sides began a feud... Ernest could not image how it would end, but he knew for sure it would be destructive.


    "Whose idea was this?"


    "Who else?" Miorich smiled bitterly.


    "If you hadn¡¯t asked me toe, none of this would have happened," Ernest said. "Should I congratte you on having an idiot of a master, or should I pity you? If Saul and Phillip break off good rtions, the Maho Empire will soon follow."


    "I am obeying an order," Miorich said mildly. "I didn¡¯t know His Highness would send Zeda. Of course, none of this matters now."


    "Miorich, you¡¯ve mistreated my respect for you. I¡¯ll be back," Ernest said coldly.


    "One day, maybe. You will want to find Niya before Phillip does, though, so you won¡¯t be interested in me for a while." Miorich had a faint smile on his face. "Here, onest piece of news I will share with you¡ªNiya left through the west gate."


    Ernest nced at Miorich onest time, but didn¡¯t say anything. He used hisbat power and flew toward the west.


    Meanwhile, Anfey¡¯s face fell. Anfey was mentally superior to most and good at masking his emotions, so anything that could make his face fall was something major.


    Everyone was looking at him. Christian had just told him who Zeda was, including everything from his rtion to the famous Phillip to his family structure. He didn¡¯t want to scare Anfey; he just wanted him to know what they had to face.


    "You know why Niya was so obedient?" Riska asked. "Because she was scared."


    "Of Phillip?"


    Riska nodded firmly.


    "All of you left withoutint because you were also scared?"


    Christian and the others nced at each other and lowered their gazes.


    "I knew my leadership skills weren¡¯t that sharp," Anfey said, shaking his head, looking wryly amused.


    "What should we do, then?" Riska asked.


    "We run," Anfey said. "As far as we can." Anfey was worried. He didn¡¯t know where Ernest was, but he had thought that Ernest was powerful enough to save himself. Now that he looked at it, perhaps he had been too optimistic. Ernest, please do not go back!


    "Troick was an idiot," Zubin said coldly. "He thought he could redeem himself by not siding with you. He is probably in pieces by now."


    Anfey remembered. When he killed the guards, everyone was shocked, but they were truly terrified when he killed Zeda. Now he desperately wished that he could summon a doctor from Earth and preserve some of Zeda¡¯s DNA. Maybe Phillip wouldn¡¯t be as angry in the face of some great-grandchildren, but now they could only face the consequences head on.


    "All of you must hate me now," Anfey said.


    "You were too fast. We couldn¡¯t stop you." Christian shook his head. "Plus, Zeda was already... even if he had lived, Phillip would hunt us down anyway."


    "I hated you once, but I remembered what Master Saul said, that we were family. We need to bond together in time of crisis," Riska said. "Plus, Maris targeted you. You acted in self-defense. Anfey, you were in the right."

 Chapter 40: Unexpected Help

    Chapter 40: Unexpected Help


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey was moved, but he was not the type of person that expressed his feelings easily, so he changed the topic. "Where should we head to next? Let¡¯s make a decision as a group."


    "We should find the professor," Christian said.


    "We can go anywhere except to the professor." Anfey shook his head.


    "Why?" Christian was very confused.


    "They will assume that we will seek out the professor, so they will just wait there for us," Zubin suddenly spoke.


    "Nice guess." Anfey nodded and cast a quick nce at Zubin. "That¡¯s why we must go somewhere else. Once things are more settled, then we can figure out the best option."


    "Where, then?"


    "A deste ce. You guys, be prepared for some hardship," Anfey said.


    "A deste ce... Anfey, are you talking about the magic beast forests?" Riska asked.


    "Magic beast forests?"


    "Yes. Except for the magic beast forests, I can¡¯t think of any other location with no people."


    "Are there any nearby?"


    "No. The closest one is eight hundred miles away from the Sacred City," Riska replied.


    "Is that Forest rm?" Christian asked.


    Zubin replied, "Yes. Forest rm isn¡¯t big. There used to be orcs there, but they were often caught by hunters and were traded in the market. Gradually, there were fewer and fewer orcs, until they were all gone. My home was near Forest rm, and our vige was attacked by orcs quite frequently when my father was young. I never saw any orcs, though. In addition, there aren¡¯t any high-level magic beasts either. It¡¯s a rtively safe ce."


    "Well then, Forest rm it is! Let¡¯s find a spot to settle down first." Anfey nodded.


    "Well, I will let Miss know to turn around and head south," Riska responded.


    "Wait a second!" Anfey tipped his head to the side and focused on listening. "What is that sound?"


    With four horse-drawn carriages and over ten horses running on the road, Christian and the others could not recognize any sounds besides clops. Everyone was now looking at Anfey, waiting for him to say something.


    Anfey opened the curtain and went out of the carriage. His arrival startled Niya. "What¡¯s wrong?" Niya asked.


    There was no time left for Anfey to respond to Niya. He stood up and looked back. There seemed to be some torches moving off in the distance. He knew that something wasn¡¯t right. Anfey sat down, thought for a while, and then said to Niya, "Pursuers are after us. Slow down a little. We will have to deal with them before we change direction."


    Anfey was quite irritated. He was used to detailed action ns and really didn¡¯t appreciate the current situation that he had to y by ear. If he could go back in time and had more time to prepare, even if just one more day, there would be no way these chasers could find them.


    As soon as Anfey finished his words, all of sudden, a re of horns arose behind them. Niya¡¯s body trembled abruptly.


    "Niya, are you ok?"


    With desperation in her eyes, Niya eximed, "They are... the me Crusaders!"


    "me Crusaders?"


    These words meant nothing to Anfey, as he knew very little about this world. But soon he understood why Niya was so desperate. From the time Anfey looked back until now, within such a short time, those crusaders had almost caught up. Although Niya had slowed down the carriage to avoid potential idents at Anfey¡¯s request, the fact that those knights could get close so quickly demonstrated their outstanding horsemanship.


    What was more, the me Crusaders were now gathering theirbat power. Anfey couldn¡¯t estimate their exact level, but undoubtedly, all seven of them were at least senior knights.


    The knights rode past Anfey¡¯s group, stopped their rides, and formed a clear line about 20 meters ahead of the group. Niya was still in shock and forgot to control the carriage, but the horses sensed the danger and slowed down voluntarily, stopping six or seven meters away from the knights.


    "Miss Niya, His Highness ordered us to bring you back." The chief knight spoke out.


    "No! I won¡¯t go with you. Get out of my way! Now!" Niya was finally awoken from her daze, screaming aloud.


    Christian and the others popped their heads out of the carriage and nervously stared at the soldiers.


    "Forgive us, Miss Niya. We have to obey our orders, so you muste with us!" the knight responded. His tone was neither aggressive nor conciliatory.


    "No way! I¡¯d rather die here, then!" Niya shouted, pulling out her long sword.


    Thetter carriages had now arrived as well. Sante, Feller and the others all jumped out and were about to rush forward. Just then, they heard Anfey shout, "Go back to your carriages and stay there!"


    Sante and Feller exchanged a look and returned to where they had been.


    "Miss Niya, you were wrong. Please stop challenging our patience!" The lead knight started to get agitated.


    "Pooh!" Zubin spat on the ground and got ready for a battle.


    "Very nice. Your rudeness has done it." The knight sneered and gestured at his men. The other six crusaders moved as one man and pulled out something from the back of their horses, aiming to the front.


    "A crossbow?!" Anfey¡¯s eyes were wide open, while Christian and the others turned pale. A crossbow was life threatening to mages at such a short distance. The speed of a crossbow was too fast for a mage to even cast an immediate spell. The problem was, crossbows were banned by the empire and no one should be allowed to use one. Why were these crusaders daring to publicly wield a crossbow?


    "Miss Niya, your fellow will suffer due to your stubbornness," the Chief said coldly. "You have until the count of three to reconsider. One!"


    Anfey felt Zubin reach his back and write two words there: "Earth Wall."


    "Two!" the lead knight broke the silence and counted aloud again.


    Around 60 meters away from the battlefield, a figure appeared out of nowhere. Under the light moonlight, one could tell this person was rtively young and quite handsome. He was the trusted mage of Prince Wester, Brufit. He quietly observed from far away and started to smile.


    He could advise Wester and lead Wester to threaten Saul with Niya, but he could not let Niya die or be brought back to the Sacred City.


    The original n was ruined by Anfey. Brufit intended to rescue Niya from the pce after she was captured, so that he could win her trust. Then he would have his men apany Niya back to Saul, and have her fill Saul in on what she had experienced. Furious, Saul would then be even more loyal to Granden. At that point, a civil war within Maho would be imminent.


    Even though things did not happen as expected, it could still work. Brufit was not interested in women. His task could bepleted as long as Niya returned to Saul.


    "Three!" The chief finallyunched the battle.


    At the same time, Zubin threw a magic scroll out. An earth wall rose up and cut off the confrontation between the two sides. Anfey quickly dove onto the ground and began to charge forward while keeping himself low. As soon as the crusaders had released their arrows, Anfey would jump over the wall and start the fight.


    Although his rivals were all very powerful, Anfey was still hopeful. He had three mighty mages on his side, one of whom was Christian, who partnered with Anfey perfectly. As long as the they utilized proper intervening magic, they still stood a good chance to win.


    However, Anfey was shocked when he reached the wall, as was everyone else. Although they could not see beyond the earth wall, they could all sense the dramatic magic surge and the panic-strickenbat power.


    A few momentster, the Earth Wall fell into shuddering elements and a terrifying scene was shown. All seven crusaders were dead, as were their rides. But the ways they were ughtered were different. Some lost their heads by shaped des, some were burned to ash, and others were turned into rotten flesh!


    Brufit levitated and applied all the magic he could to fly back to the Sacred City. It was unbelievable! After he had cast a horror magic, Dead Bone¡¯s Touch, on these knights, a master swordsman also appeared in the middle of the battlefield and started attacking the same targets. Then, all of sudden,va emerged and ended the bloodshed.


    Brufit did figure out two things. First, that swordsman was short and thin, and most likely a woman. The one who cast theva magic had to be a senior fire mage.


    Second, the women and that fire mage were not together, because the woman was surprised and almost injured by the dual attack of Dead Bone¡¯s Touch and theva.


    Of course, they were not on his side either. But... who were they really? Brufit couldn¡¯t find a good exnation. He had used death magic, would this alert either of them? Did he expose himself by ident? Question after question shed into his mind.

 Chapter 41: An Omnipotent God

    Chapter 41: An Omnipotent God


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Anfey was supposed to be happy after being saved at a dangerous time, but the one who did a nice thing for Anfey was anonymous. He disappeared in the dark with no desire for fame or wealth. It was a respectful demeanor. However, Anfey did not feel happy at all.


    Seeing Zeda bullying and stirring things up on purpose, Anfey had a weird feeling that Prince Wester did not want to make the situation too serious. Judging by the way Zeda had acted, he must have been told to do so or been involved in some conspiracy. What Zeda did would anger both Saul and Wester, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything from either side. Who would benefit from it if things became bad? There should be a third person! Being saved was not always a good thing. Who knew whether the person who saved Anfey came here by following him or the knights? Which side was he on? It even proved that the person who saved Anfey wanted to use Saul¡¯s students to do something.


    "Anfey, did you see who helped us?" Christian quickly walked towards Anfey.


    "No." Anfey shook his head.


    Seven knights quietlyid there. Some of them did not even have the shape of a human body anymore. Even the mature and confident Christian became panicked. He frowned. "Necromancer?" His eyes were looking at the two rotten bodies.


    Anfey walked up slowly, picked up a string of clothing, and moved back a few steps. He stopped breathing for a moment before bringing the piece of clothing close to his nose and taking a breath. The first scent was a slight cosmetic fragrance, followed by a disgusting rotting smell. Anfey didn¡¯t know that the clothing came from the rotten body not far from him.


    Anfey was in thought for a moment. He tossed the piece of clothing away, walked to the carriage, and jumped into it.


    "Anfey, do we... continue forward?" Niya asked in a low voice. She had been in danger several times today. Her heart was numb.


    Anfey asked, "No, who is familiar with the nearby roads? We should turn to the south now."


    "We should continue to Green City. There¡¯s a crossroads to the south that is not far from Green City. After passing the crossroads, keep going straight. There we will find the city of Baidah, where we can take a boat at the ferry. The boat will take us down to Lagan, which is only a few miles away from Forest rm," Zubin said.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on Zubin. He never had the chance to talk that much in one breath. It surprised everybody a little bit.


    Anfey did not hesitate for a bit. He nodded. "Alright, let¡¯s take the route Zubin told us. Zubin, do you know how to drive a carriage?"


    "Yes."


    "Can you take over the carriage to let Miss Niya get some rest?"


    Zubin held out his hands without any words, and Niya quietly passed the horse whip to Zubin and went inside the carriage. She actually felt a little tired.


    "Zubin, how long does it take to get to Green City?" Anfey asked.


    "We can get there before dusk if we do not stop on the way."


    "Can you get us there?"


    "No problem."


    "Then let¡¯s go." Anfey took attention away from the surroundings in the dark. His sensing ability was limited. If the nice "powerful" person chose to follow them, there was no way Anfey would know where he was hiding. Saul had said that one¡¯s sensing ability depended on how strong their focus was. He needed to spend a lot more time practicing his focuster on. He had read a lot of magic books about it, but never found any specific training techniques for it. Mages improved their focus naturally through meditation. Right! Meditation...


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    In the pce on Mount St. Brunswick, on the first floor under the arch, a man and womany together on a bed in a bedroom. Their position was flirty. The woman¡¯s long legs wrapped around the guy¡¯s waist. She moved like she could not take any more sensations, moaning quietly. The guy reached his hand into her shirt while squeezing her round and curvy butt with his other hand.


    A maid walked in. "My lord, Mr. Brufit wants to see you."


    "This stupid guy..." That man muttered and sat up. He was Wester, the prince of the Maho Empire. He got off the bed and grabbed the crystal ball on the end table. He shook his head and bent down to take out a cup from under the end table, mming it onto the wall. The cup crashed into the wall. Wester yelled with full strength, "Get out! All of you! I do not want to see any of you!"


    Wester sounded furious, but his face had a smile. He winked at the maid after the yell.


    That maid stuck her tongue out and walked out obediently.


    "Haha... my lord, this is my first time seeing your temper, like that of a little kid. It was fun."


    "I do not care if you think I am a kid or not. I do care if Brufit treats me like a kid." Wester said tly.


    "I am curious, my majesty. Aren¡¯t you worried? Philip was irritated. If he had any conflict with Archmage Saul, the Maho Empire would be greatly affected. Your throne... might experience some changes."


    "Are you trying to find out my secrets?" Westerughed.


    "No, I am just curious. I will take back my words if you do not want to talk about it."


    "You think too much." Westerid down on the bed, touching her hair affectionately. "I can tell you if you want to know."


    "Sure," the woman said with a smile. She was very pretty, with long light-green hair resting on her fair breasts. This temptation could not be described with words. Her small chin, snow-white teeth, the blush on her cheeks, the fine sweat on the tip of her nose, and a pair of big and clear eyes all gave out an innocent feeling.


    "I made a mistake with Brufit. I did not want him to have any suspicion of me so I didn¡¯t send anyone to watch him. I didn¡¯t expect him to be familiar with Zeda in such a short time. He was also able to ask Zeda to work for him. Haha... but there is no time for regret." Wester was saying something which should make him unhappy, but he had a big smile on his face, as if he wasn¡¯t aware of the serious consequences involved. He affectionately kissed the woman¡¯s forehead.


    "You underestimated Brufit too much." The woman put her face in Wester¡¯s hand. She looked satisfied, but was very nervous inside. The more time she spent with Wester, the more mature, cunning, and shrewd she found him to be. She could not control her nervousness when she was alone with Wester. Even when the looks on Wester¡¯s face were full of love and affection, she could not believe what she saw. Men like Wester only loved themselves and only cared about power; they weren¡¯t able to fall in love with anyone. She was confident in her look, but she knew who Wester was.


    "It is the opposite. I overestimated Brufit too much," Wester said in a helpless tone.


    "Huh?" The woman opened her eyes wide. She did not understand Wester.


    "I did something before, hoping to get attention from Brufit. In fact, I failed."


    "What was it?"


    "Miorich was asked to takemand of the Sacred City Garrison. I spent half a day to gain his trust and convinced him to take my orders unconditionally. If you heard about this, how would you see me?" Wester smiled.


    "I will watch you more carefully and reevaluate your ability," the woman replied.


    "I told Brufit in a showing-off tone that Miorich was willing to take my orders. I thought he would realize that he needed be careful of what he was doing. That idiot only had that boring n on his mind. It was so disappointing."


    "But... it already happened. You have to fix it!"


    "Fix it? Why would I need to fix it?"


    "Philip is a master swordsman with a hot temper. Three of his students have also reached the level of master swordsmen. If he has any conflict with Saul, no matter which side has casualties, it would be a huge loss to the empire!"


    "Haha... My baby, not long ago, we were discussing how to deal with your brother in the negotiation. Didn¡¯t it sound familiar?"


    "Your majesty, are you... insulting me?" The woman¡¯s face changed.


    "No, no, no, baby, you still have that problem, thinking too much. I was just stating a fact. If the ties of family members and friendships can be changed at anytime, would the rtionship between teacher and studentst forever?" Wester smiled. "You think there are four master swordsmen under Philips. To me, there is only one. This is the difference between us."


    "Do you think... Philip¡¯s students would betray him?"


    "Of course, the key is how much I can offer them and whether what I offered was worth them betraying their teacher. Huh... I sort of hate the word "betray." I think they might feel the same way. What if Philip became a traitor? They would be heroes if they could kill their teacher for their country!"


    Wester smiled. "Baby, do you understand now? This is the advantage of being a king. If you have the ultimate power of interpretation, you are an omnipotent god!"

 Chapter 42: One Misfortune After Another

    Chapter 42: One Misfortune After Another


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "Shawn, what did you see?" An old man stood quietly under the starry sky. It was hard to tell his age; his long white hair was blowing in the air, and his face was battered with deep wrinkles, looking like they were carved with knives. The folds of his eyelids were saggy, as if they couldn¡¯t hold the weight and were trying to squeeze his eyes into slits. He looked weak, but his voice was deep and as loud as a bell, putting pressure on others.


    "It¡¯s weird. A fire mage, a swordsman, and... a necromancer. When did Saul start to work with a necromancer?" A guy named Shawn asked, standing up. "The ground is still warm from theva. They must have left recently. Professor, we can still catch them."


    "Ok, then..." The old man¡¯s face grew stern, and he turned to the side. Shawn also turned around at the same time.


    A sword-light shed in the dark to their side, about a hundred meters away from them, shooting directly at the old man.


    The old man didn¡¯t even move slightly when he saw the sword-light shooting at him. He waved at it like he was waving away flies. The sword-light shattered into numerous specks of light and then disappeared.


    Ernest slowly walked out of the darkness. Even though he was confident in his swordsmanship, sword-light would not be able to hurt a master swordsman from a hundred meters away. He was just warning the old man.


    "Master, that¡¯s Ernest," Shawn said slowly.


    Philip snorted and pulled his sword out from his waist. Normally, an old man would not have strong bones and flexible muscles. His sword looked a lot wider and a little longer than a regr sword, and its edge was three fingers thick. The sword seemed very heavy; it was good for an old man to exercise with, but strange to battle with. Undoubtedly, Philip was very confident in his strength and stamina.


    A thick white cloud ofbat power arose from Philip. His body shot out like a bullet toward Ernest. Shawn also pulled out a sword, standing right next to Philip, ready to protect him.


    If they had met yesterday, Philip would¡¯ve invited Ernest to his house without any hesitation to enjoy a conversation about sword skills. However, with only a single day¡¯s difference, their positions and attitudes had experienced dramatic changes. Philip immediately started the battle without a word.


    Ernest gracelessly turned around and ran backwards. His cheeks were hot. If this had happened a few years ago, he would never have run away from a battle, no matter who he fought against or whether or not the situation allowed him to join the battle. After being with Anfey for the past few days, Ernest¡¯s personality had changed. Anfey had been telling Ernest the stories he heard from small viges. From the stories, Ernest found that plunging straight ahead was not the only way to arrive at the destination, Circuitous tactics could do the same job. Sometimes, circuitous tactics could even be the better choice.


    Ernest had nevercked the ability to learn, otherwise he would not have been able to be a master swordsman. He just put most of his effort toward practicing the sword, so he seemed simple in other areas.


    Philip stopped walking, sneering at Ernest¡¯s back. "Is this Ernest?"


    "Yes, he is," Shawn said slowly.


    "It was humiliating to even pull my sword out in front of such a coward." Philip put his sword back into its sheath. "Let¡¯s go. We do not have to worry about him!"


    Shawn was deep in thought while he was watching Ernest¡¯s back. He felt that something was strange. He had heard about Ernest. Ernest wasn¡¯t supposed to be a coward!


    Ernest suddenly threw himself toward them when they started turning around. Another sword-light shot out.


    Philip, though irritable, had survived for seven or eight decades and immediately reacted to Ernest, who wanted to entangle them, shouting, "Shawn, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. Go now!"


    "Master..."


    "Go!" Philip jumped up, chasing after Ernest.


    Shawn groaned inside. Ernest did not have a good reputation, but no one ever denied his swordsmanship. There were at least seven or eight master swordsmen who had received his challenges and were defeated by him one after another. He could not let his master fight Ernest alone!


    At the same time, Brufit, in Sacred City, put down his quill. He thought he hade to Sacred City under a secret mission. He had done a good job so far. However, he had received an order from headquarters a few days ago. He was told to be careful of a guy named Anfey. In the order, it was said that they had failed in testing Anfey, and everyone they sent out for that mission had died. Headquarters had asked Brufit to find a way to get in contact with Anfey.


    Brufit did notin to headquarters. He understood that capable people had to bear more responsibilities. In fact, he was happy that headquarters had confidence and trust in him. He was deep in thought for a while, trying to kill two birds with one stone. It would have a very good ending. It would not only stir things up in the Maho Empire, but also test what Anfey could really do.


    In the letter, Brufit guessed with certainty that Anfey did not have anybat power, but was able to use some weird and dangerous swordsmanship. Brufit suggested that headquarters send him several skilled men. He wanted to catch Anfey at any cost. He would use spirit magic to turn Anfey into a puppet and learn all about his swords skills.


    Brufit emphasized in the letter that the power of the organization would increase dramatically if Anfey¡¯s swords skills could be taught in the organization, especially to the vampire mages, although vampire mages were already agile and strong without those sword skills.


    Anfey was not Brufit¡¯s priority because he knew Saul had a Chasm Dragon Crystal, which was precious to a necromancer. He had searched for it at Saul¡¯s house after helping Niya and her fellows to escape. He had not found it, although he had found a secret chamber. He was not able to decode the magic array in the chamber, however. Brufit believed Niya and her fellows had taken Saul¡¯s possessions with them, judging from the messy bedrooms and how empty the chamber was.


    Brufit asked headquarters to send people to join his force and stop Niya and herpanions. Judging from the current situation on the Pan Continent, Niya had to be alive, but Saul¡¯s other students didn¡¯t matter. To make apromise, he would catch Niya alive, obtain all of Saul¡¯s possessions, and find an opportunity to allow Niya to escape. The result would be the same.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    "What are you thinking?" Anfey asked in a low voice, suddenly opening his eyes from his rest.


    "Nothing." Christian turned sideways and quietly wiped his tears away.


    Anfey pretended not to see it. "The sun ising out soon, right?"


    "Yes, the sun ising out soon."


    "Hmmm..." Niya turned around in her sleep, putting her left foot on Anfey¡¯s leg. She muttered a bit and fell asleep again.


    Niya had refused to go to sleep when Anfey had asked her to do so, butter, she had been so tired that she fell asleep against the carriage wall. She changed her sleeping positions very often, curling up and sleeping on floor with legs and arms spread out. There was some room left for another person to sleep t on the floor, but sleeping together with Niya would be too much. Christian and Riska had to fight off their sleepiness. Anfey wouldn¡¯t have a problem not sleeping for a couple of nights. He had been resting to save his energy and help him focus better in case of an emergency.


    "Christian, can I ask you something?"


    "What do you want to ask?"


    "You are a junior mage. Riska and Zubin are pretty skilled too. How did you get cuffed by the anti-magic bracelets so easily?"


    "That... We were too stupid." Christian blushed. "Zeda told us there were people who had reported us. One of them was a spy of the Alisen Empire. Zeda wanted to take us to the pce and investigate."


    "Then you allowed him to cuff you with the bracelets?"


    "They are the Pce Guards. We did not want to bring any trouble to the professor." Christian smiled bitterly.


    "s... I just fell asleep, and you woke me up!" Riska opened his eyes.


    "Did you sleep?"


    "How can I sleep? Do you think everyone is like you?" Riskamented, "Anfey, I am admiring you more and more. How can you act like nothing happened in this kind of situation?"


    "Eating is to have energy for the battle, sleeping is to make correct judgements. You can do so as well in the future."


    "Then make a judgement. When are we going to see the professor?" Riska asked. They were saved by Anfey, but Riska did not feel safe with Anfey. It was Anfey who had trouble with the old-nut Philip. The difference in ability between the two parties was huge. Only if they could find the professor would they be protected and feel safe.


    "Don¡¯t worry. We would be looking to get killed if we tried to find the professor with a group of people. You guys had better find a hidden ce to settle first and let me look for the professor. This is a safer way." Anfey smiled.


    "Ok. We will listen to you." Riska took out the water dder and opened the cap as he was nodding. The carriage suddenly jolted. Riska had a strong headache from theck of sleep and dropped the water dder on the floor, causing water to spill out immediately.


    The water did nothing to the others on the carriage. Niya was the unlucky one. Her eyes flew open and saw a few people "overlooking" her. Niya jumped up with a scream.


    "Miss, are you awake?" Riska ttered her with a smile. He had hidden the water dder behind him, afraid of Niya finding anything wrong with it.


    "Yes." Niya rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Where are we now?"


    "Zubin, Miss Niya asked you where we are now?" Riska became a mouthpiece.


    "We will be at the crossroad soon."


    "Come in and get some rest. I will be the driver." Riska crawled out of the carriage without waiting for Zubin¡¯s response.

 Chapter 43: Mud

    Chapter 43: Mud


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    At noon, they saw the outline of the town, Baidah, ahead of them. Anfey urged Zubin to turn the carriage into the woods by the side of the road, and the other two carriages followed.


    There were four carriages when they escaped from the Sacred City, but only three remained. Sante was the only one in his group that knew how to drive. Since no one else could take over for Sante, he was so tired that he fell asleep on the road. As a result, the carriage lost control and flipped over. Luckily, there were no serious injuries.


    "Anfey, why are we stopping here?" Christian asked, confused.


    "To let everybody rest a little bit." Anfey smiled.


    "We can rest and find something to eat when we get to the town," Niya said. No one had brought food, so they were all hungry, having been on the road for almost half a day. However, everyone was too embarrassed to request food. Finally, they could almost see Baidah, and Niya could not hold back any longer.


    "Feller!" Anfey called out.


    "Right here." Feller ran, wobbling, toward Anfey.


    "Take off your magic gown and put on a civilian outfit. Then go to the town and check to see if there¡¯s anything unusual. It would be even better if you can buy some food as well. You have to go by yourself to avoid attention. Any questions?"


    "No! But... I only have what I am wearing." Feller had filled his dimensional ring with gold coins; he didn¡¯t even leave any room for his personal belongings, including any spare clothes.


    "Feller, you can have mine," Sante shouted. "We wear almost the same size of clothes."


    "Great," Feller answered, hurrying over to Sante.


    "Everybody, get off the carriage! Take a break from resting to stretch a little," Anfey requested, "get off, get off!" Mages¡¯ physical builds were weak, so they had been curling up on the carriage. They would suffer from insufficient blood cirction if they went back to sleep right away. Anfey was experienced in escaping and was well aware of the most fatal threats¡ªnot policemen, not enemies, but diseases. Eating in the wild, sleeping without shelter, being on the road day and night, and stressing over the roadblocks ahead and the chasers behind all contributed to the increasing risk of illnesses. Being able to keep the body at the healthiest condition would allow them to fight for survival, but getting ill would leave no hope to win.


    Anfey had now be the leader of the group. Even though everyone was exhausted, they got off the carriage and started to walk around.


    "Anfey," Riska cheered in pleasant surprise, lifting up the carriage curtain, "vi woke up!"


    "Where... am I?" vi¡¯s frail voice rose in the carriage.


    "You are in the carriage." Riskaughed.


    "What carriage?"


    "vi, don¡¯t move!" Anfey crawled inside. He felt the temperature on vi¡¯s forehead, and gently pressed down on his belly. "Does it hurt?"


    "No."


    "How about here?" Anfey tried a different spot.


    "Nope."


    Anfey continued with several other ces around his belly. vi did not scream in pain. Anfey was relieved. If the intestine was ruptured or wounded, it would be infected by now. As a result, the abdominal area would produce pressure and cause unbearable pain if pushed down.


    Riska was curious, "Anfey, what are you doing?"


    "I have some medical knowledge." Anfey smiled back at him.


    "Is vi ok?"


    "He should be alright."


    "Yikes!" Riska said, "I wish Bright Priests were here."


    "Bright Priests?" Anfey widened his eyes. "Can they cure disease?"


    "Do not trust Bright Priests." Christian followed Riska into the carriage and sneered.


    "Why? They lied?"


    "They may not be lying, but diseases can¡¯t be cured for good with just a benediction. I have a friend. He was always very concerned by his poor health, so he went to the priest every time he got sick. Holy light had an immediate effect on relieving the pain, but he would get sick again, with the same symptoms, in less than two days. Then he had to go back to the Priest again."


    "No matter what," Anfey said, intrigued by the profession of priest, "it did help with the pain. That is good."


    "My fried ended up dying because the holy light wasn¡¯t able to help him anymore. That priest told him he had to see a Bright Priest for his problem."


    "So?"


    "He had been seeing the Priest intermittently for the past few years and donated almost all of his savings to the church. How could he have any money left to see a Bright Priest?"


    "But... Bright Priests are the messengers of the God of Light here on earth. They are generous and kind-hearted. I¡¯ve seen them in person..." Riska said hesitantly.


    "They definitely need to do something nice," Zubin interrupted, "otherwise how could they make people believe in them? But think about it, how many people are suffering from sickness? Holy light is not able to cure them all. How could the Bright Priests help everyone?"


    "Zubin is right." Christian took over the conversation. "Anfey, do you know who the richest people in this world are?"


    "Businessmen?"


    "No, they are the priests. Every time they use holy light, they charge a fortune! People getting sick is inevitable, so they go to the priests. If the priests can¡¯t help them, they have to see Bright Priests. Think about it, how much money could they make?"


    "People can only go to priests for illnesses? Is there no other way to cure an illness?"


    "There used to be a group of Life Messengers on the Pan Continent. They weremitted to researching the secret of life, and they also helped to cure diseases. However, the way they treated patients was too scary. They even snuck into cemeteries to dig up dead people and cut them up into pieces to study. Later, they were condemned as heretics and ughtered. They are almost extinct, even rarer than necromancers."


    "I see," Anfey nodded.


    "Hem... you are prejudiced toward priests. Not all of them are like that. My uncle is a priest, and I know him." vi coughed quietly. "Now could someone tell me where we are and what happened?"


    Anfey, however, was still very interested in this topic. "vi, can you tell me a bit more about this? Can your uncle cure diseases?"


    "Minor diseases can be cured, and there will be no rpse within a short period of time. But for more severe cases, holy light can only relieve some of the pain," vi said honestly.


    "The professor did some research on this as well. He believed that diseases are caused by abnormal changes in the blood, bones, and muscles. The best way to treat it is to use your own body strength to modify the condition of those abnormalities and force them to recover."


    "Holy light works in the same way!" vi argued.


    "Alright, no more fighting!" Niya said loudly. "We have enough to worry about!"


    "That¡¯s right." vi looked around. "I have asked a few times. Why hasn¡¯t anyone answered me? What happened?"


    "Let me tell you," Riska started talking, vividly describing what happened at Saul¡¯s house. He exaggerated Anfey¡¯s capabilities while ying down the opponent¡¯s power with some thrilling scenes. What a great story teller!


    vi was stunned. After a while, he turned to Anfey and asked, "Did you really kill Zeda?"


    "Unfortunately, yes." Anfey nodded.


    "Why? vi, are you scared?" Riska asked, dissatisfied.


    "At this point, what good would fear do?" vi smiled bitterly. "Anfey, I thought I was too impulsive. You are even worse than me."


    "Anfey was not impulsive," Christian said. "You did not see what happened. Maris wanted Anfey. If Anfey hadn¡¯t struck back, he would¡¯ve been tortured to death by Maris."


    "So, what¡¯s the n now?" vi asked.


    "To Forest rm."


    vi struggled to sit up, but he failed. He was barely able to lean against the carriage, even with Riska¡¯s help. "I... don¡¯t have any strength in me. Sorry to be a burden."


    "You are not a burden. Take a few days to rest and you will be fine." Anfey smiled, and took a dark pill out of his dimensional ring. "Take this pill first."


    vi nced at it and shook his head, hard. "No mud, please!"


    "This is not mud." Anfey was amused. "It¡¯s a medicine I made. Smell it!"


    vi sniffed. He did smell a slight fragrance, but he was still frowning and very hesitant.


    "Come on! Why would I lie to you? It will be good for your recovery." Anfey smiled.

 Chapter 44: Initial Stage

    Chapter 44: Initial Stage


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    vi took the pill from Anfey. Anfey looked very sincere, but vi still wasn¡¯t sure if he should take it or not. This was understandable; no one wanted to ingest an unknown substance. It had nothing to do with trust.


    Zubin suddenly grabbed vi¡¯s hand and forcefully shoved the pill into vi¡¯s mouth.


    vi scrunched up his face, angrily staring at Zubin. However, he had no other options besides swallowing it down, since the pill was already in his mouth. If he spat it out, it would look like he was rejecting Anfey¡¯s kind gesture, and he didn¡¯t want to hurt Anfey¡¯s feelings.


    "You¡¯d better wait for me!" vi said with his teeth clenched.


    Zubin made an apologetic gesture with both of his hands.


    "Ok, since everyone is here now, I need to tell you something important." Anfey smiled.


    "What is it?" Niya asked. She was the first one in the group to show curiosity toward Anfey¡¯s question.


    "You don¡¯t think we are a disorderly group, do you? Without organization, responsibilities, and rules, it would be a mess if something happened to us. For example, right now, if we all go to rest, there will be no one on watch! Let¡¯s imagine. If someone attacked us by surprise, how could we effectively defend?"


    "Anfey, you give us orders and tell us what to do. We trust you," Christian said.


    "Time is really tight right now. I can only assign you some work. Hmm... We should divide into four groups. I am in directmand of the first group. Let us pick three people to be in charge of the other three groups." Anfey looked at Christian, "Christian, you are an entry-level mage. I rmend you be in charge of the second group. The first group will block our opponents when they appear. Your second group will quickly attack them with magic!"


    "I got it." Christian nodded.


    "Does anyone have any suggestions for the leaders of the other two groups?"


    "I rmend vi be in charge of one group. He has a great grasp of various magics," Christian said.


    "What do you guys think?" Anfey asked.


    "Besides Christian and Melinda, vi is the best mage among us. The professor had already considered having vi take the mage exam, but there was suddenly a battle at the frontier, so he didn¡¯t get the chance to take the exam. I agree that vi is a good fit." Riska smiled.


    "But my body..."


    "Your body will be fine in a day," Anfey said. "Since everybody agreed, then it¡¯s set. Everybody, can you think of another leader candidate for thest group?"


    "Zubin could be in charge of the fourth group," Christian said.


    Zubin hesitated for a second. "I think I should be with Anfey. If there are mages among the opponents, someone in the first group should be able to fight them. This is for Anfey¡¯s safety, otherwise he will be in danger."


    "Yes, Anfey does need a good assistant." Christian nodded.


    "How about Sante?" Riska suggested.


    "Sante is too impulsive. I think you are a good candidate," vi gave his own advice.


    "Me? I¡¯m too careless. I¡¯m not a good candidate." Riska waved his hands.


    "Then give a suggestion for thest candidate. We have to pick the strongest one among those remaining, so you are our best choice," vi said.


    "What do you mean by that?" Riska was not happy about this.


    "Habits can be changed, especially after you take on more responsibilities. When you think your forgetfulness may cause harm to your peers, you will know what you need to do."


    "Can I not take that role?" Riska said with his face scrunched.


    "That¡¯s it." Anfey didn¡¯t respond to Riska¡¯s response, instead making the decision that Riska would take the role of leading the fourth group.


    "How about me?" Niya asked unhappily. Niya had waited quite a while to see if Anfey would give her the job, but now she was very upset.


    Christian and his fellows gave each other a look, and then they all looked down. In their quiet and peaceful life, Niya was their dream girl. However, when in danger, they just hoped Niya would not bring them any trouble. It would be a joke to let her lead a team, but they could not say anything in front of her, so they quieted down instead.


    "We will talk about youter." Anfey smiled.


    "Oh..." Niya nodded and showed a hint of smile.


    "I am going to announce the rules. There is only one rule today, but I will add more rulester on." Anfey¡¯s face became stern. "All orderse from me. Everyone should obey the orders, including the group leaders! If anyone fails to obey an order, that person has to leave our team immediately, or he will be our enemy! Any questions?" Anfey knew it was not practical to have everyone following his lead, so he had Christian and two other leaders make a "leadership team" to take some stress off him.


    "No questions." Christian nodded. He was the first to agree.


    vi and Riska followed him and nodded. Although neither of them had anybat experience or any sort of training, they had seen others fight. They would do just fine. To ovee this difficult time, everybody had toe together and be united. Discipline was the prerequisite for a united group. Without discipline, they would be a mess, because each of them had different ideas and opinions on how to do things.


    "That¡¯s good. Christian, you guys go and find your group members. Whoever doesn¡¯t have a group will be in my first group." Anfey smiled.


    "Anfey, what will vi¡¯s and my groups do?" Riska asked.


    "vi¡¯s group will be the first responder team. Depending on the situation, your team might need to help the first group or protect Christian. You make the decision." Anfey looked at Riska. "Your team will remain at the back of the carriages. When the battle starts, no matter what happens in front of you, your team has to ensure no one will attack us from behind."


    "I got it."


    "Anfey, Sante should go to your team. He is hot tempered, but he is a good mage. He can provide a lot of help," Christian said. Among the four groups, Anfey¡¯s team would undoubtedly take the most stress and encounter the most danger. Christian thought that Anfey¡¯s team needed to be stronger.


    "Okay," Anfey epted Christian¡¯s suggestion, smiling. "Also, after you pick your team members, you and your team have to think about your strategies. You need to make ns for how to respond to opponents with starter attacks, how to coborate with other teams, and how to intelligently fight against your opponents. You will have no time to rest for the next few days."


    "Anfey, are the starter attacks you mentioned the magic my team could use to start the battle?" Riska asked.


    "Yes! You know that my magic..." Anfey scoffed at himself, "so I cannot offer any useful advice on the techniques. You and your team will have to figure it out yourselves. Christian is very talented in magic! Do you still remember what happened at master¡¯s house? If Christian hadn¡¯t used electrical arcs instead of lightning to attack that person, the battle would not have ended so soon! You guys can ask him for advice."


    "Haha, that was because your swordsmanship was too advanced. I have confidence in you." Christian blushed a little.


    "Confidence? Right, that is the most important thing for us!" Anfey said. "Everyone has to have confidence in each of their team members, and each team has to have confidence in the other teams! Maybe we are not strong yet, but confidence will be an important weapon when fighting our enemies!"


    "I got it!" Christian and the other two team leaders nodded sincerely.


    "Okay, go ahead and pick your team members."


    At the same time, Sante¡¯s voice arose outside the carriage. "Feller, did you bring any food back? Hurry up, I¡¯m starving!"


    Anfey lifted up the curtain. "Sante, hold on! Feller,e in!" Discipline started with the little things. Everybody should have dinner together. No one should just eat whenever they felt hungry.


    Feller crawled into the carriage, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He said, "Anfey, thank you. If you did not ask me to take off my mage¡¯s gown, I would not have been able toe back."


    "What happened?" Anfey grew tense.


    "I saw us on a wanted poster!"


    "A wanted poster? All of us?" Christian yelled.


    "Yes! It said that we killed the Pce Guards and wanted to overthrow the king. They were offeringrge rewards; a gold coin for reporting our locations, and ten gold coins for killing any of us."


    "Only ten gold coins? You call that arge reward?" Riska smiled. "Feller, have you ever seen a gold coin?"


    "There was also a wanted poster from Philips!" Feller smiled bitterly. "They are giving one hundred gold coins for reporting our locations!"


    "How could the information on the poster be passed to Baidah City so quickly?" Anfey asked.


    "This should be credited to the Mage Union." Christian sighed. "Anfey, what should we do now?"

 Chapter 45: Novice Bandits

    Chapter 45: Novice Bandits


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    It was getting so dark that normal people had locked their doors and gone to sleep; only some stray cats and dogs still wandered the streets.


    A group of people quietly moved toward the harbor. This was the newly formed squad¡¯s first action. Anfey was up front, leading the first team, and followed by the second and third teams. Riska¡¯s fourth team kept the rear, with ten meters in between the groups.


    Maybe all young people were like this. Once a well-behaved girl, who stayed at home most of the time, tasted rebellion, she would likely remember that adventure for a long time. After Anfey gave the order to take over a ship, these young people forgot about the dangerous situation they were in. They rolled up their sleeves and itched to have a go, which made Anfey snicker.


    "Are you sure the ship is nearby?" Anfey hissed.


    "It is here," Feller whispered. "That was arger ship. The ferry won¡¯t arrive until dusk. Zubin said the next ferry is about 100 miles away from Baidah City. They are not able to sail the boat in the dark and should be resting here tonight."


    "I see it now." Anfey nodded.


    In a few moments, four groups gathered at a ce about 100 meters away from the berth. Anfey observed their surroundings and ordered, "Execute the n. This is thest chance for questions."


    "I have one... What do we do if we hurt someone?" someone in the fourth group asked.


    "I do not care if you kill or wound anyone, but you have to keep everything under control without drawing attention. This is my only request! As long as you can do that, I am fine with anything, even if you want to make peace with the people on the ship. However," Anfey said coldly, "you have to understand, we are one big team. If anyone hesitates and jeopardizes the safety of the team, I will have him leave right away! We do not need anyone who would put us in danger!"


    No one said anything else. Anfey disappeared in the quiet darkness.


    To be honest, Anfey did not want to bring a group of novices with him, but he had no other options. Training should be done when kids were young. The path of escape was dangerous. They needed to start learning and growing up. No matter what they would get out of the training in the end, at least it should increase their likelihood of surviving.


    Ynthe had ruled the country very well. Except for thetent dangers and threats between countries, people in the Maho Empire seemed to live a happy life, and the country enjoyed its peace. Thismercial ship seemed to have sailed without danger for too long, so they had loosened their precautions. Not to mention having very few guards, there were only one or two men standing outside the cabin, sleeping against tarpaulins. In fact, they were more concerned with thieves than bandits. Right now, the boat was resting on the water, which could usually prevent thieves from getting aboard. Even if they were able to get on board, they would have no way to escape with the goods. As such, no one was willing to be on watch the whole night while knowing that nothing was going to happen.


    Anfey walked around the boat twice, sneaking into the cabin and going upstairs and downstairs once. Nothing happened except that a business man who woke up early to pee saw Anfey.


    Leading a group of novices to attack a group of ordinary people in surprise... sounded like decent training. A young dog would never be able to fight a tiger no matter how hard it was trained, because it wouldn¡¯t survive the first try, instead being killed by the tiger a long time ago.


    Anfey returned to the cabin and sent out the signal. Over ten people levitated in the air in the dark. Only Niya did not know levitation magic¡ªeveryone else could float. The differences among themid on the distance, speed, and stability. Christian was a junior mage, so he didn¡¯t have a problem flying a short distance with a person.


    Soon, the squadnded on the deck. They all wore dark clothes. Anfey had requested everyone wear ck, but at least two thirds of them didn¡¯t have ck clothes, and it wasn¡¯t practical to make them immediately, so they substituted dark clothes instead.


    Anfey waved, and then Christian quietly took two members from the second team forward. On the other side, Riska led the fourth team to the aft. vi was breathing heavily against the bulwark. He shouldn¡¯t have participated in this action due to his health, but he had insisted oning, and Anfey had acquiesced.


    "Get up!" Niya yelled in a low pitch.


    The two men were sleeping so soundly that they did not wake up even when Christian and his team members walked across them. They also treated Niya¡¯s order as mosquito noise, until Niya stepped on them heavily.


    "You..." one of them reached his hand out to grab the sword on his waist. Niya was quicker than him andid her sword at his neck.


    "Do not move. I do not want to hurt you!" Niya said in her crushing manner.


    Anfey could not help shaking his head. Niya¡¯s words revealed her timidity. Even though her face and tone were vicious, it could only fool little kids. If Niya was threatening him with a sword at his neck, Anfey had millions of ways to kill her.


    "Miss, what do you want to do? We are just business people! You.. "


    Before he could finish his sentence, Anfey had already kicked his face. It didn¡¯t matter if he was interrogating or condemning, everything turned into moaning in pain.


    "You have to understand you are our captive! If you dare to challenge my patience, I don¡¯t mind cutting off your hands and feet and then tossing you into the water!" Anfey said tly. In fact, he was saying this to Niya. She should understand that she was a bandit and should not have said "I do not want to hurt you."


    Anfey knew his action did little when he saw Niya¡¯s sympathetic and stunned look. The sound of fighting and the waves of magic surges came out from the cabin. It became quiet in a short while. With a good n, it was a piece of cake to have a junior mage, a senior mage, and four intermediate mages beat a few normal guards and some businessmen. Moreover, Anfey had checked the ship inside and out beforehand. If, after all this preparation, the n had still failed, Anfey would have left the group and wandered alone.


    Soon, a few businessmen were taken out by Christian, followed by seven or eight bodyguards, two of which were wobbling, probably hurt by magic. Riska also took more than ten sailors out. The river was not asrge as the ocean. Less than twenty sailors were definitely not enough to sail on the ocean, but thismercial boat was supposed to go on the river, so there was no need for arge crew, despite its size.


    Just as Anfey anticipated, although Christian and others were rookie bandits, a huge difference in power meant that the battle ended quickly. At the beginning, there were two guards in a physical fight with Christian. In the next moment, they were hit by Christian¡¯s magic and fell to the floor. After that, the rest of them gave up immediately.


    "Who is in charge?"


    "It is me, Sir. How can I help you?" a businessman walked up, simpering. He was a little overweight with a wide face, intelligent eyes, plump lips, and an honest look.


    "Name?"


    "My name is Jesse, Sir."


    "From now on, your ship will be our acquisition. If you do not want to see any bloodshed, just do what you are told!" Anfey said tly. "Weigh anchor now."


    "No problem, Sir." The businessman named Jesse was very cooperative. "Where are we going? North or south?"


    "South."


    "I got it." Jesse turned around, yelling, "Get to work, get to work. Why aren¡¯t you moving? Hurry up! Set sail!"


    A couple of sailors looked around, walked carefully to the bulwark, and worked together to hoist the anchor.


    Zubin and Santended on the deck and shook their heads at Anfey. Their duties were watching to ensure no one escaped.


    The businessmen and bodyguards realized the bandits were all mages, grew even more uneasy, and crowded together, looking at Anfey with fear.


    Anfeyid his eyes on Christian. "Besides the sailors, lock everyone else up in the storage room. You keep a good eye on them!"


    "Yes." Christian took the order and nodded.


    "Sir, let me stay. I am very familiar with this ship. If you need anything, I can help." Jesse ttered them with smiles.


    Anfey nced at Jesse from top to bottom. "Fine."


    "Sir, where are you heading?"


    "No more questions. You will know when we get there." No matter how beautiful and bright Jesse¡¯s smiles were, Anfey kept a stern look on his face.


    "Of course, of course! I understand." Jesse behaved very obediently. Beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers. Jessica was worried about his goods, but dealing with a group of mages, he had no other choice besides praying to God.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    Ernest stopped abruptly. He saw something familiar; a three-meter long white wax stick wasying in the grass. Ernest walked over and picked it up. No doubt, this was the weapon Anfey had used before!


    He felt something wet from his left arm. He looked down and saw the blood from the wound again. He tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and wrapped the wound up. After thinking a bit, he walked toward the direction the white wax stick was pointing.


    Before he walked long, Ernest paused again. A few withered, wild flowers were stuck on a trunk, waving with the wind. Wasn¡¯t that the herb Anfey had talked about before? Ernest strode to the tree and picked up the flowers. He observed the surroundings, and pulled out a paper ball from the hole where the flowers were. There was only one word on it: "La."


    "What does it mean?" Ernest said to himself. He was confused and looked around to find more hints. Suddenly, he noticed a few more wild flowers waving in the wind. He went over, picked the flowers up, and easily found another paper ball in the hole with a stick. It said "Gan" on it.


    Lagan? Ga? Ernest looked around once again, but without any luck this time. He felt that "Lagan" sounded familiar. It seemed like the name of a ce. After thinking for a while, he turned toward to the crossroad.


    These were indeed left by Anfey to Ernest. The signs were hidden very well and no hint was given beforehand. The possibility of getting Ernest¡¯s attention was slim, but Anfey had to give it a shot. If Ernest were able to find them, they could meet earlier. If Ernest missed the signs or could not find them, it would not affect their escape. If they were found by others, they would probably not be able to decode them and cause trouble for Anfey in the foreseeable future. Anfey would not have left these signs if he thought there was any slight possibility that those would pose a threat on them.

 Chapter 46: Escape

    Chapter 46: Escape


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Bang, bang, there were some knocks on the door.


    "Who?"


    "It¡¯s me, Zubin."


    "Come on in." Anfey got up and kept doing what he had been doing.


    Zubin looked around before he pushed the door open and entered, closing the door tightly afterward. "I feel, Anfey, that something isn¡¯t right."


    "Oh, what¡¯s the matter?" Anfey stood up and smiled.


    "That guy named Jesse is very good at speaking. He has already ingratiated himself with the others within just one day. He always talks with people andughs with them, and people are less alerted around him." Zubinughed bitterly. "Anfey, you should do something about it. You can¡¯t allow it to happen this way."


    "I know." Anfey nodded.


    "Anfey, howe you aren¡¯t doing anything about this? Did you forget our identities?" Zubin became anxious.


    "Riska really sucks, as does Miss Niya. I guess they already know our identities, and they already know we are students of the Great Magician Saul. I was trying to wink at him, but he saw nothing. I couldn¡¯t talk any more and had toe to you!!"


    "Oh, did Riska and Niya say anything about what we did in the Sacred City? En... Zubin, be quieter while talking."


    "Not yet, although Riska is careless, he is not so stupid as to expose our identities. He said we were here to practice," Zubin said quietly, shaking his head. "He is pretty good at speaking; Riska and Niya were yed tricks on and had many secrets seduced out. He would know nothing if I hadn¡¯t sent him to do things on the deck!"


    "Very naive lies. Can¡¯t experienced magicians be thieves? Riska and Niya are treating him like a kid."


    "Since you already know this, aren¡¯t you nervous?" Zubin asked quietly. "They will surely sell us out once they arrive at Lagan. Lagan is a very busy harbor and has its own delivery system. People from the Sacred City would surely stop us if we were sold out before we get to Forest rm.


    "Do you think it¡¯s useful for me to speak to them?" Anfey asked.


    "But you can¡¯t just stand there and do nothing about it. Don¡¯t forget you are the team leader!"


    "How do you know that I did nothing?"


    "..." Zubin looked at Anfey, surprised.


    "Come over and listen this." Anfey shook the silver bottle in his hand.


    This was a stethoscope Anfey had made by connecting two wine bottles using a gold wire.


    "What¡¯s this used for?"


    "Do you know why I choose this room to rest?" Anfey asked a new question instead of responding to Zubin¡¯s question.


    "I have no idea."


    "There is a warehouse beneath this room; although the soundproofing of the floor isn¡¯t good, you can hear them unless they talk quietly." Anfeyughed out. He put one end of the stethoscope near Zubin¡¯s ear and attached the other end to the floor.


    "You¡¯ve been listening to them!" Zubin said after listening a bit.


    "Zubin, please get all free people here, we need to have a discussion." Anfey nodded to Zubin.


    "Okay." Zubin answered and walked outside.


    "Wait a second." Anfey stopped Zubin and whispered to him for a while, and Zubin¡¯s facial expression changed from amazement to anger to confusion to helplessness.


    "Now you can go." Anfey patted Zubin.


    Not muchter, the majority of them had been called in, except for some that were monitoring the businessmen and sailors. They only encountered one dangerous moment where they were helped out by some "Good Person." At this moment, the destination was just right in front of them, and everyone was rxed, especially Niya, who had put on some makeup. She didn¡¯t have any mood for makeup in the beginning when they had started escaping.


    "Anfey, what¡¯s the matter?" Christian asked.


    "We will be in Lagan tomorrow, I need to discuss something afterward with you guys," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t think we are safe now. Honestly, we won¡¯t be safe even when we are in Forest rm!"


    "Something afterward? Anfey, what we need to do?" Christian said.


    "After arriving at Lagan, we can¡¯t stop by the harbor; we must find some remote area where no one can see us. Then we must destroy all the evidence, including the boat!"


    "Destroy the boat? What about the people on the boat?" Riska asked, surprised.


    "I am your team leader. It¡¯s my duty to keep everyone safe. Nothing has to do with my business except this." Everyone was silent now as they understood that destroying the boat was not the purpose; the purpose was to eliminate all the evidence. Everyone now remembered how crude Anfey¡¯s sword skills were after he demonstrated in Saul¡¯s house. What Anfey wanted to do was clear enough without guessing.


    "Anfey, there are dozens of lives on the boat! And they did no harm to us," Riska said hesitantly.


    "How do you know...?" Zubin was trying to argue, and Anfey kicked him under the table.


    "Anfey, there are still over dozens of miles between Forest rm and Lagan, we could still get into Forest rm before the chasers arrive if we act quickly, even if people on this boat sell us out. Considering the people on this boat are friendly to us, isn¡¯t it overreacting if we destroy the boat?" vi said.


    Anfey fell into silence. No matter where they came from, whether ordinary people or nobles, there was one thing that they shared with each other: their lives were peaceful without life-or-death moments. Although they had some small conflicts among themselves, those were just childlike games, and they didn¡¯t really care who won or lost. They led a content life, and that¡¯s why they opposed such suggestions.


    "Christian, what¡¯s your opinion?" Anfey looked at Christian.


    "Why don¡¯t wepromise?" Christian suggested. "I could bind them. Only a dozen miles until we will be in Forest rm. Anfey, what do you think? They can¡¯t have a negative impact on us."


    "That¡¯s fine. Since everyone here is against my opinion, then we will just do as Christian just said." Anfey nodded.


    Christian was surprised that Anfey was convinced so easily. It was reasonable to think Anfey wasn¡¯t the type of person who could be easily convinced, considering Anfey was a rational and calm person.


    "Does anyone have any ideas or want to say anything?" Anfey asked slowly.


    Everybody shook their heads; they all thought Anfey¡¯s way was too cruel and merciless, while Christian¡¯s way could be eptable.


    "That¡¯s it. We will be in Lagan tomorrow. Have a good rest today and be well prepared for tomorrow!"


    Everyone else was leaving Anfey¡¯s room except for Zubin. Zubin closed the door when everyone else left and spoke to Anfey, "Anfey, didn¡¯t you hear about the warrant that Jesse mentioned and how our identities were exposed? How could you let everyone here have other opinions?"


    "Let¡¯s do it my way, Zubin. I trust you, that¡¯s why I have no reservations about you, and I hope you are worthy of my trust."


    "Anfey..."


    "Please go!"


    Zubin looked Anfey deeply and then left without a word.


    ¡ù¡ù¡ù


    It was dark again. It was one of the do-nots for sailor to sail at night. Ind rivers were different from the ocean; there were so many invisible obstacles. idents could happen at any time if you were a little bit careless. But Anfey and the others were all amenable to sailing during the night.


    The owner of this business boat was busy with all sorts of things. In Christian¡¯s eyes, Jesse was a good person. If Jesse wanted to plot against them, he could have sailed the boat to a shallow ce and gotten the boat stuck somewhere, causing everyone trouble. Instead, Jesse was very serious about sailing and hoped to sail to Lagan soon, just like everyone else.


    Due to Jesse¡¯s responsible attitude, everyone trusted him, and even Christian lost his alertness regarding Jesse after he talked with Anfey.


    The dining room was usually dim but was very crowded today. Hundreds of candles were lit, and every corner was lit up. Everyone would go on with their own roads after tomorrow. Honest Jesse got to know this news from other, more honest students. That¡¯s why he held this farewell party.


    Jesse was very good at speech, even better than Christian and all the othersbined. He would go with Christian¡¯s team and experience more of the outside world, leaving his business, if only he had no family to support. Christian didn¡¯t think Jesse¡¯s idea was serious, but some of his students did, so the party¡¯s atmosphere was even more like that of a farewell party.


    "Christian, where is your leader? I haven¡¯t seen him for a while." Jesse stood up shakily; he had drank enough already.


    "Er... Oh, who saw Anfey?" Christian asked.


    "Anfey got off the boat already..." Zubin replied. "He said he had to do something and will meet us in Lagan."


    "How could he do this without even telling us?!" Christian was surprised.


    "No worries, we will be at Lagan tomorrow morning, what¡¯s there to worry about?" Jesse moved his hand andughed.


    Christian put the wine ss down heavily on the table and could drink no more. He knew very well about their own business. Anfey was the only one who was able to bring everybody out of here. Christian felt lost. If Niya knew this, she would faint right away. She would think Anfey took all of her father¡¯s treasure away.

 Chapter 47: Collaboration

    Chapter 47: Coboration


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    "When did Anfey leave? Why did not you tell me?" Christian yelled at Zubin.


    "He... He..." Zubin slowly fell on the table, snoring slightly. What Jesse had taken out was Spirit Red Wine, which tasted sweet at first, but had quite a punch at the end. Zubin was now drunk.


    "You... s!" Christian sighed. After hearing that Anfey had left, Christian had sobered up a little. Looking around, he saw that most of students were drunk. They were either sleeping soundly on the table or leaning back against their chairs like dead people. This was ridiculous!


    "Christian, you... I told you!" Jesse slurred, his eyes sleepy. He said, "Making friends... with you, it was Jesse¡¯s... honor! If youe to Tasha Cityter, do not... forget toe and see me. Come on, let¡¯s have another ss!" Jesse raised his ss up. He wasn¡¯t even able to hold his ss still, and his wobbling caused half the ss of wine to spill out.


    "I cannot drink anymore." Christian shook his head. He had only drunk one ss so far. It was not because he didn¡¯t know how to drink or had no desire to drink, but because he could not drink. This situation did not allow him to drink anymore.


    Jesse stopped persuading him to drink more when he saw that Christian was very firm about it. He threw himself on the chair with a loud banging sound, searching his shirt for a while. He took out a small crystal box. "Chri... Christian, we will be apart tomorrow. I feel... sad. I am only a little businessman. I do not have a lot of good stuff. If... you... do not... mind, please take this."


    "Jesse, your thoughts are what count, I can¡¯t ept this." Christian smiled.


    "It is a great magic tool for a mage." Jesse opened the box. "Look... take a look!"


    Christian had decided not to take anything from him, but he nced at it out of curiosity. It was a crystal with ck and white stripes. It was a rare one and seemed to constantly give out swirling sparkles. After that one nce, Christian started to look confused.


    Suddenly, a sharp pain behind his head made Christian sober up. Christian became alert and angry. He reached out for his magic wand, but he was whacked behind his head before he could do anything with his wand. He fell helplessly down to the floor.


    "Hurry up! Move! Tie them up!" Jesse¡¯s drunkenness was gone, reced with excitement and passion. "Hurry up, there are three more mages upstairs we have to handle!"


    At this time, a student, who either felt the urge to pee or had a bad dream, shook his head and opened his eyes slowly. He saw Jesse giving orders and a group of businessmen and bodyguards holding weapons, standing there with vicious looks. He gasped with shock and was ready to yell for help. A bodyguard saw him waking up and tossed a fishing spear at him immediately. The spear struck the student¡¯s neck. That poor student fell upside down with his arms and legs swinging in the air. He struggled a few times and then stopped moving.


    "Bastard! F*cking Bastard!" Jesse was so angry that he jumped on one foot and yelled. "Do you know how much money Philips offered? Each live one is worth 200 gold coins, but a dead one is only 100 gold coins! You f*cking made me lose 100 gold coins. I am going to kill you!" Jesse¡¯s honest and kind look became an angry and vicious one.


    "But, he was just..." that bodyguard argued.


    Jesse pped his face. "But what!"


    "Jesse, calm down. Our priority is to get the mages upstairs!" a businessman said with a trembling voice. If he were in charge, he would never think of having anything to do with mages. Jesse was a person who would do anything for money. The businessman had finally decided to follow Jesse, since Jesse depicted a bright future for him, which was really tempting.


    "I will get you for thatter!" Jesse gave that bodyguard a dirty look. He turned around and said, "Pierre, you take two people and watch them. Remember, do not let them use magic. If anyone doesn¡¯t listen to you, cut off their hands and feet, just as long as they still breath. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, sir!" A bodyguard leader nodded with an excited look on his face. A live one was worth 200 gold coins from Philips. How many gold coins could they get from these people? Even when he worked very hard for a year, he would only get three or four gold coins at most. This action was definitely worth the risk!


    Not long after, everybody, including the unconscious Christian, was tied up. The businessmen¡¯s bodyguards were experienced with tying people up. They were careful not to wake anyone. There were only two students who woke up from their light drunkenness. The two students did not dare to make any sound when they saw the light reflecting off the swords on their necks.


    "Boss, how about that woman?" a bodyguard asked.


    "She is a princess. How could she drink with us?" Jesse gave a sinister smirk. "I did send her two bottles of wine. She should have passed out."


    "I see." A bodyguard looked out the side door.


    "I am warning you," Jesse said, suddenly remembering something. "If I guessed right, that girl should be the daughter of Archmage Saul. Don¡¯t even think about it!"


    "Boss, we wouldn¡¯t do anything to her. We just want to look at her and feel her skin. Is that okay?" that bodyguard asked without any shame.


    "No f*cking touching! Go home and touch your mother, f*cker!" Jesse said angrily. "What kind of women can you not get when we get our rewards? I will cut off your hands and feed them to dogs if you dare to bother her!"


    "Boss, I am just saying..." That bodyguard looked down sulkily.


    "Okay, you guys stay here watching them, the rest of you follow me upstairs!" Jesse waved.


    There were only four bodyguards left in the cafeteria. They knew about the huge difference in ability, so they didn¡¯t dare to ck. With their eyes wide open, they watched the students on the floor.


    The two sober students received special treatment, but they could not do anything to help. A mage¡¯s hands were the necessary agents for turning invisible, moving elements into visible magic. A person without arms could still be a swordsman, fighting with two legs. However, he could never be a mage, because he would not be able to use magic. Senior mages and archmages might be able to use their mind power as the agent to turn elements into magic, but the students were only intermediate mages, they were too far away from being archmages. There was no way for them to use magic without a visible agent.


    A cold air spread upward from Zubin. It had been humid in the cabin, so when it became colder, the moisture in the air froze into frost with an unnoticeable speed.


    "Howe I feel a little bit cold?" A bodyguard looked around.


    "Yeah, I felt it too," another bodyguard said.


    "You guys stay here. I am going to get a coat."


    "You bastard! You are still thinking about that woman, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t forget the boss¡¯s words. We cannot bother her!"


    "What are you talking about? I really feel cold," that bodyguard muttered and turned around, walking out the side door.


    With the cold weather, the floor started to be covered by a thinyer of frost. The sleeping students started to wake up one by one, and even the unconscious ones frowned and struggled to open their eyes. When everyone realized they had been tied up, they were startled and tried to break through their bindings.


    "Do not f*cking move!" A bodyguard held out a metal stick immediately, smacking the head of one student. Blood immediately oozed out from that student¡¯s head. "Did you not hear me? If anyone moves, I will cut off his hands and feet!" He finished talking but was still afraid the students didn¡¯t believe him. He lifted up that student¡¯s leg with one hand, threw away the metal stick, grabbed a sword with the other hand, and swung the sword at that student¡¯s leg.


    He didn¡¯t use much strength, but the sword was very sharp and had already cut deep into that student¡¯s leg. Blood oozed out, and the student huffed and passed out. It was getting colder, but it still could not wake him up within a short period of time.


    All the struggles stopped under the threat of the bloody scene. No one dared to make a move anymore. Everyone had different look on their faces. Some students looked desperate, some stared at the bodyguards with anger, and some looked around, looking for people or opportunities. Christian bit his lips hard in regret, like a knife stabbing his heart. How could regret help him at this moment? Riska and vi trembled slightly. They were not scared but were trembling with rage. To the right, a fellow killed by a fishing spear; in front, a poor guyying in blood with only one leg left. All of this deeply enraged them.


    "F*ck!" A bodyguard wiped the cold sweat off his forehead when he saw it was finally under their control. What just happened scared him. He did not understand why they started to wake up one after another. If the situation got worse, he would have to run into the crowd with his sword. Even if the rewards would be reduced to half, they had to kill these students. It was still better than being killed.


    Those three bodyguards did not see the lid of the wine bucket quietly lift up. Anfey stepped out of the wine bucket without making any noise. It was not only Christian who was regretting, everyone wished they could go back to the time when Anfey recruited them into the legion. They wished they had agreed with Anfey on the n and killed these businessmen and their bodyguards!


    Due to the angle, everyone was able to see Anfey appearing out of nowhere. Most people instantly showed excitement on their faces. Anfey sighed inside. What were the odds of being able to train these immature kids into powerful people who could fight on their own? They did not even know how to work together! With so many people looking at him, they were sending a warning to the enemy!


    "What do you really want?" Christian suddenly yelled out. "Money? I can give you money! A thousand gold coins? Five thousands gold coins? If you set us free, I can give you ten thousand gold coins. Ten thousand!"


    Those three bodyguards were shocked by Christian and held up their weapons instinctively. After hearing what Christian said, they rxed. Of course, their attention was on Christian, because ten thousand gold coins... Oh my god! These kids were rich!

 Chapter 48: Companions

    Chapter 48: Companions


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Jesse walked up with an ingratiating smile. "Sante, how was the taste of the Red Spirit?"


    Sante tilted his head and looked at Jesse. He remained silent, then slowly leaned against the side of the ship, raised the bottle in his hand, and took another sip.


    "This guy can drink," Jesse thought to himself. He walked towards Sante and sat down next to him, also against the side of the ship. He looked up to the sky and let out a sigh. "What a beautiful night! Ugh... I have been so busy running around for money. I don¡¯t even remember thest time I enjoyed the night view like this."


    Sante tilted his head again and fixed his gaze on Jesse, as if Jesse was more attractive than the night. After a little while, Sante tossed the bottle onto the deck and muttered, "Are you ready?"


    Jesse felt a burst of pain when Sante dropped the bottle. "That was a crystal bottle! Are you paying for it if you break it?!" Then he heard Sante¡¯s words and paused for a moment. "Ready for what?" Jesse didn¡¯t notice that what came out of the bottle was clear water, not the glowing Red Spirit!


    Sante responded to Jesse with action. He waved his hand, and a small fireball suddenly shot at Jesse¡¯s face. They were very close to each other. As Jesse was only a smart businessman, there was no chance he could dodge away. Jesse screeched and fell to the ground, clutching his face.


    A small fireball was one of the lowest levels of magic and was hardly fatal. Although Sante was a senior mage, the small fireball he released was still barely destructive. Jesse was only slightly injured. If Sante had stopped right there, Jesse would at most became blind. Unfortunately, he did not want to let Jesse go. He waved his right hand and another small fireball hit Jesse¡¯s chest. Jesse rolled over miserably as he screamed in pain. His shrill cries could be heard even miles away.


    Some fast footsteps approached from the gangway. Several bodyguards rushed out with weapons. Sante let out a brittleugh and cast a spell. A rotating, ming broadsword flew straight toward the bodyguards. Another two members from the first group dashed over to Sante¡¯s side, and more and more lightning arrows targeted their enemies.


    Sante was the second person, after Zubin, to learn the truth. He had been waiting for a long time! The enemies were so weak that he didn¡¯t even bother to use mid-level magic to fight them.


    Four bodyguards at the front were all knocked down in a sh. One of their chests was cut open, exposing burned organs. The rest of them didn¡¯t fare much better. They were all crawling in pain, like dying worms being stepped on.


    "Retreat! We¡¯ve still got hostages! Quick!" A businessman yelled out, realizing that things were not going well.


    All of a sudden, the businessmen and their bodyguards all turned around and charged down the gangway.


    Sante sneered and stayed put. "Still thinking about the hostages, huh? The guy downstairs is the best fighter in our group."


    "Pop..." Thest bodyguard stared at his chest, where a sword tip had pierced through abruptly. Then, without support, he fell. Anfey pulled out his sword, rubbed off the blood on the bodyguard¡¯s clothes, and then put it back in its sheath.


    "Anfey, quick! A bodyguard might be looking for Miss Niya." Zubin was worried.


    "Hands!"


    Zubin lifted up his butt and raised his hands that were tied together behind him. Anfey swung his sword, untying the ropes. He then sprinted to the dining room¡¯s side door.


    Everything has two sides, so indulgence does as well. Because of his indulgence in magic, Saul was able to achieve brilliant aplishments. However, indulgence could also bring destruction at times.


    The bodyguard was now deeply indulging in Niya. He ignored the noises and even the screams from the deck when Anfey opened the door. He was slightly bent over, and his trembling hands were reaching under Niya¡¯s shirt, moving up and down.


    Meanwhile, Niya¡¯s cheeks were bright red due to the alcohol. She shook her head, showing her rejection of the harassment, but she was too drunk to wake up.


    "Feels good?" Anfey softly whispered in the bodyguard¡¯s ear.


    "Ah..." The bodyguard was shocked, and his mouth wide open. Anfey could even see his shaking tonsil.


    "Ah!" The bodyguard shrieked after he realized that the person in front of him was Anfey. He tried to grab the iron bar by the bed as he moved backwards. Well, it just so happened that he tripped over Niya¡¯s body and sat on her.


    At this time, Niya was almost awake. The bodyguard was quite rough when he touched her, making her very ufortable. She then heard a piercing scream and subsequently felt herself being sat on. She finally opened her eyes.


    The bedding was lifted to the side and her shirt was open at the chest, revealing her beautiful snowy breasts. It was too obvious what had happened. Niya cried out immediately and punched the bodyguard¡¯s left cheek.


    Anfey¡¯s sword was drawn out like a snake, going straight for the bodyguard¡¯s neck and leaving a wound. Anfey grabbed the bodyguard¡¯s hair and pulled him out of bed.


    Even a worm would turn at this time. The bodyguard struggled to get up to fight, but Anfey kicked him in the head so heavily and quickly that his neck twisted. The wound in his neck burst open upon Anfey¡¯s intentional destruction. Blood spurted out like a spring.


    Anfey was always thorough. In his mind, Niya was like a delicate flower growing up in a greenhouse. She was now taken advantage of. With the bed covered with blood, Niya would never forget the nightmare that had happened today.


    Seeing that the bodyguard was taken down, Niya grabbed some bedding to cover up and sobbed softly. This might not be an issue for someone else, but it was really a big deal for Niya. She had been seeing Granden for such a long time, and he had only touched her hands. Today, she almost lost her virginity. If Anfey hadn¡¯t arrived in time, she couldn¡¯t imagine what would¡¯ve happened. Niya felt even more devastated after thinking about it.


    Anfey pulled out the sheet from Niya¡¯s bed and covered the corpse. "Miss Niya, please hide here for now and do not leave."


    Niya kept weeping without nodding or shaking her head.


    At the same time, members in each group were losing their minds out of anger and remorse. They all released their magic power at the same time. A few businessmen and bodyguards managed to retreat back to the dining room, and unfortunately got hit there. All of a sudden, their bodies were covered with all kinds of elements. The battle was finished in no time.


    When Anfey returned to the dining room, Christian was using water magic to put out the fire. Riska had just released a big, explosive fireball that was extremely hot. He killed who he wanted to kill, but that big fireball caused a small fire to break out on the deck.


    Christian came up when he saw Anfey. He was embarrassed. "Anfey, we..." Christian was speechless. The truth was, if he had agreed with Anfey¡¯s n and made some precautionary arrangements, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this bad.


    Without any pause, Anfey proceeded straight up to the student who was pierced by the harpoon. He leaned over to check his breath and then shook his head. "He¡¯s gone."


    "Anfey, this is all our¡ª"


    Anfey interrupted him. "It already happened. Now is not the time to point fingers." He then walked over to Arrago, checking on him. "How about you? Can you stand up?"


    "Looks like... my bones are broken." Arrago clenched his teeth in pain. Unfortunately, the bodyguards beat him up to show his group. He was bleeding heavily, and his calf was injured by a sword.


    "Well, it is good that you are alive. We are... better than him." Anfey gasped at the student¡¯s body.


    Sorrow spread on everyone¡¯s face. The most impacted one was vi. Charles, a member from his group, had lost his life. Before today, none of them had thought that some businessmen could pose a threat to them because of their magic. However, the cold body and their fellows¡¯ unwilling looksughed at their arrogance.


    Suddenly, one student called out, "Anfey, you were hiding here a long time ago. Why didn¡¯t you take action sooner? Had you started fighting back earlier, Charles would have lived."


    "Bullshit!" A spurt of anger shed through Anfey. "You were all trapped. How could I save him? Was I able to kill them all at the same time? What if they held you as hostages against me, then? I am telling you now, if I didn¡¯t take action before thinking it through, more members would have died!"


    "Before you used me, why didn¡¯t you ask yourself what right you have to me me? At least I saved most of the people. What about you? What did you do? From the beginning to the end, what have you done? When I came out of the barrel, you stupid people all stared at me. Are you trying to alert the enemy? Stupid! Had Christian not drawn their attention in time, we would have had more injuries and death!"


    "Why is it my job to save you? I am about the same age as you. I do not havebat power and only possess very little magic, yet I was able to protect myself. But what about you? Such a baby! I saved you... and now you are ming me for saving you toote? You really are a great mage!"


    "During the day, I proposed a n. Who vetoed it? It was all of you! If someone has to take responsibility, it still has to be all of you!"


    Everyone was stumped by Anfey¡¯s rhetorical questions and remained tongue-tied. They were regretful, especially the person who had questioned Anfey. His head was hanging below his chest, and he couldn¡¯t even look straight into Anfey¡¯s eyes anymore.


    "Anfey, we were wrong," Christian murmured.


    "I have to think twice now," Anfey reprimanded. "I don¡¯t need naive babies. I needpanions! Companions who can¡¯t be trusted are far more dangerous than enemies. Do you know why? In the battlefield, the enemies won¡¯t have my back, but you will, and I have to rely on you! Being naive will not only doom yourself, but also the ones who trust you."

 Chapter 49: Lagan City

    Chapter 49: Lagan City


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Christian lowered his head and softly said, "Sorry, Anfey. It¡¯s all my fault, I did not protect you well."


    "No, Anfey, it¡¯s my fault. Charles is my team member, but I couldn¡¯t protect him. I am not qualified to be team leader," vi argued.


    Anfey took a breath and stayed silent for awhile before saying, "Let it be. You just knew how to practice magic. For not knowing these things, I can forgive you. But you have to remember, it¡¯s not scary to be naive. You will be mature enough to deal with it after a period of training. Nevertheless, if anyone still considers being childish to be an excuse, then don¡¯tin that I didn¡¯t tell you!"


    "No worries, Anfey. After this experience, I think everyone learned how treacherous a human¡¯s mind is," Christian said with a wry smile.


    "vi, can you go to the kitchen to see if there is any food for us? Take anything that can be taken away and divide it into portions. Everyone should bring some along," Anfey said slowly. He was ready to move on from what had happened today. "Whoever knows about Forest rm, please stay, and we¡¯ll have a meeting. All others can leave to rest. Zubin, you can go get Sante down."


    With a heart full of guilt, vi wanted to do something to redeem what he had done. He saw Anfey giving out assignments, so he quickly got up and brought along his only two team members, rushing to the kitchen.


    "I have never been to Forest rm, but master brought me to a different magic beast forest. Are all magic beast forests simr? Anfey, what do you want to know?" Christian asked.


    "We should not break into Forest rm abruptly. If anything needs to be prepared, we should get that ready first. Lagan is ourst chance to get supplies, so I need to understand more to avoid missing anything," Anfey said.


    "I¡¯m d that I can finally help you with something." Christian gave a self-deprecatingugh and then started pondering.


    "Anfey, you were looking for me?" Sante and Zubin walked into the dining room together.


    "You can carry those corpses down. Take them to the storage room along with these corpses here."


    "Got it." Sante nodded his head.


    Anfey thought Sante would ask him something, and he would get the chance to exin the reason and let these humans learn something. As a matter of fact, escaping with a group of naive children was very dangerous and exhausting. Anfey wished this group was more mature and grown up. Of course, humans could grow up quickly, and Anfey would just act as a guide for them. He hoped everyone would learn how to reflect and self-analyze.


    Unfortunately, what he did and said had already established his authority, and Sante had already been convinced of his authority. Not to mention the others still in the midst of being ashamed, who would dare to step out and request the truth?


    "I don¡¯t know if you have ever heard the saying, ¡®You can never be too prepared¡¯?" Anfey started exining, "Pile those corpses in the storage room, and then lock the door tight. That way, when the boat wrecks, it won¡¯t bring us trouble because of the floating corpses. You don¡¯t want to ignore it just because the chance of it happening is very slight. Up until today, there were many people who died from being careless! Furthermore, under normal circumstances, garrison troops will not intercept and examine merchant ships. But what if an ident happens? Hide these corpses away while we have the chance to handle them."


    Anfey suddenly felt that he was being as wordy as an elementary school teacher, but he had no other choice. If possible, he wished he could safely pass these people over to Saul.


    "Understood." Sante nodded.


    "Zubin, you stay too. You provided the escape route, and I think you know more about Forest rm," Anfey said.


    "In the magic beast forest, the most scary thing is the threat from the half-beast and half-human creatures. But as Riska said, Forest rm no longer has half-beast and half-human creatures, so we just need to focus on the beasts..." Christian already had a draft in his mind, so he spoke frankly and assuredly.


    Anfey listened attentively, sometimes asking questions. Christian, Zubin, and the others answered individually. When one couldn¡¯t exin it well enough, the others would supplement it.


    Niya stepped into the dining room unnoticed. She quietly sat on the side to listen to their discussion. Anyone who had experienced the horror she had likely wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well, unless that person didn¡¯t care at all.


    Some people said that, when a man is acting serious, he will possess a unique charm. When Anfey was being serious, his charm was even more outstanding. Under no disguise, Anfey was filled with a confidence built upon numerous instances of anger, which wasn¡¯t something that could be easily learned.


    Most of the time, Niya¡¯s sight was on Anfey. This man had changed dramatically from the weakling of the past. She could feel something that she used to feel from her father.


    Before the industrial revolution matured, ships were the primary form of transportation for each civilization. Even in modern society, ship transportation was still the mainstay, remaining unshakable.


    The magical world was not exceptional. Lagan was arge-scale transfer station. Although the area it upied, scale, and architectural structure couldn¡¯t bepared to the Sacred City, and it didn¡¯t have the cultural scene of the big city, the quality of life was far beyond that of the Sacred City. The streets were crowded with people. The city was divided into four sections by two big streets, with one street going north-to-south and the other going east-to-west. Alongside the two streets were all kinds of stores. Lagan city also had a fewrge-scale trading markets, which had everything that one could wish for, from intelligent human beings to humble insects to strong magic beasts.


    Anfey, Zubin, and Sante leisurely walked on the street of Lagan, and people from the temporarily small team arrived. For the purpose of not being noticed easily, the team had been divided into five different subgroups. The groups kept about twenty meters apart from each other, and they had booked a motel beforehand. Anfey worried that people would be separated by ident, so he required that they have a pre-set meeting location.


    The boat had been sinking after the bloody lesson yesterday, so when Anfey ordered them to kill the remaining sailors, no one hesitated. The sailors only had enough time to implore them a bit before they were devoured by the current. After a detour to the west side of Lagan City, they entered the city in batches. Under Anfey¡¯smand, no one was detected or aroused any suspicion.


    Anfey often walked into a store, purchased a small item, and then found a rtively secluded ce to let Zubin and Sante store the items in their space rings. Regr people walking around the city of Lagan would be able to purchase everything they needed, but not Anfey. He was in need of herbal medicine. Once they reached Forest rm, if anyone got sick, then those herbal medicines would be lifesavers, but they were not sold in the city of Lagan.


    When talking about wilderness survival experience, these newbies were notparable to Anfey. Christian kept everybody¡¯s attention on the unknown magic beasts. Only Anfey knew the invisible killers would be more terrible. If not handled properly, even the mostmon cold could threaten a human¡¯s life.


    Turning at the street corner, Anfey walked into a floral shop, looked around, and then left, disappointed. The items he recognized had no value for healing. The items he didn¡¯t recognize he couldn¡¯t possibly taste before purchasing. Anfey didn¡¯t think he had the courage to taste the herbs like Shennong[1] had, since Shennong had died from ingesting a poisonous herb...


    Outside the store, Anfey suddenly heardughtering from the west side. He turned around, and a ridiculous scene popped into his view. It could be said to be ridiculous because it could be seen often; regardless of the location or the level of civilization, this scene was always amon one. The son of a noble family, along with his bodyguards, took liberties with two sisters. The two girls tried to run off but were firmly blocked by the bodyguards. They had nowhere to escape, but thew of the Maho Empire was quite restrictive. The man from the noble family had just touched the cheek and pinched the buttocks. Snatching girls off the street wouldn¡¯t usually happen unless the person was out of their mind. Dallying and snatching had two very different natures. When Ynthe had been on the throne, thew was very restrictive; people normally wouldn¡¯t test it. Besides, to a noble family, as long as they didn¡¯t mind spending money, they could get any kind of women they wished for. There was no need to take a risk, as dalliances were just a game for leisure time, something purely for fun.


    The two sisters hugged each other tightly. The older one bit her lips tight while the younger one cried softly in her older sister¡¯s arms. There were quite a number of people around watching the bustling scene, but no one dared to step out. Some people said it wasn¡¯t their business, thus exposing their selfishness, but if it was viewed from another angle, it could be seen as self-protection.


    Normally, Anfey was not interested in these kinds of incidents. However, when he was ready to leave, he suddenly heard an angry woman shout, "Bastard! Get your hands off!"


    Actually, that nobleman was ready to leave when he heard this voice. He was in a daze for a moment then immediately looked into the crowd, surprised. Niya pushed away the crowd and walked in withrge strides. Perhaps this reminded her of her encounter yesterday, since Niya seemed to be agitated. A pair ofrge, beautiful eyes were wide open, filled with a furious me, and one hand was holding the handle of a sword.


    The nobleman looked at Niya¡¯s recklessness for a few seconds, eyes also wide open, but Niya¡¯s were due to anger, whereas his were due to Niya¡¯s stunning beauty. "Miss, what¡¯s the matter?" the nobleman asked politely. At this moment, he had already forgotten those two sisters. Inparison with Niya, who was beautiful like a tender flower, those two sisters were like two unripe plums. If he was really out of his mind, then he would have snatched a women like Niya. Who would care about those two sisters?


    Niya¡¯s answer was neat and tidy. She took one step forward and pped that man¡¯s face, making the nobleman fall like a rolling gourd.


    [1] The Farmer God, said to have tasted hundreds of herbs to test their medicinal value.

 Chapter 50: Ready to Set Out

    Chapter 50: Ready to Set Out


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh


    Seeing their master get hit, the bodyguards pounced on Niya and surrounded her with fierce looks. Christian and hispanions stepped onto the battlefield as fast as they could, standing behind Niya and looking coldly at their enemies. They had not started the fight yet, but they were sending out magic surges. The bodyguards were shocked for a second. They stood still while the onlookers ran away from the battlefield. Onlookers kept looking back as they ran to see what was going on. Evenmon people knew they could easily get caught in the crossfire and needed to keep their distance from the battle.


    The nobleman got up clumsily from the floor. Before he had a chance to wipe the blood off his mouth, he yelled, "Fight! All of you! What are you standing there for?"


    The bodyguards looked at each other, shuffling along toward Niya. If it up were to them, they would not confront mages glowing with magic surges. They were at the edge of the battle and had to obey orders, otherwise they would lose their jobs, and even their families would be punished.


    "Hold on!" a well-dressed middle-aged man in armor walked in and yelled.


    "Uncle!" The nobleman looked very happy when he saw the man walk in.


    "You, shut your mouth!" the middle-aged man said coldly. He looked at Niya for a while and then said, "Miss, you look like you are well educated. Isn¡¯t it beneath you to fight with a nobleman on the street? Is this how your parents raised you?"


    "Ptooey! Why don¡¯t you ask what he did first? This bastard harassed women in public in broad daylight. He deserved to be beaten up!" Niya reprimanded.


    "Bullsh*t! I was just saying ¡®hello¡¯ to them, and it was none of your business. Uncle, they are bad guys. Arrest them!" the nobleman yelled. He acted nothing like a nobleman. In fact, he could only show the manners of a noble person on certain asions. When it was beyond his limits, he would just show his real colors.


    "No matter what you say, hitting others is not right. Miss, I hope you can apologize," the middle-aged man said.


    "You wish! I will beat the crap out of him if I see him again!" Niya did not even flinch.


    "F*ck you..." The nobleman inched forward, ready to fight Niya, but he was pulled back by the middle-aged man.


    Niya could not hold in her anger when she heard him swearing. She pulled out her sword backhanded, positioning for a fight. If he dared to swear again, she would fight him.


    That middle-aged man sighed. "Let¡¯s go."


    "Why? Uncle! Why are we leaving?"


    "Go," the middle-aged man yelled.


    It was obvious that the middle-aged man was a man in high position, enjoying prestige and respect from others. After his yell, the nobleman did not dare to say anything, and the bodyguards hurried to put their weapons away as well.


    The middle-aged man gave Niya a long nce and dragged the nobleman away without a word.


    It was humiliating to be hit on the street in front of civilians. The nobleman had to swallow his pride, but it was easy to tell how pissed he was. He walked away, but kept looking back at Niya as if he wanted to eat her alive.


    Niya had so much pride in herself that she did not think the nobleman was anybody important. In Sacred City, she had seen all kinds of people. Nobody had ever put her in any awkward situations. Niya was used to others deferring to her. Even during the escape, she was expecting others to treat her the same way.


    Niya walked to the two sisters and smiled. "Girls, you should go home now. Next time when youe out, you should have somepanions. Do not wander around by yourselves."


    The older sister smiled bitterly at Niya. The younger sister politely said, "Thank you, sister. You are so nice."


    "Haha, you have a sweet tongue." Niya seemed very happy.


    "Thank you," the older sister quickly thanked Niya and dragged her sister away, running beyond the battlefield.


    "Sister, my house is not far from here. Come and visit us!" the younger sister looked around and yelled out loud.


    The older sister covered her sister¡¯s mouth with her hand, scolding her quietly. The younger one did not want to listen to her sister and said loudly, "I want to be a swordswoman like that big sister."


    "Stop it! Do not even think about it!" The older sister ran out of the crowd with her sister.


    As a regr onlooker in the crowd, Anfey watched the whole thing without interruption. However, Anfey saw something others did not see. The middle-aged man¡¯s nervous and happy looks did not escape Anfey¡¯s eyes.


    "Sante, go tell Riska to watch those two girls carefully. Hurry!"


    "Yes, sir," Sante answered. He walked back to the main street.


    "We should go now," Anfey said tly. "Zubin, are you familiar with Lagan City?"


    "Yes."


    "Who is that middle-aged man?"


    "I do not know."


    Anfey smiled. "Before I became a student of the professor, I was just a civilian and never had anything to do with these noblemen. Can you find a map of Lagan City?"


    "Yes... there are maps for sale." Zubin nodded. "To better assist business people, themercial union sells maps. However, their maps only mark the locations of different markets andmercial centers. They are simple; there¡¯s no other stuff on the map."


    "It¡¯s better than nothing, Zubin. You go get a map and walk around every city gate. Wait for me in the hotel when you are done."


    "Sure, do you want me to go now?"


    "Yes." Anfey nodded.


    Zubin left quickly. Anfey looked at Christian, who was keeping his distance. "Sante, let¡¯s go. We have a lot of stuff to buy."


    Anfey had bought a lot of stuff on the way. Luckily, they had many gold coins. Sante¡¯s dimensional ring could not hold any more stuff, so they had to wrap the rest up in a big piece of cloth for Sante to carry over his shoulder like a bag. Feller and vi also went over to help, otherwise it would be too much for Sante to carry. For some reason, Anfey turned down Christian¡¯s help. When vi passed by, Anfey asked him to warn Christian that anyone in the second group would not be allowed to talk with anyone else.


    It was already dark by the time Anfey had finally satisfied his desire for shopping. Anfey returned to the hotel. When he had just stepped onto the second floor, he saw Zubin looking out with a worried look.


    Anfey heaved a short sigh. He knew he had guessed right when he saw Zubin so nervous.


    "Feller, give me your stuff." Anfey took the bag from Feller¡¯s shoulders. Anfey said quietly, "Go and tell Christian and Riska toe to my room quietly. Tell them not to be seen by anyone."


    "Yes." Feller winked.


    "Anfey, something seemed wrong. Two city gates were closed earlier and the checkpoint was strict as well. I intentionally walked around the river, and I found guards everywhere around the ferry! We should have left immediately!" Zubin said worriedly when Anfey walked into the room.


    "Did you buy the map?" Anfey asked.


    "Here." Zubin took out the map and immediately said, "Anfey, do you know what I am talking about? We cannot leave now. If we were able to leave, we should have left this afternoon." Anfey opened the map as he talked.


    "Why can¡¯t we leave?" Anfey asked in shock.


    "If my guess was right, only the second group got their attention. Christian only had four people in his team, which looked fishy to our enemy. If we leave the city without crowds of people covering us, we will be easily identified. They will surely be able to know where we are from. Before we entered the city, I saw the areas near Lagan City were t. If the guards send out cavalry, we will be in big trouble. Isn¡¯t it more dangerous to stay?"


    "Not really, Zubin, trust me. I would never risk anyone¡¯s life for this." Anfey thought for a moment and smiled. "There is another reason to stay, and that is to let everybody see the real world!"


    "Ok... I will follow your orders." Zubin hesitated for a second and nodded.


    Anfey looked down at the maps. After a while, Christian and Riska both walked into Anfey¡¯s room. Riska also brought a person with him. That person had interrogated Anfey two days ago, but Anfey had refuted him at every step. They waited for Anfey without interrupting him.


    "Everyone is here." Anfey looked up, massaging between his eyebrows. "I will go out with Christian and Zubin in a while. We have something to do, so vi and Riska stay and take care of this ce. You have to be really careful. If something happens, you run to this ce to meet us." Anfey pointed to the map.


    vi and Riska looked closely at the map and did not respond.


    "Anfey, where are we going?" Christian asked.


    "You will know when you get there," Anfey said tly. "The ones staying here should get as much rest as possible, because we have to be on the road the whole night."


    "Ok." Christian shrugged.


    "Riska, Sante, and Sanga stay, and the rest go and get ready. We are leaving soon."


    "Do I need to stay?" Sanga asked, worriedly. He thought he had offended Anfey and had no chance in this legion. In fact, he would be more than happy if Anfey did not cause any trouble for him. Unexpectedly, Anfey specifically asked him to stay. It went without saying that anyone staying would have the chance to discuss important issues.


    "Yes." Anfey smiled.

 Chapter 51: The Murky Truths

    Chapter 51: The Murky Truths


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    The watery moonlight shone on the deserted, deste cobblestone road. The wind howled, carrying away everything in sight. It was already well past midnight, and, except for a few special shops and the dock, Lagan City waspletely dark and silent.


    Although this was a city known for its merchants and businesses, there were no clubs in this era. The brightest area in the middle of the city had nothing to do with business. In addition to the domain of the City Lord, there were still ces like City Hall, City Guard¡¯s Barracks, Magic Guild, Swordmaster Guild, and the Hall of Knights. No one would hesitate using money from the king, and this city was no different. Whether it was necessary or not, there was arge chandelier glowing next to every building.


    The door of the City Lord¡¯s domain suddenly opened, and a group of knights in ck armor rode out onto the streets. The ck d ones weremon, but the ones in the back were truly shocking. They were more advanced than the knights in front by several levels, although wearing the same silvery armor and riding the same colored stallions. They each held arge shield in their hands, and theirnces shone a terrible light under the moon.


    The knights tended to focus on their armor, which rarely matched their horses. The colored horses made the knights even more intimidating.


    The knights rounded the corner. Those in front were in a loose formation, but those in back kept in tight step: clearly they were extremely well trained. Their shields were adorned with a red cross and a ball of white me, indicating their identity as the empire¡¯s famous Knights of Holy me.


    They rode through the streets and arrived at the market. In the morning, the market would be bustling with people, even walking would take a great deal of time, let alone passing through on horseback. But during the night it was empty, the ground strewn with garbage and waste. It wouldn¡¯t be until dawn that cleaners would arrive to prepare the ce for the next day.


    The silver-armored knights halted their horses in the middle of the market, while the ck d ones were still advancing.


    A shadow came out from their right side and threw something into the air. The night suddenly came alive with the surge of magic, and the thing became millions of icy des raining down on the knights.


    In all of high level magic, ice magic had mid-level strength at best, but it had arge range and could create freezing cold temperatures within its range, containing lethal ice des and snowkes. Natural snowkes were beautiful, but the ones from mages were dangerously sharp and rotating at a high speed, enough to cut through skin and armor alike. If it came in contact with human eyes, nobat power could protect the victim.


    The magic turned the market into a frozen hell. The ck d knights in front let out a wave of agonizing screams. Bursts of blood froze as soon as it left their bodies, falling onto the ground like small beads.


    The knights in silver armor were alive, but no better off than their inferiors. They were protected by theirbat power, but could not protect their horses. They were on the ground, their eyes shut.


    A shadow appeared on the left, and with another wave of a hand, the air surged with magic once more. The sky lit up, and arge lightning bolt shed across the frozen market.


    For a spell that was very intense even among high-level spells, serial lightning was absolutely deadly. The lightning attacks every living thing within its perimeter, right down to ants. The more targets, the weirder the shape of the lightning bes.


    The still squirming knights all fell silent on the ground. Under the attack of a spell this powerful, only senior swordmasters and knights could survive, and even the intermediates would be severely injured.


    Pure ice does not conduct electricity, so normal lightning¡¯s power would be moderately affected in an environment like this. However, this lightning would attack everything alive, and unless the knights werepletely frozen, they could not escape the lightning.


    The lightning sh was gone as soon as it had appeared, the icy des and snowkes soon dispersed as well. As soon as the magic disappeared, a bloated figure appeared from the darkness, dashing towards the market.


    Anfey was a very cautious man, and after deciding what two magic scrolls to use, he had studied carefully the effects of the magic. For people like Christian and Zubin, things like the time and temperature effects of ice magic and how long the lightning bolts wouldst were immaterial. However, they weren¡¯t for Anfey.


    The lightning¡¯s aftereffects could be ignored, but Anfey would never run without protection into a frozen environment like this. Even after the magic dispersed, the temperature would still require time to return to normal. So Anfey bundled himself up carefully and made a simple mask using crystals, making sure that not an inch of his skin was exposed.


    The clothing, however, only slowed down Anfey¡¯s speed a bit: his movement was still fast as lightning. He didn¡¯t care about the ck armored knights; he only cared about the Knights of Holy me.


    He dashed through the empty market. He had given up the faster spin sh and chose stabbing. In this cold environment, it was hard to make his enemies lose blood fast, so stabbing was more appropriate under these conditions. Even if some did survive this, no one could save them from their fatal injuries.


    "Let¡¯s go!" Anfey called after finishing off all the survivors.


    Christian used a levitation spell and floated towards the right side of the market, holding Zubin. "You alright?"


    "Alive," Zubin said, shaking his head.


    Christian had used the more exhausting lightning magic, and Zubin was responsible for the ice magic. Christian could still use levitation, but Zubin already felt drained. This was the difference between a junior magister and a senior mage. Even though only one level separated them, there were major differences in their abilities. Many people could be senior mages, but only a few could be magisters.


    Sante appeared from a small gully behind the market and handed something to Anfey. Thetter ced the item into his ring and hurried to Christian and Zubin¡¯s side. "Hurry," he said. "We need to find vi and leave the city. We eliminated the Knights¡¯ squad, so they can¡¯t tell just how powerful we are. They wille again. We have to leave now."


    "I know," Christian said. "Come, Sante, help me with Zubin."


    Christian and Sante used levitation to carry Zubin, and Anfey followed the trio on the ground. After a few moments, the four reached a crossroads. Anfey stopped, and Christian and Santended as well.


    "Where¡¯s vi?" Zubin asked.


    "They are farther away," Anfey said. "Give them a few moments."


    "Anfey," Christian suddenly said, "you¡¯re crazy! My heart¡¯s still pounding."


    "You¡¯d be dead if it wasn¡¯t."


    "Anfey, aren¡¯t you scared? If Phillipes over now, we will all be dead."


    "Unlikely," Anfey said tly.


    "Why?"


    "Because what Zubin said reminded me."


    "What did I say?" Zubin asked curiously.


    "You said that the mages¡¯ guilds wouldn¡¯t do anything because of Master Saul. Delivering ¡®Wanted¡¯ notices is required of them, but they would dy our arrest as long as they can."


    "So what?"


    "Let¡¯s think: Had I known Zeda was Phillip¡¯s grandson, would I have killed him? No. I would have knocked him unconscious at best. Now, everyone knows we are Master Saul¡¯s students. If it were you, would you do anything?"


    "Unlikely," Christian said. He had understood some of what Anfey meant, but not everything. "But Phillip?"


    "I said, that man had realized who Niya was. He had two choices. Reporting to the prince, or reporting to Phillip. Which one would he choose? Phillip is easy to anger: if he were here we would all be dead. Do you think he has the courage to report to Phillip? He fears Master Saul as well. Reporting to the prince, though, would be his duty. Reporting to Phillip would be personal vengeance at best."


    "Got it," Zubin said. "If the prince kills us, he could find an excuse. After all, he was serving the emperor. If he had reported to Phillip, his goal would clearly be the money. Master would never have let him go."


    "He had calmed the sh, so clearly he was a man with a brain. A smart man would not do stupid things, unless he really needed that money."


    "But what if Phillip doese?"


    "I have a n as well," Anfey said.


    "Really?" Christian asked.


    Sante nced at Anfey, but didn¡¯t say anything after seeing his smile. Although Christian didn¡¯t say anything, he was the most excited one there, because only he knew that Anfey was not boasting.

 Chapter 52: The Price for Growth

    Chapter 52: The Price for Growth


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    A surge of magic reached the group. A dozen shadows appeared in the air and approached them. When the shadows reached the crossroad, vinded with his team.


    "You¡¯re a bit slow," Anfey said slowly.


    "We finished off some irrelevant guys," vi said. His eyes were glittering with excitement, but his expression betrayed nothing.


    These students of Saul¡¯s were all good kids, and only looked for magic beasts for their trials. Most of them never experienced intrigues and fights between people. After their escape from the Sacred City, they had experienced numerous bloody encounters. Now, some were uneasy and still in denial, while others had calmed their emotions and sorted out their priorities. Clearly, vi was one of thetter.


    "Let¡¯s go," Anfey said, grinning. "Sanchez, lead the way."


    "Alright!" Sanchez said enthusiastically, and led the group down one of the paths ahead.


    Soon the group arrived at a small vige. The buildings were simple and clearly belonged to ordinary people. Sanchez walked over to one of the buildings and looked around. He looked back and nodded. "This is it," he said. "I left a mark here."


    Anfey sniffed the air and caught a whiff of blood in the wind. He sighed and said, "Sanchez, go in and take a look."


    "Me?" Sanchez looked surprised.


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    Sanchez walked over hesitantly and knocked on the door. "Hello? Anyone inside?"


    "No need, just go in."


    Sanchez nodded and kicked the door. With a creak the door opened. He walked inside carefully, and tripped over something. He looked down and found an abandoned torch. He picked up the torch, and with a fireball he lit it. He held it high and walked inside carefully.


    After a few moments, Sanchez let out a scream and the group heard the sound of things dropping on the ground. Christian gasped and, along with a few others, dashed up to the group.


    Zubin was the fastest. He was the first one in and the first one out. He stared at Anfey under the cold moonlight, and after a while he said slowly, "You did it on purpose."


    "This is the price for growth," Anfey said lightly. "Everyone needs to pay a price in order to grow. Better it be other¡¯s blood than your own."


    Zubin stared at him but was silent.


    "What is the purpose?" Anfey asked coldly. "I simply predicted it. I didn¡¯t know exactly what they would find."


    "How did you know?"


    "The man Niya beat. He seemed the kind to seek revenge for every small injustice. You remember the way he tried to fight back? People like that can¡¯t ept any embarrassment. He had to let it out somehow. He couldn¡¯t get his revenge on Niya, but it wouldn¡¯t be hard to find where those two sisters lived."


    Just then they heard the sound of sobbing. They recognized Niya¡¯s voice and Christian¡¯s voiceforting her. There was another sound, of someone vomiting and coughing.


    "Come, I want to see it for myself," Anfey said, then headed inside.


    The room inside was not big. Outside was a simple kitchen, the inside was separated into two rooms. There were some tes on the table, and Anfey, with his sharp eyes, spotted some chips on the edges of the tes. Clearly the family was struggling financially.


    The group was standing in the eastern room. Anfey made his way there slowly. Everyone in the room looked as if they had just seen a ghost, and one of the students could only stand holding onto the wall.


    The two sisters were inside, dead. There was an old woman on the bed, dead as well, though Anfey was unsure who she was in rtion to the sisters.


    The older girl waspletely naked, and was spread out on the table. Her hair was down and covered her once lively face. The table was covered with scratch marks, and her fingers were bloody. Clearly the marks were made by her fingers, and the pain she had been in was clear to see. There were two long swords that nailed her to the table, but there wasn¡¯t much blood. Anfey could tell she was pierced by the swords after she had died. Her backside and legs were a dark red and covered with small wounds. It was as if the wounds were made by small, sharp needles.


    The younger girl wore only a shirt, and was naked from the waist down. Her legs were pushed open, exposing the ce between her legs. Her hands were nailed to the bed with daggers, and bones were visible from the wounds. Clearly she had struggled and caused those deep wounds. Her eyes stared nkly, her mouth was wide open and her tongue was missing. It was apparent that someone had performed sexual acts on her even after she had died.


    Niya¡¯s lips were pressed into a thin line. She suddenly pushed Christian aside, and dashed outside. Anfey dashed over and grabbed her. "Where are you going?" he asked.


    "I¡¯m going to find that bastard!" Niya screamed. Even the dumbest of them knew who killed the girls. Niya might be naive, but she was not stupid.


    Anfey, without warning, struck Niya in the face. Niya was caught off guard and,bined with Anfey¡¯s sheer strength, was thrown back and stumbled to the ground.


    His movement was too sudden for anyone else to do anything. They were on the run, and in the process Anfey had established a high level of respect among them. Even when he was smiling, the students still feared and respected him. Seeing him angry was even more terrifying for them.


    Niya looked up, holding her face. A thin line of blood trickled down her chin. "How dare you?" she asked, shaking.


    "Consider this a light punishment," Anfey said coldly. "Think about it. What have you done? Frankly, none of them would have died if it wasn¡¯t for your recklessness. You want to bring death to us as well now, don¡¯t you?


    "Everyone saw what happened today. That little lord did nothing more than flirt. He would have never done this had it not been for you. You thought you were helping them? No, you killed them! There are ways to help, but you obviously do not know how. Someone like you will bring danger to others.


    "And you want revenge? You? This is not the Sacred City anymore, and you are not the old Niya. In the past people tried to do what you say, but out here no one cares who your father is. If you don¡¯t want to end up like them, I rmend you stay here."


    Anfey knew he had overreacted by saying these words, and worried that Niya wouldn¡¯t take it well. Niya stared at him for a few seconds before breaking into tears.


    "Be quiet," Anfey said coldly. "We don¡¯t have time for tears. I took a risking here. If I¡¯m not wrong, all of this will be med on use morning."


    "What do you mean?" Riska asked.


    "They¡¯ll say we raped and killed these girls. Easier to me it on the strangers than the local nobility."


    "There is no way they are that despicable," Christian said in disbelief.


    "People by nature are evil," Anfey said. "You haven¡¯t seen the worst of it."


    "Anfey," Christian said, "why did you ask Sanchez to take us here? Is it because..."


    Christian¡¯s words woke everyone up. Niya stopped her cries and stared at Anfey through her teary eyes.


    "I had guessed someone would do something, so I had Sanchez stand guard here. We can take two more people," Anfey said lightly. There was reason to be the bad guy. It would drive everyone away. Anfey knew when to be the good man and when to be the bad.


    "But we arete," Christian sighed.


    "If we had left the tavern a bit earlier," Sanchez said, shaking his head. He finally understood Anfey¡¯s intentions. He had wanted to help them. Compared to Niya, it was clear who was more thoughtful. One was reckless, not considering the consequences. The other had predicted what was going to happen. It was not his fault they werete.


    Niya stared at the ground. She felt guilty, but she could not turn back time. What was done was done, but no guilt could bring back the dead.


    Now Anfey¡¯s expression was much softer, but no one tried to help Niya, and they left her sobbing on the ground. Some emotions were contagious, and with the dead bodies in front of them, it was hard for them to evoke any sympathy for the one who caused it.


    "We don¡¯t have much time now," Anfey ordered. "We have to go."


    "What about them?" Riska asked.


    "Someone will take care of them. We have to worry about ourselves more," Anfey told him, sighing.

 Chapter 53: Persuasion

    Chapter 53: Persuasion


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    In the magical world, regr city defensive systems were almost useless against people with powers, so the majority of kings in different kingdoms were people with powers themselves. They also tried their best to have other people with powers on their side. Sometimes people with the strongest power could determine the oue of battle on the field. Except for a few weird people, people with strong powers like Saul were usually treated very well by kings.


    Levitation magic can treat city walls as if they don¡¯t exist. The chief in the city had been dealing with the turmoil of the horrible death in ming Legion. It was just like Anfey anticipated: they did not chase after Anfey¡¯s legion too closely because they did not quite understand the ability of Anfey¡¯s team and did not want to have any unnecessary losses.


    At dawn, they saw the outlines of the mountains in Forest rm. Everybody had a surprised and excited look on their faces. Since they the start of their escape, Forest rm had always been their destination. They had treated Forest rm as a dreamnd, peaceful and safe. Very few people were thinking about the dangers they might experience and the defense they had to n in the forest. This was the job of their leader. Not everyone could be a leader. Everyone wanted to be a leader, but it was not an easy job indeed.


    Anfey had a great deal of experience, what with all of the danger, mistakes, hesitations, and regrets he had faced as an assassin. He would not have been so mature without these negative experiences. He had never felt so tired before. This time, leading a group of escaping kids made him exhausted. The exhaustion was not physical, but mental.


    Seeing Forest rm ahead, Anfey sighed in relief. Everybody was encouraged, flying towards it with full force. Right before arriving at Forest rm, kids had used up their magic power andnded on the ground one after another, sitting orying everywhere.


    "All stand up, and walk forward now!" Anfey yelled.


    How many people failed right on the edge of sess? Anfey knew that number was as many as the countless stars in the sky! On the brink of sess, with hope right ahead of them, most people rxed without knowing they were at the crucial moment!


    "Anfey, everybody¡¯s magic powers were used up. Let¡¯s take a break," Christian tried to convince Anfey.


    "No." Anfey was firm about it. "Without magic power, you still have legs! Everybody get up. We need to leave right now!"


    "Everyone, follow Anfey¡¯s order. Get up, get up," Zubin said loudly.


    To better lead the legion, Anfey needed to choose a rtively mature assistant. After observation, Anfey chose Zubin. He even tested Zubin with some of his real purposes. It looked like he had chosen the right person. Zubin was maturepared to these kids. Zubin still felt uneasy when he saw at the beginning there could be a dark side. But after giving it some thought, he epted the role and agreed with Anfey.


    Everybody stood up unwillingly. Under Sante¡¯s leadership, they wobbled into Forest rm. In fact, Anfey had the most energy, then Niya. She had been carried by Christian for the first half of the trip. Zubin and Sante took turns carrying Niya for the second half of the trip. She had not had to do anything to get to Forest rm.


    Anfey wanted to try to fly on his own, but he did not know much levitation magic, so it would have been great if he could have just vertically departed andnded. It was too far away for him to fly.


    Niya had a great deal of energy, but was disconste. She walked like a puppet, and tripped over stones and tree roots a few times when she was not even far into the forest. Christian had to follow her to catch her in time. To a mage, it was impossible to get lost, because even in cloudy or foggy weather, mages still could feel the moving elements in the air and find the source of light.


    The group walked straight ahead into Forest rm. Anfey had been in physical training all year, but Christian and hispanions rarely got the chance to train. They started to breath heavily before they even had walked far. Riska ran to Anfey from behind and said quietly, "Let us take a break. Look, everyone is exhausted."


    Anfey looked at the people in front and behind him. He could not help shaking his head. "OK, Zubin, go and tell Sante to stop."


    This was just the first hill, and they had only climbed half way anyway. Looking back, they even could see smoke from the kitchen in the vige at the foot of the mountain. This area was not that much safer than the area outside the forest. Some of them had already crawled with both hands on the ground. Anfey had to make the decision to take a break.


    Everyone cheered when they heard Anfey would let them rest. Some fell on the ground instantly, not even caring about the dew. Anfey had to act like a kindergarten teacher and ask a few people to get up and find a dry spot to rest. From the Taoist perspective, dew is water in its most negative form. People had an 80-90 percent chance of getting sick by sitting or sleeping on it. More than anything else, Anfey was afraid of them getting sick.


    Niya quietly avoided everybody¡¯s attention and found a corner to sit. She leaned against a tree trunk and curled up like a ball. Sante was passing around food, and everyone seemed to tug the food from his hands. They devouredrge morsels of food. Only Niya shook her head and did not take any food. Sante held the food out to her again. Niya pushed the food away. Sante turned around without any attempt tofort her. With peace and safety, many of the kids in the legion admired Niya in many ways. They felt she was cute even when she threw a temper tantrum. However, it was a different time now, and they were on the run. Everyone felt like they were under the gun. When Niya lost her temper, it seemed inappropriate.


    "What happened? She did not eat?" Anfey asked Sante quietly.


    "No, but it¡¯s fine. She will ask for food when she is hungry," Sante shrugged.


    "Give me two sausages. Let me talk to her."


    Sante looked at Anfey weirdly, but he did not say anything. Sante took out two sausages and gave them to Anfey.


    Anfey walked slowly toward Niya. When he got close to her, he realized why Sante¡¯s look was so weird. Niya had clear fingerprints on her face, which could be attributed to Anfey. Of course, he had never learned cinnabar palm style martial arts, but he still pped with too much force, which had the same effect as if he had used cinnabar palm. If Niya had a mirror, she probably would be even more furious. A women¡¯s looks were her second life. Even regr women knew to take care of their looks, let alone pretty girls like Niya.


    Seeing Anfey walking towards her, Niya looked nervous. In her memory, Anfey was the first one to have hit her, with a p, which was even worse! Niya felt a barricade between her and everyone else. No one was willing to defer to her any more. Previously, she had felt that she was the center of the world. This change had made her feel left out. Anfey was a lot more powerful than her, and her father was not near her, which all made her scared of Anfey.


    "You need to eat." Anfey passed the sausages to her. "We have to keep walking during the day. You will not be able to do it without eating anything."


    Niya was in shock for a second, and then she took the sausages. She did not eat, and said quietly, like a mosquito humming, "I am not hungry."


    "You have to eat even if you do not feel hungry." Anfey sat next to Niya, biting a sausage in half. He ate differently than the others. Anfey did not eat casing. He was worried about hygiene. Besides work hours, Anfey was very picky in life. He had been pushed by his fate and lost his pickiness by far.


    "I ...will eatter," Niya said quietly. She did not dare to treat Anfey as Sante had, smacking the sausages away. She could only act in a subtle way of non-cooperation.


    "Why? Do you hate me?" Anfey smiled.


    This time, Niya refused to answer him. She turned her head away.


    "Let me tell you a story," Anfey started, but then was lost in thought for a little while. "A long time ago, I had a friend, a good friend. He was over ten years older than me. When I was ten, he was getting married. His fianc¨¦ was a nice woman with a bit of a temper, but a good heart. His fianc¨¦ had a ...magic pet named Pug. That magic pet was cute."


    "Pug? Why haven¡¯t I heard of it before?"


    Anfey smiled but did not answer her question. He continued his story. "One day, they took the magic pet out. They had a great time talking with each other, but forgot about the magic pet. The magic pet fell into the water. By the time they realized it, the magic pet had almost drowned."


    "My friend¡¯s fianc¨¦ was so worried that she jumped into the water to save her magic pet. However, she forgot she could not swim. My friend could not either, but...what should a man do in such case? Haha...He had to jump in without any hesitation. My friend used up all his energy to push his fianc¨¦ to the shore. He sunk to the bottom himself."


    "He...died?"


    "Yes, he died," Anfey sighed. "What was more ridiculous was the magic pet crawled back to shore on its own, without any help. The magic pet cried to the fianc¨¦ on the shore."


    "How could this happen? What happened to her?"


    "Her? After my friend¡¯s body was taken to shore, she choked her magic pet to death. She became crazy herself." Anfey went silent for awhile and said, "Niya, this story tells us that acting impulsively could cause others to pay! My friend¡¯s fianc¨¦ and my friend were in love. If they had known the oue, she would have never saved her magic pet! s...my friend¡¯s fianc¨¦ passed away in sickness two monthster. One impulsive action caused two people in love to die. Shouldn¡¯t it give us some insight?"


    Niya was so shocked that she could note up with a single word.


    "Niya, I am not against you helping others, but I hope you can think before you act. Your one impulsive act caused those two sisters¡¯ deaths. Next time you act impulsively, any one of us could die. Do you want to see that happen?" Anfey wiped off his behind and stood up. "Niya, think about it. If you think I am right, you should eat the sausages. Keeping the energy is the most important thing right now. If you think I am wrong, if you really want to bring us trouble, then...do whatever you want."

 Chapter 54: Surprise

    Chapter 54: Surprise


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    For many people, things and sayings often be meaningless after they be familiar. For example, most people would simplyugh off the saying "sess is the result of one percent innovation and ny-nine percent hard work." But is the saying truly childish? Perhaps not as much as people would like to think.


    After a meal and some rest, some students, like Christian and vi, began meditating to recover their magic. Others, however, fell asleep. Everyone was exhausted and sleep deprived, but clearly students like Christian and vi had be some of the best for a reason.


    There were many ways to understand a person, but self introduction was the least effective one. Anfey was an observant man, and he preferred observing the students in silence. Now, although he could not say hepletely understood them, he could at least form a conclusive personality description for each and every one of them. Christian was stately and considerate, polite and epting of criticism and of opposing opinions. Zubin was forbearing; silence was his protective shield. It was likely that Zubin was the most brilliant of everyone, including in his social skills. Sante was headstrong and not afraid of challenges and fights. Yesterday Anfey told him to take care of Phillip, if he arrived, and Sante had agreed without objection. It was clear that he was extremely confident. vi was impulsive, but at the same time cautious. Every time he became too stressed, he would show the more violent side of his personality. Riska was slightly careless, and was the weakest among the four leaders. Both Zubin and Sante were better fit for their jobs, but Anfey needed people he could trust.


    Niya, who was sitting alone in the corner, finally began eating again. She nced towards Anfey, but every time Anfey looked her way, she would look the other way.


    Anfey knew that his p had harmed Niya¡¯s self esteem, but he did not regret it. He had said everything that needed to be said, and now he needed Niya to understand his words herself.


    "Alright, everyone," Anfey called. "The sun is high. Let¡¯s go."


    Everyone answered his call and stood up. Those meditating opened their eyes as well. Only deep meditation could restore their magic, but there was no time for deep meditation right now.


    "Zubin," Anfey instructed, "use water magic. We need some water." When they were in Lagan City, Anfey had thought about the water problem and had bought some waterskins. Then he remembered that he was travelling with mages, which meant they would have no trouble with water. He had evenughed at himself for it.


    Zubin waved his hand, and a small stream appeared on the ground. The students all gathered around, drinking from it and washing their faces. Niya pushed through the group and reached for the water. Under the morning sun, the red mark on her face was clear for all to see. A few people stared at her and didn¡¯t look away until Anfey coughed as a warning.


    "Anfey," Christian whispered. "Let us rest a bit more. We can use levitation after we are done recovering. Walking through such a dense forest will tire all of us out."


    Anfey trusted Christian. Christian knew what should be done in each situation, and every time he had an idea, he would consult with Anfey first instead of openly arguing with him.


    "All we need to do is go over that hill," Anfey said. "We will head down the valley and rest at noon. Everyone should be recovered by nightfall. We will start again then."


    "Alright," Christian said, nodding. He knew what Anfey was worried about. If the Lagan City Guards were fast enough, those from the Sacred City should have reached Forest rm by now. If they were levitating above the forest, they could be easily spotted by higher level mages. Walking among the trees was the safest bet.


    Forest rm was bright and sunny, but thousands of miles away, Zuba City was under heavy grey clouds. Ellisen Empire¡¯s Storm Legion and Dark Moon Magic Legion were camped right outside the city. Three legions from Maho Empire defended it, and they had seven to ten times the number of troops that Ellisen Empire had. Maho Empire was using a defensive strategy, since the Dark Moon Magic Legion was one of the best in the world and had never lost a battle. Itsmander, Newyoheim, was an archmage who was considered to be even more powerful than Saul.


    There was a reason people tended to think of Newyoheim as the more powerful one. Saul was a kind and amiable man who rarely shed with anyone, let along having shes that ended with fatalities. Newyoheim, however, could not tolerate any mistreatment. He had killed two archmages and a master swordsman. Ernest was someone who challenged others to further his skills. Newyoheim challenged to kill.


    Normally, a man with his personality was not fit to lead an entire legion. However, he had an outstanding helper: Sarick. Sarick was no more than a junior magister, but his skill inmanding the army was exceptional. He had saved the empire¡¯s armies from losing numerous times, and had led the army to major victories. With those two in charge, the Dark Moon Magic Legion had be one of the most fearsome armies in the world.


    It was not just themanders, either. The core of the Legion was made up of two archmages, more than thirty magisters, and more than two hundred senior mages. Maho Empire, unless it brought together all the mages from all of its legions, could not dream ofpeting against them. But what was a legion without mages?


    In addition, Dark Moon Magic Legion had a long history. Newyoheim came to fame early in life, and achieved archmage status when he was only in his early thirties. His oldest student was only a year younger than he. Now that he was in his sixties, his connections and power over the legion were not something to joke about. Within the legion, half of the core mages were either his students or his student¡¯s students. Whenever something urgent arose, all the mages were willing to die for him. A normal legion would not have this level of dedication.


    So, even though Saul was in the city and had the advantage in troop numbers, Maho Empire¡¯s army could only rely on the magical shield to protect the city.


    To the south of Zuba City center was a small, strangely-built building. The building was tall and straight, its bricks embedded with shining rocks that would reveal to be magical crystals. On top of the building was a small white orb, which glowed softly. This was the Tower of Mages, which supported the magical shield over Zuba City. Despite the city¡¯s magic ban, a shadow flew into the sky and towards the tower. Before it entered the tower¡¯s self-defense spell, itnded and began jogging to its door.


    The guards saluted the prince of Maho Empire, Granden.


    "Urgent business," the prince said. "Take me to Master Saul immediately."


    "A moment, my lord," the head guard, an intermediate swordmaster, said. He hurried into the tower, and a momentter the door opened. "Please, my lord. Master Saul awaits."


    Granden nodded and hurried inside. He stepped into the transportation portal in the middle of the tower.


    "My lord, what happened?" Saul asked. He was already waiting for the prince on the other side of the portal.


    Granden looked at the mages at work in the room and nced at Saul.


    Saul nodded and led the prince into another room. He soundproofed the room before turning back to Granden. "My lord, please."


    "Father sent me a message. He has already been assassinated."


    "What?" Saul¡¯s eyes widened. "What do you mean?"


    "Master, be at ease. Father sent a message telling me he was assassinated," Granden exined.


    "You mean, the emperor is safe?"


    "Yes," Granden nodded. "Father told us to get ready to retreat. Seven days hence."


    "Retreat?"


    "Yes."


    "But why retreat? You mean..."


    "Father said that he would go to great lengths to eliminate the Dark Moon Magic Legion," Granden said slowly. "Ellisen Empire must have learned about what happened to father by now. It was no secret that Wester and I do not get along. Now Wester is on the throne, he is in control of the empire, but I still hold the military. I have to retreat with my armies in order to fight Wester. No one would suspect anything."


    "Then?"


    "Baery is already leading his Roaring Dead Legion and two other legions northward. As long as we can lead the Dark Moon Magic Legion past the Yagor Mountain Range, Baery will be able to cut off their retreat. Father was determined to eliminate Dark Moon Magic Legion, no matter the cost."


    "I understand," Saul said after a few moments of silence. Although he was not the brightest with military affairs, and Granden had offered only a brief exnation, he was still able to sort through the n. "His Grace is wise," he said.


    The n sounded easy, but was in fact very difficult to execute. First, Ynthe needed to recall the Roaring Dead Legion and order it to travel to the north without anyone noticing. Then, he needed to pick the perfect time to fake his own death, making sure that Ellisen Empire¡¯s rulers would believe he had died. Saul and Ynthe had been friends for years, and he knew that Ynthe was brilliant but cautious. If Ynthe had already executed the n, Saul knew the man had already learned everything that needed to be learned about the situation. Otherwise, he would never leave so much of his territory for the taking.


    "But, Master Saul," Granden said hesitantly. "There were some...mishaps."

 Chapter 55: Confusion

    Chapter 55: Confusion


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    Granden¡¯s voice was too low for Saul. Although Saul didn¡¯t hear him, he still smiled and said, "Is Baerying? That would be nice... I haven¡¯t seen him in so long."


    "Master Saul... there was a small ident," Granden said, raising his voice.


    "ident? What ident?"


    "To show that Wester and I can¡¯t stand each other, my father acquiesced in sending Wester to do something."


    "Your Majesty, could you just finish the story?" Saul shook his head.


    "Wester sent someone after Niya. He was going to imprison her to threaten you. That way, he could gain trust from the King of the Ellisen Empire. Of course, Father only wanted to imprison Niya for a few days, then send someone to save her and take her to Zuba City. You then would have a perfect reason to help me fight against Wester." Granden smiled reluctantly. "Master Saul, in my opinion, this arrangement was very smart. The Ellisen Empire would grab this opportunity once they know about it. If we evacuate quickly, they would not have time for thorough considerations. They would have no choice but to attack us and fall into our trap."


    "Your Majesty, is there...something happened to Niya?" Saul got nervous based on the way Granden was telling the story. Granden was very indirect and still didn¡¯t reveal what exactly happened to Niya.


    "Niya should be fine by now. Your students have already left Sacred City."


    "What do you mean she should be fine? Your Majesty, please tell me what happened?!" Saul got even more nervous.


    "Master Saul, you know, a magister called Brufit was in Wester¡¯s team. He was from the Magic Fog. As you know, Father worked with people from the Magic Fog twenty-some years ago. They have been rivals ever since. The Magic Fog made many attempts on Father¡¯s life."


    "I know about it. Your Father started a spy organization called Hurricane to fight against Magic Fog. At the time, your Father evenughed about it: Hurricane could drive Fog away," Saul said, "Your Father also said Hurricane could only grow so quick and strong, since Magic Fog was such a solid rival."


    "Master Saul, do you still remember the magic array you set up? As soon as a Necromancer stepped into the pce, the magic array would start running. Brufit was hiding from everyone and gained Wester¡¯s trust. However, Father sensed something wrong from the very beginning," Granden continued, "so Father..."


    Saul stopped Granden. "Your Majesty, you...are straying away from the topic again. I just want to know what happened to Niya."


    Granden forced himself to tell the truth. He was being indirect because he did not know how to tell Saul about the events in Sacred City. Everyone knew Saul was deeply in love with Niya. Granden worried that Saul would not be able to control his emotions. At this point, however, he had to be honest. "Wester sent Brufit after Niya. Brufit somehow knew Zeda from Phillip¡¯s group. In the end, Zeda went with some helpers."


    "Zeda?" Saul paused. He had heard about Zeda. When he hung out with friends, everyone was talking about how the Phillip group was like the sinking sun and would be dark soon. Old Phillip was still alive. People didn¡¯t stop Zeda no matter what he did. However, once Phillip passed away, the good times would soone to an end. The fate of Phillip¡¯s team was obvious. If they were missing a powerful leader, the group would go into decline for sure. Distant rtives could not inherit Phillip¡¯s title. Zeda was the only sessor.


    "Yes," Granden sighed.


    "What did Zeda do to Niya?" Saul pulled a long face. No one could stop him from killing Zeda if Zeda really had taken advantage of Niya.


    "Niya is fine," Granden forced a smile, "Zeda brought some helpers. Maris, the one you kicked out of your group, was one of the helpers. The problem is...Zeda died."


    Saul frowned. He didn¡¯t hear thest sentence but he realized Anfey would be in danger as soon as he heard Maris¡¯ name.


    "Anfey died?" Saul asked nervously.


    "Master Saul, Niya and your students are all fine. They killed Zeda!" Granden emphasized.


    Saul was shocked. He put himself in Phillip¡¯s shoes. If Niya was hurt, he would definitely seek revenge for her. Now that Zeda was killed, what would Phillip do?


    "Father did not anticipate this ending," Granden said with sorrow.


    "Zeda...how...did he die?" Saul spoke one word at a time.


    "He was stabbed by a sword."


    "Ernest was mad at him!" Saul screamed, "This guy is very antisocial and always does what he feels like. He didn¡¯t know Zeda was Phillip¡¯s grandson. Even if he knew, he would not stop if Zeda stirred up trouble in my domain. Your Father...Didn¡¯t your Father know Ernest was in my house? Howe he didn¡¯t think of that?"


    "Father took that into ount. He had Miorich call Ernest out for a duel. Father said Ernest would not refuse."


    "And?"


    "Ernest came and beat Miorich."


    "Then... who killed Zeda?" Saul was confused. He could not think of anyone from his family who would be able kill Zeda, a senior swordsman.


    "I don¡¯t know. Father didn¡¯t tell me the details. However...Father said congrattions."


    "Congrattions?"


    "Father said you will have a powerful magic swordsman student in ten years if everything goes well."


    "Magic swordsman? Who is it?"


    "I don¡¯t know. Father didn¡¯t say."


    Saul hoped that he could get back to Sacred City right away and ask Ynthe. However, he had to stay for the Magister Tower. He knew that thousands of people¡¯s lives were a lot more important than figuring out the question in his heart.


    "Headache...what a headache! " Saul said rubbing his forehead. Although Phillip was much older than he, they were good friends with much to talk about. They respected each other. There was never much conflict of interest. All of that contributed to the strong friendship between the two. However, this great rtionship was about to end. He knew that Phillip would take revenge for what happened to Zeda, and he could not let Phillip hurt his student. There are many conflicts that can be prevented, and there are some that cannot. Once such a conflict urs, both sides will have no way out. The only way out is to fight till the end.


    "It is troublesome for Father as well..." Granden forced a smile.


    "How is Ernest? Did you hear from him?" Saul thought of something else: "Ernest is stubborn. He only goes forward but never turns back. If he fights against Phillip, I am afraid...he will suffer a big loss."


    "I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t heard anything about him since he separated from Miorich."


    "Phillip¡¯s hot temper...Is Niya safe? Should I ... go back?" Saul knew it was impossible to return, but he still wanted to ask. As soon as the Magister Tower ran into small problems, the old stager Newyoheim would not miss a chance to attack Zuba City.


    "Master Saul, please rx. Father asked Dean Steger to protect Niya. She will be fine."


    "Well, I feel much better now knowing that Steger is keeping an eye on her," Saul nodded with ease. Steger was a archmagi-to-be, proficient in Earth-series magic. He might not be able to beat Phillip in a fight, but he would be good enough to stop Phillip for a short period of time. As long as Phillip was busy fighting, his student would not kill anyone. It was difficult to find someone like Phillip in the Pan Continent. He was extremely powerful, yet reckless. Phillip¡¯s students had families. They prefered to stay away from trouble.


    "Master Saul, let¡¯s discuss the evacuation. We are the only ones who know about it. We have to be extremely careful. Father told me there are spies from the Ellisen Empire."


    "I will handle it," Saul said. This was a massive evacuation. There were priceless magic properties in each Magister Tower that were crucial in supporting the border defense. They had to uninstall and ship them before the evacuation. There were also a million tedious things to worry about. All had to be properly nned. They certainly did not want to leave behind any good material to their enemy.

 Chapter 56: Christian’s Secrets

    Chapter 56: Christian¡¯s Secrets


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    "Anfey, we are finally safe, right?" Christianughed.


    From dusk to the presence of the moon, everyone traveled tens of miles using levitation magic. They finally reached the center of Forest rm. It would not be easy to find this small group of a dozen of people in the forest. It was like finding a needle in a haystack.


    Everyonended on a huge ancient tree. The darkness did not permit them to see how high or how thick the tree was. The tree crown looked very strange, with branches flipped around like an umbre. The branches all stretched out, creating a small t area. Compared with the trunk, the branches seemed disproportionately small. It must have been struck by lightening in the past, or most of the foliage had fallen for some reason. Later on the crown, grew up strong again.


    Although the t area on the canopy was not big, it was just big enough for everyone if they stood close to each other. Anfey firmly asked them not to get off the tree. This time no one objected. Everyone was eagerly looking for their own ce to stand.


    "Anfey, why are you not speaking? What are you thinking?" Christian asked again out of curiosity, since he did not get any response from Anfey.


    "Safety...maybe..." Anfey smiled. As a leader, Anfey must take all the pressure on himself. If he told them his concerns, these people would not be able to handle it. When they were seized by Sacred me Legion, a necromancer, a swordsman, and a mage suddenly came out to help them out. Anfey did not think it was a positive development. If they could appear without his awareness, then where could they be now? Did they hide in the dark again?


    "Anfey, you need to rest. I will be on watch tonight," Christian said.


    "No, thanks. I¡¯m not tired yet."


    "You need to rest. You have not rested at all. Go rest."


    "I am physically stronger than you. I will rest when I need it. You guys need take care of yourselves."


    "I am not tired either, and...cannot fall asleep anyway." Christian looked around and asked, "Anfey, can we talk?"


    "Sure," Anfey smiled. He knew Christian had something to tell him.


    Christian took Anfey to a nearby tree, where Anfey leaned against a branch and Christian sat next to Anfey. The darkness of the forest and howling sounds from animals and birds all reminded them this was not their dreamnd. It was and with all kinds of hidden dangers and threats.


    "What do you want to tell me?" Anfey said tly.


    "Anfey, I feel you have hidden a lot of secrets from us. Have you?" Christian smiled.


    "Who does not have a secret? Don¡¯t you have one?"


    "Me? What secret do I have? Haha..." Christian smiled, shaking his head.


    "I heard from Zubin that you were a civilian before?"


    "Yes, why? Do you care about where I was from?"


    "Do you remember the time you went home with me? A carriage passed in front of us and you recognized people in it. It was Master Swordsman Baery. I can tell you knew Baery previously. His eyes brightened when he looked at you." Anfey¡¯s face was emotionless, as he was talking about something normal. He did not show even a slight sign of triumph in pointing out another¡¯s lie. "You looked weird when Baery came back. You used to tell me that Baery was the leader of Roaring Dead Legion. He was a busy person and would not havee back if there was nothing important. Later, you asked me to keep that secret for you. I promised you that I would not tell anyone, and I did not. I never talked about it with anyone, not even with Ernest."


    Christian just looked at Anfey, not knowing what to say.


    "You two were more than acquaintances. You must have known each other, otherwise you would not have been so surprised, right?"


    "Anfey...I...I do not know what to say." Christian smiled bitterly. "You frightened me. How could you tell so much from just a little thing."


    "So, am I wrong?" Anfey smiled.


    "No, you are right. I do have a secret, but I am sorry I cannot tell you now." Christian sighed.


    "I am not going to ask you about it. I was trying to tell you that everyone has the right to keep their secrets to themselves. I would not force you to tell me, and hope you would do the same thing for me." Anfey smiled. "Let¡¯s say, if Zubin has a secret, he never would ask me about it. When someday he can treat me as a real friend, maybe I will tell him."


    "Anfey, you are too good! He made me swallow my questions." Christian smiled.


    "Haha...I also am curious. Do you want to know why?"


    "Would you answer me if I asked?"


    "How could you know whether I will answer you or not, if you never ask?" Anfey asked back.


    Anfey¡¯s rhetorical questions were full of Zenic enlightenment, which stopped Christian from asking. Poor Christian winked. "So...Anfey, I am going to ask, if you do not mind me being too rude."


    "Go ahead, but I have the right not to answer."


    "It is up to you." Christian smiled bitterly, his head shaking. "Anfey, you are a swordsman. I am just curious why you would be a student of a professor? Your swordsmanship...how to put it, I never saw anyone who could do anything like you can...ferocious! That is right, your swordsmanship is ferocious! If you want to practicebat power with Ernest, you will be a great swordsman! I am curious why you are learning magic. You know, the people with both magic skills and swordsmanship on Pan Continent were never top people with powers."


    "I can answer this question." Anfey smiled. "Because I wanted to."


    Christian was shocked for a moment by Anfey¡¯s answer. "Is that it?"


    "Is it not enough? I learned magic from Professor Saul because I wanted to. Do not think too much about it, Christian. I did not have malicious intentions."


    "Anfey, I did not think as much. You misunderstood me. I felt bad for you. Don¡¯t you want to be a superstar with powers?"


    "Superstar with powers..." Anfey smiled with his head shaking. "Too tiring." This was the truth. Anfey never thought of bing Number One since he started to learn swordfighting. He just hoped that he could find his potential and show it with the skills he had learned.


    "If someone else said it, I have to say that person must have had no dreams. You...are not like that. At least you are so much better than me." Christian looked at Anfey in curiosity. "Did you ever desire it?"


    "No," Anfey answered. "Why? Do you want to be a superstar with powers?"


    "Yes, I have wanted to be a superstar with powers on Pan Continent since I was little," Christian nodded. "Someone told me before that people must have dreams. Dreams are the motivation that push people to be better. However, people need to learn to manage their ambition, to know what should be done and what not to do. If they lose control of their ambitions, they might turn into crazy people."


    Anfey was quiet for a while and nodded, "Whoever told you this is a respectable wise man."


    "Yes, I respect him alot," Christian smiled.


    "Do you see him often?" Anfey seemed to ask a leading question.


    Christian nced Anfey out of the corners of his eyes, with a smile showing on his face. "Anfey, you were trying to trick me. It is so dangerous to talk with you! Last time I just said one thing unconsciously when we saw Baery, and you were able to reach so many conclusions. If you continue to ask me, you will know every one of my secrets!"


    "You are thinking too much again. I am just asking." Of course, Anfey would never admit it.


    "Haha. Do you think I would believe you?"


    "It is up to you. We talked about it before: that I would not force you tell me your secrets, and I expect you to do the same thing with me," Anfey argued.


    "Ok, ok. Let¡¯s change a topic." Christian smiled.


    "Niya does not look too good." Anfey suddenly talked about Niya.


    Christian looked back, seeing Niya sitting alone on a branch under the moonlight. She was a good girl. It was obvious that she was not able to sleep with others together. It was cold at night, even with the protection of magic cover. However, magic cover did not stop the coldness and loneliness. Niya pulled a few clothes from her pack and put them on. She still curled up like a ball, even with few more pieces of clothing on her. Such a poor thing.


    "In fact, Niya is a good girl, just a little naughty," Christian said.


    "I did not say she was a bad girl," Anfey smiled. "Christian, how many years have you lived in the professor¡¯s house?"


    "About ten years."


    "Did you grow up with Niya? Ohhhhhhhhhh..." Anfey dragged the sound long.


    "What are you thinking?" Christian rolled his eyes at Anfey. "Anfey, do not think such bad thoughts. I have treated Niya as my little sister. It never changed."


    "Haha. Do you think I should believe you?" Anfey mimicked the way Christian talked. "Let me tell you a story. A long time ago, a man buried 300 silver coins under the ground. He worried that others would find out, so he left a te on it, saying ¡®There are not 300 silver coins here.¡¯ Do you know the name of the story? It is called ¡®There Are Not 300 Silver Coins¡¯."


    "Haha. How could he be so silly! I...are you being sarcastic?" Christian realized.

 Chapter 57: Perilous Woods

    Chapter 57: Perilous Woods


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    "Nothing," Anfey said, smiling. "I¡¯m just telling a story. Christian, tell me, what is a perfect woman?" Even now, Anfey still had not given up. Men would naturally lower their guard when they began talking about women. This way it would be much easier to find out what Christian was hiding.


    "Um... beautiful, stately, caring, kind. Every man dreams of having a woman like this. Anfey, what about your ideal woman?"


    Anfey hesitated, thoughts flowing into his mind. Back when he was an assassin, he had encountered many women. Some had left a huge impact on him, but in the end none of the rtionshipssted. He had always prepared extensively for his missions, but his job was, in the end, high-risk. One wrong step and he would be nothing more than a dead body. There was no use wasting someone else¡¯s life. On the other hand, Anfey was fearful. He was scared that another person would be close to him. Assassins were lonely. Anyone who found out about his real identity meant potential danger for him. Whenever a rtionship developed, he would always end it before it became too serious.


    Had he really loved anyone? What was the girl like? Does he still have any right to love? Anfey¡¯s thoughts turned into a jumbled mess.


    "Anfey? You alright?" Christian called. He noticed that Anfey¡¯s eyes seemed lost, which came as a surprise to him.


    "Nothing, nothing. Just some bad memories," Anfey said, instantly returning to normal. For him, negative thoughts were temporary, and nothing could affect his coolness for long.


    "Did I hit a sore spot? Hurt by a girl before?"


    "They are right when they say mages have active imaginations, but sadly, you¡¯re wrong," Anfey said, smiling. "Let¡¯s change the topic. How long did Zubin stay at Master Saul¡¯s?"


    "About two years after I arrived," Christian said. "Zubin has some... interesting stories."


    The two sat there andughed about the stupid things Zubin did when he was younger, while Zubin sat there vigntly, unaware of what his friends were talking about.


    When the first ray of sunlight fell onto the treetops, Zubin yawned and opened his eyes. He was rubbing his eyes when he noticed a dark cloud around the trees. He squinted, and when he realized what it was, he gasped, "What the..."


    He kept his voice low, but it was enough to wake Anfey up from his light slumber. He followed Zubin¡¯s gaze, and saw that outside their ward was arge swarm of dark insects. It was attacking the ward relentlessly, but causing no visible damage.


    "Those are night mosquitoes," Christian said. "For normal animals, they are very dangerous. They can suck a grown mammal dry in seconds. They onlye out during the night, though. Since their wings are mostly water, they will dry out under the sun and break off."


    "Will they leave soon?" Feller asked.


    "It¡¯s easy to make them disappear," Christian said, extending his hands. Water gathered in his hands, and a few secondster the insects began raining from the sky. Half the swarm was on the ground in the blink of an eye. Christian dispersed the magic and smiled, "Master has always said that there is no bad magic, only bad mages. A proper mage must incorporate magic into his daily life. Otherwise, he will not be a sessful mage."


    "Well said," Anfey agreed. There were simr beliefs in the art of Wu. That Saul could figure this out by himself meant that he was certainly very skillful.


    "Anfey, are we leaving now?" Zubin asked.


    "You and Sante should rest first," Anfey said, peering down from a tree branch.


    There was a story about four blind men trying to understand what an elephant looks like, and they ended uping topletely different conclusions. This story showed that people who had not seen things with their own eyes should not have the right to express their opinions in contradiction to others. None of the students had been in a magic beast forest before, and unconsciously they considered magic beasts and orcs to be their worst enemies. However, Anfey had experienced forests like these before, so had insisted on sleeping in the trees, since there were fewer deadly animals living up in the trees. He had also told Christian to set up a ward to further guard against attacks from wild animals.


    He peered down from the tree and instantly noticed a disturbing picture on the forest floor. A spider the size of a pot crawled out from beneath the forest floor, grabbed a nearby snake, and disappeared again beneath the ground. Just the small sequence of movements showed Anfey that the floor of the forest was not solid, but muddy. A wide waspnded on a nearby flower and was immediately captured by the flower. The petals closed in on the wasp, and when it opened up again the wasp hadpletely disappeared. Not only the flower itself, but its stem was moving as well. It moved towards another bug, but thetter shot out a light blue mist from its body, and the flower dried out quickly. The bug walked through the flowers, which all made way for the little creature as if it were a king. A white leopard approached quietly, the spider-like creature appeared again, hoping to capture another meal. The white leopard, however, sensing approaching danger, roared sharply. The spider was thrown back by an invisible force against a tree trunk, its body smashed. Dark green fluid dripped down from the trunk of the tree, and from where Anfey stood, he could see the undigested body of the small snake.


    "That¡¯s a spark leopard," Christian said. "It¡¯s a dangerous magic beast. Very powerful. It¡¯s also very cautious, and rarely attacks anything that would not bring it harm."


    "Spark leopard," Anfey said, nodding. "I know them." Yagor had lost his lover because he was trying to find a magic crystal of a spark leopard.


    "Spark leopards are strange," Christian responded. "Sometimes they prefer to be alone, sometimes they live in packs. Packs tend to be more dangerous. They are among the more intelligent of the magic beasts, and know how to cooperate. It is fascinating."


    "It¡¯s normal," Anfey said. "Spark leopards must have mating and birthing seasons too. They need to gather together if they want to protect themselves." This wasmon knowledge. Anyone could understand it after watching a few episodes of National Geographic.


    "Mating, mating," Christian stumbled, blushing. "Anfey, that is an... interesting choice of words."


    The spark leopard noticed the two men above. It lifted its head and nced their way, making eye contact with Anfey. It turned around and disappeared into the trees.


    "Christian, is this what the entire forest is like?" Anfey asked. He was disappointed. He thought maybe he could find a safe ce in the forest and settle down, then slowly begin figuring out how to contact Saul. Under these conditions, however, there was no ce to settle down. They could not hide in the tree forever. Not just the others, but even Anfey could not be certain whether he could live in the trees for long.


    "Not the entire ce," Christian said. "There are some scenic ces here. We are in the swamps, though, where it¡¯s the worst."


    "Is it..." Anfey said. "Christian, can you go with Riska, vi, and Feller to find a ce where we can settle for a while. Don¡¯t go too far though. Stay within a five-mile radius. Come back whether you find a good ce or not. If you hear something on the way, don¡¯t go down and check it. We will go together. Understand?"


    "Of course," Christian nodded.


    "Alright. You should head out immediately. Everyone else should get up and eat something," Anfey called.


    The four given the order did not hesitate. They discussed their n, and immediately used levitation and headed out. They dispersed in the air while the rest scrambled to get up and began organizing their belongings.


    Zubin and Sante were bothying where the others had lied. They were exhausted, and although it was not much, it was better than not resting at all.


    Sanchez began distributing food among the group. This time Niya did not reject the meal. She epted the food and began eating heartily. After a night of rest, she was looking better, and the red mark on her face had begun to fade as well. Luckily, Niya did not have time to look in a mirror. She had forgotten to bring a mirror when she fled the city; otherwise she would have stirred up a storm if she found out that Anfey had injured her face.


    After a while, Christian returned with his exploration team. It was easy to tell the difference between their magical abilities. Christian was the first one back, then Riska and vi. Feller was thest one back.


    The exploration had yielded results. Christian and Riska had explored deeper into the swamps and found no proper camping ground. vi and Feller both found good spots to camp. Christian had the four eat a quick meal before deciding with the group that they would head towards the southeast.

 Chapter 58: The group was excited!

    Chapter 58: The group was excited!


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    The terrain of the Magic Beast Forest was extremely gloomy and horrifying. The group flew ten miles southeast before stopping for a short break, then moved forward to the east where they found a beautiful valley.


    The valley was huge, covering about 20 square miles. Anfey walked through most of the area with Zubin. The valley was in a T-shape. A small pasturey in the junction where three creeks met. Green grass and wildflowers were all over the pasture. Dozens of butterflies as big as a human hand were flying around the flowers. A few herbivores were looking for food. As soon as they saw Anfey and the group, they quickly jumped up and disappeared in the grass.


    The slope of the surrounding hills was quite gentle, covered with tall deciduous trees and evergreen trees. It seemed odd that both trees grew in the same ce, because they required very different climates. Anfey saw two ginkgo trees with unique leaves. He even stepped up and observed them for a long while. To the west of the pasture was a swamp about two hundred square meters. The water was clear, but in the center, the water appeared to be darker. Anfey guessed the swamp was over ten meters deep.


    "Anfey, we should stay here. It¡¯s so pretty." Zubin had already fallen in love with this pasture.


    "Hang on," Anfey said while he was looking at the water. "It is getting dark. Let¡¯s spend the night and make a decision after looking around tomorrow."


    "Look! There are fish in the water!" Zubin chuckled.


    A small fish only as thick as a finger came up and spit out a bunch of bubbles. It then swung its tail and turned back in the water.


    "This fish is too small to eat."


    "Anfey...I meant the fish was pretty. I never said I would eat it..." Zubin shook his head.


    Anfey smiled without saying anything. He was a very practical person. When he saw something new or familiar, the first thought that came to his mind was whether it would bring benefit or danger. Obviously Zubin and Anfey had very different mentalities.


    When Zubin saw the fish, he enjoyed watching it. When Anfey saw the fish, he thought about putting it on the table and the nutrition it could bring. If Christian saw the fish, he might reach for some bread and feed the fish with a big smile.


    People with different personalities have distinctive perceptions and reactions to the same thing; hence, a person¡¯s characteristics form habits, and the habits determine that person¡¯s fate.


    "Anfey, we should go. Otherwise, the team will worry about us," Zubin said softly.


    Anfey stared at the peaceful water. It rippled intensely where his eyesnded. Zubin knew that thousands of thoughts were going through Anfey¡¯s mind. After a while, Anfey finally nodded, "Okay. Let¡¯s go."


    In their temperate camp, a cave about seven or eight meters deep, Christian was distributing food. As usual, a magic shield covered the cave. A bonfire was burning inside the cave. Because the group hadn¡¯t eaten hot food in several days, everyone was sitting by the fire to warm up the sausage, although they were very hungry.


    "Come on, Anfey. You came at the right time. Let¡¯s have dinner together," Christian smiled.


    "Okay," Anfey nodded while observing the ground and walls.


    "Anfey, rx! I have already scorched the ground and walls using fire magic, just like you told me." Christian knew what Anfey was looking for.


    Anfey wasn¡¯t being overly vignt. It was difficult to judge the harmfulness of an animal by its size. For instance, a ck widow spider was only the size of half a human fist. But once it bit, it could kill a person within minutes. That was the reason Anfey had Christian scorch the whole cave before he left. He had to eliminate any potential threats.


    "Anfey, here you go. I just grilled it. Yummy!" Sanchez handed over a sausage.


    "Thank you," Anfey politely thanked Sanchez and sat down next to him.


    "Oh...Anfey...You are wee." Sanchez seemed a bit nervous.


    Anfey smiled. As he stared at the bonfire, a thought came to him. "Sante, after everyone goes to bed tonight, please open up the magic shield and make the air in the cave...Well, I hope you understand what I am talking about: refresh the air in the cave."


    "Understood," Sante nodded.


    "Anfey, when are we sending someone to the Master?" vi asked.


    All of a sudden, Anfey got everyone¡¯s attention. No matter how beautiful it was here, no one wanted to stay here longer than they needed to. They just wanted to get back to Saul.


    Anfey paused for a second and said, "Don¡¯t rush. Let¡¯s settle down, send someone to get some information, and then decide. As you all know, we are in serious trouble. Phillip is not an easy enemy...If we return to Master Saul, that might put him in danger."


    He continued, "You have followed Master Saul and learned magic from him for a while now. Master has taken care of you along the way. We can¡¯t only think about ourselves, but also must look out for the Master. We don¡¯t want to see the Master fight against Phillip. We are of course confident in Master Saul, but Phillip has two students who are master swordsmen. What if something happened to the Master?!"


    "If we all stay here, it might be difficult for us, but Master Saul is safe. Phillip is tracking us. As long as we don¡¯t show up, he won¡¯t bother the Master!" Anfey said slowly, "So I think we should stay here for a while and then decide what to do. What do you think?"


    The group was still young. As fugitives, they all wanted to seek Saul¡¯s protection. After hearing Anfey¡¯s analysis, everyone understood the importance of protecting Master Saul and became extremely excited.


    "I agree with Anfey!" Christian said firmly. Christian was always polite and gentle. It was not like him to say something like this.


    "Me too," Zubinughed, "Phillip is old anyways. Maybe he will get angry and die if we stay here long enough."


    "I agree as well. We have gotten into trouble, and we shouldn¡¯t put the Master in danger!" vi said.


    "Yes. We are not kids. We cannot rely on the Master for everything!" Feller said, swinging his fist.


    "Yes. We are not kids. We have to count on ourselves!"


    "Right. We have to stay here!"


    Niya looked at the group filled with excitement. A feeling arose in her heart. She had been dreaming ofying in her father¡¯s arms and telling him all about what she had been through. Now that she heard Anfey¡¯s and everyone else¡¯s words, her heart was suddenly filled with warmth. She wanted to cry, not from sorrow but passion. She felt a warmth and love that was different than her father¡¯s love.


    "Anfey, what do you think we should do? We all listen to you," Zubin said.


    "Right, Anfey. What should we do?" Christian turned to Anfey as well.


    "That¡¯s simple. We have to live happily, and that will be a heavy blow on Phillip!" Anfeyughed. "Zubin just said that Phillip is old. He is eager to kill us because he knows he won¡¯t live long. The better we hide, the more anxious he will get. The more anxious he gets, the harder he will hunt for us. He might be exhausted to death before he finds us."


    The whole group was amused. The heavy pressure of Phillip chasing after them was half gone. Yes. Why would they worry about an old man who wouldn¡¯t live much longer? Being young was their biggest advantage. They could keep hiding until Phillip died.


    "Very well. Let¡¯s all get to sleep early and look around tomorrow. We will settle down here if everything looks fine." Anfey paused, and then continued, "Does anyone have a long, strong rope? It has to be tough."


    "I do," Feller said. He took out a pouch from his chest. "I have a leather rope from the three-eyed magic cow. It is very tough."


    "Feller, you are not an Archer. Why do you keep that rope for a bowstring?" Zubin asked curiously.


    "At the time, the guy was eager to sell it, so I got a great bargain. I will sell it sooner orter anyways. I can make quite a bit of money from this deal."


    "All you worry about is money. You are such a profiteer," Riska giggled.


    "Money is great," Feller murmured.


    "Yeah, right. Is that why you didn¡¯t bring anything but money with you when we left the Sacred City?" vi made fun of Feller.


    "Anfey said I did a great job!" Feller defended himself.


    Anfey chuckled and took the pouch. He saw a few green leather ropes that might add up to about 8 or 9 meters long. That was good enough!

 Chapter 59: A Difficult Fight

    Chapter 59: A Difficult Fight


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    The night was silent. The moonlight poured down like a silvery river. Anfey was hiding quietly in the depths of the small pond, waiting.


    If he was a normal man, being submerged in water for so long would cause his skin to puff and wrinkle, because the semipermeability of the cell membranes causedrge amounts of water to flow into the cells. This would cause a normal body to swell up.


    Anfey, however, had practiced letting his body breathe while underwater. In the beginning, he would swell up as well. After a few months of practice, he could manage to control his body and let it breathe. Now it didn¡¯t matter how much time he spent in the water, his body would rarely swell up.


    He had a grass straw in his mouth as well. Whenever his air began to thin, he would discreetly approach the surface to get some fresh air. When everything returned to normal, he would go back to his previous hiding ce.


    The first time they were intercepted by the Sacred me Legion, three strangers had intervened to help them. Anfey had found a piece of cloth there that smelled faintly of perfume. He deduced that since it was ck, it could not have belonged to the Sacred me Legion, and that it had belonged to a woman.


    Women tend to do a better job keeping themselves clean. If those people had followed his group, they should be camping somewhere around here as well. This was the only pond he found. He wanted to bathe here, and he imagined whoever was following him would want to bathe here too. Of course, they didn¡¯t have toe here that day, or at all, for that matter. Even though he had set a few rms along the way, the people following them could have discovered his track.


    Even though the possibility of seeing their pursuers was slim, Anfey wanted to wait there and see. Plus, he wanted to practice his skill holding his breath.


    After forty-nine cycles, Anfey felt he was approaching his limit. He was disappointed that he did not see who he was expecting. When he surfaced to take hisst breath, however, he felt the pond ripple, and spotted a shadow at the shore.


    Anfey allowed his body to enter a more alert state. He took the straw and hid it at the bottom of the pond. Then he sank down to the bottom.


    The reflection of the moon was disturbed, the broken pieces danced happily across the water. In situations like this, it was very hard to see what was happening at the bottom of the pond. Anfey let himself float through the water, pushing himself forward with a finger, and moved slowly towards the ce where he spotted the ripples.


    When he was closer, he spotted something whitish in color that appeared to be a person¡¯s legs. Anfey stopped carefully. He sank to the bottom and waited for a chance.


    Time ticked by slowly. Anfey estimated it had already been around three minutes. The person had moved deeper into the water, meaning that whoever it was, they hadn¡¯t discovered him yet. He had only ten minutes, and after that he would be powerless.


    After two more minutes, Anfey was merely feet away from the legs. He lifted a piece of rope from the bottom of the pond and slowly approached the person. The glow from the moon was still shattered, indicating that the person was still bathing.


    Anfey slowly retreated, and when he was about ten feet away, he yanked the rope. However, the person had lifted a foot just then, and he had only caught the left foot.


    Anfey needed to think quickly. He jerked the rope back with all his might and yanked the person underwater.


    He swam towards the bottom of the pond while he drew the rope in. The person¡¯s blurry form was approaching fast. They were surrounded by a ball of white light, and even underwater, Anfey could tell this person was at least an intermediate swordsman.


    However, she was dragged into the deep water, and even though she was struggling hard, she couldn¡¯t really find a solid ce to use her power. Anfey had kept his feet solidly on the bottom of the pond to keep himself steady.


    The woman stopped struggling and starting sinking towards him. Anfey was yanking on the rope, and the distance between them was suddenly shortened. Suddenly the woman swept towards him with her leg. Her leg shed through the water with a dull thud, and Anfey could see it making a foamy arc.


    Anfey ducked his head at the veryst moment, and her leg missed. As her leg passed his ear, he heard a strange ringing and felt a sharp pain. Anfey knew the water must have ripped out some of his hair.


    He could tell how powerful the person was just from that one single kick. He swam backwards to put some distance between himself and the person. Then with a few twists, he wrapped the rope around his right arm.


    Clearly his opponent now understood that she needed to defeat him in order to get out of the pond, because she came right at him, swinging her fist. Again, Anfey heard the dull thud in the water.


    Fighting in water had given Anfey some great advantages. It was a familiar environment for him, where he had practiced many of his skills. He cocked his head to avoid the punch, and did not try to fight back. He twisted his body and used her momentum to grab her. He pushed his opponent to the bottom of the pond and pressed her head against the muddy bottom. His other hand kept hitting her head.


    Moving around like this in water was very difficult because of the resistance, but Anfey had experience. All of his punches were linear at first, and had only be a fist when he was about toe into contact with his target.


    Where he was hitting his opponent was significant as well. For a swordsman protected bybat power, attacking any other ce would leave no more than a scratch. Attacking the head, however, could potentially affect the person¡¯s brain. If his opponent identally choked on water, it would be all over.


    His opponent suddenly pushed herself off of the bottom of the pond with her hands. She was stronger than Anfey had expected and he felt he couldn¡¯t restrain her any longer. So he changed his strategy and began restraining her instead of hitting. His left arm wrapped around her neck and his right around her chest. This way he restrained the usage of her arms. Whenever he was attacking from behind, the worst thing to deal with was elbow attacks. His legs wrapped around hers, and effectively prevented her from using her legs. Now, unless she could wave her legs like ropes, she could not attack Anfey.


    However, Anfey was shocked to discover how stubborn she was. Even in a disadvantageous state, she was struggling hard. She tried to hit him with her head, but it was ineffective because Anfey hadid his head against her shoulders. Then she tried to use her hands, and Anfey felt sharp pains in his arms, but didn¡¯t dared to loosen his grip. The situation would turn against him if she managed to bite him.


    Slowly, Anfey found himself at a disadvantage. She was slowly prying his arms apart. Anfey lowered his head and bit her in the shoulders.


    "Argh..." Even under water, Anfey could hear a grunt from his opponent. Then he felt the struggling stop for a bit. He took advantage of this and wrapped a hand around her neck.


    Soon, the struggling stopped and the tension in her body softened. Anfey waited for a few moments before releasing her. Just then, he saw her face and her lips, pressed together so tight they were almost like a line, and felt something was off. He swam backwards, then saw a punch straight to his face. He avoided the punch, but the water made his eyes too painful to keep open. He couldn¡¯t afford to close his eyes, though. He saw her leg sweeping towards him again, and raised his arms to his chest to defend himself.


    Anfey¡¯s arms mmed against his chest. He felt a strong pain in his right arm, and knew that it was probably broken.


    His opponent did not try any further attacks. She struggled towards the surface of the pond. Clearly she was about to lose all of her air supply.


    Anfey couldn¡¯t let her go that easily, of course. He jerked on the rope and easily dragged her back down.


    This time he didn¡¯t try and approach her. He kept at a distance and watched her paddle through the water. It achieved nothing, however, and finally she sank to the bottom and became still.


    Anfey waited for a few moments before approaching her. He kicked her a few times to make sure that she had really passed out, then grabbed her and began swimming towards the surface. Even he was at his limit, let alone someone he dragged into the pond with no warning. His kicks were to prove that she was really unconscious.


    He walked to the shallow part of the pond and left her on the ground. Anfey sat down on the bank and took a deep breath. It was a difficult fight, and the pain from his right arm told him that if she had really kicked him in the chest, he might be dead or dying now.


    Anfey had fought many difficult opponents, but a woman as difficult as this was a first. When they were underwater, he had felt the strange softness of her chest and was certain that it was a woman.


    Remembering that, he turned around and froze in his ce.

 Chapter 60: Speechless

    Chapter 60: Speechless


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    After Anfey had entered hisbat mode, his eyes hardly focused. It was as if he was lost and could not see anything. In fact, he was observing his opponent¡¯s every move, and every time he suspected danger, his eyes would focus in an instant. Anfey tended to focus on his opponent¡¯s moves instead of their looks, but this woman was too strange an opponent. Normally, women who were skillful fighters tended to be very tall and muscr, or at least bear some form of male characteristics. However, this woman¡¯s appearance slightly shocked Anfey.


    The moon does not care what happens on the ground beneath it. No matter what kind of bloodbath or murderous act was taking ce, the moon would always shine the same way. The womany on the ground, her eyes shut. There was blood on both her cheeks and lips, was the result of Anfei pressing her face against the bottom of the pond.


    She had a small frame; her shoulders were rxed. His eyes glided passed her chest down to her legs. Her legs were long and gentle, and did not look very muscr. Her feet were small and delicate. It was hard to imagine these very legs had almost killed him.


    All in all, the woman looked very gentle. However, she only appeared soft and gentle when she was unconscious. What she would do when she woke up was another story.


    Anfey stood and walked over. He grabbed the woman¡¯s elbows, and with two crisp movements he dislocated both of her arms. The woman was beautiful. For Anfey, however, even if the most beautiful woman were before him, his first priority would still be ensuring his own safety.


    Anfey only cared how much of a threat his enemy was. He tended to disregard gender and appearance. An enemy was an enemy, no matter how beautiful. A friend was a friend, even if the friend was ugly. When facing his enemies or people he was unsure about, Anfey did not have any sympathy for them.


    Anfey found a pea sized pill in his ring, pinched the woman¡¯s cheeks, and forced the pill into her mouth.


    Afterwards, Anfey rested for a moment before walking over to the woman¡¯s clothes. He picked up a longsword from the ground. The sheath was well made and from some kind of animal hide; it was ck and had a blue gleam under the moonlight. The sword itself was also well made, with strange symbols Anfey could not understand carved into it. He gripped the sword, and felt it was veryfortable in his hands. He pulled the sword out halfway.


    A bright, blinding light came from the sword. Anfey was startled and pushed it back into the sheath. He turned to the woman and found her still unconscious, only her slightly raising and falling chest showed that she was alive.


    Anfey walked over to the woman, grabbed her, and swung her over his shoulder. His other hand grabbed her legs and the clothes, and he began walking towards a nearby tree. Anfey looked more like a bandit that had just robbed a family of their wealth and their daughter, and now he was going to enjoy his prizes. Of course, Anfey would never stoop as low as a bandit, but his actions now were unpleasant, to say the least.


    Anfey tied the woman¡¯s arms and legs behind her and hung her from the tree upside down. Now, even if she were a master swordsman, she still would not be able to escape. Plus, Anfey was not a dead man, and if she tried anything, Anfey would no show mercy just because she was a woman.


    After he had done everything he wanted to do, Anfey circled the tree a few times and made sure he did not leave any loopholes. Then he picked up the clothes from the ground and draped them on her. Of course, this was unnecessary. He had tied her to the tree and had circled around her several times. He had seen everything already. He had his own concerns too. He needed the woman to stay as calm as possible when she woke up. If she was frantic, there was not much room for talk and negotiation. When he wasn¡¯t sure whether she had ill will towards him, he didn¡¯t want to have another fight.


    Afterwards, Anfey lifted the woman¡¯s legs and began hitting her on her back. After spending so much time with Ernest, he knew well what the body of a swordsman was like. She was a strong swordsman, and his actions wouldn¡¯t kill her. Just as he expected, after he had hit her back a few times, she began coughing violently and spitting out water. Anfey pinched her under her nose, and after a few whimpers she went silent.


    "Now that you¡¯re awake, let¡¯s talk," Anfey said coldly. "Stop ying dead. I¡¯m not an idiot."


    The woman lifted her head and red at Anfey. Then she lowered her gaze. Once she did, she realized that she was naked, and let out a sharp scream.


    "This sounds cliche, but you can scream your heart out and no one wille for you," Anfey said. "If you want to live, your only way out is to convince me."


    After realizing she was naked, the woman calmed down, and her threatening aura disappeared. She turned her head away, biting her lips and preventing herself from making any sound. Tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the ground.


    "Don¡¯t want to talk?" Anfey asked, smiling. "Alright, I¡¯ll wait. But I have to warn you. You have poison in your system. The longer you wait, the smaller your chance of survival."


    Anfey had not actually fed the woman poison, but he could always exin the effects as poison. So even if she did get away, she would still have concerns. He liked security, and unless it was necessary, he would never put himself in direct danger.


    For a few moments, the woman remained quiet, so Anfey just sat down on the ground. The woman began struggling, and from where he sat, Anfey could clearly see some of the more private parts of her body. She began crying and struggling harder. Anfey did not want her arms to have anyst damage, so he tied some rope around her neck as well, so her neck would share some of her weight. However, this put her in excruciating pain, and the harder she struggled, the more pain she felt. After only a few minutes, she was sweating and panting.


    Finally she stopped struggling and rxed her body. Her eyes, however, were still focused on Anfey and filled with hatred.


    "Still don¡¯t want to talk?" Anfey said. His eyes flickered, and he realized someone was approaching discreetly. Even though the person approaching was very quiet, Anfey could still detect them. However this person¡¯s magic surge was weak and no better than Anfey¡¯s.


    The woman hanging from the tree appeared terrified as Anfey did a backflip and dashed away fast as lightning. A teenage girl in a pale green dress was standing there, stunned. Her spell wasn¡¯t even finished, and Anfey¡¯s sword was already against her neck.


    "This is dangerous business, kid," Anfey said. He looked cold and distant, but he had a seed of doubt in his mind. Something was wrong here, but he could not quite put his finger on it.


    "Let her go!" the woman suddenly screamed. "I¡¯ll give you everything, please, let her go! I¡¯ll give you what you want!"


    "What I want?"


    "The map is in my sheath, take it! You can kill me, but she¡¯s just a child. Please don¡¯t hurt her. She doesn¡¯t know anything. I started this all, she has nothing to do with it." Tears streamed down the woman¡¯s face. She fought to straighten her body, not caring if the clothes slipped off. The hatred and anger had disappeared, and now all she wanted to do was to plead for the young girl¡¯s life.


    "Map?"


    "Shally, no," the women cried.


    The young girl, despite the threat of the sword, lunged at Anfey. She kicked and bit and scratched at Anfey, fighting as if her life depended on it. If she were a few years older and hadbat power, she would be tough opponent. Now, though, she was no threat to him. All he needed to do was push her lightly and the girl was lying on the ground. The girl pushed herself off of the ground and dashed at Anfey again.


    "Please! Don¡¯t hurt her! I¡¯ll give you everything, just don¡¯t!" the woman cried. She knew what kind of opponent Anfey was. All he needed to do was a simple thrust of the sword and the girl would die.


    "I don¡¯t need your map," Anfey said. He pushed the girl away and smiled. He realized when he saw the girl. Following him was a tough job, and it was unlikely that the woman would bring a child with her.


    "What do you want, then?"


    "Nothing," Anfey said. He turned to the girl, "be quiet. If you don¡¯t I¡¯ll kill her."


    It was an effective threat. The young girl sat on the ground and watched Anfey through tearful eyes.


    Anfey walked over to the woman. He had appeared calm, but on the inside he felt ashamed of himself. Ever since he started being an assassin, he would find an excuse every time before he went on a mission. He would only kill if the excuse was enough to motivate him. Today, though, even the worst kind of bandit could not find an excuse.


    Under the woman¡¯s terrified gaze, he put her joints back into ce. Then, without saying a word, he turned around and hurriedly disappeared into the darkness.

 Chapter 61: Thoughts

    Chapter 61: Thoughts


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    In the early morning, the group woke up from their dreams. Many mages liked to meditate at night, so they usually woke upte. However, now that they were fugitives, some of their habits had changed. Everyone had gotten used to going to bed early and getting up early. After waking up, they would start meditation and get ready for the new day¡¯s trip.


    "Anfey, what did you dost night?" Christianughed.


    "Nothing. Just walked around." Anfey rubbed his arm while he answered. That woman was quite powerful! It was a good thing that Anfey was strong. If it had been another person from the group, he or she might have been seriously injured.


    "Come on! Let¡¯s eat," Feller said and started getting the food ready.


    "Feller, how much food do we have?" Anfey asked.


    "The way we have been consuming food...We have about seven to ten days¡¯ worth of food," Feller said.


    "Um...Sounds good," Anfey nodded. "Listen! I don¡¯t think this valley is the ce for us. How about we go somewhere else? Thoughts?"


    Everyone looked at each other. The group liked this valley, so they wanted to stay here for a while. Although Anfey didn¡¯t tell them the reason, they had learned to trust each other after all these recent experiences. They knew they had to trust Anfey, even though his idea came as a surprise. No one questioned him. Instead, everyone nodded and agreed.


    Anfey was embarrassed. He had prepared a few excuses to deal with questions. He couldn¡¯t use them now. He thought carefully about what had happened. His gut told him that those two girls were in the same situation. They were also being chased! Under such circumstance, he would rather not stay near them. Anfey had no way to find out how those girls ended up here. However, if they left any clues for their enemy, they would be found shortly. That could put Anfey¡¯s group in big trouble. Another important reason was Anfey¡¯s mistake... If possible, Anfey hoped that he would never see them again.


    Anfey nodded, "Okay. Let¡¯s eat, take a break and meditate. I will stay outside to protect you all. At noon, vi, Riska, Zubin and Sanchez, you guys go separately in four directions to see if you can find a spot for us to stay. We can stay here for one more day and move tomorrow."


    "There is a pond ahead. Anyone who wants a bath can get one there," Zubin offered.


    "Fantastic! I stink!" Feller giggled.


    "Where is it?" vi was excited. As mages, they could use magic power to make enough water for simple washing. However, it was almost impossible to form a small pond for a bath because it took too much magic power. There was only limited water element in the air. The more water that needed to be collected, the more magic power it would consume. It was truly a blessing to have a natural pond for a bath.


    "Ahead of us. Walk along the grass," Zubin smiled.


    "How about me?" Niya interrupted, "I also want to..."


    The group was silent. Although they were teammates, they were embarrassed by Niya¡¯s question. They were at a sensitive age, and they had just started to be attracted to the opposite sex. Now that Niya, a girl, was asking to take a bath, it was quite tricky.


    "You may go when everyone else is done," Anfey said.


    "Okay..." Niya bit her lip with reluctance. Anfey was being very inconsiderate to have her, ady, bathe after a group of men.


    Anfey tried to treat everyone fairly. He would not even give himself any privileges. As long as the group was safe, he did not care about what people did. If Niya wanted to bathe with the group, he would not stop it. When the group started meditation, Anfey stepped out of the cave and started practicing his swordsmanship. He tried to hide his exquisite sword skills; however, practice makes perfect, and vice versa. If he didn¡¯t practice for a long time, he might lose his skills. If anyone questioned him, he could tell them about the weird old guy from the Ben Laden Vige.


    Still water runs deep. When a swordsman reaches an extremely high level, it would not be easy for a normal person to notice. However, this was not all true. If there was a huge gap in strength between two opponents, exquisite swordsmanship was useless. If the two opponents were about at the same level, skills became crucial. If one was holding a heavy sword without a sharp de and the other had a magic weapon that cut through copper and iron, the oue would be clear! For Anfey, Ernest¡¯s swordsmanship could be described as a big deal. Even if his opponent¡¯s attack was faster and more clever, Ernest could always avoid or block the attack at thest second. What if Anfey had the same fighting power as Ernest?


    Anfey was confident with his martial arts ability. His practice came in four stages: practice of movement, practice of breathing, practice of spirit, and practice of perfection. He had passed the first two stages and was entering the third one.


    After one set of practice, Anfey sat on the ground with his legs crossed and started to adjust his breathing. Anfey¡¯s method for adjusting his breathing was very special. He could practice anywhere. However, it was best to practice with legs crossed. If an enemy came, he could jump up immediately and not worry about hurting himself.


    Niya was bored in the cave when everyone was meditating. No one talked to her. She walked out of the cave and sat down about ten meters from Anfey. She was staring at Anfey with curiosity while she was ying with some grass. She as least knew that she should not bother others when they were meditating! Niya was being good.


    "What are you looking at?" Anfey initiated the conversation. When he was adjusting his breath, he was very sensitive. He felt that Niya was looking at his face.


    "What are you doing?" Niya asked.


    "I am meditating."


    "Liar...You always lie!"


    "I¡¯ve...never lied to you, have I?" Anfey was uncertain.


    "What do you think?"


    Anfey smiled and didn¡¯t say anything.


    "Anfey, thank you," Niya said.


    "Me? Why?" Anfey was confused.


    "I was thinking over what you said yesterday. You were correct! If we turn to my Father now, it would bring him a lot of trouble. I am so touched that you were being considerate and brave," Niya said slowly. "Thank you for thinking about my Father."


    Anfey was embossed. He giggled after a little while. "Niya, howe you are so nice today? That¡¯s surprising!"


    "Did you mean... I wasn¡¯t nice before?!" Niya was upset and looked at Anfey with anger.


    "I didn¡¯t mean anything bad. Please don¡¯t misunderstand me," Anfey shook his head with a smile.


    "Ugh..." Niya sighed, bowed her head immediately and said sorrowfully, "Maybe... I wasn¡¯t being nice... Since I could remember, I was a troublemaker for my dad. Now I have grown up, but Father got old. I should learn how to take care of him!" Anfey smiled and listened to Niya quietly.


    "Anfey, was I bad before?" Niya asked gently, and then she immediately encouraged herself. "It doesn¡¯t matter. I will try my best from now on. I want to make my Father proud! Do you believe in me?"


    It was human nature. Once you had learned to think, you would enjoy it. People got mature slowly by thinking. Everyone¡¯s words had deeply touched Niya yesterday. As students, they were all willing to share the responsibility to protect Master. She, as the daughter of the Master, should step up as well.


    "Of course I believe in you!" Anfey responded affirmatively.


    "I wonder what Father is doing now. Maybe...he is worried about us." Niya started staring at the cloud.


    "So, if we don¡¯t want to disappoint him, we need to be mature. We should at least be able to protect ourselves." Anfey grasped the chance without hesitation. It was his job to educate the younger students. It had be natural.


    "I know," Niya nodded and chuckled. "Continue your practice. I won¡¯t bother you anymore. I will practice with my sword as well."


    Niya was a go-getter. She walked to one side, pulled out her sword and yelled "Ah." There was a fainted red lighting from her body, which was her fighting power. The fighting power was not like a colorful painting. It consisted mostly of red and white. Before reaching the exquisite level, most swordsmen would go through a bottleneck period. If they kept pushing through this period of slower growth, their fighting power would be more and more powerful. The color would turn from red to white.


    Anfey patted his forehead. How could he meditate while she was making such weird noises? He also had no confidence in Niya. What if the sword got out of her hand and hurt him?


    Niya felt that Anfey¡¯s eyesnd on her. She turned her head andughed. "Anfey, do you want topete with me?"


    "Never mind," Anfey waved his hand. He didn¡¯t want to discourage her, since he could easily beat someone as green as her.


    "What? Do you look down on me? I know you are way better!" Niya pouted.


    When it came to this point, Anfey really had no way out. He slowly stood up. "Very well. Let¡¯s go."

 Chapter 62: Meeting Her Again

    Chapter 62: Meeting Her Again


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    Niya was discouraged after her sword had been deflected away 20 times by Anfey. She left to practicebat power on her own. Anfey watched her for a while from a short distance and then he got to thinking.


    Thebat power training was quite simple in this world. It was neither asplex as Kung Fu, nor as systemic as Taoism. There was a saying that "all roads lead to Rome". People who had practiced Kung Fu and Taoism independently could benefit from learning from each other. There was a saying in Chinese that learning fight moves without practicing breathing and other exercises to build up strength would lead nowhere.


    The speed with which Niya swung her sword was very slow whenever she was practicingbat power. She had to give a lot of thought before she could sh with her sword. The red light around her was getting thicker.


    Ernest had told Anfey that willpower was a such a strong power. When swordsmen practicedbat power, first they had to be so focused that they could not notice their surroundings, and thenbine both willpower and focus together to practicebat power. These were the entry level skills required forbat power training.


    It was easier said than done. Ernest recalled hisbat training when he was young: he had to wake up very early to practice and stay focused until veryte. When he had finished training for the day, he could not even move his fingers. He also had splitting headaches after the training.


    This method of practicingbat power sounded stupid to Anfey. He had read Shaolin Temple 72 Kung Fu Arts. He found thatbat power trainings were simr to Cinnabar Palm and One Finger Zen trainings. Cinnabar Palm training involved daily rubbing hands in sand in a basin. This appeared to lead to the ability to move the sand without touching it, and even being able to generate electricity between the palms. One Finger Zen¡¯s training followed the same principle. This simple and raw method had allowed Ernest to be a master swordsman with powerfulbat power. It it was partially a credit to the environment on Pan Continent. Anfey had benefited from practicing on Pan Continent. The achievement of practicing for a few years on that deserted ind on Pan Continent was greater than if he had practiced diligently over ten years elsewhere. Anfey had reached a level he never had thought possible.


    Time, everything took time. Given time, Anfey believed he could be as good as Ernest. If he could reach the level of a saint, Ernest would not even beat him.


    Anfey was deep in thought for so long that the sun was high in the sky. Christian and his group had finished their meditation and were walking out of the cave. Everybody took some rest and ate some food. vi and his friends used levitation magic to fly in four different directions to check out routes. Christian and his group went to the pond together. Niya did not want to join them since all the guys would bathe in the pond. Anfey worried about Niya¡¯s safety, so he dragged her along with him. He thought Niya could just walk around in hispany while everyone else could do whatever they wanted.


    Climbing over a hill, the pond was just ahead of them. Christian, who walked in the front, suddenly stopped. Anfey looked up and heaved a slight sigh. Whatever he did not want to happen always happened. He was worried that he would meet those two sisters again, and he did.


    The younger girl was holding a lot of leaves and grass in both her arms. She was shaking from the cold when suddenly she saw a group of people. She was scared, but she could not yell for help because she was afraid the group might attack her for yelling. Her shadow was trembling with her. It was easy to tell how panicked she was.


    "Shally." A clear call arose from the hill.


    "Sister." Shally stepped back and screamed.


    A strongbat power appeared from the hill. A cloud of white light was rushing down from the hill. The leaves and branches in the path of the white light were all crushed into powder. Nothing could stop that cloud of white light. That cloud of white light appeared in front of everyone in a second.


    The elder girl, who fought intensely with Anfey the previous night, stood in front of everyone. The ocean-blue jacket made her so striking, and her whitebat power was so shining, but none of those characteristics allowed others to neglect the soft, feminine and lovable look on her face. She might have been so rushed that she was bare-foot. Her white and fleshy toes clinched the ground tightly, which showed her stubbornness, just as she had been yesterday. Her eyes showed a slight panic, seeing a group of unexpected people. It was not only because of the number of people she was facing, but also because they were all mages. Even if she could defeat all of them, she was not sure if she could protect her little sister in the battle.


    Some women looked stunning, some cute and affectionate, like your old friend when you had met for the first time. The woman in front of everybody gave them a different feeling, like a little grass, weak but tough at the same time. She was a feisty heroine, ready to fight with everything she had.


    Christian¡¯s second group walked in the front. They were only shocked for a second when they saw the two girls. Christian moved one step back and heard waves of magic surges in the air. A guy from the team moved in front of Christian and set up a magic cover, another one moved behind Christian and took out a magic scroll.


    Anfey had told everyone earlier that team members were set and would not change, so they needed to think about how to work together in case they became panicked in surprise attacks. He also asked every team to design ten different ns to fight with different enemies.


    Christian had followed Anfey¡¯s directions precisely. Even though they only saw one person in front of them, they knew her ability was greater than anyone¡¯s on the team, so they responded immediately. One took a defensive action, Christian was responsible for making offensive attacks to hold the enemies, while another one took out the only magic scroll assigned to their team.


    "Do not misunderstand us. We do not want to hurt you." Anfey stood up quickly and nodded at the girl. "Hello," Anfey greeted her. Both parties were on the run, and they did not need to fight even if they could not be friends. Fighting would not benefit either of the parties.


    "You, it is you." That woman recognized Anfey. Her face suddenly turned purple, and her hand was shaking badly with the sword. She was shaking even more than her little sister.


    "It is me. What are you doing here?" Anfey said politely.


    "You, You..." The woman stuttered and shook even more intensely. She could neither imagine nor understand how he could talk to her with that attitude after what they had experiencedst night.


    Christian and all the others were shocked and look back and forth between Anfey and the woman. They did not know what had happened between Anfey and those two sisters, but they did not drop their guard, due to Anfey¡¯s excellent teaching. Christian and his group had finished silently chanting "abracadabra," ready to use their magic at any time.


    "Eating this kind of food is not good for you." Anfey could tell what the leaves were that Shally held. There were few green fruits in the leaves. It was obvious those were their dinner.


    Anfey whispered to Feller, and then Feller took out several linked sausages and passed them to Anfey. Anfey took the sausages and threw them at Shally¡¯s feet. "Girl, these are for you."


    "Sausage, Oh, Yeah!" Shally cheered. She forgot her fear and tossed the green fruits aside, picking up the sausage quickly. She held them in front of her chest, smelling them with her head tilted to one side. She looked so excited and happy.


    The elder girl moved her lips a little, but did not say anything.


    "We want to take a bath in the pond. Can you guys make way for us?" Anfey said softly.


    "Walk straight ahead. This is my area!" the elder girl said coldly.


    "Why are you iming this area? Is this your territory?" Niya asked angrily.


    "Ok, ok, we are leaving." Anfey hurried and pulled Niya away. "But I almost forgot one thing. Can you give me back my rubber rope? That was a rubber rope from a three-eyed cow monster, very precious."


    The elder girl almost fainted, with her little mouth opening and closing quickly, like a struggling fish on the shore. What happenedst night had shocked her so much that she would not forget it throughout her life. She could not believe this bastard had asked for that rubber rope back.


    She wished to chop him into pieces with her sword. It was hard to imagine fighting with a powerful swordsman and over ten mages. If it were just herself, she might do it, but she had to think about her little sister.


    "Big brother, is this one?" Shally was a polite and sweet girl. Since Anfey gave her sausages, she should have returned something else to him. Shally was worried Anfey would asked for the sausage back, so she decided to offer the rubber rope on her own without asking her sister first.


    Anfey smiled and nodded when he saw Shally taking out a piece of rubber rope from behind her. "Yes, miss. Can you give it back to me?"


    "Sure." Shally did not dare to walk to Anfey. She threw it at Anfey, but she did not have enough strength, plus the rubber rope was light. The rubber ropended on the elder girl.


    The elder girl took it off her body and threw it to the ground. She was staring at Anfey with the desire to kill him. She had never wanted to kill someone so badly since she was young. If she had a choice, she would have fought him without thinking.


    "If you like it, you can keep it. Let¡¯s go." Anfey shook his head hopelessly.


    "Let¡¯s go," Christian responded softly. He slowly moved backwards.


    Both parties still kept alert until they were a safe distance from each other. Sante kept looking back to see if the two girls were making any moves. Niya had behaved quite well. She did not say anything after Anfey gave her a hint.


    Seeing that Anfey and the group of people had left, Shally remembered to look at her sister. She said with a timid voice, "Sister, did I make you mad again?"


    The elder girl¡¯s face became stern, and she turned around quickly to her sister. She was about to say something when she saw Shally was holding tight to the sausages, with her fingers almost dug into them. She felt an unspeakable sadness and said softly, "Shally, you eat first if you are hungry. I am not mad at you."

 Chapter 63: The Unfortunate Sisters

    Chapter 63: The Unfortunate Sisters


    Trantor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio


    "Anfey, how did you know those girls?" Christian asked, grinning.


    Everyone was still minding their own businesses, but Anfey knew they were all listening, waiting for his answer. It seemed like all intelligent beings enjoyed hearing gossips.


    "You remember the first time we encountered the knights of Sacred me Legion? The time when those people appeared to save us? I¡¯ve been thinking about it. If they could follow us from the Sacred City without us noticing, then maybe they are still around us." Anfey said slowly, "one of those people was a woman. I found a scrap of cloth then and it had smelled like a woman. So after Zubin and I found the pond yesterday, I remembered that cloth. So after everyone fell asleep I returned to the pond and I wanted to wait them out."


    "For them to bath?" Sante asked.


    "I don¡¯t know about the others," Anfey said, "but women liked to be clean. Of course, the possibility is low, and I just wanted to try my luck. I had nothing better to do anyway."


    "Then? I found the two siblings?" Christian asked.


    "Yes," Anfey nodded. "I thought she was the one I was waiting for, so I was bent on subduing her. Then we fought in the pond."


    "And you won?" Christian asked, remembering the strange expression on the girl¡¯s face.


    "Of course," Anfey said. "Had I lost I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here."


    Everyone startedughing, but Christian sighed. "Anfey," he said, "next time if you wanted to do anything, you should tell us. We can all help you. No one want to see you hurt. Don¡¯t forget we are your team leaders and yourpanions. You brought us here safely, and you are the only one that can bring us safely to Master Saul."


    "Yeah, Anfey," Niya repeated. "We can all help you."


    "I told you, there is a small chance that I will even find anyone. I didn¡¯t want everyone to wait up for nothing," Anfey said.


    "If you can wait, surely we can as well," Christian disagreed.


    "Alright," Anfey said. "I will be more careful next time."


    "Anfey, who do you think they are?" Christian asked.


    "Someone going to the same ce as well, I figured," Anfey said. "I feel like they are only here because they are on the run from someone."


    "Interesting..." Christian said. "Anfey, what if theye with us?"


    Anfey shook his head. He had considered the possibility, but in the end he decided it would be the best if they go their separate ways. "You see the older, more powerful one? She is skillful enough to be a senior swordmaster, or maybe even higher. How powerful are the people who forced her into this forest? Going with her means we will be cing ourselves in danger as well."


    "Anfey, think about it. How powerful can her enemies be? As powerful as Phillip? Unlikely. If Phillip and that girl¡¯s enemye at the same time, then we will be in trouble. But how possible is that?" Christian said slowly. "If Phillip and that girl¡¯s enemy find us separately, we have an advantage."


    Anfey lifted a brow and looked at Christian. He focused on the dangers, not the benefits, and so had long given up on the idea of cooperating. Christian, however, looked at the problem from another point of view, and had enlightened Anfey on a new perspective. When enemy strength remain the same, cooperation benefits both parties. Unless, of course, their enemies join force as well.


    "Her enemy may not be that powerful after all," Christian said. "You see the little girl? Her strength magically is almost as bad Anfey. I say, she is running because she is concerned about her little sister."


    Everyone chuckled. Joking fun at Anfey¡¯s magic was, after all, hrious. Anfey rolled his eyes and sank into his own thoughts. Anfey weed advices, because he knew he wasn¡¯t perfect, but he would still be the one to make the finally decision.


    "Anfey, we only have one swordsman, and only one person stands between us and the enemy. This too dangerous, especially when you don¡¯t have anybat power. It¡¯s too dangerous for you. If she is here with you, we can use our powers to the maximum."


    "I agree," Sante said, nodding.


    Everyone around them nodded, agreeing with Christian¡¯s words.


    "Alright," Anfey said slowly. "Let¡¯s try working with them, then. I have one condition, though. They have to answer to me, or cooperation is off the table. Of course, our mission is to protect the young sister, so we won¡¯t let any harm going to her way." Anfey felt that Shally was the girl¡¯s biggest weakness, and would be a good leverage in negotiation.


    "Why are you telling us that?" Christian asked, smiling. "Whatever your conditions are, go tell them."


    "I..." Anfey suddenly remembered the events from the night before, and shook his head. "No, no. Christian, you should go talk to them"


    "Me?" Christian asked. "Anfey, you¡¯re the most suited for the job. At least you are acquainted with them, and they trust you more."


    "No, I can¡¯t be the one," Anfey said, shaking his head harder. Trust? The way they look at him, they want to eat him alive.


    "Shally, slow down, slow down a bit," Suzanna said softly, trying not to let her emotions show.


    "Ok," Shally nodded, taking arge bite of the sausage. The meat was all gone but she kept chewing on the casing.


    Seeing Shally like this, Suzanna couldn¡¯t hold her emotions back anymore and bursted into tears. She shot up and hid behind a tree, sniffling.


    A few momentster, Suzanna felt someone tugging at her shirt, and found Shally standing there, terrified, holding a sausage in her hand. "Sister," she said hurriedly. "I didn¡¯t eat your sausage. Here. Eat it. Don¡¯t cry. I won¡¯t anger you again, please don¡¯t cry."


    "No, Shally," Suzanna forced a smile and said. "I¡¯m not hungry. Go ahead and eat."


    "No, I¡¯m full," Shally said, flushed red. "I know you¡¯re hungry, sister. Here." Shally said, sticking the sausage in her sister¡¯s hands.


    Suzanna sighed. Of course she was hungry, especially after that fight with Anfey. Anfey had only put her joints back into ce, and Shally was not much help. She had came out of her bonds purely by her ownbat power. She would be lying if she said she wasn¡¯t hungry.


    But what could she do? They had left in a hurry, and brought nothing with them. For the past few days they had survived on bitter shrubs and berries. The smell of sausages reminded Suzanna exactly how hungry she ws.


    Suzanna took a bit of the sausage, and swallowed it without even chewing.


    "Don¡¯t throw away the casing," Shally said, concerned. "It taste good, really." She stared at the sausage and swallowed.


    Suzanna widened her eyes, and hugged Shally. Her sniffles became loud sobs.


    "Sister," Shally said hurried, wiping her hand on Suzanna¡¯s face. "Please don¡¯t cry. Did I angry you again? It¡¯s my bad, my bad, please don¡¯t cry anymore. If you keep cry, I, I will cry too!" Before she could finish, she bursted into tears herself.


    The sisters held each other and cried. Suzanna was still a senior swordmaster, and had better control over her emotions. She stopped crying first, and wiped away her sister¡¯s tears. "Shally, don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s my fault for not taking care of you," she sobbed.


    "No, sister," Shally said, crying. "I¡¯m happy. Really happy."


    "Shally, listen. Stop crying now, ok?" Suzanna sighed. "I have some more coins. Let¡¯s go back to those people and buy some more food, ok?"


    "Really?" Shally rubbed her swollen eyes and asked. "Will they sell it to us?"


    "Of course," Suzanna said. "If not we will just give them all of our coins." She forced a smile and patted Shally¡¯s cheeks, e, Shally. Let¡¯s go wash our faces so they won¡¯tugh at us." Suzanna was a strong woman, and didn¡¯t like the idea of using tears to win sympathy from others.


    "Ok!" Shally said. She was a child, after all, and it was easy to cheer her up again.

 Chapter 64: New Members

    Chapter 64: New Members


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anfey!" Sante called as he walked out of the forest. He didn¡¯t need to call out for the rest of the group to spot the two girls behind him.


    "Anfey, they said that they wanted to talk to you," Sante said.


    The two sisters walked over and stopped a few feet away from the camp. The older one whispered something into Shally¡¯s ears, and the Shally stopped. The older girl walked over to Anfey.


    Anfey and Christian nced at each other, and they both stood up to greet them. Christian was confused, but Anfey was nervous. His brain was working fast to understand why she was there


    "Hello, why are you here?" Anfey asked.


    "You see, we are all out of food. You must have some prepared. I want to buy some food from you," the older girl said, her expression cold. She was speaking with Anfey, but her eyes were focused on Christian, as if she did not want to look at him.


    Anfey chuckled. He disliked women who were too full of themselves. They did not have enough food supplies even for themselves, and even if they did, he would not have given them to her. He had no use of money in this ce, and he did not need it.


    "I know you do not have a lot of supplies. I have twenty-three coins, and you can have it all. I don¡¯t need much..." The girl hesitated. "Even if it¡¯s just a few sausages."


    Anfey blinked, and his dislike for her dissipated. One single coin could buy them a dozen or more sausages in a city. Now she was willing to spend twenty coins for just a few. Clearly she knew the price of food in this ce, and was not an unreasonable person.


    Anfey thought about it and waved Feller over. Feller walked over and fished out a handful of coins and handed it to him.


    Anfey took the coins and held them out. "We don¡¯t need coins," he said, smiling, "we need food. I was hoping to buy some from you."


    "Is that so? I apologize for disturbing you," the older girl said coldly. There was no change in her expression, as if she had known that she would be faced with rejection. She turned and began walking away.


    Anfey was shocked again. He had it all thought out. He was going to reject her request at first. If she begged him or asked again more earnestly, he could act like he was moved and agree to help her. This way he could try to bridge the gap between the two of them. He hadn¡¯t considered that the older girl would just leave.


    Anfey shook his head. Judging from her earlier request, she was a reasonable person, or else he would not havee up with his original n. On the other hand, the girl¡¯s attitude was not what he would expect in someone pleading for help.


    Anfey was a very logical person, but dealing with a girl¡¯s changing mood needs experience and consideration. Anfey had never really loved a girl, so he could not figure out the girl¡¯s change in emotions quickly and urately.


    Suzanna made her attitude cold and unapproachable because of Anfey. What happened the night before was too much of a blow to her pride. Then, she was hanging on the tree, and was humiliated to the point that she considered just ending her life. She could look for help for the sake of her sister, but she would never beg in front of Anfey. She was trying to protect her remaining dignity.


    Seeing that Suzanna was leaving, Christian looked at Anfey and tried to get him to stop her.


    Anfey pretended not to see Christian¡¯s acts. There was no way he would try to stop her. Remembering what had happened the night before, he figured that if he tried to stop her, he would be met with force.


    "Miss, please wait," Christian called out after the girl after realizing that Anfey was not about to stop her. "Can I please have your name?"


    "Suzanna. Nice meeting you," the girl stopped and said. She had to stop. She saw Shally¡¯s disappointed eyes and was very conflicted. Must she returned and beg for help?


    "Hello, greetings, I¡¯m Christian." Seeing that Suzanna¡¯s attitude had softened, Christian felt a boost in confidence and smiled warmly. "We can maybe discuss what you just asked about."


    "Really? Thank you so much," Suzanna said dly. She smiled softly and said, "I do not ask for much. I only need two sausages."


    Anfey stood nearby and was very beaten by this. This was the first time he had seen Suzanna smile. He felt defeated that Suzanna treated Christian differently. He wanted to be a good person, but she wasn¡¯t giving him the chance. Was Christian really more likable than he?


    "Of course, of course. There is just one thing I don¡¯t understand," Christian said. "Two sausages would onlyst for a day, wouldn¡¯t it? What about tomorrow? The day after that? How would you survive in the forest?"


    "That is my problem," Suzanna said honestly.


    "I have an idea that may solve your problem. If you¡¯re interested, why don¡¯t we find a quiet ce to discuss it?"


    "Alright," Suzana said after a few moments of consideration.


    Christian and Suzanna walked over to the forest and began discussing Christian¡¯s idea. Sante and Feller tried to eavesdrop on them ande back and tell Anfey about what they had heard. In the end, Anfey had to give them each a sword sheath to keep them from spreading rumors.


    After a long time, Christian and Suzanna returned with Shally walking behind them. Christian winked at Anfey victoriously, then coughed a few times. "This is Suzanna," he announced. "From today, she will be joining us. She will face any future danger together with us, and, of course, we will protect Shally from any danger."


    "Ah, wee, wee," Sante called out.


    Everyone else followed his lead. Suzanna nced around the group and said shyly, "We will be friends from now on. I will do my best to help this team."


    "Suzanna, why don¡¯t you join Anfey¡¯s team?" Christian said.


    "Wait. Christian, I can follow your orders, but never his," Suzanna said, pointing at Anfey. She was the highest ranked, and the most powerful, but she didn¡¯t try to take the role of the leader. She knew that thebined power of the mages was more powerful than hers. She had stated from the beginning that she will follow Christian¡¯s orders.


    Christian hesitated, then said, "Suzanna, you should know that a team cannot have two leaders. Everyone here must follow his orders. If you cannot do that, our deal is off the table."


    Suzanna stared at him in silence. After a few moments, she narrowed her eyes and stared at Anfey. "Fine," she hissed.


    "What do you mean by fine? Will you leave? Or will you follow my orders?" Anfey asked. He wasn¡¯t worried. She had already decided to cooperate with them, and wouldn¡¯t change her mind easily. He would not let anyone challenge his position as the leader of the group.


    "Fine," she said, "I will follow your orders."


    "Alright then," Anfey said, "I wee you."


    Suzanna turned her head. Following Anfey¡¯s orders was a necessity for joining the team, but personally she hated him and did not want to talk to him.


    Shally walked over and stared at him, her eyes filled with hope. Anfey waved Feller over, who gave Shally some sausage and bread. Shally practically grabbed the food from his hands and began eating it. It seemed like the sausages from a few days ago did not satisfy her hunger.


    Shally¡¯s actions made Suzanna look away in embarrassment. This showed that she did not do a good job as a sister.


    Anfey sighed. He took a goblet from his ring. Momentster it was filled with water. He was only an apprentice, but even he could manage to gather magic. He handed the goblet to Shally.


    "Thank you," Shally said timidly. She smiled at him sweetly, but because she was not familiar with him, she appeared shy.


    A magical surge approached them. "When did you get here? Took me a while to find you," Riska said as hended on the ground.


    "Riska, let me introduce you. This is Suzanna. She is very powerful," Christian said.


    Riska noticed the two girls and blinked in shock. He turned to looked at Anfey, who nodded. He turned and smiled at Suzanna. "Greetings," he said, "I¡¯m Riska. Wee to the team."


    "Nice meeting you," Suzanna said, smiling. She was clearly very easy going. Everyone could make her smile, except for Anfey.


    "Riska, did you find a good ce to camp?" Anfey asked.


    "No. I went into the swamps again. It was huge. I changed direction a few times but couldn¡¯t find the edge, so I had toe back," Riska said.


    "Are we leaving here?" Suzanna asked.


    "Yes," Sante told her.


    "Great. We have to leave in seven days," Suzanna said.


    "Why?" Christian asked curiously.


    "Do you know why you can¡¯t find any magic beasts here?"

 Chapter 65: Signs of Danger

    Chapter 65: Signs of Danger


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You¡¯re saying...this is the territory of legendary magic beasts?" Christian asked in shock.


    Suzanna nced at him and nodded, "Yes. See, there is a unicorn."


    "How did you know?"


    "When Shally and I first arrived here, we realized that even though it was scenic, there was no water source. Shally is only an apprentice and cannot summon water like you can. We were disappointed, of course, but we had to go somewhere else to find a water source."


    "That pond..."


    "It was green when we first found it. It was poisoned, and there was no way a person could drink it. Shally and I searched the surrounding areas and couldn¡¯t find any water source. We came back to the pond and found it was clear. I realized then that the pond had rocks that were poisonous. The rocks slowly released the poison and turned the pond undrinkable."


    "Poisonous? There are fish in there, though," Anfey said.


    "There is no poison in the water now, but if you take a bite from the fish, I promise you will be a corpse before you know what happened," Suzanna replied. She disliked Anfey, but she needed to tell everyone in case someone was stupid enough to try to eat the fish.


    "I remember," Christian said, nodding. "Read about it once. Unicorn horns have purifying properties. In the Magic Beast Forest, many beasts wait around water holes at midnight for unicorns. A few taps from the horn are all it takes for the water to be rid of poison."


    "I realized there was a unicorn nearby after the water cleared up. After a thorough search, we found a cave hidden by trees. It was sealed off by some silvery webs. I returned without disturbing it."


    "Where is the cave?" Anfey asked.


    "To the southeast, about ten miles from here."


    "You sure there are unicorns?" Christian asked.


    "We¡¯ve lived here for days. An unicorn¡¯s power is limited. After a few days the water would be poisonous again, and I would take Shally out for a few days. The water would be clear again when we returned. I think that is enough to prove their existence."


    "It must be unicorns, then," Christian agreed.


    "Unicorns are powerful?" Anfey asked.


    "Your knowledge of the world is hriously childish. Do you not even know what a unicorn is? You should really go find a school and brush up on your studies," Suzanna snorted. "Unicorns have the ability to release serial lightning. As long as it has stood under the moon for a certain amount of time or there is lightning in the sky, unicorns can simply absorb energy from their surroundings. You do know the power of serial lightning, don¡¯t you?"


    Everyone around them chuckled. Everyone had realized, more or less, that something must have gone down between Suzanna and Anfey. Suzanna was nice to almost everyone except Anfey, and since Anfey had always just epted the treatment, he must be at fault.


    "Suzanna, miss, I think you are..." Riska opened his mouth angrily. He did not understand why Suzanna would treat Anfey this way. Anfey had established absolute authority among his peers, and when someone tried to ridicule him, Riska felt responsible to stand up for him. Anfey tugged on his sleeve and shook his head. Riska fell silent.


    Suzanna watched them thoughtfully. She could not understand why these mages would willingly follow the orders of someone who barely had any magic orbat power. Even though Anfey had defeated her easily the night before, it was her habit to measure the strength of a man by hisbat power and magic. It was a habit ingrained in all children of the Pan Continent, and Suzanna was no exception. Plus, she believed that she had lost because she fell into a trap, her movement was limited in one leg, and she had been forced to fight in the water. If they had been on an open in, she would have easily won.


    Suzanna had underestimated Anfey. Of course, it was also because she wanted some degree of revenge on him. Now that she had witnessed both Christian¡¯s angry rebuke and Riska¡¯s rage, she understood somewhat that Anfey did not win the mages¡¯ trust with words. There must be stories she did not know, and Anfey was the one that led everyone to safety.


    "How long will thisst?"


    "Three more days," Suzanna said. She was not stupid. When the position of the leader could not be undermined, it would be in her best interest not to ruin her rtionship with him. "Normally it woulde out for food everyday. Now it¡¯s probably in its mating and birthing season. It leaves its den once every few days."


    "Christian, can¡¯t we tame one?" Anfey asked.


    "No," Christian said. "It¡¯s practically impossible to tame a unicorn. If Master Saul were here, there might be a sliver of hope. But we cannot, no."


    "It¡¯s near impossible to tame a unicorn," Sante said. "Once there were many people riding into war on dragons, but for thousands of years there was only one person on a unicorn."


    "Only girls can tame them," Riska said. "Men will only be attacked."


    "Hey, just asking," Anfey said. It had always been him telling them what was sensible and what was not. Now that they were more mature, it was their turn to teach him.


    Just then, a faint glimmer of magical surge came from the distance, sweeping through the forest like a whisper. Christian and Riska shot up, used levitation and began floating into the distance.


    Anfey grabbed his sword. "Ready for battle," he ordered.


    The surge meant danger, and those on watch were in danger.


    Everyone quickly stood up and readied for battle. Suzanna nced back and found Shally in the middle of a group of mages. She was relieved.


    "Let¡¯s go," Anfey said. "Sante, Feller, you two go help them. Feel free any scroll."


    "Got it," Sante nodded, raising into midair with Feller."


    Anfey and the group went another twenty miles when they sensed two surges. Anfey stopped everyone and quietly waited for their return.


    A ck dot approached them, and Christian and Riskanded with someone hanging between them. Zubin looked terrible, his face pale, and he could not stand on his own.


    "Zubin," Anfey said, "what happened?"


    "Manticore," Zubin said, smiling bitterly.


    "Manticore?" Suzanna asked hurried. "Did it try to poison you? Did you touch the fog? Inhale any?"


    Zubin nced at Suzanna. He did not know her.


    "Zubin? Talk to us," Anfey urged.


    "I saw it release the fog and held my breath."


    "Good," Suzanna said. "Take him to the pond. Unicorns and manticores are enemies. The unicorn¡¯s purifying power can fight manticore¡¯s poison."


    Christian smiled. He didn¡¯t wait to thank Suzanna, and used another levitation spell.


    "Let me," Suzanna said. "You¡¯re too slow." She took Zubin in her arms and, with her strongbat power, dashed towards the pond.


    When everyone else returned to the pond, Zubin was already submerged in the pool with only his eyes above water. Suzanna was right. The pond had purifying qualities. It had only been a few minutes, but Zubin was already looking much better.


    "Zubin, how did you run into a manticore?" Anfey asked.


    "I found a pretty good ce, not as scenic but a good hiding spot. I wanted to get closer, but then I saw a small manticore. I knew something was wrong and tried to levitate. Then I saw the bigger manticore and it tried to kill me with its fog."


    "Good," Christian said. "You¡¯re smart. If you were a second slower you might be dead by now."


    "You are lucky," Suzanna said. "Manticores are fiercely protective of their young. If it had chased after you, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to get away."


    "Stop trying to scare me," Zubin said, shaking his head.


    "We aren¡¯t scaring you," Suzanna said. "I just want everyone to be more alert. This forest is filled with danger. I saw orcs in here a few days ago."


    "Orcs? I thought there were no orcs here?"


    "Says who?"


    Riska and Zubin nced at each other. They had heard it from other people, of course, and Suzanna would not lie. It seemed like the forest still had orcs present.


    "How many?" Anfey asked.


    "One. I killed it."


    "Don¡¯t orcs live in packs?"


    "Usually, but I saw only one."


    "Then we should really be more careful," Anfey said slowly.

 Chapter 66: Let the Magic Beasts Fight

    Chapter 66: Let the Magic Beasts Fight


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    vi and Sanchez soon returned as well. They were scared when they first saw Zubin submerged in the water, but after learning that he would be fine, they bothughed and made a few jabs at him. It was all friendly banter, and if Zubin had been seriously hurt, they both would have been worried out of their minds.


    After find a good resting spot for Zubin, vi and Sanchez introduced themselves to Suzanna. The three scouts hadn¡¯t made any discoveries, and that had worried Anfey. Everyone was chatting, but Anfey was sitting on the ground, deep in thought. Their food supplies could stillst for a few days, but they needed to n carefully where they would rest. If he was alone, it would have been easier. Now he needed to care for a whole group of people, and Anfey found that difficult. Only Christian and Zubin knew their futures would be hard, and one of them could not even move. Christian walked over slowly and sat down next to Anfey.


    Whether it was unicorns or manticores, both would pose great danger to them. It was likely that there would be conflict whether they stayed or moved.


    "You say manticores and unicorns are enemies?" Anfey called in a sudden stroke of inspiration. His call startled not only Christian, but also Suzanna.


    "I said that," Suzanna replied. "Why?"


    "If they fight, who would win?"


    "The unicorn, of course," Suzanna said. "However, all high level magic beasts are sentient. Like people, they would not trespass on another magic beast¡¯s territory. Their way of surviving is to avoid direct conflict."


    "I thought you said they are enemies."


    "That means while they would not shy away from a fight, they would not initiate one either. It is very unlikely they would run into each other in this forest, you know."


    "Alright," Anfey said, nodding. "Christian, can you set up a magic shield to hide everyone¡¯s surges?"


    "I don¡¯t have enough crystals," Christian replied.


    "Don¡¯t worry about the crystals. Can you do it?"


    "Of course."


    "Alright, just one thing left." Anfey turned to Suzanna. "Suzanna, I need you to do something dangerous."


    "What is it?" Suzanna asked, her heart sinking. She still could not trust Anfey, and was very hostile towards him. Hearing that he had something dangerous for her, she thought that perhaps he was trying to make things difficult for her.


    "This is my n. Zubin saw two manticores, right? You go to its territory and kill the smaller one. I don¡¯t think the bigger one would let you get away. You head out and send a signal. I will try to provoke the unicorn. Then we will hide and let the two fight."


    "That¡¯s one way to do it," Christian nodded. "If an angry unicorn and a crazed manticore meet, it would be a guaranteed fight."


    "That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking," Anfey said. "No matter who wins, the other would certainly be severely injured as well. It shouldn¡¯t be hard then for us to kill it. Then we don¡¯t have that constant threat over our heads."


    Suzanna sighed in relief. She was the only one in the group who could manage to kill a manticore and escape another angry one. Anyone else would be torn to pieces. It seemed like Anfey wasn¡¯t being unfair to her, and giving her the harder job.


    "What do you think?" Anfey asked. Normally he would not ask for permission, but mostly his question was directed at Suzanna.


    Everyone muttered to each other for a bit and nodded.


    "Suzanna, I know you are very skillful, but this is still dangerous. What say you?"


    "I¡¯m good," Suzanna said. "When do we leave?"


    "We are not in a hurry," Anfey said. "There are many things to be worked out. We don¡¯t want any idents."


    "idents?" Suzanna asked.


    "For example, if there are multiple manticores, what should you do? What if you are discovered before you can do anything? What if you get hurt? How will we find you? What if the fight is over before one of the animals could be seriously injured? Will we still strike then? We have to think through everything before actually doing anything, or people will get hurt."


    "You¡¯re right," Christian said, nodding.


    Suzanna watched him, a hundred thoughts running through her head. She had always considered herself smart, but in that situation all she wanted to do was to run and find somewhere they could camp. Anfey, however, thought about how to get what they needed. Everyone knew about the manticores, but only Anfey thought of using it to fight the unicorn. Suzanna must admit she was very inferior to Anfey.


    "Alright, everyone stay here. vi, I entrust everyone to you. Christian and Suzanna,e with me. Zubin, where did you encounter the manticores?"


    "I¡¯ll take you," Zubin said, pushing himself off of the ground.


    "No, you should stay here," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "I¡¯m already feeling much better," Zubin smiled bitterly. "Plus, it would be hard to describe where it was."


    "Anfey, I can protect him. If anything happens, I will help Zubin escape and you and Suzanna can fight whatever is pursuing us."


    "Alright," Anfey said after a moment of hesitation.


    For those who were powerful, twenty miles was not a long way. After a short while, they were already standing in front of the nest of the manticores.


    In front of them was arge cliff covered in vines. Ancient trees stood in front of the cliff, their trunks thick and twisted. In other parts of the forest, sounds of screeching and heavy breathing could be heard constantly, but here it was silent, as if there were no other living beings.


    "Can¡¯t see anything," Anfey said, frowning.


    "Oh, the manticores will see you before you see them," Suzanna grinned.


    "Let me," Christian said. "My eye of the sky cannot be detected by the manticore." He stepped forward and whispered a spell. A ball of gas gathered between his hands and began to condense, then the shadows of a few trees appeared within the gas.


    Christian focused on the eye of the sky, and after two dozens images shed through the gas, two manticores appeared.


    It was Anfey¡¯s first time seeing high level magic beasts. The manticore looked simr to a lion, its body was bright red, as were its eyes. It had thick limbs and sharp teeth the length of a man¡¯s hand. Behind its body was a long, thick tail covered in shining scales, and ending in a sharp tip.


    "A manticore does not have magic, but it is extremely strong. It can shatter the shell of a stone tortoise with a single m," Suzanna said slowly. "See its tail? It can pierce most beasts¡¯ bodies without any problem, and it has stupefying properties. It can freeze its enemy for a short time. Even if you are a swordsman, if that tail gets you, you¡¯re dead. The manticore will tear you to pieces before you can properly recover."


    "It¡¯s that dangerous?" Anfey asked, shocked.


    "Unicorns are even more dangerous," Suzanna said lightly. "Not only can they use serial lightning, unicorns are much faster than manticores. Its horn not only has purifying properties, but also stupefying, like the manticore¡¯s tail. A manticore muste in contact with its target to harm it, but a unicorn doesn¡¯t have to. If you are lucky, the unicorn won¡¯t kill you before you can even see it. Unless you are scared and want me to take care of it."


    "Thanks for your concern," Anfey said, smiling, "but I can handle it."


    "No one¡¯s concerned about you," Suzanna said angrily. "I just don¡¯t want anyone to get hurt."


    "Christian, can we keep our eyes on them? How long can you hold on to the magic?" Anfey turned to Christian and asked.


    "I can hold it for an entire day, no problem."


    "Great. Now we watch."

 Chapter 67: Wild Flowers

    Chapter 67: Wild Flowers


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Time passed slowly. To Suzanna¡¯s surprise, Anfey was extremely calm while he was staring at Christian¡¯s eye of the sky. She was the one who started to get impatient.


    Waiting was not a big deal to Anfey. He often had to spend a long time following a target in order to know his or her routines and habits. Sometimes it took him a few months to make a rigorous n.


    They had been waiting until dawn. Anfey didn¡¯t even change his position. Suzanna almost thought that he had fallen asleep; however when she turned to look at him, his eyes were blinking. This man¡¯s patience was beyond imagination.


    For some reason, Suzanna focused only on Anfey but ignored Christian, who was controlling the eye of the sky. In fact, at this time, Christian was much more tired than Anfey. His forehead began sweating. Suzanna had been very nice to Christian, but not to Anfey. She should¡¯ve paid more attention to Christian.


    The big manticore was lying on its stomach the whole time and pretended to be sleeping. The small manticore was ying. Each time it stumbled too far away, the big manticore reached out its tail to draw it back.


    This boring scenested for a long while. The big manticore had gotten enough rest, stood up slowly, picked up the small manticore which was rolling on the ground, and gradually walked to its cave. The small manticore seemed to want to keep ying. It was struggling with its mouth wide open, showing its small canines. The eye of the sky only disyed images, not sound.


    "Follow them!" Anfey said.


    "Understood," Christian answered. He was in control of the eye of the sky and kept the manticores under control.


    The bigger manticore jumped up and disappeared in a second. Christian hastily fixed the focus of the eye of the sky to where the manticore disappeared. Dense weeds and shrubs were all over the ce. The shrubs were tall. Based on the images in the eye of the sky, they were at least as tall as a person.


    "Why did it disappear all of a sudden?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "Manticores build their caves underground. There must be an entrance to their cave somewhere near here," Suzanna said.


    "Suzanna, look at the eye of the sky. Remember the terrain!" Anfey said.


    "Okay. Why?"


    "You should go there: use all your fighting power to cut a tree and then run back as fast as you can."


    "Sure," Suzanna answered immediately, bent forward and ran up quickly.


    After a moment, Suzanna appeared in the eye of the sky. First, she carefully observed the environment, and then her body suddenly released a dazzling white sh. An old tree crashed down with the light.


    Suzanna was extremely quick. A normal person would not be able to see her sword move. However, Anfey clearly saw it. In his mind, he also evaluated Suzanna¡¯s swordsmanship.


    After Suzanna left, a manticore¡¯s head suddenly appeared in the bushes. Its bloody red eyes exuded a terrible cold light in the evening. Apparently, it was aware of Suzanna¡¯s fighting power. A high-level magic beast was extremely sensitive about its territory. If a strong enemy were active in its territory, it would be desperate to fight until the enemy was gone!


    "That¡¯s right. That is the manticore that appeared just a minute ago. It looks like we will fight only one manticore today," Anfey chuckled.


    "Anfey, how do you know that was the same manticore?"


    "Look, the left canine in the manticore¡¯s mouth was tilted. It might be from fighting or bruising something hard. Only when you look closely, you will find a scar on its nose as well. It is not easy to notice."


    Christian and Zubin both looked with their eyes wide open and saw what Anfey was referring to. The upper canines of a manticore should be close to the jaw, but this manticore had serious problems with its left canine. Compared to the right canine, the left one looked funny. Also, there was a ck scar on its nose.


    "Anfey, you are truly detail-oriented!" Christian said.


    At that time, the manticore looked up and opened its big mouth in the direction of Suzanna. And then there was a faint roar. Obviously, that was a warning about its territory: no one should step in again!


    "We can go when Suzannaes back," Anfeyughed, "Christian, turn off the eye of the sky. Don¡¯t waste any more magic power."


    *****


    "That¡¯s the n. Anyone have more to add?" Anfey asked.


    Everyone was gearing up with excitement. They were going to fight against high level magic beasts. Anfey¡¯s n was to have the two high level magic beasts fight against each other and get hurt. Then the group would fight against them. It was a much easier approach for winning, but after all, it was a battle against a high level magic beast!


    "If everything sounds good, let¡¯s get to be early." Anfey stood up slowly, ""vi, it is your team¡¯s turn for sentry duty. Um...Your group doesn¡¯t need to join the fight tomorrow. Stay to protect Miss Niya and Shally."


    A lot of the principles were simr. Assassins were sometimes simr to soldiers. They would be prepared for losing the battle but winning the war. Before each attack, they would n a safe escape route. If they lost the fight, there would be a safe way out, and they could learn from the failure. Otherwise, they could only feel remorse in hell.


    Anfey could not let Niya go into battle with everyone else. If anything happened to the group, at least he must keep Saul¡¯sst child safe. Of course, this thought was to prepare himself in case they were in for the worst.


    After everyone left, Christian slowly walked over to Anfey. After hesitating for a second, he said, "Anfey, how are you going to infuriate the unicorn? It is very dangerous! Even worse than Suzanna¡¯s task. How about...Let me help you?"


    "That¡¯s fine." Anfey shook his head. "After being with me for such a long time, you should know me better. I don¡¯t do things that I am not sure about. The magic array needs you more."


    "Then tell me your n. Let me think it through with you."


    At this time, Suzanna came, threw something on the ground at Anfey¡¯s feet, and looked at him calmly.


    Anfey looked carefully. It was a bunch of dry wild flowers. He certainly knew what it was. He asked surprisingly, "Why did you pull them down?"


    "I think...you owe me an exnation," Suzanna said peacefully.


    "Exnation? What exnation?"


    "When I first saw you put the wildflowers in the tree, I was suspicious. I talked to Feller intentionally and found out where you came from. After dinner, I went back in that direction and found the same kind of wildflowers in the trees every five or six hundred meters. I want to know what your real intention is, and whom you are trying to lure here."


    "Haha...Great observations!" Anfeyughed.


    "Thanks. But I don¡¯t need your praise. I want an answer!"


    "Suzanna, watch your tone of voice! What was Anfey attempting? If it weren¡¯t for him, we all would have died along the way." Christian stood up for Anfey, then said, "But... Anfey, I am also curious. Why did you have me put the wildflowers in the trees every so often? What are they for?"


    "Why didn¡¯t you ask me then?"


    "I ...I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t like being questioned, so I didn¡¯t ask." Christian rubbed his nose and forced a smile.


    "Suzanna was right. I do want to help a person catch up to us," Anfey smiled. Although Suzanna had been rude, Anfey wasn¡¯t angry. It was good to have such a detail-oriented person on the team. Misunderstandings and conflicts could be resolved as time went on. However, it was difficult to change a person¡¯s characteristics. A good assistant would be very helpful right now.


    "Who is it?" Suzanna and Christian asked at the same time.


    "It is Ernest."


    "Ernest? The coward who used the poisonous sword in a duel?" Suzanna was shocked.


    "Bulls*%t!" He hadn¡¯t been angry up to that point. However, when he heard Suzanna ndering Ernest, he was truly angry. "Who told you that Ernest used the poisonous sword in a duel?"


    Suzanna was shocked and could not help stepping back. She ced her hand on the hilt and said nervously, "Everyone...we all know!"


    "Do not talk nonsense about things you have never seen. Only idiots believe rumors!" Anfey said coldly. "I tell you, Ernest is an excellent swordsman! He also is the most trustworthy person I have ever met! If you dare to nder him again, I will not let it go!"


    "Uncle Ernest...Anfey, did Uncle Erneste?" Niya rushed out of the cave with joy. She looked around. Ernest wasn¡¯t there. The joy on her face soon was reced by disappointment.


    "Niya, why don¡¯t you go back? Ernest will find us soon. Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said.


    "Oh..." Niya nodded and walked out of the cave, disappointed.


    Perhaps because it was the first time Anfey was being so serious, Susanna was somehow in a panic. In her heart, she regretted saying something wrong. Anfey was giving a signal that he took Ernest¡¯s side. As a result, the whole group should have a deep respect for Ernest and not want to hear anything bad about him. In fact, she was quite innocent. Everyone had been badmouthing Ernest. She was only repeating what she had heard, and she didn¡¯t anticipate that Anfey would be so mad about it.

 Chapter 68: Initial Collaboration

    Chapter 68: Initial Coboration


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Sorry," Suzanna said quietly with her head down.


    "Forget it." Anfey shook his head. He quickly realized he wasn¡¯t acting normal. It was pretty rare for someone, especially for a girl, to be able to put her head down and apologize. He had seen a lot of girls who were stubborn, and because of their pride became unreasonable. "Actually you just need to really think hard about it and you will know that under the circumstance of being watched by different leveled swordsmen, Ernest and Jerrofick would not have use a poisoned sword in that battle. Is winning or honor more important?"


    "If it were me...I wouldn¡¯t. I¡¯d still be a swordsman if I lost. If I used shameless tactics, I definitely would have to suffer the curses of countless people," Suzanna replied thoughtfully.


    "It seems you are not so stupid. I tell you, in reality it¡¯s Jerrofick who was afraid to fight. He gathered countless people who had been defeated by Ernest previously, master swordsmen who hated Ernest, and they besieged Ernest all together on Mount Torrebitz! And that¡¯s not all. After the incident, they also defiled Ernest¡¯s reputation. What you have heard are precisely the lies they¡¯ve made up!"


    "In this world, there are really... too many shameless people," Suzanna let out a wry smile.


    Anfey nced at Suzanna, and figured out the meaning behind what he heard. The reason Suzanna had been forced to escape into the forest of magic beasts must also be due to the actions of some shameless person.


    "Alright, we will discuss these things in the future." Anfey¡¯s demeanor had returned to normal. "Suzanna, what I worry about most is whether or not you can lure the manticore here. Don¡¯t fret just yet. I am not questioning your ability, whether you believe me or not. I am just worried about your safety. After all, you are the strongest of all of our team. If we want to be able to safely survive in the forest of magic beasts, we absolutely need you."


    "I will take care of myself well," Suzanna said quietly.


    "How about this? I will have Riska apany you. Riska!" Anfey called loudly.


    "Coming." Having heard Anfey¡¯s call, Riska quickly walked over.


    "Hold this." Anfey took a magical scroll out of the dimensional ring with a flick of his hand, and handed it to Riska. "You can create an illusion right?"


    "I can."


    "Go to the nest of the manticore together with Suzanna, and look for a chance to kill the little manticore. Don¡¯t take risks if the chances are slim. Put out an illusion for Suzanna, let the illusion lure the manticore away, and then Suzanna can make a move to kill the manticore. This way your safety will be ensured."


    Suzanna¡¯s heart was touched. When she initially heard Anfey¡¯s words, she did not believe him. If she were so easily moved by others, she and her sister would both have died even before entering Forest rm. How could they have survived until now?! But seeing Anfey taking out the illusion scroll, Suzanna¡¯s heart was moved. Could it be that this man really was nervous for her safety? Although the illusion scroll didn¡¯t have much strength per se, it was the Pan Continent¡¯s most sought after magical scroll. It is clearly priceless. It is the ultimate magic weapon for saving lives. During the most critical moments, it could bring about a miracle, and who wouldn¡¯t want an extra life for himself?


    "Even if I haven¡¯t said it, you should have already guessed that we are all students of Archmage Saul." Anfey¡¯s gaze fell upon Suzanna. "When we escaped, we brought some of our teacher¡¯s valuably hidden magical scrolls with us, but the magical scrolls are limited after all. If we can find a suitable opportunity, it¡¯s better if we don¡¯t use the illusion. Um...it¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to use the scroll, but..." If had had been talking to other people, Anfey would not have bothered to exin anything. But between Suzanna and him, there were already serious disagreements; he had no choice but to exin.


    "Say no more, I understand what you mean." Suzanna revealed an indifferent smile. Although it was indifferent, she still smiled. "But I am very curious. Just what kind of trouble did you guys cause, that even your teacher can¡¯t protect you?"


    "I killed someone," Anfeyughed.


    "Who is it?"


    "Do you know Zeda?"


    "Who is Zeda?" Suzanna shook her head.


    "He was the grandson of the master swordsman Phillip, so he is the direct descendant and only sessor of Phillip¡¯s household."


    "Oh...Oh my heavens! You are so brave!!" Suzanna eximed.


    "If it happened all over again, I would not hurt Zeda," Anfey helplessly sighed. "It¡¯s a pity things that have happened in the past are unchangeable."


    "You...are very weird." Suzanna looked at Anfey seriously. Men in general when theye across these types of situations put up a front because of their pride, and say how they should adhere to their principles even if the same situation were to happen again, and have no regrets. But Anfey frankly said he shouldn¡¯t have offended Philip. It sounded weak when she heard it, but there was no hint of cowardice, only calmness.


    "What¡¯s so weird?" Anfeyughed. "Suzanna, you have to adapt at each moment based on specific events. I can¡¯t decide for you, you can only rely on yourself."


    "You don¡¯t have to worry about me; you should worry about yourself instead. The unicorn is scarier than the manticore, and your abilities are not above mine," Suzanna said calmly.


    "That...My abilities are indeed not as good as yours, but I only need to lure out the unicorn. You still have to escape for more than 20 miles." Anfey seemed unable to understand the hidden meaning in Suzanna¡¯s words. In reality, he had no interest in the conflict between the weak and the strong. If even Niya had been iming to be stronger than Anfey, Anfey would still nod his head in agreement.


    "Is there anything else? If there isn¡¯t anything else, then I will go rest first."


    Although her views towards Anfey¡¯s had changed, Suzanna was not in the mood to be courteous with Anfey any longer.


    "Alright," Anfey nodded his head.


    "Anfey, are you really going to be alright?" Christian asked again.


    "You...I already said it a couple of times. There will absolutely be no problems," Anfeyughed, "Go, and let¡¯s go see where we should create the magic array."


    ***


    Suzanna and Riska hid in the shadows of the ancient tree, anxiously waiting. Half the day had already passed, and Riska had also rested for a whole four hours. Although there was only a one-level difference between a high level mage and beginning level magister, there was a big difference between their magical powers. Christian could sustain the motion of the eye of the sky, but Riska could not. During the operation of the eye of the sky, the big and small manticores never separated. During that time, the manticores went out once. When the big manticore returned, it had a small magic deer in its mouth, and the little manticore was always on the big manticore¡¯s back, so there was no opportunity at all.


    Suzanna guessed the manticore had left the territory to hunt for food, so after considerable thought, she gave up following them. The manticore was many times more dangerous when hunting. It could possibly think of them as two separate targets. Usually, they only cared about their own territory, and didn¡¯t bother with things outside of their territory.


    "It¡¯s not early anymore, Suzanna. I will meditate for a moment, and then release the illusion for you," Riska said began the discussion.


    "There¡¯s still time. Wait a bit longer." Suzanna shook her head. The illusion couldn¡¯t be used so easily, because Suzanna needed a chance to prove herself. If she could save the magic scroll and lure out the manticore, she could definitely win over everyone¡¯s approval. Suzanna thought that some aspects of a team were simr to that of a nation. Every individual¡¯s position was not fixed and unchangeable. Those who were powerful would gradually be the core of the team, and the powerless could only be at the bottom and run errands for people. For Shally, for herself, she must prove her abilities and gain the recognition of the team members!


    "But...Anfey has already said..."


    "Wait a bit more!" Suzanna persisted.


    Time passed by slowly. Riska couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. His gaze turned upon Suzanna. "Suzanna, let us rest first..."


    "Don¡¯t make a sound, hurry! Quickly, increase the area of the eye of the sky!" Suzanna suddenly whispered loudly.


    Still need to increase it?! Riskaughed bitterly, and his gaze fell upon the eye of the sky. He couldn¡¯t help but pay full attention to the eye of the sky, and gathered all his remaining magical powers and forced the magic of the eye of the sky to increase.


    In the center of the eye of the sky, the big manticore had already kicked the small manticore into the middle of a grassy field. Its two eyes had already shrunk into a dot, and it cautiously took steps forward. In front of the big manticore was a snake head and neck, with the body of a duck, as well as a huge pair of wings. Itnded on the ground and looked at the big manticore nervously.


    "Oh my, it¡¯s the two-footed flying dragon!" Suzanna was surprised, happy, and nervous. "Hurry! Riska, increase the area of the eye of the sky a bit more!"


    "This is already my limit!" Riska replied with great effort.


    "Two-footed flying dragons live in groups. Let me see how many two-footed..." Suzanna lifted her head and saw beads of sweat covering Riska¡¯s whole head. His jaws were clenched, and she couldn¡¯t help but to gently sigh, "Forget it, Riska. Take back your magic. I am going over now. You have to be careful, protect yourself!"


    "Wait, I also know that the two-footed flying dragons live together. What if there are other two-footed flying dragons?" Riska eximed hastily.


    "I can¡¯t consider that much anymore. This opportunity is hard to get!" Suzanna had already wielded her sword.


    "If there is any danger,e back immediately. I will put out the illusion for you. You..e back! Did you hear me? You..." Riska hadn¡¯t even finished talking, yet Suzanna has already disappeared into the forest.

 Chapter 69: Fatal Negligence

    Chapter 69: Fatal Negligence


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It seemed they had overlooked something. Riska scratched his head, "But what was it?" Unfortunately, he just could not recall. "Alright, no more wasting time. I need to start meditating. At this moment, nothing is more urgent than replenishing my magic."


    Riska sat on the ground and lounged against a tree stump. In the past, he refused to meditate unless he was perched in afortable chair. However, on their escape journey from the Sacred City, he had learned to enter mediation in any posture ¨C he had no other choice. Otherwise he would not have the necessary supply of magic to continue his journey the following day. Sometimes, having "no other choice" could do wonders; Riska was a good example.


    After a moment, Riska, who had been deep into his meditation, was awakened by a subconscious fear and quickly opened his eyes. Immediately, he saw a tall shadow appear to his left, and vaguely heard a muffled breath.


    A wyvern! Riska was nearly scared to death. He suddenly remembered what Anfey had said before they left for this assignment: "Ensure that you always have enough magic. When you have depleted more than half of your reserves, do not continue to use the eye of the sky. Wait until you get the chance to meditate and restore your supply of magic before you cast that spell again."


    Foolishly, during the long wait, both Suzanne and he had neglected Anfey¡¯s advice. They were more and more anxious, and released the eye of the sky for longer and longer intervals. Thest two times, Riska stopped only because he had exhausted his magic.


    Now Riska finally understood that he should never, ever ignore Anfey¡¯s warning. Had he maintained some magic, he would have levitated to escape back to their camp. Instead, he had put himself in such a crisis without being able to do anything but to try to restore his magic!


    Although wyverns, like unicorns and manticores, were ssified as high-level magic beasts, they were much slower than their magical counterparts. However, they had a well-known nickname: Forest Stalker!


    Wyverns¡¯ bodies were heavy. Therefore, whether flying in the sky or fighting on the ground, they could not bepared to other high-level beasts, and as a result, were not very effective hunters. On the other hand, wyverns had flexible necks, and could release a concentrated venom from their menacing fangs. If the poison were injected into a human body, within a few minutes the body would turn into a pool of bloody liquid. Even contacting the venom with the skin would cause permanent trauma. Wyverns thus liked to hunt by hiding themselves and waiting for prey to pass by. Once there was opportunity, they would use their flexible neck and quickly capture the prey.


    Wyverns were not as dangerous as some other high-level magical beasts. This was evident by the fact they lived in groups instead of alone: the pack provided protection. However, they were still threatening creatures. Had Riska stored enough magic, he could have escaped easily, but now he was in serious peril with little hope to survive.


    Magic beast forests could be filled with danger. While Riska and Suzanna had been safe thus far, that did not mean they would be safe going forward. A mage without reserves of power was equivalent to a paralyzed patient in the human world. Riska realized how foolish he was. Both he and Suzanna knew wyverns were social animals. Seeing one made it likely that they would see a second, but neither of them had thought this through. Riska cursed his own stupidity, but this was no help in his current situation. He had to deal with the aftermath of his poor judgement.


    Riska covertly sent out a magic signal. "Suzanna...I need help. Now!" Riska prayed while nervously eyeing the shadow of the wyvern.


    Across the forest, Suzanna watched as the big manticore slowly approached and growled deeply at a wyvern who had invaded its territory. This was an attempt to intimidate the intruder. High-level magical beasts were intelligent, but they were still animals after all. They would not start a fight with others simply to improve theirbat skills; they did not have any ambition to dominate the entire forest. Their goals were much humbler. They wanted enough food and to be able to produce their next generation in rtive peace. It was obvious that the big manticore would prefer to scare the opponent away without engaging in battle.


    The wyvern hissed as it stepped back, but it was not ready to give up yet.


    The manticore was irritated. Its red, shiny tail stood upright, and the tip of the tail shed with danger.


    "Move back more, move back more!" Suzanna prayed. This distance was still risky for her to put her n into action. If the manticore would move to the wyvern¡¯s position, it would allow her to not only kill the small manticore, but also have enough time to escape.


    The big manticore was still menacing the wyvern, who was staring back at its adversary nervously. The small manticore popped its little head out from the grass and looked curiously at its mother. None of the three beasts was aware of the hidden guest.


    At that moment, Suzanna sensed a magic surge in the distance, and her heart skipped a beat. Riska was in danger!


    She did not have time to think. Immediately gathering all of herbat power, she dashed out from behind the tree like a sh, held her sword over her head, and forcefully chopped down at the small manticore¡¯s exposed back.


    At the same time, its mother roared fiercely, turned and sped toward Suzanna. Its bloody red body became a bright red stream in the air, resembling arge fireball.


    The sword¡¯s power sharpened in the air and swept straight towards the small manticore. The small manticore turned its head and stretched out a tiny w, as if to resist the sword¡¯s power. Unfortunately, it was too young, and hadn¡¯t been able to form its internal magic crystal. The physical strength of its body was not much more than a puppy. It simply could not bear the power of a senior swordsman.


    The sword swept through the manticore, and the small manticore was cleaved in two in a white sh. Suzanna suddenly elerated, and barely avoided the furious smack from the big manticore. A w zed behind her, and even with the protection from herbat power, her clothes were torn and her white. Jade-like skin was exposed. She could just imagine how frightening the attack was, and she dared not to look back but charged straight towards Riska.


    The vast manticore talons had missed Suzanna and struck the ground instead. With an ear-piercing crash, pieces of grass and mud sttered, and the mists shadowed the mother manticore. When the enormous creature leaped from the ground again, there was a half-foot pit left on the ground.


    The enraged manticore nced at her lifeless child, threw back its head and let out a furious shaking roar. Its upper and lower lips were thrown open, revealing two rows of razor-sharp teeth. The hair on its lips violently trembled. The blood red pupil of the manticore firmly locked on Suzanna¡¯s back. Then the beast jumped up with a speed that did not match its bulk and began chasing Suzanna.


    Meanwhile, the provocative wyvern had been tapping its wings while hiding alongside. This was the embodiment of the intelligence of magical beasts: no matter what its originally purpose, it would never want to fight an infuriated manticore!


    "Come on! Come over! See how I am going to y you!" Riska roared, clutching a magic scroll in each of his hands, waving hard toward the wyvern. The scroll in his left hand was the mirror, and in his right was the Hellfire. The former was to assist Suzanna with her battle, and thetter was equipped for his team as theirst defense. The problem was, with his current supply of magic, he was unable to release either scroll. All he could do was threaten the wyvern with the magic surge from the scrolls, hoping he would intimidate the wyvern and buy himself more time.


    Who saidmon sense was useless? It was themon sense that Riska had read in a book that saved him temporarily. Wyverns were rtively weak as high-level magic beasts. They were timid and would not easily provoke a powerful opponent. Clearly, the wyvern was intimidated by the magic surge from the scrolls, and hesitant to attack. Riska knew that all the wyvern had to do was stretch out its long neck and gently bite down to win this battle.


    "Come on, you ugly bastard!" Riska¡¯s voice was turning more and more hoarse, but his vigor seemed to be growing. Luckily, he was able to deceive the beast. If he continued for even a few more minutes, he would exhaust himself and crash without the wyvern even having to lift a paw.


    At that moment, a threatening roar exploded from afar. Riska was only concerned about the immediate crisis in front of him, and did not pay the distant sound a second thought. However, the roar frightened the wyvern. It took two steps back, stretched out its wings and burst into the sky.


    The wyvern¡¯s unexpected retreat, however, revealed Riska¡¯s real status: he didn¡¯t even have the strength to hold himself steady. The gust from the wyvern¡¯s wings knocked him to the ground. Regardless, his hands were still tightly holding the magic scrolls; he could not pry them loose.


    That wyvern immediately realized that it had been tricked. Viciously, it lowered its wings and slowly started approaching Riska.


    "Get out!" Suzanna¡¯s crisp scream arose from far away and was followed by a white sh, which turned the branches, leaves, and even the trunks along its way into ash.


    The wyvern spotted the fierce Suzanna, hurriedly pped its wings and rose back into the sky once more. It could clearly identify the glowing red manticore behind Suzanna. It wisely withdrew away from these vicious enemies.


    Suzanna reached Riska, and without time for more than a meeting of the eyes, picked him up and continued fleeing forward.


    Suzanna wasn¡¯t rough, but for Riska, who was forced into high-speed from a standstill in an instant, the contrast was unbearable. He felt as if he was being crushed by a boulder, his head was pounding, his chest was too tight to breathe. Opening his mouth, he quickly spat and noticed the red tinge of blood.

 Chapter 70: Life-threatening Opportunities

    Chapter 70: Life-threatening Opportunities


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Although Suzanna bent over and picked up Riska in a sh, the action put them in great danger because the manticore had quickly caught up with them.


    Riska spit out blood, looked up and spotted the approaching manticore. He was not only able to see its bloody mouth clearly, which could swallow his entire head, but also its quivering uv inside. The hatred from the bloody red pupil made Riska shiver, and he could not help but cry, "Faster, faster..."


    Suzanna clenched her jaw and charged toward an old tree. As soon as she was about to crash into the tree, she smacked the trunk with the palm of her hand. As the wood splintered, Suzanna leveraged the momentum and dashed aside, avoided the splinters by a hair.


    "Bam!" The tip of the manticore¡¯s tail had drilled into the trunk. It was so powerful that it pierced through the trunk, which was thick enough for two people to stretch their arms around. The tip of the tail popped out on the other side of the trunk. Had Suzanna not changed her direction, she would have been wounded severely by this attack, or perhaps even worse. The needle tip could have pierced through her body. Manticore¡¯s tails were poisonous and caused immobility. Even if Suzanna had just been slightly stung, she would not be able to fight back at all.


    The manticore missed Suzanna, instead, getting its own tail embedded in the trunk. It was not able to leverage its strength, and its wings, which were meant for short distance flying, could not provide enough power to pull its tail out either. The manticore then smacked its huge body against the tree trunk. Falling branches and leaves showered the manticore, but its attempt was effective: from the bottom of the trunk, a crack as wide as a hand started to appear and stretched deeply into the center of the trunk.


    As thick as the tree was, it was still wood and could not bear the attack from the manticore¡¯s metal-like body. If not for the toughness of the nt, the tree would have been smashed into pieces.


    The manticore rolled over on the ground, and in the sttering of mud, finally retrieved its tail and left a hole about the size of human calf in the trunk. Then the manticore roared toward Suzanna, who by then was some distance away, pped its webbed wings, jumped into the air, and continued the chase. Heartbroken by the loss of its child, the mother manticore was mad with rage, and she was determined to take revenge on Suzanna, no matter how far away she ran!


    "Meditate! Now!" Suzanna shouted.


    "Miss, are you crazy! You ask me to meditate, now?" Riska yelled back as he watched the manticore gliding down from the air and getting closer and closer.


    "Meditate!!" Suzanna screamed.


    Riska took a long breath and figured there was no other choice. They were slower than the manticore¡ªhe could clearly see the distance between the two parties shortening¡ªand if he did nothing, sooner orter, both Suzanna and he would be killed by the magic beast.


    However, meditate like this, seriously?! Riska still could not imagine how he could do it. He was now being carried across Suzanna¡¯s shoulder, and did not even have time to change his position. During the escape from the Sacred City, Riska learned to meditate while lying down, leaning against a wall, and now he needed to enter meditation being carried? However, at this crucial juncture, he had no time to even consider how absurd this concept was. He closed his eyes slowly, with the most devout mentality, and managed to fall into meditation.


    The manticore was approaching, and Suzanna used her greatest skill in order to avoid the attack from the beast. Every time the manticore attempted to sting Suzanna, she managed to instantly dodge by speeding up or by changing direction. However, there was a price she had to pay. Suzanna exuded small bloody sweat from her forehead, shoulders, chest, back and even legs. What was worse, two lines of blood tears fell from her eyes. This was the consequence of Combat Power over-usage that exceeded the tolerance of her body.


    Suzanna of course understood the consequences. In the best-case scenario, she could be disabled, and in the worst-case, her body could explode from inside out. Unfortunately, she had no other choice¡ªwhatever she would need to deal with in the future sounded better than being instantly torn into pieces by the manticore!


    Suzanna was not the only one who unlocked her potential. Riska entered meditation piously, and instantly lost consciousness. Danger, task, time, self: all of it left his mind. Mages normally could achieve magic replenishment by meditating in two ways¡ªnormal meditation and in-depth mediation. In-depth meditation could restore magic much faster. However, only a magister or an archmage could master in-depth mediation; or rather, only after a mage had advanced to magister, he or she would gradually learn in-depth mediation. The fact that Riska had mastered this skill only as a high-level magepletely undercut this mon knowledge."


    Among all the Pan-continent mages, Riska was probably the only one who was ever given the opportunity to meditate in such a life-threatening moment. During a crisis like this, normally people would either fight or run. But meditate? That was another way ofmitting suicide!


    Riska was forced to face such danger, but luckily, he made the most of it. Mastering in-depth meditation was a long journey for mages under normal circumstances.


    Just as Suzanna staggered, Riska slowly opened his eyes and shouted, surprisingly and with delight, "Suzanna, I can release the magic now! Yes, I can!"


    "Mirror!" Susanna responded with a hoarse voice.


    "Mirror? But after releasing Mirror, you need to control..."


    "Mirror..."


    Riska was still trying to remind her of something but suddenly he was shocked by the soaking bloody back of Suzanna. Without further thought, Riska crushed the magic scroll and ordered, "Mirror!"


    At the same time, Suzanna tossed Riska into the air. The white aura on Suzanna dimmed a little, and then two Suzannas appeared.


    When magisters or archmages released the Mirror scroll, they could choose to teleport both themselves and their images to any spot within a certain area. The distance they could teleport to was determined by the power of their minds. However, Suzanna was not a magister nor an archmage, and had to let go of this opportunity to change her unfavourable situation.


    Two Suzannas fled into two directions, one was slightly slower than the other. Meanwhile, in the air, Riska tried to catch a branch and release a levitation spell. When he sessfully released levitation, Riska was pleasantly astonished. He did not expect to have enough magic to cast the levitation spell, as his meditation had been very short. The only exnation would be that his mind power had been improved significantly.


    The manticore hesitated for a second, opened its mouth and blew its poisonous breath toward Riska. It then pped its webbed wings and started chasing the slower Suzanna. Although it also understood that just one was its real imcable foe and the other was just an image, it concluded that getting the slower one was the quickest way to determine whether it was after the correct target.


    The intelligence of the beast, after all, was limited. If it had been Anfey, he would definitely have gone after the faster Suzanna.


    Riska controlled the air element to lift himself higher in the air to escape from the poisonous fog. He turned his head and stared in Susanna¡¯s direction. Only then did he realize his heart was pounding violently, as if it was trying to jump out from his chest.


    The slower Suzanna dashed straight ahead. As the manticore dove at her, she seemed to be too scared to continue her escape route and hit a rock. Then she vanished like a bubble.


    If Suzanna herself was less than 30 meters away, she could have controlled the direction of the Mirror image. Now that Suzanna was over 100 meters away, she had lost that control.


    The manticore was enraged that it had been tricked. It let out a roar that shook the forest, turned around and continued its chase in the other direction.


    At this moment, Suzanna was on the edge of copse. If she only needed to flee by herself, she would not have been this worried. However, at full gallop, even a 10-pound weight change would greatly increase the burden on the body, let alone Riska weighing far more than 10 pounds! Suzanna did not dare to fight back either, since Riska, who had exhausted his magic, would certainly be killed by the manticore¡ªthe poisonous breath alone would take his life away. Her only choice was to force the use of Combat Power and try to maintain a safe distance from the manticore.


    Fortunately, Suzanna reached the edge of the unicorn¡¯s territory. She exerted all of her remaining strength, jumped up five or six meters, andnded on a round rock, on which a thumb-sized white magic crystal was shining gently.


    The manticore saw its enemy stop running and decided to take revenge without a second thought. It pped its webbed wings and leaped straight towards Suzanna.


    Suzanna pointed the tip of her foot firmly on the rock. Her body was lifted up temporarily by unknown force. As she fell, she was so physically exhausted that she could not even keep her eyes open. Her legs gave out as shended, and she fell on her knees.


    The magic array set by Sante was triggered. The manticore spotted a ze of white light much brighter than the sunshine blooming in front of it. No creature could escape that magical lightning attack. The manticore felt the excruciating pain in its eyes andpletely lost its sight. It screeched and fell to the ground. In desperation, it shook its hideous, bloody mouth left and right to release the poisonous fog to protect itself. Its sharp tail was randomly swinging around, attempting to attack anything that mighte close to it.


    Susanna had no time to even look back and check out what had happened. She crawled up and stumbled forward. By the time the manticore was able to finally open its eyes again, Suzanna had turned into the first valley and disappeared.


    The manticore still would not give up. It howled and continued charging forward.

 Chapter 71: Top-level Magic Beast

    Chapter 71: Top-level Magic Beast


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What happened?" asked Anfey, surprised.


    In the eye of the sky, Suzanna was galloping. Feller¡¯s ability to control the eye of the sky had not improved. Moreover, Suzanna was running very fast: the eye of the sky could only capture Suzanna¡¯s movements from behind. However, just the sight of her back was horrifying enough¡ªher clothes were torn and her whole back was covered in blood. Who knew how much blood Suzanna had lost!


    Anfey could not believe what he saw. To ensure Suzanna¡¯s safety, he even equipped them with the magic scroll. Knowing Suzanne¡¯s skills, coupled with the scroll and the assistance from Riska, there was no way she should be in such danger.


    "Anfey, your turn!" urged Christian.


    "I am ready." Anfey nodded and said, "Zubin, enchant my arrow with air element for me please." After saying this, Anfey dashed outside of the magic array, rushed ahead, drew back the string of the long bow in his hand, and aimed at distant cave which was covered by a dense silver magical web.


    This was a long bow handmade by Anfey, with the help of a group of mages. The materials were easily essible. The bow was made from rib bones of sh leopards, and they were strong and stic; the bowstring was made from the tendon of a three-eyed cow, which Anfey had urgently asked little Shally for; arrows were even easier to make, as Anfey did not need arrowheads. He only nned to use the arrow to irritate the unicorn, not to actually injure or kill it.


    Anfey experimented several hundred times and determined that the range of the arrow was about 150 meters. This range was moderatepared to some elf bowman¡¯s record of 500 meters. However, Anfey was satisfied with the result. With the air element enchantment by Zubin, Anfey¡¯s arrow could reach 300 meters.


    Unlike manticores, unicorns normally did not like staying inside a cave. Usually, unicorns enjoyed falling asleep under the moon. They did not like the gloominess of the caves. Only after a new baby was born, the mother and the child would hide in caves for their own safety for a short time. Because of this, Anfey¡¯s group predicted that the cave should be rtively shallow, even though none of them could scout the den.


    Anfey¡¯s arrow was no ordinary arrow: rather, it was a fire arrow. Not only was it wrapped with mmable and longsting burning oil, Anfey also mixed in several ingredients that would stink when burnt. Anfey basically turned the arrows into a primitive chemical weapon.


    Zubin followed Anfey, enchanted his arrow with air element, and then cast a small fire ball to light up the arrow.


    Anfey then released the bowstring. The burning arrow flew straight toward the cave and disappeared in the silvery web.


    Magic beasts, even if they were high-level, were not capable of setting up a magic array. The silver web that was covering the unicorn¡¯s den was ced to detect magic surge, and potentially cause some minor injury to any invaders. However, that silver web could have barely any impact on Anfey¡¯s arrow, since it was lifeless and would not cause any magic surge.


    Suzanne also arrived at this time. Anfey, after shooting the arrow, turned around and ordered, "Zubin, help Suzanna!"


    Zubin cast a levitation spell toward Suzanna, controlled the air element to lift her body, and pulled her into the protection of the magic array. Realizing that she was safe, Suzanna let out a long sigh of relief, and then lost consciousness.


    Anfey and Zubin fled back to the magic array without any dy. This array was set at a hidden spot behind a bunch of bushes, there was a gulley to the left and a rock to the right. The magic array was set to conceal a magic surge from being sensed, and the location of the array was chosen to visually conceal Anfey¡¯s group.


    A tall beast rushed out from the cave. The silver web was torn opened, and ck smoke rose from inside the cave.


    Anfey finally got to see a unicorn¡ªit appeared just like a horse, except it had a long horn on its forehead. This was arge unicorn¡ªfeet to shoulder about two meters tall, and feet to head probably close to three meters. Its whole body was mostly silver. Only right above the four hooves was some long golden hair. Unicorns were known as high-level magic beasts of light, and they were just beautiful. Though horses and unicorns looked almost exactly alike, even the most appealing horse could not bepared to this unicorn. The confidence and the unruly nature of the unicorn could never be possessed by their domesticated counterparts.


    In the eye of sky, Anfey and his group could clearly see the sky-blue horn and eyes of the unicorn glittering like gems. When the unicorn turned its head, slight waves of an arc could be seen in the air. Its four legs were gently kicking the ground, they were long¡ªif little Shally was in front of the unicorn now, she could easily walk through under its belly¡ªand slim, but known for explosive power. Its tail was silver, shimmering like sunshine, spreading out like a cloud, and waving with the wind.


    At this time, the manticore had rushed out from the valley, pping its short webbed wings, and entered the territory of the unicorn. The loss of children could destroy a human being mentally, and such pain would be even more destructive to a beast. The care for their next generation might be the only love that a magic beast could ever possess, and destroying that only love would certainly trigger the most unbearable hatred and madness. That manticore ignored the existence of the unicorn, and its bloody pupils were still searching for Suzanna.


    The unicorn, however, would not offer its forgiveness to the invader. It was irritated, and threw its long horn toward the manticore. A sh of blue lightning shot out from sky-blue horn and hit the invader.


    The manticore¡¯s wings stiffened for a second, and then its body fell to the ground. This was what made unicorns terrifying¡ªthe lighting they produced was not fatal, but all of their lightning magic could naturally paralyze their opponents. Such paralyzing effects were much more powerful than a human mage could cause. Except for archmages and master swordsmen, most people would suffer from the impact of this unique power.


    The manticore fell on its belly and looked at the unicorn furiously. Soon after, the manticore was able tounch an attack. Its bulky body was outlined by a dark red light and it charged toward the unicorn.


    The unicorn was unwilling to give in. It stamped its back legs on the ground, jumped into the air, and charged straight at the manticore like a silver meteor. It sped so fast that it seemed that space was torn by the sky-blue horn. The overwhelming magic surge could be sensed in the air.


    "Bam!" The two beasts crashed into each other. The battlefield was too messy to sort out what had happened. Dark red fog was everywhere, countless lighting shes appeared in the air. Anfey¡¯s group could not clearly see the fight between the two beasts, but the result was clear¡ªthe unicorn was tossed a dozen meters, and its huge body totally ttened the grass. The manticore, on the other hand, was only pushed back five or six meters, and then got up quickly to roar at the unicorn.


    "Something is not right," Sante lowered his voice and said. "The unicorn should be much more powerful than this!"


    "True! Even a seven or eight thousand kilogram magic cow would not be able to handle a full charge from a unicorn." Christian nodded his head and added, "Something is going on."


    "I wonder... whether this unicorn has just given birth?" Zubin said hesitantly.


    Christianmented, "It is possible! Zubin probably has figured out what happened!"


    "Anfey, if this is the case, that unicorn is not going to beat the manticore. Should we move forward with our n?" asked Zubin.


    "No, not yet. Let¡¯s wait a little longer."


    From the eyes of the sky, the group could tell that the two beasts went back to their fight. Both had been injured in the collision. The neck of the unicorn was torn open and blue blood was dripping down; meanwhile, the eyes of the manticore were swelling; probably suffering from internal wounds.


    The unicorn was not at all as agile or speedy as its reputation. It was a bit slower than the manticore. In addition, it also did not release any consecutive lighting. Anfey¡¯s group figured that the unicorn probably lost the ability to release consecutive lighting temporarily after giving birth, otherwise it surely would use lighting to win the battle.


    The situation became more and more unfavorable to the unicorn. The crazy and fierce manticore utilized its speed and circled around the unicorn. When it found an opportunity, it would injure the unicorn and retreat a safe distance to avoid the counterattack from the unicorn.


    Gradually, the unicorn was covered with all sorts of wounds. Its power was fading, its movements were slower, and as a result, it got hurt more and more severely. The manticore¡¯s weapons were its ws, fangs and tail, while the unicorn only could use its horn. The result of this battle could almost be foreseen.


    Sante shook his head andmented, "There must be a baby, otherwise the unicorn would have been fleeing by now."


    "True. Magic beasts are no human heroes," Christian agreed. "They would not be ashamed to lose a fight, and would retreat to save their lives whenever possible. However, this unicorn will not give in... the only exnation is that it wants to protect a baby in the cave."


    At this time, the manticore jumped to the left of the unicorn and attempted to w at the ribs of the unicorn. As the unicorn turned around to fight back, the manticore stretched its webbed wings, pulled out its long-hidden needle tail, and pierced it into the unicorn in a sh.


    The unicorn let out a painful neigh, but used its own body to trap the tail of the manticore. Then it leveraged the momentum and flipped the manticore upside down. Immediately, its long horn was nted into the chest of the manticore.


    "Oh my! Magic immunization, magic immunization! That is a top-level unicorn!" Zubin shouted, shocked.


    The needle tail of the manticore could paralyze its target, but that unicorn was not impacted, and that was a sign of a top-level unicorn!

 Chapter 72: Tears of Stars

    Chapter 72: Tears of Stars


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The moment the unicorn stopped her attacks, her lethargic body fell to the floor slowly. Her immune system had shut down, but it was not hard to notice the fatal wound on her body. The manticore¡¯s sting could almost be seen from under the unicorn¡¯s skin. Obviously, it had pierced through the unicorn¡¯s body.


    "Fight!" Anfey gave the order and led his legion, running out of the magic array. In fact, Suzanna should have led, but she was still meditating. Anfey had no other option but to be the first one to run into battle. This was one of the qualities of leaders. If the leader did not have the courage to risk his life for the cause and just sat around giving orders asking others to risk their lives, the legion would just be a collection of atomized individuals. No one was stupid. Everyone had eyes to see and a brain to think and make their own judgements. Authority can be established and developed, but it also can be destroyed. To be more specific, Anfey was not a leader without courage. He waited for a while because he just wanted to n well before taking any actions. He was looking for better chances to have the advantage in the battle. Of course, Anfey would not want to risk his life for anyone who always brought trouble to the team.


    Everyone in the magic array had fighting skills, while the rest without fighting skills stayed in another cave to avoid unnecessary fatalities. Everyone used the levitation magic at the same time, flying forward in a line after they received Anfey¡¯s order. Only Suzanna, who was still meditating, stayed in the magic array.


    The unicorn¡¯sst attack on the manticore before her death was severe. The manticore did not have an immune system to prevent nerve damage. When the unicorn pierced her horn into the manticore, the nerve damage was a lot worse than regr nerve damage created by magic. The damage was especially bad since she was a senior unicorn.


    Anfey started to rush toward the manticore after counting to 46. The manticore was still paralyzed and could not lift his head. Anfey thrust his sword right into one of the manticore¡¯s eyes. He had heard that manticores had very tough skin and bones, and would not easily be hurt when they were attacked withoutbat power. Therefore, Anfey found a weak part on his body and directly attacked there. Even though manticores had tough skin and bones, their eyes would always be fragile. If the eyes were not weak enough to be prated, the intestines would be soft enough to pierce, otherwise they would not be able to absorb the nutrition if the intestines were protected by scales and bones.


    The sword was a foot into the manticore¡¯s eye and would not go any further, since it seemed that it hit something hard. Anfey¡¯s effort to kill the manticore was fantastic. He twisted the sword hard before he pulled it out, then he thrust his sword back in again. This time he pierced the other eye of the manticore. He killed the manticore without mercy.


    Anfey repeated the same procedure with the second eye. He twisted the sword in the other eye and then pulled the sword out. He jumped behind the manticore, thrusting the sword inside the intestines through the anus. He even kicked the shaft of the sword at the end. The whole sword was stuck inside the manticore.


    As one of the senior magic beasts, the manticore was one of the most powerful in the magic beast forest. Unluckily for the manticore, it could win the fight against Anfey. With the way Anfey killed the manticore, it had no chance to survive, since is was suffering from nerve damage.


    The unicorn still had one breath left, and her cobalt-colored eyes stared at Anfey, a tearing from the corner of one eye. Her neck rxed and rested on the floor. She finally stopped moving.


    Christiannded first and saw that the unicorn was gradually losing her life. He called to Anfey softly, "Hurry up! Anfey, you have gratitude from the unicorn. Hurry up and eat her tear. That was a Tear of Stars!"


    "What?" Anfey was shocked for a second, and then he turned to look at the unicorn. The unicorn¡¯s tear was formed into a drop that shone like a diamond. He wondered whether he had to eat that "diamond"?


    "Hurry up!" Christian yelled. He was so excited that he was jumping up and down.


    Anfey took the diamond-like tear off her face without a word and put it into his mouth. He reached under the other eye, searching for another tear. He felt it, and then took it and swallowed the other one. Anfey knew team members had to trust each other, so he believed Christian had not lied to him, even though he did not understand what those tears were for.


    "Anfey, you are so lucky!" Christian heaved a sigh of relief with a very envious look on his face.


    Before Anfey had a chance to ask Christian anything, Zubinnded with extreme excitement on his face and said in a calm voice, "Do not waste it. Do not waste it."


    "Hurry up, everybody. Let¡¯s lift up the unicorn and take the unicorn¡¯s blood," Sante yelled.


    Othersnded one after another. Anfey saw the excitement and happiness on every one of them. They quickly umted the elements to lift the unicorn into the air. Some of them took the absorption magic tool from the Space Ring and started to collect the blue blood flowing out of the unicorn¡¯s body.


    "Is unicorn¡¯s blood useful?" Anfey asked.


    "Invaluable," Christian said firmly. "But nothingpared to the Tears of Stars. Anfey, do you feel anything different now?"


    "Me? Nothing different." Anfey shook his head and walked to the front. He took out a knife. "Move. You cannot get much blood this way." Anfey tried to stab at the unicorn to allow more bloode out.


    Thoughts suddenly came to Anfey when his knife was in the air half way to the unicorn. He had an illusion that the unicorn in front of him was his sibling, and he had a really close rtionship with her. His knife stopped in the air and would not go an inch closer to the unicorn.


    Anfey was shocked and quickly shook his head, forcing this ridiculous idea from his head. He put more force on the knife to thrust it forward, but his arm became rigid and would not move forward again.


    "Anfey, let me do it." Sante took the knife from Anfey quickly and stabbed a few shallow holes on the unicorn. The unicorn had died, but she still had some defensive ability left. Sante could only create minor wounds, even thought he stabbed her with full force.


    "Idiot, use wind de," Zubin said.


    "You are the idiot," Sante said in anger, even though he knew he should not miss this opportunity to collect unicorn¡¯s blood instead of wasting time arguing with Zubin. The unicorn¡¯s blood would coagte quickly when exposed to the air and lose its value after coagtion.


    Zubin¡¯s idea reminded vi, Sanchez and Sante to y the unicorn with wind de. Sky-blue blood oozed out from the cuts like springs. It even dyed her hair blue.


    Anfey walked away from the unicorn and looked at the unicorn in confusion. This was the first time Anfey had felt fear since he came to this world. He neither understood where that weird feeling was from, nor how this feeling had interfered with his determination and stopped him from stabbing the unicorn. As an assassin, he needed to act calmly and with determination. He should not have any emotional attachment to anything or anyone. Hesitation was fatal to an assassin. Anfey could not find a reasonable exnation for what just happened. He should not have been so soft-hearted, especially to the dead body of a unicorn.


    "This scene is too bloody." Christian smiled bitterly. He had misunderstood the reason Anfey was not looking good. "Anfey, please be more understanding. Unicorn¡¯s blood is very, very precious. You know, the professor spent several months searching for unicorns just for their blood. They would just simply run away if they did not want to fight. The professor could not catch any unicorns, even with his power. An opportunity like today¡¯s will never happen again."


    A group of people with excited and happy looks used absorption magic tools to take all the blood they could get, not missing a drop of it. This scene was really strange and merciless, but what Anfey feared was the feeling he had felt, not the bloody scene.


    "Everybody, hurry up! Send all the absorption magic tools to Anfey. He will keep them for everyone. Understood?" Christian said loudly.


    "Yes!" Sante and others answered loudly. They all knew the principle of working as a team. Team members had lived together 24/7 and experienced difficulties together, which helped build their rtionship. Even though the unicorn¡¯s blood was valuable, it was not invaluable to the point where it was worth them fighting with each other.


    Anfey walked slowly to the cave that the unicorn had tried to protect with her life. The silver web at the entrance was long gone. For no reason, Anfey felt a voice calling him back into the cave.


    The cave was just as everyone thought it should be. It was shallow, and the back could be seen from the entrance. The cave was dry, since unicorns do not like humidity. She kept her cave cozy. There was a thickyer of silk vani grass. This type of grass was rare. It could give out a fresh fragrance over time if it was dried by the sun. In human society, children from royal and wealthy families often had a nket or pillow made of silk vani grass. Anfey had never seen it before, but he had smelled its fragrance when he was in Niya¡¯s room. Niya had a pillow made from silk vani grass.


    On top of the silk vani grass, there was a tiny unicorn babbling. He could not stand up yet, as his eyes were still closed. He could only smell what was in front of him.


    The little unicorn had not developed any power yet, and it looked very cute, with a thinyer of light hair. At a nce, the little unicorn looked like a shining gem stone. The little unicorn was lovable, with the light pink skin. It only had a bump on his head instead of a horn. It had a weird patterned print on the bump.


    Anfey walked slowly to the little unicorn. He bent over while the little unicorn struggled to lift his head to smell Anfey. Suddenly, he screamed with joy and moved towards Anfey.


    Anfey touched his bump with a smile. The little unicorn enjoyed his touch so much that it kicked its legs in the air with his back on the grass. The sounds the little unicorn made seemed happy.


    "Anfey, we have finished collecting the blood of the unicorn. We also got a treasure." Zubin walked into the cave with a bloody long horn. "What a pretty little unicorn."


    The little unicorn suddenly sat up with its nose wrinkled, smelling something in the air.


    "Put away the horn, quickly!" Anfey yelled.


    "Ok." Zubin quickly put away the horn in the dimensional ring.


    The little unicorn sniffed for a while before he finally rxed again. He stuck his tongue out, licking Anfey¡¯s palm, and then he bit Anfey¡¯s pinky with his tail wagging. The little unicorn seemed to y with Anfey.


    "Anfey, we did well this time!" Christian walked in with a smile across his face just like Zubin¡¯s. His attention was drawn to the little unicorn immediately as well, and he said, "What a beautiful little guy."


    "We did it? I guess we did what we wanted to do, but what was it that we ¡®did¡¯?" Anfey twitched the corners of his mouth. "We will talk about itter. How is Suzanna now? Where is Riska?"


    "Suzanna has been meditating. I haven¡¯t seen Riska yet. Anfey, do you think Riska is in danger?" Christian asked with his eyes opened wide like tes.


    "He must have experienced some danger; otherwise Suzanna would not have ended up so wounded. I think Riska is fine though." Anfey thought a while before he spoke again. "Ok, let¡¯s clean up here first. We will talk about it when we go back to the cave."


    "Sure." Christian nodded.


    Anfey rubbed the little unicorn a bit before he forced himself to pull his fingers away. He stood up and walked outside the cave with such a determination. However, he felt sad when he turned around. He liked this little unicorn without any reason. If it was not because he liked this little guy, he might have already killed it mercilessly to get its blood ording to the cruel way Anfey had acted in the past as an assassin, and because he knew the benefits of its blood.


    That little unicorn¡¯s crying changed from cheerful to anxious. It struggled to crawl out of the silk vani grass nest towards Anfey. His crying turned into screaming, and finally into desperation.


    "It cannot be true. I heard unicorns only like girls," Zubin said in surprise, with his eyes wide open.


    "It could be the effect of the Tears of Stars. Anfey, this little unicorn has already considered you as its family." Christian smiled.


    "Did you say it was the effect of the Tears of Stars?" Anfey asked. Anfey responded quickly to Christian¡¯s words. He realized the Tears of Stars had brought these changes upon him, otherwise the little unicorn would not consider him as a family and he would not feel bad leaving the little unicorn either.


    "Yes," Christian answered.


    Anfey took a deep breath and nced at Christian. In fact, he did not want this kind of change. He always had to be calm and cool in dangerous situations. Anfey did not want to me Christian for it, because he knew the Tears of Stars must be very good for his body. Otherwise Christian would not be so stressed and worried. Christian wanted the best for him. However, he only saw the advantages of taking Tears of Stars without acknowledging the negative side effects of it. In other words, Christian thought the side effects of the Tears of Stars would be good anyway.


    The little unicorn hade up to Anfey¡¯s ankles andid on his feet, as if crying. The crying sounded sad. If unicorns could cry, this would be what it was like.


    Anfey sighed again. He bent down and held the little unicorn in his arms. He thought to himself, "You know what, I will just raise the little unicorn as a pet. I am just not sure how much he would eat, since unicorns are senior magic beasts. This little guy¡¯s mom was a top-level unicorn. He could be my helpful assistant when he grows up." Anfey had always paid attention to returns before he did anything. To convince himself to raise the little unicorn as a pet, he had to force himself to pay attention to the potential abilities the little unicorn would have in the future and the benefits and returns of raising the little guy.


    "Let¡¯s go," Anfey told everyone. This little unicorn was not big, the same size as a puppy. Anfey weighed it in his arm and determined it was no more than 22 pounds. The unicorns feltfortable once it was in Anfey¡¯s arms. He moaned as he rubbed Anfey¡¯s chest. He sounded like he was whining to Anfey to show how sad he felt before.


    Christian and Zubin followed Anfey out of the cave. Anfey stopped suddenly after a few steps and asked, "Zubin, can you clean up the outside and bury the unicorn somewhere else? Uh, clean up the bloody smell as well."


    "I got it." Zubin nodded to him.


    Most times, changes in people happen unnoticeably. Anfey only wanted to raise the little unicorn as a pet, but he had already thought about and cared quite a lot about the little unicorn. He did not notice that he already thought about cleaning up the battle field in order to avoid causing any sadness to the little guy.


    It was just starting to get dark when everyone gathered in the original cave with fire on. They all looked exultant. They not only won the battle, but also collected many good things. They had reasons to be happy, but there were two people with uneasy looks on their faces. One was Suzanna; the other was Riska. They both were ncing over at Anfey furtively.


    The little unicorn was sleeping by Anfey¡¯s feet. When it first came into the cave, it smelled over ten different smells and acted anxious. Later, the unicorn felt that its master was in control and that anyone it did not like would keep a distance from it. Only with its permission, a few people with the smells it liked could touch it. The little unicorn gradually got used to the cave, but demanded that Anfey not leave it alone. Even if it got a few steps away from Anfey, the little unicorn would cry mournfully, which forced Anfey to get back to it.


    Riska and Suzanna had told Anfey what happened in detail. Riska seemed okay, while Suzanna looked weak and tired. Without a long rest, she would not recover. She had been forced to take attacks beyond her limits several times, which had damaged her physical and mental health. Suzanna had wanted to rest or meditate, but she did not dare to leave, even when Anfey was quietly sitting there. Suzanna was afraid of him. After a while, Anfey said slowly, "Suzanna, I am going to ask you one question. If you had been with Shally, would you have left her to fight with that little manticore?" Anfey¡¯s question about her mistakes hit the target.


    Suzanna felt so ashamed, she struggled to shake her head. "No, I would not have."


    "Why not?" Anfey asked.


    "Because Shally would not have beenable to protect herself," Suzanna answered.


    "Riska used up his magic and was not able to protect himself either," Anfey said.


    "I did not notice it. It was all my fault," Suzanna said with her teeth clenched together.


    "Good," Anfey nodded.


    Suzanna was startled and thought Anfey was being sarcastic, which meant he would not keep her and Shally in his legion. Suzanna felt helpless and desperate. She was injured, and her power had been lowered significantly. If they were kicked out of Anfey¡¯s legion, they would end up in a miserable situation.


    Suzanna looked up at Anfey with a begging look, but Anfey had already turned his eyes elsewhere.


    In fact, Suzanna had misread Anfey this time. Anfey was acting with decency.


    From Anfey¡¯s point of view, a person would be beyond help if he only med others and was not able admit his own mistakes aftermitting them. He appreciated Suzanna¡¯s courage to admit her mistakes in front of people. This courage was valuable. If he always med others, he would make the same mistakes when he experienced the same situation again. The other kind of person, like Suzanna, would remember this experience for ever. Anfey could tell from Suzanna¡¯s look that this experience had taught her a lesson and influenced her greatly. Anfey believed in what he saw about Suzanna.


    "I would like to tell everyone one thing today. We should take care of each other. To a team, being united is always the priority! Your team members¡¯ safety is always more important than any mission. Do not forget about your team members anytime or anywhere! Do you understand?" Anfey said slowly.


    "Yes, we understand." Everyone nodded.


    "Alright. That was all I wanted to say. Feller, don¡¯t you have some wine? Can you take some out so we can celebrate?"


    Everyone cheered. Feller smiled and walked to the back of the cave. Anfey¡¯s legion had recently formed, and Feller had been acting like an ountant and legion keeper in charge of all the receipts and expenses. If someone else did this kind of job, they might have found it tedious and boring, but Feller enjoyed doing it. He loved to handle anything rted to money. Anfey knew how to bring out the best in his team members.


    The little unicorn was woken up by the cheers. He looked up and sniffed, discovered that Anfey was still by his side, and then immediately felt relieved. The little unicorn crawled a few steps andid on Anfey¡¯s feet again.


    "How about us?" Suzanna asked quietly. She had been worried since Anfey had not told her what he would do to them.


    "Give me your hand," Anfey said. This time Anfey misread Suzanna¡¯s mind.


    Suzanna was shocked for a second and held out her hand. Anfeyid two fingers on her wrist for a while. He smiled and said, "It is not too bad. If you want to drink with them, you can have a little bit."


    Suzanna smiled bitterly. She did not mean to ask if she could drink.


    "Shally, do you want to drink?" Anfey asked with a smile.


    "Yes, huh, no." Shally stole a nce at Suzanna.


    Anfey realized what was going on. He smiled at Suzanna and said, "Everyone is happy today. Could you let Shally drink a little bit? It will be fine. We will be watching over her."


    Even though Suzanna was still nervous, she knew Anfey was not focussing on her mistakes anymore. She had a lot of mixed feelings, but said nothing to Anfey. She turned to Shally and said quietly, "Go, but don¡¯t drink too much."


    "Yeah!" Shally cheered and rushed to the back. "Feller, I will help you."


    "Christian," Anfey called his name out loud.


    "What is going on?" Christian asked. He was talking excitedly with Sante when he heard Anfey calling him. He stood up and walked towards Anfey.


    "Do you have a moment? Can we talk outside? I have something to ask you," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Do you want to ask about Tears of Stars?" Christian responded quickly.


    "You are right." Anfey nodded. He had to ask and make sure he knew what benefits the Tears of Stars would bring him, so he would know what caused the changes in the way he thought and acted.


    "Did you get Tears of Stars? How did you receive gratitude from that unicorn?" Suzanna eavesdropped on their conversation as she was about to leave. She yelled in surprise, "That¡¯s ridiculous."


    It was ridiculous indeed. If it were not for Anfey, that manticore might have taken the little lion to wander around, and the unicorn also would be taking care of the little unicorn in the cave. It was Anfey¡¯s idea that had ruined their lives, and even taken their lives. It was all because of Anfey. However, unexpectedly, Anfey received gratitude from the unicorn. If that unicorn¡¯s spirit were still alive, she might have died from rage.


    "Do you know about Tears of Stars as well?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course." Suzanna heaved a long sigh. She felt things happened in a weird way in this world. A person who did not know the value of the Tears of Stars actually was the one to receive this priceless treasure, while she never even got a chance to see it.


    "What are Tears of Stars for?" Anfey asked hastily.


    "I do not know the details, but I know a master swordsman, Hahn, who luckily got the Tears of Stars. He has been called the most dreaded warrior of humankind by the magical world. Hahn¡¯s legion was surrounded by a group of people with magic in a battle. One mage released the magic. Around two million soldiers died in the spell. One grandmaster swordsman and three master swordsmen lost their lives in the battle, but Hahn was only slightly injured. He killed the mage who released the magic at the end and rushed off the battlefield to the human world. Do you know that he was considered the most glorious human warrior?"


    "Hahn did not have other ways to dodge the magic? Are you sure it was the effect of Tears of Stars?" Anfey asked.


    Suzanna smiled and did not respond to Anfey, although she wanted to. If she did not feel that she owed Anfey and had not felt bad about it, she probably would have told Anfey bluntly that he should stop disying his ignorance.


    "It is said that once your body and the Tears of Stars join together, you will have the protection of stars. Unless the stars in the sky disappear, no one can kill you," Christian said with a smile.


    "Bulls*^t." Anfey thought for a little while and shook his head. The magic andbat power were full of legends. Anfey kept trying to find the reasoning in the magic. If that guy Hahn had avoided the magic attack with the Tears of Stars, it only meant that Tears of Stars helped build the immunization of the magic, just like what a top-level magic beast could do. Anfey thought it was nonsense to believe he would not die if the stars did not disappear. It was a folktale that the lifespan of every star could be described as eternal to human beings. "Does it mean I would have the same lifespan as stars after I ate the Tears of Stars?" Anfey thought to himself.


    It was easy to prove the folk tale told by Christian was wrong with a simple response. Where was the grandmaster swordsman called Hahn? If the Tears of Stars are so legendary, Hahn should still be alive.


    "Anfey, you know a lot of people would envy you if the news leaked out that you had Tears of Stars," Christian said with a stern face.


    "Maybe some of them would try to catch you and conduct research on you to figure out the secrets of Tears of Stars," Suzanna said.


    Anfey was shocked for a second. He did not care what Christian told him, but what Suzanna said made him nervous, because he could end up being someone¡¯sb animal.


    Suzanna realized how serious it had sounded after she blurted it out. Christian was momentarily shocked to hear her say it as well.


    "How many people know about it?" Anfey asked.


    "Right now, Suzanna and I both know. Robin and Sante might know about it," Christian said in low voice. He spoke louder, "However, I saw they only paid attention to the blood of the unicorn. It seemed they neither saw your actions, nor heard my words."


    "Nothing about Tears of Stars will be mentioned or talked about anymore." Anfey was in thought for a while and then smiled bitterly. "Is the Tears of Stars that rare?"


    The spirit crystal from the Evil Abyss was still sleeping in his body while Tears of Stars had been added to his body. One problem had not been solved, and another one had already appeared. Anfey got a headache.


    "Anfey, think about it, unicorns are rare, since our professor was unable to catch one. How many people would have the opportunity to see them, how many of them would receive gratitude from them, especially from a top-level unicorn. Your luck could not be better," Christian sighed quietly.

 Chapter 73: Thinking of Danger Even in a Time of Peace

    Chapter 73: Thinking of Danger Even in a Time of Peace


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey slowly woke from his dreams in the morning. He had not slept well for the past few days but his health had been good. His desire for sleep was not as strong as normal people, but he did feel tired. Last night¡¯s sleep was sound and high-quality without any reason. He opened his eyes, feeling refreshed. The sky seemed clearer than before. Anfey could not have felt any better.


    Anfey felt someone was staring at him. He turned to the side and saw the little unicorn, which had not been able to open its eyes yesterday, already had opened its eyes and stared at him in curiosity. The light blue eyes were so cute that Anfey could not help patting its head and smile. The little unicorn enjoyed his patting with its eyes half closed.


    "Anfey, you are awake. Did you have a good dreamst night?" vi smiled and sat next to Anfey.


    "Me?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, you were smiling in the dream. Miss Niya was woken up by yourugh andined about you."


    Anfey tried to recall his dreams but nothing came to him. He said, "I am so sorry if I disturbed your rest. You can wake me up next time when you see me dreaming."


    "It was alright. You had been the most tired one for the past few days. We all knew it. Miss Niya wanted to wake you up, but others stopped her. Hahaha," vi said.


    Anfey felt warm inside. Anfey was a person who could not express himself in words and did not like to express himself, so he did not respond in any way to vi. He looked out from the cave and found it was already bright outside. He was thought for a while to clear his mind.


    Anfey said, "vi, is everyone awake yet?"


    "Yes, they are meditating outside," vi answered.


    "Can you ask everybody toe back? We have to hurry to finish something," Anfey said.


    "Sure." vi nodded, stood up, and walked outside.


    Everyone returned to the cave after a while. Anfey looked around and found that Riska was not there. He frowned and asked, "Where is Riska?"


    They looked at each other with excitement. Anfey was surprised and wondered if anything good had happened that had made them so happy. He had given them reasons tough at himst night though.


    Smiles appeared on Anfey¡¯s face as well. It was a good thing to see the bond among team members getting stronger. The stronger the team was, the safer they would feel. If all of them were mages, it would not be difficult to kill a Zedar. They might even be able to overthrow the king in any country on Pan Continent. Anfey understood that anyone who had the power could change the rules in this world, and anyone who could change rules could hold the truth. No one could disobey.


    "Ok, we should not disturb Riska. Hmmm, how did Riska learn how to meditate," Anfey asked out of curiosity.


    "You should have asked Suzanna this question. She knows best." Cristian smiled.


    Anfey looked at Suzanna. Suzanna hesitated for a second and said slowly, "Yesterday I was carrying Riska as we ran with the manticore just behind us. I asked Riska to meditate immediately to restore his magic power, and then..."


    "Is it that simple?" Anfey shook his head with a smile.


    "I have already mastered the trick. Feller, we are going to look for a senior magic beast today. I will use up my magic first, and you will carry me as you run away from the beast. Hahaha, tomorrow I will be a magister." Santeughed.


    "Sante, my magic power was far less than yours. I would not be able to carry you as we run. Why don¡¯t you let me try to meditate in danger? I will protect you if I could be magisterter. Don¡¯t worry. I will protect you even if you were a mage your whole life." vi said.


    "Damn it! You are a mage all your life, Sante said angrily.


    "Ok, ok. Stop ying. Danger could actually trigger your potential, but there have only been a few sessful cases. You had better dedicate yourselves to your practice." Anfey thought a little bit and continue to ask, "Christian, what are the benefits of the blood of a unicorn? Can you tell us in detail?"


    Anfey understood that he should give rewards after the battle to better encourage everyone, so he needed to know about the benefits of the unicorn blood before he could distribute it to his legion.


    "There are a lot of benefits. No matter for mages, swordsmen, or knights, it is priceless. However, it was more beneficial to mages. Anfey, let me put it this way. If Riska carried the unicorn blood with him yesterday, Suzanna and Riska would not have been in danger. At least Riska could have restored his magic power and escaped the danger with levitation magic. There will be changes to the body every time you take unicorn blood. For instance, both mental power and magic power could change. I can give you another example. If a muggle who had never practiced any magic before was fortunate enough to have unicorn blood, take it for a long time, and practiced magic for over ten years, he could break through to be a magister even without talent," Christian said slowly.


    "Does it have any other benefits?" Anfey asked.


    "This is all I know, but it was blood from a top-level unicorn, Anfey. I think it will give us even more benefits," Christian answered.


    "Anyone else know other benefits?" Anfey looked around.


    Everybody shook their heads. Suzanna noticed Anfey was looking at her. She gave it some serious thought and shook her head. "What I know is almost the same as Christian."


    "Then, Christian, can you distribute the unicorn blood to everyone, but not too much. Keep the rest of it. You guys listen up. This should be used to save your lives. You should take it only in life-threatening situations. Do you understand?"


    "Yes," everyone answered loudly.


    "Suzanna, is the unicorn blood good for you as well?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Suzanna nodded.


    "Christian, give Suzanna double amounts. Keep one forter and take the other one." Anfey thought Suzanna needed it.


    "No, I do not need it. I will take the same amount as everyone else." Suzanna was shocked and turned it down immediately.


    "This is an order, and everyone in this legion should follow my orders," Anfey said tly. In fact, Anfey decided to give her the double amounts of unicorn blood because he thought it was the best for the team, not because he wanted to give her special treatment. Senior swordsmen were considered high level, not only in this legion, but also outside the legion. Suzanna¡¯s ability to fight with full force at dangerous moments would decide the fate of the team.


    Suzanna looked down. She did not expect Anfey to give her any special treatment. Instead, she thought he would me her for the damage she did to the team because of her carelessness yesterday. Maybe this man was not as evil as she thought. Suzanna remembered that particr night when the word "evil" came up in her mind. Her face turned red, and then she turned quickly to the side. She did not dare to look at Anfey.


    "Christian, can you set up a passing magic array?" Anfey turned to Christian and asked.


    "Magic crystal," Christian said.


    "I have said before that you do not have to worry about the magic crystal," Anfey interrupted.


    "Another passing magic array was set up in the manticore cave, about 20 miles away from here. If we run into any danger, we could move over there immediately."


    Christian was quiet for a while and smiled bitterly, shaking his head. "No, it is too far. My mastery of magic was not good enough, plus my ability was only enough to set up the smallest passing magic array. It could only send one person at a time. It would not be that helpful if we were in danger. We could only have one or two people escape, at the most."


    "So, never mind." Anfey shook his head. "Sante and Sanchez, can you take a look at the manticore cave to see if there is anything we can use. Hmm, be careful. If there is anything unusual,e back immediately."


    "Yes." Sante nodded.


    Anfey was still a little worried. He thought a little bit and said. "vi, were you on watchst night? How do you feel now? Do you need any rest now?"


    "No, I am ok. Anfey, do you need me to do anything?" vi asked.


    "Can you go with Sante and Sanchez? I am worried about them," Anfey said.


    "No problem." vi smiled.


    "One more thing. We need make our shelter better," Anfey said. "We had to sleep as a crowd before. You know we have girls in our legion. It looks inappropriate. I do not want us to look like just animals."


    "Yes, sure." Niya nodded to agree. She was the one who really wished to change their living situation. She was used tofortable living and suddenly she was on the run, which made her depressed. Anfey and his legion were clean enough that there was no one with untidy hair, no odor in the cave; but she could not sleep well every night.


    "Christian, can you separate the cave with your construction magic," Anfey asked.


    "No. Magic is against the natural rules. It can temporally control elements, but not permanently. The elements will disappear at some point."


    "It seems that we have to build a wall with our bare hands," Anfey said, smiling.


    "Anfey, why are you separating the cave? Why don¡¯t we build a house outside the cave?" Niya asked loudly.


    "A house in the field would be an obvious target. What would happen if enemy saw it?" Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "I know a good ce. Shally and I used to live there. It was surrounded with very tall ancient trees and thick brush. If we build a house in the brush and cover it with some ivy, no one could find it, even people passing by," Suzanna said with a smile.


    "Sounds good. Anfey, let¡¯s build a house over there, ok?" Niya was so happy. It seemed that she and the unicorns were inclined toward the light. They hated the dark and gloomy cave.


    Anfey was quiet for a while before he said with a smile, "Ok." In fact they were in some danger if they stayed there. He could not keep everyone in this cave for safety. They would be easily noticed if enemies flew by in the sky when Anfey¡¯s legion went out to move around as a group. This was all Anfey could do. It was their fate if they would be noticed by ident.


    "Yeah!" Niya jumped up happily.


    "vi, three of you can go to the manticore¡¯s cave now. Come back as soon as possible. The rest of you get some rest, and we will build our houseter," Anfey said.


    The little unicorn seemed to sense the happiness in the air. He looked up and bit Anfey¡¯s fingers with something that sounded like talking.


    "This little guy is hungry." Anfey smiled. He felt the little unicorn was constantly sucking his finger. "Feller, can you give me a piece of bread?"


    Feller tossed Anfey a piece of bread. Anfey took the bread and patted it around the unicorn¡¯s mouth. The little unicorn turned to the side to smell it and then continued to suck Anfey¡¯s finger.


    "You are picky about food, little buddy. Feller, can you give me a sausage?"


    "Anfey, unicorns are not carnivores!" Niya yelled. She was jealous of Anfey because the little unicorn was only close to Anfey. She fell in love with the little unicorn at first sight. Unfortunately, the little guy did not pay any attention to her at all. The little unicorn could not have its eyes open, and of course it would not be able to look at her and pay attention to her either.


    "How do we know unicorns are not carnivores if they were never fed with any meat?" Anfey took the sausage from Feller. He teased the unicorn with the sausage. Of course, the little unicorn did not care about the sausage.


    "This little guy! Feller, can you give me a piece of steak?" Anfey said helplessly.


    "Anfey, are you a fool? It is still a baby. It needs milk."


    "Right, right. This little unicorn needs milk," Suzanna agreed with Niya and nodded. Like Niya, Suzanna liked the little unicorn, but this little guy had only been close to Anfey. Anyone who wanted to be close to the little unicorn had to be close to Anfey, so Suzanna could only watch from a distance.


    "Bulls*^t!" Anfey¡¯s lips curled down.


    Niya got mad and yelled at Anfey with her hands resting on her hips. "What do you mean I am bullsh*^ting? Anfey, you need to give me an exnation!"


    "Do you have milk?" Anfey asked.


    Anfey¡¯s question made Niya¡¯s anger subside right away. Niya wasn¡¯t sure whether he was speaking of cow milk or breast milk. Niya had to think in context, or think on the bright side that Anfey meant to ask about the milk to feed the little unicorn. She shook her head anxiously.


    "Do you have milk?" Anfeyid his eyes on Suzanna.


    Suzanna stepped back and curled up next to Niya with a red face.


    "If neither of you have milk, why do you think I would have milk?" Anfey took the steak and touched it to the nose of the little unicorn. "Little guy, I am telling you this is thest try. If you do not want it, you will not have any food."


    Everyone was containing theirughter, but no one dared tough out loud. Niya did not dare to show her temper to Anfey when she was mad. However, to the others, it was a different story.


    It seemed that unicorns did not care about meat. The little unicorn just held the steak on its nose and make some sounds in protest.


    "How about we pick some fruit and crushed them into juice to see if he would like it," Suzanna said quietly. She found that Anfey had the ability to make anything he said sound reasonable and just. She felt helpless in the face of it.


    "Alright, you and Niya will be in charge of picking fruit. You guys could not help build the house anyway." Anfey rushed to take some responsibilities off his shoulders. He tried to pull his finger out from the little unicorn¡¯s mouth. It gripped his finger tightly even though it did not have any teeth yet. It bit on Anfey¡¯s finger and would not let go, with the result that the little unicorn was hanging in the air.


    Anfey did not know what to do with this little guy. He could try to hit him, but the baby unicorn was simply hungry and had done nothing wrong. If he tried to scold him, others wouldugh at him for losing his patience. Great leaders throughout history do not scold others for no particr reason. He could not reason with it, because the little unicorn was not able to understand.


    "Can you guys go and pick some fruit now?" Anfey lifted his head and asked for a facor.


    "Sure," Niya agreed quickly, nodding. She seemed to be even more enthusiastic about the little unicorn than Anfey.


    On the other side of the cave, Christian was passing out the unicorn blood. Anfey was afraid Christian would distribute too much unicorn blood, so he reminded him about it beforehand. In fact, Christian was very careful with the amount of blood he gave away. He gave everyone only three drops and kept most of it. Everyone seemed fine with this, because they trusted Anfey, just as they trusted their team members. The unicorn blood would be theirs, and it did not matter where it was now because it would disappear for no reason.


    vi led Sante and Sanchez to explore the manticore cave. Niya and Suzanna went to pick fruit. Feller stayed to take care of Riska, who had been meditating. Anfey lead Shally and the rest of the group to the cave where the two sisters used to live.


    In terms of magic skills, Anfey was the second worst among the mages. This second-tost position was earned by "battling" with Shally. Anfey beat Shally with fire balls. In other areas, Anfey was so much better than these mages. At least Anfey knew that no matter whether they were going to build a wood or brick house, they would have to start with the foundation.


    Anfey walked around with the little unicorn in his arms. Suzanna was right that this area was hidden very well from the outside. Even though it was not surrounded by mountains in the front and back, the trees were tall and thick. The area they chose to build the house was especially surrounded by seven or eight huge ancient trees, one of which was so thick that it took four people to hold their hands together to hug the tree. These ancient trees were evergreen trees. Only tree branches could be seen from the top or sides. Even if they built a tall house, it would be covered by the ancient trees.


    Anfey remembered that regr bushes did not grow well under the trees, since the trees would block the sunlight the bushes needed; but in the magic world hismon sense had been turned around quite often. The bushes here not only grew everywhere but also very thick, showing their energetic life spirit. Grasses under the bushes grew as high as their knees. The air smelled fresh, which permitted people to feel refreshed as well.


    "Let¡¯s build it right here." Anfey nodded. "Shally,e over for a second."


    "Yeah? What happened, brother Anfey?" Shally answered quickly, but did not move any closer.


    "Shally,e over," Anfey asked again.


    "Why?" Shally saw Anfey looking over and felt a little nervous. She quietly moved her body to better block something from Anfey.


    "What is behind you?" Anfey was a good observer. He noticed that Shally pretended to act casual, which raised a g for Anfey. Anfey saw a little dirt pyramid behind Shally.


    "Nothing, there is nothing." Shally blushed and waved her hands nervously.


    Anfey realized something and smiled after seeing Shally¡¯s red face. Even if a person was an archmagi or master swordsman, the need to eat, drink, urinate, and defecate had to be met. That dirt pyramid must be the sisters¡¯ temporary bathroom.


    "Christian, let¡¯s build the house here. Everyone else needs go and collect wood. It¡¯s better to collect just one tree from one area. Don¡¯t cut down too many trees, which would appear suspicious," Anfey said.


    "We got it. What will we do then?" Christian asked.


    "Then build the house," Anfey answered.


    "We...we have never built a house before," Christian said, smiling awkwardly.


    "I have never built one either, so you guys can build it the way you want to. Make sure it¡¯s sturdy."


    "But you need to give us some instructions," Christianined.


    Instructions? Anfey shook his head. Neither of them had ever been a carpenter, nor did they have any tools for building the house. What could Anfey do? They had to build it with their instincts. The ancestors of human beings could survive and generate offspring under simr conditions. So could they. Moreover, practice makes perfect. If they failed once, they could try it again. They would improveter.


    "I will make marks and you guys can just follow the marks to build the house." Anfey walked to an area and tapped it with his foot. "For example, you can put a post here. You can hammer the post into the dirt."


    "Wait, Anfey, what do we hammer with?"


    Anfey looked around and found a rock about up to his chest lying not far from him. "Do you see that rock? Two of you can hold the post still and the rest of you need to control the element in the air to lift the rock and smash it onto the post."


    "Oh, my god Anfey, are you kidding me? It will take so much of our magic power," Christian said, his eyes wide.


    Anfey had a wide grin. That smile looked wry in some way. Compared with their escape, they wereparatively safe now. What should they do when they felt safe? They should prepare for danger in advance, even in a time of peace. What could they do to deal with any potential danger? The simplest, most direct and effective way was to improve the legion¡¯s power and skills.


    Anfey could not give any suggestions with regards to magic. He could only think from another perspective. The mages were physically weak, so they would be very vulnerable once they lost their magic power. Anfey understood that it was not good to rely on just one thing. Therefore, he nned to make them do some physical work to build their bodies stronger.


    Think about it: when mages cut down a big tree with their magic power, they would have to clean up the branches with their magic power, then carry the tree back and, finally, build the house. They would work a lot every day. Of course, they could take some rest when they were too tired. There was no due date for this project. It would be fine if it took them half a month or even one month to build the house. If they had a supervisor, it had to be Niya, since she wanted to move in so badly.


    They would be stronger when they finished building the house. They would be able to do regr fitness training after it was done. If Anfey had asked them to do fitness training now, they would not benefit from it much. If Feller, for example, was asked to run 1000 meters, he would be exhausted to death. Working over their limits would not benefit him at all.


    "If you use up your magic power, you guys can do meditation. Take this task as a practice. Ok, starting tomorrow, everyone will practice magic power in the morning, build the house in the afternoon, and rest after the dusk," Anfey said with a smile on his face.


    Christian walked to the rock and tried to move the rock by controlling the elements in the air. The rock almost weighed a thousand pounds, so Christian could not move it by controlling the elements in the air.


    "How can this work?" Christian smiled bitterly.


    "Try a few more times. You¡¯ll catch on. If this rock is too heavy, you can find smaller ones first, but be careful with it. Don¡¯t have any ident," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Anfey," Niya¡¯s voice rose from the bottom of the hill.


    From the area where the sound came from, Anfey saw Niya running excitedly with a cup full of white glue-like stuff in her hand.


    "Take a look, we got the fruit pulp." Niya raised the cup high to show off.


    "You guys finally came back," Anfey sighed softly. His fingers were hurt from the little unicorn¡¯s sucking. It had already been sucking all ten fingers for one round. He could not imagine what might have happened to his fingers if they hade back a dayter. His fingers might lose their skin.


    "Come, little one." Niya held the cup out.


    The little unicorn seemed to smell something and let Anfey¡¯s finger go a little. Its little head turned to Niya and tested the fruit pulp by sticking its tongue in the cup. The little unicorn suddenly looked so happy. The little unicorn rolled its tongue two or three times in the fruit pulp. It quickly emptied the cup. It was obvious the little guy was starving.


    "That¡¯s it?" Anfey asked in a disappointing tone. He just had a feeling of relief because he did not want to walk around with this little guy any more.


    "I¡¯ll have some." Suzannna smiled and took the cup. She took out an indistinguishable fruit and gripped it lightly. The fruit was crushed into white pulp, flowing down through her fingers.


    This was the power of a senior swordswoman, a walking blender.


    Niya caught the pulp with the cup and held it next to the little unicorn¡¯s mouth. The little unicorn finished it in a few gulps again.


    The little unicorn finally made a satisfying sound after eating seven or eight of those fruits. It licked Niya¡¯s hands and moved closer to her. Niya was so happy about it, she jumped around. Most girls like cute animals. No matter how smart she was and what kind of personality she had, she was still a girl.


    "What do we doter on?" Suzanna asked, frowning.


    "What aboutter?" Anfey asked, momentarily shocked.


    "When Shally and I used to live here, we searched everywhere. There were not many trees with fruit. Some of them are not edible, so it would not take long for this little guy to eat up all the fruit."


    "How much fruit do we have now?" Anfey asked.


    "Not much. Those were saved by Shally and me forter, when we are starving," Suzanna answered.


    "It¡¯s alright. We will talk about it when the timees." Anfey paused for a second and suddenly remembered something. "Right, unicorns do not eat honey, do they?"


    "I am not sure about it," Suzanna answered.


    "I found a huge beehive yesterday. Today it¡¯s toote, but I can go and get it tomorrow. If this little guy does not eat honey, we can have it. It will add one more dish to our meal anyway." Anfey smiled.


    "Sounds good. Anfey, I will go with you tomorrow." Hearing honey was edible, Niya looked even more excited than the little unicorn when it was eating the fruit pulp. It was getting hard for Niya just to eat bread and sausages.


    The little unicorn suddenly struggled in Anfey¡¯s arms. Anfey could not wait for this moment to happen, so he quickly put the little unicorn on the ground. The little unicorn slowly struggled to stand up.


    "Wow, it can stand up now. It can stand up!" Niya screamed in surprise.


    The little guy did not give Niya any chance to show off. After she screamed, the little guy¡¯s front legs buckled and its head hit the ground.


    "Was it hurt?" Niya reached out her hand to touch the little unicorn.


    Anfey pulled Niya away and smiled. "This is a unicorn. It would not get hurt easily." Anfey even gave that little guy¡¯s butt a little kick.


    "You..." Niya was not happy with Anfey¡¯s action.


    Anfey pretended he did not hear her and gave it another kick on the butt. If it was not an significant issue or something involving providing directions to the team, Anfey did not want to confront Niya with it.


    "Stop kicking!" Niya was so concerned that she grabbed Anfey¡¯s foot to stop him.


    The little unicorn started to stand up, trembling like a very sick person. It could not stop wobbling. The little guy was surprised after he first tried standing up. It did not dare to move: its feet were frozen to the ground.


    "Look, my way is better." Anfey smiled.


    "You are so bad!" Niyained.


    "If men are not bad..." Anfey suddenly stopped right there. If he had finished his saying, it would have sounded like he was flirting with Niya.

 Chapter 74: Reach out for a Yard after an Inch

    Chapter 74: Reach out for a Yard after an Inch


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Niya sat at the pond with a concerned look. She looked so upset. Suzanna found the water in the pond had already been polluted, which meant that they could not take a bath in the pond anymore. Suzanna tested the water in the pond with the horn they cut off the unicorn. It could purify the water poured into the horn, but could not purify the whole pond water. Purifying the water in the horn to shower was far from enough. The unicorn horn was dead, so its power was notparable to when the unicorn was still alive.


    Niya tried to stop Anfey from dipping the little guy¡¯s mini unicorn into the pond, but Anfey ignored theining from her and the little guy and did it anyway. He waited for a while, but the water quality did not change at all.


    The little guy whined and looked up at Anfey with his blue eyes filled with tears. It wished that Anfey could make up for his rudeness. Unfortunately, Anfey¡¯s mind had flown somewhere else. Anfey did not care whether the water in the pond was poisonous. With a group of mages present, drinking water was not a problem, since there were plenty of water elements in the air, and even more water elements in the forest. Anfey never worried about that.


    "Suzanna, can youe with me for a second?" Anfey stood up.


    "Huh..." Suzanna was momentarily shocked. She hesitated a little bit before she followed Anfey, about 40 feet behind.


    The little guy saw Anfey leaving and jumped to follow Anfey. It already had forgotten about itsints. Senior magic beasts were rated as senior level for a reason. It only took the little unicorn two hours at the most to learn to run after it just learned how to walk. The problem with the little unicorn was its vision. He had tripped at the ce where he should not, and then he would slide for a little bit before he fell heavily on the ground.


    Suzanna felt unreasonably nervous when she saw Anfey walking straight ahead to the forest. In fact, from any outsider¡¯s perspective, her nervousness was unnecessary. If Anfey and Suzanna wanted to have a fair fight, there was no way Anfey could beat Suzanna. There was no reason for Suzanna to be nervous.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s talk here." Suzanna suddenly stopped. Her frequent eye movements showed she was thinking. She pinched the bark here and there on a tree. That poor tree seemed to suffer an unexpected natural disaster when arge piece of bark fell off in a very short period of time.


    "Huh? Sure." Anfey nodded and looked at Suzanna with a weird look.


    "What is the matter?" Suzanna asked.


    "Suzanna, do you feel someone has been watching us?" Anfey asked.


    "No, Why? Do you think someone has been watching us?" Suzanna looked up in surprise.


    "I was only guessing. I hope I was just thinking too much, but..." Anfey paused for a second. "Suzanna, can you walk around a little more when you have time. Maybe you can find something."


    "I got it. That night..." Suzanna blushed before she even finished her sentence. She remembered what Anfey had told her after he caught her, but she could not say out loud that she had understood what he meant that night. Suzanna felt so ashamed and wished there was a hole in the ground where she could hide from Anfey.


    A wave of magic surges appeared in the air. The little unicorn felt it before Anfey and Suzanna. The little guy suddenly turned its head to the side and barked in a low pitch. The mini horn on its head pointed to the sky. Anfey looked quickly at Suzanna and walked slowly out of the forest. Suzanna followed Anfey about 40 feet behind.


    Christian and the other twonded. Christian did not look too bad, but vi looked awkward, with mud and rotten leaves on him. Luckily there was no blood on him.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked worriedly.


    "S*^t! That manticore cave was upied by a group of wyverns. We almost got caught," vi blurted out with fury.


    "Wyverns?" Anfey asked.


    "Now I understand why I saw a pair of wyverns outside the manticore¡¯s cave. I could not figure out the reason back then, but I see it now. They were trying to take that territory," Suzanna said, showing in her eyes the enlightenment which hade to her.


    "Didn¡¯t you say there have rarely been any conflicts among senior magic beats?" Anfey asked.


    "Anfey, have you ever seen a wyvern?", vi asked.


    "Riska mentioned them to me," Anfey said.


    "Their bodies are shaped like ducks with smaller heads. They eat a lot, and eating takes half of their day, so they like to prey on big magic beasts. They eat so much that an adult three-eyed magic cow could only be enough for two or three days of meals. They are like nomadic people, changing their caves for survival, since they have to change to a different cave when they eat up all the big magic beasts around it," Suzanna said.


    "Magic Beast Forest will neverck magic beasts, right?" Anfey asked.


    "Anfey, you do not know the way wyverns prey. They are called "the ambusher" in the forest. They know their speed is not fast and flying style does not look sharp, so they rely on waiting for or slowly approaching their prey to catch them. When a group of wyverns go out to hunt, they would take almost the same amount of time to catch a magic rabbit as a three-eyed magic cow. A magic rabbit is far from enough for a group of wyverns to divide, while a three-eyed cow would be good enough for few days¡¯ food. Do you think they would care about little magic beasts?" Suzanna said.


    "Suzanna, you seem to know a lot about the magic beast forest. I am just curious why you did not prepare for it before you came to the magic beast forest."


    Suzanna bit her lips and said quietly, "That was an ident. I do not know much about the magic beast forest either. There are so many secrets that no human beings could understand."


    "If so, let¡¯s not worry about it. We need to build the house here first." Anfey felt a little helpless. He never thought his territory would be taken by magic beasts. His legion just had a fight and should not continue fighting so soon. In addition, Suzanna as the main force had not recovered yet. They needed to swallow their pride a little bit.


    "No," Suzanna and Christian said at the same time.


    "Huh, why not?" Anfey was quite surprised.


    "Anfey, wyverns are ambushers. If any of us fell into their trap,they would be in trouble, except for Suzanna. The range of the wyverns¡¯ prey is quite wide. They have already posed big threats to us," Christian looked worried.


    "Right, Anfey. Christian is right. If they were unicorns, we would not have to bother with them. Unicorns would not hurt us as long as we do not offend them. However, the issue with senior magic beasts like manticores and wyverns needs to be addressed immediately," Suzanna said after Christian.


    Anfey looked down in thought. Wyverns were senior magic beasts, so their power should be about equal to unicorns and manticores. They also lived in groups which made it even harder to kill them. Most importantly, Suzanna had not fully recovered. Suzanna told Anfey before that if she gathered all herbat power, she could battle with a manticore for a while. However, herbat power would decrease over time. Once it was beyond her limit, running away would be a luxury.


    Suzanna had allowed herself to be pushed to the corner by manticore because she wanted to protect Riska. She was a strong fighter. Anfey needed to make a good use of her. In any case, it was not Anfey¡¯s style not to make good use of Suzanna. After giving it some thought, Anfey believed that Suznanna had to be part of the team, no matter whether they ambushed or confronted wyverns directly.


    "We¡¯d better wait a few more days. Ask everyone to be alert. If they absolutely need to go out, they need to go in pairs to take care of each other." Anfey shook his head at the end. "Ok. We will talk about itter. vi, you guys go and get some rest first. Christian, how is the house building over there?"


    Christian did not give any other suggestions after he saw Anfey switching topics. "It¡¯s alright, but everyone is exhausted."


    Suzanna sighed. There was a big difference between Anfey and her when it came to taking pressure. Once seeing the potential dangers, Suzanna had always wanted to get rid of the dangers immediately. Therefore, Anfey¡¯s decision had made Suzanna feel down.


    "It¡¯s getting dark outside." Anfey looked up at the sky. "Christian, let everyone go back to get some rest. They can work on the house tomorrow."


    "Ok. I am letting them know now." Christian nodded.


    After Anfey and the others went back to the cave, it did not take long for other construction workers toe back one after another. Anfey did not get a chance to check on the progress of house building, but he could tell how hard this project was from the way these construction workers looked. Some of them simplyid on the mattress made from grass and fell asleep immediately.


    Maybe everyone had high moral standards in the legion, or some sort of collectivism was developing in the team. No one cked off. Everyone tried very hard without anyints.


    When Feller announced it was dinnertime, construction workers sprang up with energy and surrounded Feller. They gobbled the food down and fell back to sleep again. Was the day that bad for them? Not really: they felt lucky to be able to eat well and sleep well in life.


    No one on the team heard the sigh outside the cave. There was a tree at the edge of a prairie opposite the cave. Ernest heaved a long sigh in the tree. He gripped his right hand into a fist. A cloud of powder blew with the wind into the dark when he opened his palm.


    Ernest was very frustrated. It was not hard to understand his frustration, since he had been stressed, looking everywhere to locate an unknown wildflower. Ernest had already developed a severe wild-flower syndrome. Every time after he found the marks Anfey left him, Ernest could not resist holding the flowers in his palm, grinding them into powder. The powder particles were so fine that they could fly into the air.


    After searching for Anfey for a couple of months, Ernest might already have felt dizzy and nauseous every time he saw those wild flowers. Luckily, he finally had tracked Anfey down today.


    Ernest had nned to meet Anfey secretly, but he changed his mind when he found an adult size unicorn body with his strong sensibility. He could not figure out how Anfey and his legion killed a unicorn, since he could not have done it. Ernest was shocked by it, so he changed his mind about seeing Anfey. He wanted to follow Anfey for a couple of days to see what else he could do. It would be fine as long as he could help when Anfey was in danger. Anfey would grow more mature after handling dangerous situations. This was also the way Ernest taught his students back then.


    At the same time, in the Sacred City far away from Anfey, the king of Maho Empire, Ynthe, who had "passed away," was sitting properly in a secret chamber with a serious face. He looked like he was going to kill someone. He squinted and looked like he was in thought. Below Ynthe, a cloud of light grey shadow stood there quietly. That shadow looked clear sometimes, and blurry at others.


    "Are you saying Philip turned down your request? Is that it?" Ynthe asked.


    "Yes, your majesty," the shadow answered.


    "Did you tell him anything about me?" Ynthe asked.


    "No, your majesty. Philip has been very stubborn and did not know what were the appropriate things to do. If he knew about it, he might have leaked the secrets in conversation, and then Ellisen Empire would be alerted to it," the shadow answered.


    "You are right." Ynthe was in thought for a while and said, "Let Wester be in charge of some of the Hurricane legion. If spies from Ellisen Empire learn about the Hurricane legion but do not see any action from it, it would raise the red g for them."


    "I understand, your majesty. But what kind of people should be given to the prince?" the shadow asked.


    "You don¡¯t have to ask my opinion about these little issues, you can handle them yourself. Can you get in touch with Philip soon and ask him toe back to the Sacred City? Tell him the country needs him," Ynthe said, smiling.


    "Your majesty, please allow me to be honest with you. Philip is very emotional right now. He is not going to listen to me," the shadow said.


    "Try to talk to him as an old friend. I hope he will not be an obstacle for the country. He contributed so much for this county. If it had to happen this way, maybe I need take some extreme methods." Ynthe shook his head. "I have waited for this opportunity too long, too long, I will do anything to destroy Dark Moon Magic Legion in Ellisen Empire to get rid of the biggest threat to Maho Empire. I will do anything. I will not allow anyone to ruin my n."


    ¡®Your majesty, you know Phillip¡¯s temper. I think we need to find Niya in the Forest rm and take her back. The rest of them we can leave to Phillip to handle. Only this way can we calm him," the shadow said.


    "Do you know what the most important quality for a king is?" Ynthe smiled and said, "It¡¯s justice. Niya is still young, naughty and stubborn. Niya would give them a lesson if she saw anyone in other royal families doing anything bad. However, she never bothered with Zeda, never. She did not want to put Saul in any awkward situations, but she was not afraid of Zeda. Zeda was just a bastard. He was not evenparable to a little girl. Where was he killed? It was in Saul¡¯s house. He went to Saul¡¯s house with some bodyguards to arrest people. Didn¡¯t he know the consequences of doing that? If he knew and continued to do it, then he was looking to be killed. If he did not know and had been manipted by someone, then he deserved it anyway. No matter the reason, I have no sympathy for him."


    "But..." the shadow said.


    "There is no but. The Philips started it and they need to know to take responsibility for that. If Niya went to Philip¡¯s house, beat up Zeda and killed him in his own house, I would not be on Saul¡¯s side either," Ynthe said.


    "Your majesty, I know you are right. But if Philip could not release his anger, he would note back to the Sacred City," the shadow said.


    "If talking could not do the job, why don¡¯t you try the sword and blood? If they put their family before the country, then I do not think there is any reason for their existence." Ynthe waved his hand and said, "You can leave now. Ask Miorich to see me now."


    "Your majesty..." The grey shadow trembled a little bit. He had followed Ynthe for over twenty years. He knew better than anyone else how cruel Ynthe could be if he made up his mind to kill someone.


    "I will give Philip ast try and let him to choose his own path." Ynthe let out a slight sigh. If there were any other options, he did not want Philip to die. Philip had made such a scene recently that he seemed ready to start a fight. This was unbearable to Ynthe. To n everything, Ynthe had manage everything to its maximum. However, Philip had ordered his students to leave their positions to search for Anfey, while many of Philip¡¯s students were in high positions in the military. What Philip did was going to affect his military chain ofmand.


    What was worse was that a student of Saul¡¯s, Entos, who was in training at Mercenary, returned immediately to help Saul after he received a letter from Saul. He was ambushed on the way by a group people. Entos had severe wounds all over his body. Luckily, Entos was a senior magister and able to release Time Ship scroll at thest moment to escape.


    No one had imed responsibility for it, but everyone knew who did it. In other words, who gave them the order to do it. This made Ynthe even madder. Entos came back to the country to help. His power was far less than Saul¡¯s, but he was still a senior magister and a good helper. What Philip did was nothing different than dog-eat-dog.


    To a king, an obedient dog was better than a furious flying dragon. Saul was a representative of the magic power for the Maho Empire, and Philip was a leader of the swordsmen of the Maho Empire. They had different personalities and ways to do things. Maybe because there were not many children in Philip¡¯s family, they had a very strong concept of family. Philip had total control of his students. His students had to go back to the Sacred City to get together with the Philips on holidays and birthdays. Saul was not like Philip. Besides providing instructions in magic skills, he was barely up on students¡¯ personal lives. Saul respected his students¡¯ own interests and choices. This was the main reason that Ynthe got closer to Saul and kept a distance from Philip. Ynthe did not want to see anyone act against his authority, but what Philip did was making the rtionship between Ynthe and him even more tense.


    * * * *


    Cling, Cling, the clear cling sound made by two pieces of metal arose above the prairie. Two people were fighting. Anfey was sweating profusely already. He tried to block Suzanna¡¯s sword as he stepped back. Anfey had asked Ernest to usebat power when they were practicing sword skills. He realized how wise that decision was after he had had sword fights with Suzanna over the past few days. The skills Suzanna used were quite simple, either y or thrust. Anfey¡¯s used more plex" skills like point, dodge, thrust, hold, move with sword trembling, y, and press on. However, Anfey was at an obvious disadvantage in the fight. Within half an hour, Anfey was forced back from one end of the prairie to the other.


    Suzanna thrust at his chest without any skill. Anfey thought he only needed to point his sword at Suzanna¡¯s sword three to five inches away from the tip to change the direction of Suzanna¡¯s sword and then make more offensive moves. He tried many times, but the results told him that he could not change the direction of her sword. Suzanna was fast and forceful when she usedbat power. To Anfey, it felt like Suzanna¡¯s sword was frozen in the air, very hard to move. Anfey might be able to block her thrust, but he had given up blocking her y. His arm, wrist and fingers were cramped. It was so painful that Anfey did not want to even try it.


    In fact, Anfey had been prepared to lose the fight. That night when they fought for the first time in the water, Suzanna¡¯s punch did not get him, but the water waves created by her punch pulled some of his hairs off. He knew how good Suzanna was. Thest few days¡¯ practice with Suzanna only told Anfey that actually he was not ready for it.


    It was fortunate that Suzanna¡¯s speed was not super fast even though her attacks were fierce, otherwise Anfey would make himself look so bad.


    Finally, Anfey raised up his hands to signal the end of morning training. Suzanna put her sword back into its sheath casually. She turned around and walked back to the cave. Anfey threw his sword on the ground and breathed heavily.


    "Suzanna, did I make any progress today?" Anfey asked.


    Suzanna turned around, looking at Anfey for a second, and then shrugged. She answered Anfey without saying anything.


    Anfey smiled bitterly. He knew who he was and what he could do. When he was trying to kill the old guy in the Rose Home hotel, the old man was already hurt but he was still able to hit the heavy candlestick out of his hand. Anfey knew he might be able to handle swordsmen, but he had to be extremely careful with master swordsmen.


    "What are you so proud of? Don¡¯t you remember you have lost to me?" Anfey murmured. He cared more how to improve his ability fast than to make himself look good. However, Suzanna¡¯s attitude of not wanting to talk to him still made him a little mad.


    "You have lost to me hundreds of times over the past few days." Suzanna did talk to Anfey this time, but Anfey wished she had not said anything.


    "..." Anfey was speechless. Anfey had no other way to improve his sword skills than finding himself an opponent, since it would take too long to make any improvement if he practiced swordfighting by himself. Besides Suzanna, who else could he practice with? No one would rmend Shally, would they?


    Suzanna suddenly stopped walking when she heard an unpleasant screaming. It only took her a few strides to get back to Anfey. She looked up to the sky, where a swan-like animal flew by. That animal seemed to have a longer neck and bigger body than a real swan.


    There was a saying that nice people tend to be bullied more and a tame horse tends to be ridden more often. The saying seems like it might have been an exaggeration in this situation, but giving it a little bit of thought, it was not entirely wrong. Anfey had never tried to bother wyverns.


    Wyverns came to this prairie, but found the people living on it were hard to catch, so they had been just watching over them for a while and flown to other areas. As time passed, they seemed to be morefortable approaching Anfey¡¯s legion. At the very beginning, several of the wyverns in a group were just flying by to check on them. Now even a wyvern was able to stop by and check on them. It was annoying.


    "Anfey, We have to think about how to deal with these wyverns. Do we have to wait until something happens to us?" Suzanna said with a grave face.


    "We do need take action," Anfey nodded. There was another saying that restraint in moments of confrontation calms down the torment; Conceding a single step may take you to a higher in. It made sense at some point, but it did not consider the point view of the bullies. If the bullies saw that you would easilypromise and concede, they would take advantage of it, and bully even more. These wyverns were good examples of the bullies. They started watching the prairie from outside and realized Anfey and his legion did not care about them, then they started to constantly fly over it. Niya and Shally did not have anybat power. If they did not protect those two well, they might have be victims of the wyverns.


    The wyvern did not bother Suzanna. It just pped its wings and flew towards the cave. Christian was on watch so he immediately released the levitation magic to chase after the wyvern. Zubin and Sanchez ran from the cave and hastened to the side of Christian to protect him.


    That wyvern suddenly changed direction and flew out of the prairie, leaving a series of coarse howling. It sounded like the wyvern was making fun of them.


    "Let¡¯s go," Anfey said quietly.


    "Ok." Suzanna nodded.


    Anfey and Suzanna ran to the cave. Suzanna followed Anfey closely. Anfey knew Suzanna would remember the lesson from theirst experience.When Suzanna heard the howling of the wyvern, she ran back to Anfey first. She put Anfey¡¯s safety first instead of her mission to locate wyvern.


    Some people do not learn from their mistakes, but others learn from any mistake. Suzanna undoubtedly belonged to thetter group.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s take these wyverns down. I cannot stand them anymore," Sanchez said angrily as he walked toward Anfey.


    "Right. There were a pair of wyverns hovering above us when we were collecting wood. They were just watching us from a distance. They just followed us as we carried the wood back. We were worried the whole way back." Zubin smiled bitterly.


    "Suzanna, how is your recoverying along?" Anfey asked.


    "Wyverns are far less powerful than manticores. I think I can handle them," Suzanna said.


    "Ok, we need to make a n this morning." Anfey was in thought for a while and then asked, "Christian, do we have any good material for fighting wyverns? We¡¯d better not waste them."


    "Besides magic crystals and fangs, other parts of their bodies are worthless. When the upper-ss royals are being sarcastic, they usually say ¡®You are rotten like a wyvern.¡¯ Wyverns are the worst among the senior magic beasts, not only because wyverns¡¯ powers are the lowest, but also because their body parts are least useful to humans."


    "So..." Anfey became thoughtful. Anfey had seen what benefits unicorns and manticores could bring him. It was well known how valuable unicorn blood and the legendary Tears of Stars could be. Besides unicorn blood and Tears of Stars, its horn could detoxify, and taking ground unicorn horn powder could save your life. Unicorns and manticores¡¯ fur could be made into top magic leather mail by alchemists. Manticores¡¯ teeth could be made into arrowheads that could pierce through knights¡¯ heavy armor. If fire element were added to the arrowhead, it would explode into a big fire ball when it hit the target. Its power could be a lot stronger than regr fireballs released by mages. Manticores¡¯ ws and both manticores and unicorns¡¯ bones were good as well.


    All of them were just raw materials and needed be made into all kinds of magic tools by good alchemists. Generally speaking, all types of senior magic beasts, except for wyverns, were valuable.


    Anfey¡¯s favorite was the manticore¡¯s stinger. The stinger was a little too thick to hold in his hands. Anfey hoped to turn it into a short-shafted spear if he could find a good alchemist. Christian said the magic effects of the stinger would partially remain, just like the unicorn horn. The unicorn horn partially kept the ability of purification, and the manticore¡¯s sting could partially keep the paralyzing effects.


    "Wyverns did note by again, did they?" Niya walked out of the cave as she rubbed her eyes. For her safety, she had not been able to go anywhere for the past few days which she was not so happy about.


    "I¡¯ve recovered, Anfey." Suzanna realized that Anfey could not make a decision yet because he was worried that herbat power had not recovered to its normal level. She had to firmly restate that she had recovered.


    "Ok. Ask everyone toe here," Anfey nodded.

 Chapter 75: Greed Provokes Evil

    Chapter 75: Greed Provokes Evil


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The atmosphere in the cave became tense after the crew acknowledged that Anfey had decided to battle against the wyvern. Filled with excitement, they eagerly offered their advice and suggestions: some advocated direct attack in spread-out formation; some advocated sending a squad to harass, attract and split the wyvern¡¯s power so that the main force could take the chance to take down parts of its body; some advocated setting plenty of traps, and then leading the wyvern into a trap to beat the crap out of it; however, the final decision was Anfey¡¯s.


    Using traps was indeed a solution, but to entirely follow Arrago¡¯s idea could be irrational. Digging traps in the forest was not very easy, since they only had a limited number of helpers. How many total traps were they able to dig? What if the wyvern was not dashing along the ground? The traps would be useless decorations unless there was ... some bait that could automatically lead the wyvern down to it.


    "Zubin, in addition to the magic crystal and the fang, the rest of the parts are not one iota useful," said Anfey in a low voice, hoping to finally confirm that. After all, the wyvern was a high-level magic beast. Anfey was reconciled to the fact that they might take risks that did not match the gain.


    "No, in the same family of magic beasts, the value of a wyvern cannot even bepared to a seven-winged magic fly,"ughed Zubin.


    "Seven-winged magic fly?"


    "A seven-winged magic fly is a middle level magic beast. It is approximately as big as a sheeps head. Itsbat effectiveness is very low. The attack can be apanied with some weak magic, yet with little effect. Magic beasts that can beat the seven-winged magic fly would not be bothered by the weak beginner level magic. Those who cannot beat the magic fly... there is no need to fear at all. Since the seven-winged magic fly is very fast, even faster than the unicorn, the beginner level magic beast cannot escape in any case,"ughed Zubin. "Seven-winged magic flies likes to live close to their of the wyvern. The task of hunting seven-winged magic flies is often given to the mercenary line. In order to protect their own safety, mercenaries often have to choose to kill the wyvern first, and then hunt down the seven-winged magic flies, since in their eyes, the value of seven-winged magic flies is much higher than the wyvern."


    "What is the value of the seven-winged magic fly?"


    "This," Zubin blushed suddenly, "is what I do not know.


    "Zubin, why avoid it? Say it out aloud," Christian asked with curiosity, as he overheard Anfey and Zubin¡¯s conversation.


    "I really do not know." Zubin shook his head again and again.


    Anfey realized that Zubin was notfortable saying it, so he waved it off. "Distraction, distraction. Let¡¯s talk about how to deal with the wyvern."


    "What Zubin said should not be considered a distraction," Suzanna said. "Seven-winged magic flies always follow the Wyvern to migrate. Near this group of wyverns, there should be seven-winged flies too. Having small appetites, after the wyvern¡¯s sessful hunting, the seven-winged flies can share some leftover carrion, which is enough for them to survive. On the other hand, the seven-winged flies¡¯ speed is ultra-fast, and they have sensitive perception. They usually y the role of a sentry. Just a little bit of a disturbance, and they would immediately send an alert to the Wyvern. "


    "This may not be easy to deal with ..." Anfey couldn¡¯t help raising his brow.


    "We did not see the seven-winged magic fliesst time," said vi. "Maybe the group of wyverns had just migrated here, and there was not yet enough time to attract the seven-winged flies?"


    "The fact that they were not there in the past few days does not mean that they are not there now." Susanna shook her head.


    "It is meaningless to continue to this debate, I think ... Christian, Suzanna, you two should go for a walk around the wyvern¡¯sir and see if you could find seven-winged magic flies."


    "Right," Christian nodded.


    "Sooner rather thanter. You two should go now."


    Without further conversation, Christian and Susanna went out of the cave one after another.


    Anfey pondered a moment, smiled, and waved toward Zubin, indicating Zubin toe over, then whispered to him, "Tell me what is the use of seven-winged magic flies?"


    "I..." Zubin looked around and lowered his voice with a bitter smile, "If you grind the wings of the seven-winged magic fly into powder, you can use it to make a strong kind of aphrodisiac. It¡¯s said that it has an effect on both men and women, and there is no age limit either."


    "How amazing?" Anfey was astonished.


    "What are you two talking about," asked Niya curiously, as Anfey and Zubin seemed sneaky.


    "Nothing, Zubin said he would find you some good stuff to take," Anfey grinned.


    "What is it?" Niya was even more curious.


    Zubin¡¯s face turned pale and he desperately nodded at Anfey. If Niya understood the use of the seven-winged magic fly or would learn the specific use of it in the future, he would be dead for sure... it was not a funny joke!


    "It is a type of snow lotus: have you heard of it?"


    Zubin let out a long sigh of relief, looking at Anfey with aplicated expression on his face.


    "What is the use of the snow lotus?" It seemed like Niya did not want to give up.


    "The snow lotus contains natural essence that moisturizes the skin, making the skin moist, delicate. It restores the natural muscle sticity, making the skin as soft as silk. It also prevents wrinkles..." Anfey dashed along without even thinking.


    "Really? What a miracle," shouted Niya tedly.


    "Of course, this is exactly what Zubin told me just now."


    "Zubin, thank you! Please bring me some!" Niya stared at Zubin earnestly. This girl too easily trusted others...


    Zubin was stunned, and then immediately came back to reality. It seemed that it was too early for him to feel relieved. Snow lotus? He never heard of it. Let alone finding some.


    "You¡¯re wee." Zubin barely made a smile. Then he lowered his voice toward Anfey, "Anfey, you wanna kill me? Girls have extremely good memory of this type of thing. What if she asks me for snow lotus in the future?"


    "It does not matter, I¡¯ll take care of it," Anfeyughed.


    "Snow lotus? I just heard about it for the first time ...do you really have it?"


    "There¡¯s plenty of stuff with simr effect, and those are easy to obtain."


    At this moment, a hoarse scream came from outside of the cave, followed by a shadow dashing by. Strong wind blew right into their faces. The stones at the entrance were blown down, making a crackling sound. The most unfortunate part was that Sanchez was sitting next to the campfire to read his magic book. The me blew right on him. ck smoke came out of the dry pages of the magic book. Sanchez hastened to blow out the magic book, and put it back into his space ring.


    Half lying prone on the ground, raising his little head solemnly, the little guy that attended the serious military meeting was filled with excitement. It stood up to dash outside the cave. Fortunately, Anfey didn¡¯t hesitate. He grabbed the little guy¡¯s neck. Although the unicorn was considered the most powerful of the high-level magic beasts, it had to be at least an adult first. There was no doubt that this little guy would very likely be killed if it rushed out.


    "Sanchez, stop!" Zubin yelled.


    Magic books were the lifeblood of the mages. The books were priceless, like a golden castle with a stunning beauty inside. This was first said by educated people from another world, but was not taken seriously by other educated people. On the contrary, almost every mage valued their magic materials, since they deeply understood that their status, power, and wealth were all bestowed by magic! Seeing his magic book was burned, Sanchez¡¯s eyes turned red right then and there. He turned to dash outside, but was immediately stopped by Zubin.


    "Riska, use the eyes of the sky!" Anfey stared at Sanchez.


    Sanchez calmed down, hesitated for a moment, and slowly retreated.


    Riska whispered a few spells, and the eyes of the sky opened between his hands. The scenery outside of the cave was clearly shown in the eyes of the sky.


    Two wyverns were quietly hiding inside the cliff at the top of the cave, patiently waiting. Yet one wyvern hovered around, and rushed at the cave again. This time it did not just sweep by, but opened its mouth and breathed acid mist into the cave.


    "How cunning the wyverns are." Sanchez felt a chill down his spine. If he had run outside just now, he would have been attacked by two wyverns!


    Zubin spouted a spell which released of a magic shield, isting the acid mist outside the shield. Then he looked at Anfey quietly.


    "Wait!" Anfey blurted out. Anyways, everybody was inside the cave. Maintaining this geographic advantage made people feel fearless to the attacks from the wyvern.


    The wyvern who was baiting them provoked them repeatedly. Noticing that there was no response from the cave, the wyvern could no longer bear it but tond on the ground, blocking the cave¡¯s exit and staggering about.


    The eyes of the wyvern were very small, which made people cold and terrified. A pair of wings, half open and half shut, were just able to block the hole tightly. Its long neck shook from side to side flexibly, constantly letting out unpleasant calls.


    Anfey suddenly realized that the focus of the wyvern was set on the little guy in his arms. He could not help but be stunned for a moment. The situation seemed a bit strange: in ordance with the description of the various wyverns¡¯ habits, they should not cause trouble before food had be scarce. Now it became clearer and clearer to him that the two wyverns were probably after the little unicorn! They should also be aware of the benefits of the unicorn¡¯s blood. In other words, they had an insatiable desire for the unicorn.


    A certain degree of greed could lead to progress, but excessive greed could also bring disaster easily! It is a universal truth for both humans and animals!


    This was a wyvern who was blinded by greed. It failed to control its own desires,nding on the ground and even getting into the cave. However, at the moment when its greedy eyes stared at the small unicorn, Anfey¡¯s hand had waved down. Then the wyvern felt some violent magic fluctuations blowing right on its face. Realizing the danger, the Wyvern tried to squeeze its fat body out of the cave to escape, but it realized what was happening toote.


    In order to avoid the phenomenon of elements of mutual exclusion or conflict, everybody used fire magic: small fireballs, rockets, gigantic fireballs, me radiation, me dust, etc. All of the fire magic attacks were tossed at that wyvern. Riska even released a fire meteor in no time at all. Even little Shally released two small fireballs. Numerous fire magic elements lit up the cave, looking even ten times brighter than the grasnds zing in the sun. All of the people inside the cave almost invariably closed their eyes.


    Since the body of the wyvern was way too fat, it was easy for it toe inside the cave, but difficult to go out. With no time to retreat from the cave, fire magic had been hitting right on its body repeatedly. Screaming tragically, the wyvern flew around a bit. Its light blue body became green and ck. Its chest and abdomen had received numerous wounds. The disgusting burnt smell in the air made people sick. Especially Riska¡¯s fire meteor put a meter-wide hole right in the middle of its chest. People could even see its internal organs.


    The wyvern twisted on the ground, struggled, and failed to stand up again. Its flexible long neck had be bulky, and it let out a miserable cry. Among the family of high-level magic beasts, wyverns¡¯ resistance to magic was the lowest. Although wyverns could be immune from primary magic like fireballs and rockets, people like Zubin, Sante, and vi, who were all high-level mages, could release enough flying me dust and me radiation to cause damage to the wyvern. Riska¡¯s fire meteor was even stronger and caused serious injury to the wyvern!


    If something had to be med, me greed. If the wyvern had not crashed into the cave, facing a battle like this, it could at least have avoided some magic attacks instead of getting hit by them all.


    Without leaving time for Anfey to speak, Riska had once again opened the eyes of the sky to see that the other two wyverns had already abandoned their partner and flown back to their nest.


    "Magic beast, after all, are only beasts: too stupid." Anfey smiled. "Riska, are you alright?"


    "I¡¯m alright." Riska¡¯s face turned pale, but his mental state remained very good. In the past, after the release of a fire meteor he would no longer have magic. Yet now he could continue to release the eyes of the sky, suggesting that he already had made great progress.


    "Zubin, Sante, you twoe out with me. Riska, hold on for a while. If the wyverns return, immediately send us an rm."


    "Okay," Riska nodded.


    Anfey walked out of the cave slowly. The wyvern was still struggling feebly, but raised its triangr head, rotating it with the footsteps of Anfey.


    While he walked, Anfey took the scorpion-tailed lion¡¯s tail pin from his space ring. Since he had decided to make the tail pin his own exclusive weapon, he should be familiar with the performance of the weapon for sure. Or if an ident urred, he would not know how he died!


    Having seen that Anfey approached, the wyvern suddenly thrusted his head forward at Anfey¡¯s head and tried to bite him. However, since it was seriously injured, it didn¡¯t even have 20 percent of its original speed and strength. Anfey gently dodged and kicked the wyvern¡¯s neck, five inches under its head. The wyvern¡¯s triangr head bounced back with the attack.


    The wyvern still attempted to recalcitrant, but Zubin and Sante each released a big fireball, both hitting right on the wyvern¡¯s head. As the big fireballs exploded, the Wyvern¡¯s head jumped twice, eventually dropping to the ground.

 Chapter 76: The Experiment

    Chapter 76: The Experiment


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Lightly, don¡¯t kill it!" Anfey dered, with an expression like that of a protective guardian. However, his movements were less polite, as he stabbed the wyvern with a manticore stinger. The wyvern screeched butcked the strength to fight back.


    The experiments of scientists must be rigorous! Three times Anfey mercilessly conducted his experiment on the wyvern. The force used was not extreme, so long as the tip of the stingerpletely pierced the hide. After the seventh time, the strong beating of the wyvern¡¯s chest suddenly weakened and its wings stiffened. The manticore venom¡¯s paralytic effect had finally kicked in, but...such a small probability? Not even fifteen percent! Anfey was left a bit disappointed.


    Patiently waiting, Anfey found that it took roughly twenty seconds for the wyvern¡¯s frantic breathing to resume. In addition to the numerous previous injuries, this wyvern had just endured the paralytic effect of manticore venom. With the wyvern¡¯s eyes losing focus, its life was rapidly approaching its end.


    Anfey, feeling anxious, continued to repeatedly stab the manticore stinger into the wyvern¡¯s hide. This time the result was even worse; only on the eleventh attempt was the wyvern paralyzed again.


    s, the results continue to worsen! Anfey could not help but sigh and wait patiently. Who would have guessed that even after thirty seconds, the wyvern would still be paralyzed. Anfey turned to look at the wyvern¡¯s head and noticed that its eyelids had already closed¡ªfallen into the eternal paralysis of death...


    "Anfey, what are you doing?" Sante asked, curious.


    "I am testing the paralytic effect of the manticore stinger," Anfey replied. Thinking for a moment, Anfey turned around and asked, "Sante, could one use magic to increase the probability of paralysis?"


    "I believe...it is not possible," Sante said, shaking his head.


    "Never mind then." With his interest waning, Anfey returned the manticore stinger to the dimensional ring. Now, speaking to his two assistants, he said: "Remove its magic crystal and venom fangs. As for the body...we will discuss what to do after Christian and Suzannae, but we will leave it here for now."


    Suddenly, the unicorn foal rushed out from the cave. Despite only having learned to walk recently, his strides had already be second nature. In just a few gallops, it found itself atop the wyvern corpse. The unicorn initially bowed its head to inspect the corpse, then looked up with an air of conceited pride. As if facing a vast forest of magical beasts, the unicorn let out the cry of a mighty king. All the while his hind legs scornfully kicked at the wyvern corpse¡ªsuch arrogance!


    Unfortunately, the little guy had yet to fully express his desire for fighting or his contempt towards adversaries. Anfey sternly scolded, "You twit! Next time you run amok like this, I¡¯ll break your legs!" Anfey could manage people just fine, but not this guy. This little guy had been quite the miracle; in just a few days able to run so quick and with such grace! With the threat of the wyvern, Anfey often worried about the little guy! That is the heartache of being a parent¡ªvery difficult!!!


    To "bully the weak and fear the strong" is a universal and unassable truth! Whether human or beast! Not only does this little guy take advantage of Niya and Shally, but even Suzanna. When bored, he often sneaks up behind people to ram them in the back or to pull at their clothes. But if he hears Anfey speak loudly, the little guy immediately bes well-behaved. It seems that even he knows who can bully whom...


    "Anfey, you are bullying my baby again!" Niya screamed from the cave.


    It could be said that if Niya¡¯s personality did not change, she would never amount to anything. To envy what others have is fine, to take by force what others have is fine as well. But one must consider the method. Where can one openly disy one¡¯s own insatiable greed? Would doing so not raise the vignce of others? Say for instance her goal is also not right; that the little guy being close with her is just for fun, but him being close with Anfey is instinctive. Can she ever win this way? Niya¡¯s painstaking effort to make that little unicorn into her little baby could only end poorly.


    "Go, your mother is calling you again," Anfey said as he put the little guy on the ground.


    Niya walked out of the cave and tried to talk to Anfey about how to take care of the little animal. But she ended up feeling embarrassed and went back into the cave.


    The little guy did not want to leave Anfey and curled up by his feet. A perceptive person could see that the little guy was always trying to please Anfey. But with others, he just waited for them to please him. This was a fundamental difference...


    Christian and Suzanna came out to see the wyvern corpse. Instantly shocked, they hurriedly retreated to the cave. Christian immediately asked, "Is everybody okay?" while Suzanna anxiously searched for Shally.


    As long as one is perceptive, one can always determine the inner thoughts of another through hints and clues. Take Suzanna for instance: although she had be a part of the team and treated each member as a close partner, her little sister was still the most important to her. In case of any danger, Suzanna would never hesitate to save her sister¡¯s life over that of another team member. This of course was understandable!


    "Everyone is all right! That wyvern foolishly got into the cave. When webined our magic, and we took it down immediately," Sanchez said with a big grin.


    "That¡¯s good," Christian said, much relieved.


    "Anfey, where is Shally?" Suzanne worriedly asked.


    "She is inside meditating," Anfey responded, "You guys saw a seven-winged magic fly?"


    "Yes, there were a lot of them¡ªat least 30!"


    "Do they pose a danger to us?"


    "They are generally weak and have poor magic. But when we are dealing with a wyvern, even weak magic can be quite dangerous."


    "Despite having so many powerful mages who can easily disperse negative magic," Christian said, "allowing the seven-winged magic fly to outnumber and surround us is still incredibly imprudent."


    "Is there any way to lure them out?"


    "Yes, but there are difficulties. They are attracted only to rotting magical corpses. Of course...if we use the unicorn corpse...we may be able to draw the magic flies out!" Christian dered.


    Anfey suddenly remembered that pair of greedy eyes from when the wyvern was eyeing the little unicorn; "That¡¯s a good idea. Suzanna, you take the second group and find a ce to dig a trap. Zubin, Shante, and I will dig the unicorn corpse out. The rest of you, stay here. Niya, I¡¯m handing the little guy over to you¡ªdo not let him run about!"


    "I¡¯ll handle it," Niya said with a bright exuberance from being given this responsibility. Her heart was truly content.


    "Let¡¯s try this. If it does not work, we will try something else," Anfey said slowly.


    Anfey prefered to act cleanly and orderly. He initially did not want conflict with the wyvern; but now that conflict was inevitable, he had be vigorous and resolute. His soldiers were setting out on two separate tasks: one group to ready the trap, the other to retrieve the unicorn corpse.


    What kind of creature is most merciless? The answer is quite simple: human!


    Take for example the way humans deal with seals, whales, and mink; let alone the sheer cruelty of eating raw monkey brain and the dish of three sounds. Anfey would not partake in such indulgences here, as the unicorn had produced in him some kind of indescribable sentiment. But in circumstances such as these, he also would not oppose those on his team that do!


    What was once an unparalleled and divine unicorn had be a wretched thing. It really could only be described as a thing now. Its once dazzling fur was taken as amodity and would someday be made into the highest quality of magic leather. Its sky-blue horn neatly was ced in Christian¡¯s dimensional ring. Its priceless blood was drawn and used as the team¡¯s miracle medicine. With all its glory and power long departed, what remained was entirely covered by maggots.


    "Anfey, do we really need to move this thing back?" Shante asked while pinching his nose.


    "Let¡¯s bury it first," said Anfey. He did not know why, but ever since arriving here, Anfey had believed that decisions he made in the moment were even more surprising to the others.


    "Bury...bury it?" Shante responded with a forced smile.


    "Bury it now, and we will deal with it tomorrow," Anfey decided.


    Shante and Zubin looked at each other, both thinking the same thing¡ªdigging a hole would not be so easy, and burying this body also would not be so easy. For two mages, they must expend a lot of physical strength. But Anfey had already spoken; they had no choice but to act ording to his directive.


    After everyone returned in time for dinner; and each had noticed that Anfey still had not uttered a word. Nobody had ever seen Anfey be lost in himself like this. Even the time Anfey realized that he had killed the sole grandson of a master swordsman, his face had remained undisturbed. Seeing Anfey like this now, even Niya and Shally dared not make a sound. After dinner, Anfey¡¯s appearance had just begun to ease, and everyone silently gestured for Christian to intervene. In everyone¡¯s mind, Christian was the team¡¯s second-inmand. As such, it was his job to help ease whatever worry the leader had.


    "Anfey, are you busy? Can we go for a walk?" Christian asked as he approached Anfey¡¯s side with a sympathetic smile.


    "Sure, I have some things I want to discuss with you anyways," Anfey nodded.


    As everyone else watched silently, the two slowly left the cave.


    Both were silent for a moment, then Christian began with, "Anfey, what¡¯s weighing on your mind? It seemed like your mood suddenly shifted earlier."


    "Let¡¯s go a bit farther first¡ªI do not want our conversation to be overheard," Anfey said.


    "Sure," Christian agreed.


    Suddenly little Shally ran out of the cave, handed something to Christian and said, "Thank you, Christian."


    Anfey noticed that it was the unicorn horn.


    "No problem, little Shally. You are too polite," Christian chuckled.


    Then Niya and Suzanna also appeared out of the cave, walking towards the garden.


    Anfey frowned, "What are you two up to?"


    "Going for a bath," Niya timidly responded. Normally, she would certainly have responded with, "Who wants you to know" or "Not going to tell you." But this evening Anfey seemed off, so she naturally responded more politely.


    "Nonsense, theke is toxic!" cried Anfey.


    "Anfey, they tossed the unicorn horn into theke a full day and a half ago. The toxins have all been neutralized," Christianughed. "If outsiders catch wind of us using a unicorn horn for bath water...we would probably get scolded for being too wasteful."


    "This is true," Anfey agreed. "Susanna, you must be careful! Although wyverns have quite poor night vision and will not attack at night, what of other magical beasts?"


    "I know," Susanna replied.


    "These women...they¡¯re so delicate!" Anfey eximed, watching as Niya waited for the others. But just as the words left his mouth, he felt his back itch¡ªhe too wanted a bath...


    "Women, they¡¯re all that way," Christian said, smiling. Returning to their conversation he asked, "Anfey, can we talk now?"


    "Oh...how do I put this. Today, as Zubin, Shante, and I were digging up the unicorn corpse, I noticed that my mark had been moved."


    "Mark? What mark?"


    "It is difficult to exin. What I can tell you is that someone had been digging around the unicorn corpse!"


    "What happens if...other magical creatures had touched the body?"


    "It was not magical creatures," Anfey decisively replied.


    "Do you mean...you think someone may be secretly monitoring us?"


    "Beyond doubt, there is certainly someone!" Anfey smiled, "And through today¡¯s events, I have realized some things."


    "What?"


    "Remember Zeda?"


    "Of course!"


    "Has Zeda evere to the master¡¯s house?"


    Christian thought carefully, "Never."


    "This confirms my hypothesis; we are inadvertently...or we are being forced into a huge conspiracy!"


    "Anfey, why do you say that?"


    "Zeda is too arrogant. Do you dare enter Philip¡¯s home to stir up trouble? Do not say there is some royal decree. But even if there were such amand, for the sake of the future, they should still act politely," Anfey sneered. "And if Maris is really working with Zeda, could you really call that a coincidence?


    "I...am confused, Anfey," Christian responded, wryly smiling.


    "The first time we met the Knights of the Holy me Legion, there were those who helped us¡ªwhy would they help us?"


    "Might have been a friend of the master or..."


    "Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too na?ve?"


    "Then...what are you saying happened?"


    "Someone needed us to escape! Someone needed us to do this¡ªthey used our movements to convey to the outside world some kind of...message. Do you understand now?"


    "There are still...some things I do not understand," Christian replied, perplexed.


    "We have be pawns in somebody else¡¯s game!" Anfey spat. "I hate being manipted!!!"

 Chapter 77: Attack

    Chapter 77: Attack


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Neither Anfey nor Christian slept well that night. Anfey had only spoken half of his thoughts. He couldn¡¯t tell Christian some of the ns, and Christian kept tossing and turning, his thoughts unknown. He rolled over into Anfey, who also had trouble falling asleep, and met his eyes. They exchanged smiles, and once again turned away in different directions.


    Everyone got up early in the morning and efficiently divided thebor. vi, Sanchez, Feller, and others stayed behind to look after the base camp. Anfey, Christian, Riska and the main force went to dig up the unicorn corpse. Anfey was a little worried that the two-footed flying dragon mighte to provoke them, so he especially took out a piece of the highest quality magic crystal to have Christian form a magic array. Soon afterwards he led the main battle squad out onto the prairie.


    Ten miles from the manticore¡¯s den, Christian and Suzanna were preparing the final touches. The trap was about five meters wide, with four tree branches on top to hold it in ce. A of woven tree sticks wasid on the branches as well. They had prepared a lot of timber for building houses these days, and weren¡¯tcking these materials.


    At the very bottom of the trap, Christian had arranged a magic array with increased gravity. As long as he was at a far distance to stimte the operation of the magic array with his mental strength, within ten meters of the magic array, the gravity would increase seven or eight fold, the weight of the branches and the of sticks on top of the trap would also increase. With the addition of surface dust and the weight of the corpse of the unicorn, the branches would abruptly break, and everything on top would fall down.


    After building it, Suzanna and Christian went around the trap, and even ran up on top of the trap and stomped on it a few times. It was pretty durable, although there was a loose feeling beneath the feet. But in the magic beasts forest, there were fallen sticks and leaves everywhere, and even if the ground appeared to be very strong, it was still surprising to suddenly have one foot trapped in the midst of a pile of fallen leaves.


    Anfey, Riska and the others had carried the unicorn corpse over. At this time, Christian had already formed a magic array to mask all the fluctuations of the elements, ten meters away behind the bushes. After having ced the unicorn corpse properly, they would just have to wait.


    The first to arrive weren¡¯t the seven-winged magic flies, but a few types of small magic beasts. Anfey was surprised that he actually saw some magic beasts simr to grayish ck rabbits biting at the carrion of the unicorn. He did not have the impression that rabbits were carnivores.


    As time passed, an increasing number of magic beasts gathered near the unicorn corpse. It was probably due to the fact that the unicorn corpse was too immense, and caused all the magic beasts to believe there was enough food. There were no conflicts between them; they ate their own fill and appeared to be very peaceful.


    Themotion of the gathering of all types of magical beasts quickly caught the attention of the seven-winged magic flies. Two golden lights appeared and sped nearer, finally stopping eight or nine meters in the air, and shining downwards.


    Anfey had heard Christian tell him before that the seven-winged magic fly was enormous, and simr to the size of a human brain. That was why Anfey had subconsciously thought of the seven-winged magic fly as a type of spherically shaped magic beast. It wasn¡¯t until he had seen with his own eyes that he understood that Christian meant the body length. It could only be said that Christian¡¯s description was mistaken.


    The seven-winged magic fly had a very soft body. Its body was about as thick as a person¡¯s two fingers, its whole body appeared to be a pale gold, and there were indeed seven pairs of wings, three pairs on each side and a pair on their back that appeared to be very small and shortpared to the other wings.


    This splint on the back helped it to be able to change its flight direction even more rapidly, which made it even more difficult to predict the course of its flight.


    The seven-winged magic fly is a worthy flight master; its action of being suspended in air seemed very easy and natural. Behind it was a small sunflower shaped sucker that shook around as if it was looking for something. A seven¨Cwinged fly rapidly turned its body around and flew in the direction it came from, and another seven-winged magic fly then continued to circle over the unicorn corpse.


    Not long after, the distant forest began to glow with bits of golden light. A group of seven-winged magic flies flew towards them aggressively, and the magic beasts that were fighting over the unicorn corpse seemed somewhat afraid. They slowly stopped eating and looked towards the sky.


    This group of seven-winged magic flies first attacked the grayish ck rabbit-looking magic beast. It seemed that not only humans know to pinch persimmons that are ripe [1]...


    The rest of the magic beasts stood aloof, as if it did not affect them, and took a bite of carrion from time to time. That rabbit-like magic beast obviously wasn¡¯t an opponent, and would soon be banished and disappear in the midst of the magic beast forest.


    Immediately after that, the group of seven-winged magic flies started to attack a big spider with a weird totem on its back, and thus, at that moment, it finally experienced the fruit of having watched coldly on the sideline.


    It waved it¡¯s little legs in rebellion as it let out calls of chirps, as if it was asking the other magical beasts to rescue it. But just as it had not help the rabbit just then, no magic beasts came to help it now.


    The seven-winged magic flies attacked very fast, and once they attacked, they flew away immediately, not lingering over the big spider. In the blink of an eye, their attack came wave after wave, and left many wounds on the big spider. Luckily, the seven-winged magic flies¡¯ could only heal themselves once. If it could bebined, this big spider probably would have been immobilized already.


    Finally, the big spider couldn¡¯t stand the collective attack of the seven-winged magic flies and fled into the forest. The seven-winged magic flies regrouped in the air, as if they were choosing their next opponent.


    A magic wolf with ame leg let out a howl to warn the seven-winged magic flies not to mess with it; to go bully the others because it was not to be trifled with. Who could have known that even before the wolf¡¯s cry had stopped, a very horrible scream came from afar. Immediately, a huge figure in the sky came pressing towards them.


    The wolf was very vignt.. Before the other magic beasts could respond, it had already opened its mouth and ripped off a big piece of carrion from the unicorn corpse, and immediately went into the forest. Even though it had just pronounced its solemn deration, it fled into the forest in the blink of an eye; that was too much of a loss of face. But high-level magic beasts were at the top of the food chain in the magic beasts forest. Even a group of starving magic wolves wouldn¡¯t dare to wage an attack on the two-footed flying dragon, and magic beasts like the magic wolf don¡¯t really care for its reputation either.


    The rest of the magic beasts coaxed to disperse. The magic beast forest was a region where the strong ones were respected, and it was also a region of survival of the fittest. All the magic beasts understood that; they knew what they should do when in the face of irresistible force.


    A two-footed flying dragonzilynded. This two-footed flying dragon was a bit bigger than the two-footed flying dragon that broke into the cave yesterday. It was toozy to pay attention to the scattered fleeing magic beasts.


    It tilted its head and looked around, then shook its stout body and slowly walked towards the unicorn corpse.


    Within the magic shield, Anfey carefully watched the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s every movement, but Christian was watching Anfey instead, and was quietly waiting for Anfey to give a signal.


    The two-footed flying dragon finally set down on the trap under everyone¡¯s eyes. But at this moment, an ident urred. Although Anfey and everyone had carefullypiled the branches into a, and Suzanna had carefully inspected it as well, there would always be some omissions. In this case, this two-footed flying dragon¡¯s weight was beyond imagination. As a result, its right leg broke the branches underneath, and it fell deep into the trap, with its whole body nted.


    "Begin!" Anfey said in a low voice. He wanted the painstakingly created trap to be of great use; to be able to kill all the seven-winged magic flies and even a few two-footed flying dragons. But hope is just hope. That two-footed flying dragon¡¯s ident had already destroyed Anfey¡¯s hopes.


    Christian quickly used mental strength tounch a magic array to increase gravitational strength. There came a light hoot from the air, and the surrounding weeds ten meters or so from the unicorn corpse, as well as the shrubs, fell neatly onto the ground all at the same time, as if the ground beneath had some random force of attraction. Their leaves stuck entirely onto the ground, and also produced breaking sounds from time to time.


    The most unfortunate were the seven-winged magic flies. Their wings were actually very thin, and they relied on having a light body in order for them to be able to fly fast. During the start of the magic array, there body weight immediately increased a few times.


    At the same time, they pped their wings rapidly on instinct, in hopes of ridding that kind of force of attraction. Due to the intensity of the struggle, their wings either abruptly snapped, or their bodies were strained. They fell to the ground one after another as a result.


    But the two-footed flying dragon and the unicorn corpse in front of it disappeared together. The ground trembled. An adult two-footed flying dragon¡¯s weight was around 4,000 pounds, and with the addition of the increased gravity, something around the weight of nearly 30 thousand pounds crashed into the trap. It was not a surprise to have this kind of result. Not to mention that the unicorn¡¯s corpse was also affected by the increased gravity, and together, it would be an intimidating figure.


    Suzanna jumped up and rushed towards the trap first. To have arranged the magic array in the middle of the trap was ast resort; they would not get the desired result if the magic array were formed in other ces. But after the heavy weight had fallen into the trap, it could possibly have done damage to the magic array. The effect of the increased gravity would disappear, and she did not have a lot of time.


    Suzanna stopped for moment when she rushed out of the area enveloped in the magic array. The undtion that the magic array produced suddenly disappeared. Only then did Suzanna conveyed her energy for battle and sprung up straight towards the inside of the trap like a meteor. She wanted to resolve the hidden danger before the two-footed flying dragon restored itsbat power.


    The second one to charge was Anfey, while Riska released a frost tactic. White frost flowers that are visible to the naked eye began to condense on the ground surrounding the trap. The seven-winged magic flies like hot and humid weather; the frost tactic would make them suffer! As for Suzanna and Anfey, a temperature around zero degrees waspletely tolerable.


    Since time was short, there were only three raised top sharp-pointed stakes in the trap. The two-footed flying dragon was lucky: itid right in the middle of the three stakes, and only one of the stakes gave it a minor scrape. The two-footed flying dragon struggled to flip its body, wanting to get itself upright. The light from the sword that Suzanna released had already arrived. A crescent moon shaped sword light struck the belly of the two-footed flying dragon and immediately left a wound about 4 inches long, and the two-footed flying dragon screamed loudly.


    "Yeah!" Suzanna yelled, and kicked the inside wall of the trap forcefully with her right leg. Her attack when her whole body was shrouded inbat mode was very scary. That kick made a big hole in the wall, and Suzanna sprung up and leapt towards the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s neck.


    The two-footed flying dragon had an unusually agile neck. It was the main weapon for hunting, but it was also its fatal weakness. Compared to its huge body, the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s neck was way too thin and small, and it could not withstand an attack that was too fierce.


    And at the moment, Anfey was waving the tail needle of the manticore, attacking the seven-winged magic flies that practically had not defense against it. Suzanna was the strong one anyways; there was no need for him to exert his utmost strength.


    A brutal cold light shed across the small pupils of the two-footed flying dragon. It shook its neck and bypassed Suzanna¡¯s attack, and instead, it bit towards Suzanna¡¯s lower abdomen from below. Although the two-footed flying dragon was fighting Suzanna while lying down on the ground, its speed of movement was still very rapid.


    Suzanna gripped her left fist tightly, and bounded with dazzlingbat energy, she struck out downwards. Suzanna¡¯s small hand normally appeared to be delicate, but after conveyingbat energy, her hand became hard like iron, and her punch struck the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s head with a direct hit. Suzanna only felt bursts of soreness in her hand, and her body could not help but to float upwards, while the two-footed flying dragon screamed loudly in more pain.


    At this time, Christian and Riska came charging forward. Christian raised his hand and a sh of lightning fell out of thin air and struck the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s head. Riska¡¯s release of magic was much slower than Christian¡¯s, but what he released, however, was a fire meteor. The two-footed flying dragon still flipped over on its belly, but it simply could not dodge, and could only watch the fire meteor crash onto its body.


    Hot mes shot everywhere. Suzanna eyed the exact position of the two-footed flying dragon, and still relying on the overpoweringbat energy, she pushed into the fire. The two-footed flying dragon was about to go crazy with pain, and did not expect a human silhouette to sprung out of the mes. There was no time for it to resist again, and the long sword bathed inbat energy heavily hacked onto the back of its neck.


    Although the sword attack that Suzanna had summoned with all her strength did not fully chop through the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s neck, the attack left the dragon with no chance of survival. The two-footed flying dragon¡¯s scream suddenly died down, and its long neck fell weakly to the ground. Under its mouth was the unicorn corpse of its dreams: It was a pity that it did not have enough strength left to even eat just a small piece of the carrion.


    Riska let out a breath of relief, and repeatedly released a few whirlwinds. The two-footed flying dragon¡¯s ability to resist magic was the lowest amongst the high level magic beasts, and their ability to resist the magic of the fire series was beyond hideous and horrible to look at. The fire meteor abruptly exploded a hole in the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s chest. The stink of burnt flesh prated the air, and Riska could barely stand it.


    Christian and Suzanna¡¯s expressions became more rxed, and they turned around together to look towards Anfey. Anfey was seriously brandishing the manticore¡¯s tail needle, and the attack made thest seven-winged magic fly that was trying to escape fall to the ground. Sante and Zubin followed behind Anfey, collecting the seven-winged magic flies. The three strongbatants¡ªthe high level swordsman, the beginner level magister, and one who had just be a magister¡ªjoined forces, and Anfey was not worried that they would have some type of ident. His concentration was all on the seven-winged magic flies.


    Although there were countless good things in Anfey¡¯s dimensional ring, they were not his own. Anfey never had a selfish thought of private possession; they would have to be returned to Saul sooner orter. But the unicorn corpse, manticore, and the seven-winged magic flies were different. These were the fruits of their team¡¯sbor. Anfey had always valued his own private belongings...


    Achoo ... Anfey contentedly took back the manticore¡¯s tail needle into the dimensional ring and sneezed. The effects of the frost tactic had gradually dissipated, but the air was still very cold. On the other hand, Christian was waiting for people not in the midst ofbat and was surrounded by the magic shield, so he had no problems. Anfey nced with envy at Christian and the others; he didn¡¯t know when he¡¯d be able to generate a magic shield. How impressive would that be.


    "Is everyone alright?" Anfey jumped in ce a few times and began to do warm-up exercises. Anfey¡¯s wariness gradually decreased with the increase in the amount of time he had spent with everyone, and his temperament became easy-going. In the past, he would not have done this type of action under everyone¡¯s eyes.


    "We still have no problem in dealing with a two-footed flying dragon," said Riska confidently. They all said that strength was ambition¡¯s cradle. With the increase of strength, almost everyone¡¯s ambitions would gradually grow. In actuality, confidence would also increase along with strength. Knowing that he had broken the bottleneck, and that bing a magister was just around the corner, Riska became more confident.


    "Don¡¯t be careless!" Anfey shook his head. "Suzanna, take out that two-footed flying dragon¡¯s magic crystal and poisonous tooth before the other two-footed flying dragons rush here."


    Anfey was beginning to like Suzanna more and more, but this was not the usual kind of affinity between a man and a woman. Apart from the times when they had disputes, Suzanna did not have that many shorings, and her merits were obvious. She could endure hardship and trouble, she was willing to exert her utmost strength, her ability was the strongest amongst the team, and she knew how to obeymands. She was simply the role model citizen of another world...Where could one go to find such a good opponent?!


    "Okay." Sure enough, after Suzanna nodded, she obediently extracted the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s poisonous tooth.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s go check out the two-footed flying dragons¡¯ nest. Although the two-footed flying dragons live in groups, they are separated when they are hunting, and at most only two or three are together. If we go to their nest, we might have a lot to gain," Christian suggested. Having won so easily gave him a lot of confidence, and all those people at the scene were all the core members of the team¡¯sbat power. No one would be getting in the way of anyone. In case they came across any danger, there would still be no problem in retreat.


    "Might as well." Anfey nodded his head. It did not mean that they would definitely have to fight if they went. Without the seven-winged magic flies being their eyes and ears, the two-footed flying dragons would have a hard time discovering them, and they could use the eye of the sky to observe movement from far away. If there were advantages to take, then they would attack. If there were no advantages, then they would just go back.


    They all knew the specific location of the manticore¡¯s nest. After Suzanna had taken out the spoils of war, everyone rushed toward the nest of the two-footed flying dragons together. Christian released the eye of the sky once again, at the ce where everyone had stayedst time, and searched for the trail of the two-footed flying dragons.


    Compared tost time, the surrounding scenery had changed a lot. First, on the ancient tree near the resting ground of the manticore, there were seven or eightrge mud nests. Those were indeed the nests of the two-footed flying dragons. The two-footed flying dragons liked to rest in trees, because their night vision was very poor, and resting on top of trees could help them to avoid a lot of dangers. Otherwise, a group of magic wolves could cause them big trouble at night.


    After having searched for a while, Suzanna eximed in surprise, "Weird, howe I can¡¯t see even one two-footed flying dragon?"


    "Search again," Anfey said quietly.


    After searching again, they were still not able to find a single one. Christian suddenly became nervous. "Anfey, they didn¡¯t go attack our camping ground, right?"


    "That¡¯s probably not possible." Anfey pondered for a moment, "You don¡¯t have to worry. Didn¡¯t we already arrange a magic array to protect everyone? Besides, they have a lighting chain scroll and hell¡¯s fire scroll. Even if all the two-footed flying dragons went, they would still be able to ward them off."


    "I say we go back immediately," Christian said. "We¡¯ll talk again in a while." Anfey shook his head. "Riska, release the eye of the sky as well, and go in two different directions with Christian to search for the two-footed flying dragons!"


    ording to Christian and other people¡¯s analyses of the habits of the two-footed flying dragons, even if they had gone out to hunt collectively, there should still be two or three two-footed flying dragons that stayed behind in the nest. But now not a single one was to be found, and Anfey kept feeling it was a bit strange.


    In order to find the two-footed flying dragons¡¯ trail faster, Christian and Riska both increased the scope of the eye of the sky this time. Searching from two directions, Riska shortly found a two-footed flying dragon¡¯s corpse first. "Anfey, hurry ande look!" Riska shouted. Anfey and the others quickly rushed over. A two-footed flying dragon¡¯s corpsey quietly in the grass, with a blood hole as thick as a baby¡¯s arm on its body. Their initial estimate was that there were probably more than a hundred two-footed flying dragons. The surrounding shrubs hadn¡¯t changed that much, which proved that the battle ended very fast!


    "Riska, give me your magic coordinates!" Christian said anxiously.


    "Alright," Riska nodded his head.


    With urate magic coordinates, Christian¡¯s eye of the sky¡¯s search range moved closer. After they both worked very hard, they again found another two corpses of two-footed flying dragons. If it was a battle of equal strengths, then the surrounding grass and shrubs would not have been untrampled. But the scene of the two-footed flying dragons¡¯ death appeared to be very peaceful.


    "Could it be...done by the top level magic beasts?" Anfey asked.


    "Not possible. This way of attack does not seem to be of magic beasts," Suzanna shook her head.


    "Then what do you say it was?"


    "People!"


    "People?" Anfey was surprised. The first person he thought of was the old Phillip, whom he had never met. "Could he have already caught up to us here?" Anfey thought.


    "It must also be a lot of people!" Suzanna¡¯s second sentence gave Anfey a huge feeling of relief.


    "Anfey, what about me?" Christian asked. His mood at the moment was very contradictory. Having been hanging around in the magic beasts forest for so long, he really wanted to see other people, but he was also worried abouting across danger. Human nature could not be controlled, and even Anfey had wanted people toe onto the ind.


    "Christian, meditate with Riska for a while first, and then we will go over there to look together." Anfey pondered for a moment and made up his mind. Kings always had a saying, "How can an outsider sleep on my bed!" Anfey and they had risked danger to eliminate the unicorn and manticore, and were even prepared to get rid of the two-footed flying dragons. It was for the team that he could be the ruler of this region, and so they would be able to live safely. But now a group of people appeared randomly; they had to get to the bottom of this no matter what!


    Christian knew that it was a serious matter, didn¡¯t say much either and went into meditation with Riska. The two had mastered the method of deep meditation. They had not lost much magic energy, so returned to their best condition fast.


    Following along the magic coordinate, a party very carefully made their way to the scene of the battle. This time, everyone appeared to be much more cautious. When investigating the nest of the two-footed flying dragons, Christian and the others had released a drifting tactic, andnded when they had just rushed in. But at the moment, he was carefully going through the forest with Suzanna. Not only were their movements very slow, and they heard some noises now and then, theirpanions also became silent, and only continued to move forward after deciding that there were no dangerous circumstances.


    Apart from Anfey, the rest of them could not urately estimate the time. After 20 or 30 minutes, everyone rushed to a two-footed flying dragon¡¯s corpse and began to carefully examine it.


    Two or three wounds were nothing, but hundreds of holes crowded together seemed a bit scary. The two-footed flying dragon¡¯s eyes were still opened, and its light green skin had already became greenish ck. There were bloodstains all over its body. Anfey walked to the front, pinched a small piece of flesh from the wound with his fingers, and tore it off with force. He then gently twisted it between his two fingers, and concentrated fully on feeling the sticity of the flesh.


    But Suzanna and the others did not understood what Anfey was doing. They observed vigntly, and sensed the state of affairs of the outside world while looking at Anfey.


    Anfey again grabbed a handful of bloodstained soil from the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s corpse, smelled it, then gently let it go. He then broke off a branch from the middle of the shrubs, broke the twigs and leaves, and inserted it deep into the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s wound. The wound wasn¡¯t deep, but it wasn¡¯t shallow either; it was about seven or eight centimeters deep. Anfey had also tested a few other wounds, and found that they were about the same depth.


    It could be said that there was no lethal wound on this two-footed flying dragon¡¯s body, but the key was that there were too many wounds. No matter what magic beast, excessive blood loss would lead to rapid exhaustion and would lead straight to death!


    "Anfey, what did you see?" Suzanna asked.


    Anfey pondered for a moment, "Minus the time they spent searching for the two-footed flying dragons, minus the meditation, minus the time spent rushing here." He came to a conclusion: "This two-footed flying dragon just died right before we arrived here!"


    "Then what about these wounds? Can you tell what kind of weapon it was?" Suzanna asked.


    "Suzanna, how deep of a wound can you inflict on the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s body if you summoned all yourbat power, and attacked with full force?" Anfey asked in return.


    "Let me try." Suzanna gathered herbat power, walked slowly to the front of the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s body, and forcefully stabbed towards the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s belly. As a result, the sword went in deeply, almost to the sword hilt.


    "This does not count." Suzanna shook her head. "After a magic beast dies, its defense would decrease, and...I think that this two-footed flying dragon is very strange, as if it was a bunch of grass. I could not feel any resistance at all."


    "Take a look at this." Anfey raised up the tree branch in his hand, "If you were facing a live two-footed flying dragon, and used a full force attack, would you be able to stab such a deep wound?"


    "Probably two or three times as deep as this," Suzanna said.


    "Then that would be thirty centimeters..." Anfey pondered for a moment. "Depending on a high level swordsman¡¯sbat power, with a handle of mystery in hand, always unwilling to tell of the origin of the top sword, only then could Suzanna leave a thirty centimeters deep wound on the two-footed flying dragon. What kind of person is he? Could it be there were hundreds of beginner level swordsman?"


    "I have a feeling this two-footed flying dragon¡¯s body does not contain the magic crystal anymore!" Suzanna eximed suddenly.


    "Oh?" Anfey was stunned.


    Suzanna did not wait for Anfey to speak, and had already jumped onto the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s body. She stabbed downwards, split opened the carcass, and this time Anfey and the others all saw the strange and unusual sight. The unicorn¡¯s magic crystal grew in the unicorn¡¯s brain, and the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s magic crystal grew in its chest, wrapped up by its heart.


    When Suzanna had retrieved the magic crystal from the two-footed flying dragon that had been in the trap, she chopped and cut, and after after working hard for a while, she finally retrieved it. But now, this two-footed flying dragon seemed as if it was made of mud, and was easily cut open by Suzanna. Both were two-footed flying dragons and both were corpses, so there shouldn¡¯t have been that much of a difference!


    "Heavens! There is indeed no magic crystal! How did they do it?!" Suzanna eximed in surprise. She had already cut the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s heart open. It was empty inside; there was no magic crystal, and not even blood!


    Just at this time, hundreds of meters away in the forest, came a person¡¯s scream. Anfey and the others looked back towards the location of the scream.


    "Attack!!" Another person¡¯s shout was heard. Promptly, that person yelled again in a very furious tone, "Who screamed just now!? I will f***king cut him into pieces!!"


    Immediately, a dense javelin like thing shot out from the forest in every direction, andnded at the spot Anfey and the others were.


    There was a prating whining sound everywhere in the sky, and the javelin-like thing that was shot overhead was like a group of dark clouds.


    Luckily, Anfey and the others had already developed a sense of vignce. Christian and four mages had already set up four walls, which firmly blocked everyone, and Christian also released a magic shield, which protected everyone inside. Christian brought out the sword, stood at the very front, and anxiously guarded.


    Although the momentum of the javelin was jarring, the wall was a very effective magic shield. The javelin destroyed two walls in a row, but in front of the third wall, it did not have much energy left and could only drill into the wall in vain, its tail still trembling.


    "My god! Orc!! Let¡¯s get out of here!!" Suzanna screamed urgently. Numerous savage faces emerged from the forest, and came charging forward at swift speed.


    Christian and Riska held onto Anfey on either side, levitated, and flew into the sky. Zubin and Sante also followed from behind.


    "Turn!! Towards north!!" Anfey said in a low voice, then preceded to lift his voice, "Suzanna, catch up with us, hurry!" Although having suffered from the sudden attack, Anfey¡¯s senses were very clear, but Christian was actually thrown into a panic. He fled straight towards the camp, but this could probably lure the Orcs to the campsite. In order to temporarily protect the safety of the camp, there had to be a change in direction.


    Footnotes:


    [1] To pick on those who are easy to bully

 Chapter 78: Unintentional Fabrication

    Chapter 78: Unintentional Fabrication


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Looking back, Anfey could see clearly the group of savage looking orcs charging out of the forest. Among them was a young ck-haired person dressed in ck who looked particrly interesting. Anfey could feel that the young person was the leader of the orcs.


    The orcs did not appear to want to give up their goal, and they continually produced weird shouts, charging towards Anfey and the others. Anfey¡¯s knowledge about the orcs was that they were always disoriented, whether in single tribes or groups of tribes, and there shouldn¡¯t be orcs living in Forest rm! But the orcs behind them were well equipped, and the javelin that was just thrown out was standard. At this time, every single orc was holding the same short handled wolf tooth rod, and some orcs were even wearing leather armor. How did this seem like a mess?


    Anfey was able to float in the sky because of Christian and Riska¡¯s ability to fly, so he didn¡¯t need to use his strength and he could observe the movements of the orcs. The levitation speed wasn¡¯t that fast, but it was more convenient whenpared to going through the forest, and Susanna easily left the orcs far behind with reliance onbat power.


    Those orcs saw that they could not keep up. Some gradually slowed their pace, while some could not bear it but continued to pursue in exhaustion. Their whole formation came apart.


    "Let me down! Christian!" Anfey yelled. He believed in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Since these orcs had attempted a sneak attack, he would not let them go that easily!


    Christian took Anfey¡¯s direction, together with Riska let Anfey down onto the treetops, and were prompted to release a magic signal that meant counterattack. Zubin and Sante scattered in two directions of the roundabout, Suzanna came to a fast stop, and shot back immediately like a sharp arrow.


    Anfey grasped a section of tree branches to first steady himself, and then used both feet to step forcefully on a thicker branch to test its flexibility. He stood up, held onto the treetop, and his body fell straight down. That tree branch could not hold Anfey¡¯s weight. When Anfey was seven or eight meters away from the ground, it split open with the sound of a crack. Anfey took a deep breath, rolled as he hit to absorb the blow, pulled out the sword with his backhand, and stared coldly at the more than a dozen orcs that were charging forward.


    Retreat was just a strategy; it did not mean being scared of the enemy. There were two beginner level magisters on the team, and also a high level swordsman. This type of strength would not be inferior to the otherbatants! Just then they were on t ground; the terrain was very unfavorable, but the team of orcs had already been pulled apart, so it was time to fight back!


    Christian and the others who were in the air rose higher, and then started to gather fire energy to attack the orcs in the middle. In this type of battle, fire magic was the most substantial. Especially with the exploding nature of a big fireball, even if it could not reach its attack target, its explosion would still bring disaster to the nearby orcs. Christian also released numerous me dusts; dusts as hot as fire clouds abruptly divided the orcs in the middle.


    Suzanna brandished her sword, rushed to the two orcs in the front. They did not know better and charged toward Suzanna while waving their short-handled wolf tooth rod. The result was that Suzanna almost split one orc¡¯s back in two, from the middle up to the shoulders. Another one suffered one of Suzanna¡¯s kicks to his front chest. He flew back like a bullet, and crashed into a big tree. When he slid down the tree slowly, his back was already bloody and bruised His front chest was not visible, and one can¡¯t say what could have be of it.


    There were probably more than a hundred of them in this group of orcs. Most of them had already stopped chasing, especially since Christian and the others held off a part of them. There were only a few orcs who charged forward to the immediate fight, and they were not a threat for Suzanna. But before she first ughtered, the corner of her eyes swept over to Anfey when she was charging towards the other few orcs. She was worried about Anfey¡¯s safety.


    In actuality, Anfey and Suzanna should have switched sword tactics to be appropriate for this time. That was because Suzanna¡¯s sword¡¯s skill was bold and unconstrained; using the fastest attack speed with the shortest attack distance, she hit every oing opponent. Unable to stop their movement forward, the fate of these orcs was the same no matter how fast they would respond. Being unable to defend would naturally lead to death, and if they were able to block Suzanna¡¯s sword, they still lost weapons in the power of the collision. And Suzanna could rely on spare energy to behead the opponents.


    Anfey had changed to a new sword tactic. It was elegant and flexible; now on the right, now on the left, his opponents were unable to figure it out. He seemed to know that the power of the orcs was very strong. The sword in his hand never seemed toe into contact with the opponent¡¯s weapon, and he always waited for the orcs to attack first. He would then attack suddenly when the opponent¡¯s tactics became predictable, and once he attacked, there would be blood.


    In the blink of an eye, Anfey and Suzanna had taken down seven or eight of the orcs in the front, and then Anfey greeted an orc with its whole body green. Every one of the orcs had a ferocious look on its face, their colors were simr, and their bodies emitted a foul sweat smell. Anfey did not notice that the orc in front of him was a little darker in color than the other orcs. He stepped sideways to bypass the opponent¡¯s attack, and then stabbed towards the opponent¡¯s right ribs.


    That orc appeared to be very agile. Anfey¡¯s choices of his attack times were always very cunning, always choosing when the opponent was almost tired out and before the opponent could recharge its energy. But that orc could actually escape this type of situation. Anfey¡¯s sword brushed against the bottom of his right ribs, and made a deep bloodstain. The orc yelled, and the short handled wolf tooth rod in his hand came smashing towards Anfey head-on. Although Anfey was a bit curious, he was not at all flustered. He stepped away suddenly and let the wolf tooth rod pass him. The sword in his hand twisted up like a poisonous snake, and with a flutter stabbed the orc¡¯s neck.


    Anfey swung the sword stealthily with strength in his wrist, and cut a wound so deep on the orc¡¯s neck that the open throat was visible. Anfey did not stop, and rushed past that orc¡¯s side to greet another orc.


    "Careful!!" Suzanna suddenly yelled. Anfey felt a gush of wind behind his head, there was no time to think, his stature suddenly shortened, and he stretched the sword in his hand out backwards. Listening to the wind was basic work for Anfey. He could not only figure out the weapon of his opponent from the sound of air in the wind, but could also urately figure out the path of attack. His sword blocked the opponent¡¯s attack exactly.


    Anfey¡¯s sword broke with the sound of a ng. This sword was originally Zeda¡¯s. Anfey had always kept it on him until today. Although the sword¡¯s quality was pretty good, it was very torn, without having been protected bybat energy while training with Suzanna. This time when it collided with the heavy wolf tooth rod, the life of the sword had finallye to an end.


    Anfey rolled around and avoided attacks with agility. He flipped over and jumped to one side. He then had an opportunity to look back. The orc whose neck had been cut one-third through was charging towards him with the wolf tooth rod held high.


    Anfey was very confident in his means of attack. That was a definite fatal wound! If he did not think that the opponent would immediately fall down, he would never just have walked past the opponent¡¯s side chicly and exposed his whole backside to the enemy!


    Even though Anfey was a bit surprised, his expression still did not change one bit. He retrieved the manticore¡¯s tail needle from the dimensional ring with his backhand. With a mighty demeanor, he pierced the tail needle into the counterpart¡¯s shoulder at the sound of a flutter.


    That orc suddenly froze and became rigid! The low chance of rigidity from the manticore¡¯s tail actually was a sess in the first real battle. Suzanna had also arrived. Throwing herself at the orc, her right leg drew an airwave visible to the naked eye, andnded a blow to the orc¡¯s head .


    Anfey had already sliced a third of the way into that orc¡¯s neck, and the strength of Suzanna¡¯s kick was too strong. The huge beast¡¯s head went volleying up into the sky and flew far into the distance in the direction Suzanna¡¯s leg had kicked. In front of them was only a headless torso, still spewing blood.


    Anfey hastily jumped out of the way and avoided the bright red fountain. He tilted his head and saw Suzanna¡¯s body was half stained with blood; but she acted as if it were nothing, and once again faced thest few orcs.


    There was a saying that goes, "Mountains and rivers can be changed, but it is hard to change a person¡¯s nature." Anfey was a person who liked to ponder people. Even during this battle he was like that. "This girl has definitely killed people before! Maybe...she even killed a lot!" From the side, he could see that Suzanna had a gutsy and fearless look on her face, and thus he made the judgment.


    At this time, a low horn sound came from the forest. All the orcs turned neatly and ran back like a well-trained army. The few orcs that were attempting to surround Suzanna in the middle also turned around together and ran back. Suzanna hesitated, carved out a cross shape with her sword, light from the sword shot out, and two orcs were killed on the spot. Just when Suzanna was about to wield her sword again, Anfey¡¯s voice rang out from behind her, "Leave this to me!"


    Anfey had already rushed past Suzanna when she had paused for a second. His palm hit the orc¡¯s back, and the orc screamed and flew out iling his arms and legs. But his injury was not that serious. The orc rolled around a few times on the ground but got back up and continued to run forwards; and couldn¡¯t tell where it was hurt.


    "What are you doing?" Suzanna asked with a frown. Anfey smiled as he waved his hands, at the same time he sniffed the smell in the air, and revealed a well-thought-out smile. Suzanna shrugged and did not continue to question him. She thought: "This man is mysterious in many ways anyways. I wouldn¡¯t be able to get any answers even if I do ask, and even then, the answers I get might not even be true."


    Christian and a few othersnded from the air. "Anfey, should we chase them?"


    "No need, they can¡¯t run away," Anfey said with a smile, "Suzanna, what was up with that orc just then? I obviously hurt him so badly, how did he still have strength to fight?"


    "That wasn¡¯t a normal orc, it was an orc warrior."


    "Very powerful?"


    "If it was very powerful you¡¯d have long been dead," Suzanna rolled her eyes at Anfey, "Above the orc warrior is still the beast blood warrior, and the strongest is the beast soul warrior. Have you heard of Ahdibaijan?"


    "This name...I¡¯m very familiar with!" Anfey pondered. "It¡¯s the powerful warrior that united all the savage tribes!"


    Suzanna said slowly, "Ahdibaijan¡¯s lineage is half wolf man. He is a beast soul warrior! The beast soul warrior is a very fearsome creature. Back then, master mage Richard entered Moon Shadow City at the cost of his life and sealed Ahdibaijan in with the use of a vacuum scroll, just because there was no other way."


    "I also know this, Ahdibaijan once fell into the humans¡¯ trap, and had hundreds of magic concealing arrows on his body, but he still killed his way out of the encirclement in the end. After half a year, he hadpletely recovered. If it was an ordinary human, or even if it were a legendary swordsman, this would not be possible!"


    "How many beast soul warriors are there among the orcs?" Anfey asked.


    That¡¯s what the novel says.


    "Very few, luckily it¡¯s very few," Christian smiled bitterly.


    "I understand," Anfey nodded, and suddenly looked at Christian, then at Zubin. "At the time, who told me Forest rm had no orcs?"


    "This..." Christian was speechless and slightly embarrassed.


    "Forget it, and let¡¯s not talk about this. Let¡¯s go back immediately. The other people must be anxious."


    "Anfey, are we really not chasing those orcs? I remember that most of the orcs are violent and cruel, but they are practically brainless. Those orcs were actually like an army, and also knew to arrange an ambush. They are too sinister. They will cause big trouble for us sooner orter," Zubin said suddenly.


    "I¡¯ve got the picture," Anfey said, smiling. "Let¡¯s, go back!"


    Back at the cave, Christian first told them of the two-footed flying dragon¡¯s ughter, so that the people were very happy. Then he told of the sh with the orcs, and the atmosphere became tense again.


    Anfey solicited suggestions from everyone to get them to support going to war. Although there were many who did not have much experience handling things¡ªthey were generally childish and reckless¡ªone thing was for sure: there were no cowards among them!


    Anfey then started to organize the group. He first had Christian and Riska form some more magic arrays at the entrance of the cave. The following day, everyone would take off except Feller, Arrago, Niya, and little Shally with little guy. Christian was very curious why Anfey was so sure he could find the orc tribe. He only asked twice, and both times his questions were brushed off by Anfey. It appeared to be mysterious, but in actuality it was very simple. When Anfey was attacking, he left perfume powder on the barbarian. Under normal circumstances, Anfey could follow the smell of the perfume powder to find the adversary. Anfey wasn¡¯t worried about Christian, but a secret was a secret, the less people knew, the better.


    That night, almost everyone who knew they were joining the battle the next day went to sleep early, so they could wake up early to meditate before heading into battle. That way they could exert strongerbat power. Feller and Arrago regretted that they could not participate in the battle. Feller was terribly busy; he had to organize and sort out a lot of statistics every day. And Arrago¡¯s injured leg had not healed yet. Even if they wanted to join in the battle, they were not able to.


    Neither Anfey nor Christian slept. They chatted and walked in the grass under the moonlight. Christian was very eloquent, and mastered very profound knowledge. No matter what Anfey brought up, he would always have something to say, so Anfey really liked to chat with Christian.


    ording to Christian, the origin of magic andbat power in this world was very interesting. Originally, mankind did not know magic and did not havebat power. Humans, elves, barbarians, orcs, and dwarves all lived in peace on the continent. Every type of intelligent life embraced different deities, and there were sub-regional differences. Even the same groups of beings that believed in the same deity had differences.


    There were many deities. And there were also many gods who disyed miracles. It was said that gods rely on the power of faith to survive. The more the people had faith in a god, the more powerful he was. Those gods who had no believers could only choose hibernation, or else they would be weaker and weaker. In order to gather more believers, the gods instigated their believers to start wars. At the same time, in order to ensure that their own believers would win, they gave the believers magic andbat power that originally only gods couldprehend. One god did that, and naturally there would be other gods who would not fall far behind. Gradually, all types of intelligent life mastered battle skills that were suitable for them. They expanded, and became unique systems.


    But the gods neglected one thing. Under general circumstances, there would not be breakouts of life-or-death battles. That was because they already had the most valuable thing. They were already above all things; there was nothing for them to fight for. But the groups of earthly beings were not the same!


    In the never-ending fights, the battle skills the various groups had mastered rapidly rose to a peak. Strong ones who could threaten the safety of the gods appeared. The sword sage of the people, the master magister, pdin, the sunset shooter of the elves, the master deity, the destroyers among the barbarians, sacrificial destructions, beast deity among the orcs, the master ghost, the king of the hills of the dwarves tribe... Those strong ones stood out, about a few dozen of them. The gods may not have cared, but if there was an influx of thousands, or millions, even the most powerful gods would have to retreat.


    The gods could not tolerate this! But they could not do anything about it, because the gods needed the power of faith. They could not possibly risk the destruction of faith in order to make things hard for the strong ones. Something simr had happened in the magic world as well. Maybe...it was the result of the gods making peace with the monarchs of the magic world. A huge opening of time and space connected the two nes of space. From then on, mankindunched a bloody ughter with the magic tribe. Arge number of strong ones fell in the middle of the battle. After the ultimate strength of the two worlds collided several times, the battle skills that each person had mastered suffered devastating damage, and the ultimate strong ones who luckily survived the battle all mysteriously disappeared.


    Having fought for hundreds of years, neither mankind nor the magic tribe wanted to continue to battle anymore, but they had umted too much hatred between them. No one could stop the inertia of this hatred. You came to my hometown to burn and kill, I also have to go loot your domain. Many people bore the hatred through many generations. Who was willing to put down his weapons? Finally after a sharp decrease in the amount of intelligent life on the Pan Continent, many gods sent down miracles, and the huge time and space door disappeared.


    Christian started by telling Anfey what he had read from books, and towards the end he gave Saul¡¯s own reasoning and spection. Saul firmly believed that the century of holy war was just a conspiracy!! One of the most powerful pieces of evidence was that under outrageous circumstances, Brunswick decided to send out the army to block the magic tribe¡¯s attack. Brunswick knew that this was hisst battle, and hemanded his four bodyguards to take his children and leave through the magic array. Those four bodyguards were all sword sages, and were also thest inheritance Brunswick gifted to his children. In the end, the children appeared at the other end of the magic array, and the four bodyguards were gone without a trace. Not only Brunswick had this type of encounter. Intelligent beings liked to leave room for maneuver. When the habitat of the elf tribe suffered the siege of the magic tribe, the elf tribe assigned more than thirty sunset shooters and two master deities to other ces, and those people also mysteriously disappeared!


    When discussing topics rted to gods, the fragile mage was actually the boldest among all the strong ones. They believed that as long as they could control enough elements, then they would be gods! Before the holy war, the most famous master magister Hahn had an extravagant saying, "What gods could do, mankind could also do!"


    The mage went beyond the normal senses andmunicated with the elements, and finally controlled the elements. They believed that elements were the fundamental constitutions of the world, and thus did not believe in any gods! That was why Saul only said those words after having done a lot of research. Of course, Saul was also very careful. Among these people, he had only talked about it with Christian.


    Christian was also very careful when he talked about these things with Anfey, and had arranged a sound proof magic array before he dared to spill secrets. After Anfey had heard these things, he felt like a hero that had experienced things. He could totally understand. If he had been a god, and hade across the same situation, he would probably also have formted a simr n. This type of drastic approach was very simple and very effective!


    The more the two talked, the more interested they got, and they forgot about the time. But the little unicorn was aggrieved. It had risked its life to go out with Anfey to be able to y with Anfey, but it knew Anfey just simply ignored it. It rubbed against Anfey, which annoyed Anfey. A p made it fall on its back, and it finally obediently lied down behind Anfey.


    "Anfey, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go back." Christian lifted his head, looked up at the night sky, and hesitated. "Anfey, don¡¯t tell anyone what we talked about tonight! Or else we could bring trouble to our teacher. You know that the church and the magic guild have always had disagreements, and the power of the church is very strong now. They have eyes and ears everywhere. If these things leak out..."


    "Alright, don¡¯t worry! Do you think that I am a person with a loose tongue?" Anfeyughed.


    "Haha..." Christianughed a bit, and suddenly proimed in surprise, "Huh? Where¡¯s the little guy?" They did not know when the little unicorn had actually slipped away. Anfey could not be med. He had been enthusiastically talking, so how could he have been in the mood to y around with that little thing?! "We need to make some reins tomorrow and harness it!" Anfey looked to the left and to the right, and yelled, "Hey!"


    The little guy still did not have a name. ording to Anfey, it could be named whatever. It could be Nao Nao, Liu Liu, Huan Huan...all could work, but Niya, Suzanna, and everyone else were firmly opposed. It was a pity that the name they gave was strongly opposed by Anfey. "Silver Lightning! It was pink at the moment! Also that name was too vulgar! The elegant wind on the divine mountain of Gruia! Please, that name wasn¡¯t vulgar, but let me see first what kind of divine mountain Gruia was, alright? Besides...wasn¡¯t it ufortable to give such a long name? Jungle nocturne! Save it, the little guy hums all day long, my singing sounds a lot better than it does. What song?" As a result, Anfey could only use "Hey" to call the little guy.


    It was quiet all around. The little guy did note happily running to Anfey¡¯s call like it did in the past. "Hey! Hey! Hey..." Anfey raised his voice.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s go back. Maybe the little guy went back by itself."


    "No, it doesn¡¯t like to be in the cave. If someone did not watch it, it would have long escaped," Anfey shook his head. "Then...let¡¯s divide up the search?"


    "Sure."


    Anfey was just about to get up but suddenly saw a small white shadow galloping towards him from a distance. That white shadow was the little unicorn. There was a bunch of things hanging from its mouth, and it looked like clothing. The little guy ran to Anfey and threw the things in his mouth onto the side, and intimately rubbed its head against Anfey¡¯s chest.


    But Anfey wasn¡¯t a person who was easily influenced. He reached out and pped the little guy¡¯s butt two times, not hard but not softly either. "I dare you to run out again, I dare you to run out again!!"


    Christian¡¯s eyes fell on the pile of things, and his expression changed. "Anfey, sit here for a while, I¡¯m going back first," he said unnaturally.


    "Alright," Anfey nodded. He only focused on disciplining the little guy, and temporarily had not paid attention to the pile of stuff.


    The little guy made sobbing sounds as it continued to rub against Anfey, and it even licked Anfey¡¯s hand with its tongue just like a puppy. This was its experience. The fact that Anfey had hit it couldn¡¯t be changed, but it could make Anfey stop disciplining it.


    Sure enough, Anfeyughed, stroked the little guy¡¯s head a few times, and then lied on the grass with his hands under his head as a pillow. The little guy then put its head on Anfey¡¯s chest, and its cries grew softer and softer. This piece of grasnd¡¯s scenery was indeed good, but there were numerous insects, mosquitoes, and crustacean creatures in the grass. But the little guy had an invisible force that could be sensed, and could drive away all sorts of little living creatures. This was also a new recent discovery for everyone. When living in the cave previously, the entrance of the cave would always have arge cluster of mosquitoes each morning. Sometimes, they even fully blocked the sky. There would have to be a person in the sky to gather arge amount of water elements, to make the mosquitoes lose their ability to fly, and the fallen mosquitoes paved a wholeyer on the ground. But after they brought in the little guy, the mosquitoes never appeared again.


    After a long time, Anfey took a breath and slowly stood up. Only then did his gaze fall on the pile of things. It seemed like...women¡¯s clothing?! A woman¡¯s scream came from the left. Anfey was surprised for a moment. He heard that it was Niya¡¯s scream. "Niya, what¡¯s wrong?"


    There was no reply. A moment after, a plump figure came out from the forest. The most unusual thing was that the figure actually had two heads. When it "walked" out of the shadows, Anfey recognized that it was two people. One was Niya, and one was Suzanna. The two were wrapped in a cloak. Four smooth legs covered in boots were exposed under the cloak, and could be seen under the moonlight.


    Comparing the two figures, Suzanna¡¯s calves were thinner than Niya¡¯s calves. From the contours of the waist, Suzanna¡¯s legs were about six or seven centimeters longer than Niya¡¯s. Niya was slightly taller than Suzanna, and her frame was also wider than Suzanna¡¯s. It was a pity thatbat power had nothing to do with frame... One Suzanna could kill hundreds of Niyas. Combat power also had nothing to do with qualities. Niya appeared to be tall and slender and looked valiant, but had poorbat power, and Suzanna appeared to be very delicate.


    Anfey immediately reacted to what had happened! Suzanna¡¯s whole body was stained with blood; she definitely came to bathe together with Niya. While they were bathing, the little guy had stolen their clothes...The problem was...there was no use in reacting to what had happened. He may not be able to solve that problem!


    "What are you guys doing?" Anfey walked two steps sideways as he talked, trying to block the clothes on the ground. This was not a guilty conscience. He was worried that he would not be able to exin clearly.


    "Alright! It¡¯s you again!!" Suzanna¡¯s eyes were angry and wide, her demeanor resentful. "What¡¯s ¡®it¡¯s me again¡¯?" Anfey replied. "It¡¯s you spying on us bathing again, and this time you even stole our clothes, what do you want? Anfey!!" "Ah..." Niya looked at Anfey in surprise. She wasn¡¯t stupid. That word, "again", was worth examining. Gossip...


    "You think I still have the need to secretly watch you bathe?"


    "Ah..." Niya looked towards Suzanna in surprise. No need to look? What did that mean? Could it possibly mean that he had already looked...so there was no need to look?


    "You..." Suzanna had already reached to the point of indescribable resentment. Old enmity and new hatred rose in her heart, and she raised her foot to charge forward.


    "Don¡¯t, Suzanna!!" Niya screamed, "You want to die!!" Niya screamed while tightly pulling onto Suzanna and the cloak with her hands, for the fear of them getting exposed. Actually, they were already exposed. If someone went behind them, they would be surprised with a pair of snow-white butts. The cloak was only so big, it could not possibly cover them both.


    After they finished bathing, Niya and Suzanna found that all their clothes were missing. There were only two pairs of their boots at the scene. They had no choice, Niya retrieved a cloak from her own Dimensional ring, and barely escaped this, or else they could only have stayed in theke...


    Upon hearing Anfey¡¯s voice, the two exchanged views on whether to go out or not under low voices. In the end they decided to go out. They¡¯d rather let only Anfey see than having to go back to the cave and let everyone see...this way they could let Anfey go back by himself to find Shally, who could bring some spare clothes back.


    "Don¡¯t be agitated, don¡¯t be agitated," Anfeyughed bitterly. "It wasn¡¯t me who took your clothes, it was him," Anfey¡¯s finger pointed at the little guy.

 Chapter 79: Trust

    Chapter 79: Trust


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Stealing clothes would normally be a difficult situation to get out of, but thanks to Christian, whom everyone trusted, and his testimonies, Anfey felt himself rxing. Since Christian had vouched for him, Suzanna and Niya found themselves believing Anfey¡¯s story. The actual perpetrator, on the other hand, showed no remorse. The young unicorn looked around at everyone happily. The more boisterous the scene, the happier it got.


    Anfey, since he did not know what to do with it, picked up the young unicorn. He handed it to Christian and told him to retrieve the girls¡¯ clothes. Then he said down by the mouth of the cave and began thinking.


    A few days ago, he was able to defeat Shally with a small fireball, and officially became the second worst mage on the team. Even though the magical surges in the fight were very weak, Anfey¡¯s power had shocked hispanions. Christian even said that Anfey could be a genius with his elemental powers.


    Elemental power sounded like an amazing power, but in truth it really wasn¡¯t a useful power. There wasn¡¯t anyone in history who managed to achieve great things solely relying on elemental power. There was a famous hero that had the power, but the most he could do was to summon a fire element and use it to form a sword. Of course, he wasn¡¯t a hero because he could summon the sword or use it to defeat anyone. It was because he sacrificed himself for mankind and became a spy for the humans among the magic beasts. He slowly gained their trust and even became a leader among them. In the end, he led an elite group of magic beasts into an ambushid by humans.


    Initially Anfey was overjoyed when he heard Christian¡¯spliments, but after a thorough exnation, he was disappointed. He had mostly forgotten about it, but he had lost his longsword in the fight earlier that day, and the manticore¡¯s sting was still an unfamiliar weapon. He was unarmed at that moment, and had only then remembered the story about the fire sword.


    They had kept some spare swords in the storage room in the cave, but they had found those swords on the ship, and Anfey did not trust their quality.


    Anfey thought perhaps he could learn to master the skills of making a fire sword. He also wanted to learn more about this ability. If he could make a sword out of it, he could probably figure out how to make other things as well.


    A small ball of fire appeared, hovering over his hand, and tumbled in midair ording to his will. Like always, he only felt warmth and obedience, and was not at all threatened.


    Theoretically speaking, magic would be harmful as soon as it was released. It was not intelligent and couldn¡¯t distinguish between friend and foe. There were many records of magic hurting the wrong side, or harming the person that had initially released it. On the contrary, people like Anfey, who could use magic freely, were rare.


    Under his control, the fireball bounced up and down slowly in front of him. He then took a deep breath and conjured another ball of me. Slowly, Anfey felt himself getting more ustomed to controlling the fire. He merged the two fireballs and carefully observed it.


    After the two fireballs merged, its color became brighter and the size increased. After a few minutes with no strange activity, Anfey merged the bigger one with three other smaller fireballs.


    The five fireballs together became a magical presence slightly smaller than arge fireball. The fireball hovered a few inches over Anfey¡¯s palm, and when he probed the power, he felt nothing but warmth and obedience.


    Anfey used all of his power to control the fireball. He tried to pull on the fireball, and managed to stretch it. This took up most of his time and energy, since he still needed to work on his mental strength. Oftentimes he would forget about one thing while working on another. This caused the fireball to twist and change shapes like a tree in a strong wind. After what seemed like forever, Anfey¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat and a stick about two foot long appeared in his hands.


    Anfey had initially wanted a sword and was disappointed it was only a stick. He looked at his hands and felt no burning sensation or pain. The fire from the stick brushed his sleeves but did not damage them.


    He probed a nearby bush with it, and saw the leaves curl up and cken under the moonlight. Then with a small spark, the bush began to emit smoke.


    Anfey thought about it and touched the tip of the stick to his own shirt. The shirt was undamaged. He felt that the element was purposefully protecting him. He decided to change the course of its action and directed its aggression towards something else. He touched his shirt again and it burst into me.


    He hurriedly put out the fire and realized that the fire¡¯s power purely depended on hismands. If he wanted it to attack, it would.


    For normal people, it would be very hard to control their own minds. For example, sometimes the more one wants to forget, the harder it is to do so. When someone focuses their mind on one thing, it would only take minutes for their minds to go to other ces. Hearts of men were like wild animals. They were hard to tame and control. Just like there are many ways to take a wild beast, people invented many ways to control their own minds. For someone like Anfey, controlling his mind was not hard work.


    If a normal person saw their shirt on fire, they could freak out and imagine what might happen if the fire harmed them. Then perhaps the fire would really injure them. Imagining the fire harming themselves would be a hint that the fire could harm them. However, once a man could control his own mind, the fire would be warm and obedient.


    Anfey walked over to a tree and shed the stick towards its trunk. The stick dissolved into thousands of tiny pieces and disappeared into the night, leaving no more than a small burn mark on the tree.


    Anfey was shocked by the fragility of the stick. Christian had told him that the hero could fight with his fire sword. Logically speaking, it shouldn¡¯t be so weak that it couldn¡¯t even cut a tree. What did he do wrong?


    Anfey sat down on a patch of grass and began going over the steps he took to form that stick. Then he began meditating in order to replenish his magic. Even though he was slowly working towards bing a mage, he wasn¡¯t even an apprentice yet, and the small fireballs were all it took to drain him of his magic.


    He went through several rounds of meditation and experimentation, looking for an answer. Once he even used eight fireballs at the same time, but it was no stronger than five, and had shattered against the tree.


    The moon was high in the sky, and it was almost time for them to move on. Anfey stopped his experimentation. His work tonight pushed him a step closer to bing a mage, but he wasn¡¯t satisfied and felt slightly defeated.


    "Did you not sleep?" Feller, who was the vigil that night, asked as Anfey walked into the cave, exhausted.


    "Not tired," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Feller, fetch me Suzanna and a sword from the storage room."


    "Alright," Feller said. He disappeared into one of the rooms in the back of the cave.


    Anfey approached Christian. He tapped Christian on the shoulder and patted Riska. The two sat up, rubbing their eyes.


    "It¡¯s time?"


    "Yes," Anfey said. "Christian, I¡¯ll take Riska and Suzanna first. Bring everyone else with youter. We will leave marks on the way. If you run into orcs, try not to tangle with them and find us first."


    "Alright," Christian said. "Anfey, why don¡¯t you bring Sante and Zubin as well? It¡¯s too dangerous with just you three."


    "We¡¯re just scouting. If we get into trouble, it¡¯s easier with less people."


    "If you say so."


    "Be careful yourselves, alright?"


    "You as well."


    The hours before dawn were always the darkest, and the quietest in the forest. Both the nocturnal creatures and the diurnal creatures would slumber during this time.


    A lone squirrel with a long, fiery red tail, poked its head out of a small hole in the ground. It stared at the east as if it was a zealot staring at his god, waiting for the sun to rise. A fewrge bats flew over the trees, and the squirrel hurriedly returned to its hiding ce. The bats, however, didn¡¯t seemed to pay the squirrel any heed. They needed to return to their nests before the sun came up.


    There were many different animals inhabiting the Magic Beast Forest, and sometimes even the same animals would branch into different species. Take spiders for example. There were thousands of spiders in the forest¡ªsome as big as a wheel, some as small as a fingernail. Some lived in the bushes, others could make webs dozen of feet long. Others relied not on webs but superior jumps and venomous fangs to hunt. At the crack of dawn, these spiders would scurry away from their nighttime hunting ces and return to their daytime hiding ces. There was a kind of hummingbird living the forest. They were the predator of all spiders and enjoyed draining the spiders of their body fluids. If the spiders were still out after sunrise, they were good as dead.


    A few wolves brushed past Anfey and disappeared into the woods, clearly satisfied. Humans tend to view wolves as cruel, but always forget that wolves seek no more than food and shelter, while men¡¯s greed was limitless. Of course, civilization flourished because of greed, and it was not wrong to say that desire drives humanity.


    Anfey had his eyes closed, sniffing the scented powder from the air. Suzanna and Riska stayed close to him, alert to any danger that could be near.


    Anfey knew that as long as it was within twenty-four hours and the people he was tracking did not enter apletely sealed off space, he could find them.


    Suzanna stared at the night sky and had a sudden realization. Not only did the young unicorn have the ability to avoid any evil and everything bad, Anfey did too. There were thousands of bugs hovering around them, but not a single one dared tond. It must be the power of the Tear of Stars. Suzanna wanted to ask Anfey if he could feel any difference, but then she remembered Anfey had told her that the less she knew about the Tear of Stars, the better. Now that Riska was here, she didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    Cutting through the forest was easy, but tracking an enemy was much more dangerous. On their way, they could use magic andbat power to protect themselves. Using those powers when tracking enemies would give their enemies a warning. However, Suzanna was still worried about being attacked by insects.


    "This way," Anfey said, pointing towards the distance.


    "Alright." Riska and Suzanna nodded together.


    "Riska, bring me up with levitation. Suzanna, remain on the ground. We¡¯re still far from the orcs. There shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about."


    Suzanna and Riska didn¡¯t know how Anfey knew the orcs were far away, but they didn¡¯t want to ask. Anfey was a mysterious man, because he needed the mystery for protection.


    The three cut through the forest quickly, every once in a while Anfey would stop and look for the remaining scent. After two dozen times, the three arrived at the edge of a swamp. Anfey felt the scent of the powder had grown stronger, and told Riska tond on a nearby hill. Suzanna caught up quickly. The three stood on the hill and observed their surroundings.


    A few mutant hippopotamuses climbed ashore slowly and walked towards their dens, theirrge bodies shifting. They lookedpletely defenseless, and there was no need for them to be defensive. The hippopotamuses were all very mild, but because their flesh had a strange chemical that made it extremely sour, they were able to live without predators. Even a magic beast with a varied diet could not consume their meat without getting sick.


    The hippopotamuses were so useless that the other magic beasts would be better off just leaving them alone. No beasts would try to attack each other, and they lived in rtive peace. For other magic beasts, the forest was a ce of danger and challenge. For the hippopotamuses, however, it was afortable ce to make home.


    A nearby bush rustled, and a fire alligator appeared. It walked straight past the hippopotamus without even looking at it. Perhaps it was because its ancestor had once eaten it by ident, and taught all of its children, which in turn taught its children, never to go near those things.


    A sh leopard appeared from a bush on top of the hill. It nced towards the humans, and appeared spooked. Its beautiful back arched, and it gave a deep growl before running down the hill.


    The alligator had heard the leopard¡¯s growls but didn¡¯t see its movement. It turned and headed straight for the hill. It seems like it was too starving to care that it was way too slow to ever catch a sh leopard.


    The alligator reached the top of the hill, and, instead of a sh leopard, it found three humans. Its small, cruel eyes lit up, and it began to twist its body and stomp on the ground. Then it headed straight to Suzanna, whom it had deemed to be the weakest. The magic beasts all had their own advantages. sh leopards were fast and sensitive to their surroundings, while the fire alligators were thick skinned and hard to kill.


    Suzanna¡¯s eyes were filled with disgust. She kicked the alligator in the jaw, sending it tumbling down the hill.


    A few other alligators that had gathered around returned to their hideouts, while the one that tried to attack themid on the ground. It was twisting in pain and making gurgling noises. Suzanna had shattered its jaw, and in a few days it would starve to death.


    "Riska, you ready?" Anfey asked.


    Riska nodded. He whispered a spell, and used eyes of the sky.


    Anfey was growing very fond of this magic. It was like a spy satellite. After a few times using it, Anfey thought he could find a few mediocre members of the team and have them focus on this magic.


    Riska changed a few coordinates, but with no sess. He looked at Anfey and shook his head.


    "There," Anfey said. He pointed to the ce he could clearly smell the powder.


    Riska summoned his magic and began looking again. After changing the coordinates a dozen times, there were still no clues. He was about to talk to Anfey, when a dozen orcs appeared in his view.


    "Look," Riska called to Anfey.


    "Keep an eye on them," Anfey told him.


    Watching orcs moving through a forest was very hard, and Riska had to focus all of his attention on the task. In order to keep track, every time the orcs walk into the shade, he immediately had to find a nearby coordinate and search carefully.


    After a while, when Riska¡¯s magic was almost all used up, the orcs disappeared into the woods near a small mountain.


    Riska waited a few more moments and stopped the magic. He wiped the sweat on his forehead and said, "That¡¯s the best I can do."


    "Take a break," Anfey said. "I feel like that is the orcs¡¯ hideout. Suzanna, what do you think?"


    Suzanna did not reply. Anfey turned around, and found Suzanna standing there. She looked excited, and her eyes were staring at a mountain in the distance.


    "Suzanna? What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "Nothing," Suzanna replied, as if waking from a dream. "Nothing. Just remembered something in the past"


    "Really?"


    Suzanna bit her lip and turned her gaze towards Anfey. Thetter was staring at the alligator down the hill, as if it was too interesting for him to turn his eyes away.


    Suzanna¡¯s eyes were filled with emotion, as if she was making some difficult decisions. After a moment, she walked over and whispered to Anfey, "Do you remember the map I once talked about?"


    "Of course. The one you talked about that day..." Anfey stopped his sentence mid track. There were some memories neither one of them were willing to speak of.


    "If I am not mistaken, this is the ce on the map."


    "Can I see it?" Anfey asked. "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take it. I know how much it means to you. I just want to help."


    Suzanna nodded. "Alright," she said, "I trust you." When she first mentioned the map, she already knew that she won¡¯t find the treasure all by herself. She needed help, and Anfey was her only option. She didn¡¯t like him and thought badly of him, but at least she didn¡¯t have to worry about Anfey taking the treasure for himself after they had found it. After working together for some time, Suzanna was sure of it.


    She drew her sword and took out a piece of tattered and stained paper from the sheath. She handed it to Anfey and said, "Don¡¯t damage it!"


    Anfey smiled and opened the paper. It was a map, but only half of it was there. The other half was ripped off and missing, leaving a jagged edge. It seemed like the map had some stories to it, as well.


    "You see the mountain there? It¡¯s the one over there," Suzanna said, pointing from the map to the mountain she was looking at earlier.


    The mountain that appeared in Riska¡¯s eyes of the sky had a t top, like it was once cut down by a god. The mountain on the map had a t top as well. There were some wavy lines drawn next to the mountain, and it wasbeled "rm Swamp."


    It was the same swamp and mountain. The possibility of the treasure being hidden there was very high. High enough for them to look into it.


    "Where¡¯s the other half?" Anfey asked.


    "It was taken away from me," Suzanna said. She shook her head and seemed to have remembered some unpleasant memories.


    "It¡¯s alright," Anfey reassured her. "We¡¯ll find it."


    "The other half contained the spell to open whatever contains the treasure," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "Without it, we can¡¯t open the lock."


    "That troublesome?"


    "Yes," Suzanna said, nodding. "Don¡¯t you want to know what is in that treasure?" she asked after ncing at him for a few moments. "Are you not interested in it?"


    "Why would I be?" Anfey asked. He had remembered his conversation with Suzanna. If she wanted to tell him about everything, he would offer her his help. If she chose to remain secretive, it wasn¡¯t his ce to intervene. Everything came at a price, and there wouldn¡¯t be any treasure without risks.


    "I have no idea what kind of a man you are," Suzanna said, shaking her head. A normal person would be very interested after hearing about treasures. People like Anfey were very strange to her.


    "I¡¯m an honest man," Anfey said. "I won¡¯t seek things that are not mine. What is mine will never be another¡¯s."


    "Honest?" Suzanna rolled her eyes. "Are you joking?"


    "Jokes?" Riska had just woken up from his deep meditation, and since he could not sense anything of the outside world when he was meditating, he had only heard thest sentence.


    "Anfey was joking," Suzanna said. She took the map from Anfey and returned it to the secretpartment in her sheath.


    "Hm." Seeing that Suzanna didn¡¯t want to talk about it, Riska shrugged and turned to Anfey. "What are we doing next? Are we going to keep waiting here?"


    "Can you tell how far away the orcs are? Exactly?"


    "I have the coordinates," Riska told him. "It¡¯s about eight miles."


    "Do you have a n?" Suzanna asked. "The orcs aren¡¯t easy targets. We don¡¯t know how many there are, and how many are warriors and fighters. We don¡¯t know if they have any obsidian mages or spirit mages. If they really do have an obsidian mage, they could detect our presence miles away." Suzanna had the feeling that there were many things Anfey did not know about, so she felt the need to talk to him in case he made a rushed decision. After spending time with them, Suzanna didn¡¯t want to see anyone hurt.


    Of course, she agreed with Anfey¡¯s decision. If the orcs had attacked her without even an attempt of negotiation, they would attack any and everyone. They needed to strike fast to eliminate the threats.


    "Christian talked about the spirit mages before. What are they?"


    "Obsidian mages are like human mages, and the spirit mages are like the human magisters. They are not as powerful as humans, of course, but they shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly, either," Suzanna said slowly. "If an orc tribe has an Obsidian Mage, their strength would increase significantly. They can enhance the strength of individual orcs, increasing an orc¡¯s attack, speed, defense, and life force. If the tribe has a spirit mage, it would be even more terrifying. The orcs¡¯ strength would depend on the mage¡¯s faith power, and a spirit mage¡¯s faith power is much stronger than an obsidian mage. A spirit mage can even summon a blood moon, which would turn orcs into terrifying fighting machines, their strength increasing tenfold. In the Sacred War, a spirit mage summoned the blood moon for three hundred werewolves, who in turn defeated an elite legion of forty thousand men. It was called the great miracle of the war."


    "So, if a warrior of the Beast God was under the blood moon, it would fight the gods? And that Ahdibaijan, what if he was under that moon?" Anfey asked.


    "In reality, among the sentient beings, the direct lineages from the ancient beasts are very rare, but they are treated as equal because of their incredible strength. The great spirit mages were all killed in the Sacred War. Those that could summon the blood moon are no longer alive. Those that were left behind were forced to work with savages like the orcs."

 Chapter 80: Murderous Intent

    Chapter 80: Murderous Intent


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Suzanna, you¡¯re saying that if there is an obsidian mage or a spirit mage, we are bound to lose?"


    "No, that isn¡¯t what I mean. We do have two magisters, and I¡¯m with you as well, so they won¡¯t have much of an upper hand but... I just want you to make a good decision. I don¡¯t want to see anyone hurt or killed."


    "Remember when the orcs attacked us yesterday?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, why?"


    "There was one orc that had a battlecry, and signaled us. You know what I¡¯m talking about?"


    "No," Riska said. "Be more specific, Anfey, why does that matter?"


    "You¡¯re saying...someone¡¯s watching us?" Suzanna asked, suddenly remembering her conversation with Anfey.


    "Of course. Or else it wouldn¡¯t make sense." Anfey stopped for a second before continuing. "Did you see that leader? He didn¡¯t look like an orc."


    "It¡¯s not just that he didn¡¯t look like an orc," Suzanna said. "He wasn¡¯t an orc. I don¡¯t know how it was possible for him tomand so many orcs, though."


    "We¡¯ll find out soon enough," Anfey said. "What¡¯s taking them so long?"


    "Should be quick," Riska said. "My magic coordination should be urate."


    After a few minutes, the three finally spotted the rest of the group, with Christian in the lead. Theynded on the hill, and Christian hurried over. "Sorry about the dy," he said.


    "What happened?"


    "We can¡¯t control that unicorn," Christian said. "It ran off by itself, and it took us a while to catch it. Did we miss anything?"


    "Nothing much. Rest here a little. We are attacking in a bit."


    "Are we just rushing in like that?" Suzanna asked.


    "What do you think we should do?"


    "I don¡¯t think we should rush into this," Suzanna said.


    "Did you find their campsite?" Christian asked.


    "Yes," Riska replied. "About eight miles from here."


    "Give me the coordinates," Christian said, as he set up the eyes of the sky.


    Christian picked just the right time to use the magic. When he found the mountain Riska marked, he saw about fifty orcs walking out of the woods in a line.


    "Anfey, I agree with Suzanna," Christian said. "Even if they don¡¯t have an obsidian mage, going there might risk discovery miles away."


    "What do you rmend we do now?" Anfey asked.


    "Riska and I can use a mist shield together," Christian said. "The shield can effectively block our magical surges, and it¡¯s fairlymon for the forest to fog up. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to arouse any suspicions. The only thing is: we both need time for meditation afterwards."


    "What if we circle around the back of the mountain. With the mist as a disguise, they might not realize we¡¯re there until we attack," Zubin said.


    "He¡¯s right," Christian said, nodding. "Anfey, what do you say?"


    "I like the n," he said. "Go ahead. Discuss it among yourselves."


    The group nced at each other, feeling slightly ufortable. They were already used to Anfey giving them instructions on what to do. Now that Anfey gave them full control over the n, it felt strange to them.


    "What are you doing? Right now mist and fog would attract much attention. Once the sun is up you¡¯ve lost your opportunity," Anfey told them. "Everyone needs to start thinking ande up with a possible n."


    He could teach them how to lose their naivety with cruelty, but there were many things he couldn¡¯t teach them. Things like nning an attack. That required their own efforts.


    Right now it was like he was leading a group of children and ying a game of survival. A few weeks were fine, a few months could work as well, but any longer than that would never work. Sooner orter, they would encounter some sort of crisis. If they were still like naive children, the result could be devastating. Sometimes he needed to let go, because that was the only way they could truly grow up.


    Soon the conversation became heated. Everyone tossed out their own opinions and ideas. In reality, their abilities were undoubtedly some of the best in the world. Not everyone could be chosen be Saul¡¯s student. Even themon ones like Feller would surely be one of the best if he was in the academy.


    After a few more rounds of discussion, the group came up with a final n. Christian and Risk would release a mist shield. Then, when they meditated to recover their magic, Suzanna, Sante, Zubin, and Sanchez would go to the back of the mountain and attack from behind. If the orcs tried to flee, Christian and the rest of the group could cut them off in the front. If they tried to fight, then the group also would attack from the front.


    Anfey thought he could have came up with a better n, but there were parts he admired as well. At least they knew how to trick their enemies. Distractions and mass attack from the magistersbined to form a solid attack n. If the orcs had only around two hundred fighters, this team could easily take them out.


    Seeing that Anfey agreed to the n, the rest of the team was very happy. "Anfey, are you going with Suzanna or us?" Christian asked.


    "Come with us," Suzanna said.


    "Alright," Anfey agreed.


    The orcs fighters would never imagine what kind of a team they were about to encounter. There were fewer than a dozen people in the world who joined the magister rank in their twenties, and two of them were on the team.


    Swordsmasters under the age of twenty were even rarer. Even Ernest couldn¡¯t achieve that. The only reason Suzanna wasn¡¯t known throughout thend was because of certain events in her past.


    Phillip didn¡¯t think much of the team, because he was so focused on getting revenge for his grandson. However, anyone with a brain could tell how valuable this team would be in the future.


    The fog gathered around them and slowly became more and more opaque. It began spreading into the surroundings. Suzanna¡¯s group had already headed out, and was heading towards the back of the mountain after taking the long way around. With the magic coordinates, they wouldn¡¯t miss it, even if the fog was heavy enough to obscure sights.


    The tribe was just over the small hill ahead. The team slowly walked towards the hill, their senses heightened to watch for any possible enemy movements. Suddenly, they heard voices up ahead. They hurriedly hid behind a bush and peered out quietly.


    Two orcs, a man and a woman, walked onto the hill. After the Sacred War, the entire world was disorganized and chaotic. One sentient species would often take refuge in another¡¯s territory if it was attacked or experienced traumatic loss. After a few centuries, the worldnguages became very much assimted. Now, every intelligent being knew at least twonguages. One of the two was the species¡¯ ownnguage, and the other was the humannguage. This was because humans had thergest poption, and only humans and savages kept their own territories. After the magic beasts lost most of their strength, the humans had attacked and took over some of their territories. The other species, on the other hand, were forced to take refuge with the humans.


    The approaching orcs, however, weren¡¯t speaking humannguage. Anfey had heard about orcs before. In the rumors, the orcs were painted as ruthless, cruel savages. It was said that they knew no shame, and their tribes were filled with nakedness and incest. Now that he had seen an orc, he realized that at least the naked part was untrue. Both orcs were wearing crudely made clothes. Plus, the two orcs looked awkward and ufortable just holding hands.


    When they were a few feet away, a slight breeze blew by. The female orc raised her head and sniffed the air. Anfey knew that she was sniffing a strange scent. He didn¡¯t smell like anything, but the girls would put scented powder on their faces every morning. She must have smelled Suzanna.


    Anfey jumped out of the bush and lunged towards the orcs. He found the manticore sting from his ring, and aimed it towards the female orc.


    The male orc crouched down and retrieved the short staff hanging from his belt. He pushed the female orc aside, and tried to shout, either for help or a warning, as he was fending off the attacker. His reaction was ording to Anfey¡¯s n, who was trying to draw him over.


    Anfey changed the direction of his attack. He drew back the manticore sting, then stabbed the male orc in the mouth with it.


    This time the petrification did not happen. The male orc was very brave. The sting protruded from the back of his head, but he was still able to grab the sting with both of his hands, trying to buy some time for the female orc to escape.


    Anfey kicked the female orc in the face. Then he raised his arms and lifted the male orc into the air. He pushed forward and threw the orc¡¯s body. Itnded a few feet away and stopped moving.


    The female orc was clearly weaker than the male one. She rolled on the ground a few times, then raised her head. She was lying on the ground in shock, and had forgotten to use the staff hanging from her belt.


    Seeing that herpanion was dead, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.


    Anfey jumped up and struck her in the back with the sting. The sting pierced her body and nailed her to the ground. Then he pressed his foot against her head, pressed down, and pulled the sting out.


    She grabbed his leg and scratched. Her strength grew weak, her body finally slumped onto the ground, and sheid dead.


    "Idiot, why didn¡¯t you attack?" Anfey asked angrily.


    "I..." Suzanna walked away, her eyes downcast.


    That was the first time Anfey had be angry with her. She knew that she made a mistake, though. After Anfey jumped out, she should have followed him, but did not, which resulted in a mistake. They heard soundsing from the other side of the hill. Clearly the woman¡¯s scream had alerted the other orcs.


    Suzanna had killed a lot of people to date, but it was because they had threatened her and her sister. She couldn¡¯t turn herself from a victim acting in self-defense to a murderer. Compared to the people who had attacked her before, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to harm the two orcs because of their helplessness.


    "What are you doing standing there? Do you still want me to fight for you?" Anfey asked her again.


    Suzanna walked past him. "Think about it," he said coldly. "If the orcs kill us, who would protect Shally?"


    Even though she was angry with Anfey, after she remembered what had happened to Shally before, she found herself even more angry with these ugly, armed orcs. She used herbat power, and dashed towards the orcs.


    The obsidian and spirit mages did not appear. There were a few orc fighters that tried to stop Suzanna, but could not even touch her. She swept through their ranks, showing no mercy as her sword danced from orc to orc. Wherever her sword went, blood followed.


    Anfey stood and watched, stunned. Everything that stood in Suzanna¡¯s way was severed by the blinding sword. Necks, arms, legs, even the staffs were no match for the sword, and were cut in half by the de. Nothing was able to stop her.


    Two orc-raised Armored Rhinos were led to the fight, but after seeing Suzanna¡¯s ability, both of them turned and ran away. Magic beasts were not stupid. They didn¡¯t rte to orcs, and weren¡¯t willing to sacrifice themselves for them.


    There were only two states one can be in when doing something. In one of them, a person¡¯s whole mind was focused on the task, and in the other, it was not. When one waspletelymitted, sometimes even defeating more powerful enemies was possible.


    Clearly now Suzanna was wholeheartedlymitted to what she was doing. Suzanna was thinking, about her attack was instinctive. Her eyes were zed over, but she was certain of every orc¡¯s movement and attack. With every swing of the sword, she could take out an orc, but she couldn¡¯t tell why she was swinging her sword. She could even predict the orcs¡¯ movements, and shield Anfey from an attack.


    The rest of the group lingered behind Anfey and Suzanna. Sante and Sanchez were responsible for finishing off the remaining orcs, and Zubin was responsible for killing any orc mages should they appear.


    The hill was already covered with bodies of orcs. The few dozen orcs that came to the scene were all finished off, but Suzanna did not stop. She began heading for the vige.


    The vige seemed to be impoverished. There were only around half a dozen huts, all built from grass and mud.


    The women and the children were running around the vige. Suzanna turned her gaze towards a heavily guarded cave in the distance. Some orcs were there, guarding the cave. Suzanna was fast with her killing, but it still took some time. These orcs hadn¡¯t gone to help their friends, and it was obvious they were guarding something valuable.


    Suzanna jumped into the air and headed for the cave. On the other side of the vige, around seventy orcs with weapons came to the rescue of the ones in the vige. Some of them even climbed onto a watchtower and began attacking Suzanna with arrows.


    Magic surges ripped through the way. A fieryet descended from the sky and hit the watchtower, which then burst into me. A few orcs fell to the ground in mes.


    Christian, who released theet, was leading the attack. Immediately, fireballs, wind des, and earth spikes bloomed throughout the vige.


    Compared to Suzanna, the mages had appeared rtively at ease. The fog shield was still in ce, and they couldn¡¯t tell if they had killed soldiers or defenseless women and children.


    The grass huts were either set ame or leveled by the magic. Sante summoned a fire wall that stood in the middle of the vige. The orcs that had just arrived weren¡¯t sure how to get around it, and the mages took advantage of that time. A wind de swept through their ranks, and a few fireballs incinerated the orcs.


    The orcs in front of the cave gathered in to close rank. Every one of them appeared enraged. None of them tried to run, and none of them showed signs of fear. They were natural warriors, and it didn¡¯t matter how powerful their enemy was, they would not back down.


    Suzanna didn¡¯t want to test her determination against theirs. She was there to kill. The bright whitebat power around her froze for a second, then she waved her sword and swept it across the orcs.


    The sword cut through the orcs and their armor, leaving half a dozen of them on the ground. It left a deep wound on their chest, almost severing them.


    Suzanna dashed into the cave without stopping.


    Sanchez used a spell and summoned a small light that hovered in front of the remaining orcs. The small light quickly grew in size and became orange in color. It became a fire wave and enveloped all the remaining orcs.


    Facing weaker enemies, swordsmen were never as efficient as mages. Suzanna had only killed half a dozen orcs with a stroke of her sword, but Sanchez had killed more than twenty. The pain of being burned alive wasn¡¯t something determination could fight. The orcs wailed in pain and squirmed on the ground. Some mmed their bodies against the wall in the blinding pain.


    The fire onlysted a few seconds, but it was enough to kill or seriously injure the remaining orcs.


    Anfey stopped. Zubin knew what he was worried about, and used a frozen spell to lower the temperature of the cave.


    Anfey worried for Suzanna¡¯s safety and jumped into the cave. After hended, he looked around and found no armed orcs. Suzanna was standing there with her sword held out in front of her, staring at a raised tform. On the tform was arge chair made out of bones, and a ck-haired young man was sitting on it. In front of him were three old orcs. They were on the floor, and crying. They looked very emotional, as if they were begging the young man.


    The cave wall was covered with carving by the orcs, and it looked very mysterious. The cave was very clean, and there were a few young female orcs standing by, too scared to move.


    The young man looked as if he didn¡¯t know what had happened outside. He was looking at his own feet. His expression was strangely calm, as if he couldn¡¯t see Suzanna.


    Anfey looked at the young man and saw that his hands were gripping the arms of the chair. Usually when someone gripped something, it meant they were nervous. Anfey smiled. If they were able to make him nervous now, it meant that he had no other cards to y. Suzanna was confused by the strange appearance of the cave and the way the man presented himself, and didn¡¯t attack. He could fool Suzanna, but could not fool Anfey.


    "How long are you going to sit there? Until we leave?" Anfey said as he joined Suzanna.


    "Sorry to disappointed you. We¡¯re not leaving."


    "My dear visitors, are you trying to anger me?"


    "I¡¯m not trying to anger you," Anfey said. "You angered me. I have a problem, you see. I don¡¯t like it when people look down on me. So you better get down here."


    "My lord, please, use your godly powers, and let this be the murderers¡¯ eternal grave," one of the old orcs called. Perhaps because the young man was using humannguage, he did too.


    "My lord, they were ughtering our people outside. You cannot let them go," another old orc called.


    "ughter? You were the ones that attacked us first," Sante snorted. "The great mage Harn once said that time changes everything. Now even the orcs know trickery."


    "Get up," the young man said. "Let me think about it." Then he closed his eyes, and it was as if he didn¡¯t even see Suzanna and the rest of the group.


    Suzanna frowned and leaped into the air. She was the most powerful one there, and she would be the one to see exactly how powerful the man was.


    When she was still a few feet away from him, a bright light shed. Suzanna gasped, and herbat power disappeared.


    "Is that Antimagic Terra?" Christian and Zubin called in surprise together.


    Suzanna was caught off guard. She lost her bnce and almost fell to the ground. A sword appeared in the young man¡¯s hand. He waved the sword and Suzanna¡¯s sword flew out of her hand. By the time Suzanna caught up to what was going on, the young man had already ced a sword on her neck.


    "You can disrespect me once, but not twice," he said. He returned the sword to its scabbard and closed his eyes. "Go."


    Anfey was worried for a second, but then wasn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t care how powerful that terra was. He remembered very clearly how the man had dered that he would kill everyone that talked too much.


    He couldn¡¯t fool Anfey after saying something like that.


    Suzanna clenched her fist and her body shook, as if she was regathering her power. The Antimagic Terra was too powerful, and all magic andbat power stopped functioning within its range. After a while, Suzanna picked up her sword and walked off the tform. She admitted defeat.


    Zubin and Sante stared, frowning. Terra was something that surpassed the power of men. Very few people could use it, and they were all blessed by the gods themselves. There were very few even in history. Even the Great Magister couldn¡¯t fight people with Terra, let along young mages like them.


    "Sorry," Suzanna whispered.


    "It¡¯s alright," Anfey said. He began ascending the tform. Terra? If he really had the power of Terra, why did he let Suzanna go? Letting her go meant that he didn¡¯t want to, or couldn¡¯t, kill her. There must be something wrong with that terra.

 Chapter 81: Show the True Color

    Chapter 81: Show the True Color


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The young man with ck hair could not take the stupid provocation any more. He suddenly stood up with rage. He pointed his sword at Anfey. Everyone could sense from the tension in the air that the fight was ready to start.


    "Anfey," Zubin called out nervously.


    "Anfey,e back!" Suzanna was worried as well.


    Anfey waved his hand with a smile and casually walked forward. He looked calm and casual. He thought he would be fine, since the tip of that young man¡¯s spear was made of wax. He wanted to know whether the young man could affect him the same way that he had made Suzanna¡¯sbat power disappear. He had to fight with him to know it, though he knew it would make Suzanna and others worried.


    "You are a guest from far away. As you wish, you did make me mad. You will pay for it," the young man with ck hair said coldly.


    "Saint, please crush their spirits." An orc chief smiled and bowed sincerely to the young man when he saw that young man was firm about the fight.


    "It does not matter what you say. What matters is what you do and whether you are able to do it." Anfey walked on to the stage with a smile. There were light circles shining on the stage, which swallowed Anfey. Anfey closed his eyes to feel his own qi. He did not feel his qi had been affected by the young man, but rather had been slowly moving in his twelve regr channels and eight extra meridians. Anfey felt more confident about the fight, knowing his qi had not been affected.


    "You will pay for your arrogance," the young man with ck hair said frigidly.


    "You will pay for being pretentious. It¡¯s weird that I still have qi with me in your Antimagic Terra. I have to remind you that you are going to make a fool of yourself." Anfey smiled.


    "Am I?" The young man¡¯s face got serious. He thrusted his sword towards Anfey¡¯s chest with force and speed. It looked like he was ready to kill Anfey without any concerns.


    "Anfey!" Zubin called out Anfey¡¯s name when he saw the sword almost touched Anfey¡¯s chest. He released levitation magic and flew to the stage. If Anfey had to die here, he would try his best to save him no matter what it would cost him to fight, and no matter how powerful that young man was.


    Sante chanted the abracadabra with his eyes blood red. Suzanna ground her teeth and then rushed back to the stage. Those orcs looked up and were ready to watch a bloody scene with excitement. Then everyone was so shocked that they were frozen to the ground with eyes as big as tes after seeing how Anfey countered the young man¡¯s strike.


    Anfey reached his hand out and gripped the sword between his thumb and index finger. It looked so casual that it seemed Anfey was picking up a flower. The young man tried to thrust his sword forward with full force, but he could neither thrust it forward nor pull it out of Anfey¡¯s fingers. The young man¡¯s forehead started to sweat when he realized his sword would not move a bit in Anfey¡¯s fingers.


    "You have neither magic power norbat power. Are you affected by the Antimagic Terra?" Anfey gave him a sarcastic smile. "If this is the legendary Antimagic Terra, I have to say it is trash. If there are two fully-armored soldiers in this field, they could easily kill you."


    That young man¡¯s face turned beet red. He even tried to shake the sword with two hands, but he was merely a strong normal guy in the Antimagic Terra, while Anfey was a qi master with strong force. The difference in forces between two of them were huge. If Anfey were a stone column, then the young man was just a dragonfly on the stone column.


    "Ah...Ah..." Zubin was so into watching the stage that he forgot he was flying with levitation magic and almost fell to the ground. Luckily, he had quick responses and saved himself from falling on his head by regaining control of the air elements.


    Suzanna was watching Anfey closely on the stage in surprise and excitement. Sante heaved a sigh and rxed a little bit. Those orcs were shocked and could not believe what they just saw. The almost god-like saint was easily beaten by Anfey, which meant that their tribe was going to disappear.


    "You did one thing right, that is, you did not hurt my friends. That is why I am not hurting you yet." The young man with ck hair was pulling the sword out with full force when Anfey yfully let his fingers go. The young man hit his chest with the shaft without any advanced notice. He had to move back five or six steps before he finally fell on the ground with a huge bang.


    "You are our captive now." Anfey walked slowly to the young man. He stood not more than 2 feet away from the young man. He seemed to be tempting the young man on purpose to attack him again.


    The young man¡¯s face turned from purple to pale. The struggle showed in his eyes. After a while, he tossed his sword on the ground and got up slowly. His mind was gone and he stood there silently without a word.


    "I am going to kill you." The orc chief lost himself and rushed towards Anfey.


    Anfey did not fight back right away. It looked like he was waiting until thest moment and slightly dodged to the side. The orc chief rushed passed Anfey. Maybe it was a coincidence or could have been on purpose that the orc chief tripped over Anfey¡¯s feet. The orc chief stumbled a few steps forward and fell off the stage.


    If the orc chief had positioned himself to jump off the stage, an eight-meter tall stage would not be dangerous, not even for an old orc. However, his head hit the ground first. Dirt flew up and danced with the wind. The orc chief trembled a little bit and died.


    Suzanna jumped onto the stage. This time herbat power was not affected. The Antimagic Terra must have disappeared. How could an Antimagic Terra disappear so easily? Suzanna nced at the young man with ck hair. She realized the young man was not in charge of the Antimagic Terra. He just temporarily simted the magic forbidden effects in a certain area.


    "Sante, can you go and tell Christian to end the battle as soon as possible? Ask him to be careful. There are some orcs who went out for patrol and will be back to join the battle," Anfey said to Sante.


    "I will." Sante nodded and walked out of the cave.


    "It is our turn now. So, tell me your name first." Anfey looked at the young man with ck hair with interest.


    "My name is Hui Wei", the young man answered.


    "How did you start the Antimagic Terra?" Anfey asked. This was the real reason Anfey did not kill him and kept him. If Suzanna was beat so easily in the Antimagic Terra the young man created, then there would be nothing to be scared of against Phillip. If Anfey could start the Antimagic Terra himself, he could perform 100% of his qi while Phillip¡¯sbat power would have almost nothing left in the field.


    "You will kill me anyway no matter if I tell you or not. I could not find a reason to tell you." Hui Wei¡¯s lips closed so tight that made him look very stubborn.


    "If you tell us how you started the Antimagic Terra, I will not hurt you. You do not have to worry about me keeping my word. I have a good reputation for it," Anfey said with a smile. Hui Wei just sneered at Anfey. "If you tell us, you can take the chance whether I would kill you or not. If you do not tell us, then you do not even have the chance to gamble." Anfey still had a smile on his face, but his words were threatening.


    "I am not telling you." Hui Wei looked very firm about it.


    "You do not have to answer me now. You will have few days to decide." Anfey tried to lighten up the conversation. Then Anfey curiously walked a couple of times around the big chair made of bones. He was trying to find something unusual. He sat casually on it at the end. The back and arms of the chair were made of bones. It looked pretty scary. It did feelfortable to sit on with theyer of animal fur on it.


    The battle outside had almost ended. Most orcs in the battle were killed. Only the old and the females survived. Christian asked Riska to ambush the orcs who would return to help, and vi to watch the captives. Christian and Sante walked into the cave.


    Christian asked loudly at the entrance of the cave, "Anfey, who set up the Antimagic Terra? Which one?" Christian was usually mature and calm, but learning about the Antimagic Terra just made him lose control and ask loudly. Some master swordsmen and senior magisters were legendary, but the Antimagic Terra was a legend among legends.


    Anfey pointed at Hui Wei with a smile. Christian flew to the stage and stared at Hui Wei. Hui Wei had his eyes half closed and ignored Christian. He looked like he was going to change his mind no matter what Anfey would do to him.


    Christian chanted an abracadabra. A visible surge hit right on Hui Wei, but he kept quiet.


    "He has both magic andbat power. Anfey, did you say he was in charge of the Antimagic Terra? Are you sure about that?" Christian asked.


    "I might be making a mistake myself, but everyone saw it. It cannot be mistaken. Christian, did you say he has both magic andbat power?" Anfey smiled.


    "Yes, his magic power is stronger than yours, and hisbat power is stronger than Niya¡¯s." Christian gave it some serious thought and said "There is no way he is in charge of the Antimagic Terra."


    "He actually did it. I was...I was..." Suzanna felt so embarrassed. When she rushed into the Antimagic terra and found herbat power was suppressed, she was shocked and did not know how to respond to the change. Suzanna¡¯s weapon was easily taken away. It was not a history she was proud of. If it were not for Anfey, they would have been deceived by Hui Wei.


    "You do not have to think about it too much. He will tell us in a few days," Anfey said casually. He pointed at two orc chiefs with a finger and said, "You two,e here."


    Those two orc chiefs looked at each other and stumbled over to Anfey. The chair was still the same chair, but the person sitting on it had changed. The two orc chiefs did not show any loyalty or sincerity to Anfey as they had to the young man with ck hair. No matter how much they hated Anfey, they did not dare to show it, since their lives were still in Anfey¡¯s hands.


    "Tell me, how long has your tribe been living here?" Anfey asked. Suzanna¡¯s treasure map showed that the treasure was right here. If these orcs had been living here long, Anfey might have to find traces on these orcs to find the treasure.


    "Master, we have lived here over half a year," the orc chief on the left answered politely.


    "Where were you half a year ago?" Anfey continued.


    "We were living in the Stone Forest in the Forest of Death," the orc chief answered.


    "Lier," Suzanna said loudly. "Forest of Death is over four thousand miles away from Forest rm. How did you move here?"


    "Suzanna is right." Zubin nodded. "There are five countries in between. How could orcs get here? Before they reached Forest rm, they would have been killed by humans."


    The orc chief on the left realized from the shock that he had told the most important secret of the tribe when he rushed to answer Anfey¡¯s question under stress.


    "Tell!" Anfey said coldly. He saw that orc chief looking angry and regretful. Anfey certainly knew what had happened.


    "Master, please forgive me. I did lie. We just moved from the south of Forest rm." That chief orc trembled and kneeled on the ground. He cried, "There were something left by our ancestors for us in the south of Forest rm. I was afraid...then I lied about it. Please forgive me for that."


    "It¡¯s not hard to forgive you as long as you tell us how you moved here from the Forest of Death. I will release all orcs as well if you tell us the truth," Anfey said with a smile.


    The orc chief was shocked. "Master, we have never been to Forest of Death. We grew up in Forest rm. Master, as you know, Forest of Death is over four thousands miles away from here. How could we escape from Forest of Death to move here?"


    "Christian, how many captives do we have out there?" Anfey did not want to y the game with the orc chief anymore. He turned around to look at Christian.


    "About 60. Are you worried that they would escape? Not possible. vi has been watching them," Christian answered.


    "Zubin and Sante, can you bring 30 captives in." Anfey gave the order.


    "Yes."


    The orc chief¡¯s eyes were moving fast. It looked like he was trying to guess Anfey¡¯s intentions. Hui Wei struggled to swallow. His reaction was a lot faster than the orc chief¡¯s.

 Chapter 82: Survival Is of the Utmost Importance

    Chapter 82: Survival Is of the Utmost Importance


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After a few moments, Sante and Zubin led a group of thirty orcs and lined them up on the raised tform. The group was mostly the old, the young, and the females. There were a few young males, but they were all captured due to their injuries.


    "Listen. Until I get a satisfying answer, I will keeping counting. Every time I add a number I will kill one of them here," Anfey said coldly, then turned. "Suzanna, I trust you with this."


    Suzanna hesitated, but then nodded and jumped down from the tform, unsheathing her sword.


    The orcs erupted into chaos. Anfey called out, "Christian, kill everyone that is causing themotion."


    Christian drew in a breath and began whispering a spell. The air was filled with magical surges, which effectively silenced all the orcs.


    Christian was, in fact, against the idea of harming their captives. If it wasn¡¯t Anfey¡¯s order, he would have objected, but now his hands were tied. No matter what he thought, he didn¡¯t want to call Anfey out publicly for it. It was not in his best interest to ruin his rtionship with him. He figured he would find Anfey privately afterwards and talk about it.


    "Sir!" one of the elders to the left cried out, "why are you doing this? We really dide from the south."


    "One," Anfey said coldly.


    Suzanna raised her sword, and one of the injured orcs was dead before he could even scream, his blood sttering all over the ground. The orcs let out a scream, but then quickly covered their mouths with their hands to stifle the scream. Anfey had said anyone who causedmotion would be killed as well.


    "Sir! We are innocent, we don¡¯t know anything!"


    "Two!" Anfey, in the end, was a cold person and cared not for pleas. Suzanna cut down another orc, the metallic scent of blood intensified.


    "Sir!"


    "Three!"


    Suzanna waved her sword and ended another orc¡¯s life. So far, all she had killed were men, since she couldn¡¯t bring herself to kill any of the women or children.


    "You demon!" the elder cursed, lurching towards him.


    Anfey kicked the elder and thetter grunted and fell to the ground. "Four," he called.


    "Five."


    "Six."


    "Seven."


    Anfey counted all the way to ten, and the elder¡¯s eyes were already ssed over. He stared at the roof of the cave nkly, but he didn¡¯t show signs of telling the truth, either. The other elder had appeared stubborn from the beginning, and so Anfey didn¡¯t pay him much attention.


    There were already ten orcs lying on the ground, dead. Suzanna was not a good executioner. She was not systematic, and the way she killed the orcs varied from orc to orc. If she had killed them in battle, no one would have paid any attention, but now her targets were orcs waiting for death, and the message she conveyed waspletely different.


    Anfey thought about the situation for a moment, and stood up slowly. "You see," he said, "your elders have abandoned you, they want to trade your lives for their secrets!"


    The orcs exchanged looks, and the despair spreaded out in the room, some even began sobbing.


    "But, I realize how unfair it is for them alone to decide your fates," Anfey said, smiling. "I am giving you all a chance."


    All the eyes were suddenly on Anfey. He waited for a moment before continuing. "I will ask you some questions. Whoever answers can leave, and my men will not stop him. Of course, whoever has lied will die, and the one exposing him will live. I only have a few questions."


    "The first one: Where were you three years ago?"


    A female orc stood up before he even finished. "I know, I know," she screamed. "We were in the Stone Forest in the Forest of Death."


    "Good. You¡¯re free to go. Second one: Where were you a year ago?"


    "I know!" another woman with a child screamed. "We were in the same ce."


    "Good. You¡¯re free too."


    "Sir," she said timidly. "Can I give the chance to my child?"


    "Be my guest," Anfey said amicably.


    The woman walked over to the first woman, and handed her child to her. She looked at her child for a few moments before whispering a few words to the first woman and returning.


    "The third question: Six months ago..."


    "I know, sir! You¡¯re asking where we were then, right?" the woman jumped up and asked.


    Anfey hesitated before smiling, and said, "Yes. Do you have an answer?"


    "We were here six months ago," the woman said.


    "Great. You are free to go," Anfey nodded.


    The woman cheered and dashed towards the first woman. She held her child to her chest and embraced him tightly, tears streaming down her face. They had only separated for a few moments, but her joy was enough to put all the rest of the orcs on high alert. They stared at Anfey, waiting for his next question. Sure, their chance of living would mean their friends¡¯ deaths, but by then no one cared much.


    "The next one: Why did youe here?"


    "For a sanctuary, a safe ce!"


    "I know, sir! For a safe ce!"


    "A sanctuary! Sir, I answered first, I did!"


    An old orc and two women stood up simultaneously and shouted out.


    "Bastards!" the elder screamed in anger. "You¡¯re betraying your ancestors? The mighty Beast God will not forgive you! Do you want your soul to toil..."


    Before he could finish, Anfey kicked him across his chest, and he fell to the ground and was silent.


    The three orcs hesitated, and dashed to the front, screaming, "Sir, I answered first!"


    At first they argued in humannguage, then slowly they regressed into their native tongue.


    "Silent!" Anfey called. "You all answered correctly, but one answer can only redeem one person. I will give you another question." The three orcs stared at him, nervous.


    "Where is the sanctuary?"


    "With them!" the older orc said.


    The two women jumped up, agitated, staring at the old orc with hatred and anger. Had Anfey allowed infighting, surely they would be fighting each other by now.


    "On the elders?" Anfey asked, surprised. He had expected their sanctuary to be a ce.


    "Yes, sir."


    "Alright, you may go." He turned towards the two women and said, "You may answer the next question. Can you find it?"


    "Yes!" the women called out at the same time.


    "Alright," Anfey said, smiling, and pointed to the elders. "Go find it. Whoever finds it first can go."


    The two rushed onto the tform, and each picked one of the elders.


    "Bastards! You..." the elder cursed angrily.


    The woman was angry as well, and did not hesitate as she struck the old man in the face. Seeing their people slowly ughtered and the elders¡¯ stubbornness, the orcs had came to resent the elders. They didn¡¯t dare to fight with Anfey, so the weaker elders became their targets of rage.


    "You..." the elder stared, his eyes filled with anger and disbelief.


    The woman struck him again, the elder fell backwards and passed out on the ground.


    The women began searching carefully. After a few minutes, one of the woman stood up and handed a piece of red stone with strange carving to Anfey. "I found it," she cried. "I found it, sir!"


    The other woman sank to the ground and began sobbing. She had missed two chances at life, and was devastated.


    Anfey took the red stone. "Alright," he said after a few moments. "Since you both tried, I will spare both of you." Anfey had killed many people, but that was because he needed to survive. Killing without reason would make him a butcher. He wasn¡¯t a good man, but he was far from that. He had received what he wanted, and he decided to show mercy.


    The woman on the ground stopped her tears in shock. After a few moments, she stood up and ran down the tform, smiling, d that she had earn a chance at life.


    "One more question," Anfey said. He picked up the elder¡¯s staff from the ground and tossed it down. "The first person to grab this has the right to answer. Now, how many orcs were present at the Stone Forest?"


    The rest of the orcs rushed forward, and a young woman was the one to pick up the staff. Before she could run up the stairs, the other orcs dragged her down. It was so chaotic Suzanna had to step in and organize them. After the orcs were driven back, the woman was bleeding, but her mind was still intact. "I got it," she cried. "I did."


    "Alright. You may answer."


    "Umm, there were..." the woman lowered her head and began counting. After a few moments, however, she was still struggling to grasp the exact number.


    "A thousand?" Anfey realized that she may becking in the mathematics, and wanted to help her.


    "No, sir, not that many."


    "A hundred?"


    "No, sir, no, not that many," the woman said.


    "Really?" Anfey asked. "What about twenty?"


    "Um..." the woman began counting again.


    "Fine, fine," Anfey sighed. "You may go." He would save more time if he just let her go. Who knew how long it would take if he had waited for her to finish. "Onest question. What is the usage of this?"


    As the orcs dove for the staff, Christian turned to Anfey. "There¡¯s no use asking them that," he said. "I don¡¯t think they would know. Let me see that."


    Anfey nced at Christian and handed him the red stone.

 Chapter 83: My Rights

    Chapter 83: My Rights


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Christian was knowledgeable in terms of magic, but no one knew about everything, including Christian. Judging from the magic surges from Christian, he had tried various ways to test the reaction of the red stone with the strange carving, but the result was disappointing. Anfey had waited long for Christian, then finally he smiled. He did not sneer at Christian. It was just a smile.


    "It is different than what I thought." Christian felt awkward and passed the red stone back to Anfey. "As far as I know, shelter is a treasure bestowed by Beast God to immediate rtives of ancient orcs. There were seven shelters. Most of them were with wolf orcs, bear orcs, and leopard orcs. I do not know how these orcs got one. In other words, shelter is a portable magic transmission portal and has a fixed coordinate in the magic world.


    "Fixed coordinate in the magic world? Does it mean we will be sent to the same ce every time we use the shelter?" Anfey asked.


    "You are right." Christian nodded. "It is said that all the shelters are connected. If one shelter can help transport someone to the Stone Forest in the Forest of Death, then there must be another shelter that starts from Stone Forest."


    "ording to what you said, another shelter¡¯s destination should be here. Am I right?" Anfey asked.


    "Something like that." Christian thought for a while and said, "But, all of these are legends. Maybe the truth will be slightly different than legends."


    "You do not know how to use this shelter, do you?" Anfey asked.


    "I could not find the magic conjunction point. The shelters were bestowed by Beast God to orcs. I am not an alchemist. I do not know what tricks this shelter can do." Christian smiled bitterly.


    Anfeyid his eyes on the orcs below. "I¡¯ll ask onest question. Who knows how to use this shelter?"


    Orcs used to zealously answer Anfey¡¯s questions, but they hesitated to answer when they heard this one. They looked each other, but no one was willing to answer it.


    Anfey thought to himself, "If these orc did not know how to use the shelter, shouldn¡¯t they have looked confused or disappointed instead of hesitating?" Anfey raised his voice and asked, "This is thest question. If anyone can answer it, you will have freedom. If no one can answer it, besides the few who already earned their freedom, the rest will be killed. It¡¯s your choice."


    "Master, would you really give us freedom?" A female orc asked timidly.


    "I have said that I have a good reputation for keeping my word," Anfey said.


    "Master, to start using the shelter, you have to dedicate sacrificial offerings on the full moon, then the Beast God woulde down for his blessings," the female orc said.


    "Sacrificial offerings? What kind of sacrificial offerings?" Anfey asked.


    The female orc answered, "You have to dig out a girl¡¯s, oh, no, I meant an unmarried female orc¡¯s heart, and put this red stone back into her body. This ritual has to start three days before the full moon. You need change a female orc every day until the full moon. As long as the shelter can absorb enough blood, it will start on its own."


    Hui Wei suddenly interrupted. "Do you want go to the Forest of Death? I suggest you do not."


    "Why not?" Anfey asked tly.


    "Because it took almost everything for me to escape from there. I do not want to go back there ever again. It was not a good ce to be," Hui Wei said.


    "Anfey, Forest of Death was not a good ce indeed." Christian shook his head. "Do you...Do you really want to go there?"


    "It is a magic beast forest, right? It should be simr to Forest rm, isn¡¯t it?" Anfey asked.


    "Definitely not simr. Forest rm is just over a thousand miles wide, while Forest of Death is...I am not sure since no one has measured it, but it should be over ten times the size of Forest rm. We only met a few wyverns, manticores and unicorns in Forest rm. In Forest of Death, these senior magic beasts are everywhere. There are supreme magic beasts as well. I do not mean the ones evolved from senior magic beasts. I mean the real supreme magic beasts. I would not be surprised to see a couple or even more than ten manticores that had died in their cave. It ismon in the Forest of Death," Christian said seriously.


    "Forest of Death, Wild Prairie and White Bone Mountain are the most dangerous ces on the Pan Continent. Forest of Death shares a border with Wild Prairie, while White Bone Mountain is in the north of Pan Continent."


    Suzanna jump back onto the stage. She looked as serious as Christian. She said, "Anfey, if we go to Forest of Death, there will be too many unpredictable dangers; hundreds of Magic Wolves, packs of sh Leopards, and waves of Magic Ants and junior and senior magic Killer Wasps with natural immune systems, a furious mammoth that can crush magic beasts and humans with one stomp, and other supreme magic beats. No matter which one we encounter, it would kill all of us."


    "Anfey, do you know about Entos? He is also a student of the professor, just older than us. The professor asked him to get training in Forest of Death after he became a senior magister. Well, I am not qualified to go there for training."


    "Are you students of Archmage Saul?" Hui Wei suddenly interrupted. It was obvious he had heard the name Entos. "It is ridiculous that you could not see humans as dangerous, but only see the danger from magic beasts?"


    "Can you tell us what we were ignorant about?" Anfey sounded like he did not see Hui Wei¡¯s sarcasm and wanted to learn from him with patience.


    "Forest of Death is a ce withoutws. As long as you are strong, you can rob and kill anyone you like. Besides some powerful mercenaries who have been digging gold in the Forest of Death and some powerful men wandering in it, you will never be able to know the identities of others in the Forest of Death. A bloody, evil ughterer who robbed others could be a polite archmage or an honorable master swordsman outside the forest. Only in the Forest of Death will you see their dark side that they¡¯ve been trying to cover. It¡¯s a pity that you will only be able to see their true colors when you are about to die; by then it will be toote." Hui Wei sneered. "It looks like you are pretty good, a senior swordsman, a junior magister, hmmm, not bad. However, I bet you would not live more than ten days in the Forest of Death."


    "Are you trying to scare me?" Anfey smiled. It was believable that powerful men robbed and killed others in the Forest of Death. It was also possible that some humans had killed others for their own benefit. However, Hui Wei exaggerated how dangerous Forest of Death was. He made it sound like it was a tomb for humankind. If it was really as Hui Wei said, why would Saul send Entos to get training there? Wouldn¡¯t that be like sending him to die? Hui Wei also said there were some mercenaries searching for gold in the Forest of Death, which obviously showed that the Forest of Death gave them more benefits than dangers, otherwise no one would be willing to stay in the dangerous forest.


    "You...Fine. If you want to die over there, then you can take your people and go. I am not going to that damn ce." Hui Wei¡¯s face was purple.


    "Don¡¯t talk bulls#*t. You are our captive. No matter where we go, you have to go with us, unless you can tell us how to start the Antimagic Terra."


    Hui Wei turned his head to the side. He did not want to look at Anfey anymore.


    "Anfey, what he said makes some sense. Forest of Death is located right among Ellisen Empire, Shansa Empire and Mercenary Empire. There has not been anyw over there. It was not like Forest rm, which belongs to Maho Empire. It was almost burned to the ground in the Hundred Year Saint Battle, so there are neither many magic beasts left nor many people going there for training," Christian said.


    "Do you know why these orcs came here? Because they wanted to leave Forest of Death," Hui Wei interrupted again. It looked like he really did not want to go back to Forest of Death.


    "Anfey." Suzanna wanted to say something as well.


    "There are a couple of days before the full moon. We do not have to worry yet. We have time to talk about it." Anfey waved his hand and said, "We have to think about what to do with these orcs."


    "What to do with these orcs? Anfey, didn¡¯t you promise to free them?" Christian asked in surprise.


    "Hahaha, don¡¯t worry. I am not going to hurt them. I just need them do something for me." Anfey thought a little bit and asked quietly, "Christian, would orcs like gold coins?"


    "Of course." Christian smiled.


    "Humans are so hostile towards orcs that I thought they would have no way to spend them," Anfey said.


    "They can trade gold coins with other orc tribes. Gold coins are the currency on Pan Continent. They would work any ce on the Pan Continent. Even if humans do not sell them goods, they still can find agents to shop for them. When those wolf orcs and bear orcs reach a certain level, they can transform into humans to wander in the human world. They need gold coins as well. Even those spirits want to umte gold coins. Gold coins will not be unhelpful at any time," Christian answered.


    Anfey now had some idea how gold coins work. He stood on the stage and nced at the orcs below him. Anfey had agreed to free them, but Zubin and Sante still blocked the exit of the cave. No orc was trying to test Anfey to see if they could leave. They curled up against the cave, tensely whispering to each other.


    "You have your freedom now. You are going to have two options. One is to leave and the other one is to stay and work for me. If you want to leave now, I will not stop you." Anfey took out a handful of gold coins from his dimensional ring and tossed them underneath the stage. "If you are willing to work for me, you can get a gold coin. It¡¯s just a deposit. You will be paid moreter on."


    Orcs were all shocked, since they were considered the lowest level among other living beings on Pan Continent. Even female elf ves had a higher position than orcs. People could at least appreciate their beauty, while nobody liked the orcs¡¯ ugly face. In other words, no one even wanted to have them as ves. They had never had any experience of working for anyone.


    Christian walked quietly to Anfey and whispered, "Anfey, are you trying to win them over to your side with gold coins? It is not going to happen. Don¡¯t forget how many orcs we have killed."


    "I know. I only need them work for me for a few days," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Master, are you really giving these gold coins to us?" A female orc shouted out.


    "Of course, but I need you think carefully before you agree to work for me. It is not going to be an easy job. You have to work very hard, but at the same time I will pay you very highly as well. You will be happy with the pay," Anfey said.


    "Master, I do not mind hard work." The female orc actually felt rxed when she heard she only needed to work hard. She ran to the gold coins, picked up one immediately and put it carefully in her pocket.


    "God, for the sake of Beast God, please look at them. They have given up their beliefs and self-esteem to work for a killer. My greatest Beast God, pleasee down..." Suzanna kicked on the orc chief¡¯s chest before he could finish his words. Blood sprayed out from his mouth. It looked like he had died.


    The orcs had wanted toe forward to get gold coins. After they heard the orc chief¡¯sment, they just stood there and looked at each other. They even showed Anfey a look of mixed feelings. The female orc took out the gold coin from her pocket and tossed it on the ground.


    "We came here for a reason. As some of you know, you attacked us yesterday, but failed. I swear to the great Bright God, I have never looked down upon orcs. I think all living things should live happily together. I have my own principles though. No matter who tries to hurt me or my friends, I would give them no quarter," Anfey said.


    "Was it my fault?" Anfey continued. "No! You attacked me first. I have every right to take revenge. I know I am a killer in your eyes. Those soldiers in your tribe are killers as well. They attacked us in surprise without any legitimate reason. It was their fault, not mine."


    "Ok, I have said enough. If you want to work for me, you can stay. If not, you can leave now," Anfey said tly.


    The orcs looked less tense. Anfey¡¯s reasoning was easy to understand for the orcs who have struggled to fight for food with other magic beasts. It was like they were attacking magic beasts for food. Some of them had died in the fight. This was the rule of nature.

 Chapter 84: From the Age of Chaos

    Chapter 84: From the Age of Chaos


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Perhaps because they had lived in istion for years, the orcs tended becking in wit and were easy to convince. Anfey¡¯s words had stunned them and made them speechless. After a few moments of hesitation, they walked up and began picking the gold coins off of the ground.


    "Sante, you still have coins in your ring, right?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course." Everyone had a certain amount of coins and food in their rings. Anfey wanted to make sure that if any of them got lost or separated, the person would have the means to survive.


    "Come up here. Remember what I just said?"


    "Yes?" Sante blinked. He used levitation and lifted himself onto the tform.


    "Go outside and tell all the prisoners what I just said. Give the coins to those who want to stay and work. Those who don¡¯t want to stay can go."


    "Alright."


    "You know what I mean by going, don¡¯t you?"


    "You mean..." Sante lowered his voice. "You promised them freedom!"


    "Only to the ones in here. The ones outside are our prisoners, after all. If anyone is stubborn enough to leave, you know what to do."


    "Fine," Sante said, nodding.


    "Alright. Tell vi and Riska toe in," Anfey said, smiling. "Zubin, go with Sante, won¡¯t you?"


    Zubin nodded and left the cave. The orcs, seeing that the one that guarded the exit had left, felt a sense of relief. They were promised work and money and freedom, all things they didn¡¯t even dare to dream about in the past.


    "Suzanna,e with me," Anfey said. He jumped onto the stone ridge across from the tform. He descended the stairs and entered the orcs¡¯ storage cavern.


    Suzanna didn¡¯t know what Anfey wanted with her, but she knew it was important, or else Anfey would not have avoided Christian. She followed him nervously.


    "Suzanna, I have to talk to you about something." Just as Suzanna had expected, Anfey did not even try to prepare her for the talk and instead cut straight to the chase.


    "Go ahead."


    "I feel the need to tell everyone about the map you are carrying. Don¡¯t misunderstand me. The treasure is still yours, and none of us would ask you for any of it. You are part of the team, and we have the responsibility to help you. I think everyone else would feel the same way."


    ording to map, the treasure should be buried somewhere near these mountain ranges. Anfey hired those orcs for the purpose of finding whatever was buried here as well. A search this scale would not escape everyone¡¯s eyes, and would sooner orter be noticed by somebody. If they waited until someone found out, it would create a sense of mistrust among the group.


    "You didn¡¯t need to exin yourself," Suzanna said, smiling. "I trust everyone."


    "You agree, then?"


    "If you can really find it...I just need that sword. Everything else you can take."


    "Stop, stop," Anfey said, shaking his head. "You sound like we are dividing up contraband."


    Suzanna chuckled. "I do not have the spell, though," she said. "It was written under the map, but was already missing when I found it."


    "Let¡¯s wait until we find it. Perhaps we don¡¯t need a spell for it." Anfey smiled and began walking out of the cavern. vi and Riska were already outside and speaking with Christian.


    "Christian,e here. Sanchez, why don¡¯t you..." Anfey ordered, but after a moment he changed he mind. "Christian, bring him over anyway." Hui Wei had already given up struggling, but no one knew when he could use the antimagic area again. What if he tried to escape and harm the people outside, while their strongest fighters were all inside the cave?


    The group used levitation and gathered around Anfey. Hui Wei looked like he had lost all will to fight, and quietly allowed himself to be carried by Christian.


    "Anfey, what happened? Why the secrecy?" Christian asked.


    Anfey nced at Suzanna, and said, "There is something important you need to know."


    "Why do you want me here if you are just talking? Let me go!" Hui Wei said suddenly, and began thrusting against his captor. He was much stronger than Christian, and could have easily escaped.


    "You better behave," Anfey said coldly.


    "I¡¯m not interesting in your secrets," Hui Wei said nervously. "Let me go. I¡¯m just outside, I can¡¯t escape. You have so many mages here, there is no way I can get out."


    "No, you have to stay here," Anfey said sternly.


    Hui Wei stared at him, and suddenly he dashed towards the wall. He was fast, and caught everyone off guard. He wasn¡¯t going to escape or hurt anyone. By the time everyone realized what he was doing, he had already crashed into the wall and fell to the ground unconscious.


    Everyone stared at him wide eyed and confused.


    Anfey talked over slowly and silently and checked his wounds and his breathing. "He¡¯s smart," he said, "he didn¡¯t hurt himself much. Just enough to knock himself out."


    "Why did he do this?" Christian asked.


    Anfey picked Hui Wei up off the ground and ced him on the stone ridge above. He jumped off the ridge andnded in front of Christian. "Say, Christian. If you be a prisoner, and your captors speak about secrets right in front of you, how would you feel?"


    "You¡¯re saying he was afraid we would kill him?"


    "Of course. He was afraid that after we learn the secret to the antimagic area, we would kill him. Otherwise, he would have told us about it long ago. Had he known our secrets, his chance of survival would be even lower." Anfey grinned. "He is braver than I thought."


    "He is," vi said. "Who would bet with their own heads?"


    "Now, let¡¯s talk about our own secrets," Anfey said. "Suzanna holds a treasure map."


    "Treasure map?" The group¡¯s gaze fell onto Suzanna, then turned to Anfey. "What kind of treasure map?" Christian asked.


    Suzanna retrieved it from her sheath and handed it to them. "See for yourself."


    Christian epted it gingerly. vi and Riska gathered around to look at the map.


    "This is old," Riska said, touching the surface of the map.


    "It was new when I got it, but during the fight we destroyed the magic on it. I think it will be a pile of dust in no more than six months."


    "Why don¡¯t you make a copy?"


    "No need. I already memorized the entire map."


    "Suzanna," Anfey said, "why didn¡¯t you destroy it once you memorized it?"


    "I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it," Suzanna shrugged. "Every time I see it...it is like seeing my mentor again."


    "Your mentor? Who is it?" Anfey wasn¡¯t the only one that cared about the question. Anyone who could train a twenty-year-old girl to be a master swordsman must be one of the best.


    "Sorry, I promised him I would never give out his name to anyone."


    "You don¡¯t have to say anything," Anfey said, smiling.


    "Thanks," Suzanna whispered.


    "Suzanna, how long have you had this map?" Christian asked.


    "About three months."


    "Time is constant. It doesn¡¯t matter if you are alive or not, time will affect you one way or another. If Suzanna is right, and this map has deteriorated this much in three months without that magic barrier, it should at least be six centuries old, if not seven."


    "What does that mean?" vi asked.


    "That means we are in for a surprise," Christian said.


    Christian continued: "After the Hundred Year War, all the sentient beings in the world retreated into their own territories and rested. The magicked beings had brought severe damage to all the races. Only two hundred yearster, however, another war erupted. Although it was only between the humans and the savages, it had been just as intense as the Hundred Year War, and in the end every race was affected.


    "After the Hundred Year War, humans divided into three kingdoms, and after the war with the savages, they divided into a dozen nations. When faced with increasing threats from their enemy, the nations banded together into one nation in order to fend off theirmon threat.


    "After the war with the savages and the orcs, the unified nation fell apart within two decades, and evolved into the world we know today. Of course, no one could stop the constantly changing politics of nations.


    "In a chaotic era such as the wars, many noble families and powerful men found themselves staring their doom in the face. Some were able to rebound after the war, but many were instead buried by history. Treasures from that era must have something to do with those fallen nobilities." Christian knew this map would bring them a great surprise.


    "I only know there is a sword in there. You might know it. It is called Song of Red Moon," Suzanna told them.


    "Song of Red Moon? That is a sword of the devil! It is a holy relic of the orcs. Why would it be here?" Christian asked.


    "That I do not know."


    "What? Is it a powerful sword?" Anfey asked.


    "I do not know exactly how powerful it is. Legend has it that it was forged by a great alchemist after a necromancer ced a spell on him. After the sword was forged, the alchemist was killed and his soul imprisoned in the sword. After that the sword became cursed, with the alchemist cing a curse on everyone that wields it," Christian said uneasily. "Suzanna, that sword is not formon people. The first user was captured by the magic beasts, and they tortured him to death. None of the other users fared well, either. You are powerful enough, you don¡¯t need to rely on weapons to increase your ability."


    "I promised my mentor that I would find it," Suzanna said, patting her longsword. "I won¡¯t actually use it. I just need it in my hands."


    "That¡¯s good, as long as you don¡¯t use it. " Christian sighed in relief. "I mean, your mentor shouldn¡¯t, either," Christian added hurriedly.


    "He won¡¯t use it, either," Suzanna said, shaking her head.


    "Alright, let¡¯s talk about thatter. First we need to find it. Starting tomorrow, we will have the orcs start searching the surrounding areas until we find clues," Anfey said. "You¡¯ve seen the map. What do you think about that dot? I have a feeling that it is this very cave."


    "You¡¯re right!" vi said, staring at the ck dot. "Look at it. The ck dot is under the mountain, and if this is where the treasures are located, then it is this cave!"

 Chapter 85: Visions

    Chapter 85: Visions


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Christian grabbed treasure map and studied it for a while, his head nodding. "I also think it is here."


    "Let¡¯s ask the orcs to start digging on the hill tomorrow. I heard they are very skilled. This hill is not huge. We will find the treasure no matter what, even if we have to dig the whole hill t." Anfey smiled.


    "Anfey, I..." Suzanna hesitated a little bit and said, "I have told you that the other half of the treasure map had been robbed. Without the spells on the other half of the map, we may not be able to open the treasure."


    "What kind of spells?" Christian asked, worried.


    "It¡¯s an ancient rune. I do not understand it," Suzanna answered.


    "Ancient rune? Only alchemists like to study it," Christian said.


    "Yes, my master told me this treasure was kept by an element lock," Suzanna said.


    "Element lock? That does not sound good." Christian could not help smiling bitterly.


    "What is an element lock?" Anfey asked.


    There were so many things Anfey did not know about, and he humbly asked about them every time when he encountered them; so no one was surprised when he asked about an element lock. Christian whispered to answer Anfey¡¯s question, "It is a way to seal things. Only alchemists can create an element lock. After an element lock is created, it has to be unlocked with correct spells, otherwise the element lock will explode. It would be a huge explosion too. All the elements will be shuffled in chaotic order and turn the air into a vacuum."


    "Then we can unlock it in the wrong way on purpose to cause the explosion. As long as we are careful, we would not get hurt. Will the element locke back after the explosion?" Anfey asked.


    "But the treasure would be blow up as well. The power of element locks vary. Usually alchemists will adjust the power of an element lock based on the size of the item they try to seal. The only way to safely acquire the treasure is to find the spells," Christian said.


    "So I think we still have to find the treasure first. Don¡¯t worry about other things. Maybe the element lock has already expired and lost its effectiveness." Christian and others looked at each other, and then they all nodded. They knew no one would unlock the element lock without spells, not even archmages. Therefore, their discussion would not help anyway.


    "Anfey!" Sante had alreadynded on the stairs when everyone heard his voice. He did not look too good.


    "What happened?" Anfey frowned.


    "I have told the orcs exactly what you have told me, but many orcs wanted to leave and did not want to work for us. What should I do?" Sante sighed.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you to kill any orc who wants to leave?" Anfey said.


    "Ah, Anfey, there are more than fifty orcs wanting to leave, and a lot of kids and..." Sante said.


    "I will go and take a look," vi interrupted.


    Among Christian and others in the legion, vi acted on instinct the most. In modernnguage, he would be called very "feisty". He cursed at Zeda at Saul¡¯s house, and Zeda almost killed him with a kick. Besides Anfey and Suzanna, he killed the most on their journey to escape.


    Personality usually developed little by little. vi had always liked to control others¡¯ lives. However, he was nervous and scared at the beginning of their escape, but felt excited now. vi had changed. He did not think it was a big deal to kill dozens of orcs. Instead, he was not happy with Sante¡¯s hesitation. Anfey had said clearly that any orc who wanted to leave needed to be killed. If it were him, he would note back and asked Anfey again. He¡¯d rather kill those orcs immediately when he knew they wanted to leave.


    "Be careful." Anfey nodded.


    "I will," vi answered quietly. He flew with levitation magic to the exit of the cave and sped up.


    "Christian, an element lock has magic surges. Can you sense the location of the treasure?" Suzanna asked suddenly.


    "I would not sense it, but I can set up a magic array to test it," Christian said.


    "Orcs will work during the day. You can set up the magic array at night when the orcs are resting. There are only seven or eight days left before the full moon. We need to hurry," Anfey said.


    Christian and others looked at each other, speechless. They had exined to Anfey how horrible the Forest of Death could be. They knew Anfey still wanted to go, otherwise he would not constantly emphasize the full moon. They understood Anfey was trying to prepare them for the trip, but did they have to go?


    There was an intense magic surge outside the cave. Obviously, vi had started to kill orcs. Judging from the intensity of the magic surge, vi did not wait for the orcs to leave the vige before starting to kill them. This was a warning for the rest of the orcs.


    The look on everyone in the cave had changed, but Anfey looked like nothing had happened. Suzanna looked aloof. Riska was thinking with his head down. Christian looked a little sad. He did not want to see any killing, but he was smart enough to absolutely respect Anfey¡¯s decision. Anfey had not made many mistakes during their escape. To him, it was wise to respect Anfey¡¯s decision.


    "Christian, can you take few people with you to pick up Niya and the others," Anfey said slowly.


    "Ok," Christian nodded.


    * * * *


    When Niya and the others reached the tribe of orcs, it was already dark. Orcs had cleaned up the messy tribe when Niya and the others were on the way. They even moved everything in the cave out to clear up the room for them to sleep.


    Anfey had thought to have orcs rest in the cave with Niya and the others, which would make it easy to watch over the orcs, but Niya was against it. She hated the look of orcs and their body odor. Anfey asked Niya to rest in the orcs¡¯ only surviving straw house. Niya was against that idea too. To be honest, the straw house smelled even worse than the cave. It was not because orcs did not want to be clean, but they never had the concept of hygiene. Hundreds of orcs lived in a vige without any restroom facility. How could it be clean?


    Anfey understood Niya¡¯s concern, so he asked Christian to set up a magic array and sent orcs into it. Anfey also asked vi, whom orcs hated and were scared of the most, to watch over them at night. If any orc wanted to escape, it would have to take a lot of courage to flee under Balvi¡¯s watch.


    The problem of a shortage of food made Anfey¡¯s head hurt. Anfey had thought they would have more food after they took over the orc tribe. He did not expect the orcs¡¯ food to be so different than theirs. Orcs cut off ever-green trees with flowers and ground them into powder. They mixed the powder with some water and baked it under the sun. That was their bread.


    Anfey tasted a little bit of the bread. To be honest, it was not horrible. It had a little bit of a bitter taste, but the texture was horrible. The orcs¡¯ bread was so tough that it could be used as weapons, to use Anfey¡¯s own words. When the bread was bitten into smaller pieces in the mouth, Anfey felt they were like small stones. He could not swallow them.


    Orcs like to cut the magic beasts¡¯ stomachs open and take out their organs. Then they cut the magic beasts up, left them in a big pot and cooked them into a soup dish. Without mentioning their cooking skills, the pots had already shocked everyone. The whole orc tribe only had three pots, and one of three orc chiefs in charge of each. When orcs showed Anfey where the pot was, Anfey stared at the pot in amazement, and his jaw dropped.


    Orcs did not have the habit of washing pots. When they were kicked out of the human world, they had to try to just survive in the forest. Therefore, some good habits they had developed in the human world had gradually disappeared.


    When Anfey was approaching the pot, he heard a huge humming sound and saw a cloud of smog rising in the air. There were millions of half-finger sized dark blue flies covered under the cloud of smog. A little bit of soup was left in the pot and ayer of flies were floating on it. There were bumps on the side of the pot, which must have been left by different magic beasts. A nasty smell rushed into Anfey¡¯s nose. Luckily, Anfey kept his legs steady, otherwise he would have fallen by the wave of smell.


    Anfey held his breath, turned around and walked away. If they were out of food, he would eat this kind of food. He still had other options, so he did not mention eating this kind of food, and he did not even want to look at it again.


    Anfey was wondering how these orcs could have javelin throws, leather armor, and short-shaft sticks with wolf fangs when they were so short of basic items. He felt he should look for some clues from Hui Wei. He was not worried about this problem yet, since he had control of Hui Wei. Anfey had to pressure him to make him tell how to set up an Antimagic Terra first.


    The second day, the orcs started to work on the heavy construction. Anfey kept his word and paid the orcs in gold coins at the end of day, which bolstered the orcs¡¯ morale. Orcs did not need to go out and hunt, since there were many mages in Anfey¡¯s legion who could hunt with magic. It was self-evident which was more efficient: hunting with magic or with spears. When several mages went out together, they always could bring back some junior magic beasts. Four dayster, the magic array that Christian set up finally sensed some weak magic surges. This discovery was helpful in deciding the correct direction of their digging, instead of digging everywhere.


    Anfey made a conservative estimate that they would need only two more days to find treasure. It was wise to estimate conservatively since thinking the worst could prepare him for surprisester on.


    The second day at noon, a few orcs fell into an ancient tunnel when they were digging into the hill. The tunnel was nted downwards so those few orcs rolled down the tunnel and dizzily fell on a pile. They tried to look around with the very weak element light. They were so shocked that they froze into statues.


    They worked so hard to earn a gold coin a day. It had already made them quite happy. Right now they had gold coins everywhere at their feet, and countless jewelry shone under the dim element light.


    Besides gold coins and jewelry, heavy armor and weapons piled up in the front and both sides of the cave wall. It was hard to see the texture of the weapons, since dirt had covered the whole stone chamber over time.


    There was a silver box floating in the air. If these orcs had better eyes, they could tell it was not silver, but a rare mithril. Mithril was so rare that a palm size amount would make anyone wealthy.


    A ck arc and quiver and a 6-foot long giant axe were hung in the front of the cave wall, but the orcs¡¯ eyes were fixed on the gold coins under their feet. They stared at the gold coins. Without knowing who started or whether they all started at the same time, the orcs started to pick gold coins up and put as many of them in their pockets as they could.


    That day Riska was watching over the orcs. It was not long before Riska noticed something unusual. Anfey, Christian, and Suzanna all came over shortly. They passed the long alley andnded in the stone chamber. The orcs in the stone chamber did not notice their presence and kept putting gold coins in their pockets. What they did was stupid since it was easy to tell what had happened. They all looked like they were pregnant.


    "Put the gold coins down and get out!" Anfey said tly.


    The orcs just noticed Anfey and the others with him. Their bodies were frigid for a second, and then they turned around to look at Anfey with fury in their eyes. The gold coins had made them even less intelligent. They did stupid things that even junior magic beasts would not do.


    Suzanna snorted heavily. She and Shally had tried so hard to search for this treasure. Today they finally found it. How could she allow these orcs to take any of it?


    "Suzanna!" Anfey called her name quietly and then turned to thoe orcs. "Didn¡¯t you hear me? Put the gold coins down and get out!"


    The orcs shook a little bit out of fear. They just realized the huge difference in power between them. If Anfey¡¯s legion wereposed of regr people, they would have torn them up. The people in front of the orcs had killed soldiers in their tribe, captured their leader, and had power hundreds of times stronger than theirs. They hesitated a little bit and unwillingly tossed the gold coins on the floor. Every orc could be considered smart since they each kept a few coins in their pockets.


    "These bastards!" Christian cursed after the orcs climbed back to the alley. This time even the generous Christian thought orcs were too much.


    "Don¡¯t worry about them. Let¡¯s take a look at what we got today." Anfey smiled.


    They all looked at the box in the air. This was the difference in perspective. Anfey and the others did not even care about the gold coins and jewelry at all.

 Chapter 86: Greed

    Chapter 86: Greed


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey only nced at the chest before moving his gaze to the longbow. He walked over slowly and lifted it off the wall. Everyone else stared at the chest with wide eyes. They had all felt something, but did not want to believe. Anfey did not know much about magic silver. He had only read about it in books, and had quickly forgotten about it.


    He brushed away the dust on the longbow. The bow was about four feet long and very heavy. There were no carvings or decorations on it, and the bow appeared very in. Under the dim light, the bow¡¯s body appeared to be dark grey, and the string appeared to be dark gold. Anfey wasn¡¯t one to appreciate ancient artifacts, but he knew this bow was nothing short of extraordinary.


    He slowly began pulling the string back, and even though he used his full strength, he was experiencing difficulties. He tried to draw the string back a bit more, and felt a sharp pain in his fingers. He released the string.


    The string bounced back, making a sharp whistling sound that turned into a low buzzing. Anfey stared at it in amazement.


    He put the bow back and turned to the great axe. The axe was about as tall as a man, the handle was as thick as a baby¡¯s forearm, and the axe itself was almost as big as a wheel. The axe was shaped strangely. The lower part of the axe was t and smooth, the upper part turned abruptly vertical. Like the bow, the axe appeared old. It was ck, and only the edge of the axe appeared white.


    The axe probably weighed considerably more than a hundred and fifty pounds. Anfey reached over and picked it off of the wall. As he held the axe in his hand, he stumbled and almost dropped the axe. Anfey was caught off guard. He knew how strong he was. Holding this axe waspletely beyond his ability.


    He grasped the axe with his left hand, and before he could study it closely, he felt his legs shaking and sinking. He was standing on a pile of jewelry, which had supported him well before, but with the axe in his hands he was falling through the pile.


    He hurriedly returned the axe to where it was before. He had tried his best to control it, but it still bounced off the wall and made a loud noise that startled the others in the cave.


    "What are you doing?" Christian asked, looking away from the chest.


    "Nothing," Anfey said. "Can you open the chest?"


    "It¡¯s an element lock," Christian said, shaking his head. "It¡¯s impossible."


    "Say, do you guys think this is magic silver?" Riska asked.


    "Magic silver?" It had been too long, and well past Anfey¡¯s memory limits. He thought the name sounded familiar, but could not remember what it was.


    "I feel like it is, but I do not know for sure," vi said, shaking his head.


    "I¡¯ve seen it," Christian said, "but that¡¯s not something you can tell by just looking at it."


    "If we attack it, maybe we can tell."


    "No, that way we will trigger the element lock," Christian shook his head.


    "Christian, do you know how to undo the lock?"


    "No, unless we have the right spell."


    "You¡¯re sure?"


    "I¡¯m certain. Unless we can find an alchemist. There is no way we can manage that by ourselves."


    "Alright," Anfey said, nodding. "Suzanna, look at this," he added, lifting the bow off of the wall.


    Suzanna walked over and took the bow. It was too big for Anfey to use, and Suzanna was even shorter than him. The way she held the bow looked slightly awkward, but her power was undeniable. She was able to draw it almost full despite being more petite than Anfey. However, she could barely draw it open fully, and let go hurriedly. The bow vibrated and an arrow of air shot forward. It hit a wall and made arge hole on it. Anfey stared at the hole, and was d the bow was not aimed at him.


    "Do you know its name?" Anfey turned to Christian, who was the most knowledgeable of all of them.


    "I don¡¯t know," Christian shook his head. "It can shoot out an air arrow, though. I have never heard of anything like this."


    "Does anyone know?" Anfey¡¯s question was met with head shakes and low murmurs. "Suzanna, do you know?"


    "No," Suzanna said, stroking the bow. Clearly she liked it, but it was not her weapon. Using a longbow like this was very draining, and she was, after all, a swordsman, not an archer.


    "Nevermind. Suzanna, take the bow and axe."


    "Me? No. I only need the sword."


    "That¡¯s yours. You are the rightful owner."


    "There, why don¡¯t you put it in your ring? My ring is full, and I can¡¯t carry around an axe all day."


    "Alright," Anfey said. He didn¡¯t want to argue with Suzanna about pointless things. "Suzanna, there is only one thing left to do, if we can¡¯t figure out the spell."


    "What is it?"


    "Tell us who took the map, and we will get it back together."


    Suzanna frowned and appeared hesitant.


    "We still do not know where you two came from and what your pasts were. We know you will tell us when you are ready to do so. I think now is one of those times. We need to analyze where the map came from, and what kind of people we will be facing."


    "Alright," Suzanna sighed.


    "You don¡¯t need to tell us right away. We have plenty of time for you to think," Anfey interrupted her. "Christian,e. We need to seal off the passages. I don¡¯t think the orcs will easily give up."


    Christian sighed, remembering the orcs. "Alright," he said.


    When they returned to the cavern, the orcs were not working, and were instead chatting amongst themselves. Seeing the group emerging from the site of the ident, the orcs all turned their gaze.


    Greed was limitless. There were very few people who could avoid the influence of greed, and Anfey was no different. When he had just arrived here, all he wanted to do was to kill Yagor and survive. After meeting Saul and Ernest and learning more about the world, he wanted to be one of the best. He felt that he should do something, instead of living alone, spending the rest of his life in absolute boredom. Sure it would be safe, but...


    Like him, the orcs were ecstatic over earning one gold coin a day. After hearing their friends had discovered the treasure and seeing them returning with many gold coins, they felt Anfey was selfish. They were the ones who had discovered the treasure; shouldn¡¯t they get some of it as well? If it weren¡¯t for the difference in power and strength, they would have rioted long ago.


    "Sanchez, get them out of here. Tell them to take three days off and give them each three coins," Anfeymanded, looking around the cavern.


    "Alright," Sanchez said. He turned to the orcs and called, "All of you, out, out."


    The orcs, hearing his orders, nced at each other but did not move. Clearly they wanted to stay there. Greed could grant people strength sometimes, and it had helped them forget the ughter that happened there only a few days ago. All they could think of was the treasure.


    "Did you not hear me?" Sanchez called angrily. "Out with all of you!" He knew that after the ident, the orcs had be restless and would often disregard orders. They would often look at them with shifty eyes and resist orders passively.


    The orcs slowly stood up and began shuffling out of the cavern. Some were muttering something in their ownnguage, as if cursing the humans.


    Anfey snorted, his eyes flickering with anger.

 Chapter 87: Blackwater City

    Chapter 87: ckwater City


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What do you think?" Anfey looked around. Besides two people who were watching over the orcs, everyone, including Hui Wei, gathered in the cave. Anfey talked about going to the Forest of Death again in front of everyone.


    "Anfey, why do you have to go to such a dangerous ce?" Christian smiled bitterly.


    Anfey pointed at Riska with a finger but did not say anything. Everyone looked at Riska, which had made Riska quite confused. "Me? I did not say anything. I will follow Anfey and everyone else. You say where we go, and I will follow you."


    "I used to think Zubin could be a magister after Christian. Did you get any insight from Riska? Why do you think you will be sent out for training when you reach a certain level. It usually could trigger your potential at a very dangerous moment. This potential is a key to help you break through the bottleneck. Riska is a good example of it. If we continue to stay here, it would not necessarily guarantee our safety. They will find us sooner orter. What do we do then? I know it is hard to search for people in the forest, but what if they do find us?" Anfey continued his talk: "If we go to Forest of Death, it looks dangerous, but quite safe for us. The biggest threat would be gone. As long as we are careful and cautious, I think we can handle the dangers in the Forest of Death. In addition, if we stay here, our practice will be no different. Facing the dangers in the Forest of Death will allow us to improve at a much quicker pace. In my opinion, you all have decent understanding of magic. What youck of is real battle experience. It¡¯s time for us to practice it."


    Anfey¡¯s talk made everybody quiet. Seven or eight of them were senior mages who had been experiencing difficulty moving to a higher level. With previous experience, regr practice would take them five to ten years, or even their whole lives, to break through the bottlenecks. Riska was a good example in front of them, which made their decisions difficult.


    "I want to say something," Zubin interrupted.


    "Go ahead," Anfey nodded.


    "If these orcs can live in the Stone Forest in Forest of Death, so can we," Zubin said.


    Zubin¡¯s talk enlightened everyone. He was right. If those orcs with low power could live in the Forest of Death, why couldn¡¯t they live there? If it was too dangerous in the Forest of Death, they could always retreat to the Stone Forest.


    Anfey gave Zubin an appreciative look. "Zubin is right. Even if we cannot survive in the Forest of Death, as long as we can hold on there for a month, we still coulde back at the next full moon. What else do we have to worry about?"


    "Right!" vi nodded energetically. "It¡¯s not that we could note back ever again. What are we scared of?"


    The atmosphere seemed to lighten up, and everyone was either conversing quietly or thinking quietly by themselves. The atmosphere did not seem as depressing as before.


    "I have other concerns, but I would like to go with Anfey¡¯s decision," Christian said slowly.


    "How about you, Suzanna?" Anfey looked at Suzanna.


    "I will follow you too," Suzanna said with a smile. Actually, Forest of Death was a perfect ce for training for Suzanna. She was never against Anfey¡¯s decision. She exined so much about Death of Forest to Anfey in order to remind him to make the decision carefully.


    "Nuts! Nuts! You are going nuts!" Hui Wei lost himself and stood up. "What is wrong with staying in a safe ce. I am telling you, you will regret when you see some of your group dead in the Forest of Death."


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. If anyone dies, I am sure you would be the first one. This ce is not safe for us. You know we are students of Saul. Have you ever considered why we came here?" Anfey sneered.


    "Why?" Hui Wei asked.


    "Because we killed a person." Sanchez smiled. No one felt nervous any more when they recalled what happened. So what if he was the grandson of Phillip? They killed him but they were still alive.


    "Killed whom?" Hui Wei asked.


    "The only grandson of Grand Swordsman Phillip, the only direct heir of Phillip¡¯s, Zeda," Sanchez answered.


    Hui Wei felt helpless and could not help sitting down. Phillip¡¯s hot temper was well-known. Now he understood why these people fled to Forest of rm, but the problem is he really did not want to go back to Forest of Death.


    "Since everyone has agreed on it, we will get ready for the ritual offerings tonight. Today is exactly three days away from the full moon," Anfey said slowly.


    "Shelter could only be started by orcs. Do you think they would help us do it?" Sante asked.


    "I can be honest with them and let them know we are going to Forest of Death. Do you really think they want us to stay?" Anfey smiled. The treasure was not a secret any more. The greediness showed in the orcs¡¯ eyes. Asking them to help with ritual offerings would not be a problem. They could even fight to control it. In their opinion, those treasures would be theirs if Anfey¡¯s legion left.


    "Do you have to go to the Forest of Death?" Hui Wei murmured.


    No one paid attention to him. How could a captive have any say in this discussion?


    "Can I see my dimensional ring for a second?" Hui Wei looked at Anfey in a way that he was asking Anfey for a favor. His dimensional ring had been confiscated by Anfey. Every dimensional ring had a special mark on it. Besides the master of the ring, no one could open it. After its master died, the magic mark would disappear over time. However, it would take a long time for the ring to change its master. No one could change the magic mark on the ring, not even grand magisters or grand alchemists. Therefore, Anfey could only take Hui Wei¡¯s dimensional ring away. Anfey could neither figure out what was in it, nor own it.


    Anfey took out the dimensional ring and tossed it to Hui Wei without any hesitation.


    Hui Wei looked like he was suffering. He hesitated a long time and finally took out a magic scroll from his dimensional ring and passed it to Anfey.


    "What is this?" Anfey felt a wave of strong surges. He reached his hand out as he asked. It took Hui Wei a while before he unwillingly let the scroll go. He had a veryplicated look on his face. He looked like he had just given up his whole world.


    "Don¡¯t go to Forest of Death. This is a scroll of temporal teleportation to ckwater City." Hui Wei heaved a long sigh. He finally pulled back his hand from the scroll.


    "Teleport scroll!" Christian stood up in surprise, and walked to Anfey in a few strides. He took the scroll from Anfey and looked at it closely.


    "Where is ckwater City?" Anfey asked. Anfey did not need check whether the scroll was real. Christian could take care of that. Anfey only needed to make sure of other things.


    "ckwater City and White Mountain City are the two biggest cities in the Country of Mercenaries. ckwater City is close to Wild Prairie, while White Mountain City is near Forest of Death. They both have the mostplicated environments on Pan Continent as well. You will see a lot of things in ckwater City," Suzanna said.


    "Have you been to ckwater City?" Anfey asked.


    "Only when I was little," Suzanna answered.


    "This is a Teleport scroll." Christian carefully passed the scroll back to Anfey. He looked at Hui Wei up and down. "I could not tell you are rich."


    Hui Wei heaved a long sigh and tucked his hands back into the sleeves. He curled up and looked helpless, which made people feel bad for him.


    "Give me the dimensional ring back first," Anfey said tly, holding out one hand. His memory was good.


    "Christian, is a teleport scroll rare?" Anfey asked.


    "Not really, but it is expensive. Professor used to make teleport scrolls when he had free time. Usually a teleport scroll can sell for five hundred gold coins. If it was a special order to request a certain destination, then professor had to change the magic coordinate and the price would double," Christian said, smiling.


    "That expensive?" Anfey was a little surprised. No wonder Saul spent a lot. Anfey thought Saul did some side jobs to make extra money with his status as an archmage in the pce court. He just learned that Saul himself was valuable. Mages seemed to have bright futures.


    "Expensive?" Niya puffed out her chest with pride. "Unless the buyers were friends of my father, then yes. Otherwise he would not even make a scroll for them, even if they offered money."


    Anfey smiled, "Christian, can you release this scroll?"


    "Riska and I both can," Christian answered.


    "I got it." Anfey turned to Hui Wei. "You cannot release this scroll since you have both magic andbat powers, can you?"


    Hui Wei closed his eyes and refused to answer Anfey¡¯s question.


    "Christian, how long will it take for the time space door to open after the scroll is released?" Anfey needed to know more details.


    "Very quickly," Christian answered.


    "How long would it take for the door to shut?" Anfey asked again.


    "It depends on the person who released it. If magic power permits, a time space door can stay open forever." Christian said.


    "Ok, everybody get ready soon so we can leaveter tonight." Anfey stood up. "Christian, are thews in ckwater City as messy as in Forest of Death?"


    "No, in Country of Mercenaries, the Union of Mercenaries has the authority. The Union of Mercenaries is the leader of the county," Christian answered.


    "So..." Anfey was thinking quietly for a second. "Others can go and get some rest. Christian and Suzanna, can you stay and exin to me how Union of Mercenaries works?"

 Chapter 88: Transport

    Chapter 88: Transport


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I want to make sure where the magical coordinates are. You are sure it is in ckwater?" Anfey stared at Hui Wei and asked slowly.


    "Didn¡¯t you want to go to Forest of Death? Why give up now?" Hui Wei repliedzily.


    "Answer my question."


    "It is ckwater. Why would I lie to you?" Hui Wei shook his head positively. "Normally, the mages would choose a lesser popted area when making a scroll of temporal teleportation in order to avoid portals oveps and idents. We can still see ckwater from here, though."


    "Riska, prepare to begin," Anfey said, handing the scroll over to him.


    Riska took the scroll and moved to the side.


    "Anfey, the tunnel is sealed," Zubin walked over and said. "The orcs are all working and you can¡¯t tell if anything is off from the outside."


    "Great. Tell them to gather in the cave. Is everyone ready?" Anfey asked.


    "Ready," the group replied. Niya and Shally looked the most excited. When Shally heard they were going to ckwater City, she had asked the group to buy her food as soon as they got there. They had treasured Shally the way they had treasured the young unicorn, and would of course grant her wish.


    After a few moments, the orcs gathered in the cave. They knew the mages were leaving and were beyond happy, their eyes glittering with joy. They had closed the tunnel and had worked efficiently, but they would open it again as soon as the mages left.


    Anfey¡¯s eyes swept across the cave. Everyone was ounted for and they had brought everything they needed. After he made sure nothing was amiss, Anfey turned to Sante. "You can start," he said.


    "Alright." Sante walked over to the mouth of the cave, and whispered a spell. He then called, as loud as he could, "We¡¯re leaving, goodbye, goodbye, see you allter."


    His voice was amplified through his magic, and his voice washed over the forest like a tsunami wave. The forest hummed with the vibration caused by the magic. His magic was limited, and his voice could only spread for a dozen miles, but it was enough.


    "Riska," Anfey called.


    Riska tossed the scroll. A wave of blue light appeared, and it opened slowly like arge eye. After it opened into a full circle, the gate stopped wavering and the ring of light became more stable.


    This was Anfey¡¯s first experience with a portal, and he thought the bright blue was beautiful. There were some faint white streaks surrounding the portal, which appeared mysterious and beautiful.


    "Suzanna," Anfey said.


    Suzanna nced at him and walked towards the gate along with Zubin and Sante. The three of them stepped into the portal and disappeared. Christian, supporting Riska with his shoulder, crossed with his team. Niya, Shally, and Feller followed. Soon, the only ones left were Anfey and vi.


    Seeing they were the only ones, Anfey nodded, and vi began whispering a spell. The orcs around them were waiting for their departure, and didn¡¯t think much of it. It wasn¡¯t until vi finished his spell that they realized something was off.


    A wave of me appeared and swept across the orcs. The orcs were standing in rank, and it was almost impossible to avoid the attack. The me washed across the orcs. Some screamed and were rolling on the floor, but others simply fell down without a sound. When the me swept their ranks, some of the orcs were breathing in and the heat incinerated their lungs. Even if it didn¡¯t kill them instantly, they still would not be able to make a sound.


    Only about a dozen orcs survived the me. Unfortunately for them, Anfey was on the move as well. While they were looking for anything that could be used as weapons, Anfey was already in front of them. A female orc encountered him first. She iled around like a madman, but Anfey stepped around her and stabbed her in the neck with his sword.


    No matter who he was fighting, Anfey would always attack three points on the body: the neck, the head, and left chest. The neck was the most vulnerable part of the body, and every time Anfey aimed there, he would seed.


    An old orc found a piece of rock, but before he could do anything with it, vi¡¯s fireball hit him. He was thrown into the air, mmed into a wall, and fell to the ground.


    "Anfey!" vi called.


    Anfey jumped off of the ground, and a wave of lightning spread across the ground.


    Anfeynded and struck an old orc on the back of his head. He became a blurred shadow as he sped through the remaining orcs, his sword splitting the air.


    If Suzanna was here and saw his moves, she would receive new inspirations for her own sword skills.


    Anfey¡¯s sword struck out towards air, but he would step aside and sh at an orc¡¯s throat. For a normal swordsman, moving and attacking were two separate movements. For Anfey, however, moving was attacking. He could hit his target no matter from which angle he struck.


    His movements were fluid and strange, and none of the orcs had any time to react before falling to the ground.


    At first vi tried to cooperate with him and attack with magic, but by the end he was just watching hispanion move.


    "vi," Anfey said when he cut down thest orc. vi nodded and began a spell. The cave shook violently, and the roof began caving in. Rocks fell down into the cave. Before the cave copsedpletely, vi and Anfey had already crossed through the portal.


    Anfey felt a sh of coldness when he crossed. He heard Christian¡¯s voice as his feet hit solid ground. "What took you so long?"


    "Had to tell the orcs something," Anfey said, smiling. He was a cold person, but he had no prejudice. He would not ssify a person as an enemy because of the person¡¯s appearance. In his mind, there were only three kinds of people. Enemies that would threaten him, friends that deserved his assistance, and the rest, who were irrelevant to him. Before the orcs attacked them, he did not dislike them. After he had conquered them, he still did not dislike them. After he had seen their greed, however, he knew he had to do something.


    It wouldn¡¯t matter what he told them. The orcs would still try to take treasures after he left. He didn¡¯t care much about the gold, but what if the orcs tried to tamper with the chest and triggered the element lock? Surely they would not heed any of his warnings.


    "I thought Phillip was mad. You¡¯re even more so," an old man standing on a tree branch said.


    "I¡¯m always like this." Ernest shrugged and said, "Thanks for saving me."


    "You swordsmen are so headstrong," Steger said. "Retreating this way. So reckless. If I¡¯m right, Niya went the other way."


    "You mages are so smart," Ernest smiled. Steger did not kill him and did not try to track down Niya because he had already picked sides.


    "By god I hate this forest, but at least we have an exnation," Steger said, shaking his head. He was too old for the trials of the Magic Beast Forest.


    "An exnation for Ynthe or Saul?"


    "His Majesty? He¡¯s already..." Steger said, trying to find the right words.


    Just then, they heard the faint sound of yelling from the other side of the forest, "We¡¯re leaving..."


    "Amplifying magic?" Steger frowned and asked.


    "They¡¯re leaving? To where?" Ernest frowned as well.

 Chapter 89: Country of Mercenaries

    Chapter 89: Country of Mercenaries


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Country of Mercenaries was the only country without a military on the Pan Continent. However, its defensive ability could not be neglected. When Ellisen Empire was at its peak, Ellisen Empire wanted to take over some territories in Country of Mercenaries. The Ellisen Empire test attacked Country of Mercenaries.The soldiers in Ellisen Empire had an excellent record on the battlefield against the mercenaries. Mercenaries did not dare to confront them on the battlefield. They neither seemed to be organized nor had a united military force. In the first month, Ellisen Empire took over one-third of the territory in the Country of Mercenaries.


    Soldiers in Ellisen Empire were excited. They wrote an oath to the king, swearing to take over the whole Country of Mercenaries in three months. However, they found they were surrounded by "War Marsh" before the oath even reached to the desk of the king of Ellison Empire.


    Mercenaries were everywhere in the Country of Mercenaries. Some of them were natives while others were immigrants. They were civilians in the country and became mercenaries as needed. Sometimes if knocking on a door in the Country of Mercenaries, it was easy to find that there were a few swordsmen or magisters in the family. It was nothing surprising.


    Mercenaries could be organized in different ways. It could be friends who shared the same interests, a family, neighbors, even a vige itself as arge size mercenary group. No matter how the mercenaries were organized, their sense of morality, loyalty, and responsibility were far better than militaries.


    Although different sized mercenaries fought on their own, they still brought huge trouble to Ellisen Empire militaries. Logistics, small-scale rangers and scouts in Ellisen Empire suffered constant attacks. In other words, unless the soldiers in Ellisen Empire stayed together in their camp, any group of soldiers sent out on a mission, no matter whether a group of several, more than ten, or even hundreds, they all suffered fatal attacks from mercenaries. When the main force came to help, they would only see the dead bodies of their soldiers. When they did investigations in the viges, they could not find anything. Those civilians, or people who appeared to be civilians, were hostile towards the soldiers in Ellisen Empire and refused to cooperate.


    Logistics suffered the most. In order to take territory in the Country of Mercenaries quickly, the military in Ellisen Empire usually only left hundreds or a few thousand soldiers as guards after they took over an area while, the main force would keep advancing. Mercenaries fought back and annihted forces of guards one after another. Ellisen Empire¡¯s military found they fell into a situation where they were surrounded by opponents.


    Soldiers in Ellisen Empire could not tell apart a peaceful civilian and a killer who killed their peers. They could not control the situation. The word "ughter" was taboo. In the battles of humans against other races, ughterers had always be heroes of humans, but ughterers could be spurned by all human beings in the civil wars. Of course, it was still possible to ughter the Country of Mercenaries. It depended on the determinations of the upper ss in Ellisen Empire.


    First of all, Country of Mercenaries was a country with a fighting history. Death would not scare them since they had a history of fighting off the grim reaper. ughter would only make mercenaries indulge in extravagant acts of revenge. Ellisen Empire militaries needed to prepare for fighting alone, since other countries on Pan Continent might unite together to fight against Ellisen Empire. The delivery of metals, magic crystals and other military supplies would be blockaded. Then it would be hard to get any supplies from other countries, while local goods in Ellisen Empire would be less avable. They also would experience political and economic istion and attacks. If Country of Mercenaries tried to call for other countries to fight together against Ellisen Empire in the name of justice, then Ellisen Empire would be at a military disadvantage.


    These disastrous possibilities made the upper ss in Ellisen Empire finally decide, after lengthy deliberations, to recall their armies. Their offensive n of moving forward in three branches was foiled. Armies in those three branches gathered together and retreated to Ellisen Empire as fast as they could.


    A couple of soldiers died here and over ten soldiers died over there. It did not seem like a big number of fatalities. However, it happened so frequently that when the fatalities were added up, plus the lost guards, the upper ss in Ellisen Empire found the fatality total had reached 40,000.


    The war ended by the loss of the aggressor, Ellisen Empire. Since then, the other countries would always consider the military strategy of the Country of Mercenaries by involving everyone in the war. Country of Mercenaries and Tumen Commercial Union were two special governments in the south and north of Pan Continent, respectively. Compared with Tumen Commercial Union, Country of Mercenaries had full autonomy, while Tumen Commercial Union was dependent on Maho Empire. Tumen Commercial Union could develop to this extent so far due to the open policy of the Maho Empire. If the king of Maho Empire were cruel and greedy, Tumen Commercial Union would not be in such a good position.


    ckwater City was one of the two most important cities in the Country of Mercenaries. It was also one of the biggest distribution centers of magic crystals on Pan Continent. In the magic world, the demands and wear and tear on magic crystals was huge. Whoever had control of magic crystals would have control of the lifeblood of Pan Continent. Ellisen Empire used to be very powerful, but went into decler on. Ellisen Empire was overtaken by Maho Empire. The policy of refusing businessmen from Ellisen Empire into Country of Mercenaries yed an important role in it. After the invasion by Ellisen Empire, this policy had been carried out for a hundred years, which damaged Ellisen Empire¡¯s economy greatly. Ellisen Empire had to buy magic crystals at a high price from the countries which had amicable rtions with it. The lost in the past hundred years could not be calcted. This was a ssic example of karma on Pan Continent.


    A hundred yearster, the revenge did not stop until a beautiful princess of Ellisen Empire married a regimentalmander from a super mercenary group in the Country of Mercenaries. The age difference between them was huge. Whether the marriage was the result of political concerns was not possible to trace back.


    Two sons of that regimentalmander passed away from idents, and the two-year-old grandson died from disease a yearter. The son of that beautiful princess inherited the position of regimentalmander. Whether what happened in this family was by ident or nned was going to be a myth. It was not worth looking into it anyway, since people knew Ellisen Empire was rebounding to recover its past strength.


    Other kings on Pan Continent learned from Ellisen Empire about the potential threat from the Country of Mercenaries. They tried to keep a good rtionship with the Country of Mercenaries as they kept an eye on it. They could bear to have their main resources under the control of an unorganized country, but could not allow a powerful authoritarian government to appear because it would be a huge threat to all the countries.


    The upper ss in the Country of Mercenaries seemed to understand this principle. Four super mercenary groups had been in power by turns. Every term was only one year long. No matter which mercenary group developed quickly, other mercenary groups would work together to reduce its power. There was much internal dissension among mercenaries. They knew they had to have internal dissension to reduce their power in order to avoid being the target of other countries.


    Anfey learned about these from Christian and Suzanna. There was a saying that "you need to see it to believe it." When Anfey entered ckwater City, he sensed a total different feeling in ckwater City than in Maho Empire and Tumen Commercial Union.


    The city walls in ckwater City were very low. The Country of Mercenaries was a country without defensive facilities, but with a strong defensive system. City walls were never helpful. Many pedestrians on the streets wore swordsman and mage signs. The swordsman and mage rates in ckwater City were a lot higher than in Maho Empire. It seemed that the buildings on the street were very old. They were neither as tall and grand as the Maho Empire¡¯s, nor as fancy as Tumen Commercial Union¡¯s.


    A pleasure-seeker on the street flipped a woman¡¯s skirt and squeezed hard on her butt. That woman looked like she enjoyed it. The bars were so loud that waves of sound came the bars that seemed like they could have made people on the street deaf. All of these would not happen in Maho Empire or Tumen Commercial Union. Maho Empire and Tumen Commercial Union seemed to be civilized, while it was still wild here. These three cities usually left people with quite different impressions.


    Anfey found people on the street did not seem to be interested in others. Every time they encountered a weird person on the street, Christian and others in Anfey¡¯s legion would watch curiously for a while, but people in ckwater City treated it like nothing had happened.


    There was rtively more freedom in ckwater City. The Mercenary Union would not interfere with personal lives unless they caused safety issues for others. No one would judge if a person was riding in a female elf ve¡¯s carriage, or even killed a female elf ve on the street, since that person just destroyed his own property. However, he had to pay a cleaning fee for it. Of course, that person needed to be prepared for revenge from the proud elves.


    "Female elf ve" sounded like a low status. It would be wrong to think that way. Female elf ves only meant they had just entered the human society. Their status would change over time. Some of them would earn higher social status, while other would earn lower social status. The wife of the current regionalmander of the Tiger of Tawau mercenaries used to be an elf ve, but she had thrown off her very and be an influential member of the upper ss. She had nine children with her husband. Every child of hers was outstanding.


    "Anfey, if the people in ckwater City learned about the warrant sent by the Phillips, would our safety be an issue?" vi whispered as he watched the people on the street.


    "No, mercenaries are not killers. Phillip was just a master swordsman. He did not have such influence," Suzanna answered quietly.


    "Let¡¯s find a ce to stay first. We should rent or even buy a houseter," Anfey said, looking at the sign for a hotel.

 Chapter 90: Old Friends

    Chapter 90: Old Friends


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Suzanna!" a voice called from the other side of the street.


    The group stopped in its tracks, and everyone turned to look for the source of the voice. A young man in his twenties with a longsword on his hip hurried across the street. It was evident from his badge that he was a junior swordsman. "Suzanna, oh god, it¡¯s really you!" he said, rubbing his hands together excitedly.


    "Vonmerg? What are you doing here?" Suzanna looked surprised, but happy.


    "You were the best among all of us, but then you just disappeared. We couldn¡¯t stay there anymore, so we came here," the young man said, extending his arms. "It¡¯s so good to see you again!"


    Suzanna took a step back and avoided his embrace. "You haven¡¯t changed at all," she said.


    Vonmergughed awkwardly and turned his gaze to Anfey, "And this is...?"


    "This is Anfey, our leader, and Christian, our deputy," Suzanna introduced.


    "Greetings," Anfey and Christian nodded.


    "Greetings," Vonmerg said, slightly shocked. "Suzanna, you joined the patrol? That doesn¡¯t sound something you would do."


    "We¡¯re definitely not the patrol," Suzanna smiled and exined.


    "It¡¯s so good seeing you again," Vonmerg said, nodding. "Our Angel Mercenary Band is finally together again."


    Regardless of what the others thought of the word "angel," Suzanna found herself blushing. She was beautiful, and her personality more likable than girls like Niya. She had worked with the group for a while now, but no one had tried to flirt with her. After her first encounter with Anfey, she couldn¡¯t really be an angel in front of him, anyway.


    Plus, Suzanna¡¯s exceptional skills shocked everyone in the group, and they all reckoned they were too weak to even try to flirt with her. Someone as daring as Vonmerg was an oddity.


    "Ah, sorry, Vonmerg, we...we are starting a new mercenary group," Suzanna said hurriedly.


    "Ah...I mean..." Vonmerg froze.


    "I mean, you can join us..." Suzanna didn¡¯t want to see her old friend upset, but she remembered Anfey was in charge of the group, not she. She shouldn¡¯t invite people without consulting him first. She turned and looked at him. Anfey thought about her offer to Vonmerg for a moment, and nodded.


    "Vonmerg, why don¡¯t you join us?" Suzanna asked again, this time more confident.


    "Alright!" Vonmerg smiled at this unexpected offer. He turned to Anfey and said, "The name¡¯s Vonmerg, junior swordsman. d to be working with you, sir."


    "No need to be polite," Anfey said, extending his hand. "We are all friends here."


    Vonmerg noticed Anfey¡¯s power, and had appeared surprised, but he quickly shook his hand.


    Anfey had expected Vonmerg to start a fight or look for trouble. If he really was a shallow person, Anfey would not have hesitated to ask him to leave. Now, though, he was satisfied by Vonmerg¡¯s actions.


    "Oh, by the way, Suzanna, Hagan is here too. I¡¯ll take you there."


    "Hagan? You guys are together?"


    "Of course. He was the one keeping me alive."


    "Where is he?"


    "In the inn, over there. Come on, I¡¯ll take you." Before anyone else could say anything, Vonmerg was already running towards the inn.


    The group followed Vonmerg to the inn. Seeing so many people walking in at the same time, but inn owner happily walked over to greet them. He saw Anfey first, then he saw Christian and Niya, and for a split second he was shocked.


    It was only a few seconds, but enough for Anfey to realize something was off. He sighed. He wanted toe to ckwater because he wanted everyone to practice their craft in moreplicated situations, so they could return to Maho Empire to look for Saul. He didn¡¯t expect to be recognized their first day here. Was it because of Phillip¡¯s extensive powers? Or was it just coincidence?


    "Hey, I¡¯m going to take the entire third floor," Vonmerg called.


    "Of course, of course," the inn owner said. "Please give me a moment and I¡¯ll take you to your rooms."


    "Looks like you¡¯re living well nowadays," Suzanna said, smiling.


    "It¡¯s better. You know, Suzanna, Hagan is only an elementary alchemist, but there are only so many in the city. We can more or less make a decent living."


    "What do you do, then?"


    "Me? Trying to find business, of course. Hagan would never find work on his own without me."


    Suzanna smiled and shook her head, and wasn¡¯t sure if she shouldment on Vonmerg¡¯s ability or his natural way with money.


    "Are you ready for your rooms?" the inn owner asked. He walked from behind the counter with a string of keys.


    "Alright," Anfey nodded.


    The inn was not busy. As they ascended the stairs, they did not see another patron. Vonmerg marched up to one of the doors and knocked on it. "Hagan!" he called. "Open the door! You¡¯ll never guess who I found!"


    "Vonmerg, how many times do I have to tell you? Don¡¯t disturb me when I¡¯m in the middle of an experiment!"


    "Open the door, you idiot. You¡¯re gonna regret it if you don¡¯t," Vonmerg called, raising his voice.


    The door was mmed open and a young man appeared. He was thin and tall, and appeared very schrly. He looked angry, but when he saw Suzanna he had the same expression as Vonmerg only a few minutes before. "Suzanna?" he asked.


    "Hagan," Suzanna smiled and said, "it¡¯s been a while."


    "Come in,e in," Hagan invited. "How did you know we are here?"


    "I didn¡¯t," Suzanna said. "We ran into each other on the street."


    "It was a coincidence," Vonmerg said. "Here, Hagan. This is our leader, Anfey."


    "Leader? Of what? Mercenaries?"


    "Let¡¯s go inside first," Anfey said. "Give us the key. You can go now."


    The inn owner handed him the key and nced at his face again before going downstairs.


    Anfey looked at vi, who nodded and moved over to stand by the wall next to the stairway. They were the only ones upying the rooms, and Anfey didn¡¯t want any irrelevant peopleing up there.


    Then he gave the keys to Feller and ced him in charge of the living arrangements. The rest of the group all filed into Hagan¡¯s room.


    It was a small room, and with half a dozen people it became crowded. The furniture inside was simple as well. There was a desk and four chairs. In one of the corners was a bed, and there were some necessities scattered around the room. The only thing that was eye-catching were the bottles on the floor next to the bed. There were at least a dozen there, and each was filled with liquid of different colors.


    "Suzanna, you¡¯re a mercenary now?" Hagan asked. "What¡¯s the name?"


    "Haven¡¯t decided yet," Suzanna said.


    "I take it that you haven¡¯t register either?"


    "We just arrived and haven¡¯t found the time yet."


    Hagan looked at each person carefully, and when he saw Niya he froze and stared at her.


    "What are you looking at?" Niya asked angrily.


    Niya looked very in. Anfey wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble, so made Niya and Suzanna were church clothes. He had told them to keep their hair messy and their faces makeup free. Because of that, Niya had felt ugly and extremely sensitive to other¡¯s stares.


    "That...that¡¯s..." Hagan raised his hand and pointed a finger at Niya¡¯s bag. The bag was small and asionally moved. Clearly it contained some living creature.


    "Niya, go," Anfey frowned. Why was an alchemist so sensitive to the presence of magic beasts?


    Niya red at Hagan and left the room.


    "Wait!" Hagan called, jumping up.


    Zubin and Sante both took a step forward and blocked his path, staring at him as a silent warning.

 Chapter 91: Chaos

    Chapter 91: Chaos


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Stop, stop! We are friends. Let¡¯s talk." Vonmerge noticed something went wrong and tried to mediate the dispute.


    "What is inside?" Hagan was so worried that his face turned red.


    "It is nothing to do with you," Anfey said tly.


    "But..." Hagan tried to argue.


    "Alright, alright." Vonmerge quickly covered Hagan¡¯s mouth. "Commander, you know Hagan¡¯s temper. Please forgive him."


    "You guys can stay and get to know each other first. Suzanna, can youe out for a second," Anfey turned around and walked out of the room.


    Seeing Suzanna following Anfey out, Vonmerge and Hagan¡¯s eyes were as big as saucers. They had followed Suzanna for a year and gone to a lot of ces together. They knew about Suzanna. Suzanna looked petite and soft outside, but she was a strong and tough woman. She had her own ideas about things and did things assertively. They had never seen Suzanna so obedient.


    In the hallway, Anfey paused for a moment and asked in low voice, "Suzanna, how long have you known them?"


    "Almost a year and a half," Suzanna answered.


    "Do you know them well?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Suzanna said.


    "What kind of people are they?" Anfey asked.


    "Generally speaking, they are not bad. Vonmerge likes joking around. Hagan is hot tempered, but they are nice people." Suzanna smiled.


    "Suzanna, Hagan has already noticed the presence of little unicorn. Can you tell him to keep our secret. He cannot tell anyone, especially Vonmerge. Vonmerge looks like he has a big mouth. If he knew about it, he would let others know about little unicorn," Anfey said.


    Anfey learned from Suzanna and Christian that there were few people in history who had received the loyalty of unicorns. Those few people all were very influential and had strongbat powers, which guaranteed their sess and safety in battle. Anfey was not as good as them in terms ofbat power and influence. Therefore, he had to be careful and cautious.


    "Yes, I will call him over and let him know now," Suzanna said.


    "You do not have to do it now. We have to do something to distract Vonmerge, otherwise he could try to get the secret from Hagan. Hagan looks very honest. Suzanna, are you sure they will be helpful for us?" Anfey frowned.


    "Anfey, Hagan is an alchemist. He will be very helpful for us. Vonmerge is just a junior swordsman, but he is very social and has the ability to connect with others quickly. Our legion needs someone like him," Suzanna said sincerely. She had not been with Anfey and his legion long. She had traveled with Vonmerge and Hagan for more than a year. However, the strength of the bond between people was not determined by the length of time they had been together. She had experienced life-threatening moments with Anfey and his legion and shared a major secret with them. Therefore, she could analyze Vonmerge and Hagan¡¯s personalities and qualities in front of Anfey, but would not tell Vonmerge any secret of Anfey¡¯s legion.


    Anfey nodded while Suzanna continued, "If you want to distract Vonmerge, I have an idea, but I have to borrow your arm."


    "Borrow my arm? What do you mean?" Anfey had maintained a serious face for the discussion.


    Suzanna heaved a slight sigh. "Never mind, I will go in first." She opened the door and walked inside.


    Anfey was quite confused. He was in thought for a while before he turned around to vi and asked, "Is everything alright?"


    "Yes," vi said.


    "Can you watch up here for a minute? I need go downstairs," Anfey said.


    Everyone seemed more friendly towards each other in the room. Vonmerge did help lighten up the conversation. Suzanna walked into the room and stood next to Christian. She whispered to him, "I will borrow your arm." Suzanna held Christian¡¯s arm before he could realize what was happening.


    Vonmerge had liked Suzanna for a long time. Suzanna knew how Vonmerge thought about her, but she did not feel the same way about him. Suzanna had had bad experiences since she was little. In her mind, a guy who was not as good as her should be able to face tough times with her together and help her. Vonmerge could not do any of those things, at least not when they travelled together. Suzanna took care of everyone when they travelled together.


    Vonmerge had been watching Suzanna out of the corner of his eye. When he suddenly saw Suzanna holding Christian¡¯s arm, his face became pale. His voice became hoarse.


    Meanwhile, Anfey had walked down to the first floor. The owner saw Anfey walking downstairs by himself, so he stood up and smiled. "Dear guest, how can I help you?"


    "I just need some fresh air. I will walk around a little. I am good. Thank you." Anfey smiled as he looked around. "Sir, your business must be good." Anfeyid his eyes on the ckboard opposite the cashier table. A lot of things had been written on the ckboard, and they all started with "magic crystal". Anfey looked at them closely.


    "Not bad. It just helps make ends meet." The owner smiled. "My dear guest, are you interested in magic crystals? Do you want to buy or sell?"


    "We are going to form a mercenary legion soon, so I want to learn more about the magic crystals. Sir, you can call me Anfey," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, nice to meet you. My name is rk." He walked out from behind the cashier¡¯s counter and stood next to Anfey. "These prices are updated. I ask my employees to go to Mercenary Union and Commercial Union to copy all kinds of military assignments and prices down every morning."


    "Why don¡¯t you have the price for senior magic beast crystals?" Anfey asked tly.


    "Senior magic beast crystals? Anyone who has senior magic crystals would not stay in my hotel," rk answered, and he felt a little embarrassed about it.


    "Ok, does the price list need to be updated every day? It is a lot of work," Anfey said.


    "What can we do? Too muchpetition among the hotels. All the hotels in ckwater City have to update the price list every day for the convenience of their guests so they do not have to go to Mercenary Union to ept any assignment on their own. They only need to pass me the crystal te and I will send my employees to do it for them."


    "How about registering a mercenary?" Anfey asked.


    "Hmm, we cannot help with that. Mercenary Union will check on it, so we cannot help you with that," rk said.


    A few big guys walked by the hotel. They all looked drunk. One of them looked at the hotel and suddenly picked up a stone and threw it at the hotel. The stone flew by rk and hit the wall. The guysughed wildly and wobbled away.


    rk¡¯s face was still peaceful, like nothing had happened. Anfey was a person who liked to fight for justice. He thought for a second and smiled. "Are they in four super mercenary groups?"


    "Definitely not, they are nobodies," rk sneered. Anfey could tell from that sneer that rk was actually mad. However, he was really good at hiding his emotions.


    "Howe they dare to act so obnoxiously?" Anfey asked.


    "They used to stay in my inn. They are members of Giant mercenary. Back then, A Red Rock mercenary was staying in my inn as well. They were a lot stronger than Giant mercenary. Later, Red Rock mercenary took an assignment to acquire a dead body of Thunder Eagle. They went into the Forest of Death for it. Giant mercenary left the hotel after them." rk sighed. "Red Rock mercenary never came back to the inn. Their belongs were still kept here. Well, when Giant mercenary came back, they got six or seven top Thunder Eagle magic crystals. I bet Red Rock mercenary was ambushed by them, because they could not get so many Thunder eagle magic crystals on their own. Those two mercenaries argued a few times in the inn previously. Every time the kids in Red Rock mercenary were more mature and let it go. Poor kids!"


    Anfey squinted his eyes, picturing Red Rock mercenary working together and finally killing a few Thunder Eagles. They must have been exhausted from the fighting. Some of them might have been wounded or killed. Before they could get out of their sadness and retrieve their magic crystals, Giant mercenary came up behind them and killed them. They not only took their lives, but also the magic crystals. Forest of Death was such a chaotic ce.


    No wonder Hui Wei said Forest of Death was far more horrible than any magic beast.


    "You should have told others about it. People would condemn Red Rock mercenary for what they have done," Anfey said.


    "Condemn?" rk shook his head. "The survival of the fittest is the rule of Forest of Death. Someday if you take your mercenary to the Forest of Death, you have to keep that rule in mind."


    "Thank you for your advice." Anfey smiled and then walked upstairs. Seeing what a few guys in Giant mercenary had done to rk, Anfey knew what he needed to do. When the stone flew by rk, most people would be shocked or dodge away, but rk was calm and did not move his body a bit. This did not seem to match the weakbat power rk had.


    "Anfey, don¡¯t you want to see the assignments of Mercenary Union?" rk asked.


    "No, not yet," Anfey said.


    rk watched Anfey disappear around the corner. He slowly went back to the cashier¡¯s counter. There were a few magic images under the table, with Anfey¡¯s image on top of stack.

 Chapter 92: Plans

    Chapter 92: ns


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The bar was bustling with people, and everyone was screaming at each other. Speaking with a friend in this environment would have been almost impossible, and in order to do so one would have to scream over several other people. Anfey did not like ces like that, and nor did Christian. They sat there silently, and seemed out of ce in the busy bar.


    "You¡¯re certain that Shansa is making a move towards Maho?" a hoarse voice asked.


    The mor came to a halt. Everyone was talking about the rumors they had heard, but some rumors were more important than others, and the war was definitely on everyone¡¯s mind.


    "My sources are a hundred percent correct," another voice replied loudly.


    "You¡¯re joking. There is no way Shansa can take Maho¡¯s ckania City. How many times have they tried, but to no avail?"


    "That¡¯s why you can¡¯t be a general, you idiot."


    "Well enlighten me, then."


    "Shansa didn¡¯t attack ckania. They went through the Broken Valley."


    "The Broken Valley? But that belongs to the mercenaries..."


    "Money, money," the man said, holding up two fingers. "Two hundred thousand gold pieces. Enough to buy anything. More than enough to buy a path."


    The other man sighed. "It¡¯s too bad. Old Ynthe was a good man. Too bad he died so young."


    "If Ynthe was still alive, Shansa would never invade Maho."


    "Even if Ynthe was still alive, Shansa would still make their move. Ellisen Empire is already closing in on Maho. You know what this means? They are splitting Maho. Heed my words. Things are going to change."


    "This may be the end of Maho."


    "You¡¯re right. Maho¡¯s Granden couldn¡¯t hold against the Ellisen armies, and even their archmage Saul was defeated and injured by Newyoheim."


    "If Maho Empire falls, surely Ellisen and Shansa would be much stronger. Say, do you think they will threaten our Country of Mercenaries?"


    "Are you thick? Did you forget what the rtionship between Glory mercenary and Ellisen was? And now Shansa and Tiger of Tawau mercenary will be united through marriage... No, neither will touch us."


    "Really? There will be a marriage?"


    "Do you not believe me? Shansa¡¯s princess ising to this very city in a few days."


    While those men were speaking, Christian¡¯s expression grew grimmer and grimmer. His hands trembled and couldn¡¯t hold his ale cup still. Anfey maintained a straight face. He took the cup from Christian and set it down on the table.


    "Anfey..."


    "Wait until we¡¯re alone," Anfey said.


    Then the mercenaries changed the topic from the war to their own futures. They were not affiliated with Maho Empire, and did not worry about the empire¡¯s impending doom.


    The bar became morous again. Seeing that they had gathered all the information they could, Anfey and Christian quietly slipped out of the bar.


    Before they had gone into the bar, Christian had talked about the bright moon. Now, however, he could not spare the moon a single thought.


    Niya had let the little unicorn out. For it, everything was new and exciting. For something living in the Magic Beast Forest, things like a bed and cups were a novelty. The little unicorn was overjoyed and was bouncing around in the room. Niya watched it y and wasughing hysterically.


    Just when she was the happiest, Anfey and Christian came into the room. Anfey¡¯s face didn¡¯t betray much, but Christian looked solemn. Niya was no longer the innocent little girl after everything they had gone through. "What happened? Did you guys go out for information? Did you..." she asked, shocked.


    "Nothing. Just some news about Shansa. Niya, can you leave the room for a second? We need to talk," Anfey said before Christian could tell Niya anything. He couldn¡¯t let Christian talk. They weren¡¯t sure if Saul was really injured, but if Niya found out, she surely would try to go find him.


    "Can¡¯t I listen?"


    "We will tell you once we are done," Anfey said, smiling.


    Seeing that he was smiling, Niya felt more at ease. She nodded and said, "Alright. Tell me everything afterwards."


    "Of course," Anfey promised her. "Niya, can you tell vi, Riska, Zubin, and Sante toe and talk to me?"


    "Of course."


    After a few minutes, the four of them gathered in the room. Christian repeated to them everything they had heard in a hushed voice. Everyone was stunned, and the room was dead silent. Fate had yed a strange trick on them. Had they stayed in Forest rm, they could have avoided this. Phillip may be irrational and ruthless, but he would not have continued his hunt when his nation was falling apart.


    They had decided to leave Forest rm to avoid their biggest threat and to train the inexperienced mages. Anfey didn¡¯t realize by leaving they might as well have walked into their doom.


    "What you guys think we should do?" Anfey asked.


    "Anfey, I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer. I want to go back." Christian said, determined.


    Anfey sighed. Christian had never talked to him this way before. In the past, Christian had always left room for discussion, and if he insisted, Christian would listen to him. He knew that would not be the case now. It wouldn¡¯t matter what he says, Christian would not change his mind.


    "What do you guys think?"


    "I want to go back, Anfey," Riska said, his voice serious. "Maho needs us."


    "And you?" Anfey asked, looking at Sante and Zubin.


    "Whatever you say," Zubin replied quietly.


    "Me too."


    The conversation had seemed simple, but Anfey knew it was not. Christian and vi were his friends and his assistants. Zubin and Sante would be his trusted workers. They were twopletely different cases.


    "I don¡¯t oppose returning, but what can we do? Two junior magisters, a few senior mages, what do you think we can do?"


    "We can¡¯t do much, but still better than staying here and doing nothing," Christian said.


    "Who says we can¡¯t help by being here?"


    "What can we do here, then?"


    "A lot of things. Didn¡¯t they say Shansa¡¯s princess ising here?"


    "You¡¯re saying we are going to kill the princess?" vi asked.


    "But marriage is only a way of doing things. We kill one princess, and they will send another. Will that work?" Christian asked.


    "Of course," Anfey said. "One day you¡¯ll understand. Staying here is more important than killing a thousand man on the battlefield."


    Christian stared at him in silence, then asked, "Anfey, what can we do?"


    "Let¡¯s find the Mercenary Kingdom and the Broken Valley¡¯s maps first. We need to get to know Glory mercenary as well. They are the Tiger of Tawau¡¯s friends and enemy. Since Ellisen and Glory mercenary became connected through marriage, they had been helping Ellisen. They must have a lot of say after learning Shansa and Tiger of Tawau¡¯s deal. We can also kill some of the people in Glory mercenary and take their badges. It would help our cause in the long term." Anfey stopped to gather his thoughts before continuing, "In ckwater, we are nothing. We need Vonmerge. Suzanna said he was a man of the world, so hopefully she is right. Let Vonmerge deal with Tiger of Tawau. If the princess really ising, they must be busy. There must be some rumors out there."


    The group nced at one another, and vi spoke first, "I think he¡¯s right. Going back means going into the army. What can we do? There are a thousand others like us. We can contribute more by staying here."


    "Alright, let¡¯s stay here for now," Christian said. Clearly he still wanted to return, and had only agreed to stay because he trusted Anfey.


    "The first thing we need to do," Anfey said slowly, "is to decide if this ce is safe or not."

 Chapter 93: No Body

    Chapter 93: No Body


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Hurry up! I saw the old Phillip, I saw the old Phillip!" Feller was in a panic and rushed into the hotel. He had sweat all over his forehead. He shouted, "Someone sold us out. We gotta leave now!"


    Anfey and Christian were looking at different assignments from Mercenary Union when they heard Feller. Their faces changed immediately. Anfey yelled, "Don¡¯t panic. This is ckwater City in the Country of Mercenaries. I dare old Phillip would hurt us here."


    "Anfey, you don¡¯t know how hot-tempered that old Phillip is. He would not care!" Christian shouted.


    "We¡¯d better leave now!" Suzanna said.


    "We have been running away for a long time. Where else can we go? Let¡¯s fight him until we die!" vi said with his eyes wide open.


    "Are you serious? How can we battle with a master swordsman?" Christian said.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Suzanna is a senior swordswoman. We have so many mages too. I think we can do it," vi said.


    Anfey did not say anything. He hesitated for a second before he pulled out his sword and walked outside. His action had said enough about what he was going to do.


    rk was shocked when he heard old Phillip wasing. He knew who Phillip was and understood the reason Anfey and his legion were so afraid of him. He was so worried when he heard Anfey¡¯s legion talking about going into battle against Phillip. He thought to himself, "These poor kids!" What can a senior swordsman do? There was a huge difference between a senior swordsman and a master swordsman. The magic attacks from mages were just like tickling Phillip. It would not take much for Phillip to kill all of them.


    Seeing Anfey rushing out of the hotel, rk shouted in instinct, "Wait! Don¡¯t do anything stupid. I have a secret chamber here. You guys can hide there for now."


    "Chamber?" Anfey suddenly turned around and threw himself on the cashier counter, shouting excitedly, "Where is the chamber?" It looked like he had been pushed into a corner to go out to fight with Phillip. He did not have other options. If he had any chance to survive, he would not let it go.


    rk was still not sure who sold Anfey and his legion out. Phillip had alreadye, which meant he got urate information, maybe even knew about this inn.


    "Come with me," rk said and then ran out from behind the cashier counter. He had already had an idea in this short period time. He thought he could ask Anfey and his legion to hide in his chamber, and then he would handle Phillip himself. If Phillip wanted to make a scene here, he would let Phillip know who he was and ask him to back off. Of course, there was a prerequisite for this to happen: that is, Phillip did not see Anfey and his legion, otherwise someone like him would not be able to stop Phillip.


    rk rushed into the storage room. The storage room, where stored all kinds of wines and other goods, was not big. rk moved a heavy wine barrel at the corner of the left wall. There was a ck stone underneath. He grabbed the stone and pulled it. A secret door slowly rose on the left wall.


    rk ducked in first. "Hurry,e with me."


    Anfey suddenly stopped right at the door, while Suzanna had walked two steps down below the door. Suzanna stood right between Anfey and rk.


    rk took the torch off the hallway wall, walked downstairs in front of everyone, then noticed no one had followed him. He turned around and yelled, "What are you doing? Come. Hurry up."


    "Do you know us?" Anfey asked calmly.


    "I..." rk realized he was set up. He looked down and thought a little bit before he said anything. "I do not know you."


    "Really?" Anfey said.


    "Please don¡¯t misunderstand me. I do not mean to hurt you. You have to trust me. I swear I do not want to hurt you." rk was worried and tried to exin.


    "I know you did not want to hurt us, otherwise you would not warn of "survival of the fittest," but I want to know how you recognized us?" Anfey said.


    "I saw your magic images." rk said.


    "Which magic union sent out those magic images?" Anfey asked.


    "It¡¯s the magic union in the Country of Mercenaries," rk said.


    "Suzanna, take him down." Anfey shook his head.


    Suzanna slowly took out her sword. rk yelled, "Don¡¯t kill me. The intensebat power will attract the patrol¡¯s attention."


    "We will be fine. I can just tell them we were cheated by an innkeeper and fought with him out of spite. I think it is you who will have to exin to the patrol. Magic unions are independent in each country. Some of them are even hostile towards others. How could magic images sent from the magic union in Maho Empire arrive here? Phillip should not have any influence over the Country of Mercenaries. I do not want to hear your lies anymore, Mr. rk," Anfey said.


    rk did not say anything, but smiled bitterly. He had mixed feelings about it. To be honest, he was so worried about Anfey and his legion¡¯s safety that he exposed his hidden identity. How could Anfey and his legion take advantage of his kindness?


    "Feller, take a few people with you to check around. Don¡¯t miss any ce that looks suspicious. I will find it out no matter what." Anfey gave the order.


    "Don¡¯t move!" rk yelled. "Some areas are protected by magic arrays. If you move the wrong stuff, it might explode."


    "Explode? I did not know you are a man of sacrifice. They are all mages. They know how to control magic arrays. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Do you want to tell me what you are?" Anfey smiled.


    "Don¡¯t do this to me. I am just a nobody." rk smiled bitterly.


    "Are you saying you do not have the authority to make a decision?" Anfey saw rk passively agree, so he knew he had guessed right. He thought a little bit and said, "You can tell your supervisor that I would like to see him in private. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Niya is the daughter of Professor Saul. We are all students of his. We would not do anything to harm the country¡¯s safety. After learning about the invasion from Shansa Empire, everybody wanted to go back to fight for the country. I thought we could help more if we stay here."


    "How do you know we are working for the king?" rk¡¯s face changed.


    "There are only a few types of people who are interested in us and also know about us. I just took a guess. Can you take a message to your supervisor? We havemon interests that we could talk about," Anfey said slowly.


    "I am nobody," rk restated, with a bitter smile on his face.


    "Is one day enough?" Anfey acted like he did not realize he had put rk in an awkward situation. He pushed him even further. rk hesitated a little bit and nodded. He was just a liaison for the contacts. He was in charge of passing the information inside the organization but did not have any authority to make any decision. His experience was far less than the frontier spies. He had freaked out when Anfey had discovered his identity.


    "Ok, let me know when you know about it," Anfey said.


    * * * *


    When Anfey and Suzanna walked into Hagan¡¯s room, he was engaged in various jars. He stood up quickly when he saw Anfey and Suzannaing in. "Suzanna, here you are. Anfey, how are you?"


    "Hagan, what are you doing?" Suzanna smiled.


    "Didn¡¯t you give me a few pieces of wyvern magic crystals? I am thinking of making you a magic sword," Hagan said.


    Anfey did not pay attention to who was greeted first by Hagan. He simply nced around and asked, "Hagan, how is your alchemy?"


    "What about it? Do you think I am not good enough? Then don¡¯t invite me to your mercenary!" Hagan got mad quickly again when he heard Anfey¡¯s question.


    "Don¡¯t get mad. I only wanted to give you something. I was just afraid you would make some mistakes when you transform them into something else," Anfey said.


    Hagan sneered, "What is it?"


    Anfey took a few things out of his Dimensional Ring and passed them to Hagan. Hagan looked closely at them for a while and asked in surprise, "Is this a manticore¡¯s tooth?"


    "Yes, can you make me a few sting arrows with it?" Anfey asked.


    "Sure," Hagan nodded without any hesitation.


    "You can let Feller know if you need other materials. He can purchase them for you," Anfey said.


    "Thank you, but I am an alchemist, not a cksmith. I need ingredients instead of materials," Hagan corrected Anfey¡¯s inappropriate terms. "Vonmerge can help me collect ingredients. He is familiar with ckwater, but..."


    "Money is not a problem. Don¡¯t worry about it," Anfey smiled.


    "That is great," Hagan nodded. He got mad quick but forgot about it in a second as well.


    "I have two more items. Do you think you can make a suit of leather armor for Suzanna?" Anfey took out the unicorn and manticore furs from the Dimensional ring.


    "Manticore¡¯s fur, hmm, is this unicorn¡¯s fur?" Hagan suddenly raised his voice. He threw himself onto the furs and touched them gently with excitement on his face.


    Anfey waited a second and asked quietly, "Can you make leather armor?"


    "Of course!" Hagan unwillingly moved his eyes away from the furs.


    "Which one is better for leather armor?" Anfey asked.


    "The unicorn¡¯s. Suzanna needs armor that can protect her from magic power." Hagan stared at Anfey. "Do you have any other good stuff? Take them all out together."


    "And this one. I need a short-shaft spear." Anfey took out the manticore¡¯s tail stinger.


    "Spear? I am afraid it would take too long to make. Do you want its paralyzing effects on the spear? Even if I could make a spear for you, you would be disappointed anyway," Hagan said slowly.


    "Why?" Anfey asked.


    "A manticore is a senior magic beast and very hard to catch. However, countless of them throughout history have been killed by human beings. Weapons with paralyzing effects are everywhere in the world nowadays. In fact, its paralyzing effects will disappear in two or three years after their death. It could also be affected by the amount of usage. It will be a regr spear by the time I finish making it."


    "So..." Anfey was disappointed.


    "If you do not want a spear, I can break the tail stinger and make it into a knife quick. Aren¡¯t you a swordsman? A knife should be helpful," Hagan said.


    "Knife?" Anfey¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. He hurriedly nodded. "Sure, I will have a knife."

 Chapter 94: Information

    Chapter 94: Information


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The clock struck midnight, but Anfey was wide awake. He was alone in his room with the unicorn. It stared at him intently with clear blue eyes. Even though sometimes it would make noises and struggle, sometimes it seemed like it could really understand what he was saying. Before they had entered ckwater City, Anfey had to wrap it with cloth to keep it out of public sight, and had pointedly told it not to make any noises or movements. It wasn¡¯t until they had settled down in the tavern did the unicorn move. Now it was as if the unicorn understood that Anfey was meditating and had kept away from him to prevent distracting him.


    The room had no light, and all the windows were shut with the curtains drawn, not allowing even the moonlight to shine through. However, it was not dark. There were more than thirty little balls of fire floating in midair providing light for room.


    Anfey had been studying fire sword for the past few days and discovered that the more fireball present, the harder the sword would get. Anfey had already drunk a vial of the unicorn blood. Since it was kept by Christian and Feller, and Feller was loyal to him, he did not concern himself with any of the possible consequences.


    It wasn¡¯t because Anfey was someone who used his power for personal gain. Christian had told him that the blood would be the most effective if he waited until he became an actual mage, but Anfey had different ideas. In situations like this, he needed everything he could find to survive. However, he didn¡¯t want to argue with Christian either, so he decided to ingest the blood secretly.


    Clearly, it had worked. Magically, he was only a step away from being a junior mage, but his skills had greatly improved when it came to the release and control of fireballs. Now, he could control about fifty fireballs at the same time. If he shed at a fireball with a fire sword, it would take a dozen shes for it to disappear.


    Anfey suddenly felt something and distinguished the fireballs one by one. He stretched his body and covered the young unicorn with a nket.


    After a few seconds, the door was pushed open. A shadow came into the room and walked quietly up to the bed.


    Anfey waved his hand and lit the candle on the table with a fireball. With the help of the candlelight, two pairs of eyes met. One was cold, and the other calm. One serious, the other clear. Anfey did not try to cover his face, and the other man had covered everything except for his eyes. After a few moments they both moved their eyes away.


    "So you are the one that asked for me," he said.


    Anfey took a breath, and decided to get straight to the point. "You should know that Shansa Empire is attacking Maho, and that Tiger of Tawau is forming an alliance with Shansa through marriage, right?"


    The man nodded, but did not say anything.


    "We want to assassinate the princess."


    The man nodded again, but remained silent.


    "We need help," Anfey admitted.


    "What kind?"


    "Information. Lots of it."


    "Keep going."


    "I need to know what kind of people will be on the escort team: a list, if you can. Mark every person of importance and anyone we need to look out for. How many horses will be present, how much dowry. I need the princess¡¯s portrait, and if she was a mage or a swordsman, and how powerful she is. If possible, the portraits of people of importance as well. Also, how many maids she brought, and if any of those maids are powerful enough to be a threat." Anfey stopped for a moment before continuing, "I also need to know how much road they can cover in a day after leaving Shansa, where they are stopping, and the geography of their route; as well as an estimate of how long it will take for them to reach this city, the wee ceremonies in the different cities, and where their supplies areing from."


    The man stared at Anfey¡¯s face. "Alright," he said.


    "Some other things. The princess¡¯s personality and history, and her preferences in food and clothing. People she likes, people she dislikes."


    "Anything else?"


    "I also need to know more about what the Tiger of Tawau is doing, where they are keeping the princess, where they will greet her, and the size of the ceremony," Anfey said. "I heard the mercenary¡¯s first wife was a female elf ve and had nine children. All of them powerful. I don¡¯t want to wait until after the wedding to go through with the n.


    "The princess¡¯s living quarters should have already been settled, but furnishing takes time. If possible, I want you to give me the floor n of the room as well."


    "You must realize it is almost impossible to gather all of this information," the man said.


    "Give me as much as you can," Anfey said, smiling. "I will take care of the rest. Do you remember everything I¡¯ve said?"


    "You need not to worry about my memory," the man said. "Are you certain about the n?" He had originally thought it was just a group of children trying to y hero, and wanted to dissuade them. He wanted to make them give up their goals, and then he would escort them back to Maho Empire. If they disagreed, he would take Niya and leave the rest.


    After talking with Anfey, however, he realized they were serious. Anfey had thought of everything he had thought of, and that shocked him. After all, he was one of the best spies from Maho, and Anfey was only an apprentice.


    "The Shansa caravans have encountered some trouble on their way here, though I am not sure what. My men are looking into it, and they need seven days to get here. I will give you the information after that."


    "No, no. Three days," Anfey said. "I need to prepare as well."


    "It¡¯s impossible," the man said, shaking his head. He did not realize it, but it sounded as if he was speaking to a friend.


    "Three days," Anfey said. "That is as much time as I can give."


    "Fine," the man said. "I will try everything I can. How sure are you?" He now saw Anfey as a leader, and a brilliant one at that. His mindbined with the senior swordsman...perhaps they had a chance.


    "Too early for any predictions. We will meet again in three days."


    "Alright."


    Just then, another shadow appeared outside the room. "My lord," it said.


    "rk, did you already finish packing?" the man asked, frowning.


    "Yes, my lord," rk said nervously.


    "rk, why are you packing?" Anfey asked, though he had already formted an answer for himself.


    rk opened his mouth a few times but did not say anything. The other man answered for him. "rk is leaving," he said. "The tavern will get a new owner. If you want to look for me, talk to the new man."


    "Listen. I am young, and so are my friends. We¡¯d prefer a familiar face," Anfey said. "I want to still contact you through rk, since we are already familiar." He knew rk would be punished because his identity had beenpromised. He felt responsible for the situation, and wanted to help rk.


    The man narrowed his eyes. Clearly Anfey¡¯s excuses were not convincing enough, and he realized he was trying to help rk.


    He did not care if the secret spies had worked together with someone, but he did not want outsiders to interfere with his organization. He stared at Anfey coldly.


    "Either way, the situation benefits you," Anfey said, smiling. "If we fail, your men will not be affected. If we seed, you will be given credit for our sess. I will keep Niya here, if that is what you¡¯re worried about. She will not be involved in this."


    The man was silent for a few moments, and his gaze softened. "I wille back in three days," he said. Then he turned and left, brushing past rk without looking at him.


    rk sighed in relief, knowing he had just escaped his fate. "Thank you a lot, Anfey," he said gratefully.


    "I was the one that caused this. You did not me me for causing you trouble, and there is no need to thank me," Anfey replied.

 Chapter 95: Coming Out of the Room

    Chapter 95: Coming Out of the Room


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    For the next three days, Anfey did note out of his room at all. Niya had to take care of the little unicorn for him. Christian and others thought Anfey had dedicated himself to practicing magic. The non-stop magic surges from his room were the evidence. They did not go and bother him.


    Christian thought Anfey would exhaust himself from the nonstop practice. Before he decided to check on Anfey on evening of the the third day, Anfey had alreadye out of his room. Christian was only seven or eight steps away from Anfey¡¯s room when he saw Anfey show up at the door of his room. He was surprised and hurried over to Anfey. "Anfey, are you alright?"


    "I am good." Anfey looked reenergized. It seemed that his magic skills had improved a lot.


    "Anfey, don¡¯t practice magic this way next time. Don¡¯t you remember what you have told me about alternating...?" Christian said.


    "Alternating work and rxation is the key to learning." Anfey smiled.


    "Right, I meant to say that," Christian said sincerely. If he had known Anfey had drunk a small bottle of unicorn blood, he would have been very mad. Sometimes it was good to be ignorant.


    "Anything happen in the past few days?" Anfey asked.


    "Everybody followed your orders and no one went out. Hmm, Vonmerge should have a lot of information. He came by several times. He saw you in training so he did not interrupt you," Christian said.


    "Did Hui Wei behave for the past few days? Did he try to escape?" Anfey asked.


    "He has been good. His Dimensional Ring is with you. How could he escape without the ring? I bet there is a lot more good stuff in it. Maybe the secret of the Magic Forbidden Field is in it." Christian smiled. Hui Wei looked painful when he had to give away the Scroll of Temporal Teleportation. How could a poor guy with both magic andbat powers, who had to work with orcs, have a such valuable magic scroll? It inevitably made people wonder about his identity, where he was from, and the secrets in his Dimensional Ring.


    With Anfey¡¯s temperament, if Hui Wei had told Anfey his secrets, he felt there was a good chance Anfey would kill him. Hui Wei was very smart. Generally, he did whatever he was asked to do. He never challenged Anfey nor caused any trouble for Anfey¡¯s legion. He had behaved well, but never opened his mouth about the secrets of the Magic Forbidden Field.


    Yet at that time, even if Hui Wei had told Anfey the secret of the Magic Forbidden Field, Anfey would not have killed him. Nobody knew how many secrets he held onto. Anfey would not want to kill him before he could get all the secrets out of Hui Wei.


    Anfey heard someone walking upstairs. It was Suzanna walking upstairs with Shally. Today Suzanna did not wear leather armor. She wore a white dress. The dress was a little bit below her knees. The clear and delicate skin of her lower legs showed. She wore a pair of boots made of sh leopard. The ck shoe ties on the boots wrapped around her lower legs. She looked sexy with those ck shoces. Suzanna also had a little bit of makeup on. She looked so adorable with the long and thick eyshes. She looked at Shally with a warm smile. Her gold earrings sparkled in her ck shiny hair.


    Suzanna looked feminine, but everyone knew the power hidden underneath this feminine appearance.


    Under normal conditions, it would only take one or two years to make a name for herself. There would be people wanting her to be her aides. She was already a senior swordswoman even before she was twenty years old. No one would doubt that she would be a master swordswoman someday. She had reached to a level that many people could not reach in their whole life. People knew she would be a master swordswoman someday, but the question would be how many more years it would take her.


    Anfey knew he was lucky to get to know Saul and Ernest after he came to this world. He was also fortunate to know Suzanna.


    "Anfey, you finally came out." Suzanna smiled.


    "Brother Anfey, take it." Shally held a hot dessert in front of her.


    "I am not hungry yet. You can have it, Shally." Anfey caressed Shally¡¯s head. This was a way to get Suzanna to like him. If he touched Suzanna¡¯s head, she probably would have punched him. Shally was so much easier to maneuver.


    Anfy had been the one caring about Shally the most, sometimes even more than her sister since Shally joined Anfey¡¯s legion. He read stories to Shally, yed games with her, and even "shamelessly" challenged her with magic powers. Shally did not have strong desire to win. She was happy if someone would y with her. It did not matter to her whether she was winning. To Shally, practicing magic with Anfey was a game. She was not as serious as Anfey, who wanted to see who was better with magic power.


    Anfey did not know why he nced at Suzanna¡¯s legs. He did look at other ces right away. "What a shame. It would be perfect with a pair of high heels and shorter skirt," Anfey thought to himself.


    Suzanna was a senior swordswoman. It was not difficult for her to catch Anfey ncing at her legs, even though he looked away quickly. Suzanna looked down at her own legs and then she blushed.


    Most times, people could not forget something even though they tried. Every time when Anfey saw Suzanna¡¯s skin showing, or even heard Niya asking her to take a bath, he could not help thinking of that night with Suzanna. Sometimes he would secretly nced at Suzanna. Suzanna was even worse than Anfey. Every time she saw Anfey smiling, she would think about that night. There was no one to me, since Anfey¡¯s smile had never changed. The angle he pulled his mouth and the number of teeth he showed were always the same. It seemed that he wore a mask, and his facial expression would never change. When she had been caught by him that night, he gave her the same kind of smile. Later when they formed a legion, he smiled the same way when they discussed issues for the legion. Suzanna could not help thinking about that night. She had developed a conditioned response.


    From a psychological point of view, to get rid of this conditioned response, it would have been better for her to be away from Anfey. If she did not see Anfey¡¯s smiles, she would forget about it in few years. However, there could be another possibility: If Suzanna kept recalling Anfey¡¯s smiles, this psychological barrier could get worse.


    "Suzanna, I have made your leather armor. Huh, Anfey, you are here." Anfey heard Hagan talking behind him and then he asked, "Where is my stuff?"


    "Wait a second." Hagan tucked his head back to the room and walked out of the room a minuteter with a package in his hand.


    Anfey gently opened the package. There were almost a hundred arrowheads. About twenty of them were thick and snowy white. They were made of manticore¡¯s teeth. The rest of the arrow heads wereparatively smaller and light blue. They were made of wyverns¡¯ teeth. Anfey knew these arrows were quite powerful. The former arrowheads could explode, and thetter ones were poisonous and could kill anyone unless that person carried the detoxing medicine made from wyvern¡¯s galldders.


    These arrowheads were great, but they were all disposable and a hundred of them were far from enough. Anfey put the arrowheads in his Dimensional Ring and then he grabbed a knife. Maybe it should not be called a knife anymore. It looked more like an awl because it did not have any des. It could only be used to thrust, not y. The tip of the knife looked very sharp. Anfey touched it with his finger.


    "Don¡¯t..." Hagan screamed.


    Hagan reminded Anfey a little toote. Anfey felt the pain on his finger. His finger was cut by the knife and then he felt an unusual feeling. His blood cirction and heartbeat slowed down. He felt chest pain, exhaustion, dizziness. He could not even move any of his fingers. These were symptoms of paralysis.


    Suddenly, Anfey felt something different. The spirit crystal in his chest started to tremble. Anfey knew well that it was fighting with the paralysis. In about five seconds, the symptoms of paralysis disappeared and the spirit crystal calmed down. It seemed nothing had happened.


    "It¡¯s so wasteful!" Hagan shouted. "I have changed the properties of the knife and increased the rate of paralysis, but it also shortens the lifespan of the knife. You shouldn¡¯t have tested it on yourself. Every time you use the knife, its lifespan will get shorter."


    "What is the rate of paralysis?" Anfey felt rejuvenated. He thought he was lucky to have a knife with such a strong paralyzing effect. He gave credit to Hagan.


    "About eighty percent, or even higher, but it could only be used 30 times at most. You just wasted one." Hagan rolled his eyes. He was not too happy with Anfey wasting his product.


    "Great, wonderful!" Anfey looked happy. He patted Hagan¡¯s shoulder forcefully.


    Christian and others looked at Anfey in surprise, because Anfey used to have only three facial expressions: frown, calm and smile. They all had different meanings. This time Anfey seemed he had lost himself. This was their first time to see him losing himself.


    They did not know how much eighty percent paralyzing effect meant to Anfey. It meant that he could kill twenty tough opponents. Hagan had helped Anfey with his biggest problem. How could he not be happy? He had taken the tears of stars for a while, which had gradually changed Anfey¡¯s personality in an unnoticeable way. Anfey used to hide his emotions well, but this time he lost himself a little bit.

 Chapter 96: A Joke

    Chapter 96: A Joke


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Your Majesty, here is what you asked me to look for," a shadow said. He appeared in front of Ynthe and handed him a scroll.


    "You¡¯ve always been amazingly fast," Ynthe said, smiling. He took the scroll and began reading. As he read on, his smile slowly disappeared. In the end, he was frowning, and tossed the scroll down on the table with a single word, "Bastard!"


    "I agree, Your Majesty," the shadow said.


    "The poor girl," Ynthe said, shaking his head. Had he been twenty years younger, he would surely swear to avenge her, and send in his own men to correct the wrong. After twenty years of court intrigues and political struggles, he found himself numb to injustices like this. He rarely used words like "bastard" anymore.


    "I did not find her teacher, Your Majesty. However, I think anyone that could train a young girl to be a senior swordsman is someone to be reckoned with."


    "Stop the research. It is not necessary anymore. As long as Suzanna stays with Niya, we will have two powerful allies."


    "Then...Your Majesty, should I do something about the Duchy of Gus? Surely Suzanna would want to return for revenge. If we help her, we can earn her allegiance."


    "No," Ynthe said calmly. "You know Entos? He was born in the Country of Mercenaries, but why would he fight for us?"


    "Because he studied under Master Saul."


    "So do we need to gain his allegiance?"


    "Of course not," the shadow said. He was, of course, the leader of the empire¡¯s spies. He understood Ynthe immediately.


    "It is impossible to control everything and everyone," Ynthe told him. "We need to prioritize our goals. If we earn Suzanna¡¯s loyalty, it may not affect Anfey. If we get Anfey¡¯s loyalty, then Suzanna will be influenced, as well. We need to aplish the most with the least amount of work."


    "Of course, Your Majesty."


    "Tell ck Eleven that he needs to cooperate with that group, and keep them safe no matter what. Especially Anfey. I am very interested in him."


    "Your Majesty, the southern front just sent their fifth plea for help. Anfey is assassinating Shansa¡¯s princess. Shouldn¡¯t we focus on the southern front?"


    "This is all I can do," Ynthe said. "Destroying Ellisen¡¯s Dark Moon Legion is our utmost priority, and I will do anything to achieve that."


    Ynthe had his own troubles as well. His lie was so sessful that it had fooled everyone, including Shansa Empire. Otherwise Shansa would never have broken the nonaggression pact and invaded Maho. It had hurt Ynthe to think his allies were so unreliable, but he had to keep going with the n, or else everything he had done so far would go to waste.


    "Another thing, Your Majesty. People from the Mist are especially interested in Anfey and his group. They¡¯ve always been active in the Country of Mercenaries. They will catch on eventually. Should we warn them?"


    "Yes. Another thing ck Eleven should do. Tell ck Twelve to go, as well. The Mist shouldn¡¯t make any move if they are there."


    "As you wish, Your Majesty."


    Someone knocked on Anfey¡¯s door.


    "Come in," Anfey said. His dagger spun around a few more times in his hand before disappearing into his sleeve.


    "Anfey, our man wants to see you," rk said, poking his head into the room.


    "Alright," Anfey said. "Let¡¯s go."


    Anfey had known a bit about the rules and organization of the secret spies. His job was simr to that of a spy¡¯s. He knew what he should ask and what he should not, and when to keep quiet. So he sat in the carriage with his eyes closed and did not even move to gaze out the window.


    rk sat next to him nervously. He was afraid Anfey would ask things he should not ask, and that he could get in trouble for answering. Anfey had saved him from punishmentst time, so it felt wrong to lie to Anfey or not answer a question. Of course, rk was only in charge ofmunication and was not a full-fledged spy.


    Anfey did not open his eyes until the carriage stopped. "We¡¯re there?" he asked.


    "Yes," rk said as he got off of the carriage.


    The carriage had stopped in front of arge courtyard. It was quiet and appeared abandoned. Weeds grew out of the cracks in the pavement, and there were piles of rocks around the yard. They shined dimly under the moonlight.


    Across the yard was arge building. A ck d man was standing there, looking at Anfey.


    "Have you gathered everything I need?"


    "It is impossible, I have already told you," the man said, frowning. What Anfey needed was too extensive, and there was no way any organization could find all of it in three days.


    "Get as much as you can," Anfey said, stepping into the building. "This is where the princess will live?"


    "Yes. I have notes throughout the building."


    The house was only a model. If a real princess was to stay in the city, her living quarters would be much morevish than this. There was a broken, dirty bed in the room with a piece of paper on it. Clearly it was a note the man spoke of.


    Near the bed was a nightstand, and near the door was a round table with four chairs around it. To the left was arge wardrobe, and to the right was a wooden rack for decorations.


    There were two sticks on the wallbelled "light," and the ceiling had a circle drawn on it to represent another light. The ground wasbelled redwood floor.


    This obviously was a very crude version of the actual house, but Anfey studied it carefully. He bent down and studied the bed carefully. He then turned to the man and said, "Is this bed the same height as the princess¡¯s?"


    "I am not certain," the man said. "Why?"


    "Not good enough," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Do you have assassins under you?"


    "The best in the world."


    "What a joke," Anfey said.


    "What do you mean?" the man asked coldly. He had always prided himself in his self control, but even the best would get aggravated.


    Anfey did not reply. He circled the room a few more times, then turned to the man. "Give me a stake," he said.


    The man waved his hand, and in a few minutes he handed a stake to Anfey.


    Anfey ced the stake on the bed and took a strip of fabric. He tied the fabric to the stake and stared at it for a few moments before turning and leaving the room.


    The man did not know what Anfey was doing but followed him anyway.


    Anfey walked about fifty feet before stopping and taking a deep breath. He leaped into the air with a bow in his hand. As he began descending, he started to draw the string open. When hended, the bow string was already drawn to its fullest. He released the string, and the arrow flew towards the building.


    The arrow hit the wall with a loud thud and made arge hole in it. When Suzanna released the wind arrow the day they had discovered the bow, the arrow was strong enough to break the wall of the cave. It was much more powerful than the wind arrows released by mages. If he could pair the wind arrow with an actual arrow, it would be double the power of the bow.

 Chapter 97: Love

    Chapter 97: Love


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    There was a huge explosion in the room. The beams on the bed were hit by a sting arrow and exploded immediately. A guy in ck rushed into the room. He saw the beam flying towards the wardrobe. The upper part of the beams tied with a sheet were blown away, the rest of the beams and bed were burned with bright mes.


    The guy in ck was so shocked that he stood still there with cold sweat on his forehead. If the princess of Shansa Empire had been sleeping on that bed, she must have died. Even if it were him, he would have died in this attack. No wonder the king had asked him to work with Anfey and sent ck Twelve to him. Even Magic Fog organization was interested in him and tried to track him down. He suddenly realized all of these things happened for a reason. He had be a witness to Anfey¡¯s exceptional power.


    "I have to redo it. The height of this bed is not the same as the princess¡¯s," the guy in ck heard Anfey say behind him.


    "I will send someone to check on that," the guy in ck said quietly. His tone had changed and be more polite. A few days before, he had thought that the senior swordswoman was going to lead the assassination and Anfey was just an advisor. He was even not sure if Anfey was actually smart. He thought Anfey had asked about too many details. He even thought of Anfey in a bad light: thinking that Anfey might secretly want to know the princess¡¯s panty style and color. Now he knew how ridiculous he had been.


    "There are many things you need to double check. For example, the thickness and texture of princess¡¯s bedroom wall and whether there are any hollow areas underneath the floor, especially under the furniture. They all need to be double checked," Anfey said.


    "I got it." The guy in ck nodded eagerly.


    "I am not trying to give you a hard time. I did not know what would be useful or harmful for me. The more information I can have, the better control I will have. Would one day be enough for you to double check everything?" Anfey asked slowly.


    "It will take at least two days." The guy in ck showed a bitter smile on his face.


    "Ok. Then two days." Anfey calcted in his mind and figured that he still should have enough time left.


    "I have checked on the princess¡¯s wagon route. Do you want me to tell you about it now?" If Anfey had not shown what he could do, this guy in ck would only tell him a rough story when he was asked. It seemed that having strong power and ability was the easiest and most effective way everywhere to win others¡¯ respect.


    "Yes, tell me about it." Anfey turned around and walked outside. The ck smoke in the room seemed to get stronger. He did not bother to put the fire out. This room was picked by the princess¡¯s bodyguards to trick Anfey, so the size and standards were quite different than the real princess¡¯s room. Anfey just let it burn down.


    The guy in ck followed Anfey. He said to Anfey, "I could only get so much information. If you think the information was not sufficient and needs to be reinvestigated, I am afraid that would take a long time." The guy in ck wanted to let Anfey knew the situation in case Anfey was not happy with his work. It would put him in an awkward situation if he was asked to do the investigation again.


    Anfey nodded. "It is fine. Just tell me what you have."


    "There are about three thousand crew members along the princess¡¯s wagon route. Most of them do not havebat powers. About six hundred of them are Shansa Empire warriors. They are very tough, and their mission is to take the princess to ckwater City. They will go back to Shansa Empire once theyplete their mission. There are two senior swordsmen, and some pce bodyguards in the retinue. They are nothing. Her servants are all muggle girls. We do not have to worry about them," the guy in ck reported.


    "Anything else?" Anfey asked.


    "It¡¯s pretty difficult to get the magic images you want. Maybe impossible to get," the guy in ck answered.


    "What do you mean: maybe impossible to get? Aren¡¯t your crew still working on it? Can¡¯t you even get the magic image of the princess?" Anfey asked.


    "The princess¡¯s magic image will be sent in tomorrow. I meant the magic images of powerful people," the guy in ck replied.


    Anfey was quiet for a second and said quietly, "Tell me more."


    "The princess is a polite and quiet girl. She never dated anyone before. We got different information on the food she likes. If we put all the information together, it seems that the princess eats everything, but does not particrly like to eat anything. She admires the sealed barbarians¡¯ archmage Richard in Ahdibaijan and hates her brother. She also likes to wear blue clothes," the guy in ck said.


    "Keep going." Anfey nodded.


    "The princess¡¯s wagons do not go very fast. They only travel about sixty miles a day and then they rest. I have marked every ce they have rested. Here is the map." The guy in ck took out a scroll from his shirt and passed it to Anfey. He continued, "About eight days ago, the princess¡¯s wagons seemed to have some problems. They stayed three days in one ce before restarting their journey. Her people kept what happened secret. My guys were not able to find out. We need more time on that."


    Anfey opened the map and look at it under the moonlight. He pointed at the map and asked, "Is this the area where you think they will rest tomorrow?"


    "Yes," the guy in ck said.


    "I have to do something tomorrow. If I have time, I hope we can go to a ce together the day after tomorrow," Anfey said.


    "Where?" the guy in ck asked.


    "To wee the princess," Anfey said.


    "Ok." The guy in ck nodded.


    "Any other information? If not, I will be going back now." Anfey put the map in his Dimensional Ring.


    "I will let you know immediately when I know anything new," the guy in ck said in a serious voice.


    * * * *


    When Anfey got back to the hotel, Riska and Sanchez were talking on the stairs to the third floor. It was their turn to be on watch that night. After experiencing some tough times, they all knew how to protect themselves. Even on the nights Anfey did not tell them to have someone on watch, they still voluntarily had someone on watch. On the days that Anfey kept himself in the room for the training, they did not let their guard down. It just showed they were maturing.


    Riska smiled at Anfey and then shook his head, which meant nothing had happened.


    "Where is Vonmerge? Did hee back yet?" Anfey asked.


    "He came back shortly after you left." Riska smiled.


    "Where is he now?" Anfey asked.


    "Where else could he be? He is in Suzanna¡¯s room." Sancheze ginned.


    For the guys, some of them were jealous of other guys who could attract affection from girls. Some of them did not even dare to go after the girls they liked. Sanchez knew himself well. He admired the beauty of Niya and Suzanna, but he just thought about them and would never take action to go after them. Everyone knew there was no way Vonmerge could get Suzanna¡¯s affection, but he kept trying, which bothered them.


    "I am going to see him. You guys can continue your chat." Anfey nodded at them and walked in big strides to Suzanna¡¯s room.


    Anfey stopped at Suzanna¡¯s room and knocked lightly on the door. Then he pushed the door open and walked in. Suzanna looked bored on the chair while Vonmerge was pacing back and forth, excitedly telling some story. He did not notice the unexpected guest, Anfey.


    "Vonmerge, did you get the information I asked you to look for?" Anfey interrupted Vonmerge¡¯s story telling.


    "Huh, Anfey, I have looked for you several times. Don¡¯t worry. I, Vonmerge, never make any mistakes. I got it," Vonmerge replied. In this potential mercenary legion, Suzanna was the first one he needed to get along. Anfey was the second one. Hagan is an alchemist. Every mercenary would like to recruit someone like him. Vonmerge was different. If Anfey wanted to kick him out, feeding himself would be a problem, not to mention seeing Suzanna again. Once he had identally stumbled into a dragon cave. He passed out 35 feet away from the dragon while the dragon release his dragon power. Later, when he woke up, he found hisbat power was affected greatly. He was no longer able to gather all hisbat power. He only had less than thirty percent of hisbat power left. This was his secret. Since then he tried to avoid conflict with others. He had always been trying to convince his opponents by talking. Therefore, his sword skills had not improved, while his talking skills were fantastic.


    "Let¡¯s talk in my room." Anfey smiled.


    "Ok." Vonmerge did not really want to leave, but he had to.


    Suzanna heaved a long sigh and also stretched. "Vonmerge finally left," Suzanna thought to herself. She did not want to hurt anyone, but she did not realize that she might hurt him more by giving him hope.


    Seeing Suzanna¡¯s reaction, Anfey yfully winked at her. Suzanna blushed a little. She was surprised to see Anfey making any moves like this. She could feel the change in his personality. "Was it because we are getting morefortable with each other?" Suzanna wondered.


    "Vonmerge, take a seat and tell me about it." After they went to Anfey¡¯s room, they immediately got to the point. "Did you draw anyone¡¯s attention when you were trying to dig up the information?"


    "No, I was very careful," Vonmerge answered quickly. "You have told me that it would affect the fate of the whole mercenary and Suzanna. I would not mess with it."


    "Then tell me what you have found," Anfey said.


    "They take a lot of missions every day. They assign many other things to themselves as well. We are not able to make it today, but they will have about thirty mercenary groups doing assignments tomorrow. Some of them will go to Forest of Death, some to Wild Prairie, some to White Mountain City, and some will escort businessmen on their trips. Anfey, what do you want to know?" Vonmerge asked.


    "Let¡¯s start with the weakest mercenary group," Anfey said.

 Chapter 98: Hunters and Prey

    Chapter 98: Hunters and Prey


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The Wilder in was covered by six foot tall grass. Whenever the wind was strong enough to part it, it would reveal thousands of boarbeasts. These animals were native to the Wilder in, and was the food source for most carnivores living there. Boarbeasts were very mild in nature, and rarely attack other animals. Whenever they were attacked, they tended to run instead of fighting back. They were herbivores, and reproduced very fast to prevent extinction. If there were no boarbeasts, the other beasts would starve to death. If there were no other beasts, the boarbeasts would destroy the in.


    The Wilder in wasrge, but for the mercenaries that depended on this in for a living, they already know the in like the back of their hands. They were very familiar with things like where the high-level magic beasts resided and where they should not go. Only powerful people dared to go to the ins, because if they were not powerful, they would simply be another body in the in.


    With Vonmerge as their guide, Anfey and the group did not waste much time looking for their target. It was a nine-person mercenary team made up of seven men¡ªsix swordsmen and one mage¡ªand two women, a mage and a priestess. With the Eyes of Sky they could see that this other team was harvesting the magic beast¡¯s body.


    Anfey approached them quietly. He was good at disguising himself, and did not worry about being seen. When he was close enough to hear the mercenaries¡¯ voices, he took out two top tier magic crystals and knocked them together.


    Soon the mercenaries heard the sound and began making their way over. "Hey, kid, what are you doing?" one of them asked.


    Anfey turned, acting like he was surprised by them and had forgotten to put away the crystals.


    "You..." the man who was speaking stopped mid-sentence, his eyes falling on the crystals. Their team was only mediocre, but they had seen top tier magic magic crystals before. The man¡¯s eyes gleamed with greed.


    Five other people came through the grass, and all of their eyes were immediately drawn to the crystals in Anfey¡¯s hands. Magic crystals meant wealth. It meant that they could live like kings and have something to brag aboutter. There were so many mercenaries that never get to touch top tier magic crystals.


    "Where did you get that?" one of the men asked. He nodded to the others, and they began surrounding Anfey.


    "I¡¯m not obliged to tell you," Anfey said, taking a few steps back.


    "Don¡¯t worry, friend," the man said. "We are part of the Tiger of Tawau Mercenary. Our lord is about to marry, and we muste up with some gifts. If possible, we hope to buy your crystals. Five thousand coins, how about that?"


    Five thousand coins was a fair price, but the man looked like he was worth not even ten coins, let alone five thousand.


    The group kept smiling and surrounding Anfey. Anfey took a few steps back and kept a certain distance between himself and the mercenaries. "What do you want?" he asked. "These belong to my friend. I cannot sell them."


    "What is his name? Maybe we know him," the man said. His smile was wider now, but his forehead was covered with sweat.


    Anfey ced the crystals into his pocket and ducked into the grass.


    "Crap!"


    "Don¡¯t let him get away!"


    "Sir, let¡¯s contact the main group. We gotta catch the kid!" one of the men called while pulling out a scroll from his ring.


    Larger mercenary legions had the advantage of numbers, and each member had the same scroll in case backup was needed.


    "Idiot!" the first man barked. "No! How will we divide up the crystals then?"


    "Yeah. The kid had nobat power. He won¡¯t get away."


    A small search quick ensued. The two mages lifted themselves into the air with levitation magic, searching for Anfey¡¯s trail. The others fanned out and began searching. In the face of the temptation of top tier crystals, they had already forgotten the low tier crystals they were harvesting. If they took those crystals, they could live for a few years with no financial troubles.


    Anfey walked through the grass quietly. He had brought the entire group to the in, but he had sent them away before he approached the mercenaries. It didn¡¯t matter how good the n was, they could still fail. If the men had used their scrolls, and the men from Tiger of Tawau had surrounded them, he could ensure his own escape, but not everyone¡¯s. Plus, Tiger of Tawau would not be the only mercenariesing. Therger mercenary legions all had treaties with each other, and would lend each other help. This ce was far from ckwater City, and if someone used a scroll, there would be thousands of mercenaries here within minutes.


    Anfey stopped backing away and crouched in a bush. He removed the topyer of his clothes and revealed ayer of clothes made for easier movements. It was in fact a military-style camouge suit with a hood made by Anfey himself. People could get as close as fifteen feet without noticing him.


    Anfey retrieved a dagger from his dimensional ring. It wasn¡¯t made by Hagan. Instead it was made by a cksmith Anfey found in the city. Swords were made for fighting in ces like this, and using the altered dagger was too much of a waste.


    The sound of boots on ground was getting closer and closer. Anfey picked up a small stone and waited until the man was close enough. He flicked the stone out and hit another patch of grass. The man turned his gaze towards where the stonended.


    Anfey jumped out of his hiding ce and dashed towards the man, his dagger swiping across the man¡¯s throat.


    The man fell to the ground without making a noise. He slumped on the ground, but was still alive. He dug his bloodstained fingers into his wound in a desperate attempt for air.


    Anfey returned quietly and buried the dagger into the man¡¯s chest. Humans had big hearts, and someone as well trained as Anfey would never miss it. The man was still before Anfey could pull the dagger out.


    Anfey listened for a few moments before approaching the second man. Before he could approach him, however, the man began screaming.


    "I see you, kid!" the man called. "Get out here before I burn you out! Kid, this isn¡¯t a fun ce! You¡¯re gonna get eaten by beasts!"


    He was loud enough for his friends to hear, and if his voice disappeared, his friends would be suspicious. Anfey turned to look for another target.


    These mercenaries thought they were the hunters, but they did not know they had already became the prey. Anfey¡¯s presence was too undetectable, and the mercenaries thought he was just a normal kid. No mercenaries would be too concerned about a normal person.


    The man¡¯s target was focused on something straight ahead, and he did not pay attention to movements around him.


    As soon as he was close enough, Anfey reached out and, covering the man¡¯s mouth and nose with his hand, slit the man¡¯s throat with his dagger. The man¡¯s body spasmed and fell still. Anfey ced him on the ground softly. The two mages flew by, but the grass was too tall for them to see anything.

 Chapter 99: Get Ready

    Chapter 99: Get Ready


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    One, two, three mercenaries were killed by Anfey one by one when they hunted for the magic beasts. The throat of thest guy with the loud voice was cut deep by Anfey. That mercenary died immediately. Anfey had six mercenary badges with blood in his pocket.


    Two mages, one female and one male, were still in the sky and the priestess had not shown up yet. Anfey took a bow out from his dimensional ring. He loaded a regr arrow on it, pointing at the sky. He had been watching those two mages when they were hunting. He found they had been circling around in the sky with a radius of 800 yards. This was his only chance.


    If Anfey were a swordsman, he could have attacked those two mages with sword radiance. If Anfey were a mage, he could have attacked them easily from long distance. It was unfortunate that Anfey was neither. He had to use the bow to attack.


    There were two mages in the sky, so no matter which one was shot down first, it would take Anfey two seconds to reload the bow and shoot at the second mage. Anfey did not dare to underestimate mercenaries. He actually never underestimated any opponent. The opponents¡¯ powers werergely rted to their talent and dedication to their practice. This mercenary group was not great in general, but living in danger had trained them to be alert for danger. Anfey thought that two seconds were long enough for a mage to release the magic scroll. To shoot two targets down perfectly, he had to choose the very moment when one body was blocking the other one when they circled around. Luckily, the route of their movements was traceable.


    Anfey did not worry about being surrounded by the opponents. Instead, he was more concerned about covering the news of this mercenary group being wiped out. It wasmon for the whole mercenary group to be attacked and die when they were out on missions or hunting. However, it was rare that no one in the group was able to send out rescue signals. It was rare, but could happen.


    Anfey¡¯s held his arms steady. His eyes showed his determination to kill those two mages. He stared at his targets. Finally, those two mages lined up, one mage blocking the other one. Suddenly, a strong wind blew over the prairie. The grass bent down as the wind blew over. The male mage seemed to see something in the grass out of the corner of his eye. He hurried to turn around to check. Suddenly he felt pain in his chest and saw ckness in his eyes. He fell like a big piece of stone from the sky. The arrow pierced through the male mage¡¯s chest and hit the female mage. Two mages fell one by one from the sky.


    Anfey rushed over to where they had fallen. Those two mages rolled together. From a distance, they looked like a couple holding each other rolling on the grass. This scene reminded Anfey of a saying, "May we be a pair of inseparable lovebirds in the sky, and two trees with interlocking branches on earth." Those two mages had been like lovebirds a few seconds ago, and they were "two trees with interlocking branches" now.


    Anfey easily found his way back with the eight mercenary badges. He went back to the area where that mercenary group had been cleaning up magic beast bodies. He had a good sense of direction, especially when he was on assignments. He rarely made any mistakes in finding the locations where he needed to be.


    The only survivor, the priestess, was sitting on a rock, zoning out as she watched the clouds. From Anfey¡¯s angle, he could only see her side. She was showered in golden sunlight. She looked like an angel. He could not see her face from his angle, but she seemed to be cute. Anfey sighed and reloaded the bow again.


    Once the bow was loaded, he had to shoot it no matter what. As a killer, once he started a mission, he had to make sure that no one could trace back, so had to finish it without any potential dangers left. If this priestess were not killed, everyone else in this mercenary group was killed for nothing. If themander in Tiger of Tawau mercenary legion noticed these mercenaries were killed with a scheme, he would strengthen their defenses. It would make it a lot harder to kill the Shansa Empire princess.


    Anfey shot the bow in a speed that a human eye could not even detect. Suddenly an eye-blinding sh passed by that priestess. With a huge exploding sound, the arrow disappeared, while the light cover around her shattered into millions of light spots.


    Damn! There was a magic array. Anfey med himself for not being careful. Regr priests did not havebat power. There were dangers everywhere on Wild Prairie. Her peers undoubtedly set up a magic array to protect her. He should have thought of this when he saw her sitting in the rock unalert.


    While he med himself for not being careful, Anfey reloaded the bow. It seemed the priestess had very little experience in directbat. After the magic array was attacked, she jumped to her feet and nervously watched around her, looking for the attacker. She even forgot to release the magic scroll immediately to save herself.


    "It was dumb luck," Anfey thought to himself. Anfey heaved a sigh and let his fingers on the arrow go. The second arrow shot out so fast that it looked like a bolt of lightning. The priestess¡¯s magic cover was destroyed. Anfey shot at her head. The priestess flipped backwards and rolled onto the grass.


    * * * *


    When Anfey got back to the hotel, Christian and Riska were standing on the roof waiting for him. They nced at Anfey with questioning looks as Anfey walked upstairs. Anfey nodded at them with a smile, which signaled to them that everything was fine.


    "Anfey, let us join you when there are other assignments. We can help," Christianined. He never openly said anything against Anfey to his face after Anfey had made a decision, but always offered his suggestions afterwards.


    "Too many people on this assignment would not have helped," Anfey said, smiling. In fact, he was more concerned that Christian could not be as cold as needed. Some people were not born to certain professions. Christian could not be a killer. He was too upright to be a killer.


    "What if something happens to you? There must be someone to help you," Riska said.


    "Watch your mouth. What if? Do you want something to happen to me?" Anfey said.


    "No, I did not mean that." Riska smiled bitterly.


    rk walked downstairs and gave Anfey a look.


    "You guys can go and get some rest. I need to go somewhere with rk now," Anfey said.


    "We have rested for a while," Riska said.


    Anfey and rk walked to rk¡¯s room on the first floor. A guy in ck was quietly sitting on the chair, looking at Anfey.


    "What happened?" Anfey knew the man was direct, so he talked to him in a simple and direct way and skipped any courtesy greetings.


    "These are the architectural drawings of the princess¡¯s bedroom." The guy in ck passed Anfey a package. "Everything you want to know is in this package. If it is not in the package, I don¡¯t think I can get it for you anyway."


    Anfey unpacked the package, looked through it, and put the items back in their original order. "I need someone to exin these to me. I do not understand this kind of diagram."


    "No problem," the guy in ck said.


    "Anything else you would like to tell me?" Anfey asked.


    "You asked me to collect information about Glory mercenary. I have some information about them with me now," the guy in ck said.


    "Great." Anfey smiled. "Can you brief me on it."


    "Themander of Glory mercenary, Antonio, is a master swordsman," the guy in ck said. "He is the most powerful one among themanders in the fourrgest mercenary groups. It¡¯s hard to tell his personality based on the information we collected. Some people said he is a gentle man, while others said he is hot-tempered. They all can prove their ims. Antonio rarely shows up in public. It has been very hard to track him.


    "The second important person in Glory mercenary is Chantley. He is a senior swordsman. He is very smart and mature. He is a helper for Antonio. If we have options, I hope we do not have to confront him. If Antonio is the king of Glory mercenary, then Chantley is his advisor, a very good one. He has solved many difficult problems with his intelligence. He was a formidable opponent. Antonio is in White Mountain City, so Chantley is in charge of everything here.


    "The third important person in Glory is Davison. He is a senior swordsman. He became a senior swordsman before he was 35 years old. His sword skills are above Chantley¡¯s. I heard he might be a master swordsman in the future, then Glory mercenary would be the only mercenary group with two master swordsmen. Davison is the opposite of Chantley in terms of personality. He is more willing to take risks, but also likes to act more on instinct. Chantley has solved a lot of tough problems for Glory mercenary while Davison has created many problems. However, Davison has one advantage, that is, he is a very loyal follower of Antonio. Antonio has been very tolerant with the mistakes he has made and rarely mes him.


    "Here is a report on Chantley¡¯s and Davison¡¯s families and important people in Glory mercenary. You can take your time to read it." The guy in ck passed Anfey another scroll.


    "Thank you very much." Anfey smiled.


    "You¡¯re wee. You said I had contributed to your mercenary." The guy in ck hesitated a little bit. "I have already received new orders from themander that I need cooperate with you."


    "Really? Does it mean you would help me if I need your help?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," the guy in ck said.


    "How many people can you give orders to?" Anfey asked.


    "Depends on your needs," the guy in ck said calmly. "I believe you have heard of Entos?"


    "Of course." Anfey was shocked for a second. Entos was one of Saul¡¯s best students. He was a senior magister with strong power.


    "Entos is the third important person in Brothers Union mercenary," the guy in ck said.


    "You mean..." Anfey said.


    "After the political marriage between Glory mercenary and Ellisen Empire, many countries realized they were falling behind. Shansa Empire has been trying to have Tiger of Tawau mercenary be their alley. Our country has had a good rtionship with Brother Union mercenary. As long as we are not against the principles of the Country of Mercenaries, they are willing to help us," the guy in ck said.

 Chapter 100: Choice

    Chapter 100: Choice


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This is marvelous news for me," Anfey said, smiling. If the four major mercenary groups had been tightly allied, he could not have devised a n toe between them. Now, however, he realized that the mercenaries had only appeared to be friendly. They had their own fair share of infighting as well. After the marriage with the Shansa princess, Tiger of Tawau mercenary legion would surely make a name for itself. Its ranking among the major groups would likely go up as well. It was likely that it could potentially threaten Glory mercenary legion. Surely the other three groups did not want the situation toe to this.


    A super mercenary only sounded intimidating in name. It did not matter how big a mercenary group was, none of them could take on a full-fledged nation. There was hardly any nation without a master swordsman or archmage, but out of the four mercenaries, only Glory mercenary had a master swordsman in its service.


    As far as Anfey was concerned, the world was simple. There was a saying: Learn your craft, then serve your king. Royalty tended to have an upper hand when it came to recruiting useful men and women. A king could offer everything a mercenary group could offer, and everything a mercenary group could not offer. People like Yagor and Ernest were, in the end, oddities. Their fates only proved that being politically neutral could only end in disaster.


    If Yagor had worked for a king, surely Anfey couldn¡¯t have killed him as easily. Saul and Ernest wouldn¡¯t have dared look for him, either. If Ernest had worked for a royal family, he wouldn¡¯t have ended up in such a terrible ce after Jerrofick had yed his tricks. Now his reputation was so terrible even Suzanna had called him a coward.


    Anfey was not joking when he came up with the n to assassinate the Shansa princess. For someone like him, joking around was no longer an option. All he wanted was to do some good for Maho Empire and ensure a better future for himself.


    There were only so many directions he could take. One was to leave the team and live anonymously until he achieved what he wanted to achieve, but what good would that do? His reputation would be ruined as well, and perhaps worse than Ernest¡¯s. He was the one who wanted to kill the princess and had led the group into trouble. He should have the guts to shoulder the consequences as well. Abandoning his friends would turn him into aughingstock and ruin his rtionships with Saul and Ernest. Not only that, it they would likely turn into his enemies. He could not forget Phillip, either, who was still trying to find him and his group. He could, theoretically, return to being an assassin. Practically, though, business would be very slim. This was not his world any longer.


    Another option was to seek refuge with Ellisen Empire or other nations. Anfey may have been coldhearted, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to betray Maho Empire. There wasn¡¯t much he could do, anyway. No one would take in someone with nobat power and little-to-no magical surges, much less someone who had offended three of the most powerful men in Maho Empire.


    Thest option was to serve Maho Empire. Help in the time of need was the most precious, and now with Shansa Empire invading Maho, it was the perfect time for Anfey to deliver what Maho Empire need. Both hunting magical beasts and assassinating his opponents were for practice, and the benefits of thetter were much greater. Even if he did not achieve everything he was aiming for, he had grounds to argue if the future leader of Maho Empire wanted Saul to hand him over.


    If he was lucky and achieved some of his grander goals, the future king of Maho Empire would have to consider his contribution to the war. If Maho Empire lost the war, he could still join Ernest and travel the world.


    "Don¡¯t get toofortable. The alliance will only help us with small things," the man in ck said.


    "I know," Anfey replied.


    "Do you know how to ride?" the man asked abruptly.


    "Yes, why?"


    "Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to wee the princess? Get ready. We are leaving in a few moments."


    "This early?"


    "If we leave today, we can catch up to my caravans by tomorrow night, and encounter the princess on the way." The man looked at Anfey and added, "Do you have any other things you need to take care of?"


    "No. Have a few men stick around. Keep an eye on them."


    "I would have done it even if you hadn¡¯t asked."


    The secret spies were very efficient. After Anfey had told Christian about some things to look out for, he got into the carriage with Suzanna. There was another man in the carriage who was clearly important, because every time they encountered a checkpoint, the man would stick his head out and talk to the patrol. This got the carriage out of the city without anyone checking.


    When they were about five miles out of the city, Anfey and Suzanna left the carriage and climbed onto their horses. The man in ck arrived on horseback as well. He had taken his mask off. Anfey understood why he had kept that mask on at all time.


    The man had a long scar across his face and two very distinct eyebrows. ckwater City had a lot of guards, but guards with such special features were hard to find.


    It was as if the man was testing Anfey¡¯s ability. He rode forward without looking back or waiting for Anfey and Suzanna and did not stop until his horse was exhausted.


    By sunset the next day, they had reached the caravan. There, they changed into the attire of men of the Snow Fox Mercenaries who protected the caravan.


    They pushed forward all the next day and finally encountered the princess¡¯s procession on the outskirts of a town. The princess may be important, but there was only one major roadway in the Country of Mercenaries connecting ckwater City and White Mountain City. Ellisen Empire was to the south and Shansa to the north. It was the most important roadway in the country, and shutting it down could cause immeasurable loss.


    Plus, the other three mercenary groups were very unsatisfied with Tiger of Tawau¡¯s alliance with Shansa Empire. Glory Mercenary Group was worried that it would threaten their position of power, while the other two did not want Tiger of Tawau to get too powerful and tip the bnce. If Tiger of Tawau had closed the roadway for the arrival of the princess, the other three groups would have protested. So the road was still crowded, and the princess¡¯s servants pretended none of them existed.


    Of course, all the mercenaries knew who the caravan bore, and had made way for her. Snow Fox¡¯s mercenaries were no exceptions. They stood by and watched the carriages go by.


    There were thousands in the procession. gs with vibrant colors fluttered in the wind. Stallions neighed as they marched by. Armor gleamed under the sun. Everyone in the procession looked serious, since they were representing an entire nation.


    There were more than a dozen identical carriages, led by twelve stallions. The carriages themselves wererge and beautiful, and shone gold under the sun. There were groups of knights behind every carriage, and two armored women guarding.


    Clearly it was a way to decrease the chance of assassination. The princess would be in one of the carriages, and it was likely that her cement changed everyday. No one except for a few trusted people would be aware of her exact location.


    When the third carriage passed, Anfey picked one of the women and whistled at her. The princess¡¯s carriages had a lot of observers everyday, and the guards had gotten used to whistling and howling. Anfey stood towards the front, but his presence did not rm anyone. At most he made some of the men curious as to why any mercenary groups would ept an apprentice like him.


    The woman next to the carriage turned curiously. Seeing that she had saw him, Anfey whistled again, louder and sharper this time. He smirked at her. He was a good actor, and he was confident that he had fooled her into thinking he was trying to catcall her.


    The woman frowned and appeared angry. Every woman would be angry in a situation like this. The weaker ones would hide, but the stronger ones would face it head on. The woman turned her horse and galloped towards Anfey. She raised her horsewhip and sent it cracking through the air.

 Chapter 101: Misunderstanding

    Chapter 101: Misunderstanding


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Ah..." Anfey screamed. He clumsily reached out his hand, trying to grab the opponent¡¯s whip, but failed. Luckily, he moved his head to the side at the critical moment, which helped him avoid the hit on his head, but he got whipped hard on his shoulder.


    With a painful scream, Anfey fell from the horse. Fortunately, he grabbed the opponent¡¯s legs while he was falling. He just hung there by hugging her legs. That woman¡¯s horse riding skills were not great, and she almost got pulled off the horse by Anfey. She got mad and pushed Anfey¡¯s head with one hand as she whipped at Anfey¡¯s back with the other.


    Anfey was hurt, and he loosened his grip on her legs. He slid down from her thighs to the lower legs and then continued to slid down. Finally he fell on his back on the ground with a boot in his hands.


    People around themughed quietly. They did not think Anfey was a dangerous person so far. They just felt it was ridiculous that a magic apprentice dared to harass women on the streets. It seemed that morals were degenerating day by day. Many of them had done things like this before, but they picked the right person to harass. Anfey was just asking for trouble himself.


    The woman sensed that her foot was cool. She looked down, finding her boot in Anfey¡¯s arms. She felt shamed and mad. She suddenly pulled the reins, and the horse raised up his fore legs into the air. The horse¡¯s forelegs were falling on Anfey. The woman wanted to kill Anfey.


    Anfey rolled to the side and barely dodged the horse¡¯s stomp. He stood up clumsily, still holding the boot in front of his chest. It seemed the boot could protect him. He looked extremely panicked, which made othersugh even louder.


    "Bastard. F*ck off," a mercenary yelled, rushing over. Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had sent three hundred mercenaries to wee the princess. He was one of them. He yelled at Anfey but it sounded like he was helping Anfey. Anfey and he were both mercenaries, and he understood it was not easy to be a mercenary. In addition, if the bodyguards of the princess killed a mercenary in the public for whatever reason, it would stir up the mercenary groups. He had to stop her.


    The woman was so mad that she would not let Anfey get away easily. She pulled the sword out backhanded. The other mercenary, who worried about their huge difference in position, did not dare to stop her.


    Anfey was shocked. He turned around and started to run. He yelled, "Suzanna, help me."


    Suzanna, who had been waiting for a while, finally saw Anfey¡¯s signal. She urged the horse on and rushed to Anfey. She jumped off the horse without paying any attention to the watchers. She held Anfey still, with white lights radiating around her. Her big eyes showed her coldness and desire to kill that woman. She quietly stared at the woman.


    The woman could not help pulling the reins to stop the horse. She nervously looked at Suzanna. In Anfey¡¯s previous world, to know the ability of the opponents, they had to fight: the professionals could tell their opponents¡¯ abilities from the first few moves. In the magic world, it was more direct. They did not have to fight. They could tell from thebat power around Suzanna that she was a powerful person. That woman did not dare to fight with her.


    ck Eleven stood behind Anfey and Suzanna, concerned. Anfey and Suzanna kept secret what they had discussed from ck Eleven. ck Eleven thought these two were looking for opportunities to pick a fight. He was worried and mad at the same time. Young people are so na?ve. They liked to rush into things. Not mentioning the slim chance to kill the princess during the day, even if they were sure that they could kill the princess in a split second, how could they tell which wagon the princess was in? This business caravan and Snow Fox mercenary group were his people. He had tried very hard to disguise them. Even if Anfey could have killed the princess, his intelligencework would have been seriously destroyed. It would not be a good trade-off.


    Seeing a senior swordswoman on the battlefield, the princess¡¯s bodyguards became nervous. The sound of horse¡¯s footsteps came from a distance. Two swordsmen were fast approaching them on horseback. They radiatedbat powers around them. Obviously they had been put on alert. Judging from thebat power radiating from them, they were just as good as Suzanna.


    The guy in ck had said that there were four senior swordsmen. These should be two of them. They rushed onto the battlefield and saw the woman and Suzanna standing facing each other. They felt the situation was quite strange, since they should already have started to fight if Anfey and Suzanna were killers. It seemed that the two parties were confronting each other over something. The king had asked to them to strictly follow the discipline in the army and avoid confrontation whenever possible. They trusted their soldiers and believed they must have not have picked the fight. If Anfey and Suzanna started it, it did not seem to make sense either, since a senior swordswoman could not fight with a few thousand mercenaries, especially with some senior swordsmen among them.


    The mercenary who yelled at Anfey before saw the two senior swordsmening. He hurried over to the horse, whispering to them and nodding at Anfey. It looked like he was exining what had happened. After he finished, the two swordsmen did not know whether they shouldugh or cry.


    Anfey saw Suzanna had alreadye to his side. He had straightened his back and rolled his sleeves as he talked quietly with Suzanna. People could tell this loser was telling on his wife.


    Suzanna frowned and finally lost her patience. She grabbed Anfey¡¯s ear, which Anfey secretly liked.


    "It hurts, it hurts. Let it go. It hurts," Anfey had his head tilted and screamed in pain.


    Those two senior swordsmen could not help guffawing. This world had be strange to them. Some people in power, who had strongbat power or lots of money, harassed women, but they had never seen anyone harassing a woman whose wife was a senior swordswoman. This was ridiculous. They thought Anfey deserved to be disciplined by his woman.


    The princess¡¯s bodyguards also tried not tough out loud. The tension on the battlefield started to loosen up.


    "Madam," one of the two senior swordsmen called out.


    "First of all, I have to apologize for my husband¡¯s rudeness," Suzanna interrupted and said coldly, "but you have already punished him. You guys need stop now."


    "I think this is a misunderstanding." The senior swordsman turned around and gave a scolding look to the woman who caused all these troubles. Then the woman finally put the sword she still held back into the sheath. The senior swordsman said, "I also would like to apologize to you for our rudeness." His experience as a senior swordsman were so extensive that regr people were notparable. He felt Anfey and Suzanna did not look like wife and husband, more like a couple who were still dating. Since Suzanna had already referred to Anfey as her husband, he had to call her "Mrs." instead of "madam."


    When Suzanna heard the word "Mrs.", she blushed and gave Anfey a dirty look. As Anfey had talked to her about this n, she was against it and asked to call him "brother" instead. Anfey insisted that she call him husband. She agreed in the end. Thinking about what had happened between them, she blushed even more. The blush and the dirty look she gave Anfey made them look like a couple.


    The senior swordsman had been watching Suzanna. Seeing the blush and the dirty look, he was even more sure that they were just a couple still dating. He turned to look at Anfey. Anfey¡¯s terrific acting skills would not allow him to see anything from it. The hatred in Anfey¡¯s eyes seemed to prove how stupid and shallow he was. That senior swordsman watched for a while and thought, "How could such a beautiful girl like such a loser?"


    "Mrs., I am Ganbi of Central Swordsmen Battalion in Shansa Empire. May I know your name?" the senior swordsman asked politely. Senior swordsmen were not formidable, since there were about a hundred or more senior swordsmen in each country. However, such a young senior swordswoman was rare, which could mean Suzanna could develop into a new top powerful woman. He could do such a good thing for the Shansa Empire if he could build a good rtionship with Suzanna and get her work for them. Based on this logic, he talked with respect and courtesy to Suzanna, who he guessed by her age could only be his niece.


    "Huh, sorry, I cannot tell you know," Suzanna apologetically responded.


    "No problem. No problem." The senior swordsman smiled gently as he nced at wagons the Snow Fox mercenary had protected. He looked at Anfey and found the wagons of Snow Fox mercenary were going in the opposite direction of theirs. The idea of going together and building a rtionship on the way was not going to happen. Anfey looked like a loser, but one lucky enough to find a good woman. He was not interested in talking to Anfey.


    "If there is nothing else, we are about to leave," Suzanna said slowly.


    "I hope we can meet in the future." The senior swordsman was cool. He walked his horse the other way.


    Suzanna and Anfey returned to Snow Fox mercenary group. Snow Fox mercenary group took orders from ck Eleven, but ck Eleven did not tell them the real reason for this mission. Luckily, they did not know, otherwise they would misunderstand that Anfey was ready to kill the princess. They would have not acted as calmly as ck Eleven. If they sold them out to their opponents, it would ruin the whole n.


    Seeing Anfey joining the mercenary group, the mercenaries in Snow Fox mercenary group looked at Anfey with a sort of disdain. In this world, people judged each other based on their powers, at least among men. Anfey had acted like a such loser.


    "Anfey." ck Eleven walked up to him. He whispered andined to Anfey, "What did you just do? You freaked me out. I thought you had gone crazy and wanted to kill them right here."


    "No, I only left some marks on them." Anfey looked at the whip mark on his shoulder. That woman used her full force. If he was not good, he would have died under the horse.


    "Marks?" ck Eleven was shocked by Anfey¡¯s talk.


    "If they reach ckwater City in three days, we can find them no matter where they will be," Anfey said.


    "Are you worried that they will not live in ckwater City?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Yeah, it is always better to be prepared for different situations," Anfey agreed.

 Chapter 102: Timing

    Chapter 102: Timing


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When the caravan of the Shansa princess stopped, Anfey and Suzanna had already turned back. They observed the campsite carefully. There obviously were smart men in her service, because the campsite wasid out very methodically. The site was divided into four sections; patrols and mercenaries dotted the camp. There were mages floating above the camp as well. Bonfires had been lit throughout the camp. These protections turned the camp into a fortress.


    Anfey watched for about two hours before deciding to return to ckwater City. The only people that could make the impossible possible were gods. Anfey was an assassin, and his ability was limited. He wasn¡¯t one to take great risks, and his wee ceremony for the princess muste to a stop now.


    It was already dusk of the next day when they returned to ckwater City. Vonmerge¡¯s ability was impressive. He had already gathered everything Anfey needed in two days. Although the man in ck¡¯s ability was much stronger than Vonmerge, Anfey didn¡¯t want him to know his entire n. It was his habit from when he was still an assassin, and it benefitted him. It was easier for him if no one knew exactly what he wanted, which would make it harder for people to interfere with his ns.


    The four mercenary groups all had fairly good reputations. None of the leaders had a record of abusing his powers or deceiving any of his allies. Of course, even if a leader did do such a thing, it would be on record. Afterwards, he would try to clear his name as best he could.


    However, everyone had their families and friends. The mercenary leaders could keep their own names clean, but they could not restrict their friends and families. Old Phillip had never oppressed the people or abused his power, but his grandson Zeda was infamously spoiled. Old Phillip had done wrong, but was good at hiding it. Zeda, on the other hand, wore his wrongdoings like badges. People who had done great wrongs might be looked up to, but people who hadmitted petty crimes were usually looked down upon.


    The man on top of Anfey¡¯s list was Davidson, who ranked third in Glory mercenary group. ording to reports, he had a short temper, and that made him an easy target. Anthony, the man who ranked first in the group, was not in ckwater City. It was something that could be used to Anfey¡¯s advantage as well.


    Davidson had a younger brother called Orwell. Davidson and his brother were orphaned at a young age, leaving the brothers alone in the world. With no other means of ie, Davidson had resorted to thieving. He was caught one time and was beaten. Orwell nursed him back to health all by himself. Davidson¡¯s mentor found them and felt sympathetic. He took Davidson with him, and returnedter for his younger brother. However, they did not find Orwell. After a few years, Davidson returned to look for Orwell. By then, the two had takenpletely different paths. Davidson was already a junior swordsman, and Orwell had became a thug. After Davidson befriended Anthony and joined Glory mercenary group, he had bought Orwell to ckwater City as well.


    However, old habits die hard. Orwell was used to doing things his way, and was still a typical thug in ckwater City. His brother was friends with Anthony, and everyone tried to move out of his way. Orwell knew his limits as well. He would not mess with people he knew he could not take on. Because he knew who to mess with and who he had to leave alone, he was able to live in rtivefort.


    Vonmerge found out about these things through a friend of Davidson¡¯s, and felt they should be urate.


    Anfey circled Orwell¡¯s name and told Vonmerge to keep tabs on Orwell. He then closed his door and began meditating. If everything went ording to n, ckwater City would be in chaos once he was done. He must improve his skills before then.


    Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Anfey opened the window to the city¡¯s mor. He looked out and saw a long line of carriages and carts in the streets. He knew that the princess was in the city.


    All along the streets, people of the city were out holding flowers. They were cheering loudly. Tiger of Tawau was a powerful mercenary group, but getting such a big disy was impressive. Anfey watched for a while longer before closing the window and leaving the room.


    The hallway was empty. rk had already removed all the other patrons, and the new patrons in the first and second floors were all working with Anfey. Their safety could be assured and there was no longer the need for nightly patrols.


    He knocked on Suzanna¡¯s door, then poked his head inside and found it empty. vi pushed open Christian¡¯s door and called Anfey over.


    "We¡¯re all in here," he said.


    Christian frowned when Anfey walked inside. "Anfey, can¡¯t you tell us the next time you are going to meditate? We didn¡¯t want to bother you, but we needed you here to make the n."


    "Sorry about that," Anfey apologized. "Why? Did something happen?" He knew what the problem was. He was only confident in himself, and the only person that needed to know the exact details of the n. He was the leader of a team, though, and it may create a rift in his rtionship with the team members if he kept things from them.


    "Didn¡¯t you tell Vonmerge to keep on eye on Orwell? We were there too, yesterday. He bought a little elf girl at the market yesterday. She looked like she¡¯s only eleven or twelve."


    "Elves live longer than us," Zubin said. "She was probably already fifty."


    "I¡¯m saying the way she looked," Christian said.


    "Zubin, don¡¯t interrupt him," Anfey said.


    "We saw Orwell taking the little girl to his ce, and then we heard screams. Suzanna and Sante wanted to go in, but I didn¡¯t let them." Christian smiled bitterly. "Vonmerge saw a few carts from Glory mercenary grouping out of his house the next day, and they buried something outside the city. It was the little girl."


    "That¡¯s it?"


    "They me me for her death. They tell me you wanted to kill Orwell, and killing him then wouldn¡¯t change much about the n. I thought I did nothing wrong. We wanted to hear your take on this."


    "Anything else?"


    "Suzanna talked about the princess. Anfey, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to assassinate her. She has four senior swordsmen, plus the people serving Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. There is no way we can take them all by ourselves." Christian sighed and shook his head. "Best case scenario, some of us would still die. rk said that the marriage was political, and even if we kill one princess they can always send another one."


    "Nothing else?"


    "That¡¯s it."


    "First thing. I think you¡¯re right, Christian. I didn¡¯t tell you guys why we wanted to kill Orwell or the impact of it, and that is my fault. But if you had really killed him, that would have ruined my n."


    "Anfey, didn¡¯t you tell me to kill him?" Vonmerge asked.


    "I said to kill him when the timing is right," Anfey exined. "Christian did the right thing. Now, the next thing. You guys are getting good. At least you know how to analyze your enemies."


    "You want to cancel the n, too?"


    "No. I think we have a high chance of seeding. My n is this," Anfey said. He then proceeded to exin to the group his n in its entirety. "What do we think?" he ask, looking around the room.


    Everyone was looking at each other. Those who were still rtively naive were shocked by how heartless Anfey¡¯s ns were. If they really go through with the n, surely it would be a bloodbath. There would be so many dead who would not even know who killed them.

 Chapter 103: Taking Action

    Chapter 103: Taking Action


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Vonmerge was drunk and wobbled as he walked. He sluggishly pointed at the wood building with his left hand as he passed by Anfey and Suzanna. Anfey fanned away Vonmerge¡¯s stink that was still lingering in the air. Anfey and Suzanna slowly approached the wood building.


    "Hey, man, what are you doing?" A big man with azy look stopped Anfey. A middle-aged man with a hawk nose walked over to them from the wood building.


    "This is my brother inw¡¯s house." Anfey pointed at the wood building and asked in surprise, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"


    "Us? We are bringing pleasure to your sister. Hahaha..." The middle-aged man with the hawk noseughed.


    "You, f*ck off. I will beat the crap out of you if you continue to hang around here," the big guy yelled.


    "I got it," Anfey said timidly.


    "Wait, you can leave. This girl can stay." The middle-aged man with the hawk nose pinched Suzanna¡¯s cheek. Suzanna had kept her head down the whole time. They could only see her little sexy mouth, which was already such a temptation for the middle-aged man with hawk nose.


    Suzanna shook his hand off her cheek and suppressed her desire to pull out her sword and kill him. She moved closer to Anfey.


    "Huh, you got some temper." The middle-aged man with the hawk nose seemed to be more interested in Suzanna, and tried to grab her chin.


    Anfey waved an arch with his arm when he saw no one else on the street. It was time to kill them. If he killed them a littleter, Suzanna could have lost herself and things would get bad.


    The big guy with azy look had blood sshed from his throat. The fast speed, sharp knife and the force Anfey put on the knife did not allow the big guy to make any reaction before his throat was cut.


    The other man¡¯s eyes were bulging, with his mouth wide open. Anfey thrust his knife forward and pierced through his throat. The middle-aged man slowly fell to the ground. He grabbed Anfey¡¯s arm as he fell. He gathered the only strength he had left and tried to attack Anfey. Anfey just moved his wrist a little bit. The middle-aged man with the hawk nose could even hear his own bronchial tubes and esophageal tubes get cut off. He lost all strength immediately, without even strength enough left to keep his eyes open.


    Anfey listened with his ears against the door to see if anyone was in the room, and then he pushed the door open and dragged the dead body into the room. Suzanna dragged the other dead body behind him. Suzanna gently closed the door behind her. They heard a woman crying and screaming from the room above them and men talking andughing beneath them. Anfey waited for a second before he bent down and took off the Glory mercenary badge from the middle-aged man with hawk nose. He carefully wore it on his chest and gently took off the hood for Suzanna. He even tidied her hair for her. Her silky ck hair on her shoulder entuated her charm even more.


    Suzanna looked up at Anfey. She had this unspeakable feeling every time she saw him killing people. She had killed many people as well, but she had thought it was so cruel to kill anyone. She was not sure how Anfey thought about killing. The way Anfey killed people and his facial expression after the killing made it look like it was as easy as crushing bugs.


    Anfey nced at Suzanna up and down and said, "Ok."


    Suzanna bit her lips but did not say anything.


    Anfey smiled and started to walk loudly to the room. Suzanna walked slowly behind Anfey.


    It was a diner inside, with four big men sitting around a table with few bottles of liquor. Judging from the amount of liquor left in the bottles and cups, they had not been sitting there for long. They did not have a chance to drink to their fill. They were shocked for a second when they saw a strange man and woman walk into the room.


    "Hey, you are..." One of the guys saw the Glory Mercenary badge on Anfey, so he believed Anfey was their ally since they were all in the Glory mercenary. They had never seen Anfey before, so they felt a bit strange..


    "Bill asked me to find Master Orwell." Anfey had a bright smile on his face. Bill was the middle-aged man with hawk nose. "Let me introduce thisdy to you guys. This is Miss Jenny, a junior swordswoman."


    "Oh." The four guys all looked at Suzanna. ckwater City and White Mountain City were the most important distribution centers for magic crystals on Pan Continent. Entertainment facilities usually went hand in hand with distribution economics. There were definitely many beautiful women in those entertainment facilities. It was undeniable that Suzanna was the most beautiful one, no matter where she was. Niya was famous for her beauty in Saint City, but she was not as beautiful as Suzanna. There was no point in discussing how beautiful Suzanna would be in ckwater City and White Mountain City.


    Those four guys were fascinated by Suzanna¡¯s beauty. They just stared at her without even trying to hide it. Their greedy looks were disgusting.


    Anfey coughed. He winked at those four guys as he talked. "Miss Jenny was from Alibaba mercenary group. Something unfortunate happened in Alibaba mercenary. The whole mercenary group with more than 20 mercenaries were killed by a manticore. Only Miss Jenny survived, so she wanted to join our Glory Mercenary group. She only needs a person to introduce her to our mercenary group, so I am taking her to see Master Orwell."


    Anfey exined in a simple way, but also clearly made his point. He wore a look of you-know-what-I-mean. These four guys finally understood what was going on and what Anfey meant. One of the guys immediately showed a sincere look on his face. "Miss Jenny, please ept my sincere condolences. If you join Glory mercenary group, you will like it."


    "Right, our Glory Mercenary group is the best. We wee Miss Jenny on board," another guy said.


    "Thank you." Suzanna still had her head down. She knew her acting was bad. Her eyes would have sold her out, so she had to keep her head down, which in turn entuated her female features and made her look more adorable.


    "Do you have more sses?" Anfey smiled.


    "Come here, bro. Here you are." One guy pushed a ss over and winked at Anfey, signaling Anfey they got what was going on. It was bulls^*t that Anfey wanted to introduce her to Glory mercenary group. He was trying to send a woman to Master Orwell. If Anfey had not said Miss Jenny was a junior swordswoman, which they felt could cause trouble, they would have pressed Suzanna on the table.


    Anfey took the ss with a smile and poured some liquor in it. He also moved the ss out of Suzanna¡¯s sight and took out a small paper package. He poured the powder from the paper package into the ss.


    This action could not be seen by Suzanna, but the guys sitting across from Anfey saw it clearly. Their eyes brightened up. They had done this kind of thing many times before. They knew very well what Anfey was doing. One of the guys even hid his hand under the table and secretly raised his thumb for Anfey. It meant, "Good job, man. You prepared everything. Awesome!"


    They had not met Anfey before, but since they were in the same mercenary group and were the same kind of people, they already considered Anfey as their brother.


    Anfey pushed the ss over to Suzanna. "Miss Jenny, would you like to have a drink?"


    Those guys¡¯ eyes moved with the ss, waiting for Jenny to fall into their trap.


    Suzanna nced at the ss and shook her head. "I don¡¯t drink this kind of liquor. Do you have wine?"


    Anfey was shocked and looked up. "Bro, do you have wine?"


    "Yes, I am going to get it." A guy stood up and hurried over to the wine cer.


    "I am a little hungry. Do you have steak?" Suzanna said with a blush.


    "Sure." The guy couldn¡¯t help heaving a sigh. This little girl was a bit much to handle. Why couldn¡¯t she just freaking drink that ss.


    Anfey smiled bitterly and gave that guy a look. The guy had no way but to stand up. He muttered something and turned around. He walked to the storage room to look for steak. They had to do what she wanted before she would drink the liquor with the powder in it. They were worried that if they fought with Suzanna, a patrol woulde by because of the strongbat power. They would be fine with the patrol, but they would let Suzanna off the hook.


    Anfey put his arm on Suzanna¡¯s shoulder with a smile. "Miss Jenny."


    "Get away from me." Suzanna¡¯s face suddenly darkened.


    Anfey looked awkward and shrugged. He stood up and walked over to the two guys and took a seat between them. Those two guys were not suspicious about Anfey¡¯s move. They even gave Anfey a gloating look. They thought to themselves, "Man, you are running into trouble now. Why do you have to rush into things?"


    Suddenly, they heard a bang from upstairs. It sounded like something fell on the floor. Anfey looked up. "Was Master Orwell in bad mood for the past few days?"


    "Maybe his mood will get better today. Hahaha..." That guy felt cold on his throat before he finished hisughing. He could notugh anymore.


    The other guy had all his attention on Suzanna and did not know what Anfey had done. He smiled and asked, "Miss Jenny, are you from Alibaba mercenary group? I never heard of that mercenary group. When did Alibaba mercenary group register?"


    "Hasn¡¯t registered yet." Anfey smiled.


    "Oh?" The guy turned around to look at Anfey in surprise. He thought to himself, "Didn¡¯t he say they were all killed by a manticore? Howe they haven¡¯t registered their mercenary group yet?" He saw a metal reflection when he turned around, and then fell onto the chair and died.

 Chapter 104: Hard to Escape

    Chapter 104: Hard to Escape


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey wiped his bloody dagger on the man¡¯s shirt. He stood up and walked towards where he had been watching from earlier.


    As he rounded the corner, he saw another man hurrying toward him with a jug of wine in his hands. "Look," the man said, grinning proudly. "Look at this wine. Some of the best."


    "It¡¯s a bit murky, isn¡¯t it?" Anfey asked.


    "No way!" the man said. He raised the bottle to his eyes.


    The bottle obscured his eyes, so he did not see Anfey making a move to sh his throat. He felt his body weakening, and when the bottle fell from his limp fingers, he looked at Anfey in confusion. He could not understand why Anfey would do something like that.


    Anfey caught the bottle in his hand. He grabbed the man and lowered him to the ground, silent.


    In the storage room, another man was cursing and rummaging through the room. Steaks were readily avable to everyone, and didn¡¯t seem to be avable in this room.


    Anfey pushed through the door and entered the storage room.


    "What are you doing here?" the man asked.


    "She didn¡¯t want steaks anymore," Anfey said, shrugging. "Asking for turkey this time."


    "Where am I supposed to find that?" the man asked.


    "What can I say? She¡¯s picky. Just try and look for it. Something is better than nothing."


    "Goddammit," the man cursed. "Wait. Help me look for it."


    Anfey nodded and began flipping through things on the shelf. Soon he stumbled across the steak the other man was looking for.


    "Isn¡¯t this steak?"


    "You found it?" the man moved over and asked. "It¡¯s raw, though," he said.


    "I¡¯ll go cook it," Anfey said. He handed the man a packet of loose powder. "Don¡¯t let her see this," he said.


    "Don¡¯t worry," the man said. He epted the powder. "Is it powerful?"


    "Of course," Anfey said, grinning. "Very much so."


    The man smirked and nodded. He hid the power packet in his left hand and left the storage room.


    As he walked past Anfey, he saw a silvery sh out of the corner of his eye. He was the highest ranking man under Orwell, just after Orwell himself, and was a junior swordsman. Anfey¡¯s movement was sudden and fast, and he was distracted, but he was still able to grab the dagger.


    Anfey¡¯s wrist twisted, and left the dagger partially in the man. He took out the manticore¡¯s sting and stabbed the man in the face with it.


    Before the man could summon hisbat power, his body had already frozen in ce. Anfey removed the tail and pierced the man¡¯s throat with his dagger. The man fell to the ground limply.


    Anfey walked out of the storage room calmly. Once outside, he saw Suzanna¡¯s angry face.


    "You were going to drug me?" she asked.


    "It¡¯s an act, Suzanna," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t take it personally."


    "You can¡¯t just try to drug me!"


    "Alright, alright," Anfey said. "I¡¯m sorry, alright? Let¡¯s take care of that guy upstairs first."


    Suzanna snorted and turned her eyes away.


    Anfey took out a piece of ck cloth and hid his face behind it. He then handed one to Suzanna, who looked at him curiously.


    "If you don¡¯t want to kill every witness, you better wear that," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t forget, there¡¯s an extraneous woman up there."


    "Alright," Suzanna said. She tied the cloth around her face carefully. Anfey moved over and pulled a hood down over her hair. Her hair was too distinctive and should be hidden in case someone saw it and linked it back to her.


    This move, purely out of concern for secrecy, seemed less innocent than it was. The two were close enough that, if someone was watching, they could be mistaken for a couple about to kiss.


    Anfey had treated Suzanna as a friend, and so felt nothing. However, Suzanna felt slightly ufortable. Whenever Anfey breathe on her, she felt a strange sensation in her stomach. However, she did not say anything.


    "Alright." Anfey took a step back and looked at her.


    The two ascended the stairs carefully, avoiding any unnecessary sounds. There were only four rooms, and Orwell didn¡¯t care who heard him.


    "Please," a woman¡¯s voice said. "My husband will kill me."


    Orwellughed. He didn¡¯t care if the woman¡¯s husband would murder her. He knew that the husband didn¡¯t have enough power toe after him.


    "Stop!" the woman cried. It was toote. Her refusal meant nothing to Orwell.


    Anfey stood quietly by the door and waited. Next to him, Suzanna was flushed red, and her breath was getting heavy. Scenes like this did not have an effect on Anfey, but they did on Suzanna. If she wasn¡¯t on a mission, she would likely have fled the scene.


    The woman¡¯s moans were getting louder. Orwell¡¯s movement was clearly getting faster as well, evident from the creaking bed frame.


    Suzanna turned to Anfey. Seeing that he was unaffected, she turned back and decided to endure. Her hands were slightly shaking, however, because it was all too much for someone like her to take in.


    Finally, Orwell groaned loudly. Anfey kicked open the door and hurried inside. He then jumped into the air and lunged towards a shocked Orwell.


    Orwell suddenly flipped and ced the woman on top of him as a shield. Anfey moved his wrist, and avoided the woman. His dagger made a deep cut on the left side of Orwell¡¯s face.


    Orwell yelped in pain. He threw the woman at Anfey and reached for his longsword. Just then, Suzanna dashed into the room. Her sword, coated in whitebat power, aimed straight at Orwell¡¯s chest. However, she was stunned by his nakedness, and her aim was slightly off. Her sword only caught him in his abdomen.


    Anfey jumped upwards and around the woman. Then he held out his dagger and jumped towards Orwell. Because of his wound, Orwell was slower than he otherwise would have been. His fingers had only found his sword when the dagger pierced his wrist. Even though Orwell had used hisbat power, it was too weak and couldn¡¯t shield him from that level of attack. The dagger left a deep wound on his wrist, severing even one of his wrist bones.


    Anfey blinked in surprised. If it was a normal man, the whole hand would have been severed from the body.


    Orwell screamed in pain. His right wrist was severely damaged, and he had no more strength left to draw his sword. In a moment of panic he swung his left fist at his attacker. However, he was in too much pain to properly fight. Anfey avoided his attack easily and buried his dagger in Orwell¡¯s neck. Suzanna stabbed him in the chest hard with her sword. The sword went through Orwell¡¯s body and nailed him to the bed.


    Orwell¡¯s body twitched a few times, then his head rolled to the side. Blood dripped down from the side of his mouth, and then he was still.

 Chapter 105: Confrontations

    Chapter 105: Confrontations


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Done," Anfey sighed. He pull out his knife and gently blew on the streams of blood. Obviously, the material of the knife was far from the best in the world, so the blood was still left on the knife after a few blows.


    Suzanna also heaved a sigh. Her face turned to the side as she lifted the sheet with the sword to cover Orwell¡¯s body. Her heart was still pounding fast. She thought to herself, "A man¡¯s body is so weird."


    Anfey slowly walked to the candlestick and blew hard to put out the light. He thought to himself, "Even though I cannot blow off the blood on the sword, I could at least blow out the light." He walked to the window and gently lifted the curtain to see if anyone was on the street. The street was still empty. Thebat power was released but was withdrawn very quickly, so no one should have noticed it.


    The womany still on the floor. She looked like she had passed out. Shey t, so they could see her curvy body. Anfey relit the candle and looked down to see the women clearly. Her face was pink.


    "Hey," Suzanna called out unhappily. She almost made a mistake by calling out Anfey¡¯s real name. Luckily she realized it and stopped herself.


    Anfey fixed his eyes on the woman and then bent down to open her eyes with his fingers.


    Anfey stood up, thought for a while, and looked at Suzanna. His fingers felt a little resistance when he tried to open her eyes. It meant this woman had not passed out. She seemed to be very smart to protect herself.


    "We will bring so much trouble to the master," Suzanna said with a coarse voice.


    "Do you think the master would be afraid of Glory mercenary group? Don¡¯t forget the princess has reached ckwater City," Anfey sneered. "This bastard killed nine of our people. Are we going to just let it slide?"


    "But..." Suzanna said.


    "But what? Even if this issue gets out of control someday, I am not afraid of it. He killed our people first," Anfey said.


    Suzanna sighed, "What are we going to do with this woman?"


    "She has nothing to do with Orwell. She is just a poor woman being used by Orwell. I do not want to hurt her," Anfey said.


    "Orwell died right here. Glory mercenary group would not let her go," Suzanna said.


    "I have no control over Glory mercenary group." Anfey sounded helpless. He looked outside to see if there was anyone on the street, and then he said, "Let¡¯s go. We need get out of here right now."


    * * * *


    The celebration during the day had finished. Leftover flower petals were everywhere on the streets. They were dancing with the wind, giving the air a hint of fragrant flowers. It was dark, with neither stars nor moon in the night sky, while the station of Tumen Commercial Union was bright with countless torches andnterns. This station had turned into a sleepless city. They had high security, with four junior swordsmen on watch on both sides of the door and a senior swordsmen beyond the door.


    On the street, passing the Tiger of Tawau mercenary station, an old man around fifty years old slowly walked out of the dark. His gait was very noticeable. After every step, he paused before taking another step. His eyes shone with coldness, looking straight ahead. One of his hands lightly held onto the sheath. Looking at his face and hands, it would have been hard to believe they belonged to the same person. His face wore many wrinkles, while his hands looked young without any age spots. The veins on the back of his hands were vague and did not look like the hands that been through many fights over the years.


    There were people walking out of the darkness one by one behind the old man. More people appeared in the alleys on both sides of the street and on the fences around the houses. They continually joined the main force. When the old man walked to an area about 400 feet away from the Tiger of Tawau mercenary station, he already had over 300 people behind him. Some of them were swordsmen, some mages, even warriors from Dwarf Tribe and archers from Elf Tribe.


    That old man looked calm, but with a pair of furious eyes. The people behind him looked nervous. Since the day the Country of Mercenaries was established, the fourrgest mercenary groups were closely matched in power. No matter how many conflicts they had and how many traps they had set for each other, they neither confronted each other in public nor had any bloody fights. Today they gathered here to fight with Tiger of Tawau mercenary. It was a rare moment in history. Therefore, they could not help being nervous.


    Four junior swordsmen on watch at the entrance of Tiger of Tawau mercenary had noticed something unusual. One of them rushed into the station to report, while the other three nervously watched the neers. A junior swordsman forced himself to walk up to the man when he was 90 feet away from the gate. He asked, "Master Davidson, how can I help you?" Davidson was the third most important person in Glory mercenary group, but he had nothing to do with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. Themanders of the fourrgest mercenary groups were respected very well. They were all called "masters." Actually, it was an appropriate way to address them.


    "Ask Mooly Tawau to get the f*ck out here," Davidson said coldly.


    "What? What did you say?" The junior swordsman could not believe what he had just heard. Davidson went to the party that Mooly Tawau held three days ago. They were talking andughing at the party. Why did Davidson suddenly curse him today?


    "Ask Mooly Tawau to get the f*ck out here!" Davidson yelled. He pulled out his sword, and his body radiated with strongbat power. With sword radiation breaking through the sky, the sword hit the gigantic festive redntern hung at the entrance of the station. Thentern split in half. It shook a little before it fell to the ground and burned into two bright mes.


    The junior swordsman took a breath because he knew they would have a rough night. He did not dare to stop the furious Davidson. Therefore, he turned around and hurried into the station to report to his supervisor.


    In a little while, the sound of heavy steps came from the station. With a huge explosion, the unlocked entrance doors flew forward, rolled more than 30 feet, and fell hard on the ground. The entrance door was made with 15-inch thick agwood. It was so heavy that anyone who could kick it so far only showed how strong he was.


    Davidson¡¯s face twitched out of fury instead of fright.


    Saidy slowly walked through the broken door. He was the third eldest son among the nine children of Mooly Tawau and Hotchbini. His talent, ability, and even his looks were remarkable, otherwise he would not marry the princess of Shansa Empire when his elder brother had not married yet.


    Maybe because his single life had been disturbed or for other reasons, Saidy looked furious. Kicking down the door showed his bad mood. His eyes met Davidson¡¯s, and they stared at each other. No one wanted to look away. He even sneered, "Old mad man, if you had Viagra, you should have gone home and slept with a female pig. How dare youe here and try to make a mess. Are you looking to be killed?"


    Both Glory mercenaries and Tiger of Tawau mercenaries were so shocked by his words that their jaws dropped. Saidy was a gentleman. He always talked with courtesy. What happened to him today? He scolded that bodyguard with cursing words. They could not understand what happened to him.


    Davidson was one of the people in charge of Glory mercenary group, while Saidy just assisted in the management of mercenaries. Saidy had lower ranking in the mercenary group. He was only the age of Davidson¡¯s nephew. He should not have talked to Davidson in such a disrespectful tone.


    It did not matter why Saidy said what he did, Glory mercenaries still ran behind Saidy in case the opponents would start the fight.


    Davidson was so mad. His younger brother had been brutally killed. After an investigation, he found out that someone in the Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had killed him. He came here to demand an exnation. Before he could even me them for killing his younger brother, a nephew-aged kid scolded him in front of hundreds of people. He was humiliated. Luckily, as a senior swordsman, he was tough, otherwise he would have died of rage.


    "Ok, Ok." Heughed angrily. His face twisted and looked scary. The blood vessels even showed in his eyes. Froma distance, it looked like his blue eyes became red.


    Most people would have panicked under Davidson¡¯s furious stare. Saidy was not scared. He even stepped forward and slowly and determinedly pulled out the swords on his waist.


    Davidson brought his people here, but he did not mean to fight. He was one of the few important people in a super mercenary. Hepletely understood what made the Country of Mercenaries survive among other countries. He only wanted to force Mooly Tawau to hand over the person who had killed his younger brother. However, facing a young man¡¯s scolding and cursing, his rationality slowly gave way to anger. His hot temper made the situation even worse. Davidson held the shaft of the sword tight. He was positioned to attack Saidy at any time. Suddenly a female voice was heard from the station of Tiger of Tawau mercenaries, "Saidy, back off."


    After hearing this voice, both parties felt relieved. That voice represented a legend. Hotchbini enjoyed even more fame than her husband. Mooly Tawau was renowned for his strong power, while Hotchbini earned many people¡¯s respect because of her kind heart and mercy to others. Glory mercenary group, Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, Brothers Union mercenary group, Wind Thunder mercenary group and many others had benefitted from Hotchbini¡¯s help.

 Chapter 106: To Shoulder Justice

    Chapter 106: To Shoulder Justice


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Hotchbini was very fair. After her son killed a mercenary after being careless with his carriage, she knelt in the street to apologize for his misdeeds and paid arge amount of money to the deceased man¡¯s parents. Not only that, she began treating his parents as her parents, and would take care of them. She was kind, and as an elven priestess, she knew the ways to heal a man¡¯s body. She would often use magic to cure the mercenaries of their injuries. She was also just. The Country of Mercenaries had aplicated geography. Not only that, magic crystals were concentrated there. Naturally, thieves living there began to band together and eventually formed gangs. There were many people who enjoyed the benefits but did not put in any work. Therefore, every year Hotchbini would lead the mercenaries of Tigers of Tawau out to eliminate the bandits.


    In a world where only the strongest survived, Hotchbini was a beacon. When mercenaries talk about leaders of other groups, the opinions would differ. When someone mentioned Hotchbini, however, the mercenaries would be full of respect.


    The intensity in Davidson¡¯s eyes dulled a little. His fingers rxed, and he stood there quietly, waiting.


    A slender shadow walked through the door. Hotchbini had a head of golden curls, her green eyes, set on her gentle face, were bright and clear. Her well shaped lips were a deep pink, and her nose was slightly hooked. Normally a nose like that would make a person appear sly, but on Hotchbini it only made her look wise and collected.


    Hotchbini appeared so much younger than her actual age. She looked she should be a teenage girl, but in reality she was the mother of nine children. When she was with Sayeed, she looked more like his younger sister.


    Hogebili did not like to dress up and had often appeared in simply white dresses. This made her appear somewhat otherworldly.


    "Mother," Sayeed called.


    "Stay back," Hotchbini ordered. Sayeed was brave enough to fight Davidson, but in front of his mother he was still a boy that followed her orders.


    "Ma¡¯am," Davidson said. He took his hand off the sword and bowed to her. He could attack her son, but he must respect her.


    "Davidson, why are you causing so muchmotion?" Hotchbini asked. "Do you know what kind of influence this will have once the news gets out?"


    "Ma¡¯am, my brother Orwell was killed by your men, and all I want is justice," Davidson said, his voice cold. After any other incident, he could pause and take a step back. Only when Orwell was involved would he make such rash decisions. After all, Orwell was his only brother.


    "Orwell was killed?" Hotchbini asked in shock. "What does that have to do with my people?"


    Davidson waved his hands and a woman was brought to the front. "Ma¡¯am, she was the only survivor. Not only did she witness the murder, she heard the killers¡¯ conversation."


    "Where did this happen?" Hotchbini asked the woman.


    "In my home, ma¡¯am," the woman replied fearfully.


    Hotchbini saw the fear in the woman¡¯s eyes and the sadness in her face. She remembered Orwell¡¯s reputation, and it wasn¡¯t hard imagining what had taken ce.


    Hotchbini was once a ve, and she hated the men who would act on their urges without a second thought. She smiled coldly. "Keep going," she urged the woman.


    "When Lord Orwell was...two people came in. A man and a woman. To keep Lord Orwell."


    "Don¡¯t be scared," Hotchbini said gently. "Be more specific. Don¡¯t worry, no one will hurt you here."


    "Thank you, ma¡¯am," the woman said gratefully. She thought about the event for a few moments before continuing. "That¡¯s all I saw, ma¡¯am. When the killers came inside, Lord Orwell threw me at those people, and after that I justid on the ground and pretended I had fainted."


    "What a man Lord Orwell was," Sayeed mocked.


    Everyone had heard the woman¡¯s words. Orwell was clearly using the woman as a shield against the attack. The mercenaries chattered and murmured amongst themselves,ughing at how heartless Orwell was. Davidson¡¯s face twitched. He was Orwell¡¯s brother, and he knew how terrible Orwell could be sometimes. He knew full well that Orwell would not hesitate using someone else to shield an attack. He felt his face turn red from the embarrassment.


    Hotchbini snorted. Even though she was a very controlled and sensible woman, she had a bottom line as well. She could not stand men who oppressed and took advantage of women. Whenever she heard about it, she would uncontrobly get angry. "Then?"


    "The man looked at me, and I was so scared and kept still. Then the two talked."


    "What did they say?"


    "The woman said doing this would cause trouble, and the man said the princess is already here, and there is no need to be afraid of Glory mercenary group. The man also said that the bastard...Lord Orwell killed nine of his men and he couldn¡¯t take it anymore."


    Davidson¡¯s body tensed up at the word "bastard." On the other hand, Hotchbini and her son had onlyughed. Truthfully, everyone had thought Orwell was a bastard, and who knew how many innocent women he had assaulted. If it wasn¡¯t for Davidson, Orwell would have neversted this long.


    Sayeed had no problem disying his emotions. Hotchbini was calmer, but she was as uncaring as her son was. Orwell should never have lived as long as he did.


    "What else did they say?"


    "Then the woman asked what they should do with me, and the man said I was just a poor woman and he didn¡¯t want to hurt me..." the woman said. She couldn¡¯t control her emotions and started sobbing.


    Hogebili walked up to her and patted her back. "Anything else?" she asked gently.


    "The woman said Lord Orwell had died in my home and that Glory mercenaries would never let me go. The man said he couldn¡¯t do anything about it," the woman said. She suddenly grabbed Hotchbini¡¯s arm and shrieked, "Ma¡¯am, please. Help me, please!"


    "I said no one would hurt you, didn¡¯t I?" Hotchbini said gently, taking the woman¡¯s hand into hers.


    "Ma¡¯am, you heard what she said," Davidson said coldly. "I would ask you to hand over the killers." He was, in fact, at a disadvantage. It was strange trying to find justice for Orwell, since many of his victims did not get justice, but in the end Orwell was still his brother, and he couldn¡¯t let his death go unavenged.


    Hotchbini was silent for a few moments, then said slowly, "I want to investigate this first. We do, in fact, have a team missing right now. I will give you an answer when I finish investigating."


    "What does your missing team have to do with Orwell?"


    "What does his death have to do with us?" Hotchbini asked coldly. "The woman heard what they said. The princess is here. Which other princess ising to ckwater City except for the princess of Shansa?"


    "If Orwell had nothing to do with the missing team, why was he killed?" Hotchbini asked. "I told you. I will give you an answer after I¡¯ve conducted a thorough investigation. If the missing team is rted to Orwell¡¯s death, may I say he deserved it." Kindness and generosity didn¡¯t mean weakness. When Ellisen Empire¡¯s bandits were captured by her people years back, even the leader of the Glory mercenary group Anthony himself hade to her, asking her to release the prisoner. She resisted the pressure and executed the royalty of Ellisen she had captured.


    "So you are protecting the killer?"


    "I am trying to find the truth," Hotchbini said. "Sayeed, take the poor thing inside. You, go find the images of the missing team."


    "Please, this way," Sayeed said to the woman politely. With Hotchbini against him, Davidson couldn¡¯t do anything. Sayeed had the upper hand, and had won the day, but for some reason he could not feel joy. Instead, he found himself frowning and strangely anxious.


    Davidson¡¯s eye twitched a few times, but he did not stop Sayeed from taking the woman. First it was Orwell¡¯s death, then it was the insults from his nephews, now this sh with Hotchbini. His anger was ready to boil over. The only thing that kept him from attacking was the woman¡¯s status and fame. If he had really attacked her, it could potentially turn into a devastating power struggle between the mercenary groups. Now, he did not expect Hotchbini to hand over the killers. Even if she only verbally promised to find the killers, he would take his men and leave immediately.

 Chapter 107: Interlocked Stratagem

    Chapter 107: Interlocked Stratagem


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In a short while, the housekeeper walked out with a crystal ball in his hands and gently passed to Hotchbini. She took over the crystal ball and quietly chanted for a little bit. Images appeared in the crystal ball one after another. When a sweet and cute priestess appeared in the crystal ball, Hotchbini was shocked for a second and turned around, looking at Davidson coldly.


    Davidson fell his heart skip a beat. Davidson thought to himself, "Did Orwell really harass that priest, and when he found out she was from Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, he killed the whole mercenary group to cover it?"


    "Davidson, you can leave now." Hotchbini looked disgusted. Obviously, she spected the same thing.


    "Madam, are you asking me to leave like this?" Davidson¡¯s vicious mind encouraged him to reach his hand to the sword shaft. No matter what would happen, he could not go back like this. Even though he did not have to take revenge for his little brother, he had to save his pride.


    "So? Do you want toe in to have some tea? My ce is too small to have so many guests." Hotchbini slowly moved back a step. She had noticed Davidson¡¯s evil intention. Goddesses were very powerful on the battlefield, but they had to stand at the back of the army. If senior swordsmen and goddesses were fighting face-to-face, goddesses could be killed in a second.


    "Fine," Davidson screamed with rage. He decided to kill her without thinking of consequences.


    An angry yell came from the distance, "Davidson!"


    A person covered with whitebat power rode a horse quickly towards them. The person rushed to them in the blink of an eye. With a banging sound, dirt arose in the air when the person got off the horse. He was the second most important person in Glory mercenary group, Shanteler.


    "Davidson, what are you doing", Shanteler yelled.


    "Bro, someone in Tiger of Tawau mercenary group killed Orwell. I aming," Davidson exined.


    "Go back, right now!" Shanteler interrupted his talk.


    "Bro," Davidson called out.


    "I said ¡®go back¡¯. This is an order." Shanteler¡¯s whiskers trembled intensely, which showed that his anger had almost reached its limit. He was only one year older than Davidson. But he looked seven or eight years older than Davidson. Capable people tended to work more. Smart people tended to think more.


    Commander Anthony only gave directions on big issues. Shanteler was in charge of all other issues. Shanteler had worked diligently for over twenty years. With the hard work over the years, he looked old for his age.


    Shanteler was working on something in the station when a mercenary came in and reported to him that Davidson had taken hisrades to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group station. His little brother, Orwell, had been killed, and the witness had imed that the killer was from Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. Shanteler was astonished by it and rushed over to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group immediately. Tiger of Tawau had just had a political marriage with Shansa Empire. They were still at a sensitive stage, where anything could trigger a conflict and turn it into a disaster.


    There were loud noises from the street. Shanteler was a deep thinker and very cautious. His intention was to stop conflicts, but he also sent the main force in his mercenary group to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group just in case he had had no control of the situation when he got there. He could not watch his mercenary group get hurt. He would take it when it was necessary, but he was not afraid of fighting with anyone if it was needed.


    Davidson quietly watched Shanteler as Shanteler looked at Davidson. They looked at each other for a while and then Davidson put his long sword back into the sheath, turned around and walked away. They were brothers who had experienced ups and downs together for so many years, so Davidson knew Shanteler¡¯s temper. He was used to listening to Shanteler, so he made apromise at thest moment.


    Shanteler sighed with a relief. He turned to Hotchbini, "I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you, Madam."


    Hotchbini opened her mouth a little bit, but did note up with any words. She looked far down the street, while group after group of Glory mercenaries surrounded her. They had blocked the whole street.


    "Shanteler, what are you doing to me?" Hotchbini said calmly.


    "It was a misunderstanding," Shanteler heaved a slight sigh, raising up his hands.


    Glory mercenaries saw his signal and slowly moved back. The mercenaries in the front stepped back while the ones in the back tried to move forward. It was a mess, and they did not know which direction they should go until the sectionmander blew the whistle.


    "Madam, if there is nothing else, I will be leaving now," Shanteler said quietly.


    "Take care." Hotchbini still looked very calm.


    Shanteler helplessly nodded at her and walked away. He knew what Davidson had done already created a great divide. This divide would not diminish anytime soon. It would not matter what he said anyway.


    "Misunderstanding?" Hotchbini watched Shanteler¡¯s back with sadness in her eyes.


    * * * *


    "Suzanna, can you knock anyone down without usingbat power? Suzanna, what are you thinking?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "Huh? What?" Suzanna acted like she just got woken up by someone.


    "You..." Anfey shook his head. "What are you thinking?"


    "I am thinking you are a formidable person," Suzanna said.


    "Me? I am formidable? What do you mean?" Anfey was confused.


    "Anfey, how did you know Shanteler would send the main force there?" Suzanna stared at Anfey.


    "Silly, it was so easy to guess." Anfey just realized what was going on. He could not help smiling at Suzanna.


    "But howe I could not guess it?" Suzanna asked.


    "That is why I said you are so silly," Anfey said.


    "You..." Suzanna was so mad that she turned her head away. She did not want to look at Anfey.


    "Ok, ok. What are you mad about? I am stating a fact." Anfey made it even worse by saying so. He found he got strangely interested in just seeing Suzanna get mad.


    Suzanna tightened her lips. She neither talked nor refuted him. In fact, she did not have anything to refute.


    "Seriously, Suzanna, can you knock a person down without usingbat power?" Anfey secretively pointed somewhere in front of him with his hand.


    "I cannot do it," Suzanna said.


    "In fact, it should be easy to do. The key is the area you attack." Anfey had a serious look on his face. He decided to show Suzanna some basics about martial arts.


    "How to do it?" Suzanna asked.


    "You can slowly thrust your sword out, aiming at this area." Anfey turned his head, pointing at his artery on the neck to allow Suzanna see it clearly. "Did you see it, the area I pointed at? As long as you thrust upward, you can cut off the opponent¡¯s artery. Your opponent would not have any chance to make a sound."


    Suzanna kept quiet but she started to make some moves.


    Anfey pointed at his own artery on the neck more than ten times without hearing any responses from Suzanna. He turned around curiously to see. He suddenly saw Suzanna¡¯s sword tip shaking around his neck artery area. Anfey was shocked and jumped back. "What the heck. What are you doing? You could have killed me."


    Suzanna tried not tough. She twisted her wrist a little bit and hid the sword at the back of his arm.


    "Say something. Do you think you can do it. If not, we will have to just fight withbat power. These people should not be able to stop us. The key is the speed. It would be toote if we wait for Shanteler toe back," Anfey said quietly.


    "I should be able to do it." Suzanna nodded.


    "Ok, watch me, and we will attack them together." Anfey quietly moved to the other side.


    Glory mercenary group station was quiet. The yard in front of Anfey and Suzanna was an important area. Usually twenty-four junior swordsmen in eight different groups were on watch in turns. Shanteler sent his best teams out today to deal with the potential conflicts, so the soldiers on watch in the yard now were just regr soldiers. Three medium-level swordsmen had the highest level among other soldiers.


    Most mercenaries crowded into the rooms and chatted with each other. There was a mercenaryzily leaning against the wall at the corner, while two other mercenaries squatted in the grass next to the fence. They only had one topic: Orwell had been killed. This was sensational news. They knew Saidy had a hot temper and would not just let the killer go. If he had conflicts with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group at other times, they would not be so concerned. However, it was a sensitive time right now. The wagons of the princess¡¯s caravan had just arrived. Thousands of soldiers were not nothing. If the wagons and Tiger of Tawau mercenary group fought together with their mercenary group, they could only run away.


    The mercenary leaning against the wall at the corner yawned. He suddenly noticed a person¡¯s shadow on the fence facing him out of the corner of his eye. Before he could respond to what he saw, that person had already thrown himself on the mercenary, while the other two mercenaries were still chatting not far from him. That mercenary was shocked. He felt the pain on his neck and saw a cloud of blood mist in front of him before he could warn others.


    Anfey slowly pulled out a knife and listened to his surroundings. He looked at a magic array 90 feet ahead of him. Glory mercenary group was one of the four super mercenary groups, but there was a huge difference in power and financepared with other three mercenary groups. This magic array was only a medium-sized one and it would not start unless it was necessary.


    Seeing mercenaries chatting about Orwell being killed in the rooms and no one noticing anything outside their rooms, Anfey hunched in the grass and rushed towards Suzanna.


    Suzanna moved to the side to save some room for Anfey. They hid in the dark together. Anfey took out a bow from his Dimensional Ring and aimed at the crystal above the magic array. Suzanna nted her head and nced at Anfey. She had a good memory and she remembered the first time Anfey could only tightened the bow seventy or eighty percent of the full stretch. He could easily stretch the bow to its utmost now. Suzanna was not stupid. She knew what this meant.

 Chapter 108: Secret Unveiled

    Chapter 108: Secret Unveiled


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The arrow struck the magic crystal in the middle of the portal. The crystal was covered with tiny cracks, then shattered with a loud bang. The light above the portal grew incredibly bright, runes shed into sight then disappeared as fast as they had appeared.


    "Let¡¯s go," Anfey called.


    There was no need for hiding anymore. Suzanna summoned herbat power and dashed out. The portal¡¯s explosion had drawn many mercenaries. They hurried out of their residences and ran towards where the explosion took ce.


    If the mercenary group¡¯s high ranking members were here, or if there were some swordsmen or magisters present, they could pose a potential threat to Suzanna. However, the ones that were left at the campsite were some low-ranking mercenaries. Suzanna was able to cut through their ranks like a hot knife through butter.


    The ones that arrivedter saw that Suzanna had in a dozen mercenaries in a few seconds¡¯ time, and were terrified. They hurried out of her way. This was the difference between mercenaries and actual soldiers. Actual soldiers had rules that needed to be followed. The mercenaries, on the other hand, had much more freedom, and fewer rules. If this had been an army camp, the soldiers would have tried to stop Suzanna with their lives.


    A few senior mages tried to attack Suzanna with fireballs, wind des, and ice arrows. Anfey used his bow and defended Suzanna from the mages. The shields the mages used were not very effective. Anfey¡¯s bow had no name, but it was no normal bow either. Its powerful wind arrows destroyed the shields easily, and the arrows easily killed the mages.


    After two mages were killed, the other ones ran for their lives. The magical attacks ended. Suzanna and Anfey easily made their way through the crowd. They flipped over the high wall and onto the street.


    A carriage stopped in front of them, and the two jumped onto it. By the time the mercenaries hurried into the streets, the carriage was long gone.


    Anfey sighed in relief. He sat down on the carpet and asked, "Won¡¯t we encounter patrols?"


    "There have been three robberies, one break in, and four rapes. There are patrols to spare," ck Eleven informed him.


    "Good," Anfey nodded. "I trust you."


    ck Eleven felt strangely repulsed by his words. He opened his mouth and wanted to object, but in the end did not say anything. "Why did you destroy Glory mercenary¡¯s transmission portal? Don¡¯t forget how powerful they are. It won¡¯t take more than a day to fix that."


    "A day is more than enough," Anfey said. He grabbed ck Eleven and whispered into his ear.


    ck Elven looked surprised. "You¡¯re mad," he said.


    "Never mind about that," Anfey said. "Are you brave enough for this? This is thest step. If you don¡¯t want to help me, everything else will go to waste."


    "Did you even think about the consequences?"


    "Consequences? My goal is to make this ce as chaotic as possible."


    "Then why don¡¯t you wait until the Shansa princess¡¯s caravan leaves the city? This way both Glory and Tigers of Tawau mercenary groups will fight each other until one side ispletely defeated."


    "It doesn¡¯t benefit me to have both sides seriously harmed. I¡¯d rather leave the Tiger of Tawau in full force and have Anthony avenge his mercenariester."


    "Anfey, you have a good n, but let me be honest with you. Anthony, Shanteler, Mooly Tawau, Hotchbini...these aren¡¯t the people you can fool. If they realize that something was off, if they can keep theirposure, then you¡¯re mistake is nothing but a failure."


    "So what if they realize something?"


    "I¡¯m not trying to discourage you," ck Eleven said. "I¡¯m speaking the truth. You have never worked with them, but I know. Mooly Tawau, for example. It may look like he follows Hotchbini¡¯s every order, but really, he was the one pulling all the strings. He pushed Hotchbini out, so people pay little attention to him. In reality, he is the one truly in control.


    "Anthony is good at keeping himself out of the eyes of others. There are very few people who have actually seen him. Most of the power is in Shanteler¡¯s hands. Unless something major happens, he wouldn¡¯t actually show himself. He may seem harmless, sure, but think. Anthony took over the group more than ten years ago, and even now it still ranks at the top of the four mercenary groups."


    Anfey had never heard ck Elven talk so much, and was intrigued. He watched the man, and did not say anything.


    "After Mooly Tawau married Hotchbini, she helped to lead his mercenary group, but they could never beat the top three. Now they must use political marriage to gain an upper hand. Think about it. What does that mean? It means that the other three leaders are people to be reckoned with. They are not people you can easily manipte."


    "Of course, of course," Anfey said. "You¡¯re right. However, you have ignored the power of hatred."


    "Hatred?"


    "Yes. If enough blood was shed, it doesn¡¯t matter how powerful these people are. Even if they do realize something was off, they could do nothing about it.


    "Think. Even if they can keep themselves calm, can they keep everyone else calm? Plus, they must have ambitions, as well. Turning the four groups into three means more power for everyone in charge," Anfey smiled. "You said Anthony is mysterious and dangerous. What about Davidson?"


    "What you say makes sense," ck Eleven said hesitantly. "Just a little."


    "Alright, let¡¯s talk about our ns. Can you find something suitable?" Anfey watched ck Eleven carefully. "Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know a single person close to Shanteler."


    ck Elven thought about it and said, "I do now someone, but I do not have power over him. There are a few dozen of them all over the world. We don¡¯t have any contact with them. I cannot activate him, nor will he work for me without a letter from His Majesty himself."


    "Glory mercenary group¡¯s transmission portal is destroyed, but yours is still functional. I need that person immediately. So I need you to obtain that letter as fast as possible."


    "Alright," ck Eleven said.


    "The king isn¡¯t dead, is he?"


    "What?"


    "You don¡¯t need to hide anymore. Your expression when you talked about him has already betrayed you. If he really died, who would give you the letter?"


    "Themanding general would, just fine."


    "Toote for that. There¡¯s no need for exnations."


    "We are on the same side," ck Elven smiled bitterly. His own mind was on how to deal with the impending war in ckwater City, and he had trust Anfey. Otherwise he would have never made such an elementary mistake.


    "That¡¯s who¡¯s been following us," Anfey said. Clearly, out of the three people that had been following them, at least one worked for Ynthe, who would have never wanted harm toe to Niya. "He is doing this because of the war, isn¡¯t he?"


    "Yes," ck Eleven said. Anfey already knew the secret, and there was no need to hide it. "This is a secret, Anfey. Right now I should be thinking about killing you two off. This is a secret, and I need you to keep it at that. Else hundreds of others would die in vain."


    "Don¡¯t worry, I will," Anfey promised. ck Eleven sighed and shook his head.


    "When this is no longer a valuable secret, I need you to tell me."


    "What?"


    "I need it for an exchange," Anfey said, smiling. "Else how am I supposed to get close to Anthony and the royalty of Ellisen Empire?"

 Chapter 109: Accident

    Chapter 109: ident


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Shanteler quietly looked at the destroyed magic array. He looked serious and cold. Glory mercenaries, including Davidson, all believed Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had sent their people to destroy the magic array. Only Shanteler knew none of these had anything to do with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group.


    The death of Orwell had nothing to do with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. How could any killer be stupid to leave a trace after he killed Orwell? Others did not know that he knew well about Mourtta and Hotchbini. They were cruel and cold in fact. If they wanted to, they could have killed that woman. It would not be possible to chat at the killing scene and talking about the princess. Shanteler thought all of these were just to cover the truth.


    Who actually did it? Why would they do it? Shanteler was deep in thought. He felt something big woulde soon. He had thought to report to themander after he returned to the station. He could have asked him toe to ckwater City as soon as possible. However, the magic array was ruined, and the connection between ckwater City and White Mountain City was cut off. It had be hard to report to Anthony, not to mention sending him here with the magic array. Right now theirmander should be practicing the sword skills to pursue the highest level in legend, and he had no idea what sensational news wasing out of ckwater City.


    "How long does it take to repair the magic array?" Shanteler asked with a concerned voice.


    "Not so sure. Master, we will try our best." A mage looked up with a bitter smile.


    "What is the longest amount of time it could take?" Shanteler was not happy with that mage¡¯s answer. He needed a specific time in order to make a series of ns. The enemies hiding in the dark must not be simple. It would take a lot of courage to n a scheme that involved both Glory and Tiger of Tawau mercenary groups.


    "One day. Master, magic array will be able to work again in a day." The mage said.


    With that mage¡¯s answer, Shanteler heaved a sigh of relief. Compared with regr mercenary groups, Glory mercenary group was very powerful. If they wanted to hide away for just one day to avoid potential dangers, they should be able to do it.


    "Shanteler." Davidson came to the yard with a group of mercenaries behind him.


    "Go back to your room." Shanteler had no patience for Davidson and gave him a dirty look.


    "Shanteler, what are we going to do about Orwell¡¯s death? Are we just letting the killer go?" Davidson asked with a distorted face.


    "Orwell would not die for nothing. I will investigate his death and give you an answer. You need go back to your room and wait for the results of my investigation. Pass my order that everyone needs to stay inside the station and no one is allowed to go out from now on. All other assignments will be postponed," Shanteler said with a serious voice.


    Davidson looked down. Although he and Shanteler had simr positions and they only had one year difference on age, he had respected Shanteler for the past few decades. A long time ago, Anthony had simr powers as Shanteler, and Davidson was far from them. After Anthony took over his family business, he asked Shanteler to be in charge of the daily management of Glory mercenary group.


    Everyone could only do so much in one day. Shanteler spent a lot of time managing the mercenary group, but he also had to spend a decent amount of time on practice. It was really hard to bnce both. After giving it serious thought, Shanteler made the decision to take the responsibility of managing the mercenary group so he could spare some time for Anthony to focus on practicing sword skills. Anthony became a master swordsman and Davidson became a senior swordsman, while Shanteler remained a senior swordsman. Shanteler¡¯s sword skills were not as good as before, even a little worse than Davidson¡¯s.


    Both Anthony and Davidson knew what Shanteler had contributed to the mercenary group, so Davidson had to take some crap from him and was willing to take it when Shanteler asked him to do certain things.


    Shanteler had been in the wagon, thinking about how everything had been fine a few days ago and how could things just suddenly changed. Shanteler felt confused and could not find reasons for all the things that had taken ce.


    * * * *


    A poor mercenary hobbled on the street. Life had its ups and downs. There were many rich people in ckwater City, but also many people who could not feed themselves. It was not strange to see both poor and rich people in the city.


    A wagon passed by a poor mercenary. That poor mercenary sneered, and then he rolled pretty far andid on the ground, screaming in pain. He had his eyes opened wide, watching the wagon. If the people in the wagon did not care about him and continued to drive, he would report to the patrol. If they were nice people, maybe it was a good thing for him to be hit. He could get somepensation at least. An idea shed in his head, "Should I look for opportunities to be hit?" A new profession had developed.


    The wagon stopped, an old man jumped off and walked up to that mercenary. He only talked a little bit before the patrol came to the ident. Justice could only be provided by patrols. They would be able to facilitate themunication between the two parties.


    Shanteler¡¯s wagon just passed the crossing of the streets and suddenly stopped. He frowned and asked, "What happened?"


    "Master, it seems there was an ident ahead of us. Patrol was there," The wagon driver answered.


    "Patrol?" Shanteler had an almost unnoticeable smile on his face. His fingers touched the sword shaft like he was caressing his lover. "Are you sure it is a patrol?" A smart person was usually very suspicious. Shanteler used to analyze it from different angles when something happened. He did not think it would be simply an ident. It was Tiger of Tawau mercenary group¡¯s turn to to have control over patrols this year. If Shanteler was attacked by a fake patrol, it would make the conflicts between Glory and Tiger of Tawau mercenary groups even worse.


    "Master, it¡¯s a patrol. The wagon ahead of us hit someone. Patrol is taking care of it." The wagon driver said.


    Shanteler lifted the wagon curtain and looked outside, seeing a familiar back among a group of patrols with torches. The person facing the opposite direction seemed to notice something. He turned around to look. His eyes met Shanteler¡¯s. Shanteler smiled even though he was worried about things that had been happening. Seeing that person, he could not help smiling. That person was a tycoon in Tumen Commercial Union. His name was Robert. He was a very capable person, having many businesses with four super mercenary groups. He was one of the aggressive businessman among others who had business with the Country of Mercenaries. The most important thing was he was a good friend of Robert¡¯s.


    Under the torch light, Shanteler could see some hesitation on Robert¡¯s face. He called a housekeeper out and whispered something to him. That housekeeper turned around and run towards Shanteler.


    After Robert left the Country of Mercenaries, that old housekeeper was in charge of managing everything. Shanteler had many contacts with him as well. He did not suspect anything. He lifted up the door curtain himself to wee the old housekeeper.


    "Master," the old housekeeper whispered with half of his body inside the wagon. "My master said the next few days would not be peaceful. Please be careful."


    "Hum?" Shanteler was shocked and then he asked, "What do you mean?"


    "Master, these are the words my master asked me to pass on to you. I did not know the meaning either," the old housekeeper said quietly.


    Shanteler looked up at Robert, but Robert looked away. Robert¡¯s body was rxed. It seemed that he sighed. Shanteler seemed to understand something.


    Robert¡¯s capability was self-approved. In the past twenty years, Shanteler had seen young Robert grow from a regr businessman into a tycoon. He had enough people to help and protect him and only needed to hire a few mercenary groups as bodyguards. Robert was generous. He was a people person, so he had many friends.


    Shanteler believed Robert must have heard of something. However, for some reason, he could not tell him everything, so he sent his old housekeeper to give him a hint.


    Shanteler thought a little and gently knocked on the wagon. "You guys can go back now. I have to deal with something right now."


    "Master, take some fellows with you", the wagon driver said.


    "No need." Shanteler shook his head. He was a senior swordsman. As long as he was alert, he should be able to rush away from enemies even when he was in trouble. In addition, he had an SOS magic scroll and other magic tools in his Dimension Ring that he could use to save himself, so he was not afraid. In other words, he subconsciously trusted Robert. If he had to suspect their twenty-year friendship, what else he could trust.


    "Master, take a few people with you," the wagon driver said.


    "If I said I do not need them, then I don¡¯t need them." Shanteler had already jumped off the wagon and walked in big strides to Robert.


    The patrol had almost finished it¡¯s work. The injured mercenary did not care about his pain and had smiles across his face. It was obvious that Robert was generous and gave him a decent amount of money aspensation.


    Robert saw Shanteler walking over. He looked a little panicked and smiled bitterly. Shanteler seemed not to see his panic and bitter smiles and continued up to Robert. He smiled, "My old friend, I need discuss something with you. You won¡¯t refuse me, will you?"


    "My old friend, why would I refuse to talk to you. Come on in and we can talk." Robert could not stop his bitter smile. He had a regretful look on his face. He seemed to regret leaking some secrets on impulse to Shanteler.


    Shanteler also felt a little bad about it. He did not like to put people in awkward situations. In fact, he really appreciated that Robert had given him some hints. However, at this very crucial moment, he had to dig up as much information as possible. He had to make Robert feel ufortable this time, but he would return his favor hundreds of times more once he could pass this dangerous period.


    Shanteler skipped the courtesy greetings and stepped into the wagon. He was a good friend with Robert, but they were different kinds of people. Shanteler¡¯s wagon looked like a regr wagon. Beside a carpet, there was nothing else in the wagon. He did not care for luxury goods. People who enjoyed luxury goods would not indulge themselves in so much work as he did. Robert¡¯s wagon was very fancy, with all kinds of luxury goods. Shanteler was looking at the wagon but could not take everything in at once. He was thinking what to say as he looked around the wagon.

 Chapter 110: Bait

    Chapter 110: Bait


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Robert, what happened just then?" Shanteler asked. He needed something to start the conversation. He was the one asking for help, and if he asked what he needed without any warning, he coulde off as too direct.


    "My carriage hit someone," Robert told him.


    "You could¡¯ve just let your men take care of it. Why stay and do it yourself?"


    "It¡¯s my responsibility," Robert said.


    Shanteler nodded, his eyes was filled with admiration. He knew Robert very well after twenty years of friendship, and he knew that Robert¡¯s best traits were that he was responsible, loyal, and honest. Sometimes he could be a bit careless at times, but as the years went on, this trait was reced by maturity due to his experience. Shanteler remembered, many years ago, when they went out to a gathering one night and all got seriously drunk. Robert and his lover of many years went to a tavern. The next morning, Robert woke up and thought the woman next to him was not his lover but a random prostitute. He threw a few silver coins on the bed and left without waking the woman up. When his lover woke up, she was furious after finding the coins. She found Robert and berated him loudly for it. They mended their rtionships soon after, but this event had already made its way around.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t seriously damaging to his reputation. There were very few people that refused to pay the prostitute, since the women did bring them pleasure. It was because Robert had paid the wrong woman that made the situation interesting. Many people spoke of the event and imagined Robert as someone who was adorably careless.


    "We must have known each other for at least twenty years," Shanteler said.


    "Say no more, old sport, I know what you¡¯re thinking," Robert sighed and said. "I will never forget how I came by my first deal. If it wasn¡¯t for you selling me that batch of high tier magic crystals at a discount, I would not be the Robert I am today."


    Shanteler remained silent and smiled. All smart people had one tendency, and that is to observe others quietly while acting as if the other person was the center of the world. Sometimes, these people were able to understand what kind of person they were observing. Others would be baffled by the people they were observing. And others were fooled by the people they were observing. Thest two types of people were often these smart men¡¯s downfall. Thest type was especially dangerous.


    Shanteler had known Robert for twenty years, and was very familiar with what kind of a person he was. He didn¡¯t need to y the emotional card. All he needed to do was help Robert recall some memories.


    There were many truths that were buried by the flow of time. When Robert first started doing business, he often found himself at a disadvantage. Sometimes he knew he was going to be tricked, but as long as he made a promise, he would stubbornly follow through with it. Luckily for him, he had some secret patrons helping him, and every time he was down in the dumps he would always find a way to start making money again.


    Slowly Robert established the reputation of being honest and responsible, and more and more people began to do business with him. Everyone trusted him. Robert had be what he wasrgely because of his reputation.


    Of course, there were things Robert didn¡¯t know about Shanteler, either. The story Shanteler told Robert about the magic crystals wasn¡¯t the full story. Back in the day, Anthony hadn¡¯t yet inherited the mercenary group, and they were still out in the world, training. They were on the way to White Mountain City when they discovered a few secret guards. Cargos that required secret guards was usually very valuable and few in number. For unknown reasons, they didn¡¯t travel by the usual road due to the fear of being seen by others. Anthony and his men discussed the matter and, in the dark of night, attacked the guards. They found out that the guards were mercenaries from Brotherhood mercenary group, and that they were guarding some top tier magic crystals they had stolen from the group. After that, Brotherhood mercenary group was meticulous about checking every merchant in the city. Anthony, however, wasn¡¯t one to surrender valuables. In the end, Shanteler found Robert, whom they had trusted, and sold him the crystals at the much lower price than the market price. He told Robert that there was another story behind how he had came by the crystals, and that Robert should immediately leave the city.


    After careful consideration, Shanteler made the choice he thought was best. He waited for Robert to make his own decision. Robert would tell him everything he should, and nothing that he shouldn¡¯t.


    Robert¡¯s expression changed. One moment he appeared hesitant, another he seemed troubled, the next looked nervous, as if he was fearing something. To Shanteler, this was normal. If Robert had immediately made a decision and told him everything, it would appear suspicious to him.


    "Sir, we¡¯re home," the old butler called from outside the carriage.


    Shanteler stared at Robert, who hesitated for a second and said, e in for a cup of tea, old sport."


    "Alright," Shanteler said. If Robert wasn¡¯t going to tell him anything, then inviting him in for tea would be pointless.


    Robert was a business tycoon, and his home was decorated veryvishly. If he purposely made it seem squalid, it would appear strange and unlike Robert¡¯s personality.


    They walked through numerous strangely shaped doors on cobblestone paths. They passed through a blooming garden and towards a small building protected by magic. Shanteler lifted a brow. He had visited Robert¡¯s home many times and had been to every corner of the estate except for this building. He had always only observed this building from afar. Now that Robert was taking him there, it meant that whatever he was going to tell Shanteler, it was something serious.


    "My lord." A shadow walked out of the door.


    Robert waved his hand. The person began whispering a spell, and the light on the building began to dim.


    Shanteler narrowed his eyes. He did not expect that Robert was able to recruit an intermediate magister to work for him. Then he realized it wasn¡¯t anything serious. Everyone had a trump card, and Robert was no exception. He would show Shanteler this meant that he had trusted him.


    "Come in, old sport," Robert said quietly. He then turned and walked into the building, his slightly stooped back looking troubled.


    Shanteler walked in behind him. The magister whispered a spell and the light of the magic began to shine again.


    They walked into a lobby. The room wasvish and clean, and was clearly the home of a rich man. Therge chandelier hanging from the ceiling was an evesting light using magic crystals. This kind of lighting was impossible to find in amoner¡¯s home. Even Glory mercenary group didn¡¯t use this kind. If Robert had used low tier magic crystals, he could have wasted several dozen a day. Top tier crystals couldst for a few days at best. Shanteler was almost left bbergasted by Robert¡¯s disy of wealth.


    "Old sport, what should I say..." Robert said. He smiled bitterly and sat down on a chair slowly. He motioned for Shanteler to sit as well. "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you. That¡¯s like I¡¯m conspiring with someone else against you. If I do, I am betraying other¡¯s trust in me. You¡¯re putting me in a very difficult position, old sport."


    Shanteler sat on the chair and looked at Robert, but didn¡¯t say anything. He knew in this situation listening would do him more good than talking. Robert invited him inside to offer him information. He couldn¡¯t express his gratitude with words.


    "Don¡¯t put me in a difficult situation now, old sport," Robert said. "I¡¯ll talk. You¡¯ll listen. Don¡¯t ask me anything. I can only tell you some things. I think don¡¯t it will be hard for you piece them together."


    Snanteler smiled and nodded. He appeared calm but was in fact very nervous. What was it that could make Robert so nervous?


    "You know how Shansa Empire invaded Maho?"


    Shanteler nodded. It wasn¡¯t a secret anymore. When Anthony told him about it, he hadughed about the situation and Ynthe. He said that thank god Ynthe had died early, or else he would be worried sick now.


    "Maho Empire¡¯s people were contacting Brotherhood mercenary group."


    Shanteler felt his heart skip a beat. It was a short sentence, but it described a difficult situation. Maho Empire¡¯s people had contacted Brotherhood mercenary group? What were they talking about? Cooperation? Was Brotherhood mercenary group behind all of this? Shanteler thought about it for a second, and said, "Ynthe is dead. None of the princes had the guts to do something like this. Could it be..."


    "Ynthe died too unexpectedly, and didn¡¯t leave a will. All the princes had the right to the throne, so they have a lot to offer," Robert said, smiling. "Like I¡¯ve said, I¡¯ll speak, you¡¯ll listen. Don¡¯t ask any questions."


    "Sorry," Shanteler said. Robert was right. The princes would offer amazing conditions in order to draw followers. Maho Empire was being invaded by two empires. Even if they weren¡¯t aiming for the throne, they could be doing this to preserve their empire.


    "There¡¯s something else but...you should hear it from an insider and not me," Robert said. "Let Hui Weie in here."


    Hui Wei? Shanteler searched for the name in his mind, but couldn¡¯t find anything.


    After a moment, a young man with ck hair and a nk expression walked in through the side door and sat down next to Shanteler.


    "Ask what you want, old sport. Hui Wei, this is my old friend and my closest ally. Tell him everything that you know. Don¡¯t hold anything back." Robert stood up slowly and said, "You guys talk. I¡¯ll be outside."

 Chapter 111: Being Stupid

    Chapter 111: Being Stupid


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Shanteler was shocked. It took him while to realize what Robert meant. Robert must have agreed with someone that he would never tell the secrets to anyone. Robert chose the way he did under the obligation of friendship.


    Shanteler took a close look at Hui Wei and smiled. "I am the vicemander of Glory mercenary group. My name is Shanteler."


    "I know," Hui Wei said coldly.


    Shanteler¡¯s attitude did not change, and he still smiled even thought Hui Wei was rude. He did not have patience to be courteous to Hui Wei, so he went directly to the topic. "I do not know what you can tell me?"


    "I can tell you something you definitely do not want to hear," Hui Wei said.


    "Please go ahead and tell me," Shanteler said.


    "I want you to die," Hui Wei was brutally direct.


    Shanteler was shocked, and a thick cloud ofbat power appeared immediately. He was an old man, but his reaction time was actually shorter than a young man¡¯s. He reached his right hand to the sword shaft, while his left hand released a Magic SOS scroll at the same time. Shanteler¡¯s heart dropped the moment he found that his magic signals were blocked by the magic array in the building.


    Shanteler¡¯s moves were done in the blink of an eye. A waving light circle diffused from Hui Wei. If Shanteler¡¯sbat power could be described as white snow, Hui Wei¡¯s light circle was more like boiling water. If a pot of boiling water was poured onto the snow, the white snow would be dissolved immediately. When the light circles passed through Shanteler, the thickbat power disappeared in ces where the light circles passed through.


    If Shanteler had not been an experiencedmander, this dramatic change would have caused him to panic. A proud powerful man had been turned into a helpless person. Even thought he was cool, Shanterler was quite helpless in front of Hui Wei. Shanteler still quietly watched Hui Wei. It seemed whatever just happened had nothing to do with Shanteler.


    The side door opened again and Anfey slowly walked in. He was shocked when he saw that Shanteler¡¯s look hadn¡¯t changed a bit. Because of Anfey¡¯s experience as a killer, he had seen all kinds of reactions at the verge of death. Some were angry, some struggled, some begged, some tried to exchange wealth for their lives. Of course, some people remained calm.


    Anfey had the experience of killing a retired mafia leader. His hand was already on that old mafioso¡¯s neck while the mafioso just calmly looked at him without fighting back. Anfey was curious and asked him why he was so calm, knowing he was going to die. The old man told him that everyone would die someday. When Anfey gave him an admiring look, the old mafioso started hisst strike. Anfey almost died at his dangerous game. Since then, Anfey understood the saying, "Curiosity killed cat."


    However, curiosity did save him once. Once Anfey took an assignment to kill a maind businessman who was on a business trip to Hong Kong. At the beginning, everything went well, but he suffered vicious attacks at the end. Anfey was more experienced and skilled than the businessman, and he was winning. The businessman suddenly asked Anfey why he did not work for the country but instead lived in the dark. Anfey did not know whether he shouldugh or cry about this question. He chatted a bit with him and learned that the businessman was a special agent in police department. Anfey realized that he was being used by his employer. It also could be a setup by the man¡¯s enemies to kill the special agent. He would have no good days left if he killed that special agent. No matter how powerful he was, he would not be able to against the government. He was just a two-year beginning killer. His experiences were not so great. He knew what he would end up with if he fought with the government.


    Since then, Anfey had been smarter. He hired informers and created several identities. Every identity had certain socialworks. Once he got an assignment, he would do a thorough investigation on the target and then decide whether he was going to kill the person. The informers gave him different information, some even conflicted with another. He had to find the reasons for the conflicting information. He gradually developed his own way of doing things. He would proactively cancel the assignment if he thought the target could not be killed or did not deserve to be killed.


    "Did you do all of these?" Shantelerid his eyes on Anfey.


    Anfey slowly walked to Shanteler and did not say anything.


    "Antimagic terra? It was amazing. I thought Antimagic terra the stuff of legend." Shanteler smiled. "Can I see Robert? I want to ask him a question, only one question."


    "I am sorry." Anfey finally talked. His wrist moved a little bit and a cool light appeared and passed through Shanteler¡¯s throat.


    Hui Wei could not help opening his eyes. He thought Anfey would attack Shantler after at least saying a few sentences to him. Shanteler did not ask for too much. To fulfill what a dying old man wanted was a good deed. He did not realize that Anfey did not intend to talk to Shanteler at all. Anfey quickly took Shanteler¡¯s life.


    ck Eleven hurried in from the side door and saw that Shanteler had died on the chair. The blood from the wound on his neck had dyed Shanteler¡¯s leather armor. He could not help smiling bitterly. "Anfey, you killed him too early."


    "Hum?" Anfey calmly turned around to look at ck Eleven.


    "Shanteler knows many secrets of Glory mercenary group. Since you had control of him, why did you have to kill him so early?" ck Eleven asked.


    "It looks like Mr. Robert has told you about Antimagic Terra," Anfey smiled.


    ck Eleven nodded. "Yes, but unfortunately I came here toote."


    "Do you think Shanteler would tell us? If he told us some fake information, how would you know which pieces of information he said were true or false? Shanteler has seen Antimagic terra, but he still could keep calm. It showed how determined he was. What do you think you could do to make him tell secrets? Torture him?" Anfey shook his head.


    "How do we know if we never tried?" ck Eleven asked.


    ck Eleven heaved a long sigh and then turned to look at Hui Wei. Robert was also looking at Hui Wei. Both ck Eleven and Robert were good at controlling their facial expressions to hide their real emotions, but the two pairs of eyes were like the bright stars in the lonely dark sky, telling Anfey they were very excited inside.


    It was easy to tell what level of power Hui Wei had, which meant that the Antimagic Terra must be released in some way. Once Anfey¡¯s mercenary group learned the method to release it, they could create an Antimagic Terra as well. The power of Antimagic Terra was well known. However, it was still unknown what Antimagic Terra could do to master swordsmen, archmagi and other people with high powers. However, the effects of the Antimagic Terra was not all powerful. As long as they had a regr bow, they could kill any swordsman or magister once the Antimagic Terra was released. Wasn¡¯t it enough?


    Hui Wei still sat on the chair with his hands firmly holding onto the arms. His body was slightly trembling. For the past few days, when Anfey was not around, he tried to talk to Christian and others to build their rtionship. He could tell only Anfey was cold-hearted in the whole team, while the rest of the team was easier to negotiate with. Anfey had done so much for the whole team. When Anfey wanted to force him to tell secrets in crude and torturing way, the team would be against him. When Anfey asked him to fight with a senior swordsman, he agreed without any hesitation. He meant to make Anfey like him, but who would think Anfey sold his biggest secret out. Hui Wei was very scared by it.


    ck Eleven and Robert looked at Hui Wei up and down. If the stares had any power, they would have torn his clothes off him. Who did not want to know about his secrets?


    "We need send Shanteler¡¯s body to the station of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group immediately. Who is going to do it? Your people or my people?" Anfey asked calmly.


    "I will have my people do it." ck Eleven only nced at Anfey and returned his gaze back to Hui Wei.


    "Ok, let¡¯s go." Anfey smiled. "Hui Wei, what are you sitting there for?"


    Hui Wei could barely stand up. He slowly walked to Anfey, staring at him without words. His look was soplicated.


    Anfey walked outside. He seemed not to notice anything wrong. Hui Wei followed him. He could feel the stares on him. He wanted to get out of there as fast as he could.


    "Anfey, you did it on purpose!" Hui Wei yelled as soon as they had walked out of the building. He could not hold his anger or horror anymore.


    "I just lost my patience with you. You can either tell me the secrets about Antimagic Terra or I will give you to others. You make a choice," Anfey said calmly.


    "Are you crazy? Do you know that if this secret is known by others, many people would want to kill us? Even if I tell you about the secret, how long do you think you can survive?" Hui Wei said.


    "That would be my business." Anfey shook his head. "You only need to know if you want to coborate with me, you will be one of our mercenary group from today. You will experience everything with us, no matter whether we are in good or bad times."


    "I am not going to die with you," Hui Wei yelled.


    "You can leave as long as you leave behind the things I need," Anfey said.


    Hui Wei thought for a while without saying a word. He smiled bitterly. "Anfey, I thought you were a very smart guy. I did not think you would do something so stupid. Go? Where am I going to go? No matter whether you will be able to survive or not, I will be their target."


    "Then you have to trust me. Do you really think I would do something stupid?" Anfey said.

 Chapter 112: Counterattack

    Chapter 112: Counterattack


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In the middle of the Tiger of Tawau mercenary group¡¯s campsite, there was a small building. It appeared to be a mage¡¯s tower, but in reality it had nothing to do with mages. Mooly Tawaumissioned this building simply because he enjoyed the view of thendscape around him.


    A group of mercenaries hurried towards the building, led by a intermediate swordsman. The rest of the mercenaries halted outside of the building, and only the swordsman pushed open the door and entered the building. It was one of the forbidden ces within the mercenary group, and not everyone could enter it.


    Inside the building, Mooly Tawau was entertaining himself with a nature sound bird. These birds were very rare and valuable. Its feathers were radiant, and it sounded like a beautiful, constantly changing harp. When the bird was satisfied, it would sound bright and clear. When it was upset, it would sound sad and hoarse. The bird had be the staple of wealth among the wealthy and the powerful. However, because of the increased demand, the number of birds in the wild had decreased, and it had be more and more expensive.


    Hotchbini sat next to Mooly Tawau and was deep in thought. Her son Saidy was sitting nearby and quietly conversing with an old man. Saidy appeared to be enraged, but he would never dare to explode here in front of his mother.


    The swordsman hurried inside and said, "My lord, we found this in Orwell¡¯s residence." He held out his hand and showed Mooly Tawau some Tiger of Tawau badges.


    Mooly Tawau nced at the badges, then turned his gaze back to the bird as if he did not care at all about the discovery.


    "See, father! Orwell was the one that killed our men!" Saidy shot up from his seat, angered.


    "Sit down," Hotchbini said, frowning.


    Saidy froze. He clenched his teeth, then unwillingly sat back down.


    "My god, stop ying with that cursed bird. Don¡¯t you have something to say about this?" Hotchbini turned to Mooly Tawau and said.


    "About what?" Mooly Tawau asked, turning around slowly.


    "What do you think about this?"


    "Why are you asking me? You make the decisions."


    Hotchbini pped the table and made a loud noise. Mooly Tawau jumped up from his chair and walked towards the swordsman. He grabbed the badges and yed with them in his hands. "Do you really need my opinion on this? Of course this had nothing to do with Orwell."


    "Father, they found this in Orwell¡¯s residence!"


    "These aren¡¯t coins; there¡¯s no reason to collect them," Mooly Tawau said, shaking his head. "Why would Orwell leave this in his home? Did he worry about everyone not knowing he was the killer? Or did he have a habit of collecting these? Found anything else there?"


    "No, my lord."


    "It¡¯s clear," Mooly Tawau said, tossing the badges to the ground. "This is nted evidence." He looked at Hotchbini, then he went back to his seat and began entertaining the bird again.


    "Saidy, you see? You need to pay more attention to your father," Hotchbini said, shaking her head.


    "What¡¯s the hurry? They¡¯re still young," Mooly Tawau said.


    "Young? They are in their twenties. Think about us. What were we doing when we were their age?" Hotchbini asked. She finally found a chance to discipline her son, and she wanted Saidy to learn something from this. She didn¡¯t need Mooly Tawau ruining this opportunity. Usually the father was the one to discipline children, but in this family, the roles were reversed. Hotchbini wanted to discipline her kids, and the "nice" parent was always Mooly Tawau.


    Mooly Tawau grinned and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Just then, a mercenary hurried into the room and screamed, "My lord! Urgent news! Shanteler is dead!"


    Everyone in the room turned around, and their expressions hardened. The bird seemed to have realized its master¡¯s change in emotion and returned to its cage. Its song stopped, which plunged the room into utter silence.


    "Are you sure?" Mooly Tawau asked. He looked very serious, and the earlier carelessness was gone.


    "Definitely, my lord," the mercenary said.


    ¡®What should we do?" Hotchbini asked. Even someone as inexperienced as Saidy realized the impact of Shanteler¡¯s death, let alone Hotchbini. Asking this question didn¡¯t mean Hotchbini did not know what to do. It meant that she trusted her husband more than she trusted herself.


    In the past, Mooly Tawau stayed away from the group¡¯s business and only made appearances during the most urgent situations. He tended to ry his orders through Hotchbini, and time and time again proved his wisdom in doing so. For most people, Mooly Tawau did not have the charisma of a leader, but the ability. It was assumed that he led his mercenary group to glory because of his brilliant wife. Hotchbini, however, knew her husband¡¯s true intentions. They had been married for twenty years, and no one knew him as well she.


    Mooly Tawau suddenlyughed. "Whoever it was, they had to force Anthony to appear? Soon this person will learn the price of angering Anthony."


    "My lord, Glory mercenary group¡¯s transmission portal was destroyed. They arepletely cut off from White Mountain City."


    Mooly Tawau¡¯s hand shook. He stared at the mercenary, his eyes frozen rage.


    "Looks like we need a n immediately," Hotchbini said, shocked.


    One ident wasn¡¯t enough to change anything, and they had the ability to reduce the impact. Two idents, however, produced a knot no one could undo. Knowing Davidson, he woulde for revenge without consulting Anthony¡¯s first. Hotchbini was worried because of the impending crisis.


    "We¡¯re at war, then," Mooly Tawau said slowly.


    "My lord!" Hotchbini cried out.


    "I know what you¡¯re thinking," Mooly Tawau said. "But we have no other choice. It¡¯s better to strike first than to sit here and wait to die."


    Hotchbini frowned. She knew what Mooly Tawau meant. It would be better to attack first, before Davidson, because that way they could mess up Davidson¡¯s n. Even though Davidson¡¯smanding skills were dubious, Glory mercenary group wasn¡¯t one to mess with. The quicker they could calm the storm, the easier it would be preserve themselves. Mooly Tawau was right.


    "It¡¯s just...frustrating," Hotchbini sighed.


    "I know it is," Mooly Tawau said, shaking his head.


    "We have other choices," Hotchbini offered. "If we immediately send men to Anthony and exin the situation."


    "No," Mooly Tawau shook his head. "If we don¡¯t send the right person, Anthony would never believe them. Unless we show up ourselves, of course. But have you thought about how Anthony may react? Write his order and have us bring it back? Do you think Davidson would believe anything we present? Anthony would never use our transmission portal. If he did, I think I might alter the portal and cause the greatest mercenary of our time to disappear. Anthony could just take us out. Glory mercenary group would suffer great loss here, and he would want somepensation. We would be stupid to go."


    Hotchbini fell quiet. Anthony would, no doubt, try to hold them prisoner. It was a risky move.


    "You forget about time, my dear. The men who did this must have made sure Davidson heard about this before us. Davidson must have already prepared himself. Even if we could go to White Mountain City and exin everything to Anthony, conflict would have already ensued by the time we got back."


    "Alright," Hotchbini said. "Alright. We are at war, then."


    "It¡¯s a good opportunity for us," Mooly Tawau smiled and told her. "Don¡¯t forget about the army outside the city. The kingdom is only so big. Better for it to be in three people¡¯s hands than four. That way we all live better. If we could eliminate those Glory mercenaries, Brotherhood and Thunderwind would take the chance and strike as well."


    "I¡¯ll go prepare." The two, in a few minutes, decided the fates of Glory mercenary group and themselves.


    "Wait," Mooly Tawau suddenly said. "I think it might be time to trouble your kin. Anthony is a master swordsman. We need our own trump card."

 Chapter 113: Punishing the Wrong Person

    Chapter 113: Punishing the Wrong Person


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The horrified residents of ckwater City witnessed a sudden and bloody fight break out. Davidson led two groups of Glory mercenaries in a surprise attack on the station of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. However, they were badly defeated as a result.


    Each individual had different personalities and ways of doing things. Davidson was brave but he tended to rush into things. If Shanteler was still alive, his ns would have been more thorough. Davidson was simple and direct. He did not even bother to send people to check on Tiger of Tawau mercenary group before he took revenge.


    Davidson first saw the scene where his little brother was killed and then heard that his respected brother had died. Hot-tempered Davidson almost went crazy. The stupid moves he did were predictable and understandable. The problem was whether his apologies would be epted by others, especially the mercenaries who had trusted him and were willing to fight for him. Would they forgive a stupid leader?


    Mourtta hurried to the outskirts of the city. He had the chance to contact the bodyguards of the Shansa Empire princess and then, taking advantage of his administrative authority, asked the patrol to open the city gate. The Shansa Empire military, lead by four senior swordsmen, marched into ckwater City.


    The situation totally flipped. The people led by Davidson, even with help from the mercenary group led by Anthony in White Mountain, would be no match for an alliance of Mourtta and Shansa Empire. There was no doubt which side would win.


    Waves of intense magic surges were shing in ckwater City¡¯s sky. Countless people were running, killing and screaming in the streets and alleys. One party asked their soldiers to kill all the enemies, while the other party struggled to fight back. Both parties went crazy killing people. Hatred actually could develop so easily.


    Different-sized mercenary groups in the city were so confused about what had just happened. The mercenary groups with some capability kept themselves in their stations to avoid confrontation, while the ones with low capabilities stayed in hotels to keep themselves safe. Regr citizens shut their windows and doors super early, afraid that something disastrous would fall on them.


    However, there were some people who liked this chaos instead of peace. Anfey was one of them. He hid himself outside the battlefield early, quietly watching it. At this critical moment, everyone did not have time to hide their real ability. Anfey could clearly sense the positions of the powerful men around him.


    As the leaders of mercenary groups, Davidson and Mourtta were fighting hard with each other. They were suddenly tied by a cloud of entangled ivies from the sky. The ivies were so tough, especially because hundreds and thousands were entwined together instead of just a few. Hotchbini released the life magic, which only belonged to the Elf tribe. It sped up the process of defeating Davidson.


    Davidson was thinking of rushing out into the sky. Mourtta and Hotchbini had been husband and wife for more than twenty years, so they did not have to verballymunicate to know what the other wanted. The moment Hotchbini released life magic, Mourtta had already rushed into the sky and got control of Davidson.


    Ivy was flying everywhere in the sky, which was fatal to Davidon but helpful to Mourtta. Only a couple of vines wrapped around Mourtta¡¯s waist, which allowed him to stay in the sky. His left hand was constantly making all kinds of moves while Hotchbini sent ivy to where Mourtta wanted to go.


    In the beginning, Davidson destroyed many ivy vines with his strongbat power. Hotchbini was a senior Cleric of Life. She had simr power levels as Davidson, so wherever Davidson destroyed ivy vines, more ivy would grow up, The ivy was trying to wrap itself around Davidson. Davidson had missed the opportunity to escape from the sky. He was positioned to only do defensive moves without any offensive moves under the couple¡¯s attacks.


    This was a street fight, not a justified battle. Mourtta and Hotchbini did not feel bad about fighting him together. Davidson was not stupid. He did not bother to ask them why the two of them fought against just one. He just tried to fight back as hard as he could.


    The four senior swordsmen from the wagons of the Shansa Empire princess joined the battle, which decided Davidson¡¯s tragic fate. The moving ivy suddenly disappeared. Davidson was exhausted. The swords thrusted towards him and sword radians from the top had sent Davidson to hell in the blink of an eye.


    With the death of Davidson, Glory mercenaries started to flee. Mourtta would not let them run away so easily. The main force was sent out searching for Glory mercenaries. He wanted to weaken Glory mercenary group, which would allow Band of Brother and Storm mercenary groups the chance to weaken Glory mercenary group even more.


    Saidy was at the City Hall of ckwater City. He took advantage of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group¡¯s administrative authority to demand patrols to coborate with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. He sent a few patrol lieutenants to the jail because they failed to follow his orders.


    Since the day the Country of Mercenaries was established, patrols remained neutral among mercenary groups. Patrols never took sides against any mercenary group. Although they needed to follow the orders of the mercenary group in power, they had the authority to overthrow the mercenary group in power if the mercenary group in power was harmful to other mercenary groups. What Mourtta had done was definitely against thew of Country of Mercenaries. It looked like the start of a chaotic period.


    The influence of Mourtta¡¯s action would be significant and have serious consequences. Even though Brand of Brother and Storm mercenary groups wanted to divide the benefits from Glory mercenary group for the time being, Mourtta¡¯s actions would be a problem once those two mercenary groups finished their benefit segments.


    No one knew why Mourtta did that. Was it because he wanted to wipe out the rest of the Glory mercenary group or take the opportunity to make a im against others?


    Mourtta sent his main force throughout the city to search for Glory mercenaries. He had to try to make time. It was not because he worried about Anthony¡¯sing, but because he wanted to prove his capabilities. If this conflictsted several days and nights, he would not feel proud even if he had won. If Glory mercenary group was wiped out in one night, it would make all the mercenaries open their eyes wide to look up to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. He would not only win the battle, but also the reputation and fame.


    The opportunity Anfey had been waiting for finally came. He put on the badge of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. He strutted out onto the street, where blood had not dried yet, and buried himself in the crowd who were cleaning up the battle field. Mourtta was actually very cautious. He only sent his own people out to search for Glory mercenaries. He kept some of soldiers of Shansa Empire in his own station to be on watch and other soldiers to clean up the battle field. It seemed reasonable to send some of the soldiers to clean up the battle field since they were trained for it.


    Shansa Empire had a different system in their military than Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, so they would not even care what Anfey was doing. Even when Anfey met other mercenaries, the excitement on his face appropriately showed a winner¡¯s pride. Others could tell he had been through many bloody fights from the blood on his body. Regr people would not be able to tell anything wrong by observing Anfey. Anfey just walked to the station of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group without any trouble.


    He had already seen the map of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group¡¯s station. He memorized every route. Right before he reached his destination, Anfey had his face scratched by tree branches on purpose. He was in thought with his hand on his cheek. He made sure there was no body around and quietly emerged into the dark.


    It took a lot of money to make a model of the princess¡¯s house, but they did not do it for nothing. After ck Eleven saw Anfey shooting the arrow piercing the wall and hitting the bed beams, he stopped doing half-assed jobs. He put a lot of effort into making this model. With limited time, it was a rough model, but it included arge area with more than ten rooms and hallways.


    The benefit of having a model showed at just that moment. Anfey walked around there like it was his backyard. He swiftly passed the hallway and made a turn. He met the princess¡¯s servants twice on the way. He was able to quickly find a suitable ce to hide. He finally got close to the princess¡¯s bedroom


    The bedroom¡¯s door was not closed all the way. "She must have felt safe, so she did not lock the door," Anfey thought. Anfey did not walk to the door immediately. He looked around and even up in the sky. He found a few ces where he could hide before he slowly walked to the door. If anything happened, he could find a nearby ce to hide, just like when he had met princess¡¯s servants before.


    Anfey slowly pushed the door open a slit with his finger. Luckily, he only needed to move his body a little bit to be able to see what was inside the room through the slit. He saw a woman reading a thick book on the chair. Anfey frowned after he saw her.


    He had seen the magic image of the princess. He knew this woman was not the princess after just one nce. But the badge she wore belonging to the royalty did not make sense. He looked through the slit again. He felt she looked familiar. Anfey had a super memory. He tried to think and remembered she was the female bodyguard who had whipped him before.


    Anfey was one hundred percent sure that she was not a princess, since others did not show respect to her. Even if ck Eleven¡¯s information was false, or the princess disguised herself as a bodyguard, how could those soldiers dare tough out when he flirted with a princess. They should have fought with him for life.


    Anfey jumped up onto the house beam. He was wondering what that female bodyguard with a royal badge was doing there? Was she the cover for the princess? But what was the reason to have a cover for the princess? Suddenly, something shed in his head. ck Eleven got information that the princess¡¯s wagon route was in trouble a few days previously, but he was not able to find out what happened. Did the princess run away from the marriage?

 Chapter 114: Turning Point

    Chapter 114: Turning Point


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Did you do it?" Suzanna asked. They were worried about Anfey, who was out by himself. The group was gathered in a room prepared by rk and waiting. When Anfey had returned, they turned their curious gazes on him.


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "As long as you¡¯re back safely, we can find another chance," Christian said.


    "It¡¯s not that there wasn¡¯t a chance. It wasn¡¯t the princess inside, so I left her alone," Anfey told them. "Where¡¯s rk?"


    "In bed already, I reckon," vi said, yawning.


    "You all should go to rest as well," Anfey said. "Did people from Tiger of Tawaue today?"


    "They did, and looked quite angry as well. Wanted us to show them proof. They calmed down after seeing Suzanna, though," Riska said. "Don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be a senior magister."


    "Where¡¯s your ambition?" vi joked. "You should say you will one day be an archmage."


    "Because I don¡¯t live in a fantasy world, vi."


    "Alright, alright. Everyone, let¡¯s go to our rooms," Christian said, waving his hand. "We should rise earlier tomorrow. This is a critical time, and we should all be careful."


    Everyone stood and left the room, but Christian and Suzanna stayed. Anfey sat down next to the table and began formting his ns.


    "Anfey, there¡¯s something I need to tell you," Christian said slowly.


    "What is it?"


    "Everyone¡¯s been...offtely."


    "What happened? Are you guys hiding things from me?"


    "Can¡¯t you see? Anfey, you are the reason," Christian told him, his face grave and serious. "Do you remember what Riska just said? He wanted to be a senior magister."


    "Everyone has their dreams..."


    "It¡¯s not a dream! It¡¯s a hope. Riska has said the same thing many times."


    "Dreams? Hopes?" Anfey asked, smiling bitterly. "I don¡¯t understand. Christian, tell me what you need to say."


    "When we were learning with Master Saul, we were children. After everything that happened, we left to explore the world, with you." Christian smiled. "We were stupid. No, Anfey, listening to me. We were stupid. We once doubted and we united against your decisions. Obviously, we were wrong. The world wasn¡¯t what we expected it would be. Even though no one said anything, after everything we¡¯ve been through, we have alle to our own understanding about the world."


    Anfey¡¯s face grew serious. He thought he had taken enough care of his friends. He took care of them like a babysitter, and whenever they encountered danger, he tried to take care of everything himself. Like the assassination tonight. He could of course have let someone else take care of it. If the assassination had been sessful, he would still receive the credit. If it failed, he wouldn¡¯t have to take the fall for it. If he treated the assassination the way he would a business transaction, he would act to benefit himself and try to avoid risks.


    However, was it the right thing to do? No, it was not. After listening to Christian¡¯s words, Anfey realized he had ignored his team members¡¯ change of heart. Whenever they encountered a danger or obstacle, he would tell them what they should and should not do. However, he had never told them why they should and should not do certain things. Anfey felt he needed to keep listening to Christian.


    "This opened our eyes and increased our knowledge. We all wanted to prove that we are useful, that we aren¡¯t just children that need sheltering. Lately, though, you always tell us to stay here and only leave with Suzanna. We all know we are not as powerful as Suzanna and can¡¯t do as much, but you¡¯ve got to let us do something."


    "Christian, I¡¯m sure Anfey is doing this out of good will," Suzanna whispered. "I sure he would hate to see you hurt."


    "Anfey, I don¡¯t know how you became so skilled in fighting, and I won¡¯t ask. Think about it. Would you have this power if someone tried to clear every obstacle and danger for you when you started training?" Christian asked slowly. "Lately, even Riska and I have to stay here in the tavern. The others were too scared to leave. Maybe some people enjoyed this, but not us. For us, this is a precious chance to train ourselves. We don¡¯t want to waste it."


    Anfey sighed but didn¡¯t say anything.


    "Do you know who we are so envious of? Vonmerge. He can leave anytime he wants to to gather information. We know that he has a lot of connections, but he wasn¡¯t born with them, either. We can¡¯t help much, but whatever Vonmerge can do, we can too. If you keep on telling us to hide, we¡¯ll never find a chance to change. Ten, twenty years from now, we will still be as childish and clueless as we are now." Christian sighed and continued, "Anfey, all we need is a word from you. Let us do something, even if it¡¯s small. Give us a chance to prove ourselves. Let them know that they matter. You¡¯ve been so secretive, and you only talk to Suzanna. Even I felt ufortable and useless. What must they be thinking?"


    "I¡¯ve been wrong," Anfey nodded and admitted. This was one of his good traits. Whenever he realized he had done wrong, he was always quick to admit his fault and would never argue against it.


    "No one¡¯s right or wrong here," Christian said, smiling. "We all understand that you¡¯re concerned for our safety. That¡¯s all I need to say. Everyone¡¯s been practicing really hardtely to ovee their obstacles. That¡¯s not the right way to practice magic. It¡¯s too dangerous."


    "Let¡¯s go out tomorrow," Anfey said. "We can go around the city and gather some information. I¡¯ll go with you."


    "Alright," Christian said. "I¡¯ll be in my room."


    "Night."


    "Anfey, you¡¯re not angry at him, are you? Since you¡¯re doing this because you¡¯re concerned for them." Seeing that Christian had left the room, Suzanna moved over and asked Anfey.


    "What kind of a man do you think I am?" Anfey asked, amused. "Christian was right. My way of doing things has not benefitted everyone. If he didn¡¯t say anything, I would never realize my mistake."


    "As long as you¡¯re fine with it," Suzanna said, relieved.


    "Suzanna, you should be more like Christian. Whenever you think I¡¯m doing something wrong, you should immediately tell me. The key to a good n ismunication. We¡¯re all friends here, and we can alle to an agreement. If we keep our thoughts to ourselves, fights are inevitable."


    "Then I need say something," Suzanna said.


    "What is it?"


    "Why didn¡¯t you let me go and kill the princess? Do you think I¡¯m too weak for this? You have to realize I am more powerful than you."


    "That¡¯s not my intention," Anfey informed her. "I was thinking..."


    "Oh, another thing.You should go check on that little unicorn. It hasn¡¯t seen you for a few days and is really sad." Suzanna smiled and stood. "I¡¯ll be going. You should go to bed soon as well."


    "Alright," Anfey said, nodding.


    Suzanna walked over and pushed open the door. "Hui Wei? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.


    "Is Anfey back?"


    "Over there," Suzanna said as she moved out of the way.


    Hui Wei walked into the room and stared at Anfey. Suzanna left the room and closed the door behind her, giving them space to talk.


    "Know what you want now?"


    "Don¡¯t have much of a choice, now, do I?" Hui Wei sighed and sat down in front of Anfey. "Give me my ring."


    Anfey fished out Hui Wei¡¯s dimensional ring and handed it to him.


    Hui Wei epted it and put it on his finger slowly. After a few moments, he sighed, and a bright ball of light appeared in his hand.


    "So this is the secret to the antimagic terra?"


    "This is a piece of the Will of the God of War," Hui Wei told him. "If you can activate it, it will create a terra around you. It can onlyst thirty seconds, though."


    "How do I activate it?"


    "It¡¯s easy. It all depends on your mind power." Hui Wei had already told Anfey everything he knew without holding back.


    Anfey was already familiar with using mind power. The fights between spirits of the Evil Abyss depend on mind power. He was still rtively weakpared to the power spirits, but was nevertheless fairly skilled with mind power, or else he wouldn¡¯t have been able to control the fireballs with ease.


    Anfey slowly robbed the light with his mind power, but found the Shattered Will of the God of War was empty. Nothing was inside, and there was no reaction. "What is it?" he asked Hui Wei.

 Chapter 115: Testing

    Chapter 115: Testing


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Do you think Antimagic Terra can be started at any time? It was restricted." Hui Wei smiled bitterly.


    "What kind of restriction?", Anfey asked.


    "Shattered Will of God of War can be started three times a year," Hui Wei answered.


    "Only three times a year? How many times have you used it?" Anfey continued to ask.


    "It has already been used three times," Hui Wei said.


    Anfey had a half smile on his face. "Do you mean this Shattered Will of God of War was just a waste now?"


    "How can you call it a waste? Cooling time will pass soon and you will have the Antimagic Terra in the legend. Anfey, I did not lie to you. If you still do not trust me, you can wait and see. Let the facts tell the truth," Hui Wei hurried to exin.


    "I do not have time to wait," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    Hui Wei was startled for a second, and he felt his heart drop. He did take out Shattered Will of God of War from his Dimension Ring, which was the secret to operating Antimagic Terra. Before he decided to tell Anfey about the secret, he had given it a lot of thought. He wondered how Anfey would treat him. If Anfey did not trust him, he would end up in a very dangerous situation. The problem was he could not release Antimagic Terra to prove himself. The exnation did not matter to someone like Anfey, who was cold-hearted and only believed in facts instead of a person¡¯s exnation.


    "Anfey, there is a secret that my ancestor died for in my Dimensional Ring. I think these secrets are more precious than Antimagic Terra. As long as you have my Dimensional Ring, I would not run away." Hui Wei passed his Dimensional Ring to Anfey. He was giving it hisst try. He even threw out the secret that his ancestors tried to protect with their lives. Of course, no matter what would happenter, he would not give out the rest of the secrets. He needed to get Anfey¡¯s interest first. As long he had value to Anfey, Anfey would not want to kill him. He could think about ways to escapeter.


    "Dimensional Ring?" Anfey took over the Dimensional Ring. He took a look at it with a smile and tossed it back to Hui Wei. "This is your stuff."


    "Huh?" Hui Wei hurried to catch the Dimensional Ring. He stared at Anfey.


    "You did not look like you were lying to me." Anfey yed with the Shattered Will of God of War. "I have promised you that you will have your freedom if you can tell us the secret of Antimagic Terra. By then, you can choose to leave or to be our friend."


    "Are you serious?" Hui Wei asked.


    "It does not look like there is any need to lie to you, does it?" Anfey asked.


    "I got it." Hui Wei put the Dimensional Ring on his finger seriously. The difference in his manner before and after was huge. He looked excited. "Then, I choose to stay."


    "Aren¡¯t you afraid of me asking about your secrets?" Anfey smiled.


    "If you really want to do it, you would not easily give my ring back," Hui Wei said.


    "Good. Since we are friends now, I have to let you know that I was not proud of taking away your stuff, but as you can see, I was not affected in the Antimagic Terra. I really need it, but it would not be that useful for you. If archmages and master swordsmen are also affected by Antimagic Terra, I could easily kill very powerful men. When I saw Suzanna¡¯sbat power was affected in Orcs¡¯ vige, I decided to get it no matter what it would cost me," Anfey said.


    "I know," Hui Wei nodded with a smile. "Anfey, there is a question I have always wanted to ask. Why were your martial art skills not affected? Did you practice the Skills of Gods?" Hui Wei asked.


    "I did not mean to know your secrets. You are trying to ask about mine." Anfey had a weird smile on his face.


    "Sorry, I did not mean it." Hui Wei shook his hand immediately. "I was just curious."


    "You are one of us from today. You need think about what you can do for us." Anfey switched topics. "Alright. You can go back and take some rest. If there is anything you want to talk about, we can talk about it tomorrow."


    "Ok." Hui Wei nodded. He stood up and walked outside. He stopped at the door. "Anfey, aren¡¯t you scared? When the Antimagic Terra is known by others, maybe the whole world would be our enemy."


    "There is no need to get scared." Anfey smiled, paused, then said, "I know it is risky to do so. However, things wille sooner orter. We need to make a decision for ourselves."


    * * * *


    In a far away city in Maho Empire, there were two people talking about the same thing as Anfey and Hui Wei were.


    "Antimagic Terra? Is it really an Antimagic Terra?" Ynthe asked in surprise.


    "Yes, your majesty. ck Eleven and Robert both have sent the same information back. The second important person in Glory mercenary group was Shanteler. He turned into a regr old man in the Antimagic Terra. There was not even a struggle before he was killed by Anfey," the grey shadow said.


    "What do you think?" Ynthe asked.


    "Your majesty, I think we should immediately arrest the guy named Hui Wei and gain control of him," the grey shadow said.


    Ynthe did not say anything. He slowly closed his eyes in thought. That grey shadow did not say anything either. He kept quiet. The hall became unusually quiet.


    After quite a while, Ynthe opened his eyes. "Ask ck Eleven and Robert to pass my order that anything rted to Antimagic Terra should stop. Asked them not to tell anyone about the Antimagic Terra. If it gets leaked out, they will receive the harshest punishment."


    "Your majesty, how about Hui Wei?" the grey shadow asked.


    "You don¡¯t have to worry about him. Let him do his own thing," Ynthe said.


    "Your majesty?" The grey shadow could not help raising his voice.


    "With your protection and so many royal followers, I do not think my safety is under any threat. Taking control of Hui Wei would do nothing good to us. Getting the secret of the Antimagic Terra? Hahaha...If things are getting that bad, I do not think you guys can protect me. It means that Maho Empire ising to its end. What could an Antimagic Terra do?" Ynthe said.


    The grey shadow was startled, not knowing how to respond to Ynthe.


    "Do you know about Anfey¡¯s n? What do you think of Anfey?" Ynthe asked.


    "Intelligent, determined, and mature. He is good."


    "Do you think it is necessary for him to tell Robert the secret of Antimagic Terra?" Ynthe asked.


    "Hmm, no, not necessary," the grey shadow answered.


    "Then why would he tell him the secret?" Ynthe asked.


    The grey shadow thought for a while about the possibility that Anfey may feel it necessary to tell Robert the secret of Antimagic Terra. He smiled bitterly and decided not tell his real thoughts. "Maybe he has a big mouth."


    "I remember you said Anfey is very mature." Ynthe smiled.


    "Your majesty, everyone would make mistakes," the grey shadow said, smiling in return.


    "I do not think so." Ynthe squinted his eyes. "I think Anfey is testing me. He knows what kind of person I am. He wants to know if I am worth him working for me."


    "What?" the grey shadow asked in surprise.


    "Ok, my old friend. We have experienced so much together. I do not think you could not understand Anfey¡¯s little trick," Yntheughed.


    "Your majesty, I could not hide anything from you," the grey shadow said, smiling bitterly.


    "I adore Anfey more now. He killed Shanteler really fast. It showed his martial art skills were not affected in the Antimagic Terra," Ynthe said.


    "I think so too", the grey shadow said.


    "Then we will give him what he wants. Antimagic Terra is the most helpful for him. If it were me, I probably would have no way to release the Antimagic Terra with my whole being."


    "Yes, your majesty," the grey shadow said.


    "Oh, where is Robert now?" Ynthe asked.


    "I have asked him toe back without anyone noticing," the grey shadow said.


    "Young people tend to do things without caution. When Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had total control of ckwater City, he would start doing investigation of these things. The patrol in ckwater City and the bodyguards of Shanteler had seen that Robert had contacted Shanteler. Robert¡¯s identity must have exposed. Old man, you did well and in good time," Ynthe said.


    "Your majesty, do we need remind of Anfey and let him know we noticed Robert¡¯s w," the grey shadow said.


    "I hope it would not hurt his pride." Ynthe nodded with a smile. "It feels good to be young. Only young people have time to make mistakes and correct them."


    "I understand, your majesty," the grey shadow said.


    "Anything new on Brufit¡¯s side?" Ynthe asked.


    "He has been very active," the grey shadow sneered. He seemed to describe a clown. "He has thought himself a pce chief mage and had a better and better rtionship with the big prince."


    "Did Wester do anything to make Brufit suspicious?" Ynthe asked.


    "The prince has done a good job on it," the grey shadow said.


    "I do not like some parts of Wester," Ynthe suddenly sighed.


    The grey shadow shut his mouth. He never hesitated to offer his opinions on state affairs, but he had been quiet on Ynthe¡¯s family issues.


    "Wester is a little too cunning," Ynthe said, shaking his head. "The most important trait for a king is to have a great personality. Being cunning would keep others away from him."


    The look on the grey shadow¡¯s face was strange. He was thinking to himself, "It seemed cunning to pretend to be dead to allure Dark Moon Magic Legion of Ellisen Empire to the jedi." Obviously Ynthe was considering who would inherit his throne. The grey shadow did not want to offer his opinion on this issue.


    "Let¡¯s wait for few years to see. It¡¯s too early to talk about it now." Ynthe heaved a sigh. It had been a pain for any king to think about who would be his sessor. If three of his sons fell in the water and were about to drown while he was only able to save one of them, whom would he save? Two different questions, but the answer seemed to be the same.

 Chapter 116: Caravan

    Chapter 116: Caravan


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Daylight arrived atst. The situation in ckwater City had calmed down significantly. People returned to their normal daily routines. Merchants returned to tending their businesses, and mercenaries returned topleting their missions. Normal people¡¯s lives were not directly impacted by the night¡¯s events, Except for the fact that the ce Glory mercenary group¡¯s camp once stood was now a tnd, ckwater City was unchanged. This was a show of Mourtta and Hortchbini¡¯s power.


    As he was observing the situation, Anfey couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. He knew his own limits very well. He could cause chaos in the city, but it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that he would benefit from this chaos. He might even lead all hispanions to their doom. He had too little to offer, and didn¡¯t even qualify for sitting at the gambling table. Judging from the current situation, the biggest winner would be Mourta, not him.


    Anfey didn¡¯t know, and neither did Ynthe, that envoys from Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empire had already met. Because of the news from ckwater City, the envoys had a disagreement. The treaties they discussed before were worthless because of this argument as well. Ellisen and Shansa wanted to split Maho Empire equally, so their strength would grow at a simr rate and maintain a bnce. After what happened in ckwater, however, they had to reconsider their empires¡¯ futures. After they divided Maho Empire, whoever controlled the Country of Mercenaries would be the master of thend.


    After three days of absolute silence, Ellisen Empire reacted. They imed that Anthony¡¯s wife had fallen ill and sent out a team to take care of her. This team¡¯sbined power was higher than the team Shansa sent out to escort the princess. At the head of the team was archmage Mike, and it consisted of eight senior swordsmen and four thousand experienced soldiers. However, it was questionable whether they could reach White Mountain City sessfully. Geographically, ckwater City was closer to Ellisen Empire and White Mountain City was closer to Shansa. Like Shansa¡¯s team must pass White Mountain City, Ellisen¡¯s team must pass the city that had just became ensnarled in the hands of Shansa Empire and Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. Mourtta and Hotchbini would never let them through easily. Thinking from the other¡¯s point of view, Shansa was worried that Anthony would do something as they passed, which was why their team was sorge.


    After Ynthe learned about this, he sent a message to ckwater and gave Anfey the title of "baron."


    Anfey didn¡¯t care about the noble title. He observed the situation for a few more days, and discovered that the city had approached the point where it had became more tense inside the city than outside. He knew that Mourtta and Hortchbini meant to control the entire city. Being strangers to the city, Anfey knew they would draw attention very soon.


    Anfey spoke with ck Eleven and decided to temporarily leave the city. What surprised him was that ck Eleven handed his work in the city off to another men and decided to leave with them. This meant that he was very interested in his team, which meant the higher ups were, too.


    The group left the city very easily with credentials provided by ck Eleven. They had received a new name as well: Alibaba mercenary. The group wasn¡¯t sure who or what Alibaba was, but they trusted Anfey and therefore did not argue against the name.


    The road between the two cities was not in the best condition. Even though twenty years had been spent fixing it, an era like this was stillcking technologically. As Anfey sat in the cart, his body shook with the rhythm of the carriage. The young unicorn sat by his feet, its silver head raised and light blue eyes scanning its surroundings. It didn¡¯t appear sad at all, and if it could waggle its tail like a dog, it would look like a little pug.


    Suzanna, Niya, and Shally sat in the same carriage,but not because Anfey had nned it that way. Both Suzanna and Niya had requested to sit with him, since the road was long and ying with the unicorn was a way to pass the time.


    The road was full of carriages heading to White Mountain City, and only a few headed towards ckwater City. Clearly people were still unsure what Mourtta¡¯s next step would be. Whether they were merchants or mercenaries making their livingspleting missions or hunting for crystals, everyone wanted to live in a rtively peaceful ce.


    Some caravans traveled fast, some slow. Anfey wanted to let his friends rx a bit, and so their carriages traveled the slowest. In the end, only one merchant¡¯s caravan from Gruce Principality remained close to their carriages. The two caravans had gotten familiar with each other after a few days of traveling.


    After they had set up camp for the night, Anfey left his own camp and headed towards the camp of the merchants. After learning that the merchants were from Gruce Principality, Suzanna became visibly upset, and often appeared to be in a daze. Whenever Anfey tried to talk to her, it would take him several tries to gain her attention. He would lose her attention again after a few sentences. Anfey felt that he needed to learn more about the principality. One day they would go there and help Suzanna take back what was hers.


    It was a ve owner¡¯s caravan. When Anfey walked into the camp, the merchants were unloading their merchandise. The ones what were cramped into smaller carts were women over the age of thirty. The girls and children¡¯s treatment was better, since they would sold for a better price.


    Anfey had always associated ves with inhumane treatment and torture. After seeing them in person, he realized that it wasn¡¯t entirely true. The older women were treated terribly, but the younger girls all had colorful clothing. There were four artists in the caravan to apply their makeup, and two teachers to teach them how to act properly. The girls must learn how to walk likedies of noble birth. Whoever failed to do so would be punished. Not whipping, of course. If the punishment left a mark on the ve, there would be a price to pay. There were two senior mages there as well who were responsible for bathing and cleaning the women.


    The ves all appeared healthy and radiant, but it wasn¡¯t hard to ignore the confusion and deep rooted fear in their eyes. They knew that even though they were dressed up beautifully, they were still cargo and not people.


    Christian looked at the caravan with disgust. He hated business like this, but he knew that as long as there was war, there would be ves. Males would be workers, working the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs. The females could make up some debts. Wars cost money, and those in power would not miss any chance to pay their debts.


    It didn¡¯t matter what his ideas were: Christian could dere war on the entire continent, but he could not destroy the current system just by himself. Smarter men would try to ignore everything, while the kind ones would try to help the unfortunate. For the entire world, however, it wasn¡¯t worth much.


    "My lord! Can¡¯t believe you found time toe around here," the leader of the caravan, Ahab, walked over and said with a smile.


    "Thought I would walk around to pass the time," Anfey said.


    "Interested in picking one up?" Ahab winked at him. "Be at rest, my lord. I won¡¯t charge you extra. We¡¯re all friends here, and I don¡¯t do that to friends."


    Anfey¡¯s eyes swept over the ves, and he shook his head. "They¡¯re too average," he said. "Not interested." It was an excuse. Even if he was interested, he wouldn¡¯t try to purchase any of them. Surely hispanions would react badly. Especially Niya and Suzanna. Who knows how they would react?


    His words made Ahab slightly upset. "Come this way, my lord," he said.


    Anfey walked with Ahab to avishly decorated carriage. Ahab yanked on the fabric that covered the carriage and pulled it off. "How about them?" he asked proudly.


    There were only four women in the cart. It seemed like their treatment was even better than the young girls¡¯. They all had light green hair with tall nose bridges and pointy ears. Even their proud and distant expressions were the same.


    "Elves?"


    "What do you say, my lord?"


    Anfey nced at the women¡¯s wrists. They all wore expensive antimagic bracelets. Clearly they could all fight. "I don¡¯t like elves. They all look the same and it¡¯s not interesting enough."


    "They certainly are not all the same. Look at her eyes."


    "Their expressions are all the same."


    Ahab sighed. If it had been anyone else, he would think they were bluffing, and only saying they weren¡¯t interested because they could afford the price. He was speaking with someone who had two junior magisters aspanions, and he knew Anfey could afford it.


    "I have another one," Ahab said. "Way better than the elves, I assure you, but I must warn you. She is insane."


    "Insane?"

 Chapter 117: Evil

    Chapter 117: Evil


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Yes," Ahab said with sympathy.


    "Do you mean her temper is still hot or...?


    Ahab shook his head. "She has some mental problems. She said she was Shansa Empire¡¯s princess and imed to sentence me to death. It was ridiculous."


    Anfey had always been calm but he could not help being shocked at that moment. Ahab was squinting his eyes, feeling sorry for that "nut." He did not see Anfey¡¯s look, otherwise he would have been able to tell something from it.


    Christian had been following after Anfey. He did not know the whole story. Seeing Anfey zoning out, he secretly touched Anfey¡¯s arm.


    Anfey snapped out of it. "Where did you meet that nut?"


    "We bought those girls from Shansa Empire¡¯s military." Ahab¡¯s eyes shone.


    Anfey could tell Ahab was lying with just one nce. With the information he had, the princess of Shansa Empire must have fled and crossed Ahab¡¯s business route. Ahab must have seen a lonely, beautiful girl in the deserted prairie and wanted to catch her. He would be happy no matter whether he sold her or kept her for himself.


    "My bro, I remember you said you have tried to sell female ves in ckwater City for two days. Didn¡¯t anyone want to buy that nut?" Anfey smiled.


    "Master Anfey, you must be kidding. The third oldest son of Saidy in Tiger of Tawau mercenary group is getting married to the princess of Shansa Empire. The princess is in ckwater City now. I could not let that nut get on the stage. She would yell that she was the princess of Shansa Empire on the stage. If Tiger of Tawau mercenaries heard about it, they would stop my business. I am just a merchant. I do not dare to offend them," Ahab said, smiling.


    Anfey did not know whether he shouldugh or cry. After the wagon route noticed the princess had fled, they must have searched for her everywhere. After they failed to find her, they must have reced the princess with another girl to cover it. The upper ss in Tiger of Tawau mercenary group must have known about it, since Saidy acted very weirdly.


    If Anfey calcted right, Ahab¡¯s merchant caravan must have reached ckwater City a day earlier than the princess¡¯s caravan. The princess¡¯s wagons had been searching everywhere without knowing their princess was in Ahab¡¯s merchant caravan. The upper ss in Tiger of Tawau mercenary group would never think their princess had be a ve. Failing to see the princess by a narrow chance made a huge difference. It must be a joke yed by God.


    "Did you say that nut was a lot better than elves?" Anfey squinted his eyes to leer at the "nut." Only squinting his eyes could entuate his dirty mind.


    "Of course!" Ahab nodded. "What do you think, Master Anfey. Are you interested in her?"


    "Let me take a look first." Anfey smiled.


    A few elves were sitting in a fancy wagon while the poor "nut," covered by a canvas, stood in a cage which was only big enough for a person to stand up in. When Ahab took the canvas off her, a pretty girl appeared in front of Anfey.


    Suddenly, Anfey did not have the words to describe this girl. Stunning? But she was not like a vulgar rose, rather an angel. Beautiful? A little subjective. The word "beautiful" was not enough to describe the girl in front of him. Pretty? She had a young girl¡¯s appearance to her. She gave out a different and indescribable feeling. She also looked energetic.


    She had a full forehead and a pair of bright and innocent eyes. This kind of eyes made men have the desire to win her heart over. Her nose pointed slightly upwards, which made her look naughty. Her lips were small and pink: a natural pink color, not flower-juice-dyed redness. They looked so alluring. She was not extremely beautiful if just judging by her face, but she gave people a unspeakable feeling. Even calm as Anfey was, his eyes were brightened up for a second when he saw her.


    The princess squinted her eyes when the bright light suddenly hit her, and then she looked into the distance. It looked like she did not even see Anfey and the others.


    Her bun was messy, and she only wore a light blue denim dress which only country girls wore. She did not wear any shoes. Her toes and lower legs were fair and silky, but they were trembling. Anfey knew it was because she had stood in the cage for a long time. Her bones were reaching to their limits to support her weight.


    Anfey nced at Ahab and wondered if the denim dress made Ahab neglect other things on this girl, or Ahab wanted a good price for this beautiful girl, or even Ahab was drowning in her beauty. Ahab neglected something he should not have neglected.


    Her silky skin alone should be enough to prove she was not a country girl.


    "Master Anfey, do you like her?" Ahab waved his hand. A bodyguard walked over with a bucket of water. Ahab took over the bucket and poured it on the girl. Heughed obnoxiously, "You can see it more clearly this way."


    Water had wet the girl¡¯s body. The denim dress stuck tightly to her skin. Two ck spots showed on her chest. Her breasts, crotch, and even her butt showed clearly in front of everyone.


    Anfey looked first at her face instead of at her body. It was weird that she did not scream, get angry, or get scared. That girl still stood there quietly, looking far away.


    "How is it? Very clear, right?" Ahab obnoxiously smiled. He reached his hand out and touched her and squeezed her butt cheeks hard. That girl did not move her body to fight him. She looked down at Ahab and said, "You, ugly pig. I have told you that someday you will pay for what you have done to me." The reason she could talk so calmly under such conditions was unknown. Maybe it was because she had given up fighting or was angry to the point she did not care about anything.


    "Pay what, tell me," Ahabughed weirdly. He even touched her breasts and rubbed her nipples with his fingers. In fact, only Ahab himself knew he felt uneasy every time when this girl talked to him in a calm voice. He had to act more relentlessly to give himself confidence. He had decided he would take her to his bed tonight if Anfey did not want to buy her. After sleeping with her for a couple of nights, he would bury her somewhere. He did not want to have those uneasy feelings anymore.


    The girl seemed to sense his uneasiness. She knew fighting and struggling only could make him feel proud of what he had done. She stayed still. She held on to the metal cage so tight that her knuckles had turned white.


    "How much is she? I will buy her." Anfey did not want this obnoxious drama to continue. He had made a quick decision to buy her. If that woman is a beautiful flower, then Ahab actually was just a pig trying to ruin the flower. He looked so disgusting.


    "Hahaha, Master Anfey, I knew you would buy her once you see her." Ahab rubbed his hands with excitement. "I do not make much from you. Ok. Two hundreds gold coins. I bought her for one hundred and ny gold coins. She¡¯s been drinking and eating for the past few days. She cost me pretty a lot."


    That girl did not even bother to tell Anfey about Ahab¡¯s lie. No one would believe what she said under these circumstances. She could only keep quiet.


    "Deal. Let her out," Anfey said, smiling.


    "Sure, sure." Ahab was so happy. He nodded and few bodyguards walked up and pulled the woman out of the cage. Of course, those guys took the opportunity to touch her all over.


    "Master Anfey, she is yours now." Ahab smiled. He reached his hand out and grabbed her butt again. He was worried when he could not sell her. Once she was sold, Ahad did not want to let her go. What kind of person was he?


    The girl suddenly turned around and punched Ahab in the eye. Ahab never thought a woman who never showed any violence would attack him. He was just a businessman and could not take such a punch. He immediately put his hand over his eye and screamed. His bodyguards got mad. One of them grabbed the girl¡¯s shoulder.


    "What are you doing?" Anfey sneered. Christian stepped next to Anfey. He had seen too much up to that point and would not mind showing off what he could do.


    "Wait." Ahab yelled immediately. Ahab knew the rules of purchase. Once Anfey agreed to buy the female ve, they did not have any right to hit her.


    "Two hundred and ten gold coins. Bro, those ten extra gold coins are for you to see doctors," Anfey said calmly.


    Ahab was shocked for a second. He looked regretful. When he asked for two hundred for the girl, he had been prepared to ept Anfey¡¯s bargaining. Who would think Anfey did not care about the price? He had figured Anfey had money, but did not think he would have that much money. If being hit on the eye could make him ten gold coins, geeze, he wished that "nut" could have hit him more.


    "Where is Isis?" the girl suddenly asked.


    "Who is Isis?" Anfey was shocked by her question.


    "Master Anfey, Isis is herpanion," Ahab answered quietly. His hand was still covering his eye. Obviously, the punch was pretty hard.


    "Where is she?" Anfey asked. "Since I already bought her, I do not mind buying another one."


    "She is at..." Ahab hesitated a bit and said, "She is with mercenaries."

 Chapter 118: Power of Money

    Chapter 118: Power of Money


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Christian closed his eyes slowly. He thought he had already seen some of the ugliest things in the caravan camp, but now he knew he was wrong.


    Anfey, on the other hand, was not affected. He already knew what to expect when he saw a mercenary walking out of the tent pulling his pants up and wearing a satisfied expression on his face.


    A repulsive scene was revealed. A woman was on the ground, her arms fell next to her body. Her wrists were shed. Her legs were wide apart, and there wererge wounds on the inside of her knees. Anfey narrowed his eyes. He was very familiar with human anatomy and knew that whoever did this to the woman was very cruel. The woman must have been powerful enough to be a threat, but the mercenaries didn¡¯t want to use any antimagic bracelets and instead resorted to the most primal and painful way to weaken her.


    The woman must have been beautiful once, but an ugly scar on the right side of her face had destroyed her beauty. Perhaps that was why Ahab abandoned her to this fate. A mercenary was thrusting into the woman and looked like he was about to reach the peak of happiness. He waspletely unaware of the new parties in the tent.


    The princess suddenly let out a heart-wrenching wail. She jumped forward and leaped onto the mercenary, beating him with her fists, trying to get him away from her friend. The mercenary shoved her aside and the princess fell to the ground. She was only a junior mage, and not in the best physical shape. She was no match for a mercenary.


    "Christian, get him away from her," Anfey instructed.


    Christian hesitated. If he could unleash his full power, he would not hesitate in doing so. He was fully capable of killing the mercenary in the blink of an eye. However, his mind was telling him to hold back. His was a newly found mercenary group, the other was an established merchant¡¯s caravan. Both sides exist legally. If he killed someone, his group would attract attention and could be wanted criminals.


    Christian released a wind de that hit the mercenary on the leg. The mercenary screamed. He jumped up and grabbed his longsword.


    Mercenaries were very aware of their surroundings. A few moments after the mercenary screamed, a group of mercenaries already surrounded the tent. "Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry," Ahab exined hurriedly. "We¡¯re all friends. No enemies here!"


    The leader of the mercenaries was a man with a thick beard. He looked at his woundedpanion, then turned his gaze to Anfey and Christian. He narrowed his eyes in malice, but did not act. The two parties had been traveling alongside each other for a few days and had some understanding of each other¡¯s power.


    The mercenaries didn¡¯t know about Suzanna, or else they wouldn¡¯t have done anything, even if Christian had killed the man. They would keep their anger to themselves until they reached White Mountain City. The mercenaries knew there were mages in Alibaba mercenary group, with two of them being junior magisters. They were worried about the consequences.


    "Make him shut up. I¡¯ll give you forty coins for him," Anfey said. He turned to Isis, and said, "I¡¯ll give you fifty for her. That¡¯s three hundred in total. Satisfied?"


    "Of course, of course," Ahab said. He never expected the two women he had found to be so valuable. Normally, even if he had sold all his ves, he still wouldn¡¯t make three hundred gold coins.


    The bearded mercenary nodded and looked happy. He kicked the wailing mercenary and said, "Shut it." Money was undeniably powerful. It could buy obedience, friendship, and power. It could also turn foes into friends in seconds.


    "My lord," Ahab said, smiling. "You know that the journey is tiring and they can¡¯t touch the other ones I have. The older ones aren¡¯t as much fun, so..."


    "Yes, my lord," the bearded mercenary said. "That woman injured a few of our men. All they wanted to do was to have a little fun."


    "I understand," Anfey said, smiling. "We¡¯re all men, aren¡¯t we?"


    Christian was angry, but when he saw Anfey¡¯s smile, he felt relief. He knew that whenever Anfey smiled, it was a prelude to murder.


    Ahab and the mercenariesughed. They thought that Anfey was a good man. He didn¡¯t hesitate when making a move, and was very understanding.


    The princess looked as if she couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. She moved over to her friend and cradled the woman in her arms. Tears rolled down her face and fell onto the woman. Isis kept staring at the ceiling of the tent.


    "Send someone to take her to my carriage. Youe with me to get the money."


    "Of course," Ahab replied.


    The princess held Isis tightly in her arms and would not let go. The mercenaries didn¡¯t want to shove her aside, so they found a stretcher and carried both women with them. Ahab and the bearded mercenary followed Anfey closely.


    Riska was organizing their camps. Seeing that Anfey and Christian had returned with men he did not know, he walked over and looked at him curiously.


    "Riska, go find our money chest with Feller."


    "What?"


    Christian looked at Riska and nodded. Thetter hurried off to go find Feller. Suzanna was talking with Niya inside the carriage. She heard his voice and asked, "Anfey, what¡¯s wrong?" She reach out to pull the curtain back.


    "Stay inside," Anfey said loudly.


    Suzanna¡¯s hand, which was already out of the carriage, froze and quickly disappeared again. It was just a nce, but Ahab and the mercenary could tell the hand looked very small and soft, very simr to the princess¡¯s. A woman with hands like that shouldn¡¯t be too ugly.


    "You..." Niya called out, angered by Anfey¡¯s attitude. She didn¡¯t say anything else after that, clearly stopped by Suzanna.


    "Be quiet. Can¡¯t you tell? My lord is angry," Suzanna said softly.


    "What lord..." Niya said, but she fell silent again.


    Ahab and the mercenary nced at each other. They now knew that there was another woman in the carriage, and that Anfey must have been a noble who thought it would be fun to be a mercenary.


    Anfey had always admired Suzanna. Seeing that she cooperated with him so seamlessly, he thought even more highly of her.


    Anfey nced at Ahab and knew that they did not notice whether anything was off.


    Riska and Feller returned. Riska stopped the levitation spell, and the chest fell to the group. It was apparent that the chest was very heavy.


    Anfey opened the chest. Light bounced off of the gold coins inside and shone brilliantly, coating everything around it in a soft gold. Anfey didn¡¯t care for it, but people Ahab brought with him all stood there, stunned.


    The chest was full of coins. For people like Ahab, there was nothing more beautiful than that.


    "Feller, get me three hundred coins," Anfey said.


    Feller walked over and counted three hundred exactly. He put them all in a pouch and handed the heavy bag to Anfey.


    When Feller was counting the coins, the people apanying Ahab all stood there, staring. Their bodies were shaking, and if the gold coins were edible, they would have devoured them.


    "Three hundred coins," Anfey said, raising his voice. "You want to count it?"


    Ahab turned around and looked as if he had just woken from a pleasant dream. He took the heavy pouch, a muscle on his face twitching slightly.


    "Count it," Anfey said, smiling.


    "No, no need for that," Ahab said, smiling awkwardly.


    "If there are any other good ones, save them for me, eh?"


    "Of course, of course."


    "Alright," Anfey said, waving his hands. "We¡¯re done, then."


    "We¡¯ll be on our way," Ahab said. He elbowed the mercenary, who mumbled something and nodded.

 Chapter 119: Smart Enough to Be Omniscient

    Chapter 119: Smart Enough to Be Omniscient


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anfey, what are you doing this for?" Christian asked quietly while watching Ahab and his merchant fleet hurrying away.


    "Nothing. I just wanted to find a legal opportunity to kill someone," Anfey sneered. The money Anfey paid to Ahab gave him the opportunity to kill a person. Suzanna had not shown up yet. With only two junior magisters at the scene, they were not able to have control of the situation, especially when it was getting dark. As everyone knew, mages¡¯ fighting abilities would get affected at night, which would give Ahab a lot courage to fight them.


    "They may not dare." Christian had already known what Anfey would do.


    "You take a close look at how they walk. What can you tell?" Anfey said with a pregnant pause.


    Christian stared with his eyes wide, watching Ahab walking into the dark. He could not tell anything. "Maybe...nothing special."


    "They walked away fast." There was a smile on Anfey¡¯s face. "Why did they hurry away? Did they hurry to hide those three hundred gold coins or rush to n something big?"


    Christian tried to recall, and remembered that the speed of Ahab and his merchant fleet¡¯sing and going was quite different. The way they hurried away looked more like they were trotting. Christian heaved a sigh and looked at Anfey with admiration. "Anfey, I really do not know how to describe you in words. I think most people are not as good as you."


    "Are you trying to say no one is as good as me?" Anfey smiled.


    "Did you forget what you have promised me?" Christian curled his lips.


    Anfey and Christian had been honest with each other. Christian had said clearly that he had some secrets that he could not tell Anfey. Anfey seemed ok with it. He never went after Christian for that reason. He only secretly tried to guess what Christian¡¯s secrets were as if he was ying a guessing game.


    In fact, Anfey could already guess what Christian¡¯s secrets were. As he walked with Christian on the street, a wagon passed by them. A guy with a pair of bright and sophisticated eyes looked at them with a warm smile. Anfey knew he was an outsider in this magic world, and there was no way he would know that guy. Who was he smiling at? This was an easy question. By then Christian was quite shocked to see that guy and said without conscious thinking, "Why did hee?"


    After Anfey persisted in asking, Christian told Anfey that the guy¡¯s name was Baery, themander of Roaring Dead Legion, the most powerful legion in the empire. He was also a famous master swordsman. Christian asked Anfey to keep the secret for him. He told Anfey that Baery secretly going back to Saint City must have something to do with military secrets. It showed Christian that the guy must have a special identity.


    It was totally different wording when Christian said "He¡¯s back" and "Themander is back." Even spoiled Niya called Ernest with a respectful title "Mr." or "Uncle". What did the "he" out of Christian¡¯s mouth mean?


    Anfey was so smart that he could even be called omniscient. If Christian knew what Anfey was thinking, he would have called Anfey omniscient. He did not think Anfey could tell so much from just one word.


    In fact, thinking about it more deeply, it was not that hard to guess the way Anfey did. If Anfey could tell Ahab and his merchant fleet were anxious and acted on impulse from their trots, of course he could guess Christian¡¯s secrets, even though they were unspoken.


    Christian was quiet in thought for a while and suddenly smiled. "Anfey, it was not like you."


    "What is not like me?" Anfey was confused for a second.


    "If it were me, vi, or Riska seeing that scene, we probably would have fought with them, but you..." Christian said.


    "What about me?" Anfey asked.


    "You would never have gotten mad over two women. You are calm, way too calm. A few days ago, you proposed to assassinate the princess of Shansa Empire and ruin their political marriage. I was not so sure about your n, but since it was good for the country. I did not say anything against it. Now you got mad over two women. Did these happen because of Tears of Stars," Christian said slowly.


    "I would not get mad over two women, but I would do anything for hundreds of women," Anfey said.


    "Bullsh*t." Christian rolled his eyes at Anfey.


    "Haha, Christian. Think about what Ahab said. Where did he buy those female ves?" Anfey asked.


    "From Shansa Empire¡¯s military. Shansa Empire? Weren¡¯t they all supposed to be in this battle anyway?" Christian suddenly opened his eyes wide.


    "Definitely," Anfey smiled.


    "Are you sure you want to take risks for them?" Christian emphasized every word he asked.


    "You are wrong. It is not taking a risk. It is assassination." Anfey strategically avoided Christian¡¯s question.


    With the desire to be part of this magic world and be a powerful man, there were three necessities: capability, political power, and fame. Ahab had more than eighty ves. If all the female ves were saved, they would go back to their hometowns with gratitude towards Anfey when the war ended. There would be no doubt that they would tell others about Anfey¡¯s good deeds. Word would get around, and then Anfey would acquire some fame in those areas. Assassins needed both bright and dark lives and many more different identities. It was not contradictory with the need for the assassin to keep his real identity secret.


    The fact that Anfey stirred up trouble between Tiger of Tawau and Glory mercenary groups needed to be kept secret, otherwise Anfey could be subject to brutal revenge. This story could be told in another book.


    When one mercenary group violently attacked another one, thetter group had the right to fight back and was allowed to take over anything in the attacking group if thetter group won. This rule between mercenary groups was key for Anfey in making his ns. Anfey could take advantage of this rule to avoid some risks. This rule was originally made to punish those ouws.


    If Anfey initiated the fight and let anyone run away, Alibaba mercenary group would suffer from being on the wanted list. Even if Anfey could kill everyone in a merchant fleet and a mercenary group, a merchant fleet and a mercenary group disappearing would be a big news as well. The Country of Mercenaries valued catching gangs above all else, but they had no authority or ability to control whatever sh*tty things happened in the Forest of Death and Wild Prairie. They did care about the safety of the merchant fleets. Right then it was Tiger of Tawau mercenary group¡¯s turn to be in power. Hotchbini in the Tiger of Tawau mercenary group hated those gangs to the core. Even though she was busy with many other things in ckwater City, she still spared time to investigate those gangs. Anfey did not lead a merchant fleet in a quiet way. It was not hard to find something fishy about his merchant fleet after the investigation.


    If the other party attacked Anfey¡¯s merchant fleet first, the whole thing would be flipped. Anfey could wipe the other party out and legally take over everything that belonged to the other party. Anfey should be fine as long as he could give some unimportant people in that party to the mercenary union. In this magic world, if a person¡¯s level rose above swordsman and magister, he could have some ability to defend himself in court. Those unimportant people he sent to the mercenary union would be very easy to deal with. A horror magic would scare them to death, and they would open up and exin the whole thing from beginning to end.


    "What are you talking about? What ughter?" Suzannna asked in low voice. Niya and Suzanna had walked out of the wagon. Niya had the little guy in her arms. If Ahab saw the little unicorn, he could have passed out. Luckily, he did not have the chance to see it.


    "You will know it soon." Anfey smiled. "Oh, right, there are two more women in our mercenary group."


    "Women?" Niya frowned.


    "Two poor women. You can ask Christian about any details. He can tell you a vivid story about it," Anfey said.


    Vivid? Christian did not know whether he should cry orugh. How could he tell this kind of story vividly? He would be dead if Niya misunderstood him.


    Feller trotted over and said, "Anfey, I have settled those two women in the east-side tent. Is there anything I need to pay attention to?" Feller did not know the story of those two women. He was not sure whether he should be aware of them, watch them, or treat them as friends.


    "Just be careful. Don¡¯t let them escape. Also, ask vi and Riska toe. I need talk to them." Anfey smiled. The possibility they could escape would be slim. He kept them in the tent just in case they wanted to escape. Isis had be crippled. The tendons on her knees were cut off. Walking had be a luxury to her. Seeing how the princess acted after she was bought by Anfey, she should not escape without Isis.


    "I got it." Feller nodded.


    "Feller, what do they look like? Are they pretty?" Niya asked loudly.


    "Well,pared with the two of you, they are far less beautiful. Just regr girls," Feller said. He sounded pretty assuring. He totally forgot he had gasped when he had seen the princess for the first time.


    "Oh, I see." Niya nodded. When she just turned around, she saw Christian trying to run away from the group. She called out immediately, "Hey, Christian, stop. You have to tell us the story. Why did Anfey say they were poor women? Tell us."


    Christian stood there helplessly. He heaved a long sigh.


    Anfey smiled. He took the little guy from Niya and went back to the wagon by himself. He had to admit Christian was a gentleman. Anfey wondered maliciously how a gentleman would not be able to tell a dirty story.


    It was getting dark. Christian, Suzanna, Riska and vi ducked out of the wagon and then Anfey started to n a battle. Although there was no doubt that they would win this battle, Anfey still wanted to be extremely careful about the safety of Niya and others.


    Anfey leaned against the wall of the wagon and lifted the curtain to look out through a slit. There were more than ten little fire balls hovering above his palm. Those fire balls suddenly disappeared and then circled around Anfey with gusts. Maybe it was because of the unicorn blood or Anfey¡¯s strong telephathy, or even Anfey¡¯s hardwork in practice, the number of fire balls he was able to control had gone up dramatically. After he was able to control over two hundred fire balls, Anfey was trying to release another series of magic. These attempts had allowed him achieve more sess.

 Chapter 120: Fighting Practice

    Chapter 120: Fighting Practice


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Through a crack in the curtains, Anfey spotted a shadow walking towards his carriage. It was dark outside, but he still recognized who was walking over. The wind des around him disappeared.


    The shadow stopped outside of the carriage, then pulled the curtains aside abruptly and jumped into the carriage, as if she couldn¡¯t do it unless she did it quickly.


    Anfey looked at her. He was still leaning against the wall of the carriage, expressionless.


    The princess seemed very nervous. She weaved her fingers together, then she ced her hands next to her legs. Her eyes were shifting and she clearly didn¡¯t want to make eye contact with him.


    Anfey was very attentive to details. He observed all her bodynguage and came to his own conclusion. He kept his expression cold. In situations such as this, it was better to remain silent than to talk. It didn¡¯t matter what she was going to say or do. The silence alone would be enough to make her nervous.


    The princess¡¯s hands were shaking. If Anfey had talked, even if it was a greeting or question as a master, she could use it as an opportunity formunication. Now, however, the silence was making her uncertain.


    The princess couldn¡¯t bear the dreadful silence anymore. She reached for her dress strings. It took her a long time to undo the strings, even though it should have been easy to untie. She then lifted her dress softly.


    Inside was her white underclothes. It was still wet from when she was drenched by Ahab. It clung to her body tightly, entuating her body¡¯s curves. Sometimes, scantily-clothed women were more tempting than naked women. The princess¡¯s curves, bright skin, full breasts, and sad, fearful eyes were enough to arouse most men.


    Anfey, however, was not most men. He did not notice the princess¡¯s body. Instead he focused on her feet. She had two wounds there. The blood was still drying, and it looked like scratch wounds. She may look good with no shoes, but they were still in the wilderness and not a pce. There were many things that could scratch a princess¡¯s feet.


    When the princess was trying to take off her underclothes, Anfey said quietly, "Do you want me to avenge you?"


    The princess hesitated, then she ripped her underclothes off to prove her determination.


    She moved closer to Anfey. Perhaps it was because she was inexperienced, she carefully avoided touching any ce that may carry a sexual subtext, and only leaned against Anfey¡¯s shoulder.


    Anfey sighed. His camp had seemed calm, but was in fact very heavily guarded. He didn¡¯t know how many people saw the princess going to his carriage. He didn¡¯t want any rumors circting among the group.


    "You don¡¯t have to do this," he told the princess. "Ahab won¡¯t live to see the morning sun."


    The princess froze. She looked at Anfey, trying to process his words.


    "Anfey, they¡¯reing," Christian called, knocking on the carriage wall. Anfey was thankful that it was Christian who came to warn him. Sante probably would have lifted the curtains without knocking.


    "If you don¡¯t want your body being seen, I suggest you put on some clothes," Anfey told the princess.


    She lifted her head and looked at Anfey, her eyes filled with confusion. In the past, she had seen many men staring at her or looking at her. She was very confident in herself. Before she came, she had already prepared herself for every possible oue, including the worst ones like if Anfey had taken advantage of her but would not do as he had promised. Now she realized he was not interested in her. He didn¡¯t even try to touch her. He didn¡¯t look at her as a woman.


    Anfey narrowed his eyes. He could already see suspicious movements through a crack in the curtains.


    The princess grabbed her clothes and kept her head low. This trip did not aplish anything. She had just taken her clothes off, and now she had to dress herself again, and they did not even do anything.


    In the past, Alibaba mercenary group didn¡¯t need any sentinels. As long as there were fires, Eye of the Sky could see everything. The vigils were responsible for patrolling the campsite with the magic. It was another form of training. Ahab didn¡¯t know that, though. He had once told Anfey that it would be safer to have sentinels. Even if they did not run into bandits, sentinels could protect them against magic beasts. Anfey only smiled and did not exin anything. For Ahab, this was proof that Anfey and his friends were inexperienced and ignorant of the rules of the forest.


    Levels didn¡¯t necessarily equal power. An experienced junior magister could easily defeat a new junior magister. The strength of the magic depended on releasing the right magic at the right time, not how powerful the spell was. Back at Saul¡¯s mansion, Christian did not release powerful magic. He released a lightning arc that effectively ended the fight.


    Ahab didn¡¯t know what they had been through. He was very careful when he was making the decisions and considered every possible oue. When he really acted, the attack turned out sloppy. Ahab clearly did not consider the possibility of an ambush. He was right, though, since Anfey did not prepare an ambush.


    When the caravan¡¯s guards and mercenary surrounded the carriage, the curtains were ripped off. Anfey climbed out of the carriage and stood on the front of the carriage. The mercenaries and guards all froze.


    "Ahab, you¡¯ve gone too far!" Anfey called loudly. He could easily see Ahab¡¯s swollen figure in the dark. Ahab must worry that his men would try to steal the gold, and chose toe with his men to prevent that.


    Ahab froze as well. However, he was too worried about the money to hear the sarcasm in Anfey¡¯s voice. He thought that Anfey was only questioning why he was doing this. It was toote to pull back, and Ahab didn¡¯t care for friendships. "Attack!" he called as a reply to Anfey.


    Two guards dashed forward and lurched towards Anfey. The dark redbat power around them proved that they were senior swordsmen.


    Anfey waved his hands. Several small fire balls appeared in the air. Hundreds of fire balls surrounded Anfey, hiding his body and illuminating the space around him.


    The swordsmen weren¡¯t afraid of the fire balls. The two jumped upwards with theirbat power to attack Anfey. When they were a few feet away from him, the fireballs disappeared. In Anfey¡¯s right hand was a burning longsword. On his left arm was arge, burning shield.


    Anfey reached forward, the longsword pierced his enemy¡¯sbat power easily. He flicked his wrist and threw the man¡¯s body back. Then he took a step to the side to avoid the attack from the other man. He swung his left arm, and hit the man in the face with the shield. The swordsman was thrown back before he could even make a noise. When hended on the ground, his face was ckened his clothes were ame.


    "A pdin!¡¯" someone called, terrified.


    Anfey¡¯s attack shocked the mercenaries, and a blinding sh of sword radiance made the mercenaries realize how hopeless the situation was. Suzanna¡¯s entire body was hidden in brightbat power, and herbat power cut mercenaries in half before her swords even reached her enemies.


    The mercenaries did not know what to do. They did not have any swordsman or mages. Any logical person would know a single senior swordsmen could kill all the mercenaries there. The guards and mercenaries scrambled away from the fight.


    Waves of strong magical surges reached the felt. Bolts of lightning fell from the sky. Riska¡¯s team had begun its attacks.


    "Everyone! This is an ambush! Take him! That¡¯s the only way we can live!" Ahab called to his men.


    His voice calmed many of the despairing mercenaries and guards. They dashed towards Anfey together.


    Wind des fell onto the enemies. Sante and Zubin led half a dozen people and appeared above them. This team included Feller as well, at Anfey¡¯s request. Ahab did not have any powerful men working for him, so his men wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat. Even if there wouldn¡¯t be any one-on-one fighting, Anfey knew it would be good practice for his friends. Except for vi and the few that were protecting Niya and Shally, everyone must join the fight.

 Chapter 121: A Big Victory

    Chapter 121: A Big Victory


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Just as Anfey had estimated, this was undoubtedly a ughter. The Great me Sword in Anfey¡¯s hand had created a ming swirl in the battlefield. Where the ming swirl moved to, people close to it were killed. Suzanna was more like a harvesting machine, passing through people horizontally and vertically. Where her sword passed, there had been a smog of blood appearing in the air.


    Sante, Zubin and others were still releasing their magic. Although mages and swordsmen were on the same level, the ways they fought were quite different. If mages got the chance to fly in the air, swordsmen would be at a disadvantage and could only passively defend themselves without any chance to fight back. This was because the swordsmen could only fight back with sword radiance. Once the mages were in the sky, the swordsmen would have no chance to release their sword radiance. And vice-versa, mages¡¯ shields and defensive magic arrays were quite weak. If they were attacked by bad-intentioned swordsmen at a short distance, the result would be disastrous.


    The battle between swordsmen and mages on this level was not so fun to watch. The key to the victoryy on which party was the offensive one. However, the fatalities were far more than in the battles at the senior level. Senior-level fighters usually could decide the winner and survivor quickly. If Zubin, Sante and others were suddenly attacked by a group of swordsmen, their fatality would be no better than the swordsmen who were losing right now.


    Wind de could be countered bybat power. Big fire balls were a challenge though. When the heat waves swiped through people, they would not necessarily die, but definitely be burnt to some degree. If Christian and Riska joined the legion, or if a meteor appeared in the sky, they would die without even any chance to counter it. The powers could be quite different even when the same magic was released by mages and magisters.


    A mercenary ran towards Anfey like a crazy monster. Few wind des were yed on him, but all were countered by hisbat power. Thest y of the wind de got him and cut deep into his skin. The wind de turned into moving elements and disappeared in the air. The reason that mercenary was hit by a wind de at the end because it was released by Christian.


    The bloody battle was quickly approaching the end. There weren¡¯t many people in a merchant caravan and a small-sized mercenary group. More than half their number had been fatally injured. Christian and others had stopped to watch how Anfey and Suzanna did on the battlefield.


    Everyone felt Suzanna¡¯s sword skills had gotten a little better than before, and her attitude changed a little as well. Once she was in a state of fighting, she became cold and treated people¡¯s lives like bugs. Seeing people dying one after another in front of her, she neither slowed down nor showed any sympathy on her face. She had +undetectable calmness in her.


    Anfey¡¯s sword skills made watchers feel they were enjoying a show.


    If looking at their faces, Suzanna was undoubtedly more beautiful and enjoyable than Anfey. Girly-looking Suzanna looked adorable. Anfey was not a bad-looking guy, but he was notparable with Suzanna in terms of looks. If looking at their sword skills, Suzanna was skilled with a strong killer vibe, while Anfey had dance-like moves to it. After watching the two of them on the battlefield, everyone felt they had illusion that Anfey did not kill those mercenaries and bodyguards; instead, they were rushing to Anfey¡¯s sword one after another one.


    The reason for that illusion was Anfey¡¯s foot movement. Regr swordsmen¡¯s forward, diagonal and side moves were only to help them speed up their offensive attacking or to dodge the opponent¡¯s attacks. Anfey¡¯s foot movements were systematic on their own. To Anfey, every foot move was an attack itself. Even if he held a sword in his hand still at an angle, with the foot movements, he still could kill his opponent one after another. Anfey¡¯s sophisticated sword skills added more effects to his performance. It was more than just a simple calction of one plus one equals two.


    It was unknown when the Shansa Empire¡¯s princess hade out of the wagon. She hid in a far corner with a person in her arms. She focused on the battlefield from a distance. Isis did not have that numb face anymore, instead, she had a smile on her face under the moonlight.


    When the gang only had just over twenty people left, they could not take the terrifying feeling anymore and started to run away in all directions.


    Christian slowlynded in front of Anfey and gave him a questioning look. Anfey nodded at him and then Christian waved. Riska and his fellows chased after those people in the gang.


    Great me sword and me shield turned into elements and disappeared. Anfey walked over ten steps to the side. He smiled, "Bro, get up, I know you are not hurt."


    No one answered. There were dead bodies everywhere whose blood had gathered and merged into streams.


    Anfey kicked on the waist of a dead body. That dead body sprang up like he was just hit by lightning. "Master Anfey, don¡¯t kill me. Don¡¯t kill me." Looking at the chubby body, who else could he be? He was Ahab, with blood on his face and body. Anfey knew he was not hurt at all and had been lying on the floor for quite a while. He suffered while people stepping over him without making any sound. His will power was usible.


    "I will decide whether to kill you," Anfey said, smiling.


    "Master Anfey, it was not my fault." Ahab knelt on the ground. "It was that guy. He made me do it. Master Anfey, please forgive me. I can give you all I have."


    "Why did I hear you said "fight" before?" Anfey obviously was ying with him.


    "That guy had a knife to my back. I had to give that order." Ahad had already had regretful tears in his eyes. "Master Anfey, we are friends. Can you forgive me this time?"


    "Is this how you treat your friends? Did you say the guy who had a knife to your back was amander of a mercenary group? So, after heid down among the dead bodies, youid down as well. You are of the same batch. Tell me what happened."


    "You mother f*^ker." A guy yelled in anger. The guy with thick sideburns sat up in the blood. Of course, he was not cursing at Anfey. He was cursing at Ahab. "Ahab, you mother fucker. My people all died because of you. You are still lying. I..." The big guy suddenly stood up and threw himself at Ahab.


    Ahab was just a muggle, so he fell on the floor before he could make any defensive moves. That big guy was smart. He knew Anfey had not killed both of them because they still had value to him. He punched Ahab hard, but did not mean to kill him. Even though Ahab had not died from the punch, his head swollen like a pig head in a blink of eyes.


    "Enough. Tell me whose idea it was?" Anfey asked calmly.


    "It¡¯s his, master," the big guy with thick sideburns yelled.


    "It¡¯s him." Ahab¡¯s yell sounded a lot weaker. It sounded as if he was dying.


    "It does not matter whose idea it was. I do not care." Anfey pointed with his finger. "Did you see over there? I will have them decide whether you will live or die. If they do not want to kill you, I will let you go."


    The big guy lifted his head and looked into the distance. His bloody face twitched. He recognized those two people. He knew what he had done to them. He cut off Isis¡¯s tendon. He was also the first guy who raped her. How could that woman forgive him? If he had know what his situation would be like, he would have treated Isis like she was his family. Unfortunately, there were not so many "if"s in the world. There was no point to think of ifs.


    If the princess of Shansa Empire did not flee, if Isis did not run away with the princess, all of these events would not have happened. That big guy had no position to think about ifs.


    The big guy with sideburns suddenly jumped up and ran towards Christian. He did not dare to fight with Suzanna and Anfey. Compared with Suzanna and Anfey, Christian looked easy to pick a fight with.


    Suzanna quickly put her hand on the sword shaft, and then she rxed because she saw Anfey stepping forward and kicking that guy with his left leg super fast like a tornado swept through.


    That big buy with sideburns got hit on his face while his body continued to move forward by momentum. His legs swung in the air and he fell on his back hard. His face was bloody, but this time it was quite different than when he was faking it before among the dead bodies.


    Magic world had its own systematic sword skills, but there was no martial art skills that focused on legs. Anfey¡¯s kick was fast and brilliant. Suzanna¡¯s eyes brightened up and then she looked down to think about something.


    "Hui Wei", Anfey called.


    "Coming." Hui Wei ran over from a distance.


    "Take them to those two girls. Do what they say. If those two girls do not know what to do with them, give them a hand." Anfey pointed in the direction of the princess with his chin.


    "Women tend to more sympathetic." Hui Wei curled his lips. "If those two girls wanted them to leave, should we really let them go?" Hui Wei had just officially joined the legion, but he already had thought for the legion. Letting these two guys go would bring trouble for the legion. It would not only bring revenge to the legion, but also cause troubles in the courts. If he could make a decision, Ahab and the big guy were already dead.


    "If those girls let them go, wouldn¡¯t you know what to do?" Anfey smiled.


    "Master Anfey, please forgive me," Ahab said. The big guy had already passed out, but Ahab was still sober. Ahab screamed when he heard what the conversation between Anfey and Hui Wei. "I will give you all those female ves. Please forgive me."


    "Shut up!" Hui Wei stepped forward and gave him a kick. "Those female ves would be ours anyway ording to the rules. How dare you say you are giving us the female ves? You are such an idiot."


    "Anfey, those female ves..." Christian asked.


    "Take a few people with you and control those mercenaries. You do not have to do anything to those female ves."


    "I got it." Christian nodded.

 Chapter 122: Desire

    Chapter 122: Desire


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The aftermath of the battle was all taken care of. However, since many people were unable to sleep because of the excitement of the battle, they were all gathered in small groups chatting. Because of ingrained stereotypes, a lot of people did not consider killing orcs to be a form of murder. For most in the legion, this battle had been their first time killing humans and was very memorable.


    Suzanna and Anfey were strolling around. They kept a healthy distance between them. Not far enough to seem like they were newly acquainted with each other, but not close enough to appear intimate, either. There was no love blooming between the two. Suzanna enjoyed talking with Anfey. If she had to share her secret with someone, it would be him. This was because Anfey was mature, witty, and careful. Whenever she heard his voice or saw his face, she would feel calm.


    "Anfey, you should begin practicing intermediate magic," Suzanna said. "Pdins do not post a real threat to the best and the most powerful, but for a normal mage they are very hard to deal with. Imagine, a pdin with magic would be very terrifying to mages."


    "I know. I need a good foundation before continuing on."


    "Judging from your surges today, you arepletely capable of practicing intermediate magic," Suzanna said. "We should congratte you. You are a mage now. Your growth is incredible."


    "It¡¯s not a surprise. Anyone would grow as fast as I if they had drunk unicorn blood."


    "You drank the blood? Feller gave it to you, didn¡¯t he? Christian will be hearing about this."


    "You wouldn¡¯t!" Anfey said, realizing his mistake.


    "You¡¯re the one that betrayed our trust! I didn¡¯t get any benefits from this. It¡¯s your fault for trying to drink the blood without telling us."


    "Betraying?" Anfey asked, shaking his head. "If I let you in on this, aren¡¯t we then friends with benefits?" He suddenly remembered another meaning to the phrase "friends with benefits." He coughed to hide the awkwardness.


    Suzanna wasn¡¯t as sensitive as Anfey. She smiled and said, "Actually, I think Christian already knew."


    "Really?" Anfey asked, surprised. He thought drinking the unicorn blood wasn¡¯t a big deal. If he wasn¡¯t there to help them, this team would have never made it this far. However, if people found out, it could damage the unity.


    "Christian treated the blood like it was his child," Suzanna said, "and he had to measure it everyday. I usually went and helped them. Whenever he wanted to go over the inventory, Feller got nervous and tried to find an excuse to keep Christian away. Feller is a good person, and wouldn¡¯t try to take what isn¡¯t his. The story exins itself."


    "So I¡¯m not a good person?" Anfey asked, smiling. "It seems like you already knew before hearing about this from me."


    "I took an educated guess. Christian must have figured it out as well. After a while, he stopped trying to measure the unicorn blood. I figured that made Feller sleep better at night."


    Anfey sighed and shook his head. "It¡¯s not that big of a deal. Everyone knew that without you, they wouldn¡¯t still be alive today."


    "Alright," Anfey said, feeling awkward. "Let¡¯s forget about this matter."


    Anfey¡¯s eyes fell on a nearby wooden post, where the bodies of Ahab and the bearded mercenary were hung. The bodies were mangled, and both clearly had been in great pain before they died. This was done under the order of the princess and Isis, and Hui Wei was the executioner. Women were much more terrifying than men when they wanted revenge. The two women were still unsatisfied, but Hui Wei could not carry on, and ended the men¡¯s lives and their suffering.


    Looking at the bodies, Anfey suddenly remembered something. He turned to Suzanna and said, "Suzanna, there¡¯s nothing wrong with yourbat power, is there?"


    "No, why?"


    "I thought it felt strange when you were fighting. You felt murderous. That¡¯s not a good thing."


    Suzanna hesitated, then said softly, "Mybat power isn¡¯t like normalbat powers. It¡¯s difficult to exin. You wouldn¡¯t understand."


    "How do you know? You didn¡¯t tell me anything about it."


    Suzanna shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone. She turned to take a good look and called out, "Anfey, look. What is she doing?"


    Anfey turned and found a shadow crouching next to a tent.


    Isis held a dagger between her wrists and was kneeling on the ground. She tried to stab herself in the neck with the dagger. It was difficult, and she missed two times, but she continued stubbornly. Under the moonlight, it was easy to see the blood dripping down from her neck. She gasped in pain, but continued on with her movements. She was very determined.


    Suzanna was going to run over to stop her, but she was stopped by Anfey, who shook his head slowly. Suzanna stood there, and tears began streaming out of her eyes. Just then, Isis¡¯s cries of pain alerted those who were still awake. Christian and vi were among those who ran out of their tents to check on the situation. The dagger between Isis¡¯s wrists shed a cold, silvery light. She fell forward stiffly, and fell onto the dagger. Her body tensed, then slowly rxed.


    Everyone knew what had happened to Isis, but watching her killing herself was too much for them to handle. Someone cried out in shock, some covered their mouths with their hands. All eyes were focused on Isis.


    "Why didn¡¯t you try to help her?" Niya asked angrily.


    "You can save her today, but tomorrow? Do you think you could save her every time?" Anfey asked coldly.


    "Niya, don¡¯t me him," Suzanna said, wiping her tears away. "You don¡¯t know what she had been through. It would be hard for anyone to continue on living after that."


    "If she wanted to live, she could use time to ease the pain of what had happened to her. No one would purposely try to remind her of her past. Even if she did not want to stay with us, she could find a ce where no one knew her and her past and live there. If she had lost all will to live, why force her to continue on with us?" Niya turned her head away. Even though she hadn¡¯t known Isis for long, she knew Isis had gone through hell. Her untimely and unfortunate end had touched everyone present.


    Making a decision like this had a lot to do with Anfey¡¯s personality. If Isis had wanted to live, he wouldn¡¯t treat her any differently. If Isis had wanted to die, he wouldn¡¯t try to stop her, either. If there was someone who had grown up without any darkness or hardship present, they might try to talk to Isis and stop her from killing herself. However, Anfey could not. He was under a lot of stress, and he did not have the time or the energy to deal with someone he barely knew. He could only watch and let Isis make her own choice.


    Anfey walked over slowly. Isis was still breathing softly. He could tell from her eyes that she had conflicting emotions. However, he knew there was no hesitance or regret.


    Anfey peeked into the tent. The princess was still asleep. She had spent days in a cage, and that night she had witnessed a battle. In the end, she had punished the prisoners to avenge herself and her friend. She must be physically and mentally exhausted. She didn¡¯t know her friend had already ended her life. For her, it may be a good thing. Witnessing something like that would break her.


    "Christian, bury her," Anfey ordered.


    "Poor woman," Christian said, shaking his head and sighing.


    "Poor?" Anfey asked. "Remember the girls in Lagan City?"


    "Yes."


    "Remember. This is a world of survival of the fittest. Don¡¯t show your weakness, or else one day this may be your end."


    Everyone was quiet, trying to understand Anfey¡¯s words. After everything that had happened, everyone had their own understanding of power and survival. This tragedy was additional proof that they must remain powerful.


    They had remained alive up until that point because of Anfey and Suzanna. What if they found themselves alone one day? With the woman still lying on the ground, dying, everyone felt an acute desire for power.


    "What happened in Lagan City?" Suzanna asked.


    "Let Niya tell you."

 Chapter 123: Furtive

    Chapter 123: Furtive


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You are free now." The words he said before did not matter, thest sentence was the most important. It needed to be said by Anfey.


    The female ves stood shocked for a second before they cheered. Some of them cried out of happiness, some hugged and jumped up and down. The youngest girls did not understand what "freedom" meant, but seeing their sisters and aunties so happy made them happy as well.


    Anfey jumped off the wagon and walked to the four elves. Those elves looked excited. They looked at Anfey.


    "Christian, take the antimagic bracelets off them," Anfey said calmly.


    From Anfey¡¯s point of view, elves were proud and stubborn. They were not easy to get along with. However, they were better than most human beings. There were many people who did bad things to the people who used to offer them help, but very few elves did those terrible things. Taking a deeper look into it, maybe this was the reason the culture of elves was getting weaker. They were too pure for this magic world, while the world was too much for them.


    Elves either had to adapt to this world or be destroyed, which was a difficult choice the world had given them. Unluckily, elves had proudly chosen thetter rather than being influenced in a bad way by the world. Their decision could not simply be judged by right or wrong.


    "Thank you." The elves bowed to Anfey.


    "You are wee." Anfey simply waved. He turned around and walked away.


    Those elves stood still, shocked. Most human beings were interested in the world of elves or elves themselves. Anfey could have taken the opportunity to talk to them. Anfey walked away, which made the elves wonder. Anfey¡¯s idea about the elves was simple. These elves who ended up as ves probably had unimportant roles in the world of elves. In other words, their power levels were average at most. Anfey was not interested in knowing them. After they reached White Mountain City, he would send these elves to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group in the name of Alibaba mercenary group. By doing so, Anfey could gain the friendship of both Hotchbini and the elves. Besides helping Anfey winning over friendship, they were not useful.


    Anfey had been dealing with many chores the whole day. Ahab¡¯s merchant caravan was just a low-level one, but there were all kinds of items in it. It already took a day to write down everything in the inventory. Anfey decided to camp where they were and take a day¡¯s break.


    When everybody was busy doing things, Anfey held little Shally¡¯s hand secretively and walked with her out of the station. They submerged themselves in the grass and disappeared. Suzanna saw them from a distance. She just smiled, shaking her head. She did not think it was a big deal. If it had happened in modern times, seeing so much news about perverts, she would surely have followed them. Anfey¡¯s furtive moves were suspicious, but Suzanna did not worry about it at all.


    Anfey looked around and listened to their surroundings to see if anyone was around them before asking Shally in low voice, "Shally, would you listen to me?"


    "Yes." Shally nodded seriously. "My sister told me to listen to you."


    "Would you listen to anything I tell you?" Anfey asked.


    Shally thought about it and nodded, "Yes." Shally was even purer than any elf. She did not have any idea that Anfey could do anything bad to her. Anfey¡¯s furtive look did not make him look like a good person.


    "Good." Anfey smiled. He looked up and listened to the surroundings again. He thought for a while and finally made a decision. "Shally, are you ready?"


    "Ready for what?" Shally asked in surprise.


    Anfey whispered to Shally to her ear.


    "Huh? I don¡¯t want to do it," Shally said.


    "Yes, you will do it," Anfey said.


    "No, Anfey," Shally said.


    "You will do it. Are you listening to me?" What Anfey said was a typical conversation between a predator and victim. No one could imagine this kind of conversation could happen here.


    "I am afraid..." Shally said.


    "What are you afraid of? Just try it, just once," Anfey said.


    Luckily, Suzanna did not follow them. If she had heard the conversation, she probably would not have been able to keep from jumping out to ask Anfey what he was doing to Shally.


    "Anfey," Shally pouted.


    "Did you just say you would listen to me and do anything I ask you to do?" Anfey asked.


    "But," Shally said.


    "Why are you talking so much? Just listen to me." Anfey was upset.


    "If I hurt you, my sister would me me," Shally said.


    "Are you kidding me? Do you really think you can hurt me?" Anfey had to dare Shally.


    Little kids were easy tofort. Shally frowned and looked like a little soldier. "Ok. If I hurt you, you are not allowed to tell on me to my sister."


    "Of course, I would not tell on you. I, Anfey, am not that kind of person," Anfey said.


    "You promise?" Shally was still not so sure about it.


    "Come one,e on, hurry up." Anfey felt helpless. If he had not wanted be a joke for others, he would not have found Shally to do it with him. This little girl talked too much.


    "Are you ready? I am firing now," Shally said seriously.


    "Yes, yes," Anfey said.


    "My greatest Fire God..." Little Shally started to chant with sincerity.


    Anfey secretly wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. It was just a little fire ball. She did not have to ask for Fire God, did she? Luckily, he knew, if others saw Shally looking so sincere, they probably would think she was releasing magic.


    After she finished her chanting, a little fire ball appeared in Shally¡¯s hand. She shot at Anfey.


    Anfey focused and tried tomunicate with the fire elements that he could sense. This was a new idea he had yesterday. If the fire elements he called out would not hurt him, then maybe he could try tomunicate with others¡¯ fire elements. Of course, he was not so sure it would work. Otherwise he would not have asked Shally to shoot the fire ball.


    As Anfey felt he wasmunicating with the fire elements with his telephathy, the little fire ball hit Anfey¡¯s face. With a puffing sound, the little fire ball turned into countless sparks and disappeared. Anfey felt warm on his face without any burning pain. He had done it. Immediately, Anfey realized a serious problem. This little girl aimed at his face. What would happen if he had not made it?


    "You; Shally." Anfey could only heave a long sigh. He could not do anything to little Shally.


    Shally was startled for a while before she ran to Anfey. She tugged on his shirt to asked Anfey to lower himself. She touched his face with her little cold hands. "Anfey, your face got a thickyer of skin." It was Anfey¡¯s turn to feel shocked. From Shally¡¯s point of view, without a magic shield andbat power, the only way Anfey could counter the fire ball was because he got thicker skin even than magic armor.


    Anfey was speechless about the way Shally thought. Shally¡¯sments did not sound so nice.


    "Anfey, can we y again?" Shally screamed in excitement.


    "We should go back now. Maybe we can y next time." Anfey was just trying to test whether his idea would work. He hadpleted the task, so he wanted to go back and give it a little bit more thought.


    "I want to y again." Shally twisted her body to whine to Anfey.


    "Next time," Anfey said.


    "I want to y again," Shally whined a second time.


    Their conversation right then, as before, could easily make people think something else was going on. However, Anfey and Shally did not feel there was anything wrong with their conversation. Shally had no idea, and the other did not realize.


    "Ok, Ok." Anfey nodded. He showed a serious face and said, "Not on the face, ok?"


    "Yes, I know," Shally said.


    "Ok, shoot." Anfey started to focus with his telephathy. It would be good for Anfey to test his new idea a couple of times more. He tried to control the fire balls Shally fired at him as quickly as possible. If he could get control of the fire balls at the moment Shally shot them out, then he could easily beat any mages at the same level when his magic skills reached a certain level.


    "Great Fire God." Shally looked even more sincere. She wished she could improve the power of her little fire balls with more sincere chanting.


    One, two, three...Anfey continued to have few feelings. They did not leave the forest for a long time. When they walked to the station, Shally was so exhausted that she could not even walk. Her magic ability was low to begin with, and she had been trying hard to hit Anfey. She not only emptied her magic, but also physically exhausted herself.


    Anfey walked into the station with Shally in his arms. Shally had sweat all over her face. Her face was a little pale, with her eyes half closed. If any dark person saw this scene, Anfey would have a hard time exining what happened between Anfey and Shally.


    Suzanna and Vonmerge were talking when Anfey walked in. They hurried over. "Anfey, where did you go?"


    "What happened to Shally? Anfey, what did you do?" Vonmerge asked in surprise.


    "I did not do anything. We were practicing magic," Anfey answered calmly. Anfey had not done anything wrong, so he was not afraid of being questioned.


    "But..." Vonmerge looked at Shally in surprise and thought to himself, "Look at poor Shally. How could Anfey say they did not do anything?"


    "Sis, it was fun." Shally opened her eyes and barely had strength to smile.


    "What did you y?" Suzanna asked in curiosity.


    Anfey suddenly coughed. He did not want anyone to know hisbat power.


    Shally realized as well. "This is a secret between me and Anfey. I am not telling anyone," Shally answered proudly. She was proud to be able to share a secret with Anfey.

 Chapter 124: Chance Encounter

    Chapter 124: Chance Encounter


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Two dayster, Anfey and the group arrived at White Mountain City. Geographically, White Mountain City was as important as ckwater City. However, thetter was much older, and muchrger. Both cities, however, had tattered city walls. It seemed like none of the mercenary groups cared much about fixing the walls.


    In order to get a better view of the city, Anfey decided to ride on a horse instead of staying inside the carriage.


    The atmosphere around the city was tense. There were around thirty officers inspecting passing carriages and people. Tiger of Tawau mercenary group ruled ckwater City, and that was where the group¡¯s base was located. It was easy for them to control ckwater City, but White Mountain City was another matter. Anfey knew that the inspectors would be a great advantage to whoever controlled them. He observed them carefully, trying to find something useful.


    A ck carriage came out of the gate. Suddenly Anfey felt someone¡¯s gaze on him. He was very sensitive to people gazing at him. Even if someone was observing him in secret, he could still tell. Anfey looked around to find the source, but then the pressure suddenly disappeared, and he could only see the slight swaying of a carriage¡¯s curtains. Anfey narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze towards the front. When the carriage was a few feet away from him, his horse suddenly whined loudly and dashed towards the carriage.


    The driver reacted quickly. He called out loudly and pulled on his horses. Anfey¡¯s horse ran into the carriage¡¯s horses, causing amotion among them. When his horse fell to the ground, he was already standing on the road, unharmed.


    It took the driver a while to calm his horses down. He turned and yelled, "Do you even know how to ride? Did you want to die?"


    "Do you know how to drive? Do you want to kill me?" Anfey called back. He took a step forward and grabbed the carriage driver¡¯s shirt. It seemed like he was ready for a fight.


    A blood vessel was pulsing violent on the driver¡¯s neck. He had never met anyone as unreasonable as the man in front of him. If it wasn¡¯t for Anfey¡¯s horse, none of this would have happened. The driver raised his whip and was going to strike him.


    The inspectors nced their way but did not intervene. They were mercenaries, and conflicts like that were nothing new to them. They all had tempers. If they tried to resolve every conflict, there would be no time for anything else. As long as no one was hurt, they wouldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    "I apologize," a soft voice said. A pale, plump hand pulled the curtains open. A young woman in her mid-twenties stepped out of the carriage. "Sir, it is our fault."


    The driver¡¯s hand fell to his side. He stared at the woman in shock. It seemed like he could not understand why his master was apologizing.


    Anfey snorted and pushed the driver. The driver was staring, and almost fell over the other side of the carriage. He stared at Anfey angrily and was about to lunge at him.


    The woman coughed softly.


    The driver¡¯s body froze, and he sat back into his seat. He was still staring at Anfey, enraged.


    "Are you hurt?" the woman asked softly.


    "No, but I am spooked!" Anfey said. "Didn¡¯t you see? I almost fell into the horses!"


    "That is not the way a gentleman talks to ady, sir."


    Anfey hesitated. The woman was dressedvishly. Her face was covered with makeup, but her eyes and lips were not made up. Her ck dress showed half of her chest and a slight cleavage. Dresses like this left things to the imagination. If she showed more skin, she could be called immoral, and if she covered up more skin she could be called a prude.


    Anfey¡¯s eyesnded on her chest and darted away. "So-sorry," he said, blushing. "I was too loud."


    "It is alright," the woman said. She fished out two silver coins and handed them to him. "Sir, why don¡¯t you take this money and go buy a drink or two?"


    "No, no," he said, "that¡¯s won¡¯t be necessary."


    "Do please take it," the woman said. She took his hand and ced the coins on his palm. Her fingers purposely brushed against his palm.


    Anfey blushed and took the coins.


    Vonmerge was worried that something was wrong and ran over, calling Anfey¡¯s name. The horse hobbled after Vonmerge.


    "Sorry for the distraction, ma¡¯am," Anfey said.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it," the woman said. "I hope we meet again."


    "Of course, of course," Anfey nodded.


    Anfey smiled as he watched the carriage drive away. He walked to the carriage in which ck Eleven was riding. "What happened?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Did you see that carriage?"


    "Yes."


    "You should have people in White Mountain City. Look for that carriage¡¯s owner."


    "Alright," ck Eleven said, nodding. "What happened?"


    "Someone was watching me," Anfey said. "For people here, I am just a normal stranger. Plus, I¡¯m not as handsome as Christian. There was no reason for anyone to be staring."


    "Just that?" ck Eleven asked. "Are you a little too sensitive? You may not be as handsome as Christian, but you aren¡¯t bad looking, either."


    "I didn¡¯t know you know how to make a joke," Anfey said softly. "I caused amotion on purpose just then. I was hoping whoever was in the carriage woulde out and see what had happened."


    "Didn¡¯t you?"


    "No. There was someone else in there," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s weird? I caused everything on purpose, but they were trying to resolve the matter without a huge conflict. She gave me two silver coins. If someone provoked me like that, I would beat them up for sure. I have nothing to hide. I am not afraid of anyone."


    "When you put it like that, it does seems weird," ck Eleven admitted.


    "There¡¯s a saying where Ie from: When you treat someone nicely when you don¡¯t have to, you must have something you want. When you¡¯re trying to stay low when you should not, you have a reason to do so," Anfey shrugged and told ck Eleven. "Your men had nothing better to do anyway. If it was because I was too suspicious, so be it. Better safe than sorry, eh?"


    "I¡¯m afraid even the lord general isn¡¯t as paranoid as you," ck Eleven said, shaking his head.


    In the carriage driving the other way, another conversation was taking ce.


    "Eddie, you¡¯re so carefultely. Did a vige boy like that scare you?"


    "Vige boy?" the blond youth said coldly. "If you had forgotten, that was Anfey."


    "So?"


    "Don¡¯t forget. He was the one who killed ck Ghost. Don¡¯t underestimate him," Eddie said, frowning. "I think we might have made a mistake."


    "What is it?" the woman asked.


    Eddie frowned and thought about the encounter. "Our attitude," Eddie said, sighing. "A long time ago, I met him once. At Tumen Commercial Union. He was with Saul and Ernest then. There was no way he would have recognized me. I should have confronted him."


    "You told me to keep him away."


    "I know. It was my fault. I never thought he would be in White Mountain City. I subconsciously wanted to avoid conflict with him and raise rms. I¡¯ve made a mistake." Eddie shook his head and smiled bitterly.


    "You¡¯re saying he was provoking us?" The woman asked, smiling. "Eddie, you¡¯re thinking too much. He¡¯s not an easily embarrassed boy."


    "You¡¯re thinking too little," Eddie said. "Don¡¯t forget, he had Niya with him, and Niya was famous for her beauty."


    "Eddie, what are you trying to say?" The smile on the woman¡¯s face disappeared. She looked at Eddie coldly. Eddie¡¯s words were too blunt. Niya was famously beautiful, meaning that if Anfey were interested in women, he would choose Niya and not the woman.


    "Sorry, sorry," Eddie said. He smiled bitterly. "I¡¯m disturbed. If my words offend you, I apologize."


    "Eddie, even if my lord had ordered me to work with you, you have to remember your ce." The apology clearly did not satisfy the woman. Women hate beingpared to other women, and Eddie¡¯s words clearly injured the woman¡¯s pride. She stared at Eddie coldly.

 Chapter 125: Hero

    Chapter 125: Hero


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Excuse me, who are you looking for?" A few mercenaries dressed as swordsmen stopped Anfey. Two mages nervously stared at Anfey behind the mercenaries. The air seemed tensed.


    "I am here for Hotchbini. Could you let her know I am here?" Anfey asked, smiling.


    "I am sorry. Ms. Hotchbini, is not in White Mountain City right now. Can youe by some other time?" a swordsman answered politely.


    "Sorry." Anfey hesitated for a second. "Can you take a message for me? I am themander of Alibaba mercenary group. Something happened on my way to White Mountain City, and I saved a group of female ves. I personally have so much sympathy towards them. I hope I can find them a safe ce."


    Those swordsmen looked at each other and felt Anfey was ridiculous. If this had happened in previous times, they would immediately have epted this group of female ves and sold them for money after Anfey left. They would make a profit by doing so. However, this was not a good time, since Glory mercenary group had suffered a big loss. Anthony still had not shown up. After receiving the order to withdraw, Tiger of Tawau mercenaries had been worried all day long. They did not dare to sleep, not to mention epting female ves.


    "I am sorry. We cannot help you," a swordsman said slowly.


    "I have found a ce for the female ves. Only there are a few elves, and I do not know where I can send them to. I heard Ms. Hotchbini had saved a lot of elves. I am bringing them here in hopes that Ms. Hotchbini could take care of them." Anfey waved.


    Christian lifted up the wagon curtain, and a few elves ducked out of the wagon. Looking at the sign for Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, they looked excited. Ms. Hotchbini had imed that Tiger of Tawau mercenary group would be a home for homeless elves. Once elves stepped through the gate of the Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, they would receive the protection of Tiger of Tawau. Anyone hurting elves would be seen as picking a fight with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group.


    The swordsmen were shocked for a second, bowed to Anfey, and said, "Thank you so much."


    "You are wee. It¡¯s our honor." Without knowing when it had happened, Anfey had be a hero. He even talked like a hero.


    "Please take this." A intermediate swordsman passed something to Anfey. "No matter when you need help, you can take it to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. We would never turn you down after this."


    "This is..." Anfey took that item. It was a small badge. It was green in the front with a flying elf with wings open. In the back it was white silver with the name of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group.


    "Sir, right now is not a good time, so we are not going to invite you toe in, in case anything happens to you," the intermediate swordsman said, smiling. "It is our honor to have you visit us at this sensitive time. You know, we have not had guests for a while."


    "I am from ckwater City. I know what has happened," Anfey said. "I am just sending these poor elves home. I think Master Anthony would not me me for sending just a few elves home."


    The intermediate swordsman saw Anfey was neither arrogant nor too humble about himself. He was sentimental. He smiled and said, "Is your mercenary group called Alibaba mercenary group? Under your leadership, I believe you will make a good name for the Alibaba mercenary group in the not-too-distant future."


    "Thank you for yourpliments. I am not going to forget you. Goodbye." Anfey smiled.


    "Bye." The intermediate swordsman gave Anfey a long look before he waved at the mercenaries to close the gate.


    Before Anfey got back to his own wagon, the door of Tiger of Tawau of mercenary group had already closed. Compared with other ces, White Mountain City looked like a ghost town. The stores on the streets were closed. There were no pedestrians on the street either. Obviously, they were afraid they would get dragged into bad situations.


    "No wonder you are a student of Master Saul. You have money. If it were me, I would sell those elves." ck Eleven gave a fake smile.


    "They would not sell for much." Anfey looked at the little badge in his hand with a smile. "We broke the ice in the rtionship with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. If anything happenster, we can look to them for help."


    ck Eleven was so speechless that he could only heave a sigh. Glory and Tiger of Tawau mercenary groups had be enemies, with Anfey nning everything behind the scenes. Now he tried to get connected with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. It just felt weird. ck Eleven¡¯s memory was not bad. He still remembered that Anfey had nned to use the secret of Ynthe¡¯s fake death to get connected with Anthony after the war started and the secrets about the war had lost their value. He was setting them up one moment and wanting to be friends with them the next. ck Eleven saw the grey shadow on Anfey. They were so much alike.


    "Do you have any safe ces?" Anfey asked with a smile.


    "Yes, we can go to my hotel," ck Eleven said.


    "A hotel again? Can we find somewhere else?" Anfey asked.


    "Is there any other ce would not send out an rm when a group of people came in? The hotel is the only safe ce. It fits your identity the best," ck Eleven said.


    "Don¡¯t tell me all of your hotels are the same," Anfey said.


    "They are simr. Not only are my hotels all simr, all the mid-level hotels in ckwater City and White Mountain City are all simr," ck Eleven said.


    "Boring." Anfey shook his head. Anfey had been nervous since he had stirred things up in ckwater City. After being so stressed, he needed to rx a little bit. Alternating his status of being stressed and rxed was a way to keep him going.


    "It is a boring world anyway. If you are a travelling poet looking for inspiration, I could find you a nice ce, but you are just a mercenary," ck Eleven said.


    "Never mind, never mind. I can stay anywhere," Anfey said bitterly.


    Maybe ck Eleven was against Anfey on purpose, because the Tuna Hotel they stayed in was even smaller than the one in ckwater City. Tuna Hotel was a two-story building. Anfey and his mercenary group took the whole upper floor, while seven or eight female ves stayed in one room downstairs. The female ves did notin about their room being too small. They were happy enough, since they were no longer treated as sex ves. In addition, Anfey had promised them they could go back to their hometowns. They had no position toin. The hotel was small but those women were happy to clean up their room. They not only cleaned the first floor, but did an even better job cleaning the upper floor. The outside of the hotel still looked like before, but inside was super tidy and clean.


    Anfey had asked Christian to take the captives to report to the mercenary union about being attacked. Christian also needed to handle some paperwork. Anfey just spread himself on the bed, enjoying his free time. Two girls kneeled on the floor to clean it. They looked up to peek at Anfey once in awhile and then looked down with a shy smile. They would not understand Anfey with the knowledge they had. They only knew Anfey saved them and killed all the bad guys in justice. Anfey had been very nice to them for the past few days. He never asked them to do anything. They did cleaning on their own.


    In their view, Anfey was a hero. He possessed the qualities of humility, honesty, sympathy, bravery, justice, honor and many other positive traits. Anfey never used his authority to order them to do anything. It showed he was humble. Anfey did not bully them or sell them for money. He gave them freedom. It was honesty and sympathy. They heard that Anfey was a pdin. When his legion was attacked by the gang, he was on the frontier. It was heroic and self-sacrificing. Anfey was not greedy about elves¡¯ beauty and sent them back to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. They could prove Anfey was a man with many good qualities with the many helpful and courageous things Anfey did. In general, those girls thought Anfey was a perfect guy. More important, he was still single.


    It was fortunate those female ves did not connect with Suzanna and Niya well, otherwise Niya and Suzanna would faint if they told Suzanna and Niya what they thought about Anfey.


    This nice atmosphere in Anfey¡¯s room was ruined the moment ck Eleven stepped in. He called out, "Anfey."


    Anfey spang up from the bed. Seeing ck Eleven¡¯s serious face, Anfey realized something had happened. He stood up and walked out of his room. When he passed the two girls on the way, Anfey said in low voice, "Everyone must be tired after walking the whole day. You girls can go to rest. You can continue your cleaning tomorrow."


    "Yes, master." The two girls answer quietly, but they scrubbed the floor even harder. They looked like they were inpetition to see who could make the floor cleaner. They felt happy inside after they heard what Anfey said to them.


    This Tuna Hotel had arge backyard. Through the backyard was an ess to a cksmith shop. The cksmiths were engaged in their work. No one even looked up to notice Anfey and ck Eleven. When they walked out of the store, there was a street and a fabric store on the other side of the street. ck Eleven walked in front of Anfey into the fabric store.


    "Are they all your people?" Anfey asked in surprise.

 Chapter 126: Nothing Can Remain a Secret Forever

    Chapter 126: Nothing Can Remain a Secret Forever


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Yes, doing things like this would make it so much easier," ck Eleven said.


    The clothes shop had a moderately-sized backyard. After they crossed through the door, ck Eleven stopped and turned to the stable to the right. A burly man was already waiting there. Three horses were in the stable. under the railing was a ck hole.


    "Sir, you¡¯re here." Two men in ck were already standing in the basement.


    "Is it inside?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Yes, sir."


    Anfey walked over, and the two men bowed in unison. "My lord," they said.


    "When did I be your lord?" Anfey asked, amused.


    "Anfey, now is not the time for jokes," ck Eleven said. He walked into the basement. It was a poorly furnished room with only a bed and a table. Two candles were on the table, lighting the room dimly. There was a man on the bed. He was breathing heavily.


    ck Eleven lifted the cover sheet. The wound was not dressed, and his body was covered with blood. Some blood was dry and crusted, some was fresh. The worst wound was on his abdomen. His stomach was shed through, and through the wound his organs were visible.


    Anfey frowned. Injuries like this may be treatable in a modern hospital, but in a ce like this, the man was as good as dead.


    "Is the news urate?" ck Eleven asked softly.


    "Yes, sir."


    "Did you report to the lord general?"


    "Yes."


    ck Eleven sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Anfey stood there quietly, lost for words. In a situation like this, he should ask what had happened, and have ck Eleven recount the event for him. Then he needed to emphasize how urgent the situation was and how they needed more men. Then he would volunteer to sacrifice himself for the empire. The actual events may differ, but the bulk of the story would remain the same.


    The problem was Anfey was not stupid, nor was he someone who treated Maho Empire as his home. He wanted to assassinate the princess because he wanted to remind hispanions that they could help their nation without returning home.


    In this strange world, Anfey ced his own safety above all else. He didn¡¯t mind taking risks, but he needed a good reason to do so. He had caused the chaos in ckwater City, and it seemed like he was working for Maho Empire. However, he had his own ideas and ns. Of course, he was going to fight for Maho Empire anyways. He couldn¡¯t risk angering Saul.


    When he first met Saul, he was only a normal kid to Saul. The care and friendship Saul offered him was unconditional. He could forsake benefits offered to him by the empire, but he could not forget the kindness Saul offered him.


    Anfey made a clear standard for himself. He would work for Maho Empire, but would do nothing that could potentially endanger himself. ck Eleven must have a reason for bringing him here. He would help, but he couldn¡¯t let himself agree to anything too dangerous.


    "I didn¡¯t realize how much Shansa Empire had put into this war," ck Eleven said.


    Anfey stood there calmly, staring.


    "Yes, sir. ckania City is under siege."


    "What should we do? Watch ckania fall?" ck Eleven asked, shaking his head.


    "We must do something, sir!" one of the men said.


    Anfey wanted to sigh, but doing so would put himself in an awkward situation. He remained quiet and stood there without moving a finger.


    "Anfey, I am in a very difficult situation right now. Do you have any ideas?" Seeing that he waspletely silent, ck Eleven wanted Anfey¡¯s input on the matter.


    "Yes, ckania City is very dangerous right now," Anfey said, nodding. In fact, he didn¡¯t know where ckania was. He was merely repeating what he had just heard.


    "You know?"


    "You just told me," Anfey admitted.


    ckania City was one of the ten great cities of the world, and one of the most important cities for Maho Empire. Shansa did not try to attack the city with its armies this time. Instead, they made an alliance with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. The mercenaries crossed the Transverse Mountains and entered the empire from where the defense was the weakest. They were able cut off ckania City from the rest of the empire.


    Even though Shansa Empire seemed to have the advantage right now, as long as ckania City held out against the siege, they could not advance further into the empire. This was a long siege, and the army needed supplies. The mercenary group¡¯s support could not deliver supplies for a prolonged period of time, and Shansa Empire would not allow something like that to happen. They could ally themselves with mercenaries, and so could Maho Empire. If someone cut off the supply line for the Tiger of Tawau mercenaries, and ckania City could hold against the siege, Shansa Empire would not win the war.


    Whether they wanted to advance further or hold on to their current interests, Shansa Empire would need to focus all of its military power on ckania City. It was their only option.


    ck Eleven shook his head. "Shansa Empire sent out their Griffin Aerial Unit."


    "Griffin?" Anfey asked. By asking a question, he switched his role with ck Eleven.


    "Yes," ck Eleven said.


    "What should we do then?"


    "We..." ck Eleven stopped mid-sentence and sighed.


    Anfey sighed with him. He had no idea what griffins were, and was surprised. He only sighed because he had to y along with ck Eleven.


    "Let¡¯s talk about it more when we get back," ck Eleven said slowly. He had watched the events in ckwater City unfold, and was impressed by how carefully and quickly Anfey had worked. After learning what had happened, Anfey was the first person he wanted to consult. However, Anfey¡¯s attitude made him anxious. He wanted to change the target and have someone else pressure Anfey. Convincing Niya was much easier than convincing Anfey, but would achieve the same goal. If Niya decided to do something, Anfey would not stand by without intervening.


    After a few minutes, Anfey appeared in Tuna Hotel. There was a lot of activity in the hotel lobby. It was still early, and there were a lot of women and girls gathered there, chatting. Some were smiling, some wereughing, some were even singing. When Anfey walked into the hotel, the women fell silent and all bowed to Anfey.


    Anfey smiled and nodded. He walked upstairs to his room and was shocked by what he saw. The two girls that had been cleaning it were already finished. They were sitting on his bed with their skirts lifted up, showing their pale legs. They were touching each other¡¯s legs and mumbling something.


    When they saw him, the girls blushed and jumped off of his bed. "You¡¯re back, my lord," they said timidly.


    "The floor is very clean, I am impressed," Anfey said.


    "Thank you," the girls said. Their faces were even redder now.


    "I¡¯m a bit tired now. You should rest as well," Anfey told them and yawned.


    The girls seemed disappointed, then began walking out slowly.


    "Oh, by the way. See if Christian is back yet. And tell Suzanna toe here."


    "Yes, sir."


    "You¡¯re looking for me?" Suzanna was passing by and heard Anfey. She walked into the room and said, "I¡¯ve been looking for you as well."


    "Ah, Suzanna. You get more beautiful every time I see you," Anfey said, holding up his arms. He ced an emphasis on the word beautiful.


    Suzanna frowned, but she didn¡¯t say anything to contradict him, and let him hug her. She saw the two cleaning girls and lifted a brow. She turned and rolled her eyes at Anfey.


    Seeing that the two girls had closed the door behind them, Anfey released Suzanna and coughed, "What is it?"


    "The girl you saved. There¡¯s something wrong with her."


    "Something wrong?"


    "Something wrong with her head," Suzanna sighed and shook her head. "She wouldn¡¯t talk or answer any questions. She wouldn¡¯t tell us where she was from either. I¡¯ve never heard her talk. She just sits there and stares at the wall. She won¡¯t eat anything. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll starve to death."


    "Did she have any other strange behaviors?"


    "Strange behaviors? Like what?"


    "Is she observing her surroundings? Like she was going to escape?"


    "You¡¯re afraid that she¡¯ll run?" Suzanna asked, smiling. "I thought you were a good man after you let all the ves go. Didn¡¯t know you were just saving the best."


    "Nonsense," Anfey said, smiling.


    "I¡¯m not kidding, though. Feller told me he saw the girl putting her clothes on while getting out of your carriage the day of the battle. Tell me, what did you do?"

 Chapter 127: Old Memories

    Chapter 127: Old Memories


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "We did not do anything." Anfey shook his head and gave Suzanna a weird look. "You seem to really care about what we did."


    "Don¡¯t change the subject. Did you really do nothing?" Suzanna could not look into Anfey¡¯s eyes, but she still could keep a serious tone.


    "At that time, Ahab¡¯s people were ready to attack us. I did not have time to think about anything else. You know what, even if I had done something with her, I would not have to deny it." Anfey gave her a spicy smile. "Why are you in interested in me and her? Suzanna, are you...? Hahaha."


    "You wish." Suzanna rolled her eyes at Anfey. "It was not just me. Everyone is interested in you and her. We have talked about it behind your back many times." Suzanna seemed to answer with a sense of justice, but for some reason, she suddenly felt rxed.


    "Don¡¯t you guys have anything better to do?" Anfey felt helpless, since he thought he really had done nothing inappropriate with the girls. Back in his world, he had sex with women, but never had any serious rtionships. In this magic world, he never had sex with any woman. He thought to himself, "How could people gossip about me when I am already so strict with myself? Is it because gold will shine no matter where it is."


    Suzanna suddenly had a smile on her face. "Oh, right, what are you looking for me for?"


    "What do you know about griffins?" Anfey asked.


    "Griffins? Why are you suddenly asking about griffins?" Suzanna asked.


    "ck Eleven will ask me a difficult question soon. I have to get more information about what kind of magic beasts the griffins are, so I can decide whether I can help him," Anfey answered.


    Suzanna thought for a while and said, "Griffins are vicious intermediate magic beasts. They live in groups. They can fly freely in the sky for a long time. They rarely fight among their own species. The male griffins are very protective of female griffins, and not just if they are a couple. Strong loyalty and pride have made griffins betterpanions than war horses and other flying mounts. Griffins are born for battle. They are very brave."


    "Flying a long time in the sky? I think I know what kind of army it is." Anfey nodded. "Continue."


    "Compared with war horses, griffins are not easily startled by wild rabbits, birds and shadows. They would not hunt rabbit, wild deer or other horses when they are hungry. They would not eat their riders out of anger, even when their riders beat them. Griffins are brave but vicious. They are loyal but stubborn." Suzanna slowly said, "You can ignore a griffin, but the fighting ability of a group of griffins is tremendous. Even a senior magic beast would have to flee in front of a group of griffins."


    "Do you know about the Griffin Aerial Unit in Shansa Empire? How is their fighting ability?" Anfey asked.


    "You do not even know about Griffin Aerial Unit?" Suzanna looked at Anfey in surprise. "It was a well-known military on Pan Continent. Theprehensive fighting power of Griffin Aerial Unit was just below the Dark Moon Magic Legion in Ellisen Empire. However, they have iparable advantages over Dark Moon Magic Legion. They are very flexible. Griffin Aerial Unit wasposed of about a thousand griffins and four hundred Silver Knights. It would only take a day for them to show up and attack their opponents in surprise from a thousand miles away. Even if the powerful Dark Moon Legion were attacked in surprise by Griffin Aerial Unit, they could end up with many casualties."


    "What do you think if we attack Griffin Aerial Unit?" Anfey asked.


    "Are you crazy? We would be so dead," Suzanna yelled. "Do you know how people describe Griffin Aerial Unit? A never-annihted military. They could escape dangerous areas at any time. Even top powerful people do not want to have conflicts with Griffin Aerial Unit. Five griffin riders with the cooperation of griffins could easily kill us."


    Anfey was frustrated. He thought ck Eleven was ridiculous to ask him to fight with Griffin Aerial Unit. Suzanna usually did not makements or judgement. Herments on any matter were usually fair. If Anfey and Suzanna together would be no match for five griffin riders, there was no way Anfey¡¯s legion could fight the whole unit. They would be asking to be killed.


    "Anfey, don¡¯t gamble everyone¡¯s life on it," Suzanna said seriously.


    "I know," Anfey nodded.


    After Suzanna left, Anfey sat on the bed and thought for a quite while. He got up from the bed and walked out of the room to the hallway. vi was on watch. Anfey called him over and asked him a few questions. After talking to vi, Anfey walked to a room. He hesitated for a while before he pushed the door open and walked in.


    The princess of Shansa Empire was sitting on the bed with her feet against the bed footboard. Her knees were bent and her arms crossed and tucked under her legs. She put her upper body against her thighs. She rested her head on her knees while her eyes were fixed on the ceiling. It seemed as if there was something interesting on the ceiling. She looked somber sometimes and confused other times.


    She had not cried after learning that Isis hadmitted suicide. She became unusually quiet. No matter whether they were in transit or in the station, or even after they arrived at White Mountain City, her facial expression was dull and rarely changed.


    Anfey coughed quietly and took a seat on the edge of the bed. He smiled and said, "I still do not know your name. Can you tell me your name?"


    The princess of Shansa Empire slowed turned her head to Anfey. She nced at Anfey and then looked up at the ceiling again. It gave Anfey an illusion that he was far less interesting than that light red ceiling.


    "Where are you from? Where do you want to go? If you want to leave, I can send my people to take you home." Anfey sounded very gentle. "What happened was history. Don¡¯t worry about it. No one can hurt you anymore."


    Anfey waited for a while but still did not get any response from the princess. Anfey frowned. "No matter what is bothering you, you need to eat regrly. You have to learn to take care of yourself."


    There was still no response. Anfey smiled as he shook his head. He stood up. He could not spend too much time on this princess. He rather needed to go back to his own room to meditate. A somber and healthy princess would be helpful for his n, but this was all he could do.


    Anfey turned around and walked out. As his hand touched the doorknob, the princess said slowly, "If I say I am a princess, do you believe me?"


    "Of course, why not?" Anfey smiled. He calmly turned around and stared at the princess.


    The princess was shocked for a second and returned Anfey¡¯s smile. "I¡¯ve been thinking for the past few days."


    "If you want to, you can tell me what you¡¯ve been thinking about. Don¡¯t worry. I will keep your secrets." Anfey slowly walked back.


    "When I was little, I knew I wanted to help my father and my country." There was a smile on the princess¡¯s face, but coldness showed in her eyes. "I did help. One year, gue broke out in the eastern part of my country. It spread super fast. Many people died and many fled away from their hometowns. Theter ones brought the gue to other ces. To control it, my father ordered the epidemic area to be cordoned off, but the people inside the epidemic area did not want to stay in that hell. They organized to try to break through the cordon. After a few big confrontations, many soldiers were infected as well. My father coldly ordered first to have them quarantined, andter even sent those infected soldiers into the epidemic area that had been cordoned off.


    Things were getting worse and worse, since the soldiers organized those rebels, which posed a tremendous threat to the country. My father found out those rebels were nning something big. He needed someone to totally represent him in the cordon-off epidemic area tofort those rebels. None of my siblings wanted to go, and many officials went on "sick" leave. Finally, I took that challenge. That year, I lost my best friend. She was also Isis¡¯s sister."


    Anfey could not help giving a closer look at the princess. He knew what the gue meant at that time. A girl who dared to enter the cordoned-off epidemic area deserved others¡¯ respect. Anfey knew he would not have wanted to go into the cordoned-off epidemic area himself. "There was another time that the western part of my country had a gang. Maybe it was because the chief and mayor were too vicious and greedy and people lost faith in them. The gang expanded very fast as a result. A few chiefs united to try to convince the gang to dissolve and work for them. When the leader of the gang, named Ahmed, went to negotiate with them, the chiefs attacked Ahmed in surprise. They not only wanted to get rid off the threat posed by the gang, but also wanted to earn their meritorious military service, with the head of Ahmed chopped off. They failed and Ahmed escaped.


    After their dirty tricks became known by people, more people felt bad for Ahmed. Ahmed got stronger and stronger. My father was worried that sending troops to suppress him would be very costly. He sent officials to convince Ahmed to work for him, but Ahmed did not trust any government people. He asked to directly speak with the people from the royal family.


    My siblings pushed me out again. In fact, Ahmed already had be ambitious by then. He only wanted to have the conversation to buy himself time. I became themb jumping into his trap. Do you know I almost got raped by him. Other leaders in the gang did not like Ahmed¡¯s tyranny. They never wanted to be the enemy of the empire. The reason they joined the gang was because that was the only way to survive. With the help of other leaders, I killed Ahmed and sessfully convinced the gang to work for my father.


    Oh, right. I forget to tell you what happened to those leaders. After they became government officials in the empire, my father sentenced them to death with all kinds of usations."

 Chapter 128: What Happened in the Hotel

    Chapter 128: What Happened in the Hotel


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "It seems like you have been through a lot," Anfey said. "So I¡¯m curious. How did you end up with the likes of Ahab?"


    "I thought they were a normal merchant¡¯s caravan," the princess said, sighing.


    "In deserted ces like that, a normal caravan can easily turn into bandits, as long as there is a good enough motive."


    "I know now."


    "How did you end up in the Country of Mercenaries?" Anfey asked, switching the topic.


    "I thought I would at least deserve a satisfying marriage, after everything I¡¯ve done." A smile bloomed on the princess¡¯s face, but her eyes were cold. "I objected, but it was to no avail. So there I was."


    "After you were captured by Ahab?"


    "I couldn¡¯t tell them who I was. Isis was afraid they would hurt me, so she told them who I was. Thank god Ahab wasn¡¯t there, or else he would have either killed me or sent me to the Tiger of Tawau mercenaries."


    Anfey nodded. He knew how these things go. If Ahab had truly believed she was a princess, he would have given her to the Tiger of Tawau mercenaries as a gift. After Ahab had tortured and humiliated herpanions, he might have killed her to avoid her rage. Then he would have covered up what he did, and the missing princess would remain a mystery forever.


    "Why did you believe me?" The princess asked, staring at Anfey.


    "You didn¡¯t have a reason to lie, did you?" Anfey asked. Of course, he couldn¡¯t tell her the real reason.


    "You¡¯re a strange one."


    "Why do you say that?"


    "Normal people would react to what I just told you. They would be angry at the merchants, or pity me and Isis. You, though, you¡¯re calm. You don¡¯t look like a young man."


    "Maybe it¡¯s because I can understand you," Anfey said quietly.


    "You know my secret now. What are you going to do? Can you tell me?"


    "If I take you to the Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, I would make some good friends with powerful people," Anfey said.


    "Of course. No wonder you can understand. You¡¯re like my father. You value your interests more than anything else." The princess smiled, but the light in her eyes dimmed.


    "Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re beautiful when you curse?" Anfey said, unmoved by her words.


    "The princess of Shansa Empire, trying to escape a marriage. A princess turned into a ve. It would be a great scandal once it gets out. Have you thought about the fact that you may not make any friends?"


    "Really?" Anfey asked, lifting a brow.


    "If my father was in charge, he would kill you, all of you. And you have to realize my father alone would dictate to the mercenaries."


    Anfey looked at the princess, and the smile fell from his face. He was concerned for this very reason, and wasn¡¯t nning on giving the princess to the mercenaries. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that he had realized this, but the princess did too. She had already impressed him.


    "The first time I saw you, you were so calm. It is very hard to remain calm in a situation like that. I just thought you were good at enduring that kind of thing. I did not know you were this brilliant. Why didn¡¯t you try to escape? Ahab was about as smart as rockpared to you."


    "For a defenseless woman, a woman who was treated like a toy and not a person, what would you have wanted me to do? Beg? Cry? Struggle? Curse? Submit?" The princess looked at Anfey, shaking her head. "Do you think any of those would work?"


    "Makes sense. But sometimes violence is the only answer."


    "You just said I was brilliant?" The princess¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. "You aren¡¯t sending me to the mercenaries? Because you know it¡¯s likely they wouldn¡¯t treat you well."


    "Where do you want to go?" Anfey asked. He shifted the topic, and did not confirm or deny her words.


    "I want to stay here."


    "Here?"


    "With your mercenary group."


    "I don¡¯t understand. If you choose to go to the Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, at least you can enjoy a life of luxury. You don¡¯t have to worry about your next meal or your health. What¡¯s the point of staying with us? I¡¯m going to be honest with you. My mercenary group is brand new. There are less than twenty people in it."


    "I¡¯ve always lived for other people. From now on I want to live for myself. I decided that when I ran away."


    "You think you can get what you want with us?"


    "I can try. You saved me. I trust you."


    "Adventurous," Anfey said as he stood up. "It doesn¡¯t matter what you want to do. You have to eat. Destroying your own body does nothing."


    "Can¡¯t you answer me now?" the princess asked calmly. Anfey¡¯s tactic of shifting the topic did not work.


    "I need time to think about it," Anfey said. "Go eat and rest."


    "Alright," the princess replied quietly.


    "By the way, I do not know your name," Anfey turned around and said.


    "Don¡¯t worry about the old one. Give me a new name."


    "Let me think about that as well."


    "You need time to think about a name?" the princess asked and she smiled.


    "Of course," Anfey said. He stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. vi was standing at the end of the hall, grinning at him. Anfey red at him, and vi reassumed his post.


    Anfey sighed. He had taken quite some time speaking with the princess. Who knew what kind of rumors would circte in the group tomorrow?


    ----------


    As usual, the magical surges from Anfey¡¯s room could be felt throughout the hotel. What surprised those who felt them was that they were no longer just fire elements. There were surges for every element. Plus, an apprentice¡¯s surges would not be this strong. Anfey¡¯s magic had grown, but it was still somewhere between an apprentice and a junior mage. This was impossible. However, no one wanted to ask him, so everyone decided to just observe in secret.


    Anfey woke up at dawn. The two girls who were already waiting outside and observing him through the crack pushed open the door and walked inside. They weremoners and did not have money or power. They weren¡¯t beautiful either, which made them self-conscious. This was the only way they could repay his kindness.


    Anfey hesitated but did not turn them away. He finished dressing and cleaning himself with their help. Christian and Suzanna walked into the room together.


    "Christian, just on time. Tell me about yesterday."


    "It¡¯s done. Our group wasuded by the Mercenaries Union."


    "Good."


    Christian nodded. He turned to the two girls and said, "Pardon me, can you leave us for a moment? We have some important things to discuss."


    "Yes, Lord Christian," the girls said. They bowed and left the room.


    "What happened?"


    "Anfey, we have to crack down on our policies," Christian said. "You know. We¡¯re all young, and sometimes young people are hard to control. The girls were grateful that we saved them, then..."


    "They hooked up?" Anfey asked. "Something like that is hard to control. As long as the girls are willing, I mean."


    "It is hard. We need the leader to set an example for everyone else," Suzanna said quietly.


    "Set an example? Suzanna, you¡¯re acting strange. If you like me and don¡¯t want to see me do things like that, you can just tell me. You don¡¯t need to say something like that." Anfey looked at Suzanna, amused.


    "Shut up," Suzanna said, blushing. "What were you doingst night?"


    "You said the woman wasn¡¯t speaking or eating, so I went and talked to her," Anfey said, feeling as if he was telling his wife about his day in detail.


    "Our leader is so charming that she has returned to normal. Congrats, Anfey, you don¡¯t have to worry anymore."


    "Keep an eye on her, though," Anfey reminded them.


    "Why?"


    "She really is the Shansa princess."


    Christian and Suzanna widened their eyes. One of them knew about the n, and the other was actively involved in it. They both knew the details. Learning that the target was among them came as a huge surprise.


    "Anfey, what are we going to do? Kill her?"


    "No, there¡¯s no need for that," Anfey said slowly. "We can wait until after the wedding to reveal her and cause a scandal. But it seems like she wants to forget about her past. She may not cooperate."


    "When have you ever thought about other people¡¯s feelings when you decide to do something?" Suzanna asked. "I don¡¯t think this would be an exception."


    "Give me some time and let me think about it," Anfey said and smiled bitterly.

 Chapter 129: Rewards and Punishments

    Chapter 129: Rewards and Punishments


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This is a patrol." ck Eleven pointed at the highly-guarded yard. "White Mountain City has over seven hundred patrolmen in six teams. They take turns to patrol. They are not that great, but usually people do not want to cause trouble with them because they might end up on the wanted list of the mercenary union."


    "Do Band of Brother and Storm mercenary groups have any connection with the patrol?" Anfey asked casually.


    "I am not sure. We have run business here for decades, but still have no ess to their top secrets." ck Eleven smiled. "Let¡¯s hurry up. Staying here too long would look suspicious."


    A middle-aged man rushed into the patrol station, crying and screaming. A few patrolmen at the door stopped him and violently threw him back out on the street.


    "God..." the man screamed at the top of his lungs, sitting on the street. "Why can¡¯t anyone carry out justice for me? Why? Bastards, you are all bastards."


    "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "A dispute. Are you interested in it?" ck Eleven asked.


    "We have nothing to do right now anyway." Anfey shrugged.


    "Anfey, if you do not have anything to do right now, why don¡¯t you..." ck Eleven suggested.


    "I do not want to repeat it again." Anfey¡¯s expression hardened. "Suzanna told me that both of us would not be a match for even five griffin riders. I don¡¯t want to die for nothing."


    "Anfey, maybe we can use some tactics. With your intelligence..." ck Eleven said.


    "When we have a huge difference in abilities, tactics would only make it look ridiculous. No matter how smart the chicken is, it could not kill a manticore. I think you understand it as well," Anfey said.


    ck Eleven was quiet for a while and heaved a sigh. He lifted the curtain and said something to the wagon driver. The wagon driver stopped the wagon and ran into the crowd, which was watching the guy screaming on the street.


    After a while, the wagon driver came back. What happened to that guy was notplicated. His son was with a merchant caravan on the way back to the White Mountain City. He went to pee in the wild. Suddenly, a startled three-eyed magic cow ran towards him. To dodge the three-eyed magic cow, he rolled away. He identally rolled into a 7-foot deep crack, where he found a ck box made of Magic Concealing Crystals. There were five top magic crystals in the ck box.


    He was super lucky to find that ck box. With his sry, even if he had worked over five hundred years without paying for food and shelter, he would not be able to afford those five top magic crystals. One day, he was drunk and told people the secret about the ck box.


    Since then his luck had turned into misfortune. A rather popr guy in the Cloud Chamber of Commerce overheard him tell about his secrets and reported back to Anga, the chairman of the Cloud Chamber of Commerce. The next morning, the son of that man was taken away by the people from Cloud Chamber of Commerce. They also searched for the ck box and took it as well.


    That man came to the patrol station several times to appeal, but Anga had alreadye to report that he had lost five top magic crystals in a ck box made of Magic Concealing Crystals. The key was that Anga could name all the design details about the ck box, even some ws in it, while the man and his son were not so sure about the design details, sometimes even describing them incorrectly when the patrol asked them questions about the ck box. In the end, the patrol decided that the magic crystals and ck box belonged to Anga and sent the man and his son to the jail.


    After hearing this, ck Eleven sneered, "Anga is setting people up again."


    "Why are you saying that? Maybe that guy just pulled it off," Anfey said.


    "You do not know about Anga. If that man and his son had not been pushed to the corner, regr people might dare to have any dispute with Anga," ck Eleven said.


    "What about him?" Anfey asked.


    "Anga has two good daughters. They each married an important person in Storm mercenary group. It¡¯s said that Cloud Chamber of Commerce received a lot of support from Strom mercenary group." ck Eleven showed disdain on his face. "If this had happened in a peaceful time, the patrol might take some time to look into it, but it is such a sensitive time now. The rules in the Country of Mercenaries had been changed by Mourtta. No one knows which direction things will go, but they know it is never smart to cause trouble for powerful Storm mercenary group. Therefore, the patrol made a judgement without looking into it," ck Eleven answered.


    "I feel you are a little cynical. Being cynical will not do you any good," Anfey said casually.


    ck Elven smiled bitterly. "You have no idea what he has done. I own five hotels, two fabric stores, two cksmith shops, and some other businesses. I have been ckmailed by him several times. I really do not like him. In fact, Cloud Chamber of Commerce are doing great, plus Storm mercenary group referred a few capable people to them to take care of their management. Anga did not have to do much to make a decent amount of money. He could just sit at home, counting how much money he makes everyday, but he rather set others up for little things. It was hard to understand what he was thinking."


    "Money would not bite your hands no matter how much you make." Anfey lifted up the curtain and nced at the crying man. "Let¡¯s change the topic. It has nothing to do with you and me."


    "What should we talk about? How about Honna?" ck Eleven took a deep breath. He did notice himself being a little overexcited about it, but it was not all his fault. He hated Anga so much that he would have used all his resources to take revenge on him. However, he did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble because he had so much responsibility on his shoulders.


    "Honna?" Anfey asked.


    "The woman you asked me to investigate." ck Eleven smiled. "She is a social butterfly in White Mountain City, and also a bright flower in bed. Many people have been in her bed, and she also has slept in many others¡¯ beds."


    "Have you been to bed with her?" Anfey asked.


    "No." ck Eleven could not help staring at Anfey. "What are you thinking about?"


    "You sounded like you know her well. I thought maybe you have been her temporary husband," Anfey said.


    "I am not interested in her." ck Eleven¡¯s mouth twitched. "How about you?"


    "What about me?" Anfey asked.


    "You asked me to conduct a secret investigation on her. It seems that you are interested in her," ck Eleven said.


    "What if I am interested in her? Are you jealous of me?" Anfey asked.


    "How did I get to know someone like you?" ck Eleven had nothing more toment on with Anfey.


    "Let¡¯s keep walking and see how long the people behind us will follow us," Anfey said slowly.


    ck Eleven tapped lightly on the wagon as the wagon rocked a little bit. He hesitated a bit before he whispered to Anfey, "Anfey, we need have a heart-to-heart talk."


    "Go ahead. I am listening." Anfey nodded.


    "Do you still remember ck Ghost? Did you kill him?" ck Eleven asked.


    Anfey was startled for a second, smiled and said, "Yes, why are you suddenly asking me about it?"


    "Thank you for your honesty." ck Eleven heaved a sigh of relief. "In fact, the king has suspected it was you for a long time."


    "Oh?" Anfey said.


    "It was pretty simple in fact. Saul and Ernest did not kill him. We have sent out secret agents to investigate everyone in the Rose Home Hotel that day, including the owner and staff. None of them could pose any threat to ck Ghost. After giving it a lot of thought, we noticed we had missed one person in the hotel. It was you," ck Eleven said.


    Anfey did not respond. He just quietly listened to ck Eleven.


    "Evil Mist was investigating you as we did the investigation on you. I do not know why they are so interested in you," ck Eleven said.


    "Evil Mist?" Anfey frowned.


    "Evil Mist is a very mysterious and powerful organization. ck Ghost was their assassin," ck Eleven said.


    "Did the king ask you to tell me this?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, the king asked you to be careful of Evil Mist," ck Eleven said, nodding. "The king said he would keep your secrets and would not let anyone know. However, you cannot keep doing this. The king hoped you couldmunicate with Master Saul to avoid any misunderstandingter on."


    "I know." Anfey smiled. He knew what he had done in ckwater City had gained the trust of Ynthe, and that was why the king sent ck Eleven to tell Anfey these things.


    First of all, Ynthe had hinted to Anfey that he was not a king that Anfey should fool around with. Ynthe had suspected him before Anfey noticed it. Second, he warned Anfey to be careful of Evil Mist because he received some information that Anfey would potentially have a confrontation at the Evil Mist station in White Mountain City. He warned Anfey to show his concern for Anfey.


    Anfey had not run away on his own when things happened. Instead, he brought Saul¡¯s family along. Ynthe may not know everything that had happened on the way, but he must know everything that happened in ckwater City. Anfey and Suzanna had taken on all the dangerous missions and kept everyone else in safe ces. Smart people could understand Anfey¡¯s concerns and his bonds with Saul and everyone in his legion.


    Anfey knew the rtionship with Saul had not been long, but they had definitely connected. When Ynthe talked about the issues with Saul, Anfey could analyze what he said in two ways. One was that Ynthe hoped to continue to have a good rtionship with Saul and avoid any possible misunderstanding. The other one was that Ynthe was trying to control Anfey with this invisible bond with Saul. This bond was a way to have both parties build their trust. Actually it was a way for Anfey to gain Ynthe¡¯s trust, since there was a huge difference in their positions. Ynthe could decide Anfey¡¯s fate with the blink of an eye.


    "The people behind us are still following us. Where are we heading to?" ck Eleven suddenly asked.


    "Is there any joyhouse?" Anfey smiled. He did not look stressed and nervous at all.


    "There are many hookers. But what is a joyhouse? A ce with hookers?" ck Eleven asked a weird question.


    "Yes, don¡¯t you have joyhouses?" Anfey asked.


    "It is interesting where you are from. Let¡¯s go to a bar. No, let¡¯s go to a hotel. Most of the waitresses are hookers there."

 Chapter 130: Terror of the Griffins

    Chapter 130: Terror of the Griffins


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Shinon raised the bottle to his lips with shaking hands and took a swig of the ale. He began walking into the room. Inside, a grey rope hung limply from the ceiling like a dying snake. This was the end Shinon chose for himself.


    There was nothing worse than a heart yearning for death. For someone suicidal, nothing in the world could hold them back. Ale was something nd and amusing, but Shinon had to drink. He did not have the courage to face death.


    The bottle fell to the ground. Shinon did not care to pick it up. He stumbled forward towards the rope. He climbed onto the table and tied a loop. He ced the loop around his neck, and kicked the table. His body began swinging in the air. The rope was pulled taut, the beam began creaking.


    Something shed through the air and cut through the rope. Shinon fell to the ground with a dull thud. Theck of air did notst long, and Shinon was still conscious. His hands searched the ground and found the ale bottle. He drained the bottle and tossed it against the wall. It shattered like a flower.


    The moon peeked out from behind the grey clouds and lit the room. Shinon saw the broken rope next to the fallen table and sighed, cursing the gods. Couldn¡¯t they just let him die? When he saw where the rope broke and its smooth surface, he realized that the rope did not break on its own. Someone had cut him down.


    "Do you have money?" a hoarse voice asked.


    Shinon jumped. He turned around and his eyes grew wide, staring at the man who had suddenly appeared behind him. The moon was bright, and from his angle the moonlight was all blocked out by the shadow. All he could see was darkness.


    "Do you have money?" the person asked again.


    Shinon smiled. He was about to die, and did not have a care in the world. Whatever the person wanted, he would give. Even if the person wanted to kill him, he would ept it dly.


    "Money?" Shinon repeated as he searched his pockets. He found a half empty wallet.


    Law suits required money. He was already poor, and he had already sold everything he could. The wallet was everything he had.


    "Here, have it." Shinon tossed the wallet at the figure, then pointed at the room. "It¡¯s all yours."


    The figure opened the wallet, and found three copper coins inside. The figure¡¯s hand glowed, and picked up one of the coins. Then he threw the wallet and the two remaining coins onto the ground. "Deal," he said.


    "Deal?" Shinon looked at the figure, confused. This person clearly wasn¡¯t a robber or a murderer. He was an idiot. Who would want to make a deal with someone like him?


    "Don¡¯t die so soon. Wait a few days. You¡¯ll get a good news." The figure turned and walked outside.


    "Wait!" Shinon called. "Who are you?"


    "You could say I am a judge," the person said. Then he began to levitate and disappeared.


    Shinon dashed outside and nced around, but he was already alone. Could it be the Bringer of Justice? Shinon¡¯s hands flew up to his mouth. He had a feeling. It had something to do with the injustice he had suffered.


    ----------


    Anfey pushed open door and walked into the room. He stopped in his tracks in shock. The girls responsible for cleaning his room weren¡¯t there. Instead, it was the princess of Shansa that was sitting on his bed, staring at the candle.


    "What are you doing here? Where are the girls?"


    "I sent them away," the princess said. She stood up and walked over. "I just wanted to know my name."


    Anfey thought about it for a moment then said, "When I was younger, I once heard a song from a minstrel. It was called F¨¹r Alice. It was a beautiful and happy song, and I still remember it to this day. I want to give you that name. Do you like it?"


    "It¡¯s beautiful," the princess said. "Do you want me to be happy?"


    Anfey did not reply. Agreeing could lead her on, disagreeing would be inappropriate.


    "Did something happen?" the princess asked.


    "No, why did you ask?"


    "You seemed more approachable when you left, now you feel strange," the princess said. She looked at him. "You seem...austere."


    "You¡¯re sensitive to changes," Anfey said, smiling. "We ran into a bit of a trouble. Someone was following us."


    "Who?"


    "We¡¯ll find out tomorrow." Anfey looked at the princess. "Alice, I can call you this, right?"


    "I like this name."


    "Do you know anything about the Griffins Aerial Unit?"


    Alice blinked in shock, her expression unreadable. After a few moments she said quietly, "What do you want to know? I¡¯ll tell you everything."


    "I heard that Shansa Empire had sent out the Griffins Aerial Unit. I have a mission and my employer wants to know about them. If you know, you would save us a trip to the Transverse Mountains."


    "They must be working for Maho Empire! Anfey, don¡¯t work for them!" Alice said hurriedly.


    "Alice, I must take the group¡¯s reputation into consideration," Anfey said slowly. "I know you¡¯re Shansa Empire¡¯s princess, but you need to know that everyone here, except for Suzanna and Shally, are people of Maho Empire. This is the reason I took the job. If you want to forget about your past, you need to leave it behindpletely. Or else I cannot trust you."


    "Anfey, you are putting me in a very difficult situation," Alice said. There were tears in her eyes.


    "You can tell us, or you cannot tell us. This choice lies in your hands," Anfey said calmly. "Also, I believe you¡¯re not a woman who likes tears. You should have a better way of convincing me."


    However, his words did not wipe away her tears. Alice lowered her gaze and tears started rolling down her cheeks.


    Anfey sighed. He looked at Alice coldly, then walked over and sat down on his bed. He wanted to changed his original n, but he had a condition, and that was he needed to trust Alice. Alice said she wanted to forget her past, but it seemed like some things were too hard to ignore. He could tell that Alice did not want to do anything that might harm Shansa Empire. He could understand her sentiments, but he could not ept it. If she could not change, he must go through with his original n.


    Alice walked over carefully. She lifted her skirt and sat down next to Anfey. Her hand caressed Anfey¡¯s arm and his chest. Her breathing was short and nervous. Her gentle scent and timid teases were more than enough to arouse any normal men.


    Anfey, however, was as rxed as ice. Hey there quietly, as if Alice did not exist.


    "If you really need to know, I¡¯ll tell you," Alice said with a sigh. "My father...Shansa Empire would not send out the entire unit. It¡¯s too much of a gamble, its consequences too much to handle. Edward VIII may seem ambitious by expanding his army, but in fact he is a very cowardly men. His dream was to hand off the empire to his sessor, not leaving a name for himself. Even if the chances are good, he will not risk everything."


    "That¡¯s it?"


    "Maho Empire¡¯s most powerful legion, the Roaring Dead Legion, is on the eastern front. Its leader, Baery, is famous for his hunger for battle. He had long been a thorn in his enemies¡¯ side. In order to protect his army from major loss, Edward VIII would surely make a more conservative move, hoping Maho Empire would pit all of its might against Ellisen Empire. Then Shansa Empire could fight what was left of Maho¡¯s army."


    "Do you know anything more specific?" Anfey asked. He memorized everything Alice told him in order to tell ck Eleven about it. News like this would make the higher-ups very happy.


    "I know Edward VIII would send a squadron of Griffin Aerial Unit. The n was already made before I left the imperial city. I don¡¯t know if they made any changes to it," Alice said softly. "The squadron has two missions. One is to find chances to kill any powerful man and woman in the service of Maho Empire. The other is to find the exact location of the Roaring Dead Legion in order to prevent it from ambushing Shansa¡¯s army. Baery is very skilled at ambushes and battles. Plus, he is a very powerful man himself. He is the kind of men you need to look out for during a war."


    "How many people are in a squadron?"


    "Fifty Griffin Knights."


    "What are griffins¡¯ weaknesses? Fire? Cold? Lightening?"


    "Griffins are practically immune to magic. The only kind of magic that can harm them is high level magic. The worst thing that can happen is that they do not have enough food supplies. In a past war, the supply line was disrupted, and the riders lost control of the griffins. The griffins ate all the horses in the cavalry unit and caused majormotion. Since then, the army has been very careful to make sure the griffins are fed properly."

 Chapter 131: Seeing Honna Again

    Chapter 131: Seeing Honna Again


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Maybe it was because the nature of civilization in this magic world involved many bloody fights, or because everyone was eager to prove how strong they were when a person¡¯s fate was purely decided by their abilities. Almost every city seemed to have boxing facilities in addition to entertainmentplexes. Anfey thought the boxing here was even more bloody than the underground boxing in his world.


    Thest match had just finished. Four human ves were torn up into pieces. Blood and their organs were everywhere on the boxing stage. The audience had both men and women. They got excited, cheering for bloody scenes. If ck Eleven and Christian had not sat next to Anfey, Anfey would have thought he was in a party thrown by vampires.


    Anfey never thought killing was enjoyable. It was only a way to protect himself. Anfey did not like the idea that the crowds loved to watch the bloody scenes, but he did understand these crazy people. The people who watched the boxing should be no less excited than the people who went to an arena to watch fights when it was newly built.


    Walking in others¡¯ shoes was Anfey¡¯s strongpoint. In most cases, he could find a specific reason for any unusual behavior. He was never surprised by unusual behavior. His strongpoint allowed him to be able to think psychologically, including studying his enemies¡¯ psychology.


    "Do you have other ces to go that are not so bloody?" Anfey asked, frowning. He was a ferocious assassin who killed many people, but he did it with reason and purpose. He had never been able to appreciate death in an entertaining way, so he did not like the crowds in the boxing arena. He liked neither the boxing stage nor the Angel Love Hotel.


    "Do you want to go to the theater?" ck Eleven grinned.


    "Is there any theater? What is it for?" Anfey was shocked for a second.


    "It has bard shows," ck Eleven said.


    "Not bad." Anfey smiled. "If I do not have a job, I know where I should go to help make ends meet."


    "Do you want to be a bard?" ck Eleven seemed to pick up on what Anfey implied and asked in surprise. Anyone who knew a little about Anfey should know he would never make it as a bard.


    "I have the potential to be a bard because I have so many great stories." Anfey pointed at his head with a smile. "Camille, Faust, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet. I promise you every one of them will be a ssic."


    "I think you have the potential to be bragger." ck Eleven did not believe a word Anfey said.


    The crowd suddenly cheered and went wild. Many men and women started to stand up. Some of them threw beer bottles on the floor, some flipped their tables, some even stood on the tables. There were even some waitresses who stopped serving and just jumped and screamed. Gradually, all kinds of sounds merged into one: "Katuru, Katuru, Katuru!"


    "What is Katuru?" Anfey asked.


    "It is a scary monster." ck Eleven smiled bitterly. "You will know in a second."


    A gigantic magic altar light lit up on the boxing stage, which signaled the most important annual matches at Angel Love Hotel were about to start. There were only three matches like this each year. The curtain on both sides of the stage opened. The boxers in this match were about toe out.


    From Anfey¡¯s angle, he saw an 8-foot-tall wolfman with blond fur walk out from the left side of the stage. Compared with the wolfmen Anfey had seen before, this one was bigger and had different fur. Regr wolfmen were 6 feet tall with grey, brown or ck fur. The appearance did not make a huge difference, but his ferocious personality did. When the wolfman walked on the stage, his eagerness to fight showed on his face. He even tried to attack the bodyguards who escorted him out. The wolfmen Anfey had seen before were a lot calmer. That wolfman did not even have to make any aggressive moves, he showed his ferociousness in his eyes. His pupils were contracted to the size of peas.


    The three boxers who came out from the other side of the stage were female. An elf wearing a gold crown walked in between, and two human swordswomen walked on the sides. They all were scantily dressed. Only a fewyers of gauze were wrapped around their breasts. Small and thin panties barely covered their private parts. They all looked desperate. Anfey could clearly tell that they were trembling as they walked. Obviously they had been forced to dress the way they were dressed. They had been forced to fight on the stage as well.


    The bodyguards escorting them were quite different. Although the boxers all wore antimagic bracelets, a senior magister and two intermediate magisters followed the wolfman, while only two junior swordsmen followed the three girls.


    Before they even started their fight, Anfey knew these three girls were no match for the wolfman. Anfey did not understand the point of this fight.


    Boxers all walked onto the stage. A senior magister and his assistants started to set up the magic array. A momentter, a swordsman walked onto the stage to check the antimagic bracelet on the wolfman, and then he turned around to take the antimagic bracelets off the girls. He walked back to the wolfman to take the apron off him. The wolfman stood on the stage naked.


    Audience screamed, "F*^king kill them, F*^king kill them!"


    The elf had already loaded her bow and pointed it at the wolfman standing opposite her. The other two girls pulled their swords out and positioned themselves to fight. The wolfman wore the antimagic bracelet. The girls were ready to fight with their full force, but the girls did not seem to have the confidence to win and looked even more desperate.


    "Is this the upper ss you talked about? Is this the show you said regr people were not qualified toe in to watch?" Anfey said with an ironic tone.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s go back." Christian was anxious to leave.


    "In order to bring you here, I had to pull a lot of strings," ck Eleven said, smiling bitterly. "These people looked crazy here, but when they walk out of this hall, they could be gentlemen. They could give money to the homeless and would shed tears for the unfortunate. Anfey, this is just a show. Every city has this kind of show. You cannot stop them and have no right to stop them. Many royal families just love to watch them," ck Eleven said.


    "Supply and demand. I understand it." Anfey smiled and stood up. "I have no control over others, but I can control my eyes. There should be no one forcing me to stay, right?"


    "I finally find someone who shares the same values as me." A girl¡¯s voice rose behind Anfey. "The air here is filled with ugliness and disgrace. Sir? Did we meet somewhere?"


    Anfely slowly turned around. He smiled, "Madam, we did meet at White Mountain City. I am sorry that I offended you then. I did not mean to."


    "So you still remember me?" The corner of Honna¡¯s mouth turned up.


    "You are so beautiful. How could I forget you? I may forget where I am from, but I would not forget you," Anfey said.


    "You have such a sweet way of talking." Honna looked at ck Eleven and Christian. "Don¡¯t you want to introduce me your friends?"


    "Hello, Madam. My name is Christian." Christian stood up politely.


    ck Eleven followed him, standing up too. "Hello, my name is Armin."


    "Nice meeting both of you." Honna nodded. "I am Honna."


    The fight had just started on the stage. That elf and the other two swordswomen crowded into the corner of the stage, trying hard to defend themselves. The antimagic bracelet definitely constrained the moves that the wolfman could do. He had received two minor wounds on his body in the short fight. Those three girls were intact, but wolfman had the advantage of making offensive attacks.


    "What is your name? Is it a secret?" Honna looked at Anfey with a smile.


    "My name is Anfey. Honna? Your name is as beautiful as you." Anfey smiled.


    "Thank you." Honna covered her little mouth with her hand. "I have something to do today. I am going to let you guys go, but I hope you guys cane by at my house sometime. Will you?"


    "It would be my pleasure," Anfey said.


    "Oh, right, where are you staying now?" Honna asked.


    "Tuna Hotel," Anfey answered.


    "Honna." A man around fifty years old called from the distance.


    "I am sorry. I have to go now." Honna had a beautiful smile on her face. She moved back two steps.


    "Sure," Anfey said.


    ck Eleven waited until Honna walked next to the old man. He frowned and asked, "Anfey, what does that woman want to do?"


    "Who knows? It seems that she wanted to get to know us," Anfey said.


    "Not us. She wanted to know you." Christian smiled. "Her eyes had been on you the whole time. Couldn¡¯t you tell?"


    "Idiot!" ck Elevenmented. He had not known Anfey for a long, but he knew Anfey was different than other young guys. He would not fall into the trap of a beautiful girl. Niya and Suzanna were famous for their beauty. Anfey did not make a big deal out of it. Even when he flirted with Suzanna, ck Eleven still could tell Anfey had a natural calmness in his eyes. If Anfey would not fall for Suzanna and Niya, neither would he fall for Honna. In addition, Anfey knew about Honna¡¯s messed-up life. It would be a joke if anyone tried to connect with Anfey through beautiful girls.


    The situation on the stage suddenly changed. The wolfman took the opportunity and dragged a swordswoman out of their defensive zone. The other two girls understood the importance of fighting together. If any of them died, the other two would end up the same way. Therefore, the other two girls went forward and tried to save that swordswomen from the wolfman.


    Anfey looked at the stage and noticed that the wolfman was breathing normally, while the girls were out of breath. He shook his head. "Let¡¯s go."

 Chapter 132: Killer

    Chapter 132: Killer


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As night fell, Anga entered his room with a girl on each arm and a smile on his face. He was not young anymore, but he was still a romantic man at heart. His younger days were tough, and he wasn¡¯t fully established until his middle age. Thankfully, he had two good daughters who married two good men. With the help of his daughters and sons-inw, he was able to sessfully expand his tradingpany. The need for him to go on business trips dwindled. He often found himself bored out of his mind, and when he was bored he needed to find something to do: things he did not have a chance to do when he was younger.


    The two women led him to the bedroom and helped him sit down on the bed. He was groping the women and smirking. "Why don¡¯t you dears go grab my things?" he said.


    The two women widened their eyes in fear. As he aged, Anga found that he had a hard time convincing his body to have sex drive. Sometimes he would spend hours on top of a woman and still could not enter her; or he could, but could not keep himself hard. Anga enjoyed seeing women squirming and crying under him, but it brought him only psychological pleasure, not physical pleasure.


    As a leader of a tradingpany, Anga still had ways to find pleasure. He found some soft whips and ropes and crystal sticks that could help him. On the other hand, this was torture for the women. They were young and needed warmth, not coldness and pain, and much less so from men that could not keep themselves hard.


    However, there was too big of a difference in their socioeconomic ss, and none of the women dared offend Anga. If they did, who knows what would happen to themter. They would disappear, or be handed off to men who had not seen a woman in years. Or thrown into a pit with werewolves or bear men, and experience warmth with Death holding their hands. So all the women chose to obey the old man and satisfy his needs.


    The two women nced at each other and walked out the room, smiling. Anga remained, humming and waiting.


    After a few minutes, Anga felt someone approaching him. "Give me my things, dearest," he said, cackling, showing his missing teeth.


    Hard objects showered Anga. He turned angrily, but froze when he saw it was not the women, but a figure in ck standing over him. He wanted to call out, but suddenly felt something cold slipping against his neck. He shut his mouth.


    His body was getting old. He felt the impact of the shock from the wetness between his legs. The coldness was ufortable, but he did not dare to say anything. He grabbed more quilts and piled them on his body to avoid embarrassment. His eyes darted around the room, trying to get himself out of this situation.


    Even though he had sought nothing but pleasure in recent years and did not do anything dangerous, he had been a mercenary when he was younger, and did notck experience. He knew that when faced with danger, screaming and crying would not do him much good. He had to act natural and at peace.


    When he was still a mercenary, he and hispanion encountered a Seven Tail Magic Fox. Hispanion, who was screaming and making a fuss, was ripped apart in seconds. Anga, on the other hand, had remained calm and was speaking to the fox the entire time. He did not know whether the fox understood him, but he knew that it did not harm hm. He learned that when in danger, he must remain calm in order to save himself.


    Anga coughed quietly and pointed at his neck. "This is not the way to treat an old man, is it, young man?" he said, smiling. Except for his slightly shaking fingers, he was very calm. His smile was natural and voice was level.


    The coldness around his neck disappeared. The figure hid its weapon, but did not speak. His ck eyes were cold and calm.


    The first step was a sess. Anga gave himself a mental pat on the shoulder. "Tell me, young man. What are you doing here? Of course, if you don¡¯t want to tell me, just pretend I did not ask the question." Anga worded his question very carefully. He was afraid his words would anger the assant.


    "Someone paid me to kill you," the figure croaked.


    "You¡¯re an assassin?" Anga asked. He was suddenly hopeful. This man was an assassin, but instead of killing him, he stopped to engage him in conversation. Clearly he wanted something. "You¡¯ve made a mistake," Anga said.


    "Did I, now?"


    "There are so many thing you could do in the world. With your skills, you could be anything you want. Why choose this path of evil?" Anga knew what kind of people were protecting him. This man could stand in front of him because he was very powerful. Powerful men had more choices than normal men, and being an assassin was not the best choice. Anga was hoping to find the man¡¯s weakness.


    "I enjoy it," the figure replied.


    "But this is a path of death! It will never end well for you. Trust me, young man. One day you will regret your decision." Anga¡¯s voice was hoarse and filled with wisdom, as if he was a mentor teaching his student about the way of the world. "Money cannot buy everything,, and violence is not the solution for everything." Thest part Anga had once heard from a minstrel. He was very impressed by his memory. These were words of pure wisdom. Surely it would make an impact.


    "Money cannot buy everything, but it bought me. Violence is not the solution for everything, but it will bring you to your end." The hoarse voice shattered Anga¡¯s hope.


    Anga¡¯s forehead was dotted in sweat. He wished he could be a minstrel so he could convince the man with just his words. Now he realized how little knowledge he held. "Young man, you¡¯re too stubborn. There are a lot of answers to one question. Say, how much did you employer pay you for my death?"


    "A hundred gold coins."


    Anga cackled, "Young man! My life is not as cheap as that! Let me offer you two hundred, no, five...no, let me offer you a thousand gold coins to let me be. What do you say?" It seemed like Anga could never be a minstrel. A minstrel would not preach that money cannot buy everything, then turn around and try to bribe his opponent.


    "Really?" The figure sounded hesitant, and he moved his eyes away from Anga.


    "Think about it, young man. If you really kill me, you would make an enemy of Storm mercenary. My daughters and their husbands would try everything in their power to avenge me. I want you to let me be. I do not even want to know who your employer is. I know you have your rules and morals, and so do I. I will not make the situation difficult for you." Anga was speaking from the bottom of his heart. He would seek out who employed this assassin, but first he needed to live. He was old, but he was not ready to die.


    "You¡¯re willing to pay a thousand gold coins?"


    "Of course!" Anga raised his hands. "I swear on my life."


    "Deal."


    Anga was overjoyed. He struggled out of his bed and said, "follow me."


    He had a small vault in his bedroom filled with money. He was the head of his tradingpany, but his daughters and their husbands were already taking over the finances, since Anga did not know how to limit his spending. He had built the vault to prepare for the unexpected.


    As he stood in front of the vault, he was worried. He had way more than a thousand gold coins in the vault. He was afraid that the assassin would take everything in there. However, he did not have any other choice. If he did not give the man money, he would die.


    There were only about a hundred gold coins in the vault. For someone like him, he did not need to hide his gold in a vault like that. There were two boxes made with ck antimagic crystals, one he had had for a long time, the other he had recently acquired. Behind the boxes were some magic scrolls, a dagger, and some small bottles holding the best alchemy potions.


    As Anga stood there trying to figure out how to make up for the missing gold, he was pushed aside by the figure. The man took everything from the vault and ced it into his dimensional ring.


    Anga watched as his treasures disappeared into the ring. He felt terrible losing these treasures, but he had to smile. "I¡¯m old now, these mean nothing to me. Take it.


    "I should not have given you a chance to talk. I should have just killed you," the figure said slowly.


    "Why?"


    "I didn¡¯t know you would have an intermediate magister here. He saw me when I was on my way in, but he didn¡¯t do anything about it," the figure said, smiling. "I thought that was interesting."


    Anga cursed Ulemon quietly. How dare he abandon his post? He was really old now, old enough to remainpletely ignorant of the hidden meaning in the figure¡¯s words.


    "I don¡¯t want to serve as other¡¯s executioner, so you better be careful," the figure said. He reached over and hit Anga on his neck. Anga fell to the ground quietly.


    After a few hours, Anga¡¯s angry voice could be heard from the courtyard. "I curse your entire family..." He had reverted to his mercenary days, but could not finish his sentence.

 Chapter 133: A Mysterious Woman

    Chapter 133: A Mysterious Woman


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anfey, I took an assignment at mercenary union," Suzanna said as she pushed the door open.


    Anfey and Christian looked at each other and asked in surprise, "What assignment?" With anymon sense, Anfey should be the one making decisions on what kind of assignments they would take. Suzanna could give suggestions, but not make decisions for Anfey. In this case, the assignment must be special or she had some special reasons.


    "Someone is buying a lot of seven-winged magic flies. He gave a really good price. I took an assignment from him. We need to kill fifty seven-winged magic flies."


    Anfey was shocked for a second, since this assignment was nothing special. He could not think of any reason Suzanna had to do it.


    Suzanna saw Anfey and Christian give her a weird look. She hesitated a little before she said, "Anfey, we cannot keep doing things like this. Have you seen what everybody is doing every day? Besides practicing magic, they have being fooling around with those girls, or going out in groups. The morale in our legion will be gone if they keep doing it."


    Anfey went quiet. What Suzanna said was true. Of course, not everyone lost focus and totally rxed. Riska, vi and a few others still worked very hard. Only some people, whocked willpower, abandoned their lives to pleasure.


    "Anfey, don¡¯t me me for making a decision without you. I have mentioned a couple of times to you. You were busy day and night. You were never in the hotel to see what is happening to our legion. It is getting serious. You can ask Christian about it if you do not believe me," Suzanna said in low pitch.


    "Suzanna is not exaggerating," Christian said, smiling bitterly. "But it is a personal preference. We are not in a position to tell them what to do."


    "In fact, it is all good. At least it allows us to know who in our legion would be able to further their magic skills. In other words, I could tell who wishes to go further with their magic skills," Anfey said slowly.


    Dedication is crucial for being sessful. When Anfey had juste to this world, besides sleeping, he had dedicated the rest of his time in physical fitness training and martial arts basic training. After he followed Saul to the Saint City, he spent most of his time learning magic and reading magic books. When they had to flee, Anfey forced himself to only sleep three hours a day. In terms of dedication and hard-work, no one wasparable to Anfey.


    Christian, vi and several others worked very hard as well, but they would reach different levels of sess. There was a story about nine sons of a dragon. Each of the nine had different personalities and reached different levels of sess. They all learned magic from Saul. Each one of them had different desires. Some were willing to work hard, and were able to bear the loneliness, while some were strict with themselves. Therefore, some of them became senior mages at 60 or 70 years old, and some became archmages around 50 years old. Talent contributed to their sess, but it was not decisive.


    "I am d you are not ming me for taking the assignment." Suzanna heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Actually even if you did not take the assignment, we need leave White Mountain City for a short time." Anfey smiled. "I will have Christian tell you about it."


    "Huh?" Christian did not expect it.


    "Suzanna, I have visited Band of Brother mercenary group. I wanted to send the girls there, but they did not take them. They said it is not a good time, and they would not be able to take good care of those girls," Anfey said.


    "Band of Brother mercenary group has a few thousand mercenaries. Howe they couldn¡¯t take care of twenty girls?" Suzanna asked a rhetorical question.


    "Maybe because those female ves are from Maho Empire, Band of Brother mercenary group did not want to take a side yet at this sensitive time." Anfey smiled. "Or they may have different ideas on this issue inside their mercenary group. Entos is the student of our professor. He went back to help the professor. It was obvious he was on the side of Maho Empire. However, maybe someone took advantage of Entos not being in the legion to give a totally opposite suggestion that Band of Brother mercenary group needed to cut off any connection with Maho Empire."


    "Stupid," Suzanna said with anger.


    "But they allowed us to rent a town from them." Christian smiled. "Suzanna, Anfey and I were just discussing what time we should move to that town."


    "What is the name of that town? How much is the rent?" Suzanna asked.


    "It¡¯s called Moramatch. We signed a three-year lease with them. It¡¯s one hundred gold coins a year. We have already paid one-year¡¯s rent." Christian said.


    "Most towns in the Country of Mercenaries are ghost towns. They just provide stops for merchant caravans and mercenaries. There is a small poption in each of those towns. How much tax can we collect there?" Suzanna smiled bitterly. "We definitely will lose money on this deal."


    "It¡¯s ok. I never expected to make money from it anyway," Anfey said.


    Suzanna could not help rolling her eyes at Anfey. She knew Anfey had money, but they were the savings of Archmage Saul. Anfey seemed fine to squander Saul¡¯s family fortune.


    Someone knocked on the door, and ck Eleven walked into the room with big strides.


    "Any good news?" Anfey gave a half smile.


    "What?" ck Eleven was shocked for a second. He rubbed his face. "How did you know? I usually have a poker face and do not show my feelings."


    "You did not show it on your face. You walked faster than usual. Your steps seemed lighter as well. Therefore, I guessed you had something urgent and which also made you feel happy."


    "Every time before Ie to see you, I tell myself to be cautious and act normal. However, you always can find a way to make me lose my confidence. I wonder if we were enemies before." ck Eleven shook his head helplessly. "Did you hear anything?"


    "About what?" Christian asked in surprise.


    "A few things. Let me start from the very beginning." ck Eleven took a seat and cleared his throat a little bit. "Anga was attacked."


    "Don¡¯t tell me this little thing even caught your attention," Anfey said.


    "I haven¡¯t finished yet. Anfey, it¡¯s rude to interrupt," ck Elevenined. He did not have good impressions of Anfey and his legion at the beginning. He thought they were merely kids who had to flee. After being together with them for some time, he was able to appreciate these "little kids" more. What surprised him the most was Anfey¡¯s intelligence. He received orders from the king to cooperate with Anfey. In fact, he was asked to assist Anfey. Subconsciously, he did not think he was lower than Anfey in terms of their positions. He had been watching the legion as a leader. He did not talk to Anfey like Anfey was his supervisor. He talked like they were fellows without his callous face.


    "Proceed," Anfey said.


    "Do you guys know who killed him?" ck Eleven asked.


    "It¡¯s a woman." ck Eleven nced at Suzanna. "Suzanna, you¡¯d better not go out anytime soon. Right now, patrols are searching for that mysterious woman everywhere. You are a powerful senior swordswoman and a stranger to them. They would easily suspect you."


    "Huh?" Anfey was shocked for a moment before he started to talk. "How did you know it¡¯s a woman?"


    "Shinon told me." ck Eleven smiled. "Do you know Shinon? He was ckmailed by Anga before. He said when he tried tomit suicide one day, a woman with a cosmetic fragrance and girly voice save him. That woman had a mask over her face. She asked for a bronze coin from Shinon to agree to work for him. The second day, Anga was attacked. Hahaha...that woman had a famous nick name, Judge."


    "I wonder, what did you do before you became a professional investigator." Anfey shook his head.


    "What do you mean?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Allow me to use an example to exin to you. Imagine if someone hurt you and you wanted to take revenge on him, and you were never able to do it for some reason. Finally one day you met someone who could, and that person volunteered to help you. Would you tell others about his looks and identity? Do you want to see him on the wanted list of mercenary union and patrol?"


    "Me...No, of course not." ck Eleven smiled bitterly.


    "Neither would Shinon. I think if Shinon said she had a girly voice, then the real killer should have a coarse voice. If Shinon said it¡¯s a woman, I think it must be a guy." Anfey smirked. "Shinon tried to cover for him."


    ck Eleven blushed a little bit. He felt he should not be criticized by Anfey, since after receiving the news that Ango was killed, he also got a few more important messages. He had to rush to the hotel, so he had no time to give the information any thought, especially on those nobodies. With his experience, it was not difficult to figure something fishy was going on.


    "I think what Anfey said makes sense." Suzanna smiled. "What happened to Shinon?"


    "He was taken away by patrol, but he changed his story. He said he dreamed of a woman who killed Anga but refused to admit hiring her to kill Anga. He said it was just a dream. The officer did not want to give Shinon a hard time. They did not have any evidence anyway. The officer could not make a judgement based on his dream. I heard Shinon was released after being interrogated for half a day. It is not a big deal that Anga was attacked, but Storm mercenary group finally made a move. They imed that Anga was not killed out of revenge. They said they had been in charge of the security of Anga¡¯s house and Cloud Chamber of Commerce. I heard the security was so high that even a senior swordsman was not able to hurt Anga. Therefore, they think Anga was killed with some scheme by other mercenary groups. They should have already sent mercenaries to White Mountain City," ck Eleven said slowly.


    "I meant to ask you yesterday. What kind of business does Cloud Chamber of Commerce do?" Anfey asked.


    "Arms and magic crystals. Their inventory of magic crystals at Cloud Chamber of Commerce was not thergest, but they have the best sale for arms in the White Mountain City."


    "I see. For certain items, it¡¯s better to have the control." Anfey¡¯sment was confusing to everyone.

 Chapter 134: The Potion’s Potency

    Chapter 134: The Potion¡¯s Potency


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ck Eleven was silent for a few moments, then said, "It wasn¡¯t only the Storm mercenary. Band of Brothers mercenary is also sending out their people. What with Anthony still in the game...Anfey, what do you think is going to happen?"


    "Chaos," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "I just want to get your input on the matter," ck Eleven said. "I know the situation is tooplicated."


    "Is there a casino here? Have you been to it?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course, why?"


    "People like Anthony and Mourtta are the big yers. They are the ones at the table. We are the little people standing behind them, watching." Anfey smiled. "But do not underestimate us. When we dislike the person with the advantage, we hit them with a stic bottle."


    "stic bottle?" Suzanna asked curiously.


    "It¡¯s a kind of crystal bottle."


    "You¡¯re not hitting them," ck Eleven said. "You¡¯re stabbing them in the back. By the way, I have another news."


    "What is it?"


    ck Eleven nced at Suzanna and Christian and looked hesitant.


    "We¡¯ll be outside," Suzanna said softly.


    "No need for that." Anfey shook his head. "Speak freely. I trust them more than anyone else."


    ck Eleven shook his head and said, "ording to my sources, Shansa only sent out a squadron of their aerial unit because they knew what had recently happened in Country of Mercenaries. This squad is not involved in the siege of ckania City. They are in the Transverse Mountains and are responsible for the protection of the supply lines."


    "Anfey, you talked to me about griffins the other day because..." Suzanna said with wide eyes.


    "How many times have you talked about this?" Anfey asked, shaking his head. "You keep talking about this. What do you want me to do? To attack the griffins with my people?"


    "Listen, Anfey. It is vital that we defeat these griffins protecting the supply lines. If we seed, it will be a huge blow to their army and to their king¡¯s confidence. We can give ckania City¡¯s army a chance."


    "You speak of sess, but what if we lose?" Suzanna asked coldly. She was not from the Maho Empire and did not feel obliged to help it. She cooperated with Anfey in ckwater City because she respected him as a friend. However, attacking the griffins was practically suicide. They might as well y a dragon and die as heroes.


    "My people will cooperate with you," ck Eleven said.


    "How many?"


    "If necessary, all of them."


    Anfey frowned and thought about his words for a few moments. He then looked up and said, "Suzanna, fetch me Hagan."


    "Anfey!" Suzanna said, frowning. She knew he was considering it, and was worried.


    "Just go. Don¡¯t worry. I know what I am doing."


    Suzanna sighed and left the room with Christian.


    Seeing that the door was closed, ck Eleven turned back to Anfey and said, "His Majesty said he has two wishes. One is to destroy the Dark Moon Magic Legion, and other is to kill the annoying flies. He is referring to the Griffins Aerial Unit. In order to fight against the griffins, he had been gathering money to purchase griffins. However the only ce with griffins is the Shansa Empire, and they control it very carefully. Over the years we¡¯ve only gathered a dozen griffins. They can be used in espionage activities, but as not fighting forces."


    "Of course. Even if the emperor is an idiot, he must have smart men serving him. They should know what to do."


    "If we can defeat the squad and capture some griffins, His Majesty would be very happy."


    "Frankly, I don¡¯t like the way you approach things," Anfey said. "Do you want me to just go and convince those soldiers to surrender? Fifty griffins and their knights. His Majesty will be very happy, don¡¯t you think?"


    "I¡¯m saying hypothetically," ck Eleven said quietly.


    "Don¡¯t expect too much, or else there¡¯s a higher chance of failure. We cannot handle that," Anfey said. "If you want to destroy that team, I may have a way. If you want to capture the griffins, you¡¯re on your own."


    "You really have a way?" ck Eleven¡¯s eyes lit up.


    "Never know if you don¡¯t try it."


    Suzanna and Christian pushed open the door. Hagan was following them.


    "Stop rushing me. I am doing the best I can," Hagan held up his hands and admitted as soon as he was in the room.


    "How many have you made?"


    "A dozen."


    "How is it? Does it work?"


    "What am I suppose to do? Use myself as ab rat?"


    "I¡¯ll think of a way. Can you make enough in three days?"


    "I can try."


    "What are you talking about?" Suzanna asked, confused.


    "It¡¯s a secret. You find out soon," Anfey said, grinning.


    "You¡¯re not thinking about using potions against griffins, are you?" Suzanna asked, her tone grave. "It¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve told you, griffins are practically immune to magic. Not only the major elements, even dark and spirit magic can hardly touch them. Not even poison magic can hurt them."


    "Poison isn¡¯t that easy to defend, is it?" Anfey said softly. "I heard that Gold Line Snakes are very capable of killing griffins."


    "Do you know how many snakes it takes to kill a single griffin? You need at least two hundred snakes for the entire squadron. Where are you going to find all those snakes?" Suzanna shook her head. "How you are going to poison them, anyway? Can youmand the snakes? The griffins are very smart creatures. They would take off as soon as they detect danger. What are you going to do then? The snakes cannot fly."


    "Suzanna¡¯s right. You¡¯re not making Hagan brew poison, are you?" ck Eleven asked. He was the one that wanted the griffins team destroyed, but he kept his wits about him. He talked to Anfey about it multiple times because he wanted to hear aplete n from him.


    "No."


    "Then what is it?"


    "You¡¯ll find out."


    Suzanna and Christian nced at each other and shook their heads. ck Eleven frowned. He had just told Anfey about the aerial squad, but Anfey already had Hagan preparing the potion. It meant that even though Anfey had not agreed to attack, he was already preparing for it. This made ck Eleven very happy.


    "From what we already know, this city is about to be really chaotic," Anfey said. "We should change our n and leave as soon as possible."


    "We¡¯re leaving?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Yes. Help us prepare a bit," Anfey said. He nced at ck Eleven, "Are youing with us?"


    "Of course," ck Eleven said. "Where are we going?"


    "Christian and the Band of Brothers mercenary signed a deal. We¡¯re going to a town called Moramatch."


    "Moramatch?" ck Eleven repeated. He shook his head and said, "You fell right into their trap, Christian."


    "What, is the town disturbed?"


    "No just disturbed. Very disturbed."


    "Tell me more," Anfey said.


    "It¡¯s hard to exin. I¡¯ll tell you more on the way," ck Eleven said as he stood up.


    "Alright." Anfey thought about the situation for a few moments. "Everyone think about what you need. If this city fall into chaos, we will have to rely only on ourselves for supplies."


    "Leave that to me," ck Eleven said. "I¡¯ll make sure everything¡¯s taken care of."


    Seeing that ck Eleven left the room, Suzanna turned to Anfey and said slowly, "Are we really doing it? Attacking the griffins squad? You don¡¯t want to think about it?"


    "I promised I will keep everyone away from danger," Anfey said. "Making the n doesn¡¯t necessarily mean executing it. We can try. If anything goes wrong, we will abort the mission."


    "Do as you wish," Suzanna shook her head and sighed.


    "You don¡¯t trust me?"


    "Nonsense," Suzanna snapped. "If I didn¡¯t trust you, I would not stay here."


    "Alright," Anfey said, smiling. "Follow the party. Can¡¯t be wrong."


    "The party?" Suzanna asked, frowning.

 Chapter 135: Weighed Down by the Responsibilities

    Chapter 135: Weighed Down by the Responsibilities


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    At dawn, as soon as the patrol had opened the gate of White Mountain City, Anfey and his legion walked out in mighty formation. It was not an exaggeration to call it a mighty formation. ck Eleven was pretty influential, because he was able to get over thirty wagons. Alibaba mercenaries were in the front of the wagon route, girls in the middle, while a variety of items were carried in the back. ck Eleven said he would be in charge of getting everything ready for this trip. He did not just say it, he in fact brought everything. In addition to necessities like rice, flour, tables and other furniture, cabins, cloth and other materials, and alcohol, he even brought nails, sewing thread, rope and needles. He brought everything imageable. ck Eleven even had cosmetics for the girls. Anfey wondered if he carried the whole grocery store with him.


    There were many attendants for the caravan. Anfey had mentioned to ck Eleven that they needed to figure out how to attack the Griffin Aerial Unit in the shutter ridge. Therefore, ck Eleven brought all the people he could think of and asked them to disguise themselves as the bodyguards of the merchant caravan. They walked on both sides of the caravan to protect them.


    They had been travelling south the whole time. They had not run into any trouble yet. They did meet two small bandit groups. When those bandits saw their caravan from a distance stretched so far like a snake, they had backed off. ck Eleven brought over sixty people with him, and all of them were good. He also hired more than a hundred bodyguards. Those two bandit groups were not able to counter the strength of a caravan with such arge number people. Even therger bandit group with about hundred bandits in it had to think twice before taking any action.


    As it was getting dark, the caravan stopped and started to set up their camp. There were so many people working on it that Anfey did not have to do a thing on his own. He leaned back on a rock, zoning out looking at the sky. Suzanna walked to him from the other end of the camp. She took a seat opposite of Anfey. She waited for a while and snorted when she saw that Anfey kept looking at the sky.


    "What are you snorting for?" People could not say whatever was on their minds. If Anfey said the same thing when Suzanna had just joined the legion, they might have already started to fight. Of course, Suzanna did not have the same attitude towards Anfey any more. Everybody had already be familiar with each other and been through difficult times together. They were more like brothers and sisters. No one would make a big deal out of jokes.


    "I admire you." Suzanna said.


    "What do you mean?" Anfey asked.


    "Do you know how long I have known Hagan?" Suzanna asked.


    "Less than thirty years?" Anfey joked.


    "You..." Suzanna did not know whether she should be angry orugh at his answer. Everyone knew Suzanna was not even twenty years old yet. How could she know someone around thirty years? Suzanna did not want to fight with Anfey. She said, "I have known him for three years. You just met him two months ago, but it seems that you are more important to him than me."


    "Why are you saying that?" Anfey asked.


    "I was asking him what he was making. He just would not tell me," Suzanna said.


    "He just followed the directive. It is nothing to do with whom he is closer to." Anfey smiled. "It looks like Hagan is more mature than I thought."


    "Are you proud of it?" Suzanna snorted again. Suzanna typically changed her mind really fast. Since Suzanna met Anfey, her attitude towards Anfey had changed a lot. She was alert from the beginning, then felt rxed in front of Anfey, then trusted him, now she could even go into a fit of rage in front of him.


    "No, no. You do not have to ask him. You can just ask me." Anfey smiled.


    "I hate people who pretend to be mysterious in front me." Suzanna¡¯s mouth curled down. She had asked Anfey before, but he had always told her that she would understandter. She really hated how Anfey treated her.


    "But I just like to act mysterious in front of people." Anfey heaved a sigh. "What a paradox!"


    Suzanna felt helpless dealing with someone like Anfey. She should have snorted and left, but she did not. She still sat across from Anfey.


    "Feller, can you get me some wine?" Anfey shouted at Feller.


    "Sure," Feller answered him from distance. A momentter, Feller walked over with a bottle of wine and two wine sses. What good service.


    ck Eleven was talking with Hagan. One looked sincere, while the other kept shaking his head. After a while, ck Eleven had to stand up. He slowly walked towards Anfey. It was obvious that Suzanna was the first one lost in the conversation; and, well, ck Eleven was the second one.


    As ck Eleven passed by Christian, he drew back. He saw vi, Riska and Zubin talking about something together, but they kept looking at Anfey. Each of them had a grin on his face. ck Eleven was shocked for a second and realized something. He did not notice it until he saw Christian and others¡¯ grins. There was definitely something between Anfey and Suzanna when he looked at them again. Alibaba mercenaries had been trying to leave them alone. They seemed to agree not to bother them, no matter whether Anfey was looking for Suzanna or Suzanna was looking for Anfey.


    It is easy to tell from Niya¡¯s face because she kept grinning at Anfey and Suzanna in a way that seemed like she had been given hundreds and thousands of gold coins. She held Shally¡¯s hand with one hand and the little unicorn with the other hand. If she had let Shally and the little unicorn go, they would have gone to bother Anfey and Suzanna without any doubt. She would have no show to watch if that happened.


    Anfey lifted up the ss and poured the wine into it. He took out something Hagan made and carefully dropped one drop in the wine. He passed the ss to Suzanna.


    Suzanna looked at Anfey in curiosity, but did not say anything. She took over the ss and raised her head. It looked like she was going to drink to the bottom.


    "Hey, hey, hey..." Suzanna did not care, but Anfey could not sit there still. He grabbed Suzanna¡¯s arm and took the ss away from her.


    "What are you doing?" Suzanna frowned.


    "Did you really want to finish it?" Anfey smiled bitterly. No one would eat anything without knowing what it is. It wasmon sense. Anfey thought Suzanna first would ask what it was so he could bring the topic up. Who would know Suzanna would chug it without even asking.


    "Didn¡¯t you ask me to have it?" Suzanna felt Anfey was weird.


    "Are you going to drink just because I asked you to?" Anfey sighed. "You fool. Would you die if I ask you to?"


    Suzanna went quiet for a second. It looked like she actually gave serious thought to his question. She smiled, but without giving him the answer.


    Anfey took a close look at the wine in the ss. Luckily he had taken the ss away from her quickly. She only had taken a sip out of it. He heaved a sigh of relief.


    "We haven¡¯t practiced sword skills for a long time. Anfey, do you want to fight with me?" Suzanna smiled.


    "You want to beat my ass, right?" Anfey leered at Suzanna.


    Suzanna burst intoughter. "We are just practicing sword skills. Don¡¯t tell me you do not dare?"


    "I do not dare," Anfey answered firmly.


    "You are not a man," Suzanna said.


    "Crazy! So I am a man if I allow you beat me?" Anfey said.


    "Boring." Suzanna shook her head. If any man had refused to fight with her in the past, Suzanna would look down upon him. She thought a real man could move forward even knowing it was going to be hard, and bravely face the failure. She did not disdain Anfey even when she saw Anfey shamelessly refuse to fight with her or tried really hard but still lost the match when they practiced sword skills together. After having been through so much together, Suzanna had to admit sometimes the power someone possessed was not decisive. The two senior swordsmen in Glory mercenary group were among the best on Pan Continent. They were tricked and killed by Anfey. If it had been her, she would not have thought she could escape it either.


    "Boring? You have many ways to be entertained. You do not have to find me every time you are bored." Anfey smiled.


    "Who always finds you?" Suzanna blushed a little. Women were usually sensitive. They could easily make things moreplicated than they were. " I am going to look for Niya. I am not going to stay bored here with you."


    Anfey watched Suzanna running away with a smile. When he looked down, the smile had already gone. He looked a little anxious and sort of touched. He raised the ss and drank the whole ss of special wine. He heaved a slight sigh. "Suzanna, do you trust me to the point that you could do anything I ask you to do?"


    Anfey¡¯s heart was heavy. He shook his head and forced himself to stop thinking about it. He looked up at the sky again.


    Suzanna went to find Niya. Shally and the little unicorn finally had their freedom back. They ran behind each other to Anfey. Shally was a little slow, while the little unicorn already rushed to Anfey with hurricane speed. He whined, with his head pushed onto Anfey¡¯s leg. The little guy noticed the wine ss in Anfey¡¯s hand. He moved his nose closer to the ss to sniff, and stuck his tongue into the ss to taste it.


    Frankly, Anfey did not love animals that much. Neither could he be called "nurturing". He grinned and held a ss of wine to the little unicorn.


    The little unicorn stirred the wine with its tongue and then bit the ss to pour the wine into his mouth. The little unicorn put the ss down on the ground with happy barks. If it was other alcohol, the little unicorn might not have liked it. Feller brought wine. This little guy got used to drink fruit juice, and the wine was simr in smell and taste, so he was very tempted to have it.


    "Haha, you really can drink." Anfey smiled and poured another ss.


    The little unicorn was still an infant, but it seemed that the little guy really liked the wine. Every time Anfey poured a ss of wine, he could finish it without any trouble. The little unicorn made some happy sounds.


    "Anfey." Shally came up to Anfey. Shally had been a happy kid, but she seemed different today. She looked at Anfey with worry and anxiety.

 Chapter 136: Potential

    Chapter 136: Potential


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Shally, what is it?" Anfey asked, smiling.


    "Anfey, I want to as you something. Promise me you won¡¯t get mad?" Shally bit her lip and ask timidly.


    The little unicorn yelped. Anfey still hadn¡¯t given it alcohol, and it was getting impatient.


    "Why would I get angry at you?" Anfey replied gently. He poured the unicorn some wine, wondering how a unicorn would act when it was drunk.


    "Will you love and cherish and take care of my sister forever?"


    "What?" Anfey looked at Shally and could not process what she just said. "Why would you ask something like that?" Since he was distracted, the wine overflowed the cup.


    The unicorn jumped up and snatched the bottle from his hands. However, Anfey was focused on Shally and did not bother to stop the unicorn. He soon turned up the bottle and allowed the unicorn to take gulps from it.


    "Niya said that you¡¯re in love with my sister. That you will marry her." Shally stared at Anfey with her bright, clear eyes. "Anfey, will take care of her forever?"


    Anfey smiled, unsure of how to answer the question. If it was another man answering, it might not have been so difficult. He could think about the question from different aspects, like their futures and lives and hopes, and answer properly without hurting anyone¡¯s feelings. However, Shally was too young and could not understand anything too deep. All she needed from him was a simply yes or no.


    No? He couldn¡¯t just say that. That would hurt Suzanna¡¯s feelings. Suzanna was one of the best members of his team, and was a great help to him. Without Suzanna, the entire team¡¯s strength would decrease. Back in ckwater City, the situation would have been a lot more difficult if Suzanna was not there. Women tend to be proud, and if he made her feel as if he had hurt her dignity, he might lose a great assistant.


    Yes? This answer may be a little...Anfey¡¯s mind shed back to a few moments ago. He remembered seeing Suzanna grinning and epting the goblet and draining the wine. He felt his heart skipping a beat, and before he could think he said, "Of course."


    "Really?" Shally widened her eyes in joy. "Anfey, do you swear on it?"


    "Of course I do," Anfey said. He held out his hand and high-fived Shally three times.


    "Yes!" Shally jumped up and cheered. She jumped up and ran over to Suzanna, screaming, "Sister! Anfey said he would take care of you and love you for the rest of his life!"


    Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked over at Anfey. Everyone¡¯s expression was a blend of confusion and surprise. Romance wasn¡¯t a surprise, it was the people involved that surprised everyone. Anfey was a logical person who did not normally care for other¡¯s feelings. It was hard for everyone to understand why a person like that would do something remotely romantic.


    Anfey stared at Shally, too stunned to say anything. He was unsure of what he should do. He thought he was just making Shally feel better, but he never imagined Shally would do something like this. He had been through a lot of strange things in his life, but none of them involved women and love. This did not involve love, either, but how would he exin that to the others? Should he exin himself?


    Suzanna blushed. "What are you talking about?" she asked.


    "Really!" Shally was grinning widely. "He promised me. He would he would take care of you and cherish you."


    Suzanna nced at Anfey, and Anfey nced at her. Their eyes touched, and then darted away. Suzanna had never been in a rtionship before, and it wasn¡¯t a surprise for her to do something like that. Anfey, however, had experience with women. This made him look like an inexperienced little boy. Clearly he was having difficulty processing this situation.


    "Sister..." Shally clearly did not realize how much of an impact she had just made, and wanted to say something more.


    Suzanna, however, felt that she could not stay in the room anymore. She turned and dashed away, disappearing into her carriage.


    "What happened to her?" Shally stared after Suzanna¡¯s figure, confused. She thought her sister would be happy after hearing about Anfey¡¯s vow.


    "Good job, Shally." Niya walked over and patted Shally on her shoulder.


    "But..."


    "Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s just shy," Niya said, smirking.


    Anfey picked up a broken twig and began drawing on the ground. It looked as if he was trying to figure something out, but in fact he did not know what he was doing and was trying to avoid everyone¡¯s eyes.


    "Christian,e here," Anfey looked up and called out.


    Christian moved over, smiling. He sat down next to Anfey and said, "Didn¡¯t know you were this brave."


    "You..." Anfey shook his head. "Don¡¯t talk about it. It¡¯s not what you think."


    "You¡¯re not saying Shally¡¯s lying, are you?" Christian asked, enjoying Anfey¡¯s unusual awkwardness.


    "There¡¯s some serious business we need to attend to. Don¡¯t distract me."


    "Alright," Christian said, controlling his expression. "What do you want to talk about?" He was grinning widely and was even more annoying to watch than before.


    Anfey shook his head and said, "Christian, use Eye of the Sky and take a look at the camp."


    Christian nodded. He whispered a spell and summoned Eye of the Sky.


    Anfey, however, did not look at the Eye. He nced at the sky and closed his eyes, as if he was trying to feel something.


    "Close it," he said. Christian dropped his hand and all magical surges disappeared.


    After a few moments, Anfey opened his eyes slowly and said, "Do that again."


    Christian hesitated and looked at Anfey.


    "Don¡¯t worry, just do as I say."


    "Alright." Christian nodded and released the magic again.


    After five times, Christian felt a seed of doubt. Could Anfey be tricking him for what he just said?


    "Alright." Anfey nodded. "Christian, let¡¯s go somewhere else and do that againter."


    "What are you trying to do?"


    "I¡¯m studying the Eye," Anfey said slowly. "Technically speaking, when the Eye of the Sky is watching a certain area, people in that area could feel its magic surges."


    "You can feel it?" Christian asked, surprised.


    "Not exactly." Anfey paused before continuing. "It¡¯s just a feeling. It¡¯s strange. There is a very faint surge, but when I try to feel it, it¡¯s gone."


    "Are you being serious?" Christian asked nervously.


    "I don¡¯t have a reason to lie, do I?"


    "Anfey, do you know why a strong army tends to need a powerful man to lead it?"


    "Because a powerful general can make his men believe in his invincibility. When two armies sh and one side has a powerful general, its soldiers are often fiercer."


    "That is part of the reason, but not all of it," Christian said slowly. "Take Ellisen Empire¡¯s Dark Moon Magic Legion as an example. Its general is the famous Newyoheim. He is magically superior to most people. However, he is only mediocre when ites to strategizing. He knows very well, and that is why he hands most of hismanding power off to his deputy general Serigue, who is an excellent general. This is why their legion can win time after time."


    "Why is that?"


    "What is the most important thing before a battle breaks out? Espionage and counterintelligence." It was a question anyone who had read a book or two could answer.


    Christian, however, only looked at him.


    "Am I wrong?" Anfey asked.


    "No, you¡¯re right." Christian nodded. "Eye of the Sky is a very simple magic. Almost every senior mage can use it. It¡¯s magical surge is very weak, so normal people cannot detect it. The most powerful men, however, can. People like Newyoheim cannot only detect it, he can find where the mage who is using the magic is located."


    "I see what you¡¯re talking about," Anfey nodded and replied. "I¡¯m not a powerful person, but I can feel something. Let¡¯s go somewhere else and experimentter."


    "This i very good news," Christian said with a smile. "Anfey has the potential to be powerful. You may be the first person to learn both magic and Wu. You may be one of the most powerful men ever alive."


    "I¡¯m not that ambitious," Anfey said with a grin. "All I want to do is to survive."


    Before Christian could say anything, Niya¡¯s scream sliced the air. "Anfey, what did you do?!"

 Chapter 137: Treating Each Other with Respect

    Chapter 137: Treating Each Other with Respect


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey turned around to look. He saw the little unicorn walked around with an empty bottle in his mouth. The little unicorn walked sideways, diagonally, backwards, hopping and many other ways, but just not forward. This little guy did have very strong kic skills. He wobbled all around, but did not fall.


    Niya had already rushed over and held the little guy in her arms. She felt so bad for the little unicorn. She reached out her hand to take the empty bottle away from the little unicorn. She was a senior swordswoman, but she could not even pull the empty bottle out of the unicorn¡¯s mouth after two tries. The little unicorn bit the empty bottle so hard that Anfey could even hear some cracking sounds.


    Niya suddenly turned around, screaming again in anger and sadness. "Look at you." Niya¡¯s temper had gotten a lot better now. Six months ago if someone had fooled around with her pet, she would have pulled out her sword at that person without thinking whether she could beat the person or not.


    "Anfey did not do it on purpose. The little unicorn wanted the wine himself," Christian tried to mediate between them. He smiled.


    The little unicorn burped loudly from drinking too much. It seemed that the unicorn tried to prove Christian was right. Everybody burst intoughter. What a scene! Many people could not see a real unicorn their whole lives, but they had raised one as a pet and could watch the little unicorn burping from drinking. They definitely could brag about it.


    The little unicorn looked around with eyes half closed. Drunk people easily made fools of themselves, and so did the little unicorn. The little guy was looking for Anfey, but it spun around a couple of times in a weird pace, failing to locate Anfey. Anfey actually was only 70 feet away from the little unicorn.


    "You deserve it." Niya gave the little unicorn a love tap on its butt. Her anger came and went fast. She had already switched her attention quickly from being angry at it to how to take care of this drunk little guy.


    Anfey slowly stood up. "Christian, I wille to see youter."


    "Sure," Christian said.


    If someone had closely watched Anfey, he would have notice something weird. Compared with the little drunk unicorn, Anfey walked more steadily, but without any directional sense. He first walked towards his wagon, then changed direction on the way. It looked like he was trying to see Feller. He changed direction again before he walked along. This time it looked like he wanted to see Hagan. Half way there, he turned around and walked toward Hui Wei. If there were a spy watching him, he would be so confused by the way he walked. In fact, Anfey himself did not have a clear destination in mind either. He just walked by following his heart. When he finally stopped, he realized he was standing in front of Suzanna¡¯s wagon.


    They might have to fight together soon, so Anfey felt they needed to talk about the misunderstanding between them. He did not want to see them not being able to team up well because of any misunderstanding.


    Anfey found a good excuse to see Suzanna. He lifted the curtain and ducked into the wagon.


    Suzanna was surprised to see Anfey, and then she blushed again. It was interesting to see Suzanna blushing again when her previous blush had not disappeared yet.


    "Hey, here you are," Suzanna said in low pitch.


    "Yeah," Anfey said.


    "Would you like some tea?" Suzanna asked.


    "No, thanks," Anfey said.


    "I heard Niya yelling. What happened?" Suzanna found a topic they could talk about.


    "The little unicorn drank too much. She thinks it is my fault," Anfey said.


    "You must have given the unicorn the drinks. Am I right?" Suzanna said.


    "I only wanted that little guy to taste it, but it finished the whole bottle before I even noticed," Anfey said.


    "I cannot believe you are so naughty." Suzanna gave Anfey a smile.


    "You are not being fair to me." Anfey smiled bitterly. "We have known each other for a long time. Don¡¯t you understand me? I take things seriously."


    "Don¡¯t be mad at Niya. She¡¯s got a temper. She will be fine," Suzanna said.


    "I know. I was never mad at her," Anfey said.


    Their conversation was stuck. Both of them seemed to have nothing else to talk about, but their brains were racing. They seemed to be stuck in this tense thinking at the same time.


    Anfey was thinking how he could exin to Suzanna in a way he was not going to hurt her feelings. His instinct did not allow him to have any connection with women. No matter how others saw Suzanna and him, he would not admit there was anything between them.


    Suzanna was trying to read in between Anfey¡¯s lines. She thought to herself, "Anfey just emphasized that he takes things seriously. Did he worry that I do not take what Shally said seriously?" Suzanna nervously bit her lip.


    No one would know whether Anfey meant it or not. If Suzanna thought so, just let her believe so for now.


    "Would you like some tea?" Suzanna asked again. She did not know what else to say. She just could not stand the silence. The quieter it got, the more nervous she felt.


    "Ok." Anfey changed his mind to have some.


    Suzanna lifted the tea pot up and tested the temperature of the water with her finger. "The water is already cold. I will have Feller warm it up."


    "No, it¡¯s fine, I will have some water," Anfey said.


    Maybe Suzanna unconsciously did not want to ruin the moment. She treasured this moment even though they were both awkward. She did not insist on making the tea. She gently poured a ss of water and passed it to Anfey.


    Anfey took the ss and sipped on it. His eyes stared at something for a second. When Suzanna was pouring the water, her skirt rolled up and her long and beautiful lower legs showed. Suzanna was ready to go to bed and had already taken off her boots before Anfey walked in. The silky and milky-white feet showed in front of Anfey. It wasmon in psychology that old memories were triggered by seeing things that had been seen in the past. Anfey could not help recalling the battle with Suzanna in the water that night.


    Suzanna was very sensitive right now. She noticed Anfey was looking at something. She followed his eyes and saw her lower legs showed. She blushed and hurried to pull her skirt down to cover her legs. She even tucked her feet under her skirt.


    Anfey felt awkward and moved back a little. He looked around but was just not able to look at Suzanna.


    "Anfey pays attention to details and does not show his emotions when he does things. It must have taken him a lot of courage to show his love to me," Suzanna thought to herself. Suzanna was recalling every moment with Anfey. What happened at the pond was a nightmare from the past, but it also made her realize the good sides of Anfey. When Anfey caught her that night, she was taking a bath without any clothes on. Suzanna was confident about her looks and body, but Anfey did not take advantage of her that night. Anfey quietly left the pond when he found out it was just a misunderstanding. If Anfey were bad, she would not be a virgin now.


    Since joining Anfey¡¯s legion, Suzanna had been under Anfey¡¯s supervision. She had developed a habit of listening to and counting on Anfey. Before a woman decided to ept a man as her man, her top criteria would be whether that man was reliable. Suzanna was going far in terms of counting on Anfey. What she did not like about Anfey in the past had changed into things she liked about him. The awkward moments between them seemed to be sweet in their memories.


    Suzanna nervously coughed. She thought what she did was too obvious, which probably seemed like a rejection signal to Anfey. Suzanna twisted her body a little bit to allow her lower legs to be shown again. This move was nothing to most girls, but it was all Suzanna could handle. Her heart beat fast. The red color on her cheeks made her more beautiful. Her head leaned on the wagon¡¯s wall. She did not dare even to look at Anfey.


    In this magic world, there was no saying to describe girls identally showing their skin, nor was there a book to teach them how to keep perverts away. Suzanna moved in panic. As a result, she showed more than just her lower legs. From Anfey¡¯s angle, he could even see her underwear.


    Anfey noticed Suzanna¡¯s moves. He understood Suzanna showed her body on purpose. After noticing it, Anfey started to feel nervous, but did show the nervousness on his face. He immediately realized his emotional change. He closed his eyes right away and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he could see clearly again.


    "Anfey, why are you here?" Suzanna asked in a very low pitch.


    "Well..." Anfey did not know how to put it. Before he walked to Suzanna¡¯s wagon, he did not realize there was anything special between Suzanna and him. He thought Suzanna was a good friend. He thought Suzanna was thinking the same way about him. That was the reason he felt it was necessary to exin to Suzanna about their misunderstanding. However, seeing how Suzanna acted, no matter how stupid Anfey was, he could tell Suzanna liked him.


    Suzanna suddenly felt she was a fool. She did not even know how to talk. "If there was nothing rted to the legion, was Anfey not supposed toe here to hang out? It was no different than rejecting him," Suzanna thought to herself.


    "Actually you cane and talk to me anytime you want. I would like to hang out with you. Seriously," Suzanna said in a low pitch. Shally¡¯s little kid¡¯s talk had put Suzanna in this awkward position. She felt things moved too fast, and she was not toofortable with it. However, she never wanted to hurt Anfey¡¯s feelings and pride.


    "I am d to hear that too." Anfey smiled. The air was filled with chemistry sparkling between them. They treated each other with respect and courtesy. Anfey never said "thank you" to Suzanna, but he did today. They were so polite to each other.


    "Suzanna, can I meditate here for a while? Don¡¯t let anyone interrupt me," Anfey suddenly said. He had to meditate right now, otherwise he felt something bad was going to happen. He noticed himself getting panicky.


    "Sure." Suzanna was shocked for a second, then she nodded at him.

 Chapter 138: Prey in the Trap

    Chapter 138: Prey in the Trap


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Everyone in the caravan woke up before dawn. Usually, the caravan would wait until daytime before departing. However, on this day, they appeared to be busy in the dark about something. What was even more peculiar was that the caravan did not leave until it was almost noon.


    Other people were not uninformed, but those employed by the caravan knew very well what they were doing. The two dozen guards dug a hole in the middle of the camp ground, and buried a heavy chest in it. Then they did their best to return the patch of ground to normal. Then Christian used magic to move arge boulder to cover the ce where the chest was buried as a marker.


    The carriages left. The bugs resumed their business. If anyone else passed this area, they would not be able to tell there was a secret under the boulder.


    There was a saying. In the beginning, there was no road. Roads were created because so many people chose the same path. Another saying says that there were roads, but the roads all disappeared because too many people had used them.


    However, the two sayings were not referring to the same road. After the carriages left, another team appeared. This team was significantly smaller, consisting of only a dozen members. As they approached the campsite of the previous team, they left the road and headed straight for the boulder.


    A thin mage jumped off of his horse and circled the boulder a few times. He whispered a spell and the boulder floated into the air andnded nearby.


    "This is the ce," the mage said.


    "What were they doing?" The leader was a swordmaster around fifty. He frowned and stared at the spot, thinking. "Check their location again," he ordered.


    "Yes, my lord." The mage whispered a few spells, and a ball of mist appeared in his hands. The ball slowly cleared up, and a long line of carriages appeared in the ball.


    "My lord, we should dig here first and find out what they were hiding." Another mage walked up to the swordsmaster and said.


    "I don¡¯t want to disturb them. Wait until people from our leader arrives," the swordmaster said.


    "My lord, they won¡¯t discover us," the mage informed him. "They only have a junior magister. They cannot reach back this far with Eye of the Sky."


    "He is right, my lord," another mage said.


    "Alright," the swordsmaster agreed. "Go and dig this thing up."


    Although this was a small team, everyone on the team was very obedient. As soon as the leader issued an order, a few swordsmen jumped off their horses and began digging.


    After a few moments, a chest appeared. A mage walked into the hole slowly, and everyone jumped off their hoses. Everyone was curious what this chest contained.


    The mage closed his eyes and probed the chest. When he found nothing to raise rm, he reached over and opened the chest carefully. The others peered over the edge of the hole to catch a glimpse of what was in the chest.


    As the mage opened the chest, he felt a sudden surge of chaotic element. His eyes widened and he screamed, "Run! It¡¯s a magic array of chaos..."


    A sh of white light appeared from the chest, and the subsequent explosion shook the entire forest. The explosion caused thick debris and threw those that stood too close to the chest through the air. The ground shook violently under the impact.


    After a few moments, the world returned to a more peaceful state. The swordsman spat out a mouthful of blood and pushed himself up from the ground. Even though the explosion was unexpected, he was able to protect himself with hisbat power. However, that was not enough. He was pushed away from the campsite and was wounded.


    He nced at the campsite and saw that the chest was gone and the site had be a small crater. All over the crater were broken limbs and a few bodies. The swordmaster was enraged by hispanion¡¯s pointless deaths. They thought the chest would hide a secret, but never imagined it would contain a trap.


    Three other men pushed themselves off the ground, staring at their surroundings nkly. The explosion happened too fast for their brains to process what had just happened.


    "It was a magic array of chaos," the swordmaster said with shaking voice. The magic array was actually a very useless form of magic array, but it could use up magic crystals very fast. Other kinds of magic array used power of the magic crystals slowly, and would not run out of power unless either the crystals were depleted or the array was destroyed. The magic array of chaos could use up a crystal¡¯s power in an instant. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the biggest w of this form of array. Elements were natural and bnced, but chaos array disrupts this bnce. This was against the nature of elements. After the magic array was formed, the elements would try to return to their natural state. Judging by the power of this array, if they opened it after noontime, the explosion would be nothing but a gust of breeze.


    The existence of this array meant that Anfey and hispanions knew people were on their trail, and knew that whoever was following them would try to dig the chest up as soon as possible.


    The swordmaster felt frustrated and defeated. He did not know where they had made the mistake of exposing themselves. This was too great a loss for the organization to let him off the hook easily.


    "My lord!" One of the swordsman called, pointed to the body of a mage.


    The swordmaster nced at the body and found an arrow sticking out of the mage¡¯s throat, and the mage had his hands wrapped tightly around the shaft. Clearly what happened to him wasn¡¯t the explosion but the arrow.


    The swordmaster realized that there were enemies present. He drew his longsword. A sh of bright light spliced a bush fifty feet to his left. It was the proof that there was a magical wall there. Then, a figure coated in bright whitebat power appeared and dashed in his direction.


    The swordmaster waved his hand, and his three remaining men gathered around him. He estimated his opponent¡¯s power, and felt slightly more reassured. He stared ahead coldly.


    Suzanna was used to being the first to attack. However, this time she did not strike. She stopped in front of her opponent and stared at them with cold eyes. Every time she used herbat power, her gentleness disappeared. Instead, she would be as cold as her sword. This was an understandable change, not everyone was like this. People like Ernest could still smile after using hisbat power, but Suzanna would turn into someone who did not know what smiling was.


    Anfey and ck Eleven were much slower than Suzanna. They walked over and stood by her, observing their enemies.


    "You¡¯re Anfey?" The swordmaster smiled and asked. "You should reveal yourselves quicker. Thank you for giving me a chance."


    He didn¡¯t want to hide anymore. Anfey had nted a magic array of chaos, meaning he knew what their intentions were. He needed to capture the man alive to redeem himself. It was the only way he could make it out of this situation alive.


    "There was never a chance for you," Anfey said slowly. "I didn¡¯t kill you because I need you to answer some questions."


    "Don¡¯t ask me." The swordmaster said and waved his longsword. The light of hisbat power suddenly became blinding. It was almost as bright as Suzanna¡¯s, if not more. He was indeed a powerful man, and that was why he sought a battle first.


    "You¡¯re too hasty," Anfey said. "Are you not interested in us? How about we make a deal? We each ask one question. If you can work with us, then we can answer more questions. How about you go first?"


    The swordmaster hesitated. Then he asked slowly, "Who are you? Where did youe from?" These two things were something his organization could never answer. No matter how much they researched, Anfey¡¯s past was a mystery to them. The first time he appeared in the world was with Saul, but the organization had no need for that part of his past. They needed to know where he came from, and where he learned his strange but powerful fighting skills.


    "That¡¯s two questions."


    "Who was your teacher before Saul?" Both ck Eleven and Suzanna turned and looked at Anfey. They were curious about it, as well.


    "Archmage Yagor."


    "You lie," the swordmaster said coldly. "He was an archmage. He wouldn¡¯t teach you how to fight."


    "I never said he taught me how to fight," Anfey said. "An old man in my vige taught me those skills. Now, my turn. Who are you?"


    "We¡¯re from the Evil Mist," the swordmaster said. He already had it all nned out. If he could capture Anfey, then the secret would not get out. If Anfey killed him, the organization couldn¡¯t punish a dead man, and so he was very honest. "How did you know we were following you?"


    "Sorry. I only need an answer from you."

 Chapter 139: A Tough Opponent

    Chapter 139: A Tough Opponent


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Before Anfey finished talking, Suzanna had already shot herself out to lead the swordsmen. The radiance of Suzanna¡¯s sword was threatening.


    The other senior swordsmaster did not move at all. The two swordsmen to his sides went forward to counter Suzanna. One of them looked like he did not see the sword radiance from Suzanna¡¯s sword. He thrust his sword at Suzanna like he did not care whether he would die from this attack. The other swordsman thrashed at Suzanna¡¯s midsection from the side.


    Suzanna had a higher level than these two swordsmen, but not much higher. No matter whether it was with the sword broadside or de, they both could hurt her. Suzanna pulled her sword back to block the sword thrusting at her. That intermediate swordsman almost dropped the sword. He tried really hard to hold the sword shaft steady with his arm raised high, which is a good angle to attack from.


    Suzanna had no time to take advantage of this opportunity to attack the intermediate swordsman. She thrust her sword at the other intermediate swordsman¡¯s neck as she moved one step sideways to avoid his attack.


    The sword had a radius of more than 3 feet. Even if she had not moved sideways, her sword radiance could have killed him anyway. Suzanna was young but she was very experienced in fighting. It was a correct move to pull away from him. By doing so, she gave herself plenty of time to make another attack, no matter how the swordsman attacked her next.


    That intermediate swordsman suddenly sped up. He looked like he was running onto Suzanna¡¯s sword radiance. His sword had sword radiance as well. He thrust at Suzanna¡¯s midsection again.


    The third intermediate swordsman was running towards ck Eleven. They had very simr fighting abilities, even though ck Eleven was slightly better. This intermediate swordsman was just as the other two. Every attacking move looked suicidal, which forced ck Eleven into a disadvantageous position.


    The senior swordsmaster yelled and jumped into the air. His body left an arc trace in the air because of his fast speed as he threw himself at Anfey. It looked like he did not even want to survive this attack. In general, only when two parties¡¯ abilities were vastly different or they fought for life would they use the strategy of attacking opponents from the air. If his ability was not as good as the other one, this attack would have been suicide. If a swordsman jumped in the air, he would lose the dodging ability and could barely defend himself. He was allowing others to trample him. Of course, if his ability was far better than his opponent or he did not even think of dodging or defending, that suicidal attack could win him the advantage and allow him to continue his offensive attacks.


    Anfey moved back as fast as he could, as coldness showed in his eyes. Today he was quite different than usual. He chose to counter the attack just to see how good that swordsman was.


    Although they had just met and talked very little before they started their fight, Anfey had sufficient information to know this swordsman was a tough opponent.


    Anfey took advantage of Magic Array of Chaos and killed most of the enemies. Most people would be crazy or depressed after suffering such a defeat. However, the four people left in the battle were very calm. They did not do anything extra. They were neither scared nor panicking.


    By exchanging secrets, Anfey wanted to double check who they were, on the one hand, and provide them an opportunity to see if they could grab it, on the other. The explosion from the Magic Array of Chaos was very intense. Those four people were too close to the explosion. They were all hurt to some degree. Wounded people needed some time to allow themselves to adjust before they could get back to the fight again. They did grab the opportunity. They wanted to talk to Anfey even as their colleagues¡¯ bodies were everywhere, which proved they were capable of adjusting their emotions.


    The fight at the end was well organized. There was a story about horse racing Anfey heard when he was little. The person in the story won the horse race by strategically matching the worst horse with the best one of the opponent, the intermediate one with the worst one of the opponent, and the best one with the intermediate one. This was the strategy they applied as well. They have two intermediate swordsmen attacking Suzanna, the other intermediate swordsman fighting with ck Eleven, while the main force attacked Anfey. They definitely thought Anfey was their break through. This was the only correct strategy they used.


    Anfey felt upset after seeing how these four guys fought. He could tell how powerful Evil Mist was. One guy moved back fast and another rushed forward. The knees were bent forward, so moving forward was a lot faster than moving back. When the senior swordsmasternded on the ground, he was less than 17 feet away from Anfey. The sword in his hand pointed diagonally downwards. A crescent shaped sword radiance swept at Anfey¡¯s shoulders.


    Anfey suddenly switched direction as fast as a ghost. After barely dodging the sword radiance, Anfey moved back again.


    The senior swordsmaster went after Anfey after getting the upper hand. He thrust the sword at Anfey¡¯s forehead with a step forward. Before the sword de got close to Anfey, the sword radiance had already reached him.


    Countless fireballs appeared around Anfey at the same time. They were side by side andyer byyer. Anfey was submerged in fireballs in the blink of an eye. The senior swordsmaster paused for a second. On Anfey¡¯s profile, it never showed Anfey was a Magic-Combat discipliner. The fireballs were not big, but there were many. Intelligent life had been cautious when they saw any unknowns. Without testing, the swordsman was not sure whether those fireballs would be able to hurt him.


    The countless fire balls suddenly disappeared, just as bizarre as they suddenly showed up. Suddenly a ming sword appeared in Anfey¡¯s right hand, a gigantic ming shield on his left arm. As the swordsman was startled for a second, Anfey swung the sword upwards to block the sword from the senior swordsmaster, and then he moved back a step. The ming sword created a ming wall in the sky as it moved toward the senior swordsmaster¡¯s neck. It appeared that, Anfey had better momentum than the senior swordsmaster.


    The pupils of the senior swordsmaster contracted. Anfey did not fit the profile he had. Anfey should not have such powerfulbat power. If he knew about this, he would never have thought Anfey was his break through. He would rather have attacked the guy who wore a facial mask even during the day. As things had already proceeded in this way, he was not able to change anything. That swordsman suddenly screamed in anger, and pulled back the sword a little bit before he thrust the sword forward with full speed. The sword radiance was so bright that people could not directly look at it.


    The sword was the key of this attack. He knew he could not fight with Anfey for long. His twopanions were no match for that girl, so he had to beat Anfey before the two intermediate swordsmen finished their fight with Suzanna. He attacked with full strength without caring about his wound. He almost reached the limit his body could handle.


    As the sword hit the ming sword, the senior swordsmaster¡¯s body only moved a bit, while Anfey felt unbearable pain in his arm. Anfey lost control of the ming sword. It moved to the right, and a lot of its me went away as well. However, the elements did not disappear totally. They still kept the shape of a sword.


    The senior swordsmaster would not let any opportunity go, so he took the opportunity and kicked at Anfey¡¯s chest. In this magic world, there was no leg technique for fighting. As the name suggested, leg techniques were a system of fighting skills using leg movements. The ones without leg techniques could still kick others, but with strong body andbat power, a kick could be more lethal.


    The senior swordsmaster attacked quickly. Anfey¡¯s speed was not slow either, and did not seem to be affected by his wounds. At the very moment, the gigantic ming shield on his left arm shielded his front. With a huge explosion, the senior swordsmaster had to move back 18 feet and stopped. Anfey was no better than him. Anfey was moved back almost twice as far as the swordsman. He identally fell into a big puddle created by the explosion from the magic array.


    The senior swordsmaster was so happy to see Anfey fall. He immediately ran to the big puddle in one big stride. He looked down at the puddle, but he was shocked by what he saw.


    The fire elements Anfey used in the fight disappeared in the blink of eye. They turned into intense surges of gas elements. Countless wind des were floating above Anfey. They looked like groups of swimming fish. They were close, and swam in all directions with a strange pace. Between the wind des, the senior swordsmaster could see Anfey¡¯s eyes shine with coldness.


    The senior swordsmaster could not help taking a deep breath. Anfey¡¯s hands and feet did not move a bit, but he was able to stand up and then rose in the air. Countless wind des were moving around him, protecting and holding him. It was not levitation magic. The magic Anfy performed was self-created.


    The senior swordsmaster did not understand how Anfey could rise in the air. Worried, he secretly nced back. That girl obviously had started to get familiar with the pace of their suicidal attacks. It would not be long before she would end the fight with the two intermediate swordsmen. He took another deep breath and decided to attack Anfey with the sword radiance, but Anfey had alreadynded on the other side of that big puddle.


    "You are a lot stronger than me," Anfey said slowly.


    The senior swordsmaster snorted. If Anfey wanted to bulls*%t before the fight had started, he would have loved to bulls*%t with him, but he did not dare to waste any time now. He swung his sword hard and a shining sword radiance showed up. He jumped into the air and threw himself from the air towards Anfey.


    The crescent-shaped sword radiance left a series of mirror-like traces in the sky. The sword radiance swept 40 feet through the sky in the blink of an eye and reached Anfey. The senior swordsmaster jumped into the sky and left a trace of an arc. He rushed to Anfey from the sky. He had already used up his strength. He had been hurt, and used all of his remaining strength to try to beat Anfey as fast as he could. His body had already gotten really weak. If he continued to fight like this, even if hispanions could get even in the fight with the girl, it would not help because he had lost all his fighting ability.


    Being tough on himself was crueler than being tough on others. The senior swordsmaster grinned as he swung his sword. Two crossed sword radiances came together in the sky, but hisbat power seemed to get weaker.

 Chapter 140: Worries

    Chapter 140: Worries


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey remained still, and the wind des rearranged themselves together. The des wove together tightly and formed arge, circr formation, then began to spin. It was very fast. The edge of the formation was blurred and it made a high pitched screech.


    The swordsmaster saw that Anfey had disappeared and a strange swirl appeared. He was shocked. However, he knew that he did not have another choice, because he heard hispanions dying. He had to keeping going because it was hisst chance.


    Three sword radiances hit the swirl, but all three were swallowed by the des. The swordsmaster couldn¡¯t tell how many of the des he actually destroyed. It didn¡¯t matter. Compared to how many des were there, the amount he destroyed was still too little. The swirl was not at all affected.


    Anfey smiled and waved his right hand. The swirl, as if controlled by an unseen force, gathered and flew to his hand. It became a long spear. Anfey couldn¡¯t use intermediate magic, but he was very good at controlling the elements. The formation of the elements were very tight, the spear shone as if it was a real weapon, especially the tip. It shone coldly, and the swordsmaster felt cold just looking at it.


    Anfey held the spear in one hand and thrust it forward, aiming at the swordsmaster¡¯s head.


    The swordsmaster shouted angrily and summoned all of hisbat power. He waved his sword and hit the spear¡¯s shaft. He was confident that his blow could shatter the weapon made out of elements. Even though he had never seen the strange weapon, he was sure it would be as vulnerable as the others he had seen before.


    Something strange happened. The swordsmaster used all of his might, but Anfey had used a lot of strength as well. As the two weapons shed, the swordsmaster felt his arm going numb. His sword bounced away from the spear as if it had hit a spring. The spear bounced the other way, and the spear bent under the impact. The elements were still woven together after the blow. The strength of this weapon and the person who summoned it was evident. This was important news for the organization, but first he needed to survive this fight. A dead man cannot ry information.


    Anfey¡¯s eyes shed. He kicked on the spear, which caused the spear to travel upwards. At the same time, his right hand reached forward. When the spear straightened itself, the tip was only a foot away from the swordsmaster¡¯s face.


    The swordsmaster had never seen anyone fight like this. At thest minute, he raised his sword and blocked the attack. However, this time his defense was significantly weaker. The spear made a curve and hit the swordsmaster¡¯s chest.


    The swordsmaster¡¯s chest rippled. It was the reaction from hisbat power. The spear left a visible wound on his chest. The man flew back.


    Anfey jumped up into the air and chased after the man. The spear in his hand shed and struck the swordsmaster. The man had just taken a hit, and had not recovered enough to block this next hit. The only thing he could do was to summon hisbat power. All three blowsnded where Anfey wanted them tond. The man was falling faster, and the light of hisbat power dimmed.


    The swordsmaster rolled on the ground. Anfey had alreadynded when he jumped up. Anfey held the spear in both hands and thrust out towards the swordsmaster¡¯s head. Spears were originally his weapon of choice, but here in this world he had not found a ce to use it. Until today.


    The swordsmaster was like prey in a trap. He tried to block the spear, but Anfey changed his way of attack. The spear changed its direction and struck down instead of up. The tip of the spear struck the swordsmaster¡¯s calf. Even someone like Ernest could not defeat Anfey with a spear, let alone a swordsmaster.


    The swordsmaster screamed in agony and tried to grab the spear. The way of the spear was to strike continuously. As soon as the enemy was wounded, every strike could be a lethal blow. Trying to grab the spear was human instinct, but it was a mistake.


    Anfey pushed with his left hand and pulled with his right, and the spear was jerked to the right. The tip was still in the swordsmaster¡¯s calf. The man screamed again as his leg was pulled away from under him. A chunk of skin was ripped off by the spear.


    Anfey then pulled right with his left hand and pushed left with his right hand. The spear returned and hit the swordsmaster again.


    The swordsmaster was wounded, but he could still react. He lowered his head to duck from this lethal blow.


    Anfey did not wait for him to recover. His left hand flew back and the spear flew back like a snake. Then he step forward with his right foot, and the spear flew forward. It struck the swordsmaster¡¯s chest.


    The swordsmaster tried to block the spear with his sword. He was wounded and hisbat power was almost gone. Now he was very slow. When his sword was a hair away from hitting the spear, the spear glided past the sword and hit his chest.


    The swordsmaster reached over and grabbed the spear. He stared at Anfey with bloodshot eyes.


    Anfey smiled. He pressed down with his left hand and threw the swordsmaster into the air.


    The swordsmaster couldn¡¯t hold onto the spear no longer. He began tumbling through the air, his blood spraying down. Before he hit the ground, he felt cold and then pain in his back. The spear had pierced his back.


    Anfey had no mercy. When the spear entered the man¡¯s body, his hands were rxed. He didn¡¯t fight against the gravity and let the spear glide forward. Then he took a step back and brought his hands back. When the man was almost on the ground, he stepped and thrusted forward.


    The spear pierced the swordsmaster¡¯s body and killed him.


    The swordsmaster fell to the ground. Anfey let go of the spear. The wind elements dispersed quickly. If anyone found this body, it would be very hard to identify the murder weapon.


    Anfey turned around. Suzanna was almost done with her fight. She had already taken care of one of the men. The other blocked a few of her blows but couldn¡¯t hold against her. The swordsmaster fighting with ck Eleven wanted to run, but his route was cut off by Suzanna and ck Eleven.


    Perhaps because he did not do well today and was troubled by someone who was less powerful, ck Eleven seemed defeated. He checked the swordsmaster¡¯s body and walked over to join Anfey.


    "You took a huge risk today," ck Eleven said.


    "Well, at least now I know how dangerous Evil Mist really is," Anfey shrugged and replied.


    "I¡¯ve told you before..."


    "Listening and experiencing are two very different things," Anfey interrupted. Why were they following him? Was it because he had killed ck Ghost? Anfey felt that there was something not quite right. There should be another reason for this.


    "Thank god we took care of their mages first," ck Eleven said. "If there had been a necromancer, then we would be the ones on the ground now." He was in fact very troubled. His sense of order told him to tell Anfey to be cautious and tell him everything. He did not realize Evil Mist would be so interested in Anfey and send out their best men. A senior swordsmaster was rare even in White Mountain City.


    "I¡¯m curious. They are indeed very powerful. If they had just fought us, we would definitely have lost. Why are they following us? If it wasn¡¯t for the faint surges I felt, no one would have realized they were there." Anfey frowned. If there were a necromancer among the mages,bined with the other mages, why would they follow him in secret?


    "You¡¯re saying they have backup?" ck Eleven¡¯s face paled. Normally he wasn¡¯t afraid of Evil Mist. If he couldn¡¯t fight them, he could run and hide. However, now he needed to destroy Shansa Empire¡¯s aerial squad. He didn¡¯t have time to be dealing with Evil Mist right now.


    "Do they know we are going to Moramatch?" Anfey asked.


    "How am I supposed know?" ck Eleven replied.

 Chapter 141: Irreversible Changes

    Chapter 141: Irreversible Changes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey, Suzanna and ck Eleven stood side by side with a lush valley in front of them. They watched the camp in the distance and lost themselves in thought. In the past few days, they had not gone back to the wagon route. Instead, they stayed behind to look for the trace of their enemies. It had been five days, but they had not found anything yet.


    Time did not allow them to look for enemies anymore. ck Eleven received new information. Maybe it was because themander of Roaring Dead Legion did not know Ynthe had not died yet. He acted very cautiously. He was different than those war maniacs. He did not attack the Shansa Empire military. Instead, he led the Roaring Dead Legion in a quiet retreat to the Maho Empire. Even though he tried to keep his moves secret, they were noticed. After this message was spread, Maho Empire was shocked. The upper sses in Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empire got into a long and intense disagreement over it.


    When things had already gone so far, everyone knew the intention of Baery. Ynthe had died so Roaring Dead Legion became Baery¡¯s legion. He could use Roaring Dead Legion as a bargaining chip. No matter which prince he would support, he would y an important role. The three princesses of Maho Empire who hid themselves in their own fiefdoms should be counted out. The eldest prince, Webster, only had Miorich on his side. Compared with Granden, who had control over the North Line military, Miorich seemed to be a lot weaker. If Webster could get Baery¡¯s support, he could be on par with Granden. On the other hand, if Granden had Baery¡¯s support, Webster had better choose to give up his power and leave Sacred City, or flee to another county, or hide in remote areas to survive.


    The upper sses in Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empre were quite happy. They understood Baery¡¯s situation. It was all because Ynthe died at a wrong time.


    Royalty had absolute control over militaries, whether or not Ynthe had died. If there were anyone who could legally seed to the throne after Ynhe in Maho Empire, Baery would not be able to have total control over Roaring Dead Legion. In other words, the upper sses in Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empre had predicted they were going to have a perfect opportunity to attack Maho Empire: not only because of the death of Ynthe, but also because the situation in Maho Empire was turbulent and showed many conflicts inside.


    In this situation, Newyoheim and Jerrofick in Ellisen Empire finally became allies. They lead Dark Moon Magic Legion and Storm Legion andunched a fierce attack. They had fought with all kinds of temptation before because they did not know what Roaring Dead Legion would do to them. For exactly the same reason, Ynthe had been cautious of making moves on Dark Moon Magic Legion. The upper ss in Ellisen Empire was also careful about Roaring Dead Legion. Maho Empire had yed theirst card. Therefore, there was nothing to hold them back. They would not wait to attack, in case Maho Empire got stronger.


    Shansa Empire stopped worrying and reduced the number of their soldiers at other areas to allow their main force to attack ckania City. ckania City had already been in danger. Webster was in charge of the Sacred City military for the time being. When he saw this situation, he had to put aside what was between the brothers and ask Miorich to lead Sacred City Pce bodyguards to the aid of ckania City.


    Maho Empire still had a very strong military power, but the upper sses in Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empire both felt relieved. Roaring Dead Legion was thest card that Maho Empire could y. When they had to use Sacred City Pce bodyguards as military, it only proved that Maho Empire hade to a point that they had nothing else left to defend themselves. It also proved Baery¡¯s indecisive attitude. If he had put the country as his priority, he would not just stand and see Webster using Sacred City Pce bodyguards as military.


    The eldest prince, Webster used Sacred City Pce bodyguards as a signal to tell other countries that he was ready for the fight more than he was fighting for his country. It was harsh to make this judgement, but the fact was obviously showing though.


    The situation was clear to everyone. If Webster wanted to help ckania City, he had to cut off the supplies from Shansa Empire. First, though, he had to wipe out Griffin Aerial Unit to cut off the supplies from Shansa Empire. ck Eleven was worried. Anfey, Suzanna and ck Eleven decided to stop looking for Evil Mist out of concern for time.


    Hengduan Mountain Range appeared straight ahead them. The Hengduan Valley was nestled in the hills. To the left, towards the southeast, was the Town of Moramatch. To the right, towards the southwest, was the Forest of Death. The wagon route had reached this crossing, which led to three different areas.


    Anfey understood why ck Eleven looked so weird after he heard the name of Moramatch. Moramatch was not a deserted area. It was said that there were many intelligent beings living there. The reason to call them intelligent beings was there were all kinds of tribes, but no human beings.


    Suzanna had foreseen that Christian would lose a lot of money on the deal. She predicted that they would not be able to collect more than one hundred gold coins in taxes. The reality was Suzanna was even too optimistic about it. They would not even collect one gold coin. The intelligent beings did not want to follow human beings¡¯ lead. The Band of Brothers mercenary groups had sent mercenaries to put down the uprising several times, but the dwarves and gnomes had allied and worked together, oveing their race problem. They dug underground tunnels in Moramatch. There were many connected tunnels, which looked like a spider web. When mercenaries came, they would hide in the underground tunnels and looked for opportunity to attack human beings in surprise. When mercenaries left, they woulde out from the underground tunnel to enjoy their peaceful life. They simply yed guerri.


    Of course, human beings were still dominant on Pan Continent. The reason those intelligent lives were safe in Moramatch was they were useless. If they were protecting a treasure left by a gigantic dragon, the mercenaries would rush to Moramatch and crush them like bugs. Even if they could dig ten or a hundred times more underground tunnels, they could not escape from human beings¡¯ hunting.


    If Chuang Tzu were here, he would brag about his philosophy and stress the universal truth about "the use of useless".


    "Anfey, are we going to the Hengduan Mountain Range or Town of Moramatch?" ck Eleven asked in a low voice.


    "Let¡¯s go to Moramatch first. We will decide after your people bring us more updates," Anfey said.


    "Ok." ck Eleven nodded. "But we¡¯d better get ready for battles, since it was not that easy to enter the town of Moramatch."


    "It gives me a headache." Anfey heaved a slight sigh. "It¡¯s better not have any blood in any battle."


    "No blood? It does not sound like you." ck Eleven smiled.


    "If there is any way we could have them gather in the town to wee us, I do not mind even using a sh Series Scroll." Anfey gave a weak smile. "I am just concerned they would cause trouble for us after any bloody fight."


    "sh Series Scroll is very precious." ck Eleven smiled bitterly. He found he had lived like a kidpared with Anfey. "Don¡¯t waste it. Are the scrolls you have collected by Master Saul? You are so..."


    "Do we have any other ways to avoid the bloody fights?" Anfey asked slowly. "They could not feed themselves, could they? They need to purchase many of life¡¯s necessities outside of Moramatch. Can we do any business with them?" Anfey asked.


    "They are hostile towards human beings, so they are very cautious when they deal with humans. They were ves or entertainment for humans before. They risked their lives to flee here." ck Eleven shook his head. "They only do business with certain merchant caravans and merchants."


    "We can give them a lower price. It should be attempting to them," Anfey said.


    "It was not tempting enough." ck Eleven smiled. "If they rob us, they would not need to pay even a bronze coin."


    "F*ck!" Anfey could not help cursing. "Do they dare?"


    "They have done it many times to others," ck Eleven answered.


    "What if we use Earthquake Magic? Could we destruct their underground tunnels?" Anfey started to look for alternatives to fight these intellectual beings.


    "No, the tunnels dwarves dug were several miles or even more than ten miles deep underground. Unless it was Earth Series Magic, others would not be too helpful," ck Eleven said.


    "What if we use Water Series Magic? If we flood their tunnel, would they drown?" Anfey asked.


    "Underground tunnels are like cities for dwarves and gnomes. They connect the tunnels with the rivers. It is not possible to drown them. In addition, we do not have enough mages to gather that many water elements."


    "Never mind then. We will know when the timees." Anfey shook his head. "I will give them an olive branch and have them choose their own fate."


    "What is an olive branch?" Suzanna asked in low pitch.


    "It¡¯s a symbol for peace." Anfey smiled. "Ok. Let¡¯s go."


    In the camp, Christian was instructing others how to build tents. Seeing Anfey finally show up, he looked happy. Everyone else seemed to feel relieved as well. They knew they were being stalked. Christian did not try to hide it from them. Seeing Anfey, Suzanna and ck Eleven back, it meant the enemies were taken care of.


    Girls were stilling chatting and singing. Some were fooling around, some were helping with chores. The saying "ignorance is bliss" made some sense. Even if the sky had fallen, the bigger and stronger men had to hold it for others. The girls had been care free.


    "Christian, you must have been really busy when I was not here," Anfey looked around the camp as hemented.


    Christian was shocked for a second before he heaved a long sigh. "Come on, Anfey, You never took care of these things even when you were in the camp. I have been doing it no matter whether you are here or not. There is no difference with or without you."


    "You are too honest." Anfey gave Christian a smile. It was generally hard for people to notice any changes in themselves, and Anfey was no different. He did not realize he was getting more outgoing.


    "You are so boring." Christian rolled his eyes at Anfey and then he looked concerned. "Did you get hurt? Is everything ok?"


    "Yes, Anfey killed a senior swordsman by himself." Suzanna was bragging about Anfey¡¯s sess. She looked happier than if she could kill a senior swordsman herself.


    "Really?" Christian was startled.

 Chapter 142: Instincts

    Chapter 142: Instincts


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I actually had a lot of advantages. I¡¯m really not as powerful as he," Anfey said.


    "But you already know levitation," Suzanna countered.


    "That¡¯s good news." Christian grinned. "I don¡¯t have to carry you anymore. Truth be told, Anfey, you¡¯re quite heavy."


    Anfey turned and looked at Suzanna. It was evident from her expression that she was very happy for his growth. Even though it had been a few days already, Suzanna couldn¡¯t help but smile whenever she recalled it.


    Women were much more sensitive than men, especially when it came to love. Suzanna knew very well what her heart desired. After the incident with Shally, Suzanna felt she didn¡¯t need to hide anymore. After the initial awkwardness, she chose to be more open about her feelings. This was why she had been talking about Anfey a lottely.


    Sensing his gaze, Suzanna turned to look at Anfey. When their eyes met, she quickly turned her gaze away.


    "Where¡¯s Hui Wei?" Anfey asked.


    "Over there." Christian pointed the young man out for Anfey. "Do you need to talk to him?"


    "He had dealings with some of the weaker species before. I need to ask him something."


    "Is it about Moramatch?" Christian asked.


    "It is," Anfey said.


    "It¡¯s really my fault," Christian said. He shook his head. "I should have been smart and rented that Zambia vige."


    Zambia was a jungle town in the middle of Transverse Mountains. It was thestrge supply town on the way to Shansa Empire. It was arge town with mostly humans. It covered a lot of territory and was fairly prosperous. Plus, it was in the middle of the Transverse Mountains, which would make it easier for them to execute their ns.


    "Thank god you didn¡¯t rent that town," ck Eleven said. "It¡¯s under the control of Shansa Empire. It is a major city in Transverse Mountains. They would never ignore it."


    "Do you have anything from Band of Brother mercenary?"


    "Not yet."


    "Shouldn¡¯t we be trying to create some chaos?" Christian asked, frowning.


    "Definitely. We cannot disrupt Shansa Empire¡¯s supply lines all by ourselves. We need other mercenaries to help us." Anfey smiled. "I¡¯m going to look for Hui Wei. Suzanna, why don¡¯t you get some rest?"


    After the few days away from his friends, Anfey had some new understanding of magic. He would try to meditate as often as he could, so keeping nightly vigils became Suzanna¡¯s and ck Eleven¡¯s job. During the day they had travel. The two of them were often extremely tired because of thisck of sleep. Anfey still hadn¡¯t expressed anything, or promised anything to Suzanna. He wasn¡¯t even sure of their rtionship himself. However, he saw everything and remembered everything. Silence was just the way he was. He would still care for her when the time was right.


    "I¡¯m not tired," Suzanna said. She didn¡¯t want to act clingy. She was worried that some people wouldn¡¯t just let her rest. Like Niya, who would always be asking her strange questions.


    Anfey nced at Suzanna. He misunderstood her intentions, for once. All men, more or less, had big egos. When a girl like Suzanna falls in love with a man, he would try to stay with her to prove to her his masculinity.


    Hui Wei was talking with Vonmerge. Seeing Anfey, the two of them stood up to greet him. Hui Wei was calm, but Vonmerge¡¯s expression was hard to read. He nced at Suzanna, and his eyes dropped to the ground silently. He wanted to keep himself away from the spotlight. He didn¡¯t need sympathy or jabs. Both would hurt his pride.


    However, Vonmerge was a happy person who liked talking to people. He was well traveled, so the job of dealing with strangers fell to Vonmerge. A talkative person suddenly keeping to himself was a sign that something was wrong.


    Suzanna hadn¡¯t realized Vonmerge was there. She stopped and looked worried. One was her old friend, herpanion, who had pursued her relentlessly. The other was her lover, her leader. She was worried that there would be conflicts over the matter. She would be upset no matter what happened.


    Anfey felt that Suzanna and Vonmerge were acting strange. He frowned, then remembered Vonmerge once was pursuing Suzanna. It wasmon for hatred to rece love. If Vonmerge were to overthink the situation, he could potentially do things that were harmful to the team. However, Anfey couldn¡¯t do anything. He needed to wait for Vonmerge to make his own decision. For a victor, anything he did could be mistaken as showing off.


    Killing him? The idea entered his mind. It wasn¡¯t his fault for having such an idea. For an assassin, his first reaction to any potential danger was whether the situation could be resolved with violence or not. The other choice would be to distance himself. Only fools and warriors danced with the devil. Never assassins.


    "Vonmerge," Anfey said. "I didn¡¯t know you were here. I need to ask you something." He tried to keep his tone as natural as possible.


    "What is it?" Hui Wei asked slowly.


    "Do you know where we¡¯re going?"


    Hui Wei and Vonmerge nced at each other and both shook their heads.


    "We¡¯re going to Moramatch," Anfey said. "Christian rented the ce, and that will be our base from now on."


    "Moramatch? Why are we going there?" The two asked at the same time.


    "I know how chaotic the ce is, but that is a good thing. If we can settle down there, no one could challenge our leadership for a long time." Anfey wasn¡¯t joking. Every sentient race had its own skills to protect itself. If they could be recognized by the residents of Moramatch, they could use their defense system against outside threats.


    "Wishful thinking." Hui Wei shook his head. "Those creatures are filled with hatred. There is no easy way to stabilizing the ce."


    "I know it¡¯s hard, so I need to learn more," Anfey told him. "Have you dealt with dwarves and gnomes?"


    "I¡¯ve dealt with them, sure."


    "Tell me more about it."


    Hui Wei thought about it for a moment. "Dwarves are short tempered. Both the men and the women are quick to anger. I¡¯ve seen one angry dwarf before. His beard was so long you couldn¡¯t see his mouth. His eyes were huge and he was jumping around, screaming at me. But he was half of my height. It was honestly quite annoying, and I wanted to smash him with a rock. Dealing with dwarves is hard work. They wouldn¡¯t bend to violence. They can and will sacrifice themselves, even if just to prove a point. They¡¯re very stubborn and very determined. You cannot dissuade a dwarf."


    "You¡¯re saying neither words nor violence can force the dwarves into doing anything?"


    "Yes." Hui Wei nodded.


    "What about the gnomes?"


    "They are a very selfish race. The only thing they really care about is themselves. Because of their selfishness, their civilization is dying very fast; or else they would still be the dominant race." Hui Wei stopped for a moment before continuing, "Years ago, the rise of the savage ns marked the fall of the gnome civilization. A team of a hundred savages could defeat an army of ten thousand gnomes. Because of the individual differences, the gnome soldiers did not even have the guts to go to war. They would scatter before the savages. Because of their selfishness, they did not unite against theirmon enemies and gave up very easily. If it wasn¡¯t for that, the savages wouldn¡¯t have had their gold age, and humans wouldn¡¯t have came around."


    "Wait, I have a question," Anfey said. "Humans are made by gods. What does that have anything to do with the gnomes?" He had read about the development of human civilization in the library when he was researching magic.


    "Of course, you¡¯re right." Hui Wei smiled and stopped talking.


    "Did the gods create the gnomes?" Anfey asked tentatively.


    "When the gnomes controlled the world, the gods weren¡¯t even born," Hui Wei said quietly. "Let¡¯s move on. You won¡¯t believe me even if I tell you."


    "You haven¡¯t told me anything yet."


    "Let¡¯s just say the God of Destruction worshipped by the dark mages is a battle monster created by the gnomes."


    "What?" Vonmerge asked. He was really shocked.


    Suzanna stared at Hui Wei with wide eyes. His theory was too strange for them to ept easily. Most people would take him for a madman. Anfey, however, was thinking about what Hui Wei just told him.


    "If gnomes could control gods, then why were the savages able to destroy them?" Anfey asked slowly.


    "Like I¡¯ve said, the gnomes are very selfish. They dered war on each other over the right to control this battle monster. I am not sure what happened in the end. All I know is that the gnomes lost control of the monster."

 Chapter 143: The Victory from the Girl

    Chapter 143: The Victory from the Girl


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Bulls*^t! Totally bulls*^t!" Vonmerge shook his head non-stop. They were friends, but he could not stand Hui Wei¡¯s nonsense.


    Hui Wei gave a disdaining smile. He nced at Anfey, finding him lost in thought. He was shocked for a second, since he did not think Anfey would take his bizarre talking without reacting. However he was wrong.


    "Hui Wei, you will be on the wanted list if you speak this nonsense to others." Suzanna smiled bitterly. "You are crazier than any defiler in history."


    Hui Wei hesitated for a second and said, "I¡¯ve already been on the wanted list."


    "No wonder you would rather stay with orcs." Suzanna gave Hui Wei a weird look.


    "Defilers are everywhere in the world. Churches¡¯ abilities are limited." Hui Wei looked calm. "For instance, there have been so many archmages in history. They have devoted themselves to improving spells, silent chanting magic, immediate magic and many other techniques. They were doing it more to challenge old rules than to improve theirbat powers. Some archmages were able to release antimagic spells in silence in the Sacred Battle. They represented the archmages who hoped to have control of everything with their innovation on spells rather than praying to God for it."


    "You are using crazy logic," Vonmerge yelled.


    "Your vision is too short," Hui Wei responded.


    "It does not make sense to argue about these. Let¡¯s get back to gnomes," Anfey said casually. "Hui Wei, are you saying gnomes are strong?"


    "No, they are not strong at all." Hui Wei thought for a moment and then said, "Civilization is the backbone of intelligent life. Losing it means losing everything. If human orphans were kept in a cave without being taught anything, they would be more stupid than any barbarian when they were kicked out of the cave as they reach adulthood. The gnomes had already lost their culture. If you have seen any gnome, you would think they are just garbage."


    "What else do you know?" Anfey asked.


    "No matter whether gnomes are male or female, they are just as selfish as their ancestors. Even when they receive more stress from outside, they still look for opportunities to pick fights inside their group, even over very small things, and they..." Hui Wei said.


    "Hold on, when you talked about dwarves, you divided them into men and women. Why are you dividing gnomes into males and females? Isn¡¯t it showing disdain?" Anfey asked.


    "Hehehe, gnomes are at a disadvantage in the magic world, but they have looked down upon other intelligent races, including human beings. They are still as proud of themselves as they were in ancient times. Therefore, other intelligent beings disdain them. It is not just me; all intelligent beings on Pan Continent divide them into males and females. We are isting them this way." Hui Wei looked at Anfey, "Don¡¯t tell me you do not even know about this? This ismon knowledge."


    "Anfey has followed Archmage Yagor to learn magic since he was little. He did not have much experience on Pan Continent. Of course, he did not know about it. Did you know everything when you were just born?" Suzanna asked unhappily.


    Hui Wei looked at Suzanna with curiosity, "Did you say Anfey is not experienced? Does heck experience?"


    Suzanna was shocked. Anfey paid attention to details, and the strategies he used were phenomenal as well, but he had always made a fool of himself on issues involvingmon sense. It was hard to exin this contradiction. Not to mention with Suzanna: even Anfey himself could not exin it.


    "We are talking about gnomes. Why are you talking about me?" Anfey shook his head helplessly.


    "When we enter Moramatch, we have to be careful of gnomes. Hatred and revenge are only part of it. There are some other things that could make gnomes go crazy," Hui Wei said.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "Male gnomes love beautiful girls. You can understand them. Besides elves, human beings have the best looks." Hui Wei smiled. "Female gnomes also like men. Besides the looks,pared with short gnomes, male human beings can give them more intense sensual pleasures and orgasms."


    Suzanna blushed right away. She was just a virgin without any bedroom experience. She was not able to take it when Hui Wei was talking about sensual pleasure and orgasms.


    "Sorry, Miss. Suzanna, it was my bad." Hui Wei noticed Suzanna wasfortable with his talking. He immediately apologized.


    "It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s fine." Suzanna hurriedly waving her hands.


    "Did you say gnomes would attack us first if there is any conflict?" Anfey asked.


    "Pretty much. They act more on impulse than hot-tempered dwarves. If they get to know we are powerful, they would be the first ones to run away as well," Hui Wei said.


    "Any powerful ones among gnomes?" Anfey asked.


    "Well..." Hui Wei thought for a while. "Gnomes could practice neither magic norbat powers. I would say there is no powerful gnome."


    "How could they survive till now?" Anfey was fascinated.


    "They have fighting puppets." Suzanna answered Anfey¡¯s question first. Anfey had asked another stupid question. She did not want Hui Wei to answer it, in case he would mock Anfey for having nomon sense. Although others did not think Hui Wei mocked Anfey, Suzanna still felt ufortable about hisments.


    "Fighting puppets?" Anfey asked.


    "Death magic includes puppet magic. Do you know about it?" Suzanna asked.


    "No," Anfey answered honestly.


    "You know about puppets, right?" Suzanna was a little worried.


    "Yes," Anfey answered. "Fighting puppets are the puppets that can fight."


    Suzanna heaved a sigh of relief. "Fighting Puppets were empty inside. Gnomes could get into them to control Fighting Puppets so they could know how to fight, but Fighting Puppets are generated by magic crystals," Suzanna said.


    Hui Wei added, "A Fighting Puppet with high uracy has unbelievable fighting power, but this kind of Fighting Puppet has not been seen for a long time. Steel Fighting Puppets are not powerful, at least they could not pose any threat to us. Miss Suzanna could handle more than ten of them by herself."


    Anfey got a sense of what Fighting Puppets were. Fighting Puppets were simr to robots. He was shocked for a second and said, "Why did other countries not do any research on Fighting Puppets? Thousands of Fighting Puppets could form a military, and then their military power would be powerful."


    "Archmages could burn groups of Fighting Puppets into ore while master swordsmen could cut them into pieces like slicing bread. What do you think of their fighting ability now?" Hui Wei smiled. "Fighting Puppets with high uracy could pose some threat. However, these rare things could be melted into ore and made into all kinds of weapons once they were found by human beings. Human beings would never allow gnomes to have them."


    "It is weird. How could barbarians defeat gnomes when they had so many Fighting Puppets at their peak?" Anfey asked.


    "You curiosity is crazy." Hui Wei smiled bitterly. "It happened ten thousand years ago. You ask me. How can I know the answer ?"


    "It¡¯s better to ask than pretending to know everything." Anfeyughed at himself. "ording to what you said, gnomes should be posing no threat to us."


    "We still have to be careful. If Fighting Puppetse out of nowhere, it would pose a lot of threats to mages. There was ayer of defense inside the Fighting Puppets. As long as the gnomes are not hurt, their Fighting Puppets would not stop fighting. Junior mages could not hurt gnomes. Intermediate mages were not powerful enough either. Only senior mages could do fatal damage to them. We do have Suzanna, so we do not have to be scared by them. Those gnomes would not have more than two Fighting Puppets. Suzanna could destroy them in a second," Hui Wei said slowly.


    "Ok." Anfey nodded. "I know what we should do now. Hui Wei, did you have any contact with gnomes?"


    "Yes," Hui Wei answered.


    "How about you, Vonmerge?" Anfey asked.


    "I did not have any contact with gnomes, but I had contact with dwarves," Vonmerge answered.


    "Would you dare to negotiate with gnomes and dwarves if I ask you to?" Anfey asked.


    Hui Wei hesitated for a second, but Vonmerge nodded. "Sure, no problem."


    "Don¡¯t worry. I would not ask you to risk your life without any protection." Anfey smiled. Vonmerge¡¯s response made Anfey happy. At least, he could tell what his job was and what his preferences were, otherwise he would have tried to talk Anfey out of it.


    "Anfey, negotiation would not do us much good. No matter whether they are dwarves or gnomes, it would be hard to achieve any negotiation with them."


    "I understand your concerns." Anfey nodded. "Ok, all of you can go take some rest."


    Anfey and Suzanna walked slowly outside together. Suzanna hesitated for a second before she asked, "Anfey, do you really want them to negotiate with gnomes and dwarves? It is too dangerous."


    "Are you worried about him?" Anfey smiled.


    Anfey could swear he was just joking, but what he said just rubbed Suzanna the wrong way. She was shocked and stared at Anfey. Her face turned a little pale as well.


    "Suzanna, I was just joking. Don¡¯t be mad at me." Anfey just realized that Suzanna was very sensitive, and his joke was a little overboard. He gave Suzanna a smile right away. This was the first time he had ever tried to please someone with a smile.


    Suzanna bit her lip without saying anything. She felt wronged.


    "Ok, ok. I apologize," Anfey said gently. He even made a move to hold Suzanna¡¯s hand.


    Suzanna swung her arm and got away from Anfey¡¯s hand.


    As Anfey was trying tofort Suzanna, a woman¡¯s voice came from behind. "Anfey, you are here. I am looking for you."


    Anfey turned around and saw Shansa Empire¡¯s princess standing there, lookikng beautiful.


    "Alice, what do you need?" Anfey asked.


    "Can I talk to you in private?" the princess asked.


    "I..." Anfey hesitated for a second, and then he felt something warm and soft in his hand. Suzanna held his hand. Suzanna stepped forward, standing next to Anfey.


    "I am sorry to bother you. We can talkter." Alice stared at Suzanna¡¯s hand. She looked sad.


    Suzanna snorted quietly. She held Anfey¡¯s hand even tighter.

 Chapter 144: Beasts

    Chapter 144: Beasts


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It took Anfey a minute to process what he was seeing when he first saw Moramatch. It was arge town with a lot of houses, but the houses were all of different sizes. Some houses were short and small, barely seven feet tall, while others were tall. The difference was striking and made the city looked very ugly.


    This, however, did note as a surprise. A human of normal height would build taller, bigger houses. Dwarves and gnomes, who were generally less than three foot tall, built the smaller, shorter houses.


    Anfey remembered listening to a traveling minstrel¡¯s songs when he was still in Sacred City. The main character of the story was a human hero who was well liked by every race. He was weed by the dwarves, who gave the hero one of their best weapons. The heromented on how well made the weapon was and waved the weapon around. The dwarvesuded the hero for his work for the world. The hero lounged in the home of the dwarf leader and was treated like a royalty. There was a fruitless love story, as well.


    He had to admit, though, there was a huge difference between the story and real life. The house was too low for a man to straighten his back in, let along wave around a weapon. Even though the dwarves were well known for crafting weapons, Anfey had never actually seen a dwarf-made weapon. Stories tended to use humans as their focus, and all the other races existed to serve and assist the human hero. That was likely why dwarves would waste precious materials to craft weapons suitable for humans, then hide the weapon away until a certain hero appeared. They wasted precious materials and countless hours just so they could wait for the human hero.


    Staying with the dwarves must have been even more boring. The dwarves must have small beds, and it must have taken half a dozen beds to make one bed suitable for a human. Having a love affair with a dwarf woman was even more unthinkable. Anfey imagined himself holding Shally, and shuddered at the thought.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Suzanna asked him.


    Thank god she couldn¡¯t read his mind! Thankfully everyone had the right to keep their thoughts away from the world. If Suzanna learned what Anfey was thinking, she would not waste time asking him what was wrong.


    "Nothing," Anfey said. "I just thought about how much work we have to do."


    "What are you worrying about? You won¡¯t actually have to work." Suzanna grinned at him.


    Steel was forged under pressure. Experience, strength, and wits came from practice and time. Insensitivity was something that came with time, as well. The first time Suzanna held hands with Anfey, she was blushing and flustered. Later, when they were talking and stargazing, Suzanna found herself stumbling over her own words. Now they were holding hands, but Suzanna was acting much more natural.


    Suzanna also could feel that Anfey would often stare at her feet. That was why Suzanna took off her boots after the two of them went to Anfey¡¯s carriage. Women would not only dress to impress their lovers, sometimes they would undress to impress them.


    "There are a lot of things other than physical work," Anfey said. Suzanna¡¯s hand was soft and gentle in his hand. It was hard to imagine such a gentle hand could bring about so much destruction.


    "Anfey, can Ie in?" Christian knocked on the carriage and asked.


    "No," Anfey said.


    "What are you doing?" Suzanna asked hurriedly. She rolled her eyes at Anfey. Not letting Christian inside right now meant that there would be rumors saying they were doing something inappropriate. "Christian,e in," Suzanna called. She drew her hand back and covered her feet with her dress.


    "What should I do about you two?" Christian asked, smiling. "Anfey, we¡¯re about to enter the town."


    "Wait in here, Suzanna," Anfey said. "You¡¯re our trump card."


    Suzanna nodded and smiled sweetly. She did not care for other¡¯s adoration, but Anfey wasn¡¯t just anyone.


    Anfey climbed out of the carriage. Feller, who was driving the carriage, moved over to make space for him. Anfey observed the town carefully. Perhaps it was because the caravan was toorge, no one tried to stop them. There were shadows in the houses, as if the residents were observing them.


    "Christian, tell ck Eleven to keep his men outside of the city. We¡¯re going in by ourselves," Anfey said.


    Christian nodded in response.


    The caravan split into two. Half a dozen carriages entered the city, while the rest stayed behind. They found a clearing not far from the town. Under an old tree was arge bell. Clearly this was where the leader of the town called the residents together for meetings.


    "Feller, sound the bell," Anfey ordered.


    "No one would reply," Feller argued.


    "Try it anyway."


    Feller nodded. However, before he could get off of his horse, he heard a loud thuding from arge house to the right. The door was pushed open and a woman dashed out.


    The woman wasn¡¯t two feet away from the house when a werewolf chased out after her and grabbed her by her hair. The woman grunted in pain, and her head was drawn back. Anfey¡¯s eyes shed with strange emotions. He recognized the woman.


    "Barak! Let her go! She saved my life," a few other werewolves jumped out of a nearby alleyway and called.


    The werewolf in the lead was wounded, his left arm was covered with different colored fabrics, and he limped as he walked. He was with two other werewolves, and stared at the first werewolf angrily.


    The werewolf called Barak shook his head and said slowly, "She is my ve now."


    "What do you mean? Are you trying to shame me?" the other werewolf barked.


    Barak smirked but did not say anything. He turned his head and nced at Anfey.


    "Are they acting?" Feller leaned over and asked.


    "I don¡¯t know, but I know the woman isn¡¯t acting," Anfey said. "Go sound the bells."


    Feller walked over to the bell. He grabbed therge wood stake that hung next to the bell and began hitting it. The bell made a deep sound that could be heard throughout the town.


    The werewolves were well aware of the bell¡¯s sound, but they did not even turn their heads. None of the townspeople came, either.


    The werewolf called Barak snorted and turned, dragging the woman behind.


    "Barak, this is myst warning. Let her go," the other werewolf growled.


    "Bergman, I want you to remember. I am in charge now," Barak said coldly.


    "You were in charge. Not anymore," Anfey said slowly. He walked over and said, "I am in charge now. Let her go."


    The woman noticed Anfey, and her eyes were filled with joy. However, her hands were still bound and her mouth was gagged. The only thing she could do was struggle and try to catch his attention.


    "Who in hell are you?" Barak turned and looked at Anfey. His eyes narrowed dangerously. He was going to wait a bit then decide what he would do. However, he could not tolerate anyone who challenge him openly.


    "Get away, human. This is none of your business," Bergman growled as well. Even though Anfey had asked Barak to let the woman go, it was clear that Bergman did not want to befriend a human.


    Anfey hesitated, then said quietly, "I rented this town for several hundred gold coins, but I didn¡¯t know I would have to take care of beasts who don¡¯t even know how to speak properly." He had made several ns beforehand, but ns must vary ording to the situation. Seeing that the werewolves were clearly respected here, he wanted to try and befriend one side. He didn¡¯t know both sides would express enmity toward him. He had to take a stand, else his time in Moramatch would be very difficult.


    "What did you just say?" Barak barked angrily. He pointed at Anfey and looked like he was ready to fight him at any time. However, he was worried about Christian, who was standing by a carriage, not Anfey.


    "I don¡¯t like people pointing at me," Anfey said.


    "So what if I do?" Barak asked, provoking him.


    Anfey shook his head. His eyes moved away from the werewolf and nced upwards. This was an elementary trick, and Anfey didn¡¯t care if Barak fell for it. Though it seemed like the werewolf wasn¡¯t too bright. His gaze followed Anfey¡¯s.


    Just as Barak looked up, Anfey grabbed the werewolf¡¯s hand. Barak knew he had fell for a trap when pain shot up from his hand. When he was about to fight back, Anfey¡¯s fist struck his nose. Barak yelped in pain and stumbled back.


    "Dirty beasts," Anfey spat. He felt something wet on his hands. He found a handkerchief and cleaned his hand, then he dropped the handkerchief on the ground.


    Barak jumped up, his eyes were blood red and his furs were standing on its ends. He was getting taller and stronger. A werewolf¡¯s nose is more fragile than a human¡¯s. Barak¡¯s nose did not break after taking a hit like that, and that showed how strong he must have been.

 Chapter 145: Desires

    Chapter 145: Desires


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The werewolves standing beside Barak attacked Anfey, but not Barak himself. They stepped forward as their bodies transformed. When they rushed in front of Anfey, they had finished transforming. The werewolves¡¯ fighting powers were strong. When they were in their fighting status, they became even stronger in terms of offensive ability, speed, antimagic skills, and physical abilities. Their sharp ws even made bellowing sounds as they swung their arms in the air. They fearlessly attacked Anfey¡¯s back.


    Barak rushed after them and reached his sharp ws on Anfey¡¯s forehead. The girl with her arms tied behind her back was leaning against the wall. She looked desperate. She knew Anfey¡¯s fighting power. He would not have any defensive ability under four werewolves¡¯ attack. The girl was startled by what she saw. Anfey lowered his body a little bit and jumped out of the fighting zone with lightning speed before the werewolves could even surround him in the fighting zone. Hundreds of fire balls suddenly appeared around Anfey at the same time. They were like huge rain drops above his head. The magic Anfey released shocked everyone. It was such a scene to see hundreds of fire balls shooting at those werewolves. Those werewolves almost thought they would be hit by fire-ball rain. Unluckily, Anfey¡¯s junior magic was not strong enough. Although every werewolf got attacked by some fire balls, there was no damage to their bodies.


    Christian was shocked as well. He was ready to step forward to help Anfey. Seeing Anfey releasing magic, he immediately released magic signals and then he turned his wagon around. Feller pulled on the reigns to turn his wagon around as well. Suzanna watched Anfey closely through a crack in the curtain. Seeing Anfey shooting the fireballs, her hand on the sword shaft loosened a little, and she took a breath to calm down. She did not want others to notice her breathing.


    Zubin was in the second wagon. When Anfey released his magic, Zubin was even quicker than Feller to turn around his wagon. His moves were not smooth, and he even dropped a small box with over three hundred gold coins everywhere. He did not have time to pick them up. He held the reins tight to rush out of the town.


    Anfey thought to himself, "We are all humans. Why are we treated so differently? Those werewolves could fight with each other for a girl, but also could be allies to fight with me. It seems that women could definitely be more valuable than men."


    Barak jumped high with his rear legs kicking the ground. He kicked so hard that it created a huge cloud of dust. He threw himself at Anfey with a lightening speed. His ws shone with cold color as they moved towards Anfey¡¯s heart. Most werewolves were good hunters. When they hunted, they would not pick any unimportant or non-fatal areas to attack.


    "Niya, can you take a look at what is going on over there?" Riska asked in low voice.


    "Me?" Niya had been sitting quietly in the wagon when Riska asked her. She was shocked by Riska¡¯s request. Stubborn Niya had learned to ept the reality to save everyone some trouble by staying behind whenever there was a battle. She learned to hold Shally with one hand and hold the little unicorn in her arm hiding in a safe area. She had gotten used to this procedure, so she did not get Riska¡¯s request right away.


    "Yes." Riska nodded sincerely.


    Niya lifted the wagon curtain and stuck her head out to see what was going on.


    Hundreds of fire balls appeared around Anfey again and gathered to form a giant ming shield above his hands. Anfey raised the giant shield. With a huge crashing sound, Barak¡¯s ws hit hard on the giant shield. His body was stopped by the shield, while Anfey flew away from the crash. He flipped a couple of times in the air to keep a distance from Barak.


    "Go! Everybody, hurry!" Christian yelled.


    "Anfey, run, run fast." Niya subconsciously thought those four werewolves were way too powerful when she heard Christian ask them to withdraw. She was scared to death and screamed when she saw Anfey was hit in the air.


    Many people believed women looked the most beautiful when they smiled. To a real good looking woman, as long as her face was not distorted, she could always make people astonished by her beauty.


    Niya¡¯s big blue eyes were filled with panic, two sword-shaped brows snapping together, her silky blond hair flying in the wind, her sexy lips were slightly open, showing her snow white teeth. Right now, Niya reced Suzanna, acting like a woman worried about her lover. Niya looked panicked and helpless.


    Barak and the other werewolves all had their eyes on Niya. Their contracted pupils were a little distracted. With their social status and living environment, they had no opportunity to meet such beautiful girls. Niya, who was like a great archmage, controlled their souls with a blink of her eyes. She also allowed their passion toe out like exploding volcanos.


    Anfey suddenly turned around and chased after the wagon route. He jumped on thest wagon and stared fiercely at Barak. He yelled, "You guys had better wait for me. I wille back to take my revenge. I swear!"


    If it were an unprepared wagon route, they might panic for a while when something like this happened. Since Anfey had nned thoroughly, the wagon route turned around in a very short time to rush out of the town.


    Niya had tucked herself back to the wagon, which caused the werewolves to lose their focus. However, the sparkling on the ground caught their attention. Hundreds of gold coins on the ground gave out gentle and attempting shines.


    The werewolf named Barak took few heavy breaths before he lifted his head with a long and low-pitched howl. Countless gnomes, dwarves, orcs and werewolves rushed out from their hidden ces to chase the direction Barak pointed at.


    Anfey had a good understanding of psychology so he made ns based on it. He nned around one theme, that is, desires. They should fall if werewolves like beautiful girls or money. If they liked neither, they would be a threat to Anfey and hispanions. He had said he woulde back for revenge. If Anfey wanted to eliminate any threat posed to him, wiping out enemies was the only option. Anfey was quite frank about his fighting ability. If he had any chance to win,there would be no way that he would flee.


    Other than Barak, even an experiencedmander of a mercenary group could have a hard time controlling himself with so many temptations.


    ck Eleven was giving instructions on how to look for areas to set up camps when he received magic signals. He did not have time to see Anfey first. He ran back hurriedly to the route from the direction they came.


    Anfey easily jumped over the rail with a hand on it to support himself. Hended next to Feller and ducked in the wagon. He saw Suzanna¡¯s worried big eyes. "Anfey, are you ok?" Suzanna asked.


    "I am ok. They cannot hurt me." Anfey smiled.


    "Did they fall for it?Anfey, are we really killing all of them?" Suzanna asked.


    "As you see, I did not have any chance to negotiate with them." Anfey shook his head. "They did not want any other options, so we had to kill all of them."


    They heard a few coarse chirps. Anfey lifted the curtain to look out. He saw a falcon-sized birdnded in the town.


    "Genius, I almost missed a genius," Anfey sighed as he put the curtain down.


    "Who are you talking about?" Suzanna asked.


    "Hui Wei." Anfey smiled. "Some werewolves have magic pets. They canmunicate with magic pets with their minds. Powerful werewolves could even exchange visions with magic pets. If Hui Wei did not remind me of that, we could have given out clues and never could have them fall for us."


    "Hui Wei¡¯s history is a mystery," Suzanna said in a low pitch.


    "So are you," Anfey said.


    "So are you." Suzanna could not help rolling her eyes at Anfey.


    "Suzanna, can we talk about your past sometime? Please. We should..." Anfey suddenly shut his mouth. A faintly discernible wind was approaching, and then with a huge explosion sound, there was a big hole in the rear wall of the wagon. A werewolf¡¯s w reached into the wagon.


    An intense magic surge came above the wagon. Christian released levitation magic, flying above the wagon. He chanted an abracadabra in low pitch, and then a ming meteor rushing down to Barak.


    Barak responded quickly. He started a somersault by kicking on the wagon wall. A ming meteor smashed on the ground and made a smothered explosion sound. The wagon was shaken by the explosion.


    Christian released a magic shield because he knew he had to be careful of werewolves. Compared with werewolves, physically mages were weaker. If mages were attacked by werewolves without any protection, they could get hurt seriously or even die. Facing more than ten werewolves approaching him, Christian was very cautious.


    The wagon moved very fast. The dwarves and gnomes were left behind. The wagon was not able to pull away from the werewolves though. In fact, werewolves could even run faster than a wagon in a short period of time.


    When they were fleeing, Christian had been Anfey¡¯s assistant. He had been behind the scenes, since Anfey took most of glory. This time, he finally got the stage just for himself.


    Christian was nervous but did not panic, cautious but not scared. The corners of his mouth even curved up. He waved his hands fast to release magic in silence.


    His magic was not so powerful, but very effective. He attacked the werewolves¡¯ eyes with fire balls, sliced the tips of their noses with wind des, swiped their ears with electric arcs, and made them step on slippery ice and then released dying and spider web magic to interfere with their moves. Because he lost his magic power slowly, Christian could fight for a long time.


    The strategy to interfere with the opponents instead of damaging them was definitely annoying. Barak and the other werewolves hated this smiling mage, but could do nothing to him. As long as there was a distance between them, mages were unmatched. Sometimes werewolves ran onto the ice, slid and fell on their backs, or their legs were tangled in spider webs and they fell on their face.

 Chapter 146: Hunted

    Chapter 146: Hunted


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Normally, when a mage¡¯s life was threatened, the mage would release as much magic as possible to save themselves. The fact that Christian could keep calm must have had something to do with his past and his practices. Unfortunately, Anfey had missed Christian¡¯s performance. For him, having Christian next to him in battle was somethingfortable, but that was about it.


    One of the werewolves couldn¡¯t wait any longer. His body crouched down, his powerful legs kicked on the ground and his body shot into the air. The air around his wide open mouth rippled and a transparent wave of energy shot towards Christian. It was a form of attack called sound wave attack that was unique to the werewolves.


    The magic shield around Christian quivered and returned to normal. The two sides were far apart in the first ce: the carriage¡¯s speedbined with the werewolf¡¯s dives and jump increased the distance even more. The sound wave had to cross seventy feet to reach Christian, and its power had been greatly reduced. It therefore could not prate the shield.


    Christian wasn¡¯t about to let the werewolf go unscathed. He waved his hand and summoned a big fireball that hit the werewolf in the head. The fireball exploded and obscured the werewolf¡¯s vision. Then a sh lightening struck the werewolf¡¯s mouth like a snake.


    After werewolves mutate, their physical abilities would increase significantly. However, they still had some obvious ws, like their noses, eyes, and ears. Tongues and throats were even more vulnerable. The werewolf growled and fell from the sky.


    "Don¡¯t rush! They can¡¯t get away," Barak called.


    It was true. The carriages had already turned onto a winding dirty road, and the werewolves found a shortcut through the piles of rocks and boulders. Not only couldn¡¯t the carriages find a shortcut, the dwarves and gnomes all joined the fight as well. The shorter races ran down the hills, chanting war cries. There were a lot of female dwarves and gnomes present. The dwarves and gnomes bothcked fighting powers, and had to mobilize their entire poption to ensure their victory. Facing the humans, Barak¡¯s orders were meant for all three races.


    A few werewolves jumped across the stones and were less than twenty feet from the carriages. The two in front jumped up and lunged at Christian. For the werewolves, the people in the carriages weren¡¯t enough to post a threat. They needed to take care of the magister first.


    Christian didn¡¯t want to fight. He floated away from the carriage. A transparent arrow shot through the air and hit one of the werewolves in the abdomen. Then the arrow exited the werewolf¡¯s body with a boom.


    Blinding whitebat power shattered the carriage¡¯s ceiling. One of the werewolves had justnded there, and was instantly ripped apart by the white light. A figure jumped out of the carriage and kicked the body of the werewolf.


    A senior swordsmaster? Barak and the other werewolves froze. Nearby, Riska was already floating in the air.


    "What a waste," he mumbled. Then he shook the magic scroll in his hand. A powerful magical surge ripped through the air, and the world suddenly became very hot. Lava pools appeared on hills and all the grass and bushes were charred in an instant. ming bits of nts floated through the air. Hundreds of dwarves and gnomes were charred as well.


    The surviving creatures shrieked. Their ranks were broken, and the creatures dashed left and right, trying to escape. Some dwarves and gnomes were pushed into theva pools by their panicking friends, then those creatures were in turn pushed to the ground.


    Theva pools were flowing down the hills. Ground touched byva was almost as hot asva itself. It burned the feet of the escaping dwarves and gnomes. With theva still behind them, the remaining dwarves and gnomes shrieked and cried.


    The mages floated into the air. They did not stop, instead they quickly flew over the hill behind vi towards Moramatch. Their job was to prevent any enemies from escaping.


    The carriages turned and dashed toward another hill. Lava was mindless and could not distinguish between friend and foe. Before the magic wears off, theva would hurt them as much as it would hurt their enemies.


    Anfey climbed out of the carriage, his bow already pulled to the fullest. He nced at Barak and let the arrow fly.


    Barak jumped aside. He realized that the arrow could not harm him, and all it did was brush past him. His fear was unnecessary. Before he could say anything, however, he heard a cry of agony. He looked over and found one of his men fallen to the ground, clutching his chest.


    It was all a trap! Barak understood now. The cries of agony from the gnomes and the dwarves distracted him. Barak sighed to calm himself down. Then he asked with a raspy voice, "Why?" These people had made their minds up about killing them from the beginning. He couldn¡¯t imagine how he had wronged them.


    "That should be my question," Anfey replied. "I didn¡¯t do anything. You are the ones that are chasing after us. What do you want from us?"


    Barak couldn¡¯t find a reply. He turned and looked at his men. It didn¡¯t matter what their morals or ways of life were, but one thing about them was respectable. They were willing to sacrifice themselves.


    An emotion that could not be put into words spread among the werewolves. Barak growled loudly and lunged towards Anfey. Before he could reach Anfey, Suzanna appeared in front of him and shed at him with her sword.


    Even a mutated werewolf was no match for a swordsmaster¡¯s de. Barak had to move away to avoid the sword. He tried to grab Suzanna with his ws, but Suzanna was not slow. She did not jump back. Instead she took a step forward and rendered Barak¡¯s attack meaningless. Her sword thrust out and struck his arm.


    The rest of the werewolves all joined the fight. However, only two came to Barak¡¯s aid. The rest all lunged at Anfey.


    Anfey understood what the werewolves were nning the moment they jumped at him. He wasn¡¯t nning on seeking help from Christian and his otherpanions. Countless small fireballs appeared around him. The werewolves thought he was releasing the pointless fireballs again, and did not try to avoid the fireballs. As they were closing in, arge fire sword and a shield appeared in Anfey¡¯s hand, and he dashed forward in a strange pattern.


    Anfey¡¯s change was too sudden: The werewolves did not expect he would be so fast and unpredictable.


    Anfey¡¯s body began spinning. The fire shield hit one of the werewolves on the head. He took a few steps back to avoid the attack from two other werewolves, then he dashed forward again and caught up to one of the werewolves who could not retreat in time. His longsword struck out and shed at the werewolf. He wasn¡¯t sure how much damage he had done, but he knew he had at least severed the werewolf¡¯s tail. The werewolf yelped in pain and fell to the ground.


    Since he was under attack, Anfey could not stop to examine the werewolf¡¯s wounds. His body ducked and he jumped forward to avoid the ws. Then he blocked a kick from one of the werewolves, which required real skill. He attacked his opponent¡¯s knee, and the leg¡¯s shape changed. He didn¡¯t know whether he had broken the leg or dislocated the knee. Either way, the werewolf fell to the ground and could not fight anymore.


    Anfey dashed forward and reached Suzanna. They stood with their backs to each other. Barak was injured with a deep wound on his waist and blood was gushing from it. If he had been any slower, he would have been cut in half by now. Senior swordsmasters weren¡¯t people werewolves could take on, or else he wouldn¡¯t have chosen to fight the Band of Brother mercenaries with gori tactics. In this world, one powerful person was all that was needed change the battle.


    "Anfey, you alright?" Suzanna asked quietly.


    "Of course," Anfey said. He nced at the werewolves. "If webine our swords, we are unstoppable. A few beasts cannot touch us."


    "Combining our sword? What?" Suzanna asked. They were already surrounded, but she wanted to figure out what Anfey was trying to say.


    "I¡¯m saying as long as you are with me, I am not afraid of anything." Anfey sighed. The worst jokes were the ones people could not understand.


    Suzanna smiled sweetly, which made the other werewolves even more angry.


    "Interesting. You¡¯re usually cold as ice when you usebat power."


    "You know why? That¡¯s because you saved me."


    "I saved you? How?" Anfey asked curiously. It was his turn to be confused.


    The werewolves couldn¡¯t wait any longer. They growled, hissed, and lunged at the two of them. Their attack shattered Anfey¡¯s curiosity.

 Chapter 147: Realization

    Chapter 147: Realization


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Go!" Suzanna yelled in a low voice. Herbat power suddenly became even more intense and brighter. Anfey stood back to back with Suzanna. He could sense the pressure and prickling pain from Suzanna¡¯s body. He jumped into the sky like a shooting arrow without any hesitation.


    Suzanna swung her sword sideways. Herbat power stirred the dirt up from the ground and moved outwards in circr waves. A circle of clear sword radiance appeared and radiated outwards with Suzanna at the center.


    When Barak and other werewolves saw Suzanna¡¯sbat power and sword radiance, they either jumped or lowered their bodies to dodge her sword radiance. Only one werewolf was quite unfortunate. He was not quick enough and was not able to dodge in time. He was only a hair too high. Before he couldpletely lower his body, the sword radiance had already hit his eye. Blood immediately gushed from his eyes. The werewolf held his face hard as he screamed in pain. He wobbled, rushing towards Suzanna. He obviously had be blind.


    Anfey jumped into the sky fast andnded fast as well. He looked like a falcon swooping down quick as a hare was flushed out. Anfey kicked that wounded werewolf¡¯s crotch. His scream sounded even more panicked and chaotic than the chaos magic. That werewolf summersaulted a couple of times in the air and fell to the ground, dead.


    "My sword did not seem to work as well as my legs." The corners of Anfey¡¯s mouth curled up.


    "Werewolves¡¯ defensive abilities are high." Suzanna was teaching Anfey a lesson. "Pdins are good at turning element energy into physical energy. It was not because your sword was not useful. It was because your fireballs did not work."


    "Try again." Anfey suddenly rushed towards Barak. Suzanna seemed to sense Anfey¡¯s need and followed right behind him.


    Barak was shocked by Anfey¡¯s moves and moved a few steps back. Other werewolves ran to Anfey from the side of Barak.


    Anfey shook his wrist and a ming sword appeared in his hand. He thrust the ming sword at Barak¡¯s neck with a strong heat wave. Barak reached his left w out to grab the ming sword while the right w tried to grab Anfey¡¯s neck at lightning speed.


    Anfey continued to rush forward. When Barak¡¯s w was almost on his neck, Anfey slid two inches to the right as fast as a ghost. Two inches were just the right distance to dodge Barak¡¯s attack without wasting any of his energy at the same time. As they passed each other, Anfey¡¯s giant ming shield smashed at Barak¡¯s head.


    Even though Barak had quick responses, he was not quick enough to make any defensive moves. Barak was hit by the giant ming shield. With a huge banging sound, Barak was shaken by the hit. He did not have any wounds on his body from the heat, but he felt dizzy from the hit. Anfey passed Barak on his right side while Suzanna passed his left side. They looked like a pair of swallows flying in the storm. Suzanna cut deep into Barak¡¯s neck with her sword. Barak was not as good as Suzanna from the beginning. With the hit on his head, Barak had no way to counter or dodge Suzanna, which allowed Suzanna to give him a fatal blow.


    Anfey pushed off with the tips of his foot to rush a step forward to stop himself. "Turning the element energy into physical energy. I think I got it."


    Suzanna stopped next to Anfey and gave him a warm smile. "What did you get?"


    "Here." Anfey held out his hands.


    Christian focused on watching Anfey on the battlefield. Suddenly someone patted his shoulder hard. Christian jumped and turned around to look. He saw ck Eleven behind him. He said angrily, "What are you doing?"


    "Is that Suzanna?" ck Eleven pointed at Suzanna, looking weird.


    "Who else could it be if it were not Suzanna?" Christian did not seem to understand ck Eleven¡¯s question.


    "That girl used to be cold-hearted as an ice queen whenever she pulled her sword out. I never thought I would see her smile." ck Eleven heaved a sigh.


    "What do you know? It is the power of love," Christian said.


    "What do you know about love?" ck Elven gave Christian a dirty look.


    "I am better than you. What is Anfey doing?" Christian asked with surprise.


    It did not look abnormal as Suzanna stood behind Anfey. However, Anfey looked greyish. They had to open their eyes wider to see carefully, but could not see Anfey¡¯s face clearly.


    As a magister, Christian could tell that countless dirty elements were gathering around Anfey. After those werewolves saw what happened to Barak, they slowly walked to Anfey without expecting to survive after this fight. As the dirty elements stopped moving, a rusty-looking giant axe showed in Anfey¡¯s hand.


    It did not look exactly like an axe; to be more specific, the weapon looked more like a cksmith¡¯s hammer. Of course, it was more than ten timesrger.


    "This is all I cane up with." Anfey watched the werewolves slowly approaching him without any emotion on his face.


    Werewolves howled wildly with so much ferocity and passion for revenge. They threw themselves at Anfey one after another. Anfey swung that giant weapon at the werewolf running in the front. The werewolf coldly looked at the element weapon flying in front of him. He was not bothered too much by the weapon and countered it with his arm. In his mind, Anfey¡¯s element weapons were never too powerful, so there was no need for him to be scared.


    As a senior swordswoman, Suzanna had been very sharp. She could clearly tell that werewolf¡¯s arm was hit back and smashed back into his face as it was hit by Anfey¡¯s weapon. Anfey swung that giant axe on that werewolf¡¯s head and his head immediately became distorted. His body was also thrown into the air, which created a trace of a parab with a height of about 24 feet. He fell down into a magma pool that was 70 feet away. His body dipped into theva and floated back twice before his whole body turned into charcoal ck. The charcoal turned into powder like dirt.


    "It is a homerun." Anfey heaved a slight sigh, but he did not stop his moves. He swung the giant axe at the next werewolf.


    The werewolves were startled to see their peer was hit into the sky like a straw. They slowed down. Anfey¡¯s attacks were as fast as lightning. That werewolf only had time to cover his head with his arms when Anfey¡¯s element weapon reached him.


    Suzanna saw another werewolf distorted in front of her. That werewolf¡¯s arms could not counter Anfey¡¯s axe. When the elements smashed onto that werewolf¡¯s head, he looked suddenly a lot shorter. Hs head was smashed into his neck, his fierce needle-sized pupils suddenly turned dull, both of his legs were broken, the bones pierced through the thighs and stuck through his skin, his body slid to the side and fell to the ground.


    With a huge banging sound, the element weapon hit the ground hard. The element weapon was not able to take the hit and broke like the bones on that werewolf. There was half shaft left in Anfey¡¯s hand. Anfey looked a little pale.


    Smart people could tell Anfey had used up his magic power. He did not have any magic surge left. Although werewolves felt scared from the bottom of their hearts, they summoned up their courage to rush towards Anfey when they saw what had happened to that werewolf. This could be theirst chance.


    "Anfey!" Suzanna yelled in a low pitch. She rushed forward in front of Anfey before the werewolves could surround him. The werewolves¡¯ suicidal attacks gave Suzanna an excellent opportunity. It was hard to catch them since they jumped up and down and moved swiftly. Now they rushed towards Anfey like they were expecting their death in this attack. Therefore, they did not even bother to dodge. Suzanna performed her sword skills to the max. She swung and thrust to block most of the werewolves, but there were two of them who were able to dodge Suzanna¡¯s attack and rushed to Anfey from the left and right.


    Anfey did not make any extra moves. He opened his hand and a knife appeared on his palm. He quietly waited for the werewolves to get close to him and then he suddenly started his body to dodge their attack at thest moment.


    In martial arts, there was a saying that the shorter the weapon was, the more dangerous for use in an attack, the longer the weapon was, the more advantage a person could have. In fights, the two parties werepeting for who was more fierce and willing to take risks. There was a very thin line between living and dying in fights.


    The werewolf on Anfey¡¯s left missed his attack, so he hurriedly turned around. He felt something sh at his eyes. Anfey had stabbed his knife in his eye. The werewolf screamed in pain. He grabbed the knife hard with one hand and tried to grab Anfey with the other. Anfey let go of the knife. He did not mean to continue the fight with that werewolf. He jumped high without too much effort and kicked right on the knife shaft. That werewolf raised his head and fell hard on his back. Unfortunately, he was just a little too slow. The knife went a few inches deeper. If he was hurt in some other part of the body, a few inches might be ok, but to the brain, even one inch difference could cause fatal damage.


    The werewolf wobbled, but his hand was still holding on to the knife while the other hand was trying to grab something in the air. Anfey summersaulted and beautifullynded on the ground. He stepped forward and gave a little push on that werewolf¡¯s elbow. A string of blood flew from that werewolf¡¯s eye. The werewolf wobbled a little before he slid to the ground.


    A super hot fireball fell from the sky, which turned the other werewolf into a ming werewolf. Christian rushed in to help. ming meteors usually would not pose any fatal threat to werewolves since they move swiftly. However, it was a totally different story when they were unprepared for the attack.


    Suzanna was doing awesome. Every werewolf who tried to pass her to attack Anfey suffered a fatal attack from her. Being crazily excited was beneficial on the battlefield. However, being crazy could only make werewolves die quicker when they were fighting with a lot stronger opponent. When Anfey turned around to look, Suzanna¡¯s sword had thrust into thest werewolf¡¯s chest. That werewolf looked like he could not take his defeat and he suddenly managed to open his mouth. A faintly seen surge came out of his mouth.


    Anfey kicked a werewolf¡¯s body with the tip of his foot. The body flew into the air and block the surge for Anfey. Anfey had already turned to look at the hill. Magic spells started to disappear, but dead bodies were everywhere on the hill. Getting away from theva did not guarantee their survival. Super hotva caused a temperature change in the air. Regr dwarves and gnomes would definitely die if they sucked in any air.


    "Christian, can you guys wait here for a second. Suzanna, let¡¯s go to Moramatch first." The temperature on the dirt road was still too high. They had to wait a little bit to ride the wagon.


    "Ok." Suzanna answered in a low voice.

 Chapter 148: Spying

    Chapter 148: Spying


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As they were walking to the clearing outside of the town, Suzanna and Anfey saw vi kicking a gnome with another mage. vi would kick it to his friend, who would then kick the gnome back to him. Suzanna frowned. She did not mind killing the creatures, but torturing one like this made her ufortable.


    "vi, what are you doing?" Suzanna asked.


    "Lady Suzanna," vi turned around and replied. After Anfey and Suzanna confirmed their rtionship, the team members began to respect Suzanna even more than before. "Is everyone safe?"


    "Everyone¡¯s ounted for," Suzanna said. She nced at the gnome and appeared disgusted. The gnome had arge head and a small, thin body and was very disproportionate. Not only was it ugly, it reeked as well. Suzanna took a step away from the gnome. She did not like things that she deemed dirty. "vi, why don¡¯t you just kill it? Why torture it like this?"


    "You don¡¯t know what it was doing. When we found it, it was taking advantage of... Miss, what¡¯s your name again?" vi turned and looked at the woman.


    "Doris, are you alright?" Anfey asked softly.


    "Anfey?" The weeping woman looked up, and her eyesnded on Anfey. She jumped forward, threw her arms around him, and began sobbing loudly.


    Anfey hesitated, then raised his hands and patted Doris¡¯s shoulders awkwardly. Suzanna frowned and turned her gaze towards the sky. Seeing a stranger hugging her lover was ufortable, but she didn¡¯t want to say anything and make the situation even more awkward than it already was.


    vi looked like he did not know what to do with his hands. After Suzanna joined their team, he found himself attracted to the powerful and beautiful swordsmaster. However, he knew that be it strength, family background, or looks, he was not good enough for Suzanna. After Suzanna and Anfey confirmed their rtionship, he made a decision to keep the feelings to himself. He wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid or anything to harm the team because of unrequited feelings.


    This time at Moramatch, he had saved a girl and discovered that she was a senior mage. vi was a hopeless romantic, and imagined a romantic future between himself and the girl. He didn¡¯t know that she was a friend of Anfey¡¯s and was close to him.


    "Alright, Doris, everything will be alright," Anfey said softly. "What are you doing here?"


    "I-I passed my test and I c-came here to-to..." Doris was sobbing too hard to speak properly.


    "To train?"


    "Y-Yes." Doris nodded and wiped her eyes. Her tears stained Anfey¡¯s shirt.


    "As long as you¡¯re with me, no one will harm you. Here, let me introduce some friends to you." Anfey snuck a nce at Suzanna. Suzanna¡¯s expression was cold, and she was frowning. She was staring at the sky, seemingly lost in thought. Anfey blinked and turned back to Doris, "This is my fianc¨¦e, Suzanna."


    Suzanna began to smile, and her eyebrows lifted. Her mood thawed as quickly as a block of ice tossed into a pit of fire. The suspicion she had a few seconds ago disappeared as well. "Nice to meet you," she said.


    "Nice to meet you." Doris wiped her tears and forced a smile.


    "This is my friend, vi."


    "Greetings, Lady Doris," vi said as he bowed dramatically.


    "Greetings. Thank you...for saving me back there."


    "No need to thank me. It is my duty."


    "Doris, how did you end up here? Shouldn¡¯t you have gone to Forest of Death or Wild in to train?" Anfey asked.


    An unfortunate story began to unfold through Doris¡¯s narration. The magic school in this world was different from modern schools. The school did not hold regrly-scheduled tests. Instead, students would apply to take the test whenever they were ready. Students could keep studying in the school even if they failed the test. If a student wanted to, he or she could apply for as many tests as he or she want. As long as the fees were paid, no one would be thrown out of the school.


    Doris was lucky and passed the test on her first try. After that, she was desperate for money. She went to the Country of Mercenaries and joined a mercenary group. During one of her missions, her team discovered a werewolf with a ve brand. Due to systemic discrimination, the team did not treat the werewolf as an intelligent being. They tortured the werewolf and almost killed it.


    Doris, however, did not like their deeds. She rescued the werewolf in the middle of the night and released him, but the werewolf had lost most of his mobility. Leaving the werewolf alone in the forest would be a death sentence. The werewolf begged Doris toe with him, and Doris agreed.


    After she arrived in the town, she was not weed with grateful words. Instead, she was greeted by Barak and his lustfulness. Had Anfey and his team arrive half an hourte, she would have been assaulted.


    Anfey was speechless after listening to Doris¡¯s story. He had never met anyone who would willingly help a werewolf. When he was still studying at the academy, Doris was the only person willing to help. She talked with him and taught him many things about magic. She even warned him after seeing his dimensional ring. Anfey had experienced Doris¡¯s kindness first hand, but this time she was too kind.


    The carriages entered the town slowly. After a careful search, the team found a few dozen dwarves and some gnomes who were either too young or too old to fight. There were some humans as well, either dressed in rags or naked. Clearly they were human ves bought by the original residents of the town. Most of the residents were once ves, and it made sense for them to act in retaliation after their escape.


    There were some residents who escaped into an underground tunnel. Killing all of them would be impossible, but the surviving ones were not enough to post a threat.


    The team had just taken over the city, and there were a lot of things to take care of. They needed people to take care of the carriages and the horses, guard the prisoners, clean the battlefield, and search the tunnels. Christian couldn¡¯t do everything by himself. Thankfully, he had help from ck Eleven. Everyone in the team had their own role and began working methodically.


    The good thing about being in power was that one didn¡¯t always have to do what everyone else was doing. Anfey didn¡¯t care for the chores, so when everyone was busy, Anfey and Suzanna snuck away to a hill outside of the town to watch the sunset.


    "Anfey, look at my hand," Suzanna said after a few minutes of gathering her courage. She held out her hand shyly. If Anfey hadn¡¯t introduced her as his fianc¨¦e earlier, she would have never said that.


    "It¡¯s very white."


    "You..."


    "And beautiful," Anfey added hurriedly.


    "Look at it again," Suzanna said.


    "It¡¯s very beautiful," Anfey said. He was thinking about Shansa¡¯s griffins, so his attention was not entirely focused on Suzanna.


    "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s missing something?" Suzanna asked, slightly frustrated.


    "One, two, three, four, five," Anfey frowned as he counted Suzanna¡¯s fingers.


    "You idiot!" Suzanna stomped the ground angrily and pushed Anfey. However, withoutbat power, she was too weakpared to him.


    "It¡¯s not missing anything," Anfey said. He stopped thinking about the griffins and observed Suzanna¡¯s hand carefully.


    "A ring!" Suzanna said. She was blushing furiously, and her face was redder than the sunset.


    "Isn¡¯t this a ring?" Anfey asked.


    "That¡¯s a dimensional ring." Suzanna sighed and shook her head.


    "A person can only use one dimensional ring. I..."


    "I don¡¯t need a dimensional ring! It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of ring it is, as long as you¡¯re the one..." Suzanna¡¯s voice died down slowly, and was almost inaudible. She was too shy to finish.


    Anfey stared at Suzanna¡¯s hand as if dumbstruck, and began recounting his time with Suzanna. At first he only treated her as a friend, and her presence often reassured him. Women weren¡¯t the only people that need reassurance; men need it as well. Even if Anfey was a cold and calcting person and treated Suzanna as a piece in his game, she had became an indispensable part of his game.


    Anfey rarely hesitated once he made up his mind. Suzanna¡¯s hand was in front of him, but he did not take it. Taking her hand meant that he would take on more responsibilities, but he was fond of Suzanna.


    Under her passionate gaze, listening to her slightly heavy breathing, Anfey¡¯s hand moved towards Suzanna¡¯s.


    "Look!" Riska called out. In his Eye of the Sky, Anfey and Suzanna were moving closer together.


    "Enough is enough," Christian scolded him yfully.


    "A bit longer," Riska said, grinning. Anfey may be smart, but he would never imagine his own teammates spying on him.

 Chapter 149: The Beginning of an Absurd Event

    Chapter 149: The Beginning of an Absurd Event


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A group of armored soldiers marched into Hengduan Valley. There was a wagon caravan carrying military supplies behind the soldiers. The supply train was so long that the end of route could not be seen. Of course, they had been careful transporting supplies. Every time the military logistics force entered Hengduan Valley, the military would send thousands of elite soldiers to escort them. The Country of Mercenaries had been experiencing tension. The structure of the Country of Mercenaries was veryplex, which made it hard for officials to reach consensus. With the help of Tawau mercenary group in the Country of Mercenaries, the military did not need to worry much about military logistics. The reality just proved they were right about it. Since the war broke out, the transportation of supplies had not suffered any damage or loss. They were cautious about it because of the instincts of soldiers, not because they sensed any particr danger.


    Two merchant caravans moved to the side to allow the supply wagons to pass. The Shansa Empire soldiers coldly looked at the merchant caravans. They were ready for anything that might happen. They were real elite soldiers, so they would never let their guard down.


    Groups of people were not allowed within a radius of a dozen miles of transports of armor and supplies during peaceful times. Right now, they could not do it, at least not in Hengduan Valley. Merchants did not have high social status, but the influence they had could not be ignored. Every country had merchants working for the countries or private businesses. If any military had done anything in the Hengduan Valley, then merchants of their country would suffer revenge. If the military killed any merchant, their merchants would be ughtered somewhere else.


    The problem was Hengduan Valley was not Shansa Empire¡¯s territory. They had no right to block any road for their use. Otherwise it would draw a response from the Country of Mercenaries. Before they could conquer ckania City, they needed to keep a low key.


    In the far-off city of Moramatch, Anfey was reading a magic book by candle light. Two girls were making the bed for Anfey. They also spread some fragrant powers around to cover the odor left by previous owner. ck Eleven walked in big strides with some excitement on his face.


    "Can you guys leave for a second?" Anfey asked in a low voice.


    "Yes, master," the two girls answered obediently and left the room.


    "Any update?" Anfey closed his magic book.


    "Yes, they have left. ording to their speed, they should be passing us in five days," ck Eleven reported.


    "Ok. Are they transporting dead or live boarbeasts?" Anfey asked.


    "Dead ones. Blood could make griffins excited, so griffin riders usually do not feed them with alive animals unless it was thest resort.


    Anfey became quiet and slightly closed his eyes.


    "More than three thousand elite soldiers protecting their armors and supplies? That is too many people." ck Eleven smiled bitterly. "If Christian and Risk were both senior magisters, we could set up a few more magic arrays of chaos with crystals. No matter what, we need to think in different ways, otherwise we would not be able to pose any threat to them." Anfey said.


    "Didn¡¯t you say I am wasting magic crystals?" Anfey smiled. When Anfey asked Christian to set up the magic arrays of chaos for the first time, ck Eleven did not know what Anfey was trying to do and was against him. He realizedter on that those trashy magic arrays could still work well as long as they were used properly.


    "Are you really going to set up magic arrays of chaos?" ck Eleven asked.


    "No, we are just doing little things. There is no need to make a big deal out of it." Anfey said.


    "What do you want to do?" ck Eleven asked.


    "How many people do you have? I mean, the ones disguised as soldiers in a logistical force," Anfey asked.


    "Three. The information I just gave you was from them," ck Eleven said.


    "Pass my stuff to them. Tell them to leave it in the bodies of the boarbeasts. I do not care how they do it. I only need to know they put the stuff in boarbeasts¡¯ bodies. They cannot have Shansa Empire notice."


    "Are you asking them to do it?" ck Eleven opened his eyes wide.


    "I can¡¯t?" Anfey asked.


    "Too risky, Anfey," ck Eleven said.


    "To be honest, I do not want to attack Griffin Aerial Unit. You asked me to. If we need to take risks, why couldn¡¯t they take risks?" Anfey said.


    "I did not mean it that way. Anfey, Shansa Empire is transporting more than four hundred boarbeasts this time. It would take a long time for three of them to do it. What if they were discovered?" ck Eleven said.


    Anfey was lost in thought for awhile. "Do griffins eat rotten meat?"


    "They only eat fresh meat. They love to tear up live animals and eat the meat with their blood. For rotten meat, they might eat it when they are starving," ck Eleven said.


    "Would rotten meat affect griffins?" Anfey asked.


    "It would affect griffins just the way it would do to humans, maybe even worse. At least, we could cook the rotten meat. Griffins do not eat cooked meat," ck Eleven said.


    "We could think about this another way. Give your people this," Anfey said, taking out a bottle of green liquid from his shirt.


    "What is this?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Hagan made a rotting chemical. This can speed up the rotting process of the meat. It can spread as well. A few drops on each wagon would do the trick."


    "If it is this simple, they should have no problem." ck Eleven took the bottle. "And then what?"


    "You have to purchase five hundred boarbeasts in five days and deliver them here," Anfey said.


    "What?" ck Eleven was shocked by Anfey¡¯s request. The town of Moramatch was located in the middle of nowhere. The natives in Moramatch raised only four boarbeasts in total. It would be really hard to buy so many boarbeasts in such a short period of time.


    "It does not have to be exactly five hundred. The more, the better. You just give your best try," Anfey said.


    "Do we put that chemical in boarbeasts¡¯ bodies and then sell them to Shansa Empire soldiers?" ck Eleven smiled bitterly.


    "Yes, but we need to discuss more details" Anfey continued slowly, "Didn¡¯t you say the boarbeasts that they transported are dead. Didn¡¯t it take seven or eight days to get to their destination? How could they keep the meat from getting rotten?" Anfey asked.


    "The wagons for transporting armor and supplies were made special. Our Maho Empire does the same thing. There is a permanent magic array in each wagon. As long as the magic crystals can provide energy, the permanent magic arrays keep the temperature in the wagon low. If it were not a long journey, the goods in the wagon would not go bad," ck Eleven said.


    "I see. Hagan told me before that this chemical would work if the temperature is not too high or too low." Anfey said. "There are still other problems that give me headaches. If we provide them borebeasts after they have just lost so many boarbeasts, I am afraid it would raise a red g," Anfey said.


    "We definitely could not give them all the boarbeasts all at once. We can sell them dozens of boarbeasts first, and we can hint to them that we have more in stock, but those are saved for ourselves. We could do some bargaining with them at the end. Maybe we could even make good money out of it," ck Eleven said.


    "It sounds doable." Anfey smiled. "I have one more question. I do not think Shansa Empire soldiers would just feed our boarbeasts to their griffins. They may pick some to eat themselves first. It would be difficult if this is the case. What do we do if they find something unusual?"


    ck Eleven went quiet for a while and said slowly, "We do not need to poison the first dozens boarbeasts. That way they would not find anything wrong."


    "But if theirmander is a very cautious person, he would not just check once." Anfey shook his head. "He would find out what we are doing to the boarbeasts then."


    "What can we do then?" ck Eleven heaved a long sigh. He was not willing to give up. They had gone so far when this problem happened. However, he had to admit Anfey¡¯s concerns were reasonable. It¡¯s better to think about how to solve the problem now than selling themselves out by their neglectter.


    It was getting quiet in the room. After a long silence, Anfey said, "Maybe I should do an experiment."


    "What experiment?" ck Eleven asked.


    "What do you think is the difference in the boarbeast meat that griffins and humans eat?" Anfey smiled.


    ck Eleven¡¯s eyes brightened. He gave Anfey an admiring look. "One is cooked, the other one is raw meat."


    "It¡¯s possible the chemical Hagan makes loses its effectiveness after cooking. If this does not work, we still can figure another way around the ¡®cooked¡¯ and ¡®raw¡¯ problem." Anfey smiled. "We can make it happen. Don¡¯t worry."


    "Anfey, if we can wipe out Griffin Aerial Unit, Maho Empire would never forget you," ck Eleven said.


    "Your words give me goose bumps." Anfey could not help smiling. "I would believe you if you said you would not forget me. You must be lying to me if you say Maho Empire would not forget me."


    "I..." ck Eleven blushed a little.


    "We are doing such a little thing for the whole war," Anfey said.


    "The king has said before that a little thing sometimes could be enough to make a big difference, or even decide which side wins and loses a battle," ck Eleven said.


    "Ok. We will stop talking about it for now. Can you hurry and send the rotting chemical to your people. Tell them to do it on the third or fourth day. Count today as one of those days. This way Shansa Empire will have to continue to purchase boarbeasts from us," Anfey said.


    "I understand. Anfey, anything else?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Let me sit on the details and other small problems," Anfey said slowly.

 Chapter 150: Ancient Ruins

    Chapter 150: Ancient Ruins


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After ck Eleven¡¯s departure, Anfey remained seated, deep in his own thoughts. He then left the room slowly. The campsite was brightly lit, and a lot of people walked about, taking care of their chores. Anfey spotted Christian across the camp. Christian had been busy at work ever since they entered the town. Seeing that he was still busy this close to midnight, Anfey felt somewhat guilty and wanted to go talk to him. However, he changed his mind and changed his direction.


    Anfey felt something stirring within him as he watched the stars. Speaking with ck Eleven struck a chord in him. Saying that no one would forget him...that is an ode to a hero. He was very familiar with the topic and had seen it in countless books and movies. The old world may not be kind to him, and he may not miss it, but it was still his home.


    He knew where to go when he was sad or upset. He had familiar friends there. He could opt for traveling as well, and see the world for himself. In this world, however, he could do very little of that.


    Anfey knew that he was not a hero. Saving the ves and creating an image for himself were something he did to hide who he truly was. He preferred to stay in the darkness and observe the world, but being observed by those in the dark. Even if he wanted to change something, he would do so in secret. He was not someone who enjoyed being the face of a movement.


    People¡¯s personalities may change, but for someone like Anfey, who had already experienced so much, it was unlikely to change, unless something traumatic happened.


    Suddenly, he heard a voice from one of the rooms. He stopped to listen.


    "Hui Wei, use yourbat power. Quickly!" Hagan called.


    "Why?"


    "Aren¡¯t you a two-discipliner? I want to try something."


    "So is Anfey. Go find him," Hui Wei said.


    "He doesn¡¯t havebat power."


    "Go find Niya then." Hui Wei clearly knew his excuses weren¡¯t working, because his voice was getting quieter.


    "Are you a man or not?"


    "Fine, I¡¯ll cooperate this time. I have a condition, though."


    "What is it?"


    "You have to tell me what kind of potion you¡¯ve been making."


    "No. Ask something else."


    "Why not? So what if I know? I won¡¯t tell anyone."


    "I still can¡¯t tell you." Hagan may have been desperate to find someone to experiment on, but he still had his standards.


    "Really? Guess you have to find someone..." Before Hui Wei could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the sound of fighting and grunting. A few momentster Hui Wei said, "Fine, fine. Do your experiment."


    "You should have known better than to fight with me," Hagan said.


    "Shut up. You¡¯re the only alchemist here. You¡¯re precious. I didn¡¯t want to hurt you."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Look at this. Can you fix it?"


    "Where did you get this?"


    "This is an advantage thates with studying ancientnguages. My favorite pastime is to look for ancient ruins," Hui Wei said.


    "You¡¯re saying you found all these in ruins? How many ruins have you found?"


    "It¡¯s not that easy, I found one by luck," Hui Wei said in a hushed voice. "Hagan, lower your voice. This is our secret."


    "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone," Hagan promised. "By the way, Vonmerge told me you encountered Anfey when they were searching for treasure. Is that the ancient ruin?"


    "No, that was just something I found by luck," Hui Wei sighed and said. "I¡¯ve spent some time there already. Who would have thought there was treasure there? Or else he wouldn¡¯t have been the one to find it."


    "Well, that¡¯s a good thing, or else you wouldn¡¯t have befriend Anfey. And we wouldn¡¯t be friends."


    "It¡¯s a good thing to be friends with him?"


    "Did he not treat you well?"


    "He conned me! He stole my...never mind. What is gone is gone."


    "You¡¯re too simple," Hagan sighed and said.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Think about it. If other people found you, what would they do? They would try to take everything you have. If a necromancer found you, he might try to turn you into one of his little puppets. Has Anfey ever physically mistreated you?"


    "Not really."


    "Now he treats you as one of his own, andes to you for advice. What more do you want?"


    "He talks crap about me all day. You wouldn¡¯t like it, either."


    "I am veryfortable. I like this mercenary group. Except for the name."


    "You don¡¯t even know him. He is a..."


    "I do know him. Back in ckwater City, he had me make a lot of things. I know what those things were for. While you guys werefortable in your beds, he was out with Suzanna, putting himself in danger doing who knows what. Who did he do that for?" Hagan said slowly. "After all this potion is done, Anfey will leave with Suzanna again and you will stay where it is safe. I bet you."


    Hui Wei fell quiet.


    "I don¡¯t care how he treats his enemies, I only know how he treats his friends. I feel very safe here."


    "Whatever. Look. Do you think you can fix this?" Hui Wei asked.


    "I¡¯m just an alchemist. If you don¡¯t mind me destroying this, I can try."


    "Never mind then," Hui Wei said nervously.


    Outside, Anfey smiled faintly. He did not want to disturb the two inside. He turned and walked away from the house. He only took two steps before an arc of lightning swept towards him. This was the first time he had experienced a lightning attack, but as the lightning passed him, he did not feel any pain.


    The voices inside stopped, then Hagan called, "Wait, let me do my experiment!"


    "No, does it hurt?" Hui Wei sounded exasperated.


    "Hagan, what are you doing?" Anfey asked.


    The door was pushed open and Hagan appeared. "Anfey, it¡¯s you. What is it?"


    "Hagan, how is it going with the potions?" Anfey asked as he made his way into the house.


    "I ran out of materials. Vonmerge¡¯s friends should be delivering it in two days."


    Anfey was already inside the house. Hui Wei stood up and greeted him with a nod. He watched Anfey carefully, but Anfey wouldn¡¯t make mistakes in situations like this. He kept his face neutral. "Five more days. Two more for you. Can you finish all the potion?"


    "I should be able to."


    "Good," Anfey smiled and said. "What were you doing just then?"


    "Hagan wanted to do experiment on me," Hui Weiined.


    "Don¡¯t injure anyone."


    "Of course not," Hagan said.


    Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden ruckus outside. Anfey turned and walked out of the house. Two tiny figures dashed by, then two bolts of lightning appeared and struck the two figures. Both fell to the ground.


    By the time Anfey, Hagan, and Hui Wei approached, there was already a group of people gathered there. The dwarf children¡¯s bodies were strewn on the ground.


    "vi, what happened?" Anfey asked vi, who had just released the lightning bolts.


    "They were getting away. I had to do something."


    Dwarves¡¯ defense may not be as good as the werewolves, but it was still very impressive. However, it was a result of years of strengthening themselves. Dwarf children could not have defended themselves against the lightning. The magic left tworge, bloody wounds on the children¡¯s bodies.


    Anfey saw Doris and Suzanna walking over as well. He assessed the situation quickly, then turned to vi and said, "Don¡¯t worry about the children anymore. If they want to go, they¡¯re free to go. Don¡¯t try to stop them." For Anfey, these young prisoners were practically useless. Not only did his people have to spend time and energy to guard them, killing them could upset those with gentler hearts. Letting them go was the ultimate solution. The children would have a difficult time surviving alone in the wild. They would either be turned into ves or food for the magic beasts, if they didn¡¯t starve to death before that.


    "God..." Doris called out in shock. Luckily she had not witnessed the battlefield, or else she would have been sick to her stomach. Choosing Country of Mercenaries as her training ground was a mistake on Doris¡¯s part. It was not a good ce for someone like her.


    Suzanna, on the other hand, did not say anything. She looked at the children, then turned to look at Anfey. Perhaps it was because she was in love, she would always look at Anfey, as if Anfey was the most handsome man alive.


    "Letting them all go?" vi asked.


    "Yes. They¡¯re children. They can¡¯t do much."

 Chapter 151: Even More Arrogant

    Chapter 151: Even More Arrogant


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What happened?" Christian¡¯s voice came from a distance.


    "vi, take care of them." Anfey raised his voice. "Ok, everybody, mind your own business. If you have done everything, go rest early."


    Everybody left. Doris heaved a sigh, and then she was pulled away by Suzanna. Christiannded from the air next to the dwarf bodies on the ground. His brows snapped together. "What happened?"


    "They were trying to escape, but got hit by vi¡¯s magic," Anfey said.


    Christian slightly shook his head, but did not say anything.


    "Christian, it is getting dark. Go get some rest. Don¡¯t make yourself too tired," Anfey said quietly.


    "What to do? Someone has to take care of them, right?" Christian did not buy what Anfey said.


    "Capable people usually take on more tasks than they should," Anfey smiled.


    "Forget about it." Christian was a little pissed. "Don¡¯t find excuses for yourziness."


    "I know I cannot manage it," Anfey said.


    "I was just like you a long time ago." Christian suddenly became sentimental.


    "A long time ago? Come on, how old are you?" Anfey said.


    "It was indeed a long time ago. I hated running errands. I would rather hide in my room to have my peace. Later, my father told me that every step matters in life. A person needed to learn to manage himself first before he could learn to in charge of a family. Learning to manage a family was a prerequisite for managing a vige. Learning to manage a vige was required before managing a city," Christian said.


    "Learning to manage a city is a prerequisite for managing a country?" Anfey said casually.


    "Well..." Christian paused. "I did not have such high expectations for myself. I hope I can at least manage myself well. Back then, my father asked about my dreams. I just answered that I hoped I could first manage myself well. My fatherter sent me out of the country."


    "That¡¯s perfect. Keep up your good work, Christian. This ce is simr to a vige. I am helping you now." Anfey patted on Christian¡¯s shoulder.


    "You are so annoying," Christian muttered.


    "Why don¡¯t you see that I am actually helping you?" Anfey said.


    "I have no time to bulls*^t with you. I have to finish something." Christian released levitation magic and flew away. He did not intend to bother with Anfey anymore. Anfey watched Christian flying away and smiled. His smile seemed to be more like a grin. Suddenly Anfey saw a person walking towards him. It was the princess of Shansa Empire, Alice. He hurried to turn around and walk back to his own room. He did not want to have any contact with her at this time. She was very smart. If she noticed Anfey was going to attack Griffin Aerial Unit, something nasty might happen. No matter how much Alice hated her father and siblings, Anfey did not expect Alice to contribute to this task. Giving her a small hint about this task was all Anfey could do.


    * * * *


    In the following days, everyone was busy. Most houses did not meet the standards and needed to be rebuilt. The ones that met the standards had some minor problems here and there. They needed to do a thorough inspection underground as well. Dwarves and gnomes had phenomenal digging ability. The whole town was like another vision of the TV show "Tunnel Wars" in Anfey¡¯s world. Almost every room had a secret tunnel leading to the underground tunnels. Therge number of underground tunnels in the town gave Anfey¡¯s legion a huge headache.


    vi and Riska took turns taking people to do site inspections in ground tunnels, where they were even attacked by dwarves and gnomes. When the werewolf Barak ordered the natives to chase after Anfey¡¯s legion, there must have been many dwarves and gnomes still working on the tunnels. They absolutely escaped a disaster. vi and Riska estimated their number at somewhere between one hundred and three hundred.


    Every time they finished a site inspection in the ground tunnels, Hui Wei would add something to the map. Main roads, secret passages, branches, and dead ends seemed to get more clear. Alibaba mercenary group nevercked mages. With Christian¡¯s lead, they started to set up magic arrays on every main pass in the underground tunnels. They tried to reduce the areas that dwarves and gnomes could live.


    Some people might think they had wasted their resources, but Anfey believed it was necessary. A base was a must-have if they wanted to do something here. Setting up the magic arrays could better ensure everyone¡¯s safety. As time went by, the first defensive system map was drafted in Alibaba mercenary group.


    Anfey had been hanging out with Hagan, experimenting on magic chemicals. ck Eleven disappeared on the first night. He had became a boarbeast businessman by the time he showed up again. He herded over a hundred boarbeasts back to the town. Two dayster, he herded more boarbeasts back. There were over four hundred boarbeasts in total.


    Everybody thought those boarbeasts were prepared for them to stay long in this town. ck Eleven seemed really eager to do this business. Another day, he herded over forty boarbeasts out of the town. No one knew where he went.


    One day, people were enjoying themselves in the town. Girls washed clothes around the well as they sang. ck Eleven¡¯s subordinates were practicing. Hired guards were patrolling outside the town. Some people chatted together while others were flirting on the empty field. Anfey, Suzanna, and Christian sat on an ancient tree, chatting.


    Suddenly they were all interrupted by a magic signal from outside of the town. Girls immediately picked up their basins and ran back to their rooms. There was a tunnel in each room. All they needed to do was to hide in the tunnels as fast as they could.


    Guards hurried to find their own weapons. They looked nervously at Anfey, who was still on the tree. They waited for his orders. ck Eleven¡¯s subordinates stopped their practice and hid in their assigned spots.


    Christian released his Eyes of Sky. He set up all the lookout posts, which could urately locate who wasing into the town. A cavalry of around two hundred riders showed in the Eyes of Sky. Their looks were not clear, but it did show they marched in perfect formation. The bright silver armor shone the cold colors. They looked powerful and magnificent. There was a group of regr people behind them. They should be the people herding the boarbeasts.


    "Here they are." Anfey heaved a sigh of relief. Since the Shansa Empire¡¯s soldiers were here, it meant their n had worked very well. Rotting chemicals worked. It was showtime.


    The cavalry in the Eyes of Sky sped up. Not long after, Anfey could hear their loud hoof beats. Anfey jumped off the tree and leaned against the giant rock. He looked forwardzily. Suzanna and Christian jumped off the tree as well and stood by Anfey¡¯s side.


    They could already see the cavalrying. It looked like they had sped up even more. Maybe it was because Anfey¡¯s spot was too obvious. Those soldiers rode with lightning speed into the empty area and directly rushed toward Anfey.


    Anfey looked casually, with his eyes squinted, but he felt something was strange.


    The riders did not rein their horses until they were only 24 feet away from Anfey. They all stopped together, and a guy who looked like their leader stepped out. He looked up and down at Anfey after he noticed Anfey did not seem to be affected by their presence. "Hey, man, are you in charge of this town?"


    "Yes, what do you want?" Anfey said.


    "Answer me carefully. Tell me. Are there many boarbeasts in your town?" the leader asked.


    "Why do you care whether we have boarbeasts?" Anfey was getting a little mad. There was no such scene in his n. That leader was too rude.


    The guards standing not far from them started tough. They were definitely the soldiers of the Country of Mercenaries. Seeing other countries¡¯ soldiers so arrogant and rude, they were disgusted by it. They became mean in turn.


    "What is wrong with that guy?" a guard said.


    "Yes, what is wrong with him?" anotherbative guard said, "We raised those boarbeasts, not you. Who gave you the right to yell at us?"


    Guardsughed. That leader looked mad and said coldly to Anfey, "Are they your subordinates? You¡¯d better ask them behave themselves. Don¡¯t you understand evilse out of the mouth?"


    "I think your mom needs to behave first." Anfey looked even colder than that other leader. No matter what roles he yed, Anfey had given a lot of thought to that role¡¯s attitude, identity, personality, and how that role would handle things. People would only believe it if he could understand and act out all of those traits. As the lowest level of administrator in the Country of Mercenaries, a town mayor, Anfey did not need to be scared by Shansa Empire¡¯s military. Even if Anfey had to fight with them, they would not have criminal charges. It was just a political confrontation. Shansa Empire¡¯s soldier would not dare to cause any trouble at this very moment. Looking at this confrontation from the other side, if the town mayor was not brave enough to face a confrontation, then how could he be a town mayor. The Country of Mercenaries was verypetitive, a ce where everyone respects the people who were strong and powerful. If Anfey was scared by men on horseback, it would raise the red g.


    The guardsughed even more after they heard what Anfey said back to that leader. A few of themughed so hard that they fell on the ground and rolled. Suzanna almost lost it as well. She had to turn around and bite her lip to control herself.


    "You..." That leader¡¯s face turned purple. He pulled the sword out and radiated strongbat power.


    "So? Are you going to rob us? Come on!" Anfey yelled, "Bros, get ready!"


    Guards rushed forward together. Suzanna pulled her sword out, coldly looking at the leader. Christian flew to the sky. Intense magic surges shed in the sky. The girls in the room ducked out one after another. Every one of them had a stick in their hands. Some sticks are longer than others. However, they looked scared and anxious. This was not what they usually did. From the rear of the town, mages flew into the sky one after another. It was hard to tell their magic levels, but the magic surges gathered over there were super strong.

 Chapter 152: Business

    Chapter 152: Business


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The leader was shocked and did not know what to do. The members of his calvary all raised their weapons and stared ahead, tense. Even on open fields where cavalries had the advantage, mages would do a great deal of damage to them, let alone in a town.


    "Harrison!" Someone shouted. A man rode out slowly. The rider must have been around forty, and wore a shining te without a speck of dust. His horse was beautifully groomed. However, this man carried with him the scent of blood. "Apologize right now," hemanded.


    "I apologize," the man called Harrison said.


    Anfey snorted but did not say anything.


    "You must be the town¡¯s mayor, Anfey," the rider said. He approached them slowly. "Let me introduce myself. Lieutenant General Kumaraghosha ."


    "I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a lieutenant or a general. It has nothing to do with me. I kindly ask you to leave immediately," Anfey said.


    "You seem to hold a grudge against us," Kumaraghosha smiled and said. "I heard the residents of Moramatch are werewolves, dwarves, and gnomes. Where are they?"


    "They refused to follow my orders, and they had to leave," Anfey said, rmed. "You came from the south. If you keep heading north, you¡¯ll find them." People who were meant to do great things tended not to react strongly to humiliation or honor.


    Kumaraghosha was either suppressing his anger, or Anfey¡¯s taunts did not get to him. Either way he would be a difficult man to deal with.


    "Those creatures had imed Moramatch for years. It is impressive you can tame them this fast."


    "I am just a normal citizen. I am no match for someone like you, lieutenant." Anfey¡¯s attitude softened. Kumaraghosha was ying nice, and wasplimenting him. If he keep his attitude, it would appear suspicious.


    "When I was your age, I was only a foot soldier." Kumaraghosha¡¯s gaze swept across the guards andnded on Suzanna. "You are still young, but you are the leader of a powerful mercenary group and the mayor of a town. You have a bright future ahead of you. I am nothing inparison."


    "You are too kind, sir," Anfey said. His expression was prideful, but his tone was mellow. "What are you doing here, sir? Would you like toe inside for a drink or two and talk?"


    "No, no. I will spare you that trouble." Kumaraghosha said and waved his hand. "I heard you have a lot of boarbeasts in the town?"


    "We have some."


    "I would like to purchase those boarbeasts."


    Anfey frowned. He did not understand why Kumaraghosha would want to buy boarbeasts.


    "I am willing to pay double for them."


    "Hui Wei!" Anfey called after a moment of hesitation.


    "Yes?" Hui Wei hurried over.


    "Check how many boarbeasts we have in the city."


    "Yes, sir," Hui Wei replied loudly.


    Anfey turned back to Kumaraghosha and asked, "Sir, why do you want so many boarbeasts, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?"


    "I cannot tell you that. Military confidentiality. I hope you understand," Kumaraghosha apologized.


    "Ah, I apologize for asking a such a question," Anfey said. "Moramatch isn¡¯t thergest town around. Why did you pick this town?"


    "I encountered a few of your men, and they led me here. There they are."


    Vonmerge walked over with ck Eleven. ck Eleven looked very dangerous with the scars on his face, and did not look like a businessman. However, he looked like a bodyguard standing next to Vonmerge and was not out of ce.


    "My lord," Vonmerge called as he walked over to join Anfey. He leaned over and whispered something into Anfey¡¯s ear. Anfey widened his eyes and nodded, then frowned and seemed to be in deep thought.


    "Are there any other questions?" Kumaraghosha asked.


    "No, no," Anfey replied, shaking his head.


    "Sir!" Hui Wei appeared and jogged over to Anfey. "We still have three hundred and twenty-seven boarbeasts."


    "You heard him, lieutenant. We keep twenty-seven for ourselves. Three hundred gold coins for three hundred boarbeasts. How about that?" Anfey said slowly.


    "Isn¡¯t three hundred a bit ridiculous?" Kumaraghosha asked.


    "Ridiculous? Not at all, lieutenant! Compared to your future, this price is low." Anfey smiled and shrugged.


    "You sure know how to do business," Kumaraghosha said, smiling.


    "Do we have a deal, lieutenant?"


    "Alright. I¡¯ll take all three hundred and twenty-seven of them."


    "Lieutenant, I have people working for me as well. We need to change up our diet once in awhile. What are we supposed to eat if you take all of them?"


    "We¡¯re all friends, here, sir. Just pretend you gave me some gift." Kumaraghosha grinned. "Three hundred coins is a high price for boarbeasts. If I had any other choice, I would not take this."


    Anfey smiled. He knew well what Kumaraghosha meant. If it wasn¡¯t because of the war, the lieutenant would not have agreed to this price.


    "You know, three hundred gold coins is enough for a thousand boarbeasts elsewhere."


    "You can¡¯t just say that. I have to pay my men as well," Anfey said. He looked as if he was the one at a disadvantage.


    "You don¡¯t look like someone who haggles over every penny, sir!" Kumaraghosha said. "Let¡¯s just say I owe you a favor."


    "Alright," Anfey said with a sigh. "Three hundred coins. What can I say? I like making friends."


    "If you¡¯re willing to treat me as a friend, I have a favor to ask of you."


    "What it is, lieutenant?"


    Kumaraghosha¡¯s eyes narrowed. "You see, we are a little tight ourselves, financially. If I can write you a rain check..."


    "No, no way." Anfey¡¯s expression changed dramatically and he refused the offer angrily. Whenever he was ying a role, he would try topletely immerse himself in that character, sometimes he would even forget himself and what he was trying to achieve. Before Kumaraghosha could even finish, Anfey had already reacted. For a mercenary leader or a mayor, his reaction waspletely natural.


    "You can ask around about me, sir," Kumaraghosha said. "I am known to keep my promises."


    "No. No way. Not ever," Anfey refused again.


    "There¡¯s no room for negotiation?" Kumaraghosha asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.


    "Only fools would negotiate!" Anfey snapped back. He grabbed Vonmerge¡¯s shirt and barked, "Did you sell him those boarbests? Did he pay? Tell me!"


    "He did," Vonmerge said nervously.


    Anfey snorted and pushed Vonmerge away. "Alright. You can go now."


    Kumaraghosha watched Anfey coldly, and Anfey stared right back fearlessly. After a few minutes, Kumaraghosha rxed and said, "Alright. I will trade with you using crystals." He opened his palm and revealed three magic crystals. One of them was burning red and very clear, and was obviously a high tier magic crystal. The other two were of lesser quality, but still very rare.


    Anfey stopped. He took the crystals and looked at them closely. He then called out loudly, "Hagan! Get over here!"


    Hagan jumped and jogged over. He took the crystals, inspected them closely, then whispered something to Anfey. "These are only worth two hundred coins," Anfey announced.


    "Don¡¯t be too greedy," Kumaraghosha said quietly.


    "It¡¯s only two hundred gold coins. If you want, we can make a deal. If not, then you should be on your way."


    Kumaraghosha looked at him, then he found another crystal and tossed it at Anfey.


    It was a deep blue ice magic crystal. As soon as Anfey grabbed it, he felt his fingers going numb. Hagan¡¯s eyes shone.


    "Deal!" Anfey said, grinning. Anyone could tell it was a top tier crystal. "Hui Wei, gather the boarbeasts for the lieutenant."


    "Lieutenant," Harrison walked over and said quietly, "do you think this may be a trap?"


    "If it is a trap, they wouldn¡¯t try to challenge my patience. It¡¯s just a greedy youth," Kumaraghosha said slowly.


    "But...trading a top tier crystal for boarbeasts? That is such an unfair deal!" Harrison said angrily.


    "It is what it is," Kumaraghosha said, smiling. "It¡¯s nothing unheard of."

 Chapter 153: Accumulated Rancor

    Chapter 153: umted Rancor


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "General, General Mintel would like to see you," a courier said as he rushed in.


    Kumaraghosha and Harrison looked at each other, and then Kumaraghosha jumped off his war horse. "Show me the way."


    "General!" Harrison followed Kumaraghosha jumping off the horse. "I am going with you. That guy definitely does not have good intentions."


    "No, you have such a temper." Kumaraghosha smiled. "Here is the military camp. Only disciplines matter here. I will be fine."


    "General, you might think that way, but that guy does not necessarily think the same way as you do."


    "It is my order. Harrison, take care of our fellows here. Don¡¯t let them cause any trouble. Do you understand?" Kumaraghosha shook his head.


    "Ok." Harrison heaved a sigh.


    Kumaraghosha followed the courier to the camp. Large griffins created gusts of wind in the camp when they flew into the sky or when theynded. Soldiers often had to lower their heads in case they were blown away by the wind. Only Kumaraghosha walked with his back straight. His back was as straight as a spear. He had acted very tough. No mentioning the wind created by griffins, even as arrows rained down or on the battlefield hovered with magic, he had been very tough.


    Soldiers in the camp talked behind Kumaraghosha¡¯s back. His pure military style did not earn him respect, because those soldiers were from Griffin Aerial Unit. The soldiers just acted like their general. The umted rancor between General Mintel and Kumaraghosha was not a secret. If any soldier showed respect to Kumaraghosha, it could well be imagined what would happen to that soldier.


    When they were approaching the general¡¯s tent, Kumaraghosha did not wait for the courier to report to General Mintel. He lifted the curtain and walked in. Mintel was sitting on a big chair. He had a rare bright red crystal wine ss in one hand, a female ve from Maho Empire in the other. He quietly flirted with his ve as his followers were around him.


    Mintel was young. His eyebrows were long and dark, his nose was tall, and his eyes were bright. He looked handsome. It was during leisure time, so he only wore half armor, but even from the half armor, one could still tell Mintel must havee from a really good family. The armor radiated strong magic surges when he moved around, which were even as strong as the magic surges from a senior mage when he fought with full force.


    "General Mintel, are you looking for me?" Kumaraghosha asked slowly.


    "Don¡¯t you know you should have someone report to me first?" he asked coldly. The smile on Mintel¡¯s suddenly disappeared.


    "You asked..." Kumaraghosha said.


    "Please leave right now." Mintel said.


    Kumaraghosha gave Mintel a long look without anyment. He turned around and walked out of the tent. There were low-pitchedughs in the tent.


    A courier walked in to report that Kumaraghosha had arrived. Mintel waited a while on purpose before he allowed Kumaraghosha toe back in. Kumaraghosha kept a calm look even though he saw those evil-intentionedughs.


    "Our General Kumaraghosha, please take a seat." Mintel held his hand out to signal Kumaraghosha to take a seat, while he was still sitting on his chair. "I heard something happened to our supply wagons?"


    "Nothing serious. Boarbeasts went bad while the frozen magic array worked fine in the wagons. I think something must have happened at headquarters."


    "General Kumaraghosha, don¡¯t me others whenever there is a problem. You need to look for things you did wrong." Mintel had a smile on his face. "Five years ago, you told me so. I learned from you and remembered your words. Today I have to say the same to you."


    "I would not me anyone else for my faults, but I would not allow anyone to me me for something I did not do either. General Mintel, it is still too early to return that saying to me," Kumaraghosha said.


    "Is that so? Why are you so sure something happened at headquarters?" Mintel said calmly about the pressing incident.


    "I have had mages check on the supply wagons carefully. Nothing went wrong with them. If you do not believe me, you can send your people to check on it," Kumaraghosha said.


    "Frozen magic arrays are notplicated. Any mage can repair them. It has been three days since the incident happened. Now you want me to check on it? General Kumaraghosha, are you ying with me?" Mintel smiled.


    "General Mintel, neither you nor me can decide who should take the responsibility for the incident. People from the headquarters will investigate," Kumaraghosha said.


    "Sure, but I will include my opinions in the report. I hope you are okay with that," Mintel said.


    "Do as you wish," Kumaraghosha said indifferently.


    "Ok." Mintel nodded. "Did you purchase boarbeasts somewhere else? I heard you have paid big money for it. I heard you even gave that merchant a powerful magic crystal you collected a long time ago."


    Kumaraghosha was a little shocked. "Yes¡¯"


    "Did you all hear that?" Mintel looked around. "What an example for empire soldiers."


    "What an example! You just don¡¯t want to get punished for your mistake," one of Mintel¡¯s followers said with a mocking tone.


    "Shut up. Kumaraghosha is not that kind of person," Mintel sneered.


    "Only you understand me." Kumaraghosha smiled.


    "If I did not know you, who else could know you." Mintel¡¯s smiles started to look vicious. "You are definitely not afraid of our military punishments, otherwise you would not make me a criminal and kill my brother. For the past five years, my brother¡¯s screaming has been lingering in my ears. I rarely slept well. I woke up with nightmares many times. General Kumaraghosha, it was because of you."


    No one else dared to say anything on this topic. Suddenly it was getting really depressing in the tent.


    "He deserved it." Kumaraghosha¡¯s expression did not change a bit.


    "Sure, sure. The things you do are always right." Mintel thought he might be acting too impulsively. He took a long breath and put his fake smile back onto his face. "Marshal Nabonido trusts you the most. With his help, you would not care about anyone in the military. Hahaha, right, why is Marshal Nabonido not here today?"


    "General, Marshal Nabonido died few years ago," one of Mintel¡¯s followers said it timidly.


    "Huh, did he die?" Mintel acted like he had just learned about it. "How did he die?"


    "He had a treacherous rtionship with another country and was sentenced to death by the king," the follower answered.


    Kumaraghosha tightened his fists and slowly loosened them. He looked indifferent and cold. Anyone could make fun of him, but he would not allow anyone to show any disrespect for his teacher. If Mintel would not stop talking sh*t about his teacher, he had to make a bloody scene in this tent. He had nothing to worry about because he needed to protect his teacher¡¯s reputation.


    "Alright, alright. Marshal Nabonido has fought for our country for several decades. He has done hard work even if he has not performed meritorious deeds. Let¡¯s talk about something else." Seeing Kumaraghosha¡¯s look, Mintel felt an unnoticeable fear. He even switched to a nicer tone as well. From a royal family to a military family, he had learned a lot before he became a general. He knew when to stop his venting. If he pushed too hard, he would have to face revenge from Kumaraghosha.


    Mintel had never meant to kill Nabonido. He just wanted to vent on him. If he were nice to him, he would find an opportunity to stab him from behind. When his brother led his team to scout, he surrounded a town. He forgot about his assignment. He stayed and fooled around in the town for three days. As a result, the Death Roaring mercenary group from Maho Empire made a surprise attack on the headquarters. Ten thousand soldiers who stayed behind at the headquarter were killed. This was a mistake that could be forgiven. It was the first assignment for Mintel¡¯s brother, and he found several beautiful girls by chance. He was not able to take others¡¯ advices and caused a disaster for the military. It also had impact on Mintel.


    Looking at it from a different angle, Kumaraghosha was demoted a few times after Marshal Nabonido passed away. Good leaders were getting less in the military. No one could deny that fact that Kumaraghosha was a brave soldier. It was fine to vent against him in a peaceful time, but Kumaraghosha was the person who could save lives when a war came. Knowing this, Mintel actually did not mean to kill Nabonido.


    "General Mintel, if you just want to tell me these things, I think we can find another time to talk. I have to set up a defensive system now," Kumaragosha said slowly.


    "General Kumaraghosha, you do not have to worry about defense. You need go to the headquarters first. There is another supply caravan that needs you as an escort," Mintel said.


    "My job is protecting Griffin Aerial Unit¡¯s camp," Kumaraghosha said.


    "Don¡¯t you know the Country of Mercenaries is in danger now? Our supplies could be cut off at any time. Before it happens, we have to make sure they have enough supplies," Mintel said.


    "How about the safety issue here?" Kumaraghosha asked.


    "My worriers can fly to the sky at any time. You do not have to worry about it," Mintel said in a very formal tone. "This supply caravan carries a lot of stuff. You¡¯d better take more people with you. Don¡¯t let anything happen to it."


    Kumaraghosha went quiet for a while and said, "Yes, sir."

 Chapter 154: Deadly Party

    Chapter 154: Deadly Party


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As dawn broke, the campsite of Griffins Aerial Squadron became lively. The patrolling griffinsnded, and the griffin knights all climbed off the beasts and began heading toward tents for breakfast. Military elites were treated very well in every country, and almost no food was unavable to them as long as they wanted it. Right now, however, the knights did not care about what food they eat. They only wanted something warm and some ale. They needed sleep.


    Perhaps it was because teams like the aerial squad were fast at both attacking and retreating, and were rarely ambushed, or perhaps it was because there had been very little disturbance, everyone in the camp seemed rxed. After the night patrols returned, the day patrol did not immediately depart. Instead, they were still chatting with theirpanions.


    General Mintel made his rounds of the camp, but did not try to discipline any of the soldiers before returning to his tent. He treated the situation the same way his men did. Life was life, and war was just a way of life. If he did not have any fun, then life would be too boring.


    After their meal, the griffins seemed uneasy. Their ruby eyes were slowing bing bloodshot, and their eye color was getting darker. However, no one took notice of this strange phenomenon.


    Some of the knights finished their meals and walked into the griffins¡¯ dens, ready for the daily check of their rides. However, no matter how they whispered or yelled, the griffins would not leave their dens. The beasts leaned against each other, rubbing against each other and growling.


    A twelve foot griffin was the first to attack. It struck its rider with its sharp beak. The rider was the deputy leader of the squadron and was powerful enough to be a senior tinum knight. However, he had not expected his ride would be attacking him, and did not have enough time to summon hisbat power. Under the impact of the griffin¡¯s beak, the man crumbled to the ground. Arge wound on his chest began gushing blood.


    The other knights and the griffins¡¯ caretakers looked on, shocked. These griffins were all well trained, unlike the new, wild griffins. Normally, these griffins would never attack their riders.


    However, the griffin did not keep on attacking. It moved over and pushed a smaller griffin to the ground. Then it lunged at the smaller griffin, its wings pping and creating a strong gust of wind. The knights were still holding on, but many of the caretakers fell from their feet because of the strong wind


    The smaller griffin pped its wings as well, but instead of struggling, it looked like it was cooperating with therger griffin.


    The other griffins made their moves. All the griffins were pping their wings and trying to push each other over. Griffins were smart and knew how to cooperate with humans, but they were still beasts, and had physical needs.


    This squadron was a fighting team, and most of the griffins chosen were males. Among the seventy-plus griffins, there were only a dozen females. Therefore, not every griffin could find a partner.


    In human societies, when the two sexes were unequally distributed, there would be chaos trying to find a partner. Among beasts, this was even moremon. After the initial chaos, the griffins that did not find a partner were angered and began attacking the griffins that had found partners. Even the leader of the pack was not spared.


    However, a griffin¡¯s anatomy was simr to that of a dog¡¯s. It was easy for a male griffin to initiate things, but ending it was hard. Normally, therger griffin would have no trouble fighting four smaller ones. However, now it was stuck and could not move around easily. It could only try to block the attacks with its beak, and was at a disadvantage. After a few minutes, it was already severely wounded, but it was still fighting, unwilling to give up.


    The den became a fighting ring, the wind from the griffins¡¯ wings was getting stronger, and the howls were getting louder. The feathers falling from the beasts danced through the air like snowkes. The soldiers couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. The dust and the feathers had obscured their sight.


    Griffins were ferocious by nature. Historically, there were records of armies losing their food supplies, and subsequently losing control of their griffins, who resorted to eating the horses and even their own riders. Even though starvation was the most dangerous thing that could happen, having the griffins going into heat at the same time was almost as bad.


    One of the knights climbed out of the den, covered in blood and feathers. "Find the general!" he yelled at the soldiers with raspy voice.


    ¡ª


    "So this is what you¡¯ve been nning," Suzanna said. She stared at the Eye of the Sky with wide eyes.


    "Suzanna, do you know that you messed up back there?" Anfey grinned. "Remember the mission with seven-winged magic flies? Those were all missions I told Vonmerge to post."


    "Why didn¡¯t he tell me then?" Suzanna asked, though it was unclear whether she was ming Anfey or Vonmerge.


    "I told him to keep it a secret," Anfey said. He thought highly of Vonmerge. Even though they were fighting for Suzanna¡¯s affection, Vonmerge did not try to sabotage anything. He knew what was more important, and Anfey knew he could be trusted.


    "I did not realize you would do something like this," ck Eleven said with a sigh.


    "I only just now learned that fighting a war is like burning money," Anfey said with a shake of the head.


    "Burning money? How? That is a waste of money," ck Eleven said. In a world where paper money never existed, it was practically impossible to burn money.


    Anfey nodded. "The money spent on the flies, the potion supplies, and some other misceneous suppliesbined already cost me three thousand gold coins."


    "We will make it up to you," ck Eleven said. "Three thousand coins aren¡¯t bad. Do you know how much an aerial squad is worth?"


    "And two magic scrolls."


    "Alright, I got it," ck Eleven said, shaking his head. "As long as you can destroy the aerial squadron, you can have anything you want."


    "Anfey, should we act now?" Riska asked.


    "Not yet." Anfey said, turning to look at Christian¡¯s Eye of the Sky.


    "What if the griffins return to normal before we can do anything?"


    "It¡¯s not that easy," Anfey said. "Hagan told me that those potions were enough for fifty thousand people. Griffins only have to eat once a day, and consume around a hundred boarbeasts. They consumed enough potion for ten thousand people at once. I doubt they will return to normal anytime soon."


    ¡ª


    Mintel dashed out of his tent and headed for the griffins¡¯ den. His entire body shook after seeing the den being obscured by dust and feathers.


    He left Kumaraghosha in charge of the supplies, because he was afraid the mercenaries would try to trick them. He even sent most of Kumaraghosha¡¯s men with him. Except for the Griffin Knights and some foot soldiers, there were only around two thousand camp followers left. If they were ambushed right now, they were as sure as dead.


    This was not the worst thing. For a Griffin Knight, a griffin was a necessity. Griffins were rare, and their reproduction rate was low. After centuries of controlled birth, they only managed to create one Aerial Unit. If they lost all of their griffins, and all his men were forced to be foot soldiers, what would happen to him and his family? Who would be responsible for this?


    "Tell me, what happened?" Mintel grabbed one of the knights and yelled.


    "They-They¡¯re mating, sir!" the knight said.


    Before he could finish his sentence, two figures crashed through the wall of the den and fell to the ground. The two griffins were tangled together, tents, fences, stakes, and fire stations all turned to dust under their bodies. Both griffins were gravely injured. One had a bloody hole on its neck. Through the wounds, one could catch a glimpse of bones. The other was gutted, its entrails falling out of its body. However, they were still fighting and showed no signs of stopping.


    "This is mating?!" Mintel yelled again. If it had been possible, he would have eaten that knight alive.

 Chapter 155: Running Away

    Chapter 155: Running Away


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The griffin rider behind Mintel suddenly screamed and rushed forward as fast as a flying arrow. He was covered in thick white light. He saw two griffins fighting for their lives. His jaw dropped when he realized the one underneath was his griffin. He was not able to control himself when he saw the other griffin was ready to kill his griffin.


    He had no time to get his spear, so he just grabbed a sword. The power of a sword in a qualified griffin rider¡¯s hand could still be terrifying. The crazy griffin on top did not notice the attack from behind and continued to try to fiercely peck the other one underneath.


    The griffin rider hit the griffin on the top in a cruel way. He thrust the sword into the open wound on that griffin¡¯s neck. With a cracking sound, the griffin¡¯s neck bone waspletely broken. Its head was hanging on the neck like broken bamboo. Its body fell to the ground hard.


    "F*ck you!" He was not the only griffin rider who had joined the fight. Another griffin rider was just a little slower than him and ended up watching his own griffin killed by his fellow. He ran at a speed no slower than the previous griffin rider. Luckily, he did notpletely lose himself, so he punched the other griffin rider¡¯s back hard instead of pulling out his sword to kill him.


    In different military branches, griffin riders had the same kind of pride as legendary dragon riders. They admired heroism. They would cooperate when it was needed, but rather take risks to finish their tasks than asking for help. Griffins yed an important role in the battle. Griffin riders and griffins went through thick and thin together, while they just got along with their peers. The rtionship of just getting along is far less close than going through thick and thin together. Seeing his own griffin killed, the griffin rider punched his peer out of the rage.


    The first griffin rider was sadly watching his griffin dying when he got hit on the back by surprise. He lost control and flew forward. He even sprayed a mouthful of blood.


    "They are f*^king crazy!" Mintel was furious. "Catch him! Catch him!"


    A few griffin riders hurried to throw themselves at their crazily mad peers. When their bodies were only halfway in the air, a strong magic surge suddenly appeared. The air was also getting hot, and countless bright spots like raindrops dropped from the sky.


    "Meteors." Mintel looked at the sky and felt his heart drop. He was a descendent of a royal family, but he was not a rookie on the battlefield. If he were a rookie, he would not have the chance to lead a Griffin Aerial Unit. Mintel knew the power of meteor rain well. This magic could affect arge area. It posed no harm to him, but could be fatal to thousands of soldiers in Griffin Aerial Unit.


    Countless bright spots poured and sshed on the ground with sparkles. Groups of soldiers fell on the ground and screamed in pain. Their clothes started to burn under the constant meteor rain attacks. Their bodies were burned like charcoal at the end.


    Tents, wood rails, outposts and other mmables were all burning. The whole camp became a fire sea. The smoke in griffin cave became a lot thinner in a very short period. The flying feathers turned into little fire balls and then dust in the wind.


    Looking from a distance, what was in the griffin cave started to be clear. Even under the ming meteor shower, griffins either fought or mated with miserable shrieks. ming meteor rain was not able to wake them from their basic instincts. In other words, if no damage or even death could wake them up, the effect of the chemicals were super strong.


    Mages felt the magic surges and released magic domes one after another. Seven or eight magic domes were created to protect them from the meteor shower. Meteor rain was almost as terrible as a natural disaster. These mages were not sure whether their magic could counter the meteor shower. They meant to protect themselves with the magic domes, but the soldiers around them saw the magic domes as theirst hope. They rushed to get under the domes and tried to be as close to the mages as possible. Some wounded soldiers forced themselves under the dome with thest energy left in them.


    More and more people tried to hide under the magic domes. As a result, the domes were getting so crowded that the air was getting thinner. A weak or sick mage even passed out from it, which caused the whole group of soldiers, including that mage, under the dome to fall on the ground under the pressure of the meteor shower.


    Mintel looked up at the sky and lost himself in thought with a dull look. He was protected by hisbat power by instinct. Griffin riders started to usebat powers to fight against the mes as well. A meteor shower was not regr magic. It could only get worse as time went on.


    The bright spots got bigger and bigger. They became as big as a fist at first and then turned into the size of a meteorite, which was as big as a person¡¯s head, smashing on the ground. The booming sounds came one after another, and the ground started to shake. The intruding magic domes were smashed one after another in the fire sea. People under the domes died, parts of their bodies flying everywhere.


    Griffin riders dared not to counter the hit from meteorites. They tried to dodge, but some of the unlucky ones were hit. They did not even get a chance to scream before they fell on the ground and died.


    Mintel was still lost in thought, but four captains risked their lives to protect him. They pulled and dragged Mintel, dodging the meteorites. People could risk their lives for a goal, or dream. Selfishness could also be the reason to have them take risks. If Mintel did not die, he would have to take all the responsibility and me for this incident and they would be safe. If Mintel died, they would have to be the scapegoats. They could die and put their family in danger as well.


    The worst part of the meteor shower onlyst a short period of time. If it dropped meteorites from the beginning to the end, the meteor shower could be categorized as forbidden magic. Seeing small, bright spots rece meteorites, the griffin riders heaved a sigh of relief. Suddenly, intense magic surges came again. A lightning bolt that was a thousand times brighter than the sun shed in the sky and split into different branches, like dense branches on a towering old tree. All the people on the battlefield were hit by it.


    Series lightning was a magic even worse than a meteor shower. No one could dodge it besides a few magic beasts and humans. No one could build immunity against it either. All the lives in a certain area would get severe attacks from it. The surviving griffin riders all wobbled and fell to the ground. The only difference in them was some of them still could stand up after a while as others died. Series lightning strictly tested their magic skills. There was no way the could cheat.


    As a White Silver Knight, Mintel was the first one to wake up from it. Series lightning hurt him but also woke him up. With strongbat power and sharp vision, which he gained by flying frequently, he had found a group of people in ck who were trying to surround the destroyed camp before his opponents found it.


    Mintel took a deep breath. He grabbed the two captains in aa and ran in the opposite direction. He knew he had been set up. He would die if he stayed. Going back would not necessarily a good option for him, but there was still a chance.


    After a while, the group of people in ck entered the camp. Compared with burnt bodies or bodies with missing parts, the passed out griffin riders looked like intruders. The people in ck rushed towards the griffin riders and pulled their swords out at the same time. It was always true to kill a strong opponent when he was wounded or ill. No one was stupid enough to wait until they woke up to have a fair fight.


    The respectable sky warriors were killed one by one. They did not die in honor, nor in any pain. It was unknown if they were fortunate to die without pain.


    A person in ck, who did not fight in this battle, slowly took off his mask. It was Anfey. Suzanna followed him and took off her mask as well.


    "Anfey," Christian and Riska said as theynded. They had released the meteor shower and series of lightning magic. "We saw few people running away towards the east. The one in the lead had strongbat power. He must be a senior White Silver Knight."


    "Damn it. It was Mintel." ck Eleven looked worried. "Anfey, we need catch him right now."


    "Hold on. The Griffin Aerial Unit was wiped out. It¡¯s not a big deal if only few escaped." Anfey shook his head.


    "You do not understand. Mintel is very important to us." ck Eleven was so concerned that he stomped his foot. "If we cannot catch him alive, we cannot let him run back to his country."


    "Don¡¯t worry. I have my reasons." Anfey shook his head. "Is Mintel important? You told me yesterday that Sacred City gave you an assignment that you have to kill Kumaraghosha at any price. Who is more important, Kumaraghosha or Mintel?"


    "Noparison. If we kill Mintel, we could make a scene. It would not be the same with Kumaraghosha. Baery, amander of a legion, said Kumamaghosha was a God-given brave general. If Shansa Empire delegated that much military power to Kumaraghosha, he would be a scourge for Maho Empire. Kumaraghosha has been loyal to Shansa Empire, so he would not betray his country. We have to kill him before he is better."


    "Did you say that there was umted rancor between Kumamaghosha and Mintel?" Anfey said.


    "Yes, I did," ck Eleven said.


    "Don¡¯t you understand what I mean now?" Anfey said.


    "How..." ck Eleven was confused.


    "Sometimes we do not even need to get our hands dirty when we want to kill someone." Anfey smiled. "When Mintel goes back to his country, he definitely would get severe punishment. Do you think Kumaraghosha would just watch instead of getting his hands dirty? Don¡¯t forget where you recognized Kumaraghosha from."


    ck Eleven looked like he was lost in thought.


    "Kumaraghosha bought all of our boarbeasts. If Mintel wanted to shirk his responsibility, Kumaraghosha would be his best option," Anfey said slowly. "For right now, let¡¯s just wait and see."

 Chapter 156: Archenemy

    Chapter 156: Archenemy


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After they returned to Moramatch, Anfey was the only one who could remain calm. Everyone was overjoyed. ck Eleven was the head of the spies in the Country of Mercenaries, but except for his normal espionage activities and asional assassinations, he hadn¡¯t done anything important. Eliminating an entire aerial squadron was major victory for anyone.


    ck Eleven immediately dispatched a team to carry the news to White Mountain City, so they could report to the Sacred City through a portal. He also sent out a request to set up a portal in Moramatch. In the list of contributors, Anfey was the first name. Suzanna and Christian¡¯s names immediately followed. ck Eleven ced his name at the end of the list. ck Eleven knew that without Anfey, he wouldn¡¯t have achieved this victory. In order to eliminate the squadron, he used several undercover spies who were stationed deep within the enemy ranks. Nothing could escape the Sacred City. He knew well that the general knew what kind of work he had done for the operation. Even though he was modest now, he would still be rewarded. No one could deny his importance in the operation, and the general would see him as a person of good character.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t know whether the general could sense his motives. He did not care, either. The general once that said people who did not show their motives were either fools or extremely dangerous. ck Eleven did not want to be either.


    Wars were precarious, and one change could bring about a series of changes. After the news of the destruction of Shansa Empire¡¯s aerial squadron got out, the Country of Mercenaries was shaken. The mercenary groups needed to reevaluate Maho Empire and reestimate the course of the war. it was unknown why Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had attacked Glory mercenary group, but it affected the mercenaries negatively, especially because Tiger of Tawau mercenary invited the Shansa men into battle.


    It was like a two members of a household had just had a fight, but someone had invited unrted people to loot and destroy the home. This created a sense of unity among the mercenaries. Even the people who did not like Glory mercenary group spoke out against Tiger of Tawau mercenary group¡¯s actions.


    The call for taking back control of Transverse Mountain was getting louder. Some small mercenary groups formed by young people put the call into action. They felt Country of Mercenaries was threatened by foreign powers, and they needed to do something to preserve their nation.


    More and more mercenaries arrived at Transverse Mountain. They couldn¡¯t do anything to Shansa¡¯s supply lines, but they set up numerous traps and obstacles in the mountains. They imed to be setting traps for magic beasts, and the Shansa soldiers couldn¡¯t do anything to them. This slowed the Shansa supply lines significantly.


    Tiger of Tawau mercenary group became very secretive and kept a low profile. No matter what the mercenaries said, they had response. However, they quickly began to gain control over the city. The patrol teams were disbanded, and those who were willing to join Tiger of Tawau were allowed a position. The others were sent home. Those working on the city counsel were dismissed as well, reced by people working for Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. Mourtta¡¯s goal was very clear. He didn¡¯t need to control the Country of Mercenaries. He only wanted to control ckwater City. The other three major mercenary groups were all based in White Mountain City, and were too far away to affect the situation in ckwater City.


    However,pared to the conflicts on the northern border of Maho Empire, the conflicts in Country of Mercenaries were only minor.


    With a sure victory in sight, the Dark Moon Magic Legion crossed the Yagor Mountains under the leadership of Newyoheim and Serigue. They were heading towards Sacred City in Maho Empire. Two dayster, Baery, who was supposed to be in the middle of the empire waiting for a prince¡¯s arrival, appeared at the border. He blocked off the mountain¡¯s exit with the Roaring Dead Legion.


    Yagor Mountain was only sixteen thousand feet at its highest point, but it became Newyohiem¡¯s worst nightmare. Mages could levitate, but there was a limit to how high they could go. A normal mage could go about three hundred feet at most.


    As the altitude increased, the air element would decrease. Random currents and strong wind gusts made the situation worse. No one could control the air elements in that environment. Even Newyoheim himself could only go up three thousand feet. If he couldn¡¯t cross the mountains using magic, normal mages couldn¡¯t even dream of it.


    The situation itself couldn¡¯t discourage Newyoheim. Saul had spent a long time and wasted countless magic crystals to set up a Guardian of God kekkai. This kind of kekkai was useless in most situations, but now became Newyoheim¡¯s worst nightmare.


    Guardian of God kekkai cut off the elements and had a twenty-five-mile radius. This meant that neither Newyoheim nor Saul could effectively replenish their magic. However, Dark Moon Magic Legion was made up mostly of mages, and the kekkai could render the mages powerless if all their magic was spent.


    The Roaring Dead Legion, on the other hand, wasprised mostly of swordsmen. They were not affected by the kekkai.


    These factors were not enough to make Newyoheim despair, either. He still had Corps of Wind, led by the famous master swordsman Jerrofick. If he could n everything else, he could fight his way out of this.


    In a small-scale contact battle, a ridiculous scene affected Newyoheim¡¯s confidence. Jerrofick was leading the charge against the enemies, but as a master swordsman from Maho Empire charged towards him, Jerrofick panicked and admitted defeat without even engaging the man. Afterwards Newyoheim learned that the man was called Ernest, and had once challenged Jerrofick. When he was almost defeated by Jerrofick, he stabbed Jerrofick with a dagger dipped in poison. This shameless act made him a very hated man among the swordsmen. However, Newyoheim knew that things were not as simple as the story had said. But now was not the time to dig up ancient histories. The most important thing right now was to lead his army away from the Maho armies.


    Maho Empire¡¯s famous master swordsman Phillip joined the battle along with two of his students. This made the situation even more impossible. He knew what had happened between Saul and Phillip. It would not be easy to forget about one¡¯s only sessor being murdered in cold blood. There was only one man who could make the two forget their rivalries, and that was the old king, Ynthe. He was the only man who had that much power in Maho Empire.


    Newyoheim now knew that Ynthe was still alive, and that he had fallen into a trap. He knew how bad the situation was, but he could not tell anyone, because that would discourage his soldiers. Maho Empire had sent out five master swordsmen and one archmage with Baery. What did he have? Three archmages who could not replenish their magic, and a master swordsman who had lost his will to fight. Newyoheim was desperate.


    In White Mountain City, Anthony was sitting in a chair, deep in thoughts. He looked like amon man inmon clothes, and his longsword had no decoration. He looked more like a swordsman who had fallen from grace. However, all the servants in the room acted as carefully and quietly as possible. They were clearly very afraid of him.


    Next to Anthony was a senile man. He had a grave expression and was dressedvishly. He held a ck staff in his hand.


    "My lord, he is here. Do you want to see him now?" A mercenary appeared at the door and asked. Anthony nodded.


    A few momentster, a man who looked even moremon than Anthony walked in. He looked around the room and mumbled something. He was clearly unsure of what to say.


    "I already know. You¡¯re Shinon. Your wife died when you were thirty years old, and your only son is in prison right now. Am I right?" Anthony said slowly.


    "Yes, my lord."


    "You said you have important news about the Maho army? I apologize, but you do not look like someone who knows any important secrets. If it wasn¡¯t for Michael, you wouldn¡¯t even be here right now." Anthony waved his handnguidly. "This is Michael. Tell him what you know."


    "Thank you for the chance, Lord Michael," Shinon said, bowing.


    "Save us the formality. Tell me what you know." After seeing the man, Michael clearly agreed with Anthony. He didn¡¯t believe Shinon had any new information.


    "Maho Empire¡¯s king, Ynthe, is still alive."


    Anthony and Michael both stopped in their tracks. They had learned about Dark Moon Magic Legion¡¯s current situation, and had guessed this. However, they could not figure out how this man came by this information.

 Chapter 157: An Expired Bargaining Chip

    Chapter 157: An Expired Bargaining Chip


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Where did you get this information?" Anthony asked quietly.


    "My master told me, Master," Shinon answered.


    "Your master? Why didn¡¯t hee?" Anthony asked.


    "My master is not in the town. He left a long time ago," Shinon answered.


    "Then tell your master toe to see me if he has something to tell me. Okay? You can leave now." A smile appeared on Anthony¡¯s face.


    Shinon was shocked for a second and said, "I understand, Master."


    "Hold on!" Michael yelled. He was sitting with lips trembling. The veins on his neck were bulging. He looked incredibly mad. No one was sure why he was so angry.


    "Master, how can I help you?" Shinon asked in surprise. He looked sincere. No one could tell anything unusual. That was because he indeed had not done anything.


    "Did you say your master asked you to pass that message to Master Anthony, and your master has been gone for quite awhile?" Michael asked in a serious voice.


    "Yes, Master," Shinon answered.


    "Are you lying?" Michael raised his voice.


    "I swear I did not lie, Master," Shinon said.


    Anthony was shocked, then he suddenly realized something. His face was stone cold. They had just learned that Dark Moon Magic mercenary legion got stuck at the foot of Suyagor Valley, and Ynthe, the king of Maho Empire, did not die. The guy standing before him had known this top secret for a long time ago. What did it mean? It meant they could have saved Newyoheim and Dark Moon Magic mercenary legion if they had met this guy earlier. They could even have saved an empire. Anthony usually had a poker face, but this time color drained from his face because this information was too crucial.


    "Why didn¡¯t youe to see us earlier? You should havee earlier." Michael suddenly stood up. Michael was the chief of the consolidation group that Ellisen had sent to the Country of Mercenaries. He was just below the Pce Archmage, Newyoheim. He hade to White Mountain City earlier to speak with Anthony. Before they could even agree on anything, Michael received the bad news that his old friend Newyoheim had gotten stuck in Suyagor Valley. He had just learned that there was a chance to save him from the guy in front of him. He could not control himself and got really angry.


    "Master, my master sent a messenger to let me know about it three days ago. He asked me to look for Master Anthony. I did not know about it before that," Shinonined.


    "Why didn¡¯t youe three days ago?" Anthony asked.


    "I came," Shinon said.


    "What?" Anthony and Michael called out in surprise at the same time. Michael quickly nced at Anthony, which made Anthony feel very awkward. It seemed like he had not reported it to Anthony on purpose.


    "Shinon, don¡¯t lie. Howe I didn¡¯t know you came here three days ago?" Anthony yelled.


    "Shinon, don¡¯t be scared. Tell us what happened. Don¡¯t worry," Michael said right after Anthony. He sounded he was going defending Shinon against Anthony.


    "Master Anthony, you surely did not see me. Your guards at the door did not let me in. I told them many times that I had to see you about something important, but they did not believe me. They asked me to leave a message with them," Shinon said, looking very helpless, "but my master told me I had to tell you in person. I would never tell anyone else. My master said it was too important. I could trust no one but master Anthony."


    Michael sat back hard in the chair. The awkward look on Anthony switched to a sad one. Things were getting clear. Who else could Anthony me? He was amander of a mercenary group, so not everybody who asked to see him would be able to see him. Shinon was nobody special; therefore, no one thought he would have such important information with him. It was reasonable for bodyguards to keep him from seeing Anthony.


    "I havee three days in a row, but did not get to see you. I was worried and told my master¡¯s messenger about it. He told me with a bitter smile that it was easy to see the God of Light, but hard to deal with the priest in the Church of Light. He had to give me over a dozen gold coins to give to the guards at the door. He said they would let me in this way, since no one would pay over a dozen of gold coins to y a prank on someone." Shinon continued, "My master¡¯s messenger also said we should have received rewards from master Anthony by telling him such an important message, and we did not expect we had to spend so much. It was ridiculous. My master¡¯s messenger also said he would advise my master not to do the same stupid things again."


    Michael snorted. Anthony could feel the heat from his face from intense shame. It was clear that this guy¡¯s master knew the information was too important. Michael decided to gamble big that Anthony would honor his words, since they could not reach an agreement in a short time. However, he did not get any response from Anthony and forced the guy to pay to pass the information to him. It was too ridiculous.


    "Did your master tell you what he wants as a reward?" Anthony asked slowly.


    "My master said he wishes to get a promise from master Anthony," Shinon answered.


    "What kind of promise?" Anthony asked.


    "My master never told me about it," Shinon said.


    Anthony went quiet for a while. "Ok, I promise you. You can tell your master that he cane to see me, Anthony, whenever he needs me. I will definitely try to help. I promise." Anthony was not overly confident about his words. He only agreed to solve that secret master¡¯s problem.


    "Thank you, Master Anthony," Shinon said.


    "But, you have to tell me your Master¡¯s name first." Anthony tried to seek out some information about the secret master.


    "His name is Judge," Shinon said.


    "Judge?" Anthony asked.


    "It means a person who acts justly," Shinon said.


    "What a powerful name." Anthony forced a smile. "If I need to see your master, should I contact you?"


    "Yes, Master," Shinon said.


    "Ok," Anthony nodded, "but where you live right now is not safe. I will send some of my people to protect you. Don¡¯t worry. I am not watching over you. I am just afraid something could happen on you."


    "I understand, Master." Shinon said.


    "And, Shinon, did you see the same group of guards at the door when you came here to see me the past several times?"


    "Yes, Master."


    Anthony went quiet for a while and yelled, "Someonee in please."


    After he called out, two mercenaries walked in from outside. "Master."


    "Who has been guarding the door for the past few days?" Anthony asked.


    "It¡¯s Jacob¡¯s team," one of the mercenaries answered.


    "Ask Jacob to see me," Anthony said.


    The two mercenaries turned and walked out. Not long after, a middle-aged mercenary rushed in and asked politely, "Master, how can I help you?"


    "Jacob, did you make good money recently?" Anthony¡¯s look and tone totally changed. He had seemed like a nice person before, but now he switched to a cold, powerful man with a killer¡¯s look. His eyes shone even colder light than sword radiance. "Tell me how much have you made."


    Jacob had cursed Shinon for selling him out, but he immediately kneeled on the floor without any hesitation. He said with a trembling voice, "Master, I only took fifteen gold coins from him. Master, I did not want them. He insisted on giving them to me."


    "Take him to the Death Row Cell," Anthony said casually, but his words had changed the fate of Jacob in the blink of an eye.


    "Master, it is not my fault. He insisted on giving me those gold coins. Master, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask him..." Jacob said.


    Before Jacob finished his words, Anthony had already pulled his sword out. A ring sword radiance shed. He cut Jacob into halves like it was as easy as cutting a piece of tofu. Anthony had put his sword back into the sheath before the blood sshed everywhere. He sat back like nothing had happened.


    The bloody scene startled Shinon. He hurriedly lowered his head. He was just a regr person and got scared by such a scene.


    "How dare he argue with me? I will just bestow a quick death to him," Anthony said slowly. "You go to take all of Jacob¡¯s team and keep them in the Death Row Cell and wait for my order."


    "Yes, Master," the two mercenaries answered together. They left the living room.


    "You, go tell the housekeeper to bring five hundred gold coins." Anthony waved his hand.


    A maid standing next to Anthony hurried through a side door. Soon a man about sixty years old trotted in with a young mercenary behind him. Five hundred gold coins were heavy. An old man could not carry them by himself.


    That old man opened a box about 1 foot square. It was full of shiny gold coins. It blinded everyone¡¯s eyes under the forever lights. Anthony looked at the gold coins and said with a smile, "Shinon, this is my appreciation gift. Please tell your master that I appreciate his effort."


    "Hmmm..." Shinon¡¯s jaw dropped.


    "This is not for you. This is for your master. Don¡¯t worry. Just take them. I will have my people escort you. No one would even think of taking them from you," Anthony said.


    "Thank you, Master," Shinon said.


    "Anthony, if you did not make mistake, we should have gotten the information three days ago. Do you think Dark Moon Magic Legion and Master Newyoheim are only worth five hundred gold coins?" Michael said in a mocking tone. He vented his anger on Anthony. He mocked Anthony for being not generous, but he was not the one paying for it. It should have nothing to do with him.


    "My bad." Anthony did not mind. He hesitated for a second then asked in a casual tone, "Shinon, what weapon does your master use?"


    Shinon thought about it and remember his master cut off the rope on him with a sword. "My master uses a sword."


    "Great. I have a ck ming sword. I heard a genius cksmith from the dwarfs made it for the humans. I would like to give it to your master as a gift." Anthony waved his hand again.


    Michael saw what Anthony was trying to do. They looked at each other. That secret person used a sword. At least he knew something about that secret man. ording to Shinon, his master had left White Mountain City a dozen days previously. If they took some time to search, they might find something out.

 Chapter 158: A Good King

    Chapter 158: A Good King


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Zubin¡¯s back." Christian waved his hand and dispersed the Eye of the Sky.


    "He should have been back a long time ago," Hagan said and stood up. Moramatch was a small town, and there were supplies Hagan needed that could not be found in the town. His potions were almost all gone, and a few potions were needed urgently. He had been waiting for Zubin impatiently.


    A few minutester, Zubin¡¯s caravan entered the town. Zubin jumped off the first carriage. He seemed exhausted. Clearly this trip had not been easy for him.


    "You¡¯re finally back." Sante said,walking up to Zubin. "I thought you were too taken by the city and had forgotten about us."


    "Sounds like something you would do," Zubin said with a grin. "I¡¯ll keep in mind not to send you to the city."


    "And I thought we were friends! You can just go have fun by yourself and leave me behind!"


    "Have fun?" Zubin shook his head. "You can¡¯t even imagine!"


    Just then, someone screamed in a nearby house, "Get back here!"


    A white figure jumped out of the house andnded by the clearing. The little unicorn nced at the house proudly. A dress dangled from its horn.


    Shally ran out of the house with a branch. She was chasing after the unicorn, but changed her path as soon as she saw Zubin. She stopped in front of him and asked, "Did you bring me anything?"


    "Of course," Zubin smiled. He turned and called. A mercenary hurried over, holding a small chest.


    "What¡¯s in it?" Shally asked, her eyes shining. Most young girls like shining and beautiful things. The chest was adorned with shining crystals, and even if there was nothing inside, Shally would have been content with the gift.


    "Look for yourself," Zubin said as he handed the chest to Shally.


    The little unicorn, seeing that Shally was distracted, dropped the dress and whined, hoping to get Shally¡¯s attention. Then it picked up the dress again, ready to run at anytime.


    However, Shally¡¯s attention waspletely absorbed by the chest, and she did not pay attention to the unicorn. She took the chest gingerly. She held her breath as she opened the lid carefully. The chest was filled with colorful dresses and sparkling jewelry. Shally¡¯s eyes widened.


    "Thank you so much, Zubin!" Shally said happily. She smiled and held her gift close to her chest.


    "Zubin, why did you get her so many things? It¡¯s surely expensive," Suzanna scolded him softly as she walked over. In the past, she did not care if anyone bought Shally gifts. Now, however, she was to be the wife of their leader, and was in a moreplicated situation. She was afraid that buying luxuries for Shally would create a negative impact. She did not want to trouble anyone.


    "It¡¯s just some crystal jewelry. I thought Shally would find them pretty," Zubin said. This meant the the jewelry was inexpensive, and Suzanna had nothing to worry about.


    "Suzanna!" Shally pouted, looking at her sister.


    "She¡¯s too young for jewelry," Suzanna said, patting Shally¡¯s head. "You don¡¯t have to bring her anything next time."


    "That¡¯s all secondary. The most important thing is that Shally is happy." Zubin grinned.


    "You¡¯re the best, Zubin," Shally said sweetly.


    "Even better than Anfey?"


    Shally looked at Suzanna, then shook her head. She might have been young, but she knew that jewels were only temporary. What was more important was her family. She heard that Anfey was going to her marry her sister, so of course Anfey was more important.


    The little unicorn was getting impatient. It ran towards Shally with the dress dangling from its mouth, and nudged Shally. It turned to run away, but before it could get away, Suzanna stopped it and took the dress.


    "Is it doing this on purpose again?" Suzanna asked, handing Shally the dress.


    Shally took the dress and red at the unicorn.


    The young unicorn whined unhappily at Suzanna. Clearly, it thought Suzanna was being unfair.


    "Where are my things? My supplies?" Hagan hurried over and asked.


    "It¡¯s all on the carriages," Zubin said.


    "What¡¯s the rush? Even Shally was more patient than you," Sante said.


    "Shut up," Hagan snapped. "I¡¯m rushing because I¡¯m making weapons for you."


    "You wasted all those potions and made nothing so far."


    "I¡¯m practicing ancient alchemy. You wouldn¡¯t understand," Hagan snorted. "I¡¯m still not familiar with it, but when I get the hang of it, you will be very impressed."


    "Ancient alchemy? You¡¯ve never told us anything about that."


    "I¡¯ve only gotten into ittely," Hagan said, turning his eyes away.


    "The only person that knows ancientnguages is Hui Wei. Did you find out from him?" Zubin asked.


    "That¡¯s none of your business," Hagan said. He turned and began walking towards the carriages.


    "Why is he being so secretive? I have no interest in alchemy," Sante said, shaking his head.


    "Zubin, you¡¯re back." Anfey walked over and joined the conversation. Zubin nodded.


    "Did anything happen?" Anfey asked.


    "We encountered some bandits, but we were under the Band of Brothers mercenary banner, and they did not attack us."


    "As long as there were no casualties," Anfey nodded. He looked at Zubin and said, "Come with me."


    "Alright."


    Looking at Anfey and Zubin, Sante scratched his head. "Since when did they be so secretive? Why can¡¯t they talk in front of us? Suzanna, do you know anything?"


    "She doesn¡¯t," Shally said before Suzanna could reply. "She wouldn¡¯t tell you if she did."


    "Shally, I¡¯ve never done anything to you, have I?"


    Anfey and Zubin had already left the clearing and rounded the corner. Anfey¡¯s residence was just ahead. "Is everything done?" Anfey asked softly.


    Zubin nodded. "That guy named Shinon, he looked like he did not know anything. You sure he won¡¯t mess anything up?"


    "I use him because he knows nothing. If he knows too much he¡¯s unfit for the job," Anfey said. "You¡¯re sure he met with Anthony?"


    "I saw Anthony escorting him out," Zubin said. He nced around and said in a hushed voice, "Anfey, are you sure dealing with Anthony was the right move?"


    "You¡¯re not doubting me, are you?" Anfey asked jokingly.


    "Listen, Anfey. After you saved us back in the Sacred City, I knew I could respect you as a leader." Zubin stopped in his tracks, his expression grave. "On that ship, you were the only one that remained calm after we fell into the trap. I am not a blind follower. Time after time you proved you are a good leader. I do not doubt your actions, or else I would have talked to you before I left."


    "I apologize. I shouldn¡¯t have joked about that," Anfey said. He sighed and shook his head.


    Zubin smiled and began walking again.


    "Actually, this was just to get acquainted with Anthony. We want him to be able to recognize us and trust us, so we can use himter," Anfey told Zubin. "What did we give up? Useless information. Nothing that would affect Maho Empire negatively."


    "Anfey, you better be careful. Anthony is not easily fooled."


    "I know, and we only have one chance. We cannot waste that chance," Anfey sighed, looking up at the sky. "My respect for someone has increased."


    "Who is it?"


    "His Majesty," Anfey said with a smile. "After ck Eleven told everyone that His Majesty is still alive, I never expected everyone to be so happy. vi is a serious guy, and even he broke into song. Only the wisest, most respected king could manage to impact his subjects like that."


    "His Majesty is a wonderful king," Zubin said with a smile. "There¡¯s a time he was patrolling the city, and his carriage driver..."


    "The driver knocked over amoner, and His Majesty helped the man up and apologized to him, right?" Anfey smiled. "I¡¯ve heard it so many times." Anfey wasn¡¯t trying to downy Ynthe¡¯s achievement. Even though he suspected Ynthe faked his own death as a stunt, he still respected him. People who did not know how to pull sessful publicity stunts were not fit to be politicians. A king who did things for show was still much better than a king who did nothing. Ynthe¡¯s policies showed that he cared for the rights of his subjects. This was a rare urrence in this world.

 Chapter 159: A friend from Far Away

    Chapter 159: A friend from Far Away


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I have heard about it many times, but I feel excited every time though." Zubin smiled. "Oh, right, Anfey, how did Christian react when he heard our king is still alive?"


    "Christian? Why are we talking about him?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "You answer me first and I will tell you," Zubin said.


    "Hmm..." Anfey blinked as he recalled. "He was obviously happy about it."


    "Not very excited?" Zubin asked.


    "A little excited, but not overly excited," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, do you remember how Christian reacted when we first heard about the king¡¯s death at our professor¡¯s house?" Zubin asked.


    "Yeah, what about it?" Anfey asked.


    "Besides Niya, Christian was the only one crying. He looked so sad. Niya still seemed to feel bad about it the second day, but Christian looked like he felt a lot better," Zubin said.


    "You have noticed a lot." Anfey smiled.


    "I just happened to notice it. That night, I had trouble with a magic spell. I went to ask Christian for help, but he was not home. I even asked vi and Feller whether they saw where Christian went. First I thought he wanted to be alone to remediate his sorrow over the king¡¯s death, but I found something unusual the second day." Zubin paused a little. "Even if we could say Christian found a magic way to make himself recover from his sadness, he should not have experienced such a tremendous change from being super sad to super happy."


    "Zubin, what are you trying to say?" Anfey asked.


    "I think Christian must have known the truth about king¡¯s death in some way, or someone told him the truth," Zubin said.


    "Why did you wait so long to tell me this?" Anfey asked.


    "Christian and you are like our brothers, and protected us like our saviors when we were fleeing. I did not want to see you doubting each other, which could have brought us many dangers. Now we seem to be a lot safer. That is why I am telling you now. Anfey, you will not give Christian a hard time, will you?" Zubin said.


    "Is it necessary? We have been through so much together. Nothing could affect the trust we built together." Anfey smiled.


    "It¡¯s great if you think that way." Zubin heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Everyone has their own secrets. I do not want to force him to tell me. When the time is right, I think Christian will tell us on his own," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, are you telling me you also have some secrets?" Zubin asked.


    "Sure, don¡¯t you have secrets?" Anfey asked.


    "I..." Zubin shook his head with a smile. He changed the topic. "Anfey, I found a few merchants from Gruce Principality. I asked them whether they had heard of Suzanna, and they told me they had never heard of a name like ¡®Suzanna¡¯."


    "They should have heard of her. A senior swordswoman under 20 should be noticed, no matter where she is. Is it possible that you did not ask the right questions?" Anfey said.


    "They did not know about Suzanna, but they do know about Shally. They even took out their weapons to threaten me to tell them where Shally is. I almost could not escape from them," Zubin said slowly. "I caught one of themter. I interrogated him and found out Shally is on the wanted list of Gruce Principality. Do you know there is a reward for catching Shally?"


    "How could I know?" Anfey shook his head.


    Zubin had three fingers out.


    "Three hundred gold coins?" Anfey asked. Seeing the corners of Zubin¡¯s mouth curling up. He added a zero after hisst guess: "Three thousand gold coins?"


    "Bingo." Zubin said.


    "If they are willing to catch a little girl for three thousand gold coins, they must have known something about the treasure map." Anfey could not help recalling the scene when the floor was covered with gold coins when they walked into that chamber. Then did not have enough space in their Dimensional rings to carry those gold coins, so they left a magic mark. They also marked it on magic coordinates. They left there after they killed the orcs.


    "They must know something about it. Do you know who Shally¡¯s parents are?" Zubin asked. He paused then said, "Former Grand Duke of Gruce Principality, Darius."


    "Former? Who is the current Grand Duke?" Anfey asked.


    "The former prime minister of Gruce Principality, Trajan, led an uprising in protest against Darius¡¯s luxurious life and unsessful political career. He became a Grand Duke three years ago, while Darius disappeared. No one knows where he is now," Zubin said.


    "So, Suzanna is also..." Anfey said.


    " Anfey." A call interrupted Anfey. Suzanna showed up at the corner of the street. She rushed to Anfey in big strides. "Anfey, our magic outpost sent out signals. Riska saw Shansa Empire calvary marching towards Moramatch in the Eyes of the Sky. There are at least of a thousand of them. What should we do?" Suzanna asked.


    Anfey was shocked for a second and then yelled, "Ring the rm. Everyone retreat to the underground tunnels. Hurry!"


    "Anfey, are we leaving all these here?" Suzanna looked around. She was not willing to give them up.


    There were many buildings going up in in the town of Moramatch. A ffew days ago, the werewolves, dwarves, and gnomes in the underground guerri warfare were either killed or surrendered. Anfey was nice to the ones who surrendered. He did not take them as ves. They had the absolute freedom to decide if they want to leave or stay. They could make decent money if they decided to stay and work for Anfey. With this policy, it eliminated the racial discrimination and gave the natives of Moramatch some respect. To all intelligent life, survival was their priority. They made thepromise fast. They switched from not being willing to cooperate to initiating work together. Right now, those dwarves and gnomes were working in Moramatch hall. To retreat, it meant what they had done for the past over ten days would be for nothing.


    This was not even the main issue. The underground tunnels were built for dwarves and gnomes, so they were barely tall enough for humans. When ck Eleven left White Mountain City, he wanted to build a base here. He brought a lot of his belongs with him. There were over four hundred horses, not to mention other things. It was not possible to have horses in the underground tunnels. There were many supplies as well. Only a small portion of them could be moved to the underground tunnels. Most were still stored in the town. All of these would be the enemy¡¯s booty.


    Anfey had anticipated the revenge from Shansa Empire. With careful analysis, he thought the chances were slim. No matter why the Shansa Empire military would attack Moramatch, they would give the Country of Mercenaries an opportunity to organize an invasion force against them. Anyone with somemon sense about politics would not do such stupid thing. Of course, just in case, Anfey had asked dwarves and gnomes to speed up their underground tunnel project. This was a huge project. They still needed one or two days more to move their supplies underground. Shansa Empire just came at a bad time.


    "We do not have much time. Withdraw now," Anfey said coldly. They had a lot of supplies with them. The differences in professions made Anfey feel it was a world part. He did not care much for war. His natural cautiousness had him avoid anything rted to war. If supplies were lost, they could get them back in the future. If the people in his legion were gone, they would nevere back from death.


    "Ok." Suzanna ground her teeth. She rushed back to the empty field.


    "Anfey, where is all the stuff I just brought back?" Zubin was worried.


    "Zubin, take your stuff to the rear end of the town. You go and tell Christian to bring horses and wagons there as well. He should know what to do," Anfey instructed.


    "Aren¡¯t we going to set up a magic array of chaos over there?" Zubin asked.


    "We have set it up. It will start once we put the magic crystals in." Anfey said slowly, "We do not have other ways. I would rather ruin everything than have them get the supplies."


    "I understand." Zubin smiled bitterly. He released levitation magic, flying to the sky.


    Anfey let out a slight sigh and ran toward Moramatch. vi, who had climbed into an old tree, was nervously watching from the Eyes of Sky. In fact, he did not need to watch from the Eyes of Sky anymore, since Shansa Empire¡¯s cavalry had passed the s-shaped hill and reached the end of the dirt road.


    "What is going on?" Anfey jumped onto the outpost.


    "They are here." vi pointed ahead of them with his chin as he smiled bitterly.


    The dust was blowing. Half of the cavalry was covered in a cloud of dust. Maybe they knew there was a huge difference in power between them, or they did not know what Moramatch could do to them. Shansa Empire¡¯s military looked reckless. Without any investigation, they just rushed to Moramatch.


    Anfey nced at the Eyes of Sky. Obviously, the military suited Kumaraghosha. vi had been following him after he caught Kumaraghosha in the Eyes of Sky. From different gs in different sections, he could tell Kumaraghosha was in the first section.


    "You go first," Anfey ordered as he took out his bow, watching Shansa Empire¡¯s military carefully.


    Anfey knew the generals usually wore what other regr soldiers¡¯ wore in the neenth century. It was to prevent attacks from ambush. The wars in the magic world were quite different. Anfey had recognized Kumaraghosha¡¯s armor when the first section of the cavalry was less than 700 feet. He took a deep breath and took out a manticore bone arrow Hagan made for him. He slowly pulled the bow back.

 Chapter 160: Slandering

    Chapter 160: ndering


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    An arrow so fast it was hard to detect flew towards Kumaraghosha. An arrow at this speed might be able to hurt an unsuspecting mage, but for a senior tinum knight, it was hardly a threat.


    Kumaraghosha stared ahead thoughtfully. He raised his right hand and caught the arrow. However, to Kumaraghosha¡¯s dismay, the arrow burst into light and did not stop. It slipping past his hand and headed straight for his throat. Kumaraghosha had a fast reflex, and hisbat power suddenly became blinding. The arrow froze in his palm.


    Kumaraghosha looked at the arrow, and his eyes widened. Before he could do anything, the arrow burst into me. The wave of fiery heat obscured Kumaraghosha¡¯s figure and threw his guards away from him.


    As the light dispersed, Kumaraghosha¡¯s figure appeared. The explosion wasn¡¯t enough to hurt a senior tinum knight, but his stallion was wounded. Its back and neck were both injured, and the poor horse crashed to the ground.


    The stallion was writhing on the ground, its bones breaking with a sickening crunch. If one was to cut the horse open, it would be apparent that the horse¡¯s organs and ribs were all crushed because of Kumaraghosha¡¯s squeeze. Even a dragon could not have survived that level of damage, let alone a war horse.


    Kumaraghosha raised his head slowly. He was watching where the arrow had came from. A guard calmed his spooked horse, then he jumped off and offered the horse to Kumaraghosha.


    "Keep charging." Kumaraghosha mounted the horse and ordered as if the explosion did not happen.


    Anfey sighed. He did not expect to be able to kill Kumaraghosha with one arrow, but he still hoping for a miracle. The first cavalry was only two hundred feet away, and Anfey could see the grave and painful expressions of the riders. Clearly, this army came for revenge. He threw his head back and flipped off of the Eyes of the Sky. In the past, he would not try to jump from such a high structure. Now, however, he had a new understanding of magic and could control it far better. Even amon man could see the wind des appearing under Anfey¡¯s feet. Every de lessened the impact of the fall from a such a height. A few momentster, Anfeynded on solid ground and began running towards the town.


    Kumaraghosha raised his hand, and the cavalry stopped. This cavalry was not Kumaraghosha¡¯s actual army, and he had spent some time away from the military. His influence in the army was far weaker, but this was an elite cavalry, and could follow the order of any general.


    Kumaraghosha narrowed his eyes and observed Moramatch. Alibaba Mercenary consisted of more than a dozen mages, and that was what he was most worried about. Compared to the mages, the female swordsmaster was not as threatening.


    "Kumaraghosha, I already know what kind of a person you are. I have been expecting you." Amplifying magic helping carried Anfey¡¯s voice all the way to Kumaraghosha.


    Kumaraghosha smiled. He did not care about Anfey¡¯s words. He had seen many people like this in the past. People who did not know their power, and tried to discourage his men with words. A battle¡¯s oue could not be changed with a few words. The only thing that could change a battle was strength.


    "Kumaraghosha, you seem to have forgotten who the original residents of this ce were. I am sorry to inform you that this town sits on top of hundreds of underground tunnels. You are going to leave here today empty-handed." The magic amplified Anfey¡¯s voice, and now not only the residents of Moramatch, but also the Shansa cavalry could hear him as well.


    Kumaraghosha frowned. He knew that it was unlikely he would achieve what he wanted today. However, this did not dissuade him. He decided that he would return here every year, and prevent Moramatch from rebuilding itself. It wouldn¡¯t matter what the town did, he would destroy it again and again. Shansa¡¯s warriors did notck the patience and will needed for revenge.


    "Kumaraghosha, your n of killing us failed, eh? Scared now? Worried? Let me tell you. I did not kill General Mintel like you wanted me to. I talked with him, and found out what kind of a person you are. Why would I work for you, or with you, after that? Let me tell you, General Mintel is already on his way back to Shansa Empire to report your crime!" Anfey¡¯s voice was getting louder, and he did not hesitate in revealing Kumaraghosha¡¯s secrets.


    Harrison, who was standing next to Kumaraghosha, could not take it anymore. "Shut your liar¡¯s mouth!" He called angrily. "If you¡¯re a man, you get out here and you face us!"


    "Wait a moment, Harrison," Kumaraghosha said, smiling. "I thought he was a sly man, but I did not expect him to be so stupid."


    "So you can kill me? I am not stupid! Who said that I am lying? Let me tell you. The boarbeasts you boughtst time went bad became we used decaying potion. If it wasn¡¯t for Kumaraghosha¡¯s cooperation, we wouldn¡¯t have found the chance to do it. Without Kumaraghosha, the aerial squadron¡¯s guards would not have been away when we attacked."


    "And his lies continue," Kumaraghosha said. He raised his gun slowly. He did not want to waste any more of his time.


    "I apologize for my mistake. Kumaraghosha didn¡¯t just cooperate with us. He was ourmander! That was why we were able to defeat the aerial squadron! Too bad I recognized your tricks, Kumaraghosha, and let General Mintel go. If everything goes ording to n, he should be back in Shansa Empire, telling everyone about your crime. You, and your men, are doomed!"


    The gun in Kumaraghosha¡¯s hand shook. At first he did not care about what Anfey was saying. Now, he understood what he was trying to do. Kumaraghosha was not a politician, or else he would try to avenge himself without orders, but he knew that tricks like this could kill a man, without the killer even moving a finger. He thought he had done nothing wrong, since he led the cavalry away under Mintel¡¯s orders. However, would Mintel report honestly after returning to the empire? Mintel had lost everything, and if he wanted, Kumaraghosha would be the perfect scapegoat. What should he do, then?


    "Kumaraghosha, I know that you are still bitter over the fact that Edward the Eighth killed General Nabonido, and wanted to avenge the general. I understand your sentiments, but your action was despicable! You want your men to be called traitors, you want their families to be the target of public defamation? Come on,e with your traitorous army! Let¡¯s see who gets the finalugh!"


    "Ready yourselves," Kumaraghosha barked. He needed to wash away the unease with blood.


    For an elite army, the soldiers were all well disciplined. As soon as they heard themander¡¯s order, the soldiers should have replied with action. Kumaraghosha sensed something wrong in the soldiers, and turned to look at them. Only some of the riders raised their guns; the others were staring straight ahead, as if lost in thought. Some were even chattering amongst themselves, clearly unnerved by what they just heard.


    Righteous men should not be afraid of rumors, but the others may still believe it. It is easy to pour ink on someone, but removing the ink would be hard work.


    "Kumaraghosha, are you afraid now that everyone knows your treachery? Now you would have to kill me and your men! Come on, attack me. I will kill all of your men as a parting gift. But you have to be careful! If one man lives to tell the tale, General Mintel has a witness!" Anfey¡¯s voice boomed. Surges of powerful magic spread through Moramatch. Who knew how many power mages were in the town.


    "Follow me!" Kumaraghosha barked angrily. He held up his gun and began charging. He was a proud man, and did not care for the words of a small mercenary leader. He did not even try to exin himself to his men. The only thing powerful men needed in battle was their weapons, and the only thing they trusted was their own strength.


    Harrison yelled and followed Kumaraghosha. He had been serving Kumaraghosha since he was a young man. He knew very well how loyal and upstanding Kumaraghosha was, and did not fall for Anfey¡¯s lies. The cavalrymen, however, were divided into two sides. Only half of the cavalry charged with Kumaraghosha. The other half remained where they were. Anfey¡¯s lies had sown a seed of doubt in those men.


    As the riders approached Moramatch, the cavalry split into three groups. Kumaraghosha led the middle group, and the other two groups rode off to the sides to surround the city. Even though Kumaraghosha was enraged, he could still think clearly. He was not stupid enough to keep all the riders in one group. That would make them easy targets for the mages.

 Chapter 161: A Disciplined Mage

    Chapter 161: A Disciplined Mage


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Did you all hear what Hagan said? Ok, Hagan, you will be in charge this time." Anfey tossed the chemical bottle to Christian. "I hope things turn out just as Hagan said." The reason he changed his n to fight with Shansa Empire¡¯s cavalry was all because Hagan guaranteed him the effects of this chemical. Otherwise, he already would have been in the underground tunnels.


    Christian took the chemical bottle. He was shocked for a second and said, "Anfey, what are you doing?"


    "I will be watching from behind. That way I can give you a hand at any crucial moment." If fighting an opponent on his own, Anfey could always think about many different ns and pick the best one to beat the opponent as fast and fierce as he could. However, when he was asked to givemands to a group of people, he was not that great. Anfey had realized the areas that he needed to work on in the past few battles.


    His weak area of leading a group in battle was because of his martial arts experience. Anfey needed to concentrate to the point that he would not forget about his surroundings. Hisbat power would reach its height this way. When he attacked the orcs in the forest, he had treated each of them as if they were powerful men. Overlooking and underestimating were fatal toxins to assassins. Anfey did not want to make any mistakes.


    It was hard for him to do two things at one time, so he asked Christian to givemands. Besides Suzanna and he, everyone else was mages. Maybe Christian could help the legion perform better.


    "Ok." Christian nodded. "But I need Suzanna¡¯s help."


    "You are in charge. We will do what you say. Hurry up. They areing," Anfey said.


    Christian chanted in a low pitch. A thick wall of dirt appeared in the town. "Riska, take the chemical to the left side of the town, and vi to the right side. Do not fight hard with them. It would be great if you can buy us some time."


    "Got it." Riska and vi showed respect to Christian and took the order from him. They took the chemical and flew to the sky.


    With a huge sound, the dirt wall copsed. Kumaraghosha walked through the hole in the wall with heavybat power. He rushed in the front with an unstoppable momentum.


    "Dirt wall magic," Christian yelled.


    Christian, Zubin, and Sante released dirt wall magic together. This was not the legendary magicbo. The techniques of magicbo werepletely lost in the Sacred War. Christian and his friends just teamed up to release the dirt wall magic together to allow the gap between the walls to be really small. Looking from a distance, the huge square-shape dirt wall grew out from the ground. If adding all the walls together, it was more than 11 yards wide. Unless the magic elements disappeared, this thick wall could definitely withstand Kumaraghosha¡¯s attacks.


    "Their general is just ahead of us. If we can defeat this team of knights, they will lose this battle." Christian yelled, "Suzanna, you can start joining the fight after we fight with Kumaraghsha. ck Eleven, you take your people through the underground tunnels. Wait for my magic signals and rush out to give them a surprise attack."


    "Shooting the cavalry means shooting the horses first; we capture the ringleader first in order to capture all the followers. However, Suzanna, we do not need kill Kumaraghosha. As long as we make him aware of the odds against him and have him back out, someone else will do the dirty work for us." Anfey smiled and refused to exin more. No matter whether Kumaraghosha was going to win or lose this battle, he was set up anyway. With thousands of people hearing Anfey¡¯s magic broadcasting, Kumaraghosha would lose his control. If Mintel were an upright person and never thought of setting Kumaraghosha up, there might be some evil ideas shing in his head after hearing some gossip about Kumaraghosha.


    "Got it." Suzanna nodded. She understood what Anfey meant. He was afraid she would give herself the mindset of having to kill Kumaraghosha.


    "Everyone, toss your chemical bottles," Christian yelled.


    Over ten chemical bottles travelled in a parab shape andnded on the street behind the dirt wall. A rusty blood smell slowly rose in the air as red liquid flew out from the bottles. Anfey jumped on a fence and continued to jump over a few roofs to get to the top of an ancient tree. He watched through the gaps between branches.


    On the other side of the dirt wall, Kumaraghosha tried to shake the numb feeling from his wrists. He turned around to look. He showed a slight helplessness and sadness in his eyes. There were four mages in the cavalry. If they had been with him, they could release simple dispel magic to destroy the dirt walls. Unfortunately, they were not in the front with Kumaraghosha. They had stayed behind, watching what happened in front of them with a troubled look.


    A less intelligent person had the chance to be a swordsman, but never would be a mage. Being a mage required high intelligence. In general, mages were smarter than swordsmen and soldiers. They also had more street smarts. After hearing what Anfey said, they did not want to help the cavalry to fight. Instead, they wanted nothing to do with Kumaraghosha and wanted to report him to their supervisors for some reward.


    The gathered dirt elements finally disappeared. Kumaraghosha refreshed himself to get ready for the next round of attack. The horse under him suddenly squealed and reared. Not only Kumaraghosha¡¯s horse did it, with a wind blowing by, almost all the horses panicked. No matter how much the cavalry yelled, those horses refused to step forward.


    The chemical bottle contained scare chemicals extracted from manticores¡¯ blood and feathers. Manticores were the natural enemies of cows, horses, boarbeasts and otherrge herbivores. This scare chemical had a fantastic effect. Beasts were beasts. No matter what training they had, their natural instincts would take over.


    Christian chanted in a low pitch and swung his arm. Arge marsh appeared around a street in Moramatch. The radius of the marsh was gettingrger andrger. It not only closed in around Kumaraghosha¡¯s two hundred-plus riders, but also around a dozenpleted and unfinished houses. Magic could not alter nature. When elements disappeared, everything would go back to normal. The damage caused by magic varied, but it was not constrained by naturalw. Those houses had been built for nothing.


    Those two hundred riders struggled to stand up in the marsh. Lucky ones had half of their bodies in the air, the unfortunate ones only had their heads out of the marsh. Hundreds of the knights looked at those mages together. Dirt walls were only for defensive purposes. They were not meant to cause any damage, but the marsh was a totally different story. Except for a few powerful fighters, most of them could not move in the marsh. As a result, they were either submerged in the marsh, or became shooting targets.


    Those few mages looked awful. Although marsh magic could not be dispelled by dispel magic, but recovery magic could be released. The chance of it working was not guaranteed; it would depend on the opponent¡¯s controlling ability, magic skills and luck. Things were getting tooplicated. They definitely could have saved those riders lives, but what would happen afterwards? The reason they stayed back was they did not want anything to do with Kumaraghosha. If they stood out to help him, how could they tell others they had nothing to do with him in the future.


    A white lightning bolt shed in the sky and struck right at where those mages stood.


    One of the mages fell on the ground immediately. Heid sideways on the ground, moaning.


    "Watch out!" The other three mages stopped and released magic domes to protect themselves. They looked a little strange. They were d rather than angry.


    "Did it get him? It¡¯s over three hundred yards!" Feller was shocked that he actually hit that mage. His mouth was wide open. It seemed like a fist could fit into his mouth.


    Skilled archers were the enemies of mages, especially the sunset archers among the elves. "Mage Killer" was their nickname, because the distance they could shoot was a lot further than mages. The chance to strike a senior mage was next-to-nothing when lightning magic was released from three hundred yards away. It would perform well if the lightning magic was released from one hundred yards away. Therger the distance, the less urate and powerful the lightning magic would be. Feller¡¯s record could be described as legendary.


    "Continue to release lightning magic" Christian yelled. "Zubin, Sante, you guys help him."


    One after another, lightning bolts shed in the sky, hitting outside Moramatch. They hit everywhere. Some got riders and their horses, while others hit the magic domes those three mages built. Some even just hit the ground, where shattered stones flew in the air. The onlypliment one could give thister magic was that it was frequent.


    When lightning hit on the magic shields, the magic shields¡¯ shapes did not change at all. Those three mages guarded themselves against all possible dangers. They used a lot of magic to make the domes bigger and thicker. They spared no time for the mash in front of them. Their reactions were reasonable. No one could me them for what they did, since mages were the precious resources for different departments in the country. When mages were attacked by the other party, they could choose to protect themselves first and put helping and protecting others second. In other words, when they were in danger, they did not have to help the knights.

 Chapter 162: Disappearing as Fast as It Had Appeared

    Chapter 162: Disappearing as Fast as It Had Appeared


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Kumaraghosha¡¯s horse suddenly fell to the ground. He leapt off and jumped out of the swamp. Then his body turned into blinding white light as he dashed towards Christian. He held out his longnce in front of him. If thence was the arrow¡¯s shaft, than his body, so low it was almost parallel to the ground, was the feathers. Kumaraghosha knew that if he couldn¡¯t distract the mages, then all the knights that followed him into the town would face certain doom.


    At that moment, Kumaraghosha was very certain of himself, but he suddenly recalled another fact about his enemy. Thest time he was at Moramatch, the swordsmaster did not join the fight. He wasn¡¯t the only one that could determine the battle¡¯s oue.


    Whenever someone was unlucky, his premonitions tend toe true, and Kumaraghosha was very unlucky. Before Christian could even react to the attack, another bright white light collided with Kumaraghosha. The two balls of bright light shook with a loud crash. Sparks flew. An almost undetectable dark shadow dashed by.


    Suzanna jumped backwards andnded solidly. The white light around her dimmed slightly. She took a deep breath and it became blinding again. Anfey had told her to not be too absorbed in the fight, but when facing a senior tinum knight, she had to bepletelymitted to the fight; or else there was no way she would live to tell the tale.


    Kumaraghosha stumbled, and his left leg almost gave out. On his leg was a ck arrow, quivering. The arrow did not burrow deep into the flesh, but was enough to impede his movements. When fighting someone of simr rank, a wound like this could be devastating.


    This sudden attack helped Kumaraghosha understood what kind of enemy he was facing. He had already learned the truth about the arrows before, but he did not expect Anfey to be joining the fight right now. If this arrow hade a few seconds earlier orter, or he was aiming for his head or chest, the arrow would not have found its target.


    Suzanna looked at Kumaraghosha¡¯s leg and smiled. She was never formally trained and did not know the eight creeds of swordsmanship. She did not follow the rules traditional swordsmen followed, and Anfey was someone with no sense of shame or honor. Over time, Suzanna stopped believing that fights had to be fair to both sides. For her, two against one was a normal thing to do.


    Kumaraghosha nced past Suzanna and his gazended on a tree a hundred feet away. He could not see Anfey, but he could feel his eyes, cold and calcting.


    Most of the knights that fell into the swamp could not get out. The few dozen that managed to free themselves began charging again, theirnces held out in front of them. The mages floated into the air and flew backwards to put some distance between themselves and Kumaraghosha. Suzanna saw the knights charging out of the corners of her eyes. She took a few steps back, leapt into the air and disappeared behind a roof.


    Kumaraghosha felt a strange worry. Before he could figure it out, a knight to his left screamed out in agony. His body was thrown back like he was punched by an invisible fist. His blood sprayed onto the dirt, and he was still. A ck arrow stuck out of his chest.


    The mages had already retreated to a safe distance and began releasing magic. Lightning, fireballs, and wind des rained down on the knights. Among the magic was fire meteor that could hurt even a high tier magic beast. However, the swamp Christian summoned was starting to dry up. The mud began to recede quickly, and some of the knights took this chance to free themselves from the swamp. However, there were still a number of knights trapped by the magic. This was the worst thing about swamp magic. Even if the ground returned to normal, the damage would linger. Those that were swallowed by the swamp could not be saved.


    "Save whoever you can!" Kumaraghosha called.


    The knights lunged at theirpanions and began pulling them out of the ground before the magicpletely disappeared. Some ces were already dry, and the act of pulling caused some of the men great pain. Some men were buried all the way up to their necks, and their cries for help were only met with pitying eyes.


    "Retreat!" Kumaraghosha ordered.


    Anfey had made himself very clear. There were hundreds of tunnels under the town, and even if they could sessfully take the town, Anfey could take his men and retreat into the tunnels. If his mages had assisted him, Kumaraghosha would dly have turned the town into rubble. However, the mages fell for Anfey¡¯s lies and did not join the fight. The only way Kumaraghosha could take Moramatch was to sacrifice more men than necessary. This would yield nothing.


    The attacking order had been resisted by half of the army, but no one resisted the retreating order. Even the knights who had lost their horses were hardly slower than their mountedpanions. After a few moments, the army was merely a dot on the horizon. The only thing that proved Shansa¡¯s army had visited the town was a dozen men still stuck in the ground.


    The doors of the houses next to the dirt road was pushed open, and a group of swordsmen walked out. ck Eleven stroked the hilt of his sword as he walked, as if he wasmenting hisck of involvement in the battle. One of the swordsmen kicked one of the stuck soldiers. Shansa Empire¡¯s act of invading Maho Empire had made these soldiers from Maho Empire very angry, so this act of humiliating the enemy did not make the observers upset.


    "Anfey?" Suzanna called after realizing Anfey was still hiding in the tree.


    Anfey stopped his thinking process and hopped out. The battle had given him some new inspiration. When he first heard a thousand-man Shansa cavalry was approaching, he felt it would be a hopeless battle. They were too greatly outnumbered. Anfey could not put together a possible n to stop a thousand knights on horseback with a dozen mages and a swordsmaster.


    Anfey, however, was still rtively new to magic. He only remembered how magic could cause mass destruction, but had forgotten that it could affect nature. The other mages clearly had different ideas, and that was why they had opposed the idea of retreating. Along with the potion Hagan had presented, Anfey changed his mind.


    "Christian, you did a good job today," Anfey praised him.


    "Thank god we had Hagan¡¯s fear potion. Swamp magic did so much more damage because they lost their horses."


    "This is the most damaging swamp magic I¡¯ve ever seen," Sante agreed.


    "Anfey!" Riskanded in front of them. "You guys are finished with the riders?" He had only just seen the stuck riders.


    Anfey nodded.


    "Shansa armies are useless," Riska said with a snort.


    "They aren¡¯t useless. I could tell Kumaraghosha did not take this seriously," Anfey told him, "or else we would be in the tunnels by now."


    "So what if they had made it into the town? Their numbers would have been greatly reduced anyway." Sante shrugged. "Zubin and I know swamp magic as well. We can potentially turn the entire town of Moramatch into swamp."


    "Yea, then Moramatch would be called Swamp," Zubin corrected him.


    "Sante, are you nning on attacking the enemies or destroy our own houses?" Feller asked.


    "Victoryes at a price," Sante defended himself. "Don¡¯t you know?"


    "Shut up." Anfey kicked Sante on the calf lightly and scolded.


    "Christian, you had Feller attack their mages on purpose, didn¡¯t you?" Zubin asked.


    "I felt that their mages didn¡¯t want to fight, so I gave them a reason," Christian said. He continued, "Anfey, what should we do with those people?"


    Anfey looked at the Shansa riders, who were still writhing in the ground. "Tell the dwarves and gnomes to dig them out tomorrow. Have them start widening the entrances to the tunnels tonight. They must finish by tomorrow morning, and we will began moving our belongings down there."


    "I don¡¯t think they can wait until tomorrow." ck Eleven walked over and joined the conversation. The knights¡¯ bodies were tightly restrained by the ground, and they were struggling to breathe.


    Anfey frowned. Personally, he did not care whether those riders lived or died. However, he could not bring himself to tell ck Eleven to kill those riders in front of a group of inexperienced youth. "ck Eleven, have your men dig them out."


    "Me?" ck Eleven frowned, then smiled bitterly. "It seems like my presence was not needed!"

 Chapter 163: Allies

    Chapter 163: Allies


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The sun slowly set behind the hill. The town of Moramatch was aglow with red rays from the sunset. Anfey and his legion had sessfully scared away Shansa Empire¡¯s cavalry. Besides some copsed houses, they did not lose anything else. They deserved to be happy about it. Christian and hispanions, ck Eleven and his subordinates, and hired mercenaries all looked happy and excited. They chatted andughed in groups. Dwarves and gnomes worked hard on the underground tunnel project. Anfeymanded them to finish the project before dawn the next day. They had to make the main tunnel entrance higher and wider to allow horses toe in. If they could not finish the project in time, they would be punished. Of course, to encourage them, Anfey had raised their wages to ten times higher than normal.


    There was a not too deep, but very steep valley behind Moramatch where people were on watch. The other side of the valley was steep as well. Christian and hispanions had set up many rming magic arrays and magic outposts. If any enemy tried toe over through there, they might escape people¡¯s watch, but would trigger the rming magic. People in the town would know there were enemiesing.


    The main underground tunnel was at the foot of the valley. Gnomes and dwarves were working hard on the project. Anfey and Suzanna chatted under an ancient tree not far from the entrance of the main tunnel. They looked quite different. Anfey looked confused while Suzanna blushed as she rolled her eyes at Anfey.


    "Why am I bad?" Anfey asked.


    "You know why," Suzanna said.


    "I don¡¯t know. Why am I asking you about it if I knew?" Anfey said.


    "Think about what you have done," Suzanna said.


    "I have done a lot of things. How do I know which one you are talking about?" Anfey argued.


    "Is it because you have done so many bad things?" Suzanna asked.


    "Ok. Give me some hints," Anfey suggested.


    "Did you forget about that wine?" Suzanna hinted for him.


    "What wine?" Anfey still did not get it.


    "The wine with the aphrodisiac in it. You put it in the wine and forced me to drink it." Suzanna blushed even more.


    Anfey blinked and then he finally remembered. "When did I force you to drink it. I was just ying with you. Who would know you drank it without even asking about what it was?" Anfey said.


    "Heng." Suzanna snorted.


    "I did take it away from you right away. You only had a sip. I drank the rest of it," Anfey said.


    "Why did youe to see me when everyone had gone to rest. You knew that wine had aphrodisiac in it, what did you want to do to me?" Suzanna asked.


    "I wanted to..." Anfey tried to exin.


    "You had evil thoughts, didn¡¯t you?" Suzanna asked.


    "I wanted to experiment with the effects of the aphrodisiac on myself. You see, my n was to give aphrodisiac to griffins. I did not want to see our n fail if the aphrodisiac was not strong enough," Anfey said.


    "Excuses!" Suzanna rolled her eyes as she pulled a handful of grass next to her.


    She was a little regretful of bringing this topic up. It made her feel awkward, shameful, and nervous. When people were nervous, they always had some unconscious habits. So did Suzanna.


    ""I am telling you the truth." Anfey tried to convince Suzanna that he was innocent.


    "I do not believe you. You had evil thoughts," Suzanna said.


    "Ok, ok. I had evil thoughts. What do you want then?" Anfey said.


    Suzanna did not know how to answer that question. There was a saying that went "aggressive women tend to be touched by men who keep showing interest in them, and good girls are scared byzy boys." What could Suzanna do to Anfey?


    "I still have some seven-winged magic fly chemicals left. Do you want me to buy you drinks?" Anfey decided to be naughty all the way. He even grabbed Suzanna¡¯s hand.


    "Stop it!" Suzanna shook off Anfey¡¯s hand. "I wondered why I felt weird after having your wine. I was kind of scared of you and..."


    "And horny?" Anfey helped Suzanna with the words she could not say.


    "Go to hell!" Suzanna could not take it anymore. She threw that handful of grass on Anfey¡¯s face.


    Suzanna spoke a little too loudly, so the gnomes and dwarves who were working not far from them heard their conversation. A few heads stuck out of the cave, looking at Anfey and Suzanna.


    "Shhh, quieter, if you don¡¯t want to be others¡¯ joke," Anfey reminded Suzanna.


    "I am not talking to you anymore. I am going back to take a nap." Suzanna stood up.


    "Sit down, take a seat. What are you rushing back for?" Anfey grabbed Suzanna¡¯s arm. Sometimes Suzanna was a lot stronger than Anfey, but other times Suzanna became very weak. With Anfey¡¯s pull, Suzanna could not help wobbling and sat back.


    "Anything else?" Suzanna talked as low as a mosquito¡¯s buzzing sound.


    "Of course, I said I will buy you drinks," Anfey said.


    "You are so bad." Suzanna tried to shake off Anfey¡¯s hand one more time, but she failed this time.


    "You are so bad!" Anfey sighed as he shook his head.


    "Why am I bad?" Suzanna said.


    "You know it." They had the same conversation not long ago. They just switched their roles.


    "I don¡¯t know." Suzanna looked a little unhappy. Since she was more sensitive than Anfey, Suzanna could say that Anfey was bad but not allow him to say the same thing to her.


    "I only want to buy you some drinks, but you are thinking about me in the wrong way," Anfey said.


    "You...You said you still have some chemicals left and now want to buy me drinks again," Suzanna said angrily.


    "Right, I am buying you drinks but not poisoned ones," Anfey said sincerely, "What are you afraid of."


    "Why are you still talking about chemicals." Suzanna felt she was so wronged.


    "Anfey," ck Eleven rushed in as he called Anfey¡¯s name. "Something happened."


    "What? Kumaraghosha came back?" Anfey suddenly stood up.


    "No, a mercenary group is marching towards us. Watching from the Eyes of Sky, I think there are about one hundred twenty to one hundred thirty mercenaries in it. Telling by their g, they seemed to belong to the Dragon Rider mercenary group," ck Eleven said.


    "Dragon Rider mercenary group? What an arrogant name. I never heard you talk about them before?" Anfey said.


    "It is just a name. It does not mean anything. If there is a mercenary group called Home of God, would all of them be gods?" ck Eleven smiled as he shook his head. "As far as I know, they are just a secondary mercenary group, but I am not sure what they areing here for."


    "Send your people out to ask around and find out what they areing here for," Anfey said.


    "I already did," ck Eleven said.


    "Who did you send?" Anfey asked.


    "Leyco." ck Eleven smiled. Leyco was the leader of the hired mercenary group. "It¡¯s risky to be a messenger. We¡¯d better ask an outsider to do it."


    "Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s take a look at them," Anfey said.


    By the time Anfey and Suzanna got there and spoke briefly with Christian, Leyco had alreadye back. A few mercenaries followed him. The one in the front was a guy around forty years old. His eyebrows were thick and dark. He had a wide and big forehead and sideburns. He looked tall and strong. The sword shafts over his shoulders showed he used a two-hand sword. Two-hand swords in general were longer and heavier than regr swords. Some two-hand swords were even wider than palms, so it was not possible to hang them on waists.


    The mercenary in the front looked around andid his eyes on Anfey at the end. Everyone else stood behind Anfey, which made him look like the moon surrounded by stars. It was easy to tell who the leader was.


    "Hello, you must be Anfey." The mercenary walked to Anfey with a smile.


    "Yes, I am Anfey. May I know who you are?" Anfey said.


    "My name is Ozzic,mander of Dragon Rider mercenary group," Ozzic said.


    "How can I help you?" Anfey chose to go directly to the topic. He did not even bother with courteous expressions like "I have heard so much about you" or "It¡¯s my honor to have a guest like you." Anfey was not great with social skills and definitely needed more practice. He used to observe and criticize others in the dark rather than helping coordinate for the team.


    "The reason I came here was I got news that Shansa Empire¡¯s cavalry ising to attack Moramatach." Ozzic looked around again. "It looks like they haven¡¯te yet."


    "No." Anfey tried to answer before anyone else could. "Is your information urate?"


    The battle had ended very quickly. The town did not show any trace of fighting. Those copsed houses did not mean anything. Outsiders could not tell that a battle had happened based on the copsed houses.


    "Absolutely," Ozzic answered.


    "Are youing to help us fight the Shansa Empire military?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course!" Ozzic said with justice. "Shansa Empire and Tiger of Tawau mercenary took over our Hengduan Valley. It was unbearable. They are thinking of taking over our vige. They acted against thew and reason. Our Dragon Rider mercenary group has decided to fight Shansa Empire all the way to the end."


    "You really impress me." Anfey nodded hard. "In fact, we did receive the same information and sent our people to ambush them. This is why they haven¡¯t gotten here yet. If I calcted the time right, they still have over one hundred miles before they can reach Moramatch. They should be here tonight or tomorrow. We are thinking of withdrawing from Moramatch. Youring is such an encouragement for us. Let¡¯s fight together." Anfey held his hand out.


    "Are you saying Shansa Empire¡¯s military is still over one hundred miles away?" Ozzic was shocked for a second.


    "To be more specific, it should be less than one hundred miles now," Christian said slowly. If they were still at Saul¡¯s house practicing their magic and had not experienced so much, they would have given weird nces when they heard Anfey¡¯s lies. Maybe some of them would even ask Anfey if he was making any mistakes. Everybody seemed to hide their emotions better now. Christian could even team up with Anfey in the lie.


    "Good." Ozzic shook Anfey¡¯s hand. "Anfey, I know you have many mages. You are familiar with Moramatch as well. How about I take my Dragon Rider mercenaries to fight the Shansa Empire military first to buy you some time. You guys can stay and set up defensive magic arrays."

 Chapter 164: Traitor

    Chapter 164: Traitor


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This...this is too dangerous!" Anfey said. He looked very gratefully at the man.


    "That is part of being a mercenary!" Ozzic said,ughing. "Shansa Empire had publicly challenged us. This problem is all of ours together. We must band together against thismon threat."


    "Well said," Anfey agreed, nodding. "Then I won¡¯t hold back my request. We do need help. Why don¡¯t I send some mages to assist you?"


    "There is no need for that. My Dragon Riders mercenary group isn¡¯t big, but we have been working together for a long time. We all trust and rely on each other. If there are some new people, we may not work as efficiently. Don¡¯t worry, we can handle this," Ozzic said, with a wave of his hand. "Time isn¡¯t on our side. I will head out immediately."


    "This soon? You came all this way, you must be tired. Why don¡¯t you rest a bit before leaving?"


    "We will rest after we defeat the Shansa army. By then, even if you want me to leave I won¡¯t," Ozzic said, grinning.


    "Alright. Be careful," Anfey said slowly. "If the Shansa army outnumbers you, don¡¯t engage them head to head. Try to stall for as long as possible."


    "I understand. I am not stupid enough to do something like that," Ozzic replied. "You have to start your part of the n soon."


    Anfey nodded.


    Ozzic did not say anything else. He left town quickly with his men. Christian stared at the departing men, then turned to Anfey and asked, "Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something strange about them?"


    "Not really," Anfey said with a smile. "But we have to remember that we should never let our guard down. They chose their timing very well."


    "They must have a motive. What would it be? Do you think they genuinely want to help us?" Christian asked.


    "We will find out soon enough," Anfey said. He turned to Riska and said, "Bring Feller with you and keep an eye on them. Suzanna, you are responsible for their safety. Come back when it¡¯s getting dark. Don¡¯t approach them."


    "Alright," Riska nodded and said.


    "Anfey!" Sante walked over and called. Behind him was a werewolf. "He wanted to speak with you."


    Anfey nced at the werewolf, then turned and told Suzanna, "Three of you, go right now. Be careful."


    "Don¡¯t worry about us." Suzanna smiled sweetly.


    After the trio left town, Anfey walked over and sat down on a piece of stone and waved the werewolf over. The werewolf walked over timidly.


    "You want to talk to me?" Anfey asked softly. Normally, werewolves were very fierce creatures, even the female ones were fighters. They had given the original residents who were trapped in the tunnels two choices. One was to leave town, the other was to work for Anfey. He would provide protection to the residents no matter which decision they made.


    Most residents had lost the will to fight and chose to work. There were two werewolves who encouraged the residents to fight, and Suzanna had to kill them in the end. This timid werewolf did not fit the usual werewolf image, and made Anfey curious.


    "Yes. I have something I want to report," the werewolf said and nced around.


    "Sante, go check the tunnels and make sure nothing unusual is going on," Anfey said, waving his head. "Christian, stay."


    The rest of the group began making their way to the tunnels. Christian walked closer and said gently, "What is it? You can tell us now."


    "If you tell you, can you keep my sister and I safe?" the werewolf asked, its eyes sad and desperate.


    "Of course! Don¡¯t worry. We will keep you safe."


    The werewolf took a deep breath and said, "Katuru has a secret vault in the tunnels."


    "Katuru?"


    "He was the old leader."


    "I see," Anfey said with a smile. He thought it was a big secret, but it was nothing more than a werewolf¡¯s private collection. Seeing the living conditions of Moramatch¡¯s residents, Anfey did not expect Katuru¡¯s treasure to be shocking. "Christian, go with him and find the vault."


    Christian nodded.


    "My lord, what you promised..."


    "I am a man of my word. I will protect you and your sister."


    "But my lord, if they find out that I was the one who spilled the secret, they will kill me."


    "They? Christian, how many werewolves are still here?"


    "Four. He must be talking about the other two. There is one female that must be his sister," Christian said with hushed voice.


    "Do they know about the vault?"


    "All the werewolves do. The others left to find backups. We were left to guard the vault."


    "Then why did you tell me about the vault?" Anfey narrowed his eyes in disdain, but he was able to hide his sentiments well. Even though werewolves like this were beneficial, if this werewolf could betray his own kind, he could betray Anfey and hispanions as well.


    "Because they are terrorizing my sister."


    "Can¡¯t you protect her?"


    "I¡¯m too weak to take on two of them," the werewolf said, lowering his head.


    "Unbelievable," Anfey said slowly.


    "Yes, my lord! I couldn¡¯t take it anymore and this was myst resort." Seeing that Anfey understood him, the werewolf appeared very grateful.


    "Christian, kill the other two werewolves." If the werewolves had second thoughts and were not nning on working with them, there was no use keeping them alive. "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey told the werewolf. "Dead men tell no tales."


    "Thank you, my lord!" The werewolf sank to his knees, satisfied with Anfey¡¯s decision.


    "If your kind finds backups, will they contact you?"


    "I am the only one they could contact."


    "There was just a group of mercenaries here. Dragon Rider mercenaries. Do they look like backups your people speak of?"


    "No way. Humans would never fight for werewolves," the werewolf said.


    "You¡¯re saying the backups must also be werewolves? As far as I know, this is the only ce werewolves reside within the Country of Mercenaries. Where are they going to find backups?"


    "That...that I don¡¯t know, my lord."


    Anfey frowned and was about to ask another questions. Christian poked his back, and Anfey sighed. "Alright," he said. "Go wait for us by the tunnels. We will be there in a few moments."


    "Yes, my lord." The werewolf bowed and left quietly.


    Anfey waited for a few moments, then turned to Christian and said, "Did you discover something?"


    "Anfey, remember the orcs?"


    "You¡¯re saying they¡¯re looking for a sanctuary?" Anfey asked, quickly making the connection.


    Christian nodded.


    "I don¡¯t understand. If the werewolves have a sanctuary, why did they stay in the Country of Mercenaries? Why did they stay in Moramatch?"


    "Maybe waiting for more werewolves to appear," Christian said after a few moments of silence. "From our point of view, the werewolves here live a difficult life. For the werewolves, maybe this is a ce where they could observe and learn more about humans."


    "Makes sense," Anfey nodded slowly and said.


    "I began to have my suspicions a few days ago when I was cleaning out the tunnels with Feller."


    "About what?"


    "I talked to you about it, but you weren¡¯t paying attention," Christian said. "After you enter the tunnels from the main entrance, there are neen major tunnels. Every tunnel has a built-in caverge enough for more than a hundred people. There were ample food and weapons as well. One was more than enough to contain all of Moramatch¡¯s poption. Why did they build neen tunnels? To prepare for war? To expand their territory? I don¡¯t think either of those are the right answer."


    "I see what you¡¯re talking about. You¡¯re saying that those were built to prepare for the mass migration of werewolves from the sanctuary."


    Christian nodded. "Katuru is just a small part of this. I feel like the real leader is somewhere in the sanctuary. Band of Brothers mercenary tried to get the werewolves out of Moramatch a few times, and every time the mercenary group suffered great casualties. I don¡¯t think we are more powerful than a major mercenary group. Maybe it was because we attacked at the right time, when the town was rtively empty."


    "God..." Anfey frowned and shook his head. "That werewolf must have known this as well. Why did he tell about the vault? Isn¡¯t he afraid of retribution?"


    "If we keep the other werewolves, who will know?"


    "We can..."


    "Orcs, beasts, savages, and elves all believe humans are the worst and most sly of all creatures. They would not believe us."


    "That means we can¡¯t just kill the other werewolves."

 Chapter 165: Rewards

    Chapter 165: Rewards


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Christian did everything as they nned. Anfey stayed where he was and kept rubbing his forehead. He had not settled the troubles he made in Maho Empire, but he had to face the threat from Shansa Empire¡¯s military and Dragon Rider mercenary group with some evil thoughts. Orcs could alsoe back at any time, and theirbat ability was unknown to Anfey and his legion. He had been starting fires, which made him a little nervous.


    If it were the old Anfey, he would have chosen to do what he was good at and avoid areas he was not familiar with. He should have already led his people out of Moramatch. It was not easy to just leave Moramatch, since they were already there and had done so much to the town. They regrly watched the areas within a radius of twenty miles through Eyes of Sky.


    It was not possible to be attacked by arge military. However, if there were a few scouts out there, the Eyes of Sky could not detect them. If those scouts sent out information, especially to Shansa Empire, who were just waiting to attack Anfey and his legion, they could be easily encircled. In Moramatch, at least they had underground tunnels to protect themselves. They would have nothing outside of Moramatch. Although they wiped out the Griffin Aerial Unit, it was very possible that there were still a few griffin rider survivors out there. If Anfey and his legion were seen by griffin riders outside Moramatch, they would definitely be killed. The griffin riders could locate them no matter where they were. They would not be able to escape when chased.


    Anfey felt lucky that the coordinates of Shelters were not in the underground tunnels, otherwise natives would have gotten their reinforcements, since they had fought with Anfey and his legion for quite a while.


    "Anfey." Suzanna¡¯s calling interrupted Anfey¡¯s thinking.


    "You are back. What is it going on?" Anfey looked up.


    "That Ozzic was such a liar." Suzanna walked over and sat next to Anfey on a greenish stone. She said angrily, "They set up their camp thirty miles away from here in the north. He did not even mean to go to Hengduan Valley."


    "Yes." Riska also walked over to Anfey. "After they set up their camp, we watched their surroundings a little and then they started to drink and eat. They even lit up the bonfire. I do not think they meant to fight with anyone."


    "Anfey, when theye back, we need to tell them we know about their lie. I have to humiliate them right in front of their faces to make me feel better," Feller implored.


    "Not necessary." Anfey smiled. "It would be a free lesson for them if we humiliate them. It would allow them to act more realter on. We will pretend we know nothing about it. We will let them give us a show."


    "Anfey, what do you think was their purpose?" Riska asked.


    "How do I know? Either they want to do something to us, want something from us, or are waiting to see something happen," Anfey said.


    "Nonsense." ck Eleven heard their conversation. He walked over as he talked.


    "How about you say something that was not nonsense?" Anfey smiled.


    "I think they should be waiting for something." ck Elven wiped off the stone and sat on the other side of Anfey. "When did theye?"


    "At dusk. Don¡¯t you remember?" Feller answered.


    "When did we have the fight with Shansa Empire¡¯s military?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Noon," Feller answered.


    "That is it," ck Eleven said coldly, "Withmon sense, by the time they came, we should have been wiped out by Shansa Empire¡¯s military. Moramatch would have been nothing but debris."


    Anfey¡¯s eyebrows lifted. "It surely would be like that."


    "If Moramatch did not exist anymore, then they areing here for..." Riska was in thought for a while. "Is there something in the underground tunnels?"


    "Maybe." Anfey shook his head. "Let¡¯s see what is going to happen in the next few days. We will know by then."


    "Oh, Anfey, I have a good news for you." ck Eleven smiled.


    "What good news?" Anfey asked.


    "The king found out that we wiped out Griffin Aerial Unit, and he was really, really happy about it. Do you know you are a duke now? Christian, Suzanna and Zubin and everyone else are all granted titles of nobility. Last time, when the king gave you the title of nobility, he kept it secret. This time he put signs up everywhere. Your name is well known now."


    "I have a title of nobility as well?" Feller opened his eyes wide as he pointed at himself.


    "Of course. Didn¡¯t I just say that? Everyone has the title of nobility." ck Eleven smiled. "It is disappointing that we are in the Country of Mercenaries now. The king could not grant our titles in person."


    Suzanna was the only one who did not look excited. Feller and Riska both looked excited and exhrated. It was such an honor for them to receive the title of nobility from the king.


    "So...is my name also on the cards?" Feller kept asking ck Eleven.


    "Yes," ck Eleven said.


    "Awesome, awesome." Feller almost jumped for joy.


    "It does not feel right." Anfey was not excited about the rewards from the king. He recalled the saying, "If you want the horse to run, you have to feed the horse grass." As a king, he surely knew the importance of giving rewards. Receiving rewards was not out of Anfey¡¯s expectation.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" ck Eleven asked in surprise.


    "We are in the Country of Mercenaries right now and we still have things to deal with here. If this news travels here, we would expose ourselves. It would cause a lot of trouble for us."


    "Yes, it is a little inappropriate. However, you should look on the positive side," ck Eleven said slowly. "You guys cannot stay in the Country of Mercenary for your whole lives. You will go back to Maho Empire someday. Our king is going to make you guys heroes of our country this time."


    "What do you mean ¡®make us heroes¡¯? We are heroes," Fellerined. He seemed to be very sensitive to anything rted to honor. "Who wiped out the Griffin Aerial Unit? No one else but us."


    "Yes, Yes, I made a mistake. You are heroes. Of course, it includes me." ck Eleven smiled. "People are getting to know your names. Next time when Philip sees you, he has to think twice before doing anything to you."


    "I heard old Philip had a bad temper. I do not think your names would work too much with him." Anfey smiled bitterly.


    "Old Philip still has his title andnd. When his timees, he could pass those to a non-family member, even though his grandson had died. If old Philip does anything bad, he would not only humiliate his family, but also would lose his title andnd," ck Eleven said casually. "This is not just about old Philip. His ancestors have devoted their lives to the country to receive those honors. How could old Philip take the pressure of losing all the honors. If he were not constrained by anything, he would not have hurried back to North Line and fought together with Master Saul.


    "I hope you are right," Anfey sighed. He felt helpless when he dealt with old Philip. The reason he could not kill Philip was not only because he was powerful and influential, but also he thought it would be too much to kill Philip and his grandson. He had already killed his grandson. It would be too much to kill both of them.


    In Anfey¡¯s world, he was used to living by himself. The experience of being lonely and highly tolerant had made him cold. He got a taste of a different life when he reincarnated in the Evil Abyss. He experienced what "power" could bring him in the Evil Abyss. In this magic world, he saw a big contrast between friend and father like Saul and Ernest.


    Saul and Ernest were at the same level in terms of their power. Ernest always did everything on his own, which caused him to bear it when he was wronged. He knew who he should take revenge on, but he had to wait for the right time. Saul was so influential that his daughter, innocent Niya, could "bully everyone" in Sacred City. If Saul didn¡¯t have her back, Niya became a regr girl, and she could have been charged and enved.


    Anfey was never greedy about power, but that did not mean he would be against authority. Being against authority would not do him any good, but instead cause more trouble for him, or he might even die because of the troubles.


    "Even if the news that we wiped out Griffin Aerial Unit leaks out, it still would take some time for them to know, since the Country of Mercenaries does not know we work for Maho Empire. Do not worry." ck Eleven smiled. "Things have changed."


    "What changed?" Anfey asked.


    "Band of Brothers mercenary group held ambiguous attitudes as to which side they were on. Now everyone on Pan Continent knows that our king feigned his death. Band of Brothers mercenary group had imed to be on the side of Maho Empire. If something happens, we could immediately ask for help from Band of Brother mercenary group. They would give us a hand," ck Eleven said.


    "My concerns were nothing but Tiger of Tawau mercenary group and Glory mercenary group." Anfey sighed again. "If they knew about us, it would not be difficult for them to figure everything out, since we stayed in ckwater City for a while. During that period of time, Tiger of Tawau mercenary group and Glory mercenary group had the fight. Anthony was fine, but Mourtta knew he had an unreasonable fight. He could easily suspect us."


    "Tiger of Tawau mercenary group is hiding in ckwater City now. They dare note out. You do not have to worry about them." ck Eleven smiled.


    "Ok, since we did it to them, there is no point in worrying about it. I remember a saying, "Counter soldiers with arms, water with a levee." Different situations call for different actions. We will deal with it when thingse." Anfey stood up. "Everybody, go take some rest. Something happened on Christian¡¯s end. I need go to see him right now."


    "What happened?" Suzanna asked in surprise.


    "Not a big deal. There was a traitor among the werewolves," Anfey said, smiling.

 Chapter 166: Disappointment

    Chapter 166: Disappointment


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Riska and Feller retired to their rooms, but Suzanna insisted on staying with Anfey. The two entered the underground tunnels following a few dwarves. The main entrance to the tunnels was nted and facing upwards, and took a sharp turn downwards after about thirty feet. Anfey thought it might have been built this way to prevent flooding and keep excess rain from pooling in the tunnels. There could be other reasons that Anfey did not know. The dwarves and the gnomes obviously knew better than he did.


    Anfey had been to the tunnels a dozen times before, but every time he was down there he felt very ufortable. The dwarves clearly did not care to waterproof the tunnel, which was extremely humid. There was obviously no electricity, and the dwarves could not afford to buy ever-burningmps. They used as a kind of phosphorus light that runs on magic potions. The lights glowed an eerie faint green. The light stretched people¡¯s shadows and cast strange shadows on their faces. Living in a ce like this was surely ufortable.


    After two hundred feet, the tunnel opened up and became more spacious. Countless dwarves were busy at work, the sound of tools hitting the soil rang out. There were dwarves working on expanding the cave nearby. Anfey wanted the work to be done by dawn, but it seemed like the dwarves could finish before that. He was shocked by the efficiency of the dwarves.


    After another two hundred feet, they came to arge hall. The hall had no decorations and looked like arge beehive. The walls were dotted with holes. This was where the tunnels in the town¡¯s houses led. In the past, Anfey did not think much of this ce. Now, after his conversation with Christian, Anfey found himself looking at the ce differently. This cavern wasn¡¯t a byproduct of poption expansion. It was part of therger n and was meant to be built.


    If it had been built for protection, it should be hard to navigate, so it could confuse the enemies. If the tunnels were so hard to navigate that even its residents could get lost, it would be a death trap for enemies unfamiliar with it. Concentrating all the entrances meant that it would be easier to control and regte. The builders not only wanted to protect the residents, they wanted to control them as well.


    Beyond the great hall was arge stone door that blocked the way. The door was bright and glowed with a strange green light, though it was unclear whether the glow came from the door itself or from the eerie lights. Feller had already told Anfey about the door. It was very strong, at least a few tons. Even if they destroyed the tunnels, the door would still be standing.


    The dwarf in front of them walked to the left side of the door and pulled on a piece of metal chain. Anfey heard the faint sound of bells from above, and the door began to rise slowly. The dwarf walked in without waiting for the humans. The door was open, but the humans had to crouch to enter. This was a major obstacle in expanding the tunnels. Unless theypletely destroyed the door, they needed to dig a trench under the door for the horses and the carriages.


    After the door, there were more holes in the ground. Some nted upwards, others pointed downwards. Some hadrge openings, while others had tiny openings. This was the most dangerous thing in the tunnels. Only two openings led to the real tunnels. The others were all fake. In some of the fake tunnels were openings that led to the real tunnels. All the fake tunnels were cramped, only enough for one man to climb through. This was something used to confuse the town¡¯s enemies. They coulde out and attack their enemies and retreat quickly. Even if the enemies could find the fake tunnels, they couldn¡¯t do much. Even a swordsmaster couldn¡¯t do much if he was stuck in a tunnel. The fake tunnels were filled with traps as well, helping the dwarves defeat their enemies fast.


    Anfey didn¡¯t know what to do with it, either. In the end, he had to use a very despicable way to find the right tunnels. He released the children, telling them that they could go home. He had Christian mark the children, and waited for the children to find each other. That was how they were able to find the two usable tunnels. The remaining residents were forced to move around in the different caverns, and were forced to surrender.


    They entered a side tunnel, and it was even more dank than therge cavern. There were hundreds of smaller tunnels branching off to the side. A long line of magterns appeared on the side. This was what Christian left as markers. Seeing thenterns meant that they were on the right path.


    A small underground city appeared before Anfey and Suzanna. The city consisted of two major paths that crossed at the middle of the city. Next to the roads were neat lines of houses. Where the roads crossed was a small square. A stone bid on the ground, and under the stone b was the city¡¯s supplies. To show this was a city, the dwarves and gnomes had the walls of the cavern very high. It was just enough for a human to stand up straight.


    "Didn¡¯t Katuru tell you to make the walls taller?" Anfey asked quietly. Unless the dwarf was trying to provoke him, he was always gentler with the dwarves. One could not establish respect with shouts and usations.


    "No," one of the dwarves replied.


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be hard for them to move around down here?"


    "Doesn¡¯t make that big of a difference whether they walk on two legs or four," Suzanna said.


    "I¡¯ve never seen one walking on four legs, though."


    Suzanna shrugged.


    "It¡¯s probably because of their dignity. They had to prove that they are not like the wild wolves."


    Suzanna giggled. Anfey did not intend to make fun of the werewolves, and intended his words as a joke. However, the dwarves took it differently. After Moramatch fell under the control of Alibaba mercenary, the discrimination towards the dwarves ceased. The dwarves and gnomes¡¯ lives improved greatly, as well. They had time to drink ale and eat chicken after work everyday, and they had wages. These things had been unthinkable in the past. Therefore, theyughed at Anfey¡¯s words instead of getting angry.


    "My lord, Lord Christian is already down there." A dwarf lifted the stone b and told Anfey.


    "He just went down there like that?" Anfey frowned. He knew the danger of carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide had a distinct smell to it. Carbon dioxide was scentless. When the buildup in the air exceeded ten percent, it could cause loss of consciousness. If it exceeded twenty percent, it could cause paralysis and death in seconds.


    "Yes."


    "Christian!" Anfey hurried to the cave and called out.


    "Down here!" Christian called back.


    Anfey spotted a segment of thin rope swaying by the mouth of the cave. He realized that although dwarves might not know exactly how much carbon dioxide would lead to death, they knew the importance of keeping the air flowing.


    Anfey jumped into the cave and nced around. The cave was very unorganized. The food bags were pushed aside, exposing another cave¡¯s entrance. There were lights flickering down there. Sante was sitting on the food bags. He looked at Anfey and grinned. Next to Sante were two bonded werewolves. They seemed like they were still conscious, and were struggling.


    "Did they cause any troubles?"


    "No. I told them that I had to talk to them, and they fell for it. Christian and I knocked them out easily," Sante said, grinning.


    "Good." Anfey nodded.


    "You¡¯re going to be disappointed, Anfey," Christian said. He appeared through the cave, floating. He left thentern down in the cave, and looked like a ghost in the eerie green light. "I looked through everything. Nothing worth our time."


    "Really?" Anfey walked to the cave and peered down. "These are things those werewolves treasure. There has to be something more valuable."


    "What did you expect? Likest time?" Christian smiled and shook his head. "Go look for yourself."

 Chapter 167: Life and Dream

    Chapter 167: Life and Dream


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey stood at the edge of the ledge, took a look what was down below, and then jumped off. No wonder Christian was disappointed. Anfey immediately smelled something rotten in the chamber after hended safely. There were not many objects in the chamber. They were everywhere on the ground and looked very old and torn. Nothing really caught Anfey¡¯s attention. Two boxes at the corner were open. Anfey went over to take a look. There was a suit of armor in one box and a few pamphlets in the other.


    "Not much dirt here. It looked like someone came to this chamber not long ago," Anfey said quietly.


    "Not much dirt? The dirt was this thick when I came down here." Christiannded next to Anfey and held his thumb out side ways. "I cleaned here with Wind magic. This is the dirt left after my cleaning."


    "What¡¯s in it? Books?" Anfey reached his hand out and tried to touch the books.


    "Don¡¯t touch. You will break them if you touch them," Christian yelled immediately. "I just ruined a book."


    Anfey just noticed a broken book in the corner of the box. Obviously it had been ruined by Christian. He turned to look at the other box. "This armor does not seem to be something nice. No magic surges at all."


    "I told you that you would be disappointed." Christian smiled.


    "Maybe not. We are not professionals. Don¡¯t forget. We have a tomb raider. We will make a fair judgement with his opinions."


    "Tomb raider? What is that?" Christian asked in surprise.


    "Haha...Ask Hui Wei to see me. He loves to do research on historical remains," Anfey said.


    "Is this considered historical remains?" Christian could not help shaking his head. "Hui Wei seems to like research on paleolithic remnants."


    "It does not matter. He would know more than us anyway." Anfey smiled.


    With a huge stomping sound, Suzanna jumped off andnded in the chamber. She was not like Anfey, who neithernded with much noise nor stirred much dirt on the ground. Anfey used Light Merit, which allowed practitioners to move lightly without leaving footprints or climb walls. The cloud of dirt Suzanna created rose in the shape of a mushroom. Suzanna loved to be clean and tidy, so she immediately covered her mouth and closed her eyes.


    Anfey was not the only one paying attention to the details. Christian did not realize anything special when Anfey jumped off until he saw what a scene Suzanna created. With theparison of thending scenes, Christian looked as if he was thinking of something. He quietly nced at Anfey.


    "Sante, ask those gnomes to find Hui Wei for me," Anfey asked loudly.


    "Got it," Sante answered from above.


    "The living conditions of the natives of Moramatch were not great. I never expected anything incredible, but there must be something that could surprise us, since werewolves treated it as such an important ce." Anfey was not willing to give up hope. He looked around and saw something tied up in the corner of the wall. He walked over. "What is this?"


    "I just checked. It seems to be the bones of magic beasts," Christian said.


    "Any magic crystal?" Anfey asked.


    "Crystals would grow bigger if they were inside magic beasts. After the crystals were taken out of their bodies, the elements in the crystals would gradually dissociate. No matter how great the crystals were, they could be stored for no more than 500 years. That was the reason," Christian said. He even made a joke about it at the end. "You don¡¯t think I pocketed it, do you?"


    "You did make me think of that possibility," Anfey said with a smile. "You took possession of crystals by yourself. How about sharing with the three of us. We are good friends and brothers. We cannot just watch you falling into the evil abyss."


    "Am I not counted as a person? Four of us should share them," Sante yelled from above.


    "I really should not havee here," Christian said, shaking his head.


    "You already came." Anfey thought about a ssic line in a Kufu novel. He pulled a bone out of the pile and looked at it carefully. "It does not make sense. How could this chamber have nothing valuable, unless werewolves had moved them to somewhere else? Then why are they keeping this ce secret?"


    "They probably did not move anything to other ces. There was so much dirt when I came down. You could tell nobody hade here for hundreds of years. All werewolves are scared of this ce. That werewolf was only willing to tell me the location of this ce. He refused toe down with me. He told me this was a punishment room, where the messengers of God of the Beasts punished betrayers. It would bring werewolves misfortune if theye here," Christian said.


    "Do you think he told you the truth?" Anfey smiled. "Even if he did not lie, he was probably tricked by Katuru. Misfortune? He was afraid other werewolves might discover his secrets. Hmmm, what did you just say? Are you sure no one has note in for hundreds of years?"


    "Yes, that werewolf said this is Katuru¡¯s secret chamber. I do not think it was right though. I think this is the room where Katuru protected his ancestor¡¯s relics," Christian said.


    "Does it mean these underground tunnels have been here for a long time?" Anfey asked.


    "How could it be short?" Christian smiled. "If you start to walk and go through every city in the underground tunnels now, you would note out until morning. Dwarves are hardworking, but they would not build such a huge project, even in a few decades."


    "I do not know how much dwarves can do. If you say so about them, at least I feel relieved." Anfey smiled. "If these were built by a werewolf a long time ago, it should not pose too much of a threat to us. Oh, right, Christian, do you know the history of Moramatch?"


    "What do you want to know about?" Christian asked.


    "For example, who were the first natives of Moramatch?" Anfey asked.


    "I do not have the answers, if you ask me these kind of questions. Why don¡¯t you ask ck Eleven to investigate for you?" Christian suggested.


    "You are right. I should have not asked someone who privately took public possessions and fell into the evil abyss," Anfey said and smiled.


    "You, stop! Why don¡¯t you search me now? You think it is a joke. Others may not treat it as a joke." Christian could not help rolling his eyes.


    "Suzanna, can I search anyone¡¯s Dimensional ring?" Anfey turned to Suzanna.


    "No," Suzanna answered without any hesitation.


    Anfey shrugged, which implied there was no point in searching Christian, since he could easily hide stuff in his Dimensional ring.


    "Anfey, I did not make you mad today, did I?" Christian smiled bitterly. Only they could y such jokes to each other. If it were anyone who did not have so much trust, they would surely think Anfey was implying something. Christian did not think that way.


    "I think people in the past are so weird. Why did they try to leave something for the people in the future? Do they think this stuff could be passed to their offspring?" Anfey switched the topic with a smile. "We have found two ces like this since we left Sacred City. Are we that lucky, or were people in the past too stupid?"


    "People¡¯s lives are confined, but not their dreams," Christian said slowly.


    "Christian, what do you mean? I did not get it. Limited and unlimited has nothing to do with the stuff here, right?" Sante asked from above.


    Anfey was shocked for a second and said with a smile, "Christian meant that people¡¯s lives are limited, but many people want to do something special with their limited life. If a person didn¡¯tplete what he set out to do, or had not even gotten started when his life had already reached the end, then he might want to try to keep his work for the people behind him. He would have no chance to know whether people behind him couldplete what he did not finish, or interfere in their work."


    After his talk, Anfey went quiet. Although he kept searching through items in the chamber, he looked very troubled. Sante had been slow on things, but he kept thinking about Christian¡¯s saying, "There was no young man who did not want to do something big." Christian¡¯s thought was short, but it had a such profound meaning, especially when they were in an ancient chamber. They would have so much to think about and consider regarding Christian¡¯s saying.


    Without knowing how much time had passed, they heard Hui Wei¡¯s voice from above. "Anfey, did you want to see me?"


    "Anfey I heard you found the werewolves¡¯ secret chamber?" Hagan¡¯s voice came down as well. They got along very well, to the point they were always together, just like the steelyard would not exist without the weight and vice versa. They specialized in two different areas and had different personalities, but they had a lot inmon to talk about.


    "You guys areing at the right time. Hurry up. Take a look if there is anything valuable," Anfey said.


    Hui Wei and Hagan came down to the chamber one after the other. They paid attention to different things. Hui Wei was looking at the wall and roof decorations and the texture and colors of the bricks. He believed that everything created by intelligent beings bore different cultures backgrounds. People could talk, so could a piece of paper, a pen, a sword and other objects. These objects could tell you where they were from, how long they had been there, and much other information. The reason the tense rtionship between Hui Wei and Anfey got better was that Anfey would listen to what Hui Wei said. When he talked to humans, they rarely could understand him. Sometimes they even thought he was crazy. Only Anfey would listen to him carefully. He could tell from Anfey¡¯s look that Anfey really understood what he said.


    Hagan paid attention to the objects on the ground. He saw the box with armor in it first. He carefully cleaned a spot on the armor with his hand and dropped an unknown chemical on it. He disappointedly shook his head after a long stare.


    "This armor is not useful, is it?" Anfey asked.


    "A long time ago, this would have been a magic suit of armor, but it was seriously damaged. It did not get any repair. After a long time, it has be a pile of steel," Hagan said, shaking his head.

 Chapter 168: Surprise Finds

    Chapter 168: Surprise Finds


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "There is no hope of fixing it?" Suzanna asked quickly after learning that it was magic armor. She already had armor, but Anfey did not. Anfey¡¯s magic badge was only for show, and whenever he was in danger, he relied on hand-to-handbat. Her armor was custom made for her and was too small for Anfey, or else she would have been bugging him about wearing it long ago. Hearing that there was a suit of armor, she got excited.


    "Magic armor is living armor. You cannot bring back the dead. My hands are tied," Hagan shook his head and told Suzanna.


    "There is no way?" Suzanna did not want to give up.


    "No." Hagan nced at Suzanna and frowned. "Suzanna, you already have magic armor. Do you not like it? Do you want me to make you a new one? We don¡¯t have any materials right now, though. I will keep an eye out."


    "No, no. I really like the armor you made," Suzanna exined hurriedly.


    "Suzanna, you don¡¯t have to hold back. I know I am just a normal alchemist, and I can¡¯t add powerful spells to your armor, but I am doing my best. Trust me, one day I will be more than just a normal alchemist. One day I will make armor better than any other."


    "I really do like your armor, Hagan, trust me." Suzanna did not know what to say, but she did not want to tell everyone what she was really thinking about.


    "I think," Hagan said with a smile. He did not believe Suzanna¡¯s exnation, and believed that she was trying to make the situation less awkward for him. Hagan was determined to work harder and improve himself. This way, he could help the team more.


    "Can you fix the books?" Anfey asked.


    "Books?" Hagan nced at the other chest. He ran his hand over the paper and said, "I can try, but I promise nothing."


    "Good. I will send the chest to your ce. I¡¯m worried that moving it could damage it, though."


    "Leave it to me," Hagan promised.


    "What kind of book is it?" Hui Wei asked.


    "Are you a pdin or a minstrel?" Anfey smiled and joked. "What can you tell?"


    "The decoration is clearly werewolf style."


    "Obviously."


    "If Hagan could fix them, I could tell you what it is."


    "Nobody move and everyone hold your breath," Hagan said. He pulled out a bottle of potion and dropped some onto the books. The light blue potion turned into thousands of blue sparks and enveloped the books. After the blue sparks disappeared, the books were a light grey color. Hagan tapped the books and smiled. "It¡¯s petrified," he exined. "I will clean away the potion after it¡¯s at my ce."


    "It¡¯s a petrifying potion?" Anfey asked, shocked. He knew about petrifying magic from books, but the spell was lost during the Holy War. Petrifying magic was the most powerful spell behind earth magic¡¯s forbidden spells, but it was much more dangerous than the forbidden spell. If one side of the fight was turned to stone, then the oue would obvious.


    "Yes."


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell me? If we have petrifying potion, can¡¯t we just turn all of our opponents into stone?"


    Hui Wei chuckled. He knew he shouldn¡¯t, but every time he heard Anfey talking about magic, he could not control hisughter.


    "Is that possible?" Hagan asked.


    "Is it not?" Anfey asked. He already knew that he had proposed a stupid n when he heard Hui Wei¡¯sugh, but he was not embarrassed. He needed to find out why. If he was embarrassed whenever someoneugh at him, he would not achieve anything.


    "Living things are different from nonliving things. It could turn a person into stone, but you have to trick them into drinking at least a dozen bottles. For someone who is resistant to magic, a whole barrel might not work."


    "They will have a killer stomachache," Hui Wei said.


    "Stop it," Anfey said. "Hagan, let¡¯s go look at the other things."


    Hagan nced around and found the magic beast bones. He walked over slowly. Hui Wei got to make a jab at Anfey, and was already satisfied. He looked up and stopped suddenly. He hurried to the exit and climbed up.


    The stone that covered the exit was a stone b that looked like stone and gold at the same time. Christian and Anfey did not notice, but Hui Wei saw a corner of the stone and thought there were some runes carved into the back.


    Hui Wei poked his head out and lifted the stone b. He was right. There was a veryplicated magic array carved into the back of the b. A piece of dull magic crystal was inserted into the middle of the array. There were no more magical surges, and as Hui Wei touched the crystal, it fell to the ground and shattered.


    Hui Wei climbed out and observed the stone b carefully. "Guys!" He called as he began pushing the b into the cave.


    "Is that an array?" Anfey asked as he saw the carvings on the b.


    "It is, but I don¡¯t know what it is. Christian, do you know?" Hui Wei jumped down.


    Christian walked over and stared at the carving. "I have never seen one like this. Where did you find it?"


    "Flip it over," Hui Wei said, frowning. "I didn¡¯t know werewolves knew how to use arrays like this."


    Christian flipped the b over and immediately recognized it and what the array was used for.


    "This is where the crystal was, right?" Anfey asked.


    "Where is the crystal?" Christian asked as he ced the stone b on the ground.


    "It fell and broke."


    "Guess what part of the body this came from." Hagan walked over holding a piece of bone about a foot long and as thick as a child¡¯s forearm.


    "Let me see," Anfey said. Hagan handed the bone over.


    "Is it a femur?" Christian asked. He had never heard Hagan so excited, and looked over to see what had happened. Hui Wei, on the other hand, was still observing the array. Hui Wei was like a grave robber. He was interested in things that had historical value, not bones.


    "No. Look here, it¡¯s sharp." Hagan pointed to the tip of the bone and said. "If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is a creature¡¯s phnx."


    "Phnx?" Anfey asked in shock. If one of the fingers or toes was over a foot long, how big was the creature?


    "Can you tell what it was from?" Christian asked.


    "Not right now," Hagan said, shaking his head. "We have to keep these bones. I feel like we are onto something here. This can¡¯t be a normal magic beast."


    "I can¡¯t feel any magic surges on this bone, though."


    "Human sensation can often fool you," Hagan said confidently. "Trust me. I will surprise you in no time."


    "Hagan,e here. Look at what I found," Hui Wei said slowly.


    Hagan turned and one nce was all it took for him to jump up. "Is this a gangstone?"


    "You¡¯re right."


    "This big? It¡¯s impossible." Christian crouched down and began observing the stone b again.


    Anfey stood there and waited for the other¡¯sments. He only knew about the existence of these precious minerals, but he did not know the exact value. He had no ce in this conversation.


    Christian looked like he wasn¡¯t familiar with the stone, either. "If this is really gangstone, then we will have..."


    "A portable transmission portal," Hui Wei finished his sentence. "As long as we have enough crystals, we can use the portal anytime."


    "But we don¡¯t know what kind of portal this is," Christian said with a sigh.


    "It¡¯s easy. We just need an experiment. Anfey gave me a lot of crystals a few days ago," Hagan said.


    "We can¡¯t do anything before we find ways to turn it on and off," Hui Wei said and shook his head. "What if it attacks when we try to use it? What would we do then? Wait a few hundred years for the crystal¡¯s power to dry up? Or activate it so the crystal dries up faster?"

 Chapter 169: Two Heads Are Better Than One

    Chapter 169: Two Heads Are Better Than One


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What should we do?" Anfey asked.


    "It would be great if our professor were here with us," Christian sighed.


    "Oh, right, Hagan, can you tell when did this magic array stop running?" Hui Wei asked.


    "Where are the magic crystals? How could I tell without seeing the magic crystals?" Hagan said.


    "They were broken," Hui Wei said.


    "It¡¯s fine even if they were broken," Hagan said.


    "You wait right here." Hui Wei climbed back to the top and then jumped off with some magic crystal pieces in his hands. "Are these ok?"


    "Enough." Hagan nodded. He took out a bottle of white chemicals from his Dimensional ring and dropped some of the white liquid on the magic crystal pieces. The magic crystal pieces with chemicals on it shone brightly.


    "This was a top magic crystal. Telling from the leftover magic on those pieces, the magic array should have stopped not too long ago," Hagan said thoughtfully.


    "Not long ago? How long exactly?" Hui Wei asked.


    "Less than three years ago. Oh, right, who was the first one who opened the square te?" Hagan said.


    "I was," Christian answered.


    "Did you sense anything when you opened it?" Hagan asked.


    "Nothing," Christian said.


    "If it were a defensive magic array, it should have some magic surges left. IfHui Wei¡¯s guess is right, it is a triggering aggressive magic array," Hagan said.


    "Why would you say so?" Anfey asked.


    "The triggering aggressive magic array was just a trap. Enemies would not notice them. The mages tried to hide the magic surges when they built the arrays. That is why Christian did not sense anything," Hagan said.


    "Triggering aggressive magic arrays? Is there any way to modify it to allow this grandstone to be a pure aggressive magic array?" Anfey got it. It was just like the difference betweenndmines and grenades. Practically, he surely would want to turn a mine into a grenade.


    "Don¡¯t look at me. I cannot do it. This magic array is tooplicated." Christian shook his head with a bitter smile.


    "We will talk about itter. I am surprised about what we found today," Anfey said, smiling. "You guys stay here and search carefully. Don¡¯t miss anything. Maybe we can find more surprises. I need go out now. Let me know if you find anything."


    "Got it." Hagan nodded.


    Anfey nodded at Sante with a smile. He jumped out of the secret chamber with squinted eyes. He strolled through the pathways of the underground tunnels. He felt he needed some quiet time. Whenever he had any difficulty, he would find some quiet time. He could think better only in a quiet ce.


    Suzanna quietly followed Anfey just like she often did. Her footsteps were quiet. She felt the happiest when she had a guy she felt safe around. No matter how aggressive a woman was, she would still like to find that guy who could make her feel safe. When a women felt she found the right guy, she would be willing to give up everything else. Suzanna was a lot better in terms ofbat power. However, she was used to acting as his woman, walking next to him.


    Of course, there were women who took leadership roles and dealt with the dangers on the Pan Continents. Were they really happy? They would probably have been shocked to have been asked this question.


    "Anfey, what are you thinking?" Suzanna whispered.


    "Without Hui Wei and Hagan, we probably would think those were trash and throw them away." Anfey smiled.


    "They are very capable," Suzanna said.


    "As we like to say in my hometown, ¡®two heads are always better than one¡¯," Anfey said slowly. "The saying seems very urate at the moment."


    Everyone specialized in one area. It was not possible for anyone to be the best in all areas, there were only 24 hours in a day. Kickboxing, shooting, hurling, making disguises, climbing, inte technologies and many other areas were the basics skills for professional assassins. They had to master all of those, but they all specialized in different areas. As for Anfey, his kickboxing was awesome, but he was not so great with shooting. If he had to fight for his life with another assassin who was good with shooting, he would not be stupid enough to get into a shootout with his opponent. Instead, he would hide somewhere and try to approach him to have a physical fight. Anfey¡¯s opponent would try to avoid any hand-to-hand fighting with him. Win or lose, it depended on how wise and lucky they were.


    Anyone who mastered every possible area would not be considered a genius. He was an epic monster. In Anfey¡¯s professional life in the other world, he did not have any chance to hear or see such a monster.


    Aftering to this magic world, Anfey wanted to relive the life of an assassin because of his previous pattern. He was forced by fate to work with a group of people who were so different from each other. They cooperated and helped each other, which allowed Anfey to experience different rtionships he never had before. If it were before, Anfey would never have his back towards anyone. However, he did feel safe if Christian or Suzanna stood behind him.


    He felt happy and rewarded when he saw a group of silly young men grow up. It might be the same kind of happiness and satisfaction a teacher would have. Anfey was not so sure about himself, since this was his first time to lead a group and to try to survive and find a way to make them stronger.


    Compared with the life of a lonely assassin, all kinds of experiences in this magic world seemed to make Anfey¡¯s life fuller. It was not bad to have a few people Anfey could totally trust. As time went by, Anfey seemed to adjust to this kind of life. He had only wanted to safely bring them to Saul. He felt it was his responsibility, since Saul had helped him so much. After he hadpleted that task, he could have his own freedom back. However, the desire to seek that freedom was not as strong and urgent as before.


    * * * *


    Hagan and Hui Wei did not sleep at all that night. They worked on the objects of their interest, while others slept as usual. At dawn, a group of guests forced Anfey to open his eyes from the meditation.


    "Anfey, that Dragon Rider mercenary group came back," Zubin said in a low voice. He was on watchst night so he was the first one to notice them.


    "Oh?" Anfey stretched himself and moved his shoulders a little bit. He stood up. "Ask that Ozzic toe into town to see me."


    "No need to allow him toe in. They are already here," Zubin said.


    Anfey suddenly lifted his eyebrows. "Do they feel they know us very well? Where are they?"


    "They will reach our town very soon. Anfey, do you want me to take some people to stop them?" Zubin asked. Dragon Rider mercenary group imed they were there to protect the Country of Mercenaries. It was so rude of them toe so unexpectedly.


    "No need. Can you ask Suzanna toe see me?" Maybe Anfey felt really calmed to have a senior swordswoman next to him, or Anfey would like to have a beautiful girl to look at. For whatever reason, he developed a habit of bringing Suzanna with him, no matter what he needed to do.


    When Anfey and Suzanna arrived at the empty field in the town, they could already see Dragon Rider mercenary group. The previous time, Ozzic only brought one of his followers to see Anfey. This time he brought the whole group with him. Those mercenaries looked around as they walked. They looked at the town in curiosity. Some mercenaries walked up to the gnomes on purpose to check their height difference. Theyughed after they found out the difference between them.


    The first impression Anfey had of Dragon Rider mercenary group was they did not have good disciplines. Anfey never stressed discipline in his legion. It might be because their mercenary group was just established andcked a set of rules and discipline. However, no one in his group would do those silly things if they walked into a town like this.


    Ozzic walked in the front. He walked towards Anfey with a bright smile. "Haha, Anfey, I said that I woulde even without your invitation. I hope you don¡¯t think I am too rude."


    "How would I? Are these your people from Dragon Rider mercenary group?" Anfey asked quietly as he looked at the mercenaries behind Ozzic.


    "They are my brothers. We had been through thick and thin together." Ozzic seemed to be a little sentimental. "Oh, right, Anfey, we surrounded Hengduan Valley for a whole night, but did not see Shansa Empire¡¯s military. We received the information from other mercenary groups that you have beaten them. Why did you not tell mest time?"


    Anfey shook his head with a bitter smile. "It was a unit with about one hundred knights in thest attack. We got them out, but their main force should be behind them."


    "Oh, I see." Ozzic was shocked for a second, then smiled. "No matter how many people they have, we do not have to be scared."


    "I was never scared of them," Anfey said casually.


    "Haha...I did not mean that," Ozzic said slowly, "Since I left White Mountain City, I actually have contacted a dozen mercenary groups. They will be here today."


    "Today?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, today," Ozzic said with confidence. "There are three or four thousand soldiers at most in Shansa Empire¡¯s military at Hengduan Valley. If we put all of our mercenary groups together, I think we should have around two thousand people. We do not have to worry about them."


    "Ourmander is very influential in the Country of Mercenaries," a mercenary standing behind Ozzic said.


    "Get out. Who asked you to speak?" Ozzic said angrily. He apologetically exined to Anfey, "My followers are used to talking to me like this. I hope you do not mind."


    "I like people who can speak their minds." Anfeyughed as he walked up to that mercenary. He patted his shoulder with an assuring and encouraging look. "Where are those mercenary groups gathering?"


    "Here at Moramatch. Ourmander already made an agreement with those mercenary groups," the mercenary answered quickly, encouraged by Anfey.


    "Great." Anfey nodded vigorously. He turned around, but he saw Ozzic¡¯s angry face out of the corner of his eye. He did not seem to like it that the mercenary answered Anfey¡¯s question.

 Chapter 170: Alliances

    Chapter 170: Alliances


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Leave us," Ozzic ordered. He red at the mercenary, then turned his gaze back to Anfey. "And this is...?"


    "This is Suzanna. She is a senior swordsmaster and my deputy."


    "Nice meeting you," Suzanna nodded and said.


    "Certainly, certainly," Ozzic said. "I¡¯m Ozzic, leader of Dragon Rider mercenaries."


    "I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you." In front of others, Suzanna appeared cold and distant. She said that she had been looking forward to meeting Ozzic, though her expression was cold and unreadable.


    "Ozzic, these are the quarters prepared for your men. The houses are newly built and unupied. I apologize in advance for any difort caused by the houses." Anfey smiled and turned to look at the men Ozzic brought. "I am not sure if we can house two thousand people, though."


    "Don¡¯t worry. I saw a clearing outside. We can camp there."


    "But..."


    "Don¡¯t worry about it, I tell you. For mercenaries like us, camping outside ismon. Don¡¯t let it bother you," Ozzic said.


    "Our resources are limited. That is the only way. I can trust you to put an end to any possibleints?"


    "Let me handle that," Ozzic promised. He pounded on his chest with a fist a few times, then turned to join his mercenaries and began leading them toward their campground.


    "Do we have to be so friendly?" Zubin asked quietly as soon as Ozzic was out of earshot.


    Suzanna nodded in agreement. "They aren¡¯t our guests," she said. "Letting mercenaries into the town was the most we should have offered. Other mercenaries can camp wherever they want, but they can¡¯te into the town."


    "It¡¯s not that easy," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Zubin, go tell Christian that we need to start moving our belongings into the tunnels immediately. Suzanna, take Riska, vi, and Sante and station yourselves beyond the town. We cannot let the mercenaries go past the old trees."


    "What if they insist?"


    "Kill them."


    "It¡¯s not that easy keeping the secrets of the tunnels away from them," ck Eleven said. "Moramatch¡¯s tunnels are well known. You can¡¯t keep it from them."


    "I don¡¯t want to keep it a secret," Anfey said. "I need Ozzic to know that is the bottom line. It is my only warning. The rest is up to him."


    "All the houses have entrances to the tunnels. What if they go through there?"


    "Have your men keep an eye on the tunnel lobby. Kill any unauthorized personnel down there."


    ck Eleven shook his head. "What if Ozzic asks about his men, or wants to explore the town?"


    "Killing is killing. Killing one man is the same as killing a hundred. If they ignore my warnings, I don¡¯t mind killing a few more."


    After spending so much time together, everyone was used to Anfey¡¯s personality. It didn¡¯t matter under what circumstances he said "kill," he was never joking. Even if the number of Dragon Riders mercenaries increase tenfold, Anfey would not change his mind, only his tactics.


    "They came so they could fight Shansa Empire. Can¡¯t we use a more secretive way to manipte them?"


    "I want to work with Ozzic, but he cannot cross my line. If it reallyes to it, I will make my move first."


    ----------


    The mercenaries had a very strong sense of punctuality. After breakfast, several mercenary groups arrived at the town. Anfey did not appear, but Ozzic was very busy. By sundown, thousands of mercenaries dotted the hill on the outskirts of town. Men, women, young, old were all packed into the same space.


    Seeing that the sun was about to set, Ozzic walked onto the hill and waved at his men. One of his mercenaries began banging on arge drum, and a mage walked up to amplify his voice.


    "I think everyone knows why we are all gathered here. I want to thank everyone in advance. Everyone who has the courage toe here is a hero. Nothing can scare us, not even Shansa Empire." Ozzic appeared very excited. "I want to ask, how did this happen? How did the Country of Mercenaries became something that other nations can simply tread on? Who allowed invaders into our country?"


    The mercenaries fell silent, listening to Ozzic¡¯s speech. Anfey and Suzanna observed the scene from a distance. What they were worried about earlier did not happen. There were a few men from Dragon Riders mercenary who wanted to go to the back of the town, but they did not insist on going after they were stopped by Suzanna. However, Anfey still did not lower his guard. It was very hard to gain the trust of people like Anfey. He did not start trusting Christian and Suzanna until he had known them a long time, let alone some unfamiliar mercenaries.


    "What is this?" Ozzic asked. He held up a rotten apple for all of his listeners to see. "Look at this rotten apple. The world is like this. There will be no growth without rot. No life without death.


    "A long time ago, the four major mercenary groups were the backbone of our nation. They fought for our freedom. No matter how terrible the enemy, how difficult the situation, they did not back down. Now what is happening? Let me tell everyone. They are rotting! Tiger of Tawau mercenaries wanted to ally themselves with Shansa Empire, and they turned their swords toward their own countrymen! Tiger of Tawau mercenary now controls ckwater City, and they are putting our brothers and sisters through hell!


    "Glory mercenary isn¡¯t much better. What they and Tiger of Tawau mercenary did made us look weak and unorganized. Now Ellisen Empire also has found an excuse to invade us. When did our nation be a ce where other nations could show disrespect like this? Can we allow this?"


    "No!" The gathered mercenaries called loudly.


    "The four mercenary groups are not to be trusted anymore. We can only rely on ourselves to defend our country. Take up your weapons and let us unite against ourmon enemies!"


    Anfey shook his head and turned away. "Let¡¯s go."


    "You don¡¯t want to listen to the whole thing?"


    "There¡¯s no point. I¡¯ve seen a lot of people like him. What they say and what they think could be two different things." Anfey shrugged. "Even if I¡¯m wrong, and Ozzic really is a hero, nothing could be solved by waving his arms."


    "I sense you don¡¯t like Ozzic," Suzanna said.


    "You¡¯re right."


    "Why is that?"


    "Instinct, I suppose. When I meet new people, sometimes I find myself liking and gravitating towards them. Sometimes I dislike them. Some people makes me nervous. I can¡¯t exactly tell you why."


    "What about me?"


    "You¡¯re the first type."


    "What is the first type?" Suzanna said, searching for a clearer answer to a question she deemed important. Anfey had already answered, but Suzanna wanted to a more straightforward answer.


    "Of course I liked you." This wasn¡¯t about lying or not. Anfey wanted to make Suzanna as happy as possible, even though he was very nervous when he first met her.


    "You¡¯re not just sweet talking, are you?" Suzanna asked, smiling. The two of them had a death match in a pond the first time they met, and Suzanna knew very well Anfey wasn¡¯t telling the truth. Suzanna was still happy. There was a saying about how people in love were not as smart. It seemed like there was a degree of truth to it.


    "Oh, by the way, tell Shally not to tell anyone her name."


    "Why? What happened?" Suzanna asked.


    "Gruce Principality¡¯s wanted warrant just reached the Country of Mercenaries," Anfey told her. "Zubin and I saw it when we went to White Mountain Cityst time. He didn¡¯t see your name, though, which was...strange."


    Suzanna stopped and looked at Anfey. "I know you want to know my past," she said quietly, "but it¡¯s better for both of us if you don¡¯t."


    "If you want to tell me, I¡¯m all ears. If you don¡¯t want to tell me anything, I won¡¯t press you," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t overthink it. Zubin saw it randomly. Come on, let¡¯s go. Christian is still waiting."

 Chapter 171: Turning Against

    Chapter 171: Turning Against


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What does that guy want to do?" Christian asked with a frown.


    What they were talking about right now would not necessarily decide their legion¡¯s fate, but they still had to be careful. The few people in leadership roles were here, including ck Eleven. They finally settled down in Moramatch even though it was not all smooth. The Ozzic and his people¡¯s sudden presence made everybody uneasy.


    "Some people just love the world to be chaotic. They feel they can take advantage of chaos to achieve their dreams. I think Ozzic is one of them," Anfey said slowly.


    "Anfey, did you say they want to establish a union?" ck Eleven asked.


    "Ozzic wanted it," Anfey said.


    "Great! We can use them to fight back Shansa Empire. It was originally their idea anyway," ck Eleven said.


    "You¡¯d better know if they are thinking of using us to do something before you want to take advantage of them," Anfey said.


    "Do you mean...," ck Eleven said.


    "Ozzic had agreed with other mercenary groups to meet up at Moramatch, which meant he had already targeted Moramatch for some reason, known or unknown to others. In other words, he came here for us."


    Everybody looked at each other and went quiet.


    "Anfey." Ozzic walked in with big strides as he called out. Dozens of mercenaries followed Ozzic in. It was easy to tell that one of them was the leader, while others were just his followers.


    "Anfey, why did you not attend the union meeting?" Ozzic smiled.


    "I did, but they were looking for me, so I came back," Anfey said casually.


    "Please allow me to introduce these men. This is themander of Warme mercenary, Orsie. He is famous for being tough. This is Anfey, themander of Alibaba mercenary group," Ozzic said.


    Anfey nodded at Orsie. Orsie was a young man around 24 or 25 years old. He looked normal but with an obvious military vibe. He nodded at Anfey as well. "I heard you beat Shansa Empire¡¯s military badly, and they had to flee like rats. You defended our mercenaries¡¯ honor. You are our hero."


    "It was a small cavalry unit. If Shansa Empire sent their main unit to Moramatch, I would run away like a mouse." Anfey smiled.


    "Interesting," Orsieughed with Anfey.


    "This is themander of Wuming mercenary group, Tiger." Ozzic pointed at another guy.


    Anfey followed Ozzic¡¯s hand to take a look. The man was half beast and half man. His features as a beast were not obvious. His fur was not as thick and messy as the werewolves Anfey had seen before. His face was simr to humans, but his nose was not as tall as humans. It looked like someone punched his nose into his face. The tip of his nose was big and round, like a tiger¡¯s nose.


    As Anfey looked at him, Tiger was closely watching Anfey as well. Beasts had been looked down upon. They had been living in the human world for a long time, so they had developed a habit of quietly observing others¡¯ attitudes and deciding what attitudes they would present in return.


    "Hello." Tiger nodded as well.


    Commanders of the rest of mercenary groups introduced themselves one after another without Ozzic having to introduce them. Anfey did not show anything on his face, even though he may have thought negatively of them. He still greeted them politely.


    "Anfey, on their behalf, I would like to invite you to join our union. What do you think?" Ozzic asked.


    "I understand that no one can whistle a symphony; it takes a whole orchestra to y it. We have to be united to fight Shansa Empire. However, I would like to know who will be the leader of this union?" Anfey asked.


    "We have not selected the leader yet, but I think he has to have a good name for himself, qualified, and trustworthy." Ozzic smiled. "Please allow me to nominate one person for our leader. When Shansa Empire threatened our country, Anfey was the first to lead his legion to fight back. I never have any doubt about Anfey¡¯s ability and position. I rmend Anfey to be the leader of our union. What do you think?"


    "I don¡¯t agree." A woman called Elizabeth stood forward. She was themander of a mercenary group. She had greeted Anfey very enthusiastically before, but also became the very first to disagree on the issue of having Anfey as the leader of the union. "Ozzic, you stated the necessary the qualifications of our union¡¯s leader well. Our leader has to be well-known, qualified and trustworthy. I just want to ask one question. Can we trust him?"


    Amander from another mercenary group snapped, "I first heard his name just two days ago. It would be a long time before we can trust him. Ozzic, if you insist on having him as our leader, I would take my people and leave the union."


    "Ok, we will talk about who is going to be the leaderter." Ozzic gave an awkward smile. "Let¡¯s first talk about the pressing issue. It is not a small issue about feeding over a thousand people. It ismonly said that generals do not send their soldiers on the battlefields with empty stomachs. Nothing can be solved if we have hungry soldiers."


    "We have enough food supplies for seven days," Elizabeth said.


    "Mine is enough for four days," amander from another mercenary group said.


    "We have prepared a lot, but there are arge number of mercenaries in my group. It should be fine for ten days. I promise everyone that we do not need to worry about food. I can find a solution for it. Anfey, how long would your food suppliesst?" Ozzic said.


    "A long time," Anfey said casually.


    "A long time does not mean anything. We have a lot of people here as well. I need to know how long will itst feeding over a thousand people," Elizabeth said.


    "I don¡¯t think I am obligated to answer your question." Anfey could neither be seduced by cajolery nor threatened by coercion. He was being polite to even answer the question.


    "What do you mean?" Elizabeth said angrily.


    "Everybody, calm down." Ozzic hurried to mediate the situation. "Anfey, how about you take us to see where you store your food supply. Is it in the underground tunnels? We can help do the estimate."


    "Ozzic, you are asking me this as the leader of the union, friend or guest?" Anfey asked.


    "Well, I am not the leader of the union," Ozzic said, smiling bitterly.


    "Then are you asking me as a guest? Don¡¯t you think you are asking too much?" Anfey said.


    "We have not chosen our leader for the union yet, but we still can make a decision by majority vote. This is themand from everyone here," amander said.


    "Don¡¯t. We can talk it out." Ozzic sweated as he was getting worried. "Our union is just established. We are a family. Don¡¯t do anything to hurt our brotherhood."


    "Majority rule? It¡¯s a joke." Anfey did not even look at Ozzic. "When did I say I would join your union?"


    Some of them were shocked after they heard what Anfey said. Ozzic had his mouth open wide. They looked at each other. Elizabeth said slowly, "You don¡¯t want to join the union? Ok, then we do not have to worry about you anymore. We are confiscating Moramatch now. Get out of Moramatch now. Immediately!"


    "You must be kidding me. I rented Moramatch from Band of Brothers mercenary group. I am the legal renter of this town. If someone has to leave, it¡¯s you," Anfey said.


    "Sorry, we think the reason that the Country of Mercenaries got to this point is that those four super mercenary groups did not do anything for us. The founding theory of our union is to clean up the corruption. The lease between you and Band of Brother mercenary group does not mean anything to us," Elizabeth said.


    "Anfey, calm down." Ozzic stepped forward. "Our union is to fight against Shansa Empire. Didn¡¯t you just say it¡¯s better if we can work together? If we are not united, how could we fight against Shansa Empire?"


    "I understand everything you said, but I do not agree with how you guys do things," Anfey said disdainfully. "So, if I join your union, everything we own will be yours? I have seen many robbers, but this is the first time I have seen robbers could be so shameless. Our food supplies did note from nowhere. You need supplies? No problem. We all have sympathies. I definitely would not want to see you guys starving to death. However, you have to exchange food for something else. A trade off."


    "Are you saying we have to buy the supplies from you?" Ozzic asked.


    Anfey nodded.


    "There is no point in making thingsplicated," amander said with a grin.


    "Ozzic, I came to Moramatch to fight Shansa Empire. I am not here to see you guys bully others," themander from Warme mercenary group, Orsie, said slowly. "Don¡¯t go too far."


    "What do you want to do? Do you want to see our union disintegrate?" Ozzic yelled. He turned to Anfey and said politely, "Anfey, we are all mercenaries. We have the same enemy. Don¡¯t be stubborn, ok?"


    "I am not being stubborn. You guys are too greedy and arrogant," Anfey said coldly, "Besides the food supplies, I have many other good things. Are they yours now too? Riska, pass me the magic scroll."


    Riska was shocked by Anfey¡¯s request, since he was engaged in their conversation. He took out the magic scroll and passed it to Anfey.


    "This is a series lightning magic scroll. I was mine. If you think it is yours now, you can take it from my hand." Anfey yed with the magic scroll in his hand. "Go ahead."


    Other objects could be faked, but not magic scrolls. The intense magic surges had proved it was an authentic senior magic scroll. Severalmanders stared at the scroll.

 Chapter 172: Terror

    Chapter 172: Terror


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey¡¯s provocative actions angered the mercenaries. One of the leaders stepped forward and tried to grab the scroll from Anfey. Suzanna stepped in and shed her sword at the mercenary leader. She knew that Anfey only wanted to scare them, and did not want to kill them. Because of this, her movements were slower than they normally would have been. However, the light of herbat power was blinding and scared the mercenaries.


    The mercenary leader jumped back in shock and drew his own sword. He pointed it at Suzanna, but did not attack. Instead, he kept backing up toward his own men.


    There were a lot of swordsmen in the world, but a senior swordsmaster was still rare. Tiger of Tawau mercenary could hold ckwater City because of three senior swordsmasters. A small mercenary group could never afford to hire a senior swordsmaster. Suzanna¡¯sbat power was very pure and bright, and any swordsman could tell that this was a sign that she was close to a breakthrough.


    The mercenary leaders all took a step back. Their nces fell on Suzanna, then back to Anfey. Country of Mercenaries was a ce of the survival of the fittest. Usually, the leader of a group was the most powerful person, or else it would be hard to control his mercenaries. If the deputy leader was a senior swordsmaster, how powerful must the leader be? A master swordsman or an archmage?


    Anfey held up a finger arrogantly and flicked it. Suzanna returned her sword to her sheath and walked back to stand behind Anfey. Anfey must be even more powerful than Suzanna if he couldmand a senior swordsmaster.


    "Calm down, everyone, we are allies!" Ozzic called.


    "That¡¯s what you think," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t think you qualify as my ally."


    "Don¡¯t be so arrogant. We have thousands of men outside," one of the leaders said.


    "Is that a lot?" Anfey asked. "I did not tell you earlier, but it wasn¡¯t a cavalry squadron that attacked us. It was a two thousand elite riders led by Kumaraghosha himself. If my men can defeat them, we can defeat you as well."


    "What?" Ozzic asked, shocked.


    "I told you. You said there was another reason. You see now? They must have done it!" Elizabeth said quietly.


    "There are a lot of viges near the Transverse Mountains. Why did Kumaraghosha attack Moramatch?" If it was just him, Anfey wanted to put these mercenaries into their ces. However, he could not act based on his emotions. Even kings had to fear other, more powerful beings, let alone a small mercenary group that was just started. He didn¡¯t want unnecessary conflict. He wanted to instill some fear into these mercenaries without shedding any blood.


    "Why is that?" he repeated. "But I led my mercenaries on a mission that destroyed a Griffins Aerial Squadron. Kumaraghosha had to take this town to prove his innocence. Clearly, he failed."


    "It¡¯s impossible," Ozzic whispered. Griffins Aerial Unit was not as terrifying as Dark Moon Magic Legion or the Roaring Dead Legion, but it was still a formidable army. Defeating them might be possible, but destroying them was nothing short of a miracle. Ozzic did not believe this mercenary group could manage it.


    "I didn¡¯t need to lie. You will be hearing about the news very soon," Anfey said slowly. "I am telling you this because I want to give you a warning. We are all mercenaries, and I don¡¯t want any bloodshed."


    The mercenary leaders nced at each other. They were not sure about Anfey¡¯s strength, but they didn¡¯t want to retreat like cowards. They were unsure whether the things Anfey boasted of were true or not. Ozzic had told them about Alibaba mercenary group, and they knew that it consisted of about twenty mages. The mercenaries still had hope because of their advantage in numbers.


    "You need to earn my trust. Right now you are not worthy of staying here. Christian, send our guests away."


    Christian knew Anfey. When Anfey was trying to scare his opponent, it meant that he didn¡¯t want to do anything. If he was ying nice when he was being threatened and reprimanded, he was about to kill.


    Christian rose into the air and retrieved a magic scroll from his ring. The strong magic surgeing off of the scroll told everyone that it was a high tier magic scroll. Zubin and vi retrieved their scrolls and gathered around Christian.


    The mercenaries stared with wide eyes. For them, having a scroll like this might be lifesaving. They would carry it around on their person at all time, and would not use it unless in a dire situation. If Anfey¡¯s men could use scrolls like this on a whim, what else did they have in store? If this was just what they showed the mercenaries, how many more secrets were they hiding?


    "Ozzic, are we leaving?" one of the mercenary leaders asked.


    "Let¡¯s fight," another said. "We have the advantage." He did not want to back down easily. Ozzic¡¯s promise of wealth was still in his mind. He was a mercenary, and threats like this could not scare him.


    "Anfey!" Hagan called as he dashed towards the group. "Let me join as well!"


    Anfey turned and frowned. He knew Hagan¡¯s power and limits very well. Hagan was not an idiot, and he knew better than to trouble everyone during a fight. Anfey knew Hagan should know better, but he couldn¡¯t outright deny his request. If he agreed, Hagan might cause trouble. He could only nod slightly, and let Hagan decide for himself.


    "Under the name of Beast God, I summon you!" Hagan waved his hand, and a cloud of white powder appeared. The powder swirled in the wind, and a loud roar was heard. In a few seconds, a twenty-feet tall creature appeared out of thin air.


    The beast appeared very ferocious. Its head was that of an alligator, but a hundred timesrger. As it roared, rows of jagged teeth shone. Clearly, the beast wasrge enough to swallow a cow whole. Its red eyes shone mercilessly, and its body was covered by hairs as sharp as needles. Its body was thick and strong. The sharp nails on its ws were almost two feet long. If the ws hit a person, it would surely cause terrible injuries.


    "A behemoth!" one of the leaders called out in terror and scrambled backwards.


    The other leaders dashed away from the behemoth as well. Ozzic stumbled back and stared at the creature in horror.


    "Fight for me!" Hagan ordered loudly.


    The behemoth stepped forward, and the ground shook under its paws. It waved its w, and a sixty foot tall ancient tree was cut in half by its sharp nails. The tree fell to the ground and crashed one of the dwarf residents. The behemoth proved that it was a real, living thing, and not an illusion.


    Ozzic retreated quickly. The mercenaries ced at least a hundred feet between themselves and the behemoth before stopping. The behemoth was on par with creatures like dragons and titans, and hadn¡¯t been sighted in years. For humans, only grandmaster swordsmen and archmages could put up a fight against a behemoth. Others could hardly be a threat to the creature.


    Even a senior swordsmaster was rare among the mercenaries, let alone archmages and grandmaster swordsmen. The behemoth¡¯s appearance had crushed the only bits of confidence the mercenaries had.


    Anfey had prepared for a surprise because of Hagan¡¯s sudden change, but he was shocked as well. Hagan saw hispanions¡¯ shock, and was very satisfied. In the past, he had always hidden when there was a fight. Now he had a chance to show his power. The behemoth walked towards the mercenaries slowly. The ground shook as if there was a giant heart beating under the earth.


    "This is all a misunderstanding!" Ozzic called in terror. "Please give us a moment!"


    "Hagan, take the beast away," Anfey ordered. The behemoth was too shocking, and he was worried whether Hagan could control it. If he had lost control of the behemoth and it turned on them, they would turn into aughingstock.

 Chapter 173: Resurrected Beasts

    Chapter 173: Resurrected Beasts


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "We are leaving now," Ozzic said with a forced smile. He turned around and walked out. Commanders of the other mercenary groups followed him. The situation overpowered them. The super magic beast¡¯s presence did not allow them to "stay" anymore. If there were any conflict, a behemoth could kill them all. The behemoth would not even have to kill them with weapons. When a behemoth ran through the crowd, it could sh a path. Many ants could eat an elephant, but the key would be therge number of ants. Without several hundred thousand people, they could not hope to win the fight.


    "Orsie, thank you for speaking up for us. If you would like, your mercenary group can stay in Moramatch," Anfey said slowly. He had a good impression of Orsie. He had spoken up for Anfey in that difficult situation, which meant he had moral lines that no one could cross. He would not do anything against his will. He was upright and direct. Anfey liked to coborate with these kinds of people because he felt rxed around them, and none of them had malicious intent.


    "Thank you, but I would like to be with my friends," Orsie said casually.


    Anfey was shocked by his answer for a second. He did not say anything to Orsie. It looked like Orsie did not buy Anfey¡¯s nice offer, but thinking at a deeper level, it was easy to tell Orsie would not easily bend with the wind. He would not go along with the crowd. He spoke up for Anfey out of morality and justice. The reason he chose to stay with Ozzic was also out of a sense of morality and justice, since he had been invited there by Ozzic.


    Seeing Ozzic and his followers leaving, the short-tempered Santended from the air. He nervously looked at the behemoth making threatening gestures. He grabbed Hagan¡¯s cor, "Is this behemoth your magic beast? Damn! Why did you not tell us until now?"


    This was really happening between true friends. Even though Hagan had a scary behemoth, Sante still dared to grab Hagan¡¯s cor. If Hagan had several gigantic dragons, Sante still might have grabbed his cor. If he had been a middle-aged man and had grown very sophisticated, he probably could have controlled his emotions, but Sante was still very young. He had a firm belief that friendship would not change because their social status had changed.


    "Let it go, let it go," Hagan yelled as he struggled to get away from Sante. "Are you a f*#king mage or sword? I cannot breathe."


    "Tell me right now why you have a behemoth," Sante raised his voice.


    "Sante, let him go," Anfey said quietly. "You are not the only one wanting badly to know it. We are all waiting to ask him."


    Christian, Zubin and vinded from the air. Anfey, Suzanna and the others had crowded Hagan into the center. They looked quite different from each other though. They all knew how powerful a super magic beast could be. With such help in the legion, they all wanted to know the real story behind it.


    Suddenly, the behemoth stopped screaming and threatening them. The gigantic body had turned into millions of grains of powder and blown away in the wind. The behemoth disappeared, which made everyone think something had gone wrong with their eyes or they just had a weird dream.


    "What happened?" Christian asked in surprise. "Hagan, tell us please."


    "Do you remember the magic beast bones in the werewolve¡¯s chamber? They are behemoth¡¯s." Hagan gave Sante a dirty look as he rubbed his neck. "It was actually really easy. I made some resurrecting potion. With behemoth bones, I can make a behemoth."


    "It does make sense." Anfey looked at the ancient tree, which had been broken by the behemoth. The behemoth also had destroyed houses. "The behemoth was alive. He was not an illusion."


    "Of course, it was a real behemoth." Haganughed. "Unfortunately, the behemoth made with resurrecting potion could only live for a very short period of time. If they could live forever, hahaha..."


    "If they could live forever, every alchemist would be invincible. You wish." The corners of Suzanna¡¯s mouth curled into a frown. She still held onto the grudge over being suppressed by the behemoth¡¯s power before.


    "This is what made our alchemists feel bad about our alchemy," Hagan sighed. "When I learned to make resurrecting potion for the first time, I thought it was the trashiest of all the potions. Not useful at all."


    "Why would you say so?" Christian asked.


    "For example, if we had found the bones of a unicorn and made a real unicorn with the resurrecting potion, his speed and attacking power would be less than one tenth of the real unicorn¡¯s. He would barely be a match for a few magic wolves. His existence is short, so he could be disappeared before even the battle ended", Hagan said as he shook his head. "I just realized now that our ancestors would not study any unpractical stuff. Senior magic beasts could represent the power of resurrecting potion. If we can collect more super magic beasts¡¯ bones, think about; as long as we have enough bones, I can even make a giant dragon aerial unit. Even if it could onlyst for a short time, it still could beat the ass off any opponent."


    "Are you saying the behemoth you made has less than one tenth the battle power of a real behemoth?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Hagan said.


    "I see now," Christian suddenly realized something.


    "What did you get?" Anfey asked.


    "Behemoths¡¯ screaming is extremely powerful. The sound waves from their screaming


    could knock anyone down within one hundred yards. That behemoth¡¯s screaming only made those mercenaries scared, but without any real attacking effects," Christian said.


    When Christian spoke, everyone seemed to realize it as well. Haganughed. "Do you


    realize there is no way I could get control of a real behemoth?"


    "Hagan, what contributes to keep resurrected magic beasts for a long time?" Anfey


    asked.


    "The purity of the resurrecting potion and my telephathy," Hagan responded.


    "How many bones are left? How many beasts can you make?" Anfey asked.


    "There were some bones missing. I used some for experiments. I think I could make two magic beasts out of the leftover bones," Hagan said.


    "Does that mean you can make two magic beasts when we need them?" Anfey asked.


    The presence of the super magic beast could change their disadvantaged position in battle. Anfey needed to get a precise answer.


    "No, my resurrecting potion is gone. I do not have ingredients to make more," Hagan said.


    "ck Eleven, you will be in charge of getting any ingredient Hagan needs. You need to get them for Hagan as fast as possible," Anfey said.


    "No problem," ck Eleven said with a nod.


    "Hui Wei. Where is Hui Wei?" Hagan suddenly called for Hui Wei.


    "Here, what¡¯s up?" Hui Wei took his time walking out after he heard Hui Wei¡¯s calling.


    "Hui Wei, you have been interested in ancient relics. You must know where the dragon tombs are," Hagan said urgently. "I suggest our mercenary group¡¯s mission is digging as many of the dragon tombs as possible: Titan Cemetery, Demon Cave, Bliss Land and as many others as possible. As long as we have enough bones, we would have the power to do anything." Hagan¡¯s eyes brightened. As the only alchemist in the legion, Hagan received considerable attention in the legion. He had won everyone¡¯s admiration today after he was able to recreate the behemoth. Admiration and high attention were totally different. Hagan felt he could do so much and had so much hope. The hopes he had were like symphonies, getting more exciting one after another. He even daydreamed to remake thousands of super magic beasts to win everywhere on Pan Continent.


    "Alright, Hagan, you are not the only alchemist in this world. What you have thought of, I believe, other alchemists have thought of as well. The reason we have note across any superpower alchemists was the number of super magic beasts were far less than alchemists. It was really lucky of you to be able to find the behemoth¡¯s bones," Christian said slowly.


    Christian¡¯s talk was like a double whammy. Hagan¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. He grabbed Hui Wei even harder. "Hui Wei, you say something. You must know, right?"


    "Are you crazy? I don¡¯t know about it. Even if I knew, I would let everyone die for it." Hui Wei shook his head.


    "Don¡¯t do this to me, Hui Wei. Help me, please." Hagan had a hard time letting it go.


    "Dragon tombs? There are spirit dragons in each dragon tomb to protect it. How are we going to beat spirit dragons?" Hui Wei pushed Hagan away. "Titan cemetery has countless stone people and robotics. There are also as many gargoyles as flies. They could bury you there like nothing. The ming Demons in Demon Cave are vicious as well. They could turn us into powder in a blink of eyes. Hagan, you need calm down."


    Hui Wei talked very reasonably. Hagan was very disappointed and had his head down. He became quiet.


    "Hagan, why don¡¯t you think about what you can do to improve the battle power of resurrected magic beasts instead of thinking of collecting more super magic beast bones," Christian said with a smile.


    "Huh?" Hagan lifted his head. "Christian, what do you mean by that?"


    "You just said that the purity of the potion and your telepathy contribute to the power of recreated magic beasts. If you improved the purity of the potion and your telepathy, you might recreate a magic beast that would not disappear forever. You would have magic beast pets, and not just one," Christian said.


    "Stop ying with me." Hagan became disappointed. "The master alchemists in the legend could not even do that, not to mention me," Hagan said.


    "How many of those master alchemists in the legend could collect arge amount of super magic beasts bones?" Christian asked.


    Hagan blinked. Christian¡¯s advice was a lot subtler than Hui Wei¡¯s. The master alchemists in the Sacred Battle could not collect arge amount of super magic beasts. Neither could any alchemist do it in their time.


    "Ok, everyone go to sleep." Anfey waved his hand with a bitter smile. "Hagan, everyone was thinking for you. Your ideas were not practical. You need to calm down a little bit."

 Chapter 174: Different Paths

    Chapter 174: Different Paths


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After seeing a living behemoth, the mercenaries all left the town during the night, and the town returned to its former peaceful state. After a few days of peace, ck Eleven, who left the town to collect supplies for Hagan, brought in shocking news. The conflict between Glory mercenary and Tiger of Tawau mercenary had escted into a full-scale war. Even Shansa and Ellison Empire¡¯s caravans had not been not spared.


    The mercenaries who gathered at Moramatch were not the only ones angered by the wrongdoings of the four major mercenary groups. Despite ending in failure, the alliance inspired thousands of other mercenaries. Sixrge coalitions formed, and more than four thousand mercenaries were on their way to the Transverse Mountains. Their target was very clear. They wanted to drive out the Shansa soldiers. These mercenary coalitions all wanted to expand their power and ensure a position of power for themselves. What could they do to make a name for themselves? Victories and blood of their foes. Therefore, the mercenaries had be even more methodical and ruthless.


    Not only the supplies lines were targeted. Even full size armies were not spared by the mercenaries¡¯ tactics. Mercenaries may not have as much people as a full size army, but they mastered element of surprise. No one knew the mountains as well as the mercenaries, and the Shansa army could not defend themselves against the gori strategy of the mercenaries. Shansa Empire was losing men at a staggering rate.


    Band of Brother mercenary was a major mercenary group, and was the first to send out spies against Shansa Empire. Due to the chaos in Country of Mercenaries and the arrival of Maho Empire¡¯s golden knight Miorich at ckanis City, the chance of victory for Shansa Empire was very slim. That, and the sudden riots in the eastern coastal region, led Edward the VIII to recognize the improbability of winning the war, and he began to recall his armies.


    For Ynthe, this was amazing news, and he was greatly relieved. This allowed him to put his ns into actions. For Anfey and hispanions, however, this was terrible news. The mercenaries that were gathered at Moramatch before knew that Alibaba mercenary was the one that destroyed the Griffins Aerial Squadron, and so did Kumaraghosha. This news had already spread throughout Shansa armies and Country of Mercenaries. Alibaba mercenary had became an almost legendary mercenary group. Sometimes too much fame was not a good thing. Anfey was confident that he could defeat a thousand men, but some sources stated that the first group of Shansa soldiers that were recalled had thirty thousand men. What if these men wanted revenge for the Aerial Squadron?


    After the news arrived, Anfey and his men sat around in a circle, silently, with their heads down. A few days ago, they had defeated a group of mercenaries and defended their territory. Now, the threat was much greater than a few mercenaries.


    To make things worse, ck Eleven and his men were attacked by a group of mercenaries on the way back to Moramatch, and the supplies they bought for Hagan were mostly lost. Only two men made it back to the town alive.


    Most of the mercenaries wanted to serve their country, and that was why they were gathered at the Transverse Mountains. However, their leaders had other ns. This was the first and only chance since the founding of the Country of Mercenaries that they could challenge the leadership of the four major mercenary groups. If they could make the other coalitions disappear and take their men, then the future Country of Mercenaries would be ruled by five major mercenary groups. This made the leaders of the coalitions very excited.


    Due to their ambitions, the coalitions had conflicts not only with the Shansa armies, but also with each other. Spies were spotted throughout the coalitions, and there was countless backstabbing. Some coalitions even set up ambushes for the other coalitions. This made the situation even more chaotic. The mercenaries were no strangers to tactics like this, but now they were even more reckless. They were willing to do everything for their future. Luckily, these mercenaries were still in the minority, or else Edward VIII would not order the retreat of his army.


    Anfey was worried. He knew that he could afford to fight against a proper army, but it was not the right time to leave the town, either. Dwarves and gnomes aside, there were hundreds of people in the mercenary group, each with personal possessions. If they were to leave Moramatch, it would result in a long caravan. That was an invitation to bandits and rogue mercenaries. Even if some members of the group stayed behind, the town was surely being watched by other mercenaries. If the few that did leave were surrounded by mercenaries, they were as good as dead.


    Everyone was deep in thought when Christian spoke up, "Why don¡¯t we split up?"


    "Split up?"


    "We put all of our elites into one team. That team will be responsible for getting the mercenaries¡¯ attention. The rest could take shelter in the underground tunnels when the attention was on the other team." Christian paused for a moment before continuing, "Anfey, all the mercenaries know you already. Why don¡¯t you lead the team and make those people think we had all left the town."


    "We need someone here as well. I was the one in charge of finding the dwarves and exploring the caves. I know this town," Christian said with a grin. "Take Suzanna with you. It is much more dangerous out there."


    "What about here? What if Shansa Empire attacks the tunnels?"


    "What Shansa Empire needs to do right now is get their armies back to Shansa safely. They don¡¯t have a lot of time. I don¡¯t think they can affordunching a full scale attack right now," Christian said. "I won¡¯t try to defend the tunnels. Don¡¯t forget, we have Hagan on our side. If we are attacked, we still have the behemoth."


    "Hagan, how much supplies do you have left? How many times can you summon the behemoth?"


    "Once," Hagan said.


    Christian frowned and looked at Hagan. Hagan touched his forehead and said, "No, no, I was wrong. I can summon it three more times."


    For someone as observant as Anfey, Christian¡¯s gesture did not escape him. However, he didn¡¯t want to point it out. "It¡¯s not enough," he said.


    "I can¡¯t do it more than three times," Hagan said. "I can make the potion, but I can¡¯t just make behemoth bones."


    "If Shansa Empire put you under siege, what are you going to do?" Anfey turned to Christian and asked.


    "It¡¯s very unlikely."


    "What if it happens?"


    "Take Riska with you. You can ambush them."


    "Shansa Empire doesn¡¯t have a lot of mages, but there have got to be at least a few dozen in an army of thirty thousand. We wouldn¡¯t even have time to ambush them."


    "That¡¯s a problem for you to solve," Christian said, "not me. Take Niya with you. She hates the tunnels. I tried to convince her to go with me, but she refused every time. If she had to spend days down there, she would go mad."


    Anfey frowned. Christian¡¯s words sounded like a dying man¡¯sst will, and it made him very ufortable. He knew that Christian came from a wealthy family. Anfey might not have agreed with Christian¡¯s n, but was impressed that he was willing to take up the responsibility of protecting his friends.


    "No. It would be burdensome for me to go with him." Surprisingly, Niya rejected Christian¡¯s n.


    Christian smiled and shook his head, but did not say anything else. Proposing this n might have already tipped off some of the more insightful people about his true intention. He didn¡¯t want it to be more obvious.


    Anfey nced at Niya. Everyone grows as time goes on and as they umte experiences, and Niya was no exception. Anfey had been ignoring Niya, and he was surprised by her mature response.


    "Anfey, you have to decide," ck Eleven said quietly. "I think Christian has a good n. We have to split into two groups. If Shansa Empire really wants revenge, you can save us from the outside. If we are all stuck inside the city, it is over."


    "He¡¯s right, Anfey. You have to pick," Zubin said.


    "You have toe with me. You¡¯ve spent the most time in Country of Mercenaries, and you know this ce the best," Anfey said. "ck Eleven, Suzanna, Riska, and I. Just the four of us."


    "Shouldn¡¯t you pick a few more?" Christian frowned and asked.


    "This is enough," Anfey reassured him.

 Chapter 175: Amazing Discovery

    Chapter 175: Amazing Discovery


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey, Suzanna and a few others had quietly left Moramatch before the dawn, while Christian led the rest of the legion into the underground tunnels. The experiences in the magic world had made Anfey realize how hard it could be just to survive. Almost everyone in the legion, and every legion, had to experience difficulties as they grew. In addition to their experiences after the Sacred City, they had encountered many difficulties since they came to the Country of Mercenaries. Of course, there were legions that made their names quickly with their supreme battle powers, which was also because they had perfect timing. Most people had to stumble through the difficulties.


    Anfey¡¯s legion had the best people among all of the mercenary groups. In addition to Anfey and Suzanna, Riska and Christian were junior magisters. They carried six senior magic scrolls in case of any danger. That meant they could be senior magisters or even archmages in a very short time with the release of magic scrolls. ck Eleven had lived in the Country of Mercenaries for a long time, so he was familiar with everything in the Country of Mercenaries. He could report to the spies in other departments to ask for help if they were in any danger.


    Anfey did not ask too much from them, but their jobs were not easy either. They needed to fight and flee as needed. These few people met Anfey¡¯s requirements.


    Anfey and his small group ofpanions travelled 50 miles while it was still dark. They did not stop walking until the sun sent shimmering rays. They were already deep in the Hengduan Valley, where different mercenary groups came often. They decided to take a break in case they ran into other mercenary groups.


    ck Eleven took out the bread he brought with him and passed it around to everyone. The bread was so dry that it was far from being delicious. Luckily Anfey and his group were tough people. They took the breads and ate them quickly.


    "Anfey, what is your n?" ck Eleven said in a low voice.


    "We will travel to the west to look for Shansa Empire¡¯s army. We will see what happens when we find them," Anfey said.


    "If that union of mercenary groups found out no one is in Moramatch, would they want to do something to the underground tunnels?" Riska asked.


    "I don¡¯t think so," ck Eleven spoke for Anfey. "The news that Shansa Empire has retreated is out. How much stuff can they confiscate from us? How much supplies does Shansa Empire¡¯s military have? If they decide to rob only once, they would rob Shansa Empire¡¯s military, since it should be enough for their whole lives."


    "They have thirty thousand elite soldiers. Unless all the mercenary groups in the Country of Mercenaries unite together, they are just asking to be killed" Riska said.


    "Shansa Empire asked the main force of thirty thousand soldiers to withdraw for a reason. Shansa Empire wanted those thirty thousand soldiers to ensure the safety of Hengduan Valley. It means that those thirty thousand soldiers would not always stick together all the time, which would give mercenaries an opportunity to make a surprise attack on them," ck Eleven said.


    "Someone ising." Anfey suddenly stopped their conversation. A few birds flew out of the trees at the foot of the hill. They flew a good distance away without any thought of staying.


    Anfey waved his hand. Suzanna and the others jumped into the trees and hid themselves in the tree crowns to quietly watch their surroundings.


    Before long, two people stumbled outside the forest. They had to pass a grasnd no matter whether they wanted to walk along the valley floor or climb up on the hill. The two people hesitated for a second. Obviously, they did not want to walk over that grasnd. One of them suddenly screamed in pain and fell on the ground, while the other one rushed forward without even thinking about which route to choose or looking after hispanion.


    He was only able to run a dozen steps before a ck ball-like object flew out of the forest and hit the guy right on the back. A mage in a ck gown slowly walked out of the forest as the guy was falling on the ground. Anfey and hispanions could not see the mage¡¯s face, since his head was fully covered by the ck hood. The mage tucked his hands into his sleeves. From a distance, he looked like a ck phantom.


    The mage looked like he was afraid of sunlight. He raised his arm to cover his face with the sleeves. He slowly walked to the guy who had fallen on the grass. He did a rough search of the guy and hurriedly retreated to the forest.


    Homicide usually happened and ended very quickly. Before Anfey could decide whether he should help, everything went back to normal.


    "He looked like a necromancer," ck Eleven said quietly.


    "I think so too," Riska added.


    Everyoneid their eyes on Anfey. Necromancers were hated by everyone. When educated people saw something like this happen, their first reaction would be to chase after the necromancer and kill him. Anfey was the leader of the legion, so they had to listen to Anfey¡¯s instruction before they could take action.


    "ck Eleven, which mercenary group has necromancers?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "No mercenary group would like to take a necromancer into their legion," ck Eleven said, shaking his head.


    "He must not be a mercenary, right?" Anfey asked.


    "No, he is not a mercenary," ck Eleven said.


    "Look, those two dead bodies moved," Suzanna muttered urgently.


    Everybody turned to look. The two dead bodies did move, but their moves looked quite different. The oneying on the grass screamed, but that screaming did not sound like a human scream. Clouds of ck smog arose from his body and got darker and darker.


    There was smog rising from the other dead body as well. However, when he crawled back to the forest and got away from the sunlight, the smog disappeared.


    The screaming sounded horrifying and it got louder, then gradually quieted down. He could not even struggle any more at the end. Only smog kept rising up from him. Hispanion walked to the forest like a robot.


    "It¡¯s a zombie. Bastard! That evil necromancer turns humans into zombies in broad daylight," Riska yelled in anger.


    "A zombie?" Anfey was shocked. He had never seen a zombie in real life before. He had only seen zombies in the movies. "Let¡¯s go and take a look."


    They jumped out of the trees and rushed towards the dead body on the grass. Flying in the air could be easily noticed by that necromancer. Riska had learned to be cautious. He did not use levitation magic. He just followed behind everyone.


    By the time Anfey had reached to the dead body, it already had been burned into ashes by the sunlight. The ck smog was actually the clouds of ashes. The ashes fell back to the ground after they rose up high in the air. Anfey did not want to walk under the ashes, so he stepped back to observer the dead body.


    "Anfey, I suspect that necromancer is with Evil Mist," ck Eleven said sadly.


    "Evil Mist?" Suzanna did not understand.


    "Evil Mist?" Anfey was shocked. After he came to Pan Continent, he had few contacts with the people from Evil Mist. Although he had beat all of them, Professor Saul thought it was because Anfey had the advantage that his opponents underestimated him. They could not be nobodies if Archmage Saul thought they were hard to deal with. If Evil Mist sent the good ones from their organization to fight with Anfey, he should be concerned. Right now, they had not taken care of the threats from Shansa Empire¡¯s military. They were surrounded by mercenaries with evil intentions towards them. Anfey did not want to have any other enemies. However, things could just happen in a way they did not want. Anfey felt really helpless.


    "Weird. Why would the people from Evil Mist be here?" ck Eleven asked with a confused look.


    "I am not from Evil Mist. Why are you asking me?" Anfey heaved a slight sigh. "Are you sure?"


    "Necromancers are loners. They could not survive on Pan Continent. No matter if they are willing or not, they have to rely on others." ck Eleven smiled bitterly. "Necromancers were cursed by gods. As far as I know, only Evil Mist would take necromancers without any concerns. I heard two of the leaders in Evil Mist are senior necromancers."


    "Anfey, let¡¯s follow him and kill him," Riska surprised everyone and said worriedly. "I can sense that zombie. As long as we follow that zombie, we surely could find that necromancer."


    "It would not be that easy." Anfey shook his head. "Is there any mercenary group in the Country of Mercenaries with only two people in it?"


    "Anfey, are you saying their whole mercenary group was killed by that necromancer? Only two of them got the chance to escape?" ck Eleven had the fastest response.


    "Yes, they must have been fleet of foot," Anfey said.


    "There are not many magic beasts in the Hengduan Valley. Not many mercenaries want toe here for their assignments. The mercenary groups who gathered in Hengduan Valley were all from the union. Could a necromancer kill the whole union?" ck Eleven said. His smile was getting rigid. "It could not be like that, could it? That union has at least five or six hundred mercenaries. What kind of necromancers could ambush them? I had a few contacts with necromancers. That one was not that powerful."


    "What if it was not just one necromancer, what if there were a group of them?" Anfey asked.


    "A group..." ck Eleven murmured to himself. The smile on his face looked more fake.


    "When did necromancers get the guts?" Suzanna asked with a bitter smile. She had never seen a necromancer before, but she knew how powerful those necromancers could be. Hearing the possibility that a group of necromancers were in the Hengduan Valley had her nervous.


    "Anfey, should we let the union of those mercenaries know about it?" Riska asked.


    "Would they believe what we tell them? Necromancers would not pose too much of a threat, to us but to other mercenary groups they would. I think they would fight us if we tell them we are from Alibaba mercenary group." Anfey shook his head. He hesitated for a second and said, "We¡¯d better go with your suggestion for now."


    "My suggestion? To notify other mercenary groups?" Riska asked.


    "No, to follow the zombie to see what that necromancer would do?"

 Chapter 176: Threat

    Chapter 176: Threat


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Zombies were slow creatures, and it wasn¡¯t hard following one even in the forest. To avoid being detected by the necromancers, Anfey and hispanions would purposefullyg behind. They took that time to observe their surroundings and make sure nothing was following them.


    The longer they follow the zombies, the more terrifying it became. In the beginning, there were only a few zombies. As time wore on, more zombies appeared. Some rats and dogs wanted to feast on the dead bodies¡¯ flesh, but one bite was all it took to turn the creatures into zombies that followed the line. Ants climbed out of their dens, hoping for a good meal. Their small bodies stood no chance against the power of the necromancers. The stiff ants fell off of the zombies like raindrops.


    The zombies¡¯ speed increased significantly as they marched on. By dusk, the zombies roared at the same time, as if they sensed that their god had taken control of the world again. Anfey stopped. Judging from the sound, there should be hundreds of zombies present. Even the most powerful Suzanna¡¯s expression changed from confidence to dread.


    Normal zombies were not terrifying, but judging from the attire of these zombies, they were once mercenaries. If any of the men hadbat power before their deaths, thebat power would be preserved even in death. Fighter zombies were much harder to fight than the normal zombies. Fighter zombies were extremely agile, had strong bodies, and were immune to magic.


    This was not the worst thing. If there were hundreds of zombies, the necromancers might want the zombies to fight each other until the creation of killer zombies. Killer zombies were only created when master swordsmen were killed by necromancers. The power of a killer zombie could be as powerful as a dark knight.


    If this group of zombies really gave birth to a killer zombie, and Anfey and his men were discovered, they would be as good as dead.


    "Should we keep going?" ck Eleven asked. "The zombies are much more sensitive in the dark. They can easily discover us."


    "I¡¯m not scared of the zombies. I¡¯m scared that the necromancers will create a killer zombie," Riska sighed and said. "If so, we are done."


    "Killer zombie?" Anfey asked. He wasn¡¯t very familiar with the ranks of the zombies. He had spent some time in the Evil Abyss, but everything in the abyss existed as spirits. Since the spirits considered themselves to be superior, they did not care for physical beings. Anfey did not know anything about zombies.


    "Normally, necromancers wouldn¡¯t bother to create killer zombies, because they can¡¯t control creatures like that," Suzanna said quietly.


    "Exin to us why the necromancers are driving the zombies to the same ce then," Riska said.


    "Maybe they have an agenda we do not know."


    "It doesn¡¯t make sense," ck Eleven said. "Even though Country of Mercenaries isn¡¯t blessed by the Church of Light..."


    "Wait, are all the countries blessed by the Church?" Anfey asked.


    "Most of them are," Suzanna said.


    "I¡¯ve never heard anything about the Church or Priest of Light in the Sacred City."


    "It¡¯s a long story," ck Eleven said. After a few moments of silence, he said, "Church of Light was originally founded to defend the world against dark magic and creatures. In the beginning, the Church was supported by all nations. However, as time went on, the Church became much more powerful than everyone had intended it to be. It required the citizens of every nation to convert and interfered with the politics of the nations. The Church even had a say on matters of session. This caused the kings to dislike the Church, and they united against the Church. In the end the Church conceded its rights and promised not to interfere with the countries again."


    "What happened to Country of Mercenaries, then?"


    "The people of this country worship freedom," ck Eleven responded. "They do not want the Church dictating what they can and cannot do. When Country of Mercenaries was founded, the mercenaries denied the Church¡¯s request to build churches and preach in the country. This made the priests very angry. One of the cardinals said then that the Church will never bless the Country of Mercenaries, even if its soil is overrun by dark creatures."


    "The cardinal simply misspoke, and was punishedter," Riska added.


    "I know, which is why I said this doesn¡¯t make sense," ck Eleven said. "If the news of this gets out, the mercenaries would seal off the Transverse Mountains immediately and contact the Church. Priests from all different nations would swarm here in a few days. The necromancers won¡¯t be able to achieve anything, unless they could create something that could rival the Church in that time."


    "Even if they could create five killer zombies, they still could not rival the Church," Suzanna said. "Light magic has particrly strong effects on zombies. Even a simple Holy Light could kill hundreds of zombies."


    "Even weak healing magic can be harmful to zombies. One healing magic can significantly weaken a zombie," Riska said.


    "There¡¯s no use talking about that now. The necromancers are up to something, but what are we doing about it? Are we following those zombies?" ck Eleven asked.


    Anfey fell silent. Should he follow the zombies and find out what was happening? Or should he return to warn the other mercenaries? Anfey was someone who could control his curiosity, because he knew curiosity could lead danger. Avoiding all possible danger would be the wisest thing to do. In the past, he had alwaysughed at movie characters for their stupid decisions. Why would they go somewhere they knew to be dangerous?


    Now, however, Anfey realized how difficult the decision could be. The zombies were not yet a serious threat to him, and he could always run should the situation be too dangerous. However, if the zombies gained control of the entire Transverse Mountain, the threat would be too great. Christian could defend the tunnels against Shansa Empire¡¯s armies, but not against zombies. Sunlight could not reach the tunnels, and the zombies were difficult to kill.


    "If the zombies discover the tunnels under Moramatch, how long could Christian hold against them?" Anfey asked.


    "It¡¯s hard to say. If there are fighter zombies, a dozen could corner them."


    "ck Eleven, you are the only one among us who is respected. Go back to White Mountain City and report our findings. Suzanna, Riska, and I will keep tracking these things. I need to know what the necromancers are up to." Anfey nced at his threepanions and said, "Does anyone have a problem?"


    "This is a very dangerous n," ck Eleven said grimly.


    "There is danger in everything," Anfey said. "You should began thinking how to convince other mercenaries that there really are zombies here."


    "It¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll collect some of the ants as evidence. It should not be too hard," ck Eleven said. "Are you sure you want to follow the zombies?"


    "If we don¡¯t do anything and something happened to Christian, I would never be able to forgive myself," Anfey said. He was speaking truthfully. He knew that if Christian was there, he would make the same decision.


    "Alright, then," ck Eleven said after a moment of hesitation.


    "Suzanna, what do you say?" Anfey turned to Suzanna and asked.


    "I will go wherever you go."


    "Riska?"


    "You¡¯re my leader. I will follow your every order," Riska said.


    Anfey sighed. He felt himself changing. Perhaps it was because hispanions trusted him no matter what.


    At one time, he had only kept everyone around because of Saul. Now, other than his own moral standards, he had developed attachments to all of hispanions.


    Attachment was a very strange thing. No matter what a man¡¯s upation was, he could never ignore his attachments.


    "ck Eleven, how long will it take for you to get to White Mountain City?"


    ck Eleven looked up and nced around. "It¡¯s about seventy miles from here to Moramatch. We have amunication spot sixty miles east of Moramatch. Give me three days."


    "You have to tell Christian about the zombies when you get back to Moramatch. He needs to prepare the town."


    "Of course. You three have to be careful," ck Eleven said.


    "Don¡¯t worry about us," Anfey said. "You should depart immediately. Suzanna, Riska, we should press on."

 Chapter 177: Acquaintance

    Chapter 177: Acquaintance


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    There used to be a humid and rotten smell in the forest when they walked there. The smell had changed now. The rotten smell had changed to something unbearable. Riska was a little weak and had been dry heaving already. Suzanna had her brows twisted and tried to suppress her desire to throw up. Only Anfey seemed not to be affected by that smell.


    "Let¡¯s take a break." Anfey said slowly. He could tell Riska was not able to walk anymore.


    Riska heaved a sigh of relief, but hurried to cover his mouth immediately. He released a levitation magic and flew onto the tree. He set up a simple magic boundary and waved Anfey toe up to the tree.


    Suzanna did not release anybat power, but to a senior swordswoman, it was not hard to jump into a tree. She followed Anfey and jumped a few times before shended where Riska was. She took a seat next to him.


    "How many zombies exactly? This smell is unbearable." Riskained. He was simplyining, but never had the idea of going back. Of course, he assumed that Anfey wanted to go forward.


    "If those necromancers wanted to attack a mercenary group, they should have at least five or six hundred zombies," Anfey said in a worried tone. "This is only our guess. No one would know how long these necromancers have been in the Hengduan Valley. What if they have attacked a few mercenary groups?"


    "Oh, my god," Riska¡¯s jaw dropped. He thought this would be even more terrifying than Anfey¡¯s original guess.


    "Let¡¯s wait here until dawn," Anfey slowly said. "Night is too dangerous for us." Anfey had been believing in his instincts. What was ahead of him gave him an unknown pressure. That pressure was very strong. No matter how much they wanted to kill necromancers or help Christian, they had to ensure their own safety first.


    "This is the only happy thing I have heard the whole day," Riska said with a bitter smile.


    "Riska, would sunlight affect necromancers if we fight with them in the daylight?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course, it would affect them." Riska nodded. "If they were senior necromancers, they could release Dark Fog, Death Twirling and other magic to change their surroundings to allow themselves to have the maximumbat power."


    "If we were surrounded by Dark Fog, would ourbat power be affected as necromancers under sunlight?" Anfey asked.


    "You would be affected unless you were a creature living in the dark," Riska answered.


    Anfey turned to Suzanna and asked, "What percentage ofbat power do you have if you are surrounded by Dark Fog?"


    Suzanna shook her head. "I never fought with necromancers before. I am not sure."


    "I guess we will have to see when it happens," Anfey sighed. It had not been very sessful for them to collect information. He had to think up a n.


    "Anfey, you take some rest first. You have been busy sincest night. You have not gotten any rest yet," Suzanna said quietly.


    "You guys take some rest. I am fine." Anfey smiled.


    Suzanna and Riska did not insist. They did not waste their time arguing and went to sleep. Everyone knew Anfey¡¯s ability to stay upte.


    The rotten smells were kept outside by the magic dome. Anfey quietly sat there with his legs crossed. Riska found a random tree crown, which was not very good for sleeping, but it was not reasonable to keep looking for a ce to rest while countless zombies were in the forest. They had to take what they could. Suzanna and Riska both chose thick branches parallel to the ground. They wrapped clothes they had with them on two branches to create a simple hammock. They could barely sleep on it. Anfey felt it was better to practice than sleep.


    Without knowing exactly when it was, his practicing had stalled. The main reason was his practice instructions were veryplex. He did not have any experience with it. His ancestors did not even believe in the things he was told in the instructions. He did not have teachers and experience to help himself. Neither did he know what was waiting for him in the future. He would not know whether the effects he gained were good or bad. He did not know anything he should be aware of. He had to stumble through as he learned in this new area.


    He knew the instructions well, which only gave him a general direction and provided him steps to follow. He had so many things he did not get, but had no one to ask. Every time after he finished his meditation, he would do a reflection on it. He always thought his practice belonged to another world. He missed his home. He thought no other ce couldpare to his hometown. No matter what kind of honors and social status he acquired here, Anfey still wanted to go back to his hometown and tell his parents his experiences in front of their tomb.


    As time slowly passed, the sound of a bird¡¯s pping wings suddenly woke Anfey up from the meditation. He slowly opened his eyes and looked toward where the sound was from.


    For some reason, bird¡¯s sensibility was a lot better than those carnivores, like magic mice and wild dogs. Magic mice and wild dogs could be driven by their desire for food to attack and eat zombies. Birds would just fly away. Since they had started to track zombies down, Anfey had not seen a birding hovering above them. It only proved that Anfey was right to be concerned.


    The bird hovered above the tree andnded on the tree where Anfey and his fellows rested. The bird tucked its wings back and watched Anfey and hispanions with head tilted.


    Anfey had already closed his eyes as the bird flew down. He leaned against a branch with his legs spread apart. He looked like he was sleeping, but he watched that weird bird through the little slits in his eyes.


    Anfey could not name the bird. The bird was all ck and looked like a crow, but smaller. The eyes radiated some evil bloody red lights. Anfey sneered inside. If this were a trick yed by necromancers, it only proved that those necromancers, who had done so much with bones, did not have high intelligence. The bloody red eyes told Anfey the true nature of the bird. If Anfey had to do this, he definitely would make a bird that looked like a normal bird.


    Suddenly, a weird feeling hit Anfey, and then he saw a very fine chain on the bird. The other side of the chain was connected to a faraway ce. At the same time, Anfey felt the spirit crystal starting to tremble in his body, although he had no idea what the spirit crystal was for.


    The bird chirped in a low pitch. Anfey did not see the bird moving, but a cloud like a pale spirite struggled and screamed inside the bird. Anfey could not help opening his eyes wide because he saw the lowest level of the evil spirit in Evil Abyss.


    At this moment, Anfey did not have the happy and excited feeling of seeing someone from where he came from. He had always thought of himself as a human being. He thought he was a traveler or guest in Evil Abyss.


    Staring at that bird for a while, Anfey recalled all kinds of memories he kept in the back of his mind. Anfey had recognized that the fine chain was a spirit chain. It was pure spirit magic. He did not need anyone to exin what that was. Instead, he could give others some pointers.


    That bird trembled very hard. Maybe it was because the long distance made the power of the spirit chain decrease to the minimum. The Evil Abyss spirit struggled hard to get rid of the chain.


    Anfey had a smile again. The person who tried to free the Evil Abyss spirit was not that powerful. He could not even control the lowest level of Evil Abyss spirit. He slowly took out his fingers and pointed in the air. It did not take any magic to attack the spirit. Telepathy and strong will power would just make it work. Anfey had both of them.


    That spirit chain started to shake. In order to let the necromancer on the other end of the chain believe that the Evil Abyss spirit had gotten rid of the chain, Anfey only attacked the chain a few times with small amounts of telepathy. That spirit chain finally broke.


    The Evil Abyss spirit finally had its freedom back, and then he noticed Anfey right away. That bird suddenly dove down at Anfey like a flying arrow. He even opened his beak as wide as a fist. It was hard to imagine such a small bird could have his mouth open so wide.


    The Evil Abyss spirit suddenly paused in the air at the moment he was about to hit Anfey. Anfey¡¯s social status was not very high in Evil Abyss, but he was smart politically. He went to whichever king was stronger. He did not do anything to hurt the kings who did not do so well. He even tried to leave untraceable hints to allow the unlucky kings to know that he would spy in other king¡¯s country, and he was actually working for them. Anfey had received all kinds of rewards from different kings. That bird could notbat the huge difference in social status and power between Anfey and him.


    Anfey slowly took back his telepathy. That bird slowly and sluggishlynded next to Anfey. The Evil Abyss spirit looked so obedient that he would justy on the tree branch without moving at all.


    Evil Abyss was a crude and simple ce. The social structure only allowed obedience and fighting. Anfey was special over there. He was very social. The Evil Abyss spirit only had two options even it was in a different dimension of the world. They still had to be either obedient or fighting against something.


    Anfey went quiet for a while. He waved his hand to release a small fireball. The fireball hit the bird. The evil spirit¡¯s puppet was not useful anymore. The spirit had slowly risen from the burned bird and flew forward at Anfey¡¯s instruction.


    That magic surges produced by the little fireball woke Suzanna up. She suddenly opened her eyes. "What happened?"


    "Nothing. A bird got in." Anfey smiled.


    Riska rubbed his eyes and sat up to look around. "It¡¯s almost morning."


    "Yes. You guys eat something first. We will continue after the sunes up," Anfey said.


    "What kind of bird stinks so bad?" Suzanna crinkled her nose.


    "Damn it." Riska saw that burned bird. "This is a puppet created by a necromancer for the deceased spirit."

 Chapter 178: Surges of Death Magic

    Chapter 178: Surges of Death Magic


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "It¡¯s alright, I already destroyed it with magic," Anfey said.


    "Necromancers can sense everything through the zombies. You don¡¯t understand, Anfey. We are exposed already," Riska said, frowning. He pushed himself up and nced around nervously.


    "We¡¯re not exposed."


    "How can you be sure?"


    "It¡¯s a long story. Sit and eat something."


    Anfey made himself very clear. Something had happened, and they were not exposed, though he didn¡¯t want to tell them why. Suzanna and Riska trusted him, and both rxed visibly.


    After a quick meal, the three of them meditated to wait for the sunrise. The night breeze had no effect on the rotten smell in the forest, but the sun was the bane of anything dark and unclean. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the rotten scent dispersed.


    Riska sighed and looked much more rxed. "It¡¯s a miracle the smell didn¡¯t kill us," he said.


    "You stillck training," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Still?" Riska repeated with a frown. He felt the things he experienced in thest few days were much more interesting and dangerous than what he was used to. If this wasn¡¯t training, then what was?


    "Have you ever been to prison?"


    "No."


    "You will see true hell in a prison. The air there is always foul, and the ground covered in feces and urine. You won¡¯t find a single clean space on the ground. You can find at least a dozen lice just by scratching your head. Even rats are rare, because for the inmates a rat is a good meal. No one wants to let the rodent go. People eat the lice as well." Of course, Anfey wasn¡¯t talking about modern prisons. He was talking about medieval prisons he had only read about in books.


    "Really?" Riska asked. He was amoner, but he was lucky enough to be Saul¡¯s student and was not familiar with terrible things like this.


    "You¡¯ll know if you ever find yourself in a prison."


    "How did you know? Have you ever been to a prison?"


    "No, but there are a lot of rumors."


    "It can¡¯t be true," Riska said, shaking his head. "Surely a normal man would go mad in a ce like that. If prisons are all like that, no prisoner would survive."


    "You are underestimating how strong a person¡¯s will to live can be. Humans can survive in environments much worse than that."


    "How?"


    "Go see for yourself if you don¡¯t believe me," Anfey said.


    "Don¡¯t curse me," Riska said with a shake of his head. "I don¡¯t ever want to see it for myself."


    "He¡¯s telling the truth, you know," Suzanna interrupted. Her expression was unreadable. "Riska, you have never seen the prisons the nobility set up. I have seen a man, his body bound by a dozen chains, immersed underwater for years. When they pulled him out, his body was covered by maggots, but he was still alive."


    "Stop, stop!" Riska jumped up and shouted. "Stop it. That is disgusting."


    Suzanna turned and nced at the sunlight on the forest floor. "Should we get going?" she turned and asked Anfey.


    Anfey frowned and cursed Riska for interrupting Suzanna¡¯s story about her past. Now it would be hard to make Suzanna talk again. He stood up slowly and said, "Alright. Let¡¯s get moving."


    The three of them had stopped for the night, but the zombies had not. However, the zombies left an obvious track behind. The thick surges of death magic on the forest floor were a clear indication of the direction of the zombies¡¯ trek.


    Anfey and Suzanna were dashing through the forest, while Riska was following in the air. The two on the ground were going so fast that Riska found himself falling behind at times. Riska tried to warn them, but Anfey just smiled and did not say anything.


    As the three reached a nameless mountain, Anfey waved his hand to stop Suzanna and Riska. However, he didn¡¯t need to stop them. They already felt strange and were stopping.


    From the other side of the mountain, surges of death magic reached them. Normally, surges this strong could be felt hundreds of miles away. Neither Suzanna nor Riska felt anything until they were up close.


    "They have a senior necromancer!" Riska eximed quietly. Even though his voice could not be heard by people on the other side of the mountain, he still spoke softly. "There has to be arge magic kekkai that hid all the surges."


    "It¡¯s your turn now, Riska," Anfey said. "The necromancers won¡¯t feel the magic surge of Eyes of the Sky, right?"


    "Highly unlikely," Riska said. He waved his hand and conjured Eyes of the Sky. The mountain appeared as if it was right in front of them, but it was still about a dozen miles away. With the mountain as a coordinate, Riska was able to focus the Eyes of the Sky with only two tries.


    Anfey had already prepared himself, but he was still shocked when he saw what was happening on the other side of the mountain. He didn¡¯t know what kind of a kekkai it was, but it was powerful enough to block out even the sunlight. The kekkai was surrounded by white fog, and the entire backside of the mountain was obscured by the fog. Under the fog were thousands of zombies, all packed into the same, small area. If all the zombies were once mercenaries, the necromancers must have attacked more than one mercenary group.


    Other than the zombies, there were also a dozen normal looking men in ck robes. They were patrolling the zombies. The middle of the kekkai was covered by thick, ck smoke, and the Eyes of the Sky could not see what was in the fog.


    "I need to rest," Riska suddenly said. He sounded exhausted.


    "What?"


    "I don¡¯t know what kekkai that is, but I can¡¯t hold on anymore," Riska said. He took a breath and rxed, and the images in the Eyes of the Sky quickly disappeared.


    "Even you don¡¯t know what kekkai that is?"


    "I know nothing about death magic," Riska said. "I¡¯ve never fought necromancers, either. Maybe Suzanna knows something."


    "I don¡¯t know anything, either," Suzanna admitted.


    "Riska," Anfey said after a few moments of silence. "Tell me, what do you think the necromancers want?"


    "It could be a lot of things. Maybe they want to take advantage of the zombies¡¯ power and taint this ce, turning it into a graveyard even the Priests of Light cannot clean."


    "What good does that do to the necromancers?"


    "It will give them advantages we don¡¯t have," Riska said with a grimace. "Remember how Hagan summoned a behemoth using the creature¡¯s bones. If bones of creatures simr to behemoths end up in the necromancers¡¯ hands, they can summon a bone behemoth. The behemoth Hagan summoned can onlyst for a few minutes, but a bone behemoth is a dark creature like ghost dragons. It is immortal."


    "Anything else?"


    "There is at least one senior necromancer. Maybe they want to create some killer zombies. It¡¯s unlikely though. Killer zombies are difficult to control, even senior necromancers may not be able to control them."


    "Is that it?"


    "Maybe they want to collect surges of death magic and create a Death Magic Crystal in preparation for the necromancer¡¯s ascension."


    "Ascension?"


    "Necromancers need the taint of arge amount of surges of death magic to advance in rank. As long as there are enough crystals, they can even..."


    "Guys, something¡¯s wrong!" Suzanna suddenly called. "Listen."


    Anfey frowned and waved his hand. The three jumped into the trees and held their breath, listening to their surroundings.


    There were sounds of branches snapping, but it was faint, and whatever was making the noise must have been far off.


    Anfey nced at Riska, who released the Eyes of the Sky quietly. A team of eight necromancers and twenty zombies walked out of the kekkai and were heading away from them. Zombies were clumsy creatures, and did not know how to avoid obstacles. They could not feel pain, and did not care if they were stabbed by branches and thorns. Those zombies were what Suzanna heard.


    "What do they want? To find more mercenaries? Aren¡¯t there enough zombies already?" Riska said, frowning.


    "Why don¡¯t they move at night? Zombies are much more powerful at night," Suzanna murmured.


    "They cannot hide themselves during the night. Sunlight can kill zombies, but it can also mask their trail. Their greatest enemy bes their ally," Anfey said. "We can¡¯t let them go on with this senseless murder. We¡¯ll follow them." The threat would be too great if more zombies were created. No matter what, Anfey could not allow the necromancers to continue on with what they were doing.

 Chapter 179: Sniper

    Chapter 179: Sniper


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey and his team did not have to follow those necromancers long this time. The necromancers only travelled twenty miles.They stopped at a grasnd with bright sunlight over them. They looked like they were busy doing something, which made Anfey and his team feel uneasy.


    Without the magic kekkai, Riska could easily see what was going on on the grasnd with the Eyes of Sky. Zombies were buried underground one after another, while the necromancers were searching for something under the sunlight they hated.


    "Those zombies look like battle zombies," Riska said in a low voice.


    "It would be great if I knew spells of Light." Anfey searched in his head for everything he knew about spells of Light. It had been a long time since he had used spells of Light. He did not pay too much attention to it when he first learned it. He had forgotten most of it.


    "Without being baptized, no one could perform spells of Light; otherwise everyone could be a priest." Riskaughed quietly.


    "That is asking too much," Anfey said.


    "Churches have the mostplicated rules. Only people with a lot of patience can be priests. You must have never seen priests before. I am telling you, a lot of them act like girls, not men," Riska said.


    "That is called humble and polite." Suzanna was not too happy with Riska¡¯s description of priests. "Are those men who only know how to yell others called men?"


    "Hmm, Suzanna, I did not know you were so fond of priests," Riska said.


    "I am not fond of them. They are at least better than rude guys," Suzanna said.


    "Anfey is rude." Riska grinned. Anfey was more than rude if counting what happened at their professor¡¯s home. He pulled out his sword and killed people without even saying anything.


    "Who said Anfey is rude?" Suzanna got even madder. If it had not been for the fact that necromancers were still not far from them and Riska was still in charge of Eyes of Sky, she really wanted to teach Riska a lesson.


    "Stop, look at those necromancers. Why are they hiding? Are they ambushing anyone?" Anfey asked.


    Suzanna and Riska stopped their argument about Anfey¡¯s personality. They looked at the Eyes of Sky at the same time. No doubt, those necromancers hid one after another.


    "What is wrong with them? Who woulde here?" Riska asked with a confusing look.


    "Look over there!" Anfey pointed with his finger.


    A gigantic butterfly flew passed the forest in the distance and flutter in their direction. There were over twenty mages flying behind the butterfly. Anfey and his team heard yelling in the distance, but could not tell what exactly they were yelling about.


    The gigantic butterfly¡¯s wings were sky blue with white flowery designs. The butterfly looked holy. He was not moving at a fast speed. He looked like he was hurt, since he wobbled up and down in the air. The most amazing part about the butterfly was he was covered in rainbow lights. The butterfly looked like a butterfly angel to Anfey.


    The butterfly flew to the grasnd in a very short time and suddenly fell on the ground. He did not even have strength to wave his wings. This told everyone that he was dying.


    Those mages in the sky did notnd on the grass right away. Instead, they formed a circle in the air, and kept the butterfly in the center from a distance. They slowlynded on the grass.


    The yelling sounded like it was getting closer to Anfey and his team. People rushed onto the grasnd one after another. The one in the very front had already reached the gigantic butterfly, while others behind him were still running. There were around five or six hundred people, maybe even more.


    "Anfey, look, that was the g of Dragon Rider mercenary group," Suzanna expressed urgently but quietly.


    "You are right." Anfey saw that g as well.


    "They are with Ozzic," Riska gloated. "They are not good people. Anfey, are we helping them?"


    "Ozzic is not a nice person, but he is a human. We can reason with him, or even threaten him when it is needed, but nothing would work with zombies. Either we die or we kill zombies." Anfey slowly took out his bow from his Dimensional ring.


    Mercenaries had formed a circle at a distance and slowly approached the butterfly in the formation of a circle. Anfey already could not see the butterfly from his angle. Anfey tapped Suzanna and said, "Riska, you stay here to cover us when it¡¯s needed." Anfey held his right hand out and a wind de appeared and started to spin around his right hand.


    In terms of personal growth, Anfey grew the fastest because he was not only smart, but liked to think and was good at finding solutions for their problems. He had down time as an assassin in the other world. He never stopped thinking since he came to this magic world.


    Thinking provided Anfey the opportunity to make progress, while every step forward in turn helped him acquire new experience. He would start a brand new thinking process again from the experiences he gained. If he continued this cycle, his growth would be unbelievably amazing.


    Compared with the powerful people in this world, Anfey had the advantage of having magic freestyle. His controlling skills for basic magic were a lot better than regr mages. In Christian¡¯s eyes, wind des were just wind des, but Anfey did not think so.


    A two-meter long gigantic arrow made by a wind de appeared in Anfey¡¯s hand. Anfey slowly drew the bowstring back. He used to use real arrows, but not anymore. Anfey had invented a lot of new things with the wind des after he discovered that wind des could be used for jumping. He did well in the experiments. This kind of arrow could be shot a lot farther than he could even see with his naked eye, but the uracy was not guaranteed.


    Intense magic surges appeared above the grasnd. A sticky fog-like substance sprayed up from the grass and created a gigantic spider web in the air. The gigantic spider web covered the whole grasnd. Wrinkled zombies crawled out from underground. They rushed into the crowd where blood had spilled. The necromancers showed up from everywhere as well. A necromancer in front raised his staff high. His mouth was moving. Obviously, he was chanting.


    Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, a sliver of white light appeared in the sky, which was not easily seen. Everywhere the light passed, the leaves turned to powder. The end part of that light carried a gust, blowing the grass and shaking the trees. The stomach of the necromancer in the front suddenly exploded with blood. His head and his chest flew upwards while this legs and hips slowly and sluggishly fell to the ground. His torso totally disappeared. The light hit hard on the ground with the effects of the exploding small magic array of chaos. Gravel and dirt flew everywhere. The dirt sshed on some necromancers and they screamed in pain. Zombies did not seem to feel any pain, while the necromancers still could feel the pain even when they was losing their body.


    Ozzic and his people were surrounded by the spider web, which blocked their view to the outside. Almost half of the necromancers were still able to see, but they were not sure what hit their leader¡¯s head. They stood frozen to the ground because of what they had seen.


    Anfey already loaded the bow again with a giant arrow made of wind des. He shoot it out. The white light passed in the air. A necromancer suddenly got shortened. His feet were still on the ground, but his head was gone. The blood flowed out from his neck like a human blood fountain.


    Necromancers finally found where the attack was from this time. Two necromancers released bone shields and rushed towards Anfey from the left and right sides. Necromancers were scared by Anfey¡¯s attacking ability. They even had over ten zombies help them. They could not spare any effort to deal with the mercenaries they caught.


    "Suzanna, be careful." Anfey nodded at Suzanna. He waved in the air. Another two-meter long gigantic arrow appeared in his hand.


    Suzanna smiled and rushed forward as fast as a meteor. The thickbat power radiated white lights. Whenever there was a battle, Anfey subconsciously had her in the front, but Suzanna neverined about it. Some girls liked to be protected by their men, while others liked to fight alongside their men. Suzanna looked girlish, but she was one of thetter girls.


    Anfey did not shoot the arrow out immediately. He did not shoot the arrow until a zombie lined up with a necromancer. What surprised Anfey was the arrow did not pierce through the zombie to hit the necromancer behind the zombie. The arrow only hit the zombie in the air. That zombie could struggled to stand up after rolling on the ground few times. Anfey was not sure what kind of wound the arrow made on the zombie. He only knew that battle power of the zombie was far better than he had estimated.


    However, Anfey had endless wind des. His magic could allow him to continue shooting for a long time. This time Anfey was not greedy. He learned, so he only targeted a necromancer. As the bowstring made a sound, the bone shield released by the necromancer had copsed already. His body fell on the ground like a broken branch, his upper body folded over the lower body.


    Another necromancer noticed that bone shields did not work against the arrows. He immediately realized he was in danger. He turned around and ran for his life.


    If the bone shields released by the mages could not protect them from Anfey¡¯s shooting, then archers were a deadly nemesis for mages. The necromancer who had already run pretty far broke into two parts, just as his leader had. Anfey killed them with one simple move by let loose his fingers on the bowstring. There was only a cloud of blood mist left in the air.

 Chapter 180: Game

    Chapter 180: Game


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The zombies were powerful warriors who did not know pain or death. They ran towards Suzanna. There was no rank or order to their charge, but facing the stone-like gray skin and the red eyes of the zombies, Suzanna still felt anxious. She danced away from the zombies and tried to pick one of the zombies as her first target.


    Suzanna¡¯s sword rippled and lit up, then she shed at the neck of the zombie. Suzanna struck out at her highest possible speed, because she just saw a zombie taking an arrow. She knew she had to kill the zombie with one blow.


    The zombie did not try to block the blow. It held up its sharp, dagger-like fingers, and reached for Suzanna¡¯s chest. The zombie might have been a swordsman once, but its soul had already fallen, and what was left was only a senseless body. The knowledge and the fight skills it had umted over the years disappeared as well. The attack was purely instinctual. There were no tricks to it.


    Suzanna had the advantage of speed and of attacking first. When the zombie was only a few feet away from her, her sword was already shing at its neck. Even for the most powerful people in the world, a blow to the neck by a senior swordsmaster would be deadly. Suzanna¡¯s sword sheared through the zombie¡¯s neck, and the head flew backwards. The stench was almost suffocating. However, the zombie¡¯s movement did not stop, and its sharp fingers continued reaching out towards Suzanna.


    Suzanna was shocked, but she was experienced in battle, and had fast reflexes. She kicked the zombie in the abdomen, and jumped backwards to avoid the attack. The zombie did not fall until Suzanna was at least twenty feet away.


    The zombie that was wounded by Anfey¡¯s arrow had arge hole in its chest, the shrubs behind it were clearly visible through the hole. Because of the wound, its movement was slowed and itgged behind the other zombies. Suzanna moved out of the main horde¡¯s way and jumped towards the rear of the group. Shended not far from the wounded zombie, who lunged at her, waving its arms frantically. Its own blood spraying onto the ground.


    The rotting organs and the foul scent of the zombie¡¯s blood made Suzanna very nauseous. The zombies began to surround her, and Suzanna was forced to jump into a nearby tree.


    The zombies swarmed the tree, wing at it. The trunk became very fragile under the sharp nails of the zombies, and it didn¡¯t take long for them to hollow out the trunk. However, Suzanna jumped onto a nearby branch, and they were not able to realize their hope of killing Suzanna.


    A pale light struck one of the zombies as they prepared to follow Suzanna. The light left a wound the size of a small bowl on the zombie, but the zombie did not fall to the ground. Instead, it stood where it was, shaking its head, as if it was trying to wake up from a dream.


    It was in a zombie¡¯s nature to hunt. Attacks and itspanion¡¯s death did not distract the zombies. They stood under the tree, wing at its trunk with their nails.


    "Their heads!" Riska called as he circled around.


    "I know," Anfey said and notched another arrow.


    The zombies had not yet finished wing at the tree when Anfey attacked them again. The arrow took a zombie¡¯s head off. Dark smoke rose from where the neck broke, and itsrge head was only hanging on its neck by bits of skin.


    The zombie¡¯s arms reached back and grabbed its head, then it slowly ced the head back onto the broken neck. Before Anfey could react, the zombie shook and fell to the ground. Zombies were much stronger than a normal person, but a wound like that would still be fatal.


    This attack could not distract the zombies, either. They kept on roaring at Suzanna and wing at the tree. Suzanna noticed the zombies¡¯ problem as well. She returned her sword to the sheath, and jumped onto another tree. She broke off a branch and waved at the zombies, hoping to attract their attention.


    "Why aren¡¯t they attacking us?" Riska frowned and asked.


    "Maybe because zombies love beautiful things as well," Anfey said, grinning.


    "Quit joking around," Riska said and rolled his eyes.


    Three other necromancers headed towards Suzanna. Anfey had been waiting for the necromancers. The zombies wouldn¡¯t do much. Before all nearby trees were destroyed, the zombies were only lumberjacks. There were plenty of trees, and Suzanna shouldn¡¯t be in danger.


    One of the necromancers waved his hand and released a dark ball of energy. Unlike the magic Anfey had seen a few days ago, the ck ball was muchrger, and looked as if there was a face in it, surging.


    White light appeared and shot through the ck ball. The arrows Anfey used were materialized element arrows. Compared to normal weapons, an element arrow was much more powerful against magic. The repelling nature of elements maximized the destruction. The ck ball first deted like a balloon, then it exploded, turning into countless ck strings that floated through the air.


    The necromancer screamed in agony, his right arm destroyed in the explosion. Another arrow hit the necromancer¡¯s body, and he fell to the ground. For a zombie, wounds like this could not even hinder their movements. For a human, however, it was fatal.


    The two other necromancers stared at theirpanion in shock, then they turned and fled. "It¡¯s elves!" one of them called. Usually, only the elves could use element arrows. It was not surprising that they hade to this conclusion.


    Anfey turned to the zombies. Now, it was less of a battle and more of a game. The zombies fell one by one, but the others were distracted by Suzanna, who was throwing branches at them. Their one track mind did not allow them to focus on anything other than the thing right in front of them.


    The remaining necromancers disappeared into the bushes, and did not return. Anfey continue to aim his arrows at the zombies. Before he could take out thest zombie, Suzanna jumped down from the tree crown and shed at the zombie. After a sh of white light, the zombie slumped to the ground with only half of its head.


    Suzanna turned and grinned at Anfey, then she began walking towards the magic array in the clearing.


    Anfey returned the bow to his dimensional ring. He had thought this would be a difficult battle, and didn¡¯t expect the zombies to be such easy targets. If he had known this, he would have stayed hidden and taken the zombies out. That way the battle would have ended much faster.


    "Riska, do you know what kind of magic array that is?"


    "No," Riska said, shaking his head. "I don¡¯t know what it is, but I think it should be easy to destroy. I¡¯ll go check it out." He levitated into the air and chased passed Suzanna.


    The entire clearing was concealed by a magic array, and people on the outside could not see what was going on inside. However, they could see shadows of movements on the inside, and hear the sound of fighting and cursing.


    "I thought there were only a dozen zombies left," Anfey said, frowning. "How did they turn into so many people? Riska, can you destroy it?"


    "It¡¯s easy," Riska said. He pointed to a nearby bush, and nodded at Suzanna.


    Suzanna walked over to the bush and struck the bush with her sword. The earth split open and revealed a ck stone tablet with strange runes carved onto it. Riska brushed off the soil and looked at the tablet. He nodded at Suzanna again, who pressed her sword against it. With a sh of white light, the tablet shattered into a dozen pieces.


    The kekkai over the clearing began shaking, and cracks as fine as spider webs began spreading all over it. "This is it," Riska said with a relieved sigh. "Creation is hard, but destruction is easy. It seems like the necromancers had been here for a while. Neither the kekkai nor the magic array are things you can set up overnight."


    Anfey frowned and turned to the clearing. The magic array was destroyed, and what was happening inside the kekkai became apparent for those outside of it. When the people saw the blue sky appear above them again, they all sighed with relief. In the middle of the clearing, there was still chaos. Suddenly, a shrill scream ripped through the air, "My god, it¡¯s zombies! Zombies!"

 Chapter 181: Drama

    Chapter 181: Drama


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It was easy to think about notorious necromancers whenever zombies were mentioned. People on the outside of the crowd suddenly run away. Anfey only saw a few areas of fighting there. Maybe it was because their friends and families had been killed by zombies, or they had nowhere to hide from if the zombies chased them. Each battle had over ten mercenaries fighting hard with one or a few zombies. When people were pushed to the corner, they usually would be terribly crazy. At that moment, the roaring of the zombies was ovee by mercenaries¡¯ noises. Without the protection of dark magic, warm sunlight had caused a lot of damage to the zombies. They were just struggling before they died. Anfey made a decision not to join the battle, since it was obvious the mercenaries were going to win.


    "Anfey, what are you doing here?" A person walked in big strides towards Anfey..


    "Orsie, we are seeing each other again." Anfey had a good impression on Orsie. He was themander of Warme mercenary group. Orsie was the only one who had spoken up for Anfey. In other words, he was the only one who spoke up for justice.


    "Why are you here?" Orsie looked up and down at Anfey.


    "Anfey, are you messing with us?" Ozzic came from nowhere. He looked angry, and few mercenarymanders followed him.


    "Don¡¯t be so rude. If we had not destroyed their magic array, you would have turned into zombies," Riska said coldly. Ozzic was shocked for a second. The other mercenarymanders looked at the each other and had awkward smiles on their faces. They would not have bemanders if they were stupid. They felt they were in an unknown dark world with that unknown magic array. They could not see anything, but were still able to hear each other. The endless dark weakened them physically and mentally. They had felt like they were about to go crazy. Mages found their ability to call elements slowed down to nothing when they chanted. They heard theirpanions screaming and felt helpless. They were finally saved from the dark when the beautiful sunlight came. Ozzic and other mercenarymanders thought it might have been Anfey who had saved them, and now were sure it could only have been Anfey saving them after hearing Riska speak.


    "We discovered a group of necromancers in Hengduan Valley. We have been tracking them since yesterday," Anfey exined.


    Ozzic suddenly looked terrible. "Anfey, what did you say? A group of necromancers?"


    "Yes, a group of them. I am not sure about the specific number," Anfey said slowly. "There is a senior necromancer in that group. He is the leader. I did not want him to see me, so I was only able to watch from a distance."


    "A senior necromancer?" Ozzic raised his voice. It was rare to see a necromancer. They never thought they would see a senior necromancer. Ozzic started to doubt whether he was "blessed" by Moros. He had stumbled into all kinds of bad luck.


    "You are right. You are not the first mercenary group that came under surprise attack by necromancers. You will not be thest one either," Anfey sighed. "There have been several mercenary groups attacked by them."


    "How do you know?" Ozzic asked.


    "There are more than a thousand zombies. Where are they from?" Anfey asked a rhetorical question.


    "These damn necromancers." Ozzic cursed and gritted his teeth. He had killed other mercenaries for his own benefit or some other reason, but could see others killing mercenaries in the Country of Mercenaries. From one side, mercenaries were united. From the other side, there had been conflicts and struggles among mercenaries. This could be a rare scene for the Country of Mercenaries.


    The battle with the zombies had approached its end. The zombies who received direct sunlight had no strength to fight back. They were yed on the ground one by one by mercenaries. Some mercenaries worried that ying them on the ground was not enough to kill them. They got cruder. They cut the zombies into pieces until they thought the zombie had no way to survive.


    Over a dozen of mercenaries who had first joined the battle finally felt relieved. They felt like they had beaten vicious senior magic beasts. They straightened their backs and walked to Ozzic with proud faces. They did not realize how other mercenaries looked at them until Ozzic stepped back to dodge them. They were shocked and froze in their ces.


    The battle was over, but the wounds on their bodies were still there. One of the mercenaries had been bitten on the face. His left cheek was so bloody that it was hard to tell the bare bone from the flesh. The blood ran down his face and neck, and dyed half his shoulder a blood red. The wound caused by zombies¡¯ scratches on another mercenary¡¯s chest was so deep that his bones were exposed. Two mercenaries were missing an ear. They stood side by side, which made them look funny. At least half of the other dozen-plus mercenaries were hurt to some degree. Other mercenaries seemed to have simr situations as they did. Most of them had gotten hurt fighting with zombies. Ozzic felt difort in his throat, and he swallowed. He looked sophisticated. He looked like he was making a tough decision.


    The mercenaries standing over there seemed to know what had happened. Some mercenaries immediately looked for wounds on their bodies, while others looked desperate, since they knew they had wounds on them. They had been through thick and thin together. They might not be scared by death, but they got scared by actually facing the reality they were turning into zombies.


    "Do not panic. I know a Priest of Light. He can remove the Breath of Death from you," Ozzic suddenly said loudly. "All the people who got hurt by zombies need to step out. Stand here. Let me make arrangements for you guys."


    Ozzic¡¯s ims had encouraged those desperate mercenaries. They looked relieved and gathered together quickly as Ozzic instructed.


    "Ozzic, where is the Priest of Light?" A skinny young man asked loudly.


    "In White Water City," Ozzic said.


    "How would the Priest of Lighte to White Water City?" the skinny young man asked.


    "That is not your business. It is my secret," Ozzic yelled in anger.


    "Ok, it is your business. I just have a question to ask. How long does it take for us to get to White Water City?" the young man named Ye asked, neither in an arrogant nor obsequious tone.


    Ozzic did not know how to respond to that question. He slowly lowered his head.


    "The Breath of Death wille out when dark prevails. They all will be zombies. Unless you are a Space series archmage, they could not reach White Water City before the sun rises," Ye said slowly. "I also doubt whether you know a Priest of Light."


    "Ye, what do you mean?" Ozzic yelled.


    "I am saying you are lying," Ye said.


    Ozzic had nothing to say in response. His body started to slightly tremble.


    "Actually everyone knows about it, but they do not want to admit it," Ye said, looking around. "Even if the Priest of Light suddenly showed up here, he might not be able to save them. I did not mean to say all of this out loud, but I had to. They were ourpanions and brothers before, but they will die soon."


    "Right, they will attack us," a mercenary yelled. Ye¡¯s speach had won some mercenaries over.


    The wounded mercenaries went quiet. They turned to look at Ozzic, waiting for their union leader¡¯s promise that he would keep his word. Ozzic suddenly squatted down. He pulled his hair hard with a painful look. His reaction made those wounded and unwounded mercenaries all understand what was happening.


    Anfey had a slight grin on his face. He had not had much contact with Ozzic, but he knew Ozzic had many schemes. Anfey did not believe Ozzic could not control himself and had to show his struggles visibly. Obviously, Ozzic knew what strategies he needed to take at the right time. He wanted to win those wounded mercenaries¡¯ sympathies. Therefore, he and that young man, Ye, had this show.


    An older mercenary around fifty years old coughed to draw everyone¡¯s attention. He said with a coarse voice, "I am getting old and not afraid of death, but I do not want to be a zombie without any spirit in me." That old mercenary kneeled on the ground with his eyes closed. He prayed silently.


    Other wounded mercenaries followed him and kneeled on the ground. Everyone could hear their praying. The sad atmosphere was hard to describe in words. The female mercenaries at the scene could not help crying. Men¡¯s face became tense and their fists clenched. They looked like they were ready to hit someone. The wounded mercenaries knelt down, which meant they had made their decision. It would just be a sad scene if they would not make anypromise. No matter whether they chose to try to convince the unwounded mercenaries to asked them to save their lives, or chose to die themselves, the situation would have a horrible oue, but thetter choice was slightly better than the former option.


    "If you still think we are your friends, please save us," the older mercenary said as he opened his eyes.


    "I am sorry." Ye, hesitated for a second before he pulled out his sword. He quickly went up to the old mercenary. He raised his arm and thrust his sword into that old mercenary¡¯s chest.


    "No!" Ozzic yelled with such a painful voice. He rushed forward, but stumbled and fell on the ground. Obviously, he looked like he was in such pain that he had passed out. Orsie and other mercenarymanders were shocked by what they saw. They surrounded Ozzic.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Let me take a look." Anfey walked up to Ozzic. He grabbed Ozzic¡¯s wrists and shook a little bit. He pressed the Qi on Ozzic. He did not try to save Ozzic with the martial art skills passed on in his family. Those martial art skills, Fenjin Cuogu, could tear tendons and break bones like nothing, which caused tremendous pain for the opponents. So many mercenaries were willing die to save unwounded mercenaries¡¯ lives, while Ozzic was still putting on a show for everyone. Ozzic made Anfey feel sick, so he decided to teach Ozzic a lesson. The pain from Fenjin Cuogu was unbearable for most people, Ozzic screamed and sat up like a spring. He looked at Anfey in panic.

 Chapter 182: Magic Butterfly

    Chapter 182: Magic Butterfly


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Are you alright?" Anfey asked, holding out his hand.


    "Y-Yes," Ozzic said. His voice was shaking and he was trying to calm himself down. There was nothing wrong with Anfey¡¯s warm, bright smile, but it set Ozzic on edge.


    "Alright. Everyone please be quiet. Let¡¯s..." Anfey¡¯s eyes turned to the young man called Ye, and stopped. Even though he was still keeping up the act with Ozzic, there was an uneasiness in his expression, as if he was ufortable. As he killed, he was fast and determined. As Anfey and Ozzic talked, he had already killed half of the mercenaries who were injured by the zombies. Even though the mercenaries did not resist, his ability of killing his formerpanions without hesitation shocked Anfey.


    "It seems you do not have any experience dealing with necromancers," Anfey said, walking over to him.


    "Thank god I do not," Ye said, "or else I would not be here, talking to you." He was talking to Anfey, but he did not stop shing at the mercenaries. Another wounded man slumped to the ground.


    "This won¡¯t stop them from turning into zombies," Anfey said. He nced around and found that all the mercenaries had sword wounds. One could kill a man this way, but could not stop them from turning into zombies.


    "How do you propose we do this?"


    "Find some mages. Only fire can stop them from changing," Anfey said. He raised his voice and said, "Everyone, listen to me. The necromancers have escaped, and trust me when I say they will return with even more zombies. We have to leave immediately."


    "Leave? No. We cannot let our brothers die in vain!" one of the mercenary leaders called out.


    "You do what you want," Anfey said. "I am leaving." He nced at Suzanna, who walked over slowly.


    "Coward," the mercenary leader spat.


    "Be quiet!" Ozzic bellowed. "If it wasn¡¯t for Anfey and Suzanna, we would all be dead." It was unclear what Ozzic thought of Anfey, but no matter what, he had his own moral standards he needed to follow. For a leader of a group of mercenaries and the person who forged a major mercenary coalition, he had to have some good qualities, or else no one would work for him, and he would not survive in the world.


    "Are we just going to run, then? What of our fallen brothers?" the mercenary leader asked.


    "There are thousands of zombies back there," Anfey said, pointing in the distance, "and at least a dozen necromancers, one among who is a senior necromancer. This isn¡¯t the time for revenge. What we should do is prevent the number of zombies from increasing."


    The mages Ye had fetched released fire magic, and turned the middle of the grassy clearing into a fiery inferno. The sun shone bright overhead. It didn¡¯t matter whether those mercenaries would turn into zombies or not. They would never be able to leave the ce.


    The mercenary leaders nced at each other. There was no possible way the mercenaries could defeat thousands of zombies and a dozen necromancers.


    "We just have to wait three more days for the arrival of the Priests of Light. They are more experienced dealing with dark creatures like zombies," Anfey said slowly.


    "Priests of Light? Why would theye to Country of Mercenaries?" Ozzic asked.


    "I sent my man back to White Mountain City to contact the Church when we found the zombies. All we need to do is wait for backup." Anfey paused. He nced at the mercenaries and added, "I think we all know what the right choice is."


    "Alright. We depart immediately," Ozzic said. "Are you leaving with us?"


    "No, I need to return to my men," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "You saved our lives today. We are in your debt," Ozzic said. "We will be on our way. Farewell."


    "Goodbye," Anfey said.


    Mercenaries were not like real soldiers, but their movement was still very fast. Seeing the mercenaries disappearing into the forest, Anfey smiled. "Debt?" he murmured and shook his head. It was all for show. The mercenaries had just called him a coward, and it was clear what the mercenaries thought of him.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s go," Suzanna said quietly.


    "Wait." Anfey walked over to the side slowly. Therge butterfly that led the mercenaries to the middle of the magic array was lying on the ground, half hidden under the dirt. It was not glowing like it had been moments ago, and was no different from usual butterflies except for its enormous size. The situation was too chaotic and intense, and the butterfly stopped moving after it fell to the ground. The mercenaries must have forgotten about it.


    Anfey reached out with his foot and flipped the butterfly over. Somethings could only be observed from the distance, like this butterfly. Itsrge ck eyes were unblinking and ferocious, its body was covered by short, sharp hairs. The two antennae were blood red and dangling, like the guts of a butchered animal. The legs were the size of a child¡¯s forearm, and the hairs on it reflected cold light. It did not look like the divine being it did a few minutes ago. Instead, it looked like a demon that just escaped hell.


    No matter how far a man travels from his homnd, its effects would be hard to wear off. For someone from the far east, butterflies were beautiful and delicate. Anfey was interested in the butterfly because he thought he had encountered a butterfly spirit that could morph into humans. He was sorely disappointed.


    "What is this?" Suzanna walked over and asked.


    "I don¡¯t know."


    "I¡¯ve never seen anything like this," Suzanna frowned and said. "Never heard of one, either. It¡¯s dead now. It¡¯s been dead for a long time."


    Anfey held out his right hand and summoned his fire sword. He stabbed the butterfly with the sword at the point where there was a piece of gold chained to the butterfly¡¯s body with silver chains.


    Anfey did not try to pick it up with his hands. He summoned a ball of water, and enveloped the golden fragment in the water. He turned the water ball into a ball of ice, and ced it into a box made with antimagic crystal.


    "We should bring the butterfly back to show Hui Wei and Hagan," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Riska, destroy it." His dimensional ring was made by Saul himself and was very powerful, but it still had a limit. There were already too many things in the ring. Anfey didn¡¯t trust anyone with his crystals, scrolls, books, and weapons. Those were the life collection of Saul, and he knew he had to keep it safe. There was no ce for therge butterfly.


    Riska whispered a spell and waved his hand. A wave of me swept towards the butterfly, and the creature was swallowed by me.


    "What¡¯s that smell?" Suzanna frowned, sniffing. "Do you smell that? It smells good."


    Anfey smelled the pleasant aroma as well. He nced around, and realized the aroma wasing from the burning butterfly. He lowered himself to observe the creature. He could control the elements, and it did not bother him. He was so close his face was almost in the fire, but he could not feel any burning sensation. Of course, Anfey was only strong enough to control me that was not controlled by other mages. If he was standing in the way when Riska released the me, he would surely burn.


    Something was oozing out of the butterfly, then the liquid solidified and turned into stones. The pleasant aroma wasing from the stones.


    "Something¡¯s wrong," Riska suddenly said. "I think the necromancers areing back."


    Anfey nced towards the distance and shook his head. "Don¡¯t worry. They aren¡¯t fast enough." He released a dozen small fireballs that grouped together and formed arge hand. The hand reached into the me and grabbed the stones, then it returned and dropped the stones in front of Anfey.


    "It¡¯s not magic crystal, is it?"


    "I don¡¯t think so," Riska said, looking over his shoulder.


    "What is it then?"


    Suzanna and Riska nced at each other and shook their heads. Suzanna reached over to grab a stone and observe it up close. Anfey stopped her and said hurriedly, "Wait. We don¡¯t know what it is. I don¡¯t want you getting hurt."


    Suzanna smiled and let her hand fall back to her side. Riska thought it was a normal response, but Suzanna knew that was how Anfey cared for her.


    Anfey found another box and ced the rocks inside. "Let¡¯s go," he said.


    "Where?"


    "Nowhere," Anfey said, grinning. "Let¡¯s y hide and seek with the necromancers."

 Chapter 183: Large-Scale Response

    Chapter 183: Large-Scale Response


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    During the next few days, Anfey and his team wandered in the forest. Necromancers now knew of their existence. The forest was big and thick, and Anfey was always cautious and alert, which made it hard to locate where Anfey and his team were in the forest.


    When necromancers gathered as a group, Anfey would keep a distance away from them. Once a necromancer set out on his own, he would very likely experience a surprise attack by Anfey. After this happened a couple of times, necromancers chose to leave Anfey alone and allow him to wonder in the forest. They stopped bothering him.


    "A new day! I would like to praise this world," Riska said loudly as he looked at the reddish sunrise in the distance. He sounded like a bard who was sentimental about life and had so much understanding of the world.


    "Ok,e down. You do not look like a poet." Suzanna smiled as she walked toward Anfey. "Anfey, here you are."


    Anfey took the bread from Suzanna and started to eat it bite by bite.


    "I do not look like a poet?" Riska did not like Suzanna¡¯sment. He turned around and asked, "Who looks like a poet? Anfey?"


    "Of course." Suzanna felt Riska¡¯s question was stupid. Of course, she believed Anfey looked like a poet. In Suzanna¡¯s eyes, Anfey was a treasure with so many different sides. He was assertive when he was on mission. His assertiveness was tough and manly to Suzanna. When he was in thought, Anfey¡¯s eyes sparkled with wisdom that only philosophers have. Anfey¡¯s sweetness and gentleness made her melt when he was with her. Anfey was just perfect in Suzanna¡¯s eyes. Up to this point, Anfey had never let her down or made her sad.


    "Nah, he does not look like a poet. He looks like a country bumpkin," Riska murmured. It was the kind of impression Anfely left everyone when he walked into Saul¡¯s house for the first time. Back then, Anfey did not know anything about magic. He smiled to everyone and asked all kinds of questions. He liked to givepliments about things he had never seen before. He looked like a fool to everyone.


    "Who are you talking about? I think you are a country bumpkin!" Anfeyughed. He did not mind what Riska¡¯sments, but Suzanna did.


    "Me, I am talking about myself." Riska immediately corrected his mistake after seeing Suzanna¡¯s mad face. He released levitation magic andnded in front of Suzanna. He held his right hand out. "Where is my share?"


    "You do not have a share. Go read your poem," Suzanna said.


    "Don¡¯t do this to me. I am hungry." Riska put on a smile to please Suzanna.


    Suzanna rolled her eyes at Riska. She took out a piece of bread from the bag and tossed it at him. After catching the bread, Riska was about to take a seat on a nearby branch, and then noticed Suzanna and Anfey sitting close to each other. He sighed and stood up, "I am not going out with the two of you if there is another assignment."


    "What do you mean?" Suzanna did not know where thatment came from.


    Steel had to go through high heat to be made. Capacity was built by practicing hard. Shamelessness was developed by doing a lot of shameless things. When Anfey started to date Suzanna, Suzanna felt fast heartbeats and blushed if Anfey sat next to her. As time went by and they had been together for a while, Suzanna got used to sitting next to Anfey. Sometimes if Anfey did not go find her, she would go find Anfey, just like what happened today.


    "Look at you. You are together all the time," Riska sighed. "Don¡¯t you think you should consider others¡¯ feelings. For example, consider a single, talented, junior magister¡¯s feelings?"


    "You..." Suzanna blushed. She nudged Anfey to ask Anfey to argue with Riska since she was not good at it.


    "Your feelings? Sure, it¡¯s my bad." Anfey smiled.


    "Great if you understand it," Riska said proudly, "I am very forgiving. I can forgive you. No problem."


    "After we go back to Moramatch, I definitely will make it up to you. Riska, what kind of girl do you want?"


    "What kind?" Riska was a rookie at dating. He felt a little embarrassed talking about what kind of girl he liked. "I do not have specific criteria for a girl, as long as she treats me well."


    "Be more specific, Riska. Don¡¯t you like smaller girls?" Riska was a head shorter than Anfey. That was why Anfey asked that question, since most men did not like their girlfriends to be taller than themselves.


    "Yeah," Riska said.


    "Do you like blond or dark-haired girls?" Anfey asked.


    "Either is fine," Riska said.


    "Do you like shy or aggressive girls?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course the former kind of girls," Riska answered.


    Anfey gave it some thought. "Oh, you like this kind of girl. She has ck hair and big eyes. She is small and shy. She would just peek at men and dare not look at men in the eye. She would smile with her mouth covered when she feels happy. She is timid and scared to death if she were attacked by aggressive magic beasts or faced with other threats. That would give you a chance to be her hero. She is very obedient. Once she likes you, she would follow exactly what you say. Even when you asked her to kneel down to serve you, she would not hesitate for a second."


    "Yeah." Riska felt something weird about Anfey¡¯s words, but did not take it seriously.


    "Trust me. I can find you one in our legion," Anfey said, smiling.


    "Who are you talking about? Do I know her?" Riska felt even more weird since there were only a few girls in the legion. He could not think of any girl who fit Anfey¡¯s description.


    "Don¡¯t you trust me? Don¡¯t worry. I will pick a girl from gnomes when we get back," Anfey said.


    "Gnomes?" Riska almost fell from the tree.


    "You look so excited. Are you that happy?" Anfey asked.


    "Ok, ok, Anfey, I am begging you to shut your mouth." Riska helplessly waved his hand. He just realized Anfey was ying with him. No wonder Anfey stressed out small girls. Gnomes were indeed the smallest in terms of their body type.


    "You don¡¯t like gnomes? Dwarves fit into your criteria as well," Anfey said.


    "F*^k those dwarves!" Riska stood up. "Let me take a walk over there. If you like dwarves, you can keep them as long as Suzanna does not mind."


    "Wait a second," Anfey said.


    "I cannot wait." Riska released his levitation magic as he shook his head. When he turned around to look at Anfely, he was shocked. Anfey¡¯s smiles had gone, and he had put on a serious look.


    "Anfey, what happened?" Suzanna noticed the look on Anfey as well.


    "Not much. Today those necromancers should takerge-scale action," Anfey said slowly. Not long ago, he sensed an evil spirit from the Evil Abyss screaming and struggling. Obviously, the evil spirit he sent out had been found by a necromancer. That necromancer must have the ability to attack an evil spirit and at least have the ability to kill a low level evil spirit from the Evil Abyss.


    "How do you know?" Riska asked in surprise.


    "Let¡¯s get ready for it." Anfey did not respond to Riska.


    It had been a clear day, but suddenly it was getting dark. The dark clouds were in all kinds of weird shapes. They looked like pieces of lead floating in the sky. They were getting bigger and bigger and connected together at the end. The clouds covered the whole sky. Looking from the ground, the sky looked like it had turned into a gigantic turtle shell hovering in the sky.


    This kind of darkness was not as pitch dark aste night, but made people feel worried. Even the wind slowed down in the forest. It seemed that the wind even took on a lot of pressure.


    Riska saw groups of zombies walking out of Kekkai and stepping into the forest. The Kekkai behind the zombies used to give Riska headaches, and now was disappearing at a speed that could be noticed by the naked eye.


    Riska hurried to switch the angels Eyes of Sky to the areas he wanted to watch the most but could not see. The thick dark fog had moved away and showed the real scene behind it. Riska was confused since he did not see anything but bones everywhere.


    "They have finished it," Riska murmured. "No matter what it was that the necromancers wanted to do, they have finished."


    "Not exactly." Anfey shook his head. "Necromancers sent out all the zombies. They must want to do something big. Maybe this is what they really wanted to do the whole time."


    "Anfey, did you notice we still could not sense the Breath of Death even though those zombies had left Kekkai?" Suzanna said in a worrying tone.


    Anfey and Riska looked at each other. They could see the shock in each other¡¯s eyes. Necromancers were powerful, and their potential had no limit, but they did have a fatal w. Once they used the death magic, they would be hanging a te on their neck, saying "Come to kill me." The more death organisms necromancers would call out, the more powerful they would get. Of course, they expose themselves in a shorter time.


    If that senior necromancer could hide his magic surges when he called out the death organism, it meant death magic had reached a milestone in their magic. People usually would not feel terrified if their enemies were not easy to beat, since there were one person in their legion who definitely could beat them. However, it was terrifying to have an invisible enemy.


    "What do those necromancers want to do?" Riska sounded like he was asking himself. He looked confused.


    "I don¡¯t know what made them take such arge-scale action." Anfey shook his head. "I have no other way but secretly following them."


    "Riska, I feel..." Anfey hesitated for a second. "Those zombies seem different."


    "I have noticed that as well." Riska nodded. "When those death organisms reach a certain number, necromancers would add contract incantation to death organisms to better control them. It is nothing. It is only used to prove the ability of that senior necromancer."

 Chapter 184: Observing the Battle

    Chapter 184: Observing the Battle


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    This time, Anfey was much more cautious. The necromancers had brought their entire army, which had one, or possibly several, senior necromancers. This was not like the other battles. This was the matter of life and death. Anfey thought the necromancers would not go through so much trouble for someone as insignificant as him, but it was still better to be safe.


    When a man was looking for something, sometimes it was easier to simply stop looking and let the thinge. Anfey, Suzanna, and Riska were following the zombies, and discussing amongst themselves what the necromancers wanted. However, they could not dream of a possible answer. When Riska was changing the angle of the Eyes of the Sky, one of the coordinates was slightly off, and what appeared shocked all three of them. Even Anfey could not keep calm anymore.


    An army appeared In the Eyes of the Sky. The soldiers marched in close formation, the tips of their spears gleaming under the sunlight. This wasn¡¯t just a scout. This was the main body of the army. gs fluttered in the wind, weaving into a sea of red, ck, white, blue, and gold. ording to Anfey¡¯s source, Shansa Empire had recalled thirty thousand of its elite soldiers. Now it seemed like the news was right. Even as he watched the army march through the Eyes of the Sky, Anfey felt intimidated by the army.


    The army kept marching. Behind the infantry were thousands of men on horseback. Compared to the infantry, the formation of the cavalry was looser. gs with a ck scorpion flew over the cavalry. This indicated that these riders belonged to the fearsome Magic Scorpion Cavalry Legion. Like the Sacred City Pce Guards of Maho Empire, the Magic Scorpion Cavalry Legion consisted of elites among elites. It was mainly tasked with the safety of Shansa Empire¡¯s royal family. Only a legion of simr prowess could slow this legion.


    Hundreds of mages followed the cavalry. The Eyes of the Sky was too far away for Anfey to tell exactly what rank these mages were, but if they were serving in the army, they had to be at least senior magisters. What was more shocking, there were five carriages among the mages. Those who could afford carriages must be exceptionally powerful.


    Anfey took a deep breath. He realized he had severely underestimated the necromancers. He didn¡¯t know when the Shansa army had reached the Transverse Mountains, but the necromancers knew the army¡¯s route very well.


    What he was seeing made Anfey realize how limited his resources were, and how powerful the Evil Mist was. Clearly, the Evil Mist either had spies among the Shansa army, or they had been watching the Shansa army very closely since the army set foot in Transverse Mountain.


    Anfey knew that he had underestimated how powerful the necromancers were. The Shansa army had thirty thousand men, and the necromancers would not be this ruthless unless they knew they could defeat the army. Suddenly, the skirmishes seemed stupid and useless. A thousand zombies were a terrifying number: What would happen if the necromancers turn all thirty thousand men into zombies?


    Riska had tried to figure out the necromancers¡¯ ns, but now, it didn¡¯t matter whether they wanted to build a graveyard, create a killer zombie, or collect Death magic. They would have no trouble achieving it with thirty thousand zombies in their hands.


    "What should we do? Should we warn them?" Riska asked. A few days ago, Shansa Empire was one of his greatest enemies. Now, he was considering helping them.


    "No. Let¡¯s wait. It is going to be a good y," Anfey said.


    "A y?"


    "Let¡¯s keep watching," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t attract any attention from the necromancers..."


    Before Anfey could finish his sentence, he heard screaming and yelling off to his right. The scout must have already encountered the zombies, and was at a disadvantage.


    The sound of drums, powerful and intimidating, echoed through the valley. Soldiers of an elite army never expected ambushes. However, being an elite army, its soldiers were able to prepare themselves for a fight as soon as they were given the order. On the other hand, the necromancers never nned to ambush the army, either.


    A powerful magic surge ripped through the air. As far as the magic touched, all the tree branches lowered to the ground, and leaves fell from the branches. The grass bent down, as if arge foot had just stepped onto the grass and forced it to the ground.


    Anfey felt his body growing heavy, and almost fell off of the branch. He reached out and grabbed a nearby branch with his right hand, and grabbed Riska with his left hand. Suzanna was sitting on branches, but the magic did not affect her. However, she appeared shocked.


    "It¡¯s gravity magic!" Riska called suddenly.


    "Isn¡¯t that a forbidden spell?"


    "It is," Riska said. "How did they know it?"


    No one could answer his question. In the distance, a dark gray ball of light raised above the tree crowns and exploded in the air. Thousands of sparks scattered throughout the forest. Riska frowned, staring at the sparks. Clearly, he did not know what kind of magic it was.


    "Can you use the Eyes of the Sky?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes. We are far enough from the scene," Riska said as he released Eyes of the Sky. "The Shansa soldiers are in big trouble."


    Anfey didn¡¯t feel anything when Riska said that the Shansa soldiers were in trouble, but saw that it was something different. In the Eyes of the Sky, he saw that all the trees were bent into strange shapes. The trunks held their shapes, but the branches had all broken off the trees under the pressure of the magic. Compared to the trees, the people were much weaker. The soldiers writhed on the ground. Their armor, once providing protection, now turned into the source of their suffering. Some of the more powerful men were still standing, but they could not stand straight.


    Forbidden spells could not distinguish between friends and foes. The soldiers were affected, and so were the zombies. However, Anfey could tell the zombies were still moving towards the soldiers. Even though the zombies¡¯ movements were slow and difficult, they could still attack. The Shansa soldiers, however, could hardly move. It was almost impossible for them to win this fight.


    Magic Scorpion Cavalry Legion was in obvious trouble as well. When the spell took effect, only a few soldiers jumped off of their horses. Most horses were crushed under their riders, and the riders in the cavalry legion were heavily armored. Because of this, the soldiers could hardly stand, even though they were carefully selected elites.


    A single forbidden spell was enough change the oue of the battle. Anfey finally learned how powerful and terrifying senior magisters could be. If this continued, the Shansa army would be decimated.


    Suddenly, a bright light shone from one of the carriages. The light expanded and covered the entire area in a few seconds. The soldiers pushed themselves off of the ground as the light touched them. They didn¡¯t immediately attack. Instead, they began organizing their armor and weapons. The attack was surprising, and they had lost their horses, but the riders did not panic.


    An old man with a long, white beard stepped out of the carriage. He was grasping a magic staff, and the gold light came from the staff.


    The mages pushed themselves up as well. Another old mage walked over to join the first one. He did not say anything. Instead, he raised his hand and pointed towards the distance.


    There was no change in the environment. Riska moved the Eyes of the Sky several times before finding a wall raised out of the earth.


    "Brilliant," he murmured. "Brilliant! Now the Shansa army has the advantage." He was very excited, and the Eyes of the Sky disappeared with a flicker.


    "Why?" Anfey didn¡¯t understand why it was so brilliant. An earth wall was only an intermediate spell, something even Anfey was sure he could do in a few weeks.


    "Magic has time limit, and forbidden spells are no different," Riska exined, grinning. "The necromancers wanted to use the gravity spell to briefly disable the army, and kill as many soldiers as possible to create more zombies."


    "So?" Anfey still could not figure out why it was so brilliant.


    "What is the most precious thing? Time! If the army could hold off the zombies until the magic wore off, they could fight again. The zombies are affected by the increase in gravity as well, and there was no way they could climb over that wall. Not even killer zombies." Riska rubbed his hands together and smirked, "This is a real magic duel. Using intermediate magic to cancel out the effects of forbidden spells is a brilliant, brilliant move."

 Chapter 185: Fight for Life

    Chapter 185: Fight for Life


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Did you say those necromancers lost the battle?" Suzanna asked.


    "Well, maybe not." Riska faked a smile, and then his smile froze on his face. "No, that is not right."


    "What is not right?" Anfey was shocked by Riska¡¯sments.


    "If that mage released the magic from middle unit, how could the location of the wall be so far away? It was several miles away. Could he be the Archmage Dardanibry?" Riska asked.


    "Is that the Archmage who has a nickname of ying with space?" Suzanna was shocked as well.


    "Who is Dardanibry?" Anfey asked.


    "He is th


    e Chief Pce Mage in Shansa Empire, just like our professor. He is a space series archmage." Riska had a bitter smile.


    Anfey went quiet for a second and sighed. "Hurry up and release the Eyes of Sky. We need to check it. I feel those necromancers would not lose that easily."


    The situation on the battlefield had changed a lot when Riska released the Eyes of Sky again. Zombies actually could not crawl over the wall, but ck worms had crawled all over the walls, although it was difficult for them to tell when this had happened. Anfey and his team tried to see the sizes of the ck worms from the Eyes of Sky, but they could only see worms emerging from the wall like receding tides.


    Those worms did not seem to be affected too much by the Great Gravity. They still could move very fast. There were more wormsing out of zombies¡¯ eyes, mouths and even their wounds. They moved forward with momentum more terrifying than a flood.


    The howling wind was heard from a distance. A visible green hurricane swept through the whole battlefield. That visible green hurricane actually had been called out by mages. That hurricane picked up and carried many leaves, branches and grass with it. Looking from the Eyes of Sky, the hurricane appeared green.


    All the gs were either pulled out from the ground or broken into halves and wrapped into the hurricane. Some soldiers were picked up and wrapped into the hurricane, screaming. They only shed in the air and thenpletely disappeared. Everything had two sides to it. So did magic. No matter how well the magic was done, some unlucky soldiers on the mages¡¯ side were identally hurt by it.


    The hurricane smashed hard into the wall. Countless worms created waves of worms just like ocean waves. Some waves of worms were as high as dozens of yards, but they were ck.


    The weird worms were not scared of Great Gravity, but could not take the hit from the hurricane. In the blink of an eye, walls that were miles long became as clean as if they had just been created by the mages.


    Those worms were tough. They were brought to a height of dozens yards in the sky, fell to the ground, or smashed into each other, but they immediately rushed towards the walls as the wind got less strong.


    "Annunciata, you have fallen even further." A huge sound amplified by Amplification magic was heard in the distance. "Flesheaters should not be at this level of space. They are the magic pets of evil spirits."


    "Falling has always made me happy, hasn¡¯t it?" A gentle voice rose. "Dardanibry, you surprised me. You should not be here, should you?"


    "I only show up where I am needed," a voice rose to reply in a neither arrogant nor obsequious tone.


    "I did not expect you to be here today. I have prepared this for a long time for today. Dardanibry, you do not have a chance. Forget about it and leave now," Annunciata said.


    "You are not only failing, but also stupid. I was not concerned about your threat. I am a Space series archmage," Dardanibry said.


    "You have no idea what I want to do," the girl with a gentle voice sighed. "You will pay for underestimating me."


    "You have no idea what I want to do," Dardanibry said slowly, "Don¡¯t underestimate me. I will pull your thighbone off and stick it into your ass if your rotten body still has an ass."


    Dardanibry was polite at the beginning of the conversation. He was able to keep his voice calm in speaking with an evil necromancer. Anfey respected the manner of a powerful man, but Anfey totally changed his idea after hisst few statements. He and Suzanna gave each other a look. Within the range of Eyes of Sky, Anfey could tell the mages around Dardanibry were not enthusiastic, but they started tough really hard. Dardanibry not only cursed the opponent, but also made those mages feel good about themselves. It allowed them to feel proud of what they were doing and disdain for their opponent.


    "How many times do you think you can perform a spell of a hurricane? I hope you can keep your rudeness to the end. I will treat you very ¡®well¡¯." The voice was still very gentle. She did not care whether she could win the argument with Dardanibry at all.


    "I will always leave my rudeness to you, my falling and rottendy. Besides that, I really could not figure a way to show my ¡®sincere respect¡¯ for you." Dardanibry was not only good at magic but also at arguments. He did not give all his attention to arguing and cursing at his opponent. The hurricane moved higher in the sky. Suddenly the hurricane carrying countless worms smashed upwards to the dark clouds. The ck hurricane looked like a ck curtain from a distance.


    The clouds in the sky were knocked apart by the hurricane. A hot sunlight came through the crack. With the direct sunlight, the countless worms in the hurricane turned into ck smoke. The worms could not take sunlight, just like evil spirits¡¯ magic pets and zombies. Obviously, Darnanibry knew it.


    The zombies started to scream when the sunlight reached the ground. The leftover worms moved in waves to avoid the sunlight. They ran in panic in every direction. Their intelligence was unexpectedly higher than zombies. They knew when to run away from the dangers.


    Suddenly there was an electric blue light shing in the sky and a half circle of light appeared, blocking the sun outside it.


    "Canopy of the Death!" Dardanibry sounded surprised. He did not even have time to respond. The walls he created had already turned into dirt elements and disappeared. The barriers between zombies and soldiers had gone. ck worms moved towards them in waves.


    Dardanibry gathered magic and released Earth Breaking without any hesitation. The spell of a hurricane was senior magic. It needed more magic but had a very short lifespan. Walls could not stop those worms. As an experienced archmage, he would not make mistakes onmon sense.


    A deep trench appeared in front of the frontier soldiers with the surges of the dirt elements. With the effects of Great Gravity, a trench a few yards high could kill anyone who fell in, while the trench created by Dardanibry did not seem to have a bottom. Without even thinking much, it was easy to guess that those soldiers had no way to survive if they fell into the trench.


    A sea of worms had submerged the soldiers left on the other side of the trench. Their screaming could be heard, but they had disappeared in the sea of worms. Their screaming gradually disappeared as well, and silence fell.


    The worms knew there was no way to cross the trench, so a sea of worms suddenly moved backwards. Dardanibry heaved a sigh of relief and the corners of his mouth curled up. Great Gravity was going to lose its effectiveness soon. It would be their chance to fight back.


    On the other end of the battlefield, a person in weird clothes slowly walked out of the forest. The worms retreated to the foot of that person and started to pile up. The way they piled up was like a gigantic mushroom growing from the ground. It grew bigger and bigger. When every worm finished retreating, there was a ck ball six yards tall in front of that person.


    The zombies in the front started toy on the ground one after another. They fought the Great Gravity to pile up together. The person in weird clothes suddenly moved. The gigantic ck ball also started to roll and sped up. It rolled onto the zombies, who had piled up into a ramp to give a start for the gigantic ck ball to jump. The gigantic ball rolled onto the incline and jumped over the valley. With a huge crashing sound, the gigantic ck ball turned into countless ck meteors and fell into the crowd.


    Great Gravity started to lose its effectiveness at the same time. The mage group of Shansa Empire had reached the protection of kekkai and was ready to fight back.


    By knowing the nature of their enemies, mages performedrge-scale aggressive magic. Waves of heat had created an upside-down triangr area in the sea of worms. Freezing ice circles were released one after another. Over a dozen mages cooperated to release the spell of firewalls to set a barrier between the sea of worms and the soldiers. The barriers they set could block worms¡¯ attacks for a short time. Although they did not do it perfectly and left some gaps of different sizes between the firewalls, it had damaged thebat powers of Flesheaters. A few mages turned the area behind the firewalls into swamps to try to buy those soldiers some time to reorganize themselves to fight again.


    Some soldiers were not killed by worms and just had some time to take a breath from the fighting when they were hit by that mages¡¯ attacks. They got stuck in the swamps and screamed for their fellow soldiers to help them. Unfortunately, theirpanions pretended they did not see them. They reorganized themselves under the instruction of theirmander. This was the rule of battle. Winning was the priority. As long as there were enemies, nomander would waste their time on the wounded soldiers.


    it was no wonder mages were called "Battlefield Sweepers." Without the protection of mages, their enemies could do whatever they wanted. A sea of worms used to be invincible for the soldiers, but could be wiped out by mages in the blink of an eye. Flesheaters had always won their battles by making up numbers. Their individual ability to fight magic was not even worth mentioning. A sea of worms could be burned to ashes by waves of heat and frozen to worm sculptures by Freezing Ice Circles.

 Chapter 186: Forbidden Spell

    Chapter 186: Forbidden Spell


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The battle was getting more intense. Anfey, Riska, and Suzanna were watching it through the Eyes of the Sky, and were too absorbed in the fighting to say anything to each other. When his magic was almost depleted, Riska even opened a bottle of magic replenishing potion that Hagan made from unicorn blood. He had been saving it ever since Hagan gave it to him, but now he felt he had to use it. Riska realized the female necromancer was much more powerful than he expected, and witnessing the match between two archmages was almost a once in a lifetime chance. What was slightly disappointing was that neither mage had used forbidden spells against each other since the fight began. Both were much more focused on their soldiers. Both used many high level magic spells, but they avoided directly attacking each other.


    In truth, Dardanibry wanted to use forbidden spells, but he could not right now. The gravity spell caught him off guard. This was strange and did notply with the rules of magic. He knew his opponent must have a rare magic scroll. A forbidden spell was thest thing he wanted to use, because if the magic did not reach his desired effect after he released it, he would lose. The depletion of his magicbined the cooling off period after a spell was used would turn him into a useless man. His opponent, on the other hand, would have enough magic to perform another forbidden spell.


    For the two sides on the field, the battle was ferocious. For onlookers, the fight got boring after a while. The only thing that kept Anfey, Riska, and Suzanna watching was the anticipation for the match between two archmages.


    Time ticked on, and the Shansa soldiers were too absorbed in the fight to notice that a normal man was slowly changing the battle.


    The man¡¯s first action was to push backrge ck balls made up of hundreds of flesheaters, and soon he joined the fight himself. However, he was only a little stronger than a zombie, and did not attract any attention. Even amon junior swordsmaster could easily have defeated him. However, his recovery rate was much faster than a zombie¡¯s. Whenever he was severed by a soldier or burned to a crisp by fire magic, he was able to recover and return to the fight. Due to the intensity of the battle, however, none of the soldiers and mages noticed him. Even Dardanibry, who was observing the fight through Eyes of the Sky and aiding the soldiers with magic from a distance, did not notice him.


    The man may not have been powerful, but there were soldiers who were less powerful than he was. Several soldiers fell before him. Corpses of people who were killed by zombies were usually bloody and unrecognizable. After a while, the body would turn into a zombie as well. However, the bodies of the man¡¯s victims were all dry. There was no blood, no eyes, and no Breath of Death. The bodies turned to dust under the feet of the soldiers and zombies.


    The sun was covered by a dark grey cloud, and it was very hard to tell time. No one knew when night would fall. The tactic of Shansa Empire¡¯s mages had turned from attacking in unison to taking turns attacking. Only a dozen mages would be using magic, while the others were meditating and replenishing their magic. Zombies, on the other hand, never became tired. Compared to the flesheaters, they were much more tenacious. No spell could effectively slow down the attacks of the zombies. Some zombies were still fighting, even though their bodies were charred by fire magic.


    The most effective way to stop a zombie was to remove its head, but it was very hard for the mages to achieve that. Using soldiers for that task would be sending thousands of men to their deaths.


    The zombies were best at long, drawn out battles. The humans had no backup, and, among the thirty thousand men, the six thousand archers found themselves in a difficult situation. They were meant to be assisting the mages, but now they did not know what to do. They could only use normal arrows, and an infantryman¡¯s attack was much more powerful than a hundred arrows.


    Unlike the humans, the zombies¡¯ numbers were increasing steadily. At first, it was thirty thousand men against a thousand zombies. Now, the zombies could form a crescent formation, and were close to being able to surround the Shansa army. The Shansa army was slowly losing its advantage.


    Finally, the man hidden among the zombies caught Dardanibry¡¯s attention, because the man had just killed a junior swordsmaster. Even though the junior swordsmaster had been fighting for too long and was exhausted, the man was still exceptionally strong for a zombie. This sudden appearance of a powerful individual among the zombies rmed Dardanibry.


    The more he killed, the more powerful the man was. The shields and armor were nothing to him. The generals noticed him as well, and sent a man with a intermediate swordsmaster badge to stop him. The man caught the swordsmaster¡¯s sword, coated in blindingbat power, and punched the swordsmaster in the face, sending the man stumbling into a group of soldiers. Seeing this, Dardanibry narrowed his eyes. He had figured out who, or what, that man was.


    Powerful magic surges washed over the battlefield, and the drums rang. The Shansa soldiers began stumbling back, and the mages stopped using magic as well and began retreating. The entire battlefield was suddenly cleared. The zombies were too slow, and even though they were roaring and chasing after the soldiers, the soldiers were still able to ce some distance between them and the zombies.


    Suddenly, the wind subsided and the grass and trees stopping swaying. The air was suddenly very heavy. Through the Eyes of the Sky, Riska, Anfey, and Suzanna saw that Dardanibry¡¯s mouth was moving. Even though they could not hear the spell Dardanibry was using, the three knew that what they were waiting for was about to happen.


    A bright dot appeared in the sky. The zombies were not affected, but many soldiers crouched down and covered their eyes. Then the dot turned into thousands of light streaks and rained down and enveloped the zombies under a dome.


    The zombies suddenly stopped moving. They were still walking, roaring, and wing the air. Some were crawling on the ground, and some were lying on the ground, tripped by the weapons the soldiers left behind. It did not matter what the zombies were doing. All were still, as if frozen in time.


    A drop of blood fell off a dead soldier¡¯s finger. The droplet, sttering onto the grass, was frozen still. A soldiery dying nearby, and his prayers were preserved under the light. A grasshopper jumped from a nearby patch of grass, and its wings were fixed in the air.


    Inside the light dome, it was as if everything was nothing more than part of a painting.


    The beats of the drums changed. The mages all floated in midair and began using fire magic against the dome. The fireballs and fire meteors all turned into bright yellow marks on the light dome as they hit it. The dome was clear, and it was easy to see that the magic elements did not enter the dome. However, they were not stopped by the dome, either. Except perhaps for Dardanibry, no one could say where the elements had gone to.


    The Shansa mages kept releasing magic. Their movements were so fast their hands began to blur. Some mages had used up all their magic and returned to the ground. Those still in the air was still releasing magic.


    More and more marks appeared on the dome. The entire dome was almostpletely covered by the yellow marks, obscuring what was inside, and the light dome turned a bright yellow. There were only about twenty mages in the air. They were using meteor magic, which was high level magic with a brief cooling off period. However, they did not stop attacking during the cooling off period. They used fireballs to attack when they could not summon meteors, adding to the brightness of the light dome.


    The old mage who was standing next to Dardanibry walked over to the soldiers, his expression grave. He pointed his staff straight towards the sky, whispering a spell. A magic shield began to lower over the remaining soldiers.


    The dot of light over the light dome flickered, and the entire dome began copsing. As the dome disappeared, the marks in the dome returned to the form they had when they were created. Fireballs and meteors rained down. The amount of fire magic stopped by the dome was so great, the bright ze had turned the dark grey cloud yellow.


    With a loud explosion, the ground shook violently, roaring. Magic surged across the field, and grass, shrubs, and trees were reduced to dust in the blink an eye. Rocks, some asrge as a wheel, flew through the air. The rocks had appeared as light as leaves when the magic sent them tumbling.


    Perhaps it was because the magic¡¯s perimeter was too great, the shield shook upon impact. The outer edge was quivering visibly like a balloon in a storm. The old mage was sweating, but his arm was still straight and stiff.

 Chapter 187: God Blessed

    Chapter 187: God Blessed


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    There were still some rocks and dirt falling from the sky after the explosions. The area that had been attacked by magic already had a big hole, and all the zombies had gone. No matter how powerful the zombies were, they would not survive such an attack. Those zombies lucky enough to be outside the light dome were torn into pieces by the shock waves.


    The soldiers from Shansa Empire could not see how deep the holes were. Anfey could not see it clearly either. As the magic explosions were about to happen, Anfey felt something wrong by instinct. He grabbed Suzanna and Riska and jumped off the tree. They hid behind a little dirt mound. They were not in the mood to continue to watch what was going on through the Eyes of the Sky. Luckily, they were far enough away; otherwise they would have gotten hurt as badly as those zombies if they had been two or three hundred yards closer.


    Anfey got hit the most among three of them. Suzanna protected herself withbat power, while Riska released a protection shield. Anfey did not have any way to block the rocks and dirt falling from the sky. Anfey stood up when the explosions were over. He looked like he was made from dirt. He immediately performed Qi to shake off the dirt on him. He bent over to get the dirt out of his hair, but he could not get all the dirt off him.


    "Annunciata, you lost!" Dardanibry¡¯s voice rose. It was a victory im, but he sounded like he was tired.


    The female necromancer did not respond to him with an argument, but with magic. A terrifying magic surge swept the forest. The magic surge got stronger and stronger. After a moment, the surge suddenly disappeared. Hundreds of ck balls flew up from the forest. They flew towards the battlefield like flocks of birds.


    Those ck balls did not attack right away. They only hovered over the hole with a radius of 50 yards. ck fog arose from the big hole. The amount of fog was gettingrger andrger. The ck fog seemed like it got instructions from somewhere. It gathered to create a ck light pir more than ten yards high.


    The soldiers from Shansa Empire were amazed by what they saw. No one dared to walk out of the magic dome. They knew there was no point for them to be part of this battle anymore.


    The ck pir continued to condense and turned into a egg-shaped object. Only the shape was not so irregr. The shell of the egg was constantly moving. It looked like there was something inside the egg, trying to crawl out. It was a battle,parable to a checker game. There was no time to think what was the next step was for the battle. A few meteorites fell from the sky and hit the egg-shaped object. The egg-shaped object suddenly gave out a bright light.


    The hit did not break the eggshell. After the bright light disappeared, that weird egg still floated in the air.


    Before the mages could attack again, the eggshell shattered like ss. It turned into countless ck lights. A person showed up in front of everyone. Because of the distance, most people could not see the person¡¯s face clearly, but the long hair flowing in the wind indicated it might be a woman or female monster.


    "Annunciata, why don¡¯t you give up?" Dardanibry¡¯s voice rose again.


    "Are you talking to me?" The voice was lowpared with the voice before. The talking was not from the forest. Instead, it sounded like the person with long hair was talking.


    "You..." Dardanibry¡¯s voice trembled. Later everyone knew what made his voice tremble. "The spell of Great Disassembly?"


    Dardanibry only knew a few forbidden death magic spells, but he had never seen any of them. When he saw Annunciata came out from the eggshell, he knew the answer: she had used the spell of Great Disassembly.


    "Powerful attack! Who was that person? How did she appear?" Anfey asked in surprise. Riska released the Eyes of Sky, but could not see anything in front of him.


    "I do not know. It seemed to be a woman," Riska said in a low voice.


    "Ok, I asked for nothing." Anfey helplessly shook his head. "What is Great Disassembly? Is it forbidden magic?"


    "Oh, right. Riska, can I practice Death magic?" Anfey was not scared of death and was interested in everything.


    "No." Riska rolled his eyes.


    Annunciata¡¯s voice arose. "Dardanibry, you ruined everything I did for the past decades. Do you know how would I respond to you?" Annunciata had always sounded sweet, but her voice suddenly became very high pitched. Obviously, she could not control her anger anymore.


    "Do you want to use advanced Great Disassembly?" Dardanibry asked.


    Annunciata answered his question with silence. The magic surges around her body started to get stronger and stronger.


    "No wonder you dare to do this. The reason you dared to get out of your cave is your body, oh, no, your bones are about to copse." Dardanibry knew he had guessed right. He sounded happy about it. If Annunciata could move one more level, it would take a lot to destroy her. Of course, he knew Annunciata was a lot more powerful with Great Disassembly. He had to be ready to face Annunciata¡¯s anger, but he would never regret today¡¯s battle.


    "Go to hell!" Annunciata yelled in anger. She started to chant with her head down.


    The mages from Shansa Empire immediately release magic, trying to attack Annunciata before her spells could bepleted. Annunciata¡¯s spells were finished a lot quicker than they expected. A gigantic person¡¯s shadow suddenly appeared in the sky. It stood right in front of Annunciata. All the attacks were blocked by that shadow.


    "The Fallen Angel?" Dardanibry yelled in surprise.


    The gigantic shadow was more than ten yards tall. The two ck wings on its back moved like light fog. The shadow held her right hand in front of the chest with a sword. Her left hand was down, with a shield six or seven yards in length and width on her arm. Meteorites and lightning hitting on her did not cause any damage.


    The fallen angel had mmed her sword down on the magic dome. The gigantic sword and magic dome collided and made a huge shing sound. That older magic made a low pitched noise in pain. The magic dome broke, and so did the fallen angel.


    Dardanibry heaved a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as it was not Fallen Angel¡¯s magic. But his smiles disappeared right away.


    Gigantic bone spears appeared in Annunciata¡¯s hands. Those gigantic spears flew towards the soldiers. Regr bone spears should disappear after hitting the target, but the bone spears from Annunciata were really unusual. They were moving around like fish swimming in the ocean. They moved everywhere, thrusting to the left, right, up and down. Everyone who got stabbed by the bone spears had a big bloody hole in their bodies. Those bone spears did not stop or disappear. They quickly moved on to their next targets.


    One bone spear should not have too much power, but dozens of them moving around in the crowd looked terrifying. A few powerful swordsmen from Shansa Empire had sessfully broken some bone spears. However, for every bone spear they broke, five more were released by Annunciata. Bone spears moved everywhere in the crowd, which did not allow swordsmen to push soldiers away from the spear withbat power. Swordsmen could not chase after the bone spears either. They had to stand there and wait for the spears toe their way.


    Fear Kekkai, Weak Kekkai, Older Kekkai and other spells were performed on the battlefield one after another. Spells could not turn soldiers intombs waiting to be ughtered as Great Gravity. However, when the effects of all spells were added together, it made soldiers lose over half of theirbat power. Especially, fear Kekkai had put the whole military array in chaos.


    The over six thousand archers finally got the chance to showcase their talent. With mages in the center of their formation, dispel magic had taken the cursing effects off them. At the instruction of themander, they uniformly pulled their bowstrings, and aimed at Annunciata in the sky. Countless arrows shot towards Annunciata. It looked like a flock of birds departing together.


    A gigantic bone shield appeared in front of Annunciata. The bone shield easily blocked the arrows. The effects of the magic domes and shields totally depended on the mage¡¯s magic power and telephathy. Annunciata used to not be able to protect herself with just a magic shield, but she could now that her magic power was at its peak.


    Dardanibry started to worry. He knew necromancers could get very powerful in a very short time with Great Dissemble, but he did not know Annunciata could be this powerful. Cursing, Magic shield, bone spears and other magic were performed one after another without any break. Even Dardanibry could not do it. Only legendary archmages could release their magic like this.


    The soldiers who got hurt by bone spears suddenly started to move. There was rotten power in Annunciata¡¯s bone spears. Therefore, every soldier she killed would be a zombie.


    Around forty zombies on the other side of the battlefield rushed into the battlefield from the forest. They howled as they ran. Judging from their speed, they had advanced to be battle zombies.


    Dardanibry took a deep breath, smiling bitterly at his own Dimension ring. In the blink of an eye, there were hundreds more zombies. There would be more zombiesing. Dardanibry could not waste any more time. Everyone carried some responsibilities that they could not shake off. If Dardanibry wanted to leave, Annunciata could not stop him, even though her power had increased dramatically. Dardanibry could not leave thousands of soldiers behind. Where could he go without them?


    "God bless..." A clear and elegant voice suddenly came. The voice was not loud, but everyone on the battlefield could hear it clearly. That voice sounded so soothing. The soldiers from Shansa Empire stopped panicking. Zombies looked up to look at her.


    Dardanibry was shocked for a second when he heard this familiar voice. He looked so exhrated. Dardanibry was rude, but he could always keep calm when something big happened. He rarely lost control of himself.


    Annunciata screamed in the sky in the way girls might react when they saw snakes, rats and roaches. She backed off as she screamed. Obviously, she knew the neer and had lost many battles to her; otherwise she would not have backed off when her power had increased dramatically.

 Chapter 188: Befriended

    Chapter 188: Befriended


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The sudden change on the battlefield made Anfey even more interested. He leaned in closer to the Eyes of the Sky to observe the battle. However, the Eyes of the Sky flickered and disappeared.


    "Riska?"


    "It¡¯s not my fault," Riska said hurriedly. He looked shocked. Judging from the magic surges, he knew someone had used a forbidden spell. However, this was the first time he learned that a forbidden spell could disrupt other elements and cause his Eyes of the Sky to disappear.


    On the battlefield, the forbidden spell had already taken effect. What was surprising was that the forbidden spell did not unleash blinding lights or deafening sounds. There was only a small halo that hung over Annunciata¡¯s head.


    Annunciata screamed in agony. She didn¡¯t use any amplifying magic, but her scream could be heard for miles. She moved around, trying to get away from the light halo. However, no matter what she did, the halo followed her persistently.


    Suddenly, thick, ck smoke obscured Annunciata¡¯s figure. People could not see Annunciata, but they could see the small halo, hanging in midair. The ck smoke streaked through the air as Annunciata escaped.


    Clearly, the halo was still following her, because her scream could still be heard.


    "The necromancers have lost," Riska said. He could not see the battlefield, but the scream told him what had unfolded.


    Anfey narrowed his eyes, and Suzanna reached for her sword. Riska looked like he did not feel anything was wrong, and kept on talking. "Did you hear that?" he asked. "By the mercy of gods, the Priests of Light have arrived! Thank god ck Eleven spread the news."


    "Who¡¯s ck Eleven?" a deep voice asked.


    Riska frowned and summoned an earth wall, then a magic shield appeared around his body. He floated through the air and was about to use a lightning spell when he realized neither Anfey nor Suzanna were moving. Riska hesitated, but did not use the lightning spell.


    "Don¡¯t worry," the voice said. "I mean no harm."


    A man in his seventies stood by an old tree, looking at the trio, grinning. He looked like a normal old man. His clothing and his appearance weremon, and did not seem threatening. However, Anfey still felt strange. He could see the old man, but he could not feel him. It was as if the old man was a part of the forest.


    "Who are you?" Anfey asked. He was very respectful towards the old man, because the man was able to approach him without rming him. That proved how powerful the old man must be.


    "Bruzuryano," the old man said. "Who is this ck Eleven you speak of?"


    "His real name is Armin," Anfey said. "ck Eleven is just a nickname."


    "That¡¯s an interesting choice for a nickname, don¡¯t you think?" Bruzuryano said with a smile. He looked at Anfey and said, "Let me guess. You must be Anfey."


    "You must be an acquaintance of Armin¡¯s, then," Anfey said.


    "And this youngdy must be Suzanna."


    "Bruzuryano? Which Bruzuryano?" Suzanna asked. She did not treat the old man with the same respect Anfey did.


    "Are there a lot of people with this name?" Bruzuryano asked.


    "I never expected to run into you here, sir." Once she confirmed his identity, Suzanna replied respectfully.


    "I¡¯m old now, and there are very few things that interest me. I heard themotion at Transverse Mountain, and I had toe and see for myself," Bruzuryano said. "Who knows if this will be thest time I will witness something like this?" Bruzuryano smiled and turned his gaze to Riska. "You must be Riska."


    "Yes," Riska said. "Nice meeting you, sir."


    "All good men," Bruzuryano said. "You are younger than most junior magisters." He turned to Suzanna and said, "And you, my dear. I think the world will see the rise of a new master swordsman in no time."


    "I am nothingpared to you, sir," Suzanna said.


    "Compared to me now? If you can beat me, then that means I have aplished nothing in my seventy years in this world," Bruzuryano said.


    "No, that is not what I meant," Suzanna exined, blushing.


    "I can¡¯t really understand you, child." Bruzuryano turned his gaze to Anfey and observed him carefully.


    "Surely you don¡¯t have to understand everyone, sir," Anfey said. He knew that Bruzuryano meant no harm to him and hispanions, or else he would not engage Suzanna and Riska in conversation. He also knew that Bruzuryano must have been one of the most powerful men in the world at that moment.


    Logically, men like Bruzuryano did notck respect. In reality, being favored by a woman and being favored by a powerful man were two very simr things. One needed to be as interesting as possible to gain their attention. People like Suzanna and Riska would not catch the attention of a powerful man. Anfey didn¡¯t want to try and befriend every powerful man he encountered, but he knew that it was better to leave a strong impression than to leave no impression at all.


    "You are not wrong, child," Bruzuryano said with augh.


    "Sir, are you here to fight the necromancers?" Riska asked. He wish he could see the old man in action, even if it meant there would be another group of necromancers.


    "I just wanted to see what had happened. Hunting down those necromancers is nbrea¡¯s job."


    "nbrea?" Suzanna gasped. "The High Priest of Light? You are here with him? But..."


    Anfey smiled and shook his head. Another powerful man? Plus Annunciata and Dardanibry, this was a gathering of the most powerful men and women of the world.


    "But what?" Bruzuryano asked. He knew what Suzanna wanted to say, and was clearly toying with her.


    "But you are an Arch Druid, sir. You and nbrea..." Suzanna hesitated.


    "You mean nbrea is my arch rival?"


    The Church of Light antagonizes all the other religions. Sometimes, the antagonism would lead to bloody battles. As a believer in the Goddess of Nature, Bruzuryano was not a likely associate of nbrea.


    Suzanna nodded.


    "Just rumors," Bruzuryano said. "We are too old for petty brawls now."


    "It¡¯s not just petty brawls, sir. You¡¯re fighting for your honor!" Riska had always treated battles as something serious and sacred. Hearing Bruzuryano describing it as petty brawls, he felt he needed to correct him.


    Bruzuryano stared at him and smiled. He looked as if he was reminiscing about something. Over the years, he had fought for many different causes. Now, he was too old, and none of it mattered.


    Suzanna kicked Riska and told him to not correct Bruzuryano again. "It¡¯s disrespectful," she said.


    "Fighting is something for the youth," Bruzuryano said. "We are old now, and we know that not everything can be solved by violence. Do you know what I will do if I run into Annunciata?"


    "The necromancer? Surely you will challenge her to a duel," Riska said.


    "No. I will invite her to have a drink with me. If only she was still beautiful," Bruzuryano said, shaking his head. "This time, though, she has gone too far. She killed too many people. Even I am angry with her."


    "Would you invite her to bed, if she was still beautiful?" Anfey thought, but kept his thought to himself. The few powerful men he had encountered before all had some notable traits. Saul was kind and generous; Ernest was serious and meticulous; Miorich was loyal and passionate. They were very different, but every one of them worthy of great respect. Bruzuryano clearly did not hold a grudge against the necromancers like most of the world. Bruzuryano did not finish his sentence, but Anfey thought his guess wasn¡¯t far off.


    "Was that necromancer beautiful?" Suzanna asked.


    "She was stunning. In fact, she became a necromancer to preserve that very beauty.


    She is in trouble this time, though," Bruzuryano said with a sigh. "nbrea¡¯s Seal of the Gods will follow her. Perhaps for a few months, maybe half a year or longer. When that seal is gone, she will be as good as dead. Don¡¯t make the Church your enemy. They may appear kind, but really, they are capable of cruelty beyond amon man¡¯s imagination."

 Chapter 189: Incomprehensible Help

    Chapter 189: Iprehensible Help


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You like to talk behind people¡¯s backs. When are you going to change this bad habit?" A voice was clearly heard. A middle-aged man in white gown appeared about a dozen yards behind Bruzuryano.


    "Who said I am talking behind people¡¯s backs? I knew you were here. I said that to you on purpose. Don¡¯t you get it?" Bruzuryano frowned.


    Anfey nced at the middle-aged man. From the way they talked, the middle-aged man must be the Priest of Light, nbrea. Maybe it was the nature of Light magic. He looked humble, honest, and kind.


    Two not-so-young mages slowlynded behind nbrea. nbrea¡¯s face did not change. They seemed to be friends; otherwise, nbrea would have been concerned about it. It was taboo to have a person behind a mage without knowing whether that person is a friend or an enemy. It would pose too much of a threat to the mage.


    "Don¡¯t you want to introduce your friends?" nbrea asked with a smile.


    "Armin was sent out to spread the news. This is Anfey. He..." Bruzuryano said.


    "I got it." nbrea was shocked for a second. He immediately interrupted Bruzuryano.


    "Are you the Anfey?" Dardanibry suddenly asked.


    "Yes," Anfey answered him curtly.


    Dardanibry gave Anfey a long look, but did not ask Anfey more questions.


    "Your bravery has won my respect. If you did not send the news out, I would not know how many people would die from necromancers." nbrea slowly walked up to Anfey. He held his finger out and pointed it at Anfey¡¯s forehead.


    Anfey did not move, quietly looking at nbrea. He was wise. If nbrea wanted to hurt him, there was no way he could avoid it. If nbrea did not intend to hurt him, his move could make nbrea misunderstand him. It would be better stand still than dodging.


    nbrea¡¯s finger lightly touched Anfey¡¯s forehead. He pulled his finger back with a smile. He turned around and said, "Dardanibry, we should go and clean up the battlefield now. We need to find Annunciata¡¯s nest around here and destroy it as well."


    "Sure." Dardanibry nodded. He made a path for nbrea.


    nbrea did not say anything before he left. He slowly walked into the forest. Dardanibry and the other mage caught up with nbrea in big strides. Seeing the three of them disappearing, Bruzuryano stayed where he was without moving.


    "Getting old, getting old. I cannot keep up with the times," Bruzuryano said with a smile.


    "You talk too much." Anfey started to look calm.


    "You should not me me for that." Bruzuryano stared with wide eyes.


    "But nbrea¡¯s response time was a lot shorter than yours," Anfey said.


    "I am telling you. First of all, nbrea is twenty years younger than me. Secondly, I can call him nbrea, but you cannot. You would be punished or torn apart by his manic disciples if you called him nbrea. Last, there are a lot of cause-effect rtionships in this world. The cause is on you, not me. You cannot me me for that," Bruzuryano said.


    "I did not me you, did I?" Anfey said.


    Bruzuryano looked at Anfey for a while and said, "Are you scared?"


    Anfey grinned, but he did not answer the question verbally. However, his facial expression clearly told Bruzuryano that he was not afraid of anything.


    "Then I am leaving?" Bruzuryano turned half way around and pretended to walk away, but he still looked at Anfey out of the corner of his eye.


    "Take care," Anfey said.


    "I am really leaving now," Bruzuryano said.


    Anfey felt helpless when he had to deal with this naughty, old, powerful man. He had to nod to signal him to leave.


    "Kido, you are too stubborn." Bruzuryano turned around with a helpless look. "No matter what, Saul is my friend. I do not want him toe to my house to kick my ass. In addition, I did make trouble for him. What should I do?"


    Anfey continued to keep quiet. He was sentimental at that moment. He thought to himself that he would be treated so differently if he did not have a "well-known" master. If they were not the students of Saul, who would care whether they were alive or dead. Master Swordsman Philip¡¯s chase sounded terrible, but did not actually do anything to them. The chase was stopped by Ynthe¡¯s constraint, otherwise the worst case scenario might have yed out.


    "How about I give you one thing?" Bruzuryano held his hand out as he talked. There was a piece of leaf with a fine gold chain on his hand. That leaf looked and felt no difference than a regr leaf. It did not have any magic surges. No one knew what it could do.


    "Thank you," Anfey said.


    "You are wee. But let me tell you first, you can borrow it for now. I did not give it to you. Do you understand?" Bruzuryano said.


    Anfey smiled and nodded. Bruzuryano gently put the leaf on Anfey¡¯s neck. "Tell Saul I do not owe him anything anymore."


    Anfey was shocked. His first reaction was to take the leaf off and return it to Bruzuryano.


    "I am just joking. I do not owe Saul anything," Bruzuryano smiled.


    Anfey¡¯s hand froze in the air. He did not know if he should take it off or not. He was confused and could not tell if Bruzuryano was telling him the truth.


    "Ok, you guys should leave now." Bruzuryano waved his hand and strode into the forest. Others had to walked around the ancient trees. They would not be stupid enough walk into the trees, but Bruzuryano walked straight forward. The bushes and ancient trees turned into objects that could walk and made a path for him.


    "Anfey, should we go back to Moramatch now?" Riska did not understand their conversation, but he was not interested in it anyway. He cared about when he could go back to Moramatch to see the rest of the legion.


    "We are not going back." Anfey shook his head. "Let¡¯s go. We need leave as soon as we can. We will talk as we walk."


    The dark clouds in the sky had gradually disappeared as Annunciata fled. The sky started to look clear. It was sunset as Anfey and the two others were running towards the direction of the sun.


    Riska was indeed flying, while Anfey and Suzanna were running. Without knowing how long they had run, Anfey started to be out of breath. Suzanna and Riska were still fine. Anfey was physically stronger than Suzanna, but Suzanna was a lot better than Anfey when she usedbat power.


    Anfey took a deep breath and calcted the distance in his mind. He waved to signal Suzanna and Riska to stop for a second.


    "Anfey, what happened?" Suzanna immediately asked. She had no idea what this running was for. Anfey looked as though he was in thought when he ran. She did not want to interrupt his thinking. She finally found an opportunity to ask.


    "That Dardanibry would not just let us leave like this," Anfey said in a low voice.


    Suzanna and Riska gasped quietly. The news that Anfey wiped out a Griffin Aerial Unit had spread. Dardanibry must have known about it. He was as a pce mage of Shansa Empire and would not easily just let Anfey go.


    "I got it. Bruzuryano slipped. Damn it!" Bruzuryano was one of the most powerful men, but he was not here. Riska did not care what he said about him.


    "It was not that simple," Anfey said slowly.


    "Of course. Top powerful men are never simple," Riska said.


    "I did not mean it that way. I mean he slipped on purpose and then..." Anfey said.


    "Then he took the opportunity to give you that leaf?" Riska said.


    "I know these conclusions sound a little ridiculous, but I just have a feeling that he did it on purpose. I could not figure out why he would do it." Anfey held the leaf in front of his chest. "Do you know what this is?"


    "Let me take a look." Riska felt it with his fingers. "This just looks like a regr leaf."


    "You are talking bulls*#t. I should not have shown it to you." Anfey did not know whether he shouldugh or cry. He pushed Riska¡¯s hand away from the leaf. "Suzanna, can you tell what this is?"


    "It looks like a badge a druid would wear. Anfey, do you feel anything different when you wear it?"


    "Nothing different." Anfey went quiet and pulled the leaf with his hands. He pulled slightly on both sides. The leaf seemed to have really good sticity. When Anfey let his hands go, it went back to its original shape.


    Anfey gradually pulled the leaf harder, but the leaf would always go back to its normal shape when Anfey let his hands go. Anfey even used half of his strength to pull the leaf apart, like he was tearing a piece of paper at the end. Suddenly a bright light shed and Anfey¡¯s hands released the leaf.


    Anfey, Suzanna and Riska looked at each other, confused. The moment the light shed, they all felt strong magic surges. Obviously, this was not an ordinary leaf.


    "Never mind. We will study it when it is dark." Anfey gave it up. The magic surges were too strong. If Dardanibry chased after them, the magic surges would allow Dardanibry to find them easily. Anfey dared not experiment with it anymore.


    "Oh, right, Anfey. Did that nbrea do anything to you? I saw him pointing to your forehead," Suzanna asked in a low voice.


    "I feel something went into my head, but it seemed like nothing happened either." Anfey looked confused. This difference in ability make him feel helpless. If a patient had surgery and the doctor refused to tell the patient what organ he had cut out, that patient must be confused as well.


    "Do you think it was a good thing or bad thing?" Suzanna asked in a worried tone.


    "I do not know," Anfey sighed. "If they wanted to hurt me, they did not have to go through so much trouble. If they wanted to help us, what is the reason? I still do not get it."

 Chapter 190: Mirage

    Chapter 190: Mirage


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After a short rest, Anfey, Riska, and Suzanna continued traveling to the west. Anfey decided that it was very unlikely Dardanibry woulde after him. The Shansa army just battled the necromancers, and had suffered great losses. As the heart of the army, Dardanibry should stay with the soldiers. However, he could not eliminate the possibility of Dardanibry sending an elite team to hunt him down. He only had Suzanna and Riska with him, and would be severely outnumbered. If he could make it to Moramatch, he could stop worrying about having an elite team on his trail. However, Moramatch could be ced under siege.


    Shansa Empire¡¯s Griffins Aerial Unit had less than a thousand riders, but every single griffins knight was a treasure to the nation. Destroying an entire squadron was disastrous. Anfey could only imagine how much Edward VIII must hate him. Even though he was the one that warned the Church, Shansa Empire could ignore that and still try to kill him.


    The three did not stop until the moon was high in the sky. Anfey stopped and estimated how much they had left to travel, then gestured for Suzanna and Riska to stop. They were lucky, and found a hole in a tree where they could rest.


    The trio was ready to rest, but not before they prepared the hole. The tree was veryrge, and the hole was big enough for Anfey to stretch himself out. However, it was infested with ants, insects, and venomous animals like snakes.


    Anfey was responsible for the cleanup. For someone who could control hundreds of fireballs, it was a very easy job. After a few minutes, the entire interior of the hole was charred. Touching the wall would result in a handful of soot. Anfey looked at his hand, reached over and wiped the dark soot on Suzanna¡¯s face. Anfey could control his emotions, but Riska couldn¡¯t. His reaction tipped off Suzanna, who wiped some soot on Anfey¡¯s face as retribution.


    Anfey and Suzanna kept wiping soot on each other¡¯s faces andughing. Riska sat nearby, and was bored and jealous at the same time.


    Riska though of the saying about women and crooks being hard to keep under control, meaning that if one became close with a woman or a crook, the person would forget that he was not the one in control. If one try to distance himself, than they would began to hate him.


    Many believed that women should obey men¡¯s every order and respect men, and men did not have to do anything.


    Anfey had alway thought the belief to be nonsense. When he was still an assassin, he believed that a home was somewhere he could be by himself andpletely rx. Since he could not and would not rx, he had always rejected every woman. For the longest time, he had never had a rtionship thatsted for more than a night. If Anfey hadn¡¯t believed that home was a ce where he should rx, he might have already married.


    Since he and Suzanna began their rtionship, the two of them had became incredibly close. For some more conservative men, perhaps even disrespectful. However, Anfey loved that about Suzanna. In the past, Suzanna had been so sullen because of her past. Now, Suzanna was acting more like a young woman her age.


    In the end, Anfey admitted defeat and called Riska over to use water magic. Anfey wanted to help, but Suzanna insisted on Riska helping. She didn¡¯t know whether Anfey really wanted to help her or he simply wanted to y another prank.


    After Suzanna and Riska fell asleep, Anfey sat there and yed with some leaves. Then he closed his eyes and began taking slow, deep breaths.


    His usually calm state of mind was different. Anfey discovered that this time, the meditation was a whole new experience. Not only his surroundings, but almost the entire forest was clear in his mind. If he wanted to, he could see everything.


    If he was a normal person, maybe he would try to see as far as he could, or try to see everything. However, Anfey knew the effects meditation could have. When a person¡¯s mind was calm enough, he could see many realistic mirages. Like the woman he fancied, the beasts he feared, his troubles and joys. Everything was a simple mirage, and it was a difficult step in achieving the next level in his skills. If one really believed the mirages, he risked losing himself.


    When he was learning, his mentor stressed that he should be calm at all times. Nothing was real. Anfey was not moved by the mirages. He took a deep breath and began to calm his mind down.


    A colorful snake slithered towards the hole. It stopped outside, hissing. It turned away and left as if it could sense what was inside. Two bugs nearby were mating, but before they could finish, a bird swooped down and pecked them off of the ground. The bird chirped happily. Normal birds could not see in the dark. Clearly this bird was not amon species. A group of rats were ripping chunks of flesh off of the body of a small magic beast. There were too many rats, and the body was soon picked clean. A wounded rat limped over, but the small magic beast had no flesh on its bones anymore. Driven by hunger, the wounded rat began licking the bones. The rats swarmed the wounded one, and soon only bones were left.


    Anfey frowned. Usually, he only needed to concentrate and calm himself to make a mirage disappear. This time, however, the mirage lingered. What was even stranger was that the mirages happened all at once instead of one after another. In this moment, his mind seemed infinite,rge enough to hold everything.


    Anfey decided he should stop meditating. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The leaf on his chest burst into blinding white light. Anfey¡¯s heart skipped a beat. What was even more shocking than the glowing leaf was the fact that he could see the forest even after he had opened his eyes.


    He realized he might have just lost himself meditating. Anfey took another deep breath, and did not panic. He kept his breathing steady, and began to search for ways to escape the mirages.


    Even after more than three hundred breaths, Anfey still could not find a way to escape. Mirages could cause people to lose themselves because people chose to believe the mirages were real. Anfey always tried to keep warning himself that what he was seeing was not real.


    After a few minutes, Anfey began trying to move his body. He couldn¡¯t just sit and wait for the mirages to disappear. It would take forever. Waiting wasn¡¯t the right thing to do.


    He could see the inside wall of the hole and the tree¡¯s bark. He could even see something between the inside and the outside of the tree. He closed his eyes, then opened them slowly, but he discovered that no matter what he did, the image did not change.


    There was a caterpir climbing down the tree. Anfey walked out of the hole and poked the caterpir. He flicked the insect away, and felt its body on his fingers.


    He had to admit that the mirages were unbelievably real. No wonder so many people lose themselves because of these mirages.


    A normal man might have already believed that the mirages were real, but Anfey kept reminding himself that they were not. He still had so many things he hadn¡¯t done. He did not want to die this way. He couldn¡¯t let himself believe it was real.


    But how would he find a way out? Anfey frowned and walked back into the hole. His gaze fell on Suzanna and he noticed something strange. In the mirage, he could see through the tree and see what was inside it. Logically, he should be able to see what was inside Suzanna, as well. However, she was simply lying there, no different from how he had normally seen her.


    Perhaps Suzanna would provide a way out for him. Anfey walked over and sat down next to her quietly. He lifted her head up with his hand and let her rest in his arms. Suzanna¡¯s eyes flickered open, and she stared at Anfey.


    Anfey knew that mirages were the reflection of what he was thinking. In the mirage, Suzanna would disy the expression Anfey believed she would disy. Anfey felt angry. He didn¡¯t like the mirage controlling Suzanna¡¯s expression. His hands reached down and grabbed her breasts. Her body was warm and soft under his fingers.

 Chapter 191: Treasure

    Chapter 191: Treasure


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Ah..." Suzanna suddenly screamed and struggled to get away from Anfey¡¯s grasp. She backed off to the end of the cave. She stared at Anfey as she signaled to him that Riska was in sight. Obviously, she was telling Anfey that he should not behave this way when Riska was still there.


    This illusion seemed even more real than the real world. Anfey smiled bitterly at Riska. The tree cave was dark, but Anfey still could clearly see Riska¡¯s eyshes fluttering, which meant Riska had been awakened by Suzanna¡¯s scream. Riska murmured something. He seemed to tell Anfey and Suzanna that he was still dreaming and hinted to them that he would not bother them and they should continue what they were doing.


    Anfey used to have strong willpower, but now he started to panic. He was not afraid of strong enemies, danger or death, but he did not want to sink even more into this illusion. Pain, sadness, bitterness, reluctance to give up, helplessness and other negative feelings umted in him and exploded into a long scream. Anfey¡¯s scream echoed in the dark.


    Riska could not pretend anymore. He suddenly sat up. Suzanna saw Anfey constantly screaming as he looked out of the cave. His screaming sounded sad. Suzanna ran to Anfey and hugged him without concern for the presence of Riska. She asked in a worried tone: "Anfey, what happened? Anfey, what is wrong?"


    Anfey suddenly turned around, staring at Suzanna. He held Suzanna towards him tight and kissed her little lips. Anfey was mature and had good self-control. When he knew he could escape from the illusion, he was at the edge of losing his self-control. He had to do something to vent it out. Knowing Suzanna was just an illusion, he still wanted to do it.


    Riska was startled. He hurried out of the cave and released levitation to fly onto the tree.


    Suzanna struggled hard at the beginning. As Anfey kissed her more, she struggled less and less. Her body was getting weaker and weaker, and fell into Anfey¡¯s arm at the end.


    Without knowing how much time had passed, Anfey held Suzanna less tight. Suzanna was aroused in Anfey¡¯s arm. It took her a while to realize what happened. She caressed Anfey¡¯s chest and asked in a low voice, "Anfey, did you recall some unhappy moments? I actually had a lot of those unhappy moments. Don¡¯t think about it. We both do not think about them. I will be here for you, and you will be here for me in the future. We are going to live a happy life together."


    "Hahaha, my girl." Anfey was flirty and lifted Suzanna¡¯s chin, and then his smile froze on his face.


    Anfey suddenly pushed Suzanna away. He looked around and then closed his eyes and opened them wide open again. It was gone. The illusion had gone. He now could only see things with the vision of a normal person¡¯s eyes. For those insects, birds, magic beasts, or even trees outside in the forest, they were all gone. Of course, Suzanna was still the same Suzanna.


    Illusion finally disappeared! Anfey almost wanted to cheer out loud. He returned to his normal status after the illusion was gone. Anfey took a deep breath and tried to control his emotions. He looked at Suzanna for a long time and smiled. "You are my lucky star."


    "What lucky star?" Suzanna got even more confused.


    Riska faked a few coughs and walked in. "I just went to use the restroom. Howe you guys all woke up?" It looked like Riska tried hard to prove he had not seen anything, but his excuses sounded too obvious.


    "Riska, why did you run before?" Anfey smiled. He clearly had seen Riska running away. As he finished hisment, he shocked himself. No! He saw Riska running away in his illusion. Now the illusion had gone. Riska and Suzanna came back. When the illusion disappeared, he was still holding Suzanna. What on earth just happened? Was the illusion continuing? Had the illusion never happened?


    Anfey was experienced, but very inexperienced in terms of practice. Anfey could borrow the experiences from his ancestors on Stamina Refining stage and Qi Refining stage. He had to stumble through on Spirit Refining stage and Inner Alchemy stage. This illusion had totally confused Anfey.


    "Anfey" Suzanna called to Anfey when she saw Anfey lost in thought.


    "What did I do?" Anfey asked in a worried tone.


    "I did not see anything. I saw nothing." Riska waved his hands hard.


    Suzanna ran to the back of the cave with a low pitched scream. She was a girl. She was too shy to describe what had happened, especially when Riska was there. She was not even brave enough to listen to anyone describing what happened. Suzanna was brave on the battlefield, but she was like a coward this time, and a coward in blush.


    "Tell me, what did I do?" Anfey asked with a serious tone.


    "Ah..." Riska waved his fingers. "I don¡¯t know." He dared not say it. Neither could he. He worried that he would be bullied for that reasonter on.


    "I am not joking. Tell me. It is very important." Anfey heaved a sigh of relief.


    "You do not know what you did?" Riska asked.


    "I know, but I need someone to prove what I thought." Anfey nced at Suzanna as he talked.


    "You were talking with Suzanna," Riska said.


    "What did I say?" Anfey asked.


    "You did not say much. You just screamed. It sounded horrible," Riska said.


    "What happened afterwards?" Anfey asked.


    "Then Suzanna rushed over to ask you what happened," Riska said.


    "And what happened?" Anfey asked.


    Suzanna cuddled into a ball. She even closed her eyes. She really did not understand why Anfey had to ask about these things. She felt so embarrassed and was very angry with Anfey.


    "And then you held Suzanna, then..." Riska blushed. He had his lips cursed. He would rather use actions to hint to Anfey than telling him in words.


    "Was I strange in any way?" Anfey asked.


    "Strange?" Riska looked at Anfey and sighed, "Anfey, be honest, you were strange in many ways."


    "I did not mean being strange emotionally, but in other ways. What do you think?" Anfey asked.


    Riska looked at Anfey for a while and said, "Anfey, the leaf on your chest was giving out light, but there is no light now. Is it strange?"


    "Leaf?" Anfey looked down at his own chest. The leaf had turned back to normal. Anfey had a good memory. He did remember the leaf gave out light, just as Riska said. In other words, maybe, the secrets of the illusion were in that leaf.


    Anfey calmed himself and slowly closed his eyes. To a Qi practitioner, he might not be able to be in Samadhi as he wanted. Anfey was an ancient martial arts practitioner. Boxing was dangerous. He could die at any time, which did not give practitioners any time to get into the stage of Samadhi. Anfey was good at this. He could immediately get into that stage even when he was under attack.


    Suddenly everything became quiet in Anfey¡¯s mind. The illusion came back again. At the beginning, everything seemed blurry and started to be clear. Insects, magic beasts, and forests which had disappeared previously came back to Anfey.


    "Ah? It got bright. It got bright again," Riska yelled.


    With Riska¡¯s screaming, Anfey lost his calm. He was scared before, but happy this time.


    "Riska, you go outside," Anfey yelled.


    "To do what?" Riska asked.


    "Whatever you want to do outside," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, what happened?" Riska felt Anfey was really strange tonight.


    "Listen to me. Go outside. You will know immediately," Anfey said.


    Riska heaved a slight sigh. He helplessly walked out of the tree cave. He hesitated for a second and started to shake his butt.


    "Are you shaking your butt?" Anfey asked.


    "Ah?" Riska was surprised. He looked into the cave, seeing Anfey still standing there with eyes closed. Anfey did not seem to peek. He thought a little bit and walked behind the tree and shook his butt harder.


    "You are still shaking your butt," Anfey said.


    "Did you see?" Riska was even more surprised. He quietly turned around to lightly p his butt with his hands.


    "You are pping your own butt. Riska, can you do anything more appropriate?" Anfey sounded happy.


    "No way." Riska decided to be serious this time. "Anfey, let¡¯s guess fingers. Can you see how many fingers I am holding up?"


    "One."


    "Five."


    "Three."


    "None."


    "Still none."


    They did not have to continue this game anymore. Riska had run back to the tree cave. "Anfey, how did you do it? Tell me. Do you have control over the Eyes of Sky? No, that could not be it. I did not sense any magic surge."


    "It helped me," Anfey caressed the leaf with the lights and smiled.


    "This leaf?" Riska asked.


    "Yes. I just did an experiment. I could see anywhere as long as there is vegetation, but I could not see very far, only dozens of yards."


    "Dozens of yards is not far? Anfey, what kind of vegetation?" Riska asked.


    "Like trees and grass." Anfey heaved a long sigh. "Can anyone tell me what this leaf¡¯s name is? It must be a treasure. It must have a name."

 Chapter 192: Mischievous

    Chapter 192: Mischievous


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I don¡¯t know," Riska said, frowning. After a few moments deep in thought, he shook his head. "Druids and elves are both getting weaker. Their secrets will likely die with them as well. Not a lot people remember their stories anymore. I only know about the two races because of the few books that recorded their history. I know their artifacts. This isn¡¯t one of them."


    "How could you know?"


    "There would be a sign," Riska said, pointing to the sky.


    "Interesting," Anfey said, frowning. "Is Bruzuryano that powerful?"


    "He¡¯s an Arch-Druid and is hundreds of years old," Riska said. "What do you think?"


    "Alright," Anfey said, nodding. He didn¡¯t know anything about artifacts, and he did not have the time to read about them. However, he knew how to use the leaf. As long as he had the leaf, no one could find them, but he could find anyone. Bruzuryano must have found them using the leaf as well.


    If there were two ships engaged in a naval battle, and one had the most powerful cannon and the best defense, while the other had powerful radar, the ship with the radar would have the advantage.


    At first, Anfey wanted to keep the leaf for himself. After Riska¡¯s exnation, however, he had to abandon the idea.


    Humans were greedy, and Anfey was no exception. What made him different from others was that he knew what he should do, and what he should not. Greed was natural, but a man who covets everything he could not have would be in terrible trouble. Controlling one¡¯s greed could be very hard. A man might consider his requests normal and justified, but others might think he was too greedy.


    "Alright," Anfey said. "You two should get some more rest."


    Riska and Suzanna rolled their eyes. They were already resting, and Anfey was the one who woke them up. Suzanna especially had conflicting feelings. Not only had she been woken up suddenly, she had been kissed suddenly as well. It wasn¡¯t just a small kiss, either. It was a deep kiss that almost took her breath away. Anfey could pretend nothing had happened, but she could not. Even now, her heart was still fluttering.


    However, Anfey¡¯s attention waspletely taken by the leaf. He was sitting there with his legs under him, ready to begin meditating again.


    Suzanna opened her mouth to say something, but wasn¡¯t sure what to say. She red at Anfey, and returned to her corner again.


    After Riska informed him about the artifacts, Anfey felt more rxed andpletely immersed himself in his meditation. He realized this leaf was not only a treasure for the Arch-Druid, it would also be a treasure for someone on the Path of Wu.


    The Path was essentially the path of nature, and breaths were intended to take in the power of nature. With the druid¡¯s treasure, the rate of taking in nature¡¯s power increased significantly. Anfey realized his mind expanded and what he could see was much more vast than before. It was as if he could see every corner of the world if he wanted to.


    Anfey was still worried about losing himself, however, and decided that he would allow everything to happen on its own ord. He didn¡¯t try to probe or purposely see and listen. He did not allow himself to grow excited or happy. The only thing he did was keeping his breath even.


    In the end, Anfey began to forget what he was doing, and it grew natural.


    At first, his mind was like a leaf, quivering in the wind. It did not have any emotions and did not fight against the wind. This was natural.


    Then, it morphed into the earth, vast and silent. It did not know what emotions were and it did not know what was fighting again. This was freedom.


    For people on the Path, being natural when meditating was very difficult. It was the watershed between controlling one¡¯s own mind and returning one¡¯s spirit to nothingness.


    Perhaps because he had practiced this before, Anfey quickly mastered controlling his breathing and his mind. Now, he was returning his spirit to nothingness. The stages before required hard work and dedication, but this stage relied purely on chance and insightfulness. Anfey was very insightful, but he could notpletely rx because of his paranoia. His progress had been stalled because of his inability to rx, but using the leaf, he was able to learn how to let himself go.


    Anfey slowly opened his eyes and saw the dawn breaking. His eyes were clearer than before. Even though he was very good at controlling his emotions, when he did not need to lie, his eyes would betray his thoughts. Now, the only thing in his eyes were calm.


    As if she had felt something, Suzanna opened her eyes and stared at Anfey. For a young woman, her first love would be very passionate. She would learn what it was like to give instead of take. For Suzanna, Anfey was not only her lover, but also hermander and her leader. The love in her eyes was enough to move even the cruelest man.


    Even though he had his back to Suzanna, Anfey could still see her face clearly. The serenity in his eyes disappeared, and he turned to her with a smile. "What are you thinking about?"


    "You¡¯re still awake?" Suzanna asked, averting his gaze. She felt embarrassed, her fingers picking at the walls of the cave. Perhaps she would get used to kissing after a few dozen times, but now, her mind was a jumble of emotions and thoughts.


    "You felt different just then," Suzanna said hesitantly. She pushed herself up and sat down next to Anfey.


    "Different? Maybe it¡¯s because it was our first time."


    "What first time?" Suzanna asked. Then she blushed and elbowed Anfey in the side.


    "You can go out now," Anfey said.


    Suzanna frowned. Behind them, Riska climbed up. He clearly had been awake for a while now. Not looking at Suzanna or Anfey, he straightened his clothes and walked out.


    As soon as he was out of the hole, his figure disappeared. Hended on the ground with a loud thud. "What the hell?" Riskained loudly. "How did this tree grow this much?"


    "Really?" Suzanna frowned and asked. She stood up and wanted to see it for herself.


    Anfey grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Suzanna stumbled and almost fell over.


    "Are you running away?"


    "Of course not!" Suzanna said. She sat back down with her back straight.


    Both worlds had bold extroverts and shy introverts. Suzanna was obviously thetter. Her normal personality was very different from her personality when she was fighting.


    Anfey grinned. He looked very at ease and rxed, but was in fact very confused. He had just returned from meditating, and the way he looked at people and things had changed. If it wasn¡¯t for Suzanna, maybe he would not return to his normal state for quite a while. Anfey didn¡¯t know what to make of this new change. Only time could tell whether it was a good thing or not.


    "Quit smiling like that," Suzannained. Perhaps it was because she was too sensitive, but she thought Anfey wasn¡¯t thinking about her.


    "I can do more than just smile," Anfey said. Suzanna was a fearsome fighter, but here she looked more like a young girl. Anfey knew that he was the only one who could cause this change in Suzanna.


    Suzanna was hardly twenty years old, but she was already a senior swordsmaster, and was already exhibiting signs of a breakthrough. She would beuded wherever she went. Not only was she skilled and powerful, she was very beautiful. She may be cold sometimes, but to her friends, she was always kind and loving. It was very hard, but satisfying, to win the love of a girl like Suzanna.


    "Riska is still outside," Suzanna said. She was still scared that Anfey would do something likest night.


    "He can¡¯t hear us," Anfey said. "Come here."


    "No!" Suzanna said, blushing furiously. She pushed Anfey away and stood up, but Anfey was persistent and followed her.


    Suzanna didn¡¯t know what to do except when she tried to push him away, but she didn¡¯t want to hurt his feelings, either. Anfeytched onto her, keeping her from getting away. When she realized she couldn¡¯t get away, she moved her head as far away from Anfey as possible.


    Anfey suddenly released her. Just as Suzanna thought he had given up, she felt Anfey lifting her into the air. Suzanna nced at Anfey, and saw the mischief in his eyes. She sighed and closed her eyes.


    After a few moments, Suzanna felt something warm on her lips, and it ended as soon as it had happened. "Alright," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything else."


    Suzanna blushed and punched Anfey on the arm. She wriggled out of his arm and moved over to prepare breakfast. Her attention was obviously not on the food, however, because she was still taking food out even though she had found more than enough already.

 Chapter 193: Giving and Receiving

    Chapter 193: Giving and Receiving


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    That day they travelled less intensely than the previous day. The day before, they had to stop to hide whenever they suspected something might happen. They had to make sure everything was alright before they could continue their travelling. They all could sense magic surges around them. There were not as many magic beasts in Hengduan Valley as in Forest of Death, but there were still some magic beasts in the valley. They could not tell whether it was a person or magic beast just judging from magic surges, which cost them a decent amount of time as they tried to figure it out.


    With Bruzuryano¡¯s gift, Anfey could observe his surroundings for a couple of miles, even up to a range of a dozen miles. Samadhi was a basic skill for a qualified martial arts practitioner. Samadhi in simple words meant the practitioner could be in a fighting state in a very short time. If a martial arts practitioner could not calm down, concentrate, or had to ask to restart everything for some reason, he would get killed. A martial arts practitioner without good foundational skills might escape from being killed one day, but would be killed eventually.


    Anfey caressed the leaf on his chest for a while. This was the first time Anfey had felt possessive about something. This leaf made Anfey¡¯s life so convenient. Sometimes even having many mages there with Anfey, they still could not observe everything in the Eyes of Sky at any one time. However, he could do it by himself. All the enemies seemed to show up in front of Anfey. With this leaf, he would rather hide in the dark.


    Of course, there was the question of why Bruzuryano wanted to give that leaf to Anfey for no apparent reason?


    Anfey did not believe Bruzuryano had taken a liking to Anfey when they only met once. Back when Saul and Ernest wanted to help Anfey, he was a harmless and useless person. He had to have both qualities to feel that the person who helped him would have no intention of taking advantage of him.


    People would be cautious or even hate a person if that person was harmful. If this continued, it could cause conflict and end in a bloody fight. Being useful was not a good thing either. People would try to get useful people on their side, socialize with them, help them, and then take advantage of them. Take the handsome Jinke for example. Others tossed the gold nuggets into the water only because he liked to hear that sound. A guy cut off his beloved wife¡¯s hands only because he said her hands were pretty. When people did so much for him, they only wanted him to make a strike at Qin pce to kill the king. If Jinke were not useful, who would care who he was.


    Anfey respected Saul and Ernest from the bottom of his heart because they wanted to help a harmless and useless young man. That help without any intentions had won Anfey¡¯s trust. Anfey was cautious. It was not easy for Anfey to trust anyone.


    The cause-effect rtionships could also be seen as giving-receiving rtionships. Bruzuryano gave Anfey the leaf: What did he want for return?


    After avoiding groups of mercenaries of different sizes, Anfey decided to take a break next to a river around noon. The rivers in the mountains were usually very clear. This one was only about two yards wide. Anfey could clearly see the stones and swimming fish in the water. Anfey sat on the big stone at the edge, looking around. He asked with a smile, "Suzanna, how about eating better today?"


    "What do you mean?" Suzanna asked.


    "Should we grill some fish?" Anfey said.


    "You..." Suzanna shook her head with a smile.


    There were many kinds of magic beasts, but most of them were not edible due to the nature of magic beasts. They could not eat any magic beast with a magic crystal. It could interfere with the magic andbat power if people ate it even for a short time. Magic andbat power could disappear and turn people into magic crystals if they ate magic beasts for a long time. Regr people would get skinnier and skinnier and produce a blood crystal in their body. Blood tribes used to domesticize people and forced them to eat magic beasts to make them into blood crystals. Blood tribes disappeared a long time ago, back before the Sacred Battle.


    Suzanna had not done well with food before. Anfey won Shally over with few sausages. Mercenaries in the forest usually carried some food supplies with them. For the people in Anfey¡¯s previous world, Anfey only needed to carry fire starter and weapons, since there would be food everywhere.


    It was okay to eat fish as long as the water was fine. Anfey suddenly stood up and picked up a branch. He walked up to the river. Fish saw the shadow of a person and started to dart away. Anfey thrust the branch into the water and stabbed a fish in its side.


    Fish were tossed on shore one after another. Suzanna¡¯s eyes were brightened. Being able to eat better today did not surprise her, but the wounds on the fish did. All the fish in the blink of an eye. Without mentioning the skills of using branches as swords, his uracy had surprised her. Anfey did not have fast speed, sometimes he even looked slow, but he never missed a fish.


    Suzanna knew Anfey had unusual and crude sword skills, but in this world, people were evaluated in a moreprehensive way. They did not just look at sword skills, but also paid attention to theirbat powers. Suzanna had taken it for granted, so she did not pay too much attention to Anfey¡¯s sword skills. Right now she felt something she could not describe in words. If she tried to catch fish, she did not think she could do as well as Anfey.


    "Are we grilling them? I will find some branches." Riska smiled.


    "No, I got them." Anfey walked back. "Anyone got salt?"


    Riska and Suzanna looked at each other, confused. They carried just regr breads with them; no salt.


    "Never mind. Let¡¯s boil them." Anfey took out a crystal box from his Dimensional ring. "Riska, can you find something to set up a stone and put this box on it."


    People could continue to be shaped no matter how experienced they were. Grilling fish was so meaningless and ridiculous for old Anfey. He would be fine as long as he had food. Without knowing how, maybe it was because of the unicorn, Saul, Ernest, or Suzanna, Anfey¡¯s personality had gradually changed. He changed from being dark to more positive, from pretentious to sincere. Anfey rarely pretended to be someone else, at least not in front of the people he trusted.


    "Ok." Riska took the box. "Can I put it on stones?"


    "Sure," Anfey said, smiling. He took out a knife and cut the fish open on its belly. He licked a little bit of blood and tasted it. Raw fish had a strong fishy smell, but he had to taste the blood to make sure it was safe to eat. If described in medical terms, he was trying to feel the microvascr and peripheral nerve to see if they were contaminated. If animals were contaminated, the toxin could be categorized into three types: neurotoxin, blood toxin or cardiotoxin. Although modern medicine had categorized it in a simple way, Anfey¡¯s purpose was not to save a poisoned person. He only needed to make a judgement whether the fish had toxins in it. This kind of categorization was good enough.


    Anfey quickly cleaned the fish released a few fireballs to boil the water. He was doing two things at the same time. Suzanna and Riska did not know whether they shouldugh or cry, since what Anfey did was against the magic rules and vited the holy and serious nature of magic.


    Anfey cut a few sausages and tossed them into the crystal box. He tossed the fish into the box as well. He had no idea how the vor would turn out, since he was not a chef. Not long after the steam rose up, a strong fragrance came out of the box. Suzanna and Riska had not had any real people food for the past few days. They were excited about the food and walked over to Anfey.


    "Someone came. There are seven mercenaries. They will be here soon," Anfey suddenly said in a low voice. He still stirred the soup with a branch and heated the crystal box with his fireballs. Anfey saw the mercenaries in the distance with the leaf on his chest. He did not do just do two things at a time. He was doing three.


    "Should we leave now?" Riska was shocked.


    "No, they came from over there." Anfey shook his head. If they were from Shansa Empire, they shoulde from behind or from the sides. Anfey did not feel it was going to be any trouble.


    Soon a group of seven mercenaries came to the other side of the river. Mercenaries met all the time. To protect themselves and prevent any misunderstanding, they usually tried not tomunicate with each other. They usually continued what they were doing without bothering each other.


    Anfey and the mercenaries on the other side of the river chose to have the same kind of attitude. Anfey and his team continued their cooking as the other group of mercenaries sat and talked in low voices on the other side of the river. They did not seem to see each other. Since it was not ordinary to cook with magic, Anfey drew the attention of the other group. Those seven mercenaries checked out Anfey.


    "Su..." Anfey was trying to call Suzanna.


    "My name is Niya." Suzanna suddenly interrupted Anfey.


    Anfey¡¯s hand froze in the air. When he looked over to check Suzanna, Suzanna had turned her body to the side. Suzanna looked at the forest, her head tilted back. Without close observation, Anfey could sense the anger and hatred in Suzanna¡¯s eyes.


    "Do you know them?" Anfey asked calmly.


    "We¡¯ll talk about itter. Anfey, let¡¯s go. We¡¯d better not get into trouble here," Suzanna answered quietly.


    Suzanna answered Anfey in simple sentences, but Anfey got enough information. She was definitely feeling hatred, otherwise Suzanna would not have asked to leave. She was afraid she could not control herself. When Suzanna said she did not want to get into trouble, it meant that this group of mercenaries was not easy to handle. Some of them would be really good.


    "Hi!" a mercenary on the other side of the river yelled. "What are you cooking? It smells great."


    "We have been here for a couple of months. We had enough breads we brought with us. We are making some fish soup today," Anfey answered with a smile.

 Chapter 194: Trackers

    Chapter 194: Trackers


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You¡¯re a cook?" the mercenary asked with a grin.


    "No," Anfey said. "I¡¯m a mage. This is just a hobby." His hands danced and his movements were very smooth. The smell of the soup suddenly grew very strong and pleasant.


    One of the seven mercenaries stood up and leapt over the creek. He nced around, then his eyes fell on the crystal box. "Are you really using a top tier crystal to cook?" he asked.


    "It¡¯s the only thing I have," Anfey said and shrugged.


    "Can I try some?" the mercenary took a deep breath and asked.


    "Wait a moment," Anfey said. He looked around, then frowned. "It seems like I have forgotten about spoons," he said, troubled.


    "We have one," the mercenary said. He fumbled through his pack and found a spoon.


    Anfey epted the spoon. It was a silver spoon that wasmon in this world. Here, many families used silver spoons. Even the kings preferred silverware. Silverware was especiallymon during feasts. Silver could react with poison, and using silverware tended to reassure the guests that the food was not poisoned.


    Anfey dipped the spoon into the soup and raised it to his lips. The soup did not taste as good as he had wanted, but it wasn¡¯t bad, either. He was missing too many ingredients.


    "Alright," Anfey said, handing the spoon back to the mercenary. "You can try some now."


    The mercenary took the spoon and stared at the soup. The spoon did not change color, and the mercenary dipped it into the soup.


    A sound of metal shing was heard from the other mercenaries. The mercenary hesitated, and took a sip of the soup. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and grinned. "It¡¯s very good," he told Anfey.


    His movements were natural, but the faint vapor rising from his sleeve still caught Anfey¡¯s eyes. Anfey knew that the mercenary must have spat the soup out instead of swallowing it.


    "You want some more?" Anfey asked.


    "No, no. This is your lunch. You should be the ones enjoying it," the mercenary said. He turned and jumped over the creek. "Thanks a lot." The man turned and waved at Anfey.


    "You¡¯re wee," Anfey said. He dropped the stick he was stirring the soup with on the ground. Next to him, Suzanna¡¯s eyes flickered. Riska stood up and began making his way upstream.


    A real organization usually had its own way of operating. Using expressions was too straightforward and risky, because the enemies could read expressions as well. In most situations, there would be certain casual gestures that only people within the organization understood.


    "There¡¯s a lot of fish here too," Riska called out.


    "I¡¯m already done."


    "There¡¯s nothing in that soup," Riska said. He shook his head and waved his hand. A ball of water leapt into the air. Some fish were caught up in the ball of water and were wriggling away.


    Riska¡¯s control of the water was clearly not as good. The fish fell onto the bank, but he was soaked with the water as well.


    Across the creek, the mercenaries snickered. Riska frowned and stamped on the ground angrily, his eyes still following the fish. He began whispering a spell, and a powerful magical surge rippled from him.


    Anyone could tell Riska was angry. The mercenaries looked at Riska, waiting for him to make a fool of himself again. Two mercenaries naturally reached for their swords and were resting their hands on their swords¡¯ hilts. They were staring at Riska.


    Anfey frowned and marveled at their cautiousness. "Give it up," he called to Riska. "It¡¯s just some fish."


    Suzanna stood up slowly and joined Riska. She still hadn¡¯t shown her face to the mercenaries.


    Anfey took a deep breath and said, "Stop ying around. Let¡¯s leave here."


    "What?" Riska frowned and asked. He didn¡¯t use magic to catch the fish. He was hoping to take care of the mercenaries. He was ready to use the magic, and was confused as to why Anfey had ordered them to retreat.


    Suzanna felt relieved and disappointed at the same time. She felt relieved because she didn¡¯t want the others to get hurt. If she was alone, she might have already attacked. She knew that her opponents were difficult and had the advantage in numbers, and the fight could end very badly for both sides. On the other hand, she was disappointed because she thought Anfey was her lover and someone she could rely on. Subconsciously, he was her leader, and she had expected him to take charge.


    "Come on," Anfey said. He straightened his clothes and poured the soup onto the ground. He put the box into his bag and began making his way upstream. Suzanna and Riska followed him quietly.


    "Hey!" one of the mercenaries called. "Why did you just dump the soup?"


    "Something just came up," Anfey replied with a grin.


    The mercenaries frowned and nced at each other. What Anfey did could be very suspicious to some people. There was no evidence, however, that showed the soup was poisoned. No one wanted to engage in pointless fights. The mercenaries looked on coldly as the trio disappeared into the forest. The mercenary who had took a sip of the soup took out the spoon and observed it, frowning.


    Suzanna didn¡¯t want to ask. She was afraid doing that would cause estrangement. Riska, however, wasn¡¯t concerned about that. "What happened?" he asked quietly.


    "People from Shansa Empire are catching up," Anfey said. He had just spotted a dozen people who looked like mercenaries. The clothes they wore were the same, and except for the two leaders, the rest of the men all had the same sword.


    Country of Mercenaries had no official army, not because it did not have enough men. Individually, the mercenaries were much better than soldiers. It had no official army because the mercenaries did not like having the same weapons and clothing. Even the four major mercenary groups did not have uniforms. Each mercenary had weapons and armor he liked.


    The soldiers could change their clothes, but not their weapons. Officers and soldiers had already gotten used to the standard weapons issued by the military. They would not change their weapons.


    Suzanna and Riska nced at each other and quickened their pace.


    Anfey was still observing the creek. The Shansa soldiers had just met the mercenaries. After a short conversation, a man from the Shansa army walked over and handed a pouch to the mercenaries. The leader of the mercenaries took the pouch and cleared its content into his hands. He smiled at the coins, clearly satisfied. Then he pointed towards the direction Anfey, Riska, and Suzanna had gone.


    Another soldier walked over and handed another pouch to the mercenary. The leader hesitated, then he waved his hand. The rest of the mercenaries quickly stood up and began organizing their equipment. Clearly, a deal that had broken the fundamental rules of the Country of Mercenaries had just taken ce.


    Anfey was shocked. The seven mercenaries were exceptionally good at tracking, and the route they followed was the exact one he had just taken. Anfey had tried to confuse the mercenaries by zigzagging, but it clearly did not work. They had found all the ces he had changed path.


    The mercenary that was interested in his soup seemed like the best of the seven. The six other mercenaries walked in a V-shaped formation around the man.


    Dardanibry clearly intended to capture him. Anfey did not know what kind of signal the soldiers were using, but more and more soldiers appeared. Anfey thanked Bruzuryano silently. Without that leaf, he would be surrounded.


    "Suzanna, go with Riska," Anfey stopped and instructed.


    "What? What did you see?" Suzanna asked.


    "Some unpleasant men," Anfey said. "Riska, remember. Leave some markings along the way. I will meet up with you twoter."


    "Riska can go by himself. I¡¯m staying with you."


    "I¡¯m just going to annoy them a bit. Don¡¯t worry," Anfey smiled. He trusted Suzanna, but she was good at direct fights. This time, he wasn¡¯t nning on directly engaging the soldiers.


    "No," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "I am staying here."


    "Listen to me, love," Anfey said. Suzanna blushed and took a step back. "Trust me. I can take care of this."

 Chapter 195: Hunting

    Chapter 195: Hunting


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    People usually would develop a habit of giving orders when they were in high positions long enough. Even if it was not very obvious. There were always traces to show. Without close observation, Anfey could tell who was in lead.


    Sometimes experience could help him make the right judgements, but those judgements could not be exined in words. If Anfey were asked to talk about the reasons why he believed that a particr person was in charge, he probably could not exin. He just knew it.


    A legion like this one would pay attention to their surroundings to look for traces and be ready for their leader¡¯s orders when they were on assignment. Maybe when they waited for their next order, it would sent out a message that Anfey could catch with his instinct.


    A wind de arrow formed in Anfey¡¯s hand. Anfey slowly pulled his bowstring. This wind de arrow looked terrifying. It was three yards long, and the end of arrow was about 12 inches wide. The whole arrow had a great flow and looked very powerful. It was not hard for Anfey to make an arrow like this since he gotten the ability to turn elements into real objects.


    Anfey was far less powerful than top level leaders in terms ofprehensive power. However, he could be a genius in some ways.


    Anfey was very wise. He never thought he was a genius. Maybe things could be just handed to other people without any cost, but not to Anfey. If Anfey had tried to follow the traditional way to practice magic andbat power, it would have taken him a long time to catch up with those top level leaders. Anfey could not wait so long and did not have time to wait. He knew he had to figure out a different way.


    The difference between him and the most powerful leaders could not be made up by practicing hard. Time was the key. Saul was a highly powerful leader, but he still spent a long time practicing magic every day. So did Ernest. How long had it been since they started to learn magic andbat power? They had probably started before Anfey was born.


    It seemed like it would take a very long time to catch up with most powerful leaders on the same path. Therefore, from the very beginning, Anfey did not want to follow the traditional way to learn magic andbat power. He was not sure whether he had chosen the correct route. Fortunately, he acquired something else¡ªmartial arts.


    As the gigantic arrow shot out, it flew over two hundred yards with great momentum in the blink of an eye and hit a soldier in the chest. With a huge sound, that soldier¡¯s upper body was shattered into pieces. The body pieces were flying everywhere. There was a soldier five or six yards behind him who got hurt as well. His lower body below his waist had gone. He screamed in pain, with only half a bloody body left.


    The rest of the soldiers were shocked but did not panic. They quickly hid themselves and quietly waited as they held their breath.


    Anfey jumped off the tree. Their hiding ces were like a joke for Anfey since he could clearly see everything within a radius of ten miles. With this ability, hunting and counterattack was a game for Anfey.


    Another arrow formed in Anfey¡¯s hand. This time the arrow was quite small, even smaller and narrower than a regr arrow. Anfey let his fingers go and the arrow quietly shot out. A soldier leaning against an ancient tree heard some sound behind him. The arrow went in from the back of his head and came out from his forehead before he even knew what happened.


    This shot was even more terrifying than before. The rest of the soldiers lowered their bodies even more. They almost curled themselves into balls. Unfortunately, they made a big mistake. If they kept moving at high speed, it would have been hard for Anfey to shoot them. Anfey did not find his targets with vision. Instead, he did it with his instincts. It took some time to aim at a target. Those soldiers who stayed right where they were turned themselves into targets.


    A soldier took out a magic scroll and released a magic signal. At the same time, the other mercenary group with seven mercenaries and over a dozen of people from Shansa Empire had walked to where Anfey and Suzanna departed. They stayed there and talked about something. Obviously, the traces on the ground leading to two different directions had confused them. They did not know which direction they should follow.


    Within Anfey¡¯s observation range, Anfey saw the soldiers from Shansa Empire had sent out signals to ask others to surround the area. The soldiers and mercenary group with the seven mercenaries stood together and turned around to point at where Anfey was. The mercenary who showed interest in the fish soup squad down and did some studying. He firmly shook his head and pointed in the direction Suzanna and Riska had taken.


    Anfey had changed his position and jumped into the tree. A soldier from Shansa Empireid in a pit. No one could see him from the ground level, but Anfey could tell his location since he had half his head out from Anfey¡¯s angle. It was enough for Anfey to get him with half of his head sticking out.


    Anfey started to gather elements and aimed at that soldier. As the element arrow hit him, his whole forehead was cut off by his element arrow. Yellow, white and red fluid came out of his head.


    Others in the same unit start to panic. Almost at the same time, they all released their magic signals. One magic signal meant they found the trace of their enemy. Several magic signals released together meant they needed help.


    Anfey slowly pulled his bowstring again. He saw two ck dots out of the corner of his eye. He was shocked and hid himself in the leaves.


    A male and female mage flew in the air towards him. Maybe because they were high up, Anfey did not see them. They could have changed this whole hunting game. They flew straight towards Anfey. Their location in the sky was obvious. Anfey found them first, but they had not seen Anfey yet. Anfey quietly waited there. As the two mages observed their surroundings, he immediately shot his arrow. Because he was not sure about theirbat power, Anfey aimed at that female mage first. Anfey reasoned that women¡¯s powers usually were not as good as men¡¯s. Female mages were not as passionate about their power as men either. They rarely devoted themselves to practice. It was easy to make this kind of judgement since most of the more powerful people on Pan Continent were male.


    That female mage released a magic dome shining with yellow lights. The magic dome was shattered. The moment she felt she was attacked, she switched her position. Anfey¡¯s shot did not kill her. It only got her leg. That female mage fell from the sky with a scream.


    Anfey ran out as fast as a flying arrow. He ran towards the falling female mage.


    "Be careful!" the male mage screamed. A lightning bolt shot at Anfey.


    As the male mage released the lightning magic, a wind de showed up underneath Anfey¡¯s feet. With the wind des, Anfey was able change the position of his body and flew toward the female mage.


    The female mage was covered in blood. Her body was like a rotten piece of wood falling. She rolled down and was submerged into the forest without a sound.


    "Ah..." The male mage stared, his eyes wide. He released two big fire balls that chased after Anfey.


    A ming shield appeared on Anfey¡¯s back and countered the attacks of the two fire balls. He jumped up, and his body created a parab in the air. He threw himself into the forest.


    Big fire balls, heat waves, and freezing stars hit where Anfey had fallen. However, Anfey managed to hide in another ce. He was watching the magic show as he took off his mercenary uniform. He turned it over and put it back on. His clothes had been light grey before. After he turned the inside out, they became strange clothes in yellow, ck and green. In his previous world, most people knew it as camouge coat.


    The magic show continued. Anfey quietly followed behind the male mage. Anfey loaded a wind de arrow. Unexpectedly, that male mage suddenly turned around. That electric arc just swept through Anfey.


    Anfey felt numb and felt there was no strength left in him. He did not practice ancient martial arts for nothing. Anfey screamed in a low pitch. The moment the big fire ball swallowed him, he regained his body control.


    With a huge sound, the big fire ball exploded on the ground. Anfey had run over a dozen of yards away and hid behind an ancient tree.


    What had just happened? Anfey could not help frowning. He was in thought for a while, and it suddenly struck him. He had shot the wind de arrow. When wind des turned into real objects, they did not have magic surges. That was why the opponents did not notice him. When he shot the wind de arrow again, the male mage noticed magic surges and attacked Anfey beforehand.


    Anfey felt better after he noticed what had just happened. Anfey took out two arrows from his Dimensional ring and loaded one on the bow and had the other one between the little finger and ring finger. He watched the Shansa Empire soldiers trying to surround him. He slowly walked below the male mage. He looked up but he could not see that male mage¡¯s face, only two big feet.


    Slowly and quietly he pulled the bowstring. As the arrow shot out, the male mage¡¯s magic shield suddenly shattered. When Anfey just had a smile on his face, the male mage had bright red light on him and countered Anfey¡¯s shooting. The opponent released two magic shields at the same time.


    Anfey rushed forward as the big fire ball exploded two yards behind him. He could even feel the heat waves. Anfey yelled in a low pitch. He slightly bent his legs and kneeled on the ground. He slid forward with the momentum. His upper body leaned back, almost touching the ground. He had already pulled the bowstring and taken another shot.


    The second attack was too fast: the male mage did not have time to release a new magic shield. The arrow went in through his groin and came out from his chest. He could even feel the arrow tearing his body apart. Later his sensation had gone. Everything turned into endless darkness.

 Chapter 196: Rival

    Chapter 196: Rival


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Before the Shansa soldiers could surround him, Anfey jumped out of the circle and chased the group of seven mercenaries. The soldiers were never his targets. His target was the seven mercenaries.


    Anfey did not try to focus on details and forget his goal. His enemy was an entire empire, and if he killed ten soldiers today, there would be a hundred soldiers sent after them tomorrow. It was impossible to frighten a country, at least not yet. Even if he fought the soldiers now and left all of them in the forest forever, nothing would change.


    Anfey did not know why the seven mercenaries would choose to work with the Shansa soldiers, considering the anti-Shansa sentimentmon among mercenaries at that time. Maybe it was because they were not from the area, or maybe it was because they needed the money. Anfey didn¡¯t want to know why, he just needed a result. He saw how Suzanna was effected by his decision to leave, and he wanted to do something to lift her spirits.


    A lot of people imagined themselves to be the undetected hunter that followed their prey¡¯s every move. They would calcte and n, but never expect there would be someone else observing them as well.


    Anfey followed the seven mercenaries, waiting for his opportunity. Unlike the soldiers, the mercenaries made Suzanna feel uneasy. Clearly they were powerful enough to be a threat. One or two of them may even be senior swordsmasters. Anfey could not get the information from Suzanna, however, because Suzanna was very brilliant, despite being inexperienced. She would figure out exactly what he wanted to do as soon as he asked the question.


    Anfey¡¯s personality might change, but the way he worked and acted would not change. Those were the things he figured out after countless encounters with death, and he was still used to facing his enemies by himself, no matter how powerful his enemies were.


    There was a small hill up ahead. The seven mercenaries did not notice Anfey. They were too focused on the two sides and in front of them. Seeing the mercenaries disappearing behind the hill, Anfey retrieved an arrow from his Dimensional ring.


    Anfey was very good at learning from his mistakes. The male mage immediately noticed something was wrong when he was trying to make an element arrow. This time, he would not make the same mistake. Even though he was far enough from the mercenaries, he still wanted to be careful.


    As thest man made his way up the hill, Anfey¡¯s arrow was already aimed at his back. Suddenly, the man turned around and scanned the forest behind him. Two other figures joined him, and all three men looked very nervous.


    Anfey knew he had made a mistake. He closed his eyes and tried to make his mind peaceful and happy. In the past, his instinct had saved him multiple times. Sometimes he could not see or hear the danger, but he would realize something was wrong. Since Anfey could detect danger, other people must be able to detect it as well. Even if he could not exin it, Anfey knew that enmity could sometimes be felt.


    The three figures on the hill did not see anything. After a few moments, the three of them turned to walk down the hill.


    As soon as the figures turned away, Anfey released the arrow.


    The arrow flew towards the figure. Before the arrow could hit, the man sensed the danger and turned around. However, it was toote. The arrow pierced through his body and exited beneath his right rib. The man¡¯s body stumbled and fell to the ground.


    The forest suddenly grew very quiet, as if the murder did not happen. However, Anfey knew the six remaining mercenaries had spread out around the hill.


    They looked angry and sad, which was logical. Their friend had just been murdered, and anyone would be upset. However, they did not do anything meaningless. They did not even turn to look at the man¡¯s corpse. It was as if looking at their dead friend would be a distraction.


    Anfey frowned. It was as if he wasn¡¯t fighting mercenaries in a world of magic, but instead fighting ruthless modern mercenaries. The mercenaries¡¯ reactions took him by surprise.


    The rest of the mercenaries made a mistake. After they entered the forest, they split up and searched through the forest silently. This was perhaps because they trusted theirpanions too much, perhaps because there were only six of them.


    For Anfey, this forest was his domain as long as he had the leaf. He could see everyone¡¯s movements clearly. Anfey slid down the tree and disappeared into the forest.


    One of the mercenaries stalked through the forest. This mercenary was very cautious, and would stop every three or four steps. A pair of pointed ears indicated her identity as an elf.


    She held a dull longsword in her hand. The sword looked unsharpened, but it was sharp enough to shear a leaf in half.


    She had advanced a few hundred feet, but already took a good amount of time. She did not appear irritated by how slow she was going.


    Anfey reached down from a tree¡¯s crown and flicked a small rock on a tree about a hundred feet away. The rock hit the tree trunk with a faint thud andnded on the ground.


    This was a forest, and it was filled with the sound of insects and birds and the howling of wind. The sound of the rock hitting the tree was very faint. However, the elf¡¯s ears flicked and she clearly heard the sound.


    Anfey slipped out of the tree and dove towards the ground. He tried to control his speed, because if he was going faster, his body could cause wind. It could alert the elf to his presence.


    When he was about ten feet away from the elf, she suddenly sensed something. She whipped around and swung her sword upwards. The sword bursted into light and met Anfey¡¯s dagger.


    Metal nged against metal. Even though Anfey was very practiced at closebat, he was in the air and his movements were limited. His hand was numbed from the sh, and his body stopped moving forward.


    Anfey lunged forward at the elf¡¯s face.


    His attack changed too quickly and the elf had no time to block it. She took a step back, but Anfey¡¯s knee caught her in the chin. The elf grunted in pain and jumped back. Anfeynded on the ground andunched himself forward. His right hand raised into the air and aimed his dagger at the elf¡¯s throat.


    Anfey¡¯s movement was very fast, but the elf wasn¡¯t slow, either. Even though she was injured, she could still fight. Sheshed out with her sword, and caught Anfey¡¯s dagger, which was only half a foot away from her throat.


    Anfey¡¯s right arm flew back and heshed out with his left, his fist aiming at the elf¡¯s face. Even though the elf was not trained for closebat, she was still very fast. Her left arm reached out to block Anfey¡¯s attack. Pain tore through her left arm and she groaned in pain.


    Anfey jumped towards her. Even though both of his attacks were blocked, he was still very fast. He threw his head back and hit her with his head. The elf did not expect such a bizarre attack. Usually, the head would be protected and not used as a weapon. She was dazed by the attack and stumbled in pain. However, she did not forget she was inbat. She raised her leg and kicked towards Anfey.


    Anfey did not expect that she could still attack after her injures. He was also exhausted by the fight. He quickly summoned fire elements and hoped to shield himself. However, the elf¡¯s attack was much faster than the shield¡¯s formation. The elements were dispersed by the elf¡¯s kick before it could form. Anfey felt a sharp pain on his chest, and his body flew upwards.

 Chapter 197: Hero

    Chapter 197: Hero


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Both assassins and martial arts masters made their careers in fighting, but there was a big difference between them. One went to extremes, the other one was neutral. Assassins were more like the character Yaojin Cheng in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He ran away after trying to fight, but realized he was no a match for his opponent. If martial arts masters at the same level fought in a match, they might have to fight for a long time to see who would win. However, no assassin would fight for that long.


    Martial arts masters cared about how long they could hold on in a fight, while assassins had to perform to their fullest potential whenever they were on an assignment. Assassins would do everything he could when he got on an assignment. It was not that assassins did not want to hold on long in a fight, they simply could not.


    Both parties seemed to get hurt in this fight. That elf was hurt. So was Anfey. However, they looked totally different.


    That elf rubbed her eyes as she backed off. She looked hurt and scared. At least at this moment, she only wanted to protect herself. She could not restore her fighting momentum. Anfey fell to the ground and looked up with a strong desire to kill his opponent. At the same time, Anfey had forgotten his wounds and pain. There was nothing but his goal left in the world. There were two other mercenaries withbat power rushing towards them. He jumped up and rushed forward as fast as lightning.


    With a yell from behind, a white sword radiant came out from the forest and chased after Anfey.


    The elf saw that her people hade. She plucked her courage to swing her sword, thrusting at Anfey in the air.


    Even when Anfey was attacked from the front and the back, he still looked cool. His knife simply blocked her sword, and he turned the knife around to press on the top part of the sword. He jumped up, did a backflip, and elegantlynded behind the elf.


    Now it was the elf¡¯s turn to be attacked from both sides. Seeing the sword radianting at her, she used all herbat power to counter the sword radiant. Suddenly, she felt her neck was hurt. At the same time, Anfey jabbed at her back. The white sword radiant hit her as she stumbled. As blood gushed from her, Anfey jumped into the forest. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    "Get him!" Those two mercenaries had hurt the elf by ident, but they did not stop to check theirpanion¡¯s body. They did not have time to me themselves or regret their mistakes. They ran towards the direction where Anfey had run.


    After chasing him for a few hundred yards, a dangerous knife reflection shed from the grass. When the mercenary in the back noticed something, the knife had already cut his ankle. He fell forward as he screamed in pain.


    Anfey jumped out of the grass and stomped on the other ankle of that mercenary. This was a standard Feijiao kick. Anfey¡¯s leg skills were good. When the mercenary got hurt, he started to panic. Hisbat power got less intense. When Anfey kicked his ankle in the vicious attack, Anfey only felt some pain, but the mercenary¡¯s ankle had broken.


    Anfey flung himself up off his back. He flipped backward using the mercenary as a vault. He dodged the sword light, moved a few times, and came to a tree dozens of yards away. He slowly pulled his bowstring back, looking at those two mercenaries coldly.


    Actually a fight was not only about how powerful they were. It was also about how smart they could be. Seeing his opponents noting after him, Anfey knew his judgement was right. He had killed theirpanions twice, but they had not panicked. It was not that they did not care. Instead, they were very wise and practical. Without checking on theirpanions¡¯ wounds, they knew theirpanions could not survive the attacks.


    Therefore, they chose to protect themselves and tried to figure out a way to kill their enemy. This mercenary group with seven mercenaries worked very well together. They were already good on their own. If they could work so well together, they must have experienced thick and thin together. They may not have tomit to live or die together, but they must trust each other. Trust was the prerequisite to sustain thebat power of a mercenary group. Anfey did not choose to kill his opponent this time, but only to hurt him for a reason. If they could not leave theirpanion behind, or were not willing to leave that wounded mercenary behind, then they all would die.


    Anfey thought about many ns as he tried to hurt that mercenary, but thebat power of the mercenary was not even as good as the elf. Anfey easily beat him.


    The wounded mercenary sat up with an unbearable pain. His one angle was broken, while the other one was almost cut off by Anfey. Even if he could survive today, he would be disabled from then on. He not only looked like he was in terrible pain, but also desperate and confused.


    The other mercenary also looked confused. He did not go after Anfey, but he could not leave on his own either, and he did not want to stay where he was. Thebat power was strong sometimes but weak at other times. It showed he was not calm.


    A two-yard-long gigantic element arrow formed in Anfey¡¯s hand. Anfey aimed it at the wounded mercenary. The other mercenary¡¯s face changed, and he stepped in front of the wounded mercenary. Everyone had his own moral standards. So did that mercenary. He could never watch hispanion just waiting to die.


    The arrow carried strong wind with it and made the branches and leaves dance crazily as it flew through the air. The mercenary screamed and gathered all thebat power he could in order to counter the arrow. Under simr conditions, this kind of attack would not pose any threat to a senior swordsman. He definitely could keep hisbat power and choose to simply dodge it. Unfortunately, he had to counter it immediately.


    With a huge sound, the element arrow had turned into countless elements and disappeared in mid-air. That mercenary was forced to back off a few steps. He stepped right on the other mercenary¡¯s wounded ankle. It was unbearable for normal people to take any more pressure on the wound, but the mercenary grinded his teeth hard without any moaning. He only held his body with his hands on the ground and moved back a little to give the other mercenary some more room.


    The second element arrow was loaded quickly again. It did not take much effort for Anfey to gather elements or pull the bowstring apart. Looking at the mercenary standing there, he was already out of breath.


    Anfey had mastered all kinds of series elements. He did not use fire or water elements, because those elements did not go well with archery. Thebination of arrow and wind de would add more effects to it. To be more specific, Anfey¡¯s wind de arrow had more power than me meteors. Even Suzanna had to dodge if she were hit by me meteors. A fool would continue to fight without dodging Anfey¡¯s attack. At that moment, Anfey was ready to turn that intermediate-level swordsman into a fool with his evil n. Actually, the mercenary was turning himself into a fool.


    When the arrow shoot out, the mercenary still lunged to counter it. He broke the element arrow again. This time he steadied his body without moving at all. Obviously, he knew he had stepped on hispanion the previous time. Unfortunately, only moving back could reduce the power of the blow. What he did was not wise. That mercenary¡¯s face turned pale. He looked helpless and hopeless.


    "What a man!" Anfey gave himpliments as he gathered a bigger and wider wind de arrow.


    ¡®


    "Why are you attacking us?" That mercenary yelled in anger.


    Three people in the distance ran fast towards them from three different directions. They were still far away, so it would take them some time to reach Anfey and the others. Obviously, that mercenary was trying to buy some time.


    "When you took those gold coins, you should know you would die for it," Anfey said calmly. He shoot out an arrow right away.


    That mercenary went up and broke it.


    This was not a battle anymore. Instead, it was more like a skill test. The mercenary held his body stable again with his back straight.


    "Hero." Anfey gave him a genuinepliment, but he did not stop what he was doing. A wind de arrow five yards long formed in his hand. He loaded the bow with that long arrow. That long arrow looked ridiculous with such a small bow.


    The mercenary¡¯s face had changed. He surely knew the bigger the element arrow was, the more powerful it became. However, he did not have any other choice.


    "Don¡¯t worry about me. Kill him," the wounded mercenary yelled.


    The other mercenary did not seem to hear it. He held the sword in front of his forehead, and thebat power on his body radiated white lights. After a huge noise, elements shed everywhere. The mercenary was thrown over a dozen of yards away. He rolled on the ground but quickly stood up. He slowly walked up to where Anfey was. He still looked tough, but thebat power looked less white.


    Anfey looked at his hand. Wind des formed on his palm. This time it took longer to gather. Without knowing how many wind des he had collected, the shape of the arrow did not change. At the end, there was a 30-inch-long arrow in Anfey¡¯s hand. It had turned from light white into something greenish. It gave out a metal smell. It looked cold and threatening.


    The mercenary on the other side looked at Anfey with an easier look. He thought he had gone through the tough time. As long as he could hold for a while, hispanions woulde. He would kill Anfey in the most crude way in the world. Thinking of this made him grin.


    This arrow did not look as scary as before. The mercenary swung his sword radiant hard. Unexpectedly, Anfey did not strike with element sword, but sword radiant. The greenish arrow shed and thrust into that mercenary¡¯s body. The sword radiant turned into small strings and rose. That mercenary¡¯s body was torn into pieces in the blink of an eye.


    The wounded mercenary was hurt by the leftover sword radiant and crashed hard onto an ancient tree. He opened his eyes to see what had happened, but he saw his chest ssh a cloud of blood mist.

 Chapter 198: Death Blow

    Chapter 198: Death Blow


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A colorful, nameless snake slithered down from the tree. Its hissed and flicked its tongue. After a few moments, it found its target. It slithered up Anfey¡¯s leg.


    Anfey knocked the arrow and stared at the forest below him, still as a statue. He was trying to size up his enemies and take them out one by one.


    This time he had picked the mercenary who had been interested in the soup earlier. Anfey could see the man dashing towards him, and realized he would arrive after approximately twenty seconds.


    The snake kept slithering up his leg. The coldness felt strange, but Anfey looked like he could not feel anything at all. His body maintained the same posture.


    He knew that snakes were cold-blooded and liked resting next to something warm. The warmth generated by a human body was very attractive to snakes, and it was not shocking a snake would try to coil itself around him. Judging from the color and the shape of its head, the snake was venomous. Attracting a venomous snake right before a fight was unlucky, but as an assassin, Anfey was ustomed to idents. Nothing could distract him.


    A figure coated inbat power passed by under him. Anfey released an element arrow that was aimed at the man¡¯s back.


    The element arrow dispersed with a loud crack, but the man was not injured. The magic armor shed, and Anfey could see a magic crystal on the armor reduced to dust.


    The bow in Anfey¡¯s hand disappeared. Anfey reached down and pped his knee, where the snake was resting. He grabbed the snake¡¯s tail, yanking it off him, and tossed it aside.


    idents could not distract Anfey, but it could affect his movements. Even though he was very fast, he was still dyed for a few seconds. His opponent was an experienced mercenary, and the few seconds was all he needed to regain hisposure.


    Anfey leapt down from the tree, his dagger shining, pointing at the mercenary¡¯s neck. The magic armor the man wore was another surprise. What he hoped would be a fatal blow was nothing but an inconvenience to the man. Usually, Anfey would try to preserve his strength. This time, he did not want to do that.


    Just as Anfey had expected, the man was ready to engage him. He turned around and drove his sword towards Anfey¡¯s chest.


    Every person had a certain way of fighting. If someone had fought Anfey before, he would know that Anfey would not expose his fighting n when his target was still feet away from him. The longer he could hide his n, the better.


    The sword was much longer than the dagger, and normally it would be able to pierce its target. However, Anfey stopped in midair, and the wind des under his feet disappeared. The sword was close to him, but he was able to avoid it.


    Anfey¡¯s dagger nged against the sword, and he kicked the mercenary in the chest. The man grunted and drew his sword back for a second blow, sending his sword radiance after Anfey.


    Anfey jumped out of the way and avoided the attack. The mercenary was not as good as Anfey at calcting and staying close to his target. Anfey kicked him and jumped upwards, but the mercenary was kicked, and his body was tilted.


    Anfeynded and jumped up. He stared at the mercenary.


    "It¡¯s you!" the mercenary said. He recognized Anfey.


    "No, it¡¯s not," Anfey said. He leapt forward and dashed towards the mercenary.


    The mercenary frowned, but Anfey was already on the move. "Come on," he bellowed angrily.


    Anfey¡¯s body was almost parallel to the ground, as if he was an arrow himself. He held out his right arm in front of him and pointed the dagger straight at the mercenary. What Anfey was doing was called a "death blow." It was a move used by people who were determined to see their opponents dead. With his right arm held out in front of him, he traded mobility so he could kill the mercenary with one blow. In closebat, the loss of mobility usually meant death.


    Perhaps it was because of Anfey, or perhaps it was because the mercenary was a daring and ruthless man himself, he used a "death blow" as well. His body was parallel to the ground, and the only difference between him and Anfey was thebat power on his sword.


    As they were about to sh, the mercenary smirked. A man withoutbat power was no match for a man who had it.


    The sword and the dagger shed. Anfey¡¯s dagger flew out of his hand, and his body kept going forward due to the momentum. Anfey curled his body up and turned from dashing forward to flying forward. As the two dashed past each other, Anfey kicked the man in his groin.


    The mercenary grunted in pain and stumbled to the ground. Anfey leapt up and the two stared at each other. Anfey¡¯s stance was natural, but the mercenary looked as if he was in great pain. Even though hisbat power had prevented Anfey frompletely disabling him, the mercenary was still in great pain.


    Anfey raised his hand, and ance made of wind des gathered in his hand.


    "You¡¯re a two-discipliner?" the mercenary asked. He began to see Anfey in a different light. However, he could not understand why Anfey had chosen ance. A knight with his horse was no match for a swordsman.


    Anfey did not say anything. He had stopped a mercenary, and the other two had already arrived at where he was before. They crouched down to study theirpanion¡¯s corpse. One of them held the elf¡¯s body in his arms and was sobbing, while the other was trying to console him. The sobbing man¡¯s hood fell off, revealing two pointed ears.


    Anfey bellowed and thrusted hisnce towards the mercenary¡¯s foot. He knew that the people in this world had amon mistake, and that was their lower body was often defenseless.


    Anfey¡¯s attack was very fast. Silvery wind des shifted like an angry sea. Some des dispersed like stars. The mercenary could only defend himself, and could not attack. Even Ernest was no match for Anfey when he was using ance, let alone a mercenary. All he could do was blocking thence.


    Anfey leapt forward and thrust thence at the man¡¯s foot. The mercenary took a step back and tried to block with his sword. Anfey suddenly changed his direction of attack and shed thence at the man¡¯s face. He had been aiming at the man¡¯s lower body, and had angered the mercenary. However, this move was unexpected, and the mercenary was not fast enough to block the attack. The only thing he could do was try to move out of thence¡¯s way. Thence caught him on his left shoulder. It did not leave a deep wound, however, because of the mercenary¡¯sbat power.


    The mercenary roared and took a step back, hisbat power bing more blinding. Then his sword thrust forward and hit thence. The blow scattered the wind des that formed the sword, and sent Anfey flying backwards.


    No one wanted to give up an opportunity for attack, especially when facing someone like Anfey. The mercenary leapt forward and dashed towards Anfey.


    Before, the mercenary had been too slow. This time, he acted too fast.


    Anfey sat in the grass, and he had drawn his bow. He aimed at the mercenary, and let loose his arrow.


    Blocking an arrow from a hundred feet away was not difficult, but there were only a few feet between Anfey and the mercenary. The mercenary was running too fast for him to react and avoid the arrow.


    The mercenary swung his sword. He did not know where Anfey was aiming, and was trying to protect himself instinctively. However, he missed the arrow. He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and his vision was filled with blinding light.


    Anfey rolled aside as the mercenary fell to the ground, his clothes burning. Anfey could draw the bow in a short time, but he could not form an element arrow. This time, he had used a sting arrow made from bones of the manticore.

 Chapter 199: Hatred

    Chapter 199: Hatred


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey had killed five opponents since the fighting began. Although every fight did notst long, Anfey had used all his strength and telepathy without holding anything back. He already felt a little tired.


    Anfey hid in the forest, watching thest two mercenaries as he caught his breath. He knew he had to keep hisbat power at its peak.


    The elf was still screaming in anger. He looked like he was in so much pain that anyone who saw him would sincerely feel bad for him. Anfey looked calm. He neither felt bad for the elf¡¯s pain, nor proud of what he had achieved. No emotion showed on his face.


    Anfey never thought killing was enjoyable. He did not feel there was a reason to be proud that he killed anyone. He had killed many people, but he had done that either out of self-defense or as part of his job. The targets in his work had to have some reason to be killed. This was Anfey¡¯s policy. Anfey was doing a job with high risk and high pay, but his annual ie was not that great.


    Feeling bad for others was pointless. If it Suzanna, Riska and Anfey had been surrounded by those mercenaries and the soldiers from Shansa Empire, what would have happened to them? Anfey was an arch-criminal and would be taken away by Shansa Empire or tortured to death. He also could be sentenced to death on the za through a public hearing, which would help the upper sses in Shansa Empire to save their pride. Suzanna was young and beautiful. It was very possible she could have be a sex ve for guys in royal families, or even raped by a few mercenaries or soldiers from Shansa Empire. Losers did not have the right to talk. What point would there have been in screaming in pain or struggling if Anfey had to see Suzanna being raped by others? Would winning others¡¯ sympathy work?


    This world seemed soplicated, but was actually pretty simple. Since they were already on the battlefield, there would only be two possibilities. Either they would die, or Anfey would die. There was no third option.


    Those two mercenaries slowly calmed themselves down and checked theirpanions¡¯ wounds. They turned in Anfey¡¯s direction and walked towards him. The mercenary in the front took a gigantic shield from his Dimensional ring.


    They must have guessed what weapon Anfey used. Anfey thought for a while and had a bitter smile on his face, because he saw Suzanna running in the distance, but it was still in the range he could see. Suzanna kept making some hand gestures about the sky. He could not see the sky, but probably Riska was back as well.


    If this had happened when they had just left Sacred City, with someone not following Anfey¡¯s orders and doing anything on their own, Anfey would have been exceedingly angry. However, it was different situation now. Maybe he stayed here too long, and Suzanna and Riska were worried. It also could be that the explosion of thebat power and surges of chaotic elements had travelled far, allowing Suzana to realize what Anfey was up to. They disobeyed Anfey¡¯s order and came back for him. Anfey had a warm feeling when he saw Suzanna biting her lip and looking worried.


    Anfey¡¯s target had walked close, so he let his hand go. An element arrow shot out like a meteor. The targeted mercenary immediately raised the shield and blocked the element arrow.


    This shot was just a test. Anfey put away the bow. He was about to jump to the side, suddenly seeing the elf holding a green short bow in his hand. The elf aimed at Anfey. Anfey felt all his hair stand up. He immediately gathered his telepathy to a state of Samadhi. His body was fully against the trunk, and he dove straight down.


    Woosh, woosh, woosh . . . The arrows made sounds as they flew. The elf¡¯s hands were so fast that people would get confused how he did it. In a very short time, he shot out five arrows. He did not only do it fast but also very elegantly.


    As Anfey dove to the ground, he had used a martial art called Extremely Heavy Fall. Even though he fell very quickly, thest arrow almost hit him in the heart. Luckily, there was some distance between Anfey and the elf. In addition, Anfey responded very quickly. He blocked the arrow with the knife at thest moment. If the distance had been less than twenty yards between them, Anfey did not know what would have happened.


    Anfey dared not to stay any longer. He rolled into the grass after hended on the ground. He had performed everything he could. He crawled rapidly. It was not really crawling. Regr people crawled with their whole body. Anfey had his hands open like eagle ws, legs held tight together with an angle away from the ground, his chest hung in the air. He looked like a scorpion. With unbelievably strong arms and fingers, Anfey crawled as fast as regr people could run.


    After crawling over a little dirt bump, Anfey finally could take a breath. He carefully stood up and ran even farther. At that moment, keeping a distance from the elf was his priority. The two mercenaries hade under the tree. They looked at each other confused when they saw the prints left on the ground. People¡¯s footprints would not look like this. It looked more like a weird magic beast¡¯s ws.


    From a hundred yards away, Anfey carefully took out a sting arrow from his Dimensional ring. Heid half of his body on the floor and pulled the bowstring. Calcting all the information about the locations, Anfey shot it at a very precise angle. As Anfey let the bowstring go, the sting arrow shot into the grass as fast as a poison snake. It flew out about a hundred yards and then came out of grass and flew at that elf¡¯s lower leg.


    A gigantic shield fell hard on the ground. The sting arrow nged into the gigantic shield and created a shining light. The elf flew out from the light and shot a few arrows at Anfey.


    Anfey held himself on the ground and slid into the grass. Suzanna and others had told Anfey before that elves were natural archers. Now he could tell they had been right. For two skilled archers, there would not be that much difference in uracy. However, their shooting speeds were quite different. Anfey calcted that the elf could shoot six or seven arrows for every two arrows he shot.


    Anfey was in thought for a while and turned around to run towards the direction of Suzanna. Anfey had developed a habit of relying on Suzanna to be his "fighter". Since Suzanna hade back for him, he would definitely look for help from her. Dealing with those two on his own was too dangerous.


    The mercenary with the gigantic shield yelled in anger. He gathered hisbat power and rushed in the direction the elf pointed for him. His momentum was unbelievable. With the gigantic shield in front of him, he felt he could run like a tank.


    Anfey ran in the forest as swiftly as a swallow. Once in awhile he would turn around and shoot an arrow to try to slow his opponent down. As the elf was ready to pull the green short bow, Anfey either dodged behind ancient trees or dove into the grass. He never let the elf locate him.


    With the help of the leaf, Anfey knew Suzanna had sensed thebat power surges and had turned her direction and run towards him. Anfey led those two mercenaries around. He needed to provide Suzanna an opportunity to strike.


    As Suzanna got closer to Anfey, Anfey could see with the leaf that Suzanna yelled and covered her body with white shinybat powers in the blink of an eye. She ran straight towards Anfey. The bushes and branches had turned into powder under the surges ofbat powers. Anfey was shocked for a second and could not help sighing. "My silly girl, why could she not just quietly thrust her sword from behind and surprise him? Wouldn¡¯t that be much easier than making such a scene?"


    Unfortunately, personality often decides how people act. Suzanna was a tough swordswoman. She was not afraid of challenges. She only got braver with more challenges. She liked to face top level powers face to face. Anfey was not feisty. He liked to find an unusual route to win. He would fight if he could. He would run away if he did not think he was a match for the opponent. He believed he would have a chance to win as long as he was patient enough.


    Those two mercenaries sensed a very intensebat power approaching them. They were not sure whether it was their friend or enemy. They immediately stopped and waited to see.


    Anfey stopped as well. The next moment, Suzanna rushed out of the forest. She looked surprised and happy when she saw Anfey. She looked quickly at Anfey to make sure he was not hurt, and then she heaved a sigh of relief. She slowly walked out of the forest and walked towards Anfey. She stood in front of Anfey.


    When they were not in danger, she liked to stand behind Anfey. However, she would immediately stand in front of Anfey whenever there was danger. Suzanna developed this habit just as Anfey developed a habit to rely on Suzanna. Suzanna knew Anfey had progressed with an unbelievable speed, but she still could not change her habit. She seemed to be showing some maternal instinct towards Anfey.


    The two mercenaries walked up to them with caution. This was their only chance to retreat. However, they did not want to leave and could not leave. It did not matter to them whether they were doing a right or wrong thing. The key was they wanted to get revenge.


    Suzanna recognized the two mercenaries. Her face changed and her eyes were full of hatred. She had not caused any trouble before. She did not want to put Anfey and Riska in a dangerous situation. Since the trouble hade itself, she had no concerns now. All she needed to do was to fight them.


    "Anfey, be careful. They have seven people," Suzanna said in a low voice.


    "Only two left. The other five are gone," Anfey answered with a smile.


    "Gone?" Suzanna asked.


    "I killed them," Anfey said.


    "You killed five of them?" Suzanna could not help looking back at Anfey even when they were facing tough enemies. She knew this mercenary group was very powerful. She never thought Anfey could kill five of them unless, Anfey was as good as a master swordsmen.


    "You know I am telling you the truth. Look at their eyes." Anfey smiled.


    Those two mercenaries had slowly walked twenty yards. Theyid their eyes on Anfey. Their hatred towards Anfey was even more than Suzanna.


    "Come on!" the elf said calmly. Right now, cursing and shouting with words seemed not to be enough. He only wanted to see blood, no matter whether it was from himself or his enemy.

 Chapter 200: Better Safe than Sorry

    Chapter 200: Better Safe than Sorry


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Suzanna raised her arm and hid half of her face from the elf. Her nose and mouth were obscured by her arm, but her eyes were still visible. This seemed like a strange move, but the mercenary gasped, and looked shocked and confused.


    "You-You¡¯re..." the elf said, stumbling over his words.


    Suzanna did not wait for him to finish. She raised her sword and lunged at the mercenary, shing at his head. The mercenary stumbled away and raised his shield. Suzanna¡¯s sword radiance broke apart as it hit the shield, and the mercenary took a few steps back. The shield was clearly not just amon shield. After blocking attacks from both Anfey and Suzanna, it was still intact.


    The elf arched his back and dashed towards Suzanna. He held out his bow and disyed his expert archer skills again. He released three arrows at Suzanna in quick session. One of the arrows flew towards Suzanna¡¯s throat, while the other two were aimed at her shoulders.


    Suzanna ducked and avoided the arrows. Then sheshed out again, herbat power bright and powerful.


    Anfey dashed forward and engaged the swordsman. He liked using bows and arrows, but fighting an archer who was superior to him required him to engage his opponent in closebat.


    The elf kept backing away, leaving blurred images where he had stood only moments ago. He kept attacking Suzanna and found time to shoot arrows towards Anfey as well.


    Anfey kept himself calm. He knew how fast the elf could be. He did not watch the elf¡¯s hand, and instead focused on the short, green bow. As soon as the bow changed direction, he jumped to the side. The arrows flew past him.


    Suzanna was forced to stop her attack and use defensive moves after a series of attacks. She observed her enemies carefully, trying to protect herself. Since Suzanna stopped attacking, the enemies turned their focus to Anfey. He stumbled through the grass and gave up trying to engage in closebat. He then jumped up and summoned his longbow. He shot at the elf, then disappeared into the bushes again.


    The elf clearly was better at attacking than he was at defending himself. Anfey¡¯s arrow almost hit his chest. The elf countered the attack and blocked the arrow with his bow. However, this knocked him off bnce.


    The mercenary stumbled awkwardly. It was clear that he was untrained in this form ofbat.


    Anfey quickly ducked behind another bush after hended, but did not hear the sound of arrows. He looked up and searched for the elf. He aimed his longbow at the elf and fired again.


    The bush in front of the elf suddenly changed shape and turned into arge shield. The shield distracted Anfey, and the elf ducked behind a tree.


    Anfey waved his hand and summoned an element arrow. He nocked the arrow and shot at the tree.


    The element arrow exploded on the tree and left arge hole. The elf jumped out of the way and avoided the fate of being killed by the arrow. He jumped quicly away from the tree.


    Logically, Anfey should feel frustrated that all his shots missed the target. However, he felt more relieved than frustrated. He needed to force the elf away from the fight. Suzanna was more powerful than the mercenary with the shield, and as long as there was no distraction, she could easily defeat him. If the mercenary died, the elf would notst long. Anfey swept his gaze through the forest and saw Riska hiding among the trees. Most of the students that escaped the Sacred City had some change in heart. Mages value tradition and glory, but these students stopped caring about those things. What was important to them was victory.


    The elf whispered something under his breath, and his body was enveloped by vines. As Anfey approached, the vines quickly shriveled up, and two men appeared. The two figures dashed in opposite directions.


    Anfey was shocked by this sudden change. He drew his bow and fired an arrow at the figure dashing to the left. The figure was hit and dispersed into green lights. The figure to the right had already drawn his bow.


    Anfey jumped aside to avoid the arrows. He could clearly hear the sound of arrows ripping through the air. Some arrows came dangerously close to him.


    Anfey didn¡¯t have the time or need to turn around. He move around in the forest quickly, with the elf close behind him. There was hatred and anxiety in the elf¡¯s eyes. It appeared that he knew well how powerful Suzanna was, and wanted to return to help hispanion.


    Anfey was already several hundred feet away, but the elf was still close behind him. He turned to the left and kicked on arge stone. He jumped into a tree, and jumped down, disappearing from the elf¡¯s vision.


    The elf followed him and jumped into the tree, and suddenly felt magic surges from behind a small mound. He knew Anfey was about to summon an element arrow again. The elf was very worried about the length of the fight. He wasn¡¯t sure if the other mercenary could hold Suzanna off for long. He wanted to end his fight and return to help his friend. Seeing no other options, the elf jumped off of the tree and began to shoot arrows more quickly. The arrows attacked the mound from all sides, blocking all possibilities of escape for whoever was behind it.


    The elfnded, and realized the ground under his feet was not solid ground, but instead soft mud. His body began sinking.


    If he was just normally walking or running, maybe he could have escaped the swamp. Instead, he had jumped down from a tree and had too much momentum. He was deep in the swamp before he even realized what had happened.


    Lightning struck the elf, and Anfey jumped out from behind the mound. He held his fire sword and shed at the elf¡¯s neck.


    "Saved your skin, didn¡¯t I?" Riska said, appearing from among the trees. Growth was inevitable, and Riska, who would once feel nauseous at the sight of blood, no longer felt difort at the sight of it.


    "Finally," Anfey said, sighing in relief. He had learned a lot from this fight. Not only did it help him perfect his skills, it also helped him find himself again. Now, however, the only thing he needed was rest.


    Suzanna had the advantage. Every time her sword thrust out, her opponent would stumble back. Seeing that Anfey and Riska had joined Suzanna, and the elf did not reappear, the mercenary knew that he had no hope of winning. He bellowed and raised his shield, fending off Suzanna¡¯s attack. Then he nced at the sky, and buried his own sword in his chest. He stumbled back, then fell to the ground.


    Suzanna stood there, staring at her fallen opponent, her eyes staring at the mercenary but seeing something hidden deep in her memories.


    Anfey walked over and took the shield from the mercenary¡¯s hand. Then he brought therge shield down on the man¡¯s head, crushing his skull.


    Riska jumped back, staring it Anfey. Suzanna turned and frowned, perplexed by his actions.


    "Come, we need to find a ce to rest," Anfey said.


    Whenever Anfey saw someone whomitted suicide, it always reminded him of a woman he had fought years ago. Someone hadmissioned him to kill her. After an intense fight, the woman realized she was no match to him, andmitted suicide by shoot herself in the chest. Anfey thought he had finished the job, but six monthster she reappeared and held him at gunpoint.


    Anfey could not believe what he was seeing, but the woman told him that there were ces on a person¡¯s chest that would allow a bullet to go through without killing the person. The woman, however, did not control her emotions too well. She wanted to tell Anfey about how she had lived, because she wanted to see his regret about not finishing her off. In the end, Anfey took her gun and killed her in a fight. In order not to make the same mistake again, Anfey made sure that he put enough bullets through her.


    After that, whenever someonemitted suicide in front of him, Anfey felt obligated to make sure his opponent was really dead. After all, life was not a y, and it was better to make sure one¡¯s enemies did note back from the dead.

 Chapter 201: Aroused

    Chapter 201: Aroused


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Sun jumped off the horizon and painted a golden sky. Suzanna quietly looked off into the distance, squinting. Anfey sat behind Suzanna and held her in his arms.


    Suzanna tossed and turned the whole night and could not fall asleep. Later that night, she decided to get up and watch the stars with Anfey. She could not forget about that mercenary group with seven mercenaries. They had chased her for over half a year. How could she forget about them?


    From Gruce Principality to Ellisen Empire, from Ellisen Empire to Maho Empire, that mercenary group had closely chased after her breath by breath. To protect Shally, she had to experience many dangerous moments and finally hid in the magic beast forest.


    Suzanna felt like she had a gigantic stone on her chest, and she could not breath as she recalled her past. That time was like hell to her. She took Shally with her and fought against the whole world. She did not have anyone to trust, to help her, not even the man who had grown up with her. On the face of it, he had looked like an attractive gentlemen, but he had stabbed her in the back.


    Suzanna could not help touching her right side as she thought of him. That guy led her into a trap that the mercenary group set up. They ran to her like seven starving wolves from the dark and surrounded her. Suzanna had been shot in the right ribs by that elf. She still had the scar to show for it.


    Anfey gently held Suzanna¡¯s hair and gave it a hard sniff with his eyes closed. He thought the nice smell from women were from cosmetics, but Suzanna never used any. Niya used to rmend some fragrance powder to her, but Suzanna did not wear it. Where was the nice smell on her from? Anfey thought this question was worth pondering a little more.


    Suzanna quietly turned her body half way and stared at Anfey¡¯s face as he was thinking about the biological problem of how Suzanna could give off a nice smell without the help of cosmetics. Suzanna used to think she would neither believe anything and anyone nor have attachment to anything after experiencing so many lies, traps, and murders. She only wanted to raise Shally and take back what belonged to Shally. However, Anfey hade into her life. They quickly built a rtionship and were bound for good or ill.


    The first time Suzanna saw Anfey, she wanted to kill him so badly, especially when he hung her on the tree. She had wanted to rip Anfey apart. She thought she would get raped, but Anfey left without any reluctance and had no intention of staying around. The experiences that Suzanna had had shaped her own way of thinking. No man would let an easily caughtmb go, but she met one.


    Was she not attractive? What did those men with greedy eyes mean then? Suzanna was confident about her appearance. Anfey had a bitter smile on his face to try to cover that fact he felt bad about Suzanna. Back then Suzanna subconsciously felt Anfey should be a trustworthy man as she watched him walking quickly away. Of course, Suzanna still thought Anfey was a bad guy, only with some moral standards.


    As time went by, Suzanna learned more about Anfey and started to trust him more. Anfey had one big difference with the guy she grew up with. That guy liked to make beautiful promises and describe their happy life in the future. However, nice things were only created with his lips. Anfey rarely promised anything, but he did things for her.


    Just as this time: even though Anfey told her all kinds of excuses for fighting hard with seven mercenaries, Suzanna knew it was because Anfey had noticed the hatred Suzanna felt towards them. Anfey used some excuses to attack the mercenary group for her. If it had been Susanna¡¯s childhood friend, he would have said he did everything for Suzanna, even the real reason could have had nothing to do with her. He could do that without any shame. Anfey took revenge for her, but argued that it had nothing to do with her. There was a big difference in how they acted.


    Suzanna suddenly thought Anfey as a hero. Suzanna would love to be with Anfey forever.


    At that moment, Anfey was still thinking about the biological question of how Suzanna smelled nice without using fragrance power. The nice smell should be created by perspiration and skin oil. Diving deeper on this question, it seemed that some animals attracted the opposite sex by secreting hormones. Maybe human beings inherit this ability as well. Anfey suddenly realized he had not had sex for a long time.


    Suzanna got upset after she saw Anfey zoned out as he yed with her hair. This man rarely expressed himself. He never told her how much he liked her or where they were in their rtionship. Women always wanted to know though.


    Suzanna bit her lips and swung her hair at Anfey¡¯s face on purpose. Anfey was shocked, but it made Suzannaugh.


    "Are you feeling better?" Anfey asked with a smile.


    "Yes," Suzanna nodded. Thinking about the old times had made her depressed, but she always felt better if she had Anfey with her. It had nothing to do with how powerful he was. She only wanted to have someone she could rely on.


    "We have been sitting here half of the night. My butt started to hurt. Let¡¯s go take some rest. We need travel tomorrow," Anfey said.


    "No." Suzanna suddenly acted like a little kid. She leaned back and threw herself in Anfey¡¯s arms again.


    Anfey held her in his arms and suddenly remembered that he had not figured out the question he had before. An assassin without self-control was a failure. Anfey never had any problem with self-control. The princess from Shansa Empire was a beautiful girl, the best of the best, but Anfey was never aroused by her even when she flirted with him. It had been a habit for Anfey to always have self-control. He had fought the attraction from that princess by instinct.


    Anfey liked Suzanna because she won his trust with her bravery and performance on the battlefield. There was a big difference between flirting with Suzanna and that princess. Anfey started to feel aroused having Suzanna in his arms. Suzanna seemed to feel the same way. She was getting more clingy and breathed a little heavier.


    "Anfey!" Riska yelled. He sounded like someone striking a broken gong.


    In fact, Riska¡¯s low and coarse voice usually sounded pretty manly, but this time it sounded very shrill to Anfey and Suzanna. It really sounded simr to striking a broken gong.


    "We are up here. What are you yelling about?" Anfey yelled harshly.


    Suzanna quietly left Anfey¡¯s arms. Everyone knew there were dating, but it was not appropriate to let others see them being too intimate.


    "Huh?" Riska was shocked for a second. He was not so sure why Anfey was so upset. He instinctively looked around to try to think of something to talk about. "Anfey, Suzanna disappeared."


    "You disappeared!" Suzanna did not sound too happy either.


    Riska suddenly realized his mistake. He cleared his throat a few times and broke a random branch from a tree. He aimlessly doodled on the ground. One was his bro and leader and the other was Anfey¡¯s future wife. He had to take it, even though they were not too nice to him.


    "Anfey, why have you not asked about my past?" Suzanna asked quietly as she tied up her hair.


    "I am waiting for you to tell me." Anfey moved closer to Suzanna and grabbed her soft hand.


    "I won¡¯t tell you if you don¡¯t ask." Suzanna was not too happy with his answer and rolled her eyes at Anfey. However, she did not take her hand from Anfey¡¯s and just let him hold her.


    Anfey smiled without arguing. He held Suzanna¡¯s small waist with the other hand. He never wanted to tell others about his background and history, so he never bothered to ask anyone¡¯s either.


    "Anfey," Suzanna murmured as she put her head on Anfey¡¯s shoulder.


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "What do you wish for most?" Suzanna asked.


    "A safe and happy life. Marry a girl named Suzanna." Anfey did not like to express himself, but he still knew how to flirt.


    "I hate you." Suzanna slightly pushed Anfey away.


    "I am still going to marry you even though you hate me." Anfey nodded vigorously.


    Suzanna sighed and said quietly, "It would not be easy for us to live a safe and happy life."


    "Why do you say that?" Anfey asked.


    "Think about yourself." Suzanna smiled. "You have pissed off Master swordsman Philip and Shansa Empire¡¯s royal families. You even caught the princess of Shansa Empire. We have too many enemies."


    "Indeed, many enemies," Anfey said proudly, "but they are nothing to me."


    "Seriously?" Suzanna looked at Anfey. She never remembered Anfey having this kind of look.


    "Yes. Philip is just a coward. I sent him a challenge letter. He would not even take my challenge," Anfey said.


    "Challenge letter? When did you sent him the challenge letter? Howe I never heard of it?" This was huge. Suzanna looked nervous.


    "A long time ago," Anfey said.


    "What did you write in that challenge letter?" Suzanna got even more nervous when she saw Anfey¡¯s serious look. Challenge letters were not casually sent out or epted. Once the challenge letter was sent and epted by both parties, nothing would get in the way of the fight proposed in the challenge letter. They had toe to the fight even if one of them was about to die from sickness. They would leave themselves a bad name for a long time if they did note to the fight. Even they were too sick to walk, they had to crawl to the fight arena to fulfil their promise, otherwise they would disobey the holy rules of the challenge letter.


    "I have challenged Philip to a fight in ckwater City in twenty years. It was a deal between us," Anfey said.


    "You..." Suzanna did not know whether she should cry orugh. She realized Anfey was just kidding with her.

 Chapter 202: Home

    Chapter 202: Home


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Finally!" Anfey said, looking at Moramatch in the distance.


    After he attacked the Shansa army and fought with the mercenaries, he spent another two days in the forest. Shansa Empire must have realized they were not easy targets, and sending small teams would achieve nothing. The search ended and no one looked for trouble with them.


    After making sure the Shansa soldiers had all left, Anfey, Suzanna, and Riska turned towards the northeast. They were all very worried about Moramatch. If Dardanibry really decided to go to Moramatch, those who were left there would be no match for an archmage. Even though the three of them would not be much help, but they had to return.


    Anfey had long learned that fear solves nothing. What wasing woulde no matter what. Sometimes, being fearless created opportunities. The most precious things he could have were courage and hope. Without those, he was as good as dead.


    Furthermore, Anfey did not want to run forever, or else he would have stayed on the ind. Choosing to leave with Saul and Ernest and bing Saul¡¯s student meant that he had responsibilities. Sometimes he did not have a choice. Anfey just wanted to be proud and not ashamed when he met Saul again.


    Anfey always imagined the worst possible oue when he made a n, even though he knew that it would be an unlikely oue. The Arch Druid Bruzuryano seemed like an important person. Judging from the way he spoke, he was in good rtions with Saul. nbrea appeared friendly as well. As long as they were around, Dardanibry would not do anything.


    Killing Anfey might not be a big event, but murdering all the residents of Moramatch would make headlines. Dardanibry was a court mage and should know very well how the act could impact him and Shansa Empire.


    Even though Anfey knew it was unlikely that Dardanibry would attack Moramatch, he still felt relieved when he saw the town.


    Suzanna walked besides Anfey and smiled sweetly when she heard him call Moramatch home.


    "Riska, go check on the tunnel entrances," Anfey said.


    "Alright," Riska said, raising into the air.


    "Suzanna," Anfey called quietly.


    "Yes?"


    "What do you think a home should look like?" Anfey said carefully. He wanted to know if Suzanna had a particr preference. This way, he could decorate a home ording to Suzanna¡¯s taste, and surprise her.


    "Arge, soft bed, a warm heart, a clean kitchen. That is all I want in a home," Suzanna said.


    "Kitchen? You know how to cook?"


    "Of course I do," Suzanna said proudly.


    "I wish I could try your cooking sometimes," Anfey said, smiling. "But, Suzanna, it seems like you are missing something in your home."


    "What is it?"


    "Think," Anfey said.


    "Really, what is it that I¡¯m missing?"


    Anfey leaned over and whispered into her ear, "me."


    Suzanna blushed furiously and pushed him. "Who cares," she said nervously.


    "Oh, and another thing."


    "Shut up," Suzanna said, jumping away from Anfey and covering her ears with her hands. "Shut up. Don¡¯t you even dare. If you have nothing serious to say, don¡¯t say it at all."


    "I am dead serious," Anfey said. He looked at Suzanna, and kept his face as sincere as possible.


    "What is it this time?" Suzanna frowned and asked.


    "A kid, or a few kids," Anfey saidughing. He ran down the hill. Every step he took he was stepping on a wind de. For people who really wanted to perfect their skills, there were plenty of opportunities to practice in everyday life.


    Suzanna looked at Anfey and smiled. If Anfey was still there, she would be embarrassed. Now that he wasn¡¯t watching, there was nothing to hide. Anfey was right about what she wanted in a home.


    "Why aren¡¯t you chasing me?" Anfey stopped and asked. "Why are you smiling like that?"


    "Why do you care?" Suzanna asked, lifting a brow.


    "You looked like a fox that just ate a chicken," Anfey said. "Ah, I see. You want kids too, don¡¯t you?"


    Suzanna thought that Anfey would try to run if she chased after him, and would not finish his sentence. Anfey, however, did not try to run. He just stood there and waited as Suzanna walked down to him. The two of them stared at each other, but neither moved. Some girls liked the little things, like hugs and kisses, while some were more introverted. Suzanna would usually be thetter. She wouldsh out only when she was too embarrassed. Now, as she was staring into Anfey¡¯s eyes, she did not know what she should do.


    Anfey raised his hand to her head. "Suzanna?" he murmured. He voice was deep and gentle, and made Suzanna¡¯s heart flutter.


    "What is it?" Suzanna asked.


    "Your dream is also my dream. I will try my best to make it a reality."


    "What..." Suzanna widened her eyes, realizing what Anfey was implying. She reached over, embarrassed, and tried to grab his arm.


    Anfey jumped back to avoid her advance. He jumped onto a wind de that propelled himself a dozen feet away from her.


    "Stay exactly where you are!" Suzanna called angrily. She summoned herbat power and chased after Anfey. Perhaps it was because she trusted Anfey too much, she allowed him to trick her time and time again.


    The two of them ran into the town, and reached the back of the town in no time. This spooked Riska, who was checking the markers they left there before their departure.


    "Did something happen?" he asked anxiously.


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "No! Riska, don¡¯t listen to him," Suzanna said, following Anfey.


    "What?" Riska frowned and asked.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it."


    Riska sighed and shook his head. Then he turned around and returned to checking the markers.


    "No one has been here, right?" Anfey asked. He had reminded Christian several times that they should leave the tunnels unless Anfey, Suzanna, and Riska returned. If the markers had disappeared, it must be that outsiders were there.


    "It¡¯s perfect," Riska said, walking towards the tunnel entrance. "No one¡¯s been here since we left."


    Anfey summoned his fire sword and followed Riska. The three of them quickly found the gate to the tunnels and knocked on therge metal door.


    After a few moments, a quiet voice asked, "Who is it?" If the three of them weren¡¯t standing still, they would have missed it.


    "It¡¯s us," Anfey called.


    "You guys are back!" Anfey recognized Christian¡¯s voice. "Quickly! Open the doors. Feller, go tell everyone. They¡¯re back!"


    The door opened slowly, apanied by a cacophony of chains rattling. After Anfey, Suzanna, and Riska walked through, the door closed slowly.


    About a hundred feet away, Christian appeared from one of the side tunnels. "Wee back!" he said happily. His voice was very high, and he was walking very fast, with his arms out. Christian was normally a reserved and quiet person, and did not easily let his emotions show through. His actions now proved that he was overjoyed.


    Anfey walked over with a smile and embraced Christian. He looked at Christian and said, "You are so pale. You look like a proper toy boy now."


    Christian shook his head and said, "If you lived here, you would be too."


    "How is everyone? Is everything alright?"


    "Everyone is good. Let¡¯s go back and talk. Oh, and ck Eleven is back."


    "He¡¯s back? I thought he had stayed in White Mountain City," Anfey said, surprised. Bruzuryano had told them that ck Eleven was attacked on the way to White Mountain City and suffered serious injuries. He had survived, but Anfey expected him to stay in the city until he was in better condition to travel.


    "If it wasn¡¯t for the High Priest of Light, nbrea, he would still be in bed," Christian said. "He¡¯s worried about you guys, but he¡¯s also worried about us. So he came back after just two days of rest. Come on, everyone will be so happy that you guys are back."

 Chapter 203: Very Sick

    Chapter 203: Very Sick


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After turning the corner in the tunnel, vi and few others waited in the underground city. The important people in the legion were all there, no one was missing. Niya stood in the front with a smile. ck Eleven was with them with crutches. He looked like he could not move easily.


    "Anfey, are we good? Can we go out now?" Niya yelled when Anfey was still seven or eight yards away. Niya cared the most whether she could go out. It was torture for her to hide in the dark underground. She dreamed of running out and sunbathing.


    "What are you rushing for? Just wait for another two days." Anfeyid his eyes on ck Eleven. "How is your wound?"


    "I am fine." ck Eleven smiled and patted his chest hard to show he was doing well.


    "Huh, I have not finished yet," Niya hurriedly interrupted. "Anfey, did you bring us any gifts?"


    "Gifts..." Anfey thought a little bit and took out an item from his Dimensional ring and passed it to Niya.


    "What is it? Smells great!" Niya looked at the little stone in curiosity. This stone gave out a nice fragrance to make people feel good. It smelled like thousands of flowers.


    Anfey scanned the room andid his eyes on a stranger. He was shocked to see a stranger, "This is..."


    "This is mypanion. He brought you two good news. We will talk about itter," ck Eleven said in a secretive manner.


    "Hello," The stranger nodded at Anfey with a smile.


    "Hello," Anfey responded.


    "It is not fair. Why did only Niya get a gift, but we do not get any gift?" Hagan yelled.


    "Oh, right, I got a short bow from an elf, but I could not pull the bowstring apart. What do you think?" Anfey turned his hand and there was a green short bow in his hand.


    Hagan¡¯s attention was totally drawn to it. He took over the short bow and looked at it for awhile. "This is a contract bow. Only its owner can use it. Of course, you can not pull it apart."


    "Can you take the contract off the bow?" Anfey asked.


    "I cannot tell you now. Let me do some research on it. Can I have it for now?" Hagan looked up. "Do you have anything else good?"


    "I have a gigantic shield." Anfey took out a gigantic shield from his Dimensional ring and tossed it on the floor. "I have other some small things. They are with Riska."


    "Huh? What is this made of?" Hagan squatted and knocked on the shield in curiosity to see its texture.


    Anfey scanned the other side of the crowd and saw a lonely figure in the corner. She looked helpless and cold. She did not fit in with this happy crowd. He was unsure whether she had abandoned the world or the world had abandoned her.


    Anfey felt bad for her. The figure was very simr to one side of Anfey that he hid so well in himself. Anfey used to feel as lonely and isted by the world as she did. He heaved a slight sigh and walked slowly to her. "Hey, you came too."


    "Yes," Alice said casually.


    "This is your gift." Anfey took out another piece of the stone that could give out nice fragrance.


    "Thank you," Alice said.


    "You are wee." Anfey blinked. He felt he had nothing else to say. Actually he did not have anything to talk about with this princess from Shansa Empire. "Ok, I need to go over there first."


    "Sure," Alice said.


    As Anfey was about to leave, Niya came over and asked, "Anfey, what did you say to that bitch?"


    "Nothing, I just greeted her." Anfey was actually exining to Suzanna standing behind Niya.


    "How did you greet her?" Niya seemed ready to asked about every detail.


    "Ok, Niya, let¡¯s talk over there. Let these guys catch up," Suzanna said, smiling at Anfey. She tried to grab Niya away. "Niya, where is Shally? Why is she not here?"


    "She had a headachest night and did not sleep at all. She is sleeping soundly now, so I did not wake her up," Niya said.


    "Is Shally sick?" Suzanna¡¯s face suddenly changed. "Come on, take me to see her."


    "She is ok now." Niya smiled. "Look at you. Your face has changed. Stop acting like a kid."


    Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or cry when he heard what Niya said. He thought to himself, "In the whole legion, Niya is the one acting like a kid the most. Birds of a feather flock together. You hang out all the time with little Shally. How dare you pretend to be the mature one?"


    "Huh, right." Niya suddenly yelled, "Anfey, go look at the little guy. The little guy is so sick."


    "Little guy?" Anfey did not realize who the little guy was immediately.


    "Yes, Hui Wei said unicorns could not live in the underground too long. They could die from it. You should take a look at the little guy now," Niya yelled.


    "What exactly happened?" Anfey asked as he stared at Hui Wei.


    "Anfey, just as people cannot live without water and food, unicorns cannot live without moonlight and sunlight. If the little unicorn could not get any sunlight, he would die," Hui Wei said slowly.


    "I have nned to ask Christian to take the little guy outside, and I will take over tomorrow during the day. You told us not to go out when you left, but we could not wait and see the little guy dying in front of us. Now you finally came back: You decide whether we can take the little unicorn out," vi said.


    "Where is the little guy?" Anfey asked with a worryied tone.


    Anfey felt worried. It might be because he took the Tear of Stars. The little unicorn was not just a magic beast for Anfey. The little unicorn was more like Anfey¡¯s kid. How could he not get worried when he heard the little guy was about to die. He wanted to me Christian for not being flexible, but he kept his mouth shut. He did give the order to stay in the underground, and Christian just strictly followed it.


    "Let¡¯s go. I will show you the way." Niya trotted ahead before Anfey could say anything. Everyone had different power abilities, but they were all part of the legion family to Anfey. However, Niya felt that she only had two friends, Shally and the little guy. Besides Anfey, she felt the worst about the little guy.


    As they walked to the end of the tunnel, Niya rushed to open a stone chamber door. Anfey rushed in and saw the little guy lying on his stomach on some dry grass on the floor. The stone chamber was very bright. Christian took almost all the evesting lights to this stone chamber. However, evesting lights did not seem to work for the little guy. When the little guy saw Anfey, he moaned loudly and he tried to stand up. However, he was so weak that he could not hold himself.


    "Uh!" Niya had tears in her eyes. She rushed over and held the little guy in her arms.


    "Christian, can you open the door. Let¡¯s go out now," Anfey said in a worrying tone.


    "Ok." Christian immediately turned around and walked out of the stone chamber.


    Suddenly, without knowing what substance had caused the little guy to struggle, he jerked hard in Niya¡¯s arms. He had been so weak, but now he even bit Niya¡¯s hand.


    "What are you doing? Are you going to eat me?" Niya screamed in surprise. Her imagination was great.


    Hui Wei, standing at the door, suddenly thought of something. As Niya pulled her hand out, he saw something shining. That was the gift Anfey gave her, and she had not had time to put it away and held it in her hand. Did the little unicorn want that little stone?


    "Niya, give the gift Anfey gave you to the little guy," Hui Wei said urgently.


    "What?" Niya was shocked for a second and opened her palm. The little guy bit the stone immediately. He leaned his head back and swallowed the stone.


    "Do not eat it. You will have stomachache." Niya got worried.


    "He will be fine." Hui Wei had a smile on his face. "Anfey, did you get those stones from a gigantic butterfly?"


    "How did you know?" Riska stared, wide-eyed.


    "This is the power of knowledge." Hui Wei had a confident smile on his face and stuck his chest out.


    "Stop it." Anfey pped Hui Wei hard on his back. Hui Wei¡¯s confidence seemed to be patted away. "Tell me, what happened?" Anfey asked.


    "How many stones do you have?" Hui Wei asked with a bitter smile.


    "Many," Anfey said.


    "Take them all out and give the little guy a good meal, and then take him to get some sun. Stay overnight there. Tomorrow at this time, the little guy should be fine," Hui Wei said.


    "Really?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course. Why would I joke about it?" Hui Wei said.


    Anfey took all the stones out without any hesitation. This little guy did not have much energy, but he ate quickly. He had dozens of stones in a few bites.


    "Hui Wei, tell us what happened," Riska asked.


    "You guys saw an Angel Butterfly. This kind of butterfly was not very useful, but there were very few of them. Do you know the perfume Dream Elf? It was made from this kind of stone," Hui Wei said.


    "Huh, I thought I smelled something like this before. I could not think what it was right away," Niya said.


    "Hui Wei, is the little guy really going to be fine?" Anfey, wanting to confirm it, asked as he caressed the little guy¡¯s head.


    "Yes, but he needs moonlight and sunlight as well." Hui Wei nodded.


    The little guy gave a quiet moan. He took his front legs off Niya¡¯s arms and held them towards Anfey. This looked too much like a human being. The little guy looked like a little kid wanting a hug. Anfey held out his hands and took the little guy from Niya. Niya did not look like she wanted the little guy to leave her arms.

 Chapter 204: Victory

    Chapter 204: Victory


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The unicorn recovered significantly under the sunlight. It was lying next to Anfey, ncing at what was going on around it. Once it a while it would nudge Anfey¡¯s arm, in case he had forgotten about it.


    Suzanna sat next to Anfey, and Shally was leaning against her shoulder. The sisters hadn¡¯t seen each other in days, and were very excited to be reunited. Suzanna wanted to stay with Anfey, but she also wanted to spend time with her sister, so she brought Shally along.


    Niya was strolling and humming to herself. She had always been treated like a princess, and was not used to living in an underground tunnel. In the entire team, Niya was the only person that could make Anfeypromise. He had agreed to let her sleep somewhere she could see the moonlight and breathe the fresh air. Of course, he had agreed to let the others do the same, as well. He did not want to make the others feel like he was treating Niya better than anyone else. It would affect the team in a negative way.


    ck Eleven walked over slowly with his colleague and nodded at Anfey and Suzanna.


    Anfey smiled at them. The man with ck Eleven nced at Suzanna, then turned to Anfey and said, "I need to discuss something important with you."


    "I¡¯m taking Shally for a walk. You three talk," Suzanna said. She was very aware that the stranger wanted her to leave.


    "Let me introduce you," Anfey said, taking Suzanna¡¯s hand. "This is my fianc¨¦e, Suzanna. I trust her with everything. If you want to talk, I believe she has the right to hear it too."


    The man frowned and turned to ck Eleven.


    ck Eleven nodded and shrugged. "Don¡¯t worry," he said with a smile.


    "I apologize, madame," the man said. It seemed like he understood how important Suzanna was. "As you may know, I am Armin¡¯s colleague. People like us are required to follow our superior¡¯s every order. My superior ordered me to speak with Anfey alone, and I hope you do not mind me following my orders."


    "It is fine, I understand," Suzanna said, smiling. She wasn¡¯t interested in what they had to say at all, but after Anfey had specifically requesting that she stay, she did not want to leave, either.


    "You are very kind, mydy," the man said. He turned to Anfey and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Apa, and, unlike Armin, who belongs to the ck faction, I belong to the Blood faction. His Majesty is a straightforward man who dislikes naming his people with pretentious names. I think someone as smart as you should be able to figure out how my duties differ from Armin¡¯s."


    "Of course," Anfey said. At first, Anfey did not like how Apa tried to get Suzanna away from the conversation. Now, seeing that he had handled the situation very well, Anfey could not bring himself to dislike him anymore. "You are a very talkative man," Anfey said. "I am sure speaking with you is never boring."


    "Of course, of course," Apa said with a smile. He knew Anfey wanted to get straight to the point. "I have two pieces of good news for you. One is perhaps more personal for you than the other. Which one would you like to hear about first?"


    "I am a selfish man, Apa. I want to hear the one more personal to me."


    Apa nodded. Everyone was selfish, but there were very few people who would openly admit that. He decided to change his tone and make the conversation more lighthearted. "Madame, I have some good news for you," he turned to Suzanna and said.


    Suzanna blushed. This was the second time Apa had referred to her as madame, and for an unmarried woman like Suzanna, it was strange to the ear. "Please just tell us the news, sir," she said. She knew that she should not act naive, and she must be the one asking the questions.


    "Your fianc¨¦ has received arge piece ofnd as a reward for his bravery. He will receive the Medal of Mars, handed out by His Majesty himself." Apa turned his gaze to Anfey, observing his expression.


    "Really?" Suzanna turned to Anfey and said, "Dear, did you hear that? I am so proud of you!" It was natural for a woman to be giving her loverpliments after receiving such good news, but Suzanna¡¯s heart was pounding because it was the first time she had referred to Anfey as "dear" in front of others. It was what was expected of her, however, and she needed to y the part of a loving fianc¨¦e.


    Anfey was smiling and trying to disguise his true feelings. No one could read anything from his face if he did not want them to. Judging from ck Eleven¡¯s expression, however, Anfey already knew how important this honor was.


    This honor, however, had too much underlying information. So much that Anfey was slightly panicking. Most importantly, Ynthe expressed his gratitude towards Anfey and hispanions with this honor. Anfey and the master swordsman Philip had a turbulent rtionship, and this award would make Anfey a hero. Philip would have to be more careful.


    If a master swordsman and some archmages attacked and destroyed a Griffin Aerial Squadron, they may seed, and it would to be a surprise. If a small mercenary band attacked and destroyed the squadron, it would be considered a miracle. Anfey used this as a message to Ynthe, showing that he was willing to work for Maho Empire.


    Ynthe clearly understood what he was trying to convey. This was a huge award, but Anfey knew that he was notpletely safe yet.


    "Tell me the second one," Anfey said.


    Seeing that there was no change in his expression, Apa shook his head disappointingly. He quickly changed his attitude, however, and said with a smile, "We won."


    "We won?"


    "Yes. We¡¯ve won the war," Apa said. "Newyoheim, the leader of the Dark Moon Magic Legion, used a forbidden spell. However, Archmage Saul took the opportunity and used the Great Dimensional Sweep, disrupting the elements and rendering the spell useless. Lord Baery seized the chance and attacked the legion, forcing them into a surrender."


    "Master defeated Newyoheim? Does that mean he is more powerful, then?"


    "No, it is purely because of luck. I am not doubting Archmage Saul¡¯s power, of course," Apa said with a smile. "As far as I know, Lord Baery, Philip, and Ernest were all involved in the battle. Newyoheim is the most powerful archmage, but there is no fairness in war."


    "Was Newyoheim captured?"


    "No, unfortunately. They had a temporary transmission portal, and everyone over the rank of captain was transported elsewhere," Apa said with a sigh. "As you know, people like Newyoheim have thousands of ways to save themselves. It is almost impossible to capture them alive."


    "They have surrendered. Did you ept the surrender?"


    "Of course."


    "His Majesty had given up thosends to defeat that legion. If it was me, I would not have epted that."


    Apa and ck Eleven nced at each other. "There are people you cannot kill, you know," Apa said. "No one would want to destroy a treasure trove."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Take Lord Baery¡¯s Roaring Death Legion, for example. There are hundreds of nobatant workers, mostly scribes. They are scions of nobles houses sent to the army."


    "To gain experience."


    "Yes," Apa said with a smile. "There are hundreds of people like that in Dark Moon Magic Legion. They can trade for a fortune. As for the real mages, they will be sent to quarries as workers after their magic has been banished. Our diplomats will prolong the process of negotiation. The mages won¡¯tst long in ces like quarries. As you know, mages are typically not physically fit. The other ves will try to make their lives as difficult as possible, as well. They are doomed."


    "Which means, Dark Moon Magic Legion is practically nonexistent," ck Eleven said with a smile.

 Chapter 205: Huge Business

    Chapter 205: Huge Business


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Does everyone know about it?" Anfey asked slowly. He had some concerns. Maho Empire had won a big military victory, which was big news for them. Everyone was happy about getting reunited. If they had known about the victory, they would have been exhrated about it.


    "They do not know about it yet," Apa said, shaking his head.


    "The king asked me to let you know it first, and you can decide whether to tell others." Apa smiled. He recalled the words Ynthe told him. Of course, he would not tell Anfey the exact words.


    "I do not get it," Anfey said. "It would only take at most one month to clean up the battlefield and the deal with the aftereffects of the war. That means the second prince of Maho Empire and Master Saul woulde back to Sacred City in two months"


    Anfey suddenly realized they could go home if Saul was going home. This was definitely a good thing, but it meant Alibaba mercenary group would be dismissed. For various reasons, they all needed to go back to Sacred City. However, it was still unknown if they coulde back to the underground city. There was still something he did not get, especially what Ynthe was trying to hint to him.


    "Can I ask where exactly my estate is?" Anfey asked.


    "I knew you would ask. I brought the map with me." Apa took out a scroll from his shirt with a smile and unrolled it. The remaining sunset had dyed the sky a golden color. "Violet City is here. Congrattions. Violet City is a wealthy city. Although your nobility title did not change, your estate is as big as a duke¡¯s."


    "Here is...?" Anfey asked.


    "This is ckania City," Apa answered.


    After a bit of thought, Anfey finally realized what Ynthe was trying to hint to him. Violet City and ckania City were next to each other on Maho Empire¡¯s border. It was not only a military center, but also amercial center. Shansa Empire attacked Maho Empire through a different country, which caused a lot of damage to Maho Empire. It messed up Ynthe¡¯s badly. By that time, Ynthe had switched his attention to the Country of Mercenaries. Thinking about the locations of Moramatch, Hengduan Valley, and Violet City on the other side of Hengduan Valley, Anfey believed that Ynthe hoped Anfey could maintain his Alibaba mercenary group, since he could help Ynthe get into the Country of Mercenaries.


    "I heard the Empire lost most of the eastern area and only controlled ckania City now. Did Violet City have a lot of damage?" Anfey asked slowly.


    "I am not sure about it," Apa said, shaking his head.


    Anfey went quiet. He knew it was hard to understand what was on the king¡¯s mind. The reason he finally got what Ynthe was thinking was due to his street smarts. People with power had much experience fighting for political power. They were far better than Anfey in that sense. He might beat Ynthe in a physical fight, but even if Anfey were a king, he could be yed by Ynthe.


    Anfey wanted neither to turn Ynthe down, nor bargain with him, especially when he had nothing to bargain with. The only thing he could do was to do better with what he had.


    "ck Eleven, can you tell everyone this news?" Anfey asked in a low voice.


    "Sure." ck Eleven nodded.


    "I need to leave now that I have passed the information to you," Apa said with a smile.


    Watching ck Eleven and Apa walking away, Anfey was quiet for a while and said, "Suzanna, if I..."


    "No matter where you go, I will go with you," Suzanna said gently but firmly. She sounded like she was promising Anfey something.


    It¡¯s said that a couple couldmunicate without words if they were in love. It looked like that had happened between Anfey and Suzanna. Suzanna seemed to know what Anfey was trying to tell her before he could finish his words.


    Anfey nodded hard. No matter what he was going to say did not seem enough. All he could do now was to hold Suzanna¡¯s hands tight.


    Soon a group of people screamed and rushed out of Moramath. The people outside the town were startled by what they saw. Half way up the hill, Niya had been singing a folksong and waving the hem of her dress. She stood shocked and froze in ce. She had no idea why people went nuts at the foot of the hill.


    The happy crowd surrounded the people outside the town in the blink of an eye. Then they rushed up the hill. Niya learned from different conversations about what had happened and cheered with the crowd. Niya had been through such a tough time. Home is the most warming andfortable ce, and no other ce couldpare. She lost herself in such joy that she even held her arms out and hugged Christian. Christian looked like he did not know whether tough or cry.


    Anfey watched the crowd joyfully. He thought Ynthe did very well to win people¡¯s hearts. It would not be a bad choice to work for a king like him.


    The cheerful crowd moved up to the top of the hill. They did not care if Anfey knew about the victory. They only wanted to pass their joy to everyone around them. Niya started to yell from the distance, "Anfey, we won! We can go home now."


    Anfey slowly stood up and wore a smile on his face. In fact, he did not want to look like he could not fit into the happy crowd, but smiling was all he could do. He rarely lost himself since he was a little kid as far back as he could remember. No matter where he was, he would at least keep himself sort of calm. He would never be able to scream,ugh out, and cheer.


    Suzanna looked calm as well. The victory of Maho Empire had nothing to do with her. She only wanted everything to go well with Anfey and everyone in the legion.


    As it was getting dark, there were bonfires along the hill and on the top of the hill. No one seemed sleepy and just gathered around the bonfires, talking.


    Many legions in history were able to win people over and worked together for their shared aims in difficult times. However, they would have different ideas in peaceful times. This was human nature. They would not simply achieve harmony as people wished.


    Anfey held Suzanna¡¯s hand and they walked together. Anfey overheard people talking here and there. Some people said they had better go to the Forest of Death to hunt some magic beasts to make some gold coins before they went back. These people should be regr civilians.


    Others said they would definitely go back right away. They thought they had contributed so much for the country that Philip would not dare to do anything to them. In addition, their master wasing back soon. Niya was one of them.


    Still others thought it was fun and exciting to be a mercenary. They felt the Country of Mercenaries was a good ce to get experience. They wanted to go back to the Country of Mercenaries after they went back to see their master.


    One group said their lives were not stable. They could not do any deep research since they had no magicbs. They hoped to continue their practice under their master¡¯s instruction when they went back.


    Anfey had been quietly listening to their discussions. He was neither a politician nor a military master, but he knew the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities as they presented themselves. He would put himself in a bad situation if he could not take the opportunities. The reason he could take everyone here and have them listen to him was because of the huge threat from Philip. The fact that survival was the priority for everyone at that time was the "opportunity." Now, everyone wanting to go back to Maho Empire was also an opportunity.


    Having different ideas was normal. In philosophy, people want to look for reasons to unite with different voices, since each individual had their own ideas.


    "Anfey," Christian¡¯s voice rose. "Suzanna, do you want to go back with us?"


    "Of course," Anfey answered for Suzanna. "She will go anywhere I go."


    Suzanna blushed and pushed Anfey for saying it. Anfey fell on his butt with the momentum from the Suzanna¡¯s push. "Come, Christian, let¡¯s talk."


    "Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Christian sat across from Anfey with a smile.


    "Feller, can you guys leave for a second?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes." Feller stood up and patted the dirt off from his butt. He took his whole gang with him and left Christian and Anfey alone there.


    "We finally can go home. Isn¡¯t it exciting?" Anfey said in a casual tone.


    "Of course, how about you? Are you excited?" Christian asked.


    "We are in simr situations, Christian. We havee out for a long time. I think your parents must worry about you. Did you contact them?" Anfey asked.


    "Anfey, don¡¯t beat around the bush; just get to the point. Do you want to ask me where my family is and what my parents do?" Christian smiled. He was a gentle and humble guy, but it did not mean he did not get what Anfey was trying to do to him.


    "Can I say something?" Anfey looked at Christian curiously.


    "Sure. My family...hmm. My father is a businessman," Christian said.


    "He is running a business? What kind of business?" Anfey was shocked for a second, since what he guessed was quite different from what Christian told him. However, he knew Christian would rather dodge his question than lie to him.


    "Business. This word is interesting." Christian thought for a moment and said, "A huge business."


    "I did not know about it, Christian," Suzanna said in surprise. "Is your family well-known?"


    "Yes, my family is indeed pretty well-known," Christian said.


    Christian had not told them the name of his family, which usually stopped people from continuing the questions. However, Anfey became even more blunt, "What is your father¡¯s name?"


    Christian could not help smiling bitterly. He tried, but nothing came out of his mouth.


    "Never mind, let me ask you a different question. How big is your family business?" Anfey asked.


    "Huge, unimaginably huge."


    "I got it." Anfey smiled. What is thergest business in the world? It was not a difficult question. It seemed that his guessing was right.

 Chapter 206: Who To Leave Behind

    Chapter 206: Who To Leave Behind


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In the days that followed, everyone was very rxed. ck Eleven¡¯s men had discovered that Shansa Empire had panicked after learning of Ellisen Empire¡¯s defeat. The overall power of Maho Empire was very strong. It had been fighting Ellisen Empire to the north and Shansa Empire to the south. If it couldbine the two forces, Maho Empire¡¯s army would be very terrifying.


    In order to protect themselves, Shansa Empire had ordered all of its troops to retreat from Maho Empire immediately.


    General Miorich and themanders at ckania City began to execute their ns to end the siege. The army there would began to shift from a defensive strategy to an offensive one. They wanted to eliminate as many enemy soldiers as possible, and take the enemy supply lines. Ynthe had agreed to the n, but after the news of that reached ckania City, the Shansa soldiers had already all retreated. The supplies had been left where they were. Normally, unused supplies should be destroyed during a retreat. Perhaps because they wanted to surprise the Maho soldiers, the Shansa army did not destroy or take any of the supplies with them.


    Miorich was full of regret. Half of the mages under hismand were dead at that point, and he had ordered an end to scouting missions to ensure the safety of the remaining mages. His job was to secure the city, and he was not nning on attacking the Shansa army. ckania City was veryrge, and it would take at least eighty mages to watch the entire city with Eyes of the Sky. These mages would be practically useless inbat because of their magic depletion.


    Shansa Empire did not care for Anfey and his crew. There were armies marching through the Transverse Mountain, but no one tried to look for trouble at Moramatch. Shansa Empire would seek retribution, but now was not the time.


    Interestingly, after Maho Empire¡¯s war was over, the situation in Country of Mercenaries became very tense. The four major mercenary groups had been trying to ally themselves with weaker mercenary groups and trying to find more partners. They seemed to think a country with four leaders was too chaotic, and all four were determined to be the sole leader of the nation. None of the mercenaries had discernible advantages over another, and only time could tell who would be the sole leader of the Country of Mercenaries.


    After he had gotten recognition and trust from Ynthe, Anfey did not try to bother the Shansa army. It was not like his small mercenary band could really make a difference. It was the wiser choice to just observe from a distance.


    The others were rxed, but not Anfey. Ever since he came of age, he had not had a normal day. He was always fighting for something. When he was on the ind, he had to train for hours on end to stay alive. Things had not changed much now. He could not rx as long as there was a threat.


    The unicorn became more clingy, perhaps even more than Suzanna. When Anfey was meditating, it would sit and watch him. When he went on a walk, it would stay very close to him. When Anfey was sleeping, it had to sleep next to him. Even though Niya, Shally, and Suzanna tried to convince the unicorn to y with them, it would ignore them and stay stubbornly by Anfey¡¯s side.


    There was one time the unicorn was lying on his chest, trying to eat the leaf hanging from his neck. After a few minutes of futile work, the unicorn lied down again, disappointed. Anfey realized it must have felt the leaf¡¯s power, and that was the reason the unicorn was following him.


    As Anfey sat under a tree, Christian walked over with ck Eleven. Anfey was reading a book on magic. In order to seed, he mustbine theory and practice, especially when his path was so unusual.


    "Anfey," Christian called.


    "What is it?"


    "The prince and Master Saul are heading back to the city," Christian said softly.


    "You¡¯re saying we are free to return, as well?"


    Christian nodded.


    "I¡¯m worried," Anfey said with a sigh. "Who knows if Master Saul will me me for getting everyone into trouble." What he had dely proved that he was hiding a lot of secrets, and he did not know how Saul would react if he found out.


    "You are worried?" Christian asked with a chuckle. In his mind, Anfey was a considerate and controlled person who was not worried about anything. Everything he did, from killing those men at Saul¡¯s ce, to inducing chaos in White Mountain City, to attacking the aerial squadron, proved that he was very brave.


    Anfey smiled but did not say anything. He was not afraid of threats, but he was afraid of retribution. He had always lived by a very simple set of rules. He would repay kindness with kindness. He treated people coldly because he could not afford any emotional entanglements.


    "We should start getting ready," Christian said, sitting down next to Anfey. "There are a lot of things to take care of."


    "What about Moramatch?" ck Eleven asked, sitting down on the other side of Anfey.


    The unicorn lifted its head, unhappy that ck Eleven had blocked Anfey from its vision. It moved over and squeezed between the two, and lied down again.


    "Are there people who want to stay?" Anfey asked. They could not give up Moramatch. He needed a foothold for Maho Empire¡¯s future expansion into Country of Mercenaries.


    Christian and ck Eleven fell silent at the question. It did not matter if people in the team wanted to return to the Sacred City. Who should they leave behind? ck Eleven had received an order from Ynthe that requested him to apany Anfey back to the Sacred City, so he could not volunteer to stay. The person who stayed must be able to handle troubles, should trouble arise.


    "Why don¡¯t you go back? I will stay," Christian said slowly.


    "No," Anfey said immediately. He trusted Christian enough to leave him there, but he would also anger some very important people back in the Sacred City.


    "I have a idea," ck Eleven said suddenly.


    "Who?"


    "Do you remember the woman we saved from the ve holders?"


    "We saved a lot of women from the ve holders. Which one are you talking about?" Christian asked.


    "The prettiest one," Anfey said. He knew immediately which one ck Eleven was talking about.


    "I¡¯ve talked to her a few times before. She doesn¡¯t talk much, but she is a very sensible person."


    "When did you talk to her? You didn¡¯t have ulterior motives, did you?" Anfey asked, smiling.


    "I¡¯m serious," ck Eleven said, waving his hand. As a spy, he was almost as good as Anfey at controlling his desires, perhaps even better. He approached Alice because he was curious about her, and wanted to know more about Shansa Empire.


    "Don¡¯t you know? She is dangerous," Anfey said slowly.


    "Have you noticed? She never tries to initiate conversations, but she always smiles when other people try to talk to her. Have you ever seen her eat?"


    "No," Anfey said. "Why should I care?" Anfey was good at observing details, but not with Alice. Perhaps it was because Alice once tried to seduce him, he would try to stay away from her as much as possible. Even if she was sitting in front of him, he would intentionally ignore her. Therefore, he had never really observed her.


    "She eats regrly, and every time she eats she is very careful. Sometimes the food was not ideal, and the others would not finish their meals. She, on the other hand, would finish everyst bit," ck Eleven said slowly. "She is very healthy. Normally, people in her position would sink into the pit of depression, but she hasn¡¯t yet. She wants to live. She won¡¯t seek death."


    Anfey frowned and tried to recall his interactions with Alice. "You¡¯re right," he said, nodding.


    "She won¡¯t able to return to her homnd again. Being a ve was a shameful thing, and she would be a joke if she ever returns," ck Eleven said. "Anfey, she is homeless. It shouldn¡¯t be hard to get her to do as we wish."


    "What if..." Anfey said, still hesitant.


    "I can leave some of my men here," ck Eleven said. "To protect and keep an eye on her. If she attempts to do something, my men will take care of it. Trust me when I say she wants to live. She won¡¯t try to do anything. In the end, she is one person, and even if she does try to do something, she can¡¯t cause that much harm."


    "Let me think about," Anfey said.


    "I think you should go talk to her," ck Eleven said with a smile.


    "Me?" Anfey blinked and asked.

 Chapter 207: Ungrateful

    Chapter 207: Ungrateful


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Everybody started to work after the decision was made. Even if a family needed to move, they had so much to pack. A legion with hundreds of people would have much more to do. In addition, they had captured many treasures from the war. When everything added up, they just had so much stuff. Feller was the busiest among them. He was in charge of logistics, so he had to run around to categorize stuff into important, useful, and not important for right now. He did not want to designate his authority to gnomes and dwarves. Dwarves could be trustworthy, but gnomes were cheap and liked to steal things if the opportunity presented itself.


    "Can you be in charge when I am gone? ck Eleven and his crew are good with fighting, but they cannot look at issues from different angles. I hope you can help them if something happens. I am just worried they will make trouble," Anfey said slowly.


    "Can I really give themmands? Are they going to listen to me?" Alice looked cold.


    "Of course", Anfey said.


    Alice went quiet. She did not want to argue with Anfey. Anfey seemed confident, but she knew well that they would not listen to her because of who she was. To be more frank, she did not believe what Anfey said. She was not totally sold on it.


    "We also have some hired mercenaries. They could die for the money. I was worried that they would make mistakes. Can you watch them?" Anfey was in thought for a while. "I will leave you some gold coins. If something happens, you can use gold coins to ask those mercenaries to work for you."


    "Are you leaving those gold coins to me?" Alice asked.


    "No, Linfu will hold the gold coins. Whenever you need them, you can ask Linfu. I will introduce you to him in a little bit," Anfey said.


    "I see." Alice smiled.


    Anfey looked a little awkward. There was saying that one should trust a person in a high position. Anfey wanted Alice to work for him but did not give her any real authority or resources. He could not cover the fact that he did not trust her. He knew there was more to it when Alice said "I see." Anfey felt he had to be careful with Alice. If Alice decided to use all the gold coins Anfey left her to hire those mercenaries, no one would know what would happen. There were good odds there could be internal conflicts in Moramatch.


    "If there is anything you cannot handle, retreat to the underground city. Do not fight with them. Wait for us toe back," Anfey said.


    "You look like you really care about me," Alice said.


    "Of course, I care about you. I care about everyone in our legion." Anfey looked serious, as if he was giving a speech at a press conference. He tried not to say anything that could make Alice have second thoughts.


    "Thank you. You are so kind. It was a loss for the church that you could not join the Church of Light," Alice said.


    "I am ttered," Anfey answered, a bit awkwardly.


    "I heard you have wiped out a Griffin Aerial Unit," Alice said.


    "Where did you hear about that?" Anfey asked.


    "Everybody seemed happy for the past few days and they gathered and talked. I overheard their conversations." Alice looked off into the distance. "I also heard you are going to receive a Medal of Mars and an estate from Ynthe. Is it true?"


    "Yes", Anfey said.


    "Violet City is a beautiful and elegant city. It looks like King Ynthe likes you a lot," Alice said.


    "Hehehe, I have to say I am lucky," Anfey said.


    "Many things have nothing to do with luck. You were so brave to take your crew to attack Griffin Aerial Unit. It has proved that you were certain you could win that battle. Everyone knows that how dangerous it can be to attack a Griffin Aerial Unit unprepared. It is nothing different thanmitting suicide."


    "In fact, a Griffin Aerial Unit is not as powerful as you think. It may be because you have lived in Shansa Empire for a long time and heard too many legends about them," Anfey said.


    "Really?" Alice shook her head with a smile. "Ok, I am not going to bother you more. Someone is going to get mad at me."


    Anfey followed Alice¡¯s eyes and saw Niya dragging Suzanna over. Suzanna was telling her something with a smile.


    Alice had left when Anfey turned around. She walked around to avoid meeting Niya and Suzanna. Obviously, she did not want to have any conflict with them. In the legion, Alice was not in an advantageous position. If she had conflicts with Niya, no one would be on her side, no matter whether they were arguing or got into a physical fight.


    "Anfey, I did not know you are this kind of person," Niya said, staring at Anfey angrily with her hands on her hips.


    "What is wrong with me?" Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or cry.


    "Ok, Niya, Anfey only had something to tell her." Suzanna tried to take Niya away.


    "Don¡¯t pull me, Suzanna. You are too weak. Don¡¯t worry. I got you. No one can do anything to you." Niya beat her chest loudly. She totally forgot how powerful Suzanna was on the battlefield, while she hid in the safest ce.


    "There are so many people in the legion. Why do you have to talk to that bitch? Tell me, Anfey," Niya said.


    Suzanna stuck her tongue out at Anfey with a helpless look. In fact she did not think it was a big deal when Anfey talked to Alice in private. Niya dragged her here. She was worried Niya was going to yell and cause a scene. She had to follow her. She was also concerned Anfey would get mad at Niya and hurt their rtionship. She was in such a dilemma.


    "Niya, everyone is going back to Maho Empire. We could not leave Moramatch here without anyone taking care of it. I talked to her to see if she could help," Anfey exined.


    "Why don¡¯t you find someone else for it? Why did it have to be her?" Niya did not believe Anfey. Niya was very possessive, perhaps because she had been spoiled since she was little. When she was dating the second prince Granden, she would get super mad if Granden chatted andughed with other girls. Now that Niya saw Anfey talking andughing with Alice, she felt bad for Suzanna. She could not stand any yboy.


    "Who else do you want me to talk with then?" Anfey asked.


    "Christian, Riska, vi, they are more capable than that bitch. Why do you have to ask her to do it?" Niya said.


    "Niya, everyone wants to go home. Do you want Christian to stay when we all go back to Maho Empire?" Anfey asked.


    "Uh..." Niya was confused and did not know how to respond to Anfey.


    "Since you are so against it. Ok, I will apologize to Suzanna. I am not going to talk to that bitch." Anfey pulled Suzanna closer. "But, someone has to be in charge here. Niya, if you are against Alice being in charge, why don¡¯t you be in charge?" Anfey said.


    "Me?" Niya immediately panicked. "I ...but I was never in charge of anything."


    "You can learn. No one is born to know how to manage things," Anfey said.


    "No, I cannot." Knowing she could go home soon, Niya was so happy that she was even singing in her dream. After Anfey asked her to stay, she looked so disappointed, dark in the sky over Moramatch. She felt bad for Suzanna but now she felt bad for herself.


    "Niya." Anfey¡¯s voice became very quiet, and he looked very serious. "Think about it, we had you stay in a safe ce whenever there was a dangerous situation since we left Sacred City. We had you eat first at dinner. We never asked you to be on watch. Look over there, everyone is busy, but you can walk around. Ask yourself, what have you done for everyone. Nothing. Now it is the time for you to do something for everyone. Can you do it for us?" Anfey asked.


    Niya was torn. On the one hand, she wanted to go home so badly, but on the other hand she believed what Anfey said to her was right. She was not a little kid anymore. She could not act like a loser all the time. She needed to prove she could be valuable. What Anfey asked her to do was not too much anyway. He neither asked her to fight with a vicious magic beast, nor asked her to do any impossible mission. He only asked her to stay.


    Niya frowned, her eyes got moist and she started sniffling. After awhile, she finally agreed. "Ok, I will stay."


    "Are you sure you want to stay?" Anfey actually was a little shocked by Niya¡¯s answer.


    "Yes, Anfey, can you tell me what I should do?" Niya said with a trembling voice. She wanted to cry, but she could not cry here. Niya nned to go to the back of the hill to cry her eyes out when she was alone.


    "Hahaha... Niya, I was joking with you." Anfey suddenlyughed. "If I do not allow you to go back, professor probably will kill me."


    "You...Anfey! You asshole!" Niya stared wide-eyed. She jumped as she screamed. She kicked at Anfey.


    The kick withoutbat power could be ignored. Anfey only wanted Niya to feel better. He even backed up few steps and made painful faces.


    Suddenly, a white figure passed by as fast as lightening. Niya screamed and stepped back. She held her thigh with a painful face. Anfey faked his painful face, but not Niya.


    The little guy stood between Anfey and NIya. The innocent blue eyes now looked cold. The fur behind his neck was blown by the wind. He looked like he was ready to fight.


    Anfey did not fool Niya and Suzanna. Niya had wanted to add another kick. The little guy actually got fooled.


    "You, ungrateful little unicorn. You are the same as Anfey." Niya was so angry that her fingers started to shake when she saw the little unicorn attack her. She was mad that the little unicorn did not remember the time she took care of him.


    "Let¡¯s go back." Suzanna hurried off, bending down and patting lightly on little unicorn¡¯s hind quarters. She walked back to Niya and tried tofort her.


    "Impulse is the devil." Anfey held the little unicorn in his arms and pointed at his nose a few times. He walked over to Niya. The little unicorn did not look feisty anymore. He lifted his head and looked around. He seemed to understand what happened. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. Interesting to know that not only humans knew how to fake sleep to avoid any awkwardness.

 Chapter 208: Split

    Chapter 208: Split


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The group finally began their journey back to the city. Their caravan, made up of nearly thirty carriages, headed towards Transverse Mountain.


    For a man that had been living in the desert, the lushness of thendscape would appear heavenly. For someone who had been living in such andscape, however, it was nothing to be excited about. No one in the caravan seemed to be interested in the scenery outside. Everyone stayed inside their carriages and chatted.


    After seven days of eventless traveling, the caravan left Transverse Mountain behind them. Ahead was a small checkpoint with the gs of Maho Empire.


    With ck Eleven and Apa, the caravan quickly passed through the checkpoint and was not inspected. There was arge worksite behind the toll building, with thousands of people scurrying about, digging a deep trench. Maho Empire had learned its lesson, and was about to build a defensive wall that was better at keeping enemies out.


    Everyone lifted the carriages¡¯ curtains to look at the workers, and the topic of their conversations changed to the recent war. Anfey looked out the window, but did not be excited like the rest of the group. After the carriages left the mountains, his power became very limited. Without forests, the leaf was practically useless.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Suzanna, who was very perceptive to Anfey¡¯s mood changes, asked.


    "I can¡¯t see anything anymore," Anfey said. He hid the leaf behind his shirt carefully.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Suzanna said with a smile. "I¡¯m still here."


    "It¡¯s alright," Anfey said. "It¡¯s just...strange." It was easy for a man to get used to a life of luxury, but it would be hard for him to try and get used to his old life after he had experienced a life of luxury. Anfey was used being able to observe his surroundings, but now that was taken away, he felt strange.


    "ck Eleven said that a mansion is already being constructed in Violet City," Suzanna said softly. "We can nt plenty of trees there."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said with a smile. "Suzanna, I am leaving tomorrow morning. No one knows except for ck Eleven."


    "Where are we going?"


    "Violet City."


    "Why?"


    "To do something we have to sooner orter," Anfey said with a sigh. Due to his upation, Anfey was very opposed to appearing in front of arge crowd of people. Now, however, it was not up him to decide. After he epted the medal from Ynthe, he would be a public figure no matter what he wanted. His mansion could be the center of attention.


    At that moment, there were two threats to his and hispanions¡¯ lives. One was Evil Mist, and the other was Philip. Surely they would try to make a move after hearing that he would be getting a mansion in Violet City. He had to have a n beforehand.


    "I¡¯m going with you," Suzanna announced.


    "We have to leave Shally behind, then," Anfey said. "We can¡¯t bring her."


    Suzanna nodded silently.


    "Shally won¡¯t get angry that I whisked her sister away again, would she?"


    "Don¡¯t worry," Suzanna assured him. "Shally understands."


    "There may be people waiting for us. We will leave during the night," Anfey said. "ck Eleven will take care of everything."


    "What will you do with the unicorn?" Suzanna asked, pointing at the unicorn, who was sleeping next to Anfey.


    "It¡¯s staying here."


    "You can¡¯t," Suzanna said. "Didn¡¯t you hear what Christian said? Thest time you left it went crazy. It was too magically powerful so they couldn¡¯t do anything until it got tired."


    Anfey scratched his head and frowned. He did remember Christian talking about it.


    "Christian set up an array with two magic crystals to trap it while it slept, but it didn¡¯t work, and they ended up wasting crystals. It got sick the next day."


    "I know. He said that it used up too much energy but it didn¡¯t have a way to replenish it," Anfey said.


    "That was in the tunnels. It couldn¡¯t get out if it wanted to. We are outside, and Christian won¡¯t be able to keep an eye on it all the time. He has other things to do. If someone caught it..." Suzanna shook her head and her voice trailed off. She stroked the unicorn. She would not allow it to be captured by people with malicious intent.


    The unicorn opened its eyes and stood up. It moved over to door, poked its head through the curtains and whinnied. It was instinctual, done to ward off other powerful magic beasts.


    The horses pulling the carriages were only normal horses, and were not familiar with the unicorn. Formon animals like horses, it was only natural to fear magic beasts. The horses started and bolted. The carriage lurched forward. Thankfully the driver was very skillful, and managed to remain in control over the horses.


    "Stop that, for goodness sake," Suzanna said. She was glowing faintly, and grabbed the unicorn¡¯s tail to pull it back into the carriage.


    Anfey¡¯s body turned and he bnced himself.


    "Is everything alright, my lord?" someone outside asked.


    "Everything¡¯s fine," Anfey replied.


    "Keep yourselves under control," Suzanna said sternly, tapping the unicorn¡¯s head. She spoke softly, however, and did not sound threatening.


    The unicorn looked at Suzanna, and turned its head away. Even though it had been dragged back into the carriage by its tail, it was still a proud creature.


    Anfey raised his hand and pped the unicorn¡¯s head lightly. The unicorn whined andy down on the floor, looking at Anfey fearfully.


    Seeing the unicorn¡¯s eyes, Anfey sighed and did not hit it again. "Taking it will expose us," he said to Suzanna. It was no longer a secret that his team had an unicorn. A unicorn itself would be a surprising sight and would attract a lot of attention. It would make their journey harder than it needed to be.


    "We have to," Suzanna insisted. She was rarely stubborn, but she cared a lot about the unicorn.


    "Why didn¡¯t it grow up? It¡¯s been a while now," Anfey said, frowning. "If it¡¯s as big as a horse, we could make a suit of armor for it so it would be harder for people to realize it¡¯s a unicorn."


    "You can¡¯tpare horses with unicorns," Suzanna said. "Horses are too short-livedpared to unicorns. These things can live for hundreds, even thousands of years."


    "Are you serious?" Anfey said, his eyes wide. He had talked to other people about the unicorn, but no one ever told him about its life span. "You¡¯re not saying that I won¡¯t ever get a chance to ride it, are you?"


    "Let me think," Suzanna said. "I think it has a three year long infant stage, then it would start growing. I think there is a corrtion between its energy intake and the time it matures. We can go ask Hagan and Hui Wei about it. I¡¯m sure they know about it more than I do."


    "Let¡¯s goter," Anfey nodded and said. He stared at the unicorn and said, "I wish we can just put it in a Dimensional ring."


    Suzanna rolled her eyes.


    "Anfey," ck Eleven called from outside of the carriage.


    "Come in," Anfey said.


    ck Eleven lifted the curtain and entered the carriage. He smiled at Suzanna, than sat down on the ground. "I already took care of everything," he said in a hushed voice. "I had my men rent a room in Collow City up ahead. We can leave during the night. Apa wille with us."


    This was the difference between ck Eleven and Apa. When Apa was speaking to Anfey, he wanted Suzanna to leave because he did not trust her. When ck Eleven was speaking to him, he did not care if Suzanna was there. He that knew that he could trust Suzanna.


    "Him? Who would take care of the caravan if both of you leave?"


    "We have already passed all the checkpoints," ck Eleven said. "There shouldn¡¯t be any troubles. Apa spent seven years in Violet City, and is more familiar with it than all of us. He will be very helpful."


    "Alright," Anfey said, nodding. "I¡¯m afraid we have to take one more with us, though."


    "Who is it?"


    Anfey looked at the unicorn, who was still crouching on the ground. ck Eleven frowned and said, "It will bring unnecessary troubles."


    "It¡¯s Lady Suzanna¡¯s order," Anfey said. "I do what she says."


    "Is it?" ck Eleven said, smiling.


    Suzanna blushed and red at Anfey and ck Eleven, but her gaze was not intimidating at all.

 Chapter 209: Amazing Rewards

    Chapter 209: Amazing Rewards


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey, Suzanna and their crew quietly left the hotel at midnight. Anfey felt good about leaving, since they should be safe going back to Maho Empire. There were not many things to deal with, except he needed to make arrangements for the female ves. He believed Christian could totally take care of it for him.


    Compared with other people in the legion, the female ves seemed a little worried about going back to their hometowns. After passin the border, the smiles on their faces were diminishing. They gathered in groups and chatted quietly. It was not an honorable experience to be enved. They could not hide that fact they were ves, since their family and friends had seen them being taken away by the Shansa Empire¡¯s soldiers. No one knew what their future would be. People might wee them or back or make fun of and looked down upon them.


    Anfey seemed to have simr feelings to female ves. He unconsciously wanted to avoid Saul. Anything he had tried to hide from Saul had been exposed. How would Saul see him? In fact, Anfey had decided to secretly go to Violet City this time. This must have to do with his timidity. He was like a test taker who subconsciously wanted to know his grades aste as possible, since he was not so sure about the answers he wrote.


    ck Eleven was pretty powerful in White Mountain City and ckwater City. He was amazingly powerful in this ce. He was incredibly efficient when he ran errands for Anfey. ck Eleven had nned everything well before Anfey could even think of it. A wagon with eight horses, an official approval to leave at night, 6-inch-high files with everything Anfey wanted to know, including the Violet City geography after the war, backgrounds and updates of royal families in different sizes, and even the profiles and religions of civilians.


    As day broke, the Violet City gate opened. A wagon that had been waiting outside of the city for a while finally slowly drove into Violet City. No one had slept, but all four of them were not regr people, so they did not look sleepy.


    "Anfey, do we go directly to your earl¡¯s court?" Suzanna asked as she looked around the city in curiosity.


    "No, Madam, I have sent people to let the mayor know that you areing. He will wait for us at the Botanical Gardens," Apa said with a smile. Maybe because he had not forgotten that he had offended Suzanna, or because Suzanna was already a senior swordswoman and could possibly be a master swordswoman, he was very polite to her.


    "Botanical Gardens?" Anfey asked.


    "It is the name of a hotel. It also has the most beautiful garden in Violet City." Apa thought for a second and said, "Right now we still have enough time. Why don¡¯t we drive around the city for a while? This way, master and your wife could know Violet City better. Some things can¡¯t be found in the official files."


    "Is Violet Cityrge?" Anfey asked in a low voice.


    "Not small, master. Look at this map." Apa pointed at the map. "If you walk along the main streets, you would not finish walking all of them until noon."


    Anfey looked at the map carefully. There were six main streets, three horizontally and three vertically. Each main street crossed the whole city. If it would take a half day to walk through the main streets, Anfey could figure out the scale of Violet City.


    "Such arge city is all mine now?" Anfey asked with a suspicious tone. He did not get too excited when he learned that Ynthe rewarded him Violet City. When he walked into Violet City today, he was clearly intrigued. Looking through the crack in his window, Anfey saw the street was so long that it seemed to have no end. Anfey thought to himself, "Is this big city all mine?"


    Anfey normally had good vision for life, but he was still just a person who owned a condo in the other world. Thew said the condo owner only had the property title for seventy years. No one could argue with thew. Anfey was really shocked to see such a big city actually belonged to him.


    Anfey had to admit Ynthe was somebody. People who received Ynthe¡¯s rewards usually were very happy. Only giving out plenty of rewards could make his followers feel grateful and want to work for the country and him. Anfey could not help thinking of the time of Chu-Han rebellion. Xiang Yu had to give out nobility titles to reward his followers. He had rubbed the seal so much that the edges of the seal got rounded, but he still could not decide what kind of rewards he would give out. He was brave like Robin Hood. He shed tears for soldiers, and killed many enemies on the battlefield. He only had military power, butcked leadership qualities and a generous personality. If he just wanted to be a general, being stingy did not seem to be a problem. However, he wanted to be an emperor. In the end, people betrayed him one after another.


    Anfey was shocked by Ynthe¡¯s rewards. He did admire him as well.


    "Yes, Master," Apa smiled.


    "It will belong to me forever?" Anfey asked.


    "Well... Master, your nobility title could not be inherited," Apa answered.


    Anfey¡¯s excitement was cut in half. This was no better than a seventy-year property title. He was over twenty years old now. Could he live longer than 100 years?


    "If you serve our country with distinction, our king is always generous with rewards," Apa added.


    "What kind of power do I have in Violet City?" Anfey asked.


    Apa exined to Anfey in detail. As the owner of Violet City, he had great powers. He could appoint anyone to be the mayor. He could even be the mayor himself. He could change any rules, but had to follow thews of Maho Empire. If a city owner killed a person on the street, he could not get away from it ording tow. After Ynthe took over the throne, he spent over ten years demolishing the inheritance system and the impunity in royal families with various tactics and bloody fights. It was like lighting up a candle in dark for a corrupted country. Of course, when royalsmitted crimes, they would have less serious punishments. A king had to take the royal family¡¯s benefits into consideration to avoid any conflict with them. What he did was solely to try to constrain royal families and stop them frommitting too many crimes.


    Compared with other policy changes he made, the only benefit of this policy change was to help Ynthe win people¡¯s support. If anyone dared to talk bad about Ynthe, no matter who he was, he could be beaten to death by an angry mob. Compared with other kings, its benefits were more obvious. Both Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empire were not politically stable. Shansa Empire only sent a Griffin Aerial Unit to the battle this time because there were riots by arge group of civilians and ves. The conflicts among different social sses in Maho Empire started to get better. No matter which world, or what time, civilians were usually simple. As long as they had food and could survive, they would not risk their lives to riot.


    Seeing Apa¡¯s emphasis on strictly following thews, Anfey wasughing inside. Anfey was able to see further than regr people. Big royal families used to have the authority to makews, which caused different bills to pass in different cities. Take stealing as example: some thieves could be sentenced to death in some cities, their hands could be cut off in other cities, or taken to jail but also bailed out in other cities. On the one hand, standardizing thews in different cities could make the country more transparent and prevent royals from harming others. On the other hand, it also foresaw the development of centralization of authority.


    Anfey had an idea how strictlyws were enforced. Looking at it from an evil point of view, the criminals were fine if they were not caught. Anfey was an assassin in the other world. He had killed many people, even though he believed those people deserved it. However, he did kill people. From a hypercritical point of view, there were too many loopholes in thew. Thewyers would be unemployed and starving if there were no loopholes in thew. Anfey killed the grandson of Philip and over a dozen of others, but he was considered an honorable person in Maho Empire. Even Maho Empire would argue that Anfey was just killing in self defense, but how could it make sense if he killed more than a dozen of people.


    If Ynthe got to know he tried hard to subdue Philip and removed all the charges against Anfey, Anfey was still so critical about thews in Maho Empire, Ynthe probably would be incensed and curse Anfey and his whole family.


    While Apa was exining details to Anfey, he had driven the wagon from the northern wall to the southern wall in Violet City. Anfey looked out of the window to look at the sun. He suddenly asked, "Apa, if I am guessing right, the color of blood red should mean taking action, right?"


    "Yes." Apa nodded.


    "Are you an assassin?" Anfey asked.


    "Hmmm...yes," Apa answered.


    "You do not look like an assassin," Anfey said.


    "Master, what do you mean by that?" Apa did not get Anfey¡¯sment.


    "You covered yourself very well. I could not tell what you do for a living by just talking to you." Although Anfey was smiling, he sneered inside. "What do I mean? I meant you talk too much," Anfey thought to himself.


    "Master, you must be joking." Apa shook his head with a smile. "I would have died a long time ago if people could tell what I do for a living."


    "ck Eleven, the main part of your job is to seek information, right?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," ck Eleven answered.


    "I think you guys should switch jobs. One could really talk and look like a person seeking out information, while the other one always has a poker face and looks like an assassin."


    "Me? When did I have a poker face? No, you have a poker face!" ck Eleven rebutted angrily.


    "When I just met you, you wore a ck cloth on your face. Luckily, I am not a chicken, otherwise I would have been scared to death," Anfey said.


    "Had we not just met? I did not know you." ck Eleven felt a little awkward and tried to exin. "And, I have a scar on my face. I could be identified easily because of it."


    "You give very short answers too. Look at Apa, he knows how to talk. You should learn from him," Anfey said.


    "Ok, ok. I will change, ok?" ck Eleven said with a helpless tone.


    Apa smiled in response to Anfey¡¯spliments. Anfey praised him for the talking skills, which in turn made feel uneasy to continue talking.

 Chapter 210: Sheriff

    Chapter 210: Sheriff


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Apa ordered the caravan to turn and headed towards the inn around noon. ording to Apa, the sheriff of the city, Urter, was a very capable man. After the city fell, he hid in the slums with the homeless and the beggars, and thus avoided the Shansa soldiers¡¯ search. After the soldiers left, he came out of hiding to maintain order in the city.


    Normally, the city would have been gued by chaos due to the power vacuum. Urter was the one that stabilized the city and prevented further damage.


    Violet City was famous for its beauty, but because of the Shansa upation, it was nothing close to beautiful. The streets were filled with filth, and the homes that lined the streets were mostly destroyed. There were only a few people on street, and their expressions were apathetic at best. Apa told Anfey that out of the two hundred thousand people that had inhabited the city, around three thousand were killed, and over ten thousand were missing. Most of the missing were women between the ages of fifteen and thirty. Over five thousand women were confirmed captured by the Shansa soldiers. Which meant at least five thousand families had lost their daughters and wives.


    Anfey asked Apa whether it was possible to find the missing persons, but Apa simply shrugged and said it was almost impossible. The women would not be treated well. If they were sold into very, the ve owners at least would not beat and starve them. If they remained with the Shansa soldiers, their fate would be much worse. The siege of ckania City had been going on for too long, and the soldiers were frustrated. When the soldiers became agitated, they would take it out on the women they kept as prisoners. Many of the women could be found if someone try to dig through the Shansa campsites.


    Five thousand was only the number of the confirmed casualties. Maho Empire lost seventeen cities on the eastern front. What would thebined casualties be? The number would be terrifyinglyrge.


    When a kingdom prospered, its people thrived. If a kingdom suffered, however, the people suffer even more. Maho Empire would ask for arge sum of money for retribution, but it would be used on rebuilding cities and armies. The people would not get anypensation for their losses.


    Apa jumped out of the carriage first after they arrived at the inn. He knocked on the roof of the carriage and told Anfey and Suzanna that it was safe for them to get off.


    Anfey lifted the curtain of the carriage and pointed at a basket. The unicorn looked at Anfey and saw that he was very serious. It stood up and moved into the basket unhappily. In order to avoid trouble, Anfey trained the unicorn to sit still in the basket. Even though the high tier magic beasts were intelligent, the unicorn was still too young to understand themands.


    Suzanna took the basket and covered it with a piece of ck fabric. She wanted to talk to Anfey and release the unicorn, but it was not possible. She knew Anfey too well, and she knew that the unicorn¡¯s gaze could soften her, but not him.


    The four of them walked into the inn. The inside of the inn was quiet and empty. It was arge inn, but all the tables were empty. Two maids were napping on the counter. Hearing footsteps, they started awake and turned, visibly rxing when they realized it wasn¡¯t Shansa soldiers.


    The two maids nced at the three neers, and their gazes fell on Suzanna. They were shocked by how beautiful she was, and the fact that she had been spared by the soldiers.


    Apa walked over and said something to the maids in a hushed voice. The maids nodded, and one of them turned to lead the three towards the second floor. She stopped in front of a door, and opened it for Suzanna and Anfey. She kept staring at Suzanna, which made her ufortable. Suzanna was afraid that the maid would discover what was in the basket.


    ck Eleven closed the door behind him, shutting out the prying eyes of the maid. The first thing Suzanna did was take the fabric off of the basket and let the unicorn jump out. Even though it had only been confined to the basket for a short amount of time, it was unbearable for a magic beast who loved freedom.


    "Sir, do you need anything?" the maid outside asked timidly.


    "Not yet," ck Eleven said. "Apa, where is that sheriff? Shouldn¡¯t he be waiting for us?" ck Eleven already knew what was going to happen. Ynthe had ordered him to help Anfey in his future endeavors, which meant he must look out for him. Anfey was the new lord of this city, and it was very rude to keep him waiting.


    "I don¡¯t know," Apa said with a shrug. "He¡¯s busy. Maybe he got held up."


    ck Eleven shook his head disapprovingly and sat down on a nearby chair.


    After a few moments, a knock came. Apa walked over and opened the door.


    A man in his mid-thirties walked into the room. He smiled at Apa apologetically. "I apologize," he said, "for myteness. We¡¯ve just discovered some bodies and I was needed at the scene."


    Anfey looked at the man. Judging from his appearance, he was just an ordinary person. No one, however, acted the way the looked. There were many things, such as bodynguage and expressions, that could be used to judge a man¡¯s characters.


    After he jumped out of the carriage, Anfey had observed his surrounding. The streets were almost empty, and there were no carriages on the road. Even if the sheriff had arrived as soon as they entered the inn, he would still not knock on the door this fast. He was either already around, or already in the inn.


    "I shouldn¡¯t be the one you are apologizing to," Apa said with a smile. He nced at Anfey and said, "This is Urter, the sheriff of Violet City."


    The unicorn walked over curiously and looked at Urter. Suzanna stood and called, "Come here."


    The unicorn bounced back to Suzanna and rubbed itself on her leg. It knew very well that it should never anger Suzanna. If it angered Anfey, Suzanna would try to protect it. If it angered Suzanna, no one would protect it from Anfey¡¯s anger.


    Urter narrowed his eyes. Everything, from the way it walked to its speed, indicated that it was not just amon pet. What kind of men keep unicorns as pets?


    "Please wait for a few moments. I have some things I need to take care of," Urter said. He walked over to the door and called down the corridor, "Don¡¯t wait for me."


    "Yes, sir," someone outside replied.


    Urter closed the door behind him and nced at the people in the room. His eyes fell on Anfey. "What did you want to talk about, my lord?"


    "Let¡¯s sit and talk," Anfey said.


    "No, no. I am quite alright standing, if that does not bother you," Urter said, smiling.


    "Just sit down," Suzanna said. She pulled out a chair for Urter and smiled at him. It was strange to go from a mercenary to the lord of a city. Suzanna was still getting used to it.


    "Thank you, thank you," Urter said. He nced at Anfey, then sat down slowly.


    "I¡¯m not going to waste anytime," Anfey said. "I¡¯m Anfey, and I need some information, since this will be my home from now on."


    Urter¡¯s eyes widened. "You¡¯re Lord Anfey, then?" Due to political needs, Ynthe had described Anfey as a hero. He was fearless, and was ready to face challenges such as the Griffins Aerial Squad. Urter now knew what kind of men kept unicorns as pets.


    "You know me?" Anfey asked. He wasn¡¯t sure what Ynthe had done, and was surprised. Even if Urter had found out he was the lord of Violet City, he should not be that shocked.

 Chapter 211: A Masterpiece of a Sword

    Chapter 211: A Masterpiece of a Sword


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Everyone in Maho Empire has heard about your achievements, your honorable master. I do not know what you exactly would like to know," Urter said.


    "Hmmm, important stuff, anything you think is important," Anfey said.


    "Important?" Urter gave it some serious thought. "Master, the priority for Violet City right now is to rebuild the city. The budget is very tight. I could not do anything without funding."


    "That is not right," Apa said in surprise. "The empire has allocated money to the fallen cities. How could the budget be so tight?"


    "Master Apa, Violet City is a special case. Some of the allocation was already spent. The rest of the funds could not be touched," Urter said.


    "What did you do with the money? Urter, you did not pocket the money, did you?" Apa asked in a joking tone.


    "I do not have guts to do that, Master Apa." Urter nced at Anfey out of the corner of his eye. He hesitated for a second and said, "I spent the money on Earl¡¯s Court. The Earl¡¯s Court project just started; and we might need to put more into itter on. I wouldn¡¯t dare divert the money to do anything else."


    Apa was silent after hearing what Urter told him. Earl¡¯s Court was built for Anfey. Usually the royal families with estates had to build their houses with their own money, but Anfey¡¯s case was a little special. Anfey had not been in the Violet City. Urter asked permission from Ynthe to build Earl¡¯s Court for Anfey, so he did not do anything wrong. It was also wrong to say he used his power to kiss his boss¡¯s ass.


    Anfey was shocked for a second but did not say anything. If he was asked about the structure of the human body, how much weight bones, joints, and tendons could take, the flexibility of blood vessels, nerve distribution and other things, he would have a very deep understanding of them and exin in every possible detail. However, when it came to managing a city, he had so many things to learn. It seemed a little inappropriate to build his own house with the budget for the city. It also seemed to be a problem for Anfey to figure out a reason or way to criticize Urter or finish the conversation smoothly. He felt he would beughed at if he were not careful.


    Urter felt it was not appropriate to talk about it and looked regretful that he had brought it up. He lowered his head and was quiet.


    After a short silence, suddenly it sounded loud outside of the wagon. Everyone could clearly hear a person yelling crazily, "Where is Urter? Where is that a*#hole mayor?"


    After hearing a female attendant begging him in panic, the person¡¯s voice sounded closer to them. The door of the room was kicked open. A young man in his early twenties in fancy clothes, followed by his bodyguards, came into the room.


    "Master Shamash, what are you doing?" Urter stood up with anger.


    "What am I doing? You took my people yesterday. Why don¡¯t you ask yourself what you did?" That young man pointed at Urter with a horsewhip. The horsewhip almost touched Urter¡¯s nose. The young man got even madder. "You are f*#king nobody to me. When the Shansa Empire¡¯s soldiers took over Violet City, what were you doing? You hid in a beggar¡¯s house. How can you im you are our mayor?"


    The bodyguards behind the young manughed out loud. The face of a person in mage uniform changed when he saw the little unicorn watching everyone.


    "Master Shamash, we can talk in my officeter if you want. Right now I have guests. Can you leave now?" Urter took a deep breath and said slowly.


    "Guests? I know your master hase to support you. F*#k off. Let me see who your bastard master is?" The young man pushed on Urter¡¯s chest and Urter stumbled back. The young man walked to the table like he was the owner of the hotel. He looked condescending and looked over Anfey and his crew.


    Anfey and his crew wore different looks on their faces. Apa smiled without saying anything; ck Eleven looked cold; Anfeyzily sat to the side with his eyes only slightly open; Suzanna quietly watched Anfey. These four people all had stories. Even though they had different personalworks, none of them thought the young man was a match for them. Obviously, they did not even bother to respond to him.


    The guy in the mage uniform stepped forward and pulled the young man aside. He whispered something to the young man. The young man suddenly turned around, yelling, "Is that a unicorn?"


    That mage obviously did not expect the young man to act so inappropriately. The mage looked a little awkward. He nodded and whispered, "Yes, it is a unicorn."


    "Nice, very nice." The young man looked at the little guy greedily. He walked back to the table and looked at Anfey, as he was the owner of the hotel. "I represent the Sacred Magic Academy ande to take this little unicorn. Of course, I will reimburse you with a reasonable price. Name a price."


    Rookies usually dared to do anything since they did not realize the risks ahead of them. Any person with some experience could immediately tell that the owner of the unicorn would not be a nobody, but that young man wanted to take possession of the unicorn.


    "Never mind the price. You can take the unicorn if you want," Anfey said casually.


    "You are such a nice person," the young manughed aloud. He did not notice that Anfey did not talk to him in formal and respectfulnguage. He did not notice Suzanna had put her hand on the sword shaft either. He turned around and yelled at his bodyguards, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get the unicorn."


    Two bodyguards approached the little unicorn with their arms open. They looked like they were trying to catch a little chicken. The little unicorn felt the hostility from them. The unicorn looked around and suddenly ran away. The little unicorn ran so fast that he looked like a white light. The little guy jumped on the table and ran into Anfey¡¯s arms. Now the little unicorn became confident and growled with his head raised up.


    The two bodyguards saw their opportunity and ran to Anfey. Suzanna stood up. A cloud of shiny sword radiant suddenly appeared. The bodyguard running in front coved his throat with his hands and stumbled. The blood from his throat dyed his clothes red in the blink of an eye, and he fell on the floor. The other bodyguard stopped himself when he saw what had happened to the first bodyguard. He stared at the body of the other bodyguard and stood frozen to the floor. Suzanna did not continue to attack him.


    A masterpiece of a sword was always a masterpiece of sword, no matter whether it was hung in the pce for people to admire orid in a corner forgotten for hundreds of years. Once it was out of the shaft, nothing could cover its shininess.


    Suzanna was a master swordswoman. She had indulged herself in dating for the past few days and looked even more sweet and girly for that reason. People usually could tell she was in love, but once she pulled her swords out, she changed into a totally different person. Jaguar was not enough to describe her viciousness, lightening was not enough to describe her speed, with sword pointing at someone, she was ready for the fight. She looked determined to win the fight.


    Besides Anfey, ck Eleven knew Suzanna the best. After hearing Anfey saying "You can," ck Eleven already foresaw this happening. He shrugged and leaned back to sit against the back of the seat. He was ready to watch a show.


    Apa was shocked and stared, his eyes wide. He had showed enough respect to Suzanna, but that was mainly because of Anfey. He had seen many bloody scenes, but never expected a slight girl could be a vicious swordswoman in the blink of an eye without giving any signs. Thest time he saw Suzanna, she was still watching Anfey with a lot of love, but his impression of her totally changed the next second.


    The mage nervously moved back a step and chanted as he held his wand. Anfey sat reclined on the chair, but he suddenly looked up and stared at the mage¡¯s throat. If Suzanna looked brave and vicious, then Anfey looked cold as ice.


    The mage felt something stuck in his throat and had goosebumps all over him. He could not suppress the scare feeling and stopped his chanting. He desperately put down his wand.


    "Uh!" The young man jumped as an arrow hit him in the rear. He grabbed Urter and yelled, "They killed people. You f*#king mayor, didn¡¯t you see it? They killed people! Why don¡¯t you catch them?"


    Urter looked at Suzanna with a bitter smile, and then he pushed the young man forcefully. He said coldly, "I did not see anything."


    "You f*#king..." The young man crazily threw himself at Urter, but he was pulled back by the mage.


    "Before I get mad, get the f*#k out of here," Anfey said


    The young man struggled and tried to go after Anfey. The mage held tight onto the young man and tried very hard not to let him go as he whispered something to him. The young man finally calmed down and gave a dirty look to Anfey, yelling, "Let¡¯s go."


    After the troublemaker left, the face of the female attendant outside changed when she saw the body on the floor. She hurried over to close the door.


    "Is your name Urter? Take a seat," Anfey pointed at a chair.


    "Thank you, master." Urter slowly took a seat. He apologized, "I am sorry. It was all because of me. I am sorry for that."


    "Do you know why I was not mad before?" Anfey asked.


    "Well, you are a mayor and did not want to fight with a nut." Urter tried to please Anfey with smiles.


    "You are wrong." Anfey smiled. "I was not mad only because there is someone who pissed me off even more."


    "Master, are you saying..." Urter was shocked.


    A knife appeared in Anfey¡¯s hand. The next second, Anfey had nailed Urter¡¯s hand to the table with the knife. Urter could not help moaning in pain. Apa jumped as he saw what happened. "Anfey, what are you doing?"


    Suzannaid her eyes on Apa, but she did not say anything. Apa did not seem like he was able to take the pressure Suzanna gave him. He was not sure Suzanna would do anything to him. He slowly took a seat at the end. He looked at ck Eleven and hoped ck Eleven could help him and say something for him. However, ck Eleven looked as if he had not seen anything happen and kept quiet.

 Chapter 212: Future

    Chapter 212: Future


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Urter¡¯s body shook with pain, and his forehead was covered in a thinyer of sweat. His wounded hand could barely move, and the hand that was applying pressure was shaking. What was even more surprising was that Urter could still control himself. If it was amon man, he would be screaming in agony. "Why?" he asked through clenched teeth.


    "Do you really want me to tell you why?" Anfey asked, frowning.


    Urter took a deep breath and stared at the wound on his hand.


    "You showed up as soon as we did. Then that Shamash guy showed up almost as soon as you did. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little suspicious?" Anfey asked. "Also, tell me. What did you mean by ¡¯dog owner¡¯?" Even though he wasn¡¯t sure how Urter did it, Anfey was certain that there was a grudge between Urter and Shamash. Urter was trying to show Shamash that he had support from Anfey; or else Shamash would not have said what he said when he came into the room.


    Urter smiled and shook his head. The blood from his wound had already spread across the table, but he made no move to remove the dagger.


    "Truthfully speaking, I hate being used. Take this as a warning. Next time it won¡¯t be your hand," Anfey said. He stood up slowly and ripped the dagger out of Urter¡¯s hand. "Come, let¡¯s go," he said. He did not want to talk to the man anymore. He disliked being lied to and used.


    Urter¡¯s body tensed, and his breath became ragged. Anfey did not look at the man, and began walking out of the room. "Wait," Urter called just as Anfey reached the door. "I have something I need to tell you."


    "Is there the need for that?"


    "Yes."


    Anfey frowned and hesitated. He turned and walked back to the table, "what do you want to tell me?"


    "Shamash is the sixth son of Marquis Djoser. After the Shansa soldiers upied Violet City, the Marquis led skirmishes against the soldiers and paid dearly. Five of his sons were killed. Shamash is the only one left."


    "Why should I care?" Anfey asked, smiling.


    "Why shouldn¡¯t you?" Urter asked.


    Anfey frowned. He had never met anyone who act so calmly after their n had been foiled. Urter looked like he was telling the truth, and had important reasons to do so.


    Anfey sat back down and looked at Urter. "Tell me then. Why should I care?"


    "If you know anything about the history of Maho Empire, you should know that Marquis Djoser¡¯s ancestor was one of the ten men that helped found the nation. The family has the badge to prove it, and it had hereditary powers. The family has been going downhill since then. However, it still had significant influence here and in the Sacred City."


    Anfey frowned. What Urter was saying sounded like useless babble, but no one would say useless things when his blood was dripping onto a table. Anfey listened carefully.


    "The Marquis only had a few dozen soldiers, and there were over seven thousand Shansa soldiers camping here after the city fell. The Marquis, logically, could not do much, though he did sacrifice five sons. Do you think His Majesty should honor him?"


    "Of course."


    "There are a dozen counts in this city, and only one marquis," Urter said, staring at Anfey. "Marquis Djoser had sacrificed almost everything, and the only things he got were some coins and somend. Violet City went to you, my lord, a count. Which means that, unless the Marquis hides in hisnd and refuses to leave, he would have to answer you."


    "You¡¯re saying he is jealous?"


    "It¡¯s not only the Marquis. The counts are jealous as well," Urter said. He tried to smile, but his muscle twitched. "Jealousy is enough to twist a man¡¯s mind, my lord. You are not in a very good situation right now."


    Anfey frowned. He knew that Urter was right. His future was unclear at best.


    "Do you know howrge Marquis Djoser¡¯snd is, my lord?" Urter asked. "Only sixty acres. Not even a third of the city."


    "You are trying to start a fight between me and Shamash because of this?" Anfey asked, smiling.


    "I only hope you can be more cautious, my lord," Urter said slowly. "Don¡¯t be fooled by half-hearted kindness, my lord. I¡¯ve only been here for three years, but I already know this city very well."


    "Why are you helping me, then?"


    "Because I am the sheriff, and I can never stand on neutral ground. Whenever something happens, I am the first to go down," Urter said, shrugging. "I just want to pick the more capable side."


    "You think I¡¯m more capable?"


    "Like I¡¯ve just said, my lord: I know these people. The only thing the Marquis has is his reputation. He is far from capable, just like his sons. His sons were killed not because they were fearless but because they were lustful cowards."


    Anfey lifted a brow. "Why is that?" he asked.


    "They¡¯ve long been eyeing a young girl from the outskirts of the city, but couldn¡¯t do much during the peaceful years for fear of punishment. After the Shansa soldiers arrived, they took the poor girl among the chaos. The girl¡¯s lover was enraged and joined the Shansa army. With someone who knew the city, none of the Marquis¡¯s sons escaped. I don¡¯t know how Marquis Djoser reported what had happened, but I know that he did not report honestly." Urter paused. He nced at his hand and continued, "I¡¯ve heard about what you did, my lord. I know you are much more capable than the Marquis will ever be. I know now that you are someone who does not hesitate."


    Even though he had already admitted everything, Urter was still shaking, partially due to fear. He had encountered very few men that were as brutal as Anfey. If he was aiming for his heart, Urter was sure he would be dead by now. Perhaps that was why he was able to kill Philip¡¯s grandson. He was less like a politician and more like a killer.


    "Why didn¡¯t you just tell me?"


    "Would you have believed me, my lord?"


    Anfey fell quiet. After he realized that Urter was trying to create a grudge between him and Shamash, he picked intimidation, which had always worked for him. Now, however, he realized how naive he had been. If he was older, he would not have chosen such a way to deal with the situation. In the end, intimidation would change nothing. His enemies would remain his enemies, but he could destroy potential friendships. By intimidating his enemies, he could warn them to be more careful. This was a terrible way to approach a situation like this.


    "I have to be honest with you now, Anfey," Apa suddenly said. "I¡¯ve known Urter for years now. We trained together once, but because of a strange condition he could not use magic orbat power. They let him go in the end, and he became the sheriff of Violet City," Apa said. He knew both sides in the fight, and because of that he was in a very awkward situation. He knew he had to lessen the tension. "Urter, why didn¡¯t you just tell me? I can always talk to them for you."


    "Did it get your bones?" ck Eleven asked, pushing himself up. He found some healing potion and began working on Urter¡¯s wound.


    "Well, I know how to work with you now, Lord Anfey," Urter said with a forced smile. "Everyone thinks they owe me a favor, which is a good thing for me in the long run."


    Anfey did not say anything. He stared at Urter, observing his expressions. Urter¡¯s exnation had made sense. If he had ulterior motives, it was impressive that he was able toe up with this exnation in a short time. Anfey decided he would trust the man for now.


    "Is your rtionship with the Marquis always so strained?" Anfey asked.


    "Very," Urter said naturally. "Which is why I wanted to help you, my lord. If it wasn¡¯t for the sudden invasion of Shansa Empire, they might have already found a way to throw me out of the city."


    Anfey nodded. He trusted Urter more than he did a few minutes ago, but still notpletely. He had seen too many people topletely trust anyone. Even among his team, there were only two or three people he couldpletely rely on.

 Chapter 213: A Sad City

    Chapter 213: A Sad City


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After talking quietly for a while, Anfey and others slowly walked out of their room and went downstairs. The owner and few female staff of the Garden Hotel all waited downstairs. The owner was about fifty years old. He must have had a sight problem. He had his eyes open wide until he saw Anfey and his crew walking downstairs. He squinted his eyes to look at them.


    Urter roughly wrapped his wounded hand. Seeing their mayor hurt, the owner and female staff looked at each other with confused faces. They immediately moved their gaze elsewhere. They knew someone had died upstairs. They did not feel like they needed to worry about it since the mayor was in the hotel. There was a saying in Buddhism, "Don¡¯t¡¯ look, don¡¯t listen, don¡¯t ask." Maybe it was wise to pretend they did not know anything.


    "Master, where are you going? Do you want toe to my office?" Urter walked outside and asked in a low voice.


    "No, I would like to walk around first. I will see you tonight. You need get the things I asked for ready." Anfey looked at Urter¡¯s hand. "Is your hand ok?"


    "I am fine, master. I will get it done," Urter said, smiling.


    Suddenly a middle-aged woman ran towards the Garden Hotel. She stared at Suzanna and yelled like a crazy woman, "My child, my child."


    Suzanna was shocked and subconsciously grabbed the sword handle. An old man chased behind the middle-aged woman. He ran really fast for his age and got hold of the woman¡¯s thigh. The woman seemed to be stronger than the old man. She struggled to walk forward and dragged the old man along with her on the ground.


    "My child..." The woman was only five yards away from Suzanna.


    "We do not have your kids." Urter said with a scolding tone. "Vicky, why did you let her get out again?"


    A few fully armed soldiers ran out of the grocery store across from the hotel and held the woman on the ground. The old man put his hands on the ground and struggled to stand up. He cried aloud before he had the chance to answer Urter¡¯s question or check his brush burned arms for blood. From where he stood, Anfey could see pea-sized tears on the old man¡¯s face.


    "Take all of them," Urter yelled as he waved his arm.


    A few soldiers took the woman¡¯s arms and legs, carrying her away. The old man was still crying on the ground. Urter gave a low sigh and walked over to the old man. He squatted down andforted him a little bit, the passed a few silver coins to the old man. The man took them as he sobbed. He wobbled to the other end of the street.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked. Anfey would get alert every time something happened. He took a close look at what happened, but did not find anything unusual.


    "Old Vicky is a poor guy," Urter said bitterly. "He only has a daughter. He raised her by himself. His daughter married a guy who moved in with them. Later his daughter gave birth to a girl and a boy. They finally lived a good life together. His daughter and son inw were capable people, so they ran a family business very well. No one would expect misfortune would fall on them. The soldiers from Shansa Empire took over Violet City. They also took their granddaughter away. His son inw had conflicts with Shansa Empire¡¯s soldiers and got killed. The Shansa Empire¡¯s soldiers even burnt down their house. His only grandson was burnt to death. Such a nice family only had two people left now. His daughter went crazy. s."


    "Poor guy," Suzanna said sadly.


    Urter had smiles on his face, but hatred showed in his eyes. "There are many more people in worse situations than old Vicky in Violet City."


    "Before I came here, I heard Violet City is a very beautiful city. Now..." Anfey could not help sighing.


    "The previous owner of Violet City, Aroben, is still in the city. Master, if you see him, you will learn from him what kind of bastards those people from Shansa Empire are," Urter said with hatred. "People from Shansa Empire asked Aroben to convince ckania City to surrender, but they got scolded by Aroben. They cut off Aroben¡¯s tendons on his wrists and ankles. They even killed everyone in his house, including little kids. Aroben himself..." Urter could not continue. His voice started to tremble. "But Aroben did not surrender to them."


    Anfey was surprised to hear this sad story. Monarchy was the only political system in this world. Militaries were not humanitarian, but they rarely abused royal families. Royal families were in dominant positions whether in political or military areas. For self-protection, hostile countries would not treat royal families in extremely bad ways, since no one would know if they would fall into a bad situation themselves some time. Even when royal families became captives, they still could be treated well. As long as ransom was paid, royal families could retrieve their freedom. This had be a rule between countries.


    Shansa Empire tried to take over ckania City for a long time, but failed. The whole of Shansa Empire became crazy about it.


    Anfey created a scene not long ago, which made some civilians walk out and stand on the streets to watch. If this happened in other cities, civilians would have talked about it, but not in Violet City. They were all quiet and none of them talked. They all had the same look on their faces. They did not show any emotion on their faces and kept quiet.


    "Where is Aroben now?" Anfey asked slowly. "I think we should go visit him."


    "He¡¯s at my house," Urter said.


    "Your house?" Anfey was shocked.


    "His garrison residence was destroyed. He lost the ability to walk and move around. Where could he go?" Urter heaved a long sigh. "Aroben saved my life before. I have always treated him and will treat him as my own father."


    "Very nice of you!" Anfey nodded. "How is he now?"


    Anfey was not sure how he saw Aroben. It was hard to criticize people like Aroben. Is he cold since he watched his family dying in front of him without trying to save them? Is he tough because he sacrificed his family for his country? If his case was seen from emperors¡¯ and historians¡¯ points of view, he should be praised. However, if they were Aroben¡¯s family, Anfey did not think they would praise him the same way.


    "Very bad, but Aroben said that he would try to live to the day he can take revenge on Shansa Empire." Urter slowly continued, "Master, I am not ttering you. I respect you, and admire you from the bottom of my heart. I mean it. Shansa Empire is so proud of Griffin Aerial Unit. You wiped out the whole Griffin Aerial Unit and you did that for us."


    Anfey smiled, but did not say anything. After he was quiet for a while, Urter continued to say, "Master, do you know where you want to go now?"


    "I only want to walk around," Anfey said.


    "I will have my people follow you. If something happens, I can find you immediately," Urter said.


    "Sure," Anfey said.


    Urter waved his hand. A young man just over twenty years old ran over. "His name is Iliverny; smart kid." After talking to Anfey, Urter whispered something to Iliverny. Iliverny suddenly stared, his eyes wide. Iliverny could not control his facial expressions. Urter continued to whisper something to him, and then he stood aside, looking obedient.


    "Ok, Urter, you can leave now. Can you handle the issue upstairs?" Anfey slowly said, "Suzanna, you can get on the wagon now."


    "Aren¡¯t youing too?" Suzanna was shocked.


    "I am not riding in the wagon." Anfey shook his head. "Take care of the little guy." He wanted to take a closer look at Violet City. If he hid himself in the wagon, he would miss out on many things.


    As Urter said goodbye to them, Suzanna ducked into the wagon with a bamboo basket on her arm. Anfey walked along the main street while the wagon driver drove the wagon behind him slowly.


    Normal people probably thought Anfey¡¯s crew was weird. Their wagon was big and wide. It was pulled by eight horses. The wagon looked fancy. Everyone could tell the owner of the wagon must be someone with power. It looked strange that Anfey walked instead of riding in the wagon. That no one paid attention to Anfey seemed even stranger. When people almost knocked into Anfey as they walked with their heads down, they just walked around without looking up at Anfey.


    The longer Anfey walked, the more he seemed to get a sense of this city. This was a quiet city, a dead city. It was a sad city in some sense. Everyone in Violet City seemed to hold something inside of themselves.


    The feeling Violet City citizens had toward their city was terrible. Maybe as time went by, what these civilians held in could be slowly relieved. Maybe the whole city would have a riot just as a bomb would blow when something triggered the citizens.


    Anfey was not sure how long he had walked, but he found himself back to the Garden. It seemed that he had walked around in a big circle. This time those maids in the hotel dared not to ignore the guests. They rushed out and stood on both sides of the door. They dared not to say anything, just looking timidly at Anfey. They had no idea what Anfey would do.


    Anfey looked up at the sun to tell the time. He turned around and walked up to the wagon. He tapped the wagon wall twice. "Suzanna, are you hungry yet?"


    "I am alright," Suzanna said.


    "What does that mean?" Anfey usually could understand others well but he did not quite understand what "alright" meant.


    "Anfey, we are hungry," ck Eleven immediately interrupted. "We have not had any food since this morning."


    "That is right. It is already afternoon now," Apa said.


    In fact they had felt hungry for quite some time. Anfey looked like he was in thought on the way, so ck Eleven and Apa dared not interrupt him. They finally got a chance to say their piece now. They could not let this opportunity to slide.


    "Let¡¯s just grab something quick," Anfey said.


    Iliverny rushed into the hotel first. He did not mean to take the food first, but to make arrangements for others. As he rushed into the hotel, a harsh and loud whistle suddenly rose on the street. Iliverny was shocked for a second and turned around immediately. He ran outside as he whistled loudly back.


    "What happened?" Anfey turned around.


    "Master, I am not sure," Iliverny responded immediately to Anfey. As he whistled, he ran towards where the whistle hade from.


    Anfey, ck Eleven, Suzanna and Apa looked at each other confused. They did not go into the hotel. They looked around on the street to see if there was anything suspicious.


    After a while, they heard horses running from a distance. Two horses came into view. Urter was riding one horse and someone Anfey had never seen before was riding the other horse. Iliverny and a group of people ran after them, but were left far behind by Urter.


    Urter had rushed to Anfey in the blink of an eye. He jumped off the horse before the horse could stop itself. He almost fell to the ground. Luckily, Anfey caught him in time.


    "Master, I have something to tell you. Can we talk in private?" Urter said, breathing heavily. He looked perplexed. A little shocked, some joy, and mostly excitement.


    "Come in the wagon." Anfey looked at Urter and smiled. "ck Eleven, you guyse in too."


    "Master." Urter had followed Anfey, but he stopped when he heard Anfey invite others toe in. He said, "I insist on talking in private with just you."


    "Urter, what do you mean?" Apa was a little unhappy about it. The first time he met Anfey, Apa had tried to ask Anfey to leave Suzanna out of their conversation. Now he had a chance to taste not being trusted. It indeed did not feel good. Urter was his friend. He even had tried to speak for him when Urter had some issues with Anfey that morning.


    "Sorry, Apa, it is not that I do not trust you. This is too important." Urter smiled bitterly. "Master?"


    Anfey went quiet for a moment and walked into the hotel. Even though Anfey and Urter had not known each other long, they had experienced things together. Anfey had already developed some trust in Urter. It must be something very very very important to make Urter act so abnormally, almost unreasonably.


    Urter followed closely behind Anfey into the hotel. He scanned around. "You guys need to leave now."


    The maids obediently walked out of the hotel without saying anything. The owner walked out as well.


    Apa and ck Eleven stood outside, looking at each other. They tried to suppress their unhappy feelings. What could they do? They could not fight with Urter for that reason.


    "What exactly happened?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, if you were not here, I would have no idea what to do." Urter heaved a long sigh. "I think you know we are building the garrison residence for you, right?"


    "Yes, I know about it," Anfey said.


    "A few ves dug out a stone tablet when they dug the foundation. It was the stone tablet of Brunswick." Urter¡¯s eyes brightened. The muscles on his face twitched. Obviously, he was super excited.


    "Brunswick? This name...I think I heard it somewhere." Anfey tried to search for the name in his head as he spoke.


    "No way, master. You really do not know about him?" Urter asked.


    "I definitely heard it somewhere", Anfey said.


    "Master, do you know where the pce of Sacred City was built?" Urter smiled bitterly.


    "It was on Brunswick Mountain. Is it that Brunswick?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, how many Brunswicks do you think there are?" Urter rubbed his nose. He thought Anfey would shout in surprise. He was disappointed that Anfey had no idea who Brunswick was.


    "What is that stone tablet about?" Anfey did not think it was important information.


    "I really do not know if you are really from this world." Urter gave Anfey a bitter smile again. "After Brunswick died in the Sacred Battle, Queen Marisa was in deep sorrow. However, she still took on the responsibility Brunswick had left. She gavemands to Brunswick¡¯s military to fight with magic beast tribes. After she beat the magic beast tribes and ended the battle, Marisa suddenly disappeared. There was a legend that Marisa had built an underground maze. She had no other desire left for life after the battle. She had already sent her husband¡¯s body to the underground maze. Thest thing Marisa did was to seal herself in the maze."


    "Keep going," Anfey said.


    "This legend has proved true with some evidence. Brunswick and Marisa loved each other so much. After Brunswick¡¯s death, Marisa had always said she had no desire to continue to live. The only thing that kept her living was the responsibility." Urter emphasized each word. "Later many tomb raiders searched for her maze and found three in the next few hundred years. Unfortunately, those were the fake ones Marisa made to fool people."


    "How do you know they are fake?" Anfey asked.


    "Because there was something missing." Urter thought for a moment and said, "There was another reason. After tomb raiders found the first underground maze, many people thought they found the real one, but there was nothing besides money and jewelry. Later many people lost interest in Marisa¡¯s legend. A few tomb raiders found another underground maze about a hundred yearster. Theyout and treasure in the maze was exactly the same as the first one. Master, think about it, why did Marisa build fake mazes on purpose? What did she want to protect? Was it only because she did not want anyone to disturb her life?"


    Anfey did not respond to Urter right away. He concentrated to think of all the possibilities for why Marisa built fake mazes and how reliable this legend could be.


    "Master, there was one item missing with the disappearance of Marisa. No one has seen it since," Urter said.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "The Taboo scepter." Urter stressed every word.


    "What is the Taboo scepter?" Anfey asked.


    Urter almost fainted from Anfey¡¯s ignorance. He held his hands into fists without even worrying about the pain on his hand. He grinded his teeth and said, "Master, Brunswick died on the Brunswick Mountain. After Brunswick¡¯s death, the Taboo scepter broke through the block of the magic beast tribes. It flew back to Marisa. Do you know what it meant?"


    "That is so amazing." Anfey raised his eyebrow. He had be used to the magic andbat power in this world. Anfey was still amazed by an object that could have its own mind and spirit. It was impossible to exin how it could happen.


    "Master, Taboo scepter is an amazing artifact. A legendary artifact. I heard that some books said the Taboo scepter had some unexposed secrets. I heard even a regr human being can perform forbidden spells with the Taboo scepter." Urter finished his talk in one breath. He took a deep breath. "Do you understand?"


    "Yes, but what does that stone tablet mean then?" Anfey asked.


    "There should be an underground maze," Urter said.


    "Maybe it is a fake one again." It was not that Anfey was trying to disappoint Urter on purpose. Anfey got used to assuming the worst scenario when he looked at problems.


    Urter was speechless. It was not normal for people to stay as calm as Anfey when they heard the news about the Taboo scepter.


    In fact it was Urter who had short vision andck of life experience. It was easy to make Anfey lose himself. He could just say "Have you seen the porn of Mutou Ran?" Anfey would jump really high and grab Urter to ask him where he was from.


    "No matter whether it is a real or fake maze, we need to figure it out anyway. Ask them toe in so we can discuss it," Anfey said slowly.


    "No, don¡¯t do it, master." Urter hurried to stop Anfey.


    "Urter, you need to know they are mypanions. I trust them with my life," Anfey looked serious.


    "Master, it was not that simple." Urter smiled bitterly. "I need to write a report and send it to Sacred City every month. I would not report anything before we can figure the maze out. Even if I have to see the King in Sacred City, I would not tell him either. Master, only two of us can know about this secret."


    "You don¡¯t have to make it so secretive." Anfey looked indifferent.


    "Master, if the secret gets out, Violet City might disappear from this world," Urter said worriedly. "Master, do you know I have killed the ves at the construction site. They are the captives from Shansa Empire. I did not mean to let them live anyway. I would not risk them leaking the information out now."


    "Huh?" Anfey said.


    "Master, if all the top powers gathered in Violet City from all over the world, who could control them? Even if our king could send all the troops here, they could not control those most powerful people," Urter said.


    Anfey¡¯s heart sank. He knew how powerful those most powerful people were. Professor Saul once told him that many top powers chose to be away from the early world. They hoped to break the bottleneck to challenge god. There were so many countries on Pan Continent. Almost every country on Pan Continent had few major powers. If these major powers all came to Violet City and gathered here, Violet City would be destroyed.


    "This is not about trust, master." After arguing with Anfey, Urter¡¯s voice started to be hoarse.

 Chapter 214: Bribe

    Chapter 214: Bribe


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey paced around in the room, trying to decide what he should do. He knew that there were things he should not get involved in, but he was left with very few choices. "Urter, can you promise that no one else knows about this?"


    "Yes," Urter said. "I can promise that."


    "Did you take care of all the ves?"


    "Yes," Urter said. He could tell Anfey was still worried, and added, "At least the only thing they found was a stone tablet. My men noticed before they could remove it, and ryed the news to me."


    "Are your men trustworthy?"


    "I cannot promise that, but they do not know what was going on. I was the only one who knows there is an entrance under the stone tablet. I was the only one that went inside." Urter reached into his pocket and wished out a gold coin and handed it to Anfey. "I found this down there."


    "Don¡¯t you have a dimensional ring?" Anfey asked. He did not know what the rings were at first, but after he learned what one was, everyone around him had one. Seeing Urter searching through his pocket was something unfamiliar.


    "Are you mocking me, my lord?" Urter asked. "I am only a sheriff."


    "This is a big city," Anfey said, taking the gold coin into his hand. "Your sry shouldn¡¯t be too bad." He looked down at the gold coin. On one side was the image of a man with arge beard, and the other side was covered in runes he could not read.


    "My sry was less than a single gold coin," Urter said. "And living in such a cityes with a high cost."


    "Really," Anfey said and nced at Urter. Doris was from a poorer family, but she still had a dimensional ring. Urter was a sheriff, but still could not afford one. Which meant that he was a honest man who did not try to steal. Inparison, the wages of the dwarves were several times more than Urter¡¯s. No wonder the dwarves worked so hard. Anfey was amused, as well. Urter earned one gold coin a month. How expensive could his cost of living be?


    "Do you recognize it, my lord?" Urter asked. He had a sense that Anfey wascking inmon sense, and he wanted to be clear.


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "What is this?"


    "This is made by King Brunswick, thest king of the Brunswick Dynasty. He had no children with his wife, Marisa, who did not have any interest in power. After she defeated the magic beasts, she disappeared, leaving the court to their own devices. The nobilities warred against each other for power." Urter sighed and shook his head. "There were a lot of powerful men in that civil war. They were loyal to Brunswick Dynasty and were willing follow Marisa¡¯s lead, but that does not mean they were willing to follow other people¡¯s lead. That was the end of Brunswick Dynasty."


    "Were there coins like this in the other fake mazes?"


    "Yes," Urter said gloomily. "We do not know whether those mazes were fake or not. This proved that the maze has something to do with Marisa."


    "At least halt the construction on the mansion," Anfey said quietly.


    "You cannot do that, my lord!" Urter said hurriedly.


    "Why is that?"


    "There are already people who are curious about what had happened. If we stop the construction, it will be a confirmation," Urter said. "We cannot stop the construction. What we can do, however, is change the ce where we found the tablet into a garden. That should solve our dilemma."


    "You¡¯re right," Anfey said with a nod.


    Urter grinned and said, "Well, allow me to congratte you now, my lord."


    "For what?" Anfey asked, tossing the coin up and down. "I don¡¯t see any joyous asions."


    "ording to the empire¡¯sws, everything that is found within thend of a nobleman belongs to him. Which means now you are the legal owner of the underground maze."


    "Even if the empire hasws like this, do you think they will let me keep it if it really is the tomb of Queen Marisa?"


    "That I do not know," Urter said. "I am a sheriff. My only job is to assist you, my lord."


    "You said earlier that you went into the maze alone," Anfey said. "Were you not scared?"


    "I¡¯ve been hearing adventurous stories for years now. My teacher once said that there is no profit without danger. I am not afraid of it."


    "Your teacher?"


    "Have you forgotten, my lord? I once trained with Apa."


    "Why didn¡¯t you join a mercenary band, then?"


    "I do not havebat power, nor can I use magic. No one would take someone like me," Urter said, shaking his head.


    "There are people with those things who are still idiots," Anfey said. "Intelligence is much more important than power in my mind. Come on, let¡¯s go. They may think you are trying to kill me."


    "Me?" Urter asked, almost amused.


    "Where did all your money go?" Anfey said as the two left the room.


    "I don¡¯t have a family to take care of, but my men do. Their lives are much more difficult than mine."


    Anfey nodded, but did not say anything more. He walked out of the inn and towards where Suzanna, Apa, and ck Eleven were standing. He had spent too much time speaking with Urter, and the three of them were all curious about their conversation.


    Anfey walked over to his carriage and jumped in. "Suzanna," he called, e in. Urter, youe in as well."


    Urter blinked, then hurried over to the carriage. He held out a hand out of courtesy and wanted to help Suzanna up. Suzanna, however, did not need his help. Urter¡¯s hand fell back to his side awkwardly, and he climbed into the carriage after her.


    "How many coins do you have right now?" Anfey asked Suzanna.


    "How many do you need?"


    "A hundred."


    Suzanna pulled out her money pouch and began counting the coins. A few minutester, ten columns of gold coins wereid out on the ground neatly.


    "Urter, take these."


    Urter¡¯s expression paled. "What do you mean, my lord? It is my job to assist you. You don¡¯t need to..."


    "Don¡¯t," Anfey said, interrupting Urter¡¯s protest. "It¡¯s not just for you. You need a dimensional ring. Some things are only safe when you put it in a ring, do you understand?"


    "But..."


    "You can twist my intention however you want, but you will keep the money," Anfey said. "Go and arrange my meeting with Aroben tonight."


    "Yes, my lord," Urter said. "I will get on that."


    "Alright," Anfey nodded. "Go. People will grow suspicious at the length of our conversation."


    "Yes, my lord," Urter said. He looked at Anfey, then began to collect the coins slowly. If Anfey appeared too proud, Urter would have left immediately. However, Anfey had appeared very sincere. In the end, Urter had to break his own rule.


    A hundred gold coins, however, were much heavier than Urter had expected. As he stood, the coins fell out of his pocket and onto the floor.


    Suzanna grinned at the sight. Urter tried to pick up the coins quickly while hiding his embarrassment, but the coins were scattered all over the floor.


    Technically, this was the first time Urter epted a bribe, and he had learned his lesson. Anfey tried to hide his smile, and did not say anything. After a few moments, Suzanna stood up, and helped Urter gather all the coins.


    "Armin,ing in," Anfey called, suppressing hisughter.


    ck Eleven appeared, and frowned when he saw the coins on the floor.


    "Take these to Urter¡¯s," Anfey ordered.


    ck Eleven nodded. He waved his hand, and gathered all the coins into his dimensional ring.


    "You know the convenience of a ring now, Urter?" Anfey asked with a smile.


    Urter nodded hurriedly and looked at neither Anfey nor Suzanna.


    "Armin, be careful. Don¡¯t let Apa know what¡¯s going on."


    "Why?" ck Eleven asked, frowning. He had already told Apa about some of Anfey¡¯s deeds. If there was something wrong with Apa, the warning was clearly toote.


    "No," Anfey said, "but still, don¡¯t tell him."


    "Alright," ck Eleven said, nodding. "I understand."

 Chapter 215: On Show

    Chapter 215: On Show


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "It did not work!" Anfey disappointedly waved away gas series elements, which had gathered a moment ago. He walked to the window and looked out.


    "Don¡¯t worry. You are just a junior mage right now. You still do not have a mage license issued by magic union yet," Suzanna smiled.


    "The problem is I do not know where it went wrong." Anfey rubbed his head as he talked. They were at a hotel at the time that was only 30 yards away from Anfey¡¯s new garrison residence construction. Anfey wanted to release Eyes of Sky to see what was going on inside the garrison residence, but he still failed after a couple of tries. Anfey knew the procedures for releasing Eyes of Sky very well and carbon copied from Christian. He couldmunicate with different elements well with telephathy. Anfey believed there was no reason to fail. He needed to go back and ask Christian.


    "Anfey, should I go and check on it?" Suzanna asked.


    "Never mind." Anfey shook his head and walked to his bed. He picked up an old-fashion book and started to read. He was going to be a bigndlord soon. He needed to understand the scale of his authority and anything forbidden by thews and regtions. The book in Anfey¡¯s hand was the legal statute of the empire. Anfey would not get to know unspoken rules from the legal statute of the empire, but it was better than nothing.


    Suzanna held herself on the elbows with hands on her cheeks, quietly watching Anfey. She never dreamed to be a master swordswoman when she was little. Her mother asked her to carry the extra weight on her shoulders without consulting her if she wanted. Her father should have been a mature man that Suzanna could rely on, but he was barely around her. She only remembered seeing her father three times. Thest time she saw him he was covered in blood. Before she met Anfey, she had been living an intense life. She practiced days and nights, took the horrible tests, which made her feel like she was in hell. She was constantly chased and in danger. She lived a nightmare. Suzanna thought her life would be like this forever. Anfey made her feel a warmth that she had never felt before. She would never ever forget that warm feeling.


    Is this so called happiness? The corners of Suzanna¡¯s mouth curled up. She was always happy when she was around Anfey. Anfey was not super powerful and could not give her a peaceful life or take care of her troubles, but it did not stop her from feeling the way she felt about Anfey.


    Anfey skimmed the legal statutes and flipped the pages fast. He only wanted to get the main idea when he read. He believed the deeper understanding of the book came through thinking, not literally from the book.


    As time slowly went by, Suzanna and Anfey were in totally different thinking tracks, but they still got along well. They felt at peace and warm with each other. Suddenly, a magic signal in a distance ruined it.


    Anfey was shocked for a second and tossed the book on the bed. He stood up and rushed out of the room ahead of Suzanna. It was the magic signal from ck Eleven.


    Anfey worried it would cause a scene to run withbat power. Luckily, a wagon was parked at the hotel. He took two horses out. He used them as his new transportation. He ran towards the magic signal as fast as he could. A tense battlefield came into Anfey¡¯s sight.


    ck Eleven and Urter stood in the front with over a dozen patrols from the police department on one side, while Shamash lead a group of personal soldiers on the other side. There were already seven or eight people hurt in total from both sides. The conflict was obviously there, but it seemed that both sides had some concerns that prevented them from killing each other. The conflicts between two parties with weapons usually caused fatality. Right now those hurt people at least still could curse standing up.


    Anfey pushed patrols to the sides to make a path and walked to ck Eleven. He whispered, "What happened?"


    Urter heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Anfey. He smiled bitterly at Anfey but did not say anything. ck Eleven stepped back a little bit and said quietly, "We were here to buy Dimensional rings in this magic store. Shamash and his people picked a fight with us."


    "That is him." Shamash had recognized Anfey and yelled loudly, "Look at that guy. He killed people in Garden Hotel. Our mayor saw it but did not catch the killer. He is even with the killer now. Does nit ot it prove where those gold coins were from?"


    Anfey nced at Shamash. "What gold coins is he talking about?"


    "He saw our gold coins when we were paying for the Dimensional rings," Urter said, smiling bitterly.


    "Urter, you do not deserve our trust." Shamash raised his voice even more. Shamash¡¯s personal soldiers were more powerful than a patrol. However, this was a conflict instead of a war. He dared not to fight with what the patrol represented, a government. Now he saw the killer at the scene and believe the opportunity hade his way. He tried to stir up the civilian onlookers.


    Shamash and his personal soldiers yelled and cursed, but the civilian onlookers still looked cold and indifferent. In terms of their reputation, Urter had a lot better reputation than Shamash, since Shamash kept his hands in the pockets everyday. No one would believe what Shamash said.


    "This guy is really annoying." Urter did provoke Shamash on purpose for the very first conflict so he would like to forgive Shamash for what he did. But now Shamash acted like a crazy dog. He was so annoyed by him.


    "Hand over that killer to me," Shamash yelled in high pitch. "Hand over the killer to me."


    "Hand him over!" Shamash¡¯s personal soldiers yelled after him. A few of them even inched in towards Anfey with weapons in their hands.


    "How dare you!" Urter stepped out in front of Anfey. "Put down your weapons! Do you know who he is? How dare you to be so rude to him? He is Violet City..."


    "Urter,e back!" Anfey interrupted him.


    Urter was shocked for a second and looked at Anfey, confused. He slowly stepped back behind Anfey.


    "Suzanna, stay there and don¡¯t move until I tell you to," Anfey said.


    "Yes," Suzanna said.


    Anfey slowly walked to those few personal soldiers with weapons. Anfey took everything in when he tried to figure out an issue and make itplicated, but sometimes he liked to simplify problems as well, depending on different situations. Now he had be the owner of Violet City. If he bore something with unreasonable anger or was unable to ept challenges when others challenged his authority, it would make sophisticated people suspect him. "People, who could take a lot in life or n far and in details, must be sophisticated." This always made sense. If Anfey went to extremes to solve this problem, those old men probably would justugh at him if they heard about what happenedter. They might critique him by saying, "Anfey is too young and acts too much on impulse. He needs more practice." They would put their guard down toward Anfey.


    There was a saying that "It is a tactic to let others¡¯ guards down." In fact, there were skills involved in reporting to supervisors as well. There was a general in Qin Dynasty. He was about to lead his military unit to travel far to the border to fight with the invaders. He was worried that the king would suspect him of getting too powerful. He knew this battle wouldst a long time. Officials being far from the central government had the potential to control the military and overthrow the king. Before he went on the journey, he asked for arge amount of money, jewelry andnd on purpose. He wanted the king from Qin to believe he cared about money over other things. The king from Qin agreed to all his requests and gave him the support he wanted for a long time during the war. This general was one of only a few officials who did not get set up, tortured by the king even after the war ended.


    The key strategy to report to kings was to let kings know one¡¯s weakness or expose one¡¯s weakness on purpose in order to let the king¡¯s guards down. Kings were afraid of people too perfect. For kings, it was important to take control and bnce the power. The problem was the rein, the power to control and bnce. What if there was a person who could not be controlled? Simple. Just destroy him. If that person could not be destroyed, then kings would wait for the opportunity to present itself. There was no trust at all.


    Those few personal soldiers did not expect Anfey would step out himself. They could not help looking back at Shamash. Shamash gave them a look and yelled, "Catch that killer."


    Those personal soldiers understood what Shamash meant. They rushed towards Anfey. Their swords, covered withbat power, were pointing at parts of Anfey, where they definitely could cause fatal damage if they got him. This was not to catch Anfey. They wanted to kill him. It looked like Shamash wanted to teach Anfey a lesson. However, targeting Anfey was a huge mistake.


    Urter¡¯s face immediately turned pale, but Suzanna and ck Eleven¡¯s faces did not change at all. They knew about Anfey¡¯s fighting ability. Apa heard a lot of stories about Anfey from ck Eleven. There was a junior swordsman among those few personal soldiers, but they believed Anfey would be fine.


    Anfey did not dodge until the sword radiant was close to him. His moves looked slower than usual for some reason. A sword radiant swept above his arm and another sword radiant brushed over his shoulder. Suzanna screamed in surprise.


    Suddenly Anfey elerated and ran back to ck Eleven¡¯s side. He looked at Suzanna and ck Eleven¡¯s shocked face and smiled. He pointed at the blood on his shoulder and asked, "Urter, is this enough for the evidence?"


    Urter suddenly realized what had happened and raised his voice, "Shamash, how dare you try to kill Master Anfey? Do you want to fight against our government? You guys, catch the people who tried to kill Master Anfey."


    Urter said it loudly. It was enough. Those patrols definitely did not have the ability to catch those personal soldiers. They would be lucky if they did not get killed by them. Anfey waved his hands and countless little fire balls appeared around him. The little fire balls turned into a gigantic ming shield and a gigantic ming sword. Anfey ran towards those few personal soldiers.


    Suzanna pulled her sword out in anger, but she was stopped by Urter. "Madam, don¡¯t go out now."


    "What?" Suzanna was shocked.


    "Master is pretty powerful, isn¡¯t he?" Urter asked immediately


    "Of course, he has no problem taking care of these trash." ck Eleven answered for Suzanna.


    "If master could handle it himself, we had better just stay here. It will be good for the master." Urter smiled at them.


    "Urter is right," Apa responded. Before he came here, King Ynthe had told him a lot of things. There was another reason to give Anfey the fuedal realm in Violet City besides setting things up for their ns on the Country of Mercenaries. King Ynthe wanted to set Anfey as an example of a hero to give people hope that the empire could and would protect them. Right now it was a show for the hero.

 Chapter 216: A Good Fight

    Chapter 216: A Good Fight


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A man would only regret something after he had done it. He would not know how terrible something was until he had experienced it himself. The soldiers were not afraid when they heard Anfey¡¯s name. Their employer was one of the few marquis left in the empire. Even though he was far from the center of the political ying field, Marquis Djoser¡¯s influence in this area was unmatched. Even the old city lord, Aroben, feared the marquis. The soldiers were used to doing whatever they wanted without any consequences. They didn¡¯t care who this young man was. The soldiers had some experience with fighting. Seeing that Anfey came at them alone, two of the soldiers took a few steps back, and the rest ran around him. They were trying to block anyone who was trying to help Anfey and gain an attack angle.


    The fire sword in Anfey¡¯s hand swept forward and me on the tip of the sword burned brightly. The junior swordsmaster waved his sword and blocked the attack. The soldier on the other side was able to block the attack as well.


    The fire sword shed with longswords, sending bright sparks flying. The two men felt their arms growing numb and tired, but they were still able to block the attack. The three soldiers who were behind Anfey saw an opportunity and lunged at him together, their swords aiming at his unprotected back.


    The swordsmaster smiled. If Anfey turn around and try to block the attack, it would give him the chance to attack. If Anfey didn¡¯t, then the three soldiers behind him could easily kill him. Before he could rejoice, however, he realized Anfey was suddenly moving again. He widened his eyes as arge fire shield came crashing down.


    He screamed then jumped back, the shield missed him by a few inches. The other soldier, however, was not as lucky. Anfey thrusted his sword forward and blocked the man¡¯s attack, then plunged the sword into the man¡¯s chest. The air smelled of burning flesh.


    If he was fighting a master swordsman, then maybe his opponent could deflect all of his attacks. However, Anfey¡¯s opponents were normal soldiers and a junior swordsmaster. His opponents were not skilled enough to stop his attacks.


    Anfey jumped aside and chased after the swordsmaster. He looked like arge meteor with the fiery shield held out in front of him. Before he even engaged the men inbat, he already knew how powerful his opponents were. However, he was still very cautious and did not want to get distracted. In closebat, getting distracted could mean death.


    The swordsmaster knew that his opponent was superior to him and did not try to engage inbat. He kept jumping away and waving his sword, trying to distract Anfey. The three soldiers followed Anfey. Shamash, who was observing the fight, frowned and called, "What are you doing? Attack!" The rest of the soldiers joined the fight before he could finish his sentence.


    Anfey suddenly stopped and, without a moment¡¯s dy, jumped aside and out of the path of the three soldiers. Before the three men could react, Anfey brought the sword down on one of the men¡¯s head. The man fell to the ground.


    The other soldier shed at his target and began running back, but before he could get away, the fire shield knocked him down. His body slid across the ground due to the force, and when he stopped, he did not move again.


    The deaths of hispanions gave the survivor a chance to react. He did not choose to run, however, and instead he lunged at Anfey, thrusting his sword forward.


    Anfey looked at the man, but did not move. When the sword was less than three feet away from him, he suddenly ducked down, and the sword missed its target. Then he plunged his sword into his opponent¡¯s chest.


    The fire sword pierced the man¡¯s body, but there was no blood, since the heat of the sword was enough to cauterize the wound.


    Anfey waved his sword and threw the dead body towards the remaining soldiers. The soldiers stared at the body, but none of them moved. Seeing threepanions dying in such a short time made them hesitant.


    The soldiers stopped, but Anfey did not. He held the shield out in front of him, and began walking towards the soldiers. The way he approached the soldiers showed that he did not care whether they lived or died. There was no point in being just. There was no justice in the world, and the only people that cared for justice were the weak.


    Anfey already had a n before he even started attacking. ording to Urter, his arrival would be met with resistance from Marquis Djoser. Compared to the marquis, Anfey had noworks and no experience. More importantly, he did not want to fight with the marquis. He was a skilledbatant, but he knew nothing about politics. It would be stupid for him to try and y political games with the marquis. He needed to scare him enough that he would not try to do anything.


    Inparison to Anfey, Shamash¡¯s men appeared weak and cowardly, especially the swordsmaster. Technically, he should be the most powerful one, and he should be at the front. Now, however, he was too terrified to lead the counterattack. He kept backing away, and was almost behind Shamash. This made the soldiers even more terrified.


    "What are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you attacking?" Shamash questioned angrily. He raised his foot and kicked the swordsmaster in the back.


    The swordsman stumbled, but did not try to lead the attack. Instead, he stopped in ce. He had led the initial attack with four other soldiers, who were all killed. If he wasn¡¯t backing away, he would not be standing there. He would rather be jobless than die.


    Anfey suddenly took a long stride forward, then thrust his sword at one of the soldiers. He did not use his full strength, because that would make it harder for him to move after each attack. He was able to move around because he had preserved parts of his power.


    Now, however, the soldier were not as daring, and Anfey was switching up his tactics. Now, his strategy was more intimidating but more dangerous for him.


    The soldier tried to block the attack, but his strength was far inferior. The fire sword was only slowed, and came down onto the soldier. The man¡¯s head burst into mes.


    The soldiers around him gasped in horror. Anfey turned to the left and struck out. The soldiers were caught off guard, and could not block the attack. One soldier¡¯s sword plunged into another¡¯s chest. The second man fell to the ground.


    Anfey¡¯s every move was full of power. The soldiers were too scared to fight back, and those that did try to fight back were ughtered mercilessly.


    The swordsmaster had already abandoned his sword and disappeared into the crowd. Shamash, however, did not even notice. This was not a fight. It was a massacre.


    If he was simply fighting, Anfey usually stayed very calm. Now, however, he felt a strange joy when he saw his opponents falling like leaves before him.


    Soon, there was no one standing around Anfey. All the remaining soldiers were behind Shamash, and no one tried to protect him. The mage next to Shamash whispered several spells, but didn¡¯t release any of them. Right now, he cared only for his own life.


    Anfey stood in front of Shamash, who was sweating furiously, and did not feel any pity for the man. This man must die. There were a lot of men willing to work for the nobility, and it did not matter if those men died. The only way to make the nobility fear him was to kill Shamash.


    "I remember him!" someone in the crowd suddenly called. "Isn¡¯t that the guy that terrorized Shansa Empire?"


    People in the crowd began whispering to each other, and the sound of their voices became louder and louder. They had been hearing a lot about Anfeytely.

 Chapter 217: Hope

    Chapter 217: Hope


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Why are you trying to kill me?" Anfey asked coldly. The feeling of joy only stayed with Anfey for a very short time. Joy never dominated Anfey long because being calm was his instinct. Anfey did not forget what he should say at this moment. He actually did not talk to Shamash, but to the civilians who were looking on.


    "I..." Shamash was scared and forgot how to argue. He even forgot to beg for his life.


    "You do not have to exin." Anfey turned away. He waved his ming sword, which created a track of heat. Shamash was only a senior swordsman. He was so scared that he did not make any response before he got hit by the ming sword.


    Onlookers leaned their heads back to follow Shamash¡¯s head being thrown high in the sky. The body twitched before falling on the ground. Those watching screamed in surprise. No matter what kind of reputation Shamash had, he was a well-known person in Violet City. However, he was killed like he was just a little chicken. Not only the surviving personal soldiers¡¯ jaws dropped, onlookers stared wide-eyed.


    "Stop, stop." A loud voice arose in the distance. "Master asked Master Shamash to go back now. Don¡¯t make any trouble." The clip-clop of hooves sounded closer to them.


    The onlookers made a path for a group of horses. A boy around seven years old stepped back as others moved to the side. Maybe he had no guardian to take care of him, or his parents forgot to take him with them as they made the path. That boy just stood there, looking at the dead body. The little boy did not know how to cover his emotions. He looked scared and curious and totally forgot that a group of horses wereing his way.


    The people on the horses were only concerned about rushing forward. As people made a path for them, it became toote for them to stop in time. Everyone watched as a horse was ready to step on the little boy.


    A ming fireball shot out and hit the fore legs of the horse. The fireball flew so fast that it left a trace of red shadow.


    Fire elements shoot out everywhere. Anfey had to move two steps back to steady himself. The rider and the horse rolled back like a rolling windmill. They rolled over for about a dozen yard. On watchers were startled by what they saw again.


    Anfey felt sharp pain in his arms after the ming shield disappeared. The ming shield had turned into a real object before it disappeared. Others might have seen that Anfey literally crashed into the running horse. Actually it did not happen as they thought they had seen. Anfey was not that stupid. His ming shield hit right below the horse¡¯s neck. He pushed the ming shield diagonally upwards. Anfey did take some hit but not all of the hit, otherwise he would not have knocked the horse so far.


    The rider struggled toe to his senses and slowly stand up. Blood oozed from his nose and mouth. Obviously, his organs were damaged after taking the indirect but intense blow. He stared at Anfey, shocked and scared. He was unable to hide his emotions.


    Surviving personal soldiers looked at each other, but dared not to help. They could only choose to be quiet.


    "Master Shamash." The horse rider stumbled forward. He did not forget his duty. "Master Shamash! Are you guys dumb? Where is master Shamash?"


    The personal soldiers could not help looking at the dead body without a head. The rider¡¯s response was quick. At first, he was shocked and had eyes open wide to check the clothes on the dead body. He suddenly turned around to look at Anfey. "You killed master Shamash?"


    Top powers were usually not constrained by regrws. The power among them had to be bnced by other even more powerful powers. Seeing their master being killed and his crew scared to speaking for him, he immediately suspected Anfey.


    "So?" Anfey lookedbative. He challenged the rider.


    That rider was so mad that he suddenly puked up some blood. His body shook a little and then he fell on the ground with a huge thud. His wound had gotten worse, but other personal soldiers dared not toe over to help him. They stayed where they were without doing anything.


    "Hurry up and go home. ying on the street is dangerous." Anfey turned to be gentle and also caressed the little boy¡¯s head.


    "Uh..." The little boy looked at Anfey with bright eyes. He may not even have realized what had just happened.


    Onlookers seemed to feel perplexed. Anfey had looked like a crazy killer a moment ago and killed the well-known Shamash and his personal soldiers in the blink of an eye. Now, however, he looked like a sweet brother to that little boy. No one would think Anfey faked it since he did save that little boy from the horse.


    "Master, are you ok?" Urter ran over with excitement on his face. He had heard about what Anfey had done before. He wanted to believe there was a savior for the people who were suffering. This world seemed to need a hero after the war. Seeing Anfey¡¯s fighting ability, he would totally believe he was their hero.


    "I am fine." Anfey shook his head with a smile. He turned to look at the surviving personal soldiers. "All of you go to the police station. Suzanna!" Suzanna slowly walked up to him. Senior swordsmen were considered top powers in Violet City. When Suzanna practicedbat power to try to help Anfey, she already got people¡¯s attentions. However, when Anfey has showered fire balls, they had turned their attention to him. Now Suzanna walked out and everybody noticed there was a senior swordswoman. She was also a follower of Anfey. People could not be more surprised.


    The junior swordsman who ran away at the beginning of the fight gasped. He thought he was so lucky to make the decision to run. He was too wise for that. Suzanna was a senior swordswoman.


    "Are you going to the police station on your own or do you need someone to escort you?" Anfey asked casually.


    "Master, we can go to the police station on our own." The junior swordsman realized he should do something to make it up, so he stepped out and spoke.


    Anfey looked at Urter. As a mayor, Urter definitely knew what he should do. He needed to judge the case, listing all the evidence to make sure there was no way for Shamash¡¯s family to reopen this case. Urter walked back to Iliverny and gave him some instructions quietly, and then Iliverny walked to those personal soldiers with a few officers. Since the leader of the personal soldiers had died, both parties were notbative anymore. They looked like they got along well and cooperated with each other. At least one party did. Personal soldiers put down their weapons and followed behind the officers.


    "Master, your little unicorn came out. We could not control him," Urter suddenly said loudly.


    "Huh?" Anfey was shocked. He turned around to check. The little unicorn was looking at the people around him.


    Anfey could not help staring at Urter. The little unicorn had been forced to develop the habit that he would note out until Susanna gave him permission. The unicorn would nevere out on his own. The reason Suzanna let the unicorn out definitely had to do with Urter.


    "Come here," Anfey waved at the little unicorn.


    The unicorn¡¯s eyes brightened. He turned into a white light and the next second he stood beside Anfey. He looked very close to Anfey. He rubbed Anfey¡¯s lower leg. The unicorn was still small, but his speed was phenomenal. Shally used to y with the little unicorn, but now she did not even bother with him anymore. She could not catch him and lost interest in ying with him.


    "My God, it is a unicorn," someone yelled in surprise.


    "Couldn¡¯t be!" Some doubted how true it was.


    "Are you deaf? Didn¡¯t you hear what your mayor said?" an onlooker responded.


    "It has to be a unicorn! I did not even see him run over!" another onlooker said.


    "A Magic-Combat-Twin discipliner with a unicorn? I have only heard about it in the legends," another personmented.


    The little unicorn did not know he was the center of attention. He tried hard to look up at Anfey with his light blue eyes. Magic beasts had quite simple emotions. If Anfey was calling him, he could only see Anfey¡¯s eyes.


    Anfey sighed and bent down to pick up the little unicorn. Changes always came faster than ns. He was supposed to keep this trip secret. The little unicorn should be a secret too. However, both of these were now known to the public. Human intelligence was too limited. In most cases, a wise person could not control how things would happen. That was why there was the saying about "opportunity knocking".


    The crowd grew loud. Their indifference and coldness were from their disappointment. Shansa Empire had messed up their lives. Many people had died and disappeared. Ynthe was very wise, and he provided them aparatively decent life, but he could not protect them in dangerous situations. Now a hero was here. The power and kindness were obvious. In addition, he was going to be the owner of Violet City. What else could make them more excited. The hero in the legend could beat thousands or tens of thousands of magic beasts just by himself. The presence of a unicorn meant Anfey had the same power as the heroes in the legends. Heroes like Anfey should be able to protect them. No one knew the exact answer, but they all wanted to believe, in other words, they would like to force themselves to believe Anfey could protect them.


    Anfey was a little confused and anxious. He used to hide in the dark in his past. He did not think anything good woulde from being the center of the crowd. Anfey turned around and said to Urter, "Let¡¯s go buy the rings."


    "Yes, master." Urter lowered his head. His eyes were smiling. He had nned everything right on the money and had gotten unexpectedly positive results. He was quite happy about it.


    Anfey and Urter walked up to the magic store. The crowd immediately made a path for them. Suzanna followed behind Anfey. The legendary hero always had a powerful, beautiful and loyal female assistant. So did Anfey. It only confirmed their belief.


    Anfey and Urter walked up the steps before they entered the magic store. A person suddenly stopped them at the entrance of the magic store. It was a chubby guy around forty years old. His eyes avoided looking at Anfey, and his trembling fingers also showed his timidity. However what he said sounded very harsh: "I am sorry, masters. Our store is closed today."

 Chapter 218: Helper

    Chapter 218: Helper


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What do you mean?" Urter asked, his expression dark.


    "I¡¯m sorry, sir, but my shop is not open for business right now," the merchant said. His voice was shaking, but he was determined.


    Urter red at the man. It was embarrassing to be blocked by a merchant in the middle of the town. If he was alone, he would have just admitted defeat. Now, however, he had other people with him. The merchant was just about to tell him the price of the ring, and this sudden shift in attitude meant that he was hiding something.


    "Sir, this isn¡¯t the only shop that sells dimensional rings," a man in the crowd stepped forward and said. "If you don¡¯t mind, please, feel free toe to my shop and take a look."


    Anfey nced at the man who had just spoken. He was young, perhaps in his twenties. He was wearing a finely made white robe, which made the youth look more handsome than he would have in simple shirts. His expression was calm, but his eyes were filled with joy. Anfey did not know if the man was happy because he was able to catch someone¡¯s attention, or because he was able to steal business from hispetition.


    Urter sighed and red at the merchant again before turning to the youth. "Where¡¯s your shop?" he asked.


    "Not far," the young man said, pointing to his left. "Just down the street."


    "My lord, do you want to go look there?" Urter asked Anfey. He was worried that Anfey would rush into yet another decision without thinking it through. He knew the merchant was hiding something, but he was the owner and he had the right to do what he wanted. As long as there was another solution, there was no need to force the merchant to do anything. Anfey was the new city lord, and Urter was the sheriff. They had plenty of time to investigate what the merchant was trying to hide.


    "Alright," Anfey said. He turned and followed the young man and Urter.


    Anfey, however, was not trying to pressure the merchant into doing anything. He had remained quiet and allowed Urter to do the negotiation. He was the new city lord, and it was not a good idea for him to have petty arguments. The appearance of the young man was exactly what Anfey had wanted and needed.


    After a few minutes, they arrived at the young man¡¯s shop. The young man hurried over to open the door for his customers. The crowds, instead of dispersing, followed the group to the young man¡¯s shop.


    Anfey frowned. He turned to Urter and said, "Tell them to leave us alone."


    Urter nodded and turned around. "Everyone," he called loudly. "Go home now, please. It is distracting for Lord Anfey with all of you out here."


    Hearing Urter¡¯s order, the crowd slowly began the thin. Most people looked eager to tell others the story they had just witnessed.


    "That man has no professionalism to speak of," the young man said, shaking his head. "You may not know, my lord, but he works for the Marquis. He must have received instructions from the Marquis not to sell you anything."


    "I see," Urter said, nodding. He was just going to buy the cheapest dimensional ring, but ck Eleven thought that a cheap ring had no real value and would be a waste of money. The two had justpromised when Shamash had surrounded them and used Urter of epting bribe. Urter¡¯s men attacked Shamash for insulting their superior, and Shamash, who was intentionally angering them, did not back down. Now that Urter had the time to think back on it, he realized it must have been the merchant who alerted Marquis Djoser.


    "What do you want, my lords?" the young man asked. He waved his servant away and began leading Urter and Anfey around the shop.


    "He wants a dimensional ring," Anfey said, pointing at Urter.


    "Dimensional ring?" The young man frowned, then nodded. "Please,e with me." He walked over to a disy case full of rings, but did not reach into the case. He waved his hand, and a small hole appeared on the wall. The young man reached into the hole and retrieved a box made of antimagic crystal. He held out the box for his two customers to see.


    Urter hurried to look at the ring. Ever since he had be a sheriff, he had adhered to the rules andws, because he did not want people to see him as a corrupt and ineffective man. He did not take bribes, and his pay could barely cover his living expenses. Even though Anfey gave him arge sum of money, he did not want to spend all of it.


    A ck, dull ringy in the box. Next to the ring was a magic scroll. Urter did not know what the material was, but he rxed visibly. If the young man wanted to bribe him or get in his good graces, he would present them with a more extravagant ring. A ring as in as this one must not be expensive.


    "How much is it?" Urter asked.


    "Ten gold coins," the young man said.


    "Alright," Urter said. "I¡¯ll take it." At thest shop, the owner had asked for twenty-five coins. The price the young man gave was reasonable. Urter knew that cheap things tended to be of lesser quality, and this ring may not have as much storage space, but he was satisfied.


    "Ten gold coins?" Anfey asked. Unlike Urter, he was able to sense the magic surge of the ring. He knew very well how powerful the ring must be.


    "Yes, my lord," the young man said. "I bought this ring for seven coins. I¡¯m making a three coins profit here."


    "I like this one," Urter said. He nced at the disy case, and saw that some of the rings were selling for more than two thousand gold coins. A ring as inexpensive as this one was rare.


    "If you like it..." Anfey¡¯s voice trailed off, then shook his head.


    Urter took the ring out of the box and inspected it. The young man picked up the magic scroll and said, "My lord, please. Put on the ring, then activate the scroll. You don¡¯t have to be able to use magic to activate this scroll."


    "I see," Urter said. He took the scroll and activated it. As soon as the scroll was activated, light burst from the paper and enveloped Urter.


    Anfey frowned. "It wasn¡¯t this dramatic when I got my ring," hemented.


    "You didn¡¯t use a scroll?" the young man asked, frowning. All dimensional ringse with a magic scroll. It was used to activate the ring and to leave the mark of the owner on the ring.


    "I just put it on," Anfey said.


    "You are a student of Archmage Saul, my lord," the young man said, smiling. "You wouldn¡¯t need a scroll."


    The light dispersed, showing Urter standing there in shock.


    "Urter?" Anfey called.


    Urter frowned and turned to the young man. "You¡¯re selling this for ten coins?" he asked. He could not use magic, but he hadmon sense. The price of the ring was proportional to the storage space of the ring. Now that he could sense the ring, he knew a ring like this was worth far more than ten gold coins.


    "Yes," the young man said. "Like I¡¯ve just said, my lord, I bought the ring for seven gold coins. I¡¯m only making two coins."


    Urter frowned. The way the young man tried to bribe him was very clever. He could pretend he bought a cheap dimensional ring, and forget about this encounter. However, Urter could not ignore the fact that the young man sold him something expensive at a cheap price. He was a sheriff, and he could not take advantage of the people he was trying protect. If this continued, something would go wrong sooner orter. He wanted to return the ring, but something like dimensional rings could not be returned. He had already marked the ring, and it would be worthless to other people.


    "Come on, Urter," Anfey said. "Let¡¯s go visit Aroben." For Anfey, this was normal. If someone was trying to befriend him, he would be friendly with them. He was about to be the new city lord, and he needed helpers.


    Urter shook his head and turned to follow Anfey. Before he could take another step, he stumbled and almost fell. The young man reach over and helped him steady himself. "Be careful, my lord," he said. "Everyone¡¯s like this when they first get a ring. A few days of rest should fix it."


    "What?" Anfey asked.


    "Dimensional rings require magic. Lord Sheriff here doesn¡¯t have magic, and part of his life force was used to activate it. Don¡¯t worry. A few days of rest is what you need to recover."


    "He¡¯s right," Suzanna said. "The more storage space, the more magic the ring will need."


    Anfey nced at his own ring, and recalled Saul¡¯s exhaustion with a frown.

 Chapter 219: An Unusual City Owner

    Chapter 219: An Unusual City Owner


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Urter¡¯s house did not look very fancy. Of course, the so-called "not so fancy" house was referenced with other royal families¡¯ houses. If it werepared with civilians¡¯ houses, Urter¡¯s house was still pretty good. At least the house was free. The empire provided residences for the government officials who worked for city management. The officials would return the houses to the empire when they left their positions. During the time they lived here, they were not charged. The empire also provided them some servants, who got paid through the empire, which definitely saved them a big chunk of money.


    Passing the slightly worn tall door, there was a standard living room. The desks and chairs looked outdated but very clean. A city mayor¡¯s sry was set by the empire. Urter had no control over his sry. The tidiness and cleanliness of the living room had everything to do with him though. Some people believed that how good the house was kept had a close rtionship to how well the owner of the house lived.


    There was a long, dark hallway upstairs. Many candlesticks were on both sides of the hallway, but they were not lit up. Some candlesticks did not even have candles on them. The candlesticks shone like metal in the dark.


    Urter looked a little awkward when he saw Anfey looking at the candlesticks on the sides of the hallway. He hurried to lead Anfey into a front a room and moved his body sideways to let Anfey in. "Master, Aroben lives in this room."


    Anfey nodded. He tried to regain control of his emotions before he slowly walked in. Aroben had suffered the loss of his country and the pain of losing his whole family. Only he, a lonely old man, still lived in this world. What was more cruel was he saw the soldiers from Shansa Empire killing his family in front of him. Anfey thought it would be really hard tomunicate with an old man who was in deep sorrow. However, Anfey had toe see him. First of all, as a future city owner, he needed to send his condolences to Aroben. Secondly, he wanted to find opportunities to consult him on some issues. He heard from more than one person that Aroben was a very capable citymaster. Under Aroben¡¯s government, Violet City was prosperous, but a damn war had ruined everything.


    He wanted to learn some basic knowledge about the city, talk about his experience managing it, and take some advice or suggestions to take over the city and manage it. A lot of things could not be learned through experience. Governing a city was not a joke. It could cost Violet City plenty before Anfey could learn from failures governing the city.


    Anfey slightly cleared his throat and went over the condolence words he wanted to say. He knocked on the door.


    "Come in please," someone inside the room responded.


    Anfey pushed the door open and walked in. He was shocked when he got to see the room. It was not as he had imagined. He thought Aroben would be helplessly lying on the bed with a haggard face. He thought he would either be in deep sorrow or scream his lungs out to vent his anger, frustration and sadness. However, what he saw was quite different from what he had imagined.


    Aroben sat on a chair, quietly watching Anfey. His light blond and slightly curly hair wasbed well, and his face was slim. He even wore some foundation on his face, which prevented people from telling the real color of his face. He wrapped himself in a long dark red mage gown with a junior mage badge hung on his chest. Anfey felt close to him immediately, since he finally met a mage at the same level as Anfey¡¯s.


    "You must be Master Anfey. Urter has told me about you. Please take a seat." Aroben smiled and held his hand out to signal Anfey to take a seat. This "holding" move was very weird. Aroben moved his arm, but his hand was like a decorative object hanging on his wrist. His hand shook as the arm moved.


    "I hope I am not interrupting you," Anfey said, and smiled as he slowly took a seat.


    "Master, you must be joking. It is my honor to have youe to see me, a crippled old man." Aroben looked at his lifeless hand and a sadness shed in his eyes.


    Anfey smiled. He could only smile because the speech he prepared seemed inappropriate now. If he had passed his condolences on to Aroben, Aroben did not seem sad. If he had asked him to have a good rest, Aroben looked very refreshed. Anfey searched for words in his head to start their conversation. He was here to visit Aroben and learn from him about the experiences governing Violet City.


    "I heard from Urter that Shamash from the Marquis Djoser¡¯s tried to kill you. Did you kill him?" Aroben helped Anfey find a worthy conversation topic.


    "Did I act too much on impulse?" Anfey said with a smile. He did not expect Aroben to go into a topic without any greetings. Aroben seemed to be direct. Anfey appreciated that.


    Aroben went quiet for a second. "Master, even though we just met, I do have something to tell you. It may sound blunt and even cause trouble for me. I am already a disabled man now. I am scared of nothing."


    "You can tell me anything." Anfey smiled. "You don¡¯t have to call me Master. Urter and I are just your juniors."


    "Rules are rules." Aroben slightly shook his head. "Then, I am going to tell you some truth."


    "Please." Anfey felt this came a lot faster than he expected. He thought he would have a long conversation and they would get to know each other a little better before they could talk about anything important. It looked like Aroben was more eager than Anfey to talk about important issues. For an old man who had been a politician for so long, he should not be so impatient. Maybe thest cruel strike had changed Aroben¡¯s personality a lot.


    "Master, you were too nice to him," Aroben said slowly.


    "What?" Anfey was shocked by hisment. At first he thought Aroben was sarcastic. Not only Anfey, but also Urter, was shocked by Aroben¡¯sment.


    "Marquis Djoser is a marquis of our empire. His family can be traced back several hundred years." Aroben looked calm. "For a long family tree, its roots could grow even better than the leaves. Marquis Djoser has kept a very low profile, but it could just be the roots of an older tree. We have no idea how much potential Marquis Djoser has. Master Anfey, do you think we could underestimate Marquis Djoser?" Aroben nced at Anfey.


    "Are you saying..." Anfey looked more serious.


    "Marquis Djoser has lost five sons. Do you know what he got in return? A couple of acres of barrennd, some mediocre reward? If it were not because of you, Marquis Djoser would be happy to take those rewards, since their feudalnds have not increased for the past hundred years. It could be a good opportunity for him since it would leave something good on his family history." Aroben sighed. "But everything changed because of you. People should notpare themselves with others. Many tragedies and disasters came from it."


    "You made such contribution to our empire, but Marquis Djoser lost five sons for the empire. Why did you be the owner of Violet City, but not Marquis Djoser? In terms of nobility titles, Marquis Djoser is a marquis, while you are just an earl. Do you think Marquis Djoser would find that fair?" Aroben snorted. "Do you think you scared Marquis Djoser after you killed Shamash? No, you only could scare some of his followers. Those followers would go to where the power is. I promise you, Marquis Djoser will only get crazier. Do you know you have wasted a great chance? Shamash was trying to kill you on the street and many people saw it. You could have taken him to your police department. The case would have led back to Marquis Djoser and wiped the whole family out. Unfortunately, it is toote now." Aroben shook his head. "As long as Marquis Djoser is alive, there would be no peace in Violet City. If you don¡¯t believe me, time will prove it."


    "Marquis Djoser is a marquis of the empire..." Urter murmured.


    "You, Urter, you are such an idiot!" Aroben raised his voice angrily. "How could you do something beyond your authority? Why did you start the Transmission Portal magic array and send the official files to ckania City. You should not have done that. We could have done something to save it, but now there is nothing we can do."


    "I only wanted to make sure Shamash got the punishment he deserved before Marquis Djoser reports on us. If the empire agreed with me on the crimes Shamashmitted, we would have had so room to maneuver. We could have attacked or defended as we needed," Urter said.


    "Why are you getting even more stupid?" Aroben yelled in anger. "We could attack or defend as we needed? There are many things we could have moved forward on instead of going back. We have killed Shamash, where do you think we could go back to?"


    Anfey and Urter looked at each other. It was not surprising that Anfey felt the way he did, since he did not know Aroben well. Urter was wide-eyed in shock. Urter never remembered Aroben being so aggressive. Aroben used to try to make everyone happy and not to piss anyone off. He had a great reputation in Violet City. He had a good rtionship with royal families. Civilians respected him. However, he was totally a different person now.


    "What should we do now?" Anfey smiled bitterly. He had been in this world a long time and understood how much power a royal family could have. It was already very risky to kill Shamash. Anfey never thought he would kill Marquis Djoser in a justified way. He did not forget his own profession. If Marquis Djoser became too much trouble, he would assassinate him someday.


    "Wait," Aroben said.


    "We can only wait?" Anfey asked.


    "If I am guessing right, General Miorich should be reading the office files sent by us. He will make a judgement soon. We will wait and see how Marquis Djoser will react," Aroben said.


    "Miorich?" A passionate and energetic image appeared in Anfey¡¯s mind.


    "Yes, the generals are usually in charge of all the military administration during the war, so General Miorich is in charge of it now. Master, do you know General Miorich?" Aroben noticed something unusual about Anfey.


    "Did you forget who my master is?" Anfey smiled.


    "Master, things will get better if you know General Miorich," Aroben said, looking excited.


    "What rtion could I have with General Miorich? He thinks I am only a kid." Anfey could not help shaking his head.

 Chapter 220: Hatred

    Chapter 220: Hatred


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "If you can get General Miorich toe to this city, my lord, I am sure it would be a good influence," Aroben said.


    "I am not important enough to even talk to the General," Anfey said with a smile. "I¡¯m too insignificant."


    "You may be, but your teacher is not," Aroben said. "As far as I know, Archmage Saul is on good rtions with General Miorich. If you are in trouble, surely the General will aid you."


    Anfey shook his head and did not say anything. Seeing that Anfey did not want to ept his proposal, Aroben frowned. Aroben did not know Anfey¡¯s history, however, and would not be able toe up with a n Anfey could work with. What Anfey did in the Sacred City was unforgivable. Even though no one had med him, Anfey knew he was in deep trouble. He had made himself an enemy of one of the most powerful men in the empire, and brought a lot of trouble in doing so. He could not rely on Saul for everything. He must solve this on his own. Aroben, on the other hand, was trying to find a realistic solution. He knew that Saul was still busy on the northern front with Prince Grandon, or else he would have tried to convince Anfey to get Saul to Violet City a long time ago.


    "What are you worried about, my lord?" Aroben asked quietly.


    "I¡¯m not worried. I¡¯m just trying to solve the problem by myself."


    "I think you¡¯re wrong in thinking this way, my lord," Aroben said. "Some things were already set in stone when you became the city lord of Violet City. If you lost to Marquis Djoser, it¡¯s not just your problem. Now that everyone knows you are Archmage Saul¡¯s student, his reputation would be damaged, as well. When you are in trouble, I am certain that Lord Saul would try to help even if you do not request any help. All we have to do is to elerate that process."


    "Let¡¯s talk about thister," Anfey said, shifting the topic. "Urter, how many soldiers do I have?"


    "You are a count right now, my lord, which means you can have thirty soldiers ording to thew."


    "What about city guards? Is there a limit on that?"


    "There were twelve hundred city guards. During the invasion, they were either ughtered or abandoned their posts. There is barely anyone left now."


    "Alright. We will start recruiting tomorrow."


    "Yes, my lord."


    "I will leave the recruiting to you, Urter. You have to be strict when picking the men. I will not tolerate anyone who is cking on the job, understand?"


    "Yes, my lord. Do you have a specific standard?"


    Anfey frowned. He recalled the Shansa general, Kumaraghosha, and his soldiers. "Intermediate swordsman, at least. The standard for mages can be lower. Same requirement for the knights."


    Urter frowned and stared at Anfey. Aroben frowned as well.


    "What, is that requirement too high?" Anfey asked.


    "Way too high."


    "Really?"


    "If we use that standard, we won¡¯t get a single recruit," Urter said. "The wage of a city guard is lower than the wage of a real soldier¡¯s. For a swordsman, the best thing to do is join a mercenary band. The life of a mercenary is dangerous, but so is the life of a civilian soldier. A mercenary can decide what mission he does, but a soldier cannot decide which battle to fight."


    "Even if they don¡¯t be mercenaries, it¡¯s better to be an actual soldier. There is no use for them to join the city guard. The older guards were all at least forty years old. Young, able-bodied people will not join the city guard."


    "What if we increase the wages?"


    "For a thousand men?"


    Anfey fell quiet. "Urter," he asked after a few moments. "As a city lord, how much will I make a day?"


    "It is all in the files I gave you, my lord, though it may not be urate now. The city was piged, and it would take a while for it to recover. We barely have any ie except for the money to rebuild the city."


    "It seems like we can¡¯t do much at this point," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I will leaving the city for a few days soon. Wait for me toe back. Lord Aroben, Urter, I entrust the city to you." Anfey finally realized how difficult it would be to run a city by himself. He needed to find some helpers from Sacred City. He trusted Aroben and Urter, but he could not rely on them for everything. He needed to have his own helpers. If he relied on Aroben and Urter for everything, it would be as if he was handing off his power.


    "My lord, I am just an old man," Aroben said. He looked at his wrinkled hand and sighed.


    "On the contrary, sir. Your experience running this city is priceless," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Are you going back to Sacred City, my lord?" Urter asked.


    "It¡¯s been awhile since Ist saw my teacher," Anfey said. "I need to finish what I started. Frankly, it is unsettling to think that I¡¯m finally returning. You should know that the only reason I fled that city was because I angered the wrong man."


    "Don¡¯t worry, my lord. If His Majesty gave you this city, it means that His Majesty is on your side. Philip will not do anything," Aroben said.


    "Not publicly," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Who knows what he will do in secret." Anfey doubted Philip would listening to Ynthe¡¯s orders.


    "You may be right," Aroben said. "Maybe you should wait for Lord Saul to return to the city. To ensure your safety."


    "I think Aroben is right," Urter said. "Maybe staying for a few more days is a better n."


    "No, I have some things I need to take care of," Anfey said. He did not forget about the map Suzanna carried with her. The only things he took were some weapons and some treasures. There was still arge sum of money left, and now was the time to use it.


    Aroben and Urter did not press for more answers. The three of them talked for a few more minutes, and Anfey stood to leave. Aroben tapped on his leg and said, "I apologize for not being able to see you out, my lord."


    "Don¡¯t worry about it," Anfey said with a grin.


    Urter closed the door carefully as he stepped out of the room behind Anfey. Inside, Aroben¡¯s expression suddenly changed. His eyes snapped shut, and his back bent over in pain. His family was ughtered and he was crippled. It was hard to suffer through such traumatizing events. He chose to stay in Violet City and not to end his miserable life because Aroben wanted revenge. It was impossible to kill the emperor of Shansa Empire, but he didn¡¯t care. All he wanted to do, and needed to do, was hunt down the general that allowed the killings to take ce. He would never forget that general¡¯s name. Urter helped him when he was at his lowest, and he was very grateful. For his, and Urter¡¯s future, he had tried his best to hide his pain today and tried to advise Anfey. His goal was to let Anfey know that he was important and should not be ignored. Now that Anfey was gone, he could not keep the facade up any longer.


    "Urter," Anfey asked quietly. "Is Aroben always like this?"


    "No," Urter said hesitantly. "He had always been bad, but he¡¯s especially bad today. I do not know why."


    "Because he was too traumatized," Anfey said with a sigh. He had initially wanted Aroben to remain the city lord, but gave up on that idea when he realized that Aroben was too keen on killing the Marquis and have Anfey take over. Anfey did not know what Aroben would do after those things were done, but he knew that a city lord must remain calm and patient.


    "Sometimes I wish Lord Aroben had died in the invasion," Urter said with a sigh, "so he wouldn¡¯t suffer like this."


    "You are too much of a pessimist," Anfey said, shaking his head. "How¡¯s his appetite?"


    "He eats, but I can tell he is forcing the food down."


    Anfey nodded. He already had a vague idea what Aroben wanted. "What does he talk about the most?"


    "Vengeance."


    "Alright," Anfey said, nodding. "We will respect his wishes."

 Chapter 221: On Which Side?

    Chapter 221: On Which Side?


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Violet City was less prosperous after the war. It used to be a busymercial city, so it still had a business city feel to it. Anfey and Suzanna walked side by side on the street and checked out the stores.


    Shopping with Suzanna was not tiring. She did not have strong desire to buy things. Even if she saw something interesting, she would just look at it and continue walking. If it had been Niya walking for so long with Anfey, she would have carried a lot of shopping bags with her and walk very slowly with those bags.


    Anfey looked up at the sun to tell the time. He now had better understanding how big Violet City was. He had walked around the city with purpose and ns. He only walked half of the city so far in a half day. He wanted to see more but he needed to leave tomorrow.


    "Master?" A surprised and excited call arose.


    Anfey turned around to look. He asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"


    "My family lives here." A smiling girl walked over. "Master, Suzanna, why are you guys here?"


    "Doris, don¡¯t you know?" Suzanna asked.


    "What don¡¯t I know about?" Doris asked.


    "This city is his estate now." Suzanna nced at Anfey. "Where could we go if we did note here?"


    "Oh, my god." Doris stared, her eyes wide. "I only heard he became an earl of the empire. No one told me about his estate."


    "Everybody in the city knew Anfey hade. Didn¡¯t your parents know about it? Didn¡¯t they tell you?" Suzanna asked.


    "Don¡¯t¡¯ even mention them," Doris said bitterly. "I was so worried about them. That is why I rushed back to check on them. I already got into a fight with them after just talking to them for a little bit."


    "What did you argue about?" Suzanna asked.


    "Nothing." Doris did not want to talk about her family issues. She turned to look at Anfey. "Master, Congrattions. I did not know I would be your citizen so soon."


    "Call me by my name, okay, just as you did in the academy. " Anfey could not help shaking his head.


    "Call you by your name? I do not dare." Doris smiled.


    "It is not important whether you dare to call by name or not. You just made me so ufortable when you called me master," Anfey said.


    "There will be many people calling you master in the future. You need to get used to it. How about I help you out? I am going to call you master right now." Doris joked about it, but she looked perplexed. Life was just so unexpected. The time she and Anfey chatted andughed at the academy seemed like just yesterday. Time had past so fast. Anfey had developed with amazing speed. He now had be a big wig in the empire, while she was still no different than she had been. In fact, the title of "earl" was nothing fancy. There were a lot of earls in the empire. Some of them were even poor. Possessing the ownership of a city meant Anfey had a lot of real power. Power was way better than titles. There was a big difference between possessing a title and power.


    "If you really want to help me, you gotta listen to me," Anfey said. His eyes were innocent and warm. Maybe only when a person had endured a lot of lonely moments could he appreciate more the bonds between people. No matter how far Anfey travelled, how high a position he attained, he would never forget a nice girl who helped pick out the right magic book for him in that library. It was not a big deal for Doris, but Anfey felt Doris had helped him a lot.


    "Stop! We are old friends. Calling him master just makes us feel weird," Suzanna said.


    Doris got caught by Anfey when she looked at him. She immediately looked away. "Ok, ok, my bad, ok? How about me taking you guys out for dinner to make it up to you. Suzanna, what do you want to have? Tell me, don¡¯t try to save me money."


    "Where should we go?" Suzanna thought about it and said, "How about Garden Hotel? Urter said their chef is the best."


    "I cannot afford Garden Hotel." Doris could not help sticking her tongue out.


    "Hmm, it does not look like you really want to make up for it, does it?" Suzanna said.


    "I am not like you, having a good man to rely on. I have to join a mercenary group to make money, otherwise I would be starving," Doris said.


    "What are you talking about?" Suzanna blushed and posed to hit Doris. Doris ran to the other side of Anfey with naughty smiles.


    "Doris, if you still want to be a mercenary, why don¡¯t you join my mercenary group?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "Sure." Doris nodded without any hesitation. Doris¡¯s strength was that she was not pretentious. Her sincerity had caused her to fall into a wolfman¡¯s traps. If Doris had pretentiously turned Anfey¡¯s suggestion down, it would only make Anfey and Suzanna feel even more awkward about their rtionship with Doris than calling Anfey master.


    Anfey smiled. "Doris, did you tell Christian you left?"


    "If I had told him I was leaving, he would not have let me go. He said he would have someone to escort me after we reached to ckania City, but I could not wait that long. I ran away from him."


    "You got yourself in danger by being alone and you still have not learned from it. You cannot run around by yourself," Anfey said.


    Doris looked a little weird after Anfey gave her a lesson. She murmured after being quiet for a while, "I just became one of your people and you have already scolded me."


    "What do you mean by bing one of my people?" Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or cry.


    Suzanna could not keep fromughing on the side. This time it was Doris¡¯s turn to blush. "I mean to join your mercenary group. What are youughing about? I hate you."


    "I cannotugh? Mind your own business." Suzannaughed even harder.


    "I have never seen a couple like you." Doris looked upset.


    The smile froze on Anfey¡¯s face. He saw a few patrolmen rushing towards the street ahead of them. "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "Let¡¯s go over there and check it out." Suzanna saw those patrolmen too.


    "Let¡¯s go," Anfey said.


    "Should Ie too?" Doris asked.


    "Don¡¯te with us, just in case something happens. Hide somewhere so you can help us when we need it," Anfey said.


    "Got it," Doris said.


    Anfey and Suzanna walked fast to the street. They looked to the north, but there did not seem to be anything happening there. They could even see the city gate in the distance. The patrols were still running forward. They looked like they were running to the gate. Anfey heard more people running behind him. He saw a few more patrolmen running over. Anfey recognized the patrol running in the front. It was Iliverny.


    "What happened up there?" Anfey asked worriedly. Violet City was his ce. No matter what happened, Anfey felt it was his business. Anfey could not help but get worried.


    "Master!" Iliverny looked happy to see him. "I finally found you. The mayor is going crazy looking for you."


    "What exactly happened?" Anfey asked.


    "Master. There are troopsing to our city. They came from ckania City." Iliverny stopped next to Anfey. He turned around and yelled at the other officers: "You guys go back to tell the mayor we have found Anfey."


    "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    Those patrolmen turned around and ran. Iliverny turned around and smiled bitterly. What could they do? They had to run with two legs when their boss gave an order with two lips.


    "Master, should we go out to wee them?" Iliverny asked.


    "What did Urter say?" Anfey asked.


    "I do not know. The mayor did not tell us," Iliverny said.


    "Maybe we can wait here for a little bit." Anfey scanned around. Many civilians noticed something unusual as well. They gathered in front of their houses to watch. Doris hid one the corner of the street in a distance. She looked nervous. In fact, Anfey did not expect Doris to help if anything happened. He asked Doris to stay behind because he did not want her to get hurt. If there were something Suzanna could not handle, Doris definitely would not help either.


    After waiting for a while, three horses ran over in a fast speed. They were Urter, ck Eleven and Apa. When they rushed close to Anfey, Urter jumped off the horse and waved the patrols nearby to move to the side. He walked up to Anfey and whispered, "Master, the troops from ckania came this way, but we were not notified."


    "I already knew about," Anfey said.


    "I think the stuff I sent them has caught their attention, so they sent people to check it. Huh, I wanted to ask Aroben first, but he did not get to sleep until this morning. While this was going on, he was knocked out and could not wake up," Iliverney said.


    "Nothing big. We do not have to bother him." Anfey smiled. "Urter, what do you mean? Having a wee ceremony for them?"


    "Master, even if it is superficial, we still have to do it in case they picked on us for that." Urter thought a little bit and said, "But we do not know who areing so it would be hard to n ahead. Master, if you go out to wee them while the person sent by ckir City was not someone important, you would be a joke."


    "Then let me be a joke," Anfey said in a low voice. "Let¡¯s go out to see."


    "Yes." Urter turned around to look for a little while and frowned. "It¡¯s weird."


    "Why?" Anfey said.


    "After I knew troops from ckania hade, I sent people to see how Marqius Djoser would respond. If Marquis Djoser was prepared, it meant this must have something to do with him. If Marquis Djoser did not know anything about it, then we have the advantage. It has been a long time, and they should be back to report to me."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Apa suddenly responded. "They should be fine." Apa seemed to be always confident. That was because he had the supreme ruler of Maho Empire behind him. He also had a secret order from Ynthe. If he showed his real identity, even the military general could not ignore his opinions.

 Chapter 222: Bullied

    Chapter 222: Bullied


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey stood on the outskirts of the city and watched the army approaching. The closer the army got, the more intimidating it was. It was a cavalry unit, and the riders all had the same armor and weapons. Even their horses appeared simr. The only man in different armor was the one in front, his silver gear a stark contrast with the ck riders behind him.


    An army was not a ce to show off. Everyone knew that the fastest way to victory was to take down the head of the army. A leader would make himself a moving target if he dressed in such an eye-catching way. This man was either a fool or was powerful enough to know that no one would try to target him.


    Anfey watched the army carefully. The general wore a silver mask and held a cknce in his hand. It was the only thing on him that was not silver. The stallion he rode, d in silver chainmail, was taller than the other horses and wearing a mask like its rider. Its legs were thick and strong, but its steps were almost as light as the other ones.


    Anfey nced at Urter, and thetter walked up, ready to greet the riders. The leader raised his hand, and the entire army halted. Thence in his hand pointed steadily at Anfey.


    Anfey felt his body grow heavy, as if under great pressure. Next to him, Suzanna frowned. She handed the basket to ck Eleven and stepped forward, cing herself between Anfey and the rider, her hand gripping her sword.


    They were originally intending to wee the new arrivals, and it was inappropriate for her to act so hostile. She knew she did not have any other choice, however, because she could feel how powerful the rider was, even though he was still a hundred feet away. Except for her mentor, Suzanna had never met someone this powerful.


    After a few moments of silence, the rider suddenly began charging towards the group. Blindingbat power obscured the man and his horse¡¯s shape. Anfey summoned his bow quickly. He did not know what the man wanted to do or why, but there was no time to lose.


    As the rider grew closer, Anfey suddenly saw a familiar face, grinning at him. He stopped his movements, and shook his head with a smile. Suzanna, however, did not notice. She was too focused on the rider, and did not notice anything else.


    The rider was one man, but the way he charged felt like a thousand men. Suzanna felt as if the air around her had frozen and felt a strange fear awaken within her.


    The crowd dispersed in fear, and Urter frowned. He turned to look at Anfey, who simply shook his head, then sighed and stared at the rider.


    "Stop it!" Apa called. This sudden change in things caught him off guard. He only wanted to prevent the conflict. ck Eleven handed the basket to Iliverny and pulled out his sword, ready to join the fight. The rider had left all of his soldiers behind, so clearly he wanted to fight them himself. ck Eleven, however, did not n to let Suzanna fight him by herself. The man was too powerful, and the only way they could possibly win was to attack him together.


    Suzanna was even faster than he was. Before ck Eleven could do anything, she was already dashing towards the rider, her body enveloped in brightbat power. Suzanna knew that her opponent was much more powerful than she was, and she couldn¡¯t take a blow from the rider if she was standing still.


    Anfey wasn¡¯t able to grab Suzanna before she dashed out, but he was able to stop ck Eleven. He wanted to call out to Suzanna, but he was toote, and Suzanna shed with the rider.


    Suzanna¡¯s body was thrown back at the impact, and she fell to the ground with a thud. The tip of thence was buried in the ground, and the shaft was bent. Clearly, thence was well made, and the rider himself was powerful beyond imagination. His horse whinnied loudly.


    "Suzanna," Anfey called. "Are you alright?" He moved to help her up.


    "I¡¯ll be fine," Suzanna said, standing up slowly. "He wasn¡¯t using his full power." Suzanna felt that the man was much more powerful than she was, and thought that she was as good as dead. Even though she was thrown back, she was not seriously injured.


    The rider backed away a few steps and jumped off of his horse. He pulled hisnce out of the ground and walked towards Anfey. He took off his mask and grinned widely.


    "General Miorich!" Anfey called happily. He grabbed Suzanna and walked over to greet the man.


    Miorich lifted a brow.


    "Miorich," Anfey said quickly.


    Miorich smiled and nodded. He turned and looked at Suzanna, his eyes full of admiration.


    Apa felt awkward, standing there holding his order and his relic. He had not thought about the possibility of Anfey knowing the rider. He returned the order and the relic to his pocket, d no one had noticed.


    The crowd was silent, staring at Miorich. They all heard Anfey. Miorich was one of the most powerful men in the entire empire. He yed one of the most important roles in the recent war. Along with Saul, Baery, and Philip, he was one of the four most important men in the empire. His name was no stranger to anyone.


    "What did I say? Suzanna is good!" Two carriages appeared behind Miorich, and Niya and Christian appeared.


    Niya hurried over, took Suzanna¡¯s hand into hers, and said, "Suzanna, you aren¡¯t hurt, are you?"


    "I¡¯ll be fine," Suzanna said, ncing at Miorich. Even though it was not clear who had won, she knew she was the loser. This was the first time she had lost to a stranger in a fair fight, and it felt strange.


    "I told you Suzanna was good, but you didn¡¯t believe me," Niya said, pointing at Miorich. "This was all his idea." She had wanted to talk to Anfey, but changed the topic when she realized he looked slightly angry.


    Miorich frowned. He had never seen Niya exin anything to anyone before.


    Urter nced at Anfey and frowned. He did not know who this new girl was, but she must be important if she could be so casual when she talked with Miorich.


    "Why are you guys here?" Anfey asked.


    "We heard you got bullied and we came to help you," Niya announced.


    Niya¡¯s voice was very loud, and everyone in the crowd looked at each other. Anfey killed the Marquis¡¯s son, and everyone knew about it. Who would bully him? Did the Marquis begin his revenge already?


    "My lord," Urter said, walking over. The patrolmen behind him began waving their flowers. Miorich¡¯s arrival came as a surprise, and there was no time or resources to prepare a wee ceremony.


    "I¡¯m just here to check up on Anfey," Miorich said. "This isn¡¯t necessary."


    "Yes, my lord," Urter said. He gestured his men to stop waving the flowers. Iliverny walked over and handed Suzanna the basket. Before she could take it, Niya jumped over and took it from him.


    "It is you!" she chirped as she lifted the fabric. "I missed you, little guy," she said, holding out her hand.


    The unicorn looked at her, but did not move.


    "This is the unicorn?" Miorich asked. Dragon riders were already things of legend, and a unicorn was the next best thing. If a rider could tame a unicorn, then the rider¡¯s strength would increase by tenfold.


    "Don¡¯t you even think about it," Niya said before Anfey could say anything. She hugged the unicorn and stared at Miorich, as if she was afraid he would try to take it from her.


    Miorich smiled and shook his head. He waved his arm, and his men began marching forward.

 Chapter 223: Questions That Interested Them

    Chapter 223: Questions That Interested Them


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Urter and his patrol crew directed the crowd to move to the side. Miorich led his people into Violet City. His bodyguard squad¡¯s fighting ability was unknown, but they looked very powerful. They attracted many people who came out to the street to see them.


    Urter in the back already had a headache. None of them thought Miorich woulde to Violet City, so they were not prepared. The house of previous citymaster was burnt down, and city hall was half destroyed, so they could not take the guests there. Anfey¡¯s house was still under construction; the police department was too worn; his house was not in good condition. Urter could not think of an appropriate ce for Miorich to stay.


    Iliverny reminded Urter of the garrison residence. As the highest ranking official of the local military garrison in Violet City, Master Sam had secretly left after he got the news that Shansa Empire was about to invade Violet City. He even took the time to take more than half of his wealth with him. The garrison residence was tall, big and clean, so it had became themand post of Shansa Empire. Compared with other government buildings, it was damaged the least.


    Urter immediately asked Iliverny to take some patrols to the garrison residency through the back roads to tidy it up first. He also sent over a dozen patrolmen to go to the garrison residence to clear the traffic and lead the way for the guests. He also ordered two patrols to go to the Garden Hotel and few otherrger-scale hotels and restaurants to recruit chefs, waitresses and maids in Anfey¡¯s name. These chefs, waitresses and maids needed to go to the garrison residence as fast as they could. He also sent a few people to book all the rooms from the fewrge hotels in the city. They also needed to clear the hotels and make new arrangements for hotel guests to other hotels. Of course, Anfey was responsible for all the costs. Last but not least, he sent people to buy liquor, meat, fruits and vegetables, tes, bowls, kitchen utensils, seasonings and other stuff. The soldiers took Urter¡¯s order and started to run to get so many things done in time. As they were already half a street away, Urter sent people to call them back and added six hundred nkets and two hundred tents to the list. This was his n B. If the bodyguard squad of Miorich did not want to go to other ces and insisted on staying in the garrison residence, nkets and tents would be handy. He could not buy them a minute before they needed them.


    Violet City had been economically dested after the war. This purchase was the biggest business for the business owners in the service industry.


    Urter gave many different orders, while Anfey just stood by and watched Urter give out orders. He had to admit that the saying, "different professions specialize in different areas" was right. If Anfey gave orders as the citymaster, he would have forgotten many things. Maybe he would not know to shop for food until soldiers were hungry. Maybe he would not remember that there was no military inventory in Violet City until those bodyguard squads needed to sleep. It would not kill Anfey if he messed a few things up, but it would make everyone doubt Anfey¡¯s ability.


    A patrolman walked two horses out. Anfey jumped on one of them and gave an eye to Christian to signal him toe over and he had something to tell him. Niya in the back yelled, "There are still twodies here. You are so rude."


    Suzanna nudged Niya with a smile. She held her hand out to try to help her get on the horse. Niya shook her head. "I can do it. I am just not happy that he never thinks of girls first." When they were on the run, Anfey was the leader and Niya had to listen to him. She could not show her attitude, even she was mad at Anfey. Now she was back to her hometown. She felt she had people she could fall back on. Therefore, she dared to talk to Anfey that way.


    Anfey smiled bitterly. He turned to Christian and asked, "Where are they? Are they waiting for us at ckania City now?"


    "They came too," Christian answered.


    "Did they alle?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course, we will be your cheerleaders," Niya said proudly.


    "It must be your idea, right?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, right," Niya said.


    Anfey shrugged. Anfey actually felt relieved to see Niya act the way she did. Niya had been in low spirits when she was on the run. Anfey worried people would think he did not treat her well if her acquaintances saw her. Niya immediately acted the way she was before once they entered Maho Empire. It was actually really nice.


    In order to buy Anfey some more time, and also to showcase Anfey, a dozen patrolmen in the front leading the way had walked around the whole city with the instruction of Urter. When the guests entered the garrison residence, those patrolmen were exhausted. They had run around crazily. They had to clear up anything on the street, keep civilians off the streets, run to the front to remind civilians about safety. Others may only walk onep around the city, but they had run around for a few rounds.


    The Garrison residence used to be quiet, but it became hustle and bustle today. People were running around to take trash out, clean rooms, move liquor barrels in, organize the tables and chairs, talking here and there in small groups. While they saw the patrols who lead the way had already entered garrison residence, they suddenly became quiet. People were busy running around retreated to the back of the garrison residence.


    There was one thing Urter missed. He asked those patrolmen to negotiate the prices with retail sellers on their own, and set the sries for the chefs, waitresses, and maids. He did set a bottom line for the patrols to follow. If the retail sellers were across the bottom line, they could force those sellers to obey. Unexpectedly, the patrols did not run into any trouble. Even when they gave a very low price to start their bargaining, those sellers agreed with the prices right away.


    The saying, "there must be benefits to waking up early" was right. Businesspeople were driven by profits. However, people could forget about making profits for a short time as the social environment or personal experiences changed. People in Violet City were still experiencing the aftermath of war. Those businesspeople definitely felt the pain without protection in the war. No one respected their ownership of personal property. On top of having meals without paying, even when they had their doors closed, those Shansa Empire soldiers still could break down the door to take anything they wanted. If they were caught by the supervisors on watch, all they got was being scolded. Anything taken from them were never returned. Sometimes, their supervisors lead those soldiers to rob them.


    Even though they had heard of Anfey¡¯s achievements and victories, personally, Anfey was still a far reach for them. They did know about General Miorich. If Miorich did note to ckania City with his bodyguard squad, ckania City could have fallen. The problem of ckania City was solved by General Miorich. If this had not happened, Shansa Empire would have had no problem with military supplies, which would have ensured they could attack more cities from different directions. If this was the case, their dream of going back to the empire would be hopeless.


    Because of General Miorich, their long suffering was reced with some short-term losses. The Shansa Empire military was defeated and retreated out of ckania City. When they heard those patrols were buying stuff for General Miorich, those greedy businesspeople forgot about their profits for the moment and agreed on the lowest prices without any hesitation. Some of them even volunteered their maids to help.


    Miorich made some hand gestures, and then about twenty of the knights followed him in. The rest of the knights stayed outside. As Miorich slowly walked to the living room, Niya walked in the front, followed by Anfey and his crew.


    The tables and chairs in the living room had been cleaned. There was a chair at the center with over ten long tables put together on both sides. A few girls dressed in maid uniforms were setting the tables. Miorich suddenly frowned and turned around to scan the room. Urter hurried over and said, "General, is there anything wrong?"


    "Find me a quiet ce. I need to talk to them first," Miorich said.


    "Sure, sure, please follow me." Urter walked to the side door.


    Anfey was looking at the living room as Niya pushed hard on his back. Niyaughed and said loudly, "Uncle Miorich has many questions for you. Don¡¯t you want to run away? Hurry up."


    Anfey stumbled. He should not make a fool of himself with his martial art skills, but he was helpless when he dealt with Niya. Miorich was here, Anfey dared not to use any strategies to ask Niya to behave.


    Niya was the only one who dared to talk aloud and joke around in front of Miorich. Anfey believed that he would make fewer mistakes if he talked less. Suzanna had been quiet in front of the strangers. Others were even quieter, without a doubt. Niya just seemed normal to Miorich. Niya would act the same way no matter whether she was in front of Miorich or Ynthe.


    Ynthe and Saul had the rtionship as king and follower in public, but they were more like friends outside of public eyes. Ynthe did not have a daughter and treated Niya as his own daughter. In addition, his third oldest son received an estate outside the capital, the oldest prince and second oldest prince of Maho Empire had treated Niya as their little sister. In other words, Niya was spoiled.


    Miorich turned around with a smile and nced at Anfey. He followed after Urter and walked straight ahead. Anfey walked behind them and felt a little nervous. He pulled Niya¡¯s sleeves and asked in a low voice, "What questions will Miorich ask me?"


    "The questions I have always wanted to ask." Niya leaned her head back and smiled.


    "Me too," ck Eleven said.


    "Do you know what Miorich will ask me?" Anfey could not help turning his eyes to ck Eleven. ck Eleven had been with Anfey for a quite period of time. When Miorich started the fight with Anfey, ck Eleven fought with him. A person who had been kept away from secrets would have no idea what questions Miorich would ask.


    "Those few normal questions," ck Eleven smiled. "Where is your family? Where did you learn martial art skills from?"


    "I want to know the answers to those questions as well," Suzanna said, smiling.


    "These questions are nothing special. Why didn¡¯t you guys ask me before?" Anfey said.


    "You always act like...who would dare to ask you?" Niya suddenly realized that it was not too decent to say she did not dare. She immediately rephrased herment: "I did not want to know before, but I want to know now. Is that ok?"

 Chapter 224: Subordinate

    Chapter 224: Subordinate


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The group sat down in the study around a round table. This was requested by Miorich. He was an easygoing man, even though his soldiers may not have thought so. If he was sitting and Anfey was standing, it might have seemed like he was interrogating Anfey. He didn¡¯t want to antagonize anyone. The story of the attack on the Griffin Aerial Squadron was borderline legendary now, with more than fifty different versions circting. Miorich was a general on the eastern front, and all the information that reached him was the truth. Among the information were some rumors about Anfey as a person. He wanted to evaluate those rumors.


    Miorich smiled and tapped lightly on the table. He was trying to find a topic to start a natural and appropriate conversation. Just then, Urter knocked on the door. He walked into the room, and looked troubled.


    "What is it?"


    "There is someone who wants to see you, sir."


    "Tell him I¡¯m busy," Miorich said. He was a general, and could not meet everyone that wanted to meet him. After the war, there were a lot of people who tried to meet with him, and Miorich did not agree to see any of them.


    "But he..." Before Urter could finish, the door was pushed open again. A man in his fifties and wearing ck armor walked into the room. Behind him were two other men wearing armor. All three suits of armor were identical, and the three men seemed to be friendly. It appeared that the two soldiers were escorting the first man.


    "General!" the first man called.


    "Sneferu?" Miorich said, shocked. "What are you doing here? Didn¡¯t you say you were going home?"


    "Do you not want to see me, general?" Sneferu asked with a smile.


    "Never," Miorich said with a smile. "What is it? Do you want toe back and work for me?"


    "No, I can¡¯t do that, general. I¡¯m too old now. I should make way for the youngsters," Sneferu said, still smiling.


    "Bring another chair over," Miorich ordered one of his men. "Why didn¡¯t you go home?" he asked.


    "The only thing I can do if I go back is farm," Sneferu said with a shrug. "Farm for the rest of my life, then waiting for my death in a small room. I don¡¯t want that life." Sneferu leaned against the chair, but did not sit down. "I came here to visit an old friend and we were nning on going to the Country of Mercenaries together. But the Marquis had been very weing and he offered a position in his household. I didn¡¯t want to be a farmer anyway, so I epted his offer."


    "So, right now you¡¯re here because..." Miorich was frowning now.


    "The Marquis had already set up a feast," Sneferu said. "He invited you, general. I¡¯ve already talked to the men, and they are all excited for a feast."


    Miorich pped the table. The wood breaking under his fingers sent splinters flying across the room. Anfey had a fast reflex, but it didn¡¯t matter. Everyone in the room, including Suzanna, Niya, and Christian, were covered in broken bits of wood. Anfey winced: where the splinters hit him stung. He nced around and saw that Niya was frowning, clearly in pain.


    Miorich stood up, towering over everyone else in the room. The atmosphere in the room was very heavy, and it was as if the temperature had dropped. Niya was only observing, and even she felt immense pressure. Sneferu was sitting on the ground and shaking, unable to speak a word.


    Miorich was an outgoing and cheerful man, but everyone had secrets. Ynthe was willing to let Miorich defend the eastern front, meaning that he trusted Miorich enough.


    "His Majesty had once said that everyone changes, and I have to admit he is not wrong," Miorich said. "But don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve changed too fast? What do you take me for? A stepping stone to wealth and glory?"


    "What?" Sneferu asked, his voice shaking.


    "Get out," Miorich turned and ordered the two soldiers that apanied Sneferu. Miorich was able to be the highestmander of the pce guards at twenty-six for a reason. He knew that sending the soldiers out would create rumors. Sneferu could not match him in reputation, and he knew that the soldiers were more likely to believe him. There would be rumors circting among his men before the day was over.


    The soldiers left the room quickly. Miorich walked over to Sneferu and crouched down in front of him. He saw there was confusion and fear in the man¡¯s eyes. After a few minutes, Miorich sighed. "Do you know why I wanted you go home and be a farmer?" he asked quietly. He now knew that Sneferu did not know what he was doing, and did not know what the Marquis was nning when he made the offer.


    "Yes. You want me to live a peaceful life, general," Sneferu said.


    "That¡¯s not the entire truth," Miorich said, shaking his head. "You are a good soldier and a goodmander, but you have a lot of problems. You are too trusting and you tend to see the good in people. You know how to fight, your scars can make the new recruits speechless. Fighting is your strong suit, but politics is not." Miorich paused for a few moments before continuing, "That is why I wanted to you go home and be a farmer. If you did, even if someone tried to fool you, it won¡¯t be some terrible betrayal that could cost you your life."


    "My life is not that bad right now, general," Sneferu said slowly. "The Marquis respects me." Miorich had tried to make things very clear, but Sneferu did not have the mind for riddles. He was more of a follower when he was in the army, and did not think about his orders much.


    Once, Ynthe sent Miorich to the northern border to harden him. That was when he encountered Sneferu and recruited him.


    Miorich had always ced Sneferu in charge of simply things, because he knew what kind of man Sneferu was. Sneferu had never experienced any stumbles in his life because of Miorich¡¯s protection. If Miorich had let Sneferu experience more hardship, he would not be as naive in politics as he was.


    "Sneferu, listen to me. Leave the Marquis, go home. This is myst warning."


    "General, I have already pledged myself to the Marquis," Sneferu said, shaking his head. "I cannot abandon my post. You taught me this, don¡¯t you remember?"


    "Then we are done here. Sneferu, you should go now."


    "Are you really not going to the feast, general?"


    Miorich shook and his head and turned away.


    Sneferu sighed and stood up. He nced at Miorich and shook his head, then turned and left the study.


    "Anfey," Miorich said, "I have a request."


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "You are about to be the new city lord," Miorich said hesitantly. "Sneferu was in my army, and I know he is a good man. I¡¯m hoping that you won¡¯t hurt him."


    "I will try the best I can," Anfey said. He did not know what the Marquis did to recruit Miorich¡¯s man, and he did not know what he would do with Sneferu. If it really came down to it, Anfey knew he would not hesitate.

 Chapter 225: Shocking Past

    Chapter 225: Shocking Past


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Ok, let¡¯s get back to the topic." Miorich¡¯s eyes looked sophisticated, like the dark sky that had so many secrets to itself. "Anfey, where did you learn the martial arts skills?"


    Niya and the other three people all looked at Anfey after Miorich¡¯s question. They were as interested in those questions as Miorich. Miorich¡¯s questioning was simple and direct. In fact, it would work the best in many cases, for example now. Miorich closely watched Anfey¡¯s facial expressions to try to catch any change on his face.


    Anfey looked hesitant. He knew criminal psychology well. He had studied it to counter questioning from the police and to understand his opponents and his peers. If he told them the answer right away, it would actually cause them to doubt whether he was telling the truth. It was better for Anfey to look hesitant. It would sound more convincing after being asked a couple times. If he could find some evidence to support what he said, it would be even better.


    "Tell us," Niya urged. "Anfey, why are you hesitating? You are not thinking of lying to us, are you?"


    "I, I can not..." Anfey smiled bitterly.


    "Actually, it is not a secret anymore," Miorich said. "Master Saul has learned a lot about you from Ernest. Anfey, please don¡¯t think Ernest was doing anything to hurt you. He had to speak up for you and exin what happened, since Master Saul was super angry with you."


    "So...you all know about it?" Anfey was actually quite happy about it inside. It sounded a lot better and more convincing if Ernest told them about it instead of himself.


    "Yes, you learned the martial arts from an anonymous old man. The name of your vige head is Ben Ladeng, but you could remember the name of your vige. Am I right?" Miorich asked.


    "Yes, I was too young when I was taken away by Yagor. I barely remember anything. All the memories seem blurry to me. It will be great if I could see the vige again," Anfey said.


    "Our king has ordered the whole empire to look for your vige head called Bin Laden. Unfortunately, we have not found him yet. The areas he could be should not be toorge since the ind Yagor hid himself on should not be too far from it. Bin Laden should not live beyond the territory of Tumen Commercial Union and Maho Empire. Yagor would not go beyond those territories to look for young kids to do experiments. Is my analysis right?" Miorich asked.


    Anfey thought to himself, "It would be a miracle if you could find a vige head called Ben Ladeng. People in my world have searched for him with hundreds of satellites, day and night, but still could not find him. The scale of your search was nothing." Anfey looked like he was deep in thought. He slowly nodded, "It should be like that."


    "Anfey, do you remember how long it took for you to get back to that isted ind after Yagor caught you? Did Yagor used levitation magic to travel? Did you take any wagons?" Miorich was trying to figure out the time and speed they travelled. He could use the time and mode of transportation to do a rough calction estimate where Bin Laden could be.


    "I remember I was flying at the beginning, and then I was in the wagonter. There were a few other kids with me. After about two or three days, we reached the ind," Anfey said.


    "Are you sure you are not remembering it wrong?" Miorich asked.


    "I was really scared, so I remember it clearly," Anfey said.


    "Is Yagor that lonely and weird archmage? Anfey, what did he do to you after he caught you?" Niya asked in curiosity.


    "An experiment," Anfey said with a bitter smile.


    "What kind of experiment?" Niya asked.


    "Yagor started to study dark magic to break through the bottleneck. Anfey and many other innocent kids all became hisb subjects," Miorich answered Niya.


    "Oh my god, he is so devious," Niya gasped. She felt bad for Anfey and looked to him with great kindness. "Anfey, poor guy."


    Suzanna felt worse than Niya. She wanted to hold Anfey¡¯s hand to give him some courage when she saw Anfey was sad recalling his old memories. However, the round table in the center was ruined by Miorich. Without anything to cover Suzanna, she felt awkward and dared not to make any intimate movement towards Anfey.


    "Our king has sent people to search every inch of that isted ind to seek any valuable information. We only found a few items and many magic crystals and magic tools buried underground." Miorich looked up to watch Anfey.


    "I buried them." Anfey felt he was in trouble. As he got better with magic, he slowly came to understand the value of the stuff Yagor left after his death. The reason he led Suzanna away from the group was to get the coins in the magic beast forest and retrieve Yagor¡¯s estate. No one would think Yagor¡¯s estate would belong to Ynthe now.


    That ind was quiterge. He had hid Yagor¡¯s belongings pretty well. It meant that Ynthe had sent a lot of people and searched for a long time. This also showed what a powerful country could do. Anfey felt bad losing Yagor¡¯s estate, but he could not show it on his face. He had to fake a normal face.


    "Why did you bury them?" Miorich asked.


    "I was left alone and scared on that isted ind. I learned a lot from the other kids and Yagor. If I had to make a conclusion, I would say people are harsh," Anfey sighed. "Yagor is an archmage. His estate would definitely attract many people, so I tried to wipe out any trace that Yagor left. This way even when someone found the ind, he would only see me. I am just a regr person so he would not have interest in me," Anfey said.


    "People are harsh?" Christian said in a low voice. "Anfey, weren¡¯t you just a little kid?"


    "Kids would change as their environments change. They could grow mature fast," Anfey said slowly. "Christian, you would not understand the fear those kids had to face. Every time Yagor decided to do an experiment, he would take one kid from us. That kid never came back, and then there was a new anonymous tomb on the ind. As time went by, we all got to know what Yagor¡¯s magic experiments meant. We tried to please Yagor to live longer. We even learned to set up other kids to make Yagor get angry at them so Yagor would take them for the experiment. We would be living longer this way," Anfey said.


    "When we were sick, we could not let anyone know about it, otherwise Yagor would definitely take you away because he did not want you to get other kids sick. We could not eat too much either even when we were hungry. We could only have a few bites to stop the hunger. Yagor did not want others to know where he resided. Food was a big problem. He hated to go out to do grocery shopping, and hated any kid who ate a lot. He picked the kids who ate more first. We had to do a lot of chores. We had to find some chores to do if we finished our own assignments. Yagor would think the kids useful if they could do chores. Unless there were only a few kids left, he would not think of using the kids who liked to do chores as the experimental subjects." Anfey¡¯s smiles added more sadness at the right time. "We did these things to please Yagor. We also had to be alert about being set up by other kids. To survive, kids organized themselves into groups in different sizes to help each other. Of course, it was to counter other groups as well. They would cheer if the kids from other groups were taken away by Yagor. They also would feel sad and desperate when kids from the same group were taken away."


    When they heard what Anfey said, they all looked serious. The living conditions Anfey had described were hell, without doubt. What Anfey told them was true. It all came from the memory of the previous owner of this body.


    "They learned to disclose others¡¯ weaknesses in a secret way. They mastered the skills to tell when Yagor was happy and sad. They got used to provoking others on purpose and putting on a show as victims in front of Yagor. All of these were to help them live a few days longer and send other kids to be the experimental subjects before themselves," Anfey said slowly. "Christian, it is not too much to describe it as harsh, is it?"


    Miorich and others in the living room were all shocked to hear what kind of life Anfey had. They could imagine the desperate and sad group of little kids trying to survive under the threat of death. Suzanna and Niya had tears in their eyes. In their experience, Anfey was a sophisticated man, but they did not think Anfey grew up in such a hell. The fear he had could have made anyone crazy, but Anfey had survived.


    Suzanna¡¯s face has changed the most. She thought her experiences were too much. She had experienced many more dangers for her age than others. However,pared with Anfey, she definitely lived in a heaven.


    "Were you thest survivor?" Miorich asked quietly.


    "Yes. I would not have survived if Yagor had not made mistakes in the experiment," Anfey said.


    Miorich sighed. He was indeed touched by Anfey¡¯s story, but he also thought deeper than Christian and others. There were 617 bodies of kids found on the ind. What did it mean? It meant Anfey beat all of them and hung on there to thest. It also meant Anfey was the smartest, toughest, and the most observant and flexible, since those 617 dead bodies were the proof.


    If adding anotherment about Anfey, it would be that Anfey was terrifying. Who would know how many of those kids died because of Anfey? Of course, Miorich did not want to continue on that issue. It had be past. What Anfey did was not totally unreasonable. He lived in conditions where either Anfey died or someone else died. Anfey had to live by sending other kids to be the experimental subjects.


    Miorich had not thought too much about it when Ynthe thought Anfey was important. Anfey had not left him much of a positive impression. He learned what Anfey had achievedter on and changed his impression of Anfey. Now he thought Anfey was extremely important. People like Anfey who got out of the hell must be very special. If Miorich had to experience the same thing as Anfey did, he did not think he would be the only survivor himself.

 Chapter 226: A Generous King

    Chapter 226: A Generous King


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As he was speaking, Anfey¡¯s expression changed as the story went on and was very convincing. After a few moments, however, all of his emotions disappeared, as if he was just telling someone else¡¯s story. Anfey was very good at controlling himself; perhaps it was the reason why he was able to seed time after time.


    Suzanna, however, did not care for formality. She gripped Anfey¡¯s hand tightly, as if she could transport her strength to him this way. Niya looked at Anfey with eyes filled withpassion. If he was closer to her in age, she would have hugged him tightly tofort him.


    Unlike Niya and Suzanna, Christian looked at Anfey with admiration. Anfey¡¯s story finally answered his question of why Anfey could go from a kind youth to a coldblooded killer. Christian knew what Anfey did during the war, and he knew that they were able to go home because of what Anfey had done. He had never asked Anfey about anything, because he did not want to damage their rtionship. He had trusted Anfey, and no one could change that. Anfey had more than enough skill to leave, but he brought everyone with him. That showed that Anfey was a trustworthy person.


    Miorich nodded. "Yagor is an archmage, sure, but his poverty is notorious. I have no idea how he gathered all those things in the end."


    "What did he have?" Niya asked curiously.


    "Can¡¯t tell you," Miorich said, smiling. "It¡¯s a secret." He brought Niya along today for a reason. Suzanna was Anfey¡¯s lover and had the right to know everything. Christian was Anfey¡¯s trusted right hand man and had the right know as well. In the past, Niya was very sheltered. The older generation didn¡¯t want her to get hurt, and created an idle life for her. Now, Miorich knew that it was not the way to raise a child. Saul had regretted raising Niya in such a sheltered environment. Sooner orter she would grow up and weather the storm by herself. The older generation could not protect her forever. It was time she learn something about the world.


    Niya cleared her eyes and turned to Anfey. "You were on that ind for so long," she said, "you must know something."


    "He was already dying when I became his student," Anfey said. "I knew nothing of magic then, and did not know what those things were." Seeing that Miorich did not answer Niya¡¯s question, Anfey decide he would feign ignorance as well.


    Niya looked at Miorich and sighed.


    "You should know how rare the Vacuum Confinement Scroll is now, right?" Miorich asked.


    "Yes," Anfey said, nodding. His most prized possession was the scroll. He would return Saul¡¯s scrolls, but Yagor¡¯s was his trump card, even though all his ns had already gone to waste.


    "Good. Don¡¯t waste it."


    "Of course not."


    "Another thing. I would advise against reading the book about ck magic. It¡¯s not just me and His Majesty. Lord Saul agrees as well."


    Anfey frowned and lifted his head.


    "We¡¯re staying here for a few more days, then we will go to ckania City. All your possessions are kept there."


    "What?" Anfey asked, staring at Miorich in shock.


    "Did you think His Majesty just imed everything?" Miorich asked with augh.


    "No, I just..."


    "Don¡¯t worry. What was Yagor¡¯s will be yours," Miorich said with a smile. "You are still hisst student, and you are the owner of his possessions. Although His Majesty wanted to destroy that ck magic book, we needed to get your permission."


    "But I don¡¯t even have the power to use the Vacuum Confinement Scroll yet."


    "That¡¯s why you should work harder."


    "It¡¯s impossible for me to get that powerful in a short amount of time," Anfey said. "I want to give that scroll to His Majesty. Surely then it could be more useful with him than with me." He had thought that what Yagor left belonged to Ynthe, and it had made sense. Even if the real owners were still alive, it would still be hard to hold onto those relics. Anfey could not imagine giving away such valuable relics, even the legendary Vacuum Confinement Scroll. This showed Ynthe¡¯s generosity.


    Miorich smiled. He took the sword from his belt and handed it to Suzanna. "You¡¯re a swordsman," he said. "You should know what it is."


    Suzanna epted the sword gingerly and slowly began pulling it out of the sheath. A burst of blinding light filled the room. The light did not disperse like regr light, but instead lingered in the room like morning mist. "Is this the Wing of Light?" Suzanna asked hesitantly.


    Miorich nodded.


    "Really?" Suzanna asked incredulously.


    Miorich took the sword and pulled the entire length of the de out of the sheath. The light of the de bloomed like flowers and filled with room. Miorich returned the sword to its sheath, and the light in the room disappeared.


    Suzanna¡¯s eyes widened. She was a swordsman, and she knew very well what the Wing of Light was.


    "If you want, let¡¯s trade swords. I am a knight, and this sword is no good to me."


    "No, no," Suzanna said hurriedly, returning the sword.


    "Do you want it?" Miorich turned and asked Anfey.


    "Me?" Anfey asked. He knew that Miorich still wanted to give it to Suzanna.


    "I won¡¯t take back my gifts," Miorich said seriously.


    After a few moments of hesitation, Anfey took the sword from Suzanna¡¯s hand. This sword was a gift to Suzanna from Ynthe. It would be inappropriate if she did not ept it.


    "A good weapon should be in the right hands," Miorich said. "His Majesty taught me that. This sword was given to His Majesty by a merchant as a birthday gift. His Majesty gave it to Baery the next day, but Baery didn¡¯t take it. Do you know what Baery said then?"


    "What?"


    "Baery said that His Majesty should keep it. Evil Mist had sent a dozen assassins after His Majesty, but they never seeded. Baery said that a sword like this is more useful in the hands of a two-discipliner."


    "His Majesty was a swordsman?" Niya asked, surprised. Christian¡¯s expression did not change, however, as if he had already known this.


    Miorich nodded.


    "What happened then?"


    "Baery is a stubborn man, and it¡¯s very hard to change his mind. A monthter, when Baery was leaving the capital with his legion, His Majesty gifted the sword to him in front the entire legion and sent him away," Miorich said with a smile. "His Majesty told me that his responsibility wasn¡¯t to be a good swordsman, it was to be a good king."


    "What happened then?"


    "A month after Baery left, there was another assassination attempt that left His Majesty injured. The first thing Baery did when he returned to Sacred City was go into the pce and throw this sword down in front of His Majesty. His Majesty grew angry as well and the two of them just stood in the throne room and stared at each other. I had to intervene to break it up. Then His Majesty gave the sword to me."


    "That¡¯s very brave of him," Niya said. She grinned, imagining Baery and Ynthe standing in the throne room, staring at each other.


    Anfey remained silent. Scenes like this were indeed very rare. He didn¡¯t know Ynthe very well in the past, but now he could feel how generous and open-minded Ynthe was. He was indeed a good king.

 Chapter 227: Panic

    Chapter 227: Panic


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Sneferu¡¯s hands were shaking, and his steps were heavy. He slowly walked into a civilian¡¯s house. The civilian¡¯s house looked normal from the outside, but highly secured inside. Over a dozen swordsmen and four mages stood in formation in the living room to protect the old man sitting in the middle of the sofa.


    "Sneferu, you are back." That old man stood up with a smile. He was not tall and a little chubby. He wore a gold-colored gown. Royal families in different countries liked to pick a color to be their family color to show their royal family identity. It was interesting to see they all chose the shiny gold color. Regr people could not wear this kind of gown. They got serious punishment for that. The punishment could be as serious as the death penalty.


    "Master, I..." Sneferu faltered. He had patted himself on the chest to show hismitment to invite General Miorich over. No one would think Miorich did not want to talk to him after he just retired from Miorich¡¯s bodyguard squad a few days ago. What a world. Sneferu was angry and resentful about it. He was also sentimental about the world.


    "Haha. General Miorich just came to Violet City and must feel tired. It made sense if he did not want toe to socialize. Sneferu, don¡¯t make it too personal." Sneferu smiled, but his smiles were forced.


    Marquis Djoser had been to Sacred City when he was young. He never went back there again because he felt depressed over there. In terms of nobility titles, those government officials¡¯ titles were a lot lower than his. The two prime ministers were only earls. Only a few people had the same title as he did, but he had to forget about his title and please people with smiles. That was because he had no power or influence in the Sacred City. Marquis Djoser went back to his hometown after his inheritance ceremony was over. He would rather be the head in a small ce than at the bottom in a big city. No one would show any disrespect to him on this piece ofnd.


    Obviously, he ran into the same problem this time. Miorich did not show any respect to him. If only Miorich had disrespected him, he could take it. He was not stupid. Miorichmanded a military of over one hundred thousand soldiers. He knew a marquis title could notpare with a general with the highest military power to constrain others. However, he could not take the challenge from a young man. Anfey had killed his son on the street the first time he came to Violet City. Anfey had proimed the cruel and bloody war against him. He had to make powerful strikes to counter Anfey.


    "Master, I am going to see General Miorich tomorrow again. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle it," Sneferu said slowly.


    Miorich knew his followers well. He had said it clearly, but Sneferu did not seem to get it.


    "Don¡¯t worry." Marquis Djoser waved his hand with a smile. "Oh, right, Sneferu, did you invite yourpanions over. I just sent people out to check. Miorich¡¯s bodyguard squad was still standing there on the street. They have travelled dozens of miles. They must be exhausted. I will ask my people to help them so they could take turns resting."


    Snefuru¡¯s face looked even worse when Marquis Djoser mentioned the bodyguard squad. The bodyguard squad had looked excited to see him when he showed up in front of them. They all surrounded him and joked andughed with him. They looked weird after he was kicked out by Miorich. No one from the bodyguard squad led him out. They looked indifferent to him as well.


    "Never mind, never mind." Marquis Djoser knew his previous n had failed when he saw Snefuru¡¯s face. "Senefuru, you go upstairs to get some rest. I will call you when I need you."


    "Yes, Master." Snefuru felt he had lost face and did not want to stay any longer. He turned half around and walked out from the side door.


    Seeing Snerufu walking away, Marquis Djoser suddenly said, "Did you just say Anfey¡¯s sword skill was very special?"


    "Yes, master. I have collected information about Anfey, but no one could give a definite answer as to how powerful Anfey is because whoever has fought with Anfey has died," the swordsman said in a low voice. "Anfey¡¯s sword skill looked dreamy and not practical, but he could kill his opponent in a very short time. He is a Magic-Combat-Twin discipliner. Magic-Combat-Twin discipliners usually can master only one element, but he can control several elements. His practices have been kept secret. Evil Mist is interested in him as well. They have sent two people to catch Anfey, but both of them got killed by him. They sent a very powerful one to catch him for the third time, but Anfey has left with Saul¡¯s students before Evil Mist people reached Sacred City."


    "Anfey also has a little unicorn. A maid in the Garden Hotel said Master Shamash wanted to take the little unicorn away in the name of the magic academy after he saw the little unicorn," a mage said.


    "Shut up!" Marquis Djoser said coldly. He only wanted to know how he could take revenge on Anfey right now instead of getting to know what happened the other day. For Marquis Djoser, it was not important who started the fight and whose fault was it at this point.


    In the study of the garrison residence, the talk between Miorich and Anfey had approached the end. Miorich looked rxed, but he suddenly talked about the birthce of Anfey again. "Anfey, you have be so powerful with the memory left in you when you were young. Our king thinks that anonymous old man might be the only top power to go to Sacred State."


    "Really? Sacred State?" Niya opened her eyes wide. She thought her father was the most powerful person in the world. She did not believe anything to be real in the legends. She even thought the barns were made up and they never existed. She was startled to suddenly hear that there was a person in this world who had been to Sacred State.


    Suzanna and Christian were startled as well. They looked at Anfey and then Miorich, waiting to know the answer.


    "Well, I do not know about that, but I do know he is very powerful," Anfey smiled.


    "More than powerful!" Miorich let out a slight sigh. "Ernest told Master Saul that he has learned a lot from you. It is unbelievable to hear that a master swordsman had learned from a person with another kind of sword skill."


    "Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to learn more from him," Anfey said.


    "I was curious how Yagor could take you away from a person who has been to Sacred State." Miorich asked.


    "I was really unlucky. He was in the state of Samadhi, and did not know what happened around him," Anfey said.


    "Samadhi?" Miorich asked nervously. The face of Miorich changed. As a Gold Knight, he really hoped to learn more about Sacred State, anything could give him some inspiration.


    "Is it the way you practice everyday?" Niya asked.


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "Niya, how did Anfey practice?" Miorich urged.


    "Anfey sat in a weird way and he could sit for a whole day without moving." Niya stood up and looked for an area to try to show it to Miorich. "People in Anfey¡¯s legion were curious about Anfey¡¯s practice and tried it on their own. They could only sit for a little while before their legs were getting sore, stiff and painful. They had to give it up."


    Niya walked next to a desk and took a seat cross-legged. She gritted her teeth. Her bones were already stiff at her age. Without training, it would definitely hurt to sit with legs crossed.


    "What benefits do you get from this practice?" Miorich¡¯s eyes brightened. He wanted to give a try right now, but he felt awkward to do it in front of these young people. He had to go back to his own room to try it.


    "Enough, enough," Niyained. She used her hands to remove one leg off the other leg. Luckily, she did not wear a dress today.


    "I do not know what benefits I could get. I am just used to this practice since I was little," Anfey said bitterly.


    "Anfey could sit like this for a long time. The longest record is two days. He could immediately walk after it. My God," Niya spoke in exaggeration. Some people could not stay in that position for very long, even if they tried hard. They gritted their teeth to try staying longer in that position. They wobbled after they gave up that position. Niya thought it was a miracle that Anfey could walk after he finished his practice.


    "It is nothing. That old man could sit for a month without food, drink or talk. I was too young back then. I even thought he died."


    Miorich looked startled this time. He was most surprised by the fact that an old man could live without food or drink for a month. "Is he a human?" He thought to himself.


    "Anfey, why did he stay in that vige?" Miorich asked.


    "He said he wanted to challenge Tao," Anfey said.


    "What is Tao?" Miorich asked.


    "I do not know. It seemed to be the next level he was going to advance to," Anfey said.


    Miorich almost went crazy. Sacred State was far out of his reach, while that old man wanted to advance to the next level. What would he be? God?


    "Ok, let¡¯s talk about something else." Miorich lifelessly waved his hand. Heid his eyes on Christian, "Christian, can we..."


    "Let¡¯s talk here." Christian woke up from the shock. He nced at Anfey and smiled, "This guy has guessed who I am."


    "You? Who are you? Why does it sound so secretive?" Niya was about to go crazy. Suddenly many secrets came at once, and she did not seem to be able to handle it.


    "Why did you disobey the king¡¯s orders several times? Christian, it is not doing you any good to do that. I think you understand that too." After Anfey got into big trouble, in order to ensure Christian and Niya¡¯s safety, Ynthe had sent Steger, the dean of the magic academy, to see them. Of course, Miorich moved away so he did not ask these questions in front of Anfey.


    "It was too boring to study magic. I liked the adventurous life I had with Anfey," Christian said casually. Christian actually did not tell the truth. Anfey was grateful for what Saul had done for him. He had to take everyone to run away to protect the students and family of Saul. Christian had stayed at Saul¡¯s house for about ten years. He built rtionships with Saul and his peers. He had an even stronger sense of responsibility than Anfey. He was afraid Steger would take him away for his own safety. He would never forgive himself if that happened. Therefore, he refused to see Steger and chose to be with his peers in that difficult time.


    Miorich went quiet for a while. "Young people usually have their own opinions. It does not matter what I tell you. Ok. We should go out now." Miorich slowly stood up.

 Chapter 228: Lies

    Chapter 228: Lies


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Even though the feast at the manor of the city lord did not have enough preparation, there was still a lot of people present. The merchants were not as politically powerful as the nobles, but they were just as rich, if not more so. The cooks they brought were some of the best, and even the maids seemed more sophisticated. Urter knew that he wasn¡¯t used to situations like this, so he invited some peddlers to lighten up the mood. It was a rare opportunity to sit down with the famous general Miorich for dinner, and for the merchants it was a great honor. All the merchants were trying to please Miorich as much as possible, hoping for some future benefits.


    Halfway through the feast, vi and Riska arrived in the city as well. Riska asked Anfey about what had happened, and after learning everything that had taken ce, vi wanted to go find the marquis and end the conflict once and for all. vi had matured a lot since they first left Sacred City, but he was still quick to anger. Back in the city, he was the only one that dared to speak against Zeda.


    While everyone was enjoying the feast, Urter was very busy. He was walking around and making sure everything was running smoothly. When all the guests had returned to their chambers, Urter was too tired to do anything else. He was very happy, however, because this proved that everything he had done so far was right.


    Anfey, like Urter, was tired as well. He began meditating after only a few hours of sleep. For some other people, this might have been overworking, but he enjoyed the process. Meditating had became part of his life. An artist may spend hours in front of a canvas, and a mathematician may spend months over a single equation. People may think they were overworking themselves, but for them it was enjoyment.


    Anfey meditated until almost midnight when he heardmotion outside. He frowned and walked to the door. The door next to his opened as well, and Miorich walked out slowly. What was surprising was that when Miorich walked, he was limping slightly.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked in shock. A master swordsman like Miorich was almost always healthy. The only thing that could affect him was aging.


    "It¡¯s alright," Miorich said, shaking his head. "Don¡¯t worry about me." He had been meditating the entire night, trying to find the way into the Sacred State. It was his life goal to be able to leave behind mundane things like the squabbles between the merchants. However, he could not find the Sacred State, and his body was sore because of the prolonged meditation.


    Before Anfey could say anything else, the noise outside got louder. The two men nced at each other and headed outside.


    The courtyard in front of the mansion was filled with people. Most of the people there were members of Miorich¡¯s guards. Some of the guards looked terrified, some looked bewildered, some looked enraged. Most of them were arguing about something.


    "What happened?" Miorich asked. His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it was enough to calm the crowd.


    "There¡¯s Anfey!" someone in the crowd suddenly called loudly. An old man in a yellow robe appeared. The muscle on his face was twitching due to rage, and he was pointing at Anfey with shaking fingers. There was a wound on his neck. The bandage was ripped off, and blood was seeping through the cut.


    "You are such a vile man," the old man said through clenched teeth. "Vile!" He wanted to lunge at Anfey, but was stopped by two swordsmasters behind him.


    "Who is this?" Anfey asked, frowning.


    "What are you doing here, Marquis Djoser?" Miorich asked.


    "What am I doing here? Ask him!" the marquis spat angrily.


    "I am asking you," Miorich said calmly. He was a soldier, but he wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with politics. If he had looked at Anfey at that moment, he would put him into a disadvantageous position. Other people may be fooled by the marquis¡¯s words, but not Miorich.


    The marquis grew angrier. Miorich had clearly picked a side in this conflict, and did not care if he was a marquis or not. He hadn¡¯t lost his mind, however, and knew that he was no match for Miorich. He turned his gaze to Anfey and shook his head. "I told Sneferu to go invite the general to a feast yesterday. Did I mean harm? Did I? I invited him because I respected him. What did I do to prompt you to murder my men?"


    Anfey stared at the old man, but did not say anything.


    "Come on,e kill me. If you are brave enough to kill my soldiers, you should be brave enough to kill me right now," the Marquis said with a hoarse voice. "If you can¡¯t tolerate me, sure, kill me. Be my guest. But answer my question. Why kill so many innocent men?"


    Miorich¡¯s guards cleared a path for a group of swordsmen. They carried a dozen litters bearing dead bodies and set them down in front of Miorich and Anfey. The first body was Sneferu. He was half naked, his bare chest filled with scars.


    What killed him was arge sh across his chest and abdomen. His entire chest was shed open, and the wound was ckened. The other bodies all had simr injuries. All the wounds were ckened as if done with fire.


    "Look at him," the marquis said, crouching down next to Sneferu. "Look at him. Do you see his scars? He risked his life for the empire, but what did he get in the end? He didn¡¯t die on the battlefield in glory. It was because of me..." the marquis¡¯s voice broke, and he shook his head. The swordsmaster next to him whispered something into the marquis¡¯s ear.


    "How can you do this?" the marquis pushed the swordsmaster aside and asked loudly.


    Anfey was still standing there quietly. Now was not the time to speak. He had to find a w in the marquis¡¯s story before saying anything.


    Miorich¡¯s guards looked at Anfey. Their eyes were hostile. They knew why they were in Violet City. It was no longer a secret that Anfey had a feud with the marquis, and Anfey was the only person who could cause wounds like those. Urter was telling the merchants about the strange sword Anfey wielded, and it was no longer a secret.


    The guards didn¡¯t care if Anfey had a feud with the marquis. In fact, they would even help him. That was why Miorich led them to Violet City in the first ce, but Anfey should not have touched Sneferu. The man had been their friend andpanion until only a month ago. Having him killed by his supposed ally was too much for the guards to take.


    "This is all my fault," the marquis said, shaking his head. "I should have never asked Sneferu to join my guards. I wanted to help him, but I killed him." The Marquis pounded the ground with his fist, leaving bloody smears on the dirt. The swordsmaster next to him had to restrain him.


    "You have to give us an answer!" one of the marquis¡¯s men demanded.


    "Yes, an answer!" the other men called. Even a few of Miorich¡¯s guards joined in.


    It was easy to rile up people¡¯s emotions. It was very hard to control a crowd. Anfey looked like a lone rock in the middle of the sea as the crowd surged and closed in on him.


    With a sh of light, Suzanna appeared next to him. Christian, Riska, vi, and Niya all appeared as well. Even Hui Wei was standing behind them, clutching something in his hand. Hagan was distributing his potions.


    "Be quiet!" Miorich called, his booming voice echoing in the night. The crowd stopped and stared at the general.


    "You say these men were killed by Anfey," Miorich said. "Do you have any proof?"


    "Prove? Sneferu is the proof. These men are the proof. I am the proof," the marquis called. He pointed to the wound on his neck and cried, "I saw him with my own eyes!"


    "I was with him all nightst night," Miorich said calmly. "He couldn¡¯t have done this."


    The marquisughed. "General Miorich," he said, "I know why you are providing an alibi for him. He is Lord Saul¡¯s student, is he not? Lord Saul is your old friend. Compared to the court mage, which is a retired soldier? I am not surprised by your decision!"


    Miorich¡¯s guards froze, then turned to look at the general. They had all trusted Miorich, but nothing was absolute, and their trust in Miorich had just been shaken.


    Anfey walked up and said calmly, "Don¡¯t worry. Let me take care of this."

 Chapter 229: Amazing Fighting Skills

    Chapter 229: Amazing Fighting Skills


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey slowly walked up with sincere and sweet smiles. His eyes looked calm and clear. Whenever Anfey was in danger, he would not lose himself in panic. The tenser the situation got, the calmer Anfey would be. He knew he had to save himself, because no one would suddenlye to help him. Enemies would not go easy on him either.


    "Did you say I came to your house to kill youst night?" Anfey asked in a low voice.


    Marquis Djoser spit on the floor with hatred. He answered Anfey with this gesture of contempt.


    "Do you mind telling us what happenedst night in detail?" Anfey kept his sincere and sweet smile on his face.


    "There is nothing more I can tell you." Marquis Djoser looked sad and resentful. "I am not here to cause you trouble. I know what I am doing now does not go in line with thews in the empire. Anfey, I only want to ask you one thing. Who gave you the right to kill people?"


    "You say I killed your people, but I say I did not. What is the point of this argument? If you could describe what happenedst night in detail, everyone here could be our witness. I think they could give us a fair judgement."


    Marquis Djoser¡¯s mouth twitched. The more a person talked, the higher the chance he could get caught lying. Marquis Djoser understood that too. Since Anfey had given his reasons to retell what happened, he could not refuse to talk about it any more. Refusing to tell what happened the previous day could make others doubt him and put him at a disadvantage. Marquis Djoser looked at his supporters out of the corner of his eye.


    "Yesterday Marquis Djoser, Snefuru and other few people were still talking in the study after we all went to sleep." A supporter answered for Marquis Djoser. He looked like he was trying to recall what happened yesterday. "We suddenly heard Marquis Djoser calling for help and screams from others. We immediately grabbed the weapons to run to the study. There was blood everywhere in the study, everywhere. Master Snefuru and otherpanionsid on the ground in blood. A few people were trying to protect Marquis Djoser."


    "What happened after that?" Anfey asked.


    "After that? You ran away like a criminal. There was nothing after that," the supporter answered in anger.


    "Which floor was the study on?" Anfey asked calmly. He tried to hold in any curse words. Urter told Anfey before that Marquis Djoser¡¯s four-story house sat on arge piece ofnd. It was famous around Violet City.


    "Third floor," the supporter said.


    "Which floor was your room on?" Anfey asked.


    "First floor," the supporter answered.


    "Ok. Did you say I was scared away by you? I got it," Anfey said casually. He gathered his internal forces in the blink of an eye, and the force was covering his whole body. He had rarely fought with full force after he restarted practicing his internal force. There were two reasons for that. First of all, he did not want to act like he was so different than others. Second, he wanted to be more familiar with the magic andbat skills in this world and incorporate them into his ownbat skills. Well, skills were acquired through practice. Now it was his time to fight and see.


    "What do you mean?" the supporter asked loudly.


    "You guys, be careful!" Anfey did not look any different. Only his eyes got brighter. "Let¡¯s start." Anfey suddenly ran out as fast as a flying arrow. He did not even need eleration to reach that speed.


    Marquis Djoser trusted the person most who had answered for him. He was also the marquis¡¯s most powerful and loyal follower. He was still trying to think about the answers he gave about the locations of the study and his dorm. He worried there was some loophole in his story. They did not get a chance to talk about this question. He did not have time to think before he gave his answers either. It would make people doubt him if it took him too long to answer such a simple question.


    In the blink of an eye, Anfey was within three yards of that follower. The guy had a pretty quick response. The light radiant frombat power had covered his whole body. He pushed Marquis Djoser behind him with his left hand as he pulled the sword out with his right hand. He swung down at Anfey¡¯s head. Actually he looked down upon Anfey¡¯s impulsive acts. There was no unarmedbat in this world. Combat power could counter the strikes in most cases. If this were unarmedbat, they would not know who would win without hundreds of strikes. If both parties had swords, the fight could end very soon. Anfey could not beat mages with bare hands since the mage¡¯s shield was not just for decoration. The marquis¡¯s supporter thought it was nothing different thanmitting suicide to run like Anfey. A Magic-Combat-Twin discipliner? He hoped Anfey could fight him with his ming swords. The dead bodies on the ground were killed by a Magic-Combat-Twin discipliner. It would only help them to prove Anfey was the killer.


    As the sword was about to hit Anfey¡¯s head, Anfey suddenly slid away. His move was swift and elegant. Miorich and Suzanna stood in the back, watching him with eyes bright. They paid more attention to how Anfey fought.


    That supporter put more force on his wrist to change the direction of the sword and tried to y Anfey from the side. Anfey immediately hit his wrist. The guy snorted at Anfey even more. He did not think Anfey could make any damage with that strike. Even if he just let Anfey hit him without any counter strike, it would be hard to get hurt with the protection ofbat power. He thought he was going to slice Anfey in half.


    Anfey was a lot less powerful than he thought. Anfey¡¯s strike could not even be described as a hit. It was more likeying a hand on his. The follower did not know that move was called "putting a hand on" in martial arts.


    As there was no contact between the two hands, Anfey kicked his left leg into the follower¡¯s elbow while his hand was holding onto his opponent¡¯s wrist. Anfey did not have to use too much force to hold his opponent¡¯s wrist. It was good enough as long as the opponent¡¯s arm did not swing. That follower¡¯s arm was bent inwards. There were cracking sounds and screaming right away.


    Combat power could greatly increase people¡¯s defensive power. Anfey had experienced it a long time ago when he fought hard with Suzanna under water. However, havingbat power was not everything. If people could run and attack withbat power, it meant their joints were not protected bybat power. Anfey seemed to find the weak points of swordsmen.


    Anfey kept moving forward. He ran to the next swordsman. That swordsman thrust his sword at Anfey¡¯s chest like a vapor. As the sword was only one yard away from Anfey, Anfey suddenly flew into the sky like a flying butterfly among the flowers. In the blink of an eye, he lined up with that swordsman, vertically. The swordsman was on the ground while Anfey was upside down in the air. The swordsman had never seen any skill like this. He immediately swung his sword up to counter Anfey. As the sword was above him, Anfey grabbed his wrist. This time, Anfey put a lot more strength on the grip.


    Anfey flipped over andnded behind the swordsman. He had calcted their height difference before he made the attack. He chose to squat a little to put his back tightly against that swordsman¡¯s lower back. He pulled the swordsman¡¯s wrist hard. Everyone at the scene saw clearly that swordsman¡¯s arm swung backwards like a windmill¡¯s de. It swung more than half circle. That swordsman started to scream loudly in pain. He sounded more like an animal howling than a human screaming.


    It only took Anfey a very short time to beat the two swordsmen. It startled the onlookers. Most people thought in a certain way. If there were no other references to help them think in a different way, most people rather believed in themselves. People tried to imagine how much fighting ability they could have if they had to fight with bare hands and what would happen if they fought with weapons. It was undeniable there was a big difference in between fighting with bare hands and with weapons. Anfey was able to beat two swordsmen with bare hands in the blink of an eye. One of them was even an intermediate swordsman. Anfey would be unbelievably powerful if Anfey fought with weapons.


    Only Miorich and Suzanna could tell Anfey did not attack with much power, but they were still startled by Anfey¡¯s fighting ability, because they saw some fighting skills they had never seen or imagined before. They both were masters on how to control and use powers, but they were not as good as Anfey in terms of skill. They both got to see a totally different and new area by watching Anfey fighting.


    Marquis Djoser was shocked and kept stepping back. A junior swordsman would never understand how powerful Anfey could be. He thought his peers were beaten because Anfey attacked them with surprise. The swordsman had gathered hisbat power and stepped out. He thrust his sword at Anfey¡¯s throat. Marquis Djoser had told them to try to kill Anfey. He thought he could make it happen and get rewards from Marquis Djoser.


    Anfey moved his body sideways to dodge. He timed it perfectly. If he was a little too fast, the junior swordsman could change his moves. If he was a little too slow, he could get hurt.


    At the moment they passed each other, Anfey held his right foot out and kicked backwards like a little kid ying a game. The swordsman got kicked on his right ankle. It did not seem Anfey kicked that hard, but that swordsman¡¯s right foot was kicked into the air. Almost at the same time, Anfey stepped forward with the momentum and stepped on that swordsman¡¯s left foot.


    That swordsman¡¯s body continued to move forward with the momentum while his left foot was held by Anfey¡¯s foot. The swordsman fell on his face while his right foot was still moving forward. He did not know how dangerous a position he was in.


    Anfey put his hands on the swordsman¡¯s shoulders and pressed down hard as he flipped from the right side of him to the left. That swordsman smashed hard onto the ground with his hip. The quality ofbat power was important to swordsmen. There were no contortion skills in this world. People¡¯s bodies got stiff and muscles got tight as soon as they turned twenty. The swordsman was over forty years old. It was easy to imagine what happened to that swordsman. He rolled his eyes as he gasped. He opened his mouth and was ready to scream when Anfey held his neck as if holding his lover. He pulled backwards. That swordsman felt the back of his head touch his left leg. He could not stand the pain and passed out. He did not even have the time to scream before he passed out.

 Chapter 230: Fruitless Works

    Chapter 230: Fruitless Works


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    There were very few men who would dare to tempt a lion. After seeing Anfey defeat three men so easily, the marquis¡¯s men split into two halves. One half did not want to keep fighting, and was backing away from the fight slowly. The other half charged at Anfey, waving their weapons.


    Anfey twisted his body and avoided a swordsman¡¯s attack. He kicked the man in the knee, and the swordsman fell to the ground with a scream.


    A swordsmaster jumped into the air, his sword was covered inbat power and pointing at Anfey. Anfey did not have enough time to lower his leg, and it was difficult for him to change his position. He turned around and made his body parallel to the ground. He let himself fall, and right before his body hit the ground, he pushed himself up with his arms.


    The swordsmaster passed over Anfey, who hit the man with his shoulder. The swordsmaster crashed into the ground. He hadbat power, and the fall would not harm him much, but it was very embarrassing for him.


    Another swordsmaster charged. Anfey grabbed his wrist and threw the man away from him. The swordsmaster crashed into the ground and tumbled into the crowd.


    The only thing Marquis Djoser wanted was to use Anfey of murder and ruin his reputation. He did not want to have a physical conflict with him. Except for the two swordsmasters, he left the other more powerful men behind. He was a poor old man in distress, not someone seeking vengeance. The only reason he brought the swordsmasters was because of the slim chance there may be a possibility they could take Anfey down. However, he knew it was almost impossible because of Miorich¡¯s presence. Now, the two swordsmasters were defeated, and the only ones remaining were the swordsmen. If the swordsmen had the advantage, they would not lose. Now, however, the swordsmen had no chance of winning.


    The marquis began backing away, cursing Anfey and regretting his decisions. He knew that he was the target, and he had hoped his men could stall a little longer so he could get away.


    The marquis was right, because Anfey¡¯s target was him. The marquis was only a few steps away from disappearing into Miorich¡¯s guards, and he had to catch the marquis before he disappeared. If he hadn¡¯t been fighting the marquis¡¯s men in front of a crowd, they would have been dead already. Now, however, Anfey needed to get the trust of the guards. He knew that if he killed the marquis¡¯s men, he would put him and Miorich into an even more difficult situation.


    Anfey knew he could match Miorich or Suzanna in speed, but he was faster when he was not going in a straight line.


    Miorich smiled as he watched Anfey jump through the crowd.


    A few momentster, Anfey appeared in front of the marquis, avoiding every attack.


    "Stop!" one of the swordsmen bellowed. He did not want to fight, but he couldn¡¯t just let Anfey hurt the marquis. He would never find another employer then.


    Anfey did not look at the man. He kicked the swordsman and the man¡¯s body flew back, crashing into the crowd.


    Anfey turned to the marquis and grabbed the old man¡¯s shirt, lifting the man into the air. The marquis¡¯s face flushed, but he did not say anything. He kicked at Anfey, but his feeble attacks did not affect Anfey at all. Anfey¡¯s hand on the marquis¡¯s neck tightened.


    "You¡¯re scaring me?" Anfey asked, smiling. He looked at the marquis and frowned. "If I wanted to kill you, none of these men can stop me."


    The men around the Marquis did not say anything. One of the swordsmasters was trying to pull his sword out of the ground, but his right arm was broken. When he finally pulled the sword out, he tried to charge at Anfey with the sword in his left hand, only to be stopped by two nearby servants. If he could not defeat Anfey using his dominant hand, what more could he do using his non-dominant hand?


    Anfey loosened his grip and the Marquis fall to the ground. The servants gathered around the old man. Some were helping him up while the others dusted off his clothes. A few others approached Anfey with swords in hand.


    "What more do you want? Where do you think you are?" Miorich bellowed suddenly. He walked forward slowly, looking at the crowd.


    After seeing Anfey defeating the marquis¡¯s men so easily, Miorich¡¯s guards remained silent. If Anfey could defeat so many men so easily, the marquis¡¯s usation could not stand. In order to be a knight, a man must undergo intense training. He must be educated on not onlybat skills, but also on how to speak and act. Knights were all very knowledgeable and experienced. The knights in Miorich¡¯s team were even more so. There might be a few reckless ones, but most of them knew how to distinguish right from wrong.


    "I think you must be mistaken, marquis," Miorich said. "If Anfey wanted to kill you yesterday, I don¡¯t think you would be alive to today."


    The Marquis frowned and stood still, but did not say anything. He did not respond to Miorich, but did not im Anfeymitted those murders, either.


    "I assure you, marquis," Anfey said with a smile. "I will investigate and give you an answer. Your men¡¯s deaths will not be unanswered." Anfey could tell that Miorich did not want to touch the marquis, at least not yet.


    The marquis nced at Anfey, but did not say anything. He tried hard to nt the murders on Anfey. He bribed two patrol guards and found a few bodies where thest fight happened. Then he hired a two-disciplined swordsmaster and instructed him to leave suspicious but distinct wounds on bodies of Sneferu and a few other men he had killed. He had ordered the swordsmaster be executed in order to hide all evidence. He never imagined that the swordsmaster would turn himself into an element bomb like a dying mage. The swordsmaster blew himself up, but injured several of the marquis¡¯s men in the process. The marquis only had a few swordsmasters working for him, and the explosion injured three of them.


    Usually, hard work was rewarded with a good result. The marquis had hoped that he could find a bnce, but the information he gathered and the reality werepletely different. The marquis just wanted to find the man who told him that Anfey was a two-discipliner with fire magic and strangle the man. His mind was too clouded now, however, to remember anything.


    "Urter," Anfey called.


    "Yes, my lord?" Urter said as he jogged over.


    "Inspect the bodies."


    "Yes, my lord," Urter said. He nced at the marquis before walking over to the bodies and began inspecting them. He was the sheriff of the city, and had seen plenty of murders. He wasn¡¯t a stranger to bodies.


    After inspecting a few bodies, Urter frowned. These bodies were almost identical to the one in the city morgue. The body was sliced open with a me sword, and the wound was cauterized without leaving a drop of blood. The muscles along the cut were burnt and ckened. If Anfey did not seize the marquis, it would be very hard for him to prove his innocence.

 Chapter 231: Mysterious Power

    Chapter 231: Mysterious Power


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After checking every dead body on the ground, Urter slowly walked back to Anfey. "Master, the wounds on each body were the same. They must have been killed by the same person. Hmm...Marquis Djoser!" Urter turned to look at Marquis Djoser. "If you do not have anything urgent, I would like you to go to the police station with me. I know you are not in the best mood right now and probably need to get some rest. I hope you can understand this is our procedure. I need to keep records."


    Marquis Djoser lowered his head and went quietly. Without knowing how long had passed, he lifted up his head again. He did not look as sullen as before. He even had an apologetic smile on his face. "Master Anfey, I am so sorry. I am getting old and my eyes are not as good as they used to be. Yesterday when that assassin came in, he knocked out the only candlestick in the study. I... I will ask punishment from the king myself. It was my fault for this whole misunderstanding."


    No matter whether his excuses were reasonable, Marquis Djoser did apologize in front of everyone. Anfey and Urter looked at each other without saying anything. Miorich had more right than they did to pass judgement in this situation.


    Unexpectedly, Miorich was really direct. In other words, Marquis Djoser was not important enough for Miorich to hide his true feelings toward him. Miorich walked up to Snefuru¡¯s body. He looked at it for a little while and sighed. He waved his hand. Two knights hurried over and lifted Snefuru¡¯s stretcher.


    "Take Snefuru to the camp. I will host a funeral for him." Miorich nced at Marquis Djoser and snorted at him. He turned around to walk to the garrison residence. He did not know if Anfey had killed those people, but he knew Marquis Djoser killed Snefuru. Snefuru had followed Miorich for the past twenty years. He was neither a capable person, nor very flexible and smart. He had been a lower level official, but they did build a strong bond between them. Miorich wanted to kill Marquis Djoser right then and there. How could he show forgiveness to the marquis?


    Marquis Djoser did not seem to hear Miorich¡¯s snort. He still had a smile on his face. He turned around and slowly walked to the gate of the garrison residence. His movement looked a little stiff.


    "Stop! Do you want to leave like this?" Niya yelled. Niya would argue with people when she did not have any reason to argue. It was easy to imagine how she would act when Anfey was set up by others. She did not think Marquis Djoser was important. She was rude to Marquis Djoser and also showed disdain toward him.


    Marquis Djoser paused for a second and then continued to walk to the gate. His followers carried the wounded ones out of the garrison residence. They followed after Marquis Djoser and left dead bodies on the floor.


    "You, stop!" Niya was getting really mad. She jumped off the steps and was about to run after Marquis Djoser.


    "Niya!" Anfey and Christian yelled at the same time.


    "Huh?" Niya said.


    "It¡¯s okay, Niya." Anfey shook his head.


    Suzanna also jumped off the steps. She grabbed Niya¡¯s hand and said quietly, "Go back, Niya. He is a marquis of the empire. Don¡¯t¡¯ make troubles."


    "What about the marquis? A marquis could set others up?" Niya was not happy about Marquis Djoser.


    "Have you seen Anfey being taken advantage of before?" Suzanna smiled.


    "Right, he has a devious side to him." Niya looked like she just realized it.


    Niya was mad. The patrolmen came in and nced at Urter for instructions. Urter had asked Marquis Djoser to go to the police station, but Marquis Djoser was walking out now. Obviously, he did not take Urter seriously. It made the patrolmen angry.


    Urter shook his head slightly. He was only giving Marquis Djoser a hard time before. If Marquis Djoser did not want to cooperate with him, he could not do anything to him unless there were secret orders from Sacred City.


    "Let¡¯s go back." Anfey stared at Marquis Djoser¡¯s back. He knew this was not over yet. ording to his previous way of taking care of business, he would not have allowed Marquis Djoser to go back to his residence.. Unfortunately, he would have to adjust his rules as situations changed. He could not do anything to Marquis Djoser in public.


    Miorich walked into the living room and looked like he was deep in thought. He paced back and forth and looked at Anfey like he had something to say. However, he did not say anything.


    Riska and others had gone back to their dorms to pack up. The captain and two assistant captains from the bodyguard squad looked guilty. They timidly walked in.


    Every military unit had their own characteristics. These characteristics were decided by their generals. Miorich was not as strict as Baery. He did not pay too much attention to details. He had made a big mistake in not controlling the subordinate knights. Those three captains prepared for the worst as they walked into the living room.


    "You guys need to leave now," Miorich said peacefully.


    "General?" Those three captains did not believe what they heard.


    The three captains looked at each other excitedly as they received amnesty. They bowed and retreated from the living room.


    "Uncle Miorich, it should not be this easy," Anfey reminded Miorich in a low voice. "The Marquis Djoser and hispanions should not have the ability to stir up the bodyguard squad."


    "I know." Miorich nodded. "That is why I am putting this issue away for right now."


    "I got it." Anfey smiled. He knew Miorich was pretending to let this issue go, but he actually would secretly continue the caseter. He would secretly figure out who was helping Marquis Djoser within the bodyguard squad.


    Miorich looked cold. Anfey¡¯s vision was more short-term than Miorich¡¯s. Miorich¡¯s thinking was a lot more sophisticated. His bodyguards were the best of the best. They were trained to be future generals. They had been tested on their loyalty and fighting ability. They had passed those tests, otherwise they would not have been qualified to join the bodyguard squad. What happened today posed threats to Miorich. Marquis Djoser was a fallen marquis. How could he have the influence to control a bodyguard squad? There must be someone behind the marquis.


    There was a difference in perspective between Anfey and Miorich. Anfey thought he had made an enemy of Marquis Djoser. He also thought Marquis Djoser wanted to target him to take revenge. Miorich had more sophisticated ideas.


    "Anfey, did you use the fighting skills that old man in your vige taught you?" Miorich suddenly switched the topic.


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "He might be the most powerful swordsman in this world. Unfortunately, I could not see his skills in person," Miorich said.


    "He used to say, "No matter how good you think you are, there is always someone out there that is better," Anfey said.


    "What do you mean?" Miorich said.


    "He thought only a fool would think he was the best. He believe when a person reached a certain level, he usually could see many more powerful people. It was simr to the endless sky and endless sword skills," Anfey said.


    "Sword skills?" Miorich was in thought for a while and then smiled smile. "Anfey, can youe and help train the knights in my Pce Guards?"


    "Uncle Miorich, my sword skills are not very good for soldiers to practice." Anfey shook his head with a smile. "Of course, I will do it for you if you think it definitely would help those soldiers."


    "Why do you think it would not help them?" Miorich asked.


    "The victory in a war mainly depends on which party was braver. Sword skills are not like that." In fact, Panshan spears were used for the soldiers to fight in war. However, no matter whether it was from his family rules or from his own point of view, he would not teach others Panshan spear skills. Anfey could only y stupid right now.


    Miorich gave it a little bit of thought and sighed. "It is unfortunate that would not work. Anfey. why did he not teach youbat power?"


    "Maybe because I was too young back then," Anfey said.


    "Has anyone taught youbat power?" Miorich asked in surprise.


    Anfey tried to recall, but he shook his head. "No, no one taught me."


    "Did Ernest teach youbat power?" Miorich asked.


    "I think Anfey does not have to learnbat power," Suzanna suddenly said.


    "Why not?" Miorich turned to look at Suzanna.


    "Because there is a mysterious power inside Anfey," Suzanna said.


    "How do you know?" Christian asked.


    "I..." Suzanna blushed. She just felt that way, but could not give specific reasons. She had hung out with Anfey for so long. She could clearly feel Anfey was different than regr swordsmen. When swordsmen attacked their enemies or protected themselves, they had to performbat power. No matter what Anfey was doing, even eating or sleeping, he was in an abnormal state. No matter how powerful a swordsman was, he could not usebat power all day and night.


    "What is that call? Samadhi? Anfey, did you get that mysterious power by doing Samadhi?" Miorich asked.


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "You have so many mysteries," Miorich said bitterly. He had sat the whole previous night as Niya had shown him how to do Samadhi. He did not feel anything. He wanted to ask Anfey about it but also felt awkward doing so. He had such a strong desire for power that he could not control his curiosity about Anfey¡¯s power. He was in such a dilemma.


    Anfey shrugged and smiled without saying anything. He nned to y stupid.

 Chapter 232: Heavy Thoughts

    Chapter 232: Heavy Thoughts


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The marquis had gone quiet ever since he left. Urter sent his men out to gather some information, and learned that the marquis fell ill and was bedridden. Anfey, on the other hand, chose not to further the conflict. Even though he knew that leaving the marquis could result in troubles, he was in a difficult position right now. He needed an excuse if he wanted to do something so he could justify his actions. He could not act as recklessly now since he had epted the responsibility as the new city lord.


    Most young people enjoyed having fun and living in the moment, and the oldest in the group was only around twenty-five. When they had nothing to do, they would take the time to explore the city. Since Anfey would be in charge of the city, they felt like they needed to get to know it better.


    Since Miorich would leave them in a few days, everyone was staying outte and enjoying their time in the city. Most did not return until well after dinnertime. Miorich moved back to the army camp so the young people would not feel pressured to behave.


    The cooks hired for the feast were still working at Anfey¡¯s mansion, so no one had to worry about meals. The delicious dinner just reminded everyone how hungry they were. They chatted amongst themselves as they ate.


    Riska, however, did not eat much. He was ying with his napkin and ncing at Anfey. Halfway through dinner, he suddenly said, "Anfey, let¡¯s build a magic school here."


    The chatter died down, and everyone turned their eyes toward Riska, confused.


    "A magic school?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Riska said excitedly. "A school just formoners."


    "Who¡¯s going to be in charge?" Niya asked.


    Everyone nced at each other, but did not say anything. No one was powerful enough or had enough experience to be a teacher. They made a good mercenary group, but not teachers at a magic school.


    "I¡¯ll do it," Riska said. "I may not be powerful, but I¡¯m enough to get them started."


    "Easier said than done, Riska," Christian said. "Are you going to be the only teacher there? We don¡¯t have the money to hire other people, that¡¯s for sure."


    "Everything is harder at the beginning," Riska said. "We may not be able to hire teachers, but everyone sitting at this table can qualify as teachers for beginners."


    "We aren¡¯t qualified as teachers," Christian said, shaking his head. "Plus, a magic school isn¡¯t something that can be built in a day. We don¡¯t even have the money or thend."


    "Anfey¡¯s the city lord. If he says yes, all that can be solved," Riska said, turning to Anfey. Riska was amoner, and he had experienced a lot of hardship when he first started learning magic. He had always wished magic study was more essible for people like him. He tried to hide his wish, but now that Anfey was the city lord of arge city, he saw the chance of making his dreame true.


    "Yes!" Hagan suddenly pped the table and said. "Riska just reminded me! I have an idea!" Hagan jumped up, waving his hands and almost knocking the table over.


    "Let¡¯s eat first before we talk any further," Anfey said as he picked up his fork. Hagan had the strangest and the most unpredictable ideas. No one knew alchemy better than Hagan, but when it came to other things, he would be forgetful and absentminded. Especially when he was making new potions. The time it would take for him process other information and questions was hriously slow.


    Hagan sat down gloomily and ate his meal in silence. It seemed like he wanted to finish his meal as fast as possible so he could talk with Anfey.


    Hagan was fast, but Anfey finished faster and left the room as soon as he was finished. Even though the food was delicious, Anfey came from a world where some of the best culinary systems exist. The food here paled inparison.


    As soon as Anfey left the dining hall, Hagan chased after him and grabbed his arm. "Anfey," he said, "Wait. I need to talk to you."


    "Anfey, do what you say about the school?" Riska appeared and asked.


    "Your thing can wait," Hagan said. "It¡¯s not something that can be done in a week. My thing has to be done now or else it would toote."


    "Riska, let me think about it," Anfey said. "I will get back to you."


    "Alright," Riska said, disappointed.


    "What is it you want to talk about?" Anfey turned to Hagan and asked.


    "Isn¡¯t your mansion under construction?" Hagan asked. "Can you change the blueprint and add an alchemyb?"


    "An alchemyb?" Anfey repeated.


    Hagan nodded.


    "Anfey, if you are going to add an alchemyb, might as well add a magicb," Riska added. "Magic and alchemy are two very simr things, you know. If we can build thebs in close proximity, it can be beneficial to both sides."


    "Riska¡¯s right," Hagan said, nodding. "Let¡¯s build twobs."


    "Where do you want thebs?" Anfey asked.


    "I¡¯ve seen the ce," Hagan said. "It¡¯s too small. Let¡¯s build it underground."


    "It¡¯s too small?"


    "Of course it is. I will build the world¡¯srgest alchemyb."


    "Are you serious? No way," Anfey said quickly. Alchemybs and magicbs were both liabilities, and Hagan wanted to build the world¡¯srgest? If something went wrong, the entire mansion would be gone. Plus, there was an undergroundbyrinth that could potentially be the tomb of an ancient queen. The news of this undergroundbyrinth could not get out. Anfey wanted to support Hagan, but his n was too ambitious. He knew alchemy would be beneficial to his future ns, but right now he could not approve Hagan¡¯s ns.


    "Why not? I¡¯m doing this for the team¡¯s sake," Hagan said.


    "You¡¯re the only alchemist here," Anfey said. "Why do you need the biggestb in the world? Wait until Ie back from Sacred City." Anfey looked at Riska and Hagan, then turned and went upstairs.


    Hagan frowned and turned back to Riska. "Hey," he said suddenly. "I have an idea. Let¡¯s go find Niya."


    "Niya?" Riska asked. "Why?"


    "Haven¡¯t you noticed?" Hagan asked with a smile on his face. "Anfey is scared of her." After some observation, Hagan noticed that the only person that could make Anfey hesitant was Niya. If someone in the team was being stubborn, Anfey would scold them, but he would ignore Niya¡¯s wrongdoing. After learning who Niya was, Hagan knew he had found the reason. If he needed someone to talk to Anfey, Niya was the best bet.


    "He¡¯s not scared of her," Riska said, shaking his head. Niya was simr to him in age, but they all treated her like their little sister and they would try to satisfy her needs.


    "That¡¯s called scared!" Hagan said. "Are you going or not? Do you still want theb and the school?"


    Riska smiled and shook his head. He did not know how Hagan came to this conclusion, but his words were very tempting.


    After learning that Anfey was to be the next city lord of Violet City, the city became very attractive to the team. A lot of people found themselves trying to decide if they wanted to stay in Violet City or return to Sacred City to keep studying with Saul. Everyone liked being around someone sessful, but even though the city was Anfey¡¯s, everyone knew Anfey could not have achieved what he did without the team¡¯s help. Anfey would be the decision maker, but the city was as much theirs as it was Anfey¡¯s.


    "Are you going or not?" Hagan urged. He had never really talked to Niya, and he needed someone Niya knew with him.


    "Isn¡¯t this a bit inappropriate?" Riska asked.


    "How so? We are doing this for everyone¡¯s sake!"


    Just then, Niya and Suzanna walked out of the dining hall, chatting. "Niya, wait up!" Hagan called when he saw her. "Riska and I need to talk to you."


    "Me?" Niya asked, curious. She had never really spoken to Hagan, and did not know why Hagan would want to talk to her now.


    Riska sighed, but Hagan was already talking to Niya, and there was no stopping him now. The only thing to do now was go with Hagan and give the n a try. "Suzanna," he said as he walked over. "We need to talk to Niya. Can you maybe..."


    "I know, I know," Suzanna said, smiling. "I¡¯m going to look for Anfey anyway. You guys talk."

 Chapter 233: Troubles for Talented

    Chapter 233: Troubles for Talented


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What is the matter? Why so secretive?" Niya asked.


    "Niya, we were talking about the magic academy. You heard about it as well, I think...," Riska said.


    "Don¡¯t you think you should ask Anfey about the magic academy?" Niya asked.


    "I have asked Anfey," Riska said bitterly. "Anfey said we would talk about itter."


    "Then just wait a little bit," Niya said.


    "Niya, I am doing this for everyone," Riska said. Hagan thought Riska did not know how to negotiate. He walked up and pulled Riska aside. "Niya, don¡¯t you want a magic sword that stores and releasesbat power as you wish? Don¡¯t you want armor that could stop any magic attack? Don¡¯t you want a pair of shoes that could help you experience what it is like to fly in the sky?" Hagan said.


    "What? You can make all of them?" Niya asked.


    "Not now, but I definitely could make them in the future," Hagan bragged. "Niya, alchemists are different than mages. Even the stupidest mage, as long as he masters the principles of elements, he could increase his magic power through meditation. For me to increase my ability, I have to repeat my experiments. That is why I want Anfey to build an undergroundb, a free space for me to do the experiments. I think I will be an alchemist soon."


    "Ok." Niya showed no interest in it.


    "Anfey did not want to do it." Hagan forgot to look at Niya¡¯s face as he talked excitedly. He continued talking without paying attention to his audience. "I really do not know what he was thinking. Niya, you know Anfey better. It is better if you can go and talk to him. Can you ask him to consider building theb?"


    "Hehehe...We have been together so long. We all know him the same. It is going to be the same no matter if you guys or me go to talk to Anfey," Niya said.


    "No, it is different," Hagan said.


    "Ok. I will talk to Anfey when I get a chance." Niya nodded, but she did not look like she took it seriously. Obviously, she had not learned to hide her real thoughts.


    Niya was stubborn and naive, but who does not have weak points? With his experience and wisdom, Ynthe could easily tell what Niya was thinking, but he still treated her as his own daughter. Of course, he had his own reasons for that it. Niya, being the daughter of Archmage Saul, enjoyed a high position. Many people tried to use young and naive Niya to influence upper ss people when they could not convince Ynthe and Saul to do so. Niya could pass their messages by a joke or ament. Ynthe knew what those people were doing. Niya nevermented on anything political. Even when Ynthe tried to tease her and asked her toment on the government officials, Niya justughed and ran away, or just avoided answering the questions by talking about who had treated her well and what they had gotten her for her birthdays. Some people might be innocent, but they were only stubborn in the areas they were familiar with. If there was something big happening, they would choose to be quiet or avoid the issue. Some people were naive but thought they were mature. They were cautious about little things, but gave their opinions impulsively on big issues, trying to manipte others to prove their maturity. Niya belonged to the previous sort. After the hard lesson she got at Lagan City, Niya had never interfered with Anfey¡¯s decisions. She maintained the same perspective in life.


    No matter whether the conversation was about building theb or magic academy, Niya had no knowledge in those areas. She never had any intention to talk to Anfey about it. She chose to brush Hagan aside.


    "Are you an alchemist?" Miorich¡¯s voice came from behind.


    "Yes, General Miorich." Hagan was shocked for a second before he turned around.


    "Do you want to build ab? Anfey did not agree?" Miorich slowly walked up. There were fewer and fewer people wanting to be alchemists. Only powers were appreciated in this world. Being powerful was the best way to survive in this world, while alchemists only helped others to be powerful. Alchemists were respected, but almost everyone wanted to be a mage. The requirements to be alchemists and mages were almost the same. Anyone who was qualified to be an alchemist could be a qualified mage as well. It was hard to make people switch to alchemy, since no one just wanted to help others be powerful.


    "Yes, General Miorich. Can you talk to him and convince him to build ab?" Hagan said with a sad face. Hagan was asking anyone avable, without considering if they could help or not, but it was not his fault. He just dreamed of having his ownb.


    "Join me! Whatever Anfey could provide you, I can as well. I also can give you what he could not give you," Miorich said with a smile.


    "Uncle Miorich, what are you doing?" Niya pouted and looked at Miorich in anger. Not only Miorich understood the importance of alchemists, Niya did too. Niya and others had been talking about building a few steel puppet warriors the previous day to protect the garrison residence. Without Hagon, they could not do it.


    "Sorry, I cannot join you." Hagan was shocked for a second before he firmly shook his head.


    "Why not?" Miorich asked.


    "I do not like to be constrained with rules," Hagan said.


    "I can provide you absolute freedom," Miorich said.


    "Sorry, I still cannot join you," Hagan said.


    Miorich smiled. He did not quite understand the young man in front of him. Hagan had justined about Anfey, but turned out to be his fan the next second. Miorich could tell Hagan¡¯s determination not to join him from his look and attitudes.


    "Where is Anfey?" Miorich asked quietly.


    "It would not change anything, even if you talk to Anfey." Hagan got worried. "I am not his ve. Even if Anfey agrees with you, I will not join you. I have the right to choose who I am going to join."


    "Hehe, you misunderstood me." Miorich waved his hand. "I would not force you to join me if you do not want to. I am just looking for Anfey for something else."


    Hagan heaved a sigh. His thoughts returned to hisb and he forgot Miorich was still there. He looked Niya and asked, "Niya, when are you going to talk to Anfey?"


    Niya had changed her opinion of Hagan. What a good man! She hesitated and said, "Don¡¯t worry. I will talk to Anfey soon."


    "Awesome!" Hagan was so happy to hear it. Only Niya in the whole legion could make Anfey change his mind. Now Niya agreed to talk to Anfey, which made Hagan think he was half way to convincing Anfey to agree to build him ab.


    Anfey went upstairs. ck Eleven had been waiting for Anfey where they had previously agreed. Anfey looked tired and slowly took a seat. ck Eleven passed him something like a scroll book.


    Anfey flipped a few pages and fell into thought. He continued to read. As he was half way through the book, someone was knocking on the door. Anfey was shocked for a second and said, "Come in please."


    Miorich pushed the door open and walked in. He nced at ck Eleven first andid his eyes on Anfey. He scanned Anfey up and down. It looked like he did not know Anfey.


    Anfey had already stood up. "Uncle Miorich, what is wrong?"


    "Is Heart of Nature with you?" Miorich asked.


    "Heart of Nature? I don¡¯t have it." Anfey was really confused about what Heart of Nature was.


    "Didn¡¯t Arch-druid Bruzuryano give you the Heart of Nature?" Miorich looked shocked and in disbelief.


    "Bruzuryano? Uncle Miorich, are you talking about this?" Anfey took the tree leaf from his shirt.


    Miorich slowly walked up to Anfey and held the tree leaf with both of his hands. He looked perplexed and seemed to be recalling something. There was some hatred, some sadness in his eyes. After a long time, Miorich took his hands back. "Anfey, is Bruzuryano doing well?"


    "He is doing good." Anfey could tell there was something wrong with Miorich. He tried to ask, "Uncle Miorich, are you a good friend of Bruzuryano?"


    "Something like that." Miorich smiled. "Why are you asking? Are you curious about it?"


    "Kind of." Anfey smiled like a silly boy out of habit.


    Anfey had earned Saul and Ernest¡¯s trust with this kinds of smile. Back then, no one knew about Anfey, so he left impressions with his facial expressions. But by now, Anfey had achieved so much, so who would fall for his smiles? Miorich heaved a slight sigh. "Go back and ask your master. He would tell you if he is in good mood."


    Anfey smiled bitterly. He had not thought about how to talk to Saul when he got back. He definitely had no interest in the stories among Saul and other top powers.


    "You have to protect the Heart of Nature well before you see Bruzuryano again. Do you understand?" Miorich said.


    "Is this the Heart of Nature? Uncle Miorich, what can the Heart of Nature do?" Even if Anfey did not get to know the stories of those top powers, it would be helpful to get to know the functions of the Heart of Nature.


    "We could notmunicate with the Heart of Nature, but Bruzuryano can." Miorich smiled. "I can tell you though that the Heart of Nature could protect you from any magic if you are under an attack of Anti-Magic. Of course, it could only protect the areas the leaf covers."


    "This leaf is only this big. What could it cover?" Anfey put the leaf on his body to see.


    "It depends on which part of your body is more important to you." There was a yful smile on Miorich¡¯s face. "Anfey, have you seen the statue of the Goddess of Nature?"


    "No," Anfey said.


    "You should check it out when you get a chance. All the statues of the Goddess of Nature have the Heart of Nature on them. You will understand the function of the leaf," Miorich said.


    ck Eleven, standing by them, almostughed out loud after being shocked for a second. He obviously had seen a statue of the Goddess of Nature before.


    "Since I know you have the Heart of Nature, I think others know about it as well," Miorich said, shaking his head slightly. "You guys go get some rest first. Let me set things up."

 Chapter 234: The Courage To Let Go

    Chapter 234: The Courage To Let Go


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Miorich led his men out of Violet City at the crack of dawn. At the center of the guards were the carriages carrying Anfey and his friends. After learning that Miorich was leaving the city, many people gathered to send him off. This may seem like a testament to how beloved Miorich was, but in truth the people of Violet City were simply scared. They had just experienced a brutal war, and many of the people were still terrified that the Shansa armies would return. Miorich¡¯s presence reassured them. On the other hand, Miorich had always had a good reputation. The people of the city did not want to see someone like him go.


    Anfey frowned and turned to Urter. "You should go back now," he said.


    "I won¡¯t let you down," Urter said sincerely.


    Anfey blinked, then smiled. He was surprised that Urter could tell what he was thinking, and smiled because he had made a juvenile mistake.


    "Alright," Anfey said. "I trust you." He nodded at Urter again and turned towards the carriage.


    He was worried about Urter. It wasn¡¯t that he did not trust the man. He worried how Urter would fare when he was away. If Marquis Djoser could publicly challenge Anfey, what would the man do to Urter? If the marquis was serious about this fight, Urter would have no chance of winning. Even though Anfey still did not consider this world as his home and all his decisions were made to benefit himself, Urter and he shared a secret. He was worried that Urter would use that secret to exchange for his life.


    After seeing Urter¡¯s determination, however, Anfey realized he was overthinking the situation. Being totally in control of everything was not always a right move. He needed to have the courage to let go and let things happen. Thebyrinth beneath the mansion may not be a treasure trove, and even if it was, it was Urter who discovered it first. If Urter wanted to tell someone else about it, Anfey had no right to say otherwise. It was better if he could be more rxed instead of worrying what was happening in Violet City all the time.


    Next to him, Niya jumped onto the carriage with Miorich¡¯s help. She looked at the crowd and sniffled. She did not want to leave this city. After all, she was a very emotional person.


    Miorich lowered the curtains on Niya¡¯s carriage. His movement was very natural and did not consider whether this was appropriate or not. He had been taking care of Niya ever since she was young. Whenever Niya fell asleep at his ce, it was he who carried her to a bed. When Niya was in trouble, it was Miorich who vouched for her. Like Ynthe, Miorich treated Niya like his own daughter. Miorich had one daughter, but she was blind and insecure, and almost never left her home. Niya was her only friend, and the only one that could make her smile. Miorich was very grateful for Niya because of this.


    Niya was a very emotional person, and her moods would change very fast. She and Shally began arguing about something only a few minutes after Niya disappeared into the carriage.


    Anfey lifted the curtain to see what was happening, and saw Shally looking at him, pouting. "She¡¯s bullying me," Shally used.


    "She¡¯s leaving," Niya said quickly. She wasn¡¯t afraid of Anfey, especially with Miorich present. She was just worried that it would ruin her image if the words of her bullying a child got out.


    "You were!" Shally said.


    "What are you looking at?" Niya scolded. She frowned at Anfey and pulled the curtains down. "Fine, fine. I was joking, alright? Here, have what you want."


    "Anfey!" Miorich called and waved at him.


    "What is it?"


    "I ordered three thousand of my men toe here from ckania City," Miorich said. "To keep the city safe. The general was my student and I had already told him to get acquainted with Urter." Miorich paused for a moment before continuing, "Don¡¯t worry. As long as they¡¯re here the marquis can¡¯t do anything."


    "Thank you so much," Anfey said sincerely. He had realized that all the important yers in Maho Empire¡¯s court were used to political intrigue. Not only Ynthe, but even Miorich kept surprising him. Whatever n he came up with, Miorich had already executed it.


    The familiar people tended to the the strangest, but this was the only thing Anfey could do. He did not know Saul, and he was not brave enough to know Saul because he was afraid Saul would see through all his secrets instead. Judging from what he knew about Miorich and Ynthe, Saul would not be a simple man, either. Thankfully he did not spend a long time with him, else he might have figured out what Anfey was hiding.


    "Don¡¯t thank me," Miorich said with a smile. "I¡¯m just looking out for my friends."


    "I can¡¯t forsake all formality," Anfey said, grinning. "Will you return to Sacred City with us?"


    "Yes. Why, do you think it¡¯s inconvenient?"


    "No, no, of course not. I¡¯m just worried that something may...happen on the way there." Anfey knew that there must be a reason Miorich was apanying them back to Sacred City, or else he would not be so persistent. They would not have time to go retrieve the treasures they left behind. On the other hand, this may be a good n. The rest of the team knew about the treasure as well. If they tried to retrieve it without telling Saul about it, it might damage their reputation.


    "Ernest said you¡¯re a clever one," Miorich said. "He¡¯s not wrong. But sometimes you are not all that smart."


    "What did I do wrong?"


    "You thwarted the necromancers¡¯ n, which is good, but you don¡¯t need everyone knowing your name."


    "They do?"


    "Of course, it¡¯s not all your fault. nbrea is famous for having a loose tongue," Miorich said with a sigh. "Nothing stays a secret with him."


    "Will necromancers do anything?"


    "They¡¯re with the Evil Mist," Miorich said gravely. "You don¡¯t know how terrible those people are, Anfey. His Majesty had been ruling for decades, but still rarely leaves Sacred City. Do you know why?"


    "Is he worried about assassination attempts?"


    "They can achieve anything as long as they want to," Miorich said, shaking his head. "His Majesty isn¡¯t scared, but there is no need to risk everything."


    "Does that mean we have to stay low?"


    "There¡¯s no use staying low when your enemy is the Evil Mist, son," Miorich said with a sigh. "You are already a target, but I don¡¯t know what they will do to get to you."


    "Me? Aren¡¯t they overreacting a bit?"


    "You were the one that foiled their assassination attempt on Saul. You were the one that killed their men in Sacred City, and you were the one that thwarted their n in Country of Mercenaries. Annunciata is one of the five elders of Evil Mist, and it was you who led nbrea to her. Why wouldn¡¯t they target you?"


    "Those necromancers are pure evil! I couldn¡¯t have just let them turn people into zombies!" Anfey did not regret destroying the necromancers¡¯ n the way he regretted killing Philip¡¯s grandson. The necromancers were evil and should be destroyed. Their actions threatened the safety of Moramatch and people living there. It was better to gain an upper hand than to wait until the threat became too real.


    "Your words are meaningless to me, and even more so to them," Miorich said. "The only solution is your weapon."


    Anfey shrugged. He agreed with Miorich on this matter. He, too, often resorted to violence to solve the problem.


    "If that old fox is willing to give you Heart of Nature, then..." Miorich¡¯s voice trailed off.


    "What does that have to do with Evil Mist?"


    "Heart of Nature can cancel out most side effects of death magic and would be very helpful. Besides, Bruzuryano is an Arch Druid, and he can sense Heart of Nature at all times. Which means he can easily find you as long as you are wearing the Heart," Miorich said. He paused and nced around. "Maybe he¡¯s observing us right now."

 Chapter 235: How Many Millions Died That Caesar Might Be Great?

    Chapter 235: How Many Millions Died That Caesar Might Be Great?


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As the legion was slowly getting ready to depart, Anfey returned to his own wagon. He quietly leaned against the wagon, recalling what had happened. Christian was talking with Riska and noticed Anfey lost thought. He asked with concern, "Anfey, what¡¯s wrong?"


    "Nothing, I was thinking about what has happened." Anfey heaved a deep sigh. "Miorich just told me those necromancers had targeted us for revenge. I was not careful enough. If I could do everything over again, I think I could do it better."


    "Hehe... it is already history. Why are you still thinking about it? Don¡¯t worry about it," Riska said.


    "No, that is not right. You will make the same mistake again if you do not learn from it," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, you are too cautious. You will get tired really quickly," Riska said.


    Anfey smiled without saying anything back. Life was never easy for Anfey.


    "Anfey, we are going to see our professor tomorrow. You had better think about what you are going to say to our professor," Christian said, smiling.


    "What? Tomorrow?" Anfey was startled. He was not ready to see Saul yet. He became very worried when Christian told him he would be seeing Saul the following day. Anfey knew Christian never joked about anything important, otherwise he probably would think Christian was joking with him now.


    "What is wrong with that? Didn¡¯t Miorich tell you?" Christian was surprised too.


    "No! Did our professore already?" Anfey asked.


    "No, he did note." Christian shook his head. "Didn¡¯t Miorich tell you Evil Mist has nned to ambush us on the way?"


    "Yes, he told me about that," Anfey said.


    Christian thought about it and smiled. "Hahaha, Miorich must want to see you make a fool of yourself. Maybe it is because you always look like nothing could bother you and never seem concerned about most things."


    "Get to the point, Christian. Tell me what happened," Anfey urged.


    "Miorich spread the news that we are going back to Sacred City on purpose. We did travel west on the merchant route. This will make Evil Mist believe they have enough time to get ready to attack us. If we were going back to Sacred City on the merchant route, it would at least take us twenty days. They are not rushing to attack us right now because we travelled to this ce." Christian pointed at the carpet. "Here we are only about ten miles away from ckania City. We will change direction to go to ckania City. Before the war started, the magic array was destroyed by the spies from Shansa Empire. Now it has been fixed. We also secretly sent arge amount of magic crystals from Sacred City, which should be enough to send us back to Sacred City by magic array."


    Anfey smiled bitterly. If Christian could describe the n in such detail, Miorich must have told him everything but left Anfey out. "Miorich must have some evil intentions towards me," Anfey thought to himself.


    "Will all of us be sent back to Sacred City?" Anfey asked.


    Christian shook his head. "It is impossible to send all of us back. It would take too many magic crystals. Only five people will be sent back; you, me, Niya, Suzanna, and Shally. It would use about half the magic crystals they sent, or possibly more. It is too far from ckania to Sacred City. If we are all sent back through magic array, all the magic in stock in our empire would not be enough."


    Anfey opened his mouth, trying to say "Can I go back by myself?" This question would make others doubt his intentions. This question was on the tip of his tongue, but he asked another question instead: "Will Riska and others stay in ckania City? That is not too safe for them." Christian looked at Anfey like there was something wrong with him. He thought Anfey was a smart and cautious man, far better than he was. Therefore, he was willing just to be his assistant.


    At that moment, Anfey seemed so naive about the issue. "What danger? Anfey, those necromancers hate you. You are in the most danger, and then Niya. If they could catch Niya, they could ckmail our professor. Riska and others will go back with Miorich. Without you and Niya, do you think people from Evil Mist would attack Miorich¡¯s bodyguards with a high cost?"


    Riska nodded in agreement: "He is right. Anfey, we will be in danger if you are with us." "Christian has reminded me of things we should be careful of. Don¡¯t worry. We will be fine."


    "But...what if Evil Mist would still attack you?" Anfey said.


    "They do not have a reason to attack us." Christian felt there was something wrong with Anfey.


    "Anfey, our king is so fond of you." Riska looked jealous. "The reason Suzanna and Shally could be sent over by magic array is because of you."


    "Hmm..." Anfey sighed and leaned back against the wagon.


    "Anfey, you do not look like you want to go back to Sacred City," Christian said in a low voice.


    "It is not like that. But...it¡¯s just too soon," Anfey said.


    "If it is too soon for you, it would be really soon for Evil Mist. I think they will be so disappointed when they find out you are already in Sacred City."


    Anfey did not know how to respond. At that moment, he had no time to think about how to learn from his mistakes. He recalled his time with Saul and the stories he had told Saul. It was easy to lie but a lot harder to have the lies make sense in the future. Usually, people could not tell when someone was lying right away. People usually realized they had lied when their lies did not make senseter on.


    Saul had cared and loved Anfey. Anfey respected Saul from the bottom of his heart. All of these were facts. But their bond had not grown strong yet by the time Anfey had to escape with Saul¡¯s family and students. It was fortunate for both of them that they could build their teacher-student rtionship. Predestined rtionships could change at any moment. People could bond one day but dislike each other the next. Anfey did not want Saul to dislike him.


    The legion travelled neither too fast or too slow, just at the right pace. They stopped to take a break around noon. They did not look rushed. They could have travelled a few miles more before taking a break. Miorich¡¯s bodyguard squad suddenly elerated and turned toward the road to ckania City. Ten miles was not far. Very soon, ckania City, also nicknamed Never Fallen City, appeared in front of everyone.


    Anfey lifted the curtain to look out. As a military fortress, the buildings in ckania City looked simple but grand. Tall city walls were like high rising cliffs. At each corner of the walls was a parapet. There were many holes on the walls of the fort where soldiers fought their battles. There were five mage towers in the city. They looked like gigantic swords thrusting at the sky. The war had ended only a short time ago, but ckania had cleaned up the city and its surrounding areas well. However, when there was a breeze, a slight smell of blood was still in the air. Anfey overheard talk among Miorich¡¯s bodyguards that the number of casualties was more than half the total number of soldiers who stayed at ckania City. Shansa Empire had an even higher rate of casualties. Their generals had simr talents and leadership abilities, but the invading party was always in the disadvantaged position. Shansa Empire retreated in a very short of time and did not get a chance to bury their soldiers¡¯ bodies. They left this duty to their enemy. The spies from Maho Empire took advantage of this and spread rumors in Shansa Empire, ming Edward VIII for his inhumanity.


    There were many bodies buried under the ins around ckania City. As the saying went: "How many millions died that Caesar might be great!" Of course, this saying referred to the benefits to the leader. It should not be so costly for a person to be famous. But to a real general, this kind of justification sounded ignorant, and it was just the criticism of writers. Most wars were not fought to make anyone famous. They were fought for survival or freedom. To the people who were fighting for freedom, dying for their beliefs would worth it.


    The city gate slowly opened. Miorich¡¯s bodyguard squad passed through without any hesitation. They moved towards the center of the city. In a little while, the bodyguard squad stopped at the garrison residence. ckania City did not have a citymaster. The garrison had military officers and administrators in charge of everything in the city. This used to be the house of themander of the Roaring Death Mercenary Group, Baery. Now it became Miorich¡¯s temporary home.


    Miorich tapped twice on the wagon wall and said, "You are here. You can get off now."


    Anfey lifted the curtain and jumped off the wagon first. He looked around and saw Miorich. Miorich still looked energetic and hospitable with his smiles. However, he looked a little cunning in Anfey¡¯s eyes. "Uncle Miorich, why did you not tell me that we are going back with magic array?" Anfey halfined and half asked.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you this morning that Evil Mist was going to take revenge on you?" Miorich said.


    "But, you did not tell me that we are going back to Maho Empire by magic array," Anfey said.


    "Time is very tight. I only had the time to tell you the beginning of it," Miorich said.


    Anfey did not know how to respond. Some people could easily shake off their responsibilities, or even push them on others. Anfey was not too happy that Miorich had a negative view in him.


    "Where are we?" Niya jumped off the back of the wagon. She looked around in curiosity. Obviously, like Anfey, she had not been told what was going on.


    "This is ckania City. Niya, let¡¯s go inside." Miorich smiled.


    Suzanna jumped off the wagon after Niya. She walked next to Anfey as she was used to doing. Women usually liked to unconsciously rely on their men to protect them. Suzanna did not stand next to him because she relied on him for protection, as some women might. She did not need anyone to protect her. She just liked to stand next to Anfey.


    "Don¡¯t just stand there. Follow me." Miorich walked to the garrison residence first.

 Chapter 236: New Powers

    Chapter 236: New Powers


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Miorich¡¯s mansion had an outer courtyard and an inner courtyard. The high walls and tight security had isted the mansion from the outside world. In the middle was the mansion, where the general took care of important business. Anyone who tried to enter by force would either be captured and imprisoned or killed. The transmission portal was located next to the mansion.


    The portal was the only way the general and the emperor couldmunicate when the general was away at war. The portal was right next to Miorich¡¯s residence in order to prevent any information from getting out. It was also the innermost part of the mansion, and it would be difficult for intruders to fight through every level of security check. This was done in most cities to prevent security breaches. Everyone knew the importance of securing information.


    Anfey did not know when Miorich began putting the n in motion and how he had sent his orders. Miorich¡¯s men were very efficient, however, and the portal was already activated by the time they reached it. Even amon person could sense the magic surgesing off of the portal. The crystal in the middle turned from a solid mass into pure energy, and was floating in the air above the portal like mist.


    "What are we doing here?" Suzanna asked quietly.


    "We¡¯re going to Sacred City."


    "Sacred City? We¡¯re teleporting everyone?" Suzanna asked, shocked. This was such avish way of transporting people. Transporting across such a long distance would cost thousands of magic crystals. It would be more riches than a normal family could ever dream of.


    "No, just a few of us."


    "What about Shally?"


    "Shally¡¯sing with us, of course. She¡¯s my sister too, and I won¡¯t abandon her," Anfey said with a smile.


    Suzanna frowned but smiled nheless. She did not know if that was the truth or it was Anfey trying to please her, but it didn¡¯t matter. As long as Shally was safe, Suzanna was happy.


    "Are we using the portal?" Niya walked over and asked. "Will I see father again soon?"


    "Of course," Miorich said, ncing at the mages around the portal. "Are you happy?"


    "Yes!" Niya said excitedly. "Of course! You¡¯re the best!" She squealed and hugged Miorich.


    The runes around the portal slowly lit up as the mages began chanting. One of the mages took away the protective dome over the portal, and the magic surges became several times stronger. The energy above the portal rose upwards. The energy did not disperse in the air, like it should have, but instead lurched towards the people standing around the portal.


    Anfey frowned, but did not try to avoid it. He knew that energy like this would not harm him. As the energy came closer and closer, it began to condense. It finally became a thin column and crashed into Anfey¡¯s chest and disappeared. It was as if something was absorbing the energy. Everyone frowned and stared at Anfey, confused by the strange urrence.


    "What just happened?" Miorich asked.


    "Nothing," Anfey said. He moved his arms and smiled.


    "Really?"


    "Really."


    "Alright," Miorich said. He looked at Anfey, who did not disy any signs of difort. He turned to Niya and said, "Come stand here. Laura had been asking about you. Don¡¯t forget to visit her when you¡¯re back."


    "Of course not," Niya said, smiling. "I miss her a lot, as well." Laura was Miorich¡¯s daughter and Niya¡¯s good friend.


    Anfey closed his eyes. He had already realized that the Arch Druid¡¯s gift could absorb the forest¡¯s energy and be one with nature. That was why he could see things that were far away from him. It was the Heart of Nature that absorbed the energy just then, butpared to the energy in the forest, this energy was much more powerful.


    In the past he could only see the ants, but now he could see the details on the ants¡¯ bodies. In the past he could only see shapes of people, but now he could see the details of their features. Everything became so much more clear and bright, and all the colors became more vibrant. Anfey had never experienced anything like this. It was as if he had always looked at the world through fog, and could only see it clearly with the Heart of Nature.


    As Niya was walking over to the portal, her ears suddenly moved. In the past, Anfey would have never been able to spot something like that. Miorich was watching Niya, and as he blinked, Anfey saw his eyelids wiping away dirt from his eyes. Suzanna sighed, and Anfey could see the shape of her breath and how it blew a few tiny bugs away.


    It was hard to describe what it was like to see the world in such a detailed and clear way. Not only could he see more clearly, Anfey could feel things more acutely, as well. Before he could further enjoy this sensation, however, it began to fade. Before the powerpletely disappeared, however, Anfey saw one of the mage¡¯s eyes gleam suspiciously.


    "Niya!" Anfey bellowed suddenly.


    Niya was already stepping onto the portal, but jumped back and turned to stare at Anfey. The others around him were frightened by his sudden shout as well, but Miorich and his men only looked at him.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Christian asked.


    "Niya, get away from that portal," Anfey said. He turned and walked to the suspicious mage.


    Whenever Anfey be serious, no one would try to object. Niya stepped away from the portal and rejoined the group. Suzanna¡¯s hand was resting on the hilt of her sword and observing the changes in the surroundings. Unlike everyone else, Suzanna did not grow up in Sacred City and did not treat Miorich as the absolute authority. She was alert, and suspecting everyone except for her friends.


    Anfey walked over the mage and stared into the man¡¯s eyes. Compared to other parts of the body, it was the hardest to lie when someone looked into one¡¯s eyes.


    "Excuse me, my lord, what can I do for you?" the mage asked.


    "Christian, check the portal," Anfey said without moving his eyes away from the man.


    "Me?" Christian asked. He was only a junior magister, and it would be difficult for him to check on a portal. Christian did not even have the experience, and it was almost an impossible task.


    "What do you mean, my lord?" another mage interrupted and asked. Clearly, Anfey was suspecting that something was wrong. This directly affected their reputation, and it was uneptable for the mages.


    "Nothing," Miorich said. "His words are mine, and you will obey him." Miorich did not know what was happening, but he trusted Anfey. He was familiar with Saul, and knew Saul¡¯s students very well. After reuniting with Saul¡¯s students, he realized how mature they had be. They had been on their own for the entire time, and did not have any contact with Saul. The only person that could lead them and guide them was Anfey. Miorich would never ignore Anfey¡¯s opinions. Anfey¡¯s nervousness made Miorich uneasy.


    Realizing that Miorich was taking Anfey¡¯s side, the mage lowered his head and stepped back. Mages were widely respected wherever they went, but nothing was absolute. Miorich was far superior to the mages. He had no right to defy Miorich¡¯s orders.


    "Did you hear him just now?" Miorich bellowed. "Check the portal."


    The mages all jumped up and began busying themselves with checking the portal. Some retrieved books from their rings andpared the ones in the book with the one in front of them. However, no one found anything wrong.

 Chapter 237: Terrifying Puppet Spell

    Chapter 237: Terrifying Puppet Spell


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "General, there is nothing wrong with the magic arrays," a mage reported to Miorich as he nced at Anfey. He wanted to see Anfey make a fool of himself.


    "Check it again," Miorich demanded before he even turned around to look at him. The worst thing a leader could do was to change his ideas all the time and never hold firm in his position. When a leader listened to someone and believed in him, and thenter started to offer different opinions on the same issue, the leader would doubt him. If the leader could not make his own judgement from the information given, he could be taken advantage of and misled by others. Miorich was an excellent general. He would not be indecisive. Since he believed in Anfey, he would not contradict him easily.


    The mages looked at each other and then checked the magic array again, because they knew they could not disobey Miorich¡¯smand.


    Anfey and the suspect looked at each other for a while, but he did not find anything suspicious in that mage. The mage looked at him confused. He seemed to sneer at Anfey. Everything seemed normal about the mage. Someone else might doubt himself and think he had made a mistake, but not Anfey. Anfey was very determined and confident. He never second guessed himself.


    Anfey slowly turned around and walked to the magic array. After the magic array started, it would slowly suck the magic crystals¡¯ energy to keep the magic array running. It only took a little while to see some smog above the magic array. The smog was getting thicker.


    When Anfey walked only five yards away from the magic array, he saw exactly what he expected. The smog seemed to be blown away by the wind and moving towards Anfey. Anfey knew the Heart of Nature was sucking the energy.


    Anfey slowly closed his eyes, and got into Samadhi state. He suddenly started to see his surroundings clearer. Anfey focused all his attention on that suspected mage, looking for anything unusual.


    Anfey scanned the suspect from head to toe and from toe to head, but he did not find anything unusual. Anfey turned to check the magic array. Suddenly, he saw an amazing new world. An invisible but clearly sensed energy was moving among all kinds of spells. The whole magic array was divided into sixteen sections. The energy stayed in each of the sections without interfering with each other. All the energy merged onto sixteen points. Anfey had never learned about magic arrays before, but he started to get the hang of how a magic array worked. Those sixteen points were the hinges for the door to the space. Anfey believed if he could continue to be able to see the magic array, he could build a magic array on his own.


    "General, there is nothing wrong with the magic array," a mage turned around and told Miorich.


    This time, Miorich did not respond. He only turned to look at Anfey. Anfey was totally lost in the thought. He did not hear anything around him.


    It was people¡¯s nature to want to have control in life. For instance, seeing the snowkes falling, people could not help holding their hands out to catch them and watch them melt in their hands. Seeing beautiful flowers, some people would sniff, touch, or even pick them. People were just passerbys in the world, but wanted to prove their existence or leave their footprints. When they were touched or sentimental, most people would have the desire to do something.


    To the people in that world, magic arrays were just magic arrays, but Anfey had a sense that magic arrays were integrated circuits. Watching the energy slowly moving in order, Anfey subconsciously used his ability mastered in the Evil Abyss. He used his mental power tomunicate with that power.


    The magic array suddenly shined with white light. The mages who were still checking the magic array were all startled by it. Anfey could clearly sense the energy oozing out of the spells. He immediately stopped using his mental power once he realized what he did to the magic array. He also woke up from his thoughts.


    "What happened?" the mage who reported to Miorich before said, wide-eyed.The magic array itself had shown there was something wrong by running at a crazy speed.


    Miorich turned to look at the suspected mage with a scolding look. "What else do you want to say?"


    The mage smiled bitterly. "Master, I was not feeling well yesterday. I did note and instead rested at my daughter¡¯s house. You can check on it if you do not believe me. I did not start the magic array. I had nothing to do with it."


    Anfey looked vicious. He looked at Suzanna first and then blinked at her. He turned to give Christian a look and then walked slowly to the mage who was arguing for himself.


    He did not find anything unusual before, but as the mage talked more, Anfey could see what was wrong with him. The vision Anfey had with the Heart of Nature had not totally disappeared yet. Anfey still could clearly see the airing out of his mouth. It seemed normal. When the air passed through the throat, the air constantly changed the position of the throat muscles and tongue. By changing the position of their mouths, people could make sounds. The problem with that mage was that he only breathed out. Normal people had to breath in intervals to get oxygen for the body. It was not possible to keep talking without breathing air in.


    Anfey stood in front of that mage again. It was easy to figure out what was wrong him once he found something unusual on him. That mage¡¯s chest was moving slightly up and down, but there was no air passing through his nose and mouth. The chest movement was only to prove he was normal. That mage could notpletely stop breathing in unless he was a Samadhi practitioner as Anfey, or had reached the level that he could breathe through his skin.


    "What is your name?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "My name is Thore, Master." The mage looked respectfully at Anfey.


    Anfey nodded. He noticed another unusual thing about the mage. The mage in front of Anfey neither breathed in nor had any pulse. Judging from every angle, the mage in front of Anfey must be dead. Anfey felt it was amazing and could not make sense of it.


    Anfey moved his body sideways. A bright white sword radiant passed over Anfey¡¯s shoulder. With a metallic whooshing sound, Suzanna¡¯s sword thrust into the mage¡¯s throat.


    The mages around the magic array were startled. They had noticed Suzanna slowly walking up to Anfey, but they did not expect her to kill the mage. They were worried and angry when they saw their fellow getting killed for no reason.


    Christian had stood in between. He did not mean to fight with mages. Neither could he. He had to stop the altercation before Miorich could say something.


    Suzanna pulled her sword out with a backhand move. The mage held his throat with one hand and stumbled back with shock and anger. The way he looked definitely gotpassion from the others.


    "Stop it." Anfey pointed at him and raised his voice on purpose. "Your blood should have oozed out when you were stabbed in the throat. You neither breathed in, nor had any heart beat. In other words, you have been dead."


    The mage slowly fell to the ground with one hand on his throat. He looked like he was in a spasm and kept twitching his legs as he opened his eyes wide. He looked like he could not die in peace.


    Two mages with hot tempers had already started to chant. Element surges started to get tense. However, all these activities stopped after Miorich cleared his throat. The world seemed to be quiet.


    "Anfey, what happened?" Miorich walked over.


    "He has been dead." Anfey shrugged. Things were more than he could imagine. He thought the mage would resist after he was found out. Who would know he yed his original role, dead on the floor. It was not easy for Anfey to convince others to believe him.


    "Dead?" Miorich said.


    "Yes, I have said before that he neither breathed nor had any heart beat. What was he if he was not dead," Anfey said, walking forward.


    "Anfey, stop." Hui Wei rushed out behind vi.


    "What is wrong?" Anfey asked.


    "He must have been created by a necromancer with puppet spells if he did not breathe or have a heart beat for a long time." Hui Wei had rushed next to Anfey and grabbed him to stop him from getting any closer to that mage¡¯s body. "It is too dangerous. We need to get away from him."


    "Bullsh*t!" A mage was so enraged that his eyes turned blood red. "Thore chatted with us this morning. How could he be a puppet?"


    "Right! If he were a puppet and we did not sense it, wouldn¡¯t General Miorich sense it?" another mage said. He was smarter, knowing to use Miorich¡¯s reaction to prove his point.


    "What if he was a Servant of Death created by masters with puppet spells?" Hui Wei refuted.


    All the mages were startled by what Hui Wei said. Low-level puppet spells could only change the target¡¯s body. Advanced-level spells could be divided into two extremes. One was to make the body of the target be more powerful. The target could even have some counter ability for magic andbat power. The other was to avoid making any change to the body of the target and only intervene with telepathy and mental power. A perfect Servant of Death would look no different than a regr person, have the basic magic andbat power skills, or even get married and have kids. It would be hard to notice anything wrong with Servants of Death among people.


    Miorich suddenly looked seriously concerned after hearing about Servants of Death. Servant of Death was the tamest puppet spell among other spells of necromancers, but could also be the most terrifying one. A long time ago, there were two necromancers who had sessfully turned half of the city into Servants of Death in a year. A Servant of Death could slowly turn his family into Servants of Death in an unnoticable way. It was impossible to keep track of who got affected by this spell. Later, people found out by an incident. Back then, the Church of Light was powerful and influential. Two travelling priests performed Magic of Light to try to convert people, but the people on the street attacked them like crazy. One of them was torn into pieces while the other one luckily got away. This incident got the attention of the Pan Continent, and Church of Light became famous afterwards.

 Chapter 238: The Secret of Spirits

    Chapter 238: The Secret of Spirits


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This is impossible," one of the mages stammered. "People who know how to do this kind of magic are long dead."


    Not everyone agreed with hisment, however. Necromancers were very hard to kill, and despite the numerous attempts to eliminate necromancers, they thrived. There were always a few necromancers that would hide away and recover in some remote corner of the world. When there were enough believers in their religion, there would be another attempt at eliminating necromancers. Every time, the Church of Light would announce that they had eliminated all evil, but it was never the truth. Everyone had forgiven this, however, because it was better to have the Church in charge than the necromancers.


    Miorich walked over slowly. This time, Hui Wei did not try to stop him. Puppets were not powerful and could not harm a gold knight, unless there was a necromancer lurking nearby. Hui Wei turned and whispered something to Anfey and Suzanna. Anfey nodded, and Suzanna jumped up onto the small tower next to the transmission portal. The tower was only ten feet tall, but it was enough to give her an advantage.


    Miorich looked at the man, then kicked the man¡¯s hand away from his throat. His expression grew cold at the sight. There was arge gash on the man¡¯s throat, but there was hardly any blood. Miorich knew very well what this indicated.


    "Burn the body," Miorich ordered, taking a few steps back. He nced at Suzanna, then walked away from the man. He was trying his hardest not to let his emotions show. The mage really had been turned into a puppet, which meant that the transmission portal was unsafe to use. What if Niya had stepped into the portal? Miorich did not want to think about it. Suzanna and Shally¡¯s deaths would be easier to deal with, but if it was Niya, Christian, or Anfey who was harmed, the consequences would be too great. It would put his ability in question, and he would not be able to face his old friends. This could potentially have destroyed his future.


    As soon as Miorich turned around, the mage¡¯s body began to change. The man¡¯s light green eyes turned to grey, then his eyes dissolved into puddles of water, and his body began to bloat.


    Miorich swept around to face the man. There were two types of warriors, swordsmen and knights, and neither needed weapons to be powerful. Suzanna once almost kicked Anfey to death when she was weaponless and choking, and Miorich was so much more powerful than she.


    Miorich stepped forward, crushing small pebbles under his feet. The mage was thrown back by some invisible force. Miorich swung at the man, and hisbat power swallowed the mage¡¯s body.


    A loud crack ripped through the air, and the unstable air current caused by thebat power swept across the courtyard like a raging storm. The transmission array burst into light and was under a transparent magic dome. It was the protective dome ced onto the array. Christian released a protective spell first, and Riska and vi followed suit. They had already preparing themselves when they saw Suzanna drawing her sword. Mages tended to use three kinds of defensive magic. There were shielding, protective domes, and kekai. Shields were only used by one person and were the strongest. Protective domes and kekais were both used forrge groups of people, but not as powerful as shields. Of course, one could notpare shields released by a junior magister to the kekais released by an archmage.


    Usually, mages would use shields when they were in danger. Previously, Christian, Riska, and vi would not use a kekai either, but after everything they had been through together, they learned how valuable friendship was. The mages standing around the transmission array, on the other hand, choose to protect themselves first.


    Miorich¡¯s figure was obscured by the current, and the only one that was not protected by magic was Suzanna, who was standing on the tower. Unlike the people on the ground, who were stumbling, she was standing straight and unmoving, as if she was nailed to the tower. Her eyes were bright and filled with admiration for Miorich¡¯s power.


    Anfey was in the worst shape of all. He wasn¡¯t close enough to Christian when he released the kekai, and instead had jumped into the air and was blown away by the current. He grabbed at the air andnded on a wall nearby.


    After a few moments, the current died down, and Miorich turned towards his guards. He might have caused the violent currents, but he did not have any scratches on him, and his clothes were still immacte. His eyes were cold.


    Anfey stayed on the wall, staring at Miorich. He had grabbed something he imagined must have been a spirit. This was the second time he had came in contact with a spirit, but when he tried tomunicate with it, it struggled against him. He could feel how terrified the spirit was. He felt a momentary warmth, then the spirit melted away.


    "Close the array immediately," Miorich instructed sternly. He turned to the group that was still waiting to use the array and said, "Stay here. Don¡¯t go anywhere."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said as he rejoined his friends.


    "Niya, stay here and don¡¯t do anything, alright?" Miorich turned to Niya and said. He was worried about her.


    "I understand," Niya said, nodding.


    Miorich turned to the mages standing nearby. If one of them was turned into a puppet, he had to inspect the rest of them as well.


    "Go home and rest," Miorich said, "for now."


    The mages nced at each other and turned to leave. The mage who was trying to protect the puppet seemed especially defeated. Thankfully no one affiliated with the Church was present, or else he would be a suspect. The mage¡¯s guild would not protect him if he was suspected of being a necromancer.


    After the mages left, Miorich sent some of his men to escort Anfey and the group to their rooms. However, no one was in the mood to rest, and everyone gathered in Anfey¡¯s room to talk about what had just happened.


    "Anfey," vi asked eagerly, "what did you catch?" He was very curious, but did not want to ask when there were still strangers around.


    "Nothing," Anfey said. He wasn¡¯t exactly lying. The spirit did disappear after he caught it.


    "Then what were you going to catch?" Christian ask. He worded his question much more cleverly.


    "A spirit," Anfey said. He had changed his mind and decided to disclose more information to his friends. Necromancers were targeting them, and he knew very little about them. He needed to talk to his friends so he would be more prepared. Beings from the Evil Abyss were things that existed in the ce between life and death. Each spirit had its own thoughts and personality. There were betrayals, hatred, and murders, but there was also cooperation, trust, and friendship. The spirits there were not unlike humans. Death magic, on the other hand, was only one branch of magic, and products of death magic did not have any emotions.


    After two encounters with spirits, Anfey was nervous that someone was trying to achieve the same thing Yagor was trying to do. Someone was trying to build a tunnel between the Evil Abyss and the living world, and he could not allow that to happen. He knew very well what lives in the Abyss, and how terrible the thing was. Nothing canpare to a Spirit King when ite to murders and killing. A single Spirit King has enough power to crush every life in a thirty mile radius. Only those who had achieved sacred state could defeat a Spirit King, but those people were nothing more than legends.


    "A spirit?" Hui Wei asked, shocked.


    "You know about them?" Anfey asked.


    "No," Hui Wei said, shaking his head. "But I¡¯ve read about them. How did you discover them?"


    "You will find outter," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Hui Wei, how much do you know about spirits? Does it have anything to do with necromancers?"


    "I don¡¯t know, but I know that puppet earlier was a failure, or else you wouldn¡¯t have discovered it so easily. It seemed like those necromancers have not mastered the art of creating puppets yet."


    "Which means they are actively practicing it," Christian said slowly. "This one may be a failure, but the next one may not be."

 Chapter 239: The Threat of Having a War

    Chapter 239: The Threat of Having a War


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Hui Wei opened his mouth and tried to respond to Christian. He swallowed whatever he was trying to say after he looked around. Anfey saw Hui Wei¡¯s reaction, but did not say anything.


    "Anfey, didn¡¯t you say you want to catch Ahrimans? Did you get them?" Niya asked out of curiosity.


    "No." Anfey shook his head. He looked upset and disappointed. He still could not figure out how Ahrimans disappeared.


    "Uh..." Niya heaved a long sigh. "We used to have such a very peaceful life. We did not have to worry about anything. I don¡¯t know what happened this year. Troubles havee one after another. It is so annoying."


    After Niya finished talking, everyone smiled bitterly. Niya was right. They had peaceful lives in Sacred City before. They only had to focus on practicing magic. Since they escaped from Sacred City, they kept running into all kinds of trouble. It seemed like they had experienced a whole life¡¯s worth of troubles in a year, just one after another.


    "Anfey, it is all your fault," Niya suddenlyined with a yful tone.


    "What did I do?" Anfey asked.


    "Since you came to my house, all kinds of troubles have been finding their way to us. You have jinxed us." Niya¡¯s words sounded a little harsh. If she had not been smiling or people did not know her personality, her words could have caused conflict between her and Anfey.


    "My princess, I do not want to run around every day either. I don¡¯t think you should me me." Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or cry. He was a very forgiving person. He did not take Niya¡¯s words seriously.


    "I am ming you," Niya said.


    "You cannot me Anfey for that," vi said. "It was Maris. He was too devious. Maris and Melinda set Anfey up. After they were kicked out of our professor¡¯s house, they even took Zeda back to cause troubles for us. If Anfey and others did not fight back, we would probably have been killed."


    "Oh, right, did Maris die? I was too nervous and forgot to check on him," Riska said.


    "He should be dead. I saw Zeda thrusting his sword hard at him. There was no way he could survive from it," vi said.


    "Zeda was so cruel. He actually aimed at Anfey after Maris. I bet Maris did not think Zeda would kill him to attack Anfey," Riska said.


    "Hahaha...Why couldn¡¯t he think of that?" vi snorted. "Zeda was so devious. There was nothing he dared not do. He felt he had Philip behind him." vi hated Zeda with passion. As Saul¡¯s student, he was popr among young men. No one thought Zeda would attack him without any concern and almost killed him without giving the consequences any thought. It was such a humiliation for vi. He would never forget it.


    "vi was right. Zeda was the worst one among the Four Troubles in Sacred City," Riska said.


    "Four Troubles? People just made that up. Stop spreading rumors," Christian said, standing up immediately and ncing at Niya since she was one of the Four Troubles. What Christian said made some sense. The so-called Four Troubles were just four unrted people who had been lumped together. There was no reason behind it. It just sounded fun. It spread from mouth to mouth, and now everyone knew about it. In fact, Niya only liked to y some pranks. She had nothing inmon with the other three. She was an angelpared with the other three troubles.


    "Four Troubles? Who are they?" Niya asked in curiosity.


    Everyone was caught off guard by her question. No one thought Niya had never heard of this saying. However, thinking about it again, it did make some sense that she did not hear about it before. No one would pass this information to Niya. If they did, they were just looking for trouble themselves.


    "People like Zeda," Christian tried to change topic right away. "Zeda had given us so much trouble. When I saw Anfey beating Maris and Zeda, I felt great. If it were me, I would have fought them as well."


    "Yes, if I were not restrained by the antimagic bracelets, I could have helped Anfey to give them a lesson," Riska said angrily.


    "I did not get to see it." vi looked upset. He had been in aa and did not get to see that awesome fight.


    "Anfey¡¯s sword skills were already very good back then. It was awesome to see Anfey¡¯s foot sword fight with Zeda." Feller said with a smile.


    "Did he fight with his feet?" vi opened his eyes wide open.


    "He tossed the sword up and kicked the shaft. The sword shot at Zeda," Feller said.


    "Anfey was good with the sword. Didn¡¯t you notice even Ernest and Miorich were interested in his sword skills?" Christianmented with a smile.


    "Hold on, hold on. We should talk about necromancers right now. Why are you guys talking about me?" Anfey helplessly waved his hand. They were really off topic.


    "You guys can continue your talk. I am feeling a little sleepy." Niya stood up with a yful smile. Niya¡¯s personality was just like this. No matter what difficulty she was facing, she still could smile as long as she had someone to rely on. Her personality was not bad. She was optimistic, which kept her healthy and could help her live a long life. Anfey, on the other hand, could not be optimistic. He had been thinking that problems were way serious than they should have been. In everything, he used to n for the worst. He did not want to act this way, but life forced him to.


    "Ok, you guys should go have some rest. Riska and vi, can you be on watch for the first half of the night. I will take over for the second half," Anfey said in a low voice.


    "Sure." Riska and vi nodded together.


    Everybody started to walk out. Anfey gave Christian a look to ask him to stay and then he called, "Hui Wei, can you stay for a second?"


    Hui Wei shrugged and walked back. He took a seat on a chair.


    There were only four people left in the room. Anfey signaled Suzanna to close the door and said quietly, "Hui Wei, do you want to tell us something?"


    Hui Wei hesitated for a second before he started speaking. "I talked about Servants of Death on purpose. I was trying to help you out back then. In fact, those necromancers cannot make Servants of Death. I think it was a new puppet spell instead of Servants of Death."


    "Why do you say this?" Anfey asked.


    "Because I know some of the history of the puppet spell of Servants of Death. There was a terrifying agent in the blood of Servants of Death. The Servants of Death could not turn regr people into their same kind until they put their blood into a regr person¡¯s bodies. Once this kind of agent disappeared, they could not make any Servant of Death anymore."


    Anfey and Christian looked at each other without saying anything.


    "Christian, you made necromancers sound too terrifying. In fact, necromancers could be very weak," Hui Wei said with a smile. "I have a wide range of interests. I want to know a little bit about everything. I spent some time on death magic before. Luckily, I was able to pull myself out from it before Imitted myself to death magic."


    "I did not make necromancers sound terrifying. You are making them sound too simple," Christian said with a shake of his head.


    "What do you mean?" Hui Wei did not sound too happy.


    "You only obtained very superficial knowledge of death magic, but you have not turned into one of the necromancers. You do not really know about them," Christian said.


    "Do you know about them?" Hui Wei asked.


    "I think you could tell Miorich was very nervous when I mentioned Servants of Death. Do you think he worried about one or a few puppets? If you think that way, you are so wrong. He was worried about the habit of necromancers."


    "Habit?" Anfey and Hui Wei asked at the same time.


    "When death magic had just appeared, kings from different countries were very fond of it, since death magic could create many cheap but loyal soldiers. However, because of the characteristics of death magic, as necromancers got stronger, kings started to see death magic differently. They started to fear it. When people started to dislike death magic, necromancers felt they were used and dumped by those kings. They could not bear with it. Instead, they killed people to vent their anger. They became the enemies of the whole Pan Continent," Christian said.


    "Do you know the habit of necromancers whenever they were defeated? The surviving necromancers would hide in the areas where no one would find them. They would restore their abilities. When they felt they could fight against the whole Pan Continent, they woulde out to make some small troubles to test what countries on Pan Continent would respond to them," Christian said. "Twenty or thirty years ago, was there any necromancer on Pan Continent?"


    Hui Wei thought about it and answered, "No."


    "Now many people know about a necromancer called Annunciata. What they did not know was that Annunciata had been making trouble here and there ten years ago. Our professor talked about her before as well. This time Annunciata dared to create many zombies in the Cross Valley. Do you know what it means?" Before Hui Wei could even answer his question, Christian continued, "Necromancers only pick a fight when they think they are a match with the whole Pan Continent. It means the War against the Dead would start soon."


    "Is it that serious?" Hui Wei asked.


    "Time will tell," Christian said. "Right now, one of the two High Priests of Light has gone to Maho Empire and the other to Shansa Empire to try to mediate the war. The pope will meet with the nobility in Ellisen Empire. Are they there only to mediate the war? In fact, many people have noticed the threats from necromancers, but they just do not know which areas necromancers would target first. That is why Miorich was so nervous after seeing the puppet. A regr puppet spell is not that great, but more and more necromancers showing up would be an issue, a serious issue."

 Chapter 240: Nightmares

    Chapter 240: Nightmares


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When Anfey ended his meditation, the sky was already filled with stars. He gathered his things and left the room. He reached the window on the top floor by the stairs, and jumped onto the windowsill. He jumped up and pulled himself onto the roof.


    vi and Riska, who were chatting on the roof, turned and looked at him. "Didn¡¯t expect to see you here," Riska said with a smile.


    "I¡¯m full of surprises," Anfey said. He nced around and said, "Nothing¡¯s amiss, I presume?"


    "Everything¡¯s going pretty well," vi said, nodding. "You see, over there and there? There are guards everywhere. You don¡¯t even really need the two of us here."


    "Better to be careful. Just pretend you¡¯re here for fun."


    "You¡¯re by yourself?" vi asked, curiously. "Where¡¯s Suzanna?"


    "Shally had a nightmare and Suzanna¡¯s with her," Anfey said with a smile. "You two should get some rest. I got it from here." After spending so much time together, everyone knew that Anfey was always energetic and rarely needed rest. vi and Riska nodded. They released a levitation spell and disappeared into the building.


    Anfey sat on the roof quietly and stared at the courtyard. The innermost building was where Miorich and some of his most trusted men lived. The building there could not hold a dozen more people, and it would be inappropriate if they requested the knights to prepare rooms for them. Miorich may not care, but the knights would. Anfey decided it would be better if they just stayed in a building off to the side.


    The innermost courtyard was the most heavily-guarded ce in the entire city. The anima pagoda there were essential to connecting the mage towers, and the transmission array was the only way this city couldmunicate with Sacred City. People who lived there were the most important people in the city, and it was logical how heavily guarded this ce was.


    Two dozen magicmps lit the inner courtyard, and teams of guards patrolled it nonstop. Soldiers were much more serious and disciplined than normal people, and did not chat like vi and Riska had been just moments ago. They went about their business in silence and did not talk to distract each other.


    Anfey felt his eyesight was getting better. He was a few hundred feet away from the knights, but he could still see each and every man.


    He talked about the spirits with Christian and Hui Wei, but the more they talked the heavier the mood became. Christian and Hui Wei both became very worried after their talk. They were still young, and were ambitious enough to aspire to great things. They were worried not only for themselves, but also for the entire world. It was understandable, since young people tended to have grand ideas and dreams. Even if one was only working a small and insignificant job, everyone still had the dream to achieve greatness. The older a man got, however, the less idealistic he would be. Some people would even forget about their initial dreams.


    Suddenly, Anfey spotted someone walking out of the inner courtyard. He was dressed inmon clothes and did not appear special. Anfey wasn¡¯t sure where he had seen the man before, he looked familiar.


    The guards did not pay the man much attention, and when he left the inner courtyard, he suddenly lifted his head as if he sensed someone observing him. He looked towards Anfey and their eyes met.


    Anfey saw the man¡¯s shock, and knew that he had recognized him. The man lowered his head and quickly passed by under the building.


    "Anfey? Why are you here by yourself?"


    "Feller? What are you doing up here?"


    "I wanted some fresh air."


    "It¡¯s three in the morning."


    Feller smiled and sat down next to Anfey. "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me, but every time I fall asleep, I have nightmares. I can¡¯t sleep like that."


    "Aren¡¯t you a little too old to be spooked by nightmares?"


    "You don¡¯t know, but the dreams were so real," Feller said, shaking his head. "Almost too real."


    "There you are, we¡¯ve been looking for you, Feller." The door opened and Sante and Zubin appeared.


    "Why are you looking for me?" Feller asked.


    "Do you have any ale left?"


    "No. Why would I? I left unnecessary things at Moramatch."


    "God, I wish we were staying at an inn," Sante muttered. "I don¡¯t even want to leave my room here, let alone find ale."


    "Why aren¡¯t you two asleep?" Anfey asked.


    "Had a nightmare," Sante said, shaking his head. He turned to Feller and said, "Did you really leave ale at Moramatch?"


    "Really."


    Anfey frowned. He knew it was normal for Shally to have nightmares, and Feller¡¯s nightmare must have been a coincidence. Now that he learned Sante was having nightmares as well, he was growing suspicious. "Zubin," he said, "did you have a nightmare as well?"


    "How did you know?" Zubin asked, frowning.


    Anfey jumped up and said urgently, "Quick, wake everyone up."


    "What? What happened?"


    "Quick, do as I say. I will exin it in a bit," Anfey said. He ran towards the edge of the roof and jumped off. He knew exactly where Shally and Suzanna¡¯s room was, and it was easier this way. He grabbed their windowsill and knocked on the window.


    "Who is it?" Suzanna asked, rmed.


    "Me," Anfey said.


    "Wait," Suzanna said.


    After a few moments, Suzanna opened the window. She was wearing a white nightgown. She grinned after seeing Anfey standing on the windowsill like a thief and asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Is Shally still having nightmares?" Anfey asked as he jumped into the room.


    "She is," Suzanna said, nodding. "I would spend half an hour putting her to sleep and she would wake up crying after a few minutes. I don¡¯t know what spooked her so much." She frowned and shook her head.


    "Grab her, and let¡¯s go look for Niya."


    "Alright," Suzanna said. She moved over to the bed and gathered Shally into her arms. Shally frowned and murmured something.


    Anfey pushed open the door and knocked on Niya¡¯s door, which was directly across the hall. He waited for a few minutes, but there was no response. Anfey knocked again, harder, but there was still no response. Anfey frowned and pushed the door open.


    Niya was lying quietly in her bed and was asleep. Her thin quilt was thrown aside and her nightgown was rolled up to her thigh. The little unicorn woke up and shook its head. Seeing it was Anfey in the room, it jumped up happily and walked to his side.


    Anfey did not care that he was in Niya¡¯s room without permission and did not try to entertain the unicorn. He walked over and shook Niya. Niya groaned and opened her eyes. Seeing that it was Anfey who woke her up, she rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Go away, for goodness¡¯s sake," she said.


    "Get up now," Anfey said.


    "Why?" Niya asked. "Are there necromancers here?"


    "No, but you still need to get up immediately," Anfey said, hiding a grin.


    "Fine," Niya said with a sigh. She sat up in her bed, then suddenly let out a shrill scream. Anfey jumped back, and the unicorn looked at Niya, confused by her sudden action.


    Suzanna appeared with Shally in her arms. Shally was shaking, and looked like she was crying. She must be having nightmares again, and a nightmare so terrible she could not wake up. Otherwise Niya¡¯s scream would have awakened her.


    "Suzanna!" Niya called. "He¡¯s viting my privacy!" Niya covered herself with the quilt and said angrily. She would obey Anfey¡¯s orders, but he must respect and trust her. Now she was too angry to do anything.


    "Niya, calm down," Anfey said quietly. "Are you having nightmares?"


    "What? No," Niya said angrily.


    Anfey looked at her and frowned. He remembered that Niya appeared very peaceful in her sleep, and did not look like she was having nightmares.


    Zubin and vi burst into the room. They thought that something must have happened after hearing Niya¡¯s scream and came to her rescue. Seeing Niya, who was sitting in her bed with the quilt around her body, and Anfey, who was standing next to her bed, the two of them turned around and left the room without saying a word.

 Chapter 241: Infected

    Chapter 241: Infected


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey turned around and looked at Suzanna helplessly. It seemed that whatever he said was not good enough. He was relying on Suzanna to exin for him. Suzanna slowly walked over and signaled Anfey to take Shally from her arms. She leaned her head to signal Anfey to leave first.


    Anfey walked to the door with Shally in his arms. The little unicorn followed him. The magic beast¡¯s intelligence was limited, plus the little unicorn was only a year old. The little unicorn only knew there was conflict between Anfey and Niya and Anfey was defeated. However, the little unicorn had no idea why they had the conflict. The little guy walked up to Anfey and turned around to snort. The little unicorn looked very close to Anfey. It seemed that the little guy was trying tofort Anfey.


    As Anfey stepped out of the room, he saw everyone gathering in the hallway and chatting in groups. Christian walked over to Anfey. Anfey looked at Christian with a serious look and asked quietly, "Did you have a nightmare as well?"


    "Yes, I did. I have asked Feller to look for Miorich and ask Miorich to contact the mage union. If it is nothing else, it should be necromancers messing with us," Christian said with a frown.


    "Anfey, did you have nightmares?" Hui Wei joined their conversation.


    "No, I did not have any," Anfey said.


    "You are so special," Hui Wei said with a smile.


    "It seemed that Niya did not have a nightmare either," Anfey said.


    "Really?" Christian looked surprised. "Niya¡¯s telepathy is nothing to necromancers. Her telepathy could be ignored, but how could she not be affected?"


    "Are you saying everyone¡¯s nightmares are because of telepathy magic?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes. Telepathy attacks are necromancers¡¯ best tricks. Don¡¯t underestimate this kind of magic. If a person has nightmares for a long time, it would only take one or two months to have a mental breakdown," Christian said.


    "If this is the case, I think I know how to deal with it," Anfey said.


    "You?" Chrsitian asked.


    "Are you doubting me?" Anfey smiled. Compared with the monarchs in the Evil Abyss, this kind of nightmare telepathy attack was nothing more than kids¡¯ tricks. Anfey yed a role as social butterfly among all the monarchs, but his telepathy was a lot more powerful than those Ahrimans. Anfey never forgot to practice his telepathy no matter where he was because he believe capability was everything to a person.


    "No. I just feel weird about it," Christian said, shaking his head. A mage¡¯s ability mainly depended on his magic power and telepathy. If Anfey dared to say he knew how to deal with telepathy magic, he must know how to do it. Compared to his weak magic surges, his understanding of telepathy was awesome but a little weird to everyone.


    "Hmm? Shally is not having a nightmare. Look, she is having a sound sleep." Hui Wei kept his voice low.


    Anfey was shocked for a second and looked down at Shally. Shally quietly rested on his shoulder. She wore a smile on her face, even with tears still on her face. Without knowing when, the fear and anxiety on her face had disappeared.


    "That is not right. Shally has been having nightmares. Suzanna had asked me to be on watch with her at night, butter at night she had to see Shally," Anfey said.


    As Anfey finished talking, they heard heavy steps downstairs. Miorich walked upstairs with over ten knights behind him. There was a middle-aged man with a gloomy face. His eyes were a lot whiter than usual and his pupils were very small. If he looked at anyone, the person would feel really uneasy. With his gloomy face, he looked really terrifying.


    The middle-aged man scanned the hallway and was lost in thought for a while with his eyes slightly closed. He slightly nodded to Miorich and said in a low voice, "There is a trace of infection."


    "It must be a piece of cake for you to deal with it, right?" Miorich smiled.


    "It is a piece of cake." The middle aged man smiled too, but not too happily. His gloomy face with a not-so-pretty smile would have the effect of scaring any naughty kid. When kids cried a lot at night, parents would ask someone who looked scary to scare the kids to go to sleep without crying. This man definitely had that ability. "Are we doing it here?" the middle-aged man asked.


    "Is that okay?" Miorich asked.


    "It¡¯s fine," the man answered as he walked up. vi and Sante could not help taking a defensive pose. To be honest, the middle-aged man was neither ugly nor scary, but he just looked so gloomy, which made vi and Sante nervous.


    The middle-aged man took two steps forward and saw the little unicorn at Anfey¡¯s feet. He was shocked for a second. "Is that a unicorn?"


    "Yes," Miorich said.


    "Then what is the point of asking me toe? Don¡¯t you know unicorns have purification ability?" the man said.


    "Did you say unicorns have the purification ability?" Miorich asked.


    "Of course." The middle-aged man was rude. He did not look nice either. He even rolled his eyes at Miorich. His pupils looked like they suddenly disappeared. He looked very scary.


    Anfey suddenly realized why Niya did not have nightmares and why Shally was sleeping so soundly. It was all because of the little unicorn.


    "Are you the master of that little unicorn?" The man turned to look at Anfey. That little guy seemed close to Anfey. It was not hard to guess the rtionship between Anfey and that little unicorn.


    "You could say that," Anfey nodded.


    "Can you sell the little unicorn to me? You do not have to worry about the price. As long as it is not too outrageous, I can pay any price you ask," the middle-aged man said.


    "No," Anfey answered with a firm tone. He felt so helpless. He had been back for just a few days. There were already so many people interested in the little unicorn. He could not simply lock the little unicorn up. Even dogs needed to be taken out for a walk. The little unicorn was such a proud magic beast that he could not take being locked up.


    "Stop it. Our king has been waiting to see this little unicorn," Miorich suddenly said with a firm face.


    Anfey felt shocked. With Miorich¡¯s power, if he had to press the middle-aged man by referring to Ynthe, it was obvious that the middle-aged man was a difficult person to deal with.


    "Am I that kind of person?" The middle-aged man shrugged with his hands out. "Miorich, do not scare us with your gloomy face. We have been friends for many years."


    Anfey and others just looked at each other, wondering who that middle-aged man with the gloomy face was. It was hard to deal with a guy like him.


    "It was just because we have been friends for so many years and I know you well," Miorich said. He did not look mad or excited.


    "Hey, Miorich, you asked me toe to help you. Why are you talking to me with this kind of attitude?" the gloomy man said.


    "I did not ask you toe to help me. You heard a necromancer had released infection and came over on your own," Miorich said.


    "You are so devious," The man yelled.


    "You are ridiculous," Miorich responded immediately.


    That middle-aged man¡¯s eyes looked brighter, and the brown pupils contracted into a dot. He stared at Miorich without blinking. He looked like a vicious wolf, ready to eat a person. Miorich was not scared by him at all. He kept calm. After a while, the middle-aged man was defeated first. His pressuring pose was totally gone as well. He sluggishly waved his hand. "Never mind, never mind. I will let it go this time, since we are friends."


    It sounded insulting to others, but Miorich¡¯s bodyguard squad kept quiet and their faces did not change at all. Miorich smiled instead.


    "Hey, are your people all here? It seems that you have somebody missing," the middle-aged man asked, turning to Anfey.


    Christian looked around and said, "Niya and Suzanna are still in their room. So is Doris. I knocked on her door to wake her up, but she is not here yet. vi, can you go and check on her?"


    "Niya? Which Niya?" The middle-aged man suddenly looked nervous.


    "Not the Niya you know. She is his sister, also named Niya." Miorich pointed his chin at Anfey.


    "Is Niya your sister?" The middle-aged man pressed Anfey.


    "She is my sister. Do you know her?" Anfey did not know the reason Miorich had to lie about it, but he helped Miorich anyway, since he felt closer to Miorich than the middle-aged man.


    "No, I don¡¯t know her." That middle-aged man waved his hands.


    vi came back with Doris. Doris was dressed, but she yawned with bleary eyes. Obviously she had gone back to sleep with her dress on after Christian woke her up.


    The man paused for a second and nodded at Miorich. He walked up to Doris and said, "Miss, have you experienced anything weird in the past few days?"


    "Me?" Doris struggled to open her eyes to look at the person who was asking her questions. With one nce, she totally woke up. She stepped back with her hands held out in front of her chest. She looked like she was ready to chant.


    "Doris, don¡¯t be nervous," Anfey said immediately.


    Doris finally realized everybody in Anfey¡¯s legion was around her. Miorich was there too. She finally felt not so nervous, but she did not answer the question right away. She walked around the middle-aged man and moved over against the wall to be away from him. She heaved a long sigh when she finally walked up to Anfey. She even patted her chest tofort herself.


    The middle-aged man still maintained his gloomy face. He did not get mad or annoyed by Doris¡¯s rudeness.


    "Doris, think about it. Did you experience anything weird?" Anfey asked for the middle-aged man. He knew something must have happened to her.


    "No," Doris said.


    "Think about it," Anfey said.


    Doris had her head tilted to try to recall anything unusual. "Something might have been weird in Violet City."


    "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "One day I went out with vi and few others, but I got lost. I saw a homeless man lying on the sidewalk and asking for food. Nobody even looked at him. I felt bad for him so I bought two loaves of bread for him. He must have been starving. He grabbed the bread from my hands and scratched me."

 Chapter 242: Marquis Djoser’s Revenge

    Chapter 242: Marquis Djoser¡¯s Revenge


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Let me see your wound," Anfey said.


    "It¡¯s alright," Doris said, holding her hand out. "Usually when I scratch myself, it takes a few days to heal, but this one disappeared that night."


    Anfey looked at Doris¡¯s hand, and it was smooth, without any sign of injuries.


    "Do you have an idea?" Miorich asked.


    The middle age man nodded and retrieved a bottle of light blue potion from his dimensional ring. He handed the potion to Miorich and said, "This may hurt a little, but it won¡¯tst. Keep her with the unicorn. It should be beneficial for her. If this not enough, I need more materials so I can make a few more bottles."


    Miorich held the bottle in his hand and smiled at the man. "I would say thank you, but I think we are past that stage now."


    "Say it anyway," the man said. "I like the sound of that phrase."


    "What am I supposed to do with you?" Miorich asked with a smile.


    Doris frowned and looked at the two men. She clearly did not realize Miorich was talking about her. Hagan, on the other hand, knew exactly what the potion was. He pushed to the front and asked, "Are you an alchemist, sir?"


    "No."


    "Then how did you..."


    "I am an arch alchemist, mind you. And first and foremost I am a mage."


    Hagan stared at the man in shock. He had never met anyone like this man. He was asking for the man¡¯s upation, not his title. The man was either very pretentious or liked riddles.


    "Are you an alchemist?" the man asked.


    "Y-Yes," Hagan said. He wanted to fool the man, but he was only an alchemist with no title.


    "I won¡¯t waste my time here, then. I will give you the recipe for the potion and you can make it."


    "Th-Thank you," Hagan said sincerely. He bowed to the man gratefully. Unlike other upations, alchemists¡¯ strengthy in knowing as many recipes as possible. For Hagan, the man wasn¡¯t just giving him a recipe. He was helping him grow as an alchemist.


    The man smiled and found a magic scroll. He tapped the scroll and the magic on the scroll disappeared. Strange runes appeared around and on the scroll, then he handed the scroll to Miorich.


    Hagan stared in shock. It was not easy to make magic scrolls, and it was even harder to wipe away the runes on magic scrolls. The man was able to do it so easily and so fast, it was almost impossible. Like the way Suzanna look at Miorich, Hagan looked at the man with reverence and admiration.


    "We are done here, then? I have to go to Violet City," the man said and stretched.


    "Why?" Miorich asked.


    "The marquis there invited me. I don¡¯t have anything anyway, so I agreed."


    "The marquis?" Miorich asked, frowning. "Why is he asking for you?"


    "I don¡¯t know," the man said, shrugging. "Oh yes, he mentioned that he¡¯s being threatened by something. He didn¡¯t happen to cross you, did he?"


    Miorich snorted. "He¡¯s trying to pit you against me," he said coldly.


    "He¡¯s asking the wrong person, then," the man said with a smile. "I would never do something so stupid." The man sped Miorich¡¯s shoulder and smiled. "How about this. I go, and I act as a spy for you. I will live with him and tell you all about that guy."


    Anfey looked at the man and suppressed his urge tough. When he first met the man, he was very suspicious of him. He felt unease when the man offered to buy the unicorn, but judging from the way he talked, he was clearly someone who did not care much about mundane conflicts. The man had offered to teach Hagan the potion recipe and picked Miorich¡¯s side in the fight against the marquis, and was obviously a good person.


    "You aren¡¯t afraid that the marquis is going to kill you?"


    "He¡¯s not good enough," the man said. "Even if he finds out I¡¯m a spy for you, he won¡¯t do anything." The man smiled and turned his gaze to Hagan. "Keep it up, kid," he said. "You¡¯re good. Us alchemists are respected. Forget about Marquis Djoser. You see this famous general here? Even he has to respect me."


    Miorich rolled his eyes but did not say anything in objection.


    "Y-yes," Hagan said, nodding. "I will heed your advice."


    Anfey heard voices behind him, and knew that it was Suzanna and Niya. Niya had quite the temper, and it was hard for anyone to calm her down.


    "Did you know why I endured you for so long?" Miorich asked.


    "Why?"


    "Because I like a good show."


    "A good show? Where?" the man asked, ncing around.


    "You¡¯ll see in a bit," Miorich said, grinning.


    As soon as he finished his sentence, Suzanna appeared. Her hand reached for her sword when she saw the man, because even though he appeared verymon, she still saw him as a threat.


    Niya appeared after a few seconds, and her eyes met the middle-aged man¡¯s. The man¡¯s face suddenly became very red, and tried to shield his face with his right hand. He waved his left hand, and a powerful magic surge ripped through the air. Thick smoke appeared and obscured his and Miorich¡¯s figures. People around could not see Miorich, but they could hear himughing uncontrobly.


    The smoke dispersed and the man was gone. Miorich stoppedughing, but his expression was strange. His hands were clenched, as if he was trying to control his emotions.


    "Was that, was that him?" Niya asked, her voice shaking. Like the man, her face was flushed as well.


    "Yes," Miorich said. His voice was hoarse, and he turned to walk away.


    Anfey did not know what happened in the smoke, but he knew that the man must have yed a prank on Miorich before he disappeared. Miorich did not want to embarrass himself in front of the youngsters, and that was why he left so quickly.


    "What should we do, then?" Suzanna asked quietly. She was trying tofort Niya earlier, and did not know what had happened outside.


    "It¡¯s solved," Christian said with a smile.


    "It¡¯s solved?" Suzanna asked, shocked. Anfey had been so worried only minutes earlier, but now it was already solved?


    Anfey nodded. "See?" He gestured towards Shally, who was already deep asleep. She did not wake up to themotion earlier, but she was clearly more calm now. Suzanna let out a sigh of relief.


    Hagan suddenly jumped up and called, "Wait! The recipe! The recipe! Miorich! Wait up!" He screamed loudly, earning res from all the knights in the room, and chased after Miorich.


    Hagan¡¯s cries did not wake up Shally either. She only murmured in her sleep and snuggled against her sister.


    "What happened?" Suzanna asked. "How did they cure her?"


    "The unicorn did," Anfey said with a smile.


    Everyone nced at the unicorn. Everyone had heard that unicorns had purifying abilities. Surely nothing bad woulde from being with the unicorn.


    "Come here," Niya said. She crouched down and waved at the unicorn. "Come here, dear." She did not care what Anfey called the unicorn, she had always called the unicorn "dear."


    The unicorn only nced at her, but did not go to her. It walked around Anfey and stayed farther away from her.


    The unicorn was only a magic beast and was not very intelligent. It would only remember a recent event. From the unicorn¡¯s point of view, it was on Anfey¡¯s side, and Anfey had just been defeated. It did not want to get close to Niya.


    "Come here," Niya called again. She narrowed her eyes angrily, "Get over here now."


    The unicorn snorted but did not move.


    "Fine," Niya said. She stood up and stomped on the ground. "Fine. You are teaming up with him to take advantage of me now, huh?"


    Everyone frowned and looked at Niya and Anfey. If Anfey tried to take advantage of Niya, why was Suzanna so calm?


    "Did you know that man?" Anfey asked. He sensed Niya¡¯s mood, and wanted to change the topic.


    "N-No!" Niya said.


    "Really? He ran away as soon as he saw you," vi said.


    "I know what I said," Niya said. "I don¡¯t know him. Why are you teaming up to bully me?" Niya asked angrily. She waved her hand and disappeared into her room again.

 Chapter 243: Poisoned Wine

    Chapter 243: Poisoned Wine


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey sat properly in front of a desk, tapping on the desk with his finger. Something had been bothering him. There was a saying that "To know one¡¯s own strength and the enemy¡¯s is the sure way to victory." Anfey knew nothing about necromancers, while they seemed to know a lot about magic andbat power, the two main fighting powers in this war. They did not fight wars against the Dead for nothing.


    Yagor left a dark magic book to Anfey after his death. He actually used the magic in that book to call Anfey into this world. Anfey thought he would learn a lot from that dark magic book if he could study it. However, both Ynthe and Miorich suggested that he destroy the dark magic book. Could he ignore their opinions? The reason Ynthe did not destroy the book himself was to show respect for Anfey. What would happen if Anfey was not strong enough and was tempted to practice dark magic? He probably would destroy himself.


    Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Anfey looked up and asked, "Who is it?"


    "It¡¯s me," Hagan answered from outside the door.


    "Come on in." Anfey let out a slight sigh. He rubbed between his forehead to make himself look less tense.


    Hagan pushed the door open and cautiously looked around before he walked in. He closed the door behind him.


    "When did you, an alchemist, turn into a thief?" Anfey smiled.


    "Do not even mention it. I almost got into big trouble." Hagan looked scared as he remembered.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "Didn¡¯t you ask me to put the chemicals in the wine and ask Doris to drink it? Suzanna saw me putting the chemical in the wine. She thought I was joking with someone and did not say anything. When Doris had the wine and screamed from the pain in her stomach, even rolled screaming on the floor in pain, Suzanna was mad and dragged me out and interrogated me." Hagan sat across from Anfey, sighing. "Luckily, Suzanna knew me before, so she gave me a chance to exin. If she had not known me long, she probably would have strangled me with her bare hands right there."


    "Where is Suzanna?" Anfey asked.


    "She went to take care of Doris." Hagan suddenly stared wide-eyed at Anfey. "It is all your fault. Doris saw Suzanna interrogating me. She must think I want to hurt her. What am I going to do?"


    "We all understand why you did that. You can exin to herter," Anfey said.


    "It does not matter if they understand me. Doris does not. How could it be the same?" Hagan was getting mad.


    "How could it be different?" Anfey asked.


    "It is just different," Hagan said.


    Anfey looked up and down at Hagan in surprise. "Hagan, do you have a crush on Doris?"


    "Stop it! What do you mean by having a crush on her?" Hagan refuted. His next statement sold him out though. "I am already over twenty. Even if I have a crush on her, so what?"


    "I did not say anything. It is normal. If you are interested in men, that actually would be a problem," Anfey said.


    "I am straight." Hagan put his head on his arms on the table with a troubled look. He sighed, "My happiness..."


    The door to the room was suddenly pushed open. Hagan sat up on a condition reflex. It was Suzanna. She suspiciously nced at Hagan and turned to look at Anfey. "Anfey, did you really ask Hagan to torture Doris?"


    "It was not torture. It is..." Hagan hurried to exin.


    "You, shut up." Suzanna yelled at Hagan.


    Hagan immediately shut his mouth up. He was such a good soldier.


    "I did ask him to do it. Suzanna, it is my fault that I did not tell you beforehand," Anfey said. "You saw that master alchemistst night...Oh, right, Hagan, what is the name of that master alchemist?"


    "I do not know. I never knew there were master alchemists in the world," Hagan said, shaking his head.


    "Let¡¯s call him that guy." Anfey thought a little bit and said. "You and Niya were in the room and did not see that guy saying Doris was the origin of the infection. That guy gave some chemicals to Miorich and asked us to find an opportunity to have Doris take it. He also said it would be painful at the beginning, but Doris should be fine soon."


    "I see now." Suzanna slightly nodded. "Poor Doris."


    "Suzanna, how could you act like this?" Hagan was not quiet for long before he jumped up in anger.


    "What is wrong with me?" Suzanna asked.


    "How long have we known each other? Huh? How long have you known Anfey? Why did you not believe me when I exined to you. You almost choked me to death. Why would you believe Anfey when he exined it to you?" Hagan interrogated Suzanna.


    "I did not put much strength into it." Suzanna blushed a little.


    "How much strength do you want to put into it? Would you call it "putting strength" if I died? I could not breathe. I am so disappointed, so disappointed. Is this how you treat your friend?" Hagan said.


    "Sorry, Hagan, it was my bad. Don¡¯t be mad at me. Why don¡¯t you hit me to make you feel better?" Suzanna said seriously.


    "I hit you? You must be kidding me." Hagan peaked at Anfey. Even if Anfey had not been there with them, he would not have dared to hit Suzanna.


    "What can I do to make you forgive me. I will do whatever you ask me to do," Suzanna said.


    This request got Hagan. He stood there without saying anything. If he asked too much, it would asking for insult. If he did not ask much from Suzanna, he would not let his anger out.


    "Hey, Suzanna, you are here. What happened to Doris?" Christian walked in as they heard his voice.


    "It wasn¡¯t hurting her that much anymore when I left." Suzanna peaked at Hagan. "She was so mad that she said she wanted to kill Hangan with her own hands."


    "Anfey!" Hagan yelled desperately.


    "Ok, ok. I will exin to Doris. I promise you I will make everything clear. Okay?" Anfey said.


    "It will be toote anyway even if you can exin everything to her." Hagan sluggishly sat down.


    "Doris is a nice girl. She would not hate you for that. Do not worry about it," Christian said smiling.


    "Is it enough for her not to hate me?" Hagan rolled his eyes at Christian.


    "What do you want from Doris then?" Christian said.


    "You do not understand," Hagan said.


    "Ok, Hagan, maybe you should not have any hope for Doris. Maybe you just see the result beforehand. It is a good thing for you. Are you the best guy in our legion?" Anfey deliberately looked at Christian. Christian was really handsome and had some royal sense to him. In terms of appearance, Hagan was just a stone, while Christian was a pearl.


    "Anfey, are youforting me now?" Hagan was mad. If they were peers and had simr levels of power, Hagan might have jumped on Anfey.


    "You had a crush..." Suzanna looked like she did not know if she shouldugh or cry. "Hagan, I do not think Doris would like you."


    "What do you mean?" Hagan was alerted to something and asked.


    "Doris likes someone, but it is not you," Suzanna said.


    "What is it then?" Hagan turned andid his eyes right on Christian. He suddenly felt a threat. "Could it be him?"


    "No," Suzanna said.


    "Then who is it?" Hagan clenched his hands into fists. He looked like he wanted a fight.


    "It is not you." Suzanna¡¯s words were even more hurtful than Anfey¡¯s.


    "How do you know? Doris told you about it? You are not lying to me, are you?" Hagan looked at Suzanna suspiciously.


    "When a girl likes someone, her eyes always follow him. I am a girl, so I know it." Suzanna looked a little sad.


    "No, I need to ask her in person." Hagan suddenly stood up, rushing out of the door.


    "Hagan!" Anfey called. This Hagan must be crazy. He just made Doris drink the wine with chemicals in it. Doris had been in so much pain. If he wanted to tell her right now, what result did he think he would get?


    "Never mind." Suzanna stopped Anfey. "It is better for him to know it as early as possible so he would give it up."


    "I just hope he will not make too much trouble." Christian frowned and hurried to the door. At that moment, Sante and Feller walked in passed him. Christian said to them, "Sante and Feller, can you go to Doris¡¯s room and get Hagan back."


    "What happened?" Sante asked in surprise.


    "Stop asking questions. Go! Hurry!" Christian said.


    Anfey quietly pointed at Christian¡¯s back. "Does Doris like him? You must have lied to Hagan." If they had to pick a person in the legion to be the perfect guy, it would surely be Christian. Besides his family, appearance, and ability, Christian¡¯s personality was attractive. He was gentle, polite and got along with everyone. He always made people feel good.


    "No, huh, stop guessing," Suzanna said.


    "Fine, I will not guess. Suzanna, why don¡¯t you talk to Doris and tell her to stop worrying about it. Can you give her the chemicals from now on. Hmm...there will be a problem. Would Hagan not be willing to work after he gets to know that Doris does not like him?" Anfey asked.


    "No, Hagan is not that kind of person," Suzanna said.


    "Oh?" Anfey said.


    "Hagan could be sad one moment andugh the next moment. He will be fine in a day," Suzanna said.


    "It sounds like someone made Hagan cry a lot." Anfey smiled. "You did not make him cryst time, did you?"


    Suzanna yfully rolled her eyes at Anfey and refused to answer this question.


    "Suzanna, what personality does Vonmerge have? He left without telling us. It is not too polite," Anfey said.


    When they were talking about Hagan and Suzanna, Anfey thought about Vonmerge. He had not found anything suspicious on Vonmerge, but Vonmerge had always left him with an ufortable feeling.


    "He used to be very outgoing. Later he was hurt and his ability dropped a lot. He was very depressed, even though he always wore a smile on his face." Suzanna shook her head. "Anfey, I do not want to talk about him. Let¡¯s talk about something else."

 Chapter 244: Trap Within a Trap

    Chapter 244: Trap Within a Trap


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Sir, what are you doing here?" Christian ask, shocked.


    A few secondster, Miorich appeared by the door. He waved his hand and instructed his men to stay outside. "Prepare yourselves," he said as he walked into the room. "We are leaving the city immediately."


    "Us?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes. You, Christian, Niya, and Suzanna. Shally should be fine if she stays with me for a while. She would only slow you down. Don¡¯t worry, Suzanna. As long as I am alive, no harm withe to your sister. I will deliver her to you myself in two months¡¯ time."


    Anfey, Christian, and Suzanna nced at each other. "Wouldn¡¯t that be too much trouble?" Suzanna asked quietly.


    "Why would it be?"


    "We don¡¯t know where the necromancers are hiding, and if we leave the city we would surely be targets. The four of us can¡¯t really do much."


    "There¡¯s no necromancers in the city, I can promise you that," Miorich said. "I looked into that man from earlier. Nothing¡¯s wrong with his family. He left the city a few days ago to meet with his lover in another town. His family said they began noticing changes after that."


    "What about the townspeople there?"


    "Nothing wrong with them, either. His lover¡¯s missing, though."


    "I think it would be best if we stay here," Anfey said quietly. "I¡¯m not afraid of the necromancers, but this is too risky."


    "The necromancers cannot sense you," Miorich said. "The only person they can find is Doris. I¡¯m nning on stopping her treatment so we can attract the necromancers. Maybe that will buy you some time. The coordinates for the transmission array had been changed, but people from the mage¡¯s guild cannot change it. Which means..."


    "The puppet is not responsible for it."


    "No, since he wouldn¡¯t have the power to change the coordinates."


    "Sir, are you sure that there are no necromancers in the vicinity?"


    "This city was built to withstand war. You are underestimating it. As long as the four mage towers are up and running, the entire city will be under surveince. Nothing can escape. We can find the necromancers even if they are hiding underground."


    "Alright," Anfey said. "Christian, what do you think?"


    Christian shrugged and smiled, but did not say anything.


    "I wish you can stay for a bit longer until the danger passes, but this is an order directly from His Majesty himself," Miorich said. "ck Eleven and Blood Twenty will go with you to help youmunicate with Hurricane."


    Anfey nodded. "Alright. We will prepare ourselves and leave tonight."


    "No, you will leave by noon. I don¡¯t know why you like the darkness so much, but I assure you the necromancers like it way more than you do."


    "You mean we are leaving in broad daylight?"


    "Of course not. I have prepared disguises for you, and you can dress up like a team of new recruits. No one will suspect a thing."


    "Alright," Anfey said. He pushed himself up slowly from his chair. He did not understand Miorich¡¯s motive or why he wanted them gone from the city so fast. Christian and Niya would be with him, however, and he knew that no one would try to do anything to them.


    Miorich returned to the courtyard when Anfey and Suzanna headed off to pack. There were two men waiting for him back in his room. One of them was sitting while the other paced around the room.


    The man who had been pacing walked up when he saw Miorich and asked, "Are they leaving?"


    Miorich nodded. "His Majesty has approved of your n, which ces you under my jurisdiction. I have to tell you this, though. If anything happens to those kids, I will not forgive you."


    "Don¡¯t worry," nbrea said with a smile. "No harm wille to them."


    "If you and Bruzuryano are just traveling with them, the necromancers will not do anything. But you want to use them as bait, so who¡¯s to say nothing will happen?"


    "I swear on my life that I will revive them if something happens. You trust me now?"


    Miorich snorted but did not say anything, and appeared visibly more rxed. As long as nbrea promised to keep the kids safe, Miorich could rest easy.


    "Plus, Saul, Steger, and Ernest are all on their way. Do you think anyone would actually try to hurt those kids when they¡¯re with the five of us?" nbrea asked, shaking his head. "We can take on all the necromancers the Evil Mist can find and then some."


    "You are a Church¡¯s man, nbrea. You should not talk like that."


    "I just want to give life again to those too tangled up with death," nbrea said. He turned to and looked at Bruzuryano and said, "Say something, old pal. The General clearly does not trust me."


    "What?" Bruzuryano asked.


    nbrea sighed. "What¡¯s with youtely?" he asked. "Are you losing your mind? Is age finally getting to you?"


    "Shut it," Bruzuryano said with a frown. He turned to Miorich and said, "Are you sure they can activate the Heart of Nature?"


    Miorich and nbrea nced at each other and sighed. "I¡¯ve already told you a dozen times before," Miorich said. "I saw it with my own eyes. Anfey can use that thing."


    "Interesting," Bruzuryano said, and slumped back into the chair again.


    In Sacred City thousands of miles away, Ynthe was sitting on his throne. He yed with his scepter and his eyes stared at the old servant in front of him.


    "Don¡¯t worry about Niya anymore, Your Majesty," the old man said. "She is under the protection of five of the most powerful men in the world. Those men can take on the Magic King himself, if necessary."


    "You think I¡¯m worrying about Niya¡¯s safety?" Ynthe said with a chuckle.


    "I know that Your Majesty has always treated Niya as a daughter," the old man said.


    "I can be selfish too, you know."


    "You mean..."


    "I¡¯m worried about my own safety," Ynthe said. He tapped his fingers against the throne.


    The old servant looked up as two dots of light appeared in the fog surrounding his body.


    "Baery is to the north, and you are the only person here. The majority of Hurricane¡¯s force is with Saul, and we can¡¯t fool the Evil Mist for long. What do you think they will do when they learn that I am in such a vulnerable position?"


    "They dare toe to Sacred City?"


    "There are very few things the Evil Mist are afraid of," Ynthe said quietly.


    "If the Evil Mist is targeting you, Your Majesty, surely they would leave Niya alone. Should we order Saul to return in secret?"


    "No need for that. They want to see my ace, and I¡¯m letting them," Ynthe said.


    The old man did not say anything.


    "Say, do you know who the greediest people in the world are?"


    "Merchants?"


    "No, necromancers," Ynthe said. "Humans love life and fear death, and everyone wants immortality. I am no different. But like most people, I would not trade my soul for it. I¡¯d rather die than turn into a hideous ghoul.


    "Necromancers prolonged their lives, but they have forgotten what it means to be alive. They don¡¯t understand that to be alive is to let go sometimes." Ynthe paused for a few seconds and sighed. "Those poor things. They wanted everything, but in the end they will lose everything. I¡¯ve always thought they woulde for me."


    "Should we really show them our ace, Your Majesty? Isn¡¯t this a rushed decision?"


    "No," Ynthe said quietly. He closed his eyes slowly. "The necromancers are getting stronger, I can feel it. We need to deal a quick and debilitating blow, so they will move on to other nations. I am the ruler of Maho Empire, and I am only responsible for my people. It¡¯s not like the other nations woulde to our aid, anyway."


    "Unless the Church is powerful enough," the old man said.


    "But I would go to their aid. Even if the Church does not support it, I will help. I would rather have the necromancers attack another nation and we join forces with that nation, than having the necromancers attack my nation and fight alone."

 Chapter 245: High Profile

    Chapter 245: High Profile


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anfey, aren¡¯t we a little too high profile?" Niya looked around and asked anxiously in a low voice.


    Niya and Suzanna had always hidden themselves in the wagon, but now they dressed up and rode on horses at a moderate speed, which made Niya feel uneasy.


    Niya and Suzanna obviously looked stunning. Christian looked handsome. Compared with Christian, Anfey was less handsome, but he was still better-looking than most people. Anfey would definitely be considered the second-best looking one in the legion.


    Two handsome men and two beautiful girls on tall and handsome horses caught the attention of many pedestrians. Some people even kept looking back at them when they had walked passed. The people on foot made way for them as they approached. This world did not have any rules for roads, so people just walked anywhere they wanted to. Anfey and his group did not have any trouble riding on the street though.


    Suzanna took out her senior swordsman badge, which she had not worn for a long time at Anfey¡¯s request. She even hung the badge at the most obvious ce on her clothes. Actually this badge was the reason people were making way for them. The appearance of Anfey and his group were different and gave different vibes. If one of them was a senior swordswoman, the other three could be even better than her. This created an impression. No one would want to have any conflict with four senior powers.


    "This is good," Anfey said casually.


    "Good? Are you letting necromancers know where we are on purpose?" Niya asked.


    "Do you think they would not find us if we left quietly?" Anfey refuted.


    "But..." Niya pouted. "Didn¡¯t you tell us to do things cautiously? Look at what you are doing now."


    "This time it is different. Men and women are equal," Anfey said.


    "What? What do you mean by ¡®men and women are equal¡¯? Anfey, what are you talking about?" Niya did not get it at all.


    "Isn¡¯t Punk City right in front of us?" Christian nodded.


    "Let¡¯s take a break at Punk City," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, it is only afternoon," Christian said.


    "It is too boring if we keep travelling. Let¡¯s walk around the city and take a break. It will be fine," Anfey said.


    "Is this really ok, Anfey? We should follow Miorich¡¯s n and travel quickly. We should rest at Buenos City today, otherwise we will not be able to reach Boman Territory in three days," Christian said.


    "Listen to me. We are taking a break here," Anfey demanded.


    "ck Eleven and Apa should already be in Buenos City by now. Are we really resting here? They would have rushed to Buenos City for nothing," Christian said.


    "That is fine. We can get to Buenos City tomorrow," Anfey said.


    Christian helplessly rubbed his forehead. He did not know what Anfey was thinking about. It was obviously just a one-day trip, and Anfey wanted to spread it into two.


    As they talked, they approached the city gate. Punk City was on the border of the war zone. Shansa Empire¡¯s military did not have the ability to continue to invade towards the west because of ack of supplies. This only affected people in Punk City a little bit, so Punk City did not suffer too much damage. The people around Punk City looked quite differently than in Violet City. The difference was obvious.


    Seven or eight guards at the city gate saw Anfey and his group. They hurried over. From the way Anfey and his group dressed, they should be important people. Niya even wore her real Saul family dress. In addition to the magic surges from that leather armor, even the hairpins had magic. It must have been made by some mage who was so bored that he even wanted to spend time making such a magic item.


    "Master, wee to Punk City," the head guard at the city gate said with a smile.


    The rest of the city guards had asked other pedestrians to move to the side to make a path for Anfey and his group. The rest of the guards stood on both sides of the gate to make sure their honorable guests were not bothered.


    Anfey nodded with a smile. He nced at an announcement on the announcement board out of the corner of his eye. It said that the city would collect a toll for one month in order to rebuild the city after the war. It was signed by the city master, a Viscount Nana, at the bottom of the announcement.


    "Huh? It¡¯s him," Niya said in surprise from the back. She had seen that announcement as well.


    "Do you know this city master?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, but I am not sure if it is the same person," Niya said.


    "This name is rare. It must be the same person. Niya, do you know his background?" Christian said.


    "He was a servant of my father. There was an ident in a magicb one time. He rushed into the fire to try to save magic crystals. His face was turned and he became blind in one eye. Our king had bestowed on him the title of nobility for his bravery. He was sent to another state to be a government official. He did something goodter on and became a Viscount," Niya said excitedly. "He came back to see my father every year no matter how busy he was, but I never saw him."


    "How could you never see him if he came back every year?" Anfey asked in curiosity.


    "He did not want to see me even when I was little," Niya said.


    "Why?" It got Suzanna¡¯s curiosity as well.


    "My father told me he was afraid that I would be scared by his face," Niya pouted. "Hmm, why did he do that? I was never a chicken."


    As Anfey talked about the city master with Niya, the guards at the gate almost fainted. They knew the look of their city master. The lead guard gave others a look, and two other guards squeezed themselves through the crowd and disappeared onto the street.


    "He is a good man and knows to think of others," Anfey said and smiled. Right now Niya could be scared, but she probably wouldn¡¯t be scared by that city master¡¯s face.


    "Anfey, we should go in now," Christian said in a low voice. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger. It was unknown how many eyes had fixed on them, which made Christian feel very uneasy.


    "This is for the toll." Anfey tossed a gold coin to the guard.


    "Master, you..." The lead guard looked worried. He did not know if he should take the gold coin or not. If he took it, he was worried that he might get punished by the city master or not have enough change to give back. The toll was only ten bronze coins. How much change would he have to give back?


    Anfey waved his hand with a smile to tell the lead guard that he did not need any change. He passed through the gate first. Suzanna and the others followed him on the horses. A guard came over, looked at the gold coin in the lead guard¡¯s hand, and said quietly, "Boss, shouldn¡¯t we go have some drinks tonight?"


    "No!" The lead guard pushed him. It would be entertainment for everybody if he took them out for drinks. If something happened, he would be responsible for it. Only stupid people would do things like that. If the city master had been a servant in that girl¡¯s house, it would be an issue if he took their toll. Instead of waiting for the city master to punish him, he decided it would be better to give the gold coin back.


    The lead guard pushed the other guard hard and made him hit yet another guard. One¡¯s nose was bleeding while the other one held the back of his head, screaming in pain.


    Anfey did not notice the bloody incident he had caused with the gold coin. He casually looked around the city. Christian caught up from behind and said, "Anfey, where are we going?"


    "The best hotel in the city," Anfey said.


    "Do you know which one is the best one?" Christian asked.


    "I don¡¯t know, but he should know." Anfey called loudly to a boy: "Hey, kid, stop."


    "Kid" was a negative word. Any young boy fell into this category. As Anfey called, about ten young men stopped at the same time. They all looked at Anfey, confused.


    Anfey picked an older kid about fifteen years old. He tossed a gold coin to him. "Take us to the best hotel. It will be yours."


    The big kid took the gold coin and looked it over for a while. He first shined it on his shirt and bit it with his teeth. When he realized it was an authentic gold coin, he was thrilled. He carefully put it away and signaled Anfey. He turned around and ran fast, straight ahead of them.


    "Anfey, it¡¯s so wasteful. That is a gold coin," Suzanna said in a low voice.


    "Why don¡¯t you try it. It feels good." Anfey passed a gold coin to Suzanna.


    "What?" Suzanna said.


    "Try it," Anfey tried to encourage her.


    Suzanna looked around and tossed the coin. The coin fell on a homeless man who was lost in thought. That homeless guy had been jealous of the other lucky boy and did not expect any fortune to fall on him any time soon. He hurriedly picked up the gold coin, stood up and walked away without taking his begging sign.


    "Nuts, nuts. You both went nuts," Christian rubbed his forehead and said with a bitter smile.


    "This is nothing," Niya snorted. "I tossed out a handful of gold coins on my 18th birthday."


    "A handful?" Anfey was thinking about how doable it would be.


    "Ok, Anfey, stop it. Don¡¯t make any trouble." Christian whipped his horse¡¯s hind quarters. The horse whinnied, went up on its hind legs, and rushed forward.


    After a while, the four of them came to a hotel named House of Mages. The older kid stood in front of the hotel door, breathing heavily. He looked like he was tired, but very happy at the same time. His parents worked very hard for a month for only a gold coin and a few silver coins. A gold coin was a lot of money for him.


    Anfey jumped off the horse and smiled. "Thank you, kid."


    "You are wee, master." That kid looked even politer than Anfey. After saying that, he ran down the street. He looked like he was going to tell his family the good news that he had earned a gold coin.

 Chapter 246: Unlikely Heroes

    Chapter 246: Unlikely Heroes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Two young servants hurried over and took the horses to the stable. Anfey looked around and observed the inn. There was very little decoration, and even though the door was tall and imposing, the inn did note off as a luxurious ce. There was a line of runes carved onto the doorframe, and each rune was gilded and shone under the sunlight.


    "Christian, can you read those?"


    "No," Christian said, shaking his head. "Those are ancient. Hui Wei should know them."


    "Too bad he¡¯s not here," Anfey said and sighed. "Come on, let¡¯s go check this ce out."


    This inn was called Home of the Mages, and was abination of an inn and a bar. The first floor had arge bar, and the people there were much quieter than the mercenaries. There were multiple conversations, but people kept their voices low so they did not to disturb others. Compared to the mor and the madness often seen in bars in Country of Mercenaries, this was a big change. Back in Country of Mercenaries, the bars were dim and there would be people dancing on the tables. Here, magicmps lined the wall and lit up every corner of the bar. People kept to themselves and did not cause any trouble.


    A few mages turned and saw Anfey and Niya walking in through the door. Niya was beautiful enough to make the men ignore the fact that she was not a mage, but the women all rolled their eyes at her apparent ignorance.


    Everyone¡¯s expression changed when Suzanna appeared through the door. Senior swordsmasters were rare, and what was even rarer was such a young swordsmaster. Swordsmen preferred their swords, and mages used their minds and tended to be more cautious than swordsmen. Of course, there were idiotic mages and brilliant swordsmen.


    "Would you like rooms or drinks, my lords?" the owner of the inn walked over and asked.


    "Two of your best rooms," Anfey instructed.


    "Two?" Niya asked, frowning.


    "That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m staying with Suzanna."


    "What? I¡¯m not gonna stay with Christian," Niya said, frowning. Her voice attracted attention of a few mages sitting nearby.


    Christian frowned. He knew that Anfey¡¯s behavior today was too strange, even for him. He had to ask what was going on.


    "You can stay in our room if you want," Anfey said. "The three of us..." He suddenly ducked and barely moved out of the way of Niya¡¯s kick. His reflexes were much faster than a normal person¡¯s, but he still did not see Niya¡¯ movement. Niya lost her bnce and stumbled, almost falling to the ground. Suzanna reached over and grabbed her arm, helping her stand still. The owner frowned and did not say anything.


    The mages around them all frowned. Swordsmen were just that. They were too coarse and too unrefined. Niya may be beautiful, but she clearlycked a mage¡¯s grace.


    "Calm down," Anfey said, grinning. "Calm down. Aren¡¯t we friends? Let¡¯s talk peacefully."


    "Are you trying to get to me?" Niya asked angrily. She narrowed her eyes, then gathered herself. "Fine, alright. We will see what happens when we¡¯re back in Sacred City." Niya may have been young and naive, but she was not stupid. She already had a n to deal with this.


    "What?" Anfey asked, feeling uneasy.


    "I¡¯m going to tell everyone you made me sleep in the same bed as you," Niya said with a smirk.


    Christian¡¯s eyes widened, and Suzanna froze. Since she was the daughter of Saul, Niya¡¯s words were more credible and more powerful than all three of thembined. She could make people believe her.


    "Stop joking around, I¡¯m just kidding!" Anfey exined hurriedly. He did not know if Saul would have believed Niya, but he knew that Prince Grandon would. Even though he knew that the prince was not an idiot, he was young. Young people tended to be more irrational and sensitive. He did not need a prince hating him.


    Niya smiled when she heard Anfey¡¯s panicked exnation. She ignored him and turned to the inn owner and said, "Have you prepared our rooms yet?"


    "Third floor," the owner said hurriedly, handing her a set of keys. "Hope you enjoy, mydy."


    "Niya, I¡¯m sorry, alright? I¡¯m sorry about that." Anfey was scared. He knew that Niya was not afraid to do as she said and would tell everyone he forced her to sleep in his bed.


    "Toote," Niya said with a giggle. She followed a maid and began walking up the stairs.


    "Suzanna, can you talk to her? I don¡¯t need my reputation tarnished," Anfey said. He was hoping that another woman could get to Niya easier.


    Suzanna looked at Niya, then she turned to Anfey and smiled. "You deserved that," she said. Then sheughed and followed Niya.


    "Christian!" Anfey turned and said. "You see that? They do not appreciate my effort at all!"


    "She¡¯s not wrong, you know," Christian said. "You do deserve it. I can help you with other things, but you¡¯ve got to solve this by yourself. You asked for this." Christianughed and felt more at ease. Anfey had been acting strange all morning, and he felt a strange pleasure seeing Anfey at a disadvantage.


    Anfey sighed and smiled. He wasn¡¯t worried about the money. He was going to stay with Christian and have Niya and Suzanna share a room.


    "Do you need an extra room, my lord?" the inn owner asked.


    "No, it¡¯s fine," Anfey said. "We only need two." He nced around the lobby again and began going up the stairs.


    After Anfey disappeared, one of the mages frowned. "You see those people?" she asked with a scowl. "I say they are some country bumpkins who have never seen the city."


    "I don¡¯t know," her friend said. "Did you see that swordsmaster? I can sense it. She¡¯s different from the others. And the mage. I think they¡¯re different. I don¡¯t think they¡¯remon people."


    "That other guy seemed familiar," another mage said, frowning. "His name sounds interesting as well. What was it again?"


    "Wasn¡¯t it Anfey? The guy that got a Medal of Mars?" one of the mages suddenly said.


    The mages around the man suddenly became very lively. Some people thought a man like that couldn¡¯t be a hero, but others thought it must have been him, because it was such an unusual name. There was a senior swordsmaster, and the other two with Anfey must be powerful as well. Only a teamposed of the most powerful could create such a stir.


    After a few minutes, another group of men walked in. The leader was tall and lean. His face was covered in scars that twisted his features. Such a terrifying man seemed out of ce in the lobby of this inn. He had a child with him, the child that had epted Anfey¡¯s coins. Normally, such a face would spook a child, but the boy seemedpletely at ease next to the man.


    The mages in the room all stood up and greeted the man politely. "Viscount Nana," the owner of the inn called and walked over.


    The man waved his hand and said, "Was there just a group of four here?"


    "Yes," the owner of the inn said. "My lord, are they fugitives?"


    "No," Nana said, shaking his head. "They are my friends. Where are they?"

 Chapter 247: A Bet

    Chapter 247: A Bet


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey looked at the maid in the front, and the maid nodded at Anfey. Anfey raised his hand and knocked on the door. Suzanna¡¯s voice came from the room. "Who is it?"


    "It¡¯s me. Open the door," Anfey said.


    "You are reallying! Ok, ok, Suzanna, go open the door." Niya wasughing in the room.


    The door was opened with Suzanna¡¯s smiling face. Anfey helplessly shook his head. "Let¡¯s talk inside."


    In the room, Niya wasying on her side on the bed, interestingly looking at Anfey. Since Niya was here, what would Anfey do to Suzanna? Besides that, Anfey had behaved very well. No matter to the female ves or the princess from Shansa Empire who was no less beautiful than Suzanna, Anfey had kept a distance from them. Niya thought it was the strongpoint of Anfey. Now Niya knew Anfey was just joking about it. What made her really happy was that she beat Anfey!


    "Niya, stop, think before you talk, otherwise you are causing trouble. Do you understand?" Anfey tried to reason with Niya. That was the main reason he was in Suzanna¡¯s room.


    "I will say whatever I want to say!" Niya did not care about it.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s talk tomorrow. She is really proud of it now and cannot listen to you," Suzanna said, smiling.


    "Yes, I am proud of myself, very proud." Niya had an attitude. She shook her head to try to piss Anfey off.


    Anfey realized it was a big mistake toe in and decided to give up on convincing Niya after giving it some thought. He gave Niya a dirty look. Niya did not just let Anfey do it to her. She gave him an even dirtier look. She obviously did not want to lose.


    Suzanna wasughing at the two of them. She totally trusted Anfey. No matter what bulls^*t Anfey said, it would not lessen her trust in him. When Anfey beat her and hung her on the tree with only a piece of cloth on her, she thought she would be raped. After Anfey proved it was just a misunderstanding, he quietly left the pond without any hesitation. If a man like Anfey was not worth trusting, she really could not find another man to trust.


    Anfey felt upset after he left Suzanna and Niya¡¯s room. He saw Christian leaning against the doorframe, smiling. The maid was watching the room as well. Anfey got even more pissed. He knocked into Christian¡¯s shoulder on purpose as he walked by and then he walked to his own room fast.


    Christian held his chest and closed the door behind Anfey. "Anfey, do you think you have better fighting skills than me? Do you think you could do that to me because of it? You did it on purpose!"


    "I did!" Anfey sounded like Niya in the other room. He sat down on the luxury soft chair in the room. No wonder it was a VIP room. The decoration in the room was great. It was elegant and fancy.


    "Ok, Anfey, I am not ying with you." Christian took a seat across from Anfey, smiling. "Now can you tell me the truth? What do you want to do?"


    "I did not want to do anything. Miorich asked me to do it." Anfeyposed himself and said calmly.


    "What do you mean?" Christian asked in surprise.


    "With Miorich and ckania¡¯s military, no matter what kind of threats we are going to face, they could totally protect us. When the magic array is fixed, we will be sent back to Sacred City by magic array, right?" Anfey said.


    Christian slowly nodded.


    "He told me it was our king¡¯s order to send us back immediately. We had to go back immediately. Does our king need us there that urgently? Would he want us to risk our lives to be on the road? It does not make sense," Anfey said.


    Christian went quiet for a while and nodded.


    "I have thought about it for a while. I think there is only one possibility, that is, our king is going to kill us." Anfey smiled. "We are the bait for alluring necromancers toe out of the dark."


    "Why did Miorich stress that we have to get to Boman territory in three days and return to Sacred City with the magic array there?" Christian asked.


    "He wanted to kill two birds with one stone." Anfey found himself afortable spot on the soft chair, lying sideways. Anfey smiled. "If necromancers appeared in three days, we could just fight them. If necromancers did not show up, we could go back to Sacred City safely to give Miorich a piece of our minds."


    "What you said made some sense," Christian said.


    "Not just made sense. It is a fact," Anfey said.


    "But, why are you prolonging it on purpose? We definitely can get to Buenos City today." Christian found another reason to be suspicious.


    "We have to fight with necromancers." Anfey looked determined and cold. "Because I do not want to live under the threat of necromancers." This was the truth from the bottom of his heart. He had offended them so he did not care to offend them more. If Ynthe dared to risk them, he must have prepared well for the fight. Anfey thought to himself, "Why not let the conflict explode? With the help of Ynthe, the war with necromancers would give them a definite answer." If they lost the war, he probably would be dead, so he would have nothing to worry about after his death. If he won, necromancers would stop for a while, which would buy him time to grow stronger.


    His apparent carelessness on the previous day¡¯s trips was meant to send a message to necromancers; a message that he was picking a fight with them.


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?" Christian gave Anfey a bitter smile. "You made me worried for so long. I thought there was something wrong with you."


    "I think Miorich was more worried than you," Anfey said. He seemed to see the worried look on Miorich now. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Christian was still talking about necromancers with Anfey when he heard the knocking. He unconsciously gathered his magic. Anfey slowly stood up. "Don¡¯t get nervous. No matter how powerful a necromancer is, he would not dare to knock on my door. I will go get the door."


    Anfey opened the door and saw two swordsmen outside the door. He had never seen them before. Before Anfey got the chance to speak, one of the swordsmen said politely in a low voice, "Are you Master Anfey?"


    "Yes, I am. How can I help you?" Anfey said.


    "Our city master would like to see you. Can youe with us? He is on the second floor now," one of the swordsmen said.


    Anfey thought about it for a little bit and nodded. "Ok, I have twopanions here. I am going to ask them to go with me."


    "Please do not bother them." Two swordsmen said worriedly in a quiet voice with their hands shaking in the air. Obviously, they were told to only invite Anfey before they came to see him.


    "Ok." Anfey had known that their city master must be a servant of Saul, otherwise he would not want to see Anfey in such a timely manner and avoid seeing Niya and Suzanna.


    When Anfey passed Niya and Suzanna¡¯s room, he tapped lightly on the door. Those two swordsmen were so scared that their faces looked pale. They could not sense that Suzanna quietly stood next the door inside the room, but Anfey did. If he did not give her a signal to tell her he was safe, no one would know what Suzanna, a senior swordswoman, would do to them.


    Anfey waved his hand to signal them to keep walking. Those two swordsmen waited for a while and saw nothing happening in the room. They heaved a sigh of relief and walked to the staircase with bitter smiles.


    After they walked to the second floor, the two swordsmen opened the door of a room and stood on the both sides of it. Anfey walked straight in without knocking. In the center of the room, a person in a long gray gown quietly stood there. Even though Anfey was aware of who he was, he was still a little shocked by his face. It was indeed a little scary. Scars covered his face. They looked like many worms crawling on his face. There were also many bumps on his face. When his face was burned and lost skin, the facial muscles grew without any constraint and caused those bumps. His nose and mouth were crooked. They looked like a sideways triangle. It just did not look right.


    "I hope this face did not scare you." The person¡¯s voice was very coarse.


    "Are you Viscount Nana? I heard about you from Niya." Anfey smiled. The person did not respond to him, so Anfey switch to a different topic.


    "Niya? She still remembers me?" The coarse voice started to shake.


    No matter whether it was Anfey or Christian, they could not understand why Nana was so excited. To be more specific, Entos was not the first student of Saul. Nana was. When Nana was five years old, his parents passed away. Someone took Nana to Saul¡¯s house. Unfortunately, Nana was talented with neither magic norbat power. He was simr to Urter from Violet City. There were many people like them in this world. Not everyone could be a swordsman or mage.


    After Nana got more mature, he identified himself as a servant, helping with errands to show his appreciation for what Saul had done for him. It could be said that he had watched Niya grow up. When Niya was three years old, Nana was in a fire. Later, he received royal titles and left Sacred City and never saw Niya again.


    "Of course, she remembers you." Anfey smiled. "If you want, I will call Niya down."


    "No!" Nana shook his head and said with self-deprecating humor, "My face...I used to hate looking at mirrors. Every time I wanted to smash the mirrors, but I had to look at them. After a long time, I finally got used to it."


    "Why?" Anfey asked.


    "If I could not bear with my own face, I do not have the right to ask others to bear it. My master told me so before." Nana smiled.


    Anfey and Christian could not help looking at each other. Even though Nana had been a city master for a long time, he still called Saul as his master. His loyalty to Saul seemed to never end.


    "You actually are paying too much attention to your looks. Niya never thought it was that important. She has been mad that you have been avoiding seeing her," Anfey said quietly.

 Chapter 248: Strategizing

    Chapter 248: Strategizing


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Nana smiled but shook his head, and avoided asking the question he had wanted to ask. "How is Lady Niya doing? I heard you killed Zeda and left Sacred City, and I was really worried about her. I can¡¯t leave this ce, though, or else I would have tried to help you. Now that you are here, safe, I can finally rx."


    "She¡¯s doing well," Christian said with a smile. "She had suffered a bit with Zeda, but that¡¯s about it."


    Nana clicked his tongue and said angrily, "Zeda should have died a long time ago. I don¡¯t me you. I would have killed him as well if I was you."


    "It was invigorating," Anfey admitted, "but it was not a wise move."


    "That doesn¡¯t matter," Nana said. "Some things are necessary. Zeda was the one that broke into your home. You have the right to do what you did. I heard Philip had asked His Majesty for justice several times, but it¡¯s clear whose side His Majesty is on. Especially clear, now that you are made a baron."


    "Not yet," Anfey said with a smile. "I don¡¯t care about titles anyway."


    "It¡¯s hard to find people like you nowadays," Nana praised him. "Well, since you are here now, feel free to stay as long as you want. Make yourselves at home here."


    "We¡¯re just passing through, actually. We wouldn¡¯t have stopped here if you weren¡¯t the city lord here, sir."


    "Passing through?"


    "Yes," Christian said with a smile. "We have to leave tomorrow. Master is still waiting for us in Sacred City."


    "I¡¯m not going to ask you to stay, then," Nana said, nodding. "You clearly have more pressing business."


    "Are you sure you don¡¯t want to meet Niya?" Christian asked.


    "I thought I had prepared myself when I came," Nana said, shaking his head. "But it appears I¡¯m not ready. Maybe next time. Here, this is just a small present I prepared for Lord Saul and Niya, but I don¡¯t have time to go to Sacred City. Christian, I trust that you can deliver it for me?"


    "Of course," Christian said. He epted the box gingerly.


    "You can open it as well," Nana said. "Go ahead. Take a look."


    "Can I?"


    "Of course."


    Christian opened the box slowly. Inside was a small statue of a woman, carved from gold. She was sitting on arge ck agate, and was holding a lyre in her hands. The statue was very well made; even the woman¡¯s features were realistic.


    "See the mirror on there? Try to touch it," Nana instructed.


    Christian poked the mirror with his fingers carefully, and the statue gave off some faint magic surges. The statue began to move, her hand moved back and forth as if she was ying the lyre. Music apanied her movements.


    "This is incredible!" Christian gasped. He had seen a lot of strange gadgets, but one like this was a first.


    "Hopefully Niya will like it," Nana said with a smile.


    "I¡¯m sure she will love it," Christian promised. He closed the lid of the box slowly, and the music disappeared.


    "I won¡¯t keep you any longer then," Nana said. He stood up and looked at Christian and Anfey. "I left a few swordsmen downstairs. I¡¯ve talked to the mages here as well. They will assist you if you have any needs."


    "Thank you," Christian said. "That¡¯s considerate of you."


    "I can¡¯te tomorrow, and don¡¯t tell Niya that I¡¯ve been here."


    "What should we say about the gift?"


    "Tell her that I had it delivered," Nana said. He stopped by the door, turned around and said, "You need to be careful. There are all kinds of people in this city. I don¡¯t want to see you guys get hurt."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Christian said. "We have a senior swordsmaster with us. Nothing will happen."


    "Still, you need to be careful," Nana said. "It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry."


    Christian and Anfey wanted to see Nana off, but Nana had insisted that they stay inside. He was very insistent, and Christian and Anfey did not follow him out. After Nana disappeared, Christian nced at the box Nana had left. He flipped the box around, hoping the find the trick.


    "Let me see," Anfey said, holding out a hand.


    "Have you ever seen something like this?"


    "If you haven¡¯t seen it, where would I find something like this?" Anfey took the box and yed with it for a few moments. "Let me hold it for you for a few days," he said. "I want to figure this out."


    "No," Christian said, trying to grab the box.


    "Why not?" Anfey asked. "It¡¯s not like I¡¯m keeping it."


    "Fine," Christian said and rolled his eyes.


    "Alright, alright, let¡¯s go."


    "Go where?"


    "The city, of course. With Suzanna and Niya."


    "The city? Do you have a death wish? It¡¯s night and surely there are necromancers out there."


    "It will be suspicious if we don¡¯t do anything."


    "Fine," Christian said with a sigh.


    Christian straightened his clothes and followed Anfey upstairs. "Sometimes it feels like you can see what¡¯s behind you," he said to Anfey.


    "It¡¯s not that I can see what¡¯s behind me," Anfey said, waving the box in his hands. "It¡¯s that you¡¯re bad at this."


    "If I had used magic..."


    "You think you can get me?"


    "You underestimate me," Christian said. "I will use a gravity spell first, then use a petrifying spell, then I¡¯ll push you with a me wave..." Christian beganying out an borate n to take the box away from Anfey. Even though his n sounded like a good one, he did not tell Anfey that in fact the petrifying spell was useless. In theory, the spell was more powerful than the sting of a manticore, but practically, it took too long to use and no one wanted to waste that much time to only petrify an enemy.


    "Nothing a meteor can¡¯t defeat," Anfey said, pushing open the door of his room. He tossed the box into the room and closed the door behind him.


    "As if you know how to do that," Christian snorted. "Don¡¯t break it."


    "Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s much more durable than it looks."


    Anfey walked over and knocked on the door of Niya and Suzanna¡¯s room.


    "I¡¯m just saying..." the muffled sound of Niya¡¯s voice could be heard even outside the room.


    Anfey smiled. "Suzanna, Niya, we¡¯re going out."


    "Wait a second," Niya called.


    "I¡¯m not talking to you," Anfey said.


    "Which ear did you hear me talking to you with?" Niya snapped.


    "Alright, alright, Anfey, shut up," Suzanna said. "Niya, hurry up."


    "Why is she so loud?" Anfey asked.


    "Not everyone¡¯s as quiet as Suzanna, you know," Christian said.


    Anfey looked at Christian, then said, "Call me curious, Christian. Do you like Niya?"


    "You¡¯re mad," Christian said, frowning.


    "Like I¡¯ve said, call me curious. Do you like her?"


    "She¡¯s like my sister."


    "So you¡¯ve never liked her?"


    "Why do I have to like her?" Christian asked with a frown. "What¡¯s wrong with you today?"


    "Nothing," Anfey said, shaking his head. Having Niya was essential to gaining Saul¡¯s support. Hepletely trusted Christian, but he did not know how ambitious Christian was and wanted to find out.


    The door to Suzanna and Niya¡¯s room was pushed open, and the two girls appeared, Niya in red and Suzanna in white. "What do you think?" Niya asked happily.


    Christian and Anfey looked at the two girls and smiled. When the two were standing next to each other, Suzanna appeared quieter. For some reason, this made her appear more attractive.

 Chapter 249: Temples

    Chapter 249: Temples


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey did not think this world was too fun. There was a huge difference in development between this world and his world. A few people¡¯s wonderful ideas could not make up the huge difference in those two worlds. No matter how unique the pubs in this world, they were noparison with the modern clubs. The stories told by bards were not as interesting as television and movies. Anfey¡¯s eyes only lingered on sprites with pointed ears and slender bodies.


    The so-called shopping was to constantly look for items people were interested in and purchase them with affordable prices. Punk City was not their home. Shopping maniac Niya had to give up a lot of stuff she liked and only bought small stuff that she could carry with her.


    There were fewer pedestrians on the street than before. It was getting dark when Anfey and his group walked out of a clothing store. Niya kept looking back and did not want to leave. Anfey had told them this was theirst stop for shopping, but Niya had not gotten enough of it yet.


    At the end of the street, suddenly there were many lights. Many people with torches slowly walked toward them as women chanted old folk rhymes. Anfey was shocked and immediately held his arm out to block Niya.


    There was heavy breathing behind them. The owner of the clothing store, a middle-aged women, tried very hard to drag a one-yard long trunk and slowly moved to the door. It was strange that two kids who worked for her were just standing there and watching her dragging that heavy trunk. They did not go and help her.


    "Let me help you." Christian offered help to the woman with the heavy trunk, but the woman looked panicked and kept shaking her head. She had been good at convincing and bargaining before, but now she was so quiet.


    "Master!" One of the kids immediately stopped Christian and tried to exin with a smile. "She has to do her business on her own. Thank you for the help though."


    "Ok." Christian shrugged and slowed retreated to the group.


    The doors of shops on both sides of the street opened one after another and handfuls of pedals were tossed in the air. The pedals looked like rain drops in the air. That middle-aged woman finally dragged the trunk to the door and opened it. The trunk was filled with wet pedals. She sincerely held the pedals in her hands and tossed them to the street.


    "Huh, today is the Sabbath," Christian suddenly realized.


    "What is Sabbath?" Anfey asked.


    Christian looked around before he pulled Anfey to the side. He said in a low voice, "Sabbath is the day the Goddess of Nature died. I did not know this city had so many followers of the Goddess of Nature."


    "Followers of the Goddess of Nature?" Anfey hesitated for a second and asked in a low pitch, "Are they simr to church goers?"


    "Yes, as faithful and maniac as them," Christian said.


    "Wouldn¡¯t churches interfere with them?" Anfey asked.


    "They could not." Christian lowered his voice even more. "All the countries seemed to get along with churches, but they secretly helped other religions. They did not want their throne being threatened. Although popes in different times tried to unite the religions, they failed because it was not realistic to hope they could do so. First of all, they had to make all the kings believe God of Light on their own, and then they could start to talk about wiping out other religions."


    "Why was Bruzuryano with the priests? Shouldn¡¯t Druids believe in the Goddess of Nature?" Anfey asked.


    "The church¡¯s strategies had changed a lot. They treated other religions as their enemies, but became allied with some religions to fight with others. Right now church is ally with Druids. Of course, it is for the time being." Christian turned to look at people on the street. "We have to be careful in front of maniac believers."


    There was strong flower fragrance in the air. With the chanting, it did feel holy in some sense. Finally people had walked close to them. Under the light of torches, they could see the sincere and serious look on people¡¯s faces. Today was not a festival for the believers of the Goddess of Nature. Easter in the spring was.


    People still kept tossing petals in the air while the petals fell on people¡¯s heads and bodies. None of them looked around. They were all quietly showered under the petals. They kept walking and passed Anfey and his group.


    Some shops had finished tossing petals, while others repeated that one action of tossing petals in the air. Anfey turned half way to look into that woman¡¯s trunk. It was still full of wet pedals. She only tossed out less than one tenth of it. It would take her a while to toss the whole trunk. The middle-aged woman looked happy with what she was doing. She seemed to enjoy it.


    "Anfey, do you want to see the temple?" Christian asked.


    "The temple for the Goddess of Nature?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Christian said.


    "Is it ok to go there?" To be honest, Anfey did not want to deal with those believers because he thought the believers could turn tame sheep into vicious wolves. They blindly believed it without any reason.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s go check it out," Niya said after hearing what Christian said. "Suzanna wanted to see it too."


    Niya was smart. She knew her words did not mean too much to Anfey, so she used Suzanna as an excuse.


    "Didn¡¯t you all see the temple of the Goddess of Nature before?" Anfey asked in surprise. He never saw it if only because he was not from this world. Niya and Suzanna were locals.


    "No, we believed in Earth..." Suzanna said.


    "Shhhhh!" Christian immediately put his finger on his lips to signal Suzanna to stop. "Suzanna, don¡¯t say anything to offend them."


    Suzanna turned around to check that middle-aged woman. She was still diligently tossing the petals in the air and did not hear them talking. Suzanna stuck her tongue out and nodded to tell Christian she got it.


    "Everybody, follow me." Christian turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the people on the street.


    "Christian, did you go the wrong way?" Anfey pointed with his finger. "They are going that way."


    "No, the temple is definitely that way. They are going to the field," Christian said.


    This was their first time to visit Punk City, but it was pretty easy for them to locate the temple. They only needed to follow the petals on the floor and walk straight ahead. It did not take long before they arrived in front of a not-so-grand building. Religion had contributed so much to the arts. Different religions with different beliefs needed different arts to amodate them.


    The Church of Light stressed light, so they always made their buildings bright and roomy. The temple in front of them had a totally different feeling. There were two ancient trees with their roots exposed along the ground and branches high up on the top. They could not tell the exact ages of the trees, but their age had to be counted in the hundreds. The door was not wide, and there was only one path to connect the inside of the temple. The only path should have been very smooth, since so many people had walked on it, but there was moss all over it. It looked like no one had walked on it for a long time. The walls were green. With the help of ever-lighting light, Anfey and his group found that there was ivy everywhere on the wall.


    "Why are there no guards?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "This ce does not need guards," Christian said and smiled.


    Anfey gave Christian a suspicious look and slowly walked in. He was shocked by what he saw inside the temple. Countless branches and vines hung all over the whole building and covered all the walls. Anfey could not even see windows, not to mention a door. Anfey thought this whole building was a gigantic loaf of moldy bread. Of course, the mold was green.


    "Where do we go in?" Niya looked around to find a door.


    "We have Anfey, so we should be able to get in." Christian smiled. "Anfey, you walk straight ahead of you."


    "Don¡¯t fool with me," Anfey said, frowning.


    "No, I am not. Give it a try," Christian said.


    Trusting Christian, Anfey tested the ground and walked slowly forward. When he was only a few yards away from that gigantic green bread building, he suddenly stopped. He arched his back, like an alert leopard.


    It moved! That gigantic green bread suddenly became alive. The branches were moving like crazy and created green waves in the air. The branches made a sound like they were talking in their dreams. Anfey had dumped the materialism ideology a long time ago when he was in Evil Abyss, but what he saw in front of him still made his hair stand up.


    "They are weing you," Christian said, standing next to Anfey.


    "Bulls#*t!" Anfey was not in the mood for joking. "How do you know what they are doing?"


    "Do you forget about your Heart of Nature?" Christian asked.


    Anfey was shocked for a second and slowly held his hand out. Those branches seemed to be able to sense him and started to wag. A few vines even gently brushed against his palm. Anfey moved two steps forward. The branches in front of him rolled up like moving waves. A stone door with runes showed up.


    "I was not wrong, was I?" Christian asked.


    "Unfortunately, it was not my Heart of Nature," Anfey said as he pushed the stone door. The stone door opened so easily that Anfey did not have to push with much strength. The pce inside the temple appeared in front of everyone.

 Chapter 250: Magic Manipulation

    Chapter 250: Magic Maniption


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The inside of the temple was in but beautiful. Like the elves, the temple was decorated with mostly natural decorations. There was hardly any silver or gold in the temple. The two candleholders in the middle of the temple and the elementalmps along the walls were carved from white jade, and the ground was paved with small, blue stones. There was a table to the left with tes and bowls on it. The table was shaped strangely, like arge, t tree root that formed a curve in the air before disappearing into the ground again. The curved part was the table. There were a few chairs around the table.


    The high ceiling was green and covered in vines. Different colored gemstones were set into the ceiling and sparkled like stars under the light of themps.


    In the middle of the temple was the statue of a reclining woman. The statue was covered with moss, making it much harder to see the woman¡¯s face and clothing. There was a leaf on the chest of the statue. The statue was clearly sculpted to fit the golden ratio, making it very pleasing to the eye.


    Christian, Niya, and Suzanna followed Anfey into the temple. Niya nced around and eximed, "How beautiful."


    "You see that?" Christian said, pointing to statue. "That¡¯s what Heart of Nature is based on."


    "What?" Anfey asked absentmindedly, looking around the temple. He felt strange, and his feeling was confirmed when he passed the statue. He narrowed his eyes, trying to look at the leaf on the statue more clearly. Up close, he could tell that the statue was half naked.


    Next to him, Suzanna and Niya snickered. He had been trying to unlock the secret to Heart of Nature, but it felt strange learning that the leaf was part of the Goddess of Nature¡¯s outfit.


    A ball of vapor suddenly appeared in front of the statue. A curtain of water appeared, then it separated to make way for a woman in a white robe.


    Anfey frowned. He did not feel any magic surges, and it seemed like the woman had been there all along but was able to escape everyone¡¯s eyes by using the water curtain.


    "Sorry to disturb you," Christian said. "We are tourists. From Violet City." In order to attract more believers, temples tended to be open to everyone. They would not be in trouble.


    The woman looked at them, and her eyes finally fell on Anfey. She had bright eyes and a tall nose, and it was hard to tell her age. Her long hair had three different shades, going from ck to silver.


    Anfey stared at the woman. He knew that no one could tell what he was thinking as long as he wanted to. He wanted to create an illusion of curiosity when he was thinking about something else.


    The branches to his left rustled, and a pair ofrge paws pushed through the vines. Arge bear then appeared. It was tall and imposing, the temple appeared small inparison to the beast.


    Suzanna reached for her sword, and the bear, which was only walking, roared after spotting her movement. Its green eyes suddenly turned red, and it charged towards Suzanna.


    "Be at ease, my guardian," the woman said. The bear and Suzanna both stopped and looked at her. Suzanna¡¯s sword was already half drawn. The bear looked at Suzanna and roared, but retreated.


    "Tell me, where did youe from?" the woman asked, looking at Anfey.


    "We came from Violet City."


    "What about before that?


    "We were in Country of Mercenaries before that."


    "Before that?"


    "Don¡¯t you think that is a bit too personal?" Anfey asked.


    The woman smiled but did not press on. "I am an oracle." she said. "It is only natural that I am curious." Anfey frowned at the woman¡¯sment.


    The bear suddenly roared and charged towards Anfey. It had tried to attack Suzanna, and even though the woman ordered it to stop, it was still much closer. It was already close to Anfey when everyone realized what was happening. The woman hurriedly try to use a spell to stop the bear. A row of vines appeared between Anfey and the bear.


    Anfey took a few steps back, but momentum caused the bear to crash into the vines. The vines suddenly changed shape and enveloped the bear, lifting it off of the ground in a cocoon. The woman frowned at the sight.


    The bear struggled against the cocoon, itsrge ws shing at the vines. With each broken vine, however, a dozen more appear and wrap themselves more tightly around the bear.


    "Let him down," the woman said hurriedly.


    "Are you talking to me?" Anfey asked, frowning.


    "Who else?" the woman snapped.


    Anfey looked at the bear, its brown fur alreadypletely obscured by the green vines. The only part of the bear still visible was its hind legs, which were dangling in the air. The bear¡¯s struggle was growing weaker, and its roars were dying down. The vines were too thick and growing too fast for it to do much.


    Anfey shrugged and held up his hands. He was not sure why the vines were attacking the bear, but he was sure it had nothing to do with him. He didn¡¯t know why the vines were acting the way they were acting, much less how to stop it.


    The vines suddenly stopped, then threw the bear like arge cannonball. The bear crashed into the far wall and fell to the ground. The wall of the temple, surprisingly, did not copse.


    The bear was on the ground and trying to stand up. It could not even lift its head, however, because of its severe injuries.


    The woman cried and hurried towards the bear. She knelt down next to the beast and inspected its injuries. Then she lifted her head and red at Anfey.


    "I don¡¯t know what happened!" Anfey said, raising his head. Right now, thest thing he needed was to have a conflict with a religious person like this woman.


    Instead of disappearing, the vines all gathered around Anfey. Some pooled under his feet, and some coiled around his body. Some danced around him and enveloped him, pushing Christian, Suzanna, and Niya away. Compared to before, the vines appeared more gentle and calm.


    "I really didn¡¯t do it," Anfey repeated sincerely. The vines danced, and one even climbed onto his shoulder like an animal around its master. The vines¡¯ actions made Anfey¡¯s exnation seemed fake and insincere.


    "My guardian might have been rude, but we had no malicious intentions. How can you be so murderous?" the woman shouted angrily.


    "You have to trust me, I did not do that!" Anfey said. One of the vines climbed onto his face slowly. Anfey frowned and ripped the vine away from his body. "Go away," he spat as he mmed the vine onto the ground.


    As if they had just received an order, the vines began to shrivel and quickly disappeared into the ground. It was as if what had just happened was only an illusion.


    Anfey frowned. The vines were very obedient, which made his exnation appeared even more like a lie.

 Chapter 251: Super Power

    Chapter 251: Super Power


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    There were hurried footsteps from outside as about seven people rushed in from the doors on the both sides of the main room. They first saw Suzanna standing there with her swords and then a gigantic brown bear on the floor. The bear struggled to stand up but failed. They also saw an angry looking woman. They thought they knew what had happened and started to rush towards Anfey without even asking what had happened.


    Anfey liked to think and n before making any actions. If he did not have the advantage in a situation, he would hide and attack people by surprise. For example, the two assistantmanders of Glory Mercenary group, Shanteler and Davidson, never knew how they were killed. Even if they had experience with surprise attacks, those attacks had never posed too much threat to them. This time, the situation was totally turned around. Anfey did not want to fight with these believers, but they had started the fight without any negotiation. They even intended to kill Anfey and his group.


    Dozens of sticks with thorns thrust towards Anfey and hispanions. They made whooshing sounds when they travelled in the air. Judging from the speed and momentum of the sticks, they looked like they could easily pierce holes in human bodies. Two thin men with muscles tossed something ck at them. It was like ck rain falling from the air. Every raindrop was an unknown seed. Those seeds exploded into millions of thorns in the air and flew towards Anfey and his people. A few fan-sized leaves flew along the ground. It was hard to predict which directions these leaves were going to move to. They could barely see the sharp edges on the leaves.


    Behind Anfey and his group, the vines suddenly showed up again one after another. The amount of vines even doubled or tripled. The vines could move more swiftly than some animals¡¯ tentacles. They looked like vapors, testing and approaching Anfey and hispanions.


    Christian gasped and immediately chanted as fast as he could without giving a second thought. A barely seen magic dome was building with him at the center. The magic dome covered Anfey and others in it. Christian knew his magic could not stop this kind of attack, but it was hisst chance. In other words, he did not know what he could do besides put up a magic dome. People tended to do something, just something at thest moment, no matter what that was.


    Niya was shocked for a second and immediately realized what happened. Sheid on her stomach on the ground. Anfey had told her many times that she had to protect herself without considering anything else whenever they were attacked. To protect herself well and not distract her fellows was the biggest help to the others. The move ofying on the ground was taught by Anfey as well.


    Suzanna looked like she was ready to ughter those people. She was the safest one among the four of them. Even if Christian¡¯s magic dome broke, herbat power still could protect herself, but not Anfey and the other two. At this moment, Suzanna pictured Anfey, Christian and Niyaying on the ground in blood. The sword in her hand radiated a blinding sword radiant. The sword radiant was pointing at the woman, who was yelling something. Suzanna would kill all of them if they dared to hurt anyone in her group.


    "Don¡¯t use Nature magic!" the woman yelled, but her voice was submerged in the whooshing and howling sounds.


    Suddenly, the world seemed to stop for Anfey. There was some light shining around his chest. The light was so strong that it could shine through his clothes. Anfey looked a little confused and in pain. Not only had the Heart of Nature on his chest worked, the spirit crystal inside him started to shake as well, which made him suffer a huge amount of pain. The volume of the spirit crystal seemed to get smaller. Only two exnations for this were possible. One was it got condensed; the other would be it was absorbed into Anfey¡¯s body.


    Anfey could not tell what was going on in his body, but he could not just do nothing either. The pain he suffered took half of his telepathy away and he could barely control his body to make any moves.


    With a huge crashing sound, the spears made with thorny sticks shed on Christian¡¯s magic dome. If it had been magic shield, it might have held on a little longer, but Christian¡¯s magic dome was not as strong as a magic shield. In other words, the attack was strong and fast, in the blink of an eye, and Christian¡¯s magic dome copsed.


    The huge copsing sound brought Anfey back into this world. He suddenly felt his telepathy greatly magnified. He could see everything behind him whether or not it was alive. If he wanted, he could even know how many thorns were in the air. He felt everything seemed to connect with him in a way that he could not describe in words.


    Seeing the attacking, Anfey held his hand out to push it away by instinct.


    This push did not contain any strength. It was a gesture to express his desire or will.


    Something happened that startled everyone. The thorny sticks swung in a formation of an arc and turned around, flying in the opposite direction. The thorns in the air followed the thorny sticks and all flew backwards. The sharp-edged leaves swirled around Anfey and the other three and flew back to where they came from with a whooshing sound. Countless vines moved passed Anfey and the other three. They flew against the floor to the other side, like a gigantic flying carpet.


    The whole temple had an angry vibe, not from angry people, but from angry nts. If their previous attacks could be called fierce, then their attacks now were crazy.


    Suzanna shot forward but suddenly stopped herself. Her jaw dropped as she saw what had happened. She immediately turned around to look at Anfey. She knew only Anfey, with such mysterious powers, could do something like this.


    Their opponents were attacked by surprise. A few of them had quick responses and tried to protect themselves with magic. However, things got even weirder. No matter what elements they called or what magic they tried to release, the moment they appeared they would be infected by angry nts and start to turn around to attack the people who released them. They died even faster than their peers who did not react as quickly as they had.


    The people who released the thorny sticks now got pierced by the thorny sticks themselves and were nailed to the walls. The wall had been intact when the brown bear hit it, but now the walls had holes in them. The two skinny men who shot out thorns had been shot and looked like hedgehogs. They fell to the ground and screamed in pain. The sharp leaves flew back and cut off a man¡¯s head and another man¡¯s leg. The man who lost one leg lost his bnce and fell to the floor before he had time to realize what had happened to him. He was still staring at Anfey.


    The elements started to disappear and everything went back to normal. Besides Anfey and his group, everyone else seemed to fall to the ground in blood. Those people who were nailed to the wall now slowly slid to the ground, even though they had lost their lives. The woman did not attack from the very beginning, so she was the only one who did not get hurt. She did not seem to think herself lucky. She looked desperate and helpless. She did not understand why their power had betrayed them.


    Anfey took a long breath in. He definitely felt he had reached another level, although the world he was in had ebbed and flowed. He could not even remember how he felt in that status. If he described himself as invincible in that status, it might sound like he was exaggerating, but for a very short period of time, he really believed that he was invincible.


    Anfey rubbed his chest and found the Heart of Nature had made some changes. It seemed to move to a heart beat. The Heart of Nature had brought him some amazing feelings before, but it was just an object to Anfey. Now it seemed to have a life.


    "Is your code being activated by me?" Anfey was so excited that he thought it out loud, but no one could understand him.


    "Do you have the power of Nature? Are you the messenger of God?" That woman suddenly realized something. She struggled to stand up and cried, "But why did you kill them? They are all your followers!" After she finished her talk, she rushed towards Anfey, but the moving vines stopped her.


    Anfey was quiet. He thought to himself that it was going to be hard to exin his actions. He did not want to kill those believers. Actually he did not kill them, those nts killed them. In Evil Abyss, he learned the power of telepathy. What he had was a willpower that he could not exin in words. Willpower was way more powerful than telepathy. This identally-found power was so powerful that Anfey had no control over it and did not know how to control it either.


    "Why? Why? God, are you going to kill all of us?" The woman was still crying.


    "Be quiet." Anfey slowly walked up to her. The vines on the ground seemed to be able to see Anfey and moved to the side like the tide and made a path for him. "If your eyes had no problem, you should have seen it was your people who wanted to kill us."


    "Yes, I admit they offended you, but you cannot take their lives because of that, can you?" That woman asked a rhetorical question in a trembling voice.


    "Do they have the right to take our lives? I have a rule for doing things. If you want me to die first, then I will let you die first," Anfey said calmly.


    "You have been attacking us from the very beginning. We only defended ourselves." Christian slowly walked over. "I suspect these violent people are really the followers of the Goddess of Nature." Christian knew there were many followers of the Goddess of Nature in Maho Empire. To make less trouble for themselves, they had to convince her they were right. In fact, he did not know whether the woman had any revenge intention after seeing the power of Nature on Anfey. She was not willing to, did not understand and did not want to believe the messenger of God would kill the followers of the Goddess of Nature.


    "If we were the ones on the floor, what would you say? me yourself?" Anfey said with a satirical tone. "There is no point to talk about this. Anson, can you get the city master toe here and ask him to handle it."

 Chapter 252: Mysterious Box

    Chapter 252: Mysterious Box


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Nana, reeking of ale, entered the temple with a few dozen guards. He nced at the bodies strewn on the ground and frowned, shaking his head.


    The believers in the temple were not all killed. There were two wounded: one had a puncture wound on his stomach, and another lost his leg. The woman was tending their wounds, her expression cold and distant.


    Nana walked over to the woman and asked respectfully, "mydy, are you hurt?"


    The woman shook her head, and her attention did not shift away from the wounded man. She did not say any spells, but her hands were glowing green. The gentle glow covered the wounded men¡¯s bodies and disappeared into the wounds.


    Anfey stood there quietly. He already knew that the woman was very important, or else Goddess of Nature¡¯s followers would have not attacked. Nana¡¯s attitude towards her only confirmed his suspicion.


    Nana turned to Anfey and frowned. "Who are you?" he asked coldly. "Where did youe from?"


    Niya lifted her brow and was about to say something. Anfey took a step forward and waved his hand at Niya behind his back. "We are from Mambo Territory, my lord," he said politely. Anfey already knew what Nana¡¯s intentions were when he pretend he did not know who they were. Goddess of Nature¡¯s followers had great influence in this city, powerful enough to make Nana worried about the consequences. He needed to make it clear that he had nothing to do with the people whomitted murder in the temple. This way, if he was trying to protect Anfey, Niya, Christian, and Suzanna, he wouldn¡¯t be called biased. If he made it apparent that he was acquainted with them, and was protecting them, it would cause troubles.


    "Do you have proof?"


    "Yes, my lord," Anfey said. He found a piece of paper and handed it to Nana.


    Nana took the paper and studied it carefully. It was just a random piece of paper, but Nana appeared very serious. He handed the paper back to Anfey after a few minutes.


    "Tell me what happened," Nana said to Christian.


    "You see, my lord, we just wanted to check the temple out. We heard it was a beautiful ce, you see. That woman talked to us, then this bear attacked us for some reason. Then all these people appeared out of nowhere. We had no choice, my lord. We were being attacked."


    Nana nodded and turned to the woman. "Is that true, mydy?" he asked the woman.


    "It is true," the woman said without looking up.


    Nana frowned. He thought the woman would deny her involvement, and her reaction took him by surprise.


    "Are you sure, mydy?" Nana asked again.


    The woman did not say anything, and kept treating her patients.


    "I have to let them go free, then," Nana said.


    "They are free all along," the woman said.


    Nana frowned. He felt like the woman knew all along his rtion to the four people standing there. He thought about his actions and did not find any mistakes. He turned to Anfey.


    "Can we go now, my lord?" Anfey asked. He knew that the woman¡¯s reaction must have something to do with Great Nature Power and Messenger of Gods.


    "Alright," Nana said, waving his hand. "Let them go."


    The guards made way for the four of them. Niya followed Anfey, and before she left she turned and red at Nana. She did not understand why Nana was being so cold towards her.


    "Mydy, do you need any help?" Nana asked.


    "No need. This is our business."


    "But all these bodies..."


    "It is our business," the woman said calmly. "Not yours."


    "Alright," Nana said and shrugged.


    Anfey and Christian¡¯s room was still and quiet. Suddenly, the small box on Anfey¡¯s bed shook. Then the lid opened slowly. A small, golden figure climbed out of the box. She had two small, light blue gemstones on her head. That was her eyes, and they were shining eerily. Her head swiveled around as if she could really see what was in the room. Then she jumped from the bed and onto a nearby table. She walked over to the water bowl and knocked on it. The water bowl vibrated and buzzed.


    The figure jumped onto the water bowl and tried to open the bowl¡¯s lid with her fingerless hands without sess. She stood there for a few seconds, then she jumped onto the lid and ced her lyre by the opening of the bowl. A colorless liquid poured out of her lyre and into the water.


    After the liquid was poured into the water, the golden figure jumped back onto the bed and lifted the lid. She settled back into the box and closed the lid behind her. The room returned to stillness, as if nothing had happened.


    After a while, Anfey and Christian walked into the room. Niya and Suzanna followed them.


    "You two should get some rest," Anfey said, sitting down on his bed. He took a piece of hair off of the box and blew it away.


    "Alright," Suzanna said, nodding.


    "What is that?" Niya asked curiously, staring at the box in Anfey¡¯s hand.


    "It¡¯s a gift for Master Saul," Anfey said.


    "Can I look at it?" Niya asked.


    "You¡¯ll see it soon."


    Niya rolled her eyes and stamped her foot.


    Everyone would be numb to the sight of blood after a while. Getting used to ufortable situations was vital for human survival. Even Niya was already used to death and did not let what happened in the temple bother her.


    Anfey smiled but did not say anything.


    "There¡¯s got to be good things in there," Niya said, turning to Suzanna. "Don¡¯t you think?"


    "Let¡¯s go get some rest, Niya," Suzanna said, smiling. She was not as curious as Niya was, and dragged Niya out of the room with her.


    Niya sighed. The two were very different from each other. When Suzanna was facing enemies, she was murderous and violent, but when she wasn¡¯t, she was calm and quiet. Niya was usually quiet when facing an enemy, but outgoing and lively when she was with people she knew.


    "Be careful tonight, Suzanna," Anfey called.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Suzanna said.


    Seeing that Niya and Suzanna had left the room, Anfey opened the box slowly and saw that the golden figure was still standing there, ying with her lyre.


    "Let me see," Christian said.


    "Tomorrow," Anfey said, closing the lid.


    "How selfish," Christian said, shaking his head. He walked over to the water bowl and reached towards it.


    Anfey reached over and grabbed the bowl before Christian could. "What are you doing?" Christian asked.


    "I¡¯m thirsty," Anfey said. He raised the bowl to his lips and drank directly from it.


    "What are you doing?" Christian asked, his eyes wide. "Personal hygiene, Anfey."


    Anfey didn¡¯t say anything. He suddenly choked on the water and coughed violently. Christian walked over and patted him on the back.


    Anfey waved his hand. "I¡¯ll be fine," he said, setting the bowl on the table. "You thirsty?"


    Christian looked the pot and shook his head. "I¡¯m going to ask for another bowl."


    "Oh yes, Christian," Anfey said. "I saw a bird cage on the second floor just then, with two birds in it. Can you go grab it?"


    "Those are the owner¡¯s birds, right? What do you want with them?"


    "I like birds," Anfey said. "Tell the owner I¡¯ll just y with them for a bit. I¡¯ll return them tomorrow."


    Christian frowned. "Fine," he said, shrugging. "I¡¯ll go ask, but I promise nothing."


    "Don¡¯t worry. They will let me. We are, after all, the city lord¡¯s friend," Anfey said with a smile.

 Chapter 253: Fight

    Chapter 253: Fight


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It was getting dark and Anfey looked a little tired. He actually had never been tired before. After chatting with Christian for a while, he fell into a sound sleep. Christian did meditation for a while before he fell asleep. The chirping birds seemed to be influenced by them. They curled up in the corner of the cage and fell asleep.


    After a while, Anfey and Christian both snored a little. A gold music box resting diagonally at the end of the bed suddenly moved. After a while, the top of the box opened. A pair of light blue light spots showed and then a small head peeked out from the opening.


    At the same time, Anfey was talking in a dream and then turned over. His right foot identally pressed the top of the music box. The golden little puppet was stuck there. He could neither move back in nore out. His hands waved in the air, trying to grab something. He also made a quiet but ear-piercing sound.


    The little puppet seemed to receive an order from someone and suddenly stopped struggling. He lifted up his little head and looked at Christian across from him, and then weirdly turned half of his body to look at Anfey. Anfey was still sound asleep. The little puppet slowly held his hand out. There was a tiny fine needle on top of his finger, pointing at Anfey¡¯s ankle.


    Without any wind, the door to the room suddenly opened. A person walked in. As he walked in, a dim light underneath his foot spread throughout the room. The little golden puppet suddenly frozen there, and the needle was less than one centimeter away from Anfey¡¯s ankle.


    Another person quietly walked in. He looked at Anfey and noticed him still in sound sleep without knowing anything had happened. He could not help frowning. If they had been a littleter, Anfey would surely have gotten hurt.


    The person in the front waved his hand. The gold music box was lifted up by ayer of light and flew onto that person¡¯s palm. When he had the music box on his palm, he suddenly turned to the south to look. Obviously, he had sensed who controlled this puppet in his hand and from where.


    The next moment, the two people disappeared one after another. The door was closed, and the room became as quiet as before.


    Some thick and tall oak trees quietly stood under the moonlight, not far from the House of Mages Hotel. If frequent customers of the House of Mages Hotel saw these oak trees, they would have been shocked, since there were no trees before, not to mention such big and tall oak trees.


    "I heard that guy hurt many of our people. Why are we here protecting him?" A low voice came from an oak tree.


    "This is the order of the master. If you do not want to protect him and disobey the order, you can try to see what punishment you will receive," another person answered calmly.


    "Shut up. All be quiet." Suddenly there was an inpatient voice from underground. Those few oak trees became quiet. Only their leaves made some sounds in the wind.


    Christian¡¯s eyelids moved a little bit. He observed his surroundings with squinted eyes. He slowly sat up from the bed and saw Anfey in sound sleep. He tried to wake him up. "Anfey!"


    Anfey responded to Christian just by moving his mouth and making some sounds.


    "Man." Christian shook his head. If this had happened in the past, he would have barely notice anything unusual. He was experienced now and became very observant. Anfey had looked a little strange in the evening, so Christian had been suspicious and did not really fall asleep. Christian did not see the gold puppet because he only used his ears to listen to his surroundings. If he had known there was a puppet, he would already have killed it.


    Christian rolled off the bed and walked up beside Anfey. He pushed Anfey a little. "Anfey, Anfey." Under the moonlight, he saw the cage on the floor. The two birds were sound asleep in very weird positions, curling up at the corners of the cage. Christian started to look serious and worried. He looked at Anfey and then at the two birds. He squatted down and poked one bird with his finger through the cage. The bird flipped over but still did not wake up.


    Christian rushed to his bed and grabbed his wand. He rushed back to Anfey¡¯s side again. He grabbed Anfey¡¯s shoulder and shook him hard. "Anfey, wake up, wake up."


    "You don¡¯t have to wake him up now. Without being baptized by the sunlight, he will not wake up," a coarse sound arose.


    Christian was frozen to the ground for a second. Even an immature kid would turn around to ask who he was or pretend to be calm and ask who he was, but Christian raised his wand without any hesitation. With strong magic surges, a big fire ball shot out at the ck shadow. At the same time, Christian yelled, "Suzanna!"


    Anfey believed in preemption. If others took preemptive action first, they would be at a disadvantage. People in his legion were definitely influenced by his principles to some degree. Christian was okay to fight. He felt there was no point in talking too much.


    The big fireball hit the target and exploded. After the explosion, the mes swallowed the ck shadow, but soon the ck shadow walked out from the me. There was thick smog on his body. Christian also smelled something burning in the air.


    Christian waved the wand in his hand. An electric arc shot out from the tip of the wand and then released the magic dome immediately after that. Christian immediately chanted.


    Christian heard Suzanna¡¯s yelling and fighting sounds from the next room. It was obvious that Suzanna did not have the advantage in this fight. Christian¡¯s heart dropped. From the casual look on that ck shadow, he knew it would not be easy, but he did not expect Suzanna could not get out of the fight quickly.


    "No point," the ck shadow shook his head and said with a yful tone.


    Christian snorted and hit his wand hard on the floor. A heat wave spread out. Where the heat wave passed, the floor and chairs had turned into ashes. Even the roof was burned. ss items had all exploded. The ck shadow shook a little bit before he could steady himself. The smog on him got even thicker. He made some sizzling sound like meat cooked on a grill. The sound made Christian¡¯s hair stand up. Christian could even see some unknown liquid dripping from the ck shadow.


    "Move, Christian. I do not want to hurt you now, but only now," the ck shadow said with a coarse voice. "My job is to take him with me. Don¡¯t even try to stop me."


    Christian looked at Anfey and said calmly, "No!"


    "You are very stubborn. I will give you one more chance, and this is yourst chance." That ck shadow slowly took two steps forward.


    Christian slid one step to the side and blocked Anfey behind him. He used his action to show his determination.


    "This is so touching." The coarse voice showed his intention to kill Christian now. A weird bone spear appeared as the ck shadow waved his hand. The spear hit hard on the magic dome. As the bone spear disappeared, the magic dome disappeared as well.


    At the same time, with a huge copsing sound, a big hole was sted in the wall between the two rooms. Christian could see a gigantic brown bear fighting with Suzanna through the hole. That brown bear had a simr size with the bear in the temple. The only difference was this brown bear was covered with stone scales. Every time Suzanna hit the bear, arge piece of stone scale would get hit away, but it would grow back immediately to block the next hit. Suzanna could not use all her powers because she had to take care of Niya in the corner. The brown bear kept moving forward with his gigantic body and hard stone scales. His momentum was terrifying. Christian was startled by what he saw.


    Christian lost himself in thoughts for a short time. A cloud of smog floated against the burnt floor towards Christian as the ck shadow causally shook his hand. The shocking look on Christian¡¯s face immediately disappeared. The magic dome radiant appeared and shocked the cloud of smog away. He pointed his wand forward. A wind de shot out fast at the ck shadow¡¯s head. That ck shadow was knocked back with a whooshing sound. A fishy liquid sshed from the ck shadow¡¯s head.


    Christian waved his wand like he was twitching. Wind des shot at that ck shadow. Unfortunately, these attacks could not hurt him. A weird bone shield blocked him in front and absorbed the damage for him.


    "Are you a necromancer?" Christian asked.


    "You have made me very angry." That ck shadow did not answer Christian¡¯s question. In fact, there was no point for him to answer Christian. That ck shadow¡¯s voice sounded very cold.


    "You are an unweed robber and do not have a right toin," Christian sneered. "Suzanna, don¡¯t worry. I can handle this guy. You only need to take care of that stupid bear."


    "You handle me?" That ck shadow grinned. When he came here, he indeed did not want to hurt Christian. He only wanted to take Anfey with him, but Christian did not understand his intention and pissed him off. Now he did not care whether or not he hurt Christian.


    "Ok." Suzanna yelled. Bright sword radiant showed around the sword. She swung hard at the bear¡¯s head. The stone scales were hit into powder and sshed everywhere. She kicked the bear¡¯s chest. Even this bear, over three yards tall, could not take such a powerful kick and fell backwards. The door and the walls next to the door were knocked down by the bear.


    Christian had finished his chanting. Unexpectedly, his wand pointed at the bear. At the same time, Suzanna had leaped forward with her sword toward the ck shadow through the hole on the wall between the two rooms.


    The fallen bear struggled to get back up, but its paws lost the grip. Under the gravity magic, the bear¡¯s weight increased several times to the point that the floor could not hold it. With a huge crashing sound, the bear disappeared.

 Chapter 254: Childish

    Chapter 254: Childish


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The dark figure bellowed angrily, a short, dark staff appearing in his hand. He never expected that Christian could turn the situation around with such a simple trick.


    Intermediate gravity spells were verymon, and were hardly a threat to anyone. However, there were situations where it would be the perfect spell to use. After all, there were no bad spells, only bad mages.


    Therge bear had already fallen through several floors and fell to the bottom of the building. The effects of a gravity spell wouldst for a few minutes, and the bear could try with all his might, but he would not be able to join the fight.


    Green liquid spouted from the man¡¯s ck staff and shot towards Suzanna. With a loud crack, the sword in Suzanna¡¯s hand shed out and her sword radiance blocked all the green liquid.


    Christian and Suzanna quickly switched ces. Neither knew how many enemies there were, but both Niya and Anfey were unconscious and needed protection.


    Suzanna¡¯s sword radiance shattered the man¡¯s bone shield and left a deep sh on the man. The man groaned and took a few steps back. He waved his hand and released another spell. The whole room was filled with a dark glow, and Suzanna¡¯s movement suddenly became slower.


    The man took advantage of this and recovered himself. He began whispering another spell. Suzanna bellowed and the light of herbat power became brighter and rippled around her body. She dashed forward. Swordsmasters needed to get close when fighting with a mage. A mage was usually not as physically fit as a swordsmaster, but a swordsmaster could not withstand magic for long. If a swordsmaster did not charge at his enemy, he might as well run away.


    The man used another spell, and a light red glow appeared around Suzanna. However, even with the spell slowing her down, Suzanna was able to duck away from the red glow.


    Arge bone spear suddenly burst through the window and flew towards Suzanna. Suzanna was in midair, and she was going at a fast speed, making it harder for her to duck. She frowned and decided to focus on the man in front of her. She did not have another choice. She needed to protect her friends, and she couldn¡¯t do that unless she defeated the man in front of her. She did not have confidence to take on two mages.


    Therge spear struck Suzanna with a loud thud. Thebat power around Suzanna quivered, and the spear disappeared upon impact. Combat power was not only a weapon for swordsmen, it was also their shield. An attack like this could not hurt Suzanna, but it was enough to put her off course.


    The man waved his staff, and the light red glow moved with his staff. It enveloped Suzanna, and she was suddenly stopped in midair.


    A dozen spikes appeared and formed a cylindrical cage with Suzanna inside. The bones shrank and trapped Suzanna.


    Suzanna screamed in rage and shed at the cage. She tried to wriggle out of the cage, but bone cages were one of necromancers¡¯ best weapons. It was practically impossible to escape from one. The bones that formed the cage were not only strong, but also very flexible. Suzanna would never be able to escape it.


    For a mage, one of the most important things was the space to use the magic. Swordsmen were not much different. Suzanna¡¯s arms were trapped in the cage and there was not enough space to use her sword. She could not do much damage to the cage with her sword.


    The man lowered his staff and turned to Christian. He chuckled lowly. He did not want to hurt Christian at first, but he changed his mind.


    Christian could clearly see what was happening on the other side. He did not say anything, and quietly retrieved a magic scroll. Niya sighed and grabbed his arm, knowing exactly what he wanted to do. When the oue of the fight was still unclear, Niya would panic and hide, but when it became obvious that the fight was lost, Niya found herself suddenly unafraid. She was Saul¡¯s daughter, and she knew she should not shy away from a fight like this.


    Another figure appeared in the room. It was the man who had trapped Suzanna. Compared to the other man, the neer appeared much more ruthless. Unlike hispanion, who hid himself in the shadows, the second man¡¯s white hair, sunken cheeks, and dark eyes were all exposed. Normally, a necromancer would hide his face. This necromancer clearly did not care if anyone found out who he was.


    He reached over and grabbed Anfey. "This is the one Annunciata wants?"


    "Yes," the other man said.


    Suzanna couldn¡¯t turn around, but she knew what was happening behind her. She screamed angrily and managed to break two of the bones of her cage. This freed her right hand, and she shed out against the other bones. If she was able to destroy the cage, the sword would hit her as well. Right now, however, she did not care.


    "They are still children," the second necromancer said, raising the staff in his hand. "Too childish."


    "Likewise," Anfey said, his eyes flickering open.


    Before the necromancer could react, he was thrown onto the ground, his staff falling out of his hand.


    Anfey grabbed the necromancer¡¯s head and kicked the man¡¯s back. The necromancer¡¯s body was very frail, and that was enough to separate his head from his body. The headless body fell to the ground, the staff rolling away.


    "Anfey?" Niya whispered under her breath.


    "I knew it," Christian said, shaking his head. He nced at the scroll in his hand and returned it to his dimensional ring. He was only steps away from sacrificing himself to kill the necromancers.


    The bone cage disappeared, releasing Suzanna. She did not try to attack the necromancer in front of her, and instead turned to look at Anfey. She stared at him, as if she had not seen him in years.


    Anfey turned and kicked the necromancer¡¯s body and shook his head. "There¡¯s hardly any blood left in here," he said. "God knows how they maintained themselves."


    The necromancer in the shadows froze. He did not know how Anfey was able to regain consciousness. Was he faking it all along?


    Anfey walked towards the necromancer, ying with his dagger. "How should I call you? Should I call you Lord Necromancer? Or City Lord Nana?"


    "City Lord Nana?" Niya asked, shocked.


    "Perhaps not the real Nana, but one close enough," Anfey said. "You know what kind of person is the easiest to fake? One ordinary enough you would not give him a second look. Even though there might be a lot of ws, a lot of people still won¡¯t notice."


    "You knew all along?" Suzanna asked.


    "You are too hasty," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t be so impulsive next time, got it?"


    Suzanna flushed and nodded.


    "Christian knew he should get the bear away, you should take note. Don¡¯t just focus on what¡¯s right in front of you," Anfey said. "Speaking of the bear, Lord Guardian, please, reveal yourself. There is no need for you to hide anymore."


    Suzanna nced at the floorboard and blinked. If she was trapped when fighting on solid ground, she was truly trapped. She was, however, standing on floorboards. She didn¡¯t need to struggle with the cage.


    The ceiling was forced open by a strong middle-aged man. He jumped down and looked at Anfey. "How did you know it was me?"


    "There were a few druids downstairs just now," Anfey said. "It¡¯s not hard to guess." He turned to the necromancer and said, "City Lord Nana, you made too many mistakes. The first time you met us, did you just happen to carry the gift with you? The guards you left with us did not appear at all, neither did the mages and the inn owner, despite the ruckus. The four of us are the only ones left in this inn. You are the only one, to my knowledge, that can make them leave so quietly."

 Chapter 255: Deviant Necromancers

    Chapter 255: Deviant Necromancers


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The ck shadow facing Anfey and the middle-aged man looked at each other, and both went quiet.


    "I am just curious why a guardian of Goddess of Nature would be friends with a necromancer? Where are your peers? Did you kill them or kick them out?" Anfey asked calmly.


    "You do not need to know any of them," the middle-aged man said coldly. His eyes had ayer of light golden shine and his body started to swell up. There were strong surges of Nature power.


    "I actually never liked to talk bulls*^t. I do not know why I am talking so much with you," Anfey said.


    "Why?" the man responded with an attitude showing he could care less. His body got bigger and bigger. His face changed as well. The most obvious change was on his nose. His nose did not only get longer, but also grew some bear whiskers. This should be the first step for a druid to transform into a bearman.


    "It would bring trouble for me if I kill you," Anfey said, scratching his head. "I killed quite a few people in the temple. If I kill a guardian of the Goddess of Nature, it would be very hard for me to exin everything. Even if I got the chance to tell them the truth, it would be hard for them to believe me anyway. In addition, I do not know where your peers are? If you killed them, they would me me for that."


    "If this is the case, you had better behave and let me kill you," the man said with a grin. His head had almost transformed into a bear head while his body was in the process of transformation. Anfey was surprised that this half-human, half-beast could speak fluent humannguage, which gave him a weird feeling.


    "This is not a good idea," Anfey shook his head with a smile. "I am pretty smart and chose to talk bulls*^t with you. At first, you were surprised how I saw through your set up. Now you are wondering why I am talking bulls*^t to you. In order for you to understand it, you gave me enough time. Of course, I appreciate your generosity."


    "I do not want to hear your bulls*^t anymore," the middle-aged man said coldly. There was only one step left before hepleted his transformation. His upper body had transformed into a bear. His eyes had changed from golden color into bloody red and looked very sharp.


    "Late, toote." Anfey said calmly. He casually put his arm on Suzanna¡¯s shoulder. "With a spy like you, necromancers definitely knew of the existence of Bruzuryano and nbrea. You changed the n on purpose to try to distract them, but don¡¯t you think they have noticed that?"


    The brown bear slowly opened his arms, but froze there as he heard what Anfey said. He looked panicked instead of sharp now.


    Suzanna was attentively looking at the transformed druid. She looked at Anfey¡¯s hand on her shoulder and said, "What if they have not noticed that?" They had worked together for so long, Suzanna already knew what Anfey wanted when he put his arm on her shoulder. Anfey hoped she could help him with the story to give him a chance to talk more.


    "They are very experienced and knowledgeable people. I do not think they are that stupid," Anfey said.


    Bruzuryano and nbrea had not shown up yet. The ck shadow and the brown bear started to think about leaving after hearing what Anfey said. They were not only surprised that Anfey could wake up, but also shocked to know their peers were killed. They were responsible for carrying out the n, so they knew their peers¡¯ fighting ability. They did not thinkmbs, as if Anfey could suddenly turn into a wolf while their wolf peers turned intombs. In the blink of an eye, they had seen Anfey cut through their peers¡¯ necks with a knife and tear their peers¡¯ heads off. This was such a shock for them that they still could not believe it. They seemed to forget about the precious time they had and could not help listening to Anfey telling them the so-called secrets.


    If they did not leave now, they might not be able to leave anytime soon. The ck shadow and the brown bear could not help moving a step back. At the same time, a priest in a white gown with golden trim and a chubby middle-aged man appeared behind them. Holy light poured out from them in all directions. The brown bear seemed fine, but the ck shadow screamed in pain as ck smog arose from his back. His body seemed to be grilled.


    "To prove I am indeed not stupid, I am here," the chubby, middle-aged man said calmly. He looked perplexed. He did not even look at his opponents. In other words, he did not care to look at them. He focused on Anfey.


    "I am earlier than you. It seems that I am smarter than you." Bruzuryano had shown up earlier at the window. He was joking but his eyes did not smile at all. He stared at the brown bear with anger ming in his eyes.


    He had made the n with nbrea. If something had gone wrong, nbrea and he had to be responsible for it. To ensure safety, Bruzuryano even sent six of the most powerful druids from the temple. He thought even those druids could not ensure the safety of Anfey, which would buy them some time. They did not know there was a traitor among them. Judging from the messy scene, he could tell they had a bad fight. If something had happened, they could not forgive themselves.


    nbrea did not look like he was in good mood. The ck shadow could not stand the holy light. Hey on the floor, screaming. nbrea did not stop shining the light on him. He even made the light brighter on purpose. The corners of his mouth curled up. He and Bruzuryano were in the same boat. If Bruzuryano felt he lost his face, nbrea felt the same way. He had hatred towards the ck shadow and the brown bear.


    This had nothing to do with forgiveness. Everyone had two values. The value of their own lives and the value of their experience, ability, friends, family, and fame. Which one was more precious varied. It was very personal. Some people would save their lives by sacrificing the other values. Some people would rather save the second value by giving up their lives. nbrea definitely belonged to theter group. He almost ruined everything he had. He did not look as angry as Bruzuryano. He had better control of himself.


    Anfey frowned and wanted to say something, but swallowed his thought.


    "Miss," the ck shadow knew he did not have long to live. He suddenly lifted his head and yelled, "I never wanted to hurt you. These are the conditions I had to agree to in order to work with them."


    "What?" Niya was shocked. She looked around to make sure the ck shadow was talking to her. She hesitated a little before she said, "Are you a necromancer?"


    "I have no other option," the ck shadow yelled with a trembling voice.


    "But why are you willing to be a necromancer?" Niya asked.


    "I look even uglier than necromancers. No one would want to look at me, not even my wife. She did not want to be with me. Why can¡¯t I be a necromancer?" The ck shadow seemed to look very pained, like someone had rubbed salt on his wound. His moaning sounded even sadder.


    "That is not right." Niya shook her head. It was asking Niya too much to convince people. At most, she was able to tell whether something was right or wrong.


    "Hahaha.. what is wrong with that? I only wanted them to look uglier than me!" The ck shadow¡¯s eyes looked greener. He turned to look at Anfey. At that moment, Nana stepped out of the ck shadow, but his image looked like it was melting. ck fluid kept dripping off. It looked scary.


    "You have be a such deviant." Anfey shook his head and felt scared. There was nothing more scary than a person mentally unstable. He could understand how Nana thought. Most necromancers pursued unreasonable eternal lives, and that was the reason they became necromancers. Nana did not join them for that reason. He thought he was too ugly and too lonely. He wanted to turn others in the world into necromancers to make himself feel better. Nana lost that bnce in him and became a deviant.


    "What deviant?" Nana yelled. His body suddenly exploded. A string of ck gas mixed with his deep hatred shot toward Anfey¡¯s face.


    Anfey blocked Suzanna and reached his right hand out. Nana¡¯s spirit was filled with hatred but was not very powerful. If he were in Evil Abyss, he was only a low-level Ahriman. Anfey did not even care about his attack. As Anfey reached his hand out, he suddenly realized something and changed his mind. He shot out some milk white light radiant. When Nana¡¯s hatred shed with the white light radiant, it just disappeared.


    nbrea did not look so worried any more. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile.


    "Canon, it is your turn now. Tell me, why did you betray us? Where are those druids?


    Bruzuryano asked coldly.


    "Hahaha." The brown bearughed hard. White bubbles sshed everywhere under the rapid airflow. It looked disgusting. "Master, this is myst revenge. Do you think I will tell you?" The brown bear waved his ws and hit his head hard without any hesitation. With a huge bang, his gigantic body only had half a bear head left. The other half flew off. The gigantic bear body smashed on the floor like andslide. Without gravitation magic, the gigantic bear body crashed through the floor.


    Anfey heaved a sigh. He was not too happy with what had happened. It was too far from what he had expected.

 Chapter 256: Fused

    Chapter 256: Fused


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Can you find those druids?" Bruzuryano asked. His eyes were filled with grief and regret. He must have known the guardian and liked him, or else he would not be so sad.


    "I can try," nbrea promised. He turned to Anfey and said, "So we meet again."


    "I¡¯m very honored to see both of you again, my lords..."


    "Save us from the formality," nbrea said and shook his head. "How did you know we¡¯re here?"


    "I got lucky, I suppose," Anfey said. He tried to appear as natural as possible, but in reality he was very nervous. He couldn¡¯t even look at Bruzuryano, since he was scared that he would ask for the Heart of Nature. He didn¡¯t want to return the Heart of Nature because it had helped him so much, but it wasn¡¯t his, and he had no right to keep it if its real owner asked for it. He was hoping that Bruzuryano would simply forget about it, but the chance was slim.


    "Whatever," Bruzuryano snapped and interrupted nbrea. "You must find those druids first."


    nbrea shook his head. "Why are you asking me?"


    "Who else would I ask?"


    "Did you already forgot about the Heart of Nature?"


    Anfey winced. He wished he could step in and stop nbrea from talking about the Heart of Nature, but he could not. Anfey sighed and turned to Bruzuryano. "My lord," he said, bowing. "I haven¡¯t seen you in days, and..."


    "Oh, stop it," Bruzuryano said hurriedly. "Just give me the Heart."


    Anfey sighed and fished out the chain around his neck. He wished that Saul and Ernest were with him; that way he could at least try to negotiate with Bruzuryano. Now, however, he had nothing else to offer to the man. He had no choice but to hand over the Heart. He didn¡¯t need to make Bruzuryano his enemy.


    Anfey handed the ne with Heart of Nature to Bruzuryano and felt sad, as if he had just seen the girl he liked with another boy.


    Bruzuryano took the Heart and held it in his hands. He felt a sudden, storm-like surge of power within him, but that power disappeared within seconds. He opened his hands, and found the Heart of Nature gone.


    "Where is it?" Bruzuryano bellowed angrily.


    "I-I just handed it to you, sir," Anfey exined hurriedly. He did not know what had just happened and what Bruzuryano would do, and was scared.


    Bruzuryano narrowed his eyes. He was very angry, and Anfey, who was standing in front of him, became the perfect target for his anger. His religion was already growing weak, and every follower mattered. Even if the missing druids were already dead, if he could find them sooner, they had a higher chance of surviving. A magic surge exploded from Bruzuryano and swept across the room, causing the furniture in the room to shake and move. Themp that had survived the battle intact was shaking violently, the windows swung open and hit the wall of the building. Suzanna took a step back and had to summon herbat power. Even though she was only one level below Bruzuryano, she was significantly weaker than he was. He was hardly using his power, and she had to use herbat power to protective herself.


    Anfey frowned. The respect and humility on his face disappeared, and his body became straight and rigid. His face was a stiff mask of coldness. When he was at a dead end, when all words lose their meaning and all actions seem useless, Anfey would show his true self. He did not care about what awaited him. Even if it was his doom, he would not waver.


    nbrea frowned. He knew that Anfey had great potential, but when he straightened himself, nbrea felt as if he had grown several inches. He may not be powerful, but Anfey had the bearing of a powerful man.


    Perhaps because he did not see Anfey as an enemy, Bruzuryano did not react to this change. "Tell me," he bellowed. "Where is the Heart?"


    Anfey thought that Bruzuryano felt the synchronization between him and the Heart of Nature, and regretted giving the artifice to him. He thought that this would be Bruzuryano¡¯s way of taking it back and framing him for stealing it. Anfey forgot about the fact that he often would overthink situations. This was one of his problems, since overthinking a situation makes it easier to prepare for the worst. He did not know that although Bruzuryano appeared to be a simple man, he was still a good friend of Saul¡¯s. He would never try to frame Saul¡¯s students for anything. Anfey, however, did not know the rtionship between those men, and made a decision based on his own judgement.


    Anfey did not say anything, and only stared at Bruzuryano.


    "Don¡¯t scare him, goodness, Bruzuryano, what has gotten into you?" nbrea asked, walking over. "Can¡¯t you feel it? The Heart of Nature is still here."


    Bruzuryano and Anfey both frowned. Bruzuryano was surprised because he did feel surges from the Heart, and Anfey was surprised by the warmth he felt on his chest. He had already used all of his power to hold still in the face of Bruzuryano¡¯s rage. If their standoff continued, he would pass out even if Bruzuryano didn¡¯t do anything. The warmth from his chest was familiar and filled his body with power.


    Anfey pulled his shirt back, and was shocked to find a green, glowing leaf on his left chest. Soft light was coursing through its veins. The Heart of Nature was only a leaf when Anfey handed it to Bruzuryano, but now it seemed to be a living thing.


    "This is impossible," Bruzuryano said. The Heart of Nature was a treasure left to mankind by the Goddess of Nature, and had been passing between elves and druids for millennia. Except for the first elven queen, no one could make the Heart of Naturee to life. Anfey was neither a druid nor an elf, and this defied the basicw the Goddess of Natureid down.


    Anfey frowned and appeared perplexed. "I don¡¯t know, sir," he said timidly. "Can you take it? It feels strange."


    Bruzuryano looked at Anfey and the glowing leaf and sighed. "Take it," he said. "Maybe it is all written in the stars."


    "Can you take it?" Anfey asked.


    "It¡¯s part of you now," Bruzuryano said with a sigh. "Just keep it." He turned and shook his head. "I will go down in history as a sinner."


    "Or not," nbrea said. "Maybe you will be remembered as someone who catalyzed it." He knew why Bruzuryano was certain he was a sinner. The Heart of Nature was a holy artifice among the elves and the druids. Bruzuryano lost the artifice, and thought himself a sinner. nbrea knew very well what extent Bruzuryano would go to to retrieve the Heart, but he was good friends with Saul, and would not harm Saul¡¯s students. It was also believed that whoever that could fuse with the Heart of Nature was chosen by the Goddess, and it would be inappropriate. If the pope gave the Scepter of Angel to his sessor and the sessor was an evil man, nbrea could not do anything unless the sessor began using death magic.


    Bruzuryano sighed and shook his head.


    Anfey, on the other hand, was relieved. He had to feign powerlessness, but in truth he was very happy.


    "Quickly," nbrea said. "Use the Heart and try to find the missing druids." For someone belonging to the top level, it was hard to disturb the peacefulness of the mind. Once it was disturbed, however, it was hard to calm down again. Bruzuryano had too much on his mind, and his mind was no longer peaceful. nbrea needed him to calm down and gather himself.


    "How do I use it?" Anfey asked. He was still trying to get more information.


    "Use your heart," Bruzuryano said quietly. nbrea¡¯s words gave him a new idea. The missing druids were important, but an Arch Druid fused with the Heart of Nature was even more important. He wanted to find the missing druids still, but he was already thinking about a new n.

 Chapter 257: Not Talented

    Chapter 257: Not Talented


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You really couldn¡¯t find it?" Bruzuryano looked disappointed.


    "I cannot find it. Maybe I am not good enough." Anfey shook his head. He looked at Bruzuryano in sympathy. There was a whole system of teaching how to practice Samadhi and reach the unity of man and heaven in his family¡¯s martial art. What Bruzuryano taught him was way too simple. It was just a sample of his family¡¯s martial art system. No wonder Bruzuryano wanted to give the Heart of Nature away. He had nevermunicated with the Heart of Nature before; otherwise Bruzuryano instead of Anfey would be the onemunicating with the Heart of Nature.


    Bruzuryano turned to look at nbrea. nbrea sighed. "We had better let the temple know about it. With their help, it should be better." After the talk, nbrea turned sideways and saw a headless dry body. He was shocked for a second before he hurried over.


    Bruzuryano calmed himself down a little and released a Nature magic. A vine appeared in Bruzuryano¡¯s hand. The vine crawled against the floor to the window. It passed through the window and crawled onto the floor again. It looked like a snake scrawling away.


    "Did you kill him?" nbrea asked as he turned around, pointing to the headless body on the floor. He sounded very surprised.


    "Yes, I did," Anfey said.


    "How did you kill him?" nbrea asked.


    "He was too careless." Anfey shrugged.


    "Is he that nut?" Bruzuryano noticed the white bone staff as well.


    "You are right." nbrea smiled with his head shaking. He chanted in a low pitch. Holy me showed up again. It hovered over the top of the white bone staff. Under the Holy me, the white bone staff shook a little bit and turned into powder.


    Bruzuryano gave a bitter smile as well. The nut he was talking about was far less powerful than nbrea and him, but he was much better than Anfey and his group. Withmon sense, Anfey and his group should have not killed the guy without any damage. He thought to himself that if Anfey could turn around the basic principles of the Goddess of Nature, Anfey could definitely brush asidemon sense as well.


    "Masters, I do not know if I should tell you this," Anfey said quietly.


    nbrea and Bruzuryano looked at each other. "Anfey, it¡¯s fine. Go ahead."


    "If this was to find the spy and kill Nana, you would not have to do so much. If this is to remove more bad guys from the world quicker, we should let them run away," Anfey said.


    nbrea was shocked for a while and sighed, "I was too angry and did not think it through. Thanks for reminding me about that. You really can think through the details. Amazing."


    "Did you say his name was Nana?" Bruzuryano asked as he pointed at the body which had been chopped into pieces.


    "Yes, he is the city master of Punk City." Anfey said with a nod. "I think we should go and walk around the garrison residence. Maybe we could get some useful information."


    "Yes. Let¡¯s go." nbrea suddenly got excited. It looked like he was not too happy with what had happened.


    "Master, right now there is no city master for Punk City," Anfey said. "I am worried that someone would make rumors in the dark. The city could possibly have a lot of troublester on. Bruzuryano was an arch-druid with high reputation and fame. There are many temples of the Goddess of Nature and her followers. If Bruzuryano can be in charge of the government of the city for the time being, those people could not make any trouble."


    "I am getting old. I have to be reminded of this by a kid." Bruzuryano smiled. "Ok, you guys go with nbrea. I will take care of this mess."


    It was alreadyte at night, but there were still patrols on the streets. They randomly picked a patrol team. Without saying much, nbrea¡¯s priest gown with holy spirit had proved his identity. Patrol officers carefully and obediently escorted Anfey and his group to the garrison residence.


    The few guards on watch on both sides of the gate walked up to them. They first carefully checked nbrea¡¯s priest gown in holy light. After they were convinced it was a real one, they respectful said, "Master, how can I help you?"


    "Bulls*^t," Anfey said coldly as he waved the pass ck Eleven had left him.


    In fact, those soldiers had no idea what that pass meant, but they felt Anfey and his group were important people. One guard could not stop pleasing them with smiles and said, "Master, wait for a second. Let me report to the city master that you are here."


    "No need. We can just walk in," Anfey said.


    "But..." one of the soldiers said.


    "Move!" Anfey said impatiently.


    Those soldiers on watch looked at each other and gave each other a bitter smile. They dared not mess with Anfey¡¯s group or the city master. They felt they were in such a dilemma. A smart soldier seemed to realize the key point of this issue. He ran over to the gate and pushed the gate open. If they gave trouble to Anfey¡¯s group as it stood in front of them right now, they had no idea what troubles they would get themselves into. If their city master would punish themter, they could just switch their jobs. It was not like they would be killed.


    Once someone made an example of what to do, in other words, when there was already a scapegoat, other soldiers just followed him and couldter step aside and suggest that they had nothing to do with this.


    The garrison residence looked simple and clean. It showed that Nana was not a person of luxury. At least half of his residence was empty. A housekeeper, maids, cooks, servants and other bodyguards lived in half of the residence. Anfey did not know how to tell whether any of them were necromancers. That would be the job of nbrea. Under the light of Holy mes, only the necromancers who had the same level of powers as nbrea¡¯s could pass nbrea¡¯s eyes. There was a reason the Light magic was called the natural enemy of necromancers¡¯ magic.


    Once they had woken everyone up, the servants had to be tested by the Holy mes before they could go anywhere else. Anfey had seen a few of the soldiers during the day. They hesitantly came over to ask Anfey what had happened. Anfey did not give them any exnation. He only signaled them to follow him.


    Necromancers could lie to deceive others to work for them, but once they were found out, they started to ditch their friends and families. This was the weak point of the necromancers. Almost no one wanted to see the whole world being ruled by the dark power. Dislike of necromancers was beyond nationality and race. Everyone worked together to fight them, which was the reason that necromancers had never won any war. This was why Anfey did not worry about having those bodyguards follow him. They had been working for Nana, but once they knew the truth that Nana was a necromancer, they would not be on Nana¡¯s side. They would tell Anfey anything suspicious about Nana.


    They went from the first floor to the second floor. nbrea did not find any useful information. Anfey took out a spear from a weapon holder. He hit things with the spear everywhere, especially in Nana¡¯s study and bedroom. He did not find anything either.


    "Master, what on earth has happened? Where is our city master?" a bodyguard could not help asking. Other guards pricked up their ears to eavesdrop on the conversation. They wanted to know about it as well.


    "Nana is a necromancer," Anfey said calmly.


    "What?" the bodyguards yelled in surprise.


    "This is the priest, nbrea. This is Pce Archmage Saul¡¯s daughter. I am a student of Master Saul. With us as the witness, don¡¯t you believe that your city master is a necromancer?" Anfey said.


    "Is Master Nana really a necromancer?" a bodyguard said in disbelief. He raised his voice a little bit and a maid heard him. No one knew what she remembered at that moment, but she passed out on the floor.


    "Would I joke something like this?" Anfey asked.


    The bodyguards took a close look at nbrea and the serious look on Anfey¡¯s face. They went quiet without asking more questions.


    "Wait, I heard Nana has a wife. Why are we not seeing her?" Anfey suddenly remembered the hatred Nana had towards his wife.


    "Madam went back to her hometown for a visit. Hmm...she has note back for about half a year. She took her son with her," a bodyguard answered.


    "Does Nana have a good rtionship with his wife?" Anfey asked.


    "Not too good. Master, I mean the necromancer hated his wife and his son," the bodyguard responded.


    "I do not think his wife went back to her hometown," another guard said.


    "Huh?" Anfey raised his eyebrows. He turned around andid his eyes on the bodyguard.


    "The brother of the necromancer¡¯s wife came here two months ago. I eavesdropped on their conversation. He told the necromancer that he wanted to see his sister, so I don¡¯t think the wife went back to her hometown," the bodyguard exined.


    "What happened afterwards?" Anfey asked further.


    "Later..ter I never saw his wife¡¯s brother again. He might have left," the bodyguard responded.


    "Why would he leave if he never saw his sister?" another bodyguard asked.


    "I do not know. I just never saw him again," the bodyguard said.


    Anfey had nned to give up the matter. After hearing this, though, he felt something was unusual. He turned to look at nbrea. If there was anything hidden here by dark magic, only nbrea could find it.

 Chapter 258: Ugliness of Humanity

    Chapter 258: Ugliness of Humanity


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Light is constant and eternal..." nbrea said, holding out his hand slowly. Compared to amon believer, he appeared much more logical and less zealous. There were two distinct groups once people be as powerful as someone like nbrea. One type was filled with wisdom and treated everyone with justice and logic. The other type took their beliefs as everything they had, and they would do anything for it. The first type gained their power through tireless work and wisdom, the second through determination. It was hard to say which type was more powerful, but it was easy to tell which type had an easier time gaining respect. nbrea was from the former group, which could be seen judging by how respected he was.


    A ball of light raised up from nbrea¡¯s hand and floated towards the second floor. The light hovered near the ceiling for a few seconds before exploding into thousands of tiny sparks. The room burst into light, columns of light shone through the walls and windows. The entire courtyard was lit up. Everyone in the room had to cover their eyes and cower under the light.


    Anfey opened his eyes and nced at nbrea after the light disappeared. He was confused. Usually, before a priest userge scale magic like this, he would warn everyone around him. nbrea did not warn anyone, which seemed out of character.


    Everyone standing in the lobby slowly recovered from the shock. Some were stumbling around, but most were already adjusting. The woman who passed out earlier was awake, but she was curled into a fetal position and wailing, clutching her stomach.


    "This is exactly what I was afraid of," nbrea said with a sigh.


    What was he afraid of? Anfey frowned and looked at nbrea. Except for the woman who appeared to be in excruciating pain, nothing was too bad about the situation.


    "Darkness shall not prevail against the light, and guiltless souls shall find peace within the walls of heaven..." nbrea whispered under his breath. He raised his arms and waved. A curved de of light shot up and hit the wailing woman. Light magic did not have many attacking spells, but this was one of them. The woman was spliced into two pieces by the light de, and thrown backwards. A dark, bloody thing crawled out of the woman¡¯s body, wailing like a child. nbrea raised his hand, and the thing turned to dust under strong light.


    No one knew why nbrea had killed the woman, but now everyone knew what must have happened. Who would have thought that the person that lived with them was carrying a demon in her body?


    The woman was still alive, however, though her eyes were dim. Her lips were closing and opening, as if she wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t make a sound. nbrea walked over and held the woman¡¯s body in his arms. "Be at peace, child," he said. "Leave your sufferings behind. May god be with you."


    The woman looked at nbrea, and the corners of her lips twitched. Then she closed her eyes and stopped breathing.


    nbrea ced the woman¡¯s body on the ground carefully and stood up. Everyone around him took a collective step back, as if they were afraid something else would crawl out of the woman¡¯s body.


    Anfey sighed and turned away. Suddenly, he noticed something and frowned.


    Anfey had very good short term memory, good enough to notice that something was off about the statue across the room.


    When he first arrived, the statue was standing between two staircases. It had been holding itsnce in its right hand, shield in left hand, and standing upright. Now, the statue was moved back a few feet, and was bent over as if it was getting ready to pounce on its prey. Anfey frowned. He grabbed hisnce and threw it towards the statue. The spear struck the statue in the head and cracked the helmet. A dark figure jumped out of the statue and bolted towards the skylight.


    nbrea was already looking at him when Anfey threw the spear. The shadow was fast, but not as fast as the light. Light shed, and the shadow was on the ground, writhing and wailing.


    It was a monster in the shape of a bat, but muchrger. The light had clearly caused irreversible damage to its body, and its body was turning into dust. The more it struggled, the more its body withered away.


    "What is that?" Anfey asked.


    "A demon," a guard said, his voice shaking. "We¡¯ve been living with demons!"


    nbrea walked over to the statue and walked around it. "Move this over there," he turned to two guards and said, pointing at the statue. He was one of the most powerful men, but his magic wasn¡¯t omnipotent and he couldn¡¯t do heavy lifting.


    The two guards walked over unwillingly and picked up the statue, moving it to where nbrea had indicated.


    Anfey frowned. He walked over and grabbed a guard¡¯s longsword and joined nbrea at his side. He tapped the stone under the statue and said with a smile, "It¡¯s hollow."


    "I know," nbrea said. "Why did you think there was a guard here?"


    "This isn¡¯t a trap, is it?" Anfey frowned and turned to Suzanna. "Will you?"


    Suzanna nodded. She walked over and drew her sword, mming it into the ground. The stone shattered upon impact, and a dark hole in the ground appeared.


    Suzanna drew a deep breath and the light from herbat power became brighter. She looked into the hole and was about to jump into it when she was stopped by nbrea. "Allow me," he said.


    "But sir, you are a priest!"


    "I¡¯m so much more experienced than you with these things," nbrea said with a smile. "I¡¯ve been dealing with them my whole life."


    "Please be careful," Anfey said.


    nbrea smiled and used a levitation spell. He floated down the hole, followed by Suzanna and Anfey. Christian had to protect Niya and did not follow them.


    "I didn¡¯t realize you know how to use a levitation spell, my lord," Anfey said. He nced at the cer. There was nomp in the dark cer, but as long as nbrea was there,mps were not necessary. nbrea himself, surrounded by holy me, was more than enough to light up the entire cer.


    "Do farmers know how to grow flowers?" nbrea asked.


    "I suppose."


    "It¡¯s the same thing," nbrea said. He suddenly frowned and whispered, "There¡¯s dark magic at work down here. I can feel it."


    Anfey gathered up fire elements and summoned his fire sword and shield. Suzanna positioned her sword and appeared very nervous.


    The cer was not wide, but had a long corridor. After a few minutes following the dark hallway, the three saw a dead end. There was an alchemistb to their left with hundreds of bottles lining the shelves inside. To the right was a study with two bookshelves full of books. In the corner of the study was a cage with dark shadows inside.


    nbrea walked into the study and the three saw clearly there were two zombies in the cage, one bigger than the other. The zombies wailed and tried to crawl away from the light. When they realized they could not run away from the light, they curled up in the corner.


    Therge zombie¡¯s body was riddled with wounds, puss dripped down from its rotten flesh. The smaller zombie was curled up next to therger one, its body shaking.


    nbrea frowned and nced at Anfey and Suzanna. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what had happened. Nana¡¯s wife and child went missing, and there in his basement were two zombies. The two zombies seemed to still have human emotions. What kind of man would turn his own wife and child into zombies just because he was lonely?

 Chapter 259: The Key to Finding the Mystery

    Chapter 259: The Key to Finding the Mystery


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    nbrea was not pretentious at all. He released magic without any hesitation. The Holy Light, like a strict judge without any sympathy, held two bodies under it; one big, one small. The bodies were rotten, but they had stiffened swiftly under the light and turned into dust. The darkness and gloominess in the basement had gone, thanks to the Holy Light.


    Because Anfey had been an assassin in his previous world and had bad experiences in the Evil Abyss, he did not like glory lights. He disliked mastering Light magic by ident even more. He thought this must have something to do with nbrea. If nbrea did not want to exin to Anfey, Anfey did not n on asking him.


    In choosing whether to be aggressive or passive, Anfey had always liked the former. When he spent time with nbrea, he had been in a passive position, whatever perspective he was looking at it from. If he asked nbrea before nbrea wanted to exin to him, Anfey had to spend some time figuring which part he said was true and which part was not. He also had to figure out nbrea¡¯s purpose for speaking as he did. Instead of spending too much time guessing and analyzing, Anfey would rather pretend nothing had happened. Even if Anfey needed to get those answers, he would not ask nbrea.


    Anfey had trust issues. He was born with them. It was hard for him to trust anyone. He was very subjective about it. If there were anyone Anfey trusted, they had to be Saul and Ernest. Anfey would never forget what happened on the isted ind and the trip with Saul and Ernest. Anfey would rather ask Saul for help to get those answers. In addition, it was not urgent for him to get the answers now.


    It was a big deal for Bruzuryano to lend his Heart of Nature to Anfey for the time being, but he still did not gain Anfey¡¯s trust. When Bruzuryano lost control of himself, Anfey used his actions to show his opposition and fight against him. If he had not been a student of Saul, if he had not taken his group with him to escape, or if he had not exposed the conspiracy of necromancers, Anfey did not think Bruzuryano would lend his Heart of Nature to him, otherwise Bruzuryano would be crazy. The help from Saul and Ernest was selfless. They did not have any evil intentions towards Anfey. The help from Saul and Ernest was quite different than from Bruzuryano.


    Anfey slowly walked to the bookshelf. There were many books on it. The top two rows of books were tidy, while the bottom rows were a little messy. The books on the bottom rows were old and worn. With the blink of an eye, Anfey already knew the books on the top of the shelf were not important. They were only there when they were needed. The books on the bottom were the ones Nana read a lot.


    Light magic and Death magic were indeed opposite from each other. The remaining me, the pages on the books had started to get visibly yellow and torn. There were even a few pages which became so brittle that they broke into pieces. Anfey bent down and tried to read an open book. His desire for knowledge had always been strong. If he were in college, even the most strict professor would love to have a student like Anfey.


    "Anfey, don¡¯t touch any of that filthy stuff," nbrea suddenly yelled at Anfey.


    "Okay," Anfey obeyed. He looked around andid his eyes on a cab next to the bookshelf. Anfey searched his memory. He remembered there was a hat made of white bone. It looked like a medieval time crown. Now that crown had turned into dust. Anfey looked down and reached his hand out and pulled slightly on the cab door.


    With a huge sound, the stuff in the cab fell everywhere. They were all weird gadgets. They were able to survive the Light me only because the magic kekkai around the cab was ruined. Everything inside the cab was a mess, so when Anfey pulled the cab door open, it all poured out on the floor.


    "Anfey, why are you acting like a little kid?" nbrea heaved a sigh as he walked over. He looked like a teacher, angry at a student who always made trouble in the ss. He stomped hard on few gadgets. There were crushing sounds beneath nbrea¡¯s feet.


    "I was just curious." Anfey smiled.


    "Anfey, do not touch any of this filthy stuff. Do you understand?" nbrea said.


    "Hey?" nbrea suddenly looked surprised. He kicked something. A little gadget rolled on the floor. It was a small medallion shaped as a round shield infantries would use. A woman with ck wings was carved on it. With blood red as the background, it looked very special.


    "Is that the badge of a Fallen Angel? It seemed that Nana had a pretty high position," nbrea snorted. A bright light showed up at the tip of his fingers.


    "Master, wait a second," Anfey said quickly.


    "What?" nbrea was shocked for a second before he turned to look at Anfey.


    "This... this Fallen Angel badge is important to necromancers, isn¡¯t it?" Anfey asked.


    "Very important," nbrea said.


    "Master, necromancers are getting more powerful nowadays, aren¡¯t they?" Anfey said.


    "Go ahead." nbrea slightly frowned.


    "They are more powerful than before, which means they should have more secrets. These secrets need to be protected by more people. Nana, as a city master of Punk City, has provided a perfect disguise for himself. I think this ce should be their base. A Fallen Angel badge should not be the only important stuff here. Those books must have many secrets that we do not know yet."


    nbrea was quietly in thought for a while and nodded.


    "Because of the spy, I think necromancers had already known that Bruzuryano has been secretly protecting us. After this loss, they might want to give up this mission. If we take their stuff and leave them some trace to let them know we took their stuff, to protect their secrets, they might pluck up enough courage to continue their mission with some change in their n, even though they are scared by Bruzuryano and you." Anfey smiled. "Necromancers used to be in the dark, but now they havee out half in the public eye. They are seen everywhere. I think their leader should be able to have the courage to fight us."


    "What you said made some sense, but is it 100% going to happen as you think?" nbrea asked.


    "If it made some sense, I think we should try it. We have their important stuff so we can destroy them at any time," Anfey said in a low voice. "I do not think you are happy with things like this, are you?"


    "Aren¡¯t you scared?" nbrea smiled.


    "I have already offended them. They wille to kill me if they want to. It does not matter if I am scared of them or not. If that is the case, I¡¯d better ..." Anfey said.


    "You¡¯d better teach them a lesson while Bruzuryano and I are still here." nbrea smiled.


    "Don¡¯t you agree?" Anfey said.


    "If you, a kid, are not afraid of it, I do not have any reason to be afraid," nbrea said.


    "I really want to see them desperate and scared if they could even make those faces." Anfeyughed as he tried to pick stuff up with his hands.


    "Don¡¯t touch them!" nbrea suddenly yelled at Anfey.


    "What?" Anfey was scared and jumped. He immediately took his hand back like he was shocked. He looked confusedly at nbrea.


    "I just told you never to touch any of this filthy stuff." The seriousness and sadness shed in his eyes.


    "I got it. Thank you for reminding me." Anfey nodded and looked like he realized he made a mistake. "Then...who is going to take care of this stuff?"


    nbrea frowned. In fact, he hated these things. He had been keeping himself from destroying the stuff necromancers had collected with magic.


    "I will take care of them." Suzanna walked over.


    "Ok." nbrea nodded. "You hold on. After I hand these things over to Bruzuryano, I will remove any filthy things off them."


    Anfey stepped back to make a path for Suzanna. Anfey wanted to take Nana¡¯s things to shake up the necromancers¡¯ emotions. Necromancers would have to decide between continuing to carry out their n and giving it up. Anfey added a bargaining chip to the former idea. This was Anfey¡¯s big n that he had thought up in the moment, but he needed to do something more and could not let anybody know.


    Anfey was good at finding the key to a mystery: in other words, he was good at finding a breakthrough for the problems. He would make ns based on the breakthroughs. Suzanna could touch those things, but he could not. Why was that? What was nbrea nervous about?


    nbrea found about a dozen of magic books in different sizes, some ripped out pages, and necromancers¡¯ magic tools. He even noticed a small case. There were few regr grey magic crystals in the case. nbrea put everything in a leather bag. He even carefully sealed it with magic before he asked Suzanna to pick it up.


    The rest of the stuff was not important. nbrea released light magic while Anfey shot out small fireballs like the Fire God in the legend. Unfortunately, there was not much mmable stuff in the basement. Anfey shot out many fireballs at the bookshelf and the cab. Now they created a firewall, which swallowed the magic books.


    A small room across from the study suffered under Anfey¡¯s fireballs. Anfey was not interested in the chemicals of necromancers. He always thought about the chemicals in the movie Resident Evil. He did not have the courage the girl had in the movie. Even when he shot many fireballs at that room, he was standing far away from it. He did not stop shooting the fireballs until nbrea told him the chemicals had lost their effectiveness after being exposed to the light of Holy me.


    When they passed the exit of the cave, the guards of the garrison residence all walked up to them. One of them saw the package in Suzanna¡¯s hand and timidly asked, "Master, inside..."


    "There are some death spirits inside, but it should be fine since we have cleaned up. You don¡¯t have to worry about staying here," nbrea said calmly.


    Anfey looked away from nbrea and wondered whether it was really fine for them to stay here. When necromancers came next time, the people staying here would probably have trouble, because necromancers would get information from them. If Anfey knew that, nbrea as an archpriest should understand that as well. From a different angle, what nbrea had done was nothing seriously bad. People showed different emotions towards different people in different situations. A civilian would not show his anger towards his king, neither would glory and rescue easily fall on a civilian. Even if nbrea asked them to leave, they probably would not escape from necromancers anyway because no one could protect them.

 Chapter 260: Forbidden Books

    Chapter 260: Forbidden Books


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Dawn was approaching, but except for Niya, no one had the intention of sleeping. Anfey, Suzanna, and Christian gathered in the hallway and were talking in hushed whispers. nbrea was downstairs in the courtyard, facing the east and muttering prayers quietly. A lot of people may not have understood that studying was like sailing a boat. Not progressing was regressing. People who actually live by this saying were much rarer. The most powerful men in the world were all very talented, but talent was not the only reason they became powerful. Hard work was another thing all these people had inmon.


    Everything came at a price, and even if a man was born into money and power, he would never be a powerful man without hard work. In this way, the world was just.


    General Jerrofick from Ellisen Empire was once famous for his strength and was the youngest man to be a master swordsman. However, he stopped focusing on his skills and instead began focusing on political intrigues. So when he was challenged by Ernest, he knew that he was no match for him, and had resort to cheating to win the match. Without hard work, even powerful men could fall from grace.


    Anfey tapped Suzanna on the shoulder.


    "What is it?"


    "Can you fetch that Fallen Angel Emblem for me?" Anfey asked, looking at nbrea.


    "The Fallen Angel Emblem?" Christian asked, frowning. "What are you going to do with that?"


    "Shh," Anfey said.


    "Rude!" Christian snapped back.


    "What are you going to do do with it?" Suzanna asked.


    "I just want to look at it," Anfey said.


    "Fine," Suzanna said with a sigh. She went into the room to look for her bag.


    "You really have a Fallen Angel Emblem?" Christian asked.


    Anfey nodded. "Do you know it?"


    "Who doesn¡¯t?" Christian asked with a smile.


    Suzanna returned but without the bag. She held out her hands and said, "There¡¯s a seal on the bag."


    "You¡¯re a senior swordsmaster. Can¡¯t you destroy the seal?"


    "Of course I can," Suzanna said and red at Anfey. "Use your brain, for goodness sake."


    Anfey frowned, then nodded. Suzanna could destroy the seal, but she couldn¡¯t fix it. Destroying the seal would also draw nbrea¡¯s attention.


    Anfey sighed. "Next time, I suppose. Christian, tell me more about the Emblem."


    "Well, do you know where necromancers came from?" Christian cleared his throat and asked.


    "Not from this mansion, that¡¯s for sure," Anfey said.


    Suzanna poked him and said, "Shhh."


    "ording to legend, there was an angel that fell in love with a mortal princess during the ancient War of the Gods."


    "Cliche," Anfey interrupted. "That¡¯s nothing special. I fell in love with a princess too..." He nced at Suzanna.


    "Oh, shut up," Suzanna said, blushing.


    "Do you want to hear about this or not?" Christian asked. "I¡¯m tired. If you are not going to listen, I¡¯m just going to go to sleep."


    "Sorry, sorry," Anfey said. "I¡¯ll listen." He felt that nbrea was listening to their conversation, and wanted to pretend he was just asking the question out of curiosity.


    "All legends are cliches," Christian said. "But this story should have at least some truth to it. The mortal princess¡¯s kingdom became involved in a battle. When the angel arrived at the battlefield, she was already dead, her body mingled with the other bodies and was gone. The angel was heartbroken and refused to believe the she was dead. In the end, he abandoned his creed and believed that it was God of Light who started the war and all his suffering was caused by the god.


    "In order to see his lover again, he used the Great Resurrection on the battlefield. Perhaps it was because he was filled with bitterness, or perhaps it was because the power of the Light betrayed him after he betrayed it, or maybe it was simply because there were too many bodies, all the dead were revived. These revived bodies, however, were empty vessels without souls."


    "Really? Zombies are created by light magic?" Anfey asked, shocked.


    "Stop interrupting me," Christian scowled. "The angel couldn¡¯t find his lover, but he did not give up. He spent days with his creations, trying to find his lover. After a while, those beings he revived became intelligent as well. He did find his lover in the end, but she was already a witch.


    "After learning what the angel had done, God of Light was furious. He condemned his actions and turned all the revived beings into dust. The angel and his lover, however, did not disappear. They became a gemstone. One side was an image of a male fallen angel, the other side was a female. The stone was found by an ordinary man many centuriester. He turned the gemstone into an emblem, and identally tapped into the angel¡¯s memory while doing so. That is the birth of death magic."


    "This is the history of that emblem we found?"


    "Not exactly," Christian said, shaking his head. "Necromancers all wore emblems like that to honor their founder. The more powerful ones would keep the emblem with the male angel on it. The others tended to keep the female emblem."


    "So you¡¯re saying Nana was a good necromancer?"


    Christian nodded. "I know, I am confused, too. Nana doesn¡¯t seem like a powerful one. He couldn¡¯t use magic orbat power, so I don¡¯t know how he became a necromancer. Maybe death magic is fundamentally different?"


    "I think that¡¯s an answer only necromancers can give," Anfey said, shrugging.


    "You¡¯re right," Christian said with a sigh.


    "I¡¯ve never heard about this before," Suzanna said.


    "I remembered reading it when I was young," Christian said. "From a forbidden book. God knows how long it took me to find those books."


    "I wish I had known you earlier," Anfey said with a smile.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I loved forbidden books too, when I was young."


    "Really?" Christian asked. "Tell me about it."


    "Heart of Maidens, heard of it?" Anfey asked. Of course, he was talking about a book from his old world that did not exist here.


    "Heart of Maidens?" Christian repeated, frowning. "What is it about?"


    "It¡¯s about creating lives," Anfey said.


    "Creation myth?" Christian asked, his eyes lighting up.


    "Close enough," Anfey said with a smile. He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell them that it was about something much more bawdy than what he brought up.


    "Tell us more," Suzanna urged.


    "A long time ago, I saw Suzanna," Anfey said with a grin.


    Christian sighed and rolled his eyes. Suzanna scowled but it soon turned into a smile.


    Anfey grinned and saw that nbrea was making his way upstairs.


    "Did you really read it?"


    "Of course I did," Anfey said, sighing. "You see the stars up there? What do you think those are?"


    "Stars?" Christian repeated, frowning. "There are hundreds of theories, but no one has proposed a theory that convinced everyone yet."


    "I think they are souls of our ancestors," Suzanna said. "Didn¡¯t the hero Brunswick turn into a star?"


    "You are, unfortunately, wrong," nbrea walked over and said gently. "Stars are the tears of God of Light. Of course, the story Christian just told you was not entirely correct, either."

 Chapter 261: Niya’s Challenge

    Chapter 261: Niya¡¯s Challenge


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master," Anfey nced up at brea with some respect, but mostly calm. He looked appropriate. If he lookedpletely respectful, it would have seemed too fake. nbrea was experienced and could tell what was fake and what was sincere. If he had lookedpletely calm, it would have seemed that he did not respect nbrea at all, which was not appropriate either.


    Christian and Suzanna both turned to look at nbrea. They each had a headache. They were not too young anymore. They had developed their own worldviews and values with plenty of time and experiences they had had. They thought nothing was more boring than hearing a religious person preach. However, since it was nbrea, an archpriest, they had to listen to him even though they did not want to.


    "If you want to learn about this world from these forbidden books, you are already wrong," nbrea said with a smile.


    "I was just curious," Christian said, smiling bitterly.


    nbrea wanted to say something but he hesitated for a second and swallowed it. He was aware of the situation. As an archpriest, preaching the principles of his religion and spreading the glory of the God of Light was his job. He knew Anfey, Christian and Suzanna did not believe in the God of Light. No matter how much and how deep he talked about his religion, they would not convert, but only dislike him. nbrea smiled and looked at Anfey. "Anfey, does the book of Hearts of Young Girls really tell stories of creation?"


    "Huh...yes." Anfey was shocked for a second, then nodded.


    "I read a simr book before, but it had a different name." nbrea squinted.


    "What book did you read?" Anfey asked.


    "Heart of A Saint Girl. After the God of Light created this world, it had neither light nor lives, only endless darkness, so..." nbrea said.


    Christian and Suzanna felt they were going to have so much trouble. Christian even gave Anfey a dirty look to signal that it was all Anfey¡¯s fault that they were talking even more about religion. Anfey bit his lips and stared at the tips of his shoes. Nobody could tell whether he was listening to nbrea. Christian was shocked that Anfey¡¯s lips looked pale. It looked like Anfey was trying to control something.


    There were footsteps from the staircase. Bruzuryano slowly walked upstairs. His steps sounded very slow and heavy. The floor even made squeaking sounds. He looked shaken and seemed nothing could make him perk up again.


    nbrea stopped his preaching. He had been friends with Bruzuryano for a long time. They believed in different religions and sometimes they had fought for their own religion¡¯s sake. He knew Bruzuryano very well. "What happened? Did you find those druids?"


    Bruzuryano nodded. "Get ready. We need leave soon, otherwise we will not be able to get to Mambo territory tomorrow."


    nbrea could tell Bruzuryano did not want to talk about the druids. He sighed, "Ok."


    "We actually do not have anything to pack. We can leave at any time." Anfey cleared his throat.


    "I need go back." nbrea smiled. "I am not done with today¡¯s stories. I will continue when we have more time."


    Anfey and his group stayed longer in the hotel, watching nbrea walking out of the back yard. Bruzuryano left the hotel as well. Christian scratched his head and frowned. "I hope he will never have any time. It was a torture to listen to him telling stories."


    "You are right about that. So dry, not interesting at all. Once he started each story, I already knew the ending. At the end, it must be the God of Light and the Virgin Mary who created lives together." Anfey stressed "together."


    "Together?" No matter how different their upbringings had been, Christian was a man who could easily pick up on these jokes.


    "Yes, together," Anfey said.


    "You! Don¡¯t let nbrea hear it. He would kill you," Christian said with a bitter smile.


    "Why? What did Anfey do wrong?" Hearing Anfey might be in danger, Suzanna immediately stared, with her eyes wide open. She looked like she was ready to fight.


    "Nothing. I was just joking with Anfey." Christian did not know how to exin. If he exined everything to Suzanna, he might get himself into trouble and get med for flirting with Suzanna.


    With the sound of a door swinging open, the left side door was pushed open. Niya rubbed her eyes and yawned as she walked over. Her hair was messy and her clothes had many wrinkles. She looked like she went to sleep with clothes on.


    "Niya, go sleep a little more. We have to be on the road during the day," Anfey said in a low voice. Whether his n could escape his opponents¡¯ eyes depended on whether he could n everything in detail. He had confiscated Nana¡¯s collections. If he travelled too slowly, the necromancers would suspect that Anfey was setting them up. Therefore, Anfey was not opposed when Bruzuryano suggested leaving soon.


    "I could not fall asleep. I had nightmares whenever I fell asleep." Niya put her hands down. Her eyes had been rubbed red.


    "Hehehe...you look like a rabbit." Anfey smiled. Niya looked way too nervous. He hoped Niya could be distracted and not be so tense.


    "What rabbit?" Niya did not get it.


    "Anfey was talking about you." Christian smiled.


    Suzanna rolled her eyes at Anfey. She grabbed Niya and took her to their room. After a while, Niya looked clean and tidy again. Niya walked out in anger. To a woman, there was nothing more shameful than letting others see her with messy hair and clothes.


    What made her even more angry was Anfey¡¯sment. He even called her a rabbit. Any way you looked at it, a rabbit was not a pleasant way to describe a girl.


    "Kids, time to go." As Niya was ready to yell at Anfey, Bruzuryano¡¯s voice came from downstairs.


    "Let¡¯s go." Anfey smiled. He did not care if Niya understood that he cared about her and wanted to help her. He only cared if Niya could feel better.


    Bruzuryano had obtained two wagons. One was a lot bigger than the other. He gave nbrea the bigger wagon considering his position and his living habits. The bigger wagon was very fancy. The wagon¡¯s five horses were all white. The horses Anfey and his group rode were around Bruzuryano. They looked close to him. Druids had the natural ability to easily gain the affection and trust from animals.


    Bruzuryano patted the horse¡¯s muzzle and looked up. He said, "Kids, go sit with nbrea. My wagon is a little too small."


    "Master, I have something to ask you. If it is not too much trouble, can I ride in the wagon with you?" Anfey always had the quickest response.


    "Sure." Bruzuryano nodded. He also wanted to talk to Anfey. He gave the Heart of Nature to Anfey and now it had irreversible effects. The person who connected with the Heart of Nature also became the messenger of the Goddess of Nature. Whether for business or personal reasons, he had to ept that fact. Therefore, he needed to have Anfey promise to help sprites and druids in the future, otherwise he did not know how to exin what happened to the Heart of Nature.


    "Master, I want to ask you about something too. I hope you could help me with it." Christian¡¯s response was just a little slower than Anfey¡¯s.


    Suzanna did not react at all. In other words, she did not even care to react. She only wanted to be with Anfey.


    "You are..." Bruzuryano did not understand at first why they acted this way. The corners of his mouth curled up immediately. This was the first time he smiled since he heard those druids had died. "Hehehe, do you guys dislike Priest nbrea?" Bruzuryano did not talk loud, but it was loud enough to let nbrea in the other wagon hear it.


    "No!" Christian smiled bitterly. "We just have some questions to ask." They had to exin clearly here that they could not convert to God of Light, but they never doubted the God of Light and his religion. He could not show any dislike towards nbrea and his religion either, otherwise they would be causing troubles.


    "Young men, you need tell the truth." Bruzuryano saw Christian being troubled and smiled. "Alright, if you do not mind being too crammed in, you can ride with me."


    Niya looked around and did not get why they wanted to ride in a small wagon instead of the bigger one. The smaller wagon already looked crowded with four people in it. Even if she wanted to follow them, there would be no room for her. She hesitated for a second and walked to nbrea¡¯s wagon.


    The two wagons travelled towards the city gate. It was still a little dark, but there were already many people on the streets. To most regr citizens, they had to wake up early for work. There was a famous saying that early birds get the worm, meaning only people who could wake up early for work had the best chance for sess. It was ok for royal family members to wake up a littlete. If regr people woke upte, they would starve to death.


    The news that the city master was dead had not gotten out yet. The city was still in order. There were more followers of the Goddess of Nature on the streets. They volunteered to be the patrols, which was very surprising to Anfey.


    Four druids quietly walked next to the wagons. Anfey lifted up the curtain to look out. He could sense those four druids were pretty powerful. They must work for Bruzuryano. The two druids in the front noticed Anfey looking at them. They both turned around to greet Anfey by slightly bowing to him. There was no hostility or hatred in their eyes, only respect. Anfey was relieved. It seemed that there was not much aftermath from the previous night¡¯s conflicts. In fact, it was not hard to deal with this kind of follower, as long as Anfey was protected by a God.


    "Anfey, do you think Niya would be too naughty in that wagon?" Christian asked worriedly.


    "No, you underestimate her." Anfey smiled. He still remembered the first time he met Niya. Ernest was not being very nice to her. She was not angry at him at all. Instead, she kissed his ass and showed how much affection she had towards him. She was stubborn, but she also knew the bottom line well. She would not be totally stubborn. It depended on the situation.

 Chapter 262: One Thing After Another

    Chapter 262: One Thing After Another


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The carriage was going at a controlled speed. If it was too slow, it would seem suspicious. If it was going too fast, the necromancers may not react fast enough. Bruzuryano could only decide how fast the carriage should go based on his feelings.


    Except for math, most things in the worldcked a proper form. A general could predict his enemy¡¯s moves using thousands of pieces of information avable to him. A merchant could find opportunity in an extremelypetitive market. There was no form to sess. The only thing a man could do was to trust his instincts. No one knew exactly how they seeded.


    The carriage reached Buenos City by noon. ck Eleven and Apa appeared outside of the city and stopped the carriage. Their job was to stand guard and wait for Anfey, Suzanna, Christian, and Niya. When the four did not show up, they became worried. Buenos City did not have a transmission portal, and after the city gate was closed, the two were practically stranded in the city without any source of information. They did not have the authority to reopen the gate, and even if they did, they could not travel back during the night. In the morning, ck Eleven and Apa received the news of the four being involved in a conflict in Punk City, but did not know the details. They had been very worried about the safety of their fourpanions.


    Even though they were no longer worried, the two were still frustrated. Christian, Niya, and Anfey were all very important, and if they were hurt, ck Eleven and Apa would be responsible. Whenever something went wrong, everyone wanted to contribute to oveing it. ck Eleven and Apa felt left out and were frustrated.


    The two greeted Bruzuryano first, then turned to Christian. "Are you hurt?" ck Eleven said. He knew that no one was seriously hurt, but he wanted to show that he did care about their wellbeing.


    "Don¡¯t worry about me," Christian smiled. He nced at Anfey and lifted an eyebrow. "I told you that would make them angry," he said.


    "I think we should change our carriage," Bruzuryano said with a smile. He did not know how popr he was. Compared to nbrea, he was clearly winning.


    What had happened earlier was already fading from Bruzuryano¡¯s mind. Since he was purposely trying to forget about it, it was not hard. He had seen too many deaths in his life, and knew that sadness could not bring the deceased back. He knew that it was better to prepare to avenge the dead than to keep thinking about the deaths.


    "We¡¯ve already prepared everything, my lord," Apa said quietly. He waved his hand, and two men in blue appeared with a carriage behind them. They handed the reins of the horses to Apa and disappeared into the crowd.


    "You¡¯re efficient," Anfey praised.


    This praise was intended to lighten the mood and work as an apology, but ck Eleven ignored it. Instead, he turned to Bruzuryano and said, "Please, my lord. After you."


    Bruzuryano nced at Anfey but did not wait for him. It was Anfey¡¯s fault for changing the n and inconveniencing others, including Bruzuryano and nbrea. What made Bruzuryano even more unhappy was Anfey¡¯s sh with the believers of Goddess of Nature. Even though the keeper of the temple was a just woman, and she had exined the situation, Bruzuryano still felt ufortable.


    Of course, Bruzuryano still did not want Christian, Niya, or Anfey to get hurt or die during the conflict. If if was them instead of those followers of Goddess of Nature, Saul, Ernest, and even Ynthe would react badly. It could be disastrous to his religion.


    The temple keeper also told Bruzuryano about Anfey using the Heart of Nature. Because of this, Bruzuryano decided that he could not talk to Anfey about it. Keeping everything in made Bruzuryano uneasy, however, and so he was happy to see the others getting angry at Anfey as well.


    The conversation and changing of the carriage took only a few minutes. Soon, the carriage began moving again. ck Eleven thought that Anfey¡¯s actions were inappropriate, but he still trusted him. His attitude towards Anfey softened significantly before the carriage even left the city. He found a package in his bag and handed it to Anfey. "It¡¯s for you," he said curtly and gestured at Apa.


    Anfey understood ck Eleven¡¯s gesture and nodded. He leaned back against the wall of the carriage and hid the scroll from Apa¡¯s sight.


    The scroll contained information, though Anfey wasn¡¯t sure which information would be useful to him. He skimmed through the scroll, and a small paragraph on thest page drew his attention. He recognized ck Eleven¡¯s handwriting instantly.


    ck Eleven did not write a lot. It was mostly about Marquis Djoser. A day after Shansa Empire withdrew its army, the marquis went to Sacred City with some of his guards and met with Ynthe. He immediately returned to his own house after the meeting, and did not meet any other important nobles in the city. He appeared at a feast the eldest prince, Wester, hosted, and was seen speaking with the prince like an old friend. The two had a private meeting after the feast, and it was unclear what they had talked about. ording to the marquis¡¯s servants, the marquis was happy enough that when he returned home that day, he was humming a song.


    ck Eleven underlined the servants¡¯ words. It was not hard to imagine what made the marquis so happy. He had always wanted to be the city lord of Violet City, and the prince must have promised him that.


    Anfey tapped the paper lightly and flipped back to the front. Thest page had a different texturepared to the rest of the scroll. Clearly, ck Eleven added thest page by himself. This was not something Anfey should know, which was why ck Eleven did not want Apa to know.


    Anfey frowned, then rxed. He knew what to do. If he was in conflict with the emperor Ynthe, ck Eleven would never take his side. If his opponent was the prince, he knew where ck Eleven¡¯s allegiance lied.


    As long as he did not create any major conflicts, he was certain that he had ck Eleven¡¯s support. Anfey was not worried about this. No one wanted to follow the wrong leader. Anfey knew that Ynthe was a wise king, and he would not change his mind, unless he ran out of options. Ynthe was smart, and he was much better than Anfey at avoiding unnecessary conflicts.


    "Did you finish?" ck Eleven asked under his breath. "Destroy it when you finish. This was delivered under the order of His Majesty." He paused and added, "He really trusts you, Anfey."


    "Yes," Apa agreed. "Even the prime minister may not have ess to that."


    Anfey smiled and handed the scroll to Suzanna, who summoned herbat power and burned the scroll.


    Anfey stretched himself on his seat, then closed his eyes. He did not realize how easy it would be to make himself an enemy of the prince. Even though Ynthe had nned everything and he had nothing to do with it, Prince Wester would not me his own father. Anfey was nothing more than a scapegoat.


    The prince may not hate Anfey yet, but he must have disliked him. What would Prince Wester think when the news from Violet City reached him?


    "Anfey, what¡¯s wrong?" Suzanna asked quietly. She was rmed by Anfey¡¯s frown. "Are you unwell?"


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. He looked at Suzanna and smiled at her. "I¡¯m just tired. I think I¡¯m going to take a nap. Don¡¯t worry about me." Whenever he was under pressure, he often chose not to think about it too much. He liked napping or meditating to temporarily avoiding dealing with the problem. He found it easier to find a new perspective if he was calm.


    Anfey rxed himself and let his mind float. He filtered out the sounds of conversation around him, and could not hear anything. Everyone was already used to Anfey¡¯s meditation and did not say anything, but Bruzuryano kept staring at Anfey.


    After a while, Suzanna suddenly asked curiously, "Why did the carriage behind us stop?"


    Bruzuryano peered through the curtains and nced about. "Stop," he said quietly.


    Anfey opened his eyes as the carriage came to a stop. He sat up and peered out the window.

 Chapter 263: Urge to Fight

    Chapter 263: Urge to Fight


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A group of people attending the funeral were crossing the road from a side road. A man around thirty years old walked in front. He wore a white gown with a viscount badge on it. He looked sad. A group of people dressed like farmers followed him. Four of the farmers carried a coffin. Crying came out of the coffin.


    nbrea slowly got off the wagon. He frowned as he watched the group of people. The viscount saw nbrea as well. The privilege he enjoyed as viscount had taught him what nbrea¡¯s priest gown meant. That viscount was shocked. The farmers behind him stopped as well. They whispered in groups.


    "Excuse me, who is in the coffin?" nbrea raised his voice and asked.


    "Master, it is my son," the viscount answered with respect.


    "Then what are you going to do to him?" nbrea asked.


    "Master, my son had serious disease. The doctor in the town told us there is no cure for him. He could only live for a few more days. I do not want to see him being tortured by the pain so I want to..." the viscount said, his voice tailing off.


    "Don¡¯t be silly!" nbrea looked cold. "Open the coffin. Let me take a look."


    "Yes." The viscount looked surprised and excited. He turned around and yelled at the farmers. "Why are you standing there? Hurry up! Put the coffin down and open it. Hurry up!"


    "nbrea is spreading the glory of the God of Light again," Bruzuryano said, smiling. "Let¡¯s get off."


    Anfey and his group had different looks on their faces. In fact, in order to have their own religions better known and convert more people, every religion imed to be able to help with the pain from disease. The followers of the Goddess of Nature were no different. To be more specific, Bruzuryano, even though he was a religious person, did not constantly talk about his Goddess.


    The coffin was pried open quickly. The crying stopped for a second and became even louder. It sounded like he was crying to protest the fact he had been dropped. nbrea slowly walked up. There was a babyying in the coffin, wrapped in ck linen. He only had a small face exposed. The baby looked pale. He was so thin that his cheeks sucked in and his face was full of wrinkles.


    "How old is he?" nbrea asked.


    "A little over a year old," the viscount said.


    "You are so cold," nbrea snorted.


    "Master, I do not have other options. I only have one son." Looking deeply sad, the viscount timidly answered nbrea.


    nbrea bent down and careful picked the baby up in his arms. His smile looked so loving. Hundreds of sweet words were no better than actually helping by actions. nbrea understood it as well. There were principles in his religion that travelling priests needed to offer help whenever they saw things like this.


    Anfey jumped off the wagon after Bruzuryano. He looked around first andid his eyes on nbrea. Suddenly, a slight yellowness caught Anfey¡¯s eye. After getting connected with the Heart of Nature, his vision had be very sharp. Anfey could sense things that others could hardly see. He could clearly see things far away from him. Right now he clearly saw the calluses on the baby¡¯s heel, a thickyer of calluses.


    Anfey immediately realized something was wrong. He jumped forward and yelled in anger, "Be careful!" Before he finished his warning, Air elements gathered quickly on his palm. He shot out the spear made of Air elements.


    nbrea, as a priest of Light, was not that great in a physical fight. His reaction time was very, very short. As he heard Anfey¡¯s warning, he tossed the baby in his arms into the air immediately without any hesitation. However, at the same time, the baby grinned like an adult. A cold silver light came through the ck linen and thrust at nbrea¡¯s heart.


    Blood sshed. nbrea was hurt. He stepped back while that weird baby floated in the air. The baby tried to chase after nbrea. The soaring spear made of Air elements flew at the baby, which bought nbrea some time. It was enough time for nbrea to cover himself under a Light Shield. Thick vines even appeared in front of him. Some vines wobbled towards the baby while the rest tangled together to create a green protection wall. This was the magic released by Bruzuryano.


    "How could this happen? You are not my son. You are..." That viscount suddenly jumped up.


    The baby wriggled out of the vines. He passed the viscount with a cold silver light. The head of the viscount had been tossed in the air.


    The farmers in the funeral procession were startled. They did not know what was going on. That baby did not care about killing them. He floated in the air and suddenly shot high in the sky. He sessfully escaped the chase of vines and ran away. As he ran, a strong gust shot at him. The baby waved the knife in his hand to block the arrow flying at him. The arrow¡¯s speed was as fast as a sh of light. The Wind de on the arrow hit the baby. A light blue light shed. Ayer of blurry light countered the Wind de.


    The baby¡¯s body was too small and too light. Although the Wind de did not hurt him, his body could not help rolling backwards in the air. When he finally steadied himself, he saw Anfey pull the bow again from about a dozen yards away.


    "Stop!" Anfey said calmly.


    The baby¡¯s body froze there. At this moment, whoever moved first would put himself in a disadvantaged position. If Anfey shot first, the baby might be able to dodge the arrow and run away. If the baby moved first, the arrow could cause serious damage to him. The magic shield had been ruined by the recent attack. He did not have the shield anymore.


    At the same time, Suzanna, covered bybat power, approached the baby from the side to pose a greater threat. Bruzuryano coldly stood behind Anfey. He did not want to attack the baby in a group, so he only released magic once. A weird light shed in the baby¡¯s eyes. A hardly visible surge rushed at Anfey. Anfey did not move at all. He loaded the arrow and firmly pointed at the kid¡¯s chest. The telepathy attack at this angle could cause no damage to Anfey.


    The baby looked pained. He wobbled and fell to the ground. The counter for his telepathy from Anfey made him lose control. At the same time, Suzanna swung her sword into an arch in the air, thrusting at the baby¡¯s shoulder. Anfey also let his fingers go. An arrow shot out fast.


    The baby screamed as if his life depended on it. However, this kind of noise could not be used as a weapon to hurt his opponents. Suzannas¡¯ sword thrusted into the baby¡¯s left shoulder, pierced through his body with force, and came out at the right shoulder. Anfey¡¯s arrow got the baby¡¯s chest and created a big bloody hole on the left chest.


    Anfey put the bow back into his Dimensional Ring. He turned around and yelled, "Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve got to return on the same route we came here. Let¡¯s go. Hurry!"


    "Wait. Take his weapon," nbrea said in a low and depressing tone. He added, "Be careful!"


    Anfey was shocked for a second before he took the sword from Suzanna. He thrashed the sword at the baby¡¯s arm and cut it off. He pointed the sword at the hand and pierced it through the right hand of the baby. If nbrea asked him to be careful, he definitely had to be careful. He did not want Suzanna to do something so bloody like this so he did it for Suzanna.


    The four druids with Bruzuryano had rushed over, trying to hold nbrea, but nbrea did not appreciate it. He pushed them away and stubbornly stood there. As a top power, he had his own pride. Even though he was hurt, but he did not want others¡¯ help. The priest¡¯s ripped gown slightly showed the strong muscles on his chest. It was weird that the color of the chest muscle around the wound kept changing colors. It was ck sometimes and pale at other times.


    Anfey walked over with sword in hand. nbrea quietly took the knife from the baby¡¯s hand. He looked perplexed. "It is Annunciata. It is her revenge."


    "It is a Fang of Curse!" Bruzuryano recognized the knife as well.


    "It was my bad," nbrea said, smiling bitterly. "I only thought of necromancers but forgot about the assassins who were willing to work with them."


    "Master, we do not have much time left. We should leave now," Anfey said in a low voice. If they were going to fight with necromancers, nbrea was definitely the main force. In the Country of Mercenaries, Anfey had seen many zombies die and turn into ashes under his magic. With nbrea hurt, Anfey was worried and did not want to take risks.


    "No." nbrea shook his head. "You do not know Annunciata. We cannot go back now. We have to continue going forward."


    "Forward?" Anfey turned to look at Bruzuryano.


    "nbrea was right," Bruzuryano said calmly.


    "Why? Anfey, are you scared?" nbrea smiled. "Don¡¯t worry. These kinds of curses are not going to affect me."


    Anfey heaved a sigh. He could tell the wound on nbrea¡¯s chest was about 3 inches long. The cut was not terribly deep, but not good either. nbrea slowed down his blood flow with magic of Light. No matter what, his wound did not look too good.


    nbrea was not concerned about his wound but about the curse. It was easy to guess how powerful the curse was.


    In fact, there were many top powers in this world, but many of them died of mistakes they made or all kinds of reasons. The surviving top powers were the only few on the top of the pyramid. They were the best of the elites. They had experienced many difficulties and dangers that most people could not imagine. The deceit, pain and other negativity actions did not affect them, but only encouraged them to fight. At that moment, nbrea and Bruzuryano were disying the pride that only real top powers could have.

 Chapter 264: The Legendary Sacred Warrior

    Chapter 264: The Legendary Sacred Warrior


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Two carriages sped along the road. Due the differences in the strength of the horse teams, the two carriages were at least twenty feet apart. The four druids were all in the second carriage, and one had taken over driving the carriage himself.


    The carriage in the back was, in fact, empty. All the important people were gathered in the first carriage. This was nbrea¡¯s idea. The attack did not affect him. If necromancers tried to attack with magic, the second carriage would be their first choice. Both carriages were going at a high speed, and if the first carriage was attacked, the second carriage would arrive fast and support the first. If the second was attacked, the first carriage would be left alone. The druids in the second carriage were meant to be bait. They were willing volunteers, a testament to their fervent belief in their religion and trust in Bruzuryano. It was very easy for them to tell where it was safer and where it was more dangerous.


    Luckily, the carriage wasrge enough to fit half a dozen people without feeling crowded. nbrea looked tired, perhaps due to the curse, but he was still smiling. "Bruzuryano," he said quietly, "you are in charge."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Bruzuryano promised. "You won¡¯t die before I do."


    "Really?" nbrea chuckled. "Our friendship moves me."


    "Shut it. I don¡¯t want to see William by myself. If you want someone to exin what happened, you¡¯ve got to do it yourself."


    Bruzuryano made this decision not only because they were friends. Two religions bing allies was a decision made after a long time of careful thinking. An alliance between religions was much stronger than an alliance between nations. Religious figures were representatives of gods and the personification of glory and holiness. No one wouldsh out against another unless the situation permitted no other alternative. It would be a bad influence on the followers of the religion if religious alliances shifted the way alliances between nations do.


    Two sides would actively try to maintain a friendly rtionship, and anyone who tried to disrupt the peace would be punished by both religions. This was why Bruzuryano was taking this so seriously. He¡¯d rather die than face Pope William and exin why one of his most important cardinals was killed.


    Friendships were important, but interests were much more so. Outside of specially charted districts, both religions had the right to built temples and churches and the right to oppress smaller religions. Where there were interests there were conflicts, but most were resolved or buried. Bruzuryano and nbrea were both representatives active in their respective religions, and that made their rtionship even moreplicated. They had their fair share of conflicts. They were not quite friends, but they trusted each other enough that they were not enemies, either.


    Anfey sat quietly and observed Bruzuryano and nbrea. They were all nervous about the battle, but Anfey tried not let his emotions show.


    Bruzuryano nced at the others in the carriage and must have sensed the tension. He turned to nbrea and asked, "Can you still use forbidden spells?"


    "If someone can stall for me," nbrea said, "I can still use a few."


    "Great," Bruzuryano said with a grin. He sat back and let out a sigh of relief. He did not believe that nbrea could still use even one forbidden spell, let alone a few. But he knew that nbrea did not want to add to the pressure, and he did not expose his lie.


    Bruzuryano knew that the people who can survive impossible situations were the people who would never give up. He wanted the young people to be ones who would never give up, and if their lies helped them, so be it.


    Niya¡¯s frown disappeared first. She nced at nbrea, her eyes filled with admiration. She was not a mage, but she knew enough about it from her father. She knew very well what it meant for a mage to use a forbidden spell. ck Eleven and Apa smiled as well. The three types of mages were like the child¡¯s game of rock-paper-scissors. Elemental mages tended to be more powerful than light mages, because elemental magic could cause much more damage than light magic. When elemental mages encountered necromancers, however, their hands were tied. Necromancers¡¯ magic tended to be instantaneous and had explosive results. They could also summon other creatures like skeletons, zombies, and death knights to aid them in a fight. This number advantage easily ced necromancers in an advantage over elemental mages. Light mages were necromancers¡¯ natural enemies. Unless there was too great a difference in power, a necromancer would never be able to defeat a light mage. Even a simple healing spell could be deadly to a necromancer.


    If nbrea could still use magic, they were sure to win.


    Suzanna kept calm and yed with her sword. As a swordsmaster, the only person she trusted was herself. She was her own master. Swordsmasters did not only practice their skills with the sword, but also their courage.


    Suddenly, a hoarse voice boomed in the carriage, "Dear cardinal, how¡¯s the Fang of Curse?" The voice giggled ominously.


    nbrea frowned and coughed violently. "Annunciata," he replied, "you¡¯ve sunk lower than I expected! Don¡¯t forget who I am. The pope will avenge me." nbrea grinned and winked at Niya, Christian, Suzanna, and Anfey, who were all shocked by his words.


    "Really?" Annunciata asked,ughing. "Too bad you won¡¯t see that."


    Anfey smiled. He already heard doubt in Annunciata¡¯s voice. If nbrea was trying to prove that he was alright, she might have already attacked. Instead, he showed his weakness by telling her that someone else would avenge him, and easily made her suspicious.


    A loud explosion ripped through the air, and the second carriage was blown apart. The carriage¡¯s splinters flew through the air, and the horses were bloody messes on the ground. None of the horses was dead, however. Instead, they were writhing on the ground. Their eyes slowly turned to light red.


    The four druids all transformed instantly and none of them were injured in the explosion. Three druids turned intorge bears, and one into a wolf. Their thick armor prevented the explosion from harming them.


    "Did a body explode? Where did they get the body?" Christian asked under his breath. Body explosions were powerful but very limited. The body must be fresh in order to trigger the explosion.


    "There must be a vige nearby," Bruzuryano said quietly. "They must have killed everyone there." He frowned, then jumped out of the carriage and bellowed. The horses took a sharp turn and ran off of the path and began dashing towards a meadow nearby.


    Anfey tapped on his leg, then followed Bruzuryano out. Suzanna was about to follow him when he turned and said, "Stay. You need to protect Niya and nbrea."


    Others might have believed nbrea, but Anfey was skeptical. He knew nbrea must have enough strength to deal a final blow, and he needed Suzanna to stall as long as possible.


    Suzanna frowned. She was used to being at the front of the attack, and Anfey¡¯s instruction shocked her. She looked up at him, but he had already turned away from her.


    "Be careful," she whispered after a few moments. Anfey¡¯s strange arrangement made her ufortable.


    Anfey did not reply. He raised his hand and summoned a dozen wind des that slowly gathered into a spear. He kept summoning elements andpressing those elements until the spear was a deep blue.


    "Impressive," Bruzuryano said. He knew that Anfey was a twin-discipliner, but he was still amazed by his ability to control the elements.


    "Thanks," Anfey said. "This is Indigo dragon crescent de, a weapon that belongs to the legendary sacred warrior, Guang Yu."


    Bruzuryano lifted an eyebrow. "Strange name," he said. "I¡¯ve heard of Gold, ck, Red, and Green dragon, but not Indigo."


    "It is one of the legendary dragons," Anfey said.


    "Did your teacher tell you that?" Bruzuryano asked, smiling. He knew that Anfey once had a very powerful teacher who might have entered the sacred state. It came as no surprise to Bruzuryano that Anfey¡¯s teacher had told him about things normal people did not know about.

 Chapter 265: Damage

    Chapter 265: Damage


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Druids yelled and screamed in the distance. Obviously they had been hurt in the battle. Anfey turned around to take a look and then turned to look at Bruzuryano. Bruzuryano had been peacefully looking at something in front of him. He did not seem to be able to hear anything. People in high positions not only had to be cruel to their opponents. Sometimes they had to be hard on the people who worked for them, even to themselves. The key was to be cold and emotionless.


    The running horse seemed to sense something and screamed in anxiety as he slowed down. A group of zombies came from the woods, some walking and some crawling, and slowly blocked Anfey on the grass. Their eyes did not have any focus, only staring at what was in front of them. Anfey raised his eyebrows. He had sensed death in the woods a long time ago. It was not reasonable that Bruzuryano did not sense it. As Bruzuryano¡¯s assistant, he could not do anything right now but wait for Bruzuryano to start the fight.


    "It was weird." Bruzuryano looked up at the sunset. He said quietly, "You stay!" He jumped off the wagon. Without any eleration, he passed the wagon in the blink of an eye and rushed diagonally at the zombies who blocked the road.


    Suzanna ran at full speed. She looked like a meteor. Thebat power left a trace like the bright light tail of meteor. Bruzuryano ran like a furious gigantic beast. Although he was much smaller than a gigantic beast, he looked very simr to one. The clouds of dirt underneath his feet blew so far that they fell onto the grass dozens of yards away. The grass was crushed and covered with dirt, indicating the power of Bruzuryano¡¯s pounding feet.


    When Bruzuryano was only less than 20 yards away from the zombies, he suddenly jumped up. A gigantic bear created by light and fog appeared behind Bruzuryano. As Bruzuryanonded on the ground, the gigantic bear smashed hard on the ground. Invisible but intense shockwaves swept the ground. The zombies on the other side were sent high in the air like peas tossed into a pot. The next moment, countless vines began to appear on the ground. They created a gigantic web and covered all the zombies underneath it. It wrapped tighter and tighter around the zombies. Zombies seemed to disappear under the web of the vines. Only moving vines were seen. The zombies were strong. Some zombies were strangled into halves by vines, but they still struggled moving after that. The rotten and smelly blood dripped out. There was a disgusting smell in the air.


    "Annunciata, stop your tricks." Bruzuryano¡¯s voice was as loud as a tsunami in the air.


    "As you wish." Annunciata gave tit for tat.


    Light grey fog appeared from the woods. Where the grey fog passed, the trees died, the falling leaves turning to ashes before even falling to the ground, the branches, trunks and grass all dying. The color of the ground changed from dark ck into grey white, death grey.


    Bruzuryano stood in the front. He quietly clenched his fists. This was a test for nbrea instead of him. If nbrea asked any druid to deal with the Fog of Decay, it only proved that he did not have much fighting power left.


    Twenty yards, ten yards, the Fog of Decay was approaching. The vines could not handle this kind of corrosion. They moved back underground. The zombies who regained their freedom roared and crawled towards Bruzuryano. nbrea did not respond to any of this. Bruzuryano took a deep breath and then he heard Annunciata giggling. Three dark knights rushed out from the Fog of Decay. They formed into a triangle and rushed towards Bruzuryano.


    In the blink of an eye, Bruzuryano got several times bigger. A silver gigantic bear as big as a small hill appeared in front of everyone. The bear¡¯s paw was asrge as a car wheel. He broke through the air currents and smashed the dark knight in the front. That dark knight looked weightless and spun backwards in the air and hit another dark knight behind him. The putrid blood sshed everywhere. Those two dark knights¡¯ bodies were heavily torn and twisted together with the bones of the horse they had ridden.


    The dark knight on the left in the back thrust his spear at Bruzuryano¡¯s chest. Bruzuryano waved his hand upwards. He looked like he was swatting an annoying fly. The dark knight flew off with his horse into the Fog of Decay and disappeared.


    "Hmm, why did you transform into a bear so early?" Annunciata¡¯s giggles were not very pleasant, but she still sounded very nice. She sounded like she was talking to an old friend.


    "Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Bruzuryano roared. The spreading Fog of Decay seemed to meet tornadoes. The fog rolled back a couple of yards. A piece of lifelessnd showed up.


    A person leading a horse walked out of the fog. It was not very appropriate to call him a person because he was a death spirit. Compared to his peers, he looked very arrogant. He took the time to walk, like he was going to attend a party. His appearance was highly unusual. He was taller than a person and protected by dark red armor. He wore a broken crown. His eyes looked brighter than the fire series crystals, which made him look scary. The spear in his hand was at least 3 yards long, and pointing at Bruzuryano. The war horse was tall as well and hung with many light blue mes, as fine as hairs. Its muscles bulged through the light blue mes.


    Bruzuryano slowly stepped back. He was not scared. The concept was not in his dictionary. A fight with the powerful Death Knight in the Fog of Decay would be nothing different than a lion trying to catch a shark in the ocean. He might as wellmit suicide if he did that. Bruzuryano had the courage for the fight, but he was not inclined tomitting suicide.


    The arrogant knight raised the spear in his hand and greeted Bruzuryano. He proimed the fight. The Fog of Decay had already moved around, but stopped behind the knight. Bruzuryano was shocked for a second. Did this Death Knight know about fairness? Bruzuryano knew what kind of person Annunciata was. The way the Death Knight behaved made him feel that this Death Knight might be too powerful for Annunciata to have total control of him. Therefore, she did not let the Fog of Decay keep spreading and instead stopped it behind him.


    "Glory..." The knight squeezed out the word.


    Bruzuryano felt sad. It was part of his nature never to forget the meaning of this word, but he did not know what the glory really was. A death spirit had no right to talk about glory. He only brought terror and fear to people.


    Zombies slowly crawled out of the Fog of Decay. Five dark knights led those zombies around Bruzuryano, and they kept crawling over to the wagons that were parked farther away. The Death Knight stood still, looking at Bruzuryano. He only wanted to have a fair fight with Bruzuryano. He had no intention of interfering in others¡¯ business.


    "Do you think I am easily bullied?" Anfey murmured. He jumped off the wagon and plunged his Indigo dragon crescent de into the ground. He put his hands on his hips to allow himself to stretch his back. He kicked his legs and shook his arms to warm up. A long time ago, he had already guessed what his task was, so he tried to make an Indigo dragon crescent de out of the wind de. It was hard to make any fatal damage to death spirits with a wind de spear. The me sword¡¯s attack range was too limited. The Indigo dragon crescent de did not only look fancy, but was also very practical. Its power could reach very far.


    Anfey¡¯s moves looked weird to others. The zombies slowed down. The few dark knights also kept their distance. The death spirit¡¯s hesitation did not mean they had the ability to think. However, it did show the changes in Annunciata¡¯s thinking. In fact, Anfey was wrong. No one thought it was easy to bully him. When many people knew about something, it was not a secret anymore. At that moment, the whole world seemed to have been looking for a vige head called Ben Ladeng. Besides Ynthe¡¯s hurricane team, Evil Mist was looking for him as well. Ynthe could publicly look for him while Evil Mist had to do it secretly because of their background. They were afraid that they would be killed immediately after they got a chance to see the Master Swordsman who had taught Anfey. The reason they wanted to catch Anfey alive was not only to get more secrets from him, but also to ckmail his master when it was needed.


    Annunciata thought Anfey¡¯s weird moves were all from that super powerful Master Swordsman. She not only needed to think about it, but also tried to memorize everything.


    "Anfey, I do not want to hurt you." Annunciata sounded even nicer.


    "Then do not hurt me," Anfey yed along. He pulled out his indigo dragon crescent de.


    "Would you like to visit me at my house?" Annunciata did not think it was really going to happen, but she still wanted to give it a try. The best result would be Anfey volunteering to join them. If that happened, everything would fall into ce. Annunciata thought her ancestors were too simple and na?ve. They always wanted others to choose between assimtion and death and dreamed to rule the Pan Continent. As a result, people were against them even more. After countless failures, they finally learned to work with others. In the Evil Mist, besides necromancers, there were many allies and followers who did not be necromancers. Necromancers learned to share their cake with others. The road was measured step by step. They needed to take their ce in the world before they could think of doing something else. They would be day dreaming if they thought they could control the world immediately.


    "Visit you?" Anfey could not believe what he heard. He thought to himself that Annunciata should hate him with passion instead of inviting him over for a visit. Anfey did not want to believe anything she said. He ced the Indigo dragon crescent de on his shoulder and smiled. "Sure."

 Chapter 266: Shadow Knight

    Chapter 266: Shadow Knight


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey¡¯s tone was too fake and everyone could tell he was lying. Annunciata frowned and did not say anything. If it was up to her, she would not care about his so-called secrets. Annunuciata went to Country of Mercenaries by herself because she wanted to be stronger and fulfill a legend. Now, all of her ns had gone to waste, and she herself was injured. The Mark of Holy Glory had been torturing her everyday and she was suffering. Anfey was the one that alerted nbrea and caused her suffering. What was even more infuriating was the fact that she could not do anything. In order to calm the other elders down, she had volunteered to host the chase. One of her most important goals was to capture Anfey alive.


    "Do you want me to go first?" Anfey asked. He nced at Bruzuryano and the Death Knight, who were staring at each other but did not attack each other. Anfey frowned and suddenly jumped forward.


    His de swept forward as he ran. Compared to Bruzuryano, Anfey¡¯s figure appeared much lighter. He could jump forward several feet by just pushing on the ground, and was in front of the zombies in a sh. He jumped up into the air and brought the de down on the head of one of the dark knights.


    Anfey was used to disguising himself, and even in extreme situations like this, he would still pretend he was not using his full power. He may have appeared to be in control and rxed, but he was already using all of his strength. He did not know why nbrea had insisted on advancing, and did not know if nbrea had another n. Now was not the time to think about that, however, because the only thing he could do was to stall for as long as possible. He wished he had the power to control the situation, but he did not, and all of his hope rested on nbrea. He had protect his friends.


    Anfey felt power amassing within him. He may have looked rxed, but he was much stronger than he appeared.


    The dark knight still had its battle instinct, and raised itsnce to block Anfey¡¯s attack. The two weapons nged against each other loudly. The knight¡¯s body shook, and the de in Anfey¡¯s hand bounced back.


    His attack was only an illusion. Anfey knew his own strengths and weaknesses, and would not do anything that could put himself in danger.


    As his de bounced away from thence, Anfey, still in the air, kicked the knight in the head. The skull shattered upon impact with a sickening crunch. Anfeynded and kicked out towards the knight¡¯s chest.


    The dark knight was still trying to defend himself with ance, but Anfey¡¯s de had already pierced its body and thrown him off the horse.


    Another knight rode over to itspanion¡¯s rescue. It raised itsnce and aimed it at Anfey¡¯s chest.


    Anfey understood what the knight was nning, and dove forward with his de held out in front of him. The knight¡¯snce quivered, but it continued to ride forward, and thence thrust forward towards Anfey¡¯s shoulder.


    Anfey had justnded, and his body leaned back. His de hit the ground and helped him to maintain his bnce and avoid thence. The knight rode past Anfey, and its figure was suddenly shorter. Its horse¡¯s legs were all cut through by Anfey¡¯s de. The horse should have fallen, but it was still struggling to walk. The knight¡¯s legs were dragging on the ground.


    Anfey jumped up and twisted a few times in the air. He dove down towards the knight, his de aimed at the knight¡¯s back.


    The dark knight raised itsnce, but it could not block Anfey¡¯s de. Anfey swept his weapon across the knight¡¯s neck. Its head flew off and rolled into a nearby bush. Thick, dark blood oozed out of the knight¡¯s neck. The grass that was touched by the blood quickly withered and died.


    Bruzuryano smiled. He could tell that Anfey was already very good at controlling his strength, and could defeat two dark knights in a short amount of time. He knew he did not have to worry about Anfey.


    "Glory..." a dark knight croaked as it dashed towards Bruzuryano. It was much slower than the other knights, and itsnce was dragging on the ground. It was about fifteen feet away from Bruzuryano when its speed suddenly picked up. Its ghost horse created a pale blue shadow behind it due to its high speed, and itsnce was pointing at Bruzuryano¡¯s chest.


    Bruzuryano bellowed and hisrge bear w struck out towards the knight. The knight¡¯s attack was very powerful, but Bruzuryano was even more so. Thence was almost knocked out of the knight¡¯s hand by Bruzuryano¡¯s attack. Bruzuryano mmed his w into the ghost horse¡¯s head and shattered the animal¡¯s skull. Chunks of rotting flesh flew everywhere, the ground was covered with thick, blue droplets.


    Bruzuryano was not expecting the strength of his attack. He did not have the time to think when he was fighting. He mmed his w into the knight¡¯s body as it began to lean forward. The knight¡¯s body bent back and snapped.


    Bruzuryano felt a sudden wave of dizziness. The dead horse and the snapped knight disappeared like an illusion, and another knight came riding towards him.


    Thence was less than five feet away from him when he realized something was wrong. He only had enough time to knock thence off of its course. He realized what this knight was. It must be the shadow knight from over two centuries ago.


    Before the two were about to collide, thence suddenly sank, and thence glided past Bruzuryano¡¯s w and towards his chest. Bruzuryano swept his left w across towards the knight¡¯s body.


    With a loud boom, thence struck Bruzuryano¡¯s chest and Bruzuryano¡¯s w hit the knight¡¯s body. Dozens of cracks appeared in Bruzuryano¡¯s armor and there was a hole in the middle of his chest. Blood oozed out slowly, and Bruzuryano was forced to take a few steps back to steady himself.


    The knight did not fare better. Even though Bruzuryano was struck first, he was still a bear over fifteen feet tall, and his w was not much shorter than the knight¡¯snce. The knight was still moving and was hit by the w. Its dark red armor had half a dozen deep, long gashes, and the gemstone on its armor shattered. Bruzuryano¡¯s paw was as wide as the knight¡¯s chest, and his ws were over ten inches long. The ws were as important to the druids as swords were to swordsmen, and could rip through most armor.


    The upper half of the ghost horse disappeared again. Blue me burst from its broken neck.


    If knights and swordsmen were turned into dark creatures after death, theirbat power would be turned into death power. Convertingbat power to death power was not an equal conversion, however, and a person would lose part of his power after it was converted into death power. Of course, the amount lost often depended on how powerful the necromancer was. Annunciata was one of the necromancer elders, and she was no doubt very powerful. The shadow knight, however, was also very old. Byparison, the shadow knight was only half as powerful as he had been in his heyday. Otherwise Bruzuryano would not have been able to rip the knight¡¯s armor apart so easily, and Bruzuryano¡¯s wounds would be much more serious.


    Bruzuryano grunted and he walked forward slowly, dragging his body. The wound on his chest was no longer bleeding. Druids healed much faster than knights and swordsmen. This was an advantage of fighting near nature. If they had been fighting in Fog of Decay, the wound would have been enough to kill Bruzuryano and turn him into a creature like the shadow knight. Here on the meadow clearing, however, his wound was already healing.


    The shadow knight¡¯s healing ability, however, was much stronger than Bruzuryano¡¯s and worked much faster. The dark red armor wiggled like it was alive, and the gashes were welding together at a visible rate. What was even stranger was the horse. It was stomping on the ground and backing away, but did not show signs of falling to the ground. It stopped by the edge of the fog. After a few seconds, a new head appeared among the blue mes bursting from its neck. After the head waspletely grown, it shook its new head, as if showing off its regenerating ability.

 Chapter 267: A Mysterious Scepter

    Chapter 267: A Mysterious Scepter


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Suzanna tore off the curtain on the wagon to watch Anfey. At that moment, Anfey did not seem to have an advantage in the fight. He had killed two Dark Knights at the beginning, and seemed to keep up with the other three Dark Knights. Under the attack of the other three, he kept moving back, but he still moved fast. He moved left and right to avoid the Dark Knights¡¯ attacks. As he avoided the Dark Knights¡¯ attacks, he would kill a few zombies.


    "Do not worry about him. He is very wise." nbrea smiled when he saw Suzanna so worried.


    "What? What do you mean by that" Suzanna was confused.


    nbrea shook his head and smiled. He did not have time to exin. Anfey tried to prevent Annunciata from using Death magic and to buy himself some time. Unfortunately, nbrea did not think these kind of tricks could escape Annunciata¡¯s eyes. A wooden case with fragrance appeared in nbrea¡¯s palm. He carefully opened the case with a ceremonial gesture. There was a golden scepter in it. The golden scepter was carved with runes. A small angel statue rested on top of it. Before nbrea took the scepter out of the case, there was already a strong bright feeling. It made everybody in the wagon feel good about themselves.


    "Kid,e here." nbrea held the scepter and then waved at Suzanna.


    Anfey looked like he was dancing on an ice rink. He could always move from one ce to another with lightning speed. The three Dark Knights yelled and chased him, but they could not touch him at all. nbrea was not wrong. Anfey did not care about these Dark Knights. If he wanted, he could kill them at any time on the spot. Dark knights could be considered junior-level death spirits, but they did not have their own thinking andcked the speed to pose any threat to Anfey. Anfey focused on the zombies.


    He found the zombies were not scared of lights and were abnormally difficult to kill. Even when their heads were cut off, the zombies still did not die. Their headless bodies still could walk and even change direction as Anfey moved. Anfey had a bad feeling about this. With the knowledge he had about necromancers, he could not figure out what was going on.


    A roar as loud as thunder came from the sky. Bruzuryano finally had started his attacks. His gigantic body unbelievably moved faster than lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed in front of that Death Knight. He waved his palm. Before his palm reached the Death Knight, the messy air currents he created had covered the Death Knight. That ghost horse with light blue mes flew backwards, like it was wrapped in a tornado.


    That Death Knight used the Shadow strategy. His real person appeared in the back, but with a huge sound, the shadow shattered under the attack. He left deep paw prints on the lifeless ground. Many cracks showed around the paws. Some cracks were as wide as a few inches. They were wide enough to fit a hand.


    A white shadow shed. Bruzuryano threw himself onto it. He waved his palm at the Death Knight¡¯s right shoulder. Bruzuryano did not get him with his first strike. However, in the blink of an eye, he had carried out a second strike. When Bruzuryano attacked with full force, no matter the power or the speed, he had reached a point very few people could exceed. After that shadow of the knight was created, his power decreased significantly. If he was at his peak, he was a match for Bruzuryano. This time he had to use the shadow strategy again to avoid the furious attacks from Bruzuryano.


    Shadow strategy got Bruzuryano once. If Bruzuryano could be fooled several times, he was not good enough to be a top power. The silver white gigantic bear chased after that Death Knight with an undescribed speed. As the real Death Knight showed up, the gigantic bear had alreadyshed out at him.


    The Death Knight could not release his shadows anymore. When he saw no way to dodge, he roared and thrust his spear at Bruzuryano¡¯s chest. Bruzuryano had been forced to make a suicidal attack before, but now it was the shadow¡¯s turn to use the same strategy.


    As the spear was half way between Bruzuryano and the shadow, the gigantic bear hit hard on the ground with his paw. Besides the cracks underneath the paw, there was only a pile of ck rotten flesh and ttened and twisted armor. This strike was so powerful that the Death Knight¡¯s body was smashed like mashed tofu. The ghost horse lost most of his body as well. Only its forelegs and head were still rolling on the ground.


    After the sessful strike, Bruzuryano turned around and rushed back to Anfey. He did not have extra fancy moves. The zombies on the way were either knocked high into the sky or smashed to the ground.


    When Anfey saw Bruzuryano rushing toward him, Anfey slowed down his de. He yed a zombie on the ground with a backhand. He jumped high to get closer to Bruzuryano.


    A strong magic surge came from the distance. Bruzuryano let out a deep roar. It sounded that he was warning Anfey of something.


    Anfey was alert to it. He readjusted his internal energy to the maximum. He saw the Dark Knight and his spear in front of him. He jumped high and kicked at the tip of the spear to gain momentum to jump higher. He kicked the head of the Dark Knight with his right foot. As he jumped over the Dark Knight, he swung his de at the knight¡¯s neck. A deep cut appeared on the Dark Knight¡¯s neck and almost cut it off.


    When Anfey was in the air, he suddenly found that countless zombies and skeletons showed in the Fog of Decay. They moved towards Anfey in waves.


    A bone spear flew over the sky, shooting at Bruzuryano among the zombies. The spear flew here and there in an unpredictable way. The bone spear was just a junior spell, but it was a pain. Besides Meteor magic and wind des, usually magic did not have any physical damage. It could only cause damage with active elements. The physical damage Meteor magic and wind des could cause was not strong anyway. It would not be life-threatening. A bone spear was special. The physical damaging power and magic power were about the same, which could cause a decent amount of damage.


    Even Bruzuryano could not ignore the bone spear¡¯s attacks. He slowed down a little bit and hit the bone spear as it approached to him. The bone spear shattered into pieces.


    The next moment, a bone jail appeared in the sky and locked Bruzuryano¡¯s gigantic body inside it. Before Bruzuryano could react, a row of bone walls seven yards tall suddenly appeared and blocked Bruzuryano¡¯s way.


    This bone wall was actually just a different form of magic Kekkai, because the zombies and skeletons from behind could pass the bone wall without any trouble.


    Bruzuryano¡¯s roaring got louder and louder. Broken limbs, blood, flesh, and broken bones flew out of the bone wall like rain drops. The magic surges in the distance got even stronger. Every strike Bruzuryano made shattered some of the bone jail. Many zombies and skeletons rushing at him were killed. A new bone jail appeared above him. The bone spears Bruzuryano worried about kepting at him. The bone spears flew in the sky with a whooshing sound one after another.


    Nobody was better at adjusting to such situations than Anfey. As hended, he had already turned around. He waved his arms with big des to create many images and yed the Dark Knights and rotten zombies who were in his way.


    If a top power were not beaten by those kinds of attacks, Anfey knew those necromancers only wanted to hold Bruzuryano in the fight. The reason they did that was to do something afterwards. It was easy to guess the people who were going to face the dangers were not Bruzuryano in the fight. It should be Anfey himself or nbrea in the wagon.


    By the time the Dark Knight in the front had waved his spear, Anfey had already swung his big de toward him. Before his wounds showed up, Anfey swung two more times. When when Dark Knight fell to the ground, his body had been chopped into a few sections. He lost all of his fighting ability.


    Many people thought the key to winning a battle was to be fast. It was just a line in the movies. Whether a physical fighter or martial arts practitioner, they all stressed the importance of speed. No matter how physically or internally strong the fighters were, it would be meaningless if they could not be quick enough to hit their opponents. To a real martial arts practitioner, it was not very hard to be fast. The hard part was tobine the speed and power in a perfect ratio. The fastest boxer could punch thirteen jabs in a second, but these jabs would not damage the opponents as hard as one hard uppercut.


    Anfey¡¯s speed was super fast. He was so fast that the big de in his hand had looked like a small tornado. He used all his power without any conservation. Thest Dark Knight was knocked away with his ride. The leftover zombies did not allow him to pause for a second. He moved like a gship on the sea fighting the waves. He rushed straight towards the wagon.


    A bone wall suddenly grew out from the ground and blocked Anfey¡¯s way. Anfey had waited for this for a while. Those necromancers who hid in the dark could not see him rushing out. A person who was good at learning from mistakes would always think about what mistake he made and also pay attention to the mistakes others made. Bruzuryano was trapped, because the flying bone spears made Bruzuryano paused a little bit. There was no attack that did not cost time. Instant magic still needed a certain time to hit the target. That was the reason that necromancers needed to use bone spears to make the initial attacks. It even took a very short time to activate elements. As long as Anfey was prepared for it, he believed he had the chance to escape.


    By the time the bone wall appeared on the ground, Anfey had already swung his de to the left, but borrowed the momentum to move to the right. As the bone wall grew to about two yards tall, Anfey pushed onto the bone wall with his hand to jump a few yards higher than the bone wall and ran away as fast as he could. There was an empty bone jail standing there.

 Chapter 268: The Truth of the Magic World

    Chapter 268: The Truth of the Magic World


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey did not rx because he was able to avoid the bone cage. Instead, he became more alert. The bone cage was only an intermediate spell, and the hidden mages could use it over and over again if they wanted to. He avoided this one, but it did not mean he could avoid the next one.


    Sometimes the Heart of Nature would beat along with his heartbeat, but now the situation was reversed. Normally, tense movements would cause his heartbeat increase, but under the influence of the Heart of Nature, his heartbeat hardly changed.


    Anfey felt another wave of familiar magical surges in the distance. He recognized the surge of bone spears, and there were at least two different surges. Anfey frowned, then saw two bone spears rip through the air and fly towards him at a breakneck speed. Anfey took a deep breath and dashed forward, gripping his de in his hand. He took a few steps forward and leapt into the air.


    As the bone spears approached him, he held out his de and swept it across. The de hit the spears and changed the courses of the spears. Then Anfey jumped forward and passed in between the two spears.


    Another bone cage appeared, but it appeared toote and narrowly missing Anfey.


    Anfey pushed off of the ground and jumped to the right. After he fuzed with the Heart of Nature, his instincts grew much stronger. He could feel that there were elements amassing over him, and knew that another bone cage wasing.


    Anfey raised his de and dashed to the right, then he suddenly changed direction and began running to the left. Another bone cage appeared and narrowly missed him.


    Anfey frowned as a strange sensation tingled in his heart. Normally, no matter how many elements he amassed when he was using magic, others could not see the elements. They could only see the elements when he released the magic. There had to be a connection. Elements were usually in a state of invisibility and had no right effect on the real world. The process of elements transforming from invisible energy to a visible state was a short one. It happened in less of a process and more of a burst. Elements were only elements, and they had to be transformed into a physical state for them to have power.


    In the past, Anfey had never noticed this. It was like someone who first began learning math would not propose questions aboutplex mathematical processes. Anfey had always thought this was just a necessary step in magic and never questioned it. Just then, however, he felt acutely aware of the process of the bone cage¡¯s creation. He could feel the entire process, including the surges and the elementsing together.


    Anfey raised his de and looked at the spearsing toward him. He jumped aside and let the spears glide past him. As the elemental surges above him grew stronger, it was as if time had suddenly slowed down. Anfey took a deep breath and felt the changes in the elements.


    The ground, sky, grass, even the roaring zombies lost meaning to Anfey. The only things he could feel were the elements. It was as if he had opened the doors to a whole new world, and the only things that excited him in that world were elements.


    The amassing of elements suddenly stopped, and Anfey raised his de and shed upwards. His dark blue de glistened with gold.


    A dozen thick bone columns were stopped by the shing of his de. His momentum threw the bones forward.


    Except for Suzanna, everyone else was watching the fight. Seeing what Anfey had just done, they all appeared shocked. Even nbrea, despite his shaking fingers and tight lips, forced a smile.


    Magic could be deflected and a lot of people could do it. What was strange was that Anfey was able to predict where the magic was. This was a rare ability, and there were only a few people in the world capable of it. nbrea wondered how powerful Anfey¡¯s mentor must be.


    Zombies began running towards Anfey. Bruzuryano had already warned them that zombies were strange in that they could attack even after they were severely injured. Even the broken limbs were crawling on the ground. The ck blood was pulling together as if it was alive. For Anfey, however, all of this was just elements.


    Anfey raised his arm and dashed towards the zombies. He swept his sword through half a dozen clouds of elements. The zombies sank to the ground and let out bloodcurdling shrieks. The zombies, who were almost invincible before, could notst long without support of elements.


    Annunciata growled under her breath in anger. She did not care about normal zombies and skeletons, but those zombies were necessary for her to be an elder.


    Anfey moved again. He walked towards Burzuryano, who was still trapped underyers of bone cages and bone walls. He could tell the elements that made up Burzuryano were warm and weing.


    Anfey walked very slowly. He was waiting for the necromancers to attack again so he could practice his newfound power, but he was let down.


    Behind Annunciata, two necromancers watched Anfey with a frown. They both saw theirpanions fall to the ground and turn into a pile of bones when Anfey destroyed the bone cage. They did not want to use magic against Anfey again. They became necromancers because they were afraid of death, and no necromancer wanted to risk his life. Even though this life was only half a life, it was still a life.


    More and more zombies and skeletons turned to piles of bones under Anfey¡¯s de. His attack was not as vicious as before, but it was no less powerful.


    The necromancers who were responsible for keeping Bruzuryano entrapped all took a few steps back when they saw Anfey. They did not want to use magic around him. Before they learned how Anfey was destroying their magic, it was better to be cautious. If there was one thing necromancers did notck, it was caution. Normal people would fight each other to death over a word or two on the street, but necromancers would never do that. They have long lives and no need to take risks. Of course, they do not mind torturing and killing those who had offended them.


    Burzuryano bellowed. Without the necromancers, the zombies and skeletons were no match for him. His sharp ws swept through the air, and the zombies and skeletons were thrown back into the air. Some were reduced to piles of bones and rotting flesh.


    Another surge of magic reached them. The zombies and skeletons began retreating. It seemed like even Annunciata did not want additional meaningless deaths.


    Bruzuryano did not care about those skeletons and zombies. He turned and looked at Anfey with his calm grey eyes. He was one of the most powerful men in the world, and it was strange for him to rely on anyone but himself to escape a dangerous situation. Bruzuryano did not care about his own dignity, though. He was thinking about his promise. He cared about Anfey, and he could see things about the boy no one could.


    The zombies and skeletons retreated fast. Anfey felt strange without threat, and slowly the world of elements turned back into a normal world. He nced around, and could no longer see elements. He recalled the feelings just a few moments ago, and sighed. He wanted to say something, but in the end he chose to be silent.


    "Anfey, what are you doing?" Bruzuryano called. He had already changed back from his bear form. "Don¡¯t be distracted. There¡¯s still a fight going on."


    "I thought you would be naked," Anfey said. "I thought wrong."


    "Transformation is just magic," Bruzuryano said with a shrug. "It¡¯s just like your fire sword won¡¯t burn you."


    "I¡¯m just unfamiliar with transformation spells," Anfey said.


    "Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll understand once you learn it."


    Anfey smiled. "It¡¯s alright," he said. "I enjoy my body now."

 Chapter 269: Super Creatures

    Chapter 269: Super Creatures


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    There was a dull roaring in the distance. Waves of roaring surrounded them. Suddenly there was a terrifying coldness. Bruzuryano looked pale, and then he looked off in the distance as if he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He felt something fierce pressing on him. Anfey, on the other hand, seemed to have the protection of the Heart of Nature and did not feel anything.


    nbrea had chills in the wagon and rudely pushed ck Eleven away. He nervously looked out. ck Eleven was a little confused why nbrea had done that to him, but he dared not have any conflict with this famous Light Priest. He obediently stepped back.


    "Whoa! They even..." Bruzuryano¡¯s breathing got heavier.


    A greyish shadow rushed into the sky and flew towards Bruzuryano. Bruzuryano felt the the air was getting colder and colder. An invisible pressing feeling got more real. It felt like there was a tsunamiing at them.


    Christian and others in the wagon felt the pressing feeling as well. Their bodies started to tremble uncontrobly. Niya was never calm, but Christian and ck Eleven were super calm, and now their minds were nk. Besides terrors, they felt nothing else.


    There was another roaring in the sky. Christian had another chill. When he came out of it, he could barely control his body. He asked with a trembling voice, "Master, what is that?"


    "It is a dragon, a phantom dragon," nbrea said quietly.


    After different Gods had fought long ago, the map of Pan Continent had changed considerably. It shrank to half of it original size. The supreme powers died or disappeared in the battle. Many secrets and precious cultures disappeared with them into history. "No More Supreme Powers." This was a desperate sigh from a king of that era. Luckily, many super creatures with supreme powers also disappeared. The world had another new bnce.


    There were still stories and legends about them. These stories and legends suggested the supreme creatures, such as dragons and behemoths, needed more than a few top powers to fight against. Only the top powers who had been to Sacred State could be a match for supreme creatures. That was why there were many stories about ughtering dragons and being killed by dragons. These stories allowed people to experience the happiness and sadness of the people in the past.


    As one of the leaders in the Church of Light, nbrea knew a lot of secrets. He even had the chance to see a supreme creature. He never thought it would appear now. This was not a battle that would decide the fate of necromancers. Did those necromancers go crazy or did they have too many supreme creatures to use? nbrea suddenly remembered how Anfey had swung and totally destroyed bone jail. He felt he understood something.


    The greyish shadow flew closer to them. Anfey squinted his eyes to look at it. He could clearly see a gigantic beast made of greyish bones. It was weird to see bone wings pping in the air. Could he actually fly with those bone wings? It was not consistent aerodynamics.


    As Anfey analyzed the dragon, the greyish shadow suddenly opened its mouth wide. A white ball flew at them.


    "Move!" Bruzuryano gave a startled cry.


    Bruzuryano acted like a loving father figure here. After Anfey got connected with the Heart of Nature, it brought many good things to Anfey, but not everything. Right now Anfey could not feel any pressure. From Bruzuryano¡¯s look, he knew it must be very scary, but he still way underestimated the power of supreme creatures. Of course, he did not know it was a phantom dragon. Bruzuryano knew it but he did not dodge away. Instead he warned Anfey and let him move first. It was not easy to keep calm under the pressing feeling as strong as a tsunamiing at him.


    Anfey paused for a second and jumped into the air. In the blink of an eye, he activated the Heart of Nature, trying to find the key to break the magic. Breaking the magic had given him an aplished feeling. He wanted to do it again. He took a look and found that the white ball contained elements way beyond just energy or physical being. It seemed to be a dense and hard crystal ball. Anfey immediately knew what he should do.


    Bruzuryano and Anfey ran in opposite directions. Opposite directions could distract the phantom dragon, but Bruzuryano was afraid the dragon would chase after Anfey. He would rather sacrifice himself for his promise if it was needed.


    "Bang!" The white ball hit the ground. It did not sound very loud, but white frost appeared on the ground and spread like ripples in ake. In a sh, hundreds of square feet of ground had turned white. The air got colder as well. Anfey had jumped dozens of yards away but still felt the coldness behind him. The coldness made him feel pain and numbness. The dragon crescent de felt like a piece of ice in his hand.


    Anfey knew that was because there was slight damage to his capiries and nerve endings. He did get affected by it, but did not get much damage from it. If he had been hit in the face, Anfey could not imagine what would have happened to him.


    The phantom dragon pped its bone wings and spit out another white ball. Anfey was sure it was small-scale forbidden magic. When he looked up to check the magic the gigantic beast released, he could not help gasping. He immediately flew over the dragon.


    Bruzuryano was about eight yards away from Anfey. From that distance, he definitely could tell who the real target of the phantom dragon was. He did not want Anfey to get hit because of him.


    As Bruzuryano expected, the dragon chased after him. The dragon released more magic from his mouth. Bruzuryano transformed into a gigantic bear in the blink of an eye. His speed doubled. He ran out like a cloud of silver light. It was not important whether he could outrun the phantom dragon. He wanted the people here to be away from the threat of the dragon.


    Bruzuryano thought quickly. Anfey thought fast as well. He turned around to look at Bruzuryano with gratitude. Anfey knew who was inclined to help him and who had evil intentions. Bruzuryano cared about Anfey, but he also used Anfey asionally. Sometimes it was not a bad thing to be used. A person without values was really pathetic.


    The dragon did not care about Bruzuryano running away. Neither did he care about Anfey. The dragon pped its wings and flew towards the wagon. He opened his mouth and spit out another white ball, which they had expected. The white ball fell onto the wagon.


    Anfey stared with his eyes wide open. He thought nbrea must still have some fighting ability left. The reason he had not fought yet was because he was waiting for the perfect time. Even if he made mistakes, Suzanna should be able to take Niya and run out. He was not worried about Christian and ck Eleven. The magic that gigantic beast released was powerful, but the speed was not so great. They were hit by his first attack due to their careless. Their timing had been bad.


    A person shot out into the sky from the wagon. The roof of the wagon was broken into pieces and flew out. That person flew at the phantom dragon with great speed. Before Anfey could see who it was, the person and the dragon shed. The magic released by the phantom dragon was hit by the contact. Crystals in different sizes sshed everywhere, like falling flower petals in the wind. The person fell hard to the ground as well.


    Two blurry light wings grew out of the person¡¯s back, flopping in the wind. The person looked holy. Anfey was shock when he recognized it was Suzanna.


    Suzanna did not see Anfey though. She slowly looked up at the phantom dragon hovering above her. She looked brave and cold with eyebrows showing an angry frown. She was clearly hurt, with blooding out of a corner of her mouth.


    An unbearable rage arose in Anfey. What he worried about most had happened. He had the most secrets among everyone. He had the value to be explored. Christian had royal family background. Niya was the daughter of Saul. ck Eleven and Apa did not have enough fighting ability to counter the dragon. When the dangers came, Suzanna was the best pick to make a sacrifice. She became a senior swordswoman when she was less than twenty years old. It sounded like she had a bright future waiting for her. But a bright future was not a bargaining chip, at least not to the big people who were used to controlling others¡¯ lives.


    Anfey suddenly looked even colder than Suzanna. He seemed to lose control of himself. In most cases, the more hatred Anfey had towards a person, the more friendly he would treat that person. He would find a perfect time to give a fatal strike to that person. However, right now, he really could not control himself and did not want to control himself.


    The grass started to move. A row of dark knights appeared. The one in the front was actually not a dark knight. He held an indigo crescent de with skeleton death spirit. He looked taller than most dark knights. He did not look like he was made of human bones. When he rode on his bone horse, his legs almost touched the ground. His ride looked like it could not take his weight.


    nbrea stood up from the broken wagon. Christian looked to be in pain. He stood behind nbrea with others. Niya could not stand still. She could not counter the pressing feeling from the supreme creature. She could barely stand up with the help of Christian.


    nbrea seemed to feel something. He took a look at Anfey and saw Anfey looking at him with obvious hostility. He was shocked by what he saw.


    Bruzuryano rushed back to the dark knights. He ughtered those dark knights. He had no trouble killing them until a gigantic indigo crescent de swung at him. Bruzuryano moved back a few steps. The silver white furs stood up like needles. Bruzuryano¡¯s eyes had turned blood red. He was a little regretful. Both he and nbrea had underestimated the potential ability of the Evil Abyss. However, there was no point in feeling regret.

 Chapter 270: The Wish for Revenge

    Chapter 270: The Wish for Revenge


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The battle began again. Bruzuryano could ignore the threat from the dark knight, but he could not ignore the giant skeleton. The speed of the skeleton¡¯s movements was not much slower than Bruzuryano¡¯s. There was possession magic on the skeleton¡¯s scythe, which made the weapon give off a dark smoke. The smoke would turn Bruzuryano¡¯s white coat dark, even if he was just standing too close to the weapon. Even then it took a long time for Bruzuryano to recover. It was hard to imagine what would happen if the scythe actually wounded him.


    Anfey was not having an easy time, either. It seemed like Annunciata deemed him an opponent worthy of her men¡¯s attention. Several necromancers were focusing on him, attacking him with bone spears. Even the dark knight joined the fight against Anfey. Anfey relied mostly on his speed during a fight, and was not like knights and swordsmen, who hadbat power to protect themselves. He did not have the time and spare energy to notice what was happening to Suzanna.


    Suzanna¡¯s power suddenly grew and she was somehow almost as powerful as some of the best men in the world. She was able to deflect the attack of a phantom dragon, albeit barely. She was wounded during the process, but under normal circumstances she would already be dead. Since the dragon disliked light, it tried to stay away from her wings of light. It flew higher than Suzanna, and would only attack from an advantageous position.


    Normally, when she was fighting alongside her friends, Suzanna would always check on them first before fully engaging her enemy, no matter how powerful her opponent was. Now, however, she did not look at any of herpanions. Instead, her eyes did not even move away from the phantom dragon and were filled with hatred. It was as if nothing else mattered to her.


    nbrea was perhaps the most rxed. Even though he was wounded and he recognized it, he was already a cardinal of the Church of Light. For a creature of darkness, he was the worst enemy. None of the necromancers tried to attack him.


    ck Eleven and Apa were observing the fight anxiously. They knew that it was not their ce to help even if they wanted to. Joining the fight might go badly for them. The only person who noticed Suzanna¡¯s strange behavior was Christian. He split his time thinking with his eyes closed and sneaking nces at nbrea¡¯s scepter. When he first took the scepter out, Christian noticed, there was a figurine of an angel on it. Now, however, it was gone.


    Christian frowned and tried to recall his readings, trying to see if he remembered anything rted to the scepter. Light magic was very different from elemental magic, however, which meant Christian would not have had a lot of opportunity to read about it. He did not understand much about light magic, and could not recall any useful information.


    No one noticed that the broken limbs and thick, dark blood on the battlefield were all shaking and moving slowly towards a certain point. A small mound of blood and rotting flesh began building.


    nbrea was the first to notice the elemental surge. When he looked over, rows of zombies dashed out of the fog and towards the mound of flesh. The zombies disappeared into the mound, but more and more continued to jump onto it as if it had a strange maism.


    When the mound swallowed thest zombie, a loud thud ripped through the air, and two arms sprouted out of the mound and mmed into the ground. It was made up of the bodies of several dozen zombies. Then the mound sprouted two legs and stood up.


    The ground shook under the bloody giant¡¯s steps; the smell of blood filled the air. The giant was too heavy, and since its body was made up of zombies, the zombies¡¯ bodies could not take this kind of force. The giant only took one step, but the force was already too great for the zombies.


    nbrea and Bruzuryano¡¯s expression all changed from serious to grave. They both knew about one of the most vile Puppet spells the necromancers could use. nbrea swallowed and stared at the giant. Bruzuryano was distracted and was almost hit by the skeleton¡¯s scythe.


    The first step was just a test. Soon, the bloody giant began walking towards the fight, the ground rumbling under its feet and blood rained down from its body. If the path was too long, the giant could crumble under the pressure. Unfortunately, it was less than a hundred feet from the fight, and its body could endure that distance.


    The fog that lingered there began moving as well. It expanded slowly, draining the earth of its life force. Necromancers¡¯ skill of controlling their magic was as powerful as their skill of killing. If they were trapped by the fog, the fight would be over.


    nbrea raised his arm, and bright light surrounded him. The scepter in his hand suddenly came to life and rose into the air. Light around the scepter grew stronger as nbrea began his incantation, and the scepter itself began spinning. It looked like a small sun hanging above the man.


    When nbrea finished his incantation, his body suddenly shook, and he almost stumbled to the ground. Christian hurried over to help him up, but his hand froze midair and he let it fall back to his side without offering it to nbrea. "Are you alright, my lord?"


    "Don¡¯t worry," nbrea said with a smile. He looked up at his scepter, which was still spinning in midair.


    Warm light radiated from the scepter and covered the ground around in a soft glow. The light cast light gold over everything it touched. The golden light blocked the advance of the dark fog, but the bloody giant did not appear to be affected. It kept moving forward, and its entire body was covered in dark smoke as if it was burning.


    nbrea frowned. An evil puppet like this could not be killed by normal attacks. The only way to destroy it would be magic, since no swordsmen could harm it, not even a grandmaster swordsman. Even if the bloody giant was severed in two, its body could reknit itself and began its advance again. Only magic could destroy it and leave it with no possibility of regenerating. The only one present with the ability and knowledge to destroy puppets was nbrea, but even he was useless against it.


    "Kill him," Annunciata bellowed as she watched the fight. "Kill him."


    Her life had been torturous since the day she was branded by nbrea¡¯s Mark of Holy Glory in Country of Mercenaries. Even though Mark of Holy Glory did not have great power, and its only effect was to protect an individual from the effect of death magic, it had caused severe damage to Annunciata. This was because everything she stood for was rejected by Mark of Holy Glory. It caused her great, continuous pain. Annunciata knew a lesser necromancer would have already gone mad.


    If it had only caused her pain, Annunciata would not have taken such drastic steps. A necromancer with Mark of Holy Glory wasughable, and even her men, who were so loyal to her once, tried to avoid her as much as possible. Annunciata knew that the only way to restore her honor would be to kill nbrea.


    ording to the original n, her mission was to capture Niya and Anfey and take them to their base. The others should be disposed of. Annunciata agreed to it, but she had a n of her own as well. She wanted to wash away her shame and restore her fellow necromancer¡¯s trust in her. She had to kill nbrea. Not only did she bring every artifact she had, she even stole the sacred artifact. Now, with victory in sight, she could not control her hatred for nbrea.


    "Attack, you idiot," Annunciata snarled. She waved her staff, and the phantom dragon bellowed as it dove towards Suzanna. Annunciata was already using all of her power. She had to control both the phantom dragon and the giant puppet. She was doing something none of the other elders would ever even try. Death magic was even more terrifying when it turned against its user.


    "Kill all of them," Annunciata ordered. Before the dragon could anything, however, she felt a sudden wave of magical surge. She turned around and saw a sprawling fire dragon flying towards her.


    Annunciata did not move. Her n had been wless, and she had already set up a powerful protective magic array. Even though she was alone, the dragon could not harm her.


    The fire dragon exploded about fifty feet away from Annunciata with a loud crack and turned into a cloud of fire.


    "Show yourself," Annunciatamanded as she released a magic signal. She needed the other necromancers there as soon as possible. The fact that she was still controlling the puppet and the phantom dragon made her usage of the magic signal very impressive.


    "Let me introduce myself," a man said as he stepped into the light. He was a normal looking, middle-aged man. He did not use spells, but he was floating. "My name is Entos."


    "Entos?" Annunciata frowned. The name felt familiar, but she could not remember where she had heard it.

 Chapter 271: What a Waste

    Chapter 271: What a Waste


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You look busy." The mage named Entos looked up and down at Annunciata. The corners of his mouth curled up in an unpleasant smile. At least, it did not look pleasant to Annunciata. Entos said, "I hope I am not bringing any inconvenience."


    Annunciata posed in a weird position. She had half of her body turned. Her left hand rested strangely on a crystal ball. She dared not to get her hand away from it. She raised a scepter in her right hand, which made her look pretty powerful. However, when a person¡¯s power had dropped a certain level, others could easily notice the telepathy fibers on the scepter could not reach far.


    "What do you think?" Annunciata snorted. Cold and ruthless light radiated from the sunken eye sockets. If Entos wanted to talk bullsh*t, she would love to do the same thing. She had no power left to release magic right now, not even small terror magic. Her best chance was to drag this conversation out until her assistants came back to help her.


    If Annunciata knew what kind of a person Entos was, she would not have been so careless. In the Country of Mercenaries, there might be people who never heard the name Entos, but his nickname, "Master Sarcasm," was well-known. Almost everyone could tell a few stories about him. Of course, it was not a good nickname. This notorious nickname did show how Entos did things. Even themander of Glory mercenary group, the most powerful master swordsman, Anthony,mander of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, Mourtta, and popr Hotchbini were cautious when they had to deal with him. Many people wondered why the gentleman, archmage Saul, with such a great reputation would take him as his student.


    "Yourpanions wille soon." Entos looked looked off in the distance deep in thought.


    "If you leave now, you still have a chance to live," Annunciata said coldly. This middle-aged mage did not wear any badge, but she could sense that he was pretty powerful, almost as good as top powers. She did not want to have any conflict at this moment, so she decided to sink his morale and determination.


    "Thank you for reminding me." Entos gave Annunciata another unpleasant smile. "Before I leave, I would like to test a magic spell."


    "Test a magic spell?" Annunciata was shocked for a second.


    The next moment, a magic scroll appeared in Entos¡¯s hand, which made Annunciata extremely nervous. She did not know what kind of magic scroll it was, but thought it must have been a forbidden magic scroll, judging by the intensity of the magic surges.


    "Forbidden magic?" Annunciata tried to make herself sound like she was not disturbed by it. "Do you think you will have the chance to leave if you release the forbidden magic?" Forbidden magic took a lot out of a mage. Even archmages would lose fighting ability for a while when they released magic scrolls. The length of time depended on the power of the magic scroll. The more powerful the scroll was, the longer it would take to rejuvenate.


    "Are you telling me you care about me? I appreciate it." Entos looked ttered, but he posed to toss the scroll out of his right hand.


    Annunciata lost her bnce for a second. She suddenly opened her mouth wide. An invisible soundwave shot out from her mouth. The gravel and grass turned into powder in an instant. Soundwave magic was magic that could attack arge area. However, the attacking area was not far enough and took too much from the mage, so it was never a mage¡¯s favorite. Right now Annunciata had no other options. Giving up control of magic woulde back to bite her.


    If she let Entos release the magic scroll first, the defensive magic array she set up would not be able to counter the attack from the magic scroll. If she had no other option, she would rather attack first before Entos had the chance to attack her. A long time ago, she learned that she had to try very hard to survive. She never thought anyone would just offer her help.


    Entos had already tossed the magic scroll out, but grabbed it back immediately. A water screen appeared in front of him. This screen got out of shape by the soundwave attacks, but did not crash. It barely held together against Annunciata¡¯s attacks.


    A light gold-colored sword radiance shone about 50 yards behind Annunciata. It only shed before it travelled 50 yards. As the sword radiance travelled, all the barricades turned into tiny bits of dust. Thest defensive magic array was crushed like nothing. In the end, the sword radiance thrust into Annunciata¡¯s heart with a speed faster than lightning.


    If this had happened before, Annunciata¡¯s reaction time would never have been this slow. She had been trying to have control of magic so she could only focus on the middle-aged mage in front of her. She had used herst power to release Soundwave magic. When Annunciata realized the attack, the sword radiance had pierced her body. With a loud sound, Annunciata¡¯s body was crushed by the sword radiance. Her broken limbs were tossed far by the sword radiance. Her skinny head was tossed high as well. Her head did notnd on the ground until that swordsman put his sword back into the sheath. The bloody cheeks on her head kept moving. It looked like she was still ming someone.


    "What a waste! So sinful!" Entos took away the water screen and carefully put the magic scroll back into his Dimensional ring.


    "I did not want to beat her this way." The swordsman looked at Annunciata¡¯s head with his own head shaking.


    "You are too upright," Entos said with respect. "I actually did not want to use this method either."


    "Isn¡¯t this your idea?" the swordsman asked.


    "I had no other options since we do not really know about necromancers¡¯ magic. I could not just take risks," Entos said. He held his chest as he coughed.


    "I told you not toe; not toe out before you feel better," the swordsman said.


    "I left the Country of Mercenaries to help my professor on the war field, but then Iyed on a bed in the military camp feeling like sh*t. I cannot do nothing. If you do not allow me toe out and exercise, I am going to go crazy." Entos smiled bitterly.


    "Saul and I appreciate your efforts," the swordsman said, nodding. He frowned and looked a little angry. "Old Philip could not tell the difference between business and personal affairs. He even sent people out to ambush you. It is too much."


    "The king told me this has nothing to do with Philip. A gangster did it to me," Entos said peacefully.


    "Do you believe that?" That swordsman smiled.


    "I do for right now. In the future...who will know what is going to happen in the future." Entos¡¯s face did not change at all. As "Master Sarcasm," he could not bear that he was set up by others. He did not care about his reputation. He tried his best to recruit good people for his home country. Some of those people volunteered to go back to his home country with him, but they all died in the ambush. Entos himself was seriously hurt. He could not forgive it, not even when Ynthe asked him to.


    "You!" The swordsman sighed. "You look a lot like Anfey." Anfey hid a lot of his talents when he had just left that isted ind. However, no matter how strategic and skillful he was, there were many things that exposed who he really was, especially when he became famous. He disguised himself as a dumb kid, but that disguise was gone because how could a foolish kid aplished so many things.


    "Master Ernest, you have told me about it so many times," Entos said. "This is why I insisted oning. I am curious about Anfey."


    "You will see him soon." Ernest turned to look at the phantom dragon in the distance. He frowned, "Why did Saul not start his attacks yet?"


    Annunciata had been killed. That giant suddenly turned into a statue. Puppets never thought for themselves. They totally listened to their masters. If the puppets were able to survive for a while, the umted anger in the killing would turn them into crazy killing machines. The giant had juste to life, so there was not much in him yet. He had lost his life after Annunciata died.


    A phantom dragon was different than flesh puppets. Even if they turned into white bones, the pride they had as dragons would not allow them to work for others. To better control phantom dragons, necromancers had sealed their memories. Right now this phantom dragon regained his freedom. The memories came back, which interfered with the phantom¡¯s actions. The dragon even fell from the sky. After being hit several times by Suzanna and getting some bones hit off, the dragon finally woke up from the situation and regained his control to fly back to the sky.


    It was notpletely a good thing for the phantom dragon to recover its memory. The dragon was under the control of necromancers and did whatever necromancers asked it to do. Now the dragon did not know what to do after recovering its memory. It wanted to leave but did not want to let that swordswoman with the holy spirit go. It wanted to attack her, but was afraid itself of getting hurt. In the end, it just kept hovering in the sky. It might not have the ability to think with that huge bone structure. It might even take a full day for it to make a decision.


    Anfey became suspicious and looked around. The necromancers who kept shooting out bone spears suddenly disappeared at the same time. The dark knight panicked on the grass as well. Bruzuryano took the opportunity to start his fierce attacks. The body of the silver bear was so huge that it looked like a tiger fighting with a dog. It was ok if the tiger got bitten by a dog, even several bites. It would not cause fatal damage. If the tiger had the chance to attack the dog, there was no hope the dog would survive.


    As that giant slowed down, Bruzuryano immediately noticed a change in the skeleton. He did not care about the dark knights around him and directly ran at that gigantic skeleton. He hit away the annoying indigo crescent de with his paw. The next strike got the skeleton¡¯s chest. He was shocked by how hard that gigantic skeleton was. That gigantic skeleton was only knocked down, but the ribs did not break at all. Bruzuryano did not want the skeleton to stand back up. He did not wait for the skeleton to take another breath. In the blink of an eye, Bruzuryano rushed at the skeleton again. The silver bear stood up on his hind legs and waved his humongous paws like crazy. The bear constantly hit the gigantic skeleton. Even if the skeleton was made out of steel, it would not be able to take such hits. That gigantic skeleton unconsciously struggled a bit. The body of the skeleton was hit into two sections. The head was fine. The bottom seemed fine as well. The chest bones, ribs and backbones all shattered into smaller pieces.

 Chapter 272: Divine Punishment

    Chapter 272: Divine Punishment


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey sighed in relief after seeing that Bruzuryano had the advantage. He frowned as he turned to the ghost dragon. His eyes widened when he saw a ck crescent shaped creature appearing in midair. It floated towards the ghost dragon slowly but steadily. He frowned and did not understand why he did not sense it before. It was no surprise that he did not feel its presence, however, since even the ghost dragon did not feel it. It was still focused on Suzanna.


    "Dimensional sh," nbrea whispered under his breath. "Thank god. He¡¯s finally here." He sighed then turned to Suzanna. "Fight for your honor," he called. "Fight for your beliefs, Agent of Light."


    Suzanna¡¯s body shook when she heard nbrea¡¯s call, and the golden wings behind her became even brighter. Then she flew upwards like a ball of light andunched herself towards the ghost dragon. The ghost dragon was enraged by Suzanna¡¯s sudden movement, and pped its bony wings, releasing a wave of powerful magical surge. It flew towards Suzanna.


    Just as the ghost dragon reached Suzanna, the dark crescent reached the dragon and passed through it.


    The dimensional sh was among the most powerful magic in the world. There was no known defense against it. Even the legendary heroes who had reached the sacred state could not defend themselves against it, let along normalbat power and magic shields. The only thing one should do when facing a dimensional sh was to run. The sh could forcibly transform a certain area into an alternate universe. When the spelle into contact with an organism¡¯s body, it could cause irreversible damage and loss of limbs.


    When a person stepped through a dimensional gate, his body existed in both nes. If there was another gate set up near the original gate, most people assumed that the person crossing over between the worlds would simply cross again and step into the next dimension. The reality, however, was much different. Crossing two gates in such a short time span could cause body dislocation and loss of body parts. Crossing between two dimensions was already pushing magic¡¯s limit. Crossing between three was impossible.


    The ghost dragon did not realize what was happening until the dimensional sh actually passed through it. Its dying roars could shatter a man¡¯s eardrum, but it did no good. Its strong tail was sliced off by the sh, and its wings lost their power to carry it. Therge dragon plummeted to the ground. Perhaps because the dragon knew it was dying, it dove towards Suzanna, itsrge teeth glistening.


    Suzanna did not turn away from the dragon¡¯s attack. Instead, she dashed towards the dragon, her sword held out in front of her. Her raw strength might have gotten stronger, but the way she fought was as if she had lost all her skills as a swordsman. She looked more like a berserk person than a controlled swordsman.


    nbrea frowned. He reached out, as if he wanted to grab Suzanna and drag her away from the dragon. However, there was no magic that would allow him to grab Suzanna.


    Anfey frowned. He rxed his right hand, and hisrge de was transformed into a longbow. He shot the bow swiftly and released arge arrow. The arrow quickly caught up to Suzanna¡¯s speed, then struck the dragon¡¯s neck.


    The arrow disappeared with a loud crack after it crashed into the dragon. The condensed elements exploded and swept across the air. The dragon¡¯s head was thrown back, and Suzanna¡¯s sword struck it on its defenseless jaw. The dragon lost its momentum and fell to the ground, spiraling. It mmed into the ground and caused a puff of dust to raise up. However, it was still alive. As Suzannanded on the ground, it lifted its head and roared at her.


    Anfey lowered his arm back to his side. His right hand was shaking, blood dripped down his finger. He did not know how much that dragon weighed, and he did not know if his arrow could knock it off of its course, but he did not have the time to think. This time, he had used all of his strength to pull the bow, but the bow was resisting him. Even though he had managed to pull the bow to its fullest, he had paid a price. He did not need to look at his wound. He knew it must be deep.


    Christian turned and saw his bleeding hand. "You alright?" he asked.


    Anfey nodded but did not say anything.


    Christian frowned when he saw Anfey¡¯s bow. The bow was once ck, but now the string was red, as if soaked in blood. Anfey, however, did not care about the changes in his bow. He returned the bow to his dimensional ring and kept staring at Suzanna.


    Suzanna hadnded and dashed towards the dragon again without any hesitation. "Stop," nbrea called. Suzanna froze and did not proceed. The dragon was hoping that Suzanna would try to finish it off, and now that she wasn¡¯t dashing towards it, the dragon began crawling towards her. ck smoke pour out of the gash on its body, and its bones slowly turned into a stark grey.


    Christian looked at Suzanna as well. "That¡¯s divine punishment, I think," he said quietly. Christian saw the shock on Anfey¡¯s face, and he knew very well what he was thinking.


    "Divine punishment?"


    "When the world is corrupted by dark magic, the God of Light will send angels and possess his believers to cleanse the world."


    "What about the consequences?" Anfey asked. That was the only thing he cared about. Suzanna was acting strangely, and he did not know what he would do if Suzanna became someone he could not recognize.


    "I don¡¯t know," Christian said, shrugging. "I have no interest in priesthood."


    Anfey fell silent and his frown deepened. He was good at hiding his emotions, but he had a limit as well. Loss can often cause the strongest emotions and leave deep wounds. Anfey was very scared of losing anyone. Ever since he lost his parents, he swore that he would never lose anyone ever again, even though he knew that he could never control his own destiny. What will happen will always happen, and he could not change anything.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Christian said. "The dimensional sh means that..." Christian paused. He knew that Saul must be near when he saw the dimension sh, but he felt that Anfey did not want to see Saul. He did not want to cause Anfey any unnecessary emotional strain. "I know that it¡¯s a hard spell to use," he said, changing the topic. "Whoever the spell is used on must be voluntary andpletelyply. This is very hard."


    "Then Suzanna..."


    "nbrea mentioned the spell, and Suzanna volunteered to do it," Christian said. "She said it was the only way to save everyone," Christian sighed.


    "Hopefully she recovers," Anfey said. He nced at nbrea and narrowed his eyes. He could not ept nbrea sacrificing Suzanna, but he understood. Unless Suzanna never recovered. If that happened, he would never forgive nbrea.


    "You¡¯re overthinking," Christian said, "again. nbrea knows better than you about his own magic." Christian was worried, but he wasn¡¯t as attached to Suzanna as Anfey was.


    The ghost dragon let out ast roar and crumbled. It had lost too much energy, and its bones became brittle. It had only crawled twenty feet when its copsed into a pile of broken bones. Itsrge head fell onto the ground with a loud thud.


    "Suzanna!" Anfey called and walked over.


    Suzanna stood next to nbrea, still holding her sword, but did not turn to look at Anfey.


    "My lord," Anfey said, "what is it?" He still respected towards nbrea, but his voice was cold.


    "You were not here to see," nbrea said. "We were all in danger of dying just then. I had no other choice."


    Anfey frowned. If nothing was wrong, nbrea would say somethingforting to calm Anfey¡¯s nerve. Now, however, he was emphasizing the dangerous situation they were just in. Anfey¡¯s hand shook. nbrea might as well be confirming Anfey¡¯s fear. "What about it?" Anfey asked, his voice shaking.

 Chapter 273: Forever Benefits

    Chapter 273: Forever Benefits


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "The angel was too powerful." nbrea heaved a sigh. "So..."


    "You are right. The angel was too powerful, otherwise a priest of Light would not listen to her." Someone said that before Anfey could even speak. A middle-aged mage suddenly appeared about a dozen yards behind nbrea.


    "May I ask who is speaking?" nbrea raised his eyebrows and said coldly. His body slowly turned around. Suzanna, standing next to him, grabbed her sword.


    "Master, I am just a regr mage who wants to spend his whole life on magic," that mage said with a smile. He turned to take a look at Suzanna. "Is she the product of God¡¯s Punishment? It is too bad."


    Niya was surprised first, and then the corners of her mouth curled up when she saw that middle-aged mage. It looked like even her eyebrows were smiling. As she was ready to call him, Christian lightly tugged on Niya¡¯s sleeve. Niya realized what Christian signaled her. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand. At the same time, nbrea had already turned around, otherwise he would have seen Niya¡¯s face. It would be easy to guess who that middle-aged mage was.


    "Too bad? What do you mean?" nbrea looked very cautious because Instant Transportation was a magic regr mages could not master. A mage with Instant Transportation magic could be a pain for his opponents. Instant Transportation magic did not need magic coordinates. It could transport people with telepathy a short distance in any direction. The stronger the magic was, the further it could transport. If swordsmen or knights fought against a mage with Instant Transportation magic, the chances for them to win were slim.


    nbrea did not know Entos was very interested in Levitation, Instant Transportation, Fourth Dimensional Door and other magic that could help him escape. His Instant Transportation magic was almost as good as Saul¡¯s. Entos had brought people back to his home country and got ambushed by a group of people. If he had fled with the Instant Transportation magic as they ambushed him, he would have not gotten hurt at all. Even if Philip was there, attacking him, he would not get hurt either. However, to save hispanions, he had to stay and fight with them. He did not flee with the Instant Transportation magic until he realized the situation was so bad that more than half of hispanions got hurt or died and he was seriously injured.


    Entos was very special in terms of his magic study. For example, he was interested in Transformation Magic and made friends with some druids, which was against his will, to discuss the principle of Transformation Magic. He was more interested in transforming into rats, snakes, birds than wolves and bears, which made others not know whether tough or cry. His study failed at the end though.


    Among the few top powers in the Country of Mercenaries, Entos was the most mysterious one. No one knew about his real fighting ability because he was rarely the main force in a physical fight and turned other top powers¡¯ challenges down. Of course, if the challengers were not top powers, he would take the challenge.


    "You know what I meant by too bad." Entos smiled. He slowly walked around nbrea and stood right between Anfey and nbrea. At that moment, Anfey almost could not suppress his rage and was ready to fight nbrea. He had to have the control over him before he could even ask him anything because he would not just tell Anfey the answers. nbrea was a Priest of Light, but Anfey felt he could beat him since nbrea was hurt.


    People were not machines. Nobody could be absolutely calm. The reason Anfey was able to stay calm in difficult times and in dangerous situations was that he could take a lot of things. However, what he could take was limited. As he saw his wife-to-be turned into a monster, even a coward would just let nbrea go. Calm? F*#k it!


    Anfey was shocked for a second when he saw the middle-aged mage block the shortest and fastest way to attack nbrea. He thought the mage was conspiring with nbrea. Reading between the lines, it did not seem he could be on Anfey¡¯s side.


    "I don¡¯t get it." nbrea shook his head.


    "I am just curious. I studied Light magic, but only a little bit. You are a Priest of Light. Would it be possible you know less than me?" Entos said, smiling. "You made a mistake. Why didn¡¯t you let the angel fall on you?"


    Christian and ck Eleven looked surprised.


    Entos looked around and realized what Christian and ck Eleven were surprised about. He said, "You guys do not need to think it was weird. The angel was neutral. Hm...in other words, it could either male or female. Our Priest of Light, nbrea, could take the glory of the angel."


    nbrea¡¯s face did not change at all, but he was shocked inside. God¡¯s Punishment was a top secret in the Church of Light. Besides few archpriests, regr priests never had the chance to know about it, not to mention study it. This middle-aged mage knew about their top secret magic, which made nbrea want to kill him. He wanted to order Suzanna to start the attack to shut him up. However, Saul had alreadye. This mage could be a person Saul brought with him. His Instant Transportation gave him headaches as well. nbrea had to hide his intention of killing this mage.


    nbrea indeed had a secret mission. Ynthe, Evil Mist, and Pope William were all interested in Anfey. There had been no supreme powers on Pan Continent for many years. Whoever got control over Anfey and found out his secret would have the ability to control the world. Church of Light had always dreamed of spreading its religion all over the Pan Continent. They would not let this opportunity go.


    The problem was they did not know how to control Anfey. The friendship nbrea built in the fights with Anfey was not enough. Pope William concluded from all the information he collected from many sources that Anfey was cunning and low key. It would not be easy to have control over Anfey or have him volunteer to work with the church. The best way was to control the people around Anfey. After close observation, nbrea thought Suzanna was the closest one to Anfey. He used the excuse that the angel was too powerful and had to ask the Pope for help removing the magic from Suzanna. He nned to ask Suzanna to go back to the pce with him. Anfey would definitely worry about her and ask to go with her to the pce. Once they got to the pce, things would be much easier.


    He did not know the sudden appearance of the middle-aged mage would ruin his whole n. He did not talk about removing the magic from Suzanna, but strategically focused on the reasons why he asked Suzanna to take the glory of the angel. Thispletely broke the trust he had built with Anfey. His n would definitely not work now.


    Everybody went quiet for a short period of time. Each of them thought about totally different things. Suddenly, Niya screamed, "Dad!" Niya had already run towards the woods like a young bird seeing her dad flying back.


    "Professor," Christian bowed as he greeted Saul.


    Anfey¡¯s body suddenly froze. He knew he would see Saul soon. The timing of Saul¡¯s appearance was awkward and made him feel uneasy. If he missed this opportunity to talk about it, things could get messy. As a student of Saul, he could not just stay there without greeting him. That would be too rude. Anfey slowly turned his body around, but still watched nbrea out of the corner of his eye. He had thought about how to talk to Saul when he saw him, but now his mind went nk.


    "Archmage Saul, you finally came." nbrea heaved a sigh of relief.


    Saul still looked good. His gown was neat and clean, his hairbed very tidy, the wrinkled eyes had loving smiles. He reached his hand out and rubbed Niay¡¯s hair. When he turned to look at nbrea, his smile disappeared. "nbrea, I have heard what you said. I think you should give us an exnation and give Anfey an exnation."


    Anfey suddenly had the urge to cry. His eyes were moist. He wanted to start the fight with nbrea because he held so much anger towards him. He dared not think about the consequences of doing that. The Church of Light had kept Ynthe in low profile and kept Evil Abyss in the dark. They must be really powerful. The moment he started the fight with nbrea, he could have been on the wanted list on Pan Continent. He would be no better than a necromancer, but he had no other choice.


    Anfey felt it was just not fair. He only wanted justice for his wife-to-be. He could not have other people¡¯s understandings and could be considered a sinful person. What he had done was nothing other than trying to survive. When he learned a little more about Pan Continent, he only wanted to live a better life under the protection of a person with power and influence. Was it too much to ask? Why were there always people who wanted to set him up. Even the people who were his allies and fought together with him shoulder by shoulder had evil intentions towards him.


    Hearing what Saul said, Anfey was so grateful. Saul was so important that he did not only represent himself, but a group. The demand from Saul was politically sensitive. Anfey could not express how grateful he was when Saul demanded an exnation from an Archpriest of Light for him.


    nbrea was shocked for a second and smiled bitterly. He did not think a gentle man, Saul, could be so aggressive and cold.


    Most people thought Saul was such a perfect man. He was nice, knowledgeable, honest, helpful, but not ambitious. His reputation was only less than Ynthe in Maho Empire. No one was perfect, neither was Saul. He was very protective. Niya was not that powerful, but very influential in Sacred City. The only grandson of Philip, Zeda, was a bully, but dared not make trouble for Niya because of Saul¡¯s protectiveness. Niya even gave him a few lessons. Zeda chose to take it. Someone instigated him to make troubles with Niya. He did not dare take his people to Saul¡¯s house to make trouble until Saul left Sacred City. Ignorant Zeda died only because he wanted revenge on Niya.

 Chapter 274: Calculating

    Chapter 274: Calcting


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This is your fault, my lord," Entos said. "Should a problem arise, we should try to find a solution as fast as possible. Denial will not only not solve the problem, it will worsen it."


    Entos¡¯s tone was gentle, but his words made nbrea feel frustrated. For him, Entos¡¯s attitude was very irritating. He narrowed his eyes and was about to say something when Saul took a step forward and said, "Do you have a solution, Entos?"


    "Yes," Entos said, bowing. "As you know, Master Saul, I always enjoy discussing topics rting to humanity and our existence. It is easy to understand a normal man, but it is the stubborn ones that are interesting. Their minds shift and change, filled with contradictions and foolishness. These are the minds I love. Therefore..." Entos grinned and turned his gaze to nbrea.


    "When will you start being serious?" Saul frowned and interrupted Entos. He knew that the young man wanted to take this opportunity and humiliate the Church of Light, but his words may cause strife between him and one of the most powerful men in the world. Saul was a righteous man, and he knew what was appropriate to say under what circumstances. Even if he did make nbrea his enemy, he would not humiliate him, either.


    "You are always right, Mast Saul," Entos said, smirking.


    nbrea realized who Entos was after hearing him refer to Saul as master. Of course, Saul¡¯s student was already infamous. When he was dealing with the nobility of Ellisen Empire, nbrea had heard several times that a real archmage should not have a student like Entos. Entos¡¯s words were infuriating, but nbrea chose to ignore them. He did not have the power to remove the Divine Punishment spell, and the only way out was to ask the pope.


    "Tell me about your n," Saul said.


    "Divine Punishment is a hard spell, my lord. The sess rate is low enough, butbined with the rigid requirements, it is almost impossible for most of the poption to endure this spell. If a person is amoner, the strength of the angel would decrease significantly. If the power of a person is too great, the person may overpower the angel. An angel in spirit form cannot do whatever it wants. Powerful men like yourselves would be dangerous to these angels."


    "Get to the point," Saul snapped. He never lost his patience with his students, but Entos was an exception. He knew Entos too well. When he was with others, Entos would act his age, but when he was with Saul, he would act like a child. Saul knew he had to be stern with him.


    "It¡¯s easy. The angel¡¯s form is contained in the Scepter of Light. You can banish the angel if you destroy the Scepter."


    nbrea frowned at Entos¡¯sment. There should less than five people who knew the Scepter¡¯s secret, and they were all leaders within the Church. nbrea could not fathom who had spilled the secret. nbrea wished he could simply kill Entos and keep this secret, but Saul was present, and his hands were tied.


    Before Maho Empire and Ellisen Empire went to war, many thought Saul was no match for Newyoheim. Even the pope chose to simply observe. Ynthe was too stubborn and had rejected the Church¡¯s advancement. Ellisen Empire was much more open inparison. The pope had favored Ellisen Empire from the beginning, but he did not choose a side. In the end, Saul shocked everyone by defeating Newyoheim. This showed how much he had grown, even though Saul did not care about politics and his rank.


    The nations had came to a truce because of the return of the necromancers. The nations felt the need to band together against amon threat. Moreover, this was to prevent Ynthe from further expanding his power.


    "That should be easy," Saul said quietly.


    If Entos¡¯s statement came as a shock, then Saul¡¯s came as a blow to nbrea. The Scepter of Light was a holy artifice in the Church of Light, and what did it mean to destroy something regarded as holy by the religion with the most believers in the world? Wars, revenge, countless deaths. Was Saul really willing to take responsibility that would im the lives of hundreds of thousands of people?


    "It is easy," a voice said as a figure stepped into the clearing. Ernest appeared through the light, his entire body covered with light, as if wearing an armor of light. He walked slowly and confidently, but was in front of nbrea within seconds.


    "This is the Church¡¯s holy artifice," nbrea said, taking a step back. "I will not give it to you."


    "You can stay," Ernest said. "I don¡¯t mind."


    nbrea took a deep breath. He knew that Ernest had spent a lot of time with Saultely, and he was the only one who dared to talk to nbrea this way. nbrea always knew that there was no way to reason with the brute. If Ernest wanted to do something, only death could stop him. nbrea stared at Saul, and finally said, "I hope you can calm down, Lord Saul." He did not want to further excite Saul.


    "Look who¡¯s talking," Entos said mockingly. "It¡¯s not a situation where we should calm down. You are at fault here. One of our people is furious."


    nbrea felt his body growing cold, and turned his gaze to Bruzuryano. If words were losing their power, then the only thing he could do was to fight. However, the curse ced on him by the necromancers was still bugging him. The only way he could win was to enlist Bruzuryano¡¯s help.


    Bruzuryano had already transformed back into his human form. He lifted his head when he felt nbrea¡¯s gaze, then lowered his eyes again and shook his head slightly. Everyone was selfish, and Bruzuryano was no exception. He had let Anfey borrow the Heart of Nature not only because he was good friends with Saul, but also because he needed connections. Everyone loves secrets, and even if they could not be the only one who knew the truth, they could at least share it. He was a religious leader as well, but the followers of Goddess of Nature tended to be more passive and would not seek glory the way followers of the Church of Light did. The two religions were examples of passiveness and aggressiveness when it came to their ways of life. A majority of Goddess of Nature¡¯s followers resided in Maho Empire, more than followers of the Church. If Bruzuryano really helped nbrea now, he would make Saul his enemy, and he knew Ynthe and Saul would not hesitate killing all those followers of Goddess of Nature.


    nbrea was, of course, in the wrong. He had made the n to lure out the necromancers using Saul¡¯s students in order to make himself more famous and win glory for his church. He did not even wait to defeat the necromancers to put another n into action. He kept everyone in the dark, as well. nbrea wanted to keep the secrets to himself, and did not treat Bruzuryano with the proper respect.


    "Fine," nbrea spat. He suddenly remembered what his teacher once told him, that he focused too much on creating ns to win himself glory and it would one day destroy him. He learned what would happen to someone who was not cunning. A cardinal who could use the ultimate forbidden spells without the help of the papal crown would surely be seen as a threat to the pope and his power. In the end, nbrea¡¯s teacher was framed for crimes he did notmit and was incarcerated.


    Who knew his words would one daye true? If he wasn¡¯t so calcting, maybe everyone would walk away from the situation unscathed. Now it was toote. There were only two ways to end the effects of Divine Punishment. One was to destroy the scepter, the other was to ask the pope for a blessing. Ernest and Saul obviously chose the quicker route. For them, asking the pope for blessing was too much work.


    nbrea suddenly waved the scepter in his hand. If he was facing another foe, the best option might have been to hide the scepter away in his dimensional ring and defend the honor of the Church. However, he knew that was not a good n, since his opponent was Saul. He knew the structure of dimensional rings too well for that n to work. As long as he was alive, Saul would know how to open a separate dimension that would lead into his dimensional ring.


    Saul stepped forward and shielded Niya with his body as the bright ball of light appeared. "Why?" he asked nbrea with a sigh. nbrea did not reply. Saul¡¯s magic staff was still in his hand, and as he waved his staff, a dozen wind des shot towards the ball of light. He knew what state nbrea was in. Light magic could overpower death magic, but a powerful enough necromancer could defeat a light mage, as well. Even if he was facing a cardinal of light in his prime, Saul knew he could still win. After all, elemental magic was more powerful than light magic. nbrea could not pose a threat to them.


    Suzanna started moving as well. However, before she could reach the battle, Ernest had already stopped her. Two swords shed with a loud thud, and a ball of light enveloped the two. Both of them took a few steps back, but Ernest recovered quickly and dashed towards Suzanna again. His sole mission was to keep Suzanna away from the fight.

 Chapter 275: Killed A God

    Chapter 275: Killed A God


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    nbrea smiled wanly when he saw Saul¡¯s Wind de shred the light ball into millions of tiny light chips, sshing everywhere. He had no time to suppress the curse, so he let the toxin spread in his body. He used all the magic power he had left to chant. A light, gold-colored light dome appeared, covering nbrea underneath it.


    Absolute Barrier was a magic that could help a mage survive in a very difficult situation. Even if thousands of people were dying, the people under the Absolute Barrier could survive. Even when being attacked by the Forbidden spells, or if an area of hundreds of square miles had been burned, Absolute Barrier still could provide a mage a safe space. No matter what form of elements, they could not pass through the Absolute Barrier, but the mage inside the dome could attack the outside targets with any magic he wanted.


    Absolute Barrier and Holy Guardian were the most advanced magic among all the defensive magic spells in the Church of Light. They had totally opposite properties; one was a defensive magic, while the other could counter all the physical attacks. Maybe Gods did not want humans to be too powerful, so nobody had ever mastered both types of magic. If there were, the two spells would cancel each other out and lose their effects.


    Saul saw nbrea releasing Absolute Barrier. He shook his head and then saw nbrea chanting again. A weird element started to fluctuate in the air. They moved in a chaotic way, like a Magic Array of Chaos.


    Saul looked serious and concerned. He raised his hand and released Meteorite magic in the blink of an eye. A meteorite with me fell from the sky with a whooshing sound, right onto the Absolute Barrier. With a huge bang, the meteorite turned into millions of mes and shes, but the Absolute Barrier only slightly went out of shape and returned to normal.


    Absolute Barrier was a great defense for magic, but not so great against physical attacks. Gods would not teach humans any perfect magic. If Absolute Barrier had the physical defense as if Gods were guarding them, then any top power who had mastered the Absolute Barrier could ignore any rule andw in the world.


    Saul did not stop. Magic spells were consecutively released, but none of them was senior-level magic. A wall grew out of the ground and knocked nbrea into the air, causing him to stop chanting. When nbrea immediately released Levitation magic to move to the side, another meteorite smashed both the Absolute Barrier and nbrea to the ground. A pile of debris sprang out from the ground and hit nbrea into the air like a ball.


    Saul looked confident, but he actually was very nervous. He wanted to see what nbrea would do. Self-explosion!


    Entos had moved to the side. He looked like he was thinking about something with his eyes blinking. Anfey still stared at nbrea. He knew he was not good enough to participate in this fight between Saul and nbrea. He could identally cause trouble for Saul, although he wanted to pierce several holes in nbrea. At the moment, he could only quietly watch their fight.


    nbrea did not look strong. He was awkward and looked to be in pain. Saul yed a ball game with him, but he was the ball. nbrea was in a bad situation. He was knocked down by a meteorite from the sky. As he fell rapidly, he was hit back into the air by the pile of debris. The free fall suddenly stopped. nbrea was tossed back into the air. The physical attacks from these spells could not break the Absolute Barrier, but these fast movements were beyond what nbrea could take. He was just a Priest of Light so his physical stamina was limited. He felt his blood all rush into his brain at one time, dizzy at another time, and then all his organs crunched together at other times. In addition, the cursing had corroded his body quickly. nbrea felt he had a concussion. He barely remembered what he was doing. If nbrea fought with Saul in his best condition, after he released the Absolute Barrier, Saul probably could only choose to run away, since the Absolute Barrier would not stay forever. The problem was nbrea had activated a Magic Array of Chaos. If he made it, only a few more people would die with him. If he had not made it, nbrea would not be able to rearrange elements and would lose his ability to control elements. The Levitation magic he released had already been against the rules of elements. He was not countered by it because the control and understanding of elements he had gained by working with them were tremendous. He wanted to release magic again, but he just could not.


    Entos took out a dark ck magic wand from somewhere. He raised it and waved a little. Saul thought about why Entos did that for a second and stopped releasing magic. The ball-shaped Absolute Barrier wrapped around nbrea and fell hard on the ground.


    nbrea was very experienced with fights. He knew he could not give up at this point. Saul had turned against him and the Church of Light on behalf of Anfey. If he gave up right now, he could not even die easily. With no time to take a breath, nbrea gripped the Glory Scepter. This was thest step to activate the Magic Array of Chaos. "God said..."


    Entos suddenly disappeared and then reappeared behind nbrea. He raised the dark ck wand toward nbrea. Surprisingly, the Absolute Barrier did not block Entos and his wand. His wand got into the Absolute Barrier without any trouble. Blood sttered and nbrea was knocked to the ground. nbrea¡¯s blood had dyed a piece of the Absolute Barrier red.


    One strike did not seem enough for Entos. He jumped high as he swung his arm to continue hitting nbrea. nbrea was struggling to crawl along the ground when Entos hit him the second time. Blood sttered again. The next moment, Entos appeared about a dozen of yards away from nbrea, carefully watching him.


    nbrea was down. Everyone was startled.


    Saul slowly walked a few steps forward. He heaved a long sigh when he saw nbrea writhing on the ground.


    The light of Absolute Barrier got dimmer. nbrea struggled for a while and tried to hold on to the Glory Scepter to stand up. He kneeled on the ground. There was no way he could stand up. Because of the explosion of the Magic Array of Chaos, no one would be able to remember the chant after experiencing the concussion, not even nbrea. Right now he probably did not even remember his name.


    Anfey suddenly walked two steps forward and rushed at nbrea. He gave him a high kick right to his chin. nbrea was skinny, only weighing about 130 pounds. This kick wobbled him. Almost at the same time, Anfey punched his left fist out and hit hard on the neck of nbrea. There was a terrifying sound of bone breaking. nbrea fell back to the ground. His head fell to one side in a weird angle. There was no trace that he was still alive.


    It was not decent to keep hitting nbrea as he had already been seriously injured. However, Anfey had to do it. First of all, he was worried Saul would feel bad and would not kill nbrea. Second, he felt it was his responsibility to kill nbrea. He could not let anyone else kill him. He made the trouble so he had to kill him. Ifter on Saul would not be able to take the pressure from the Church of Light, they coulde to him. He would rather take responsibility for killing nbrea. If they wanted to kill him and were able to kill him, they could do that.


    Whether Anfey¡¯s thinking was na?ve or not was another story. Thinking about what had happened previously and looking at what had just happened, Anfey did not want to bring any more trouble to Saul. He owed too much to Saul.


    Saul looked at the back of Anfey. He used to treat Anfey as a simple and nice kid. He cared about him, but never paid too much attention to him, which had allowed Anfey some freedom to do whatever he wanted for a while. After getting to know Anfey a little more, it was not hard for Saul to guess something from Anfey¡¯s actions, since Saul had seen so many different people in his life.


    The match between Suzanna and Ernest was a draw. This fight was super hard for Ernest. He was in a super passive position. He did not want to hurt Suzanna but Suzanna seemed to fight for her life. She looked like she wanted to kill Ernest. At that moment, Suzanna¡¯s fighting ability seemed better than Ernest¡¯s. Ernest could barely counter Suzanna¡¯s strikes. He got a deep cut on his left shoulder. The blood had dyed half of his shirt. Many people thought Ernest stubborn and hot tempered. What they thought made some sense. He was hit pretty hard, but never asked for help. If it were Anfey, he probably would have already called everyone¡¯s name for help.


    There must be something wrong with angels¡¯ intelligence. If Suzanna could have helped nbrea, he would not have died so fast. Right now this angel wanted to fight Ernest. Her attacks got faster and fiercer one after another. She looked like she had decided to kill Ernest.


    Saul did not have time to talk to Anfey. He waved his hand. A gust of wind element picked up the Glory Scepter from the ground and sent it to his palm. The scepter was carved with runes and looked holy. Saul thought for a while before he ran his fingers from the top of the scepter down .


    Where Saul¡¯s fingers passed, the runes suddenly dimmed. As his fingers reached the bottom of the scepter, the Glory Scepter had turned into a regr wood stick. Saul tossed the Glory Scepter into the air and shoot out a big fire ball. With a huge exploding sound, the wood stick burst into millions of pieces with mes. Church of Light had lost a holy item.


    Suzanna suddenly stopped her attacks and screamed out in pain. The light wings disappeared as well. A blurry shadow came out of Suzanna. Saul chanted with his eyes closed. A one-yard-long crescent shaped ck de swung in the air and cut the rising shadow in half. Ernest had never showed any change in his face before, but this time he was so shocked that he screamed, "You killed a god!"

 Chapter 276: Habits

    Chapter 276: Habits


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Saul did not have time to answer Ernest. He transferred his wand from his left hand to his right and raised it into the air. Wind des appeared in the air and rained down on the shadow. The shadow tried to avoid the attack, but there were too many wind des and the perimeter of the attack was too great. The shadow was shredded to pieces in the blink of an eye. It hung in the air limply. Mist rose from its form and disappeared.


    Saul turned his eyes to the pieces of the scepter and stared at it.


    Small dots of light appeared from the scepter. The lights began clumping together and quickly formed a fist-sized ball of light. The ball burst into blinding light and began raising towards the sky.


    Saul did nothing but shake his head, but Entos seemed strangely excited. "You may be an angel," he whispered under his breath, "but even an angel can be killed when it¡¯s disembodied."


    The mist around the ball of light disappeared when it was a few feet off the ground, and the light stopped. Then it began to spin quickly, and everyone felt a strange pressure. Saul, Ernest, and Bruzuryano could deal with the pressure, but the younger mages could not handle the overwhelming pressure. Niya¡¯s face became pale. She reached out and grabbed at the air weakly. She felt the air became heavy as if it was turned into liquid by the light and was suffocating her. Saul waved his staff and summoned a magic shield that covered everyone. Niya took a deep breath. She stared at the ball of light, terrified, and grabbed Saul¡¯s arm. She was a daughter of one of the most powerful mages, and she knew magic very well, even though she was not a mage herself. Niya knew that, normally, damage must be done through attack. This ball of light was defying the rules of nature.


    The sound of high-pitched screams and static filled the air. It sounded angry and usative. Thankfully, everyone present was protected by Saul¡¯s magic shield, or else most wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the pressure.


    "It may be a battle angel," Bruzuryano said, "but it is still an angel." This was the first time he spoke since Saul appeared. While Anfey was trying to understand Suzanna¡¯s change in attitude, Bruzuryano already knew what had happened. He chose to remain silent in order to avoid suspicion.


    Ernest stared at Saul, who nodded slowly after a few seconds. Then Saul turned to Bruzuryano and smiled.


    "You..." Bruzuryano wanted to say something, but he sighed and knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to talk any sense into them.


    Ernest shook his head, then turned and dashed towards the ball of light. Perhaps because it was spinning so fast, the ball of light was already losing its shape. Ernest¡¯s figure looked like it was being picked up by arge hand. The light of hisbat power was twisted and warped by the light. He drew his sword as he approached the light.


    The screaming stopped and the pressure disappeared as Ernest¡¯s sword sliced through the light. The ball turned into thousands of specks of light and rained down onto the earth like fireworks. Ernestnded on the ground and jumped back to rejoin Saul. A dozen specks of lightnded on Ernest like golden fish scales, clinging to his clothing. Bruzuryano frowned at the sight. He opened his mouth a few times, but did not say anything.


    Entos suddenly teleported himself and appeared under the specks of light. He opened his arms and stared at the light as if he had just seen the most amazing sight in the entire world.


    "Entos!" Saul bellowed.


    Entos froze, then returned to Saul¡¯s side with another teleportation spell. "I apologize, my lord," he said with a smile. "Call it a habit."


    "Saul, that may be a battle angel, but it is still an angel," Bruzuryano said with an emphasis on the word "still".


    "I don¡¯t know much about Divine Punishment," Saul said, "but I know its consequences. This is to make up for it."


    Saul waved his hand and summoned a light breeze. The breeze blew the light towards Suzanna, who was still unconscious, and dropped the light all over her.


    Bruzuryano sighed and shook his head. "I thought the most senseless archmage was Newyoheim," he said.


    "I¡¯m just seeking justice," Saul said with a smile. He turned to Anfey and said, "Everything¡¯s fine now. The girl will be fine." He paused then said, "Shouldn¡¯t you look at me and say something now?"


    Anfey turned around slowly and said, "Master Saul, I..." If none of this had happened, Anfey might have been able to greet Saul naturally. After all, he did spent a lot of time writing his script. After what had just happened, the only thing Anfey should do was thank Saul. He did not know what to say.


    "That¡¯s it?" Saul asked slowly. "I did not realize we are so distant that it¡¯s hard for you to greet me."


    "Father," Niya suddenly said, shaking Saul¡¯s arm. "Anfey¡¯s fine. He¡¯s a good person." Niya paused and nodded.


    "He¡¯s a good person? How so?" Saul asked with a smile. Even though he was happy that Anfey was able grow and make a name for himself, he still felt ufortable. Anfey was so unassuming when he was under Saul¡¯s care, who would have thought he would be the one to take the lead once on his own? This could not change Saul¡¯s fondness for Anfey, of course; he was simply curious and needed an answer.


    Niya frowned and tried to recall what Anfey had done in the past. When she was living in Sacred City, she had relied on her father. After she left, Anfey took Saul¡¯s ce and she was able to rely on him. Anfey took care of his friends, and even though he had brought them unnecessary trouble, she knew he had done his job. Out of everyone, she was the most protected. She was not required to do anything dangerous unless she was thest one left. She felt safe when she was with Anfey. Everyone else respected him as well, and she began to respect him. Her dislike for Anfey was long forgotten.


    Anfey had done too much, Niya did not know where to start. "I don¡¯t care," she finally said with a sigh. "He¡¯s just a good person."


    "Just drop it, will you?" Ernest said as he walked over. He nced at Anfey and turned away. Ernest was never good at expressing emotions. He was d to see Anfey again, but he did not say anything.


    "Don¡¯t forget. He¡¯s my student, not yours."


    "Father!" Niya said again.


    "Alright, alright," Saul said with a smile. He looked at Niya and stroked her hair gently. "My student is ignoring me, but my daughter shouldn¡¯t." Saul grinned widely and his eyes lit up with the joy of seeing his daughter again.


    When he heard what had happened, Saul had been worried to death. However, he had a whole war to fight, and did not have the spare energy to deal with the situation back at home. He remained calm so his soldiers would not panic, but no one knew how he had suffered. After Ernest appeared and told him what had happened, he rxed a little. As soon as he stopped worrying, he grew angry. He wrote to Ynthe angrily and imed that nothing would have gone wrong if Ynthe had not send Miorich to prevent Ernest from reaching Niya. He imed he would leave immediately to look for his daughter. Of course, Saul would not really desert his post. He was angry, but he could not let his emotions decide the fate of his nation. Ynthe¡¯s apologetic attitude towards the situation helped calm Saul¡¯s anger, as well.


    This was the first time he had seen his beloved daughter in almost a year, and Saul could feel nothing but happiness. At the same time, he was also slightly worried. He did not know what Niya had been through when he was away. He was powerful, but he could not protect her forever. What would happen after he died?


    Niya rested her head on Saul¡¯s shoulder and closed her eyes. Growth came from experience, and for some people, a peaceful life may not be the best for them.

 Chapter 277: Covering for Anfey

    Chapter 277: Covering for Anfey


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey walked up to Suzanna. He squatted down to look at her. She was covered with lights shaped like scales on a fish. Anfey could barely see her face. Without knowing how much time had passed, the lights on her body started to dim. When thest few scale lights went out, Anfey held Suzanna in his arms. She was still ina and rested in Anfey¡¯s arms with her head nted to one side. Anfey felt her softness in his arms. Her hair was down and blown in the wind.


    Anfeyid his eyes on Suzanna¡¯s chest. Her chest slowly moved up and down with a strong pulse. He put his ear on it to check. He could clearly hear her heartbeat. He finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    Anfey turned around, carrying Suzanna in his arms, looking at Saul and Niya not far from him. A question suddenly shed in his head. There was a big age difference between Saul and Suzanna, almost forty years difference. Perhaps Saul had dedicated himself in magic and could not spare his energy in marriage, but something didn¡¯t make sense. Where was Niya¡¯s mom? Why had no one talked about her at all, not even Niya. When they were running away from Sacred City, Niya called "dad" when she had nightmares. It was a little weird. No one talked about it. Anfey never bothered to ask since it involved her personal life.


    "Professor, is Suzanna really going to be fine?" Anfey did not want to interfere with Niya and Saul while they were trying to bond, but he had to. He had always been good at not asking too many questions and rarely nagged anyone. Now he was just worried for some reason.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. She is fine." Ernest said it before Saul could even say anything. He paused before patting Anfey on the shoulder. Ernest was not good at expressing his feelings. It was pretty rare to see him to give this kind of gesture.


    "Even if she has lost something, what she gained is way more than what she has lost. You don¡¯t have to worry about her," Saul slowly said.


    "William must be enraged. Saul, aren¡¯t you afraid William wille to see you and me you for everything?" Bruzuryano said with a bitter smile.


    Annunciata had not made any move for a long time. The Evil Abyss must know she was killed by Ernest. Both Church of Light and Evil Mist had suffered serious losses. Church of Light lost a Priest of Light and a sacred item. Evil Mist lost a senior stateswoman. Judging from the way the phantom dragon showed up, it must have been released from a seal. The magic tool that sealed the phantom dragon might not be as good as Glory Scepter, but should be very simr to that sense. Church of Light seemed to suffer the same amount of loss as Evil Abyss.


    "nbrea and Annunciata came to the end together. Even if William wants to take revenge, he should not seek me out," Saul said calmly.


    "Do you think William will believe your lies?" Bruzuryano twitched his mouth. There was a roaring behind them. A group of zombies wobbled over. The two zombies in the front were big. They actually used to be the druids of Bruzuryano. With no control over them, zombies went after any living organism by instinct. They had no idea what terror could feel like. They just wobbled over.


    Seeing his subordinates turned into zombies, Bruzuryano thought about what he had paid for the battle, He was upset about it. He released Nature magic. Countless vines grew out of the ground and tied all the zombies together.


    "It depends on how William thinks of it," Saul said. "If William were as honest as he ims, he would believe me. If William only pretended to be honest, he would me me for it even if what I told him were the truth."


    Bruzuryano was quiet in thought for a while. He heaved a long sigh. It was just like Saul said. If Pope William really aimed at wiping out necromancers, he would pay any price to fight the evil. He would not create conflict or make it worse than it should be at this crucial moment. If Pope William had ambitions of taking over Pan Continent, he definitely wanted to do more than wiping out necromancers. If he could not even wait for his bigger n, he might use this as an excuse to create conflict with Maho Empire. Even if nbrea were killed by Annunciata, William still could me them for something if he wanted to. He could stir up his followers and made them angry at Saul and Anfey.


    "We probably have not seen each other for about five years, have we?" Saul looked at the horizon and squinted. There was a group of knights moving fast in their direction.


    "Something like that," Bruzuryano nodded.


    "Would you like toe to my house?" Saul asked.


    "To Sacred City?" Bruzuryano was shocked for a second.


    "Yeah." Saul smiled. "We are getting old. We do not have too much time left. If we miss this time, I do not even know if we would see each other again."


    "Sure," Bruzuryano agreed quickly. He knew going to Sacred City was not going to be that simple. If he went, as a follower of Goddess of Nature, it would be an indication that Saul was innocent, which would be putting a decent amount of pressure on Pope William.


    Anfey quietly listened to the conversation between Saul and Bruzuryano. He felt he had been too na?ve. He used to live in a world wherews and rules governed people. He unconsciously believed it was a case of a homicide if he killed nbrea before Saul could. Now he understood, nbrea was not only nbrea himself, but nbrea of the Church of Light. One or a few people were responsible for a criminal case in his previous world, but in this world, a group was responsible for the death of nbrea, no matter who in the group killed him. In other words, he looked ridiculous when he tried to kill nbrea himself. Saul had made it clear that if Pope William could not wait for the conflicts, he would definitely me Saul for it. It was a trigger. If that were the case, William¡¯s aim was to make Ynthe lose the whole territory of Maho Empire to Church of Light.


    As Saul and Bruzuryano talked, a group of knights rushed over. A knight in the front hurriedly jumped off his horse. He bowed to Saul respectfully first and said in a low voice, "Master, Dean Steger has killed four necromancers and other mages. Two necromancers escaped toward the southeast."


    "Where is Steger?¡¯ Saul asked.


    "He chased after those two necromancers himself," the knight said.


    "Steger came too?" Bruzuryano asked in surprise. "I did not know you were so well-prepared."


    Hearing this, Saul frowned. "I almost forgot if you did not remind me. What happened? You should have already reached Mambo territory as we nned. Why did you guys juste here? If it were not for me feeling something was not right and taking people to see you, you guys would have been caught by Annunciata."


    "Do not ask me. Ask your favorite student," Bruzuryano shrugged.


    Saul scanned the group. Christian immediately walked up and try to calm Saul down with smiles. "Professor, it was my bad. After running away from Sacred City, we have been roaming everywhere and living an unstable life. We finally coulde back to our country, finally felt rxed..."


    "I am asking you what took you so long to get here," Saul interrupted.


    "I wanted to see some nice scenery on the way," Christian said.


    "To see nice scenery?" Saul asked.


    "Yes," Christian said timidly.


    Saul nced at Anfey. He never believed what Christian said from the very beginning. This group of kids listened to Anfey. Saul knew Anfey would never let Christian see some nice scenery at this critical moment.


    "Professor, it was my fault," Anfey stepped forward.


    Saul gave Christian a hard look and slowly said, "Anfey, can you exin why?"


    Christian looked worried. He looked at Anfey in confusion. They had worked so long that Anfey should have known to say nothing right now or me it all on Christian, since he had a very special background. Even if Christian made a big mistake, Saul would not do much to him. If it were Anfey, Saul could be very strict with him, even though Saul was nice most of the time.


    "My bad, my bad!" Niya could tell Saul was getting mad at Anfey and wanted to punish him for it. She signaled Anfey by giving him an I-got-it look as she shook Saul¡¯s arm. "I was not feeling good so I asked Anfey to slow down."


    "One wanted to see scenery while the other one did not feel good." Saul had a fake smile on his face. "No bad, not bad. After getting some real life experience for about half a year, you learned nothing but to lie to cover for each other."


    "I did not. I really did not feel good," Niyained.


    Anfey smiled bitterly inside. Even if they wanted to help him, they needed toe up with some better excuses. These excuses were toome to be believable.


    Saul looked at Niya in surprise. When she was in Sacred City, Niya was the number two person in the household. She scolded people as she wanted, and told on anyone who broke her stuff. She was pretty nice if she did not me others for her own mistakes. Today Niya stood out to speak for Anfey! Maybe it was a sign that she had grown up.


    Anfey was still quiet. He could not let others know the reasons why he did what he did. To be honest, it was not all Anfey¡¯s fault. If Miorich and Bruzuryano could have talked about the n with him, he would not have made the same decision. Anfey had achieved major aplishments, but he was still a kid in Miorich and Bruzuryano¡¯s eyes. They did not think he was good enough to work with them as peers.


    "Ok, I am not going to force you to tell me the reasons if you don¡¯t want to." Saul waved his hand. "Get on the wagon first."

 Chapter 278: Poor

    Chapter 278: Poor


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Saul hade in a hurry but he still brought enough carriages. The mages that came with him all had carriages. After the bulk of Saul¡¯s men rejoined him, the mages were able to find a few spare carriages. Saul and Bruzuryano sat in the same carriage, and Ernest chose to sit with Anfey. Christian and ck Eleven were in thest carriage. Entos, on the other hand, chose to use magic instead of riding in carriages like the rest of them.


    The carriages headed towards Mambo territory smoothly. The carriages all looked the same, but the atmosphere in each carriage waspletely different. Niya sat next to Saul and was telling him about what she had experienced while she was away from the city. Her mind chose to forget the danger she was just in. She nced down at Saul¡¯s robe and said, "Father, why are you wearing this? It looks ugly on you."


    "What should I wear, then?" Saul asked with a smile. He was relieved that Niya was safe. "I¡¯m poor now, darling. This is the only thing I can afford."


    "Poor?" Niya asked, frowning.


    "The collection I umted over several decades was robbed, so I am poor now."


    Niya grinned and shook her head, imagining Saul¡¯s face when he realized his secret chamber was empty. "Don¡¯t worry, father. All those things are in Anfey¡¯s care."


    "I¡¯m not worried," Saul said. "Niya, he didn¡¯t damage any of the books, did he?"


    "He burned them," Niya said, "since they had no use to us."


    "What?" Saul asked, gasping, his eyes wide open. Those magic books were rare books he umted throughout his entire life. It was all he could do not to go mad with anger after hearing this.


    "Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry," Niya said, patting Saul¡¯s shoulder. "It¡¯s a joke. We didn¡¯t burn them. Why would we?"


    Saul sighed and shook his head. If Christian or Anfey had told him what Niya just did, he would not have believed them. Of course, Christian and Anfey, unlike Niya, did not dare to lie to his face.


    Bruzuryano watched Saul and Niya with a smile. He chose to stay quiet in order not to interrupt Saul and Niya¡¯s reunion.


    "Don¡¯t worry, father," Niya said with a sigh. "I¡¯m happy now. I¡¯m safe." She smiled and leaned against Saul¡¯s shoulder.


    Saul looked at Niya dotingly and smiled, stroking her hair.


    In the second carriage, there was only silence. Suzanna was still unconscious, Ernest had his eyes closed and was not talking, and Anfey was holding Suzanna and observing her expression.


    Loss could cause some of the greatest pain, and hatred was torture. Having something you thought you had lost returning would bring overwhelming joy. Anfey had not experience such strong emotions in a long time, and he needed time to recover. He did not want to hide his emotions anymore, nor did he need to. He stared at Suzanna without blinking.


    Suzanna shifted slightly and let out a grunt. Then she opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze met Anfey¡¯s, and she quickly shut her eyes again.


    "Suzanna," Anfey called. "Are you awake?"


    Suzanna grunted. "Yes," she said, opening her eyes again. Her gaze met Anfey¡¯s and she did not turn away this time. She still felt ufortable under Anfey¡¯s gaze, however, and turned her head away. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked. "Makes me ufortable."


    "Did I?" Anfey asked, then smiled awkwardly. He did not realize how intense his gaze had been. "I¡¯m sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to make you ufortable. How are you feeling?"


    "I¡¯m alright," Suzanna said. "What happened? Why am I here? What happened to the necromancers?" She reached for her sword and realized it was gone. She frowned and asked, "Where¡¯s my sword?"


    "I believe you¡¯re looking for this," Ernest said and held out Suzanna¡¯s sword. He was a swordsman as well, so knew how important a sword was to a swordsman.


    "Thank you," Suzanna said and epted the sword. She frowned and realized she had never seen this man before. She was still leaning against Anfey, which was something she did not like to do even in front of her friends. She felt strange disying affection in front of a stranger.


    Suzanna pushed herself up, but Anfey kept his arm around her tightly. "What are you doing?" Anfey asked. "Don¡¯t move too much."


    Suzanna frowned and blushed. She had spend enough time with Anfey to trust him, and even though she could usebat power to escape Anfey¡¯s embrace, she did not. She rxed and let herself lean against Anfey, but she kept her eyes closed.


    "It¡¯s so rare," Ernest suddenly said.


    Suzanna frowned. She did not open her eyes, but she was listening to the conversation. Anfey looked rxed and she deduced that Anfey must know the man. He may even be Anfey¡¯s close friend or family. Suzanna wanted to know Anfey better, and that included getting to know his family and friends.


    "What is rare, Mr. Ernest?" Anfey asked. He was very happy and was smiling because Suzanna woke up, and the atmosphere became more lively. Anfey knew Ernest, and knew that he disliked formality and small talk. If he said "how are you" or "I missed you," Ernest may not even reply. Might as well let the conversation be more natural.


    "She¡¯s one of the youngest senior swordsmasters I¡¯ve met," Ernest said with a smile. "And herbat power is close to breaking the boundary. If nothing goes wrong, she can be a master swordsman in a few years. If opportunity allows, maybe even sooner."


    "Opportunity?" Anfey asked. "Does...what happened count?" Anfey did not want Suzanna to know what had happened, and so did not say anything more.


    Ernest smiled and nodded.


    Suzanna was shocked when she heard Anfey call the man Ernest. Ernest did not have the best reputation and was widely known as a man that relied on trickery and deception. When she just met Anfey, Anfey grew angry at her for mocking Ernest. She was very interested in the man after that. She wanted to know what kind of men could earn Anfey¡¯s respect.


    "By the way, Mr. Ernest, why did you let Jerrofick escape?" Anfey asked. Ever since he learned what had happened to Ernest, he wanted Ernest to get revenge. Compared to Saul, Ernest was much simpler and much more trusting. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what Ernest was thinking. This did not effect Anfey¡¯s opinion of Ernest, and he felt angry that a respectable man like Ernest was called deceitful because of Jerrofick¡¯s lie.


    "It¡¯s not my personal battle. He ran when he saw me. I couldn¡¯t do anything after that," Ernest said, shrugging.


    "I think His Majesty must be very happy now," Anfey said with a smile. Ernest believed it was not his personal battle, meaning that he must be a very obedient soldier. Ernest could not avoid serving Maho Empire anymore. Whether Ernest stayed or not depended on Ynthe¡¯s attitude. Saul was the only person who could help.


    "Why bring up Ynthe?" Ernest asked with a frown.


    "Did you receive His Majesty¡¯s invitation after the war?"


    "Yes. Miorich was still on the eastern front so Ynthe wanted me to take up the job of the head of the pce guards."


    "How did you respond?"


    "I declined the offer."


    Anfey frowned and did not say anything. He wish Ernest would have stayed in Maho Empire, but Ernest had his own interests and pursuits, and Anfey had no right telling him what to do.


    Someone knocked on the side of the carriage, then Entos appeared. "Did I interrupt anything?" he asked with a smile. Suzanna rolled her eyes when she heard another strange voice. She knew that Anfey would not let go of her, so she chose to bury her face in his clothes.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said.


    Entos wiped his brow and sat down on the ground. Entos had been using a teleportation spell instead of walking or riding in a carriage. When it came to teleportation, he was better than most people in the world. This was the result of years of practicing the same magic. Of course, Entos was interested in teleportation in the first ce, or else he would never spend his entire life studying the same spell.


    "I have to tell you about something," Entos said.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked, curious.


    "No matter what you do, don¡¯t mention Nana in front of Master Saul, understand?"


    "Nana?" Anfey asked, frowning. "Alright. I see."

 Chapter 279: Future Concerns

    Chapter 279: Future Concerns


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Entos did not want to exin, so he sat quietly for a while with his eyes squinting. He changed the conversation topic. "Professor did not want to tell you, but I feel I have to remind you. You are not a regr person anymore. You are a count of the empire. You obtained many secrets that are politically sensitive. I would rmend you talk less, make few people notice you when you go back to Sacred City. No matter what, do not show your opinions too much, do you understand what I am saying?"


    "Sir, are you saying Sacred City is not enjoying peace now?" Anfey asked.


    "Hehehe, Anfey, we are both students of our professor. We do not need to address each other in such a respectful way. Of course, if you want to, I am not going to against it." Entos smiled. "Christian and Riska call me Bro Entos. I like it better. It gives me a feeling that we are family. You may not know, but I am an orphan like Nana. I am just a little luckier than him. I do not have such low self-esteem as he did." Entos looked sad and could not continue talking any more.


    "My bad, bro Entos," Anfey said smiling.


    "Good." Entos smiled with Anfey. Then he frowned: "Oh, right, where were we?"


    "I was asking whether there are riots in Sacred City?" Anfey asked.


    "It is not like that." Entos shook his head and smiled. "Ellisen and Shansa Empires fell for Ynthe¡¯s faked death. You know about it, right?"


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "Our king is wise, both physically and intellectually powerful. He had vision and had ability to predict danger. I am sorry. I got used to ttering him. I was carried away. Let me put it in a simpler way since there are no other people." Entos patted his forehead. "Our king¡¯s n was sessful, but it also exposed his critical problem. Do you know what it is?"


    Anfey thought about this question for a while. He seemed to get it, but he still shook his head.


    "Our king does not have anyone to seed him on the throne. If something happens, the whole country would be in chaos." Entos sighed. "For the past few days, the two prime ministers and minister of defense had appealed to him to asked him to decide who would be his sessor. You know, any country under this kind of situation...this is just the beginning. There will be more people getting involved. Situations can change as well."


    "What does the king think of it?" Anfey asked.


    "The king has been keeping quiet about it. It is a big deal, since it could affect the fate of our country. He does not want to rush into making a decision," Entos said.


    "How about our professor? What does he think of this?" Anfey asked.


    "Professor did not say anything about it either. That is also the reason I warned you to talk less and making yourself less visible. Do not talk about your opinions too much when things happen. To most people, we might represent our professor. If we could not help the professor, at least we should not bring him any trouble."


    "I understand." Anfey nodded again. "How many parties are those government officials divided into in Sacred City right now?"


    "Those few, you know. The eldest prince, Wester, is good at socializing. After the king¡¯s fake death, he was in charge of government administration. He gave out a lot of goodies to government officials and received a lot ofpliments from two prime ministers and other government officials. The second oldest prince, Granden, is popr in the armies. He has been on the frontier every time there was a war since he was sixteen. He bonded well with many generals and soldiers. The third oldest princess is Rodhart. When the empire was under the most serious threats, he was still drinking and fooling around. He was never motivated, so government official had given up on him," Entos said.


    Anfey was a little surprised, but did not show it. "So, there was probably tension between Wester and Granden, right?" Anfey asked.


    "Not to that point. However, if our king keeps quiet about it, I think the tension is going to get worse." Entos heaved a sigh. "No one knows what the king is thinking now. Smart people would not get involved. Unfortunately, there are not too many smart people."


    "Niya and Granden...shouldn¡¯t our professor say something?" Anfey did not make it sound obvious, but what he was trying to say was obvious to Entos. Niya had been dating Granden. For Niya¡¯s happiness, Saul should have supported Granden. Fights over the throne in the royal families were always bloody and cruel. There was no peaceful way to solve this problem. The losers either died or disappeared. If Saul did not want Niya to be a widow, he should help Granden to be the sessor. This problem seemed very simple.


    Entos smiled. "Anfey, do you think our professor is stupid?"


    Anfey was shocked by Entos¡¯ question. "No, why would you say that?"


    Entos did not answer. He lowered his head and was lost in thought. He looked hesitant. He did not say anything for quite a while before he continued slowly, "Professor showed me the information about you. Anfey, I kind of know what sort of person you are. I should show my sincerity if I want to earn your trust. However..." Entos¡¯s eyesid on Suzanna and then back to Anfey.


    "She is my wife," Anfey said quietly.


    "I hope you can keep this secret. If this were known by others, I will be in a very dangerous situation," Entos confided.


    Anfey was not so sure about this. He felt the pressure of the trust Entos passed on to him. For the sake of his future, he not only needed to experience this world, but also needed to get involved. It must be a top secret if Entos was so careful with it. Maybe this secret could allow him to see more clearly the situation he was in and allow him to figure out how he should be in the future, judging from the current situation.


    Before Anfey could make a decision whether he would like to know about Entos¡¯ secret, Entos had said, "Granden is three years younger than Wester, but was Wester¡¯s first teacher."


    "First teacher? What do you mean?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "Wester was a typical wealthy and spoiled kid. He was addicted to all kinds of entertainment. He was not motivated at all. Do you know he used to be a joke in Sacred City magic academy? He spent eight years in the academy before he could even graduate. If it were not because of his special family background, the academy probably would have asked him to withdraw a long time ago. Professor used to tell me to be fair when criticizing anyone. Only this way, the criticism is closer to the facts. I did not mean to look down upon Wester. I only wanted to give you a better picture of who he is," Entos said slowly.


    "I understand," Anfey said.


    "Granden was mature at a young age. When he was about twelve years old, he asked that they find him teachers in different areas. His interests were broad. He learned astronomy, geography, military, politics, and even poems. When was about 15 years old, he liked to read pleas from the government officials with Ynthe. He even spoke out about his opinions sometimes. Maho Empire had serious drought in many ces when he was sixteen years old. Shansa Empire took advantage of it and invaded Maho Empire. Granden volunteered to supervise the war in the name of Ynthe.


    It was a tradition made by Maho Empire ancestors that the future kings had to supervise wars in case they lost themselves in their luxurious lives.


    Anfey listened attentively.


    "As time went by, King Ynthe liked Granden more and more. Granden was strong, brave, aggressive and had many other strong points. Well, it is not because I am in the habit of ttering others. I am telling the truth." Entos gave a fake smile. "Well, Wester has been scolded by King Ynthe many times. Maybe he sensed danger. Without knowing from what time, Wester secretly changed. He still looked like a wealthy yboy, but that has be his camouge. He could even receive two prime ministers¡¯pliments now. Do you know who contributed to his sess?"


    "Granden?" Anfey smiled.


    "As I said, Granden is Wester¡¯s first teacher," Entos replied. "It is really off topic. Granden hase to our professor¡¯s house very frequently since he was fifteen years old. He was noting to ask our professor questions. He just came to y with Niya. He started to write love letters to Niya when he was eighteen years old. Niya was only fourteen years old back then. What did she know about love? She was embarrassed and mad at Granden and scolded him for writing her love letters. However, Granden did not give up. He has been after Niya for a few years. If it were Wester who was after Niya, he probably would be a joke to everyone. Granden was so smart. Why would he risk himself bing a joke to go after Niya? Was it about love or something else?"


    Anfey sighed quietly, but did notment.


    "Granden has proposed to Niya three times. Niya felt she wanted to have more fun and was not ready to settle down yet. She agreed to date Granden, but she turned down his proposals. She did not think it would be fun to be someone¡¯s wife and listen to her husband all the time." Entos looked at Anfey with a smile. It seemed that Entos and Anfey thought in the same way as Niya did about marriage. Entos said in a self-deprecating tone, "I thought our professor was too nice to see through it. In fact, our professor knows better than anyone else."


    "Why did our professor not stop him?" Anfey asked.


    "Why would he do that? It was not wrong if Granden wanted to seed to the throne. If he could not use the resources he had, he would be overthrown one day. In addition, Granden is a nice guy. He is upright, but flexible; brave but does not rush into things; hates anything unfair, but knows how to control his feelings. As for the motivation to go after Niya, we can understand him. He may have had some other intentions toward Niya at the beginning, but he really liked Niyater. He cares about Niya and takes good care of her. The most important thing is Niya likes him as well," Entos said.


    "Granden is too smart while Niya is so silly. Later..." Anfey said.


    "She has me, and you in the future." Entos smiled.


    Anfey heaved a sigh of relief. He nodded. "You are right." Anfey knew what Entos meant.


    "The future is too far away and people are soplicated. Even the best astrologer could not tell what is going to happen to Niya. Our professor did not want much for Niya. He only wanted her to be happy. Right now, Granden has been doing well," Entos said.

 Chapter 280: Privilege

    Chapter 280: Privilege


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Entos was very talkative. He spoke in a way that was very logical and clear. He was able to make the political situation in Sacred City easy to understand, even to someone like Anfey. Sacred City was much like the medieval period in Anfey¡¯s old world with only a few exceptions. Ynthe, the emperor, had two prime ministers. One was in charge of internal issues, the other in charge ofmunicating and dealing with foreign nations. Between the emperor and the prime ministers was another group of people: the top tier powers.


    These people were some of the most powerful in the world. They could cause all kinds of trouble, but they could also help stabilize the country. The rules of nature hardly applied to these people, and it was not hard to find examples of these people murdering innocent people due to their mood swings. There were even examples of these powerful people murdering entire families. However, because they were so powerful, the kings rarely used them of anything unless the king¡¯s position was threatened. The price of justice was usually very high. If a king tried to capture or kill a top level power but he was able to escape, the consequences were deadly. Even a king as powerful as Ynthe would not leave his city for years. Saul did not care for politics, but no one would ignore anything he said. This was a privilege reserved for powerful people. Anfey killed the grandson of master swordsman Philip, whichnded him on the wanted list. If he killed amon patrol officer, no one would say anything because they were afraid of his teacher. If Saul wanted to punish Anfey, no one could stop him, either.


    This privilege also helped keep the peace within the empire. Everyone wanted to join the most powerful people in the world, and as long as one had the talent and determination, it wasn¡¯t a dream out of reach. A man¡¯s birth could not determine his strength. Even a dying ve could be powerful if he came across the right opportunity. This gave a dream to people living at the bottom and helped turn their hatred towards the society into determination to be powerful.


    The Country of Mercenaries functioned in simr ways. Every year, countless young and able-bodied mercenaries died with their dreams, their bodies left to rot in the Forest of Death and Wild ins, but every year more young men and women would pour into the country seeking opportunities.


    Wars were inevitable, but there was no need for drafting because the nations had no trouble finding soldiers. In order to keep soldiers qualified and fit to fight, the military would teach the new recruits how to use swords andbat power. A lot ofmoners poured into the military hoping that it would be their springboard to greatness.


    Anfey suddenly remembered the civil service exams. Even though it was twopletely different ways of approaching the situation, the ultimate goal was the same. So many poor students spent every hour studying until they were half starved to death just so they could take the test and change their entire lives. This cemented many people¡¯s wish to have their children study their way out of poverty.


    However, there were too many people and too few positions. Only a few people were able to achieve greatness, and the rest were buried by history. People were only familiar with the few poor men and women who seeded, but the other poor men and women were ignored. So many people could not achieve greatness themselves and rest their hopes on their children. Their children might not seed, and would in turn rest their hopes on their children. This formed a cycle that solidified the system.


    As the carriages entered Mambo territory, Entos finished his history lesson. Anfey rarely interrupted. He was taking in Entos¡¯s words and turning them into something he could understand and remember. Anfey was a very good listener and could understand most of the things Entos talked about, but Entos was talking too much and Anfey did not find the right ce to ask questions.


    "Time to get off," Saul said, knocking on the side of the carriage.


    Anfey blinked and looked out. He tried to stand up, but found his lower body numb. He was still holding Suzanna in his arms, and his position prevented proper blood flow to his lower body.


    Entos moved over a little and did not exit until Ernest did. Anfey stumbled out of the carriage after Entos, and Suzanna walked out after him. Suzanna had been holding the same position for the entire trip, so her situation was no better than Anfey¡¯s. Her limbs were numb and she could hardly feel them.


    "She¡¯s awake already?" Saul asked when he saw Suzanna.


    Anfey poked Suzanna¡¯s side, but Suzanna kept her eyes on the ground and did not know Saul was speaking to her.


    "Suzanna, let me introduce you." Seeing that Suzanna wouldn¡¯t introduce herself, Anfey sighed and decided to introduce her. "This is my teacher, Master Saul."


    "Oh," Suzanna said. She hurriedly nced up and looked as if she had just woke up from a dream. "Nice-Nice to meet you, my lord."


    "This is Mr. Ernest," Anfey said, turning to Ernest. It had been a little awkward in the carriage earlier, but it was not toote to introduce Suzanna to Ernest. He had no need for small talk and formality, but Suzanna should be more formal to make a good first impression.


    "Nice to meet you, sir," Suzanna said, bowing to Ernest.


    "I¡¯m Entos," Entos interrupted with a smirk. "Just Entos, if you would."


    "Nice to meet you as well," Suzanna said. She lowered her gaze again. If it had just been Saul present, it would have been easier. However, both Ernest and Entos were in the carriage and had seen how Anfey was holding her. Suzanna felt too embarrassed to look either one of them in the eye.


    Christian walked over. He giggled but did not say anything.


    "Hey," Niya walked over. "I¡¯m Niya." She grinned.


    Suzanna smiled and shook her head. She lowered her head again so she did not have to deal with Niya and Christian.


    "Alright, alright," Saul said. He patted Niya on the head then turned and asked, "Is the portal ready?"


    "Yes, my lord," a nearby soldier answered respectfully.


    Anfey nced around. He had seen a lot of transmission portals, and the portal itself did not make an impression of him. What shocked him was the location of the portal. It was in arge,vish mansion. Huge stone columns lined the outside of the mansion, and the ceiling was at least a hundred feet tall. However, he was only standing in front of the mansion and could not tell howrge the entire building was. Besides the soldier standing next to them, there were no other patrols in sight. Anfey had heard that the lord of Mambo territory was a recluse and the territory itself rarely allowed visitors. Everything within the territory was a secret. Anfey was too busy listening to Entos on the way and missed the chance of actually observing the territory firsthand.


    "Let¡¯s go," Saul said. "Let¡¯s go home."


    "Yes," Niya chirped happily. "Let¡¯s go home." Christian smiled as well. The more they ran, the more they missed their home in Sacred City. They were all overjoyed that they could finally go home now.


    As he stepped into the portal, blinding light cut off Anfey¡¯s connection with the outside world. A familiar scene appeared before him after a few seconds. Thest time he was there, the first thing he saw was Miorich. This time, instead of Miorich, it was a thin old man.


    The old man had peppered ck hair and looked to be around Saul¡¯s age. He was clean shaven and his thin lips were set into a tight line. He had a tall nose and deep eye sockets. He was smiling, but Anfey could tell he was a force to be reckoned with.


    Saul¡¯s smile was reced by a scowl. "What happened?"


    "Nothing," the old man said, shaking his head. "Some rats tried to attack the pce. It is solved now."


    "Evil Mist?"


    The old man nodded.


    "They dare to... Do they know Steger and I are away? Or did they already abandon Annunciata?"


    "Who knows? Maybe it was just some foot soldier seeking glory. You should ask His Majesty those questions. I¡¯m only in charge of eliminating the threat."


    "How is His Majesty?"


    "Alive."


    "Take me there," Saul said. He paused, then asked, "Ernest, are you going?"


    "No need," Ernest said. "I¡¯ll take them home."

 Chapter 281: The Backscene of Mercenary Groups

    Chapter 281: The Backscene of Mercenary Groups


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The word "home" meant a warm and happy feeling. Travelers would shed tears, soldiers on the battlefield would regain their courage to fight to the death, merchants on business trips would want to go back home so badly when they thought about home. No matter how wonderful the world could be, no ce would be better than home. The moment Anfey and his group walked into the house, they behaved so differently. Niya forgot she was the host of this house. She rushed into her own room without showing any hospitality. She even locked the door from the inside. No one knew what she was doing. Niya did not even join everyone for dinner. She took a walk in the backyard onep after another. She used to be outgoing, but now she seemed to be a philosopher, indulging herself in thoughts.


    Christian went directly to the magicb. Magicbs were a necessity for mages to improve their understanding of magic and their control of elements. While he was on the run from the Sacred City, he could not find a magicb anywhere. Christian had been waiting so long to be back to theb. There seemed to be more unfamiliar guards in Saul¡¯s house, especially in the magicb. The magicb seemed to be strictly guarded. Many of the servants who worked for Saul before were still there. After Saul got back, those dismissed servants came back one after another. Under their guidance, Christian found hisb without any trouble.


    Suzanna looked down. She told everyone she did not feel too good and excused herself to her own room. She went to sleep early. This was the house of Saul and Niya, not hers, which made her think about her own family. Suzanna looked sad when she thought about her own family. Anfey should have noticed why Suzanna was sad and should havee tofort her, but he was quietly sitting on the roof of the main building. He looked far off into the dark sky.


    He had his own home in his previous world, but not the vige with a vige head named Ben Ladeng. He did not have anyone he really cared about in his previous world. He only had memories of terror and hatred there, but these did not stop him from thinking about his past.


    Anfey never smoked before, but he really wanted to do it right now. There were millions of stars in the sky. Where was his hometown? If the world where he was right now was parallel to the space he was in before, it would be boring and pointless to study the stars in the sky.


    "Ernest, why did you turn down Saul¡¯s invitation? Don¡¯t you know what you did could make King Ynthe mad at you?" Bruzuryano asked.


    "I just do not want to go. It was not about turning him down," Ernest said slowly.


    "You! Ernest, why are you always so stubborn. I think, besides King Ynthe, no other kings would bear with you," Bruzuryano was loud enough that Anfey could hear him upstairs, and the bodyguards passing by probably could hear him as well. Anfey smiled. He knew what message Bruzuryano was trying to send to Ernest. Suddenly, Anfey felt tired and annoyed. He closed his eyes as he slowly took a deep breath. In his previous world, Anfey his biggest fears weren¡¯t fake information or how good his opponents. He most feared that there would be something wrong with him mentally. He could handle fake information or fighting skillful opponents with the umted experience and improved fighting ability. However, if he had mental damage, it would be hard to notice. Anfey was a secret patient of three the most experienced and famous psychologists in the world and liked to read psychology books himself.


    People could mentally get tired, so could they get tired of love, career, or even video games. There was a time Anfey did not even want to open the family game web browser. Anfey had those depressing days, but struggled out of it very quickly.


    Right now, Anfey was tired of these political dramas. He did not have an easy life these days. Whether it was Bruzuryano or nbrea. Neither of them were easy to understand. There were deeper meanings in what they did. Anfey had to get what they really meant before he could befortable around them. He would be taken advantage of until he got the hang of it. Right now he was about to meet Ynthe. It was going to be a monumental moment. No matter what, he should not have this tired feeling.


    It was normal to feel tired, but it also showed a sickness and abnormality. Natural selection and survival of the fittest showed the true nature of society. Being motivated and energetic were the basic skills for humans who wanted to be the fittest in the society. Without these two basic skills, no matter how powerful a person could be, he would go down eventually. Anfey recognized it so he looked down upon the philosophy in Buddhism. Buddhism originated in India, but the followers of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, could not survive there. The poprity of Buddhism in China was only because the upper sses needed the philosophy in Buddhism to reduce people¡¯s aggression.


    When Anfey opened his eyes again, Anfey felt the sky had lost its mysteries, even though the sky was the same as before. Visually, stars were just twinkling lights. The sky had not changed, but Anfey¡¯s mood had changed. The wonders happened under the sky, not in the sky.


    "Is there anything bothering you?" Ernest¡¯s voice came from behind.


    "Not anymore," Anfey smiled.


    "Do you miss home?" Ernest asked.


    "This is my home," Anfey said.


    "It will be great if you really think that way," Ernest said.


    "It seems that nobody is sleeping well." Anfey changed the topic. Anfey saw Niya passing by. She had been walking around so manyps, but had not felt tired yet.


    "You are young. I can understand it." Ernestughed. "If it were me, I would have fallen asleep, sound sleep."


    "Oh, right, Uncle Ernest, did you get your training in the Country of Mercenaries?" Anfey asked.


    "Me?" Ernest dragged out the vowel. He looked like he was recalling old times.


    "Of course. Master Ernest had a famous nickname too," Entos¡¯ voice rose.


    "Oh? What nickname?" Anfey was suddenly intrigued.


    Ernest cleared his throat to try to signal Entos to stop talking about it.


    "A long time ago, when Master Ernest was young, he liked to fight for justice." Entos cautiously moved behind Anfey as he talked. "He liked to question others: ¡®You¡¯d better ask if my sword would agree or not,¡¯ so..."


    "Shut your mouth!" Ernest yelled.


    "Actually even if I do not tell him, Anfey would find out about it anyways." Entos shrugged. "Anfey, did you ever mention Master Ernest in the Country of Mercenaries?"


    "No." Anfey shook his head. Back then, he did not know how to keep a lower profile in the Country of Mercenaries. There was no reason for Anfey to talk about a top power all at the time.


    "Too bad, too bad," Entos sighed. "You missed some amazing stuff."


    Anfey looked at Ernest and smiled. He did not know Ernest had acted so impulsively when he was young.


    "Entos, what are you doing up here?" Ernest said in a pissy tone.


    Actually there was only about seven years difference between Ernest and Entos. When Ernest left the Country of Mercenaries, young Entos just started his own training there. He had heard so many stories about Ernest.


    "I just learned about something about the Country of Mercenaries. I am quite happy about it so I want to share the news with someone," Entos said.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "Anthony has led Glory mercenary group and Tiger of Tawau mercenary group for their fight." Entos¡¯ smiles looked cunning. His whiskers were moving upwards as he talked. He just looked like a bad guy in a movie.


    "How about Band of Brothers and Storm mercenary groups?" Anfey knew Entos must know some information behind the scenes because he was a vicemander in Band of Brothers mercenary group.


    "This is their personal revenge between Anthony and Mourtta. It has nothing to do with us. We could just watch them," Entos said.


    Anfey was shocked. "But..."


    From the way Mourtta and Hotchbini interacted with each other, Anfey had noticed this couple wanted to drag other mercenary groups under the water. The bait they tossed at other mercenary groups was pretty hard to turn down. Mourtta and Hotchibini would rather destroy the most powerful Glory mercenary group than share the benefits with four other mercenary groups. Everybody wanted to maximize their profits. The ims from Band of Brothers and Storm mercenary groups meant they wanted to take action as well. Anfey did not think Entos was in the mood to watch them fight.


    "Is it weird? It should not be weird." Entos smiled. "Anfey, what kind of people do you think Mourtta and Hotchibini are?"


    "They have wonderful leadership qualities. They are aggressive leaders." Anfey did not know much about Mourtta and Hotchibini. He could only give thisment.


    "Why has Tiger of Tawau mercenary group been ranked NO. 4 among other mercenary groups," Entos asked.


    "Well..." Anfey said.


    "Mourtta always looked silly in front of others. No one falls for that." Entos snorted. "Hotchibini is nobody special. She is just a sprite, a ve who serves their master with her beauty. How could she have so much influence in the Country of Mercenaries without Mourtta¡¯s support? The first few reforms were appropriate and helped get rid of the bad traditions in Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. A female ve could not learn everything about mercenary groups so quickly. The so-called reforms were Mourtta¡¯s ideas!"


    Anfey¡¯s jaw dropped when he heard this.


    "No matter how hard Mourtta tried, his mercenary has been ranked the NO. 4, which means others are not stupid," Entos said slowly. "I could not deny Hotchibini is a capable sprite and has a good reputation in the Country of Mercenaries. At critical moments, no one could win a battle with a good reputation, only with good fighting ability. What Anthony has could totally change Hotchibini and Mourtta into nobodies. Their reputations and fake stupidity would be crushed as well."


    "Three mercenary groups? That would still be too many. It might only two big mercenary groups left. My guess is the Storm mercenary group is thinking the same way."


    Anfey felt something and started to fear Ynthe, who was far from him in the pce. "If themanders of the mercenary groups were so sophisticated and cunning, Ynthe would be worse. Would the lies I fabricated fool Ynthe?" he thought to himself.

 Chapter 282: Scoundrel

    Chapter 282: Scoundrel


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Just then, everyone heard a snort from below. It wasn¡¯t hard to tell it was from Bruzuryano.


    Entos lifted his brow and stroked his chin. He blinked a few times, as if thinking, then nodded slowly.


    "It seems like Lord Bruzuryano is upset," Anfey said slowly.


    "It¡¯s not hard to understand why. Druids are rted to elves. I want to be rted to elves too, but it seems that they do not like me," Entos said with a smirk. "Lord Bruzuryano, are you telling me that Hotchbini isn¡¯t an easy opponent?"


    Bruzuryano did not say anything. Instead, he mmed his window shut.


    Entos sighed and shook his head. "The great druid, the Guardian of the Goddess of Nature, seems to think we aren¡¯t worth his time." Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he turned to Anfey and said, "By the way, you should go check on that girl. I heard her crying when I wasing up."


    "Really?" Anfey asked, frowning. Suzanna had always been strong, not only physically, but also emotionally. He had never seen Suzanna cry. She did not even cry after she had received severe injuries after killing the manticore. Why would she cry now?


    "You better go talk to her," Entos said quietly. "Communication is the key to a healthy rtionship. Or else you would..." Entos¡¯s voice trailed off. He closed his eyes and shook his head.


    Anfey did not understand Entos¡¯s words, but Ernest did. He let out a long sigh and shook his head like Entos.


    "Go ahead," Entos said, nudging Anfey on the shoulder. "I have to go. I have a new discovery."


    "New discovery? What is it?" Anfey asked. Entos had already disappeared, however, and Anfey did not know if he had heard him.


    "Go," Ernest said. "I need some rest as well."


    ¡ª


    Anfey hesitated when he saw the light peeking through the gap under the door. He took a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked inside. Usually, this was extremely rude, since themon courtesy was to knock and receive permission before entering. However, neither Anfey nor Suzanna cared much aboutmon courtesy. They were close enough to consider themselves a single unit, so Anfey knew Suzanna wouldn¡¯t mind.


    Maybe it was because Suzanna was too preupied, or maybe it was because Anfey hadn¡¯t announced himself, he went into the room just in time to see Suzanna wiping her eyes.


    "Why don¡¯t we go and explore the city?" Anfey asked as he walked over. He pretended not to see Suzanna wiping her face and focused his attention on a candle on the table.


    "I¡¯m a bit tired," Suzanna said. "I don¡¯t want to move. Why aren¡¯t you resting?"


    "Can¡¯t sleep," Anfey said. He snuffed out the candle and plunged the room into darkness. The only light source became the pale moonlight. "Suzanna, are you homesick?"


    "Just a bit."


    "Just a bit?" Anfey asked, moving closer to her.


    Suzanna nodded but did not say anything else.


    "Come here," Anfey said, reaching over. He touched her cheeks gently and found his fingers wet. "Were you crying?"


    "No," Suzanna said, turning her face away. "Anfey, what happened on the way? Why don¡¯t I have any recollection of it? You were all looking at me weird, too. What happened?"


    "nbrea tried to control you," Anfey said. "He let an angel possess you." Anfey decided to tell Suzanna the truth. Entos was right. He could not keep the secret away from her forever. Sooner orter he would slip. It was better to tell Suzanna now than to hide it from her.


    "What?" Suzanna frowned and asked.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "It¡¯s all over." Anfey caressed Suzanna¡¯s tear-stained cheeks gently and smiled. "Did you just say you weren¡¯t crying?"


    "No, tell me," Suzanna said, backing away from Anfey¡¯s hand. "Tell me exactly what happened." She lost her memory of that time, which meant that the memories were traumatic and she had already suppressed them. Did she attack anyone during that time? She felt the question weighing down on her like a boulder.


    "nbrea wanted to control you. Master Saul severely injured him. He was already dying anyway, so I took the opportunity and killed him."


    "What about me? What was I doing?"


    "You were kept away by Ernest."


    "Did I hurt anyone?"


    "Look around," Anfey said with a smile. "Everyone¡¯s safe."


    Suzanna sighed with relief. "I can¡¯t believe it," she whispered, shaking her head.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let it happen again," Anfey said as he sat down on the bed.


    "What are you doing?" Suzanna asked, lifting an eyebrow.


    "I¡¯m talking to you. It¡¯s been so long."


    "What do you want to talk about, then?"


    "About you. Your childhood. I want to know more about you," Anfey said, grinning.


    "It¡¯s nothing interesting," Suzanna said, shaking her head. Thankfully, the room was dark enough to hide her blushing. She was a terrible liar.


    "Do you not trust me?" Anfey asked. Here in Sacred City, the only person he could tease was Suzanna. Everyone else was so much better than he was and they could all see through his lies easily.


    "Fine," Suzanna said with a sigh. "But you have to tell me about you, as well."


    "Me? My story is boring."


    "It seems like you don¡¯t trust me, either."


    Anfey smiled and shook his head. "Alright. Well, I¡¯m an orphan and this weird old man adopted me when I was young. I still don¡¯t know what his name was. He never told me and I never asked. He told me that I had potential and that I should be a swordsman."


    "Then?" Suzanna asked, curious. They all knew that Anfey¡¯s teacher was a man who had entered the sacred state. For Suzanna, nothing was more interesting than that man.


    "I was azy child. I didn¡¯t like swords. It¡¯s too much work, you see, so I always found excuses to go and y. He¡¯s good, though. No matter where I went, he could always find me."


    Suzanna shook her head at his stupidity. "You are a fool," she said. She would give everything to study under a man that had entered the sacred state. If Anfey had studied then, he would be so much stronger now.


    "Then Yagor came to my vige one day and he took me to his ind," Anfey continued. "I lived on that ind for a few years with Yagor and his other charges. Yagor died in an ident. I met Master Saul after that and left the ind."


    "That¡¯s it?"


    "Yes," Anfey said with a smile. He reached for her and draped his arm around her shoulder. "Then I met you." Suzanna frowned. She grabbed his hand and yanked it off of her shoulder.


    Anfey grunted. His fingers were already injured, and Suzanna¡¯s grip was too strong. Of course, he wasn¡¯t in that much pain. It was mostly an act.


    "What? Are you alright?" Suzanna asked hurriedly.


    "You don¡¯t know? I hurt my fingers."


    "No," Suzanna gasped. "Did it hurt?"


    "What do you think?" Anfey asked. He stood up and walked towards Suzanna. Suzanna thought he was angry and was going to leave, so she was surprised when he pulled her up from the chair and wrapped his arm around her waist. He walked back to the bed and sat down, his arm still around her waist.


    He did not tease her any longer, however, and let her go after a few moments.


    "You should go rest," Suzanna said. "I don¡¯t want anyone to see us."


    "I¡¯m not leaving until you tell me more," Anfey said stubbornly.


    "Fine," Suzanna said, shaking her head. Suzanna knew that Anfey was teasing her, but she didn¡¯t care. Anfey grinned.


    Suzanna took a deep breath and said, "I¡¯m not like you. I love the sword more than anything, and I can endure anything as long as I can be a swordsman. It¡¯s been like this since I was a young girl."

 Chapter 283: Justice and Favors

    Chapter 283: Justice and Favors


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Suzanna, hurry up, I will take you there soon. Huh!" Niya suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream.


    Suzanna¡¯s body trembled a bit and the blush spread all over her face and neck. She kept her eyes closed because she was afraid of facing Niya at this moment.


    "Stop, stop!" Anfey looked up and said impatiently.


    "You!" Niya pointed her finger right at Anfey with her eyes wide open. Niya felt like she caught him right on spot. She thought he should feel terrible. A rogue was not scary, but a shameless rogue who thought he had all the rights made others feel helpless.


    "It is really rude to interrupt others¡¯ sleep. Don¡¯t you know that. Get out now!" Anfey yelled.


    "You!" Niya felt so helpless. She paused for a second before she stomped on the floor and rushed out, blushing.


    Suzanna did not open her eyes until she heard the sound of the door. After making sure that there was no one else besides Anfey, she turned around and pushed him hard. "It¡¯s all your fault."


    "Why are you ming me? It was you telling such a beautiful storyst night." Anfey sat up smiling. "I fell asleep to your story. Why did you not wake me up?" Anfey asked.


    "Are you giving mepliments now?" Suzanna did not know if she shouldugh or cry. "How could I wake you up? You were sleeping so soundly."


    "You¡¯re right. I have not slept so well for a long time." Anfey was reassuring Suzanna that she had treated him well. What he implied was obvious. If there was a next time, she should not wake him up then either.


    "But, what should I do now?" Suzanna said sadly in a quiet voice. Her face got redder. She had held hands and hugged Anfey, but had never slept with him before. Now she had been caught sleeping with Anfey. If this news spread everywhere, she would be too embarrassed to see anyone. Even though nothing really happened, no one else would believe it. Neither could she exin it to others.


    "Do what you have to do." Anfey jumped off the bed. He shook his gown to try to get rid of some wrinkles. "You should get ready for breakfast."


    "I am not going out!" Suzanna firmly shook her head.


    "Hurry up. Don¡¯t let the professor wait for us. It is rude." Anfey held his hand out to pull Suzanna up.


    "No, I am not going." Suzanna retreated back to the end of the bed. "Anfey, what should I do? They will make fun of me."


    "So what if they find out we slept together? Everybody knows you are my fianc. They all know us as well. They would not make fun of you," Anfey said gently. "Be good, sweetie. Hurry up. Do you want the professor toe to see us?"


    Anfey¡¯s final sentence was pretty effective. When Suzanna heard Saul mighte, she stopped resisting. She stared at Anfey and suddenly asked, "Anfey, do you really want to marry me?" Suzanna was trying to find an excuse to ept what happened the previous night. Anfey had treated her as his fianc and was never shy of letting anyone know about it. However, he had never officially proposed to her. She had been waiting for Anfey to propose to her someday. Now that everybody knew they had "slept together," she had to find a definite answer to give her courage to walk out the door.


    "Why are you saying this?" Anfey put on a serious face and asked in a slightly mad tone.


    Suzanna felt like she had been struck and her heart dropped. She felt as cold as if she was in an ice cave. She did not understand why a man would want to do everything for her but harshly refused to marry her. Was everything a lie?


    "I should ask you that." Anfey had a big smile on his face. He asked gently, "Suzanna, will you marry me? From this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. We will love each other and cherish each other from today."


    "You are so bad!" Going from extreme sadness to extreme happiness, Suzanna threw herself into Anfey¡¯s arms in joyful tears. She put her face against Anfey¡¯s warm chest as she yfully punched Anfey on his chest. "You are so bad, so bad!"


    "You have not answered me yet," Anfey said, smiling.


    Suzanna stopped punching and looked Anfey in the eye.


    "Will you marry me?" Anfey asked.


    "Ye...s," Suzanna answered in a such quiet voice that it sounded like mosquitoes flying.


    "I did not hear you. Can you say it louder?" Anfey sounded like a trainer in a military camp, which really did not fit the situation.


    "You are so bad!" Suzanna yfullyined.


    "I will ask the professor to host our wedding." Anfey stopped joking around. He gently rubbed Suzanna¡¯s back. "On our wedding day, you will be the most shining star. Think about it, who will be attending our wedding? Uncle Ernest, Miorich, Bruzuryano, Dean Steger, all top powers!" After thinking about it, Anfey felt like he was doing well in this world. He had connected with so many top powers.


    "I do not care about them," Suzanna said.


    "Who do you care about then?" Anfey asked.


    Suzanna shyly rubbed against Anfey¡¯s chest. She had courage to face dangers and challenges, but had no courage to tell Anfey, "It¡¯s you." Sometimes a word could mean so much.


    "I will find a time to talk to the professor about our wedding soon," Anfey said. "You¡¯d better get ready and not let them wait too long." Anfey let go of Suzanna¡¯s hand and left the room.


    "Anfey!" Suzanna sounded very worried. "What if the professor does not like me?"


    "You are so cute. How could anyone not like you?" Anfey winked


    When Anfey walked into the dining room, Saul was sitting in his seat. He smiled at Anfey and signaled Anfey to take a seat next to him, which he had saved for Anfey. After a while, Suzanna slowly walked appropriately dressed under the guise of a servant. She did not have many clothes. She had bought this blue pleated dress at Violet City. Unlike Niya, Suzanna liked simple and casual styles. She looked adorable with her long hair. Her smooth and light colored neck looked delicate under the blue dress. She looked nervous and walked with her head down.


    She took a seat next Anfey. Suzanna finally plucked her courage and decided to look up to greet everyone, but she noticed she had already gotten everyone¡¯s attention. She was shocked and put her head down even further. All of her courage was gone.


    "I think Anfey has better eyes than me," Saul said with a smile.


    "Thank you. You taught me well," Anfey said.


    Even Ernest could not help smiling. Saul expressed his affection towards Suzanna by giving Anfeypliments. Anfey¡¯s responses were surprising.


    Suzanna understood what Saul implied and felt lucky. Her experience and her suffering had made her a person who was not good at socializing. Suzanna¡¯s past was all about being away from people and focusing on training. Her social skills were not like those of stubborn and spoiled Niya. When she heard Saul¡¯spliments, she still had her head down and said nothing.


    "In fact, you have good eyes too," Bruzuryano said jealously as heid his eyes on Anfey. Except for the secrets Anfey had, his social ability and fighting ability were tops among young people. Saul should be really happy to have found a student like Anfey.


    Saul smiled and gently picked up a spoon as he asked casually, "Anfey, are you going to the pce with meter?"


    "Me?" Anfey was a little shocked.


    "Yes, it is a big deal to be bestowed a royal title. What you achieved was made public. There are many officials who were against giving you such a high-ranking title. They probably will ask you many questions. You¡¯d better be prepared for it," Saul said quietly.


    "Should I not go?"Anfey had a bitter face. "I have nothing to say to those people."


    "Hmm, ok." Saul hesitated for a second before he nodded. "I was worried that you would leave some traces they could useter against you if you could not give good answers. Avoiding them is one possibility. After Miorich¡¯s official document arrives, it will be easy to grant you a royal title. Even they wanted to protest, with an official document, they just could not."


    "I am sorry for these troubles," Anfey said. "In fact, I do not care about the royal title. If those people are fighting hard..."


    "They could argue whatever they want to, we will still be ourselves. I do not have favorites. I only want justice. If anyone is against you, I would suggest the king send them to the front line in the east and see how much courage they would have in front of Griffin Aerial Unit," Saul said slowly.


    "Are you still saying you are not favoring anyone?" Bruzuryano could not help rolling his eyes. If things really happened as Saul said, it would be a mess. If anyone was against war, should that person be sent to the war? If anyone wanted to abolish very, should the person be sent to be a ve?


    "As I said, I just want justice," Saul said firmly. He looked at Anfey. "Anfey, what are you nning to do for the next couple of days?"


    "I n to go to Sacred City magic academy. Professor, after getting trained for a long time, I noticed the foundation of my magic is not good. Without systematic study, I will be slow to develop my magic in the future," Anfey said.


    "Good, good." Saul kept nodding. He hoped Anfey could practice magic hard. He was an archmagi. If his student became the top swordsman, it would be embarrassing for him. "Anfey, I will take you somewhere after breakfast."


    "Professor, I said I do not want to go to the pce." Anfey was shocked.


    "I did not say I would take you to the pce," Saul said, looking a little weird.

 Chapter 284: Wheel

    Chapter 284: Wheel


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Countless robes, magic wands, and magic books were returned to their original ces. The flowing air, like thousands of unseen hands, held the magic scrolls and set them down in their ces gently. Saul dispersed the wind elements after all the scrolls had returned to their ces. He looked around the chamber, his eyes filled with joy.


    He did not care for the armor and the weapons and he could always make more scrolls. The magic books, on the other hand, were the result of decades of effort. They recorded all of Saul¡¯s research and findings. For Saul, the books were priceless.


    "Seems like something¡¯s missing," Saul said, frowning.


    "Ah, it must be this," Anfey said, retrieving the Vacuum Confinement Scroll from his dimensional ring.


    Saul smiled and epted the scroll. "I don¡¯t have much use for this anymore," Saul said, looking at the scroll. "Neither can it do much for you. If you be magister one day, you may get one for yourself."


    "I can? Can I choose?"


    "What do you want now?"


    Anfey looked at the magic books. He agreed with Saul. He could find robes, wands, and scrolls by himself, but knowledge and experience left behind by an archmage was invaluable.


    "Can you understand any of these?" Saul asked, smiling.


    "No," Anfey admitted. "That¡¯s why I want to go to magic school to study and catch up." When he was on the run, Anfey had often flipped through the books. However, he was only a beginner and could hardly understand them. It was like a person who had never drawn anything trying to draw aplex picture the first time he drew.


    "I see," Saul said, nodding. "Steger¡¯s not back yet, but that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure you can qualify to enter the academy now. How do you want to study? Do you want private lessons? Or do you want to go to sses like normal students?" Studying with private tutors was something normal students could never imagine. For Saul, it was as easy as saying a few words.


    "Wouldn¡¯t going to sses like normal students be too slow?"


    "Don¡¯t worry about time. Are you worried about Violet City?" Saul paused and sighed. "I knew what happened with the marquis there. But the situation here is a littleplicated. You¡¯d bettery low for a bit. It¡¯s not wise for you to return to Violet City, either."


    "Are you talking about Prince Wester, Master Saul?" Anfey didn¡¯t have to pretend to be an innocent youth anymore. Saul already knew what he was capable of, so there was no need to hide.


    Saul nodded, concerned. He was a good friend of Ynthe¡¯s, but there were things outside his jurisdiction. He did not want to give the impression that he was trying to influence Ynthe¡¯s decisions.


    "I see," Anfey said, frowning.


    Saul sighed. He knew that no matter how healthy Ynthe was, he had to step aside and let the younger generation take center stage after this crisis. It was the natural flow of things, and even kings could not stop it. The younger generation was always eager to join the political stage even if the older generations were still on the stage. If the older generations were too reluctant to step aside, it would often create a divide between the young and the old. The wheel turns, and the older generations would slowly be reced by the young. Ynthe, Saul, even Miorich were all part of this wheel. The younger generation would be stronger and stronger until theypletely reced their predecessors. Determining the heir to the throne was only the first step. Conflicts were sure to follow. Saul sighed and couldn¡¯t help but long for his younger days.


    "Master Saul, the gold..."


    Saul shook his head. He did not want to talk about the gold. He never cared for it, anyway.


    ¡ª


    Ever since Doris showed him the quiet ce in the woods, Anfey had fallen in love with it. The noises of the school and the students were blocked by the trees. Combined with shrubs and the small ponds, the small grove was a small world of its own.


    Right now, the grove was not empty. Three girls sat under a tree and were talking andughing. Judging from their clothing, they were students from the school.


    Anfey ignored them and sat down under a nearby tree. He found the book he was reading earlier and resumed his reading. Perhaps it was because Saul had talked to the school already, Anfey was weed warmly by the teachers when he arrived with Christian. However, since Anfey did not want to waste time on small talk, he only spoke a few words with the teachers. After learning that the intermediate sses were cancelled for the day, he went directly to the library. If the sses were cancelled, he was content to learn by himself. He was confident in his learning ability.


    Anfey¡¯s presence clearly interrupted the girls¡¯ conversation. The girls nced at each other, then one of them walked over and stood in front of him.


    Anfey ignored her and kept reading. He was reading very fast, since he was only picking out the important points. If he read every single line, it would take him months to finish the book.


    "Didn¡¯t your mother tell you that it¡¯s rude to ignore people?" the young girl asked.


    "This is so creepy," another girl said. "Trying to get to know us this way."


    Anfey did not lift his head. He raised a hand and flicked his wrist. His meaning was clear: go away, leave me alone. There were women that were too beautiful to be real, like Suzanna. There were also men who could keep their hearts locked for one woman, like Anfey. The three girls were beautiful, but they were nothingpared to Suzanna. Even if they couldpete with Suzanna, Anfey still did not care. He just wanted to read in peace.


    "You..." The girl was growing angry.


    A slim figure appeared through the trees and stood next to Anfey.


    "What are you doing here?" Anfey asked, looking up.


    "Christian said you are here," Suzanna said with a smile.


    "Did something happen?"


    "Nothing."


    "You miss me, then?"


    Suzanna looked away from Anfey. Anfey liked teasing her, but she did not mind. Nor did his remarks embarrass her as much as they had in the beginning.


    The girls saw Suzanna¡¯s senior swordsmaster badge and fell quiet. Top level powers were rare, but so were senior level swordsmasters. Even among the teachers, there were only a few that achieved the senior rank. They thought the badge must be fake.


    The mage and the swordsmaster made a peculiarbination.


    Another girl frowned and walked up to join the first.


    "What is it?" Suzanna look up and asked. Even though the girls were not friendly, Suzanna¡¯s voice was very gentle. She was not a bloodthirsty warrior, and the only reason she fought was because she had to. If the girls had weapons, Suzanna would not hesitate to draw her sword. She could not justify attacking three unarmed young girls.


    "Who are you? This is a magic academy. What are you doing in here?"


    "I¡¯m a student in the academy. Why can¡¯t Ie here?"


    "You are? I have never seen you before."


    "I have never seen you, either. What is your point?"


    Suzanna poked Anfey¡¯s arm. Be quiet, she mouthed. Then she turned to the girls and said, "He is new. Just joined today, in fact. That is why you have never seen him."


    "I see," the girl said. "In the junior ss, I presume?"


    "Yes," Suzanna said before Anfey could make another remark. "Are the three of you students as well? I¡¯m Suzanna. Nice to meet you."


    If the girls were just talking to Anfey, his attitude might have provoked them into an argument. However, Suzanna¡¯s attitude made it hard for them tosh out against her. The girl red at Anfey and said, "Never mind. We¡¯ll go. This isn¡¯t worth our time." She shook Suzanna¡¯s hand and said, "Betty. Nice to meet you."


    Anfey flipped a page and looked up from the book. Seeing that the girls had already left, he moved over to let Suzanna sit down next to him. "I thought you didn¡¯t like smiles."


    Suzanna rolled her eyes. "Did you already forget what Master Saul said? You¡¯re not just here to learn magic. You need to make friends, develop awork. You will never make friends like this."

 Chapter 285: Little Devil

    Chapter 285: Little Devil


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey¡¯s life suddenly had be very simple since he started school. The only two ces he would go were the academy and Saul¡¯s home. However, his workload had increased. He began reading through books on the basics of magic. He had found so many books that, should he stack them up in a pile, they would tower over him. Even though he was far from memorizing everything in the books, he was already familiar with a few major points. He was trying to umte as much knowledge as possible in preparation for his future sses.


    After Steger returned to Sacred City, he changed the policies at the academy. He picked out the best students and created three elite sses. Anfey was put in the intermediate elite ss.


    After two sses, Anfey realized that his thought process was often faster than the professor¡¯s in ss. However, he knew he had to stay in sses because the teachers would often talk about their own experiences with practicing a certain spell. These experiences were not recorded in books, and Anfey had no way of knowing them unless he sat through the ss.


    Since he was often bored in ss, he began bringing books to the ss. If he liked the professor, he would listen while he read. The professors did not care much about what he did, and his ssmates were all too attentive to notice that he wasn¡¯t.


    A lot of students soon noticed that Anfey was always apanied by a young woman. When he was in ss, the young woman would sit outside and meditate. When he was in between sses, she would always be by his side. When the day was over, they would leave together, chatting andughing. Everyone could tell that they were very much in love. Some people were envious, but everyone chose to remain silent after learning who Anfey was. Not only was he someone who had outstanding aplishments during the recent war, he was a student of the archmage Saul. Of course, the main reason most people chose to stay away was Suzanna¡¯s senior swordsmaster badge. Most students were still too inexperienced and knew better than try to flirt with a girl with a senior swordsmaster badge.


    On this particr day, Anfey knew that he did not need to go to his two morning sses. Both professors tended to teach exactly what was in the books and rarely talked about their own experiences. Instead of going, he chose to stay home and take notes. He finished around noon, and left with Suzanna. However, they both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw a line of carriages in front of the mansion.


    vi, Riska, Sante, and the other students were all standing next to the carriages, staring at the mansion with gaping mouths. Like Niya, their faces were filled with excitement and delight.


    "Sister!" Shally jumped out of the carriage and dashed towards Suzanna.


    Another creature jumped out after Shally and dashed towards Anfey. The unicorn ran into Anfey, sending him stumbling backwards so he needed to regain his bnce. The unicorn fell over onto the ground. However, a collision like this was more like a game to the unicorn and could not harm it. It jumped up and bounced towards Anfey again.


    Anfey jumped aside to avoid a second collision, then grabbed the unicorn¡¯s mane and pulled it towards him. "Calm down," he said, patting the unicorn¡¯s head. "Thank god you don¡¯t have your horn yet." He shuddered at the memory of the fight between the unicorn and the manticore.


    "I missed you so, sister!" Shally cried, hugging Suzanna.


    "I missed you as well," Suzanna said with tears in her eyes. Even though Saul had told her that the carriages had not encountered any danger, she could only rx when she saw with her own eyes that her sister was safe.


    "Anfey," Riska greeted him with a smile.


    "Is everyone here?"


    "Yes."


    "That¡¯s good," Anfey said, smiling. "Where¡¯s Lord Miorich?"


    "He went to the pce."


    "Who¡¯s back? Who¡¯s back?" Niya hurried out of the mansion and asked.


    "Everyone," Anfey said with a smile. "Come on, let¡¯s go inside."


    Everyone was excited to finally return home. Their experience hadpletely changed them. Normally, people who leave home to expand their experience would begin with easier tasks. No one would start with difficult responsibilities the way they had. They were constantly straddling the line between life and death, and were therefore much more experienced than their peers.


    The butler ordered the servants to bring food so they could catch up while snacking. Riska talked about what happened after Anfey, Suzanna, Niya, and Christian left, and Anfey talked about the encounter with the necromancers. However, he hid the truth about how nbrea died. He trusted his friends, but he knew that it was better if they did not know the truth.


    Shally swallowed a piece of cake and wiped her hands on a piece of towel. She sat up straight and tugged on Riska¡¯s shirt.


    "Oh, yes. We had some trouble on the way, but we solved it thanks to Shally."


    "What happened?"


    "It¡¯s the unicorn," Riska said, shaking his head. "We can¡¯t control it. Don¡¯t ever leave that thing with us again."


    Anfey looked down at the unicorn. High tier magic beasts were smarter than normal ones, but not smart enough to immediately understand humans. It put two of its front legs on a small table and was reaching for the cakes. However, Anfey kept it tightly by his side and the unicorn could not reach the food.


    "Without Shally, we would never have been able to tame that thing without harming it," vi said, grinning at Shally.


    Shally was grinning as well, even though she was clearly trying to conceal her emotions.


    "What did it do?" Anfey asked, surprised.


    "What didn¡¯t it do?" Riska asked, shaking his head. "It disturbed the order, harmed others, attacked other animals, harassed women...and that is just the tip of the iceberg!"


    "It harassed people?"


    "You know what Mambo territory is famous for? Hot springs. The night we got to Mambo, it escaped somehow. We didn¡¯t realize it until the guards came to fetch us. It made a scene at a hot spring and injured one of thedies there," Riska said, shaking his head.


    "It even stole one of thedies¡¯ clothes," vi said, frowning. "It was so embarrassing."


    "You did all this?" Anfey asked the unicorn.


    The unicorn, who could not understand him, nodded happily.


    "How embarrassing," Anfey said with a frown and whacked the unicorn on the head gently.


    "Not for you," Riska said, rolling his eyes. "We were the ones that had to apologize when it was your fault."


    The door was suddenly pushed open and Saul and Christian appeared. Everyone hurriedly stood up and called in unison, "Master Saul." A lot of the young ones even began tearing up. Most of them had left home when they were too young to study with Saul, and Saul was like a father to them. Just the sight of him was enough to make them excited and happy.


    "Sit, sit, you all must be tired," Saul said with a smile. "How was the trip?"


    "It was good, Master. Lord Miorich took good care of us."


    "Good, good. Now I can finally rx," Saul said, sitting down on the chair Christian pulled out for him. He was tearing up as well. "It¡¯s been a long time. It wasn¡¯t right sitting here by myself. It¡¯s good to have you all back."


    "I apologize, Master Saul," Riska said, lowering his head. "We made you worry."


    "Worry..." Saul repeated, then smiled. "It¡¯s alright. You all did well. You made me proud. I will always be proud of you."


    Everyone fell silent, unsure of what to say.


    "Are you Archmage Saul?" Shally suddenly asked, breaking the silence.


    "Yes," Saul said. "You must be Shally."


    "You know my name?" Shally asked, surprised. "I want to study with you, my lord. Can I study with you?"


    Suzanna frowned. She did not know who taught Shally to say that. Plus, her question was too blunt.

 Chapter 286: Wishes

    Chapter 286: Wishes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Shally!" Suzanna scolded. When picking a student, an archmage was always extremely careful. The decision was made without any distraction. One bad student would bring shame to the teacher and cause others to doubt the teacher¡¯s ability. Of course, archmages taking students as a favor was not unheard of, but neither Suzanna nor Anfey was important enough to make an archmage bend to their will.


    "You want to learn magic? That should not be a problem," Saul said with a smile.


    "Really?" Shally asked incredulously. She wasn¡¯t sure if she could trust such a quick answer. "Can I really study magic? With you? But I¡¯m even worse than Anfey." Shally was still a child and she didn¡¯t realize Saul said only that she could learn magic, not that she could learn with him.


    Saul¡¯s other students looked at the young girl, then they all burst intoughter. Anfey sighed and shook his head. It was no secret that he was the weakest out of all of Saul¡¯s students, but Shally didn¡¯t have to say it out loud.


    "Trust me, he was even worse than you when he first came to me," Saul said, smiling.


    "So I¡¯m better than him?" Shally asked hopefully.


    "Yes," Saul said, nodding. "You are better than him." He looked up and saw Suzanna¡¯s anxious expression. He looked at Shally, then smiled. "It seems like you will have a new sister from now on," Saul said, turning to Christian. At first, Saul did not want to take a new student, but he changed his mind.


    "She already is, Master," Christian said with a grin on his face.


    "They are all very good to me, my lord," Shally said happily.


    "Shally," Anfey said quietly, "it¡¯s not my lord anymore. He is your teacher now."


    "Really?" Shally asked, her eyes wide.


    "If you still want to," Saul said gently.


    "Shally, quick, say thank you," Suzanna said, nudging Shally forward. She did not expect Saul to agree to take Shally as a student, but she was very grateful.


    "Thank you, Master Saul," Shally chirped happily. She turned and grabbed Suzanna¡¯s arm and said, "I can protect you now too, sister!"


    Suzanna smiled, stroking Shally¡¯s hair. She did not say anything. Bing the student of a powerful mage was only the first step in a long journey to be a senior mage. She had already spent so many years practicing. She knew the hardship on the road to be powerful.


    Ernest walked into the room. He nced around the room as the students stood to greet him.


    Ernest nodded at them and turned to Suzanna. "Suzanna, where have you beentely?"


    "Me?" Suzanna asked, confused. "I was with Anfey," she said after a few seconds.


    "You¡¯re a swordsmaster. What are you doing at the magic academy?" Ernest asked, frowning. "Starting today, stay here and practice with me."


    "Yes, sir," Suzanna said.


    "You have it all figured out, don¡¯t you?" Saul asked, smiling.


    "You could say that," Ernest said.


    Ernest was not hard to understand. At first nce, he may have seemed arrogant and driven by his emotions, but that was the furthest possible thing from the truth. Ernest did not like speaking, and he always tried to say what he wanted using as few words as possible.


    "Well, congrattions, then," Saul said.


    "It¡¯s a little early for that."


    "What will happen with her?"


    "I don¡¯t know," Ernest said, frowning. "That¡¯s why I¡¯m worried."


    "Suzanna," Saul said, turning to Suzanna. "Listen to Ernest. You should stop going to the academy. I know you may worry about Anfey, but you see, trust is very important. Don¡¯t worry about that."


    "That¡¯s not..." Suzanna exined quickly, blushing.


    "Are you worried that he will get hurt? Don¡¯t worry about that, either. As long as he is in Sacred City, I can assure his safety," Saul said, standing up. "Anfey,e with me. I have to talk to you." Saul¡¯s eyes fell onto the unicorn next to Anfey. "So this is the unicorn I¡¯ve been hearing about."


    Ernest turned around as well. Unicorns were rare. Ernest had encountered a few in the past, but he knew that he wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat one, so he had left the animals alone. Unicorns were too fast, and if a unicorn wanted to run, Ernest could never catch up to it. If a unicorn was willing to fight, the consequences would be too great. The Forest of Death was a dangerous ce, and even if Ernest could defeat the unicorn, he would be injured and could be easily killed by other enemies.


    The unicorn watched Saul nervously, its body shaking. Magic beasts were not as smart as humans, but could sense things humans could not. For the unicorn, Saul was not an amiable man, but a being with terrible powers.


    Anfey patted the unicorn. "It seems like it¡¯s scared of you, Master," he said.


    Saul wanted to further observe the unicorn, but he stopped and took a few steps back. "Another day, I suppose. I don¡¯t want to scare it." He looked around the room and his eyes fell on Hui Wei and Hagan. They were the only two strangers. "By the way, which one of you is Hagan?"


    "Me, my lord," Hagan said, scrambling up.


    "Ah, yes, Master," Riska hurried over and said. "Forgot to introduce you. This is Hagan, and this is Hui Wei. They¡¯re both people we encountered along the way."


    "My lord," Hui Wei stood up and bowed.


    "Sit, sit," Saul said, nodding. "Hagan, you are an alchemist, aren¡¯t you?" Hagan nodded. "Do you have any interest in the manuscripts of Jacob?"


    "Jacob? You mean, the Great Alchemist Jacob?" Hagan said, jumping out of his seat. "Hisst manuscripts?"


    "Last?" Saul frowned and asked. "As far as I know, no one knew what happened to him."


    "But he hadn¡¯t appeared in twenty years, my lord."


    "It seems like I have to give those manuscripts to you as soon as possible," Saul said. "He would be livid if he heard that, and would probably take those gifts back?"


    "Gifts?" Hagan asked, blinking.


    Saul smiled. "Anfey,e with me." Anfey nodded and followed Saul out of the room, leaving Hagan and his joy. The two of them went to another room. Saul sat down on a chair and sighed.


    "Anfey, how much do you know about Suzanna?" Saul asked.


    "She never told me much."


    "Have you asked?"


    "No. I am in love with her, but her past is her own," Anfey answered. He knew Saul¡¯s intention wasn¡¯t just to ask him about Suzanna, and he need to stand firm.


    "Do you want to know about it?" Saul asked, picking up a stack of documents from the nearby table.


    "Is it important?" Anfey asked.


    Saul smiled and shook his head. "Do not me His Majesty, Anfey. His Majesty is the king, after all, and he needs to be well-rounded."


    Anfey frowned. The unicorn whined and nudged his hand.


    "It¡¯s not what you think," Saulforted him. "Suzanna and Shally are daughters of the ruler of Gruce Principality, Darius. Suzanna underwent brutal training from the time she was a child. Darius needed a loyal guard, and there was no better choice than his eldest daughter. Suzanna did not rebel against this."


    "Like I¡¯ve said, Master, Suzanna¡¯s past is her own," Anfey said with a shrug. "But why must we return Shally to Gruce?"


    "We cannot fight two wars at once. If we really want to fight with Ellisen Empire, we have to gain the support of Gruce. Only then will we have a chance."


    "I see," Anfey said. "But isn¡¯t the Church advocating for unity among the nations? Why are we considering war?"


    "Not now, of course. If you ever be a ruler, you will learn to think three steps ahead. This war with Ellisen Empire will not happen for years, maybe even decades. Plus, Shally is still too young. I doubt she can take the responsibility of an entire kingdom at this age." Saul paused and sighed. "Maybe they will both be used to peace after a decade, and they would not want to be a part of this. But it doesn¡¯t matter what they want, because their wills are nothingpared to the movement of the world¡¯s current."


    "It¡¯s hard for Suzanna to forget people she hates," Anfey admitted. "Maybe they are even more eager than His Majesty." Anfey could feel that Suzanna would return to Gruce Principality sooner orter, because no one could convince her to give up on her revenge. He was her lover, and he should support her.


    "I hope you¡¯re telling the truth."


    "I know her, Master. We¡¯ve never talked about it, but I know it is the truth."

 Chapter 287: Pressure

    Chapter 287: Pressure


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Here," Anfey said, tossing the scroll to Hagan.


    Hagan reached over and snatched it out of the air. He looked at the scroll, then jumped up and dashed towards his room with a wide grin.


    "Wait!" Anfey called. "Come back!"


    "What is it?" Hagan turned and asked.


    "Master Saul said you should go check out the magicb. He was considering making an alchemyb in there and needs your opinions. You can tell the butler about anything you need and he will fetch it for you."


    "Really?" Hagan asked, stunned. He was already happy enough to receive the manuscript of the famous alchemist Jacob, now he was overjoyed. He had always wanted an alchemyb, but he never had the chance to get one. Now this was a dreame true.


    "Really," Anfey said, smiling.


    "I see," Hagan said. He took a deep breath then hurried out of the dining room.


    Anfey looked around and asked, "Where¡¯s Suzanna?"


    "She¡¯s with Ernest," Christian replied. "It should be her honor to receive instructions from Ernest."


    "Not for Anfey, though," vi said with a grin.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Suzanna is already a senior swordsmaster," vi said. "If she ever became more powerful, then Anfey..."


    "You¡¯re right," Sante said, smirking. "Anfey should be under pressure."


    Anfey smiled and shook his head. His friends were right. He did felt pressured when facing Suzanna. He always thought he should be the one protecting Suzanna, but time after time he was proven wrong. He disliked being protected by others, since it made him feel weak and useless.


    Riska suddenly stood up and hurried toward the door.


    His sudden movements spooked vi, who turned and asked, "Where are you going?"


    "Meditating," Riska said without turning back. "Not only Anfey. Think about it. We were all hiding behind Suzanna."


    vi frowned, then smiled and shook his head. Riska was right. Whenever they were in danger, it was always Suzanna who put herself between them and danger. The only thing they did was hide in a safe ce and assist her when she needed it.


    "Let¡¯s go," Zubin said, standing up. "We¡¯re home now, but that doesn¡¯t mean we should rx. We are lucky this time, we have Suzanna, but we won¡¯t always be lucky. We should start preparing for the next time we are in danger."


    "Zubin¡¯s right," Sante nodded in agreement.


    Soon there were only a few people left in the dining hall. Shally didn¡¯t care about being protected by her sister, and Doris stayed because she did not have a room.


    "What have you been doingtely?" Anfey asked. "Haven¡¯t seen you in forever."


    "You¡¯ll find out in a few days," Christian replied.


    "Fine," Anfey said with a sigh. He sat down next to the table and released the unicorn. The unicorn was clearly more rxed now that both Saul and Ernest were out of the room. The unicorn jumped onto the table. It stomped on the table a few times then dashed towards the other end. It wanted to stop at the end, but the table was waxed and its momentum was too great. It couldn¡¯t stop in time and slipped off the table, bringing a dozen tes with it, and crashed into the wall.


    Anfey frowned. He couldn¡¯t grasp just how yful the unicorn was getting, but now he knew it was true that the unicorn was getting harder to handle. He had only let it go for a few seconds and it was already in trouble. At least it was only in the dining room. What if it got into the magicb one day?


    "Come here!" Anfey bellowed and mmed the table.


    The unicorn stood up, shook its head, and looked at Anfey, confused.


    "Come here, now!" Anfey ordered again. He wanted to go and grab the unicorn, but he remembered how fast it was and gave up on his unrealistic hope.


    The unicorn whinnied excitedly but did not move any closer to Anfey.


    "That¡¯s useless," Doris said, giggling. "The louder you are the more excited it is. It probably thinks that you¡¯re ying with it."


    "Should I let run wild, then?" Anfey asked with a frown. "I¡¯m going to fetch Suzanna." He had just been thinking about getting stronger seconds ago, and he was already looking for Suzanna¡¯s help.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Doris said, raising her hand. "I have a solution." She retrieved something from her dimensional ring and smiled. "This is Shally¡¯s idea," she said with a wink. Shally giggled, proud of herself.


    Doris held two crystal balls in her hand. She clinked the two crystal balls together and made a crisp, high-pitched sound.


    After hearing the sound, the unicorn suddenly dashed towards the table and leapt onto it. It looked at the crystal balls curiously.


    "Get ready," Doris said. She suddenly tossed the ball in her left hand into the air and rolled the other one down the table towards Anfey.


    The unicorn jumped into the air and snatched the crystal ball out of the air with its mouth. When itnded on the table again, it turned to chase after the other ball.


    Anfey realized the n and was already ready. When the unicorn tried to clink the ball in its mouth with the ball on the table, Anfey jumped over and grabbed the unicorn. He wrapped his arms around the unicorn tightly. "Stop, stop!" he called.


    The unicorn whinnied and kicked around, but it was too small and too weakpared to a grown man.


    Hui Wei coughed. "This is not a permanent solution, either," he said. "It is growing too fast and a magic beast like this one should be smarter than normal ones. You can fool it once, twice, but not more than that. It will learn that this is a trap sooner orter."


    "We will have to settle for this n for now," Anfey said. He grabbed the unicorn¡¯s mane and lifted it into the air. The unicorn stopped struggling and stared at Anfey with bright blue eyes. It snickered as if it was trying to please Anfey and convince him to lessen its punishment. Anfey felt bad and only smacked its head softly once.


    "Not for long," Hui Wei said, shaking his head. "Christian said its mother was a top tier unicorn, which means this thing may be one, as well."


    "Who knows," Anfey said with a sigh. "None of us knew how to raise an unicorn. We don¡¯t know what this thing needs. It¡¯s good enough that it hasn¡¯t gotten sick yet. I¡¯m not that hopeful." Anfey was worried that the unicorn would not get enough nutrition to grow up healthily.


    "Just because you don¡¯t have the experience, doesn¡¯t mean no one has it," Hui Wei said.


    "Who are you thinking?"


    "Bruzuryano, of course. He is the obvious choice. The unicorn is a holy animal in his religion. We have libraries, so do elves and druids. If anyone knows anything, it would be him."


    Anfey nodded. "You¡¯re right," he said. "By the way, what do you want to do now?"


    "Me?" Hui Wei asked. "I don¡¯t know. What can I do? I¡¯ll just rx and enjoy myself, I guess."


    "You have to do something," Anfey said. "Why don¡¯t youe study with me at the academy?"


    "Have you forgotten? I¡¯m a two-discipliner. I don¡¯t even know if I will pass the test. Plus, I have no interest in that library."


    "You don¡¯t need any tests," Anfey said. "I have connections."


    "Fine," Hui Wei said with a chuckle. "I guess I¡¯ll try it."


    "Let¡¯s go, then," Anfey said, pushing himself up. Then he stopped and frowned. "What should we do with the unicorn? We can¡¯t take it to the academy. Should I make a leash for it?"


    "No!" Hui Wei said, shaking his head. "Unicorns are very loyal, but you can¡¯t restrain it. It will die of unhappiness if it loses its freedom."


    "I¡¯ll talk to Master Saul, I suppose," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Hopefully he is still here."

 Chapter 288: Sword of the Pioneers

    Chapter 288: Sword of the Pioneers


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When the professor walked into the ssroom, Anfey and Hui Wei were already sitting quietly in the corner. The professor frowned when he saw the strangers, then he remembered Steger¡¯s order and flipped open the textbook as if nothing was wrong.


    Anfey was staring straight ahead, but Hui Wei looked ufortable. He felt strange sitting there. He poked Anfey and said, "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little weird for me to sit here with all these kids?" Hui Wei sounds like he was trying to act old, but it was not without truth. He had only arrived a day ago and did not have the proper time to groom himself beforeing to school. He barely had time to wash his face, let alone shave. The students were all clean-shaven and looked youngpared to him.


    "Shhh," Anfey whispered.


    Hui Wei sighed and shook his head. He suddenly heard the hushed conversation of two students behind him. Hui Wei wasn¡¯t interested in the ss, or else he would have missed the conversation.


    "You know Prince Rodhart?" a girl asked.


    "Who doesn¡¯t? Isn¡¯t he still in Swordbury Principality?" a more masculine voice replied.


    "Let me tell you: Rodhart was never in Swordbury. It¡¯s all a big illusion."


    "Really? Then where is the prince?"


    "Here, in Sacred City."


    "No way," the boy said.


    "I don¡¯t care if you believe me," the girl said. "Rodhart is studying under Lord Saul."


    "What? Where did you hear that?"


    "I overheard my grandfather talking yesterday," the girl said confidently. "You know him. He would never make up such a big lie."


    The boy didn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds, then he said in an even quieter voice, "Shhh. That guy in front of us is one of Saul¡¯s students..."


    Hui Wei couldn¡¯t catch the rest of the conversation. He frowned and turned to Anfey. "Did you hear that?"


    "What did you hear?" Anfey asked.


    "Could it be Christian?" Hui Wei asked, curious. Of everyone, Christian was the most refined and educated. Everyone had talked about their families and past; only two had avoided the topicpletely. One was Hui Wei himself, the other was Christian.


    A ball of light was flung towards Hui Wei. The intensity of light increased dramatically as it approached Hui Wei, and the light filled the entire ssroom. Hui Wei was extremely alert, perhaps even more than Anfey. Before he could process what was happening, a ck pentagon-shaped object appeared in his hand. A voice followed the light. "If you don¡¯t want to listen to the ss, I suggest you leave so you stop distracting your ssmates."


    Hui Wei opened his eyes and saw everyone¡¯s eyes on him.


    "Look at that," a nearby student whispered to his friend. "What is he going to do, fight the teacher?"


    Hui Wei coughed and avoided the angry gaze of the teacher. He wanted to put the pentagon-shaped object to his dimensional ring, but Anfey reached over and took it from him.


    Hui Wei rolled his eyes and controlled his urge to take it back. Instead, he turned his head away.


    "Professor, I don¡¯t think mypanion is feeling well," Anfey said, pushing himself out of his seat. "Can I take him back?"


    "Sure," the professor said with a sigh.


    Anfey looked at Hui Wei then walked towards the door. Hui Wei shook his head and followed closely behind.


    Once they were in the hallway, Anfey tossed the object he took from Hui Wei back to him. "He was just trying to scare you," he said. "Isn¡¯t that a little extreme?"


    "I prefer to be alerted," Hui Wei said. The object disappeared back into his dimensional ring.


    Anfey stared at Hui Wei¡¯s ring and suddenly sighed. "There are no unsolvable problems, only unsuitable methods. I see that this is true."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Do you remember what happened when we first met?" Anfey asked. "I¡¯m curious about all those weird little things in your ring, but I know that I can¡¯t force the answer out of you. If I knew you would react so badly to threats..."


    Hui Wei snorted and fell in step with Anfey.


    "I wonder who can y the role of the assassin," Anfey said slowly.


    "As if you can find one," Hui Wei said with a smile.


    "I¡¯m still curious," Anfey said. "What else is in that ring of yours?"


    "Nothing," Hui Wei said, hiding his hand behind his back. "Didn¡¯t you hear? Christian may be the third prince of this empire."


    "I know," Anfey said with a smile.


    "You knew?"


    "Yes."


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell us?"


    "I didn¡¯t know for sure," Anfey said with a shrug. "It was more of an educated guess. I figured he would tell us when he was ready."


    "I¡¯m curious, then. Why would Ynthe allow his son to travel with us? Why did he risk his son¡¯s life?"


    "You should ask Christian that, because I don¡¯t have the answer," Anfey said. "No wonder Ynthe and Saul are good friends."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Ynthe is the king."


    "So what?"


    "Who is the queen? Where is she?"


    Hui Wei frowned. "I think I know her name, but I cannot remember it at the moment."


    "Who is the queen of Shansa Empire, then?"


    "Cherylina," Hui Wei said without a moment of hesitation.


    "The queen of Maho Empire is a queen as well, but why does she remain anonymous? Why is the queen of Shansa Empire so well known, while the queen of Maho Empire isrgely unknown?" Anfey paused for a few seconds before continuing. "Christian never talked about the queen. Niya never talked about her mother, either. Normally, these two women would be two of the most powerful women in the nation."


    Hui Wei nodded, still frowning.


    "Of course, we cannot just ask around when ites to questions like this."


    "We will find out one day," Hui Wei said quietly. "When the time is right. Let¡¯s talk about Christian for now. Who would have thought he is the ruler of Swordbury!"


    "Tell me what you know about that ce."


    "And you further prove your ignorance of this world," Hui Wei said, amused. He was a two-discipliner, but he was more knowledgeable than he was powerful. There were very few things he did not know about, including the ancient ruins. Whenever he talked about those ruins, Hui Wei would turn into another person. He would be more confident. "Swordbury Principality is where the famous grandmaster swordsman Dimas retired after the Great War. There are two mysterious ces in Maho Empire. One is Mambo territory; the other is Swordbury Principality.


    "After Dimas retired, the Sword of Pioneers was buried on Mount Swordbury. Dimas left some other things as well, but no one knew exactly what he left behind. He said it could be found when the time is right. If we have ess to Mount Swordbury, maybe we can find that sword..."


    "I don¡¯t think we can," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "Why not?"


    "Don¡¯t forget who controls Swordbury. If there really is a sword there, it would have already been found," Anfey said, shaking his head. Compared to the Sword of Pioneers, thebyrinth under the mansion in Violet City was mostly unknown. No one had ever explored those passages, and whatever was hidden in there should still be there.


    "Maybe we can find something else," Hui Wei said.


    "Do you really believe that?"


    Hui Wei sighed. There were a few ancient sites even he would not visit. No one had ever survived those ruins because of the different people who secretly controlled them. Amoner like him would never have a chance to explore sites like that. He thought perhaps this was his opportunity to explore one of those forbidden sites, but he knew his dream was unrealistic.

 Chapter 289: Unpopular

    Chapter 289: Unpopr


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Hui Wei tended to let his emotions dictate his actions. Normally, he was a quiet and reserved man. However, he could be very talkative if he found someone or something that interested him. When he was fully engaged in a conversation, he would talk about everything from legendary weapons and powerful, ancient warriors to ancient civilizations and deities.


    Hui Wei thought maybe he was talking too much and wanted to end the conversation, but he was too excited to do that. Normally he never talked as much as this for fear of reprimand and trouble, but he found Anfey to be a very engaged listener. It was rare to find someone who would listen to him talk about all his thoughts.


    After Hui Wei finished, the two returned to Saul¡¯s ce. The meditating mages showed up as well and were chatting in the living room.


    "Christian!" Hui Wei called, walking over to the young man.


    "How was it?" Christian asked. "What did you think of the academy?"


    "I¡¯ve never been there. Are there pretty girls?" vi asked, grinning.


    "I didn¡¯t notice, but I did hear some interesting news."


    Anfey sat down on an empty chair and nced around, looking for Suzanna. He didn¡¯t stop Hui Wei because he knew that Ynthe must be ready for Christian to reveal himself if the students in the academy knew the rumor.


    "What is it?" Sante asked. Out of everyone, he and vi enjoy gossip the most.


    "Christian," Hui Wei said, staring at Christian. "Should I keep calling you Christian, or should I call you Rodhart?" Hui Wei raised his voice purposely so everyone could hear him.


    Everyone in the room hushed and turned around to look at Hui Wei and Christian. Niya and Suzanna walked into the room just in time to hear what Hui Wei had said and froze in their tracks.


    Christian looked at Hui Wei and sighed. Then he smiled and said slowly, "Rodhart is only my baptismal name. Christian is my real name and I would prefer if you still call me Christian."


    "Wait," vi asked, "you are Rodhart? The Rodhart? As in, the third prince Rodhart?"


    "There¡¯s already two princes. I am the unnecessary addition. I hope you can still treat me like one of you," Christian said, lowering his gaze.


    "You¡¯re really the prince?" Feller asked, his eyes wide.


    "Alright, alright," Anfey said, standing up. He grabbed two apples from a nearby te and sat down next to Christian, tossing one of the apples to Christian. He took a bite of the apple and said, "What? Are you scared now that you know who he really is?"


    "No," Feller said, shaking his head.


    "Feller."


    "Yea?"


    "If you were a prince, would you want us to salute do you?"


    "Of course not."


    "Why not?"


    "Because you are my friends."


    "Christian sees us as his friends as well. How do you think he would feel if we all act careful around him?"


    "But..." vi opened his mouth but did not finish his sentence.


    The atmosphere suddenly became very awkward. Even though Anfey¡¯s words made sense, Christian¡¯s real identity came as too big of a surprise. It was hard to imagine being friends with a prince.


    "So you¡¯re Rodhart, huh?" Niya said. She ignored the awkwardness and did not change her way of speech. "Why didn¡¯t you tell us?"


    "There are a lot of reasons," Christian said. "It¡¯s a long story."


    "Who would have thought?" Entos said as he appeared in the living room. No one noticed him before and no one knew how much he had heard. He nced at Christian and smirked. "I¡¯m impressed. You fooled even me."


    "I didn¡¯t want to fool you," Christian said.


    "If I remember correctly, you¡¯ve been here since you were six. How did a six-year-old learn how to lie?"


    "Like I¡¯ve just said, I didn¡¯t want to lie to you. I¡¯ve never been to Swordbury Principality and I¡¯ve been living here ever since I can remember."


    "Christian, didn¡¯t you say Rodhart is your baptismal name?" Anfey asked, rubbing his chin.


    "Yes. I was baptized. You have all met the man who performed the baptism."


    "nbrea?" Anfey asked, surprised.


    "Yes. But of course he had forgotten me."


    "Of course," Entos said, smiling. "You were only a child then." He paused for a moment then said, "I remember that, though. His Majesty had allowed the Church of Light to build a church in Swordbury Principality. It is said that the prince has good rtions with the church. Who would have thought the real prince was suffering elsewhere."


    "I¡¯ve never suffered," Christian objected. "I¡¯m very satisfied with my life right now."


    "That other Rodhart is brilliant, though. He fooled almost everyone, including the church. He must be good to fool those missionaries for so long."


    "It¡¯s actually not that hard," Christian said with a shrug. "He¡¯s been taught for his entire life that he is the real prince. He needn¡¯t actually fool anyone."


    Anfey lifted an eyebrow, then nodded. This was indeed a sessful lie. Christian¡¯s stand-in didn¡¯t know he was not the real prince and had no chance of making mistakes.


    "I don¡¯t care if that Rodhart knew or not," Entos said. He took a few steps forward and smirked. "You, though, you¡¯re different. I¡¯ve always treated you like a little brother, and that won¡¯t change. You may be a prince, but you are still my little brother. You¡¯ve fooled me for over a decade. I¡¯m hurt by your lie. What are you going to do to make it up to me?"


    "My birthday is in three days," Christian said slowly. "I can make it up to you then."


    "Even your identity was fake. How am I supposed to know whether your birthday is real?" Entos asked, shaking his head. "If I had known this, I wouldn¡¯t have spent all that time finding your gifts."


    "The birthday¡¯s real," Christian said earnestly. "Don¡¯t you remember my baptism?"


    "It¡¯s so long ago," Entosined. He frowned as he tried to recall the event, then turned his gaze to Christian again. "Fine. You have to make it up to me though."


    "I swear!"


    "There will be consequences if you don¡¯t satisfy me," Entos said, ring at Christian.


    "Of course, of course," Christian said, smiling.


    "Christian," Anfey said, tapping him on the shoulder. "I haven¡¯t spent as much time with you, but I trusted you. Shouldn¡¯t I also get whatever you are preparing for Entos?"


    "He¡¯s right," Niya said, walking over. "You lied to me too. I¡¯m hurt. You should make it up to me, too."


    Christian looked at the two of them and shook his head. "Fine," he said. "I won¡¯t forget you two."


    "Did you forget about me?" Suzanna asked. She patted her sword and said, "I put my life in your hands."


    "It¡¯s my birthday," Christian sighed. "Shouldn¡¯t you guys be giving me presents?"


    "Are you dishonoring me?" Suzanna asked, frowning. "What are the rules for duels here?"


    "You should ask Riska that."


    "Fine, fine," Christian said before Riska could answer the question. "Alright. Everyone gets a gift, alright? Stop tormenting me."


    "You¡¯re saying we all get a gift?" Riska asked, grinning. Everyone rxed after seeing Christian act so embarrassed and the recent revtion began to fade from their memories.


    "When Entos was gone, you were the elder brother," vi said, shaking his head. "We all trusted you."


    "I feel like you are all teaming up against me," Christian said, looking down at the ground. "And I thought I was popr." He snuck a nce at Entos and smiled gratefully. Christian knew that Entos was trying to ease the tension, and he was thankful for it.


    "You won¡¯t be until you earn our forgiveness," vi said with a wide grin. Then he suddenly turned to Anfey and said, "By the way, Master said he wanted to see you in thebs."


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?" Anfey asked.


    "I didn¡¯t know Hui Wei would tell us such a big secret the moment he walked through the door," vi said with a shrug. "You should probably go there right now."

 Chapter 290: Blessed

    Chapter 290: Blessed


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Behind the back garden was a long walkway. Saul¡¯s magicb was at the end of the walkway. Anfey had been to theb once, but only once. It wasn¡¯t because Saul did not trust him but because Anfey was useless inbs.


    A lone red brick building loomed ahead. The area around the building was paved with stone, and a dozen armed swordsmasters were patrolling around the building. The red building wasn¡¯t theb, which was hidden underground. The actualb was muchrger than the building. Theb was built underground to minimize damage. Under the pavement stones was arge magic array set up by Saul himself. It protected theb and the people outside in case something went wrong.


    The swordsmaster opened the door when he saw Anfey approaching. Anfey smiled at the man and was walking into the building when a figure lunged at him. Anfey reflexively wanted to punch the figure, then he realized it was Hagan. He held back his punch in time.


    "What are you doing?" Anfey asked as he helped Hagan up.


    "I¡¯ll tell youter," Hagan said hurriedly, then dashed out to the walkway that led to the building.


    Anfey smiled and shook his head. He had an idea what Hagan was doing. After all, he was the one who told Hagan about the possibility of having an alchemist¡¯sb in a magicb.


    "Lord Saul is not in theb right now," the swordsmaster that opened the door said. "Pleasee with me."


    "Where is he?"


    "The practice field."


    Anfey nodded quietly and followed the swordsmaster. The man led Anfey down a long, winding stairway and turned down a hallway. At the end of the hall was a heavy ck gate.


    "What is Master Saul doing in there?" Anfey asked.


    The swordsmaster smiled. "I am not in the position to know that," he said. "I cannot go in there." Then the man turned around and walked away.


    Anfey walked up to the door and pushed on it. There was another door inside of the same size and material. Unlike the door on the outside, there were dozens of magical runes carved on the sides of the gate.


    Anfey closed the outer door. He tapped the runes on the side of the door, and the door glided open.


    Anfey saw that the young unicorn was walking around in a circle of purple light. It was walking very slowly, as if it was hurt or tired. Saul was standing next to the light with Bruzuryano next to him.


    "Lord Saul," Anfey called. "You were looking for me?"


    "Yes," Saul said. He pointed at the unicorn. "It needs you."


    "What happened to it?" Anfey asked. Before he could finish, the unicorn suddenly smashed into the light and caused it to buzz quietly. The unicorn was thrown back and crashed into the ground. Its eyes were full of uneasiness and fear, and its blue eyes appeared as if filled with tears.


    "It¡¯s growing fast," Bruzuryanomented. "It already knows that it will be throw back by the shield."


    "What is this?" Anfey asked. He felt ufortable seeing the unicorn so sad. Anfey knew that this was because of Tear of Stars, but he did not mind. The unicorn had been his child since the first time he picked up it.


    "Just some experiments," Saul said. "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s good for it." Saul turned to Bruzuryano and said, "As far as I know, unicorns take twenty years to mature. This thing is growing so fast. Almost too fast."


    "So this is what you¡¯re curious about," Bruzuryano said.


    "Yes."


    "Then you should stop here. Don¡¯t forget," Bruzuryano said. "He is chosen by the Heart of Nature."


    "You¡¯re saying..."


    "It will soon be a matured unicorn, I am certain," Bruzuryano said. "Its rate of maturity would decrease significantly. Maybe Anfey could be a pdin in thirty years."


    "Thirty years?"


    "Are you unsatisfied with that?" Bruzuryano asked with chuckle. "The Heart of Nature is limited, and the unicorn¡¯s bloodline affects the rate of maturity as well. The fastest it can reach maturity is thirty years."


    "The mother is an evolved unicorn," Anfey said suddenly.


    "What?" Bruzuryano frowned and asked.


    "Its mother," Anfey said. "She was already evolved. There is no doubt about its bloodline."


    Bruzuryano frowned at Anfey. "I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re a liar, Anfey, but what you¡¯re saying is almost unreal. Even we would not go near an evolved unicorn."


    Anfey shrugged.


    "How did youe by this thing, anyway? Even the mother herself is enough to kill you a dozen times over," Bruzuryano said, staring at Anfey. He knew about the unicorn, but not its origins. He needed to know.


    Anfey looked at Saul, who nodded. "We came by it by ident," he said. "Its mother was fighting a manticore and lost."


    "Impossible," Bruzuryano said. "An evolved unicorn is more than enough to kill a manticore."


    "It had just been born then," Anfey said.


    "I see," Bruzuryano said with a sigh. "Tragic. I wonder why a manticore would challenge an unicorn."


    "I don¡¯t know," Anfey lied. "They were already fighting when we saw them." Of course he couldn¡¯t tell the truth. He knew the unicorns were holy creatures to the followers of the Goddess of Nature, and telling the truth would possibly turn Bruzuryano against him.


    "Then you saw it?"


    Anfey nodded.


    "I don¡¯t know what to say," Bruzuryano sighed. "Really, you should have been a follower of the Goddess. You must be blessed by the Goddess herself."


    "I know why the Heart chose him," Saul said.


    "What is it?"


    "He ingested Tear of Stars."


    Bruzuryano sighed and shook his head. "How did you get that now?"


    "Its mother was dying but so was the manticore," Anfey said. "I wanted to help the unicorn so I killed the manticore. Then we found the Tear of Stars and Christian told me to eat it."


    Bruzuryano opened and closed his mouth a few times, and finally only sighed. "Like I¡¯ve said, you must be blessed by the Goddess herself. It is a shame that you choose not to follow her."


    "Don¡¯t forget that he¡¯s my student," Saul said with a smile. "You are bing more and more like nbrea."


    "No one said otherwise," Bruzuryano said. "Are you saying that you will reject him if he chooses to follow the Goddess? Tell me, Saul, how often do youe across someone as lucky as he?"


    "He¡¯s my student. He¡¯s special."


    "He¡¯s not special," Bruzuryano snapped. "Just tell me yes or no."


    "This is Anfey¡¯s choice," Saul said. "You should ask him."


    Anfey frowned. He had expect Saul to handle the situation. "I just want to study magic right now," he said hesitantly. "Religion is not my concern yet. I can promise, though. As long as the followers of Goddess of Nature do not harm me and my friends, I will not harm them."


    "To hell to that," Bruzuryano said. "My people have never harmed Saul¡¯s students, and never will. Or else I would turn into nbrea."


    "nbrea? What did he do?" Anfey asked, surprised.

 Chapter 291: Seeds of Light

    Chapter 291: Seeds of Light


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "nbrea left a seed of light within you," Saul said quietly.


    "What does that mean?" Anfey asked. He knew that it could not be very serious, and Saul must have already spoke with Bruzuryano about it, or else he would not be so calm.


    Saul paused for a second and said, "It can help you harness the power of light quicker. But if you ever start practicing real light magic, you will find yourself uncontrobly drawn to it."


    "Does that mean I will start practicing light magic?"


    "Some may even spend their entire lives studying it."


    "But I don¡¯t want to," Anfeyined. "What should I do? Should I avoid every missionary and every book about light magic?"


    "It¡¯s not as serious as you think," Bruzuryano said with a frown. "The Heart of Nature should effectively repress the power of the seed."


    "Can¡¯t you make it disappear?" Anfey asked. He thought that the Heart of Nature was not a permanent solution, and the only way that he wouldn¡¯t be affected was to remove the seed.


    "You can talk to the pope."


    "Never mind then," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "Think about this," Bruzuryano said. "Don¡¯t you remember what happened in the temple? You can¡¯t use magic, but you can control the druids¡¯ magic because of the Heart of Nature. With that, you can be very powerful."


    Anfey hesitated. He didn¡¯t want to study nature magic, but if he rejected Bruzuryano, it would make their rtionship tense. He still had to ask Bruzuryano for favors and he didn¡¯t want to alienate the man. But he could not agree to the offer either because of his rtionship to Saul. If he studied with Bruzuryano, he would make both Saul and Ynthe distrust him. He would get nothing if he made a king his enemy.


    "Bruzuryano," Saul interrupted. "Didn¡¯t Anfey just say that he wanted to study with me? We can talk about other things in the future. Nothing good everes from forcing someone into a decision."


    Bruzuryano sighed but did not say anything more.


    "The unicorn," Anfey suddenly said. "Its mother was an evolved unicorn. Will it reach maturity faster?"


    Bruzuryano shrugged. "Unlikely," he said, "but the Heart of Nature may quicken it by a few years."


    Anfey sighed, "As long as I don¡¯t have to wait thirty years."


    "This unicorn is behind in its development, you know," Bruzuryano said.


    "What? Really?" Anfey asked, frowning. The unicorn certainly did not look it.


    "Human infants need their mothers," Bruzuryano said. "Unicorn do too. What did you feed it?"


    "Wild berries, mostly. We couldn¡¯t find anything else in the forest."


    "Well, that¡¯s why."


    "Is there a way to fix it?"


    "No."


    Anfey frowned and searched his mind for everything rted to the unicorn. "What about unicorn blood?"


    "Unicorn blood?" Bruzuryano asked with a frown. "You¡¯re not saying that you want to bleed this unicorn, are you?"


    "No, of course not," Anfey said, shaking his head. "It¡¯s the older unicorn¡¯s."


    "How cruel," Bruzuryano said, shocked. "The unicorn already gave you the Tear of Stars, and you dared take its blood!" If it was any other magic beast, Bruzuryano would not have reacted so sharply. However, for a druid, unicorns were holy and pets of the Goddess of Nature. Bleeding a unicorn was unthinkable.


    "There¡¯s a reason to it, my lord," Anfey said earnestly.


    "Spill it, then."


    "We had to protect it. If we hadn¡¯t be stronger, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to even protect ourselves, let alone the unicorn. We were all mages, and the blood was a great boost to our power. We shouldn¡¯t let it just rot away!"


    "That does not justify your actions," Bruzuryano said coldly. "Unicorn blood is of no use to unicorns. If you really cared about it, your own blood would have sufficed."


    "Maybe that is a way," Anfey murmured.


    Bruzuryano frowned and shook his head. He didn¡¯t expect Anfey to agree to his statement. "You don¡¯t have to do that," Bruzuryano said. "You could bleed yourself dry and increase the unicorn¡¯s maturity rate by a day."


    "But it will help?"


    "No, not really," Bruzuryano said, "unless you want to die." He knew that if Anfey really did try to bleed himself and feed the unicorn, Saul would me him, even though Anfey would be doing it on his own volition.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said with a smile. "I won¡¯t bleed myself dry. I don¡¯t have a death wish." Unlike people in this world, Anfey hadmon knowledge from another world and knew that loss of a small amount of blood would not affect him. People who donated blood regrly were often even healthier than people did not. Anfey didn¡¯t mind feeding the unicorn his blood once a month.


    Bruzuryano shook his head. He paced around the room, sighing and muttering to himself. He was much more experienced than Anfey and could read people better than Anfey had anticipated. "There may be a way to quicken its growth," he said finally.


    "What is it?"


    "You have to find a person before that," Bruzuryano said. He did not want to tell Anfey, but he felt obligated to. Anfey was too stubborn and hot-headed. What if he let out too much blood by ident? For followers of the Goddess of Nature, people chosen by the Heart of Nature were seen as messengers sent by the Goddess herself. They were responsible for educating the followers in the right way and bringing hope. Bruzuryano could not let Anfey die no matter how much he disliked the idea that Anfey held the Heart of Nature.


    "Who?"


    "Jacob."


    "Jacob? Why?" Saul asked.


    "Have you already forgotten what Jacob¡¯s life goal is?"


    "You mean... the sacred spirit potion?"


    "Of course. We have unicorn blood, which is the hardest ingredient to find."


    "Where are we supposed to find Spring of Life? All those ingredients are way too hard to find. And way too expensive."


    "Have you forgotten? I am an arch druid. If I were to ask the elf queen, she would let me have some of those things. Spring of Life shouldn¡¯t be a problem."


    "They have a new queen?" Saul asked, shocked.


    Bruzuryano grunted out of frustration. He was trying to propose a solution and got too distracted. Normally he would never make such a great mistake. "You know, I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re purposely trying to pry."


    "No, of course not," Saul said, shaking his head. "I¡¯ll pretend I never heard anything about the elves. You should know how expensive the other ingredients are. Spring of Life isn¡¯t the only problem."


    "I have some of it," Bruzuryano said, "I¡¯ll try to take care of the rest. I need you two to swear that you will tell no one about the elves." Saul said he would pretend he hadn¡¯t heard anything, but Bruzuryano couldn¡¯t let it go so easily. The new queen was still young, but in another century or so, the first elven supreme power would be born.


    "Of course," Saul said, nodding. "Although it should be three people."


    "Two," Bruzuryano said firmly. He knew that Saul counted Ynthe as well. "The queen is still young and poses no threat to your precious little kingdom. Everyone alive now will be long dead by the time she achieves her full strength. More likely than not, Maho Empire itself will be gone by then. What are you worried about?" Bruzuryano needed to calm Saul, and the only thing he lied about was how long it would take for the new queen toe into her own.


    "Fine," Saul said. "Alright. I swear to the gods that if I tell anyone about your secret, my soul will toil in hell for all eternity."


    "Anfey."


    "I swear to the gods that if I tell anyone about your secret, my soul will toil in hell for all eternity," Anfey repeated Saul¡¯s oath.

 Chapter 292: Angry Unicorn

    Chapter 292: Angry Unicorn


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Bruzuryano sighed after he heard the oath, then smiled. "I will leave here tomorrow," he said, turning to Saul. "Your ce is more dangerous than a dragon¡¯s nest." Then Bruzuryano turned and slowly walked towards the door.


    "Lord Bruzuryano seems to know how to get himself out of trouble," Anfey said with a smile, staring at Bruzuryano¡¯s back. "We can¡¯t let him spill the secret. This is good, though, I think. Hopefully he feels better now."


    Saul frowned. "Anfey, we have a problem now."


    "What problem?"


    "Jacob learned how to make the Sacred Spirit potion from his teacher, but he never told me what the potion could do. But if the unicorn can grow faster with the potion, the Elf Queen can as well." Saul sighed, "That would be troublesome."


    "Master, are you saying that we should take the potion for ourselves and break our agreement?" Anfey asked. He knew that Saul was willing to speak of this in front of him because Saul trusted him. He was d for Saul¡¯s trust, and at the same time he was trying very hard to find a good resolution.


    "We aren¡¯t cheating anyone," Saul said, patting Anfey on the shoulder. "But this is a very difficult situation." Saul was troubled. He suspected that Bruzuryano¡¯s true intention was not to help the unicorn grow, but was instead to help the Elf Queen. If there was a five hundred year buffer period, he could ept it, which was why he swore the oath. Ernest was bing stronger, and Saul had a new discovery. Anfey¡¯s fiancee had the blessing of an angel, and the old man who had taught Anfey must be a Supreme power. If Anfey was there, the old man might be willing toe forth and reveal himself. After four or five hundred years, humans should be able to find the secret to unlock Supreme Inheritance Discontinuity. The Elf Queen would not change that. However, if the Elf Queen had Sacred Spirit potion, she would be an unpredictable factor. Both Saul and Ynthe were confident in their ability to groom supreme powers. After the Age of Chaos, unlocking the secret of supreme inheritance became the top priority of every nation. Countless resources were spent on this topic. This was why Anfey¡¯s presence caught so many important people¡¯s attention. He was the key to finding a supreme power. After thousands of years, every nation had information about the secret, and Maho Empire was perhaps the most knowledgeable out of all the nations. Saul was able to defeat Newyoheim not because he was stronger, but because of this new discovery.


    "Master, what is the rtionship like between Bruzuryano and Jacob?"


    "They are friendly, why?"


    "If we really want to cheat, we should ask someone other than Jacob to make the potion."


    "Who should we go to, then?"


    "I don¡¯t know anything about alchemy, but is Hagan qualified to make this potion?"


    Saul frowned.


    "If we needed a magic tool, Hagan might not be able to make it. But if it is just a potion, maybe Hagan can do it."


    "From what little I know about alchemy, as long as we have the recipe, we can have Hagan try."


    "That should temporarily solve our dilemma. Let Hagan look through Jacob¡¯s manuscripts first and see if there is anything useful. If we can¡¯t find the recipe, we can always go find Jacob and get it from him. After we make the potion, we can always lie and say we failed. Bruzuryano can¡¯t do anything."


    Saul did not say anything. Truthfully, Saul did not agree with Anfey¡¯s n. Bruzuryano was a good friend of Saul¡¯s, and even though they were working for different sides, they still managed to maintain their friendship. Anfey¡¯s status was too low and his view was too restricted. He only thought about Bruzuryano. Anfey knew that Bruzuryano was concerned about Ynthe and wanted to maintain a good rtionship with the king, but he did not know that Ynthe was worried the followers of Goddess of Nature and the followers of the Church of Light might be united.


    The two religions might not be able to assemble an army the way a nation could, but both religions had their own defense teams. The Church of Light had Knights of the Light, Fanatical Crusaders, and Arbitrators¡¯ Guild; among the followers of Goddess of Nature were Jungle Guard, Green Expeditionary, and small squads made up of druids. These were forces to be reckoned with.


    nbrea was easy to kill because he was only a minstrel who practiced magic before joining the Church. He was used to being alone even after he rose to positions of power. If he had even a few of his guards with him, even Saul and Ernest could not kill him.


    "Master..." Anfey said quietly.


    "We will talk about itter," Saul said, shaking his head. Saul was a brilliant man, but he did not have the determination to go through with the n. He did not need that determination, either, because usually Ynthe was the one to make the final decision. Now, he could not talk to Ynthe because of his oath, and he found it hard to make a decision. He knew that the oath had been the only way to go so that they did not anger Bruzuryano, but he still regretted it. If he angered Bruzuryano and the man left, it would be troublesome for Ynthe.


    Anfey shrugged but did not say anything. He did not know Saul¡¯s stance and did not know that his status had changed. Saul¡¯s oath meant he was the only one Saul could talk to about Bruzuryano.


    Suddenly, the unicorn, which was still trapped in the magic array, whined loudly. The fear and confusion in the unicorn¡¯s eyes were already gone. Magic beasts¡¯ intelligence was limited and the beasts were much more direct when it came to expressing their emotions. The unicorn arched its back and, with a sudden movement of its head, released an arc of lightning. Then it threw its body against the wall of light.


    The magic array was too powerful, and the unicorn was thrown back. However, it already knew that andnded on the ground on its four legs. Anfey could tell from its eyes that it was really angry.


    "Master!" Anfey called, worried about the unicorn.


    Saul waved his hands and the light around the unicorn disappeared. A ball of water appeared in front of the unicorn. The unicorn jumped into the water and turned the ball into thousands of droplets. The unicornnded and looked around angrily, searching for its enemy.


    The anger in the unicorn¡¯s eyes disappeared when it saw Anfey, and it was reced by sadness. It whinnied quietly and dashed towards Anfey. It ran into him, wanting to rub itself against him. However, the unicorn did not know how heavy it was. Its body mmed into Anfey, who stumbled backwards under the weight. He grunted as he steadied himself.


    The unicorn turned and saw Saul, its body bing tense. It cocked its head and looked at the old man, then an arc of lightning shot out of its horn towards Saul. For a child, a parent was the strongest ally. Maybe the unicorn thought as long as Anfey was there, it could do whatever it wanted.


    Saul did not move and let the lightning strike him. An attack like this could not do any harm to him. He looked at the unicorn and marvelled. "It can already release a lightning arc?" he asked, shocked.


    "It can¡¯t really do any harm, though," Anfey said, his voice raspy. His body still hurt where the unicorn rammed into him.


    "It is still young. It shouldn¡¯t be able to do that."


    The unicorn¡¯s body was still tense, and it was ring at Saul. Anfey patted its head and whispered, "It¡¯s alright. Rx. Master, it seems like it is scared of you. What should we do now? I don¡¯t want it to get scared when it¡¯s in your care."


    "I don¡¯t have time to care for it," Saul said, shaking his head. "Bruzuryano gave me these Silkvani. You can give it to Suzanna so the unicorn could stay with her."


    "Silkvani? I think I have some of it as well."


    "Where did you find it?" Saul asked.


    "In its cave."


    "Do you know how hard it was for me to convince Bruzuryano to give me some of this?" Saul asked, smiling. "Just take it. Let¡¯s go find Suzanna."

 Chapter 293: Christian’s Mission

    Chapter 293: Christian¡¯s Mission


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anfey, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s getting a bitte?" Suzanna asked.


    Anfey jumped off the bed and walked over to the window. He opened the shutters and peered out. "You¡¯re right," he said, nodding. "It iste." Then he walked back and sat down next to Suzanna again.


    Suzanna sighed and shook her head. She didn¡¯t just want to ask Anfey to look at the time. She was implying that he should leave her room now because it was gettingte.


    Suzanna rolled her eyes and pushed him away from her. "Quit being annoying," she said.


    "Annoying?" Anfey asked, sitting up straighter. "Are you annoyed by me already?"


    "You know what I mean."


    Anfey smiled. He lied down on the bed. There was no indication that he would leave her alone. He turned to stare at Suzanna and suddenly spotted suspicious movements behind her. "Stay where you are!" he bellowed as he sat up.


    The unicorn jumped. Then it whimpered and ducked behind the bed.


    "What are you doing?" Suzanna scolded. "Don¡¯t scare it."


    Anfey did not say anything to Suzanna. Instead, he pointed at the unicorn and said, "Don¡¯te any nearer." Whenever he was with Suzanna, he wouldpletely let his guard down. It was in those moments that he was the most yful.


    "So what?" Suzanna asked, frowning. "Come here. Don¡¯t be afraid."


    The unicorn looked at Suzanna then back to Anfey, its eyes filled with fear and doubt.


    "I don¡¯t care if that thing¡¯s closer to you, but I won¡¯t let anyone touch you," Anfey said seriously.


    Suzanna blushed. "You idiot," she blurted out, punching Anfey on the shoulder. Normally, she would just roll her eyes when Anfey made a joke. This showed how truly embarrassed she was.


    "It¡¯s not me, it¡¯s Bruzuryano," Anfey muttered. Suzanna¡¯s clothes were washed with silkvani infused water. The scent of the nt had made the unicorn mad, and so it was constantly trying to cuddle with Suzanna. This made Anfey jealous, even though he knew that he had no reason to be and that the emotion was irrational and stupid.


    Of course, Anfey wouldn¡¯t let jealousy cloud his judgement. He was afraid that the unicorn would be lured away by a stranger using silkvani and so had done some experiments. He discovered that unicorn would only follow a few people even if they had the nt. It would not follow men. It would follow women, but only women it knew. He had a maid wear a dress washed with silkvani water, but it would not go with her. It would not let Doris hold it either, even though it had known Doris for a while. In the end, the only people the unicorn would approach were Niya, Shally, and Suzanna.


    Suzanna kept her eyes on the floor and did not want to look at Anfey. She was a very traditional person, and she did not like Anfey making lewd jokes about her. She did not like initiating any intimate gestures, either.


    The unicorn didn¡¯t know what Anfey and Suzanna were arguing about, but it could tell who was winning. It saw Suzanna rolling her eyes and turning away, and knew that Anfey had won the argument.


    Anfey felt bad and needed to distract Suzanna. He sighed and waved his hand at the unicorn. "Come here," he said.


    The unicorn sprang up and bounced over to Suzanna, then plopped itself down between Suzanna and Anfey. It turned and kicked Anfey a few times on the leg, as if it was angry that Anfey had scolded it earlier. Yesterday the unicorn had rammed into him and left him with arge bruise. Anfey knew that the unicorn¡¯s strength would only grow over time. If he kept allowing the unicorn to kick him, who knew what would happen. Anfey decided that he would start training the unicorn so it would know how to deal with other people.


    Suddenly, the two heard a soft tapping.


    "Who is it?"


    "It¡¯s me," Christian said.


    "Christian?" Anfey asked, frowning. He got up and opened the window. "I see you¡¯re ready to be a thief," he joked.


    "I know," Christian said as he came into the room. "I need both your help."


    Anfey nodded. He turned to Suzanna and said, "Can you take the unicorn to Shally¡¯s room?"


    Suzanna nodded. She could tell Christian had ran into trouble and he could not solve it by himself.


    After Suzanna took the unicorn to Shally¡¯s room, she met Anfey and Christian in the garden. Christian nced around nervously to make sure they were alone, then released a soundproof magic spell that covered the three of them.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked. "Why are you so nervous?"


    "I have a mission," Christian said with a sigh. "I need toplete it today."


    "What mission?"


    "I need to kill someone," Christian said briskly.


    "Who?"


    "Rodhart. The fake one, at least."


    "So that¡¯s the mission His Majesty gave you?" Anfey asked, shocked.


    Christian nodded, his eyes downcast.


    Anfey could not understand what Ynthe was thinking. He did not know whether the fake Rodhart had to die, but he knew that if Ynthe wanted him dead, he did not need to ask Christian to do it.


    "Father told me that he had done too much for me already," Christian said, shaking his head. "He told me that I should be responsible for nning my future from now on. The first thing I have to do is to kill the fake Rodhart." Christian paused for a second, as if waiting for his words to sink in. "I understand Father¡¯s intentions. If I be a murderer, I have to ept the consequences."


    "His Majesty is mad," Suzanna said incredulously. "He told you to kill, yet he wants you to take responsibility for it?"


    "He has to kill the fake Rodhart, but he doesn¡¯t have to be a murderer," Anfey said quietly with a frown.


    "He¡¯s right," Christian said. "Father told me that I can hire people to do it. He wouldn¡¯t care if I bring the entirety of Sacred City with me, as long as it gets done. The point is, I cannot be used of the murders."


    "He¡¯s testing your abilities, then?"


    "Yes."


    "Wait," Anfey said. "Hold up. You know how Hui Wei found out you¡¯re the prince? We overheard a conversation between two students at the academy. If they know, the rest of the city will soon know, as well. It¡¯s not hard to put two and two together, you know. The fake Rodhart had to go. I think His Majesty orchestrated this entire thing."


    Christian frowned. "You may be right," he said. "He spread the rumor so I would have to kill the fake Rodhart."


    Anfey frowned and began formting a n. Due to the difference in status, he knew far less than Christian did. It was hard to create a big picture with the limited resources he had. After a few minutes, he realized he was not getting anywhere and gave up.


    "How long does it take to get to Swordbury from here?" Anfey asked.


    "The fake Rodhart is in a pce near the city. He ising here tomorrow."


    "His Majesty summoned him?"


    "Yes."


    "So our only target is Rodhart, right?"


    "The pce is guarded by the pce guards, but they will not try to stop us. Everyone else must be killed," Christian said. "It¡¯s mostly his servants and personal guards. There is a priest of light with him as well."


    Anfey frowned. If the pce guards were cooperating with Christian, they didn¡¯t need to hide.


    "What do you think?" Christian asked.


    "You¡¯re saying this is a nid out by His Majesty?"


    "Not exactly," Christian said. "I took a guess. It¡¯s hard talking with my father, you know. Everything he says sounds like it¡¯s implying something else."


    "Pity," Suzanna said. "The life of a prince sounds no better than that of a peasant."


    "A prince with a mission forced upon him is even more pitiful," Anfey said. "Christian, tell me everything about the conversation you had with His Majesty."


    "It¡¯s too long for that," Christian said, shaking his head. "It involves some secrets about the court that I cannot tell you. But thest thing he said to me was perhaps the reason he gave me this mission."


    "What did he say?"


    "He said there is not a single ruler with a clean history. Every monarch must bloody their hands. If I wanted peace of mind, I might as well give up my im."

 Chapter 294: No Regrets

    Chapter 294: No Regrets


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Are you willing to give up this position?" Anfey asked suddenly.


    Christian did not say anything. It could be hard talking to Anfey sometimes, but Christian understood what he meant. "Both of my brothers are more able than I," Christian said slowly. "I just want to be left alone in Swordbury."


    "Are you serious?"


    "Of course," Christian said. "You are my friend. I wouldn¡¯t lie to my friends. Not now, not ever. I appreciate your friendship." Christian paused and then said, "Why did you ask? Is it important to you?"


    "Very much so. Don¡¯t forget. We are friends," Anfey said. "Your answer can decide the course of my life. If you want to fight for it, both Wester and Grandon are my enemies. If not, then there is no need for me to challenge anyone. We can just sit by and watch them fight."


    Christian sighed but did not say anything.


    "If you do not want to fight for the throne, why don¡¯t you tell His Majesty that you will not do this? Otherwise your actions could be mistaken as a sign of aggression. You could very well be a target."


    "No," Christian said, shaking his head. "Father has done too much for me. I want to take care of this myself."


    Anfey nodded. "Good," he said with a smile. "But, if you ask me, this is too great a matter to hide. Maybe we are just overthinking. Maybe your father¡¯s intention is simple. Maybe he just wants you to know what it¡¯s like to kill."


    "Are you serious? You mean..."


    "We should stop talking and head to the pce now."


    "Wait. I have the map here. We should study their defenses first," Christian said. He had been part of the n to assassinate the Shansa princess and knew the procedure.


    "He gave that to you?" Anfey asked, surprised. "And he showed you their defenses?" Anfey was confused. He did not know what Ynthe wanted, though he knew that he would not put his son in harm¡¯s way. Plus, Christian did not want the throne, anyway. If they kill the fake duke, Ynthe would be responsible for taking care of the aftermath. If Christian did not want the throne, why would Ynthe task Christian with this mission? Since this mission had no apparent direct consequence, Anfey decided that they could not disappoint Ynthe, either. If Christian wanted to fight for the throne, Anfey would never make such a rushed decision.


    ¡ª


    The moon was peeking through the clouds when Christian, Anfey, and Suzanna arrived at the small pce of the fake duke. There were three small pces around Sacred City, and each pce had a different view. Ynthe did not want to leave Sacred City, but everyone needed a change of scenery once in awhile, even kings. The three pces were his solution. Three sides of this pce were surrounded by ponds, and the fourth was next to the Sacred River.


    "Now that I¡¯m here, I feel bad for the guy," Christian said, shaking his head. "He lived his entire life as a lie."


    Suzanna nodded in agreement. She was afraid. If anyone told her that the person she was protecting wasn¡¯t who they said they were, and she was not a senior swordsmaster, she would not be able to handle the news.


    "Maybe that is not how he sees it," Anfey said. "If he did not be your double, who knows where he would be now? Maybe he¡¯s an orphan or a ve, or a servant to another. Exchanging a life of hardship for twenty years of luxury sounds like a pretty good deal to me."


    "We are still cutting his life short."


    "Who knows? Who knows what he was before he became you? Perhaps he was an orphan, and there are plenty of ways for orphans to go," Anfey said. "Without this, maybe he already would be dead. Haven¡¯t we seen enough?" In this war-torn world, orphans were not an oddity. Not only in countries like Country of Mercenaries, but also in more advanced ones like Maho Empire. Especially in upied cities like Violet City. Half of the children there were orphans. Even Ynthe, who was hailed as a people¡¯s king, could not fix this problem, let alone the other kings. Rodhart, the double, may not even be a good man. At least he had twenty years of luxury. A lot of children did not.


    Christian fell quiet. He tried to distance himself from the wars and the suffering, but he was still a verypassionate person. Everything he had gone through made him even more so. In the past, he was confined to Sacred City and never realized how bad the poverty and injustice were in the rest of the country.


    "Alright," Anfey said, walking out of the shadow. "Let¡¯s get moving."


    "Wait!" Christian called. "We still need to make a n!"


    "n?" Anfey asked, frowning. "Alright. We will n." Christian was very brilliant, but his way of action was too constrained. Ynthe had already given him the details of the pce¡¯s defense and told him that the pce guards would not intervene to stop him. There was no need for nning. Anfey was certain that even if they did make a mistake, the pce guards would help them.


    "Am I being too careful?" Christian asked, scratching his head. "I just want to make sure this goes smoothly."


    Anfey blinked. He suddenly realized that the only person he was considering was Ynthe and had been ignoring Christian and himself. Christian was right. If he was going to do something, he should make it as perfect as possible. He could not risk failure, or else Ynthe would be disappointed in Christian. This was a testament to his own abilities as well. If he failed, he and Christian would beughingstocks. "Christian," he said, "show me that document."


    Anfey smiled as he flipped through the document. The fake Rodhart was a strange man. He was not practiced with swords, neither did he know how to use magic. However, he already had six children, all of them his biological children. All the children were living in the pce as well. Ynthe only needed to say that he wanted to meet his grandchildren to meet with the fake Rodhart.


    "This fake duke is certainly..."


    "Father hired two teachers for him when he was young, though the two teachers never taught him anything useful. I think that might have been Father¡¯s intention in the first ce."


    "Are we killing the children as well?"


    "Father told me that everyone in there should die."


    Anfey sighed. He looked through the document again and nced at the map. "We don¡¯t need nning. This is way too easy. I don¡¯t think His Majesty is testing your abilities."


    "What is he testing then?" Christian asked.


    "Suzanna can take care of swordsmen. I will take care of the priest and the servants. The rest is up to you."


    "Alright," Christian said with a nod. He was not stupid. He already knew what Anfey meant when he said Ynthe wasn¡¯t testing his ability and had asked about the kids.


    "If there are no more questions, let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going in from the right."


    Christian slowly crept out of the shadow of the woods and used a levitation spell. He flew towards the right side of the pce, afraid that his courage would disappear when he was not moving fast enough.


    "Christian..." Suzanna called quietly. She sensed that there was something different about the young man.


    Anfey shook his head. He could not give Christian any tips. He had never met Ynthe and did not know anything about the man. Ynthe was an intriguing man who made it his mission to conceal his emotions. Which was more important to Ynthe, callousness orpassion? The only person who could dictate Christian¡¯s decision was Christian. Anfey hoped he picked right.


    Even though Ynthe already gave the map to Christian and Anfey said there was no need for nning, there were still chances for things to go wrong. A team of pce guards walked out of the side door of the pce as the trio jumped over the wall. The moon was exceptionally bright, and the three had nowhere to hide.


    The guards¡¯s formation was jumbled but the soldiers soon fell into ce. The leader of the team barked an order, and the pce guards passed where Christian, Suzanna, and Anfey were standing, as if they were invisible.


    "It seems like everyone¡¯s cooperating with us," Anfey said with a smile. "Let¡¯s get to work. Don¡¯t want to let their cooperation go to waste, eh?"

 Chapter 295: Controlling Magic

    Chapter 295: Controlling Magic


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The pce was quiet. Anfey and the others walked to the second floor without any trouble. For the king¡¯s exclusive hotel, the pce¡¯s decorations were not very elegant. It looked clean and tidy. There was no dust at all. Four corridors acted like mirrors and reflected light from everstingmps throughout the second floor.


    Anfey looked around and quickly added his surroundings to the map in his mind. He walked briskly to a room. He put his ear to the door, listened to what was going on, then knocked on it. Anfey¡¯s memory was awesome. He had not paid too much attention to Christian¡¯s map, but still remembered that a Priest of Light stayed in this room. Rodhart¡¯s subordinates stayed in the rooms on the same side in five different rooms¡ªone, two, three, four, and seven. Going south along the corridor, there were a few rooms where Rodhart¡¯s personal guards stayed. The most powerful one among them was an intermediate swordsman. There were four junior swordsmen and a group of swordsmen in the guards. Anfey did not have to worry about them since Suzanna herself could definitely handle them.


    "Who is it?" A voice rose from the room.


    Anfey gave Suzanna a look. Suzanna immediately understood and said in a deep voice, "It¡¯s me."


    The Priest of Light did not expect any danger in the pce, for he had never done anything shady. He walked up to the door without any suspicion. Anfey could tell from his hurried steps that he was rushed. Anfey quietly moved to the side of the door.


    The door opened a crack. A handsome middle-aged man in priestly dress put his head out of the door and waved at Suzanna. He immediately appeared startled.


    Anfey had quietly thrust his sword at him. The sword passed through his neck with lightning speed. Blood sshed out and sttered the clean corridor.


    Anfey moved sideways to avoid the body falling on him. He immediately grabbed the cor of the priest to let his body quietly fall to the floor. It happened smoother than Anfey had expected. He thought it would take more time to kill a Priest of Light. He expected to wake others up. It seemed to be as easy as crushing an ant.


    In fact, Church of Light had existed for so long that its administration and management had its ownplete system. Attacking priests were mostly members of the Arbitrators¡¯ Guild. The priests sent to other ces served as priests or the pope.


    They were usually highly provocative or had reasonable logical thinking. Church of Light had great respect for its members¡¯ talents. The pope of Church of Light would not have such poor management. The priests of Light with Rodhart belonged to the ss who could be pope. This one would have been really smart. His job was to convert Rodhart to the Church of Light. Unfortunately, being smart did not help. He did not even get a chance to showcase his talent.


    "Suzanna, can you go and take care of that intermediate swordsman? He was just across the corridor from the magic Ever-Lastingmp." Anfey pointed in that direction and said quietly, "Christian, you go to the third floor and kill your double."


    Christian took a look at the body on the ground without saying anything. He quietly turned around and walked to the stairs.


    Anfey did not worry about Christian¡¯s safety. Ynthe stayed on the third floor, where the fake Rodhart, his maids, a few nannies and his children stayed. All together, their fighting ability would be negligible.


    Suzanna had walked next to the magic Ever-Lastingmp. She turned around to look at Anfey in the distance. Anfey could kill a priest without making any noise, but she could not. Once she started it, the intensebat power surges would wake all the people in the building. Anfey bowed to make a "please" gesture, like a gentleman. He slowly moved back. There were two people staying in the rooms to both sides. The people who had single rooms in this ce would not have menial positions. They were actually the teachers of Rodhart. Anfey did not care about the two worthless stupid asses who only knew how to entertain themselves. He could save them forst.


    By the time Suzanna pulled her sword out, Anfey had already moved toward a person-sized statue with a bronze sword. Anfey broke the bronze sword in half with his fingers. He walked in front of a room and stuck the des into the knockers. He pushed the des deep into the door frame with his thumb.


    Suzanna was covered under white light radiance. She knocked the door open and ran into the intermediate swordsman¡¯s room. Either thebat power surges or the sound of breaking the door was loud enough to wake people up. Anfey had already heard people screaming and yelling in the rooms. He walked back to the statue without any hurry. He looked up and down the statue. He reached his hand out and broke the sword sheath in half.


    Anfey walked in front of another room and repeated the same action. He put the sword sheath into the knocker and pushed the broken sword sheath into the door frame with his thumb. It was easy to push a de into the door frame with his thumb, since the broken sword had des. A sword sheath was much more blunt. However, there was not much difference for Anfey. He pushed the sword sheath forward. With an ear-piercing sound, the sword sheath stuck deep into the door frame.


    At the same time, the farthest room was pulled opened. A person rushed out in his nightclothes. He held a sword which was still inside a sword sheath. Perhaps he wanted to see what was happening before he pulled his sword out. Unfortunately, his opponent was Anfey, who did not even give him a chance to pull his sword out.


    Anfey ran forward about eight yards in the blink of an eye. He raised his left knee and bashed it into the man¡¯s chest. The man flew backwards without having time to scream. Another person had just put one foot out the door and was hit by hispanion. As the man was still feeling dizzy from the hit, Anfey pierced him under his ribs and into the other person¡¯s chest.


    The next moment, Anfey ran into the room as fast as a ghost. There were five people standing still like five statues. They looked at Anfey, shocked. Anfey raised his left hand and shook more than thirty wind des into the air. The sharp whooshing sounds went after the five people. ording to the information Anfey had, Rodhart¡¯s subordinates were all incapable idlers. It seemed there was something wrong with the information. He was able to shoot four of them with wind des, and theyy bloodied on the ground. Thest person was no doubt a senior swordsman. He countered the wind de attack withbat powers. He did not attack Anfey but tried to throw himself out of the wind as fast as possible. A senior swordsman was nothing to Anfey. That senior swordsman had good judgement. He was able to make a decision to run away after quickly recognizing the difference in fighting ability between him and Anfey.


    This time Anfey gathered water elements. As the senior swordsman was about to run to the window, a strong gush of water appeared under him. The senior swordsman had nowhere to dodge in the air. He was rushed by the spring. Thebat power protected his body but could not counter the power of a strong spring. The senior swordsman was pushed diagonally into the air and bashed against the window frame.


    Before the senior swordsman could fall down, Anfey had rushed close to him and thrusted the sword at him at a weird angle. As the sword de met thebat power, it gave an almost imperceptible pause and pierced through that senior swordsman¡¯s body.


    Anfey kicked on the windowsill with his foot and flipped backwards through the window as he pulled his sword from the senior swordsman. The senior swordsman fell hard to the floor with no breath left in him.


    Anfey looked around. In different levels of battle, magic was indeed good. If he used his sword, it would be hard to kill four people at the same time. It made sense that archmages received more respect than master swordsmen. At one point in Pan Continent history, an archmage had ughtered a whole city. If a master swordsman wanted to kill all the people in a city, it would be very challenging. Others probably would be able to run in different directions as he was killing some.


    As Anfey stepped out the door, Anfey saw an old man looking surprised as he walked out of his room. That was Rodhart¡¯s teacher. Anfey shoot a wind de at him without even thinking about it.


    Anfey could instantly shoot out a wind de, or even fifty. Everyone had his own way of doing things. Anfey liked to kill his opponents with the right amount of energy, without wasting anything. He had shot out over thirty wind des earlier because he did not have the uracy to control multiple wind des with his telepathy. Therefore, he did a nket attack. This time, he only had one target, so he only shot one wind de.


    There was another mistake in the information they had been given. With a cloud of radiant red light, the wind de disappeared in front of the old man¡¯s chest. The old man actually had surrounded himself with a magic shield as he walked out of the room. When he saw Anfey¡¯s attack, he counterattacked. He responded to Anfey¡¯s attack with a fireball.


    Anfey was only shocked for a second before he rushed forward with the speed of lightning. He reached his hand out at the little fireball in the air and shot it back at the old man¡¯s face with a faster speed. The old man¡¯s jaw dropped, and he stared with his eyes as wide as saucers when he saw the little fire ball returning to attack him. "Controlling magic..." Before he could finish chanting, the little fire ball had exploded in his face.


    Anfey stepped up and thrust his sword out. The sword went through the man¡¯s mouth and through the back of his head. Seeing the old man sloppily fall to the ground, Anfey frowned. He felt uneasy because this reminded him of something he had experienced before.


    With loud crashing sounds, the people in the two rooms behind him were trying hard to pulled the doors open. However, they were locked tight with the two broken swords. They would not be able to open the doors any time soon. Anfey slowly walked up and grabbed the sword sheath. He pulled hard on it as he kicked on the door. People inside the room were still trying to pull the door open. With Anfey¡¯s kick, the door hit them right in the face. They flew backwards, screaming.

 Chapter 296: Black and White

    Chapter 296: ck and White


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The man was struggling to get up from the floor when Anfey rushed into the room. Anfey kicked the man in the face and the man fell back, his head smashing against the floor. Blood sttered across the floor. Anfey waved his hand, summoning wind des and sending them after the two servants who were crouching on the floor. The third servant dashed towards Anfey, who waved his sword and slit the man¡¯s throat. The servant shook and fell to the ground.


    The door on the other side of the room was pushed open. Three men appeared, and as soon as they did, the wind des attacked them. The third man ducked behind hispanions, whose bodies were mangled and bloodied. With a sh of silver, the third man fell down as well, dead.


    Anfey turned to thest door. Rodhart had two teachers. One was dead and the other was supposedly in his room, resting. How did this chaos not wake him?


    Anfey walked over and pushed open the door, but did not enter immediately. He waited for a few seconds then slipped in silently. The room was silent and empty, the window wide open. A long rope made from curtains draped down from the open window. It was shaking.


    Anfey walked over and looked down. The old man was clearly not familiar with this way of escape. He spent too much time making the rope and left too little time for himself to get away.


    Anfey reached down, grabbed the old man, and dragged him back into the room. He dragged his sword across the man¡¯s neck and dropped the body onto the ground.


    Anfey did not make a lot of noise, so he could hear clearly all the sounds Suzanna was making. As Anfey was leaving the room, the house returned to silence. Suzanna must have finished her mission as well.


    Suzanna jumped through arge hole in the wall and greeted Anfey.


    "We aren¡¯t the demolition crew, you know," Anfey said with a smile.


    Suzanna turned and saw the destruction she had done. The hall was filled with rubble, the magicmps on the walls were gone. The wall to their left had already fallen, and the hole in the wall was wide enough for three cows to walk through. Suzanna shrugged. This was simply the way of swordsmen.


    "Hopefully His Majesty won¡¯t make us pay for this destruction," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "How¡¯s Christian doing?" Suzanna asked. "Is he alright?"


    "Don¡¯t worry about him," Anfey said, sitting down on the stairs. "He will be alright. All we have to do is wait."


    "I can go..."


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "This is none of our business."


    Suzanna sighed and sat down next to Anfey.


    Time ticked by slowly, but Christian still did not appear. The pce guards appeared several times and disappeared quickly when they saw Suzanna and Anfey. The leader of the guards frowned when he saw the two. He thought they would leave as soon as they finished the job instead sitting there and talking.


    The stench in the air grew stronger. Anfey nced at the bodies and sawrge patches on the skin. They must have been there at least two hours.


    Just then, the two heard soft footsteps and saw Christian walking down the stairs.


    "Is everything taken care of?" Anfey asked, standing up.


    "I..." Christian opened his mouth but was interrupted by the faint sound of crying from upstairs.


    Anfey frowned. He knew that Christian not only spared the children, but also some of the grownups. Otherwise the kids would not stop crying so quickly.


    "I killed Rodhart," Christian said slowly. "But I can¡¯t kill the kids. They did nothing wrong."


    "Neither did Rodhart," Anfey said.


    "Are you saying that I am weak?" Christian asked, staring at Anfey.


    "That isn¡¯t what I said."


    "I should have stayed here," Christian said, shaking his head. He had killed before, like when they attacked the orcs. However, the orcs had attacked them first, and Christian could somewhat justify their actions. He could not bring himself to murder defenseless women and children. Christian had been determined on his way upstairs, but he began doubting himself as soon as he saw those people. He would rather face Rodhart¡¯s servants or the swordsmen.


    "You can¡¯t hide behind others forever," Anfey said.


    "I¡¯m not you," Christian said, shaking his head. They had been working together for a long time now, and they knew each other very well. He knew that Anfey would not care if his target was a defenseless young child.


    "You are not," Anfey agreed. "If it was me, I would not keep them alive."


    The sound of faint crying started again. Christian frowned, tempted to go upstairs and finish the job. Of course, the urge disappeared quickly.


    "Your decision is not wrong," Anfey said. "It is your attitude that is wrong. You should not regret what you did. It doesn¡¯t matter if you wanted to fight for the throne or just wanted a peaceful life. Indecisiveness will hinder you. If you choose not to harm the innocent, that is your decision and I respect it. Our business here is finished. We should not linger here any longer. You can¡¯t change anything by staying here."


    "Will you think I¡¯m weak?"


    "That¡¯s not important," Anfey said. "I will not use my standards to measure you. You are you. I am me."


    Christian smiled and nodded, feeling relieved by Anfey¡¯s words. "Alright," he said with a soft sigh. "I see. Let¡¯s go home now."


    ¡ª


    A shocking story began spreading through the streets of Sacred City. After the third prince Rodhart was born, a few Ellisen spies in the Maho court made a despicable n. They secretly brought the bastard of Ellisen Empire¡¯s king to Maho Empire and reced the prince with the bastard. They wanted to put the bastard on the throne, therefore taking the most powerful position in the empire for themselves. The men tried to smuggle the real prince out of the city when they ran into the former head of the pce guards, Baery. The men aroused Baery¡¯s suspicion and were killed. Baery did not know what to do with a strange child, but he did not have the time to take care of children, so he took the kid to Saul. Saul named the child Christian.


    After the Dark Moon Magic Legion was defeated by Saul, Maho Empire discovered arge amount of information not avable to them before. The n was among the information exposed after the war. Ynthe ordered the situation to be thoroughly investigated. The investigators found the midwife, who recalled a snake-like birthmark on the back of the prince¡¯s neck. This proved Christian¡¯s true identity.


    Ynthe ordered the arrest of all involved personnel. The fake Rodhart knew that he was exposed. In a moment of desperation he fought against the pce guards and was in.


    The story had its plot holes and mistakes, like how sneaking a child into the pce was possible, why it was necessary to take the real prince out of the city, why those men did not kill the prince, how it was possible that the midwife was the only one who knew about the birthmark. Of course, people did not care about those inconsistencies. They only wanted a thrilling story.


    Anfey, on the other hand, was more touched by the story. He knew how cruel the reality of the royal court was. Speaking objectively, even though the fake Rodhart was an ipetent man, it was not his fault. He had been created by Ynthe. He had done nothing wrong, but the king was still set on wiping away his existence.

 Chapter 297: Crisis

    Chapter 297: Crisis


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After he left the academy, Anfey immediately headed towards a jewelry store. It was Christian¡¯s birthday, and Anfey had ordered a ring from that store. Even though the decoration on the ring was a small ruby, Anfey had designed the ring himself. He made the ring very simple yet elegant, and the design was something notmonly seen in jewelry shops in Sacred City. The owner of the shop hinted that Anfey could submit more designs, because he knew that if he could get the young man to give him more designs, his shop would grow in poprity.


    However, Anfey¡¯s mind was not on designing jewelry. He did not want to spend too much time at the shop, and left in a hurry.


    As soon as he walked into the dining room, he realized something must have gone wrong. The servants were hurrying about, preparing for the feast. There were a few people sitting in the dining room, but they were all chatting quietly and no one looked like they were about to host a birthday feast.


    "Where¡¯s Christian?" Anfey asked.


    "Upstairs," vi said.


    "Where¡¯s Niya?" Anfey asked again. Niya lovedrge gatherings and feasts and would always be involved in the preparation. It was strange to not see her there.


    vi sighed and turned his head away, as if he did not want to talk about her.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked, frowning. "Tell me immediately."


    Riska sighed and said, "She¡¯s not here. She¡¯s with Prince Grandon." Riska paused then continued, "I heard he¡¯s having a feast too. Invited a lot of people."


    "What about Master Saul?"


    "He¡¯s with Niya."


    "I can¡¯t believe this," vi said spitefully. It seemed like he had been holding back and could no longer contain his anger. "It¡¯s Christian¡¯s birthday today! Why would he go to someone else¡¯s feast?"


    "vi!" Riska scolded. He nced at the busy servants and lowered his voice, "Master has full right to do what he did. If you didn¡¯t know, Grandon proposed to Niya. Again. She is Master¡¯s only child and has no interest in magic. We all know that if they marry, Grandon would inherit Master¡¯s belongings one day. Don¡¯t say anything like that again."


    "So that justifies leaving Christian alone on his birthday?" vi asked angrily and pped a table. "Frankly, I can say whatever I want and you can¡¯t tell me not to. I know, you are all smart. Grandon is the most likely heir, so you want to be in his good graces, huh? Too bad you are nothing to him, or else you would be at that feast too!"


    "You!" Riska widened his eyes in shock at vi¡¯s words. He told vi to watch what he said, because he was afraid that vi would get himself into trouble. He didn¡¯t expect vi to take it the wrong way.


    "I¡¯m dumb, I know, and I know you think I¡¯m stupid," vi said coldly. He shook his head and turned to leave.


    "Wait," Anfey said, taking a few steps forward and grabbing vi. "Wait."


    Even though Anfey had been busytely, he was still a leader and his friends¡¯ memories of their time following him were still fresh. vi sat back down reluctantly.


    Anfey turned to thergest chair in the room. There were a dozen strings of flowers hanging on the chair, and Anfey knew Niya had prepared the flowers by herself. Niya even told him that morning that she had a surprise for Christian. Clearly, she never intended to miss his birthday feast. Which meant Grandon¡¯s feast was ast-minute thing.


    Anfey had met Grandon once, but even he knew that deducing a man¡¯s personality from such a brief meeting was impossible. Plus, since Grandon was a prince, he had to be good at hiding his true emotions. Anfey coughed softly and said, "We should lighten up. What would Christian think if he saw us arguing? On his birthday, nheless?"


    "He¡¯s right," Feller said quietly. "We should stop arguing. We didn¡¯t even argue when we were suffering out there. Why are we arguing now that we are supposed to be safe and happy?"


    "I prefer this, actually," Zubin said softly. "I don¡¯t like big crowds."


    "I agree," Sante said.


    "This isn¡¯t helping," vi said angrily. "Why would Niya..."


    "I understand why she chose to go to Grandon¡¯s feast," Anfey said. "I¡¯ve talked to her before. I can tell that she loves him and is willing to marry him. What do you want her to do? Turn down her fianc¡¯s invitation? Embarrass him in front of his own court?"


    "Anfey¡¯s right," Zubin said. "We have to understand her."


    "I can¡¯t," vi snapped. After everything they had been through, their bonds were more important to vi than a simple fianc, even if that fianc was a prince and presumed heir.


    "vi, if your fianc is asking you to go to a feast with her, you would probably do the same thing," Sante said. He could sense how tense the atmosphere was and tried very hard to lighten the mood.


    "No way," vi said, shaking his head. "You¡¯re my brothers. I would never leave you alone for a woman."


    Sound from the stairs startled him. He turned and saw Suzanna walking down the stairs, grinning at him.


    "Anfey, if Suzanna asks you go somewhere else tonight, will you stay?" Zubin suddenly asked, smirking.


    Anfey rolled his eyes. He hated questions like this, since he considered those useless questions.


    "No way," Suzanna said, smiling. "I would not miss Christian¡¯s feast for the world."


    "Suzanna, if Anfey..." Zubin did not finish his question. He yelped as a peanut hit his forehead. He had seen Anfey holding the peanut, but he didn¡¯t know he would actually toss it at him.


    "You had iting," vi said. He wasughing, but that didn¡¯t mean he had forgotten about what he considered a betrayal. It was because this made him feel like the old times, when they didn¡¯t have to worry about who would be the heir to the throne.


    Christian walked down the stairs slowly. He smiled when he saw Anfey and said, "You¡¯re back."


    "Why aren¡¯t you dressed?" Anfey asked, looking at Christian. He had not changed his clothes and looked normal.


    "Why?" Christian asked, frowning. "I don¡¯t care much about my appearance. I¡¯m not a girl, you know."


    "But you¡¯re good looking enough that you would look like one if you dress up," Anfey said, nodding. Christian was handsome enough to make most men jealous, but he was a very gentle and quiet person. If he was to look for a wife, hundreds of girls would line up for him to choose. However, he was not interested in looking for a wife. The only thing he was interested in was bing an archmage.


    Everyoneughed. Ever since Christian¡¯s real identity had been revealed, his rtionship with the other students had be tense. Christian was grateful that he still knew someone he could joke with.


    "Oh, to hell with you," Christian said,ughing.


    "I¡¯m serious," Anfey said. "Just try, won¡¯t you? Not going to lie, I think you¡¯re going to be prettier than Suzanna."


    "I¡¯m jealous!" Suzanna said and red at Anfey. However, her grin betrayed her.


    Everyone wasughing, but there was uncertainty in theirughter. Saul had sent out dozens of invitations to governmental officials, but with Saul gone, would those people actually show up? How should they exin to Christian that Saul was gone?


    "Christian," Anfey said after he recovered from hisughter. "I have to tell you something. Master and Niya..."


    "I know," Christian said with a smile. He walked over and sat down next to vi. "Both of my brothers are having feasts tonight. Master and Niya are at Grandon¡¯s."


    "Wester is having a feast too?" Riska asked, shocked. Feasts were amon urrence, and there was a single rule to it. After one feast date was established, others would set up feasts around that date to avoid conflicts. Unless the two hosts were enemies.


    "Yes," Christian nodded. "They can have ten feasts for all I care." Everyone knew he cared deeply.


    "Today¡¯s spotlight is on Christian," Anfey said, sitting down with Suzanna. "We have to listen to him; although there is one thing I have to talk to you all about." He turned to the servants and said, "Leave us. Close the door behind you."

 Chapter 298: Paradise

    Chapter 298: Paradise


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Lord Anfey, we still have a lot..." the old butler said hurriedly.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it," Anfey said, smiling. "This is more than enough. Today is Christian¡¯s birthday. Give the rest to the servants. It is a feast, after all."


    "Thank you, my lord," the butler said, bowing.


    A servant hurried in with a stack of invitations. He walked over to the old butler and whispered something into the old man¡¯s ear. The feast had begun mid-morning, and the servants realized the students¡¯ all looked grim in the afternoon. The reason was not hard to find. The servants had been trying to avoid the students ever since.


    "My lord, these are invitations from Prince Grandon," the old butler said slowly. "Should I..."


    Anfey took the stack of invitations and flipped through it. Not only Christian, even Hui Wei, who had been keeping a low profile, was invited. He looked around and saw that most of the invited were missing. "vi," he called, "do you know where everyone is? Especially Hagan and Hui Wei."


    "Hagan is in hisb," vi said. "Hui Wei might be in his room."


    "Go fetch them. Is Doris here?" Anfey looked around and saw Riska nodding. "Don¡¯t worry. We can find herter."


    "Alright," vi said as he stood up.


    After everyone was gathered in the room, Anfey dropped the invitations on the table. "Prince Grandon is inviting us to a feast. Everyone¡¯s invited. Come im your invitation if you want to go."


    "I don¡¯t know him," Hui Wei said with a shrug.


    "Prince Grandon?" Hagan asked, frowning. "I¡¯m busy. I haven¡¯t slept in two days. This is as much time as I can spare."


    "What about about the rest of you?"


    Everyone nced at each other, but no one raised a hand to grab the invitation. They knew it was Christian¡¯s birthday and had all prepared gifts for him. During their time on the run, a lot of people¡¯s birthdays had came and gone without any form of celebration. During that time, birthdays had been unnecessary distractions. Now that they were safe, birthdays became weed. Christian was a prince, and it seemed appropriate that they would throw a party for him. On the other hand, no one wanted to go to the party thrown by Prince Grandon. They did not know the prince and no one wanted to be seen as a traitor by going to a rival¡¯s party. Mages were proud. They would rather spend their time practicing than trying to befriend every powerful man and woman in the world.


    "It seems like none of us are willing to go," Anfey said. He handed the invitations to the butler and said, "Leave us. We have some business to discuss."


    "Yes, my lord," the old butler said. He bowed, turned, and left, bringing all the servants with him.


    Anfey nced at Riska, who nodded. He stood up and released a soundproof spell.


    "What are we doing?" Hagan asked, curious.


    "Shhh," Hui Wei said, kicking Hagan under the table. Hui Wei was very sensitive to changes in mood, and he knew that whatever Anfey wanted to talk about would be important.


    "I think we all know that His Majesty, willingly or not, has begun the process of selecting an heir," Anfey said. "This is very, very important."


    "It is true," Riska agreed, nodding. Everyone¡¯s expression changed. The situation in Sacred City had been very tensetely. Wester and Grandon¡¯s rtionship had already came to a breaking point. Rumors travel fast, and everyone more or less knew about it.


    "The decisions we make now can directly impact our future. As much as I hate to admit it, we are not in a good position right now. Sooner orter we will all be in danger."


    "Danger? Are you certain?" Riska asked. "Surely Master would not let any harme our way?"


    "I agree with Anfey," Zubin said, rubbing his temple. "Don¡¯t forget who Christian is. He has a right to the throne as well. He is a threat to both Wester and Grandon. It doesn¡¯t matter if he wants the throne or not."


    Christian frowned. His smile stiffened and he pursed his lips. He already felt sad that his birthday feast had been interrupted, now that Zubin had stated exactly the thing he was trying to avoid, he felt even worse. He did not care for power and he truly did not want the throne. Fighting against his own blood was his worst nightmare, so he chose to run and tried to have a peaceful life. Moreover, Christian knew his own abilities very well. Wester was in charge of politics in Sacred City and had befriended many court members. Grandon was an army man and had the loyalty of the military. He, on the other hand, had only Saul¡¯s students. He was too weakpared to his brothers. This was another reason why he chose to give up his im.


    "Master should have stayed," Feller said timidly.


    "I¡¯m sure Master is torn as well," Riska replied gently. "We are his students, but we all know that he treats us less like students and more like children. He would never want us to get hurt. I¡¯m sure Grandon¡¯s motive was to show Christian what he was capable of. We are still in the early stage of the selection. Let¡¯s not overthink this."


    "Tell us what you¡¯re thinking," Anfey said.


    "I don¡¯t have a lot to say," Riska said with a shrug. "We can¡¯t always talk about how to avenge Christian, can we? What is in the past is in the past. Let¡¯s take a step back and pretend nothing happened. We have our own lives still."


    "Why?" vi asked suddenly, his eyes intense. "Christian is the third prince. His im is as valid as the other two. Why should we take a step back?" Unlike Christian, vi was very ambitious. He did not want to be a hermit-like mage. He wanted power. If Christian became the king, there would be a ce in the court for vi. Why choose a dull life when he could be one of the most powerful men in the entire nation?


    "I¡¯ve already talked with Christian," Anfey said. "He relinquishes his im to the throne."


    "Why?" vi asked, turning to Christian. He sighed when he saw Christian nodding. He was disappointed, but he knew that no one but Christian could make this decision for him.


    "We believe him, but others may not," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Some of those people will never be convinced."


    "What should we do, then?" Sante asked.


    "It¡¯s easy. We have to start considering our future," Anfey said. "If Christian is determined to give up his im, then the future king must be either Wester or Grandon. We should we do then? If the king sees us as enemies, we will not survive here in Sacred City."


    "Are you saying we should go back to Violet City?" Riska asked.


    "We can¡¯t give up that city, but it¡¯s too small."


    "Swordbury?"


    "Yes," Anfey said, nodding. "Christian, the fake Rodhart is dead. You can return to Swordbury now, right?"


    "Swordbury belongs to Rodhart," Christian said. "No one can stop me from returning." He never wanted to be near the center of the struggle and wanted to get as far away as possible. Swordbury was an obvious choice.


    "Good," Anfey said. "We will go with you. Now we have to go through what we have." Everyone turned to Anfey, confused.


    "As you are know, I lived with the archmage Yagor. After he died in an ident, and he left me a considerable amount of treasure. I don¡¯t know exactly what he had, but I do know he had one thing¡ªa Vacuum Confinement Scroll."


    "Really?" vi asked, shocked.


    "Yes. After I left the ind, His Majesty took everything to Sacred City. I thought His Majesty would be interested in the Vacuum Confinement Scroll, but he returned it to me."


    "Let me see," vi said anxiously.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "I will show it to you soon. We need to go through some other things."


    "What is more important than that?"


    "Don¡¯t you remember what we found at Hui Wei¡¯s house?" Anfey asked, smiling.


    Everyone turned to Hui Wei, who sighed and shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you?" Hui Wei asked. "It¡¯s not my house."


    "Did anyone ever tell anyone else about that ce?" Anfey asked. He, Christian, Niya, Riska, vi, Sanchez, Sante, and Suzanna were the only ones who had entered the cave when they first discovered it. The others knew there were treasures, but not exactly what was in it.


    "No," Christian said, shaking his head. "You told us to keep it a secret."


    "Did you tell Master?"


    "No," vi said. He looked at Anfey, shocked. "We thought you would tell him. Did you not?"


    "I thought you guys would," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    Christian smiled. Even though they were all very different, none of them were the type to sell out their friends for power and glory. Anfey had yed the role of the leader, and it should have been Anfey who would tell Saul about the treasure. The map was Suzanna¡¯s, and they all thought that it should be Suzanna¡¯s. Even Saul could not dictate what to do with the treasure.


    "We took most of the weapons, but there is still a lot of gold left. It should be enough tost us awhile," Anfey said. He purposely glossed over the existence of the Chant of the Blood Moon, which he knew Suzanna had wanted. He didn¡¯t know what it was at first, but after some research he had a basic understanding what it was.


    Everyone who had gone into the cave nodded, while the rest were left in the dark. They did not think it was wrong to keep the cave a secret. The less they knew the better. Even in a small group, a power pyramid was still inevitable. Christian, vi, and Riska were obviously the center of this group¡¯s pyramid.


    "Don¡¯t tell Master about it, either," Anfey reminded them. Everyone in the room nodded, their expression grave.


    If they had been older or more experienced, maybe they would tell Saul or one of the princes in exchange for power or a better position. They were still young and pure, however, and did not think of doing such thing. They all felt ufortable about not telling Saul, but they did remember that Suzanna was the owner of the map. She should be the one to decide what to do with those treasures.


    "Have you ever heard the story about the man who became a god?" Anfey asked. Seeing that no one had heard it before, he smiled and continued on, "It¡¯s very simple, actually. There was a man who wanted to be a god. One day, he seeded. He became a god. When he became a god, he brought something else with him."


    "But it¡¯s impossible," Hagan said. "No man has ever be a god."


    "Don¡¯t take it literally," Hui Wei scolded him. "It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s real or not." Out of everyone, he was the closest to Hagan. Sometimes he couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes at Hagan¡¯s naivete.


    "He brought his family with him. His family and his pets. There were a lot of people living just outside his door, but none of them were as important as his pets, so they could not go with him to the realm of the gods."


    Now, everyone clearly understood what Anfey was implying. Christian looked very ufortable and shifted in his seat.


    "Christian chose to give up his im, and some of us may be disappointed. But don¡¯t forget that we still have Swordbury. We are totally capable of transforming Swordbury into our own paradise." Of course, Anfey was exaggerating. They weren¡¯t capable yet, but they would be in the future. He was setting a goal for them.


    "Let¡¯s stop now," Anfey said, noticing Christian¡¯s anxiety. "It¡¯s Christian¡¯s birthday. We should be celebrating with him."


    Christian smiled and closed a window. vi walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Christian, there¡¯s no need to wait. If they haven¡¯t shown up, they aren¡¯ting."


    Christian sighed but nodded. Suddenly, the door was pushed open. A man in a silver robe stepped into the room,ughing. "Who said we won¡¯t show up!" Baery bellowed. Entos and a middle-aged swordsmaster followed Baery into the room. Baery always wore his military uniforms and was almost unrecognizable in street clothes. Christian widened his eyes in surprised. "Uncle," he called, hurrying over, "why are you here?"


    "What, do you not want me here?" Baery asked, smiling. "Were you not the one who sent me the invitation?"


    "No, no," Christian said, excited. "I¡¯m d you¡¯re here, uncle."


    Everyone hurried over to greet Baery, but Anfey sat still, shocked. Christian referred to Baery as uncle, which was unexpected. Baerying to Christian¡¯s birthday feast showed that he was closest with Christian. If he was Christian¡¯s uncle, then who was he to Wester and Grandon? Or was Christian their brother from another mother?


    "Let me introduce our esteemed guest," Entos announced. "This is the leader of Brother mercenary, senior swordsmaster Marino."

 Chapter 299: Options

    Chapter 299: Options


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "King, it is about time," a voice spoke out.


    "Haven¡¯t those annoying people gone yet?" Ynthe closed the file on his desk as he massaged his eyebrows. He looked a little tired.


    "You have not made a decision yet. How could they dare to leave?" A grey shadow showed behind Ynthe. He gently put a fox fur cape on Ynthe. "King, winter ising. Please take care of your body."


    "It is indeed a "winter" for me. I have to admit I am getting old." Ynthe got up from his throne and smiled.


    "King, if you do not want to be bothered, you do not have to care about those people." The grey shadow had previously sounded humble, but suddenly sounded cold. The temperature dropped as winter had approached. "As long as I have a breath left, no one can force our king to do anything."


    "I remember when I first heard you say it. I was still young. How many years ago was that? Is it about thirty years ago?" Ynthe squinted, looking like he was trying to recall his old days. "You have been with me for the past thirty years, like a loyal shadow. You even forget who you are to me. To be honest, my old friend, I owed you so much."


    Bells rang in the distance. The grey shadow moved his body sideways to listen. "King, it¡¯s time now. Have you made your decision yet?" The shadow did not lookfortable showing his emotions. He changed the topic to cover his uneasiness.


    "They will wait for me," Ynthe said with a smile. "Patience and ambition are equally important. If they did not have this much patience, they would not have the right to sit there." Ynthe tapped the floor with his scepter a few times. He looked yful, sentimental and thoughtful, butcking respect. Scepter and throne represented the highest power, which did not allow anyone to spheme. If the government officials were here, they would have been startled and thought there was something wrong with Ynthe¡¯s head.


    "King, you..." the shadow said.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I just vented a little bit." Ynthe raised his scepter and smiled. He carefully looked at the scepter to make sure it was still all right. He looked like an angry kid who was worried he had broken his toys after throwing a fit. "My old friend, do you know back then I had to be the king only because I wanted to achieve my dream?"


    "King, I think no one knows you better than me," the grey shadow said quietly.


    "Young men are always too optimistic. I did not understand that dream has always been dreams to this day," Ynthe said with a bitter smile on his face.


    "King, I remember you had a philosophical saying," the grey shadow said.


    "Oh, what is it? I have said many philosophical things. I do not remember which one you are talking about," Ynthe said, smiling. "Sometimes even when I coughed, orid my eyes on someone, it would make people wonder. If they could not figure it out in the pce, they would not be able to fall asleep when they went back home."


    The grey shadow did not know whether he should cry orugh. The time for regret over getting old was gone. "King, you have said as long as you tried, you would not have regrets. You also said we need learn to enjoy it as we worked towards the dream. Since you took over the throne, you have been trying to make our empire stronger and to reform it to get rid of rotten traditions. You..."


    "Those are lies," Ynthe interrupted the grey shadow with a smile. "Losers always think about ways to make excuses for themselves. So did I. Enjoying the work? Haha. A farmer worked hard in the sun and cold because he wanted the harvest. A cksmith sweated so much in front of the iron smelter because he wanted to produce something. For me, I wanted a brand new and powerful Maho empire. If you had told them early on that what they had tried would not have gotten them anywhere, do you think they would have tried?"


    "Well..." The grey shadow did not know how to answer Ynthe.


    "Don¡¯t believe those bards. No matter how deep philosophies are, they are not as practical as having a handful of grain in your hands. Sometimes, do not even believe my words, I know better how to lie to others than those bards." Ynthe tidied his gown and fell into thought.


    The grey shadow heaved a sigh. He closed his mouth. He had been waiting for a long time, but Ynthe did not move at all. There was another sound of bells from outside. The grey shadow could not wait any longer. He tried to ask again, "King, have you made a decision yet? How about we go to Christian¡¯s ce today? Today is his birthday."


    "No. He has made his decision. We are not going to trouble him. We need to respect his decision," Ynthe said.


    "Do you mean to go to Granden¡¯s ce?" the grey shadow asked.


    "He¡¯s smart, brave, and strong-willed. Of my children, he looks like me the most," Ynthe said.


    "I am confused. Are you givingpliments to Granden or yourself?" The grey shadow smiled.


    "I am just recalling that time." Ynthe sighed. "I like him a lot, but I worry about him the most as well, because he has never experienced any bad failures. I picture him as a bird singing in a spring breeze. He only knew the warmth of the spring, but never experienced the annoying summer, depressing fall, or brutal winter. It is my fault. I never let him experience any difficulty."


    "Granden loves you so much. When the news that you died arrived on the battlefield, didn¡¯t Saul said Granden passed out when he heard you passed away? He even passed out a few times from crying. Compared with Granden, Wester did not seem to care too much. He was busy socializing with other government officials," the grey shadow said.


    "As a supervisor for the North Line unit, did he try to attack his opponents with his tears?" Ynthe said, shaking his head.


    "It¡¯s still better than Wester," that grey shadow said. In fact, he should not have given his opinions on these kinds of issues, but he really disliked Wester. Wester had brought that water series senior magister who had tried to assassinate Ynthe. Luckily, he noticed there was something odd about that Brufit. What would have happened if he had not noticed? He did a thorough investigation and proved Wester was not part of the assassination plot. However, he still held a grudge towards him. He did not want to see Wester have any advantage in this game.


    "Never mind. We should not talk about it anymore," Ynthe said with a smile. "We¡¯d better go to Wester¡¯s ce. Philip is going as well. He recently has been very close to Wester. You know he was not very happy with me. Today should be a good time to talk it over."


    "That old man is getting weirder." The grey shadow did not sound too nice when talking about Philip. "He likes to me others when things happen. Why didn¡¯t he realize the reason Zeda became a spoiled wealthy kid was because he spoiled him too much. Zeda was smart and cute when he was little."


    "There is nothing wrong with spoiling his own kid. Saul spoils Niya as well, just not as blindly as Philip." Ynthe sighed. "I still remember the time when Niya ran to the pce at night, yelling for help."


    "I remember that time too," the grey shadow recalled with a smile.


    "No matter what, Philip has contributed so much to the empire. I prefer to focus more on what he has done for the empire. Philip is getting old. I had a good start with Philip. As long as he is doing so much, I will protect him and give him a good ending," Ynthe said slowly.


    "King, you should not let him know what you are thinking on this issue," the grey shadow said, looking serious. "No one knows what Philip could do."


    "He does not dare," Ynthe said casually. Ynthe had always been a self-critic. He was honest with himself as well. For example, he knew he was neither as good as Baery on the battlefield, nor as knowledgeable as his two prime ministers. However, he was good at appointing people to the right positions. It was not bragging. From the day he seed to the throne, Ynthe rarely appointed the wrong people. He thought he had total control of Philip as well. However, Ynthe was wrong this time. A person who knew he was going to die soon could hold hatred that he could not let go of. His behavior could be very crazy. Because of Ynthe¡¯s history with Philip, he tried to give him a good ending. However, the nice gestures he gave to Philip to try to rebuild their rtionship were interpreted as support for what he was doing.


    That grey shadow was silent. He was a top power, but quite different than Saul and Philip. Ynthe had saved his life, held the funeral for his parents, and killed his enemies. The grey shadow had thought himself to be Ynthe¡¯s most loyal servant since that day. He trained himself extremely hard for the sole purpose of better protecting his master. He was not afraid to hurt others for Ynthe, including Ynthe¡¯s sons.


    He had organized a group of terrifying spies for Ynthe for the past few decades. He learned not to show his feelings, even doing what he believed was the right thing to do behind Ynthe¡¯s back. He had recently contacted Philip¡¯s favorite student Shawn and reached an agreement. In fact, if Ynthe could meet Shawn, they could agree on more than what the grey shadow and Shawn had agreed upon. Shawn could have shown his loyalty to Ynthe. However, he did not dare to tell Ynthe, because Ynthe had attachment to people and would not allow him to set Philip up.


    Ynthe slowly walked to the pce gate, but he suddenly stopped. He turned around and smiled. "Guess what I just thought of."


    "King, you are giving me a hard time. Very few people could guess what you are thinking," the grey shadow said.


    "To you guys, I am picking a person to seed my throne. To me, it seems like I am looking for someone who is better than the young version of me," Ynthe said.


    "King, you are..." The grey shadow looked like he did not know whether he shouldugh or cry.


    "In fact, everybody is a loser from the perspective of time." Ynthe pushed the door open as he shook his head. Outside was a group of very quiet government officials.

 Chapter 300: Prophecy

    Chapter 300: Prophecy


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "The hour growste, yet you are still awake, Anfey," Saul said in a hushed voice.


    "Master, you¡¯re back," Anfey said, turning to face Saul. He needed the silence of the garden to aid him in his thought process, and by the time he noticed Saul, it was toote to hide. Today was not a good day to talk to Saul, who was smart enough to know how much his decision to attend Grandon¡¯s party had impacted Christian. Anfey knew that talking too much could mean that he might identally show how angry he was about Saul¡¯s decision.


    "I¡¯ve been back," Saul said. "Why aren¡¯t you in bed?"


    "I¡¯m watching the stars," Anfey said. "I think it¡¯s exceptionally beautiful today."


    "Stars?" Saul asked, lifting an eyebrow. He nced at the sky and said slowly, "I haven¡¯t stargazed in a while. Do you know what the stars are made of?"


    "Um, fire elements?" Anfey didn¡¯t know if Saul knew what stars were really made of, so made up an answer.


    "Fire elements?" Saul asked, amused.


    "Am I wrong?" Anfey asked carefully.


    "Well, ording to the book of Genesis, God felt tired after creating the world and needed a rest, but he was worried about the world. So he cut his finger and his blood turned into stars. Of course, another theory was that God saw the violence and lies that permeated the society he had created and wept, his tears turning into stars."


    "I don¡¯t believe in gods," Anfey said with a shrug. "I don¡¯t believe in those theories."


    "I see. Did your teacher teach you that?"


    Anfey nodded.


    "I see," Saul said with a smile. "I felt a strange magic surge from the stars a few years ago. Of course, it was faint and insignificant."


    "It¡¯s faint because the stars are very far away," Anfey said. "The stars are very far from us. So far that the stars we see are only images of stars from thousands of years ago." Anfey was not afraid to tell Saul these things. He knew that it would not bring him any harm. The attitude towards strange scientific theories in this world was very epting. In order to discover the secrets to reviving its ancient glory, the mages in this world would not oppress anyone with peculiar ideas. Magicbs were made to study things that did not have exnations. Religious people wanted the entire world to believe in their god and live in peace. Mages, on the other hand, needed to discover new things. If ancient records were to be believed, their path to rediscovering ancient magic had just begun.


    Saul smiled and waved his hand. He formed two chairs out of earth elements, then draped two rugs over them. "Come," he said, "let¡¯s talk more." If he did not know Anfey¡¯s history, Saul might have dismissed his theory. However, Anfey must be talking about his teacher¡¯s theory, and that should be taken more seriously.


    "You first, Master," Anfey said politely.


    Saul said down and gestured for Anfey to do the same. Anfey sat down across from him, keeping his back straight. "Tell me, Anfey," Saul said, "why do you say the stars we see now are images from thousands of years ago?"


    "Light travels at a certain speed. We can see stars because light from the stars can reach us," Anfey said. He picked up a pebble and tossed it into a nearby bush. "Like this pebble, light has speed, as well."


    "Light has speed?" Saul asked, curious.


    "Yes. But light is very fast and we can hardly perceive it."


    "So you¡¯re saying that we can see the stars because the light of the stars has traveled to us?"


    Anfey nodded.


    "So you¡¯re saying that light travels very fast? But you also said that it takes thousands of years to reach us. Isn¡¯t that contradictory?"


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "If the universe is an ocean, then our world is merely a single pebble on the beach."


    "Interesting," Saul said, scratching his chin. He found it hard to believe that his world was as insignificant as a pebble on a beach. "So we live on such an insignificant ce, huh?"


    "Yes. And stars are not as silly as we think they are, either. Some stars are hot, hot enough to melt secret silver."


    Saul looked at the stars and frowned. Of course, it was almost unbelievable that the stars could melt something so strong. "I see your teacher taught you well. Let¡¯s leave this topic for another day. Did he ever tell you what makes up the world?"


    "This world?" Anfey repeated, hesitant. He knew the answer, but he did not know where to start.


    Saul, seeing that Anfey did not say anything, decided to give him a hint. "This world is made up of elements."


    "Elements?"


    "Yes, elements! The earth, ocean, forests, animals, people, even, are all made out of elements. If the elements disappear, even the gods cannot survive."


    Anfey smiled. He found Saul¡¯s mind very impressive. Back in his old world, thousands of scientists researched the topic for years to prove the existence of atoms. It was very impressive that Saul would be able toe to a simr conclusion by himself.


    Saul was very happy to see Anfey smile, because he knew he had stumbled onto something good. Anfey¡¯s teacher must have talked to him about this. He leaned over and grabbed Anfey¡¯s hand and asked, "Can you understand me?" It was easy to understand when he said that the earth and oceans were made of elements, but he had listed people and gods as well. This theory was almost sphemous, and most people would never believe him.


    That gods had created mankind was an indisputable truth. Anyone who questioned it would be isted and looked down upon.


    "This isn¡¯t a matter of understanding," Anfey said. "It¡¯s the truth."


    "Did your teacher tell you this?"


    "Yes."


    "Then I am on the right path," Saul said with a long sigh. He leaned back and closed his eyes. It was good to have confirmation of something he had believed in for a long time. He was too old to suffer another mistake.


    Anfey was distracted as well. He suddenly remembered a term: non-mainstream quantum physics. It was the name for a group of theorists that develop their strange theories based on existing theories. Physicists believe that the existence of atoms was because of waves. These non-mainstream physicists developed their theories based on this. Some even believed that a person¡¯s mind was a wave and could affect a person¡¯s surroundings if it was strong enough. Anfey had watched a movie about it but did not understand anything. However he found that this theory was very suitable in this world.


    Saul opened his eyes and smiled at Anfey. "If you keep working hard, you are going to be something spectacr." Of course, Saul couldn¡¯t know that Anfey was holding things back. If he knew everything Anfey did, his mind would have a hard time grasping it.


    "I¡¯m not even an intermediate mage yet, Master," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I¡¯m far from great."


    "You have time. You will be great."


    "Oh, I just remembered, Master. I have some questions. When you use a meteor spell, does the rock appear out of thin air? And when Entos uses the teleportation spell, how is he teleporting?"


    "It seems like you have a lot of questions," Saul said with a smile. "Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s take our time and go over one, shall we?"

 Chapter 301: Anfey’s Trump Card

    Chapter 301: Anfey¡¯s Trump Card


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Good morning," Anfey greeted Ernest with a smile.


    Ernest pulled his sword back to end his sword practice. He moved one step back and looked up and down at Anfey. "Don¡¯t you need go to magic academy today?"


    "Anfey, you look good today." Suzanna partnered with Ernest for the sword practice. She moved one step back as well. She was curious when she saw Anfey looking refreshed.


    "I am not going to the magic academy today," Anfey said,ying his eyes on Suzanna. "Suzanna, you should cherish the opportunity to practice sword fighting with Uncle Ernest!" As his fianc and number one fighter, Anfey had high expectations of her. He had hinted that Suzanna should learn more.


    "Do I need you to tell me that?" Suzanna said, rolling her eyes.


    "Why aren¡¯t you going to the magic academy?" Ernest asked.


    "I learned a lot yesterday. I need some time to digest it. I am not going to the academy for next few days," Anfey said. Anfey had learned a lot after talking with Saul almost the whole night, as if it had been a one-on-one tutoring session. Anfey¡¯s understanding of magic had improved by leaps and bounds.


    "Yesterday?" Suzanna was shocked. Yesterday Anfey had been in the magic academy during the day. He came back early and spent the night with them. Suzanna wondered whether something had happened in the magic academy.


    Ernest suddenly had a realization: "It seems that Saul finally wanted to spend some time instructing you."


    Anfey smiled. In fact, since Saul took him home, he had never taught Anfey anything. He put Anfey in the magic academy and never bothered teaching him. Anfey did notin. He knew himself, and he also knew Saul. A mathematician can teach college students calculus and functions. However, if he is asked to teach kids simple math, like 1+1, or 2+2, he could go crazy before too long. It was such a waste for a mathematician as well.


    "Did you learn quite a lot from Saul?" Ernest asked.


    "Yes," Anfey said, nodding.


    "Great." Ernest had a satisfied smile on his face. He seemed to think of something and frowned. "Anfey, what did you say to Suzanna?"


    "Me?" Anfey was shocked for a second and took a look at Suzanna. "I told her to cherish the opportunity to practice swordfighting with you."


    "Good." Ernest nodded. "Come on!"


    "Where are we going?" Anfey felt headacheing on. In fact, he already understood what Ernest meant.


    "Now it is your turn to cherish this opportunity." Ernest obviously did not want Anfey to leave without practicing sword fighting with him. "Come here!"


    Suzanna walked over to Anfey and smiled. She suddenly pushed Anfey in the back. Anfey could not help rushing a few steps forward and stopped right in front of Ernest. Ernest positioned himself to start the fight. Anfey nced at Suzanna out of the corner of his eye, as ifining. Was it a betrayal? It was such a waste that he had been treating Suzanna so well. A wife-to-be should take over the fight for him instead of pushing him to the front.


    "Are you ready?" Ernest started to look serious. "Show me what you got."


    "Uncle Ernest, we¡¯d better say it up front..." Anfey said.


    "I will definitely usebat power," Ernest said, interrupting Anfey as Anfey was just about to say it. Anfey had been devious in front of Ernest. Ernest had known what Anfey was going to say.


    "This is not fair," Anfey said.


    "It is not fair to me if I am not allowed to usebat power," Ernest said.


    "You are as old as my father," Anfey said bitterly. "Shouldn¡¯t you yield something to me?" Themon thinking about a person¡¯s nature being hard to change really made sense. When Anfey was fifteen years old, his father thought it was time for him to practice real fighting. Anfey had demanded that his father tie his right hand behind his back and a hundred-pound iron sand bag on his left leg for their first fight. Anfey was cunning when he was little. If both of his father¡¯s legs had hundred-pound iron sand bags, his dad would not be affected too much. If only one leg had the sand bag, he would be a cripple. In addition, with his right arm tied up behind his back, it was hard for his father to keep the bnce. His hand-eye coordination, uracy, and consistence of movement were hugely affected.


    It was not that Anfey was too naughty, but he was toopetitive. He had to see some hope of winning, otherwise he would not be able to fight with full force and try his best. If his demands were not met, Anfey would just toss his weapon on the floor and close his eyes. He knew that since he was the only son, his dad would not dare kill him.


    In that fight, Anfey was chased everywhere by his annoyed father at the beginning, but he did not give up. After hanging in the fight for over half an hour, he finally found a chance before he exhausted his energy. He risked being hit on his shoulder to step on his father¡¯s left foot. His dad had fallen backwards.


    "Who should yield between old and young?" Ernest firmly declined Anfey¡¯s request.


    At this moment, Entos and themander of Band of Brothers mercenary group, Marino, walked over from a trail. They saw Ernest and Anfey preparing for a sword fight. Their eyes brightened. It was rare to be able to watch Ernest¡¯s sword skills, even though his opponent was not that great.


    Anfey moved his eyes. He raised his voice and shoulted, "Bro Entos!"


    "Yeah?" Entos was shocked for a second. They had not had a chance to spend a lot of time together. What Entos had learned about Anfey from the information he gathered was not enough.


    "Bro, can I borrow your magic wand?" Anfey said, walking over to him.


    "To do what? Do you want to use magic to fight with Master Ernest?" Entos asked.


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "Are you sure?" Entos did not know if he shouldugh or cry. If Anfey could use the sword skills he got from that mysterious sacred swordsman, Entos believed they would have an amazing fight for a short period of time. Anfey had better not use magic. In addition to the fact that Ernest could counter an enormous amount of magic, Anfey could not even release aplete magic shield. Ernest could have knocked Anfey down with one finger.


    "Yes!" Anfey looked serious.


    Entos gave a wry smile. His magic wand was not a regr one. Its original name was Blessings from Winds. It could release winds instantly. Later Saul and arch-alchemist Jacob revised it. They wiped off the wind magic and switched it with senior magic, as Entos wished. This magic wand was special. Even if Saul and Jacob could meet again, they would not be able to make an exact replica of this wand because there was only one Blessing from Winds, and material that old was rare.


    "I will not let you down," Anfey said slowly.


    "O... Ok." Entos nodded even though he was quite helpless at that moment. He had been treating this wand as a treasure. He never lent it to anyone, no one was even allowed to touch it. However, Ernest and Niya were there. Anfey was special as well. He had to lend his wand to him out of courtesy.


    Anfey took the magic wand and weighed it in his hand. It was pretty heavy for a wand. He knew the secrets of this wand and knew how to use it.


    "Are you ready?" Ernest looked curious. He wanted to see how Anfey would attack him with magic. Since Anfey told Entos he would not let him down, he must have something up his sleeve.


    Anfey nodded and took a deep breath. He swung hard with the wand, pointing forward. He looked aggressive. The wand made a whooshing sound in the air. Others all felt strange because there were about a dozen of yards between Anfey and Ernest. Unless the wand could grow more than ten yards longer, it could not even touch Ernest.


    Anfey swung the wand forward. As he almostpleted his move, Anfey suddenly disappeared. The next moment he was already in front of Ernest. The wand was about to hit Ernest in the head. Ernest¡¯s hair was instantly blown by the gusts. All the audience looked surprised, including Ernest himself. By the time he figured out something was wrong, Anfey¡¯s wand was less than four inches from his head. Most people would not react in such a short time, but Ernest did. He was a master swordsman. His body suddenly radiated shining radiance. He lowered his body and waved his sword so fast to counter Anfey¡¯s wand that his sword left shadow traces.


    With a loud sound, Ernest countered Anfey by instinct with full force. Anfey lost his wand. The wand flew in the air as Anfey was knocked back like a straw in the wind. He knocked against a tree and rolled onto the grass.


    "Anfey!" Ernest and Suzanna yelled his name at the same time. The two of them rushed towards Anfey.


    Entos was faster than them. With Instant Transportation, he was right next to Anfey. Entos held Anfey as he struggled to stand up. He asked worriedly, "Are you ok?"


    Anfey coughed and a trace of blood came from the corner of his mouth. "I am fine." Anfey barely could hold his arm out and pointed upward.


    "Uh! Uh uh..." Entos screamed. He did not remember his poor wand until Anfey reminded him. His magic wand was tough, but no one knew if it would be fine after Ernest attack with his full force. He could not spare any more time on Anfey. Again using Instant Transportation magic, he disappeared.


    Anfey fell again after Entos stopped supporting him. However, he had a satisfied smile on his face. In fact, he was not hurt at all. In other words, it should not be counted as damage. Saul held Entos in high regard. He told Anfey that even though Entos yed loose with the rules, but he was very trustworthy. Anfey had many doubts about him. He had to test Entos himself, otherwise he would not know how to manage the rtionship between them. If Entos did not care about him and only cared about his wand, then Saul had exaggerated his virtue and Entos was not worth being his friend. In the end, the first reaction Entos unconsciously had was to check himself. Anfey knew Saul was right about Entos.

 Chapter 302: Forgiveness

    Chapter 302: Forgiveness


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "How¡¯s it going?" Ernest appeared next to Anfey and asked. He saw Anfey¡¯s eyes were looking at something, and found Entos following Anfey¡¯s gaze. Entos had just reappeared and caught his magic wand. Ernest knew it was Entos who threw Anfey and was very unhappy with his actions.


    "Anfey!" Suzanna eximed and crouched down next to him. She rested a hand on his shoulder and looked at him nervously.


    "I¡¯m fine," Anfey said with a grin.


    "Why are you smiling?" Suzanna asked, frustrated with his attitude. She was worried, but she did not want to show it because she knew it would make Ernest feel even worse.


    "I¡¯m fine, really," Anfey said, pushing himself up.


    "Wait," Ernest said. "Take your time." He reached out and supported Anfey with his hand. Even though Anfey attacked first and Ernest was forced to fight him, Ernest still felt bad for hurting him.


    "I¡¯m really fine," Anfey said. "I know myself. Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said and pushed himself off of the ground. Ernest hadn¡¯t actually directly attacked him. Anfey was only thrown back by hisbat power. The only damage this would cause was some bruises. Anfey only acted injured to test Entos¡¯s reaction. He kept his act because he didn¡¯t want Entos to realize he was only acting.


    "Be careful," Ernest said. He was still worried after seeing Anfey stand up. "Are you sure you¡¯re fine?"


    "Really," Anfey said with a smile. "Rx. Today is a sessful day, I think."


    "Anfey!" Suzanna said, frowning. There was fleeting suspicion in her eyes. Anfey¡¯s actions today were strange. Normally, even when Anfey was losing, he could hold his ground. Today he was defeated after one blow. This was very unusual. She knew that she was nowhere near as powerful as Ernest, and Anfey might not be able to hold his ground against Ernest, but it was still very strange.


    Anfey raised his arms and took a few steps forward. He suddenly stumbled as if he still needed support. He looked at Suzanna and leaned against her. "We need to talk," he whispered. Suzanna nodded.


    "What is sessful?" Ernest asked.


    "Well, I came to understand the difference between a top level power and me," Anfey said. "Also, I found a path that suits me."


    "A path that suits you?" Ernest asked, lifting a brow. He recalled the fight and frowned. It was the first time Anfey had used teleportation inbat, and he did not choose the right spot to reappear. He had to bend down to hit Ernest with his staff. If he be familiar with this fighting style, it would be very effective. What if he was using weapons he was familiar with? It would be very effective, indeed.


    "It will work the first time, but not a second time," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    Entos and Marino were walking over. After hearing Anfey and Ernest¡¯s conversation, they both frowned.


    Entos looked down at his wand. His wand could use instantaneous teleportation and did not require spells. It was hisst resort. The stronger he grew, the less he needed the wand. He hadn¡¯t used it in a few years now.


    Entos realized he had made a mistake. He did not remember that strength and momentum were preserved even after he teleported. Usually, he wouldn¡¯t start attacking until after he had teleported. Anfey, however, attacked before he teleported. This saved a lot of time and could have changed the fight if he were really fighting for his life. If he had anticipated Anfey¡¯s method, he would have won.


    "A second time?" Ernest asked, then nodded. He knew what Anfey meant. This method only had one chance, and it had to be lethal. If the first time did not work, the opponent would be prepared for a second time. He lifted his head suddenly to look at Marino.


    Entos once said that the heads of the major mercenary groups were all difficult people. Marino proved Entos correct. He realized Ernest was staring at him and understood Ernest¡¯s mistrust towards him. He raised his hand and said, "You know I would not tell anyone what happened here."


    Ernest nodded, then turned back to Anfey and said, "Take a few steps and see what happens." He was very worried before he noticed that Anfey¡¯s breathing pattern was still very steady. He rxed visibly.


    Anfey nodded. He let go of Suzanna¡¯s shoulder and took a few careful steps. His acting was good enough that no one became suspicious.


    "What are you doing?" Saul¡¯s voice asked from up ahead. He wasing down the path with Niya. Saul looked at ease, but Niya seemed depressed. If it was another person, her change in mood would be unnoticeable. However, NIya was a very outgoing and happy person, and it was rare to see her in such a bad mood.


    "I was just practicing, Master," Anfey said.


    "I see," Saul said. "Good. Don¡¯t let yourself rust."


    Niya suddenly frowned and nced at Anfey. She blinked a few times and stopped. However, her actions were too conspicuous and everyone saw them. Anfey felt Entos and Marino were both staring at him strangely.


    "Father, I don¡¯t want to go anymore," Niya said quietly.


    "What?" Saul asked, surprised. "Why not?"


    "I just don¡¯t. Go without me, alright?"


    "Alright," Saul said with a sigh. "I know you had a restless nightst night. Go take a nap and rest. Don¡¯t be so childish tonight."


    Niya nodded.


    "Ernest,e with me. And Anfey, if you¡¯re not too busy."


    "What is it?"


    "You¡¯ll now when you get there," Saul said with a shrug.


    "Father!" Niya suddenly called.


    "What is it?" Saul asked gently. He knew that Niya was in a bad mood, so he was extra patient with her.


    "I have to...I have to talk to Anfey."


    "What is it? Can¡¯t you talk about it here?" Saul asked, amused. Seeing Niya¡¯s frown deepen, he quickly changed the topic and said, "Anfey, go with Niya. I¡¯ll wait for you."


    As Anfey walked away with Niya, he felt acutely the strange looks from Entos and Marino. He hoped that no one would think anything was going on between him and Niya and no rumors would stem from this. He followed her slowly and stumbled as they disappeared out of sight.


    Niya stopped after she made sure they were out of earshot. She opened her mouth but hesitated as if she did not know how to say what she needed to say. She did not look at Anfey and was rubbing her shirt.


    "Niya, what happened?" Anfey asked.


    "Yesterday...was Christian angry?" Niya asked quietly.


    "You have to ask him about that," Anfey said gently. He realized Niya was unhappy about missing Christian¡¯s party and he felt bad for her.


    "I don¡¯t want to," Niya said, shaking her head. "I feel too bad. I felt like a thiefing down the stairs today. A thief in my own home! All because I¡¯m too afraid to..." Niya¡¯s voice trailed off. She knew that Grandon shouldn¡¯t have hosted a feast at the same time as Christian, especially when Christian had sent out the invitation weeks ahead. Normal feasts could be rescheduled, but birthdays could not. Niya felt bad missing Christian¡¯s birthday.


    "You¡¯re overthinking," Anfey said. "We know you made your decision for a reason. We all understand."


    "You¡¯re lying," Niya said, shaking her head. "I know everyone must hate me right now." Her voice quivered as she spoke. Friendships were priceless, and after everything they had been through, they were practically family. Niya knew that her friendship with Christian was very important, and she was afraid of losing her friends.


    "No way," Anfey said with a smile. "We would never stop being friends with you, Niya."


    "You..." Niya was used to Anfey using sarcasm and did not believe him. Tears swelled up in her eyes.


    "Seems like I can¡¯t speak for Christian," Anfey said with a sigh. "It sounds like you need to talk to him. Christian! Niya needs to talk to you!" His sudden increase in volume and the mention of Christian¡¯s name spooked Niya, and she jumped behind him and hid her face in his shirt.


    "My god, Niya," a voice suddenly said. "Suzanna¡¯s going to kill you." viughed as he walked out from the trees.


    Niya was startled and grew red with anger. Some jokes could be made among friends. vi was just acting the same way he always did, and Niya quickly remembered their friendship. She wiped away her tears and red at him. "You idiot!" she called. Before she could say anything else, she suddenly froze, her eyes wide as Christian walked out of the trees.


    "Niya," Christian said with a warm smile. "We¡¯re just about to go take a walk. Want toe along?"


    A lot of times, words were not enough. Actions were the only way to solve the problem.


    In reality, none of them med Niya. Saul treated them like their own children, and he was like a father to his students. Even Saul had to go to Grandon¡¯s feast. Niya surely had no choice. Christian never med Niya for missing his birthday. Even though he was sad that Grandon purposely hosted a feast on his birthday, Niya had nothing to do with it. Christian wouldn¡¯t be angry at her for something she could not control.


    "I...I..." Niya said, stumbling over her words.


    "What?" vi asked, smiling. "Do you want to go with Anfey? What would Suzanna think?" Niya grunted and reached for her sword. When she realized she didn¡¯t bring her sword, she looked around and searched for a branch. Finally, her eyesnded on a branch on a small oak.


    Just as Niya was about to run towards the tree, Christian took a step forward and stopped her. "It¡¯s alright," he said, "just ignore him. You know how he is. Come on, you should go and wash your face. People may think we¡¯re taking advantage of you if they see you like this." He paused and said, "But you have to give me a present. Don¡¯t think you get to skip giving me a gift just because you missed my birthday."


    "I already have it ready," Niya said, lowering her head.


    "Where is it, then?" Christian asked.


    "Wait," Niya said. She looked at Christian hesitantly then smiled. She turned and dashed towards a nearby building. It seemed like Niya hade out of her depression and her happy self had returned.

 Chapter 303: Reaper

    Chapter 303: Reaper


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Professor, what are we doing here?" Anfey asked, confused, looking at the highly-secured magic array in a distance.


    "Picking someone up," Saul said.


    "Who is it?" Anfey asked.


    "Someone you know," Saul said with a smile.


    Anfey thought about it and frowned. Among the people he knew who could make Saule to pick him up, it had to be that old fellow.


    Soon, the magic array slowly started. A thick radiance soon covered the whole magic array. Saul walked up, still smiling. He walked two steps forward and then stopped. He looked very sharp.


    Bruzuryano walked out of the magic array first. He was followed by a middle-aged man, and then four young elves. Of course, they wereparatively young. Everybody knew elves had long life spans. Those elves looked like they were about 18 years old, but in fact, they had lived in this world for hundreds of years.


    "You are on time" Saul said in a low voice.


    "I got stuck with something, otherwise we could have been in Sacred City yesterday," Bruzuryano said with a shrug.


    The middle-aged man behind Bruzuryano stopped and stood next to him. They looked quite different. Bruzuryano was thick and strong, while the other man was thin and tall. He was almost a half head taller than Bruzuryano. Bruzuryano looked calm, while the middle-aged man looked aggressive, with sharp eyes, ready to pinpoint something wrong with others.


    The moment the magic array started, Saul immediately sensed two strong surges. At that moment, the middle-aged man was not shy standing next to Bruzuryano. With the information Saul had, it was not hard for him to guess who he was. Saul slowly asked, "Are you Reaper Manstuly?"


    "Dear Master Saul, it is my great honor to meet you." The man respectfully bowed. He sounded very humble, but his smile looked as aggressive as his eyes, giving others a feeling that he was dangerous.


    "I am ttered." Saul reached out his hand to give the man a handshake. Saul nced at Bruzuryano and saw him just standing there with no facial expression. Saul thought about it and said with a smile, "This is not a great ce to talk. I have prepared a ce for you to stay. It has been cleaned and tidied. Follow me."


    "Master Saul, I think we are missing a person." Manstuly did not move. He looked around and asked, "Where is Master Jacob?"


    "He is not in the Sacred City right now," Saul said.


    "Not here?" Manstuly¡¯s smile disappeared. "Didn¡¯t you find him?"


    "Yes, we did, but Jacob had something urgent he had to deal with. He cannot be here right now."


    "Then what about our cooperation?" Manstuly asked.


    "As far as I know, we are going to talk about cooperation in more general terms, not just about creating Sacred Spirit potion," Saul said casually. "Jacob is not here, but that will not affect us working together, especially since Jacob has told me that the job of creating Sacred Spirit potion will be finished by his student."


    "Jacob has wanted to create this legendary Sacred Spirit potion for many years. How could he give up this opportunity?" Bruzuryano asked in surprise. "When did Jacob enroll a student? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?"


    "You should ask Jacob these questions yourself," Saul said with a smile. "You have seen his student actually. He is the alchemist in Anfey¡¯s legion. You saw him often hanging with Anfey. His name is Hagan."


    "Alchemist? I do not think we should give such an important job to an alchemist. I really do not get what Master Jacob is thinking?" Manstuly said.


    Anfey was worried that his n would fall through. It was his idea. However, it was easy to suggest something, and harder to carry it out sessfully. Anfey thought Bruzuryano was easy to fool. He had made a mistake. Luckily, Saul had a great reputation. When a honest person lied, others tended to believe him, so he was not easily caught in the lie. That Manstuly focused on Jacob and did not doubt Saul. Anfey could help with nothing at that moment. He had no position to talk, so he could only watch Saul coping with changing situations.


    "Jacob has told me Hagan is very talented. He is the only person Jacob has ever found who could possibly take on his skills and knowledge. It was not a big deal for Hagan to create a potion, not even a Sacred Spirit potion." Saul still looked normal. "If you are still worried, we can wait about ten more days until Jacobes back to Sacred City."


    Either talking about the future arch-alchemist, or mentioning the 10 more days seemed to do the trick. Manstuly smiled again. "My honorable Master Saul, please forgive my rudeness. After all, it would benefit both of us if we can sessfully create Sacred Spirit potion."


    "Anfey,e here." Bruzuryano waved at Anfey.


    Anfey was shocked for a second and unconsciously looked at Saul. He did not walk toward Bruzuryano until he saw Saul slightly nod in agreement. "Master Bruzuryano, how can I help you?"


    "These are the elves I personally picked for you. From now on, they will teach you Nature magic. You do not need to treat them as your teachers. In fact, they will be your maids. However, you cannot do anything bad to them, otherwise there will be consequences."


    Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or cry. nbrea died, but nted a seed of Light in his body. He had wanted Anfey to learn Light magic. Now Bruzuryano gave him four elves to teach him Nature magic. Why would everyone think Anfey was so good?


    "Thank you, but I do not want to learn Nature magic." Anfey turned Bruzuryano down. "I think I have found the magic I am interested in."


    "You can ask your professor¡¯s opinion before you turn it down," Bruzuryano said.


    Anfey looked at Saul and saw him nodding after thinking a bit.


    Anfey scratched the back of his head. Since he had seen Entos¡¯s Instant Transportation magic, he had shown strong interest in it. If he could have simr ability, with the martial arts he inherited from his family, his fighting power would improve significantly. The key was that Anfey could escape using Instant Transportation magic when he was in danger. Anfey as an assassin had to design a n B, otherwise he would not be a sessful. Anfey had always put considerable stress on his escape n. In Chinese history there was an assassin called Jing Ke. He sacrificed his life for the brotherhood without considering himself. More specifically, he should not be considered an assassin, but a hero. Anfey never wanted to be a hero. He¡¯d rather ept failure than give up the opportunity to live on. If he could master the Instant Transportation magic, he could fight as he wanted, or escape as he wished. No matter what he decided to do, it would be very convenient to know Instant Transportation. Anfey had made the decision to practice Space series magic. He even put the internal energy practice aside, since he had not been able to go further with it. At this moment, he could not spare any time for Nature magic.


    "Anfey, there have been very few people in our history who could connect with the Heart of Nature. Don¡¯t worry. I am not going to hurt you," Bruzuryano said slowly. He looked sincere and determined.


    Since Saul had nodded and Bruzuryano also said something like this to convince him, it pushed Anfey into a corner. He hesitated, then decided he needed to ept it. "Ok, but I am stupid. I hope you will not get mad at me if I cannot get Nature magic."


    "You are stupid?" Bruzuryano could not helpughing. "Ok, let me introduce you. This is Jane, Pagelya, Weiss, and Yubokeve."


    The four elves had their heads down. As Bruzuryano called each name, the elf would look up without saying anything. Every year, elves and druids would have bloody and brutal battles on those horrible elf hunting teams. However, elf hunting teams never dissolved, even though they were banned. It only proved how attractive those elves were to men on the Pan Continent. Without a market, elf hunting teams would have disappeared long ago. Among the four elves, only Pagelya was not gorgeous, but the other three could be described as out-of-this-world beautiful. They looked feminine. They looked elegant in dresses that highlighted their curves. Most girls would look in standing next to them.


    Anfey did not show any interest in the elves. He nodded to greet them. Manstuly¡¯s face changed as he saw how Anfey interacted with the elves. He thought Anfey would definitely have some ridiculous look on his face since he was so young that he should have strong sexual desires. He did not expect Anfey to look so aloof towards those elves. He looked at them like they were just regr stones on the road.


    "Anfey, from now on, they will be your maids." Bruzuryano waved his hand. "Don¡¯t think I am nagging you. You have to protect them well. Do you understand?"


    "I do not need maids. I can take care of myself," Anfey replied.


    "Anfey, you are going to be a nobleman soon. You should have a few elves with you. It is nothing special," Saul said in a low voice.


    "Well..." Anfey said.


    "Are you not happy with them?" Manstuly frowned.


    "No, you misunderstand me. I am just used to taking care of myself." Anfey tried to please Manstuly with a smile.


    "I will take these elves for you this time." Saul casually shook his magic robe to tidy it. "Let me take you to your ce now. There are some details we need to discuss."


    "After you." Manstuly turned to the side and said humbly.


    Bruzuryano patted Anfey¡¯s shoulder and smiled. He walked behind Mantsuly and Saul. The four elves looked at each and did not know if they should follow Bruzuryano or Anfey.


    "Uncle Ernest," Anfey asked as he watched Saul, Manstuly and Bruzuryano walk away. What does that Manstuly do? Is he a top power?"


    Ernest had been quiet. Bruzuryano had nodded at him with a smile as a greeting. It was not unexpected, since they had known each other for a while. The middle-aged man named Manstuly acted like he did not see Ernest. It was not nice of him, but Ernest did not seem to get affected by how other people saw him. Hearing Anfey¡¯s question, he cleared his throat and said, "Druids have three kings: Protector¡ªBear King Bruzuryano; Reaper¡ªWolf King Manstuly; and Insighter¡ªHawk King Mauso. They are all archdruids."


    "Haha... Sacred City is getting busier. Uncle Ernest, let¡¯s go," Anfey said, ncing at the elves.


    "Okay," Ernest responded.

 Chapter 304: Extreme Training Methods

    Chapter 304: Extreme Training Methods


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After walking two blocks, Anfey stopped and rented a carriage from a nearby shop. This was because the four elves walking next to him were too eye-catching. Even though elves were the most beautiful and brilliant creatures in the world, they had mostly retreated away from the spotlight and into the forests. In most ces, elves were rare.


    Due to the elves¡¯ beauty and rareness, most people hade to desire elves. Perhaps because people knew that they were inferior to elves, they would capture and enve elves out of retaliation. Because of this, most people did not treat elves with friendliness.


    Luckily, this was Sacred City, where no one was who they seemed to be. No one wanted to start anything for no reason. Niya could do whatever she wanted because she was Saul¡¯s daughter. Zeda could do whatever he wanted because his grandfather was Philip. It was a rare sight to see someone walking around carelessly with four elves. No one wanted to go near people with four elves, so Anfey made it to the carriage shop with no trouble.


    This was proof that elves were no longer the most important species in the world, and instead were treated like ves. If Anfey had four beautiful human women with him, he would not have attracted so much attention. This was because even though the human women were of low status, they were still human and had rights. Elves, on the other hand, would be considered properties. Killing a maid would be considered murder because she was a human, but killing an elf would be considered damaging property.


    People with elves would always carefully hide them. Disying elves the way Anfey did was very dangerous. ording to officialws, if someone tried to attack the elves and Anfey fought back, he would not be charged. If he wasn¡¯t there, however, he could do nothing about it. Anfey¡¯s knowledge of this world was improving, but he was still ignorant of a lot of customs and unspoken rules. Unlike other people, he considered the elves to be human¡¯s equal and potential allies. He did not grow up in this world and did not have the prejudice that people in this world held against the elves.


    When he left the carriage shop, he noticed that the streets were emptier than before. After seeing him disappear into the carriage shop, people had figured out who he was. A lot of people had run off to talk to their friends about who they had just seen.


    After he killed Zeda and Shamash, he had made a name for himself. It seemed like he would brutally murder the children of whoever offended him, and that made people afraid of crossing him. Plus, he was still alive and was made a count. This showed that he was supported by not only the archmage Saul but also the king, Ynthe. Most people did not want to do anything to offend their king. It was better to just stay away from Anfey than to identally offend him and have their entire family murdered.


    The carriage was stopped by the pce guards when it came up to Saul¡¯s mansion. Anfey lifted the curtain and nodded at the pce guards. Seeing that he was authorized to be near Saul¡¯s house, the pce guards allowed the carriage through. The servants in the courtyard all frowned when they saw the elves. Even in Sacred City, elves were rare, and they had never seen anyone foolish enough to disy elves like that.


    The old butler hurried over and asked, "My lord, they are...?"


    "My maids," Anfey said. "Find some rooms for them."


    "There are two empty rooms next to thedy¡¯s room."


    Anfey shook his head. "Aren¡¯t there empty rooms on the first floor? Put them there." He did not know the elves and did not trust them. If they lived close to Niya, they could be good friends with her. Since the elves¡¯ intention was still unclear, they might try to use Niya as an informant.


    "There¡¯s only one empty room," the old butler reminded him.


    "Try cleaning it up. We can¡¯t put them next to Lady Niya, can we? It¡¯s not exactly safe."


    The old butler nodded. "I¡¯ll see it done."


    "Where¡¯s Suzanna?"


    "In your room, I believe. And Lord Entos is looking for you. He wants to meet you in his room."


    "Did he tell you what he wanted to talk about?"


    "No, but he seemed troubled. He even ran into a maid today. Almost pushed the poor girl down the stairs."


    "You sure he¡¯s not just taking advantage of her?" Anfey asked with a smile.


    "Lord Entos isn¡¯t like that," the old butler said.


    "I¡¯ll go find him then," Anfey said. He saw the elves following him and waved his hand. "Go with him to clean up your room a bit."


    "Come with me, mydies," the old butler said, turning around and waiting for the elves.


    The elves watched Anfey disappear; all four were frowning. None of them wanted to go to the human world. To these elves, just being around humans was degrading. However, they were pressured by their elders and had to sacrifice themselves. They had to learn more about humans in order to destroy humans and take back elves¡¯ rightful ce as the most intelligent species. They were frustrated and angered that the man they had to serve would not even spare them a nce. Anfey¡¯s actions clearly did not help lessen the elves¡¯ hatred for humans.


    Anfey stopped in front of Entos¡¯s room and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" he heard Entos ask.


    "It¡¯s me."


    "Come in."


    Anfey pushed open the door and walked into the room. Entos was alone in the room and was sitting by a table. "I¡¯ve been waiting for you," Entos said.


    "I heard you tried flirting with a girl today," Anfey said, smiling.


    "Not true," Entos said. "Sit down."


    "Everyone¡¯s talking about it."


    "Doesn¡¯t make it true," Entos said. "I thought you¡¯d be smart enough to distinguish the lies from the truth."


    "Is she pretty?"


    "That is none of your business," Entos said. "Just like it is not mine. I have to talk to you."


    "Tell me," Anfey said. He wanted to disrupt Entos¡¯s thought process and get more information, even though Entos was clearly not falling for it.


    Entos frowned and said quietly, "I never thought magic andbat power could be a powerfulbination. Do you really want to be a pdin?"


    "Yes."


    "I can teach you some of the things I learned about magic, especially about teleportation, but we have to settle two things first."


    "What is it?"


    "First, my methods are very extreme. You¡¯ve only used teleportation once, so you won¡¯t understand the pain of using teleportation dozens, even hundreds, of times a day." Entos paused as if waiting for Anfey to understand his words. "Of course, you can use other methods, but you won¡¯t ever reach my level. I am confident to say that when ites to teleportation, I am the best in the world."


    "I see," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t mind extreme methods. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem."


    Entos looked at Anfey, then nodded. "Call me curious, but if you want to be a pdin, why aren¡¯t you practicingbat power? You have Suzanna and Christian, both of whom would make great teachers. But you aren¡¯t practicing with them. You know another way to do it, don¡¯t you? And you know that whatever way you¡¯re doing it would be more powerful thanbat power. Am I wrong?"


    Anfey froze. He stared at Entos, shocked. He thought his secret was better guarded and never thought someone else would see through his lie so easily.

 Chapter 305: Dadao

    Chapter 305: Dadao


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Don¡¯t think too much about it. I was just curious; didn¡¯t mean to pry into your secrets. If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, we can switch topics," Entos said.


    "It¡¯s not really a secret. Professor and Uncle Ernest know a little about it," Anfey said.


    "Are you suggesting that they are not pressing you for your secrets like I am?" Entos said. He was quiet for a while, then said, "Anfey, you should know how important it is. Professor and Master Ernest did not ask you about it only because they respect you and did not want to make you feel offended. You cannot keep it secret forever though. No one knows how a brand new and unique practice method could benefit Pan Continent. Luckily, others do not yet know much about you. They only know that you have learned from a supreme power. Their curiosity stops there. However, if they found out that you know another way to train, you would have a lot more trouble."


    "Well, I do not think my secret would get out, would it?" Anfey smiled.


    "If I could tell you have a different training method, so can others." Entos shook his head. "There is never an absolute secret. Do you know why Evil Mist wanted you?"


    "Sort of, but I¡¯m not quite sure," Anfey said.


    "You killed their people in Home of Roses Hotel in Tumen Commercial Union. King Ynthe and Evil Mist investigated it at the time. They both targeted you at the end of the investigation," Entos said slowly. "King Ynthe also talked to the professor about you. Master Ernest had already talked to Saul about the existence of supreme powers. He believed the mysterious old man who taught you sword skills in your hometown could very possibly be a supreme power. Ernest said your sword skills were very sharp and powerful. You had fighting ability even though you did not have anybat power. He believed that mysterious old man¡¯s power would be unimaginable. Professor did not want anyone else to know about your secrets, but King Ynthe pressed him very hard. He was very suspicious about your background and even wanted to catch you to interrogate you. Professor had to tell the king about Master Ernest¡¯s spection."


    "I see," Anfey said,smiling bitterly. He finally realized why he had such doubts about the situation.


    "It should be a secret, shouldn¡¯t it? Only the king, professor, and Master Ernest knew about it, but in the end, Evil Mist got to know about Master Ernest¡¯s spection somehow," Entos said, smiling. "Don¡¯t think that any of those three sold you out. You know, no matter how trivial it could be, everything had to be recorded in the pce and kept on file. The person who was in charge of those files was themander of Storm mercenary group. I do not know him, never saw him either, but I know his loyalty cannot be questions, otherwise, the king would not be alive today. Later, they figured out what went wrong. When the king found out your secrets had leaked out, he was furious about it. He ordered themander of Storm mercenary group to do a thorough investigation. They found out at the end that the person whose job was to put words in magic crystals leaked your secrets out. Unfortunately, when secret agents rushed to his home, he was already dead."


    "What happened afterwards?" Anfey asked.


    "The professor got really mad and even advocated with the king on your behalf. Anfey, the professor has been nice to you because of who you are. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you are a fool or a smart guy with all the secrets. You are his student. He will do what is best for you." Entos sighed. "However, the king is different than our professor. If there were nothing of interest to him, would he protect you? In Violet City, you had a personal fight with someone in public and killed an heir of a marquis. If it were Philip, he would have thought about the consequences of doing that before he did anything. Just like right now, he did not dare trouble you. You had the excuse of managing the city. If you could find an excuse for your behavior, those government officials could have found hundreds ways to against you. Were you the city master of Violet City? Did you get your official appointment yet?"


    "I know all of these things," Anfey said. "I killed Shamash for two reasons. One was to better control and manage Violet City; the other was to test the king."


    "It¡¯s good that you considered these things," Entos said, nodding. "In fact, I agree with you. If I were you, I would never let Marquis Djoser live. Since you already had a conflict with him, why would you let him live if you knew he hated you with a passion? I heard Marquis Djoser had brought people to the military camp in Violet city. You should have killed him back then when it was in chaos, in caseter he would make more trouble for you."


    "He is a marquis no matter what," Anfey said, smiling bitterly.


    "You are still a little timid," Entos said.


    Anfey opened his mouth, wanting to ask if he was too timid or Entos was not afraid of anything, but he decided against it.


    "He will be your pain in the neck. Marquis Djoser will definitely make trouble for you. As long as he is in Violet City, there would be no peace," Entos said.


    "Don¡¯t you know?" Anfey was shocked for a second before he asked, "Didn¡¯t Master Mioritch tell you?"


    "Tell me what?" Entos asked.


    "Marquis Djoser asked someone to help him. He asked Master Jacob to help him," Anfey said.


    "He must be a nut!" Entos was startled to hear that. He said, "Did he really ask Master Jacob to fight against you? He¡¯d better kill himself right now. It¡¯s better than die from being too upset and angryter."


    "I don¡¯t think he knows about the rtionship between Master Jacob and our professor," Anfey said.


    "Probably not! Almost no one knows his ns. He likes to do things on his own. Some people even think he died a long time ago," Entos said.


    "Hagan was startled when he saw Master Jacob," Anfey said.


    "Hmmm..." Entos raised an eyebrow. "Master Jacob shoulde to Sacred City soon. I need to remind our professor not let anyone know about Master Jacobing. Marquis Djoser has been close with Prince Wester. It seems that Philip is on Wester¡¯s side now as well. If Master Jacob were seen by Philip, he would make trouble," Entos said.


    "Brother Entos, that¡¯s incredible. You have thought about everything," Anfey said.


    "Stop it!" Entos stood up, smiling. He suddenly paused and went quiet for a second. He turned to give Anfey a weird look. "Almost, I almost fell for it."


    "Brother Entos, what do you mean?" Anfey asked.


    "Anfey, I think you are good at distracting people." Entos sat back down. "You have not answered my question yet. Do you know another way to train yourself? I need a definite answer."


    "Yes." Anfey could not dodge this question anymore.


    "What kind of practice is it? Can you tell me about it?" Entos asked.


    "How to put it?" Anfey thought for moment about how to put it into words, then said, "It seems simr to the practice ofbat power but quite the opposite. That old man called this practice "Dadao". I learned quite a lot aboutbat power from Suzanna. Combat power is to push the power out to protect the practitioner and attack the opponents, while Dadao is more introverted power, which keeps the power in the body. The person who practices Dadao is a weapon himself. Weapons, such as spears, swords and other metal weapons are not necessary for Dadao practitioners."


    "Can you talk more about it in detail?" Entos asked.


    "In our bodies, there are three main energy channels, the conception vessel, the governing vessel, and the middle vessel. There are over a dozen subordinate energy vessels besides those three main ones. Energies are always flowing in these vessels. There also three ces on the body called ¡®pubic regions,¡¯ where the energies are stored." Anfey took a look at Entos and smiled. "Brother Entos, I do not think you would understand it if I just talked about these vessels and energy flows. Never mind."


    "A storage room for energy? Like magic beasts¡¯ magic crystals?" Entos asked in surprise.


    "No, the energies stored in pubic area are not visible as magic crystals," Anfey said.


    "Is your practice to control those energies? To control how they flow in the vessels?" Entos asked.


    "Yes," Anfey answered.


    "How do you control the energies?" Entos asked.


    "It is tooplicated. I could not exin very clearly. Once you reach a certain level, you need to switch your practice method. For instance, at the beginning, you could only store the energy in the lower elixir field, and then gradually control the energy flow towards the governing vessel. After practicing that for a long time, you could gradually induce the energy to the conception vessel," Anfey exined.


    "What if my energy was in a different energy vessel instead of lower elixir at the beginning?" Entos asked.


    "You would die from it," Anfey said.


    "Die?" He had only heard that mages and swordsmen could die in battle, but never heard training could make people die, except for doing experiments in magicbs.


    "I am not lying to you. It could cause people to die," Anfey said.


    "As you said, this training method cannot be practiced by most people, can it?" Entos asked.


    Anfey smiled. "If there were more and more people practicing Dadao, maybe in a hundred years, most people could practice it, but not now."


    Entos watched Anfey¡¯s face as he said slowly, "Could most people practice the very basics?"


    "Very challenging for right now," Anfey said.


    "Ok, we will talk about whether it could be practiced by most peopleter. Did that old man tell you this training method could definitely help you reach supreme power level?" Entos asked.


    "I do not know. He never told me how the levels are divided on Pan Continent. He had a very special way to define different levels," Anfey said in a low voice.


    "What did he say about the power levels?" Entos asked.


    "He told me once the practitioner could reach to the highest level, that person does not have to be constrained by ¡®Three Boundaries¡¯ and ¡®Five Elements.¡¯ He could do anything and go anywhere without any constraints," Anfey said.


    "What is ¡®Three Boundaries¡¯?" Entos asked.


    Anfey shook his head.


    "What is ¡®Five Elements¡¯?" Entos asked.


    Anfey shook his head again.


    Entos frowned as he was in thoughts. "Do anything, go anywhere, without any constraints. Does this mean he could ignore the rules of the nature?" Entos asked.


    "You may be right about that," Anfey said.


    Entos went quiet for a while, but could not figure it out. He had to find answers from someone else. He slowly stood up. "Ok, we will stop here. Thank you for your trust. I will pass what you told me on to our professor. Don¡¯t worry. I will remind the professor to keep it secret for you and will not tell anyone else about it, not even King Ynthe. There will be no more idents."

 Chapter 306: Apologies

    Chapter 306: Apologies


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey retrieved all the magic books from his dimensional ring and ced them neatly on the shelves in the library. This would be thest time he was in that library for a long time. Niya had told him earlier in the day that his appointment to be a count had already been finalized. That meant that he should head to Violet City in a few days. He did not feel sad about leaving the academy. Even though Steger had purposely ced Anfey in an elite ss with all the best students, Anfey had not made any friends due to his introverted nature. If Anfey was more like Christian, he would make a lot more friends. Developing awork might sound easy, but it was much harder in reality.


    After he returned all the books to the shelves, Anfey left the library. He looked around and saw Doris walking down the hall with another girl. Doris saw Anfey and waved at him. "Hey," she said, "how are you? This is Jenova. Remember her?"


    "Of course," Anfey said, holding out his hand. Jenova was Doris¡¯s best friend, if his memory served him well. He had met her once before.


    "Really?" Jenova asked dryly. "You remember me."


    "Of course..."


    "I¡¯ve seen you in school before," Jenova said, shaking her head. "I know you don¡¯t remember me. You don¡¯t have to lie."


    Doris smiled and tugged on Jenova¡¯s shirt.


    Anfey turned to Doris and asked, "Doris, how are things going for you?"


    "It¡¯s all done," Doris said. She retrieved something from her dimensional ring and handed it to Anfey.


    It was a senior mage¡¯s badge. Anfey epted the badge gingerly and clipped it onto his shirt. Of course, he needed his graduation diploma. He didn¡¯t know the school well enough and the only ces he knew the location of were the library and his sses. He didn¡¯t know the teachers either and he didn¡¯t want to trouble Steger for such a minor thing. The only person he could turn to was Doris, who had already studied at the school for three years.


    "And this is the document from the guild," Doris said, handing a piece of clear crystal to him.


    "You got the document?" Anfey asked, surprised. "Thanks," he said. "I know it¡¯s a lot of trouble for you."


    "Don¡¯t worry about it," Doris said. "The guild is right across the street."


    "That building?" Anfey asked. "Really? I never noticed."


    "You¡¯re the count of Violet City now," Doris said. "You have to help us when we go out and practice. Consider it repayment for me helping you get your badge and the documents."


    "No problem."


    "For real?"


    "Of course. Not just Violet City. If you want to go to Country of Mercenaries, I have connections there as well. Just write me a letter and I¡¯ll talk to my people there. They will look out for you two."


    "You¡¯re not bluffing, aren¡¯t you?" Jenova suddenly asked.


    "I promise you," Anfey said sincerely.


    "Don¡¯t you remember?" Doris said to Jenova. "Entos is the deputy leader of Brother mercenary group. Lord Marino is here as well. I¡¯m sure they can help us."


    "You seem to know Lord Saul¡¯s ce very well," Jenovamented.


    Doris blushed and lowered the head. There were people who wanted to stand out and be leaders, but there were also people who wanted to blend in and be followers. Doris was one of thetter. She wasn¡¯t very powerful and she was not as talented as Saul¡¯s students, but she wanted to stay with them even if it meant that she would be unnoticeable. She realized that leaving home and traveling was not the only way to learn new things. Plus, she felt very safe spending time with students of one of the greatest mages alive. Since it may appear that she was just staying at Saul¡¯s for no reason, she had tried very hard to help around the house. If the servants were too busy to take care of certain areas of the house, she would take it upon herself to do those chores. She would volunteer for other minor chores as well. It was difficult to juggle studying magic and taking care of Shally and her chores, but she managed. Luckily, no one had said anything about her presence in the house yet.


    "You¡¯re going to leave the city again?" Anfey asked. "You just came back."


    "Yeah," Jenova said, nodding. "After we take the test..." She suddenly paused after spotting something behind Anfey.


    Anfey turned around. He frowned after seeing who it was and sighed. Then he walked over and bowed to the man. "Prince Grandon," he said.


    Grandon reached over and helped Anfey up, but did not say anything. He looked at Doris and Jenova, who quickly walked away.


    After the girls were out of earshot, Grandon turned to Anfey and said, "You don¡¯t have to be so rigid. I¡¯ve been too busytely, or else I would have already visited you. Hopefully you¡¯re not mad at me for that."


    What Grandon said was cliche, but he couldn¡¯t have said anything else. After all, he had only met Anfey once, in Niya¡¯s carriage. If Grandon did not pick his words carefully, he would appear too friendly.


    "Of course not," Anfey said with a smile. "I¡¯m grateful that Your Highness can find time to visit me. It really should have been the other way around. I apologize for my inappropriate behavior."


    "I know, I know," Grandon waved his hand and said. "You¡¯re busy too." He paused for a second, then asked, "How¡¯s Niya?"


    "She¡¯s good," Anfey said. It was very awkward to talk about Niya with Grandon, and Anfey quickly changed the topic. "It seems like you¡¯re familiar with the academy."


    "I graduated from this school," Grandon said. "I know most of the people here. If I had a better teacher... Of course, that¡¯s a story for another day." Grandon nced at the badge on Anfey¡¯s shirt and sighed, "Is Niya angry at me?"


    "Why would she be?" Anfey replied. He did not like the direction of this conversation. It was too hard to figure out what Grandon was implying. After all, Grandon was much better at masking his true intentions than Anfey. "Are you here alone, Your Highness? Isn¡¯t it dangerous?"


    "My guards are all outside. I¡¯m not worried about people in this school," Grandon said with a smile. "Anfey, don¡¯t lie to me. Is Niya really..." Grandon suddenly paused. Both he and Anfey suddenly realized that they were just replying to each other¡¯s questions. Even though they were not arguing, they were not having a friendly conversation, either.


    Grandon sighed and opened his mouth again. "I know that you guys are angry," he said, shaking his head. "I am at fault. I am not going to deny that. Father hadplimented me in front of the entire court that day, you see, and I was very happy and wanted to share my happiness. I forgot it was Christian¡¯s birthday. I apologize for making things awkward."


    "You¡¯re overthinking, Your Highness," Anfey said. "But I¡¯ll tell them about this." He did not know why Grandon would keep making such elementary mistakes even though he was supposed to be the smarter one. First he held a feast on Christian¡¯s birthday, then he made such a half-hearted apology to an irrelevant person. Maybe how he apologized did not matter to Grandon. It was the fact that he did apologize.


    "Don¡¯t worry about that," Grandon said. "I¡¯ll do it myself. Aren¡¯t you leaving the city soon? I¡¯ll hold a farewell dinner for you. I ordered a room at Night Elf Hotel, and I only invited a few people. Hopefully they will ept my apologies."


    Anfey frowned and hesitated. "As you know, Your Highness, I cannot ept anything on behalf of Christian and Niya. I¡¯ll talk to them about it and get back to you."


    "Of course, of course," Grandon said, smiling.


    "If Your Highness doesn¡¯t mind, I have to go now. I still have another ss."


    "Alright," Grandon said. "Hopefully I¡¯ll see you tonight."


    Grandon sighed as he watched Anfey and the two girls leave. As long as Anfey, Christian, and Niya agreed to have dinner with him, his n was already half sessful.


    "You¡¯re too impatient, Your Highness," an old mage in a ck robe appeared behind Grandon and said.


    "You¡¯ve already told me," Grandon said, shaking his head. "Lord Saul was my greatest supporter. Do you know how anxious I am now that Christian¡¯s real identity is revealed?"


    "I¡¯m not talking about that time," the old mage said. "I¡¯m talking about this time."


    "This time?"


    "None of those three you¡¯ve invited are people who can be easily convinced," the old mage reminded Grandon.

 Chapter 307: Best out of 36 Strategies

    Chapter 307: Best out of 36 Strategies


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anfey, should we go?" Christian asked quietly.


    "Are we that hungry? Do we need this dinner that bad?" Anfey smiled.


    "Of course not. Who cares about this dinner?" vi burst intoughter.


    "Then we are not going to his dinner." Anfey looked firm about this decision.


    "Is it appropriate?" Riska said hesitantly. "Prince Granden would feel embarrassed and get mad if we do not go."


    "We are madder than him!" vi said. He looked like a person who just worried that the world might not be in a chaos. That way he would have no entertainment to watch.


    "I agree with vi. Christian, if you go, Granden would look down upon you even more. We need to let him know that it is not that easy to make up for what he did. Next time, he would think more carefully before he made a simr mistake," Anfey said calmly.


    "Right! If we just let it go and forgive him this time, he would ask us to forgive him again next time." vi was so excited that he jumped on the chair after he received support from Anfey. "We need act to show him he should stop dreaming that we would forgive him so easily."


    "Ok. We are not going." Christian had decided not to go. His announcement meant everything.


    "Send a servant to tell them that we got stuck with something right now and could not go. As for the reason we cannot go...just pick any reason." Anfey suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. Hagan, can you unlock an Element lock?"


    "Element lock? Did you see an Element lock?" Hagan asked.


    "Yes. Can you unlock it?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes. In fact, it is pretty easy. As long as you have the spells, you can easily unlock it," Hagan said.


    "Why would I ask you if we had the spells?" Anfey shook his head. "Can you unlock it without spells?"


    "No. If Master Jacob is here, he may be able to unlock it. If we want to force it open, we have to know the permutation of the elements. Do you think I can do that?" Hagan smiled bitterly. "Where did you see the Element lock?"


    "In a secret chamber," Anfey said.


    "Secret chamber?" Hagan was intrigued. "What¡¯s in the chamber?"


    "We have taken out all the other stuff. Only a big case is left. It is locked with an Element lock," Anfey said.


    "What¡¯s in the case?" Hagan asked.


    "Are you stupid?" vi could not help yelling at Hagan. "The Element lock is not unlocked yet, how could we know what is inside the case?" vi nced at Anfey. In fact, he did know what was in the case. Suzanna had made it very clear that secrets should be kept among them and they should not let anyone else know about it. Anfey also stressed that they could not let anyone else know about it, so vi spoke before anyone else could because he was worried someone could have talked about the secret by ident.


    "Hagan, can you unlock it?" Anfey repeated the same question.


    "Without spells, we cannot unlock an Element lock, but I should be able to move the Element lock," Hagan said.


    "If you can, say you can. If you cannot, then just say you cannot. What do you mean when you say you should be able to?" Anfey frowned. This was a big deal. He had to get an urate answer.


    "Don¡¯t push me too hard. I am just an alchemist." Hagan smiled bitterly. "Theoretically, I can make the vtility of elements freeze for a short amount of time, but I have never dealt with an Element lock before. How could I be too sure about it?"


    "Will you possibly fail?" Riska asked.


    "Yes," Hagan said.


    "What would happen if you failed?" Riska asked.


    "You will never see me." Hagan heaved a deep sigh. He chose to be an alchemist because the timing had been right and he was timid. He neither wanted to face death in battle nor see those evil-looking magic beasts. Being an alchemist was not only a safe job, but also had a lot of benefits. Alchemists received more respect than mages. They had poor ability to protect themselves. However, people rarely gave alchemists a hard time. Hagan never thought he would be an "EOD expert." The power of an Element lock would be the same as the power of more than a dozen intermediate magic arrays of Chaos together. He definitely would disappear if he failed.


    "Anfey, do we have to move the Element lock?" Christian asked.


    "Yes, this time is different thanst time. We secretly left Sacred Cityst time, but we have received others¡¯ attention this time. There must be many people stalking us. The secret of the secret chamber will leak, so we have to move that case away from the chamber," Anfey said.


    "Let¡¯s kill all those stalkers!" vi said with hatred. They used to be a group of kids only knowing about practicing magic, but now they talked about killing all the time. On the bright side, they had matured. On the other hand, it showed the pathetic side of human nature. This group of kids had learned sometimes it is better to kill others before they could get killed themselves.


    "What if the king sent them? Do we kill them? Do you want to rebel against the king?" Zubin asked.


    vi did not know how to respond for a second. "What good ideas do you have?"


    "How about letting me read through Master Jacob¡¯s scripts to see if there is anything about the Element lock," Hagan said. "Even if there is nothing about an Element lock, Master Jacob ising to Sacred City in a few days. I could ask him in person and learn something new. I would be more confident when I have to move the Element lock."


    "Hagan, you have to be more alert. Ok? Don¡¯t mention anything about treasure. Just tell him you are interested in an Element lock," Anfey said.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I am not a little kid." Hagan suddenly remembered something. "Anfey, are we leaving Sacred City for sure?"


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "How about myb?" Hagan felt pained when he thought about how much time and effort he had put into theb. He spent a couple of sleepless nights building theb. He finally built his firstb. Before he could enjoy it for a few days, they had to leave. No matter what others would think, Hagan really did not want to leave.


    "It was not a long term n to have ab in Sacred City, because we have to leave here soon orter," Anfey said slowly. "Don¡¯t worry. Either in Violet City or Sword Tomb Principality, we definitely will build a newb for you. For the next few days, you can take down anything you feel will be useful."


    "Ok." Hagan helplessly nodded.


    Anfey looked around. "I think you guys could tell Sacred City is getting moreplicated. It would not do us any good to stay here. Prince Granden thinks we are causing trouble for him. Prince Wester thinks we would be his opponents and never get along with him. We will have trouble sooner orter if we stay here. Christian, if you have decided not to fight for the throne, you should make it more clear and look more determined. You¡¯d better leave Sacred City and get away from the troubles."


    Zubin cleared his throat, "Anfey, Wester is not quite like you think he is."


    "Oh?" Anfey said.


    "Today I met two mages. They were very nice to me and wanted to be friends with me. They also let me know they are with Prince Wester. It seems that Prince Wester wanted to make friends with us," Zubin said.


    "Why didn¡¯t you say it earlier?" vi said, frowning.


    "Anfey called us over and started talking about Granden¡¯s invitation right away. I did not get a chance," Zubin said.


    "This only makes the situation even moreplicated," Anfey said quietly. "We are not going to keep neutral in Sacred City. In addition, we might make our professor take on more weight. If something happens to us, the professor would have to take care of us. If we leave, the professor does not have to worry about us."


    "I agreed with Anfey from the beginning. I think we all can agree on this. I just do not know what choice the others would make." Christian sighed. This conversation involved Suzanna, Hui Wei, and six others, not even half of the legion. It was hard to know what the other half of the legion would choose because they would not want to leave Saul. Choosing the right teacher was important in terms of magical study, and sometimes could be a determining factor.


    "Christian, can you represent us and talk to the professor about how we see the situation. As long as the professor supports us, they woulde with us," Anfey said.


    "Ok." Christian nodded.


    "If we leave Sacred City now, there is another benefit for us," Anfey said, smiling.


    "What benefit?" Christian was shocked.


    "Leaving Sacred City means you have no interest in the throne," Anfey said. "Right now the king should feel the most secure about you. I think he knows what happened on your birthday. We should not say Granden and Wester had any evil intentions towards you, but at the very least they were not nice to you. How would you protect yourself in the future?" Anfey said.


    "Didn¡¯t you say we are going to build our own Sword Tomb Principality?" Christian asked.


    "We think so." Anfey smiled. "The king should have made one, or even a few, ns for you, because he is your father. I think it will not take long after we reach Violet City for the king to ask you to take over Sword Tomb Principality. We have nothing right now, but once we are in charge of Sword Tomb Principality, we will be in much better shape."


    "I see," Christian said.


    "When we leave, we¡¯d better ask Brother Entos to go with us," Anfey said.


    "I overheard the conversation between Brother Entos and Marino. They were discussing the time to go back to the Country of Mercenaries. I do not think Bro Entos woulde with us," Christian said.


    "Christian, we need you to talk to our professor. You¡¯d better make us look really sympathetic. If our professor asks him to go with us, then he does not have a say where he wants to go."


    "Good idea." Christian¡¯s eyes brightened. "Brother Entos has been travelling for so many years. He is a lot more experienced than us. He has been senior magister for a long time, so we can ask him if we have any question about magic."


    "Anfey, it would be even better if you could ask Master Ernest to join us," vi blurted out.


    "Well...I will try." Anfey slowly nodded.

 Chapter 308: Changes

    Chapter 308: Changes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Ynthe¡¯s court began to change when Sacred City weed the first snow of the year. After the war, Ynthe and his cab had been debating how to reward those who had served the nation well. However, no decision had been made yet. Everyone had been waiting for the final decision.


    Saul received the best reward. Saul had forced the leader of Dark Moon Magic Legion, Newyoheim, to fight with him and won the battle. He set up arge magic array that spanned a fifty miles radius. This saved Maho Empire¡¯s army from Newyoheim¡¯s forbidden spell and saved thousands of lives. Ynthe decided to make Saul a marquis. This decision became the item everyone was talking about immediately after it was announced. There hadn¡¯t been a new marquis in a century. Even though a marquis title like Saul¡¯s could not be passed down to Niya, it was still a major event. A number of people thought perhaps the title was too great a reward, but no one objected, not even Philip. Saul was a popr person both among the nobility and among themoners. Objection would not only alienate Saul, but also Ynthe. No one wanted to offend their king.


    Another one rewarded was Baery. He had led his Roaring Death Legion to cut off Ellisen army¡¯s retreat route and prevented Ellisen army from overpowering Maho army. Ynthe did not give Baery a noble title. Instead, he made Baery a head general and ced him in charge of the legions. This decision shocked Ynthe¡¯s court. Normally, the king would not give the role of general away until he was ready to pick an heir. This meant that Ynthe was slowly giving up power. The legions could work together because the different legions respected each other. Now that all the legions had the same general, it would be harder for anyone to take the throne.


    A lot of people had been trying to figure out why Ynthe had named Baery the head general. In reality, Ynthe¡¯s intention was very simple. There were only two people fit to be head general, Baery and Miorich.


    Baery had spent most of his life fighting foreign enemies and was known for his mercilessness. He was very just and popr among his soldiers. He was experienced and knew how to use his power.


    Miorich, on the other hand, was less sessful than Baery when it came to strategizing. He did not have Baery¡¯s reputation, either. When Miorich arrived at ckania City with his army, he actually fought the Shansa army. If Baery had been there, the Shansa army would not have fought him. This was because they all knew how good a general Baery was.


    Baery was also well-known because he would spare any army that surrendered to him without a fight. If his opponent harmed even one of his soldiers, he would kill everyone he could capture. Of course, he would always spare the nobility because they were worth more than normal soldiers. After all these years, no armies would fight Baery unless they were certain that they could win the battle.


    Due to Baery¡¯s reputation, the prization of Shansa army became more and more apparent. Whenever there was a conflict, the soldiers who would fearlessly charge at their opponents tended to be of noble descent, but themoners would be more hesitant. In the past, they had a general who was even better than Baery. Now, after the old general¡¯s death, Shansa Empire had yet to find a general who could defeat Baery. Even though Shansa Empire tried to restore its armies to its former glory, its soldiers were still terrified by the Maho general. Shansa Empire found itself more and more on the defensive.


    Even though he did not have Baery¡¯s reputation, Miorich was still rewarded. Ynthe made Miorich a count and turned him into andholding noble. He also made Miorich vice general.


    There were other countless heroes as well. For example, Huni, who was in charge of the army at ckania City, fought for more than a week and a half and held off Shansa army¡¯s advance until Miorich¡¯s arrival. When he went to greet Miorich, he copsed and died of exhaustion in ckania City. Ynthe made him a count posthumously and his son a viscount as a reward.


    The former military affairs minister, August, was made general of ckania City for his work coordinating supplies.


    Prince Grandon had been in charge of supervising the armies and was able to calm the anxious soldiers in times of crisis. Ynthe made him the new military affairs minister and ced him in charge of supervising the empire¡¯s military.


    Former Finance Minister Constantine supported the military financially and subsidized families of dead soldiers. Ynthe made him a viscount in charge of Swordbury Principality.


    Prince Wester was able to take charge in Sacred City during Ynthe¡¯s absence and was named the new finance minister.


    Both princes were given positions of power and became part of Ynthe¡¯s cab. However, Wester was given the better position. The military minister¡¯s job was to train new recruits and ready supplies. The real powery with the generals. Military ministers tended to make more money, especially during wartime, but Grandon had no need for money, since he was a prince and was already rich. Wester¡¯s position seemed much more powerful to him.


    The most interesting appointment went to Saul, who was named a marquis. He was a honorary marquis, and the only way he could be a hereditary marquis was to fight in another war. This meant that Ynthe not only wanted another war, but he was actively preparing for a war.


    Baery bing the head general meant that Ynthe was ready to pick an heir. This meant that those in court would soon find themselves facing the difficult choice of which prince to support.


    Constantine bing the minister of Swordbury Principality was the strangest appointment. Constantine was not well-known, but his older brother Baery was world famous. Now that it was revealed that Christian was the third prince, it was also revealed that Wester, Grandon, and Christian were born of the same father but not the same mother. Wester and Grandon had no rtion to Baery and Constantine, but Christian was their nephew. This appointment was clearly meant to give Christian another chance.


    There was an unknown power within Swordbury Principality as well. The army within Swordbury could only be activated when the empire was toppling. No one knew if Ynthe would trust Christian with this legendary army.


    Ynthe took a step back and only made Anfey an honorary count. If Anfey did not continue to serve the empire, the right to Violet City would return to the king after his death. His descendants could be viscounts, but a viscount with nond was no different from amoner.


    Likewise, Duke of Swordbury could only be the king¡¯s brother and child. The king was free to name new dukes after the old Duke¡¯s death.


    After the storm had calmed, Saul¡¯s home became very busy. Countless people came to congratte him on his appointment.

 Chapter 309: Grand Gathering

    Chapter 309: Grand Gathering


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "It looks busy in the front yard," Suzanna murmured.


    "If you would like, we can walk around out there for a little while," Anfey said cheerfully.


    "No, thank you." Suzanna shook her head. "This little guy seems anxious. Others have no control over him. If we go to the front yard, what would we do with the little unicorn?"


    That day, Saul was hosting a grand party. He had prepared this party very early. There were so many peopleing that Saul could not handle all of the arrangements. Luckily, Ynthe sent about a hundred pce maids and servants to help, and some government officials also sent their family servants over, which barely seeded in making the party run smoothly. The huge front yard and the main building were lit up. People were walking everywhere. Saul¡¯s house seemed to be highly secured. If today someone sessfully attacked Saul¡¯s house, he could have destroyed almost the whole upper ss of Maho Empire. No one could let anything slip this time.


    In fact, the chance that anyone could sessfully attack Saul¡¯s house was very, very slim. Even Philip, who did not see eye to eye with Saul, came for this party. The five top powers in Maho Empire were all here; Saul, Steger, Baery, Mioritch and Philip. In addition to the five top powers, Ernest, Bruzuryano, Manstuly, Jacob, and the old servant of Ynthe were in the party. All top powers had gathered here. Facing such powerful opponents, even the craziest assassin would give up the idea of assassinating anyone that evening.


    Maybe because so many top powers were present, the little unicorn had been looking nervous. He followed after Anfey closely. If the talking orughter from the front yard were a little loud, the little unicorn would have a chill.


    "This little guy is too timid. He should be better when he grows up a little bit more." Anfey smiled. His smile looked forced. He had been waiting for news from afternoon till evening. He had not heard anything yet. When he went to the front yard to take a look, no matter whether it was Saul, Bruzuryano, or Manstuly, they were all talking andughing together. He could not tell anything from their looks. Anfey actually felt quite nervous at that moment.


    "Too timid?" Suzanna could not help rolling her eyes at Anfey. "Top powers are gathering here. Like the little unicorn, I even feel nervous. As far as I know, it is rare to have three or five top powers at one party. Right now there are nine. It has been a long time since we have had such a grand party on Pan Continent."


    Anfey was shocked for a second. He thought it was just a regr party. After hearing what Suzanna said, he suddenly realized perhaps Ynthe had asked Saul to host this party to proim the power of Maho Empire to the whole Pan Continent. After thinking about this for a while, Anfey had a bitter smile on his face. It was really hard to understand what the king was thinking. There was no doubt that Ynthe¡¯s skills at recognizing and taking advantage of good timing were brilliant. No one could be as good as him.


    They heard stepsing from the right. Hagan walked around the corner. He looked normal, but his eyes were constantly moving, which showed he was actually nervous. Ernest walked behind him.


    "Uncle Ernest, what are you doing here? Christian just told me he saw you drinking with Baery and Mioritch," Anfey asked in surprise.


    "I did not pull myself away easily," Ernst said with a smile. He was serious as he sharply and carefully looked around the room.


    "Hagan, what happened?" Anfeyid his eyes on Hagan and asked in a low voice. "I have been waiting for you since this afternoon. Why did youe out sote?"


    "How could I get out?" Hagan had a bitter smile on his face. He turned to nervously look at Ernest.


    "Nobody is around us," Ernest said calmly.


    "They were watching so closely that I could only stay in theb," Hagan said, rxing a little bit.


    "Did you do it?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course. I am a genius alchemist," Hagan said.


    "That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking about. I am asking whether they were suspicious of you," Anfey said. Hagan had promised to make the Sacred Spirit potion. He said it was not tooplicated to make, and the recipe was flexible. He thought he definitely could make one. Anfey trusted him, but he cared more about another problem that went with it.


    "I don¡¯t know," Hagan stammered.


    "They should not suspect anything," Ernest answered on Hagan¡¯s behalf. "I was in theb too. Hagan is a talented performer. He did very well."


    Anfey looked Hagan up and down and noticed he still looked nervous. How could he be a talented performer if he did not even know where to put his hands, and his hands still kept moving? If Anfey had other options, he definitely would not have let Hagan do it. Unfortunately, Hagan was his only hope. If he failed, they would have a lot more troubles, even though they still would have a chance to settle matters with Bruzuryano and others.


    Ernest seemed to sense Anfey¡¯s worries. "Hagan looked very scared and rambled to defend himself. Bruzuryano and Manstuly thought Hagan was afraid of being punished. They were not suspicious."


    "How many experiments did you do?" Anfey heaved a long sigh.


    "How many could I do? Just on, and then they collected all the ingredients back," Hagan said.


    "They are so stingy," Anfey said.


    "Stingy? Anfey, Bruzuryano was flexible, but Manstuly was hard to deal with. If Master Saul did not cover for me, I think they would have suspected me," Hagan said, grimacing bitterly.


    "It is ok. Practice makes perfect. You will feel much better next time when you lie." Anfey smiled at Hagan. "How much Sacred Spirit potion did you make?"


    "Only this little bottle." Hagan grabbed it with his hand.


    "Where is the potion?" Anfey asked.


    "Master Saul took it. I was not able to hide it on me." Hagan felt more scared as he recalled what happened in theb. The whole time he was making the potion, Bruzuryano and Manstuly were next to him and watched him. It was really hard to y any tricks. Luckily, Saul taught him how to hide the magic surges of the potion and helped him with coverage, otherwise he would have been found stealing potion a long time ago. Hagan had felt the urge to use the restroom in theb several times and had cold sweat on his chest and back. He knew how important this job was, otherwise he might not have been able to hold up.


    "Ok. One bottle is fine. We should not be too greedy," Anfey said.


    "Oh, right. Anfey, is Master Jacob one of our people?" Hagan asked.


    "Yes." Anfey nodded.


    "I wondered," Hagan sighed. "When I argued that the ingredients were not pure and resulted in failure, Uncle Ernest and Master Mioritch had left theb. I saw Master Jacob walk in. I was startled. I did not expect Master Jacob would say those ingredients were not pure, although I knew the ingredients were fine."


    "What happened afterwards?" Anfey asked.


    "Then Master Jacob said he needed to purify them first. We should wait a few days before the next experiment," Hagan said.


    "Ok. We should be fine then," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, Master Jacob said the leftover ingredients were only good for three bottles of Sacred Spirit potion," Hagan said.


    "That little? We should have more unicorn blood. Why could we only make three bottles?" Anfey asked.


    "We do not have enough Spring of Life. The poption of elves is declining. So is the Spring of Life. The Spring of Life they brought almost depleted all the Spring of Life that the elves have. We would not be able to get any Spring of Life in the next few decades," Hagan said.


    "Who is in charge of the ingredients now?" Anfey asked.


    "That guy named Manstuly. I did not give him the unicorn blood," Hagan said.


    "Three bottles, too little," Anfey said bitterly. He expected a lot more than three bottles. Bruzuryano had said feeding the little unicorn with Sacred Spirit potion would not have any side effects. Whether the little unicorn could be his helpful assistant totally depended on the supply of the potion. Now Anfey¡¯s hopes were dashed.


    "We cannot get all three of them. It seems that Master Jacob will take one bottle. Manstuly also will take one, so we can have one bottle at most," Hagan said.


    "It¡¯s fine. Better than nothing." Anfey nodded. "Hagan, can you act normal for the next few days? Even though you have finished your job, I am just worried they still could be suspicious of you. How about hiding yourself in your room. Don¡¯te out unless it is necessary."


    "Sure. I definitely could use the time to copy Master Jacob¡¯s script. There are so many things I still do not understand, but I think I couldprehend themter." Hagan looked confident as he talked.


    "It is great as long as you think so." Anfey took a look at Ernest and said quietly, "Uncle Ernest, do you think we are meless, since the professor and I did this? I know Bruzuryano is our friend."


    Ernest smiled. "I have asked Saul. Saul does not like to take advantage of anyone, not to mention his friends. Saul has told me that he does not feel bad for doing it. I trust him."


    "Uncle Ernest, we indeed did nothing wrong!" Anfey said firmly. Now there was a queen among the elves. Anfey was not afraid of the consequence of not following his promise, but he did not want to pick a fight for nothing. He tried not to go against his promise.


    "Are you saying we need be aware of Bruzuryano?" Ernest said, a bit angrily.


    "No, Master Bruzuryano did want to work with us. He is a good man," Anfey replied.


    "If Bruzuryano is a good man, are we the bad guys?" Hagan asked out of nowhere.


    "It is too nave tobel people as good and bad." Anfey patted Hagan¡¯s shoulder. "Ok. Go to sleep. You do not have to worry. Remember to hide yourself for the next few days."


    "I got you," Hagan said with a nod.

 Chapter 310: Whim

    Chapter 310: Whim


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Hagan hurried past Anfey and disappeared around the corner. Ernest turned to Anfey and asked, "Have you decided when you¡¯re leaving for Violet City?"


    "In a few days," Anfey said. Everyone wanted Anfey to bring Ernest with him, but Anfey couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask the question. Ernest was a master swordsman, and if he went to Violet City, he could no longer influence the politics of the empire. Ernest would be much more valuable if he stayed in Sacred City. Not just Saul, but also Ynthe wanted Ernest on his side.


    "I talked to Saul yesterday. He thought that you guys should have left Sacred City by now. Philip is getting more reckless after his alliance with Prince Wester. Who knows what he will do? If it reallyes down to it, Saul can¡¯t protect you."


    "He can always go look for me in Violet City," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "Without an order from His Majesty, the magic array will remain closed. Philip doesn¡¯t know magic and can¡¯t open the portal even if he could get into it. If he tries to sneak out of the city, His Majesty would notice his absence. We can reach you faster through the portal."


    "We¡¯re still at a disadvantage," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "There isn¡¯t another way."


    "I can try and talk to Lord Bruzuryano," Anfey said. "The Wolf King should be able to take care of matters in Sacred City. He¡¯s too cunning to fall for any tricks. Bruzuryano doesn¡¯t need to be here."


    "Bruzuryano will not leave, and I would advise you to save your energy. You don¡¯t know this, but his meetings with His Majesty could decide the fate of the druids." Ernest paused then said, "If my sources are right, the Eagle King should have arrived in the city already."


    "Why isn¡¯t he showing himself?"


    "He¡¯s too cautious for that."


    Anfey frowned. He thought he would surely reach an agreement with Bruzuryano, but now he realized his hope was false.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Ernest said. "As long as Suzanna and Entos are with you, you won¡¯t bepletely helpless if Philip really does track you down." Ernest was hiding things. Ynthe had promised that he would keep an eye on Philip, which meant that Philip¡¯s every move was under surveince. However, he did not want to tell Anfey because he didn¡¯t want Anfey to let his guard down. If something really did happen, that would ce everyone in danger.


    "Oh, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask," Anfey suddenly said, "I saw the remaining energy from the angel disappear into Suzanna. How would that affect her?"


    "Do you know about dragon blood? People who are soaked in dragon blood are unusually strong, at least ording to legend. I imagine the angel¡¯s energy works in a simr fashion," Ernest said. Suddenly, he turned around and said, "Hush. Someone¡¯sing."


    After Ernest¡¯s warning, Anfey heard the faint sound of talking. If Ernest hadn¡¯t said anything, Anfey would have missed it. An old man in white robes walked into view first. Saul was close behind. Another, older man was following them. The third man had long, silvery hair and looked very strong. He had a longsword and was taller than both of hispanions.


    The first man saw Anfey, Suzanna, and Ernest and smiled. "This must be Anfey and Suzanna."


    "Yes," Saul said, nodding.


    "Wonderful," the man said. "I¡¯ve been meaning to meet them. Come here."


    Anfey suddenly realized who the old man must be. He looked at Suzanna, and the two of them began walking towards the three neers. Suddenly, the unicorn bolted towards Anfey and jumped between Anfey and Suzanna and the three men. Then an arc of lightning appeared and struck the third man, who frowned but did not move to defend himself.


    "How loyal," the first man said with augh.


    "Stay down," Anfey ordered. Then he began walking again. The unicorn whinnied and grabbed Anfey¡¯s shirt with its teeth and stood firm. Magic beasts weren¡¯t intelligent and often relied on their intuition. It could sense the animosity and did not want Anfey and Suzanna to approach the three men.


    "It looks like that thing doesn¡¯t trust you, Philip. Maybe you should go home for the day. Don¡¯t worry, Saul¡¯s here and nothing¡¯s going to go wrong."


    "Yes, Your Majesty," Philip said. He bowed and walked away. He did not look at Anfey even once, as if he did not care for him.


    Seeing the unicorn still did not let Anfey go, Ynthe sighed and walked towards them, staring at the unicorn. He had seen a lot of things as a king, but observing a living young unicorn this close was a first.


    "Your Majesty," Anfey said with a bow. Suzanna hurried and curtsied.


    "No, no," Ynthe said, waving his hand. "Let¡¯s just skip this formality, eh?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty," Anfey said with a smile.


    "You seem unnatural," Ynthe said. "Like I¡¯ve said, I want you to be natural. Pretend I¡¯m your friend." Ynthe smiled, then he reached over to pat the unicorn. The unicorn craned its neck and gave a low whinny. The unicorn didn¡¯t care if Ynthe was a king. It did not know him and did not want to be patted by him.


    Ynthe sighed and shook his head, straightening his back.


    Saul coughed. "Anfey," he said, "you¡¯re a count now. You don¡¯t have to bow to everyone."


    "He¡¯s right," Ynthe said. "You¡¯ve been busy with your academic work, but you should read a little more aboutmon courtesy. Counts are very important, and I need them to lead the lesser nobility."


    "Yes, my lord," Anfey said, nodding. He thought that everyone had to bow to the king, and he hoped he did not offend the king.


    "Saul, I heard you¡¯re preparing for Anfey and Suzanna¡¯s wedding?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty. But Anfey and Suzanna are leaving for Violet City soon. They want to wait until they get there." Saul smiled and said, "It seems like I can¡¯t officiate the wedding."


    "Young people shouldn¡¯t be constrained by the rules," Ynthe said, shaking his head. "Be more adventuresome. I had my wedding in Forest of Death. We had one guest who also officiated the ceremony."


    "Of course, Your Majesty," Saul said. He turned to Anfey and Suzanna and said, "If you two want, you can have your wedding wherever, whenever you want. Even now."


    Anfey and Suzanna nced at each other. Anfey did want to have his wedding in Sacred City and have Saul officiate it, but the situation in Sacred City was too tense. They wanted to wait on the wedding and have it after they reached Violet City. Neither expected Ynthe would propose such a n on a whim.


    "Anfey, Suzanna, what do you say?" Saul asked.


    Both Anfey and Suzanna could only stare at Saul. Even though this n was proposed on a whim, the men who proposed it were too powerful, and both felt ufortable about turning down the offer.


    "Today is a good day for it," Ernest said. "Everyone¡¯s here."


    "But we aren¡¯t ready," Anfey said hesitantly.


    "What preparation do you need? Why don¡¯t we find the others and ask their opinion?" Saul asked. He knew that his other students would never oppose the marriage.


    "I..." Anfey said, then turned to Suzanna, who was frowning. She couldn¡¯t say no, but she did not want to say yes, either.


    "What do you think, Your Majesty?"


    "I think it¡¯s a good n," Ynthe said, smiling.


    "Master, can¡¯t we wait a few more days?" Anfey pleaded.


    "Yes, Your Majesty," Saul said,pletely ignoring Anfey.

 Chapter 311: Getting Rich

    Chapter 311: Getting Rich


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until you are parted by death." Ynthe slowly put the scepter on Anfey¡¯s shoulder. "Anfey, would you like to marry this beautiful woman, Suzanna, as you wife, to love her for better or for worse, until death do you part?"


    Anfey just stared at Ynthe without any response. Christian, the best man, had to nudge Anfey and remind him what to do next. "Say it."


    "I do." Anfey suddenly realized he needed to answer the question.


    "Suzanna, would you..." Ynthe asked.


    "I do." She answered before Ynthe could even finish his question. Suzanna was so nervous that she was stiff.


    Niya was the maid of honor. She almostughed out loud when she saw what happened. She immediately covered her mouth. Luckily, her back was to the crowd, otherwise the guests might haveughed along with her.


    Ynthe held Anfey¡¯s hand and gently said to Suzanna, "Rx, ok?" Ynthe held his hand out to Suzanna.


    Suzanna slightly bit her lip and put her hand on Ynthe¡¯s palm. When Ynthe let Anfey¡¯s and Suzanna¡¯s hands touch, they could not help holding each other¡¯s hand.


    "May god bless this new couple." Ynthe smiled and stepped back a few steps to allow Anfey and Suzanna to be the center of attention. They were greeted with long and thunderous apuse.


    Almost all the elites of Maho Empire had gathered here. Most of them had nothing to do with Anfey. They were being appropriately nice to Anfey. Ernest, Entos, the members of Alibaba legion were wishing the best for them from the bottom of their hearts. Everyone wore smiles on their faces, including Wester, Granden, and even Philip, who hated Anfey with a passion. No one would give Anfey a hard time right now. If anyone did, that person would be too nave. People could sit in this hall only if they had done something extraordinary. They might have made mistakes, but not basic ones.


    When Ynthe raised his scepter again, the whole hall went quiet. Ynthe scanned the crowd and slowly said, "Do you know why we called them newlyweds? Because only with new responsibility can people grow. For Count Anfey and beautiful Miss Suzanna. Oh, no, please forgive me, it should be for our Count Anfey and beautiful Ms. Suzanna, they are separated from their former lives from this moment forwards. Their lives do not belong just to themselves anymore. They also belong to each other. In life, every decision they make has to consider the other, and be responsible for the other. I hope this new couple will never forget their responsibilities."


    Anfey felt Ynthe was hinting him something. At the same time, Suzanna held Anfey¡¯s hand tighter. Obviously, she felt what Ynthe said.


    "Saul has made a quick decision to hold this wedding, and I must be the host of the wedding. No matter what I am doing right now, I hope everyone can bear with me. In this area, I am a newbie as well." After Ynthe finished his talk, he gave Saul and irritated nce.


    Saul bowed and smiled, but said nothing.


    "I have given them my blessing in the ceremony. As a king, I would like to give them a gift to express my blessing and keep this moment forever. I was not prepared for this. I guess I have to give them one of my favorites." Ynthe hesitated for a second before he took a ring with a blue gemstone off his right index finger. He took Anfey¡¯s hand and put it on for him. "This will be your wedding ring. Are you happy with it?"


    "Thank you, King," Anfey said respectfully, lowering his head. In fact, Anfey did not care about the gift. Even if Ynthe had given him a regr stone, he would still need to keep it well.


    Wester, Granden, Philip and other government officials all looked shocked. They knew what kind of ring that was.


    "Since the king has given such a wonderful gift, I think I need show my blessing as well." Baery stood up and smiled. "I have had a female suit of armor for many years. Ms. Suzanna is a senior swordsman. I think she could make good use of it."


    "General Baery, are you talking about the Azure Armor of Victoria, the temporary Princess of Shansa Empire?" Prime Minister Bryn asked, to see if his guess was right.


    "Prime minister, you are very wise," Baery said, smiling. "You are right."


    Suddenly the hall became loud with everyone talking. Victoria, a temporary princess of Shansa Empire, was the biological sister of the king of Shansa Empire. She was good at administration. She loved her citizens, and tried to do everything on her own instead of just ordering others to do it. She was a bridge between royals and civilians in Shansa Empire. When the two countries were negotiating, Baery went against his promises and lead his Death Roaring legion from hundreds miles away to attack the region where negotiations were being held. Almost the whole negotiating team from Maho Empire was killed by angry Shansa Empire soldiers. Baery definitely got what he wanted, but he also paid a high price for it. Victoria was caught by Baery.


    Back then Ynthe¡¯s father was the king of Maho Empire. He was furious when he heard what Baery had done. He ordered Baery to release Victoria immediately. Baery agreed to release Victoria but did not do as he agreed. He secretly kept her and killed her. Later, Baery was fired and all his military titles were removed. He was sent to jail. It was unclear what would happen after Victoria¡¯s death. As time went by, the effects started to show. First of all, the king of Shansa Empire lived a life of luxury like no other king enjoyed. The nobility in Shansa Empire followed him as an example, but they were even worse and made people hate them. As a result, the conflicts in Shansa Empire grew worse to the point that fights, battles and wars urred throughout Shansa Empire.


    In fact, Ynthe¡¯s fatherter realized Baery was right, at least from the perspective of the country. However, he could not admit his own mistake and release him. After Ynthe took the throne, his first order was amnesty. Baery was one of the people who benefited from this policy. Later, Ynthe reappointed Baery to be themander of a legion on the eastern border.


    After the death of Victoria, the location of the Azure Armor became a mystery. Baery kept saying he did not know where it went. Back then, his influence was not as strong, but his family background was good; his sister was Ynthe¡¯s queen. No one really dared give him a hard time.


    He was fed and treated well in jail. Even though Ynthe¡¯s father had ordered his guards to interrogate Baery to try to find out where the Azure Armor was, those officials kicked the ball to each other. In addition, Ynthe had asked a favor of Baery. In the end, no one talked about the Azure Armor anymore. But here at the wedding, everybody found out Baery had it all the time.


    "King, General Baery, you are giving us a hard time," Mioritch said bitterly. "I have nothing good to give Anfey and Suzanna. I only have a Dragon Shield. I hope Ms. Suzanna will like it."


    Everyone was shocked and stared wide-eyed. Judging from the titles they held, the others did not have to give gifts better than those Baery and Mioritch had given, but Azure Armor and Dragon Shield were such amazing gifts, it would be impossible for their gifts topare. Bruzuryano and Manstuly looked helpless. They stayed at Saul¡¯s house and attended the party empty-handed. They wanted to schmooze with other government officials on the party. When they were asked to give gifts, they could only give their best. Anything they brought with them was very precious, and they probably did not want to give them away.


    "Steger," Ynthe called.


    "King." Steger stood up immediately.


    "You are going to keep a record of the gifts," Ynthe said. "You people do not have to give anything expensive. Price does not matter, thoughts matter."


    No one could give just any random gift, even though Ynthe told them price did not matter. They were in Saul¡¯s house now, and Anfey was a student of Saul. Ynthe gave Anfey a gift first and set an example for everyone. The Dean of Sacred City magic academy was in charge of keeping a record of gifts. No one would dare give cheap gifts.


    "Anfey, follow me." Ynthe gave Anfey a look.


    "Yes, Your Majesty," Anfey responded.


    Suzanna unconsciously followed Anfey. Ynthe held his arm out with a smile. "Ms. Suzanna, you should stay here. It is not appropriate for the bride and groom to leave together. You need to receive your wedding gifts in person anyway."


    Suzanna had no idea what to do. She looked at Anfey. In fact, Anfey and Suzanna both liked to live quiet lives. Now they were pushed to center stage. She felt very uneasy.


    Anfey nodded and followed Ynthe to the side door. Saul called Ernest over and said something in a low voice.


    A soundproof screen kept all the noises outside. The side room and the main hall became two different worlds. Ynthe waited for a while as Saul released a magic array. Ynthe said with a smile, "What do you think, Anfey? Are you happy? You are getting a lot of good gifts. Even if you do not do anything afterwards, you could just sell the gifts you got today and you will have a decent life."


    "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty," Anfey said humbly.


    "You¡¯re wee." Ynthe shook his head. "You risked your life to wipe out a Griffin Aerial Unit, which determined the oue of the war for the east boundary of the empire. Whatever gift I give you would not be good enough."


    "Your Majesty, can I ask you something?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course," Ynthe said.


    "Your majesty and the professor have made this wedding possible. You did not just want me to receive these gifts, did you? Do you have other reasons?"


    "I do not want to hide it from you and have never hid anything from you, otherwise I would not have called you over." Ynthe smiled. "This may be premature. Anfey, do you know who Suzanna is?"


    "I know some of her past, but never specifically asked her."

 Chapter 312: Methods

    Chapter 312: Methods


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Suzanna is the illegitimate daughter of Duke of Gruce Principality," Ynthe said as he sat down in a chair. He waved his hand at Anfey. "Darius had a lot of illegitimate children, though. At least a dozen."


    "Really?" Anfey asked, shocked.


    "The dozen that survived," Ynthe said with a sigh. "He is a paranoid man. He believes that only his own blood could protect him. He sent all of his illegitimate children off to train to be his personal guards. Suzanna is one of the ones who survived. Those that did became extremely powerful and fiercely loyal to Darius. Did Suzanna ever tell you any of this?"


    "Some of it," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    Ynthe nodded. "Poor children. Their childhoods were taken away and they were forced to grow up with pain and tears. Even though Suzanna was Shally¡¯s half sister and they are very close, Shally is much higher in status. Shally is Darius¡¯s heir apparent while Suzanna was her maid. If the rumor is true, then he had more illegitimate children than we can ever imagine. Yet only a dozen survived to adulthood."


    "What about the others? What happened to them?"


    "You mean Suzanna¡¯s siblings?" Ynthe asked, frowning. "I¡¯m not sure. Darius was paranoid and mistrustful towards others, but in the end he still trusted the wrong person. He might be cruel, but his people didn¡¯t care. As long as they had food and the right to live, they would not challenge his right to rule. His minister, though, is another story. Darius should have died of old age in his principality in peace, but his minister, Turagin, usurped his throne. After Darius disappeared, his guards did as well. So far, Suzanna is the only that has surfaced."


    "I never imagine there are things you do not know, Your Majesty."


    "Hurricane is still too young an organization," Ynthe said, shaking his head. "It is only thirty years old and still rtively small. Most of my men are in Ellisen and Shansa Empire. Gruce Principality is too far from here. It is not worth my time."


    "Is Hurricane the only information system here? What about before?"


    "The old organization was destroyed," Ynthe whispered, his eyes downcast.


    "Destroyed? By who?" Anfey asked, surprised. "It¡¯s not Evil Mist, is it?"


    "No," Ynthe said. "By me."


    Anfey sat back, his eyes wide. He knew that Ynthe grabbed the throne after a bloody civil war, but he did not realize the scale of the conflict. If he could destroy a nation¡¯s spy system, how bad was that war? Not just the royal family, Maho Empire itself must have been affected. Anfey knew that Ynthe must not have forgotten what had happened to him. He had not chosen his heir, yet once he did, he might clear out a path for his chosen heir to minimize damage to the empire.


    "It¡¯s a shame, really," Ynthe said. "Good men died. A lot of them."


    "Then why are you so interested in Gruce now, Your Majesty?"


    "Because Darius¡¯s disappearance disrupted everything," Ynthe said. He had answered all of Anfey¡¯s questions as if he weren¡¯t a king but Anfey¡¯s friend. "Three principalities existed to the north of Ellisen Empire. Northerners are fierce, reckless people, and theirnd is poor. Ellisen Empire has no reason to invade those principalities. As long as the principalities stayed out of their way, Ellisen Empire did not care about them. Of course, Ellisen didn¡¯t want the principalities to get too strong, either. So they would constantly try to evoke the principalities¡¯ anger towards each other. The three principalities had no reason to unite.


    "The disappearance of Dairus changed the politics of the three principalities and gave them a chance to unite. Turagin is a neer. The other two aren¡¯t familiar with him yet. But whoever he supports will win."


    "If Turagin is smart, he should know that staying neutral would be his best bet. Otherwise Gruce would be the next target," Anfey said. Ynthe was telling him important information and he should not hide his thoughts anymore. He needed to find a bncing point between usefulness and uselessness. He couldn¡¯t be too helpful, but he couldn¡¯t be aplete idiot, either.


    "That¡¯s exactly what he did," Ynthe said. "That¡¯s why the other two principalities had reached an agreement to attack Gruce."


    "It seems like I have been outsmarted," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "You¡¯re too young still," Ynthe said. "I don¡¯t want them to maintain that bnce. The situation in Ellisen Empire isn¡¯t any better. It¡¯s significantly weakened because of the damage we dealt to Dark Moon Legion. They had moved all of their armies to the south to defend its borders against us. They don¡¯t have time to prevent the war between the three principalities. Even if they do, I can gather my armies and pull their attention back to the south.


    "For us, it is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were always caught between Ellisen and Shansa Empire, but if the three principalities unit and ally with us, Ellisen Empire is cornered. I am confident I can destroy that country." Ynthe narrowed his eyes. "It would take at least ten years to build an army like the Dark Moon Legion. It would not take as long for me to upy their capital."


    "That is wonderful, Your Majesty," Anfey said hesitantly. "But what does that have anything to do with my wedding?"


    "Because we found Darius."


    "What?"


    "Darius escaped and somehow ended up with Archduke Kurigazu. My men had reported to me that they had reached an agreement. The Archduke would help Darius take back his throne, in exchange..."


    "Is he stupid? Why would he believe that?"


    "You¡¯ll be surprised what we will do when we are as desperate as Darius," Ynthe said with a shrug. "The Archduke has his own condition, of course. He wants to marry Suzanna."


    Anfey suddenly jumped up from his chair. "What?" he asked, staring at Ynthe.


    "His only condition is a marriage alliance to Suzanna."


    Anfey took a deep breath to calm himself. "Why?" he asked. His fists were clenched tight. "If he wanted Gruce, shouldn¡¯t he be asking to marry Shally?"


    "Shally¡¯s still too young," Ynthe said. "He didn¡¯t want an heir. After he took Gruce, he only need an unfortunate ident to befall Darius and Shally. He would avenge their deaths and take the throne." Ynthe paused, then continued, "He wanted Suzanna because she had made a name for herself. There are no top tier powers in the three principalities. If he could marry a potential top tier power, it would be extremely beneficial."


    Ynthe was acting natural, but in reality he was carefully observing Anfey. Anfey was clenching his fists so tight his nails were digging into his palms. His entire body was very tense as if he was trying very hard not to let his anger boil over.


    "Darius agreed, of course, and signed an order. Suzanna is to return to Gruce with Shally as soon as possible," Ynthe said.


    This was all that was needed to rip away Anfey¡¯s calm facade. He felt his chest tighten and his ear ring. He had loved his parents very much and did not know how to cope with the pain after their sudden death. He did not want to love, because he was afraid to lose loved ones again. After everything they had been through, he realized that he had fallen in love with Suzanna. He did not want to lose the person he loves again. He knew Suzanna, and she would not turn away from her duty. Combined with the training she had gone through when she was young, Anfey knew he would soon face the pain of losing someone again.


    "This is why I wanted you two to wed immediately," Ynthe said. He knew that he was much more powerful than either Darius or the Archduke. He could solve Anfey¡¯s problem very easily.


    "There¡¯s no use," Anfey said, his face pale. "Suzanna will go back. I know her."


    "How do you know? Do you not trust your love for each other?"


    Anfey frowned. "Did Darius¡¯s order reach her yet?"


    "The messenger has just crossed our border."


    "Do you know where he is?"


    "Of course."


    "Your Majesty, I am now requesting to use the transmission portal!"


    "What, do you want to kill the poor man?" Ynthe asked, smiling. "You can kill one or two messengers, but can you kill a dozen messengers? A hundred? Suzanna was the only thing between Darius and his throne. His order will not stoping. Why do you think I told you after the wedding? She is your wife. You have to trust her. If Suzanna finds out, what will you tell her?"


    Anfey froze. He stared at Ynthe but could not say anything.


    "Sit down, sit down," Ynthe ordered. "Violence is not the solution. You¡¯re too excited. Don¡¯t worry. Suzanna is a human, is she not?"


    "What?" Anfey asked.


    "Darius isn¡¯t her only parent. Her mother is a maid and was very loyal to Darius. When Suzanna left to train, she even told her to protect Darius with her life. But Darius is a very paranoid person. Eleven years ago, his pce suffered a small mutiny. He was afraid that the situation would affect the mothers of his children, so he exiled them and ordered them to be drowned. Suzanna¡¯s mother was saved by a local hunter. She was heartbroken, of course, and started a new family with that hunter. After Darius¡¯s disappearance, she decided to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble. After the situation calmed down, she wanted to go look for Suzanna. Unluckily for her, Turagin was hunting for Suzanna as well. She was captured then."


    "Is she alright?"


    "Turagin announced that he had captured her mother and tried to get Suzanna to turn herself in. Of course, by then Suzanna is already in Maho Empire and did not know what was going on in Gruce," Ynthe said. "My men delivered the news. I ordered a rescue mission and, thankfully, it was sessful. Turagin was afraid that Suzanna¡¯s mother would die before she appeared, so he didn¡¯t want to torture her. I don¡¯t know if my men can get her back to Maho Empire alive, so I told them to help her leave a letter."


    "What kind of letter?"


    "She knew that Darius wanted to marry Suzanna off and was furious. She had revealed everything she knew about him, including the fact that he sentenced her to death. If Suzanna wasn¡¯t a senior swordsmaster, Darius would not hesitate at the fact that she was his daughter." Ynthe sighed and shook his head. "Even if something happens, Hurricane would preserve the letter. I trust Suzanna to make the right decision as long as she reads that letter."


    Anfey let out a sigh of relief. He sat back down onto his chair.


    "I also ordered the assassination of Darius. As long as he is alive, he will always be an unknown factor. I cannot allow that," Ynthe said. "Are you satisfied now?"


    Anfey stood up and knelt down before Ynthe. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said, his voice quivering. "Thank you so much." He knelt on his own volition. He had calmed down and his mind was working again. Turagin had Suzanna¡¯s mother, but Suzanna was a senior swordsmaster. He must be very prepared to defend his prisoner against the advance of a senior swordsmaster. This meant that Hurricane must have made great sacrifice to rescue her mother. Ynthe had ordered them to kill Darius, which was another difficult task. Both of these tasks would lead to casualties. Without Ynthe¡¯s help, who knows what would have happened to him and Suzanna.


    Saul sighed as he watched. He had be Ynthe¡¯s friend under simr circumstances many years ago. No matter, Ynthe had always been a true friend.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it," Ynthe said as he helped Anfey up. "Come on, let¡¯s go back to your wedding."

 Chapter 313: Room for the Wedding

    Chapter 313: Room for the Wedding


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After the ceremony, Anfey took the gift list from Steger. Anfey was speechless when he looked at the neatly arranged gifts. People who came for his wedding had offered their favorite things to Anfey because of the example Ynthe set. Even Philip gave Anfey a Faith of Messenger magic scepter.


    Knowledgeable Dean Steger was in charge of receiving gifts. He even took time writing a short description for most of the gifts. Besides Azure Armor and Dragon Shield, Manstuly¡¯s Spirit pendant stood out the most, but it was also the most useless because the Spirit pendant had two parts that had been missing for many years. Only with the Spirit ne and Spirit gemstone could the Spirit pendant maximize its power.


    Bruzuryano gave Anfey a Wind Strengthened Glove. This was a practical gift for Anfey. It also showed Bruzuryano had given the gift a lot of thought. Anfey had hurt his finger in a battle when he tried to pulled the bow hard. He still had not recovered from it. The Wind Strengthened Glove would not only protect Anfey¡¯s hand, but also increase the power of Wind de arrows.


    The Faith of Messenger magic scepter Philip gave Anfey was meant to be sarcastic. In fact, it was a mediocre magic scepter. Besides its magic power or instant magic power, it had nothing special. It had a long history, but that was it. It was just a coincidence that every owner of this magic scepter had been a mage and became a top powerter. This magic scepter was not originally named Faith of Messenger. It was called White Bird because there was a vivid white bird carved on the handle. It was not known in which generation the owner had realized that every previous owner of this magic scepter had be an archmage, so decided to change its name to Faith of Messenger to better motivate himself. He hoped he too could be a top power some day. No matter whom this magic scepter was given to, it meant encouragement. However, giving it to Anfey meant something totally different. Everyone in the Sacred City knew Anfey was a pdin who was not too great with magic and still studying in the magic academy. It was obvious that Philip was being sarcastic about Saul having a student who was a pdin and not good at magic.


    Compared with other gifts, the most worthless and funny gift was from Archalchemist Jacob. His gift looked like a normal bottle of chemicals. However, the description on the back was not normal. It said that it was an advanced-level aphrodisiac made from seven-winged magic fly. Thinking that today was his wedding and how Jacob and Mioritch "fought", Anfey felt helpless from the bottom of his heart. He could not even imagine what looks Suzanna would have if she found out about it.


    "Dean, thank you for your help," Anfey said in a low voice.


    "You are wee," Steger replied. "I am going to check on the side room. If you need anything, you can find me there."


    "Are Master Bruzuryano and Master Manstuly there as well?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Steger said with a nod. Today Ynthe hade for the negotiations with Bruzuryano and others. Attending Saul¡¯s party and hosting Anfey and Suzanna¡¯s wedding was just a side job for him. Saul enjoyed high social status, but he could not represent the whole of Maho Empire. Ynthe had to approve important decisions. Ynthe liked to pay attention to detail. He could have called Bruzuryano and Manstuly to the pce, but it seemed to aggressive. The power Bruzuryano presented was important to Ynthe. Ynthe believed that each party must be treated equally as a prerequisite to developing trust between two parties.


    Steger slowly walked into the side room. Anfey looked back to survey the scene. He found all the guests had left. A few servants were cleaning up after his wedding ceremony. Suzanna, Christian and others were not there, just Entos. His job seemed to be to watch Anfey¡¯s gifts. He was walking around the big table with the gifts on it.


    "Master Anfey, what do we do with these gifts? Do we keep them in the storage room?" Old servants hurried over to Anfey.


    "Anfey, you¡¯d better keep them in your Dimensional ring," Entos interrupted.


    "Ok." Anfey nodded. He walked to the table. With his telepathy, gifts on the table disappeared one after another.


    "Your wedding happened too quick. Master Marino¡¯s gift is just a magic knife. You should have seen it on the list. Please forgive him for an inexpensive gift. I have worked with him for over a dozen of years. I know him. He has been amander of a legion but was never rich. Every time he got something nice, he would pass it on to his subordinates. He tried to make his legion happy but forgot about himself. He wanted me to tell you that he owes you this time and will make it up to youter."


    "Why would I care?" Anfey shook his head and smiled. "Entos, where is Suzanna?"


    "She was taken away by Christian and a few others. They said they were getting your room ready."


    Anfey could not help but smile. There was no tradition of ying tricks on newlyweds, but all young people like parties. They definitely would do something to him.


    ***


    At that moment, the side room looked grand and quiet. Ynthe, Saul, Bruzuryano and a few others sat at a round table, which allowed them to sit without thinking of their rank. They talked one after another. Usually negotiations were tit for tat and involved altercation, but they did not argue. Ynthe had showed the sincerity with his gesture. The main person in the other party was Manstuly. He was a people person and knew how to let things go. They were able toe to agreement on many sensitive issues because both parties knew they should let certain things go.


    At the same time, a person in ck jumped off the roof of the lower building to the ground. He was Anfey. He zigzagged in the grass to the front of the building. There was a shadow of an elf on the window facing Anfey. She looked like she was about to put out the candle and saw Anfey by ident. Anfey immediately put his finger to his lips to signal her not say anything. As Anfey¡¯s maid, she knew it was Anfey¡¯s wedding day. Seeing Anfey acting secretively, that proud elf could not help smiling. She waved her arm to put out the candle.


    Anfey jumped with his hands holding onto the windowsill. With the momentum from pulling on the windowsill, we was able to jump high. In fact, he could have used a Wind de to go anywhere he wanted effortlessly, but it would have magic surges. He did not want Christian and his group to know he was there, so he used his martial art skills.


    A barely-visible, grey shadow appeared on the other side of the grass, watching Anfey. Anfey¡¯s fingers were already grabbing the windowsill on the fourth floor. As he was about to open the window, he suddenly sensed something. He looked back to see what was in the grass, but he did not notice anything.


    When the window was pushed open, Suzanna, sitting on the edge of the bed, looked up in surprise and saw Anfey jumping in. When their eyes met, they both felt somewhat awkward. Getting married was not an easy decision. Both Anfey and Suzanna thought so. They should have done something special to make this wedding romantic. They did not know why their wedding was done in such a hurried way. It was hard to tell if they were not ready for it or if it just happened too fast. They both looked uneasy.


    Anfey awkwardly walked over and sat down next to Suzanna. He cleared his throat and hesitantly reached his hand out to hold Suzanna around her tiny waist.


    Suzanna looked calm. She nced at Anfey but did not say anything or do anything. When Anfey tried to hold her closer to him, Suzanna suddenly remembered something and said worriedly in a low voice, "They set a Magic Watch in the room."


    F*ck! Anfey could not help cursing in his mind. Was this a battle? It was a little toote when he found out. There were sounds of steps in the hallway. Anfey gritted his teeth and walked to the door. He waited for a while and punched hard on it. With a huge crashing sound, the door started to shake vigorously. They heard a scream in surprise or possibly in pain.


    Anfey pulled the door open quickly and saw about seven people running away. Only the weakest and wounded Hagan circled around with his hands on his ears. When he saw Anfey, he immediately smiled and tried to secretly moved to the side. Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or be angry. He mmed the door closed.


    Suzanna smiled as Anfey slowly walked back. He was looking for something to talk about. "These guys did not give you a hard time, did they?"


    "No." Suzanna put her head down.


    "They will get married some day. I will teach them a lesson then." Anfey put his hand on Suzanna¡¯s waist as he talked.


    "They did not do anything. Huh!" Suzanna screamed in surprise. They indeed did not do anything, but Anfey did. He put more strength on his arm and rolled Suzanna on the bed.


    Before Suzanna could react, Anfeyy next to Suzanna. He rolled her over quick, but still gentle. He did not rush to do anything to her. He waited for a while and kissed her cheek. He waited until Suzanna was not so nervous. If he rushed to put his hands on her breasts or between her legs, he would just be a horny guy with no ss. If he did that, he would either scare Suzanna or make her feel like fighting against him. If such a horny guy could make his partner passionate about sex, it only meant his partner was as horny as him. Anfey was good in bed and controlling his desires. He would not make mistakes.


    Suzanna bit her lips and stared at Anfey. She heaved a long sigh like a moan. She slowly closed her eyes to indicate she could ept anything happening tonight and she trusted Anfey.

 Chapter 314: Gently

    Chapter 314: Gently


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey carried Suzanna to his room and pushed open the door. His room was filled with candles, setting the mood for a romantic evening. He took Suzanna to his bed and summoned wind elements to snuff out the candles. The candles were beautiful, but sometimes darkness was moreforting.


    Anfey undressed himself and wrapped his arms around Suzanna, who was lying in bed and trying to adjust to the darkness. Sensing his closeness, Suzanna blushed furiously. Due to powers of Heart of Nature, Anfey could see through the darkness and see the tiniest changes in Suzanna¡¯s expression.


    After a few moments, Anfey began slowly undressing Suzanna. Her dress was very hard to take off, but Anfey was very patient. He nted dozens of kisses on Suzanna¡¯s lips and cheeks as he carefully unbuttoned her dress. He took off the dress and threw it aside, leaving the expensive garment lying on the ground.


    Then he moved on to her undergarments, a thin white slip that d tightly to her body. Suzanna blushed and pushed on Anfey¡¯s chest, but when Anfey moved his hands away she moved closer to him.


    Suzanna gasped when Anfey took off her slip, blushing.


    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Anfey whispered. He knew that Suzanna was slow to trust and wanted to make sure that she waspletelyfortable with this. He did not want to bring her any pain or difort.


    Suzanna bit her lips. She was a very traditional person and was very nervous about what was about to happen.


    "Suzanna?" Anfey asked again. "Are you sure?" Even though Anfey appeared very confident, he was almost as nervous as Suzanna, if not more. He had taken other women to bed before, but most of those rtionship had been purely physical andsted no more than a few weeks. Suzanna was one of the few women he had truly loved and cared for. He felt as if everything he did was wrong and everything he was about to do would be wrong as well. He needed confirmation from Suzanna to proceed.


    Suzanna knew that she had found someone she could trust with her life and rely on for the rest of her life. Anfey would share her happiness and sadness, and in turn his happiness and sadness would no longer be his alone. They belonged to each other and would never part. Suzanna took a deep breath and nodded. She took Anfey¡¯s hand in hers and said, "Yes, I¡¯ve never been more sure about anything."


    ¡ª


    Anfey woke up at the crack of dawn. He opened his eyes and saw the horizon brightening. Normally, he would already be up and doing his morning exercises. Today, though, was special. He was hardworking, but he was not mad. He would make exceptions for special asions. He knew that if Suzanna woke up and found him gone, she would be very disappointed. He would hate to see her feeling down.


    Anfey turned and nced at Suzanna. She was sound asleep. She must be having a good dream because she was smiling sweetly even as she slept. Even with her hair in disarray, she was beautiful. Anfey reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her closer to him. Suzanna shifted and her eyes flickered open.


    "Morning," she said with a smile. Her voice was slightly hoarse but still sweet.


    "Morning, love," Anfey said. "How are you feeling?"


    "Well enough," Suzanna said. She shifted and nestled closer to Anfey. "How are you?"


    "Never better," Anfey said, pressing a kiss on Suzanna¡¯s hair. He pushed himself up and jumped out of bed, picking his clothes up off the floor. "Do you want to go practice a bit?"


    Suzanna sat up and yawned, ncing out the window. "This early?"


    "It¡¯s light," Anfey said, peering out the window.


    Suzanna sighed. "Out," she said, waving her hand. "I need to dress."


    "Alright," Anfey said with a grin. He began walking away from the bed, still half naked. Suzanna sighed and shook her head.


    "No,e back,e back," she said. Anfey went back to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. Suzanna moved over and wrapped the nket around him.


    "It¡¯s winter, don¡¯t you remember?" she scolded. "It¡¯s too cold. You¡¯ll catch a cold like this." She was his wife now, and Suzanna felt that Anfey¡¯s well-being was her responsibility.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey assured her.


    Suzanna rolled her eyes. She nced at Anfey and found his face closer to hers than she had expected. She jumped as she locked eyes with him. The two sat, staring into each other¡¯s eyes as if they were in a trance.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and summoned the two out of their trance. "Anfey!" someone called. "Someone¡¯s looking for you!" Then they heard the sound of footsteps running away and giggling.


    Anfey sighed and stood up. "Let¡¯s get dressed," he said gently. He picked up the dress Suzanna wore the night before and handed it to her.


    "Yeah," she said, smiling softly. "Let¡¯s do that."

 Chapter 315: Powerful Female General

    Chapter 315: Powerful Female General


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey followed Christian into a restaurant. He found an armed Baery and Mioritch there, with Saul sitting properly in the middle. Anfey was shocked for a second. It looked like something had happened, but they should have no reason to see Anfey.


    "Anfey, sit down. Baery has something to ask you," Saul said quietly. He pointed to the chair next to him.


    Anfey walked next to Saul and slowly took a seat. He looked at Baery with a questioning look on his face.


    "Anfey, do you know Kumaraghosha ?" Baery asked straightforwardly.


    "Kumaraghosha? I saw him before. Is he the general in Shansa Empire? What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "The Shansa Empire military department used him of treason. When they sent people to catch Kumaraghosha, his legion rebelled," Baery said in a low voice. "Kumaraghosha lead his team, broke through Shansa Empire¡¯s encirclement, and escaped the Country of Mercenaries."


    "Master Baery, does this have anything to do with me?" Anfey asked, confused.


    "Yes." Baery started to look very serious. "Do you know where they escaped to? Town of Moramatch! People from Storm mercenary group have reported that after Kumaraghosha went to the Town of Moramatch, he disappeared. People from Storm mercenary group tried to blend into the town, but they disappeared as well when they got to the town. If I remember correctly, the Town of Moramatch a station of your mercenary group."


    Anfey was shocked at first. He frowned and thought hard.


    "When you left the Town of Moramatch, who did you leave it to?" Baery asked, staring intently at Anfey. "I have asked Christian about it, but he did not tell me and insisted that I ask you."


    "Uncle, it was not that I didn¡¯t want to tell you," Christian said defensively, "but..."


    "I know, I know." Baery waved his hand. "That is why I am asking Anfey now."


    "A woman named Alice," Anfey answered in a low voice.


    "Alice? How did you know her?" Baery asked.


    "She used to be a ve. I saved her. After that, she had been following us," Anfey said.


    "Is she reliable?" Baery asked.


    "Yes." Anfey nodded. Alice could not return to her home country and held such hatred toward the royalty in Shansa Empire. Every time she talked about her father, she sounded sarcastic and disdainful, without any attachment to him. If she was able to, Alice would step on everyone in the royal family to get revenge for how they mistreated her. A person like her should be reliable.


    "Do you know her background?" Baery asked.


    "She is a daughter of a merchant. Her fathermitted suicide because he was deep in debt. She became a ve because of that. I asked her to be in charge of Moramatch because she has good leadership skills. Master Baery, what is wrong with that?" Anfey asked. He had promised Alice that he would not tell anyone who she was. More importantly if Anfey told Baery who Alice really was, Alice would be thest card the empire had. Anfey had not given this card to anyone else yet. It sounded selfish, but sometimes he had to be.


    Christian lowered his head. He looked normal, like nothing had happened. He tidied his magic gown. After his family background had been exposed and experiencing many challenges, Christian had be more mature. If this had happened before, he would have wondered why Anfey lied to Baery. He might not point it out on the spot, but he would definitely ask Anfey afterwards. Now Christian felt the concept of country was too abstract. When he was in danger or pushed into a corner, the country would not save him. The only people he could rely on were the friends around him. Christian believed Anfey was doing it for the legion.


    "Nothing. I am just asking," Baery said, shaking his head. "Anfey, aren¡¯t you heading to Violet City in a few days? Why don¡¯t you leave today so you can go back to Violet City quickly and go to Moramatch after that. The secret agents from Storm mercenary group have reported that Kumaraghosha should be caught by the residents in the town. Anfey, you have to see Kumaraghosha in person and convince him to surrender to Maho Empire. He may ask for conditions for that. As long as his conditions are reasonable, you could agree with all of them. If he does not want to surrender to us, kill him. You have to kill him right away."


    "Master Baery, do you hate Kumaraghosha for some personal reasons?" Anfey asked.


    "I do not hate him. Anfey, you know Kumaraghosha took his people out of their surroundings. Do you know how many people he leads? Less than five hundred. He was able to lead five hundred people to break through the defense lines of Shansa Empire and run to the Country of Mercenaries. It was a miracle. He even killed or wounded over 3,700 soldiers from Shansa Empire." Baery sighed. "Kumaraghosha is an excellent general. I had a few battles with him. I know how good he is. Unfortunately, he does not have a good family background and has been suppressed by his peers. Those idiots! If I were them, I would definitely promote him to be my assistant. He would be a sharp sword in my hand."


    "Is that possible? Could five hundred people cause such arge number of casualties to Shansa military?" Anfey asked in surprise. "Where were Shansa Empire¡¯s mages?" When he had battled Kumaraghosha in Moramatch, Anfey realized how magic could affect battles. A small Swamp magic spell could cause chaos in the formation of the cavalry and put Kumaraghosha in a very vulnerable situation in the blink of an eye. That Kumaraghosha was smart. When he saw the situation change, he ordered a retreat. The whole battle happened and ended extremely fast. If Anfey had to continue the battle, he would not have been scared of Kumaraghosha anyway, but Anfey did not think a loser could create such a miracle.


    "Besides Dark Moon Magic legion in Ellisen Empire, no one would use mages as soldiers," Baery sighed. "When there is a war, mages go to the battlefield with the military. When the battle ends, they would immediately leave the military station. Even the mage group in Death Roaring mercenary group follows the same procedure. Every time when there is a battle, I have to call out those mages. I can give orders to my soldiers and generals, but if I want a mage group to do something for me, I have to get support from themanders and vicemanders of the mage group. I cannot just give them orders. I can only give my suggestions and advice."


    This had been troubling Baery. As the chief general, he had been wanting a mage group he could give orders to. Unfortunately, the cost of training mages was way too highpared to what they could contribute to battles. There weren¡¯t a lot of mages to start with. Every year, only about one percent of people could be promoted to be mages and swordsmen, sometimes even fewer. In war, mages had great fighting power but very weak self-defense ability. Opponents usually targeted them first. If a hundred mages got killed, it meant half of the mage group ounted for more than 50 percent of the casualties. If thousands of soldiers got killed, it would not cause as much damage to the military as it did to the mage group.


    Mercenary groups were in the same boat. Swordsmen were the main force. The number of mages in the mercenary groups was small. If any mercenary group could have a few mages, it could increase the fighting power of the whole mercenary group. Anfey¡¯s Alibaba mercenary group was unique. Besides Suzanna, the only swordswoman, everyone else was a mage. Since Anfey was surrounded by mages all the time in the legion, he began to think mages were everywhere.


    "I see." Anfey nodded. "Master Baery, you not have to worry about Kumaraghosha so much. He betrayed his own country. He will not be able to go back to his hometown. I can take time to convince him."


    "No, if he does not surrender to us, you have to kill him right away," Baery said, shaking his head. "Actually, we only missed a day."


    "What?" Anfey did not get it.


    "I said I only missed a day; otherwise the order to catch Kumaraghosha would not need to go out." Baery continued slowly, "Because Scarlet had gone to the front line."


    "Who is Scarlet? Why haven¡¯t I ever heard of her?" Saul said, shocked and looking at Baery with a serious face. Saul knew Baery had treated him as his opponent, but he did not know anything about Scarlet.


    "You do not know her, but you know her mother."


    "Who is her mother?" Saul asked.


    "The temporary princess of Shansa Empire, Victoria," Baery said.


    "Is Scarlet a child?" Saul was shocked. Victoria gave birth to a baby when she was twenty-two years old and was killed by Baery at thirty-one. Doing the math, Scarlet should be only twenty-one or twenty-two years old. Of course, Saul would not pay attention to such a young person.


    "After Princess Victoria died, the king of Shansa Empire, Philly II, took back all her power and sent nine-year-old Scarlet to a feudal estate and held her in confinement. He worried Scarlet would grow into a woman as aggressive as her mother and be strong enough to control politics. His order made people forget about Victoria¡¯s daughter, including us." Baery smiled bitterly. "Scarlet is indeed the daughter of Victoria. She was quiet for a long time, but she amazed the world with a single brilliant feat. The king received detailed reports about her just now. Master Saul, you know that Shansa Empire has not been a match for our empire, right? One reason was their domestic political instability. There are many uprisings in the east of Shansa Empire. They had to send arge military troop to control the situation. It ate up their military budget. Another reason was because Philly II was a poor ruler. To put it simply, he was nothing more than an idiot. He had turned down the request from Griffin Aero Unit to go into the war. He held the best force without using them, instead seeing a "sharp knife" go rusty. Last but not least, they have no good generals. Millions of soldiers had no one to lead them, so their fighting ability is bad."


    "Are you saying Scarlet can solve all three problems for Shansa Empire?" Anfey asked.


    "It seems like it," Baery said.


    "How could she?" Saul could not help looking surprised. "How could Philly II watch her grow strong?"


    "Because Scarlet married a good man. She left her feudal estate a few years ago. It is unfortunate that we have forgotten her and did not notice her at all." Baery shook his head.


    "Who did she marry?" Saul asked.


    "Prince Jerick," Baery said.


    "I see." Saul seemed to understand the situation with Scarlet.


    "Master Baery, what kind of person is Prince Jerick?" Anfey could not help asking.


    "He is the son of Philly II and the best candidate as heir to Philly II," Baery said.


    "Then he and Scarlet..." Anfey paused.


    "They are cousins. What¡¯s wrong with that?" Baery asked, confused.


    "Nothing." Anfey shook his head. He wanted to talk a little about genes, but he thought about it for a second and gave up on the idea. They would not understand genes. Anfey knew from the history of Egypt that the so called gic diseases were not as serious as what was imed. It was exaggerated looking at it from another culture. The history of Egypt was also a history of family incest between siblings, fathers and daughters, even mothers and sons. There were generations of incest in Egypt. Even the well-known queen Cleopatra was the product of incest. She even married her own brother. It would have been pointless to talk about genes to Egyptians, just as in this world.


    Baery cleared his throat and continued, "Scarlet has been fighting with the rebels in the east of Shansa Empire. Sometimes she wins, but sometimes she loses battles. Her record did not draw people¡¯s attention. Looking back, it seemed that she did not mean to wipe out the rebels, but to train troops of her own. With the support of Prince Jerick, she got as many soldiers as she needed and as much military funding as she needed. With some rebels who surrendered to her and joined her troops, her troops had grown from 6,000 to 70,000. King Philly II had done nothing to Scarlet. I believe Prince Jerick helped a lot with her sess."


    "When Shansa Empire attacked ckania City, Scarlet suddenly attacked ckania City with arge battalion. Her troops wiped out the whole east side with lightning speed. Dozens of rebel groups were wiped out or surrendered to her. After that, Scarlet led her battalion to the front line to help. Unfortunately, the battle had already ended," Baery said.


    "Why was such an important message just reported back to us?" Saul became serious.


    The methods of sending messages dependedrgely on the battles. There was only so much that could be done by a general in a modern war. The operationmand was actually the core. Even if the general was not at the war,munication would not be affected too much. Things were totally different in the magic world. A correct judgement on the battlefield and an experienced general could change the results of a battle. Having a good general could be simr to having thousands of soldiers. The importance could not be overstated. When there was such a wonderful general in Shansa Empire, of course, Scarlet caught everyone¡¯s attention.


    "Scarlet is not easy to trace," Baery said. "It seems that few people have seen her. Even the rebel groups who were beaten by her did not know they had lost to a young woman. The secret agents in Storm mercenary group could not tell their king that a mysterious woman lead a mysterious troop to put down rebellions. To do an investigation of Scarlet, they had to pay a good price before they could get some information on her."


    "Luckily, Victoria died early, otherwise..." Saul said.


    "Otherwise we would be in serious trouble," Baery said abruptly. "Anfey, do you understand why I asked you to kill Kumaraghosha right away if he does not want to surrender to us? Scarlet should have noticed Kumaraghosha¡¯s military record. With the help of Prince Jerick, she could cover up for Kumaraghosha. If she sent people to get into contact with Kumaraghosha, you cannot have Kumaraghosha going back to Shansa Empire. If he cannot work for us, then destroy him."


    "I got it," Anfey said. "I think Scarlet married Prince Jerick in exchange for opportunities for herself. Master Baery, what do you think of Prince Jerick? Is he good?"


    "Jerick is not a very decent man," Baery said, shaking his head. "He seems to listen to Scarlet for everything. The report from the Storm mercenary group secret agents said Jerick ran into Scarlet¡¯s feudal estate by ident and met Scarlet when she was only fifteen years old. He went crazy for her. He has been after her for four years. Scarlet got sick once. Jerick took care of her the whole time: even washed her feet. He took care of Scarlet like he was her maid. Scarlet was touched by what he did for her. "After they got married, Jerick still respected Scarlet as he did before. Scarlet did not want him to drink, Jerick immediately stopped drinking. He has not drunk for about two years, not even a drop. Scarlet told him he should learn more new things. Jerick immediately got a few good teachers. His schedule was tight every day. He was busy the whole day long. He did not even have breaks in between, but he enjoyed it. Scarlet was really touched by it. I heard they are really good together. Two years ago when Scarlet wanted to enlist people to join her troop to fight with the rebels, Jerick cried out loud and did not want Scarlet to leave him."


    "Do you mean Jerick is not too capable?" Anfey asked.


    "No, you cannot judge him by the way he acted toward Scarlet. He could stand out among dozens of brothers. He is not that simple." Baeryid his eyes on Saul. "Scarlet has picked a few fights with our troops in the past few days. We fought with her twice and lost to her, but not too badly. We did not have bad casualties, but the King is worried. I am going to take my legion to check it out. Master Saul, about the mage group..."


    "What is she thinking?" Saul said, frowning. "Necromancers are pressing. Pope William has requested all countries to refrain from war against each other so we all can fight against necromancers. Why does she want to pick fights now?"


    "How do I know? You never know what a person might plot behind the scenes. I do not even know her height, her weight. I know nothing about her," Baery said. "The only thing I know about her is she is a beautiful women, otherwise Jerick would not go crazy for her."


    Saul sighed, took a clear magic crystal in hexahedron shape from his Dimensional ring and handed it to Baery. "You can go to the Mage Union with this."


    "Thank you for your support." Baery took the magic crystal with a smile. "Master, I am noting back after going to Mage Union because I have to talk to Miorich before I leave. I will have Miorich take the token back."


    "Be careful," Saul said in a low voice. "I think there must be people behind Scarlet."


    "Are you saying Princess Victoria..." Baery asked.


    "You are right," Saul nodded. "Otherwise, a kid who has been held in confinement would not be able to do something like this."


    Baery thought for a moment, frowning. He did not say anything to Saul, but just nodded to him. He turned around and walked away. Miorich walked with him.


    "Anfey," Saul called out with a deep voice.


    "What¡¯s wrong, professor?" Anfey asked.


    "Today is the day after your wedding. I should not have..." Saul said haltingly.


    "Professor, I understand. I know I have to put our country before everything else," Anfey said with a smile. He could tell what Saul wanted him to do.


    "It is great if you can think that way." Saul smiled happily. "For Kumaraghosha to get so much attention from Baery, he must be a very good general. You need to try to convince him to work for our empire. As to the conditions, as Baery said, as long as he does not ask too much, you can agree with him."


    "Professor, I will try my best," Anfey said. He took a look at Christian. "What are you standing there for? Ask everyone toe down for dinner. We are leaving Sacred City today."


    "What?" Christian was shocked.


    "Hurry up!" Saul heaved a sigh. "I did not have time to teach you since you were back. I¡¯ve got to make it up before you leave. Anfey, I will have Entos go with you. With Entos¡¯s help, you can build a new Transmission Portal in Violet City. You don¡¯t have to worry about the materials. I will have them ready for you."


    "Professor, there is a Transmission Portal in ckania City," Anfey said in a surprise.


    "Son, the Transmission Portal in ckania City is not yours. It may work fine now, but it could break down at critical moments. I am not only building a Transmission Portal in Violet City, but also in Sword Tomb Principality." Saul was used to treating Anfey as a little kid even though Anfey had showed his true colors, especially when Anfey did not get that Saul was trying to something nice for him.


    "Professor," Christian sounded as if he was crying. He felt the pressure from his brothers. He had been wanting to leave Sacred City, but when the time came, he did not want to leave.


    "Young men need to experience more. You would not achieve much if you just stay home. In fact, I do not want you guys to leave. My house would be so empty without you. It is painful." Saul smiled as he talked. "Niya must have caused you guys a lot of trouble. This time, I am not letting her go with you. There has to be someone to apany me, the old man."


    Anfey and Christian looked at each other. They knew Niya could not leave now. If a student of Saul, who turned out to be the third prince, had made Granden react so much, then how would he react if he came to know that Niya had left with Anfey¡¯s legion.


    "Oh, right." Saul suddenly remembered something. He released a dark ck magic Kekai that covered all three of them. Saul took out an item from his Dimensional ring and handed it to Anfey. "Take it. This is the Sacred Spirit potion."


    Anfey took a close look at the crystal bottle with azure liquid in it. This color was simr to the unicorn blood, but shone with countless sparkles, like the stars in the sky. Anfey gave an awed exmation and carefully put the crystal bottle away.


    "Miorich has kept the stuff Yagor left you in the storage room. I can give them all back to you, except the dark magic book. I will keep it for you," Saul said.


    "Ok, professor." Anfey smiled. Anfey had trust issues, but he did not doubt the intentions of Saul. Saul must have done it for Anfey¡¯s own good.


    "You can ask everyone toe down. I have something to tell them," Saul said as he slowly leaned back in his chair.

 Chapter 316: Revenge

    Chapter 316: Revenge


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In some situations, time would go by much faster than one would anticipate. Saul had summoned all of his students to have breakfast with him. He did not dismiss his students after breakfast. Instead, he patiently answered every question his students had for him, no matter how absurd the question was. Then he dismissed everyone and ordered them to go pack and prepare for the trip. They were scheduled to depart at noon, but as the time neared, Saul suddenly left to go to the pce. Niya knew her friends were about to leave and had grown depressed during breakfast. She had not appeared since.


    No one looked back as the carriages left Sacred City. Saul was not there and no one wanted to show their sadness, so there were no tears, but the atmosphere was very heavy. Saul purposely left because he did not want his students to grow even sadder. No one talked to Niya, either, because they did not want her to grow more depressed. They did leave her letters and asked the old butler to give the letters to Niyater.


    Anfey waited for a few minutes for Saul to appear. After about twenty minutes, it was clear that Saul would note. He knew what his friends were expecting, but he did not want to waste any time on the road. "Everyone!" he called and pped his hands. "Come on. We have to get to Lagan City by sundown today."


    "He¡¯s right," Entos said. "Come on, cheer up. Stop acting like moody little girls."


    "What¡¯s wrong with girls?" Doris asked. She poked her head out of her carriage and scowled.


    Entos smiled awkwardly. He wanted to cheer everyone up and forgot that there were women there. He did not mean to offend them, but his words could have easily been taken as an insult.


    Anfey turned to Ernest and said quietly, "You should stay here, sir. If something happens, you can help Master out. We are safe with Entos."


    "You¡¯re too naive," Ernest said, shaking his head. "The situation to the east is getting worse again. Shansa armies retreated in time to prevent mass casualties, and thatbined with the seventy thousand men Scarlet brought with her...Shansa Empire has the advantage. This was why Saul insisted on building a portal in Violet City. He wants to be prepared for the worst."


    "I know how difficult it is to build a new portal," Anfey said. "There are only a dozen cities with transmission portals. But the necromancers are a threat to all of us. Scarlet wouldn¡¯t open the war if she has a shred of sense left in her."


    "Baery killed Victoria. Who knows what Scarlet would do if she saw him?"


    The sound of hooves caught up to the carriages. A dozen riders led by ck Eleven stopped next to the carriages.


    "Armin! Where have you been?" vi asked.


    "You¡¯re all practically nobility," ck Eleven said with a smile. "I don¡¯t have time to visit nobles." He jumped off of his horse and handed something to Anfey.


    Anfey epted the document and quickly flipped through it. "Are you going with us?" Anfey asked.


    ck Eleven nodded. "We¡¯ve worked together before and His Majesty thought I would be the best person to send."


    "I don¡¯t trust anyone else," Anfey said. "Is this urate?"


    "A hundred percent," ck Eleven said. "Fruz is just a baron, but there¡¯s a man on his staff who¡¯s a little harder to deal with. We can¡¯t find anything about him except for the fact that he is a senior swordsmaster called Mad Dog and he was a fugitive. He is Fruz¡¯s Guardian Swordsman, and as long as he holds that title, we can¡¯t do anything to him." ck Eleven paused and frowned. "Fruz¡¯s uncle Robb is a senior swordsmaster as well. But he mostly keeps a low profile. He never joined any army or fought for glory. He refused the family title, which was why it was passed on to Fruz."


    "I don¡¯t care about his uncle," Anfey said. "I have some unsettled business with Fruz."


    "Business? What, does he own you a favor or something?" ck Eleven asked curiously.


    "You¡¯ll find out," Anfey said with a smile. He turned to his friends and pped again. "Come on, guys! Let¡¯s go."


    After making sure everyone was safely in a carriage, Anfey turned to look for Suzanna. As soon as he reached her carriage, however, he was stopped by Doris. "This one¡¯s already full," Doris said softly. "Can you look for another one?"


    "She¡¯s right," Suzanna said.


    "Sorry," Anfey said. "I forgot." He turned to look for another carriage, slightly embarrassed. Christian poked out of a nearby carriage and waved at Anfey and Ernest. "Come here," Christian called. "We still have spots here."


    "I don¡¯t like carriages," Ernest said. "I¡¯ll stay out here."


    Anfey knew Ernest¡¯s habit and did not try to make him sit in a carriage. He sat down in Christian¡¯s carriage and waved at ck Eleven.


    The carriages finally began moving. Saul initially wanted them to leave through a portal with Miorich, who was heading to ckania City. Then they would return after Baery arrived with his Roaring Death Legion. However, both Christian and Anfey had insisted on using the main road because of unfinished business. Saul did not ask any questions and left all the nning to Christian and Anfey.


    Thest time Anfey led Saul¡¯s students away from Sacred City, they had used the same road. However, with people chasing after them, they had to take the long way around, and it took them two days to reach Lagan City. In reality, Lagan City was not very far away from Sacred City. It only took half a day for the carriages to reach their destination. This was the second time the team came to this city, but this time they did not need to worry about their lives. With a prince and a count among them, they would be weed.


    However, Anfey did not stop at Lagan City. He ordered the carriages to keep going until they reached a small mansion twenty miles east of the city. He already had ck Eleven preparing their resting spots. This mansion belonged to Hurricane and would not attract unwanted attention. As everyone was unpacking, Anfey grabbed ck Eleven and whispered something to him. Then he locked his door and jumped out the window, disappearing into the bushes below.


    ¡ª


    "I heard he left Sacred City again," Philip said, stroking the coffin in front of him. "Do you know how long it had been? Two hundred and ny-nine days. I have already spent two hundred and ny-nine days in suffering. Do you know why I asked you toe here, Deswright?"


    "I know what you must be thinking, Master," Deswright said politely. "It is my job to ease your trouble."


    "Good," Philip said. "But don¡¯t kill him. I want him to suffer. I want him to regret ever being born."


    "Yes, Master."


    "Anfey has Ernest with him. Don¡¯t sh with Ernest. You have all the time in the world," Philip said. "No one knows about you. Not even Shawn and Shamash. Thank god I still have my trump card."


    "Master, Shawn has betrayed you. Should I..."


    "Shawn can wait. I don¡¯t want Ynthe to grow suspicious," Philip said, shaking his head. "By the way, Entos is with Anfey as well. You can finally settle your business with him."


    "What about Prince Christian?"


    Philip frowned then shook his head. "Leave him. He poses no threat to Prince Wester. Plus, he is Ynthe¡¯s son. I¡¯ve known Ynthe since I was a child. I will not kill his son. Even though he never cared about my Zeda, he is still my friend and my liege."


    "Master, you are too kind."


    "Kind?" Philip asked, shaking his head. "My hands are long bloodied. I have no kindness. I just want to finish what I started. I¡¯m growing old and my time is almost here. I cannot betray Ynthe now. I don¡¯t have enough time to redeem myself."


    "I see, Master."


    "You¡¯re a swordsmaster, Deswright. Remember, don¡¯t swear fealty to anyone after I¡¯m gone. You are your own and no one else¡¯s," Philip said. He lowered his gaze and sighed. "I worked for Ynthe my entire life. I have glory, wealth, power, but I do not have freedom. I do not even have the freedom to avenge my own grandson. Freedom is the most precious thing, but I came to this conclusion a little toote."

 Chapter 317: Clean Up

    Chapter 317: Clean Up


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey went around a big tree as quick as a ghost. ck Eleven stood behind a tree, nervously looking around. Anfey told him to wait in the woods when he finished what he needed to handle. This wood was not as thick as a forest, but could cover a lot of things. He was not sure if Anfey could find him.


    As ck Eleven was wondering if he should go back to the vineyard, Anfey had reached his hand out and patted him on the shoulder. ck Eleven tensed up and put his hand on the shaft of his sword with a lightning speed. At the same time, Anfey brushed his hand on ck Eleven¡¯s elbow. ck Eleven felt numb on his arm and lost control of his arm movements. The next moment he heard Anfey¡¯s voice: "It¡¯s me."


    "You scared me," ck Eleven said quietly, trying not to disy his shock.


    "Did people from Storm mercenary group leave?" Anfey asked.


    "The king asked people from Storm mercenary group to follow you only because he was worried something would happen to you. Please do not misunderstand him for that. Anfey, you made my hand..." ck Eleven suddenly felt his arm return to normal before he could even finish his sentence.


    "Did you get a chance to pass on the message?" Anfey asked, frowning.


    "They both left, but I found a weird guy. He is definitely not our guy. He did not know I noticed him," ck Eleven said.


    "Not just one. I have found five of them," Anfey said.


    "How do you know?" ck Eleven asked in surprise.


    Anfey smiled but did not answer ck Eleven. With his telepathy, all the branches, bushes, and grasses had been blowing hard. He could even feel their happiness and loyalty. In the nt world, he was a king without doubt. No one could enter the green world without notifying Anfey. Even when they could hide themselves very well, Anfey still could see their every facial expressions and moves as clearly as if they were right in front of him, even though they could be a few miles away.


    "You should go back to the vineyard to tell them to get ready to leave soon. They will leave immediately after seeing my signal," Anfey said.


    "What? We are not staying here tonight?" ck Eleven asked.


    "If we are being watched like this every day, we could not do anything," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Tell Christian to take Suzanna, vi and Hagan in the south to the wood to wait for me. The rest of the legion will continue forward. I have talked to Master Baery. His cavalry will wait for us at the next stop. Tell Riska that I am asking him to take good control of the legion. No one is allowed to leave the legion. At least, they cannot let anyone notice we have left the legion on our own."


    "How about Master Ernest and Master Entos?" ck Eleven asked slowly. "Anfey, you guys will not be very safe without them."


    "They should stay in the legion. I will contact them once we settle things," Anfey said.


    "It seems that I cannot go with you," ck Eleven said.


    Anfey smiled, "It is more convenient to have few people working on it. Otherwise we could easily be noticed and have more trouble."


    "It would not hurt to have one more person go with you." ck Eleven did not want to give up his goal of joining Anfey. His job was not only just helping and supporting Anfey, but also reporting everything about Anfey. If they were divided into two different teams, he would have no way to report anything.


    "Ok, stop it. I will contact you in a few days," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, you want to kill those few people, don¡¯t you?" ck Eleven already could tell Anfey¡¯s intention from his eyes.


    "Since they are not the king¡¯s people, I am not constrained by anything," Anfey said calmly. He turned around and ran to the woods with lightning speed. ck Eleven stared, his eyes wide, to try to see where Anfey went, but two bushes shook and blocked his view.


    To the far east side of the vineyard, there were two people hiding on both sides of a trail with trees. They were about fifty yards apart. The vineyard only had one entrance and one exit. The wagon came in from the west so it could only go out to the east ording to the itinerary. Their job was to send magic signals when they saw the wagons ready to leave.


    To be honest, conducting surveince was not an easy job. In addition to being alert all the time, they had no rest time. The hardest part of the job was to endure the loneliness. People in the wagon had gone to rest, but they had to continue watching them even though they knew they would not do anything until the next morning. They had rules and principles of doing surveince, so they had to hold on tight tonight.


    A big guy with sideburns stuck his head out from the left side of the woods to take a look at the trail. He stepped back into the woods, bored. If he had a choice, he would not be on this job. However, what could he do if he did not have this job? Be a soldier? Or a mercenary? It would be more dangerous than this job, but with simr pay, especially those jobs that did not give him the power he wanted. A while ago, he met a beautiful woman and went crazy for her. After doing some research on her, he found out that the woman had married a merchant. He thought about it and came up a scheme. He secretly went into the merchant¡¯s house and hid a necromancer¡¯s item in his house. Later, when everyone was searching for necromancers, he reported that the merchant was one of the necromancers. He took people to the merchant¡¯s house to search. He found the necromancer¡¯s item he hid previously. The merchant was taken to the jail. He finally could enjoy his beautiful wife in bed. Soldiers and mercenaries would not be able to do what he did. Not possible.


    Once he finished this job, he would ask for a few days¡¯ leave. The big guy looked cunning. As he was thinking about having sex with that beautiful woman, he suddenly heard a slight noise to his left, about a dozen yards away. The big guy looked tense and quietly stuck his head out to check on it.


    Anfey put his arm on the guy¡¯s neck as swiftly as a snake. He held tight with one arm on the guy¡¯s neck. Even for those who were not assassins, like Anfey who had killed so many people, garroting and twisting the neck were skills even regr scouts would know. However, when Anfey put his arm on the guy¡¯s neck, he discovered a leather cover that was as hard as steel.


    Anfey had experienced so many dangerous incidents, his reactions had been trained well. Without pausing, Anfey jammed his knee into the big guy¡¯s lower back and pinned him tight against a tree. He put more strength on his arm. The knee to the back was so strong that it could break that big guy into halves. It was hard to calcte, but Anfey did it. The guy only had a chance to releasebat power for a very short time. Thebat power released like fireworks, disappearing almost immediately. The big guy¡¯s body was folded into an acute angle, the broken spine piercing through his stomach and the armor, sticking out of his body. His hand feebly scratched Anfey¡¯s thigh. Such attacks were nothing to Anfey. They were nothing more than a little girl¡¯s punches. Anfey looked cold and calm. The trees around him shook without any wind and made some noise to cover up what happened in the trees.


    The big guy on the other side of the trail squatted there, watching ants fighting. He quietly stood up. He did not hear anything unusual, but he sensedbat power surges even though they disappeared so quick that he thought they were just an illusion.


    This job had trained him to be very cautious. He quietly walked to the trail to check. Both ends seemed quiet. The big guy ran across the trail as fast as he could and then suddenly slowed down immediately. He slowly approached his fellow with a magic scroll in his hand. If he found anything unusual, he would just release the magic scroll and sent out the signal.


    A dark sword reflection passed in the grass. The sword reflection passed so fast, so dark at a weird angle that the big guy did not notice anything unusual and continued to walk forward. He felt cold on his wrist. He turned sideways and saw a hand falling on the grass. The hand on the grass had a magic scroll in it.


    A second sword light shot at the guy and swept through the back of his head. Blood sshed. As the blood pressure dropped quick, theck of blood supply to the brain made that big guy lose his thinking ability. The shock he felt when he saw the hand on the grass got worse, which made him even forget what made him so shocked. His body fell limply on the grass.


    Pushing the branches to the side, another pair of eyes could be seen. This guy nervously watched the vineyard from a ce that was not too far from in the distance. He was so attentively focused that he did not notice the tree underneath him had changed. A branch flopped down and then suddenly wrapped around the guy¡¯s neck, like a snake. The guy was startled, but he did not panic. He tried to look back to see as he took his knife out. Seeing it was a branch, he felt a little relieved, even though he did not know why a branch had attacked him. He did not dare to usebat power, worrying that those few top powers in the vineyard would notice him because he was not too far away from the vineyard.


    He thrusted his knife backhanded. The guy wanted to cut off the branch with his knife. He did not expect that as his knife was half way to the branch, a long and powerful finger flicked his knife. The guy was too shocked to react to the change of the direction of the knife, even though he noticed it. He looked like he wasmitting suicide since the knife went directly into his throat.


    He held on tight to his knife and tried to pull it out from his throat. The hand that had flicked at the knife reached out to the knife again, pushing it even further into his throat. The guy saw darkness and felt something cold had pierced through his neck. He could even feel his life slowly running away from him through his neck.


    Ernest, standing at the window, smiled. He saw everything as it unfolded. The master-level martial art skills Anfey used were amazing. If it were him, he probably could have flicked at the knife as the knife moved at a fast speed, but would not have such good control of which direction the knife would go. At that moment, the only thing Anfey needed was some strength. Ernest felt that Anfey could achieve so much in the future. Suddenly, he heard knocking on the door and Christian¡¯s voice, saying respectfully, "Uncle Ernest, Anfey asked us to pack up and get ready to leave at any time."


    "Got it." Ernest responded casually.

 Chapter 318: A Necessary Lesson

    Chapter 318: A Necessary Lesson


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey¡¯s friends had already recognized him as their leader, and his words were valued more than anyone¡¯s. However, this time Suzanna did not follow Anfey¡¯s order. She knew him well and she knew he had another mission after she talked to ck Eleven. She didn¡¯t listen to ck Eleven¡¯s warnings and left the property. After Suzanna left, Christian feltpelled to join her and left with vi and Hagan.


    Suzanna did not venture into the forest. She arrived at her appointed position and waited for Anfey¡¯s signal. Anfey had the Heart of Nature and could sense danger very well. All she needed to do was to wait for his signal.


    A man was lying low among the grass a few hundred feet away from where Suzanna was stationed. The way he hid himself was very strange. His back was arched and his body was almost parallel to the ground as if he was a wolf waiting to strike.


    A breeze blew through the grass and the man lifted his head to sniff the wind. He was a Wolf Guard, and his senses were much stronger than a normal man¡¯s. He decided that it was too dangerous to advance, so he started to retreat.


    Before he could get far, however, he found his path blocked by another man. He lifted his head and found himself staring into a pair of calm eyes. The man took a step back and his body began to grow. Dark fur covered his body and obscured his face. He knew that the people he was following were powerful, but he did not want to be defenseless.


    However, the druid was too distracted by the upper body of his opponent and did not notice his legs. Anfey lifted his leg and kicked the druid on the nose. The druid grunted as his body was thrown backwards by the kick. The weakest point on the face of an animal that relies on smell was its nose. If the animal was struck hard enough on the nose, it would lose its will to fight.


    Anfey reached over and stabbed the druid with his dagger. However, he felt as if he was stabbing a suit of armor and not a living thing. Only the tip of the dagger entered the druid¡¯s body. The druid jumped back towards a nearby bush. A transformed druid had enhanced strength and was much harder to harm than a normal person. A druid like Bruzuryano was practically impossible to kill inbat. As long as he was not surrounded by people as powerful as he, nothing on a battlefield could harm him. Even if anyone could harm him, it was not possible to kill an archdruid with one blow. A blow like the one Anfey had just dealt was usually enough to kill most of his opponents, but clearly the druid was not one of them.


    Anfey frowned. He jumped up and chased after the druid. Then he held out his left hand and reached towards the druid. When he was only a foot or two from the druid, his hand clenched into a fist and punched the druid¡¯s stomach.


    The wound on his stomach widened and blood poured out of the cut. The druid slumped to the ground, blood gushing from his stomach. If one looked closely, the man¡¯s entrails were visible through the wound.


    "Anfey!" Suzanna scolded when she arrived on the scene. She had already heard the fight and wanted to stop him, but it was clearly toote. Anfey was washing away the blood on his hand with some water elements he had just summoned.


    "Is it a druid?" Christian asked.


    "It is," Anfey said. He was cruel and coldblooded, but he did everything for a reason. He liked the sensation of killing but he knew when to hold back. He did not want to let the man go just because he was a druid. He needed to send a warning.


    "Are you not worried about Bruzuryano?"


    "He doesn¡¯t work for Bruzuryano," Anfey said. "He would not send people after us."


    "That doesn¡¯t matter," Christian said, shaking his head. "He¡¯s still a druid." He sighed and then said, "He works for the Wolf King. Hopefully he won¡¯t send more people after us."


    "What¡¯s done is done," vi said. "We have to get moving."


    "We have to do something else before we go," Anfey said. He closed his eyes and listened carefully to the faint sound of hooves beating on the ground. People in the mansion should be on the move already.


    "What is it?"


    "Christian, do you remember Baron Fruz?"


    "Fruz? No. Who¡¯s that?"


    "vi, do you remember?"


    "Not really."


    "You don¡¯t remember the sisters in Lagan City?"


    "You mean...the guy Niya pped?" Christian asked, shocked.


    Anfey nodded. "I had ck Eleven do some investigating. I¡¯m fairly certain that he was the one behind those girls¡¯ deaths. The man who did it was a man they call Mad Dog. The girls weren¡¯t the only people he had killed." He retrieved the document ck Eleven gave him from his dimensional ring and handed it to Christian. "This details some of the atrocities hemitted."


    When they first fled Sacred City, they all practiced very hard in order to improve themselves and stay alive. Anfey knew his friends were still all very hardworking, but after their return to Sacred City, everyone had rxed and was not as keen on getting more powerful as before. Sacred City was like a little paradise for them. They werefortable and the lifestyle was very rxed. For old people it was the ideal ce to live, but for young people it was not. Thefort would erode away their will to fight. Anfey did not want his friends to waste away infort and he knew he needed to do something to remind them of the need to be more powerful.


    Christian took the document and began reading. The longer he stared at it, the deeper his frown became. Mad Dog was a madman who never thought of consequences for his actions. He had been a wanted fugitive until Baron Fruz took him under his wings. Since Mad Dog was protected by Baron Fruz, the police could not arrest him.


    "Do you want to kill them?" Christian asked.


    vi moved over and grabbed the document out of curiosity. Anfey nodded.


    Anfey had killed a lot of people before, and he knew that killing could bring joy. However, he would not focus on his own emotions when he killed, instead focusing onpleting his mission. He would finish his job quickly and immediately flee the area. Sometimes, though, he would stay and kill his target slowly. Especially the ones that deserved it. One time he was hired to kill a mob leader who would sometimes smuggle immigrants into the country. He treated those immigrants as if they were his property instead of as people. Anfey had spent an entire night slowly killing the man and felt immense joy in doing so because he knew just how evil the man was.


    Unlike Anfey, Christian was very kind. He was not used to killing, but he knew that killing Mad Dog was necessary. He wanted to give those poor girls the justice they deserved.


    "Our mission is to go to Forest rm," Christian said slowly. "Wouldn¡¯t this dy us?"


    "It¡¯s up to you," Anfey said. "You¡¯re making this decision."


    Christian closed his eyes and recalled the horrific scene they had discovered. Before that, he had never imagined how horrible people could be. He had never witnessed real evil.


    Anfey remained quiet. Christian was very passive. Anfey did not make the decision because he wanted Christian to be more aggressive. Christian needed to learn how to be more decisive. His decision at that moment would dictate the fate of Baron Fruz and his men.

 Chapter 319: Unlucky Swordsman

    Chapter 319: Unlucky Swordsman


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Luckily, we did not have a conflict with them. They are senior swordsmen," Christianmented. He felt a little scared in the aftermath. If this had happened when they just left Sacred City, with their fighting ability and experience, a whole legion could probably be wiped out when they had to fight with a senior swordsman.


    "So what if he is a senior swordsman? Suzanna, I am not criticizing you, but..." vi suddenly realized something before he could finish talking. He immediately smiled at Suzanna. "I meant, if Niya had not act too impulsively, we would not have to experience that. We can just treat it as we are doing it for Niya to fulfill a wish for her. Christian, what do you think?"


    "Baron Fruz has notified me Crusaders about our itinerary," Anfey said quietly. "If we are not ready for attacks, we could end up in serious trouble. Right now, the city master in Lagan City is really close with me Crusaders."


    me Crusaders was not a regr troop in the empire. The members of the me Crusaders had many different skills. They were cavalry, swordsmen, mages, and even knights of light from Church of Light. They wore uniformed armor when they were called in for a battle, but the organization was nevertheless very loose. There were no rules or restrictions for the me Crusader members. It is said that they had the freedom to join or leave me Crusaders at their will. Nominally, there was no leader in me Crusaders, and no one really knew who the power was behind the scenes. Ynthe let me Crusaders grow without any interference.


    me Crusaders used to have a free style. me Crusaders had a closer rtionship with Prince Wester after Ynthe imed he was going to pick a qualified heir for his throne. Saul thought Philip must have his hand on me Crusaders. In other words, he was their behind-the-scenes leader. When Anfey¡¯s legion escaped from Sacred City, me Crusaders were active and passionate in chasing his legion, while magic union garrisons did not bother Anfey¡¯s legion much. If Anfey¡¯s legion thought Philip had nothing to do with me Crusaders, they were just kidding themselves.


    "It looks like you all want to go to Lagan City. Then let¡¯s go," Christian sighed.


    As they were talking about me Crusaders, Baron Fruz had slowly walked out of his house. About eight people dressed in swordsmen uniforms followed closely after him. Crazy Dog was one of them. Except for his gloomy face, he did not look any different than the others. He did not wear a swordsman¡¯s badge, so he did not draw anyone¡¯s attention.


    Baron Fruz had a habit of walking around Lagan City along the main road after dinner every day. He liked this city. He knew someday he would take over the city. City master was not a hereditary position, but his father had been the city master of Lagan for over twenty years. He had his hand in everything in Lagan. If his dad wanted, he had the ability to have the city budget cut by more than half. In such a situation, it was better to have him to take over the city master job. Other royalty in the empire knew who controlled Lagan City anyway. No one would want toe to such a far-off ce to look for trouble.


    Baron Fruz¡¯s habit was well-known. After dinner became the quietest time in Lagan City. At that time, people changed their behavior a little after dinner. No one would have any conflict with others on the street. Even the troublemakers and gangs chose to put a hold on their activities during that time. Women who needed to go out would choose to walk around in the alleys to avoid the bright main street.


    Baron Fruz¡¯s daily patrol was almost finished. He walked around a street corner. If he walked straight ahead, he could reach his house. He felt regret and sighed. In fact, he hoped there was something happening everyday that could allow him to prove his authority and power. Unfortunately, not only did nothing happen, he barely saw anyone on the street. He felt he could not release his passion.


    Before Fruz couldplete his sigh, Crazy Dog, who had blended in with the guards, suddenly looked up. At the same time, he started to run towards Fruz and knocked two swordsmen out of the way. He grabbed the startled Fruz as the sword in his right hand, covered in whitebat power light, suddenly thrust forward.


    An arrow flew towards them. They heard a sharp whooshing sounding, but the arrow was knocked away by the sword. It looked easy to knock away an arrow, but it was very very hard to do. Sharp eyes, considerable experience, and short reaction time were all necessary. Of course, it was not a big deal for a senior swordsman like Crazy dog. He stared at the person on a roof in the distance.


    Unexpectedly, the arrow actually was a magic arrow. The Wind de on the arrow was not affected by Crazy Dog¡¯s block. It shed and went in Baron Fruz¡¯s thigh. Baron Fruz screamed in pain. He could not help falling to the ground.


    Crazy Dog did not think Baron Fruz could get hurt. He was shocked for a second and started to look fierce. Seeing his master getting hurt, he knew he most likely would get med for itter, when Baron Fruz asked them to take responsibility for this ident. He could not think too much at that moment. He held his arms open and rushed in front of Fruz. Hisbat power had been performed to the maximum. He walked straight at the shooter in the distance. The rest of the guards stayed with Fruz. They did not want to make their master mad either.


    Seeing Crazy Dog getting closer, the shooter did not seem to run away at all. The shooter casually pulled the bow. Crazy Dog could not help but feel worried. He had released hisbat power to the maximum without holding anything back. Anyone could see he was a senior swordsman, but the shooter did not seem to care, nor had the intention to back off. Obviously, he had confidence to kill Crazy Dog. At that moment, Crazy Dog had no other option but to face the fight. He had enemies everywhere. If he made his master mad, he could end up having nowhere to go.


    Thinking of this, Crazy Dog roared as loud as a tsunami. He jumped high and raised his sword to thrust forward. A crescent shaped sword radiance with many shadow tails shot out at the shooter¡¯s chest. At the same time, Crazy Dog slowed his rapid advance. He spected that the shooter would not just be a shooter. He wished to make the shooter make moves once he used his sword radiance.


    Anfey let go of the bow. The arrow shot out fast. Anfey moved one step to the side to dodge Crazy Dog¡¯s strike. He avoided Crazy Dog¡¯s sword with almost no gap in between. Crazy Dog¡¯s heart suddenly dropped. He felt desperate now. He had many risky moments in his life. If Anfey had avoided his sword in such a risky way, it showed that Anfey had amazing visual judgment and great confidence. If it were him, he would have moved a lot further away from the sword to feel safe.


    A powerful opponent! Crazy Dog immediately made a judgement. He waved his sword to hit away Anfey¡¯s arrow. Crazy Dog just let the Wind des hit against hisbat power. To judge if a person was powerful, a person did not have to rely solely onbat power. Sometimes, one could tell from the way the opponent looked and behaved. Crazy Dog¡¯s name had "Crazy" in it because he was so hot tempered that nobody could understand him. When he was in a fight, especially with a powerful opponent who could make him very sharp, he did not look crazy at all.


    Crazy Dog paused for a second before he stepped onto the eaves. The tiles quickly turned to powder under his feet. He borrowed the momentum from it and rushed forward. The tip of the sword reflected bright and cold light and thrust towards Anfey¡¯s chest. This move meant to test Anfey instead of attacking him, because Anfey looked too calm. Crazy Dog had a different attitude this time than with his first strike. He did not dare to attack with full force.


    A person suddenly came up behind Anfey about eight yards away. She shot high into the sky like a Firework g. She fiercely swooped at Crazy Dog while he had all his attention on Anfey. When he realized he was at a disadvantage, he forced himself to stop running. Luckily, he did not attack Anfey with full force. He immediately turned from attacking to retreating. He slightly raised his sword. He posed as if he was ready to defend himself. He had to take some of his attention from Anfey in case the two of them attacked him together.


    Two swords with the same radiance shed together and made a huge nging sound. The intensebat power stirred up the air currents around the swords. The air currents were shing everywhere. Suzanna jumped high and did a backflip. Shended firmly on the roof. Crazy Dog jumped off quickly. He still looked like he was in a disadvantaged position.


    However, Crazy Dog actually felt relieved. The eaves blocked his view and he did not see where Suzanna jumped to, but that did not stop him from sensing where she was. Crazy Dog sensed that there was another mage in the dark and the swordswoman was more powerful than him. Putting all this together, Crazy Dog already wanted to escape. He did not think he had any chance to win this fight. If a person could save a situation, he would be a hero, but it never would be him.


    A fire wall suddenly appeared when Crazy Dog was about six yards off the ground. The fire devoured Crazy Dog, but he was prepared for magic. With hisbat power, the fire wall could not hurt him.


    As he continue to fall, Crazy Dog stared at what was above him in case there were more attacks. Just as he expected, Suzanna jumped off the roof and chased after him with her sword. Crazy Dog screamed loudly. As long as he could block this attack, he should be able to run to the alley nearby. He was familiar with the city so he could run in the small alleys. He did not think Anfey and Suzanna would go after him unless they wanted to kill the whole garrison in the city.


    When his feet had just touched the ground, he felt something squishy and he kept falling down. Swamp magic? As soon as he realized this, Crazy Dog felt desperate right away. He could not figure out whether Anfey and Suzanna wanted to kill Baron Fruz or him. If they wanted to kill Baron Fruz, they should not have spent so much effort dealing with him. If they wanted to him, why would they attack Baron Fruz first? He could not spare time to think about that question. He roared angrily, trying to jump out of the swamp. However, the more he struggled, the faster he fell. In the blink of an eye, the swamp was up to his chest.


    As Suzanna rushed to Crazy Dog, her sword left a white light shadow. She swung her sword at Crazy Dog¡¯s head. Crazy Dog clenched his teeth as he released all thebat power he had left to block the sword. With a loud noise, Crazy Dog¡¯s whole body had fallen into the swamp, with only half the sword swinging feebly above the swamp.


    vi grinned from the roof on the other side. Swamp was his masterpiece! Although they had nned this out beforehand, vi was still proud of himself and felt excited, since what he did was decisive for this fight.


    Anfey flew quickly down from the roof. He had a dark ck spear in his hand. As the tip of the spear touched the ground, he threw himself at the panicked swordsman.


    "Protect the baron!" a swordsman yelled. He pulled his sword out backhanded and positioned it in front of him, but he felt dizzy for a second. Anfey had thrust his spear into his mouth, and it pierced out from the back of his head before he had a chance to close his mouth.


    vi did not rest. He kept releasing Lightning magic and killed a swordsman who was trying to flee as he saw the situation change. Once Suzanna joined the battle, no matter who wanted to fight back or who wanted to run away, they all turned into a group of feeble people without any fighting ability.


    What surprised Anfey was Baron Fruz. He still looked proud, even though his eyes were filled with terror. He did not cry or beg to be let go. He only covered his wound on his thigh with his hand and sat there quietly. He was quiet for a while before he said with a trembling voice, "Why do you want to kill me?"


    "It is your turn." Anfey did not answer him, but turned to look at Christian. There was no rule that people needed to know the truth before they died. No matter in which world, there was just no such a rule.


    Christian heaved a sigh and chanted in a low pitch. A big fireball flew out and hit Baron Fruz right in chest. Baron Fruz only had a chance to give half a scream as he rolled far away. When he stopped rolling, his upper body was charred.


    "Let¡¯s go. The garrison wille soon," Anfey said quietly. After he walked a few steps, he suddenly stopped. He sensed some movement from under the ground. After getting connected with the Heart of Nature, he did not take anything unusual for illusion anymore. He looked around and saw the sword Crazy Dog left on the ground. After the magic elements disappeared, the swamp had turned back into earth. Was it possible that Crazy Dog had not died yet?


    Anfey gave Suzanna a look. Suzanna immediately understood. She jumped high and attacked the shaft of the sword on the ground withbat power. Dirt and gravel sprayed. Anfey clearly heard a smothered scream in pain.


    "One more," Anfey said.


    Crazy Dog was buried underground, but he did not die. He was in incredible pain and agony. He did not know why they would not let him go at this point. As the ground shook intensely again, Crazy Dog started to lose conscious. Everything seemed to fall into darkness.

 Chapter 320: Revisited

    Chapter 320: Revisited


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey and his friends had already left when the guards arrived. They headed south and went deeper into Forest rm. Even though they were not sure about the exact location of their destination, they knew they were heading in the right direction.


    Out of everyone, Anfey was most at ease. His movements were all very light and rhythmic. Suzanna was next to him and was using herbat power. She was not as light as Anfey, but she appeared much more powerful. Next to them were Christian, vi, and Hagan. Christian and vi were gliding above the ground. Even though they were carrying Hagan, they were still very fast and were not hindered by the extra weight. The two were going against the wind, but they were not slowed. But it was also clear they were not using their full power.


    The day before, they had arrived in the forest. Now they were already deep into the woods and could see the dark mountains ahead.


    Christian and vi let Hagan down and floated into the air, then disappeared into the forest. ording to the n, the two would look for the magic coordinates they left the day before.


    Anfey jumped onto a tree and gazed at the mountains. Perhaps because the Heart of Nature had sensed the forest, it had activated itself. Thousands of trees appeared then disappeared in front of Anfey¡¯s eyes. He did not know the exact area he had covered, but he could very easily sense the coordinates. It was more effective to just use the Heart of Nature to search for the coordinates.


    "Can you call them back?" Anfey asked Suzanna.


    Suzanna nodded and raised her sword. She released a sword radiance and made a loud whoosh. Christian and vi stopped after hearing the noise and quickly returned.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Christian asked as hended on a branch.


    "We don¡¯t need to spend all that time searching," Anfey said. "It¡¯s right this way." What he had just seen in his vision was chaotic, but he could sense the right way. Anfey was used to relying on his intuition and did not question himself. For example, whenever he sensed danger, he would immediately abandon his mission. He didn¡¯t need a reason. He only needed to trust himself to stay alive.


    Christian nced at Anfey and shrugged. vi, on the other hand, grinned. "Good," he said. "I didn¡¯t want the trouble anyway."


    "Hey!" Hagan called, waving his arms. "I¡¯m still down here! Are you going to pull me up or not?" He thought he would have to hike through the forest and was relieved that Christian and vi were not going away.


    The five of them continued to travel through the forest. The sun slowly set behind the horizon, but the darkness did not hinder them. All five of them were wide awake and did not need to stop and rest. When the sky began to lighten, Anfey stopped and motioned his friends to stop as well. Anfey stood still to observe his surroundings for a few moments, then he suddenly jumped forward andnded on a small clearing.


    Christian and vi smiled when they saw the familiar clearing. Christian turned and whispered something to vi. Then he let go of Hagan and rose higher into the air. He could feel the magic coordinates, even though it was a bitte. vi frowned and chased after Anfey, with Hagan still on his back. When he caught up, he saw Anfey sitting next to a small pond, smiling. Suzanna was blushing furiously and kicked Anfey on the arm. vi didn¡¯t know what had happened here to the two of them, nor did he care.


    "Anfey!" vi called.


    "What is it?"


    "Christian¡¯s heading over there," vi said. "I¡¯m afraid..."


    "Of what? He will understand," Anfey said softly. "Perhaps he already knows."


    vi sighed and shook his head. "Good," he said. "I don¡¯t want him to treat me any different."


    "Neither do I," Anfey said. "But don¡¯t worry about it too much. I¡¯m sure Christian will see the reason behind our actions."


    "Are we there?" Hagan asked. His eyes were bloodshot and he sounded exhausted.


    "Almost," Anfey said, nodding. "Let¡¯s head over there right now."


    Suzanna stood by the pond and stared at the water as if she could not hear the conversation around her.


    "Suzanna," Anfey called softly. He didn¡¯t want to excite her too much by recalling their first meeting.


    Suzanna blinked and turned to him.


    "We¡¯re leaving," Anfey said, cing a hand on her shoulder gently. Ever since they were married, Suzanna had been more epting of physical contact. She did not shy away from Anfey¡¯s touch.


    Suzanna sighed and nodded. She fell in love with Anfey partly because of his intelligence, but his intelligence was not the whole reason. The events around their first encounter were very important, as well. Her past was a stone weighing her down. She endured cruel training, and her only purpose was to protect her father. The only thing that was hers was her dreams.


    Christian was a hardworking person. He was not a prince raised in luxury, and he knew the importance of working with his own hands. He had already cleared out a tunnel and entered the cave. When Anfey, Suzanna, vi, and Hagan arrived, he was climbing out of the tunnel and gagging.


    "This is it?" Hagan asked. His exhaustion disappearedpletely at the thought of seeing an element lock.


    Anfey nodded and snuck a nce at Christian.


    Hagan did not wait for any of his friends. He jogged towards the tunnel and disappeared. A few secondster he reappeared, pinching his nose. "What is in that cave?" he asked, frowning. "It stinks!"


    Anfey smiled but did not say anything. When they were leaving, he and vi had killed all the remaining orcs. There were hundreds of bodies in that cave. No wonder it stunk.


    "Christian?" vi called nervously. Christian was a prince and a natural leader. Having two leaders on a team was rarely a good thing, but thankfully Christian and Anfey respected and trusted each other. However, for a follower like vi, it was best to be in the good favor of both leaders. If Christian disliked him, it could affect his future greatly.


    Christian took a deep breath and smiled at vi. "I¡¯m fine," he said. "Don¡¯t worry." Then he raised his hand and summoned wind elements. Strong gusts of wind blew into the tunnel. vi hurried over and summoned wind elements as well. The two of them stood for a few seconds and cleared the foul air in the tunnel.


    Anfey walked over after they stopped and said, "Let¡¯s go."


    "I¡¯ll go first," vi said eagerly.


    Anfey nodded. "Be careful. Hagan, stay close to me."


    Anfey turned to look at Christian as vi disappeared into the tunnel. Christian smiled at him. "Are you not surprised?" Anfey asked.


    "It¡¯s normal," Christian said with a shrug. "I had a feeling."


    "You don¡¯t look so well, though."


    "You wouldn¡¯t look good either if you smelled what I smelled!" Christian said, rolling his eyes. "The air in there was putrid! I had to use a magic shield, or else there was no way I could breathe in there."


    "I see," Anfey said. "I¡¯m d you aren¡¯t disgusted by what we did."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Christian said. "As long as you had a reason, I will understand."


    "Guys, you cane in now," vi said. His voice was muffled.


    The four of them climbed into the tunnel. vi was still blowing away the foul air and was advancing slowly. Christian summoned a few small fireballs to light the way. Since it was not their first time there, the group quickly found the cave with the chest.


    The mysterious chest was floating in midair and the chain of the element lock was glowing faintly. Haganpletely ignored the treasure in the cave, as if the chest was the only thing there.


    Anfey opened his dimensional ring and gathered up all the gold. Last time he was there, he had all of Saul¡¯s belongings with him. This time, Anfey was confident that he could take all the gold coins.


    After he had gathered about half of the coins, Anfey realized he could see the ground. In the corner of the room was a small ck box that was previously obscured by the gold coins. Anfey picked the box up and carefully opened it. Inside the box was another, smaller box.


    "Hagan, how is it going?" Christian asked.


    "It¡¯s a element lock for sure," Hagan grunted.


    "Can you open it?"


    "Probably," Hagan said. "Give me some time."


    "Do you need to take a nap?" Christian asked. Hagan looked exhausted and he did not want to risk an ident.


    "I¡¯m good," Hagan said. He did not look up from the chest at all.

 Chapter 321: Kekkai of the Gods

    Chapter 321: Kekkai of the Gods


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Hagan talked to himself as he walked around the case. As everybody got dizzy from his walking, he suddenly stopped. He said seriously, "Anfey, I can only make the element lock stop for a second. You have to move the case into your Dimensional ring."


    "Is it dangerous?" Christian asked before Anfey had a chance to.


    "I got it. It should be ok," Hagan said.


    "Should be?" Christian could not help frowning.


    "Nothing is 100 percent safe. I trust Hagan on this," Anfey said, smiling. "Christian, you guys can leave now."


    Christian did not look too happy as he took a look at Anfey. He did not even want to respond to Anfey¡¯s suggestion. Suzanna did not look too happy either. vi said impatiently, "It is too much to run back and forth. Hagan, you can start now."


    "Okay, Anfey. You gotta be ready. Okay?" Hagan said.


    "Wait a second. How could I take the case out of the Dimensional ring after I put it in? Do I have to study alchemy if I want to take it out?" Anfey asked hastily.


    "Everything in the Dimensional ring stays still, including time. You can take the case out whenever you want to," Hagan said.


    "I got you," Anfey responded.


    Hagan took out a crystal stick from his Dimensional ring and chanted in a low pitch. He pointed at the center of the four element chains with the crystal stick. When the crystal stick just touched the element chains, the flowing silver white light on the element chains suddenly froze. Hagan hurriedly yelled, "Anfey!"


    Anfey responded super fast. As Hagan called "An," Anfey had already lifted his hand. The case with the four element chains in the air suddenly disappeared. Anfey searched his Dimensional ring with his telepathy. He found the case floating in his Dimensional ring. The four element chains still had no lights on them.


    "Hagan, wonderful job!" vi was excited and patted Hagan¡¯s shoulder.


    "It is nothing. I am the greatest alchemist." After seeing he hadpleted the difficult task, Hagan was so happy that he started to brag.


    "Huh? Who is Master Jacob if you are the greatest alchemist?" Christian teased.


    "I am the future greatest alchemist. Master Jacob is the current greatest alchemist. Two totally different things, got it? Don¡¯t even talk if you do not know about it." Hagan tried to save his embarrassment. He turned around. Seeing the stuff in Anfey¡¯s hand, he asked in surprise, "Anfey, what is in your hand?"


    "I do not know. A box," Anfey said.


    "Open it," Hagan suggested.


    Anfey held his breath to try to sense if there were any element surges in the box. He carefully opened the box after he was sure there were none. He found a smaller box inside the box.


    "Which f*cker did this?" Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or cry.


    "Open it. I do not think it is empty inside," vi said, walking over to Anfey.


    Anfey opened the smaller box and found a smaller box inside it. Anfey was usually more patient than most people, but after opening about eight boxes, Anfey lost patience and did not care to check it before he opened the next one. When he grabbed the ninth box, he opened it quick.


    "Hold on!" Hagan suddenly yelled.


    "What?" Anfey was shocked for a second and looked up at Hagan.


    "Don¡¯t move." Hagan carefully walked over and took the box from Anfey. He gently put the box on the floor and took out a small knife. He was prying something off the top of the box. There was a red gemstone on it, which did not look like anything special. Hagan tried to take the red gemstone off. After a while, with a sucking sound, he pried the red gemstone out. As Anfey took the red gemstone away from the box, a strong gust of red light spewed out and lit the whole chamber in red.


    "Just as I thought!" Hagan said, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead because he knew what could have happened.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked. Everyone else felt the intense waves of fire element surges. It was terrifying.


    "It is the Fire of Hell," Hagan answered as he took out a magic chemical bottle. He took a drop of it on the crystal stick and slowly lowered the crystal stick into the box through the hole where the red gemstone was. After a while, he raised the crystal stick back up. There was a dark red magic crystal stuck to the bottom of the crystal stick.


    "This is..." Hagan could not believe what he saw. He rubbed his eyes hard and suddenly opened them wide. He stared at the dark red magic crystal.


    "A supreme magic crystal would not have such strong element surges. What the hell is it?" Christian looked enticed by it.


    "If my guess is right, this should be the Red Dragon magic crystal." Hagan made his final judgement.


    "Red Dragon?" Anfey and others gasped and asked at the same time. Anfey had some understanding of super creatures. Red Dragon was one of them. However, dragons had been extinct on Pan Continent for a long long time. It was really confusing when they suddenly found a dragon magic crystal.


    "If we did note here, this magic crystal could have had Fire of Hell running for thousands of years," Hagan sighed softly. "Super creatures are so powerful!"


    "If we triggered the Fire of Hell, what could have happened?" Anfey asked in a low voice.


    "Only Suzanna would have some slim chance of survivng. The rest of us would definitely die," Christian said bitterly.


    "So calcting!" Anfey still looked calm, but he was pretty upset about it. The people who set this device up definitely took advantage of the weakness of human nature. No one would carefully check every box unless the person was a robot without any emotion.


    "Anfey, here you go." Hagan passed the magic crystal to Anfey. Maybe because Hagan had been through terror and excitement for the past few minutes, he ttered out, "Take good care of it!¡®


    "I know." Anfey took the magic crystal. The magic crystal felt like a little oven in Anfey¡¯s hand. Anfey wondered if it was his illusion.


    "Putting even ten times the gold coins in the chamber together, we could not even buy such a magic crystal. Anfey, you need to take good care of it. I want to make a fire series magic wand with it." Hagan was worried.


    "Fire series magic wand? I am wondering if I should start to learn fire series magic." Christian¡¯s eyes did not leave that magic crystal until Anfey put it in his Dimensional ring. Christian was not willing to move his eyes away from it until it was gone.


    "Let¡¯s see what¡¯s inside." Hagan¡¯s hands started to shake. He carefully opened the box. The more they hoped, the more disappointed they got. Hagan suddenly looked very disappointed. "F*ck!"


    Anfey bent down to take a look. There was only a greyish book. It did not look like anything special. They could not believe that a Red Dragon magic crystal protected such a book. It was such a contrast.


    Could it be an instruction book for martial arts? Postmodern people had more non-linear thinking skills than the people in this world. Anfey squatted with a serious look. He reached his hand out to the book. The case owner forgot that the magic array could protect the book from being stolen but could not prevent corrosion from time. The book was so old that it turned to ashes when Anfey touched it.


    Anfey immediately took his hand back and cursed, "Darn it." Anfey expressed the same feeling as Hagan did but in different words.


    "It is very unfortunate," Christian sighed. This book should be very important, otherwise it would not be protected by the Red Dragon magic crystal. It was so unfortunate that they could not get a chance to read it.


    Hagan covered his mouth and said with a weird voice, "Stop talking. Don¡¯t breathe either. Keep absolutely quiet."


    Anfey and the others were shocked for a second, but followed Hagan¡¯s instruction immediately. Hagan had sessfully moved the element lock and seen through the setup of the Fire of Hell. They all proved that Hagan was capable and had knowledge they did not. Everybody knew people were specialized in different areas. Now Hagan was their leader.


    Hagan took out a light blue magic chemical in a slow motion. He released a drop and dipped his crystal stick into it. The chemical suddenly turned into a cloud of twinkled mist, slowly covering the book and seeping into it.


    Haganid on the floor and gently blew on the book. As a cloud of dirt rose from the book, words clearly showed on the page.


    "Gee! This is ancientnguage." Hagan was shocked after seeing it.


    "Can anyone read it?" Anfey asked.


    Everyone looked at each other. Hui Wei was good at ancientnguages, but he was thousands of miles away right now. It would not have been hard to bring him with them, but even though Anfey was calcting, he did not think they would need Hui Wei so badly now. It was toote to regret it now.


    "Hagan, can you put this book in the Dimensional ring?" Anfey tried to think out of the box.


    "Sure, but when you try to take it out of the dimensional ring, it would be a pile of dirt," Hagan said.


    "What should we do then?" Anfey asked.


    "Let me try to read it. I hung out with Hui Wei a lot. He learned some basic alchemy with me while I learned some ancientnguage with him. It was just that recently I have been too busy to continue to learn. I do not know much about it," Hagan said with a bitter smile.


    "No matter what, you know more than us. Just try it," Anfey said in a low voice.


    "Ok." Hagan nodded. He looked down and started to read carefully.


    They did not think it would take Hagan so long to read it. Maybe it was because Hagan knew this book would disappear forever, or he was into reading it. He gently blew on the page when he finished reading. A new page would appear after the previous page turned into ashes.


    Anfey and others did not want to interrupt Hagan, so they all waited in the corner of the chamber. vi got impatient and went out few times. Every time he came back, he would tell everyone the time changes: It was getting dark, already dark,the moon hade out, and so forth.


    Without knowing how much time had passed, Hagan looked shocked after he blew at the page. He reached his hand into the box to search for something. Anfey walked a few steps forward to take a look. He found the box had be empty, which meant the mysterious book had totally disappeared.


    "Hagan, what did it say in the book? Did you understand it?" Anfey asked.


    "I think..." Hagan tapped his forehead with his left hand and looked like he was in terrible pain. Hagan was so tired from the trip. Now it took so much out of him to read the book. He would have been lying if he said he was not tired. To be more specific, Hagan felt exhausted.


    "No hurry. Do you want to rest a little bit?" Anfey said quietly.


    Hagan shook his head and thought for a while before he slowly opened his eyes. "Anfey, this book told stories about Kekkai of the Gods."


    "Kekkai of the Gods?" Christian was intrigued and walked over.


    "Yes. Unfortunately, I did not understand most of it. It would have been great if Hui Wei were here," Hagan said.


    "That is alright. Tell us what you understood," Anfey said.


    "Basically, it talked about how humans had more and more power, which terrified the gods. Some gods thought the reason humans got so powerful was because humans were strong-willed and had unlimited evolving ability. If they wanted to constrain humans in a certain area, they had to change their living conditions."


    "What does it mean?" Anfey asked. It seemed that everyone heard what Hagan said, but did not understand.


    "It was the living conditions that made humans stronger. The conditions were so bad: there were gigantic dragons, behemoths and other super creatures. To protect their living space, humans had to fight against these super creatures. At the same time, the magic andbat powers both got better in their fights. Humans also developed a great system of writing. Humans could pass their knowledge to others in the writing." Hagan took a deep breath and said, "Compared with other races, dragons only had dragonnguage, orcs had really simplenguage, and elves¡¯ writing was way tooplicated. Only humannguage was rich. One important reason humans could dominate the continent was they had more advanced cultures."


    "Cultures? I think it was overstated." Christian said in shock. One¡¯s understanding of the world determined a person¡¯s point of view. Christian did not agree that powers had nothing to do with cultures.


    "I do not know about it, but it said so in the book." Hagan forced a smile. "With difficult living conditions, humans have tried really hard with their strong will and be stronger with unlimited evolving ability. Supreme powers appeared in humans and were a match with super creatures. Some of them almost had the chance to be gods."


    "Continue," Anfey said.


    "Gods thought they should not let this situation continue. In fact, thend we are on has been changed a lot by gods. All the super creatures and supreme powers survived after the war had scattered them to the corners of the world and kept them far away from this continent. Gods also set a gigantic kekkai to keep us on the continent. The end of the world we think is actually just the border of the kekkai. They provided us a wonderful space without any pressure."


    "Storm Sea?" Anfey suddenly thought about the conversation between merchants he heard at Tumen Commercial Union. It was said that there was an enormous Storm Sea in a faraway ce. The waves could be as high as hundreds of yards. No one could pass there, not even top powers.


    "That could be it," Hagan said.


    "Do gods want to control humans this way?" Anfey asked.


    "In the war between beasts and gods, gods wiped out a lot of cultures humans had created in the name of war. That did not stop humans from advancing, but definitely prolonged it. That war had taken so much out of the gods that they went back to sleep for a long time. When they woke up, the situation was not as bad as it should have been."


    "Continue," Anfey encouraged.


    "That¡¯s all I got. I did not understand the rest of it. The book said there were three holy items that allowed the kekkai to keep operating. However, I do not know which three holy items." Hagan shook his head. "I wanted to memorize those words that seemed important and ask Hui Wei about itter. But reading so many pages, I do not even know which parts were important."


    Everybody was quiet. What Hagan told them was so sensational. However, as they recalled the theory Hui Wei had talked about before, the two were quite simr to each other.


    "Christian, what do you think?" Anfey asked slowly.


    "I think it sounded a little ridiculous." Christian forced a smile. Most people thought gods were kind and sympathetic. When Christian heard the exact opposite, he could not take it.


    "I think it was ridiculous. If gods hated humans so much, why didn¡¯t they just kill all of them?" vi said.


    "What does bread mean to you?" Hagan asked.


    "It is food," vi said, confused.


    "The beliefs of humans are the food for gods. Even though humans made them worry, the power of belief that arge amount of humans provided to gods was far more than what elves and orcs could provide. They did not want to lose it. Do not forget, there are beasts besides gods that we are not familiar with. Gods need us to believe in them." Hagan started to rub his forehead. "These were in the book. Do not ask me how I know about them. I am so confused now."


    "Ok, let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. What gods think has nothing to do with us. It is beyond ourprehension," Anfey said quietly. "Everybody, we need be careful. Do not tell anyone else about this. It would not do anyone any good. Hagan, you¡¯d better go to sleep. It is already dark. Tomorrow morning, we have to get back on the road."

 Chapter 322: Wings

    Chapter 322: Wings


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Five dayster, Anfey and his friends appeared on the city square in Paoro City. They arrived around the same time as the Roaring Death Legion, which was camping out near the city. Anfey wanted to arrive first and find out more about the situation. Anfey thought it would be too dangerous for them to approach the Roaring Death Legion, since it might attract unwanted attention. He and his friends spent five days staying away fromrge crowds, and their information was outdated. They had to keep up with the news to determine what to do next.


    It was easy to gather information in such an exotic ce. A bartender would spill everything he knew for a gold coin or two. Merchants, travelers, and mercenaries not only had information but also were looking for information. Trading intelligence was not a rare urrence in this city. A lot of bartenders¡¯ side job was the selling of information. In order to stay in business, they would diligently gather new and interesting information for their customers.


    Anfey bought some information from an old bartender for a gold coin. He learned that even though Maho Empire was rtively peaceful, other ces were not. In Country of Mercenaries, Glory mercenary group and Tiger of Tawau mercenary group were at war. Storm mercenary group was not helping either side, nor was it officially neutral. Mercenaries from Storm mercenary group said that conflicts between mercenaries should be kept within the Country of Mercenaries, and that people from Shansa and Ellisen Empire should leave immediately. This was an order, not a request. Storm mercenary group was clearly using Shansa Empire and Ellisen Empire of causing this conflict.


    Another major mercenary group, Brothers mercenary group, remained oddly silent. This silence caused wild spection about the group¡¯s involvement. Anfey, however, knew exactly why. Both Marino and Entos were in Maho Empire. Without its leader and its deputy, Brothers mercenary group could not do anything.


    Another interesting bit of news was that Scarlet, Shansa Empire¡¯s new star, was charged withmanding all the armies along the eastern front. She forced armies of Maho Empire to take the defensive. The two empires¡¯ borders had simr geography, and the troubles they encountered were simr as well. Shansa Empire blocked the paths through the Transverse Mountains and surrounded ckania City. This led to the failure of Mao Empire¡¯s defense along the mountains. After Shansa Empire¡¯s army retreated, Miorich attacked Shansa Empire¡¯s bridgehead along the border. The majority of Shansa Empire¡¯s army was in the Transverse Mountains and could not arrive in time to defend their bridge. Then Miorich ordered his men to attack almost a dozen cities in the area.


    Targeting civilians was wrong, but during war everything was fair game. Shansa Empire had attacked numerous cities during the war as well. However, Scarlet was able to regain the advantage over Miorich.


    After he had told them all the important news, the bartender smirked and began talking about a rich widow residing in the city. Apparently, he thought Christian was handsome enough to seduce the widow.


    Anfey listened with a smile and did not interrupt the bartender. He did not stop the man until Christian was visibly ufortable. "What are those men doing outside?" Anfey asked with a wave of his hand. "Are they here to arrest someone?"


    "No, my lord," the bartender said. "They¡¯re guards."


    "Guards?"


    "Yes," the bartender said. "Heard some important people areing from Sacred City. Our citymaster is getting ready to wee them."


    "So we can¡¯t leave the city?"


    "They should be gone by sundown," the bartender said with a frown.


    "I see," Anfey said. "We¡¯re done, then. You can go tend to your other customers now." Anfey smiled at the bartender and tossed him another gold coin.


    The bartender caught the coin out of the air and bowed. "Have a good day then, my lords."


    As soon as the bartender left the room, Anfey nced at vi and nodded. vi stood up and left.


    "Hagan, we¡¯re getting you out of here in a bit. You should go look for Riska," Anfey said. "I¡¯m sure General Baery has already made arrangements. No one will stop you."


    "What about you guys?"


    "We¡¯re going to Violet City."


    "Isn¡¯t that the same thing?"


    "We need to hurry," Anfey said, shaking his head. "There are too many people traveling the road during the day. It¡¯s better at night. We can travel for days without stopping, but you can¡¯t. I don¡¯t want you to overwork yourself."


    "Violet City isn¡¯t in danger, is it?" Christian asked, concerned.


    "I¡¯m not worried about Violet City," Anfey said.


    "Then..."


    "I¡¯m worried about Moramatch," Anfey said. "You¡¯ve all met Alice, but you don¡¯t know her. None of us really do. I left her in charge of Moramatch because she has nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to. The only thing she could do was what was assigned to her. Now though, now is different. Do you remember Kumaraghosha?"


    "The Shansa General?" Suzanna asked.


    "Yes," Anfey said. "Kumaraghosha became the scapegoat for a crime he did notmit. He didn¡¯t want to sit around and wait for his death, so he took his men and fought his way out of Shansa Empire. Thest anyone heard from him, he was heading for Moramatch." Anfey frowned, his fingers tapping the table. "Whatever happened at Moramatch, Alice won. Either she captured him or he is now working for her."


    "Maybe she killed him," Christian suggested.


    "Unlikely," Anfey said. "People like Kumaraghosha and Alice share a bond we cannot understand. Alice was a princess, she was loyal, but she was abandoned by her own family and traded like a brood mare. She wanted to run but was captured by verunners who caused her friend¡¯s death. What must she be feeling then? Kumaraghosha fought and risked his life for Shansa Empire, but he was ndered and marked as a traitor. He was clearly angry enough to fight his way out of Shansa Empire. What will happen if two traumatized people meet?"


    "I see," Christian said. "They¡¯ll pity each other, trust each other, because they understand each other."


    "Not just pitying and trusting," Anfey said with a sigh. "Alice isn¡¯t just an innocent princess. She is calcting and maniptive. I can¡¯t even tell what kind of person she is. I know she despises the Shansa royal family, because she wanted me to know. If she didn¡¯t want me to know...well, I don¡¯t know."


    "You mean...she is a cunning person?" Suzanna asked.


    "Cunning is too broad a term," Anfey said. "She¡¯s brilliant. I ced her in charge because I¡¯m taking advantage of the fact that she has no one else to turn to. If she has nothing, she can¡¯t do anything no matter how brilliant she is. If Kumaraghosha is working for her, he bes her wings and her ws. I¡¯m worried."


    "I¡¯m the Citymaster of Violet City and Christian will one day became Duke of Swordbury, but it is not enough. Far from it. We are just entrusted with thosends. We are not masters of them," Anfey said quietly. "If we make the wrong people our enemies, thosends can be easily taken away from us. Without ournds, we are nothing. We need to secure Moramatch."


    "I understand," Christian said quietly.


    "Good. If we have Moramatch, we can always go back to it and be mercenaries. If we can¡¯t do that, we will go into the Transverse Mountains. If we can¡¯t even stay in the Mountains, we will go into the Forest of Death. No one will pursue us there."


    "If you¡¯re so worried, why don¡¯t we just kill Kumaraghosha?"


    "I thought of that, but now is not the time," Anfey said. "Let¡¯s see what happens once we get to Moramatch."


    "Anfey," vi said as he walked into the room. "The guards are gone."


    "Good. Let¡¯s be on our way, then," Anfey said.


    "Should I tell Riska anything?" Hagan asked hurriedly.


    "Just tell him to keep an eye on everyone," Anfey said. "But I¡¯m not worried. As long as Ernest and Entos are there, I doubt anything will go wrong."

 Chapter 323: A Mysterious Guest

    Chapter 323: A Mysterious Guest


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Peace Festival was the day the whole Pan Continent celebrated their survival after war. It was the most important holiday. No matter how much people had suffered the previous year, they all hoped they would have a happy and safe new year. The third day after the Peace Festival, Anfey, Christian and a few others slowly walked into Violet City. They all looked tired except for Anfey, who still looked as fresh as usual. They worked out regrly, but travelling a couple of days at night really tired them out. As for Anfey, they did not see him as regr person. In fact, he liked the day and night reversed. The only thing he did not like was the nights here without lights and entertainment.


    People looked different than before. They all looked sort of excited. As the festival had approached, the sadness and sorrow had eased. Whether people liked it or not, the living would gradually forget the sadness and sorrow. Frankly, it showed the strong willpower of people.


    Anfey walked around to check out his residence. From a distance, the basic structure lookedplete. He wanted to see what it was like inside.


    His earl¡¯s residence seemed to have high security. Anfey only lingered a little bit and tried to peek inside a few times, but a few guards had already noticed him. Anfey immediately spurred on his horse and called Christian and few others to the end of the street.


    The garrison residence¡¯s security was not as high as the earl¡¯s residence. There were only four guards at the gate. When Anfey left Violet City, there was no garrison. Patrols were in charge of the safety of the city. Governor Urter governed the city. These soldiers in the garrison all dressed neatly and looked professional. Anfey knew Urter had contributed a lot to it.


    Anfey jumped off the horse first and walked over with a smile. "Hi. Does Master Urter live here?"


    "Who are you?" one of the garrisons asked in the group that walked up to Anfey.


    "We are his old friends. Could you let him know we are here," Anfey said.


    "Old friends?" The garrisons looked at each other. The same garrison asked before others could, "The governor did note back until midnight. He is still resting. If you want to see him, pleasee back in the evening."


    "Please, we are indeed Master Urter¡¯s friends," Anfey appealed, holding out his hand with two gold coins in it.


    The garrisons¡¯ attention was drawn to the gold coins. To royalty, the gold coins were not a lot of money, but these garrisons¡¯ annual sries were only a few gold coins. The two gold coins were enough for them to have a few days of luxury.


    "I am sorry. The governor did note back from the earl¡¯s residence until midnight. You do not look like you have something urgent. Pleasee back in the evening. Master Urter has worked very hard all day. Please let him rest a little more." The garrison sounded nicer. "This...please take them back. We do not need them." That garrison knew a person who could toss around two gold coins must be somebody significant. He did not want to offend Anfey.


    "Please! We have traveled a long distance. We wish to report to Master Urter." Anfey turned his hand. More than a dozen gold coins appeared.


    Those garrisons could not help staring at the coins. They lost themselves in the gold coins. Anfey smiled. As he turned his hand over, he had passed the coins to the soldier. However, as the first coin touched that soldier¡¯s palm, he pulled his hand back as he received a shock. He let the gold coins fall on the ground.


    "Why are you..." Anfey was shocked for a second.


    The soldier¡¯s eyes shed a fierce look. He sounded like he was begging. "I am sorry, we cannot disturb the governor. If you have something urgent, you can tell me first." He did not want to offend someone who could easily toss two gold coins at him. Now he dared not offend Anfey, so he addressed Anfey with even more respect.


    Anfey looked at the gold coins at his feet. His lips curled into a smile. It was not hard to organize a garrison, but it was hard to train a highly-qualified garrison unit. If he had wondered whether these soldiers were qualified or not, seeing a few of them gave Anfey an idea what the whole city garrison was like. It was not that they did not want gold coins, but they were able to control their desires. It was not easy for them. After hearing the soldiers talk about how hard Urter had worked, Anfey was quite satisfied with this garrison.


    When Anfeyid his eyes back on the garrisons, he looked like he was ready to kill someone. "Don¡¯t make it harder than it should be."


    "What do you mean?" The temperature seemed it dropped in the air. That soldier was alert and moved one step back.


    Anfey did not answer. He looked back and saw very few people on the street. The garrison residence was located at the very end of the street. No matter what he did, it would not draw others¡¯ attention. He walked straight ahead to the gate. The soldier¡¯s face suddenly changed. He pulled his sword out and pointed at Anfey¡¯s chest. He yelled, "Step back, or..."


    Before the soldier could even finish talking, Anfey had reached his hand out and grabbed the sword at his chest. He shook it upwards and then the soldier flew backwards. When the rest of soldiers saw their fellow get thrown so easily, they were smart and gave up the idea of stopping Anfey. Two soldiers ran over to hold their fellow up while the other soldier ran inside of the garrison residence. He yelled as he ran. "Hurry up, send out an alert! Enemy, enemy!"


    "Shut up!" A voice came from the distance. Urter showed up in the courtyard. He stared at Anfey, who had already walked in. He muttered something, but did not know what to say. If Anfey officially had arrived in Violet City, he should have received notice, and it would be easy. Now Anfey¡¯s appearance shocked him, and he was not sure whether Anfey wanted to let others know who he was.


    Christian and Suzanna followed Anfey in. vi stayed behind to keep an eye on things outside. Anfey nodded at Urter and smiled. He knew what Urter¡¯s concerns were.


    "Master, you are back," Urter said with respect. Those soldiers holding weapons in front of Urter were shocked.


    "You probably did not think I woulde, did you?" Anfey asked.


    "I knew you had left Sacred City, but did not think you woulde so fast." Urter moved to the side. "Master,e inside. It is more convenient to talk inside."


    "Ok," Anfey said with a nod. He walked two steps forward, but suddenly stopped. "Did you enroll these soldiers in the garrison?"


    "Yes." Urter was confused for a second. "Master, did they offend you?"


    "They just did their jobs. They have done a good job. Urter, you have a good eye." Anfey smiled and strode into the living room.


    "Master, these..." A garrison asked timidly, pointing at the gold coins on the floor.


    Urter seemed to know what had happened when he saw the coins. He said in a low voice, "You have done a good job. These are the rewards the earl gave you. You can take them."


    The soldiers were shocked for a second before they cheered. They hurried to pick up the gold coins. The soldier who Anfey threw acted the fastest. Anfey did not mean to hurt him and he was fine. There were few people who were not greedy. The soldiers liked gold coins as much as others, but they knew what they could take and what they could not. Now they did not have to worry about picking them up.


    "Where is City Master Aroben?"Anfey asked as he looked around.


    "He is still resting. He has been overtired for the past few days. His condition was not stable and made me worry about him." Urter sighed and closed the door behind him.


    "Then don¡¯t bother him." Anfey took a seat.


    "Master, did you get rich recently?" Urter asked.


    "That¡¯s correct," Anfey said,ughing.


    "I was wondering why master was so generous," Urter said with a smile. "Master, can you help me a little? I need to build an earl¡¯s residence and enroll more soldiers in the garrison. Yet I do not have any ie for the city budget. I am going crazy."


    "You look quite happy, and you do not look like you are forced to do anything," Anfey said.


    "That was because General Winkler helped me. He asked his supervisor to spare me some money from the budget in Shansa Empire, otherwise the construction of the earl¡¯s residence construction would have stopped a long time ago."


    "General Winkler?" Anfey wondered.


    "Didn¡¯t General Miorich tell you? Before he departed, he left a unit of pce guards in Violet City. General Winkler was theirmander," Urter said.


    "Oh, I remember now." Anfey nodded. Miorich had talked about it with him, but did not tell him the name of themander. Anfey thought Urter had really good diplomatic skills and had connected with ckania City. It made sense that Miorich¡¯s people helped him.


    "Master, the reason you secretly came back to Violet City was..." Urter said.


    "Just to check on it." Anfey was quiet for a second, then continued, "Urter, did Marquis Djoser do anything recently?"


    "I heard he had a very special and mysterious guest at his house. Marquis Djoser treated him with great respect, but that guest seemed to suddenly disappear. I have sent people to check on the guest, but ..." Urter shook his head with a bitter smile. It was obvious he did not find anything.


    Anfey smiled. He knew the mysterious guest was Archalchemist Jacob. Because of the opportunity of creating a potion, Jacob had gone to Sacred City. He was good at acting. He did not act too close to Saul, nor too aloof towards him. His acting at Anfey¡¯s wedding was genius. His wedding gift was a bottle of aphrodisiac. Anfey knew Jacob was joking, but to others, it seemed insulting when he gave a young groom a bottle of aphrodisiac. As an archalchemist, he could totally have created a wonderful gift, what could such a small gift like an aphrodisiac mean?

 Chapter 324: Change in Power

    Chapter 324: Change in Power


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Urter spoke for a long time about what had happened in Violet City during Anfey¡¯s absence. One thing in particr perked Anfey¡¯s interest. Urter seemed very excited when talking about the military situation in the city. There was aw limiting the amount of soldiers a count could have at a thousand. However, Urter pointed out several times that a thousand guards were far from enough. He wanted to increase the defenses of Violet City and increase the number of guards to over ten thousand.


    Anfey thought that this was Aroben¡¯s idea, but as the conversation went on, he realized that most of residents of the city agreed. Residents had lost faith in official armies and wanted to protect themselves. They thought that if they faced another invasion, a militia would be more effective.


    Urter prepared a simple dinner feast to wee Anfey and his friends back. After hearing of their return, Aroben made an appearance, despite warnings from his doctors. He was in even worse shape than thest time Anfey had seen him, but he looked happy and did not seem to mind his disability.


    Aroben nced at Urter several times during the feast, but Urter seemed very uncertain. Seeing this, Anfeyid down his fork and turned to Urter. "What¡¯s going on?" he asked. "Is something troubling you?"


    "Not troubling me personally," Urter said with a sigh. "As you know, my lord, a lot of nobles here fled before the arrival of Shansa army. Now that the war¡¯s over, a lot of them areing back."


    "Are they giving you a hard time?"


    "No, we keep things civilized, but..." Urter¡¯s voice trailed off and he sighed. "It¡¯s their attitude towards themoners. Like Viscount David. When he left, he only took part of his fortune with him. After the Shansa army upied the city, the brothers from the Deng family organized a militia to fight against the enemies. Unfortunately, they were not strong enough to fight against actual soldiers. They sought refuge in Viscount David¡¯s mansion. The Shansa soldiers decided to set fire to the mansion to kill them."


    "What then?"


    "The Viscount was very angry about the destruction of his home. He thought that it was destroyed due to the brothers¡¯ stupidity and defiance and demandedpensation from the family. But the only ones left from that family were the old and the young. He forced everyone in the family into very to repay him. This event has caused conflict..."


    "Bastard," vi spat.


    "It¡¯s true," Urter said, shaking his head. "But I can¡¯t do anything. The brothers¡¯ action caused the damage to the Viscount¡¯s belongings, but we cannot openly denounce their acts, either."


    "Did the people not do anything?"


    "They do not care," Urter said with a sigh. There wasn¡¯t anyone who was willing to act against their own noble ss.


    Aroben clearly rxed after Urter told the story. He was waiting for Anfey to make a decision. Perhaps he was trying to test Anfey¡¯s ability.


    "Christian, what do you think?" Anfey asked.


    "Urter¡¯s right," Christian said. "This is too difficult. Nobles have the right to defend their belongings. If you do anything to Viscount David, you are risking offense to the entire noble ss. They will team up against you."


    "The all nobles are doing what Viscount David did too," Urter said. "They are trying to find scapegoats to take the me for destruction of their property. They are supported by Marquis Djoser." Urter was trying to tell Anfey that the marquis was trying to team up with these nobles. Anfey had to make a fast decision, or else his position would be threatened.


    "What¡¯s the nobility¡¯s attitude?" Christian asked. He knew very well how influential those nobles could be.


    "They somehow know about the conflict between the marquis and Lord Anfey, so a lot of them have not dered a clear allegiance yet."


    "Sneaky bastards," vi snorted and rolled his eyes.


    "As long as you don¡¯t act out of line, the nobility will not side with the marquis," Aroben said. "Even though the title of marquis sounds important, the citymaster is the rightful lord of the city. They know this well."


    "Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore tonight," Anfey said. "I¡¯ll take care of thister."


    Urter frowned. "My lord..."


    "Don¡¯t worry. I will take care of this. I am, after all, the rightful lord of this city," Anfey said. He stood up slowly and said, "I¡¯m going to take a stroll. You guys should all go to bed."


    "This city is heavily guarded right now," Urter said. "There may be trouble. I¡¯lle with you."


    "Alright," Anfey said, nodding.


    "Don¡¯t be out toote," Suzanna said.


    "I won¡¯t."


    The hall was very warm, but it was still winter outside. Anfey shuddered in the cold wind and nced up at the stars. If it had been some other man, maybe he would have neglected the nobility and fought for power. However, the three brothers from the Deng family were heroes. He would give their family justice. He was not a politician and disliked power struggles. He would not take the nobility¡¯s side.


    "My lord," Urter called.


    "How is the exploration of thebyrinth going?"


    "Do you want to go look at it, my lord? The guards there are all soldiers from the patrols, so their loyalty shouldn¡¯t be a concern. None of them know much about what is under them."


    "Alright," Anfey said.


    "Thebyrinth is full of magic arrays. I¡¯m not a mage and I only have one way to solve the problem," Urter said.


    "What is it?"


    "Sending people down there. Those magic arrays are all very old and there can¡¯t be too much magic left in those crystals. I had about a thousand prisoners of war in my hand. I needed to do something with them."


    "That is a way," Anfey said with a frown. "How many do you have left?"


    "About six hundred."


    "Did the rest die?"


    Urter nodded.


    "Did anyone notice?"


    "It is inevitable, but I don¡¯t think they know how," Urter said. "I take care of moving the bodies myself. Only a few of my closest guards know about this."


    "I hope you¡¯re not overworking yourself," Anfey said.


    "It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve had worse," Urter said with a smile. "My lord, get ready. The air down there is very bad."


    "Did you find anything down there?"


    "No. We already explored the entire first level, but I can¡¯t get down to the second."


    "There¡¯s a second level?"


    "Yes," Urter said. "None of us expected it. This is too interesting. I am certain that whatever we find down there, we will not be disappointed."


    "It seems like we need help."


    "My lord, we need mages. Mages will quicken this process by a lot. Alchemists will be even better."


    "I will assign them to help you starting tomorrow," Anfey said. He suddenly stopped and frowned. "Are we going the right way?"


    "We are," Urter said. "Follow me, my lord. I want to show you something."

 Chapter 325: Started

    Chapter 325: Started


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Passing the crossing ahead of them and make a turn, they would be able to get to the earl¡¯s residence, but Urter led Anfey in the opposite direction. They walked to a regr house and knocked on the door.


    There was a rhythm to Urter¡¯s knocking. Without giving it too much thought, Anfey knew Urter was sending a signal, since he had so much experience in it.


    A roughly 60-year-old old man opened the door. Seeing Anfey behind Urter, he looked surprised, but calmed down quickly. He stepped to the side to make a path for them. As Anfey followed Urter into the yard, the door quietly closed. Magic surges radiated from the old man. Over a dozen of people came from all directions like ghosts. Some of them held swords while others had drawn their bows and targeted Anfey.


    Anfey raised an eyebrow. He trusted Urter and knew these people were his people, but he did not feelfortable when about eight people pointed arrows at him from a short distance, especially when he saw they all looked extremely nervous. If he made any moves, those arrows might shoot at him.


    "Let me introduce you. This is Earl Anfey," Urter said in a low voice and then turned to Anfey. "Master, please do not take it personally. I have sent out signals to them, but they were worried that I was caught and threatened by others and looked a little too nervous about it. I have never brought anyone here before."


    "That¡¯s ok," Anfey replied.


    Those swordsmen and archers looked at each other and let their weapons down, and then kneeled with one leg on the floor to Anfey.


    "Ok. You guys can leave now." Urter waved his hand and the swordsmen and archers left in formation. They disappeared into the pitch dark in the blink of an eye. Anfey cleared his throat and said in a low voice, "Urter, did you recruit them too?" The swordsmen and archers were trained well. Their movements were so well coordinated that Anfey was surprised Urter could have trained them so well in such a short time.


    "No, they were the bodyguards of Aroben. He said he would submit his resignation letter to you when came you back. He did not feel he had the need to keep these bodyguards anymore, so he asked me to be in charge of them," Urter said.


    "Bodyguards? Then when Shansa Empire took over Violet City..." Anfey said.


    "When Master Aroben got the news that Shansa Empire had invaded Violet City, he said everyone could leave, but not him. Master Aroben had dedicated his whole life to serving the empire. He did not want to be charged or make a bad name for himself and be a joke for others when he was about to leave his position," Urter said as he pushed a bedroom door open. "These bodyguards have followed Master Aroben for many years. Master Aroben did not want them to die for nothing. He asked them to send a top secret memo to ckania City. In fact, that memo was an order to ask them to stay and fight for ckania City. By the time they found out that situation in ckania was getting bad, the city already had been surrounded by the Shansa Empire military."


    "How many of them in total?" Anfey heaved a sigh.


    "There are a little over 40 of them left," Urter said.


    "Left? Are you saying..." Anfey asked.


    "There used to be over 80 of them. Some of them stayed in Violet City. They died to protect Master Aroben. Many of the ones in ckania City died in the battle," Urter said sadly. "Master, they have not attained high levels of fighting, but are very experienced. When ckania City was in the battle, those guards did a lot to help defend the city."


    "It is a waste to have them on watch in this house," Anfey said.


    "I have no other options. I cannot find others I trust." Urter walked to the bed. He gave a little push on the queen-sized bed: it opened. A big ck hole with barely visible stairs showed. "Master, please follow me." He stepped down the hole first.


    The tunnel was narrow, but wide enough for one person to walk straight. It was high enough that Anfey did not have to bend over while he walked. Urter reached his hands out and searched along the wall. A small light appeared. "Master, I cannot afford Forever-Lasting magic light. I had to set up a simple light magic array, so be careful."


    "My vision is better than you think." Anfey smiled. "Urter, would this tunnel lead us to the maze?"


    "I nned that way," Urter said, shaking his head, "but the walls of the maze were built with pieces of steel rock. Steel rock and elements can fuse well. It is also a good material for a magic array. The texture of the steel rock was hard and very difficult to pierce through. There was a time that they made too much noise. The patrols above noticed something. They sent people to let me know about it while they dug a few holes and buried big buckets in them to listen to the noise underground. I did not know how to exin it to them. I had to change the n to dig the tunnel in the basement of the earl¡¯s residence."


    As they were talking, they walked about a hundred yards. There was a wall in front of them and the tunnel had a 90 degree turn. Urter stood in front of the wall and flicked on it. The wall made a clear steel sound. "Master, look, this is steel rock."


    Anfey walked closer to the wall and took a closer look. "Is steel rock rare?"


    "It is not rare, but expensive," Urter said. "Master, after working on the tunnel for a few days, I had a new idea."


    "What idea?" Anfey asked.


    "We cannot let what happened before happen again, so I am thinking of digging a tunnel that could lead to the outside of the city. If we are in danger, we could escape from the tunnel." Urter looked a little awkward. "I know this sounds very selfish, because the civilians would not have any chance to use it. They do not even know about this tunnel, but..."


    "It does not need to be soplicated. Violet City is going to have its own magic array soon," Anfey said.


    "Really?" Urter looked surprised and excited. "Would parliament pass it?"


    "We do not need them pass it. We are going to use our own magic crystals. We will have our professor help us in the pce so no one can stop us," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Great!" Urter paused for a second. "But, Master, I think we still need a tunnel, just in case. In addition, we have more than six hundred captives. It would be a waste to keep them for nothing, since they are eating our food."


    "Did captives build the tunnel?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Urter said slowly. "Master, I know what you are thinking. Those captives are doomed. They would not be able to make it outside of the tunnel. I promise you this secret is not going to leak out."


    "Ok. I trust you." This was already the second time that Anfey gave Urter such ament.


    Urter stood next to a crystal ball. He held his hand above it and moved his hand a little. The crystal ball lit up with an image of a room in it. Because of the dim light, the room looked gloomy.


    Urter took a look before he pushed the stone door in front of him open. "Master, this is your basement. It was just built. It is not very big. You can use it for right now. We can expand itter."


    Anfey walked into the basement after Urter. The room showing in the crystal ball was actually the basement. "The Eyes of Sky magic array?"


    "Yes, but it is a very simple and basic one," Urter said.


    "Did youe here often?" Anfey asked.


    "Not too often. I am a bigwig now. It would be too obvious if I came here too frequently," Urter said, smiling.


    "Wouldn¡¯t the patrols be surprised when they saw you suddenly showing up here?" Anfey asked.


    "Since I took the governor¡¯s job, I have warned them many times that they should not ask and look at certain things, otherwise they would be in trouble," Urter said casually.


    "They suspected someone doing something underground, and then you might show up here out of no where. Any person with some intelligence would be able to guess what was going on," Anfey said.


    "That is fine." Urter shrugged. "I can promise you they would not leak any secret."


    "Is this tunnel about one hundred yards long? I wasn¡¯t gone very long. It is amazing that you have built a tunnel so fast," Anfelyplimented Urter.


    "Well..." Urter looked a little awkward after Anfey¡¯spliment. He cautiously took a look at Anfey. "Master, I did try. To protect this secret, I could not use all theborers I have. If you can send me more people, it would take just a bit more than ten days to build a tunnel to the outside the city."


    "Ten days?" Anfey was shocked. He suddenly remembered the biggest difference between this world and Anfey¡¯s previous world. "Are you saying you built this tunnel with magic?"


    "If we did not use magic, do you think we used our bare hands on the tunnel?" Urter felt Anfey¡¯s question was ridiculous. "If those captives had taken even half a year to build the tunnel, I do not think they could dig the tunnel this far."


    "Understood." Anfey felt a little bit of shame. He changed the topic, "Where does the basement lead to?"


    "To your study. Please follow me," Urter said.


    After passing a stone door, they came to a study without a roof. They could see the stars from the study.


    "Master, what do you think? Pretty grand, right? There are very few buildings in Violet City are as grand as this one..." Before Urter finished talking, the sky suddenly lit up. Stars disappeared in the sky. A bright spotlight looking like a smaller version of the sun gradually formed into an image, a gigantic angel. The light sword in the angel¡¯s hand was so long that it cross the whole sky. The light wings were so huge that their north and south ends were beyond what human eyes could see. It reached beyond the horizon. Urter was shocked, so were the patrols walking by and the ves at work. They all looked terrified.


    "What is that?" Anfey looked tense. He was super sensitive to angels.


    "A necromancer war has started," Urter said, as if he was dreaming.

 Chapter 326: Final Warning

    Chapter 326: Final Warning


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Pope William¡¯s Light of Angels covered the entire continent. Hundreds of thousands of people looked up to the sky in fear and admiration. There had been many wars against necromancers, and every single war caused immeasurable damage. No one wanted to be alive to see a war against necromancers.


    Light magic was the natural enemy of death magic, and Priests of Light would always be the deciding factor in how long the war wouldst. Without Priests of Light, necromancers might have already won the war. The importance and contribution of Priests of Light were undeniable. This was why the Church was able to gain respect and support in such a short amount of time and grow to be one of thergest religious organizations in the world.


    Priests of Light were often treated like saviors during these wars. However, after centuries without a war against necromancers, the Church had bex in its selection of priests. Some priests believe that they were saviors even though they had never fought in a war and should be respected and feared because they were the ones who kept the world safe. Without a war to disy its power, the Church could not expand as quickly as before. This war could be the key to expanding the Church.


    Sentient beings were not afraid of in-fighting, because whenever they are facing amon threat, they will band together against it. No matter where a man¡¯s loyaltyy before, when he faced amon threat, he would trust and fight alongside all the other men against the threat.


    This was because amon threat presented amon fear. No one wanted to be a zombie, even though a zombie¡¯s lifespan was longer. Sentient beings were afraid of death. They were afraid of disappearing. The most important thing to a man wasn¡¯t his life. It was his thoughts, his memories, his experiences. If these things could be preserved, no one would be afraid of death.


    Those who chose the path of death magic feared the same thing. Every necromancer wanted to be an arch-witch because an arch-witch¡¯s lifespan was longer than any other sentient being.


    That night, the entire world stayed wide awake. Those in power found themselves busy like never before. The Holy Mountain where Pope William resided was even busier. Ambassadors from every nation flocked there trying to get help from the Pope and to seek out potential allies.


    Like everyone else, Anfey did not sleep either. He was even more nervous than most people because he knew that he had already made the necromancers his enemies. He knew that the necromancers must be furious about his part in defeating Annunciata. If the necromancers really did want to hunt him down, he had nowhere else to run. He couldn¡¯t fight against a political machine, and the Necromancer Union was one to terrify every single political machine.


    The first major news arrived at dawn. General Augustus of ckania City arrived at ckania City through a transmission portal and took control of the city. Scarlet of Shansa Empire led her army away from the border and sent a messenger with a peace treaty. When facing such an enormous threat, wars were not eptable.


    Other news arrived soon after. Necromancers began to mobilize their members. In the past, necromancers would all band together and form a single, massive army. This huge army would sweep across thend, killing and piging as it went. The necromancers knew that the entire world was their enemy, and dividing up would mean defeat. However, this strategy had a major w. Creatures created with death magic move very slowly. Whenever people heard about necromancers, they would resort to scorched earth tactics. They would take everything they could and burn everything they couldn¡¯t, leaving nothing for the necromancers. Then they would flee the scene.


    To fight against necromancers, people would form small teams and employ guerri warfare. Mages and priests were the most important part of these teams. They can kill many more zombies in a short time. Then the team could flee the scene knowing that the necromancers were too slow to catch them.


    After a few months, the necromancers would be too weak to pose a major threat. Then the nations would amass a great army and attack the weakened necromancers. This was why the necromancers could not gatherrge armies the way they had done during the first war.


    The necromancers tried a simr tactic by sending a few necromancers into arge city to scout for information and ambush the people. However, powerful people were everywhere during those wars, and they could recognize necromancers at a nce. The necromancers could not get out in time and would be killed. Slowly the necromancers realized this was not the best tactic.


    This time, however, the necromancers had picked a brand new tactic. They divided up their numbers, sending smaller groups of necromancers to dozens of different locations at the same time. One such battlefield was at Tumen Commercial Union, where there was little military defense and high traffic. Another was located in eastern Shansa Empire, another in northern Ellisen Empire. One was in Transverse Mountains, where the necromancers had already attacked a handful of mercenary groups. Another was in Greenwich, a small kingdom on an ind offshore, andmunication from the kingdom was lost.


    Soon, the third piece of news arrived. Ynthe had ordered the release of Shansa soldiers. Shansa Empire had already paid reparations and hadn¡¯t caused that much damage. Maho Empire had been dying the release of prisoners, but now it could dy no longer.


    This order made the situation in Violet City more difficult. Anfey and Urter were still in the middle of exploring thebyrinth. They couldn¡¯t send their own people into thebyrinth to die.


    More news arrived at noon. The empire had ordered its more experienced soldiers and generals tomunicate with each other and figure out a n against the necromancers.


    The necromancers¡¯ new tactic was much more effective than their old one. When the necromancers upied a new city, they would split again and head off to new locations. It was a fast and effective way for them to spread out throughout the entire world.


    The old tactic was out-dated. Humans only had so many top level powers, and there were hundreds of battlefields. Top level powers needed to work together when fighting necromancers. If a master swordsman or an archmage die at the hands of necromancers, the necromancers would have an invaluable addition to their army.


    Scorched earth was out of the question as well. Too many viges were caught off guard by the necromancers¡¯ new strategy and couldn¡¯t escape. The necromancers were not dangerous in small numbers, which gave people hope. People thought perhaps they could defend their homes and families. However, the death toll was very high, and the necromancers¡¯ army grew with each death.


    In the past, the necromancers had focused on the armies. This time, they avoided army camps at all cost. They focused on the weaker cities and viges. Against arge army, a small team of necromancers would be wiped out in minutes. Now, the necromancers¡¯ army had grown too great.


    The most terrifying thing was that none of the creatures created by the necromancers were afraid of the sun. Even the weakest skeleton could step into sunlight with no problem. Pope William had already sent out a warning and an example. In the past, a Holy Light spell from a Priest of Light could kill several dozen zombies. In a small vige in northern Ellisen Empire, the spell had injured those dark creatures but did not incapacitate them.

 Chapter 327: Extreme Chaos

    Chapter 327: Extreme Chaos


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Another night had passed. Anfey had been anxious and could not fall asleep for the past two days. Since thest few messages, there were no other message sent to him. However, giving it a bit more thought, it seemed to make sense. The reason Anfey could receive Ynthe¡¯s order and Pope William¡¯s warning was because they were meant to put everyone on notice. They were not secrets, but how different countries reacted were top military secrets. As a business city, Violet city did not have reason to receive any of that military information


    In the morning, Anfey sent people to ask Urter toe see him. Anfey wanted to go to the pce guards station outside the city to see General Winkler. General Winkler was Miorich¡¯s man, and the two of them had been getting along. Urter and Winkler had be friends. With the presence of Prince Christian, Anfey did not think Winkler would hide anything from them.


    Anfey and four others took more than a dozen of guards with them. They hurried out of Violet City. When they reached a pce guard station, Urter walked over to the guard stand before others could. He talked to them for a while, but came back with a disappointing look. After General Augustus took the job in ckania City, he had called back all the high-ranking military officials. There was no news about Winkler.


    Anfey and his group had no other options but to head to ckania City. With Urter in the group, they had no problem entering the city. He had been back and forth between the two cities, so most guards at the gates knew him. However, he was stopped outside the general¡¯s residence by a few soldiers in bright red armor. Urter tried to exin the situation, but they still did not let Urter in.


    Seeing this, Anfey had to hang his shy earl badge on his chest. He slowly walked to the gate of the general¡¯s residence. The soldiers had seen his badge, since it was so obvious. They hesitated for a second before they forced themselves to stop Anfey.


    Earls had much higher status than regr royalty. All the earls were members of the Upper House. To put it in a simpler way, earls could lead barons and viscounts. No matter in which empire, earls all had considerable influence.


    The earl badges were the same in every country. The soldiers did not know Anfey was just bluffing them. In fact, he was just an honorary earl.


    "I need see Augustus. Move!" Anfey yelled at the soldiers. It was scary to see someone wearing an earl badge. When Anfey yelled Augustus¡¯s name, he looked like he had a tremendous background.


    "I am sorry, Master." The soldier definitely looked scared. He sounded like he was begging Anfey. "General Augustus is in a meeting now. He said he would not see anyone at this time. Could you wait for a little bit?"


    Anfey frowned. When he was about to say something, Urter suddenly looked very excited and called out, "Winkler, here, here!"


    A middle-aged general, walking hurriedly in the big yard, was shocked for a second when he heard someone calling his name. He turned around and walked over. "Urter, what are you doing here?"


    "Winkler, let me introduce you. This is Prince Christian. This is Earl Anfey," Urter said, moving to the side. Urter knew who Christian was. For the past few days, he had pretended that he did not know, because he had some concerns about it. He had imed his loyalty to Anfey. If he acted too nice to Christian, he was worried that Anfey would suspect his loyalty. He¡¯d rather y dumb.


    Christian walked up with a smile and nodded at Winkler. Winkler was shocked for a second before went down on one knew and said, "Your majesty."


    "Please get up. Right now is a special time. You do not need to kneel," Christian said in a deep voice.


    "Yes, your majesty." Winkler stood up and stood straight. Seeing the few soldiers still blocking the entrance, he yelled in anger, "Stupid! Move! Hurry up!"


    The soldiers realized that the earl was not the one with the best background. There was even a prince. They were so scared that they broke out into a cold sweat. They immediately moved to the side and way for Anfey and his group.


    "Your majesty, are you here to see General Augustus? Please follow me," Winkler said politely.


    Anfey walked in the front. Christian, Suzanna and few others walked beside him. After walking a few steps, Anfey saw confusion sh in Winkler¡¯s eyes. He suddenly realized something. He slowed down a little bit and made room in the center of the group. He walked closer to Winkler and asked, "General Winkler, did you get any new information?"


    Anfey was the absolute leader in his mercenary group. Everyone had gotten used to it, but it looked strange in others¡¯ eyes.


    "I cannot tell you now. You¡¯d better have General Augustus tell you," Winkler replied.


    Christian was shocked for a second before he realized that he should walk in the center. Anfey did not get any information from Winkler. He shrugged and stepped back to walk next to Christian. Suzanna walked on the other side of Christian.


    When they approached a conference room, they could clearly hear an argument. Winkler opened the door, Christian and his group walked in one after another. Augustus, at the head of the table, could not help getting angry when he saw these unexpected guests. He immediately recognized Christian. Augustus had been at Anfey and Suzanna¡¯s wedding. He had given Anfey and Suzanna a valuable gift, so he knew them.


    "Your majesty, why are you here today?" Augustus¡¯s anger had changed into a smile. He walked up to them. "Earl Anfey, I am so happy to see you. Ms. Suzanna, you are getting even more beautiful. I can tell you guys are happy together. I am so jealous. Mr. vi, you do not look too good. You must be really tired. This is..."


    Augustus used to be a defense minister. Compared with General Winkler, he seemed to be more social. He could even remember vi¡¯s name. He even added Mr. in front to show respect. He did not miss Urter either. The generals on both sides stood up together. When they dressed in armor, they did not have to kneel to the prince in public, but at least they needed to show their respect instead of pretending not to see Christian and his group.


    "This is Urter. He is a temporary city master in Violet City," Winkler said.


    "Please take a seat. Your majesty, I thought you were still on the way. It is a surprise for me to see you here. Your people did not even know you were here. Your majesty, if you lead a troop into battle, you definitely would be an awesome general," Augustus said with augh.


    Christian blushed when Augustus ttered him, even half-seriously. He immediately waved his hand. "This is your seat. I can sit here."


    "No, no!" Augustus looked serious. "There are rules in the military. When Prince Granden was the supervisor for the battle, he sat there too."


    Christian could not turn it down. He slowly sat down. He looked nervous at first, but after a while, he calmed down. He looked around casually.


    "Can someone bring chairs for Earl Anfey, Ms. Suzanna, Mr. vi, and City Master Urter? Hurry up!" Augustus yelled.


    Anfey and Suzanna did not get too excited when they were treated as honorable guests. vi looked excited though. vi could not remember a time when he was treated as an important person, especially by an important person.


    Soon, chairs were set up. Anfey and others sat on both sides of Christian. When everybody took a seat, Augustus slowly sat down. "Your majesty, they..." Augustus nced to the side out of the corner of his eye. The generals could not interrupt their conversation, so they still stood there.


    "Everybody, take a seat please," Christian said with a smile.


    These generals were very professional. After they heard the order from Christian, they all took a seat together.


    "General Augustus, do you any new information?" Anfey could not wait and went directly to the point right.


    "Yes, and I have a lot of it." Augustus thought for a second and had a bitter smile on his face. "Let me put it this way. The whole Pan Continent has been in extreme chaos. During the very first Necromancer War, necromancers gathered thousands of death spirits, but they did not make such a chaos."


    "Is this time more serious than that?!" Anfey was shocked.


    "Back then, necromancers had certain objectives. They were powerful without any doubt, but they could only pose threats to at most a few dozen cities and towns. However, in the past two days, hundreds of cities and towns have been attacked. Some of them were filled with death spirits. We could not get exact data and do not know where it is safe and where they are going to attack," Augustus sighed. "The necromancers are good at doing research on magic, but there is no way they could think out those strategies. I bet they have given themanding authority to someone else"


    "Do we have any ns to fight them?" Anfey asked.


    "There are ns." Augustus paused for a moment. "All the civilians around battlefields are going to retreat to the nearby cities, burn all the bones, and bring their food with them to their nearby cities. This way necromancers have less targets. They could all gather in a city to fight against death spirits in that city. This way we could have backup as well. Luckily we had a good harvest this year. Winter ising. We do not need to worry about food.


    "Isn¡¯t it too passive?" Anfey asked.


    "We do not have other options. We have been attacked by surprise. Those death spirits are not scared of sunlight anymore. We have to try to take a break from the constant attacks of death spirits," Augustus said in a deep voice. "Compared with necromancer¡¯s fight ability, we have a lot more experienced generals and brave soldiers. Necromancers are just some walking dead. If we are given a little more time, we definitely could find their weaknesses."


    "General Augustus, what were you arguing about before?" Christian suddenly asked.


    After hearing Christian¡¯s question, the generals all looked awkward. Even Augustus had an awkward smile on his face.

 Chapter 328: Risks

    Chapter 328: Risks


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Is it because it¡¯s a long story? Or because you don¡¯t want to tell us?" Christian asked with a smile on his face. This was the first time he needed to take charge as a prince, and he was unsure of what to do. If Wester or Grandon had been in his ce, he was sure they would have done a better job. However, he did not know that his attitude was even harder to deal with.


    "You misheard me, Your Highness," Augustus said. "This time, the necromancers¡¯ attack alerted every nation. Many people believe that the reason those creatures of death aren¡¯t afraid of death will be the key to winning the war."


    "I see," Christian said with a nod.


    "Our spies in Country of Mercenaries had some new information. Unfortunately, they were attacked before they could deliver the information. His Majesty had assigned me to investigate this case. The best n will be to send a few undercover teams into Country of Mercenaries and seek out the surviving spies."


    Christian frowned. He thought it was a good n and was not sure why the generals were all arguing about it.


    "This involves the secret spies, Your Highness," one of the generals said loudly. "They should be able to take care of themselves."


    "Those spies all have their own ways ofmunicating," another general agreed. "It¡¯s easier to just send out other spies."


    "They¡¯re not wrong," Christian said, turning back to Augustus.


    "The only way for us tomunicate with Country of Mercenaries was two smallmunication portals," Augustus said. "Both portals were destroyed, so we cannot contact any of our people there. I¡¯m sure the secret spy organization there would try and find the missing spies, but we have to provide assistance."


    "Country of Mercenaries is too big," a general said, shaking his head. "This is like looking for a needle in a haystack."


    "If General Augustus thinks that those spies are vital to the war, then we should find all of our swordsmen and send them into Country of Mercenaries. Wouldn¡¯t that be more effective?" another general asked. He was supporting Augustus, but in reality he was mocking him.


    Christian nced at Augustus. It seemed like Augustus had not yet won the support of every general. If it had been Baery or Miorich in Augustus¡¯s ce, the generals would all be supporting the decision of looking for the missing spies.


    It was a known secret that Augustus and Constantine¡¯s promotions were to pave the way for the princes. Augustus may have been a good man, but he had never led an army. The generals did not treat him as their equal.


    "I would never back away from a fight against the necromancers, but Country of Mercenaries is infested with necromancers right now," an old general said, stroking his beard. "Going there with less than a full-size army would mean death." Just as swordsmen rely on their swords, the generals rely on their soldiers.


    "We will not let our soldiers die in vain!" another general agreed.


    "Be quiet!" Augustus bellowed. "Let¡¯s not bicker in front of His Highness." It was hard being the General of ckania City. He had to use Christian to calm the other generals down. He did not like being so powerless, but it was the only way. Ynthe told him to solve the case but did not order the return of the spies. This meant that Augustus would not be med even if he did not send anyone. The other generals knew this, which was why they were all against the idea of sending men into Country of Mercenaries.


    Augustus wanted to organize a dozen teams. Each team needed an intermediate swordsman and other elites in order to survive the necromancer-infested Country of Mercenaries. If Augustus really insisted on sending those teams, he would take away the core members of an entire patrol army.


    "Can I see His Majesty¡¯s order?" Anfey suddenly asked. He had a feeling that Ynthe would not give such an important mission to border patrol soldiers, though there was an excellent choice located close to ckania City: Alibaba mercenary group. He had Ernest, Entos, and Suzanna on his team. Each one was worth fivemon soldiers. ck Eleven was originally one of the leaders of secret spies in Country of Mercenaries and knew all the spies posted there. The only thing Anfey could not understand was why Ynthe sent the order to Augustus and not him.


    "It¡¯s burned," Augustus said. "Protocol."


    Anfey and Christian nced at each other. Anfey knew that Christian had made a choice. Christian would be the Duke of Swordbury one day, but that "one day" may note for years. If Christian didn¡¯t have any achievements, Ynthe might one day forget his promise to his youngest son. In the past, Anfey had ignored Christian, because he thought that Christian didn¡¯t need any achievements since he was a prince. Now he understood that Christian need these achievements even more because he was a prince.


    "I¡¯ll take my people there and find those spies," Anfey said. He needed to go to Moramatch anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.


    "What? No," Augustus said, shaking his head.


    "Why not? I¡¯ve lived in that country. I know it better than anyone here. I have a piece ofnd there too. I have the advantage."


    "No, no way," Augustus said, still shaking his head.


    The generals remained silent. They were all staring at Anfey. They were d that someone had volunteered, even though their feelings about Anfey may be different. Augustus was more torn than the generals. Anfey was Saul¡¯s student. If something happened, who would be held responsible? Plus, this order was given to him in the first ce and had nothing to do with Anfey.


    "Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be fine," Anfey said. "General Augustus, I want to put you in charge of Violet City while I¡¯m gone. As you know, I have a lot of enemies there. I want someone I can trust to keep the city safe."


    "Count Anfey, you have to think about this," Augustus said. "This isn¡¯t something you can rush into. It is very dangerous."


    "I don¡¯t need to," Anfey said, shaking his head. He turned to Christian and asked, "Your Highness, what do you say?"


    "It is done, then," Christian said. "Let¡¯s go."


    The generals all suddenly fell silent, then they all sprang up and began to speak at the same time. They could let Anfey risk his life and go to Country of Mercenaries because Anfey was of a lower rank. Christian, on the other hand, was a prince and outranked everyone. They could not allow him to risk his life. If something happened to Christian, the generals will all be med by Ynthe.


    "Silence!" Augustus bellowed. He turned to Anfey after the generals sat back down and said, "My lord, do you know why His Majesty did not order me to go in, but instead told me to make my own decision? It¡¯s because His Majesty is hesitant as well." Augustus paused and waved his hand. "Bring me the map."


    The servants hurried over with arge map andid it down on the table. The map was covered with small ck gs. Around each ck g were multiple grey gs. "Look, Your Highness, my lord. This is a map from this morning. ck gs mark the ces already upied by necromancers. Grey gs are their possible next moves. By now a lot of these grey gs are probably ck gs. This is the Transverse Mountains. Do you think you can break through the necromancers¡¯ line?"


    The part of Transverse Mountains in Maho Empire already had three ck gs and more than twenty grey ones. The gs hadpletely cut off any path through the mountains. The only way through was to fight. Augustus had made a decision, but he knew that it would be unlikely for those teams to survive the mission. However, the information those spies had was too important to be ignored.


    The generals did not want to go, nor did they want Christian to go. Augustus thought that neither Christian nor Anfey should go.


    Anfey stood up and walked around Christian. He stopped next to Augustus and whispered something to him. Augustus frowned, then shook his head. "You¡¯re too stubborn, my lord."


    "My team is the best candidate," Anfey said. "But I need your support, General Augustus."

 Chapter 329: Improvements

    Chapter 329: Improvements


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey and his group arrived back in the Country of Mercenaries around noon. Seeing the totally different scenery than what they remembered, Anfey could not help thinking of the word "devastated." He remembered that when they passed the Transverse Mountains previously, they could see merchant wagons and groups of mercenaries of different sizes. They saw none of them now, only a big road stretching far. Except for few rotting human and animal corpses, there was nothing else. Their surroundings were quiet. It seemed there were countless dangers waiting for them.


    Anfey turned back to look at the already anchored suspension bridge and highly secured city border, and then turned to look at Ernest. After the war broke out, all the magic crystals had been reserved for military use. Civilians were not allowed to use them. Of course, civilians did not include royalty. Their lives had not been affected too much, but they were just as scared other civilians. People had to get permission from Central Empire before they could use magic transmission portals. With help from Augustus, Anfey got in touch with Baery very fast. With Baery¡¯s influence and power, there was no question that Anfey would be allowed to use the magic transmission portal.


    In any event, Anfey did not waste any magic crystals. He had two good people, Ernest and ck Eleven. With Ernest in his group, the whole group¡¯s fighting ability was increased to a higher level. ck Eleven was very familiar with the Country of Mercenaries. He was a great counselor and the key forpleting missions in the Country of Mercenaries.


    Another person who could be even more valuable than ck Eleven was Entos. Unfortunately, he was building a magic transmission portal in Violet City that could not bepleted in a short period of time. It was very important to build an escape tunnel, especially when they were under the threat of death spirits.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s go," vi said quietly. With Ernest in the group, vi was very excited, since he felt safe with Ernest. He did not care for a peaceful life anyway. He badly wanted to showcase how he could perform in danger.


    "All of us will ride horses. You have to save some magic power. Don¡¯t use your levitation magic unless it is necessary," Anfey ordered.


    "Isn¡¯t it too dangerous to take this main road?" Christian frowned. Those rotting corpses showed that something had happened here before. The general at the city gate also told them death spirits had been wondering on the main road.


    "Dangerous? Those death spirits would be in danger if they met us," vi said with a weirdugh.


    "It will be fine," Anfey said casually. He easily jumped on the horse. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The trees in the forest about three hundred yards away started to shake all at once. Anfey¡¯s sensing ability got stronger and stronger. Previously, he had to be in the forest to order nts, but now he could perform it from a distance. The effects were almost the same. He could clearly sense everything around him, including those crawling ants and bugs. His telepathy had also improved. He could take in all the information without mixing them together.


    "Ok." Christian realized he was too cautious. With Ernest in the group, death spirits could barely post any threat to them.


    "Let¡¯s go!" Anfey yelled in a deep voice. The horse Anfey rode suddenly started to run ahead of everyone else.


    The main road was built through the Transverse Mountains. As its name implied, it had thick forest on both sides of the road. Except for Ernest and Suzanna, no one else noticed a gust of spirit constantly flowing out of the forest and covering Anfey and them. The horses they rode ran faster and faster to the point they felt they were as fast as lightning. The horses became much braver. They were not scared and ran over the corpses on the ground like nothing. They were almost as good as the blind-folded war horses cavalries rode.


    Rows of trees looked like green walls shing by. The extreme speeds had them excited. This sounded right, otherwise there would not have been so many racehorses in Anfey¡¯s previous world. Because they were so fast, Christian and vi had to use their magic shield and ck Eleven releasedbat power as well. By doing so, it allowed them breath better. The pressure did not affect them. They all felt proud as a result of the speed.


    vi was the most excited one. He was yelling at the horse and looked very excited. Christian and he had ridden horses before, but never with such freedom and speed. The speed of their horses was surpassing the maximum speed of regr war horses, almost a match for famous racing horses. ck Eleven seemed to notice something and kept checking his horse and the war horses following behind them.


    After running for dozens of miles, there seemed to be more death spirits, but with body parts missing. A few stronger ones tried to attack Anfey¡¯s group. vi had no opportunity to show off his pride and excitement. Seeing those zombies, he shot out a big fire ball first that hit a zombie¡¯s head.


    vi had never released magic on a fast running horse before, so he had no experience with it. As he released the big fire ball, the horse was still about 20 yards away from the zombie. He was about a dozen yards away when the fire ball hit the zombie. When the zombie turned into a cloud of me, vi felt he was running into the zombie with a lightning speed. He panicked. Luckily, the horse changed direction when it sensed the danger. Suzanna swung her sword at the zombie and knocked its head off. vi barely passed the ming zombie without touching it. He could even feel the heat of the me. It happened so fast that he broke into a cold sweat afterwards.


    "Bravo!" vi was shocked for a second before heughed crazily.


    Suzanna rolled her eyes at vi. She should not have helped him. Suzanna thought to herself, If vi could have hugged the zombie, he would have felt even better. Christian found it frustrating but funny at the same time. He yelled, "vi, you should be a beast, not a mage."


    vi did not even care. He shrugged and started to attack the death spirits on both sides of the road. This time he learned. He constantly changed direction. Death spirits turned into ming fire balls behind him one after another. vi¡¯s excited yells mixing with the screams from the struggling death spirts sounded horrible.


    Anfey could sense what was behind him, but could forget about it immediately after he sensed it. He had reached a level that he was not affected by this ability to connect with the nt world. The spirit of nature had constantly flown out and surrounded him. Every time Anfey breathed and his heart beat, he would take in decent amount of spirit of nature. This spirit was endless.


    As it was getting dark, Anfey saw a small vige between the mountains in the distance. He pulled in the reins. Anfey could sense that there were about eight zombies crawling around in the vige, even though he was still two hundred yards away from it. The zombies were missing body parts. It looked like they had terrible fights before they turned into zombies. They were dumped by the necromancers, just like the ones on the sides of the main road. Their speed had determined they could not keep up with the main stream of zombies on their long trip. They were just a burden to take on the road.


    "Anfey, are we staying here today?" Suzanna reined in the horse as she rode close to Anfey. Seeing everything in disarray, Suzanna knew there had definitely been an attack by death spirits. If possible, she did not want to stay here: it was too disturbing.


    Anfey shook his head. "No, we are staying in the forest." Now that he had the Heart of Nature, every decision seemed to be easy. In the blink of an eye, Anfey had found a couple of trees they could stay in. He picked the best one for them.


    "Is this the condition of the entire Country of Mercenaries?" Christian said, worriedly.


    "No, at least not in White Mountain City or ckwater City. The fighting ability of those four super mercenary groups should not be underestimated," Anfey said with a calming smile. "vi, it seems that you have vented pretty good on the road. There are still about eight zombies in the vige. Let them rest in peace."


    "Sure!" viughed. He jumped off the horse and strode to the border of the vige. He pped to try to draw the zombies¡¯ attention. In fact, he did not have to p to get their attention. The zombies had noticed him and crawled out. They crawled so slowly that vi did not see them until the pping started to hurt and he had to blow on his hands.


    "Come here,e!" vi moved a few steps back with a yful smile on his face.


    These low-level death spirits with missing parts did not have any intelligence. Besides following the orders of necromancers, their only concern was eating sh left. They crawled towards vi without any fear.


    As all the zombies crawled to an open field, vi released Swamp Magic followed by Dispel Magic. If Dispel Magic was used to dispel others¡¯ magic, it would greatly affect other mage¡¯s magic ability, telepathy and other factors. If it were to dispel his own magic, it was easy. As Swamp Magic had the hoped-for effect on the zombies, vi dispelled it. The result was half of the zombies¡¯ bodies were stuck under the ground while the other half was still above ground. They screamed and struggled but could not bring themselves out of it.


    Anfey¡¯s eyes brightened. Is this the strategy vi thought of? He did not only try to improve his fighting ability, he also thought about his own fighting style. Everyone had been trying hard and was constantly making progress.


    viughed proudly. He released another magic spell in slow motion. Firewalls came out right on those zombies. Their screaming sounded even worse. They still could not pull themselves out. There was disgusting smell in the air.


    "Beautiful!" Christianplimented vi. Firewall magic was not nothing great in itself, but what surprised him was the way vi used it.

 Chapter 330: Bizarre Zombies

    Chapter 330: Bizarre Zombies


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In ces that were upied by necromancers, the nights were quieter. Anfey chose arge tree as his team¡¯s resting site for the night. The tree was notfortable, but it was better to be off the ground and out of sight. No oneined, as they knew it was the best ce to camp.


    Suddenly, a dull red light appeared among the trees. At first it appeared as specks of light, then the specks began to increase until it was impossible to ignore the strange light. Anfey opened his eyes. The Heart of Nature had sensed that something was wrong in the forest.


    Anfey could tell that the red light was from eyes of the zombies. The zombies were marching through the trees at a surprisingly high speed. They were all looking around as if they were searching for something.


    "Ernest," Anfey said quietly. "You awake?"


    Ernest nodded. He was a master swordsman and could sense change in the environment better than anyone. "What are those?"


    "Zombies."


    Behind them, the others began to stir as well. After months on the run, everyone had developed a sensitivity to change in their surroundings.


    "Those are zombies? How is that possible?" vi asked quickly.


    "Wait!" Anfey said, shocked. One of the zombies suddenly raised its hand, stopping the others. The lead zombies had issued an order. This should only be possible among intelligent beings. These zombies could send and obey orders without the assistance of necromancers, which was thought to be impossible.


    "What is it?" vi asked.


    "They¡¯re acting strange," Anfey said. He took a deep breath and expanding the range of the Heart of Nature. He saw more zombies, but that was not the only thing he saw. There were two humans, a man and a woman, lying low in a bush. The zombies walked past them but did not discover them.


    Anfey focused on the two. The man slowly moved his hands in a strange pattern, and a ck line appeared in front of him. The line was made up of millions of strange ants. The ants swarmed towards one of the zombies and devoured it within seconds.


    The other zombies walked past the fallen one without stopping.


    The woman nodded at the man, who grinned widely. The other zombies walked past the corpse of the attacked zombie without noticing it. They were still looking around as if they were searching for something. The two humans must have known what they were doing, or else they wouldn¡¯t have been so bold.


    "What did you see?" Suzanna asked anxiously.


    "Nothing," Anfey said. "Christian, vi, stay here. ck Eleven, you should stay with them too. These zombies are acting too strange."


    The red lights were moving faster now. Anfey raised his hand and summoned wind element, forming it into arge broadsword. He jumped off of the tree andnded on the ground.


    The zombies were fast, but Anfey didn¡¯t think they would be difficult opponents. If the zombies really could defeat senior swordsmasters and master swordsmen, the necromancers would not hesitate tounch attacks on the major cities. The goal of the necromancers was to create a ce where they could freely practice their magic. The first step would be to destroy the existing civilization. The major cities were seen as the height of civilization. As long as those cities remained, the people had hope. The necromancers were avoiding battles with major armies because they knew it was not the right time.


    The zombies were fast, but Suzanna was faster. She summoned herbat power andunched into the zombies. Whenever she drew her sword, she would never reserve her strength.


    Anfey gripped his broadsword and jumped towards the zombies as well. He swept his broadsword through the zombies¡¯ ranks, leaving dozens dead with each sweep.


    Unlike Suzanna, Anfey only had one method of attacking. Every time he attacked, he would avoid ces like arms and torsos. Instead, he aimed for the zombies¡¯ necks, which were weakest part of their bodies.


    Sometimes, he would change his direction of attack mid-swing. It would appear that he was aiming for the creature¡¯s head, but his broadsword wouldnd on its neck. Sometimes, he would aim for a zombie¡¯s stomach but would jump over the zombie and take off its head. He was skilled enough that he could easilybine his sword skills with his use of the broadsword.


    There were about three hundred zombies present in the forest and no necromancer within a mile radius. Halfway through the battle, the zombies all turned to Suzanna. Dozens of zombies leapt at her at once. The light of Suzanna¡¯sbat power was very bright, but zombies blocked it with their bodies. Thest zombie to jump at her opened its mouth and reached out towards Suzanna with its sharp ws. The zombie¡¯s jaw was dislocated and its mouth was opened wide enough to swallow Suzanna¡¯s entire head. Dark smoke was emitting from the zombie¡¯s mouth.


    The zombie was clearly using magic, which was also impossible. It wasn¡¯t clear whether Suzanna¡¯sbat power could save her from this strange zombie magic. Anfey¡¯s grip on his broadsword tightened and he dashed towards the zombie. As the zombie¡¯s ws were almost touching Suzanna, Anfey jumped up and brought the sword down on the zombie¡¯s head. The head flew off and dark fluid sttered onto the ground. The zombies that came in contact with the fluid howled in pain and their bodies were burned by the dark fluid. Some of the burns on the zombies were so bad that stark white bones were easily visible through the wounds.


    Anfey had been keeping his eye on that zombie. He could tell it was the leader of the group after it issued on order. Even though it was much faster than the other zombies, it appeared to be more timid and avoided joining the fight. Anfey did not know what made this zombie special and did not want to kill it until he found out why it was different. He was forced to kill it because he did not want any harm toe to Suzanna.


    Suzanna bellowed and jumped into the air. Herbat power expanded and struck the zombies around her.


    Large chucks of rotting flesh and dark fluid sshed out. Anfey jumped back and quickly summoned a fire shield to avoiding into contact with the zombies¡¯ bodies. Then he hurried and hid behind arge tree to avoid more bloody parts of rotten flesh.


    The rest of the zombies became much slower after their leader¡¯s death. A bright sword radiance turned all the zombies into pieces.


    "Are there any necromancers here?" Ernest asked. He was hiding because he needed to take care of the hidden necromancers, though now it was apparent there weren¡¯t any around.


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "This is impossible," Ernest muttered under his breath. He scanned the remaining zombies and frowned.

 Chapter 331: Shadow Mercenary Group

    Chapter 331: Shadow Mercenary Group


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The battle quickly approached the end after Ernest joined. Zombies started to move very slowly after they lost their leader. Ernest randomly swung his sword like a farmer reaping. After every y, a group of zombies fell on the ground like a bunch of grain reaped off. Anfey held his gigantic machete knife upside down. His thoughts turned to a zombie hundreds of yards away from him. There were countless tiny ants crawling over that zombie while the zombie dried out in a visible speed and turned into a skeleton at the end.


    "Haven¡¯t you seen enough? Get out!" Anfey waved his hand and that machete knife turned into countless moving wind elements, disappearing in the air.


    The couple had crawled close to Anfey and hid themselves in the grass. They quietly watched Anfey. They moved very cautiously, but that did not escape Anfey¡¯s attention.


    "Anfey?" Ernest was shocked for a second. He did not notice anyone around him, but Anfey did not seem to be talking to him.


    The couple kept still in the grass. Obviously, they did not think Anfey could have found them. They thought Anfey was talking to someone else.


    Anfey had a smile on his face. He turned around and walked strode over to the grass where the couple hid. That couple kept still. It was admirable to see their strong belief in themselves.


    Anfey moved one step forward and stepped on the man¡¯s hand. He did not step on it too hard, but hard enough for that man to clinch his teeth to bare the pain. The man held his breath and took the pain. Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or cry. He lifted his left foot and paused above that man¡¯s head, posing to step on him.


    That man started to look like he was ready to face his death, like a hero who was ready to be killed for his cause. He slowly put his head down. He did not want to see himself being stomped. The woman seemed to understand what was happening. She unwillingly stood up from the grass. She really cared how she looked because she even tidied her hair and dress before she took a look at Anfey. "How did you find us?"


    Her appearance shocked Ernest for a second. He and Suzanna walked to her side, ready to defend themselves.


    "I found you guys a long time ago. Don¡¯t worry. We are not going to hurt you," Anfey said.


    "Okay then. We did not want to do anything to you either." The woman turned around and kicked the man¡¯s backside. "Get up! Why are you still lying there?"


    The man shook his hand and stood up. He said with a bitter face, "You fell for it! They were just bluffing us. If we could have waited a little longer, they would have left. No wonder what people say, women with big boobs have no brains. I think..."


    "Bullsh*t!" The woman got really angry. She hit the man¡¯s forehead hard. "Bluffing us? Why did he step on your hand then? If he was bluffing, why was he ready to step on your stupid head?"


    "Why are you hitting me?" the man cursed as he moved back.


    "I want to hit you!" The woman looked angry and tried to hit him as much as possible. The man did not seem to have good stamina and kept moving back.


    One was hitting while the other one was running away to avoid the hit. The couple had moved about 10 yards away from Anfey. They suddenly stopped fighting at the same time and ran to the left side of a big and thick ancient tree. The tree suddenly began to shake. Countless branches and leaves danced with the wind. They looked like they started to have life. It was weird that a wide crack suddenly appeared at the bottom of the tree trunk. From a distance, it looked like the tree had a pair of legs.


    The couple moved fast. They got close to the ancient tree in the blink of an eye. Ernest did not move, neither did Suzanna. They knew how much control Anfey had over nts. Just as they expected, as the couple was about to rush through the crack in the tree, Anfey pointed at the ancient the tree and the crack disappeared. The tree changed back to its original shape. Before the couple could react, they mmed into the trunk, fell on the ground and rolled together.


    As they got back to their feet, Anfey, Suzanna, and Ernest surrounded them. The couple could not hide their panic. They looked at each other for a while before the man yelled, "How could he be a druid?"


    "Bullsh*t, didn¡¯t you see him dismiss the tree spirit?" The woman was not happy about her partner¡¯s stupidity. She held her hand out again and hit his forehead.


    "How dare you hit me again?" the man yelled in anger.


    "Today I am going to ..." the woman said.


    "Stop it, the two of you. Stop your acting." Anfey had a headache and had to warn them. "Mypanions did not want to hurt you, but if you want to try to upset them again, go ahead."


    The couple became quiet, especially the woman. Her face changed from being angry to being gentle and sweet. She looked like she could be sweet one second and angry the next. That man was quiet for a while before he smiled and tried to please Anfey. "Master, did you say you did not mean to hurt us?"


    "That¡¯s correct," Anfey said with a nod.


    Christian and others walked over to them. ck Eleven suddenly asked, "Are you both druids? Are you from Shadow mercenary group?"


    "Shadow mercenary group?" Anfey said, turning to ck Eleven.


    ck Eleven smiled at Anfey. "Shadow mercenary group was well-known. I heard that the whole mercenary group wasposed of one couple. They are both druids. They have taken on difficult tasks that could not normally bepleted by two people, but they have never failed. However, their fighting ability is not what I would have expected." ck Eleven did not say it directly. He thought the couple from Shadow mercenary group had really high fighting ability, at least as high as a senior swordsmen, otherwise they would not be able toplete so many difficult tasks. If he had not seen them performing nature magic and working together as a couple, he would not think they were part of Shadow mercenary group.


    "In fact, they had a big group of assistants," Anfey said.


    "A big group of helpers?" ck Eleven asked in confusion.


    "How do you know?" The couple¡¯s faces changed and looked frigid. They did not feel good being forced to show their secret card.


    "Of course, I know about it. You¡¯d better control yourselves and not act on impulse." Anfey had seen countless ants crawling from all directions.


    "You know who we are, but we do not know about you yet. This is not fair to us," the man said slowly.


    "My name is Anfey."


    "Anfey?" The man was shocked for a second, then looked angry. "What do you want now? We have told you we are not going to join you."


    This time it was Anfey¡¯s turn to be shocked. "When did I ask you to join us?"


    The couple turned their heads to look at each other and smiled. What they wanted to say was not necessary anymore. That man said loudly, "Anfey, let¡¯s get directly to the point. We just do not want to join you. What are you going to do to us?"


    "I do not want to do anything to you. We are going back on the road at dawn. You can go wherever you want to as well," Anfey said with a nicer tone. Anfey could tell that couple had the intention to die fighting. The ants crawled toward them more quickly.


    "Would you let us go?" the man smirked.


    "I would never interfere with your freedom. I promise you for that, but I have to ask you a few questions first. When did I ask you to join us?"


    "You mailed notices to mercenary groups, saying all the mercenary groups should stop fighting on their own against the necromancer. You suggested mercenary groups fight together against the necromancers¡¯ invasion at this disastrous time. We trusted you..." The man snorted. He pulled his clothes down to show his tanned shoulder. There was a just formed scar on the shoulder. "This is the gift you gave me."


    "Did you say I asked the mercenary groups to join in unity to fight, and then I attacked you?" Anfey asked.


    "You asked us to form a big union, but we are not stupid. You wanted us to work our asses off for you. You tried to stop us from leaving Moramatch, but we left anyway," the woman said with disdain at Anfey¡¯s reaction. "Do not make me think a person who has attacked Griffin Aero Unit is actually a coward who could not admit what he did. What is the point of pretending you did not do it? Are you trying to lie to us again?"


    "Moramatch Town..." Anfey had a bitter smile. He got it. "Ok. I think you have told me what happened. You can leave now."


    That couple was shocked. They did not reply. They just walked away together. Of course, they watched Anfey out of the corner of their eye in case Anfey attacked them in surprise. In fact, they thought too much. If Ernest wanted to attack them, he could have killed them in a second.


    After they moved about a hundred yards away from Anfey, they stood among the ants. They were confused when they saw Anfey really did not stop them. They stood there with their eyes open wide. They whispered to each other.


    "Anfey, what happened?" Ernest asked quietly.


    "It is hard to exin. I do not know what exactly happened, but I know who did it," Anfey said bitterly. "Once we get to Moramatch, we will know for sure."

 Chapter 332: Important People

    Chapter 332: Important People


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Suzanna, Ernest, and Anfey killed the only zombies active in the area. Nothing disturbed them again during the night. When they were about to leave, ck Eleven spotted the two mercenaries from Shadow mercenary group approaching them. The two mercenaries were standing by the side of the road and looked as if they wanted to say something, but could not bring themselves to do so. "Find them some horses," Anfey instructed.


    ck Eleven brought two horses for the mercenaries but mounted silently. People enjoyed thepany of others, especially in times of great crisis. People would band together withplete strangers to achieve their goals. The mercenaries could easily conceal themselves, but spending time in a forest filled with creatures of death was hard. When they saw Ernest, they knew that it would be wise to team up with him. They left Moramatch because they had grown frustrated with the way things were run there, but they still needed friends.


    The group traveled deeper into the mountains. Transverse Mountains were already infested with creatures of death, and there were no travelers to be seen. Anfey stopped his horse and said, "Is there no one alive around here?"


    "No," one of the mercenaries said, shaking his head. "You are the first people we have seen in a week."


    "Where else did you go after you left Moramatch?"


    "We just kept heading west. We needed to reach Maho Empire. It¡¯s too dangerous anywhere else," Ling, the woman, said.


    "Why did you decide toe with us then?"


    "That¡¯s still our home. We want to protect it," the other mercenary said. She nced at Ernest and pursed her lips.


    "Did the creatures of death attack Moramatch?"


    "They did."


    "What happened?"


    "There are thousands of mercenaries in Moramatch right now. Those things didn¡¯t stand a chance."


    "How many mercenaries?" Christian interrupted.


    "At least a thousand. Maybe more."


    "How is that possible?"


    "Wasn¡¯t it you who said that all mercenaries should band together?" Long, the male mercenary, said, shaking his head.


    "I don¡¯t know what happened in Moramatch. Why would I lie to you about it? Even if the mercenaries should unite, they should rally around the four major mercenary groups."


    "Those people?" Long chuckled. "Glory and Thunder mercenary groups had already closed White Mountain City. ckwater is closed as well. Those outside can¡¯t get in, those inside can¡¯t get out. There¡¯s nowhere else to go."


    "Why would they do that?" Christian asked. "That makes no sense."


    "Why not? We¡¯re mercenaries, do you understand?"


    "What about mercenaries?"


    Long shook his head and turned away his gaze. The woman sighed and said, "All the farmers living in Country of Mercenaries fled. All of our food was bought from merchants and peddlers."


    "Are there no supplies stored in White Mountain and ckwater City?"


    "There are, but not enough to supply the entire nation for a long time."


    "What about Moramatch?" Anfey asked.


    "Are you asking me what¡¯s happening in your city?" Ling asked, amused.


    Anfey frowned. He did not know what Alice had done after he left. She summoned more than a thousand mercenaries to Moramatch, which could be a good thing if she had enough food supplies. This had nothing to do with personal conflicts. This was a matter of life and death. Anfey would do the same thing if he was in her ce. But she shouldn¡¯t have been so strict. The different mercenaries groups were working together towards the same goal, but that did not mean they were the same group. It would take time for those mercenaries to trust each other and start working together as a group. Alice should know this.


    Suddenly, a shrill scream broke the silence of the forest. Anfey frowned and looked around with the Heart of Nature. He quickly found the source of the disturbance. He pointed to his right and turned to Suzanna. "There¡¯s someone fighting a zombie over there. vi, go with her."


    vi levitated into the air and disappeared into the trees. Suzanna summoned herbat power and disappeared after him.


    "How did you know there¡¯s a fight?" Ling asked, narrowing her eyes.


    "That¡¯s my secret," Anfey said with a smile.


    After a few tense minutes, Suzanna and vi appeared through the trees, supporting a wounded mercenary between them. The mercenary¡¯s head was hanging low and his long hair obscured his face. He was stumbling and his shirt was bloodstained.


    "Be careful!" Ling screamed suddenly. "He¡¯s already contaminated."


    Suzanna and vi dropped the mercenary and jumped aside. Suzanna drew her sword and swept it across the man¡¯s torso. A deep gush appeared on the man¡¯s body and he stumbled to the ground.


    The time was nearing noon and the sun was high in the sky. As soon as sunlight touched the man¡¯s body, he screamed in agony. Dark smoke rose from where the light touched his body. Anfey frowned. He jumped off of his horse and marched over to where the man had fallen and crouched down next to him.


    The man¡¯s body was covered withrge warts that quickly broke open. Fine dust rose from the man¡¯s body and dispersed in the wind. As more warts appeared and disappeared, the mercenary¡¯s body became smaller and smaller until finally he was nothing more than a ckened corpse.


    "I thought zombies could survive under sunlight," Anfey said, turning to the two mercenaries from Shadow mercenary group. "Why did this one die?"


    "You think we would know?"


    "Well, at least we know that there won¡¯t be any new zombies," Christian said.


    "Did you guys see any necromancers on the way?" Anfey asked.


    "Once."


    "Just once?"


    "Yes."


    "Strange..."


    "Those things have their own leaders as well," the male mercenary said. "They¡¯re weird. They¡¯re stronger than normal zombies and faster. Those leaders can use magic and are intelligent."


    "We noticed that too," Anfey said. "Clearly the zombies are still scared of sunlight when they first transform. What changed?"


    "Maybe the necromancers discovered new magic,"


    "I think so too," Ling said. "Those leaders aren¡¯t afraid of Priests, either. They aren¡¯t at all effected by light magic."


    "The Priests must be confused," Anfey said.


    "I¡¯m not fond of the Priests, but they are our greatest weapons," Long said. "Light magic is more effective than forbidden spells when ites to fighting necromancers."


    "That¡¯s not our worry right now," Anfey said, mounting his horse again. "I need to know what¡¯s happening at Moramatch."


    Long and Ling looked at Anfey frowning. Clearly, Anfey did not know that the mercenaries were flocking to Moramatch to seek help and protection from him, not Alice.

 Chapter 333: Jagged Roses

    Chapter 333: Jagged Roses


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Travelling for seven days in a row, Anfey and his group had seen so many death spirits. At first Anfey tried to uphold justice, killing all the zombies they saw. When the number of zombies they killed had reached a thousand, they were all tired, not physically, but mentally. vi had been more excited than others about killing zombies, but now he did not even want to kill zombies unless they posed a threat to him. He sluggishly shot out magic at a zombie when it posed a threat to him.


    Their natures had changed little by little with the constant killing. Christian and vi had changed the most. vi, for instance, after he killed a group of zombies, liked to quietly look at the zombies as his achievements, although his achievements were just rotting corpses, not at all pleasant to look at. After releasing the magic, he would rush a group of struggling zombies, as casually as if he was just shaking the dirt off his clothes.


    This kind of aloofness towards organisms only happened after many killings. Even though death spirits were special, it was undeniable they were one kind of organism, especially transformed from humans.


    After killing for a long time, killing was not killing anymore. It was a way to express their desire. "Kill" definitely showed negativity, but it was neutral. It did not show whether a person killed for good or bad.


    Before dusk, Anfey ran up a hill. He always had a good memory. He saw the Town of Moramatch from the hill. He had been away from Moramatch for a while and was prepared to see some changes. However, he was still shocked when he saw Moramatch from a distance.


    It was not a small and quiet town anymore. It looked more like a military fort. A row of 20-yard tall thick wood poles around the town functioned as a fence. There were hooks with iron teeth on them as well. Of course, only Anfey was able to see these smaller things. His vision was way better than regr people. Even Master Swordsman Ernest admitted his vision was not as good as Anfey¡¯s.


    There were people on top of the fence. Some stayed in one ce and looked like they were on watch. Some walked back and forth. They were the patrols. The town itself looked busy. Besides the original houses made with stone and dirt, there were camp sites with tents. People looked like busy ants from a distance. It almost looked like a big and popted city.


    There was a tall pointed tower in the center of the town, about 80 yards high. A few people in mage gowns walked back and forth on the top of the tower. At 80 yards tall, the top of the tower should be really windy. However, it did not seem that way, since Anfey could not clearly see the hair on those mages moving.


    "What is that?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "It¡¯s a Mage Tower," Lon answered.


    "They built a Mage Tower?" Anfey thought it was unbelievable.


    "How could you not know about it?" Lon asked.


    The guards on the Mage Tower noticed the people on the hill. There was the re of horns from the town.


    "Uncle Ernest, it would not be fun if you scare them," Anfey said slowly.


    "Are you saying..." Ernest smiled.


    "There must be something wrong with Moramatch. Instead of scaring them and giving them time to hide everything, I¡¯d rather have them believe that they could aplish whatever they wanted to. It is just easier for us to figure it out."


    "Sure," Ernest agreed casually. The sharpness on him had gradually disappeared. He did not look as powerful as before. Ernest just looked like a regr person now.


    Anfey kicked his boots into the horse to signal the horse to run down the hill. The rest of the group hurriedly followed after Anfey. Anfey quickly approached the fence. Someone on the other side suddenly yelled, "Stop there!" Before he finished speaking, an arrow shot out and fell a dozen of yards ahead of Anfey, while the tail of the arrow kept shaking.


    Anfey coldly looked up at the people on the other side of the fence. He was upset, since he had stopped right there. As he was thinking whether he wanted to break through the fence by force, another familiar voice rose, "Is that Master Anfey? Oh, my god. You are finally back. Open the door, hurry up!"


    "We cannot open the door without Master Manlyn¡¯s permission," a guard said.


    "F*ck you. Do you know I can kill you right now if you not open the door. Open it. I will take all the responsibility," the familiar voice said.


    Moramatch¡¯s gate slowly opened as a dozen of people walked out. Anfey looked at the person walking in the front. He hesitantly asked, "Are you Ozzic?"


    "It is me, Master." Ozzic kneeled to Anfey. He said respectfully, "Master, wee back." Over a dozen of people behind Ozzic were shocked for a second before they also took a kneeled down to Anfey.


    "Please stand up, stand up." Anfey immediately jumped off the horse. He strode over and held Ozzic up. He watched Ozzic¡¯s face at the same time. He felt weird that Ozzic showed so much respect to him. When Shansa Empire had invaded, Ozzic had called other mercenary groups together to try to take back control of Transverse Mountain. They even wanted to take over Moramatch from Anfey, but they were kicked out by Anfey. They were attacked by Annunciata¡¯s death spirits afterwards. Anfey and Suzanna saved them. Back then, Ozzic had reacted strangely. Anfey did not know if he felt awkward being saved by Anfey or upset because he realized the difference between reality and ambition. They hadn¡¯t seen each other since.


    Ozzic lifted his head and saw the couple from Shadow mercenary group. He was shocked for a second and asked, "Why are you guys back?"


    "Master Ozzic, thank you for helping usst time." Long and Ling got off their horses at the same time. They sincerely bowed toward Ozzic. They looked so grateful for what ozzic had done for them.


    "I would be happy if you do not me me for that," Ozzic said bitterly. "I did not have other options. I had to follow the orders and stop you."


    "We know," Long said with a smile.


    "Whose order? Alice¡¯s order?" Anfey looked serious.


    "Master Alice would never give such an order." Ozzic shook his head. "It was the order from Manlyn. Right now he is the master of the Moramatch. Darn it. What am I talking about!" he said with a chuckle. "Master you are back. That guy will need to go now." Ozzic carefully watched Anfey after he said it.


    "Manlyn. Who is he?" Anfey felt relieved first, since Alice had not done anything wrong, but got worried again. Alice was sophisticated. How could she give away her authority to someone else? Was it because Manlyn was so powerful that Alice had to listen to him? But with such an enormous underground city, Alice should not have acted so weak.


    "Manlyn is themander of Jagged Roses mercenary group. Jagged Manlyn and Rose Shinb. They are both senior swordsmen. They are a couple too," ck Eleven walked up from behind and answered Anfey¡¯s question.


    "But this rose is going to wither," Ozzic said with a smile.


    "Why?" Anfey asked.


    "To please Master Alice, Manlyn has been keeping Shinb in jail," Ozzic said.


    "There is a jail?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "Of course. Manlyn was really interested in jails. After he got to Moramatch, the first thing he did was to build a jail," Ozzic said.


    "Did Alice try to stop him? Jagged Roses mercenary group seemed very powerful," Anfey said calmly.


    "Indeed. They have lost some people in the fight with death spirits, but the rest of the mercenary group was better than all of our oldpanions together," Ozzic said.


    "Oldpanions?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, Orsie and others are here," Ozzic said. "Master, you came back at the right time. Manlyn has been after Master Alice for a while. Unfortunately, Master Alice did not like him. If you did note back soon, I don¡¯t think Master Alice could hold out any longer. I heard from the people in Jagged Roses mercenary group that Manlyn nned to have a wedding with Master Alice soon."


    "Did Manlyn force Alice?" Anfey asked.


    "No, Manlyn has been very respectful to Master Alice," Ozzic said.


    "Ok, let¡¯s go inside and talk." Anfey said slowly. He strode inside and saw two mercenaries in full armor getting out of a tent. A hand tried to grab them as they got out. The two mercenaries looked angry. They turned around and kicked people in the tent. A woman¡¯s screaming came from the tent.


    "What are they doing?" Anfey asked.


    "They are the mercenaries in Jagged Roses. They are used to bullying everyone. This is nothing," Ozzic said.


    "Ozzic, I did not see you being bullied by anyone before. Even you are no match for Manlyn. I thought you would at least choose to leave Moramatch," Anfey said.


    "Mypanions and I all knew you are the real master in Moramatch. Master Alice has assured us that you would definitelye back," Ozzic said.


    "What do you want to do now that I am back?" Anfey asked.


    "Well, we will do whatever you ask us to do," Ozzic said.


    "Is there anyone else close to Manlyn?" Anfey asked.


    "People in the jail are mercenaries from other groups. Everyone hates Manlyn so much, but we have no other good options or ce to go. We have to listen to him. If something happened to Manlyn, no one would help him." Ozzic knew how cruel Anfey could be. After hearing what Anfey said, he seemed to know what was going to happen.


    They suddenly heard someone yelling in front of them. "Ozzic, without Master Manlyn¡¯s permission, you cannot open the door. Do you want to die?" A group of mercenaries rushed over.

 Chapter 334: Dependent

    Chapter 334: Dependent


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Ozzic did not respond to the question. Instead, he turned and nced at Anfey. This was a decision he must make since he arrived at Moramatch. However, it wasn¡¯t a hard one considering Anfey¡¯s connections. Anfey once fought alongside nbrea and Bruzuryano and helped them defeat the necromancer Annunciata. He was a student of Archmage Saul and was close with people like Baery, Miorich, and Steger. He even had a master swordsman with him.


    Ozzic and his men trusted Anfey more as well. They had offended him once before, but Anfey did not hold it against them and saved their lives. This showed that Anfey was a trustworthy person. Ozzic knew that he would not risk his life to save someone who once threatened him. Manlyn, on the other hand, was clearly a selfish person. Nothing good woulde from allying with him.


    Ozzic had decided who he would ally himself with. He knew that Manlyn could not keep on acting like he was the ruler of the town. This was why he endured the unfair treatment instead of rebelling against Manlyn.


    Anfey nodded at Ozzic. Ozzic turned to the mercenaries and bellowed, "Who do you think you are? You aren¡¯t important enough to be giving me orders."


    The mercenaries all stopped in their tracks and stared at Ozzic, surprised. They had never heard Ozzic yell at anyone. The leader of the group of mercenaries red at Ozzie and turned to Anfey. When a quiet man like Ozzic suddenly be fearless, it meant that he felt protected. "Who are you?" the man asked. "Which mercenary group do you belong to?"


    "I¡¯ve seen a lot of fools, but never one as foolish as you," Ozzic spat. "This is Count Anfey, the real owner of this town. He doesn¡¯t need your permission toe here."


    The mercenaries all murmured to each other. Anfey didn¡¯t want to be too famous, but it wasn¡¯t up to him. He had made a name for himself after he destroyed a griffin aerial squadron and foiled the necromancers¡¯ n. He was almost as famous as Scarlet from Shansa Empire. Because most people aremoners and Anfey himself was amoner, most people still preferred to talk about one of their own instead of Scarlet, who was from a royal family.


    The mercenary that just asked Anfey who he was took a few steps back. Anfey might be a dangerous person, but he should be smart enough to know that now was not the time to cause a fight between mercenaries. The mercenaries trusted Manlyn, who rarely made mistakes. He did not understand why Anfey was there, but he wasn¡¯t as worried as he would be otherwise.


    "Move out of the way," Ozzic growled.


    The mercenaries nced at Anfey and turned to leave.


    "Wait," Anfey said.


    The mercenaries ignored him and kept leaving.


    "Christian," Anfey turned and said, "can you stop them?"


    Christian looked around and nodded. "No problem," he said.


    "Suzanna, vi, take care of the mages over on the towers."


    "They¡¯re my men, my lord," Ozzic said hurriedly.


    "Good," Anfey said with a smile. "Easier for us."


    The mercenaries were gathering around, leaving arge, empty spot in the street. Most of the mercenaries around them were Ozzic¡¯s men or mercenaries who were unsatisfied with Manlyn¡¯s way of doing things. Seeing that someone was finally standing up to Manlyn¡¯s people, they were all very excited and wanted to help. Mercenaries lived in danger and did notck the will to fight. All they needed was someone to stand up for them. Christian whispered a spell and raised his wand into the air. Arge magic barrier appeared, covering all the mercenaries.


    Last time they left Sacred City, they only brought the most important things with them. Learning magic did not require wands, so none of Saul¡¯s students had one. This time, the mages were armed from head to toe. Christian had the advantage of being a prince and had ess to weapons that normally were off limits. Now, this barrier he created could contain not only sound, but also magic andbat power surges.


    Anfey jumped up the moment the barrier formed. His right hand was concealed by a turquoise glove, a wedding gift from Bruzuryano. The glove could increase his ability to gather wind element and increase the power of wind des. Anfey already could gather elements very quickly. With the help of the glove, he was almost as good as Christian. He found his bow in his dimensional ring and made an arrow from wind elements. He then drew the bowstring back and sent the arrow flying towards the mercenaries. He made two more arrows and sent those into the group of mercenaries as well.


    The arrows flew at the mercenaries at an incredible speed. The three arrows found three separate targets and disappeared as those mercenaries fell into the ground. He nocked the fourth arrow but did not let it loose. Instead, it was Suzanna whounched into the group of mercenaries. Her sword swept through them, leaving a dozen dead with just one stroke. The difference in power was too great and the mercenaries did not even see hering. They did not stand a chance.


    Ozzic watched in shock. He thought that Anfey would spent some more time preparing instead of straight up ughtering these men.


    Suzanna jumped away from the mercenaries and returned her sword to its sheath. With her sword out of sight, she resumed her guise of gentleness once more. It was hard to imagine that she was the same woman who had just ughtered a dozen men in cold blood.


    Suzanna stood on the other side of the magic barrier and watched the mercenaries inside, with no expression on her face. A few mercenaries were walking around the corner and were shocked by the presence of the barrier.


    "Anfey," Christian called softly.


    "Ozzic, can you take care of this?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, my lord," Ozzic said. He was d that he made the right choice. If he had chosen to ally himself with Manlyn, surely Anfey and his people would go after him next.


    "Are there are other Jagged Rose mercenaries here?"


    "No, my lord. They are all in the houses near the center of town."


    "There¡¯s two here!" someone in the crowd called.


    The mercenaries around them automatically cleared away, revealing two men on the ground, writhing in pain.


    "Ye?" Anfey said quietly.


    "Wee back, my lords," Ye said, bowing. In a world of chaos, the best thing a man can do was to find a powerful man he could befriend. Anfey was the only option avable.


    Ozzic frowned. He remembered the two Jagged Rose mercenaries. He thought they had already left. He was angry that Ye stole the spotlight, but he knew that without Ye¡¯s assistance, the two mercenaries could tip off the others, and he was grateful for that.


    Most of the mercenaries present were Ozzic¡¯s men, and they all remembered Anfey. The others, however, did not know who Anfey was. They were d someone was standing up to Manlyn¡¯s men, but did not understand the implications. They did know who Ye was and that Anfey must be an important man.

 Chapter 335: Playing

    Chapter 335: ying


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Commander Ozzic did not fool around. His order was short but made sense. The mages on the mage tower had already seen the signal, but they did not do anything about it. Ye stood at the exit of Moramatch with over a dozen of mercenaries. They did not stop anyoneing in, but no one was allowed to get out. The new mercenaries were under Ozzic¡¯s control as well. Motley crews were asked to go back to their tents under Ozzic¡¯s order. Only those loyal to Ozzic were in charge of everything.


    When everything was set up, Ozzic walked next to Anfey and said quietly, "Lady Alice is in a meeting now, Master. Manlyn should be there too. Do you want to go over there now?"


    Anfey shook his head. "No, I need go to see someone first."


    "Who are you going to see?" Ozzic asked.


    "A woman named Shinbe. How is the security at the jail? Can you get us inside?" Anfey said slowly.


    "Well..." Ozzic looked like he did not know how to answer the question. "Master, it is pretty hard to take you to the jail. Except for those loyal to Manlyn, no one else can even get close to the jail. Master, can you think of a different n, or at least we need have a detailed n."


    Anfey shook his head. "I do not need to think anything up. As long as you can show us where the jail is, I can handle the rest." He was not worried at all, since he was a lot stronger than his opponent. He went quiet for a while. He did not think about how to handle Manlyn, but with the bow in his hand. He had grown attached to it, like it was part of him. It seemed like the bow had feelings as well. He suddenly remembered the day when he applied extra force to pull the bow and his finger was cut by the bowstring. His blood had soaked into the bowstring. At that time, when Anfey saw Suzanna was caught by nbrea, he was too angry and worried that he did not pay attention to the bow. He had not practiced archery since then, so he only noticed the changes now.


    "Let¡¯s give it a try," Ozzic said, scratching his head, "but, Master, you should be ready for the fight, since you mighte into conflict with them at any time."


    "Sure," Anfey said. "Suzanna, can you wear your senior swordswoman badge?" Anfey put on his earl badge as well. Suddenly he looked quite different. He walked with pride. He looked arrogant and frivolous, a total makeover of a wealthy yboy. Anfey¡¯s act should get great reviews. The way he looked and behaved without saying anything totally showed a wealthy yboy.


    After passing a street corner ahead of them, they were officially in Moramatch. They saw more mercenaries as they walked further into the city. Those mercenaries stopped when they saw Anfey and his group. Only a few of them looked excited, since they recognized Anfey. Most mercenaries whispered to each other, trying to guess who Anfey was, or they just stopped walking to take a look at Anfey and his group.


    "Is the jail behind that fence?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "Yes," Ozzic answered, looking around nervously. They were getting close to the foot of the mountain, which had the highest security under Manlyn¡¯s order. There were a few mercenaries from Jagged Rose mercenary group, but the badges Anfey and Suzanna wore tricked many people. In the Country of Mercenaries, there were not many earls. Mercenaries could have money, powers and fighting ability, but would not be epted as royalty. There were not many senior swordsmen either. Few senior swordsmen enjoyed fame in the Country of Mercenaries. No one wanted to have conflict with a mysterious and powerful fighter, so they all stepped back into the shadows, even though they had just been walking around like they owned the ce.


    "Not many guards here." His unusual vision was very convenient for Anfey. Ozzic was only able to see as far as the fence, while Anfey already knew how many people were patrolling inside the fence.


    "I do not know. I have never been here before," Ozzic said.


    As they talked, they had approached the fence. There was a crack in the wooden door in the front. Three mercenaries walked out. They acted like they did not see Ozzic. They allid their eyes on Anfey. They sensed something different about Anfey. Mercenaries travelled a lot and were pretty knowledgeable. They saw many people like Anfey in big cities. They could only stay away from them, trying not to have any conflict with them, otherwise they would find themselves in trouble.


    "Master, this is a restricted ce. You..." a guard said.


    Anfey looked beyond those mercenaries, and looked absentmindedly up at the sky. He hooked his finger to signal Suzanna toe over. Suzanna acted like the most obedient maid, walking one step forward and tossing a handful of gold coins at the guards. Anfey said sluggishly, "This is your reward. You are wee. Open the door and let us in."


    The guards stared, wide-eyed, not at gold coins, but at Suzanna. They had seen senior swordsmen. Their twomanders were influential top powers, but they had never seen them ordering a senor swordswomen like a maid. They had seen nothing like this.


    "Master, without the permission from Master Manlyn, no outsider is allowed in," a mercenary said politely.


    "Oh?" Anfey finallyid his eyes on those mercenaries. He looked ssy-eyed. "Which outsider are you talking about? Manlyn¡¯s order? Do you think I have to follow that Manlyn¡¯s order here?"


    "That Manlyn" definitely did not sound nice. The mercenaries became angry, but dared not show it on their faces. If a person could treat his own senior swordswoman as a maid, he might be able to look down upon theirmanders. They looked at each other and then at Ozzic, hoping to find some answer from him. Unfortunately, Ozzic had already moved to the side and bowed respectfully. They could not even see his face.


    "Master, we cannot go against Master Manlyn¡¯s orders." The mercenaries felt terrified, but they had to follow orders. They still blocked the entrance with their bodies.


    "Let¡¯s put it this way. I am the brother of Alice. Right now Alice has agreed to marry that Manlyn. I would not interfere with Alice in her decision, but I have to make sure Alice is going to have a good life. Do you understand?"


    The mercenaries looked at each other. They looked excited and happy. "You are the brother of Alice, but..." Theirmander definitely had good eyes. They did not know Lady Alice had such a powerful family background, which also meant they could rely on them and not worry about that Anfeye back and cause trouble.


    "What don¡¯t you understand?" Anfey asked impatiently. "I have to make sure that my sister is going to have a good life so I have to take care of any potential threats. I heard Manlyn used to have a good rtionship with Shinbe. If Alice agreed to this marriage, then how could I allow Shinbe to continue living?"


    There were about eight mercenaries on the other side of the fence. Anfey yed them hard. At first, they were shocked when they saw Anfey, a powerful person, suddenly came here. Later they felt excited when they realized Anfey was one of them. They were startled when Anfey said he wanted to kill Shinbe. Theirmander was cruel. He only put Shinbe in jail, but Anfey wanted to kill her. They wondered if all powers were like this¡ªnever thinking others¡¯ lives were important, not even their beautiful and powerful vicemander, Shinbe.


    The mercenaries were so disturbed and confused that they lost their ability to think. They muttered, but could note up with a word.


    "Master, we..." One mercenary finally said something, but he looked like he was about to cry.


    "Ok, ok. I do not want to give you a hard time. I am going in." Anfey waved his hand. The mercenaries felt so relieved, but before they could thank Anfey, he said, "You guys go in now. Cut off Shinbe¡¯s head for me. I will leave after that."


    They were again startled by what Anfey said. The grateful look they had disyed suddenly froze on their faces. This was too much to take! They wondered what kind of person Anfey was and why he changed his mind so fast and in such a unpredictable way. They could not cut off Shinbe¡¯s head. Commander Manlyn would tear them into pieces.


    "You cannot do this either?" Anfey¡¯s face changed. He looked cold and ready to kill people. He said, threateningly, "Is it because Manlyn wants to protect Shinbe? It has to be like that. I did not want to interfere with Alice¡¯s decision, but I am changing my mind now. To be frank, I did not want Alice to marry a mercenary anyway. Manlyn does not deserve my sister."


    "Master, it is not like that," a mercenary yelled bitterly. If this bigshot really wanted to change his mind and stop the marriage of Alice and theirmander, themander would tear them to pieces as well. No matter what, it did not look like they would survive their punishment.


    "Let¡¯s go." Anfey coldly nced at that mercenary. He did not want to negotiate any more. "Ozzic, take me to Alice and that stupid Manlyn. How could he say sweet things to Alice but protect his ex at the same time. He is not allowed to stay here anymore. Hmm... Do you think you can handle Manlyn?" Anfey looked at Ernest.


    Ernest was shocked for a second before he said with a smile, "Master, I am a top power. Manlyn is nothing more than an ant. I will take care of him."


    Ernest grabbed his sword shaft, a gust ofbat power shing like a string of liquid.


    Seeing a top power among Anfey¡¯s subordinates, the mercenaries froze. As they saw Anfey turning around to walk away, one of the mercenaries who had some sense left made a decision fast. If it was not okay to interfere with themander¡¯s wedding, or kill Shinbe. They only had one option left: to allow the earl to kill Shinbe himself. They would only be punished for a misdemeanor if they allowed Anfey in. After theirmander married Alice, it would be unknown whether they would get punished for that. It would be better than going against Anfey.


    The mercenary pushed the wood door open firmly and yelled, "Master, hold on, hold on..."

 Chapter 336: Hatred

    Chapter 336: Hatred


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey stopped and turned around, frowning. "My lord," Ozzic said hurriedly. "They didn¡¯t do it on purpose. No one wanted to disobey Lord Manlyn."


    "Yes, yes," the other mercenary nodded in agreement. He nced at Ozzic and mouthed a thank you.


    A dozen other mercenaries appeared at the door. There were four mages and a magister among them. They were hiding in the dark, but the mercenary had been very loud when he was talking to Anfey, and they heard the entire conversation. They didn¡¯t want to interfere. Even if Manlyn and Anfey got into a fight, it was still their personal problem. The mercenaries didn¡¯t want to offend either side in this conflict.


    "My lord, Shinbe¡¯s cell is on the first floor. I¡¯ll take you there," the magister said with a pleasant smile.


    "Good," Anfey said with a rxed voice.


    Anfey followed the mercenaries out of the prison. The heavy gate shut behind them. The mercenaries gathering around were still curious about what was going on and began discussing these strangers. They were too far away and couldn¡¯t hear the conversation. Some thought Anfey was another mercenary, and others thought he was an associate of the Church. The mercenaries didn¡¯t know why Priests would be interested in the prison, but they didn¡¯t care.


    Shinbe had fallen from grace, but she was still the former deputy leader of a mercenary group and had not been tortured. Her cell was much cleaner than the others. She was tied to a pir and was chained. Shinbe did not lift her head to look at Anfey.


    Anfey looked at the chains. The chains didn¡¯t look like anything special, but the inside was lined with sharp spikes. The spikes were buried in Shinbe¡¯s ankles.


    "What are these?"


    "Those are biting cuffs, my lord," the magister said. "She is a senior swordsmaster, my lord. We can¡¯t let her escape. These cuffs can control her. If she wants to usebat power, the cuffs will contract. Even a senior swordsmaster can¡¯t do anything if she loses her limbs."


    "She has it on her hands as well?" Anfey asked. The magister nodded.


    "It¡¯s our responsibility to take care of her," the magister said. "It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry."


    "Interesting," Anfey said. He reached towards the cuffs.


    "Don¡¯t touch it!" the magister hurried to stop him.


    "Why?"


    The magister sighed at his own imprudence. They were about to execute Shinbe anyway, and it did not matter if she died in that cell. "The cuffs are very sensitive, my lord," he said. "They may activate."


    "I didn¡¯t know Manlyn could make stuff like this. Tell me make a few for me too."


    "This is made by the goblins and the dwarves," the magister said hesitantly, "by the order of Lady Alice. Lord Manlyn was surprised as well when he first saw it."


    "Alice? Where did she learn this?" Anfey asked, frowning.


    The magister licked his lips. The first time he saw this device, he was terrified by it. He heard that Alice was unsatisfied with it and wanted to improve it. She wanted the goblins and dwarves to remake it so it could be activated by magic surges as well. He had never imagined a woman as beautiful as Alice could be that cruel.


    "I know you¡¯re awake," Anfey said.


    Shinbe looked up and stared at Anfey with her brown eyes.


    Anfey frowned when he saw dozens of small holes on her neck, pierced by the spikes on the inside of the cuffs. She had to lift her head slowly so she wouldn¡¯t activate the cuffs and open the wounds.


    "Is there anything you want to say?"


    "What are you?" Shinbe asked.


    "This is Lady Alice¡¯s brother," the magister said. "Lady Alice had agreed to marry Manlyn." The magister clearly felt bad for Shinbe and wanted her to die knowing what had happened.


    "I see," Shinbe said. She sighed and closed her eyes.


    "You don¡¯t have anything to say?" Anfey asked gently.


    "I want to live," Shinbe whispered.


    "That¡¯s too much to ask," Anfey said. He touched the cuff softly. He wanted to test how sensitive the cuffs could be.


    "Is it now?" Shinbe asked, smiling. She opened her eyes and stared at Anfey. "Take my hands and my feet, I don¡¯t care. Let me go and I owe you. What can I do without my hands and feet? I pose no threat to you."


    "That¡¯s quite a price to pay," Anfey said. "You¡¯re strong."


    "I want to see Manlyn die," Shinbe said. She spat on the ground. Betrayal leaves deep wounds, especially when the one who betrayed her was the man she thought she could trust with her life.


    "Manlyn won¡¯t die," Anfey said. "I will protect him if he marries my sister." The mercenaries in the room all rxed when he said that. Anfey agreed to protect Manlyn, which meant that he would protect the mercenaries working for Manlyn. Jagged Rose mercenary group may be one of the best, but they had lost a lot of men in the recent battle.


    "Really?" Shinbe asked, unconvinced. "Alice will marry Manlyn?"


    "Of course," Anfey said.


    "Alice may be charming and gentle, but we are both women, and I can tell what she thinks of him. No woman would marry a man they regard with disdain."


    "I don¡¯t like Manlyn either and I don¡¯t approve of her choice," Anfey said. "But I can¡¯t tell her how to feel. Maybe something about Manlyn convinced Alice that he¡¯s a good man. Like sincerity."


    The mercenaries in the room murmured to each other. After Manlyn arrived at Moramatch, he instantly fell in love with Alice and began to pursue her. He would take care of things Alice didn¡¯t like and arrest anyone Alice didn¡¯t like. He attacked the creatures of death because of Alice said she wanted the necromancers to see how powerful their opponent was on a whim, causing death of another two hundred mercenaries. He was clearly very sincere.


    "Sincerity?" Shinbe repeated. "Fine, sincere. I¡¯m willing to trade my hands and my feet for a chance to live. Is that not sincerity? If you let me live, I will do anything to repay you."


    "Anything?" Anfey frowned and drew his hand back. He pulled Shinbe¡¯s hair back and stared into her eyes. "Anything?"


    "Yes, anything."


    Anfey took a few steps back and took a deep breath.


    "I¡¯ll talk to Alice about it," Anfey said. He turned to the magister and said, "Stay here and keep an eye on her. Make sure no harmes to her. Wait for me toe back."


    "Yes, my lord."


    "You don¡¯t have a lot of guards here," Anfey said as he left the room. "Are you not worried about break-ins?"


    "No, my lord. No one is allowed here except for you and Lord Manlyn. This ce is under constant surveince."


    "Eye of the Sky?"


    "Yes, my lord."


    "Good," Anfey said. He turned to Suzanna and waved his hand. "Come, let¡¯s go find Alice."

 Chapter 337: Insult? Be Grateful!

    Chapter 337: Insult? Be Grateful!


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    There were over a dozen of mercenary groupmanders gathering in a big room in the center of Moramatch. They were discussing something. Facing the threat of death spirits, they had to develop specific rules, procedures and ns for possible battles. For example, they needed to figure out who would be organizing all the mercenaries and giving out instructions. It definitely would not work if they still wanted to fight as a mercenary group when they were in danger, because they were not just facing death spirits, but also a terrifying army.


    The most important issue was to organize all the mages in different mercenary groups into a powerful mage group, so they could powerful attack, provide support, and advance. Mostmanders realized it was necessary to make changes, otherwise Moramatch would not hold out another few days. In the conflict between their personal interests and national interests, they were not so sure what to do. The leader of the mage group would definitely not be any of them. Manlyn would take that role, but thosemanders were not willing to give up their interests.


    Very few people in history had been able to give up their own benefits for the national interest, so simr meetings had been held many times, but nothing was achieved. Manlyn had been aggressive at the conference, but he had to hold his temper and force himself to put up with something he did not want to do on these sensitive issues, otherwise he could have a riot.


    Alice sat back on the main chair. She yed with a little knife with an almost unnoticeable smile. Sometimes she looked like she was smirking, but when they took a closer look, there was no smirk on her face. When they turned away, they could sense those smirksing back to Alice¡¯s face. This uncertainty made Alice even more mysterious. These mercenary groupmanders were cautious with Alice, since they were newbies in Moramatch and had no idea how much power Alice had.


    At the conference, Alice rarely gave her opinions. Maybe because of her attitude, themanders were able to drag out the meeting. Unfortunately, Alice seemed like she only cared about showing off her sweetness and beauty, to the point where she appeared to show zero interest in the meeting, even when Moramatch was in serious danger.


    A guy was walking around the round table, giving a passionate speech, but it was not Manlyn. Manlyn knew he could not push it too hard. When Moramatch was in danger again, it would be the best time to discuss who could lead the mage group. He was tired of wasting time at the conference, so he had only sent his assistant here.


    Manlyn had previously said everything he wanted to say. The new vicemander of Jagged Roses mercenary group, Nibison, turned and looked helplessly at Alice. He wished to get some help from Alice, but he also knew Alice would not give him any help. After the first conference with themanders in other mercenary groups to call for a change, Manlyn had asked for Alice¡¯s help. Alice only casually told him that it would be too disappointing if he was not even able to handle a conference. After that, Master Manlyn never asked Lady Alice again for help. He would rather get to where he wanted slower instead of having Lady Alice look down upon him.


    It was getting dark. A gnome walked in and lit up the candles on both sides of the room. The gnome must have felt that it was not bright enough. He pulled the gadget on the wall. The magic Ever-Lasting light on the roof lit up. A warm white light rid the room of its gloomy feeling.


    Alice¡¯s face became rigid for a second but turned to look sweet again, like nothing had happened. Only the most observant people could notice the tips of her fingers turning pale as she gripped the knife tighter.


    Alice had an amazing memory. To better control Moramatch, she had made a series ofplicated codes. She liked to leave the signals at the most obvious ces. Giving looks, clearing her throat, whispering, passing pieces of paper were too simple and could cause trouble. The codes Alice created allowed everyone to see, but they would have no idea that she was sending coded messages. They would not be able to find anything wrong with what they saw. Even when she took a walk in Moramatch, a gnome or dwarf quickly walking by could pass her enough information. Alice was far from knowing about everything that happened in the world, but she indeed could know everything in Moramatch.


    The magic Ever-Lasting light was a signal light. The one big light in the center with eight lights on the sides all meant something different when it was lit up. Some meant a new mercenary group came to Moramatch, some meant there was a conflict in the town, and some meant Alice needed to do something in person. This time, the big light in the center of the room was lit up. It had never been lit up since it was installed.


    "What are you hesitating for?" Nibison yelled. "Are you guys going to wake up only after seeing blood?" He could not help yelling at them. These guys had been quiet for too long. They were so annoying. Next time death spirits attacked Moramatch, he would not mind feeding them to the death spirits.


    Suddenly, there was someone yelling, "Who are you? You..." Suddenly they could not hear that person¡¯s voice anymore.


    The door was pushed open. Anfey walked in with Suzanna next to him. A group of people slowly walked in. The smile on Alice¡¯s face got even bigger and more beautiful. She stood up elegantly, lifting her dress with her hands and bowing to Anfey. She looked like the humblest maid meeting her the most admirable master.


    Themander of Warme Mercenary group, Orsie, themander of Wuming Mercenary group, Tiger, and Elizabeth were all shocked for a moment before they all stood up and bowed to Anfey. This sent themanders of other mercenary groups into chaos. They stood up and greeted Anfey as well.


    It was hard to have a person standing alone to show any leadership. The red roses needed the green leaves as background. Rainbows needed the blue sky as background. With enough followers, a stupid person could receive a lot of respect, even though it could be an illusion. However, Anfey did get it.


    At that moment, Anfey not only received attention in the conference room, but also respect from Alice, Orsie, Tiger and other influentialmanders of mercenary groups. Anfey looked powerful. His poker face made him look very sophisticated. Whether or not they knew Anfey, they all looked at him.


    Anfey walked around the round table, as Alice had motioned to him to take her seat. Anfey smiled and slowly sat down. "Everyone, please take a seat."


    "Thank you, master."


    "Thank you, master."


    The first thank you was from Orsie, Tiger and Elizabeth together, while the rest of themanders followed them and said the second thank you. Going along with the crowd should not be criticized, because that was a move of self-protection. It was usually safe to be on the side of the majority.


    "Alice, you have done a lot," Anfey said calmly. It was not easy to understand what he really meant from his opening speech.


    "Thank you for yourpliment. It was my honor." Alice had a really sweet smile on her face. She looked even more beautiful.


    "We will talkter." Anfeyid his eyes on Nibison, who had stayed still for a while. "Is he Manlyn?"


    "Master Manlyn is still in his room, resting. This is the vicemander of Jagged Roses mercenary group, Master Nibison," Alice said.


    Nibison¡¯s head was spinning. He thought this unexpected guest should be Anfey, but it could not be Anfey. With the information they had, Anfey did not know Orsie and other mercenary groupmanders well. Even if themander of No. 1 mercenary group, Anthony, came, he would not cause such a scene. Who the hell was this guy? The only thing that made him feel relieved was that Lady Alice was still polite to them. Maybe things were not as bad as he thought.


    "Are you Nibison? Please take a seat." Anfey pointed at a chair.


    "You are..." Nibison said slowly. He sounded polite.


    "My name is Anfey," Anfey answered directly.


    Nibison¡¯s face became rigid for a second. He started to look very aggressive, even fierce. He took a deep breath. "Master, we are in a meeting now. I hope you could wait outside for a while. That way you would not disturb our meeting."


    Nibison knew his excuses were ridiculous, but he had no other excuses to press on Anfey. This was exactly what he did not want to see happen. He did not get why Orsie and others showed so much respect to Anfey. He had been assistant to Manlyn for a while and was very experienced in this kind of asions. He knew he could not look weak in front of Anfey, otherwise he would not have any control of Anfeyter on.


    "Alice, do I have the right to be in this meeting?" Anfey smiled.


    "You are the real master of Moramatch. You can be anywhere you want, even in my bedroom," Alice said respectfully.


    "Did you hear that?" Anfey casted a sidelong nce at Nibison.


    "Lady Alice, can you give me an exnation?" Nibison had fire in his eyes. He stared at Alice with anger. Anfey¡¯s appearance did not hit him that hard, but Alice¡¯s attitude did. What Commander Manlyn did was nothing to her. She was a liar.


    "You are very funny. If Alice has to exin, she is exining to me. Who do you think you are?" Anfey looked mad.


    "Master, are you insulting me now?" Nibison fearlessly moved one step forward as he stared at Anfey. He heard Anfey was just a pdin and did not have much fighting power. If something bad happened, he was pretty sure he could beat Anfey. However, he forgot one thing, that is, the source of his information.


    "If I only want to insult you, you should be grateful. Unfortunately..." Anfey showed his intention to kill him already.

 Chapter 338: Dashed

    Chapter 338: Dashed


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Everyone could feel the tension between Anfey and Nibison. Nibison swallowed and did not move. He wanted to strike first to establish himself as a force that could not be ignored. If he could overpower Anfey, he would be in control of the situation.


    Nibison raised his sword, but before he could do anything, a bright sh of sword radiance struck his sword and shattered it. Nibison was only three paces away from Anfey, but Ernest was more than ten paces away. He managed to shatter Nibison¡¯s sword with just one strike.


    Nibison froze, ignoring the pain ring from his wrist. Not only Nibison, but the other mercenaries were shocked as well. Nibison wasn¡¯t very powerful, but he was still an intermediate swordsmaster. Only a master swordsman could instantly disable an intermediate swordsmaster like Nibison. How did someone like Anfey make a master swordsman work for him?


    Nibison growled and lunged at Anfey.


    Ernest returned his sword to its sheath. He knew Anfey well and wasn¡¯t worried. If Nibison had a sword, Anfey would not be able to defeat him. However, Nibison was no match for Anfey when it came to hand-to-handbat.


    Anfey stood there, waiting for Nibison. He seems rxed and did not raise his arm to defend himself. Nibison lunged, grabbing Anfey¡¯s shoulders. As Nibison tightened his grips, Anfey stepped forward. The two were close enough that Nibison¡¯s line of vision was blocked. Nibison stared at Anfey¡¯s face, trying to decide what his next move would be.


    Anfey looked at Nibison, then lifted his right knee and mmed it into Nibison¡¯s jaw. The strike broke through Nibison¡¯sbat power. Nibison gasped. His head was thrown back, his jawbone shattered. His eyes widened and his body curled up in pain.


    As Nibison fell to the ground, Anfey lifted his leg and kicked the man again in the stomach.


    Nibison flew backwards and crashed into the ground. He struggled to get up, spitting out blood and broken teeth.


    Anfey jumped over, grabbed Nibison¡¯s head, and mmed it into a table nearby. As Nibison¡¯s body mmed into the table, therge, wooden structure broke with a loud crash. Blood sttered onto the nearby mercenaries. Nibisony on the broken table, his body twitching a few times, then became still.


    The mercenaries narrowed their eyes and stared at Anfey. They did not like him, but they did like their lives and were not nning on dying today.


    Anfey took a few steps back and nced at the mercenaries, trying to read their expression. He wiped a few drops of blood off of his face and clicked his tongue. He had no problem with killing, but he did not like the feeling of blood on him.


    Alice found a small handkerchief and handed it to him. Anfey epted it with a smile and wiped the blood from his hands. "Orsie, Tiger, are your men ready for battle?"


    "Of course, my lord," Orsie said, pushing himself up from his chair.


    "We¡¯ve been waiting for this day," Tiger agreed.


    "Good," Anfey said. "I¡¯ll be waiting."


    Orsie, Tiger, and Elizabeth all nodded to him and walked out of the room. Anfey nced at the other mercenaries and frowned. "Are you just going to sit here?"


    "Of course not," one of the mercenaries said, getting up.


    The other mercenaries quickly followed suit. Within a few seconds, all the mercenaries were on their feet and moring.


    "Good," Anfey said. "You¡¯re eager to work. Don¡¯t let me down."


    The mercenaries streamed out of the room, eager to get away.


    After all the mercenaries were gone, the focus of the room turned to Alice. She was wearing a white gown, clearly overdressed for a meeting with mercenaries.


    "Do we need people following them?" Anfey asked.


    "No," Alice said with a shrug. "No one likes Manlyn, I promise you that." Alice smiled. She was acting very natural, as if the entire room¡¯s attention was not on her.


    "Of course," Anfey said. "I trust your judgement."


    Alice narrowed her eyes and nced at Anfey, then she sighed and turned away. A few momentster, arge man in armor walked into the meeting room.


    Anfey took a deep breath but did not say anything. He already knew that Kumaraghosha must have be an ally of Alice¡¯s. They were both from Shansa Empire, and both had been betrayed by it. They had too much inmon for them not to be friends. If Kumaraghosha did not serve Alice, he would not serve anyone else.


    Kumaraghosha saw Anfey and frowned. Alice reached over and tugged at his shirt. Kumaraghosha sighed. "My lord," he said with a small nod.


    "Are you not surprised?" Anfey asked.


    Kumaraghosha shrugged. He wasn¡¯t a bootlicker. Trying to ingratiate himself with Anfey would be going against his personality and his values. He had ability to lead but was not good at currying favor. If he was good at it, he at least would be a general by now, not abandoned and betrayed by his own nation.


    He didn¡¯t want to say anything and didn¡¯t need to. After he left Shansa Empire, he headed straight to Moramatch. He wanted closure and knew he would get it there. After he met Alice, however, he realized that he had been wrong.


    So what if he died at Moramatch? It wouldn¡¯t make those who condemned him feel guilty. It wouldn¡¯t bring punishment to Mintel. It wouldn¡¯t clear his name. It would only make those who betrayed him d that he would never be able to speak the truth.


    If no one was willing to listen to his story, he would use his sword to show his enemies that they were wrong in condemning him. Revenge would be so sweet. If he manage to kill all those that had wronged him, he would be at peace. If he failed, he would die. But he did not care about death anymore.


    It was Alice who talked some sense into Kumaraghosha. She managed to show him that now was not the time for revenge. He pledged himself to Alice, which led to him saluting Anfey. But he would not serve Anfey unless it was Alice¡¯smand.


    Anfey looked at the man for a few moments, then turned his eyes away. "Ozzic," he said. "Take your people to the prison. If they won¡¯t let you in, force your way in."


    "My lord, Shinbe..."


    "I trust that she is smart enough to realize who am I once she gets the news of revolts in the city," Anfey said. "She won¡¯t work against us."


    "I¡¯m asking what I should do if the guards use Shinbe as leverage," Ozzic said. He could tell that Anfey was interested in Shinbe and did not want anything to happen to her before he could talk to her.


    "I wouldn¡¯t worry about that," Anfey said. "Shinbe is the deputy leader of their mercenary group and is a senior swordsmaster. I doubt they would do anything to threaten her life."


    "But what if?" Ozzic asked.


    "Then I guess it was not meant to be," Anfey said.


    Ozzic nodded. He stood and quickly left the room with his men.


    "Alice," Anfey said. "Take me to Manlyn. I need to talk to him."


    "Kumaraghosha can do that for you."


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I need to go meet him myself."

 Chapter 339: Fate

    Chapter 339: Fate


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Mercenaries had their own fighting styles. They cooperated, but loosely. They had a main fighting force, but the formation of the army not strictly set. Generally speaking, there was only very rough coordination of their fighting styles. It was just because of this rough structure that they were able to react fast to situations. When there was someone calling for help, the rest of mercenaries would join the fight immediately. It was easy for them to figure out who the enemies were.


    When Ozzic took some of his guys to the jail, the town was already in chaos. People were yelling and screaming everywhere. Ozzic was a bit worried and sped to the jail. He found the jail door locked, and the guards had disappeared.


    Since they had openly offended Manlyn, the fence could not stop them. Ozzic and his men pushed down the fence in the blink of an eye. After they rushed into the jail, they saw the jail guards had retreated to an empty cell in fighting formation. There was a vanguard in the very front of the group.


    The cuffs on Shinb¡¯s neck and ankles were taken off, showing her bruised skin. A gigantic sword, glowing cold light, was stuck in the ground in front of Shinb. That sword seemed to be the weapon Shinb had been using. Shinb did not have any emotion showing on her face. She slowly moved her hands and feet and rotated her ankles. She was a senior swordswoman, but her muscles had be rigid after being tied up for a long time. It would take her some time to get herself back to normal.


    Seeing this, Ozzic could not help feeling worried. He had taken only 30 people with him to the jail. They would be able to handle those guards and take control of the jail. However, with Shinb there, in addition to taking control of the jail, they would be lucky if they could walk out of the jail safely. Ozzic was only an intermediate swordsman. Ye did note, since he had been given another assignment. The big difference in fighting ability between Ozzic and Shinbe could not be made up with more people on Ozzic¡¯s side.


    Shinbe suddenlyid her eyes on Ozzic. She was quiet for a second before she said coldly, "Are you ready?"


    Ozzic moved one step back and pulled his sword out backhanded. He pointed at Shinb from a distance, as he was still nervously nning how to fight with her.


    "Then let¡¯s start," Shinb murmured before Ozzic could respond. A glowingbat power radiated from her. She pulled the gigantic sword out from the ground backhanded. It felt like the whole jail was under strong pressure.


    A mage behind Ozzic was so nervous that he shot out a wind de at Shinbe. Shinbe did not seem to see it. She just raised her sword, turned around, and rushed towards the group of jail guards with a yell. Her yell was so loud and wild that she sounded that she had gone crazy. She simply let the wind de shoot her in the back. A small wind de could not cause any damage to Shinbe¡¯sbat power. The wind de rapidly turned into moving elements.


    The group of jail guards looked terrified. They never thought Shinbe would want to kill them. Before they could even react to her attack, Shinb had broken their formation. The blood sttered. Like Shinb, Suzanna was a senior swordswoman. Suzanna was fast, swift, and flexible, but Shinbe was more about power. She used less strategy but more power. Her sword skills looked even more masculine than Ernest¡¯s. With the extra-long, heavy gigantic sword and intensebat power, Shinbe had turned herself into a killing machine. Every time when she swung her sword, she killed a few jail guards.


    A junior magister across from Shinbe shot out two big fireballs in a row at her. If it were Suzanna, she would not have let the fireballs hit her, but Shinbe swung at the fireballs and shattered them with a loud yell. This might be because she had built up so much hatred, almost to the point that she was almost crazy. Fireballs were explosive: after being shattered by thebat power, their explosion intensified. They looked like the fire mes a mage could shoot. Shinbe was covered with fire. The fire had a radius of about eight yards. It swallowed both Shinbe and that junior magister.


    Ozzic¡¯s cheeks twitched. He wanted to help Shinb, but was scared away by her roaring. He decided to wait and see what happened. It proved wise; otherwise he and his subordinates would have been swallowed by the fire as well.


    The fire sea finally disappeared. Unlike Shinb, everyone of the jail guards was on the ground. The junior magister wasying against the corner of the walls. His head was vertically cut in half and both parts fell sideways. The cut was deep down to the jaw. The stic of the muscle allowed the two halves of the head to shake slightly. The head looked like red, white, and yellow paint was dripping down the jaw.


    Seeing this sight, Ozzic wanted to throw up. He barely could talk, "Are you ok?"


    Shinbe gave Ozzic a cold look and did not respond. She swung her sword again forcefully and broke a hole on the back wall of the cell. She jumped through the hole.


    "This woman is crazy," Ozzic sighed as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.


    Mercenaries were not politicians, but they knew how to maximize their benefits. No matter whether they worked for Anfey previously or just now showed their loyalty to him, they all acted in the same way; that is, they sent their capable assistants to lead arge group of people to kill the mercenaries from Jagged Roses mercenary group while they took a few of their loyal forces to attack Manlyn. They knew whoever could kill Manlyn would receive the biggest rewards.


    When Anfey reached Manlyn¡¯s house, the fight was at its peak. More than 20 intermediate swordsmen surrounded Manlyn. Elizabeth and few other good mages hid in the distance, constantly releasing Dying and Gravity magic spells and other effective spells. Previously, it would not have been a problem for Manlyn to fight a few intermediate swordsmen. Now there were too many attacking him and, in addition, the mages were trying to affect his fighting ability. Manlyn was in a very disadvantageous situation. He was wounded all over his muscr body. One of his legs was hurt and he could not move well.


    As Anfey quietly watched all this, he took out his bow from the dimensional ring. He put the wind intensified glove on his right hand. It was inevitable to have some conflict among mercenaries. Anfey did not want to see major casualties, since he needed these mercenaries to fight against the death spirits.


    Manlyn was a very experienced warrior. He had already sensed Anfey pulling his bow as soon as it happened. He looked beyond the crowd at Anfey, like a fierce lion.


    "Hurry up, kill him," Alice yelled worriedly.


    Anfey was shocked for a second. He should have let the arrow fly at Manlyn. However, he had his suspicions about Alice. Her nervousness had made him think twice whether Alice might have been leading some conspiracy against Manlyn, so Alice wanted Manlyn die quickly.


    Alice was shocked when she saw Anfey putting his bow down. Her face turned pale and she looked away.


    "Anfey, do you dare to take my challenge?" Manly asked in a thunderous yell.


    "Stupid." Anfey had a smirk on his face. He never did anything on impulse. He definitely had control of the situation. Why would he want to fight Manlyn one on one. Anfey wanted to see whether Alice had done anything that meant he should keep Manly alive. Anfey was about to give orders, but realized the situation was getting bad. The intermediate swordsmen all unwillingly stepped back. Manlyn stopped his attacking and proudly stood there with his sword.


    What had happened? Anfey could not believe what he saw. He did not pay attention to the customs of Country of Mercenaries. Powerful people could receive high honors, even powerful opponents. It was reasonable to have a fight to see which one was more powerful. No one would think it was inappropriate. Of course, the challenges could be turned down.


    Suzanna put her hand on the sword handle and moved one step forward. Anfey held his hand out and stopped Suzanna. He saw the expectations in the other mercenaries¡¯ eyes. He thought for a second and realized what he could gain and lose in this situation. No one else could fight for Anfey, otherwise Anfey would have a bad reputation.


    "Anfey?" Suzanna looked worried.


    "I am alright." Anfey smiled and strode towards Manlyn. In fact, he knew this fight was not fair. Manlyn was like a trapped beast. He was not even scared of paying with his life, since he knew he was doomed. Anfey was not asmitted to the fight as Manlyn, but this fight was inevitable.


    After walking two steps forward, Anfey suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Alice. Alice refused to look at him. She watched them distantly.


    "What are you hesitating for?" Manlyn yelled again. He looked so excited that his face was twisted. After being attacked by a group of mercenaries and finding out Alice had betrayed him, he had already felt desperate. He did not think he would get thisst chance. It would be a good ending to be able to die together with Anfey.


    "Thank God, you are still alive!" Another more excited and sharp voice rose. A person in covered in blood stepped into the center of the battle. She ignored everyone, butid her eyes on Manlyn. "Come on, Manlyn, like a real man. Let¡¯s fight."


    "Shinbe..." After seeing Shinbe, Manlyn looked like he was going to lose control. His face was twitching, and his eyes were filled with panic, regret and much sadness.


    "I have been disappointed in you for the past few days, Manlyn. I hope you can leave me with onest good impression." Shinbe slowly raised her sword, smirking.


    Manlyn moved one step back. He avoided Shinbe¡¯s look of hatred. He looked at Alice, and suddenly yelled, "Alice, tell me, why, why?"


    Alice looked at Manlyn with disdain, then at other mercenaries in the field, and finallyid her eyes on Anfey. She turned around and walked away. She did not even care to givie Manlyn an answer. In fact, her answer was clear. Manlyn did not deserve her, or deserve her answer.

 Chapter 340: Truth

    Chapter 340: Truth


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The fight between Manlyn and Shinbe ended quickly. Even though Shinbe had been imprisoned for weeks and was very weak, she was fueled by rage and hatred. Manlyn could face Anfey in a fight, but he couldn¡¯t face Shinbe because of his guilt. A few minutes after the fight began, he was struck by Shinbe¡¯s great sword.


    Maybe out of guilt, Manlyn did not resist. If he had, he might have been able to defeat Shinbe. Shinbe¡¯s tactic was powerful, but easy to block. Manlyn, however, did not take advantage of her mistakes. Before he died, he stared at her with sorrow in his eyes.


    After Manlyn¡¯s death, the quarrel in Moramatch calmed down. Except for a few remaining rebels, most of the mercenaries chose to surrender. For most mercenaries, there was no conflict that could not be solved. They saw what had happened and there was no need to resist.


    Anfey became the de facto leader. He had experience governing a hundred people, but there were at least a thousand mercenaries gathered in Moramatch. Taking care of the mess Manlyn left was exhausting. Even though Christian and vi were there to assist him, it took almost an entire day take care of everything.


    Ozzic told him that Alice had not not busied herself with taking care of the town, but nevertheless the town was running smoothly. Even Manlyn¡¯s arrival had not effected it much. Ozzic¡¯s words reminded Anfey that he needed to speak to Alice. When he had first met Manlyn, Alice asked him to kill Manlyn for her. Anfey was doubtful then. If it had been another person, perhaps he could lie to her, but he knew that Alice would see through his lie. Anfey was still uncertain about what position he should give Alice. He needed to talk to her to decide whether he was going to trust her or take her power away.


    Ozzic led Anfey to Alice¡¯s house. He spotted only two guards in the yard. They looked like formally trained soldiers. Anfey thought they must be Kumaraghosha¡¯s men. The guards saw Anfey and did not stop him.


    Anfey hesitated for a moment then knocked on the door. He waved his hand at Ozzic, who bowed and quickly left.


    "Come in," Alice said.


    Anfey pushed open the door and walked into the room. Alice¡¯s room had simple furnishing. There were a table, a bed, a bookshelf with a few books, and two chairs. Anfey closed the door behind him carefully. He was surprised by the simplicity of Alice¡¯s room.


    "I¡¯m not surprised that you came," Alice said softly. She should have gotten up and greet him as a hostess, but she kept lying on her bed and did not move. Her tone was cordial, butcked the respect she held for him before.


    "You knew I wasing?" Anfey asked, sitting down on one of the chairs.


    Alice nodded slowly.


    "You had to think about that question before answering?"


    "A lot of trouble can been avoided if we think before we talk."


    "From what I¡¯ve gathered, you¡¯re not one to shy away from trouble."


    Alice shrugged. "Some troubles are necessary," she said.


    Anfey sat back in his chair and stared at her. "Alice," he said after a few moments of silence, "I know you and you know me. We aren¡¯t impulsive people. We don¡¯t have to act like this."


    "I don¡¯t understand you."


    "You do and I know you do," Anfey said. "What are you trying to show? That you¡¯re childish and impulsive? Or are you telling me that I should feel guilty for not believing you?"


    Alice narrowed her eyes but did not say anything.


    "I think we need to talk, don¡¯t you? Or else we won¡¯t understand each other. We can even turn on each other. Who knows? Tell me honestly. Why did you announce that I¡¯m gathering an army?"


    "Don¡¯t you think this is a precious opportunity?" Alice asked quietly. "Necromancers are threatening the entire world, but the four major mercenary groups turned their backs on their people. Our offer is practically a beacon in the darkness for these people. Normally, you can have ten towns like Moramatch, and you¡¯re still not the best."


    "I don¡¯t care who¡¯s best," Anfey said. "You know why those mercenary groups refused to help. You know why you don¡¯t have the resources to support all these mercenaries."


    "I know."


    "Then how do you propose we solve this? Where are you going to get food?" Anfey asked. "How many mercenaries are in this country? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? What will you do if all of theme here? The necromancers don¡¯t even need to attack us. All they need to do is surround us and we will all be dead in a week."


    Alice looked at him, amused. "I admit you are a smart man," she said with a grin, "but clearly you are severelycking in certain areas."


    Anfey sighed. He was worried because he knew exactly how cunning and brilliant Alice was. "Don¡¯t interrupt me," he said. "Tell me, how are you going to solve this?"


    "You are overestimating yourself," Alice said with a shrug. "Don¡¯t forget, you aren¡¯t the best. You aren¡¯t even close. You¡¯re second-rate, at best. How many mercenaries did you think our announcement would attract? Did you really think even the four super mercenary groups wille?"


    "Watch your tone," Anfey said coldly.


    Alice chuckled and shook her head. "There are only four super mercenary groups, but there are more than fifty first-rate mercenary groups. The only one willing toe here is Jagged Rose. All the others here are second-rate at best."


    "It is still more trouble than we can handle. What are you going to do about refugees?"


    "We aren¡¯t taking useless people," Alice said. "We have our examiner right outside our walls, don¡¯t we?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "The necromancers have control of Transverse Mountains and are pushing their way into the country. A battle with the necromancers is inevitable if someone wants to reach Moramatch. The mercenaries that arrived here are the survivors. They are experienced and ready to fight. Refugees won¡¯t make it this far." Alice paused and smiled. "We are increasing strength without lifting a finger. Tell me, am I wrong?"


    Anfey felt a sudden chill looking at Alice¡¯s smile. He could picture groups of hopeful mercenaries and refugees being ughtered by zombies and necromancers. He did not know what kind of a person Alice was before, but her experience in the Country of Mercenaries clearly changed her. But Anfey must admit that only people like Alice could survive in a time such as this.


    "I counted. There are about two thousand mercenaries here. How are you feeding them?"


    "I never do things I am not prepared for."


    Anfey nodded and stared at Alice, who stared back at him. After a few tense moments, Anfey sighed and said, "We¡¯ll talk about thister. I want to talk about Manlyn. He¡¯s not someone who would fall for a trap that easily. What did you do to make him trust you so much?"


    "He knew who I was."


    "What?"


    "He had visited Shansa Empire before."


    "You two knew each other?"


    "He knows of me," Alice corrected him. "I have no memories of him."


    Anfey nodded. A princess would never waste her time with the leader of a mercenary group. "And then?"


    Alice licked her lips and said calmly, "He kept trying to insert himself in my group of confidants. He respected me, even more so than Ozzic and the others. I gave him some power to keep him interested."


    "Didn¡¯t you realize how ambitious he was?"


    "Do you take me for a fool?" Alice asked with a smile. "Manlyn was ambitious, but he was not a good actor. We all knew what he wanted." Alice sighed and continued, "He wanted power. He wanted me. Of course, I could use that to my advantage."


    "Don¡¯t forget that I gave you Moramatch," Anfey said.


    "I thought you would understand," Alice said softly. "It seems like you still do not understand my n."


    "I¡¯m waiting for an exnation," Anfey said. He was good at reading people, but Alice was a politician and she knew how to conceal her emotions. He needed to speak to her honestly so he could understand her.

 Chapter 341: Differentiate

    Chapter 341: Differentiate


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "We are not phnthropists," Alice said slowly. "Moramatch is not a ce they cane and leave as they wish. If Moramatch had provided them safety, they should have contributed something for Moramatch. I wanted them to join us from the very beginning. People will never hear the names of some mercenary groups anymore, including Jagged Rose, Warme and Wuming. I did not specifically say it, but I think those mercenary groupmanders had prepared for the future."


    "Manlyn knew what you were thinking and that was why he did that?" Anfey asked.


    "Without me telling you, you can tell he is very ambitious," Alice said.


    "I know what you are thinking now, but do you think we can do it?" Anfey said. "I met the couple of Shadow mercenary group on the way here. I can tell they did not like you and Manlyn. Not everyone would work for you."


    "What did they tell you?" Alice asked.


    "They said Manlyn wanted them to work their asses for him," Anfey said.


    "They felt embarrassed to tell you the truth. I knew what happened to them. Nibison thought Ling was beautiful and tried to flirt with her. They could not stand it anymore, so they tried to escape from Moramatch." Seeing Anfey did not want to look like he was interrogating her and just wanted to discuss the issues, Alice finally smiled. "Shadow mercenary group only had two of them. What else could they lose? Even if they had something to lose, it would be nothingpared with othermanders."


    "Are you sure they would not fight against us?" Anfey asked.


    "I cannot guarantee you that, but I think you can totally solve these small conflicts," Alice said with a smile. "Master, when you came back, how did Ozzic treat you?"


    "He weed me warmly. He was very respectful as well," Anfey said.


    "Manlyn had talked about reforming the mercenaries, but Ozzic never agreed with him. They were firmly against Manlyn on that. If you propose the same issue, what do you think they would do?" Alice asked.


    "I do not know." Anfey was quiet for a moment, then said, "I saved them before, but they could take it or leave it. Now they want to be on my side only because I am more powerful than Manlyn. If they could find someone more powerful than meter on, I am not sure what they would do."


    "You are wrong. I think they would 100% support you even if you wanted to mix all the mercenaries together and do a total reorganization," Alice said.


    "Don¡¯t you think you are a little too confident?" Anfey asked.


    "No, you are too cautious and think of people in a bad way, just like..." Alice suddenly stopped. She switched the topic. "Master, if you had a precious item you got from your family, and you had to sell it because you were in a very difficult situation, wouldn¡¯t you find someone and try to sell it to him?"


    "Like what? Just like I have been suspecting you?" Anfey shook his head and smiled. "No. I have to find the best guy to sell it to because it was such a precious thing for me."


    "They could only sell their mercenary groups once as well, but Manlyn was not the best guy," Alice said.


    "I have given a lot of thought to what you said, but..." Anfey said.


    "Are you worrying about their loyalty?" Alice heaved a sigh. "You do not have to worry about it. There is maliciouspetition among mercenaries, but they have their own justice, much more trustworthy than those royalty who only know how to kiss ass and bully weak ones. Even if you took away their positionter, as long as you give them hope, they would not betray you. In fact, I should congratte you right now since you already have a group of loyal subordinates."


    "I feel Kumaraghosha is more trustworthy," Anfey said.


    Alice was shocked for a second and said slowly, "Master, I can promise you, at some point Kumaraghosha would betray you, just as I would not."


    Anfey chuckled. "I trust you, otherwise I would note to talk to you." Anfey¡¯s smile looked even more sincere than Alice¡¯s. His eyes were even more clear. In fact, he was still not so sure about Alice when he walked into her room. If Alice could not give him a reasonable answer, this could have been a totally different situation.


    "Master, do you know Kumaraghosha? I feel you are very interested in him," Alice said.


    "After the conflict with him at Moramatch, I sent people to investigate him. He is an honorable and capable general. If he had better opportunity to show off his capability, he would have be like Baery in Shansa Empire." Anfey sighed. "It is so unfortunate that the people he has worked for have such a deep bias against him, while the people who appreciate him could not have him."


    Alice grinned. "I feel much better now."


    Kumaraghosha and a few other soldiers were quietly listening to Anfey and Alice¡¯s conversation a few yards away from Alice¡¯s room. There was an iron tube wrapped with vines in front of Kumaraghosha, with which he could hear the conversation between Alice and Anfey. The sound was weak, but loud enough to understand what they were talking about. Kumaraghosha did not think Anfey thought so highly of him. Baery enjoyed such fame, while he only shared simr fame with themander of Dark Moon mercenary group, Newyoheim, in Ellisen Empire. They both represented two ever-victorious generals in two empires. However, Kumaraghosha had gotten used to being criticized as a traitor some time ago. What Anfey said made him so excited that he unconsciously pulled the vine off and pinched it.


    "What made you feel better?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "I did not n on having you contact Kumaraghosha because I was afraid you would not trust him and destroy him in the end." Alice thought for a moment. "Since you appreciate him so much, you can take him as your bodyguard. You are already an earl. You need have a bodyguard. Kumaraghosha will be a very good chief guard."


    "I do not think he wants to be my bodyguard. He held hostility towards me. This only made him dislike me even more," Anfey said bitterly. He had set a trap for Alice.


    Anfey knew his vision sometimes was not as good as Alice¡¯s, nor was he as perceptive, but he had his own strengths. Alice was good at government affairs and pretty popr in Shansa Empire. After she escaped from her wedding, she took her maid with her on the run. They took the risk of asking for help from a merchant wagon, which made her a ve. She was wise on small issues, but did not have street smarts. Anfey was very street smart and rarely made any mistakes on these kinds of issues. The way they acted had nothing to do with their capability; rather, it totally depended on their upbringing and experience.


    Anfey had vision that very few people could have. He could see as far as he wanted. He had sensed the existence of Kumaraghosha a long time ago. He actually meant to let Kumaraghosha hear how what Anfey thought of him. If Alice had any other intention or personal interests, she definitely would not be willing to rmend Kumaraghosha to Anfey, since Kumaraghosha was the only person she trusted. After Anfey politely turned her suggestion down, Alice could have taken her suggestion back.


    "The key is how you see him. The rest is not important," Alice said naturally. "Let him follow you. This way he could be at his best. I do not want to see his talent being ignored and getting frustrated by it."


    "We will talk about itter." Anfey finally felt relieved. He sounded as if he was getting yful. "It looks like you would have had the confidence to kill Manlyn, even if I had note back."


    "He did not suspect me at all. If I could have nned it well, it should have been easy," Alice said.


    "Why did you wait so long?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, mercenaries are wild. If you want their respect, you have to respect them. For example, being tough. We have to reform. Forcing those mercenaries to listen to you can work for a while, but it would make others dislike you." Alice smiled. "Right now is the perfect time. You killed Manlyn. You have sessfully shown your power and skills, but did not hurt anyone else. Everything seems to be falling into the right ce."


    "I mean, you could have done these things as well. Why were you waiting for me toe back?" Anfey asked.


    "I am just a woman without a home country. I do not need them to respect me or listen to me. You are their best choice," Alice said.


    Anfey crossed his legs and smiled. Alice had exined clearly and answered all his concerns. He went quiet for a while. "Alice, do you know about Scarlet?"


    "Scarlet? She is really famous right now," Alice said.


    Anfey looked serious. He could tell Alice held much hatred towards Scarlet. Could they have had some conflict before? Anfey thought to himself.


    "I admire Princess Victoria the most. She is an example for me. Scarlet is not interested in government affairs. She only wanted to take revenge for her mother, so she took the other route."


    "Do you hate her?" Anfey asked directly.


    "Master, don¡¯t you understand there could be only one princess regent in the empire? I am a failure," Alice said. Perhaps because she did not want Anfey to see the hatred on her face, Alice looked to the side. She said very deliberately, "I could not forget how she treated me. I never wanted to hurt her, but she hurt me without any hesitation."


    Anfey suddenly realized why Alice admired Princess Victoria as her example. Now he knew everything. Deciding her own wedding was only a wish of Alice¡¯s. Her wish and her dreams were two different things. Bing the next princess regent was her real aim. Scarlet, as the only daughter of Victoria, wanted to be the regent herself. Thepetition between them was inevitable. From the way Alice talked about, she seemed to care too much about family and was not as cruel in thepetition, so she got hurt.


    Suzanna¡¯s voice rose outside of the door. "Anfey, are you inside?"


    "I aming back now." Then to Alice he said, "You¡¯d better get to bed early." Anfey stood up. He hesitated for a second and said, "Don¡¯t worry. The worst is passed, isn¡¯t it?"

 Chapter 342: Target

    Chapter 342: Target


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Anfey asked Suzanna.


    "Nothing," Suzanna said. "It¡¯s too chaotic. I thought it would be a good idea to follow you." Suzanna pursed her lips and nced at Alice¡¯s house. "What did you two talk about?"


    "Nothing much," Anfey said, taking Suzanna¡¯s hand in his. "Let¡¯s go take a walk."


    "You sure took a long time to talk about nothing," Suzanna said. She did not jerk her hand away the way she would before they were married.


    Anfey shrugged. "She¡¯s a tough one," he said. "She¡¯s cunning. More than me, even. She¡¯s hard to deal with." Anfey paused and grinned. "Suzanna, you¡¯re not jealous, are you?"


    "No," Suzanna said. She smiled softly.


    Suzanna knew that jealousy means nothing. She couldn¡¯t control how another person feels. If Anfey was like her father Darius, he would find ways to cheat even if she stayed with him all day long. She knew Anfey and she trusted him. She knew that monitoring his movements would affect their rtionship.


    After Anfey saved those elves, Niya was even more worried than Suzanna. She kept trying to get Suzanna to keep the elves away, but Suzanna told her that there was nothing wrong with keeping maids. Niya told her that she was too naive. Niya spent a lot of time and energy monitoring the elves and Anfey, and concluded that Suzanna was right to trust him. He rarely even spoke to the elves, let along do anything inappropriate. Suzanna may not be the smartest woman in the world, but she had her own rules and judgement. She knew Anfey very well and knew that it took more than a pretty face to win his heart.


    "You¡¯re not jealous?" Anfey asked with a grin. "Why were you so worried, then?"


    Some men wanted their wives to understand them, but there were men like Anfey who wished that their wives would grow jealous when they talked to other women.


    "I need to talk to you," Suzanna said, ncing around nervously.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked. He could tell that Suzanna was seriously worried, and it had nothing to do with him talking to Alice.


    Suzanna took a deep breath and said, "Niya left Sacred City with us."


    "What?" Anfey asked, shocked. "Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me?" Anfey wasn¡¯t politically savvy, but he still knew the impact of Niya leaving Sacred City.


    "Do you remember how we stopped you from getting into our carriage?" Suzanna asked. "Well, it¡¯s because Niya was there." Suzanna sighed and shook her head. "I wanted to tell you, of course, but...I felt so bad for her. I wanted to help her. She was so determined that she refused to eat or drink so she wouldn¡¯t get discovered."


    "Why are you telling me now?"


    "We¡¯re not with her anymore. I¡¯m worried about her."


    "Does Entos know?"


    Suzanna shook her head and stared at Anfey. This wasn¡¯t entirely her fault. It was Niya who found her and begged her to take her along. Unlike everyone else, Suzanna had never met Grandon and was closer to Christian. She didn¡¯t like the fact that Grandon hosted a feast on the day his own brother was celebrating his birthday. She thought that it would do no good for Niya to keep courting a man like that. She wanted to tell Anfey about it, but she knew that Anfey would send Niya back, and she didn¡¯t want to betray her friend like that.


    Like Anfey, Suzanna knew nothing about politics. Niya was her friend and she needed Suzanna¡¯s help.


    Anfey sighed and shook his head. "Are we in trouble?" Suzanna asked nervously.


    Anfey looked at Suzanna¡¯s anxious face and smiled. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "No, we¡¯re not. Don¡¯t worry too much about it."


    Before this, their conflict with Grandon could still have been solved peacefully. Now, it didn¡¯t matter whether Niya came willingly or not. Grandon¡¯s biggest supporter in this race for the throne was Saul, and Saul¡¯s reward was to have his daughter be queen. Saul might not care, but others would. After Grandon married Niya, he would win the support of the Mages Guild. Now that Niya had left Sacred City, the assumption would be that her loyalty lied with Christian. Grandon would never let them get away with this.


    Before, Anfey did not have a clear allegiance. He was Christian¡¯s friend and their futures were intertwined. He could influence Christian, and Christian could influence him. What he did in the future depended greatly on Christian.


    Neither he nor Christian could dictate the course of events now. Grandon would be their enemy, and Anfey knew he needed Christian to stay alive. If Christian was killed, Anfey knew he was as good as dead. Moramatch had just became more important, as well. This was their base in Country of Mercenaries, and they could alwayse back to this ce if things did not go well in Maho Empire.


    "You¡¯re not just saying that so I can feel better, are you?" Suzanna asked. She could tell Anfey was troubled just by reading his expression.


    "Alice just told me that I¡¯m too cautious," Anfey said with a sigh. "She¡¯s right, though. I think too much and act too carefully. Now that I think about it, I should really try to be more impulsive."


    "Really?"


    "Yes, of course," Anfey said. "I would never lie to you."


    Suzanna nodded and smiled. They walked around the street corner in silence.


    "Does Christian know?" Anfey suddenly asked.


    "Not yet," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "I was worried how he would react."


    "You¡¯re right. Keep this away from him for a bit longer."


    Suzanna nodded. "Hopefully nothing happens to Niya," she said.


    "Nothing will," Anfey said. "Entos will find her sooner orter. Did you hide Niya on the carriage?"


    "No. She was there before me."


    Anfey frowned and recalled the day they left Sacred City. Saul¡¯s mansion was heavily monitored and all the carriages had guards. It was hard to imagine how someone could sneak around those guards and get into the carriage without anyone knowing.


    "Maybe we are worrying too much," Anfey said. "I think Entos knows Niya¡¯s n."


    Entos had known Niya since she was a child and helped raise her when Saul was busy. He was practically a brother to her. Entos cared about Niya as much as Saul did. If Niya went to him with a request, Entos would never refuse her. What perplexed Anfey was that Entos should know the implications of Niya leaving Sacred City. Why would he risk angering a prince? Entos was Saul¡¯s student, but he was rarely at Saul¡¯s ce. Instead, he spent more time with Baery. Could Baery know about Niya¡¯s escapade?


    Anfey frowned and shook his head. He was never a politician and this web of intrigue was tooplex. However, if he was right, this ced them in an advantage because it showed where Baery¡¯s loyalty lied. Dark Moon Magic Legion and Griffins Aerial Unit were both gone, and the only major military power left in the world was Baery¡¯s Roaring Death Legion. With Baery¡¯s support, the possibility of Christian taking the throne was much greater.


    "If Entos knows, then I¡¯m sure he can take care of Niya."


    "I know," Anfey said. "I¡¯m thinking about tomorrow."


    "Tomorrow?"


    "Yes. We have to reconvene all the mercenaries tomorrow, but there may be objections."

 Chapter 343: Ecosystem

    Chapter 343: Ecosystem


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey thought too much again this time. The meeting the following day ran all day. All the reform ideas were approved by all the mercenary groupmanders, even though some of the changes seriously affected their interests, which even made unemotional Anfey feel bad for them.


    Mages in different mercenary groups gathered together and formed a mage group. The chiefmander of the mage group was Christian and the vicemander was vi. Most of the mage group were senior mages, but their fighting ability could not be underestimated when they would fight together. If they shotrge fireballs together at a target as powerful as Ernest, he had to avoid them instead of fighting them off.


    The first unit was formed mainly by Ozzic¡¯s mercenary group. Of course, themander was Ozzic. The vicemander was Ye. Female mage Elizabeth¡¯s mercenary group joined the first unit, while she herself became vicemander of the mage group. She shared the same rank as vi. Among othermanders, she suffered the most losses. From now on, she would not have her own mercenary group anymore. Maybe because she was thinking of everyone¡¯s interests, or maybe Ernest¡¯s powerful strike made her worried. After a little hesitation, she nodded and agreed to Alice¡¯s arrangement.


    Ozzie¡¯s Warme mercenary group was renamed the second unit, while Beastman Tiger¡¯s Wuming mercenary group became the third unit. Alice merged a few other mercenary groups into these second and third units. Those mercenary groupmanders became Ozzie and Tiger¡¯s assistants.


    The rest of the mercenary groups were merged into the fourth and fifth units. Themander of the fourth unit was an intermediate swordsman named Stein, while themander of the fifth unit was a gigantic axe warrior, Khufu. Khufu had blood of a barbarian in him. Anfey had only met Stein and Khufu once, at the previous day¡¯s meeting, and did not know much about them. But Anfey could tell Alice had nned this a long time ago and knew what she was doing. He knew they were good picks, because othermanders all heaved a sigh of relief when they heard Stein and Khufu were appointedmanders of the fourth and fifth units. The rest of themanders seemed to think they were good picks as well.


    Anfey and Alice argued heatedly over the candidates of the sixth unit. In the end, Alice agreed with Anfey on Shinbe as themander. The sixth unit was the smallest. Because of the unpleasant experience, it was not possible to merge other mercenary groups into the six unit. The sixth unit wasposed of all the surviving mercenaries of Jagged Roses mercenary group. After they heard Shinbe would bemander, the concerns of othermanders had seemed to calm down.


    After Anfey finished the errands, the sun had gone down beyond the horizon. This day had been the toughest for Anfey. He had not realized he had so many errands to run. Since he was the official ruler of Moramatch, he had to stay here and make sure he got everything under control.


    Seeing the newly-appointedmanders leave the conference room, Anfey stood up and stretched his sore neck. Heid eyes on Alice. "Alice, can you be honest with me and tell me whether we have enough food?"


    Anfey did not know much about politics or military strategies. He did have a good understanding of the concept "Before making any military moves, food and ammunition should be in ce."


    This line had been in many works of fiction and historical novels. Anfey had never attended a military academy: all of his militarymon sense was from fiction and historical novels. That was why he was worried about food.


    "Master, would you like to walk with me in the underground city?" Alice broke into a smile.


    "The underground city?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, but I think you should be prepared for the changes. Since you left, those gnomes and dwarves have been busy working on it. They have totally changed it," Alice said.


    "I would love to take a look." Anfey was intrigued. "Let¡¯s go, Suzanna."


    After they resolved the problems between them, they all lookedfortable with each other¡¯s presence. Alice briefed them on the way. When Shansa Empire retreated, they burned many items and buried the stuff they could not take with them. Kumaraghosha had all the records. When he came to Moramatch and the necromancers had not attacked them yet, Alice had took dwarves, gnomes and Kumaraghosha¡¯s subordinates to dig out lots of ammunition.


    Dwarves were famous for their forging skills. They could really make a lot of things out of the ammunition. Dozens of smelting surfaces were built underground with unlimited fuel from forests. They should have no problem with armaments for a long time.


    After passing through the dark cave, the dwarves opened the heavy doors for them, because they got the news in advance that Alice was leading Anfey down there. Under Alice¡¯s guidance, they walked into another alley. At one turn, Anfey remembered there should be a small underground city in about a dozen yards. They bright light made Anfey surprised. To save magic crystals, most magic evesting lights were not lit up in Moramatch. How many magic crystals had they used to keep this underground so bright? Anfey thought to himself.


    Alice gave Anfey a mysterious smile and walked straight to where the lights were. Walking along the corridors of the underground city, Anfey noticed a silver white paint all over the roof and walls. There were only three magic evesting lights, but they lit up every corner. It was obvious this kind of paint had strong reflection.


    Anfey walked over and felt the wall. It felt cold. Alice walked next to Anfey and said in a low voice, "Gnomes made them. They could mix mercury and other stuff and made them into this paint, like alchemists. Master, you probably can tell this paint can reflect lights like mirrors. The whole city only needs about twenty magic evesting lights to light up everything. However, the rooms on the sides are still dim. We could not install magic evesting lights in every room. It would be such a waste."


    "Nice, nice. It makes it very convenient." Anfey nodded. "Alice, where do you store food?"


    "Follow me, please," Alice said.


    They walked to the border of the city and followed along the drainage pipe for a few hundred yards before they reached the underground river, which flowed quietly. Anfey did not expect more changes here than in the underground city. The high arch was installed with dozens of magic evesting lights. The light radiating from every light was reflected on the arch painted with the same silver white paint. The light reflected on the river and its banks. They could even see the fish swimming in the river.


    A wooden bridge was built over the river. The bank of the river had been built up. It seemed all of these changes were made by dwarves and gnomes. The most surprising thing were the green nts and the different sized boarbeasts running everywhere. Adult boarbeasts were only a small percentage of all the boarbeasts, while young ones were the majority.


    Boarbeasts were naturally timid and afraid of darkness. They only yed around in ces with lights and did not run elsewhere. Two small boarbeasts caught Anfey¡¯s attention. It seemed they had caught something like a snake. They bit on each end of it and fought over it.


    "What is that?" Anfey asked.


    "That is a gigantic earthworm," Alice said.


    "Earthworm?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes. These earthworms eat boarbeast¡¯s waste, while boarbeasts eat gigantic earthworms. They live off each other while we have food source as well," Alice said.


    "Did you think of this?" Anfey thought about the ecosystem. He had a weird feeling that this woman mighte from his previous world as well. Could she be a professional poultry feeder? Anfey thought to himself.


    "No, it was a suggestion from a gnome," Alice said.


    "How many boarbeasts do you have?" Anfey felt relieved and stopped wondering.


    "About five hundred," Alice said.


    "Do you think it will be enough for us?" Anfey asked.


    "We only had just over a hundred of them at the beginning, but we have about five hundred now. The more boarbeasts we have, the more gigantic earthworms will grow. The more gigantic earthworms we have, the number of boarbeasts will grow as well." Alice smiled. "If these are not enough for us, I have stored a lot of flour in other parts of the underground city. I think these boarbeasts and flour shouldst until next summer without any other help."


    "How much flour do you have?" Anfey asked.


    "Because the number of mercenaries keeps growing, it would feed us for two months," Alice said.


    "Why did you store so much flour? I remember I only left you two hundred gold coins. You...?" Anfey asked.


    "I sold some defective armor. Of course, dwarves thought they were defective, but those merchants thought they were high-quality military equipment. They gave me a good price. I bought arge amount of flour with that money." Alice smiled. "You told me to turn this ce into a fort. If we do not have enough food storage, no matter how strong the fort is, we could not stay here long. You do not think I made that decision without your permission, do you?"


    Anfey chuckled. "I do not me you for that." Anfey turned to look at the magic evesting light above him. "How many magic crystals do you need for these magic evesting lights?"


    "When I bought boarbeasts, I was thinking of raising them in the city. Later, when the Death War broke out, I had to raise boarbeasts here." Alice sighed. "It was a coincidence. A businessman from Tumen Commercial Union bought a lot of magic crystals. He wanted to ship them back for sale, but he was attacked by death spirits in the valley. Most mercenaries he hired died, while the rest of them retreat back to us. That businessman was bitten by a death spirit. Before he lost himself, he handed me all his goods and gave me all the top magic crystals in his Dimensional ring. He hoped those could help us fight the death spirits. Those evil organisms were the enemies of all humans. I understood his wishes."


    Anfey nodded vigorously. Now he finally felt relieved.

 Chapter 344: Evolved Zombies

    Chapter 344: Evolved Zombies


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey had been in Mormatch more than two weeks, but no new mercenaries arrived after that. Alice theorized that it was getting too dangerous to travel and the Transverse Mountains had been lost to necromancers. This left Moramatch surrounded by enemies.


    Immediately after Alice told him her theory, vi hurried in and told them about the presence of creatures of death around the town.


    The mages in Moramatch would regrly use Eye of the Sky to patrol the area surrounding the town. If a lone zombie wandered too close to the city, the mages might miss it. However, they would not missrge hordes of zombies.


    Anfey arrived at the mage tower and was soon joined by Alice and Suzanna. Christian and Elizabeth were chatting with intently. Christian turned and waved at Anfey as he approached. "Come here and look at this," Christian said.


    Next to Christian were a few mages scanning the area with Eye of the Sky. One of the Eyes was following a few strange zombies. Normally, a zombie¡¯s body should be rotting and falling apart. These zombies, however, looked strong andplete. If it weren¡¯t for the strange copper shade of their skin, they could be mistaken as living humans. The zombies were huddled together as if they were discussing something. It was widely known that zombies did not have the ability to talk. Zombiesmunicated with each other with basic telepathy, not spoken words. This defied the rules of nature.


    "How many are there?" Anfey asked.


    "About three thousand," Christian said.


    As soon as enemybatants were discovered, the mages could band together and discover how many enemies there were and their location. This was one of the benefits of having a group of mages. Of course, even Eye of the Sky could not discover everything about their enemies.


    "They¡¯re talking?" Suzanna asked incredulously.


    "Yes," Christian said with a deep frown. "It seems like these zombies are more... evolved, in a sense." He turned and nced at the Eye of the Sky and shook his head. "This is not good. Not good at all. We could win the wars past because of the necromancers¡¯ arrogance and the zombies¡¯ inability tomunicate. If the zombies are now intelligent... this war just got a lot more difficult."


    "My lords, look!" Elizabeth suddenly called.


    The zombies seemed to have reached an agreement and split up. In Eye of the Sky, a group of around three hundred zombies were moving slowly towards Moramatch.


    A battle was inevitable. Anfey and Alice turned and nced at each other. The two of them were both very analytical. They knew themselves and their limits very well. Anfey could coordinate small-scale fights, but a battle against three hundred zombies was beyond his power. Alice, on the other hand, knew nothing about coordinating battles. There was only one person here that couldmand an army.


    "Kumaraghosha, what do you think we should do?" Anfey asked.


    Kumaraghosha frowned and looked at the Eye of the Sky. Suddenly, the zombies started running towards Moramatch. Soon, those in the city could hear the mor of the zombies.


    Christian used a levitation spell and headed towards the mage tower.


    "Wait!" Kumaraghosha called hurriedly.


    "What is it?"


    "Wait. Don¡¯t reveal how powerful we are yet," Kumaraghosha said. "Get some mages and stop them with magic."


    "What? Why?"


    "Those zombies are just testing us," Kumaraghosha said. "If we reveal too much, it would be disadvantageous."


    "But if we let the zombies..."


    "This is war, my lord," Kumaraghosha said coolly. "Casualties are unavoidable. Listen to me, or you will increase your casualties tenfold!"


    Christian sighed and nodded.


    "Who are the people camping out there?" Kumaraghosha asked.


    "Shinbe¡¯s."


    "Then we are set," Kumaraghosha said. "They wouldst the longest against the zombies."


    One of the mages called out in terror. The zombies had already reached the first barrier. Shinbe appeared in the Eye of the Sky. She stood on top of the barrier and waved hernce, ordering her men to attack. Normally, Shinbe and her men could hold off zombies for days like this. However, the zombies suddenly increased their speed and, even though they were slowed by the magic raining down on them, reached the barrier in no time.


    The barrier was about five feet wide and was made of heavy logs and very durable. The zombies did not know how to use fire magic, and it was thought that it would take longer for them to break through the barrier. The zombies lunged at the barrier, wing at the wood with their sharp nails. They opened their mouths and squirted dark pus onto the barrier.


    The Eye of the Sky was vertically above the battle, but it wasn¡¯t hard figuring out what the zombies were doing.


    A zombie had broken through the barrier and appeared on the other side. It opened its mouth and screeched. Shinbe jumped off the barrier and sliced through the zombie with her sword.


    More zombies began streaming through the hole to get beyond the barrier. Another group of around four hundred zombies headed in that direction as backup to the first group. Shinbe fought valiantly but could not hold off the zombies and was forced to retreat with her men.


    Anfey nced at Kumaraghosha, who shook his head. vi frowned and turned to Suzanna, "He doesn¡¯t have a vendetta against Shinbe, does he?"


    "I don¡¯t think so," Suzanna whispered back.


    More and more zombies broke through the barrier. Christian led the mages in engaging the zombies with magic, but there were too many zombies and too few mages. Shinbe was forced to retreat into the town.


    "Are you sure about this?" Alice asked.


    "There are thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of zombies in Transverse Mountains, mydy," Kumaraghosha said. "This is only the first step. It¡¯s less of a battle and more a skirmish, really. It¡¯s only going to get harder from here."


    "You just said that Shinbe canst a long time against these things," Alice said, not convinced.


    "No one told me that those zombies can use magic."


    "We¡¯ve seen those things before," vi whispered. "They are the leaders of normal zombies. If we kill these things, the other zombies would be a lot easier to kill."


    "They are not the leaders," Kumaraghosha said. "The ones that were talking are the leaders. We need to assess how intelligent these things are before we can fight them."


    "So this is your assessment?" Alice asked, frowning. She needed to know because she did not want to see anyone questioning Kumaraghosha¡¯s abilities.


    "I¡¯m sure they have follow up ns," Kumaraghosha said. He suddenly stopped, his eyes wide. More zombies appeared in the Eye of the Sky, marching towards Moramatch. ording to the mages, there were three thousand zombies. This should be all of them.


    "Search the surrounding areas," Kumaraghosha said. "See if any zombies are hiding nearby."


    vi nodded. He turned and barked an order at the mages.


    There were about forty mages left on the tower. All of them released the Eye of the Sky and saw that there were no other zombies except for the ones heading towards them.


    "I overestimated them," Kumaraghosha said, visibly rxing. "They don¡¯t even have a n."


    "Does that mean we can engage?"


    Kumaraghosha hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

 Chapter 345: Double-Sided

    Chapter 345: Double-Sided


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When arge group of zombies was about to rush into Moramatch, the mage group finally started their first strike. There were waves of intense magic surges. Even the dwarves and gnomes in the underground city felt the magic surges. They stopped what they were doing and stared at the cave roof in wonder.


    A master swordsman might be a match for an archmage, but a hundred master swordsmen would not win over a hundred archmages, without any doubt. If mages releasedrge-scale destructive magic, it would be as if each archmage was under hundreds of magic attacks. Even the legendary grandmaster swordsmen would not necessarily win.


    Firewalls suddenly appeared and formed a sea of fire. It did not only cut arge group of zombies in half, it also fatally burned about a hundred zombies. Regr zombies did not have intelligence. After they received the order to rush forward, they would rush forward without caring about what would be in front of them. Unfortunately, they could no rush through a fire as wide as a hundred yards. Countless zombies first turned themselves into fire balls and then turned into ashes, blowing away into the sky.


    One group of zombies was burned dead, but another group rushed in. The sea of fire was like hell for zombies. The firewalls took zombies¡¯ lives not singly but in groups.


    A wall appeared at the entrance of Moramatch and temporarily stopped the zombies¡¯ aggressive attacks. Shinbe took the opportunity and her mercenaries surrounded the zombies who had already rushed into the town. They yed zombies like cutting melons. Shinbe and her mercenaries stood in fighting formation to be ready for the next round of fighting.


    Finally, arge piece of swampnd appeared. Before the zombies surrounded by fire could react to the Swamp magic, their bodies were already stuck in the mud. The loud screams and determination not to be stuck in the swamp could not keep them from sinking.


    Before Christian took the mage group to start arge-scale attack, Anfey had walked around to survey the battle with Suzanna. Anfey¡¯s unusual vision had firmly locked on those few zombies.


    Those few zombies looked like desperate kids who just lost their favorite toys. Those zombies who could speak consulted with each other and went straight forward into the sea of fire, screaming. The reasons for this were unclear: perhaps their intelligence had not yet fully developed, or perhaps they had never suffered attacks like this and they could not ept the reality, or perhaps they had been too confident in their abilities.


    One of the zombies screamed even louder than hispanions. He retreat quickly as his peers rushed into the sea of fire. His peers all ran forward into the fire and could not see what he did. The regr zombies passing himcked the judgement and did not understand what their leader was doing. They did not care about asking anyway, in other words, they could not ask.


    Some mages had to stop using firewall magic because their magic power was running low. The rest of the firewalls could still cause a lot of damage to zombies. The zombie leaders rushed over the firewall, but their bodies seemed to get slimmer once they had some mes on them. At the same time, theirpanions had run towards the forest and high-tailed it into the woods.


    That is it! Anfey snorted. He and Suzanna separated, both running into the forest.


    Anfey did not risk experiencing the excitement. He was calm and reasonable. In addition, he had extraordinary ability to anticipate his opponent¡¯s thoughts and moves. Christian, vi and others, including sophisticated Alice, were all shocked when they saw zombies had the skill tomunicate. They were thinking it would be a disaster to deal with a group of intelligent zombies when they had paid dearly in the Death War to dealing with death spirits who did not have intelligence.


    Anfey was not only thinking about these things, but also thought deeper. It was not all bad that zombies hadmunication skills. It would be worse if they could notmunicate. After zombies learned anguage and had intelligence, they could show their confusion, anger, terror and even their secrets in certain asions. This was the problem of all intelligence.


    The zombies without intelligence had a fatal defect, but the zombies with intelligence had their own weakness. There is no perfect organism in the world. Anfey was the first one to realize it after seeing these new zombies.


    At the same time, the necromancers all gathered in one ce, celebrating their sess as they dreamed about their future life. They were the creators of the new zombies, but none of them realized that everything had two sides, including the new zombies. Even though they could develop as they wanted, there would be conflicts among death spirits, like the current human society.


    Very few people could avoid Anfey¡¯s sense in the forest, nor could they find Anfey if he were stalking them. This was no exception for the zombie that had followed them into the woods. After he escaped a thousand yards and stopped next to an ancient tree, he removed the rotten leaves, branches and dirt with his bare hands and dug a big puddle. Heid inside the puddle and swept the dirt on himself with his hands to bury himself.


    No matter whether burying a body or a live person, it was a pretty heavybor. If he wanted to bury himself, it would have to be skillful work. The zombie looked ridiculous. He covered his head well with dirt, but his legs and half of his body were still in the air. It seemed that he felt he had buried himself well.


    Anfey could not help thinking that what this zombie did wasparable to an ostrich burying its tiny head.


    Anfey wanted to follow the zombie to figure out where new zombies gathered. The zombie did not move at all for quite a while. Does he want to wait until it¡¯s dark? Anfey thought to himself. Anfey thoughts for a moment then gave Suzanna a look. They both ran fast to the puddle where the zombie had buried himself.


    "Anfey, where are we going?" Suzanna asked softly. She did not know Anfey¡¯s specific n. Anfey blocked the view of the zombie with his body so she could not see it.


    "Here." Anfey pointed. "That zombie buried himself."


    Suzanna looked where Anfey was pointing. She was shocked by what she saw. She could not believe there could be zombies like this one. She never heard of such a thing.


    "Get up! Stop ying dead," Anfey said, waving his hand. A green branch suddenly turned into a flexible whip and whipped the zombie. That zombie kept still. He seemed to want to y dead to the end.


    "I am going to set you on fire if you do not get up." Anfey walked over as he talked. Without seeing how, hundreds of small fireballs suddenly appeared and revolved around Anfey.


    That zombie suddenly screamed and jumped to his feet. He looked fiercely at Anfey and tried to snatch Anfey¡¯s heart with his sharp fingers. The next moment, the zombie saw Suzanna had pulled her sword out and the whitebat power radiated from her.


    If nothing went wrong, his hands could pierce Anfey¡¯s chest with one more inch. However, his ferocity left him the moment he saw Suzanna. That zombie turned around without any hesitation and tried to run away.


    It was a fatal mistake for the zombie to think Anfey was not threatening only because he did not sense Anfey¡¯sbat power. Anfey stepped forward as little fireballs gathered into a gigantic me shield on his left arm. He swung the gigantic shield forward and hit right on the back of the zombie¡¯s head. The zombie screamed in pain while his body was thrown forward as if it had been shot out of a cannon. He mmed into a tree and fell on his back on the ground.


    Anfey slowly walked up to him. The zombie struggled to sit up. The ferocity in his eyes turned into a look of terror. He moved backwards as he timidly looked at Anfey. He backed into the trunk of the tree and could not move back any further.


    "Do not try to run away. If you dare to move again,..." Anfey raised his thumb at Suzanna like a thug. "She will cut off your head for sure."


    The zombie finally looked like a real zombie now. He stood against the tree and roared in a deep voice, but his body did not move at all.


    "Tell me how many death spirits there are in the Transverse Mountain? How many zombies are like you?" Anfey was interrogating a zombie, but he was still a little too blunt.


    That zombie kept roaring in a deep pitch. His body trembled slightly. He looked really scared.


    "Do you understand what I am asking?" Anfey did not think he would get an answer anyway.


    That zombie roared again.


    "F*ck! If you do not understand me, why did you jump up when I said I would set you on fire? If you do not understand me, why are you scared to even move?" Anfey held his hand out. There was a gigantic me sword in his hand. He swung it at the zombie¡¯s cheek.


    Anfey wanted him to be alive so he only hit him with the back edge of the sword instead of cutting him. Anfey did not put too much strength into it, but the zombie had a deep cut on his cheek. ck blood oozed out from the wound.


    With close observation, Anfey had found many special things about this new zombie. He did not have that unbearable fishy stink. He had greyish pupils and could move freely. However, his fighting ability and stamina were not as good as the zombies that could be released with magic. Could it be the cost of evolution?


    "I..." the zombie finally said in a coarse and machine-like voice.


    Anfey looked excited. It proved that he was right. He was no longer worried. There must be more of this kind of zombie if he had seen one.

 Chapter 346: Cleanup

    Chapter 346: Cleanup


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Residents of Moramatch were already cleaning up the battlefield by the time Anfey returned with the zombie, bound by some vines he summoned. Even though they had eliminated arge number of zombies with few casualties, the town was still damaged. Shinbe¡¯s old camp waspletely under the marsh, and it would take a lot of digging to recover the lost recourses.


    "Why did you bring that thing back?" Alice asked with a frown after she saw the zombie.


    "It can talk," Anfey said with a shrug. "It can give us some information."


    "You heard it speak?" Alice asked incredulously. Zombiesmunicating with humans was something unheard of.


    Anfey nodded. "How are things going?" he asked


    "Shinbe lost about thirty men," Alice said with a sigh. "We are wrapping up cleanup."


    "Cleanup?"


    Alice nodded. "They¡¯re about to finish treating those who were injured."


    "There¡¯s no objection? Should we go check on them?"


    "No need," Alice said. "They know what we are facing. You did not see how intense the battle was back here. Thank god for Shinbe¡¯s men. Without them, we would have lost even more people."


    "If that¡¯s the case, then we have to be there," Anfey said.


    Alice sighed, then nodded.


    "After this is done, ask the dwarves to make a cage," Anfey ordered.


    "You¡¯re not thinking about keeping this thing, are you?" Alice asked. She nced at the zombie with disgust.


    "Of course," Anfey said. He tugged on the vine and said, "I can¡¯t lead it around all day, can I?"


    Alice nodded. "I¡¯ll see it done."


    Some of the nearby mercenaries gathered around, pointing and cursing at the zombie. They would have beaten the zombie up if it weren¡¯t for the zombie¡¯s power to infect people. The zombie cowered low to the ground, shaking as if it could feel the hatred the mercenaries held for it.


    "Suzanna, keep an eye on it. Keep it away from people," Anfey ordered.


    Suzanna nodded.


    Moramatch was not a big town, and it didn¡¯t take long for Anfey to find Shinbe and her men. Christian and vi were there with a dozen mages. Mercenaries were hardened and merciless, but they could not bring themselves to kill their friends. The mages were summoned to take care of the injured ones. The deceased and the injured were all gathered in a group and burned.


    The surviving mercenaries stood around in a circle, their heads hanging low out of respect. Unlike her men, Shinbe stood with no expression on her face. She had experienced too much paintely for her to feel anything other than numbness. She wasn¡¯t married to Manlyn, but it was widely known that they were once in love.


    All these mercenaries were her elites, and she trusted and cherished them deeply. The only reason the mercenaries did not object to Manlyn was because they knew it would be futile. They chose to keep their objections to themselves and wait for the moment for revenge. They knew that if they died, Shinbe would lose herst chance at survival.


    Shinbe chose to give power to Manlyn even though she was as powerful as he was. This was because she respected and loved him. She didn¡¯t want to fight with him for powerful and create a rift between them. She would give Manlyn everything he demanded and support his decisions. His betrayal had caught her off guard and caused her great distress.


    The older mercenaries in Jagged Rose mercenary group knew that the group started off as a second rate mercenary group founded by Shinbe¡¯s family, which was once a Shansa noble family with a rose as its sigil. It was renamed Jagged Rose by Manlyn. Shinbe and Manlyn, two senior swordsmasters, quickly made a name for themselves and expanded their mercenary group. However, when Shinbe suggested that they marry, Manlyn said that they should wait until Jagged Rose be a first rate mercenary group. Shinbe epted his answer and patiently waited for the day the mercenary group rose in the rankings.


    After Jagged Rose was recognized as a first rate mercenary group, however, Manlyn still found excuses to put off marrying Shinbe. Shinbe understood Manlyn¡¯s concerns and waited. She never imagined that their rtionship would end in tragedy.


    The mercenaries understood Shinbe¡¯s feelings, but they were more concerned with their own future. Why didn¡¯t the mages join the fight earlier? Why didn¡¯t they receive any aid? They didn¡¯t want to think about it because they knew that once they did, they would no longer be willing to serve Anfey and his people. They also knew that they needed Anfey¡¯s help and did not want to break away during the middle of a war.


    "What are you doing here?" Christian said when he saw Anfey. He looked every sad. Kumaraghosha could face losses without any emotional distress, but Christian couldn¡¯t.


    Anfey sighed and joined the mercenaries in their mourning. He turned to Shinbe and said, "How many men did you lose tonight?"


    "Forty-seven."


    "Give me their names and the names of their families," Anfey said.


    "I will," Shinbe said with a nod, then turned back to the pyre. The loss of her lover was a great blow to her, and the loss of her men was an even greater one. She knew this day wasing, but she was already mentally exhausted, which made this loss even more painful.


    Anfey sighed. He was poked Christian, who was too consumed by the sadness and did not notice him.


    "Why do you want their names?" Christian asked.


    "They¡¯re heroes," Anfey said with a shrug. "They died for us. They can¡¯t take care of their families now, so we must."


    "There¡¯s no need for that," Shinbe said, shaking her head.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Our city had already fallen," Shinbe whispered. "We barely escaped."


    "You mean..."


    "Yes, my lord," Shinbe sighed and lowered her head. This was the first time Anfey saw emotion in her eyes that night.


    The mercenaries around them turned their heads away to hide the sadness in their eyes. They had sworn to protect their city and families, but there were too many zombies and necromancers. They were forced to abandon the city and flee with Manlyn.


    Anfey looked around and saw a few dwarves nearby with armor and weapons. These were the weapons of mercenaries who participated in the battle. Any gear that hade into contact with zombies must be thoroughly cleansed before it could be used again.


    Anfey walked over to the dwarves and asked, "Can you make arge stone tablet?"


    "Yes, my lord," one of the dwarves said respectfully.


    "Good," Anfey said. "These are heroes. We can¡¯t let their sacrifice be forgotten. We need at least to engrave their names in stone."


    Anfey knew that he couldn¡¯t give the mercenaries money, as money was useless during a war. The only thing he could do was honor the memory of the deceased.


    "Shinbe, hold the funeral off until tomorrow," Anfey said. "We will hold a collective funeral tomorrow for all the mercenaries killed in action."

 Chapter 347: Group Fight

    Chapter 347: Group Fight


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After the grand funeral, Moramatch returned to calm. Unfortunately, people could not have peace in their heart. No matter whether mercenaries were carefree or ambitious, they all tried to practice as much as they could. They hoped they could improve and be able to survive the battle when death spirits attacked them next time. In Moramatch, training became a habit.


    They did not expect therge body of death spirits to suddenly disappear for over a month. They could only see several zombies here and there, wandering outside of town. Every time they showed up, the mercenaries who had pent-up anger would rush out and killed the zombies like cutting melons to vent their anger.


    Everybody knew the number of death spirits was enormous. Even though they were in a time of peace, everyone was still alert for any potential dangers.


    One day, Anfey brought Suzanna and the Shadow mercenary couple to watch Kumaraghosha train his mercenaries. In fact, both parties suffered from this training. The mercenaries did not enjoyed the training. The formation training was boring. They did not think standing straight or walking in formation was helpful for real wars. Kumaraghosha suffered even more. He could not figure out why these mercenaries would be so stupid. They looked pretty smart, but they messed up the cavalry formation really bad in the training. The mercenaries looked like wild animals. Some went straight forward and knocked others down like bulls, while others jumped around like monkeys. Some mercenaries went out of formation and ran in either direction. They looked like two packs of wolves, running in different directions. Kumaraghosha knew in real battles it was necessary to surround the enemy, but it should be done by cavalries in formation. The mercenaries¡¯ job was to hold the defense line and destroy the enemy¡¯s strength.


    Kumaraghosha was experienced in battle, but he was a little too old-fashioned. Mercenaries were good at fighting with a freer styles. Even when their formation was broken by magic beasts, they could form another formation with a few other mercenaries and start another strike. They had a main force, main defense and cooperation, but having hundreds of them repeat one move over and over again was too hard. Kumaraghosha was training them wrong. To motivate the mercenaries, he decided to reward the winners by allowing them to eat the losers¡¯ food. Since the food was being rationed, the losers had to eat left-over soup and rice. In the first drill, the party in formation was defeated by the party with free-style fighting. After having no food for a day, these mercenaries realized there was no point to keeping in formation. They needed to use all the skills they had to fight for their lives.


    The battle training was a real mess. The wood swords had lime powder on them. ording to the rules, if they were hit and had lime on their bodies, this mercenary would be considered dead and needed to step of the battlefield. Some people simply did not follow the rules just for a good dinner. The opponents were angry when they saw these mercenaries not following the protocols. They copied them and stopped following the protocols as well. When there was one mercenary not following the rules, there would be more following that one. It should have been a hard-fought battle, but some did not leave the field after being hit with the wood sword, especially the strong ones. They would rush everywhere, with clothes turning white with lime, but they still swung their swords on the field. If this were a real battlefield, they would only be able to act this way if they were grandmaster swordsmen.


    Long and Ling wereughing so hard that they could not keep themselves straight. This was not a fight drill. It was a fight between two groups of gangsters. Luckily, they were not allowed to usebat power, otherwise there would have been big casualties.


    The Anfey broke into a smile after he took a look at that couple. He never asked them to join any group. He provided amodations for free. The couple felt bad and asked to take on some tasks themselves. Anfey turned their offers down by pointing to their injuries. In fact, he was saving them for more important tasks. If they could hide next to zombies and not being noticed, it showed they had some special effect. They were the perfect candidates for scouts. Anfey currently had mage group to on patrol, so he did not need the couple to do anything yet. However, there would be a time when they would be needed.


    Kumaraghosha looked defeated when he walked over. He had given up. At least he gave up for the day. He just let the mercenaries fight without any drilling. He walked up to Anfey and said in a low voice, "Master, they might be good mercenaries, but they would never be good soldiers. I am sorry that I let you down."


    "Kumaraghosha, I think you misunderstood me," Anfey said. "I asked you to train them, but did not want you to train them to be something other than they are. I wanted you to make them better at what were good at."


    "Their strength? This is their strength," Kumaraghosha said, pointing and smiling bitterly.


    Anfey shook his head. You have been in the military for a long time and have a different way of doing things than they do. I have an idea. Let¡¯s talk about it tonight."


    "What a chaotic scene. Are they fighting again?" Alice walked over with a smile. There was a sparkling item in her hand.


    "Alice, what do you have in your hand?" Anfey asked out of curiosity.


    "It is a crossbow made by dwarves." Alice passed the crossbow to Anfey.


    "When did dwarves learn to make crossbows?" Kumaraghosha asked in surprise. Crossbows had been existence for a long time but were not popr. People did not like them since they thought crossbows were shameless weapons. They had such power that a starving beggar could cause damage to knights, swordsmen and mages with crossbows. Kings in many countries liked this weapon a lot. Because of their support, they argued that crossbows did not be banned. The skill of making crossbows improved.


    "Don¡¯t underestimate dwarves. They are the smartest craftsmen," Alice said slowly. "Master, would you like to try it?"


    Anfely looked around and picked a wall as his target. He was familiar with crossbows. Even though there was a big difference in how they were made in this world and his previous world, they had a lot inmon. Anfey pulled the trigger. The arrow shot out with a sharp whooping sound and hit directly into the wall.


    With a gust of white smoke, the arrow got visibly softer. It turned into bright red liquid and dripped down against the wall. Where the bright red liquid dripped, it made sizzling sounds.


    "Is it a magic arrow?" Kumaraghosha said, wide-eyed. He felt a slight magic surge.


    "Yes, unfortunately, Hagan is not here," Alice sighed. "We have so many mages. If we had Hagan¡¯s help, we could make much better magic arrows. Dwarves only have very basic alchemy. This is the best they could do."


    Anfey nodded. "This is not bad."


    "Far from being good, master," Alice heaved a sigh. "Magic arrows have sshing shooting ability. This was a low-level one."


    "Better than nothing." Anfey thought a moment and said, "Suzanna, if someone hit you with this kind of crossbow, could it cause any damage to you?"


    Suzanna shook her head. Alice smiled. "Master, you are way underestimating senior swordsmen. Only well-made magic arrows could pose any threat to Ms. Suzanna."


    "What if thousands of people attacked you with crossbows?" Anfey asked.


    "I am not stupid. I would not stand there and wait for them to hit me," Suzanna said.


    A dwarf excitedly ran toward them. When he was about a dozen yards away, he raised something high. "Master, we made it."


    There was a crossbow in the dwarf¡¯s hands. It looked a lot smaller, only as big as the hand. Alice nodded. "Bring it over and let master take a look."


    The dwarf had only taken one step when some something flew over from the battlegrounds. A wood sword flew off in a fight. That wood sword arched through the air and hit the dwarf in the back of the head. That dwarf stumbled. With a sharp whooping sound, the crossbow in the dwarf¡¯s hand shot out.


    The dwarf had been walking toward Anfey, so the arrow shot in the direction of Anfey. Alice stepped forward, but she was not a swordswoman and was not good with magic either. A woman without anybat power or magic power could not react quickly. By the time she reacted, the arrow had passed her. Kumaraghosha tried to pull his sword out, but the sword was not there. He had taken it off at the drill. Only Suzanna reacted the fast. As her sword was already thrust half way, she paused because Anfey had grabbed that arrow with his bare hand.


    Everybody looked stunned. It was not that a big deal for Anfey to catch an arrow with his bare hand. What shocked them was that the arrow quietly stayed on Anfey¡¯s palm without any change. It did not make sense, since it was a magic arrow.


    Anfey turned his hand over and let his fingers go. The arrow fell on the ground and turned into bright red liquid instantly. The ground, covered with hard yellow dirt, was burned with a long, deep ditch.


    Everybody went silent. Long and Ling stood still, their mouths gaping. What Anfey had done did not make sense. It seemed to them that this could only happen in a legend. Suzanna still looked normal. She knew the secret between Anfey and little Shally. Anfey asked Shally to attack him with magic at the beginning,ter he got bolder and tried to take control of Shally¡¯s fireballs. Little Shally felt she was bullied, and told Suzanna on Anfey. Anfey actions showed his improved ability to control fireballs had helped him here.

 Chapter 348: Convenient Opponent

    Chapter 348: Convenient Opponent


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The dwarf stood where he was, confused. Kumaraghosha handed him a small bow, but he did not take it. He knew that he had messed up. Even though Anfey did not intend to punish him, the dwarf still felt ashamed for making such a big mistake.


    "Why are you still standing there? Didn¡¯t you hear what I just said?" Anfey asked, lifting a brow. He could be very forgiving when forgiveness was the best solution. He knew that the dwarf had made a mistake and there was no point in punishing him.


    He killed the orcs in Forest of Death because the orcs were greedy and capable of revolts. If he had not taken care of them, the orcs would surely rob him and escape. The dwarves, however, were different. They were much more humanlike than the orcs, and even though they had a temper, they had served him well. Anfey didn¡¯t want to punish this dwarf and anger the other dwarves.


    "Go," Alice whispered, trying to contain her anxiousness. She was nervous because she knew that she was different from Suzanna and Christian. She had not yet earned the trust of Anfey and hispanions and their rtionship was frail. Thankfully there were witnesses testifying that the dwarf had indeed fired the arrow by ident, or else she did not know how to exin it herself.


    "How did you control that arrow?" Kumaraghosha asked. The question was on everyone¡¯s mind. ording to legend, there was a group of mages who could swipe other mages¡¯ power to use magic. As time went on, these people slowly died out. Figuring out Anfey¡¯s method of controlling the magic arrow could be key to rediscovering these legendary mages.


    "I don¡¯t know," Anfey admitted.


    Kumaraghosha, Alice, Ling, and Long all fell silent. They looked at Anfey and narrowed their eyes.


    The legends had exaggerated the legendary mages¡¯ power. No one liked people who could take their magic way. Modern day mages all feared and hated these legendary mages.


    After the legendary mages disappeared,mon mages came into power. The legends recorded and exaggerated the ancient mages¡¯ power but not their allegiance and their morals.


    "Anfey," Suzanna suddenly said, "I¡¯m bored. Let¡¯s go take a walk."


    "Sounds good," Anfey said. He knew that Suzanna would not do things for no reason. She must have something to tell him.


    After telling Alice to take care of the aftermath, Anfey and Suzanna left together and went to the woods near the entrance of the underground tunnels. Anfey nced at the gnomes and asked, "What¡¯s wrong?"


    "Do you remember when you told me that you¡¯re stuck in your training?"


    "Yeah," Anfey said. "Why¡¯d you ask? What¡¯s wrong?" After he received the Heart of Nature, he found that he could sense things he could not sense before. This led to new discoveries, like the ability to sense the elements that make up everything in the world. However, there were no records of how to harness this power, and Anfey could not figure it out by himself.


    "Do you want to take some time off and train?" Suzanna asked.


    "Why?"


    "Didn¡¯t you see Alice¡¯s reaction?"


    "I did," Anfey said. "I know this ability is rare, but not all of my enemies are mages."


    "Then why don¡¯t you use more magic in battle?"


    "Habit, I suppose," Anfey said with a shrug. "I trust my fists more than I trust magic."


    "I¡¯m serious," Suzanna said, frowning.


    "I am too," Anfey said earnestly.


    "All joking aside," Suzanna said with a sigh, "if you want to be a pdin, you have to practice magic. If you don¡¯t, you can¡¯t unt that title." Suzanna paused for a moment. "You aren¡¯t spending nearly enough time meditating. You should start that habit again. You do not understand the power of people who could do what you just did. If you be an archmage one day, you will be practically immune to magic."


    "That road will be difficult, surely," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Either way, right now you barely know enough magic to bully Shally," Suzanna said, clicking her tongue.


    "She told you?" Anfey asked, surprised. That was not something he was proud of.


    "She¡¯s my sister," Suzanna said with a snort. "She keeps no secret from me."


    Anfey sighed but did not say anything.


    "We¡¯ll talk about thatter," Suzanna said. "I¡¯m not saying that you have to be an archmage. I just want you to try harder."


    "Alright," Anfey said, nodding. "I¡¯ll practice more magic."


    Suzanna grinned. She took Anfey¡¯s hand and leaned against him.


    "Maybe you¡¯re right," Anfey said. "I should pay more attention to magic." He looked at Suzanna and added, "You¡¯ve been acting strangetely."


    "How so?"


    "You¡¯re always distracted," Anfey said. "What¡¯s wrong?" He remembered Suzanna¡¯s mother and what she was going through. Ynthe promised that he would protect Suzanna¡¯s mother, but with a war going on, who knew what would happen? Ynthe wasn¡¯t omnipotent.


    Suzanna sighed. "I¡¯ve been having this strange urgetely."


    "What kind of urge?" Anfey asked, curious.


    "I don¡¯t know how to exin it to you," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "I don¡¯t think you will understand."


    "Maybe I will."


    "Well, it¡¯s like this urge to fight, you know what I mean? This urge to find a swordsman on my level and use mybat power."


    "Hmm," Anfey said. "That¡¯s strange." Suzanna grew up with harsh discipline and constant danger. She shouldn¡¯t be easily disturbed by urges.


    "I know," Suzanna said, "but I can¡¯t help it."


    "Did you talk to Ernest about it?" Anfey asked. He was worried that it was a side effect of Divine Punishment.


    "I did," Suzanna said. "He said to just let it be."


    "What?" Anfey frowned. "What kind of advice is that?"


    "I¡¯m not sure," Suzanna said. "But I have a theory."


    "What is it?"


    "My mentor told me that it is very possible that I would rise in level within five years," Suzanna said. "I think I might be nearing it."


    "Master swordsman?" Anfey asked, surprised. Even though he knew that Suzanna would likely be the youngest master swordsman since the Holy War, he was still surprised.


    "Maybe," Suzanna said. "It¡¯s just my guess."


    "This is wonderful!" Anfey said, hugging Suzanna tightly.


    "Thanks," Suzanna said with a smile. "Though... I¡¯m worried. I don¡¯t know what will happen."


    "This is good news," Anfey said. "It¡¯s wonderful. Don¡¯t be afraid. Why don¡¯t you practice with Shinbe sometime?"

 Chapter 349: A Special Cardinal

    Chapter 349: A Special Cardinal


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anfey, Anfey!" vi yelled as he hurried in from outside.


    "Shh...Lower your voice," Christian scolded vi quietly as he closed his magic book.


    "Is Anfey still in samadhi?" vi asked.


    "Yes." Christian unconsciously nced at the door. In fact, the inner room was set up with a sound proof magic array. No matter how loud vi yelled, he could not interrupt Anfey. Maybe Christian cared so much about disturbing Anfey that he thought too much about it.


    "How many days has he been there? Anfey has not had any food yet," vi said.


    Christian chuckled. "Is it abnormal for Anfey to have some special skills?"


    "Are you sure he is fine? Should we go inside to check on him," vi said.


    "Don¡¯t worry. If he did not feel good, he would havee out." Christian smiled. "It will have been five days. The longest samadhi our professor could do previously was two days. I actually really want to know how long can Anfey do it." Christian said.


    The door of the inner room was still shut. The sound proof magic array stopped any sound from entering. Anfey sat on the bed with his palms and bottom of his feet pointing up. He looked peaceful with his eyes slightly closed. Regr mages always chose the mostfortable way to sit when they did samadhi. This way they could get into the state of samadhi to do deeper into meditation. They would not even be able to hold Anfey¡¯s position for half an hour.


    There were two different theories in the field of magic. One theory was once a person had strong telepathy, he could have more magic power, while the other said that as magic power got stronger, the telepathy would get better. Even the wisest archmagi could not give a definite answer on which theory made more sense. Anfey was just an inexperienced mage. He had to be cautious because he had limited understanding of samadhi.


    Anfey never paid attention to the magic in meditation. Every time hepleted his samadhi, he always emptied out his magic power. The first reason he did that was because he was afraid the magic power would conflict with his internal qi. He cared more about the practice of internal qi than he did about magic. The second reason was that the magic crystal inside him trembled for no apparent reason when magic power reached a certain level. Intelligent people had a natural fear of anything they could not exin. Anfey was no exception. Finally, he could only change magic power since it was external power. He could not change himself.


    The difference betweenbat power and magic power was simr to the difference between strengthening one¡¯s character and lengthening one¡¯s life span. The argument over character and life span was also the argument between Taoists and Buddhists. Taoists criticized Buddhists for only knowing how to do Zen meditation without paying attention to their physical health, while Buddhists criticized Taoists for only paying attention to strengthen their life span and ignored character development.


    Anfey felt the argument between Taoists and Buddhists was pointless. Character was the real host of a person, while the physical being was just an agent. The person who only paid attention to life was simr to a person living in a shabby house without a peaceful mind. How could a person be in the state of samadhi without a peaceful mind? If a person only paid attention to prolonging his life span, he was nothing more than a stupid person in a fancy house. Developing only one or the other was extreme, and stopped people from performing to the maximum. The real Tao was to develop both.


    Outside the inner room, Christian asked quietly, "vi, what made you rush here?"


    "A mage group found a weird guy in the Eyes of Sky," vi said.


    "Are you sure there was just one person?" Christian asked in surprise. In those days, humans were rarely seen in Transverse Mountain. In their routine check, they usually could only see some death spirits and run-away magic beasts in the Eyes of Sky.


    "Yes, he was by himself," vi said.


    "Let me take a look." Christian hesitated for a second, then walked outside. ck Eleven sat lost in thought next to the door. Christian said quietly, "Armin, I need go out now. Can you be in charge here?"


    "Sure." ck Eleven nodded.


    As Christian and vi walked to the center of the town, they released Levitation magic and flew to the top of the mage tower. From the birds-eye view, the whole town of Moramatch looked like a checker board. Christian took a look at the practice grounds. He was surprised. "Is that Suzanna and Shinbe again?"


    "Yes, poor Shinbe," vi said.


    Suzanna and Shinbe had fought many times in the past few days. They were both senior swordswomen, but Suzanna had the absolute advantage in the fights. Shinbe definitely could defend herself, otherwise Suzanna would have lost her interest in fighting a long time ago. Suzanna was fast, skillful, and flexible, like a leopard, while Shinbe was tough and strong-willed, like a lone wolf. Even when Suzanna would point her sword at Shinbe¡¯s abdomen or knock Shinbe¡¯s weapon away, or Shinbe was emptied ofbat power, Shinb would not give up in the fight.


    Mercenaries were intrigued by two senior swordswomen¡¯s fighting at the beginning, but they only watched once. It was not fun to be affected by the aftermath of theirbat power. An innocent mercenary had been hurt, so no one wanted to get close to them.


    "Master, something is not right. Right now there are more death spirits," a mage said urgently.


    Christianid his eyes on the Eyes of Sky. A guy in a Church of Light priest gown walked slowly in the forest. Zombies were everywhere in the radius of a dozen of yards around him. They looked fierce and roared, but none of them dared to get close to that priest.


    "Is he a cardinal?" Christian was shocked for a second. He recognized him as a cardinal from his gown as well.


    "We have watched him for a while. He does not have any followers. How did he walk up here alive?" the mage said with a bitter smile.


    "Those death spirits seemed to be afraid of him," another mage said.


    "Of course, everyone can see that," vi said impatiently. "Christian, that guy looks he ising our way. With his speed, he reach Moramatch in the afternoon."


    As Christian wanted to take a closer look at the guy, the cardinal had already walked into a thick forest. The Eyes of Sky could not see though the forest, so Christian could not see anything.


    "No matter what, he is alone, and our friend. He probably could bring us some information from outside," Christian said. "Should we send someone out to meet him?"


    "No need. I think the cardinal will not be in any danger. If we send mercenaries out to meet him, those death spirits definitely would attack them. We should not lose them for nothing," vi said.


    "Master, the number of death spirits keeps increasing. I think we should get ready for the fight," a mage said.


    Winter was approaching. Some trees in Transverse Mountain had lost their leaves while others were evergreens. In some clear areas, they could see arge number of death spirits walking. Christian had only paid attention to the cardinal at the beginning. With the reminder from the mages, he noticed groups of death spirits. He could not help getting nervous. "vi, can you go and get Alice for me. I am going to look for Anfey. Hurry!"


    "Ok. Look, that guy walked out of the forest!" vi suddenly yelled.


    Christian turned around to look. That cardinal had walked out of the forest and stopped at a gigantic rock. He slowly took a seat on the ground and leaned against the rock. He took a piece of bread out of his shirt and nibbled on it. He looked up at the sky to check the time. The zombies tightly surrounded the gigantic rock as they roared, but they still dared not to get close to that cardinal.


    When the cardinal looked up, everyone got a chance to see his face. He was a middle-aged man. He had a pretty handsome face but looked very serious. He did look like a cardinal.


    "You guys watch him. vi, let¡¯s go," Christian said.


    "Ok. Master, you..." Before the mage could finish his words, he was shocked and his face turned very rigid.


    Christian was shocked as he followed the mage¡¯s eyes to take a look. The cardinal in the Eyes of Sky stood up with the piece of unfinished bread in his mouth. He unbuttoned his pants. It was normal when nature called. But what was shocking was the cardinal¡¯s looks and moves. He had looked handsome and serious a second ago, but now he had this ugly look on his face. He kept moving his head like he was on drugs as his pelvis pushed back and forth. He walked in a weird way and created different arches in the air as he walked to those zombies.


    Where the cardinal walked, the area emptied of zombies. It looked like humans seeing devils. After walking in a half circle, he finally finished urinating. That cardinal pulled up his pants and wiped his hands on his gown. He did not care about his dirty hands and grabbed the bread in his hand and kept eating.


    "What the f*ck!" A few mages could not help spitting. Most mages like to be clean. It was not hard for them to maintain hygiene as long as they released a spring magic spell. Therefore, they could not understand why the cardinal did that.


    "Is he really a cardinal?" Christian could not believe his eyes. He thought all cardinals were humble, merciful and forgiving. How could this carnival do something like this?


    "Master, he looks like he is from Gruce Principality," a mage stuttered


    "How do you know?" Christian asked.


    "He was dancing, wasn¡¯t he? Those moves were simr to the Harvest Dance in Gruce Principality."

 Chapter 350: Book of Life

    Chapter 350: Book of Life


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Christian paused when he saw the front door to the house open. Anfey and ck Eleven appeared.


    "ck Eleven, Anfey," Christian said, hurrying over to greet them.


    "What are the zombies doing?" Anfey asked.


    "They¡¯re getting close," Christian said. "Let¡¯s go to the city walls." They turned and followed Christian towards Moramatch¡¯s walls.


    Alice was already waiting near the mage tower by the time they arrived. She stood next to the mages, staring at the Eye of the Sky. In the Eye of the Sky they could see thousands of zombies marching towards the city in neat columns. With her were Suzanna and Shinbe, who were taking a break from fight training. All three women turned to look at Anfey, Chrisitan, and ck Eleven. They appeared deeply disturbed and worried.


    "Look at this," Alice said sullenly, moving aside. "What do you propose we do?"


    Anfey looked at the Eye of the Sky. The zombies surged towards the city like ocean waves. There were more zombies present than he had ever anticipated. He never thought the necromancers would pay so much attention to a small town like Moramatch. If the mysterious Priest of Light was a small ind to provide the mercenaries with the light of hope and a sanctuary, the zombies were the ocean that surrounded that sanctuary. The mercenaries, the dwarves, and the gnomes had constructed two more walls outside the barriers they had set up in case the zombies broke through the barrier again as they had the previous time. However, the walls were made of dirt and could not hold for long against this many zombies.


    "You have to make a decision," Suzanna said, "or else we all die."


    "There are so many," Anfey whispered under his breath.


    Alice nodded. "It¡¯s unexpected," she said, shaking her head. "We aren¡¯t prepared for this. I had the dwarves open the entrances into the tunnels just in case. They¡¯re easier to defend than the city."


    "Is that the priest you talked about?" Anfey asked, pointing at a figure in the Eye of the Sky. Alice sighed and nodded. "He¡¯s looks... different than I expected," Anfey said.


    Alice had gathered all the mages in the town and ordered them to use the Eye of the Sky. Right now, most of the Eyes were following the priest and the zombies he was fighting. The other Eyes were focused on other fronts. The only side of the town that wasn¡¯t monitored was the western front, under Ozzic¡¯s charge, where the priest hade from. There were enough zombies to immediately surround and take over the town.


    "I don¡¯t know how to feel about the priest," Christian admitted. "He¡¯s our best hope at survival right now, but he¡¯s acting strange."


    The priest climbed onto a small hill and turned towards Moramatch, waving and mumbling something. Then he turned around and dusted off his robes. A book appeared in his left hand and he raised his staff. The priest marched towards the zombies confidently. Christian gasped when he saw the staff.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "The first pope St. Robin appeared on the battlefield like this," Christian said, "but back then, the zombies were not immune to light magic."


    "He seems confident," Anfeymented. "Why? He has to know something we are not aware of."


    Elizabeth shook his head. "The Church of Light has a strict code. They will not allow any priests to reveal secrets. You can interrogate him all you want. You won¡¯t get anything out of him."


    Anfey frowned. He wasn¡¯t fond of anyone affiliated with the Church of Light, but this priest was their best hope. He knew very well that if he ordered the mercenaries to strike, they would lose the city.


    "Look at him!" vi suddenly called.


    The priest paused and rested the staff and book on the ground. He stretched and rubbed his shoulder, then picked up his belongings again.


    "Interesting," Christianmented. He turned to Anfey and asked, "Should we go in?"


    "Wait," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t want to alert the zombies. Let¡¯s see what that priest has to offer."


    After a few minutes, the priest appeared on the horizon. He walked towards the town, the sun behind him. He wasn¡¯t arge man, but in that moment he appeared as a figure from a legend. His staff was raised high above his head and he walked with confidence. As he approached the zombies, the creatures automatically cleared a path for him as if they were afraid of him and did not even want to be near him. Ozzic gulped nervously. He had never seen so many zombies in the same ce. He did not know what he should do if the zombies began charging. He took a deep breath and turned to look at the wall. The presence of the mages and swordsmasters was the only thing that stopped him from retreating back into the city.


    The priest stopped under the first dirt wall and turned to look at the zombies. He waved his hand and his figure rose into the air. He hovered above the dirt walls and waved his wand. The book burst into blinding light. Zombies around him howled in pain and turned to shade their eyes from the light.


    The priest waved his wand and the light rose. Anfey narrowed his eyes and realized that even he could not look at the book and must turn away so his eyes wouldn¡¯t be blinded.


    As the light expanded, the zombies¡¯ howls died down and the creatures all froze. The priest flipped through the book slowly. All the mercenaries were forced to close their eyes. After a few more pages, even Anfey had to close his eyes.


    The priest began chanting in a foreignnguage. The light enveloped the zombies and the creatures began turning into dust. Then even the dust puffed away into nothing.


    This was such an unexpected disy of power. Clearly, the man was no ordinary priest. Anfey opened his eyes and watched as thest of the zombies disappeared. By the time the light was gone, there were no more zombies to be seen. Anfey widened his eyes, gaping. He now knew why the priest was confident.


    He was so powerful, but why didn¡¯t he do something earlier?


    "My god," Elizabeth muttered. "That¡¯s the Revtion of Light."


    "What is that?"


    "It¡¯s two books: the first part is called the Book of Doom, the second is the Book of Life," Elizabeth muttered. "This must be the Book of Life. But how did ite to this man?"


    The book reappeared through the light and fell back into the priest¡¯s hands. The priest rested on the dirt wall and dusted his robes again. The mercenaries watched in shock, then they all bowed towards the priest. They knew that the man had just saved all of their lives.


    Some of the surviving zombies dashed away from the town, howling in fear. Anfey frowned. He didn¡¯t want the zombies getting away with this news. They could report it to the necromancers, and he had no idea what the necromancers would do once they knew.

 Chapter 351: Extremely Terrified

    Chapter 351: Extremely Terrified


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey had a yful smile on his face. He nced at the cardinal opposite him. He took the book from Suzanna.


    Ozzic had the fastest response. He saw that Anfey showed no respect to the cardinal. He immediately got to his feet and kicked the nearby mercenary¡¯s shoulder and scolded, "You guys get the f*ck up!"


    In fact, most mercenaries were not grateful, at least not for priests. Mercenaries needed priests¡¯ help after intense fights or when injured, but they never agreed to join the Church of Light. In other words, they treated priests well when they were needed, but treated them poorly when they were not needed.


    However, the truth was usually found when viewing things from multiple perspectives. Mercenaries had their concerns. They did not want tomit themselves to the Church of Light to return the favor. It was such a high price to pay. In addition, they paid the priests to treat their injuries with gold coins or magic crystals. The Church of Light was not a charity, so they would not do it for free. People had to pay to get their services. No one wanted to work for free, not even ves. If even ves hoped to get rewards from their masters for their hard work, then surely the priests would too. The mercenaries made money in a difficult manner. They risked their lives for most assignments, like hunting for magic crystals. After converting to the Church of Light, they would even have to pay for praying to priests. If there was time that they were expanding the church or changing priests, the Church of Light followers had to give more money to the church. They had to sponsor the church for the opportunity to pray, while showing courtesy to new priests. They could not neglect either situation, which did not please the mercenaries.


    The situation looked different from the point of view of priests. Priests were human, and wanted to live a better life. It seemed reasonable to get paid to relieve people¡¯s pain. In terms of expanding the church and add more facilities, they could not ask the Pope to pay for them. Of course, they would not pay for it either. The only option left was to ask their followers to contribute.


    Most issues in this world were like this¡ªwith any simply right or wrong. Conflicts were going to exist no matter what.


    At Ozzic¡¯smand, mercenaries got back on their feet one after another. The friendly vibe they tried to create had disappeared. Without knowing what the cardinal was thinking, they could tell that he looked a little nervous when Anfey tried to open the book. He said in a low voice, "Master, please return to me the holy item of my church! Do not even try. Without the blessing of God, no one would be able to open that Chapter of Salvation."


    "Is it really the Chapter of Salvation?" Anfey smiled. He pointed at the book, with the Chapter of Salvation opened.


    That cardinal looked shocked, as did Anfey. As Anfey opened the Chapter of Salvation, he could feel the Seed of Light nbrea nted in his head experience a huge change. Anfey immediately closed the Chapter of Salvation. After a while, the mysterious Seed of Light became quiet.


    "How could it be possible?" the cardinal stuttered.


    "Tell me, who are you? What are you doing here?" Anfey said calmly. He passed the book to Suzanna and tried to calm himself.


    "I am the cardinal of Rnd region. My name is Warner. With God¡¯s will, I am here to save all the suffering people. Master, it is your turn to introduce yourself," the cardinal said slowly.


    "Isn¡¯t the cardinal of Rnd region Bergkamp?" Anfey had an amazing memory. Even though had heard about it long time ago, he still remembered what nbrea had told him.


    "Do you know Master Bergkamp?" Cardinal Warner was shocked.


    "I am a good friend with archpriest nbrea. I know most cardinals. Even though I do not know them personally, I know their names. Why didn¡¯t I hear about your name?" Anfey bluffed. He was so observant to the point that no change could escape his eyes. Every facial change on Cardinal Warner did not escape Anfey¡¯s eyes either. He looked a little weird when he mentioned Bergkamp.


    "I was just appointed as a cardinal, so you never heard of me before," Cardinal Warner answered without hesitation, but he still looked a little awkward to Anfey.


    "Ok, I see." Anfey nodded. His face suddenly became really cold and he yelled loudly, "Which region are you in?"


    Anfey¡¯s yell prated other¡¯s souls. Ozzic and others nearby were scared. Elizabeth even covered her mouth with her hand in case she screamed out. Cardinal Warner was scared and trembled. "I am the cardinal of Greenwich region." After he answered Anfey, he realized the inconsistency in his answers. He exined hurriedly, "Well, I relocated to Rnd region."


    "Now you are talking about overseas, huh?" Anfey said coldly. "Wasn¡¯t Greenwich Ind taken over by death spirits?"


    "If you do not believe me, you cane and see it on St. Mountain," Cardinal Warner said confidently.


    "We are surrounded by death spirits now and you are asking me to go to St. Mountain to check? Do you think you are funny? I am sorry. I do not have time for that." Anfey gave a slight wave with his arm. "Ozzic, get that liar for me."


    Ozzic was shocked for a second before he rushed at that cardinal with a few other mercenaries. They held Cardinal Warner to the ground. A mercenary took out a string from nowhere and tied his hands behind his back.


    "Not fair. You are profaning God. You will get the most severe punishment from God. I am telling you," Cardinal Warner yelled as he struggled, but he was too weak to even walk a few hundred yards with his scepter, not to mention fighting those strong mercenaries. The mercenaries soon had him tied up.


    "Whatever! Whether you say I profaned God or wanted to take your life for your wealth," Anfey patted the book with the Chapter of Salvation and smiled, "I am just a liar in your eyes."


    Cardinal Warner¡¯s yell suddenly stopped. When Anfey mentioned taking his life for his wealth, he was reminded that he had witnessed the bloody fight in the church for the holy book with the Chapter of Salvation. How would this end up? Cardinal Warner looked terrified and just stared at Anfey.


    "Ozzic, take him and follow me," Anfey said calmly. He walked down the stairs first.


    After a short time, Anfey and his group came to the underground city. They walked in through an alley. There was scary roaring from somewhere ahead of them. It sounded like a trapped monster in the dark. The dwarves and gnomes looked like nothing was wrong. At most they seemed a little annoyed by the roaring. They had gotten used to this and treated it as only noise.


    When Anfey and his group walked into the alley, the roaring suddenly stopped. There was a strong iron cage about two hundred yards ahead of them. A monster, or to be more specific, a zombie, squatted at the corner of the cage. When the zombie saw Anfey and his group, he forced a smile at them. The mutated fangs looked scary, but everyone seemed to get the idea that the zombie was trying to please them.


    Anfey chuckled. "He has learned to please us. Not bad, not bad. He learned fast.""Open the cage for me, please."


    A dwarf hurried over and opened the cage. "Oh, my God," Cardinal Warner screamed. He had realized what Anfey was going to do to him. His body moved like a snake while his legs kicked. Unfortunately, his struggles did not help him at all. Ozzic pushed him. He was not only pushed inside the cage, but also fell to the ground.


    "Cardinal, in a while you will not be so scared." Anfey closed the door slowly. He seemed to torture Cardinal Warner on purpose.


    "No." Cardinal was so scared that he cried and his nose was running. Thinking that he would be turned into a zombie had crushed him. He struggled to crawl like a worm as he tried to hold one leg out of the cage to stop Anfey from closing the door. "Don¡¯t... Please. I will give you everything you want, everything."


    "Manners. Mind your manners," Anfey could not help sighing.


    Cardinal Warner did not care about Anfey¡¯s reminder at this moment. He struggled to crawl out of the cage. As a priest who had used the Chapter of Salvation, he knew the result of death spirits. Contaminated organisms would not be saved. They could only disappear from this world, including their soul, so he would rather die than turn into a zombie.


    "I hate liars," Anfey said slowly. "Now I am going to give you onest chance to tell me who the hell you are."


    "I am the assistant of Cardinal Bergkamp. Master, please let me out of the cage. I am not going to lie to you. Master, please!" Warner continued to stick his leg out of the cage as he was talking. He finally got his leg out of the cage, but Anfey kicked it back in. He had to start all over again trying to stick one leg out of the cage.


    "How dare you lie to me again?" Anfey said coldly. "How could an assistant to a cardinal have the Chapter of Salvation?"


    "Master, I did not lie to you. The cardinals all died...died. I was the only survivor, so the cardinal passed this Chapter of Salvation to me and told me the spells to start it," Warner cried.


    "They died? How did that happen?" Anfey asked.


    "Cardinal Salmado attacked us," Warner said.


    "Why?" Anfey asked.


    "Because Pope William has been so anxious that he was sick and passed the Chapter of Salvation to Master Bergkamp. Cardinal Salmado was jealous of us, so...," Warner said.


    "Master, I get it now," Elizabeth said in a low voice to Anfey.

 Chapter 352: Future

    Chapter 352: Future


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey nced at Warner and took a step back. Elizabeth moved over and muttered, "My lord, maybe this is Pope William¡¯s way to appoint a sessor. Bishop Bergkamp must have been his appointed sessor, or else he wouldn¡¯t have the Book of Life. Bishop Salmado must be hispetitor."


    "I didn¡¯t know those bishops were capable of doing stuff like that," Anfey said.


    "That¡¯s not what happened," Warner said sternly. "Salmado has betrayed us and joined forces with the necromancers."


    "Let¡¯s me guess," Elizabeth said dryly. "Bergkamp told you that."


    "It¡¯s true," Warner said.


    "Interesting," Anfey said. He paused, then pulled open the door of the cage and said, "You cane out now."


    "Thank you," Warner said. He sat up and began scooting out of the cage.


    The zombie had been caged up for a while now without being fed. It thought Warner was its food and was angered that its dinner was getting away. It narrowed its eyes and quietly crawled towards Warner. Instead of lunging at Warner, the zombie reached out tentatively and grabbed Warner¡¯s shirt. The zombie was evolving even as it was imprisoned. It now knew how to control its urges.


    Warner turned around stiffly and saw the zombie. He gasped and started, scrambling to get out of the cage. However, the zombie was much stronger and its grip on him was too tight.


    "Let go," Anfey order sternly.


    The zombie hesitated, then loosened its grip. It retreated to the corner of the cage and whimpered.


    Warner scrambled out of the cage and sighed with relief.


    "Ozzic, release him," Anfey said. He waved his hand and a few dwarves hurried over to lock the door.


    Ozzic walked over and untied Warner¡¯s ropes.


    "I thought you weren¡¯t scared of zombies," Anfey said. He walked over and grabbed Warner, hauling him to his feet.


    Warner nced at the book in Suzanna¡¯s hand and snorted.


    "It¡¯s because of the book, isn¡¯t it?" Anfey asked. Warner sighed and nodded.


    "Why were the zombies following you?"


    "They were humans, once," Warner said, rolling his wrists. "They wanted to be saved." He paused and added, "ording to Bishop Bergkamp."


    "Interesting indeed," Anfey said, ncing at the Book of Life. It was a powerful tool that would be very useful in the war.


    "It¡¯s the Book of Life," Elizabethmented. "It can¡¯t be as powerful as the Book of Doom."


    Warner nodded in agreement. "I¡¯ve never seen the Book of Doom, but I heard it can use forbidden spells that will destroy everything in its perimeter," Warner said with a sigh. "The Book of Life only works on creatures created with death magic."


    "Do you have any idea where the book could be?"


    "No," Warner said, shaking his head.


    "So Bergkamp is only a bishop?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes. For now."


    "Why did the pope choose a bishop as his sessor?" Anfey asked, curious. "He should have chosen one of the cardinals."


    "It¡¯s not that hard to see," Alice interrupted quietly. Anfey looked at her and nodded.


    "The cardinals are people too," Alice said. "They aren¡¯t noble anymore or free from corruption. There are two conflicting parties within the Church." Alice paused and sighed. "I admire the pope¡¯s decision, really. He recognizes that choosing from either party would cause even further conflict, and he knew he had to pick someone who wasn¡¯t part of that fight. Bergkamp must have taken a neutral stance. If he had belonged to either party, he would have had a lot more protection."


    Warner nodded. "She¡¯s right," he said.


    "Whose side is Salmado on?" Anfey asked.


    "He¡¯s a student of nbrea," Nana whispered.


    "nbrea? You mean nbrea was associated with the necromancers?"


    "No way," Alice said. "nbrea couldn¡¯t have worked with the necromancers, or else he wouldn¡¯t have achieved his position. If Salmado really is working with necromancers, it¡¯s his choice and no one else¡¯s."


    Anfey frowned, grabbed the Book of Life, and handed it to Warner. "This belongs to you by right," he said. The Book of Life would have been a useful addition to his arsenal, but Anfey did not want to risk activating the Seed of Light. He had the mercenaries and his friends try to activate the book, and no one could even open it. Warner was the only one who could use it anyway.


    "Are you serious?" Warner asked, surprised.


    "Just take it before I change my mind," Anfey said.


    Warner stared at Anfey for a few seconds, then reached over and grabbed the book. He wrapped his arms around the book and held it close to himself, as if he was afraid someone would take it again.


    "Ozzic, find him a ce to rest," Anfey ordered. "We need his help protecting this town."


    Warner smiled and nodded. "I¡¯m willing to help." Ozzic walked over and nudged his shoulder, leading him out of the room. After Ozzic and Warner disappeared, Alice dismissed the mercenaries and the dwarves and gnomes. She walked over to Anfey with a mysterious smile. "You are ambitious," she said.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You¡¯re not just enlisting his help," Alice said. "You want to recruit him."


    "He¡¯s the only one who can activate the Book of Life," Anfey said. "He will be a helpful addition to our team."


    "Of course," Alice said. "But you have to remember the day maye when Warner bes the next pope."


    Anfey pursed his lips. Pope William gave the Book of Life to Bergkamp not only because he was appointing his sessor, but almost certainly because he wanted Bergkamp to garner support and fame with the book. If Bergkamp could have used the book for fame, so could Warner. It was a thought that had just dawned on Anfey. It felt strange to have his thoughts read so easily.


    "That¡¯s still far off," Anfey said. "Small towns like this will no longer satisfy the necromancers. Soon they will set their eyes onrge cities like ckwater City. We need someone like Warner to dy their n."


    "I¡¯m not contradicting you," Alice said. "I¡¯m just reminding you that you cannot keep anything from me."


    Anfey paused and looked at Alice. He kept underestimating her, a habit he needed to correct. He sighed and said, "Alice, you¡¯re too smart for your own good."


    Alice smiled but did not say anything.


    "I¡¯m not hiding anything from you," Anfey admitted. "I don¡¯t have a n. I never foresaw Warner. The only thing we can do right now is wait and see."

 Chapter 353: Asking for Help

    Chapter 353: Asking for Help


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In the chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms entitled Three Heroes Combat L¨¹ Bu in Front of a Tiger Cage Fort, Liu Bei dared only to chase L¨¹ Bu and hit the hind quarters of his horse. Once L¨¹ Bu turned around to fight back, Liu Bei immediately ran away. At that moment, Anfey was in a simr situation to Liu Bei. He was extremely skillful with a spear as long as 12 feet. He kept a distance between him and Ernest. He dared not get close to him.


    The main force confronting Ernest was Suzanna. Although she felt the pressure from Ernest and was sweating profusely, she still had her momentum and countered Ernest¡¯s strikes. Once Ernest stop pressuring her in the attack, she would start a aggressive attack in case Ernest got the chance to attack Anfey.


    Against this cooperating couple, Anfey and Suzanna, Ernest seemed busy defending himself. It was a "friendlypetition," so Ernest could not fight with his full force, otherwise he could had taken Anfey¡¯s strikes simply with hisbat power and defeated Suzanna afterwards.


    Suzanna had a variety of sword skills. They looked perfect. Anfey was having some problems. He could attack with fast speed and change his strikes swiftly. He only attacked the areas below the knees, which disrupted Ernest¡¯s n of attack. The strikes were to kill the opponents, not to interrupt them. Anfey attacked in a dirty way.


    It was obvious what Ernest thought of Anfey¡¯s attacks. Anfey had been attacking with full force. As he changed his moves, he did not forget to give Shinbe a look and ask her to join the fight. Shinbe was very excited watching them fight and wanted to join in anyway. She raised her gigantic sword and joined the fight without any concerns after Anfey gave her the signal. It was the first time for Shinbe to watch top powers fighting. How could she not get excited when she was offered a chance to join the fight?


    Ernest could not help sighing. If Shinbe joined the fight, he would get exhausted or annoyed to death by Anfey, so he decided to fight with full force.


    Thebat power on Ernest suddenly brightened. He thrust his sword out and shed with Suzanna¡¯s in the air, resulting in a huge shing sould. When the swords shed, the fighters would get rigid, no matter how powerful they were. How long the rigidity wouldst depended on the power of the fighters and the protection ofbat powers. Ernest was much more powerful than Suzanna in terms of those two factors. Ernest had made his second strike before Suzanna could take control of her sword gain. Ernest swung his sword against Suzanna¡¯s sword, and then made a third strike.


    Suzanna could not hold her sword anymore. Her sword flew out. At the same time, Ernest turned around to avoid Shinbe¡¯s sword and Anfey¡¯s spear at his ankles. He swung his sword at Shinbe¡¯s gigantic sword.


    Shinbe was not as good as Suzanna. In addition, Ernest calcted the time so well that with one strike Shinbe¡¯s sword was sent to the ground.


    As Ernest was ready to strike at Anfey, Anfey sent out wind elements. He stood there with bare hands. Anfey looked calm and said, "Let¡¯s stop here today. I am exhausted." Although he said he was tired, his breath was slowly and regr. He did not show any trace of being tired.


    "You..." Ernest did not know whether he shouldugh or cry. He had been treating Anfey like his son. Even though Anfey was his opponent now, he could not attack him when he had no weapons.


    Suzanna quietly walked over and picked up her sword. She looked a little upset.


    "Suzanna, you emptied yourbat power at the end, otherwise Uncle Ernest would not win that easily." Anfey knew what Suzanna was thinking.


    Ernest thought for a second and nodded. "Anfey is right, Suzanna. You have made huge progress."


    "Really?" Suzanna finally smiled. She could ignore what Anfey said because he knew Anfey was just trying tofort her. However, Ernest never lied about anything, not even when he was trying tofort someone.


    "Of course," Anfey said. He turned around and saw Shinbe looking even more upset than Suzanna. Suzanna had fought with Ernest for a while, but Shinbe lost the game just as she made her first strike. It was easy to imagine how frustrated and upset Shinbe was. "Shinbe, you do not have to worry too much about it. Uncle Ernest was the best among all the master swordsmen. In addition, you are still young." He continued, chuckling, "Shinb, I still do not know how old you are."


    "I am 25," Shinb answered in a low voice.


    25 years old? She would be considered old in the magic world. Anfey remembered all the information about Shinbe. He moved his eyes away from Shinbe because he did not want Shinbe to see his sympathy towards her.


    "Anfey, I have to remind you that the Chapter of Salvation could possibly bring us dangers," Ernest said, suddenly changing the topic.


    "Danger?" Anfey was shocked for a second. If the Chapter of Salvation could bring danger to them, Alice should have known about it even though Anfey did not notice it. He started to understand Alice better after hanging out with her for a while. "What danger? Alice..."


    "I am not denying Alice is a very smart girl, but you are still young. You see things differently than me. Young people always think they can challenge anything, especially you guys who do notck confidence," Ernest said slowly. He rarely talked so much. It seemed like he could not hold out any longer. "I have met the people from churches. I do not know much about them, but I do know more than you guys. Didn¡¯t some of them try to attack Bergkamp for the Chapter of Salvation? I can tell you this. If it happened once, it will happen again for the second or third time until they get what they want. Right now the Chapter of Salvation is in your hands, and you will be their target."


    "Could those church people spare any time from death spirits toe after me?" Anfey frowned.


    "That depends on the issues. If it was about the sessor to the pope, no one would guarantee death spirits would be their priority," Ernest said. "In addition, necromancers are interested in the Chapter of Salvation as well. Last time, many zombies escaped, didn¡¯t they? Those necromancers should know about it as well."


    "This world is soplicated. Necromancers and death spirits should be allies. Church of Light and other bodies on the Pan Continent were allies. However, the reality was not like that. Those evolved zombies with intelligence have fought to defend their rights and benefits. There were fights in the Church of Light over the session of the pope. It is..." Anfey said with a bitter smile.


    "Could death spirits fight? Did you find out about it from that zombie?" Ernest asked.


    Anfey nodded.


    "That is some news!" Ernest let out a shortugh. "Humans areplicated creatures."


    "Uncle Ernest, are you saying..." Anfey said.


    "We will have guests soon," Ernest said.


    "What should we do?" Anfey asked.


    "We¡¯d better send people to ask for help. Moramatch is not too far from ckania City. King Ynthe knows the value of the Chapter of Salvation better. He will send troops out to help."


    "There were death spirits everywhere in the Transverse Mountains. Few people could pass through safely." Anfey paused for a moment, then said, "Uncle Ernest, you are the best candidate for that, but you cannot leave here. The mercenaries would be out of control if you were not here." Even though it was clear that Moramatch was thest defense against Transverse Mountain, mercenaries were motivated to fight with death spirits because they believed in the top powers. Ernest could not leave at the moment.


    "Did you forget those two druids of Shadow mercenary group?" Ernest smiled. "They were great with stealth. I did not even notice them before."


    Anfey¡¯s eyes brightened. He turned around and said to Suzanna, "Suzanna, can you find them for me?" Anfey might not think of everything, but after being reminded, he would not hesitate to take action. "Time is everything" might be just a slogan for some people, but Anfey truly believed in it. He was used to calcting his time to seconds.


    Shortly, Long and Ling showed up in the fighting arena. Anfey took the time ask Shinbe to write a letter when Suzanna was trying to bring Long and Ling to Anfey. As he folded the letter, he said with a smile, "Long, are you feeling better?"


    "Master, don¡¯t worry. I am absolutely fine now," Long said firmly.


    "This letter is very important. We cannot let anything happen to it," Anfey said slowly. "If you meet zombies, do not fight them. Get to ckania City as fast as possible. When youe back, we will count it as one important aplishment you made for us." Anfey¡¯s words had deep meaning. If Long and Ling¡¯s face changed, it meant they were not ready to work for Anfey. If they acted excited, it meant they already had the intention to work for him.


    "Master, I will remember what you just told me," Long said, carefully taking the letter from Anfey.


    "If you do not need to prepare anything for the trip," Anfey looked up to check the time, "you should leave now."


    Long and Ling hurried away. Anfey was quiet for a moment, then said, "Shinbe, do you know where Alice is?"


    "She should be in the underground city right now," Shinb said.


    "Could you go get her for me? I need to discuss something with her," Anfey said.

 Chapter 354: Bone Nymphs

    Chapter 354: Bone Nymphs


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anfey!" vi called hurriedly as he burst into Anfey¡¯s room, panting. Anfey jumped off his bed and hurried after vi. He knew that something must have gone wrong, or else vi wouldn¡¯t be so panicked. The two left the house and rose into the air with levitation spells, quickly flying towards the mage tower at the center of the town.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Anfey asked when hended. One of the mages moved aside to show him the Eye of the Sky. In the Eye, a mage was fighting a group of zombies. Nearby, a few necromancers were observing the fight. The necromancers¡¯ identities were unclear, but the mage was very familiar.


    "Is that Entos?" Anfey asked. vi nodded.


    The only time Anfey had seen Saul fight was when Saul attacked the bone dragon in an ambush, and he did not consider it a real fight.


    Mages who use dimensional magic were the hardest to fight. Even though a lot of people did not know why dimensional magic was the most dangerous, everyone agreed that it was the most powerful. There were only a few senior magisters in the world, and senior magisters who focused on a single branch of magic were even more rare.


    Entos was Saul¡¯s best student and spent years training in the Forest of Death and Wilderness in. His every movement and every attack was a disy of power and a reminder of why dimensional magic was considered the most powerful magic.


    The three necromancers fighting against Entos were all very powerful as well. None of the spells they used needed buffer time, including spells to summon bonences. Dozens of bonences streaked through the air towards Entos. Dozens of Nets of Decay covered the ground,yered on top of each other. Walls and cages made of bones appeared out of the ground like trees. The necromancers pelted Entos with other spells as well, hoping to slow his movements. Aside from magic, the necromancers also had thousands of zombies on their side. The zombies surrounded the mages, growling and wing the air.


    Entos, however, held on. He ducked the attack from the necromancers and fired asion spells at time. He was skilled at dimensional magic and was not afraid of being trapped in cages. Every time he teleported, he would teleport to a location where he would not be discovered easily. After the necromancers spotted him again, they would have to change their formation to attack him.


    If Entos wanted to escape, the necromancers would not be able to stop him. However, he was not escaping. He wasn¡¯t even using a magic shield. Was it because he could not or because he was overly confident? Without a magic shield, even the zombies¡¯ attack could be deadly.


    Entos appeared to be at a disadvantage, but in reality he was the one controlling the flow of the fight. He only teleported when the necromancers¡¯ spells materialized. Then he would flee and use a spell to cancel out the effects of the spell used against him. This way, Entos was depleting his magic at a much slower rate than the necromancers. Sooner orter the necromancers will use up all of their magic.


    The necromancers were not cooperating with each other at all. They would protect themselves first and attack Entos, trying to slow his movements, then they would try to kill him. Because of this, Entos was able to cancel out all three necromancers¡¯ magic with just one spell.


    Entos must have decided to fight alone because he knew the necromancers would not cooperate with each other. As long as the necromancers fought as individuals, they would not post a threat to Entos. Had the necromancers cooperated and fought together, Entos would have been forced to seek help.


    "Christian," Anfey turned and said, "can we dispatch some backup?"


    "Ernest is on the way," Christian said.


    The mages suddenly gasped. Entos grabbed a nearby tree and was trapped by a bone cage. A pool of green mud appeared under him. It was an acidic swamp, a staple of death magic. Rumor was that an acidic swamp turned a man into a pile of bones in a few minutes. Two bonences flew through the air towards Entos.


    Suddenly, Entos disappeared from the cage and reappeared from behind a tree after a few seconds. He waved his hand and used a me spell that easily killed more than a dozen zombies.


    One of the necromancers waved his hand impatiently. When his twopanions were using negative-effect magic, he summoned a bonence. Entos froze, then quickly teleported away. He reappeared behind the necromancer and smashed his magic staff into the necromancer¡¯s head. The sword shattered the necromancer¡¯s shield and went through his neck, sending the man¡¯s head flying. Strangely, there was no blood. The necromancer did not fall, either. Instead, he only kept iling his arms.


    Entos was clearly shocked by this. He took a few steps back and teleported again, reappearing far from the necromancer he had just beheaded.


    The headless necromancer stumbled for a few moments then crouched down, hands searching through the grassy ground. After a few minutes, he stood again and held a skull. He held the skull carefully and ced it back onto his neck. Then he shook his head, testing if the skull was going to stay on his neck this time.


    Entos stared at the necromancer with a mixture of horror and shock.


    "My god," Christian whispered in horror. "That¡¯s a bone nymph!" The other mages turned, gaping in horror, when they heard what he just said.


    The wounded bone nymph appeared to be very angry. He ripped off his cloak and looked around, searching for Entos. Suddenly, a bright sword radiance ripped through the air and flew towards the bone nymph, slicing through the surrounding zombies. Before the bone nymph could properly react, the sword radiance had already reached it. The creature disappeared in a sh of blinding light.


    Entos appeared behind another necromancer and raised his sword. He brought the staff down onto the necromancer¡¯s head. Clearly, he already realized what he was dealing with. The bone nymph¡¯s head fell to the ground and rolled into a bush. Entos jumped away and waved his hand, sending bolts of lightning towards the skull, trying to destroy it.


    The third bone nymph jumped, shocked by the speed of itspanions¡¯ demise, and tried to flee. However, it was not as fast as Ernest¡¯s sword radiance. Before it could get to the forest, the sword radiance caught up to it and shattered its body.


    "Why is he here?" Christian asked, curiously. "Did Ling and Long already arrive at ckania?"


    "They only left two days ago," Anfey said, frowning. "Maybe something happened. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not something horrible."

 Chapter 355: The First Victory

    Chapter 355: The First Victory


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Not long after, Ernest and Entos walked into Moramatch together. To show respect for Ernest, Entos walked a little slower so he would be behind Ernest. At the same time, Ernest thought highly of Entos and asionally talked quietly with him. He looked casual and did not take a posture of higher status. In fact, they were about the same age. Yet Entos was Saul¡¯s student, so he was ranked lower than Ernest.


    Entos felt amazed by what he saw as he looked around Moramatch. The town used to be Band of Brother mercenary group¡¯s territory. Anfey had rented it from Band of Brother mercenary group. Entos had some memory of this notorious town. It seemed that Anfey had many capable people working for him. That was why they could build Moramatch into such a fort in a brief of time.


    Entos and Commander Marino had made an agreement to break the unfair contract between Anfey and the Band of Brother mercenary group. They wanted to just give this town to Anfey. When Anfey and Band of Brother mercenary group signed the contract, Entos had just left the Country of Mercenaries, while Marino had never heard of Anfey. Word of this contract had been kept from Entos and Marino. In fact, such a lease would not have troubled them anyway. Of course, they would definitely investigate to find out who had done that to Anfey. Entos could not bear anything unjust.


    "Bro Entos!" Christian walked up to Entos with a smile. He had dozens of mages behind him. Most mages looked respectful. After seeing the intense fight between Entos and the Bone Nymphs, no one dared to underestimate this enigmatic mage.


    "Your majesty!" Entos bowed and responded respectfully.


    "Bro Entos, what are you doing?" Christian hurried over and held Entos up. He looked a little awkward. It might be because Entos grew up in a big family and disliked theplicated courtesies. He preferred that everyone feltfortable with each other and built their bonds together, at least among his peers.


    "Your Majesty, where is Anfey?" Entos asked with a smile.


    "He has been waiting for you in the conference room. Let¡¯s go find him. I will show you the way," Christian said.


    Christian walked with Entos to the conference room. As they walked some distance, the mages were still in shock. They started to whisper to each other. They did not think theirmander could be a prince.


    The isted Town of Moramatch had developed into a society. As a society, there were different social positions in it. Most people in high positions from different areas hade to Moramatch. They did not feel good about being isted in this small town and all hoped to receive message from the outside world.


    Entos slowly took a seat Anfey had saved for him. Entos scanned the conference room. He was a little shocked when he saw Alice. He could not help raising his eyebrows when he saw Shinbe. He finallyid his eyes on Anfey. Any young senior swordsman would be valuable in any group. It was not long since Anfey left ckania City. How could he recruit another senior swordswoman? If Anfey¡¯s group continued to develop with this speed, in ten or twenty years in the Country of Mercenaries, those four super mercenary groups could possibly disappear.


    "Bro Entos, did you see Long and Ling?" Anfey asked.


    "Who are they?" Entos responded in surprise.


    "They are actually the Shadow mercenary group. I sent them to ckania City to ask for help," Anfey slowly answered. He knew Entos would be surprised.


    "Is Shadow mercenary group working for you now?" Entos felt a little helpless. Of course, Entos knew about Shadow mercenary group. Band of Brothers mercenary group tried to get in touch with Shadow mercenary group but did not even see who they were.


    "Not really working for me. We gather here to work together to get through this difficul time. Entos, you are here for...?" Anfey asked in a low voice.


    "It¡¯s a long story," Entos sighed. "You know necromancers attacked Tumen Commercial Union, don¡¯t you?"


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "With the great leadership of King Ynthe, Vice General Miorich led a group of pce guards into Scared City to help Tumen Commercial Union and pushed all the death spirits under the sea."


    "It is not possible," Alice could not help yelling out. No one in the conference room knew more than her about the countries on Pan Continent. Every country had its own information agency. Alice had many contacts in these agencies. As far as she remembered, Tumen Commercial Union was very weak militarily and totally relied on Maho Empire. They did not even have their own military. Of course, Maho Empire did not allow them to build their military anyway. When necromancers posed threats on Pan Continent, me strategy had been used in half of the continent. Even Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empire were in passive positions. It was not possible that Tumen Commercial Union had been the first country to defeat death spirits, even with the help of pce guards from Maho Empire.


    "Not possible?" Entos gave Alice a long look. He said with a smile, "It¡¯s not only you guys who are surprised, but also our king. After their victory, the kingmented that Tumen Commercial Union did a wonderful job with political reforms. Maho Empire still has strong control over Tumen Commercial Union, but they overcame many disadvantages. They did a wonderful job helping civilians gain wealth and empowering them."


    Ozzic and others did not understand what Entos said. Perhaps only Anfey and Alice could understand the main idea of what Entos said in the conference room.


    "You do not get it? Let me put it this way," Entos said with a chuckle. "Anfey, you have stayed in Sacred City for a while. Is Sacred Ctiy busy and prosperous? Do you know how many wagon Sacred City has?"


    "How could I know?" Anfey shook his head.


    "Every 37 people owns a wagon and every 11 people owns a horse in Sacred City. Tumen Commercial Union is a very popted country. Every four people owns a wagon, which means every household has a wagon, and everyone owns a horse in Tumen Commercial Union," Entos said.


    "How could they have so many horses?" Ozzic asked in surprise.


    "Because they have money," Entos emphasized. "Think about it. How many of the merchants whoe to the Country of Mercenaries to do business are from Tumen Commercial Union? They have very robust transportation ability. After the Death War broke out, they gathered their civilians in a few big cities with unbelievable speed. They also have an amazing stock of weapons and are not afraid of a protracted war. Their few big cities are connected with magic arrays. Those cities supported each other when it was needed. No other countries could do what they did. The Country of Mercenaries was rich in magic crystals, but how many magic crystals were in mercenaries¡¯ hands? They worked hard to hunt for magic crystals, but merchants have the real wealth. Mercenaries do not possess many magic crystals. Even with hundreds years of umtion, they still do not have many magic crystals in their hands."


    "Master Entos, I understand how civilians are getting rich, but I do not quite understand what is empowering them," Alice said quietly.


    "The merchants would not give all their security jobs to mercenaries. They definitely have their own bodyguards. Has any of you seen a merchant wagon without security or bodyguards on the road?"


    Alice slightly nodded.


    "Smaller merchant wagons have about a dozen or more bodyguards," Entos said. "Large merchant wagons have even more guards. A rich merchant even could have hundreds of bodyguards. A merchant would not just have a merchant wagon without guards. Simrly, Tumen Commercial Union would not just have merchants. Put all these bodyguards together, and the number is huge. They have contributed a lot in other areas as well. For example, at the Sacred City mage academy, many civilian students are sponsored by Tumen Commercial Union."


    "That is true," Anfey said bitterly. For one, Doris was sponsored by a merchant, but that merchant wanted to marry Doris. That was why Doris wanted to be a senior mage. Only as a senior mage could she fight against the merchant and her own family.


    "Without this Death War, no one would know the fighting potential of Tumen Commercial Union. People only know about their wealth: even King Ynthe said he neglected Tumen¡¯s fighting ability." Entos smiled. "Necromancers attacked Tumen Commercial Union for theirrge armory. Even though they could not use it, they wanted to destroy it to weaken the humans¡¯ fighting ability. They did not expect to run into troubles right away."


    "So Tumen Commercial Union was their important target? They must have sent out a lot of necromancers, right?" Anfey asked.


    "Of course," Entos said. "The king was so worried about the necromancers robbing the wealth of Tumen. He sent Vice General Miorich to lead a group of pce guards to help as soon as he found out. Archmage Saul and Dean Steger organized a temporary Sacred Mage group. Eagle Eye King Mangzo and Reaper Wolf King Manstuly led druids to join the battle. Tumen Commercial Union also organized a militaryposed of over one hundred thousand people. There were arge number of mages in the troop. Even though necromancers were powerful, they were beaten for sure."


    Anfey was shocked for a second. He knew who Ynthe was. After noticing the potential fighting ability of Tumen Commercial Union, Ynthe definitely would n something for them. Right now there were so many people in this conference room, Anfey could not ask.


    "I have to congratte King Ynthe for sparing his effort. Where would King Ynthe put his effort to now?" Alice asked with a smile.


    Entos was shocked and give Alice a long look again. He turned to look at Anfey. "Anfey, would you like to introduce this youngdy to me?"

 Chapter 356: Yolanthe’s Hand

    Chapter 356: Ynthe¡¯s Hand


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey hesitated and did not say anything.


    "I am just a servant," Alice said with a smile.


    Entos rolled his eyes, clearly unconvinced. "Do you take me for a fool, woman?" he asked, shaking his head. He could tell from the way others treated Alice that she was no mere servant.


    Anfey frowned and was not sure what to do. He wasn¡¯t the only one who knew who Alice was, and he knew he could trust Entos. He could keep the secret away from Entos, but he could not lie. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. "I will tell youter," he said.


    "Well," Entos said, turning to Christian. "I am here to congratte you, Your Royal Highness."


    "Me?" Christian asked, surprised.


    "His Majesty had recently acquired support from Pope William," Entos said. "A backup army will arrive at Country of Mercenaries soon tounch a full-scale attack on the necromancers. You have been selected to oversee this army."


    The mercenaries were not from Maho Empire and did not care for the political implications of this appointment. They looked at Christian, who was grinning widely at the news. The first pope, St. Robin, once said that all humans should band together in the face of amon threat. Necromancers were one of the only things that could unite all the kingdoms. However, even such an alliance was not without political implications. St. Robin believed that all the kingdoms should unite around the Church of Light. Of course, the mercenaries did not care for the political struggles of another nation.


    "Which army?" Christian asked, curious. "How many men areing? Who¡¯s themanding general?"


    "It¡¯s a newly formed legion called the Shield of Light legion," Entos said, "led by the Knight of Light, Fernando."


    "Fernando?" Christian asked. "Who is that?"


    "He¡¯s sent by the pope."


    Christian nodded. Ynthe and Pope William must have fought over control of this new legion, but Ynthe had lost to the pope, and the pope was able to appoint one of his men as themanding general. But did Ynthe really fail? If Ynthe had appointed a general from Maho Empire to lead the legion, it might have caused disagreements among people of other nations¡ªespecially Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empire, which were still recovering from the effects of thest war. If Fernando, a man appointed by Pope William, was to lead the legion, then the other nations could not argue against the appointment, unless they want to contradict the pope¡¯s will. Even though the pope did not have concrete political power, he was a beacon of hope among themon people, especially during a war against the necromancers. The zombies were not as afraid of light magic as before, but the Church was still the most important asset. No one could deny the effectiveness of the Church¡¯s army.


    Allowing Fernando tomand the army did not mean that Ynthe had no influence over the legion. The legion formed at Ynthe¡¯smand, and he still had ways to influence it.


    "The legion isposed of people of different nationalities, am I right?" Alice suddenly asked.


    "Mostly men from Tumen Commercial Union," Entos said. "It also contains the remnant of the Sacred me Crusade, some of the pces guards and guards from ckania City." Entos paused, then added, "It also has its own mage¡¯s toon."


    "Mage¡¯s toon?" Anfey asked, shocked. An army¡¯s mage¡¯s toon was very different from his so-called mage¡¯s toon. In order to have a mage¡¯s toon, there must be hundreds of mages.


    "What, are you surprised?" Entos asked.


    "Who leads it?" Christian asked. The head of a mage¡¯s toon had almost as much power as themanding general of the legion.


    "Who do you think it is?"


    Christian frowned, thought for a few moments, then shook his head. The legion was very important, but it was still not one of the major legions. Ynthe would not have Saul or Steger lead it, but it would still have to be someone important.


    "Who is it?" Christian asked.


    Entos jerked his thumb towards himself and said with a grin, "This guy."


    The room fell silent. Alice frowned, but Christian and Anfey wanted tough. Clearly, Ynthe made this decision because he had made an agreement with Band of Brother mercenary group. He had met the leader of Band of Brother mercenary group, Marino, back in Sacred City. Marino wasn¡¯t there to attend Anfey and Suzanna¡¯s wedding, and he must have met with Ynthe while he was there. The outbreak of the war with the necromancers deepened the rtionship between the two.


    Ynthe had the ability to offer help. As long as he had Band of Brother mercenary group on his side, he had a powerful asset.


    Even someone like Anfey could understand how important it was to control the Country of Mercenaries. Previously, none of the powerful nations cared much about the Country of Mercenaries, and there were rarely any guards along the Country of Mercenaries¡¯ borders. This was why Shansa Empire could cut through Country of Mercenaries without anyone noticing and surround ckania City. If Ynthe could control Country of Mercenaries, then he would have a powerful ally.


    "I¡¯ve told you everything I need to tell you," Entos said. "You must prepare for the arrival of the legion, Your Royal Highness."


    "Prepare for what?" Christian asked with a sigh. He never thought he would be an overseer of a legion. This entailed considerable responsibility and he must approach the matter with a serious attitude.


    Entos shrugged. "I don¡¯t know," he said. He turned to Anfey and said, "I heard that you are close to moving up a level."


    Anfey shrugged. "I just learned how to userge fireball magic," he said, "but so can everyone else in the city."


    "Who knows? Come, try attack me with it."


    "What?"


    "Attack me," Entos said seriously. "Withrge fireballs."


    "Here?"


    "Don¡¯t worry," Entos said.


    "Wait," vi suddenly stood up and said. "I have to go."


    "Wait for me," Ozzic said, scrambling up. "I have to go do something as well."


    "Me too," Alice said. She tapped the ground a few times, signaling the dwarves to retreat.


    "Then I¡¯ll be going too," Christian said. He lingered for a few moments then hurried out of the room. Suzanna nce at Anfey and Entos and jogged out of the room after Christian.


    Entos frowned as the room emptied. "What¡¯s wrong?"


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "Aren¡¯t you going to use shields?"


    Entos waved his hand. "I¡¯ll be fine," he said.


    Anfey nodded. He took a deep breath and waved his hands, feeling the fire elements gathering. After a few moments, a dozenrge fireballs appeared in the room. The room burst into light.


    "Hopefully Entos got out in time," vi said with augh, observing the room at a distance.


    "I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine," Christian said. "He¡¯s renowned for his teleportation."


    "It¡¯s a shame," Alice said. "What a waste of money. I was fond of that table."

 Chapter 357: The Real Manipulator

    Chapter 357: The Real Maniptor


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A person suddenly appeared a dozen yards away on the east side of the conference room. It was Entos. He had escaped with Instant Transportation Magic. He was stunned to see the strong fire in the conference room. The magic shield he had released disappeared. There were a few ck spots on his gown, which was obviously burned.


    The door of the conference room was shattered into pieces by the pressure of the fire. Anfey¡¯s outline started to show in the mes. He walked in slow motion on the stone stairs. Countless mes were revolving around Anfey. It looked like they were caressing him and unwilling to leave him. Besides the ck Dragon and Gold Dragon of legends that could ignore magic, no one else could walk in the fire without any protection. Everyone saw that Anfey did not have any protection.


    When Anfey stopped at the door of the conference room, the fire dimmed and went out. Gusts of white and ck smoke flew out of the conference room. Everyone was looking at Entos. Anfey¡¯s control over elements had turned magic principles upside down. They could not evaluate Anfey¡¯s fighting ability, so they hoped to seek out an answer from the more-knowledgeable Entos.


    Magic is a double-edged sword. There were many incidents in which mages got hit by their own magic spells or hurt by their own magic. A mage could release a firewall, but it did not mean he could stay in the firewall. Outside of legends, no one could do what Anfey did.


    "Anfey, attack me with big fireballs." Entos had woken up. This time he looked very serious. He not only released a magic shield, but also twoyers of a magic dome to cover himself.


    "I have used up my magic power," Anfey said with a shrug.


    Entos almost fell to the floor. He stood there, shocked for a moment, before he suddenly asked, "You had that chemical..." There was noparison between small fireballs and big fireballs. Anfey had made huge progress. Entos suddenly remembered the chemical Archalchemist Jacob had made.


    "Yes, but I only had a very little bit of it. I only wanted to see what changes it could bring in me," Anfey said.


    "Don¡¯t you think it is kind of a waste?" Entos smiled bitterly.


    "Don¡¯t worry, Bro Entos. I am just testing it. I have to save the rest for the little unicorn." Anfey changed the topic with a smile. "Oh, right, Bro Entos, did you see Niya?"


    "Niya?" At the mention of Niya, Entos could help but have a weird look on his face. It was a mixture of love and helplessness. "She is still in Violet City."


    "She should be fine, right?" Anfey asked.


    Entos gave a chuckle, then said, "In fact, Niya only left Sacred City for a short time. She did note with us. She was good. Most of time she stayed in the garrison residence and did not go anywhere else. At most, she only fooled around with Shally and the little unicorn at the worst."


    "That is good, otherwise Riska and others would have no control over her." Anfey felt relieved. "Bro Entos, the Transmission Portal..."


    "Professor asked me to do it so I dared not wait or make any mistake with it," Entos said. "If I was not busy with the Transmission Portal, I could havee earlier. The professor was worried about you. Even the king has asked me about you a few times."


    Christian was touched. It was said that royal families do not really care about each other. This was nonsense. The king was a human being with emotions. The only difference was they are better at controlling and hiding their emotions. On the other hand, a robot-like emotionless king would not necessarily be a good king.


    Entos looked around and found he knew everyone except for Alice. He asked slowly, "Anfey, would you like to introduce this youngdy to me?" He stared at Alice. One couldn¡¯t me him, since Alice had showed off her talent too earlier.


    Anfey looked at Alice and found her a little nervous. He stayed quite and realized what Alice was worried about. He had saved Alice, but he was just a mercenary groupmander, quite different than other politicians who had so much power that they could change the whole direction of a country. Anfey had showed his moral principles and bottom line at times. Alice had this hatred in her and wanted to find a person or a group to rely on. Anfey was Alice¡¯s only choice. Both Anfey and Alice knew it was not possible for Alice to start her own organization or try to use Anfey as a stepping stone. Alice would rather take me than do any petty action, while Anfey would rather be wiped out than see anything happen to Alice. They understood what attitudes each had towards the other.


    Alice wanted to work for Anfey, and did not have any desire to work for others. The cruel lesson she learned still hurt. She did not dare to trust anyone else. She felt like someday she might be tossed away when she was not useful anymore.


    "Bro Entos, well..." Anfey thought and said slowly. "If you want to know about her, you¡¯d better ask her. It will be her decision if she wants to tell you who she is. I think I need to respect her for that."


    Alice smiled. Despite trying hard, she had never been able to understand Anfey. She understood Suzanna, Christian, and vi. When everyone thought she was good, she would be one of them in the end, and then she would not be dumped, as Anfey would never leave Suzanna, Christian and the others. Even when someone tried to do something to Anfey, Suzanna, Christian and others would not let that happen.


    Of course, Alice was smart enough to know she had to do things for others first to show her sincerity. In fact, Alice¡¯s unconditional trust in Anfey allowed the whole group to have a good vibe. However, Alice herself did not know that Anfey and the rest of his group did not totally trust each other at one point. After many difficult times, they became closepanions. Entos called Christian "your majesty," even though vi never did. They had developed a bond that was simr to family members.


    "Ok." Entos was angry but found it funny at the same time. "vi, would you like to introduce that youngdy to me?"


    "Me? I know nothing." vi immediately waved his hands.


    Entosid his eyes back on Christian. Christian smiled ufortably and shook his head. He had a different experience than Anfey, so he viewed things differently. Anfey cared about Alice¡¯s loyalty, while Christian saw Alice working very hard every day, as Moramatch had been experiencing changes every day. The weapons dwarves and gnomes made were getting better and better. Alice contributed to these changes. He agreed with Anfey. Alice had done so much for them that they needed to respect her wishes.


    Entos was shocked for a second. He squinted. Christian had grown up and had his own secrets now. Thinking about how shy Christian had been when he was little, Entos was amused by it. He could not help breathing a long sigh.


    At the same time, a dwarf excitedly ran over. When he was still pretty far from them, he started to yell, "Master, we made it, we made it."


    Anfey raised his eyebrows and looked excited. "Let¡¯s go. Take us to have a look. Christian, can you show Bro Entos around the town. I will be back soon."


    Christian nodded. "Sure."


    Seeing Anfey, Suzanna, and Alice walking in the distance, vi suddenly asked, "Bro Entos, do you think if Anfey can control magic?"


    "Can you do what he did?" Entos asked casually.


    "I cannot, unless I release a magic shield to protect myself, otherwise I would be burned to a crisp," vi said.


    "What you asked did not make sense." Entos paused. "As a senior magister, I do not want to see a person on Pan Continent who has the ability to control elements. However, if he were Anfey, I would like to see how far could he go."


    "Anfey¡¯s magic attacks were fierce, but his weakness was also obvious. He used up his magic power all at once and did not have the power left to continue the fight," vi said.


    "Don¡¯t forget, Anfey is also a good swordsman." Entos broke into a smile. "Can you used up all your magic power at once?"


    "No." vi suddenly remembered a problem, and he broke into a cold sweat. Theoretically, he could use up his magic power at once, but the strong element surges would tear his telepathy and even his body into pieces. Anfey acted like nothing had happened to him. How strong could his telegraphy be in that case?


    "You thought about it, huh?" Entos raised his eyebrow and asked with a grin.


    "Yes." vi could not help sighing. He wondered how Anfey could reach this level, since they were about the same age. How could Anfey¡¯s telegraphy could be strong enough to control element storm?


    "You guys are lucky, really lucky," Entos said slowly.


    vi did not understand Entos, while Christian got some of it. If Anfey could be a legend, they would be witnesses of this legend and be part of it. It would be such an honor for them.


    Anfey stopped walking and frowned. "Alice, what do you think?"


    "Me?" Alice had a beautiful smile on her face as usual.


    "It is not a good thing to let others know about your talent too soon. I think you should have known that," Anfey said casually. "No matter whether you were trying to test me to see if I could protect you or for some other reason, please don¡¯t do that again."


    "I am sorry," Alice said


    As Alice apologized to Anfey, she admitted her real purpose. Anfey suddenly turned around and wanted to scold her, but found she had an even brighter and more sincere smile than usual. He swallowed whatever he wanted to say and sighed, "Let¡¯s go."

 Chapter 358: Haunted

    Chapter 358: Haunted


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfeyy on a tree branch with his eyes closed, listening to the mor of the town below. Suzanna sat on a nearby tree, watching the dwarves and the gnomes at work, her hair billowing in the soft breeze. She turned to Anfey, who was grinning, and said, "You look happy today."


    Anfey shrugged and sat up. "How can I not be? It¡¯s finally our time to shine."


    Entos was a sly person, but he still gave away a considerable amount of secrets when pressed. Of course, he could have done so on purpose. Band of Brother mercenary group had long been a partner of Maho Empire. When Entos first arrived in the Country of Mercenaries, many mercenary groups wanted him to join them. He rejected all the other invitations and joined Band of Brothers mercenary group. This wasrgely due to the good rtions between Band of Brothers mercenary group and Maho Empire.


    However, the situation was different for Marino. Marino¡¯s wife had been killed by an assassin as she was trying to protect him, leaving a three-year-old son. Marino couldn¡¯t bring himself to remarry and did not have another child. When his son was thirteen, the child fell off a tree and hurt his head, causing his development to dy.


    The four super mercenary groups had never known real peace. Marino worried that his son won¡¯t be able to survive once he was gone. Ynthe understood Marino¡¯s sentiments and was using it to his advantage. Ynthe promised Marino that he would be made a duke if he could assist Ynthe in taking over Country of Mercenaries.


    A duke has much more powerful than the head of a mercenary group. Marino didn¡¯t care about fighting for freedom. He needed to secure his power to ensure safety for his son.


    As king of one of the three most powerful empires, Ynthe was much more approachable and much more likable than Ellisen Empire¡¯s Edward and Shansa Empire¡¯s Philly. Marino knew that as long as he did what he was told, Ynthe would reward him.


    Marino¡¯s attitude and his rtion to Entos secured Marino¡¯s loyalty to Maho Empire. Anfey knew he had to find a way to ce Christian in charge of the Shield of Light legion.


    Anfey knew that Ynthe wouldn¡¯t rush the decision of appointing an heir. Wester had his opportunity to shine, and Grandon got an important military apopointment when he was sixteen. Christian cared only for magic and told Ynthe long ago that he did not want the throne. It was hardly up to Christian, however, as the nation woulde first.


    Suzanna ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. She was very conflicted. She had hoped that she would be able to find a peaceful life after she was married. She didn¡¯t care about power or revenge. She wasn¡¯t like Alice.


    She knew she had to protect her friends, however, and she would not abandon them. The only way she could be useful was to keep fighting.


    Suzanna was not every good atmunicating with others. She enjoyed being alone much more than being with other people. She was used to keeping her emotions to herself.


    "Lady Suzanna, Lord Anfey!" Ozzic called as he jogged over to the tree. "Long and Ling are back." Anfey and Suzanna jumped out of the tree. "They said they needed to report to you directly."


    "Directly?" Anfey asked. "Interesting." He turned and saw Ling and Long walking towards him. He smiled and waved them over.


    "We gave the letter to General Augustus," Long said quietly once he made sure other people were out of earshot.


    "And there¡¯s no reply?" Anfey asked, surprised. Thest time he saw Augustus, he was friendly. They had no conflicts and it would be polite to give a reply.


    "General Augustus told us it was inconvenient to send a reply with us," Ling said. "We were searched when we left the city."


    "Augustus is in charge of ckania City," Anfey said, curiously. "If he wanted to protect you, who would search you? What¡¯s General Baery doing?"


    "General Baery was in the city, but we didn¡¯t see him," Long said. "My lord, what is your history with Marquis Djoser of Violet City?"


    "Marquis Djoser?" Anfey repeated, shocked. "He¡¯s the one who searched you?" He was very confused. Marquis Djoser hardly had any power, especially in a city governed by August and Baery.


    "He had a dozen priests with him and he insisted on searching us," Long said. "He said he didn¡¯t want any spies leaving the city. We resisted, of course, but there were only two of us." Long sighed and shook his head. "We thought General Augustus would help us, but his people never intervened. It was just easier to let them search us."


    "General Augustus wanted us to tell you that the Marquis had joined the Shield of Light legion," Ling said. "We heard that he is close with Fernando."


    Anfey pursed his lips. Prince Wester must know that Ynthe nned on taking over control of Shield of Light legion and casting out Fernando. Marquis Djoser was working for Prince Wester, but he must have not yet told the prince about his rtionship with Fernando. If Fernando fell, the Marquis might fall with him. If it really came to that, it would be unlikely that Prince Wester would try to save Marquis Djoser.


    "When is the backup arriving?" Anfey asked.


    "In a few days," Long said.


    "The backup is the Shield of Light legion, isn¡¯t it?" Suzanna asked quietly.


    "Yes, mydy."


    "What else did you find out?" Anfey asked. "Did you find out how many Knights of Light there are?"


    "Four hundred, at least," Long said. "That¡¯s just part of it."


    "That many?" Anfey asked, surprised.


    Long nodded. "My sources are as urate as theye."


    "I didn¡¯t know you have sources in ckania City," Anfey said.


    "There are still a lot of things you do not know about us, my lord," Long said. "This information was given to me by a member of the Roaring Death legion. As you should know, my lord, those soldiers are famous for their bravery and their loyalty. I trust this information."


    Anfey nodded. "How is the rtionship between the two legions?"


    "Precarious," Long said. "There¡¯s tension between the two, but there has not been any outright conflict."


    "Because they don¡¯t want to make it look like Ynthe is making things more difficult for the priests and the knights, I wager," Ling said. "The situation is too tense right now for there to be infighting."


    Anfey nodded. "I think you¡¯re right," he said. "What else did you hear?"


    "Scarlet was heading north with her army," Long said. "But they disappeared soon after leaving. No one knows where they are. We must keep our guard up. The world is in chaos right now, and no one knows whether she will take advantage of that." Long paused, then added, "Violet City is amercial city. Fernando does not have the right to decide what happens there."


    Anfey nodded. "You did well," he said. "Who told you this?"


    "I cannot reveal my source¡¯s name," Long said, shaking his head.


    Anfey nodded. "Go get some rest," he said. Long and Ling nodded, then turned and disappeared into the town.

 Chapter 359: The Biggest Dream

    Chapter 359: The Biggest Dream


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    No matter how questionable the "good" rtionship between Ynthe and Pope William was, their generals and soldiers still maintained military protocol. Four dayster, arge force looking like a long snake appeared in the Eyes of Sky. It was inevitable to have maliciouspetition between Ynthe and Pope William¡¯s militaries, but that would not stop them fighting together against theirmon enemy when the time came. If Anfey had already sent for help, it meant Moramatch faced some serious threat. If they went to the Country of Mercenaries, they would not get any supplies among death spirits. They could not lose Moramatch, since it was the most important transfer field. They heard Anfey had thousands of mercenaries in Moramatch who were important to Fernando since they were locals. They were familiar with the surrounding geography. Even if they did not join the battle, they still could serve as guides and be helpful for the battle.


    That was why Fernando decided to send his troops out to help Anfey, even though Marquis Djoser had criticized Anfey a lot. Fernando even contacted General Augustus in ckania City. They agreed right away that Augustus would send out 20,000 border guards as the frontiers of Shield of Light unit to help Moramatch.


    Ynthe had agreed with Anfey to send 20,000 soldiers, but Augustus spent some time deciding who would serve in this troop. First of all, he had to ensure a strong fighting ability. Second, they had to be loyal to the country. In order topletely avoid the influence from Knights of the Light, Augustus even ordered four generals with great prestige to lead this troop. With their leadership, Knights of the Light could only give instructions at most, but they would not have any control over this troop.


    Efficiency was the key to the war. Ynthe asked Miorich to lead pce guards to help immediately after Ynthe heard that Tumen Commercial Union had been attacked. Ynthe was not panicking, but rather taking advantage of time. Knowing Moramatch was just ahead of them, seeing a showdown of people on the wall and hearing the cheering in the distance, about a hundred Knights of the Light in the front of the troops all looked relieved. Those in the front consulted, and then about half of the Knights of the Light rode back rapidly. With instructions from Knights of the Light, five thousand cavalry were divided into two groups. One group continued to march to Moramatch, while the other group went back to help with the transportation of arms and supplies.


    Even though about 15,000 cavalry travelled with the arms and supplies, they didn¡¯t seem strong enough to Knights of the Light. The soldiers in Death Roaring Legion were more popr inparison. In fact, the Knights of the Light had suggested to Fernando that he press Baery to lend a unit of his military to Fernando. They had no idea if Fernando had tried to convince Baery. They only heard a rumor that one night General Baery waved his sword and chased Fernando for about a dozen miles. Fernando hid in a female farmer¡¯s house and finally escaped from Baery. Coincidentally, Fernando stopped them talking about taking Death Roaring Legion since they heard that rumor.


    There had been many prestigious but hard-to-track master swordsmen. They were on the same level but had different levels of fighting ability. Ernest definitely ranked number one. When he travelled, he had challenged archswordsmen at his level, but never lost a fight. Some defeated swordsmen who were resentful towards Ernest talked behind his back, but not everyone was so resentful when they lost fights. Some people were convinced that Ernest was better with sword skills. Although Ernest had his critics, no one could challenge his ranking in terms of sword skills. Themander of Glory mercenary group in the Country of Mercenaries ranked second, since he killed two Fire Series archmages in his debut fights. Baery ranked third, taking Master Swordsman Philip¡¯s ce, as Philip was now too old to hold that position.


    All the Knights of the Light knew that Fernando was a seventh-level Knight of the Light, but he would never be a match for Baery. Therefore, there was truth in the rumor. Of course, they would not stupid enough to ask Fernando about it. They kept these spections to themselves.


    When Anfey heard the cheering, he was standing in something of a tornado. It was nothing like a natural tornado. Rather, it was about a hundred yards high, with lighter winds than a natural tornado. It could only suck in insects, birds and other small-sized animals. Anfey could keep absolute still in the center of the tornado. His hair did not even move. After a while, he held his hand out in the air. The swirling tornado looked like it was drawn by a strong attraction, sucked in with a fast speed and turned into a crystal-clear, ring spear in Anfey¡¯s hand.


    Anfey thrust his spear out. He was so fast that there were countless shadows created by the spear. It was a cloud of shadow at first and then turned to arger area of shadow. Only Suzanna and Shinb could barely see Anfey¡¯s moves. Mages like Christian, vi felt dazzled by the moves.


    Anfey ended his show and put the spear back. The gigantic rock in front of him made terrifying cracking sounds and turned into countless pieces of gravel everywhere on the ground. "What are those mercenaries yelling?" Anfey asked in surprise. He dragged the spear on the ground and walked back.


    "I do not know. Let¡¯s go and check," Suzanna said quietly.


    "Anfey, wait." vi hurried over. "Let me see your spear. Wow! Nice!" vi only paid attention to the appearance of the spear but did not see that one end of the spear had stuck underground as he dragged the spear. Anfey did not put any strength on it. He would not waste his energy, which suggested the significant weight of the spear.


    "Here you go." Anfey passed the spear to vi. This spear could not instantly disappear, as other weapons he instantly had made. This spear would take some time to disappear, and would take a little longer to disappear when not under the control of Anfey¡¯s telepathy.


    vi excitedly took the spear from Anfey. The spear had fallen to the ground just as he felt the weight of the spear in his hand. Anfey could make actions as fast as he wished. He held one leg out with a lightning speed and grabbed the spear with his foot. Even though Anfey caught it with his foot, ck Eleven¡¯s foot was scratched by the spear. He opened his mouth wide as he grabbed Anfey¡¯s arm tightly. To be more urate, he pinched Anfey¡¯s arm as his eyes got watery. If there were nodies, he would not keep from crying.


    "How could it be so heavy?" vi almost cried.


    "Is it heavy?" Anfey was shocked for a second and smiled. "It was indeed heavy for you." Anfey lifted his foot and tossed the spear in the air. With a huge crashing sound, the spear fell on the ground after one flip in the air. This time, everyone saw something unusual. The whole spear almost buried in the ground. If a person looked at it upside down, it would be hard for him to see anything.


    "Let me try." Ye got excited even though he usually did not talk much. He walked over and slowly squatted and dug his bare hands into the dirt. He grabbed the shaft of the spear and slowly got up on his feet. He did not finish standing until he released hisbat power. It surprised everyone even more when they saw Ye had to pull the spear out with hisbat power.


    "Let me do it." Shinb slowly walked over when she saw Ye pulling the spear up withbat power.


    "Sure." Ye responded immediately. He looked like hecked courtesy. He should have passed the spear to Shinb like Anfey passed it to vi. He still stood there, waiting for Shinb to pick it up herself.


    Shinb was not a stupid girl. She had been hurt by Manlyn only because she was a nice girl and did not know how to protect herself. With every step, herbat power grew stronger. As she walked up to Ye, she released all of herbat power. She grabbed the shaft of the spear, slowly taking it from Ye.


    Shinb swung it a few times. The spear tore through the air and made thunder-like whooshing sounds. Ye had moved pretty far from her. Shinb looked a little weird. She stood there for a while. This spear¡¯s weight was beyond her imagination. She noticed that there had been no noise when Anfey swung it. It looked like a quiet viper, trying to snatch someone. Shinb had no idea how Anfey did it.


    Shinb slowly raised the spear over her head and swung it down. She was not only a senior swordswoman, but a well-rounded fighter. Except for Anfey, no one in the group could be called well-rounded. Knights and swordsmen were in two different fields. The way Shinb swung the spear was simr to the way she swung swords. With a huge sound, a cloud of dirt appeared in the air. There was a deep ditch created by the hit of the spear. It could only be called a "hit" since the tip of the spear was stuck underground a few feet deep. Only half of the shaft diagonally pointed at the sky above the ground.


    "Anfey, someday, when you release the Meteorite magic, I do not know what kind of weapon you could create," Christian sighed. What weapon would Anfey create with more advanced magic if he could already make such an amazing weapon with Tornado magic?


    "Meteorite magic? I like teleportation spells better than Meteorite magic," Anfey said. "That is my biggest dream."


    Entos was watching them, smiling. When he heard what Anfey said, he asked, "Anfey what do you mean? Why are you mentioning teleportation spells in front of me. Are you trying to take the job away from me?"


    "Bro Entos, you misunderstood me." There was some cunning in Anfey¡¯s look. "You have mastered teleportation spells, and do not need a magic wand anymore. How could I take the job away from you?"


    "I..." Entos almost cursed in front ofdies. Anfey had misspoken. He meant to remind Entos that he did not need wand anymore.

 Chapter 360: Conflicts

    Chapter 360: Conflicts


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The conflict between the mercenaries and the Knights of the Light had already passed by the time Anfey and Suzanna arrived. There was still tension, however, because the knights wanted to take over the defense of the city from the mercenaries.


    This was a very negotiable matter, but neither the knights nor the mercenaries were very patient with each other. The knights knew they were there to save the mercenaries and did not like the mercenaries¡¯ attitude. The mercenaries did not like the knights taking over their job and did not want to back down easily.


    Ozzic did not like being treated like a lesser man. He was very proud and ambitious and did not like being ordered around by other people, especially people he had just met a few minutes ago. He was also very irritable and would often lose control of his temper. He did not like the way the knights were talking to him and his men and grew very angry. He even threatened to draw his sword.


    One of the knights saw Ozzic¡¯s movement and drew his own sword. The other knights did not want there to be a fight, but felt obligated to support one of their own. The mercenaries saw the knight¡¯s sword and all jumped to Ozzic¡¯s defense.


    The mercenaries did notck loyalty and the will to fight. They didn¡¯t care if it was Ozzic who started the conflict. They needed to protect one of their own.


    Since the knights did not want to fight the mercenaries in the first ce, they did not move to attack. The mercenaries saw that the knights weren¡¯t moving and did not want to be the first to attack. However, neither side lowered its weapons.


    Both the knights and the mercenaries knew that they should not fight. Their responsibility was too great for petty fights right now.


    "Wait," Anfey called. Several of the knights saw the opportunity and grabbed the sword from the first knight who drew his weapon. The mercenaries lowered their weapons and Ozzic quickly bowed to Anfey and Suzanna. "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "They, apparently, don¡¯t know how to act properly in other people¡¯s territory," Ozzic said angrily.


    "You must be Anfey," one of the knights said, stepping forward. "These mercenaries never stop."


    "Liar!" Ozzic said. Anfey tapped him on the shoulder and shook his head. He did not expect the knights to be so rude to the mercenaries, but he did not expect the mercenaries to act so improperly, either. Whatever conflicts they had, the most important thing right now should be building an amicable rtionship so working together in the future would be easier on both sides. The knights and the mercenaries¡¯ actions did the exact opposite.


    Most of the knights had already put their weapons away and were murmuring to the few that did not, trying to calm them down. Clearly, like the mercenaries, the knights did not want to fight, either.


    "I am," Anfey said. "I would say wee to Moramatch, but I see you¡¯ve already met our people." Ozzic red at the knight.


    "How I control my people is my business," Anfey continued, ignoring Ozzic, "and you have no rightmenting on it."


    "Are you threatening me, my lord?" the knight asked, clenching his teeth.


    "Of course not," Anfey said, smiling. "Why would I?" The knight stared at him for a few seconds then took a deep breath and returned his sword to its sheath.


    Anfey sighed with relief. He did not want to fight the knights because he knew that it would do him no good. The best thing for him and the town right now was to coexist with the knights peacefully. Infighting would only lead to trouble.


    He did not know why the knights were so bold, but he knew that someone must have told them some unpleasant things about him. He couldn¡¯t change that; the only thing he could do was to prove to them that he was not a horrible person.


    The knight that challenged Anfey did not back down easily.


    Suzanna and Shinb appeared and joined Anfey. They were bolder than the mercenaries and did not need Anfey¡¯s order to attack anyone. Entos appeared in the air andnded between the mercenaries and the knights, his eyes wide as if curious about what was happening.


    "Martin, stand down," a voice among the knights called. The knight in front cringed then turned to the man who had just ordered him to stay back.


    A man in white armor appeared on horseback. He rode to the front and jumped off, smiling. "My lord, mydy! Do you remember me?" the man asked, grinning. His tone was rxed and was clearly trying to ease the situation.


    Anfey froze. He remembered this man from Augustus¡¯s mansion, back in ckania City. "General...?"


    "Mecam," the general said, taking off his helmet. Shinb and Suzanna rxed visibly. No one wanted to fight, but the situation came to a point where it would be considered shameful to back down. Neither side wanted that, and the situation hade to a standstill. Anfey was d that the general came to resolve the situation. Clearly, Martin was too.


    "I apologize for not introducing myselfst time," Mecam said with a grin.


    "I apologize as well," Anfey said, smiling. He walked over and shook hands with the general.


    "Don¡¯t worry about that," Mecam said. "Trust me, my lord, you don¡¯t need to introduce yourself." He walked towards the town and out of the knights¡¯ earshot. "I need to talk to you," he said in a hushed voice. "Alone. This is an urgent matter."


    "Urgent?" Anfey asked with a frown. "Then let¡¯s go to the tent over there." Mecam nodded and followed Anfey. Suzanna wanted to follow but Anfey stopped her.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Mecam said. "I promise not to do anything, mydy."


    Once they were alone, Anfey frowned and asked, "What do you want to talk about?"


    "I have an order from His Majesty," Mecam said. "Lady Suzanna is to return to Sacred City immediately."


    "What?" Anfey asked, shocked.


    ¡ª


    Sacred City appeared gloomy under the setting sun. Ynthe sat on a rocking chair, wearing a simple robe. Across the room was a bed and in the bed was a woman. The woman was old, her hair peppered with grey. Two maids were busy cleaning the room.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Ynthe said softly. "Suzanna wille back."


    "Thank you, Your Majesty," the woman whispered. She had seen too many deaths on her way to Sacred City. She did not know why Ynthe was protecting her or her daughter, but she was very grateful. She knew that without the man in the chair, she would never see her daughter again.


    "Don¡¯t worry yourself too much," Ynthe said. "Rest. Regain your strength."


    "Will...will the man she married return with her?" the woman asked. She didn¡¯t want to trouble Ynthe, but she wanted to see what kind of man her daughter married.


    "I¡¯m afraid not," Ynthe said, shaking his head. "Anfey has a very important job he cannot step away from. We need control of Country of Mercenaries in order topletely destroy the necromancers¡¯ force."


    The woman smiled. "I know, Your Majesty," she said. She lied back down and sighed, closing her eyes as if she was exhausted.

 Chapter 361: Secret Meeting

    Chapter 361: Secret Meeting


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The moon hung in the trees. Tonight was quite different than usual in Moramatch. It was super quiet, especially the mercenaries near Anfey¡¯s room. They dared not talk. They even tiptoed in case they made any noise as they walked.


    In fact, Anfey and Suzanna had a lot inmon in their personality. Neither of them were good at expressing themselves. After they got the secret order from Ynthe, they did not have any goodmunication until they had to say goodbye to each other, even though everybody tried to give them some time alone. If this happened to a couple who had experience ups and downs, they probably would have cried. Suzanna was a tough girl. She never used tears to show her sorrow or attachment. She chose to be quiet. Anfey was even tougher than Suzanna. Sometimes, it was not a good thing to be too tough, because they could not vent their emotions. It would cause trouble for them sooner orter. Luckily, Anfey and Suzanna could take more than regr people. Suzanna had cruel training when she was little, while Anfey was an assassin who used to work on his own and learned to live with loneliness. Being apart was not bad enough to cause them to lose their manner in front of others.


    Upon parting, Anfey forced a word out: "Come back soon." Suzanna said quietly, "Take good care of yourself."


    This conversation was neither passionate nor romantic, no matter how one looked at it. The conversation did not show their deep rtionship, nor their unwillingness to part. However, mercenaries had noticed the difference in Anfey. After watching Suzanna disappear from sight, Anfey started to look gloomy. The anger showed between his eyebrows. He turned around and saw two followers of Knights of the Light in an argument with mercenaries over tents. Anfey scolded the knights without even bothering to asked what was going on. The poor knights sulked away to report to their supervisors what Anfey had done.


    Even carefree vi noticed Alice was not emotionally stable. Smart Alice hid herself in the underground city after she dealt with the confrontation with Knights of the Light. No one else dared bother Anfey, so Moramatch was super quiet that evening.


    Anfey sat on the bed with his legs crossed. He kept wiping the sword for a long time. This sword was made by dwarves, so the quality was exceptional. Every country had their ownrge amount of dwarf craftsmen, but they suffered disdain from others. The dwarves in Moramatch enjoyed a lot of freedom, so they had a much better work ethic. They put more effort into the sword-making when they knew the swords were for Anfey, Suzanna and a few others. These swords were the product of their hard work and would not have any quality issues.


    Anfey locked his eyes on the sword but was lost in thought. A couple always developed their own habits. After receiving others¡¯ blessing for their rtionship, Suzanna had been taking care of his daily life. His clothes were always clean. Suzanna would clean his room in the hotel, find clean andfy dry straws if they staying in the wild, bring him food at dinner time, and even cut meat and bread into smaller pieces for Anfey¡¯s convenience if Anfey did not have time to eat. She was careful with cutting and not making any noise in case she interrupted Anfey. Anfey liked to have ate night snack, so Suzanna always prepared it for him, even in the wild. Suzanna could always pick some tasty wild fruits for Anfey¡¯ste night snack.


    Suzanna¡¯s departure disrupted their routine, which made Anfey feel uneasy and lonely.


    Someone knocked on Anfey¡¯s door. Anfey could not help frowning and asked coldly, "Who is it?"


    "It is me." ck Eleven¡¯s voice rose outside of the door.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" If this had happened in the past, Anfey would have already opened the door and let ck Eleven in. He was never pretentious nor posed as important person, but right now he really did not want to be bothered.


    "Master, someone wants to see you," ck Eleven said with a helpless tone. He knew this was not a good time to talk with Anfey, but he had no other options.


    Anfey was quiet for a second before he said slowly, "Come in."


    The door swung open. ck Eleven escorted a person covered from head to toe with a cloak. As ck Eleven closed the door, the person took off his cloak and showed who he was. He kneeled at Anfey, "Master."


    "It is you!" Anfey could not help looking surprised. The person in front of Anfey was the same arrogant Knight of the Light, Martin. Anfey looked at ck Eleven, "Armin, what is going on?"


    "Should I tell Anfey, or should you?" ck Eleven shrugged.


    "I think it¡¯s better you tell Master Anfey." Anfey did not respond to him, nor asked him to stand up, but the guy looked easier and more rxed with a smile. He looked like he did not care much. To be honest, Martin looked a lot more pleasant now. During the day, many mercenaries wanted to swing their fists at his stinky face.


    "Martin works for the king," ck Eleven said quietly.


    Anfey was smart and had a quick response. This one simple exnation was good enough for him to connect all the suspicious dots in his head. Within a short time, Anfey had already figured out what had happened.


    Ynthe had an agreement with Pope William, but that was only for the time being. He would never let Church of Light expand on this territory. The most effective way was to pick fights between mercenaries and Church of Light and create antagonism. Martin would not be the only spy.


    Ynthe could think of controlling his military and not having any conflict with mercenaries. So could Pope William. If Pope William could not think in a sophisticated manner and only use force, William would not have be pope. Ynthe was more strategic, so he not only predicted what William would do, he also nned ahead to ruin William¡¯s n.


    With Martin in Knights of the Light, Church of Light would make more people dislike them. Anyone who had contact with Shield of Light legion would likely prefer Maho Empire¡¯s military and hate those arrogant Knights of the Light. The antagonism would turned to fighting sooner orter. Even though Fernando tried to appease to Maho Empire, he could not simple aplish that. If the situation continued, Knight Fernando could only use force to protect Church of Light¡¯s benefits. Martin and his fellows picked bloody fights to make the antagonism even worse, which meant Fernando would lose more battles. It would be inevitable for Fernando to be fired.


    Anfey could not remember how many times he felt he admired Ynthe so much. After he went quiet for a while, Anfey said slowly, "You are Martin. How long have you been working for the king?"


    "I am an orphan. Without the king, I could have starved to death," Martin said. "When I was a teenager, the king sent me to the church and helped me be an apprentice knight. It has been about ten years from that time."


    Anfey had a bitter smile on his face. Ten years ago? Ynthe might not need people like Martin until they died because there was no opportunity to fight with Church of Light. However, Ynthe nned cautiously for every step, not afraid of spending money on people, or wasting his own time just for one possibility.


    A top power could have the control of his own life, but that was it. Anfey tried to be a top power so he could control of his own life. Ynthe actually controlled many other people¡¯s lives, like Martin. His youth, even his life had been dedicated to Ynthe. How many people were like Martin and how many people¡¯s lives were dedicated to Ynthe?


    "Did the king ask you to see me?" Anfey asked slowly.


    "The king has told me to show my real identity when it is needed," Martin said.


    "Is it the time you are talking about?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, I have notpleted my job yet, but I am worried about what you would do to me." Martin hesitated for a second and looked like he was trying to find an appropriate way to say it. "I am afraid I would be killed by you some day. It would be a sad joke." Martin smiled bitterly. He was obedient. Anfey did not ask him to stand up, so Martin had been kneeling as he talked. Compared with his arrogance during the day, Anfey had such a strange feeling towards him.


    "Hehehe, to be honest, I did want to kill you," Anfey said.


    "The subordinates of Hilde have died." Martin felt Anfey did not understand, and reminded him. "The two guys you kicked. Hilde tried to fight you. Hehehe, but he was convinced by Captain Stephens."


    "Ok." Anfey paused. "How many people do you have? Can you give me a list?"


    "Well..." Martin was shocked. Anfey was asking a little too much. That was not just a list of names, which represented past decades of hard work of Maho Empire and Ynthe.


    "First of all, I am worried about more misunderstandings. Secondly, I could work with you. There were some mature people in Knights of the Light. I could help you kill them and you will have the total control of the situation," Anfey said calmly.


    Martin¡¯s eyes brightened. He said hesitantly, "I have to get permission first."


    "Up to you." Anfey nodded. "Please get up. Do you have anything else?"


    "No. That is all." Martin stood up and smiled. "Master, I will continue to mess around in the town tomorrow. I hope you will not get angry."


    "I got it. I will ask those mercenaries not get involved and let you guys mess around for a few days, but do not over do it. If you let those mercenaries get wild, you will be in trouble," Anfey said.


    "I understand, Master." Martin bowed.

 Chapter 362: Barrier

    Chapter 362: Barrier


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey rarely dreamed when he slept. For him, sleep was necessary to keep himself energized. As long as he could get adequate sleep, he could make sure that he could stay fully aware of his surroundings and the dangers that may lurk within. Dreams were rare, and he almost never remembered them. This night, however, he had a vivid dream. He became arge giant. He moved his hand and saw himself destroying the world, turning it into puffs of elements. Soon, everything around him became elements and even he himself was no more than groups of loose elements.


    Sudden, rapid knocks on his door woke him up and put an end to his strange dream. "Who is it?" he asked.


    "It¡¯s me," Alice¡¯s voice said.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "I need to talk to you," Alice said.


    Anfey sighed and pushed himself up. "Come in," he said. Alice walked into the room and he saw her eyes narrow when she saw him. He looked down and realized that his nket had slipped off of his shoulder and he was half naked.


    "This room is cold," Alice said. She nced at the hearth and the dying fire and sighed, walking over to reignite it.


    "Wait," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Leave it. I can handle this." He grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head.


    Alice turned and smiled. She sat down primly on a chair near the hearth and folded her hands over herp. She did not say anything and only stared at Anfey. Herrge eyes were emotionless. Anfey frowned under her gaze. It still bothered him that he could not read her emotions.


    "What is it you want to talk about?"


    "Nothing," Alice said softly. "Just wondering why you¡¯re still in bed." She stood up and walked to Anfey, who was putting on his leather armor. "Let me," she said softly, helping Anfeycing up his armor.


    "I was tiredst night," Anfey said. He did not push Alice away.


    "It¡¯s a shame that you do not have anyone to take care of you when Lady Suzanna is gone," Alice said. "Why don¡¯t you let Shinbe take care of you?"


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Shinbe is too important to take care of someone like me. Plus, I don¡¯t need any maids."


    "You¡¯re a count, my lord. It is only natural that you have maids," Alice said. She paused then smiled as if she had stumbled across a secret. "Are you worried about what Lady Suzanna would think?"


    "I have maids," Anfey said with a sigh. "I don¡¯t need them, like I¡¯ve just said. It¡¯s dangerous for them to be here anyway. I can take care of myself."


    "I can see it with my own eyes," Alice said. "Lady Suzanna took care of you when she was here."


    "That¡¯s different," Anfey said.


    "Of course," Alice said. "Of course." She smiled and took a few steps back, inspecting her work.


    Anfey did not say anything and watched Alice helping him dress. When he saw Alice grab theb on the table, he hesitated. "Wait," he said, reaching over. "I¡¯ll do it myself."


    It was customary that a married man¡¯s hair should only be taken care of by his wife. The implication of Alicebing his hair was very dangerous to his reputation.


    "It¡¯s not something you should do by yourself," Alice said. She looked at the ground but did not put theb down. When Anfey saved her from the ve runners, she had tried to seduce him. After she learned of his rtionship with Suzanna, she tried to stay away from him lest her emotions cause a rift in their rtionship. She thought that Suzanna¡¯s absence would be a good opportunity for her.


    Anfey did not expect Alice to be so insistent. He sighed and sat down on the chair, beckoning her over. He was not one to respect customs, because he knew that, in the end, customs did not matter. He didn¡¯t know what would happen in the future and knew that he and Christian must rely on Alice. He didn¡¯t want their rtionship to be too tense.


    Alice smiled and beganbing his hair. There were a lot of ways for her to find someone to depend on, but there were very few people that made her feel safe. She was a princess, and she knew Anfey and his friends would never truly ept her. Anfey could allow his friends to practice magic and grow their power, but he wouldn¡¯t let her. She felt uneasy even keeping Kumaraghosha close, let along grow her power.


    Alice wanted to develop their rtionship because she knew that if they became closer, Anfey would be more likely to help her with her revenge. She believed that she could convince him.


    "Have you everbed anyone¡¯s hair before?" Anfey asked.


    "Not hair," Alice said. "Beards, yes. I was very close with my father."


    Anfey sighed. "Be more gentle," he said. "Hair is very different than beards."


    "I see."


    "Make sure no onees in," Anfey said. Alice froze and tossed theb on the table. Anfey, confused by her sudden change in attitude, turned and looked at her.


    "Is that who you think I am?" Alice asked, frowning. "A sly, calcting woman?"


    "There¡¯s nothing wrong with that," Anfey said with a shrug. "In fact, I apud you for that."


    Alice shook her head. "Kumaraghosha¡¯s outside."


    Anfey nodded and closed his eyes.


    Suddenly, he heard Ozzic¡¯s voice ask, "Where¡¯s Lord Anfey?"


    Alice started, jumping up from her chair. She didn¡¯t expect Ozzic toe at that moment and was frustrated that he foiled her n.


    "Wait," Kumaraghosha said. "You can¡¯t go in."


    "Why not?" Ozzic asked. "I need to see him. I have urgent business." Ozzic sounded very angry.


    Alice frowned. "What could he be doing?" she whispered.


    "Who knows?" Anfey said with a smile. "Let¡¯s see."


    Ozzic pushed open the door and marched into the room, panting. When he saw Alice in the room, however, he froze. Then he turned and quickly walked out of the room.


    "Wait!" Anfey called.


    "You called me, my lord?" Ozzic poked his head into the room and asked. Clearly, he knew that he had seen something he shouldn¡¯t have.


    "What do you want to talk to me about?" Anfey asked.


    "It¡¯s those knights, my lord!" Ozzic said, frustrated.


    "Wait a few days," Anfey said. "Be patient. Everything will resolve itself. Don¡¯t cause any conflicts."


    Ozzic sighed, then nodded.


    Suddenly, they heard another voice outside. "I need to talk to Lord Anfey immediately!"


    "What¡¯s Orsie doing here?" Anfey asked.


    Ozzic stood and opened the door, muttering something to Orsie. Anfey frowned.


    "They¡¯re too impatient," Alice said.


    "You¡¯re right. Which means I have to give him a small nudge."


    "You mean..."


    Anfey smiled. "Just wait and watch."

 Chapter 363: Request and Demand

    Chapter 363: Request and Demand


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    One education was to help students mature with different strategies, even with the hope that students could end up better than their teachers. Another type of education tried to fool students so they would listen to the teachers blindly and forget about fighting back. The students were more like penned sheep.


    The two approaches to education had their own strengths and weaknesses. The former could speed up the development of society and strengthen the social dynamic in general, but it also made someone aspiring to climb thedder work very hard to get what they wanted, because someone was always better and they could be easily surpassed and forgotten. Thetter type of education could cause society to move backwards, but the upper sses were in much better shape. They only had to manage a group of sheep. There was nothing to make them nervous. It was not easy to turn sheep into wolves, because they had given up too much just struggling for enough food and shelter.


    When 4,000,000 were under the leadership of 100,000 knights, no one could know whether this was nned or idental.


    The education in Mage Union and Church of Light were quite different. Church of Light cared more about beliefs. There were many contradictions among different theologies. For example, other races believed God created the world, while Church of Light did not mention the god who created the world, rather contributing all the glories to God of Light. Religious believers did not need learn about the truth behind a religion, only about its beliefs. Of course, there would always be some talented people who were hard to deceive. The church would recruit them, assimte them and have them be part of the administrative team. This method was smart. A person could refuse to work for others but would definitely work for their own interests.


    Mage Union seemed to have more freedom. They did not require students to believe in anything. They only instructed them to feel the element surges and learn to control them. They did not require students to owe them anything, nor did they interfere with students¡¯ freedom. When the students were qualified to train outside the academy, they could go anywhere they wanted, even bing a priest in Church of Light.


    Because students had differing talents and abilities, many gave up half way through the academy. They had to make a living, so they became businesspeople, tried to practicebat power, or even went home to be farmers. Such were their options when they gave up the academy. Some people were just average students when they practiced magic, but could be famous priests in a short time. nbrea was a good example.


    No could Priests or Knights of the Light be apart from the constraints of the church and do something else other than being Priests or Knights of the Light. Otherwise they would face serious punishment, or even endless pursuit until being killed.


    Anfey had heard stories about the historical situation from Ozzic and Ossie during their travels. He was worried about Martin at the beginning, but felt relieved when he saw how he provoked Knights of the Light. It was undeniable there were some drawbacks to bondage education. Bondage education did not ask believers to differentiate right from wrong and only asked them to believe in the religion and follow the instructions of the church, so it stopped the believers from developing their talents. They were indeed unified. That was also why Martin could stir up the Knights of the Light as he wished, even though he was not a mature spy yet. Anfey had no idea what decisions Captain Stephens would make, but the Knights of the Light whom Martin brought over all looked na?ve and ignorant.


    "Who is the guy looking more provoked than Martin?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "Maybe Hilde." Ozzic was not sure who he was.


    Anfey nodded and slowly walked toward them. He yelled, "What is going on here?"


    The mercenaries who were in conflict with Knights of the Light suddenly made way for Anfey. Tiger stood at the front of the mercenaries. When he saw Anfey, he gave a dirty look to the Knights of the Light facing him. He stuck his ax in his belt and got close to Anfey. He said quietly, "Master, they want to enter the underground."


    No wonder Ozzic and others were mad. The underground city held the most important secrets in Moramatch. Even Ozzic had very few opportunities to enter the underground city: how could they let others get in?


    "We have to ensure the safety of all arms and supplies, on orders from Fernando," the Knight of the Light named Hilde yelled. "Here is the order. You can read it yourself, but move first!" Hilde took out a sealed envelope and shook it in the air.


    Elizabeth hesitated for a second because she did not know whether she should take it. After seeing Anfey nod, she went over and took the envelope. She turned around and passed it to Anfey.


    Anfey casually opened the envelope. There was no order inside. It was just a letter to Anfey from Fernando. The letter showed a lot of respect to Anfey. The main point of the letter was to ask to if he could leave the arms and supplies in the underground city for the sake of safety. Only talented and smart people could be recruited to the church administration. nbrea was one of the them, as was Fernando. In terms of management, those Knights of the Light were notparable to Fernando. He used a friendly andpassionate tone in the letter, which made the reader feel good.


    If Fernando had been a newbie without consideration of others, Ynthe would not have wasted time on him. There would be no point for Ynthe to n anything. Ynthe could fire him at any time. Pope William recruited Fernando. Logically, Pope William should be allied with Ynthe, yet it was not clear Fernando was acting in the king¡¯s best interests.


    Anfey put the letter back into the envelope with a smile, passed it to Elizabeth and signaled her to give it back to Hilde. Anfey said calmly, "You guys perhaps misunderstood." No wonder it was said to be easier to talk to the big boss than his assistants. Most of the time, a big n was ruined as it was carried out by these lower-level people. If Anfey had never dealt with Church of the Light, he would have agreed with Fernando when he read the letter. However, the attitudes of these Knights of the Light would definitely have changed his mind.


    "Anfey, what do you say? Don¡¯t forget this is the order from Knight Fernando. Do you dare to act against him?" Martin stood up and yelled.


    Anfey stepped up. Without anyone seeing how he did it, he had already moved more than a dozen yards. He raised his hand and pped Martin really hard. Martin rolled on the floor like a ball.


    "I told you yesterday. You should add "Master" before my name. If you have such a bad memory, I do not mind reminding you a few more times." Anfey stood in front of dozens of Knights of the Light, but looked calm and not threatened by them. "You made a mistake. Moramatch is my territory. Do you understand?"


    Martin looked at Anfey as he covered his cheek with a hand. He did not understand why Anfey pped him. He was shocked and could not make a sound. Instead, Hilde yelled loudly, "Master Anfey, you are not only acting against Archknight Fernando¡¯s orders, but also attacking a Knight of the Light in public. What do you want?" He was smart enough to add Master in front of Anfey¡¯s name. He was just a paper tiger. Did he want this confrontation to reach the point where there would be a fight in Moramatch? They could only wish, since the border guards of ckania would not listen to them. If they fought with thousands of mercenaries, it was obvious which side would lose the battle.


    "Don¡¯t panic over it. I was just teaching him some manners," Anfey said calmly. "In terms of Fernando¡¯s orders, Alice, bring the contract to me," he said with a chuckle.


    Alice, who just arrived, smiled and took a piece of paper from her Dimensional ring. Anfey was shocked for a second. He wondered when Alice got a Dimensional ring. He had never noticed it before, but it was not a good time to talk about it. Anfey held the contract out and shook it in front of Hilde. He said casually, "Can you read? I have had absolute authority in Moramatch for two years."


    "Master Anfey, this is a special time. We are at war now," Hilde said.


    "So what if we are having a war now? Should not my rights be protected during wartime?" Anfey said coldly. "If you go to Sacred City in Maho Empire now and tell them we are at war, would Sacred City be yours?"


    Hilde did not immediately think of a response. Mercenariesughed at him.


    "You could be either guests or enemies in Moramatch, but would never be a host." Anfey gave the contract back to Alice. "Do you understand?"


    "Master Anfey, if anything happens to the arms and supplies, who is going to take responsibility?" Hilde asked.


    "It is funny. I am not your general. Why are you asking me that. I know one thing: you have to listen to me in Moramatch. Otherwise, get out of here," Anfey said.


    Hilde was embarrassed, mad and upset. The color of his face changed frequently, but he dared not talk back to Anfey. This time they hade with an excuse: with Martin¡¯s words, they wanted to vent their anger with the help of Fernando¡¯s letter. If Anfey did not agree with their request, they would cause trouble for Anfey.


    "What are you standing there for? Do you need me escort you out?" Anfey showed disdain in his tone.


    "Master Anfey, I will report what happened today to Archknight Fernando as it is," Hilde said, taking a long breath.


    "Not only Fernando, but even if Pope William were here, he would have no right to take my rights away," Anfey said coldly.


    "Good." Hilde forced that word out. He turned around and helped Martin up. They walked out together.


    Anfey quietly watched the Knights of the Light walking away. He slowly called out, "Armin."


    ck Eleven hurried over, "Master?"


    "Find a way to tell Martin that he should not have acted so actively. People could find something suspicious about him," Anfey said very quietly.


    "I got it," ck Eleven said.

 Chapter 364: Old Acquaintance

    Chapter 364: Old Acquaintance


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A few days after the arrival of the initial group of Knights of Light, another group of Shield of Light legion¡¯s forces arrived at Moramatch. In addition to the Knights of Light, there were around four hundred priests.


    For most people, knowledge and patience would grow with age. Apparently, Marquis Djoser was not in the majority. He had changed drastically since thest time Anfey saw him. This was caused by the murder of his son and Ynthe¡¯s unjust treatment. He was driven by anger and hatred. As soon as he arrived, he immediately took his people and went into Moramatch to look for Anfey. He did not know what he would do or how he would react when he saw Anfey, but he knew that he had to find and confront him.


    Anfey, meanwhile, was hanging out with the mercenaries. He was originally nning on weing the new arrivals with Alice after he received the news of the new soldiers¡¯ approach, but changed his mind at thest minute. The conflict between the mercenaries and the knights had not disappeared. Instead, the tension only grew. He could wee the new arrivals with a smile, but he knew they might not greet him in a simr fashion. He didn¡¯t want things to spiral out of his control again. He saw Ozzic and his men arm wrestling and thought it¡¯d be fun to join them.


    Combat power was not allowed in arm wrestling matches. The mercenaries wanted to see who was the strongest with the assistance of other powers. Tiger was the champion and the others were challenging him.


    Alice appeared around the corner. She hurried over when she saw Anfey, looking at their game curiously.


    "Let me join," Anfey said, as thest match came to an end. The mercenaries allughed and moved aside to let Anfey sit down across from Tiger.


    As they were getting ready, the mercenaries began betting on the match. Unfortunately, the only person betting in favor of Anfey was Alice. His reputation could only carry him so far.


    "Really?" Anfey asked, hurt. He only had one gold coin from Alice, a meager amountpared to the coins on Tiger.


    Next to him, Ozzic chuckled but did not say anything.


    "Don¡¯t me us, my lord," Orsie said. "Prove us wrong."


    Khufu turned to Alice and said, "Why don¡¯t you bet more, mydy?"


    "Fine," Alice said, smiling. She found a handful of gold and put it down next to Anfey. The mercenariesughed and pped at her generosity. She nced at Tiger and squeezed her eyes. She wanted Tiger to let Anfey win so he wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed in front of his men.


    "Let¡¯s do it," Anfey said, holding out his hand. Tiger gripped his hand with a smirk.


    Anfey¡¯s hand appeared very small in Tiger¡¯srge one, but when the match began, he did not immediately lose. Tiger had gotten Alice¡¯s signal and wasn¡¯t using all of his power. He also did not want to embarrass Anfey. After almost a minute, Tiger gave a low growl and began fighting back. He began slowly pushing Anfey¡¯s hand towards the stump of the tree. Before they could finish the game, they were interrupted by a neer.


    "Why, if it isn¡¯t Count Anfey?" Marquis Djoser said. His voice was quiet but carried far.


    Anfey and Tiger jumped up, turning to the marquis. The old marquis stopped in front of Anfey with a grin on his face. He had brought only a few guards. Next to him was a wizened man with a small smile on his face. Anfey recognized Jacob, who looked very different from thest time he saw the old alchemist.


    Anfey rolled his wrist and held out his hand. It seems like he made the right choice not to join the wee party. The marquis shook his hand stiffly.


    "How have you been, Count Anfey?" Djoser asked.


    "Good, good," Anfey said, narrowing his eyes. "I didn¡¯t expect to see you here, marquis. This is a ce for soldiers. A very dangerous ce. What business does an old marquis have here?"


    "The necromancers threaten us all," Djoser said with a smile. "I am obligated to contribute to the cause." Djoser chuckled and continued, "You should be more worried, shouldn¡¯t you, my lord? You so young. Surely your young wife will be sad should anything happen to you."


    "Like you¡¯ve said, my lord, it is my responsibility to fight the necromancers," Anfey said. "Plus, I am proud to die for my country and His Majesty Ynthe. I owe him almost everything."


    Marquis Djoser narrowed his eyes at the mention of Ynthe. In any other country, the murder of a nobleman was punishable by death. Ynthe had not punished Anfey and instead rewarded him. Djoser was very angry about Ynthe¡¯s decision and knew that it had angered quite a few nobles.


    Djoser smiled and took a few steps back. His smile was very fake, but he had to maintain it to avoid outright conflicts. He turned to whisper something to Jacob, who nodded and muttered something back. Then Jacob turned and marched over to Anfey and the mercenaries. Djoser watched without any emotion on his face.


    Anfey sighed. He had just given Martin a wake-up call a few days ago. It seems like he had be Martin in this situation.


    The mercenaries, uncertain about what was about to happen, jumped from where they sat and drew their weapons. Even though Jacob¡¯s steps were confident and rxed, they were not sure what this strange old man was capable of. Clearly, Jacob was with Marquis Djoser. The mercenaries did not know the history between Anfey and Djoser, but they could deduce that it must be unpleasant from their short exchange.


    Jacob was not hindered by the sight of the swords and axes. He kept walking towards Anfey confidently, his expression very calm and betraying nothing of his thoughts. The line between overconfidence and self-assurance was very blurry. Judging from Jacob¡¯s age, the mercenaries thought it wouldn¡¯t be the former. Obviously, Jacob was very powerful: more powerful than a few mercenaries could take on. Ozzic waved his hand and his men took a few steps back. They looked at Anfey, waiting for his instructions.


    Anfey sighed. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should be immediately defeated or if he should try and hold out for a few minutes. Luckily, Suzanna wasn¡¯t present, or else she would surely be very embarrassed that her husband was easily humiliated by a man she respected.


    Jacob stopped. He looked past the mercenaries and down the street. Ernest and Entos appeared around the corner and were heading toward them. Jacob lifted a brow and nced at Anfey with a small grin. Djoser appeared very confused. He wasn¡¯t sure why Jacob stopped. Jacob turned and walked back to Djoser, whispering something to the marquis. Djoser¡¯s eyes widened.


    "Really?" he asked quietly. Jacob nodded. Djoser sighed and shook his head.


    "Long time no see, Lord Ernest," Jacob said, walking over to greet the two neers.


    "Lord Jacob," Ernest said, surprised. "What are you doing here?" He saw Djoser behind Jacob and narrowed his eyes. The marquis shuffled ufortably. He knew that he couldmand Jacob to humiliate Anfey, but he was not foolish enough to pit Jacob against Ernest.


    "Well, my lord," Djoser said, choosing a strategical retreat. "I will be going back to my ce now. I hope to see you there sometime?"


    "Of course," Anfey said coolly. "You must be exhausted from your travels, Marquis Djoser. My men will take you there." He waved his hand at Ozzic.


    "No need," Djoser said, shaking his head. He waved at Jacob and left without looking back.

 Chapter 365: The Agent of Elves

    Chapter 365: The Agent of Elves


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master, I did not know you had offended so many people," Alice sighed.


    "Not that many," said Anfey, shaking his head. "To be specific, I only have two enemies, Philip and Marquis Djoser. I have been keeping a low profile."


    Everybody felt awkward. The Anfey they knew was very aggressive. He didn¡¯t do anything with a low profile.


    Alice smiled. "Philip and Marquis Djoser are not any two people. Strictly speaking, you have offended two groups and two powers."


    "Master, let Ye and me handle it. We can find an opportunity to assassinate Marquis Djoser," Orsie suddenly said with hatred in his voice. He continued, "Don¡¯t forget Archalchemist Jacob. It would be really hard to kill Marquis Djoser in front of him."


    "Master, you can ask Master Ernest to lure Jacob out," Ozzic said. It would not be a problem if there were some faults in the n. As long as they could discuss and improve it, like what they were doing now, it would be fine.


    "How about those Knights of Light and the Priest group? Can we distract them as well?" vi said. He was intrigued by this n. Anfey¡¯s enemies were his enemies. If they could assassinate Marquis Djoser, it would a good thing for everybody.


    "It does not have to be soplicated. I can do it myself," Ye said quietly. "They have never seen me before, and even if they had, they would not remember someone like me."


    "The problem is not whether they remember you or not. Are you sure you can kill him by yourself?" Orsie asked.


    "Even if I fail, they would not know who I am and could not give master a hard time," Ye said.


    "You make it sound too simple. Other than us, there would only be their people in Moramatch. If there were an assassination, everyone would know we did it," Christian said, shaking his head.


    "The key would be whether they have any evidence. I can promise you that I would not be caught alive," Ye said with a smile.


    "Even if you killed him, you would not be able toe back safely" Christian said.


    Ye was quiet for a moment. "This is not important. I know how to do it," Ye said.


    Everyone was quiet. Obviously, Ye was the first one to be willing to risk his life for this mission. They could neither simply support him nor restrain him. They waited for Anfey¡¯s final decision.


    "You do not have to worry much about Marquis Djoser. As an old dog, his bark is much worse than his bite," Anfey said casually.


    "We are not worried about him, but he has an archalchemist with him. If Marquis Djoser asked Jacob to do something, we could not predict the oue, neither could Master Ernest protect us all time," Orsie said with a concerned look.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Master Jacob would not give us such a hard time," vi smiled.


    "Why?" Ozzic and others all looked shocked.


    Anfey had been ncing at vi when no one paid attention to him. He said in a low voice, "Because our professor is Saul and Uncle Ernest is on our side. In addition, Christian¡¯s uncle is Baery. Do you think Jacob would help Marquis Djoser without considering who is on our side?"


    vi realized he said something he should not have. He had an awkward smile and looked down. Ozzic and others looked like they understood what Anfey said. No matter what rtionship Jacob and Marquis Djoser had, and no matter how confident Jacob was, he had to be crazy to be the enemy of three other top powers.


    "We do not have to worry about Marquis Djoser. We¡¯d better think about which direction we should attack from when Shield of Light legion gathers. Christian will be the supervisor of the Shield of Light legion. Fernando is an outsider and not familiar with the Country of Mercenaries. He would ask our opinion for sure. We cannot make any mistakes," Anfey said slowly.


    "We are all stuck here and do not know the situation outside of Moramtach. What should we do if we make mistakes?" Ozzic said.


    "Actually, it is quite simple. Between ckwater City and White Mountain City, which one would be easier for the necromancers to defeat?" Anfey asked.


    Ozzic and others looked at each other and said in unison, "White Mountain City."


    "White Mountain City?" Anfey was shocked. This answer was different than he expected. "As far as I know, Master Swordsman Anthony has been staying in White Mountain City. Even though Glory mercenary group suffered huge losses in the civil war, their fighting ability cannot be neglected. In addition, the Archmage Mike of Ellisen Empire is in White Mountain City as well. With the help of the mercenaries of Storm mercenary group, couldn¡¯t they counter the necromancers? ckwater City only has Tiger of Tawau mercenary group: could their fighting ability be better than White Mountain City¡¯s?"


    "Master, ckwater City has reinforcements," Ozzic said.


    "Oh? Tell me more," Anfey said.


    "Even though Tiger of Tawau mercenary group won the civil war in ckwater City, themander of Glory mercenary group is still a famous top power," Ossic said. "Hotchbini is afraid that Anthony would take revenge on her and has asked help from elves. I heard arge group of elves travelled to ckwater City, including over three hundred powerful druids."


    "Anthony has kept quiet since the civil war," Orsie said. "Because the elves¡¯ fighting ability is way better than he thought, he and Mike could wipe out the entire ckwater City. Luckily, they did not really fight, otherwise both parties would have suffered huge losses. With this Death War, the Country of Mercenaries would be in huge troubles."


    "How could druids help Hotchbini? Hotchbini has that much influence?" Anfey asked, confused. He knew a little bit about the rtionship between elves and druids. As far as he knew, both parties were allies in wars, but elves had no right to order druids to do anything. It was a big deal to have over 300 druids join them. Elves definitely could not ask so many druids to help. They usually would get support only from some druids.


    "Hotchbini¡¯s influence is not big, but her brother inw is very famous," Ozzic said.


    "Who is her brother inw?" Anfey asked.


    "Wolf King Manstuly-the Reaper." Ozzic thought for a second. "Hotchbini¡¯s sister seems to be an elf pharaoh with huge power."


    "Even an elf pharaoh should not help Tiger of Tawau mercenary group." Alice looked like she was deep in thought. "Elves could use Mourtta to assimte rather than be rejected by human society. In other words, Mourtta could be an agent they could use and help him get stronger."


    Anfey paused before slowly leaning back in the chair. Alice¡¯s guess was not exactly right, but pretty urate. He understood why they did not think Manstuly was friendly, even though he had not been hostile when Anfey saw him the first time in Sacred City. Now Anfey seemed to understand it must have something to do with Hotchbini. Bruzuryano had been very nice to Anfey. He did not mean to simply pay attention to the younger generation. He was simrly kind to elves. In other words, Bruzuryano thought Anfey was a good choice, since he had aplicated background, good rtions with top powers and kings, and unpredictable potential. Mourtta did notpare to Anfey.


    Of course, there was another possibility: groups looking for another agent to help and support thought Mourtta could be a good candidate, and they started to reject other groups. Bruzuryano had given Anfey a few elves, so he must have something going with the elves. It was not clear which side druids and elves would take.


    Everyone felt strange when they saw Anfey lost in thought. "Anfey? Christian called quietly.


    "Yes." Anfey perked up. "That means we should go help White Mountain City first?"


    "Yes." Ozzic nodded.


    "I think their situation is like ours. They united to fight against death spirits. It is the job of Shield of Light legion to help White Mountain City. Our job is to find those mercenaries and recruit them," Alice said.


    "Let¡¯s take small steps," Anfey said. If they could think of this, Marino would probably think of it too. Marino¡¯s timing had not been good when the Death War broke out because he had still been in Sacred City in Maho Empire. He could not lose a second chance. Everybody wanted to increase their power, including Marino. It was not easy to find an ally they could trust and work together with, so they had to avoid conflicts as much as possible. What Marino did would affect how Ynthe made ns. He could not interfere with Ynthe¡¯s ns.


    "Anfey, are we just letting Marquis Djoser go?" Ozzic asked.


    "Not letting him go. We are just letting him mess around for a few more days," Anfey said.


    "I agree with Anfey. We should not make the rtionship with him worse than it needs to be," Alice said. "Fernando should be here soon. I hope he is not a nasty person, otherwise we will have too much trouble."


    "Master Alice, what kind of trouble are you talking about?" Orsie asked in surprise.


    "I am not sure. I think we should get ready for any situation. At least, we have to be able to retreat back to underground city at any time," Alice said.


    "Alice, would the dwarves cause us any trouble?" Anfey suddenly asked.


    "No, Master. Why are you asking this?" Alice asked.


    "Transfer some weapons to them. It think crossbows are good for them," Anfey said in a low voice. "They might be able to help when it is needed."


    "Ok," Alice said.


    "Let¡¯s call it a day," Anfey said, rubbing is forehead. "You guys get to bed early. Remember, you have to control yourselves a little bit. Don¡¯t cause any conflict. We will discuss further after I see Fernando."

 Chapter 366: Dedication

    Chapter 366: Dedication


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Entos! How did you make this?" Anfey asked, shocked by the power of the magic arrow in his hand. He was still only a beginner, but even he could feel the elemental surges from the arrow. He knew that this arrow must be very powerful. It must have been Entos¡¯s creation. He was the only one among them that could make something like this.


    Entos grinned but did not say anything.


    Anfey lifted a brow and turned to Alice, who dismissed all the dwarves. She waited until the dwarves were out of earshot and rejoined the two.


    Before Anfey could make a decision about whether or not he should ask Alice to leave as well, Entos sighed. "Jacob came to find mest night," he said.


    Next to him, Alice frowned at the implications. Anfey leaned closer, intrigued by Jacob¡¯s visit to Entos.


    "Why? How did he get past the dwarves?" Anfey asked, suddenly concerned. If Jacob could get past the dwarves guarding the underground tunnels, so could others. He must update the entire security system to prevent security breaches.


    "No," Entos said, shaking his head. "Don¡¯t worry about that. I took him down there."


    Anfey nodded, relieved. "Why does he want to go to the tunnels?"


    "He saw those soldiers carrying magic arrows and thought Hagan was here," Entos said. "He wanted to check on Hagan. I told him that the arrows are made by the dwarves. He wanted to see it for himself." Entos paused as if waiting for Anfey and Alice to take in what he was saying. "Dwarves were the original alchemists. Unfortunately, their knowledge is mostly lost. What they have right now is a meager portion of what we have, and what we have is still a small portion what they had."


    "Did he give any tips to the dwarves?"


    "No," Entos said with augh. "He¡¯s too busy for that. Hagan would have given them plenty of advice, though. He only made this arrow because he was bored."


    "Is he going again tonight?"


    "You really think he would work for you for free?" Entos asked with a grin. "Maybe, who knows? I asked for a favorst night. He agreed."


    "What¡¯s the favor?"


    "Secret," Entos said, smirking.


    Anfey sighed and shook his head. "Of course," he said.


    "I have some other business to attend to," Entos said, standing up. "See youter." He waved and disappeared.


    Anfey sighed again. "He won¡¯t even walk anymore," he said jokingly. He knew that this was because Entos had incorporated magic into his daily routine. There were many senior magisters, but very few could achieve what Entos achieved. Even an archmage like Saul could not use the same spell twice in a short period of time.


    "Anfey," Alice suddenly said, "can you tell me how you know Jacob?"


    Anfey shrugged. "He was a friend of my teacher¡¯s."


    "This is important," Alice said gravely.


    "My teacher has his own circle of associates," Anfey said. "Politicians aside, he has other friends as well. Like Baery, Miorich, Steger, Bruzuryano. Jacob is one of them."


    "Is that why you told us he wouldn¡¯t hurt us?"


    "Yeah, why?"


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell us, then?" Alice demanded. "You had us all worry for no reason. Let me guess: vi knows, doesn¡¯t he?"


    "The fewer people who know, the better," Anfey said with a shrug.


    "Secrets, I see," Alice said, shaking her head. "So much for trusting us."


    "There are things I must keep to myself," Anfey said. "Maybe one day you will learn them."


    Alice pursed her lips and did not say anything.


    "Let¡¯s go check on the men," Anfey said. "I know we warned them yesterday, but who knows what they will do when left unattended." Alice nodded and trailed after him.


    As they rounded the corner, Anfey saw a group of dwarves in front of a house. The house was filled with people, and he could hear them reciting something.


    "What are they doing?" Anfey asked, curious.


    Alice frowned and pped. Two dwarves heard her and turned. "What is it, mydy?" one of the dwarves asked quietly, not wanting to disrupt the reciting.


    "What are they doing in there?"


    "Oh," the dwarf said, ncing at the house. "It¡¯s Lord Warner, mydy. He is preaching."


    "Warner?" Anfey asked, surprised. "Interesting. I want to talk to him."


    The dwarf nced at Alice, who nodded, and turned and ran into the house. After a few moments, the reciting stopped and Warner appeared. He walked confidently, as if the terrified man in the cage was a different man. "My lord," Warner said, nodding. "Mydy."


    "You¡¯re dedicated," Anfey said.


    "I have nothing better to do, my lord."


    "How are you liking the town?"


    Warner nced around and shrugged. "There is plenty of light, but for some reason, it is always cold." Warner shuddered and shook his head.


    "Wait for a bit longer," Anfey said.


    "When can I leave this ce, my lord? Boredom is driving me mad."


    "I would let you out but there are a lot of priests and Knights of Light here. I don¡¯t want to risk anything. Of course, if you insist, I¡¯m sure I could amodate you."


    "Who¡¯s here?" Warner asked nervously.


    "Those knights are mostly undermand of Fernando," Anfey said. "Do you know him?"


    Warner gasped. "Sweet god," he said.


    "What is it?"


    "Do I know Fernando!" Warner said mockingly, shaking his head. "Do I know him! He sides with Salmado. If he sees me, I¡¯m as good as dead."


    "So you¡¯re saying Fernando is on Salmado¡¯s side?" Anfey asked. Warner nodded. "When you were attacked, how did Bergkamp die?" Anfey asked. "Did they want to kill him or capture him?"


    "They wanted to capture Lord Bergkamp, but they made a mistake," Warner said with a sigh. "They forgot that he could still use forbidden spells. Lord Bergkamp sacrificed himself so we could have a chance."


    "That means they don¡¯t know how to activate the Book of Life," Anfey said. "Right? That¡¯s why they had to capture him."


    Warner nodded. "We were attacked near the transportation portal. Thankfully they didn¡¯t bribe the guards, or else I wouldn¡¯t be standing here right now."


    "Does Fernando know you?"


    "I¡¯m not sure," Warner said. "But I¡¯d rather be safe than sorry. I can¡¯t let Salmado get away with his deceit."


    "Why didn¡¯t Bergkamp tell you more, then?" Alice asked.


    "He was going to, once we reached our destination," Warner said. "But we never did."


    "Now is not the time, but in a few days I need you to appear before Fernando," Anfey said. "I want to see his reaction. In the meantime you should study the Book of Life more. Spend more time learning about the book instead of preaching, understand?" Anfey asked, ncing at the house full of dwarves.


    Warner nodded, then walked back into the room to dismiss the dwarves.

 Chapter 367: Dalit

    Chapter 367: Dalit


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    What was supposed to happen would happen anyway. Five dayster, Archknight Fernando finally led his Shield of Light legion¡¯s main force to Moramatch. At the same time, Suzanna had quietly left Sacred City.


    For the past few days, Suzanna had experienced ups and downs. It was hard to describe in words what she had experienced, from shock at the very beginning to denial, recognition, caring, and depending on each other. Suzanna experienced so much alternating confusion, surprise, pain, sadness and other emotions that she almost went crazy. She had to protect her mother as much as possible and force her smiles to try to cheer her mother. Suzanna never cried. If Anfey were with her, she probably would have thrown herself in Anfey¡¯s arms and cried as much as possible to vent her pain. Unfortunately, she had to experience the darkest days in her life by herself.


    Maybe, being a daughter, Suzanna had to return the favor and love her mother the way she had brought Suzanna into the world. Suzanna did not recognize her mother at first, but that old woman recognized Suzanna right away and stared at her. She only had a breath left in her, but suddenly showed strength when she saw Suzanna.


    Suzanna¡¯ mother actually had been sleeping a lot the past few days. Even Suzanna¡¯s appearance did not change that. Every time when she woke up, she would talk to Suzanna a lot. She repeated some stories many times, while other times she just talked as she remembered something. When she felt tired, she would fall asleep and talk again when she woke up.


    In the depths of night, Suzanna was bragging about how well Anfey treated her, which made her mother so happy. Her mother fell asleep with a smile on her face. Suzanna fell asleep alongside her for a while. As she opened her eyes, she found her mother had passed away.


    Saul organized the funeral for her. Suzanna was like a log throughout the funeral. She was ced here and there by others. She neither talked, nor cried. Even when Ynthe showed up at the funeral, she did not interact with him.


    As Suzanna left Sacred City, a regr wagon quietly travelled to the north for about twenty miles and then turned into a small alley to the east. It drove fast as it went into a forest. The driver suddenly fell away and hit on a tree in the valley. Blood burst from his mouth as he fell to the ground. People with good vision could see that he was bleeding internally. It did not seem he could survive.


    A grey shadow appeared in the driver¡¯s seat. The sun was bright, but did not seem to light the person¡¯s face. The wagon automatically stopped, since there was no one controlling the horse.


    Philip was stunned in the wagon and looked angry, but then terrified as a frog looking at a snake. As terror overtook him, Philip said with a coarse voice, "Here you are."


    "Master Philip, where are you going?" the grey shadow said quietly. He sounded gloomy. In his gloom, he tried to sound nice but still made others feel threatened and terrified.


    "I am going to see a friend." Maybe Philip did not like the way he asked, so he raised his voice. "Do I have to get your permission when I leave Sacred City?"


    "As far as I know, Ms. Suzanna is not your friend." The grey shadow ignored Philip¡¯s question. In other words, he did not care to answer the question. "Master Philip, I think you need go back."


    Philip went quiet, but he looked even firmer. They say that a baby cow is not afraid of tigers to describe ignorant people who are not afraid of difficulties. When people are young, they are not afraid of death. When they grew older, they started to fear death. However, this did not apply to Philip. He was not scared of death, but afraid of dying for nothing. Today he thought he had found himself a good opportunity to risk his life.


    "For decades, I never left the king. I think you know that. If the king asked me to stop you, you know what it means. The king is already very angry at you, very, very angry." The grey shadow did not seem to notice Philip had perk up and was ready to fight. He still said calmly, "The king not only wants a good beginning, but also a good ending. This is the attitude of the king towards all the officials who have contributed so much for the country, including you, Master Philip. I hope you would not waste the king¡¯s good intention and would not test his patience either."


    "Ynthe¡¯s good intention? Hahaha..." Philip suddenlyughed loud. "I have worked for Ynthe for many years. I know what kind of a person Ynthe is. Prince Deswright and Prince Dionysos both contributed so much for the empire. What happened to them? Hahaha, they were med for leading the troops in a couop. You could lie to everyone else, but not to me. You have killed them and used puppets to act like they were taking the troops to the pce to overthrow the king, so Ynthe had reason to kill them along with many other government officials he did not like!"


    That grey shadow did not respond to him, but just took a casual look at Philip.


    "If Ynthe could kill his brothers, he would not show any mercy to anyone else. Now he sent you to fight me only because I am old and not useful for him anymore. I am telling you that you will one day be like me," Philip yelled fiercely.


    The grey shadow looked at Philip sympathetically, "Do you know why the king never gave you any real power? Because you are too simple. You are good as a swordsman, but if you are asked to be in charge of anything, you would cause trouble. If the king had to punish you for your mistakes, you would not understand it and even hate him for that."


    "Bullsh*t!" Philip yelled.


    "After the king made reforms, many royals were against it, including Prince Deswright and Prince Dionysos. They were the leaders of nobility and controlled half of the entire military. What did that mean to the king? He would have had to stop his reforms unless they died." The grey shadow shook his head. "I know what I told you means nothing to you because you were one of those against the reforms. I support every decision of the king. If Prince Deswright and Prince Dionysos had not died, how could Maho Empire get as strong as it has be?"


    "You are the victors. People will believe whatever you say," Philip said with a sarcastic tone.


    "I also know you are still bothered that the king did not allow you to take revenge on Anfey," the grey shadow snorted. "You and I both know what kind of a person Zeda was. If you do an investigation, you will know Zeda was behind more than a dozen murders."


    "There are so many dalits in the world. It is not a big deal for some of them to die," Philip said.


    "It seems that whatever I told you did not go through your brain. You think Anfey killed Zeda. In fact, you killed him. If you had not spoiled him, how could Zeda have grown into what he became?" the grey shadow said helplessly. "This is another reason the king did not want to give you a high title. How to put it? Maybe you have different values than the king. He thinks nobles should enjoy their lives, but he hopes they know who provided them food, shelter and entertainment at the same time. They need to learn to appreciate, respect others. If they cannot do that, at least they need to learn to treat others with respects."


    "Appreciate? Don¡¯t you think it is ridiculous to ask us to appreciate those dalits? Hahaha..." Philipughed out again.


    "Dalits? Right, you liked to call them dalits to show your nobility when you were young. You probably think I am a dalit as well." The grey shadow looked up at the sky to check the time. The temperature had suddenly dropped. "It¡¯s gettingte. I have talked too much with you. I think I have done what I am supposed to do. Philip, are you going back?"


    The smile on Philip¡¯s face got bigger and brighter, and he looked so arrogant. "Do you think you stopped me so you can save that bitch? Do you think Wester and Granden would do nothing about it? Do you think Wolf King Manstuly would just stay in Sacred City?"


    "The king thinks you are simple, and so do I. It seems like I am wrong. You are more stupid than I thought," the grey shadow said calmly. "If you know about it, don¡¯t you think the king also knows. Besides, you should have not told me about these. With your reminder, the king could quickly make up his mistakes."


    Philip¡¯s face got frigid. The crazy look on his face suddenly withered. He knew the grey shadow¡¯s fighting ability well. He was thinking of a suicidal fight with him to bring some loss to Ynth,e and then Ynthe would not be able to protect Suzanna. Saul and Steger would go to the northern border soon, while Miorich had to say in Tumen Commercial Union. Philip wanted to take advantage and kill Anfey¡¯ wife, since Anfey killed his grandson.


    "Philip, I do not want to waste my time talking to you anymore. You either go back or draw your sword," the grey shadow said slowly.


    "I..." Phillip grit his teeth and forced an embarrassing answer out. "Ok, I am going back to see king."


    "Please," the grey shadow said casually.


    Philip broke out of the wagon and ran toward Sacred City as fast as a meteor. Perhaps because he could not bear the embarrassment, he did not look back at all.


    "Dalit? What a nobleman, that Philip!" the grey shadow murmured. The wagon he stood on suddenly shattered into pieces as he was covered with white lightbat power. The four horses of the wagon were knocked far away, neighing loudly, as the grey shadow disappeared. His disappearance was as sudden as his appearance. If Ynthe were there, he would have known how mad his old friend, Philip was now. The consequence of making Philip mad would be really, really bad.

 Chapter 368: Unjust

    Chapter 368: Unjust


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The atmosphere in Moramatch was strangely peaceful. Fernando was an amicable and talkative man. Anfey knew that Fernando wouldn¡¯t try to make the mercenaries his enemies. This was the first time he came into contact with mercenaries, and if the rtionship between them was bad, it could affect the pope¡¯s n in Country of Mercenaries.


    When they were sitting down for the meeting, Fernando purposely stated several times that Anfey was the head of the town and that he should not sit on the seat prepared for the most important guest, since Christian was more important than he was. The two spent a good five minutes trying to get each other to sit, before Fernando finallypromised and sat down.


    After he sat down, Fernando nced around the room and his eyesnded to Alice. Most of the important people had already introduced themselves, but Alice was a stranger to him. Fernando needed to understand the situation at all time, and he could not allow anyone to slip by without knowing her name.


    "Who is this?" Fernando leaned over and asked Anfey quietly.


    "This is Lady Alice," Anfey told him. "She runs this town. She is the one that expanded and stabilized Moramatch."


    Fernando nodded and smiled in admiration. "You are as capable as you are beautiful, mydy," he said. "It is rare to find someone with both beauty and brilliance. You are very special, mydy."


    "Thank you," Alice said with a prim smile.


    Fernando grinned. "I¡¯ve always known that God is unjust. Some people are born into money and nobility, and others into poverty and destitution. Some people, like Lady Alice, are born with grace and virtue. Some others, though..." Fernando sighed and waved his hand.


    A few of Fernando¡¯s men left the room and quickly returned with two men. Fernando looked at them and shook his head. "Some others barely have any redeeming qualities. It still escapes me how these two became Knights of Light."


    The two men stood in the middle of the room, uncertain of what to do. One of them peered at Fernando fearfully.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Anfey asked, surprised.


    "I know that weapons supplies are a major problem for you, my lord," Fernando said. "But I believe that as long as we have honest conversations, we cane to an understanding. These two, however, attempted to disrupt peace and abused their power. Not only did they cause unnecessary conflicts, they also created a rift in our rtionship. I cannot allow that, especially during such a crucial time." Fernando paused and nced at Martin and Hilde, who were staring at the ground. "I will hand them over to you. What you do with them is your business."


    "It¡¯s not a big deal," Anfey said, smiling. "Let them go. I think they¡¯ve learned their lesson. To be fair, the mercenaries weren¡¯t exactly acting properly, either. They are mercenaries, after all, and did not care for formalities. If there¡¯s any misunderstanding, it¡¯s likely because of them. It¡¯s partly my fault, too. I¡¯ve never managed this many people at a time and I didn¡¯t establish any rules. If you want to punish them, you must punish my men as well."


    "You are kind, my lord," Fernando said. He turned to the two knights and asked, "Do you want to say anything?"


    "Thank you, my lord," Martin said hurriedly.


    "Yes, thank you, my lord," Hilde whispered.


    "Take them away," Fernando said, waving his hand. He turned back to Anfey and said, "My lord, eliminating those zombies and necromancers is our utmost responsibility. I don¡¯t want any disagreements from the past to affect our future rtionship."


    "I understand," Anfey said. "I believe that no one wants to see the necromancers win this war."


    Fernando smiled. "You are very sensible, my lord." He waved his hand and dismissed his men. The priests and knights stood up slowly and left the room. Only one knight remained. He found a map andid it out on the table.


    Fernando had dismissed his people, but did not request the mercenaries to leave. This,bined with his attitude towards the two rogue knights, lessened the mercenaries¡¯ hostility towards him.


    "I understand that this may be a difficult topic and it may be better to wait until tomorrow, but this is pressing matter," Fernando said. "We encountered a few small groups of zombies on our way here. I believe that the necromancers are now aware of our presence in this nation. They haven¡¯t attacked yet, but I don¡¯t think they will wait for much longer. We must strike before they can to achieve maximum damage." Fernando pointed at a location near Moramatch and said, "I have a n, but I want to consult with everyone before formalizing it."


    The mercenaries nced at each other and then turned their attention to the map. Country of Mercenaries was their home. It was where they grew up and the only ce they¡¯ve ever known. They did not want to lose it to the necromancers. Now that they had backup, they would try anything in their power to defend their home.


    "This red circles are the remaining strongholds," Fernando said. "Besides Moramatch, ckwater and White Mountain City, there are thirty-seven of these. But most of these are understaffed due to prolonged conflict. A lot of them have only a few hundredbatants."


    "How did youe to find this map, my lord?" Anfey asked, impressed. Fernando must have conducted a thorough investigation to find everything. It must be difficult to investigate in areas infested with zombies.


    "It is thanks to the help of Lord Mauso," Fernando said.


    "The Hawk King?"


    Fernando nodded. "I had two ns beforeing by this map. One was to go through Transverse Mountains, and another was to take my men through Shansa Empire. The second n was not as efficient, but it was more secure."


    "Why did you not use the second one?" Anfey asked.


    "His Majesty Ynthe and General Baery did not agree to it," Fernando said, shaking his head.


    Anfey nodded. Most of the Shield of Light legion were men from Maho Empire and Tumen Commercial Union. Ynthe wanted to secure the major supply providers. He couldn¡¯t allow this coalition to have a third member. It would be too hard for him to control a situation like that.


    Fernando was the actualmander of the legion and knew what sort of influence he had over the men. He wanted the legion to expand and include more people from different nations. If he could recruit men from Shansa Empire, he could expand his power.


    "What is your n, my lord?" Anfey asked. He could tell that Fernando was a capablemander and he couldn¡¯t do anything but trust him for now.


    "We attack from here," Fernando said, pointing at the map. "We have to eliminate the mercenaries and save those mercenaries in blockaded strongholds. This is the fastest and most direct route."


    "What do you think?" Anfey turned to the mercenaries and asked.


    The mercenaries hesitated, then nodded slowly. They couldn¡¯t understand the map, but they wanted to save the trapped mercenaries and agreed with Fernando.

 Chapter 369: The Disappeared Death Spirits

    Chapter 369: The Disappeared Death Spirits


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When the moon came out, Fernando finally said what he wanted to say. This was supposed to be his wee party. No matter how unsettling their conflicts were, they still had to act decently, otherwise he would look like he had no ss and be the butt of jokes. No one would expect Fernando to totally change this wee party into a military conference, since no one in the Moramatch knew about military strategy except Kumaraghosha. However, Kumaraghosha was not in Moramatch. If Fernando talked to them about military strategy, it would be like ying piano to cows.


    Fernando not only talked about his n, but also showed them various strategic objectives. Neither party exchanged information they had about ckwater City, but Fernando proposed a n to attack from both the south and north. Obviously, he knew ckwater City¡¯s current situation, and even knew that ckwater City had the ability to change from defense to offense. Anfey thought about the Hawk King Mauso, whom Fernando mentioned, and felt relieved.


    Fernando even told everyone something that had confused all the countries. Since the beginning, all the countries had used their resources to set up defense lines and stabilize the frontline in order to win themselves some time, but the death spirits¡¯ attacks were not as strong as before. They were much smaller in number than had been expected. Necromancers seemed to disappear at the same time.


    Taking the Country of Mercenaries as an example, the poption in Transverse Mountain was not big. The further north in Transverse Mountain, the more popted. Viges of different sizes were everywhere. Only a dozen of miles, or sometimes even a few miles, separated two viges. This expansive area had been wiped out by death spirits from the very beginning, and no one survived the attack. By conservative estimates, the number of death spirits should have reached 250,000. This number of death spirits should have been enough to support about one hundred necromancers to move up a level up and allow hundreds of necromancers maintain their energy. In other words, this area should have had a necromancer group.


    The reality was quite different. The death spirits numbered between 100,000 and 150,000 at most. They did not see any necromancer. Where did the other 100,000 death spirits go? This area was not the only ce experiencing this situation. Almost every country reported the same.


    Death spirits had evolved to be intelligent. It was not abnormal to see them fighting and killing each other, but it did not make sense that cannibalism would cause them to lose almost half of the total number. It was even more strange that necromancers did not stop death spirits from killing each other.


    Victory belonged to the party who knew themselves and their opponents well. This wasmon sense. The problemy with those necromancers who knew Pan Continent very well. Necromancers did not know everything about Pan Continent, but very close to it. Some conquered people on Pan Continent even fed necromancers information as spies. On the other hand, agents in other countries only received superficial information about the structure of necromancers¡¯ forces. They could not get more information because they had no way to return to normal life if they decided to join the necromancers. To gain the trust of necromancers, they first had to be one of them, but if they were already death spirits, how could theye back and work for kings?


    Fernando had no time to pay attention to this. He had decided his troops would leave the following day. The vanguard of his troops would travel north along themercial route. The middle unit would follow the vanguard. Christian would supervise the troops. Fernando had asked Anfey to lead some mercenaries to go with him. One of his goals was to save the mercenaries who were stuck in ckwater City. He wanted to show his mercy and build the foundation for the church. He had a hard time dealing with mercenaries. He would rather have mercenariesmunicate with their peers.


    Anfey hesitated for a while before he agreed with Fernando¡¯s request. Anfey¡¯s goal was to recruit more mercenaries. Even if Fernando did not ask, he would figure out a way to go with him. Since Fernando had requested it first, Anfey regarded him with disdain. Fernando seemed to be turning those mercenaries over to Anfey, and Anfey knew they were on two different sides. Maybe he was too young, which led Fernando to underestimate him. No matter who underestimated whom, they would know one day who was better. Anfey was not afraid of it because he had powerful and influential people behind him to crush Fernando.


    Fernando did not show much concern for those who stayed in Moramatch and their weapons and supplies. He would take most of the weapons and supplies with him, leaving the rest in Moramatch. Anfey would make the final decision where to keep the weapons and supplies. Fernando would not object. He could even take all the soldiers with him and leave Moramatch in absolute freedom. Alice spoke up against his suggestions before Anfey could even say anything. She asked to Fernando to leave at least 30,000 cavalry and a priest group, and of course they would have ess to the underground city.


    Fernando told Alice that Shield of Light legion had cleaned up all the death spirits on the way. Moramatch was very safe and had no need for so many soldiers to stay behind. Those soldiers should be allocated to the battle field. But Alice insisted. Fernando was quiet for a while and finally agreed to Alice¡¯s request.


    Watching Fernando walk out of the conference room, Tiger jumped up first. He moved his rigid body and said quietly, "Master, I think Fernando is not a bad guy." Anfey and Alice could talk with Fernando, but Ozzic and others could only partially get what Fernando said. Only Tiger and Khufu had no idea what was implied between the lines when they talked about strategic ns or appointing people to different jobs.


    "Tiger, why are you saying he is not bad?" Orsie smiled.


    "He is nice and polite. When Master Alice mmed the table in reaction to him, he did even get mad," Tiger said.


    "You are right," Khufu agreed.


    "When you hunt magic crystals in the forest, would you yell on purpose to tell the magic beasts that you areing to hunt them?" Orsie shook his head and smiled.


    "Of course not. I am not stupid, ok?" Tiger yelled.


    "We all know you are not stupid. I have noment on it." Orsie smiled. "I have to tell you that Fernando would not do that either."


    "Orsie, what do you mean?" Tiger said angrily.


    "Ok, Tiger, Orsie did not try to give you a hard time. I also think Fernando is not bad. However, people like him would usually show it on their faces if they wanted to set us up. Do notpare him with those stupid magic beasts. You will know if magic beasts are scared¡ªwant to flee or fight with us¡ªwhen you look at them. You would never know what Fernando is thinking even if you watched him for a whole day," Ozzic said.


    Tiger scratched his head without saying anything.


    "Let¡¯s put it this way, Tiger: do you know what Master Anfey and Alice are thinking now?" Orsie asked.


    "How could I know?" Tiger said.


    "Exactly. You¡¯d better talk less and just listen to Master Anfey and Alice." Orsie was doing Tiger a favor. Tiger had agreed to work for Anfey. Now Fernando had led Shield of Light legion to Moramatch, and he started to talk about how nice Fernando was, which might give Anfey a feeling that he could change to whichever side was stronger. Orsie knew Tiger was not that kind of person. He just said everything on his mind. His head was bigger than others, but had fewer brains in it.


    Unfortunately, Tiger did not understand what Orsie had done for him. He even gave Orsie a look before he plopped into a seat.


    "Ozzic and Orsie are right. I have some experience working with Church of Light. We have to be more aware. Wolves are not scary because we know how to deal with them. Wolves disguised as sheep are more scary. They could take a bite at your throat when you are not alert," Anfey said calmly.


    "Master, let¡¯s put Fernando¡¯s issue aside for a while. Recently, he has to rely on us to serve his needs, so he would not give us a hard time. We have six units in total. How many will you take?" Alice said quietly.


    "If I take too few people, we would not be able to recruit more mercenaries. Instead, we could be assimted into their group. If I take too many people with me, Moramatch could be in trouble," Anfey said, frowning. "I will take Ozzic, Orsie and Khufu, and the rest of you will stay here."


    "Don¡¯t you want to take Shinbe?" Alice asked in surprise.


    "No. You would not have strong fighting ability if I take her." Anfey shook his head. "Let Shinbe be your assistant, which will help you maintain control of the situation."


    "How about Master Ernest?" Alice asked.


    "I am not a kid who needs to take Uncle Ernest with me everywhere," Anfey responded. "Besides, Uncle Ernest likes to practice sword skills and dislikes socialization. It was already asking too much when I asked him to wee Fernando. I do not want to bother him too much." Anfey knew well that Ernest had been taking good care of him and protecting him. That was love from a father-like figure, but he could not ask Ernest to go everywhere with him, which would interfere with his freedom and affect his practice. Moreover, he did not want to be caught in a bluff. If he kept doing this to Ernest, Ernest would change his opinion of Anfey. People needed to learn to be more independent instead of relying on others; otherwise they would be looked down upon by others. It would not be good for his own development.


    "How about Maser Entos?" Alice asked.


    "I will ask him in a little bit,." Anfey said.


    "Master, how about having Khufu stay and you take Shinbe with you. If you do not have powers with you, our mercenaries would behave fine, but the mercenaries you want to recruit would not listen to you. You do not have to worry about Moramatch," Alice said quietly.

 Chapter 370: Runaway

    Chapter 370: Runaway


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Don¡¯t worry?" Anfey asked, smiling. "Then why did you make Fernando leave his men?"


    "He¡¯s right, mydy," Ozzic said. "Just send them away. We need some peace around here."


    "Fernando promised to take care of the zombies and the necromancers, but we cannot leave our security in someone else¡¯s hands," Alice said sternly. "We have to have some priests and Knights of Light here in order for Moramatch to be a stronghold against the necromancers.


    "You are a count appointed by Ynthe himself, but you still rose up in rank too quickly. I am sure that you are not as well loved as you think you are. You will be fine if you never lose a fight, but the moment you do, those who are jealous will rise up against you."


    "Are you threatening me?" Anfey demanded.


    Alice smiled, staring at Anfey. "I¡¯m not threatening you, my lord. I am merely stating the truth."


    Anfey sighed. He knew she was right. "Fine," he said, "I see your point."


    "Good," Alice said. "As long as Fernando¡¯s men are here, we can ensure that we have decent protection should any zombie or necromancer break through the frontline. If anything goes wrong, we can always me Fernando."


    "And Fernando can me someone else," Orsie said.


    "Which is why I requested those priests," Alice said. "We can easily me it on them."


    Anfey nodded.


    "You heard what Fernando just said," Alice continued. "The number of zombies is off. Mauso is called the Observer for a reason. He is not only a wise man but also a powerful druid. He could see through disguises, including magical ones. If he couldn¡¯t find the zombies, something must be wrong. Just because we can¡¯t see them, doesn¡¯t mean the necromancers are gone. If Fernando gained an upper hand, they will likely ambush Moramatch. We have to be prepared."


    "You have a good n, I see," Anfey said.


    Alice shrugged. "I¡¯m not a mage or a swordsman. I cannot even fend for myself. If Moramatch falls, I fall with it. I have to n for my future." She paused and nced around, then lowered her voice and said, "Fernando is too careless. Makes me think maybe he is feigning ignorance."


    Anfey nodded. "I will keep an eye on him. Do you want Shinbe here?"


    "No," Alice said. "Other than Lady Suzanna, Shinbe is your biggest asset. You need her."


    "You¡¯re right," Anfey agreed. "As long as you have Ernest with you, you will be safe."


    ------------


    "Suzanna!" Shally eximed when she saw her sister. She dashed towards Suzanna and threw herself at her sister. Suzanna held Shally close to her, happy to be reunited with her sister. When Suzanna left Sacred City, Saul had advised her to take the long way around and rx, since Moramatch had Shield of Light legion. Suzanna had epted Saul¡¯s advice and agreed to spend more time traveling. However, this was all part of Ynthe¡¯s n. He knew the conflicts in Country of Mercenaries very well and needed to avoid conflicts.


    The others gathered around in surprise, Riska and Zubin at their head. Urter appeared as well. Suzanna¡¯s trip to Sacred City was a secret, and the only one who knew was Urter. Not only did he know that she had returned to Sacred City, he also knew that she had just buried her mother.


    Suzanna forced a smile, but her acting was too forced and her friends knew her well enough to know that something was bothering her.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Zubin asked, unsettled. "Did something happen in Moramatch?"


    Riska frowned. "Don¡¯t curse it," he said, poking Zubin. Then he turned to Suzanna and asked, "What¡¯s wrong? Are you alright?"


    "What happened to Moramatch?" Niya asked as she pushed through the crowd.


    "Nothing," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "Moramatch is fine. I am on my way there but I wanted to see you guys."


    "On your way there? Where were you?" Zubin asked.


    "Sacred City."


    "You were in Sacred City?" Niya asked, surprised.


    Suzanna nodded. "I don¡¯t want to talk too much about it," she said. Zubin opened his mouth and wanted to ask something, but Niya poked him on the shoulder and shook her head. They all knew that there was no use pressuring Suzanna into doing something she did not want to do. All they can do was wait for Suzanna to be ready to exin what had happened.


    "Why don¡¯t youe in and rest for a bit?" Riska asked. "You don¡¯t have to rush. The mansion¡¯s construction is almost done. You want to check it out?"


    Suzanna shook her head and tightened her arms around Shally. She was very sad, and the only thing she wanted to do was stay with her sister. She did not care about mansions and rooms.


    "Suzanna," Niya asked quietly. "Did you...did you..."


    "I did," Suzanna said. She was very sad, but still smiled when she saw Niya¡¯s hesitance.


    "Is he angry?" Niya asked, nervous. She had run away from home and wouldn¡¯t me Saul if he was furious.


    "No," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "Don¡¯t worry. I think he expected this."


    "Thank god," Niya said with a long sigh. "I was so worried that he would send people to fetch me."


    Suddenly, something burst through a nearby door. A few momentster, Hagan appeared, panting. "Wait!" Hagan called. "Goddammit, stop!" He froze when he saw Suzanna. "Hey Suzanna," he said. "When did you arrive?"


    "Just now," Suzanna said. The unicorn galloped over to her and nudged her with its head. It had a vial in its mouth. The vial had some red liquid in it, and some of the liquid was leaking onto the floor.


    "What is this?" Suzanna asked, taking the vial from the unicorn.


    "It¡¯s my new potion," Hagan said angrily. "I should have known better than to trust this thing. Why are you all standing here? Let¡¯s go inside."


    "Suzanna¡¯s leaving in a bit," Zubin said.


    "So soon?"


    "I¡¯m worried about Moramatch," Suzanna said. The unicorn pranced around Suzanna and nced around, whinnying. Suzanna smiled and scratched the unicorn¡¯s neck.


    "How is Moramatch?" Riska asked.


    "It was good when I left," Suzanna said, handing the small vial to Niya. "Do you need me to send any messages to Anfey?"


    "We¡¯re good," Riska said. "Just a bit bored. When are we heading over?"


    Suzanna shrugged. "Anfey and Alice make the n. I just execute it. I can ask them for you, though." She stood up and smiled. "I have to go. I will see you all soon, hopefully."


    Shally grabbed Suzanna¡¯s shirt and said, "Are you leaving already?" She knew that she couldn¡¯t keep Suzanna with her, but she was too sad to think about that.


    Suzanna stroked Shally¡¯s hair and left a kiss on her forehead. "I¡¯ll see you again soon, I promise," Suzanna said. Shally sobbed but did not try to stop her again.


    Seeing that Suzanna was about to leave, the unicorn whined and grabbed her shirt with its teeth, trying to stop her. Suzanna gently pulled her shirt out of the unicorn¡¯s mouth and hugged Shally again. Then she turned and mounted her horse.


    "Bye, Suzanna!" Shally called. Suzanna turned and waved at her sister, then she rode down the road and disappeared around the corner.


    "What do you think happened?" Riska asked. "She¡¯s acting strange."


    "Who knows?" Niya said with a sigh. "But I know she is strong. Whatever happened, she endure it." She paused and nced around. "Where¡¯s the unicorn?"


    Riska nced around and said, "Wasn¡¯t it just..."


    "It¡¯s not chasing Suzanna, is it?" Sante asked, anxiously.

 Chapter 371: Gifts

    Chapter 371: Gifts


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey turned around and saw Jacob standing next to Entos. He was so surprised that he could not help calling, "Master Jacob?"


    Jacob nodded at Anfey and then turned to yfully look at Entos. Entos had been cheerful most of the time, but he looked serious now. He took a close look at the magic wand in his hand and did not seem to see Anfey at all.


    "Bro Entos, what are you doing?" Anfey slowly moved toward Entos. He cleared his throat and said, "Master Jacob, thank you so much for your help. If it were not of you, it would have taken those gnomes hundreds of years to make senior magic arrows."


    "You are wee. I had nothing else to do anyway," Jacob said with a smile.


    It would be wonderful if you could be free like this for a long time, Anfey thought to himself. Anfey could not help feeling admiration for Jacob. For the past seven days, Jacob had been walking around in the underground city. He was so bored that he made some gadgets. Some were gadgets for himself, but others were amazing magic crafts of high quality to give to other people.


    "Is it daylight outside now?" Entos suddenly asked.


    "Yes. The vanguard of Shield of Light legion has left," Anfey nodded.


    "We should leave too." Entos passed the wand to Anfey.


    Anfey was shocked. He thought Jacob had made some changes to the wand and wanted to test his reaction time. Anfey took the wand. An electric arch suddenly appeared as his fingers touched wand. The arch moved fast towards the ends of the wand. At that moment, Anfey felt the changes this wand gave him.


    He had experienced the same feeling when Saul put the Dimensional ring on him or when the blood on his finger went into the bowstring. They all gave Anfey simr feelings, a feeling that these objects had some special bond with him.


    "This..." Anfey was stunned.


    "Jacob wiped my memories from this wand. This wand is now yours," Entos said casually. "I hope you can take a good care of it. Don¡¯t just treat it as an object. Instead, this wand is your friend now."


    Anfey froze. This gift was so valuable that Anfey did not how to respond. He had said things to give Entos a hard time, but never meant to take the wand from him. He was just joking with him and hoping Entos could figure a short cut for him to learn Instant Transportation since he wanted to learn it so badly and wished to master it as fast as possible.


    Seeing Entos holding the wand, Anfey felt bad for him. He did not mean to take it away from him, but Entos seemed to remember what he said. Entos might have misunderstood, or perhaps Entos was a very serious, even though he looked yful.


    "Why are you staring, wide-eyed?" Jacob said. "You and Entos are not pretentious people. If Entos is giving it to you, just take it, Anfey. This wand indeed is not that helpful for him anymore."


    Anfey went quiet for a while, and said in a low voice, "Ok." He did not say thank you. It did not seem right, since words could not express his gratitude.


    "Good." Jacob picked up a sword from a stone table and chuckled. "This is my gift. It could release series of lightning, but it takes a little time to cool down. Only use it when it is needed. I did not prepare any gift for your wedding so I yed a joke on you. Saul made fun of me a few times because of that. Now I finally can tell him I got you a gift."


    "Series of lightning." Anfey was stunned again. He knew well how powerful the Series of Lightning was. When he was on the run, Christian released a Series of Lightning magic scroll and killed all the knights in a Sacred me legion unit.


    Alice stood behind Anfey, also shocked. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from yelling. As a princess, she not only knew how powerful the Series of Lightning was, but also how many magical ingredients it took to make such a magic sword.


    "Take it!" Jacob raised his voice and then tried to sound nice again to convince Anfey. "Anfey, don¡¯t feel any pressure, Ok? Saul, Mioritch, and I all received help from previous top powers. Do you really think it was easy to be a top power? No one could easily be a top power without others¡¯ help. I would never have been able to survive till now if I was on my own."


    Anfey took a deep breath. His fingers looked a little shaky, but they became stable again when they touched the shaft of the sword. He slowly took the sword and carefully hung it on his belt. He stood as straight as a spear, with lips tightly pressed. He knew that no matter what he said now would not be enough. He also knew Jacob selflessly helped him and cared about him, just as Saul had done.


    They had ovee greed, killings, envy, hatred, desires and other sins in human nature in order to unite together as a whole and selfishly help each other, which magic beasts could not do.


    "Right now there are just a few capable and talented young men. Even fewer of them are trustworthy," Jacob said quietly. "I still can help, but I might not have the ability to help you when the real Death War breaks out."


    "Real Death War? The current one..." Anfey could not help looking surprised.


    "Right now is just a preview. Necromancers haven¡¯t made any moves yet," Jacob said. "The optimism from Fernando has affected many people. They thought killing all the death spirits in the Country of Mercenaries would help them turn their defensive position into an offensive one. Anfey, do you know Annunciata?"


    "Yes." Anfey nodded.


    "Necromancers have a long lifespan. Annunciata was a young one among them." Jacob had a bitter smile on his face. "I am telling you that Annunciata¡¯s teacher, Morgan, is still alive. Morgan¡¯s teacher, Minos, is alive too. Their top powers are no less than ours. How can you be optimistic knowing this?"


    Anfey went quiet for a while and said slowly, "We will win in the end!"


    "Of course," Jacob smiled. "but many people will give their lives in battle. Maybe I am one of them."


    "Don¡¯t say that, Master Jacob!" Entos said bitterly. "I know you are good at astrology. Don¡¯t you know a prophecy coulde true?"


    "As an astrologist, I do not care about superstition," Jacob said, shaking his head. "I care about how much we could tell and exin from the astrological phenomenon."


    "When you gave your dairy to Hagan, were you thinking...?" Anfey did not finish the whole sentence because he had a bad feeling about it.


    Jacob chuckled. "It has nothing to do with it. The Death War had not broken out yet at that time. When I saw Hagan, I just felt like giving my dairy to him, and then I did."


    Anfey went quiet. He could tell Jacob liked to do whatever was on his mind.


    "Ok, it¡¯s time for us to leave," Jacob said quietly. "If I stay too long, I am afraid Marquis Djoser will suspect me."


    Anfey opened his mouth, trying to say something, but then closed it. He hade down to the underground city to find Jacob and ask him a favor. He really did not feel right asking favors now that he had epted such an expensive gift from Jacob.


    "Anything else?" Jacob saw Anfey was trying to say something.


    "The thing is . . ." Alice understood Anfey had a hard time asking a favor from Jacob now. She was smart and asked on behalf of Anfey. "Master Anfey hoped you could turn these crystals into a sword shaft and sheath. It would be best if you could seal them together."


    Anfey blushed. Anfey had a decent amount of experience and good vision among young people, but he still dared not look Jacob in the eyes. Anfey felt he was so greedy, but he had no one else to ask. This sword shaft and sheath were so important for Anfey so he had to ask Jacob.


    Jacob took the crystal from the gnome. He thought for a while. "Do you only want a sword shaft and sheath? What size do you want?"


    "Any size," Anfey murmured.


    "Any size? Ok." Jacob could not helpughing.


    This was the first time Anfey had watched Jacob make magic crafts in person. No wonder Jacob was an archalchemist. It was enjoyable to watch him making magic crafts. He poured out a half bottle of a light green chemical and quickly turned a dozen of crystals into a puddle of liquid. The liquid followed Jacob¡¯s fingers, like the stars floating upwards into the dark sky.


    Jacob took out a crystal stick and casually moved it to draft the shape of a sword shaft and sheath. He took out another magic chemical and pointed and moved along the liquid about twenty times before heplete his job.


    "Do you like it?" Jacob did not even need to test the connection between the shaft and sheath before he passed it to Anfey. Confidence and capability were connected. As an archalchemist, he would never make stupid mistakes.


    "Yes, I do." Anfey nodded. He did not test it either. He just put them in his Dimensional ring.


    "Anfey, what do you need it for?" Entos asked out of curiosity.


    "It takes too long for me to make magic weapons, which is really inconvenient. I am thinking of keeping elements in the sheath. That way I could join the battle at any time," Anfey said.


    "It is not the best approach, but you can take advantage of this opportunity to practice your telepathy," Entos said.


    "Telepathy?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes." Entos walked up to Anfey and whispered something to him. Anfey looked like he hade to a sudden realization.

 Chapter 372: Sadness

    Chapter 372: Sadness


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The Shield of Light legion separated into two groups to cross the Transverse Mountains and headed to the north. The two groups then separated into several smaller forces and swept across the in. Fernando wanted to eliminate as many zombies as possible, and this n was an effective way to achieve that. After two days, the legion had already eliminated more than a thousand zombies. Most of the zombies were alone or in small groups of less than five hundred. It only took a small squadron of knights to eliminate them. There were only a few injured and they were all taken care of quickly.


    vi, Ozzic, and Orsie arrived in a nearby vige to rest. They were staying by the edge of the town so they didn¡¯t have to face a town ravaged by zombies. Their job was to contact the remaining resisting mercenaries and detect nearby necromancer and zombie activity. Necromancers were very sensitive to light magic and could sense it from miles away. The best thing to do was the have the mercenaries take care of gathering information.


    Their next destination was arger town called Hardikan. ording to Fernando¡¯s intel, there were still around six hundred mercenaries there. Most of the mercenaries belonged to Green Wilderness mercenary group. vi, Orsie, and Ozzic needed to decide how they should approach the town and whether or not they should allow the mercenaries there to join them at Moramatch. This was the first stronghold they woulde into contact with, and they were determined to do things right.


    A dozen riders rode toward the town and stopped just outside of it. Christian jumped off of the first horse and walked over to vi.


    "What are you doing here?" vi asked, surprised.


    Christian shrugged. "I¡¯m bored," he said. "How everything going?"


    "Good," vi said. "If you¡¯re looking for Anfey, he¡¯s over there."


    Christian frowned. "What is he doing?"


    "Practicing, I think," vi said with a shrug.


    Anfey was sitting on the ground, staring intently at the fiery longsword in his hand. The sword had melted the snow around him, exposing the dark earth and dried tufts of grass. The sword caused the water to evaporate, and the earth became increasingly dry.


    Shinbe watched Anfey quietly from about ten feet away. She didn¡¯t mind the heat but she knew that usingbat power could potentially affect Anfey¡¯s concentration. She hated it when people interrupted her practice, so she did not want to interrupt someone else.


    Anfey¡¯s grip around the sword tightened. Everything around him seemed to have faded because he was so focused on the elements. He felt the pulsing of the fire elements that made up the sword and concentrated on that. His mind closed in on that pulsing, his heightened senses able to sense the flow of the elements perfectly.


    Nearby, a small snake poked its head out of the ground, fooled by the warmth of its surroundings. It slithered out of its hiding ce, then quickly ducked back into its hole when its body came in contact with the unmelted snow. Shinbe narrowed her eyes when she saw the red glow in Anfey¡¯s hand.


    Seeing that the fire sword had changed into a red de, Anfey finally leaned back and rxed. The de¡¯s elements hadpletely solidified, and it was glowing a dull red light. The sword looked more like a sword that just came out of a dwarf¡¯s forge instead of an element sword. Anfey waved the sword a bit then returned it to the sheath. As soon as the sword was returned to the sheath, the elemental surges disappeared and the heat in the air dissipated. Anfey stood up and stumbled due to sudden dizziness.


    Shinbe hurried over and grabbed his arm, helping him stand up straight. "You alright?" she asked.


    "I¡¯m fine," Anfey said, nodding. This was a warning to him. He knew that he had pushed himself too far and he should rest. If not, he should at least try another way to practice. If he kept on pushing himself, he might achieve the exact opposite of what he wanted.


    "This is the most dangerous thing to practice," Shinbe said. "One misstep could lead you to lose everything. You need to be more careful."


    "I understand," Anfey said. He stretched and rxed his body, which was stiff from sitting on the ground for too long. "Thanks for the warning." He could tell that not only was he physically exhausted, he was also mentally exhausted. He could sense that his inner power had been disrupted. However, he was also optimistic. This was the most he had achieved in magic so far, and he knew he could not rx just yet.


    "If Lady Suzanna were here, she would have the same opinion," Shinbe said.


    Anfey shrugged and smiled. "You should¡¯ve seen her," he said. "She¡¯s even worse than I am when ites to knowing her limits."


    Shinbe sighed and shook her head. She was older than Suzanna, but she was not as powerful. She could tell that Suzanna must have spent a lot of time pushing herself to the limit and practicing her craft.


    Anfey and Shinbe turned to walk towards the vige. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the horses, then smiled when he saw who was standing nearby. "Is that Christian over there?"


    Shinbe looked at the vige and smiled. "Looks like it," she said. She was a senior swordsmaster and her eyesight was superb. Whatever Anfey could see, she could see as well.


    Christian smiled when he saw Anfey and Shinbe approach. Then he frowned and asked, "You don¡¯t look so well. What happened?"


    "Just tired," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t worry about me. Why are you here?"


    "It¡¯s a little boring back in Moramatch," Christian said. "I wanted to check on you guys."


    "You¡¯re the overseer," Anfey said with a smile. "You of all people shouldn¡¯t be bored."


    Christian shrugged. "Most of the troops are away, anyway. Plus, it¡¯s not like I have any actual power over the army."


    "You still do," Anfey said jokingly. "What, do you want to be a general?" Overseers don¡¯t usually have power over an army, but theposition of the Shield of Light legion was veryplicated. There was no telling what would happen and what the soldiers would do if Christian really questioned Fernando¡¯s authority.


    "I¡¯m good," Christian said. "I don¡¯t need an army. There¡¯s another thing. The Church has ordered Fernando to look for a man. A fugitive."


    "Who is it?" Anfey asked, surprised.


    "Warner."


    "What?" Warner jumped up and asked. His eyes widened and his arms iled. "Why? A fugitive? What did I do? This must be Salmado¡¯s doing!"


    "You killed Cardinal Bergkamp and stole the Book of Life. That is enough to execute you ten times over."


    Warner gasped and stumbled back. He sat down on the ground, angry. He knew that it was Salmado and his men who had caused the death of Bergkamp, but what was his word against a cardinal¡¯s?


    "Is it from the pope?" Anfey asked.


    "No," Christian said. "It¡¯s from the Holy Court." He paused then said, "I also heard the pope is sick."


    "How did Fernando react?"


    "He is hesitant," Christian said. "He knew that this order was wrong. Warner was Bergkamp¡¯s servant. He couldn¡¯t have killed so many people. Fernando knows this."


    Anfey nodded. "Maybe this order is from Bergkamp¡¯s people. They would use it to imply Warner¡¯s innocence. There are too many things we don¡¯t know yet. Warner, you have to be careful."


    Warner nodded. He sat on the ground quietly, then suddenly covered his face with his hands and wept. He was a dedicated priest and this order from the Church of Light made him feel like he was betrayed by the very thing he had dedicated his life to.

 Chapter 373: Embraced by Death

    Chapter 373: Embraced by Death


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Alice leaned across a bench. She looked calm and rxed, like she did not put too much effort into skimming the report in her hands. She read quickly, skimming all the reports and making decisions on priority issues. In fact, she had less work than before. Anfey had restored order in Moramatch. They did not have to spend a lot of time and effort on maliciouspetition at least. Everything seemed to be in order.


    "Master." Kumaraghosha¡¯s voice rose from outside.


    "What is it?" Alice asked. Anfey had taken Alice¡¯s advice to take Shinbe with him, and had left Kumaraghosha in Moramatch to protect her. Alice was concerned about having contact with Kumaraghosha. Kumaraghosha seemed to feel it as well. He showed more respect to Alice. Sometimes, respect meant keeping a distance. She did not know if Kumaraghosha did that on purpose, but she was not interested in figuring it out.


    "General Hilgy has something urgent to tell you," Kumaraghosha said.


    "General Hilgy?" Alice was shocked for a second and stood up immediately. "Please ask him in. Hurry up!"


    General Hilgy walked into the yard, and Alice went out to wee him. Hilgymanded over 30,000 border guards in ckania City. Alice dared not show any disrespect. She was surprised to see Hilgy with many armed guards and two wagons quickly fill the yard.


    "General Hilgy, what are you...?" Alice asked.


    "Master," Hilgy looked up with a bitter smile and tapped on the wagon.


    The curtain of the wagon was lifted as a girl as beautiful as Alice, but disying a different persona, stuck her head out of the wagon. Alice could not help gasping. "Miss Niya. What are you doing here?"


    "Alice!" Niya smiled and jumped off the wagon. She looked around and asked quietly, "Where is Suzanna?"


    More than a dozen people jumped from the wagon before Alice realized what had happened. Riska, Zubin, Sante, Hagan and other members from Alibaba mercenary group all hade to Moramatch. Alice was stunned and did not know what to say. She knew Moramatch was a dangerous ce, so Anfey would never had agreed for them toe here.


    "Alice, why are you not talking? Where is Suzanna?" Niya asked again.


    "Don¡¯t you know Ms. Suzanna went to Sacred City?" Alice said.


    "Didn¡¯t shee back yet?" Niya¡¯s face suddenly changed.


    "She would not be back so soon." Alice had a warm smile on her face. She had to keep them here and contact Anfey as fast as possible. She had no right to manage them, but she had to take care of them, because she would have to take responsibility if anything happened to them. "You guys must be tired. Come on in. Rest a little."


    Niya did not have time to respond to Alice¡¯s hospitality. Instead, she grabbed Alice¡¯s arm. "Alice, what is happening? Are you sure Suzanna is not back yet?"


    "I just told you Suzanna went to Sacred City. She would note back so soon." Alice noticed something unusual.


    "How could it be? She should be here already. She left a half day earlier than us." Niya looked worried.


    "Did you see Ms. Suzanna?" Alice asked in surprise.


    "Yes, Suzanna came back to Violet City the day before yesterday, but left that night," Riska said. "Alice, you cannot joke about it. Is Suzanna really not back yet?"


    "How could I joke about this?" Alice shook her head with a bitter smile. "I thought Ms. Suzanna has been in Sacred City."


    "Damn, Damn!" Niya was so worried that she stomped on the ground. Suzanna was the most disciplined in Alibaba mercenary group. Of course, this had to do with her training. Unlike others, Suzanna would not change her itinerary unless something unexpected had happened.


    Like Niya, Riska and others did not look well. Suzanna was lost, so was the little unicorn. One was Anfey¡¯s wife while the other one was Anfey¡¯s baby. If anything happened to them, they could only imagine how upset and sad Anfey would feel.


    "Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry." Alice tried tofort them. "Suzanna is a senior swordswoman. Even if something happened, she has the ability to protect herself. Try to think, did Ms. Suzanna say anything to you guys?" Capable people usually take on more responsibility. This made sense. Alice did not only have to control her emotions but alsofort everyone else. However, no one was taking care of Alice.


    "Suzanna did not say anything. She said she woulde back to Moramatch as fast as possible and then she left," Niya said.


    Shally worriedly looked at them and then started crying. Even though she was an experienced swordsgirl, she was also Suzanna¡¯s sister and a spoiled princess. People with different backgrounds and experiences acted differently.


    "You guys do not have to worry about it." Besides Alice, General Hilgy was the most calm one. He said in a low voice, "I am going back to the station right now to prepare a search party." He was calm, but did not look too good. He knew the price some spy organizations had to pay to protect Suzanna¡¯s mother. Could they let Suzanna walk away without paying anything? Personally, he liked Suzanna. He thought she was a quiet and polite girl. He could not have anything happen to her.


    "Thank you, general," Alice said.


    "Master, you do not have to thank me. This is my job." Hilgy waved his hand and walked out with his guards. He had no time to pay attention to courtesies.


    "Kumaraghosha!" Alice called.


    "Yes." Kumaraghosha straighten up.


    "Tell Stein to take his fourth unit and leave right away. Can you go with them? No matter what it takes, we have to find Ms. Suzanna," Alice said.


    "Yes, Master," Kumaraghosha said.


    As Alice was giving orders, Suzanna was leaning against a tree, trying to take a breath to recover from losing so much energy. Her hair was messy and dirty, even mixed with some grass and leaves. Suzanna liked to be clean and tidy. She never forgot to clean herself even when she was on the run, which was the reason she had a life-threatening fight with Anfey. However, she really had no time to pay attention to her looks. She could not even sleep.


    There were more than a dozen cracks in her upper armor, but the cracks were not long. The armor on her left leg was torn in half, showing her white skin and a red wound. The color contrast made it look scary. The little unicorn quietlyy next to her and licked Suzanna¡¯s wounds.


    Magic beasts would fight to protect their own territory. It was inevitable for magic beasts to get hurt. The wounded magic beasts usually would lick their wounds. This was their instinct. From the scientific point of view, there were enzymes in the saliva. These enzymes had a lot of benefits, such as to disinfect and speed up healing. Suzanna did not know any of this, but she found her wound had healed very fast and left no scar. The former effect allowed her to rejoin the battle while thetter allow her to continue to be beautiful. When it was only Suzanna and Anfey together, Anfey usually touched her skin and oftenplimented her on her skin. She did not want to change the way she looked.


    When Suzanna had just entered Transverse Mountain, a few druids stopped her. They were nice at the beginning, trying to invite Suzanna to their house. She knew Bruzuryano, so she did not want to be mean to them. In addition, Suzanna had a good impression of the druids. However, she was worried about Anfey and did not want to go anywhere else. She firmly turned down their invitation. The druids had shown their true colors at the end.


    Four of the druids turned into wild wolves, while the other two turned into Wind Wolves to assist the other four druids. A few senior elf shooters hid themselves. Thisbination left no chance for Suzanna to win this battle. If she fought, she would not be able to counter the attack from every angle. She thought about fleeing, but the arrows the senior elves shot out shattered her escape n.


    Suzanna did not understand why druids would attack her. Weren¡¯t they allies? As a senior swordswoman, she was not afraid of danger, or even death. What bothered her was that she could not pass this warning to Anfey and lost the opportunity to spend the rest of her life with Anfey.


    As Suzanna thought there was no chance for her to survive, the angry little unicorn rushed into the battle. A young magic beast did not know how to protect himself or judge how strong the enemies were. However, the little unicorn dare to fight them. He threw himself at the Wild Wolves, protecting Suzanna from their Wind des, sharp ws, flying arrows, or anything that could hurt her. He used his weak body to keep death away from Suzanna.


    The little unicorn was not strong, but unicorns were the legendary rides of God of Nature and enjoyed high status among the followers of God of nature. Anyone who hurt holy beasts would get cursed by the God of Nature. It was taboo for the followers to hurt unicorns.


    Suzanna was experienced in fights, so she grabbed the opportunity to escape. She grabbed the little unicorn and ran out, but prospects were not bright. Druids had strong tracking ability in the forests. They closely chased after her and even cut down the route to Moramatch. She was forced to run north. As a result, she was getting further away from Moramatch.

 Chapter 374: Secrets and Surprises

    Chapter 374: Secrets and Surprises


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey took a step forward and grabbed Shinbe, but it was toote. The two of them had already startled the zombies on the outskirts of the vige. Those zombies warned the zombies in the vige, and arge group soon emerged from the vige.


    Anfey and Shinbe both sighed. They didn¡¯t know each other very well and could not cooperate as smoothly.


    "Should we signal the others?" Ozzic asked.


    Anfey squinted and observed the zombies. Then he shook his head and said, "No need. These are the most basic zombies. We can take care of them."


    Anfey drew his sword and waved his hand. The mercenaries around him all grinned and drew their own weapons. They were very eager to kill some zombies and reim theirnd.


    Anfey stopped trying to repress the elements¡¯ flow and the sword suddenly grew longer in size and the edge became fuzzy with fire elements. The air around the sword shimmered due to the intense temperature.


    Anfey lunged towards the zombies, holding the sword out in front of him. He spun the sword in his hand, turning it into a wheel of me. The sword sheared through the zombies in its path like a hot knife through butter.


    The sword did not slow Anfey down at all. He found that he had already dashed through at least two dozen zombies, leaving charred bodies in his wake. He skidded to a stop and turn to see where the mercenaries were. After he made sure the mercenaries were having no trouble with the zombies, he turned to look for his next target. A zombie jumped at him but he shed at it with his sword and it disappeared.


    Entos taught Anfey that all magical artifacts have expiration dates. The important thing wasn¡¯t conserving energy. Instead, it was using a limited amount of magic to achieve the maximum effect and prevent mistakes. Anfey had to practice teleportation with every chance he got. Like Jacob said, during an actual War against the Dead, even people like Saul and Jacob could not be certain about their survival. Someone like Anfey would stand no chance in the war. He had to practice in case one day his life was on the line.


    Anfey swept the sword around himself and cut through the zombies that were swarming towards him. The sword¡¯s reach was limited and Anfey knew that he must use proper stances to achieve maximum effect.


    This was the first time Anfey depended on magic during a fight. In the past, he did not know how to form a powerful weapon and relied on other things to make up for his weapon¡¯sck of power.


    The zombies all swarmed towards Anfey because they knew that once they killed him, they could easily kill the rest of the mercenaries. However, simple zombies stood no chance against a sword made of fire elements. The mercenaries soon found themselves without foes, as all the zombies turned their attention to Anfey.


    Anfey killed thest zombie and returned to the sword to its sheath. He rolled his wrists as he look around, searching for stray zombies that might have escaped. The mercenaries looked around and Shinbe found a small zombie running away from the vige. She dashed towards it and slew it.


    "Is that thest one?" Anfey asked as Shinbe walked back, shaking blood off of her sword.


    "As far as I can tell," Shinbe said, nodding. "That was impressive."


    "Thanks," Anfey said.


    "Who are they?" Ozzic suddenly asked, frowning and pointing towards the vige. About half a dozen people in brown garb were walking over.


    "Are those mercenaries?" Anfey asked.


    "No," Shinbe said, narrowing her eyes. "Druids."


    "Druids? Aren¡¯t they all in ckwater?"


    "That¡¯s the direction Shield of Light legion went, isn¡¯t it?" Orsie asked quietly.


    Anfey turned to Long and lifted a brow. Long looked at those men and sighed. "They must be working for Manstuly," he said.


    "The Wolf King?" Anfey asked, shocked.


    Long nodded. "We can¡¯t be seen by them," he said.


    "It¡¯s a long story and not a tale for now," Ling told Anfey as she grabbed Long¡¯s arm and drew him toward the back. "We will speak of itter."


    Anfey nodded and turned to observe the druids. He knew that there were druids in Country of Mercenaries, but he thought that they were all trapped in ckwater City by the necromancers. Did Tiger of Tawau mercenary group finally begin their counterattack? Or was it because they had urgent messages that needed to be delivered?


    The druids saw them and quickened their pace. The leader walked up and asked, "Which one of you is Lord Anfey?"


    "I am," Anfey said, surprised that the druids were asking for him. "You are...?"


    "We are Lord Manstuly¡¯s men," the leader of the druids said with a small bow. "We have urgent news."


    "Where did youe from?" Anfey asked.


    "ckwater City."


    "I thought that city¡¯s surrounded," Anfey said. "How did you get out? Was there a counterattack we didn¡¯t hear about?"


    "No, there wasn¡¯t," the druid said, shaking his head. "I wish there was. We are not strong enough for that. We snuck out of the city."


    "You snuck out? What news is urgent enough to risk your lives like this?"


    "We were scouts," the druid said. "But we discovered something major during one of our runs. The necromancers cut off our way back into the city, and the only thing we could do was to head south.


    "On the way, we were surrounded by necromancers in Transverse Mountains. Lost half of my men there. If it wasn¡¯t for Lady Suzanna, we won¡¯t be standing here! She saved our lives and instructed us to head towards Moramatch to look for you, my lord."


    "What is the secret?" Anfey asked, curious. "It must be important if the necromancers would spend so much manpower hunting you down."


    The druid looked around hesitantly. "We must speak of this alone," he said.


    "I trust everyone here."


    "This is too important," the druid said. "It¡¯s better if we speak alone."


    Anfey nodded. He ordered the mercenaries to stay put. The druid ordered his men to stay with the mercenaries as well.


    "It is a veryplicated thing," the druid said once they were out of earshot. "The necromancers are trying to protect it. If it wasn¡¯t for Lady Suzanna, there is no way we could deliver this news. This could be vital to ending the war."


    "Why didn¡¯t Suzannae back with you?"


    "We discovered the necromancers¡¯ secret. She wanted to investigate," the druid said. "They were..." Before he could say anything more, his eyes widened and his arms iled.


    "You alright?" Anfey asked, grabbing the druid. The man stared at Anfey with wide eyes, then he became limp and fell to the ground, dead.


    The other druids saw this and all dashed towards them. The mercenaries followed. The druid¡¯s death was so sudden it seemed like Anfey was the one that killed him.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked the druids.


    "He was injured during a battle," one of the druids said, shaking her head. "He said he would heal himself, but it seems like he never did. Did he give you the secret?"


    "No," Anfey said. "It got to him just before he could finish. Do you know what it is?"


    "No," the druid said with a sigh. "He was the only one who knew."


    "He said Suzanna was investigating what he discovered," Anfey said. "He must have told her. Where is she now?"


    "That we know," the druid said. "Come with us, my lord. We will take you to her."

 Chapter 375: Shadow Empire

    Chapter 375: Shadow Empire


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Ozzic offered to help. "Master, can you ask Orsie to talk to them? We all can go search for Ms. Suzanna with you." Anfey never showed too much emotion, but everyone knew how important Suzanna was to Anfey. Now Suzanna was lost, Anfey definitely would search for her and find her.


    Anfey had looked worried a moment ago, but now he looked unusually calm. The changes on his expression make others worried and scared.


    "There is a saying that no one knows a man better than his own father. Simrly, Suzanna is my wife. No one knows her better than I do," Anfey said calmly.


    "Master, you..." Ozzic and others did not understand what was on Anfey¡¯s mind. They looked at each other, hoping to get an answer from theirpanions. The druids did not understand either.


    Anfey slowly clenched his fists and then released them, trying to relieve his stress. He was right that no one understood Suzanna better than he. Suzanna was not good at decision making. It was not in her nature. That Darius obviously did not like having his subordinates develop independent thinking skills. He only wanted people to blindly follow him, so he never trained Suzanna for independent thinking. In other words, Suzanna could not be a heroine for the world because heroes and heroines needed to be charming, smart, ambitious, visionary, and with strong willpower. Alice was a good woman, so was that Scarlet, whom Anfey had never met. Suzanna and Scarlet had two totally different personalities. Suzanna did not have the ambition to care about the concerns of all humans. She was happy if she could take care of her own family.


    Suzanna probably would help people if she saw them in need. However, no matter what kind of secrets she found out, Suzanna would not leave her family and friends unattended. Unlike Suzanna, Anfey was more willing to take risks for the benefit of his legion or country. Anfey knew Suzanna definitely would not do anything else except going back to Moramatch as fast as she could and tell him what happened on the way, and then wait for Anfey to make a decision.


    "Can anyone tell me where Suzanna is now?" Anfey sounded worried. He was so worried that he forgot to hide his emotions and showed his true colors. By now he had calmed down. Anfey had reason to think the so-called secret was just a setup. Suzanna had acted too weirdly, and that druid died too suddenly, which showed there was something wrong with the scenario.


    Even though the secret could change the situation of the whole Death War, Suzanna would not do something on her own without telling Anfey first. If Suzanna was challenged to make a choice between two sides in life threatening situations¡ªwith one side being Anfey and Shally and the other being millions of innocent people¡ªSuzanna definitely would choose to save Anfey and Shally without any hesitation. Self-sacrifice was a quality of heroes, which had nothing to do with Suzanna.


    The druids might have been worried Anfey would suspect the head druid, so they killed him. This way they cut off all possible traces of any suspects. However, unexposed secrets easily intrigued others.


    "There is an unnamed valley around ckwater River. Master, we know the ce," a druid answered.


    "Time is tight. We should leave now." Anfey¡¯s urgency made sense in this situation. The druids seemed happy with the way Anfey responded.


    "Orsie, can you take care of Moramatch?" Ozzic sounded urgent as well.


    "Sure," Orssie said.


    "Master, that is the necromancers¡¯ territory. If we have too many people going there, they could easily notice us," a druid said hesitantly.


    "F*ck, what do you mean?" Ozzic could not help cursing.


    Anfey stopped Ozzic. "Ozzic, they are right. Ye, go and select a few people to go with me," Anfey said.


    "Master..." Ye looked hesitant about Anfey¡¯s order.


    "Just go," Anfey ordered again with a much firmer tone.


    "Ok." Ye gave a slight sigh. It seemed too risky to take only a few people to the deep region controlled by death spirits, but Ye had no other options.


    "Don¡¯t you need some rest?" Anfeyid his eyes on the druids.


    "No, thank you, Master. This is urgent. We¡¯d better leave soon," a druid said.


    "You guys could leave now. I just have some words for my legion. I will catch up with you," Anfey said.


    The druids looked at each other. A druid said, "Ok, master, we will be waiting for you."


    Watching the druids walking off, Ozzic said with hatred, "Master, can we go with you. I don¡¯t think those guys are good people."


    "You are right," Anfey said.


    "Huh?" Ozzic was so shocked that his jaw dropped. He was just speaking out of anger. He did not expect Anfey to agree with him.


    "Where are Long and Ling?" Anfey scanned the group.


    "They hid in the vige." Ozzic turned around and yelled their names. Long hurried out of the vige when he heard Ozzic¡¯s call. He took a look at the few small figures in the distance, then sighed, "Master, are you calling me?"


    "What kind of person is Manstuly?" Anfey asked.


    "Huh? Master, why are you asking about him?" Long asked.


    "We have limited time. Don¡¯t waste time. Answer my question," Anfey said.


    "How to put it? He is cruel, and that is why everyone calls him "Reaper". He did not reap crops, but people¡¯s lives." Long could tell Anfey was worried, so he tried to put it as short and simple as possible.


    "I am asking about how he does things," Anfey asked.


    "He is cunning. Bruzuryano the Guardian is a lot more honest than him. He took advantage of Bruzuryano a few times," Long said.


    "What? You guys have conflicts among druids?" Ozzic asked in surprise.


    "Why not?" Long had a bitter smile. "Three big empires among humans have been fighting all year long. Druids would not fight like that, but we do have conflicts. I remember one time Bruzuryano was so enraged that he brought his people to Manstuly. If Mauso, the Observer, had gone to mediate, druids would have been divided into different groups."


    "What made Bruzuryano so mad?" Anfey asked quietly. Anfey did not know Bruzuryano well, but he knew Brunzuryano was an honest and nice old man. There had to be a reason for him to take his people to attack another group of druids.


    "I am not sure what happened." Long thought about the situation for a while and shook his head. "I think it was because Manstuly sent people to attack Bruzuryano¡¯s central temple by surprise, but Bruzuryano found out. Their surprise attack failed, and a few of the attackers were caught alive by Bruzuryano."


    Anfey went quiet. If Manstuly¡¯s subordinates nned the setup, Manstuly himself had to be involved as well. Anfey just did not quite understand why Manstuly would want to kill him, since he did not have any big conflict with him. This had nothing to do with what kind of a person Manstuly was. He must have some motive, otherwise he would not make moves against Anfey. No one would do it for no reason, unless he was crazy.


    "Ok, I will follow them with Ye and few others. Long, can two of you follow behind us. Do not let them notice you. Ozzic, Shinbe, can you follow after Long? Any questions?" Anfey had no time to give more thought to the n. "Orsie, can you send people back to Moramatch to tell Alice that Suzanna is in danger. Tell her that I wanted her to know. Ask her to find Suzanna at any cost. Let¡¯s get Suzanna back safe and sound!" He could feel the bad intentions from the druids. If they had wanted to use the same method to cheat Suzanna, Suzanna would be in danger right now. What made Anfey nervous was not their setup, but Suzanna¡¯s safety. Since he had noticed their bad intentions, he believed he had more chance to win this battle.


    "Got it," Ozzic and others answered in unison.


    At the same time, ck Eleven, who had been checking on zombies suddenly jumped. Anfey did not know what had happened. After killing death spirits, ck Eleven would always look them over to try to find some useful information. This was his only job. After repeated disappointment, he finally found something that would shock everyone.


    "Ye, can you take them to try to catch up with those druids?" Anfey asked quickly and turned to look at ck Eleven. This was the difference between Anfey and Suzanna. If Suzanna knew Anfey was in danger, she woulde to help him no matter what. However, Anfey had to take everything in. He could not ignore it if something surprised ck Eleven so much. "ck Eleven, what did you find?"


    "He is our guy." ck Eleven looked up at Anfey. He pulled his sword out and tried to pick a metal tile out of a zombie. Suddenly, a palm-sized metal tile flew few yards away and fell to the ground.


    "What is this?" Anfey saw that metal tile too.


    "It is our secret pass. He should not have brought it with him." ck Eleven hesitantly walked over and saw the back of the metal tile facing up. It was carved with a few words.


    "Shadow Empire?" A mercenary with good eyes saw the few words and yelled.


    ck Eleven frowned. He spected that this spy had this pass on him and carved few words on the back of it because he knew there was no way he could flee and hoped to pass some information to his organization. The words "Shadow Empire" gave off a gloomy feeling, but ck Eleven had no idea what it really meant.

 Chapter 376: Reasonable

    Chapter 376: Reasonable


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The area was infested with zombies and controlled by necromancers. Whether following the druids or the original n by Fernando, caution was still the most important thing. Anfey was very careful as he followed the druids, who were even more cautious than he was.


    The mercenariesgged behind because they had a big group and it was harder for them to sneak around the zombies the way the druids and Anfey could. Unless they encountered arge group of zombies, the mercenaries would try to kill every zombie they encountered. However, they couldn¡¯t disturb the druids, either. By the time they finish killing the zombies, the druids would be too far away.


    Thankfully, they had Long and Ling, who were very skilled with tracking. Without the two, the mercenaries would have startled the druids or encounteredrge groups of zombies.


    Ye tend to be a quiet man. Now, however, he was chatting andughing with the druids. Usually, it was Anfey¡¯s job to distract his opponents, but he was too upied by his thoughts. He wanted to know what Manstuly wanted and what Shadow Empire meant. Moreover, he was very worried about Suzanna. He had to keep himself calm to see what the druids wanted.


    -----------


    Somewhere deep in the Transverse Mountains, Suzanna jumped out of a tree with the unicorn and started heading north. Compared to only a few days ago, she was clearly thinner. She was starving and exhausted, but her eyes were determined. Her frowns indicated not suffering but thoughts.


    What would Anfey do if he was in her shoes? She knew better than anyone how he acted. He was very aggressive, and she knew that he wouldn¡¯t run from trouble the way she had been doing. He would try to find opportunities to make the most of his situation. Even if he didn¡¯t have any opportunity, he would make one for himself. Suzanna knew she must look for a way out of this situation.


    She knew better than anyone what kind of enemies she was up against. Whenever she thought she had escaped and could rest, the unicorn would warn her again.


    Running wasn¡¯t the solution. Suzanna knew her own capabilities and herself, and knew that she could find a way to protect herself if she tried hard enough. In reality, she was a very brilliant woman. Back in Gruce Principality, she was a maid to the public. However, her real identify was her father Darius¡¯s guard. She was very loyal to him and never questioned any of his orders. In a ce like that, she had nowhere to use her brilliance. After her escape, she met Anfey. She recognized his power and was willing to let him lead her. Back then, she could depend on Anfey and her friends for help.


    Now, she couldn¡¯t depend on anyone except her sword and her mind.


    The unicorn whinnied and wiggled in Suzanna¡¯s arms. Suzanna summoned somebat power and increased her speed. She patted the unicorn and the unicorn fell quiet. Usually, the unicorn was very mischievous. It almost never follow anyone¡¯s orders, not even Anfey¡¯s. Now, though, it was being very obedient and protective of Suzanna. It would never stray too far from her and would listen to her every word.


    ----------


    Manstuly paced around in his room, frowning. There were a dozen other druids in the room, and all of them were clearly terrified. Even breathing made too much noise. A senior druid was standing in the middle of the room, shaking.


    "This is the newest letter from Hotchbini," Manstuly said, waving a piece of paper in his hand. "They seeded. Hotchbini used Suzanna¡¯s name to approach Anfey. So far, he believes them. They are away from Shield of Light legion now."


    The druids nced at each other but none of them dared to say anything.


    "Tony, I¡¯ve always trusted you, but tell me. What did you do?" Manstuly walked over to the druid in the middle of the room and asked quietly. "Invite Suzanna over here? Did you even think about what you were doing?"


    "I..."


    Before the druid could finish, Manstuly punched the man in the face. The druid¡¯s body stumbled and fell to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and coughed, but he soon scrambled up again.


    "Take Hotchbini for an example," Manstuly said coolly. "She is an elf and, not that long ago, she knew nothing of intrigues. Now, she uses her situation to her advantage. She saw what men did to each other in Country of Mercenaries. She observed and she learned and she bettered herself. If she could use the tie between people as a weapon to gain trust, why couldn¡¯t you? I encouraged you to go out there, to explore because I thought that it could help you learn. I see now that I am wrong. Imbeciles will always be imbeciles. I overestimated you. All of you."


    Manstuly¡¯s tone was calm, but the druids in the room were all sweating and shaking with fear. They knew that when Manstuly was calm, he was the angriest.


    Manstuly sighed and turned to another druid. "Bardeson," he said. "What would you have done if I had given you this mission?"


    The druid named Bardeson straightened himself and said hurriedly, "I would find Suzanna and tell her that Moramatch had fallen. I would say that Anfey was gravely injured to draw her towards it. Suzanna is an easier target than Anfey."


    "Anything else?"


    "I would try to cause chaos in Violet City to distract the people Anfey and Suzanna left there," Bardeson said. "Then I would take her sister Shally and force Suzanna toply."


    "Not the best n," Manstuly said, shaking his head. "Shield of Light legion has already arrived at Moramatch. If the necromancers could destroy that legion, they are well equipped to take down the entire Maho Empire. As for Violet City...Baery is currently stationed there. That tactic would not have worked."


    Bardeson paled and opened his mouth but could not say anything.


    "However," Manstuly continued. "You are using your head, which is good. That n, however wed it may be, is still better than inviting Suzanna here, don¡¯t you think, Tony?"


    Tony lowered his head and did not say anything.


    "Hotchbini must beughing right now," Manstuly said. He patted Tony on the shoulder and said, "I¡¯ve trusted you and groomed you for all these years. How did you repay me? You embarrassed me. Made a fool of me. How could you, Tony?"


    Tony shook his head desperately.


    "I¡¯ll give you a chance to exin yourself," Manstuly said.


    "This is not my fault, my lord!" Tony said hurriedly. "It¡¯s Mauso¡¯s fault! He didn¡¯t only lie to me, my lord. He also deceived you! He promised that he would lend a hand but he stood there and he watched as Suzanna got away. I went to look for himter, but he was nowhere to be found. My lord, you have to believe me!"


    The other druids all gasped at Tony¡¯s words. They all knew that Manstuly and Mauso had reached an agreement and that Mauso had betrayed Manstuly¡¯s trust. They also knew that they shouldn¡¯t talk about it in front of Manstuly.


    Everyone knew that Manstuly was cruel and sly, but he was also very proud. He remained in power due to the support of the elves, and he had always believed that he could trick someone, but not the other way around.


    Now, everyone knew Mauso had tricked Manstuly. Manstuly wasn¡¯t angry at his men. He was angry at Mauso.


    "So you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s my fault that this happened?"


    "No, my lord, I..."


    Before Tony could finish, Manstuly rammed his hand through the man¡¯s chest. Tony gasped in pain and struggled for a few seconds before falling limp. Manstuly wiped the blood on his shirt and nced at the other druids, who were all shaking uncontrobly.

 Chapter 377: Fierce

    Chapter 377: Fierce


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master, after you cross that river there will be a small vige where we have people station. Today we can just get some rest here." A druid pointed at a winding and quiet ckwater River. "Tomorrow morning, we can cross the ckwater River and walk another 40 miles. Then we will be at the necromancers¡¯ secret base."


    "I notice that the further north we go, the fewer death spirits there are. Is the necromancers¡¯ secret base ahead of us? Why didn¡¯t they send more death spirits over to protect their base?" a mercenary in Ye¡¯s team asked in surprise. Only Ye knew the real intention of the druids, otherwise the mercenary would not have asked so bluntly.


    "Well...it could be necromancers are afraid of being noticed by top powers," a druid said.


    "Where is Suzanna?" Anfey asked quietly. Is this where they try to set him up? Anfey thought to himself. Using his full telepathy, he tried to see as far as he could. Soon, pictures of the areas around river and even that small vige started to show clearly in Anfey¡¯s head. Once Anfey started the Heart of Nature, wherever there were nts, or where the distance between himself and nts was not far, Anfey could see everything around it.


    "She is in the vige," the druid answered.


    There were only about seven people on the outskirts of the vige. Four of them were around bonfires, while the other three slept in simple tents. Anfey could not imagine they would try to kill him with just seven people. Anfey did not think they would act just on instinct. After a close search, he still could only see seven people. Suzanna definitely was not in the vige.


    "Let¡¯s go. We need to get to sleep early so we can leave early tomorrow," Anfey said casually.


    "Sure," the druid said.


    There were four people next to the fire only a few miles across the river. They found people walking towards them and stood up one after another. The three people sleeping were woken up. Even though the druids with Anfey had sent out signals, they still kept alert. When there were only about 20 meters apart, they still coldly watched Anfey and his group. A druid walked over and whispered to theirpanion. That guy looked Anfey over for a while before he smiled. "Are you Master Anfey? How are you doing?"


    As the guy was checking Anfey out, Anfey was watching him as well. He did not pay attention to the guy in the front, but others behind him. There was a beautiful and tall elf carrying her green bow diagonally on her back next to the guy. She also wore a short scepter on her belt. Obviously, she was a pdin just as Anfey. Two human swordsmen stood next to the elf. All the druids crawled out from the tent. It looked like this was not their first time working together. They stood in formation. If something happened, they could immediately form a defensive line.


    "Are you..." Anfey pretended he did not know him. He actually knew not only his name, but also detailed information about him, including his age, childhood, personality, family background and other information.


    "My name is Luther." Luther held his hand out to indicate a seat for Anfey. He smiled. "You guys must be tired from travelling so much. Come, sit next to the fire and rest a bit. We can sit and talk."


    "Where is Suzanna?" Anfey pretended he did not know the answer again. He also looked worried.


    "Unfortunately, she went to watch the necromancers around the river. You do not have to worry. You can see her tomorrow," Luther said.


    Anfey had a bitter smile and shook his head. "Ok, everybody, take a seat and rest."


    Everybody took a seat around the fire. Luther casually tossed a few logs on the fire. He hoped the fire would make them feel warmer. Anfey scanned the rising smoke. The person who nned this setup was cunning. He knew what he was doing, but the people carrying out this n seemed too na?ve. If the so-called necromancers¡¯ secret base was only about 40 miles away, who would dare to light up a bonfire? Didn¡¯t they worry about being found by the rising smoke? This vige definitely had been attacked by death spirits before: the leftover smell made them ufortable. If he took such an important job, he should not have stayed outside the vige. He should have stayed in the darkest room in the vige and quietly hid there in case he was found by any chance.


    Luther looked at the druids and asked in surprise, "Where is Captain Babylon?"


    "Master Babylon was attacked by Spirit Separation, and..." the expression on the druids turned mournful.


    "It is so unfortunate." Luther heaved a long sigh. "But if I remember correctly, it seems that you are missing one person."


    "We had a fight with death spirits," one of the druids answered.


    Luther paused and tried tofort them, "Don¡¯t be sad for losing yourpanion. In fact, you should feel lucky that Master Anfey was with you guys, otherwise none of you probably would havee back safe." Luther turned to look at Anfey with gratitude.


    The druids looked at each other but did not know how to respond to Luther. When they were travelling on the road, one of their peers "identally" woke up a group of zombies. It would make sense that Anfey should have led them join the battle to kill the zombies, since he was the group leader. However, Anfey ran away from the zombies faster than any of them. Ye also led his mercenaries after Anfey and offered them the opportunity to be heroes. After that, they did not dare make any mistakes "by ident". They tried to avoid any conflict with zombies. When they heard Luther giving Anfeypliments for keeping them safe, it made them feel ufortable.


    Luther waited for a while, but no one agreed with him. He had a weird look on his face. If Anfey was powerful, those druids should have given him a lot ofpliments and described the fighting scene to give him some clues about Anfey¡¯s fight ability. If Anfey¡¯s fighting ability was not so great, they should have given somepliments out of courtesy. Now they all lost their tongues. What had happened?


    "The fight must have been fierce, is it?" Luther had to remind them.


    "Yes, master," a druid said with his head down. He understood Luther¡¯s hint, but could not turn the topic to Anfey. He simply could not tell Luther that Anfey had fled from the fight.


    Luther secretively gave that druid a dirty look and tossed a few more logs in the fire. He went into thought. He was thinking how to turn the topic toward Anfey without having Anfey suspect him.


    That elf was interested in Anfey from the beginning and had been watching Anfey, while Anfey aggressively looked back at her. He kept his eyes on her face and chest. The elf, like any proud female, felt offended, so she turned to look away from Anfey. She sort of looked down on Anfey. In fact she misunderstood Anfey. Anfey only looked at her neck because he was thinking of all kinds of ways to break her neck. He did not have any other intention.


    Not only barbarians could go crazy. Sometime people could go crazy as well. At that moment, Anfey was a proof. If they had conflict for their own interests, Anfey would not use extreme ways to deal with them, at least not during the Death War threatening them. They should keep their alliance to maintain their fighting ability. Anfey felt they not only had conflicts, they wanted to kill each other.


    Suzanna was not wrong. Anfey was indeed very aggressive, especially when others cross him. Anfey would turn into a cruel person who could use any indecent ways to kill his opponents. His only objective was to wipe out all his opponents in order to leave no possibility that the opponents would rise up. He had checked this person in his mind. Beside this one, he also checked on Manstuly.


    Anfey had forgiven them twice. The first time, Anfey ignored Philip on purpose after giving consideration to all aspects, based on the fighting ability he had back then. The second time, he listened to someone¡¯s hint and allowed Marquis Djoser to act crazily in front of him, but this time, he would not let Manstuly get his way. Anfey was still not as good as Manstuly, but he did not have to challenge him in the same way. Anfey had been an assassin for the past ten years. He had killed a boxing champion who had not listened to the underground boxing trainer and a sharpshooter who could shoot a target a few miles way. The boxer¡¯s fighting ability had been as good as his, while the shooter¡¯s uracy was far better than Anfey¡¯s. Anfey stillpleted his missions because he knew how to attack his opponents¡¯ weakness with his strength.


    "Please allow me to make introductions," Luther said with a bright smile on his face. "She is from elf tribe..."


    "Luther, how long have you been here? Did any death spirits attack you?" Anfey interrupted Luther. Anfey was not a machine. Sometimes he could feel annoyed as others since he had been dealing with anger the past few days. These people in front were all dead people to Anfey. He was not interested in knowing a dead person¡¯s name.


    "Hrr..." Luther was shocked for a second and shook his head. "No, it has been very quiet here."


    That elf could not help snorting at Anfey to show she was unhappy with Anfey¡¯s rudeness.


    "Oh, right, did you see anything here? Does it have anything to do with Shadow Empire?"


    "Shadow Empire?" Luther asked in surprise. This name sounded so gloomy. It was easy to guess it must have something to do with necromancers.


    "Don¡¯t you know about it?" Anfey looked shocked as well.


    "This is the first I¡¯ve heard of it." Luther shook his head. "Master Anfey, what does Shadow Empire represent?"


    Anfey looked around. Luther got what Anfey meant and signaled the people to leave. However, the elf still sat there without any intention to leave. Luther looked back at Anfey, "Master Anfey, can you tell me now?" Luther looked a little nervous. Necromancers were the enemy of the whole Pan Continent, and his enemy as well. No matter what happened here, he would have to fight necromancers sooner orter, so he was really interested in Shadow Empire.

 Chapter 378: Pain

    Chapter 378: Pain


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Luther, are you married?" Anfey suddenly asked.


    Luther smiled and nodded. "I am," he said. "We¡¯re about to wee our first child."


    "Congrattions," Anfey said. "How do you like it? Being married?"


    "It¡¯s great," Luther said.


    "Interesting," Anfey said. "I didn¡¯t know that you could be happy with a life of lies."


    "What do you mean?" Luther asked, surprised. The elf looked at Anfey with a frown, as if confused. Ye nced at the mercenaries around him and nodded.


    The mercenaries were all very loyal to Ye and knew him well. They trust Ye and would follow his orders, even if they were confused by his orders. If Ye was wrong, the mercenaries wouldn¡¯t be held ountable.


    Anfey narrowed his eyes and kicked a burning log towards Luther and the elf. Of course, his magic was not strong enough to actually hurt Luther and the elf. Luther summoned hisbat power to defend himself, and the elf summoned a shield made of vines. She drew her dagger and held it up in front of her face.


    Ye¡¯s mercenaries nocked their bows and sent half a dozen arrows towards the elf. The arrows hit the elf and disappeared in rippling green lights. Anfey narrowed his eyes. Clearly, the elf was wearing magic armor that could defend her from most of his attacks.


    Ye hesitated, then sent a short arrow flying towards the elf¡¯s throat. He made the right move but was toote. A longbow appeared in the elf¡¯s hands. She ducked the arrow and jumped away from the men. She was an elf, and out of everyone, she was the fastest. She needed distance for her attacks to be effective. Staying near Luther would only slow her down.


    Anfey dashed towards her, determined to keep her close. He knew very well that if the elf got away, her attack would be powerful enough to threaten even Ye, the most powerful out of all of them. He jumped towards her and reached out, grabbing her hair. The elf cursed as she was stopped by his grip, but quickly reacted to this change. Her dagger appeared again and she swung the dagger towards Anfey.


    This elf was not very good at closebat. Like most elves, she focused mostly on attacking from a distance. Anfey clenched his fist and mmed into the elf.


    Even though she was wearing magic armor, she was still injured by Anfey¡¯s attack. The armor could protect her from arrows and magic, but it could not protect the wearer from a close-up attack like a punch. The elfnded on the ground, clutching her stomach.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Luther demanded loudly. He drew his sword but did not move to help the elf. He did not want to risk his life to help someone that was easily receable.


    "You should know," Anfey said as he strode back to Luther, leaving the elf. "Don¡¯t you want to know where your real wife is, Saidy?"


    Saidy froze in shock. He knew very well that he had not married the real Shansa princess, but he did not know that it was a widely known fact. He was embarrassed that the princess was lost, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it because he knew that his future would be ruined if the news got out. He was the third son, a position that does not typicallye with power. His marriage to the Shansa princess was meant to be a political alliance that gave him power to fight for the future leadership of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. He did not expect the princess to forsake her duty and betray her country.


    "My lord!" The druids and swordsmen whom Saidy brought with him came running towards them.


    Anfey turned to the druids and swordsmen and summoned his fire de. Seeing therge sword, the men all stopped, confused by the weapon. Anfey gripped therge sword and dashed towards the men.


    He lunged with his sword and stabbed one of the druids. The druid stumbled and fell to the ground silently, his wounds ckened by the heat of the fire de.


    Ye waved his hand and charged towards the swordsmen with his mercenaries. Saidy was an intermediate swordsmaster like Ye, but he was alone, and Ye had more people with him. While the results might vary if Ye and Saidy fought one on one, Saidy did not stand a chance against a dozen mercenaries. However, Ye did not know what Anfey wanted to do with Saidy and did not want to kill the men just yet. That was why he had ordered his men to not kill Saidy earlier.


    Anfey took a step back and returned his wand to his ring. He was still not practiced with the wand.


    A druid transformed into a grey wolf and lunged at one of Ye¡¯s mercenaries. Even though they did not want to fight, they did not want to die without putting up a fight, either. Anfey jumped towards the wolf and swung his sword, stabbing the wolf in the neck with it. The wolf fell to the ground with a groan andy still. A few drops of dark blood spattered on the mercenary¡¯s arm.


    The druids hesitated. They had killed a lot of things before, but they¡¯d rarely seen a weapon as strange as the one they had just witnessed.


    "I see," Saidy said slowly. "I see. You did it, didn¡¯t you?" He asked, enraged.


    Ye shed at Saidy with his sword, but Saidy turned quickly and ducked. Ye¡¯s sword only grazed his arm. He knew that someone was behind the disappearance of the Shansa princess, and the same force had led to their conflict with Glory mercenary group. Tiger of Tawau mercenary group spent a long time searching but could not find anything on the person behind everything. If Anfey knew what happened to the Shansa princess, he must know something about the person who made her disappear.


    "You¡¯re right," Anfey said with a shrug. "I did it."


    "Why?"


    "Why not?" Anfey asked. He dismissed his sword and walked over to where Saidy was standing. Ye and his mercenaries hurried over and surrounded Saidy. Saidy must knew that he stood no chance against this many people, but his stance did not waver. "Weren¡¯t you the one that tried to kill me and my people?"


    "That wasn¡¯t us," Saidy said loudly.


    Anfey shook his head. "There¡¯s no need to lie anymore, Saidy," he said. "Just tell me the truth. I¡¯ll make your passing easier that way."


    Saidy clenched his teeth but did not say anything. Anfey nced at Ye, who nodded and approached Saidy quietly. He struck Saidy with the hilt of his sword. Saidy fell to the ground, unconscious. His sword fell to the ground. Ye did not know what he should do with Saidy and did not want to kill him, because Saidy may know valuable information. However, as long as Saidy was unconscious, he would not be a threat.

 Chapter 379: Lessons

    Chapter 379: Lessons


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When the hell-like heat waves were gone and everything went back to normal, the druids and swordsmen had all turned into charcoal. Anfey slowly put the Fire sword back into the sheath. He suddenly frowned, grabbed the sword, spun, and tossed the sword out backhanded. He yelled at the same time, "Move."


    The sword flew towards Ye with a whooshing sound. Ye¡¯s reaction was fast. He lowered his body as he moved to the side. The sword pass against his side. He could feel the wind hitting his body and face, which gave him a kind of needle-like pinching pain.


    The elf had stood up while Ye blocked Anfey¡¯s view of the elf with his body. She quietly pulled the bowstring, but Anfey¡¯sst punch hurt her organ pretty bad, so she was a little slower than usual. Before she fully pulled the bow, Anfey¡¯s sword had shot at her throat with great uracy.


    That elf flipped backwards with lightning speed as the sword pierced her throat. The sword passed through her neck and went deep into the ground. The elf had been kneeling on the ground when she pulled her bow. She never had the chance to even straighten her legs. Now her neck was nailed on the ground, with her body in a weird arch shape. Not only the wound on her throat was painful, but also the way she arched. The elf made moaned weakly in pain. She moved her body to try to stretch herself away from the arch position, but her life was approaching the end fast.


    "Master, I was not careful." Ye felt bad for the mistake he had made.


    Anfey did not respond to Ye. He slowly walked to Saidy, who was still unconscious. He quietly watched Saidy. If it had been vi or others, Anfey definitely would have said something. However, Ye was different. He was careful by nature, so Anfey did not have to say anything to him. Ye would remember this lesson on his own.


    "Master, we actually made a small fortune today." Ye changed the topic. He said with a smile, "The magic armor on that elf should have some history in it. It is definitely not regr armor. I think we can save it for Ms. Suzanna. She will like it." He gave a look to a fewrge mercenaries before Anfey nodded. The mercenaries strode over. They pulled the elf¡¯s body up, as her body was notpletely rigid yet, without feeling bad for her. They rudely took their trophy from this battle.


    Cruelty had to be viewed from both sides. When mercenaries hunted magic beasts in the forest, they were even more cruel. They would peel off the magic beasts¡¯ fur and dig out the magic crystals in their bodies. They left only a pile of bloody and swollen flesh. If they did not peel their fur and take the magic crystal, many people in the Country of Mercenaries would starve to death. To take their own trophies after battles was a tradition on Pan Continent. Not only mercenaries, but also soldiers and generals on the battlefield would do the same thing. They would not be gentle to the defeated parties. Even a general who had everything when he was alive could turn into someone¡¯s trophy when he lost the battle. He would be tossed naked together with other soldiers into a pit to rot.


    Even the famous Princess Victoria was treated the same way after she was killed during negotiations. It was said that she had nothing on her but a piece of cloth when her coffin was carried back to her empire. This made the people in Shansa Empire angry. They believed Maho Empire offended their most respected princess. However, civilians on Pan Continent were the most realistic people. Their anger came and went very quickly. For some time, under the threat of Roaring Dead Legion mercenary group¡¯s victories, they started to fight against Maho Empire because they were asked to pay for the losses in battle. Everyone was pay an equal share. The nobility would never pay for anything. When the civilians did not have enough food to feed themselves, they would spare no time to hate or to remember anyone.


    "Wake him up," Anfey said quietly.


    A mercenary stepped forward. He pulled his sword out and patted Saidy¡¯s face with the sword. Seeing Saidy had no reaction, he took out his water sack and poured it out on Saidy¡¯s face and body.


    With a breeze, Saidy felt cold and slowly opened his eyes, moaning. He saw Anfey right at his face. He rolled over and wanted to run away, but Anfey held his chest down with his foot. Saidy had used hisbat power, butbat power could not counter everything. Saidy grunted as he fell backwards. He tried to jump back but got kicked back again. This was repeated a few times before Saidy finally lost his courage to fight back. Hey there as he looked at Anfey with some terror.


    If he could go back to ckwater City right now, he could give Anfey a fair evaluation of his fighting ability. He saw Anfey kicking at his chest, so he held his hands out to block it, but then Anfey kicked him in the stomach. The next time he saw Anfey kicking at his stomach, his chest actually got kicked. The next time when he tried to block both his chest and stomach, Anfey kicked him in the face. His nose and mouth were bleeding. Anfey¡¯s kick was powerful and fast. In addition, he did not kick from regr angles, so it was hard for Saidy to see where the kicks wereing from and made it difficult for Saidy to block them, even though his fighting ability was not great anyway. Anfey was standing while Saidy wasying down on the ground. This position put him at a disadvantage. Saidy was an intermediate swordsman, so he had never really been hit this bad. Saidy felt the huge difference between him and Anfey in fighting abilities.


    Seeing that Saidy had stopped fighting back, Anfey asked, "Tell me how many druids are there. You should have sent a lot of Tiger of Tawau mercenaries there, right?"


    Saidy kept quiet. As the child of Mourtta and Hotchbini, he knew he could fail but could not sell his peers out.


    "To be frank with you, your mother made a huge mistake by allowing you toe after me," Anfey sneered. "Do you think I would not be able to get the information I need if you keep your mouth shut?"


    Saidy bit his lips and thought to himself, Fools wanted toe here! The situation in ckwater City was bad, but still better than living in the wild. He had to pull though. After living in depression, he saw his brothers aplish something during this time, which woke him up. He could not give himself up by failing, so he asked to take his team toe after Anfey. His mother did not agree with him at the beginning, but he was so determined that he argued, begged, and even swore. His mother finally agreed and gave him this opportunity. He never thought he would end up like this.


    "Ye, do you have experience interrogating criminals?" Anfey turned around to look at Ye. In fact, Anfey had a systematic way to do interrogation, but he could not do everything himself as a leader. In addition, Ye had just made a mistake, so Anfey wanted to give him a chance to make up for it.


    "Yes, master!" Ye was appreciating the magic armor when Anfey called him out. Ye immediately handed the armor to a mercenary and walked over to Saidy. He took a close look at Saidy and suddenlyughed. "This guy has such smooth skin. He looked like he never experienced any hardship. I can promise you he will open his mouth soon."


    Anfey nodded with a smile. Saidy gasped and yelled, "What are you going to do to me? Anfey, do you really want to be Tiger of Tawau mercenary group¡¯s enemy? I am telling you if I do not get back in time, my father would know what happened here. He will find you sooner orter!"


    "Ye, you are right. He never experienced any hardship." Anfey chuckled. "I cannot believe you still think someone could save you at this moment. I am telling you that I will find Mourtta and Hotchbini myself, even if he is not looking for me. None of you will live long. You will just die earlier than them."


    Saidyughed wildly. "Do you really think you can beat Tiger of Tawau mercenary group?"


    "Yes, I can, but you will not be able to see that day." Anfey raised his chin.


    Yeughed so hard that he squatted and pped Saidy. "Kid, I am doing you a favor right now. You¡¯d better tell me everything I am asking. If you do not tell me now, you will tell meter. Why are you trying to torture yourself? In fact, people should make decisions quickly when they are alive. They should not be caught alive by their enemies. I hope you can remember this lesson in hell."


    Saidy angrily spitted on the ground. "You will be the hell!"


    "Master, I am going to do the interrogation now." Ye had a sympathetic look on his face.


    "You got it." Anfey waved his hand and walked out. He heard Saidy¡¯s loud screaming from behind as he walked only a few steps away. Saidy was hurt, but did not lose all his fighting ability. That was why he screamed with such force. He even sat up and randomly punched at Ye. Maybe it was because he was in such pain that Saidy was attacking Ye out of instinct and forgot to use hisbat power.


    Unfortunately, Saidy¡¯s struggles stopped there. Ye pulled his sword out backhanded. After Ye swung the sword twice in an x-motion, Saidy¡¯s two hands were cut off. Mercenaries in Ye¡¯s group rushed over. They were not afraid of Saidy¡¯s struggles, but afraid of him loosing too much blood and dying too soon. They tied Saidy¡¯s arms tightly.


    Waves of screaming got louder and louder. Anfey did not care even to look back at it. There was a ck line appearing on the horizon. Ozzic and Orsie had lead thousands of mercenaries over. Their shiny swords reflected the light from the other swords. They looked like they were ready for battle. However, they realized the battle was already over as they got close to Anfey.


    "Master, that guy looks familiar." Ozzic looked around in curiosity. "Wow! Elf? What a pity!"


    "Why?" Anfey smiled. He knew Ozzic always acted like he was Anfey¡¯s favorite, so Anfey tried to give him opportunities to show off. At that moment, he was joking with Ozzic.


    "She is an elf!" Ozzic walked to Anfey with a smile.


    "Do you want an elf? Why didn¡¯t you tell me if you wanted an elf. If you do not tell me, how do I know you want an elf?" Anfey was repeating a ssic line from a movie, just without "Monkey King" at the beginning of the line.


    "Ah..." Ozzic did not get it, but looked even more shocked.


    "Do not worry. You will have a chance to get one in the future," Anfey said quietly.


    "Master, are we going to fight with Elf Empire?" Ozzic asked.


    "You got it half right," Anfey said.


    Ozzic scratched his head and had a bitter smile on his face. He really did not get what Anfey said. Fighting was fighting and peace was peace. Why did he only get it half right.


    "Master, I do think I know him." Shinbe stepped out from the crowd. The mercenaries did not have anything else to do so they crowded around the "Interrogation Room". Most mercenaries were contradictory themselves. They were warm and cold blooded at the same time. They looked cold-blooded when they thought it was fun to watch Ye interrogating Saidy. However they could face danger with strong will and fight for their lives. If their peers died in front of them, they would not shed tears. They did not care to cry. They would rather go after the person who killed their peers.


    "You are right that you know him," Anfey said casually. "He is the third child of Hotchbini. His name is Saidy."


    "F*ck! Is Tiger of Tawau mercenary group setting us up?" Ozzic yelled with anger.


    If this had happened previously, Ozzic would not dare think of fighting back against Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, not even behind their backs. Now the League of Mercenaries had about two thousand mercenaries, no less than what Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had. In addition, the League of Mercenaries had two senior swordswomen, Suzanna and Shinbe, the number 1 master swordsman, Ernest, and Anfey. Ozzic no longer thought Tiger of Tawau mercenary group was such a strong enemy.


    Ozzic could be more arrogant when he got better. Anfey recruited Ozzic because Ozzic was very loyal, or at leastpletely honest with Anfey. There were no perfect people in this world. Anfey never asked too much of others. On the other hand, if Ozzic was perfect, that is, powerful, capable, charismatic and had good vision, Anfey would not have recruited him. Anfey probably would have killed him when he had the chance.


    If two men rode a horse, one must ride behind. This was the cruel reality everyone had to face. Alice could have a peaceful life because she did not have her own group. As smart as she was, she had been showing her weakness and her dependency on purpose. If Alice had the same fighting ability as Suzanna and epted Kumaraghosha¡¯s loyalty, there could have been a bloody fight between Alice and Anfey. Anfey could not stand it when people betrayed him. Both Anfey and Alice were decisive. The difference was that Anfey was decisive in protecting his interests while Alice was decisive in subjecting herself to Anfey.


    "Master, why did Tiger of Tawau mercenary group want to set us up?" Shinbe asked, even more curious than Ozzic.


    Anfey shook his head. "I have not figured it out yet. But it is not important anymore. They are going to die anyway."


    "Master," Shinbe hesitated a little bit before she continued. "I think we should not have conflict with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group on our own. There are other mercenary groups out there, Glory mercenary group and Storm mercenary group. We should avoid any unnecessary losses at this time."


    "Shinbe, what do you mean? Are you scared?" Ozzic asked in anger.


    Shinbe could not help smiling bitterly. She did not like Ozzic or his subordinates. Three people could make a crowd. Not only did Ozzic like to brag, so did his subordinates. Hearing them talk too much, Shinbe thought Ozzic was Anfey¡¯s favorite among all six units. It was not good for Shinbe to have some conflict with Ozzic.


    "Ozzic, you did not understand what Shinbe meant." Anfey waved his hand. "Shinbe meant we should not get into conflicts on our own."


    "Yes," Shinbe said immediately. "Master Christian is the supervisor of Shield of Light legion. With his help, no matter how powerful Tiger of Tawau mercenary group is, they could not be a match with the legion."


    "In addition to Shield of Light legion, we could have Glory and Storm mercenary groups on our side in the fight against Mourtta." Anfey gave a Shinbe a long look. Shinbe rarely talked, so Anfey had no chance to know her personality. As time went by, Shinbe gradually came out of her shell.


    Ozzicughed. "I knew Commander Shinbe would not be a coward."


    "We need to have courage, but not too much, otherwise it would be arrogance." Anfey hinted to Ozzic. He did not know if Ozzic got it or not, but he had no control over it.


    With Anfey¡¯s support, Shinbe got quieter instead. She stepped back and was afraid she would offend Ozzic if she said anything more. Shibe and Ozzic had different intentions. Ozzic believed in Anfey¡¯s ability and chose to work for Anfey while Shinbe, with Anfey¡¯s help, had killed her ex, who showed no affection towards her and hurt her very badly. Shinbe thought Anfey was her life-saver. She did not think she was his subordinate. Compared to Ozzic, she had much more loyalty towards Anfey.


    "Master, I am done." Ye slowly walked over.


    "Really?" Anfey asked.


    "The set up was about 40 miles to the northwest. There are over 30 elf shooters and over 100 mercenaries hidden there, waiting for us," Ye said.


    "Are you sure the information is correct?" Anfey asked.


    "It should be right." Ye smiled. "After Saidy agreed to speak up, I asked him a few questions, then asked him other questions for a while. I even asked him when he first had sex before I came back to that question. Saidy answered it quickly, and same as before."


    "Master, Ye is professional in this area," Ozzic said. He seemed to be asking for apliment from Ye. Of course, if Ye did it for the legion, his supervisor, Ozzic, seemed to contribute to the legion as well. "If there are only 30 elf shooters and 100 mercenaries, we could easily beat them."


    "Ask everyone to sleep early. We have to leave tomorrow morning," Anfey said, nodding.


    "Ok." Ozzic looked excited as he rubbed his hands.

 Chapter 380: Prices to Pay

    Chapter 380: Prices to Pay


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Five elves were traveling through the dense forest of Transverse Mountains. All five elves were beautiful women who looked eerily simr to each other. The only thing that differed between the elves were the bows they bore.


    The five female elves were traveling at a high speed. Despite their pace, none of them appeared tired, and their breathing was still evenly paced.


    They were sent by the elf elders on a mission, and their ultimate goal was to reconstruct the glory of the elven empire. The empire fell because of the elves¡¯ peaceful nature. Unlike humans, they did not like war. Because of this, the elves were not as powerful as humans. Now, however, the elves had learned from humans and had be more warlike.


    The five elves were all elites. The leader was famous for her ability to hit the target from any distance. Even though they still could not find what they were looking for, they were very calm and did not appear irritated.


    The leader sudden stopped and raised her hand. The other four elves stopped as well. They felt the signal the druids sent.


    In order to fight against a swordsmaster, the elves knew that they must split up to achieve maximum effect.


    The elves slowed and began searching for a proper hiding spot. Soon, all five of them disappeared from view.


    The elf to the left was hiding in the crown of arge tree. She narrowed her eyes as she felt a slight vibration in the tree under her. She jumped out of the tree and dashed forward.


    The trunk of the tree she was standing on exploded, bits of wood flying. A figure in blue appeared and dashed towards the elf. In the figure¡¯s hand was a gleaming longsword. The elf was shocked by the speed of her opponent. She tried to block the attack but her opponent was too strong. The sword broke her bow and plunged into her chest.


    Suzanna spun around as the elf fell silently to the ground. She searched the forest and located another nearby elf. Just as she was about to dash towards the elf, she felt a sudden gust of wind. She turned around and shed, pushing aside an iing arrow with her sword. The arrow flew past her and buried itself into a nearby tree.


    Suzanna¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She didn¡¯t know any of the elves, but she knew that whoever just fired that shot was very powerful. A normal archer would never be able to fire an arrow that could buried itself that deeply into a tree, especially not after the arrow was slowed by her sword. She realized that she had underestimated her opponents. Every time she tried to break out of her opponents¡¯ formation, she would be forced back by arrows. The druids were not who she was concerned about. If she had just been facing druids, she could get away any time she wanted. The swordsmen posed no threat to her, either. She could easily defeat swordsmen and druids. It was the archer that worried her.


    She couldn¡¯t see the elf and knew that elves are hard to find. She had just engaged an enemy, and the archer had already fired. Clearly, this archer was very fast.


    Finding a good hiding ce was very hard. Suzanna spent a few minutes searching for an ideal hiding ce and found a small cave in the side of the mountain. She ducked into the cave and listened carefully for any movement outside. She hoped that the cave would be enough to hide her from the druids.


    She had only two choices right now. She had to either attack her weakest opponent or she would have to attack her strongest opponent. The archer would suffice, which was why she had targeted the archer.


    What she did not know was that the druids were panicking due to the death of their leader. If they had not panicked and fallen for her simple trick, she would not have survived this.


    Suzanna heard the sound of leaves rustling outside and knew that it was the archer she was waiting for. She quietly left the small cave and spotted the archer among the leaves. She jumped up and dashed towards the archer. She knew that she had to take out that archer in order to do anything else.


    The unicorn stumbled after Suzanna, whinnying.


    The archer saw Suzanna. She narrowed her eyes and nocked her bow, sending arrow after arrow towards Suzanna. She fired three arrows in mere seconds.


    Suzanna had just left the cave when the first arrow came flying towards her. She raised her sword and deflected all three iing arrows.


    The archer did not expect to kill Suzanna with three arrows, anyway. Her speed of releasing arrows increased. The bow string vibrated violently every time she let an arrow loose. The other elves joined her as well, sending arrows after Suzanna at incredible speed.


    Suzanna did not back away in the face of a storm of arrows. She summoned morebat power and pushed forward. She held the sword out in front of her and increased her speed.


    The archer frowned. A green arrow appeared in her hand. She nocked the bow slowly, the bow pointing at not Suzanna but at the crown of the tree she was standing in. The arrow disappeared into the tree crown.


    Suzanna dashed forward, pushing through the storm of arrows. Suddenly, a green arrow fell towards Suzanna from above. The arrow pierced through herbat power and headed towards her.


    Suzanna was wearing light blue armor and the arrow bounced off of it. Blue light rippled around the ce where the arrow hit Suzanna¡¯s armor.


    The elf frowned. "It couldn¡¯t be..." she whispered.


    Suzanna was wearing Baery¡¯s gift, Azure Armor. She knew that it was a very powerful suit of armor and she only wore it when she was certain she needed the extra protection.


    Suzanna pressed on, ignoring the strange green arrow. She needed to get close to the archer. The archer sighed, and another green arrow appeared in her hand. She did not want to back down in front of a human. Her hands were very steady as she released a second green arrow.


    The green arrow flew towards Suzanna and transformed into a green. Suzanna¡¯sbat power red up and tore through the. Normally, the would be more than enough to trap her. However, Suzanna knew that she had nothing to lose.


    The archer frowned. Like Suzanna, she had underestimated her opponent as well. However, she did not waver in front of Suzanna.


    Suzanna jumped up towards the archer. Both Suzanna and the archer knew that only one of them could walk away from this fight. Suzanna bellowed as she pointed her sword at the archer and attacked.


    The archer nocked a strange, gold arrow. The arrow shed with Suzanna¡¯sbat power and disappeared into its light. A secondter, Suzanna¡¯s sword pierced the archer¡¯s body.


    The archer screamed in pain as she and Suzanna fell towards the forest floor. They crashed to the ground. The archer coughed in pain as Suzanna pulled her sword free. A few momentster, the archer drew herst breath and was still.


    The other elves, seeing their leader being murdered in cold blood, knew that they were no match for Suzanna. They nced at each other and quickly disappeared into the forest, fleeing the scene.


    Suzanna dashed towards the fleeing elves. She caught up to one of them and stabbed the elf through the chest. Then she left the wounded elf and killed another one. However, one of the elves had already disappeared.


    Suzanna sighed and took a few steps back. She knew that the elf wouldn¡¯t being back. Herbat power was nearly depleted and she needed to rest. She had to recover before the druids found her, or else she will not walk away from this fight.

 Chapter 381: Myths

    Chapter 381: Myths


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey liked nights. Some people were energetic during the day but very sleepy in the evening. They could not stop yawning after midnight. Anfey never felt that way. He seemed to be more alert and sharper at night. He also liked to travel at night.


    After connecting with Heart of Nature, he acquired super-sensing ability, which allowed him to be the king of the night. What others could not see or hear, he could hear and see very clearly. The utmost in the natural world disyed in front of him without any secrets.


    At that moment, Anfey could clearly see about 30 elves sleeping on three tall ancient trees about 600 yards away. The three trees formed an equteral triangle. From wherever one group was attacked, the other two groups of elves coulde to their aid right away.


    No elf need to be on watch on two of the trees while just one elf was on watch on the third. It was close to dawn, which was the time people felt sleepiest and most tired. The elf on watch seemed to be affected by the sleep cycle. She leaned against the tree, falling asleep once a while. She leaned her bow behind the tree. She unconsciously kicked it with her heels. As a result, the bow slowly leaned, and finally fell on the grass. The sound of the falling bow did not wake the elf up. Instead, she seemed to fall sound asleep.


    The elf seemed to be right in front of Anfey. He could even see the hairs on the elf¡¯s face. Over 20 mercenaries talked quietly around a bonfire about 200 yards away from the elves¡¯ camp. They looked fresher than the elves. The mercenaries nned to leave in the early morning and attack the elves and Tiger of Tawau mercenaries. They were still discussing the details of their n. Ozzic and his group were concerned about fighting over 30 elves, since they had no idea how many arrows those elves could shoot from the beginning of the fight to the end. Anfey and Shinbe were not concerned with the threats from elves, but regr mercenaries had to be worried. Ozzic expected that more than one hundred mercenaries would get hurt or killed in the fight. Anfey decided to change the n, because he did not want to see unnecessary casualties even though they all knew they made a living by risking their lives, and being hurt or killed was inevitable in battle. Anfey decided to leave early, around midnight, and start the fight before dawn. Ozzic and Shinbe would take their two groups of mercenaries to surround the elves. Anfey¡¯s job was to get to the camp first to kill all the onlookers.


    Anfey did not expect his n would actually affect many people. The so-called equality was a lie made by bards. They never enjoyed equality. A king had a bunch of government officials and noblemen, while those same officials and noblemen had their own people working for them. When the country was under siege, the king was never the first one in danger. The king would not spend so much money on the military for nothing. Ozzic, for instance, could not run in front when they were in a tough battle. Ozzic could be considered an official, so he had people who would sacrifice themselves for him. It was rare to see leaders like Anfey who would go into the enemy camp on their own for the sake of the whole team¡¯s safety. They only knew the size of their enemy, but had no idea how many top powers were there and what kind of difficulty they would encounter. Even Ozzic and Shinbe saw Anfey differently.


    Anfey knew himself well. He was confident of travelling in the dark. He felt like he was going to have fun instead ofpleting a mission.


    For a short time, Anfey had easily walked behind the elf who was on watch without any of the anxiety an assassin would normally feel. He looked more like he was visiting a friend. Anfey paused for a second before he bent down to pick up the bow. He looked at the elf and observed that the elf did not notice him.


    Anfey carefully drew his bow and aimed at the elf. He let his finger go and the arrow flew hard at the elf¡¯s neck. When the elf opened her eyes after feeling the pain, Anfey had turned the bow around on her neck. He grabbed the back of her neck with his left hand while he pulled the bow back with his right hand. The bowstring choked the elf and cut deep into her neck. A trickle of blood oozed out. The elf only struggled a little bit before she slowly fell unconscious on Anfey. Anfey was very strong, and he cut through the elf¡¯s blood vessels and trachea in the blink of an eye. She went limp and died.


    Anfey slowlyy the elf¡¯s body with her stomach on the ground. He carefully looked around and found elves still sleeping while mercenaries were still chatting. Nobody noticed Anfey. The ce was lightly guarded, but that made sense. Prey had to be alert at all times, but predators did not have to be as tense as prey. The elves and mercenaries undoubtedly both thought they were the predators.


    Ozzic and Shinbe came down with their respective teams. Shinbe¡¯s team was in charge of elves, while Ozzic was in charge of Tiger of Tawau mercenaries. Long and Ling took the lead, one for Shinb and the other for Ozzic.


    Anfey suddenly frowned. An elf sleeping on a branch opened her sleepy eyes and sniffed. She looked like she was smelling something. Anfey figured out the problem. Blood had a rusty smell. Elves were really sensitive to smell. She must have smelled something unusual.


    Luckily, elves loved evergreens. Under the cover of the trees, the elf did not see what happened underneath her. Anfey carefully bent down and picked up the body. He turned around to the other side of the tree and put the body on the ground again. He dug some rotten earth and covered the elf¡¯s neck, so the blood smell would spread more slowly and other elves wake up from it. Anfey could see every move of the other elf, so he was not nervous. He had not made a sound so far. The elf jumped off the branch. Anfey straightened his back and waited for an opportunity. Although the elf smelled something unusual, she did not necessarily know what the smell was, so she did not wake her peers up, instead deciding to check on it herself.


    "Aika!" The elf looked around and called the other elf¡¯s name.


    Anfey squeezed his voice a little and answered her with a simple yes.


    "You, little sleepy, I knew you would fall asleep!" The elf smiled and walked around the tree.


    Anfey step forward diagonally as he quickly reached his left hand out to grab the elf¡¯s throat. His strong grip not only closed the elf¡¯srynx, it also lifted her up by her neck. Anfey held his breath, watching to see if those sleeping elves would notice anything.


    That elf struggled lightly for a moment. Unfortunately, she was lifted in the air and could not get out of Anfey¡¯s grasp, not to mention warn her peers. She continued to struggle, grabbing Anfey¡¯s hand. She scratched his hand and drew some blood with her final effort before her arms fell limp.


    Anfey had turned himself into a statue, not moving at all. He did not let the elf¡¯s body fall to the ground for a quite while until he was sure no elf had woken up. Anfey did not even care about the blood trickling from where the elf had scratched.


    300 yards away, then 200 yards away, Shinb and her mercenaries were quietly approaching as Anfey slowly closed his eyes. Just as he could dismiss the natural magic druids released, he could sense any living being with his telepathy and try to build a rtionship with it in a very subtle way.


    Anfey had killed two elves without anyone noticing, a hard feat for even a few hundred mercenaries. By the time Shinbe was about 60 yards away from Anfey, a few elves had already slowly sat up. They sensed something unusual and nervously looked down to check what was happening.


    Anfey suddenly opened his eyes. The three big ancient trees where elves rested suddenly moved like gigantic savage monsters. The branches started to swing like crazy. No matter whether elves had been awake or asleep, they were suddenly swinging out of the trees.


    Anfey moved so fast in the air towards the mercenaries about 200 yards away that he barely left any shadow. He thought there was no doubt Shinbe could take care of the elves now.


    Anfey¡¯s flying action was a signal. Suddenly, their animalistic screams and yells rose from everywhere. Shinbe rushed over with her mercenaries, while Ozzic led his mercenaries into the station of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. The 20 or so mercenaries around the bonfire were stunned and jumped to their feet one after another. As they were ready to turn around to help their peers, a person rushed out of the forest and ran at them with extremely quickly.


    If those mercenaries were not blind, they could tell it was Anfey ring in the dark with a Fire Sword about eight yards long. Anfey ran so fast that the Fire Sword left a fire tail about ten yards long. The mercenaries looked at each other and screamed as they all pulled out their weapons and ran at Anfey.


    The elf archers knew they were in danger. The ancient trees were tall and big. Some elves were tossed out diagonally, while others were tossed dozens of yards into the air. They fell down in different ces with a thud on the ground. Besides a few good elf archers, most of them got hurt to a certain degree. Some even passed out. They did not notice how bad the situation was until they were ready to fight back. No one would sleep with bows on their back. That would be too ufortable, so they usually piled their weapons together. Now they had no idea where their weapons had been tossed. They were stunned and frozen there.


    Anfey swung his sword into a crowd of about 20 elves. He was at a disadvantage in numbers, but his fighting ability was way better than all 20 of them together. He was like a lion to 20 rabbits. The quantity of enemies did not mean much to Anfey. In the blink of an eye, Anfey had killed most of those mercenaries. The only about 8 mercenaries left were so shocked by Anfey¡¯s fighting ability. He knew they had no chance to fight against him and were ready to turn and run. Unfortunately for them, Anfey was about ten times faster than they were. In addition, Anfey¡¯s Fire Sword could reach arge area. Even though they ran in different directions, he could still easily take all their lives with one swing of his Fire Sword.


    Ozzic took his mercenaries to recklessly kill Tiger of Tawau mercenaries in the camp. Some Tiger of Tawau mercenaries who surrendered and dared not fight back were pulled to the side. The Tiger of Tawau mercenaries with lower fighting ability were countered by over ten of Ozzic¡¯s mercenaries with axes. Ozzic¡¯s mercenaries swung their axes at Tiger of Tawau mercenaries, who were no match in a one-on-one fight, not to mention one on ten. Tiger of Tawau mercenaries with higher fighting abilities were shot by crossbow arrows. The power of crossbow arrows made by Jacob could not be neglected. It was very hard for people to react to them in time because of their speed. Beside the speed, their humongous magic power had killed those mercenaries one after another, even though the mercenaries¡¯ fighting ability was high.


    Shinbe seemed to finish her job even easier. The bare-handed elves posed no threat to Shinbe¡¯s team. As a result, elves were roughly pushed to the ground by mercenaries. A few elves who tried to save themselves with magic had angered Shinbe. She yed them with her gigantic sword.


    The battle ended fast. Ozzic caught over 40 captives. The rest of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had been killed. Shinbe caught 17 elves alive. They only had to clean up the battle field, which was a great opportunity for them to collect trophies and get rich.


    Anfeyid his eyes on the elves and slowly moved back and forth. Ozzic tried to learn from Anfey, and he looked at those elves as well, but they thought totally different things. Anfey wanted to find the answer for a myth to why Manstuly tried to kill him, while Ozzic looked at the elves with desire. Ozzic could not believe it they captured over a dozen elves.


    "He even sent out dozens of elves to kill me." Anfey had an incredulous smile on his face. "Can anyone exin why are you trying to kill me? I did not think I had any conflicts with elves."


    The elves were quiet. They were tied tightly and forced to kneel on the ground. Elves were too proud to surrender to their enemies. They were surrounded by many mercenaries. Other mercenaries were cleaning up the battle field, and about 20 of them were watching the captives of Tiger of Tawau mercenaries. Some mercenaries did not have room to stand, so they even climbed into the trees because it was rare to be able to see elves.


    Anfey shook his head. He did not expect to get an answer from the elves. He could not decide what he would do to them. He definitely could kill a few to vent his anger. However, he had already killed over a dozen, and if he killed the rest, he might make a life-long enemy of elves. He thought he should not do that before he could figure out the real intention of Bruzuryano. If Bruzuryano wanted to take Manstuly¡¯s side, Anfey could only find a middle ground.


    Anfey suddenly felt element surges in the distance before he could say anything. Anfey could not help looking into the distance. He saw two ck dots flying from a distance. While others could not even tell whether those two ck dots were people or birds, Anfey had already recognized them. One was vi, and the other one was Riska. Anfey was shocked to see Riska there.


    vi and Riska flew close to Anfey very quickly. They first flew up to make sure the group underneath them were their people before theynded. Neither vi nor Riska looked too good. They both looked exhausted, especially Riska. When Riskanded, he stumbled and almost fell. He could not wait to speak: "Anfey, we finally find you."


    "What happened?" Anfey hurriedly asked after seeing Riska so nervous.


    "Alice sent me here. Suzanna..." Riska suddenly stopped and said earnestly, "Anfey, don¡¯t get too upset. You have to control it, ok?"


    Anfey felt his heading ringing. Not only his face turned pale but also his lips. He usually thought more than others, and especially when Manstuly tried to cheat him in Suzanna¡¯s name. He could understand Manstuly¡¯s scheme, but Suzanna also might be able to now, which had worried Anfey for the past few days. Seeing Riska¡¯s face, he instinctively thought the worst¡ªthat Suzanna had been killed.


    "What happened to Suzanna?" Anfey¡¯s voice slightly trembled.


    "I was worried you would not be able to control yourself." Riska had a bitter smile. "You..."


    "F*cking tell me!" Maybe it took Riska too long to speak, or Anfey cared about Suzanna¡¯s safety so much that Anfey totally lost control. He screamed before he threw himself at Riska and grabbed Riska¡¯s cor. Riska was only a mage and did not have a strong body. He felt choked by a steel grip and could not breathe. His eyes rolled immediately.


    Everybody was stunned. Everybody said Christian was a gentleman, as was Anfey. No matter what happened, Anfey always looked nice. This was the first time any of them had seen Anfey lose his temper.


    vi was the first to react. He immediately rushed over to grab Anfey¡¯s arms. "Anfey, calm down, calm down!"


    "F*ck off!" Anfey shook his shoulder. vi was hit andnded a few yards away. He flew at the crowd. Luckily, Shinbe held him in time. Anfey looked fierce and crazy. He stared at Riska and said, "Tell me!"


    It was absolutely quiet right now. He yelled those two words instead of speaking them. Riska rolled his eyes and struggled to point at Anfey¡¯s hands.


    "Anfey, you are choking Riska. He can¡¯t say anything." vi rushed back and gripped Anfey¡¯s arms tightly. Everyone there was stunned, but only vi coulde out to stop Anfey, because he believed they were friends in good times and bad, and he did not think Anfey would not hurt him.


    Anfey took a deep breath and slowly let Riska go, but he still looked mad and crazy.


    Riska gasped. After Anfey released Riska, he bent over and struggled for air.


    "Riska, hurry up and tell Anfey. If you do tell him now, it will only make him more upset," vi sighed.


    "An...Anfey, Suzanna is missing." Riska finally got to the point.


    "Missing?" Anfey was shocked.


    "Yes, she was lost after she left Violet City. The little unicorn was with her." Riska was afraid Anfey would go crazy on him again so he said hurriedly, "Alice has sent many people to search for Suzanna. Master Ernest found out about it and went to search for Suzanna as well."


    "Then what happened after they searched for Suzannna?" Anfey asked.


    "We found a trace of her. Master Ernest said a group of druids and elf archers must have attacked Suzanna, but it seemed that Suzanna escaped from them. They did not get her." Riska took some time to catch his breath. He continued, "Master Ernest asked me to tell you not to worry about Suzanna. She should be fine with her fighting ability as long as she remains alert. She might have gone back to Moramatch."


    Anfey did not look so angry and fierce anymore. "Where is Uncle Ernest?"


    "Master Ernest went to keep searching for Suzanna," Riska said.


    Anfey went quiet for a while. He finally figured what had happened and forced a smile. "vi and Riska, I am sorry. I was just..."


    vi patted Anfey on the shoulder and chuckled nervously, "What are you talking about, Anfey. I know you were worried."


    "Anfey, if you had grabbed my neck with a bit more strength, I probably would not be able to hear you say sorry now." Riska was still a little scared as he rubbed his neck. The choking feeling was horrible, Riska thought to himself.


    Anfey held his hand out and lightly punched Riska¡¯s chest to show he was really sorry about what he had done. He did lose control of himself, and now he slowly was regainingposure. Ernest was right. The first surprise attack was the most dangerous battle for Suzanna. As long as she was alert, Suzanna should have the ability to protect herself. Even if she could not win the fight, she definitely could flee from danger unless her opponent was a top power.


    Manstuly should still be in Maho Empire. Ynthe would not let Philip do anything ridiculous. Other top powers had no reason to go after Suzanna. Suzanna never had any conflicts with them, nor did she have any conflict of interests with them. They would not risk being the enemies of other top powers to go after Suzanna. Thinking these thoughts, Anfey felt a lot better, even though he was still worried.


    "Riska, take a quick rest. We have to leave soon," Anfey said quietly.


    Riska shook his head. "I do not need it." He saw a row of elves kneeling on the ground. He asked in surprise, "Why are there elves?"


    "They set up Suzanna and now want to set me up. It looks like they tried to catch all of us at once," Anfey sneered.

 Chapter 382: Cleanup

    Chapter 382: Cleanup


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I thought the elves were supposed to be peace loving," vi said, shaking his head. Even though he respected the elves, he was angered by their actions. They did not want to fight with the elves. They even had elves with them. However, it was the elves that started the fight. vi knew that the four elves that came to join them should not be trusted, either.


    The mercenaries had finished the job, and a few walked over to Ye. They whispered something to him, and Ye nodded, turning to Anfey. "The cleanup is almost done," Ye said. "I suggest that we head back immediately."


    Anfey nodded in agreement.


    "What should we do with the prisoners?" Ye asked, ncing at the huddled elves. "They will slow us down."


    Anfey frowned and said with a sigh, "Kill all of them." If the elves only targeted him, he could take it as proof that Manstuly was working against him. However, they also targeted Suzanna, which proved that the elves were working against him even without Manstuly¡¯s direction. If he let those elves go, the elves would think that he was too weak. He needed to teach the elves a lesson.


    Anfey¡¯s words were clearly not received well. A lot of mercenaries were very disappointed by his decision; even Ozzic was shaking his head. The elves, however, did not cry out or protest despite their shock. Normally, the worst punishment for an elf would be very.


    Ye nodded and waved at his men.


    "Wait, my lord!" a mercenary standing behind Shinbe suddenly said.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "If you are going to kill them anyway, my lord, why don¡¯t you give them to us?" the mercenary asked with a smirk.


    The mercenaries around him burst outughing. The mercenary had said something a lot of the others were thinking. Even Ozzic grinned.


    "What did you just say?" Anfey asked quietly. Ozzic frowned. He was very sensitive to changes in people¡¯s moods. Anfey sounded very calm, but Ozzic felt that he was nning something.


    "Give those elves to us, my lord," the mercenary said. "We¡¯ll take care of them for you."


    The mercenariesughed again. Some of the elves looked at the mercenaries with disdain, but they did not make a noise. One of the nearby mercenaries reached over and grabbed one of the elves with a smirk on his face. The elf he grabbed narrowed her eyes in disgust. She yanked her arm out of his grip and pped his hand away. The mercenary, angered by her resistance, took a step back and drew his sword.


    "Shinbe," Anfey called. "Is he your man?"


    Shinbe nodded. She did not approve of the mercenary¡¯s actions either, but she wasn¡¯t certain when she should intervene. Anfey nced at the mercenary. Shinbe nodded. She dashed towards the mercenary and knocked his sword out of his hand. Then she kicked him in the chest, sending him flying through the air.


    Theughter and jeering stopped as the mercenarynded on the ground with a grunt.


    "We are mercenaries," Anfey said, looking at the silent mercenaries. "Not robbers, not rapists. Anyone who suggests otherwise can leave now." He paused and looked at the mercenary who first spoke.


    He knew he had to punish the elves to make an example, but he did not want to put them through unnecessary suffering. He was in the right in punishing them, but he wouldn¡¯t be in the right if he let the mercenaries do whatever they wanted with the elves.


    If he let the mercenaries do whatever they wanted, his leadership could be questioned in the future. Saul and Bruzuryano had ced their hopes in him, and he couldn¡¯t let them down. His friends and wife were depending on him as well, so he couldn¡¯t let them down either.


    Anfey nced at Ye, who nodded and drew his sword.


    Unlike the elves, the captured mercenaries begged for mercy before they were executed. The elves, although they were clearly terrified, steeled themselves in the face of death. They did not make a single noise as they died.


    The mercenary that first suggested turning the elves over to the mercenaries stood there. He nced at the dead elves, as if ashamed by his earlier suggestion. He knew Anfey would not let him back into the mercenary group.


    The mercenary lying on the ground did not move as the prisoners died. No one wanted to approach and help him because no one wanted Anfey and Shinbe to get angry again.


    After the bodies were cleaned up, Ozzic took his men and began heading back. Anfey and Shinbe began heading back as well after they exchanged a few brief words. Ye, however, remained still as if he had some unfinished business.


    Soon, the only people left on the field were Ye and the two exiled mercenaries. The mercenary that was still conscious walked over to Ye carefully.


    "My lord!" he called. He had been part of Jagged Rose mercenary group since he was a teenager. It was a very sad thing to see his friends turn away from him as if they were strangers. To him, Shinbe¡¯s action was betrayal. He did not know what to do.


    "What is it?" Ye asked.


    "You are familiar with Lord Anfey, my lord," the mercenary said. "Can you talk to Lord Anfey for me? Please, I will forever be in your debt."


    Ye sighed. "If you want women, there are hundreds of women in White Mountain City," he said, shaking his head.


    "I know, I know," the mercenary said. "Please, help me."


    "I will try," Ye said. "I promise nothing."


    "Thank you, my lord!"


    Ye waved his hand. "You¡¯re lucky," he said, ncing at the unconscious mercenary. "At least you¡¯re not him."


    The mercenary nodded. "I never thought Lady Shinbe would..."


    Ye narrowed his eyes and nced at the unconscious mercenary. "Is he moving?"


    "Really?" The mercenary frowned and turned to look at the man. Before he could do anything, however, a sharp pain in his chest distracted him. He froze, then fell to the ground as Ye pulled his sword out.


    "You are ming Shinbe for this," Ye said as he walked over to the unconscious man. "You will only be trouble in the future. I have to take care of you two now." He shed the unconscious man¡¯s neck and shook his sword. Ye knew that if enemies had found these two mercenaries, they would have spilled everything they knew. That would put everyone in danger.


    The dying mercenary watched as Ye left, then he spat on the ground and grew still.

 Chapter 383: Changed Rules

    Chapter 383: Changed Rules


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ording to the information vi had, Archknight Fernando had ordered his entire army to attack Reddenburg after Anfey had left Shield of Light legion with Ozzic and a few others. It would take Anfey a few days to go back and forth, so he figured Fernando would have taken Reddenburg during that time. Anfey asked Ozzic to take his unit to the front and travel directly to Reddenburg.


    It was not a peaceful trip. Many death spirits came at them like one swarm of flies after another. Fortunately, these death spirits could not pose any threat to a group of more than a thousand mercenaries and were killed. After fighting this kind of battle against zombies, mercenaries seemed to get used to his kind of weak attack.


    After three days, Anfey led his mercenaries to Reddenburg. As Anfey expected, Reddenburg had be amand post for Shield of Light legion. About a hundred gs with different embroidered designs flew around Reddenburg. These gs had practical usage. Every g represented a group. The one with a war horse on his hind legs in the center of a shield represented the frontiers of the Shield of Light legion. The one with a knight¡¯s spear in the center of a shield represented the cavalry. The one with a roaring lion in the center of the shield represented Fernando¡¯s personal bodyguards, which meant the centralmand was in the Reddenburg. Not only each battalion, but also each squadron and regiment had its own g. It helped themanders to give clear instructions to their people.


    By now, Anfey could be considered a big shot. After finding out Anfey was back, Fernando and Christian both came out of the headquarters to wee and greet him. As they walked back to the headquarters, Archknight Fernando walked in front, with Anfey and Christian walking behind. An unweed voice rose: "Master Anfey? I heard you lost your wife? Please ept my condolences. Hahaha..."


    Anfey was shocked and turned around to where the voice came from. Marquis Djoser and a few Knights of Light were approaching. Marquis Djoser had a gloating smile on his face. The Knights of Light looked a little awkward. Although many knew that Suzanna was missing, few had detailed information about it. They just thought Suzanna must have been attacked by death spirits.


    This was not good news for most Knights of Light. They did have conflicts with Anfey for sure, but necromancers were their biggest enemy right now. Whether they could win the battle with necromancers would decide their fate. Anfey was on the same side in this battle and had made some major contributions. He even worked with nbrea and killed Necromancer Annunciata. It just showed they had no ss if they were happy about Suzanna¡¯s unfortunate fate.


    The Knights of Light felt a little awkward, but Christian already looked mad. Even Fernando looked a little annoyed. Compared with Anfey, Djoser was of little use except for his Marquis title and some influence in the upper sses. Anfey was a capable and got things done, so seemed to be more helpful to Fernando.


    "Of course. Suzanna is nothing special to you. You have some elf maids with you. It is no big deal..." Djoser was interrupted by a pping sound.


    Anfey had appeared in front of Marquis Djoser and hit him. Anfey did not punch too hard because he did not want to kill him right now, but not too light either because he would not be able to vent his anger otherwise.


    Marquis Djoser put his hand on his cheek, stunned. He did not think Anfey would ever dare to hit him in the public. Everybody knew he was a marquis in the empire.


    "How dare..." Djoser yelled.


    However, Marquis Djoser¡¯s yell was interrupted again. This time his sound reverberated back. Anfey swung his arm and punched Djoser on the other cheek. Anfey kept swinging and hitting Marquis Djoser without holding anything back. He put enough strength into the punches to make sure Marquis Djoser swayed from left to right but did not fall to the ground.


    "Master Anfey," Fernando called to Anfey worriedly. He felt Marquis Djoser was very nasty to Anfey, but he had to stop Anfey, since Marquis Djoser helped him before.


    Anfey gave Djoser onest shot as Djoser spun in a half circle and fell to the ground. He looked at Anfey with dull eyes. His mouth was open but did not make any sound. He was not scared by Anfey, but Anfey had given him a concussion. The weak old man lost consciousness and could not even feel the pain or react in any way.


    The Knights of Light behind Djoser hurried over and blocked Anfey from Djoser. Anfey kept his poker face and walked away.


    "Master Anfey, you are..." Fernando had a bitter smile on his face. In addition to constraints from Christian, Fernando¡¯s authority was limited. Even if Anfey had killed Djoser, he had no way to punish Anfey. To provide stability in the organization, he had to have Anfey on his side. The only option he had was to talk to Anfey and convince him. If he took a hard line with Anfey, he would only put himself in a defensive position. Two Knights of Light held Marquis Djoser up. His face had swollen and blood dripped down from the corners of his mouth down to the chest. His eyes were still dull. Fernando was worried that Anfey had hit Djoser so hard it would cause brain damage.


    Anfey causally shook his hands like nothing had happened. He did not respond to Fernando¡¯s pleas. Christian said quietly, "Anfey, let it go. We have time. We will get him sometime."


    Christian¡¯s response actually shocked many people. He was such a gentle and polite young man. He never talked to anyone so aggressively. People actually changed as their circumstances changed. Suzanna and Anfey had done so much so they could live safely. Christian thought Suzanna and Anfey were his closest friends. Marquis Djoser¡¯s gloating had made me feel terrible for Anfey. If he did not have such a sensitive position, he already would have beaten Djoser up himself.


    Fernando cringed. Christian made it sound like punching Djoser today was not enough, and they would get himter. Fernando could say anything to Christian at that moment. He said, "Master Christian, we have waited for Master Anfey for so long. Let¡¯s not waist time talking about it now."


    "What happened?" Anfey asked, shocked.


    "ording to our n, we should have continued forward after we took Reddenburg. As you can see, Shield of Light legion did not move at all." Fernando heaved a sigh. "Let¡¯s talk inside."


    "Ok." Anfey nodded and followed Fernando in.


    No one, including Anfey, realized Anfey¡¯s fight with Marquis Djoser had changed the way he handled things. Besides dealing with some weak and small groups, Anfey had been very cautious and never wanted to pick a fight with anyone. He had always fought back after others picked fights with him. After realizing Zeda was the grandson of Master Swordsman Philip, Anfey regretted killing him. He still thought he should not have killed Zeda even though he himself was in serious danger.


    At that moment, after realizing Manstuly was behind the druids and the unpredictable potential of elves, he would still kill druids and elves. Knowing Djoser was a marquis of the empire and the consequences of making arge group of nobles unhappy with him, he still hit Djoser.


    Fernando, Anfey and his group quickly walked into a tall and grand residential house. As everybody took a seat, Fernando rubbed his hands and looked at Christian. "Master Christian, should you tell him or should I?"


    "You can tell. You know the situation better than me," Christian said.


    "Ok." Fernando hesitated for a second and said, "First of all, I have to admit I made a huge mistake."


    "Master Fernando, you have med yourself already several times. You really do not have to do that," Christian said with a smile.


    "No, I have to make it clear." Fernando shook his head. "Because of my mistake, the whole n fell through. I have to take responsibility."


    "That serious?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "Yes, very serious. I nned to divide the army into two units, one to help Shun City and the other to help Madrid Town. I think you know about this n as well, but we cannot go anywhere now." Fernando looked helpless. "You must have seen a lot of death spirits when you came back from the northwest?"


    "Yes, I did," Anfey said.


    "If you do not mind my asking: Why did you suddenly leave the legion?" Fernando looked concerned.


    "Some friends were trapped by death spirits. It was urgent, so I did not have time to talk to you about it before I took my mercenaries over there," Anfey said.


    "I see." Fernando nodded. He knew Anfey was just giving an excuse. He was really interested in the reason why Anfey suddenly left the legion, but it was not a good time to discover Anfey¡¯s secrets. He returned to the topic at hand. "My n was built on a premise that we have to save trapped mercenaries and wipe out all the death spirits around every territory we take over. The previous Death Wars taught us that all death spirits acted in a whole unit. If we were attacked by any death spirits, the nearby death spirits woulde and help them. At the moment, they are not under themand of necromancers, but I still think the nearby death spirits woulde help other death spirits. If I pick a fight with them, I think we could easily wipe out all the nearby death spirits."


    "Death spirits are currently in chaos without the leadership of necromancers. When we passed through the Transverse Mountains, we had many fights with them. Every zombie group had a leader. Did you notice they would not help each other?" Anfey said.


    "I did notice that. I thought they were just wandering zombies left behind. The main force of death spirits should have continued their traditions of willing sacrifice and unity and had uncontroble desire for human flesh and blood. However, the reality is the frontier unit under mymand had a fight with death spirits and killed some zombies after they arrived Reddenburg. This fight was to attract more hatred and gather more zombies here. Do you know what happened the next morning?" Fernando asked with a bitter smile.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "The zombies trapped in Reddenburg fled. No zombie remained. I never thought they would flee. Are there even death spirits anymore?" Fernando said slowly.


    "You should know that zombies now have the ability to evolve. The most evolved zombies not only canmunicate with other zombies, but alsomunicate with us. They are just like humans. They have desire, reasoning, fears, and even know how to beg," Anfey said.


    Fernando went quiet for a while and nodded. "I know, but I kept thinking the way I previously thought about them. This is why I need take responsibility for making that mistake."


    "How many zombies fled?" Anfey asked.


    "About 8,000. Not many zombies were trapped in Reddenburg from the beginning. Now they are all gone. This is not the most important thing. I thought the fight with zombies around Reddenburg would attract nearby zombies, but they did not react to it at all," Fernando said quietly.


    Fernando picked up a cup of water and poured some water on the table. He drew something in the water. After a while, the water gathered together again. "Right now, we have simr situations. The zombies we killed were very limited. There were many death spirits behind us, to the northwest and northeast. If we leave here, they would take over this area again. To ensure the safety of Reddenburg, we need divide our army and try to wipe out all the death spirits."


    "That would take a long time," Anfey said.


    "We have time, but the trapped mercenaries would not be able to hold out until we get there," Fernando said slowly.


    "Are you saying..." Anfey said.


    "In general, we will divide the army into two units. The main force will be responsible for wiping out the death spirits behind us. The elite force would go and help the cities in danger. This is a tentative n. I have not thought through how to do it. We can discuss the details together. I just have had a bad feeling recently. Those necromancers acted too weirdly. It¡¯s possible they have some conspiracy we do not know about," Fernando said.


    "Why would you think that?" Anfey asked.


    "Take Reddenburg, for instance. If necromancers had directed nearby death spirits toe, Reddenburg could have been conquered a long time ago. They did not ask death spirits toe. Instead, they all suddenly disappeared. I think there only could be two possibilities. One is they are so happy with the situation as it is now that they do not even care about taking over Reddenburg. This does not fit the necromancers¡¯ style though. The second possibility would be they do not have any extra effort to spare. Then the question would be, What are they doing now?"


    "Shadow Empire?" Anfey suddenly remembered what ck Eleven found.


    "What did you say?" Fernando asked in surprise.

 Chapter 384: Seventh Legion

    Chapter 384: Seventh Legion


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The sky was already dark by the time Anfey and Christian left Fernando¡¯s tent. Fernando wasn¡¯t certain what Shadow Empire meant, either, but he knew that he must report immediately. The necromancers had the ability to cause more chaos earlier, but they chose not to. Clearly, the necromancers were distracted by something else.


    However, Anfey knew that this was not something he could take care of. Even Fernando must report this issue. Even though Anfey had more power than before, he was still not important enough to be involved in significant decisions.


    Christian and Anfey walked back to Christian¡¯s house. The house was very well organized and had a few servants. Fernando had insisted on giving the houses to others, and instead of staying in a proper home, he chose to stay in tents with his soldiers.


    However, the generalspletely misunderstood his intentions. They knew that Fernando must go, and thought that he was only acting like a good person. The generals were biased, of course. Fernando¡¯s actions were very admirable and rare. Very few generals were willing to give up proper homes for tents.


    After Christian and Anfey settled down, Orsie appeared with a stranger. The stranger was tall and exceptionally thin, his sunken cheeks and eye sockets made him look more like a dying man than a healthy mercenary.


    Orsie bowed to Anfey and Christian and said, "This is the man I was talking about earlier."


    The stranger took a few steps forward and bowed. "I¡¯m Thompson, my lord," the man said. "Leader of Thorn mercenary group."


    Anfey nced at Orsie, who stepped forward and said, "Thompson told me he wanted to join our alliance, my lord."


    Anfey nodded. He turned to Thompson and said, "I see. You will be the head of the Seventh Legion. This is Christian and Riska, my trusted assistants. This is vi, our head mage. This is Elizabeth, the deputy leader of our mage group. This is Ozzic, head of the First Legion, and Shinbe, head of the Sixth Legion."


    Thompson grinned and nodded at everyone in the room. Ozzic waved his hand and said, "Come, sit down. You don¡¯t have to keep standing, you know."


    Thompson hesitated for a second, then nodded and sat down next to Orsie. He was worried that he might cause the others to dislike him if he act toofortable.


    "I¡¯m d you came to us," Anfey said. "In crucial times like this, we need every man and woman we can get. You alone are in charge of your legion. I won¡¯t tell you what to do with it."


    Anfey knew that although his speech to Thompson wasn¡¯t bad, it was not the most ideal. If Alice was here, she would have made a much better speech. However, his words had achieved the intended effect. He wanted Thompson to feel weed, but at the same time he want to set boundaries for Thompson.


    "I understand, sir," Thompson said. He turned, grinned at Orsie, and said, "Orsie convinced me toe. I know that the other nations already have this situation under control; only Country of Mercenaries is still in a state of chaos. We bicker too much, but we can¡¯t go on like this anymore. An alliance is a perfect way to solve the problem. I think you are qualified to create a unified Country of Mercenaries, my lord."


    Anfey nced at Orsie. He did not expect Orsie to be so persuasive. Thompson¡¯s words had twoyers of meanings as well. He showed that Orsie yed a vital part in his recruitment. If Orsie was promoted, Thompson would be more likely to be promoted as well. If Thompson was in trouble, Orsie would extend a helping hand. He said that he wanted to see a unified Country of Mercenaries, which was something Anfey could achieve. He did not propose an impossible goal. If Thompson supported Anfey in bing the ruler of the Country of Mercenaries, he would probably support Anfey on other things, as well.


    The other mercenaries all fell silent after hearing Thompson¡¯s words. Ozzic sat silently, thinking about what Thompson had said. He joined this alliance because he wanted more power. He did not even dream of a unified Country of Mercenaries, but Thompson¡¯s words gave him an idea. If Anfey became the leader of a unified country, Ozzic would surely receive a position of power as a reward for his loyalty and his contributions to the cause.


    Orsie narrowed his eyes. A unified country was well within reach at this point. Tiger of Tawau mercenary group was already in decline, and with Christian and the Shield of Light Legion and the alliance, Orsie was sure that unifying the country would not be as difficult as it might sound. Glory mercenary group had already been weakened by the civil war and the War against the Dead. Storm mercenary group may be harder to deal with, but with Brothers mercenary group and the alliance, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult. Even though it would still be a difficult thing to achieve, it was not impossible.


    Anfey shook his head. "We will speak of thister. How many men do you have left?"


    "Around eight hundred," Thompson said. "I¡¯ve already spoken with them. Most of them are all willing to join the alliance. Some are hesitant."


    "What are you nning to do?" Anfey asked. He did not want to tell Thompson what to do with his own men.


    "I will speak with them again," Thompson said. "Those that are not willing to join will have to leave. They can take their weapons but nothing else."


    "They will die."


    "That will be out of my jurisdiction," Thompson said with a sigh. "Reddenburg¡¯s food supply is already depleted. We can¡¯t spare anything. We can barely feed ourselves."


    "We brought supplies," vi said. "We can spare a bit."


    "They are not part of the alliance, why should we spare any food for them?"


    "Don¡¯t back them into a corner," Christian warned. "If you do, they may join our enemy."


    Anfey nodded. "If they join Fernando¡¯s side, they won¡¯t have to worry about food or supplies."


    Thompson paused and shook his head. "They won¡¯t get that chance."


    Anfey nodded and frowned.


    "We have to take a stance, my lord," Thompson said slowly. "There are still dozens of towns out there, waiting for support. If we just let those fighters who do not want to join the alliance go, word will spread. People will think that joining the alliance means nothing. We cannot let that happen."


    "He¡¯s right," Orsie agreed. "We are mercenaries and mercenaries prefer freedom. If we let those men go, it may create unwanted side effects."


    "I support Thompson," Shinbe said. Ozzic nodded in agreement.


    Anfey nced around. The mercenaries had already decided to support Thompson, but Christian, vi, and Riska did not say anything. They were not mercenaries and did not support a leader killing his own people.


    "This is the only way," Thompson said. "We have to be strong."


    "You sure nothing will go wrong?" Anfey asked.


    "I¡¯m certain," Thompson promised, getting up.


    Anfey sighed and waved his hand. Seeing that no one else was getting up, Thompson sat down again. "So are we supposed to go save those towns by ourselves?"


    "Fernando will send some priests and knights with us," Christian said. "He will send some cavalry as well."


    "How many?"


    Christian shook his head. "He hasn¡¯t decided yet," he said. "I think the best option would be one of us." Christian sighed and said, "Fernando is a very smart man. He knows how to n his future."


    "It¡¯s a shame," Anfey said. "I would hate it for a good talent to go to waste."


    "If we are splitting up, Ozzic and Shinbe shoulde with me. vi, you should go with Orsie and Thompson. Keep your eyes open. Don¡¯t let those priests fool you into doing anything you don¡¯t want to."


    vi nodded. "Don¡¯t worry," he said. "I won¡¯t let you guys down."


    Anfey smiled. "Orsie, Thompson, you two should keep an eye out as well. vi can¡¯t take care of everything by himself."


    "I understand," Orsie said.


    "I agree with you, Thompson," Anfey said with a sigh. "Do as you wish." He turned to Christian and asked, "Did you receive any letters from Alice?"


    "No," Christian said, shaking his head. "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure Suzanna is fine."

 Chapter 385: Real Cooperation

    Chapter 385: Real Cooperation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Where there is sunlight, there must be shadows. Sacred City, as the political and economic center, was one of the most prosperous cities in Maho Empire. However, usually it was hard for people to see shade in the dark corners.


    There was a small no-name bar in the far end of the northwest part of Sacred City. Most customers here were have-nots living in the surrounding impoverished neighborhoods. The bar was neither too busy nor empty. Business was mediocre because slumdogs could not be too picky. Usually crooked businessmen mix water into the drinks, but the owner of this bar just added some alcohol to water. Drinks were cheap, but the bar owner still could make some money because the cost was so low.


    Of course, any capable person with some status would note here to drink. The owner of this bar was smart. He was good at targeting his customers. The most expensive drink only cost a silver coin. The flirty waitresses in the bar either had a lot of wrinkles on their faces or were not pretty. Their figures were nothing to look at. To be honest, in other areas, this kind of woman would not be able to get in to apply for a job in the bar. The owners of the bar would have asked them to leave. However, the waitresses seemed to be liked by customers here. They got good tips, and some of them even went to rooms upstairs with the customers aftering on to them.


    This particr day, a special guest came to the bar. He was notrge, but the clothes on him proved he was very different than those have-nots. He also wore shiny jewelry from head to toe. The three rings on his left hand were the most eye-catching. The middle one was a Dimensional ring. The people who grew up in poverty did not even know such a magical ring could exist. The owner of the bar definitely knew about it, so he was careful when he served him.


    As it got darker, there were fewer guests. The owner of the bar looked a little nervous. He hesitated for a long time before he sent the waitresses home. He pushed the wooden door open and walked out of the bar. Soon after, three big guys walked into the bar one after another. They took a look at the old man first and walked to the few remaining customers one by one. After a short conversation, they pped or kicked each one and asked them to leave. Very soon, the customers hurried out of the bar.


    That old man continued gulping down cheap drinks and did not seem to know what had happened. The threerge men looked at each other before slowly walking over to that old man. The owner of the bar walked in and carefully closed the door and locked it.


    "Hey!" A big guy suddenly mmed the table


    That old man still did not look up. The owner of the bar smiled. "This old guy almost drank half bucket of liquor. He probably does not even know who he is now."


    "Hey, isn¡¯t it our master¡¯s ring?" A big guy suddenly stepped up and yelled. "Who do you think you are! Thief!" The big guy tried to grab the old man¡¯s left hand to take the three rings off.


    The old man looked annoyed. He waved his hands and the big guy flew back fast. He looked like a little bird. Maybe this was his first time to feel the sensation of flying. He looked like he could not control the direction of his flight. In the blink of an eye, he smashed against the wall. The wall of the bar was made of wood. He flew right through it and was stuck halfway through the wall. His legs jerked and went limp. Nobody could see what happened to his upper body since it was on the other side of the wall.


    The other two big guys looked terrified and immediately stepped back. The owner of the bar was shocked for a second before he yelled, "Help! Help! Someone is drunk. He is killing people."


    Coincidentally, patrolmen were nearby. They were attracted to the bar owner¡¯s yelling. They knocked the wood door as they told the people inside that they were police officers. The bar owner rushed to the wood door as swift as a monkey. He tried to unlock the door he had just locked a few moments ago. He was so panicked that he did not seem to have control of his fingers. He was not able to unlock the door immediately, so the officer outside got impatient and broke down the door. The bar owner was knocked back to the floor.


    "What¡¯s going on here?" the officer yelled. He looked from the hole in the wall to the two big guys. He seemed to think the two were the criminals.


    "Ah..." The bar owner got up from the floor, moaning. He pointed to the old man, who was still drinking. "Sir, it is that old man. I asked him to pay for his bill, but he refused to pay and hit my customers. Oh, my god, poor Jimmy." The bar owner stumbled over and held his peer¡¯s limp legs hanging from the wall and wailed.


    The officer turned to look at the old man. He checked the old guy¡¯s clothes first and slowly walked over. He said politely, "Master!"


    "Don¡¯t disturb him." A gentle voice arose from outside.


    The officer was shocked for a second before he turned to look out. The patrolmen immediately made way for him. That officer could not help looking shocked when he saw two armed soldiers walked in. They were all soldiers in charge of the security of Sacred City. An old man walked in after them. The officer¡¯s hair stood up on end when he saw the face of the old man. He bowed respectfully. "Master Saul."


    Saul waved his hand and walked slowly to the drunk old man. He was quiet for a while, then took off his gown and hung it on the back of a chair. He took a seat across from the man and asked in a low voice, "Don¡¯t you want to buy me a drink?"


    The bar owner had stopped crying after Saul walked in. His face had immediately turned pale when he figured out that the old man was the famous Saul. Now he saw Saul asking that no-name old man for a drink, which just made him faint. They had not known their target was a friend of Archmage Saul. They definitely were not able to take such a consequence.


    "Master Saul, here...," the officer said timidly.


    "Can you guys step out for a second? We do not want to be disturbed," Saul said.


    "Yes, sir!" the officer said immediately. He gave his fellow officers a look. The unconscious bar owner and two trembling big guys had given him enough clues to know what actually happened.


    A few officers rushed over and took the two big guys and the bar owner out. The bar became quiet, but the old man never moved his eyes away from his ss. He slowly looked up. "Did King Ynthe decide to kill me?"


    "Bruzuryano, I do not understand what you are saying," Saul said with a smile.


    Bruzuryano heaved a long sigh and looked pained. "Manstuly has left. Haven¡¯t you heard?"


    "Yes, I know. Manstuly is Manstuly, while you are you. Two different issues. How could Manstuly think King Ynthe would not know what he did?" Saul said calmly, with a chuckle. "You are such an honest person and knew about what he did, how could the king not know about it?"


    "Druids have been working very well for hundreds of years. I did not think we would have stupid ass Manstuly. I am sorry you had to see that." Bruzuryano paused and continued, "Saul, we have been friends for many years. I am not asking you to do anything that would put you in awkward situations. I only want you to tell me the truth if the king really thinks I am not rted to Manstuly."


    "Sure. You know me. We are friends, but if the king has made any decision, I would not sacrifice the empire because of our friendship," Saul said.


    "I still could not believe." Bruzuryano smiled bitterly. "Saul, our following has grown to over 800,000 people in the past few years. Does the king really allow us to keep growing? Doesn¡¯t he worry the followers of God of Nature would post threats to his authority?"


    Saul chuckled. "Bruzuryano, don¡¯t you worry about it. Is that why you are still in Sacred City?"


    "No, you are wrong. I believe it is inevitable," Bruzuryano said slowly. "With Ynthe¡¯s personality, he definitely will constrain our development, or even hinder development. I only sincerely hope to get the king¡¯s forgiveness and keep our losses to a minimum."


    "You do not really know King Ynthe," Saul said with a serious tone. "The king believes that people need beliefs in addition to the necessities of life. He believes that an appropriate amount of beliefs are beneficial for social stability. Of course, the power of religion can be terrible. The key is who has the control of it. The king would feel good if it is you."


    "What happens after me?" Bruzuryano asked.


    "That is too far in the future. I don¡¯t think there is any point in talking about it now," Saul said.


    Bruzuryano sighed and leaned back in the chair. He looked rxed now.


    "My old friend, you are not hiding here, drinking cheap drinks because you are worried the king would do anything to you, are you?" Saul said.


    "It would be a lie if I tell you I did not worry about it. In addition, what Manstuly did is really disappointing." Bruzuryano sighed. "Saul, do you know why Manstuly wanted to kill Anfey?"


    "Kind of." Saul nodded. "Is it because of the Heart of Nature?"


    "Yes," Bruzuryano said quietly. "The Heart of Nature used to be kept in the Central Temple. Manstuly wanted it and sent his people to attack the temple by surprise and tried to take the Heart of Nature. They were not able to do so because I coincidentally had just gone to the Central Temple and encountered them. I tried to take my people to see and confront Manstuly. Mauso tried to mediate between us. He forced Manstuly to apologize. After considering everything, I forgave him in the end."


    "Unbelievable. Howe I didn¡¯t know about it at all?" Saul said in surprise.


    "It was shameful for druids, so we kept it a secret. No one talked about it to others. It made sense that you did not know about it," Bruzuryano said slowly. "To be honest, it was my fault. I did not dare keep the Heart of Nature in the Central Temple anymore. I take it with me no matter where I went. I met nbrea in the Country of Mercenaries. He told me he was tracing Morgan and asked my help. Saul, you know what kind of necromancer Morgan is. I was ready to sacrifice my life for the fight against Morgan."


    "Did you really find Morgan? What happened?" Saul asked.


    "Later? We did not find Morgan. Instead, we found his student, Annunciata. You know the rest of it." Bruzuryano smiled. "I have many friends, but only a few I really trust. You are one of them. Because of the threats from Morgan, I felt I should give the Heart of Nature to someone I trusted so necromancers would not be able to get it. When I met Anfey, I gave him the Heart of Nature, hoping he would give it to youter. You are the most appropriate one to keep it among my friends.


    "But you did not expect Anfey would bond with the Heart of Nature, right?" Saul smiled.


    "No, I did not expect that. It was unbelievable that Anfey bonded with it." Bruzuryano sighed. "Last time the Heart of Nature bonded with the supreme power, Dante, it was a thousand years ago."


    "It must be fate. If you did not give the Heart of Nature to Anfey, it would not have happened," Saul said.


    "You are right. That way, Anfey might be able to have a more peaceful life. Manstuly would not go after him either," Bruzuryano said.


    "Anfey does not like a peaceful life anyway. I know him." Saul smiled.


    "You not only know him, but also think he is good. So does King Ynthe," Bruzuryano said.


    "Don¡¯t you think the same?" Saul said calmly. "Dante was just a wandering beggar. After bonding with the Heart of Nature, he became a supreme power in ten years. If Anfey is given some time, he could be better than all of us. He had a supreme power as a teacher when he was a kid. What does it mean for him to be rted to two supreme powers? Everybody thinks he is good."


    "Good?" Bruzuryano smiled. "King Ynthe probably thinks even more highly of him."


    "What do you mean?" Saul asked.


    "Granden has volunteered a few times to be the overseer of the Shield of Light legion, but King Ynthe did not agree. Instead, he asked Christian to be the overseer. I think Anfey yed a role in his decision," Bruzuryano said.


    "That is the personal issue of the king. Let¡¯s switch topics," Saul said quietly.


    "Saul, you have not taken sides yet?" Bruzuryano said with a chuckle.


    "Me?" Saul raised his eyebrow.


    "Without others¡¯ help, Manstuly will not be able to stop Suzanna in time. Saul, are you disappointed at your future son-inw," Bruzuryano said slowly.


    "Bruzuryano, Bruzuryano, I have been treating you nicely, as my brother," Saul said with a bitter smile.


    "You are right," Bruzuryano said jokingly, but there was hatred in his eyes. "If I was not so nice, I would have destroyed Manstuly when he had just be the Wolf King. If I had done that, we would not have trouble now."


    "It is not toote. The key is that you are determined to destroy him," Saul said quietly.


    "Manstuly kept me out of it, so he has been ying a game with me. Whether he survives or not, he could use Ynthe to destroy the power of my temple. Do you think I would let him go this time?" Bruzuryano said slowly.


    "It¡¯s better you think this way," Saul said. "I have been wondering why you would stick with Manstuly. Mauso and you could definitely have killed him. Anfey has bonded with the Heart of Nature and became a messenger of God for druids. It is so crazy that Manstuly wants to kill Anfey. Even Mauso is enraged about it. He pretended that he agreed to help, but passed his n to us right away. We are lucky that he helped us, otherwise we would be short staffed."


    "Manstuly has a good wife," Bruzuryano said bitterly. "Do not underestimate elves. Manstuly¡¯s wife is an elf pharaoh and has powers among elves. With her help, Manstuly could be sessful."


    "I did not get a chance to ask you whose idea was it to give Anfey a few elf maids. I know it would not have been your idea," Saul said.


    "Well...it was to help Anfey master the Nature magic faster," Bruzuryano said.


    "Really?" Saul asked.


    "Of course," Bruzuryano said.


    Saul nodded and smiled. He did not continue on that topic.


    "Saul, don¡¯t you want to remind your future son inw and just watch him to make mistakes?" Bruzuryano knew Saul must have noticed something and tried to switch the topic to avoid issues Saul did not want to talk about.


    "I was not the one who did not want to remind him. The king wants to see the true colors of each one of them," Saul said calmly. "I think I can understand him. Philip has imed his loyalty to Wester, so Granden felt the pressure and rushed into believing in Manstuly."


    "To see the true colors of them? What could he see when they are pushed to the corners?" Bruzuryano sneered. He saw Saul looking annoyed and knew Saul did not like anyone to talk about Ynthe with a sarcastic tone. He heaved a sigh and switched the topic. "I feel blessed to have the king¡¯s forgivingness. I think we should talk about how we might work together."


    "Next step for cooperation?" Saul asked.


    "Queen of the Elves is in charge of Spring of Life," Bruzuryano said.


    Saul was shocked for a second and said, "Don¡¯t tell me Queen of Elves is on your side?"


    "She is," Bruzuryano said, smiling. "Queen of Elves did not like Manstuly so she will support me."


    "I think Queen of Elves disliked Manstuly¡¯s wife even more," Saul said.


    "You are right again." Bruzuryano nodded and felt helpless with the situation.

 Chapter 386: Desperate

    Chapter 386: Desperate


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "No!" the druid screamed, quickening his pace. However, he was too slow and could not stop Suzanna from murdering his friend. He watched as the other druid fell still. Suzanna waved her sword, sending droplets of blood sttering all over the forest floor.


    Suzanna turned towards the druid, her eyes narrowing dangerously. The druid slowed his pace under her scrutiny. Normally, she would only fight to kill. This time, however, her sword only caught the man¡¯s arm.


    The druid tried to move aside, but he was not fast enough, and the chase earlier had drained him of his energy. The druid cried in pain and fell to the ground as Suzanna¡¯s sword shed his arm.


    Suzanna returned her sword to its sheath and walked up to him. For her, the fight was already over. She did not worry about an injured druid doing anything to her. She kept him alive because she needed news from outside. Suzanna knew very well that she was not their target. Their target was Moramatch, and she needed to know what was happening there.


    Suzanna coughed a few times as she approached the druid. The druid pushed himself to the ground and looked at her fearfully. "If you kill me," he said quietly, "Moramatch is done."


    "Will they let Moramatch alone if I let you live?" Suzanna asked.


    The druid froze. He frowned, searching for words. He had already lost all of hispanions, and his mission had failed. He wanted revenge, but he needed to live in order to get revenge.


    "No, but I can give you a chance to save them."


    "I¡¯m listening," Suzanna said.


    "Here¡¯s the thing..." the druid began. Before he could say anything else, he became distracted by something behind Suzanna. He stared at the forest behind her with wide eyes, shocked and scared at the same time.


    An eagle dove through the trees. It was muchrger than normal eagles, its wings spanning over ten feet. The eagle seemed to be made from not organic materials but from metal, its feathers gleaming even in the dimness of the forest. The eagle was traveling very fast, even faster than Suzanna.


    The eagle extended his ws and grabbed the druid, then dropped the man back onto the forest floor. The druid jerked a few times and became still. The eagle¡¯s wings sliced through the trunk of a nearby tree, sending the tree crashing to the ground.


    Suzanna drew her sword, watching the eagle. The unicorn whinnied loudly, warning Suzanna that the eagle was not someone she would be able to defeat.


    The eagle burst into me and a figure emerged. The figure lunged at Suzanna at an incredible speed. Suzanna reacted very quickly, raising her sword and shing at the figure¡¯s neck.


    Suzanna and the figure were originally traveling at a simr speed, but the figure¡¯s speed suddenly increased. Clearly, he had not been using his full strength before. He raised his arm and deflected Suzanna¡¯s attack. Suzanna widened her eyes in awe. She had only met a few people who could block her attack with just an arm. Before she could recover from the shock, the figure mmed his fist into her shoulder.


    The punch almost shattered herbat power and threw her back. Suzanna mmed into a nearby tree and crashed to the ground.


    She pushed herself up, panting in pain. She nced at the unicorn, who was frozen in shock. It wanted to run away, but it did not want to abandon Suzanna. However, it also knew that whoever just threw Suzanna back with a single punch was not an enemy it could take on by itself.


    The unicorn took a few steps back, then dashed forward. It wanted to protect Suzanna and it decided that it would rather die than abandon her.


    The figure raised his hand and grabbed the unicorn as it approached. The unicorn was lifted off of the ground, and all of its struggling became meaningless.


    Suzanna pushed herself off the ground. She picked up her sword, gripping the hilt tight. Like the unicorn, she was facing the choice of whether she should flee. However, she knew that an opponent this powerful would never let her get away. With the unicorn in the figure¡¯s clutches, Suzanna knew she had nothing to lose.


    She summoned herbat power again and raised her sword. She summoned as muchbat power as she could. Thebat power seemed to have turned into solid gold, as more and more power amassed around her. The brightness of herbat power lit up the dim forest floor. The unicorn stopped struggling and stared at her in awe.


    Suzanna took a deep breath and began dashing towards the figure. She was even faster than she had been before, aided by thebat power.


    The figure tossed the unicorn aside and jumped into the air, ready to face Suzanna. He raised his arms and transformed into an eagle again, then he flew towards Suzanna. Even though Suzanna was faster than she had been, the eagle clearly had no problem matching her speed. He flew around Suzanna and turned into a person again, striking her. Then he transformed back into an eagle and flew away from her. He changed forms fluidly. Clearly, he was very skilled and had been practicing for many years.


    The eagle flew around Suzanna again, ready to strike once more. This time, however, Suzanna was able to turn in time. She shed at him with her sword, aiming at his neck.


    The figure raised his arms and shed with her sword. Both the figure and Suzanna were thrown back by the sh and crashed into the forest floor.


    A few minutester, the dust dissipated and revealed arge trench in the ground, made by Suzanna¡¯s sword. Suzanna and the figure both stood, staring at each other.


    "You must be Mauso," Suzanna said under her breath. There were very few people that could take a hit like that with no armor and still stand with no problem. The man did not say anything. Instead, he simply stared at her.


    Suzanna raised her sword again, ready for more attacks. Mauso was one of the most powerful druids, much more powerful than Suzanna. However, she knew that he was not good at closebat. If she could get close enough to him, she may have a chance.


    She was backed into a corner. She knew the only way she might have a chance was if she abandoned all other thoughts. The only thing she could think about was the fight.


    Mauso, sensing her enmity, narrowed his eyes. He raised his head and howled. A wave of wind sent all the rocks around him flying outwards.


    Suzanna stood quietly, watching. She did not waver, as she was protected by herbat power. Mauso looked at her and sighed.


    "I hope that I am not making a mistake," he said. "Do not disappoint me."


    "I cannot afford to fail," Suzanna replied calmly.


    "Good," Mauso said. He nced at the sky again.


    Suzanna lunged at Mauso, her sword held out in front of her. She was slower than before, however, because she knew that she would never beat Mauso with speed. She needed to conserve her energy.


    The unicorn poked his head out from a nearby bush and fearfully watched Suzanna and Mauso¡¯s sh.

 Chapter 387: Sneaking

    Chapter 387: Sneaking


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Reddenburg, as the headquarters of Shield of Light legion, was highly secured. Patrolsposed of Knights of Light, priests and soldiers were patrolling the city. Countless torches lit up Reddenburg to make it a city that never slept. Even a top power could not easily sneak in without being noticed.


    However, a person in a ck suit was moving around Reddenburg like it was no big deal. He seemed to be able to predict when a patrol woulde and would hide in the shadows. No one was able to sense his existence. When one patrol left, he jumped on a roof and ran as swiftly and quietly as a cat at night.


    Finally, he jumped off the roof into a yard. He carefully opened a window, climbed in and disappeared. The window slowly shut behind him.


    Ozzic was sound asleep in his bed and snorted a little. A swordy on Ozzic¡¯s chest, and he held it in his right hand. This was a habit of mercenaries. No matter where and when, he could be ready for a fight. A few days previous, they had gone to attack elves. The elves had gathered their weapons in a pile so they could sleep better without holding weapons. In fact, Ozzic also could have chosen a morefortable way to sleep, but he did not. Survival skills had stayed with him.


    The person in ck suit sneaked to Ozzic¡¯s bed and flicked on Ozzic¡¯s forehead. Ozzic¡¯s snoring paused for a second and continued to snore again. However, his eyes opened a crack and spurred his sword at the person in ck backhanded. His mouth opened at the same time, trying to yell for help.


    The person in the ck suit slid to the side. The sword barely touched him. He covered Ozzic¡¯s mouth with his right hand and said in a low voice, "It is me."


    Ozzic was shocked for a second and recognized Anfey¡¯s voice. "Master, why are you here?"


    The mercenaries on watch outside Ozzic¡¯s room yelled, "Master, are you ok?" They sensed thebat surges from Ozzic¡¯s room.


    "I am fine," Ozzic responded loudly. "I just had a nightmare. Shit! I dreamed that I was surrounded by a group of zombies."


    The mercenariesughed outside his room. One of them joked, "Master, are those zombies male or female?"


    "Are you stupid? Of course, they are male," another mercenary joked. "If they were female, Master would have fought them differently. Master would not have used hisbat power for that."


    "Fuck! You bastards. Next time we encounter zombies, I will peel all the females¡¯ clothes off and leave them to you," Ozzic joked back. "Shut up. I need to go back to sleep."


    The mercenariesughed a little bit and went away. When it was quiet again, Ozzic slowly sat up on the bed and said, "Master, what¡¯s up?"


    Ozzic looked excited. He got serious quickly. If Anfey came to see him this way, it meant Anfey would give him something important to do, which made him feel important and unique.


    "I need to go back to Moramatch right away," Anfey said quietly.


    "Master, aren¡¯t we going to be divided into two groups to help Shun City and Madrid Town, respectively? Don¡¯t leave now," Ozzic said in surprise.


    "Do you think I am in the mood to help others?" Anfey said calmly.


    Ozzic did not understand at first. He had never been married. He had different ideas about women. He had sex with a number of women, but he never thought of marrying any of them. If he had to marry, he wanted to marry someone like Shinbe. He had no interested in weak women. Unfortunately, Shinbe was not interested in him.


    Seeing Anfey¡¯s worried look, Ozzic was shocked before he realized the reason. He smiled to try to cheer Anfey up. "Master, I understand. Right now your wife¡¯s safety is your priority."


    "I am d that you can understand," Anfey said. "Can you be in charge of Shun City? Do you know what to do?"


    "Yes. They can live if they listen to us, otherwise we will kill them," Ozzic said with a fierce look. Yesterday he heard Anfey saying the same thing, and felt it sounded powerful, so he had remembered very well.


    "Don¡¯t overdo it." Anfey said. "But do not show too much mercy if you have to kill them either."


    "I understand." Ozzic paused. "Master, why did you not go yesterday?"


    "I could not leave yesterday," Anfey said, shaking his head. "There are so many people watching me. I cannot let anyone know I am leaving Reddenburg." Anfey knew Suzanna got into trouble because of him. Manstuly¡¯s real target was him. If anyone knew Anfey left Reddenburg, it would give Manstuly a warning. Besides, druids were not stupid. If he made any moves, Manstuly would know what he was trying to do. What else could he do but look for Suzanna? That would put Suzanna in even more danger.


    "Who dares to tell your ns to others?" Ozzic said, wide-eyed.


    "Too many actually." Anfey smiled. "For example, Marquis Djoser. If he knows that someone is trying to kill me and Suzanna, he definitely would take advantage of it."


    "That old ass!" Ozzic looked like he was ready to kill Djoser. "Master, why don¡¯t we just kill him. I know you cannot kill him yourself, but I can do it. It wouldn¡¯t be the worst scenario to have some mercenaries be scapegoats."


    "It helps us to keep him alive," Anfey said.


    "Helps us? I do not see him helping us at all. I only see him messing with us!" Ozzic said.


    "You will knowter." Anfey chuckled then thought for a bit. "Ozzic, if something happens, talk with Shinb and make decisions together. Don¡¯t act too much on impulse. Talk to Ye too. He is very smart and thinks clearly. It will help you if you can ask him for advice."


    "Got it, Master," Ozzic said.


    "After you guys leave Reddenburg, you tell them I am sick. Don¡¯t let those Knights of Light and priests know I am not with you. The longer you can keep it secret, the safer I will be," Anfey said.


    "Master, do you think there are spies among Knights of Light and priests?" Ozzic asked.


    "Nothing is impossible," Anfey said calmly. "Besides, the ones who want me dead do not have to be spies. You know we do not get along with Church of Light. If there is any opportunity, do you think they would miss it?"


    "Tooplicated," Ozzic said bitterly. "I am just wondering if those Knights of Light and priest are schemers by nature." In fact, Ozzic was not that great himself. Making a League of Mercenaries was his idea. He even tried to take advantage of Anfey. However, it still gave him a headache when he had to deal withplicated situations. In other words, he realized he was not as good as other schemers.


    "Do not mind others¡¯ business. Just do what you have to do. Your mission will be sessful if the Knights of Light and priests do not suspect I left until you guys reach Shun City," Anfey said slowly.


    "Master, you don¡¯t want to go back by yourself, do you?" Ozzic asked.


    "I wish I could take an army with me, but it would take too long. I¡¯d rather go back by myself," Anfey said.


    "Master, that would be too dangerous. How about asking Shinbe to go with you?" Ozzic suggested.


    Anfey liked that idea, but he shook his head after giving it some thought. "No, you guys need her help too."


    "Master, I have so many people with me. I do not have to have Shinb, but you need a good helper." Ozzic looked worried.


    "No, I do not need help." Anfey sounded very firm. If he used illness as an excuse, Ozzic could cover for him for a while. If Shinbe was missing as well, it would be hard for others to believe it. Anfey had to search for Suzanna. In the gigantic Transverse Mountains, he could sense everything around him for dozens of miles with the help of the Heart of Nature. Shinbe would not be able to help much anyway.


    "You are..." Ozzic smiled bitterly. "Master, does Master vi know you are leaving?"


    "He does not know," Anfey said. "He is in charge of the group in Madrid Town. We are not in the same group. We do not need to bother him about this."


    Ozzic went quiet for a while. "How about Shinbe? If she asks me about you, should I tell her the truth?"


    "Yes, I trust Shinb," Anfey said.


    "Ok," Anfey said with a serious voice and slowly walked to the window.


    Ozzic was ambitious, but he knew the limits of what he could do, which was significant. He decided to work for Anfey in the end. Ozzic¡¯s concerns about Anfey were real. Anfey and he were clearly supervisor and employee. The better Anfey did, the better situation Ozzic would be in. If anything happened to Anfey, his future would be a mess as well.


    Anfey chuckled. "If the mercenaries in Shun City wanted to join the League of Mercenaries, make them the eighth unit. Try not to interfere too much, and give them the highest authority. We will deal with the resultster."


    "Yes, master," Ozzic said.

 Chapter 388: Beginning

    Chapter 388: Beginning


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey kept running at an incredible speed. In his previous world, he would never dream of reaching such a speed because of physically limitations. Here, however, he was aided by his newly-developed magical power.


    Because of the Heart of Nature, he was able to see everything before him and find a path very easily. The Heart of Nature allowed him to concentrate much better and helped him see the elements that made up everything. Because of this ability granted to him by the Heart of Nature, he found it very easy to avoid any obstacles that might have been in his way.


    Ahead was a wide river. Anfey did not stop or slow down. Instead, he waved his hand and concentrated on the river. A small piece of ice appeared in the middle of the river. He jumped andnded on the ice. He jumped again andnded on the opposite bank. The piece of ice bobbed in the river a few times, then slowly sank into the water, disappearing as the element dispersed.


    A few minutes after Anfey crossed the river, he came upon a veryrge group of at least a few hundred zombies. The group was moving very slowly, but the sheer number of zombies was very terrifying. However, Anfey did not waver or change his path. As he approached the group of zombies, he jumped up into the air. He waved his hand and summoned an earth spike. The spike burst out of the earth. The zombies moved around the spike as if they did not even see it. Anfeynded on the spike and pushed off of it. He summoned another one,nded on it, then jumped off,nding beyond the group of zombies. He didn¡¯t know where the zombies were headed and did not want to just leave the zombies alone, but he knew that he did not have time to take care of them. He could find them again after he finished taking care of what he needed to do.


    He kept pressing on, passing the zombies before most could react to him.


    After he passed the zombies, he kept on moving for a few minutes and came upon a group of soldiers.


    The group of soldiers was bigger than the group of zombies and were in uniform. They marched in formation, surrounding a few dozen carriages. Clearly, this was a group of soldiers that was protecting supplies. The general sensed the surge of magic and saw Anfey moving towards them. He was sure that whoever wasing towards them wasn¡¯t a necromancer, but he still wanted to keep up his guard.


    He waved his hand at his men and drew his sword. The archers readied their bows and the soldiers drew their weapons. Before the general could bark another order, Anfey had already dashed past them.


    The general narrowed his eyes as he watched Anfey disappear into the distance. Clearly, the person that had just brushed past them was very powerful, but he wasn¡¯t interested in the things they were protecting.


    Anfey did not stop until almost noon. He was running very fast, but his expression did not change and his breathing was still very smooth. Normally, he would be careful not to use all of his strength, but he was alone and did not worry about any enemies.


    Soon, he was spotted by an elf standing in the crown of a tree. He was already approaching Transverse Mountains, but he was still too far for anyone to make out who he was. "Is that an Earth Dragon?" the elf asked curiously.


    "There are no Earth Dragons living in the area," a nearby druid said, frowning. A few other people joined the elf in the tree, trying to figure out what was heading towards them. They were a search party and were searching for their missing friends and enemies. They did not find who they were looking for, but instead they found a strange creature.


    The trees suddenly began shaking, and a figure appeared through the trees.


    "Is that a person?" one of the druids asked, confused.


    "Do you know who he is?" another druid asked. The others all shook their heads.


    A few momentster, Anfeynded on a branch not far from their tree. He nced at the elves and the druids and asked, "Who are you working for?"


    "Pardon?"


    "Who are you working for?" Anfey asked again. "Bruzuryano? Mauso? Or Manstuly?"


    "We are with Lord Manstuly," one of the druids said. They were surprised by Anfey¡¯s young age and were even more shocked by the fact that he was referring to Bruzuryano by his name. If he could refer to Burzuryano, Mauso, and Manstuly by their names only, this man might be very powerful as well.


    "Manstuly?" Anfey repeated, frowning. He sighed and jumped towards the druid, kicking the man in the stomach.


    The druid, caught off guard, was thrown from the tall tree. Hended on the ground with a thud and did not move again. The nearby elf cried out in surprised. She spun around and tried to kick him, but Anfey caught her leg in his hand and threw her away. She crashed into a nearby tree and fell to the ground.


    Another elf jumped away from the tree, a longbow appearing in her hand. She nocked an arrow, but before she could release the arrow, Anfey jumped in front of her and kicked her in the stomach. The elf dropped the bow and doubled over. Then he kicked her off of the tree, sending her crashing to the ground like herpanions.


    The remaining druid turned and tried to flee, but he reacted toote. Anfey jumped toward him, punching him hard in the back. The druid gasped in pain and his body dropped to the ground.


    The only one that sessfullynded on the ground was an elf. She did not try to do anything and only turned to flee. Anfey summoned a longbow and nocked it, aiming at the fleeing elf.


    The arrow pierced the elf and she stumbled, falling to the ground. She struggled for a few seconds, then fell still.


    Anfeynded on the ground and found a dagger. He walked over to a nearby tree and carved, "This is only the beginning."


    He knew that Manstuly was hell-bent on killing him and his friends. He could not let that happen, and he wanted to send a message that he was ready for whatever Manstuly would throw at him. He may not be as powerful as Manstuly, but he was working very hard to change that fact.

 Chapter 389: Running into Suzanna

    Chapter 389: Running into Suzanna


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When Anfey saw an enormous eagle and a cloud of shing gold lightning with the help of the Heart of Nature, he opened his eyes suddenly. It was neither the speed of the eagle nor the flying sword radiance in rainbow colors that shocked Anfey, but rather a familiar figure.


    Anfey had seen Ernest fighting with full force. At that time, thebat power hovering over Ernest had made it hard to see his face. This cloud of gold lightning seemed very simr to Ernest¡¯sbat power. Although difficult to see, Anfey could make out that the person inside the gold sh was small, with long hair. The sword radiance the person released was so strong that it could easily shoot out dozens of yard into the air. Every sword radiance posed a threat to the enormous eagle. Obviously, this was a fight between two top powers.


    What made Anfey suspect the person was Suzanna was the armor she wore. It was simr to the Ocean Blue Armor. It was not just the color of the armor but also the bright gold color. Anfey¡¯s heart pumped really fast.


    Anfey had strong self-control, so he did not rush over to check whether the person was really Suzanna. Instead, he held his breath and quietly walked forward. He only walked a few steps before he stumbled and almost fell into an ancient tree, because he saw a little unicorn in the range of the Heart of Nature.


    Anfey felt so happy because the swordsman fighting with the gigantic eagle had to be Suzanna: there was no other possibility. Suzanna had moved one level up and be a real master swordswoman. Ernest had told Anfey that it was really hard to break the bottleneck to be a master swordsman from being a senior swordsman. The process varied for each individual. Some broke through after long-time experience, others did it after surviving risky situations, while others got inspiration from some agent, even though they only muddled along the life without any purpose. Anfey had no idea Suzanna had already broken through to the top.


    Anfey felt happy for her but a little regretful at the same time. He was not jealous of Suzanna¡¯s achievement. He had been thinking that he would be able to be there and witness this special moment with Suzanna. Unfortunately, life had taken them in different directions. He had missed this special moment for all kinds of reasons.


    Anfey quietly floated up and flew forward quickly. He was in a hurry to see Suzanna, but he needed to kill that other guy first.


    As he sensed the direction where the fight was moving, he was searching for the best ce for him to attack the guy in surprise. When that enormous eagle was less than a thousand yards away from Suzanna, Anfey found a tall ancient three. He quietly climbed up the tree as swiftly as a snake and hid himself in the thick branches.


    The eagle was Eagle King Mauso. Anfey wasn¡¯t sure at first, since he did not understand why Mauso would rather stay in a disadvantaged position in this fight instead of fleeing, since Mauso could transform himself into an enormous eagle. It did not take long for Anfey to figure out the answer. Mauso apparently wanted to exhaust Suzanna¡¯sbat power and give her a fatal attack. He figured Mauso could wait any longer for that chance.


    Anfey¡¯s judgement was right. The eagle was Mauso, but he had forgotten about the strong sensing ability Mauso had and the reason Mauso was called "The Observer". Mauso¡¯s sensing ability was not as good Anfey¡¯s after he bonded with the Heart of Nature. Mauso could distinguish all the disdguises and release Eagle Eye magic all the time. As a top power, Mauso could not only sense disguises, but also the emotional changes of all kinds of living organisms within a thousand yards, which was exactly the range of Eagle Eye magic. As Anfey sneaked up into the tree, Mauso had already noticed Anfey.


    The eagle¡¯s eyes were as big as fists. The eagle had a yful look and suddenly pped his wings, flying towards Anfey. As he was less than 50 yards away from the tree where Anfey was hiding, a tiny magic surge caught his eye. Mauso pped his wings and instinctively went into a dive. He just sensed that he should do that.


    Anfey suddenly appeared behind the enormous eagle with a Fire Sword in his hand. He swung the Fire Sword and created an area of light in the sky. Mauso increased his speed, flying so fast that Anfey did not even touch a feather, even though he thought he could definitely hit him.


    The enormous eagle flew straight up with a series of screeches. It sounded like he was cursing something.


    Anfey dropped straight down as a pile of debris sprang up from the ground. Anfey put his feet on it. After holding up Anfey, the pile turned into moving earth elements and disappeared. Another pile showed up and held Anfey in the air again. They looked like stairs to send Anfey to the ground. In fact, he had already released Levitation magic. Facing Mauso¡¯s threats, it was too dangerous to control his body with just wind elements, so he liked the feeling of stepping on the piles better.


    This time, it was Suzanna¡¯s turn to get shocked. She stared at the back of Anfey as the thick golden lightning gradually faded away and showed her feminine figure. Since Suzanna left Sacred City, she had been missing her husband. Besides Shally, Anfey was her only family. When she was attacked and in danger, the feeling of missing Anfey seemed to be stronger. She had so much she wanted to talk about with Anfey, but she felt dizzy, with a lump in her throat, and no words came out when she actually saw Anfey.


    After giving Suzanna a loving and caring look, Anfey turned back to Mauso and chased after him in the sky. Unlike Anfey, Suzanna had lost her sharpness. It seemed that she could see only Anfey and nothing more. Maybe this was the difference between being emotional and being reasonable.


    Suzanna finally ran at Anfey and held him from behind. She seemed to hold tremendous pain as she grabbed his gown and held him tightly. She put her face on Anfey¡¯s broad shoulder.


    Anfey did not move. He did not put away his Fire Sword until Mauso had flown far away and did not pose any threat to them. He heaved a sigh because he knew why Suzanna had gone back to Sacred City and understood the pain of losing her mother. Anfey had experienced the same kind of pain in his previous world.


    Anfey felt the coldness on his shoulder and heard the muffled crying. He patted Suzanna¡¯s hand and slowly took her hands away from him so he could turn her around and hold her in his arms. Suzanna had been aggressive in the fight a second ago, but now she was just a helpless kid. She felt weak and let Anfey caress her. She had her eyes closed but tears ran down her cheeks and wet Anfey¡¯s chest.


    This was the first time Anfey had ever seen Suzanna crying. Suzanna was tough and strong. If she were not in extreme pain, she would not show her weakness in front of others. Even if she showed it, she would only show it in front of Anfey.


    Anfey did not say anything. He only held Suzanna tighter. There had been too many times in his life when Anfey had missed romantic moments because he had been involved in some dangerous situation. He looked cold and could note up with any sweet andforting words, even though he loved Suzanna very much. Anfey had never been good at expressing himself. Instead of forcing himself to say sweet words, he would rather show his love in action to let Suzanna know he cared about her, just as he had killed on the previous day to show his hatred and resentment.


    It was undeniable that most women wanted to hear sweet words, even though they knew their men loved them. A man like Anfey might be attractive at the beginning, but they could run into trouble once the couple was living together. Luckily, given her experiences in life, Suzanna did not have too many desires, including at this moment. She was happy to be able to feel cared by Anfey, and she gradually stopped sobbing.


    They held each other in the forest. If it were not for the breeze, it seemed that time had stopped.


    The little unicorn slowly walked over. He looked up to watch in curiosity and then ran to Anfey. He excitedly rubbed himself on Anfey¡¯s leg, but Anfey could not spare himself to attend to him. The little unicorn noticed that no one was paying attention to him and made some screeches after rubbing a few times.


    Anfey held his upper body still as he kicked the little unicorn with the tip of his foot. He liked this little guy, but it was notparable to the love he had for Suzanna. He did not want anyone or anything to disrupt him and Suzanna right now.


    The little unicorn jumped back in shock and ran away. Heid on the ground and felt wronged by Anfey.


    As time went by, and without knowing how long they had been standing there holding each other, Anfey whispered to Suzanna, "Master swordswoman, my master swordswoman."


    "Yes," Suzanna murmured. It was unbelievable that she had fallen asleep. For the past few days, she had been attacked by surprise, fled, fought back, chased after and fought with Mauso, and she was not able to eat, sleep, or rest well, which had made her exhausted. After she was able to cry out her sadness and felt Anfey¡¯s firm chest, it seemed that she could not find another ce warmer and safer than being next to Anfey. She finally had a moment to take a breath.


    Anfey did not expect she would fall asleep. He was definitely shocked. He thought Suzanna would tell him her pain and sorrow after seeing him. After she calmed down, they could talk about how much they missed each other and snuggle together. They might even find a a quiet spot to make love to each other. Being apart from each other made their hearts grow fonder.


    At that moment, Suzanna put her whole weight on Anfey, and felt she might fall if he did not hold tight to her waist. After hesitating for a while, Anfey sighed again. He decided to continue to stand like this because he did not want to wake Suzanna up. He could tell she was very, very tired.

 Chapter 390: No Regrets

    Chapter 390: No Regrets


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After moving up a level, Suzanna felt a significant change in her body. Even though she was exhausted, she only slept for a short while. She opened her eyes and stretched her body. She nced around, her eyes finding Anfey, who was leaning against a nearby tree. He knew that the cold will not threaten Suzanna¡¯s health, but he still set up a magic shield that blocked the cold wind. He turned and saw Suzanna staring at him and grinned.


    "Did you miss me?" Anfey asked as Suzanna sat up.


    Suzanna smiled. She moved closer to Anfey and rested her head on his shoulder. She did not say anything, but her actions showed that she had missed him very much.


    "You must be exhausted," Anfey said softly.


    Suzanna smiled and shook her head. Both of them were trying to avoid confronting the truth, because the truth would remind Suzanna of some unhappy memories. She would rather keep her suffering to herself.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked. "Since you left, I mean."


    "Wait a bit, won¡¯t you?" Suzanna said, frowning. She did not want to say anything because she did not want to ruin the moment.


    Anfey smiled. He stroked Suzanna¡¯s hair and did not say anything. He wanted to know what had happened to Suzanna, but he did not want to ruin the moment, either. Suzanna had rarely made any requests. She was much better at following orders. He had found Suzanna, and he knew that they would have plenty of time to catch up.


    The unicorn was sitting on the ground a few feet away, watching Anfey and Suzanna. It lifted its head and whinnied, as if it felt ignored and wanted to join the two as well. Anfey ignored the unicorn, but Suzanna turned and waved at it. "Come here," she said, pushing herself up.


    The unicorn stood up and galloped over. It stopped next to Suzanna and rubbed its head on her shoulder. Anfey frowned and waved his hand, shooing the unicorn away. He just wanted to spend some time alone with Suzanna and did not want anything to intrude.


    "Don¡¯t do that," Suzanna said. "It saved my life."


    "Really?" Anfey asked, confused.


    Suzanna nodded. "The druids didn¡¯t want to harm it, so they weren¡¯t using their full strength."


    Anfey nodded. "Of course," he said. "Unicorns are holy to them." He waved his hand at the unicorn, beckoning it toe closer. The unicorn galloped over to him and nudged his arm with its head.


    The unicorn rubbed itself against Anfey and Suzanna a few times and settled down against Suzanna, resting its head on herp.


    "So, Lady Master Swordsman," Anfey said with a grin.


    Suzanna smiled. "Yes? Are you jealous now?"


    "Never," Anfey said. "I¡¯m really happy for you."


    "Thanks," Suzanna said with a sigh. "But it¡¯s nothing."


    "What? It¡¯s very important! You¡¯re a master swordsman now," Anfey said.


    "You don¡¯t get it," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "I felt something when I leveled up. I don¡¯t know how to exin it. It¡¯s like a giant barrier, you know? It¡¯s like a cage surrounding our world. We are the birds. The world we know isn¡¯t real. We are just seeing an illusion. Whoever set that barrier...we are just seeing what that person wants us to see."


    "What else did you sense?" Anfey asked, intrigued.


    "I was too distracted by the fight," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "It was fleeing. I don¡¯t think I could have caught it if I wanted to."


    "Interesting," Anfey said. "I think that¡¯s an important discovery. You should talk to Master Saul about it."


    Suzanna nodded. "I agree."


    "Anyways, how did you break through?" Anfey asked.


    "I don¡¯t know," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "I knew I had no other choices but to fight. I thought I was going to die, but mybat power just kepting, and then..."


    "Then you broke through?"


    Suzanna shrugged. "That¡¯s basically it."


    "Tell me exactly what happened," Anfey said.


    Suzanna nodded. She told Anfey about everything she had encountered so far, including the initial attacks and the realization that the unicorn was following her. She smiled proudly when she told Anfey that she took care of her enemies alone without any aid. Anfey smiled encouragingly. He was very proud of her for being so strong and independent. She told him about the fight with the druids and the encounter with Mauso. Anfey frowned as she finished.


    Suzanna did not notice anything strange about her fight with Mauso, but Anfey found a lot of things about the encounter suspicious.


    "What happened then?"


    "Then I ran into you," Suzanna said. "Did you learn how to teleport? It would be very useful in the future. And are you practicing with your fire sword?"


    Anfey retrieved Entos¡¯s wand from his dimensional ring and handed it to Suzanna. "Check this out," Anfey said with a smile.


    "This is..." Suzanna¡¯s eyes widened as she examined the wand.


    Anfey nodded. "It is."


    "They... they¡¯re so good to us," Suzanna said with a sigh. She handed the wand back to Anfey. "How can we ever repay them?"


    Anfey nodded in agreement. "We owe them so much."


    Clearly, Suzanna was moved by how everyone from Maho Empire treated her. In the past, she only worked for them because she liked the team. Now, she was willing to serve not just the team but also Maho Empire.


    Anfey understood her sentiments. Saul and Ernest had taken him off of the ind and helped him when he was just a nameless boy. Ynthe had helped him numerous times as well.


    Ynthe was a very good king and a smart man. Anfey was willing to serve a king like him.


    "Is everyone alright?" Suzanna asked. She knew that the druids and the elves were targeting Anfey and her friends.


    "Some tried to fool me," Anfey said with a grin.


    "You didn¡¯t fall for it, did you?"


    "Of course not," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "Good," Suzanna said. "I know you¡¯re not stupid."


    Anfey smiled. "You are very smart as well, Suzanna," he said.


    "We have made Manstuly our enemy," Suzanna said softly. "We need to be much more careful now."


    "We do need to be more careful," Anfey agreed. "But he was at fault. He attacked us first, did he not?"


    "You¡¯re right, but we still need to be careful," Suzanna said. She knew that this was only the beginning of a long and difficult fight, but she was willing to follow Anfey. She knew that she would never regret her decision.

 Chapter 391: Pain in the Neck

    Chapter 391: Pain in the Neck


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Long and Ling sat shoulder to shoulder in an ancient tree. Bored, they looked up at the sky and counted the stars. They were both very introverted and did not like to socialize with others. Sometimes they did not even want to greet others courteously, so their Shadow mercenary group was the most mysterious mercenary group. They had joined Anfey¡¯s legion, but still did not have too much contact with the others. They did not have anything inmon with other mercenaries; unlike the others, they were not interested in power, money, or women. The ambition Long and Ling had seemed distant from other mercenaries.


    When they had some free time, Long and Ling liked to spend their time outside. They did not want others to disturb them. They chose to be alone, or even lonely.


    After a while, Ling suddenly said quietly, "Has something been bothering you?"


    "Yes." Long nodded with a bitter smile on his face.


    "Can¡¯t you talk to me about it?" Lingined.


    "Master..." Long did not get a chance toplete what he was trying to say. He suddenly shut his mouth and cautiously looked around. He lowered his voice and said, "Ling, you know Master killed hundreds of druids and elves a few days ago. I am worried..."


    "What are you worried about? Worried that Master has some prejudice against druids and elves?" Ling asked.


    "Yes," Long said quietly. "Do not forget, we are druids too."


    "Ahh, you!" Ling shook her head with a smile.


    "What about me? I am just thinking for our future," Long said.


    "Why did Master kill those druids and elves? They wanted to set Master up. Master¡¯s wife, Suzanna, was in trouble as well. I can understand why Master killed those druids and elves," Ling said.


    "They did surrender at the end. Why did Master have to kill them?" Long asked.


    "Try to put your feet in his shoes. If you caught a group of mercenaries who set me up, killed me, then surrendered to you, would you forgive them?" Ling asked.


    "Me...Of course not." This was a matter of principle. No matter how he looked at it, he had to say no to that question. If he did not say no, he would be in trouble, big trouble.


    "Would you hate everyone in the world?" Ling asked.


    "Well...I am not that irrational." Long smiled bitterly. "Ling, why are you speaking up for Master?" Long understood what Ling was trying to tell him. If he would not hate everyone in the world, then Anfey should not hate all the druids and elves.


    "Because I think Master did not do anything wrong. He only killed his enemies," Ling said slowly.


    "I am just worried that our history would make Master suspect that we are not loyal to him. In the future..." Long said.


    "You think too much." A voice suddenly arose.


    Long was shocked and jumped up. What they just had been discussing was very sensitive. If Anfey heard about it, they might be in serious trouble. Long came up with the idea of killing people who heard their conversation. If only one person had heard their conversation, he did not mind killing that person. Unfortunately, when he jumped up and saw the person who spoke to him, his intentions of killing left him. His chest and back were suddenly soaked in sweat. He felt the coldness on his chest and back and started to tremble slightly.


    "Master, you are back!" Ling sounded excited, surprised, and a little worried.


    "Yes." Anfey flew to them from more than a dozen yards away. Heid his eyes on Long and said in a serious tone, "Manstuly and the druids who are loyal to him were my only enemies."


    Long immediately lowered his head, worried.


    "Long, you¡¯d better tell me whenever you have any questions or doubts, in case there is any misunderstanding. I am not that bossy. I am willing to hear others¡¯ opinions," Anfey said, smiling.


    Long felt ashamed and answered Anfey positively. He could tell that Anfey was seriously and honestly exining to him. But Anfey did not have to exin anything. Anfey was their leader. If Anfey wanted to kill them today, they would not see sunrise in the morning. He appreciated that an absolute power would patiently and politelymunicate with those who had little power.


    Ling suddenly screamed, scaring Long: "Oh, my god! Ms. Suzanna is back. Ms. Suzanna is back."


    As Ling was screaming, Suzanna flew in from the distance. Shended next to Anfey in the blink of an eye. She nodded at Ling and Long with a smile.


    Long looked surprised and excited. Suzanna did not like to talk much, but was very popr among mercenaries. They all liked and respected her very much. This had to do with her fighting ability, beautiful looks, and the way she treated others. When Long saw Suzanna was safe, he was sincerely happy for her.


    "Ms. Suzanna, you are..." Ling screamed again before Long could get his words out. "Oh, my god, what did I see, what did I see?"


    Long did not know whether he should cry orugh. They had been married for a couple of years, but he did not know Ling could talk in such high pitch until today. He followed Ling¡¯s eyes to see, and he looked more stunned than Ling. A little unicorn excitedly approached them. He looked at Ling and Long curiosly and then circled around Suzanna.


    "Master, am I dizzy? Sacred beast? You have a sacred beast?" Long¡¯s eyes almost fell out. In fact, Anfey¡¯s little unicorn was no longer a secret. Some people found out about it a long time ago, but the media on the Pan Continent was not great, so most people did not know about it, including Ling and Long.


    "Why are you so surprised? He has been with me for almost a year," Anfey said.


    Long slowly walked over and bent down, trying to touch the little unicorn. The little guy was immediately aware of Long and moved back. Its horn started to blink with Arc Light. vi and Riska had been around the little unicorn for almost a year. If they could not even touch him, then surely Long could not either. If Long walked closer to him, the little unicorn definitely would attack him.


    Long noticed the hostility from the unicorn and slowly walked back to Anfey. He smiled and said, "Master, you really can surprise us at any time."


    Anfeyughed, appreciating Long¡¯s ttery. Whenever he felt great, he wanted to show off more. He waved his hand at the little unicron, "Come on, boy."


    The unicorn immediately turned to look at Anfey and excitedly ran over to him after he heard Anfey¡¯s call. Long and Ling almost fainted when they saw that. Elves and druids saw unicorns as their holy blessing beasts. There was a legend that some heroes riding unicorns into battle treated the unicorns as their friends who could go through thick and thin with them. Anfey treated the little unicorn as his kid, which looked really ridiculous to Long and Ling.


    "Anfey, unicorns do not have gender, like babies. Don¡¯t assume," Suzanna yfullyined. In fact, she did not care to argue over the gender of the unicorn. She was hinting that Anfey should stop calling the unicorn as his son. If Anfey were the father of the little unicorn, she would be the mother. It felt weird to Suzanna, especially with Long and Ling present. Suzanna felt she had be their joke.


    "If I say he is my son, then he is my son," Anfey said.


    "Don¡¯t be so sure." Suzanna felt embarrassed and a little mad.


    "Fine," Anfey easily gave in to Suzanna. He randomly snatched a branch and tossed it, "Come on, girl, get it for me!"


    The little unicorn did not read between the lines, but he was happy to get attention from Anfey. He immediately ran to chase the branch. In the blink of an eye, he ran back happily with a branch between his teeth, trying to please Anfey.


    Long cleared his throat. He was not veryfortable seeing the holy beast in his religion bing Anfey¡¯s pet. He changed the topic, "Master, you came back at the right time. Ozzic has been troubled by the problems in Shun City."


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Anfey appeared shocked.


    "There are still about 1,400 mercenaries left in Shun City. Master Ozzic and Shinbe have just over 1,000 in their unit, not even as many as theirs. Even counting Knights of Light and priests, we only have about 1,700, not a big advantage," Long said slowly.


    After Long¡¯s briefing, Anfey understood the general situation in Shun City. The threat from outsiders could lead people to unite or merge into a big group, just as in the case of the League of Mercenaries. The mercenaries in Shun City had united and an intermediate magister, Wendorf, was their leader. People¡¯s ambitions would change as the situation changed. If a person only led one hundred mercenaries, he would be eager for help from someone with strong power. It would not matter who the powerful person was, as long as that person could ensure their safety. If a person led five hundred mercenaries, he would not rush to look for protection, because five hundred mercenaries could be a good bargaining chip to exchange for something else. 1,400 was not a small number. When Shinbe¡¯s Jagged Roses mercenary group was at its peak, it only had about two thousand mercenaries. Everybody knew that popr mercenaries would be the leader. Since Wendorf had the ability to lead 1,400 mercenaries, there was no reason he would want to be someone¡¯s subordinate. It proved that Wendorf thought and acted as Anfey did.


    On the one hand, Wendorf tried to please Ozzic, but he never agreed to merge troops. On the other hand, he tried to bond with the Knights of Light and priests. Obviously, he noticed the tension between them. Ozzic did not know what to do with Wendorf. He felt Wendorf was a pain in the neck. If Ozzic chose to fight with him, he was not sure he could win, even if they had a senior swordswoman, Shinbe, because Wendorf controlled more mercenaries than he did. If Ozzic chose to negotiate with him, Wendorf would want what Ozzic could not offer. They could not meet each other¡¯s needs and had no way to negotiate.


    "Master, it is great that you are back!" Long added. In fact, he had no idea what Anfey would do; he just believed Anfey could handle it. To be more specific, not only Long, but Christian, vi and others in Alibaba legion believed in him as far back as a year ago. Later, Suzanna, Ozzic, Shinbe, and many others came to believe in him. Everyone who had the chance to work or live with him developed a strong belief in him. They did not know exactly why they trusted Anfey or where the belief came from.

 Chapter 392: Appearance

    Chapter 392: Appearance


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Wendorf, you have to exin yourself," Ozzic said coldly.


    "I will follow your every order, my lord. All you need to do is ask," Wendorf said as he smoothed out his robe. "But I need a few more days, my lord. I have a lot of men. I need to make sure that they are aware of what I want to do."


    "I already gave you three days," Ozzic said sternly. Wendorf had been trying to stall every time Ozzic tried to speak with him, and his attitude had not been pleasant. Before they hade together, the two sides had agreed that they would have a pleasant conversation and try to negotiate. This was why Shinbe and Ozzic only brought a handful of mercenaries with them. Wendorf, however, must have brought at least fifty men with him. Wendorf¡¯s attitude was not the attitude of a man who wanted to negotiate, either.


    "I don¡¯t want my men to be divided over this," Wendorf said. "I need a few more days. I am sure I can give you a satisfactory answer by then."


    "Wendorf," Ozzic said with a frown, "I have a time limit as well. We need to depart as soon as possible to meet up with our people in Madrid Town and head to Heldair City. We already wasted a day waiting for your answer. I simply cannot do that. You have to give me an answer right now. Truthfully, I¡¯m starting to doubt your sincerity."


    "You misunderstand me, my lord," Wendorf said, shaking his head. "I can¡¯t get an unanimous answer from my men. I have troubles of my own as well."


    "You only brought a thousand people, and you want us to show sincerity?" a nearby mercenary asked with a snort. "You should join us instead. Lord Wendorf surely can..."


    "Be quiet," Wendorf turned to the mercenary and ordered furiously. "Nonsense!" Ozzic watched with wide eyes as the even tempered mage grew angry.


    "I¡¯m just speaking my mind, my lord!" the mercenary said. "Aren¡¯t you the one who encourage us to speak our minds? I¡¯ve been a mercenary for more than fifteen years and I¡¯ve never heard of Anfey. Has anyone else heard of him?"


    The other mercenaries allughed and agreed with him.


    The mercenary smirked and turned to Ozzic and Shinbe. "If he¡¯s so great," the mercenary said, "why doesn¡¯t hee in person? Where is your sincerity?"


    Ozzic took a deep breath and calmed himself. He knew he had made a mistake trying to negotiate with mercenaries peacefully. Mercenaries believed in survival of the fittest and did not like political maneuvering. The peaceful way Ozzic had chosen made him appear weak to these mercenaries.


    Wendorf was very patient, but his mercenaries were not. His men sent a clear signal that they did not want to join their alliance.


    "Ozzic, let¡¯s go," Shinbe said.


    Ozzic nced at Shinbe. He knew her well enough to know that she nned oning back. They could not let these mercenaries get away with humiliating Alibaba and not joining the alliance. If word of this got out, he and Shinbe would bebeled weak.


    Ozzic nodded and turned away, following Shinbe.


    Suddenly, a strong surge of magic drew everyone¡¯s attention. A bright light appeared above Shun City and descended slowly. The bright lightnded on the ground and grew in intensity. The mercenaries around all shaded their eyes and looked away from the light.


    Wendorf raised his wand and created arge magic shield, protecting himself and his men.


    Ozzic and Shinbe watched in silence but did not move.


    The light dimmed, and where the light had been stood a young man. He was wearing robes of a mage and held arge sword made of fire.


    Wendorf watched, his eyes narrowed. He did not know who this young man was or his purpose. He did not want to lower his guard.


    Before the mercenaries could react, another light appeared over the walls of the city. A young woman appeared over the walls of the city, a longsword in her hand.


    Anfey withdrew his sword as Suzannanded next to him. She had first worn Azure Armor when she was still a senior swordsmaster. Even back then, she felt the superior power of the armor. However, that was just the beginning. The Azure Armor once belonged to the elves and was taken by the humans. After a few centuries, it ended up in the hands of Princess Victoria. It wasn¡¯t just a simple suit of armor. The intensity ofbat power could affect the defense power of armor.


    Suzanna¡¯sbat power was very powerful, and the armor was feeding off of herbat power, giving her anotheryer of protection.


    Wendorf took a few steps back, recognizing the young woman as a top level power.


    Ozzic¡¯s eyes widened. He took a few steps forward and called, "Congrattions, Lady Suzanna!"


    Before Ozzic could say anything else, Shinbe poked him in the ribs. Anfey had chosen this way to appear in front of the other mercenaries because he did not yet want to intimidate them. It would be disadvantageous to reveal Suzanna¡¯s level.


    Wendorf frowned. He now was sure that the young man before him was Anfey and the woman was Suzanna. He did not expect the alliance to have a top level power. Even one top level power was too much for a mercenary group like his. He knew very well what top level powers could do. Glory mercenary group had Anthony and came to rule the Country of Mercenaries.


    Wendorf did not want to join the alliance because he had more than a thousand men. He had the power to rewrite the history of the nation. Clearly, Anfey had a simr purpose in mind when he founded the alliance. This was why he had always thought of the alliance as an enemy. Now that he found out there was a top level power in the alliance, Wendorf knew that he could not fight against them. He had left himself no choice.


    "Why are you still here, Ozzic?" Anfey asked.


    "Lord Wendorf told us that he¡¯s having trouble convincing his men," Ozzic siad. "I¡¯m sure that Lord Wendorf can change his mind now that you¡¯re here, my lord."


    "Really?" Anfey asked. "That simple?"


    "Yes, my lord," Ozzic said. He knew that Anfey was asking how much trouble it would cause if they attacked Wendorf and his men then and there. Wendorf only had about four hundred loyal men. Ozzic was confident that he could convince the other mercenaries once those loyal ones have been taken care of.


    Anfey nodded and turned to Suzanna. Suzanna narrowed her eyes and dashed forward. She appeared next to Wendorf and mmed her sword into his chest. Wendorf¡¯s eyes widened as he fell to the ground. Suzanna pulled her sword out and stepped away. Wendorf copsed onto the ground.


    Once Wendorf was gone, his mercenaries posed no challenge. After witnessing the death of their leader, they did not want to fight and tried to flee. However, they were already surrounded.


    Ozzic and Shinbe nced at each other and drew their swords, beckoning their men to join the fight.

 Chapter 393: Ambition

    Chapter 393: Ambition


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    No matter whether mercenaries were with Ozzic, Shinbe or Wendorf, they all knew how dangerous the situation was and were prepared for the worst. The riot in the south of Shun City could trigger arger fight in the city, without doubt. The fight happened quickly, but also ended quickly.


    Suzanna never even joined the battle. To put it simply, a top power was more like a strategic weapon. She functioned more at a strategic level to scare the opponents. A top power¡¯s fighting ability could not only be evaluated by the amount of people she killed, but how many people she could scare.


    Suzanna walked just once around Shun City. Everywhere she went, the mercenaries in Ozzic and Shinbe¡¯s units cheered loudly for her. They were excited and confident they would win the battle, which helped with their fighting ability, while the mercenaries in Shun City instead lost their morale fast. When the news that Wendorf was killed reached them, groups of mercenaries put down their weapons and surrendered to the League of Mercenaries.


    The Knights of Light and priests who excitedly rushed out to try to pacify the conflict were stunned by what they saw. They had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. If the mercenaries from those two parties started to fight, they could do nothing but benefit from it. On the one hand, it was a great opportunity to reduce the League of Mercenaries¡¯ fighting ability. On the other, Knights of Light and priests thought they could ally with mercenaries in danger to give them a good opportunity to make a name for themselves in the Country of Mercenaries. The appearance of Suzanna crushed that unrealistic dream. In Shun City, no one could be a match for Suzanna. In other words, the fighting abilities of the two parties was never bnced. They had to choose to keep quiet at the end.


    When Suzannanded next to Anfey, the yelling and screaming gradually quieted down. Anfey saw the Knights of Light quietly leave the battlefield. He turned around to a person in armor behind him and said, "Warner, did anyone notice you?"


    "Master, I was like a mouse, hiding from everyone all day long. How could anyone notice me?" Warner said with a sly smile.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said quietly. "I will send those Knights of Light and priests away shortly. Then it will be your show time."


    "I cannot yet deal with arge-scale fight." Warner hesitated for a second and added, "The more death spirits I can save, the strong the power of the Book of Life will get. If I am given a certain period of time, I ..." Before he finished talking, Warner saw Anfey¡¯s look and suddenly realized he should not continue.


    "Don¡¯t worry." Anfey smiled. "I am not jealous of your achievements."


    "Master, you are so open-minded," Warner said, smiling at Anfey. He was not sure he really believed what Anfey said.


    "I am very generous to my friends," Anfey said calmly. "Pope William is getting older, while some people in the church hold prejudices against me. I could even say they treat me as their enemy. Instead of having them in power, I would rather help my friends be sessful."


    "But I am only one person," Warner said.


    "I remember you told me that St. Robin was by himself when he was born," Anfey said.


    Warner slowly nodded. He still looked very serious, but the excitement in his eyes exposed his real thinking. Anfey had reignited his ambition of long ago. He pondered Anfey¡¯s idea for a bit just to show he was humble. If this were not the case, he would not have asked Anfey if he could fight on his own.


    Anfey looked like he did not understand Warner¡¯s intention and casually switched the topic. "Warner, why didn¡¯t you find me before?"


    "Master, when I had just gotten the Book of Life, I did not know anything else besides the spell," Warner said bitterly. "I had nothing to do for the past few days. You did not allow me to do missionary work, so I studied the Book of Life. The script in the Book of Life was God¡¯snguage. I did not understand it. I asked Master Ye for help and paid a high price for a dictionary from a priest. I have tranted every chapter of the Book of Life and found the secret of it."


    "Don¡¯t all priests have a Bible and dictionary? Don¡¯t you have one?" Anfey asked.


    "I lost them when I was attackedst time," Warner said.


    "Warner, you have to be more careful in the future," Anfey said quietly. "If you knew the power of the Book of Life, you could have done a lot in Moramatch and would not have needed to wait until now."


    "Back then..." Warner tried to exin.


    "Back then you were busy preaching to the dwarves," Anfey said, smiling.


    Warner cleared his throat and shifted his eyes, and then he suddenly found a very good excuse. "Master, I could not study the Book of Life back then. Master Ye got the dictionary for meter. That was why I did not know the secret of the Book of Life until recently. Maybe it is fate."


    Anfey smiled but did not respond. The situation in Shun City was stabilizing as they talked. They did not get any further resistance as they recruited the mercenaries in Shun City to the League of Mercenaries. It was like a rolling snow ball. Every time they went to help a city, they recruited the mercenaries in that city to the League of Mercenaries to make it stronger. It was a little challenging at the beginning because initially the League of Mercenaries was not that strong. As they recruited thousands of mercenaries, nothing could stop Anfey recruiting more mercenaries into his League of Mercenaries, including the three super mercenary groups. Marino¡¯s Band of Brother mercenary was an exception, since they were already allied with Anfey.


    Moving forward, it would not be that difficult to conquer the Country of Mercenaries. Anfey felt excited and proud. However, under the circumstances, Anfey was not the only one feeling that way.


    At Kulmshine Fort in Shansha Empire, about 200,000 soldiers neatly stood in formation, quietly waiting for the city door to open. Over 200,000 people gathered together, but no one moved, nor did anyone made any noise, in contrast to the loud yelling and horses neighing inside the fort.


    The city door slowly opened and more than one hundred knights rushed through. The soldiers at the suspension bridge pulled up the bridge and then ran to the front of the squad. The knight in the front stopped his horse and yelled, "General Scarlet, what are you doing?"


    "General Kuiper, can you open the city door?" Scarlet, at the head of the troops, slowly took off her helmet. Her blond hair fell in waves. She still looked ant talked normal, but she showed a bit of tiredness in her eyes. She gave a feeling that she had been through so much. Oddly, her body and face looked young. It was a very mixed feeling she gave out.


    Seeing the face of Scarlet, the knight in front was shocked for a second. Scarlet had been famous for a short period. This was the first time he had seen Scarlet in person. Even though he heard Scarlet was beautiful, he did not expect her to be so young. He could not imagine how this little girl could have over 200,000 mercenaries listening to her.


    "General Scarlet, as far as I know, you should be traveling northeast right now with your mercenaries to save the people who are suffering from attacks by death spirits. You should not be here." The knight sounded kind, since he really could not scold a little girl.


    "General Kuiper, I am trying to save a country, not just the people in certain areas. Open the door. I am asking you now," Scarlet said slowly.


    Kuiper looked like he did not know if he shouldugh or cry. How could a little girl say she is going to save a country? Kuiper thought to himself. He felt weird because he felt a strong soldier should protect the country, while a little girl should be whining to her parents or trying to be a social butterfly at dance parties. This was not a ce for Scarlet.


    Kuiper thought for a second and smiled. "General Scarlet, do you have to order from the king?"


    "Not yet," Scarlet said.


    "Not yet? Pleasee back when you have an order from the king," Kuiper said.


    "General Kuiper, that would be toote." Scarlet had a helpless smile. She seemed to have more bitterness on her face. "Right now Baery does not know which direction my military will go. When he realizes, it will be pointless then."


    "Baery?" Kuiper almostughed out loud. Why would God-like General Baery care about where this little girl would go? What a joke! Kuiper thought to himself.


    "General Kuiper, Prince Chiellick knows what I am doing. Do you think you can open the door for us?" Scarlet could tell the disdain Kuiper had towards her, but she did not get offended by it. She only mentioned her finance to see if that would work.


    Kuiper looked very serious now. Chiellick was the first sessor ording to age. The little girl here could be a queen of the empire. He could not deny her, but the problem was taking in 200,000 of her troops without orders from the king. If anything happened, the king would not kill his daughter-inw, and Kuiper would take all the me. Some discussion should have happened in a more private setting. Scarlet was just a little girl. She did not even know to find an appropriate ce to talk. There were so many people listening to their conversation. If he gave in just because he heard Chiellick¡¯s name, he would lose his authority.


    "Still no? I got it." Scarlet heaved a sigh and tossed away her helmet. As Kuiper looked shocked, a cloud ofbat power arose on Scarlet. She rode her horse at Kuiper with her knight spear pointing at Kuiper¡¯s chest.


    "Are you crazy?" Kuiper yelled as he hurriedly took out his spear. Before the two knight spears shed, they looked at each other. Kuiper felt he was falling into an icy cave. What eyes Scarlet had! There was something burning in her eyes, even the ces she looked. The crazy facial expression indicated a strong will that controlled thousands of people. Such a strong will seemed to be able to melt steel, the fort behind Kuiper, or anything else. Kuiper understood that even if the king tried to stop Scarlet, she would rush over his dead body without any hesitation. Nothing could stop Scarlet.


    With a loud bang, the knight spear in Kuiper¡¯s hand turned to pieces. The next moment, there was a hole in his chest as big as an bowl. When his body was flying in the air, he saw Scarlet¡¯s personal bodyguards run towards the door while, the horn arose to signal other mercenaries to start their attack.


    As death approached him, Kuiper finally understood how Scarlet could have thousands of mercenaries listening to him, but he could not change anything now.

 Chapter 394: Throne of Bones

    Chapter 394: Throne of Bones


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A transparent magic barrier separate Greenwich Ind and the rest of the world. The magic barrier prevented the rest of the world from seeing what was happening inside it. Anyone who tried to peer through the magic barrier could only see heavy fog. A magic barrier this big was very rare. Apart from the one Saul used to trap the Dark Moon Magic Legion, this was thergest known barrier in the world.


    Even though the presence of the necromancers threatened the entire world, the nations of the world had no intention of working together. This was because there had been too many conflicts between nations, and the nations did not trust each other. No one took notice of thisrge magic barrier because no one had the energy to sail all the way to Greenwich Ind. Moreover, no one would try to attack an ind when there were still zombies to take care of.


    Inside the barrier, the entire ind appeared very eerie. Countless bones formed arge dome that covered half of the ind and shielded the ind from the sky. Greenwich Ind was arge ind, and there must have been thousands of dead bodies in that dome.


    Hundreds of necromancers were busy at work on the ind. In the middle of the ind was arge pir that disappeared into the bone dome. The pir was enormous andposed entirely of bones. The pir appeared as if it was holding up the dome.


    A tall, thin figure was standing nearby, watching the pir. There were very few necromancers working. Clearly, this man was a powerful one. The other necromancers did not even go near him. Judging from the careful movements others use around him, it was easy to tell that the other necromancers were afraid of this man.


    A gust of wind blew across the ind, sending bones scattering along the ground. Arge phantom dragon appeared in the air, pping itsrge wings. Even the phantom dragon did not want to go near the man. Itnded a few paces away. A necromancer in a colorful robe jumped off of the dragon and hurried towards the tall figure.


    The new necromancer was very strange. Most necromancers preferred dark robes, but he had a very beautiful, colorful one. Unlike the other necromancers, this one was very young and handsome. He appeared only to be in his mid-twenties.


    "Master," the young necromancer said to the tall figure, "I¡¯m ready."


    The tall figure turned to look at the young man. He removed his hood, revealing what was underneath. The figure¡¯s head was arge skull covered in cracks. It was as if someone had broken the skull and created him by putting it back together. Two red lights shone in the skull¡¯s eyeholes.


    The young man lowered his head and did not say anything.


    "Let me see, then," the skull croaked. "But, Morgan, you have to be prepared. I am just a mage, not god."


    "You are to me, Master," Morgan said.


    The skull sighed, "You¡¯ve been saying that for centuries."


    Morgan smiled. He could tell that his teacher was in a good mood today, so he was not as nervous. He retrieved a broken skull and a ck crystal ball and set it on the ground. The crystal ball had trapped some green fog in it. The green fog surged as if trying to break free.


    "This is all you could find?"


    "Yes," Morgan said. "Most of her body is useless. This is all I could find."


    The skull sighed again, and the red lights in his eyes began blinking as if it was thinking. After a few moments, he reached out with a bony hand and pointed at the sky. The skull began chanting, his voice bing guttural.


    The bone dome began rattling as the skull chanted, and then the dome began rippling like the ocean. A ck swirl appeared under the broken skull on the ground and sucked the skull into it.


    The skull did not stop chanting. He kept chanting his spell. Dark clouds appeared from the dome and floated down to the ground. Then those dark clouds were sucked into the swirl as well.


    "The throne is not yetplete," the skull said, "but what you found has strengthened it."


    "Thank you, Master!" Morgan said excitedly. He began chanting as well. The crystal ball in his hand shattered, and the green fog inside the crystal ball disappeared into the ck swirl as well.


    The skull¡¯s spell wasing to an end. A human body appeared as the skull¡¯s spell was finished. It was a woman. She appeared to be human, with long limbs. Her eyes were closed, but she seemed to be a beautiful woman.


    "Master!" Morgan cried, sinking to his knees. He did not expect this result and was very grateful.


    "This body is not hers," the skull said. "If she wants her strength back, she needs at least fifty years to recover. If you like her, then you should take care of her." Morgan nodded, his eyes swelling up.


    The skull waved its hand and a red sh of lightning struck the woman¡¯s head. The woman¡¯s body jerked as she was hit by the lightning.


    The woman¡¯s eyes blinked open, and her body began thrusting around on the ground, screaming as if she was in pain.


    "Annuciata!" Morgan cried, wrapping his arms around the woman to prevent her from hurting herself. "Wake up! Wake up, please!"


    The woman¡¯s frantic eyes moved to Morgan. "Ernest!" she screamed, her voice filled with pain and hatred.


    "Look at me, Annuciata! Look at me!" Morgan called again.


    The woman did not appear to hear Morgan¡¯s calls. She kept chanting Ernest¡¯s name, her voice hoarse.


    Morgan frowned, hugging the woman tighter.


    "Be quiet!" the skull bellowed. He shook his head and sighed. "Control her! She cannot make a scene here." Morgan nodded. He grabbed the woman¡¯s hand.


    The woman stopped her screaming when she heard the skull. She looked around, and her eyes widened in shock.


    "Remember who you are now?" the skull asked coldly. "Annunciata, you cost me a phantom dragon, but you still managed to take out nbrea. That is the only reason I¡¯m willing to waste my magic and revive you. The next mistake you make will yourst.


    "What? I did?" Annuciata whispered, frowning.


    "What?"


    "I... I didn¡¯t kill nbrea."


    The skull paused, thenughed. "I see. I¡¯ve always wondered how you managed to take out nbrea. In-fighting is more effective than I expected."


    "But why would they do that?" Morgan asked, surprised.


    "Who knows? I don¡¯t care why," the skull said. "All I want to know is how Pope William reacted to this."


    "They may not believe it," Morgan said.


    "They will," the skull said. "You don¡¯t need to worry about that. Morgan, you need to get back to your work. You¡¯ve already stalled for twenty years, and I don¡¯t want to wait another twenty. You need to return with the Ring of the Undead and that traitor Golman by the time the Throne of Bones isplete. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, Master," Morgan said. "I found something, but Bruzuryano..."


    "The Heart of Nature is powerful, but I have no use of it," the skull said. "I need the ring and Golman. Know your priorities, Morgan."


    "Yes, Master!" Morgan said, lowering his head respectfully. "I will depart immediately."

 Chapter 395: Surrounded

    Chapter 395: Surrounded


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master, Zagreen City is just ahead of us," Thompson politely said to Anfey.


    Anfey nodded and looked at the barely-seen city ahead of him. Anfey did not reply.


    "Anfey, what are you hesitating for? Let¡¯s fight!" viughed. "Long and Ling have confirmed that there are 40,000 to 50,000 death spirits at most." vi was confident that they would win this fight. Anfey had about 2,000 mercenaries on his own. As they had recruited about 1,700 surviving mercenaries in Madrid Town, there should be about 4,000 mercenaries now. 4,000 mercenaries against 50,000 low-level death spirits. Mercenaries would win without a doubt. An additional 700 or so Knights of Light and priests were part of the main force fighting against death spirits.


    "I just have a bad feeling about this," Anfey said quietly. As a professional assassin, he would rather believe his instincts than what he saw and heard. Anfey felt the atmosphere was way too gloomy. He felt weird about it, but could not figure out what was bothering him.


    "Anfey, we have to take Zagreen City today, otherwise we will run into trouble soon," Riska said in a low voice. In order to recruit mercenaries from different cities, they had made a good and flexible n based on the distance among those cities. For example, to help Shun City and Madrid Town, they had divided into two groups. The next city would be Zagreen City. Anfey would meet up with vi to attack Zagreen City. After taking Zagreen City, they would be divided into three groups. They had to take Zagreen City now to give them time to reorganize the mercenariester in the day so they could be divided into three groups by early the next morning. If they could not take Zagreen City soon, they would have to stay through tomorrow.


    Anfey kept quiet. He had his way of doing things and was not easily influenced by others.


    At the same time, a few Knights of Light hurriedly came back, yelling rudely, "Master Anfey, why haven¡¯t you started the fight yet? The mercenaries in Zagreen City have rushed out. Are you going to watch them all die in front you?"


    Anfey was shocked for a second andid his eyes on vi. vi immediately released Eyes of Sky. Just as they thought, the mercenaries in Zagreen City had gotten excited and bet their life on the reinforcement troops. They had rushed out of the city when they saw the reinforcements.


    Anfey heaved a sigh and slowly closed his eyes. He started his internal force immediately and maximized his sensing ability. Anfey could see around him for dozens of miles, but he could not find anything suspicious.


    "Let¡¯s start the fight," Anfey said slowly. He had to start against his better judgement because he could not watch the mercenaries in Zagreen City die one after another. It would be bad for his reputation.


    Mercenaries were not soldiers. When Anfey¡¯s order was passed down, the mercenaries in different units rushed in without any formation or strategy. Anfey was not experienced in giving orders in battle, neither did he understood how ridiculous his mercenaries looked to those soldiers. However, he did not care. For Anfey, as long as they could win the battle, it did not matter how they fought.


    Mercenaries and soldiers all got scared the first time they fought against death spirits. In the first ce, their vision, hearing, and sense of smell were affected. They had to face the ugly looks, terrifying sounds and horrible smell of the death spirits. They could only conquer it with their will power. Second, there were arge number of death spirits. No matter how good the squad was, they would be surrounded by death spirits. Of course, being surrounded did not mean they would lose the battle. Elite soldiers could always keep their formation as they killed death spirits. When they had killed enough death spirits, they all could join the battle and wipe them out.


    Anfey¡¯s mercenaries were used to fighting death spirits. The negative factors did not bother them. Aftermunicating with each other, they had umted a lot ofmon sense to fight with death spirits. For example, low-level death spirits mainly attacked by biting their opponents, mainly on their faces, necks, hands and feet. As long as they could protect themselves in those areas, they should be fine. If they were scratched, they could be healed by priests. The toxins in their bodies could be removed by priests so they would not turn into death spirits. Mercenaries covered those parts very well in battle. They did not follow the rule that they would never let their weapons down. To protect their own arms, they would toss their weapons and retreat once the death spirits snatched their weapons. If they were bitten by the death spirits, they would fight the death spirits as best they could, hoping to kill as many as they could. They would rather exchange their lives for a few more death spirits¡¯ lives, because they knew they would be killed by their peers after they were infected anyway.


    The mercenaries¡¯ superior intelligence helped to reduce fatalities to the minimum. About 4,000 mercenaries gathered together and looked like a gigantic stone mill. They passed the area with a high number of death spirits and quickly defeated them. The priests had released Holy Light spells, which had slowed down death spirits and weakened them as well. It looked like they would finish this battle soon.


    "I am going to sleep better tonight since you are here." viughed. The more power a person had, the more responsibility he had to take. To prove he was capable, vi did not take break when he was in Madrid Town. With Ozzie and Thompson¡¯s help, he threatened and also gave rewards to the mercenaries to try to recruit them into the League of Mercenaries. In the end, he did not have to fight them to recruit them. Once he had Anfey with him, his dependence on Anfey came right back. Riska and others reacted the same way.


    "You!" Anfey shook his head and smiled. Suddenly, his smile froze on his face. He could sense millions of death spirits rushing into the region. They looked like a clump of ants. It was hard to identify how many there were. Groups of zombies slowly crawled out from underground on the field. They joined the death spirits. There were death spirits everywhere. Their screaming was as loud as tsunami.


    "Anfey, what¡¯s wrong?" vi asked in surprise.


    Anfey did not have to answer him, since he also heard the screams of the zombies. With the loud screaming, the mages and priests had to cover their ears. Soldiers seemed to react better than mages and priests to the zombies¡¯ screaming. The mercenaries on the battlefield had to retreat. They worriedly looked around to see what was happening. They had no idea what had happened.


    "Eyes of Sky! Hurry up!" vi finally realized what had happened.


    Over 20 Eyes of Sky were released one after another. They searched different locations, but they all gave the same view. There were zombies everywhere, countless zombies.


    The priests had been rxed, but now looked tense. An intermediate-level priest suddenly yelled, "Master Anfey, what are you standing there for? We need to retreat. The death spirits are slow. We still have the chance to escape. Hurry up!"


    "Retreat! Listen to me. Retreat!" Another priest yelled as he raised his scepter.


    "Do not retreat!" Anfey yelled in anger and kicked the priest in the gut. He did not put too much strength into the kick, otherwise there would be a hole in tehe priest¡¯s stomach. However, Anfey¡¯s kick was still too much for a priest. That priest could not help kneeling on the ground and jerked in pain.


    Everyone could not help fixing their eyes on Anfey. Anfey was not a general. He did not know much about strategies on the battlefield. However, the instinct he developed after experiencing so many dangerous encounters had resulted in excellent decision-making in a short period of time. Afterwards, he was very d he made that decision.


    "Suzanna, it¡¯s your turn now," Anfey said with a poker face. He had put his hand on the sword shaft. As he pulled his sword out, he had already jumped in the air, yelling, "Fight!"


    The fire, as a meteor, lit up half of the battlefield and fell straight down among the zombies. The me rose in the blink of an eye and turned dozens of zombies near Anfey to ashes. Anfey could not hold anything in anymore at this dangerous moment. The Fire Sword in his hand was over 20 yards long. Every swing killed a group of zombies, like he was reaping crops. Even zombies outside of the Fire Sword¡¯s attack range were scorched.


    The lower-level zombies were not scared. They still rushed towards Anfey from all sides. However, the speed that Anfey killed zombies was a lot faster than the speed the zombies could reach him. The me was so strong that everywhere the me passed, it turned it into a burning hell.


    The mercenaries in Zagreen City were more scared than zombies, especially when they saw Anfey almost make a path for them by killing the zombies. Anfey did not seem to stop, so they yelled and turned around to run back into the city.


    vi, Elizabeth and others had really good responses. They immediately flew into the sky and followed Anfey. They constantly released Frost magic, which was not to kill zombies but to cool down the area Anfey scorched. Even with the Frost magic, it still took some time to cool down. Some areas still had very high temperatures. If they did not cool down the area, the regr swordsmen would definitely get burned, even though higher-ranking mercenaries could rush over those areas.


    Mercenaries crazily yelled and ran forward at full speeds. They knew they were facing danger when they heard the thunderous screaming of zombies. At this critical moment, they had better follow Anfey. The fire and me Anfey released showed the way.


    The mercenaries in Zagreen City ran, crawled and rolled back into the city as Anfey cleared a path for them by killing zombies. He jumped on the city tower, which was not very tall. He turned around to look down at the whole battle field. The me flickering and burning around him made him look like a Fire God. The mercenaries behind him all looked stunned and terrified. They did not know who Anfey was, but power was the most direct and sharpest way to represent a person, and it left those mercenaries with the impression he was trust worthy.


    At that moment, Anfey was actually not sure if he was right or wrong about his decision to fight. However, to all the mercenaries, it was the right decision to follow Anfey. They yelled again and ran in the direction of the fire and mes.

 Chapter 396: Three Discipliner

    Chapter 396: Three Discipliner


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The zombies arrived only minutes after all the mercenaries had retreated into the city. Because the mercenaries would rather be on the offensive than on the defensive, the cities in Country of Mercenaries did not have good defense system. Even the two major cities, ckwater and White Mountain City, did not spend much on the city¡¯s defense. Zagreen City was even worse. However, therge city walls acted as a deterrent. Anfey knew that all he needed was some time.


    Ozzic and Shinbe arrived with their men. They stood on the wall and watched the zombies in silence.


    "Ozzic, take the east. Shinbe, go to the west with your men. Orsie take the north, and Thompson will stay with me," Anfey said.


    Ozzic nodded. He waved to his men and began heading towards the eastern part of the city. Anfey nced around and asked, "Who¡¯s in charge of this ce?"


    "I am, my lord," arge man stepped forward and said. He was very worried about the zombies, but seeing how calm Anfey and his men were, he felt strangelyforted as well, despite the fact that imminent death was waiting for him outside the wall.


    "What¡¯s your name?"


    "Guri," therge man said.


    "Divide up your men," Anfey instructed. "You¡¯ll join my men. You know this city better than we do. We need your help."


    "Yes, sir."


    "How many men do you have?"


    "About five hundred," Guri said with a frown. He was worried that he might not have enough men to make it through this battle.


    "That¡¯s more than enough," Anfey said. "Go."


    Guri nodded and jogged off of the wall, following Ozzic and his men.


    "Why are these zombies concentrating on us?" Suzanna asked with a frown.


    "Maybe we¡¯re irritating the necromancers," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Irritating?"


    Anfey nodded. "Can you go talk to the Knights of Light? I want them to divide into four groups as well and join the four fronts. We need to strengthen our defenses."


    "I can¡¯t assure you that they¡¯ll listen."


    "They will right now," Anfey said.


    "Alright," Suzanna said. She paused and nced at Anfey and asked, "Are you even nning on breaking out?"


    "Why would we do that?" Anfey asked.


    "I¡¯m serious," Suzanna said with a deep frown. "There are too many zombies."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "I have a n."


    Suzanna narrowed her eyes, then sighed and shook her head. She turned and began her descent from the wall. She knew that the more stressful the situation, the calmer Anfey will be. She had known very few people like that, and she respected it.


    "vi," Anfey called.


    "Yes?" vi said, walking over. "You¡¯re doing it?"


    Anfey nodded.


    "You¡¯re a madman," vi said. It was very hard to destroy an established magic group because the mages could simply use levitation spells to escape the battlefield. However, vi had never thought about using levitation to escape. Even if Anfey ordered them to use all of their magic, he would still follow his orders. vi was very loyal to his friends, and he would do anything to protect and help his friends and his men.


    "Don¡¯t do anything unless I tell you to," Anfey said. "Let¡¯s see what those priests can do."


    "I know what you mean."


    vi had hardly finished his sentence when the zombies surged forward and began attacking the city. The zombies were not very smart, and their attacking technique was very simple. In some situations, though, the simplest strategy was the most effective as well. Countless zombies stacked themselves on top of each other, building a slope that acted as a pathway for more zombies. The zombies staggered up the slope, howling.


    All sides of the city were simultaneously attacked. Even though theycked aid from mages, the mercenaries were still very powerful and blocked the attacks from the zombies.


    However, the number of zombies was too great. Even though the mercenaries were strong, they were outnumbered. Countless zombies were running up the more than a dozen slopes all around the city, but there were only about five thousand fighters in the city. Except for the priests whom Anfey kept back, everyone was fighting.


    With the zombies threatening to overrun the city at any moment, the mercenaries fought even harder. The mercenaries knew that they must do everything in their power to stop the zombies, because everything would be over if the zombies broke into the city.


    The number of injured mercenaries was steadily increasing, while others were pulled off of the wall and into the pile of zombies.


    The situation began to turn as the priests join the fight. Even though light magic was not as effective anymore, it was still very good at dying the zombies. Light magic did not require arge reserve of magic. One spell could injure or destroy a dozen zombies. The priests knew how to use their power to the fullest, and soon the slopes of zombies began to copse.


    In the forest not far from the city, a few necromancers were conversing quietly. After a few moments, one of the necromancers raised a wand made from bones. As soon as the necromancer raised the wand, the attack from the zombies ceased.


    Anfey knew why the necromancers must be retreating. He had more priests than the necromancers had anticipated, and if this continued, the zombies would all be defeated.


    It was important to know one¡¯s enemies, but in a war against the necromancers, it was an impossible task. The necromancers could conceal their identities, while other people could not gain their trust. Spying was impossible.


    A dark figure rose into the air and floated towards the city. Necromancers could not use the Eye of the Sky and needed to be close to keep an eye on the situation near the city.


    "Is that a necromancer?" a nearby mercenary asked loudly. Hearing his question, the other mercenaries around him began muttering amongst themselves.


    Anfey retrieved his longbow from his dimensional ring and aimed it at the dark figure in the sky. He quickly released an element arrow. The arrow flew very fast. The necromancer did not have enough time to react and was struck in the chest by the arrow.


    The necromancer gurgled and his figure bobbed in the air before stumbling to the ground. He crashed into the ground a few pace behind the zombies.


    Anfey lowered his bow. The mercenaries nced at him with awe and shock.

 Chapter 397: Slander

    Chapter 397: nder


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master Anfey, you should take responsibility for falling into the necromancers¡¯ trap," a Knight of Light said, emphasizing each word before dropping into a seat. He looked around for people to support him. Unfortunately, no one seemed to pay attention to what he said except for a few Knights of Light and priests who were qualified to attend this meeting. The rest of them were either chatting quietly in groups or resting with their eyes closed.


    After the battle, vi and his mage group did a thorough check around the battlefield with Eyes of Sky. They found senior level death spirits among the death spirits. They found about 500 death knights and over 300 specters so far. However, there were so many death spirits, it was difficult to estimate a number.


    These death spirits were particr irritating. Their attack and defensive ability was not as good as death knights, but they could fly and release a magic that could affect human¡¯s functioning. They attacked people who had little willpower or telepathy in a way that would cause them to have constant illusions or go crazy.


    Specters were rare species among death spirits since they were made very simr to puppets. Once necromancers could force the undispersed spirits to merge with dark series magic crystal powders, a specter was born. Specters had strong defense and almost abnormal recovery ability, since they were just magic crystal powders in the air. Swords and axes could barely hurt them. Low-level magic had no effect on them.


    Theoretically, if there were enough dark series magic crystals, necromancers could make as many specters as they wanted. But it was just a theory. Dark series magic crystals were rare and they ranged widely in quality, so no necromancer would make all of their specters with magic crystals.


    A Priest of Light tried to mediate. "In fact we cannot me everything on Master Anfey for the situation we are in." However, he did not really want to help Anfey. By "cannot me everything on Anfey," he meant Anfey needed to take most of the responsibility. "In addition, it would not help if we are just ming each other right now. We¡¯d better save it to think about what we should do next. If we stay here, we will die. To break their blockade..."


    "ming each other?" Ye suddenlyughed. "Who med whom? It seems that only you guys are ming Master Anfey, doesn¡¯t it?"


    "You..." That Priest of Light had noeback.


    "Breaking out the blockade? I¡¯d better go to sleep instead of wasting my time with you here," Ozzic said, sounding irritated.


    The Knights of Light and priests looked at each other. They were encircled in the Zagreen City and their morale was at the lowest, which was the best time to ruin Anfey¡¯s reputation among mercenaries. If they could not do anything to Anfey at that moment, they would not have any chance in the future.


    "Master Thompson, what do you think?" a Knight of Light suddenly asked as everyone was quiet. Thompson just joined Anfey¡¯s League with his mercenary group. Knights of Light and priests thought Thompson had a fragile bond with Anfey. They wanted Thompson to be on their side, otherwise they would totally lose this battle with Anfey.


    Thompson did not seem to hear that he was called out. He was still saying something quietly to Orsie and smiling. The Knights of Light and priests could not understand how he couldugh at this moment.


    "Master Thompson, what do you think?" the Knight of Light said again, raising his voice.


    Thompson was still talking andughing with Orsie.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t take much intelligence to see that Thompson was doing this on purpose. It was impossible that Thompson could not hear it at this volume. The Knight of Light was forced to continue in order to get a response from Thompson. He would even be in a more awkward situation if he backed off now. "Master Thompson!" He sounded very pissed.


    "Huh? What?" Thompson "finally" heard him.


    "What do you think about our current situation?" the Knight of Light said with his teeth grinded. He realized he had picked the wrong person, but he had to continue anyway. He needed to excuse himself at some point so he would not feel too awkward.


    "I do not have any suggestions. I will follow master no matter where he goes," Thompson said calmly. He looked like he realized something and tried to exin, "I should rify: When I said ¡®master¡¯, I did not mean you."


    Everyone burst intoughter. That Knight of Light blushed and felt like he would explode in anger,, but he did not since he really had no reason to do so. The Knight of Light just did not want to let it go.


    Anfey had been ying with the little unicorn. He did not think those few Knights of Light and priests could ruin his reputation. Mercenaries respected powerful people. If it were possible, they would like to follow powerful people. Millions of bad words about Anfey would not be as influential as Suzanna making moves.


    "Master Anfey?" That Priest of Light was worried and angry when he saw Anfey distracted.


    "What do you want me to do?" Anfey replied with a smile.


    "When you ordered us to attack, it made us miss the best time to retreat. Don¡¯t you think you should say something?" the Priest of Light said.


    "Retreat? Sir!" Shinbe did not even want to call his name. "What do you think those death knights and specters were for? If I remember correctly, they had not shown up in the battle yet."


    "If those death knights and specters joined the battle, we could have been swarmed over by the death spirits around us. We did not have any barriers between us. Those death spirits could easily crush the formation we had." Thompson¡¯s ears seemed to work again. "If we listened to you, we already would be death spirits now."


    "We cannot do nothing. Are we just waiting to die here?" That Priest of Light had to argue from a different perspective.


    "Why cannot we wait?" Anfey said calmly. "Archknight Fernando has been looking for opportunities to fight with death spirits. Now it is the time. Isn¡¯t it a good thing?"


    "But Archknight Fernando does not know our situation," the Priest of Light yelled.


    He sounded like such ayman. The other three Knights of Light who were qualified to sit in the meeting all smiled bitterly.


    "We divided each day into six time periods. Each time period we sent out a group of elite knights to contact Archknight Fernando. If the Archknight did not receive any information from us, he could specte on our location and our enemies¡¯ fighting ability with the time gap," Anfey patiently exined like a teacher. "So you do not have to worry. They wille to help as fast as they can."


    "This is a joke. Since we were encircled, we have not sent anyone to contact Archknight Fernando. How could Archknight Fernando know where we are and the number of necromancers we have to deal with?" the Priest of Light said.


    The few Knights of Light awkwardly lowered their heads. They could not disagree with their peer, so they had to pretend they did not hear what he said.


    "Let¡¯s put it this way. We sent out our knight to Archknight Fernando this noon. At noon, we were 30 miles away from Zagreen and would be reaching Stormenburg in three days. Archknight Fernando would be alerted if the next round of knights does not get to him in time. If the next round of knights is missing, he would know there would be something wrong. It is easy to locate us. We should be only half a day travelling distance away from thest round of knights who reached to Stormenburg. In terms of the number of death spirits, we have about 4,000 mercenaries and about 1,000 Knights of Light and priests. If we were in any trouble, he would know we had encountered the main force of the death spirits." Anfey looked calm and nice, but his words were not. "Am I exining it clearly? Not everyone is as stupid as you. Archknight Fernando is a good general. You cannot evaluate Archknight Fernando¡¯s intelligence and judgment ability with your own intelligence."


    It could be that priest had dedicated his life to God, so it took him a while to realize what Anfey meant. Anfey did not scold him directly. Or perhaps he understood what Anfey meant but could not take it. He was trembling in anger.


    "If you are still worried and think Archknight Fernando is as stupid as you, you can ask for help yourself," Anfey said.


    "Ask for help? It would be no different thanmitting suicide," a Knight of Light said, smiling bitterly. "It will take at least 8 days for Archknight Fernando to get here. Can we hold on for 8 days?" Besides the time the knights needed to deliver messages, it would take a day or two to reorganize his troops and few days to arrive. The Knight of Light was not wrong.


    Anfey said in a low voice, "If death spirits attack Zagreen City, how long do you think we could hold out?"


    "I do not know how long we can hold out, but I do know we will die soon once the priest group exhausts their magic," the Knight of Light responded. He did not mean to ignore the fighting ability of the mage group, but he had to admit priests were a lot stronger in terms of fighting death spirits.


    "Did they gather countless death spirits, death knights and specters to wipe us out? We only have a few people," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Well..." the priest said.


    "Don¡¯t you think they overdid it?" Anfey asked.


    "Are you saying..." the priest said.


    "I did not say anything. Just stay here." No matter what others thought, Anfey had kept calm since he had Warner and the Book of Life. He had seen the power of the Book of Life in Moramatch. Of course, if others got to know about the Book of Life, conflict with the church would break out. He was not ready yet. He would not use Warner unless it was absolutely necessary.

 Chapter 398: Anger

    Chapter 398: Anger


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Are there any changes?" Anfey asked as he walked up to Suzanna.


    "What are you doing here?" Suzanna asked, turning around. "You should be getting some rest." Suzanna frowned when she saw Anfey¡¯s bloodshot eyes. He had been very busy for the past few days and only had slept for a few hours that morning. She knew he had to get some rest or else he could get sick.


    "I¡¯m worried," Anfey said quietly.


    "You¡¯re always worried," Suzanna said. "You need to worry more about yourself." She sighed and smoothed out some wrinkles on his shirt. There were still mercenaries around and she did not want to do anything that may be deemed inappropriate.


    Anfey shook his head. "I¡¯ll be fine," he said.


    "You sure?"


    "Absolutely."


    Suzanna sighed and shook her head. She knew there was no use trying to convince him to do anything he did not want to do.


    "Let¡¯s go take a walk," Anfey said, pointing down the wall. "I¡¯m sure the necromancers will attack again at some point. They need to take us out before Fernando arrives, or else it would be almost impossible for them to wipe us out."


    "The attack never stopped," Suzanna said with a frown. "But that¡¯s different, isn¡¯t it? They¡¯re just trying to figure out how much manpower we have."


    Anfey nodded. "Thising fight...it¡¯s going to be worse than all these small skirmishes added together. They¡¯re serious about taking us out."


    Suzanna opened her mouth a few times but only sighed and did not say anything.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "Never mind," Suzanna said. "It¡¯s nothing."


    "It¡¯s never nothing," Anfey said. "What are you keeping from me?"


    Suzanna shook her head.


    "We promised each other we¡¯d never keep secrets, remember?" Anfey said. "You can talk to me about anything. Plus, you¡¯re never this hesitant."


    Suzanna grabbed Anfey¡¯s arm and moved closer to him. They walked in silence for a few minutes. Anfey knew that it was no use pushing her, but she eventually would talk to him. She always talked to him because he talked to her. They rarely keep secrets from each other.


    "Tell me, Suzanna," Anfey said.


    "Have you...have you nned for the worst?" Suzanna asked quietly. "I know you¡¯re not the kind to prepare for that, but..."


    Suzanna knew that it was a difficult thing to think about. No one wanted to think about the worst possible situation when nning for a battle. Even one as meticulous as Anfey might not have a backup n when the worst happened.


    To Suzanna, there were certain people she wanted to protect and there were people she wanted to protect but could not. Riska and vi were her friends; and Ozzic, Shinbe, and the mercenaries were loyal followers. She wanted to protect all of them, but she knew that even as a top level power she could not protect everyone. If worse came to worst and the zombies broke into the city, she would need to make sacrifices.


    Suzanna knew she was not a hero and could not sacrifice herself for others. Anfey wanted glory and fame, but she just wanted a peaceful life. She could do anything to protect those who were important to her, but not the ones she deemed irrelevant to her life.


    Ye was hurrying over and caught what Suzanna said. He paused, unsure what to do. Ye knew what Suzanna was talking about, but this was a private conversation and not one he should intrude into. Whatever Anfey and Suzanna talked about was their business. He should stay away.


    Anfey spotted Ye and waved him over. Suzanna pursed her lips when she saw Ye.


    Ye hesitated, then hurried over. "Lord vi told me to look for you, sir," he said.


    "You heard what we were saying, didn¡¯t you?"


    "Yes," Ye said with a nod.


    "That is the issue I wanted to talk to you about," Anfey said. "If the worst happens, we need a n."


    Ye nodded. "I¡¯ll follow your every order, sir," Ye said, "no matter what happens." Ye knew Anfey and knew that as long as there was a glimmer of hope, Anfey would not abandon his men. If it really came down to it, it would not be Anfey¡¯s or Suzanna¡¯s fault. A few survivors would still be better than no survivors.


    "Don¡¯t be so pessimistic," Anfey said with a grin. "Don¡¯t forget about Warner and the Book of Life."


    "You mean..."


    "I¡¯ve talked with Warner a few times," Anfey said. "He said that it is hard to activate the Book of Life. As long as we can keep the zombies and the necromancers away from him, he can hold out for a long time. I think that is more than enough. But in order for Warner to use the Book of Life, we need to take out the priests. I can¡¯t call Ozzic back, so you need to be the one to do it."


    "But sir, if we take out those priests..."


    "Warner and the Book of Life will be ourst resort," Anfey said. "As long as there is hope, I won¡¯t use him. You know how powerful that book is. If we have that book, we won¡¯t need those priests."


    Ye nodded, looked at Suzanna, and turned to leave. Before he could get far, he stumbled. He nced outside of the city and his heard grew cold. Several dozen specters were floating just outside the wall. They would attack the wall quickly and soundlessly before hurrying away. They made no noise, but the ones they attacked could hear loud screams. A few mercenaries were stumbling already. The priests that were present hurried to cleanse them.


    Suzanna frowned. She turned to Anfey and saw that his entire body was tense and he was shaking as if enduring great pain. "Anfey?" she asked quietly.


    "I¡¯m fine," Anfey said through clenched teeth as the specters retreated. "Let¡¯s get out of here." The specters had an unpleasant effect on him, and their magic made him strangely angry. He knew that the specters shouldn¡¯t affect him, but he could not block them out. It wasn¡¯t pain or difort he had just experienced. The specters had awaken the part of him that wanted to fight.


    "You said that we don¡¯t keep secrets," Suzanna said. "But you are keeping things from me. Now that Ye heard what I just said, he must be thinking that I¡¯m a horrible person."


    "Ye¡¯s not that kind of person, you know that," Anfey said. "He understands there are choices we must make."


    Suzanna wanted to say something, but she was interrupted by a sudden howl. Thousands of zombies surged towards the wall from the forest like moving water, howling and wing, ready to kill any living thing in front of them.

 Chapter 399: Internecine Warfare

    Chapter 399: Internecine Warfare


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As the sun went down in the west, the tough battle finally ended, but morale among the mercenaries in Zagreen City became very low. The attacks from death spirits never stopped from morning until night. Anfey had about 200 priests join the battle, but the fatality rate was exceptionally high for the day. Including the fatalities of the past few days, the mercenaries had been reduced by one third. They also lost about one hundred knights and priests.


    Everyone knew death spirits were more powerful at night. If it was already very tough during the day, but it would be a lot tougher at night. The necromancers had ordered many death spirits to fight for them during the day to exhaust the fighting ability of the League of Mercenaries, but the real battle would break out at night.


    There was a saying that misfortune might be blessings in disguise, while misfortune lurked within good fortune. As the sun went down behind the mountains, good news finally came. Archknight Fernando had brought his Shield of Light legion. He sent a homing pigeon with a letter, telling the mercenaries to hold on tight for another 24 hours at any cost.


    Anfey was sitting in the room and ying with the homing pigeon on the table. This mutated pigeon had a small body, only slightly bigger than a sparrow, but it could fly extremely fast and understand people well. It¡¯s only drawback was that it could not fly long distances. It was bred for sending messages between two ces that were not too far from each other. Anfey was thinking he should talk with Fernando to see if they could buy more of these homing pigeons to build an informationwork of their own. As to the content of the letter they received, he did not see and could not see it, just as the Knights of Light could not givemands to mercenaries. If he asked to see the letter, he would bring humiliation on himself, since the conflict between Anfey and the knights was obvious. The Knights of Light and priests would not lose any opportunity to make fun of Anfey.


    Someone knocked on the door. Anfey looked up. "Come in, please."


    Ye pushed the door open and walked in. He listened at the door for a moment after he closed the door behind him. He slowly approached Anfey.


    "What happened?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, let¡¯s do it now," Ye said quietly. "It would be hard to hold out tonight with just those Knights of Light and priests. Why don¡¯t we just bet on Warner? If we lose the battle, it would be hard for us to get back on our feet again."


    Anfey gave the matter a bit of thought, then said, "Fernando is getting close. I am worried that..."


    "Master," Ye said worriedly, "it shows that Warner is not able to help us when Fernando asked us to hold out for another day and night. We would never know if he could beat all those death spirits. We have to protect ourselves. If Fernando loses the battle, we have to be able to break through the death spirits¡¯ blockade. Master, we used to have more than 4,000 mercenaries, but now we have less than 3,000. If we lose more of them, I am afraid..."


    "Ye, there are many people watching us. It would not be easy to kill those Knights of Light and priests. If anyone noticed...I think, we¡¯d better wait," Anfey said.


    "Master, you don¡¯t trust those mercenaries, do you? In fact, they do not care about the church. In addition, we have secretly killed some of the Knights of Light and priests," Ye said.


    Anfey suddenly gave Ye a look. The next moment, there was someone knocking on the door. "Is Master Anfey there?"


    Anfey lifted his chin to signal Ye to open the door. Ye walked to the door and opened it. A Priest of Light and few Knights of Light stood outside with big smiles. Anfey knew two of the Knights of Light, Hilde and Martin. Hilde had been hostile towards Anfey, while Martin was the spy Ynthe set up in the church.


    "Master, can wee in?" the Priest of Light asked with a smile.


    "Pleasee in,e in." Anfey slowly stood up. "You are here..."


    "Master, I have a secret order from the Pope!" the Priest of Light went directly to the point and then turned to Ye. "Master Ye, are you..."


    "Secret order? To me?" Anfey looked a little shocked. He nodded at Ye. Ye turned around and slowly left.


    "Yes, master." The Priest of Light held his hand out and took a letter from his Dimensional ring.


    Anfey smiled and reached for the letter, but he was just a little off and did not get the letter. Instead, he touched that Priest of Light¡¯s hand. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed the Priest of Light¡¯s hand and pulled it down as he kicked him in the groin. The Priest of Light flew into the air. As the priest screamed out, Anfey jammed his knee into the priest¡¯s face and stifled his screaming.


    Martin pulled his sword out and thrust forward with full force. However, he did not thrust at Anfey. Instead, he stabbed at his peer, Hilde. Hilde never thought Martin would attack him. Martin¡¯s sword pierced his back and through his chest before Hilde had a chance to pull her sword half way out.


    At the same time, Ye ran back in. The sword in his hand created a light screen. He thrusted his sword into the neck of a Knight of Light. The way Ye thrust his sword was cruel. His sword had cut off half that knight¡¯s neck.


    These Priests and Knights of Light had note with a good intentions. They should have not brought Martin with them. Anfey was smart and responded quickly. He looked at Martin and understood what Martin was trying to signal him. As a result, the killers were killed. The Priest of Light with the highest fighting ability did not even get the chance to release his magic scroll before he was killed by Anfey.


    Anfey did not think the two Knights of Light who were still alive could pose any threats to them. Anfey indicated to Martin that he had no idea why these Priests and Knights of Light attacked him. He hoped to find the answer from Martin.


    "Master, be careful!" Martin yelled to Anfey. He threw himself at Anfey to protect him. At the same time, the iron door was torn to pieces and a bright sword radiance shot into the room.


    Martin had used all hisbat power to block the sword radiance from Anfey. As the sword radiance pierced through Martin¡¯s body, his body was torn apart.


    "Go, hurry up!" Anfey yelled. He now understood that there was a top power among his opponents. He worried about Ye. If Ye wanted to fight without considering the fighting ability of his opponent, he would be killed as quickly as Martin.


    "Where do you think you are going?" Laughter rose from outside, and then another sword radiance shot at Anfey.


    Ye was wise. He turned around, crashed through the window and jumped out. A Fire Shield appeared on Anfey¡¯s left arm, and he fearlessly countered the sword radiance. After a huge crashing noise, Anfey realized he could not even control the shaking from the fire elements on the Fire Shield. The whole Fire Shield was smashed to pieces while Anfey was knocked into the bedroom.


    "Suzanna has been led to the north of the city, so..." A person slowly walked into the bedroom and looked at Anfey, who stood there with his sword. Anfey said calmly, "Go to hell!"


    This time the person did not feel the sword radiance was enough to kill Anfey, so he did not release sword radiance. Instead, he shed his sword at Anfey.


    This sh looked very simple, but its speed and power were beyond anything Anfey had experienced. The brightbat power lit up the bedroom even brighter than day light. The moving air currents tore the bedframe behind Anfey. The frame shattered against the wall with a loud crash.


    Anfey¡¯s counterattack was simple as well. With his fighting skills, he could move to the side to dodge the sword, but he chose to counter it directly because he wanted to understand the difference between him and a real top power.


    In addition to Anfey¡¯s bed the vases, cases and other stuff in the bedroom could not take the pressure and were all crushed into pieces. The Fire Sword became blurry.


    The stone floor shattered underneath Anfey, surprising both of them. A ck hole appeared. Anfey could not fall down the hole because of the enormous surprised he received.


    There was a big secret chamber underneath the bedroom. The secret chamber had a few floors. It had been built for its previous owner to store treasure. Anfey had never noticed this secret chamber before.


    "Huh?" The person looked really surprised and immediately jumped into the hole. Maybe because of the two rounds of fighting, he believed Anfey was not as strong as him, so he made such daring move. If their fight abilities were simr, he probably would have put himself at a serious disadvantage if he simply jumped into the hole.


    Anfey stood up straight. He released his telepathy as fast as he could. The blurry Fire Sword started to look clear again very quickly. Seeing the person jumping down, he did not immediately start his attack.


    "Did you prepare this for yourself? Not bad! It is very hard to find," the person said as he looked around the chamber.


    Anfey kept quiet as his internal power was moving faster and faster.


    "Are you desperate now? Do you know who I am?" The person smiled and looked to Anfey like he was ying a cat and mouse game.


    "I do not want to know," Anfey said calmly. "You are a top power, but unfortunately, you do not know how to kill others."


    "Do you know? Unfortunately..." The person tried to copy Anfey. He said calmly, "You are a professional killer, but you are going to be killed by me today!"


    Anfey slowly raised his sword to indicate to his opponent that he was ready to fight. As an assassin in his previous world, he never talked bullsh*t with his targets, trying to tell them why he was going to kill them and other stuff. Those were pointless conversations. Instead, talking bullsh*t would give his opponents time to find a good opportunity to fight back and beat him.


    "Do you still hope you could win this fight? Not bad, not bad," the person said with a wry smile. "I can tell you have a strange power inside of you. Is it power that could help you be a Supreme Power?" In fact, he secretly had a feeling that whatever power he had would not work on Anfey. From the time he practicedbat power until he became a top power, he had been under the supervision of his master. He never really got a chance to interact with others. That was why he was a little na?ve when he was arguing with Anfey.


    "You really like to talk!" Anfey said rudely. Dragging the time was really doing him a favor, but he did not want to wait anymore because he did not want to rely on Suzanna all the time.

 Chapter 400: Nothing!

    Chapter 400: Nothing£¡


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You really don¡¯t want to know who I am?" the figure asked, curious. If someone wanted to kill him, he would want to know who he was. Anfey, on the other hand, appearedpletely unbothered by the fact that he did not know who was trying to kill him.


    "Why would I?" Anfey asked. "So many people want to kill me. If I try to find out who every single one of them is, it would take too long."


    "Interesting," the figure said. He gripped his sword. He was angry, but he still kept the words of his teacher in mind. He wasn¡¯t there to kill Anfey.


    "You¡¯ll be surprised," Anfey said. "Well, since you want me to know so badly: Who are you, exactly?"


    "Deswright," the figure said. "I¡¯m a student of Philip¡¯s."


    "That¡¯s it?" Anfey said, shaking his head. "I thought there would be more."


    "You made a mistake the day you killed Zeda," Deswright said coolly.


    "It¡¯s toote for that now, isn¡¯t it?" Anfey asked. "I killed him. It¡¯s done."


    "I know that," Deswright said. "Which is why I am here."


    Anfey frowned. He did not expect such an answer from Deswright. All the top level powers he had met were brilliant people. Even Bruzuryano, who was known for his honesty, had his own secrets. Honesty wasn¡¯t stupidity. He was surprised that Deswright did not get the hint.


    "I have to warn you, though," Anfey said, "Suzanna¡¯s almost here."


    Deswright frowned. He had been spying on them for a while now and knew that Suzanna had recently moved up a level. He did not need to face another top level power because that would just be too inconvenient. He raised his sword and dashed towards Anfey.


    Anfey did not back down, either. He gripped his sword and blocked Deswright¡¯s attack. He wanted to see how different he was from a top level power. This was a good opportunity for him to gain some knowledge and use it to his benefit.


    The two swords shed with a loud thud. Anfey¡¯s fire sword shattered and turned back into loose fire elements. He was too distracted to form another sword this fast. Deswright had used most of his power and had no reserve. Remnants ofbat power exploded with the loose elements. The sh sent both Anfey and Deswright flying backwards and crashing into the walls of the cave. The cave shook dangerously, threatening to copse at any moment.


    Anfey quickly formed a fire shield to defend himself from thebat power.


    Deswright recovered much faster than Anfey did. He was already heading towards Anfey just as Anfey was standing up. He did not care to prolong this process. He just needed to finish this.


    Deswright might have been young and inexperienced, but he was still very powerful. Even though Anfey had the sword Jacob had forged for him, he was still shocked by his collision with the wall of the cave. Deswright only stumbled a little after this sh, but Anfey was thrown away again. He crashed through a wooden door at the end of the tunnel and crashed against the wall. Deswright chased after him quickly. Behind him, the cave and the tunnel shook and began to copse.


    Deswrightughed. "You¡¯re trapped now," he said. Deswright was right. The tunnel had already copsed and the room they were in was sealed off. There was no way out unless one of them died at the hand of the other.


    Anfey shook his head and stood up. His body was very strong now but he was still not strong enough to be able to shake off the pain of crashing into walls. The shes made him slightly dizzy.


    "Just admit defeat," Deswright said, "and maybe I won¡¯t kill you then."


    Anfey took a deep breath. The air was very foul in the room because theck of cirction. That did not help with his dizziness.


    "I¡¯m curious," Anfey said, panting. "How did someone like you be a top level power?"


    "You¡¯re questioning my abilities?" Deswright asked coolly. He knew that he was powerful enough to defeat Anfey, especially when Anfey was injured. However, he seemed to have forgotten that Anfey¡¯s power did noty in pure strength. Instead, his speed and agility were what Deswright should really be watching for.


    Anfey¡¯s breath stabilized and he summoned arge fireball. He threw the fireball at Deswright and quickly scrambled away, sending a few more fireballs as he ran. He was summoning fireballs as fast as his body would allow.


    A small wall of fire appeared around Deswright as Anfey sent a few more fireballs his way.


    Deswright could sense that this was Anfey¡¯sst attempt at defeating him. He was very patient and was waiting for Anfey to use up all of his magic. It would take time for Suzanna to find them, and Deswright did not mind waiting.


    The light of the fireballs began to dim, and Anfey stopped usingrge fireballs and began using small fireballs. Deswright watched him without expression. An attack with small fireballs was nothing to a man like him.


    Anfey finally stopped using magic and stood there, watching Deswright. The two of them watched one another silently. Deswright frowned. Anfey was supposed to be a pdin, and his magic should not deplete this quickly.


    "Is it my turn now?" Deswright asked, waving his sword.


    Anfey shrugged but did not say anything. He tapped the ground with his foot as if waiting for Deswright.


    Deswright took a deep breath and dove forward. He did not want to kill Anfey just yet. He was still adhering to Philip¡¯s instructions. He wanted to prolong the process.


    Anfey waited for Deswright to get close enough to him before moving. He pushed off of the wall behind and moved out of the way of Deswright¡¯s sword.


    Deswright dove towards him again, but this time, he realized that something was off. His breathing was bing more difficult and hisbat power was failing.


    "What did you do?" Deswright asked angrily. Anfey shook his head and still did not say anything. He dashed towards Deswright and mmed a fist into his chest. Because of his failingbat power, Deswright could not defend himself against this attack. Deswright crashed into the wall. Anfey lunged at him, throwing him towards arge stone before he could regain his strength.


    Withoutbat power, Deswright was not as strong as the stone. His body slid limply off the stone. Anfey picked up Deswright¡¯s sword and stabbed the man through the chest. Deswright watched him angrily, then his eyelids drooped and his body stilled.


    After making sure that Deswright really was dead, Anfey walked over to the copsed tunnel and began trying to dig his way out with the sword.


    After a few moments, he made a small crack in the rock pile. He quickly leaned close to the crack and took a deep breath. Then he began digging again.


    After a few feet, he felt the stones shaking. He grinned, knowing that Suzanna must have arrived. The shaking was growing stronger. Anfey waited impatiently, knowing that soon he would run out of air. Hopefully, Suzanna heard the noises he made, and he wouldn¡¯t have to die together with Deswright.


    Just as Anfey thought that Suzanna wouldn¡¯t find him, arge crack appeared through the rocks and air flowed in. A momentter, Suzanna appeared at the crack. "Anfey?" she called hesitantly. "You still alive in there?"

 Chapter 401: Glorious Achievements

    Chapter 401: Glorious Achievements


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey clumsily crawled out through the hole Suzanna had hit open for him. Yes, Anfey crawled out. He wished he could gracefully jumped through the hole like a rabbit. The problem was, he felt so weak that he could not even jump.


    He had reached the perfect level of the Spirit Refining Stage. He could easily close off his breathing, even to the point where he could be like a baby in the womb; but this only happened when he was meditation. If he was moving and doing things, he could not reach the Spirit Refining Stage. The air in the secret chamber was bad from the beginning. The oxygen he umted and stored was exhausted. Now Anfey felt like his chest was going to explode.


    "Anfey!" Suzanna screamed in excitement and surprise. She grabbed Anfey and pushed on his back. She neither had time to ask what had happened nor wipe the sweat from his face. She yelled, "Go, hurry up! I got it here."


    "Anfey,e out quickly!" vi yelled at the end of the tunnel. Riska was there as well. A top power might scare others, but not the friends who had gone through thick and thin with Anfey. Even if Suzanna had asked them not toe, they still woulde. Seeing Suzanna bashing further into the tunnel, Anfey grabbed her. He could not even talk. The only strength he had was used to breathe. Anfey¡¯s lips moved as a struggling fish on thend. He looked as bad as anyone could imagine. Anfey was not a gentleman like Christian, but still paid a lot of attention to his looks and behavior. However, at that moment he could not spare any energy on his looks and behaviors.


    Seeing Anfey grabbing her, Suzanna thought Anfey did not want her to take any risk. She struggled a little bit and just obeyed Anfey. She still had her back to Anfey, looking at the dark hole. Her eyes had real fire in them. She hoped that the top level power was strong that she could fight him for a long time after she sent Anfey away to a safe ce so she could vent her anger.


    In fact, Suzanna wanted badly to talk to Anfey. She regreted that she easily agreed like a fool to follow those Knights of Light to the north of the city. She wanted to touch Anfey. Only feeling his body could make her believe Fortune did not take Anfey away from her. She also wanted very much to cry. She was in a fighting mood and needed to tear that top level power to pieces before she could throw herself into Anfey¡¯s arms and cry.


    "Let¡¯s go," Anfey said, finally able to breathe. He pulled Suzanna to signal her to leave. He crawled out on his hands and knees.


    "Anfey, hurry up!" vi walked two steps towards the hole. "Where is that guy?"


    "I have killed him," Anfey said as he crawled out. He suddenly felt something was strange. He looked up and saw vi and Riska were stunned. Suzanna behind him was stunned as well.


    "Anfey, what did you say?" vi stuttered.


    vi did not mean to look down on Anfey¡¯s fighting ability. Ye had told him that it was a master swordsman attacking Anfey. The fight between two top level powers usually took a long time. After they got the news, they tried to get back as fast as they could. They dug the copsed secret chamber to look for Anfey. It did not take long for them to find Anfey, since they were all worried about him. Even though Anfey had the fighting ability equivalent to a top level power, it was not possible to kill his opponent so quickly unless Anfey was way better than the top level power. It did not seem to make sense either.


    "What are you doing?" Anfey was mad but found it funny at the same time. "Let¡¯s talk when we get out. The air is not good here." His chest still felt tight, and he needed to breathe some fresh air.


    He pulled the stunned Suzanna out of the hole. Anfey heard the yelling above him. It was Ozzic. He was yelling at someone.


    When Anfey pulled himself out of the hole, he saw Ozzic yelling at Ye. Ye¡¯s cheeks were swollen as if he had been smacked on the face. Ozzic had his back to Anfey as he was scolding Ye. Ye was a very capable person, at least he could lead a unit. Every time Anfey hinted that he should lead a unit, Ye politely turned Anfey¡¯s offer down. He told Anfey he would like to continue as Ozzic¡¯s assistant. He also mentioned to Anfey that Ozzic had saved him a few times. Ozzic was nice to Ye as well, even better than his biological brother. Ozzic understood how helpful Ye was to him.


    Ye bit his lips with his head down. In fact, he felt the worst right now. He suddenly saw someone crawling out of the hole out of the corner of his eye. He looked closer and realized it was Anfey. Suddenly he looked excited and surprised. He broke into a smile.


    "What are you f*cking smiling for? Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?" Ozzic yelled in anger at Ye. His voice was a little coarse. He grabbed Ye¡¯s cor and swung his fist at him.


    "Ozzic, I am not dead yet. What are you yelling for?" Anfey immediately stopped Ozzic.


    "What the f*ck! Master?" Ozzic¡¯s facial expression was a lot more interesting than Ye¡¯s when he turned around to see Anfey. He looked like he was going to give Anfey a hug, but hesitated because he realized the difference in status between him and Anfey.


    Seeing the look on Ozzic, he knew he trusted the right person. Ozzic did some not-so-decent things, but he was super loyal to Anfey, which was enough for Anfey.


    "I asked Ye to leave. Don¡¯t me him," Anfey said slowly. Ye always returned his favors, so Anfey wanted to him to be able to do so to Ozzic, and tried to clear up any misunderstandings between them.


    "Huh." Ozzic realized something and suddenly jumped up. "Guys, are you ready? What about the master swordsman. I do not think a master swordsman could hide in the tunnel and nevere out. When hees out, let¡¯s kill him."


    "F*cking kill him," a mercenary said.


    "F*cking kill him," another mercenary agreed.


    Hundreds of mercenaries surrounding Ozzic raised their weapons and said it loudly together. They looked like they had found amon enemy. It was very impressive that they had stayed there even though they knew there was a top level power. Only well-trained military dared to surround the top level power. The lives of mercenaries were dangerous, but they could choose what they wanted for the future. They could take on dangerous tasks, but no one was required to take on tasks that could cost them their lives. With their fighting ability, it was like suicide to surround a top level power.


    "Stopping yelling. The master swordsman has died," vi said.


    After they heard that Anfey had killed the master swordsman, Suzanna, vi and a few others had be very strange. They had doubts and questions, but just could not ask Anfey, otherwise it would look like they doubted Anfey¡¯s fighting ability. It wasmon sense that a pdin could be equivalent to a top level power, but never be able to break through. How could Anfey kill a top level power? What confused them most was the timing. Even a herbivore Three-Eyed magic bull took some time to chase and y. This guy had been a top level power; and Anfey had killed him too quickly. He was a top level power, not a chicken or small dog.


    "Yes, we will f*cking kill him." Ozzic turned around and said to vi as he waved his fist. He looked excited and was ready for the fight. He looked like he agreed with vi. When he turned around, he was shocked. He slowly turned back after a moment. He stared at vi and then turned to look at Anfey with a weird look. Ozzic did not want to look like a clown, but he was really shocked.


    "What are you looking at? Didn¡¯t you understand me? Anfey killed that master swordsman," vi yelled as he grew more cheerful.


    The mercenaries at the scene all heard what vi said. The yelling and cheering suddenly stopped. It waspletely quiet. The air felt quiet serious.


    Most mercenaries had never seen top level powers before. They seemed to be so far away from their lives, like gods. They had seen Ernest and Fernando since they joined the League of Mercenaries. They were all proud of that. The advancement of Suzanna made everybody excited as well. Master swordsmen were so powerful. They wondered how he could die so easily.


    "What are you doing? Why don¡¯t you believe me?" Anfey felt ufortable. "Ozzic!"


    "Yes!" Ozzic stuck out his chest. He had followed Anfey for quite a long time. They always kept a casual rtionship no matter when they talked or when Anfey asked him to do something. Ozzic had no idea why he acted so formally.


    "Can you take some people to dig open the hole? Let it air out for a while before bringing that guy¡¯s body out of the hole," Anfey said. "He is my enemy, but he is already dead. We¡¯d better let the hatred go. He was a top level power. We could not let him die without a tomb." Anfey sounded upright and forgiving, but in fact that was not the case. At that moment, what did heck the most? It was fame! He wanted to be seen stepping on his dead opponent¡¯s body. This was a great opportunity to be a hero and increase his fame.


    "Yes, master!" Ozzic answered loudly. He strode over to the hole where it had caved in. When he passed by Anfey, he paused for a second and asked timidly in a low voice, "Master, Master Alice has told us your previous teacher is a supreme power. Is it true?"


    "Keep it to yourself. Don¡¯t tell others," Anfey said calmly.


    "I understand." Ozzic¡¯s voice trembled from excitement. He had doubted it when Alice told him the secret. There had been no supreme power on the Pan Continent for the past thousand years. How could Anfey have such an amazing background? What had happened made him realize it was true. It was like being pped on the face. Anfey did not have terrifyingbat power nor destructive magic power, but his fighting ability was beyond a top level power. Otherwise how could he so easily kill a master swordsman. It looked like he would leave his footprint on history. The people who worked with him would be marked in history as well. What glory that people would still recognize his name in thousands of years!


    Anfeyid his eyes on Ye and smiled. "I am sorry you had to take all the me."


    Ye did not pay too much attention to Anfey¡¯s words offort. "After this battle, Master, you will be making a name for yourself," he said, emphasizing each word.


    "Making a name for myself?" Anfey shook his head and smiled.


    "Making a name! Making a name!" The mercenaries around them started to cheer together. If Anfey could make a name for himself, their League of Mercenaries would make a name for itself as well, and so would they. They were worried whenever the issue came up about unifying the Country of Mercenaries. Four super mercenary groups had been there for hundreds of years, so much stronger than other, smaller mercenary groups. Master swordsman Anthony led the best mercenary group. It was unclear whether they would win if they fought his mercenary group. But the result was no longer in question. Anthony might now be able to beat Master Suzanna. If Anfey joined the fight, he could easily take Anthony¡¯s life. They thought to themselves that they had nothing to worry about.


    "What are you yelling?" a female voice called from the distance. "Did you save Master?" After a brief moment, a bloodied Shinbe showed up in front of everyone. She was leading a priest by the cor. That priest looked really miserable. His hands were cut off and one foot was missing. He was ina.


    A few mercenaries pursed their lips. They wondered when Master Shinbe had started to talk nonsense. Anfey needed no one to save him. What a joke.


    Anfey cleared his throat.


    Shinbe had not seen Anfey until that moment. She looked happy and surprised. "Master, are you ok?"


    "Why did you all hope to see something happening to me?" Anfey said with a curious smile.


    "Good. That is good." Shinbe was even worse than Suzanna in terms of articting herself. She did not know how to respond to Anfey¡¯s joke and tossed the priest to the ground. "Master, those Knights of Light and priests were all killed. He is the only one alive. Well...the mercenaries in my unit were too worried about your safety so they were a little too harsh on him."


    "They did a good job!" Anfey nodded with a smile. He slowly walked over and kicked the unconscious priest.


    Even though she was a woman, Shinbe was a lot harsher than Anfey. She hit the priest with the sheath of her sword and yelled, "Get up, don¡¯t y dead."


    That priest vaguely moaned. He did not y dead. He was indeed in aa. Even if he was conscious, he could not follow Shinbe¡¯s order to stand up, not before he could get artificial limbs, if there were any on the Pan Continent.


    "Master, I will do it." A mercenary ran over, smiling. He tossed a snow ball at the priest¡¯s face.


    In fact, Knights of Light and priests deserved it. ording to Anfey¡¯s n, he should have moved against those Knights of Light and priests first. However, except for Ye, who was cruel, the mercenaries would hesitate or develop a feeling against killing Knights of Light and priests, since they had fought together and received help from them during the battle. At that moment, though, it was different story. Knights of Light and priest even went to attack Anfey. They had be mutual enemies. No amount of torture of Knights of Light and priests would be unreasonable.


    The coldness from the snow ball made the priest open his eyes as he made moaning sounds. When he saw Anfey, he was shocked. Seeing anyone except Anfey would have been reasonable. "Master Deswright was there. How could Anfey be alive? Am I in the hell?" the priest thought to himself.


    "Tell me why you attacked me," Anfey asked calmly.


    That priest did not answer. He wanted to rub his eyes, but saw Anfey right in front of his face. His limbs moved a little bit before he realized he had lost his arms. He tried to look up to see what was around him. He looked like he was looking for someone.


    "Are you looking for Deswright? Don¡¯t bother. He is dead. Can you answer my question now? Why did you attack me?" Anfey asked calmly.


    That priest spit at Anfey. This was his only way to attack.


    Anfey looked casual, with a smile. He gave Ye a look. He was actually nervous. There were things he had to know. Shinbe told him this priest was the only one alive. If this priest lied to them, it would be hard for them to prove he lied.


    Seeing Anfey¡¯s smile, the priest hated Anfey with passion. He suddenly yelled, "Anfey, you don¡¯t have to act so proud. You killed Archpriest nbrea. The Church will never forget it. You will pay for it!"


    "Huh!" Ozzic, who was checking the caved-in part of the hole, slipped and almost fell into it. He pulled himself back to his feet. His eyes were open wide, staring at the back of Anfey. What happened? What happened? Had Master really killed Archpriest nbrea? Oh my God. Master is so powerful. If he had any doubts before that Anfey tricked that master swordsman and killed him, he finally realized that a master swordsman was not up to Anfey¡¯s fighting ability; Anfey killing a famous archpriest should be enough to prove Anfey¡¯s fighting ability had reached an amazing level. Ozzic badly wanted to shout to show how excited he was.


    Suzanna and vi looked more normal than Ozzic because they knew what was behind the story. If Anfey told them he killed the Archmage Yagor, they would look as shocked as Ozzic did at that moment. If Ozzic knew Anfey had killed three top level powers in total, he would probably pass out.


    Anfey quietly watched the priest. After a while, he said quietly, "Master, I will always remember your help and support. Thank you so much!"


    "Help and support"? The mercenaries all looked at each other. They did not understand what Anfey meant. Neither did the priest. He just stared at Anfey.


    "I do not understand how you came to know that secret?" Anfey replied.


    The color on the priest¡¯s face kept changing from blue to purple. His bloody lips were trembling. He was not sure whether it was out of anger or regret. He closed his eyes and passed out again.

 Chapter 402: Breakthrough

    Chapter 402: Breakthrough


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I¡¯m ready, sir," Warner said quietly. "Waiting on your order."


    "Be careful," Anfey warned.


    "Don¡¯t worry, sir. I won¡¯t risk my life for this."


    "Good," Anfey nodded. "I trust you."


    Warner nodded and hurried away. Anfey watched the man with a frown as he disappeared.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" vi asked.


    "This is the first time I am trusting someone I don¡¯t know well," Anfey said with a shrug. "Just a bit nervous."


    "Don¡¯t worry," vi said with a grin. "He won¡¯t risk his life. Plus, we still have Suzanna and you. If you can defeat a grand swordsman, a few necromancers shouldn¡¯t be a big problem."


    "I defeated him because he wasn¡¯t thinking," Anfey said. "If it had been Anthony or Manstuly, I probably wouldn¡¯t be standing here right now."


    "You¡¯re just being modest," vi said.


    "No, it¡¯s the truth."


    vi smiled. "What should we do if Fernando turns against us? Most of his men came from Maho Empire, but he is still theirmander."


    "Don¡¯t worry too much about it," Anfey said. "I won¡¯t give him the chance."


    "Are you going to kill Fernando too?" vi asked, shocked. Fernando was a senior knight with a lot of powerful guards. Killing him would be very difficult.


    "No, of course not," Anfey said. "Fernando¡¯s fate lies in the hands of His Majesty. Let¡¯s wait for Warner. If he can protect us, we will break through and head north."


    "If we are going to break through, there are going to be thousands of zombies in our way," vi said. "We can¡¯t guarantee that we¡¯re all going to make it out."


    "We¡¯re not leaving immediately," Anfey said. "We¡¯re going to leave when everyone¡¯s too distracted to notice that we¡¯re gone."


    "That¡¯s a n, I suppose," vi said. "Don¡¯t have to worry about Fernando and his scheming that way."


    "Our food supply is running low, though," ck Eleven suddenly said.


    "Really? We brought so much food when we left. How is it gone already?" vi asked.


    "We left Reddenburg and spent six days on the road. Those mercenaries who joined us needed food as well. This is the seventh day we are trapped here."


    "How much do we have left?" Anfey asked.


    "I¡¯m not exactly sure," ck Eleven said, "but I know that we¡¯re running out."


    "This is bad," vi said with a frown. "All the cities we passed had no food. Everyone was starving. Even if we head north, we may not find supplies."


    "Are you saying we should go south and back to Moramatch?" Riska asked, shaking his head. "This is too good an opportunity. We can¡¯t give it up."


    "I know that!" vi retorted. If even Riska knew this was a good opportunity, vi must also have known. He was ambitious and knew this was their best chance at expanding their influence. "But what can we do without supplies? There must be thousands of mercenaries waiting for us along the way. If we don¡¯t have food, they have no reason to join us or help us. If we just leave with no supplies, no one will join us."


    "You¡¯re right," Anfey said. "But we can¡¯t turn back now. Armin, go find Ozzic and see how much supplies we have left. We need to limit everyone¡¯s portion."


    ck Eleven stood, nodded at Anfey, Riska, and vi, then quickly left the room.


    "Hopefully the mercenaries will be fine with losing part of their portion," Riska said worriedly.


    "They have to," vi said, shaking his head. "They have to know that without limiting their portion, we¡¯re going to run out of food even faster."


    "This is not a long term n, though," Riska said. "What should we do when we find new mercenaries who need food? Are we going to decrease the portion even more?"


    vi frowned and nodded.


    "You¡¯re right," Anfey said. "We won¡¯t go north, then. We¡¯re going east."


    "Where are we going then?"


    "We¡¯re going to Entos," Anfey said.


    "That seems good," vi said with a wide grin on his face. "Marino seems like a good person. He and Entos will surely help us."


    "It¡¯s going to be a long hike," Riska said, looking at the map. "It will take at least half a dozen days."


    "We should be able to make it," Anfey said. "We need to talk to Ozzic and Shinbe and the others."


    "Wait," vi suddenly said. "I have a way. Maybe we don¡¯t have to go to Entos."


    "What is it?"


    "Most people in the Shield of Light Legion are from Maho Empire," vi said. "Even though Fernando is theirmander, their loyalty surely still lies with Maho Empire. They won¡¯t ignore the needs of their countrymen."


    "We can¡¯t do that," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "Why not?"


    "Fernando was friendly before because he needed to stabilize his rtionship with us," Anfey said. "Now that he doesn¡¯t need to do that, he will not react kindly to this request. We have thousands of mercenaries, we can¡¯t risk him finding out about it. He will know better than us how much supplies we took."


    "You¡¯re saying he can guess how much we need and set a trap?"


    "Very possibly."


    "Really?" Riska asked incredulously.


    "What kind of a person is Pope William?" Anfey asked.


    "He¡¯s powerful, that¡¯s for sure," vi said. "And smart."


    "He gave the legion to Fernando for a reason," Anfey said. "He¡¯s not stupid. Everything the pope did, he did for a reason. We cannot underestimate Fernando."


    Anfey wasn¡¯t scared of Fernando, but he was scared about what kind of situation a conflict with Fernando would put him in. Fernando was a top level power, and Anfey knew better than to underestimate those people.


    "Alright," Riska said, nodding.


    "Fernando must know that His Majesty wanted to take him out from the beginning," Anfey said. "He must have prepared for this. If things go bad, we can¡¯t let ourselves be Fernando¡¯s scapegoats."


    "Can¡¯t he just me the generals?" Riska asked, frowning.


    "Are you stupid?" vi asked, his eyes wide. "No matter who wins this, we aren¡¯t the ones responsible. We only have so much power."


    "Who are you calling stupid?" Riska retorted angrily.


    "Oh let it go," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "vi¡¯s right. We need to do our best not to get tangled up in this."


    A strong surge of magic rippled through the air. Anfey nced at his friends and they all stood and dashed outside. Zagreen City was covered by blinding white light. Arge magic barrier was expanding and covering the city. In the middle was Warner, holding the Book of Life.


    Because Anfey kept Warner¡¯s presence a secret, a lot of mercenaries did not know who he was and thought he was one of the priests. Some aimed their bows at him.


    "Wait!" Ozzic jumped up and hurried towards the mercenaries. "Goodness gracious, wait! He¡¯s on our side!"

 Chapter 403: Mind Your Own Business

    Chapter 403: Mind Your Own Business


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It made sense to have Warner show the power of the Book of Life and practice it in front of everyone. Anfey could not rush out of the city and then put all the hope on Warner. That would be irresponsible. However, Anfey did not expect Warner¡¯s practice to be so noticeable.


    The Book of Life was a holy object in the Church of Light. The power of the Book of Life was so great that magic surges created with it covered arger area and were more pure and clear than the magic surges created by Light Series magic. Against the sensation of gloom and death in the air, the magic dome Warner released was bright, like a torch in the dark. The intense element surges could even reach dozens of miles away.


    When nbrea had the Book of Life, countless Knights and Priests of Light had imed their loyalty to him. Unfortunately, Warner was just a regr priest. Everyone knew someone would want to kill him to take the Book of Life. They would never work together with Warner, not to mention iming loyalty to him. His background and fighting ability were very weak, which could not ignored.


    When Warner showed up in Moramatch with the Book of Life in his hands and showed his power by killing groups of death spirits, Anfey, as ayman, was not fooled, so there was no way he could fool the people in the church. What the Book of Life represented concerned the Knights and Priests of Light.


    An incapable person with treasure would be considered a criminal, while capable people with power and treasure would help him be a person of high morals. Warner had weak fighting ability, so he would be seen as a criminal. If he had strong fighting ability, he would be seen as a person with high morals.


    Anfey wanted to let his league rest a little and try to avoid a fight at night, when death spirits¡¯ fighting ability was stronger. The Shield of Light legion nned to fight again early the next morning. This time they started to fight with full force as soon as the horn was blown, when the moon just rose above the trees.


    At necromacers¡¯ orders, about a hundred Death Knights led a group of specters and countless death spirits back to Zagreen City.


    At the same time, Anfey was standing on the city wall north of Zagreen City. He gathered the fire elements as he was watching what was happening ahead of him. Anfey¡¯s Fire Sword had been ruined by Deswright, so he had to make a new one. A few mages from the mage group were stunned as they watched Anfey¡¯s make the Fire Sword. They were newbies and had never seen anyone control the fire elements as well as Anfey. Yet the people who had been in the mage group for a while no longer saw it as anything special.


    "Anfey!" vi hurried over from the stairs. "Now? Are you sure?"


    "I do not want to fight at this moment, but Fernando has started the fight already," Anfey said quietly.


    "Can¡¯t we just wait a little bit more?" vi said bitterly. "We do not have to worry much about the low level death spirits, but specters at night would..."


    "I will handle the specters," Anfey said. "If they have death knights, Suzanna will handle them."


    "Yes," Suzanna responded.


    "I feel it is too risky." Riska did not want to fight with death spirits at night either.


    "We are far from the Country of Mercenaries. We are here for the adventure. Besides, we do not have any other options at the moment," Anfey said. "I just do not understand why Fernando started the fight at night, since he should hate to fight at night even more than us."


    vi and Riska looked at each other and both shook their heads.


    Anfey thought for a moment, frowning, but he could not figure out the reasons. He had never lived in the church. He would never understand how Fernando and church people would think. It was nothing different than a blind man trying to feel an elephant: in other words, a person making an overall judgement on the basis of partial understanding. Whoever had possession of the Book of Life would be the legal sessor of the pope. Possessing the Book of Life did not guarantee a person would be a pope, but without it, that person would have no chance. To ambitious priests, the Book of Life was as important as the current War against the Dead.


    Anfey stopping thinking and slowly looked up. Fernando must have his own reasons to start the battle at this moment. It would not matter anyway, since he would fight his battle as Anfey fought his own battle. Even if Fernando won the battle, they would be long gone from Zagreen City.


    Fire balls merged into Anfey¡¯s Fire Sword one after another. The temperature around the Fire Sword had gone up a lot. vi and Riska had to release a magic dome to fight against the heat, while some mercenaries and mages had retreated back down to the city to give Anfey space on the city wall.


    Anfey suddenly paused. His memory was amazing. He remembered he had released over a hundred fire balls up to that point. In order to make the Fire Sword previously, he used about that same amount of fire balls, and it had been very challenging to gather fire elements at the end. This time, he used more fire balls than he had used on his previous Fire Sword, but he did not find it difficult to add more fire balls to the Fire Sword.


    "Master, we are ready!" Orsie yelled at the city gate.


    All the mercenaries in Zagreen City stood in square formation by units. This time Orsie would start the fight. Ozzic and Thompson stayed in the middle and Shinbe stayed in the rear.


    "Warner!" Anfey called out.


    "Master, I am here." Warner walked up the stairs. He only walked about a dozen steps before he covered his face and stepped back. He looked at Anfey in surprise. He was still about 30 yards away from Anfey, but already felt the burning on his skin and dared not to walk any further.


    "Warner, your show time!" Anfey said.


    "Don¡¯t worry, master! I got it!" Warner answered immediately.


    Anfey heaved a sigh. He continued to warn Warner because he was worried. However, he had no other options. He took a deep breath, as three big fire balls surrounded him. He swirled the Fire Sword. The three big fire balls seemed to be attacked by the Fire Sword and attached themselves to the sword. The battle was about to start. He had not exhausted all his telepathy on the Fire Swords and did not want to deplete it now. The Fire Sword seemed to be able to take more fire elements, but it would work as it was.


    "vi, Riska, can you protect Warner with your mage group. Please make sure he is well protected. You cannot have anything happen to him." Anfey emphasized thest part and then yelled, "Open the gate!"


    The sand bags at the city gate had been removed. A few mercenaries had chopped the twisted chain off and slowly pushed the door open.


    "We got it!" vi yelled. Riska was ready to turn around to leave but suddenly screamed. "Anfey, look at your sword!"


    In fact, Anfey did not need to look. He had already felt the change in the Fire Sword. When the veryst fire ball merged into the Fire Sword, the dark red crystal-like de started to shake and made a rattling sound. res and mes were everywhere on the de, out of control. In the end, the de turned a bright orange.


    "This is..." Anfey stared at the Fire Sword in his hand.


    "Guys, are you ready for battle?" Orsie yelled. His mercenary group had notpletely passed the gate, but a group of dark death spirits had rushed over under the moon light.


    Anfey was shocked and suddenly realized something. He put the Fire Sword back into the sheath and jumped off the city wall.


    Orsie, who rushed to the front, had performedbat power, and then he realized it was just a false rm. A light screen as clear as water spread out quickly, covering a space about a thousand of cubic meters. The countless running death spirits were killed in the blink of an eye.


    Warner raised the Book of Life and flew into the sky. People with value would have a future, so Warner had been waiting for this opportunity to show off his skills for a long time. He would wait no longer.


    Warner chanted as he peered at his surroundings. He trusted the power of the Book of Life, so he was not worried about the death spirits surrounded him. He had been scaredst time when he hurt his own people, which made him worry about it all the time. He knew it would not happen again, but he was still worried mercenaries would hit him.


    vi and Elizabeth ordered hundreds of mages to fly into the sky with Levitation magic. They flew at different altitudes around Warner and surrounded him with protection. The enemies they faced were not only zombies, but also specters, death knights and necromancers. Necromancers were the most terrifying ones. Warner probably could be killed by one bone spear if he had been alone. Mages dared not get distracted at all. In addition, Anfey asked them to protect Warner at all costs. The mages used to hide behind their peers in battle, but not this time. They had to counter any attacks to protect Warner at their center, at the risk of their lives.


    Zombies were low-level death spirits without any intelligence and judgement. As necromancers herded them forward, they rushed ahead group by group. Unfortunately, they immediately turned into ashes once they got under the light screen. The necromancers did not seem to understand the power of the Book of Life. The more death spirits the Book of Life saved, the more power the Book of Life would have. If they wanted to exhaust the power of the Book of Life with zombies, they made an essential mistake.


    Mercenaries in Orsie¡¯s unit did not receive any resistance. They ran as fast as they could. Those mercenaries quickly covered a few miles. The light screen had created a very wide and pure path among the sea of death spirits. It was hard to estimate the number of zombies that had been killed.


    "Suzanna," Anfey called out loudly. He saw a group of about one hundred death knights and specters rushing from the side. Suzanna turned around and rushed towards them, following Anfey. Anfey looked he was struggling a little bitpared with Suzanna. He needed the Fire Sword to make a path through the death spirits, but for Suzanna, who had advanced to a higher level, these death spirits were no different than ants. She could crush the zombies withbat power. Their flesh sttered everywhere.

 Chapter 404: Forbidden Spell from the Abyss

    Chapter 404: Forbidden Spell from the Abyss


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Reputation can be very convenient at time, but it can also cause a lot of trouble. Anfey wasn¡¯t the most famous person, but he wasn¡¯t unknown, either. If he had been more famous, maybe convincing the mercenaries to join him would have been much easier. He could move through the sea of death because he wasn¡¯t famous enough for everyone to know.


    The necromancers did not pay much attention to him. They were more worried about Suzanna. They did not know the mercenaries had a top level power until they saw the blindingbat power.


    Whether he wanted to or not, Anfey knew this was his only chance of breaking through. Fernando could press ahead without any concerns, but the necromancers needed to spare part of their force to attack the mercenaries. The fight for the Book of Life was almost as important as the entire battle itself.


    A few dark figures appeared in midair. Six necromancers arrived to assist in the battle. Anfey and Suzanna had already separated and were heading in different directions. One was stopping the Knights of Death, while the other was dealing with the floating specters.


    Suzanna was under a lot of pressure. It wasn¡¯t easy facing hundreds of Knights of Death alone. Anfey¡¯s job wasn¡¯t easy, either. He needed to kill of the specters. The priests were gone and the mercenaries could not take care of those specters by themselves. If the specters reached the city, it would mean chaos and disorder.


    Anfey saw the necromancers, but he couldn¡¯t let himself be distracted. The specters were way too fast. Luckily, the specters did not try to attack the mercenaries. The specters howled as they swooped towards Anfey, bombarding him with mind magic, then quickly flying away again, waiting for their next chance to attack. If it had been another system of magic, Anfey would have to use his mind to control the elements. However, he was almost immune to the specters¡¯ magic. It was almost impossible for the specters to defeat him unless they all attacked him at the same time.


    The necromancers arrived and observed the battle. They had note to kill anyone. Their goal was to take the Book of Life. If they must kill someone, they would rather focus their energy on the swordswoman. If they could turn her, it would be an invaluable addition to their forces.


    Anfey ignored the necromancers as well. He turned and ducked the attack from a specter, then thrusted at it with his Fire Sword. Specters were very strong and very hard to destroy. However, because Anfey knew their weaknesses, it became an easy task for him.


    One of the necromancers suddenly turned and, with a wave of his hand, sent a bonence towards Anfey.


    Anfey jumped aside and dashed away from the spot where a bone cage suddenly appeared. Anfey waved his Fire Sword and sliced through the bonence. He jumped towards another specter and sliced through the creature¡¯s body, turning it into mist.


    The necromancer spat angrily.


    "Hans, what are you doing?" another necromancer stopped and asked.


    "He killed my specter!"


    "Hans! Get your priorities straight," the necromancer said angrily.


    "Go ahead," Hans said. "I¡¯ll catch up." Anfey had destroyed another specter and the necromancer called Hans grew even angrier. He was very close with his specters.


    Anfey dashed through the zombies. Every time he waved his sword, he could kill a few zombies, though they were not his target. The specters were fast, but he was not slow. The necromancer¡¯s magic did not bother him, and hergely ignored it.


    Hans released two bone cages and missed Anfey both times. He grew frustrated and released the Touch of Death.


    Touch of Death was a very powerful spell with arge range. The dark fog it created could cover arge area in a matter of seconds. The fog was very corrosive and everything it touched, including the zombies, would turn into dust.


    Anfey had his eyes on another specter when he felt a sudden change in the elements. He knew this must be a powerful spell, and he needed to avoid it. Anfey ducked, releasing a magic shield around himself and quickly summoned a wall of earth.


    The corrosive ck fog appeared out of nowhere and began spreading quickly. The magic shield, however, had already formed and blocked the advance of the fog.


    The necromancer frowned. He had seen people avoiding his spells, but he had never seen anyone avoid it in such a strange way.


    The magic shield began shaking and exploded. The Touch of Death was too powerful a spell for a small magic shield to defend against, but it gave Anfey enough time to get away. By the time the magic shield disappeared and the fog began moving again, Anfey was already out of the way of the fog.


    The specters must have felt the anger of their owner and surrounded Anfey, trying to take him out. Anfey pursed his lips and swept his sword around himself, taking out several specters at a time.


    Hans spat. He now knew that whoever was killing his specters was not someone he could easily deal with. He held out his bone wand and began chanting. The specters all stopped streaking through the air and began shaking. The specters gathered and sent a strong but hard-to-detect wave of mind magic towards Anfey.


    The specters were using the Touch of Dread, a powerful spell even top level powers could not defend themselves against. It would bring back the most painful thing in anyone¡¯s memory. The spell itself could not harm anyone, but it would send people into their own minds.


    Anfey suddenly stopped moving.


    Before Hans could celebrate, though, Anfey lifted his head and his eyes found Hans. The calmness in his eyes was reced by anger.


    If the spell was used on Suzanna, she would recall her time with her mother. That would effectively deter her and give the necromancer a good opportunity to injure or kill her. For Anfey, the spell brought to mind the spook that once killed him. It was painful, but it was not enough to stop him.


    He grew angry because he did not know if the specters caught a glimpse of his memory. As the specters approached him, Anfey¡¯s body began shaking, and he let out a loud roar. The specters stopped as if they were frozen, then all exploded at the same time.


    "Dear god," Hans whispered. "That¡¯s a forbidden spell from the abyss!"

 Chapter 405: Mage Group That Cannot Be Humiliated

    Chapter 405: Mage Group That Cannot Be Humiliated


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Seeing the specters killed, Hans did not have time to feel bad. He knew he could be next.


    Hans turned to run in the opposite direction as fast as he could. He would rather fight with a powerful swordsman or mage than an opponent who had released the Forbidden Abyss magic. If Hans took off the mage gown, he would look no different than a zombie. The only difference between him and zombies was his immortal spirit and powerful telepathy. He could release all kinds of death magic. As far as Hans knew, the evil spirits from the Evil Abyss were destroying the spirits of their opponents. Seeing his opponent could release Mental Destruction, he thought his opponent must know other skills. He worried that his spirits could be destroyed by Anfey By then he would be no different than a zombie, maybe even worse. He knew about zombies, which made him even more scared about bing one of them.


    Anfey had been very skillful in battle. Hans regretted that he had not paid more attention to Anfey¡¯s skills. The word "pdin" had the meaning of both magic and swords, but magic was more prominent than sword.


    After flying about a dozen yards, Hans felt something was not right. He turned around and found Anfey using Levitation magic to follow right behind him. The distance between them closed. They both released Levitation magic, although neither possessed the magic power or telepathy to fly as fast as Archmage Saul. Anfey¡¯s magic power was not high, but his ability to controlling elements were phenomenal. Anfey could fly a lot faster than Hans. If Anfey could be described as a flying eagle, Hans was just a sparrow running for his life.


    Hans felt a numb feeling in his scalp. If he still could sweat, he would have had cold sweat all over him. He turned around with a weird screaming sound. He released all his magic power and lowered his altitude, diving to the ground.


    As Hans turned around, he suddenly realized something that made him want to smack himself. He was a terrific necromancer. He had millions of ways to interfere with his opponents¡¯ flying speed. He should have been able to escape from Anfey with a magic spell.


    Hans plucked up his courage and turned back again. He was almost stunned. His millions of ways to interfere with his opponents seemed pointless now. More than twenty big fire balls shaped in a dome flew at him.


    Some fire balls flew slow while others came at him faster. Some fire balls shot upwards into the sky, while others shot underneath Hans. These fire balls did not look like they would hit Hans, but he had a weird feeling that all of them would hit him directly.


    With no other option, Hans had to take the risk. He released a bone shield first and then a magic dome. He tossed a bone spear backhanded. Unfortunately, a bone spear was nothingpared with dozens of big fire balls. Hans still hoped he could escape. He had never seen anyone with this kind of magic. The senior mages indeed could instantly shoot big fire balls, but could not shoot out so many. It took time for the big fire balls to cool down. Hans thought the power of the fire balls would die out, even though Anfey¡¯s magic was scary. He felt he could counter the big fire balls with his magic dome and shield.


    Just as he came to this conclusion, those big fire balls shot toward him all at once. They exploded next to him at the same time. What surprised him was the magic dome he released got smashed immediately, then the bone shield shattered, and then his body exploded into millions of pieces. The explosion shot his body out like fire works with flesh and blood.


    Anfey swung his Fire Sword and hit away the bone spear pieces. He paused in the air and slightly closed his eyes. Making the Fire Sword had taken more than half his magic power, and then he had used the rest on the fight. He did not have strong magic power from the beginning. Now he hadpletely exhausted his magic power. Luckily, he could do deep meditation at any time to refill his magic power. He usually repeated this cycle more than ten times every day. It became his routine. Soon, when Anfey opened his eyes, more than half his magic power had been restored.


    Anfeyid his eyes on Suzanna in the distance. Suzanna looked like a strong, isted ind. No matter how many groups of death knights kepting at her, she could counter their attack without changing her stance. Suzanna would be swallowed by waves of death knights in ck, but the next moment, golden light would appear again. It was so bright that it seemed like it could blind people.


    Anfey¡¯s vision was amazing. Even though he was quite far from Suzanna, he still could see the sweat on her nose. Obviously, Suzanna was not having an easy time. Anfey frowned, but not because Suzanna did not fight the hardest. The reason Suzanna struggled some in this fight was because of her fighting style and the unique opponents she faced.


    Death knights inherited the characteristics of their previous life. They fought fiercely. They lost theirbat power, but the power of death spirits made up for the lostbat power. They were extremely tough. Zombies would die immediately if their heads were chopped off. Headless death knights could still fight. They would crawl back up unless they exploded into pieces. Suzanna¡¯s sword skills were very direct. She counterattacked with force. She would be stronger if her opponents were stronger. She could put a lot of pressure on her opponents. She had put herself at a disadvantage when she fought the death knights, who did not have any feeling and did not mind losing their lives.


    Anfey thought maybe it was time to show Suzanna different sword skills. He had considered it before, but it was not easy to change someone¡¯s poor habits, which in Suzanna¡¯s case had resulted in backward progress in terms of overall fighting ability while she was the main force of his legion. Anfey had suffered from this kind of experience. He used to practice punch as fast as he could and then learned about Large Hand Wrapping in tai chi. When he was practicing with his dad, he did not know if he should block the punch or using the skill of Grasping Hands as he saw the punch from his dad. He had been so hesitant that he lost the fight as a result. Anfey did not figure it out for a full six months until hepletely mastered Large Hands Wrapping.


    Suddenly, a change caught Anfey¡¯s attention. Five necromancers had started fighting with mercenaries. The holy light from the Book of Life could pose a fatal threat to them, but it did not stop them from releasing magic outside the range of the holy light. There were more mages than necromancers, but they were not at a senior level and were not highly lethal. If a mage stepped out to fight with a necromancer, that necromancer was sure he would win. That was why they could start the fight without any concerns.


    Luckily, these necromancers were not Fallen necromancers. The so-called Fallen necromancers were those who had been mages in a previous life but had been allured by the death spirts and stooped to be a necromancer, and finally became a death spirit at the end.


    Magic academies in different areas contributed to the spread of magic. After systematic training, the best people were selected. Necromancers had their own academies as well. They would not produce enough necromancers if they only relied on voluntary fallen necromancers to pass on death magic.


    Students in a death magic academy were the orphans or abducted kids from all over. They were brain-washed to select the best candidates to be necromancers. When they reached adulthood, the academies would make them necromancers. In their minds, the existence of death spirits was reasonable and honorable. Living things with blood and flesh needed to be killed or assimted.


    Mages and swordsmen needed to do an internship after they graduated to develop their social skills and built experience in fighting. However, necromancers did not have such opportunities. To go out to do an internship? It would be nothing more than asking them to kill others. What these necromancers had done was something even Annunciata would not dare to do: pick a fight with a mature mage group.


    The mage group in the League of Mercenaries had been together for a while. They had consensus on fighting techniques. When bone spears flew over, the mages who were waiting for orders released magic spells at the same time.


    Silver snakes danced in the sky. Lightning tore the dark sky and shot down at extreme speed. The nking sound from the sky almost pieced their ear drums. While continuing to attack the necromancers, mercenaries could not help covering their ears with their hands, in pain.


    Any mage group¡¯s fighting ability should not be neglected. Dark Moon Magic legion in Ellison Empire was so powerful and intimidating because they had about a thousand mages under theirmand. The magic they released together could change the color of the ground and the sky or destroy a city. No one could stop them. Even if they fought with a top level power, they could explode him into powder.


    The necromancers were stunned by what the mage group could do. Only one necromancer realized what had happened. He took out a magic scroll from his Dimensional ring. But he looked like he was trembling. His judgement was right though. No matter what kind of magic dome and magic shield they released, they would not able to counter hundreds of magic lightning bolts.


    A phantom dragon appeared in the sky. It was not a real phantom dragon, just one created by magic. It was just a personalized phantom dragon. It¡¯s attacking and defensive abilities were only half those of a real phantom dragon, but it wasrge and it could cover those necromancers under its bony wings.


    With a huge st, about a hundred lightning bolts neatly hit the phantom dragon all at once. The phantom dragon twisted in pain. There were so many cracks of different sizes in the bony wings that it looked like spider web.


    Necromancers did not get hurt, but mages did. Because of the differences in their levels, two of the mages were hit by bony spears and fell, screaming.


    vi got mad immediately. Every mage was a treasure. This saying was carved on the door of the mage academy to encourage people to study magic. If students who were still learning magic were considered so important, then definitely so were mages who had already finished their studies and worked in their internships.

 Chapter 406: Final Battle

    Chapter 406: Final Battle


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    vi waved his hand and sent arge fireball towards the phantom dragon. The mages around him followed suit, summoning andunching hundreds of fireballs towards the dragon. An attack like this was no different than a high level spell, like the meteor spell.


    The ghost dragon pped its wings and dove down, flying through the fire. The dragon roared and was blown into pieces. A few fireballs flew past the dragon and towards the necromancers behind it. Unfortunately, the attack was blocked by the bone shields.


    The scroll that enabled the necromancers to summon ghost dragons was very rare and usually reserved for use against a difficult opponent. Using it on some mages was a waste, but the necromancers did not have time to regret their decision. "Hurry," one of the necromancers called. "Let¡¯s go!"


    "Who said you can go?" Anfey said sharply. He jumped up and lunged at the necromancers, gripping his fire sword in one hand. He pulled out his other sword, gripping it in his other hand.


    More lightning appeared in the sky. The lightning flew towards the necromancers like hundreds of relentless whips.


    Jacob had not given Anfey and Suzanna any important weapons for their wedding because he knew that Anfey would get too many gifts that day. After the war began, he made several powerful weapons to protect those he deemed worthy. One of those weapons was the magic sword in Anfey¡¯s hand.


    The magic sword could release serial lightning and had taken a long time and lots of materials to forge. Jacob never mentioned it because he did not forge it for money. Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have given it to Anfey.


    The necromancers summoned some magic shields, but the shields all shattered under the relentless attacks of the lightning. Lightning summoned by a normal mage could numb its target but could not kill anyone. Serial lightening released by Jacob¡¯s sword, however, was very powerful. Not only could it numb its target, it was powerful enough to cause serious injuries and even death.


    Lightning bolts were still hitting them, and the necromancers were already falling to the ground. Even if they were still conscious, they couldn¡¯t do anything in defense.


    Anfey dove after them, holding out his fire sword and returning the magic sword to its sheath. He swung the sword, slicing through the necromancers. The necromancers¡¯ robes caught fire as they crashed into the zombies.


    "Protect Warner!" Anfey called to the mages, then dashed off to find Suzanna.


    On another battlefield, Fernando felt frustrated as he watched the sea of zombies. He had no problem supporting Anfey with a third of his men, but now that he stood on the battlefield of the final battle, he knew that he should have kept some of those men.


    Fifty miles to the east of the main battlefield, a legion of two hundred thousand soldiers was waiting. At the head of this army was a young woman. She stood watching the battlefield with a deep frown.


    A few specks appeared in the air. The griffin knightsnded near the army and hurried up to the young woman. They whispered something to her, and she nodded. The griffin knights hurried away. She turned to her army and waved her hand.


    "Raise your gs," she called to her men.


    Anfey could not pay any attention to what was happening in the surrounding area. All he wanted to do was to break through this army of zombies. He had been trying to search for other necromancers, because he thought that the necromancers wouldn¡¯t let him get away that easily.


    However, no new necromancers arrived. Even those Knights of Death broke away as if they were opening a path.


    After making sure that there were no more zombies around, Warner closed the Book of Life around dawn. He still had a lot of magic power, but he was exhausted. The mercenaries did not have time celebrate their victory. They did not even have time to set up camp. Instead of tents, they all sat down on the ground and slept huddling together. This was still a dangerous location, and they must be on their way soon.


    The mercenaries were resting, but Anfey, Suzanna, and the other leaders could not. Along with the other mercenary leaders, they needed to calcte their losses.


    Anfey had around 4,000 mercenaries under hismand when he first arrived at Zagreen City. Now, he had around 2,600 men. They lost about 1,500 men while guarding the city for seven days.


    Everyone knew that this was bad, but this was the way of war. The mercenaries that had survived were all powerful enough to survive, and the weak were eliminated. Most were senior swordsmen who were very close to leveling up to swordsmasters.


    Country of Mercenaries had many powerful men and women who had not been discovered. If all these mercenaries teamed up against Ellisen Empire, Ellisen army would not stand a chance against them.


    Even the smallest mercenary group had powerful members, or else it would be impossible to survive in the harsh environment of the Country of Mercenaries. These mercenaries were forced to work together because they were trapped in the same city by the zombies. Those that could survive were usually the strongest. Mercenaries believed in survival of the fittest, and strength was the most important thing in a world at war. When facing thousands of zombies, brilliance was secondary. The most important thing was raw power.


    Guarding Zagreen City was an audition in a way. Shinbe¡¯s legion lost only a hundred men, while Ozzic¡¯s lost almost half. Thompson¡¯s legion was formed from several different mercenary groups. He did not even know everyone¡¯s names, yet he only lost fifty. This was because all the mercenaries Thompson recruited were strong and experienced fighters. After Thompson joined the alliance, there were four legions and each legion contained around seven hundred men.


    No one was following them as they were heading into the mountains. If anything happened, the mountains would be a natural defense. Anfey and the mercenary leaders decided that they would stop for a day or two and regroup the mercenaries.


    Shinbe did not appear shaken by the loss of her men. She was a senior swordsmaster and wasn¡¯t worried about her reputation. Her men were very loyal and could easily take in any new members. Ozzic wasn¡¯t worried, either. Anfey trusted him, and he had Ye to help him.


    Thompson was very rxed. He was thest to join and was popr among the mercenaries who had jumped over to the alliance. His legion did not lose a lot of men and did not require a lot of new members.


    Orsie was the only one that was worried. He did not lose as many people as Ozzic, but he still lost a considerable amount. Two of his intermediate swordsmasters lost all of their men. He was worried what they might say about this situation. He wasn¡¯t as powerful as Shinbe and had no assistants. He had to deal with everything alone.


    After a day of rest, the mercenaries began marching to the northeast and towards where Band of Brothers mercenary group had settled. South of Zagreen City, a battle that could determine the fate of Country of Mercenaries was unfolding, and the necromancers were at a disadvantage. If they could not win the battle at night, there was no promise that the necromancers and their zombies could make it through the day.

 Chapter 407: Shameless

    Chapter 407: Shameless


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In four days, Anfey and his mercenaries travelled over 400 miles. They had finished half of the trip, ording to the map. In fact, travelling 100 miles a day was not a problem for Anfey¡¯s mercenaries. However, Anfey had his own concerns. They did not have enough food. Everyone was asked to reduce the amount of their food to half. In general, people need food to provide energy and feel hungry even if they only miss one meal. Asking hungry mercenaries to speed up was too much.


    Mages should have been treated differently, since their bodies were not as strong as swordsmen. However, they acted really tough, insisting on being treated the same as others after seeing Anfey and Suzanna only take half portions, like all the other mercenaries. They gave their half of their food to foreman ck Eleven to keep.


    It was undeniable that people tended to unite in difficult times. The mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries had a culture of helping each other when anyone was in need. Of course, Anfey contributed to this culture by setting an example. Leaders demanded special treatment everywhere on Pan Continent. Not many people like Anfey would set an example for others. In fact, he did not have to follow the rule he made. No matter how much food he wanted to eat, even ten portions, there would be no objection from the 2,600 mercenaries. Anfey was not only an earl, but also the leader of the League of Mercenaries. As an earl and the leader of the League of Mercenaries, he had the right to make his life morefortable.


    However, Anfey did as regr mercenaries would do and asked Suzanna, vi, and Ozzic to follow the rule as well. Others in the league who could have enjoyed the special treatment voluntarily gave up their special rights on their own, following Anfey¡¯s example.


    In history, as a civilization develops, everyone acts to constrain individuals¡¯ power to prevent dictatorship. The information did not pass so freely on the Pan Continent. Heroism yed a big role in society. Sometimes, the nature and characteristics of a leader could decide the culture of the whole legion.


    Taking druids as an example. Bear tribe druids represented strength and power, while Wolf tribe druids represented toughness and persistence. When there was a conflict with non-druids, Bear tribe druids would be the main force, while Wolf tribe druids would counterattack, and Hawk tribe druids would be in charge of scouting and providing reinforcements.


    Since the third generation of leaders was in ce, the structure of druid organization had been changing. Bruzuryano was honest and did not like conflict. He did not want to see people dying in battle. He did not believe fighting was the only way to solve problems. He would start fierce counterattacks only when someone crossed him. That was the reason he was honored with a nickname "Guardian". At the same time, Bear tribe druids gradually gave up their main force position.


    Manstuly was paranoid and sought revenge for the smallest grievance. He would kill a person even when they only had a minor conflict. People were influenced positively by good people and negatively by bad people. Over 100,000 druids in Wolf tribe had changed with the influence of Manstuly. They used to fight for the purpose of defending themselves. Later they fought for food to feed themselves, and then fought to obtain wealth, and then started to rob others, or even kill others to satisfy their craving for the excitement.


    No one would judge whether Bruzuryano and Manstuly was right or wrong. Thew of the jungle and bullying did exist. Manstuly was so cruel that other groups epted his expansion for the time being, which allowed Wolf tribe to see gains. Manstuly¡¯s wife was an elf pharaoh, so he received a lot of support from Goddess of Nature. He had more clout than Mauso or Bruzuryano.


    In addition, Saul¡¯s students formed a united group with Anfey as the founder. He had been taking care of everyone and making ns whenever things happened. Suzanna and he were always in the front when there was a war to try to protect the mages behind them. Everyone saw and knew what Anfey had done for them. They consciously or unconsciouslypared themselves with him and learned from him. The culture of this group was decided by Anfey. If Anfey were jealous of Christian¡¯s prestige and tried to put him down, or showed any dislike of Niya¡¯s stubbornness and impulsiveness, there could have been many conflicts among them even, even when survival was at stake.


    In ckwater City, everyone in Anfey¡¯s legion asked Christian to tell Anfey not to treat them as kids, since Anfey and Suzanna had been doing everything but never asked for their help. They had developed a sense of responsibility and did not passively hide from fights. Instead, they volunteered to join the battles, which meant this group had matured, and the bonds among them had strengthened.


    However, Anfey did not realized how influential he was to his legion: otherwise, he would have acted more generous and knowledgeable. He was facing Suzanna with his sword. "Don¡¯t usebat power. You would not know where the weaknesses in your sword skills are if you usebat power."


    "I understand," Suzanna said.


    "Whoever¡¯s sword hits the floor loses." Anfey thought for a moment, then said, "Let¡¯s bet."


    "Bet on what?" Suzanna asked.


    "Hitting the palm? Not fun. How about flicking foreheads? Not fun either. Never mind. Whoever loses will get spanked. What do you think?" Anfey grinned. There was not much to bet between a couple. They could only bet on this.


    "Sure." Suzanna looked excited.


    "I am not putting all my strength into it either. Watch out!" Anfey stepped forward and thrusted his sword at Suzanna¡¯s chest.


    Suzanna blocked him in a very standard position. The two swords shed with a clear nking sound. Anfey¡¯s sword swirled and then pressed on Suzanna¡¯s sword. He suddenly yelled, "Let it go!"


    With the swirling and pressing, Anfey¡¯s sword had pressed the tip of Suzanna¡¯s sword. He thought Suzanna would not be able to hold the sword anymore. Anfey was shocked that Suzanna still could hold her sword steady in the air, while he almost lost hold of his sword.


    "You!" Anfey was irritated. "Didn¡¯t I tell you that you could not usebat power!" Anfey seemed to forget he was a leader when he was with Suzanna. At that moment, he was just a husband, ying with his wife. He definitely would get mad if he was yed by his wife.


    Suzanna giggled awkwardly. She knew she was not right. "I got used to usingbat power."


    "Don¡¯t usebat power." Seeing Suzanna feeling bad about it, Anfey let it go, but he was nervous about it.


    "I got it, got it," Suzanna said.


    They went back to fighting. Swords shed in the air. If Ernest was at a disadvantage when he fought Anfey withoutbat power, then surely Suzanna would be. Soon, Anfey screamed again. This time, he did not ask Suzanna to let her sword go. Instead, he called out her name, "Suzanna!"


    "One more time." Suzanna stuck her tongue out. The sword was the life of a swordswoman, so whenever Suzanna felt she was about to lose her sword, she could not help performingbat power. She felt bad about viting the rule twice.


    "Couldn¡¯t you keep your promise?" Anfey asked helplessly.


    "Let¡¯s try again." Suzanna pretended she did not hear it.


    "You are losing the fight if you usebat power again." Anfey put the magic sword back into the sheath. "I am not using my sword."


    "Not using your sword? Don¡¯t me me if you lose the fight," Suzanna said.


    "Losing? I will show you what my real skills are." Anfey chuckled.


    If someone else had said it, Suzanna not would not pay too much attention to it. However, it was different story when Anfey said it. She still did notpletely understand Anfey. She knew Anfey had a lot of secrets. A yful smile appeared on her face. "Ok, I will try my best."


    "Come on!" Anfey did not pay attention to the words "try her best," He did not realize what it meant until he saw the bright golden light on Suzanna. "You..."


    Before Anfey could finish his sentence, Suzanna¡¯s sword radiance had shoot at Anfey¡¯s head. Anfey had to step back to dodge it. He yelled, "You usedbat power again. You lose!"


    Suzanna did not seem to hear what Anfey said. She swung her sword sideways. Anfey flipped backwards, and he was already about eight yards away from Suzanna. "You should get your punishment as you promised."


    "Come get me!" Suzanna giggled. She chased after Anfey. It was fine when there were alone. Now Ozzic, vi and few others stopped to watch. They seemed toe to see Anfey. She would never get spanked in the public. She would not keep her promise today.


    Anfey was speechless. He thought to himself, How dare you y so shamelessly with me? He suddenly closed his eyes. He did not step back to dodge. Instead, he stepped forward to counter Suzanna¡¯s sword radiance.


    Suzanna was shocked by Anfey¡¯s move. No matter how good Anfey was, he would not be able to counter the sword radiance with his body. She turned her sword away and took off thebat power at the same time. The leftover sword radiance shot to the ground to the right of Suzanna and made a fairly loud sound.


    Anfey reached his hand out and grabbed at Suzanna¡¯s wrist. The tai chi move ofrge hand wrapping was a very skillful seizing art. In addition, Suzanna was worried that Anfey would get hurt, and she tried to take back herbat power when she felt half of her body go numb. Her right arm had been twisted behind her back.


    "This is for not keeping your promise." Anfey felt proud of himself and grinned. He spanked Suzanna three times because she did not keep her word three times. He was ounting for everything that had happened.


    Ozzic cleared his throat. They felt a little awkward as they walked toward Anfey. They had business to talk about. "Master"


    When Anfey turned around, he had a straight face. He did not look too serious, but business-like. "What¡¯s wrong?"


    "Master, a mage group found a group of mercenaries. There are about 400 of them. Do you think we should contact them?" Ozzic said in a serious voice.

 Chapter 408: Noble

    Chapter 408: Noble


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The Eye of the Sky found a group of mercenaries marching through the forest. There were no enemies around them, but the mercenaries were all very careful.


    "They all look very powerful," Ozzicmented, "or else they wouldn¡¯t have been able to get to this point. Storm City is about sixty miles from here. They might havee from there."


    "Not necessarily," Orsie said, shaking his head. "I don¡¯t think they broke through the line of zombies by themselves."


    "What?" Ozzic asked, frowning. "Are you saying the necromancers let them out?"


    "That¡¯s just my thought," Orsie shrugged.


    "But why?" Ozzic asked incredulously.


    "I¡¯m not joking," Orsie said. "Think about it. We haven¡¯t encounteredrge groups of zombies in days, which means the necromancers aren¡¯t as powerful as they appear. I think they have moved most of their forces to deal with the Shield of Light legion."


    "I agree," Anfey said, nodding. He had thought about this before, as well. The necromancers did not try to stop him from leaving, and even allowed the Knights of Death to retreat. The necromancers must feel pressured by the battle with Fernando, which proved that the necromancers were not as powerful as he had originally expected. They could not fight on two fronts at the same time. Fernando must have already cornered them. Anfey felt respect towards the man. Despite what he may have nned, Fernando was an able and smart man.


    "Should we send someone to talk to them?" Ozzic asked.


    "That¡¯s a good idea," Anfey said. "We need to know more about our surroundings."


    "Wait! Guys, look!" vi suddenly called.


    The group moved their attention to another Eye of the Sky and saw an army marching through the forest. There were not a lot of soldiers, but there were a lot of carts carrying supplies.


    "Why is there an army here?" Anfey asked, shocked.


    Ozzic frowned when he spotted the army¡¯s g. "It¡¯s from Shansa Empire."


    "What are they doing here?"


    The mercenaries nced at each other, unsure how to answer that question.


    "That¡¯s their supply line," ck Elven said. "The main army must have already passed. This is a lot of supplies. They must have at least fifty thousand troops."


    Anfey frowned. He wasn¡¯t worried about ruining his rtionship with the Church. Most members of the Shield of Light legion were from Maho Empire, anyway. Fernando wouldn¡¯t do anything out of line. But now that Shansa army had joined the fight, the situation became much moreplicated. He was famous for destroying part of Shansa Empire¡¯s Griffin Aerial Unit, and he was certain that Shansa Empire wouldn¡¯t mind killing a few thousand mercenaries in retaliation.


    ck Eleven was a very honest person, and he wouldn¡¯t try to scare them. If he said that the army must have at least fifty thousand, then the army must have at least fifty thousand.


    The mercenaries turned to Anfey. They knew that the rtionship between Anfey and Shansa Empire was not good, and having Shansa army in the Country of Mercenaries could threaten the alliance.


    A few minutester, the mercenaries and the Shansa army saw each other. After a few moments of chaos, both sides realized that they had not encountered zombies or necromancers. The army sent out a few soldiers to greet the mercenaries.


    After a brief conversation, the mercenaries ran towards the army and surrounded a supply cart. A few mercenaries jumped onto the cart and found some waterskins.


    "vi," Anfey said. "Keep an eye on the army."


    "Alright," vi said, nodding.


    "Armin, count how many soldiers they have."


    ck Eleven nodded.


    Ozzic blinked. "You¡¯re not..."


    "You¡¯re not going rob them, are you?" Orsie asked.


    "We¡¯re not robbers," Thompson said with a grin. Then he realized that Orsie wasn¡¯t joking and frowned.


    Thompson was a new member. He had never met Alice and did not know Anfey¡¯s past, which was why he was surprised.


    "I don¡¯t know," Anfey said. "I need to think about it." He knew that it was better for the world if he left the Shansa army alone, but robbing them would be beneficial to him and Maho Empire.


    "We should do it!" Ozzic said. "This is a perfect opportunity!"


    "This army is here to help with the war effort," Anfey said. "We shouldn¡¯t take advantage of that." He looked up from the Eye of the Sky and found the others around him staring at him, strangely. To hispanions, he wasn¡¯t one to say something like this. Priests were the most important part of the war effort, yet he had just ordered the mercenaries to murder a few hundred a couple of days ago.


    "Sir, do you need some rest?" Ozzic asked quietly.


    "No," Anfey said with augh. "I¡¯m perfectly fine."


    "Sir," Shinbe said, "if we run into the army, will they recognize you and attack us?"


    "Maybe," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t know." Shinbe nodded and did not say anything else. She did not need to. If the Shansa army could attack the mercenaries, why couldn¡¯t the mercenaries attack them?


    "They outnumber us," Thompson said. "If we are going to attack, we need a good n to minimize damage. Shansa Empire doesn¡¯t have the best armies, but we cannot underestimate them."


    "You¡¯re already underestimating them," ck Eleven said, shaking his head. "They never performed well because theycked a good general."


    "You mean..."


    "Do you see that g? That is the g of Silver Griffins. I¡¯ve read about it before. That is the standard of Scarlet. I don¡¯t know why General Baery would speak so highly of a woman so young, but I know that General Baery never makes mistakes."


    "Armin, you know General Baery?" Thompson asked, shocked.


    ck Eleven froze. He had made a mistake and exposed his identity. Anfey coughed. "Concentrate," he told ck Eleven. Then he turned to Thompson and shook his head.


    Thompson frowned. "We can¡¯t fight them head on, then," he said, trying to change the topic.


    "He¡¯s right," Ozzic said. "We need a n."


    "What is that?" one of the mages suddenly asked.


    "What is it?" Riska hurried over and asked.


    "I just saw a shadow, but it was too fast."


    "You sure you didn¡¯t just make a mistake?" vi asked, frowning.


    "No," the mage said. "Here it is again!" He leaned closer and his eyes widened. "God, it¡¯s a griffin!"

 Chapter 409: Coming Out of the Cave

    Chapter 409: Coming Out of the Cave


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As the griffin suddenly made a high pitched scream in the air, the shadow changed at the same time. If someone had been watching the flying pattern of griffins, it was not hard to notice the griffin was flying around an oval track.


    Griffins had wide vision. Their ability to observer was right below the druids¡¯ enormous eagle, but far less intelligent. The druid¡¯s enormous eagle was transformed from druids with transformation magic. They only changed their appearance, but their intelligence was not affected. If they were smart druids, they would still be smart eagles. If they were stupid as druids, they would be stupid as eagles. However, even the dumbest druid would be much more intelligent than griffins.


    With strict training, griffins mastered twomon patterns. If they found people, but only a few of them, they would fly around in an oval pattern. If they discovered many people, they would fly in a figure eight pattern. Griffins would not know how to estimate the number of people. They relied on the griffin rider to see and make an estimate.


    The general in Shansa Empire underneath the griffin saw the signals from the griffin, but he did not think it was a big deal, since the griffin thought there were not many in that group. Whether they were friends or enemies, they would not be able to pose any threat to them.


    Before long, two ck spots appeared in the sky. When they flew closer, the soldiers and mercenaries who just had eaten could not help cheering for them. It was a girl and a guy. The guy looked handsome, with clear sharp eyes. The girl had long hair. She looked like she just walked out of a painting. She looked so feminine and so adorable. What a couple! The horses they rode were beautiful as well. They were pure white. The knights from Shansa Empire were amazed by the horses¡¯ build and muscles. They were rare breeds, which made them think of the special horses in Knights of Light mercenary. They were called "Snow Beasts".


    "How are you?" The general in the front stepped forward. He greeted Anfey and Suzanna with weeughs. He wanted to make friends with the two of them. It was not hard to believe they had amazing skills, since they dared to pass the area full of death spirits with just two people. "You guys are..."


    "My name is Anfey. This is Suzanna." Anfey said with a smile.


    "Anfey? The earl in Maho Empire?" The general was shocked.


    "Yes, that¡¯s me," Anfey said, smiling. "I have been dealing with necromancers and death spirits for many days. I¡¯m very happy to finally see humans. Judging from your equipment, you are probably not mercenaries."


    "We are soldiers of Shansa Empire." The general nced at his own g. He knew he could not lie about it.


    "When did Shansa Empire send its military over?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "Master Anfey, I know we have had some conflicts before, but death spirits are ourmon enemies since the War against the Dead broke out." The general smiled. "You should not have asked us when we came down. You should have said we came toote."


    Anfey was shocked for a second, then smiled and said, "You are right. If all the military people could be as upright as you, I think we definitely would win in this War against the Dead."


    "Thank you for yourpliment," the general said. "Master Anfey, Master Suzanna, where are you going?"


    "We do not have a destination. We fled all the way here. We will go anywhere there are fewer death spirits," Anfey said.


    "It looks like you guys had a tough time," the general said.


    "Not just a tough time, it was miserable," Anfey said with a bitter smile.


    That general looked up at the sky to check the time. "It is time to set up camp. I know you are very experienced and knowledgeable. If you do not mind our simple camping conditions, you can stay with us for a day. Please tell us your adventures. Soldiers will open their eyes after they hear your stories."


    "Do you have wine?" Anfey licked his lips.


    "Master, don¡¯t worry. We have plenty of wine." The generalughed. "I have enough for you to take a bath in the wine."


    "Wonderful!" Anfey looked very pleased.


    The general waved his hand to signal the knights in front to make a path. Anfey and Suzanna directed their horses forward. At that moment, something weird happened. After Anfey passed through those knights, they gathered together again. It did not looked like they were weing guests. Instead, they surrounded Anfey. Some knights even looked hostile towards him.


    "What are you doing?" Anfey was not blind. He became alert immediately.


    "Fight!" the general yelled. At the same time, he pulled the reigns so his horse would move to the back, not because he was scared, but because he was too close to Anfey and Suzanna. A strategy in the war was to seize the ringleader before catching all the followers. To avoid it that, the general moved back.


    Knights had been waiting for this order for a while. Over twenty knight spears were tossed at Anfey and Suzanna together. Thebat powers were everywhere, while spears came at Suzanna and Anfey from all angles.


    The horse Suzanna rode screamed in pain and then fell on the ground. The next second, Suzanna¡¯s feet touched the ground. She shoot up so fast that she looked like a shoot of light. She jumped over the heads of knights. Anfey¡¯s moves seemed to be againstmon sense. Without seeing him getting ready or jumping on anything, Anfey was able to fly up. Eight knight spears pierced through the horse in a second. The knights all liked this handsome horse, but they could care less about it right now.


    Anfey dodged away. He stepped on a knight¡¯s head. A bone cracking sound was heard. That knight¡¯s body jerked immediately. Anfey borrowed the momentum to jump into the air and dodge the attacks from knights.


    When Suzannanded, she could not help falling on her knees. This girl had gotten so much better with practice. Anfey could not help giving herpliments in his head. Hended next to Suzanna. He held her up and yelled immediately, "You go first. I will take care of this situation." He winked at Suzanna.


    Suzanna, rolled her eyes at him. Without saying a word, she started to run back in the direction she hade.


    Seeing the sudden change, a griffin rider suddenly lower its altitude and yelled, "What happened? Why did you attack mercenaries?" Obviously, they were in charge of safety and scouting. They were in a different unit and did not take orders from each other. Otherwise he not would ask this way.


    "He is Anfey," the general yelled in acute pain. The best approach would have been to invite Anfey to his camp and try to kill him when Anfey was rxed after the meal and drinks. He would have had a much better chance to kill him when Anfey was not alert. He was able to keep a straight face. Unfortunately, his followers could not and showed their hostility on their faces too early. Lies helped him bond with Anfey, but he could not exin where the hostility was from. Anfey had led his legion and wiped out Griffin Aerial Unit. He knew it was not that easy to deceive Anfey. He had fought Anfey earlier, but it gave Anfey a chance to escape.


    "Anfey?" The griffin circled in the air. The griffin rider yelled, "Is he really Anfey?"


    "It is him," the general said.


    The griffin rider took a deep breath as the griffin paused for a second before flying after the fleeing Anfey. Another griffin knight lowered his altitude and followed that griffin rider after they saw what had happened.


    The general turned around to look at the stunned mercenaries. He hesitated before he yelled, "Cavalry units one, two and three, stay. The rest of you follow me. Get Anfey for me!" The generals in charge of logistics could only earn rewards by working very hard. They rarely had the chance to aplish heroic deeds in battle. Seeing Anfey and Suzanna flee, he was not willing to simply give up this chance to the griffin riders. In addition, he could tell Suzanna was hurt. He had to take advantage of it to kill Anfey. He felt blessed to have this opportunity to seize Anfey and aplish a heroic deed in the war.


    The soldiers from Shansa Empire rushed toward Anfey as he fled. Some flew, some rode horses, while others ran. They had many different types of soldiers. Anfey dared not be in the fight too long after he had killed a few knights with his element spear. He left the battle as fast as possible. He was so fast that he looked like he flew everywhere with lightning speed. However, he was weighed down. Suzanna¡¯s was fast at times, but slow at other times. Thebat power was strong sometimes but very weak other times. Obviously, she did not have good control over herbat powers.


    As soldiers got closer to them, Anfey had to run back to swing his sword to protect Suzanna. He was able to escape each time before he was caught by the soldiers.


    Neither griffin riders nor regr soldiers from Shansa Empire knew Suzanna had advanced to be a master swordswoman. If they had known, they would not have chased her. They would not have had the courage to fight her.


    The griffin riders in the sky seemed to be the toughest enemies. To soldiers in Shansa Empire, it was easy for them to be knights, but the army was very selective in choosing griffin rider. Most griffin riders were the best of the best. Without knowing why, they were constantly shooting magic spells at Anfey, and did not seem to notice Suzanna was different. It might have been that they were too proud to do so, or tried to keep the Knight¡¯s principles.


    The general from Shansa Empire acted really weird. Whenever Anfey was attacked by crossbow, he would look worried. He looked like he was worried Anfey would get killed by the crossbow. Whenever Anfey dodged those attacks or knock away a crossbow, he had a smile on his face. Luckily, those griffin riders had all their attention on Anfey and did not notice the change to his face; otherwise they would think he was a traitor.


    Anfey fled while soldiers from Shansa Empire chased him. Without knowing how long he had run, he noticed it was getting dark. Griffin riders appeared to have forgotten one thing: griffins lost their vision when they tried to attack only a dozen yards above the ground. The general from Shansa Empire also forgot that knights could chase Suzanna and Anfey on horses, but cavalry in armor could not keep pace with them. In fact, the general¡¯s management skills and intelligence seemed to be very limited; otherwise he would be a general on the front lines instead of in charge of supplies and logistics.

 Chapter 410: Uncontested Power

    Chapter 410: Uncontested Power


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey stopped as Suzanna stumbled to the ground a second time and turned around slowly. The griffin knights saw this as an opportunity and flew towards Anfey from several different angles.


    Anfey did not move to duck the attacks from the griffins. Instead, he stood his ground and raised his sword. The general from Shansa Empire gripped his reins and narrowed his eyes. Anfey did not look like a man who was being attacked from all angles. He looked too calm to be prey of the griffins.


    Anfey gripped his sword and a strong magic surge rippled from it. The sky darkened for a moment, and hundreds of lightning bolts fell from the sky and headed towards the griffins.


    The Shansa general¡¯s eyes widened at the sight.


    The griffin knights and the soldiers nearby sensed the danger and summoned theirbat power, but it was almost impossible to block the attack of serial lightening.


    Griffins were famous for strong defense against magical attacks, but there was still a limit. Other than Dark Hell Dragon, there was almost no other creature that waspletely immune to magic attacks. The griffins fell from the sky with arge crack and crashed into the soldiers below.


    Anfey jumped up and dashed towards the soldiers, his sword sweeping through the air. He didn¡¯t care if his target was alive or not. He just needed to get to the griffins and take them out.


    "That¡¯s a magic sword," the Shansa general called. "He needs time to use it again!" The general knew that he was doomed. Even if he could kill Anfey, he would still be punished.


    A year ago, after the news of the destruction of the Griffins Aerial Unit reached Shansa Empire, the king was furious. He jailed several generals and ordered their families sold into very. General Kumaraghosha¡¯s family experienced the worst punishment. The men of his family were sold into very, while the women were executed, their bodies cut up and fed to the griffins. Edward VIII imed it was out of revenge for Kumaraghosha¡¯s traitorous actions, but it was still unfitting for a king to do such cruel things to his subjects. The information about Kumaraghosha¡¯s family was sealed up in a secret document, and people were forbidden from speaking of this event. However, word still got out. Something as cruel as that could never stay a secret and had a way of making rounds among the uppersses of Shansa Empire.


    Scarlet had requested aid from the Griffins Aerial Unit, and the request was initially denied. Edward the VIII told her that there was no room for negotiation. Later, the crown prince himself went to his father and begged on behalf of Scarlet. Edward the VIII finally agreed to send a hundred griffin knights to aid Scarlet. Scarlet did not want to put the griffins in danger and used them solely as scouts. Now that several had died, the general knew that the king would be furious.


    The Shansa soldiers hesitated, then dashed forward. The general rode after them. He had nothing to lose anymore. He knew that he was doomed, and he had doomed his family as well.


    Anfey returned the magic sword to its sheath and turned to Suzanna. Suzanna stood and nodded at him and summoned herbat power. She burst into blinding light.


    Suzanna dashed towards the soldiers, gripping her sword tight. The soldiers present were not the most powerful in the Shansa army. The highest-ranking among them were only some silver knights. These silver knights were at the forefront of the attack and were mostly injured by the serial lightning released by the magic sword. The remaining soldiers were too low of a rank to be Suzanna¡¯s opponent.


    The Shansa general watched in shock. He never expected Anfey to have a master swordsman under hismand. It was possible to take out a top level powers, but that would require overwhelming numbers and more than a dozen senior level fighters. His soldiers were not trained for directbat and stood no chance against a top level power.


    The Shansa general was too distracted by Suzanna and had ignored Anfey. He had forgotten that Anfey, not Suzanna, was supposed to be his main target.


    Anfey held his sword in front of him but did not move. The de of his fire sword was radiating such intense heat it had warped the air around him. To the Shansa soldiers, Anfey¡¯s figure was very distorted.


    The horses began to whinny and refuse to go forward as they got closer to Anfey. The animals were much more sensitive to the change in environment than their riders. Some horses halted so suddenly their riders lost control and stumbled off. The soldiers tried to force their horses to go forward, but the heat was so intense the horses burst into mes before even reaching him. Thebat power of the soldiers wavered in the heat like bubbles.


    Anfey took a step forward and thrust his sword towards the soldiers. The sword suddenly grew in size and reached even the soldiers who could not convince their horses to go forward. The heat of the sword lit the entire field on fire.


    Anfey jumped forward and dashed through the fiery field and towards the remaining soldiers. The fire licked at his legs but did not burn or hurt him. The burning air was surging and beating against the soldiers¡¯bat power. Even though thebat power was still intact and was protecting them, the soldiers still felt sharp stings from the heat of the me. It was as if they were burning, even though they were protected.


    Anfey zigzagged through the soldiers, waving his sword and slicing through the Shansa soldiers. Cutting through thebat power and armors became as easy as cutting butter.


    The Shansa general watched in despair. He understood now why Edward VIII had named Newyoheim as themander of the Dark Moon Magic Legion, despite Newyoheim never having any experience with armies. Newyoheim was a top level power and had the reputation a regr general does not. Defeating a top level power requires another top level power. Defeating top level powers withrge numbers was not a good n and would lead to too many casualties.


    The Shansa general spotted a few mages in the air, but his hope of backup quickly died as the mages began raining down magic on his men. A magic signal rose into the air behind him, signaling that his supply carts had been attacked.


    The Shansa generalughed and rode towards Suzanna. He had been avoiding contact with her, but he had nothing to lose anymore. He didn¡¯t want to kill Suzanna because he knew that it was impossible. He just wanted her to kill him and to spare him of any further punishments he might face once he returned to Shansa Empire.


    "Wait!" Anfey called out to Suzanna when he saw the general riding towards her. "Don¡¯t kill him! I need to talk to him."


    Suzanna nodded. She turned her sword around and mmed the hilt of the sword into the Shansa general¡¯s head. The general stumbled off of his horse and crashed into the ground. He was unconscious by the time he hit the ground.

 Chapter 411: Better To Be the Killer than on the Chopping Block

    Chapter 411: Better To Be the Killer than on the Chopping Block


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Seeing their general defeated, the knights of Shansa Empire were in chaos. They were scared by Anfey¡¯s cruel way of killing, even though they did not see a lot of blood. They did not want to continue fighting. They all started to flee.


    Anfey not only wanted to keep his own losses to a minimum, but also wipe out his opponents. Otherwise he would not have put so much effort into this battle. Suzanna and he did not chase the knights. They simply followed behind at a distance. Mages in Elizabeth¡¯s unit were divided into two groups and channeled the knights from Shansa Empire. They herded the knights like shepherds.


    The knights from Shansa Empire ran for a while and caught up to their cavalry. Because of the differences in stamina, the cavalry in armors walked in a long formation. The formation stretched about nine miles long. The stronger soldiers marched in the front of the group, but they were all out of breath. The knights from Shansa Empire were so terrified that they ran through the cavalry formation in panic. The cavalry were jostled around and yelled at the knights. Some of them were knocked into the air, while others were trampled under the horses.


    The surviving members of the cavalry started to curse. When they saw Suzanna covered under the golden lights and the strong and iparablebat power, they wondered if Suzanna was a master swordswoman. They looked around for their g but could not find it. They immediately realized why their peers acted in such a way. They stopped cursing. Their almost-exhausted energy was rejuvenated and they started to run after the cavalry.


    Thompson led more than a hundred mercenaries behind Anfey. Thompson¡¯s job was to clean up the battlefield, which meant every opponent should be killed. They all dressed neatly when they walked out. Oddly, they all started to take their shirts off and showed their fair and tanned chest. In the aftermath of Anfey¡¯s Fire Sword, it was so hot that they had to partially undress. Every being on the whole battlefield was down on the ground xcept for one horse. There was a person riding on that horse who struggled hard but could not rein in the horse.


    A mercenary strode over and smiled. "This should be the only person alive, as Master requested." He grabbed a sword that Suzanna had embedded in a rock, trying hard to pull it out. However, after trying for a while, the sword did not seem to move one bit. He said out of surprise, "Master Suzanna is so powerful!"


    "Of course!" Thompson walked over. "Let me try." Thompson performedbat power as he held the sword shaft in his right hand. He did not look like he could handle it either, and grunted many times as he pulled. However, it was undeniable that the sword in the stone started to jiggle a bit. With a huge noise, Thompson pulled the sword out and gave a yell.


    "God-like strength, Master!" the mercenary said yfully.


    "Go away!" Thompson scolded, also yfully. The mercenary seemed to be making fun of him rather than giving him apliment. "God-like strength" should be left to Master Suzanna. No one else could be referred to in that way.


    "Why are you trying so hard to pull it out? You could just cut off the rein," another mercenary murmured.


    "Why do you talk so much?" Thompson stared at the mercenary, but his face was red. "Hurry up! Do you work!" He pulled the sword out himself because he wanted to see the difference in strength between him and Suzanna. He got what he wanted, but he silently swore he would not do anything like that again.


    The soldiers from Shansa Empire had no idea how long they had been running. Every knight had be a criminal recently. They were either sentenced to involuntary manughter or intentional homicide. The hooves of most of the horses on the battlefield were red. They seemed to havee to the end. Thousands of mercenaries stood in a neat formation and blocked their path.


    Even though mercenaries barely kept their formation after the battle started, at that moment they were in perfect formation. What terrified the knights from Shansa Empire the most was the woman, quietly standing in front of the formation.


    Sinbe was tall and slender. The sword in her hand was longer than others. She looked different than Suzanna. Suzanna always looked feminine, quiet, and sweet, while Shinb looked more like a female leopard, ready to fight at any time. She looked especially sharp and wild when she was ready to fight.


    The knights from Shansa Empire had been terrified by Anfey and Suzanna. Now when they saw Shinbe stand out in front of her unit and look like she could fight all the knights on her own, they unconsciously thought she was a top level power as well. She did not perform herbat power, but it was understood that she did not care and looked upon them with disdain.


    The knights wondered what had they done to make three top level powers chase them down and try to kill them. They could not help sighing. They instinctively turned their horses around and tried to run in the opposite direction.


    An orange fire appeared in the air and fell straight down. It was a Fire Sword. Half of the de stuck into the ground. The other half above the ground had mes which seemed to be able to keep going for ever and kept going upwards. The soldiers from Shansa Empire suddenly remembered a rarely used term after seeing the sword: turn elements into real object. The next second, they saw Anfey and Suzanna walking shoulder to shoulder toward them.


    The soldiers had two totally opposite reactions. Knights yelled and directed their horses toward Shinbe and the mercenaries. The top level powers had left an indelible horrifying impression on them, so they chose to ignore thousands of mercenaries. With two top level powers on one end and only one top level power on the other end, they definitely would choose thetter.


    The cavalry from Shansa Empire chose to run towards Shinbe from the other side. They did not think they could beat a top level power. At the moment, it was all about luck. They thought they might have a chance to escape the top level powers since they could not kill everyone. If they ran together, the luckier ones definitely would have a chance to escape. Luck was indeed very important. Thousands of soldiers were running to get around the Fire Sword. Some did pass it. In fact, they had no other options. They were surrounded by people and forced to run forward. They had never seen Anfey killing anybody, so they had no idea how powerful the elements would be when turned into real objects.


    Suddenly, the soldiers running in front screamed in pain. But they were not willing to give it up. They stumbled forward a little bit more and got closer to the Fire Sword. As a result, they were set on fire. If they could keep running forward, they would get killed by fire elements, which actually could reduce their pain before they died. Unfortunately, they fell to the ground one after another. They rolled on the ground as they screamed in pain. They were suffered in burning pain but could not die fast enough.


    More soldiers ran around the Fire Sword, fire elements could not cause any burning damage to them. They yelled as they approached Anfey and Suzanna.


    Anfey had locked his telepathy on the Fire Sword. He suddenly pointed his finger and the Fire Sword started to shake. The heat waves spread out from the Fire Sword. In the blink of an eye, they had spread about a hundred yards in radius. The people and horses caught in the waves of fire were burned in cloud of mes. Even the weapons and armor on the ground lost their shape immediately.


    The color of the Fire Sword had changed from light orange into light red. The mes on the sword de seemed to get even wilder and jumped dozens of yards into the air, like a gigantic torch.


    "I see." Anfey raised an eyebrow. "Practice is the only way test the truth." The Fire Sword seemed to be more powerful now, but Anfey knew he had released almost all the elements he had umted for a long time.


    The cavalry suddenly stopped and focused on Anfey with terrified looks. They now knew why those knights chose to go in the opposite direction. The spreading heat waves Anfey created was like a fire hell. Regr soldiers could tell Anfey must be an archmagi, since he could instantly perform senior-level magic.


    The cavalry turned around and started to run the opposite direction. As a result, they crashed into the knights who were retreating again. The knights were not in a better situation than the cavalry, which was under attack of about a hundred of mages led by vi and Riska. A mage group actually could decide the fate of a battle on the battlefield. A Silver Knight was no match for a group of mages, but a magister could beat a group of knights. Mages had too many ways to y and kill knights, for example with wall magic, fire wall magic, marsh magic, and storm magic. Knights had to fight hand-to-hand. The power of a hundred mages simply was not equivalent to the power of all the knights added together.


    The strategies the mage group used were getting better. Without Shinbe¡¯s help, a few mages could use wall magic to block the knights¡¯ advance. A few other mages together could divide knights into two groups with fire wall magic. After the fire walls were created, the main force of the mage group released big fire balls to start the nket attacks. A couple of mages released marsh magic between the fire walls and walls, which swallowed about a hundred knights immediately. Many knights were killed by big fire balls as well. The mage group had shown those knights in fierce magic that there was no way they could pass.


    Thousands of soldiers from Shansa Empire were in chaos. Some believed it was safer ahead of them and tried to push forward, while others believed the opposite direction was safer and tried to move backwards. Some soldiers were about to go crazy. They just simply swung their weapons at other knights when they were knocked by horses. The knights counterattacked the soldiers, but their moves threatened some cavalry, and they were attacked by other groups. Other knights joined the fight to help their peers. Soon, individual fights turned into group fights. They forgot their real enemies and became even more chaotic.


    "Honey, no, my sweet wife, my love, please." Anfey bowed with a smile to signal Suzanna to start her fight. His Fire Sword had almost lost all its fire elements. His fighting ability had been reduced and it was Suzanna¡¯s show time.


    Suzanna sighed and smiled at Anfey. Her sigh was because she did not want to kill so many people. She could face her opponents ruthlessly, but these soldiers from Shansa Empire were not her opponents anymore. They were just a herd of sheep, waiting to be ughtered. By smiling at Anfey, she indicated she would follow Anfey¡¯s order.


    This was the difference between Anfey and Suzanna. Anfey was cold. The principles Anfey followed were simple: he would kill others if others wanted to attack him first. Anfey would not show any mercy after he saw them trying to surround and attack him. If Suzanna and Anfey had been caught by the soldiers from Shansa Empire, Anfey did not think they would show him any mercy.

 Chapter 412: Mirrors

    Chapter 412: Mirrors


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The fight finally ended. The mercenaries murdered all the soldiers guarding the supply carts, and the only one they left alive was the general. The mercenaries learned how powerful they could be when they banded together. A mercenary group on its own would not have been able to achieve this.


    While the mercenaries were cleaning up the battlefield, Anfey was sitting by one of the carts and staring at the fire sword. Some new ideas hade to him during the fight. He did not know whether he was right, and was conflicted because of this. His control of the elements was amateur: he did not have time to make mistakes and start over.


    "Sir, Joseph wants to meet you," Ozzic walked over and said.


    "Joseph?" Anfey asked, dismissing the sword.


    "Those people," Ozzic said, pointing at the mercenaries.


    The mercenaries did not leave when Ozzic, Orsie, and Shinbe attacked the supply carts. On one side was the army that had helped them. On the other side were mercenaries like them. They did not know who to help and chose to observe the fight instead of taking part in it. After the fight was over, the mercenaries wanted to leave, but the leader chose to talk with Ozzic instead of fleeing.


    ording to the n, Ozzic was supposed to go meet Anfey. The mercenaries insisted oning with Ozzic after hearing where he was going. Ozzic left some of his men and some of vi¡¯s mages to keep an eye on the mercenaries. Ozzic told the mages to keep the Eye of the Sky up throughout the battle because he wanted to show the mercenaries how strong Anfey and Suzanna were.


    Clearly, Ozzic¡¯s n had worked out in his favor.


    Ozzic waved his hand, and a few momentster, Ye walked over with a middle-aged man. The man looked very polite and slightly fearful. Seeing a top level power fight was very rare and terrifying for someone who had never witnessed a top level power¡¯s strength.


    "Sir!" the man knelt down on one knee and said. "Forgive my imprudence. After Lord Ozzic, Lady Shinbe, Lord Orsie, Lord vi, Lord Riska..."


    "That¡¯s fine," Anfey said, waving his head. He understood Joseph¡¯s concern. If he missed someone, it might make his life more difficult. "Stand up."


    Joseph hesitated and nced at Ozzic. Ozzic licked his lips and said, "You need to follow his order, Joseph. Especially if that order may lead to conflicts with others, you need to follow the order. Understand?" Anfey wasn¡¯t the only person who could give orders in the alliance. Alice and Christian had the same authority as him. However, Ozzic respected Anfey a lot and wanted to establish that Anfey was the highest authority in the alliance.


    Joseph nodded and scrambled to his feet. He knew Ozzic was telling him that he should always side with Anfey when his order conflicted with other orders. "I see a great future for the alliance, sir," Joseph said. "I respect your strength and your goals. If you will allow, I want to contribute to this nation as well. I swear..."


    Suzanna, seeing Joseph and wanting to understand what was happening, walked over quietly. "You need to follow Lady Suzanna¡¯s orders as well," Ozzic interrupted when he saw Suzanna. Even though he seemed to be contradicting himself, Anfey and Suzanna were basically the same person and would usually give the same order.


    Joseph blinked. He wanted to swear his loyalty to Anfey, but Suzanna¡¯s appearance made him confused.


    Suzanna nodded at Joseph but did not say anything to him. She turned to Anfey and said, "You look tired."


    "I¡¯m fine," Anfey said. "Joseph?"


    "Yes, sir."


    "How many mercenaries do you have?"


    "Three hundred and forty-one," Joseph said with a sigh. He knew that his men would be divided up.


    Anfey pursed his lips. He knew he should probably divide those mercenaries up, but it would be better to give Joseph his own legion. "You will be the eighth legion of the alliance," Anfey said. "You are themander of the legion. Go, talk to your men. We will take care of them."


    "Yes, sir!" Joseph said. This result was better than he could possibly have expected.


    "Good for you," Ozzic said with augh, sping Joseph¡¯s shoulder. "Just like me."


    "Thank you, Lord Ozzic," Joseph said. "And Lord Ye, thank you."


    Ye¡¯s eyes widened and he took a step back. He was just Ozzic¡¯s assistant and felt that he should not be talked about in the breath as Ozzic.


    "He doesn¡¯t have a backbone," Suzannamented with a frown.


    "Backbone isn¡¯t always the best thing," Anfey said. "It¡¯s better to recognize and adapt."


    "But you have to have a backbone to be amander," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "He will join us today. Who knows who he will join tomorrow?"


    "You think he¡¯ll join someone else?"


    "Maybe not now, but who knows?"


    "Lady Suzanna¡¯s right," Ozzic said hurriedly. "We need to be careful, sir!"


    "Oh stop it, Ozzic," Anfey said with augh. "I know who you are."


    Ozzic rubbed his hands together awkwardly, but Ye smiled behind him. If Anfey ignored Ozzic, it meant that Ozzic had be an annoyance to him. But Anfey addressed it, meaning that Anfey knew Ozzic and was willing to trust him.


    "I¡¯m serious!" Suzanna said. The alliance was as important to her as it was to Anfey. She did not like people without backbones, and she wanted to warn Anfey. Thompson joined them voluntarily as well, but she liked Thompson way more than Joseph.


    "We won¡¯t give him the chance to betray us," Anfey promised her. "Plus, who says we are going to meet difficulties?"


    Suzanna sighed but did not say anything else.


    Anfey was used to doing things alone. He was used to being responsible for himself only and did not have experience controllingrge numbers of people. Anfey trusted and relied on Ozzic because he knew he could learn things from Ozzic and could ensure stability within the alliance. Punishing Ozzic would only make the other mercenaries less trusting.


    Thompson hurried over. He saw them and sighed. "I¡¯m toote!" heined loudly.


    "Late for what?"


    "The fight!" Thompson said. "I cannot believe I missed Lady Suzanna and Lord Anfey¡¯s disy of power." Thompson was better at sweet talk than Ozzic, and it felt very natural when it wasing from him.

 Chapter 413: Pennies from Heaven and Unexpected Dangers

    Chapter 413: Pennies from Heaven and Unexpected Dangers


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Where is the guy I want?" Anfey asked as he looked up.


    "In the back," Thompson said with a wave of his hand. A few of his mercenaries walked over with a horse. Thompson grabbed the man on the horse and tossed him to the ground on his back.


    "It is so cruel." Anfey was shocked by how the general of Shansa Empire looked. He nced at Suzanna out of the corners of his eye. The general only got one punch from Suzanna, and not a hard one. Yet the general¡¯s face was misshapen and unrecognizable. His nose, eyes and lips were a bloody mess. He had been pulled and tossed upside down, so blood covered his face. He looked awful.


    "What are you looking at me for?" Suzanna asked in surprise. "Didn¡¯t you say you wanted him alive?"


    "To knock someone off, you do not have to punch him in the nose." Anfey showed his neck area. "I remember I told you to hit here. You can knock people off with too much strength."


    "Let me try it," Suzanna said, yfully staring at Anfey¡¯s neck.


    Of course, everyoneughed at Suzanna¡¯s joke, since she rarely made a joke. They knew Anfey loved Suzanna very much. On the day Anfey heard the news that Suzanna was missing, his unusual behavior proved his love. They felt they could not go wrong siding with Suzanna in a quarrel between the two.


    "Never mind, never mind. You can try it next time you catch captives." Anfey shook his head and acted scared. "Ye, take him down and interrogate him. You will be in charge."


    "Master, is there anything you want to know?" Ye asked.


    "You¡¯d better ask everything he knows," Anfey said.


    "It will take some time." Ye lifted his chin to signal the other mercenaries to follow him. The mercenaries carried the unconscious general.


    "We have plenty of time. You do not have to worry about it," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Master, can I go and watch?" Ozzic asked.


    Anfey shook his head. "Ozzic, you stay here. I have something to ask you...Thompson, can you ask Armin toe see me?"


    "Yes, master," Thompson answered.


    "Master, what is it going on?" Ozzic asked quietly. He thought Anfey asked Thompson to leave on purpose and had some secrets to tell him.


    "Divide the spoils," Anfey said.


    "Divide the spoils?" Ozzic asked.


    "We finally robbed something. As the leader, I would like to know what we got," Anfey said. "What did we get in the wagons?"


    "Master, that¡¯s very funny." Ozzicughed with Anfey. "We not only got a lot, I had nned to kill those horses for meat when it is needed. It seems that we do not need to do that anymore." The horses Ozzic mentioned were the ones they got from the conflict with the Knights and Priests of Light in Zagreen City. There were about 400 of them. All of them were handsome. The mercenaries would have felt bad if they really had to kill them for food.


    Anfey shook his head. "You cannot kill those horses. We would not die if we miss a few meals."


    "Of course, we will not need to kill them anymore." Ozzic thought for a moment. "There was food in most wagons. They have jerky, sausages and wine."


    "Most wagons? We did not just get food, did we?" Anfey asked.


    "There is some armor and weapons. I do not know if we got anything else." Ozzic shook his head. "Master, Orsie went over to check on their logistics. Do you want to ask him toe? Why is he back again?"


    They saw Orsie with a group of mercenaries in the distance. They hastily passed the temporary camp and walked toward Anfey. The mercenaries were hauling two wagons. They looked nervous and kept checking their surroundings. They made it seem like a lot of enemies were hiding around them.


    "Master, guess what we found?" Orsie said loudly as he jumped off the horse still some distance from Anfey. He could not help looking excited.


    "What could make single Orsie so happy? Did you find beautiful girls?" Anfey smiled.


    "It would have to be a group of beautiful girls." Ozzicughed with Anfey. "Orsie, spare a few for me. I am single too."


    "You! I am not kidding." Orsie did not if he shouldugh or cry.


    "What is it then?" Anfey asked.


    The weird way Orsie talked and the mercenaries acted attracted a lot of attention. Many people looked at them.


    Orsie approached Anfey and said in a trembling voice, "They had magic crystals! Master! Two wagons of magic crystals! We are rich!"


    "Why didn¡¯t I feel any magic surges?" Ozzic asked in surprise.


    "You will see in a little bit." Orsie knew they did not want to guess what was in the wagons, so he wanted to say it directly.


    "You!" Ozzic said in anger.


    In a moment, two wagons were pulled over as Anfey and the others surrounded them. If there really were magic crystals in those two wagons, it would indeed be an invaluable treasure. Anfey was shocked by it, not to mention Ozzic and the others.


    The wagon¡¯s door was open. The inside was made of wood. They had to get inside to see the Magic-Concealing crystals on the wagon walls. Crystal boxes in different sizes were piled up in the wagon. The boxes were made with Magic-Concealing crystal as well. The double protection hid all the magic surges.


    Anfey took a small box from the top. He carefully opened it and saw over a dozen burning-charcoal fire element crystals in the box. They felt the intense surges on their faces. The mercenaries around them felt the surges as well. Mercenaries worked with magic crystals year-round, so they were familiar with this feeling. They put down what they were working on and stood up. They stretched their necks to see what was happening. Everyone looked surprised and excited.


    Anfey closed the box and put it back on top of the pile. He took another small box and slowly opened it. There were over 20 ocean-blue water element crystals.


    "We are getting rich! Getting rich!" Ozzic could not help hugging Orsie as he yelled excitedly.


    Orsie was as excited as Ozzic. "I finally understand what job has the best future."


    "Orsie, ry my order to them. Ask them to clean the battlefield as fast as possible. We will leave right after they finish." Anfey acted so differently than the others, who were still excited. He sounded very cold.


    "Huh? Master, it is already dark," Orsie said.


    "We can travel at night. Hurry up!" Anfey said in a strict tone.


    "Yes, master!" Orsie was scared, but he responded to Anfey immediately.


    Ozzic and the others were scared as well. They dared not talk and simply looked at Anfey. Only Suzanna said quietly. "Anfey, what happened?"


    "We are in extreme dangers now." Anfey was a little kinder when he talked to Suzanna. "Of course, I will not give these crystals back to them. The only choice we have now is to run away as fast and far as we can." Anfey was not controlled by power and wealth. He did not show too much interest in wealth, power, or even beautiful women, no matter how much he had. He kept absolutely calm when everyone else was excited. The pennies from the heaven usually implied unexpected dangers in the future. The more the pennies, the more dangerous it would be.


    "Anfey, something is not right!" ck Eleven said it as he squeezed himself in.


    "What are you trying to say?" Anfey asked.


    "There are too many things that are not reasonable," ck Eleven said slowly. "We have found so many crystals in their wagons, which means there should be many mages in Scarlet¡¯s military. Many! Well, if those mages carried magic crystals with them, they should be able to fight one or several battles. They are sending so many magic crystal now, Scarlet must want to fight a big, hard battle this time. The question is: Who is she going to fight against?"


    Everybody was quiet. They could not answer that question.


    "There are many possibilities," Anfey said calmly. "For example, Scarlet had told them her n, but for some reason, Shansa Empire did not give her as many magic crystals as she wanted. With the help of Chiellick, they finally got as many magic crystals as Scarlet wants and sent them to her."


    "What you said could be possible," ck Eleven said, frowning.


    "No matter what, Shansa Empire would not send magic crystals to us on purpose. This was just a mistake they made at some point," Anfey said. "All we have to do is to consume these magic crystals. Ozzic, if you were the owner of these magic crystals, and they were robbed, what would you do?"


    "I would fight those robbers at any cost," ck Eleven said.


    "Right. Scarlet will fight us as well," Anfey said.

 Chapter 414: Wealth

    Chapter 414: Wealth


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The mercenaries were still cleaning the battlefield when sudden noises in the corner of the battlefield drew Anfey and Suzanna¡¯s attention. Anfey looked over and saw Ye hurrying over to them.


    "What¡¯s going on over there?" Anfey asked.


    "Nothing much," Ye said with a sigh. "Everyone¡¯s angry over what happened to General Kumaraghosha¡¯s family."


    "Why were they talking about Kumaraghosha?"


    "He was a stubborn one," Ye said. "After I asked everything I needed to ask, I asked him why he wanted to die. We could have let him go. He told us that the only way to save his family is for him to die." Ye paused as if he was still trying to process the general¡¯s words. "Then he told us what happened to General Kumaraghosha¡¯s family."


    "What happened?" Suzanna asked.


    "Edward VIII condemned all of them to death," Ye said, shaking his head. "It is a cruel, cruel thing he did. He executed Kumaraghosha¡¯s wife and daughters and fed their bodies to griffins. Kumaraghosha¡¯s daughter was engaged to a viscount, and that viscount¡¯s family is in jail now as well."


    "What else did he say?"


    "That¡¯s it about Kumaraghosha¡¯s family. The other things mostly involve military information."


    "Tell me about itter," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t kill the man yet."


    "But he¡¯s no use to us anymore."


    "Something is bettering from him," Anfey said with a sigh. "He knows exactly what happened. I want him to talk to Kumaraghosha."


    "I see," Ye said. "But...he wants to die and he¡¯s injured. I needed get the information out of him, you know." Ye pursed his lips and lowered his head. "I...might have cut his hand off."


    Anfey sighed. "Go find Warner. See if he can do anything. And tell him that no matter what happens to him, his family is still in danger. Tell him that Kumaraghosha is working for me now and eager to avenge his family. If the general dies now, Kumaraghosha would give up the opportunity to avenge his family.


    "But should hee to us if he wants revenge?"


    "He¡¯s a soldier," Anfey said. "He should know that he must be ready to be killed when he kills another. Plus, he attacked us first. Tell him everything I just said, and if he still wants to die, let him."


    "Yes, sir," Ye said and left.


    vinded next to Anfey and said, "I just counted. There¡¯s a huge amount of supplies. I don¡¯t think we can take this much."


    "Take everything you can and burn the rest."


    vi sighed. "That¡¯s such a waste."


    "I wish I could take these and send it back to Maho Empire," Anfey said, "but we can¡¯t. It¡¯s better to burn it than to let Scarlet take it back."


    "What about the armor and the weapons?"


    "Find a secluded location and bury them," Anfey said. "Remember where you buried them. Who knows when we will need them? Orsie, you¡¯ll take care of the weapons. Make it quick."


    Orsie nodded and hurried off with his men.


    "What should we do with the magic crystals?" Ozzic finally asked hesitantly.


    The mercenarymanders all paused. Even Orsie stopped and moved back to hear Anfey¡¯s decision. They had sworn loyalty to Anfey, but they were still individuals. The mercenaries were working for Anfey because they trusted Anfey¡¯s ability to lead them out of despair and give them more benefits in the future.


    What banded them together was the promise of wealth and future benefits. They were all experienced mercenaries and knew how to judge a situation without being too emotional about it.


    These mercenaries were different from Christian, vi, and Riska. Thetter had been friends with Anfey before, and even though they had their conflicts, they still wanted to band together because of theirmon experiences. They were young still and believed in friendship, and were willing to give everything for their friends. After they began trusting Anfey, they no longer cared about benefits.


    For the mercenaries, however, friendship was not enough.


    "What do you think?" Anfey asked. He knew that this was a problem he had to deal with sooner orter. He knew what kind of man Ozzic was, but he still trusted him and did not doubt his loyalty.


    If the magic crystals weren¡¯t there, this situation would have been much easier. Now that they found crystals, how to distribute these crystals became an important question. To the mercenaries, thergest number of crystals should go to the person that had lost the most men.


    "Sir, I think Lord Ozzic meant that it is going to be hard transporting these crystals," Ye suddenly said. He had returned and, sensing the tension, inserted himself between Ozzic and Anfey. "It¡¯s going to be a problem."


    "I have a dimensional ring," Joseph suggested. "Can¡¯t carry much, though."


    "That¡¯s not going to work," Ye said, shaking his head. "I¡¯m not doubting your honesty, sir, but these crystals are worth too much. I trust you, but do you trust me? If I run with these crystals, what can you do? Even if you kill me, as long as the crystal is in my ring, you cannot retrieve it."


    "Why wouldn¡¯t I trust you?" Joseph muttered but did not say anything else.


    "Do you trust me?" Ye said, turning to Thompson. "Do you?" he asked Shinbe.


    "I don¡¯t," Shinbe said. "I don¡¯t trust anyone."


    "Ye¡¯s right," Orsie said. "We can¡¯t divide up these crystals. It would lead to chaos!"


    "He¡¯s right, he¡¯s right," Ozzic hurriedly agreed. He wasn¡¯t the only one who was eyeing the crystals, but he was the only one who was talking about it.


    "Let¡¯s just take the cart," Anfey said. "vi, mark the cart. I trust you to protect these crystals. If anything happens, I¡¯ll hold you ountable."


    vi nodded. "Trust me," he said, "I¡¯m keep my eyes on it." vi was ambitious, but he was still very trusting. He had always thought the mercenaries were his friends, but clearly the mercenaries cared more about wealth.


    "Alright, then," Anfey said. "Let¡¯s go."


    Ye left with the rest of the mercenaries, but Ozzic waited until most people were gone before hurrying off to follow Ye.


    "Wait!" Ozzic called after Ye. "Wait!"


    Ye stopped and turned to Ozzic. "I have a question for you, Ozzic," Ye said with a sigh.


    "What is it?"


    "Out of all themanders, who does Lord Anfey trust the most?"


    "Me," Ozzic said, his eyes on the ground.


    "You¡¯re the most trustworthy. You should know that no matter what, you will get a share of those crystals. Why did you just do that?"


    "I know, I made a mistake," Ozzic said. "You don¡¯t think...you don¡¯t think that Lord Anfey is angry with me, do you?"


    "No," Ye said, shaking his head, "or else he won¡¯t have you guard the crystals with vi."


    "Good," Ozzic said, relieved. "Come on, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m going to buy you a drink."


    Ye smiled. "Let¡¯s wait," he said. "We need to take care of everything else first."

 Chapter 415: Executive Council

    Chapter 415: Executive Council


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    At a mountain pass, Anfey quietly sat on a huge rock. Red air currents, like moving clouds, flew out from the magic crystal in his hand. The red air currents spread out dozens of yards around him. A Fire Sword floated in front of Anfey and slowly revolved on its own. Every time the Fire Sword revolved once around, it would absorb the surrounding fire elements. The sword radiance was stronger as the color of the Fire Sword turned from light red to dark red.


    As the Fire Sword got brighter and became clear as crystal, the sword radiance suddenly became dark, and millions of small cracks appeared on the Fire Sword. It looked like a rock got corroded after years of weathering and then the red lightpletely disappeared. It was reced by a warm orange light cloud.


    Anfey gradually drew in his telepathy and looked at the Fire Sword in satisfaction. He put the Fire Sword back into the sheath and turned to look at the fire element magic crystal in his hand. Its volume had been reduced by a quarter. Anfey was happy with the result. It didn¡¯t take nearly as much telepathy or time to make a Fire Sword as it had previously. The job was much easier.


    "The magic crystal is very rich in fire elements, and very pure," Anfeymented.


    Suzanna did not know how to respond to Anfey¡¯sment. Wasn¡¯t it obvious? If magic crystals were not rich in elements, or pure, then what value would they hold? Suzanna wondered.


    "Anfey, do you know you defymon sense?" vi said bitterly. "No one would believe it even if they know about it. How could you trigger the elements in the magic crystals with just your telepathy, without any help of magic arrays. Is your telepathy stronger than our professor¡¯s?"


    "If others do not believe it, then don¡¯t even bother telling them," Anfey said with a smile. He stood up and walked to Suzanna and vi.


    "I think I understand what you mean. If there were no others better than you, we would be safer. Anfey, is that what you mean?" vi asked.


    "That¡¯s right. vi, you¡¯re getting smarter," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, are youplimenting me or making fun of me?" vi yfully gave Anfey a punch.


    "I am definitely giving youpliments. You are amander in charge of the most powerful mage group in our league," Anfey said.


    When Anfey talked about the mage group, vi went quiet for a while, then said, "Anfey, I do not know if I am in the position to tell you this."


    "We are brothers. Why don¡¯t you just tell me?" Anfey smiled.


    "Anfey, Ozzic and his people are not trustworthy! Anfey, I am not trying to create problems among us. I am telling you what I feel," vi immediately exined. "Do you remember that day? They...for the magic crystals."


    "I know," Anfey said quietly. "They are not like you. We have the same professor and have been through a lot together. We are not biological brothers, but even closer than brothers. No one could break us apart. They are different. That is the reason I did not want conflict with Fernando and Scarlet. In fact, I do not have to be worried, since most soldiers in Shield of Light legion are from Maho Empire. With their support, Fernando and Scarlet cannot push us too hard. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t worry about Christian¡¯s safety very much."


    "What are you worrying about?" vi asked.


    "I am worried about the mercenaries in the league." Anfey sighed. "Fernando and Scarlet are not stupid. They know well that the biggest problem with the league is internal instability. If they did something behind our backs and tried to sabotage our unity, it would be hard to prevent," Anfey said.


    "If that is the case, why don¡¯t we..." vi looked like he was determined to kill someone.


    "No, no! They are still our people now," Anfey said, shaking his head, "but there are different degrees of loyalty to ¡®our people¡¯. Fighting against Fernando or Scarlet is different than fighting death spirits. No one had another option than to unite and fight shoulder to shoulder. There would be too many unexpected factors if we fight with Fernando and Scarlet. We are just keeping things moving forward. They should have no loyalty problems, and that is why I am trying to avoid Fernando and Scarlet. If we could easily win the battle, we would fight. If not, we just run away. The key is to keep mercenaries optimistic."


    "Are we going to continue like this?" vi asked with a frown.


    "We do not have enough people, so we can only keep going the way we are," Anfey said slowly. "When we meet up with Sante and Zubin, I have an idea."


    "What¡¯s that?" vi asked.


    "I would like to send our people to each mercenary group. Let¡¯s call them magic counselors." Anfey thought of the position in his previous world called an executive council. Of course, the magic counselor would have more power than the executive council. "Counselors cannot givemands, but on certain asions could vetomanders."


    "So it would be the supervisor of amander?" vi asked.


    "You can say that." Anfey smiled. "vi, I have already thought about having you be the magic counselor for Unit One. You have to be careful with yournguage and behavior. No matter what you think of Ozzic, you have to keep a good rtionship with him. Don¡¯t fight with him. You have to pay special attention to Ye. If you identally show your dislike towards Ozzic, Ye would definitely sense it, even if Ozzic could not."


    vi was quiet and slowly nodded.


    "Let¡¯s put it this way. If we are in danger, I am not sure about others, but Shinbe and Ye would definitely work for us. Well, Ye is in an awkward position." Anfey had a smile on his face. "On one hand, Ozzic helped him a lot and trusted him, so he treats Ozzic like a brother and thinks for him all the time. On the other hand, he is willing to work for us and thinks for us as well. For example..."


    "For example, if Ye spoke up for you, it would be hard for you to make the decision," Suzanna said.


    "Yes." Anfey nodded. "Ozzic may not be that important, but we need have Ye on our side. He is very good. For the sake of Ye, could you let small things go if Ozzic offends you? vi, do you follow?"


    "Yes, got it." vi smiled. "If you asked me some time ago to deal with a person I do not like, I might not be able to do it. I will try now though."


    "Anfey, do you think thosemanders object if you send supervisors, I mean, magic counselors, to each mercenary group?" vi asked.


    "There would definitely be challenges, but I have my bottom line. They have to have magic counselors; otherwise I could just do what vi suggested: kill anyone who does not obey," Anfey said calmly. "The League of Mercenaries are not regr mercenary groups. The current policies and rules in the mercenary group are not what I want while thosemanders have too much power. Themanders set too much constraints on their mercenaries. I cannot allow them keep their absolute power."


    "If they really..." vi was interrupted by Anfey.


    "Then kill them." Anfey looked cold. "If I could get support from Ye, it would mean I would get Ozzic¡¯s support as well. We also have Shinbe, the mage group, and us. If we have to fight, we have the advantage. Orsie and Thompson are smart. They know what they should do. The only trouble would be Joseph. That is fine. I could kill him to set an example for others."


    "I am concerned that we could create problems if we suppress thosemanders so hard," vi said.


    "Every magic counselor will have a position in the mage group. When units are on different assignments, they could apply for mages to join the battle though magic counselors, or even ask the whole mage group to help them. With this condition, mercenaries would not be too opposed to magic counselors."


    "Will it be enough if they are just not against it? What if they iste magic counselors?" vi asked.


    "They cannot." Anfey smiled. "Magic counselors mainly deal with regr mercenaries. Regr mercenaries would not refuse to make friends with an honorable mage. Of course, it would depend on each individual mage to develop his own reputation."


    "To bond with regr mercenaries." Suzanna thought for a while. "vi, what do you think?"


    vi nodded confidently. "I think it would work." Whenever he talked with mercenaries, they all looked honored and surprised. If he tried purposefully to bond with them, he felt he could get along with them quick.


    "Suzanna, do you have any concerns?" Anfey asked.


    "No, I think it is a good idea," Suzanna said.


    Suzanna was not the same pce maid who was willing to risk her life toplete missions anymore. vi was not the same na?ve mage anymore. They had experienced so much in the past year. Anfey was autocratic at the beginning because of the situation he was in, and he knew those kids would not have any valuable suggestions. After things had settled, he tried to ask more and gave guidance to Christian and a few others. Whether he was guiding them or pushing them to learn, Christian, Suzanna and few others indeed matured every day. They would not have had so many suggestions a year ago.


    Switching the topic, Suzanna said, "Anfey, why did you stop triggering magic crystals? I think you still have telepathy left."


    "We do not have time," Anfey said calmly. "The knights from Shansa Empire are only a few miles away."


    "What? Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier?" vi was shocked and immediately looked up to check.


    "Not griffin riders," Anfey said. "They are cavalry. We killed a few griffin riders a few days ago. I think Scarlet feels bad about it and would not send more griffin riders out to get killed." Anfey was not bragging. The Fire Sword could instantly release all kinds of elements andrge-scale series of lightning. If they did not have too many griffin riders, and would fly in close formation, he could kill a bunch of them with one attack.


    "How many soldiers do they have?" vi asked.


    "More than 20," Anfey said.


    "Only about 20?" vi suddenly looked rxed. "It is not fun. We could just stop them there and then go to meeting Riska."


    "No, kill these soldiers. We have to catch up with Riska soon," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, did you say we have to cover for the mercenaries?" vi asked.


    "Not necessary anymore," Anfey said slowly. "The day before yesterday, the griffin riders flying northeast were missing. Today, the scout knight in the northeast is missing again, which will give Scarlet enough information to locate us."

 Chapter 416: Illusion

    Chapter 416: Illusion


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A few days passed, but time did not ease Anfey and Suzanna¡¯s worry. Despite their worrying, however, nothing had happened. Scarlet was young, but she had already made a name for herself and was known for being proud. She wasn¡¯t the kind to lose two whole carts of magic crystals and do nothing in retaliation. She should be nning something or doing something.


    The mercenaries arrived at a small vige by sunset. The vige was silent, without even the sound of farm animals. The vigers had either carefully fled or all had been killed already. However, the mercenaries became very excited by what they saw in the vige. A broken que near the entrance of the vige told them that they were close to Stormenburg, where Band of Brothers mercenary group had settled.


    "We¡¯re at Shiza Vige," Ozzic reported to Anfey with a wide smile. "We¡¯re very close to Stormenburg now. A day and a half march at most."


    "Elizabeth, did the mages find anything?" vi turned and asked.


    Elizabeth shook her head. The mages had been using Eye of the Sky to observe their surroundings nonstop. Anfey did not need Eye of the Sky to know what was happening around them, but he couldn¡¯t be alert all the time and he wanted to train the mages.


    "Let¡¯s take a break," Anfey said. "We¡¯ll march through the night."


    Ozzic nodded. Marching through the night would be difficult, but no one wanted to live in constant danger and fear. Marching during the night was a sacrifice they were willing to make in order to reach Stormenburg faster.


    Ozzic stopped the mercenaries and told themanders about Anfey¡¯s order. There was no need to set up tents or start fires, since they will not be staying for the night.


    Anfey jumped off of his horse. He had been keeping an eye on his surroundings as well, but it was difficult work. Like the mercenaries, he needed some rest.


    vi looked around and found Ye. He waved and asked, "How¡¯s the guy from Shansa?"


    "The general?" Ye smiled and said, "He¡¯s living. I¡¯m proud of him, to be honest. I didn¡¯t expect him to make it."


    "Tell Warner to keep an eye on him," Anfey reminded him.


    "You don¡¯t need to tell me twice," Ye said with augh. "Warner won¡¯t leave his side."


    Ye walked off to talk with other mercenaries. Anfey smiled and patted vi on the shoulder. "You did well today. Keep talking. It¡¯s not something to be ashamed off."


    vi smiled. Before he could say anything, he was distracted by somemotion amongst the mages. Elizabeth hurried over, worried.


    Anfey didn¡¯t need anyone to report to him to know who they had discovered. What he had been worrying about wasing. He nced at Suzanna and they began walking towards the mages.


    Elizabeth joined them and said, "The mages found..."


    "I know," Anfey said, nodding. He nced around and saw the mercenaries had drawn their weapons, ready for battle. The mercenaries knew what they took and knew that retaliation would being. The mercenaries didn¡¯t need any order to know a fight wasing.


    Anfey was satisfied with how the mercenaries reacted to this sudden situation. He hurried to the mages and saw that ck Eleven was already there, staring at an Eye of the Sky. He turned and saw Anfey and shook his head. "It¡¯s Scarlet¡¯s knights," ck Eleven said.


    "You sure?" vi asked, his eyes wide.


    "So what?" Anfey asked with a frown.


    ck Eleven sighed and shook his head. He did not know how to answer Anfey¡¯s question concisely. Each of the three empires had its own specialty. Ellisen Empire had powerful mages, Maho Empire had strong swordsmen, and Shansa Empire had the griffins. Another thing Shansa Empire was especially good at was training knights and cavalry. Because of this, Shansa Empire did not have a lot of strong foot soldiers. This was a side effect of how powerful and important the griffin knights were within Shansa Empire.


    "They have a lot of mages," Riska said quietly.


    This news did note as a surprise. If Scarlet did not have mages, she would not waste so much time and manpower transporting magic crystals. The news was no surprise, but it still made everyone, including vi, nervous. The mages all concentrated on trying to find the enemy mages.


    The alliance¡¯s mages group had participated in several battles since its establishment, but in reality they were never a direct part of the battle because they had rarely fought against other mages. Mages from ces like Ellisen Empire were very familiar with battle tactics. They knew when to use a spell, and they could change their battle strategy depending on the course of the battle. The alliance¡¯s mages did not have these experiences. vi did not know how well the mages would hold up against mages who had experience fighting against groups.


    Anfey did not look at the Eye of the Sky. He utilized the Heart of Nature and searched for the enemy¡¯s movement.


    The enemy was getting closer. Shansa knights suddenly increased their speed at the same time, hundreds of figures appeared behind the knights and rose into the air.


    "God," one of the mages whispered. "They have so many people."


    Everyone turned to Anfey, waiting for his order. The mercenarymanders had all arrived as well and were waiting.


    "I¡¯ll go with Suzanna and hold them off for a bit," Anfey said. "Ozzic, you will follow us. Shinbe and Orsie, you two will follow Ozzic." Anfey was the leader of the alliance and he did not have to go first, but he wanted to show the mercenaries that he was trustworthy and they could risk their lives with him.


    "What is it?" one of the mages suddenly eximed, pointing at the Eye of the Sky.


    A dozen Shansa mages raised their wands and heavy fog appeared, concealing them. Soon, the Eye of the Sky could only see white fog.


    vi cursed under his breath. "Quickly, cover us!"


    The mages scrambled to release fog spells, but before the fog could conceal the mercenaries, a gust of wind blew it all away.


    Riska frowned and began chanting. He did not having experience in battle either, but he wanted to copy the Shansa mages and blow their fog away. Riska used the wind spell twice, but the spells seemed to have no effect on the fog.


    Anfey frowned. It seemed like the time to divide the crystals hade.


    "They have griffins!" a mage called. About twenty griffin knights appeared in the Eye of the Sky. Anfey wasn¡¯t scared of the griffins, but he was confused. The knights had slowed down and stopped, then they turned and rode away. The magesnded among the knights and hurried away as well.


    Finally, Riska¡¯s wind spell worked and the wind blew away all the fog. By the time the fog dispersed, however, nothing was left. Even though griffins were flying away, as if they could not see the mercenaries in the vige.


    Everyone stood in silence, shocked. If it hadn¡¯t been the griffins, they would have thought that what they had just witness was only an illusion.

 Chapter 417: Old Memories

    Chapter 417: Old Memories


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The history of Stormenburg was not as long as ckwater City and White Mountain City, but Stormenburg wasparatively an ancient city in the Country of Mercenaries.


    The very first city master of Stormenburg, Jacques, was not very lucky. He tried very hard to gather all kinds of construction materials. As they were ready for construction, the weather suddenly changed. The stormssted for two whole months. This kind of weather was rare. They finally toughed through the storms, but Jacques¡¯s biggest enemy, plus some gangsters, caused him trouble. Jacques led his mercenaries and fought them. They kicked the gangsters out of Stormenburg but paid a big price for it.


    After that, Jacques changed the city name into Stormenburg, which meant the city would stay there after storms, and changed his Holy War mercenary group into Brothers Mercenary group to remember those mercenaries who died in the war. Jacques had a bad temper, but he set a good example for mercenaries and rewarded and punished them fairly. He never bullied anyone, so he enjoyed a good reputation among mercenaries. Knowing Jacques was building a city, some mercenary groups who were barely surviving came to Stormenburg to join Jacques. Jacques change the Brothers mercenary group into Band of Brother mercenary group to show their high tolerance towards other mercenaries.


    After generations of hard work, Stormenburg had grown to a decent size. Its location was not great. It was far from business routes, which slowed down economic development. However, Stormenburg was still one of the best cities in the Country of Mercenaries.


    Anfey and his people had met a few patrols just as they entered Stormenburg. After a short conversation, the mercenaries immediately went to report to theirmander. Soon, a group of about 300 mercenaries came out to wee them. The one in front was Entos, whom Anfey had not seen for a while.


    Entos was shocked when they saw each other. He looked around and then burst intoughter.


    Anfey was walking in the front. He felt strange, so he looked at himself first and then looked at Suzanna. He did not get what Entos wasughing about.


    Entos did not stopughing for a while. He sighed. "Anfey? What happened? You look like you were chased by a group of crazy dogs. None of you look good."


    Shansa Empire¡¯s military had retreated for no apparent reason. Anfey still had to be extra careful. They travelled at night and had not taken a break. It was impossible to still look good. The mercenaries had been travelling about 17 hours nonstop and all looked greasy, sweaty, and covered with dust. Some of them had leaves in their hair and on their clothes. They had no time to clean up. They all looked tired and greasy. No wonder Entosughed at them.


    Anfey smiled bitterly. "You have no idea what we experienced."


    "The professor said you are a genius. You could develop well in any area. It looks like a genius¡¯s ability is limited." Entos continued to put Anfey down. "What the hell happened to make you look like this?"


    The fewmanders in Anfey¡¯s league who did not know Entos looked irritated. Based on what Entos said, it was easy to misunderstand that he did not like Anfey. It wasmon sense that a friend should not take advantage of Anfey in difficult times to make fun of him.


    "Bro Entos, stop your nonsense. You have no idea how tired we are. Can you ask your people to prepare rooms and food for us?" Anfey turned around to take a look. "We can be tough, but..."


    Entos looked up to follow Anfey¡¯s eyes. He saw highly-secured wagons. Entos¡¯ face changed immediately. "Did Miss Niyae?"


    Smart! No wonder he was the guy who could know everything with just a nce. Anfey could not helpplimenting him in his mind. Anfey neither nodded nor shook his head to answer him. If Anfey lied to Entos, then he would deceive Entos. He would rather have Entos guess.


    "How could Miss Niya be with you?" Entos asked in confusion.


    Anfey still did not answer him. He only looked at Entos.


    "I will have your rooms and food ready." Entos turned around and wanted to leave.


    Anfey grabbed Entos¡¯ arm and asked with a confused voice, "Miss Niya? Where is Miss Niya?" His facial expression was controlled, but he wasughing hard inside.


    He could tell there must have been something between Entos and Niya. Entos was neverfortable whenever Niya was there. Anfey tried to find out what had happened. He finally got the secret from Zubin.


    Entos had a wild personal life. Others never understood why honest Saul, with his simple lifestyle, would take Entos as his student. In the Country of Mercenaries, the most developed andmon job was a mercenary. Another job that developed from it was prostitution. Mercenaries returned to cities after dangerous assignments. Some of them would go home to their wives and children. The unmarried mercenaries would not mind spending money on hookers to loosen themselves up. Entos was a well-known yboy who went to see hookers very frequently. It would be an exaggeration to say Entos had seen all the hookers in the big cities, but many hookers had seen Entos. Even the ones who had not seen Entos must have known about him. Entos was over 40 years old. No one asked Entos directly why he had not married, since it was too personal.


    Entos was cruel, so he did not have a very good reputation. He was not liked by many honest and upright people, but Entos never minded others¡¯ criticism. He took the responsibility as vicemander of a mercenary group in the Country of Mercenaries. When he returned to Maho Empire, he needed to be a humble and polite student and nice brother. Besides those pieces of information, everything else was his personal affair. No one had the right to tell him what to do. Saul had reminded a few times to control his personal life. Entos listened to Saul in front of him, but forgot all of the advice when Saul was not around. He continued with the same personal life. He even bragged once when he was drunk that his life would be too boring and he would rather die if he always had to find reasons to do things and consider others¡¯ feelings and opinions. Some people told Saul what Entos bragged about. Saul was quiet for a while, thenughed and had never bothered Entos again.


    There was a saying that one day you would slip and get your feet soaked if you always walked along the river bank. Entos used to be a kind and nice brother to other students of Saul, but his true colors were starting to show. Entos went back to Saul¡¯s house from the Country of Mercenaries on purpose for Niya¡¯s seventeenth birthday. Niya had been out hunting with Granden when Entos returned. Entos was bored and found his girldfriend. Of course, that was how Entos referred to her. If he was just hanging out with her, it should be no big deal. The problem was, Entos did not like to just hang out. It was still not a big deal if he had sex with her, but he should not have brought her to Saul¡¯s house.


    To make Niya happy, Saul sent a magic letter to Niya to let her know Entos was back for her birthday. Niya missed Entos. Entos was not her biological brother, but he was like family to her. When she returned from hunting, she excitedly kicked open Entos¡¯ room at night and saw Entos naked with his girlfriend, also naked. Niya ran away screaming, while Entos ran away in shame. Entos¡¯ girlfriend was the only calm one. She put her clothes on and said goodbye to Saul, who came in to check on the screaming. She behaved very politely. Anfey heard she bought herself out from the contract with her pimp, bought a small house in Sacred City, and lived there alone. Zubin told Anfey that was the reason Entos was rarely at home. Whether Entos was too ashamed to stay home or just simply liked his wild life and stayed with his girlfriend who was living alone, Zubin did not say. It was a question that could be interpreted in different ways by different people.


    "Are you ying with me?" Entos asked. He blushed since this issue had bothered him for a long time. If Anfey did not use Niya as a bluff, how could he know the secrets Entos had. Entos felt he had fulfilled his responsibilities as a student, brother, and vicemander. He had done well except for that incident. If Anfey knew his embarrassment, he would not know what to tell Anfey. No one wanted to be the butt of other¡¯s jokes.


    Seeing Entos¡¯ face change colors, Anfey immediately realized his mistake. His joke made Entos mad. Nothing could sabotage a friendship, not even at life-threatening moments. Some people were willing to do anything for their friendship. However, friendship could be fragile as well. An inappropriate saying or facial expression could create a crack in their friendship.


    "Bro Entos, what are you doing?" Anfey smiled bitterly. "I did not say anything."


    Entos¡¯ eyes were moving fast, which showed he was thinking. Obviously, he did notpletely trust Anfey¡¯s exnation. After a while, Entos had a bitter smile on his face too. He thought to himself, Never mind. If he did it, he should not be afraid of others making fun of him. Entos changed his attitude and said quietly, "Anfey, did you see necromancers on the way?"


    "It would have been better if we met necromancers. Don¡¯t forget, we have Warner." Anfey shook his head and smiled. "Scarlet sent knights to chase after us."


    "Scarlet? How could she spare people to chase after you?" Entos asked in confusion.


    "Huh? Why couldn¡¯t she spare people to chase after us?" Anfey asked, confused.


    "Oh, you did not know General Baery has led his Roaring Dead legion into the Country of Mercenaries," Entos said slowly. "I left you guys to build a small-scale magic array for Marino in Stormenburg. We can¡¯t transportrge items on the magic array, but at least we could pass messages to each other now."


    "Really? General Baery came too?" vi asked in excitement.


    "Of course, why would I lie to you?" Entos had really changed his attitude now. He smiled. "Let¡¯s go. I will take you guys to see Marino."

 Chapter 418: Satisfied

    Chapter 418: Satisfied


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As soon as he had set foot in Stormenburg, Anfey immediately felt different. The streets were clean and wide, and there were people on the streets. Although there were lots of people out on the street, they remained to the side of the road and left the road to carts and carriages. Like Maho Empire¡¯s Sacred City, there were small holes on the side of the road that acted as a drainage system. Stormenburg¡¯s drainage system was perhaps even better than Sacred City¡¯s. The drains ensured that the city would have cleans streets and made the city more sanitary.


    Anfey had a very good first impression of the city. The buildings along the streets were very organized as well. Anfey heard that Stormenburg had expanded twice to amodate the increasing poption. This city was very flexible and could expand even more. After all, Jacob had been the one that designed the city. Unlike White Mountain City and ckwater City, Stormenburg had been under the control of Band of Brothers mercenary group since its founding, which must be one of the reason why Stormenburg was much more organized than the other two.


    Marino and two of his men were waiting outside the gate to the inner city. Anfey hurried off of his horse to greet him. "Lord Marino," he said, bowing. "It¡¯s good to see you again."


    "Good to see you as well, Count Anfey," Marino said with a quick bow.


    Suzanna walked over and smiled at Marino.


    "Good to see you, Lady Suzanna," Marino said. "You¡¯re as beautiful as ever. Come,e. Let¡¯s go inside."


    Anfey looked up and saw the mercenaries behind Marino looking at him weirdly. Seeing that he had noticed them, the mercenaries quickly looked away.


    Marino led them into the inner city, where they were greeted by a wave of cheers. The windows of the buildings on the side of the road were all open, and young girls were standing by the windows, throwing flowers at the visitors. Anfey smiled as he picked up a flower. Who knows how these girls came by these flowers in the winter?


    Suzanna nced at Anfey and frowned. Anfey nodded at her. It did not take long for them to get to the inner city. They couldn¡¯t have nned all this in that short amount of time, could they? Did Marino know that they wereing beforehand?


    Marino smiled at the flowers and kept walking. This was less of a city and more of a kingdom within a kingdom, and Marino was its king.


    The mercenaries in the alliance had been in constant danger before arriving. Now that they were in Stormenburg and were safe, they began thinking about things other than survival. With so many beautiful women around, some mercenaries were getting very distracted. They waved and hooted, trying to get the girls¡¯ attention. The girls, however, dutifully ignored the mercenaries.


    Marino led them to the conference room in the government building. Before anyone had the chance to sit, Entos appeared. "Hey," he said to Ozzic. "Come with me. I¡¯ll show you around." Ozzic hesitated, but quickly realized that Marino must want to talk to Anfey in private. Ozzic nodded and followed Entos out. The other mercenarymanders followed as well, leaving Anfey and Suzanna alone with Marino.


    "Did you run into trouble on the way here?" Marino asked, motioning them to sit.


    Anfey nodded as he sat down next to Suzanna. "We ran into some trouble with Shansa Empire¡¯s Scarlet," Anfey said.


    "How did that happen?" Marino asked, his eyes wide.


    "We took some crystals from her."


    "How much?"


    "Two carts."


    Marinoughed. "I would be angry with you also, if I was her." He was surprised by the amount of crystals, but he did not discuss it further. Marino turned to the mercenaries behind him and said, "Let me introduce you. These are my men, Uri, Bernedo, and Shashibi. They¡¯ve been with me for years."


    The three mercenaries hurried over and bowed to Anfey.


    Anfey stood and helped them up, then turned to Marino and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"


    "Go gather your men," Marino ordered quietly. The three mercenaries nodded and left the room.


    "Lord Marino, this..." Anfey did not sit back down. He stood there, watching Marino with a frown.


    "I know this must be strange," Marino said. He pushed a file on the table over to Anfey. "You¡¯ll understand when you read this."


    Anfey opened the file and nodded. It was a direct order from Ynthe that made Marino an inheritable duke. Stormenburg and five hundred miles around the city would be hisnd. It also gave Marino and his heirs pardon for any crimes. Next to Ynthe¡¯s signature was a red fingerprint. As long as Maho Empire existed, this order would be effective.


    Ynthe¡¯s generosity surprised Anfey, but it still did not answer his question. "Congrattions, Duke!" he said with a genuine smile. Marino¡¯s rise in status would be a great asset.


    "Thank you," Marino said quietly. "You see, I¡¯m not a very ambitious person. Which is why I need to take care of everything after I received this."


    "You mean..."


    "I know myself, but that doesn¡¯t mean others know me. I need to prevent conflicts and make myself clear to anyone." Marino chuckled. "Rulers are like beasts. You never know what will anger them."


    "You are given a pardon," Anfey said.


    "By His Majesty," Marino said, "who can revoke it any time he wants. People with less power, on the other hand, are much safer. People like Marquis Djoser. He had done a lot of things, but His Majesty had never punished him, because Djoser did not have enough power to change the empire."


    Anfey sat down in his seat. He was beginning to understand Marino¡¯s concerns. "But His Majesty isn¡¯t like that."


    "I respect His Majesty, but what about his son? His son¡¯s son?" Marino shook his head. "The pardon only works when we stay in ournes. Entos trusts you, which is why I am telling you this. You¡¯re too young, so you may not understand. I did not understand for a long time until recently. Do you know why His Majesty did this?"


    "Because he trusts you."


    "No," Marino said, shaking his head. "If you have a magic beast, and one day you give it a lot of food, what will you be thinking?"


    "I hope that it never gets hungry and harasses me again," Anfey said.


    "Exactly. From now on, I¡¯m on my own. I cannot ask His Majesty for anything anymore. This is the most he can give me," Marino said. "After the war began, a lot of mercenaries took refuge here. I¡¯m worried that I may not be able to support them, but I cannot turn them away, either. I¡¯m a duke already: Why do I need so many mercenaries? I¡¯m not ambitious, and I¡¯m satisfied with everything as it is. I don¡¯t need these mercenaries here, do you understand?"

 Chapter 419: Courtesy

    Chapter 419: Courtesy


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Because of the situation we are in now, it is not the time to retreat immediately," Anfey said with a slight shake of his head. Obviously, Marino was only interested in being a wealthy man, but he had to do what was needed since the situation had changed. From Anfey¡¯s point of view, he definitely would need Marino¡¯s help in the future. Even if Marino did not want to be involved, he had to wait until the situation got better or until Christian was in a much stronger position.


    "Do you know why I am talking about these things even though we just met? I am really worried." Marino had a bitter smile on his face. "Since the War against the Dead broke out, more than 12,000 mercenaries havee to Stormenburg. Including their families, the poption of Stormenburg has grown by more than 50,000. It is a huge burden for me. With over 10,000 mercenariesing to me, plus the mercenaries in Band of Brother mercenary group, I have enough people for a decent-sized military. I do not know if Glory mercenary group took the opportunity to expand. If they are the same size, I have the confidence to start a fight against them and destroy them."


    Anfey was shocked. "You have that many mercenaries?" This was the difference between Marino and Alice. Alice had imed that she weed all the mercenaries to Moramatch. However, only a small number of mercenaries hade. Some mercenaries who came to Moramatch were friends with Ozzic. The number of mercenaries who went to Moramatch were just a triflepared with therge number of mercenaries who went to Stormenburg. Of course, these movements were affected by the strategies necromancers used. The poption of death spirits around Cross Valley was thergest. Stormenburg was a lot safer. The people who were able to cross the Cross Valley and reach Moramatch were almost all soldiers. If they had families with them, they usually did not want to take the risk and preferred the safer route.


    Marino nodded. "It was hard to exin to others why there are more than tens of thousands of mercenaries. Some people might think I want to do something with so many mercenaries in Stormenburg. In fact, I have the ability to take some action if I want to. I do not want others to have that misconception about me. You know how many people would believe the gossip."


    "Do you want to give those mercenaries to me?" Anfey smiled. "Do you think I am not concerned about the same issue?"


    "You are different than me. No matter what you do, others will think you are working for Christian and doing something for your future," Marino said.


    Entos walked into the room and frowned. "Marino, why are you talking about this with Anfey? We should not worry about this kind of thing."


    "Entos, I cannot believe you cannot see it more clearly, since you are involved. Have you asked Christian¡¯s opinion? Do you know what Christian is really thinking?" Marino asked calmly.


    Entos went quiet for a while before he slowly took a seat. The issue between Granden and Christian gave him a headache. Christian was like his little brother, while Granden showed a lot of respect and had a good rtionship with him. Entos even helped Granden make Niya like him. If Entos took Granden¡¯s or Christian¡¯s side, it seemed not to be fair to the other one. Entos pretended he did not know when Niya ran away. Saul did not interfere either. It showed the attitudes of Entos and Saul toward the younger generation¡¯s problems. They felt helpless and wanted to leave room to let the younger ones deal with it by themselves. They tried not to interfere.


    If Granden and Christian were not in conflict, then all the problems could be solved easily. The problem was Granden and Christian shared a lot good qualities inmon. They were both smart, kind, understood regr people¡¯s struggles, dedicated to the country, had good rtionships in their circles, and had good self-control. It made it really hard for Entos to take sides.


    So many royal kidsmitted crimes, bullied others and raped women. The grandson of Philip was an example. As princes, Granden and Christian had the highest immunity from being punished, but they had never done anything like that. Instead, they hated these kinds of things. The only difference between them was that Granden was more direct. In war, Granden supervised the troops. He had always volunteered to be the vice sheriff and had punished many royal kids whomitted crimes. He neither showed any prejudice toward anyone, nor was afraid of offending anyone for the right reasons. The oldest prince, Wester, was in charge of city administration for the time being. Many government officials and royalty in Sacred City had showed their favoritism towards Wester. There was a saying that three inches-thick ice could not freeze overnight. Many people must have had conflicts with Granden for a long time.


    Christian held an aloof attitude towards government affairs, since he did not mean to take any position in Sacred City. He needed some experience managing the city and leading troops. If Christian were given opportunities, no one would say he was worse than Granden. Everyone knew the real reason Ynthe asked Christian to supervise the troops this time.


    In rtionships with girls, Granden only hung out with Niya. There was never any gossip about him with other girls. Christian had dedicated himself to magic study. They were definitely unique among royal kids, in a good way. Saul and others thought Granden and Christian should appreciate each other more. Brothers could break a gold brick if they tried it together. If one of them became Ynthe¡¯s sessor while the other one became a prince, they could work together to reform the country and give Maho Empire new life. That would be undoubtedly the best result, but reality wasn¡¯t working out that way. Granden held a party on Christian¡¯s birthday, while Christian only said goodbye to the oldest prince Wester and ignored Granden. All these had showed the conflict between them.


    Marinoid his eyes on Anfey. "And I need to think for my mercenaries. There are two kinds of people. One type is ambitious, while the other is content, like me. I would like to refer a few people to you. They are the former kind. It would not benefit them too much if they follow me. No matter how hard they work, they would be my officials. The problem is, they could not rece me. I have thought about it for them through. Instead of having them stay with me and endure a boring and lonely life, I would rather have them follow you and do something amazing. If they could aplish something, they would definitely appreciate me rmending them to you."


    What Marino said inspired Anfey. He needed to push Christian into the public more. Christian should not give others the impression that he was just a puppet of Anfey. It would not do any good for Christian, and also would put himself in danger.


    "But I hope you will treat them well. Their loyalty is beyond doubt. I can promise you that." Marino smiled. "I have been talking with them about you after I had this idea. I bragged about your wisdom and capability. I can tell they admire you."


    "You bragged about me to what degree?" Anfey asked. He remembered that a few mercenaries had checked him out, but also looked timid.


    "I did not exaggerate too much. You were a student of a supreme power and will be the only supreme power in the future," Marino said. "I talked a lot about you. For example, you drove out rascals and protected people, scolded Master Swordsman Philip, went into your enemies¡¯ territories to fight and wiped the whole Griffin Aerial Unit, fought with necromancers and killed Annunciata and over a dozen other necromancers, founded League of Mercenaries in Moramatch, and killed hundreds of thousands of death spirits."


    "Are you sure you just bragged about me a little bit?" Anfey said.


    "Just a little bit. To a bard, this is a necessary and artistic exaggeration. In fact, those heroic biographies had exaggeration in them as well." Marino smiled. "I have been wanting to be a bard since I was little."


    "Did you just say you have over 12,000 mercenaries? How many mages are there?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, but I am not sure of the number of mages. You¡¯ll have to find out yourself." Marino suddenly grinned. "Don¡¯t get too excited about the number. You know I have passed my burden to you. First of all, you should think about how you would feed them before the business route opens up again."


    "I have plenty of food, but I need to send people to get it for me," Anfey said.


    "You have food? Where is it?" Marino was shocked. Stormenburg was his city and had all kinds of supplies, but the city supplies were almost emptied by having an extra 50,000 people. He nned to have Entos to take over 10,000 mercenaries to meet Anfey. This way, he helped Anfey and made a huge contribution to the future sess of Christian at the same time. He also could pass the burden to Anfey with a good reason. It was like killing two birds with one stone. He definitely wanted to use Anfey when he heard there were food.


    "Scarlet has lead her troops into the Country of Mercenaries to start the battle. She had to feed more than a few hundred thousand people. It should be no problem to feed another 50,000 people," Anfey said.


    Marino was shocked. "You are not thinking of robbing Scarlet¡¯s supplies, are you?"


    "No, I am not just thinking about it. You know I have robbed her once. It should be fine to rob her a few more times," Anfey said.


    "Scarlet lost so muchst time. She must have prepared a lot better this time. If you want to rob her again, it will be very, very hard!" Marino said.


    "I am not going to rob her in the Country of Mercenaries. Here is the border between the Country of Mercenaries and Shansa Empire." Anfey rubbed his finger across a deep cut in the table. "I have a captive from Shansa Empire. He said Scarlet was stopped by border patrols when she was ready to go out for battle. She took over the patrol by force to show her determination. The nobility in Shansa Empire was against Scarlet going out to fight at first, but they changed their minds when they knew they could not stop her."


    "What does this have to do with food?" Marino asked.


    "In war, those border patrols were very brave and fought her hard, so she ordered her men to destroy the two mage towers at the border. After the battle, she forced all the mages at the border to go with her. Without the protection of mages and mage towers, Suzanna and I can go in and out freely. We could go in at any time to open the gate." Anfey pointed on the table. "She stocked most her supplies here, on the other side of the border."


    Marino suddenly realized something. "Did you already n to attack there even before you came here?"


    "I nned to take a break in Stormenburg. Since Scarlet is here, I cannot do anything to her. That would be too rude," Anfey said.

 Chapter 420: Paladin’s Advantage

    Chapter 420: Pdin¡¯s Advantage


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Please!" Anfey said, holding his hands out.


    Suzanna smiled and bowed to Anfey. Anfey took a few steps back and, before Suzanna could react, jumped towards her and kicked at her chest.


    Suzanna had always thought Anfey was fair, so she did not expect him to attack before she was ready. She was still a grand swordswoman, though, and easily avoided the attack.


    "That¡¯s cheating," Suzannained.


    Anfey grinned but did not say anything. He drew his sword and jumped at Suzanna again without warning.


    Suzanna blocked his attack with her sword. Their swords shed, and both jumped back a few paces. Anfey attacked again, and this time he did not back down. Instead, he kept moving closer to her and his sword was held level at her throat.


    Suzanna frowned, summoned herbat power, and burst into light. She did not move, but Anfey¡¯s sword was thrown back. Then she flicked her wrist and sent an arc of sword radiance after Anfey.


    Suzanna went on the offensive while Anfey changed to defense. He avoided exchanging blows with Suzanna head on and chose to attack her from the side or from the back. Anfey knew his own strength, and he knew that it would be unwise to try to fight with a grand swordswoman head on. There was too big of a difference between Suzanna¡¯sbat power and his power.


    The first time Ernest had practiced with Anfey, Ernest felt very ufortable, but that did not show in his fighting. Ernest was a top level power, and he had enough experience to adapt to anything that was unfamiliar to him. Suzanna knew Anfey¡¯s style of fighting. His style might have been confusing to others, but not to her.


    Suzanna spun around as Anfey snuck around her and tried to stab her in the back. She could tell that he was already moving to her left. She was holding her sword in her right hand and she would have to turn right in order to block his sword quickly. This was why he was moving to her left.


    Suzanna knew his method of attack, and she had been pretending to fall for it in order to lower his defenses.


    Suzanna blocked Anfey¡¯s sword, then quickly turned to her left and shed her sword at Anfey¡¯s neck.


    Anfey did not expect her to realize what he was doing and did not move out of the way in time. Suzanna¡¯s attack threw him back and sent him crashing to the ground.


    "You lost," Suzanna said.


    "Not yet!" Anfey said. Instead of jumping up and lunging at her again, he remained close to the ground. He kept trying to attack her legs and ankles, but did not stand up.


    Suzanna frowned. She had a lot of ways to attack a person, but she did not know how to attack someone who was attacking her while staying close to the ground.


    She couldn¡¯t attack him, but Anfey could attack her. His attacks restricted his movement, but no matter what she did, she felt strange having someone stabbing at her feet.


    Suzanna sighed and jumped forward,nding a few paces away. Anfey watched her and grinned. "Come," he said, without getting off of the ground.


    Suzanna snorted, and her sword burst into light. She waved her sword, sending sword radiance hurling towards Anfey.


    Anfey flew up and moved out of the way of her attack. A momentter, hended on the ground again.


    "Come here!" Suzanna said angrily. She was not used to losing and was getting angry. She was trying hard to think of a way to defeat Anfey. She was like Ernest and was not used to his way of attack. Also like Ernest, she could quickly adapt and change her tactics.


    Anfey grinned and dashed towards Suzanna, still staying low.


    Suzanna grinned as well. Her sword glowed and she waved it, sending arge sword radiance flying towards Anfey. She needed to control the distance between her and Anfey.


    Anfey jumped off of the ground, trying to duck. He knew that whatever he did, he could not touch the sword radiance. If he did, he would lose.


    Before he couldnd on the ground again, Suzanna sent another sword radiance after him. Anfey retreated, staying away from Suzanna¡¯s sword.


    Suzanna had speed, patience, and strongbat power. Nothing could touch her unless she wanted it to. Anfey jumped up and down outside the ofbat power, but he could not approach Suzanna.


    Although Anfey had a strange way of fighting and some strange ideas, he was still not as powerful as Suzanna. He was fast, but Suzanna was equally fast.


    He knew that Suzanna could not keep this up for long, but this was not a fight to the death, and he did not need it to be too serious. Anfey took a deep breath and backed away, then he waved his hand and summoned arge wall of earth.


    Suzanna grinned. She dashed towards the wall, but before she could reach the wall, she felt a familiar surge of magic. She frowned, and before she could react, someone grabbed her from behind.


    "You lost!" Anfey said with a wide grin.


    Suzanna stomped her foot angrily. "That was unnecessary," she said, shaking her head.


    Before Anfey could say anything, a voice distracted them. Ozzic was hurrying towards them, waving his arms. "Lord Anfey!" Ozzic called. "Something¡¯s wrong!"

 Chapter 421: Death Sentence

    Chapter 421: Death Sentence


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey learned from Ozzic what had happened as they travelled on the road. It was indeed a big issue. As the saying goes, those who were well-fed and well-d tended to be lustful, and some mercenaries got horny when they saw young girls waiving bouquets to wee them to the city. More than a dozen drunk mercenaries had forced their way into a house after having some alcohol. Only an older woman and five young girls lived there. Ozzic did not know the rtionship between the older woman and the young girls. Perhaps because the girls fought hard and did not act like girls in a brothel, the mercenaries got scared. Or perhaps because they thought Anfey would give them their fair share of magic crystals soon, they felt like they could spend money. For whatever reason, the mercenaries were willing to give money to them. If they had gone to a brothel, it would not have cost as much as the money they left in that house.


    For the police, what had happened was not rare, especially in the Country of Mercenaries. For example, when Tiger of Tawau mercenary group attacked Glory mercenary group and tookplete control of ckwater City, the surviving captives were all women. Everyone knew the reasons Tiger Tawau mercenary group did not kill the families of Glory mercenary group. This wasmon in the aftermath of a conflict. For the side that lost the battle, soldiers would definitely die, while women would lose their freedom. No one would allow the people rted to their enemies to leave freely and seek opportunities toe back for revenge. Hotchbini with her clout could only save some people or one group of people, but she could not stop this phenomenon. She could have offended many people if she had tried to stop it. Soldiers risked their lives in battle and contributed to the victory. Why could not they receive some female ves for rewards?


    The troublemakers from Anfey¡¯s league would definitely be punished, but the punishments could vary depending on the judges, since no one had died in this case. However, they did make a mistake by causing a disturbance in Centerburg. Most people who lived in Centerburg were key members in Band of Brothers mercenary group or their families. Therefore, over a dozen mercenaries from Band of Brothers mercenary group forced their way into Anfey¡¯s headquarters to try to catch the mercenaries who raped the young girls in Centerburg. The mercenaries of Anfey¡¯s league could not stand for that. They were proud of themselves because of the strong fighting abilities of Anfey and Suzanna. They would not allow anyone to take their people from their headquarters whenever they wanted. In the resulting fight, both sides had injuries and casualties. More than ten mercenaries in Band of Brothers mercenary group were either hurt or died. The injured Band of Brothers mercenaries were kept in the headquarters, which totally changed the situation. It became more than just a case of rape. Ozzic said Marino had note yet when he left. Many mercenaries from both parties were on the verge of pulling their swords out and causing arge-scale bloody scene at any moment.


    Anfey was so worried that he left Ozzic behind and ran immediately to Stormenburg with Suzanna. Anfey was somewhat relieved when he only heard loud noises in the distance, no screaming and yelling of a fight. What he heard signaled that there was still room to calm the situation.


    When Anfey and Suzanna ran into the headquarters, Marino, Entos, and a few others were already there. The Band of Brothers mercenaries looked angry, but they had put their weapons away. The mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries still firmly held their weapons. They obviously felt tense, since their headquarters was surrounded.


    Marino had a bitter smile on his face when he saw Anfeying. He had the absolute authority and power in Stormenburg, but the current situation still was a huge headache. Everyone was angry and anxious. It seemed that there would be a riot soon. He could have forced his mercenaries to leave, but it would have left him a big problem. No matter what rtionship he had with Anfey, he would not ruin his rtionship with his mercenaries. He did not even know how to greet Anfey. If he sounded harsh, he was worried Anfey would misunderstand him. If he sounded too nice to Anfey, he would lose his reputation and authority among his people. In the end, he chose to smile bitterly.


    Orsie and others felt a little better when they saw Anfeying. Orsie immediately went over to Anfey.


    "Master, Band of Brothers mercenaries forced their way into our headquarters and killed some of our mercenaries. Master, you have to..." Joseph cried out as he ran over to Anfey.


    Surprisingly, Anfey pped Joseph. He did it out of anger, so he put some force into it. Joseph was shocked that Anfey would p him. His body turned as he was knocked over and fell hard to the floor with a loud thud.


    "Where is vi?" Anfey asked coldly.


    "Anfey!" vi squeezed himself through the crowd.


    "What were you doing when this happened?" Anfey asked.


    "I went to look for Entos when I saw people had died," vi said bitterly.


    "Why did you do that? Don¡¯t forget you are themander of the mage group!" Anfey yelled in anger. "Do you have to look for Entos when your enemy has put his sword to your neck?" Anfey had never expected themanders to be able to solve any big issues. He did not give them that much power anyway. He felt more disappointed when vi did not do anything instead of making mistakes. Amander of a mage group, like Saul and Newyoheim, should have authority in any situation. Only vi could control the situation when Suzanna and Anfey were not there.


    vi was shocked for a second, but he did not realize what he had done wrong. He thought Anfey just used him as an excuse to vent his anger and carry out his n. He wanted to cover for Anfey, so he thought it would be smart to lower his head to look ashamed. He thought he was doing it for Anfey.


    "You,e out!" Anfey pointed at a mercenary.


    The mercenary was shocked and confused when Anfey picked him. He walked out with a bitter face. He was just a regr mercenary. He had no idea why Anfey picked him, since he had done nothing from the very beginning.


    Anfey reached his hand out and grabbed Orsie¡¯s sword shaft. He pulled the sword out and tossed it on the ground, yelling, "Go and pick it up. Bring it to Master Entos!"


    That mercenary picked up the sword and slowly walked towards Entos. It was not a good feeling to be put on the spot, at least not to him. Every step took a lot of courage. He started to sweat. He felt like he had walked a long way before he got to Entos. He held the sword out.


    Entos took a long look at Anfey before he took the sword without saying anything. Marino, standing next to Entos, felt a little nervous. He wondered why Anfey passed the sword over and why Anfey had mentioned the enemy putting the sword to the throat. What worried him the most was Anfey was still young and did not have sufficient patience and vision. He worried that he would not be able to pacify the situation if Anfey refused to work with him because Anfey was too proud.


    "Did you see?" Anfey yelled so everyone could hear him. "You could have sent a mercenary to be the messenger. Why did you, amander of a mage group, need to run around as a messenger? Don¡¯t you know what your position and responsibilities are?" Anfey indeed did not control his anger, but for a good reason. He was disappointed. Anfey had been hoping vi, Riska and a few others could grow as individuals and leaders and take on responsibilities as leaders someday. However, wishes were never realities.


    vi was not stupid. Anfey¡¯s questions woke him up. His lips and fists were both slightly shaking. When Anfey and Suzanna were not there, he had the highest authority. When things happened, he had left the whole league to be a messenger, which was totally wrong. He did not do the most important thing, instead doing the most trivial thing. Strictly speaking, it seemed that he could not control the situation anyway, even if he had been there. If a fight broke out on arge scale, he would have had the chance to get out of the encirclement when he organized his mage group to attack the other party. Anfey and Suzanna were not there. He left to send messages and lost the opportunity to givemands. The whole league could have been in a mess if they had a fight.


    "Where is Ye?" Anfey yelled again.


    Ye was shocked that he was called out. He immediately walked out of the crowd and bowed. "Master!"


    "Who were the mercenaries who raped the women in the Centerburg?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, there are 13 of them. I investigated after that horrible incident," Ye said.


    Anfey slowly closed his eyes. Compared with vi¡¯s mistakes, Ye¡¯s responsive actions made him feel better. Unfortunately, he could notpletely trust Ye.


    "Bring all of them here!" Anfey said coldly.


    "Yes, master!" Ye answered. In fact, he had prepared for this. He did not think Anfey would blindly protect anyone, including the mercenaries who raped women. He thought it did not make sense for Anfey to blindly protect them.


    Eleven mercenaries were pushed out of the crowd. As Anfeyid his eyes on Ye, Ye immediately said, "Two of them were killed in the fight."


    "Who started the fight?" Anfey asked.


    "The mercenaries in Eighth Unit," Ye said.


    "Take them out!" Anfey demanded.


    Ye was shocked for a second. It had been so chaotic that he had not had time to do an investigation into how the fight started. He only found out which mercenaries had fought. After thinking for a moment, he decided that the mercenaries with blood on their clothes all must have fought. He only needed to check their clothes one by one. The mercenaries were lucky if they fought but had no blood on their clothes.


    After checking all the mercenaries in the Eighth Unit, over 40 mercenaries were taken out. They formed a small square formation with the other 11 mercenaries. They all stood there looking worried.


    Anfey looked at them one after another. After a while, he said coldly, "Kill all of them." All the mercenaries at the scene were shocked.


    Even Ye looked up at Anfey in shock. Mercenaries were neither ves nor soldiers. Usually, the leaders of mercenaries did not have any right to kill mercenaries. Confiscating their mercenary licenses and kicking them out of mercenary groups would be considered serious punishment. It was rare to sentence mercenaries to death even when mercenariesmitted serious crimes. It would be cruel to kill a group of mercenaries. Besides, the crime theymitted were not serious enough for death sentences. Theoretically, if all the men who forced women to have sex were all sentenced to death, there would be a significant poption decrease. The military surely would significantly lose its fighting ability and the Country of Mercenaries would be just a shell.


    "Master, what they did was wrong as well. How could they force themselves into our headquarters?" Orsie hurriedly argued. "You cannot just punish our mercenaries, otherwise they would think we are easily pushed and bullied. Master, it would hurt your reputation among our mercenaries." Orsie did not want to blindly protect mercenaries. Fights weremon among mercenaries. The winners made the rules, while the losers were always in the wrong. The powerful parties always made the rules. In addition, Band of Brothers mercenaries forced their way into Anfey¡¯s headquarters, which signaled that they did not care about the League of Mercenaries. The disdain they showed in their actions triggered the fight. Orsie did not think Marino dared to do anything, since Anfey and Suzanna, two big powers, were here. If Anfey had to kill his mercenaries, Marino¡¯s side should do something as well. He thought that Anfey would look too soft and the whole league would feel ashamed if he only punished his own mercenaries. Besides their interests, men only cared about how they looked in front of others.


    "Compared with right and wrong, does my reputation matter that much?" Anfey responded coldly.


    Orsie looked weird. Mercenaries believed in thew of jungle. They did not have much sense of right and wrong. They felt it was okay to rob others if they believed they had the ability to do so. They thought they had the right to defend themselves by fighting back when others tried to rob them. This was the reason mercenaries had to have internships and learn to fight in real battles. Every mercenary tried hard to practice fighting, hoping someday they could be stronger and more powerful to protect themselves. The Band of Brother mercenaries who came for revenge probably were not that innocent themselves.


    In fact, Orsie did not think Anfey had a sense of right and wrong. If Anfey had, Orsie did not think he would kill the people who did not want to join the League of Mercenaries? But Orsie simply did not understand why Anfey did what he did. He was just amander.


    "Master, please forgive me," a mercenary said.


    "I did not fight. I did not fight against them," another mercenary said.


    "Master, they started the fight first," another mercenary argued.


    The mercenaries in the square started to yell, argue andin. They knew they would be punished when they saw Anfey¡¯s look, but did not think it would be this serious.


    "Kill them!" Anfey¡¯s yell was as loud as roaring thunder. For a second, his yelling surpassed all the other noise. The League of Mercenaries developed so fast that its management had serious loopholes, otherwise how could they have issues like this. At least they should have noticed the conflict and stopped it from getting worse when Band of Brothers mercenaries forced their way into their headquarters to get revenge. Very soon, over 120,000 mercenaries Marino gave to Anfey would merge into the League of Mercenaries. When the number of mercenaries gotrger, it would be impossible tomand and control so many mercenaries without strict rules. The reason Anfey decided to kill all those mercenaries who raped women and were involved in the fight was to get rid of the bad guys in the league as well as set the rules for the current and future mercenaries.


    As time went by, Anfey had some ability to change things around. The old mercenary rules did not fit Anfey¡¯s needs. He had the right to show his attitude now. From now on, he could change the mercenaries into tigers and wolves if he wanted them to be. He also could change them into submissive sheep if he wanted them to be. Every mercenary needed to know what Anfey wanted and treat his demand as the highest order. If these mercenaries could not do that, what was the point of Anfey going so far on this political stage? He would have rather had a peaceful life with Suzanna in some quiet and remote ce.


    With all the mercenaries¡¯ jaws dropping and eyes wide, a cloud of bright golden light appeared. Suzanna jumped into the square formation of mercenaries with her sword. The bright golden light immediately turned into a hurricane of blood. Blood spattered as pieces of body parts flew about.


    They all knew the reality. If elegant elves could be sex ves, so could regr people. Reality was reality, but everyone could have different feelings seeing the same thing. Suzanna was a woman, so she hated to see rape. She killed those mercenaries in a cruel way.


    "Master, why are you killing your own people? Why?" Joseph cried out. He relied on those mercenaries. When his mercenaries were killed by Anfey, his reputation was affected. It would be a problem for him because other mercenaries would see him differently. He could not even protect his own mercenaries as amander.


    Unfortunately, Joseph immediately found out he did not need to worry about this issue any longer.


    "You are amander but could not control your mercenaries and allowed them tomit crimes. You should receive even more serious punishment than them," Anfey said coldly. "Kill him!"


    Anfey had said "kill" three times. Thest "kill" stunned everyone, especially the mercenaries in the league. If Anfey could kill Joseph without any hesitation, it meant he could kill othermanders if theymitted any serious crimes.


    Joseph was shocked for a second before he realized what happened. "Anfey, you mother f*cker!" He stomped and cursed. "I am f*cking going to kill you."


    Suzanna¡¯s sword radiance had already hit Joseph. The patheticbat power Joseph released was crushed instantly. His body was cut in half and his organs fell on the ground. Some steam even came out of the organs.


    It was absolutely quiet. The Band of Brothers mercenaries were not only scared by Anfey¡¯s assertiveness, but also by the strong fighting power and coldness from Suzanna. No wonder Suzanna was a master swordswoman. When Anfey and Suzanna had juste to the city, they had been talking about Suzanna behind her back. They could not believe such a feminine girl could be a master swordswoman. Seeing what Suzanna just did, they finally believed she was a master swordswoman. When Suzanna put her sword back into the sheath, she became so quiet and sweet again. She submissively walked back to Anfey, quietly standing next to him like nothing had happened, which made others feel scared.


    Anfey slowly scanned the group. Whenever heid his eyes on a mercenary, that mercenary would lower his head. No matter whether the mercenaries were in the League of Mercenaries or Band of Brothers, they believed they would be killed if they did something to make Anfey so angry. They had heard his yelling, and seen his assertive actions and his suffocating power. No one could counter Anfey¡¯s desires, at least there was no such a person around them.


    Marino looked perplexed. After a while, he let out a long sigh. What Anfey had done was far beyond his expectations. As a leader of a super mercenary group, he had a much longer vision than regr mercenaries. Besides Anfey¡¯s assertiveness and aggressive manner, Marino also saw the ambition of a great leader on disy, which he and other mercenary groupmanders werecking. If it were him, he would have tried to protect his own mercenaries. It would not be fun to test his mercenaries¡¯ submission. Instead, it could be very dangerous. What Anfey wanted to show in action was that he could kill anyone if that person was against him. If a group of people were against him, he would kill all of them. Marino did not know if Anfey would kill all themanders if all of them were firmly against Anfey¡¯s decision. He could tell from the looks on themanders in Anfey¡¯s league that they only wanted to obey Anfey¡¯s order. It was obvious that Anfey had won the battle about the rules. From now on, the League of Mercenaries would probably enter a new chapter.


    Band of Brothers mercenary group was Marino¡¯s group. However, it could not be his mercenary group at the same time. Mercenaries in Marino¡¯s group followed his orders because he represented the interests of the group. The League of Mercenaries was not like Band of Brothers mercenary group. Anfey had the absolute authority in the League of Mercenaries. If there was any uncertainty or disturbance in the League of Mercenaries, Anfey could kill any of them or even a group of them. It would be hard to change the situation when a group of people agreed on the authority Anfey had. His situation could be influential. The mercenaries who joined the leagueter on would follow the customs and traditions of the mercenaries in the league and learn to strictly follow Anfey¡¯s orders and acknowledge that Anfey had the authority to sentence them to death.


    An empire general could kill a soldier, while a senior official had to be kept in jail before the military department had a judgement, otherwise it could cause a problem in the future. Even when a king wanted to punish a noble, he had to get permission from the royalmittee first. On Pan Continent, everyone¡¯s power was constrained at some level. However, Anfey had the absolute authority in the League of Mercenaries. His authority would not be challenged as long as things would get settled in the League of Mercenaries.


    "Ye!" Anfey raised his voice.


    "Yes, Master!" Ye walked out again.


    "Where are the injured friends from Band of Brothers mercenary group?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, I am bringing them here," Ye said.


    Ye quickly brought five injured mercenaries over. Or maybe it should be described as Ye and his mercenaries carried those five injured mercenaries out and carefully put them in the center of the field.


    "Master Marino, please ept my sincere apology for what happened today," Anfey said slowly. "The mercenaries whomitted crimes have gotten their punishment. I hope things could be settled between us."


    "No, I have to say there are still people who have not gotten their punishment," Marino said with a deep sigh. He remembered that someone said Anfey was really lucky because he robbed two wagons of magic crystals. It seemed that lucky was not enough to describe Anfey. Over 120,000 mercenaries he gave to Anfey would help Anfey be more powerful. Since he believed Anfey would make great achievements in the future, he felt he should do something more to make him look better. If in the past he had wanted to keep a good rtionship with Anfey, now it was imperative that he do so.


    Anfey was shocked and slowly turned to look at Marino.


    Marino looked at the injured mercenaries. "No matter what happens, all you needed to do was to report to me and let me make a decision instead of forcing your way into our friends¡¯ headquarters and hurting our rtionship." Marino paused before he yelled, "The mistakes you made were unforgivable. Kill them!¡¯


    Entos stepped forward. He swung his wrist and shot a row of wind des out. The injured mercenaries had no ability to fight back. They could not even beg for forgiveness. They could do nothing but lie there. The fast moving wind des cut apart their bodies. There was no way they could survive the wind des.


    Anfey nodded at Marino. He had to admit that Marino helped him a lot. He could even hear Orsie and a few others sighing. Obviously, Marino¡¯s order made them feel better. And the mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries felt better too.


    Marino turned to Anfey with a smile. He waved his arm, "You guys can go back now. Continue with what you were doing. Don¡¯t let what happened today affect our friendship. If I find out anyone is disturbing our friends, I would not forgive that person."


    "Yes, master!" Band of Brothers mercenaries responded together. The no longer continued to be angry. After seeing Anfey kill more than 50 mercenaries, there was nothing more for them to begrudge. All they wanted was fairness. Now they had seen justice carried out, and were also scared by Anfey. They felt it was reasonable when Marino ordered those injured mercenaries killed. If Anfey had killed all the mercenaries whomitted crimes, the mercenaries on their side who had forced their way into their friends¡¯ headquarters deserved to pay the same price. If Anfey could be so cruel to his own mercenaries, he could be even more cruel to his enemies. Unless it was necessary, they felt they should stay away from Anfey.


    Marino felt he should not stay too long. He took a look at Anfey and slowly walked out of the building. Entos was in an even more awkward position. He hesitated for a second before he followed Marino.


    "Entos, what are you thinking?" Marino asked quietly. He could tell there were something on Entos¡¯s mind.


    "I am thinking about the future of Granden," Entos said bitterly. What shocked him was not Anfey¡¯s assertiveness and cruel killing, but his aggressive anger. With some luck and more support, such an aggressive young man could go really far. Anfey had both luck and support. He knew Ynthe liked Anfey a lot. It was very lucky that Christian and Anfey had be such good friends. Obviously, it was unlucky for Granden.


    "You told me you and I should not worry about things like this," Marino said with a smile.


    Entos shook his head. "Never mind. I shouldn¡¯t think about it."


    Anfey was quiet for a while after Marino and Entos left. He said slowly, "Do you guys have anything to tell me?"


    "These guys deserved it. They made such a mess!" Ozzic said, walking back. He was the first one to step out to support Anfey. He looked bitter. "Master, if you had note back in time, I cannot imagine what would happen."


    Everyone knew Ozzic was kissing Anfey¡¯s ass, but Orsie and others felt what Ozzic said made sense after giving it some thought. They came to Stormenburg for help, not to fight. No one wanted to see arge-scale fight. Anfey solved the conflict very quickly and saved most people, including the mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries and Band of Brothers mercenary group. No matter what, it was a good thing.


    "vi," Anfey said.


    "Huh?" vi looked up.


    "Remember, you need to do what Suzanna and I cannot do when we are not here. Do you understand?" In fact, Anfey would rather have said this to Alice. He couldpletely trust Alice, of course, so Anfey would not have needed to remind Alice, since she was smart and capable.


    "I understand, Anfey!" vi nodded vigorously.


    "In my hometown, there was a saying that men think with their penises. Do you understand what it means?" Anfey said calmly. "But I hope you could think with your brain. I will not interfere with how you treat your enemies. If things like this incident happen again, and someone made the same mistake, I would kill that person. If a full unit makes the same mistake, that whole unit needs to be gone. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, master!" Orsie and others answered immediately. Anfey had spoken casually, but they did not think these were empty words after seeing what he had done to those mercenaries.


    Ozzicughed in an exaggerated manner. "Master, the people in your hometown are so funny." In fact, he was most shocked when Anfey mercilessly killed Joseph. He was not sure if Anfey would forgive him whenever he made any mistakes. The only option for him would be to listen to Anfey better and having a better rtionship with Anfey. Anfey might show him some mercy if Anfey saw that he was totally dedicated to the league.


    "Master, if we catch Scarlet, would you stop us from doing anything to her?" Thompson giggled. He was a smart guy so he was trying to lighten up the tensed atmosphere.


    "If you can catch her, I will leave her to you guys," Anfey said, "but, today..."


    "Master, you do not have to remind us more. We are not stupid." Thompson smiled. "If we want women, there are plenty of them in the Outerburg. Why would we risk our lives to get women somewhere else. Even if we want different types of women...I heard there are thousands of people who came to Marino. Marino has been given them some food each day. Many of them are still hungry. If we could bring some food there and walked around, we might get something there." Thompson sounded so horny, but his eyes were clear. Obviously, what he had said was only meant to lighten the atmosphere.


    Anfey was shocked. "I did not know about it." He had been worrying about how to have over 100,000 mercenaries willingly listen to him. This was a good opportunity.


    "Master, do you want women too?" Thompson giggled. "Unfortunately, you are married. Master Suzanna is so sweet and considerate. You cannot fool around like us."


    "F*ck off!" Anfey cursed in a joking way. The remainingmanders finally felt relieved after they heard Anfey curse. The tense and strange atmosphere disappeared. It was not that Thompson and the others were expecting Anfey to curse. But sometimes cursing meant things had returned to normal and they could get along as before.

 Chapter 422: Laziness

    Chapter 422: Laziness


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The gs of Griffins Aerial Unit lined the wall. Despite the number of gs present, there were not a lot of soldiers in the city.


    Scarlet had taken all the mages and capable soldiers with her to the Country of Mercenaries, so the only people left were civilians and the older soldiers. They were disying the gs because they wanted to create an illusion of a well-guarded city.


    Scarlet was not worried about her opponents. She was very confident in herself and the abilities of the griffin knights. She would detectrger armies, and smaller armies would not be able to reach the city. The presence of the alliance was news to her, however, because Transverse Mountains was too far from away. She could detect movements of real armies, but not the movements of mercenaries.


    She was surprised by the attack on her supplies and wanted to find the mercenaries, but she learned the news of Baery¡¯s arrival in Country of Mercenaries. She changed her n, recalled her army, and spoke with Fernando. They discussed a new n, and she did not care about the mercenaries anymore.


    Scarlet was very torn. She wasn¡¯t sure if she should attack the Shield of Light legion before Baery arrived. After a few days, she decided against it. She wanted to disrupt Ynthe¡¯s n and prevent Maho Empire from taking over Country of Mercenaries. There was no need to force a conflict. If that happened, neither side would benefit.


    Scarlet was a general, not a madwoman. She knew that the third prince of Maho Empire was with the legion. If she really attacked the legion, the attack would inevitably cause the prince harm. Whether she captured him, killed him, or allowed him to escape, she would anger Ynthe and cause him to attack her with all his forces. There were no more necromancers in Maho Empire, but Shansa Empire was still struggling. She did not want to risk her armies on a useless mission. On the other hand, she still needed time. She had spoken with Fernando and knew that he had sent messages to the Church several times already,ining of Maho Empire¡¯s behavior and requesting backup. Because the Church¡¯s rtionship with Maho Empire was very turbulent, Fernando believed his requests would be granted.


    This was why Scarlet chose to take things slowly. She did not want to fight Baery, because she knew she was still too inexperiencedpared to him. If she lost, the situation would be too difficult for Shansa Empire.


    Anfey watched the city and its pping gs. Without mages in the city, he did not fear being discovered.


    Just like Scarlet did not know much about him, he did not know anything about Scarlet. If he had, he would have known that Scarlet was in a difficult situation, and if he attacked right now, he would win.


    A team of soldiers was patrolling the wall. They passed by Anfey several times but did not pay any attention to him. A few other soldiers were sitting around a bonfire, chatting. This city had never experienced war, because the mercenaries never dared to invade Shansa Empire. Edward VIII sent his soldiers here because he was worried about the necromancers and zombies. Now that the capable soldiers were gone, the remaining soldiers became too rxed.


    Small groups of mercenaries crept towards the city. However, because of their numbers, it was very hard for the mercenaries to bepletely secretive. Soon, one of the soldiers spotted them. "Enemy attack!" the soldier called. "Enemy attack!"


    Another soldier frowned and interrupted him. "No way," the man said.


    "There¡¯s enemies!" the first soldier said hurriedly.


    "Be quiet," the second soldier said. "I¡¯m trying to sleep."


    The patrol was alerted by the soldier¡¯s calls and spotted the mercenaries.


    "Pull up the drawbridge!" the leader of the patrol called as he drew his sword.


    "We didn¡¯t lower it, sir," another soldier whispered.


    "Then close the door!" the leader ordered. "And fill the sandbags! Hurry!"


    However, most of the soldiers had never participated in a real battle and did not know what the man was talking about. Many of the soldiers were not even properly trained, and the city wasn¡¯t as equipped as it should be. Because of this, the mercenaries had pushed closer to the city, but the soldiers still did not do anything that could stop them.


    One of the chains that was holding the drawbridge suddenly broke. The leader of the soldiers cursed as more chains broke and the drawbridge crashed to the ground. "Archers!" he called, waving his arms. "Mages!"


    Anfey sighed and shook his head. He returned his bow to his dimensional ring and levitated off of the wall and into the city. There were no swordsmen in the city, only normal soldiers. It was one of the poorest cities in Shansa Empire, and no one wanted to be stationed there unless they had no other choice.


    The gate of the city shattered with a st of light, and Suzanna appeared, Ozzic and Ye appeared behind her with their mercenaries.


    "Suzanna,e with me," Anfey said, walking over to them.


    "Just us?" Suzanna asked, confused.


    "We are more than enough to take this city," Anfey said with a grin.


    "We got it here, Lady Suzanna," Ozzic said, reassuring her. He turned, saw some soldiers fleeing, and waved his hand at his men. He could tell that the soldiers had no will to fight and would be easy to take care of.


    "Come on," Anfey said to Suzanna.


    The city was about ten miles away from a supply station. For Suzanna and Anfey, it was very close.


    The soldiers at the supply station must have already seen the me from the city. Because many had left with Scarlet¡¯s army, the supply station was severely understaffed. There were no more than two thousand soldiers stationed there.


    Even though the soldiers wanted to fight back and help the city, they were no match for Suzanna and Anfey.


    Anfey summoned his fire sword, gripping it tight as he lunged at the soldiers. He swept his sword around himself, setting everything around him on fire. Those that survived this initial attack were protected bybat power, but even those that survived knew that theirbat power could not hold against such attacks for long.


    The massacre ended in less than half an hour. The supply station became engulfed in mes from Anfey¡¯s sword. Suzanna was standing outside waiting as Anfey appeared through the mes.


    Anfey looked at the supply station and frowned as he realized there were not as many warehouses as he had expected.


    After a few minutes, Orsie and Thompson arrived with their men and carts.


    "Where¡¯s Ozzic?" Anfey asked.


    "Still in the city," Thompson said. "He seems angry. He¡¯s lost some people. Shinbe¡¯s over there helping."


    "He lost men?" Anfey asked, surprised.


    Thompson nodded. "Those people are stronger than we thought."


    "How?"


    "Not the soldiers," Thompson said. "There were some nobles in the city because this was a trade route before the war. They all had guards. We heard there is a senior swordsman."


    Anfey nodded. "I trust them to take care of it," he said. "Open all the warehouses and search them."


    Thompson nodded and hurried off, giving his men orders to search the ce.


    "Wait," Anfey said. "Remember to document everything you find. Take as much as possible and burn the rest."


    After about half an hour, Shinbe appeared with about a dozen of her men. Anfey waved at her. "How are Ozzic and his men?" he asked.


    "It¡¯s over," Shinbe said. "I¡¯m not sure about the losses, but..." she saw Orsie walking over and waved at him. "Orsie!" she called. "Save me some carts!"


    "Why?" Orsie asked, confused.


    "Ozzic needs them," Shinbe said. "Said he needs to transport his injured. We also found a lot of things at those nobles¡¯ ces that need to be transported."


    "How many do you need?"


    "About a hundred."


    "You¡¯re joking," Orsie said. "We still need them for food."


    "Let¡¯s her take the carts," Thompson said, walking over. "My men just checked all the warehouses. A lot of them are empty anyway. We¡¯ll have enough carts."


    "Tell Ozzic," Anfey said. "Just finish off the nobles. We don¡¯t need them."


    "Ozzic wanted to keep them prisoners," Shinbe said. "It¡¯s easier to get more out of them that way. They have so many treasures. I never thought nobles in a city like this would have that many magic crystals. They have dimensional rings as well. Whatever they¡¯re hiding in the rings must be worth even more than the crystals."


    "Alright," Anfey said. "Tell Ozzic he needs to hurry." Anfey knew that a lot of the mercenaries did not have dimensional rings. Ozzic¡¯s n would work, and he could give those nobles¡¯ rings to the mercenaries who did not have rings.


    Shinbe nodded. She walked over to Orsie and Thompson, and the three of them hurried off to get the carts.

 Chapter 423: Trend

    Chapter 423: Trend


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Cheers erupted in Stormenburg when people saw a long wagon train. Many mercenaries who were not in the Band of Brothers already knew they would be merged into the League of Mercenaries. Anfey was in serious need of help when he had over 10,000 mercenaries and their families who were going to be merged into his league. However, Marino could not really give him a hand at this time. Everything seemed to need adjustment in the League of Mercenaries. Right now, when they saw their futuremandering back with numerous supplies, their excitement and happiness showed on their faces. They knew their lives would get better very soon.


    In the previous Wars against the Dead, necromancers always chose highly-popted areas to start their fights, and then all the necromancers got together and shepherded the death spirits to fight. Thisrge amount of death spirits had invincible power. No country had the ability to counter them. Even when the church and countries put their main forces together, they still could be at a disadvantage in the war. The number of death spirits was enormous. However, as time went by, humans figured many different ways to attack with sophisticated techniques or wait to attack until death spirits had nearly starved to death. Necromancers needed the power supply from death spirits and constantly consumed their fighting ability. When humans starved death spirits, death spirits could not get enough energy supplies, which caused necromancers to be short of energy. It was inevitable that humans would lose energy too. However, gradually, the fighting ability on both sides evened out. In the end, humans¡¯ fighting ability was even better than necromancers.


    Some human archmages released forbidden spells whenever they saw groups of death spirits and then escaped with the magic scrolls. They never meant to stay long in the fights against necromancers. In a few days, the human archmages woulde back and fight the same way. Guerris formed by top powers were difficult for necromancers to handle.


    Some necromancers wanted to fight back in the same way. They travelled a long time to attack human¡¯s cities, but it did not help them too much. After the War against the Dead broke out, humans became very alert. Even if necromancers got the chance to destroy a city, they could not bring any death spirits into the legions. Instead, necromancers had a very high chance to be killed by groups of top level powers.


    The patterns of the previous Wars against the Dead were very simr. The only difference was they attacked different locations. However, this time, necromancers attacked different areas at the same time. Strictly speaking, the death spirits could not threaten the nearby countries of the attacked cities. The death spirits were spread everywhere, which did not allow humans to unite their armies. They could only stop their fighting for the time being. In the previous War against the Dead, once the alliance among countries was made, every country would send their main force to the frontlines. They only wanted to wipe out the death spirits and had no other intentions. The country under attack by necromancers would treat other countries¡¯ armies as their own people. That was the real meaning of being united.


    Wise as Ynthe was, he still could not figure out what necromancers wanted to do. Maybe the necromancers wanted to scare humans and numb humans¡¯ sharp attitudes to break the alliance. If humans did not feel threatened, they could not really be united. If they could, then this new strategy was faulty. The new strategy changed the dynamic among the countries, but necromancers had not been able to unite all the death spirts. The death spirits spread too far.


    In this War against the Dead, the Country of Mercenaries was the unluckiest one. Because of its low poption density, necromancers never liked to attack there. Mercenaries had been living a decent life and had almost no influence of religion. Mercenaries were able to make a living and protect themselves. They did not need anyone to help them.


    Most people were not dumb. There were some wise and knowledgeable people in the mercenaries as well. After experiencing this disaster, the survivors started to do some reflecting about the war. If the death spirits were not everywhere and were able to form a powerful death spirit troop, they wondered if they would be in a simr situation. Thompson, for example, neither knew about Anfey, nor what would happen after he merged his mercenary group into the League of Mercenaries. However, he decided to join the League of Mercenaries before he even saw Anfey. Did he do that just to survive?


    Anfey knew it was not easy to have others trust him so he did not want to recruit arge number of mercenaries before he was ready. In fact, if he did things with poor timing, he would have had to pay a big price to earn others¡¯ trust. Sometimes he still could not earn others¡¯ trust even though he tried really hard. If it were the right timing, everything seemed like it would fall into the ce. Anfey took everything too serious and thought others were way moreplicated than they were.


    While people were still scared and shocked, they only needed one person to step out to lead them. If Mourtta had called on everyone in the ckwater City to unite, or if Anthony had called for union in White Mountain City, they both could get the support from the soldiers in the cities. Of course, this also tested how ambitious they were. Another test was to see if they dared to challenge the traditions and ideas that had existed for thousands of years.


    After Anfey¡¯s league walked out of the Outerburg, thousands of people in Stormenburg cheered loudly. Even though no young girls tossed flowers for the wee ceremony and the setting was not as romantic as previously, people seemed to be more cheerful. Many mercenaries voluntarily came over to wee Anfey¡¯s league.


    After passing Outerburg and Innerburg, they arrived in Centerburg. They had not seen Marino and Entos yet, which concerned Anfey a little bit. Anfey rode his horse toward City Hall. He did not see Marino and Entos leading a group of mercenaries out from the city hall until he jumped off the horse. A woman next to Marino was so beautiful that she stood out from everyone else. She did not have strongbat power, but others were attracted to her movements, smile, long blonde hair and long dress floating in the wind.


    Anfey was shocked. "Alice, why are you here?"


    Alice broke into a smile. Marino¡¯s mercenaries all stared at her. Suzanna possessed internal beauty. She was adorable. Alice¡¯s beauty was more apparent, especially when she wanted to let others know she was beautiful. Her eyes were so attractive that she seemed to be flirting with everyone. If Suzanna and Alice both fell to the ground, people would hold Suzanna up and feel bad for her. Even if Alice could get back on her feet by herself, she could be pushed down again by some guy who did not know how to be gentle with girls and would try to force himself on her.


    "Anfey." There was another familiar voice.


    A familiar figure showed up. Hui Wei, Hagan, Sante, and Zubin all walked out smiling. Anfey was even more surprised to see dwarves and gnomes with them. Anfey thought to himself, What happened? Has Moramatch moved here?


    "Anfey!" The crowd made a path. Even Marino moved to the side with respect. Christian slowly walked through the crowd.


    "Christian, why are you here?" Anfey could not believe his eyes.


    "General Baery asked me toe," Christian said, walking toward Anfey with a smile. "He said the fight with Scarlet would not start any time soon, and you would have to do something, so he asked me toe here to earn some credit. I will go back once the battle with Scarlet starts." Christian opened his arms and hugged Anfey, even patting Anfey on the back.


    Anfey could not help rolling his eyes. It was really great to be the prince. Where the credit was, there he went. However, he did not have to be so direct; it made Anfey feel ufortable.


    Christian turned to Suzanna. "Suzanna, are you ok?" The students of Saul had been calling her Suzanna. Obviously, they liked her as a peer more than as the wife of Anfey.


    Suzanna nodded and smiled.


    "Anfey, I know you have not seen each other for a long time. We will let you go." Marino smiled. "But what about the battle? Did you win?"


    "Didn¡¯t you hear the cheers outside?" Anfey replied.


    "Anfey, where is the stuff I asked for?" Entos interrupted.


    Anfey looked back and then Thompson immediately walked over. He passed a paper scroll with data on it to Entos.


    "Ok, I am going to check on our reward. We can talk inside." Marino slightly bowed and departed. Entos looked at the paper scroll in his hand. The next second he was already gone with the teleportation spells.


    "Alice, what happened?" Anfey could not help asking after taking just a few steps toward her. He knew Alice would not do anything without a good reason, but what they did mattered a lot. He had to ask what had happened.


    "Master, you¡¯d better ask General Baery. He forced us out," Alice said.


    "Why did he force you out?" Anfey was shocked.


    Alice thought for a moment. "I do not know the reason. But General Baery said the border guards from ckania City could watch Moramatch for the time being. Whenever we need go back to Moramatch, we could just send them back."


    "How about the underground city?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, I would not allow those soldiers to watch the underground city." Alice smiled. "I have closed the underground city. The dwarves and gnomes who stayed will attack any invader until we are back."


    "Do any of you know what has happened?" Anfey looked at Sante and others. He felt Alice was hiding something from him. Anfey was not a nobody anymore. He would not be yed by everyone. In addition, Anfey had a good rtionship with Baery. If Baery did it, he should have given him a good reason instead of keeping him in the dark.


    "I do not know." Sante shook his head. "We did well in Moramatch. Suddenly General Baery asked us to pack up and leave."


    "You¡¯d better ask Alice!" Zubin interrupted. "General Baery nned to leave Moramatch in the early morning. He talked with Alice untilte into the night. I do not know what they talked about, but the next morning General Baery asked us to leave with Roaring Dead legion."


    "Alice!" Anfey sounded serious.


    Everyone could not help looking at Alice. Sante and Feller looked weird. Even Christian was a little shocked.


    "Zubin, why didn¡¯t you tell us?" Sante asked in surprise.


    Zubin shrugged but did not say anything.


    Alice smiled bitterly. "Master."


    "Tell me what you talked about with General Baery," Anfey said.


    "We talked at length about a lot of issues," Alice said quietly. "General Baery said you do not know how to best use people. He also told me I should be sent to the mostplicated situation instead of staying in Moramatch. He asked me if I would like to leave. I told him yes."


    Anfey went quiet. He knew how capable Alice was. Maybe at the beginning Baery did not pay too much attention to Alice, but he heard and saw how special Alice was and started to show interest. He found a time to talk to Alice and found how amazing she was. Anfey had notpletely trusted Alice and always worried about her betraying him. Alice was smart and sophisticated. He did not know what was on Alice¡¯s mind. In fact, he did not have to worry about her betraying him. Alice was more like a pearl buried in the mud. If there were a person who wiped the mud away and put the pearl on the palm, Alice could shine as much as the pearl could. Baery was experienced and smart. He would not mix the pearl with mud. After talking with Alice for a while, he was sure Alice was very good. That was why hemented that Anfey did not know how to best use of people. However, Baery was not entirely correct. Anfey knew the value of Alice, but he dared notpletely trust her and put her in a critical position. Baery did not know Alice was the princess of Shansha Empire.


    Maybe Baery gave Alice a lot morepliments, but Alice felt awkward repeating all of them. It would take a strong will power to give someonepliments.


    Anfey was not sure if his guess was close to the truth, but it seemed to make sense.


    "It seems like General Baery liked you a lot." Anfey said causally. "But why did Sante and otherse with you?"


    "General Baery asked about their opinions on it. They said they wanted toe." Alice sounded a little sad. "If master does not want to see me, I can go back to Moramatch right now."


    Anfey did not know what was on Alice¡¯s mind. At the same time, Alice thought Anfey was very sophisticated as well. If it were at other times, she probably would have stayed in the Moramatch town in case of the misunderstanding between Anfey and her. Because of Scarlet, she could not control herself ofing out of Moramatch. After thinking about it for a long time, the idea of taking revenge took over other concerns.


    "Since you are already here, you can stay." Anfey shook his head and walked forward a few steps. He pushed the conference room door open and walked in. He picked a random chair and took a seat. Seeing people running around, he asked quietly, "Ozzic, you guys can leave for right now."


    "Yes, master." Ozzic was shocked for a second before he walked out. Othermanders saw what had happened and knew they could not stay. They simply followed behind Ozzic and left the conference room.


    Anfey took a look at vi. vi got it immediately and released a magic screen.


    "In fact, you guys came at the right time. I was worried about not having enough people helping me," Anfey said in a low voice. "vi, can you tell them about my n?" Anfey did not want to repeat it himself. Besides, he needed some time to reconsider everything.


    "Sure." vi nodded, stood up and said, "We know our league has developed very fast and has six, no, I mean, eight units. However, there is nomander for the eighth unit yet. I do not know if Master Marino has talked to you about it. We have over 10,000 mercenaries from Stormenburg to recruit. Could our management keep up with the fast growing league? No! Anfey, Suzanna and I all think we have a lot of loopholes in our management. We cannot trust any of them to be amander."


    "vi!" Anfey was not too happy about what vi said and interrupted him. "Your wording was not appropriate. "Cannot trust them at all" and "could notpletely trust them" are totally different things. Besides, each one of them was different. In my opinion, I can trust Shinbe. Right now, you need to state the facts. Don¡¯t add in your personal opinions."


    "Yes, master." vi¡¯s face turned red.


    "What happened, and what made vi believe thosemanders are not trustworthy?" Christian asked in surprise.


    "Nothing big. We confiscated two wagons of magic crystals. Thosemanders were jealous of us. It was normal," Anfey said quietly.


    "They must be really jealous. Look how pissed off vi is," Christian said.


    Anfey chuckled and said, "vi, continue."


    "After mercenaries from Stormenburg merged into our league, we have about 18,000 mercenaries. It would be a mess if we do not have a good management system. Anfey wanted to add a magic counselor in each unit," vi said.


    "Magic counselor?" Everyone looked at each other. They felt that position was interesting.


    "Yes, magic counselors have a lot of power. Whenmanders are not there, magic counselors have ability tomand. If they think themanders¡¯ orders are not appropriate, they have the right to veto them. Let¡¯s put it this way, they are the supervisors ofmanders," vi said slowly. "I will be the magic counselor for the first unit. The magic counselors in the rest of the units have to be our people as well," vi said.


    Alice looked at Anfey. "Master, it is a good idea, but have you realized it could really affect our fighting ability if there were any misunderstandings between counselors andmanders?" Anfey was not too pleased she hade here on her own. He did not even have any courteous gestures, which really made Alice feel sad. However, at this moment, Alice still knew what she should do about her responsibilities and how to control her emotions. She had to say it.


    "They might have conflicts and misunderstanding, or maybe not," Anfey said slowly. "What might really happen is not up to me."


    "If it is not up to you, who should it be up to?" Alice said bitterly.


    "Whoever is the counselor should take that responsibility," Anfey said seriously.


    Alice was shocked for a second before she got what Anfey meant. No one could be carried by others all the time. Those magic counselors needed to learn to solve problems on their own when they had any conflicts, arguments or difficult situations. Should theye back to Anfey for help every time when they had difficulty? The answer was obviously no. Alice looked around. If vi could be the magic counselor for the first unit, Riska was qualified to be a magic counselor too. Christian was even more qualified, but he was already a supervisor for the Shield of Light legion. If Christian had to be both, it would be ridiculous if he was asked to go back to the Shield of Light legion when the unit needed him. Themander of that unit would have absolute power in that case. Alice did not know what arrangement Anfey had. She thought Christian could not be a serious candidate for magic counselor.


    Zubin could be a magic counselor too. Alice secretly ground her teeth. Zubin saw her talking with Baery, but pretended he did not see it at all the whole way to Stormenburg. He did not say anything until he saw Anfey. He was definitely qualified to be a magic counselor, since he really could keep secrets. Zubin did not only see her talking with Baery, but also knew how long they had talked. He was totally spying her.


    Feller was capable as well. Anfey asked Feller to manage the funds and supplies, like a bookkeeper. She had no right to change Anfey¡¯s appointments, but to follow him. After a while, she found Feller was smart and flexible. He became less timid and more sophisticated after he umted experience. He had potential.


    For the rest of them, Alice secretly shook her head. In Moramatch, she was not busy, so she had a chance to talk and do things with them. She secretly observed their personalities. She thought it was fun. Maybe some of them would leave their names in the magical history books, but they were not outstanding in other areas. It seemed that they were not capable of bing better educated. If she had to pick someone among them, Alice thought she would choose Sante and Arrago. Sante acted on impulse, but he was outgoing, generous and popr everywhere he went. Anfey had the idea of magic counselors to develop two different systems. Sante could help build rtionships. Arrago was a little paranoid and a little too proud. He was super nice to the people he liked, but did not even care talking to the people he did not like. He was smarter than Sante. However, it seemed that they had their own strengths and weakness.


    Alice, deep in thought, suddenly was awakened by a noise. She noticed a piece of paper in front her. Anfey looked at her in a weird way.


    Alice was so smart that she immediately understood what Anfey meant. Without hesitation, she wrote down few people¡¯s name on that piece of paper and pushed it in front of Anfey.


    Anfey picked up the paper and started to read. Christian stood up in curiosity and walked around Suzanna to stand behind Anfey. He started to read with Anfey. Anfey smiled and passed the paper to Christian. Alice suddenly realized something. She got worried and angry. Anfey should not have let anyone else see what she wrote on the paper. She was qualified to attend this top secret meeting, but she was definitely at a disadvantage in this small group, otherwise Zubin would not dare to shadow her. If she made anyone dislike her, it would be a disaster for her. Under such circumstances, she kicked Anfey¡¯s foot without thinking too much.


    Christian was confused, as he saw his name on the paper and a note behind his name: "half". What does "half" mean? Does it mean I am only half as good as Riska and vi?" Christian thought to himself.


    As Christian was about to ask Alice, he saw Alice kicking Anfey. He could not help making a noise. "Huh?"


    Alice¡¯s body got stiff. She just realized what she had done.


    "Christian, let me take a look." vi stood up.


    "Sit back. You cannot see it." Christian shook his head and took a look at Suzanna. He released small fire balls and burned the piece of paper. When he saw "impulsive" after Sante¡¯s name and "paranoid" after Arrago¡¯s name, he knew Alice had beenmenting on their weaknesses. However, it confused him even more. What kind of weakness was half. He did not know when Alice and Anfey had be so close. They flirted in public and did not even care Suzanna was there. The world had gone crazy.


    Alice really appreciated what Christian had done. Christian knew to protect her. If Christian had passed the paper to vi and let others know what was on the paper, she could not imagine what would have happened to her. The students of Saul were really united. If she made any one of them unhappy, she actually made all of them angry, especially Sante. He was popr among them. If heined about her to them, she did not know what she would do.


    Anfey had not looked at Alice yet. In fact, he was shocked as well. He decided to treat her as a girl from now on, a girl who had no one to rely on, no matter how sophisticated she was. He decided not to suspect that she could betray him anymore. He worried they would never reach the level where they could work together if they continued their previous rtionship.


    "I just saw Tiger, Khufu and Stein. Alice, did you bring those three mercenary groups with you?"Anfey asked slowly.


    "Yes." Alice nodded. Everyone could tell there was something wrong with Alice, but they could not ask right now. They thought there was something on that piece of paper.


    "We have too many mercenary groups in our league. We have tobine them, since we do not have that many magic counselors," Anfey said quietly. "vi will be the magic counselor in the first unit. I made that decision with him. Entos, can you be the magic counselor in the second unit?"


    "I..." Entos slowly nodded. "Anfey, I will try."


    "Zubin will be the magic counselor for the third unit. Tiger in the fourth unit." Anfey was quiet for a while and said, "Sante, you will be the magic counselor for the fifth unit."


    Zubin and the other three nodded one after another. They all looked excited, but in different degrees. vi had made the responsibilities and powers clear in his speech. They would be the supervisors for each unit. They would have been lying if they had said they did not want to be the magic counselors.


    "How about me?" Christian asked.


    "Ok, my lord, don¡¯t give me a hard time. You are the supervisor for the Shield of Light legion. How can I have you be part-time magic counselor in my mercenary groups?" Anfey said, smiling bitterly and shaking his head.


    "I think I can do something at least," Christian said.


    Anfey immediately remembered what Marino had said. He needed to make sure everyone recognized Christian¡¯s prominent position in this small group at all times, otherwise it would cause suspicion and doubts among them. Of course, Christian would not say anything, but it was hard to ask others not to say anything. Anfey thought about it and said, "We will have 300 more mages. Christian, can you be themander of the mage group? vi is the magic counselor for the first unit. When you are not here, vi will be your substitute. Any questions?"


    Everyone nodded. vi did not seem to mind that he was demoted.


    "Let¡¯s call the meeting," Anfey said. "Feller, can you ask all themanders toe in? We should only have five mercenary groups. It is going to be hard since we have moremanders than we need."

 Chapter 424: Appointments

    Chapter 424: Appointments


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The mercenary leaders walked over and joined Anfey. Anfey nced around and nodded. He turned to vi and said, "Go find Lord Marino. I wish to meet with Bernedo, Uri, and Shashibi."


    vi nodded and hurried out of the room.


    Anfey fell silent again. The mercenaries knew that he would be discussing important issues, so they did not say anything and did not interrupt his thought process.


    After a few minutes, vi returned with Bernedo, Uri, and Shashibi. The three of them bowed at Anfey respectfully, but did not sit down with the other mercenaries.


    "Sit," Anfey said, waving at the chairs. "Don¡¯t be nervous."


    The three nodded and sat down quietly.


    Anfey smiled and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Christian. He will be the head of all mages in the alliance."


    The three turned to Christian and nodded. Even though Anfey gave Ozzic many tasks, everyone always thought that vi was Anfey¡¯s most trusted man because vi never referred to Anfey with any honorifics. However, anyone who had spent time with Anfey would know that he trusted Christian more than anyone else.


    "I¡¯m sure you already know Suzanna," Anfey continued, "so I wouldn¡¯t reintroduce you. This is Lady Alice. She is responsible for all internal business within the alliance. Christian will be her deputy and will assist her. Suzanna will assist Christian."


    Alice turned to look at him in shock. This was the first time Anfey recognized her position of power. In the past, she had been in charge of Moramatch, but she had to be careful, because one misstep could be disastrous. Now that she was in charge of all internal affairs, she had power over most people in the alliance, including Christian and Suzanna. Alice knew that Anfey wanted Christian to practice his leadership skills with her. Suzanna¡¯s position was a bit baffling, but Alice was smart enough to figure out Anfey¡¯s intention. Suzanna may have been a master swordsman, but she had no leadership skills or experience dealing with internal affairs of arge group of people. Her appointment was to make Alice and Christian¡¯s positions seem more special.


    Alice frowned and licked her lips. She was excited but also nervous.


    "As you know," Anfey said, "I¡¯m not the most capable person. The only reason the alliance has been able to reach this size is because of all of you. I did not form the alliance, you know. Alice is the one that had this idea, not me. Without her, none of us will be sitting here right now. Without Alice, we will all be scattered throughout the nation, fighting zombies or dying."


    "I agree, sir!" Ozzic said. "Lady Alice is a very smart and capable woman. There¡¯s no alliance without her."


    "Wait, let me finish," Anfey said with a smile. "We all know how brilliant Alice is. This was why I put her in charge of internal affairs. We have more than ten thousand men, which is something I never thought I would say.


    "It is no easy task controlling and regting all of these people. The only thing we can do is try to figure it out ourselves. Since the founding of the alliance, we¡¯ve been supporting each other through thick and thin. I want everyone to know that the alliance will not be a reality without the work of all the mercenaries.


    "Lord Marino is supportive of our cause, but we can¡¯t be certain how the others will react. Glory, Storm, and Tiger of Tawau mercenary groups may not react as nicely. They will likely band together against us. We need to work together to resolve this situation.


    "They say I¡¯m a butcher, a murderer, but I don¡¯t think I was wrong. If I had let those people go, who knows when they woulde back and attack me?"


    "You¡¯re right, sir," the head of the third legion, Tiger, said. "Lord Bernedo here has attacked my men before."


    Bernedo looked at Tiger with a mix of shock and confusion. Clearly, he didn¡¯t remember what Tiger was talking about. Mercenaries attacking each other in the Forest of Death in order to steal spoils was nothing new.


    Bernedo stood up and bowed to Tiger. "I apologize for my past behaviors, my lord," he said sincerely. "I do not know when or where I attacked you, but I hope that I can earn your forgiveness."


    "What is past is past," Tiger said, shaking his head. "We are allies now, aren¡¯t we? Don¡¯t worry about it. You probably don¡¯t remember me, though, because I was hiding then."


    Bernedo nodded. He was confused. Tiger was such a tall man, it was hard to forget him.


    "Sit, Bernedo," Anfey said. "Tiger is right. The past is in the past. We should not let it interfere with how we treat each other now."


    The other mercenaries all nodded and agreed.


    "In order to control the mercenaries better, I want to reorganize the legions. We also need more scouts, and I want Long and Ling to be the heads of the scouts, but we will discuss that further when they get back." Anfey paused and turned to Ye. "Ye, I want to form a policing force, and I want you to take charge of it."


    Ye froze and turned to Ozzic. He knew that if he turned this down, it could affect theter appointments and Ozzic.


    Ozzic smiled at him and nodded. "I believe Ye is more than capable for this position," he said.


    Ye nodded and epted the appointment.


    "I want to reorganize the alliance into five legions," Anfey said, "with approximately three thousand men in each."


    The mercenary leaders nced at each other, murmuring. Three thousand was arge number, especially for those that had been in charge of smaller groups in the past.


    "Ozzic, you will be the leader of the First Legion. The original Fourth Legion willbine with the original First Legion, and Stein will be your deputy. vi, you will be in charge of the mage coordinator in the First Legion."


    "What is mage coordinator?"


    "I can¡¯t divide up the mages," Anfey said. "In an emergency, the coordinators will be themanders of the mages in their legions. In a normal battle, the coordinators will be assistants to the leader of the legion."


    "There are three thousand men," Ozzic stood and said. "I don¡¯t know if the three of us can keep them in line all the time."


    Anfey smiled. Ozzic not only epted vi¡¯s position, he had implied that Anfey should send more people to help him. He was sincere enough to be a good example. "You¡¯re in charge of the legion," Anfey said. "You will do as you please." Ozzic nodded and sat down.


    "Shinbe, you will head the Second Legion, and Tiger¡¯s original Third Legion will join you. Tiger will be your deputy and Riska will be your coordinator." Shinbe nced at Tiger and Riska and nodded briskly.


    "Orsie, you will be the head of the Third Legion and Khufu will be your deputy. Zubin will be the coordinator." Orsie nodded. The rest of mercenaries muttered to each other. The mercenaries who had been demoted were not fond of this decision, but they knew that they did not have seniority.


    "Thompson, you will be the leader of the Fourth Legion. Shashibi will be the deputy and Feller will be the coordinator." Thompson and Shashibi nced at each other and nodded. Feller grinned.


    "Bernedo will be the leader of the Fifth Legion and Uri will be the deputy. Sante will be the coordinator." Anfey paused. "I don¡¯t have experience leading so many people. None of us do. We need to depend on each other to figure everything out."


    "I need a chief of staff," Alice said quietly.


    "Who do you want?"


    "Hui Wei."


    "Done," Anfey said.


    Hui Wei frowned but did not say anything to turn down the offer.


    "Kumaraghosha," Anfey called. "I know you but... I need you to see someone. Come to me after you talk with him and tell me what you want."


    Kumaraghosha nced at Ye, who smiled at him, and nodded.


    "Anything else?" Anfey asked. The mercenaries shook their heads. While they were happy about how big the alliance had gotten, they felt pressured by their new positions. Alice watched the mercenaries shuffle out of the room and walked over to Anfey.


    "Don¡¯t you think something¡¯s missing?" she whispered.


    "What is?"


    "Hope," Alice said. "Prize. Benefits."


    Anfey shook his head. "I have more than five hundred mages, Alice," he said. "I can¡¯t use the crystals."


    Alice pursed her lips and nodded. "Do you trust Marino?"


    "I do," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t worry about that."


    "He¡¯s going through our spoils," Alice said. "He didn¡¯t participate in the battle."


    "He provided us a ce to rest," Anfey said. "Tell me, Alice. Why did Baery tell you to find me?"


    "I already told you," Alice said.


    "You can go talk to him yourself," Christian said after he made sure no one was eavesdropping. "He¡¯sing here in a few days."


    "Do you know what he wants?" Anfey asked. Baery was Christian¡¯s uncle, so maybe he had told Christian things he had not told the others.


    Christian shrugged and shook his head.

 Chapter 425: Silent Movie

    Chapter 425: Silent Movie


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey had his hand on the door and hesitated before he pushed the door open. He walked quickly as Suzanna and Alice walked behind him. For the past two days, Anfey definitely got others¡¯ attention. No matter where he went, he had two unbelievably beautiful girls next to him. A lot of people were trying to guess the story behind this situation. There already seemed to be a lot rumors. However, it was totally different story for Anfey, Suzanna and Alice. Suzanna knew Anfey was very disciplined. Besides, they had a really good rtionship. She never thought Anfey would cheat on her.


    Alice had shown her naked body to Anfey, but Anfey did not even care to look at her. She knew she could not win Anfey¡¯s heart. Instead of betting on her looks and body, she would rather do more things to win Anfey¡¯s trust by showing her ability. In addition, she had been feeling awkward and scared after she kicked Anfey. Suzanna was nice and sweet. She had been very nice to Alice. However, if she offended Suzanna, she would be dead. No one would help her and protect her. Everyone would be on Suzanna¡¯s side. No matter how much Anfey appreciated her capability, there was a strong chance he would choose to be quiet and would not give her a hand after weighing his interests. Therefore, Alice had been very cautious and anxious for the past two days. In terms of work, she tried to agree with Anfey on every issue. Emotionally, she was quite cold to Anfey. She did not do anything that could indicate any flirting. When she had to give Anfey something, she would give it to Suzanna and ask her to pass it to Anfey, even though sometimes she was even closer to Anfey than Suzanna. She tried to avoid any physical contact, not even touching his fingers.


    Smart people could be dumb sometimes. Alice did not realize her behaviors were not natural. It looked like she was trying to hide something, which made Anfey frown. However, Anfey could not remind Alice to stop. Luckily, Suzanna blindly trusted Anfey. Suzanna was no smarter than Alice in this matter. If she did not trust Anfey so much, no one would know what drama they would have. Women seemed to have a sixth sense on these issues.


    A very skinny person was curled up in the corner of the room. It was Kumaraghosha. After hearing the tragedy his family suffered, he started to act like this. He acted more like a zombie. Even zombies knew to look for food, but Kumaraghosha had been sitting in the corner of the room without food, drink, or even sleep. He cried at the beginning, but now his tears even dried up.


    He knew his family would be punished. There were so many different ways for punishment: eviction, jailing, even very. The most serious would be death sentences. He never thought Edward VIII would be so cruel that he would torture them to death. He had risked his life in battle for Shansa Empire. He did not know how he could end up in this situation.


    People can have very rich imaginations. The military in the Shansa Empire did not have strict rules. They had even fewer constraints on the territories they took over. When they attacked ckania City in Maho Empire, they did not act like gentlemen, nor did they depart like gentlemen. The things that happened to Kumaraghosha were not unique. The only difference was his wife and young children happened to be in the story this time. The bloody scene kept ying in Kumaraghosha¡¯s head. He kept thinking about it. The more he thought about it, the more painful he was. It was a bad cycle.


    Anfey flicked his fingers and released a small fire ball. A mouse crawling next to Kumaraghosha¡¯s feet, screamed, and turned into a cloud of fire. Anfey could not help secretly shaking his head. Kumaraghosha was so meek a mouse could even run around him. Anfey had wanted to wait until Kumaraghosha recovered, but he could not wait anymore. He was worried Kumaraghosha waspletely crushed and had be unstable.


    "For thest two days, I have toe and ask you how long you will sit here." Anfey casually took a seat next to Kumaraghosha. "Do you want to sit until Edward VIII dies?"


    Maybe the desperate screaming from the mouse or the need to pay attention to Anfey because of his high position made Kumaraghosha move his lifeless eyes. He took a look at Anfey and turned his head the other way without saying anything to Anfey.


    "Maybe we have different personalities. The way you are acting is ridiculous," Anfey said. Anfey spoke so harshly that Suzanna and Alice could not help frowning when they heard him. What Anfey said next was meant to remind Kumaraghosha: "I do not punish myself for others¡¯ crimes."


    Seeing no response from Kumaraghosha, Anfey smiled. "If I were you, I would eat well, sleep soundly, and gather all my energy to find a way to stomp on my enemies. Only this way could I get revenge for the people who died for me."


    Anfey thought for a moment and continued, "In fact, there are so many ways to torture a person that he could not even die even he wanted to. I know some of them. I would make my enemy regret ever being born. On this continent, many nobles were sickly as young children. You could find 100 of them to serve Edward VIII. I think when Edward VIII got a taste of it, he would regretmitting such sinful crimes."


    "Anfey!" Suzanna¡¯s face turned red. Alice looked even weirder than Suzanna, since Edward, who was addicted to child porn, was her father.


    "At least I would not let Edward VIII die easily and quickly. In fact, we do not have too much time left. In a few years, Edward VIII will die from some illness on his bed," Anfey said slowly. "What I am saying is that it is up to you if you want to continue to sit like this."


    Anfey stood up, patted the dirt off his clothes, and strode outside.


    Kumaraghosha slowly looked up at Anfey. As Anfey was about to open the door, he heard a coarse voice yelling, "Master."


    "Don¡¯t call me master yet." Anfey turned around. "I have two questions for you. If I ask you to lead troops to attack Shansa Empire, would you take my order? If I ask you to kill civilians in Shansa Empire, what would you do? Would you obey my orders?"


    Kumaraghosha¡¯s face froze. He zoned out and just stared at Anfey.


    "If your answer is yes, then take some rest and see meter. If your answer is no, I would rather have you sit here till you die. I will arrange a decent funeral, for you since you are a well-known general and I respect you," Anfey said. "But I have to remind you of onest thing. There are so many talented people and good generals who could fight for Maho Empire. If you do not want to fight for me, there is always someone else who would like to do it. If you want to work for me, you might have the chance to protect more people you care about."


    After Anfey finished talking, he opened the door and walked out quickly. He had not only been speaking to Kumaraghosha, but also wanted to pass the message to Alice. If Alice did not want to work for him, there was always someone else who was willing to take over. Alice had been cast out as a princess, but her hatred was only toward certain people instead of the whole country. Ynthe wanted to start a war to establish his superior position among the countries on the Pan Continent. There would be wars, without doubt. He did not want Alice not knowing who she should side with.


    Just as Anfey walked out of the room, he saw Ye and his mercenaries dragging someone. Ozzic and few othermanders followed behind them. They all looked curious.


    "Master, this guy said he has something good to show you," Ye said.


    "Oh? What is that?" Anfey smiled.


    After Ozzic went back to Stormenburg, he had been trying really hard to torture those tax officers, hoping to get every bit information out of them. However, the soft, spoiled tax officers acted really tough in this situation. They knew they would die once they handed over what they knew, so they kept their mouths shut. Ozzic even tortured one tax office to death and still could not make him say anything.


    Later Ozzic hadined to Anfey about it. Anfey told him few things that totally changed the situation. Anfey knew the dark side of humans. His method really amazed Ozzic and others.


    Ye first tortured and killed a captive in a very cruel way. He set an example for the tax officers for what could happen to them. A few of the tax officers got scared and told Ye some worthless information, but they were treated as honorable guests by Ye. They were served with good food and wine. Ye also grabbed some female ves for them to pick. Things went just as Anfey expected. Only one tax office chose his own wife, while the rest chose others¡¯ wives and daughters. Grass seemed to be always greener on the other side, so were women to men. The most senior tax officer even picked a middle-aged woman and tortured her to death. Curious, Ye asked him about it and learned there were different levels for tax officers. That middle-aged woman¡¯s husband had bullied him at work and even humiliated him. He would not let this perfect time for revenge go. Nobody knew how many times he might have imagined torturing that poor woman.


    The tax officers who gave some information were treated very well. They were served with good food, wine, and women. Other tax officers watched in the Eyes of Sky as theirpanions lived well. Those who wouldn¡¯t give up information also saw their former colleagues harassing their own wives and daughters. Those tax officers could not see other tax officers enjoying good food, wine and their women. They started to give away their valuables. Their peers had wives and daughters. They could not just let them harass their own wives and daughters. Valuables? Everyone seemed to have something valuable. If those other tax officers had sex with their wives and daughters, they felt like they needed to get back at them in the same way. Even though they did not act out of spite, they might have been craving their colleagues¡¯ women after working with each other for so long. This was their opportunity. They were all captives and shared the same status. They were not concerned about offending anyone, since someone had already started this game.


    At the beginning, the tax officers were kept separately to prevent them from making some agreement to keep secrets. Now they were kept separately because Ye worried they would fight and kill each other. The fact of keeping them separately did not change, but the reasons had changed.


    The tax officer in Ozzic¡¯s grasp walked over with a pleading smile. He first looked around to check his surroundings and then held his left hand out. There was a milky white crystal on his palm. Ozzic and others walked closer to him to check. The tax officer said he wanted to show something valuable to Anfey, so they guessed it must be something good. They did not think he would y a joke on Anfey.


    "What is this?" Anfey asked as he handled the crystal.


    "Master, this is a memory crystal." The tax officer gave Anfey a pleading smile. "You will know what I am talking about once you release some magic on it."


    Anfey added some magic to the crystal as the tax officer said. Something like water droplets started to shake in the air, and then there was a screen in front of everyone. A naked couple was having intercourse on the screen. A female elf was underneath the male. They could tell from the ears of the female that she was an elf. The male was a human with a strong body. Every time he pounded the elf, he seemed to be so rough.


    Alice screamed. She covered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes. This scene tested her experience with sex, but not her wisdom. She could not watch it in public. Suzanna was married, but she was no better than Alice. Her face was all red, and she turned to look elsewhere. Ozzic and others stared wide-eyed. They had heard about memory crystals before. Memory crystals were very rare, had no practical use, consumed too much magic power to operate, and needed help from mages to start them, so they became luxuries for royal families. Usually, regr people had no chance to see them.


    Anfey squinted to watch for a while. He took a look at the tax officer out of the corner of his eye. "Is this the valuable thing you talked about?" Personally, Anfey did not think this crystal was that valuable. The picture was clear, but the video was shot at just one angle, which made it too simple. The couple was just in a traditional sex position. It was nothing special. Most importantly, it had no sound. He did not want to watch a silent movie.


    "Huh?" The tax office was shocked. He thought these mercenaries would not have seen any items like this or any memory crystals. He did not know Anfey¡¯s experiences were way moreplicated than he could imagine. This memory crystal was nothing special to Anfey.


    Anfey tossed the memory crystal back to the tax officer and waved his hand. "Take him back."


    "Don¡¯t!" Ozzic hurriedly yelled. Anfey did not want it, but Ozzic wanted that memory crystal so badly. Whenever Sante captured scenes of the tax officers enjoying sex with the Eyes of Sky, he always found excuses to be there to watch. It felt different for him having sex and watching others having sex. It made him so excited when he saw the girl in the memory crystal was an elf.


    "Do you like it?" Anfey was shocked when he saw Ozzic looked so anxious. Anfey thought that Ozzic would be considered a pervert in modern times. "If you like it, I can give it to you."


    A big hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the memory crystal from the tax officer¡¯s hand. It was Tiger. "Master, I want it too." Tiger was so worried of losing it that he even stuttered, or maybe he felt ashamed for taking it from the tax officer¡¯s hand. The sweet and girly elves triggered the innermost desire of beasts. When elves and beasts had conflicts, the battles were bloodier than the battles among humans. Beasts had shown their special interest in elves.


    "What are you doing? Master has said he would give it to me," Ozzic yelled in anger. He was about to take it from Tiger¡¯s hand. Tiger was tall and put his hands behind his back. He circled around Ozzic. Ozzic looked at Anfey, hoping he would help him.


    Anfey did not know if he should be angry orugh at them. "Ye, pass my order. All the mages in the mage group cannot help Ozzic and Tiger! I will punish whoever releases the movies in the memory crystal for them. The two of you, why are you still standing there? Fight, continue to fight over it!"


    "Yes, master!" Ye tried to hold hisughter. Among all the people at the scene, only Anfey and Ye could keep calm. Ye was interested in women instead of this kind of contraption. He was not interested in the memory crystal.


    Ozzic and Tiger were both stunned. Ozzic was a swordsman. He could not release the movie in the crystal. Tiger was a beast. Neither could he. If they did not have the help from mages, this memory crystal was just an ornament on the shelf. They wanted this memory crystal so badly but could not enjoy it.


    "Besides, take this guy away." Anfey pointed at the tax officer.


    "Master, I have something top secret to tell you...top secret," the tax officer yelled as two mercenaries grabbed him.


    In fact, he was forced to tell the secret. Ye made a rule that tax officers could only have one woman each day. The information he gave was never as good as his peers. He thought if he gave this crystal that had been passed down from his family, the situation would turn around for him. However, he was very disappointed and could not think of other things now.


    "What secrets?" Anfey waved his hand and signaled the mercenaries to let him go. Anfey sounded a little nicer.


    "Master, you need to be prepared for it. Our Prince Chiellick has led his troops to the Country of Mercenaries to meet with General Scarlet. Right now he should be about at the border. If he knew that customs had been attacked, he mighte after you for revenge." The tax officer seemed to tell everything and giving top secret information to Anfey.


    "Chiellick? How many people are in his troop?" Anfey asked.


    "Well, I do not know about that," the tax officer said bitterly. "I am just a tax officer."


    "Do you know who would know about it?" Anfey asked.


    "I know, I know!" The tax officer immediately looked excited.


    Anfey looked at Ye and said, "Ye, this sir is our most honorable guest now. Please treat him well."


    "You are so lucky. Follow me." Ye patted the tax officer¡¯s shoulder and smiled. "You will have so much to enjoy once you tell us who that person is."


    That tax officer had a big smile on his face. He nodded as fast as a chicken pecking grain. He excitedly followed Ye.


    "Chiellick is going toe. Alice, what kind of a person is Chiellick? Hey, Alice!" Anfey asked.


    "I..." Alice immediately turned around, but she was still blushing. Her face was beet red. "My oldest brother..."


    Anfey cleared his throat and sharply signaled Alice to stop talking.


    Alice did not realize it until she saw the look on Anfey. She worriedly looked around. Luckily, this area was secure so no one could disturb Kumaraghosha. Ye had taken his people out. There were no other mercenaries around. Ozzic and Tiger were still arguing about the memory crystal and did not pay attention to what Alice said.


    Everyone could make mistakes. Anfey felt the strong influence of the environment on self-control. Alice was so smart and alert, but she still had made a mistake. After watching the porn, she almost sold herself out and leaked her secret to others.


    "Give me the crystal," Anfey said, walking over to Ozzic and Tiger.


    Ozzic let Tiger go. Tiger hesitated for a second before he passed the memory crystal to Anfey.


    "Ok, you guys can leave now." Anfey waved his hand. He had to send them away immediately.


    "Master, you said you would give me the memory crystal," Ozzic yelled.


    "I said I would give it to you, and I will, but I have to keep it for awhile," Anfey said.


    "For how long?" Ozzic asked.


    "Maybe three years, maybe five years." Anfey nned to give the memory crystal to Ozzic in a few days and get a simr one from other tax officers to make Tiger happy. Ozzic kept asking Anfey, which made Anfey a little pissed. He changed a few days to a few years to punish him.


    Ozzic was immediately disappointed. He stared at Tiger in anger. He turned around and walked out as Tiger scratched his head and looked apologetic. He did not want both of them losing the memory crystal. However, it seemed to be toote.


    "Alice, you can say it now. What kind of person is Chiellick?" Anfey asked in a low voice.


    "Master, he is not worth too much of your attention." Alice had her head down. "We have known each other for more than ten years. I know him. He is a useless person."


    "Useless? What do you mean?" Anfey asked.


    "He does not have good vision and always hesitates when things happen. Maybe the only thing he did right was to go after Scarlet," Alice said in a hushed voice. "There was nothing wrong with him as a prince, but he is not good enough to be a king."


    "How did he be a candidate for prince?" Anfey felt there was something strange about it.


    "Well, this has to do with many things. If you really want to know about it, we can sit down and talk," Alice said. "But I think it is really not necessary to waste time on him."


    "If you say so, then never mind." Anfey smiled. "If he knew what happened and knew we killed them, do you think he would attack us?"


    "Did you forget? I just told you he hesitates when something happens unless Scarlet can make the decision for him. A few months would not be enough for him to make a final decision.

 Chapter 426: Hard Work

    Chapter 426: Hard Work


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey stood still and watched the zing sunset. Beforeing to this world, he kept himself away from society and did not have any emotional connections to anyone. Here, everything he had once believed about himself was changing. He initially only made contact with people in this world because he needed to survive, but now he knew that was the beginning of his change. He felt the warmth of friendship and trust. He didn¡¯t care for friendship at first, but he hade to value those friendships more than anything. So many people trusted him and believed in him now. He had never expect he would find people who would believe in him.


    He did not know whether this change was good or bad, but he did not care anymore. Even if it was bad, even if it was wrong, he would not turn back.


    Suzanna walked over quietly and joined him. Sheid a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Don¡¯t you want to go see how everyone¡¯s doing?"


    "I want to train them," Anfey said with a grin. "They need to know how to work without me there, you know."


    Suzanna smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.


    "Did they distribute the food?"


    "Not yet," Suzanna said.


    "Why not?"


    "Because..."


    "Because we can¡¯t!" Alice said angrily and stomped over to Anfey. "I need money."


    "What? You¡¯re the..."


    "Yes, yes, I¡¯m in charge of internal affairs," Alice said. "But I don¡¯t make money!"


    "How much?"


    "Fifty thousand for now."


    "That¡¯s impossible!" Anfey said, his eyes widening. Fifty thousand was a big number, and Alice said "for now", which meant she would need more in the future.


    Alice sighed and handed him a piece of paper. Anfey nced at it and saw that it was a list of all their expenses. He frowned as he read it. "I¡¯ll find a way," Anfey said after he finished reading the list. "Distribute the food."


    "We cannot," Alice insisted.


    "Why not?"


    "We can¡¯t ignore the mercenaries¡¯ tradition," Alice said. "Traditionally, the leader of a group will only give the mercenaries a certain amount of wages. The group will only be responsible for paying the mercenaries when there is a mission."


    "But we aren¡¯t a normal mercenary group anymore," Anfey said.


    "Tradition is called tradition for a reason," Alice said. "It¡¯s not easy to change a tradition. We still need to pay the mercenaries even if we distribute all the food. You cannot rece wages with food. We¡¯re better off paying them wages and letting them buy whatever they want."


    "That¡¯s a good business n," Anfey said.


    "It¡¯s not business," Alice said, shaking her head. "How are you going to determine rations? Some mercenaries eat more than others. Some have families, some want good food. We cannot satisfy everyone if we distribute rations."


    "I see," Anfey said. "What do you think we should do?"


    "It¡¯s easy," Alice said. "A lot of mercenaries have families, but we aren¡¯t responsible for the families. Ever since we founded the alliance, we haven¡¯t paid any wages. We need to make up for everything. The older mercenaries will be paid more. We can¡¯t be a sanctuary. We need fighters, not people who just joined us so they can get free food."


    Anfey sighed and nced at the paper again. "Fine," he said. "I¡¯ll talk with Lord Marino about this."


    Alice nodded. She turned to leave, then turned back as if she had just remembered something. "Another thing," she said. "We attacked Shansa Empire¡¯s border city, which is a good thing, but you shouldn¡¯t have ced Ozzic in charge, no matter how much you trust him! The spoils of that battle are not his alone. They¡¯re Shinbe¡¯s, and Orsie¡¯s. Do you really think he will distribute the spoils fairly and evenly?"


    "We¡¯re all in this together," Anfey said. "Do we really need to divide everything so evenly?" In the past, he had always trusted Feller with their money and supplies. Leaving one person in charge of all the supplies had be a habit for him.


    "We must!" Alice said, wide-eyed. "We need the mercenaries to know what we took, how much we took, and how much each mercenary should get. If we can¡¯t do that, the mercenaries will never fully trust us."


    Anfey looked at Alice in shock. She had never really talked back to him, but everything she said today was true. "What do you think we should do?"


    "I counted everything," Alice said. "You can read it over and decide."


    Anfey nodded. He looked at the paper Alice gave him and saw that she had categorized all their recent missions. She had also listed the mercenary leaders and the wages for each of them. Under the names of mercenary leaders were wage categories for normal mercenaries.


    Anfey frowned when he saw how much money Alice had calcted for him and Suzanna. Alice asked for fifty thousand gold coins, and out of those fifty thousand, almost ten thousand would go to him and Suzanna.


    "Alice," Anfey said. "Suzanna and I don¡¯t need this much money. I¡¯m sure Christian and the others don¡¯t, either."


    "My numbers are correct and fair," Alice said.


    "I¡¯m not saying that. I¡¯m saying we don¡¯t need it. The mercenary¡¯s wages I agree with, but we don¡¯t need this much money."


    "You can always donate your wage," Alice said. "That¡¯s your business, but you must be paid. But you are still in charge and you can decide the wages for the mercenaries. This is just my calction of what I believe is fair."


    "I understand," Anfey said. "We must be fair."


    Alice smiled and nodded.


    "What kind of wage can the new mercenaries get?"


    "Eight silver coins."


    "That is too little," Anfey said. "They can hardly feed themselves with that money."


    "They¡¯re new," Alice said. "They shouldn¡¯t expect too high a wage." She looked at Anfey and said quietly, "I never realized you are such a noble person."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Why are you so worried about the new members? They need to earn their wages. If they immediately get the same wage as a mercenary who has been with you since the beginning, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair?"


    Anfey sighed and nodded. "I¡¯ll talk to Ozzic," he said. "Then I¡¯ll talk to Marino about this."


    "Of course," Alice said. "One more thing."


    "What is it?"


    "I saw that you had a memory crystal yesterday," Alice said. "I hope that you can give it to me and I will auction it off. Anyone can join the auction. No one has the right to keep spoils of war. We need the process to be as fair and transparent as possible. You appointed me to be in charge of internal affairs. I hope you can support my decision."


    Anfey nodded. He found the crystal and handed it to Alice. "Alright," he said.


    "Good," Alice said with a grin, wrapping her fingers around the crystal. She nodded at Suzanna and turned to leave.


    Suzanna chuckled. She had never seen Anfey follow someone else¡¯s orders without questions.


    Anfey nced at her and smiled. Suddenly, both of them felt strong pressureing from afar. They both frowned and nced into the distance.

 Chapter 427: Heart to Heart Talk

    Chapter 427: Heart to Heart Talk


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Baery and Ernest stood shoulder to shoulder in the distance. They watched Suzanna with wide eyes. They looked like they were appreciating a rare masterpiece. More than a dozen people in knight suits stood behind Baery and Ernest. However, the knight suits they wore were intern knight suits, not the uniform armor of Maho empire knights.


    "Uncle Ernest, General Baery." Anfey immediately walked over with Suzanna. He should have called Baery first, based on their ranks. However, Anfey did not care much about the so-called rules. In his mind, he respected Saul the most, followed by Ernest. Everyone else should be behind them.


    Ernest turned to look at Anfey. "Anfey, did you kill Deswright yourself? Suzanna must have helped you."


    "I did not," Suzanna said, giving Ernest a sweet smile. She would never want to steal her husband¡¯s thunder. She needed to make it clear: "When I got there, Anfey had already killed Dewright."


    Ernest and Baery looked at each other. Their expressions had changed when they heard Suzanna¡¯s exnation. Ernest was proud, while Baery was shocked. They both could sense an almost invisible force running through Anfey¡¯s body. This force did not seem to be able to threaten a master swordsman. They could not believe Anfey actually did it. This only proved their theory that a supreme power indeed passed his skills to Anfey.


    "Uncle Ernest, you are here for...?" Anfey asked.


    "Baery came here to talk to Master Marino," Ernest exined. "I did not want anything to happen to him, so I came with. Besides, I knew you would be here too."


    "It isn¡¯t that important to find Marino anymore. Anfey, I need to talk to you," Baery said abruptly. He turned to look at Suzanna and smiled. "Madam, can I?"


    Suzanna was shocked for a moment before she moved to the side to allow Anfey to pass. Alice had not left yet. She looked perplexed. Baery did not mean to discuss it with Anfey but asked him to do it because Anfey was younger than him. However, when he called Suzanna "madam," he had treated both Anfey and Suzanna as his peers.


    Anfey felt weird about it, but he did not say anything. He walked behind Baery.


    "Deswright was a student of Philip, but we did not know about it," Baery said casually as he walked. "I did not know all the details. I heard when the news got to Sacred City, Philip passed out, which caught the attention of the chief general."


    Anfey smiled. He wondered who this chief general was. He had heard about him from Saul and Miorich. Now he heard about him again from Baery. It sounded like he was in a high position with considerable power.


    "In fact, Philip should be respected," Baery said with a sigh. "He has helped at least three people--Shawn, Dalmatian and Deswright earn the title of master swordsman for the empire." Baery chuckled, then continued, "The aplishments Philip achieved were almost as many as Newyoheim in Ellison Empire. Anfey, do you know why Philip ended up in a such bad situation when he got older?"


    "Because he has a good-for-nothing grandson", Anfey said.


    "Are you telling me the truth?" Baery smiled. He turned around to look at Anfey.


    Anfey quietly looked back at Baery with his lips pressed against each other. He did not respond to Baery because he was not sure what Baery meant.


    "I know you are very sophisticated. You seemed to have already drawn too much attention from others. I understand. I just hope we can have a heart-to-heart talk today. Since I am your elder, I should show the gesture first." Baery smiled. "Philip¡¯s aplishments are tremendous, but he is narrow-minded and unforgiving. He thought he made Shawn and Dalmatian master swordsmen. Without him, they could not be who they are now. He thought Shawn and Dalmatian shouldpletely listen to him and obey his orders. If Philip wanted to work for the Empire, our king would never give him a hard time. Philip had so much control over Shawn and Dalmation not for the country, but to strengthen his own power."


    Anfey quietly listened to Baery withoutment.


    "Philip has challenged the king many times. The worst was when the king asked Shawn and Dalmatian to go with the negotiating team to Ellisen Empire. Philip sent Shawn and Dalmatian a letter asking them go back to join his birthday party. How should I put it? Philip is too arrogant. He thought he was better than everyone, and the king would not do anything to him no matter what he did. He never took the king¡¯s feeling into consideration. The king still forgave him, because he knew about Philip¡¯s personality." Baery slowly said. "You did not forget about what happened a year ago, did you? The king lied about his death and tried to lure Ellisen Empire to invade Maho Empire. In fact, the king had nned everything out. He did not expect you to kill Zeda and escape with Niya and the others. Philip chased you on his own. Once again he forced Shawn and Dalmatian back to help him after Ernest tried to stop him from chasing you. As you know, our empire has limited resources. Shawn and Dalmatian both have very heavy responsibilities on their shoulders. Anfey, what do you think? Where should Shawn and Dalmatian be?"


    "As wise as our king is, he should have expected Shansa Empire to do something to the empire when Ellisen Empire invaded Maho Empire after hearing of the death of our king," Anfey said calmly.


    "You are right. Edward VIII is a chicken," Baery said coldly and distantly. "He is stingy and has alligator arms. If someone bluffed him, he would immediately step back. Shawn and Dalmatian were under my leadership. If they had taken their troops to different ces to trick Edward VIII, Edward VIII would not have been able to tell that Death Roaring mercenary group had left the eastern front. How many cities were taken over by Shansa military? How much stuff have they taken from those cities? How many people have lost their families? All of these were because of Philip. Because he only cared about his own interests, not the country¡¯s, he ruined the king¡¯s whole n. That is why the king could not forgive him anymore. I have worked for the king for so many years and never saw him so enraged. The chief general told me this time the king was so angry at Philip that his body shook. Since then, the king has started to keep a distance from Philip."


    "It was my fault too. If I did not kill Zeda, none of this would have happened," Anfey said bitterly.


    "No, it was not your fault. The king is just and fair to everyone, including you. Simr incidents happened previously in Sacred City. A nobleman liked a girl, but she already was married to a businessman. That nobleman wanted to rob the girl. The businessman and his personal guards fought back hard and killed the nobleman. The nobility advocated that the businessman and his bodyguards should be killed, but king pardoned them. The king said every innocent person had the right to defend his life." Baery smiled. "You killed Zeda to defend yourself. It was not your fault. It was Zeda¡¯s fault. However, those noblemen did not see it the same way as the king did. That was the reason the king could not punish Philip. Philip could have med Archmage Saul for that. The king could protect you but could not punish Philip, since it might look like the king tried to challenge the privileges royals had. As in the example I just mentioned, the king could protect that businessman, but could not take away the nobility¡¯s rights of inheritance. In other words, he could not punish noblemen for that reason."


    "General Baery, what are you trying to tell me? You can directly get to the point," Anfey said slowly. He looked serious and sounded cold and distant. What was Baery trying to say? He med Philip for everything and pointed out the main issue Philip had was his strong desire for control. What does it mean?" Anfey thought to himself.


    Baery was shocked for a second and immediately realized what concerned Anfey. Heughed hard. "Anfey, you are not thinking we are trying to get Suzanna, are you? Don¡¯t worry about that."


    Ernest, Suzanna and others were some distance away from Baery and Anfey. When they heard Baery¡¯sugh, they all looked at him in confusion. Anfey looked a little uneasy as others looked their way.


    "If you thought my talk had anything to do with Suzanna, it once again proves you are not very sophisticated." Baery stoppedughing. He curiously looked Anfey up and down. "But this time, you think too much. I have worked for the king for a very long time. Do you know what makes me feel the most secure?"


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "The King never gave me a hard time. He thinks I am a good general, or cares about my feelings. Anfey, you do not know our king." Baery said quietly. "If you could work for the king for awhile, you would know the feeling of being appreciated and cared for."


    Anfey went quiet. He could tell Baery did not respect Ynthe for his position but respected him as a person. It was actually more than respect. It was admiration.


    "Anfey, you think everyone is trying to get you. It is really unnecessary to think that way." Baery pause for a moment. "Alice is amazingly talented. She is still young and needs more experience, but she is smart and has good vision. She can achieve so much in the future. Why did you have to keep her in Moramatch? You do not trust her. Is it only because you do not know her background?"


    "No, Alice knows neither magic norbat power. Moramatch was the safest ce for her," Anfey exined. He knew it was not a good excuse.


    Baery smiled. He stopped asking Anfey more questions and changed the topic. "Anfey, you are getting very powerful with the help of Suzanna, Alice and many mercenaries who are willing to work for you. Suzanna is good with fighting while Alice is very strategic. So what is your dream now?"

 Chapter 428: Reassurance

    Chapter 428: Reassurance


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I¡¯m not a very ambitious person," Anfey said to Baery.


    Baery snorted. "You¡¯re always where you¡¯re supposed to be," he said. "That can¡¯t always be a coincidence."


    "Maybe. I want a peaceful life as much as everyone, but it seems like the world has other ns for me."


    "I had a talk with Christian," Baery said. "He trusts you. I trust his opinions, of course, but I need to know more about you before I can work with you."


    "Work with me?"


    "A lot of people call me a madman," Baery said with a sigh. "But this world is cruel. I have to be ruthless to survive. Scarlet is braver than we expected and she is disrupting the n. What happened to nbrea had aroused suspicion, as well. We are at a disadvantage right now. Scarlet and Fernando¡¯s alliance is very strong, at least at the moment. Knights of Divine Wind also have been sent to aid Fernando. There are not a lot of members in that order, but every single member is at least a silver knight. They can be a decisive factor in this war.


    "But, we still have hope. You and Marino are very important. Scarlet maybe working with the Church, but I¡¯m not worried. They cannot touch me. But at the same time, I cannot touch them, either. That is where you and Marinoe in."


    Anfey nodded but did not say anything. He did not know if he had enough power and influence to affect the situation. If Baery was speaking on Ynthe¡¯s behalf, then this must be part of arger n. All he needed to do was listen.


    "When you were at Zagreen, you ordered the murder of those priests and knights, didn¡¯t you?"


    Anfey nodded.


    Baery shook his head. "You couldn¡¯t have known, but other than Martin, there were several other spies among those priests and knights. Some spent decades infiltrating the Church. Your mercenaries murdered some valuable informants at your order."


    "I...I didn¡¯t know."


    Baery sighed. "This is why Ynthe decided to grant you ess to some information rting to the Church. ck Eleven will be in charge of receiving this information from Sacred City."


    "I see," Anfey said, nodding. He appeared very calm, but in reality he was very surprised by Baery¡¯s announcement. Even though this might not seem like a great honor, it showed how much Ynthe trusted him. It was an important step towards bing a member of the ss of political elites. It showed that Ynthe fully trusted and epted him.


    "No one knows what the necromancers want or what they¡¯re nning," Baery continued. "But we do know that they are not using their full power. That is why Ynthe asked us to prevent a full scale conflict. Scarlet must be thinking the same thing, or else she wouldn¡¯t have let me get passed her. Ynthe believes that considering this situation, it¡¯s unrealistic for Maho Empire to forcibly take over this country. What may work is to help one person take control of the Country of Mercenaries."


    "Me?" Anfey asked, incredulous.


    Baery nodded. "Ynthe believes that the biggest threat to our society is privileges. Especially privileges of the upper ss. In order to get people to work for you, you need to give them benefits. You need to convince them that following you would work out favorably for them. As long as there are benefits, people will be loyal to you willingly. Therger the benefits, the less likely they will be to rebel against you and take others¡¯ offers. But this affects the development of society, which is why ever since he became the ruler, he¡¯s been actively trying to weaken upper-ss privileges."


    "But what should we do about it?" Anfey asked. "The only thing I can think of is ending the system of nobility, but that¡¯s not practical, is it?"


    "How is it not?"


    "What?" Anfey asked, his eyes widening. "My title is legal, isn¡¯t it?"


    "Legality is not the issue," Baery said. "You can¡¯t give too many titles, but you have to be generous at the same time. If people do not know how beneficial it is to ally with you, it may not work out in your favor."


    "But..."


    "Don¡¯t forget, Lord Marino received a title as well," Baery reminded him. "And he needs to give titles to his men. You can ally with him. As long as you two recognize each other as nobility, it will make things much easier."


    "Really? Isn¡¯t it a bit ridiculous?"


    "What you think isn¡¯t important," Baery said. "What¡¯s important is what he thinks. Marino defected. What do you think about that?"


    Anfey frowned and shook his head. He had good reason to hide the fact that he did not know what Baery was talking about.


    "Mercenaries believe in freedom. They believe that each man is his own and needs to fight for a living. But everyone wants to follow tradition. A lot of people have been calling for changes. They want reassurance for themselves and their families."


    "Oh," Anfey said. "Now I see."


    "There are a lot of capable mercenaries, but no one can be sure what their children will be like. If they can have a fulfilling life without risking their lives everyday, they will take that chance. They need reassurance. Traditions are like habits. They¡¯re hard to change, but they can be changed."


    Anfey took a deep breath and nodded. He had simr thoughts before, but he could not analyze the situation as deeply as Baery could. He wanted to try and change this country in the direction Baery talked about.


    "I think we¡¯ve talked enough," Baery said. "Do you need anything?"


    Anfey thought about it and said, "Money."


    "I can¡¯t to anything about that," Baery said, shaking his head. "ckwater and White Mountain are both wealthy cities. It¡¯s better to go to them."


    "I¡¯m worried about Scarlet."


    "She won¡¯t do anything," Baery said. "Just like I won¡¯t do anything until I¡¯m fully convinced that I will win, she won¡¯t, either. Maybe she will aid Tiger of Tawau mercenary group a bit, but that shouldn¡¯t be a problem, should it?"


    "That¡¯s not an easy opponent," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t know what Hotchbini is doing and I¡¯m worried about her."


    "Give me a few days," Baery said with a nod. "I¡¯ll get you more information on that city."

 Chapter 429: Draft

    Chapter 429: Draft


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey and Suzanna stood shoulder to shoulder on the roof of the building, watching the arena below. About 1,000 mercenaries were training. The trainer was Kumaraghosha.


    Kumaraghosha looked a little out of focus and very gloomy. He seemed to have more energy now, perhaps because he was loyal to Anfey or he wanted to have his own troops. Kumaraghosha had tried really hard to convince Anfey to develop a paramilitary unit with about 1,000 guards in it.


    Kumaraghosha had been a knight. Because of his background, he had treated the mercenaries in his unit as feisty knights. He asked all the mercenaries to forget about defense and focus on attacking. Every drum beat signaled the mercenaries to rush forward swinging their swords. The faster the drum beat, the faster and more intense the attack should be. Anfey thought the arena looked spectacr. Two rows of shiny swords shed against each other. They looked very deadly.


    It took mercenaries some time to adjust to this kind of training, especially when they were asked to fight in pairs. When they encountered their partners¡¯ attacks with wood swords, they tried to block the swords by instinct before they fought back. Kumaraghosha demanded they not block the swords, but instead keep moving forward as they swung their swords. It was contrary to what mercenaries knew about fighting.


    Anfey did not interfere with Kumaraghosha¡¯s training, but he did not agree with him. Anfey admitted this strategy could allow mercenaries to maximize their attacking ability and attack with the most speed. However, Anfey was concerned about fatalities with this strategy. The paramilitary units were elite mercenaries Kumaraghosha handpicked himself. Anfey felt it was just not right to have these paramilitary units risk their lives to keep rushing forward on the battlefield.


    Unfortunately, he did not want to tamper Kumaraghosha¡¯s enthusiasm. Besides, Anfey was never a general and could not give advice on an area he was not familiar with. He had to keep quiet. At the same time, Anfey decided he would not have paramilitary units join the battle before Kumaraghosha could prove he was right about this strategy. It would be too risky to send these units on the battlefield. Anfey really could not afford major losses.


    "Suzanna, what do you think?" Anfey asked quietly.


    "Very good. They look like they could dominate the battlefield."


    After repeating one move hundreds of times, the mercenaries seemed to get what Kumaraghosha wanted them to do. Every time the drum beat sounded, they would move one step forward with the same pace as they swung their swords at the enemies and then move one more step forward. 1,000 mercenaries formed two square formations. The lights reflected on the swords moved in waves. Mercenaries moved very fast from one end of the arena to the other end and then moved back again.


    "They only look imposing," Anfey sighed.


    No one could be absolutely right about everything. If someone thought he was right about something, others might not think the same way. Someone could point out a lot of errors while others could think it was right. Everyone had limitations. As an assassin, Anfey had been very cautious. He paid a lot of attention to knocking his opponents down with one hit, better from a distance. No matter whether he could get his enemies in one shot or not, his safety was always more important. Therefore, Anfey could not agree on this almost suicidal fighting style.


    "Hey, Alice, here you are." Suzanna nudged Anfey.


    Anfey looked nervous when he looked down and saw Alice hurrying over. He turned around and said, "Let¡¯s go." He immediately jumped off the building. Suzanna did not know if she shouldugh or cry. She hesitated for a second before she jumped off the building after Anfey. When Alice walked up to the roof, nobody was there. Alice was shocked for a moment before she rushed to the rails and saw Anfey running away from her without looking back. She could help getting enraged and screamed, "Master!"


    In fact, Alice could not me Anfey. Except for Alice, no one in the league, whethermanders, mage counselors or even Anfey, had settled into their roles yet. A rough structure of management had been developed, but they had a long way to go before it could get perfected. Anfey did not expect it would take so much work to manage a couple of thousands of mercenaries. It was overwhelming for them. A few mercenaries drank together but got into a fight for some reason. Some mercenaries borrowed money but did not pay it back, while some even refused to admit they borrowed the money. A mercenary walked into his house and saw his daughter sleeping with a guy in bed. Some mercenaries even saw their wives having sex with others. It had be chaotic in the league. Too many of these things were happening. It wasmon to see conflicts and problems whenever there were people. The most important responsibility of the leaders was to solve problems and resolve conflicts. Unfortunately, the management under Anfey¡¯s leadership would not fully function as needed. Their management team was in an embryonic stage.


    Alice was able to handle a lot of things, but Anfey had to be involved when things got serious. Alice did not have strong magic power norbat power, while mercenaries respected powerful people. They did not want to listen to a girl who was so weak atbat power. Some people thought Alice¡¯s judgements were fair, while others directly disobeyed her orders and imed to appeal to higher authorities. They even gathered their friends and mercenaries to try to take justice into their own hands.


    Even Superintendent Ye had lost considerable weight because he had been so busy with work. They had been putting out fires and running around the city. It was a struggle for them. If it were possible, Ye really wanted to resign and go back to being a regr mercenary.


    "Anfey, do you think what we are doing to Alice is a little over-the-top?" Suzanna felt bad for Alice when she heard her screaming.


    "I am giving her opportunities to build her experience," Anfey said with sincerity as he stopped walking. "I have given her full authority to do everything. She really has no reason to report to me for anything. If she kept looking to me for help, she would not grow as a leader." Anfey already understood why there were so many people chasing after power and willing to pay a big price for it. It was amazing to have power. At least it gave Anfey many excuses to cover his real intentions and allowed him to y the role of an instructional leader while he was just toozy to deal with the conflicts and problems among mercenaries. Anfey used his power to im he was training Alice, while he justid more responsibilities on her shoulders. However, nobody could say he was wrong.


    Anfey and Suzanna heard familiarughter and voices ahead of them. They turned the corner and saw Christian, Riska and a few others. "What are you doing?" Anfey asked loudly as he walked towards them.


    "We are waiting for vi," Christian said. "Anfey, do you want to go with us?"


    "Where are you going?" Anfey asked.


    "We have been so exhaustedtely. We would like to find a bar to have some drinks and rx." Riska smiled. "Besides, vi has so much money and does not know how to spend it here. We want to help him with that."


    vi¡¯s position was not the highest among them, but he had recently made more money than Christian and others. Alice had made rules that the allowance for taking assignments was a lot more than regr wages. vi had been following Anfey and took assignments that were at level C and D. vi had be their target to exploit, like a tall tree catching more wind.


    "Anfey, let¡¯s go together," Santeughed loudly.


    "Keep it down." Anfey looked around and looked serious. He said quietly, "Everybody has been busy recently. I am not going to say no if you want to have some drinks, but don¡¯t be so obnoxious. You don¡¯t have to tell everyone you are going."


    They looked at each other, and their smiles gradually faded. Anfey was right: everybody had been busy, and, as the saying goes, the first step was the most difficult part of the journey. They had not made any outstanding contributions to the league yet, but enjoyed high positions with power in the league. Many people had been watching them. Anfey had told them a few times to set examples for others. Of course, he did not mean setting examples for drinking.


    "Look at Alice!" Anfey sounded even more serious. "She has not gone to sleep until midnight on a daily basis and wakes up in the early morning. She has been busier than any of you, but she neverined about it. Never mind. I will let you guys go. If you are going to have some drinks, go quietly ande back early. There are so many things waiting for you guys to handle."


    "We got it, Anfey." Feller stuck his tongue out.


    At the same time, Anfey suddenly noticed a strange look on Suzanna¡¯s face and then saw two peoplending diagonally behind him. One was vi and the other was Alice. There were a decent amount of mages in Stormenburg. Sometimes mages flew in the city with Levitation magic, so Anfey got used to sensing magic surges in the city. He had sensed these magic surges but did not pay attention to it. He did not expect the magic surges would be from vi and Alice. Anfey¡¯s face was a little red. He thought he would have time to teach them a lesson before he ran away from Alice, since Alice could not jump off the building. The damn vi brought Alice over with Levitation magic. Looking at Alice¡¯s face, it was obvious Alice had heard hispliments.


    "Master, I have to tell you about a situation." Alice only paused for a second before she got into her role as the CEO of the league.


    "Why?" Anfey was shocked.


    "Because this would be our first time to give mercenaries the death sentence," Alice said.


    "This would not be the first time," vimented in shock. He was standing next to Alice. "Anfey did..."


    "What happened before has nothing to do with what is happening now. This would be the first time after we made the rules and developed thews," Alice said.


    "Is it that serious? Is it necessary to sentence them to death?" Christian asked in surprise.


    "Master, do you remember the case you judged yourself yesterday," Alice said in a low voice. "A mercenary named Jupiter went to see his girlfriend. His girlfriend is a widow. As he walked into her house, he saw a guy in her house. He was enraged and pulled his sword out to fight the guy. The new boyfriend of the widow is a mercenary too. His name is Mauser. His fighting ability is actually better than Jupiter¡¯s. Jupiter lost the fight, and one of his hands, and then he came to me for justice."


    Christian and others could not help frowning when they heard the story. This kind of case was the toughest. Jupiter was not innocent, since he started the fight, but he did lose his hand for it. Mauser seemed to have a case, but being between Jupiter and the widow was the main cause of this issue. Even a very experienced sheriff had to be very careful with this kind of case.


    "As the saying goes, there is indeed too much drama in a widow¡¯s life," Anfey said bitterly. The statutes of the league were put together by copying here and there from other statutes. It was like an American quilt. The statutes were very simple, while mercenaries were feisty. They pulled their swords out to fight for any small quarrel. This kind of personal fighting happened very frequently.


    Alice continued to rte the story: To appear as just as possible, Anfey was very cautious in approaching this kind of case. He asked about the details of what happened among Jupiter, Mauser and the widow before he made the final judgement. Anfey felt good about his final judgement, but it was very time-consuming. After questioning the three people involved, Anfey used deductive reason to figure out what had happened, and made sure it was the closest to the truth. It took more than a few hours. Things like this happened a lot. If Anfey needed to handle everything, he would die of exhaustion. In addition, Anfey thought he should spend more time on micro-management of the league instead of this time-consuming trivia.


    "What judgement did Anfey make?" Christian asked.


    "Jupiter was guilty," Alice responded. "The widow is not his wife. They have been seeing each other for about eight years. If they wanted to get married, they should have by now. He had no reason to hurt his peer for that widow. However, he only got five whips since he already lost one hand. Mauser was guilty too. He was too murderous. He should have stopped after he had the advantage in the fight. Master said he excessively defended himself. He will be punished with 30 whips. The widow is guilty too. She did not have skills to make a living, so she had to rely on men. She has been starving recently, but Jupiter did not help her. That was why she flirted with Mauser. Master decided to give her a lesser punishment than thew would allow. She will only be punished with three whips"


    "Isn¡¯t Anfey¡¯s judgement fair? Why do you have to sentence them to death?" Christian was confused.


    "Early this morning, Jupiter and two other mercenaries sneaked into the widow¡¯s house and killed Mauser and the widow," Alice said. "Theymitted homicide. It cannot be forgiven." Alice paused. "This is our first time to punish mercenaries under the new statutes, and it is a death sentence. In case of any riots, I hope Anfey will be vignt."


    "Why are you sure Jupiter killed Mauser? Was he caught at the scene?" Anfey asked.


    "No. Commander Ye has been busy with this case all day. Some mercenaries reported that they saw Jupiter and the other two mercenaries sneak out of their quarters. Other mercenaries saw Jupiter around the widow¡¯s house. Besides, Jupiter pleaded guilty after Commander Ye¡¯s interrogation," Alice said.


    "Since he already pleaded guilty, you can execute him tonight. I will supervise it." Anfey nodded.


    "Yes, master," Alice responded.


    A snow beast rushed over from the end of the street. Ling jumped off the snow beast. "Master!"


    "Ling, why areing back from White Mountain City so quick?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "Master, we encountered the mercenaries from White Mountain City and got bad news. Long asked me toe back to report to you," Ling said hurriedly. "There is a top level power in White Mountain City besides Master Swordsman Anthony. The top level power is Pce Archmage Michael from Ellisen Empire."


    Everyone gasped when they heard what Ling said. Anfey had targeted White Mountain City as the first city to attack. They thought it would not be too hard. However, the appearance of an archmage in White Mountain City had crushed their hopes. On the battlefield, the power range of an archmage was way better than any master swordsman¡¯s, because archmages could use destructive forbidden magic.

 Chapter 430: Precious

    Chapter 430: Precious


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This is the situation ording to Long and Ling," Anfey said, looking around the room. "Mourtta and Hotchbini¡¯s attack on Glory mercenary group has caused considerable damage. Ellisen Empire sent a group, with the Pce Archmage Michael at its head, to Glory mercenary group to aid Anthony and intimidate Mourtta. This is old news, of course, but I thought Ellisen Empire would recall Michael after the war with the necromancers broke out. I don¡¯t know why, but Michael is currently still at White Mountain City, which makes things moreplicated. What do we think?"


    This was the first official meeting of the alliance. Other than the leaders of the mercenaries and Alice¡¯s men, Marino and Entos were there as well. After learning about Michael¡¯s presence in White Mountain City, even Marino frowned.


    "I want to remind everyone," Alice said quietly, "that we need to consider the attitude of Ellisen Empire. Anthony is a proud man. He would never let an attack on his men go without retribution. Michael¡¯s arrival boosted the strength of Glory mercenary group and gave them an excellent chance for counterattack. Tiger of Tawau mercenary group is expecting a counterattack as well, which is why they are hiding in ckwater City."


    Everyone¡¯s attention turned to Alice. Whenever she spoke, she did so with a degree of confidence that was very rare in people with such a low level of training. She spoke with confidence and ease and drew everyone in easily.


    "However, Anthony did notunch an attack. He did not seek revenge. Why is that? Why didn¡¯t he do anything? There is reason to everything, especially to things that are out of the ordinary. Maybe it is not Anthony¡¯s decision to make, because he would definitely seek revenge. There is only one person that can stop him, and that is Michael, and Michael must be acting on behalf of Ellisen Empire."


    "But why is Ellisen Empire stopping Anthony?" Ozzic asked.


    "Dark Moon Magic Legion was the pride of Ellisen Empire," Alice said. "With it gone, they cannot be certain whether they could win any battle. They know that they are no match for Maho Empire, which is why they must ally with Shansa Empire. As long as Ellisen Empire is working with Shansa Empire, Anthony bes less important. They must have initially sent Michael to aid Anthony, but Michael changed his stance because Ellisen Empire cannot risk angering Shansa Empire right now. They need to make peace with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group."


    "I think you¡¯re right, Alice," Christian said. "But what should we do about it?"


    "There is a n," Alice said, turning to Marino. "I hope you don¡¯t mind, Lord Marino."


    "Go ahead," Marino said with a nod. He was very impressed by Alice¡¯s mind.


    "If Lord Marino attacked us and killed a few hundred men, and His Majesty stopped us when we were nning revenge, how would you feel?"


    "Angry," Christian said. "I probably wouldn¡¯t listen."


    "Exactly," Alice said.


    "I see," Christian said, nodding. "Michael might have eased the tension between Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empire, but that will inevitably cause a rift between him and Anthony."


    "That¡¯s what I think," Alice said. "Of course, I can be wrong. We need to approach this from another angle. Let¡¯s talk about Anthony.


    "Anthony is the only top level power in the Country of Mercenaries. He is the king of this country. He is powerful, proud, strong, but most importantly he is smart. After he became a top level power, he realized the other three major mercenary groups were teaming up against him, which is why he was willing gave up power and allowed his right hand men to take care of his mercenary group."


    "How is Anthony smart, though?" Orsie asked. A lot of mercenaries would admit that Anthony was powerful, but in order to make themselves feel better, they would not admit Anthony was smart. The mercenaries pretended that Glory mercenary group only grew because of Davidson and Shanteler, not Anthony.


    "He¡¯s smart because he recognized that the situation wasn¡¯t working out in his favor and gave up his position willingly," Alice said. "He hid away and grew his power. Because of his absence, no conflicts broke out between the other three mercenary groups and Glory mercenary group. They may not be friends, but the rtionship between them could have been so much worse if Anthony had not given up his power."


    "Lady Alice is right," Marino said. "A few years after Anthony became a top level power, I had several secret meetings with Tiger of Tawau and Storm mercenary groups. After he stopped appearing, we stopped those meetings as well."


    Alice nodded. "Tiger of Tawau mercenary group¡¯s attack on Glory mercenary group caused panic and chaos in White Mountain City. Anthony isn¡¯t controlling White Mountain City. Shanteler is, in Anthony¡¯s name. After his death, Glory mercenary group descended into chaos due tock of leadership. Anthony is a proud man, and he did not care for power struggles. He only wanted to practice and strengthen himself. He wanted to be stronger.


    "Let¡¯s think about it now. Anthony is proud, powerful, smart. If someone tries to silence him and stop him, how will he react?"


    "You¡¯re saying that because there¡¯s a rift between Michael and Anthony, we can leave White Mountain City alone and let them finish each other off?" Anfey asked.


    "No," Alice said, shaking her head. "We need to attack that city."


    "Why?"


    "If Anthony listened to Michael once, he will do it again and again. Michael still hasn¡¯t returned to Ellisen Empire because he needs to maintain peace between Glory and Tiger of Tawau. He still hasn¡¯t left because he still hasn¡¯t convinced Anthony that peace is vital."


    "Wouldn¡¯t our attack show Anthony that he should listen to Michael?"


    "There¡¯s pros and cons to everything," Alice said. "Our attack will threaten Anthony, but we can also show him another side of this thing. We could tell Country of Mercenaries that Tiger of Tawau attacked Lady Suzanna, and we are looking for revenge. Because Michael is trying to mend the bridge between Tiger of Tawau and Glory, he is our enemy too. We need to make Anthony feel like he is coteral damage of Michael¡¯s actions."


    "Alice, what do you mean by show Anthony another side of things?" Anfey asked.


    "I believe everyone here is smart enough to understand my words," Alice said with a smile.


    The mercenaries turned to each other, muttering in surprise. If this n works, it would work out greatly in the alliance¡¯s favor.


    "Tell your men to ready themselves," Anfey said slowly. "We march two days hence."


    "Yes, sir!" the mercenaries said. They quickly stood, nodded at Alice and Anfey, then hurried out of the room to inform their men.

 Chapter 431: Wings

    Chapter 431: Wings


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It was undeniable that everything existed for a reason. Anfey thought the different types of management systems on this magic continent were not as good as they should be. They were too simple, but the imperfect management system in the League of Mercenaries was actually very effective once it was implemented.


    Alice only gave-newly recruited mercenaries very low wages, but the mercenaries who had followed Anfey in battle received a much higher sry. Arge group of mercenaries were sometimes short of food, while the other mercenaries could buy luxury goods and drink extravagantly. There was obvious contrast between the lives of newly-recruited mercenaries and veterans. Of course, if this situationsted too long, it would likely cause conflicts among mercenaries, but in a short period of time the new mercenaries were just jealous and wanted to be considered veterans.


    Mercenaries had left Stormenburg two days previous. Some of them had been extremely excited. They all happily talked and dreamed. Alice came to see Anfey a couple of times before they left Stormenburg. She made a budget for the post-war expenses. Basically, Anfey needed to get at least 100,000 gold coins. It did not matter if he had to rob White Mountain City: she made it clear that Anfey had toe back with at least 100,000 gold coins.


    Alice stressed how important money was to the league after the war. She told Anfey many stories about legions failing because they had no money after war. There were very few legions who never lost any battles. The fighting ability of most legions was just mediocre. As the legions regrouped, they usually ended up in one of two extreme situations. Some legions would be able to shake off their failures and rebound, while others just gave up on themselves. How the losing legions treated their mercenaries after they lost battles greatly affected them. The uncertainty crushed them more than from the frustration and disappointment from losing the battle. Only when people with power did not judge mercenaries who lost in battle and still treated them well could mercenaries shake off negative attitudes and rebound from their failures. Of course, how those in power treated their mercenaries after losing the battlesrgely depended on their own financial ability. A country definitely could not have the financial ability to afford more than one military. Whether they would spare some money for the mercenaries was uncertain.


    Alice also said power and money were a pair of wings for humans. No matter which wing was missing, that person would not be able to fly. The best that person could do would be to stay away from others and be well on his own. She even hinted that they had an example around them, trying to prove she was right. In fact, Anfey did not need Alice¡¯s hint to know who she was talking about. Master Swordsman Ernest was poor without any doubt. He did not own anything valuable. Ernest had travelled alone everywhere with his sword. He never gave Anfey anything valuable. However, it was not a big deal for Anfey. Anfey felt nothing would be better that Ernest¡¯s sincere care for him. Ernest tried to take care of Anfey and did not care whether Anfey knew what he had done for Anfey.


    At dusk, the mercenaries stopped to set up their tents. This time the League of Mercenaries literally travelled all together. It would be an exaggeration to say they formed a line with thousands of mercenaries and horses that no one could see from front to back. It was indeed spectacr to see a few hundred thousand people and horses travelling together. Marino also sent some mercenaries to travel with them. Entos led some mages to join the mage group in the League of Mercenaries. The participation of Entos made Christian and others more confident about this trip. They worried about their mage group¡¯sck of fighting experience. Entos was in charge of the Band of Brothers mercenary group at times, and then went back to Saul and helped him with different battles. No matter whether inrge-scale battles or small fights, he had developed a good understanding of fighting, almost as good as that of Archmage Michael.


    "I cannot believe we already have so many mercenaries in our league!" Ozzic said excitedly as he looked around from his horse.


    "Yes!" vi responded with a smile. He had been trying to do as Anfey had told him. He not only got along with lower-level mercenaries but also with the twomanders, Ozzic and Stein. Ozzic and Stein were not stupid. They knew vi was close to Anfey and Anfey trusted him a lot. Ozzic and Stein knew why vi was trying to get along with them. Therefore, they catered to vi¡¯s needs and tried to build their rtionship. Very soon, they became very close friends.


    "Master Alice can finally take a break," Ozzic said.


    "Do you like her and feel bad for her?" vi joked.


    "Don¡¯t joke about that matter!" Ozzic was scared, and his face turned a little pale after hearing what vi said. Alice might hear this joke! He was scared of Anfey the most, and then Alice. vi dared to joke about Alice, but he shouldn¡¯t. He¡¯d better not trouble her and cause problems for himself.


    It was true that all men liked beautiful girls, but they would often dream about things that were not realistic, like frogs dreaming about eating a swan, as the saying goes. Very few men had tried to approach Alice, even though most men wanted her. Ozzic was not young and impulsive anymore. He had been in the Country of Mercenaries for over 20 years. Depending on their fighting ability and skills, people enjoyed different positions. Ozzic knew people had different visions, needs, and desires because they were in different positions. There were only two people in the whole league who could be a match for Alice. However, he was not one of them.


    "Look at you! You are so scared," vi said,ughing at Ozzic. Suddenly, they heard drum beats in the distance. "Anfey is calling us. Let¡¯s go."


    At the headquarters, Hui Wei absentmindedly stared at Anfey, who was twirling a knife. He looked very skillful. "Anfey, what are you doing?"


    "ying with the knife," Anfey answered.


    "ying with the knife?" Hui Wei rubbed his nose. "I thought you were practicing with it."


    "This knife is made of a manticore¡¯s tail needle. It likely would stiffen the enemies¡¯ muscles if the enemy could be stabbed with it, but the life of this knife is limited. The more often it is used, the less chance it could be effective stiffening muscles," Anfey said.


    "Nice!" Hui Wei said.


    "It is nice, but I have not had a chance to use it since Hagan gave it to me," Anfey said.


    "Why haven¡¯t you used it?" Hui Wei asked curiously.


    "I do not like things that don¡¯t function as they should," Anfey said casually. "It does not give me confidence. This knife is garbage to me," Anfey said, tossing the knife to Hui Wei.


    "What are you doing? Are you giving it to me?" Hui Wei asked.


    "No, can you pass it to Alice. She is really weak withbat power and magic power and has nothing to defend herself with," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, why don¡¯t you give her something better if you want to give her a gift. You just said this knife is garbage. How could you give her junk as a gift?" Hui Wei smiled. "Besides, why are you asking me to give it to her? Why don¡¯t you give it to her yourself?"


    "Why are you talking so much bullsh*t? People will misunderstand me. Besides, you are the chief of staff. You are the best person to do it."


    Hui Wei looked at the knife in his hand and then looked at Anfey. After awhile, he said slowly, "Anfey, you are really a good person."


    "A good person? What do you mean?" Anfey asked.


    "I have been running around the city with Alice for the past few days. She talked about you a lot. It sounds like she secretly..."


    "Stop. I don¡¯t want to hear about it," Anfey retorted, lifting an eyebrow.


    "Ok, I will stop." Hui Wei shrugged.


    "Anfey!" someone called, and then Christian, Entos and few othersnded near him. Christian asked hurriedly, "I heard from Suzanna that you will go with her to White Mountain City to scout it out first?"


    "Yes."


    "Is it necessary to do that? Isn¡¯t it too risky? If we want to know the situation in White Mountain City, we could just get the information from mercenaries. We met many mercenaries from White Mountain City on the way."


    "Hearing does not give us information as urately as seeing does. I¡¯d like to check it myself," Anfey said.


    "You can send Ling and Long there," Christian continued, trying to convince Anfey not to go. "What if you and Suzanna were discovered?"


    "Christian, don¡¯t you think Alice¡¯s analysis made sense? If we really could sabotage the rtionship between Anthony and Michael and cause them to fight, it would be less costly to win this battle," Anfey said. "If Ling and Long went, they might not be able to grab the opportunities, even if the opportunities presented themselves. Suzanna and I could do a lot more there. Besides, I have a different assignment for Ling and Long."


    Christian just shook his head after he saw that Anfey had made up his mind.


    "Kumaraghosha!" Anfey called out loudly.


    "Yes, master!" Kumaraghosha said as he strode over.


    "Christian, you will be in charge of everything after I leave. Kumaraghosha, you will assist Christian." Anfey paused. "I will try to get to White Mountain City in three days. You guys rest tomorrow and leave here the day after. The league should be travelling with regr speed. You will start the fight in six days no matter whether you receive any information about me or not. You have to do everything ording to the n."


    "I got it, Anfey," Christian answered quietly. He suddenly thought of something. "How about having Bro Entos go with you?"


    "I cannot go with Anfey," Entos said, shaking his head.


    "Many people know Bro Entos. We probably could not even enter the city if he went with us," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t worry. I will be fine. Suzanna will be with me."


    "At critical moments, we see you are taking risks for us again," Christian said bitterly. "Ok, I am not going to make it awkward. Just be careful!"


    Anfey nodded. He turned to Kumaraghosha. "Kumaraghosha, do not let professional guards join the battle if it is not necessary."


    Ozzic and othermanders walked over one after another. Suzanna, Ling, Long and the whole scout team showed up outside the station.


    "Christian, can you give orders? I have to leave now." Anfey slowly stood up. He lowered his voice and said to Christian, "Don¡¯t ever forget you are the prince."


    Anfey meant this in more than a literal way. The main point was to remind Christian what a chiefmander should do.


    Christian slowly nodded. "Remember, do not fight for the sake of fighting. Once you notice something wrong,e back immediately."

 Chapter 432: Old Friends

    Chapter 432: Old Friends


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What are you thinking about?" Anfey asked, stroking Suzanna¡¯s hair.


    "Nothing," Suzanna said, leaning closer to him. "Just a bit tired."


    "I¡¯m sorry," Anfey said with a sigh. "You really shouldn¡¯t have been a swordsman."


    "What do you mean?" Suzanna asked, confused.


    "You¡¯re a strong woman, Suzanna, but a lot of that strength isn¡¯t yours, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s forced into you. All you want is a peaceful and quiet life," Anfey said with a sigh. "I cannot fathom how rigorous your training must have been."


    Suzanna pursed her lips, then asked, "What about you? What would you do if you had a choice?"


    "Me?" Anfey said, smiling. "I like beingzy. I think I would be content being a minor noble, doing nothing but hunting and staring at my maids."


    Suzanna grinned. She pinched Anfey¡¯s arms lightly and asked, "Do you miss those maids? I¡¯m sure Christian can get them toe over. I won¡¯t mind." She trusted Anfey enough to know that nothing would happen, so she wasn¡¯t worried.


    "That reminds me," Anfey said. "I want to get Urter over here to help Alice. He¡¯s a better choice for a chief of staff than Hui Wei. But..."


    "You really care about that city, don¡¯t you?"


    "Of course," Anfey said. "That is to be our future home, after all." Country of Mercenaries was important, but so was Violet City and the mysteriousbyrinth under it. He couldn¡¯t afford to move Urter at that moment.


    "Anfey, shouldn¡¯t I..." Suzanna whispered, but her voice trailed off as if she was too embarrassed to finish.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked, confused.


    "I..."


    "Huh?"


    "I... You know!"


    "I really don¡¯t!"


    Suzanna stamped her foot and said, "About... about a child..."


    "Oh!" Anfey said. "Oh." Suzanna turned her face away and nodded slightly. Anfey smiled. Of course, they were in a war and it was the worst time to have a child. If Suzanna became pregnant, she couldn¡¯t fight the way she had been fighting. He knew that Suzanna wanted to start a family, but that would have to wait until after everything was over.


    "Sir, Lady Suzanna," Ye said, knocking on the carriage. "There¡¯s a caravan approaching with a lot of guards. They¡¯re flying the g of Cloud Chamber of Commerce."


    "Cloud Chamber of Commerce?" Anfey frowned. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he had heard it. "Let¡¯s move out of the way for now."


    Ye slowed the carriage and drove it onto a nearby meadow. He jumped off the carriage, grabbed a waterskin of wine and took a sip, watching the caravan of Cloud Chamber of Commerce approach.


    As the caravan approached, Ye saw that the guards all looked very thin, with sallow skin and hollow cheeks. The guards nced at Ye and the carriage but did not stop or pay him any attention.


    Ye grabbed the waterskin again and took another sip of the wine inside. It was cold and he needed the alcohol to keep him warm. However, the waterskin and the scent of wine drew the attention of the guards in front. Before he could put the waterskin away, half a dozen guards turned to him with hungry eyes. These guards were mercenaries from White Mountain City. Because of the zombies, they hadn¡¯t had a good meal in weeks.


    "Do you have more wine?" one of the mercenaries called out.


    Ye nced at the mercenaries but did not say anything. He was a quiet person and did not like the mercenary¡¯s attitude.


    Ye¡¯s attitude angered the mercenaries, who nced at each other and suddenly drew their weapons. It was not umon for mercenaries to kill each other for food at White Mountain City during the most difficult times. These mercenaries did not mind killing for a sip of wine.


    Ye frowned. He was not afraid of the mercenaries, and mercenaries frequently fought over valuable things like magic crystals, but he only had some wine, and this was a caravan, not robbers.


    "What is it?" someone in the caravan asked. "Why are we stopping?"


    "Someone was threatening us, my lord," one of the mercenaries replied loudly while the rest crept towards Ye with their swords.


    Anfey sighed. He nced at Suzanna and stepped out of the carriage.


    "Sir," Ye said when he saw Anfey, and backed up. He did not want any conflict with the mercenaries.


    Anfey nodded at Ye and walked towards the carriages of the caravan. He didn¡¯t look at the mercenaries. Suzanna followed him and did not look at the mercenaries either. The mercenaries watched Suzanna with wide eyes. One of them smirked and took a few steps towards Suzanna, but another mercenary grabbed him and shook his head.


    "Did my ears betray me?" Anfey asked, stopping in front of one of the carriages. "Lord Anga?"


    An old man poked his head out of the carriage and looked at Anfey. The old man frowned, trying to recall where he had met Anfey. The mercenaries, seeing that Anfey knew their master, backed away quietly.


    "Lord Anga was my teacher," Anfey said to Suzanna.


    "Really?" Suzanna asked, surprised. She had no memory of this old man.


    "Of course," Anfey said with a grin. Anga¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as he remembered Anfey.


    "You!" the old man eximed, wide-eyed.


    "Hey, friend..." one of the guards hurried over. Suzanna grabbed the man¡¯s arm and tightened her grip, breaking the guard¡¯s arm. The guard screamed in pain and stumbled back.


    Seeing Suzanna attack one of their own, the mercenaries grew angry. They all drew their weapons and surround the two.


    "Wait! Wait!" Anga said, waving his arms at the mercenaries. He turned to Anfey and Suzanna and said, "This way, sir, mydy."


    Anga had be the founder of Cloud Chamber of Commerce because he was a smart man with a vision. He knew what Anfey and Suzanna were capable of, and he did not need to anger them.


    "I need to talk with you, Lord Anga," Anfey said.


    "Of course," Anga said, nodding. "Please, this way." As long as Anfey needed to talk to him, Anga could be sure that he had no intention of harming him.


    Anga led Anfey and Suzanna to another carriage and knocked on its wall. Anfey¡¯s eyes widened when he saw who he sitting in the carriage. He knew the woman. She was a well-known socialite in White Mountain City called Honna. He did not know the name of the man, but he looked very familiar.


    "Lady Honna," Anfey said with a smile. "It has been a while."


    "Lord Anfey," Honna said with a sweet smile. "What are the chances that we meet here."


    Anfey nced at the young man, who smiled and said, "Greetings, Lord Anfey. I¡¯m Edy."


    "Edy? Have we met somewhere?" Anfey asked.


    "I do not recall," Edy said slowly. "I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t forget meeting you, my lord."


    "Really?" Anfey asked. He had caught a glimmer of recognition and surprise in Edy¡¯s eyes. He was sure that Edy knew him, but he could not remember where he had met Edy before.

 Chapter 433: Wheel of Fortune

    Chapter 433: Wheel of Fortune


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Anga, where are you going?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, you probably do not know there is no more food in White Mountain City. We are going to Maho Empire to buy some and sell here to make some money," Anga said, trying to please Anfey.


    "It seems that you heard necromancers have lost the battle," Anfey said, "but you are crazy to do business at this time. Necromancers lost the battle, but many death spirits are all around. It would be hard for you to protect yourselves from those death spirits. Anga, wouldn¡¯t you be the very first person to dare to do business in White Mountain City?"


    "I have to do it, master. If I could be the first, I would make a little more. In fact, I do not want toe out and risk my life if I have a choice." Anga looked respectful, but he hated Anfey¡¯s guts. If it were possible, he wished he could jump Anfey and choke him.


    Anga let his daughter and son-inw handle his business after he got older. He recently found that he had lost all power in his business. He used to be a spender. He had been miserable with the little allowance "granted" from his daughter and son-inw. Half of the pension he saved up was robbed by Anfey. He had to make some money before he was not too old to do so. In other words, everyone except Anfey had shown care for him. If Anfey did not rob his pension, he would not have to live such a difficult life.


    "How could you say that? It only shows you have a strong business sense," Anfey said. "Anga, do you know Batusimon?"


    "Yes, we are old friends." Anga had a big smile on his face. In fact, he did not know Batusimon. He was only bluffing. He was simply bullsh*tting.


    "What do you think of Batusimon?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, do you want..." Anga was shocked.


    "Nothing, I only want to know him a little better." Anfey smiled.


    At the same time, Anfey sensed a very weak surge. He kept his face straight as he immediately released his telepathy. The view in the wagon started to look clear. It was different to observe with his eyes than his other senses. There were blind spots with vision, but sensing allowed Anfey to see everything and everyone without any blind spots.


    Honna sat diagonally across from Anfey with her hands sped. The ring on her middle finger gave out a gentle orange light. After a while, she moved her hands and pointed the ring at Suzanna. A bright gold light shed on the ring. Honna¡¯s face immediately changed. Edy, who had been wearing a smile, suddenly shook.


    Suzanna lifted her head and took a look at Honna and Edy. She did not notice the weak surges because her telepathy was a lot weaker than Anfey¡¯s, but she did notice the weird looks on Honna and Edy.


    "Ms. Honna, I haven¡¯t seen you for a year. You look even more beautiful than a year ago," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Thank you. I am ttered." Honna giggled. "I hope you are not lying to me."


    "Of course not. I would not lie to you." Anfey held his hand out and grabbed Honna¡¯s right arm in a flirty way. Hemented, "Your skin seems to be smoother."


    "Really?" Honna answered Anfey with a sweet voice as she leaned toward Anfey.


    "Hey, what is this?" Anfey pretended to just notice the ring.


    "My grandpa gave it to me. Huh? Ow!" Honna screamed in pain. She even had tears in her eyes. Her middle finger on the right hand looked bloody.


    Anfey sounded like a gentleman, but acted harshly. He took the ring off by force without caring if it would hurt Honna. Of course, Anfey did not think he needed to care about a social butterfly.


    "I am sorry." Anfey smiled. He weighed the ring in his hand and measured it on his fingers. His fingers were thicker than Honna¡¯s so the ring barely fit on his little finger. "Can you give it to me? I like this ring a lot."


    Honna¡¯s face got pale. She had already forgotten the pain in her finger. She thought quickly, trying to analyze the situation and make a right decision. She cherished this ring. This ring was her secret because it could identify anyone¡¯s fighting ability. She had been practicing her moves using this ring. No one had noticed anything while she was using the ring, so she assumed Anfey would not notice either. She thought someone must have sold her out.


    "Why are you not talking? You do not want to give it to me, is that it?" Anfey was still smiling.


    "If you really like it, I can give it to you." Honna forced a smile, but it looked even worse than crying.


    "Thank you. I really appreciate it." Anfey turned to look at Suzanna. "Suzanna, do you know what this is?"


    "What is it?" Suzanna asked casually. Suzanna looked too aloof. She did not seem to care whether Anfey was touching Honna¡¯s arm or hurting her by force. She did not seem to be jealous or have any sympathy towards another woman. It was because she confidently believed in Anfey. Anfey seemed to have legit reasons for doing everything.


    Anfey released his telepathy and turned the ring at Suzanna. That ring shone a bright gold light again. "Did you see it? This ring can tell me you are a master swordswoman."


    "I think I have heard about this ring." Suzanna frowned and began thinking.


    Both Honna and Edy shook from the shock. Anga seemed to shake even more. He was scared when he learned Suzanna was a master swordswoman. He seemed to hear Anfeyplimenting Suzanna¡¯s huge progress. He wondered if Anfey was even better than a master swordsman? Anga broke out in a cold sweat on his back and forehead. He tried to control himself, not showing his hatred. Now he dared not even hate Anfey any longer.


    Anfey suddenly turned the ring to Edy. A grey light shed on the ring. It looked like the ring was covered in thick fog.


    "Death spirits? Are you a necromancer?" Anfey was shocked and immediately understood what the grey light meant.


    "Master, do I look like a necromancer?" Edy rolled up his sleeves with a bitter smile to show his strong arms.


    "Magic tools are more reliable than words. I¡¯d rather believe magic tools." Anfey said, looking at the ring.


    "Master, I have nothing to do with them. I really do not know whether they are necromancers," Anga suddenly yelled.


    "Quiet, quiet! I know you have nothing to do with them. Only crazy people would be involved with necromancers. If you wanted to make money buying and selling food, it proves that you are not that irrational." Anfeyid his eyes on Edy. "Sir, can we talk? How should I treat you? Do you want to exchange my mercy for your secrets?"


    "It would not work. You will kill me anyway." It was obvious that Edy had given up arguing that he was not a necromancer. He closed his eyes. He looked like he was waiting to die.


    "Are you doubting my reputation?" Anfey smiled. "You know what, I have a friend waiting outside. He has amazingmunication skills. I will have him talk to you." Anfey gave Suzanna a look.


    Edy already had an answer as Suzanna just ducked out of the wagon. "No, no need. You are doomed. Master Minos will take over the whole continent. It would not matter if I tell you anything or not."


    "Don¡¯t you think it would be too early to talk about who will win this continent. If you tell me secrets, you can live longer. If you do not tell me, you could die very soon," Anfey said casually.


    "It is up to you. Master Minos will get revenge," Edy said distantly. He would have struggled and tried to work things out if he did not know Suzanna was a top power. The cruel reality had crushed his hopes. Just as he said, it did not matter if he gave away secrets or did anything.


    "Can Minos beat all the top powers on Pan Continent? If he can, he would be way more powerful than we think," Anfey sneered. "Such a powerful person would care little people like you two. Besides, I am not scared of anyone. Do you know how Annunciata died?"


    "Annunciata did not die. Master Minos gave her new life," Honna interrupted.


    Anfey froze there. Anfey responded quickly and was very sophisticated. Sometimes if Anfey did not think of something, it would only be because he need something to help him think. After hearing what Honna said, he immediately realized why the church doubted the death of nbrea. Necromancers must have done something to make the church believe he had not died. Reborn Annunciata must know what had happened.


    "Look, Ms. Honna is smarter than you." Anfey regained his calmness.


    "Honna, do you really want to do this?" Edy suddenly opened his eyes and looked coldly at Honna.


    "Don¡¯t you remember what happened in the past few days?" Honna said slowly, "Five days ago, we should have left White Mountain City. My people had an ident in the magicb. An Element explosion attracted patrols. We were surrounded before we could even walk out the door. We had to not only put out the fire but also reimburse our neighbors for their losses. We worked until reallyte that day."


    Edy quietly watched Honna, but Honna had zoned out. "Four days ago, when we were ready to leave, Archmage Michael sent me a birthday party invitation. You said we needed to get along with him and could wait another day. I listened to you and stayed."


    "Three days ago, we were about to leave. Just as we walked out of the room, we were attacked by a group of starving mercenaries. They killed our horses and tried to take the dead horses with them. What a surprise when Glory mercenaries showed up to provide security. That group of starving mercenaries took me hostage against Glory mercenaries. Hehehe, I do not even want to say how those idiots treated me. Of course, with everyone¡¯s help, I got out safely."


    "Two days ago, as we were about to leave, I realized I had lost my ma somewhere the previous day during the fight. Without the ma, we could not finish our assignment. We looked for it the entire day and finally found it in a pile of dog sh*t after dark."


    "Yesterday when we were about to leave, we saw this stupid ass recruiting mercenaries. You said we could disguise ourselves in the merchant group so no one could notice us. This stupid ass said it was not safe to ride the wagon on the street. He needed to park wagons in front of the city gate and asked Glory mercenaries to protect us. We had to wait another day."


    "We could have left earlier today, but this stupid ass said he did not have enough money for the trip. He did not leave until noon. Now we are stopped here. If we could have left earlier, we would not have these troubles."


    "Honna, why are you saying these? Are you ming me?" Edy said coldly.


    "Master, can you tell me who sold us out?" Honna did not answer Edy but looked at Anfey.


    Anfey could not helpughing inside. Anfey thought to himself, These two poor guys! They only wanted to get out of the city but ran into so much trouble. They must feel helpless." Anfey smiled. "Sold you out? You think too much. We just ran into you."


    "Running into us? How could you just run into us?" Honna shook her head.


    "Anga lead me here. I came over because I saw Anga. Before that, your mercenaries saw my people drinking and wanted to rob them."


    "Those mercenaries!" Anga yelled in anger. "I have killed over a dozen horses to feed them. They are still not satisfied and have to rob others for alcohol."


    "It seems you did not want to see me," Anfey interrupted Anga¡¯s yelling.


    "Huh..." Anga was shocked for a second before he realized what he said made it too obvious and did not allow him to find excuses to cover his real intentions. He tried to please Anfey with a smile. "No, master, I mean they did well, really, great."


    "Are you saying I should be robbed?" Anfey said.


    "No." Anga looked like he was about to cry. He really did not how to exin it.


    "Don¡¯t you think it is weird that we ran into so many ridiculous coincidences and idents?" Honna said to Edy with a nk face. "Think about what our assignment is. No matter how you think of it, I seemed to understand something."


    "Do you think our luck has run out?" Edy forced the words out one by one.

 Chapter 434: Prisoners

    Chapter 434: Prisoners


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What are you saying?" Anfey asked, frowning.


    Honna did not reply to his question. Recognizing her dilemma and wanting to convince herpanions, she only looked at Edy. "Don¡¯t you think so?" she asked him quietly.


    "Honna, don¡¯t be stupid," Edy said coldly. "You¡¯re just trying to find an excuse for your own cowardice. You can do whatever you want, but you have to remember that these people will fail and you will be punished."


    "Dying now and dying in the future makes to no difference to me," Honna said quietly. "You cannot possibly think this is all just coincidence."


    "What is it, if not coincidence?" Edy asked with a snort.


    Anfey did not interrupt their conversation. Clearly, Honna and Edy were working together, but Honna was not as loyal to the cause as Edy.


    "It¡¯s god¡¯s will," Honna said.


    "God¡¯s will?" Edy repeated mockingly. "Every necromancer exists to defy the will of god. That means nothing."


    "Then attack me with your great, god-defying magic, Lord Edy," Honna said sharply. "If you¡¯re just using the fear spell, then don¡¯t even bother. You know that has no effect on me."


    "You..." Edy spat angrily. "You don¡¯t want to see your brother again?"


    "I¡¯ve been trying to protect him for ten years now," Honna said softly. "It¡¯s time I live for myself."


    "By condemning him to eternal suffering," Edy said. "I never took you for one so selfish, Honna."


    Honna spat at Edy. "If I die, then he bes nothing. Nothing but a zombie, and that is the best case scenario, am I right?"


    "You¡¯re a poor, pitiful thing," Edy said. "If you¡¯re going to abandon him now, then why did you waste ten years protecting him and suffering?"


    Honna stared at Edy, her eyes burning with rage. Then she lunged at him, her fingers wing at his face and neck. Edy did not pushed her away. He wrapped his fingers around a small dagger and stabbed at Honna¡¯s stomach.


    Anfey spotted his movement. He moved over to Edy and grabbed his wrist before he could do anything to Honna. Then he grabbed Honna and pushed her towards Suzanna. "Keep an eye on her," he said. Suzanna nodded. Honna was at a disadvantage in the argument with Edy and she was not as loyal to the necromancers as Edy. She must have been repressing her feelings for a long time, or else she wouldn¡¯t have changed sides so easily.


    Unlike normal necromancers, there was blood seeping out of Edy¡¯s wounds. No wonder he could walk around without arousing any suspicion.


    "Edy, tell me, have you met me before?" Anfey asked.


    Edy lifted his chin and did not reply.


    Anfey wanted to change the subject and ask something when he was interrupted by one of the mercenaries, "Sir, there are a lot of cavalry heading this way!"


    "Cavalry?" Anga repeated. He frowned and nced at Anfey.


    "Tell them not to worry about it," Anfey said. "Those are my men."


    "Don¡¯t worry about it!" Anga yelled to the mercenaries outside. "They¡¯re not enemies."


    The mercenaries and guards were very confused by this development. A lot of the guards and mercenaries knew that Anga was not rich and only stayed in business because his friends had been aiding him. If those riders really were his people, why would he hire other people as guards?


    Soon, the riders reached the caravan with Ling and Long in front. The riders had only been training for a few weeks, which was why they did not have standard uniforms and did not stay in formation. However, this was only a scouting team, and formation was not the most important thing.


    A few momentster, Long appeared by the carriage.


    "Come in," Anfey said. "What¡¯s the situation?"


    Long nced around the carriage and did not say anything. "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "Go ahead."


    Long nodded. "We found a few who were going to White Mountain City. We took care of them."


    "What about the other directions?"


    "We have almost twenty thousand people, sir," Long said. "There is no way we can hide for long. They will know we¡¯reing."


    "I see."


    Anga¡¯s eyes widened when he heard there were almost twenty thousand mercenaries working for Anfey. Even Edy seemed surprised.


    "Let me introduce you," Anfey said. "This is Lady Honna. This is Edy, who is also a necromancer. I trust you to take care of them while I¡¯m gone."


    "Necromancer?"


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "He¡¯s not a very good one."


    "Should I take them now?" Long asked, looking at Edy.


    "Be careful," Anfey said. "Edy here has a temper."


    "I¡¯ll keep an eye on him myself," Long said.


    A sudden ruckus interrupted Long. Anfey frowned. "What was that?"


    Long shook his head and shrugged.


    "Anga," Anfey said. "Go take care of your men. Don¡¯t let them do anything out of line."


    Anga did not like being ordered around, but he did not have any choice but to follow Anfey¡¯s directions. He nodded at Suzanna and Anfey and hurried out of the carriage.


    "This caravan..."


    "Don¡¯t worry about them," Anfey said. "They¡¯re going to Maho Empire for food. If you find anything in the next few days, contact Christian. No need to look for me."


    "Yes, sir," Long said with a nod.


    Anfey nced at Honna, who was sitting next to Suzanna and staring at the ground. She was in shock, and he knew he couldn¡¯t get anything useful out of her. Better to let her rest for a bit before talking to her.


    "Take them away," Anfey said. He nced at the ring he just found. He pointed it at Long, and the ring burst into green light.


    "What is this?" Long asked curiously.


    "A useful addition," Anfey said.


    Long nodded and did not ask any further. He turned to Edy and said, "Come with me."


    Edy nced at Long but did not move. Long asked again, and Edy still did not move. Long sighed and reached over, grabbing Edy¡¯s hair and knocked his head against the wall of the carriage. Edy cursed loudly and passed out.


    Long sighed and grabbed him by the shoulder, dragging him out of the carriage.


    "Wait!" Anfey said, suddenly noticing the calluses on Edy¡¯s hands. "Honna, is Edy just a necromancer?"


    Honna stared at Edy and said quietly, "I don¡¯t know."


    "Didn¡¯t know there are twin-discipliners among necromancers as well," Anfey said. "Long, be careful. He may be difficult."


    "I will," Long said before disappearing from the carriage with Edy.

 Chapter 435: Entering the City

    Chapter 435: Entering the City


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    No matter which civilization, which dimension, or what era, it wasmon in most societies to have small percentage of people own most of the wealth. There had never been real justice in any society.


    At that time, the situation was very tense in White Mountain City. In fact, most conflicts in most societies urred because of the uneven distribution of wealth. With the help of Archmage Michael, Glory mercenary group had taken over White Mountain City and made themselves the new owners. They had full control over the three biggest granaries in White Mountain City.


    Wars and death spirits were everywhere, which put everyone in danger but also provided some people great opportunities. More than a few people saw this opportunity, but some of them were not lucky, or might have already died. Some people did not have the funds to do anything. Anthony definitely knew the situation well. Unfortunately, White Mountain City and Stormenburg were quite different. White Mountain City had a poption of about 170,000. When it was surrounded by death spirits, with more people seeking shelter there, White Mountain City had a poption over 300,000. It was a huge burden for the owner of the city to feed so many people when the trade route was blocked and they could not get any supplies.


    Before 20 days ago, Anthony had imed that the city had run out of food. In fact, there was still a decent amount of food left, but Anthony had to make sure Glory mercenary group and Michael¡¯s soldiers and horses had enough food and shelters. He could not provide the rest of the people with food.


    Mercenaries in other mercenary groups were not stupid. They knew Anthony must have yed them when they saw Glory mercenary group so full of energy. The disappointment and anger umted, and eventually fighting broke out. Anthony and Michael worked together to suppress it. The mercenaries in the riots were all killed. Glory mercenary group was able to keep control of the whole city.


    The stability was earned by force. It was hard to criticize whether it was the right approach to keep the city under control. Anthony could not avoid having his reputation get hurt. After finding out the death spirits were already gone, mercenaries immediately all left White Mountain City except for those who wanted to keep a good rtionship with Glory mercenary group. Anthony had no way of keeping those mercenaries in the White Mountain City. He could suppress riots and keep order in the city, but he could not force those mercenaries to stay.


    As it was getting dark, Anfey and Suzanna quietly sneaked into White Mountain City from the northwest corner. Anfey wanted to ride a wagon into the city with Suzanna, but he worried that Suzanna¡¯s beautiful face would attract too much attention. After talking with Anga and few others, he realized wagons would attract more attention, or even get attacked. Starving people were everywhere in the city. They had lost their minds and had be very irrational.


    "Anfey, what is wrong?" Suzanna asked quietly.


    "Nothing." Anfey shook his head. He looked like he was deep thought. As Anfey¡¯s position got higher and higher, his vision had changed a lot. People followed orders in Stormenburg, so life was rtively peaceful there, while White Mountain City was in chaos.


    He released telepathy to observe the whole city. He saw many things he never imagined would happen in White Mountain City. Two hundred yards ahead of him, two mercenaries excitedly swung their swords at a mouse. They looked like they were pretty bad withbat power, since they had difficulty killing a mouse. After a while, the mercenary in the front finally got the mouse. As he excitedly picked the mouse up, a shiny sword pierced his chest from behind. White Mountain City was not White Mountain City anymore. The city seemed to have more danger than Death Forest. A mouse did not seem to be enough food for two adults.


    Two mercenaries on patrol saw what happened when they walked by the alley. They pulled their weapons out and prepared to run over. However, they were stopped by their head, who waved his hand impatiently to signal the patrol to continue to move forward.


    If it were not group fight causing a bloody scene or trying to challenge Glory mercenary group, the head of the patrol did not want to get involved. He pretended nothing had happened. When everything became quiet again, a skinny wild dog came from nowhere. The dog sniffed the mercenary¡¯s dead body, suddenly showed his sharp teeth and started to tear flesh off the body.


    In fact, all the chickens and dogs in White Mountain City had been killed. This little wild dog had been the luckiest one, but its luck was about to run out. With an ear-piercing whooshing sound, a dark ck arrow shot the little dog in the neck. That dog did not even make a sound before falling on the ground. A few mercenaries rushed out from the shadows. The one in front picked the dog up by the rear legs and shook it. Heughed with pride. The mercenaries behind him stared at the dead body on the ground. They did not move their eyes away from the dead body for quite a while. They were not too hungry and had the wild dog now, so they were reasonable enough not eat the dead body. If they continued to have no food for the next few days, they really did not know whether they would eat the body. The idea of eating a corpse made them feel scared and disgusted.


    After the patrol turned down an alley, a girl around 20 years old walked up to the patrol. During this hard time, men could protect themselves with force while women could only exchange food for their bodies. No one needed tough at anyone else since survival was everyone¡¯s priority. Many times, it was not that hard to ovee the humiliating feelings when survival at stake. The head of the patrol got horny when he suddenly saw a pretty face. He hooked his finger to signaled the girl toe to him. He put his hand into the girl¡¯s shirt in front of everyone. He did not feel any softness on her chest, but few tough ribs. The girl had been starving for a long time. The fat on her boobs was used to supply energy for her body. The head patrolman looked annoyed and pushed the girl away. The girl did not want to give up and leaned toward the leader and smiled. The leader got pissed. He grabbed the girl¡¯s head and kicked her chest and stomach few times. He kicked her on the floor at the end.


    "Let¡¯s go," Anfey said in a low voice. He did not want anyone to notice them, which was difficult. There were people, crime and tragedy everywhere in the range of his senses. People were hardening towards what happened around them. They watched bad things happening without interfering. They could not see hope for their own lives. Of course, they were in no mood to help others.


    Anfey needed to avoid patrols from Glory mercenary group in case of any unnecessary troubles. Anfey and Suzanna moved fast at times and slow at other times. Luckily, it was cloudy that evening. No one noticed Suzanna. Anfey stopped in front of a store at the end.


    Anfey reached out his hand. Now Anfey could already gather wind elements on the other side of the door without any magic tools. The wind elements blew thetch out a little bit and left a crack between the door and the door frame. Anfey pushed the door open and walked in.


    A clerk in the store jumped up and alertly looked at Anfey. "You two are..."


    "I am a bard,ing from Miracle Ind." Anfey closed the store door as he talked to the clerk.


    "Miracle Ind. Flying Dragon originates there. You must have seen Gold Dragon, did you?" the clerk said with a pleasant smile.


    "I did not see Gold Dragon, but I saw a three-legged green dragon," Anfey said.


    "That is nothing. I have seen five-legged green dragons," the clerk said, relieved.


    Anfey took something from his Dimensional ring and tossed it to the clerk. "Can you find the others?"


    "Now?" The clerk hesitated for a second. When he saw the secret tablet, his face changed. "You are Master Anfey. Can you wait for a second? I am going to look for others," the clerk said.


    "Sure. Is there anyone in the basement?" Anfey asked.


    "No, nobody there," that clerk said.


    "Can you unlock the basement first? We will wait for you in the basement," Anfey said.


    "Yes, master." The clerk pushed the rear door open and ducked in. "Please this way."


    Anfey and Suzanna slowly followed behind the worker. They passed a hallway and saw a stable ahead of them. In fact, Anfey had been here once. There had been few horses in the stablest time, but there were none this time. Hay was piled up to cover the entrance of the basement.


    "You do not have to worry about the entrance. You can watch for others," Anfey said quietly. His sensing ability had a default. If he was in a closed area, he could not sense anything outside the room, and vice versa. Only when he was in a space with natural air flow could he clearly see his surroundings. The clerk used to work for ck Eleven, but Anfey still kept alert since he was in enemy territory.


    "Yes, master," the clerk said and hurried away.


    "Anfey, do I need to follow him?" Suzanna asked in a low voice.


    "No need." Anfey shook his head and jumped out through the basement door.


    "What are we doing?" Suzanna asked.


    "We will see as things unfold," Anfey said. "These people have been stuck in the city and should know what White Mountain City has been through. Maybe they could give me an answer," Anfey said.

 Chapter 436: Risks

    Chapter 436: Risks


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey and Suzanna had encountered several mercenaries from White Mountain City before arriving and learned more about what was happening in the city. Even though the mercenaries were not professional spies, they were still able to provide some useful information.


    They learned that Anthony¡¯s life was very difficult. He originally had around six thousand men under hismand, but after the attack from Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, he lost almost two thousand men in ckwater City. Due to the loss of Davidson and Shanteler, Anthony also lost another three hundred men because he couldn¡¯t control the mercenaries as effectively.


    This loss made Anthony even more eager for revenge. He had been watching Hotchbini closely and reorganizing Glory mercenary group. The arrival of Michael was another boost to his strength. Michael brought around four thousand men with him, including several senior swordsmasters and a dozen mages.


    Michael¡¯s sudden change in attitude was very unexpected. No one knew how Anthony reacted to Michael¡¯s request for peace, but Anthony¡¯s son David was furious. David thought that Michael proved Ellisen Empire had betrayed them by trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution. ording to the spies, David had been spreading harmful rumors in the city to hinder Michael¡¯s effort. Also notable was David¡¯s rtionship with his mother, Nishieva. Nishieva came from Ellisen Empire, which contributed to tension between her and her son. In the past, they had a very close rtionship, but now they were always arguing. Every conversation they had would end in a shouting match.


    Despite the unrest among his mercenaries and the conflict between his son and wife, Anthony had remained uncharacteristically quiet. No one tried to talk to him about this situation, because he would grow very angry. David tried to talk to him about it and he sent his son away in a fit of yelling. Nishieva tried to talk to him as well to no avail.


    "I see," Anfey said, nodding. He could tell that Anthony was angry about Michael¡¯s attitude, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. "Have you reported to Sacred City?"


    "Yes," the spy said. "But we haven¡¯t gotten anything bad yet. Michael can detect magic surges in the city so we can¡¯t use any portal."


    Anfey nodded. "I see. You can go back now. Suzanna and I will be on our way."


    "Do you need us to..."


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Remember, no matter what happens, I need you to pretend this conversation never happened."


    The spy pursed his lips and nodded.


    "Another thing. What is David like?"


    "David? He¡¯s about twenty-four, and Anthony keeps him on a pretty tight leash. He keeps low profile," the spy said. "He became a mercenary when hewas fifteen and became a squad leader when he was eighteen. Now he¡¯s an intermediate swordsmaster. He¡¯s stronger than his level, though, because Anthony wanted to him to take things slowly."


    "What about his personality?"


    "He¡¯s a very kind person, very friendly. Everyone likes him. They always forget that he¡¯s Anthony¡¯s son and treat him just like one of their own," the spy said. "Which is why everyone was so shocked when he began criticizing Michael. No one thought David would react so strongly."


    "It¡¯s normal, of course," another spy added. "Even though David is just amon mercenary right now, he will one day inherit his father¡¯s position. He cannot let Michael ruin the future of Glory mercenary group."


    "Anything else?"


    The spies shook their heads. "We don¡¯t know David very well," one of them said. "Everything else we know are just rumors."


    "Alright," Anfey said. "Does he have a lot of friends?"


    "A lot," one of the spy said. "Technically, I¡¯m one of his friends. We go out for a drink once in a while."


    "But you still don¡¯t know anything about him?"


    "No," the spy said, shaking his head.


    Anfey pursed his lips, thinking about their words. "I want to meet Anthony. Do you think it¡¯s possible?"


    "Sir, you¡¯re mad," one of the spies said. "It¡¯s practically impossible."


    Anfey frowned. "Anthony¡¯s under a lot of pressure, isn¡¯t he? The rift between him and Michael is too wide to mend now. Maybe I can convince him to work with me."


    "Sir, even though there is a rift between him and Michael, Anthony won¡¯t work with us," another spy said. "This is unnecessarily dangerous." The spies have more ess to information than normal people and knew that Anfey was one of the people Ynthe had been grooming. If he went with Anthony and something happened, there would be dire consequences.


    "Who will he work with then, Shansa Empire?"


    "Ellisen Empire and Glory mercenary group had been working together for decades, sir," one of the spies said. "There are too many things linking the two. They won¡¯t break their rtionship just because of Michael. It¡¯s practically impossible to convince Anthony to work with us."


    "But Anthony clearly isn¡¯t satisfied with Ellisen Empire."


    "Maybe they¡¯re putting up an act."


    "For who? Anthony has no other enemies except zombies and necromancers."


    The spies nced at each other. Even though it was tempting, they couldn¡¯t let Anfey take this risk.


    "What about Michael?" one of the spies asked. "Michael lives with Anthony. It¡¯s easy to startle him."


    "I¡¯ll think of a way," Anfey said. "Suzanna, let¡¯s go."


    The spies opened their mouths, wanting to say something. Anfey shook his head and began walking up the steps.


    "What do you want to do?" Suzanna asked. If it had been just Anthony, she wouldn¡¯t be as worried. But there were still Michael and half a dozen senior swordsmasters.


    "I once saved a man," Anfey said, "and sent Anthony a piece of information through him. I think Anthony will meet him again."


    "What should we do about Michael?"


    "I have a n," Anfey reassured her. He leaned closer to Suzanna and whispered something to her. Suzanna frowned.


    "There¡¯s no way he¡¯s letting you take it," Suzanna said.


    "I¡¯m borrowing it," Anfey corrected her. "I¡¯ll give it back."


    The street was empty save for a few mercenaries slumping against the walls. One of the mercenaries nced at Suzanna and his body shook. Suzanna turned around, alerted, but did not see anything except for the mercenaries.


    "What is it?"


    "Nothing," Suzanna said, turning back around. "Who¡¯s the man you saved?"


    "He¡¯s name¡¯s Shinon," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s reliable."

 Chapter 437: Deviation

    Chapter 437: Deviation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Who is outside?" someone in the room asked.


    Anfey did not answer. He only looked around. The room was decorated very simply. Besides a table and two chairs, there was nothing else. It was cold and humid in the room. Obviously, the firece was not lit. It was winter, so sleeping in the room without a fire was no different than sleeping outside.


    The light was turned on in the room. An old man carefully opened the door with a torch in one hand and a knife in the other. He yelled, "What are you doing here? I am going to call the police."


    "Shinon, don¡¯t you remember me?" Anfey said, smiling.


    Shinon was shocked for a second. Now he was able to see the two unexpected guests with the help of the torch. The guy was handsome, while the woman looked sweet and beautiful. He thought Anfey and Suzanna were burrs. They did not look like they could be burrs. Hearing Anfey say his name, Shinon was even more surprised. "You are..."


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you my name when I asked you to see Anthony. I asked you to ask for some rewards from Anthony. I also left you some gold coins. Why are you still so poor?" Anfey said.


    "Master?" Shinon could not help raising his voice and looking surprised. He immediately remembered something. "Steel pipe."


    Anfey was shocked for a second before he tried to remember the secret codes. "Stomach" Anfey did not have bad memories, but the problem was it had been so long since he talked to Shinon. He kind of remembered the secret code he told Shinon in case they made contact. He just could not remember exactly what the code was. He had to take a guess with deductive reasoning.


    "You are the master!" Shinon rushed over and kneeled in front of Anfey. He had tossed the knife and torch to the side.


    "What are you doing? Get up, get up." Anfey held his hand out and pulled Shinon up.


    "Master, I knew you woulde back." Shinon had tears of joy in his eyes.


    Anfey looked perplexed. He had saved Shinon but did not expect anything from him in return. He had asked Shinon to see Anthony because he did not have other choices. He felt like he had a rtionship with Shinon. Of course, that was how Anfey thought of them, but Shinon obvious felt differently than Anfey.


    Seeing Shinon really appreciate Anfey, Anfey felt uneasy. He smiled and changed the subject. "Shinon, didn¡¯t Anthony give you any reward? Look at your life now," Anfey said.


    "Anthony was very generous. He gave me ten gold coins," Shinon said.


    "Then why are you..." Anfey asked.


    "Anthony was very nice to me because of you. Later he got to know my son was still in jail and asked his people to get my son out." Shinon wiped his tears. "Later I had my son join the Glory mercenary group. I knew master woulde back. Master told me to collect information about four super mercenary groups, so I gave all the money to my son to have him socialize with people. I hoped he could collect more information this way," Shinon said.


    "You..." Anfey slightly shook his head.


    "Master, are youing back for something?" Shinon asked.


    "Yes." Anfey hesitated for a second. "Are you able to see Anthony?"


    "Yes, Master. Anthony told mest time that I could see him directly if I have any information." Shinon reached his hand into his shirt and took out a badge carved with an angel. "This is what Master Anthony gave me."


    "Great." Anfey nodded. "Can you tell Anthony I want to see him. About the ce and time? I will see him tomorrow before dawn in the woods ten miles south town."


    "Master, do you want me to see Anthony now?" Shinon asked.


    "Yes, do you have time now?" Anfey asked.


    "Sure." Shinon did not want to wait. He turned around and was ready to walk out. He paused after a few steps. "Master, I still do not know your name. Do I need to tell Anthony your name?"


    "You do not need to know my name," Anfey said.


    "Ok," Shinon said.


    Seeing Shinon disappear through the door, Suzanna said quietly, "Anfey, he is such an honest person. We should not have asked him to take such risks." Suzanna felt bad for Shinon. It was dangerous to see Anthony. It would be great if he could talk with Anthony, but Shinon and his son would be in trouble if Anthony had any problems with Shinon.


    "I know, so I was a little hesitant," Anfey said with concern.


    "Why did you not ask those spies to see Anthony?" Suzanna asked.


    "Do you still remember what happened in Zagreen City? You killed all the Knights and Prients of Light," Anfey said.


    "Yes, what about it?" Suzanna asked.


    "General Baery told me two of them were our people," Anfey said quietly. "You do not know how much money, effort, and time we have to put into training a qualified spy. Whatever happened in Zagreen City was no one¡¯s fault, but I still felt a little guilty about it. I can not cause any more losses."


    Suzanna gave a slight sigh, but did not say anything.


    "Let¡¯s see what kind of luck Shinon has. After this, I won¡¯t trouble him," Anfey said slowly. "He has a tough life."


    As the clock ticked away, Anfey sensed his surroundings with telepathy for a moment and stopped. Telepathy was not unlimited. He could not predict what would happen in the next few days, so he had to keep his fighting ability at its best. He could not waste any unnecessary telepathy.


    Without knowing how much time had passed by, Anfey¡¯s body suddenly stiffened. He jumped from the chair. Suzanna was shocked for a second and looked at Anfey in surprise. In her memory, Anfey rarely lost his cool.


    "We were betrayed by Shinon," Anfey said coldly. He could sense a few hundred soldiers travelling toward them along the main road and some mages flying in the distance. There were not many mages on Pan Continent. The civilization on Pan Continent was not developed well enough to pay attention to environmental protection. Therefore, there were only few trees in White Mountain City, which greatly affected Anfey¡¯s sensing ability. He could not have a full view of the city, but his sensing had proved everything.


    "What to do?" What Suzanna said was not helping. Since they had been betrayed, they had to fight now. Suzanna¡¯s question indicated she had listenedpletely to Anfey. In other words, Suzanna had be dependent on Anfey out of instinct.


    "Kill them," Anfey said angrily, with hatred in his voice. It was not a big deal to be betrayed. The problem was he felt bad for Shinon not long ago, which made him feel he was yed.


    With a huge crash, the door in the yard was kicked to pieces. The sudden loud noise scared the soldiers who were jogging along the street outside the yard. Anfey and Suzanna walked to the street together. Cold wind with high humidity in the air helped Anfey regain his calm as wind blew on his face.


    People were not machines, so they would make mistakes. Seeing the soldiers in armor with weapons, Anfey knew they must not be mercenaries. He could not sense the exact direction these soldiers were running. To be more specific, the soldiers were advancing along the main street. Obviously, whether or not these soldiers were looking for Anfey, they did not know his exact location.


    Anfey was too impatient! He took a deep breath. He had asked Shinon to see Anthony and then noticed groups of soldiers in armor running nearby. In fact, probably most people would think they were betrayed, but how could Anfey define himself as a regr person. Anfey had not noticed that his mistakes were not just due to impatience. He did not recognized himself as special and different than others.


    People¡¯s personalities kept changing. Anfey was not the old Anfey anymore, especially after he killed Master Swordsman Deswright. Anfey¡¯s confidence had reached an unprecedented level. If he dared to see Anthony, it meant he was not afraid of Anthony and Michael joining together to fight him. Of course, Anfey was still cautious, so he borrowed the pieces of War God Will Power from Hui Wei. Within Antimagic Terra, he was confident he could kill Archmage Michael with one strike.


    Anfey did not realize what he imagined was based on one condition: he needed to attack first. The surprise attack on Michael indeed gave Anfey a high chance to kill him with one strike. In other words, his n was made from the perspective of an assassin. However, killing a top power was not just about assassination. The n was made by an assassin, while the fighting was done by a pdin. The deviation in nning usually would cause a far different result than nned. It was hard for Anfey to notice the miscalction in his ns and real actions.


    "Rush out. I will cover you," Anfey said quickly.


    Suzanna gave a quick nod. She turned around and ran fast to the end of the street. She gradually released herbat power, which covered her whole body with a cloud of gold light.


    A mage close to Anfey had released lightning magic. Of all magic series, Fire series magic was the most powerful, Space magic was the most mysterious, while Electronic series magic was difficult because of its unbelievably high speed.


    With his strong telepathy plus the internal force running fast through his body, his anti-magic ability was supposed to be way better than others, but Anfey was not very lucky today. Lightning could not hurt him, but it shocked him. He could not move at all for two or three seconds.


    The shing lightning became a signal for the battle. Groups of soldiers in armors with weapons ran into Anfey¡¯s sensing range. Anthony dared not to stop. He raised a gigantic Fire Shield over his head and adjusted his internal force to the maximum. He went after Suzanna.

 Chapter 438: Battle

    Chapter 438: Battle


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Mages tended to be treated with more respect than knights and swordsmen. Suzanna was a native of this world and she knew better than Anfey, which was why she was more nervous than him. She had summoned all of herbat power from the moment she drew her sword, because she knew they needed to get into the city as fast as possible. However, the defenses around the city were too well positioned. The closer Suzanna got to the wall, the harder it was to get through the defenses. Even though the wall was right in front of her, several bright sword radiances forced her to stop.


    A master swordsman¡¯sbat power was very powerful, but it was not powerful enough for Suzanna to be able to just ignore attacks from senior swordsmen. Herbat power would break if she ignored them.


    Anfey knew now was not the time to stop. He gripped his fire sword and waved it in wide, sweeping motions at the swordsmen behind Suzanna.


    A sudden surge of magic swept across the battlefield, and the stone under Anfey disappeared, reced by a pool ofva.


    Anfey had very quick reflexes, but this change was too sudden even for him to react in time. However, he did not panic. His body twisted and summoned arge wind de with a wave of his hand. He pushed off of the wind de and used a levitation spell to push into the air. He had already spotted his opponent. It was an old man. The mage had a red wand in his right hand and was holding onto a mercenary in his left.


    The mage raised his wand again, and the tip of the wand burst into bright red light. A column of fire shot out from the wand towards Anfey.


    Suzanna¡¯s eyes widened. She recognized that it was a senior level spell called fire birds. Even though it was not as powerful as a meteor spell, it was much faster. What was even more shocking was that this mage could summon fire birds without spending any time chanting the spell. It was clear who this old man was.


    Anfey raised his left arm and blocked the attack from the fire bird with his shield. The column of fire turned into a huge fire bird and crashed into the shield. The bird and the shield both broke into fire elements, and the impact of the crash sent Anfey stumbling towards the ground. The mage waved his wand again, summoning a pool ofva where Anfey wouldnd. He hurriedly summoned a wind de to prevent falling into theva, but it was impossible to prevent himself from falling right into the bubblingva.


    Suzanna¡¯s eyes widened as she moved towards Anfey, trying to save him. The swordsmasters around seized this opportunity and attacked her at the same time.


    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t get out of this situation any other way, Anfey clenched his fist and disappeared. A momentter, he appeared behind one of the swordsmasters around Suzanna and shed at him with his sword.


    "Suzanna!" Anfey called loudly. He knew that the best n wasn¡¯t teleporting behind the swordsmaster. He should have teleported to the mage and fought the mage, but he couldn¡¯t teleport that far. Now that he had teleported once, he had to wait another day to teleport again.


    Suzanna waved her sword and it burst into light. The sword radiances around her disappeared in the light and she dashed towards the swordsmaster whom Anfey had just attacked.


    The swordsmaster had just taken a hit a few moments ago and could not move out of the way in time. Suzanna stabbed the man through the chest with her sword, then jumped back and dashed towards the others.


    "Stop her!" the old mage ordered loudly. "I¡¯ll take care of the boy."


    The remaining swordsmasters surrounded Suzanna, preventing her from getting away. The soldiers around them formed a circle to stop Suzanna. Even though Suzanna could take out several soldiers with every sweep of her sword, there would be more waiting for her. A dozen mages blocked her path, as well. They rained fireballs and lightning down on her, stopping her. Michael said he wanted to take care of Anfey, and the mages had no other option but to attack Suzanna.


    Anfey lunged at the soldiers in front of him, gripping his sword tight and holding it out in front of him.


    Michael frowned and raised his wand. He did not know why Anfey was acting so brash, but he couldn¡¯t let this opportunity slip away.


    Anfey¡¯s body twisted and he waved his sword, striking theva before it fully formed. Theva wavered and shattered into loose fire elements.


    Michael frowned. Even though he was a top level power, he still could not shrug off the effects when a spell backfired. He stumbled a little, dropping the mercenary, and backed away.


    Anfey bellowed as he dashed towards the soldiers in front of him.


    Hearing his voice, Suzanna dispersed an iing sword radiance and began pulling herbat power back to increase her defense.


    Anfey pulled his longsword out and waved it, summoning lightning down on the swordsmasters and soldiers around Suzanna. Everyone around her, including Suzanna, disappeared in bright, crackling lightning.


    Serial lightning was as close to a forbidden spell as possible without actually being forbidden. The soldiers around Suzanna all fell to the ground due to its effects; and even the mages were affected. The swordsmasters and Suzanna were all temporarily numbed by the lightning.


    Anfey dashed towards the falling mages, sweeping his sword. Suzanna had overcame the numbing effect and shed her sword at one of the swordsmasters. The swordsmasters could not move and couldn¡¯t defend themselves against Suzanna.


    Suzanna¡¯s sword sliced through thebat power of one of the swordsmasters and sliced off the man¡¯s arm. She pulled her sword back and stabbed at another man close to her.


    The remaining swordsmasters only overcame the numbing effect then. They hurriedly drew back, avoiding Suzanna¡¯s attack.


    Michael spat angrily and waved his sword. Arge fire dragon appeared in front of him. Michael waved his wand again, sending the fire dragon flying towards Anfey. Normally, a spell backfiring was enough to disable a mage, if not killing the mage. But Michael was a top level power, and he was strong enough to cancel out the effects by just using his own power. The best option for him was to hide and rest, but now he had no time for that. He had to attack and fight back.

 Chapter 439: Vicious Forbidden Spells

    Chapter 439: Vicious Forbidden Spells


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Everyone had their own strengths. The fact that Anfey could be one of the best on Pan Continent in a short period of time proved that he had many strengths. No matter what kind of danger he was facing, Anfey could always pose as absolutely calm, which allowed him to rarely make any misjudgment. He was so tough that he could take more than most humans could take. He would not give up fighting even if he was in with axes and swords and had blood gushing everywhere.


    Anfey quietly watched the gigantic Fire Dragon flying over. The dragon looked sharp and murderous. He suddenly tossed his fire sword backward. He screamed from deep in his throat, "Fight!" He reached his arms out. An almost three-meter wide fire shield appeared in front of him.


    Strategies were used everywhere and on everything. Even shopping took some strategy. No one could walk around every store. Fighting also involved strategy. Anfey had judged the situation he was in. Archmage Michael looked very cautious. He had been keeping a distance from Anfey. It would be hard no matter whether Anfey wanted to kill him or hurt him. Anfey had better start with the senior swordsmen. He needed to rush out of their encirclement. Anfey did not know what Anthony wanted to do to him. If Anthony came, Suzanna and he would be in a really bad situation.


    He decided to fight the Fire Dragon face to face and sent a signal to Suzanna at the same time. He thought of exposing his back to those senior swordsmen to lure them to attack him. He wanted to have a better understanding of magic, since this was a fantastic opportunity to know the power of the Fire Dragon.


    Anfey was brave but cautious, crazy but calm at the same time. He countered the Fire Dragon spells from Archmage Michael and made himself bait to those few senior swordsmen. Except for Anfey, no one dared to do so. However, every one of his decisions was made after thorough calction. He dared to do it because he was confident that he could do it. In other words, it was worth taking risks to get what he wanted.


    Suzanna saw Anfey counter attack the Fire Dragon and wanted to get closer to him to cover him. She heard Anfey¡¯s screams and immediately stopped running and pulled her sword back.


    Anfey¡¯s judgement was right. Those five swordsmen were stunned when they saw Anfey was able to release Series Lightning magic. Seeing Anfey not retreating under the attacks of the Fire Dragon, they thought they had a great chance to kill Anfey. They ignored what Michael had told them before. They exchanged looks and rushed towards Anfey.


    Suzanna was a master swordswoman. Herbat power had very strong defensive ability, while Anfey was only a poor pdin. Anfey¡¯s defensive ability was way below Suzanna¡¯s. He did not have a magic shield or other protective magic on him, so even the most dimwitted among his enemies knew they could not miss this opportunity to kill Anfey.


    Those five senior swordsmen worked very well together. Two of them started suicidal attacks on Suzanna, trying to keep Suzanna in the fight. If they could hold Suzanna for just a while, the other three senior swordsmen would be able to surround Anfey.


    In an instant, Anfey released all his energy on the Fire Sword. Bright orange light spread everywhere with the fire sword as the center. The fire spread as fast as a tsunami. The fire was so hot it could turn people into ashes immediately, while the moving mes could even destroy everything. The houses on both sides of the street were crashed. Any mmable objects were burning. The inmmable objects were crushed into powder. It looked like hell in an area with the radius of 100 yards.


    The residents and mercenaries in the houses on the street were very unlucky. Anfey could not help them. Elements could not identify if anyone was innocent, which was why magic would be terrifying. No matter how nice a person was, he could not take care of everyone. As an assassin in his former life, Anfey had not always been so nice.


    The Series Lightning Anfey released failed to bluff the soldiers. The survivors rushed towards him again. Unfortunately, they were doomed. The ones rushing in the front were turned into ashes in the fire. The ones with some luck who stood outside the range of the fire were knocked down by the fire explosion.


    The Fire Dragon Michael released hit Anfey¡¯s fire shield. However,pared with the fire sword that Anfey had released, the power of the Fire Dragon could be ignored. It was like a pair of chopsticks poking around on the te. To Anfey, "chopsticks" were more powerful than he imagined. When the Fire Dragon hit the fire shield, he had to release all the telepathy so his fire shield would not be crushed. At the same time, Anfey adjusted the angle of the fire shield. He tilted the fire shield a little bit and stood on his toes.


    The pressure Anfey took was significantly reduced. After these two moves, Anfey started to move back quickly. In other words, he was pushed away by the Fire Dragon.


    Anfey was a master of technique without a doubt. "Borrowing the momentum" was a basic skill for Anfey. Breaking a fixed wood te was easy, but it would be hard to break a hanging wood te. The same principle could be applied to what Anfey was doing. If Anfey had to be a wood te, he rather to be theter one. If he could keep the shape of the fire shield, Fire Dragon would not be able to hurt him. It would not be an issue even if he was pushed far by Fire Dragon. He rather be pushed 100 miles away. That way he did not even have to worry about running out of the encirclement.


    The five senior swordsmen in the fire screamed in pain. Theirbat power could protect them from being burned, but they still suffered the pain from the high heat. They were surrounded by fire. The fire seemed to have submerged everything, which blinded them from seeing their target. They could only release sword radiance to where they thought Anfey would be and randomly swung their swords to attack Suzanna.


    The five senior swordsmen panicked, but Suzanna did not. Seeing Anfey tossing his fire sword away and hearing Anfey¡¯s screaming, she had already known what Anfey nned to do. As the fire was about to swallow everything, she was able to target those two senior swordsmen who attacked her. She took the risk of being hurt and thrust her swords at them twice.


    Suzanna thrust with full force, which showcased her sword skills in uracy and force. There were two short screams. Obviously, they were hit.


    The fire started to die out while the Fire Dragon became free elements. Anfey was pushed away about 60 yards by the Fire Dragon. Luckily, he was not hurt at all, not even missing one hair. Maybe because of his strong telepathy, the elements Anfey gathered and released would not hurt him. He learned to control the elements he released, but still did not know how to control the magic released by others. He tried to control the Fire Dragon, but the fire elements the Fire Dragon contained did not respond to him. Anfey sneered at Michael as he asked himself whether he could only fight with little Shally.


    Michael was so enraged that his body started to shake. Strictly speaking, he had not done anything wrong. He just did not know Suzanna was a master swordswoman and Anfey was pain in the neck as well. It was not a mistake. Someone lied to him. At that moment, Anfey and Suzanna were totally fine while Michael¡¯s people were all injured or died. Michael was both physically and mentally hurt, especially when he saw those three swordsmen all looking scared. He lost five senior swordsmen. He could not even find their bodies. They all had turned into ashes.


    Seeing Anfey¡¯s sneer, Michael almost lost his mind. He raised his magic wand without a second thought and released another Fire Dragon. The Fire Dragon directly flew down at Anfey.


    "Let¡¯s go!" Anfey said in a low voice and raised the fire shield. Anfey only knew to passively defending himself when the magic was new to him. He could usually skillfully counter magic he was familiar with, decoding it and even counterattacking with the same magic his opponents used on Anfey.


    Suzanna slightly nodded. She turned around and rushed to the city wall. The soldiers, including the three surviving senior swordsmen, had lost their courage to fight. Watching Suzanna running away, they did not do anything.


    At that moment, Anfey ran towards the Fire Dragon with the fire shield. This time the fire shield tilted even more. When the fire shield shed with the Fire Dragon, Anfey was knocked backwards. It looked like Anfey was knocked back by Fire Dragons, but Anfey was not hurt at all. He only moved backwards with the force the Fire Dragon applied on him.


    The Fire Dragon,posed of mes, seemed to be alive. Fire Dragon twisted his body and chased after Anfey. Anfey raised his fire shield again. As a huge noise was heard, Anfey¡¯s body flew away in a different direction.


    If Anfey were described as the ball in the dragon dance, then the Fire Dragon would have been a fake dragon chasing after the ball. The Fire Dragon tried to bite the ball from all directions but could not swallow it.


    Michael could not just stand by and watch. He took advantage of the timing and raised his magic wand to release a Fire Bird. A me rapidly spread in the sky a hundred yards toward Anfey. Michael dared not release any magic that required him to be close to his opponents. He worried that he would be bit again by his own magic. He chose to use Levitation magic from a distance, which constrained Michael and made him uneasy. It felt like he fought with only one hand, but he could do nothing with it.


    Anfey never felt dizzy, even when he had been put on pilot training to spin 1,000 times around a pole. Anfey had locked his senses on Michael. The Fire Bird¡¯s speed was super fast, but Anfey was no slower than the Fire Bird. Moreover, Anfey had seen him releasing the Fire Bird and had reacted as soon as he saw it.


    Anfey moved to the side and countered the Fire Bird, with the fire shield almost parallel to the ground. With a loud noise, the fire shield in Anfey¡¯s hand did not change a bit but the Fire Bird had shot up to the sky as it passed against the shield.


    Michael gasped. He finally realized that regr magic attacks would not work on Anfey.


    Anfey raised the fire shield to block the Fire Bird, but got knocked away and rolled to the side. He noticed the shocking face on Michael and understood this was his best chance to fight back. When Anfey rolled, he had his back facing Michael and took out a bow from his Dimensional ring. He turned his body and took aim at Michael. A dark arrow shot at Michael.


    No wonder Michael was an archmage. He was very experienced since he had been through many battles. Even though he had lost his cool, he was still observant about dangers. As Anfey turned around, he sensed the danger and immediately released a magic shield. He immediately started chanting rapidly.


    With two huge crashes, the two arrows shot together by Anfey crashed into Michael¡¯s magic shield. Michael looked very cautious. He did not care if his magic shield could take the hit; he had disappeared. When he showed up again, he kept another 100 yards between Anfey and him.


    Saul and Entos could perform Instant Transportation at any time, but Michael could not. His Instant Transportation took a long time to cool down. This was the difference between different series mages. Saul could not instantly release Fire Bird and Fire Dragon with top fire series magic.


    "Anfey, be careful with the rage from Fire God!" Michael¡¯s angry voice came from a distance. He raised his magic wand high and started to chant.


    They were Forbidden Spells! Anfey felt the intense magic surges in the air. He was shocked and dared not to stay around. He turned around and started to run away. At the same time, he heard a coarse voice: "Master, don¡¯t hurt Suzanna. You have promised me that you would give Suzanna to me."


    Anfey was shocked. His sense immediately located the person who was talking. He was the mercenary Michael identally tossed away. That familiar face made him remember a name, Vonmerge. He used to like Suzanna a lot.


    Michael looked enraged and thought to himself, Stupid ass! Because this stupid ass told him Suzanna was a senior swordswoman while Anfey was only a stupid pdin, he suffered the loss. If he were more careful and asked Anthony toe with him, he would not have ended up like this. Right now he needed to focus to release Forbidden Spells and had no time for that ass.


    Those three senior swordsmen who were so shocked and disappointed at themselves seemed toe back to life. They, just as Michael, med everything on Vonmerge. One of the senior swordsmen yelled in anger, "Shut up!" He rushed towards Vonmerge after yelling at him. He dared not to fight Anfey, but it did not mean he dared not to kill others.


    Anfey sighed. He suddenly stopped. At the same time, Suzanna had run out through the city wall. She did not hear Vonmerge¡¯s screaming. Anfey had decided not tell Suzanna about Vonmerge. He did not want Suzanna to get hurt. He decided to pretend Vonmerge was not there at all.


    No matter how long the spells could be, there would be an end to it. The magic surges got stronger and stronger but suddenly stopped. Anfey had a weak smile on his face. He knew he was about to face the terrifying Forbidden Spells. It was the most terrifying power on the whole Pan Continent. He was not scared, because being scared would not solve any problems and could cause unnecessary mistakes. He stayed still because he felt he was responsible to do so. He unconsciously wanted to run away with Suzanna at the beginning to counterattack the Forbidden Spells. Anfey had a habit of approaching an issue from different angles. He immediately realized he did not have to involve Suzanna in it because the Forbidden Spells were so powerful, and he did not want Suzanna to get hurt. He rather took the Forbidden Spells himself.


    Some people could only work together in tough situations but could not get along once they became sessful. Others could only share joy but could not go through the tough times together. The former situation was more like "Danger gone, God forgotten," while theter was more like "A flock of birds fly in all directions when dangerse". Anfey was not all great, but he disdained both groups. Things were not just all ck and white. Sometimes, Anfey had no choice but to pick one option for the people he cared about. This time Anfey chose thetter option, that is, flying on his own when danger came.


    Obviously, Susanna chose differently than Anfey. She did what Anfey had asked her to do, that is, rush about 100 yards further after running out of the city wall. The magic surges seemed to get stronger and stronger behind her, to a point that the magic surges were so strong that they felt terrifying. Suzanna had not seen Anfey showing up on the city wall yet.


    Suzanna immediately turned around and rushed back to the city. As the tip of her feet just touched the city wall, she saw a terrifying scene. Michael pointed his magic wand at Anfey. The magic surges were so intense that it seemed they would turn into real objects, which told Suzanna that Michael released Forbidden Spells.


    Anfey made a long roaring noise as he quickly directed his internal force. He broke his own telepathy record again. Anfey observed any slight changes around him. No one, including people as powerful as Saul and Ernest, dared fight with full force with Forbidden Spells.


    After a while, Anfey¡¯s roaring suddenly stopped because Michael had put away his magic wand. Nothing seemed to change around them. To be more specific, only Michael looked older and his body was a little hunched, but nothing else had changed. Anfey wondered if that was all the power of Forbidden Spells. He thought Forbidden Spells were a lot more powerful. Anfey was wrong. No one even saw what Forbidden Spells looked like.


    "Anfey!" Suzanna rushed over behind Anfey and grabbed his arm. Seeing what had happened, she had a feeling that she was going to lose Anfey. She felt her heart broken. She was so terrified.


    "Hahahaha..." Michaelughed out loud. He looked so happy.


    "Let¡¯s go!" Anfey grabbed Suzanna and they ran out of the city together. He did not want to stay there any longer than he had to. Anfey thought that old guy, Michael, must be a nut, or Forbidden spells were not working. He wondered if Forbidden spells could expire.


    "Anfey!" Michael did not seem to be the only one losing his mind. The crowd around Suzanna and Anfey stared at them, but Suzanna held Anfey and stared at him as she touched all over Anfey with her soft hands. She seemed to check whether Anfey had lost any parts. "You..."


    "I am fine. That old man yed a telepathy game with me." Anfey knew what Suzanna was worried about him so he lied about it tofort Suzanna.


    Suzanna heaved a long sigh. She suddenly felt weak and almost fell into Anfey¡¯s arms. She knew Anfey¡¯s telepathy was super powerful. If anyone tried to attack Anfey with telepathy, it definitely would not work.


    Seeing Anfey and Suzanna disappearing on the city wall, Michael was still floating in the sky and had no intention to chase after them. After a while, he looked proud and smiled. "You are just a pdin. Do you really think you could survive after you received my Burning spells?"


    Generally speaking, three spells in Fire series magic belonged to Forbidden magics. However, Michael mastered four Forbidden magics. He learned about the fourth Forbidden magic from a relic.


    Burning was just a regr word in the dictionary, but also represented a very horrific magic in magic world. In other words, it was vicious. In Fire series magic, burning was a magic simr to a cursing. Every time, when the Burning magic was released, it would take arge amount of magic power. It would have a burning effect that couldst one day to one month long, depending on how strong the opponent¡¯s anti-magic ability and telepathy were. This burning effect could not be countered by other elements. No matter whether Anfey jumped into the water, hid in the snow, or even buried himself in the dirt, the effects were still there for that period of time.


    Michael knew some top powers could not bear this non-stop burning pain and even killed themselves at the end after they were hit with Burning magic, even though they tried to fight the burning pain withbat power and magic power. Anfey was just a pdin with weak magic and barely anybat power. Burning magic would show its burning effect the most on Anfey. Michael thought there was no chance for Anfey to survive it.

 Chapter 440: Deception

    Chapter 440: Deception


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Suzanna and Anfey ran until they were sure there was no one chasing them anymore. Clearly, Suzanna was right. Now that they knew how powerful Michael was, they knew that if Michael and Anthony teamed up, there was no chance of victory.


    "Should have listened to those spies," Suzanna whispered, "or let them meet with Anthony. At least they won¡¯t have betrayed us." In the past, she would be angry with herself because she believed that if she was stronger, she could protect herself and Anfey. But now that she was a top level power, she could not do that anymore. She also knew that fighting a mage was not easy, because mages tended to be more in control in a fight.


    "Shinon didn¡¯t betray us," Anfey said, "or else Anthony would have noticed much sooner."


    "Are we going back?"


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "If we don¡¯t, Anthony will realize who sent Shinon."


    "He will realize no matter what," Anfey said with a shrug.


    "If Shinon didn¡¯t betray us, how did Michael realize we were there?"


    "Maybe some of the mercenaries recognized us," Anfey said.


    Suzanna frowned and nodded. "Alright, then. Anthony didn¡¯t do anything. Do you think we can..."


    "Possibly," Anfey said. "Michael must be very angry right now."


    "Which will only widen the rift between them," Suzanna said with a grin. "If that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t we go and meet with Anthony."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "We can¡¯t rush this kind of thing."


    Suzanna sighed. "Alright," she said. "We shouldn¡¯t take risks like this anymore in the future. We only got away this time because we were lucky. If Anthony and Michael are working together..." She shuddered and did not finish. She walked over to Anfey and grabbed his hand. "Promise me."


    As Suzanna grabbed Anfey¡¯s hand, his body shivered. Suzanna frowned. "Are you alright?"


    "Yeah," he said. "I just remembered something."


    "What is it?" Suzanna asked, confused. "Why is your hand so warm?"


    "Well, we just ran fifty miles, of course my hands are warm," Anfey said. "Nothing important, really. Just something that happened when I was young."


    Suzanna frowned and looked at Anfey. She realized that he was staring at her intensely, his eyes filled with love. Even though they were married, Suzanna was still very shy and not used to attention. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, blushing.


    "Because I like you," Anfey said.


    Suzanna sighed. She moved closer to him and said, "Tell me more about your childhood."


    Anfey pursed his lips and frowned. "It¡¯s not too... it isn¡¯t anything interesting."


    "I don¡¯t care," Suzanna said. "Tell me."


    "Well, I spent most of my childhood just fooling around with the neighbor¡¯s kids," Anfey said. "That¡¯s about it. Suzanna,e on, let¡¯s get some rest. Then we need to head different ways. I¡¯m heading back to White Mountain City, you¡¯re going to look for Christian."


    "Christian?" Suzanna asked.


    "Tell him that there is indeed a rift between Michael and Anthony. After the battle, we need to avoid conflict with Glory mercenary group and its mercenaries. Focus on Michael¡¯s men," Anfey paused. "Let him decide the rest."


    "Can¡¯t we go talk to Christian together after he gets there?" Suzanna asked, confused. "What are you going to do at White Mountain City?"


    "I need to find a chance to take out Michael," Anfey said. "You see, I need to prepare and create a n if I want to kill Michael and live. A good n needs time. I cannot go look for Christian."


    "I want to help you," Suzanna said.


    "I can conceal myself," Anfey said. "I can approach people without them noticing and still be able to fight. Even if I don¡¯t use magic, I can still do a lot of things. You need yourbat power. Plus, you are a top level power. People will notice you. We cannot hide amongst them together."


    "But... but I can still help," Suzanna insisted.


    "I don¡¯t need help," Anfey said. "Really. Don¡¯t worry about me. I will be fine. Listen to me and go find Christian. I need him to know our intentions."


    Suzanna watched Anfey without saying anything. She did not want to leave Anfey, but she knew that he was right. Splitting up was the most effective and reasonable n.


    "Don¡¯t frown," Anfey said. "I have the Shattered Will of God of War, remember? Really, don¡¯t worry. I will be fine. As long as I¡¯m well rested, I can use teleportation. I promise I won¡¯t put myself in harm¡¯s way."


    "Even if you can kill Michael, what about his guards?"


    "Anthony won¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m not worried about the guards. If I can take out Michael, who are those guards to me?" Anfey paused and smiled at Suzanna. "You need to help Christian organize the attack. You need to attack Michael as hard as possible to give me a chance."


    "I see," Suzanna said, nodding. She was a very strong woman, so as soon as she made a decision, she would follow through. She wanted to be Anfey¡¯s helper, not burden.


    Anfey nced at the night sky and sighed. Then he looked at Suzanna and smiled, "With everythingtely...I¡¯m sorry. I promised you a peaceful life, not this. After everything¡¯s over, we¡¯ll find Shally and the three of us will get out of here."


    Suzanna grinned and nodded. She stepped towards Anfey and wrapped her arms around him.


    Anfey wrapped his arms around her as well, trying hard to control his shivering. He knew something was wrong as soon as he left White Mountain City, because every inch of his body was burning with pain.


    Everything, including breeze and Suzanna¡¯s embrace, caused the pain to intensify. Thankfully, Anfey could control himself well enough not to show that he was in pain.


    He did not know what would happen to him, which was why he needed Suzanna to leave. He didn¡¯t want the woman he loved to suffer because he was in pain. His mind kept reying the terrifying magic surge he felt from Michael. Clearly, the forbidden spell had worked.


    "Hurry," Anfey whispered, letting go. "You have a long way ahead of you. I need rest as well."


    Suzanna sighed and nodded. "Be careful," she said.


    "You have to be careful as well," Anfey said.


    Suzanna nodded. "See youter," she said.


    Anfey nodded and smiled.


    Suzanna looked at him again, then turned around and dashed away. She stopped, turned and waved at Anfey, then took off.


    Anfey¡¯s eyes fell on his dimensional ring. He wanted to give everything to Suzanna, at least he needed to give her the shard of the Shattered Will of God of War, because he didn¡¯t know if he could survive this. But Suzanna wasn¡¯t stupid, and she would realize something must be off if he gave her everything he had. If she realized something was wrong, she would insist on staying with him. Anfey didn¡¯t know how long he could keep up his calm facade, and he didn¡¯t need Suzanna to see his pain.

 Chapter 441: Metamorphosis

    Chapter 441: Metamorphosis


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey slowly walked into the forest. Every step he took was slow and took a lot of energy, but he kept his body straight, without hunching. His lips were pressed tightly together and he looked like he was trying to stop moaning. Will power was like a dam to a river. Once there was a crack, the dam would be destroyed. If Anfey made any moves to vent his pain, he would be crushed by the pain.


    After deciding which tree he would go to, Anfey pulled his sword out to cut away two bushes as he was grinded his teeth. He slowly crawled into the hole of the tree. He blocked the entrance with bushes and then took a seat with his legs crossed. He organized his Dimensional ring. He was no longer concerned only about himself. If he were in any danger, Suzanna, Christian and others still would need continue their lives. If he could not show up after the battle, Suzanna probably woulde here to look for him. She would be able to find his stuff.


    Anfey did not care about the magic books and gold coins, since the tree hole was too small to hold too many things. He did not care about his Fire series magic crystals too much either. If he left the magic crystals in the tree hole, the magic surges from them would attract people passing by. He needed to pick something that would be helpful for Suzanna and others but hard for others to discover.


    Anfeyid a bow, a magic sword and other items in the tree hole. He held a bottle of Sacred Spirit potion. Anfey had wanted to give it to the little unicorn, but Saul suggested that he hold on to it until the little unicorn reached adulthood. At that moment, the potion seemed to be the only thing that could keep him alive.


    Anfey held out his other hand, testing to see if he could gather water elements on his palm. He quickly found water elements did not help relieve his pain at all. Besides the burning pain, he could feel nothing else. However, Anfey still could keep absolutely cool. He had known the water element would not help. If Forbidden Spells were so easy to be removed, archmages would not be so powerful. He thought it was worth giving it a try.


    Anfey slowly closed his eyes. He activated the internal force in his body as he released his telepathy. Anfey thought he had to understand where the injury was if he wanted to remove the effects of the Forbidden Spells. He knew he did not have much time left. The burning pain got more intense. Countless minor cracks appeared on his skin. Anfey believed these cracks would get bigger and bigger. Nothing would help him if the cracks got deep into his muscle.


    After a while, Anfey helplessly opened his eyes. He wasted so much time trying to figure out where the injury was, but got nothing. The only thing he found was he felt better when he performed maximum telepathy. Releasing his telepathy to the max would help with pain but could not remove the Forbidden Spells, and it would consume his telepathy.


    Anfey slowly picked up the Shattered Will of God of War. After hesitating for a while, Anfey finally started the Anti-magic Terra. The Shattered Will of God of War could only start Anti-magic Terra three times a year. At that moment, Anfey could care less. A barely visible light screen spread out, covering Anfey and the bottom of the tree hole. The light looked weak but seemed to be able to prate anything. It could pass through trunks and pour the light out of the tree hole onto the ground. Anfey had not made a sound. He suffered pain that most people could not bear, but now he could not help moaning a bit. The burning pain was gone. The burning pain really disappeared. Instead, he felt heavenly joy and rxation.


    In this corner, where no one could see him, Anfey did not have to hide anything. He looked anxious, quietly waiting for something. He was like a criminal waiting for his sentence by the judge.


    After a while, the light screen was gone. Anfey¡¯s face immediately twisted in pain. The Shattered Will of God of War fell out of his hand. Nothing couldpare. The honey would taste heavenly sweet after having one bite of berberine. However, the berberine would be too bitter to bear after having a bite of honey. Anfey once again felt the burning pain, which seemed more intense than before.


    Michael¡¯s judgement was right. Anfey had neitherbat power nor strong magic power. The effect of the burning magic could reach to its maximum. If it were Suzanna, she would only have cracks on her skin when she exhausted herbat power. Anfey felt he could not take this burning pain anymore.


    If it were someone else other than Anfey, that person would have lost his mind with this unbearable and intense pain. Anfey gasped. He could barely keep from screaming. He closed his eyes and forced himself into Samadhi stage. Anfey adjusted his breathing as he crazily released his telepathy. He tried to buy himself some time as he tried tosh the mind crystal inside his body. Anfey did not know if he would be able to take the power released by mind crystal once it exploded, but right now he had no other options but to take the risk and try it.


    The moon and stars disappeared from the sky. The sun rose. Time passed by. There were many visible cracks on Anfey¡¯s skin. Different sized blood beads hung on Anfey¡¯s forehead and face like gems. His gown had blood spots too. Anfey could clearly feel the mind crystal getting brighter and brighter.


    It was not an illusion. Although the sun was bright, sunlight could not get into the tree hole, since the entrance was blocked by the brushes. It was supposed to be dark in the tree hole, but it looked brighter in the tree hole than outside. The light was from Anfey.


    Unfortunately, Anfey did not seem to have enough time. More blood came out from the cracks and ran down his skull, forehead and face, slowly dying his gown red. Because of the way he sat, his knees and bottom had already turnedpletely red.


    Some top powers who got hit by burning magic could have countered the damage caused by burning magic, but they could not bear the pain for a long period of time. They lost their minds and killed themselves in the end. Anfey had been bearing the pain that was the maximum effect of the burning magic with his iron will. He was still conscious, but his body seemed to be crushed. It was pathetic to think that he still had consciousness but body was about to die.


    Anfey noticed the bleeding increase. Anfey had to put all his eggs in one basket now. He stopped doing everything except releasing the mind crystal with all the energy he had. He stopped trying to control his internal force, paying no attention to the wounds on his body.


    Suddenly, a cloud of milky white light exploded in his head. The Light Seed which had been subconsciously suppressed by Anfey suddenly took advantage of the timing now that Anfey wanted to give up everything, and took root in him.


    Light elements represented glory, purification, healing and warding off evil. Many people hated the church people who always thought they were better than others and imed they were all nice and valued justice over everything. However, it was undeniable that the properties of light elements could help regr priests earn respect from others. To be more specific, people hated the priests who expressed strong political and religious views.


    To dive deeper, the properties of the light elements also made what the church had done seem unbearable. People could see clearly what was written on a piece of white paper if something was drawn on it. But what would happen if it was drawn on ck paper? The idea could be applied to the church as well. There were too many bad guys among the royalty. Many kings were too cruel and wasted too much time womanizing. People would not be surprised at whatever they did. People in the church could not be like them, because the church represented the light. Church people had to behave themselves. In fact, there was little difference between church people and royals. Both groups were bad, and both groups were good. Unfortunately, in real life, except for the areas with a high density of church followers, the church had been med for misdeeds more than the royalty.


    Anfey seemed to sense dangering. The milky white light cloud started to spread and wrap around Anfey.


    The Light Seed was one type of baptism that any priest could release. However, what nbrea nted in Anfey was not a regr Light Seed. It was a blessed Light Seed, which could only be released by an archpriest. The archpriest needed to prey for months before he could release a blessed Light Seed. nbrea had been busy since he became an archpriest. He only released a blessed Light Seed three times. Anfey got thest blessed Light Seed from nbrea. Back then nbrea had not thought of anything else. The drama they had at the end was because Anfey had made such great progress.


    With the nurturing of light elements, Anfey could see his wounds healing, but the power of burning magic did not disappear. The wounds broke and healed, broke and healed, broke and healed repeatedly.


    This hellish experience would be unforgettable for anyone because it was so painful. Without incredible willpower, Anfey would have screamed.


    After a while, the milky white light cloud started to dim. Anfey had never practiced any Light series magic because his own magic power was pretty weak. Without the power of the blessed Light Seed, he would not be able to hold out very long.


    Anfey suddenly opened his eyes. He poured the Sacred Spirit potion into his mouth without giving it a second thought. He sensed that the Light Seed that he had been rejecting had be the key to his survival.


    The Sacred Spirit potion functioned as the most effective and strongest aphrodisiac. After a very short period of time, the milky white light cloud suddenly expanded and radiated crystal-like bright light. The light cloud wrapped around Anfey again. The Heart of Nature which had bonded with Anfey started to pump with force and absorbed the pain with super fast speed. The slight coolness relieved some of his pain. After being attacked by the burning magic, this was the first time Anfey had felt a bit of relief.


    As time went by, sun had done its job for the day and set. Suddenly there was a loud explosion. The explosion did not have shape, waves or sound, but it affected the area with a radius of dozens of miles. All the people, birds and animals did not know what had happened, but all felt their minds crash.


    Maybe the Sacred Spirit potion was the key, or maybe non-stop trying over the past dozen hours had worked. The mind crystal inside Anfey¡¯s body finally disappeared. The wounds on Anfey continued the cycle of breaking and healing, but he looked rxed because he had a total new feeling. In other words, he gained new knowledge.


    Anfey clearly saw every piece of broken crystal melting and sensed the strong telepathy embedded in them. No matter how many pieces of broken crystal were there, he seemed to be able to break himself into many selves to track every piece of broken crystal. He did not miss a single one. When each piece of broken crystal melted, Anfey thought he had absorbed as much as mind power as he could, but his body seemed to be a ck hole that could absorb as long as the crystals kept melting.


    The explosion had happened in the blink of an eye, but it seemed to be thousands of years long for Anfey.


    He could see the huge change in his sensing ability inside and outside his body. It was not about how much clearer or more detailed he could sense. No matter where he focused his telepathy, that area became the center of the world. If he wanted to focus on two ces, then there would be two centers for the world. If he wanted to see a thousand ces, there would be a thousand of centers in the world. Millions of pictures shed in Anfey¡¯s head at the same time, but they seemed to be all in order.


    His body seemed to be so big that he could absorb everything, but seemed to be as small as a cell at the same time.


    He had not been able to do anything with burning Forbidden Spells before, but now it was no secret to Anfey. Countless fire elements appeared rapidly, burned, and disappeared quickly. Because of the fast speed of the fire elements, he had not figured out how he was hurt.


    The pumping of the Heart of Nature started to slow down, but every beat was strong. The natural air for dozens of miles rushed in waves and nurtured Anfey¡¯s dry body. The healing effects of Heart of Nature ovee the damage of the fire elements. The wounds on Anfey started to heal.


    Anfey used to have all kinds of forces in his body, but today he finally entered the stage of Inner Alchemy, which only existed in legend as "traveler". With the influence of the environment, all the forcespletely belonged to Anfey now. He did not have to suppress any of them. If he wanted to use any force, he could let that force grow. If he did not want any force, he could let that forcepletely disappear.


    Without knowing how much time had passed, in White Mountain City about 40 miles away, along the city wall, Christian waved his arms while Suzanna swung her sword. Anfey seemed to be able to sense all of these. He suddenly opened his eyes and moved his body. Dark red blood scabs in different sizes started to fall off like rain drops. Seeing theseid in front of him, Anfey smiled.

 Chapter 442: Attacks

    Chapter 442: Attacks


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    To a normal person, a top level power was practically a god. Sometimes, a top level power didn¡¯t even need to do anything. All they needed to do was stand there, and that alone was enough tomand the situation.


    As a top level power, Michael was very confident in his abilities. He wasn¡¯t worried that thousands of mercenaries were heading towards White Mountain City. The only person he was worried about was Suzanna.


    He could see how calm and collected Suzanna was. He was surprised by this, because he originally nned on using Suzanna¡¯s grief and desire to revenge her lover against her. But he wasn¡¯t worried either.


    Suzanna¡¯s emotion only influenced his n, but another person¡¯s presencepletely disrupted it.


    Michael knew about Entos and what he was capable of. Whenever other mages spoke of esteemed young mages, Entos¡¯s name always came up. However, before this, Michael had never taken Entos seriously.


    Entos¡¯s presence annoyed Michael and made him very angry.


    Because he needed to defend the city against zombies and necromancers, Michael had already let up arge magic array in the city. He used this magic array and set up his soldiers outside of the city. He was hoping to take out the mages first then deal with the mercenaries.


    But so far, all they were doing was hide within the magic array and watching the enemy mages attack. The array was wasting a lot of magic crystals, but Michael knew that it was a necessary sacrifice.


    Entos was not directing the mages¡¯ attack. He was circling White Mountain City in the air, holding a longsword in one hand and a dagger in the other.


    Michael had three senior swordsmasters with him. One of the three was injured, thanks to Entos. A few minutes ago, Entos had appeared in White Mountain City, screaming and waving his weapons. The three swordsmasters had tried to stop him, but he teleported out of their way and hit one of the swordsmasters in the head with his sword. Before the swordsmasters could do anything else, he teleported away again.


    The swordsmaster had summoned hisbat power, and Entos was not the best at attacking magic, which was why the swordsmaster had only suffered minor injuries. However, this incident made Michael very fearful of Entos. An enemy that could use teleportation spells consecutively meant an enemy that would be very hard to take out. If Entos appeared in front of him while he was casting a spell, Michael did not know what he would do.


    Michael did notck protective relics and spells, but he was still fearful of Entos¡¯s abilities. Mages preferred to stay away from their enemies and attack from behind a line of protection. Anthony and his mercenaries were not helping, and out of the eight swordsmasters he had started with, only three remained.


    Forbidden spells weren¡¯t children¡¯s toys. If a forbidden spell was interrupted, the consequences could be fatal. If Michael tried to use a forbidden spell, Entos would try to stop him.


    As long as Entos was alive, Michael knew he couldn¡¯t do anything. The enemy mages had their own magic shields, and his mages could not prate so many shields at the same time. The only spell that could cause massive damage was a forbidden spell, but he could not use one at that moment.


    Entos appeared above the city wall and waved his sword at Michael and the swordsmasters.


    When Entos was younger, he had practiced attacking spells like all the other mages. However, Saul once told him that surviving was winning. He originally said it to prompt Entos to practice teleportation and levitation spells more so he could protect himself and escape dangerous situations.


    However, Entos was a very extreme person. He gave up practicing attacking spells and focused solely on teleportation. He spent more than a decade practicing the same spell because of a few words Saul once told him.


    Entos waving his sword was a signal to his friends it was time to attack. Seeing the signal, Christian turned to vi and said, "Tell the mages to start attacking."


    vi nodded and hurried off to give orders to his mages.


    "Zubin, send the signal to Suzanna. It¡¯s time for her to attack," Christian said. "We need to stall as long as possible to make time for Anfey."


    "Entos just circled the city," Zubin said. "He said he didn¡¯t see him."


    "He must be hiding," Christian said. "I trust him."


    Suddenly, a dark spot in the sky caught everyone¡¯s attention. The mages hurriedly summoned a few Eyes of the Sky and saw Anfey streaking through the air towards the city.


    Christian¡¯s eyes widened. "Didn¡¯t Suzanna say he¡¯s going to take out Michael?"


    Michael had spotted Anfey as well. He saw the flying figure and all the material elements that surrounded him. "This is impossible," he whispered, his eyes wide. He couldn¡¯t see Anfey clearly, but he knew that he wasing.


    Christian and the mercenaries were just as shocked as Michael and the swordsmasters by Anfey¡¯s sudden appearance. Anthonyid his cup down and sat up, staring at the figure. Entos smirked and began flying towards Michael. He could tell what Anfey¡¯s intentions were, and he wanted to aid him.


    By now, Suzanna had be a top level power and was not as affected by Anfey as the others, but she was still staring nkly at him as hended and dashed across the field towards the city.


    Michael raised his wand. He hadn¡¯t engaged Anfey yet, but Anfey¡¯s appearance had nted a seed of doubt in his mind. He didn¡¯t want Anfey to get too close to him, which was why he had just used a spell to lengthen the duration of his spells and erge the area his spells covered. Even though it meant that his strength would be greatly reduced, it was worth a try.


    A wall of earth appeared before Anfey. On the other side of wall, a pool of bubblingva appeared. Anfey crashed into the wall and disappeared into theva. Before Michael could celebrate, Anfey appeared again, running on top of theva.


    Michael watched with wide eyes. He waved his wand, creating a few firebirds and sending them towards Anfey.


    Anfey waved his arms a few times, pping the birds away as if they were just small bugs. Michael pursed his lips and summoned a fire dragon. Entos was still circling around him, and Michael didn¡¯t want to use a spell that would take too long.


    Anthony narrowed his eyes. He turned to one of his mercenaries and whispered, "Quick, take Shinon up there." He was very impressed by how Anfeybined strength and technique. Like Michael, he was very much in shock.


    Michael spat, trying to calm himself, but he found that to be very difficult. The pressure he¡¯d been feeling grew stronger and stronger as Anfey approached. He wanted to use a forbidden spell because that was the only thing that could stop Anfey, but with Entos around, he could not risk releasing a forbidden spell.


    As Anfey drew even closer to the city, the mercenaries and soldiers who stood between Michael and Anfey sudden broke ranks. They scrambled to get out of the way and ran towards the city in fear for their lives.


    Michael clenched his fists. He returned his wand to his dimensional ring and retrieved two magic scrolls. He did not know how Anfey had be this powerful in such a short time, but he knew that he must not hold anything back.


    Anfey dashed towards him and threw a shiny object at Michael. He saw the magic scrolls Michael was holding and felt the magic surges from it. He saw Shinon and Anthony on the city wall as well. He needed to be in control of everything.


    The shiny object hit the magic shield Michael had set up and burst into light. The magic shield disappeared and the object hit Michael¡¯s chest. Even though the magic shield had absorbed most of the object¡¯s force, the impact still caused great pain. Then Michael discovered, to his great despair, that he could no longer feel the magic surges of the scrolls and he could no longer summon magic shields.


    Anfey jumped towards Michael and swung his fist, punching the man in the chest. This punch threw Michael tumbling through the air. His levitation spell disappeared and he crashed to the ground. When the dust dissipated, he did not move.


    Anfey reached out and grabbed the magic scrolls Michael was holding, then he caught a shard of the Shattered Will of God of War.


    "That¡¯s him, sir!" Shinon called excitedly to Anthony.


    Anthony watched in silence, then waved his arms at his mercenaries. "Don¡¯t leave anyone alive," he ordered. He had made a choice because he had to make a choice.

 Chapter 443: The Influence of Power

    Chapter 443: The Influence of Power


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The gigantic magic array in White Mountain City had quietly stopped working. Groups of Glory mercenaries were either at the city gate or rushing to the city walls to block run-away soldiers from Ellisen Empire.


    The battlefield seemed to move in slow motion. The soldiers from Ellisen Empire had lost their general and had no orders. In addition, Glory mercenary group had betrayed them, stabbing them in the back. It gave soldiers from Ellisen Empire no hope. They saw no point in continuing this fight. Glory mercenaries were anxious and did not know what to do either. They nned to attack the League of Mercenaries, but Anthony suddenly ordered them to attack the soldiers from Ellisen Empire. They were a little confused about who their targets were. Some mercenaries who saw how Michael died were so excited and shocked that they kept reying that scene and telling others about it. The main story they told was just that Michael had been killed in the blink of an eye. The story made these mercenaries lose more courage.


    The scene around the city gate was strange. Two parties fought with swords and knives, but few were killed. That was because the party who tried to rush out of the city was not aggressive enough, while at the same time the attackers were experiencing low morale. The battlefield seemed lifeless.


    Anthony was shocked when Anfeyid eyes on him. Anfey¡¯s look was so strong that Anthony felt an unknown pressure rushing towards him like waves. As a master swordsman, Anthony had his own principle. He was not afraid of challenges and would not run away from them, even when he knew he was no match for his opponent.


    Anthony put his hand on the sword shaft, slightly pushed it backwards, then pulled his hand off. If it had been the following day, he would have loved to fight Anfey, because it would be just a practice between him and Anfey. He wanted to know his weakness. Losing was the most effective way to find out where his weaknesses were without any doubt. However, he could not at that moment fight Anfey or have any form of confrontation with him.


    Entos released instant teleportation magic to carefully approach Anfey. He cleared his throat, but did not know how to start the conversation.


    Anfey turned around to look at Entos. Anfey still looked sharp and aggressive, but the smile on his face looked yful and proud.


    The yful and proud smile make Entos get close to Anfey again. He looked morefortable and smiled. "Anfey, what happened to you?" Entos knew it was not his position to ask this question, but he could not help asking. He sounded very hesitant.


    "I identally learned a force that my teacher taught me when I was little." Anfey knew what Entos wanted to ask him.


    "identally?" Entos opened his eyes wide open.


    "Yes." Anfey smiled. He looked very casual, like nothing had happened. The element currents around him quickly had disappeared. In a brief time, Anfey became a regr person. His aggression was gone.


    "Ok, let¡¯s not talk about it now." Entos looked at Anfey¡¯s hand and asked, "What is that?"


    "A Space series magic scroll and a Fire series magic scroll." Anfey passed them to Entos.


    "Is it a Dimensional Door?" Entos opened the Space series magic scroll first and could not help yelling, "How could it be? On the whole Pan Continent, only our professor could make a Dimensional Door."


    "It must have been made a long time ago," Anfey said.


    "It is a treasure!" Entos eximed to show how great the magic scroll was. He suddenly opened his eyes wide when he opened the fire series magic scroll. He stared at the magic scroll for a while before he said very slowly, "Volcanic Group Eruption!"


    In fact, no matter which series, the process of making magic scrolls was the same. It needed the same series magic crystal and the same series senior magic beast¡¯s skin. The mage would release telepathy repeatedly to carve the spells on the magic beast¡¯s skin. The series of magic scroll would begin to take shape. The fire series magic scroll in Entos¡¯s hand had five bright red magic crystals, all supreme magic crystals, in the center of the scroll. The dimensional door magic scroll only had one space series magic crystal.


    "Volcanic Group Eruption?" Anfey was shocked.


    "Don¡¯t you know about it?" Entos asked.


    "I did not know. I only sensed very very strong magic surges from this scroll, even more terrifying than the surges when Michael released forbidden spells. That was why I changed my mind at the end." Anfey asked Entos, "Didn¡¯t you feel the intense surges?" Anfey nned to fight hard with Michael. The Shattered Will of God of War could only be started three times a year, and he had already wasted one. He did not want to waste more than was necessary, but the scroll in Michael¡¯s hand forced him to finish the fight in the shortest period of time.


    "When magic surges were beyond the limit, I could not tell what magic it was," Entos said bitterly, shaking his head. "Michael was crazy, without any doubt. Anfey, you did well."


    "Is the Volcanic Group Eruption that horrific?" Anfey asked.


    "There are two types of forbidden magic. One is regr forbidden magic, and the other is forbidden forbidden magic, which means it is not allowed on Pan Continent. The power of Volcanic Group Eruption was way stronger than a Meteor Shower. If Michael did release that scroll, people for hundreds of miles around would have all died. White Mountain City would have been destroyed. The boilingva would have swallowed everything. I would not have been able to escape, and neither would Suzanna. No one could escape from it. But you might have been able to escape, since you are so good to the point I really do not know what you can do," Entos said slowly.


    The mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries had flooded in. The showy Ozzic rushed in front, while Suzanna, who who has been at the forefront on the battlefield, had forgotten about the battle already. Christian and others ran towards Anfey as well.


    "Bro Entos, couldn¡¯t you escape with your instant teleportation magic?" Anfey asked.


    "No," Entos said confidently. "Forbidden magic usually has very horrific physical effects besides element effects. Even if I could have escaped from theva, I would have been smothered to death by the volcanic ash."


    "What would have happened if Newyoheim released Volcanic Group Eruption when our professor led his troops to surround Dark Moon Magic legion?" Anfey suddenly asked.


    "Well..." Entos was shocked. He did not understand why Anfey had thought of something that had happened so long ago. In fact, Anfey did not understand why he thought of it himself. Maybe it was because, after being so close to death, Anfey got sharper and his imagination got better.


    "What?" Anfey took a sincere look at Entos.


    "I do not know. Back then it took our professor few months to build a veryrge Magic-Block array. It shouldrgely reduce the power of Volcanic Group Eruption, but no one would know what would have happened." Entos shook his head. "The Volcanic Group Eruption scroll is different than your Vacuum Confinement Scroll. The Volcanic Group Eruption scroll cannot be made by any current archmages. It is a relic from our ancestors."


    "How did Newyoheimpare with Michael?" Anfey asked.


    "Newyoheim was the Pce Archmage in Ellisen Empire. His reputation was way better than Michael¡¯s. Michael did not do anything splendid in his time. It does not seem right topare the two," Entos said.


    "When Newyoheim lost to our professor, he did not seem to have any threatening reaction," Anfey said casually, "but reputation is not always reliable."


    "No, it is not about reputation," Entos said slowly. "I have said that forbidden magic could not be released because the power of forbidden magic was too strong. Even the top powers could not counter it. We rarely find any relics from our ancestors, but there are some. If everyone attacked each other with forbidden magic, it would be a disaster."


    "I see," Anfey said.


    "That was why I said Michael was way below Newyoheim. At least Newyoheim knew to follow the rules," Entos said. "Besides, Newyoheim knew it would be hard to change anything with forbidden magic if he lost the battle without forbidden magic. Do you think our professor only has one Vacuum Confinement Scroll?"


    "Anfey!" Suzanna¡¯s beautiful voice shouted out. Her smile consumed her cheeks, eyebrows, and mouth. She looked like a blooming flower. She looked proud of Anfey. It was often best not to know everything. If Suzanna had seen Anfey¡¯s horrific experience and knew Anfey could have died from it, she would have cried so hard and probably would still be crying.


    Christian and vi led some mages over to Anfey as well. Christian and vi were happy to see Anfey, even though they were shocked that Anfey had be so powerful that he could kill Archmage Michael with one strike. They felt like they were still brothers. They believed no matter how powerful Anfey became, he would still treat them as his brothers. The mages looked very nervous. Besides admiration, nothing could be seen on their faces. The power of Anfey seemed to dominate everything, because this was a world where everyone respected power.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Anfey smiled and gently held Suzanna¡¯s hand. He rarely showed any intimacy in public because he thought Suzanna did not like it. It was different now. They had not seen each other for a while and missed each other, especially when it seemed that Anfey might have died.


    "Anfey, hurry up. This world will be stunned, stunned by you," Christian said eagerly.


    vi, Riska, Zubin and others all nodded vigorously in agreement. They were so excited that even talkative vi did not how to put his thoughts into words. It took him a while to say it. "Anfey, you will get so rich! Don¡¯t forget to buy me dinner." Since Alice had be the CEO, she had developed a reward system. With a rough calction, Anfey indeed could be rich.


    Anfey was shocked for a second before he smiled bitterly. He remembered what Alice had asked him to do. He needed to rob White Mountain City because he needed to get enough funds for the league following the war. However, Anfey could not rob White Mountain City any more, since now Anthony had shown he was on Anfey¡¯s side.

 Chapter 444: Threats

    Chapter 444: Threats


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey stood on an unfinished mage tower and looked at the city. Michael had begun construction of the tower, showing how ambitious Michael and Ellisen Empire had been.


    However, Anfey was too busy to think about Ellisen Empire. He closed his eyes and began meditating. He knew that he was approaching a breakthrough, and he needed to be very careful. If he couldn¡¯t control his power, he could very easily lose control. If he did, it would be disastrous for him.


    He needed to be careful and alert. A lot of people would lose control of their power because they thought it was natural for their power to increase. They didn¡¯t know whether it was right for their power to increase and they left it unchecked.


    Anfey wanted power. He wanted power to protect what he had and to take what he wanted. He could not allow himself to lose control of his power, because that would destroy everything he had worked for.


    In the meeting earlier, he suddenly realized how bored he was with everything. He became disinterested in the mercenaries, even Glory mercenary group. Christian, vi, and even Suzanna¡¯s presence became meaningless to him. He knew what this change meant and he was disgusted by it, which was why he needed a quiet ce to collect himself and think things through.


    "Anfey," Suzanna called as she jumped up the stairs. Shended next to him lightly. She was very good at finding people, which was why sometimes she could find Anfey even if he was trying to avoid her.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I¡¯m tired," Suzanna said with a grin. "I don¡¯t like these political things."


    "What about Christian?"


    "They have a lot to talk about, it seems," Suzanna said with a shrug. "Can I borrow your ring?"


    "Which one?"


    "The one you got from Honna."


    "What do you need this for?" Anfey asked as he took the ring off and handed it to Suzanna.


    "You¡¯ll see," Suzanna said, putting the ring on her finger. She seemed very happy because they had just won a battle and everyone was praising her and Anfey. She may have been a top level power, but she was still young. Praise could make her very happy.


    "What are you going to do with it?" Anfey asked, curious.


    Suzanna shrugged and aimed the ring at Anfey. The ring did not change. Suzanna frowned. She turned the ring and aimed it at herself, and the ring bursted into a blinding, golden light. Suzanna lifted a brow and aimed the ring at Anfey again. The ring dimmed and did not light up. "Is it broken?" she asked, confused.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "It¡¯s not." He had the Heart of Nature and was very in sync with the world. The ring was not powerful enough to detect his power.


    "Tell me," Suzanna said with a frown. "Why isn¡¯t it working?"


    Anfey shrugged. "It¡¯s the other type of power I was practicing. I will tell you moreter."


    "Is it the Sacred Inheritance?" Suzanna asked tentatively.


    Anfey nodded.


    "Can...can I?"


    "Why can¡¯t you?" Anfey asked with a smile. "We don¡¯t keep secrets."


    Suzanna nodded and smiled. She took the ring off and handed it to Anfey.


    "I don¡¯t need it," Anfey said, shaking his head. He was now powerful enough to be able to detect when something was wrong in his surroundings without the assistance of the ring. "Keep it."


    Suzanna let Anfey put the ring on her and said, "Can I really?" Anfey¡¯s expression was very serious, and she knew this meant that he wasn¡¯t just going to tell her about the inheritance. He was going to teach her.


    "It¡¯s going to help you a lot," Anfey promised her.


    "Really? You¡¯re not kidding?" Suzanna asked, her eyes widening. She thought she had already reached the top, but now Anfey was telling her that she had room for even more improvement. This made her very excited and anxious.


    Anfey nodded. He could tell Suzanna had another power inside her because of the angel she once absorbed. If she could utilize it to her advantage, she could be one of the best master swordsman and could very well break through the wall no other swordsmaster had broken through for hundreds of year.


    "I see," Suzanna said, nodding. She was very excited, but she was trying to keep her excitement at a manageable level.


    Anfey smiled and squeezed her hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hui Wei and Entos chatting in the street.


    "What are they doing together?" Anfey asked, curious.


    "Who knows?" Suzanna said, shrugging. "They are always together nowadays."


    "Interesting," Anfey said. "Let¡¯s go take a look."


    Entos and Hui Wei noticed them and turned to greet them.


    Anfey looked at the two and saw the dagger in Entos¡¯s hand. It was the dagger he told Hui Wei to give to Alice. "Entos," Anfey said, realizing what the two were talking about. "Don¡¯t you want a new weapon other than your wand?"


    "I¡¯m a mage," Entos said with a sigh.


    "What about today?"


    "He wouldn¡¯t have done that if I hadn¡¯t asked him to change weapons," Hui Wei said, shaking his head. "He¡¯s not that smart."


    Entos opened his mouth a few times, wanting to object, but did not say anything. He closed his mouth and his shoulders slumped.


    "Hui Wei¡¯s right," Anfey said. "You should try some other weapons."


    "What kind of weapon do you think I should try?"


    "Poison," Hui Wei and Anfey said in unison.


    Entos blinking, then smiled.


    "We still have some wyvern," Hui Wei said. "Hagan can make a dagger for you. I wish we had a Banran Snake. They¡¯re better for making weapons."


    "A priest can easily cancel out the effects of Banran Snakes¡¯ poison," Entos said.


    "No one has time to do that in battle," Hui Wei argued. "A dagger like this is a waste for you."


    "Fine," Entos said, shaking his head. He tossed the dagger back to Hui Wei.


    "I¡¯ll go talk to Hagan," Hui Wei said.


    "I¡¯ll take care of myself," Entos said. He turned to Anfey and said, "You should be paying more attention to your own troubles."


    "My troubles?" Anfey asked, frowning.


    "You made a name for yourself," Entos said. "Troubles wille."


    Anfey nodded. "I¡¯ll look out for them," he said.

 Chapter 445: Strictly Following the Rules

    Chapter 445: Strictly Following the Rules


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Reports written in different tones and styles with simr content were sent out. People who received the reports all read them with wide eyes and dropped jaws. However, after the shock, someughed as they pped their hands, some looked concerned and sighed, some screamed in anger, while others fell into long silence.


    In a secret chamber in the headquarters of Glory mercenary group, a big and strong white wolf was knocked down and surrounded by several mercenaries. He was tied up tightly by iron wires without any mercy and shackled with antimagic bracelets on his legs and arms.


    "David, do you really want to hand him to Anfey?" Anthony asked in a low voice.


    "Yes, father," David said. "This guy just came at the right time. I have been worried that we would not have a good excuse to see Master Anfey."


    "The Country of Mercenaries has be a ce everyone wants. Anfey will not necessarily be the winner at the end. Don¡¯t you want to leave us a way out?"


    David paused a second before he slowly looked up. "Father, why do we have to leave ourselves a way out?"


    "Because..." Anthony did not know how to put it. The reason to leave themselves a way out was obvious, but Anthony had a hard time saying the reasons.


    "Father, Marino is already a duke," David said slowly.


    Anthony chuckled. "Christian and Entos talked about Marino in front of us on purpose. They wanted me to know."


    "It means they think we are important," David said. "Father, at this point, no one knows which party would win. That is why everyone wants our support. Once things are clear, we will not need to worry about which side we are on. By then, would they still want our support as much as now? What is the point in bing allies with the party that has already won?"


    Anthony was quiet. He understood what David was saying. People Anthony¡¯s age usually choose safety over risks. Younger people were more willing to take risks because if they made a poor bet and lost, they could just redo it.


    "Father, don¡¯t hesitate anymore," David said quietly. "King Ynthe has good vision. Taking over the Country of Mercenaries was only his very first step to conquering the whole Pan Continent. To more effectively destroy his enemy, King Ynthe would treat us well if we could go help Anfey and work for Maho Empire."


    "I understand what you are saying, but only having one example of Marino is far from enough. Ynthe needs more people to step forward and im they are willing to work for him." Anthony paced the chamber. "We would make a huge difference in the current situation in the Country of Mercenaries if we could im to be on Anfey¡¯s side. Take Batusimon for example: he could follow us no matter we are going or ally with others. Tiger of Tawau mercenary group is not a good option for us. So...?"


    "Father, are you saying King Ynthe would not be able to see what contribution we could make for him?" David asked.


    "Ynthe is soplicated; we could not figure out what is on his mind. He definitely would be able to tell our contribution to the current situation," Anthoney said bitterly.


    "Are you worried that Ynthe would not be fair in rewarding us," David said, "or if we would be suppressed by Marino? You were the uncrowned king in the Country of Mercenaries. I bet Ynthe must think you are more important than Marino. If he were not fair, he would not be King Ynthe who receives love and respect from his people. Of course, we have to do everything we can for him first and let him see our sincerity in working for him."


    Anthony went quiet for a while and heaved a sigh. He nodded. "Ok, you will be themander of Glory mercenary group sooner orter. If you want to take the risk, I support you." There was something Anthony did not say: as long as Anthony was alive, he would protect David as much as he could. Even if David made mistakes, others would not me David too much because of him.


    "Father." David was very shocked when he felt his father trying to pass his business to him.


    "Go." Anthony smiled. "Since you have made your decision, then go do it. Your grandpa told me I was conservative when I was young. I see aggression on you now. Maybe you could start a new chapter for Glory mercenary group."


    David looked a little excited. When a person aplished something, who did he want to show the most? His family. Anthony¡¯spliments were the most important for David. David paused before he said in a low voice, "Father, can you control my mother a little bit? She talks a lot. It might cause us some unnecessary trouble."


    Anthony shook his head. "Let her be. You do not have to worry about her."


    "Father, you..." David tried to say something.


    "She was not good enough to do anything serious," Anthony said calmly. " Anyway, we need test Anfey¡¯s ability to forgive. If he could forgive her, it shows he could make big aplishments. You have to figure out a way to be his friend. If he could not forgive your mother, it does not matter anyway. It will look like we seek help from the League of Mercenaries, but actually we work for Ynthe. Anfey would not do anything to us anyway.


    "I see," David said.


    In the city hall of White Mountain City, Anfey and Christian looked at each other but did not speak. They both looked worried. The issue of food had been bothering them for a long time. They had not had any good days, and had been worried about food since they left Shield of Light Legion. Now they received hundreds thousands of starving refugees in White Mountain City, which gave them more pressure to find food.


    They were not cheap about food. They just did not have any. The Country of Mercenaries did not produce any food. All the food in the Country of Mercenaries was transported from other ces. Of course, the food was a few more expensive than in the original ces. When there were natural disasters, the price would be ridiculously high. This was also the reason mercenaries could barely feed themselves even though they worked very hard. At that moment, Glory mercenary group still had some food stocked, but no one dared to use it since they understood the close rtionship between League of Mercenaries and the Glory mercenary group. Therefore, the mercenaries of the League of Mercenaries and Glory mercenary group were fed first. The rest of the people were still starving.


    For the past few days, arge group of mercenaries had left White Mountain City. Anfey felt he could have recruited these mercenaries and would need their help in the future. It was painful to lose them, but he had no way to stop them. He could not force them to stay to continue living without food and heat. The security in the city was getting worse. Small confrontations were everywhere. Starving people would do anything to survive.


    Feller and David walked in talking andughing. They had not had a chance to work with Anfey, but David was familiar with the people close to Anfey. To show respect to Anthony, David was not required to report to anyone, no matter where he wanted to go, because of his special background.


    "David, why are you here?" Christian stood up and smiled when he saw Daviding.


    "Lord, Master," David said, bowing a bit. "I have a spy from ckwater City. He dared to see my father. I am bringing him here." David waved his hand and a few Glory mercenaries dragged a white wolf in.


    "Ye, he is yours now," Anfey said, pointing at a chair next to him. "David,e and take a seat."


    "Thank you, master." David slowly took a seat. He took a look at Anfey and Christian and asked. "Master, is there anything bothering you?"


    "Alice ising to White Mountain City soon," Christian said.


    "Alice?" David was shocked when he heard the news.


    "Alice is the CEO of the League of Mercenaries. Everyone, including Anfey and me, has to listen to her," Christian said quietly. He wanted to show the importance of Alice to David so that Glory mercenary group would remember that they needed to listen to her as well, if Anfey and he had to listen to her.


    "Where is Master Alice from?" David asked.


    "She used to be a ve. We saved her by ident. Because of her exceptional ability, she has been taking the duty of the administration for the League of Mercenaries," Anfey said.


    David looked confused. He could not understand why Anfey, with his current position, capability and reputation, had to be constrained by a female ve.


    It made sense that David could not understand, since Anfey was influenced by modern civilization and had gotten used to the idea that each person had his own position and duties. A chief executive was stopped outside of the door because he forgot his pass. The rules should be strictly followed from top to bottom. Anfey did not want to be the exception. For example, after Alice forbid alcohol, Anfey immediately set an example for everyone. His behavior directly influenced everyone in the League of Mercenaries. It wasrgely because of Anfey¡¯s example that the League of Mercenaries could all follow the rules in a short period of time. If he thought he was special and did not have to follow the rules, then vi, Riska and few others might have made exceptions for themselves too. The Commanders, like Ozzic might follow Riska and vi and made exceptions for themselves. If this situation spread, the so-called rules would just be jokes.


    "Ango sent someone with a letter for us. He connected with the people from Storm mercenary group," Anfey said slowly. "It is time to get connected with Batusimon. We do not have much going on here anyway. Suzanna and I will go to the headquarters of Storm mercenary group tomorrow to check it out. We should be back in three days."


    "Stop!" Christian saw through Anfey immediately. "You need to leave after Alicees. You can wait a few more days." Alice made it clear in the war nning that someone had to take the responsibility for not having enough food and funds.


    "We do not need to do that." Anfey looked helpless. "Christian, you are the prince. Alice would not me you."


    "I think she would consider your feelings too." Christian chuckled. "You and her had such a special rtionship. I think..."


    "Don¡¯t bullsh*t!" Anfey nervously looked around.


    "Suzanna went to patrol the city. She will note back until noon. Look at you. You are so nervous," Christian said.


    David vaguely got what they were talking about. He asked: "Master, Lord, what makes you so concerned?"


    "What could it be? Food and money," Christian said bitterly.


    "I cannot help with food. But..." David smiled. "When death spirits attacked White Mountain City, many merchant wagons were stuck in the city. We took them in the city. They had nothing but money. We have beaten the necromancers, but they still have no idea of the situation outside White Mountain City. They only sent a few people back to their own cities, while most businessmen are still in the Glory mercenary group. If you are interested, I think you could talk to them.

 Chapter 446: Studies

    Chapter 446: Studies


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The northeastern side of White Mountain City was in the worst shape. This was where the zombies and necromancers had attacked. Part of the wall had already copsed and the houses nearby were burned to the ground.


    Anfey walked down a narrow street, observing the ruins. Security around the city was very tight now because over twenty-five thousand mercenaries were in the city. In order to prevent any conflicts or brawls, he organized hundreds of small patrol teams so the mercenaries wouldn¡¯t get bored.


    He had only walked a few blocks and already had run into two patrols. Most of the mercenaries knew Anfey and would nod when they walked passed him. Anfey wanted to appear more amicable to the mercenaries and would smile and nod back as well.


    Anfey stopped when he was getting close to the wall. A few mercenaries were lying under the damaged wall.


    Anfey walked over and said, "It¡¯s still light. Are you taking a nap?"


    The mercenaries did not stir.


    "This is a strange time, isn¡¯t it?" Anfey asked, smiling. "You really should have waited until nightfall. Now you¡¯re trapped here, which is why you¡¯re here pretending that you¡¯re asleep. It¡¯s sad, really."


    The mercenaries did not move.


    "I¡¯m talking to you," Anfey said. "Shouldn¡¯t you say something back? You know, because it¡¯s a respectful thing to do?"


    One of the mercenaries sat up and pushed his hat back. He looked at Anfey as if he was surprised and pointed at himself.


    "Kukuri, I heard you¡¯re well respected among your people," Anfey said slowly. "Some even say you will surpass Manstuly one day. I know. Don¡¯t y dumb."


    The mercenary frowned. The other men around him jumped up, looking at Anfey.


    "Unfortunately, whoever said that about you is wrong," Anfey said, looking at the men. Manstuly had sent his men after Suzanna, and Anfey would never forgive him for involving her.


    "You can read the stars?" Kukuri asked.


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "But I don¡¯t need to read the stars to know that you¡¯re not match for me." Kukuri was Manstuly¡¯s nephew and was well respected. Anfey couldn¡¯t let him slip away.


    A dark figure appeared and crashed to the ground between Anfey and the druids. It was the body of arge wolf, battered and bruised.


    "Your friend was admirable," Ye said, appearing around the corner. "He wouldn¡¯t give you up. Unfortunately, we have a necromancer working for us."


    "You¡¯re working with necromancers?" Kukuri asked, shocked.


    "So what?" Anfey asked. Powerful people have fewer restraints on them because of their power. Kukuri took a deep breath and took a few steps forward. He didn¡¯t want any conflicts. His goal was to speak with Nishieva and learn more about the city. Michael had said he could trust Nishieva, which was why he did not expect the man he sent to be spotted so easily.


    Nishieva was a very emotional person. She was Anthony¡¯s wife and she had been married to him for years. However, because the alliance greatly outnumbered, and could easily overpower, Glory mercenary group, Anthony could not risk what he worked for his entire life for Nishieva.


    "You want to challenge me?" Anfey asked, amused. "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t stoop as low as Manstuly. I¡¯ll give you a fair chance." He waved his hand and Shinbe appeared around the corner.


    "She is a senior swordsmaster," Anfey said. "If you can defeat her, I will let you go."


    "Are you y me, my lord?" Kukuri asked quietly.


    "Do you think I need to?" Anfey asked, shaking his head. "Like I said, I won¡¯t stoop as low as Manstuly."


    Anfey kept insulting Manstuly, but Kukuri could not find a valid objection. He was angry that someone could insult his uncle so freely, but he understood why Anfey was very angry with Manstuly and he knew that it was Manstuly¡¯s fault, not Anfey¡¯s. If Manstuly had not attacked Suzanna, the rtionship between Anfey and Manstuly wouldn¡¯t be so bad.


    However, he did not have time to think. He needed to defeat Shinbe to save himself and his men.


    "I don¡¯t know why he keeps doing this," Christian said with a sigh. He knew that Anfey wouldn¡¯t let Kukuri and his men get away, because he had brought Suzanna and Entos along.


    "I don¡¯t get it," vi said. "He could take care of those druids easily. Why is he doing this?"


    "Because his next target is Manstuly himself," Zubin said. "Kukuri is Manstuly¡¯s nephew and a respected member of his n. He wanted to see how powerful they could be so he could be prepared for his battle with Manstuly." Zubin paused and smiled. "He¡¯s powerful, sure, but so is Manstuly. Know thine enemy, vi."


    "Then what are we doing here?"


    "Because we need to learn more about those druids as well," Christian said. "Manstuly has a lot of loyal followers. He won¡¯t be fighting alone when the dayes. We have to fight alongside Anfey as well. We need to know their style of battle."


    "I see," vi said, nodding with a frown. He narrowed his eyes and watched the druids carefully.


    Christian and Zubin nced at each other with a grin before turning back to the druids as well.

 Chapter 447: Kill

    Chapter 447: Kill


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Fighting had many distinctive styles, which changed as the fighters changed. Some fights were intense, cool, or fast. The fight between Shinb and Kukuri had its own special style, bloody!


    People at the scene, including Anfey, all thought Kukuri was so desperate that he definitely would fight as hard as he could, like fighting for his life. His motivation and fighting ability were both at the best. Shinb did not have to risk her life for this fight, so it seemed like Shinb would be in a disadvantage. Whether Shinb would win the fight depended on her own fighting ability.


    However, everyone at the scene was shocked as the fight started. It was clear they had been wrong, of perhaps only half right.


    Kukuri had tried hard as the fight started. After releasing Transformation magic, his attacks seemed to be more aggressive and faster. He was as fast as lightning. His strong ws made an ear-piercing sound every time they moved through the air. Kukuri could even release magic as he fought physically. It seemed like he as two people in one fighting against Shinb.


    No matter how much Kukuri tried, he could not get the advantage in the fight, even though he was fighting for his life.


    Kukuri thought Anfey would keep his word after he had made a public promise, since Anfey held the highest position in the League of Mercenaries. This was Kukuri¡¯s only hope. He had to beat this swordswoman. However, he was constrained. He could hurt or beat Shinb, but he dared not kill her.


    Shinb was more aggressive than everyone expected, which gave Kukuri an illusion that she hated him for personal reasons. In fact, Shinb¡¯s attitudes towards life yed a role in it. She had loved Manlyn so much, but he cheated on her, which almost destroyed Shinb. Shinb killed Manlyn at the end, but the whole world became grey to her. The troops under her father¡¯s leadership had merged into the League of Mercenaries. Anfey should be able to lead them to a bright future. The only thing she cared about was solved.


    People who tried as hard as they could actually still cared about their lives, otherwise they would not have tried so hard. But Shinb did not seem to care whether she was alive or dead.


    Anfey and others retreated dozens of yards away. As sword radiances and wind des flew everywhere in the air, more wounds showed up on Shinb and Kukuri. Shinb seemed to get hurt more. There were four deep scratches on her left face, from her left ear all the way to the lips. The sh flipped open and mixed with blood. Her left chest armor was torn by Kukuri and showed more than half of her breast. The wound on her chest looked terrifying, but Shinb did not seem to care. Even the horniest mercenaries did not care to stare at her breast. They all froze there, watching this bloody fight. Shinb¡¯s left hand, if it could still be recognized as a hand, had been twisted out of shape after the hard shes. Minor wounds were everywhere on her body.


    Even thought Shinb was hurt badly, she was still very aggressive and kept attacking Kukuri. She had been on the offensive since the very beginning. In previous battles, she had never met any opponents at this level, so nobody had paid attention to her until this fight. Her dark sidepleted showed.


    Kukuri was no better than Shinb. He was covered with wounds, but he did not forget to protect himself, so the wounds on him were not serious. Druids¡¯ defensive abilities might not be as good as swordsmen¡¯s, but they were still very good. In addition, their bodies were tougher than regr humans. Kukuri still had strong fighting ability after being hurt.


    Suzanna could not keep herself from jumping on the city wall, constantly looking at Anfey. She hoped the fight would end soon.


    The longer Kukuri fought, the more disappointed he got. Each time they approached each other, they added another wound to the other. Kukuri suddenly screamed. His glowing green eyes turned red. His breathing got heavier. The white foam in his mouth sshed disgustingly and he suddenly picked up his speed. He changed from rushing forward to moving backwards without pause.


    When Shinb turned around, Kukuri had left a series of shadows in the air after running extremely fast. As he rushed in front of Shinb, Kukuri stared at her throat, but he attacked her left leg instead, which seemed like the best way to beat her without killing her.


    Kukuri move his ws so fast that no one could follow their movements. He tore Shinb¡¯sbat power apart and scratched Shinb¡¯s thigh open. Shinb still kept her aggressive fighting style even though she was hurt. In other words, she fought as if she did not care about her life. Without dodging, she swung her sword at Kukuri. Kukuri tried to jump away from her attack, but Shinb, as a senior swordswoman, could pose a threat to anyone except top powers with her fast speed. The white wolf was so big that he dodged away in the front, but did not fall back. Shinb swung right into his behind.


    Shinb was hurt more from this attack, but she had been pressing her lips together, while Kukuri could not help screaming. The next moment, he saw Shinb limp towards him. Kukuri felt he was going to be crushed soon.


    Anfey finally spoke: "Shinb!"


    Shinb stopped and turned around to look at Anfey. Anfey had saved her, so she was willing to listen to him even though her body and mind were not willing to work anymore.


    "You lost the fight." Anfey slowly walked to Shinb.


    Kukuri heaved a long sigh and moved back. He hoped to get further away from that horrible woman.


    Shinb physique was very strong and masculine, even more so than Kukuri¡¯s. Her body was still straight, just a little shaky. Sweat dripped down her forehead. Maybe it was because of the severe pain she suffered. The blood oozing from the wounds on her thigh had dyed her leg armor and boots red in a brief time.


    "Do you know why you lost the fight? Because you did not show your real fighting ability." As Anfey finished talking to Shinb, a milky white light appeared between his fingers. Anfey shoot the light cloud out.


    Shinb did not even blink when the light cloud hit her forehead. In a brief time, her body was covered under the milky white light. The crowd did not know what Shinb was feeling, but did see the purity and rity of the light. The light was bright but did not blind them. It looked very soothing.


    As the saying goes, the pros know the ropes, but amateurs just follow along. Regr mercenaries did not notice anything special, but the senior level mercenaries were all stunned. Entos almost bit his tongue when he saw what happened from a distance with the Eyes of the Sky. Warner, praying, jumped like he was shocked. "Wow! The element surges are so pure. Who is it?"


    Shinb lowered her head after hearing what Anfey told her. She was not stupid. Anfey did not say it directly, but she knew Anfey only wanted to see the fighting ability of wolves with this fight and she did not even care about protecting herself.


    Anfey walked to Shinb and held her left hand to take a look. Her wrist and forearm were both broken. Four of her fingers were broken as well. In fact, Anfey could not see through Shinb¡¯s skin with his sensing ability; he just knew what had happened to Shinb, although he could not understand how he knew. He had been able to sense anything he wanted since he entered the Inner Alchemy stage.


    "Don¡¯t move and don¡¯t use your left hand," Anfey said quietly.


    Shinb gave a slight nod.


    Anfey felt Shinb¡¯s hand, arm and fingers. Shinb bit her lips, but she was strong. She neither moved nor fought with Anfey.


    Anfey looked like he grabbed something in the air. The dirt next to his feet suddenly flew into the air, which was followed by a gust of water. They mixed together and became a mud ball. The mud ball looked like it was alive. It fell on Shinb¡¯s arm and covered her forearm, wrist, and fingers. With an intense magic surge, a bright fire shed, which made the crowd all instinctively close their eyes. The mud on Shinb¡¯s arm immediately turned a dark green.


    Anfey knocked a few times on the mud and it made clear hollow sounds. He nodded in satisfaction. "Come to see me in the evening. I will check on you again. Remember, don¡¯t use your left arm, ok?"


    "Ok," Shinb responded softly, as quiet as a mosquito flying by.


    "Zubin, what¡¯s wrong with Commander Shinb? Does she have some issue with druids?" As an outsider, David did not know the story behind this fight. He quietly asked Zubin out of curiosity.


    "Shinb used to be themander of Jagged Roses mercenary group. She fell in love with a man named Manlyn. She loved him very much and even let him be in charge of the whole mercenary group. She never thought he would cheat on her, but he went after Alice. He did not only dump Shib but also kept her in jail. Actually, Shinb is a poor girl."


    "Alice again? She has a lot of stories." David had heard the name "Alice" many times that day. From top to bottom in the League of Mercenaries, everyone had different reactions to Alice. Anfey looked worried when he heard Alice wasing, while regr mercenaries in the league were quite excited about it.


    "Master Anfey, can we leave now?" Kukuri asked quietly.


    "I will keep my word," Anfey said calmly. He did not care to talk with Kukuri. "Kumaraghosha, bring a stretcher over."


    "I can walk by myself..." Shinb swallowed the rest of the sentence as she saw Anfey looking intently at her.


    Kukuri and hispanions had only walked a few steps when Suzanna jumped off the city wall and coldly blocked their way.


    Kukuri looked shocked and turned around, yelling at Anfey in anger: "Master Anfey!"


    Anfey looked at them with disdain. Since it was clear that wolves were his enemies, there was no reason to treat his enemies with mercy. Treating enemies with mercy was no different than treating himself cruelly, especially when Kukuri was the hope of the wolves. He had to kill such an opponent as soon as possible.

 Chapter 448: Mistakes

    Chapter 448: Mistakes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Alice arrived at White Mountain City with Marino and thousands of men from Band of Brothers mercenary group. Anfey was worried about how he should receive Alice. After hearing that Marino was with her, he decided to bring all the important people to greet them.


    Before Alice¡¯s arrival, all the magic portals in the city became very busy. The most important letters to Anfey were from Saul and Ynthe.


    Ynthe praised his achievements and his strength, and the wording of the letter showed that the king was very excited about what Anfey had achieved. Clearly, he did not expect Anfey to achieve what he had, and Anfey¡¯s victory at White Mountain City came as a pleasant surprise. Ynthe also gave Anthony the title of duke, the same rank Marino received. Ynthe asked Anfey to give the letter to Baery and have Baery give the news to Anthony.


    Anfey understood why Ynthe gave him the letter. If Anthony was trustworthy, then Ynthe could openly make him a nobleman. If he wasn¡¯t, Anfey should destroy the letter immediately. When Ynthe gave Marino his title, Baery had been the one to deliver the news. Ynthe couldn¡¯t go to White Mountain City, and Christian was still not as important. The only fitting person to deliver the news was Baery. This was a risk, because if Scarlet learned that Baery had left his army, what would she do? But Ynthe couldn¡¯t just let anyone announce the news.


    Anfey was very surprised because Ynthe clearly trusted him enough have him make the decision alone. Ynthe was very good at finding capable people, and when he found someone he believed was capable of great things, Ynthe would trust this person.


    Anfey wasn¡¯t an ambitious person, and he achieved what he did because of luck and chance. He wanted to be a part of the society and was changed by society. He valued power much more than had had before.


    Saul¡¯s letter did not praise him. Instead, Saul kept reminding Anfey to be humble and not let his sess cloud his judgement. Then he wrote briefly about what was happening in Sacred City. Saul told him not to be worried about anything in Sacred City because what he had done in White Mountain City was enough to silence any voices of objection against him in the court.


    Ynthe had told the court that Anfey had known a supreme power when he was a child. Even though some had already learned of this, most of the people in the court did not know. This turned the tide in favor of Anfey, and the nobles began praising Ynthe for his wisdom.


    Some noblemen might not have been smart enough to be part of the political conflict, but everyone knew how rare and important a supreme power was. If Anfey really had studied under a supreme power and was on track to be a supreme power himself, then he would be an invaluable addition to Maho Empire. Ynthe would never sabotage such a valuable alliance just because a few noblemen were upset with Anfey.


    This was why the situation in Sacred City changed so fast. The nobility tried to make their transitions smooth to avoid bingughingstocks and began praising Anfey and Ynthe. Thest known supreme power was a pope from hundreds of years ago. If Anfey became a supreme power, it would be good for the empire. If he didn¡¯t, he still had a teacher who was a supreme power who could help Maho Empire.


    Baery sent a letter as well, writing about Scarlet and her army. After the alliance took over White Mountain City, Scarlet set out towards ckwater City. It seems like Shansa Empire was gathering manpower other than with the aid King Jerrick sent.


    The changes in the country would affect him in the future, but that was not Anfey¡¯s immediate concern. He stood on the wall and watched the approaching carriages and mercenaries. He was very d that he had been able to solve the money situation. This way, he could resolve Alice¡¯s money and wage situation.


    The previous day, Anfey had spoken with the merchants from Tumen Commercial Union. He thought that the merchants would be strict and the negotiation would be difficult, but the merchants surprised him by agreeing to his deal immediately.


    Anfey could tell that the merchants really did want to help him, because the merchants were smart men and knew the importance of siding with the right person. Even though he wasn¡¯t familiar with the ways of the merchants, he didn¡¯t need to look too much into this situation. He signed a contract with the merchants and borrowed twelve thousand gold pieces from them.


    The merchants were from Tumen Commercial Union, and Maho Empire had been protecting their union for decades. These merchants knew how well Ynthe treated them. Anfey was Ynthe¡¯s representative, and the merchants respected him. He was also the head of the alliance and had just taken over White Mountain City. The merchants knew Anfey could very well be the person to unite Country of Mercenaries. Working with Anfey worked in their favor.


    Anfey narrowed his eyes and spotted Marino and Alice. Anfey hopped off the wall and hurried out of the gate, followed by Christian, Suzanna, Anthony, the other mercenary leaders, and the mages. Zubin brought David along as well.


    "Wee," Anfey said, waving at Marino. He turned to Alice and said with a smile, "I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to be very busy."


    Alice and Marino turned to Anfey but did not say anything. Anfey had killed Michael, meaning that he must be about to break through and be a supreme power. So many people worked towards this goal and failed. If he could achieve this goal when he was this young, what would he do in the future? Alice realized that she had made a mistake trying to seduce Anfey just after she met him.


    At that time, Anfey had not been very close with Suzanna. She must have made a bad impression then. If she tried to evoke his sympathy and show her abilities bit by bit, she was certain that she would never have lost to Suzanna. Of course, now it was toote and she couldn¡¯t seduce him anymore. She could only do everything possible to try and make herself invaluable to his team. This way, he would recognize her power and keep her in his inner circle, which was the center of power in this country right now.

 Chapter 449: Lifeline

    Chapter 449: Lifeline


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Everyone introduced themselves to each other after they walked into the city hall of White Mountain City. It was interesting to see how Anthony and Marino, two old friends, interacted. They took a long look at each other and suddenlyughed together. They shook hands,ughed at their previous confrontations, and just let whatever had been between them go.


    After sitting for awhile in the conference room, Anthony and Marino excused themselves. Seeing Anfey and other young men, they felt their time had passed. It was undeniable that these young people already had the power to change the situation in the Country of Mercenaries. In the future, they would be more experienced, powerful and mature. They could be a force to change the world. Anthony and Marino felt they were really getting old.


    vi and others all knew how Alice acted on the job. They knew she would immediately go directly to the topic, so they followed Anthony and Marino and left the conference room. Besides Alice, only Anfey, Christian and Suzanna remained. Anfey was the leader of the League of Mercenaries, while the other three were the executives. They had to manage everything in the league.


    "Look at your face. You must have collected a lot rewards." As everyone expected, Alice could not wait any longer to get to the topic. Alice, like everyone else, knew herself well. She knew she had to put herself 100% into work to make herself feel better.


    "Yes, 120,000 gold coins in total, 20,000 gold coins more than you thought," Christian said. "So, Alice, you should be happy now, right?"


    "Exactly 120,000 gold coins?" Alice asked.


    "Yes," Suzanna answered.


    "That is strange." Alice thought a little bit andid her eyes on Anfey. "You did not take them from those merchants, did you?"


    Suzanna was surprised that Alice guessed it right. "How did you know?" she said.


    "Of course she knows. It is exactly 120,000 gold coins, no more and no less. If they were the rewards we collected from the war, how would it be exactly 120,000?" Anfey said, smiling.


    "Alice, I do not think it is appropriate to say ¡®take from them¡¯." Christian tried to exin in a low voice. "We did not force them to fund us. They volunteered." Christian vividly described how eagerly those businessmen wanted to fund them. Suzanna had not been there with Christian, but she found him funny andughed.


    "Did you write them receipts for the loans?" Alice asked in surprise.


    "Huh?" Anfey was shocked for a second. "It would robbery if I did not write them receipts. Alice, don¡¯t worry. They were pretty good about it. The loans could be paid back in 20 years without interest. If we could take over ckwater City, we would be able to have control of the Country of Mercenaries. 120,000 gold coins would be nothing; I could even get 1,200,000 gold coins."


    Alice interrupted Anfey. "Do you understand how to maximize your interests? Anfey, don¡¯t take it personally. It is ok if Christian and Suzanna do not understand, but you should understand."


    Alice sounded a little harsh. Anfey and the other two were shocked. Suzanna was worried Anfey would get mad. She even nudged Anfey. In fact, Suzanna did not have to worry, because Anfey was very calm, reasonable and able to acknowledge his mistakes and correct them. If what Alice said was good for everyone in the league, no matter how harsh she sounded, Anfey would be ok with it. Anfey believed people made improvements by correcting themselves and learning from the mistakes.


    "Alice, do you mean..." Anfey asked quietly. He was not mad at all. Instead, he reflected on what he had done to provoke Alice.


    "I am sorry," Alice said bitterly. She lost her cool a bit out of jealousy, but she immediately realized what was wrong. She tried to sound nicer. "Let me exin. In fact, the pce and business arenas are just like battlefields. Anfey, take you for example: what do you want when you fight someone? You want to minimize your damage, but give your opponent a fatal strike, end the battle in the shortest time, and terrify your opponent, right?"


    Anfey slowly nodded. What Alice said was all basically right.


    "This is also about maximizing your interests. If those businessmen eagerly signed the magic contracts with you, it shows you could have asked more from them: that is, what you wanted was way less than what they nned to give. That is why they eagerly tried to fund you."


    "Alice, are you saying we fell into their trap?" Christian looked confused. "But we did get gold coins from them."


    Suzanna could not understand why signing magic contracts and received 120,000 gold coins would be losing. She did not think they lost anything.


    "We could have gotten more from them. We lost what we should have received. That is losing!" Alice sounded somewhat serious. "Businessmen are good at calctions. No one could be better than them."


    After pausing for a second, Alice continued, "Take this time, for example. They made you guys appreciate them with only 120,000 gold coins. Our league is worth more than that. Anfey, 120,000 gold coins can be a lot of money for any of us. Do you think 120,000 gold coins are a lot of money to our league? I bet you I could spend them in two days."


    Anfey rubbed his nose and tilted his head. He and Christian exchanged nces. Anfey said, with a serious look, "Christian, you¡¯d better learn from Alice. You will need it in the future."


    Christian did not know whether he should cry orugh. He turned around and ignored Anfey.


    Alice rolled her eyes. "Can you guys be serious. I thought you would have good vision, but you are not even as good as those merchants."


    Anfey cleared his throat and straighten his back. Christian and Suzanna put on serious faces too.


    "If we could have control of the Country of Mercenaries, we would have control of the magic crystals and the lifeline of the whole Pan Continent," Alice said.


    "Wait a second, Alice." Anfey nned to hear out Alice¡¯s analysis, but had to interrupt her now. "We can¡¯t have the lifeline of the Pan Continent. Do you understand?"


    Alice looked at Christian, "Christian, since we are talking about it, can I add some of my personalments?"


    Christian chuckled. "Alice, you can say whatever you want to say."


    Anfey stopped Alice again. "Alice, you don¡¯t have to say it. We trust your judgements. What we need to talk about now is whether we would be able to make up what we lost." In fact, Anfey still did not get the point, but he knew he needed to stop Alice from makingments. They were all friends, and Alice was acknowledged as one of them. If she needed Christian¡¯s permission to speak, herments must be about Ynthe and be shocking for everyone. She might offend Christian and Ynthe.


    Alice was smart, so she realized she lost her cool again. She did not seem to be able to calm down after she found out Anfey killed Archmage Michael. She knew she missed a man she could depend on for her whole life, a man who could be one of the most powerful men in the world. Regrets, envy and other negative feelings had been bothering her. She had not been able to look at Suzanna because she was afraid Anfey would notice something unusual about her. She was not able to take care of other things.


    Christian shrugged. Actually, he secretly felt relieved. He was more nervous than Anfey had been. As a prince, he was responsible to protect the dignity of his royal family. If Alice¡¯sments offended his family, he had to step forward and condemn her, but that would hurt his rtionship with Alice and Anfey. Not hearing Alice out did not seem appropriate either. He was in a dilemma.


    Anfey held the highest leadership position in the League of Mercenaries and was in charge of development of the league and appointments for the battles. Alice was in charge of administrative issues. Christian was in charge of coordinating mercenary units. Because of his special background, everyone would ept whatever he said. Three of them had developed very clear cut duties. This triad shaped and bnced rtionships. Christian realized maybe this was the most reasonable and stable way for the leadership of the league. If their rtionships were destroyed, their future would be gone as well.


    "Let me think..." Alice frowned.


    "I have an idea. I just don¡¯t know if it would work." Anfey did not know much about business, but he was very smart and flexible. He thought of someone, and that person gave him an idea. However, the idea sounded a little too passive because it needed those merchants themselves to feel bad about it. Anfey did not know if it would work.


    "Why don¡¯t you tell us about it?" Alice looked up.


    "I know a businessman. He is the boss of the Cloud Chamber of Commerce. His name is Ango. He listens to me, but he went to buy food. Once hees back, I can ask him to donate some gold coins to us, but," Anfey sounded a little hesitant, "would the donation look too fake? Businessmen only care about their interests. How could they donate money for no reason?"


    "No, it is not fake. I can show Ango how to do it." Alice¡¯s eyes brightened. "When will he be back?"


    "Soon. He should be back in few days", Anfey said.


    "Where did he go to buy food? No matter whether he went to Maho Empire or Ellisen Empire, it would take him at least a month or two," Alice said.


    "I knew we would face ack of food, so I asked Ango go to Death Roaring Legion and Shield of Light Legion to see General Baery with an object that he could recognize as mine," Anfey said.


    "Buying and selling military supplies is a serious crime," Alice smiled, "but...I take back what I said. You do have good vision."


    "Forget about it." Anfey was not too happy about Alice¡¯sment.

 Chapter 450: Emotions

    Chapter 450: Emotions


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey and Christian walked side by side down the small path. Kumaraghosha followed them with a small group of mercenaries. Anfey didn¡¯t need protection, but Kumaraghosha insisted that walking around alone did not befit his status.


    Everyone was different when ites to having guards apany them. Some people, like Newyoheim and Michael, prefer bringing guards along, even though guards were unnecessary, because they saw the guards as a disy of power. Others, like Ynthe and Saul, liked to keep to themselves and draw as little attention as possible. Because of Saul¡¯s influence, his students did not like drawing too much attention to themselves either. Even though they all held power now, none of Anfey¡¯s friends hired any guards or maids.


    "Spring ising," Christian said, looking at a nearby tree.


    "Christian!" Anfey said, smiling. "You¡¯ve talked about everything from legends to schools to prostitutes. What are you trying to get at?"


    Christian smiled. "I just think we haven¡¯t talked in a long time."


    "We can talk for an entire day if you want," Anfey said. "I¡¯m just curious what has you so worried."


    Christian smiled and shook his head. He stopped and nced at the mercenaries. Seeing he had stopped, Kumaraghosha stopped the mercenaries just out of earshot.


    "Alright," Anfey said. "Let¡¯s talk. Tell me, don¡¯t lie. Have you slept with any of the women here?"


    "What?" Christian asked, surprised.


    "Tell me honestly," Anfey said.


    "I¡¯ve only been to bars a handful of times," Christian admitted. "And I only went to drink."


    Anfey smiled. "I¡¯m not surprised," he said. "You¡¯re a good person. But even you must have urges."


    Christian blushed. "I don¡¯t have time to think about anything else," he said quietly. "Everyone thinks I¡¯m so talented, but I¡¯m not talented. I need to work very hard to achieve what my peers achieve easily." He paused, turning away from Anfey and muttering under his breath, "Sexual urges are natural."


    "Do you go to bars then?" Anfey asked.


    "That¡¯s vi," Christian said, shaking his head. "I don¡¯t have time. All I need to do is meditate to calm myself down."


    Anfey frowned. "You need to let go a little once in a while. I¡¯ll talk to vi about it."


    "No," Christian said. "I don¡¯t want to do that. There¡¯s no need making those girls¡¯ lives worse."


    "It¡¯s their job," Anfey said. "The mercenaries risk their lives everyday. Don¡¯t they deserve pity as well?"


    "It¡¯s not the same," Christian said. "No one wants to be a prostitute if they can help it. The girls didn¡¯t choose this. Society forced them into it. I am sure none of them actually enjoys their job. And the ves. Their lives are even worse than the prostitutes."


    Anfey nodded. "Good," he said. "You¡¯re worried about the people¡¯s lives."


    Christian said, "I want to think about things from the point of view of normal people," he said. "Gives me whole new perspective."


    "You really hate very, don¡¯t you?" Anfey said. "If you be the sessor, you will abolish the practice?"


    "That¡¯s too far in the future," Christian said.


    "Let¡¯s just pretend it hase true," Anfey said. "Tell me. What will you do?"


    Christian thought about it for a few moments then sighed. "I won¡¯t do anything," he said.


    "Why?"


    "It¡¯s too risky. The nobility are all ve owners. So are the officials and merchants. Even somemoners own ves. I cannot fight against an entire system by myself. If I want to do it, I will do it slowly. I will change thew to, say, free the ves¡¯ children. If that works, I will wait again for the society to ept those children and make newws to ensure the ves¡¯ safety and give them more rights. I would need to take things slowly and make sure every step is taken after society hase to terms with the previous step."


    "Soplicated," Anfey said, frowning.


    "It¡¯s not justplicated," Christian said with a smile. "There is no way a ruler canpletely abolish very by himself. This is a collective effort made by everyone in the society and the generations toe." Christian paused and sighed. "Let¡¯s talk about something else. I can talk all day about this."


    "I like your n," Anfey said with a smile. This conversation reminded him that he did not have the mind for politics. Even though Christian was inexperienced, he was still a better politician. Anfey made a mental note not to get too involved in politics.


    "It¡¯s not good," Christian said with a sigh. "Did someone say something?"


    Anfey nodded. "vi said you got angry with them yesterday. Heard you¡¯re scary when you¡¯re angry."


    "I knew it," Christian said. "What did vi say?"


    "I understand why you did what you did," Anfey said, "but isn¡¯t it a little too much?"


    Christian frowned. What happened wasn¡¯t exactly vi¡¯s fault. He was just in the wrong ce at the wrong time. vi had gone to the bar with Ozzic and Tiger. Tiger was flirting with one of the barmaids, but the maid didn¡¯t know who Tiger was and ignored him. Tiger found the owner of the bar andined, causing the bar owner to punish the maid. The maid grew angry and said some insulting things in her anger. Tiger grew angry as well and kicked the maid. Because he was too strong, the kick knocked the woman unconscious.


    Christian happened to be passing by the bar and heard themotion. He became very angry after learning what had happened.


    "You scared Tiger," Anfey said. "Tiger has been with us for a long time. Plus, the woman was at fault as well. She shouldn¡¯t have insulted him."


    "I cannot allow this," Christian said sternly. "Everyone is different and I don¡¯t want to be too strict, but I don¡¯t need to cause chaos in this city."


    "vi also brought up the fact that you¡¯re still single," Anfey said. "And I agree with him. Do you have anyone in mind?"


    "Do you know why Grandon and Wester are still unmarried?"


    "Grandon is in love with Niya, but I don¡¯t know anything about Wester."


    "We are princes," Christian said. "Marriage is the most important decision we can make in our entire lives. No one wants to rush into this decision. I¡¯m waiting. Which is why I¡¯m jealous of you and Suzanna. You can decide your own destiny. You cannot let her down."


    Anfey frowned, then smiled. "Is this what you want to talk to me about?"


    "Alice always acts strange around you," Christian said. "I think we both understand why. You¡¯re my friend and so is Suzanna. I don¡¯t want to see a rift between you two."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "Suzanna is true to herself. She is loyal. Sometimes she rushes into a decision that may not be the best. Some may say she is immature, but I like it. Alice, on the other hand, thinks too much. I trust her because right now she works for us. Her thinking benefits us. If one day I be an useless old man or do something horribly wrong and be the most hated man in the world, Suzanna will still stand by me. Alice would never do that, and she knows it."


    Christian nodded. "That won¡¯t ever happen, though."


    "It doesn¡¯t matter," Anfey said. "That¡¯s what is different about them. For me, Suzanna is irreceable."


    "So you must have noticed Alice."


    "So?" Anfey said with a shrug. "If that maid you saved wants to marry you, will you do it?"


    "No," Christian said, "but that¡¯s different."


    "I won¡¯t, either," Anfey said. "Suzanna had been protecting me for so long, it¡¯s my turn to protect her."


    Christian nodded. "I trust you, of course," he said, ncing at Anfey¡¯s window. "I¡¯ll go now. Suzanna must be waiting for you."


    "Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Anfey asked.


    "Alice..."


    "Don¡¯t worry about her," Anfey reassured him. "She¡¯s a very sensible person. She won¡¯t let her emotions get in the way of the alliance. She values this more than we do."


    "Really?"


    Anfey nodded. "If this falls apart, we can go back to Maho Empire. The mercenaries can keep being mercenaries. She has nowhere to go. She is too smart, which is why she won¡¯t do anything that may potentially undermine the alliance."


    Christian nodded. "Alright," he said. "I¡¯ll see you tomorrow."


    "Sleep tight," Anfey said with a grin. "We¡¯ll be busy tomorrow." Christian nodded and hurried off. Kumaraghosha sent some of the men to go with Christian. The mercenaries like freedom, but a lot of the mercenaries had already gotten used to being guards.


    Anfey went to his room and discovered to his surprised that the unicorn was lying in his bed, its head hanging low. Suzanna was sitting next to it and petting it.


    "What¡¯s wrong?"


    "I don¡¯t know," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "I heard it stopped eating. They sent it back because they couldn¡¯t take care of it anymore."


    They had left the unicorn at Stormenburg under Alice and Marino¡¯s care because they couldn¡¯t bring it along.


    "Have you asked Hui Wei?"


    Suzanna nodded. "He said it¡¯s probably because it¡¯s maturing. He said you should spend more time with it."


    Anfey sat down on the bed and stroked the unicorn¡¯s head. The unicorn whimpered but did not do anything else.


    "Let¡¯s keep it close for a few days," Anfey said. "We need to go to bed now. It¡¯s going to be a busy day tomorrow."


    Suzanna nodded. She moved over to help Anfey take off his coat. When she saw the way he was looking at her, she jumped. "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "No reason," Anfey said with a smile. He leaned over and pressed a kiss on Suzanna¡¯s cheek. "Just thinking about how much I adore you."

 Chapter 451: A Man of Action

    Chapter 451: A Man of Action


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Alice hosted another meeting about expansion. The League of Mercenaries had been established recently, so there should not have been any bureaucratic issues yet. Alice neither loved holding meetings nor tried to strengthen or show off her position in the league with meetings.


    Alice called the meeting because this was the perfect timing. They had just fulfilled theirst n and needed to reflect on it and make a new n for the league. They would work best with specific ns.


    Because Anthony had just joined the league, Alice did not know where his seat should be in the conference room. She felt it was inappropriate to seat him just anywhere, so she rearranged the tables into two circles. This way there would be no focus on their titles and positions. Everyone could just pick their own seat.


    After receiving the meeting notice, Anfey and Suzanna immediately went to the conference room. Anthony and David did not wait either.


    Alice spent some time to reflect on theirst n. She did not havebat power and was only a magic apprentice, but she was amazing in other areas. For example, her voice was so strong everyone could hear her talk from the beginning of the meeting to the end. Her voice had been clear and pleasant. There was no sign of it getting coarse. The more she talked, the more energetic she looked. To be honest, if it were Anfey, he probably would have ended the meeting earlier. He knew he could not do what Alice was doing, so he asked Alice to be the CEO.


    Anfey waspletely a man of action. He believed in fighting rather than talking. When he led everyone to escape from Sacred City, he never spent any time teaching that group of "rookies" a lesson. He showed the bloody and cruel reality to them, which forced them to grow and mature.


    If Anfey were asked to give a speech or talk about politics, life, or dreams, it would be as hard as walking up to the sky. Assassins were good at giving one fatal strike without leaving any possible danger for themselves, which totally influenced how Anfey acted. He never talked at length in any formal asions, and tried to make it as short and clear as possible.


    When it was close to noon, Alice suddenly changed the topic andid her eyes on Anfey. "Master Anfey, in terms of our next development n, what do you think?"


    "I do not have a n yet," Anfey said.


    "Right now, our opponents are Mourtta and Batusimon. Which one should we pay more attention to. You are the leader of the League of Mercenaries. You should be making the final decision, shouldn¡¯t you?"


    "I have asked Ango to socialize with the Storm mercenaries, but he has note back yet so I do not have detailed information," Anfey said.


    "Ango again? Is he that trustworthy?" Alice asked slowly. In fact, during the talkst night, she referred Anfey as "you" without showing any special respect. It sounded morefortable for both of them, but today in the conference room, Alice dared not miss adding respectful phrases in front of Anfey¡¯s name.


    "I am not sure he would be so trustworthy if he had better choices, but right now," Anfey smiled, "we can trust him."


    "Master Anfey, when did you ask Ango to socialize with Storm mercenaries?" Anthony suddenly asked.


    "Before I came to White Mountain City. Master Anthony, did I do anything wrong?" Anfey looked worried.


    "No, nothing wrong. It is just unnecessary," Anthony said. "I have worked with Batusimon for dozens of years. I know him well. He acts aggressively and seemed to have a hot temper. In fact, he fakes his anger. He is actually very cautious and smart. Master Marino, what do you think?"


    "I agree with you," Marino said.


    "Batusimon has seen what happened in the Country of Mercenaries for the past few days," Anthony said. "My guess would be he has been thinking about his future and where Storm mercenary group will head. The news that Master Anfey killed Archmage Michael with one strike went around. After he checked the authenticity of the news, he should feel terrified and lose his courage to fight. I myself was stunned the other day when I saw Anfey killed Archmage Michael with one swing of his hand. Batusimon was only a senior swordsman."


    "Master Anthony, are you saying we should fight Batusimon first? We could force him to surrender to us to get rid off our concerns and then attack ckwater City with full force, right?" vi asked.


    "Too much work involved. I only need to send two people over to talk to Batusimon. He will make the smart choice." Anthony slightly frowned. He did not like the word "surrender." If he pressured Batusimon to surrender to the League of Mercenaries, wouldn¡¯t he be doing the same thing as Batusimon. If Anfey or Christian used the term "surrender" to describe his situation, he would have definitely argued with them, or at least show he was not happy about it. He could fight for the League of Mercenaries, but no one could think little of him.


    "Which two?" Alice asked immediately.


    "Master Marino and I," Anthony said.


    Alice¡¯s eyes moved very fast and then stopped on Marino.


    Marino was quiet for a while before he slowly nodded.


    "Master Anthony, how sure are you about convincing Batusimon?" Alice asked.


    "Not very; maybe 60 percent," Anthony said.


    "I do not agree," Christian suddenly said. "Master Anthony, you have told us that Hotchbini from Tiger of Tawau mercenary group has been sending her people to see you. I am sure she must have sent people to Storm mercenary group. If Batusimon has decided to be on the side of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, Master Marino and you would be in danger. We cannot have you guys take unnecessary risks. If someone has to see Batusimon, why don¡¯t you let Zubin and Feller to see him. Zubin is calm and Feller is smart and flexible. They can work very well together."


    "Lord, I do not mean to look down upon anyone. If the talks went sour, Marino and I would still have a high chance of escaping. It will be too dangerous to send you guys over there," Anthony said. "As I have said, I know Batusimon very well. He could be as aggressive as a furious tiger, but also as timid as a mouse. We have Master Anfey to back us up. He dares not do anything to us. Even he already had an agreement with Mourtta, he would reconsider after he heard the news that Archmage Michael has died."


    "One more thing to consider," Marino said. "We have been dealing with each other for dozens of years. Whether we are friends or enemies, Master Anthony and I could be more convincing than you guys."


    "Then, I will have you two work on Storm mercenary group. Thank you." Alice made the final decision when she saw Anfey did not have any intention to disagree. "Right now we only have one opponent left. Any report about ckwater City?"


    "I have sent people over there, but it is too far from here. I think they will note back for a couple of weeks," Long said.


    "I know a little bit about what is going on in ckwater City, but not too much," Anthony said. "At this point, Tiger of Tawau mercenary group is much more powerful than before. Arge number of elves and druids went to ckwater City. It would be hard to conquer the city."


    "Besides, Scarlet has led troops to ckwater City. If we had to attack ckwater City, Scarlet would definitely join the battle," Christian said.


    "Are you worried about Scarlet¡¯s troops the most?" Anthony asked.


    "Yes," Christian said.


    "I do not agree with you guys. I worried about the elves the most," Anthony said.


    "Why?" Alice stared, her eyes wide open. Not only Alice did not understand; neither Anfey and others. Given their fighting ability, Scarlet¡¯s troops would be decisive.


    "Elf Empire has note out for thousands of years. They were never involved in any confrontations. This time they acted very aggressively. They must have some intention we do not know," Anthony said. "In addition, they have been training for many many years. No one knows what skills they have. With the support of three druid tribes, they could be terrifyingly powerful. We need to be careful."


    "Only Wolf druids will be on their side. Bear and Eagle druids would not be on their sides," Anfey said.


    "Master Anfey, do not feel offended if I say it too directly. Why do you think Bear and Eagle druids will not be on their side?" Anthony said calmly. "You can trust us because we can talk openly. Do you know what elves want? Do you know what druids want? No one in this conference room could answer those two questions, not even King Ynthe."


    "We have worked with Bruzuryano for a long time. He is an honest and upright old man. He is very trustworthy," Christian said.


    "I have seen Bruzuryano. I agree with you, but I still have to say Bruzuryano could only represent himself instead of Bear druids," Anthony said. "I heard Wolf King Manstuly sent people to ambush Ms. Suzanna, right? Bruzuryano was very angry after he heard about it. He even imed to cut off any rtionship with Wolf druids."


    Anfey slowly nodded.


    "It is really a great idea," Anthony said. "The druids were divided. Some will fight against you, while some are on your side. No matter what happens in the future, they would attain their maximum interests. If you win, Bruzuryano coulde out to mediate the between you and druids. Seeing what Bruzuryano had done for you, you probably could not kill Wolf druids. If you fought to a draw, what would happen if your trustworthy friends stabbed you in the back?"


    Anfey and others were all shocked. Even Alice was so shocked that she could notment.


    "Great idea!" Anthony kept repeating hisments. "All the confrontation would end up in losses, wins or draws. We would not even have to talk about it if they won. They could protect their own interests and their peers even if they lost the battle. It means you lose if the battle ends up indecisive."


    "Bruzuryano is not that kind of person," ive refuted as he shook his head.


    Anfey felt a shiver down his spine. He had to admit that he was very subjective about druids because of Bruzuryano. He thought druids were his friends. That was why he was exceptionally enraged when he learned Manstuly sent people to ambush Suzanna. He felt he was sold out by his friends. There was saying that bystanders knew better than the people involved in the situation. Anthony was not influenced by Bruzuryano, so his view seemed to be more sophisticated.


    Anfey suddenly realized that Ynthe was so sophisticated that he must have seen it too, if Anthony could realize this about druids. What did Ynthe think? Did he trust Bruzuryano? Was there any strategy orpromise involved in this issue?


    "I do not think Bruzuryano is using us," Riska stepped out to support vi.


    "You guys are still too young and easily go to extremes," Anthony said with a smile. "What I am saying is we can trust Bruzuryano, but notpletely. This way we still can protect ourselves and fight back if anything happens in the future."


    "Master Anthony, you are right," Anfey said firmly.


    Riska and vi had nned to argue with Anthony, but after hearing what Anfey said, they kept silent.


    "I have been working in the Country of Mercenaries for dozens of years. I am not forcing you to listen to me because I am older than you. I think anyone who is willing to put everything on the table is actually trustworthy. If I do not know what the other party wants, I would never trust him," Anthony slowly said. "Especially elves. Don¡¯t trust them."


    "Why are you saying that?" Alice asked in surprise.


    "As you know, many years ago, Elf Empire controlled this continent. Unfortunately, they were not very motivated. They spent most of their time on so-called arts and lost their fighting ability big time." Anthony paused. "After they got weaker, you know what they suffered. I do not think I need tell you the stories about them. Humans came into control of the continent, while elves became the entertainment for the humans. For the past thousand years, no one knew how many elves were killed by humans. As you know, elves were very proud. The generations of humiliation and hatred umted. Once they broke out, it would be more terrifying than Forbidden Spells. They had control of the continent, and they have been wanting to recover their glory since they are so proud. If they could sessfully take over the continent, humans would suffer a big time."


    "If they are not part of my family, their hearts must be different," Anfey said in a low voice.


    "Wonderful!" Anthonyplimented Anfey. "This is exactly what I meant."


    "But elves all love peace," vi murmured. In fact, these young people felt bad for what elves had suffered. When Anthony described elves as evil, they could not agree with him.


    "If you had suffered humiliation and hatred for thousands of years, would you still love peace?" Anthony said coldly.


    Anfey looked cold and distant. "When Suzanna was ambushed, there were elves and druids. What elves shot out were not olive branches."


    Everyone remained quiet in thought.


    Anthony saw the air was getting too intense. He tried to lighten up the atmosphere. "Maybe I made it sound more serious than it should be, but I still want to reiterate that we can trust them, but notpletely. I hope you know what I mean."


    Anfey took a look at Anthony. He found that all top level powers in this world were not easy to deal with, except for silly Deswright. The top powers did not only have strong fighting ability, but also special understanding and principles.


    There seemed to be more suspicion about the honest and generous Bruzuryano.


    Anthony¡¯s warning made sense. The reason they would trust anyone was because they wanted that person to be on their side, but they could notpletely trust that person in case they were not able to protect themselves or fight back, and end up in a worse situation.


    Anthony¡¯s warnings showed he sincerely wanted to work with Anfey. It seemed like it was time to im his duke title once Baery got back to White Mountain City.


    "It seems like we cannot attack ckwater City right now," Alice said.


    "At least not before we have more information about them. We cannot attack ckwater City without thinking of the consequences," Anfey said slowly. "Master Anthony, do you have any spies in ckwater City?"


    "Yes, but now they do not report to me anymore," Anthony said. "Right now, David is themander of Glory mercenary group."


    Anfey was shocked when he heard what Anthony said. It took Anfey a while to get what Anthony meant. Maybe Marino had said something to Anthony, or maybe only David could get along better with the young people in the League of Mercenaries. Anthony had delegated his power to David.


    "Master Anfey, I will send the reports to you once I receive them," David said.


    "Thank you." Anfey nodded. "I will let Long and you be in charge of the reports. You guys can get together and discuss how to collect more information after the meeting."


    "I understand," David said.


    "It¡¯s already noon. Let¡¯s end the meeting." Anfey looked around.


    Suddenly, someone outside the conference room excitedly called Anfey¡¯s name. "Master!"

 Chapter 452: Wings

    Chapter 452: Wings


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The long line of carriages and carts stopped on the square in front of the government building. Anga had brought only a hundred guards and mercenaries when he left, but he brought back many more this time. He also was apanied by hundreds of soldiers from Maho Empire.


    A lot of guards and soldiers were bloodied, and Anga was injured. Clearly, the trip back had not been an easy one.


    Anga jumped off of his horse and hurried over to Anfey, bowing. Alice frowned when she saw him. She did not like men with no backbone. A man like Anga could betray his former allies and was capable of more betrayals in the future. Men like Anga were not trustworthy.


    "So this is Anga," Alice said quietly. Anfey nodded. "Is it true he founded Cloud Chamber of Commerce?"


    "It¡¯s true," Anfey said. "Why?"


    "That means he must be of able mind," Alice said. "I don¡¯t understand. Why is he doing this? Who is he acting for?"


    Anfey smiled. He knew exactly what Alice was talking about. Anga¡¯s head was wrapped and his robe was tattered. He looked like he had just stepped off of a battlefield.


    "I have all the food, my lord!" Anga said loudly with a bow.


    Anfey frowned. He hadn¡¯t sent Anga to transport food. Anga made that decision on his own. He had Anga contact the Shield of Light legion because he wanted to shorten Anga¡¯s trip. The way Anga was talking made Anga seem like he was only a food merchant.


    "Good," Anfey said with a smile. "You must have had a hard trip. Let me introduce you real quick. This is Alice. She is in charge of all the internal affairs in the alliance. You will report to her about supplies."


    "Lady Alice," Anga said with another bow.


    Alice nodded and waved her hand. She nced at the carts parked in the square and frowned. "There¡¯s not enough," she said, turning to Anfey.


    "I can go find some more," Anga volunteered eagerly. "I¡¯m used to running around. I¡¯d rather be out all day than sit around."


    "No," Alice said, shaking her head. "I have other ns for you. Come with me."


    Anga froze and nced at Anfey. Anfey nodded and shrugged. Anga sighed and followed Alice, his eyes shifting, trying to think of a reason why Alice would want to talk to him.


    "Those are members of the Roaring Death Legion," Kumaraghosha said, looking at the soldiers.


    "I know," Anfey said, nodding. Even though the soldiers were not flying a g, they were very different from the Shield of Light soldiers. They were wearing dark armor and had not moved since their arrival.


    "If you give them to me, my lord, I can..."


    "You know I can¡¯t do that, Kumaraghosha," Anfey said with a sigh. "Baery would kill me if I do."


    ¡ª


    "This is what we received," Jerrick said, handing a file over to Scarlet. "It doesn¡¯t look good." He was an average looking young man and did not speak with amanding voice that wasmon among royalty.


    Scarlet flipped through the file and frowned when she read thest page. She reread the file and sighed. "That Alice... This is true?"


    "It¡¯s not just her," Jerrick said, shaking his head. "I don¡¯t think anyone dared to defy Anfey."


    "I¡¯m talking about the genius part," Scarlet said. "There¡¯s only one person befitting of this title for me, Your Royal Highness."


    Jerrick frowned and did not say anything.


    "The alliance is new. They are trying to expand as fast as possible by absorbing different mercenary groups," Scarlet said. "Which means they are also absorbing conflicts. Mercenaries are free-spirited. They believe in themselves and freedom, which meant they despise rules. If old conflicts are not resolves and new conflicts umting... This is a miracle."


    "You¡¯re forgetting about Anfey," Jerrick said. "Mercenaries worship freedom, but they also worship the strong and the powerful."


    "I know," Scarlet said. "He is a terrifying opponent. He could not have worked this miracle by himself. He needed other helpers. If Alice is in charge of internal affairs... she must be one of his best."


    Jerrick¡¯s gaze fell to the ground and he did not say anything.


    "I¡¯m surprised. How did she manage to keep the mercenaries from murdering each other? How can she manage such arge organization so smoothly?" Scarlet paused and turned to Jerrick. "Your Royal Highness, I want to promote a soldier right now to lead my army."


    "Are you kidding?"


    "Do I look like I¡¯m kidding?"


    "Soldiers are just that. They don¡¯t have the ability or the experience to lead an army."


    "Alice has got to be one of the best Anfey¡¯s got," Scarlet said. "We both know that a capable person is never born capable. Abilityes from years of experience. It¡¯s either that Alice is so good we cannot find where she came from and who she is, or it¡¯s because you are hiding something from me."


    "She is..." Jerrick hesitated.


    "Who is she?"


    "She¡¯s Maderofa," Jerrick said quietly.


    Scarlet froze. She had been expecting this, but it still came as a shock. "This is why you insisted on meeting with Hotchbini, isn¡¯t it?" Scarlet said with a chuckle. "You knew this, and you didn¡¯t tell me?"


    "Scarlet, I don¡¯t know why you hate her so much, but she is still my sister!" Jerrick said.


    "Which is why I didn¡¯t kill her back then," Scarlet said. "It seems like I have made a mistake. I won¡¯t make the same mistake again. When the timees."


    "Why?" Jerrick asked loudly.


    "Because she is about to be Anfey¡¯s wings," Scarlet said. "You and I both know what she¡¯s capable of."


    "She could have be my wings," Jerrick eximed.


    "She wouldn¡¯t," Scarlet said, shaking her head. "She would have never work for you. I am the only one, Jerrick. Don¡¯t forget. You¡¯re not her only brother."


    "But...but she..."


    Scarlet sighed. She walked over and took Jerrick¡¯s hands. "You are too kind, Your Highness. Can¡¯t you tell how much of a threat your sister is? His Majesty wanted her to be princess regent, but do you think she would stop there?"

 Chapter 453: Unexpected Visitor

    Chapter 453: Unexpected Visitor


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A dark figurended on the walls of White Mountain City and observed the activities inside the city silently. A patrol team walked by him, but no one seemed to see him.


    The figure was a tall, middle-aged man. He was watching the patrol and did not do anything. He appeared no different than a normal person at first nce, but his odd nature became apparent upon closer inspection. His skin was more smooth than a normal person¡¯s, and he had no facial hair.


    He raised his hand, and a ball of grey gas gathered in his hand. He waved his hand and the ball flew towards the patrol team, engulfing the entire team in dense mist. The patrol kept walking for a few moments before stopping in the mist.


    Anfey was sitting in his room and meditating, but the sudden wave of magic surges interrupted his meditation. His eyes blinked open and the elements that gathered around him quickly dispersed.


    Another patrol team walked by and noticed the first team. The leader of the second patrol team frowned and called out, "What are you doing there?"


    "Are you cking?" another mercenary called, grinning. "You¡¯ll be in big trouble if Lord Ye finds out about this!"


    Mercenaries in the first patrol team slowly turned around to face the second team. Mercenaries in the second patrol discovered, to their horror, that all the mercenaries¡¯ eyes were shining with a strange red light. The War against the Dead had been raging for a while now, and all the mercenaries had experience fighting zombies. It was not hard for them to figure out what had happened. Before they could do anything, however, another wave of dense fog descended onto the mercenaries, turning them into statues.


    The middle-aged man on the wall chuckled under his breath. "How interesting," he said. "There is no one on the mage tower."


    The mage tower was one of the most important structures in a city. During a battle, it was up to the mages in the mage tower to protect the city and its people. The towers were also a ce for the mages to rest. Mages in the mage tower could increase the power of the soldiers. When there wasn¡¯t a battle, the towers were responsible for detecting magic surges and serving as a lookout.


    The mage towers in the city still hadn¡¯t send out a warning, meaning they were not manned.


    Michael¡¯s mage tower was only halfplete and did not have all the functions a mage tower should have. The League of Mercenaries did not have enough money to continue building the towers. Taking the iplete tower down, on the other hand, would be a great source for extra materials.


    Mercenaries in the two patrol teams converged and turned down a street. The middle-aged man levitated into the air and followed the mercenaries. Before he could go far, however, he was stopped by a sh of fire shooting towards him.


    The man did not panic. He raised his hands and waved them, summoning arge bone shield. The firebird crashed into the shield and broke into scattered elements.


    The man¡¯s eyes widened. An arrow shot through his hand and his shield, nting itself in his cheek. Thick blood slowly seeped out of the wounds on his hand and cheek.


    The man grabbed the arrow and gently pulled it out. Then he whispered something under his breath, and his wounds began healing quickly.


    Anfey flew towards the middle-aged man, his entire body surrounded by loose elements that were attracted by his magic use.


    The man did not turn to leave or fly towards Anfey. He remained where he was, watching calmly as if he was watching a show. He originally didn¡¯te here for a fight. He came here to scout and to find out more about the city. However, the arrow had angered him, and he was ready to ept the challenge.


    He knew how powerful he was. Even people like Burzuryano could not take him on alone. He was used to being powerful, and he was confident in his own skills.


    Anfey watched the middle-aged man. As he approached the man, he clenched his fist and swung it at the man¡¯s face.


    The man summoned another bone shield. The shield was darker than normal shields but seemed to be glowing.


    Anfey¡¯s fist crashed into the bone shield. The elements around him scattered but the shield was still good as new. The middle-aged man, however, was thrown back by the attack.


    Anfey lunged towards him, swinging his left fist and sending a column of wind towards the man.


    The man suddenly disappeared and reappeared a few hundred feet away from where he was before, watching Anfey coldly.


    Anfey frowned. It was very hard to fight with mages because of mages¡¯ ability to teleport. It was almost impossible to kill a mage because of how good they were at escaping.


    Anfey clenched his teeth and chased after the man.


    Suddenly, a dark red wand appeared in the middle-aged man¡¯s hand. Anfey did not see him do anything with the wand, but a sharp bonence appeared in the air between them. Thence flew towards Anfey.


    Anfey did not slow down or back away. As thence flew closer, he raised his hand and knocked thence out of the way. Before he could do anything, however, he suddenly realized that his vision was growing blurry. Anfey frowned but did not stop. He didn¡¯t need his vision in a fight. He could sense his opponent without it.


    The middle-aged man raised his wand and whispered something. Anfey felt his body growing heavier as the man chanted. Magic surged above and around him, and a bone cage appeared out of thin air. The cage surrounded Anfey and quickly shrunk in size, trapping him.


    Anfey spat. He could sense the magic surging, and he should have been able to get out of the way, but because of the man¡¯s spell, his body was too heavy and he couldn¡¯t move quickly enough. The bone cage had already formed by the time his fist made contact with the cage¡¯s elements.

 Chapter 454: I Hate Magic

    Chapter 454: I Hate Magic


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ck fog swallowed the bone cage. The man grinned and raised his wand. Suddenly, he realized that something was approaching him. He had been alive for hundreds of years and had more experienced than most people in the world. As soon as he detected it, he summoned two bone shields around himself. A few momentster, Anfey appeared behind him and swung his fist at the man.


    Anfey crashed through the bone shield and his punchnded on the man¡¯s shoulder. The man grunted and his figure tumbled in the air.


    Both of them were smart men, and even in a fight they could still calmly analyze the situation. The man was shocked by Anfey¡¯s magic and the fact that he was able to teleport to him without any magic surges. Anfey was shocked by how strong the necromancer was. Even though he wasn¡¯t using his full strength and the man had summoned a bone shield, Anfey was still confident that he was strong enough to take out a mage. He knew that he had not caused as much damage to the man as he wanted. This man was a very dangerous opponent, perhaps the most dangerous he had faced so far.


    To Anfey, every fight was a fight to death. He knew that this man had very rare capabilities. He lunged at the man.


    Anfey¡¯s figure disappeared as he got closer to the necromancer and reappeared right before him a few momentster. He swung his fist at the necromancer¡¯s face.


    The necromancer was shocked by this and stopped, but he only stopped for a split second. By the time Anfey appeared before him, he already had a magic scroll in his hands. As Anfey swung his fist at him, the necromancer had already used the scroll.


    Anfey¡¯s fist smashed into a zombie as the necromancer appeared among the zombies below. The ground around the man had turned a dark color, and hoards of skeletons were climbing out of the ground. Some of the skeletons surged towards the city while others stayed close to the necromancer.


    Anfey turned and lunged at the man again. He wanted to use antimagic terra to stop the man from using magic, but he was afraid that the man had some hidden power he did not know of. If Anfey could not find a quick way to kill this necromancer and he escaped, than the antimagic terra would be wasted. He needed to know what the man was capable of, but he couldn¡¯t even get close to him.


    The necromancer raised his hand again. The skeletons he summoned were strange. They were gleaming white, and some were even holding bows. The skeletons, under the necromancer¡¯smand, raised their bows and sent hundreds of arrows toward Anfey.


    Anfey stopped and summoned arge fire shield. The shield stopped most of the arrows, but there were too many arrows and the shield began disintegrating slowly.


    Anfey rose higher into the air and summoned another shield. Then he moved again and summoned one more.


    The skeletons had reached the city. The necromancer closed his eyes, sensing the changes in the city, deciding whether he should leave now.


    Anfey waved his hand and summoned arge, golden fire shield.


    The necromancer looked at Anfey and shook his head, as if saying now was not the time for the final fight.


    Anfey raised his hands. The elements around him began expanding slowly, until his figure disappeared and the only things visible were the lightning, fire balls, and rocks, shing each other in midair.


    The necromancer frowned. He summoned a magic shield that also included the skeletons around him. The best thing to do now was to attack Anfey, but the necromancer knew better than to take unnecessary risks. The skeletons were still sending arrows at Anfey, but none of the arrows could pierce through the cloud of elements around him.


    Anfey clenched his fists and pushed the elements outward. A wave of mind magic swept across the battlefield.


    The skeletons and zombies stopped in their tracks because they were connected to necromancers through a mental link. Anfey¡¯s mind magic had broken all the links. However, the mercenaries did not fare well, either. The zombies and skeletons stopped, but so did the mercenaries.


    The magic shields the necromancer summoned disappeared and the elements crashed into the ground. The cloud of elements broke the skeletons, sending broken pieces of bones flying. The zombies were turned to bloody pulp.


    The necromancer reappeared through the cloud of elements. He was wounded and his robe was tattered, but he appeared as calm as ever, as if he was not the one that was wounded. Another magic scroll appeared in his head and magic surged around him.


    Anfey¡¯s hands shook. He could tell his life power was flowing out of him. He could see that his hands were aging visibly. Within a few seconds, his smooth skin was covered with wrinkles.


    The aging spell was a powerful spell. The necromancer could still use magic by himself, and there was no need to waste a scroll, but there was no time. He knew he had to take out his opponent fast.


    Tworge bone wings appeared behind the man¡¯s back and a long bonence appeared in his hand. The necromancer didn¡¯t want to use his own magic and did not have time to waste. It should be easier to get close to people afflicted with an aging spell than to use magic to kill them.


    Just then, white light suddenly appeared around Anfey and his figure disappeared.


    "It can¡¯t be," the necromancer muttered. He did not expect a priest to be here.


    Suzanna appeared in the distance and was heading towards them. The necromancer knew he was running out of time. He did not know if the aging spell¡¯s effects were cancelled, but he had to take the risk.


    Anfey¡¯s figure appeared through the light and he dove down towards the necromancer. The necromancer raised his hand and threw the bonence towards Anfey. This way, he could tell Anfey¡¯s state and keep the distance between them.


    Anfey swung his right arm and knocked thence out of his way, sending it flying in another direction.


    The necromancer narrowed his eyes. He was a necromancer, he had hundreds of years to live. He was patient and he did not mind waiting. He was never one for taking risks.


    The necromancer summoned another scroll and disappeared from the field.


    Anfeynded where the man had been standing. He stumbled and took a deep breath. The cleansing only temporarily stopped the loss of his life power, but it couldn¡¯t turn him back. If the necromancer did not hesitate, Anfey would not have riskeding towards him.


    "Anfey!¡¯ Suzanna called as she flew towards him. She could not see him and was worried.


    Anfey spat on the ground and shook his head. "I hate magic," he muttered.

 Chapter 455: Split

    Chapter 455: Split


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey walked into the room and sat down. Suzanna, Anthony, and Alice streamed into the room after him. Behind them were the mercenary leaders. They all wore a grave expression, and none of them opened their mouths.


    Everyone knew how powerful Anfey was, yet the man had almost defeated him. That came as a shock not only to Anfey but also to everyone else in the city. After Anthony recognized the aging spell, everyone realized that no one in the city was powerful enough to take on that necromancer. Everyone knew how terrifying the aging spell was. It was a very nasty spell, and the only reason Anfey survived was because of the light magic within him. By thews of nature, light magic could suppress the effects of death magic and cancel out its effects.


    Edy felt ufortable as he realized that everyone in the room was staring at him. He shifted in his seat but did not say anything.


    "As you know, a necromancer has just visited this city," Anfey said quietly. The effects of the aging spell had already worn off, but he felt exhausted.


    "I know," Edy said. "It¡¯s hard not to realize that."


    "Tell me, Edy," Anfey said. "Who is the most powerful necromancer?"


    Edy frowned and lowered his gaze. When he was first captured, he thought for sure that Anfey would interrogate him to find out more about the necromancers. Then he thought maybe Anfey didn¡¯t care about him and what the necromancers were nning. This question took Edy by surprised.


    "You¡¯re a smart man," Anfey said. "If you focused on studying magic, you should be much more powerful than you are now. I don¡¯t know why you chose to be a necromancer, but I think you don¡¯t like it. That is why I kept you alive. I think cooperating benefits both of us."


    "Why I became a necromancer?" Edy said, shaking his head. "I don¡¯t think you can understand. The only way for someone like me to rise up is to study magic."


    "If you wanted to study magic, why didn¡¯t you go to the academy? Why did you be a necromancer?" Alice asked, frowning.


    Edy shook his head. "You¡¯re funny, Lady Alice," he said. "Don¡¯t you need money to study at the academy? Do you really think an orphan like me can afford the price of going to the academy? I can barely feed myself, let alone think about learning magic."


    "You still shouldn¡¯t have turn to dark magic," Alice said, shaking her head. To her, the way of the necromancers was against thews of nature. She despised necromancers and thought that the entire world should despise them as well.


    "You don¡¯t understand," Edy said. "Have you ever been so hungry that you would eat anything? Have you ever tried living on the streets, not knowing if you would survive the night?"


    Alice froze. Edy was right. She had never experienced anything an orphan like Edy had experienced.


    "I promise you, Lady Alice," Edy said. "Starvation does not feel good. Bing a necromancer was the only way for me to survive."


    "I see," Anfey said. "I sympathize with you, Edy, but I need to know something. Who is the most powerful necromancer?"


    "It¡¯s not that much of a secret," Edy said with a shrug. "It¡¯s Minos the First."


    "Anyone else?" Anfey didn¡¯t know who Minos the First was, but there was no way the most powerful necromancer would evere to White Mountain City alone.


    "Minos has three students," Edy said. "Golman, Morgan, and Desvidia. They are the most powerful necromancers after Minos."


    Anfey sat up straighter in his chair and leaned towards Edy. "Tell me more about them," he said.


    Edy nodded. "Morgan was the most powerful out of the three of them. I¡¯ve never actually met him, but I heard that he was a handsome young man. I don¡¯t know anything else about him.


    "Golman is the least powerful among the three, but he is the most dangerous to you."


    "Why?" Anfey frowned and asked.


    "Because he is the master of gue magic," Edy said. "If he wanted, he could kill every living being within a twenty mile radius without ever joining the fight himself. You¡¯re lucky that he betrayed Minos twenty years ago."


    "I thought the secret of gue magic had been lost," Anthony said.


    "It is," Edy said. "But Golman is a genius. He was able to figure out the secret from the bits and pieces that remained."


    "How many necromancers can use gue magic?" Anthony asked.


    "Why did Golman betray Minos?" Alice asked.


    "Because he¡¯s a good person," Edy with with a shrug.


    "A good person," Alice repeated drily.


    Edy nodded. "Golman betrayed Minos when Minos ordered him to destroy everything he had worked for. He didn¡¯t want to kill all the necromancers that had learned gue magic, so he left with his manuscripts and his research. He is the only one who knows its secret."


    "Why did he learn gue magic in the first ce, then?" Anthony asked.


    "Because he was curious," Edy said. "He believed that the world needs bnce. He didn¡¯t want to destroy the existing bnce of magic in the world because he believes that will lead to utter destruction of everything."


    The room fell silent. If Edy was speaking truthfully, Golman was less of a necromancer and more of a schr.


    "Minos hates Golman," Edy continued, "but Golman was too influential. A lot of necromancers now believe no good wille from destroying the world."


    "Unless a new system was created to oppose the necromancers," Anfey said. "But that¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it? If the necromancers destroy the world, they will die as well, because they cannot recreate the bnce. Minos would be the only one left."


    Edy nodded. "Golman never said anything like that, but everyone knew that was what he was implying. His belief began fracturing the necromancers. We¡¯ve been preparing for this war for years, and Golman yed a vital part in its preparation. But...the council did not use Minos¡¯s choice and instead picked a more defensive n."


    "Because they¡¯re worried as well," Anfey said.


    "Golman really is a genius," Edy said, nodding. "Golman is good friends with Morgan, who is also the one Minos chose to chase Golman down. Morgan has been searching for Golman for more than twenty years, but he still hasn¡¯t found him."


    "Have you met him?"


    "He¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve ever met," Edy said. "He appears ugly, but his way of speaking is gentle and forgiving. If you only hear his voice, you might mistake him for a priest."


    Anfey nodded. "Interesting," he said. "Tell me more about Desvidia."


    "Desvidia isn¡¯t as powerful as Morgan," Edy said. "He keeps a low profile and rarely appears in public. Most people ignore him."


    "What does he look like?"


    "I heard he has very smooth skin," Edy said. "His skin is smoother than a normal human¡¯s, and he had no facial hair."


    "That¡¯s got to be him, then," Anfey said, tapping the table.

 Chapter 456: Gathering

    Chapter 456: Gathering


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The reappearance of zombies sent White Mountain City¡¯s citizens into a panic. In order to calm the people down, the alliance announced that there was only a single necromancermanding the zombies, and the necromancer had already been taken care of. There was no trace of zombies around the city, and everyone should resume their lives without worries.


    Alice was a skilled politician, and she knew the importance of having someone to look up to. She knew that people needed a hero that could protect them. This was why she tried to make Anfey look like a hero in her announcement. She even listed a number of Anfey¡¯s achievements to show how strong he was. Alice knew some of the things she listed weren¡¯t true, but it would give the effect she wanted.


    Anfey wasn¡¯t a shy person, and he didn¡¯t mind the spotlight, but he felt strange reading the announcement. He asked Alice to change it, but she refused and told him that it was necessary to cement his position.


    Christian took Alice¡¯s side as well. He believed that they would have to fight against Tiger of Tawau mercenary group in the future. The more famous Anfey was, the less likely the mercenaries would support Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. He even wanted Anfey to write to Manstuly and challenge him to a duel.


    Christian knew Manstuly was still more powerful Anfey, and such a duel would never happen, but a challenge would make Anfey famous. This would make the mercenaries look up to him even more.


    Another army soon arrived at White Mountain City. Baery had arrived with his army. Anfey, Suzanna, and Entos all happened to be away that day, and Christian had to send people to find them and bring them back. By the time Christian brought Baery and his people into the city, Suzanna, Anfey, and Entos had returned.


    Baery did note alone. He brought Steger and Ernest along as well. After Anfey greeted them, he turned to two strangers he did not recognize them. He could tell they were powerful men.


    "Let me introduce you," Baery said. "This is Shawn and this is Dalmatian. You finally get to meet today."


    Anfey frowned when he heard the names. Shawn nodded at him with a smile. "I apologize for my past behaviors, my lord," Shawn said. "You see, it¡¯s hard disobeying your teacher."


    "You¡¯re too kind, my lord," Anfey said hurriedly. "I understand."


    Even though Shawn¡¯s apology was short, he was sincere. He was a master swordsman and Baery¡¯s right hand man. It was hard for him to publicly apologize.


    "What happened before is our fault," Dalmatian said. "We are working together now, my lord, and I hope we can forget about our past disagreements."


    "Like you said," Anfey said with a smile, "we are working together now. There¡¯s no need to bring up the past, my lord."


    "Good," Baery said, smiling. "Let¡¯s forget about the past and look to the future."


    Before they hade, Shawn and Dalmatian were worried that Anfey would not forgive them for what happened in the past. They were important people, and if Anfey would not forgive them after they apologized, they would have had no choice but to turn on him. Baery, however, wasn¡¯t worried at all. He knew Anfey and knew that he wasn¡¯t the type to dwell on the past.


    Anfey looked around the meeting. "Lord Baery, does this mean..." he hesitated. "Does this mean we are opening war?" Before Baery¡¯s arrival, White Mountain City was already drawing attention with Suzanna, Anthony and him. Now that Baery had brought people who were more powerful and important than he, Anfey knew that a storm was on its way.


    "Your teacher¡¯s on the way too," Baery said with a smile.


    "Just for Scarlet?"


    "Not just her," Baery said, shaking his head. "The Church has sent its three Grand Knights, and Prince Jerrick has sent backup." He paused and looked at Anfey. "I heard Christian say you fought with Desvidia."


    Anfey sighed and nodded.


    "And he used the aging spell?"


    Anfey nodded again.


    "How are you still alive them?"


    "Didn¡¯t Christian mention anything?"


    "He did," Baery said. "But I want to see it."


    Anfey nodded. He raised his hand and a ball of white light appeared. The light bobbed a few inches above his palm and disappeared.


    "See?" Baery said, turning to Steger. "I told you."


    Steger sighed and smiled. "We¡¯ve got to talk more about thister," he said to Anfey.


    "Of course, my lord," Anfey said with a smile. He turned to Baery and said, "Lord Baery, I have a question."


    "What is it?"


    "If you are attacked with an aging spell, what would you do?"


    Baery frowned and lowered his gaze. "I would find a ce to wait until the spell¡¯s effect disappeared," he said after a few moments of silence. "If I couldn¡¯t get away, I guess I¡¯d have to fight."


    "Really?" Anfey had asked because he wanted to learn something about the spell. Baery had given him the exact same answer as Anthony, and he was disappointed he couldn¡¯t learn more.


    "There¡¯s are other ways, I suppose," Baery said. "You can always prevent them from using the spell or have a priest with you." Baery sighed and shook his head. "You cannot underestimate necromancers. They are the most powerful mages. Even Saul must admit that."


    "I¡¯m not underestimating them," Anfey said. "I just want to find a way to deal with them more effectively. At least I should find a way to deal with them without putting myself in danger gain."


    "You can always be a priest."


    "But I tried to cleanse it, and it didn¡¯t work."


    "You can¡¯t just cleanse the effect of a forbidden spell," Baery said, smiling. "If you are a high level priest, there are things you can do to cancel out effects of those spells."


    Anfey frowned.


    "I¡¯m a swordsman," Baery said. "I don¡¯t know enough about magic to answer that question. Steger, Saul, even Entos are more equipped to answer that question."


    Anfey turned to Steger, who retrieved a few scrolls from his dimensional ring and showed them to Anfey. "This would my solution," he said.


    Anfey nodded. He only had three magic scrolls, and he did not know if any of the three would work when he was afflicted with a necromancer¡¯s forbidden spell.


    "Anfey, have you forgotten who your teacher is?" Baery said, shaking his head. "Do you think you¡¯ll have to worry about magic scrolls as long as Saul and Jacob are here?"

 Chapter 457: Unexpected Changes

    Chapter 457: Unexpected Changes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Dawn was usually the darkest part of the night. White Mountain City had witnessed Anthony receive his title and had just settled down after the celebration.


    Someone receiving the title of nobility was not rare, but having eight top level powers in the same city at the same time was rare. The most powerful people had all gathered in White Mountain City.


    Anthony was very happy and he knew he had made the right choice. Even his wedding to Nishieva, the princess of Ellisen Empire, was not this pompous.


    Anthony had been keeping to himself for years. He was Ellisen Empire¡¯s ally, but Ellisen Empire didn¡¯t want Anthony to be too powerful or influential. Michael wanted Anthony to make peace with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group and form an alliance, because Ellisen Empire was scared that Anthony could defeat Tiger of Tawau mercenary group and be more powerful. Ellisen Empire would have a harder time controlling Glory mercenary group, and it did not want that.


    Anthony knew that, which was why he chose to keep a low profile instead.


    He had a pleasant conversation with Steger and Baery despite the fact that they had never met before. Shawn and Dalmatian were both very polite. Ernest was very quiet, but that was his personality.


    Anfey didn¡¯t join the ceremony, because he knew that Baery and Anthony were more important than he was. He stood by a window and watched the surging crowd below. "Alice," he suddenly said. "I must confess. I am very confused."


    "What about?" Alice asked, handing a scroll to Hui Wei.


    "If Baery is ready to fight, why isn¡¯t he preserving his strength? Marino¡¯s ceremony was so much more low-key than this."


    "Marino and Anthony are two different people," Alice said. "This is a different situation." She pulled out the ledgers and began going through the numbers.


    "What changed?"


    "Marino had been working for Maho Empire for years," Alice said. "But Anthony had always been an ally of Ellisen Empire. I think His Majesty is setting an example."


    "What else?"


    "Back then, the situation was still a bit murky," Alice continued. "Now, His Majesty is determined. He knew that a war is inevitable."


    "Then why didn¡¯t Baery conceal his army?"


    "There¡¯s no use, because he can¡¯t," Alice said. She rubbed her temple and closed the ledger. "Maho Empire, Ellisen Empire, and Shansa Empire have been at each other¡¯s throats for hundreds of years. No one knows who to trust. His Majesty is risking everything now. If you were Scarlet, what would you do if all of Maho Empire¡¯s top level powers disappeared?"


    "That¡¯s just another reason to conceal his strength," Anfey argued.


    Alice sighed. "Would you have let someonee between you and Christian?" she asked quietly.


    "No," Anfey said. "We would talk it out. We trust each other."


    "Does that mean you are loyal to Maho Empire?"


    "Of course."


    "See. We can band together, but Scarlet¡¯s army can¡¯t. She has so many different armies serving her. Conflicts are almost inevitable. If we disy our strength, at least some part of that army will be fearful. They will be hesitant. The worst thing that can happen to an army during a war like this is doubt or hesitance. If the soldiers don¡¯t want to fight, who will?"


    "I see," Anfey said, nodding.


    "Scarlet wants to eliminate the Roaring Death Legion, Baery, and us. But she would never risk the entire army for her own personal goals," Alice said, smirking. "The Church¡¯s army won¡¯t do that, and neither will the druids and the elves. They are allies, but their alliances are shaky. All participants of that alliance want to reap the benefit without putting in actual work.


    "Scarlet is a natural leader, but she cannot change the way people act. Unless she is willing to sacrifice the Shansa army, her n will never work. When the actual battle breaks out, her army will fracture."


    "Tell me more about Scarlet," Anfey said. "Do you know her?"


    "She..." Alice sighed. "I¡¯ve always underestimated her. Now I know just how smart she is."


    "How so?"


    "She¡¯s good at concealing her emotions," Alice said. "She knows how to keep a low profile. She knows how to keep herself away from the spotlight. No one really knows her, which gives her an advantage. Unlike me, no one knows what to expect from her."


    "You keep saying she is a natural leader, but I don¡¯t believe that," Anfey said. "No one is naturally good at something. She must have worked very, very hard to achieve her position today. What about the people that work for her? Are any of them...strange?"


    "Strange? What do you mean?"


    "I want to know who taught Scarlet to be the woman she is today."


    Alice frowned, then shook her head. "I don¡¯t know," she said. "Even if she does have a teacher, I don¡¯t think she would have let me know."


    "Scarlet ended the revolution because of her personal army. But how did she manage to train all those soldiers? I don¡¯t think Prince Jerrick¡¯s support was enough," Anfey said, frowning. "There are so many things I don¡¯t understand about her. She may be a good leader, but she is still so young and inexperienced. Why does your father trust her so much? What gave him the confidence that she would be a good leader?"


    Alice shook her head. "All this happened after I left. I don¡¯t know anything."


    "Let¡¯s see. Your father opposed her advance into Country of Mercenaries, but she still came. He even sent her a hundred griffin knights. Why? Why did he send his most precious fighters to embark on a crusade he didn¡¯t even support? There must be something we¡¯re missing."


    Alice frowned. She stared at him but did not say anything.


    Anfey remained quiet. He was not as good as Alice at analyzing a situation, which was why he had asked her those questions. Somewhere deep down he knew something must be going on in Shansa Empire. Edward VIII was weak and short-sighted. He was not a gambler and even less of a risk-taker. Why would someone like him suddenly throw in everything he had? What changed?

 Chapter 458: Image

    Chapter 458: Image


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey heard the sound of prayers as he passed one of the rooms. The sound of prayers reminded him he wanted to speak to Warner, and he pushed opened the door. Inside, Warner was kneeling before a table and praying. The Book of Life wasying on the table and was glowing as Warner prayed.


    Anfey stood there quietly, not wanting to interrupt him. Warner realized someone was behind him as he finished his prayers. He grabbed the Book of Life, holding it close to his chest, and turned around. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled when he saw it was Anfey. "What are you doing here, sir?" He scrambled up and pulled out a chair. "Please sit, sir."


    Anfey smiled and sat down. "Warner," he said quietly, "I heard you¡¯ve been preaching a lottely. How is that going for you? Did you convert anyone yet?"


    Warner pursed his lips and hesitated. He looked at Anfey and did not say anything.


    "I know Christian and the others oppose that," Anfey said. "And I know you¡¯re too scared to openly preach to too many people. But don¡¯t worry. I gave you the privilege to do so. They won¡¯t do anything to you, even though they are not fond of your way."


    "Thank you, sir," Warner said carefully. "Truthfully, I haven¡¯t converted a lot of people. It is very hard to preach in Country of Mercenaries. The mercenaries are very independent, and they do not believe in anything beyond themselves. They do not believe in God. There are some women that are interested, though. Mostly families of the mercenaries."


    "That makes sense," Anfey said, nodding. "Mercenaries must depend on themselves to make a living." Anfey paused and frowned. "How many women are willing to convert?"


    "Around two hundred," Warner said, lowering his eyes.


    "Two hundred?" Anfey repeated. It was much less than he had expected, but now was not the time to show his disappointment. He wanted to encourage Warner. "It¡¯s... a good number to start with," he said. "It¡¯s good. Keep working on it."


    "But sir, most of the people that are willing to convert are women," Warner said. "Can they really help us?"


    "Maybe," Anfey said. "But not yet, anyway."


    "What do you mean, sir?"


    "Women will have children, right? Their children don¡¯t know anything, but if their mothers are believers, they are more likely to be believers themselves. The women aren¡¯t mercenaries and do not have to risk their lives everyday. They will talk and they will spread the news about their new religion."


    Warner nodded.


    "If they really are pious, they won¡¯t be the only ones living by the rules of the Church. They will make their husbands and everyone around them live by the same rules. Surely they will feel like they have sinned if their families do not follow these rules, and they will want to repent. That way, we will get more information."


    Warner frowned, then nodded.


    "I know you can¡¯t do everything by yourself," Anfey said. "I think it¡¯s time for you find some preachers. I will have Alice give you some more money. This Country of Mercenaries must have more than just mercenaries. Focus on the normal people, not just the fighters."


    "You will give me money, sir?" Warner asked, shocked.


    "It¡¯s for recruiting preachers," Anfey reminded him. "If you use it for other things and Alice finds out, I¡¯m not sure I can save you."


    "I won¡¯t, sir, I promise."


    "Good. Remember what I said," Anfey said with a smile. "Normal people cannot hunt magic beasts, and this isn¡¯t the best ce to farm. Most of the people areborers and live on very little wages. A preacher¡¯s wage should be enough to entice them to join you. If the mercenaries don¡¯t believe in god, they will."


    Warner nodded. "That is brilliant, sir," he said with a wide grin. "Thank you for this tip."


    Anfey shook his head. "They will be working for you. They will be your men," he said. "This is all I need to say today. Come up with a good n and start doing it. If you need anything, you can always to go Alice."


    "Yes, sir," Warner said.


    Anfey turned to leave, then he suddenly remembered something. He turned back to Warner and asked, "Do you have any books on light magic?"


    Warner nodded. He retrieved a book from his dimensional ring and handed it to Anfey. "Lord Cardinal gave this to me," he said. "Sir, I heard you can use light magic."


    "Yes, I can," Anfey said, taking the magic book. "Why do you ask?"


    "Can I..." Warner hesitated, rubbing his hands together.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked, flipping through the book.


    "Can I...tell others about it?"


    "You want to use me to preach to the mercenaries?" Anfey asked, amused.


    Warner clearly took it the wrong way. He scrambled into a deep bow and said, "I...I just want to expand quicker, sir! I¡¯m not using you or anything!"


    "I know, Warner," Anfey said. "Stand up. I think I know why you can¡¯t expand."


    Warner straightened himself and looked at Anfey curiously.


    "You¡¯re a priest, Warner," Anfey said. "Priests are usually radiant, just, mighty. You are always afraid of what other people are saying. And you bow way too much. The mercenaries think you¡¯re weak, which is why they don¡¯t like you."


    Warner blinked and did not say anything.


    "You have to reinvent your image. That is the most important thing," Anfey said. "If it¡¯s just the two of us, I don¡¯t care how you act. If there is a third person here, I need you to act proud. I need you to act like you¡¯re better than the rest of us."


    "But sir..."


    "You have to! What are you scared of?" Anfey asked. "I told you to do this. I won¡¯t me you. On the contrary, I will y along. If you don¡¯t do this, you will never recruit as many people as we need, even if you have the Book of Life. If you let me down, I may have do let you go. It¡¯s not hard to find a priest, after all."


    "I can do it, sir!" Warner said, straightening his back a little more. He tightened his grip on the Book of Life.


    "Try it," Anfey said. "Pretend there¡¯s someone else here."


    Warner¡¯s eyes widened. He had been working for Anfey before they even left Moramatch, and he knew how powerful Anfey was. He could not think how he would pretend to be better than Anfey.


    "You can do it," Anfey encouraged him. "Think of when you just came to Moramatch."


    Warner coughed and nodded. He took a deep breath and said, "I think your n is very inappropriate, sir! We all agree that you are powerful, but eliminating the necromancers is my job. You should not have crossed that line. Plus, you are too important. If something happens to you, the alliance is done for!"


    "I¡¯m sorry," Anfey said with a grin.


    "What is past is past," Warner said. "I don¡¯t need your apologies, sir. You were a fearless warrior, but now you are more than that. Your own safety isn¡¯t the only thing you have to consider now. You have to think about the entire alliance." Even though Warner looked very proud, he was still scared and unsure.


    "Good," Anfey said, pping the table. "Good. I like it."


    Warner jumped, then he smiled when he realized Anfey wasplimenting him. "I hope you don¡¯t take offence to what I say in the future, sir," he said.


    "I won¡¯t, don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "Can I borrow this for a few days?"


    "Of course, sir," Warner said. "Are you nning on practicing light magic?"


    "Maybe," Anfey said with a shrug.

 Chapter 459: Careful Planning

    Chapter 459: Careful nning


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "How strange," Anfey whispered as he flipped through the book. He had been trying to use light magic for a while, but something strange and unexpected happened.


    In the past, he could manage to control light elements and summon balls of light. They might not have been powerful, but he could always do it. Now, he found that following the book¡¯s instructions resulted in nothing.


    He had tried almost all spells in the book, and not a single one worked. However, when he closed the book and gathered the elements using his own style, he could manage to summon a light ball or two.


    Anfey frowned and closed the book when the memory of Warner praying sprang into mind. He grimaced. Did he really need to pray in order for light magic to work?


    "Anfey, what are you doing?" Suzanna asked as she walked into the room and saw the grimace on Anfey¡¯s face.


    "Nothing," Anfey said, tossing the book onto a nearby table. "Were you out again with Shawn and Dalmatian?"


    Suzanna nodded. "It¡¯s a rare chance," she said. "Practicing with them taught me things I would have never learned otherwise." She paused and nced at Anfey. "Why didn¡¯t youe?"


    "They never asked me to go," Anfey said. "I¡¯m not a swordsman. There¡¯s no point."


    Suzanna walked over and sat down next to Anfey, wrapping her arms around him. "You have to me Ernest for that. He told everyone that you are too strong to practice with us. That¡¯s why no one ever asks you toe along."


    "Who¡¯s the strongest out of all of them?"


    "Ernest," Suzanna said. "Obviously. Oh, I showed them what you taught me. You won¡¯t believe how surprised they were. Of course, we still must depend on our swords in a real battle, but your tricks can give me an advantage."


    Anfey nodded. He knew the things he taught Suzanna were useful to him in battle, but to swordsmasters like Shawn and Dalmatian, those things were practically useless. "They¡¯re still useful," he said. "Just depends on how and when you use them."


    "Really?" Suzanna asked, blinking.


    Anfey nodded. "Suzanna, have you realized? Ernest is changing. He¡¯s so much more friendly than before."


    Suzanna nodded. "You missed it. Shawn and Ernest had an argument today."


    "What were they arguing about?"


    "Shawn thought that the Knights of Light are only a little bit more powerful than the priests, but Ernest thought that they are more powerful than swordsmen because they can heal themselves."


    "What do you think?"


    "I think Ernest¡¯s right," Suzanna said. "The Knights of Light may not be as powerful as we are, but they are much better at long fights. Legend has it that a Knight of Light once fought for five days without resting. A swordsman would have neversted that long."


    Anfey opened his mouth to talk, but was interrupted when someone pushed open the door. Baery walked in. Suzanna yelped and jumped back. Baery smiled at her. "Sorry for the interruption," he said.


    "It¡¯s fine, my lord," Anfey said. "Are you looking for us?"


    Baery nodded. "It¡¯s time for us to go," he said. "I want you to take care of business here as quickly as possible. Once the war breaks out, both you and Lady Suzanna will be gone."


    "Don¡¯t worry, my lord," Anfey said. "We will be there before the war breaks out."


    "Good," Baery said with a nod. "I won¡¯t waste your time, then." He nodded at Suzanna and turned to leave.


    "Wait!" Anfey called, suddenly remembering something. Baery turned back and looked at Anfey.


    "My lord, I¡¯ve been thinking. If we can kill Scarlet before the war even breaks out, would it dy or even prevent the war?"


    Baery looked at Anfey, then he walked back into the room and sat down across from him.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter if Scarlet¡¯s alliance is not as strong as mine," Anfey said. "It is still hard to fracture it. But if we can kill Scarlet, who is the glue that¡¯s holding everything together, we would have an advantage."


    "I know what you¡¯re thinking," Baery said. "I¡¯m not going to lie. We¡¯ve tried assassinating her before, but she is a very paranoid woman. She is never alone without guards. Especially now. She has Manstuly and the Church¡¯s men around her. It is impossible to find her alone and assassinate her."


    "I can always find an opportunity," Anfey said slowly.


    "You mean..."


    "Can we kill Prince Jerrick?" Anfey asked. "Will that do anything?"


    "Of course," Baery said. "But we can¡¯t do that yet. He is the weakest of allpetitors for the Shansa throne. He won¡¯t be a threat even if he takes the throne."


    "I don¡¯t want to assassinate him," Anfey said. "He is bait. If he is in danger, would Scarlet do anything?"


    Baery frowned.


    "Of course, this n is only at its beginning stage. I need everyone¡¯s help to actually execute it. I need you, my lord, and Ernest, Shawn, and Dalmatian. I want to intimidate Scarlet. I want her to think that we really will kill Jerrick. Hopefully that will prompt her to try to save him," Anfey said. "I need information about both Scarlet and Prince Jerrick. I need to know as much about them as possible for this n to work. Including the things that may be deemed irrelevant."


    "What will that irrelevant information do for you?"


    "I need to know more about their personalities," Anfey said. "That way, I can make sure Scarlet wille to rescue Jerrick."


    "I see," Baery said. "You have my support. Of course, you should talk to the others about this. I can¡¯t make the decision for everyone. My army is settled between Loji Valley and ckwater River. It¡¯s a in, and perfect for a battlefield. My army is working on setting up amunication portal, and you can speak to them that way."


    Anfey nodded. "Thank you," he said.


    "Are you serious about this n?"


    Anfey nodded with a smile. "It¡¯s the best n I can think of, if we want to avoid the war."


    Baery looked at him for a few moments then sighed. "I don¡¯t like assassinations," Baery said. "But if that¡¯s what it takes to prevent the war and the death of my soldiers...well, I¡¯m willing to take this chance." Baery smiled at Anfey. "If you can assassinate Scarlet, then you have achieved more for Maho Empire than I ever will."

 Chapter 460: Flame of Rebellion

    Chapter 460: me of Rebellion


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A middle-aged man was sitting alone in arge cave. He had a me in front of him and was roasting a rabbit. The scent of cooked meat lingered in the cave.


    "Aren¡¯t you bored with this, Desvidia?" A handsome young man appeared next to the me.


    "It¡¯s not my fault that you lost your ability to taste and smell," Desvidia said. "But I do pity you."


    "What¡¯s the difference? Don¡¯t tell me you still have an appetite."


    "Only animals eat to quell their hunger, Morgan," Desvidia said, shaking his head. "I enjoy the process of making it, the process of eating. I enjoy the taste. Brings me back to the old days. Once in a while, I need to remind myself what warmth andfort mean."


    "You¡¯re starting to sound like Golman," Morgan said with augh. "Why are you doing this yourself?"


    Desvidia pursed his lips. The mind magic Anfey released during their fight was so powerful that it cut off all the links he had to the skeleton army. He couldn¡¯t bring the skeletons with him when he fled the city.


    "What happened?" Morgan asked, concerned. He could tell there was something bothering Desvidia.


    "Do you believe there¡¯s someone who can use all the magic?"


    "No," Morgan said, shaking his head.


    "I didn¡¯t think so, either," Desvidia said, "until I met him."


    "But that¡¯s impossible," Morgan argued.


    "I saw it with my own eyes," Desvidia said. "His control of the elements is incredible."


    "Who are you talking about?"


    "Anfey."


    "You went to White Mountain City?" Morgan asked, his eyes wide in shock. "Are you mad?"


    Desvidia did not say anything. His eyes did not move away from the fire.


    "I heard that Baery had brought Shawn, Dalmatian, Steger, and Ernest to the city," Morgan said. "Scarlet had the three Grand Knights, Jerrick¡¯s force, Manstuly and the elves. Ellisen Empire has a foot in this as well." Morgan paused, looking at Desvidia sternly. "Haven¡¯t you heard what master said? No matter who wins this, there will be considerable damage to all sides. We need to weaken them enough so they can do nothing about the Throne of Bones. If we disrupt this...none of us can protect you."


    "I¡¯m not trying to do anything," Desvidia said with a shrug. "I¡¯m just curious. I wanted to see if the rumors were true."


    "You just wanted to see," Morgan said mockingly. "You wanted to see so badly you lost your skeletons."


    "It¡¯s not my fault," Desvidia argued. "I wanted to teach them a lesson."


    "And you got a lesson instead," Morgan said, shaking his head.


    "Don¡¯t just talk about me!" Desvidia said angrily. "You didn¡¯t find Golman yet, did you? Everyone knows what has happened except for master. If master finds out, can you imagine what will happen?"


    Morgan lowered his head. After a few moments of silence, he sighed and sat down next to Desvidia. "You think master doesn¡¯t know?"


    "You mean..." Desvidia¡¯s eyes widened. "Then you..." They might argue and fight, but the two of them had been together for hundreds of years. Desvidia was worried for Morgan because of their deep friendship.


    "Master won¡¯t do anything," Morgan said. He waved his hand and set up a magic barrier to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "I¡¯m sad because of that."


    "You¡¯re sad that you didn¡¯t get punished," Desvidia said drily.


    Morgan nodded. "I think master must have been furious. The worst the punishment, the happier I would be." Morgan sighed. He picked up a stick and poked the fire. "Do you know what it means if master pretends nothing had happened?"


    "What does it mean?"


    Morgan bit his lip. "I guess there¡¯s no use keeping this from you," he said. "Before Golman left, he came to me. He said if I let him go and master punished me, he would immediatelye back. If master pretends nothing happens, then..."


    "Then what?"


    "Then that means Golman was right. Master was worried that we think he was furious and he took care of everything."


    "That means... Golman¡¯s right?"


    "You know the Land of Repose? Golman had been spying on that ce. That is a ce of death. New lives will be born from those bones and, like the creatures we have, they will fight and kill until only the most powerful remains. After a few generations, those creatures will be very, very powerful until they gain the most power. The most powerful creature will absorb all lives there and fall asleep again. Then the cycle will repeat." Morgan paused. "There is no repose in the Land of Repose. Do you want this ce to be another Land of Repose?"


    "If this bes the Land of Repose..." Desvidia shuddered. "Master must be that hidden creature. He has repeated this cycle until he bes more powerful than anything else this the world. More powerful than gods. Then he invades other worlds and creates more Lands of Repose."


    "What are gods, Desvidia?" Morgan asked, shaking his head. "The power of gods derives from their believers. Will they ever invade other worlds?"


    "Maybe our world was once invaded by such gods."


    The two of them fell silent. After a few moments, Desvidia said, "Maybe we shouldn¡¯t keep building the throne."


    "No," Morgan said, shaking his head. "Master isn¡¯t a patient person, Desvidia. Golman¡¯s betrayal is already too much."


    "But what can we do?" Desvidia asked. "I wish Golman was here."


    "I¡¯ve already asked him," Morgan said. "He said we should wait. Wait for change. Wait for fate to make a decision."


    "Fate?" Desvidia repeated. "I don¡¯t believe in fate. If I did, I would never have be a necromancer. I would rather die than be absorbed by some strange creature."


    "That goes for all of us," Morgan said. "Can Anfey really use all types of magic?"


    "You can go see for yourself," Desvidia said with a shrug.


    "You mean there really is Sacred Inheritance?"


    "Of course," Desvidia said. "There were so many of them in the past."


    "That was so long ago," Morgan said. "Power in this world is sealed away. There will be no Sacred Inheritance if that seal is still there. Master is the only one."


    "There will be a second one. You and I both know this."


    "No," Morgan said. "Master had already achieved Sacred Inheritance before he died, or else he wouldn¡¯t have been able to fight against the seal, either. If someone can achieve Sacred Inheritance with the seal in ce, how powerful will he be once the seal is removed?"


    Desvidia sighed. "I don¡¯t know," he said.


    "You got me interested now," Morgan said. "But we must wait. We are not powerful enough to defy master. We must be patient and wait."

 Chapter 461: Explanation

    Chapter 461: Exnation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When Anfey sensed Suzanna walking upstairs, he quickly put the stuff in front of him away. As Suzanna walked into the room, she looked worried, and he asked in surprise, "What¡¯s wrong, Suzanna?"


    "Anfey, you have to go and help. Alice and Christian are arguing," Suzanna said hastily. "They are arguing in front of many people. No matter what I said, they would not stop."


    "What were they arguing about?" Anfey asked.


    "About those businessmen. After Ango donated 20,000 gold coins, those businessmen went to see Alice and wanted to cancel their contract with us and volunteered to donate their gold coins to us instead. Alice was still not happy with it. She wanted them to donate more. The businessmen went to Christian toin. Christian thought Alice asked too much, but Alice did not want to give in and started to argue with Christian right there. Hurry up, you gotta go there," Suzanna said.


    "Were the businessmen there as well?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Suzanna said.


    "Don¡¯t be silly." Anfey gently tapped Suzanna¡¯s forehead. "They were just acting to try to fool the businessmen, but they definitely fooled you."


    Suzanna hurriedly covered her forehead with her hand. She asked suspiciously, "Are you sure?"


    "Of course." Anfey said. "Unless something affects their bottom line, they would not argue. Even if they had a conflict, with you there trying to mediate, they would have stopped arguing."


    "Damn it!" Suzanna got pissed. "Why didn¡¯t they tell me in advance? I was worried for nothing."


    "I guess," Anfey paused, "they thought it was not easy to fool the businessmen, but everyone knows you are honest and upright, so it would look more real with you there with them."


    "They cannot do this to me. I am going to find them" Suzanna said, grinding her teeth. She turned around to walk out of the room. Actually, anyone would get pissed if he was in Suzanna¡¯s shoes. She tried to calm both Alice and Christian for almost half day, but they actually set her up.


    "Let it go." Anfey immediately grabbed Suzanna¡¯s hand. He said with a smile, "If you go there and argue with them, then you are selling them out."


    "It must have been Alice¡¯s idea." Suzanna still wanted to go and argue with them.


    "Don¡¯t me her for it." Anfey smiled. "If you had known the truth beforehand, would you have acted so real? The businessmen could have seen you were acting."


    "Do you think I am stupid?" Suzanna rolled her eyes at Anfey again.


    "No, no. Who said you are stupid? You are the youngest top power on the Pan Continent!" Anfey realized he made the simplest mistake by giving unbiased suggestions. He tried tofort Suzanna immediately. He saw Hagan trying to back away from the door out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, Hagan, you are back."


    "Good morning, Anfey." Hagan greeted him with a smile.


    "Morning? The sun is directly above your head. It is noon already. Hagan, you didn¡¯t sleepst night, did you?" Anfey asked.


    "I went to sleeptest night." Hagan passed a light blue potion to Anfey as he talked. "Here you go."


    Anfey took the potion. "What is this?"


    "I diluted the Sacred Potion. In a few days when the little unicorn starts to have more energy, you can feed him this potion, but don¡¯t waste it. You can just put a drop of the potion on his tongue," Hagan said.


    "I got it," Anfey said.


    "Oh, Anfey, it¡¯s better that you and Suzanna administer the potion to the little unicorn. Don¡¯t give the potion to those maids. If you find anything wrong, you can see me immediately," Hagan said.


    "Suzanna and I will leave in a few days. What are we going to do with the little unicorn?" Anfey asked, frowning.


    "I will take care of the unicorn," Hagan said, "but I am not sure if he would listen to me."


    "It would be great if Niya were here," Anfey said. Niya had spent a long time with the unicorn, so besides Anfey and Suzanna, it was only close to Niya and little Shally.


    "I know." Hagan hesitated for a second and asked, "Anfey, what did you do with that bottle of Sacred Potion?"


    "I drank it all." Anfey smiled. He had told Christian that he used the bottle of potion, but no one else asked about it. Of course, it showed that everyone trusted Anfey a lot. Hagan, as an alchemist, knew better than others how valuable the potion was. He had refrained from asking that question for a long time, but he could not hold it in anymore.


    "Did you drink it all?" Hagan asked loudly.


    "I was hit by a strange magic and I could not think of anything else but drinking the potion at that critical moment," Anfey said bitterly.


    "What did you say?" Suzanna snarled.


    "When? What were the affects of that magic?" Hagan asked hastily.


    "It happened a while ago. The magic," Anfey tried to recall what happened to him, "made me feel like I was submerging in meltingva. Fire elements constantly burning my skin. I suffered great pain, and my skin even cracked at the end. I released Anti-magic Terra, but it only helped with my pain for a short period of time. When Anti-magic Terra disappeared, the fire elements came back."


    "I remember Hui Wei talked about it before." Hagan went quiet for a while. "It must be Burning Forbidden spells. Anfey, did Archmage Michael hit you with it?"


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "I thought Burning Forbidden spells had disappeared a long time ago." Hagan frowned. "But Anfey, you were so lucky. I cannot believe you survived Burning Forbidden spells and the Aging Curse."


    Anfey heaved a sigh. People with lower levels of fighting ability were scared of whooshing sword radiance and moving elements in waves, because those could easily take their lives. For two people with simr fighting abilities, they felt the material magic was a pain in the neck. It was especially true in physical fights, since their physical fighting abilities were increasingly affected. As a result, they could both end up dying.


    "Why didn¡¯t I know about this, Anfey?" Suzanna was worried and grabbed his sleeve as she asked. This was the first she had heard that Anfey had been hit by Forbidden Spells when they had been separated. Archmage Michael¡¯s Forbidden Spells were never ineffective.


    Anfey chuckled. "It all past. I am fine, right?" If Hagan had not asked, he would not have told anyone about it, in case they worried about him. However, right now he felt he had to give them an exnation, since he had to exin why he no longer had the valuable Sacred Potion. After his exnation, Anfey immediately switched topics. He took something out of his Dimensional Ring. "Hagan, I feel this ax is sealed with magic. Can you check it and see if you can break the seal?"


    Suzanna gave Anfey a worried look. She looked like she was about to say something, but swallowed it. Her eyes were moist.


    "What a big ax! Where did you get it?" Haganmented. He reached both of his hands out to hold the ax.


    "Can you hold it?" Anfey smiled.


    "Yes, you can let go of it," Hagan said.


    Anfey let go as Hagan requested. Hagan suddenly felt a huge amount of pressure on his arms. He could not hold the ax anymore, and it was falling on Hagan¡¯s toes. As the ax was about 15 inches from his toes, it stopped in the air. Anfey had grabbed the ax with his right hand. He knew how much this ax weighed, so he put a lot of force on it when he grabbed it. Pressure radiated to the surrounding area, with Anfey at the center.


    "F*ck!" Hagan broke out in a cold sweat because he almost lost his toes. He seemed to lose control of his tongue. He muttered, "What is this damn ax? I am afraid it weighs a couple hundred pounds." In fact, he had known the ax was heavy. That was why he tried to hold it with both hands, but did not realize he still could not hold it.


    "I weighed it before. To be more specific, it is 445 kilograms." Anfey skillfully swung the ax and passed it to Hagan again. "Do you want to try it again?"


    "No." Hagan shook his head as fast as a drum toy. "It is almost 450 kilograms? What is it made of? It is really heavy."


    "You are the alchemist. You need figure out what it is made of," Anfey said. "I know this ax is very sharp. It can cut iron and steel like nothing. I chopped a rock with this ax and did not feel any resistance from the rock."


    "Strange people, like you, can use such a weird ax," Hagan said.


    "Hagan, what kind of people like to use axes as weapons on Pan Continent?" Anfey asked.


    "Are you asking who the previous owner of this ax could be?" Hagan thought for a second and said, "Since this ax is so heavy, some barbarians could have used it. Some elite beast men and bear druids could have used it as well. Bear druids are strong enough for this ax, but they barely use any weapons."


    "I see." Anfey was quiet for awhile and passed the ax to Suzanna. "Suzanna, can you try it."


    With Hagan¡¯s experience, Suzanna was cautious. She performedbat power before she took the ax from Anfey. She swung it a few times. "It¡¯s too heavy and will affect my speed."


    "It does not affect my speed," Anfey said.


    Ye and ck Eleven showed up at the door together. Ye gave Anfey a look, and Anfey said quietly, "Suzanna, can you take this ax to Hagan¡¯s temporaryb? I need go out with Ye for a bit."


    "Do you want me to go with you?" Suzanna asked. Anfey had be very powerful, and White Mountain City was pretty safe as well, but the story Anfey told Suzanna still made her worry something would happen to him.

 Chapter 462: Rangers

    Chapter 462: Rangers


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What is it?" Anfey asked. There were things he could allow other people to control, but there were also things he must see to himself. For example, ck Eleven only reported to him. What he did was out of everyone else¡¯s jurisdiction, including Alice¡¯s.


    "Do you remember when Lady Suzanna was on the run?" ck Eleven asked.


    "From Manstuly?"


    "No, before that."


    Anfey frowned and turned to ck Eleven. "You mean..."


    ck Eleven nodded. "His Majesty has been investigating ever since he found out Lady Suzanna¡¯s back story. We finally found something useful."


    "They are in this city?"


    ck Eleven nodded.


    Anfey frowned and turned to Suzanna. "Can I borrow the ring?"


    Suzanna nodded. She took off the ring and handed it to Anfey.


    Anfey grabbed the ring and hopped into the carriage. "Tell me everything."


    "They are hard to track," ck Eleven said, sitting down next to Anfey. "It is very hard to investigate them. We¡¯ve been fighting Evil Mist for years, but we know practically nothing about them. These people...well, they are even more elusive than Evil Mist. They never leave anything valuable.


    "Evil Mist may be elusive, but they always have ns and goals. As long as we know their goals, we can think of ways to deal with them. These people, on the other hand, are a mystery. Why were they chasing Lady Suzanna in the first ce? How did they know she has the treasure map? Were they trying to protect the map or take it? Were they hired men or acting on their own will? We known nothing."


    "Suzanna said Trajan, the usurper, sent them."


    "If we know one thing, it is that Trajan didn¡¯t send them," ck Eleven said. "They were not working for Darius, either. They belong to an independent organization called the Rangers. They have several senior-ranking members and are a force to be reckoned with."


    "There are a lot of mysterious organizations," Ye added. "They¡¯re not the only one. But whenever a top level power mysteriously dies, or a nobleman¡¯s heir leaves home to explore the world and disappears, it is usually the Rangers¡¯ doing."


    "Interesting," Anfey said. "How did you two meet, by the way?"


    "A mercenary came to me and told me that someone attacked his group. When he returned to White Mountain City, he saw one of the men who attacked him, so he came to me and wanted me to find the killers," Ye said. "Armin came to talk to me when I was about to leave with the mercenaries. He had a few portraits, and the mercenary recognized two of the men."


    "We found a few suspicious characters through our spies in Ellisen Empire," ck Eleven said. "I heard they¡¯ve already arrived at Country of Mercenaries, and I wanted to talk to Ye about it."


    "Where were they?"


    "Dancing Night Tavern," ck Eleven said.


    "The one vi goes to?" Anfey asked. He vaguely remembered the name. ck Eleven nodded.


    "I asked the mercenary about the attack," Ye said, tapping on the seat. "Apparently, they weren¡¯t attacked. They were the attackers. Because they saw two women among those people and thought they would be easy targets."


    "Are we going to Dancing Night Tavern?" Anfey asked, peering out of the carriage¡¯s window.


    ck Eleven nodded.


    "Take your time," Anfey said. "Make sure everything goes ording to n."


    "I¡¯ve already made sure," Ye said. "As soon as we send the signal, the entire city will go into lockdown mode. Unless they have a tunnel under the city, they cannot get away."


    "Good," Anfey said, nodding.


    By the time the carriage stopped in front of the tavern, it was already noon. Taverns usually have the least amount of business during noontime, which was why a lot of taverns were not even open. However, on that day, there were at least a dozen carriages parked in front of Dancing Night.


    The bouncer at the door saw the carriage stop and pulled open the door with a wide smile. Ye nodded at the carriage driver and followed Anfey into the tavern.


    There were about thirty people and a few performers in the tavern. The performers were dancing to upbeat music, and their movements were very in sync. The tavern patrons were chatting with each other.


    Alice had banned alcohol in Stormenburg, but White Mountain City was different. Alice did not have as much power here, and she did not want to anger the mercenaries by taking away part of their lives.


    Alice didn¡¯t want to put Anthony in a difficult situation, and Anthony wouldn¡¯t do anything to Alice. They coexisted in a delicate peace.


    A young girl hurried over. She was grinning widely and said, "This way, sir."


    Anfey nced at Ye, who shook his head. Clearly, the people he was looking for were not there. Ye turned to the young girl and said, "I need to see the owner. Anyone who doesn¡¯t work here can leave now."


    Ye¡¯s voice drew everyone¡¯s attention. The dancing girls stopped and the music halted.


    "Ah, I see," the young woman said. "You¡¯re here looking for a fight!" She turned and hurried off.


    "Do they not know you here?" Anfey asked, curious.


    Before Ye could say anything, a woman appeared. She frowned when she saw Ye. "What are you doing..." the woman began.


    "I need to see the owner," Ye said, cutting her off.


    The woman frowned. "What is the meaning of this?"


    "I need to see the owner," Ye repeated. "Now."


    "I can get him," the woman said curtly. "But I don¡¯t know if you are worth it."


    Anfey frowned. Ye yed the most important part in keeping order in the city. Ye¡¯s orders were Anfey¡¯s orders. Anyone who disobeyed Ye would be disobeying him.


    Anfey had always focused on his personal strength, which was why he ignored the fact that Ye had restrictions as well. At least here in Dancing Night Tavern, Ye¡¯s orders did not mean as much as they did outside.


    Before Anfey could say anything, one of the patrons shook his head and said, "The owner of this ce is not that easy to see."

 Chapter 463: Entertainment

    Chapter 463: Entertainment


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey felt angrier when he saw people trying to stir up the situation. Anfey reacted to annoying situations in a unique way. The angrier he felt, the calmer he would look.


    Anfey had a high position and powerful fighting ability. In White Mountain City, and even in Sacred City, no one would challenge him on purpose. Ynthe even sent a letter to Anfey to ask him to entitle Anthony to be duke. He asked Anfey to make his own judgement on that. It was not an exaggeration to say that Anfey had be one of the most important assistants for Ynthe. In addition, Anfey¡¯s fighting ability had reached a level no one could match. No matter where Anfey was, he became the person that everyone tried to tter.


    The nobility in Sacred City was not arrogant as the people here. Of course, there were many bad people among the nobility, but it was undeniable that noblemen had more chance to get educated than regr people. Any noblemen who were not too stupid would only offend others if it was in their own interest. They would not offend others with bad words or manners for no reason. They were not that na?ve to do so.


    Anfey didn¡¯t say anything, but he had made a decision. He waved his hand, and the bar door was forced open. A group of mercenary inspectors pushed through the two guards at the door. Those poor guards had two shiny swords against their necks, which was why they dared not make any noise to let people in the bar know what had happened.


    "Commander Ye, it looks like you are serious about this." Seeing the big group of inspectors knock the door down and rush in, the woman looked mad. She turned around and yelled, "Big bro, someone is looking to cause trouble for us. Bro!"


    "What happened?" A deep voice was heard from upstairs.


    "Some trouble-makers are here," the woman yelled in a high-pitched voice.


    "Who the f*ck are they?" Ozzic walked downstairs in just a few steps.


    The whole bar suddenly became quiet. The woman and the customers all sneered and prepared to watch a fight. Anfey was shocked. He did not think the woman in front of him was rted to Ozzic. Of course, Ozzic was even more surprised to see Anfey there. Ozzic stared wide-eyed at Anfey, Ye, ck Eleven and the big group of mercenaries.


    "Bro, Commander Ye does not want to do you a favor." The woman paid all her attention to the gazes of Anfey, Ye and others, but neglected Ozzic¡¯s. She smiled, moved next to Ozzic and held Ozzic¡¯s arm to show how close she was to him. "We are all friends. I do not want to give you a hard time, but you have to pay for my doors."


    All the customers in the barughed. Ozzic finally realized what was going on from theughter. He shoved the woman away and pped her hard. He snarled, "F*cking forget about your doors."


    The woman did not expect Ozzic to p her. She stumbled and fell to the floor. "Bro?"


    After the woman calling him bro again, Ozzic got madder and kicked the woman in the chest. He tried to shed any possible rtionship between two of them, but the woman kept calling him bro and put him in a bad situation. Why did she have to involve him in the situation right now? Did she want him to die?


    "Commander Ozzic, you look awesome," Anfey said casually.


    Ozzic could not recall Anfey talking to him with such a sarcastic tone since he had joined the League of Mercenaries. He was shocked and scared at the same time. His legs felt weak and he was about to kneel down before Anfey. Suddenly, they heard a snarl from upstairs. "F*ck, who dares to hurt my sister!" A person covered in brightbat power shot himself downstairs toward Anfey.


    Often things happen with ridiculous or terrible timing. If that person hade downstairs earlier, he would have seen Ozzic hitting the woman, which would have stopped him from attacking Anfey. If he hade downstairs a bitter, he would have seen Ozzic kneeling down to Anfey, which also would have stopped him from attacking. However, he came downstairs in between these events, which made him doomed.


    Anfey raised his hand and called out a Fire Bird. The Fire Bird shot from his hand at the swordsman. Thebat power of the swordsman crashed immediately. The Fire Bird shot into his body, came out from his back with sshes of blood, and hit the bar wall. A big hole on the wall appeared, while the swordsman rolled on the floor. When the Fire Bird passed through his chest, the swordsman¡¯s body was almost broken in half with only some skin and tendons connecting the parts.


    The whole bar became quiet again because Anfey had shown how powerful he was. Moreover, patrons did not think anyone would dare kill someone in the bar.


    "Master." Ozzic kneeled down. He had been good at weighing people¡¯s words and observing their looks to know what was on others¡¯ minds. Of course, he knew Anfey was really mad now.


    Sensing the magic surges, a few more people appeared on the stairs. Riska was among them. He did not look less surprised than Ozzic, especially when he saw the friend who had been drinking and hanging out with him dead in his own blood. Obviously, Anfey killed him. Riska stood there but could not mutter a word.


    "Master Riska is here too? It looks like I am not a good chiefmander since I did not give you enough food and clothes, and you have toe here to watch the bar as a side job. Do you know what ¡®watch the bar¡¯ means? You are watch dogs!" Anfey said casually.


    Riska¡¯s face was a little pale. He hesitated for a second before he slowly walked next to Ozzic and kneeled down. He wanted to argue, but he knew it was not a good time for that.


    "Are you happy now? Do you think it is already time to rx and entertain yourselves? You are quite happy with the situation you are in," Anfey said in a sarcastic tone. "Luckily, others are not like you. Shinb and Thompson have been practicing swordfighting every day. Zubin and Feller have given up sleep time for meditation. I thought everybody should try hard and it would not be a big deal. I just realized how good they arepared with you two." This was really how Anfey thought. No one had tried as hard as Anfey. Even after Anfey passed the level of Da Dao, he still practiced as much as before. That was why he didn¡¯t think it was a big deal to see others trying hard every day. It was also the reason no one in the bar had seen him knew him.


    Anfey barely experienced any entertainment. He delegated all the administrative and diplomatic work to Alice. Besides talking to Alice, Christian, Anthony and few others sometimes, and spending some time with Suzanna, he spent the rest of his time practicing. He was like a girl who only stayed home. It would be strange if people in White Mountain City saw him and knew him.


    Ozzic blushed, and Riska felt uneasy, but they kept quiet.


    He stopped interrogating Ozzic and Riska and asked, "Ye, when you came in, what did you say?"


    "Me?" Ye was shocked for a second when he was called out. "I said this bar needs to be out of service for a while. We need do an investigation."


    "And?" Anfey said.


    "And," Ye recalled, "anyone who is not rted to the bar needs to leave right away."


    "No one left the bar, so they must have something to do with the bar. Arrest all of them," Anfey said.


    Ye turned around to give the inspectors a look. Those mercenaries went over to take everyone in the bar. They never felt they had this much authority when they went out with Ye. Now they felt they could take anyone with them.


    The situation changed too fast. Most customers were reasonable. They did not struggle when they were tied up by the mercenaries. Only one customer struggled a bit, but he only struggled, daring not to fight the mercenaries.


    "Can¡¯t your inspectorate control that guy?" Anfey saw five mercenaries struggling to control the one customer. Anfey sneered, "I asked you to take them, alive or dead."


    "Kill him," Ye snarled.


    The mercenaries pulled out swords and stabbed the customer until many holes showed on his body.


    Ozzic and Riska were not stupid. Seeing that Anfey and Ye had brought arge group of mercenaries to this bar, they figured there must be something fishy about the bar. Seeing Anfey kill two people already, they dared not say anything.


    Sounds of walking were heard upstairs. Two girls and eight young men walked downstairs. The girls were twins. They looked adorable, maybe not as beautiful as elves, but definitely good-looking for humans. The looks on their faces showed they must have thought there were fights downstairs, and they wanted toe down to give a hand. Seeing the situation, they dared not join the fight. They had their hands on the shafts of their swords. They gazed at the woman on the floor and the dead bodies. They looked a little angry and sad.


    "It¡¯s two of them," Ye suddenly said.


    "Which two?" Anfey said.


    "The first and third one from left." ck Eleven pointed. He saw the portraits too.


    "Take them," Anfey ordered.


    Knowing their decent fighting abilities, Ye went to take them himself, apanied by more than a dozen mercenaries. Seeing Ye and his team pressing down on them, the young men immediately pulled their swords out and released theirbat power. The two mages behind them released magic dome, posing that they were ready for the fight. One of the young men asked loudly, "Master, did we do anything wrong?"


    "You killed over a hundred mercenaries. It was not a mistake. It is a crime," ck Eleven said coldly.


    "Master, do you have any proof?" the guy yelled.


    "They attacked us first," one of the girls screamed at the same time.


    "Good, at least you admit you killed over a hundred mercenaries," Ye said. "You can say whatever you want to say. No one would know who started the fight anyway."


    "We are telling the truth." That girl still did not realize her mistake. Even though her mistake would not change the result, mistakes were mistakes. No matter they admitted they had killed those mercenaries or not, they would be taken away.


    "Truth? It would only be truth if I say so," Ye said calmly and pulled his sword out.

 Chapter 464: Old Business

    Chapter 464: Old Business


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The young men formed a circle around the two girls and the mages. Their attitude was clear. They would not submit easily.


    Anfey turned to Ozzic and asked, "Is there anyone important above us?"


    Ozzic shook his head.


    "Alright," Anfey said. "Leave us."


    Ye nced at Anfey, then left quietly with his men. He waved his hand and the mercenaries in his inspectorate began shoving the patrons out of the tavern as well.


    "This is yourst chance," Anfey said, raising his arm and summoning a raging storm of elements.


    Even without the help of the ring, Anfey knew that the most powerful of the group should be the woman Ozzic had beaten. She was more powerful than Ozzic and was just pretending to be defeated. Even if he destroyed the tavern, she would still survive. He just needed to leave one person alive.


    Anfey didn¡¯t care if these people died or not. He founded an inspectorate because he needed a branch to keep the mercenaries in the city from viting the rules. Even though the inspectorate was new and its duties were still unclear, it was still very important and no one should disobey it.


    The patrons clearly knew who Ye was and what kind of power he wielded, which was why Anfey was very angry. He could not allow Ye¡¯s power to be questioned, because that would be an act of questioning his power.


    Suddenly, a voice called out and Anfey stopped moving. "Wait!" a middle-aged man appeared and hurried over. "Wait."


    The young men all moved out of the middle-aged man¡¯s way. "Put those away," the middle-aged man said. The young men looked at him, then reluctantly put their weapons away. The middle-aged man turned to Anfey and said, "What is it you need with them? We will cooperate."


    "Finally," Anfey said, "someone sensible." He looked at the man while turning the ring in his hand.


    "What did they do?" the middle-aged man asked carefully. "Did they... did they offend you, my lord?"


    "They killed a hundred mercenaries and refused to cooperate with me," Ye said, walking over. "I need them toe with me."


    "We were attacked first," one of the girls argued.


    The middle-aged man waved his hand and silenced her. He turned to Anfey and said, "I apologize, my lord. They are still young and too brash. Of course you can take them." He turned to the young men and waved his hand. The young men sighed and began slowly moving towards Ye.


    "And her," Anfey said, tossing a cup towards the woman who was sitting on the ground.


    The woman¡¯s body suddenly twisted, and she jumped to the side. The cup hit the floor and shattered.


    "Of course," the man said, "of course."


    "And you?" Anfey said. "I need to search this ce."


    The middle-aged man frowned. "I don¡¯t recall breaking anyws, my lord," he said.


    "You were hiding fugitives."


    The middle-aged man sighed. "I do not know when I have offended you, my lord. Do you enjoy ruining people¡¯s lives?"


    "Don¡¯t act too innocent," Anfey said. "What would those dead mercenaries think?"


    The man turned to the young men and said, "I¡¯ve always said don¡¯t be so brash. Don¡¯t make a decision you willter regret."


    "Don¡¯t try to do anything," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Rangers."


    "Rangers?" the middle-aged man repeated with a frown. "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, my lord."


    "Don¡¯t y the fool with me," Anfey said. "Treat others like you want to be treated. If you cannot do that, you have no right to talk about anything."


    "I am very confused, my lord," the man said. "I really have no idea what you¡¯re talking about."


    "Let me tell you," Anfey said. "My wife¡¯s name is Suzanna. After Trajan¡¯s rebellion, she left Gruce with her younger sister. She had a treasure map with her, but she was attacked, and half of the map was stolen."


    The man watched Anfey calmly. His expression did not change at all. The young men behind him clearly were not good liars. As soon as they heard Suzanna¡¯s name, they turned to each other and began muttering under their breath.


    "The treasure map belonged to her teacher and was a secret. I don¡¯t know how you found out about it, but I want to know. I know you¡¯re not peaceful people because you also resort to violence. If Suzanna were not as powerful as she is, there will be not justice for her or her sister."


    Ye watched in shock. Suzanna had never ordered anyone and had no officers, but she was still very important and held an important spot in a lot of mercenaries¡¯ heart. The mercenaries began getting very angry when they heard Anfey say that these people once attacked Suzanna.


    "You have no right talking about justice," Anfey continued. "You only speak of it when you cannot fight your way out of a situation. You are part of the Church. I didn¡¯t know anyone could be as despicable as you. I do not care what you say, but I will take you and those people with me today and I will search this ce."


    The middle-aged man frowned. "You mistake me for someone else," he said. "I really have no idea what Rangers are."


    "You will know," Anfey said. "You eithere with me or give me an excuse to kill all of you."


    "Fine," the middle-aged man said, shaking his head. "We will go, since you choose not to believe us."


    Ye waved his hand and the mercenaries hurried over, tying up the middle-aged men and the young men. They even tied up the girls as they brought them out of the tavern.

 Chapter 465: I Want to Have A Family

    Chapter 465: I Want to Have A Family


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When the supervision group of mercenaries took the people back to their station, Suzanna, Alice and few others had received the news ande over. They saw over 50 people arrested, including some elf dancers. Those elf dancers did not even have the chance to change their clothes. Their bodies shivered in the chilly spring.


    "Anfey, what happened? What made you so mad?" Alice smiled.


    "Mad? Not really." Anfey said in a low pitch. He gave Ye a look. Ye understood what it meant immediately. He turned around and walked to those "criminals".


    "All of you follow me. I have something to say." Anfey walked into the room first.


    Alice and Suzanna looked at each other before they followed Anfey in. Everyone took a seat, but Ozzic and Riska did not dare to sit. They just stood in the center of the room.


    "Can you guys tell us what is going on with you and that bar?" Anfey said with a serious look. "Riska, you go first."


    "Commander Ozzic invited me there. He said..." Riska looked like he did not know if he should continue.


    "What? Too embarrassed to say? Ozzic, do you want Riska to continue?" Anfey asked.


    "You can say it. Things have already gone sour. I do not want you to be med for nothing you have done." Ozzic muttered.


    Riska smiled bitterly. "Ozzic said he likes a woman and asked me to help him to check if she is good."


    "Is that it?" Anfey was shocked.


    "Yes. Today is the first time I went to that bar. I did not think..." Riska said.


    Anfey went quiet for a while and said, "Riska, I am sorry. I made a mistake today, but I hope you can understand that I could not ask you anything in that situation. I have to ask you when we are back." This was the strength of Anfey. When he realized he was wrong, he would admit it right away without giving excuses.


    "Does it mean I am ok now?" Riska shrugged. He patted hard on Ozzic and said with a suggestive tone. "Ozzic, now it¡¯s your turn. Good luck."


    Theplicated and dangerous situations had helped these rookies grow so much and so fast. Even though they matured in different speeds, but it was undeniable that they all changed a lot. How Riska reacted showed his intelligence. After Anfey apologized, he neither said "it¡¯s alright.", nor acted like he was wronged. Both reactions seemed inappropriate. If he said "it¡¯s alright", he seemed to agree that Anfey made a mistake on him. It would be even worse if he acted he was wronged. Ozzic actually was forgiving otherwise he could have argued with Anfey back in the bar. He chose to dodge away from Anfey¡¯s apology.


    Riska did notin about Ozzic even though he was dragged down in this situation. He was half serious and half joking when he patted Ozzic¡¯s shoulders. He tried to help Ozzic by reminding everyone in the room with his action and words that they were friends and fellows who went through thick and thin together.


    "It¡¯s your turn, Ozzic. What is your rtionship with the bar?" Anfey could not help giving Riska a long look before heid his eyes back on Ozzic.


    "Master." Ozzic said in a low pitch with a sad look. "Ye, you know me. I was an orphan. I was forced to be a mercenary when I was fourteen since I did not have any other ways to make living. I was only a swordsman apprentice. I could not join any mercenary groups. For the sake of my own safety, I could not join any of them either. That was why I was by myself." Ozzic had been thinking about what to tell Anfey on the way back to the station. When Anfey asked him to talk, he was able to vividly tell his stories.


    "Why?" Suzanna asked in surprise. "Wouldn¡¯t it give you safety if you joined the mercenary group?" In fact, Suzanna asked on purpose. It was obvious that Anfey was interrogating Ozzic. Suzanna wanted to light up the atmosphere a little bit. She felt bad for Ozzic since he had been very respectful to her. Every time when Ozzic saw her, he always greeted her Madam. He was very helpful and royal to Anfey as well. She wanted to help him.


    "Madam, when you went out to for your internship, you were already a senior swordswoman. That is why you did not know the nasty things for the lower level swordsmen." Ozzic said sadly. "A decent amount of people registered to be mercenaries every year, but what happened to themter on? How many of them survived? If I were a swordsman, I could be very helpful for a mercenary group. They would respect me. I was only a swordsman apprentice back then. No one cared about if I was alive or dead. I could be humiliated by others as entertainments, or be used as a bait for magic beasts. In fact, I have done the same thing to lower level swordsmen after I built my own mercenary group."


    Anfey rolled his eyes. He did not think this had anything to do with the bar, but he did not care about interrupting Ozzic.


    "I have done many things and suffered a lot since I was fourteen. I started to try to build my own mercenary group after I became a swordsman. I have worked very hard for the past 20 years. I am over 30 years old now. I want to have my own family now. I hope to have a woman who can take care of me and care about me." Ozzic said with a sad face. "If I waited few more years, I probably could not even see my child growing up."


    "Anfey, what Ozzic said is a big issue." Alice looked like she thought of something. "I have collected data. It showed that less than one third of the mercenaries married in the League of Mercenaries. This is so strange. Everybody knows that mercenaries are a dangerous profession. The male and female ratio is really imbnced. In the White Mountain City, the number of females is twice as much as males. I do not understand why those mercenaries are not married?"


    "Master Alice, there are many factors contributed to it." Ye smiled bitterly. As a mercenary, he knew the limitations for being mercenaries.


    "Tell me about it", Alice said.


    "It could not be exined with a few minutes. It is prettyplicated." Ye said in a low pitch. "It is not a good time to talk about right now."


    "Ok, can you write a report and give it to me whenever you have time", Alice said.


    Ye was shocked for a second about Alice¡¯s request. He wanted to p himself for talking too much.


    "Anfey, this issue needs to be resolved." Alice said seriously. "Only if we could give mercenaries a family, they would feel settled. Our welfare system needs to be better as well. For example, if a mercenary died, we should give money to his family to help with their life. In addition, we could build magic and swordsmen academies to give mercenaries¡¯ kids chance to learn."


    Everybody started to chat. Anfey could not help himself mming on the table to get everyone¡¯s attention. "We should be talking about the bar. We are off topics now."


    Everyoneid their eyes back to Ozzic. Ozzic said with a bitter smile. "vi and I went to that bar often. I got drunk twice there. Julie took care of me and..."


    "Which one is Julie?" Anfey interrupted Ozzic¡¯s talk.


    "That one, that one", Ozzic said.


    "The one calling you bro?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes." Ozzic lowered his head and said, "She has been very nice to me. One time, she took care of me the whole night. When I woke up the next morning, I saw her nodding off at the bed. Master, you have no idea how I felt at that moment. I ..."


    "That is why you are willing to be her watch dog?" Anfey said coldly.


    After noticing Anfey sounded cold again, Ozzic lowered his head even more. He did not dare to continue his story.


    Anfey looked at Ozzic for a while and heaved a slight sigh at the end. His anger towards Ozzic had gone. Anfey had Suzanna and got his own personal happiness. He cannot just allow himself to have a partner and stop his followers to have their own. It was not wrong for Ozzic to date that woman or guard the bar for her. Anfey has said in the bar that he would treat others as he wanted to be treated. If Suzanna ran a bar and someone went over to mess her up, Anfey would definitely fight for her. He should not me Ozzic for this reason. The mistake Ozzic made was he could not tell the real purpose in that woman. In fact, anyone, no matter men or women, once they fell in love, their intelligence seemed to go down. It was not fair to me Ozzic for that. Ozzic was Anfey¡¯s big helper. Now he started to talk about "having a family" on the table. Anfey felt bad for him and could not punish him for that reason.


    "Ozzic, do you really want to get married?" Anfey said slowly.


    "Yes." It was hard to believe that Ozzic blushed after he said yes.


    "There are girls in the League of Mercenaries. Why do you have to look for girls outside the league." Anfey sounded calmer than before. "This time you are wrong about that woman. Break up with her. It would not do you any good if you keep seeing her."


    "Master, I know she is not the right woman for me", Ozzic said.


    "Do you really know?" What Ozzic said made Anfey angry again.


    "Master, that woman is so bad. She tried to sabotage my rtionship with Ye in front of my face." Ozzic yelled. "What did she mean when she said Commander Ye did not want to do me a favor? I am not stupid. Not mentioning she is in trouble, even she is ok now, I would not see her."


    "Good, at least you still care about your friendship with Ye." Anfey smiled.


    "Anfey, I think Ozzic already knew he made a mistake. We should forgive him." Suzanna tried to convince Anfey to let it go after seeing Anfey smiling again.


    "No, I cannot just let it go." Anfey said slowly. "Ozzic, it is lucky that we found it early. What would have happened if we did not find it early enough? You would have made a huge mistake. To make you learn, I will punish you with 10 whips. Ye, you will give him the 10 whips. Do you agree, Ozzic?"


    "Yes,yes." Ozzic knew the issue was finally resolved, at least became a history for him.


    "Alice, I arrested a group of customers. Later, can you go and bluff them first and then release them?" Anfey asked.


    "Why did you take the customers?" Alice asked.


    "I did not only take them, but also killed one." Anfey said in a low pitch. "They did not show any respects to the supervision group and dared to stir up in the bar. I think they must have a special rtionship with the bar."


    "Then why are you asking me to release them?" Alice asked.


    "We can arrest them again after I release them now." Anfey smiled. "Ye, do you know what I meant?"

 Chapter 466: Tricks

    Chapter 466: Tricks


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What we know right now is that Alice was the one in charge of the League of Mercenaries," Scarlet said, leaning back in her chair. "I do not know why they trust her so much, but I am sure that you know she is too ambitious to be in charge of just a few thousand mercenaries. With three top level powers, the League of Mercenaries will band together much quicker than we expected. What do you think, Your Royal Highness?"


    Prince Jerrick sat next to Scarlet, staring off into space. He didn¡¯t say anything because he did not know what to say. If he disagreed, than he would put Scarlet in a difficult situation. He did not want to do that because she was so loyal to him. If he agreed, it would weigh on his conscious. He was the one who suggested marrying Alice to ensure an alliance with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. He couldn¡¯t allow Scarlet to kill her.


    "Anfey is too powerful right now," Scarlet said. "He fought with Desvidia and did not lose... we cannot do anything to him. Both Suzanna and Anthony are master swordsmen, which makes them unsuitable targets. Suzanna may be Anfey¡¯s wife, but her death wouldn¡¯t do anything to the League of Mercenaries. Anthony already handed Glory mercenary group off to his son, so there is no use killing him, either. If we kill both Anthony and David... then we risk Anfey reaping the benefits, and we cannot let that happen," Scarlet murmured.


    "We cannot take on a top level power, mydy," one of the men said quietly.


    "I know," Scarlet said. She turned to Prince Jerrick and said, "Which means the best target is Alice."


    Jerrick¡¯s hands shook. He knew that Scarlet said all that for him, in order to prove that Scarlet wasn¡¯t going to kill Alice because of their personal conflict. Killing Alice was the best option for them at the moment. He also knew that Scarlet had already made her decision before the meeting began.


    "The League of Mercenaries is still young, which means it still has a lot of ws. That traitor Kumaraghosha is Anfey¡¯s head of guards, but Alice doesn¡¯t have a single guard. It is very easy to take her out."


    Jerrick pursed his lips.


    "Alice is what¡¯s keeping that league together," Scarlet said. "As soon as she¡¯s dead, the city will fall into chaos. Anfey wasn¡¯t experienced enough to run a city, which means he would be tied to White Mountain City for a while. If he¡¯s there, Suzanna will be there. Anthony, of course, will never leave White Mountain City. That will make our lives so much easier."


    "Can¡¯t... can¡¯t we..." Jerrick took a deep breath and said, "can¡¯t we defeat them on the battlefield? I don¡¯t like the idea of assassinations."


    "You don¡¯t like it?" Scarlet repeated mockingly. "Really. Believe it or not, they are probably looking for ways to assassinate us at this moment."


    "Scarlet!" Jerrick said with wide eyes.


    "Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness," Scarlet said. "They can¡¯t touch me. Alice is a buffer between Anfey and Christian. A nation cannot have two kings. With Alice gone, Anfey and Christian must face all the difficulties that may arise when two parties vie for a certain position." Scarlet stood up and began pacing around the room.


    "What does that mean?"


    "That means that they have to divide the power between the two of them," Scarlet said.


    "Which would result in more conflicts," Jerrick said. "One of them will get less power and be upset. They¡¯ll hate each other."


    "Probably not," Scarlet said, shaking her head. "They are good friends. I don¡¯t think they will ever hate each other. But one thing is inevitable. If they split power, the mercenaries will take sides as well. That will divide the League into two parties. Anfey¡¯s party would be filled with powerful mercenaries. But the upper ss will never know the struggles of the lower ss, and vice versa. If the two sides fight, that will surely put a rift in their rtionship. A rift is easy to create and hard to mend."


    "Christian doesn¡¯t have his own men, does he?" Jerrick asked.


    "He doesn¡¯t because it¡¯s unnecessary," Scarlet said. "The League is working now because Anfey and Christian are working together. The mercenaries don¡¯t have to dere allegiance to one of them because there is no need for that." Scarlet paused and smiled at Jerrick. "If there is a rift in their rtionship, if the mercenaries realize the two are not as friendly as before...then they will start choosing sides and Christian will have his own mercenaries."


    "Maybe not," Manstuly said. "I¡¯ve seen them. They are as close as brothers. Even if the mercenaries are divided, I am certain Anfey and Christian would find ways to mend their rtionship."


    "Friendship can change, my lord," Scarlet said. "For example, you and Bruzuryano."


    Manstuly frowned. Bruzuryano was once a very good friend of his, and the druids always say as long as he and Bruzuryano are alive, the druids will be powerful again. As time went on, though, Bruzuryano thought Manstuly was too violent, and he thought Bruzuryano was too indecisive. Their friendship did not end well.


    Scarlet knew what she had to do to benefit herself and her empire, but she did not know what kind of people Christian and Anfey were. It seemed like Christian was kind and honest. He did not care about power. Even as Anfey tried to push him into positions of power, Christian was reluctant.


    Anfey seemed to be good at analyzing a situation. He knew Christian and trusted him. He had been rejecting friendships, but the friendships he developed were more precious to him than anything.


    Anfey may be an evil man, but he still had goodness in him. He still had kindness in his heart. Christian was kind, but he had his ns. He was not afraid of intrigue. Christian was ready to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.


    "Do you know what you need to do?" Scarlet turned and asked the men in the shadow.


    "When you get to White Mountain City, you should try and contact Nishieva," Scarlet said. "She will cooperate."


    "But," one of the men said hurriedly. "She¡¯s been saying some...inappropriate things. She already has Anfey and Anthony¡¯s attention. If we try to contact her, we risk exposing ourselves."


    "Nishieva is Anthony¡¯s wife and his son¡¯s mother," Scarlet said. "She is in a rtively safe position. She is not a fool. As long as you are careful, you will be fine."


    "Yes, general," the men in the shadow said.


    "Alright," Scarlet said with a wave of her hand. "You may leave now."


    Manstuly smiled at Scarlet. He admired her tenacity and her brilliance. If Alice died, Anfey would investigate. What would he do when he found out Nishieva was involved? Anfey wasn¡¯t the type to let the murder of his close advisor go, but if he did do something to Nishieva, it would damage his rtionship with Anthony and David.

 Chapter 467: Old-Time Servants

    Chapter 467: Old-Time Servants


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master!" Ozzic limped over.


    "Keep it to yourself." Anfey did not know whether he should cry or smile. "You were punished with whips instead of being hit with sticks. What happened? Your legs were not broken, were they?"


    Ozzicined immediately. "No, master. Ye did not do me any favors. He whipped with full force. I can take off my shirt to show you if you do not believe me."


    "I don¡¯t care if he did you a favor or not. You do not have to worry about me ming him for that." Anfey gave Ozzic a yful look. "I punished you to set an example for others, not to test your friendship with Ye."


    "How could such a shameful thing be an example for others?" Ozzic asked bitterly.


    "We will not talk about it." Anfey signaled the front door with his chin. "Are those criminals ok? Did you get a chance to see your date?"


    "Master, she has had nothing to do with me since that day." Ozzic immediately put on a serious look. "She is just a criminal to me now, with bad intention towards our league."


    "Can you really control yourself that well?" Anfey suddenly smiled. "I heard about your story from Ye. I actually can understand you now."


    "My story? What story?" Ozzic was shocked.


    "I heard you were starving when you were about 14 years old. You went to steal some food at a businessman¡¯s house and got caught at the scene by the hostess. However, she neither reported you to the patrol, nor gave you a hard time. Instead, she took out a lot of food to feed you. In the end, you even had sex with her. Since then, you have had special interest in the women around 28 years old. Is that right?" Anfey smiled.


    "Ye!" Ozzic stompled his foot out of anger and embarrassment. His face was beat red.


    "Commander, I had to tell Anfey," Ye said. "Master felt it was odd why you would like Julie when we have many prettier and younger girls in the league. Master kept asking me. I did not dare not tell him."


    ck Eleven, Zubin and few others standing behind Ye tried hard to hold theirughter. Anfey asked Ye in front of vi and few others. He did not like to gossip, but vi really enjoyed it. Soon, the upper level administrative team all knew Ozzic¡¯s story.


    "Master, you should not joke about it," Ozzic said with a low voice, looking sad.


    "What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Anfey was shocked for a second. "Oh, right, didn¡¯t you go to see her a lot when her husband went on business trips? Why did you stop seeing her? I asked Ye, but he did not know."


    "She was killed by her husband," Ozzic said with a low voice. "In fact, she did not have to die, but she tried to signal me and asked me to run. After a few days, I heard she died from disease. She was not sick. Her husband must have killed her."


    Anfey was shocked and sighed, "I am sorry, Ozzic. It was such a bad romance. Forget about it. It¡¯s history now."


    "It is not a secret anymore since everybody knows about it." Ozzic looked up, and then around the room. He said slowly, "I just hope no one will joke with me about this." This was the first Ozzic talked in such a serious tone since he joined the League of Mercenaries. It seemed that everyone had something they wanted to keep to themselves.


    ck Eleven, Zubin and others all put on serious looks and apologized.


    "Others say I am mean and bad, but it does not matter to me. I learned a lot from her. Whoever treats me well, I will return to that person even more. I could even pour my whole heart out." Ozzic walked to the door, opened it and went outside.


    From Anfey to ck Eleven and Zubin, they did not know how to respond. They felt they had betterfort him after Ozzic calmed down. Anfey walked into the jail, with Ye and ck Eleven right behind him.


    This was a high-security jail. It was so secure that all the criminals had no privacy at all. A gigantic iron cage hung in the air with four mercenaries underneath to guard it, whichpletely removed the possibility of escape.


    Over 20 people were kept in two iron cages. The cage with females seemed to be roomier, since there were only three of them in it, two girls and the so-called manager. The so-called manager was the woman Ozzic had been dating. Anfey kept dancers and waitresses in a better ce, even though they were rude. Anfey did not want to vent his anger out on them. After the investigation, he would let innocent people leave.


    People usually did not know how important freedom was until they lost it. Some people might disagree. They might think lives were more important than freedom, since without life, there would be no freedom. On Pan Continent, after people with weak telepathy died, their spirits would disappear quickly. It would be pointless for them to understand this principle.


    Three women all looked tired and sad. They had enjoyed a good life, so they could not stand life in jail. They could not sit ory down too long, otherwise their bodies would be restless. They could not even use the restroom freely. There was only a wood bucket in a corner without anything to block it. Whenever one of them walked to the wood bucket, dozens of mercenaries in the room would follow that woman. Of course, the other two women tried to cover her. It was undeniable that this was inhumane, but this world was developed in terms of magic, not in terms of humanity. It seemed impossible to talk about humanity in the very system.


    Men did not have a good life either. People usually did not like to talk about height. They felt their height was determined by the genes from their parents and they had no control over it. It did not seem matter to them whether they were tall or short. However, the men like topare the size of their private parts. One middle-aged man became the joke of the mercenaries. Mercenaries liked to call him "little birdie" at dinner. Even those three women knew what "little birdie" meant. The middle-aged man was a mentor, so the girls did not know whether they shouldugh about it, be mad, or ignore it. They could only pretend they did not hear.


    Seeing Anfey walk in, the middle-aged man suddenly stood up. He yelled in anger, "Master Anfey, what do you want to do to us? It¡¯s been three days. When will you let us leave?"


    "Little birdie, shut the f*ck up," a mercenary yelled before Anfey could say anything.


    Those young men did not dare tough, but Ye and ck Eleven did not have to hold in too much. Suddenly, people started tough. Someone even joked, "Little birdie, tell us how small it is."


    "This small." The mercenary got excited when he saw Anfey smile. He held his little pinkie out and covered the bottom half with the other hand. He said, "As small as little kid¡¯s snot."


    "Ok, enough." Anfey waved his hands to stop everyone fromughing. "How could we let you go if you don¡¯t admit who you are."


    "If we never admit it, would you keep us here our whole lives?" The middle-aged man was annoyed by theughter and forgot to speak with respectfulnguage.


    "That would make it too easy for you," Anfey said. "To be honest, the ce you kept your secrets were highly secured. We sent out an alchemist and over 20 mages to find it. We did not open your secret chamber until three days ago."


    The man looked shocked. He sounded a little frustrated. "Master Anfey, I do not know what you are talking about."


    "Don¡¯t worry. I will let you knowter." Anfey took a seat on the chair a mercenary carried over for him. Anfey took out a stack of papers from the Dimensional ring. He said slowly, "Really, my league has many talents. We have an alchemist and mages who can remove your magic defensive array. We also have a knowledgeable guy who helped us read those ancientnguages. Last but not least, we have a person with super memory. She is our CEO, and she can memorize everything she reads in high speed. She helped me find out all the important and suspicious information. Now I already know who the rangers are."


    "Anfey, I am not that guy," Hui Weiined. "How could you givepliments in such a sh*tty way?"


    "Who said I was talking about you?" Anfey smiled. Heid his eyes back to the middle-aged man. "In fact, I respect your courage and willpower. I even like your strategies, since this is a world that follows thew of the jungle. Unfortunately, you should not have attacked my wife."


    "Master, I really do not understand..." The man gave onest try, but he looked very desperate.


    "Actually, it seems that we are meant to meet each other," Anfey said. "You have two hubs. One is in White Mountain City, which I control now, while the other is in Violet City, which is also my feudal estate."


    The man¡¯s lips were trembling, but he tried to keep silent.


    "Don¡¯t you understand? For the past thousand years, my loyal Minos servants." Anfey suddenly looked sharp and cold. "Oh, my bad, the offspring of Minos servants."


    The middle-aged man looked pale. He felt weak and started to fall to the ground. Luckily, the young men held him up. Ye asked in surprise. "Master, which Minos?" He followed Anfey, but did not know what was written on the paper.


    "It seems that there is only one well-known Minos," Anfey said. "If your top powers were all in White Mountain City, I probably would not have been able to catch you."

 Chapter 468: Personalities

    Chapter 468: Personalities


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "They¡¯re working with Evil Mist?" ck Eleven asked, shocked.


    "Of course not," Anfey said, shaking his head. "A long time ago, Minos was just a reclusive supreme power."


    "Like your teacher?"


    Anfey nodded. "Yes."


    "How did you know that?" the middle-aged man asked.


    "You didn¡¯t invent thatnguage, did you?" Hui Wei asked. "Of course we can read it."


    "What else do you know?" the middle-aged man asked, turning to Anfey.


    "A lot," Anfey said. "I know that Minos was living near Violet City. He built a secret pce, but he released all of his servants before his death and forbade them from speaking about the pce. The descendants of the servants are scattered all over the world, but you still maintainedmunication. But because the servants wouldn¡¯t speak of the location of the pce, you have lost that knowledge.


    "That is why you have twomunication stations, one in Violet City and one here, because there are very few rules in the Country of Mercenaries. Your presence will be harder to detect."


    Ye and ck Eleven listened in shock. Not only they, but even the young men and women did not know much about the secrets of the Rangers.


    Anfey nced at Ye, who waved his hand and dismissed all the mercenaries in the room. "Minos had a special weapon, I heard. The Wheel of Fortune. With the Wheel of Fortune, he was able to find the wealth left by his predecessors, and that was why he became a supreme power. I didn¡¯t believe in fate before, but I do now. If you hadn¡¯t attacked Suzanna, I would have never noticed you. You know, that tavern has been around since the founding of White Mountain City. I¡¯m impressed how well you were able to conceal your tracks."


    The middle-aged man looked at Anfey but did not say anything.


    "Minos was a very powerful and brilliant man," Anfey continued. "But he is also a lonely man. Perhaps because he was too lonely, or perhaps because he began practicing dark magic, he split into two personalities in hister years. Sometimes, he would be fighting himself."


    "Himself?"


    Anfey nodded. "He knew a lot of things we do not. One of his personalities became convinced that fate is at work. Everything is predetermined. The other personality believed theplete opposite. That personality believed that fate wasn¡¯t real and he needed to fight against it. I believe his mind was quickly deteriorating then."


    "You mean his mind power, sir?"


    "No," Anfey said, flipping through the diary in his hands, "his mind. I believe he was going mad. This is the diary of one of his maids. There are some important things in here."


    "What does it say?" ck Eleven asked.


    "She said that before he dismissed all of them, he would often wake up during the night from nightmares. These nightmares were apparently so bad he would wake up screaming. He began sleeping with the Wheel of Fortune under his pillow. She would find him clutching the Wheel and shaking, as if he had seen some terrible things in it." Anfey paused and flipped a few pages. "She said he once asked her what made her happy. She told him that serving him made her happy and asked him the same question. He told her that ignorance was a blessing and he wished that he had that. Minos was very kind to his servants, which was why the maid dared to joke with him. She said that dogs knew nothing about that world: Were they happier than humans? Minos, donning a serious expression, told her that ignorant dogs were much happier than he and he wished he was a dog."


    Hui Wei, Ye, and the middle-aged man nodded. Minos must have seen something horrible.


    "Then the next chapter recorded Minos sending the servants away," Anfey said. "Alice believes that Minos must have made an important decision, and sending the servants away was only the first step. Maybe he was just trying to die in peace."


    "Minos was a supreme power," Anfey said, shaking his head. "He was a supreme power! What do you think scared him so much that he would have continuous nightmares and wish he was a dog?"


    "Maybe he saw gods," Hui Wei suggested. "He was a supreme power, which means he was closer to gods than any of us. Maybe he broke through the seal." He was only responsible for tranting and analyzing the text and did not know what Alice had said about those texts.


    "I think it was himself that he was scared of," Anfey said. "Think about it. Who taught Morgan, Desvidia, and Golman? Alice believes that Minos¡¯ final decision, whatever it was, failed. After he died, he was somehow revived and became a necromancer."


    "You¡¯re saying that... the future that terrified Minos so much wille true because of Minos?"


    "I don¡¯t know," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I really hope not. But I know that Minos¡¯ final attempt worked. Right now, Minos cannot remember where the Wheel of Fortune is."


    "How did you know?"


    "Edy and Honna were looking for it," Anfey said. He purposely withheld the information about thebyrinth Urter discovered under Violet City.


    "What should we do?" ck Eleven asked. "Minos controls Greenwich Ind. We can¡¯t attack the ind."


    "What we need to do is talk with the rangers," Anfey said, turning to the middle-aged man. "Minos gave his most trusted servants an order. The order wille into effect should he ever return as a necromancer. He wants you to destroy him and he left a way topletely destroy his soul. But this spell isn¡¯t written down anywhere. It¡¯s passed down from generation to generation."


    The middle-aged man was staring at the floor, and the young men and women were staring at him in shock.


    "In the beginning, you enjoyed peaceful lives. Minos taught you special ways to practice your power. No matter what happened, you would have enough power to protect yourself," Anfey said. "But after the necromancer Minos the First appeared, you immediately began looking for him. You¡¯ve been practicing and increasing your strength for thousands of years. You never gave up looking for him. This is why during every single War against the Dead there would be mysterious men and women appearing and fighting the necromancers. No one ever found out who these men and women were, but it was you, wasn¡¯t it? They were rangers."


    "What is your goal, my lord?" the middle-aged man asked.


    "You should know," Anfey said. "I respect your resilience and determination, but you have to realize you are not alone in this fight. The entire world will band together against Minos the First and necromancers. Plus, this war must have done considerable damage to your strength and numbers. You can¡¯t do this by yourself."


    "I...I can¡¯t make this decision," the middle-aged man said.


    "Then find the ones who can," Anfey said. "I need to talk to them." He turned to Ye and said, "Release them."

 Chapter 469: Value

    Chapter 469: Value


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Commander, why are you here? Where is the master?" Ye asked.


    "Master and Madam are behind me," Ozzic said. He pointed diagonally behind him. "You can go see yourself. I am not going to go with you. Master has been giving me lessons whenever he gets a chance. I do not want to look for troubles myself."


    Ye looked around and found no one was around them, except for ck Eleven behind him. He said, "Commander, that day..." Ye felt he owed Ozzic an exnation since it involved Ozzic when he surrounded the bar. Ye was promoted on Ozzic¡¯s rmendation and treated him as a brother. He had been busy putting out fires for the past few days. He could not squeeze in any time until now. If he waited a few more days, his exnation would seem pointless.


    "You do not have to exin. I know." Ozzic patted Ye on the shoulder and smiled.


    "No,mander, let me exin." Ye tried to exin immediately. "I got aint from a mercenary that someone attacked him in the bar for no reason. I was ready to do an investigation on the bar and then ck Eleven came to see me. I did not know it was not an ordinary bar till then. Commander, you were very close to the people in the bar. I was worried they would sense something fishy and all escape if I let you know I wasing. If that had happened, I was afraid Master Anfey would be enraged."


    "I know. You did not have to exin. I said I knew." Ozzic shook his head as he smiled. "In fact, I am not very talented, but I am good at evaluating people. Ye, we have been friends for a long time. How could I not know you? Don¡¯t you remember when I wanted to seek help from Moramatch, you told me it would be wrong to seek help from others. You said no matter whom we seek help from, it would not be better than having our own freedom. How about now? Was I wrong?"


    Ye went quiet for a moment and smiled. "You were right. I was wrong."


    "That is why I stopped you from exining to me. I know you were in an awkward situation," Ozzic said.


    "Commander, back then, did you know Master Anfey would make such huge aplishments in subsequent days?" Ye smiled.


    "No. I would be a prophet if that were the case. I just knew Master Anfey was great. He was not a mean and unforgiving person, so ..." Ozzic said.


    "Did you say this to me?" Anfey pushed the door open and walked in. "Do you hate me for punishing you with a few whips?"


    Suzanna followed Anfey and smiled. She understood Anfey well. If Anfey still joked with Ozzic, it meant he still treated Ozzic as his trusted brother. If he were disappointed in Ozzic, Anfey would act politely and nicely to Ozzic instead.


    "Master, I do not dare," Ozzic said bitterly.


    "Why are you two here?" Anfey looked at the shiny silver ax as he talked. He sighed. Anfey felt lonely for not having an opponent to practice fighting with. He went to see Suzanna immediately after he got the ax back from Hagan. He wanted to check the power of the ax. After one strike, Suzanna refused to practice fighting with him. Of course, Suzanna did not worry about hurting Anfey. She cared about her sword. Anfey¡¯s ax had the power to cut everything. If Suzanna held in there for a while in the fight and won, her sword would definitely be ruined no matter what.


    ck Eleven stepped forward and said quietly,"Master, please forgive me. The issue concerning the rangers was so important that I passed the news back to Sacred City without your permission." ck Eleven had the chance to ask permission from Anfey, but he did not do it. If he had asked permission from Anfey, but Anfey had not allowed him to send the news back to Sacred City, he would have been ruined. He still had the chance to try right now at least.


    "Was it worth you reporting to me?" Anfey was shocked.


    "Huh..." ck Eleven did not know how to respond.


    "I said yesterday that wiping out Minos I is not only the rangers¡¯ aim, but also mine. This is themon aim of all intelligent people on the Pan Continent. You should have let our king know about it," Anfey said.


    ck Eleven thought Anfey would get mad, or at least be suspicious of him because it was obvious ck Eleven worked for both the king and Anfey. He could not hide such a big issue from Anfey, so he chose to take the consequences after he reported to the king.


    After hearing what Anfey said, he felt relieved.


    "Ye, what¡¯s up with you?" Anfey looked him over and smiled. "I noticed that you two have been so intimate. You guys are together all the time, no matter where you are."


    Ye did not know whether he should cry orugh. "Intimate" should not be the word to describe the rtionship between ck Eleven and him. It did not sound right. He pretended he did not heard it since it was from Anfey¡¯s mouth. "Master, ording to the roster on the paper, after a thorough analysis, we did not find them sharing anything inmon. If there has to be one, they both lived a long life."


    "Long life?" Anfey put the ax back into his Dimensional ring and fell into thought.


    "Yes. Take the maid who kept the diary for instance: sheined in thest few diary entries that she could not see things clearly after her 90th birthday. She even made a fool of herself a few times after that, which also proves she lived for more than 90 years," Ye said.


    "Anfey, Do you think those rangers will work with you? They are so proud," Suzanna asked in a low voice.


    Anfey shook his head. "I don¡¯t know. In fact, I do not have any specific ns yet. I am just going to go with the flow for now. If they could be recruited into our league, I will definitely take them. If we could only work togethering instead of having them join our league, it would be a better choice for us anyway."


    "What if they are ying games with you?" Suzanna asked.


    "ying games? Do you think I would be taken advantage of?" Anfey smiled. "Their royalty and courage for the past thousands of years touched me, which is the reason that I am trying to work with them. If they gave up thisst chance, nothing would hold me back. They have attacked you before. Now I am trying to work with them. In fact, I do not feel good about it. If they y games with me, it is it is exactly as I would wish."


    "Anfey, don¡¯t think about me," Suzanna said gently. "Without them, I would not have had a chance to meet you. Maybe I should thank them for that," Suzanna said.


    "Thank them? How do they deserve thanks?" Anfey looked cold and sharp. "No matter whether we are working together or fighting together, I will have to get what I want."


    "What do you want?" Suzanna asked in surprise.


    "Minos is a great man." Anfey said slowly. "With the help of the Wheel of Fortune, he received a lot of nice things, including the experiences, lessons and relics from ancestors. I remember when Hui Wei saw it, he was very angry. He said he had searched a lot of relics, but could not find anything useful. They were all emptied by Minos."


    "Neither Hui Wei, nor Minos were the only people who knew about the relics," Ye said. "They could have been taken by others."


    "We do not know who else might have, but we know Minos did," Anfey said. "It proves my guess is right, otherwise he would have be a saint. His stuff is not that useful to me, inspiring at most. However, to you guys, they could be..."


    Before Anfey finished talking, everyone felt their hearts pumping fast. Did Anfey mean that their fighting ability would improve if they could have those things.


    "Master, yesterday you said that most of the inheritance was lost in the battles. I think so too. Many of them were just on senior level, but none of them was a top power. How useful would their stuff be for us?" Ye asked.


    "Have they had any top powers before?" Anfey asked.


    "Well, yes," Ye said.


    "So, even if their inheritance was lost, it does not mean there is no value in their stuff," Anfey said slowly. "Maybe they just could not understand them, or they did not know how valuable those things were."


    "I agree with master," ck Eleven said excitedly.


    Violet City was far from White Mountain City, which was in chaos. Sheriff Urter was gone for no reason, which became sensational news in the city.


    The previous city master was sick in bed. There was no leadership in the city. Luckily, there were two people in high positions in the city. One was Miss Niya and the other was Miss Shally. Niya was the daughter of Archmage Saul, and Shally was the sister-inw of Anfey. Any of them could turn around the city if they wanted to.


    Even though neither Niya nor Shally had any experience managing a city, they had to take over anyway. Niya was a little better than Shally handling the job. She did not have a specific n, but she worded her orders with "for whatever cost", "even if you have to dig out the whole city", "otherwise" and other forceful words. If Anfey and others were there, they might have found Niya funny and cute. However, she was very serious about this job, and the patrols and troops did not think the same way as Anfey.


    Urter finally came out of hisa. He slowly opened his eyes. He tried to turn his head to see the magic Transmission Portal behind him first. When he turned his head back to see what was in front of him, he was stunned.


    Urter found himself lying in a beautiful and gigantic room. It would be not be an exaggeration to say it was a pce. Dozens of magic Forever-Lasting magic lights were hung on the walls. About half of the magic Forever-Lasting magic lights were out, but even with less than half of them lit, the ce was very bright.

 Chapter 470: Qualifications

    Chapter 470: Qualifications


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Your Majesty, this is a risky move," the old man said quietly to Ynthe.


    Ynthe frowned. He turned to Saul and asked, "What do you think?"


    "This is the first time I heard about the Chameleon Unit, Your Majesty," Saul said. "I am not qualified to give an opinion." He paused and smiled. "I can, however, talk about this issue from another angle. Douminge has been serving Scarlet, and he is one of the most powerful mages in the world. His lightning spells are nightmares for all of his opponents. Anfey may be a two-discipliner, but..." Saul¡¯s voice trailed off. Clearly, he didn¡¯t think Anfey was qualified enough to take on Douminge.


    "Scarlet has the Supreme Armor," the old man added. "Even though it ranks after the Azure Armor, it is still not a good idea to underestimate it." The old man paused and sighed. "I¡¯ve seen that armor before. The only ce not protected by Supreme Armor are the eyes."


    Ynthe nodded but did not say anything.


    "If Douminge is there, even if Anfey could get close to Scarlet, he will only have one opportunity. Scarlet is a senior silver knight. She won¡¯t be sitting around and waiting for him."


    "Douminge won¡¯t be the only one protecting her, either," Saul said. "If Manstuly or Fernando is there...well, I believe that it is impossible for anyone to kill her if she is protected by so many top level powers."


    "I agree, Your Majesty," the old man said. "We cannot use the Chameleon Unit right now. If Anfey fails, the unit will be exposed. We cannot allow that to happen."


    "We¡¯re all old now," Ynthe said with a sigh. "The future of Maho Empire lies in the hands of the younger generation. If we can¡¯t provide aid, the least we can do is encourage them."


    "You mean..."


    "Tell Anfey about this," Ynthe said. "I want to him to make his own decision."


    "What if he insists on killing Scarlet?"


    "Then we let him."


    "This is too risky!"


    "We all did risky things when we were young, didn¡¯t we?" Ynthe said, shaking his head. "Anfey isn¡¯t someone who would rush into a decision. I trust that he will n out his every move beforemitting to the n."


    Saul and the old man sighed and nodded.


    In White Mountain City, Sam brought a man to the meeting room to meet Anfey. The middle-aged man who was referred to as Little Bird, Sam walked into the room and nodded at Anfey.


    "This is the man that can make a decision?" Anfey asked Sam. White Mountain City had reopened its trade routes and became busy again. The merchants and mercenaries had shed a few times since the reopening of the routes. Investigations showed that the merchants had done nothing wrong: The mercenaries had started the arguments. Alice wanted to punish them, but she needed to run the decision by Anfey.


    Sam nodded. "This is Lord Robert," Sam said. "Lord Robert, this is the head of the League of Mercenaries, Lord Anfey."


    "Sit," Anfey said.


    "I¡¯ve heard rumors," Robert said, "about your rudeness, sir."


    "You¡¯re not that important," Anfey said with a shrug. "You¡¯re a guest. Isn¡¯t it natural for you to respect me?"


    "Such rudeness will not earn you any respect, sir."


    "Anyone who treats me with respect, I will treat with respect," Anfey said. "Sit."


    Robert sighed. "Is it true that you have Sacred Inheritance?"


    Anfey looked at Robert with a frown. "Are you questioning me?"


    "No," Robert said. "This is a question I need an answer to. It is vital to my response."


    Anfey blinked, then nodded.


    Robert nodded. He sat down and dismissed Sam. Realizing that Robert wanted to speak alone, Anfey waved his hand to dismiss the mercenaries. Kumaraghosha nodded at him and ushered the mercenaries out of the room.


    Kumaraghosha was standing outside the room when he saw Alice hurrying over. She smiled at him and was going to push open the door.


    "Wait," Kumaraghosha called. "Lord Anfey wants to be alone, My Lady."


    "Why?" Alice asked. This was the first time someone stopped her from seeing Anfey because she, like Christian, didn¡¯t need to report beforehand to meet with Anfey.


    "He¡¯s speaking with the Rangers, mydy," Kumaraghosha said.


    "I see," Alice said. Even though Anfey didn¡¯t talk much about the Rangers, Alice knew how important they were to him.


    "Do you want to wait here, mydy? Ore backter?" Kumaraghosha asked.


    "Lord Anthony has an important guest," Alice said with a frown. "Anfey needs to greet the guest himself."


    "Who is it?" Kumaraghosha asked, curious. Normally he wouldn¡¯t be nosy, but he cared about Alice.


    Alice nced around and whispered into Kumaraghosha¡¯s ear, "Batusimon sent someone over. They¡¯re at Lord Anthony¡¯s right now."


    "So Storm mercenary group wants to join the League as well?" Kumaraghosha asked. The League had already became Kumaraghosha¡¯s new home and he cared very much about its health.


    "Maybe," Alice said with a smile. "Maybe they have further ns. Who knows? Kumaraghosha, you trust people way too easily."


    Kumaraghosha smiled. "Mydy is wise."


    Alice shook her head. "What did I say before? Treat me as you would a sister."


    "Ah...yes, My Lady."


    Alice rolled her eyes. She saw Kumaraghosha as an older brother, but clearly Kumaraghosha didn¡¯t see her as a sister.


    "Why don¡¯t I go talk to Lord Anfey?" Kumaraghosha asked.


    "No need," Alice said. "The Rangers are equally as important. I will wait."


    The wait was longer than Alice had expected. She grew bored and went to run some other errands. By the time Kumaraghosha sent someone to fetch her, it was already dusk.


    Because Anfey was so interested in the Rangers, Alice became interested in them as well, but she didn¡¯t want to appear to be reaching above her station.


    Alice walked into the meeting room, and her attention turned to the stranger. She felt that he looked familiar, but she did not remember where she had met him before. Back when she was back in Shansa Empire, she would meet hundreds of people everyday. It was no surprise she did not remember who Robert was.


    "Do you know each other?" Anfey asked.


    "He looks familiar," Alice said.


    "No," Robert said, shaking his head. "Just... she reminds me so much of a Shansa Princess. I almost made a mistake."

 Chapter 471: Looking Better

    Chapter 471: Looking Better


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Alice leaned back in the chair behind her desk. She rested her cheek on her hand with her right elbow on the arm. She was quietly in thinking.


    Robert was an acquaintance of hers. When she was 16 years old, she went to pacify an uprising by farmers as Edward VIII¡¯s representative. She almost died on that trip, but luckily the lower-level and intermediate-level leaders did not really want to fight against the empire. Under their protection, Alice was not only safe, but also stopped the riot. Robert was one of the intermediate-level leaders.


    After that trip, Alice started to worry about her future because her father, Edward VIII, went against his own promise. After the peasant army was dismissed, Edward VIII killed most of the leaders who had agreed to work for the empire. Only a few of them escaped after they heard the bad news that their peers had been killed. By the time Alice found out, she was not able to help them. When others needed her, she could be a leader with great power. However, when others did not need her, she was just a weak girl without any power. How could she protect others if she could not even protect herself?


    Anfey had said that a person was stupid if he kept doing the same thing over and over and expected a different result. Alice believed it. Because of her previous lessons, she secretly trained dwarves and gnomes after she joined the League of Mercenaries, even though Anfey did not think they were any good. She did not want to burn her bridges even after she decided to join the league.


    Alice was very careful to train the dwarves and gnomes in secret. Anfey had not been informed that the dwarves and gnomes had formed an organization in Moramatch. If dwarves and gnomes were brought above ground, they would be weakpared to regr army. However, they could secretly and skillfully move around underground. Without their permission, no one could go into the underground city. The underground city was also thest secret ce Alice kept for herself.


    She did not n on betraying Anfey. She did it only for her own safety. If she had to betray Anfey, it would be based on premise that Anfey betrayed and dumped her first. She knew the secret underground city would not keep her safe for more than a few days if Anfey wanted to attack her with his strong power. However, she would rather die in the underground city than be controlled by others. Working for Anfey was her only andst option. If she worked for him with all her heart but in return was betrayed and deserted, she would be totally disappointed with this world and would not care if she died.


    Now, with the rapid development of the League of Mercenaries, her power was getting stronger and stronger. She managed more and more people in the league. Therefore, she seemed to be more involved in the league.


    Maybe because the League of Mercenaries was such a new organization, it was quite different than the gloomy countries that had existed there for many years. Many things that were disdained by so-called politicians touched Alice. She had never seen those things before in her country.


    What stood out the most was sincerity. All the leaders of the League of Mercenaries treated each other with sincerity. They rarely had any office politics. Anfey with Christian, Ozzic with Ye, and Hui Wei were Hagan were like brothers. However, in Alice¡¯s country, she only saw brothers fighting for power.


    Christian sometimes fought with Alice because they held different opinions on things, but he never tried to ruin her reputation. He only wanted to find the best solution to the problem. Chief of Staff Hui Wei always tracked her and reported it to Anfey. He did not mean to spy on her. Every time when she struggled with a case or dealing with a person, Anfey always appeared in time to support her. Suzanna came to talk to her a lot. Suzanna never posed as the wife of Anfey in order to preach to her, but rather chatted with her as a friend. Suzanna always felt bading to bother her, so she always asked Alice if she was bothering her or distracting Alice from the work.


    Anfey had talked to Alice a few times to ask her to only pay attention to big issues and delegate power to other people to handle little things. He told her that everyone only had so much time to manage every day. If she kept being too detail-oriented, she would be exhausted to death. He also told her a great man in history died from exhaustion. Alice did not know which dynasty the man Anfey talked about was from, nor where he was. Anfey had always appeared to be aloof when they were alone, but she knew he cared about her, which already made her quite happy.


    Another reason she got involved more with the league was the crush she had. There was an old saying that all young men had crushes for girls, while all girls secretly craved love. Young girls usually paid attention to the best guys around their age. Even though a girl knew it was just a secret and bitter crush, she would rather be alone than date any boy. Alice had better taste than regr girls. She could not fall for just any ordinary guys. Unfortunately, Anfey had already found his love.


    Alice saw Robert. Even though Robert did not hide his history, she was still scared, because the few peasant leaders who ran away and survived definitely hated her very much. They even nned to assassinate her. They believed in Alice¡¯s promises and chose to work for the empire. Edward VIII¡¯s crime was unfairly put on Alice. In those peasant leaders¡¯ eyes, they must have thought she was a mean and vicious woman.


    Anfey did not tell Alice what he and Robert had been talking about, but Alice could tell Robert posed as if he had less power than Anfey. She was afraid Robert might say something bad about her to Anfey and ruin the happiness and trust she enjoyed now. Anfey had a sophisticated mind, but Alice did not even consider whether Anfey would believe Robert because she panicked.


    Her door was pushed open. A middle-aged mage was brought in by mercenaries. Alice looked up and smiled. "Mr. Hesier, what is going on?" Anthony trusted Hesier a lot. Hesier was also amander of a squad under Anthony¡¯s mercenary group. She had seen Hesier a few times before.


    "Master Alice, how are you?" Hesier bowed. "Commander asked me to bring a few people in. It¡¯s urgent. Is Master Anfey here?"


    "Don¡¯t you know Anfey had an appointment to fight Manstuly? He has already headed off." Alice smiled. In fact, Anfey needed to go to the headquarters of Death Roaring Legion soon after he received an urgent mail from Baery. Anfey was going to leave tonight. Alice could not let anyone see Anfey at that moment.


    "Master Anthony told me to speak with you if Master Anfey were not here," Hesier said quietly. "Master, they are outside. Should I let them in?"


    "Yes." Alice nodded at the mercenaries.


    After a while, two men in swordsman uniforms were brought in by mercenaries. They smiled and acted very humble.


    Alice did not feel like anything was wrong. She was the CEO with a lot of power, so many people were nervous in front her. "What is going on?"


    Hesier looked around first and seemed to be hesitant to talk with mercenaries around.


    "You guys can leave for now." Alice waved her hands. Hesier was Anthony¡¯s henchman, so she believed she could trust him as well. White Mountain City was a safe ce. Alice never worried about her safety.


    The mercenaries left the room. Hesier said slowly, "Take the letter out and show it to the Master."


    One of the swordsmen walked to Alice. He took out a letter and carefully put it on the table. Alice picked up the letter. As she was ready to open it, the swordsman suddenly threw himself at Alice. He covered Alice¡¯s mouth with one hand and squeezed her neck with his arm.


    Alice was shocked and scared. She immediately tried to kick the desk to make some noise, but a magic screen appeared and covered the four of them underneath it.


    In the blink of an eye, Alice¡¯s arms were tied tightly behind her back. Sheid on her stomach on the floor. Her kicks looked weak.


    "Master Hesier, the general said this woman was the trouble. We have to kill her." A swordsman talked to Hesier with a sinister smile. Alice¡¯s heart dropped after she heard their conversation. Alice wondered what general they were talking about.


    Hesier shook his head. "Don¡¯t forget, your army is still in the ckwater City and your supply chain has been cut off. Our madam has the say on this issue now."


    The swordsman prepared to reply, but the other swordsman gave him a look. The facts supported Hesier. At that moment, the army with several hundred thousand people needed supplies from Ellisen Empire. No one knew whether Princess Nishieva represented Ellisen Empire¡¯s royalty. They did not want to take the risk.


    "You guys wait outside first." Hesier signaled them by pursing his lips.


    The two swordsmen smiled bitterly. They nced at Alice and unwillingly moved outside of the magic screen. One of them turned around before he walked out and said, "Master Hesier, please make it quick."


    Hesier walked around Alice, again with a sinister smile on his face. A magic crystal appeared in his hand. "My princess, I believe you have seen this before. What a luxury."


    Alice was not in the mood to talk with Hesier. She struggled to move her arms to try to break herself free. She kept knocking the floor with her feet, hoping the mercenaries outside the room could hear her. Unfortunately, all the sounds were absorbed by the magic screen.


    As Hesier chanted in a deep pitch, the magic crystal lit up. "This memory magic crystal will record what is going to happen between us. Hehehe, wow! Your pubic hair looks so clean. You look like a virgin. I am so lucky." Hesier touched Alice smooth cheek as he talked.


    After hearing what Hesier said, Alice got so angry that her eyes seemed to pop out. She almost passed out from the rage. When intelligence fought with force, intelligence seemed so weak. Right now Alice could only struggle. She tried harder to make noise with her feet to the floor. She even tried to knock the floor with her head.


    "Don¡¯t be like this. It hurts me too when I see you hurting yourself." Hesierughed exaggeratedly. He bent down and grabbed Alice¡¯s hair. A bottle of potion appeared in the other hand. He poured it into Alice¡¯s nostrils. Alice choked and trembled from it. Hesier talked to her in a nicer way this time though. "Be good. Suck it all in. It will make the movie more entertaining. If others could tell you are forced, it would lose the fun of it."

 Chapter 472: Ambitious

    Chapter 472: Ambitious


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Even though she was trying very hard not to breathe, she still inhaled some of the potion. Her chest slowly grew heavy and the heaviness slow spread to the rest of her body. She grunted, trying to fight against the feeling the potion brought upon her. Her body arched, as if enduring great pain.


    Hesier was a mage and was Anthony¡¯s advisor. He had a lot of rtionships, but he had never found any woman as beautiful as Alice. He reached out with a hand, wanting to grab Alice¡¯s shoulder.


    Alice¡¯s body began shaking. She was shaking only because she was in great pain. Even a situation like this did not dull her mind. She knew what Hesier¡¯s potion was, and she knew she must remain conscious in order to keep the potion¡¯s effects from taking over. She bit down hard on her tongue, hoping the pain would keep her awake. When the pain wasn¡¯t enough, she bit herself again and again. Blood seeped through her pursed lips.


    Alice knew that she was on her own. The only way she could get through this was to be strong. Her tongue was burning with pain, but she had no other choice. She had to stay conscious. She did not want to give up now.


    Hesierughed. He knew that Alice was only an apprentice mage and did not worry. He walked up to Alice and untied her.


    Alice was shaking even harder without the ropes restricting her movements. She wrapped her arms around herself and was shaking violently.


    Hesier knew his time was limited. He grabbed Alice¡¯s leg, dragging her closer to him. Alice clenched her teeth and curled up tighter. Hesier spotted a dagger hidden under Alice¡¯s dress, but he trusted the potion was potent enough to make Alice forget about using the dagger.


    Before Hesier could do anything, he suddenly felt a sharp pain and his entire body numbed.


    Anfey had given the dagger to Hui Wei to give to Alice. Even though it found its way to Entos first, it eventually ended up in Alice¡¯s hands. At that moment, it was the dagger that saved Alice.


    The dagger¡¯s numbing effect was not as powerful as before, but it was enough to numb Hesier. Alice cried out and pushed Hesier off of her. She gripped the dagger in her hand and shed at him.


    Alice had never practiced with the dagger, and it was difficult for her to control the weapon, but she did not care. As long as it keep Hesier away, it was good enough.


    She brought the dagger down on Hesier¡¯s face, mming it into his eye socket. Hesier opened his mouth, but could not make a sound. Even if he could, no one would hear him. The two guards he had were outside, and he had set up a magic barrier so no one would hear anything. The guards couldn¡¯t see or hear anything that was happening inside.


    Alice did not care how precious the magic dagger was. She ripped the dagger out and shed at Hesier¡¯s face. Blood sprayed onto her face and body, but she did not care.


    As Hesier died, the magic barrier he set up disappeared as well. Alice took a deep breath and stumbled to the ground. "Help!" she screamed.


    Shinb was responsible for Alice¡¯s safety that night. She had been very busy during the day and had taken a nap after her shift, which was why she waste. She learned that Alice was talking with a mage from Glory mercenary group after she arrived and it did not worry her. Until she heard the scream.


    If it had been Christian or Zubin or the other mages, they might have hesitated and tried to make sure they did not make a mistake. Shinb, however, was a swordsmaster. Her reflexes were very fast, and responding to screams was second nature to her. As soon as she heard Alice¡¯s scream, she kicked down the door.


    Inside, Alice was huddled on the ground, half naked. A man with a bloody face was lying on the ground next to her. Two swordsmen were standing around her with their swords out.


    Shinb lunged towards Alice and grabbed her before the swordsmen¡¯s swords could reach other. She dashed towards the door with Alice. The swordsmen¡¯s swords left two long gashes on her back.


    She quickly determined that the two were intermediate swordsmasters. She waved her sword angrily and bright sword radiance enveloped the two swordsmasters.


    Scarlet¡¯s n was a good one, because the League was still young and unstable. Now was the best time to kill Alice. However, Scarlet was too ambitious. She wanted to kill Alice and cause conflict between Anfey and Anthony. She wanted to get Nishieva involved, because she knew that it would be difficult for Anfey to punish her without angering Anthony and David. However, Nishieva had a different n.


    If Scarlet and Nishieva had agreed on a single n, then Alice would have been dead.


    Anfey and Suzanna were already away from the city when they felt a strong surge of magic. The two looked out of the carriage¡¯s window just in time to see a fiery cloud rise above White Mountain City.


    Recognizing the distress signal, Anfey and Suzanna nced at each other, then jumped out of the carriage and dashed back towards the city.


    By the time they reached the city, Christian and Zubin were already waiting for them. "What happened?" Anfey asked with a deep frown.


    "Assassination attempt on Alice," Christian said, looking at Anfey and Suzanna. "Zubin will take you to Alice, Anfey. Suzanna, can youe with me?"


    Suzanna and Anfey¡¯s eyes widened. They had just left the city. "Those people went that way?" Anfey asked angrily.


    "Suzanna and I will take care of it," Christian said hurriedly. He rose into the air and streaked away. Suzanna nced at Anfey and left with Christian.


    "What happened, exactly?" Anfey asked Zubin. He felt something was off with Christian.


    "There was an assassination attempt on Alice," Zubin said. "Don¡¯t worry, though. She¡¯s safe now. Someone fed her some aphrodisiac. Warner and Hagan have been treating her and said it won¡¯t causesting damage. She will be fine in no time."


    "Was she injured?" Anfey asked. He was very anxious because he knew how important Alice was to the League. The League could run smoothly as long as Alice was there to take care of everything.


    "She almost bit her tongue off," Zubin said. "She did it herself. Other than that, she is fine."


    "Christian..." Anfey started, then sighed. "They¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m sure. Come on, I want to see Alice."

 Chapter 473: Release

    Chapter 473: Release


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    White Mountain City was barricaded up until city hall. Besides mercenaries from the League of Mercenaries, no one else was on the streets. The news that Alice had been the victim of an assassination attempt shocked everyone in the city. The leaders in the league all came to city hall, whether they were on duty or not. Even the ones who had just finished duty came to the city hall without any rest.


    Anfey suddenly noticed that many people peered at him with strange looks, but at that moment, he did not have time to ask them why. Zubin and Anfey walked to Alice¡¯s bedroom together, but Zubin stopped at the door. "Anfey, I am not going in. It is not appropriate for me to go in at this moment."


    Anfey frowned. He wondered why everyone was weird, including Christian, the people in city hall, and now Zubin. He needed to figure out the reasonster. Anfey did not respond to Zubin. He pushed the door open and walked into Alice¡¯s bedroom after he nodded at Zubin.


    Alice¡¯s bedroom was simply decorated, but very clean. She had been like this since she was little. Civilians worked very hard from early morning tote at night for a few silver coins. For somerger families, a few silver coins were not enough to feed everyone. Alice felt she would havemitted a crime if she simply spent hundreds of gold coins on luxuries.


    Besides a dresser, a desk and a chair, there was no other furniture in the room. The bed was not even where it used to be. Where the bed had been was a mess now. There was a magic screen in the room, which blocked everything underneath it.


    Anfey walked straight into the magic screen without any hesitation, but he was stunned by what he saw.


    Alice was like the sleekest fish, constantly rolling and moving on the bed. Her clothes had been ripped badly. Her skin showed through the rips. Anfey could even clearly see her nipples.


    Her dress and undergarments had been rolled up to her stomach. Her long and smooth legs rubbed and wrapped against each other. Her fair toes curled together at one moment stretched out at other times. Her hands were busy as well, touching and rubbing every part of her body that her hands could reach to. She even left fingerprints on her smooth and fair skin.


    Anfey had kept himself cool. This scene did not really shock him. Alice constantly opened and closed her mouth. Sometimes she sounded like she was weeping, while other times she sounded like she was moaning, sighing, and screaming. No matter what she sounded like, the only clear word from her mouth was just Anfey¡¯s name.


    Even though Alice made unclear noises, Anfey still heard what Alice was screaming about. What shocked him more was the bright redness on her face. Every time Alice screamed, she broke her wounds. Bright red blood oozed out from the corners of her mouth after every scream. If the potion continued to affect her, or if she did not exhaust herself to death, she might not be able to continue screaming. Then no one would know if Alice was in pain. Alice might look like she was having fun, or having heavenly joy.


    Alice cared about her stability a lot. She worked very hard for Edward VIII to try to get her father¡¯s affection. She thought her father could find her a good man to marry if she could get more affection from him. After her hope for a good marriage was crushed, she decided to run away from the marriage without any regrets.


    She used to be scared by Anfey because he was too smart and had unpredictably high fighting power. From another point of view, what scared Alice about Anfey were also the qualities that made Anfey stand out. As she felt close to Anfey, all the good qualities Anfey possessed became bright fire, while she was a moth darting into the fire. She knew she would not get Anfey¡¯s love, but she still threw herself into it without any regrets.


    Aphrodisiac was just an excuse. It gave Alice an opportunity to release her depression without anything holding her back. Every scream came from the bottom of her heart. She was expressing her wishes and dreams.


    Without this opportunity, Alice would not know how much feeling she had for Anfey for the time they were together. Neither would Anfey know how much he owed to this girl for the love she had for him.


    Alice did not think she was ying by herself. She thought Anfey wasforting her, touching her and kissing her. She even thought she was having sex with Anfey. Alice looked happy because she did not know all of these were her illusions. Her clenched toes, stretched arms and moving body all showed she was happy and enjoying it.


    Shinb had been taking care of Alice since morning. Christian was aware that the stability of the League of Mercenaries would get affected if there were any conflicts between Anfey and Suzanna. The fewer people knew about this, the better it would be. Even though Shinb was hurt, she was still the best person for this job.


    Shinb was busy wiping the blood from the corners of Alice¡¯s mouth. It seemed there was more blood oozing out. Shinb saw Alice scratch herself and leave red marks on her body as Shinb held Alice¡¯s feet down. As she tried to hold Alice¡¯s hands, Alice¡¯s legs were rubbing, wrapping, and shing together. Shinb looked like she needed a helper.


    Seeing Anfey show up in the magic screen, Shinb felt very awkward. As a woman, so she did not want Anfey to see this scene. In fact, Anfey felt a little awkward too.


    Anfey remained quiet for a while to calm himself. He asked quietly, "Why didn¡¯t you hold Alice with magic?"


    "Hagan said it would not work. Alice had to vent her desires, otherwise it would hurt her body." Shinb lowered her head. "Hagan said the potion will be effective for a while and then Alice will be fine."


    Anfey did not know how to respond. Alice¡¯s scream had made Anfey feel bad. He turned his head and saw the nkets on the floor. Anfey bent over and picked the nket up to cover his uneasiness and put it on Alice.


    "Don¡¯t..." Shinb said immediately. Unfortunately, she was toote.


    The softness of the nket seemed to make Alice¡¯s desire even more stronger. She looked like she was being shocked when the nket touched her. She held the nket close to her and rode on it. She stretched the nket tight by pulling on both ends by her hands and legs. Alice made satisfying sighs. She sounded like she was crying, "Ah, Anfey, Ah."


    Anfey was shocked for a second. He intended to cover Alice. He thought putting the nket over her would not make her feel too awkward in front of Shinb in the future. Anfey was not there for Alice when she was in trouble. Anfey felt he had the responsibility to protect Alice if he was with her. He did not think it would make the situation worse.


    Anfey immediately reached his hands out to try to take the nket away from Alice. He finally understood why Shinb did not want Alice to have the nket on her. He was a little rough when he tried to pull the nket away from her. He pulled a little too hard. He did take the nket away from Alice, but the force made Alice slightly open her eyes. Alice screamed and cried out of surprise and happiness. She threw herself on Anfey and held tight to Anfey¡¯s waist area with her head around Anfey¡¯s crouch, rubbing him.


    Anfey unconsciously wanted to push Alice away. As he put his hand on her shoulder, he suddenly paused for. He dropped his hand instead. If Alice did this to him when she was sober, Anfey would not care about her. He might have scolded her or said something sarcastic, but Alice was just a sick person with a crazy mind and indulged herself in the sexual desires and illusions. Besides, Anfey should take most of the responsibility for the assassination attempt.


    It would be a shame and ridiculous if Anfey med Alice¡¯s tragedy on his enemy. Why didn¡¯t Anfey have a better security system to protect Alice? Why didn¡¯t Anfey anticipate that Alice, with weak fighting ability but heavy responsibilities, would be the target of his enemy? If Anfey could think of assassinating Scarlet, his opponents could definitely have used the same strategy on him. At this moment, Anfey felt terribly guilty. Alice could be safe now because she was quite lucky. However, Alice¡¯s fortune was not an excuse for Anfey to forgive himself.


    Perhaps Anfey felt bad, or perhaps for some other reason, Anfey did not push Alice away. He let Alice rub herself against him.


    "Master, I am leaving," Shinb said anxiously.


    "No!" Anfey said firmly. He had to keep Shinb there to make sure there would not be rumors about Alice. Smart people like Anfey also could make mistakes. In other words, Anfey was a little selfish. He could only think about this issue from his point of view, but forgot the justice Alice should receive. There would be rumors and gossip about Alice no matter what.


    Anfey thought things were bad at this moment because Alice had lost her mind. Anfey thought he could shake off everything with Alice after Alice felt better. Anfey thought he had the girl he wanted, to love and protect, and Alice would have her man someday as well. However, could he really shake off everything with Alice? Christian asked Suzanna to do something on purpose, while Riska and others acted so weird. Could Anfey really feel he had nothing to do with Alice?


    It did not matter what Anfey thought of the rtionship with Alice, because Alice had tried to crawl on Anfey without caring about anything. She exhausted herself so much that she almost fell on the floor. Anfey had to hold Alice. Taking this opportunity, Alice held tight onto Anfey. Alice made many acrobatic moves while holding Anfey¡¯s arms. Whenever Anfey tried to let his hands go, she would immediately fall to the ground. After she climbed on Anfey like a vine, she would behave better. Of course, she would behave better only in a manner ofparison. Anfey¡¯s muscr body seemed to give Alice a secure feeling. Her arms and legs did not move as much and fast as before. She wiped the blood from the corners of her mouth on Anfey¡¯s face. In a moment, Alice painted Anfey¡¯s face with her blood.


    Shinb did not know if she should cry orugh at what she saw. She felt bad for Alice¡¯s tragedy, but Anfey still looked too funny with blood all over his face. At the same time, she felt a little anxious. It was so rare that she had taken a break earlier that day, because she never took any breaks. If she could have gotten to Alice earlier, this would not have happened.


    Without knowing how much time had passed, Alice started to get calmer and finally fell into a sound sleep on Anfey¡¯s shoulder. She still wrapped her legs around Anfey¡¯s waist. Anfey sat down on the bed to make Alice morefortable. He held Alice¡¯s slim waist. This position made them look like they were having sex.


    "Master, the effects of the potion seem to have gone away now." Shinb looked happy.


    Anfey moved Alice a little bit. He finally felt relieved when he saw no reaction from Alice. Anfey slowly turned his body sideways to carefully put Alice on the bed. He reached his hands behind his back to take Alice¡¯s legs down.


    Looking from behind, they still looked like they were having sex. Anfey grabbed Alice¡¯s feet to spread them open. He had to open her legs otherwise he could not get out. Standing behind Anfey, Shinb blushed at this scene. Shinb felt her heart pumping fast. When Shinb saw Anfey ready to leave after he put the nket on Alice, she reminded him, "Master, I think you will want to clean up the blood and teeth marks on your face."


    "Oh?" Anfeyughed awkwardly. He had tough to cover his uneasiness.

 Chapter 474: Decisions

    Chapter 474: Decisions


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Tell me," Anfey said, looking at everyone in the meeting room.


    "The thing you were going to take care of..." Christian began with a frown.


    "That¡¯s urgent," Anfey said. "Which is why I need to leave as soon as possible." He paused and looked around. "Which is why I want to see a n before I leave."


    "This is difficult," Ye said, shaking his head. "Hesier was well-liked. He had a lot of friends in the city," Ye sighed, "but it¡¯s not his friends I¡¯m worried about."


    "What is it, then?"


    "Nishieva," Ye said.


    "Nishieva?" Anfey repeated. The name sounded very familiar, but he couldn¡¯t recall who it belonged to.


    "She¡¯s Anthony¡¯s wife," Ye said with a sigh.


    "Are you sure?"


    "I¡¯m certain," Ye said. "Hesier¡¯s wife is just a normal woman. I don¡¯t believe she was capable of lying to me."


    "Where is she now?"


    "She¡¯s dead," Ye said. "I needed Edy to make sure she was telling the truth."


    Anfey sighed. Hesier¡¯s wife must be innocent, but Hesier put Alice in danger, and Ye needed to do everything it took to find out more about Hesier and his motives.


    "Did her story check out?"


    "It did," Ye said.


    "What did she tell you?"


    "A lot of useless things," Ye said. "But she did tell me that Nishieva came to find Hesier a few days ago and spoke with him alone. They talked a few times after that, and she gave Hesier a memory crystal. She told me that Hesier had showed her the crystal and was very proud of it. I don¡¯t think I need to prove anything further."


    "Does this mean Anthony is a part of this?" vi asked hesitantly.


    vi¡¯s words made the atmosphere in the meeting room even more tense. If Anthony really was involved in this assassination attempt, they couldn¡¯t just let him get away with it. But with Anfey and Suzanna out of town, could they take down a top level power like Anthony?


    "I don¡¯t think so," Anfey said, shaking his head. "Anthony is a careful man. His ns are meticulous. If he really was involved in this... I don¡¯t know how he would do it, but his n would not be this sloppy. At least, he wouldn¡¯t let Ye find out so much about it in this short amount of time."


    "I agree," Ye said. "Anthony and David supported my decision on take Hesier¡¯s wife and investigate his friends. I don¡¯t think I could have done it this easily without their support."


    "Anthony¡¯s n wouldn¡¯t have such tant ws," Anfey said, shaking his head. "He wouldn¡¯t use his own wife as bait, either. Whoever made this n is sloppy. Hesier must be an idiot. Does he think we will just let him go?"


    "Well, we almost got fooled by an idiot, so..."


    "So we need reform," Anfey said. "We need to examine ourselves. What did we do wrong? How did we allow things like this to happen?"


    "Maybe Anthony is behind this," Christian said suddenly. "He purposely made such a sloppy n because he knew that we wouldn¡¯t attribute such a n to him."


    "Maybe," Anfey said. "But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely. News about Alice has already spread throughout the city. Anthony and David have helped Ye, which means they know. Shouldn¡¯t they at leaste and visit her? They didn¡¯t, because they are conflicted.


    "When Ye found out Nishieva was involved, they found out as well. If Nishieva really is involved, they should bring her to us, shouldn¡¯t they? If he purposely led us to her, he had nothing to worry about. He didn¡¯te because he is conflicted. If he really gave up his wife, the mercenaries would lose respect for him and his son. David has just taken over Glory mercenary group. He needs the mercenaries¡¯ support. They didn¡¯te because they don¡¯t want to give up Nishieva. They also know that we will want to punish Nishieva. This is why they haven¡¯te to visit Alice."


    Christian frowned and nodded.


    "Another thing. What is Anthony¡¯s goal? You saw how happy he was when Baery announced that he should be a duke. You can¡¯t fake that. Anthony is satisfied with his current status, which is why he turned Glory mercenary group over to David. He wants Glory mercenary group¡¯s achievements to be David¡¯s. Killing Alice does not benefit him at all," Anfey said. He smiled at the people in the room. "Anthony should know a memory crystal is not enough to buy Alice¡¯s loyalty."


    "What about Nishieva?" Sante asked loudly. "Sure, he wants to protect his wife, but what about Alice?"


    "He¡¯s right," vi said, standing up. "Anfey, let¡¯s go. We need to arrest Nishieva."


    "Ask Christian," Anfey said. "I can¡¯t make that decision."


    "Why me?" Christian asked, surprised.


    "With Alice gone, you are in charge all of internal affairs," Anfey reminded Christian.


    Christian looked at Anfey and shook his head slightly. Anfey frowned. He didn¡¯t like politics and enjoyed revenge, but he also knew that revenge was the least viable n at that moment. Demanding Anthony to hand over Nishieva was not a good n.


    "Christian!" Sante said hurriedly. "Say something."


    "We must wait," Christian said. "Anthony wille to his senses. I believe he will give us a satisfying answer."


    "So we wait?" Sante asked angrily. "What will we tell Alice when she wakes up?"


    "Anfey, say something!" vi said. He didn¡¯t like Christian¡¯s decision and wanted support from Anfey.


    "I support Christian," Anfey said, shaking his head. He saw Christian¡¯s expression and knew he couldn¡¯t let Christian take the me for this decision alone. "Hagan said Alice will wake up soon. Let¡¯s wait until she wakes up and make a decision."


    "What if Alice is insistent?"


    "If she wants, if she insists..." Anfey took a deep breath. "Then you can destroy Glory mercenary group."


    "Anfey!" Christian said, surprised. "Anthony is a duke now. You can¡¯t just do that."


    Anfey shook his head. He could serve politicians, but he would never take part in politics. An eye for an eye. Only then would he be satisfied.


    "Who will be charge of Alice¡¯s safety?" Suzanna asked.


    "Kumaraghosha will be her personal guard from now on," Anfey said. "Shinb, I know this will be difficult, but I want you to stay as close to Alice as possible at all time."


    "Yes, sir," Shinb and Kumaraghosha said in unison.

 Chapter 475: Revenge

    Chapter 475: Revenge


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Three dayster, Anfey drove to a remote vige in the wagon at noon, which was less than 50 miles from the headquarters of Death Roaring Legion. Anfey was not worried about the issues in White Mountain City. If Anthony did not do it, then White Mountain should not be a serious trouble now. Moreover, he had sent people to get Marino and Entos. Marino had power and reputation, while Entos was a very close friend of Anfey. With their help, League of Mercenaries should not be in any dangers.


    Baery and Ernest came to the same little vige in the afternoon. Maho Empire had secretly ced many spies in Shansa Empire. Shansa Empire probably did the same thing to Maho Empire. Even the Death Roaring Legion might have spies in other countries. Baery and Ernest could not let Anfey into the headquarters. For reasons of safety, Baery did not even bring a bodyguard with him.


    In fact, Anfey and Baery had seen each other recently. They skipped over the courtesy of greeting and got to the topic quickly. Baery asked, "Anfey, I heard your CEO had an assassination attempt against her and Anthony¡¯s wife was involved?"


    "Yes." Anfey nodded.


    "Is Alice alright?" Baery asked.


    "She is ok, but it scared her a bit," Anfey said.


    "That¡¯s good." Baery paused before he continued, "I have seen Nishieva at the appointment ceremony in White Mountain City. Myment about that woman, hmmm, how to put it into words? She appeared to be tough, but feeble in essence. She made sarcasticments about me in front of everybody. After I got mad and smacked the table to confront her, she got scared and never said anything afterwards."


    "Of course, she was scared. You are the general of the empire, a god-like warlord. Anthony is a top power, but he is noparison with you," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Didn¡¯t you get my point?" Baery frowned. "I meant she does not have guts to do things like this. Someone must be behind her to stir things up."


    "The person behind Nishieva has to be from here." Anfey lifted his chin and pointed to the north.


    "Are you saying it is Scarlet?" Baery asked.


    "No one else but her," Anfey said.


    "You are right. It has to be her," Baery said, and then went quiet.


    "Mr. Baery, is everything ready here?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, but I cannot give the order," Baery said.


    "What do you mean?" Anfey asked.


    "The king said you have to give the order," Baery said seriously. "Before you make any decision, I need to let you know our n first."


    "Ok." Anfey nodded.


    "Prince Jerrick learned somewhere that he should visit civilians," Baery said. "When he was in a good mood, he would always generously give money and offer help to people. When he was not in a good mood, he would justfort people in words to brush them off. After he came to the Country of Mercenaries, Prince Jerrick still kept this habit. Now the disaster of death spirits has passed, so survivors havee back to their hometowns. They provided Prince Jerrick a good opportunity to showcase his habits. The chiefmander¡¯s n is to create some conflicts when Prince Jerrick tries to show his generosity and kindness to people. Our people who are inserted onto Jerrick¡¯s team will kill those mercenaries who make trouble. Our disguised mercenaries will find more mercenaries to join the fight and surround Jerrick¡¯s bodyguards. We will rush out of the encirclement to look for help from Scarlet, and then it would be your time to join the fight."


    "How many bodyguards does Jerrick have?" Anfey asked.


    "Not many. Jerrick is not very talented. He is not that important to others either. People do not find him very valuable. No one even nned to do anything to him, so he is used to dress casually to show that he treats himself as a regr person. We should have no problem attacking him," Baery said.


    Anfey shook his head. "Jerrick might not have value to others, but he definitely means something to Scarlet. Without Jerrick¡¯s help, Scarlet would not be who she is now. If no one else cares whether Jerrick is dead, I think Scarlet would. I guess there must be some top powers among his bodyguards."


    "Anfey, I think you are putting the cart before the horse," Baery said. "Without Jerrick¡¯s help, are you sure Scarlet could not be who she is now?"


    "Well..." Anfey was shocked.


    "Without Jerrick¡¯s help, Scarlet could get help from other princes. Do you think any of them would refuse to help her? Especially after Scarlet made a name for herself, there was a rumor in Shansa Empire that no matter which prince would marry Scarlet, he would be the future king, including the youngest brother of Jerrick, a nine-year-old boy," Baery said in a low voice.


    Anfey did not reply. He just attentively listened to Baery.


    "Shansa Empire has not had any real good generals for many years. The debut of Scarlet seemed to meet the image of a good general by generations of soldiers. That is the reason she could gain control of the military in such a short time." Baery continued, "Why do you think Edward VIII sent out the Griffin Aerial Unit? It is because Scarlet got support from all the princes, soldiers and citizens for the fight. For hundreds of years in the history of war between Shansa Empire and Maho Empire, Shansa Empire had more losses than victories. Even when Shansa Empire surrounded our ckania City, they had to run back to their country at the end. Everyone in the Shansa Empire wants to win so badly."


    "Did you say Scarlet already has control of the military?" Anfey suddenly remembered something. "Then what is the point for us to fight her? Won¡¯t Edward VIII fight her soon?"


    "What is going to happen to us in this battle?" Baery asked quietly. "If we lose this battle or win it with many casualties, if Edward VIII regains control of the military or Scarlet overthows him, it would be pointless. We cannot wait that long. In addition, necromancers are still watching us and waiting for the opportunity to fight back. We need to end this battle as soon as possible."


    "But, if the situation is like you say, Scarlet might not evene to save Jerrick. Even if Jerrick dies, she could seek help from other princes," Anfey said bitterly.


    "She wille to save Jerrick," Baery said with certainty. "First of all, our people would spread the news that Jerrick is in trouble. Everyone knows Jerrick and Scarlet are a couple. Scarlet has to go and help Jerrick. Jerrick truly loves Scarlet. It is true that Jerrick is not very talented. Think about it, what does it mean to Scarlet? Can she give up on Jerrick?"


    Baery continued, "Anfey, you need to worry about other issues instead of this one. The most terrifying person around Scarlet is Douminge. He is an Electric Series archmage. His magic skills are phenomenal, especially Lightning Guard. It seems to be the nightmare for all the non-magical fighters."


    "Lightning Guard?" Anfey asked.


    "A cloud of gas with metallic color will appear above his head when Douminge releases the Lightning Guard magic. The gas cloud releases powerful lightning balls extremely quickly to attack the target Douminge locks onto with his telepathy," Baery said in a low voice. "Let me reiterate that lightning balls are super fast. In the blink of an eye, you could be attacked a few to more than a dozen times. Don¡¯t forget, lightning balls have paralyzing effects. If I had to fight with Douminge, I might still be paralyzed even after he kills me."


    Anfey could not help frowning.


    "The more terrifying part is Lightning Guard is just a materialized magic, which means that he could release other magic, even Forbidden Spells, after releasing Lightning Guard magic."


    "I see." Anfey nodded.


    "Won¡¯t he difficult to deal with?" Baery asked.


    Anfey shrugged. "The more challenging the task, the more excited I get."


    "You are..." Baery smiled bitterly. "After talking about Douminge, let¡¯s talk about Supreme Armor. It was armor of a male Golden Knight. After Scarlet got it, she asked an alchemist to tailor it to her. It fits her very well now."


    "Supreme Armor?" Anfey asked.


    "Don¡¯t overlook armor. For example, if Ernest and Suzanna fought, Ms. Suzanna would have an advantage at the beginning because she would be wearing Azure Armor, while Mr. Ernest would not even have soft armor on him," Baery said slowly, "I am not sure how strong the defensive ability of Supreme Armor is, but the chiefmander told me that he may not be able to pierce through the Supreme Armor after crashing thebat power on Scarlet first."


    Anfey recalled Suzanna¡¯s Azure Armor and nodded to show he understood.


    "Supreme Armor covers Scarlet very well. The only exposed body parts are her eyes and nose." Baery thought for a moment before he continued, "Besides, Scarlet is a senior Silver Knight. She already has really quick reaction without any doubt. You only have one chance to attack her. You need to be really careful. If you were attacked by Lightning balls and got paralyzed after being targeted by Douminge¡¯s telepathy, you would be paralyzed and had no chance to even open your dimensional ring."


    "What else?" Anfey asked.


    Baery was shocked for a second. "Scarlet not only has Douminge. Manstuly, Fernando or others mighte with her. The only people who could help you are Ernest, Shawn, and Dalmatian. I have tried my best. At this moment, do you still want to assassinate Scarlet?"


    Anfey went quiet for a moment and smiled. "Of course. I still want to take revenge for Alice if for no other reason."


    "Anfey, you should not joke about this issue," Baery said with a serious voice.


    "I never joke about my life," Anfey said.


    "You..." Baery did not know how to respond to Anfey. In fact, he did not think Anfey could do it.

 Chapter 476: Motivation

    Chapter 476: Motivation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Suzanna leaned against Anfey¡¯s shoulder and watched the night sky. Anfey turned and saw the moon reflecting in her bright, clear eyes. She had been running around with Christian for a few hours and had not seen anyone. She was curious, but she did not suspect anything because she trusted all her friends.


    Anfey had always said that his home was wherever she was. Now Suzanna understood this as well. No matter where they were, no matter how dangerous their future would be, she was content because she was close to Anfey.


    Suzanna snuggled closer to Anfey and smiled.


    Anfey reached over and rested an arm on Suzanna¡¯s shoulder. After that night, he was certain of Alice¡¯s feelings for him. That was part of the reason why he left White Mountain City in such a hurry. He needed to meet Baery, but he also wanted to get away before Alice woke up to avoid any awkward situations.


    No matter how strong Alice¡¯s feelings for him were, it could notpare to Suzanna. Suzanna¡¯s love was unconditional. She was willing to give away everything, even herself. In a way, Suzanna was like Shinb. Shinb fell in love with Manlyn, and she even gave him the mercenary group she worked so hard for. Manlyn¡¯s betrayal nearly destroyed her. If she didn¡¯t hate him as much as she did, she might not have survived. Anfey didn¡¯t want Suzanna to be another Shinb. He loved her too much to put her through anything like that.


    Alice¡¯s words the other night had moved Anfey, but he quickly calmed himself down. He wasn¡¯t worried about the rules. He believed in an eye for an eye, and he knew no one could stop him if he wanted revenge. However, he must convince himself first.


    "Anfey," Suzanna said, straightening herself.


    "What is it?" Anfey said, turning to Suzanna.


    "Why do you want to kill Scarlet?" Suznna asked. "I agree with Lord Baery. It¡¯s too dangerous!"


    "I need the motivation," Anfey said. "Having a goal motivates me to be better."


    "The only thing exposed by that armor is the eyes," Suzanna said. "Scarlet won¡¯t be sitting around, waiting for you, either. She will fight back, you know. If you can¡¯t do it,e back. Promise me."


    "I already did, didn¡¯t I?" Anfey said, smiling.


    "I need a formal promise," Suzanna said, her expression grave.


    "Alright," Anfey said. "I promise. I will not risk my life for this. If I miss that one chance, I will immediately get myself out of there." He looked at Suzanna and asked, "Do I look like someone who does not care about his life?"


    Suzanna looked at him for a few moments, then nodded.


    "Really?" Anfey asked, his eyes wide. "I would never risk my life unnecessarily. You have to believe me."


    Suzanna giggled. She knew him well and knew he wouldn¡¯t risk himself for an impossible goal.


    Anfey¡¯s eyes widened. "You were just joking," he said.


    "Of course I was," she said. She leaned closer to him and pecked his cheek.


    Anfey grinned. "This side too," he said, pointing to the other cheek. "You can¡¯t miss the other one."


    Suzanna smiled and kissed his other cheek as well. Anfey¡¯s grin grew wider. "And the lips, too," he said hurriedly. "Can¡¯t forget that."


    Suzanna rolled her eyes. "I¡¯m serious right now," she said.


    "I am too," Anfey said. "Do you not want to kiss me?"


    Suzanna sighed. "Fine," she said, shaking her head. She moved closer and left a quick kiss on his lips. Anfeyughed and held her closer to him.


    Suzanna leaned her head against his chest, her eyes again watching the night sky. Anfey looked at the snow under the tree and sighed. "I am a count," he said, shaking his head, "but I¡¯m always sleeping in trees."


    Suzanna looked up and rolled her eyes. "You can¡¯t me anyone but yourself for that," she said. "You¡¯re the one who insisted on assassinating Scarlet."


    "I¡¯m only doing it for our future," Anfey argued.


    "Future?" Suzanna frowned. "But our future is secure, isn¡¯t it?"


    "I have two choices," Anfey said. "One is to disy my strength and scare all my opponents. Another is hide my power so my opponents would underestimate me. I like thetter, but we cannot hide any longer. We have already made a name for ourselves. The more we hide, the more enemies we will have, and there will be more threats to my future. Anthony would have never work with us if I hadn¡¯t killed Michael. If he really wanted to go against Michael, he would have done it himself, or he would have sent someone to talk with us. Instead, he waited until he was certain he would pick the winning side."


    "I see," Suzanna said, nodding.


    "I¡¯m not mocking Anthony, of course," Anfey said. "I would have done the same thing. Michael isn¡¯t enough. I still need to disy my strength, and Scarlet is a good choice, I think. She can bring as many guards as she wants. If I want to kill Scarlet with hundreds of guards around her...then we can make them scared of me. That will make things so much easier."


    "So you¡¯re certain you can do this?"


    "No exactly," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "What about a n, then?"


    "You can¡¯t n for these kind of things," Anfey said, shaking his head. "It¡¯s all luck. A n will have ws no matter how good it is. No one can predict the future, which is why I rarely n for this kind of thing."


    "I see," Suzanna said. "What can we do, then?"


    "I just need you guys to distract them," Anfey said.


    "Manstuly knows you," Suzanna said. "He won¡¯t be distracted by us."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. He found a piece of charcoal in his dimensional ring. He crushed part of the charcoal and smeared the powder on his face.


    Suzanna giggled.


    "I can turn into someone else with this," Anfey said. "I have to stay away because if I get too close, someone can tell something is off. Of course, by the time I get close enough for them to tell something¡¯s wrong, it will be toote."


    "Are you certain?"


    "Of course. I can do better, I think, but this is the best I can find."


    "If that n doesn¡¯t work, you have toe back," Suzanna said. "You have to get away. Scarlet is no match for Baery. You don¡¯t have to risk yourself."


    "Again?"


    "I need you to promise me!"


    "I promise, I promise," Anfey said, nodding.

 Chapter 477: The Song of Torment

    Chapter 477: The Song of Torment


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It was not an easy task to ask others toe to a certain ce within a certain period of time. When Prince Jerrick slowly walked into this little town with his paramilitary unit, he did not realize how much calction and time were involved in this n. This was just the beginning of the Song of Torment.


    The town was about 80 miles away from ckwater City. Even though it was not too far from ckwater City and Scarlet¡¯s headquarters, it was not close either. Any other time, Prince Jerrick would not havee here. He heard ckwater City protected the towns around it during the disastrous time of death spirits. As a result, people in those towns tended to be on the side of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. The towns a little further away from ckwater City seemed to have different stories.


    Prince Jerrick paid a lot of attention to the current situation. No matter what others thought of him, Jerrick wanted to develop a course of action for himself. Even when there were no opportunities, he still offered others some precise and honest suggestions to try to prove he was a capable prince.


    Jerrick took just over 100 people with him, but he still drew a lot of attention from the town. After a while, a group of mercenaries came out from the town to wee Jerrick. Jerrick took the lead and jumped off his horse. He tried to wear a polite and warm smile as he approached the group of mercenaries.


    In fact, Jerrick was never the center of attention. Even though many people did not think highly of him, it did not mean he could be yed by anyone. Some people with bad intentions might be able to lure him to there, but it was still hard to change Jerrick¡¯s thinking and his principles.


    After a short conversation, Prince Jerrick and the mercenaries became acquainted. Jerrick did not talk about business. He only mentioned that he hade for a visit. The group of mercenaries was the temporary manager of the little town. When they determined Jerrick was a honorable prince, they looked very respectful and warmly weed him.


    Jerrick nned to pay a short visit to get to know the little town and go back to ckwater City. The group of mercenaries had some senior level professionals among them. They were very hospitable towards Jerrick.


    Jerrick liked to learn from the wise rulers of the history books. Wise rulers had certain strengths. For example, they were all good at detecting their subjects¡¯ hardships and recruiting geniuses in different fields. Even though Jerrick only came to know them superficially, he started to be interested in these mercenaries. He happily agreed to stay for the night.


    "Boss, look, that girl is peeking at you," a paramilitary soldier said quietly. Thisment help to start the scheming.


    Gaza was shocked at first and turned around to take a look. He saw a girl nervously look away. For some reason, women in this town were either old or ugly. None except that girl was attractive to Gaza. She had a pretty face and looked a little shy. She was a real eye popper. There was a saying that red flowers needed green leaves to show off the flowers¡¯ beauty. After seeing old and ugly women, Gaza could not help gulping hard after seeing that girl.


    It seemed inappropriate for Gaza to stare at the girl with so many people around. Gaza had to turn back. The paramilitary soldier whispered in his ear, "Boss, she is looking at you again."


    Gaza turned around really quick to take a look this time. Gaza and the girl looked into each other¡¯s eyes. He could clearly see that the girl was blushing. The girl was so shy that she lowered her head and squeezed through the crowd.


    "Boss, it would be great if I could be as handsome as you," the paramilitary soldier said with jealousy. "No matter where you go, many girls like you."


    "Boss, go after her. I think she must have a crush on you," another paramilitary soldier said with a smile.


    "Stop it! Don¡¯t forget we are the paramilitary of Prince Jerrick," Gaza said with a serious tone.


    "Boss, don¡¯t you like her? Great! I will take her if you don¡¯t like her," the first soldier said with a smile. "I will ask around about her."


    Gaza felt mad but funny at the same time when he saw the soldier turn his horse around and leave the squad. Gaza felt it would be inappropriate to say anything. "This guy..." Gaza had not been part of the paramilitary unit for long, not even half a year. He fought with his brother for the throne, so he did not get along with his brother. He was at a disadvantage in a fight. He asked people if he could be a captain in the paramilitary unit. He tried to look for ways to move up. When he first came to the paramilitary unit, Gaza was still very impulsive. He was forced to join the paramilitary unit, so he was not good at controlling his temper. As a result, he was bullied and rejected by his peers. Luckily, a few soldiers sought help from him and became his hatchet men. With their help, he was able to escape from dangerous situations. After he was more stable in the paramilitary unit, those two soldiers became his hatchet men. He did not want to scold them over such small things.


    What happened next was nothing exciting. They went to have lunch and then dinner. The economy in this town seemed pretty good. The food was not gourmet, but they had meat and wine with their lunch and dinner. Compared with the poor living conditions in White Mountain and ckwater City, this little town seemed a bit like heaven.


    Gaza was just a captain and could not eat at the same table with Prince Jerrick. The mercenaries in the town arranged another ce for them to have dinner. The soldier who went out to ask about the girl did note back to the squad until it was dark. Seeing the grin on his face, Gaza could not help thinking of that beautiful girl. He pretended it was just a casual question. "You have been gone for a long time. What information did you get?"


    "Yes, her name is Istar. She is a such poor girl. I heard she was attacked on the night of her wedding. Her husband¡¯s whole family and her own parents all died in that attack. She was left alone," that paramilitary soldier said quietly.


    "I see." Gaza could not help sighing. He remembered her being very timid and shy like a scared rabbit. "What a poor girl."


    "So I decided to save her tonight," the soldier said with a weirdugh. "My guess is she is still a virgin."


    "Do you know where she lives?" another soldier asked in surprise.


    "Of course. Don¡¯t you know who I am? How can I not get the information I want?" the mercenary said.


    Gaza looked a little stiff for a while before he said anything. People usually felt ufortable and confused when they saw their ex-girlfriends with new boyfriends. This was especially true for Gaza, since he did like that girl. Gaza was the child of a royal family, so he was very proud. He got along with his hatchet men, but he actually looked down upon them a little. He thought they were too low, always fantasizing about humping girls. He was sad to know that.


    "So what if you know where that girl lives," another soldier said with a frown. "She likes our captain. Do you want to force her?"


    "The problem is our captain does not like her," the soldier said carelessly. "If someone is going to have her, why can¡¯t it be me? So what if I use some force? What¡¯s the big deal."


    Gaza was not sure if it was because he had some wine or because he thought that girl was really beautiful, he felt a fire in him. He did not want to show it too obviously, so he cleared his throat and said, "Don¡¯t do that to her. She has already had a hard life. You¡¯d better behave yourself."


    "Boss, if you are interested in her, I will not do anything to her," the soldier said unhappily. "Someone would rape her if not me because she has such a beautiful face. Why could I not have her?"


    "Who said our boss is not interested in her?" another soldier replied. "Boss, what do you say?"


    "Well..." Gaza was a little hesitant. He was not very smart, otherwise his brother could not have forced him to leave his family. He had not been part of the paramilitary unit for very long, so he had very limited experience. If he had been working in the paramilitary for seven years, he might have sensed something fishy. Unfortunately, his hesitation was only because he did not want to make it look too obvious. He was too concerned about how he looked in front of others and did not sense anything unusual.


    "Boss, she is such a poor girl. You are not married yet. Why don¡¯t you take her back? From the way she looked at you, I guess she might even be willing to be your maid."


    Another soldier smiled. "You would be doing a nice thing if you could keep her safe."


    This statement confirmed Gaza¡¯s thinking. Gaza thought that soldier was right. If it were him, he could protect that girl. Seeing his soldier so horny, he felt that the soldier could not give that girl anything. He probably would just dump her after having sex with her.


    Since they had been drinking, nobody noticed three people were missing from the paramilitary unit. Someone knocked on the front door of a lonely wood house in the south end of town.


    After a while, a person in white clothes walked out and opened the door for them. When they looked into each others¡¯ eyes, Gaza felt his heart pump faster, while the girl shyly lowered her head. She did not look like she was about to close the door on them. There was a saying that trouble woulde if you were involved with a widow. However, the people involved with the widow did not mind such trouble.


    "Don¡¯t you want to invite me in?" Gaza asked gently.


    That girl turned sideways to let Gaza in. She closed the door behind her and followed after Gaza into the wood house.


    Whether or not her acting was professional, everything happened naturally after the candle went out. Moaning and pounding sounds came from the room. Unfortunately, misfortune could be a blessing in disguise. As Gaza was reaching his the happiest moment, the door was kicked open. Gaza heard a guy howling, "F*ck you! How dare you do this to my wife?"


    The girl under Gaza had been enjoying the sex and moaning happily, but now she started to scream at the top of her lungs, "Help! Help me!"

 Chapter 478: Sword

    Chapter 478: Sword


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A team of around a thousand soldiers headed down the path quickly. Scarlet was among them, riding with the cavalry. Two hours previously, scouts had reported that a nearby town was under attack from the mercenaries and needed support.


    Scarlet was surprised but she could still tell the scouts appeared strange. After some questioning, she found out that one of Jerrick¡¯s soldiers had forced his way into a farmhouse and assaulted a woman. The woman¡¯s husband returned and the soldier was killed in the conflict. The soldier¡¯s friends attacked the woman and her husband, killing the husband and injuring the woman. This act angered the mercenaries in the town and they demanded justice.


    Scarlet thought that the soldiers should shoulder the consequences themselves, but she needed to get Jerrick out of there. Jerrick was a prince, and she was the only one important enough to go negotiate for him.


    The soldiers were marching very fast because Scarlet was very worried. She needed Jerrick to stay safe for the rest of her n to work out.


    Because what his soldiers had done was wrong, Scarlet didn¡¯t tell anyone where she was headed and only brought her own soldiers with her.


    Behind Scarlet, arge mage was waving his arms. With every wave, lightning swept out around him.


    The soldiers had already covered half the distance. Just then, they spotted a strange scene. Lightning on the ground was being drawn to a point not far ahead.


    "Wait!" therge mage called.


    Scarlet frowned and waved her hand, halting the march.


    "What is it?" Scarlet turned and asked.


    "You will see soon," the mage said. He raised his hand and whispered something under his breath. A bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck where the lightning gathered on the ground.


    Arge hole appeared in the ground and a figure appeared in the hole. The figure was holding an axe but did not move.


    The soldiers were all very well trained and could tell that this figure was not friendly. The soldiers in front raised their weapons and lunged at the neer.


    Sounds of soldiers¡¯ shouts filled the air. Combat power burst into light around and before Scarlet.


    "That¡¯s Ernest, Shawn, Dalmatian, and a young woman," the mage said. "It seems like Baery takes you very seriously."


    "The woman must be Suzanna, Douminge," Scarlet said, frowning at the figure in dark. "Is that Anfey?"


    Anfey changed his appearance, but everyone knew that he and Suzanna were always together. Scarlet was one of the smartest generals in the world and figured out who he was very easily.


    "Is it?" Douminge asked, frowning. "Doesn¡¯t look like him."


    Ahead, the man with the axe was fighting several soldiers. He wasn¡¯t losing, but he wasn¡¯t winning, either.


    "Did you see him when he first appeared?" Scarlet asked. "This is an act. I can tell."


    "I see," Douminge said, nodding.


    The fight had caught the soldiers off guard, but seeing Scarlet and Douminge so calm and collected boosted the soldiers¡¯ confidence.


    "General, we should¡¯ve brought the griffins!" one of the squad leaders said to Scarlet.


    Scarlet nced at the leader but did not say anything. The squad leader knew he had said the wrong thing and fell quiet. Scarlet had wanted to bring the griffins, but she couldn¡¯t. The griffin knights were part of the Shansa king¡¯s personal guards, and she did not have enough power tomand them. If the knights found out what had happened, Prince Jerrick¡¯s reputation would be damaged. She had a n already. After she got Jerrick out of this situation, she needed to change his personal guards.


    "Put on an act," Douminge said. "Then let them in."


    "Are you sure about this?" Scarlet asked, putting on her helmet.


    "Of course," Douminge said. "If Newyoheim can do it, so can I."


    Scarlet nodded and told a soldier to give the order.


    "Be careful, mydy," Douminge said. "Anfey is likely here for you."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Scarlet said. "I have a backup n in ce."


    Douminge nodded with a smile. "Still, be careful," he said. "Watch out if he teleports."


    The fight had begun, but anyone could tell neither side was fighting with everything they had. Suzanna and Ernest knew that they couldn¡¯t fight too hard because they needed to create an opportunity for Anfey, not eliminate Scarlet¡¯s force.


    Even though neither side was fighting as hard as they could, it was still clear that one side was on the defensive and the other on offense. Suddenly, Suzanna and Ernest both jumped into the air and lunged at Scarlet. A momentter, Shawn and Dalmatian joined as well.


    Scarlet gripped her reins and Douminge summoned a shield of lightning. They knew that Suzanna and the other swordsmasters were only distractions. The one they needed to look out for was Anfey. However, Anfey did not join the attack. Instead, he remained where he was and kept fighting the soldiers.


    Douminge frowned but did not hesitate. Instead of focusing his attack on Ernest, Dalmatian, or Shawn, he focused on Suzanna.


    Several balls of lightning flew towards Suzanna. The soldiers around Scarlet summoned theirbat power and readied to defend her against the attacks.


    Suzanna was struck by the ball of lightning. Her body froze and fell from the sky. Douminge took this chance and summoned more lightning that struck Suzanna. A few soldiers around her raised their swords and attacked her as well.


    Scarlet watched with a frown. She knew that killing Suzanna would be a good strategy. If Suzanna died, Anfey would try to avenge her, and that would give Scarlet a chance to kill him.


    Anfey knew that Suzanna was well-protected and wouldn¡¯t be harmed. He was fighting the soldiers, but he was paying close attention to Scarlet. As soon as Scarlet¡¯s attention turned to Suzanna, he disappeared from the fight.


    A few secondster, he reappeared under Scarlet¡¯s horse. He thrusted his sword out, piercing the horse¡¯s body and stabbing Scarlet through her leg. The sword traveled up her leg and stopped in her chest.


    By the time Scarlet realized that something was wrong, the sword had already stabbed her through her heart. A scroll fell from her limp fingers. Anfey pulled his sword out, picked up the scroll, turned and called, "Let¡¯s go!"


    Everyone thought that the weakness of Scarlet¡¯s armor was the face, but forgot that the bottom half of her body wasn¡¯t as well protected. It was a weakness that was often overlooked, but it was a weakness nheless.

 Chapter 479: Game and New Territory

    Chapter 479: Game and New Territory


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After learning the suicide attackers had returned to headquarters, Baery travelled a dozen miles to wee them back. Anfey, Suzanna and others all looked very happy. An impossible mission became possible with their hard work. They deserved to have happy smiles on their faces.


    "Did you do it?" was the first thing Baery asked.


    "Marshal, didn¡¯t we sent people to report to you?" Dalmatian was a little surprised.


    "I just want to double check. Anfey, did you really do it?" Baery asked.


    "I am guessing they are thinking about the funeral they should hold for Scarlet," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Great, great." Baeryughed. Unexpectedly, he turned his horse around and rode back to the headquarters, leaving these triumphant soldiers behind him. He had only spoken three sentences meeting Anfey.


    "Professor," Anfey jumped off the horse and greeted Saul respectfully. Anfey¡¯s upbringing was very traditional. He held the principle that he needed to respect his teacher no matter how powerful he became. In some cases, some teachers could be than family.


    "Baery has many things to handle since Scarlet died. I hope you don¡¯t think he was rude," Saul said with a smile. He was a bit shocked and asked Suzanna, "Are you hurt?"


    "I was only wounded a little bit." Suzanna acted as respectful as Anfey.


    "Anfey, you made such a great contribution to the empire this time, but next time don¡¯t act so reckless." Saul sounded a bit mad at Anfey. "Why did you think it was okay to use Suzanna as a bait? We have many other ways to kill Scarlet. You do not have to take such risks. You know you would rue the day if anything happened to Suzanna," Saul said, getting angrier as he spoke. His voice even trembled a little when he mentioned the phrase "rue the day".


    Anfey was a little shocked. He put down his head and said, "Yes, professor. I know I made a mistake." He had never seen Saul upset like this. Anfey suddenly remembered the questions he had not been able to answer for a long time. He always wondered what kind of person Saul¡¯s wife was and why he never heard Niya talking about her mother. Ynthe did not have a queen either. What were the reasons for this? Did Christian, Wester and Granden have the same biological mother? Anfey had these questions for a long time, but did not know whom to ask and also felt inappropriate asking these kind of questions.


    "Professor, I requested the task. Anfey actually did not want me to take the risk," Suzanna immediately said in defense of Anfey.


    "Silly girl. You never have your own opinions on anything. You have always done whatever Anfey asked you to do. How can I not know that?" Saul heaved a sigh. "Ok, let¡¯s not talk about this. Everybody is so happy today."


    Shawn hurriedly changed the topic. "Oh, right, Master Saul, Scarlet had two very strange knights with her. They are very powerful. I think we should find out more about them."


    "Master Shawn, are they Gold Knights?" a captain in Baery¡¯s team who had followed Baery out to wee Anfey asked.


    "No, they are neither Gold Knights, nor Knights of the Light. I did not sense any death spirit on them, so they should not be Knights of Death either. How to put it? They left us a very weird feeling. They fought like barbarians. They fought with great physical stamina, but their fighting ability was very strong." Shawn raised his left arm. "This is what they left. If Master Anfey did not save me, I would not be able toe back alive."


    "Let¡¯s go. We can talk after we get back to the headquarters," Saul said quietly. Shawn ha changed the topic on purpose, but Saul looked like he was trying to avoid responding.


    After they got back to the station, Saul asked Anfey about the details of the assassination. Anfey did not hold anything back. He told Saul everything that had happened in the assassination.


    Saul looked a little weird. Anfey chose a very special body part to attack, but the effect of that attack was obviously very sessful. If Anfey had attacked other parts of Scarlet, Anfey might not have been able toe back with such a victory.


    "Professor, Master Baery seemed to have qualms about Scarlet. Why is that?" Anfey asked quietly. "I could not figure out the reason."


    Saul was quiet for a moment before he said slowly, "It¡¯s time for you to know the secret now. We have to talk about another person first before we get to that secret."


    "Who is it?" Anfey asked.


    "Golman," Saul said.


    "Golman?" Anfey tried to search for that name in his head. He asked in surprise, "Is he one of the three master necromancers?"


    "Even though we and church people im to fight against necromancers, we all know there are good necromancers, just like there can be despicable people in the church," Saul said calmly. "If there were ever any necromancers who never hurt innocent people, it would be Golman, even though he practiced the evilest gue magic."


    Anfey opened his mouth wide in surprise. He never thought Saul would think so highly of Golman.


    "Golman has lived for about 600 years. Because of his long life, he was so bored that he read every single book on the Pan Continent. We cannotpare to him in terms of knowledge." Saul smiled. "What could he do after he read so much? Golman spent 50 years creating a game so he could kill time. Hehehe, 50 years might be all the time we have in our lives."


    "Game?" Anfey asked.


    "It is new territory for us, but Golman only treated it as a game," Saul said quietly. "You only know Golman is a necromancer, but do not know his other professions. He is also an archalchemist, a philosopher, a bard, an astrologist and an amazing general who has never lost a battle."


    "General? I never heard stories about Golman in battle," Anfey said.


    "The strategic n of this disaster of death spirits was made by Golman about a dozen years ago. Many people think we once again beat necromancers and are very close to victory. However, what is the truth?" Saul sighed. "In fact, Golman won. Death spirits are everywhere on the Pan Continent and troubled the whole Pan Continent as they took their time and built their base on Greenwich Ind. Our king has sent spies there, but they could not even get close to Greenwich Ind. The gloomy and chilly wind around the ind only proves that it has be the paradise of the death spirits."


    Anfey went quiet.


    "We have to gather all the forces on the Pan Continent and attack them as soon as possible if we want to destroy the Paradise of Death Spirits. Unfortunately, although our king thinks so, other kings may not agree with him. Our king has sent people to find out what other kings think. They all think it is not a big deal to give death spirits a piece ofnd, and instead treated our empire as their biggest enemy," Saul said bitterly. "Necromancers used to find it hard to have their own ce on Pan Continent. They had to hide all the time. Every time they started wars, they brought us disaster. If they could have a piece ofnd of their own on Pan Continent, their power could grow a lot stronger in a short period of time."


    "If our king could show more of his sincerity, he might be able to win other kings¡¯ trust," Anfey said.


    "Sincerity?" Saul shook his head. "We could not work with either Edward VIII in Shansa Empire or Philly II in Ellison Empire. They are very short-sighted. If our king shows them his sincerity, it would only give them a chance to stab us in the back."


    Anfey went quiet again.


    "It is our future problem. We do not have to talk about it now. Let¡¯s talk about Golman," Saul said slowly. "Golman spent 50 years making a magic badge. Once the magic badge was started, it could bring people into a world that was an illusion but also felt real, with no civilians, royals or churches. There are only warriors in that world, all kinds of warriors. For example, there are barbarians¡¯ Fanatical Warriors Legion and Griffin Aerial Units from Shansa Empire in that world. Golman finds it fun to enter that world. He led one legion to attack another one day, and the next day he could lead the losing team to attack the winning team. He even united legions to fight against other united legions. Hehehe, it is just a game to Golman, but it is such an aplishment to us. He created his own world, even though it is an illusive world. Anfey, do you understand what I am talking about?"


    "Isn¡¯t it like Inte..." Anfey was more than understanding it. He was familiar with that illusive world. Wasn¡¯t it an inte game? Anfey wondered.


    "20 years ago, Baery met Golman. He entered that world with Golman¡¯s invitation." Saul sighed. "I heard from Baery that the terrain in that world is simr to Pan Continent¡¯s. It even has all kinds of cities. Baery chose ckania City as his city. He had a fight with Golman to protect his city. Baery miserably lost his first battle. He thought it was because he was not familiar with that world. The soldiers hemanded were very dull. They did not think on their own or have good judgement. Baery had tomand them with his telepathy, which Baery was not quitefortable with. For the next dozen battles, Baery lost every one of them. Golman onlymanded Griffin Aerial Unit to harass Baery but made him lose half of his team in thest battle."


    "What does this have to do with Scarlet? Did..." Anfey suddenly realized something.


    "You are right. Scarlet was Golman¡¯s student," Saul said slowly. "Scarlet has been living in such an illusive environment. Shemanded troops on many more battles than Baery. In addition, Golman left Baery with such bad memories that Baery rarely talked about it, but we all know about it."


    "Why didn¡¯t Master Baery kill Golman?" Anfey asked.


    "When they first met, Golman covered his death spirit in a special way. He also changed his look. When Baery knew who he waster, Baery did not dare...actually no one dared to hurt a mage who knew disasterous forbidden spells. Don¡¯t forget, Golman practices gue magic. The forbidden spells he releases could wipe out a country," Saul said bitterly. "Besides, Golman has gone against Minos I and stopped working for necromancers. The enemy of our enemy is our friend. In addition, everyone admires Golman for his wisdom. I do not want to admit it, but I have to. At least, Baery already admired Golman very much."


    "I really do not know what to say. I killed Scarlet." Anfey smiled bitterly at Saul. "Would Golman..." Golman seemed to be the best of the three master necromancers, ording to what Saul said. If Golman came to take revenge for Scarlet, Anfey could not imagine what would happen to him. He did not think he could fight against Golman at this point.


    "No, he would not." Saul shook his head. "Golman imed a long time ago that he would not be involved in any conflicts on Pan Continent. In fact, we have known about Scarlet for a long time. That was why we paid attention to her right away after her debut."


    "For a long time?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes. Golman told Baery that he recruited a girl as his student. She is the daughter of the Princess Regent of Shansa Empire. He also asked Baery to be careful and not lose any battle to his student." Saul was a little sentimental. "Do you know why our king took the risk of ruining his reputation to attack Princess Victoria?"


    "Why?" Anfey asked.


    "One reason was to see if Golman could keep his promise. Another reason was to cut off the protection of Scarlet. With Golman¡¯s instructions, Scarlet would definitely be a good general. Princess Victoria was very good with politics. If mother were in charge of politics while her daughter was a general, what do you think would happen?¡¯


    "What happenedter?" Anfey asked.


    "After Princess Victoria was killed, Scarlet cried to Golman to ask for his help, but Golman refused to help. Even though Golman had quite an ugly face, he always looked kind and nice. However, Golman acted very cold that time," Saul said quietly. "He said he only wanted to be a teacher passing down his knowledge. He did not want to be anyone¡¯s tool or weapon."


    "Why did he choose Scarlet to be his student?" Anfey asked.


    "Well, I do not know. Maybe he was influenced by astrology," Saul said.


    "Professor, who else knows about Golman?" Anfey asked.


    "This is top secret" Saul said quietly. "If the king did not give me permission to tell you, I would never talk to you about this. Golman has turned against Minos I. We not only have to bear with him, but also protect him. I think Edward VIII must know about it too, otherwise it would be hard to exin why he suddenly fully supported Scarlet."


    "Does Golman only have one student?" Anfey asked.


    "I think he has two students, at least two." Saul thought about it for a little bit. "Baery mentioned that Golman told him Scarlet only studied war strategies, while another kid learned his knowledge. Unfortunately, we will never find out who that student is if Golman does not want to talk about it."


    Anfey went quiet for a while. "Professor, I think you think too highly of Scarlet."


    "Oh?" Saul asked.


    "You are right: that world is amazing, but illusion is illusion. The real world is moreplicated than that world."


    "Hehehe, the king holds the same idea as you. We have looked at the report of Scarlet¡¯s battle when she wiped out the rebels. She nned seamlessly. The fighting itself was very good as well. Baery said if it were him, he could have done no better than Scarlet. However, we did see the weakness of Scarlet recently. In other words, the weakness of Shansa Empire. Her coordination ability was not great. She did not have full control of the united legions. The trust and support she gained was very limited, otherwise she would not have had to force the border to open and enter the Country of Mercenaries with force. The most important thing is Shansa Empire is no match for us. They had to unite with others." Saul waved his hand and smiled. "Let¡¯s not talk about Scarlet. She is already history, isn¡¯t she?"

 Chapter 480: Normal People

    Chapter 480: Normal People


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Scarlet¡¯s body was ced on arge table. Her eyes, already dull, were half-open. Without her armor, she appeared much younger than her age.


    Outside, the army camp was in chaos. Her death was a devastating blow to the Shansa army. Every soldier now must fight for their own future. Some insisted on avenging, while others believed they should retreat to preserve the army¡¯s strength. The argumentsted all night long yet no agreement was reached.


    Prince Jerrick was in a very difficult situation. The soldiers may be arguing, but they all had allies. Prince Jerrick was the only one who was truly alone. He sat in the corner of a tent, saying nothing. He knew that Scarlet had died because she left to save him.


    After Scarlet¡¯s death, he became the de facto leader of the army, but he could not go visit her. Last night, Manstuly tried to see Scarlet¡¯s body but was attacked by Scarlet¡¯s mysterious guards. Now, no one was allowed near her body.


    A dark shadow appeared in the army camp and floated towards the tent with Scarlet¡¯s body. A gust of wind blew open the tent¡¯s p, and the dark shadow slipped into the tent without anyone noticing.


    Aside from Scarlet¡¯s body, there were three men in dark clothing. Seeing the dark shadow, the three men knelt to greet the shadow.


    The shadow floated towards Scarlet¡¯s body. He was a very thin man, his cheeks and eyes were sunken. His skin was very pale, as if he hadn¡¯t seen the sun in years.


    "Leave me," Golman ordered.


    The three guards stood and left the tent.


    Golman reached out and stroked Scarlet¡¯s face. He was one of the smartest men in the world, but he had made so many mistakes. He was the only person who could understand his own burdens and pain.


    He knew how much the necromancers contributed to the world, and he pitied them. He believed that the necromancers were only fighting for survival. He was seeking immortality as well, because he had so many questions and he had so much to learn. He needed time. He had be a necromancer so he could answer those questions.


    Who would have thought Minos¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to preserve but to destroy? Golman could not allow that to happen, which was why he betrayed Minos.


    He had thought Baery was his friend, which was why he told Baery about Scarlet and why he pushed Scarlet to the position she was in. He was proud of her and wanted his friends to see how good she was. He never thought Baery would do anything to hurt Princess Victoria.


    Princess Victoria was another one of his friends, and he had known Victoria before he knew Scarlet. Victoria never showed any degree of disgust towards him, even though she had plenty of reason to do so. She respected his intelligence, and they would often have long conversations. She listened to him and was the one who made him feel like his hard work was worth it.


    Victoria died because of him, and every time Golman recall Victoria, his heart would ache.


    He couldn¡¯t me Baery and chose to keep his distance. He understood why Baery did what he did, but he could not forgive Baery.


    Golman sighed and reached for Scarlet¡¯s left hand. Before he could touch her hand, he stopped. His eyes flickered. He was hesitating.


    He had known Scarlet for her entire life, and he knew very well that Scarlet¡¯s emotions towards him had stopped at respect. Even though he tried hard to treat her well, his coldness when Victoria died had angered Scarlet. He doubt that she had forgiven him.


    Golman was very hesitant. If he revived her, he would face everything he had been running away from. But if he didn¡¯t, what would he say to Victoria? What about his promise to her? Golman sighed and grabbed Scarlet¡¯s hand. He found the ring on Scarlet¡¯s finger and tapped it a few times.


    The ring was in, with not a lot of decorations. After Golman tapped it, however, the shape began to change. The gemstone blinked a few times, and a red pentagram flickered into existence. The pentagram was surging against the surface of the gemstone, moving and contracting as if it was a human heart.


    A surge of magic spread across thend. It was a surge only necromancers could feel.


    Desvidia and Morgan were the first to sense the surge of magic. Even though they were far from the Shansa army camp, they still felt the surge as if it was right next to him. The two of them widened their eyes and nced at each other. They both saw fear in each other¡¯s eyes.


    "He¡¯s mad," Morgan whispered. "Golman, you¡¯re mad! Mad! Why would you use the Ring of the Undead?"


    Desvidia nced in the direction of the army camp, his brows furrowed together in a deep frown.


    The surge spread across the ocean and reached Greenwich Ind. A broken skeleton raised its head and howled in excitement and anger.


    Red veins appeared under Scarlet¡¯s skin. The ring¡¯s power was still sealed away, and Scarlet¡¯s injuries were very grave, but something was still flowing through the red veins as if it was trying to save her. The veins began to pulse faster and growrger. As the power of the Ring of the Undead was unleashed, Scarlet¡¯s body began to glow red.


    "I hope I¡¯m right," Golman whispered, looking at Scarlet¡¯s face.


    Life began to return to Scarlet¡¯s body, and her eyes flickered open a few momentster. She pushed herself up and saw Golman. She frowned and tried to sit up, but she could not control her body just yet. "You came," she said. She did not appear surprised by Golman¡¯s presence.


    "Do you know why I chose you to be my student?" Golman asked softly.


    "Because you foresaw my fate in the stars," Scarlet said.


    "Yes, and I also said I saw you as the ruler of Shansa Empire. That is what motivated you, isn¡¯t it?" Golman paused. "Do you know why I stopped talking about reading the stars?"


    "Why?"


    "Because something went wrong," Golman said. He picked up a small pebble and tossed it into a bowl of water next to the table. "Because like the water, something, someone, appeared. Their appearance has disrupted the alignment of the stars. Which is why my readings before are untrue now. You need to take care of yourself." Golman looked at Scarlet. He was more than her teacher. He treated her the way he would treat his own daughter. He wanted to her stay safe.

 Chapter 481: Plan

    Chapter 481: n


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A spring breeze blew over the prairie, which was still covered with snow. Spring usually signaled the beginning of the year, and a very important time to farmers. The spring breeze was warm and filled with hope. However, the powers on Pan Continent felt depressed by this spring breeze. Many people had realized that the situation on Pan Continent could turn for the worse as the spring breeze arrived.


    Saul and Anfey chatted as they walked on the prairie. After Anfey assassinated Scarlet, Baery did not immediately take action to start the battle. It was because wars could not be rushed. Instead, everything had to be prepared well in all areas for the war. In addition, Baery was waiting for Ynthe¡¯s order to start the war.


    Saul and Anfey had been spending a lot time together talking about magic when they were free. Of course, Saul instructed while Anfey listened. They also talked about issues in Maho Empire, about which there was more discussion than instruction.


    "Professor, I thought our best time to attack Shansa Empire was after Scarlet died. Why didn¡¯t our king give the order to start the battle?" Anfey asked quietly. He thought Baery would give the order to attack Shansa Empire right away. He did not know then that Baery had to get permission from Ynthe first. However, there was no news from Ynthe for more than a dozen days. He started to get impatient.


    "Because the king had so many things he had to consider," Saul said. "In fact, that is the reason I asked you to join me today."


    "Really?" Anfey asked.


    "Anfey, do you know who our king thinks is the toughest opponent?" Saul asked.


    "Scarlet and Shansa military," Anfey said.


    Saul shook his head. "No, no. Shansa Empire and our Empire could notpromise with each other. Shansa Empire could only be conquered or conquer us. Those Knights of Light give our king a headache."


    "Could they turn the situation around with the influence and power they had?" Anfey asked.


    "You probably do not know about it. We cannot afford to not have churches. No matter whether we face the threats at this moment or look at the situation in the future, churches will be absolutely necessary. Many people in the church did things that made us angry, but they do not want to see the whole continent turning into a paradise for death spirits. This is the very essential difference between Knights of Light and others," Saul said slowly.


    "Does the king want the pope to change his opinion?" Anfey asked.


    "The pope would never make any mistakes. Even if he did, they would not be counted as mistakes. The followers of the church would not agree that their pope could make any mistakes," Saul said. "You probably did not notice the church only sent the Knights of Light legion to us while their priests stayed with them."


    "Didn¡¯t Fernando bring a group of priests with him?" Anfey asked.


    "The priests in that group were not popr and have no power in the church. There are only two real priest groups. One is Fanatical Priest group while the other is Glory and Praise Priest group. Fanatical Priest group is the main priest group in the Church of Light, while Glory and Praise Priest group is the core of the church and even of Church of Light. nbrea was the vicemander of Glory and Praise Priest group.


    "I see." Anfey thought quietly.


    "Knights of Light has always been connected to priests since St. Robin showed up on the Pan Continent," Saul said. "There have been over 60 popes after St. Robin. Every one of them was picked from the archpriests. Knights of Light never had the chance to be picked, no matter how powerful or loyal to their beliefs they were. This is the rule made by St. Robin."


    "It is not fair to Knights of Light. I believe there must be geniuses in the Knights of Light," Anfey said.


    "They could not be Knights of Light if they thought it was not fair, otherwise there would be ws in their beliefs," Saul said. "This rule was made by St. Robin. He thought Knights of Light were just the weapons of the priests to help cleanse the sins. He never believed weapons could walk themselves to the altar."


    "Why did not they send the priest groups to us?" Anfey asked.


    "Because the priest groups had problems with each other," Saul said with a sigh. "Robin was very weird. He seemed to want to divide his followers into two parties on purpose. He never seemed to want union and harmony among the followers. He even stirred them up and caused them to argue."


    "What was the purpose of that?" Anfey asked.


    "Who knows. I do not know," Saul said with a smile. "I only know the two parties in the Church of Light have been giving tit for tat for a long time. One party is very radical. They think the church needs to have supreme power, even the power to constrain the kings to better spread the glory of God. The other party thinks God led Robin to this continent to protect human beings. In other words, they could only be humans¡¯ guardians instead of rulers."


    "Which party did nbrea belong to?" Anfey asked.


    "nbrea¡¯s attitude was more radical," Saul said.


    Anfey shook his head. "I did not see it. He did not seem radical."


    "Attitude is different than principle." Saul then asked out of curiosity, "You did not hate him that much, did you, even though he almost hurt Suzanna?"


    Anfey shrugged, then smiled. "Things were different then. He acted like a copycat. In addition, it is not necessary to hate a dead guy."


    Saul chuckled. "Archpriests are different than archmages. They are rare on this continent. The death of nbrea hit the radical party hard. In fact, many people in the church cried out against it when Fernando led some knights and priests to unite with us. They imed that this could have been the beginning for the Church of Light to take control over the whole continent. They demanded to send the main force to fight, but their proposal was vetoed. Even though the death of nbrea was such sensational news, they could not send the Fanatical Priest group and Glory and Praise priest group over. They only sent Knights of Light."


    "Professor, why are you telling me these things today?" Anfey asked.


    "Is Warner in the League of Mercenaries now?" Saul asked.


    "Yes," Anfey answered.


    "Is Book of Life with him too?" Saul asked.


    "Yes." Anfey nodded. "Professor, do they want to take back the Book of Life?"


    "The Book of Life is the lifeblood for the Church of Light, but they did not say they would take the Book of Life back. They sent one guy over. He only wanted to see Warner," Saul said slowly.


    "Only one person?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Saul said.


    "Does that person belong to nbrea¡¯s radical party?" Anfey asked.


    "Anfey, you think too much. We are both officials of the king. You are also my student. Let me put it this way. Your attitude on issues represents my attitude. Our attitude represent the king¡¯s attitude," Saul said. "We would only be able to work with the radical party if they could forget about nbrea. The problem is whether they could stop working with us. The answer is no."


    "Professor, I understand what the king meant. Does the king want to try to work with them again?" Anfey shook his head and said, "The radical party must be against it. How could we work with them?"


    "That depends on how much the church wants to work with us. The changes following the disaster of death spirits offered a wonderful opportunity for us. In addition, our king has wiped out the Dark Moon Magic Legion in Ellisen Empire. The Griffin Aerial Unit could fly around to mess around, but they would not dare to attack our military."


    "How many magic academies does Ellisen Empire have?" Saul continued. "We only have a few. If they had about five years, they could rebuild a magic legion. That is why our king said we are racing against time. The king¡¯s n is to wipe out the main force in Shansa Empire this spring and start full attacks on Shansa Empire in the summer. We need to finish the battle with Shansa Empire and take it over in fall, or before the end of the year at thetest. We need let our soldiers rest and get full training in the winter, because Ellisen Empire is in the far north and is used to the cold weather. When it gets warmer, we could take advantage of the weather to start the battle with them."


    Anfey just listened to Saul. It was not appropriate for him to interrupt Saul and say his piece. He did not know how to interrupt either.


    "The king has made his decision. He will make it clear no matter what it will cost him. Therefore, we are giving our full loyalty," Saul said calmly. ¡¯If churches refuse to work with us, or are not as loyal as us, our king would do anything necessary. He does not mind making Church of Light part of the history on Pan Continent. Anfey, don¡¯t worry. They would not ask too much."


    Anfey chuckled. "I am just worried that churches would go back and forth. I do not worry about others."


    "Don¡¯t you worry that they would ask for the Book of Life back?" Saul asked with a weak grin.


    Anfey shook his head with smile. "It never belonged to me. I don¡¯t want to be a priest anyway."


    "Ok, let¡¯s not talk about this now." Saul looked at the headquarters in the distance. "We have received news that many officials and soldiers in Shansa Empire got into a big argument. Some supported the idea to fight back at any cost, while others thought it would be wise to retreat immediately. It seems that the negative feelings got the upper hand. Arge number of soldiers fled Shansa Empire. Manstuly and the officials in Shansa Empire fought, so Manstuly led druids back into ckwater City. Fernando and the other three Archknights left United barracks with Knights of Light legion as well. They retreated over 100 miles and set up their camp next to the ckwater River. All of this proves they were not far from falling apart. So, Anfey, after you meet with the representative from the church, why don¡¯t you go back to White Mountain City with him. You can take your League of Mercenaries to the north. Whatever you do afterwards, I will not intervene."


    "I got it, Professor," Anfey said.

 Chapter 482: Prelude to War

    Chapter 482: Prelude to War


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A grey figure appeared on the balcony. "You¡¯re wrong this time, Your Majesty." Ynthe was sitting on a chair and staring at the sky. His face was filled with sadness. The figure hesitated, then said, "I apologize for my intrusion, Your Majesty, are you thinking of..."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Ynthe said, turning to the figure. "What did you want to say?"


    "You¡¯re wrong this time," the figure said. "Without Scarlet, the Shansa army is inplete distress. They lost all of their will to fight, and their alliance is no more. Manstuly has already returned to ckwater City and the Church has made its decision as well."


    "I see," Ynthe said with a smile.


    "You overestimated them," the figure said. "Scarlet¡¯s death didn¡¯t encourage the Shansa army to fight. On the contrary, it ended the fight before it even began. Without Manstuly and the Shield of Light Legion, the Shansa army will not be a threat to us anymore."


    Ynthe slowly stood up and nced at the sky again before turning back to the figure. He paced around the balcony as if something was troubling him.


    Ynthe rarely disyed his emotions like this. The figure took a step forward and asked, "Is something wrong, Your Majesty?"


    "You don¡¯t know how rulers behave," Ynthe said, shaking his head, "which is why you cannot tell what I¡¯m thinking of. You cannot tell what Edward VIII is thinking of, either. Edward has a lot of ws. He¡¯s weak, he¡¯s greedy, he¡¯s cowardly. But don¡¯t underestimate him. Even the most cowardly man can be brave when he is forced to be. Edward is a king. I didn¡¯t believe he could take the death of his best general this easily."


    "He was very angry when he learned of Scarlet¡¯s death," the figure said, nodding. "My source told me that he was so angry that he killed a few servants in his rage. He is clearing panicking now. He knows that without Scarlet, he stands no chance against us in this war. She was hisst hope."


    "Edward isn¡¯t panicking," Ynthe said with a smile. "You¡¯re too excited, my old friend. Think about this. We all think he is weak, but we are the only ones who can say that. No matter how weak he is, he is still, in the end, the ruler of an empire. There is no way that he reacted to such news like that."


    "Then..."


    "If what you just told me is true, then this situation just became much more suspicious. If Edward is really a weak and useless man, how did he be the ruler? How did he keep his throne for all these years?"


    "You¡¯re saying..."


    "He lost Scarlet, but he still has the army. It¡¯s been a week: Why isn¡¯t he doing anything about the army¡¯s chaos?"


    "You¡¯re saying this is an act?"


    "I don¡¯t know," Ynthe said. "But I do know that this is unusual. Scarlet took more than three quarters of Shansa Empire¡¯s army with her. I don¡¯t think Edward would be this calm and doing nothing if three quarters of his army is in chaos and can be easily destroyed.


    "The army can¡¯t get back to Shansa Empire, either. Their path is blocked. Edward is putting everything he has on the line. We cannot let our guard down right now."


    "What are they nning? Ellisen Empire is moving their armies as well. Some of the Shansa army fled toward the northwest. We thought they were going to Ellisen Empire."


    "No way," Ynthe said, shaking his head. "I don¡¯t think Edward would let Ellisen Empire control three quarters of his army."


    "What are they doing, then? Is this a trap?"


    "I don¡¯t care what they¡¯re doing," Ynthe said. "What¡¯s important is what we will do. It¡¯s finally time to grant Miorich¡¯s wish."


    "He¡¯ll be excited," the figure said. "What about General Baery?"


    "Let him do whatever he wants," Ynthe said, shaking his head. "I have a letter you need to deliver."


    The figure bowed his head and nodded.


    ¡ª


    The three master necromancers had their first meeting. They hadn¡¯t met in more than twenty years, but none of them said anything. After a few minutes, Morgan broke the silence, "Golman, are you ready toe with us?"


    "I¡¯m not going back," Golman said, shaking his head.


    Morgan shook his head and smiled. "I¡¯ve always thought you had already unleashed the power of the Ring of the Undead."


    "Listen to me, Morgan. I don¡¯t want you two to go back, either."


    Morgan and Desvidia stared at Golman, their eyes wide with shock.


    "Do you think that¡¯s possible?" Desvidia recovered first and asked coldly. He couldn¡¯t imagine publicly betraying Minos.


    "Do you trust me?" Golman asked.


    "Golman, I do," Morgan said. "You¡¯re my friend and I trust you. But I can¡¯t do that. You have toe with us."


    "I know what you¡¯re thinking," Golman said. "But you¡¯re too naive."


    "What do you mean?" Morgan asked. He knew that betraying Minos was inevitable, but he still didn¡¯t want his friends or himself to be the first ones to do so.


    "Minos began doubting you two after I left," Golman said. "He¡¯s giving you the cold-shoulder, isn¡¯t he?"


    Morgan and Desvidia nced at each other but did not say anything.


    "Especially you, Morgan. You¡¯re in a very dangerous position right now."


    "What are you trying to get at?"


    "Minos knows that you aren¡¯t doing everything in your power to track me," Golman said. "But did he do anything? After I¡¯m dead, you¡¯re next to go, Morgan." Morgan frowned.


    "What about me?" Desvidia asked, frowning.


    "If Morgan and I both betray Minos, do you think he will trust you? Do you think you can remain loyal to him? If we are dead, you won¡¯tst long."


    "I sealed the power of the ring away," Golman said. "I¡¯m the only that can undo that seal. Which is why Minos will try everything in his power to keep me here. Which is why he will find out about our conversation." Golman paused and looked at Morgan and Desvidia. "Tell me, do you still want me to go with you?"

 Chapter 483: Pleasing

    Chapter 483: Pleasing


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master Anfey, you do not seem to be in the mood to talk to me." A middle-aged man in priest gown leaned against the wagon wall, a sluggish smile on his face.


    "Master Stan, please do not misunderstand me." Anfey smiled. "As you know, I have to take the League of Mercenaries to the north to fight with Manstuly after I get back to the White Mountain City. How do I exin it? The Tiger of Tawau mercenary group has had total control of ckwater City. I barely get any information about ckwater City. Manstuly got support from the elves, but I still have no idea what kind of power he has. Hehehe, I have a lot of pressure on me, so I am thinking a lot now. I hope you are not feeling neglected. I am so sorry if you feel that way."


    "I heard about the story--how you had deep conflict with Manstuly." Stanid his eyes on Suzanna. "In fact, he should be the one feeling anxious. Your League of Mercenaries¡¯ fame stretches far. Your league already has dozens of thousands of mercenaries right now, and there will be more mercenaries willing to join your league. With the support of General Baery, I cannot imagine how Manstuly will be able to match you."


    "He has elves," Anfey said calmly. "Elves have been quiet for so long, no one would know what powers they have umted."


    "I think what you said is right, but notpletely," Stan said.


    "Master Stan, are you saying..." Anfey encouraged Stan to exin.


    "Elves¡¯ passions have been on arts. They never liked wars." Stan smiled. "They are bewitched by their ambitions, and bravely came out of the forest. However, don¡¯t forget most elves are meek. They love and cherish life. Phrases like ¡¯taking up the positions to figh¡¯ or ¡¯not afraid of risking their lives¡¯ do not fit elves."


    "Really?" Anfey asked in surprise.


    "In fact, a bloody and cruel battle could crush them." Stan twisted his whiskers. "Elves are a very special race. Their bodies are as weak as are their mentalities. If you can conquer their bodies, you are winning their mentalities as well. Let me give you some examples. As you know, many royals and businessmen like to domesticate elves and take them as sex ves. Some humans were enved as well, but many of them fought against their owners, and even killed them. Have you ever heard any elves who killed their owners? They are too weak. The only radical movement they would take would be ending their own lives. Hehehe, elves think the reason they were taken over by humans is because humans are despicable and shameless, but I think it is because only the fittest survived."


    "You are an archpriest. I did not know you were interested in this." Anfey looked a little shocked.


    "I know you have known nbrea for a while. What do you think of him?" Stan did not answer Anfey¡¯s question, but asked one instead.


    "Well, it¡¯s not appropriate for me to make anyments about him," Anfey said.


    "He is a hypocrite. I am different than he is," Stan said.


    "Are you saying you are a real gentleman?" Anfey asked casually.


    "No, I am a sincere jerk." Stan smiled. "I talk about issues and state my opinions clearly, on the table. It is just easier for everyone. You do not have to try to figure out, then, how I think of things in the future. I will tell you."


    "Hehehe." Anfey could not helpughing. He changed the topic immediately. "However, there are special elves. For example, Hotchbini."


    "You are right. Hotchbini is daring and confident. She is indeed a special one." Stan smiled. "Do you think she could change the personality of elves with her own efforts?"


    "Hard, very hard." Anfey sighed.


    "It is not just hard. It is impossible." Stan shook his head. "If you want to beat elves, you have to crush their confidences first. If you could crush their confidences, most elves would change their ideas of fighting with you, even if Manstuly still wants to fight with you, or if Hotchbini does not want to make anypromises. Of course, the bloodier the battle will be, the more effective it will be. I do not think it will be a difficult task for you to do, with what I know about you."


    "Right, but it is not an easy task, either." Anfey went quiet to think for a second and said, "Master Bruzuryano has been very nice to me. Without him, I would not be who I am today. If Master Bruzuryano asked me to stop, I think I would."


    Anfey was being honest about it. Besides Saul and Ernest, he respected Bruzuryano the most. Without the Heart of Nature, he definitely would not aplish so much. What Saul and Ernest gave him just helped him start the journey, but what Bruzuryano gave him was the key to bing a saint.


    "You are really hesitant about it. It does not seem like you." Stan smiled. "I agree that Master Bruzuryano is very honest. Because of his honesty, he cannot stop you from exacting your revenge."


    Anfey quietly listened to Stan without interrupting him.


    "Manstuly asked druids to attack your wife, and they almost got her. If Bruzuryano could not stop them back then, he cannot ask you to stop your revenge now," Stan said in a low pitch. "Manstuly is a very utilitarian and ambitious person. How could he give up his dream? He cannot. Would Hotchbini back out? As far as I know, one of her sons was killed in an attack. Even if she did not have any problem with you before, the hatred between you and her is there now. Manstuly is able tomand druids, while Hotchibini enjoyed good fame among elves, but they both have been very aggressive toward you. Master Bruzuryano could not ask you to keep makingpromises."


    In fact, Stan did not tell Anfey the true reason why he thought Bruzuryano would not stop him. The key to this problem is that Anfey had be one of the brightest stars, after he killed Archmage Michael and beat Desvidia, one of the three master necromancers. Everyone was sure that Anfey would have a bright future. Anfey was still so young, surely he would be a supreme power, like Minos I in the legend, in the future. It would be the stupidest move for anyone to be Anfey¡¯s enemy.


    Stan believed Bruzuryano had to bear with the pain of not being able toe out to convince Anfey to stop the revenge on the elves, no matter how cruel Anfey could be to them. Bruzuryano already had built such a good rtionship with Anfey. He had to maintain this good rtionship for the long-term interests of the druids and elves.


    Anfey would not only be a supreme power, but also would be an important official of Ynthe. Ynthe trusted Anfey. Ynthe had showed his strong determination to start the war, before the disaster of the death sprits endedpletely. It made sense that the good rtionship with Anfey would help with the future development of the druids.


    Manstuly and Hotchbini were in a situation where they had to continue with their ns. They made the mistake of being Anfey¡¯s enemies, so they had to continue to fight with him. If they could notpletely destroy Anfey, they would suffer in the future.


    Of course, Stan could not tell these things to Anfey. He was the representative of the church. His position was higher than Anfey¡¯s. If he told everything to Anfey, it might make him sound like he was kissing up to Anfey, which was not good for the negotiation in the future, and would give Anfey the chance to look down upon the church. He held different ideas and principles than nbrea. He did not want to be involved in politics.


    His enemies were never the kings, but the Goddess of Nature. He could not help that Bruzuryano had the advantage in the situation, but he could let Bruzuryano enjoy every benefit by himself. He wanted to make up for his mistakes, and to reduce or get rid of the hostility Anfey had toward churches, and thus, rebuild a rtionship where they could trust each other again. Therefore, he had shown his sincerity to Saul, before he came here to see Anfey.


    "It looks like you know druids and elves very well," Anfey said in a low pitch.


    "Not really, but I have worked with them for the past several decades. I am familiar with them." Stan was quite humble about this.


    Anfey was deep in thought for a little bit, then changed the topic. He asked in a low pitch, "Since you are so sincere about it, I will be the same. Let me put everything on the table. Why are so interested in Warner in my league?" Stan imed himself to be a sincere jerk, but that was just a way of saying he was humble. Anfey ignored using the phrase "jerk" when he referred Stan. Stan had been very nice, so there was no reason for Anfey to stir anything up.


    Even though Anfey paid careful attention to his wording, he did not show too much respect for Stan through his actions. In fact, Anfey¡¯s attitude toward people and issues had changed after he broke through his limits. Anfey did not change his attitude toward Saul, Erndst, Baery, his friends and a few others, but did he change his attitude toward others.


    Others seemed to be okay with Anfey¡¯s changes. Anthony and Stan were older than Anfey, but they never demanded that he automatically respect them. In this world, where only powers prevailed, powers talked. Age did not seem to matter that much.


    "Master, the Book of Life is a holy object for the church, so we feel it is necessary to talk to Warner. What kind of priest is Warner?" Stan smiled bitterly, when they got a chance to talk about the Book of Life.


    "What if he could not make you happy?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, the problem is not making us satisfied, but us." Stan said it in a very strategic way. The "us" definitely included Anfey. Stan made it very clear that he would not force anything to change. He only wanted to find a middle path for both parties.


    "I am d you said it that way." Anfey smiled. "Oh, Master Stan. I have some questions about Light series magic. May I ask you?"


    "You can perform Light Series Magic?" Stan asked in surprise. In fact, he faked the surprise. It was not a secret anymore that Anfey could perform Light Series Magic. This was another reason that he wanted to build the rtionship with Anfey.


    The pace of their conversation got faster as the wagon traveled further. The atmosphere improved. Stan¡¯s knowledge and experience on Light series magic far surpassed Warner¡¯s. Anfey was so eager to know, while Stan was happy to answer his questions. The atmosphere could not have been better.

 Chapter 484: Imprisonment

    Chapter 484: Imprisonment


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Bastard! Get away from me!" a middle-aged woman screamed, grippingttice on the window. "I demand to see Anthony right now!"


    Despite her screams, the mercenaries guarding her carried on with their duties as if they could not hear her.


    "It¡¯s been three days," a voice said coldly. "Haven¡¯t you screamed enough?" Anthony walked into the yard below the window, his face gloomy.


    "You..." Nishieva has been demanding a meeting with Anthony for three days, but when he was standing before her, she did not know what to say. She stared at him then spat. "I never took you for one so cruel."


    "Me?" Anthony asked, shaking his head. "You are my wife. I never wanted to put your life in danger. You, on the other hand, wanted to kill me."


    "I did everything for you!"


    "For me? Nishieva, look at me and tell me. Have you ever thought of me? You are here, sure, but everything you did was for Ellisen Empire. I can¡¯t see how killing Alice would ever benefit me. Do you have any idea what would happen if we piss of Anfey and his people?"


    "So you¡¯re scared of him!" Nishieva said with a frustratedugh. "You¡¯re scared of him! So you put your own wife in prison! You¡¯re not just cruel, Anthony, you¡¯re a coward."


    "I¡¯m not a coward," Anthony said. "I did what I did so I wouldn¡¯t be manipted anymore. Don¡¯t push me too far, Nishieva. I don¡¯t want to do anything to you."


    "Really?" Nishieva said,ughing. "Sure. Come kill me. You really think I care? Kill me, then go lick the boots of your new masters! I can¡¯t believe I agreed to marry you."


    "Neither one of us had the choice," Anthony said, shaking his head. "It was purely political, Nishieva. I thought that at least you would be helping me after our marriage, but clearly I¡¯m wrong."


    Nishieva stared at Anthony, her knuckles white from gripping thettice too hard.


    "I worked for Ellisen Empire, what did I get? I work for Anfey, and what did I get? Even you must agree that Ellisen Empire is way too stingy, yet you still spent years trying to help it. Why?" Anthony sighed and lowered his gaze. "Nishieva, you are my wife. If I¡¯m just Anthony, I would throw away everything to help. But I¡¯m not just Anthony. I am also the leader of Glory mercenary group and I¡¯m responsible for the lives of thousands of mercenaries. I can¡¯t abandon them just because of you."


    Nishieva watched Anthony in stunned silence. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted her son David walking in behind his father. She reached out and called, "David! David, help me!" David saw her and froze. He looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness, then lowered his head hurriedly.


    "I promise you, no one¡¯sing to save you," Anthony said. "Of course, I can also promise you that no one wille and hurt you. David, are you ready?"


    "Yes, father," David said quietly.


    "Bring them in," Anthony said.


    David turned and shouted an order. Around fifty people were ushered into the yard. They were all dressed differently and were different ages, but they were all bound.


    "These are your achievements, aren¡¯t they?" Anthony said. "I must apologize, but none of them can leave here today." He waved his hand and the mercenaries he brought with him all drew their swords. The mercenaries present had all been following Anthony for years and all knew better than to question him. A few minutester, thest of the mercenaries returned his sword to its sheath. Nishieva looked at the bodies in horror.


    "To be honest, what happened yesterday was worse," Anthony told Nishieva. "Of course, you¡¯re my wife, and I don¡¯t want to cause you any difort." He paused. "This is thest time you¡¯ll see me. I won¡¯te here again, and you won¡¯t leave here again." He turned to David and said, "Let¡¯s go."


    Anthony departed from Nishieva with sure steps. Nishieva screamed and cursed his name, but none of the curses were enough to turn him around.


    Christian pushed his way into Alice¡¯s room and saw that she was busy with ledgers. Alice smiled at him and returned to the numbers.


    Shinb nodded at Christian. Alice¡¯s safety became a topmost priority, and was followed by dozens of mercenaries wherever she went. Shinb had been staying close to her as well, no matter where Alice was. It was her neglect that had given the assassin a chance to get close to Alice, and she did not want that to happen again.


    Christian smiled at Shinb and sat down on a chair next to Alice. "How are you doing? How¡¯s your throat?"


    "It¡¯s better," Alice said. "Still can¡¯t raise my voice, but it could be worse. Do you need something?"


    Christian nodded. "Anfey¡¯sing back."


    "I see."


    Christian pursed his lips. It¡¯s clear after that night that Alice liked Anfey, and to Christian, the more she acted like didn¡¯t care, the more she cared.


    "Anthony killed a lot of people," Christian continued.


    "Why?"


    "He said that they¡¯re all people from Ellisen Empire," Christian said. "Anthony has shown his stance. I think we can trust him. We need to work with him to ensure peace. He¡¯s instrumental in inviting Batusimon here. I don¡¯t think Batusimon will work with us if Anthony isn¡¯t working with us. If we turn Anthony away, it could be disadvantageous."


    "What did he do with Nishieva?"


    "He imprisoned her," Christian said. "He got two alchemists to seal off the tower he is keeping her in. He¡¯s serious."


    "Nishieva¡¯s from Ellisen Empire. She¡¯s a thorn in our side."


    "But there¡¯s no way Anthony will kill her," Christian said. "Killing her servants and imprisoning her is the most he can do."


    "Let me finish," Alice said with a smile. "I agree. I¡¯m fine as long as Anthony stops trusting Nishieva."


    "You don¡¯t want to do anything else?"


    "What else is there to do?"


    Christian nodded. "Alright," he said. "If Anfey¡¯s unsatisfied with this situation, you should try and talk to him. You¡¯re the victim, and your words will weigh more than ours."


    "I trust him to make the right decision," Alice said with a shrug. "He¡¯s always sensible. But sure. I will talk to him if he wants to do anything else."


    "You don¡¯t understand," Christian said. "You don¡¯t know what he said when you were unconscious." Christian knew that Alice liked Anfey and that telling her what had happened would only fuel her fondness. However, he also knew the more she repressed it, the stronger her feelings would grow. He wanted to take another approach in quelling her feelings.


    "What did he say?"

 Chapter 485: Position Changed

    Chapter 485: Position Changed


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    All the mercenaries got excited and none of them looked scared or worried when Alice told them the next n. This might contribute to Anfey¡¯s all-time victory impression the mercenaries had on him. The mercenaries did not think the Tiger Mawau mercenary group could pose any threats to them.


    Of course, the leaders in the League of Mercenaries were not as optimistic as regr mercenaries. Alice, Christian and others all sat in the conference room, discussing the next n. As everyone was discussing, Anfey pushed the door open and walked in.


    Anfey was in the conference room at the beginning of the meeting, but he was called out by ck Eleven.


    "What happened?" Christian looked up and asked Anfey.


    "Violet City is in trouble," Anfey said.


    "What happened?" Christian asked. Everyone was listener-ins in their conversation. Ozzic and Shinb did not know about Violet City, but Christian and few others were very familiar with Violet City since it was Anfey¡¯s feudal estate.


    "Sherif Urter was missing. Luckily, former Citymasters Aroben and Niya were there, otherwise Violet City would be a mess," Anfey said.


    "How could Urter be missing? Did anyone..." Chrisitan asked.


    "Shouldn¡¯t." Anfey shook his head. He knew Urter must have troubles in the underground maze, but he could neither go back to Violet City at this moment, nor tell anyone the secret about the underground maze or ask anyone to help Urter at this moment. Anfey got to know many secrets about necromancers. The seclusive house Minos had was actually in Violet City. The underground maze must have something to do with Minos so Anfey could not tell this secret to others.


    He had no trust issues, but he needed to hold more information in his hands. If one more person knew about the secret, the higher the chance they would run into troubles.


    "How could he be missing?" Christian asked. "Anfey, did you give him something important. Could he betray you?"


    Anfey shook his head again. "He would not."


    Urter knew the secret about the underground maze, but Suzanna did not. It did not mean Anfey trusted Urter more than Suzanna. Urter found the underground maze first. Anfey could have covered this secret by killing Urter, but he did not want to do that just to cover a secret. Anfey was cold, but not vicious to that degree. In addition, Urter was a righteous guy, which could be told by the way he treated the former citymaster. He was loyal to Anfey and a very capable person. If such a righteous person betrayed Anfey, it would be no one else¡¯s fault but Anfey¡¯s own since he misjudged him.


    "If none of them was the reason, Anfey, what do you think would be the reason for him to be missing?" Christian asked.


    "Let¡¯s not talk about it for right now. It is pointless since we are not able to go back." Anfey had a weak and bitter smile on his face.


    Alice considerately changed the topic after she saw Anfey did not feel like continuing the topic. "Anfey, no one agrees with your n. You forced it to happen when you attacked White Mountain City. You almost died in that battle. I cannot believe you want to go to ckwater City now. We will not let you and Suzanna scout for us again."


    "Yes, Anfey, it is not necessary. We have over 20,000 mercenaries now. With the help of Anthony and David¡¯s Glory mercenary group and over 20,000 Shield of Light Legion soldiers allocated to us by General Baery, Manstuly and Tiger Tawau¡¯s mercenary group are not our match. I can just confront them if it is necessary," Christian said.


    "White Mountain City is different than ckwater City. I admit it was a little risky back then. I only wanted to assassinate Archmage Michael first to get rid of our biggest scourge. Think about it, what kind of soldiers are we dealing with in ckwater City? No matter if they are druids or elves, it would be no different thanmitting suicide if they wanted to release Nature series magic to me. I can dismiss their magic whenever I want to or even attack them with their own magic. If it were a fight without magic, do you think they could stop me?" Anfey exined.


    "Anfey, we all know you are very good, but it is not necessary to scout ckwater City," Alice said.


    "It is necessary. Not mentioning us, even Master Baery does not know about the situation in ckwater City. I heard the druids and elves have control of ckwater City. It is really hard for any outsider to get into ckwater City and obtain information on its people, but they know everything about us. Only if we know our enemies as well as we know ourselves, we could win every battle. At this moment, Manstuly knows us very well, but do we know them as well as they know us?" Anfey asked slowly.


    "Long and Ling are no secrets now. How many mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries have seen them?" Anfey shook his head. "We could not guarantee every mercenary is royal to us. It would be riskier to have Long and Ling do it. They might not be able toe back once they get into ckwater City."


    Christian and the others looked at each other. The upper level of the League of Mercenaries was a democratic organization. Everyone was liberal about expressing their ideas and believing what they believed. Everyone had developed a habit to trust and listen to Anfey. Besides, Alice¡¯s movement of cult personality towards Anfey yed a role in this. If a person told the same lie a hundred times, he would believe in his own lie. Once Anfey insisted on something, everyone would agree with him in the end.


    "Ok, if you insist." Christian smiled bitterly. "When will we leave?"


    "We cannot leave too soon. At least we have to wait for Batusimon¡¯s decision," Alice said in a low pitch.


    "Batusimon?" Christian asked.


    "Yeah, Batusimon showed interest in us, but was a little hesitant. Right now, we are about to battle with Tiger Tawau¡¯s mercenary group. He can not be so hesitant anymore. His decision would mean nothing if his decision were made after the battle is finished. My guess is he will make his decision in the next few days." Alice smiled.


    "Batusimon will be trouble someday," Hui Wei said with a frown. "Our king has titled two dukes. Does he have to title a third one? In terms of closeness, Master Marino has agreed to work with the Maho Empire. In terms of the power, the Storm mercenary group is not as great as the Glory mercenary group and Batusimon is not as great as Anthony. How could Batusimon be titled duke but not Anthony? Anthony will be pissed about it. That is why I said he would be trouble in the future."


    "There is one more reason why Batusimon is not as good as Anthony. After the titling ceremony, Anthony was not themander of the Glory mercenary group anymore. He passed it on to David. Anthony is nting the seed for their futures and it shows his stance that he would give up control of the super mercenary group as Master Marino did. Would Batusimon be willing to give his super mercenary group up?"


    "We have no control over what would happen in the future," Alice smiled. "Right now, it seems that having Batusimon on our side is very good for us. We not only have one less enemy but also get stronger."


    "You will be in charge of the case of Batusimon. I will not get involved. You will be on your own. Alice, can you pack up so you can leave together with us?" Anfey asked. Last time when they travelled to White Mountain City to fight, he asked Alice to stay in Stormenburg because many newly-joined mercenary families needed Alice to help them settle down. Those families were still in Stormburg. It would not help with the situation to have Alice stay here. Besides, Anfey was worried about Alice¡¯s safety. It was better to take her with him.


    "Ok," Alice nodded, "but it seems inappropriate to have myself talk with Batusimon. You are the Chief General. If you were not there with us, it might make Batusimon feel he is not important enough."


    "Wouldn¡¯t it show that he is very important when our CEO is talking to him?" Anfey smiled.


    It usually produced a strange feeling from a person when his position changed. If this happened a year ago when Anfey and Christian just came to the Country of Mercenaries, Batusimon would not even bother to see them. Back then, Batusimon was number one in the Storm mercenary group, but the situation totally changed. At this moment, it¡¯s Anfey¡¯s turn of not wanting to spare time for him. To be more specific, it was already a littlete for Batusimon to join the League of Mercenaries. If Batusimon decided to join the League of Mercenaries before Anfey took control over White Mountain City, he would receive many privileges. If he dragged it along and did not make the decision until the battle between Anfey and Tiger Tawau was over to see Anfey, Alice would not even bother to see him no matter how sincere he would be.


    "This is the courtesy." Alice smiled bitterly.


    "Ok, I will see." Anfey scanned around. "We will stop here for right now. Let¡¯s hurry up and do some training. Alice, can you stay for a second? I have something to talk to you about in private."


    Everyone seemed to know what they should do next when Anfey said "in private". Everyone stood up and left the conference room. Alice felt her heart pump harder. She asked timidly , "What¡¯s going on?"


    Alice misunderstood Anfey. If Anfey had anything romantic to say to her, he would not dare to directly ask everyone to leave the conference, especially not in front of Suzanna. Judging from the way Anfey handled things, he would never be able to flirt with Alice while everyone else knew about it in next ten years.


    "Our king wants to use the underground city for a while." Anfey took out a half crystal from the Dimensional ring. This crystal looked like it was broken in half by force so the surface was not smooth. "Can you ask a few dwarves to take the crystal back to Moramatch Town. If there were a person taking the other half of the crystal over and the two halves matched, you could let him in."


    "How could our king know about the underground? What is he going to do with it?" Alice asked in surprise.


    "Christian must have told him. What the king would do with it, I have no idea," Anfey said.

 Chapter 486: Support

    Chapter 486: Support


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I¡¯m impressed," Stan said. "You¡¯ve done well here." Country of Mercenaries was a hard ce for preachers to be. A lot of mercenaries didn¡¯t care for religions, and the mercenary groups had been resisting the advance of the Church for years. Even though there were a lot of preachers in Country of Mercenaries, it was very hard for them to actually convert anyone. Warner¡¯s achievement was very rare. Stan could tell how important Warner was just from the way people greeted him in the streets.


    "You tter me, my lord," Warner said. "The mercenaries want to be saved, as well." Anfey had told him that he needed to be more aggressive. He hadn¡¯t been using his passive attitude ever since.


    The mercenaries could tell that Warner¡¯s position in the League of Mercenaries had risen. Not only the mercenary leaders like Ozzic and Shinb, but even Anfey had be more respectful towards Warner. This change made the mercenaries much more respectful towards Warner, and they began listening to his preaching as well. The mercenaries didn¡¯t believe in any gods, but the change in Warner¡¯s station was enough to attract more followers.


    "There are mercenaries, aren¡¯t there?" Stan asked. "Does Anfey not mind?"


    "He respects the Church," Warner said. "Why would he mind?"


    "Respect, is it?" Stan smiled and said. He knew very well how disrespectful Anfey was, but he also knew that he didn¡¯t need to point that out.


    "I know why you don¡¯t trust me, my lord," Warner said. "But I think you may be too extreme." Warner had been worried about this meeting, even though he had not shown it. Stan may not be as well-known as nbrea, but he was still very powerful, and he was much more important. Luckily, Warner had enough practice to know how he should act when dealing with someone more important than he was. Without that practice, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to talk to Stan without bowing after every word.


    "Why is that?"


    "I¡¯ve been working for Anfey since before they left Moramatch," Warner said. "I think that I speak for him. He is very respectful not only to me but also to Lord Fernando, despite how difficult Lord Fernando¡¯s men were."


    "Really?" Stan asked, frowning. "Fernando¡¯s men were all well-trained. Why would they be difficult?"


    "Of course they won¡¯t do anything in front of you, my lord," Warner said. "But without a supervisor, they can be as bad as mercenaries. I trust Anfey with my life, and so do a lot of other people here."


    Stan frowned and nodded.


    "Despite how challenging Fernando¡¯s men were, Anfey never said anything that might anger them or do anything to them."


    "I see," Stan said. "I will talk to Fernando about this."


    "As for Zagreen... Ipletely understand and support what Anfey did."


    "And why is that?"


    "Because those priests tried to assassinate him with a swordsmaster called Deswright," Warner told Stan. "They are at fault in this situation. Wouldn¡¯t you have done the same?"


    "No," Stan said, shaking his head. "I am ashamed see you thinking like this, Warner."


    "You have to realize, my lord, I have to save myself as well," Warner said. "Sure, there may only be a few priests involved in the situation with Deswright, but that had already angered the mercenaries. If I had tried to do anything, if I had tried to save those priests, the mercenaries would have thought that I am like those priests. I would not only lose the trust of the mercenaries, I think Anfey would stop trusting me after that, as well. Without Anfey¡¯s trust and support, I don¡¯t think I could have converted so many people here." Warner already knew that he wouldn¡¯t be returning to the Church. Stan was only meeting him because he had the Book of Life. If he went back to the Church, the Church would try to take it from him. Without it, Warner was nothing. He couldn¡¯t lose the Book.


    "I think trying to save them would have brought shame to the Church," Warner continued without waiting for Stan¡¯s response. "The mercenaries already dislike the Church; and I cannot allow them to hate all priests and the Church. If some mercenaries tried to assassinate the pope, do you think the priests and the Knights of Light would give the mercenaries any chance for exnation? Anfey is to the mercenaries as the pope is to us. It was very chaotic, and I weep for those that were innocent, but what is done is done. We need to focus on the future. We need to focus on preventing what happened in Zagreen from happening again."


    Stan narrowed his eyes.


    "I do not regret my decision," Warner said, lowering his voice. "I can preach here freely because of Anfey¡¯s support. Give me a few more years, my lord. I am confident that I can convert more mercenaries than any priest in history."


    Stan looked at Warner and was stunned. It had always been the Church¡¯s goal to preach in Country of Mercenaries. He could tell Warner was being serious. He was impressed by how much Warner had grown.


    "Maybe you¡¯re right," Stan said. He smiled and asked, "I heard you¡¯ve activated the Book of Life."


    "Yes," Warner said with a nod. He had no intention of giving the Book up.


    "The pope is saddened by what happened to you," Stan said.


    "I¡¯m not the man I used to be," Warner interrupted Stan. "I stopped being a priest when my fellow priests tried to kill me. Now, I am just a normal man who wants to bring more people to the light."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Stan said. "The pope said everything was meant to happen. I think he will be very impressed by how much you¡¯ve grown."


    Warner¡¯s eyes widened. Stan¡¯s response implied that the pope knew and agreed with his actions. He had not expected to have the Church¡¯s support.


    Warner was working for Anfey, who was quickly making a name for himself around the world. He was also doing well preaching and converting in Country of Mercenaries. Not only that, Stan¡¯s party had gained the upper hand in the Church after Scarlet¡¯s death, and Stan knew how important it was to form an alliance with Maho Empire. Working with Anfey and his men would be a good way to mend the broken rtionship between Maho Empire and the Church.

 Chapter 487: Persuasion

    Chapter 487: Persuasion


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The mercenaries in the White Mountain City were immersed in excitement. Comparatively, soldiers in ckwater City were in a much more down mood, even though Manstuly and elf pharaohs tried hard to boost their morale. The uprising of the League of Mercenaries and the death of Scarlet had caused anxiety and fear in the ckwater City¡¯s people.


    Manstuly enjoyed a high reputation among the wolf druids. If he werepared to the top powers on the Pan Continent, he was not even as good as the archmage Michael from the Ellisen Empire. If Anfey could kill archmage Michael, it made sense that people believed Anfey definitely could kill Manstuly no matter how Manstuly argued about it or denied it. Even the wolf druids were pessimistic about it.


    In the valley about 40 miles away from ckwater City, a patrol was walking over the fresh green grass. The spring breeze was warm and the snow on the ground had melted away. The whole in and hills had put on a new green dress and looked lively.


    There was a saying: "It did not seem like work if men could be paired with women to work with." This patrol wasposed of three female elves, four male elves, and four mercenaries. They talked andughed as they travelled. They were more touring than on a mission. Elves were very proud, especially those three female elves. They were nice to their peers but only exchanged a few conversations with the mercenaries out of courtesy.


    When they walked out of the valley, ckwater Riverid in front of their eyes. A male elf, who looked like the leader of this group, raised his voice, "Okay guys, we have to go back after taking a quick tour."


    "The view here is breathtaking," a female elf said with a smile. On the other side of ckwater River was an endless prairie, like a pure and clean green carpet. The elves used to live in the forest and had never had the chance to see how grand the prairie could be. They felt so refreshed.


    "It would be great if we could stay here forever," another female elf eximed.


    The third female elf was not in the mood to appreciate the prairie. Her eyes were fixed on something above her. A man in a white magic gown stood on the tree branch, ring at them coldly. He had a gigantic ax in his hand and looked at them without any emotion. He seemed to treat everyone like a rock.


    "Who are you?" the female elf raised her voice and asked.


    The others all turned around to follow her eyes. A swirling ax flying down at them with rushing element currents in waves became their answer. The warm spring breeze became chilly. The freshness of the spring air was reced by blood.


    The element currents disappeared in the blink of an eye. Eleven people in the patrol died before they could do anything about the element currents. They did not even have the chance to send out magical help signals. The power difference between Anfey and themselves was huge.


    Anfey quietly watched the blood beads drip from the ax. He looked like he was waiting for something or thinking deeply. After a while, he thought out loud with a frown. "Manstuly, you don¡¯t n on being a chicken, do you?"


    Anfey intensified the element currents on purpose so that Manstuly would sense it since he was only less than forty miles away from ckwater City from here.


    However, within his sensing range, about eight different patrol teams went the opposite direction from him. They all retreated to ckwater City. Obviously, they were told what to do when they found anything wrong.


    Anfey employed the strategy that had been used in the war between the human league and death spirits. This strategy used senior warriors to strike the opponent with their highest flexibility. This strategy looked simple but had many different small variations in it.


    Sometimes, an archmage would suddenly show up in the sky above death spirits and leave right away after releasingrge-scale destructive magic.


    Sometimes, two master swordsmen would be busy killing death spirits and forget about leaving the battle, but they would leave from a suddenly-opened Dimensional Door once necromancers came to help the death spirits. A group of top powers would force the reinforcement necromancers to stay where they were forever with their magic.


    Sometimes, a group of top powers attacked the end of the death spirits¡¯ army. When necromancers hurried over to help, those top powers would suddenly fly away before they even reached the end of the army. More top powers would attack the front of the death spirit army. Those necromancers would suddenly realize they fell into those top powers¡¯ trap and would immediately allocate necromancers to help the front of the army. The necromancers sent to help the back of the army would be sent back, but the back of the army got attacked again. Those top powers would employ the Vacuum Time so they could release a few Forbidden Spells with casualty and left without any hurry.


    Human wisdom was so powerful that the strategies they developed were varied. They always seemed to be able to have new ideas. Anfey decided not to employ many strategies. He only wanted to lure Manstuly out.


    It was risky for Anfey to sneak into White Mountain City. However, it was different than before. Once Anfey had entered the level of Da Dao, he became a saint. Before he reached the level of Da Dao, he was just a human. When he practiced with Suzanna before, he had to try really hard to be her match, but now he could definitely feel he was a lot better than her.


    Anfey¡¯s aim was to kill as many senior level druids and elves as possible by himself. He hoped he could run into Manstuly and kill him in the fight. There was another reason that he did not bring Suzanna with him to ckwater City. It had something to do with his advancement to a Saint.


    Anfey wanted to have the supreme power, but he refused to evolve his emotions into the emotionless "Dao" level, which was contradictory to the principle of Da Dao. He did not want to kill the patrol, which had nothing to do with civilization or humanity. It was only because of hisziness and aloofness. Maybe he would only be passionate about a fight if there was someone as good as him. Anfey knew well the reason he had these emotional changes was because of the influence of Dao. He did not think it was right.


    People usually did not know what they had until it was gone. Anfey had already had a taste of this. When his parents had been alive, he did not practice hard. The only reason he practiced was that he wanted to impress his friends and ssmates. He did not understand how precious it was to have parents urge him to learn every day until his had passed away.


    Anfey had Suzanna in his life now. He had been picturing their future. If he could not change his emotions, he would end up as a person with no emotions. He could give up anything in this world, including Suzanna. If this were the case, it would be pointless no matter how powerful he became.


    Anfey was terrified of loneliness. It might be because he had been by himself for so long. No one understood what Anfey had to fight against¡ª not only the seductions from women, but also his own heart.


    A group of mercenaries, about forty of them, all rode horses and rushed into Anfey¡¯s sensing range. They rode very fast towards Anfey. Their appearance seemed out of nowhere. Other patrols had retreated to the station, which showed the city master¡¯s conservative attitude. The appearance of this group of mercenaries definitely shocked Anfey, especially when there seemed to be no top powers among them that Anfey should pay attention to.


    Anfey suddenly remembered something. He took out a paper scroll from his Dimensional ring. There were a dozen faces painted on the scroll. The head of that group of mercenaries was one of the faces. Anfey had gotten very few pieces of information from ckwater City since Manstuly and elves took control of it, but he still had previous information about ckwater City. For example, the paintings of Mourtta and Hotchbini¡¯s children.


    "Is he the youngest son of Hotchbini, Beach? He came at the right time," Anfey thought out loud and smiled.


    Anfey¡¯s sensing range had already reached dozens of miles now so he had to wait a while for those mercenaries to ride their horses over the hill. Luckily it did not take them too long with the help of the horses. "Ashley, Ashley," a worried voice suddenly stopped at the ckwater river. Over forty mercenaries all focused on the bodies lying everywhere on the ground.


    "Hi, everybody." Anfey had to say something to remind them of his existence. He looked up to check the time. "Good afternoon, everyone."


    The mercenary in the front stared at one elf¡¯s body. He jumped off the horse and rushed at Anfey. Luckily, his fellow mercenaries were not that focused. A few mercenaries immediately held him back and then looked at Anfey in rm.


    "You did not kill them, did you?" The mercenary in the front had not noticed Anfey until now. He yelled in anger.


    "Are you Beach? Do your parents know you are here?" Anfey asked in a low pitch without answering Beach¡¯s question.


    "I asked you if you killed them!" Beach was so furious that he pulled out his sword backhanded.


    "Go back and tell Hotchbini." Anfey pointed at one mercenary. Beach did not answer Anfey. "I know Hotchbini has been busytely. I do not want to cause any inconvenience for her, but I have no other option. Youe at just the right time, don¡¯t you? Help me pass my apology to Hotchbini."


    "I am f*cking asking you. Did you¡ª" Beach¡¯s yelling was interrupted by his peers. The mercenaries stared at the ax in Anfey¡¯s hand. The cut-off limbs everywhere on the ground seemed to be enough evidence to prove what kind of weapon the killer had used. In addition, there was blood on the ax.


    A few mercenaries dragged Beach back while more mercenaries pulled their swords out and surrounded Anfey. One mage had already started to chant. A big fireball appeared in the sky and shot at Anfey. One middle-aged mercenary yelled as he rushed towards Anfey: "Protect our lord and leave!"


    The vicious-looking big fireball suddenly stopped when Anfey casually waved his hand. The fireball was like a well-behaved basketball and fell in Anfey¡¯s hand. Anfey weighed it and tossed the fireball back at the mage.


    The mage almost popped out when he saw this. The next moment, the fireball he released hit him.


    "You can only leave with my permission." Element currents suddenly prevailed around ckwater river again after Anfey said it.

 Chapter 488: Unfinished

    Chapter 488: Unfinished


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey stood where he was and watched the sunset. He had always been patient. He had killed Hotchbini¡¯s son and he knew she would want revenge.


    He sensed another group of people approaching. This group was evenrger than thest group, and Anfey could tell Manstuly was among them.


    He still did not move. He was conserving his strength and his power so he could peak when it mattered.


    Anfey knew that his n left no room for failure. He had killed the scouts and Hotchbini¡¯s son because he needed Manstuly to appear personally. He believed that Manstuly knew that as well. Bringing guards and soldiers meant that Manstuly was not confident enough to take on Anfey one on one.


    Anfey recalled the story of Jerrofick and Ernest. Jerrofick was once the best swordsmaster in the entire world and was called a genius. However, when Ernest challenged him, he resorted to deception and trickery. Before that, Ernest had once spoken highly of Jerrofick. Ernest knew how to work his way up from the bottom. He dueled with people less powerful than he was because he needed the experience. Putting Jerrofick at the end was a gesture of respect.


    Even though Jerrofick had won the duel and ruined Ernest¡¯s reputation, his own skills began regressing as well. Ernest said that it was because he had lost faith in himself and in his sword.


    The sound of the enemies was growing closer. Anfey turned and saw two small dark specks appear on a mountain in the distance. Thanks to the Heart of Nature, his senses were much sharper than any human¡¯s. Nothing could escape his detection.


    The dark specks were two elves quietly approaching. They were both young and good looking, but one could not guess an elf¡¯s age from the elf¡¯s appearance. Elves were ageless and almost never changed.


    The two elves each wore golden chainmail and held a green longbow. They were very agile and fast. The male elf was standing on the cliff and the female was crouching in the grass. Both of them were staring at Anfey and observing him.


    Anfey lifted a brow. Clearly, this was Manstuly¡¯s n. He stretched his body and picked up the axe that was lying on the ground.


    It had been centuries since thest chosen one of the Goddess of Nature appeared. During that time, the Heart of Nature was but a relic to the druids. Thest chosen one did not say anything about the Heart of Nature in order to protect himself and the Heart of Nature. Because of this, no one knew exactly what the chosen ones were capable of and couldn¡¯t prepare for them.


    One of the elves pulled out an green, limp arrow and nocked it. As soon as the arrow touched the bow, it straightened. The elf aimed and released the arrow. The arrow ripped through the air, howling as it flew towards Anfey.


    The arrow was very fast and very powerful, but still not enough to harm a top level power.


    Anfey frowned. The female elf had released an arrow at the same time as her malepanion. The arrow she released was invisible and did not make a single noise. The speed was faster than the green arrow, as well. If Anfey did not have the Heart of Nature, he would not have been able to detect the present of the arrow.


    Anfey waved hisrge axe and the invisible arrow crashed into the axe with a loud boom. Anfey frowned as he wavered, then he jumped up and out of the way of the green arrow. Hended then dashed towards the female elf.


    Both elves were clearly very good. The male elf was a very good archer, and he was only responsible for covering for the female elf.


    Anfey increased his speed. Loose elements were attracted to him and formed a small storm of elements around him. The grass under his feet was ttened by this elemental storm and the elements obscured his figure, preventing the elves from seeing him clearly. He knew that Manstuly had already transformed himself and was heading his way, but he also knew he was faster.


    Seeing that they had been discovered, the two elves gave up hiding as well. The female elf stood up in the grass and did not appear to be worried about being discovered. She wasn¡¯t just an archer. She was skilled with magic, as well. She pulled her bowstring taut and released a beam of green light.


    The green light expanded in the wind and became arge.


    Anfey kept running as if he could not see the. As soon as he touched the, the disappeared into thin air. He did not let that bother him and kept decreasing the distance between himself and the elves. Because of the Heart of Nature, no nature magic could hurt him.


    The female elf frowned. An arrow made of sapphire appeared in her hand, and she released it. Anfey frowned and waved his axe, hitting the blue arrow.


    The axe mmed into the blue arrow and shattering it. The pieces of the blue arrow regrouped and formed into arge wall of ice. Seeing that Anfey was slowed, another arrow appeared in the female elf¡¯s hand and she released the arrow towards him. The arrow flew towards him and turned into a beam of dark light.


    The dark light struck the wall of ice and absorbed the ice. However, the female elf could not celebrate her sess because she could tell that Anfey had disappeared moments before the arrow hit the ice.


    Anfey¡¯s figure shed and reappeared. The female elf jumped back. She knew that she was no match for him and she needed to get away. Her figure wavered and several illusions appeared, all running in different directions.


    If Anfey had not had the Heart of Nature, he would not have been able to tell which was the real elf. However, because of the Heart of Nature, he could do things he would not have been able to do otherwise. He easily found the real elf and chased after her.


    He raised his axe, striking the elf. The elf screamed and disappeared, but that did not slow him. He quickly caught up to her again and struck her with his axe. She fell to the ground, limp.


    "I told you, Manstuly," Anfey whispered. "It¡¯s not yet finished."


    By the time Manstuly and his men arrived, Anfey was gone and the only things left were the bodies of the two archers.

 Chapter 489: War

    Chapter 489: War


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master, we lost thirty-one elves, five druids and fifty-two mercenaries in total by dusk. The southern town seemed just¡ª" a druid reported.


    "F*ck off!" Manstuly yelled in anger.


    The druid who had juste in to report to Manstuly trembled with fear. He immediately left the room after Manstuly asked him to f*ck off.


    Beside Manstuly, Mourtta and Hotchbini were sitting to the left of him in the room while three male elves sat to the right of him. None of them looked too good.


    Mourtta liked to hide his weakness so he always pushed his wife, Hotchbini, in front of him. In fact, he was just as good as Hotchbini. Manstuly was definitely as good as Mourtta and Hotchbini. He was the leader of the wolf druids. The three male elves were the elf pharaohs. They were definitely a group of powerful, intelligent people. However, they did not seem to know how to deal with Anfey when faced with his cruel and bloody killing.


    This magical world was different from the civilized world with high technology. In the high-tech and civilized world, each individual¡¯s ability was very limited. Anyone who wanted to make aplishments needed the collective efforts of others. In this magical world, one person¡¯s power, even though it couldn¡¯t be unlimited, could cause irreversible changes to society. Anfey had only taken one day, by himself, to turn around ckwater City and make people in ckwater City worry.


    They thought of having a group of top powers surround Anfey, but they did not think it would work since Anfey would not be stupid enough to fight directly against those top powers. On top of already being fast, Anfey could release Instant Transportation. Those top powers would not even be able to chase after him. They thought about setting traps for Anfey, but the tragedy at dusk had proven that would not work either. To prove whether setting traps for Anfey would work had cost the elves a lot.


    Katyusha had been the second best Sunset Archer. The Silent Arrow she had always practiced with were not that effective against swordsmen, since they were all very fit. However, whenever she had fought against archmages, her silent archery caused fatal threats to them. The magic arrows she had brought with her were umted by elves over time, a few of them senior level magic arrows. With her magic achievements, and the amount of arrows she¡¯d had on her, everyone had thought Katyusha could definitely kill Anfey when she left. They had thought she could hurt Anfey even if she could not kill him. Nobody had thought such a hopeful top power could be killed by Anfey in the blink of an eye. It was a huge blow to them.


    "I finally believe there is an heir to the Saints," the elf pharaoh in the middle asked in a low pitch. "Master Manstuly, what I don¡¯t get is why you still wanted to attack Suzanna if you already knew Anfey¡¯s teacher was a mysterious Saint, and if the legend about Anfey was discovered about a year ago. Isn¡¯t it not wise to make an enemy with a potential Saint?"


    "Master Anderson, in fact, it was my idea." Mourtta smiled bitterly.


    "Okay, could you tell me why you did that?" the elf pharaoh asked.


    "I do not think there have been any Saints, neither does Master Manstuly," Mourtta said.


    "Are those all your reasons?" the elf pharaoh asked.


    "No," Mourtta shook his head. "Back then, Anfey did not stand out as much as he does now. I worried about his sophisticated ns. He stationed himself in Moramatch Town and seemed to be really interested in the Country of Mercenaries. I thought he would be a problem in the future."


    "That is why we thought we could not let him grow stronger," Manstuly added. "We had to destroy him."


    "His sophisticated ns?" another elf pharaoh asked. "I do not quite get it."


    "You know about the conflict between Tiger Tawau¡¯s mercenary group and Glory mercenary group, right?" Mourtta asked.


    "Yes," the elf pharaoh said.


    "In fact, Glory mercenary and us have been set up all the way from the beginning. We all know Shanteler and Davidson from Glory mercenary group were killed in a conflict, but we did not kill them," Mourtta said in a low pitch.


    "Then who killed them?" the elf pharaoh asked.


    "Anfey did," Mourtta said.


    "Anfey?" The elf pharaoh shook his head. "I don¡¯t think so. I have carefully read the report about Anfey. When you had the conflict with Glory mercenary group, Anfey was still pretty weak. Even though Suzanna worked for him, those few young guys would not be able to pose any threats to Shenteler and Davidson. Davidson was a senior swordsman. In addition, Shanteler and Davidson had many guards with them. How could Anfey and Suzanna kill them?"


    "I don¡¯t know how Anfey did it either," Mourtta smiled bitterly, "but I am sure he was part of it."


    "Really?" the elf pharaoh asked.


    "If you are interested in it, I can tell you all I know," Mourtta said in a low pitch. "In fact, from the very beginning, Hotchbini and I felt something was not right, but back then we already had conflict with Glory mercenary group. Later, Shanteler and Davidson were killed. We had to continue the fight with Glory mercenary group even though we knew there was something fishy about it. In addition, we could not exin what happened. Hotchbini exined it to Shanteler. Unfortunately, Shanteler doubted us. Those antsy Glory mercenaries were not patient enough to listen to our exnation after Shanteler was killed. Since the fight had to happen, we had to try our best."


    "After the fight, I did an investigation on it for a long time, but could not figure out what was wrong with it." Mourtta paused a second before he continued, "But, a person suddenly caught my attention."


    "Anfey?" the elf pharaoh asked.


    "Yes," Mourtta nodded. "He set a trap in Cross Valley and wiped out a Griffin Aerial Unit."


    "Did you suspect him because of that?" the elf pharaoh asked.


    "Master Anderson, no one was born a supreme power. First of all, he needs time to grow and there is always a way to trace the growth. Taking Anfey for example. Every time Anfey did something big or showed in public, his power increased significantly more than before."


    "We agree with what you said, but..." Anderson said.


    "Master Anderson, bear with me with a long story." Mourtta heaved a slight sigh. "I am a victim of Anfey so I know better than anyone else. The setup he had for Glory mercenary group and me was so well and cruelly nned that I could not fight back even though I knew I fell in traps. This is the characteristics of Anfey. When Anfey gained his fame by wiping out a Griffin Aerial Unit, I felt there was simrity between those two events. I just wanted to give a try so I targeted Anfey and did an investigation on him. I did find out a lot of information about him."


    "What did you find out?" Anderson asked.


    "Before Shanteler and Davidson were killed, Anfey and his fellows came to ckwater City and stayed in a hotel, named Tuna Hotel. Anfey seemed to be very active and always came homete at night. What was he busy with? The main reason Glory mercenary group and us had the conflict was because a younger brother of Davidson was killed at a mercenary¡¯s home. Davidson said it was my mercenary. When I did the investigation, I found someone saw a beautiful swordswoman with ck hair and ck eyes and a young mage on the street that day. Later, I found a painter and a few people who had seen Suzanna before. I asked that painter to draw Suzanna and showed it to the people who saw them. They were sure the girl they saw was Suzanna. Was it just a coincident?" Mourtta said in a low pitch.


    "Besides, Anfey is a student of Saul¡¯s. His luck did not seem to be too good. He ran into trouble a couple of times in the Maho Empire. What surprised me was Ynther¡¯s attitude towards Anfey. He never punished him for his mistakes but always rewarded him for any achievements he made. There is no point for me to talk about what kind of person Ynther is. The key is: why did he liked Anfey so much? Could it only be he is a student of Saul? Could it only be he showed his talent?" Mourtta asked in a low pitch.


    The three elf pharaohs fell into silence. Mourtta had made it very clear. If they continued to doubt Mourtta¡¯s judgement, it would be no different than doubting their own intelligence. Ynther had been ambitious of making the whole Pan Continent concur. What kind of people would Ynther think important? It seemed to be self-exnatory.


    "I have an idea." An elf pharaoh suddenly looked very excited and proud.


    "What is it?" Everyone got interested in it.


    "Anfey has been an ally with Glory mercenary group, but he is an assassinator," the elf pharaoh said with a smile. "Anthony has treated Shanteler and Davidson as his own brothers. If we tell him that Anfey actually killed Shanteler and Davidson, hehehe, do you think Anthony would forgive Anfey?"


    This was a good idea. Manstuly, Hotchbini and few others all looked excited. Only Mourtta shook his head without any excitement, "It would not work."


    "Why not?" the elf pharaoh asked.


    "Would Anthony think we are trustworthy? Besides, we do not have enough evidence to prove Anfey killed them," Mourtta said with a bitter smile.


    "We have to give it a try," Hotchbini said in a low pitch. Her eyes were red. She had three sons killed by Anfey so far. She tried to control her emotions in front of the others, but she had cried many times by herself. She knew Mourtta shed his tears as well. Unfortunately, the path to the throne was always thorny. They could not turn around now, not even stay where they were. They had to continue on that path no matter how much it would cost them, even if the few sons they had now could be killed in the war.

 Chapter 490: Tough Choice

    Chapter 490: Tough Choice


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey sat next to arge boulder, staring at the bonfire in front of him and the sausage on the bonfire. In the distance, the sun was already rising.


    Anfey wasn¡¯t hungry and he didn¡¯t need to eat as often as he used to because of the Heart of Nature, but he also enjoyed the process of cooking and eating and did not mind making a small meal for himself.


    Seeing that the sausage was cooked, Anfey took it off of the fire. Suddenly, a strange wind de appeared near him. Usually, a wind de is slim and long and gleamed with a dark blue color. Under normal circumstances, mages wouldn¡¯t change the shape of a wind de because it was difficult and pointless. Anfey waved his hand and the wind de began chopping the sausage into smaller slices. Although Anfey didn¡¯t need to eat as often, he still felt the process of eating was an integral part of being human.


    He popped a slice of sausage into his mouth. Suddenly, he detected about a dozen riders approaching. They were walking and stopping as if they were searching for something. Anfey retrieved his bow and released an arrow into the sky.


    A few minutester, a group of soldiers appeared. They hurried towards Anfey¡¯s bonfire and jumped off of their horses. "Sir," the leader said, nodding at Anfey. Anfey nodded when he recognized Robert, the Ranger who had been negotiating with him.


    "What are you doing here, Robert?" Anfey asked.


    "You once told me that you do not have a good weapon," Robert said. He held up a sword and said, This is the holy sword left to us by our ancestors. We hope you can have it."


    "Holy sword?"


    "Have you heard of the Sword of the Pioneer?"


    "Sword of the Pioneer?" Anfey repeated, his eyes widening. "Isn¡¯t that hidden in Swordbury?"


    "That hasn¡¯t been the case for a long time," Robert said. "My ancestors once guarded Swordbury and switched out the real sword with a fake. That is why kings of Maho Empire never take it out of the principality."


    "Even Christian doesn¡¯t know much about it," Anfey said. "How did you ancestors manage to switch the swords?"


    "They got the sword out, but couldn¡¯t get out themselves," Robert said, shaking his head. "We lost contact with them after they smuggled the sword out."


    "Still," Anfey said, "a very impressive feat. You¡¯ve been active for so long yet no one detected your presence... I don¡¯t think I could have managed that."


    "You tter me, sir," Robert said with a smile. "This world is tooplicated, situations are often too murky. We must be strong in order to survive. Of course, our lives will be much more difficult from now on." Robert knew better than anyone how many different centers of power existed in the world. The empires were powerful, but so were the Church, the elves, and the druids. Now the necromancers were slowly bing a part of the power web as well. Who knew what would happen after that?


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said with a smile. He knew exactly what Robert was concerned about. "I will do everything in my power to protect you."


    "We are lucky to know you," Robert said, smiling.


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I am the lucky one. Thatment about weapons is just something I mentioned in passing. I can¡¯t believe you remembered it." Anfey smiled at Robert as he put the sword into his dimensional ring. He was very curious about the sword, but he had to keep himselfposed. He would inspect itter when he was alone.


    "Anything, sir," Robert said.


    Anfey and Robert left the rest of the Rangers to talk because they wanted to make sure their conversation stayed between the two of them. Anfey was interested in the Rangers, and the Rangers were interested in Anfey. After Minos sent his servants away, some of the servants lost touch with each other, which was why the Rangers were shrinking in number. The Rangers were interested in Anfey because they believed his teacher might have been one of them. Thest known supreme power was Minos, but even Minos became a supreme power with the aid of the Wheel of Fortune, just like the Heart of Nature had made Anfey into a top level power.


    Anfey recalled thebyrinth in Violet City and remembered that there were a lot of pentagrams carved into the walls. He drew the pentagram by memory and show it to Robert. Immediately upon seeing the pentagram, Robert¡¯s eyes filled with tears.


    The pentagram was the symbol of Minos. Very few knew about the symbols, even among the Rangers. Robert knew that Anfey must have known a Ranger.


    "Robert, did youe all this way to give me the sword?" Anfey asked.


    Robert sighed. "No," he said, shaking his head. "There¡¯s something else, but..."


    "Tell me," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t hold back."


    Robert nodded. "After the rebellion in Gruce Principality, King Darius escaped to Ellisen Empire. He was discovered, and he¡¯s on his way back to Gruce Principality. He will arrive at ckwater City in a week."


    "What?" Anfey asked, his eyes widening. He rarely lost hisposure, but Darius was different. He was the father of Suzanna and Shally. "Are you sure?"


    "Absolutely," Robert said. "There is something... I¡¯m not sure if I should say it."


    "Tell me."


    "I know Darius," Robert said. "He is a horrible person. We cannot let him get to ckwater City. We can¡¯t save him, either. If we do, it may damage our reputation." Robert raised his hand and dragged a finger across his neck. "This is the easiest n. My men are already positioned and ready."


    Anfey frowned and did not say anything. He knew that Darius was a very hated man in his own nation, which made overthrowing him very easy. Trajan may have a careful n, but it still would¡¯ve been harder if Darius was a good ruler.


    This was the first time Anfey faced a difficult decision. He knew that it was necessary to kill Darius, but Darius was still the father of his wife. If Anfey killed Darius, what would he tell Suzanna? Should he tell her about it, or should he keep her in the dark?

 Chapter 491: Passing the Test

    Chapter 491: Passing the Test


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Master, did they notice us?" A young ranger looked scared and doubtful.


    "They just stopped to take a break. We don¡¯t¡¯ have to wait anymore. We could attack them now," Anfey said in a low pitch.


    "Now? They have mages," the young ranger said.


    "Why are you talking so much? Just follow my order!" Robert said with a serious tone.


    "Yes, sir." That young ranger suddenly realized that he only needed to follow the order. He jumped on the horse and rushed forward with his fellows.


    The army was ready to take a break. They were not aware of anything unusual. However, the clip-clop sounds of horse steps on the ground could not be covered when the rangers rushed out of the grass. The army noticed the danger. All the soldiers moved to a center while over a dozen people flew to the sky. Obviously, those who flew to the sky were mages.


    There were red lights shing in the distance. A strong re shot at a mage with fast speed and immediately left a hole in that mage¡¯s chest. There was another re flying above them before they even figured out what had happened. The mages in the air suddenly realized what happened. They hurriedly released their magic shields. They immediately realized those magic shields would not be able to protect them. The third Firebird whooshed over and easily pierced through magic shields and hit another mage¡¯s head. That mage¡¯s head exploded like a smashed watermelon. His blood and flesh sttered everywhere. This scene stunned over 400 soldiers.


    Even though Anfey could not release forbidden spells, the senior level magic he released with his super telepathy and strong control over elements was more terrifying than the intensified magic Archmage Michael could release.


    The regr Firebird could be shot out as far as 1,500 feet. The range could reach to 3000 feet with intensified magic. Anfey was 4,500 feet away from the army. If Anfey used bombing magic, he would not be able to control the elements with such a long distance. It was easy for Anfey to control the elements around him to attack the target at a distance. His sensing ability allowed him to lock in anyone in a distance.


    Mages flew down one after another. None of them wanted to be Anfey¡¯s target. However, this disaster was not finished yet. Another Firebird attacked the center of the army and created fires everywhere. Some magesid on their stomach on the ground out of fear, but the Firebird still attacked them.


    The soldiers from the Ellisen Empire thought the area north of ckwater City would be safe, especially when they only needed to escort one criminal for this trip. There was no top power in this team so they could not fight against the Firebird at all. The whole team was almost crushed in the blink of an eye.


    Rangers had already rushed close to the army. They had twenty rangers with them, much less people than the army, but more powerful than the soldiers all together from the Ellisen Empire.


    About seven of the rangers were mages. They fearlessly flew into the sky and suddenly flew into different directions like a firework. Their mission was to stop and chase after the deserters. It sounded like a very hard mission to wipe out over 400 soldiers with only a little bit more than 20 people. However, with Anfey¡¯s help and a huge power difference between the two parties, it was not a difficult task. If they could notplete this task, they should feel ashamed of themselves.


    When Anfey and Robert arrived, the battle had finished. The grass in an area with a radius of thousands of feet was dyed bloody red. The air was filled with the metallic smell of blood.


    Anfey realized the ruthless and cruel side of rangers. It might be the style they inherited from their ancestor, Minos. It also could be the habit they developed over time to protect themselves. Rangers killed people no differently than killing chickens. They were ruthless killers.


    Anfey remembered what happened in White Mountain City. A mercenary had reported to Ye that few young men killed all the mercenaries in his squad. It seemed that rangers had acted this way for a long time.


    "Master, we found Darius, but he looks like he has lost his mind," a young ranger reported to Anfey with respect.


    "Lost his mind?" Anfey raised one of his eyebrows.


    The young ranger turned around and waved his hand. A man around sixty years old was pushed out. He was dressed very nice. He was a Grand Duke in a principality who showed his loyalty to the Ellisen Empire. At this moment, the Ellisen Empire did not need Grand Dukes anymore, but they still treated them decently. The old man had the manners of people in high positions. He was very clean and tidy. One could tell that he must have been a very handsome man when he had been young. However, at this moment, there was a dull and absent look on his face. He looked slightly up at the sky as he sang some unknown folk song. He didn¡¯t seem to hear it when the rangers talked to him. He would just shake a bit with some giggles when he was pushed.


    "If he is already crazy, he will be of no use for us. Kill him," Anfey said casually.


    The young ranger pulled his sword out and thrusted it backhanded at Darius¡¯s chest.


    Darius looked scared when he saw Anfey¡¯s group was very decisive and could kill anyone they wanted to. He suddenly screamed, "Wait, please, master."


    The ranger¡¯s sword went up a bit and slid over Darius¡¯s shoulder, leaving a bloody cut there. Darius screamed in pain as he covered the cut with his hand.


    "Be quiet!" Anfey said slowly. "Are you Darius?"


    "Yes, yes." Darius bent down with fears. He almost kneeled in front of Anfey.


    "How does it feel being betrayed by the Ellisen Empire while you have showed your loyalty to them? It must not feel good, does it?" Anfey asked sarcastically.


    Darius did not know how to respond to Anfey¡¯s questions. He was afraid of aggravating Anfey so he kept quiet with an almost-crying face. In fact, he was quite confused. Anfey¡¯s group killed the soldiers escorting him. They should being to save him, but they did not look like they were here to save him.


    "I heard once when you were drunk, you told some of your maids that you wanted to build a city of beauties and to have all the young girls in the principality live in your city. A maid suggested you kill all the men in the principality so you would not have to build a city of beauties. You praised her for her good idea. Did you do it?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, I said those words when I was drunk. It¡¯s all bullsh*t," Darius said.


    "I just asked you whether you said so." Anfey said.


    "Yes, sir," Darius answered obediently.


    "I heard you cut off a maid¡¯s legs and froze them in the icing kekkai only because you thought she had beautiful feet. You said her beauty would not fade as time went by. Did you did do it?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes." Darius was more scared. He felt Anfey¡¯s group was here to take revenge for some innocent victim. The things Anfey asked about were quite well-known in the city so he could not deny them.


    "Thew of having girls give their virginity to kings was abolished a thousand year ago, but you enforce it again with force in your principality. You ordered the newly wed civilian couples to send the bride to your pce to take her virginity. There were more girls than you could enjoy so you spared some for your officials and hatch men. Did you do it?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Darius answered.


    "It¡¯s great that you are being honest with me. As long as you are honest, I will not hurt you." Anfey smiled. "I do not mean to insult you. What I am saying is meant to remind you what an a**hole you are."


    Darius did not look like Darius anymore. He looked more like a beggar, begging for mercy from Anfey. He stared up at Anfey.


    Anfey took out a scroll from his Dimensional ring and opened it in front of Darius. Anfey asked casually, "Do you know this woman?"


    Darius took a close look at the paint and answered in a low pitch, "No, I do not know her."


    The painting was Suzanna. Even though Darius hid it very well, the faster heart beats, the changes in his pores and in his eyes proved he knew Suzanna. He had to deny it for some reason.


    "You are lying," Anfey said coldly.


    "Master, I really do not know her," Darius yelled at the top of his voice. After he had been caught by the Ellisen Empire, he had been lectured a lot to persuade Anfey into surrendering to the Ellisen Empire. He had denied that Suzanna was his daughter, but he didn¡¯t even remember what she looked like anyway.


    Anfey lifted his chin a bit. Two rangers pressed Darius to the ground. One of the rangers pulled the sword out backhanded. Anfey sighed quietly. The qualities of the rangers were in wide ranges. If it were Ye, he would not act this way. Ye would kill him if Anfey asked so. He would not press Darius on the ground like the ranger had.


    "Master, killing me won¡¯t make me know her. I really do not know her," Dariusined. In fact, what he insisted had nothing to do with humanity or righteousness. He did it for himself. He had built so much hatred since he fell from powerful Darius into a criminal. When others bluffed, threatened him, they always mentioned Anfey and Suzanna. He got to know from their conversations that Suzanna had married Anfey and had aplished a lot with Anfey. It would not do any good to him to hurt Suzanna. She was hisst straw. If Suzanna went down, he would lose all his value and usage. He could picture what his life would be if that happened. If he could hold on until the end, even if he was tortured to death, at least he still got a person to take revenge for him.


    Anfey quietly looked at Darius. It was a test for Darius. If Darius did not pass it, Anfey would kill him even though it might make Suzanna angry at him. It looked like Darius was not stupid.


    "Robert," Anfey said slowly, "can you take him to your ce. I will make arrangements for himter."


    "Master, I think we¡¯d better..." Robert tried to convince Anfey to kill Darius.


    "Follow my order," Anfey said.

 Chapter 492: Secret

    Chapter 492: Secret


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This is too risky," Christian said, his worried eyes staring at the map of ckwater City.


    No one had predicted this situation beforehand. The League had almost tripled the numbers of mages under Anfey¡¯smand. With six hundred mercenaries, everyone thought that the advantage would be on the mercenary¡¯s side.


    The knowledge of the presence of elven archers in ckwater City changed that. Even a normal elven archer was better than a human archer, and the archers in ckwater City were the best of the best. Even a mage was no match for hundreds of arrows.


    They could tell how powerful the elves were just from reading the number of casualties. From the initial contact to the full scale conflict, they had lost thirty seven mages. Never before had they lost so many mages in a single battle.


    "Where did Lord Anfey go?" Ozzic said, frowning. "This wouldn¡¯t have happened if he were here." Ozzic was at the front of the attack and lost three hundred mercenaries. Out of the three thousand Shield of Light soldiers that went with him, less than half returned.


    Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had been trying expand their numbers since the beginning of the war against the dead and had help from Ellisen Empire, the elves, and the druids. However, the League still had more fighters.


    ckwater City gave Tiger of Tawau mercenary group an advantage the League did not have. Manstuly was also putting in everything he had. No one had experience fighting such a bloody battle.


    A seasoned general wouldn¡¯t care about the casualties. They only cared about victory, but Christian was still too young.


    Entos had experienced battles and Kumaraghosha was a skilled soldier and seasoned general, but neither had the rank to interfere with Christian¡¯s decision-making. They knew that Christian was still young and they couldn¡¯t tell Christian that the only way to take down ckwater City was to sacrifice another half of the League.


    "Alice, do you know where Anfey is?" Christian asked.


    "How would I know?" Alice replied with a frown. She nced at Suzanna. Suzanna was Anfey¡¯s wife, and if anyone in the room knew where he was, it would be Suzanna.


    Suzanna shook her head. "He didn¡¯t tell me anything," she said. She sighed and turned to Christian, "Let Anthony and I go. I am confident that the two of us can break through their defense."


    "We can¡¯t do that," Christian said, shaking his head. Top level powers were often used to turn the tide in a battle, but there were top level powers in ckwater City as well. They only know about Manstuly, but no one knew whether the elves had any hidden trump cards. If Suzanna and Anthony got themselves into trouble, the League would lose two major powers. Christian knew the League could not afford that.


    "Why don¡¯t we stop for a bit?" Kumaraghosha asked. "A temporary truce, until Lord Anfeyes back." Kumaraghosha could tell that neither Christian nor Alice could make important decisions. Without Anfey, they would just keep arguing and would not reach a proper decision.


    "There¡¯s something wrong with this," Ye whispered.


    "What is it?" Christian asked.


    "I don¡¯t know how to put it," Ye said, shaking his head. "Normally, Lord Anfey would tell someone where he¡¯s going and how long he¡¯ll be gone."


    "Maybe he¡¯s doing something that¡¯s top secret," vi said.


    "Even so, he would tell us something."


    "He¡¯s always alone," Christian said. "Maybe he can¡¯t find anyone."


    "I don¡¯t know," Ye said. "Normally he would have told us something, sent a message or something."


    "He can¡¯t be..."


    "No way," Christian said. "If something did happen to Anfey, Manstuly wouldn¡¯t be so quiet."


    vi nodded. He nced around and asked, "Where¡¯s Lord Anthony? I just saw him here a few minutes ago."


    "David just came in," Zubin said. "They left together."


    ¡ª


    Even though David had asked Christian to let him join the battle, Christian had refused. This was why Glory mercenary group had not lost any men yet.


    In the corner of the camp, Anthony was staring at a middle-aged man. After a few moments, Anthony sighed. "I can¡¯t believe you came here, Otto. Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll kill you?"


    "I hope not," Otto said. "We are friends, after all. You wouldn¡¯t do that to a friend, would you?"


    "It¡¯s not me," Anthony said. "You¡¯re forcing my hand. You¡¯re working for Mourtta now, and Glory mercenary group is not a ce you cane and go as you please."


    "I see," Otto said. "You think that I¡¯m here on Mourtta¡¯s behalf, don¡¯t you?"


    "Aren¡¯t you?"


    Otto shook his head. "I¡¯m a merchant now," he said. "I don¡¯t want to serve anyone else, which is why I left ckwater City."


    "And you¡¯re here now because you want to work for me?"


    "No," Otto said, shaking his head. "I¡¯m going to Tumen Commercial Union. That¡¯s thest peaceful ce in the world."


    "This is not Tumen."


    "I¡¯m here to tell you a secret, Anthony," Otto said. "Don¡¯t you want to know?"


    "Interesting," Anthony said. "Keep talking."


    "Maybe you won¡¯t believe it, but...well, I suppose I¡¯m repaying my debt to you. I know Mourtta and Manstuly aren¡¯t good people, but you have to realize neither is Anfey."


    "That alone is enough reason to kill you here."


    "I wouldn¡¯t be saying this if I wasn¡¯t ready for the consequences," Otto said. "Allow me to finish." He paused, then continued, "Do you remember what happenedst year? What caused the war? Why did Mourtta suddenly attack? Aren¡¯t you curious?"


    Anthony frowned. Seeing a reaction from him, Otto hurriedly continued, "You¡¯re too righteous, Anthony. You don¡¯t want to see..." Before he could finish, Anthony drew his sword and shed at Otto¡¯s neck. Otto gurgled and fell to the ground.


    "I apologize, old friend," Anthony said. He sighed and shook his head.


    "Father!" David said with wide eyes. "Don¡¯t you want to know the secret?"


    "Remember, David," Anthony said, wiping the blood off of his sword with a piece of Otto¡¯s clothes. "There are a lot of secrets in the world. Most of those secrets are better off left alone. Knowing those secrets will change nothing. It will only cause a rift between you and the people you care about."

 Chapter 493: Bad News

    Chapter 493: Bad News


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Long-awaited, Anfey finally came back to the station the second day after the battle broke out. His appearance made Christian and the others feel a little less tense. They did not have smiles on their faces for long before the soldiers who came back to the station after Anfey shared the shocking and sensational news. Scarlet did not die and Baery lost his battle at One-Line-Sky.


    The Shansa Empire¡¯s military had been fleeing towards the northwest. They looked like they wanted to retreat from the main street on the Wild in to the Ellisen Empire. The Ellisen Empire had sent out their military to help them. Baery could not sit there and do nothing about it. He chased after the Ellisen Empire¡¯s military, but was ambushed at a valley called One-Line-Sky.


    Those few estafettes did not look too good. Estafettes were not high positions, so they did not understand Baery¡¯s whole n. Anfey and Alice had to ask them for a quite long time but only got a draft of Baery¡¯s n.


    The two Griffin Aerial Units lead by Scarlet were very tough at the battle. They had been covering for the main force since they decided to flee. They constantly harassed the Death Roaring Legion and attacked their scouts. Baery was the person who would definitely fight back if he was attacked. He camouged mages and senior swordsmen on the scouting team and turned Scarlet¡¯s trick against her to hunt for griffin riders.


    There was no other legion as flexible as the griffin riders. After they lost few battles, they changed their strategies. They reduced the number of attacks but make each attack at arge scale. Hundreds of griffin riders attacked a scouting team with less than ten people in it. Even mages and senior swordsmen hidden in the scouting team could not change the situation. They did not even have the hope to escape.


    After dozens of deaths on each side, Baery finally could not take any more loss. The number of elite scouts was reduced to half, over forty mages died in the battles, and two generals died as well. The griffin riders were quite tough in the battles. They tried to keep their advantageous position in the sky no matter what it would have costed them. In the end, Baery had to ask the scouting team to retreat and handed the scouting job to the mages. He asked the mages to constantly release the Sky of Eyes to keep an eye on their opponents.


    One-Line-Sky had very weird terrain. It looked like an array of pointy tents on both sides of the valley. The valley was wide at the bottom but narrow on the top. The mountains on both sides were about 600 meters high, nted upwards. The higher they went, the closer the mountains got. The top of the mountains almost touched each other. Looking from the bottom, only a line of sky was seen. This was the origin of its name: One-Line-Sky.


    There were nearly thousands of springs and hot springs in the valley within a thirty mile radius. The valley had been submerged in fog and created many challenges for the Sky of Eyes.


    Dean Steger released the Sky of Eyes and saw countless Shansa Empire soldiers crossing the valley and continuing to flee away from them. However, he could not see what happened in the valley well because of the fog. Steger and Arch Alchemist Jacob decided to pay a trip to the valley, but they did not notice anything unusual there.


    Officials and soldiers in the Death Roaring Legion kept asking to chase after Scarlet¡¯s military. It was strange to see Baery taking out a letter to read at such a critical moment. He finally gave the order to chase after Scarlet¡¯s military after reading it for a long time.


    After about a quarter of the soldiers walked into the valley, a hidden gigantic magic array was triggered. All of the soldiers died in the valley.


    Many magics were only effective for a short period of time. For instance, Marshal magic and Firewall Magic. After the elements dispersed, the scene should have gone back to its original look. However, the damages caused by magic were permanent. For example, a big fireball could create arge hole in the ground. The gigantic magic array set by Scarlet released strong earthquake waves. As the earth shook stronger and stronger, more than half of the mountains in the One-Line-Sky¡¯s valley copsed. The famous One-Line-Sky wonderpletely disappeared from this world forever. It was reced by countless rock tombs of different sizes. Over ten thousand soldiers of the Death Roaring Legion were buried in those rock tombs.


    Baery immediately made the decision to ask the Death Roaring Legion to retreat. His decisiveness kept some of the Death Roaring Legion alive. It was not time for them to attack Scarlet¡¯s military. No matter how tough the soldiers were, they were still human, not men of steel. They each had their own emotions, principles and fears. When they watched their peers walk into the valley and disappear forever, it crushed them.


    The appearance of Scarlet was a miracle. Her g rose up again. Unfortunately, the only path of escape was destructed by her earthquakes. Their destination was thirty miles away with a direct path. If she wanted to travel around the mountains, she had to walk a hundred miles more, which gave Baery time to regroup.


    The chasers became the escapers in the blink of an eye while the escapers became the chasers. The situation changed as fast as a game of checkers.


    Baery definitely would not have dared to fight Scarlet. He led the Death Roaring Legion to chase after her and took advantage of not having a leader in the Shansa Empire¡¯s military. Without a leader, their military did not know what to do without any orders. If Scarlet hadn¡¯t died yet, Baery needed to meet up with the Shield of Light Legion as soon as possible.


    Those few estafetes brought Baery shocking news. To the east of the Country of Mercenaries, in Stormenburg, mercenaries found thousands of knights from the Shansa Empire running towards Stormenburg. They were the Guardian Knights of Edward VIII of the Shansa Empire. Countless griffin riders flew over the sky. Roughly estimating, there were at least six Griffin Aerial Squadrons.


    The Griffin Aerial team wasposed of three fighting battalions and one training battalion. Each battalion had three flying squadrons. Anfey had wiped out one of their squadron with his peers. Two of the squadrons were with Scarlet. Now they had six flying squadrons with Guardian Knights, which meant Edward VIII of the Shansa Empire yed hisst card. He was fighting for his life with Ynther.


    The Shansa Empire military attacked neither Stormenburg, nor White Mountain City even though they were easy targets. They travelled directly towards the southwest. Their goal was to take control of Cross Valley to cut off the bridge for both the Death Roaring Legion and the Shield of Light Legion in order to wipe out both legions before Ynther could send a renforcement team to help.


    The atmosphere deteriorated and became deathly quiet after they heard the news. Everyone fixed their eyes on Anfey. They wondered what happened. Hadn¡¯t Anfey killed Scarlet? If Anfey did not earn his supreme reputation through danger, there might have been someone standing out to doubt him. Alice seemed to be the most upset. When Anfey told her that he killed Scarlet, she felt relieved despite her regrets. When she learned that Scarlet came back to life, she was really upset.


    "Don¡¯t look at me. I definitely killed Scarlet," Anfey said calmly. In fact, Anfey was not in a good mood either. "I am pretty sure I killed her."


    "Then why is she still alive?" vi asked timidly.


    "There must be someone who saved her with some miracle." Anfey said assertively. He was confident about his abilities. Scarlet definitely died.


    "Did..." Hui Wei¡¯s face turned pale. He jumped up suddenly.


    "What is it?" Anfey immediately looked at Hui Wei.


    "Nothing, it is impossible." Hui Wei forced a smile.


    "Hui Wei, aren¡¯t we friends?" Anfey asked in a low pitch.


    Anfey sounded very nice, but Hui Wei definitely sensed the seriousness in Anfey¡¯s words. His lips trembled slightly. Hui Wei did not respond for a while then answered with the same serious and assertive tone as Anfey. "Yes!"


    "Great! Can you stay after everyone leaves?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, sir." Hui Wei was a smart guy. He knew he was able to keep secrets from Anfey before, but not anymore. He had to give Anfey an exnation on why Scarlet came back to life. He needed to help Anfey exin to everyone that he did kill Scarlet.


    "Hui Wei, can you tell us? We want to know too," vi asked.


    "Well... sure." Hui Wei had a bitter smile on his face. "My guess is that Scarlet has the Ring of Immortality."


    "Ring of Immortality?" Many people asked together in surprise. They had never heard of such a thing.


    "The Ring of Immortality and Anfey¡¯s Heart of Nature are Holy Artifacts. The Wheel of Fortune is thest artifact of the Three Holy Artifacts. I don¡¯t really know what the Ring of Immortality can do, just as we do not know what the Heart of Nature can do. Only the owners of the Holy Artifacts know their secrets. Judging from its name, we could guess what it can do," Hui Wei said slowly.


    "Can Scarlet never be killed?" Sante yelled out of surprise.


    "I do not think the Holy Artifacts could be that powerful. If Scarlet¡¯s body was crushed into a pulp, I don¡¯t think anyone could save her," Hui Wei said.


    "Let¡¯s not talk about this for right now. The problem is what we should do now. The Shansa Empire military attacked neither Stormenburg nor White Mountain City, but Scarlet would definitely fight us since we did cause her a lot of trouble. We have two days to either get ready for the fight or retreat. Anfey, can you give us any orders on that?" Christian asked in a low pitch.


    "If Scarlet couldmunicate with Edward VIII, she definitely could pass the news that she has won the battle in ckwater City to him. What do you guys think Manstuly is thinking right now?" Anfey asked.

 Chapter 494: Innocence

    Chapter 494: Innocence


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ckwater City had turned into arge festival. Even Manstuly, who had been wearing a frown for days, smiled. Baery had retreated and no one knew what Anfey was doing. No matter how disciplined, mercenaries were no match for real soldiers. Manstuly was very worried about Anfey after he heard the news that he had killed Michael. Now that Anfey and his league were losing, Manstuly felt more reassured.


    The elves were the happiest of everyone. The elves may be very efficient fighters and master archers, they still did not like it. The elves were a part of nature and they were more in tune with nature than humans. They could not handle death and destruction as well as the mercenaries. The sight of death and blood made many of the elves sick. The end of the battle made many of the elves very happy.


    Because of their nature, it was very hard for the elves to recreate the glory of the ancient elven empires.


    A young elf woman was stopped as she walked through the streets of the city. Because the mercenaries in ckwater City feared and respected Hotchbini, no one dared do anything to the elves, which was why the young elf was surprised. She stopped and nced at the person¡¯s face, then froze.


    In front of her was a young man in pale red robes. He was tall and more handsome than most mercenaries. However, that was not why she froze. There was something about the young man that felt very familiar to her.


    Anfey saw a glimmer of recognition and confusion in the elf¡¯s eyes and knew that it was the Heart of Nature at work. He grinned at the young elf.


    "Sorry," Anfey said. "I need some help. Can I ask you a question?"


    "What is it?" the young elf asked, curious.


    "Do you know where Yalbevin is?"


    "You know Yalbevin?"


    "Yes," Anfey said, nodding. "She is a good friend of mine."


    "Yalbevin isn¡¯t here," the young elf said. "I don¡¯t think she came with us. To be honest, I haven¡¯t seen her in a long time."


    "I see," Anfey said. "What about Wiss? Do you know where she is?"


    "You know Wiss too?" the young elf asked, surprised. Both Wiss and Yalbevin were well known for their excellence.


    "She¡¯s a friend of mine, as well," Anfey said.


    "Sorry to disappoint you," the young elf said, shaking her head. "Wiss isn¡¯t here, either. Really."


    The young man sighed in disappointment. "What about Paglia? Please tell me she¡¯s here?"


    "You know Paglia, too?" the young elf asked, shocked.


    "Of course," Anfey said.


    "But you don¡¯t look like her friend."


    "Do I not?"


    The young elf nced at the young man. Paglia was one of the best archers and best fighters among the elves. Shouldn¡¯t her friends at least be just as powerful? The young man was clearly just a beginner.


    "Can you tell me your name?" the young elf asked.


    "I¡¯m Fian," Anfey said. "Please tell Paglia that her old friend is looking for her."


    "But Paglia isn¡¯t here, either," the young elf said, shaking her head.


    "She¡¯s not here either?" Anfey¡¯s eyes widened and his grin faded. "Oh, this is bad!"


    "Oh!" the young elf said. "I remembered. I heard that they¡¯re all away with Lord Bruzuryano. Do you need to speak with them immediately?" She knew that she had just revealed a big secret, but she felt strangely familiar with this young man and she feltforted by him.


    "It seems like Paglia is very important among your kind," Anfey said.


    "Of course," the young elf said, nodding. "Do you not know?"


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. "She never told me."


    "Can I ask you something?" the young elf asked. "If you don¡¯t mind, that is," she hurriedly added.


    "How did you be friends with Paglia?"


    "Well, we ran into each other," Anfey said. "But I think I still like Wiss more than Paglia."


    "You do?" the young elf asked with wide eyes, clearly surprised.


    "Am I wrong?"


    The young elf looked at him, then giggled. "You fell for her trap," she said. "That must be it."


    "Trap? What trap?"


    The young elf shook her head. "Don¡¯t worry. Please don¡¯t tell Paglia I said that, though!"


    "Of course not," Anfey said. "Do I look like someone who gossips?"


    "Humans areplicated," the young elf said with a shrug.


    "I swear," Anfey said. "I won¡¯t tell Paglia anything."


    The young elf smiled. "I¡¯m not worried," she said. "What do you need them for?"


    Anfey nced around and grabbed the young elf, taking her to a quiet alley nearby. He lowered his voice and said, "If Paglia isn¡¯t here, then I must trouble you. What is your name?"


    "Catherine."


    "Lord Mauso has urgent news, Catherine," Anfey said. "He wants me to hand it to themander of the elves."


    "Lord Mauso?" Catherine¡¯s eyes widened. "What kind of news?"


    Anfey sighed. "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you," he said. "But Lord Mauso asked me keep it a secret. I don¡¯t think he wants Lord Manstuly to know, either."


    "Why?" Catherine asked, frowning.


    Anfey sighed. He had picked Catherine because he could tell she was one of the most powerful archers. He didn¡¯t expect her to be so innocent to the level of idiocy.


    Of course, Catherine was just a special case. She was too kind and too trusting. Elves could be cold-blooded and cruel in a fight, but when they talked with someone they trusted, their innocence would show through.


    "I don¡¯t know," Anfey said, shaking his head. "It¡¯s just Lord Mauso¡¯s order. Catherine, can you take me to yourmander? This is urgent." He needed to take out the elves¡¯mander, but when he approached the elves¡¯ camp, he discovered some trees that reacted to his presence. He didn¡¯t want to startle anyone and decided to switch ns.


    "I can try," Catherine said.


    "Thank you so much," Anfey said with a smile.


    Catherine nodded. "Come with me," she said, turning back towards the direction she came from.


    Anfey nced around to make sure that no one noticed their conversation and quickly followed Catherine.

 Chapter 495: Unsuccessful Rescue

    Chapter 495: Unsessful Rescue


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    No one stopped Anfey from entering ckwater City after he walked with Catherine. South of ckwater City, the houses in arge residential area had been torn down to make it into the station for the elves. Anfey couldn¡¯t care less about whether or not those residents wanted to move and where they moved to because those were problems for Mourtta and Hotchbini.


    The elf station was tranquil and peaceful. In fact, it was highly guarded. There were four ancient trees at each corner of the station and they were connected with bushes.


    Beyond the trees and bushes were the training and rest areas for elves. From the outside, other than the area around the entrance, no sentinel could be seen. However, whenever there anyone wanted to cross the bushes or get close to the ancient trees, the elves noticed. All of the elves noticed, not just a few of them. It was because elves had the ability to connect with nature in a special and mysterious way. As they grew older, theirmunicative ability with nature grew stronger. Even though theirmunicative ability with nature was not as strong as Anfey¡¯s Nature of Heart, it could not be underestimated.


    ve Hunting was such a profitable profession. Once a ve hunter hunted one elf, they did not need to work for three years. A ve Hunting team could tell that it was a difficult task to catch an elf in the forest from the frequency which they caught them. The elves who fell into the traps were in unusual conditions. For instance, they could be sick, too upset or too young. Anfey could attack elves before because he had the help of his Nature of Heart. The ancient trees in the four corners were not just regr trees, but special trees that the elves relied on to guard them. They were War Ancient Trees.


    Catherine treated Anfey as her friend. She answered every question he had for her. Sometimes she even told him more information before he even asked for it.


    There were over twenty elf sentinels at the entrance of the station but none stopped Anfey. They even greeted him with smiles. It might have been either because he walked with Catherine or they sensed the nature feeling from Aney.


    The atmosphere in the elves¡¯ station was light and happy. The appearance of elves was quite different than humans¡¯. Anfey had the illusion ofing to a Miss Elf show in a modern inte game. The male elves walking by Anfey were handsome while females were pretty. Inparison to humans, elves would have definitely stood out. They were all fit. None of the elves was overweight. They all looked like models.


    The elves Anfey passed neither doubted him nor looked at him with doubt. They all greeted him with their smiles. Some even greeted and talked to Catherine. Everything seemed to be good, but Anfey felt some uneasiness.


    Elves made the whole station into a green ce with grass, trees and ponds. They yed in the forest or next to the ponds. They were only soldiers when they had to pick up their weapons to fight, but they were not good warriors. Once they put down their weapons, they became innocent kids again. For the older elves, some seemed to focus on cutting seals, some chanted their own poems while others gathered to listen to other older elves tell them old legends.


    Anfey felt nothing was rted to war. Elves loved nature and life. When not forced, most elves did not want to hurt others.


    Humans usually lived in a world with one foot in chaos and the other foot in order. It was hard to tell which person was nice and which was evil. Elves were all very pure and innocent. They were not asplicated as humans.


    After Anfey came to this world and became Saul¡¯s student, he had to act in the interests of the whole group. He believed that everyone could have been divided into three categories: friends, enemies and strangers, no matter if it was a he or she, or if they were beautiful or ugly, nice or evil. Anfey heard many stories about elves. He knew the nature of the elves, but he killed them without any hesitation or mercy when it came to the bottom line.


    If Anfey knew Bruzuryano before Saul and received his help, he might have prioritized his interests and thought of him and the elves first. They might have even been friends fighting together in this battle.


    Anfey was not a cold person. It had nothing to do with whether the person was male or female, beautiful or ugly, nice or evil when it came to making friends. There was a saying that everything was tied up in theirmon interests. This saying had been overused but it was the truth.


    "It is just ahead of us." Catherin turned around and smiled at Anfey.


    "Okay." Anfey nodded with smiles. At the same time, he slowed his pace a little.


    "Are you tired?" Catherine asked with concern.


    "No, I am not tired. I just feel something is going to happen," Anfey said.


    "What is going to happen?" Catherine asked.


    "Listen," Anfey said.


    Catherine focused on listening but did not hear anything. When she was about to ask Anfey again, waves of yelling came from everywhere. The League of Mercenaries started their attack.


    The order Anfey gave to the League of Mercenaries was quite simple¡ª take over ckwater City at any cost!


    Not everyone was able to be a leader. First of all, he would have to have the ability to take risks and let things go. Sometimes, he would have to fight with everything he had. There was a saying that the braver one won if two met to fight. Sometimes he had to suffer. Good leaders had to be able to see hope as in the saying, "where there was life, there was hope." Anfey did not mean to take revenge on the elves. The reason he gave the order to take over ckwater City at any cost was for the sake of his long-term goal.


    The time when four supreme mercenary groups dominated the Country of Mercenaries had passed. Anthony and Marino worked for Anfey. Batusimon swore his loyalty to Ynther. At this moment, the League of Mercenaries and Tiger Tawau¡¯s mercenary grouppeted on equal terms. They both had less than one quarter of the mercenaries in the Country of Mercenaries. Many mercenaries had been waiting and watching.


    Many mercenaries might have made misjudgments on the current situation and taken stance with Tiger Tawau¡¯s mercenary group after Baery lost his battle and the League of Mercenaries had to flee from Scarlet. Anfey worried that Tiger of Tawau¡¯s mercenary group grew very fast as the League of Mercenaries did before. If the League of Mercenaries was able to defeat Tiger of Tawau¡¯s mercenary group, everything else would have been easy. No matter if it was Scarlet, druids or elves, they would lose their advantage in the Country of Mercenaries. They would receive resistance from the mercenaries. By then, if Anfey called for those mercenaries, they definitely would join the League of Mercenaries to fight for him.


    Therefore, that night, Mourtta and Hotchbini had to die.


    After understanding Anfey¡¯s intentions, the temporary chief inmand, Kumaraghosha made a life threatening n. Other than Anfey¡¯s bodyguards, reserves under Kumaraghosha¡¯s leadership started attacking ckwater City from all directions. Anfey¡¯s bodyguards would not have stayed behind for long. Once the reserves had a breakthrough, they would have gone over to help.


    "Damn it!" Catherine¡¯s face changed when she heard the yelling. She had no time to take care of Anfey. She ran straight forward. "Hey, guys, assemble, hurry up!"


    ckwater City did not prepare for the battle. They thought Anfey would definitely retreat. They did not think his 20,000 mercenaries would have been a match for Scarlet¡¯s military. It was impossible. Scarlet had griffin riders. No matter who became the griffin riders¡¯ target, they would have no hope to escape.


    The whole station was in chaos. Elves ran over hurriedly to the grass and lined up. Anfey observed with his sensing ability, but he did not find the sunset archer he fought a few days ago. There was a saying that "birds of a feather flock together and things of one kind came together." The sunset archer should have been with Manstuly but was not in the station.


    Elves lined up ording to their positions. Dozens of archers lined up in the front and discussed something nervously. Catherine was one of them. Soon, a male elf was selected as the temporary Chief in Command. He raised his voice and gave out an order.


    "Catherine, where are you going?" Anfey asked at the top of his voice.


    Catherine turned around quickly and saw Anfey. "Feyan, the battle is going to start. You¡¯d better stay here. Don¡¯t go out. It is dangerous outside."


    "Don¡¯t go!" Anfey walked towards Catherine as he talked. He never had the chance to be friends with elves and learn about their lives. There was no doubt that Anfey thought Catherine was silly, but her innocent and carefree personality had won his heart. He thought he was stupid, but he still wanted try to save these silly elves.


    "What?" Catherine looked surprised.


    "Catherine, who is he?" the temporary Chief in Command asked when he noticed Anfey.


    "This is Mr. Feyan. He is a good friend of Paglia and Yalbevin," Catherine exined to him immediately.


    "Mr. Feyan," the temporary Chief in Command seemed very nice, "don¡¯t go anywhere else. It¡¯s best to stay here for your safety." He did not seem to be a good pick since he blindly trusted Anfey after only an introduction from his peer.


    "Catherine, don¡¯t you remember the message from Mauso?" Anfey asked slowly. "Mr. Mauso asked me to pass a message on to you that Bruzuryano signed a Peace Agreement with Ynther. As long as you do not join the battle, the League of Mercenaries will not hurt you."


    The elves were all shocked. The temporary Chief in Command looked cold. "Mr. Feyan, are you from the League of Mercenaries?"


    "No, I am the messenger of Mr. Mauso," Anfey said.


    "Mr. Feyan, this is our business. You do not have to worry about it." The temporary Chief in Command looked nice again. "You do not know the whole story yet. Many elves were killed by the League of Mercenaries. There was a saying from humans that ¡¯blood is for blood.¡¯ Our elves have endured much. This time, we will not let them take advantage of us."


    "Well." Anfey heaved a slight sigh. The next moment, the pitch-ck sky became as bright as daylight. A twisted silver snake shot down from the sky and covered a radius of dozens of meters.

 Chapter 496: Conflicts

    Chapter 496: Conflicts


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Elves weren¡¯t great at defense and couldn¡¯t do much to protect themselves from the serial lightning.


    Anfey was a very cruel person. Even though he felt guilty, he still did not want to waste time talking to the elves after being rejected.


    All the archers in the camp were victims of his attack. Because most of the elves were in the same area, it saved Anfey a lot of time. The lightning could easily strike several elves at once, leaving them either dead or paralyzed and unable fight.


    As the lightning dimmed, Anfey readied himself for another spell.


    Dark red light shone through the ground, followed immediately by the formation of argeva pool. Usually,va pools have no effect on elves. However, a lot of the elves were unable to move and unable to get away from theva.


    Most of the elves¡¯ faces showed great confusion and fear, which made Anfey feel very guilty about what he was doing. He turned his face away so he wouldn¡¯t be distracted.


    "No!" a voice distracted Anfey. He turned and saw a male elf running towards him.


    Anfey knew the elf. He was one of the best archers there. Seeing hispanions and friends dying, he was clearly very distraught and did not think about what he was doing. He was an archer and should keep his distance, but he was running towards his opponent.


    Usually, archers weren¡¯t the most brave people. Only swordsmen had the guts to run towards their enemies because they were well-protected by theirbat power. Archers should be calm and collected in order to assess a situation. Clearly, this elf had forgotten that he should remain calm.


    Anfey sighed. He streaked through the air towards the elf, elements forming into a small storm around him.


    The elf saw Anfey¡¯s face but he did not recognize him immediately. It was only after he saw the elemental storm around him that he remembered who Anfey was.


    The elf tried to change his path and nocked an arrow. He was one of the best archers among the elves and had the ability to attack under any circumstances. However, both Anfey and he were very fast, and by the time he wanted to change his course, it was toote.


    Anfey summoned his axe as the elf released a beam of green light. Anfey and the elf crashed into each other, both disappearing in a cloud of debris. A momentter, Anfey¡¯s figure reappeared, standing tall, but the elf was already limp on the ground.


    The elves that were standing nearby were spared, but had lost all will to fight after seeing the death of theirmanders and their squad leader. Elves did not like fighting in the first ce. Without someone tomand them, all they wanted to do was leave.


    The northwestern corner of ckwater City was also under attack. Countless fireballs, lightning, and wind des were hurled at someone standing on the city wall. The figure did not move to avoid being hit. Instead, he simply raised his arms and deflected the attack. "Suzanna!" he bellowed. "Are you so cowardly that you won¡¯t even face me?"


    "Save it," Anthony called in return. "I never thought you would stoop so low! Where is your fairness when you attacked Suzanna?"


    "Anthony!" Manstuly called back. "You¡¯re the one to talk! You¡¯re just Anfey¡¯spdog! A dog, I say!"


    "Better apdog than a dead one like you," Anthony replied calmly.


    Manstuly was very rude, and his words would have angered another more narrow-minded person. However, Anthony did not let the words bother him. He was fighting with Suzanna not only because he was trying to break into the city, but also because he was trying to protect Suzanna. He knew that the only person Manstuly hated enough among them was Suzanna. Even if Suzanna agreed to fight against Manstuly, Anthony would try to stop or help her.


    Anthony¡¯s history with Suzanna and Anfey not had been a good one. His wife tried to kill Alice, and Mourtta tried to nt a seed of doubt in Anthony¡¯s heart by sending Otto with a secret. However, Antony had already betrayed Ellisen Empire. He was a mercenary, but he did not like betrayal. He would not betray Ynthe again. Anfey¡¯s reaction to Nishieva¡¯s n made Anthony trust him. Anfey must have known Nishieva was part of the n to kill Alice, but he didn¡¯t do anything. This was why Anthony decided that Anfey was a good man to work with.


    Entos¡¯s figure shed into existence behind Manstuly and shed at him with a dagger. Manstuly ducked easily and Entos disappeared from the city walls again.


    "What are we waiting for?" Entos asked as he reappeared, waving his dagger.


    Christian smiled, then turned and gave an order to the mages. He only had about a hundred mages with him, but thebined power of a hundred mages was still a significant threat. The mages raised their hands and chanted together. Arge bolt of lightning crackled into existence and struck Manstuly.


    Lightning spells were very dangerous, even Anfey could not get away from a lightning spell. Manstuly had gone berserk, but he was still a little bit slower than lightning.


    Anthony waved his sword and he burst into light withbat power. He dashed towards the city. Suzanna followed right behind, bursting into light as well.


    Entos disappeared, then reappeared behind Manstuly, stabbing at him with his dagger. Even someone like Manstuly was not immune to the paralyzing effects of lightning spells. Entos was just a mage, but he was still able to stab Manstuly and injure him.


    Before Manstuly could react, Anthony and Suzanna were upon him, light from theirbat power blinding.


    Christian watched from afar, ready to attack. He sighed, remembering the first time he met Manstuly. He knew that things had came to this because of Manstuly¡¯s ambition, but he still felt bad.

 Chapter 497: Farewell

    Chapter 497: Farewell


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey walked through the elves¡¯ camp slowly. Due to the death of theirmander and the destruction of the camp, the elves had lost their will to fight. All they were trying to do was the escape. Since the elves did not want to fight anymore, Anfey did not try to kill them. He knew that the elves no longer posed a threat. Whenever an elf blocked his way, he pushed him out of the way.


    Anfey closed his eyes and expanded his mind, inspecting the situation in ckwater City.


    Suzanna and Anthony were fighting with Manstuly. Their strength was on par with Manstuly¡¯s, and they had the help of hundreds of mages. However, Manstuly was able to defend himself and attack despite being injured.


    Anfey could tell that Manstuly¡¯s life force was draining quickly. He did not know what Manstuly did, but he clearly gained more power at the expense of his own life force.


    He was using one of the rarest forbidden spells. The spell, referred to as "Madness," was rarely used inbat because the price the spell caster had to pay in order to use it. However, Manstuly knew that it was impossible for him to take on two top level powers and hundreds of mages at once. No one, including Anfey, was able to achieve something like that. He needed to boost his strength because that was the only way he had a chance.


    Anfey frowned. Manstuly focused his attention on Suzanna, who was at a disadvantage because of his use of Madness. Luckily, Anthony was there fighting alongside Suzanna, and Manstuly¡¯s life force was draining. He wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for much longer.


    The League was winning in other parts of the battle as well¡ª the only exception being the eastern front, which was led by Shinbe.


    Both Mourtta and Hotchbini were fighting on the eastern front. Because their closeness, the two were able to coordinate the battle better thanmon mercenaries. This was how they were able to defend the city against Shinbe for so long. Anfey opened his eyes and rose into the air, heading towards the eastern side of the city.


    The eastern front was the bloodiest front of the entire battle. Mourtta stood on the city wall, watching the League¡¯s mercenaries retreat. He was wounded and most of his men were dead. He stared at the enemies, unsure of how long he couldst.


    Hotchbini was sitting nearby, cradling the body of her child. She turned to Mourtta and whispered, "Do you hate me?"


    "What?" Mourtta asked, caught off guard by her question.


    "This wouldn¡¯t be happening if it wasn¡¯t for me," Hotchbini said with a sigh. "Do you hate me?"


    Mourtta smiled and shook his head. He walked over to her and ced a hand on her cheek. "You haven¡¯t changed," he said softly.


    "What?" Hotchbini asked with a frown.


    "You might have insisted, but I made the choice. I made a conscious decision, knowing full well how risky it would be. We aren¡¯t people who will settle for mediocrity." Mourtta sighed and nced at the enemy army. "So we lost. That is part of life. I just hope that the gods will not separate us after we die." Mourtta did not spare a nce for their dead son but stared lovingly only at his wife.


    Hotchbini did not cry when her trusted guards died in front of her. She did not cry when her son died, either. However, Mourtta¡¯s words brought tears to her eyes. She might have lost everything, but she would have the man she loves until the very end.


    "You¡¯re right," Hotchbini said, her voice shaking. "We made a choice. We did. But our children are innocent. Take them and go."


    "Why?" Mourtta asked, shaking his head. "The mercenaries looked up to me. They trusted me. I cannot throw that away. I cannot run. I am but a man. I am old now, but you still have many years to live. Take the children with you. As long as you are alive, the elves will help them."


    "Me?" Hotchbini said with augh. "No. The elves lost many lives because of me. I cannot go back to them like this." She was ashamed by the consequences her actions brought about. Even if the elves were willing to take her in, she would not stay. She was the one that pushed Mourtta to oppose Anfey. She could not bear the thought of leaving him.


    "Don¡¯t be childish," Mourtta said softly. His words were interrupted by a sudden wave of shouts and stomping. He turned and saw the mercenaries charging towards the city again, led by Shinbe. He turned back to Hotchbini and said, "Please, listen to me. We cannot let our children die with us. Think for them!"


    Mourtta turned just in time to see an arrow fly past him and nt itself in Hotchbini¡¯s chest. She gasped in pain and raised her hand towards him. A secondter, her hand fell back to her side and she stilled.


    "No!" Mourtta cried out in pain. He flung himself to her side, holding her in his arms. The mercenaries around them watched with a mixture of shock and disbelief.


    Mourtta held her tight to him and became quiet. Anfey watched in silence. He sensed Mourtta¡¯s pain and pitied him. He wanted to give Mourtta a moment to say goodbye.


    Mourtta raised his head and sighed. "It¡¯s for the best," he said, his voice quivering. "All these years... I should have treated you better." He leaned in a left a soft kiss on her forehead. "Wait for me," he whispered. Then he turned and nced towards the battlefield. He saw Anfey standing not far behind the mercenaries with a longbow in his hand. He sighed and jumped off of the city wall, dashing towards Anfey.


    Sensing Mourtta¡¯s anger, Anfey raised his bow and aimed an arrow at him. As the arrow flew towards him, Mourtta did not summon hisbat power. Instead, he closed his eyes and recalled the time he spent with Hotchbini over the years.


    When the arrow pierced his body and he fell to the ground, Mourtta was smiling, finally free to join the woman he loved.

 Chapter 498: Mistakes

    Chapter 498: Mistakes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After the effects of the forbidden spell faded, Suzanna was able to kill Manstuly easily. After the battle, the League was able to take over ckwater City very easily.


    Even though the League had lost arge number of mercenaries, it was still the first proper battle. The mercenaries did not stop fighting after that and went into the city to look for more fights.


    Mourtta controlled the city very well and did not allow anyone who wasn¡¯t a fighter to stay. Because of this, it was very easy to find mercenaries in the streets of ckwater City.


    The battlested until early morning. The mercenaries finally grew tired and could not find any more opponents. By morning, most of the mercenaries in the city were killed by Anfey¡¯s mercenaries, and the only people left in the city were women, children, and the elderly.


    "What should we do with the elves?" Ye asked.


    "What do you mean?" Anfey asked with a frown. "You want them dead?"


    "We can¡¯t kill them," Christian said hurriedly. "They surrendered. Murdering prisoners of war will damage our reputation."


    "We must leave by noon," Ye argued. "Bringing them along will only slow us down."


    "It¡¯s better if we keep them and sell them," Anthony said. "We need the money."


    "Don¡¯t you remember? You owe Bruzuryano a favor," Alice suddenly said. "If you let those elves live and give them to Bruzuryano, you can at least repay some of that favor."


    Christian smiled when he heard Alice. He knew that Anfey listened to Alice, and Alice had a solid reason not to kill the elves. Anfey had admitted that he would never have been as powerful as he was without Bruzuryano¡¯s direct help. He didn¡¯t like owing someone else a favor, and he would surely ept Alice¡¯s n.


    "Alright," Anfey said with a quick nod. "Take those elves with us, then."


    "What if they slow us down?"


    "You have mercenaries working for you. Figure out a way," Anfey said.


    Ye nodded. "Another thing. There are 37 merchant groups in the city. Lady Alice told me to protect those merchants, but my men discovered that all those groups are more or less connected to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. Should we still protect them?"


    "I need you to protect them because I can think ahead," Alice said. "We are mercenaries, not robbers. What do you want me to do without merchants? Are you willing to give up your men to farm?"


    "Who knows what will happen in the future?" Anfey said, shaking his head. "How many groups are hiding people from Tiger of Tawau mercenary group?"


    "We found one," Ye said. "I suspect a few others, but I don¡¯t have a reason to search them."


    "You don¡¯t have a reason?" Anfey asked, amused.


    Ye blinked, then nodded. "I see," he said.


    "No merchants will want to deal with us," Alice said, shaking her head.


    "We will find some that will," Anfey said. He turned to Alice and asked, "Have you ever fought in a battle?"


    "Me?"


    "Yes. When Shansa Empire was fighting Maho Empire. Have you ever been to the battlefield?"


    "No."


    "I have," Anfey said. "I¡¯ve been to ckania City after the war, and I¡¯ve seen Violet City after the war, as well. Do you know what I saw there?"


    "What did you see?"


    "I saw carnage. Destruction. Death. People have nothing. Even people¡¯s lives cease to be their own. After everything you¡¯ve been through, you should know better than any of us how cruel, how evil humans can be. If you have a chance, you can go around and see that in a ce like this, no one has any rights."


    Anfey created the League and he knew it well. He knew that even though there were rules, none of the rules were strictly reinforced. The League was still too young and needed time to settle down. Back in Stormenburg, where strictws were in ce, some mercenaries still caused chaos by fighting each other and assaulting women. Here in ckwater City, that was almost inevitable.


    Alice frowned. Unlike Suzanna, who was a fighter, Alice was a maniptor and had almost never killed anyone. After she killed her attacker in White Mountain City, she was gued by nightmares. Of course she knew what it must look like outside, and she did not want to see it.


    "Truthfully speaking, even Christian must know it¡¯s impractical to protect all the merchants."


    "What?" Christian asked, frowning. "What does that have to do with me?"


    Anfey turned to Ye and asked, "What happened after you sent the mercenaries to protect the merchants?"


    "A lot of the mercenaries wanted to get into the merchant groups¡¯ establishments," Ye said. "There were some small fights between the mercenaries and my men, but nothing serious."


    "That¡¯s why I told him to protect the merchants! Was I wrong?"


    "Of course not," Anfey said. "Don¡¯t let anyone get near those buildings. We need to protect those buildings because they contain valuable resources we can use."


    Alice opened her mouth to argue, but Christian hurriedly cut her off. "He¡¯s right," Christian said. "Don¡¯t worry about the merchants anymore."


    "When are we leaving?" Anthony asked. "I don¡¯t want to dy too much."


    "Noon," Anfey said. "Give them some time to rest. Ye, take care of those merchants. You can have the carts when we leave."


    Ye nodded.


    "Alice," Anfey called, smirking. "Why don¡¯t you go take a walk with Ye?"


    Alice frowned. She knew that Anfey thought she was weak and scared of the violence. She was very proud and did not like it when people looked down on her. "Sure," she said, holding her head high.


    "Wait, really?" Anfey asked, surprised by her answer.

 Chapter 499: Compensation

    Chapter 499: Compensation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The League set out from ckwater City a little past noon. Even though the mercenaries were exhausted from the battle the day before, they were excited about the victory.


    On the bank of ckwater River, Anfey hosted a solemn funeral. Over a thousand mercenaries and four thousand members of the Shield of Light Legion were killed during the battle at ckwater City.


    Manstuly was proud and powerful and his men were the same. Even though the wolf druids were scattered throughout and around the city, all the druids put up a fight. All the druids kept fighting until they were no longer able to.


    Tiger Tawau¡¯s mercenaries were not as fearless as the druids. A lot of newly recruited mercenaries surrendered after Mourtta and Hotchbini were killed, but almost all the older mercenaries kept on fighting long after their leaders were dead.


    The mercenaries and druids were fearless because they knew that if they lost, they still would have died. It was more honorable to die on the battlefield with a sword in hand than to die as captives and prisoners. This made them more resolute and determined.


    There were two kinds of funerals in the world. Traditionally, people preferred to be buried. After the first war against the dead, however, a lot of people began burning their dead to prevent the necromancers from using the dead bodies in future wars. The Church of Light also encouraged its followers to burn the dead bodies for this reason. The mercenaries did not like the Church, but they agreed on the matter of burning bodies. Mercenaries were used to death and it was easier for them to burn the bodies than to dig graves.


    Anfey had his men line up all the dead bodies along the banks of the river, then ordered the mages to burn the bodies. The bank of the river burned more brightly than the noon sun. After almost an hour and a half, the fire died down slowly. When the temperature cooled, the mercenaries began cleaning the riverbank, scattering the ashes into the water of ckwater River. It was impractical for the mercenaries to bring the ashes with them because Scarlet was still chasing after them. It was better to scatter the ashes than to spend time and sort through it. That would have been too much work and the mercenaries would have been taking the risk that Scarlet¡¯s men might have discovered them.


    Anfey also knew that he had no time to waste. The mage Scarlet had with her, Douminge, had peaked Anfey¡¯s interest. He had asked Suzanna what it felt like being struck by the lightning guard spell. ording to Suzanna, the lightning itself wasn¡¯t scary, it was the numbing effects the spell had that were deadly. As soon as she was struck by the spell, she had lost all mobility. Anfey was able to defend himself against magic better than Suzanna, but not by much. Before he could find a way to defend himself and his men against Douminge¡¯s lightning spell, he had to avoid Scarlet and her army. He did not want to lead the mercenaries into a battle only for them to lose their ability to fight.


    "We have to go now," Christian came over to Anfey and said.


    "I know," Anfey said with a frown. He nced at the river and said, "Christian, take the mercenaries and go."


    "What?" Christian asked, confused.


    "I told Baery that I killed Scarlet," Anfey said with a deep frown. "I was too confident. What happened today was my fault."


    "Didn¡¯t we talk about this already? You did kill her. She came back to life," Christian said hurriedly.


    "But I cannot ept that," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I have to do something to fix this."


    "You¡¯re not nning on assassinating her again, are you?" Christian said, his eyes wide. "Yourst attempt must have raised the security measures around her. This is no different frommitting suicide."


    "I¡¯m not stupid," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Then what are you..."


    "Edward the Eighth has sent out his Guardian Knights and six squadrons of griffin knights. He wants to upy the Transverse Mountains and cut off Baery¡¯s escape route," Anfey said. "We have to recognize just how brilliant Scarlet is. She has already foreseen this and nned ahead. She predicted exactly what would happen next. I¡¯m certain the Guardian Knights will arrive first."


    "You want to take out the Guardian Knights and the griffin knights?" Christian asked with wide eyes.


    "Not take them out," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I know my limits. I just want to slow them down."


    "How?"


    "I don¡¯t have a n yet," Anfey said with a shrug.


    Christian sighed. He knew that Baery would not me Anfey, but the nobles back in Sacred City might. Anfey had to do something to right the wrong in order to protect his reputation.


    Christian knew Anfey very well and he knew that he could not stop him.


    "You¡¯re not taking Suzanna with you?"


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head. He wanted to protect Suzanna and keep her away from harm, even though she was a top level power like himself. He didn¡¯t want to drag her into more trouble.


    "You¡¯re going alone, then?"


    "Don¡¯t say anything to her," Anfey whispered. "Knowing her, she would want to follow me. Make up an excuse and take her with you."

 Chapter 500: Ambush

    Chapter 500: Ambush


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey lied on the grassy ground and stared at the sky. The weather was turning warm and grass was turning green again. Small flowers dotted the ground. Spring was in the air.


    A few dark specks appeared in the sky. Anfey narrowed his eyes when he detected the griffins. There were less than a dozen griffins, each mounted by a rider. Thence of a griffin knight was longer than a regr knight¡¯s, and each had a short crossbow.


    Shansa Empire was known for producing the most powerful crossbows. This was because equipping the griffin knights with crossbows made the knights much more effective. After Shansa Empire realized how well crossbows worked in battle, the entire division was reformed and several different variations of griffin knights emerged, including the mage griffin knights.


    Mage griffin knights were much more effective than normal griffin knights, however, because of theplicated process of taming a griffin, there were very few mage griffin knights. If Shansa Empire found a way to increase the number of their mage griffin knights andbine it with their Dark Moon Magic Legion, Shansa Empire could very well take over the entire world, and no one could do anything about it.


    Griffin knights were not as good as normal knights at defending themselves. Even though the griffins themselves were very strong and could stand against most magical attacks, the knights needed to wear as little armor as possible so they wouldn¡¯t tire out the griffins during long flights.


    Griffins had very sharp eyesight and spotted Anfey from far away. The griffins lowered themselves and circled over Anfey.


    One of the griffin knights finished all the alcohol in his small sk and threw the empty sk at Anfey. The sk was silver and worth a fortune. The knights around himughed.


    The griffin knights were high in the air, and the chances of the sk reaching Anfey were very slim. However, this griffin knight seemed to have particrly good aim. Anfey had to roll out of the way at thest minute to avoid being hit by the sk. The griffin knights watched with amusement.


    Anfey dusted himself off and straightened his body, then he turned and fired an arrow into the air, though the arrow did not reach the griffins. Clearly, he was angered by the griffin knight¡¯s action.


    Seeing this, the griffin knight grew very angry because he did not intend to harm anyone, yet Anfey still tried to fire an arrow at him. He was the heir to a noble house and could not tolerate any actions against him.


    He gripped the reins of his griffin and dove towards the ground. A few other griffin knights shouted and followed him. Sensing his rider¡¯s emotions, the griffin bared its sharp ws and screeched.


    Anfey stood very still and watched calmly as the griffins flew towards him.


    The shadow grewrger andrger until the griffinnded a few paces away from Anfey. The knight pulled on the reins and stopped the griffin¡¯s motion. "What in hell was that?" the griffin knight called out.


    Anfey nced at the sky and frowned. He knew that there were thirteen griffins, but only fivended in front of him. Clearly, the other seven had no interest in what was happening on the ground.


    "That was against thew!" the rider said loudly. He jumped off of the griffin and marched over to Anfey. The other four knights stayed on their griffins and did not move to join him.


    This particr knight was still young and inexperienced. An older knight would have never actuallynded and talked to Anfey.


    "Which nation¡¯sw?" Anfey asked. He wanted to stall so the other seven griffin knights would join the five, but clearly that wasn¡¯t possible.


    "You know exactly which one," the griffin knight hissed. "I challenge you!" he said, drawing his sword. He could tell that Anfey was wearing a mage¡¯s robe and did not take him seriously. Archers and mages were no match for a knight in close rangebat.


    "A duel?" Anfey asked. "With just you or all of you?"


    "My lord, hurry," one of the knights called. "We don¡¯t have much time to dy."


    The knight nodded and turned to Anfey, lunging at him with his sword.


    Anfey reached out and grabbed the sword, wrenching it out of the knight¡¯s hand. The knight was surprised by the mage¡¯s strength and froze. Anfey took advantage of the man¡¯s surprise and smacked the man in the face with the hilt of the sword. Then he grabbed the sword and mmed it into his neck.


    The knight stumbled back a few steps then crumbled to the ground. Anfey turned to the remaining four knights and waved his hand. He was very calm, as if he had not just murdered someone.


    The four remaining knights watched with a mixture of shock, horror, and surprise. They were still well-trained soldiers, however, and reacted very quickly. They first released a signal for aid, then grouped into pairs and flew towards Anfey.


    Anfey waved his hand and summoned two firebirds. The firebirds crashed into the griffins, turning the first two griffins into balls of me. Griffins were immune to most magical attacks, but they were not strong enough to stand against a close range attack.


    The other two griffin knights hesitated when they saw theirpanions being attacked, and Anfey quickly used that to his advantage. He jumped towards the griffin to his left and kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying in the opposite direction, taking its rider with it. The remaining griffin knight wanted to fly away, but before he could get too far, Anfey caught up to him and brought the stolen sword down on him and his griffin.

 Chapter 501: Determined

    Chapter 501: Determined


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The Roaring Dead Legion had already set up its camp next to the ckwater River. The Legion had just crossed the river and needed rest. Scarlet¡¯s army was getting closer and the Legion¡¯s escape became increasingly difficult. Without proper rest, the Legion couldn¡¯t have held on for much longer. The ckwater River did not pose a problem to the Roaring Dead Legion and would not have been a problem to Scarlet. A simple spell would have helped the entire army cross with ease.


    Baery was in his tent with most of hismanders. He was wearing a simple robe, his armor discarded. He had bandages wrapped around his chest bloodstains on them. He joined the battle himself in order to fend off Scarlet¡¯s knights and the griffin knights.


    Baery and Saul were top-level powers, but they were severely outnumbered by Scarlet¡¯s men. Even though they had reached their destination, Baery had lost more than half of his best soldiers. Even he was injured during the fight.


    "General, we have to go faster," Shawn said quietly. "If we don¡¯t, Scarlet¡¯s men will block us."


    "How?" Baery said with a cough. "Maybe we can reach the Transverse Mountains before the Guardian Knights, but what then? All they need to do is charge and we are as good as dead."


    "But we won¡¯t even reach the mountains at this rate."


    "Scarlet¡¯s n is meticulous," Saul said. "She is smarter than we had expected. Right now, we¡¯re like starving children and she has left us a poisoned apple. If we eat the apple, we will die. If we don¡¯t, we will still die."


    The tent fell silent. Saul was absolutely right and all themanders knew that. If the army kept going at the same speed, it would have been surrounded by enemies. If the army sped up, the soldiers would have been exhausted and lost their ability to fight. No matter what Baery decided to do, it would have worked out in Scarlet¡¯s favor.


    "I have an idea," Dalmatian said suddenly.


    "What is it?"


    "We can have Shield of Light Legion engage Scarlet¡¯s army," Dalmatian said slowly. "We just need them to slow her down a little. We need three days at most. This way, we can continue our n. With you, my lord, and Lord Saul and Jacob, we can take on the Guardian Knights without a problem."


    "You¡¯re asking me to sacrifice the Shield of Light Legion?" Baery asked.


    Dalmatian looked down but did not say anything. Themanders whispered among themselves.


    "Shield of Light Legion isposed of the Maho Empire¡¯s warriors," Baery said. "I will not sacrifice them, just like I will not sacrifice any of you."


    Dalmatian sighed but did not say anything.


    "General, the League¡¯s representative¡¯s here," one of the guards called.


    "Let him in," Baery said. He straightened himself a little and winced in pain.


    The p of the tent opened and Long appeared. He bowed to Saul and turned to Baery.


    "Forget about all that," Baery said hurriedly. "You are¡ª" His words were drowned in a fit of coughs.


    "I¡¯m Long, sir," he said. "Are you... are you injured, sir?"


    "It¡¯s minor," Baery said with a wave of his hands. "Don¡¯t worry about it. I heard about Anfey¡¯s attack on ckwater City. How did it go?"


    "We were sessful," Long said. "Manstuly, Hotchbini, and Mourtta are all dead. The city is ours."


    Baery smiled and nodded. "Impressive," he said.


    "Lord Anfey told me to tell you, sir," Long said, "that he is on his way to stop the Guardian Knights."


    "By himself?" Saul asked, concerned.


    Long nodded.


    "Nonsense," Saul said, shaking his head. "He¡¯s walking to his death."


    "Lord Anfey said he will use his volcanic eruption scroll if ites to it."


    "Where did he get that?" Baery asked, surprised.


    "From Michael, my lord," Long said. Saul sighed and shook his head with a smile.


    "I think I know what he¡¯s doing," Saul said.


    "What?"


    "He must think it¡¯s his fault that Scarlet is alive and that we are walking into her trap," Saul said.


    "But do you think he can take on the Guardian Knights and the griffin knights alone? Can he really use that scroll?" Baery asked, concerned.


    "I know him," Saul said, closing his eyes. "He will achieve what he sets out to do. Don¡¯t worry about him."


    Themanders nced at each other and smiled. They had all heard of Anfey and his reputation. Saul¡¯s words had reassured them of his abilities.


    "Are you not worried about him?" Baery asked. He knew very well how much Saul valued his students.


    Saul opened his mouth but did not say anything. He turned to themanders and said, "leave us for now. I have to speak with Baery."


    Themanders nodded and left the tent, leaving Baery and Saul alone.


    "What are you trying to do?" Saul lowered his voice and asked.


    "What?"


    "You cannot fool me," Saul said. "This is not how you would react to something like this." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Is this the order of His Majesty?"


    Baery took a deep breath and shook his head, then he sat up and jumped off of the chair. He paced around and lowered his voice. "I had a letter from His Majesty," he said. Saul frowned as he listened to Baery recount Ynther¡¯s n.


    "If you already know what will happen, then why..."


    "I don¡¯t want to sacrifice my soldiers, either," Baery said. "But think about it. How long will it take you to set up a magic array like that?"


    "Fifteen days, at least."


    "Which means that Douminge has been working on this since the day after Scarlet was assassinated," Baery said. "Who would have thought that Scarlet could predict where the battlefield would be that early? I really did underestimate her."


    "So you really did lose?"


    "Of course," Baery said. "It¡¯s not something I can¡¯t admit. We all must lose at some point. Scarlet knew thend, but she won¡¯t have that advantage any longer."

 Chapter 502: One Man’s Fight

    Chapter 502: One Man¡¯s Fight


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey dashed along the road next to the mountain. He looked very dirty and his robes were bloodied and worn. Only his boots were still good as new. The boots were made from the skin of a manticore and were virtually indestructible.


    He had already spent three days fighting with the griffin knights and the guardian knights. He didn¡¯t have time to stop and sleep or eat for three days. There were very few people in the world who could have managed what he was doing.


    Luckily for him, the Heart of Nature aided him in his endeavor. Because of the Heart of Nature, he was able to be more in sync with nature and use nature¡¯s energy to support himself. Despite having the support of nature¡¯s energy, he was still not in the best shape. He was tired, but he was still awake enough to keep his mind working.


    The griffin knights were tougher than he had expected, which was why he hadn¡¯t fought all of them head on. He resorted to ambushing them once in a while, then running before he could be surrounded. Another tactic he employed was keeping his distance and firing arrows or using magic. The griffins knights were very frustrated with him but couldn¡¯t do anything because they could not find him.


    Even though there were a lot of guardian knights and griffin knights and the few Anfey killed would not make a difference in the long run, it was still causing fear and frustration among the knights. Seeing their friends andpanions dying was wearing down on the knights¡¯ nerves. They were exasperated and were desperately trying to find Anfey.


    Behind Anfey, a dozen dark specks appeared in the sky. In the middle of the formation flew Nahada, one of themanders. Nahada had had a tough three days. At first, when he heard that Anfey was attacking the knights, he was very excited. Griffins were used to flying for a long time without losing speed. No human couldpete with the griffins when ites to stamina and speed. Even a swordsman could not keep using hisbat power for too long.


    He spent a whole day chasing Anfey to no avail. At the end of the day, his griffin only ate a small dinner and fell asleep, clearly exhausted. During the night, Anfey ambushed their campsite. Nahada¡¯s men saw and reported everything to him. This nted a seed of doubt in Nahada¡¯s heart.


    On the second day, his attitude clearly changed. He stopped encouraging his soldiers and remained mostly quiet.


    On the third day, he was very angry. One of his cousins died to protect him, and he was very angry. He clenched his teeth and was clearly trying to keep his temper in check.


    Anfey jumped off of a boulder and turned left sharply.


    "He¡¯s going back!" Nahada¡¯s deputy called. "Send the signal!"


    The speed of a magic signal was much faster than Anfey, but the guardian knights ahead did not stop. They kept pressing on with their journey and did not even look up. The guardian knights were all well-trained soldiers, but they had seen too many warnings in the past three days, and they had be numb to the warnings.


    Anfey rounded the hill and appeared. His speed increased, avoiding all the arrows from the griffin knights. He chased after the guardian knights, a storm of elements appearing around him.


    "Allow me!" one of the guardian knights called when he spotted Anfey.


    Several hundred knights left the main team. The knights turned around and rode towards Anfey. The knights had been avoiding direct conflict with Anfey for the past few days, but one of the leaders of the knights, Menkin, could not take this taunting any longer. He was one of the best knights in the world, but Anfey¡¯s reputation preceded him. He didn¡¯t believe in all the rumors, but he still couldn¡¯t risk his own knights in a hopeless fight. Now he was only retaliating because of how frustrated he was being treated like prey.


    Anfey was clearly faster than the griffins. A little over a minuteter, he had already reached the guardian knights. He did not know anything about the guardian knights, but he could see Menkin¡¯sbat power and knew he was a golden knight. As he approached the knights, Anfey waved his hands and summoned four firebirds.


    The firebirds were very fast. This was Anfey¡¯s way of testing the knights¡¯ speed and the strength of theirbat power. Only the best and the fastest could get out of the firebirds¡¯ way in time.


    The firebirds flew through the knights, turning a few into balls of fire. Anfey stopped where he was and turned around sharply, doubling back. He had three wounds on him because he had underestimated his opponents. He knew that he could have very well died on the first day if he hadn¡¯t spent time practicing teleportation.


    Anfey knew that he was powerful, but still not powerful enough to face so many guardian knights and griffin knights at the same time. He had been trying to dy the knights without actually engaging them.


    Menkin didn¡¯t care about the dying knights. His eyes were red and he increased his speed. He was much faster than his men.


    By the time Anfey was ready to use magic, Menkin was already very close. He whispered a spell, and by the time he used another spell, Menkin had drawn even closer.


    Nahada¡¯s eyes widened. If he could stall Anfey for even just a moment, Menkin would catch up to him. He turned and waved his arms, then gripped the reins of his griffin and dove towards the ground. The other griffin knights fell into formation behind him and began their descent.


    Anfey¡¯s speed picked up again. The griffin knights¡¯ arrows all missed their mark and hit the ground. Anfey jumped towards the first griffin knight without a moment of hesitation.


    Nahada¡¯s eyes widened. He saw Anfey drawing the magic sword again and remembered the serial lightning it could summon. He had lost more than a dozen knights to that sword and he couldn¡¯t risk it again.


    "Split up!" he called to the other knights. The griffins all began to p their wings, trying to get back into the sky. The knights around him lost their formation. Some griffins were flying upwards, some were flying to the sides, trying to keep the distance between themselves and the other knights.


    Surprisingly, nothing happened. Anfey passed by under the knights without using the sword. He did not want to engage the knights because he wanted to fight the leader of the griffin knights, not just the regr ones.

 Chapter 503: Aid

    Chapter 503: Aid


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Zhaji Mountain was about two hundred miles away from the Transverse Mountains. The Transverse Mountains were thergest mountain chain in the world, and had a lot of smaller mountains, like Zhaji Mountain, surrounding it. Zhaji Mountain was special, in that in order to reach the valley of the Transverse Mountains, one must go through Zhaji Mountain first. A single path ran through the Zhaji Mountains, and the path was surrounded by cliffs.


    Anfey stood in the middle of the path, waiting for the arrival of the Guardian Knights. This was the ce he picked to fight the iing knights. The mountains limited the ability of the griffin knights, and he would not have to worry about them.


    Anfey knew that this was hisst chance to stall the Guardian Knights. The Zhaji Mountains¡¯ geography meant that he did not have to defend himself from enemies from all sides, only the enemies in front of him.


    Anfey closed his eyes and searched through the valley. He could sense the Guardian Knights¡¯ scouts approaching the Zhaji Mountains. He frowned when he saw someone floating toward the Zhaji Mountains. Anfey did not know what Jacob was doing there, but he was d to see a familiar face.


    The scouts of the Guardian Knights approached very carefully. They would stop every few minutes to check that no one was waiting to ambush them. Compared to the knights, Jacob was much faster.


    A few minutester, Jacob appeared above the Zhaji Mountains. Seeing Anfey standing on the path, Jacob flew toward him,nding next to him.


    "Lord Jacob," Anfey said with a smile. "What are you doing here?" Jacob was Saul¡¯s friend, and had helped him several times. Anfey had a lot of respect for the alchemist.


    "So this is the ce you picked," Jacob said, ncing around. "Saul was worried about you. He can¡¯t leave the army alone, so he asked me toe and check on you."


    "Where are they now?"


    "Not sure," Jacob said with a shrug.


    "Not sure?" Anfey repeated, confused.


    "I left them a long time ago," Jacob said. "Maybe they¡¯re already at Zagreen City? Like I¡¯ve said. I don¡¯t really know."


    "You left? Then how..." Anfey frowned and asked. If Jacob left early, then they should have met earlier as well.


    "You want to fight them here, don¡¯t you?" Jacob ignored Anfey¡¯s question. "You don¡¯t have to waste so much energy. Come with me."


    Anfey was a very cautious person, and knew when he should choose to trust someone. After a few seconds, he nodded. Jacob rose into the air and led him southward. To the south of was arge stretch of grassy in. That was, in fact, the very reason why Anfey had chosen to ambush the knights here in the Zhaji Mountains.


    After half an hour, Jacob stopped andnded next to Anfey. "Sensing anything?"


    Anfey expanded his mind, searching through the area carefully. After a few minutes, he finally realized that a small piece ofnd, a few hundred feet away, was a bit strange. "You have a magic array here, my lord?" Anfey asked, surprised.


    "You sensed it?" Jacob asked with a smile.


    "I can¡¯t sense any magic surges," Anfey exined. "But it looks like someone had walked around there."


    "Good," Jacob said. He turned toward the magic array with a frown and said, "Hopefully, they won¡¯t notice."


    "There really is one?" Anfey asked. He wasforted by this knowledge.


    Jacob nodded, still slightly concerned. "I can help you," Anfey offered. He used the power of the Heart of Nature, and the quickened the growth of grass around the magic array. Quickly, all traces of the magic array disappeared.


    "What magic array is it, my lord?"


    "You¡¯ll see," Jacob said with a smug look on his face.


    "So, my work for the past few days was meaningless," Anfey said, shaking his head. Judging from Jacob¡¯s look, he must have set up a very powerful magic array. One powerful magic array can achieve so much more than what Anfey can achieve in a day.


    "It¡¯s not," Jacob said, shaking his head. "I wouldn¡¯t have time for that, if had it not been for you. You did not work in vain."


    "You know what I was doing, my lord?"


    "Of course I do."


    "How?"


    "I have friends," Jacob said with a wink.


    "Friends?"


    "Mauso," Jacob whispered. "He¡¯s got good eyes. He saw what you were doing and told me about it."


    Anfey widened his eyes. He never thought someone was watching him when he was fighting those Shansa soldiers. The idea of being watched made him slightly ufortable.


    "Don¡¯t bother looking," Jacob said, when he saw Anfey ncing around. "Mauso already left. He has his own business to take care of."


    Jacob paused, then found a few scrolls from his dimensional ring and handed them to Anfey.


    "Serial lightning?"


    Jacob nodded. "After the Totem of the Fire God is activated, we still need to drive them back into the Zhaji Mountains."


    Anfey nodded. He had read about the Totem of the Fire God before. He nced at Jacob and asked, "Can that spell be used without an magic array?"


    "It can be," Jacob said. "But it¡¯s hard because, you know, I¡¯m not a mage. You want to learn how to set up magic array, don¡¯t you?"


    Anfey nodded. He was not surprised that Jacob figured out what he wanted to ask.


    "You can ask Hagan too. I¡¯ve already taught him everything I know," Jacob said. "Of course, Saul is a better teacher than I am. His dimensional chaos magic array is one of the most powerful things I¡¯ve ever seen."


    "I¡¯ve seen Christian do that," Anfey said. "It seems hard to get the timing right."


    "Saul is a wise man," Jacob said. "He has made numerous changes to the magic array. You¡¯ll find out if you ask him." Jacob turned his gaze to the distance. "Get ready. They¡¯reing."

 Chapter 504: Luck

    Chapter 504: Luck


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The guardian knights finally entered the Zhaji Mountains. This day was a very strange day to them, because no one had set off any rms the entire day. This was simultaneously a relief, yet at the same time, caused stress among the knights.


    Above the tight ranks of the guardian knights were the griffin knights. The griffin knights were much better scouts than normal soldiers, but too many griffin knights had been lost in the past few days. This forced the griffin knights to change their tactics and their formation. They stopped joining in on battles and were only responsible for setting off rms. Unless Anfey chased after them, they would not go after him.


    The griffin knights had a much better view of the sky than the knights on the ground. After the guardian knights entered the Zhaji Mountains, one of the griffin knights spotted two dark specks in the sky. Griffins were intelligent magic beasts, but they are were intelligent enough tomunicate with humans. However, the griffins could recall Anfey. They recognized one of the dark specks and screeched to warn their riders.


    "That¡¯s Anfey!" one of the griffin knights called, setting off the rm.


    The two squads of griffin knights quickly changed their formation. They circled around, then turned to fly toward the opposite direction.


    "Great," Jacob said, shaking his head. "Now they¡¯re spooked."


    Jacob was powerful enough to set up another magic array to conceal Anfey and himself, but he needed the Totem of Fire God to be as powerful as possible, and they needed to be discovered by the knights for that. Jacob was counting on the knights banding together in the face of a threat. Now they were too scattered.


    The Totem of Fire God was a very special kind of forbidden spell. It was very powerful and almost nothing could protect a man from its effects. For anyone who was not a top level power, getting hit by a Totem of Fire God spell meant certain death. Even a top level power would be injured.


    "Should I go and get them closer?"


    "The Totem of Fire God won¡¯t know the difference between friend and foe," Jacob said. "Let¡¯s wait."


    The scouts did not want to approach Anfey and Jacob, but they had an order. They approached him slowly and carefully.


    "This is the only way," Jacob said, seeing that some of the scouts and a few griffin knights were within range of the spell.


    Jacob waved his hand, and suddenly, a fiery cloud appeared in the sky. The cloud formed into a fiery cyclone, swirling in the air. The cyclone burst into blinding light and divided into four smaller cyclones. At first, all four cyclones stayed close together, then the cyclones began spinning very fast before then pulling apart slowly. Meanwhile, the cyclones¡¯ spinning speed was increasing as well.


    The cyclones became so fast that their edges became blurred. The light became so blinding that it was impossible to look directly at the cyclones, and the lights made the four cyclones look like they were one, despite their distance from each other. Everything the cyclones touched--trees, armors, riders--was all turned into ash within a few seconds.


    The cyclones were so hot, even the air around them became scorching in temperature. The grassy ground were turned into a burnt crisp, the forest around it was set on fire. The Totem of Fire God spell¡¯s direct range of attack was very small, but its coteral damage was muchrger than one would expect. Many of the scouts were on fire before they could even properly react.


    In the distance, the knights summoned theirbat power to protect themselves. However, their horses were not so lucky. After losing their horses, the knights did not hesitate in turning around and running away.


    The Totem of the Fire God was a forbidden spell, and they knew Anfey couldn¡¯t use forbidden spells. This meant that Anfey had brought someone who could use forbidden spells. It was impossible formon knights to fight against an archmage.


    The scouts were the lucky ones. They were closer to Anfey, and so were out of the range of the forbidden spell. However, they couldn¡¯t do anything because they did not want to provoke the archmage and Anfey. Their horses did not care for their riders¡¯ fears and were desperate to get away.


    "Well," Jacob said. "My work here is done." He found two scrolls from his dimensional ring and handed them to Anfey. "Use these well."


    "Teleportation?" Anfey¡¯s eyes widened. The scrolls were very useful, even though he could teleport with his own magic. "Do you have any more?"


    "Don¡¯t be so greedy," Jacob said. "This is all I have."


    "When will Hagan learn how to make serial lightning scrolls and teleportation scrolls?"


    "He¡¯s young, and so are you," Jacob said. "Be patient."


    Anfey frowned and scratched his head. Unlike Ernest, Jacob almost never gave a clear answer.


    "How long do I have to wait?" Anfey asked. "Ten years?"


    "It¡¯s better to use your own power than to use someone else¡¯s," Jacob said.


    "You mean..."


    "If you provide me the crystal, I can provide you with the scrolls," Jacob said.


    "Yes!" Anfey said with a wide smile. "I have more crystals than I can use."


    "I know," Jacob said. "I know how many crystals your League is hiding. That¡¯s why I asked."


    "I just got a whole lot of crystals from Shansa Empire," Anfey said. "We¡¯ll talk more after." He jumped up and dashed toward the scouts. The scouts tried to get away from him, but he didn¡¯t start his massacre immediately. The scouts didn¡¯t know who was using the forbidden spell and did not want to rush into action.


    Jacob watched from afar with a small smile. He had always been jealous of Saul for finding someone as talented as Anfey, but now he realized that he was wrong. Without Saul and Ernest, Anfey would have never trusted anyone. Without Saul¡¯s students, Anfey would have never learned what friendship or family meant. Without Ynthe and Burzuryano, he would have never achieved what he had achieved. It wasn¡¯t Saul who was the lucky one. Anfey was the lucky one.

 Chapter 505: Crimes

    Chapter 505: Crimes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Despite rigorous nning, the possibility for the unexpected to ur was always possible. Scarlet had met with the Guardian Knights, but the Roaring Dead Legion had reached the Transverse Mountains faster than she expected.


    The atmosphere in the tent was deeply oppressive. The leader of the Guardian Knights, Menkin, was standing quietly in front of Scarlet, unsure of how to exin his mistake.


    After a few minutes, Scarlet sighed and shook her head. The abilities of a ruler could sometimes determine the sess of his subjects. Scarlet knew that she did not lose to Baery or Anfey. It was her king who had lost.


    Ynther had top level powers and so did Edward the Eighth. However, Ynther knew how to utilize the powerful people who served him much better than Edward the Eighth did. The only top level power Edward the Eighth sent to the Country of Mercenaries was Douminge, while Ynther had sent almost all the top level powers under his control.


    Douminge once served as the royal family¡¯s mentor and was a good friend to the oldest prince and princess. Last year, Edward the Eighth wanted to marry the oldest princess off to the Country of Mercenaries but Douminge argued with him about it, after which Douminge quit being the mentor. After learning that the princess disappeared, Douminge swore that he would never serve Edward the Eighth again. Edward the Eighth learned that making the princess marry a mercenary was a bad idea. His actions had alienated Douminge.


    Scarlet knew why Edward the Eighth was so stern on the matter, but that did not stop her from recruiting Douminge. Douminge liked her ns for the Shansa Empire and was willing to go with her to the Country of Mercenaries.


    Douminge was the only top level power Scarlet was in control of. Even though the three dark knights she had were powerful, they were man made creatures created through alchemy and necromancy. It would not be hard to trick and destroy them.


    Scarlet knew that the different between Edward the Eighth and Ynther was that Ynther knew how to utilize his resources. Because Edward the Eighth was not as skilled, she knew she would not receive help from his royal mages. Scarlet had control of the nation¡¯s army, if she had the support the top level powers, it would be easy for her to overthrow Edward the Eighth. Even though Scarlet had no such n, Edward the Eighth¡¯s insecurities still made him worry.


    The Guardian Knights suffered a defeat at Anfey¡¯s hand because of Edward the Eighth. If he had sent his two top level mages, it would not have happened.


    "This is my fault, general," Menkin said with a sigh. "Please, you must punish me."


    "It¡¯s not your fault," Scarlet said, shaking her head. Menkin had made the right choice in retreating. If he died, the Guardian Knights would be without their leader.


    "But at least we drove out the Maho army," anothermander said. "If we can control the magic crystals, we can wait it out."


    Scarlet shook her head. "This is not all of Ynther¡¯s power," she said. She wanted to destroy the Roaring Dead Legion because she knew how dangerous it was. If she could manage to destroy the legion, it would take out arge part of the Maho Empire¡¯s military power. If Ynther turned his entire army on her, she would not be able to win the war.


    "Then we should..."


    "Go after them."


    "Go after them?"


    "Baery has almost never lost," Scarlet said. "If our informants are right, the defeat he suffered earlier by our hands made him question his abilities. We cannot allow him to recover. We have to take him out."


    Themanders nced at each other in silence.


    Not only was Scarlet frustrated with Edward the Eighth¡¯s actions, she had a personal vendetta against Baery. If it wasn¡¯t for him, her mother would still be alive. She turned to hermanders, eyes wide with rage. "Deliver this order to your men..."


    ¡ª


    Anfey and Jacob finally returned to the League. Anfey hurried to find Christian and asked, "What happened? Why did you retreat with the Roaring Dead Legion? What are you doing here? Where¡¯s Alice?"


    After the two sessfully slowed the Guardian Knights, Anfey and Jacob originally nned to retreat into the Transverse Mountains. However, the two ran into a few druids and learned that the League went around Scarlet¡¯s army and was heading north.


    Anfey was shocked by this. He had nned for the League to leave because those remaining in the Country of Mercenaries would have only made things difficult for the League.


    "I¡¯m here," Alice called. "Don¡¯t look at me. I didn¡¯t choose this."


    Anfey frowned and turned to Christian. They were the only people who had enough authority to change his n.


    "I received the order from my father," Christian said. He retrieved a letter from his dimensional ring and handed it Anfey. He read through the letter and his eyes widened in shock.


    "He gave us such an important job?"


    "He gave it to us," a voice said. Anfey turned around and Saul appeared with two dozen mages. The mages behind Saul were wearing expensive robes and were armed from head to toe. Anfey stared in shock as he recognized the royal mages.

 Chapter 506: Advantage

    Chapter 506: Advantage


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Baery led the Roaring Death Legion and the Shield of Light Legion away from the battle and Scarlet took her army into the Transverse Mountains. The two were observing each other carefully.


    Scarlet was a very smart and calcting woman. She sent out all the griffin knights as scouts and had them patrol the area nonstop. No matter what Baery tried to do, the griffin knights were alert. Scarlet knew the mercenaries were up to something, but her most important task right now was the finish off Baery.


    The League rxed after learning that Scarlet had entered the Transverse Mountains with her army. The mercenaries returned to Zagreen City to wait for further orders.


    In the past, Anfey never really understood how powerful Saul was. When he lived with Saul, he did not see Saul engage in any of the activities the other nobles engaged in, like having arge number of guards.


    This time, he quickly learned what it really meant to have Saul¡¯s position. All the mages Saul brought with him were at least senior magisters, some were very close to bing top level powers themselves. Without strength, no one could endure the strict training and fulfill the requirement to be a court mage. For a mage, bing a royal mage was the highest honor. By bing a court mage, a mage could even further improve his or her skills because working for the king could provide resources unessible otherwise.


    Like the way Entos was known among the mercenaries, all the court mages were well-known figures before they started working for Ynther.


    The League¡¯s mages all looked up to the court mages. They wanted to speak with the court mages, but did not want to offend anyone.


    Despite how strong they were, the court mages were all very respectful towards Saul. This was just another way to show how well-loved and powerful Saul was.


    It was no wonder the mage¡¯s union rejected Phillip¡¯s request for aid after Saul¡¯s students fled Scared City. Phillip was powerful among the soldiers and the sword masters, but not the mages. No sensible mage would work against Saul. Dalmatian and Shawn¡¯s betrayal showed that even Phillip¡¯s closest students were abandoning him. He was losing power and could no longer stand against Saul.


    Students were taught to respect and listen to their teacher, but they were also taught to have a mind of their own. Blindly following orders was foolish and was cautioned against. Anfey was in the wrong when he killed Zeda, but Zeda was not innocent either. It was Zeda who first forced his way into Saul¡¯s residence and tried to harm Saul¡¯s daughter, Niya.


    Unlike Phillip, Saul would never show off anything in front of his students. Whenever he dined with his students, he would always act like their friends, not their mentor.


    After the meal, the servants removed the empty dishes and left the room to allow them to talk more.


    "Christian," Saul said. "How are youtely? How are your studies?" Saul treated all of his students equally, but he paid more attention to the ones that were further ahead.


    Christian shook his head. "I¡¯m used to them," he said. "I try to meditate whenever I can and I¡¯ve learned a lot from actually using magic in real life."


    Saul nodded. "Good," he said. "You are all very talented and should work harder. Look at Anfey. He startedte, but he¡¯s now the best out of all of you."


    "You can¡¯tpare us with him, Master Saul," viined. "He¡¯s different."


    The other studentsughed and agreed with him. In the past, the constant threat had made all the young mages too tense and too anxious for jokes. Now that Saul was here, the young mages had found a reason to rx.


    Anfey¡¯s advances in magic had happened so fast that there were only a few other people like him in the entire history of the world. Askingmon mages to follow his example was asking way too much.


    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just his talent," Christian said. "We can¡¯t have his talent, but we can learn his level-headedness. He never lets his emotions get in the way of his thinking. Remember how we reacted to those two sisters? Remember how he reacted?"


    The young mages all fell quiet. It wasn¡¯t just Christian. Everyone remembered the two sisters.


    "What about the sisters?" Saul asked.


    Christian quickly recounted the event to Saul. After listening to the tale, Saul smiled and nced at Christian.


    Most people did not know who Ynther would have picked as his sessor and that included Saul. However, Saul knew what kind of people Ynther would have wanted to be in charge.


    When Ynther first took the throne, he tried to take power away from the nobilities and give power to themoners. However, the noble ss had been in power for too long and it was almost impossible to weaken it significantly. Ynther always tried the best he could to maintain a bnce between the power of the nobles and the power of the people.


    Ynther did not want a sessor who would erase all of his hard work. He was less likely to choose a sessor who was too entangled with the nobilities.


    Saul knew Ynther¡¯s sons well. Wester was a sly man who had tried to garner as much power as possible without his father noticing. When Ynther faked his death, Wester tried to befriend as many nobles as possible. Despite having good connections in Sacred City, he was the least likely candidate for the throne.


    Grandon was once the most likely candidate. However, he had been showing off too muchtely and that made Ynther very ufortable.


    That left Christian, who had been out of the fight for the throne since the beginning. Christian did not like the nobles and was an experienced leader. However, Christian did not want to sit on the throne. Saul knew Christian would be a good king, but he couldn¡¯t do anything. Ynther wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to interfere with his decision-making. If Saul suggested he pick Christian, it would only lessen the possibility of Christian being picked.


    Saul sighed and turned to Anfey. He needed to take his mind off of the topic of Ynther¡¯s sessor. "Tell me something," he said. "I want to know more about how you are able to attract elements."

 Chapter 507: Worries

    Chapter 507: Worries


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Saul¡¯s chants echoed throughout the night. Magic surges rippled around him.


    Scarlet had left twenty thousand foot soldiers, and three thousand cavalry, before heading into the Transverse Mountains. The location was geographically important, as she had to n for every oue. Unfortunately, she did not take the appearance of Maho Empire¡¯s royal mages into ount. A bloodbath was bound to happen this night.


    Saul¡¯s chanting stopped. A ball of fog appeared in front of him, floating toward the army camp not far ahead. Saul had used a forbidden spell called the dimensional storm, which was one of the most powerful spellsThe fog floated toward the hill and was stopped when it reached them. The League¡¯s mages watched with a mixture of excitement and reverence.


    The fog moved on from the hill. To the fear and shock of the onlookers, the top of the hill had disappeared, as if gnawed away by a monster. The fog kept floating down toward the camp. Everything the fog touched disappeared. There was no blood and no screaming, only a huge, empty void.


    Anfey nodded to Christian, who quickly released a magic signal. The League¡¯s mercenaries quickly split into three groups, led by Anfey, Suzanna, and Anthony, then headed toward the camp.


    The royal mages rose into the air, followed by the League¡¯s mages. The sight of so many mages in the air was very impressive. If Baery was here, he would have wondered why Scarlet had left soldiers outside the Transverse Mountains. However, neither Anfey nor Saul were as proficient as Baery when it came to military strategies. This showed how confident Saul and Anfey were.


    The dimensional storm had cleared a path for the mercenaries. However, because of the slow speed of the fog, the soldiers in the camp were able to get out of its way before it could reach them.


    Themanders in the camp did not panic at the sight of the fog, and hence, were able to organize a defense force with rity and efficiency. The foot soldiers in front lined up in tight ranks. Behind the soldiers were archers and knights. Behind them were the mages.


    Anfey was the first to reach the camp. As soon as he set foot in the camp, the Shansa soldiers began their counterattack. Arrows rained down on Anfey, ands well as on the mercenaries behind him. Some of the archers were aiming at the mages as well.


    Anfey expanded his mind to cover the entire battlefield. Many arrows flew true, striking the mages in the air and causing them to fall to the ground. The griffin knights rose into the air as well. There were many more mages, but the griffin knights were still able to attack the mages with efficiency with their crossbows.


    To Anfey¡¯s right, Anthony was dashing toward the Shansa soldiers. To Anfey¡¯s surprise, Anthony stopped after the first round of arrows. An arrow pierced hisbat power, nting itself in his shoulder, while another pierced his ankle. Normally, this would never happen. The mercenaries behind him were clearly shocked by this as well. They watched Anthony¡¯s stumbling figure with wide eyes.


    Saul and Jacob were shocked as well. However, it did not take long for them to figure out what had happened.


    "Golman!"


    "Deicide arrow!"


    Jacob was one of the best alchemists in the world, but he knew that there was one person who was much more powerful than he was. Golman had been studying alchemy for centuries. Jacob knew how talented Golman was, and even if Jacob was naturally more talented, his ability would still alwaysg behind that of Golman.


    Deicide arrows were powerful, anti-magic arrows. These arrows were even more powerful than the ones Jacob had crafted. Because of how powerful these deicide arrows were, when the supreme powers disappeared, the way to craft deicide arrows also disappeared. Jacob would have never expected Golman to find the way to make them.


    Saul and Jacob were not military strategists, but they knew what Golman¡¯s presence meant. The arrows had caused the death of several dozen mages in the blink of an eye. This meant that the Shansa army had a considerable amount of these arrows, and that Golman had been nning this for a long time. Golman had always been detached from mortal conflicts, but now he had given these deicide arrows to Scarlet¡¯s army. What was he nning? Would he join the fight himself? Saul and Jacob watched the battle anxiously, questions swirling in their minds.


    Anfey could not think as much as Saul and Jacob could. He needed to help the wounded. The arrows had already gotten to Anthony. If he didn¡¯t do anything, Suzanna and Christian might be the next targets. Anfey searched through the battlefield and found two dozen archers who appeared to be different. Unlike the other archers, who were blindly releasing arrows, these archers were searching for targets.


    A signal exploded in the sky, recalling the mages. Saul understood that the mages did not stand a chance against the griffin knights, and he wanted to minimize the loss. The royal mages could still fight, but the griffin knights had already gotten two of them. Saul did not want to lose any more.


    Anthony, Anfey, and Suzanna were all targets. However, Anfey was confident enough in his ability to block any arrowsing his way. Suzanna was confident in herbat power. She was also wearing the Azure Armor, which effectively protected her against all iing arrows. Deicide arrows may be powerful, but it could not pierce an armor like the Azure Armor. Anthony was also confident in hisbat power, but he did not have any good armor like Suzanna. Because of this, he had to slow down in order to duck the arrows.

 Chapter 508: Aid

    Chapter 508: Aid


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey jumped up and dashed towards the enemy ranks. He was not much faster than the iing arrows, but before any of the arrows could hit him, he disappeared. The mercenaries behind him had to quickly raise their shields to defend themselves against the arrows.


    Anfey reappeared much closer to the enemy soldiers. He kept pressing on through the hail of arrows without hesitation. Loose elements formed into a small storm around Anfey as he approached the Shansa men. The soldiers stood their ground and did not move. Nothing about the attack made them panic.


    Anfey did not slow down to deal with themon soldiers. He suddenly disappeared again from where he was and teleported into the ranks of mages. He summoned his ax and swept it around his body, hitting several soldiers at the same time.


    Before the soldiers could reform their ranks and attack, Anfey teleported again and reappeared among the archers. He retrieved his magic sword and held it aloft.


    Dozens of lightning bolts appeared in the sky and rained down to the ground. The surrounding soldiers had to shield their eyes.


    Almost half of all the archers were affected by the lightning. However, the archers Anfey wanted to eliminate seemed to be unaffected and were ready to strike.


    Anfey hesitated for a second, then quickly reacted. He could feel that something was different about the archers. He summoned a magic scroll and tossed it at the archers. Another storm of lightning rained down from the sky. This time, none of the archers were spared.


    Anfey waved his ax and swept away the flying arrows, then lunged towards the soldiers again. He did not want to sh with an actual army head-on because he knew that the soldiers had advantages the mercenaries did not. The mercenaries hadn¡¯t been working together for a long time and Scarlet¡¯s soldiers were all well-trained.


    However, this was Saul¡¯s idea, and Anfey had to support him.


    The mercenaries shed with the soldiers. The mercenaries had been training very hard, but it was hard to make them cooperate. The mercenaries¡¯ movementscked coordination and they clearly did not work well together. On the other hand, the Shansa soldiers were able to maintain their lines and follow orders quickly and in unison.


    Common mercenaries tended to be stronger thanmon soldiers, but discipline gave the soldiers an edge over the mercenaries.


    Normally, an army was led by a senior-level swordmaster or knight. As long as theirmander was still alive, the soldiers knew what to do because a powerful figure was providing them with direction and assurance. Anfey was searching for themander of this army because he knew from experience that an army wouldn¡¯tst long without amander. However, he could not detect anyone that could be the army¡¯smander. This was unusual and meant that themander must be hiding somewhere that could block his power.


    A horn was blown in the Shansa army¡¯s camp. On a hill not far from the battlefield, a row of fences was lowered and half a dozen machines appeared.


    The machines looked likerge crossbows and each had arge arrow in it. The arrows were metal andrger than any Anfey had ever seen. Anfey¡¯s eyes widened when he felt the powerful magic surgesing off of them. He quickly found a teleportation scroll and flew towards the hill.


    Before Anfey could reach the hill, however, a ball of light flew towards the hill and crashed into the magic barrier around it. The barrier shattered, and a figure with a longsword appeared. The swordmaster crashed with the light, sending both of them flying in opposite directions. The swordmasternded and stumbled backward but the lightnded on the ground lightly.


    Anfey could tell the man guarding the hill was at least a senior swordmaster. There were only a few people who could defeat a senior swordmaster this easily.


    The light dispersed to reveal arge eagle. The eagle raised itsrge wings and pped, creating strong gusts of wind that swept across the hill. Even the machine crossbows could not stand against winds this strong and swayed in the wind. The swordmaster and dozens of soldiers and mages were blown away.


    The eagle raised its head and screeched. A few momentster, more eagles appeared through a cloud. The eagles lunged towards the griffins. Despite having a smaller number, the eagles wererger in size and faster in speed.


    As the eagles surrounded the griffin knights, another group arrived to help. Miorich appeared from the Transverse Mountains. Hisbat power was brighter than any of the knights behind him and looked like a ball of me on the ground.


    The Shansa army was stationed there to keep an eye on the mercenaries and the League. The only defense the soldiers had set up against the Transverse Mountains was a long row of fences. Miorich raised hisnce and crashed through the fence easily. The knights streamed onto the battlefield with the banner of the Maho Empire raised above them.


    The swordmaster that was guarding the hill watched the arrival of the Maho knights with despair. The enemy outnumbered the Shansa soldiers and there was no point in fighting.


    The swordmaster climbed off of the ground and ran into a tent. The tent was heavily guarded with a several dozen soldiers. The soldiers watched the swordmaster enter the tent without stopping him.


    Inside the tent was arge table. On the table was a small crystal box. The swordmaster opened the box with shaking hands, revealing a metal disc. Hundreds of symbols were carved into the disc and a bright red magic crystal was set into the middle of the disc. The swordmaster closed his eyes and reached for it.


    "Wait a second," a voice said. The swordmaster opened his eyes and saw that someone had stabbed his wrist. The swordmaster groaned in pain and tried to hit the disc with his head. Before he could reach the disc, Anfey caught his shoulder and threw him to the ground. The swordmaster¡¯s body jerked a few times and fell limp.


    Anfey nced at the crystal box and the disc inside. He did not know what it was or what it could do, but he could tell that it was dangerous from the way the swordmaster had acted around it.

 Chapter 509: Waiting

    Chapter 509: Waiting


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The oue of warsrgely depended on the resources that the participating parties had avable to them. Looking back at previous battles, Shansa Empire and Ellisen Empire had to act on theirmon interests to stop Maho Empire from overpowering them. This showed that the resources Maho Empire possessed far outranked those which the other two empires possessed.


    In this battle, Ynthe employed almost all the resources he had to fight against Scarlet. Except for the legion in the north border line, who still stayed to prevent Ellisen Empire from attempting to cross the border. Death Roaring Legion, Sacred City Pce Guards, ckania City Border Guards, Shield of Light Legion and pce mages all came to the Cross Valley. Even bear druids and eagle druids came to help. For Ellisen Empire, even though Edward VIII tried his best, Ellisen Empire was much weaker than Maho Empire, in terms of military power.


    Strategies employed in wars mainly relied upon military power and, secondarily, upon special strategies. Even though Scarlet did not fall into any traps, her military could not fight back against Maho Empire¡¯s aggression, especially when Ynthe had special forces employed in this battle. Ynthe immediately figured that there was something fishy going on, and asked Miorich to lead Sacred City Pce Guards in traveling north on the same night, allocating all the craftsmen to Moramatch Town in order to rebuild the underground city with dwarves and gnomes. Those craftsmen also transported arge amount of supplies to the Cross Valley as they went.


    ckania City was a military town. Arge number of craftsmen and apprentices, about 8,000 in total, had been working day and night for more than ten days. When Miorich came to Moramatch Town, the underground city lookedpletely different.


    Of course, there was no man who was perfect, nor any perfect n. Ynthe had heard about the underground city. He meant to ask Miorich to hide in the underground city, along with Sacred City Pce guards, so that he could escape griffin riders¡¯ reconnaissance, which would allow them to attack Scarlet in surprise. However, no one thought that the underground city could amodate so many knights, especially when they all had horses. Horses took up more space than people. In addition, the supplies were also stocked in the underground city. Every part of the underground city was opened in order to amodate them. The areas around the underground river were even remade into a few ins. Even so, the underground city still could only amodate 13,000 knights, at most. Most Sacred City Pce Guards stayed in ckania City.


    Luckily, the League of Mercenaries was considered to be the resource of Maho Empire. In the original n, Ynthe did not want to have mercenaries from the League of Mercenaries involved. One reason for this was that Anfey and the League of Mercenaries had done so much, and made such great contributions, to Maho Empire already, so Ynthe did not know how else he could reward Anfey. Even if Anfey did nothing at this moment, he had to give Anfey a new title that would be two steps higher than his current rank, at least. This speedy promotion shocked Ynthe, who believed it was not good for any young man to get promoted in such rapid timing, because it could destroy him with inted arrogance. However, fate had ced Anfey and the League of Mercenaries in this exact critical moment. They needed to take control of the exit of the Cross Valley, cut off the path which Scarlet wanted to retreat through, and chase after the Shansa Empire military.


    There was a story about druids joining Ynthe. The bear ear druid king, Bruzuryano, was a good friend of Saul, and as he knew about Ynthe, he was firmly on Maho Empire¡¯s side. Wolf druid king Manstuly had been wanting to recover the glory of the druids. He was invited by Bruzuryano to see Ynthe in Sacred City, but he came with sinister motives. Eagle druids king Mauso had been holding a neutral stand. He did not want to be involved in this conflict, and did not agree with Bruzuryano. At the same time, he had a clear vision for the druids. He thought the glory of elves would not be recovered, and he was against Manstuly¡¯s paranoia.


    Manstuly asked the eagle druids to chase and kill Suzanna collectively. Mauso did not like Manstuly¡¯s idea. As an "observer", Mauso¡¯s intelligence was as good as his visions. He immediately saw Manstuly¡¯s real intentions, knowing that Manstuly only wanted to drag him down into the water. Back then, the reasons Manstuly had for this desire was that Anfey had been hostile toward druids¡ªeven having publicly attacked their temple and killed over ten druids there. He told Mauso that Anfey was cruel and perverted, and that he had raped beautiful elves. Manstuly even sent victims of Anfey to the eagle druids¡¯ station, hoping that would make Mauso angry.


    The positive consequence of this was that Anfey saved many human ves, and even a few elves, when he tried to save Alice. Later, Anfey sent those elves to Tiger Tawau mercenary group, asking them to seek help from Hotchbini. Those elves became Anfey¡¯s "victims". These victims described Anfey¡¯s vicious acts with a sad tone, telling stories of how Anfey had used hot iron on victims¡¯ bodies, pulling their teeth and hair out, even raping elves and sharing them with his mercenaries. Those victims showed their wounds and exined how Anfey inflicted each upon them. Mauso found that more than a few victims looked uneasy. He found an opportunity to speak with them in private. After talking to them, these victims cried out loud at first, and then told the truth to Mauso, revealing that Anfey did not actually rape them. Rather, it was Manstuly¡¯s druids who had raped them. All of these assaults were arranged by Manstuly and elf pharaohs. They were forced to lie about their virginity, as a virgin would not be Anfey¡¯s victim. At the end, they even sworn with their lives that Anfey was a good man.


    Mauso did not believe in Manstuly anyway. After he heard the truth, he doubted Manstuly even more. He went to see Bruzuryano, who was furious after he heard what had happened. He scolded Manstuly for his dishonesty and transgressions. He told Mauso that Anfey had connected with Heart of Nature, bing the new messenger for the god.


    This was why Mauso agreed to help Manstuly, but secretly protected Suzanna. When he noticed Suzanna was at the verge of breaking through, he fought with Suzanna day and night to help Suzanna be a new top power.


    Usually, Mauso would retreat to his tranquil life at this point, because he disliked conflict and fighting. After Suzanna survived, a few elf pharaohs came to the eagle druids¡¯ station and med Mauso for going against his promise, then they asked him to take all the responsibilities for their lost. Mauso became enraged. When elf empire was at its peak, druids were just vassals of elves. In fact, druids were humans who believed in the Goddess of Nature. The number of elves was not great back then. They needed humans to manage the world. Druids were the best bet. After elf empire withered, druids and elves transformed into friends from vassals. How could those few elf pharaohs have dared to curse and scold Mauso in the eagle druids¡¯ station, treating druids as their servants?


    Mauso had grown very sophisticated. He never lost his temper in front of others, because he believed that actions spoke louder than words. After he agreed to the elves¡¯ requests and sent away the elf pharaohs, Mauso turned around to see Bruzuryano. They both immediately agreed to help with the battle, as the battle was about to break out.


    With Mauso¡¯s help, the griffin riders were constrained. Griffin riders relied on their flexibility and flying abilities to for surveince. Eagle druids were better in both these areas. In fact, with Mauso¡¯s help, Anfey¡¯s league became much stronger. Scarlet had sent griffin riders out to scout Cross Valley, in order to prevent Maho Empire¡¯s attacks, which gave eagle druids a perfect stage to show off their skills. Eagle druids went out together and attacked griffin riders in squads or squadrons, killing messengers and attacking small groups of soldiers. When they met arge group of soldiers, they were able to report the exact number in that group. After the valley exit was taken over, Scarlet lostmunication with Edward VIII.


    The soldiers who guarded the exit of the valley knew that Scarlet would try her best to fight back at any cost, especially if Scarlet discovered that hermunication path was cut off. On the other hand, Baery would chase after Scarlet at any cost. This was a game of big fish eating small fish, while small fish ate shrimp. After the big fish ate the small fish, the shrimp would protect itself well with all it had.


    Capable people usually took on more responsibilities. Saul was the busiest. He ran around to set up magic arrays as fast as he could. In the skirmishes, no mages had time to set up gigantic magic arrays, but in the positional warfare, magic arrays were necessary, especially when Saul could still join the battle after the magic array began. It was like having extra help from a top power.


    Jacob was busy as well. He was not only the assistant to Saul, but also did research on deicide arrows and bed crossbow-like weapons. Scarlet calcted very well. She even had a n B to enact if the whole station was taken over. There was a gigantic sting magic array. Once the magic array was triggered, the whole station would be submerged inva. Very few people knew about this array. If soldiers found out about it, it would hurt Scarlet¡¯s reputation. No one wanted to be deserted. Once the magic array started,va could not only cover the whole station, but also kill all of them. Unfortunately, the only general who knew about the magic array had be Anfey¡¯s target, so Scarlet¡¯s n failed miserably.


    Jacob had dissembled the magic array and spent most of his time on the magic weapons which Golman created. He knew how amazing people were in the ancient times via reading. But when the real objects were in front of him, it became a different story.


    When Anfey discovered that the magic array Saul set up was the same Magic Array of Space Chaos that Jacob loved, Anfey became interested in it. He wanted to take the chance to learn more about the Magic Array of Space Chaos. Anfey gave up this quest for learning after hanging out with Saul for just one day. In fact, Anfey¡¯s short-term memory was very good, but short-term memory had a drawback, which was that Anfey could only remember the things he had experienced before. For example, no matter how messy the room was, newspapers, cigarette wrappers, cigarette butts, slippers, tea cups and other stuff was scattered everywhere on the floor. If Anfey took one look at them, he could tell the exact location of each object if asked about where that specific object was. It was like he had a camera in his head and took a picture of the scene. However, those objects were manmade, and Anfey had seen them or something simr to them. Magic notes were different, and veryplicated. They were like a newnguage to Anfey, so obviously, it was not a good time fornguage learning at this very moment.

 Chapter 510: Chaos

    Chapter 510: Chaos


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "General, Baery hasunched an attack!" a soldier hurried into Scarlet¡¯s tent and reported.


    Scarlet frowned. She was surprised by Baery¡¯s attack, but she was d as well. She had been waiting for this moment for too long.


    By the time the news reached Scarlet, Baery¡¯s army was already heading towards her camp. The knights rode in tight formation, theirnces gleaming under the sunlight. The sound of hooves beating against the ground echoed in the valley.


    Menkin watched the enemies with a deep frown. He was the one who had requested this position in today¡¯s battle. Unfortunately for him, he would be the first to encounter the enemy knights. The valley was not an ideal battleground for knights and he wasn¡¯t certain what Baery and Miorich¡¯s n was.


    He didn¡¯t have time to think too much. He raised hisnce and bellowed, "Let us show them who the real knights are!" His bellow was loud and clear to the Shansa soldiers. The soldiers raised their weapons and charged.


    The Sacred City Knights and the Guardian Knights had very different reputations. The Sacred City Knights were well known because of how much Ynther relied on them. Guardian Knights, on the other hand, rarely participated in battles because Edward the Eighth never allowed them to participate in battles. Menkin was hoping to change their reputation.


    Even though the Sacred City Knights attacked first, Menkin and his men were still fast enough to match their speed. The two sides shed amidst battle cries.


    "It¡¯s the Sacred City Knights?" Scarlet asked, her frown deepening. She had multiple ns in ce to deal with unexpected events. Now, she realized that situation did not only put the Shansa army at a disadvantage, but it also put the Maho army at a disadvantage.


    Instead of fighting with the Guardian Knights, the Sacred City Knights seemed more keen on prating their enemy¡¯s formation. Because of the location, the majority of Scarlet¡¯s army was deeper in the Transverse Mountains. Prating an army¡¯s ranks would cause panic among the soldiers, but that tactic was impossible here.


    With the arrival of the Maho Empire¡¯s mages, the battle quickly devolved into chaos due to the limitation of the location of the battlefield. The knights had lost their formation and lost one of their biggest strengths-- speed. Each knight was surrounded by both friends and foes. Most had already lost their horses and some had even lost theirnces. The knights that had lost theirnces and swords resorted to fistfighting.


    The chaos was strange for both the Sacred City Knights and the Guardian Knights. The Sacred City Knights had been prepared for a battle like this, but the Guardian Knights werepletely dumbfounded. They were fighting purely because of their instincts.


    The Maho Empire¡¯s mages had stopped their attack. Scarlet walked out of the camp to observe the battle. Behind her were dozens ofrge machines, waiting for her orders. She was hesitant because she knew that if she gave the order, she would be sentencing her own soldiers to death as well.


    The battle grew even more chaotic when the foot soldiers joined the fight. The battlefield had expanded from the valley to the cliffs above.


    Scarlet watched in silence, her body growing cold. She never thought Baery would go for a n as mad as this one and she could not understand why he did this. Neither side had control over the battle at this point.


    Usually, a general would try to eliminate as many enemies as possible while losing as little men as possible. This battle, however, was the work of a madman. Baery was trying to eliminate her army no matter how much it would cost him.


    Scarlet sighed. Her mother once said that unlike his peers, Baery was a madman. Now, Scarlet knew exactly why her mother had referred to him as such.


    On the other side of the battlefield, Baery observed the battle through the Eye of the Sky. He pointed at one of the knights and said, "That is Menkin. Steger, we cannot let him group his men together."


    Menkin was a seasoned fighter and knew how bad the situation was. He was trying very hard to group together his knights, but every attempt was interrupted by the Sacred City Knights.


    "I¡¯ll take care of it," Steger said with a nod. "Baery, Saul warmed us. Scarlet still has the magic arrows. What shall we do if she decides to use them?" If Scarlet decided to use the arrows, it would be the end of both the Sacred City Knights and the Guardian Knights.


    "She won¡¯t," Baery said.


    "How do you know?"


    "She¡¯s too young," Baery said. "The Guardian Knights are too important. She wouldn¡¯t do anything to actively harm or destroy them. Plus, most of the Guardian Knights are children of nobles. She still needs the support of those nobles."


    "The same thing goes for the Sacred City Knights," Steger said. "If she uses the arrows, she won¡¯t be the only one losing the support of the noble ss. Are you sure you will win?"


    Baery nodded. "Her army is exhausted. Mine is well-rested. We have an advantage. Plus, our men know what will happen. We just need to wear them out."


    "You seem very certain."


    "Don¡¯t worry, old chap," Baery said. "I¡¯m excited to see how Scarlet will react to this."

 Chapter 511: Cruel Arts

    Chapter 511: Cruel Arts


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    An uncontroble battle did not stop with a closure untilte that night. In fact, Scarlet had decided to ask the soldiers to leave the battle at dusk. She did not want to be as crazy as Baery, who had seemed to realize something at the same time, so he gave the same order to his own military. However, neither party left the battlefield untilte that night, which obviously showed what chaos there was on the battlefield.


    Scarlet was good at employing different strategies to minimize her loss in battles. In Golman¡¯s world, she even had a history of winning battles with zero fatalities. However, once she was in real battles, she did not seem to have the control and management skills as did Baery. Baery had been trying to make the battlefield more chaotic, while Scarlet tried to keep it in order. The reality proved that Baery won, just as he had wished. Scarlet had been putting reserves on the battlefield in hopes of stopping the soldiers from feeling discouraged and losing the battle. If this were all Scarlet could do, any general could have done it. In other words, Scarlet had not been able to show anything special that she could do.


    Scarlet had seen dead bodies before, but never so many. The trees in the valleys surrounding the battlefield had been destroyed. Bodies were everywhere, from the peak of the mountains to the bottom of the valley. Bodies piled on bodies, along the valley road, which was over 10 miles long. Some areas even had hills of dead bodies piled up. With the bright moonlight, Scarlet could clearly see everything.


    Both parties sent out thousands of soldiers without weapons. Their job was to clean up the battlefield, move their peers¡¯ bodies, and save any survivors who were still mingled with the dead bodies. The craziness during the day had now gone. When soldiers from both parties met, they did not even care to look upon one another. Rather, they passed by each other without any facial expressions. There was an unwritten rule that soldiers cleaning the battlefield could not be attacked. It would not be good if anyone went against these rules.


    The valley road had be a swamp, a murky situation created by the blood and flesh of humans and horses. Usually, blood dried quickly, but the power of nature did not seem to be enough, not when there was so much blood. There were dead bodies everywhere on the mountains, the blood of which trickled down to the bottom of the valley like streams, turning the whole valley into a bloody hell. Every step the soldiers took, there were squeaking sounds underneath their feet. It was easy for them to stumble on an arm, or to identally kick a head. The sounds of kicking or breaking an arm were always scary. The moaning from people, who woke up from thea or screamed from the pain, were not the most scary sounds. The most scary part was the thought that the dead bodies could get up with the screams, if those soldiers identally stepped on them. Soldiers felt that even their souls were scared.


    There was also a weird stinky smell in the valley. It was disgusting. A doctor told Anfey before that human¡¯s blood and flesh would not rot quickly. The weird stinky smell that lingered on the battlefield was from the not-digested food, or waste, left over after people¡¯s intestines were attacked. Of course, it did not matter that they were the soldiers from Maho Empire or Shansa Empire, they would not understand about anatomy. They only knew this was a hell for them. They wanted to throw up and run away. They wanted to scream with all the strength they had. They would rather be unconscious at this moment. However, they had toplete their job before any of those things happened. Otherwise, they would be part of this hell. Militaryw would not allow them to escape.


    Was this one type of art? Scarlet remembered Golman used to tell her often that wars were a type of art. Seeing this bloody hell, Scarlet wanted to adapt Goldman¡¯s saying. If wars were a type of art, they must be the most vicious and cruel art that human intelligence had ever created. However, Scarlet still had to get revenge upon Anfey. She had done so much, and had taken in so much, that she had to kill the murderers of her mom by herself. She would enjoy it, or at least take anything that benefited her, no matter how vicious or cruel they were.


    Scarlet walked to her tent with heavy legs. She knew well that today¡¯s battle had hit the Shansa Empire soldiers¡¯ morale hard. These soldiers held ambitions of building their careers and making contributions to their country as they chased after Baery¡¯s military. They did not know that Baery would give them a taste of what hell could be like. It was unknown just how many of them were scared. At this moment, the key was not to encourage the soldiers tonight, but to think about what they could do tomorrow. If Baery wanted to continue to fight with her, would she fight? The military resources of the Maho Empire were far superior to Scarlet¡¯s. If she had to fight with all she had, all the soldiers would die in about ten days.


    Scarlet had headaches. It was like a swordsman, who was not confident with his sword skills, was being challenged by a barbarian. When the fight started, the judge suddenly made a new rule that the two participants could only fight with fists. One could give a strike first, while the other one could fight back with another strike. If the fight continued without any strategies involved, the loser would be the one who fell down first. Scarlet felt that she was that helpless swordsman.


    The air in Scarlet¡¯s tent was filled with tension. Menkin had blood on his face. He sat on the chair without saying anything. Today¡¯s battle had left the guardian knights with high casualties. Over two fifths of the soldiers were either hurt or died in the battle. Before the battle started, many old men, whom he rarely saw, came to see him and asked politely, hoping Menkin could take care of their sons or nephews. However, on the chaotic battlefield, where generals could not see their soldiers¡ªand vice versa¡ªhe could take care of no one. He was scared of estimating how many soldiers had died. He subconsciously knew that he would not be amander anymore, no matter whether he won or lost this battle.


    Scarlet walked to her seat and slowly sat. She cleared her throat before speaking. Suddenly, griffin screaming was heard from outside of the tent, and a gust of chilly wind passed by. Obviously, a griffin had tried tond outside the tent. The griffin rider pushed away the soldiers at the tent door before he could report to Scarlet. The rider rushed into the tent, "General, Miorich-led royal pce guards attacked the exit of the valley. The mercenaries of the League of Mercenaries surrounded us."


    Scarlet was stunned. Menkin jumped up from his seat out, enraged, and shouted:"Bullshit! We had a fight with Sacred City pce guards today. It could not be them. Are they ghosts?"


    "Miorich, Miorich has not showed up yet," A general said with a trembling voice.


    It became deadly quiet in the tent. He was right that Miorich had not shown up yet. If he showed up, the casualties of guardian guards would be higher. What made them feel lucky before, now became their nightmare. If it were possible, they wished they had heard wrong. If Miorich showed up on the battlefield during the day, he could have wiped out the entire guardian guards.


    "Are you sure the information you received is right?" Scarlet asked in a low pitch. Her voice was trembling a bit.


    "Yes, I am sure," the griffin rider said with a sad face. "General, do you remember how many days it has been since we have not yet received information from ckwater City?"


    "What did your griffin riders do?" Menkin yelled. "Why did not you send people to scout?"


    "Master Menkin, I sent many griffin riders over, but eagle druids have been working for the Maho Empire. No matter how many griffin riders I sent out, they would disappear. I did not find that the exit of the Cross Valley was taken over by them until I took a squad of griffin riders with me to check it out."


    "Did the terrain around the valley exit look normal?" Scarlet asked slowly.


    "Normal? General? I do not get what you mean," the griffin rider asked.


    "I mean, did the valley exit have any magic explosion?" Scarlet asked.


    "No," the griffin rider answered.


    Scarlet punched her fists down heavily on the table, causing it to suddenly copse and resulting in everything upon it to fall on the floor, scattering everywhere. The faces of the generals in the tent changed. They had never seen Scarlet lose her control.


    "Are you sure the valley exit did not look like it had exploded before?" Scarlet asked again.


    She needed to double-check, because she needed to know if her trump card, the magic weapon, was under the control of Miorich and Anfey.


    "No, there was no explosion, general," the griffin rider said.


    "General, what should we do?" a general asked at the top of his voice. When things came to this point, the strategic intent from the Maho Empire had be obvious. Maho Empire wanted to lure them to the Cross Valley to wipe out the main force of Shansa Empire with a nk attack.


    Everyone looked at Scarlet, hoping she had an answer for them.


    The chiefmander¡¯s tent in Maho Empire was not as busy as Scarlet¡¯s. There were only two people in the tent: one was Baery, while the other was Stegar. Stegar casually tossed a mail on the table and said with a low pitch, "Saul said Scarlet should have known that valley exit is under our control now, especially after those few griffin riders escaped. It will take him some more time to set up the magic array. He asked you to..."


    "I got it. I will buy him some time. I have tried my best today," Baery said with a smile.


    "Today?" Stegar rolled his eyes. "Not to mention that Scarlet has known that the valley exit fell into our hands, even she did not know about it, you would have already scared her away."


    "You are not as good as me in terms of that," Baery smiled. "Many people think the military maneuvers could be so different¡ªhard to predict and understand¡ªbut I think it was all about human nature. Scarlet only knew about military maneuvers, but she do not understand human nature. She is still a young girl. Her understanding of wars is limited."


    "Hehehe, I wonder who lost the battle to that little girl at the One-Line-Sky," Stegar said.


    "This is the advantage I have, but Scarlet does not." Baery was not mad at all. "I can lose battles, but Scarlet could not. If she lost one battle, she would lose everything."


    "Don¡¯t trump it up. Saul reminded us many times, asking us to be careful about Golman," Stegar said slowly.


    "Golman." Baery repeated in confirmation, frowning.

 Chapter 512: Destiny

    Chapter 512: Destiny


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Scarlet finally reached the mouth of the valley with her army. Unfortunately, Saul had alreadyid out his trap.


    If Scarlet were a coward who was frightened by Baery¡¯s madness, or if she lost confidence after learning she had lost the mouth of the valley and fled, she would have survived. The magic array Saul set up had a time limit and Miorich¡¯s men would not have been able to defeat her if she were to flee.


    However, Scarlet was not a coward. On the contrary, she was a defiant and proud woman. Even though she knew she was walking into a trap, she was still very calm and collected. Scarlet always liked a good challenge. Even now, she was still governing her army with discipline. She was hoping to preserve as many fighters as possible and take them back to the Shansa Empire.


    Both Scarlet and her soldiers thought she was right. Except for the first battle¡¯s chaos, no one could defeat Scarlet or mess up her strategy.


    What she did not know was that the longer she remained in the mountains, the more danger she was in. The sky was off limits to her because of Mauso and his druids. No griffin knights could have reached her.


    One of the griffin knights¡¯ squad leaders suspected something and tried to reach her. He took some of his best men and flew around the druids and approached the valley from behind. Even Miorich did not foresee this. The druids tried to take out all the griffins, but even though the druids had an advantage, some of the griffin knights were still able to get away. However, because of their approach, the griffin knights did not find out that Saul had set up a trap.


    Scarlet had an alternate n. She could have separated her forces and attacked the mouth of the valley with half of her men. However, she was taught from a young age that she should not depend on anyone but herself. She couldn¡¯t trust anyone¡¯s ability except for herself. If she led the attack on the mouth of the valley, she was afraid that Baery¡¯s people would have attacked her from behind. If she stayed behind, she worried that the other army wouldn¡¯t be able to take on Miorich¡¯s men.


    It was truly sad and unfortunate that a coward survived but a brilliant soldier like Scarlet lost.


    Saul activated the magic array as the Shansa knights approached the mouth of the valley. Anfey watched the magic array carefully. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Even though the magic array did not look like it was doing much, every time Anfey tried to probe it with his mind, he felt an acute pain. He was surprised and wasn¡¯t sure what was causing it.


    When the first knight stepped into the magic array, his body was instantly cut into pieces. The broken pieces of his body floated around in it and disappeared. After over two hundred knights disappeared in the magic array, the knights that cameter tried to ride around it to avoid it. However, its range was veryrge. Even if they tried to ride on the cliffside, they were still within it.


    Two mages appeared behind the knights. One released arge fireball and the other summoned a bolt of lightning. The lightning struck the magic array and, like the knights, was sliced into tiny chunks. The fireball was sliced up as well, and the remnants of the two spells floated within it, then disappeared.


    The two mages and the remaining knights watched this for a few moments then turned to head the other way. They were just scouts that were sent to investigate the magic surges. Saul watched them leave without doing anything.


    Saul was waiting for Scarlet¡¯s reaction and Scarlet was discussing what to do with her officers. A few momentster, a fiery arrow appeared. It streaked through the air and crashed into the magic array.


    The magic arrow was very powerful, but it was still no match for a magic array made with dimensional magic. Like the fireball and the lightning bolt, the magic arrow was sliced into tiny pieces and disappeared into it.


    After a few seconds of silence, dark shadows appeared above the Shansa army. About a dozen griffin knights flew before the main body of the army. These were the scouts sent out to test the limit of the magic array.


    The griffin knights soon reached the magic array. Having seen that they flew by without a problem, the main body of griffin knights picked up their speed and followed. However, they weren¡¯t eager to attack.


    Saul turned to Anfey and nodded. Anfey nodded in return. He used a levitation spell and rose into the air, streaking towards the griffin knights.


    Mauso was speaking with Suzanna. Suzanna already knew that Mauso fought with her that day because he wanted to help her and she was very thankful. Seeing Anfey rise into the air, she turned her gaze away from Mauso and watched him. Mauso stepped forward and rose into the air, transforming into arge eagle. He pped his wings and approached Anfey.


    Dozens of magic arrows rose from the Shansa camp. The arrows flew over the magic array and towards Saul¡¯s camp.


    Mauso lowered himself. "Be careful," he croaked. Anfeynded on Mauso¡¯s back. He took a deep breath and nodded.


    Golman was a very powerful alchemist. Luckily, Jacob knew Golman well and Anfey reached the general who was responsible for setting off the bomb in time. Otherwise, Scarlet¡¯s attack would have done a great deal of damage.


    The griffin knights clearly knew Anfey and Mauso¡¯s intentions. They flew towards the two, sending dozens of arrows flying togethers them.


    "Scarlet must have already depleted Golman¡¯s supplies," Mauso said with augh. He dodged the iing arrows easily.


    "I have a bad feeling," Anfey said with a frown. He had trained with Mauso many times and could remain standing on Mauso¡¯s back without any problems.


    "What is it?" Mauso asked.

 Chapter 513: Fight

    Chapter 513: Fight


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I cannot exin it in words, and we do not have time to think too much about it." Anfey released magic as he answered. Three Firebirds shot out from the tips of his fingers. He did not care about the griffin riders who kept shooting with their crossbows. His job was to take care of the gigantic arrows which could cause great damage.


    Anfey was flying in the air at high speed, while the speed of the gigantic arrows were almost as fast as him. The three Firebirds Anfey had released hit on a water-blue gigantic arrow, one after another. The second Firebird urately hit on the concave on the arrow, where there was a water-blue magic crystal. With a huge crashing sound, that arrow shone a very bright blue light. Circr shockwaves created visible boundaries in the air. The boundaries continued to expand. A griffin and its griffin rider, who dived identally, fell into the shockwaves. They immediately turned into ice sculptures, falling on the ground like heavy rocks. This tragedy did not end yet. The ice sculpture, again, identally, fell into the Magic Array of Chaos and was cut into millions of pieces. It seemed that they had never existed before, and theypletely disappeared in the magic array.


    Those griffin riders were stunned when they saw that Anfey was able to destroy magic weapons. They shot out cross bows, as they rushed maniacally toward Anfey. Unfortunately, Anfey¡¯s magic attacks were a little off from the target he had locked with his telepathy, even though Anfey already had very strong telepathy. That was why he had released three Firebirds in a row. The threats from cross bows were very limited, especially when Mauso¡¯s flying speed was super fast, and he flew at every direction, without any patterns. Anfey did not have to spare any effort to block the crossbows that griffin riders shot out.


    With a tense magic surge, a gigantic ice dragon formed after Anfey released the magic scroll. The ice dragon flew viciously at the gigantic arrow. Anfey took out his bow and targeted a silver-white gigantic arrow.


    A ck light shed, and shot out with such an unbelievable speed that no one saw where this ck light hit. They saw that the silver-white gigantic arrow had suddenly exploded. Lightening shot out like crazy. When the water-blue gigantic arrow exploded, it did not affect others, due to the location of explosion, but this silver-white arrow knocked off a red gigantic arrow that was ahead of it. The ice dragon, who flew at the red arrow, passed by its target because of this.


    Anfey did not expect this to happen. Luckily, the ice dragon had some intelligence, even though it was a magic organism. The body of the ice dragon was much bigger than the gigantic arrow. The ice dragon swirled around it, opening its mouth wide, and swallowing that red arrow down.


    The ice dragon was pure white before, but after it swallowed the arrow, its stomach turned red. With a huge boom, the ice dragon exploded into thousands of pieces that sshed everywhere.


    The drama beats from the Shansa Empire military suddenly grew tenser. Griffin riders paused for a second, before running over to surround Anfey.


    "It looks like they are fighting for their lives now." Mauso circled a half-round before he lowered his height into the air.


    "Do you think we got anybody?" Anfey smiled. He waved his hand and released four Firebirds. This had reached his limit. Firebirds flew at a water-blue gigantic arrow with a super fast speed.


    Gigantic eagles flew up into the sky above the valley exit. They fearlessly flew at the griffin riders. No matter whether they were regr arrows or deicide arrows, they could barely hurt gigantic eagles. The feathers on the gigantic eagle bodies were soft but resistant, their muscles were as hard as steel. This was not the effect of magic, but of eagle druids themselves.


    About eight pce mages flew into the sky, along with the mage group from the League of Mercenaries, who were behind gigantic eagles. The mage group from the League of Mercenaries was pumped, and their courage showed, as they were able to fight with their idols. They tried their best to release magic at the gigantic arrows, which were actually flying closer and closer to them. Their abilities to lock targets with their telepathy were far from Anfey¡¯s, but they could definitely get their targets when dozens of people attacked one target altogether.


    "Your people? I hope you could really treat them as your people," Mauso said with a smile.


    "Don¡¯t worry." Anfey knew how to read between the lines. Mauso wished Anfey could take care of the druids more. Since Mauso had led his people to fight for Ynthe, Mauso must believe in the future of the Maho Empire. Ynthe liked and trusted Anfey, so much so that Anfey would be sure to have a good future ahead of him. Mauso showed his kindness to Anfey, but it did not mean that he tried to gravel at his feet. If he could provide opportunities to his druids to live a better life, why would he turn it down, especially since it had cost them so much up to this point.


    Half of the magic arrows that Scarlet shot out were destroyed. Even though few arrows hit their targets, the damage was not great. Some knights and mercenaries were affected by the explosion. One arrow hit an area with arge number of mercenaries. The mes immediately swallowed hundreds of them. Only Shinb was barely able to rush out of the explosion with almost no clothes on. She got ck ashes everywhere, while the rest of the mercenaries had been burnt into charcoal.


    Griffin riders fought together with many gigantic eagles. Scarlet had sent out all the griffin riders. In terms of numbers, they had the advantage, but no advantage in other areas. This was just a simple physical fight in the air, the type of which only happened a long time ago. It did not matter whether they were druids or griffin riders, they bothcked training, so only courage would determine which party would win.


    Griffin riders were excellent in terms of courage. When they heard Scarlet¡¯s order, not one mentioned fighting with gigantic eagles, and they even suppressed their fear of Anfey and tried to surround him. Griffins were just magic beasts, so they did not act as brave as those griffin riders. Magic beasts¡¯ natures of avoiding dangers was stronger than their passions for fighting, when they were faced with gigantic eagles who were a lot stronger than them, especially when the numbers of gigantic eagles were sorge. Magic beasts did not know how to count, so they had no idea if their peers were greater than their enemies. As a result, the griffins dodged to the side with screams when the griffin riders waved their knight spears in order to give them orders to start attacks.


    The mages in the League of Mercenaries seemed to find their new targets. It was not hard to do, once they saw griffin riders running toward them in arge group. All they needed was to release magic at them.


    This fight in the sky was massive. The griffin riders and gigantic eagles¡¯ bodies seemed to block the whole sky. Countless feathers and snowkes fell from the sky. Some griffin riders and gigantic eagles lost their flying abilities and fell from the sky, one after another. Many mages were hit by cross bows, but not one backed out. To be more specific, only magic beasts were a little antsy. All other intelligences were very brave.


    As Anfey was about to join the battle, a very intense magic surge appeared from the Shansa Empire military. Anfey was shocked for a second. He had be quite familiar with Forbidden Spells. "This must be someone releasing Forbidden Spells. Could it be Douminge?" Anfey thought to himself.


    If this happened in other times, it must have caused panic among people, as they sensed the magic surges of Forbidden Spells, yet it did not at this moment, since griffin riders and druids were like dogs eating dogs. Even the mages in the League of Mercenaries did not care about risking their lives. They just kept releasing magic.


    When the fight in the sky got bloodier and bloodier, a swirl appeared above the station. Every time the swirl circled around, it expanded in size. In the center of the swirl, a lot of electric arcs were moving around frantically. At the end, the light from the swirl even looked brighter than the sun. The griffin riders and gigantic eagles in the fight could not help closing their eyes.


    A thousand-meter-long monster lightening came out from the swirl, smashing with great momentum at the station. The mercenaries stared at the sky and looked desperate. Suddenly, a cloud of deep ckness showed, covering the sky above the whole station. The swirl was so bright that it could blind people; the cloud of ckness was so dark that people were scared. The next moment, the lightening crashed onto the ckness and disappeared.


    "Saul is here." Duominge had a bitter smile on his face. In fact, in seeing the Magic Array of Chaos, he had already known that Saul probably was in the station. However, he still had to do something, even though he knew Saul was here. He had the wish that Saul were not here, but at this moment, he realized his wish would nevere true.


    "What is that?" Scarlet screamed. She could not ept this reality. The yelling and shouting behind her came in waves. Baery had started the attack. She had to rush out as soon as possible.


    "Saul started Extradimensional Space," Douminge said with a sad tone. Douminge was a pain in the neck for Anfey and others, but Saul was much more of a pain to Douminge. If Newyheim was the sharp sword for the Ellisen Empire, then Saul would be the invincible shield for the Maho Empire. The magic characteristics of Saul¡¯s magic was the nightmare for mages at the same level. The Dimensional Mirror Saul released could reflect back non-materialized magic, while inducting other magic¡¯s energy to an unknown space. If there were never a Saul in existence, it would be the time of Newyoheim. The Dark Moon Magic Legion under his leadership could have caused a lot of damage to the Maho Empire. Newyoheim suffered a lot from fighting with Saul. Now it was Douminge¡¯s turn.


    "Extradimensional Space was a Forbidden Spell. Did Saul really release a Forbidden Spell?" Scarlet screamed. The hope was right in front of Scarlet¡¯s face, but crashed in the blink of an eye, which made her lose her control.


    "No matter where Saul goes, he would carry Space Series magic scrolls with him." Douminge looked shocked that he did not think Scarlet had such a low caliber of intelligence.


    "So do you also...?" Scarlet did not look as dull as before.


    "Yes, I need take a break." Douminge nodded.


    "Pass my order to have all the cross bows and bombs ready." Scarlet gave an order with the top of her voice. She could care less what her teacher said or did.

 Chapter 514: Opportunity

    Chapter 514: Opportunity


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The Shansa camp rumbled. Anfey nced over and his eyes widened. More than sixty magic arrows were released. He and the mages could not stop this many arrows. The formation of the griffin knights tightened and lunged at the druids and mages. They wanted to distract the mages long enough for the arrows to reach the camp.


    The League had around five hundred mages left, but the strength of the mages varied. The only ones who were capable of doing real damage were the ones Saul brought.


    The griffin knights were very strong and there were very few spells that could harm them. Unless they were attacked by a dozen mages at the same time, magic could not do much damage to the griffin knights.


    Anfey gritted his teeth. "Left!" he called to Mauso. He believed in an eye for an eye. If he was under attack and could not defend himself, he would not waste time on defense.


    Mauso did not know what Anfey wanted him to do, but he still turned to the left. A few momentster, the two saw a magic signal. That was a warning to the mercenaries that danger wasing.


    The magic arrows crashed into the camp and exploded. The mercenaries had seen the signals, but the signal came toote and they were not fast enough to retreat to a safe distance. Miorich¡¯s knights were not spared from the attack either. More than four hundred knights were injured or killed by the arrows. The knights and mercenaries who survived quickly retreated away from the camp. They stood still, waiting for further instructions.


    As the magic arrows crashed into the camp, Anfey had already reached the Shansa soldiers in the air. He jumped off of Mauso¡¯s back. He teleported away from the knights and used three magic scrolls in quick session, then drew his magic sword.


    Lightning poured down from sky and struck the griffin knights.


    Usually, the griffin knights¡¯ formation would be a loose one to prevent any idents. They were close together because they wanted to put pressure on the mages. However, Mauso was flying too fast for them to react properly and they were surrounded by druids. This stopped them from spreading out and getting away from the lightning.


    The formation of the griffin knights broke down as lighting continued to fall. The serial lightning went through the griffin knights and fell into the range of the magic array, then disappeared.


    Dozens of griffin knights fell out of the sky and towards the magic array. This was because of the griffin knights¡¯ special stacking formation which allowed the maximization of the serial lightning¡¯s power.


    "Get him!" one of the griffin knights called. "He doesn¡¯t have scrolls anymore!"


    The remaining griffin knights turned and all flew towards Anfey. They knew that the only way they could survive was if they fought their way out.


    Anfey smiled and raised his axe. He did not like levitation because it limited his speed. He was too slow to chase after the griffin knights, but now the griffin knights wereing to him.


    The druids watched excitedly.


    "Jacob, does he still have teleportation scrolls?" Saul asked, his eyes were gleaming.


    "I think so," Jacob said. "I made at least a dozen."


    Saul nodded. He turned and whispered something to a mage next to him, then waved his hand and said, "Go with him."


    Anfey gripped his battle axe and observed his surroundings. Even though he was surrounded by enemies and looked like he was at a disadvantage, he was very rxed. The griffin knights couldn¡¯t use their crossbows anymore and they could not stay in the same ce for too long.


    Anfey frowned. Instinctively, he felt something was wrong. He sensed that the druids were retreating and even Mauso was flying away.


    In the distance, twenty of Saul¡¯s best mages began chanting and conjuring in unison. Anfey frowned and felt his body was growing heavier. He began falling out of the sky. The griffin knights were clearly affected too as they began falling to the ground as well.


    Anfey frowned. His eyes widened as he suddenly realized what Saul¡¯s n was. He quickly found a teleportation scroll and activated it, trying to get out of the range of the gravity spell.


    He reappeared further away but was still in the range of the magic array. The teleportation scroll could not cancel out the effects of the gravity spell. Anfey activated another scroll and reappeared again within the range of the magic array.


    Mauso pped hisrge wings and caught Anfey on his back. The effects of the gravity spell were greater than he imagined. He pped his wings but could not fly higher. He was forced to dive down andnded safely away from the magic array.


    The griffin knights were not as lucky. The griffins could hardly fly under the effects of the gravity spell and the riders only made it harder. They fell into the magic array and disappeared in a sh.


    The sky cleared. Most of the griffin knights had fallen from the sky and only a few remained. The druids circled around for a bit beforending. They had wasted too much energy. The mages needed rest as well.


    Scarlet watched the event unfold with wide eyes. Next to her, Douminge¡¯s face held a mixture of shock and horror.


    "Great!" Baery said with augh. He knew how important and dangerous the griffin knights were and this was a great victory for them.


    "Douminge just used a forbidden spell," Steger said. "I don¡¯t think he can use another for a while."


    In the camp near the mouth of the valley, a messenger hurried up to Miorich and said, "General, Lord Saul said we can attack now."


    Miorich nodded. He raised hisnce and waved his arm, leading the charging.


    The magic array in the valley changed. Miorich stepped into the magic array but nothing happened to him. The knights behind him went through the magic array safely as well.


    Anfey and Mauso rested for a few moments and rose into the air again. The two reached the Shansa army before Miorich.


    Magic surges in the valley grew even stronger. Douminge paled. He could tell that Saul and Steger were both getting ready to use forbidden spells and he did not know what he should do.

 Chapter 515: Goodbye

    Chapter 515: Goodbye


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Stegar showed up in front of the Death Roaring Legion. A thin fog revolved around him at a rapid speed. The fog spun faster and faster, expanding itself into arger scale.


    At the end, Stegar was totally submerged by the fog.


    The water vapors in the air moved toward Stegar. They were frozen to ice in different shapes and sizes, floating in the air. The moment Stegar released the Forbidden Spells, ice moved with the fog and left a trace of a sparking light line.


    The Forbidden Spell Stegar released was Absolute Ice Kekkai, which was one of the few Forbidden Spells that had both offensive and defensive functions. The ice bounced everywhere, which could not only kill people, but could also be an enormous shield. Those ices could defend against most magic attacks, but also cut off the mental lock, when the spinning speed of the ice had passed a certain limit. Everyone knew where Stegar was, but they could not sense where he was.


    Saul slowly let down his magic wand. The magic he had released did not seem to work, but the element surges around him kept to the maximum levels anyway. Douminge was distant and shocked for a second, and looked desperate. Saul released Super Transformation Magic, which needed a long-time for chanting and consumed a lot of magic, just for the effects of instant release. Many people thought Super Transformation Magic was not as powerful as other magic. However, the truth was quite the opposite. Super Transformation Magic couldst a few hours, which meant Saul was in a superior position in the next few hours. Saul could take anything, no matter what Douminge wanted to do.


    There was a loud explosion sound from the station at the valley. Under the leadership of Jacob, the mercenaries from the league shot out a gigantic magic weapon they had confiscated before, and continued to shoot out over 40 magic weapons. Except for a few magic weapons which remained, the rest were shot out.


    The ear-sting bombing sounds became the soundtrack for the war. In the valley, the Death Roaring Legion and Sacred City Pce Guardians, the two most elite military units in the Maho Empire, followed closely behind Stegar. With Stegar¡¯s rushing in the front, they effortlessly tore up their defense and went straight into their opponents¡¯ field.


    Guardian Knights fought with over ten thousand Sacred City Pce Guardians, who were led by Miorich. Unfortunately, the Commander of the Guardian Knights, Menkin, died too soon. His shouting and screaming proimed the start of the war, but the strike from Mauso diving from the sky, and Anfey¡¯s ax, came right after it. Anfey was very strong, but Menkin was still strong enough to take the hits from Anfey. However, his horse could not. With a few of his assistants¡¯ help, they forced Anfey to back out, but Miorich went around and attacked him from behind out of nowhere. Anfey and Mauso fought back together with Menkin.


    Three top powers fought, one after another, with Menkin. No matter who it was, he could be killed soon. Menkin was cut into pieces very soon. Who it was that contributed to killing Menkin did not seem important to any of them. As the body of Menkin was still warm, all three of them turned around and ran to the valley to continue their killing.


    Anfey stood out the most, even more outstanding than Stegar in the Sky of Eyes. Stegar was not fast, but Anfey moved with lightning speed. As element currents moved fanatically, Anfey looked so aggressive that he scared the regr soldiers. Without threats from griffin riders, Anfey seemed to be able to fight without any concerns. When he was surrounded by a few strong soldiers sometimes, and could not end the fight quick, or when encountered dangers, Mauso would help him out immediately, switching to a different location to continue their fights.


    Scarlet stared at the Sky of Eyes. She could clearly see where Anfey rushed to, and where soldiers lost their battles. The element currents were Anfey¡¯s special skill. It did not seem to matter for Scarlet to see if that person was Anfey anymore, after she saw the element currents. Guardian Knights had been harassed a lot by Anfey and were scared by him. At this moment, none of the griffin riders were alive. They had been at a disadvantage since the battle started. After seeing Menkin was killed, the Guardian Knights¡¯ morale was about to be crushed, while Anfey was just thest straw for them.


    Scarlet¡¯s face turned deathly pale. She slowly let down her knight spear in her trembling right hand. She knew she had to fight now, even though she might not be able to change anything. If she joined the battle, she might be able to encourage the soldiers a little bit, otherwise, there was no point to continue the battle because Cross Valley could be her tomb.


    A bit of green light suddenly appeared in the sky and expanded its light range in a very weird way, dyeing the whole sky green. As the griffin riders flew into the sky, they covered the sky like a ck cloud. If the griffin riders were just a ck cloud, the expanded green light was muchrger than the griffin riders. The green light did not only dye the sky and sunlight green, even the skin of the soldiers turned green. There was a stinky smell in the air as well.


    Except for a few soldiers, who continued to fight on, the rest of the soldiers all felt the strangeness in the sky. They all stopped fighting, no matter whether they were the soldiers from Maho Emprie or from Shansa Empire. They looked terrified, because they were familiar with this light and smell. These were the death spirits.


    Only one person was the exception. Scarlet suddenlyughed hysterically, after she recovered from her momentary state of shock. Scarlet was very closed-up, because she was still very young, and also because of the special experiences she had when she was little. When she grew older, she needed to work hard to achieve her dreams, so she forced herself into social activities. To be more specific, people who were so closed-off, like Scarlet, usually could not take much pressure. Scarlet suffered a lot when she fell into the setup and tried to lead her troop to run away. The issues¡ªthe valley exit being blocked by the Magic Array of Chaos, when the griffin riders were all killed, when she was attacked by intense magic attacks from Maho Empire and threatened by many top powers and etc.all tested her bottom lines. In fact, Scarlet had been feeling desperate. However, the appearance of Golman had set her free from the anxiety. She knew how good Golman was and trusted him very much. She seemed to lose some control of herself because the situation changed so fast, and because she had been on an emotional rollercoaster as well.


    The battlefield started to calm down. The Absolute Ice Keikka had lost its effects now. Stegarnded among the Death Roaring Legion. He immediately meditated, without caring about the blood on the floor. Golman was a big trouble, so Stegar had to race with time to recover his magic power.


    Saul slowly levitated himself into the sky and released Amplification magic. His low and scolding voice echoed in the valley. "Golman, you didn¡¯t forget you had sworn to me before, did you?"


    "Saul, don¡¯t push me too far." Golman did not show himself. He just answered Saul in the same way that his loud voice echoed in the valley. "You should know well the power of Death Armageddon."


    Countless people locked their eyes on Saul. The term of "Death Armageddon" terrified everyone down to their bones. However, what Golman said did give them a little hope. That necromancer looked like he was going to be forced to release Death Armageddon. They hoped Saul would not aggravate him any more. It was normal for the soldiers from Maho Empire to think this way. They had treated Saul as half god and half human. He was the top power who could protect them. It seemed to be ridiculous for soldiers from Shansa Empire to bet everything on Saul.


    Saul was deep in thought for a while: "What do you want?"


    "Move", Golman said.


    "Golman, don¡¯t you think you are being really na?ve now?" Saul asked


    "Saul, if you do not want to see dozens of thousands of people, and people from the Country of Mercenaries being turned into death spirits," Golman sounded more serious, "Move."


    Most soldiers from Shansa Empire were stunned. Some of them had their mouths open wide, and some stared with their eyes wide open. They could not believe what they had heard. "Did this necromancere here to save them?" they thought to themselves.


    "Do you want to kill me this bad?" A high-pitched voice interrupted Anfey¡¯s thinking. Anfey looked up and saw a few knights slowly walking toward him through the group of Guardian Knights who stood there like logs. Three of the knights were all dressed in the same ck armors. Anfey seemed to have seen the armor that the very front knight was now wearing before.


    "Yes, shouldn¡¯t I?" Anfey answered casually.


    "I am giving you another chance. Come, kill me!" The knight took off the helmet, revealing a beautiful face. Sheughed loudly, as a lunatic would.


    Scarlet hated Anfey deep down to her guts. It was not only because he stopped her from achieving her dreams, but also because the strike Anfey had given her. She was still able to hide her wound, making it appear not as serious as it was, but she could not deny the fact that she was hurt due to the fact that she was carried by her soldiers on the stretcher, with a horse body and with a bloody hole on the saddle. When she faked her death, the soldiers who did not know about it showed the least amount of respect for her and openly discussed how she got hurt. The jerks in the ve Jail more openly talked about her. Scarlet was still a virgin, and she felt insulted when she constantly heard others talking about her private area. Every time she showered and touched her private area, she could not stop trembling. She never told anyone about this, but she knew the pain and humiliation she suffered, and she would never forget it.


    When things seemed to settle, she had toe out to see Anfey. Even though she might have no chance to kill Anfey, she still wanted to take revenge on him badly.


    "Has anyone told you that you look ugly when youugh?" Anfey sounded sincere. He was still concerned with one more issue. In addition, Saul had not made a decision yet. He definitely would not do anything at this moment.


    "I admit I underestimated you, but I would not make the same mistake again." Scarlet did not stopughing because of Anfey¡¯s criticism. "Anfey, I will see you again. I can swear with my life. Of course, I will see Suzanna too. I will give her the strongest Antimagic Cuffs and send her to the ve Jail. Hahaha, you can imagine what is going to happen to her from that point.


    Really, Anfey, I would not forgive you¡ªall of you. Trust me!"


    "I could not imagine, since I have never been to your ve Jail." Anfey asked in surprise, "Did you juste out from it?"


    "Anfey, I have no time to argue with you. I only hope you can remember every word I said to you, because all of them wille true in the future." Scarlet had the corners of her mouth curled up and turned her horse around. "Bye." Anfey was so powerful that she had no chance to kill him, especially when Mauso was with Anfey at this moment. Scarlet was still rational and had to give up her craziest idea.


    "Wait a second." Anfey shouted.


    "What¡¯s wrong? Do you want to beg me to forgive you?" Scarlet¡¯s smile started to look less crazy.


    "Your attitude is so bad, but I do not mind. I only want to remind you of a few things." Anfey looked sharp. "First of all, it did not mean much to me when you swore with your life, because your life is worthless, and so, goodbye."


    A strange Mental Roaring waved out, with Anfey at the center. No matter if they were enemies or friends, including Mauso and Doumingo in the dark, their brains all went nk for a very short period of time. Anfey disappeared and showed up again two meters away from Scarlet. He slid his ax straight down. Before Scarlet woke up from the Mental Roaring, the ax had split Scarlet¡¯s head into halves, cutting into the gold rim of the armor. Blood sshed everywhere.


    Doumingo almost screamed out loudly. He did not immediately attack Anfey. Instead, he was aimlessly looking for something. Saul, Baery, and Miorich all knew about what was behind the scene, and their faces all changed. Golman had been trying hard to teach Scarlet. Obviously, he wanted toplete some task with her help. Anfey killed Scarlet now.What to do if Golman released Death Armageddon out of anger. In fact, they did not even notice Anfey because the Mental Roaring got all their attention. Unfortunately, when they found what had happened to Scarlet, no one was able to stop Anfey.


    Anfey¡¯s face was a little pale, so were his lips, but he still moved very swiftly. He raised the ax again and plunged heavily into Scarlet¡¯s chest with a roaring that echoed in the valley for a long time. Her super strong armor sunk in beneath the blow. With a squeezing sound, blood was forced out. Anfey gave Scarlet¡¯s already slit head a kick into the sky. He pointed at the Valley ahead of him.


    Anfey held his arm in the air without moving. His eyes were clear and the corners of his mouth curled down. He looked like he was smirking or challenging someone. At this moment, almost everyone thought Anfey had gone absolutely crazy, but Anfey knew he was more sober and aware than ever.


    Fear does not help solve anything, whilepromising could only force Anfey into a corner. If Golman really dared to release Death Armageddon, he would release it sooner rather thanter. Should the Pan Continent be submissive to Scarlet? Would Ynthe give up his dream he had had for dozens of years? Would Anfey standby and watch? He had two options: to be at Scarlet¡¯s mercy, or to fight at all cost. Considering Anfey¡¯s personality, he had to choose thetter.


    Anfey had heard from the elders and had gotten to know Golman a little bit. If Golman really released Death Armageddon for some reason, why would he go against Minos I?

 Chapter 516: Changes

    Chapter 516: Changes


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The entire battlefield grew silent. All the soldiers stood and watched in shock. Even the most powerful men in the world could only stand and watch with gaping mouths. They weren¡¯t scared of death. The death magic could not affect them anyway. They were nervous because of the responsibility they had on their shoulders. The soldiers in the Transverse Mountains were the majority of both the Maho Empire and Shansa Empire¡¯s armies. If anything happened to the armies, the entire world may have changed.


    Anfey watched with a frown. He had been trying hard to convince himself that he belonged to the Maho Empire. Ynther was a very careful man and there were very few thing that escaped him. Anfey¡¯s love for the nation had earned him Ynther¡¯s trust. However, he did not grow up in the Maho Empire. He did not feel responsible for the soldiers the way Saul and the others did. He was willing to try anything to win.


    "How did this happen?" Desvidia asked with a deep frown. "Golman, didn¡¯t you say you foresaw her future?"


    "Golman!" Morgan called hurriedly. His handsome face was twisted by shock. He knew that the Ring of the Undead had already lost its power after thest time Golman saved Scarlet. The Ring was powerful, but it could not be used without limits. Golman kept the Ring on him to recharge it and wanted to give it to Scarlet when it was recharged. This meant that Scarlet really was dead.


    Golman was shaking violently and did not say anything.


    "Golman!" Desvidia called, grabbing Golman¡¯s shoulder. He was worried because of the fact that all three of them had betrayed Minos the First. The two of them made this decision because Golman had told them about his n. He wanted to help Scarlet unite the world and destroy the Church and Minos the First. Then, necromancers could have finally been recognized and respected.


    Such a future sounded very attractive to Desvidia and Morgan. The necromancers waged war not because they wanted to rule the world, but because they wanted to exist in peace. However, they were demonized by others and could not achieve this goal.


    Minos the First wanted to turn the world into a deste ce where nothing existed. His n benefited no one but himself, and Desvidia and Morgan knew this better than anyone. This was why the two of them betrayed Minos the First after hearing about Golman¡¯s n. Now that Scarlet was dead, who will they support? Who will give them the right to exist?


    "I did see her future," Golman whispered.


    "But?"


    "I got it!" Golman suddenly cried. "I got it!"


    "Calm down!" Desvidia said, grabbing Golman¡¯s arm. Desvidia and Morgan were worried that Golman would have done something unthinkable while in a deranged state like this. They had already betrayed Minos the First. If Golman used the Death Armageddon spell and angered Shansa and the Maho Empire, who else would they have turned to?


    "How? How am I supposed to calm down?" Golman asked, shaking his head. "Do you remember how I talked about how there was some unclear factor in her future?"


    "Yes?"


    "Don¡¯t you see? I saw Scarlet uniting the world, but now she¡¯s killed by Anfey. This means that he is the factor! He is not from this world."


    Desvidia and Morgan nced at each other. They didn¡¯t care who Anfey was. All they needed to do was keep Golman from using Death Armageddon. "So what if he isn¡¯t?"


    "So what?" Golman repeated with augh. "Minos needs to change the rules of this world to do what he needs to do. But Anfey isn¡¯t from this world and the rules doesn¡¯t apply to him. If he was strong enough, he could even face the gods themselves, because he wasn¡¯t created in this world, do you understand?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Can¡¯t you see? To us, Minos is a god!"


    Morgan and Desvidia watched him with wide eyes. "You mean..." Morgan whispered.


    "You want Anfey to fight Minos?"


    "He¡¯s the only one," Golman said. "He has to be."


    Even though Anfey had sent a warning, Saul and the others still did not know what Golman, Desvidia, and Morgan were doing. They knew something was off, but all they could do was wait for Golman to make a choice.


    Three figures appeared in the distance. Saul squinted his eyes, then his eyes widened in shock and horror as he recognized the three master necromancers. Even one of these three men could have wreaked havoc on the world. Even in his worst nightmare, Saul had never imagined he would have seen all three of them together.


    However, the three figures didn¡¯t do anything. Instead, they turned and rose into the sky. A few Death Knights broke out of the Shansa rank and chased after the three necromancers.


    Saul watched, his body shaking. He wanted to catch the necromancers and ask them what they wanted to do, but he refrained from it. Saul did not know the effects of Death Armageddon and did not know whether Golman had used the magic or not. Luckily, judging from the situation, the necromancers did not do anything.


    Baery, Miorich and Steger all watched in stunned silence. They did not know how to express their thoughts. The fact that the three master necromancers left without doing anything was even more unnerving than the fact that they were on the battlefield together.


    Anfey was even more perplexed. Golman could have betrayed Minos the First because he believed that Minos the First wasn¡¯t the answer to his problems. Simply leaving was not something he expected Golman to do.


    "Saul," Douminge called, rising into the air. "It¡¯s just you and me now."


    "It¡¯s you and us," Saul corrected him.


    Douminge smiled and sighed, shaking his head.


    Alice was inside the camp, observing the battle from the Eye of the Sky. She was very calm when she saw the necromancers. When she saw Anfey kill Scarlet, sheughed. When she saw Douminge appear in the air, the smile froze on her face and her eyes widened.

 Chapter 517: Appreciation

    Chapter 517: Appreciation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Maho Empire had prepared very well for this war. The so-called preparations centered around thinking about what would happen in either victory or loss. If they won, they would like to see maximum profit. If they lost, they would like to see how to protect the survivors and dy Scarlet¡¯s attack. Baery, acting as the general, ouid dozens of ns, in case of any unforeseen changes. He chose aparatively radical n in the end, hoping to end the war in half a month¡¯s time.


    Saul set up the Magic Array of Chaos to block Scarlet from escaping. This was the first step. In the next three days, Baery would try his best to reduce Scarlet¡¯s military power. On the third day, Saul would start the Magic Array of Chaos, which would delude Scarlet and soldiers from the Shansa Empire with hope. On the fourth day, Miorich would take Sacred City Pce Guards and the League of Mercenaries to the grasnd, before the Magic Array of Chaos lost its effects. Baery thought it would take them at least about two weeks to chase and annihte the rest of the troops from Shansa Empire on the endless grasnd.


    No one thought all these ns would be useless. It might be because Maho Empire was blessed, or it was just a coincidence. The soldiers from Shansa Empire lost their morale. The death of Scarlet could contribute the most for the mess, but what necromancers did was not able to be neglected. There were things that could be put ahead of the interests of the country. For example, the battle between humans and necromancers. That necromancer wanted Saul to move out of the way for him, which confused most soldiers from Shansa Empire.


    Some smarter soldiers from Shansa Empire thought more than others. They thought of Scarlet¡¯s assassination, and wondered if she turned into a death spirit, or if royal families in Shansa Empire had been controlled by necromancers, or if they were actually fighting for necromancers.


    The appearance of the eldest princess of Shansa Empire was another hit. Alice had showed herself in the political arena quite often, but was rarely involved with military issues. There were soldiers who knew about Alice. They passed around that information by word of mouth, so that everyone knew who Alice was. Not to mention the regr soldiers, including even Douminge, who had made the decision to devote his life to this battle, was stunned.


    Both Baery and Saul were very smart and experienced, so they immediately figured there must be something between Alice and Douminge. Baery ordered all the soldiers not to make any moves until they got orders from him. Saul took Alice from Entos. He left the battlefield and invited Douminge to the side of the valley. They started to talk. Baery went over and joined their conversation. Very few people knew what they talked about, but everyone knew they talked for a long time. They talked until it was already dark.


    After their conversation, a few strange orders were given. The Maho Empire gathered its soldiers and readied to set up their station, cleaning the battlefield while Shansa Empire ordered soldiers had let down their arms and regrouped. These things had never happened before. There was no concept for captives on Pan Continent. Captives were the main source of ves. If captives were very strong and powerful, they could be tortured to death, just as how Ynthe treated the captives from Dark Moon Legion.


    Beary was supposed to be in charge of everything at this moment, but he dug into his tent and started to work on writing dozens of letters. Saul was busy setting up a small magic Transmission Portal and sent Baery¡¯s letters to the Sacred City. They could not believe Alice was actually the princess in the Shansa Empire, and a very prestigious princess at that. This new information could change the situation in so many different ways. It actually could change the entire n Ynthe had.


    In the morning, Anfey slowly walked into Alice¡¯s tent. He found Alice curled up on the bed with red eyes.


    "Scarlet is definitely dead this time. You should be happy about it," Anfey said in a low pitch.


    "When you told me she was dead the first time, I was so excited that I did not sleep the whole night," Alice said.


    "You did not seem to sleepst night either, did you?" Anfey looked at Alice¡¯s eyes.


    "It¡¯s different." Alice shook her head. "I suddenly felt sad. In fact, Scarlet and I should not have fought to this point. We could have ended up in a better situation."


    "Should? Hehehe, there are many "should haves."Anfey took a seat with smiles. "Let¡¯s take Suzanna and I for example. If I did something to her back then, Suzanna should have been chasing me around to try to kill me."


    "Did what to her?" Alice asked in curiosity.


    "I mean...something not decent." Anfey smiled. "Luckily, I knew what was the right thing to do, so I can marry Suzanna now. We could have ended up as enemies. I am telling you these things to let you know that what happens to a person depends on what he did before. Sometimes it was just one decision that could change everything. You do not have to think too much."


    "Geeze, are you saying you are a good person?" Alice asked.


    "What kind of person do you think I am?" Anfey asked back.


    "It¡¯s hard to tell. You are soplicated." Alice paused for a second and suddenly changed the topic. "Anfey, are you ming me for it?"


    "ming you?" Anfey asked in doubt.


    "ming me for exposing my real identity? Did it put you in a very bad situation?"


    "Why would I me you for that?" Anfey said.


    "You don¡¯t me me for it, really?" Alice asked.


    "Alice, why are you bing so nagging? Do I have to pretend in front of you?" Anfey felt helpless when he had to prove he was telling the truth.


    "Douminge is my teacher," Alice said in a low pitch. "He has treated me very well. When my fa...Edward VIII...forced me to get married in the Country of Mercenaries, only Douminge, my teacher, stepped out to try to convince Edward VIII not to send me there. Others were just watching me make a fool of myself."


    "I see," Anfey said.


    "I know him and respect him. I do not want to see anything happen to him. I do not think you want to see your teacher get hurt either, so..." Alice smiled bitterly. "I panicked. I only wanted to stop their fight, but did not think what would happen afterwards. Anfey, I really did not think of it. I did not mean to do that."


    "Are you afraid I would misunderstand you?" Anfey smiled. "Do you think it is necessary to exin all these things to me? Alice, don¡¯t forget we are friends." Anfey got what Alice was trying to tell him. If Archmage Michael could fight for his life at that critical moment, so could Douminge. He trusted Alice.


    "I do not think you understand it. I used to live in fear and anxiety. My fears and worries became true." Alice said slowly. "I have followed you for a year. Life has been simple, but you gave me a warm and secure feeling. It might be called happiness, for a woman."


    "Are you trying to embarrass me?" Anfey smiled. "I admit I doubted you and did not trust you at the beginning."


    "How about now?" Alice asked.


    "Now? You have earned the respect and trust from me with your own actions," Anfey said.


    "What else?" Alice did not hear enoughpliments.


    "Huh?" Anfey was confused.


    "I mean your feelings towards me," Alice said.


    "Well...you are more capable than me in many ways. If I did not have you, I would not have the League of Mercenaries," Anfey said.


    "Is that it?" Alice bit her lips. "Do you want to know how I feel about you?"


    "Didn¡¯t you talk about it already?" Anfey looked like he had suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Alice, I need your help."


    Alice heaved a slight sigh. She knew Anfey tried to avoid talking about these things on purpose. "What is it?"


    "Baery wanted Douminge to be themander for the Shansa United Troop, but he turned it down. I think Kumaraghosha would be the best person for that position, besides Douminge."


    "What does Kumaraghosha say about it?" Alice asked.


    "He turned it down as well." Anfey smiled bitterly. "He said the league took him in when he was going through a hard time. He would never leave the league."


    "Shouldn¡¯t you be happy about Kumaraghosha being so loyal?" Alice asked.


    "It¡¯s not about that. Besides, I am not that close-minded." Anfey shook his head. "Alice, I cannot convince him. I have to rely on you for that."


    "I will try." Alice nodded.


    "Great. You can do so much more than me." Anfey smiled and mocked himself. "I really do not understand what good staying in the league would do him. I cannot even convince him to leave."


    "That is called appreciation." Alice did not have any magic power, but she looked very sharp.


    "Some people do not understand what appreciation means, but others put it in front of everything else. Kumaraghosha was of thetter."


    Anfey went quiet for a while and smiled. "Ok, I will have Kumaraghoshae to see you. Please help me." Anfey slowly stood up.


    "Wait, Anfey, I have something to ask you Alice said.


    "What is it?" Anfey asked.


    "Do you know Golman?" Alice asked.


    Anfey was shocked for a second and fell back to the chair. He looked upset. "Alice, this is the thousandth time I have heard you and others asking me the same question. Can we not talk about it now?" Not only Alice asked Anfey about it, but also Saul, Baery, Christian¡ªalmost all the people in the high positions¡ªfriends, and his subordinates had asked him the same question in different ways. He could not stand it anymore.


    "I am just curious." Alice whined like a little kid after she saw how Anfey had reacted in such an exaggerated way. "If you do not know Golman, why didn¡¯t he release Death Armageddon? When he left, why did he stare at you? Besides, how do you know Golman would not release Death Armageddon?"


    "Because Golman and I are brothers," Anfey said.


    "Really?" Alice was shocked.


    "No," Anfey said.

 Chapter 518: Poor Man

    Chapter 518: Poor Man


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The in next to the Transverse Mountains had already been turned into arge army camp. Both the Maho army and the Shansa army had made camp there. Everyone, even Baery, was surprised by the turn of events. If they could take advantage of it and attack the Shansa Empire, it was a sure victory. However, it was too much of a risk. The Shansa soldiers were exhausted and Douminge still had not made his stance clear. The Maho army did not have enough supplies for another battle. An attack on the Shansa Empire had to wait.


    Anfey rubbed his temple. For days, his life consisted of nothing but meetings with different generals and soldiers. Anfey was more of a fighter and did not like these long meetings. Christian, on the other hand, was very eager to attend them.


    "Are you ufortable?" Saul asked after noticing how tired Anfey looked during one of them.


    "I¡¯m fine, Master Saul," Anfey said. "I just... I don¡¯t think I am the right person to have an opinion on these matters. Master Douminge must have more thoughts on them."


    "We¡¯ve invited him," Baery said with a sigh. "Multiple times, in fact. Douminge kept finding excuses not toe. I don¡¯t me him though. He needs time."


    "How about Alice, then?" Anfey asked.


    "Speaking of Alice," Steger said. "Anfey, you should have told us who she really is."


    "It¡¯s a...pleasant surprise," Baery said with augh.


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell us?" Saul asked curiously. He had spent more time with Anfey than the others, but he did not press Anfey about it because he trusted Anfey to make the right decision. But, since Steger had already asked, Saul saw no point in keeping his silence. He was Anfey¡¯s teacher and he should have been the one to ask the question.


    "I gave her the name Alice," Anfey said. "She said she wanted to forget everything. I promised her that I would keep her secret."


    "It¡¯s not that easy to forget," Miorich said.


    "Of course," Anfey said with a nod. "But this is her wish and I respect her."


    "But you still could have reported this," Dalmatian said with a frown. "She won¡¯t know even if you do report this to His Majesty."


    "Of course I are lie to her," Anfey said. "But that is not how I want to treat her. If she is to be my friend, she deserves my respect and she deserves her privacy."


    Dalmatian frowned but did not say anything.


    "When we first found her, she had been sold into very. Her best friend was tortured and raped. She was in a state of despair. She asked me to protect her. I agreed. I gave her my word and I am a man of my word."


    Dalmatian sighed and nodded.


    "I am at fault too," Christian suddenly said. "If Father is angry, he should punish me as well."


    "You know that she is a Shansa princess?"


    "Anfey told me."


    "Then why didn¡¯t you say anything?"


    "Alice isn¡¯t just Anfey¡¯s friend," Christian said. "She is my friend as well." Christian knew how much Alice disliked the upper ss. There was no way she would have worked with any nobles.


    Baery shook his head. "I understand where you two areing from, but you still should have said something."


    "Alice will think that we¡¯ve betrayed her."


    Saul sighed and shook his head. "It¡¯s toote to say anything now," he said. "Let¡¯s not focus on the past." He turned to his two students and asked, "I¡¯ve noticed something about her. She was actively trying to help us earlier, but now that we know who she is, she¡¯s be secluded and distant. I do not understand. Is it because she cannot trust His Majesty? If that is the case, I want you two to tell her that His Majesty has never let any loyal man or woman down."


    Anfey shook his head. "It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t trust His Majesty," he said. "She doesn¡¯t trust you."


    "What about us?"


    "Everything about you."


    "Does she trust you?"


    Anfey and Christian nced at each other. "She does," Anfey said.


    Baery frowned. Anfey could tell that Baery wasn¡¯t happy about this and said hurriedly, "It¡¯s not anything personal. It¡¯s that she was let down before by royalties and nobles. She has no reason to trust you guys."


    "Why does she trust you, then?"


    "Because she had no choice but to trust us," Anfey said.


    "When we first met her, we were just kids," Christian said. "I think she trusts us because we were so different back then from what she knew."


    "What are some things she likes?" Saul asked suddenly.


    Anfey frowned. "I¡¯m not sure," he said. "She never really talks about herself."


    "Is there anyone she is particrly close to?"


    "Feller and Hui Wei," Anfey said. "They are her assistants."


    "If she is to marry, who do you think she will choose?"


    Anfey and Christian¡¯s eyes widened.


    "She has... very high standards," Christian said with a smile. "To be frank, I don¡¯t think she will ever marry either one of them."


    "Is there anyone else she¡¯s close to?" Saul asked.


    "Master Saul, why are you so interested in her personal life?"


    "His Majesty wanted her to have a rtively normal life," Saul said. "He wanted her to pick someone she can be happy with. She can marry whoever she wants."


    "I know who she always talks to," Christian said. Before he could say anything else, Anfey kicked him in the shin and red at him.


    "It¡¯s Kumaraghosha," Anfey said before Christian could say anything else. He didn¡¯t want anyone to know that he was close with Alice because it would have been bad for all parties involved.


    "Kumaraghosha and Alice?" Saul frowned. "Christian, who were you going to say?"


    "Ozzic."


    "No way," Anfey said, shaking his head. He nced at Saul, who had no idea that two of his best students were tricking him, and smiled.

 Chapter 519: Laziness

    Chapter 519: Laziness


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey came back to his ce with a listless look. Suzanna was not there. Anfey asked a few mercenaries about where Suzanna was, but none of them knew. Finally, Ye got the answer for Anfey: Suzanna and Hagan had taken the little unicorn out.


    With Ye¡¯s direction, Anfey walked out of the camp to look for Suzanna. He came to a low hill and saw Suzanna sitting at the foot of it. Hagan was about 200 meters away from her. He kept saying something to the little unicorn and ying with him. The little unicorn was not as naughty as before, since he had taken the potion.


    "What are you thinking of?" Anfey asked, as he took a seat next to Suzanna.


    "I am thinking about Shally. I am not with her now, and I do not know if anyone gave her any trouble." Suzanna heaved a sigh, bing sentimental suddenly. She could not help but think of Shally when she saw Hagan ying with the little unicorn. Shally used to y with the little guy.


    "She got Niya." Anfey smiled. "You know Niya¡¯s temper. She would go crazy if there is anyone who dares to give Shally troubles. Do you think anyone in the small Violet City dares to challenge Niya?"


    "The problem is that Urter is missing now. If Niya has any trouble, she would have no one to help her, Suzanna said.


    "You must be kidding!" Anfey shook his head. "Violet City is my feudal estate. Niya is the only daughter of Saul. Do you think anyone would be stupid enough to challenge them? Don¡¯t you think they would know whom they should work for, out of sheermon sense?"


    "But Marquis Djoser is going back there," Suzanna said.


    "Really? Where did you hear that?" Anfey was shocked for a second.


    "Master Miorich told me," Suzanna answered.


    "Ok", Anfey said.


    "That could not be right." Anfey rubbed his chin. "Why do I feel someone is trying to use us to kill the people he wants to kill?"


    "What do you mean?" Suzanna rolled her eyes at Anfey. "Master Miorich and Marquis Djoser did not have any conflict between them. It was just nice of him to remind us of that."


    "Why would he do that? Miorich should have no problem killing Marquis Djoser. If he tried to remind us, why did he not just kill Marquis Djoser for us as a favor?" Anfey asked.


    "Why do you think everyone owes us?" Suzanna felt helpless when she had to deal with the way Anfey thought. "Marquis Djoser does not have much power right now, but his title is still a duke. If Miorich killed Marquis Djoser, he would not be able to exin to the royals?"


    "Not bad, not bad. You have learned to think." Anfey yfully flicked Suzanna¡¯s forehead. "But why didn¡¯t you think that if I killed Marquis Djoser, how would I exin that to everyone?"


    "You?" Suzanna found this funny and irritating the same time. "You dared to kill the grandson of Philip, Zeda. You did not care about exining to anyone."


    "So, do you think I have been very arrogant?" Anfey asked.


    Suzanna was not in the mood to be arguing with Anfey. She simply looked away to the sky.


    "We cannot let Marquis Djoser go back to the Violet City," Anfey said slowly. Urter had been missing. If Marquis Djoser went to make troubles there, Niya would not be able to handle him.


    "Have you decided if you want to kill him?" Suzanna asked.


    "Kill him? I do not like violence," Anfey said.


    Suzanna felt that she was about to go nuts at any time. If she was more outgoing, she would definitely have done something violent to Anfey. For example, she could have pinched or bit Anfey. She definitely could havemitted these flirty attacks on Anfey. Every time Suzanna was discussing something serious with Anfey, he would be very yful and flirty. If she gave him the cold shoulder, Anfey would be serious again.


    "I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore." Suzanna pouted.


    "Kill two birds with one stone. Hehehe, I like it." Anfey had a faint smile on his face. He fought on the battlefield during the war, but he did not provide any input when it came to the strategic ns. It was because he did not know much about military strategies, but he was good at scheming to set people up. He was smarter than most people. In the blink of an eye, he could concoct a devious double-gain n.


    "What?" Suzanna asked.


    "This n needs Master Jacob and Christian to take some hits," Anfey said.


    "What does it have to do with Christian, when we have to kill Marquis Djoser?" Suzanna asked in surprise.


    "How to put it? Christian might not like the path he has to take, but I am going to give him a push," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, what the hell are you talking about?" Suzanna stared at him with her almond-shaped eyes open wide.


    "Christian is the supervisor of the Shield of Light legion, the vice CEO of the League of Mercenaries, and themander of Mage Group. He deserves two medals for what he did. This war is significant. The previous wars were just regr battles. No matter how much Granden had contributed to them, he will not stand out as much as Christian. It is a terrific opportunity," Anfey said with a smile.


    "Anfey, what are you going to do?" Suzanna asked.


    "Don¡¯t ask me, but don¡¯t worry. I would not do anything crazy." Anfey patted Suzanna¡¯s hand. Men always wanted to give their loved ones an impression of positivity and uprightness. Anfey did not want Suzanna to know too many negative things about him, so he only mentioned things, but did not tell Suzanna about the minute details.


    Suzanna paused for a second, but did not press Anfey for the answer. She put her arm in Anfey¡¯s arm and rested her head on his shoulder. After a while, she asked, "Anfey, you did not look good. What happened?"


    "What else could it be?" Anfey smiled bitterly. "Professor gave me two important but difficult tasks."


    "What?" Suzanna asked in surprise.


    "He asked me to convince Alice and Kumaraghosha." Anfey sighed. "I don¡¯t think I can convince them. Alice and Kumaraghosha both have something bothering them. No matter how much I try to convince them, it would not work if their problems were not solved."


    "Didn¡¯t Alice agree on it?" Suzanna asked.


    "It¡¯s different. King wants Alice to be fully on board, instead of just simply agreeing," Anfey answered.


    "In fact, Alice is such a poor girl. Her father used her and took advantage of her. Of course, she is worried that someone else would take advantage of her again," Suzanna said.


    "It is not a big deal, being used. She still shares the blood with Edward VIII after she was taken advantage of. The problem is that she has nothing to protect herself if she works for the king," Anfey said.


    "Doesn¡¯t she have us?" Suzanna asked.


    "Have you heard of the story of the frightened birds?" Anfey smiled.


    Suzanna shook her head. Anfey debriefed Suzanna on that story. Both of them went quiet for a while, then Anfey asked, "I personally believe in the king¡¯s generosity and in him as a ruler, but Alice does not believe in him, so it makes it hard to convince her."


    "In fact..." Suzanna mentioned "in fact" again, but she seemed hesitant. "Back when I went back to Sacred City with you, I was scared too."


    "Why?" Anfey asked in curiosity.


    Suzanna smiled bitterly. She had a tough childhood. Darius was extremely brutal and passionate about women, especially the young ones who did not understand their own bodies yet. To make it clear, he wanted to have sex with any girl he saw. He even raped his own daughter inw. Luckily, Darius had many enemies, so he had to hire bodyguards to protect him. Suzanna was beautiful, but she was also powerful. She ranked top one among the safeguards. Darius needed her to protect him, otherwise he would have raped her even though they shared a blood rtionship.


    Seeing Darius¡¯s life, Suzanna thought all royals would be like him. When Anfey went back to Sacred City, she was really scared, but could not tell anyone. To think back about it, Suzanna felt humiliated for doubting Saul in front Anfey and Christian. Back then, she had determined to protect her virginity with her life. After what happened afterwards, she had been treating Saul as her family. Suzanna appreciated him a lot, especially when Ynthe saved her mother and brought her back at any cost. It seemed her fear and worry was ridiculous when she tried to recall that time. Because of her previous experience, Suzanna understood Alice¡¯s fear.


    "You know I have seen a lot when I was little." Suzanna did not know how to put it. It was so embarrassing to talk about.


    "Suzanna, do you want to see Darius, if you know where he is?" Anfey suddenly asked Suzanna.


    "No!" Suzanna answered firmly. She used to think that all the people in power were the same, but she knew Darius was just trash, after she got to know how generous and forgiving Ynthe was, how kind Saul was, and how upright Bruzuryano was. After she got to see her mother, she felt there was nothing left between Darius and her.


    Anfey did not say anything in response to Suzanna¡¯s answer. He had made the decision in his mind that Darius could die if Suzanna did not want to see him. This would be good for everyone, of course, except for Darius.


    "Anfey, why haven¡¯t we got..." Suzanna suddenly changed a topic.


    "Haven¡¯t what?" Anfey asked.


    "You are so annoying. You know what I am talking about." Suzanna blushed.


    "Oh, oh, oh." Anfey¡¯s eyes moved fast.


    "Anfey, do you think I am not infertile?" Suzanna asked.


    "Don¡¯t think that way. I know the reason," Anfey said.


    "What¡¯s the reason?" Suzanna asked hastily. "Tell me, Anfey. I really want a kid."


    "We are toozy about it." The atmosphere had grown a little too heavy, so Anfey tried to lighten it up a little bit. "Thest sex we had was few days ago."


    Suzanna did not understand at the beginning. Once she realized what Anfey meant, she was beet red all over her face. When she saw Anfey counting with his fingers, she looked panic. Suzanna was such a nice girl, but she was forced to use violence. She nudged heavily on Anfey¡¯s side and said in embarrassment, "You go to hell!"


    "Death is not scary. The problem is how I die." Anfey looked very flirty when he tried to make Suzanna forget the bad time. "A long time ago, my teacher told me...unfortunately, there are no peonies. Let¡¯s take roses. There was a saying that it would be nice to turn into a ghost, if he could be surrounded by roses. Do you know what it meant? Roses represent women, while ghosts meant death. It means if I die when I am with you... Hey, hey, what are you running for? Come back!"

 Chapter 520: Two Birds with One Stone

    Chapter 520: Two Birds with One Stone


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This way, my lord," Marquis Djoser said with a bow.


    "You¡¯re too kind, Marquis Djoser," Christian said with a smile and walked into Marquis¡¯ tent.


    Marquis Djoser was about to head back to his own territory and was hosting a small feast. Other than Christian, he invited several other important figures. Except for Saul and Baery, Miorich, Shawn, Dalmatian and Steger all showed up. Even though they knew Anfey and Marquis were not on friendly terms, Marquis was a nobleman and it was better to keep him happy.


    After a few cups of wine, Christian asked, "Marquis Djoser, why are you leaving so suddenly? Is something wrong back home?" Djoser¡¯s territory was next to Violet City and Christian wanted to find out why he was going back.


    "I don¡¯t want to leave," Marquis said, shaking his head. "I saw with my own two eyes how bright the Empire¡¯s future is. I wish I could stay here and witness more, but I am old now, my Lord. My body cannot handle the pace of a military camp anymore."


    "It is a shame," Christian sighed.


    Marquis nodded. "It really is, but I must ept the reality." He picked up the wine bottle and filled Christian¡¯s cup. "As I said, I¡¯m old now. I don¡¯t have a lot of time left. The Crown will take my territory after my death. There¡¯s nothing left for me to do. This is all the work of fate." He sighed and lowered his gaze.


    Christian nced at Marquis and picked up the cup. Just as he was about to drink the wine, he was interrupted by a bellow. "Hold up!"


    The two guards outside the tent stumbled inside. A few secondster, Anfey marched into the tent as well. He walked up to Christian and grabbed the cup full of wine. He raised it to his face and narrowed his eyes.


    "I do not recall inviting you, Lord Anfey," Marquis Djoser said coldly and stood up.


    "Anfey, what are you doing here?" Christian asked and stood up as well. He had wanted to talk to Anfey about Marquis¡¯ invitation, but he had not been able to find him.


    Anfey ignored both of them. He dipped a finger into the wine and sniffed it. Then, he turned and called, "Ye, find me a pony."


    "Yes, sir," Ye replied loudly outside the tent.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Marquis Djoser asked angrily.


    Anfey¡¯s action had stalled the entire feast. Everyone was waiting for what happened next. Djoser couldn¡¯t have been stupid enough to try to poison Christian, could he? Why would he have poisoned Christian anyway?


    A few minutester, Ye returned to the tent with a pony. Anfey grabbed the pony and fed the entire cup of wine to the small horse. It only took a few minutes for the pony to fall to the ground with a whine. It jerked around for a few moments and fell still.


    "Want to say anything?" Anfey asked.


    Djoser and Christian stared at the dead pony with wide eyes. Miorich narrowed his eyes and mmed a fist onto the table. "How dare you?" he asked loudly.


    "No," Djoser said as if waking from a trance. "It¡¯s not what it seems."


    "Ye," Anfey said, "bring the witness here."


    Ye appeared with one of Djoser¡¯s servants. He stumbled into the tent and knelt down on the ground. "I didn¡¯t know anything about this, my Lord! You have to believe me. I didn¡¯t know anything!"


    "Tell me what you said earlier," Anfey said.


    "I said Lord Jacob and Lord Djoser were speaking yesterday," the servant said. "Lord Jacob said he wanted to make a potion that makes people stronger, but instead he made a strange poison. Lord Jacob came to Lord Djoser asking if he had any raw materials."


    "Keep talking."


    "Then, Lord Djoser became really excited, he..."


    "Nonsense!" Djoser interrupted the servant angrily. He lunged towards him but was stopped by Ye¡¯s men.


    Anfey snorted. "Lord Jacob, pleasee in."


    Djoser¡¯s face paled when he heard Jacob¡¯s name, and he fell to the ground.


    Jacob walked into the tent and nodded at Anfey.


    "Lord Jacob, does this servant speak the truth?"


    Jacob nodded. "I did make a strange poison a few days ago," he said. "The poison will work thirty days after being consumed and is very hard to detect. Marquis was very interested in it. I had no use for it and, since he was so interested, I gave it to him."


    "Can you tell me if the poison is present in this wine?" Anfey asked, handing the bottle to Jacob. Jacob raised the bottle to his face and sniffed its contents.


    "There is poison in this wine, alright," he said.


    "Take him away," Anfey said, pointing at Marquis.


    Djoser suddenly jumped up from the ground. He pointed at Anfey and began to scream curses. None of the mercenaries were able to stop him. They had to stuff a ball of cloth into his mouth to silence him.


    "Lord Miorich, I will take him and the evidence," Anfey said, grabbing the wine bottle and cup.


    "I¡¯ll handle this," Miorich said after a moment of hesitation.


    "Christian, have any men gone through his ce?" Anfey asked. "See if there is anything suspicious. I want you there when we interrogate him."


    Christian nodded.


    Anfey followed Djoser and the mercenaries into the tent of inspectors. Djoser red at Anfey, but Anfey ignored his gaze.


    Anfey sat down on a chair in front of Djoser and waved his hand. A mercenary hurried over and removed the cloth from Djoser¡¯s mouth. "Did you really think there is a poison that works exactly thirty days after it is consumed?" Anfey asked mockingly.


    Djoser froze. "What do you mean?"


    Anfey raised the bottle to his lips and took a sip. "It¡¯s a nice wine," he said. "How long have you had it?"


    "I..."


    "Jacob never gave you anything poisonous," Anfey said. "Do you want to try it?"


    Djoser watched him with wide eyes. He knew nothing about poisons and Jacob was an authority when it came to them. Of course, Djoser believed Jacob.


    "I know you tricked two servants into drinking this," Anfey said. "You only used it because they lived, right?"


    Djoserughed but did not say anything.


    "Why are youughing?"


    "If there¡¯s no poison in there, what can you do to me? I am a nobleman!" Djoser said. He caught Anfey¡¯s eyes and his voice died down.


    Anfey sighed and shook his head. He found a small vial in his dimensional ring and dumped its content into the bottle. "Now there is poison."


    "Jacob¡¯s with you!"


    "You just realized this?" Anfey asked with wide eyes, as if surprised.


    Edy pushed into the tent and nodded at Anfey. "Are we starting now?"


    "No," Anfey said. "We¡¯ll wait for Christian. Remember everything I told you?" he asked.


    Edy nodded.


    "Good," Anfey said. He turned to Djoser and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Lord Edy. He is a necromancer and is excellent at interrogation. By the time he¡¯s done with you, we will know everything we need to know."


    "My lord," Ye called. A few momentster, Christian and Ozzic walked into the tent. Christian was frowning.


    "Djoser," he said. "Why did you try to poison me?"


    "He won¡¯t say anything," Edy said as he grabbed Djoser. "Allow me. I promise you I can give you a satisfying answer."

 Chapter 521: Interrogation

    Chapter 521: Interrogation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Baery and Saul looked serious as they watched the interrogation of Eddy. Eddy was a necromancer, but Baery and the others at the scene did not mind him being the necromancer. They only cared about his stance, and which side he would take. Baery used to be friends with Golman. It was because Golman had betrayed Minos I. Baery could have killed Golman, if that was not the case. Back then, Baery had many opportunities to kill Golman, or at least Baery thought he had many chances.


    Life was so unpredictable. Light Church and necromancers used to be enemies by nature. The fanatic followers of Light Church used to talk about killing all necromancers. Pope and archpriests would not use such strong words as would their followers. People in power usually had more education and experience than regr people. They seemed to have better and deeper understandings of life than regr people did. People in power could be hypocritical, or deceiving, but never na?ve.


    It¡¯s believed that regr people were just the tools the people in powers used in many asions. This view seemed upsetting, but it was undeniable that it was the truth. People in power needed regr people to provide and sustain their luxury lifestyles, and to help them achieve their dreams. Sometimes, people in power wanted to irritate them, while at other times, they wanted there to be harmony among them. It was called governing, but it also could be called ying games at the same time.


    People definitely could be divided into good and bad, but the strategies they employed seemed to be the same. Baery criticized the evil things Shansa Empire did before the war started, and encouraged the soldiers to fight against them. After they got a good opportunity, he asked the soldiers to work and live with the soldiers from Shansa Empire in harmony in return. This was a good example of that notion.


    The strategy Eddy employed was created by necromancers. When a person was about to turn into a death spirit, he would gradually lose consciousness. If this period of time was prolonged on purpose, it became the most torturing tool, since that person had lost his judgement, and while death spirits would treat "their builder" as their masters. That was why Marquis Djoser answered whatever Eddy asked of him, without holding anything back.


    Miorich thought the way Anfey handled it was too crazy. He looked like he did not know if he shouldugh or cry about it. He passed the poisoned wine to Christian. If Christian died after drinking the poisoned wine, what would he do with Marquis Djoser? If Djoser wanted to risk his life to kill Anfey, that would be fine for Miorich, but the target became Christian at this moment. It just seemed ridiculous. Except for Anfey, no one else wanted to see it.


    Marquis Djoser did not want to leave on his own, but the oldest prince Wester wrote him a letter. Wester sounded really worried in the letter. This victory seemed to be able to change the situation on Pan Continent. Christian had contributed so much for building a Great Maho Empire, while all the officials would leave their glory in the history. Christian suddenly gained his fame and became more popr than Wester and Granden. Christian even became the topic among the girls in the upper ss, and the dream guy for them. Wester slept with too many women when he was young, so he left people with a bad impression. It was well-known that Granden had been wooing Niya. Christian became the only option among the three princes in the empire. He was a very good potential pick for those girls. Queen was such an attractive title. No girls would not like to have it.


    Wester was so anxious that he could not eat and sleep. He asked Marquis Djoser to go back to Sacred City immediately, and hinted for him to collect enough evidence to prove that Christian had done evil things. This deceit obviously showed Wester¡¯s true intentions.


    Jacob brought the poison to Djoser and pushed him to make a decision. Jacob was a archalchemist. Djoser trusted Jacob and believed that poison could take effect in a month. He gave the poisoned drink to Christian and had him drink it. He believed Christian would not die until a monthter, and therefore, that no one would suspect him killing Christian. Christian was going to be killed. Saul was getting old. If he could help Wester to take the throne, it was time for Anfey to die.


    Djoser could clearly see where this was going. It was going to be easy to attack and take over the Shansa Empire. It seemed the falling of the Ellison Empire became a necessary step in the whole n. When Wester became the only prince on the Pan Continent, Anfey would not be able to fight against the whole continent, no matter how powerful he was.


    Saul frowned harder and harder. He gave Anfey a look, signaling an asking of Anfey to walk out of the inspectorate group. Anfey hesitated for a second, then followed after Saul.


    "Anfey, how did you get to know Djoser wants to kill Christian?" Saul asked after he checked to be sure that there was no one around them.


    "I do not know." Anfey shook his head.


    "Really?" Saul asked.


    "In fact, that is a setup Jacob and I nned," Anfey said with a smile. "Master Jacob will tell Djoser in front of some servants that he made a miracle poison. Whether Djoser will be interested in it, will be his business. It has nothing to do with me."


    "What if he is not interested in it?" Saul asked.


    "Then today¡¯s interrogation will be very short. When we waited for you, Djoser hasmitted suicide when there was nobody around," Anfey said.


    "Did you set him up on purpose?" Saul had a faint bitter smile on his face. "Does it mean he will die today, no matter whether or not Djoser wanted to kill Christian?Am I right?"


    "Well." Anfey scratched his head and gave a brief splutter of a hollowugh.


    "Anfey, Djoser is still the duke of the empire. How did you..." Saul did not know how to handle Anfey. He could not think of Anfey as a bad kid, since he had been working for the empire and made big contributions to the empire by taking many risks. Anfey also took good care of his friends. Saul also believed that Anfey respected him from the bottom of his heart. However, Saul could not think of Anfey as a good kid either, since he had so many evil schemes in his head. Anfey was brutal towards his enemies and showed no mercy to them.


    "Professor, I have no other options," Anfey said slowly. "Djoser is going back, but I did not know where he was going. The previous citymaster Aroben became a cripple while Urter was missing. If he wanted to go back to Violet City and do something, professor, do you think Niya could handle him by herself? Besides, if Djoser dared to kill Christian, he might do something to Niya."


    "Killing is not the only way to solve problems. You could have asked Baery to keep Djoser in the legion. This way, we only need the king to give an order," Saul said.


    "How long do you think we could keep him from doing anything?" Anfey smiled. "If the hatred could not be diminished, it¡¯s better to let all the troubles disappear. Professor, I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong."


    "What else?" Saul heaved a sigh.


    Anfey was shocked for a second and said, "What else?"


    "You have gone out of your way to kill Djoser. You even asked Jacob to help. Is Djoser¡¯s death all you want?" Saul asked.


    "Hehehe, I might always leave people with an impression that I am really sophisticated. Wester was behind Djoser and asked him to do those things," Anfey said with a smile. "I spent so much time ying with Djoser. He is going for the death himself."


    "Why couldn¡¯t Granden be behind Djoser?" Saul asked in a low pitch.


    "Huh?" Anfey looked up in surprise. He glimpsed Saul¡¯s face and paused for a little bit before he said, "Professor, you must be kidding. Djoser has been very close to Wester. No one would believe me if I said Granden is behind Djoser. Besides, I have a good impression of Granden. He could have been more forgiving on Wester¡¯s birthdayst year, but he is good in general."


    "Do you differentiate a friend from an enemy by seeing whether that person could leave you with a good impression?"


    "Yes, when it was before I got hurt. I used to believe nbrea." Anfey mocked himself for his own mistake. At this moment, he sensed Saul had rxed.


    "I watched Granden and Christian growing up. They are both good kids. Granden is just not mature yet, because he has not experienced anything bad yet. Whenever he had any troubles, he would get stuck with the problem and throw some temper-tantrums."


    Anfey looked as if he was in deep thought. Anfey thought Granden threatened his league if he made Christian embarrassed. However, Saul¡¯s stance and view were quite different than his. He heard it very well that Saul thought Granden was just a spoiled kid and just threw some temper-tantrums.


    "Anfey, why are you targeting Wester?" Saul changed the topic.


    "Because it is for Christian," Anfey answered.


    "Teacher, you have known Christian for so long and should know him well, right?" Anfey asked in a low pitch. "Christian is very nice. He might not know to fight back until Wester puts his sword on his throat. I am worried that would be toote when that happens," Anfey said.


    Saul frowned.


    "I just want to remind him that peace is never created and kept by one side. What Christian is going to do will have nothing to do with what Wester will do," Anfey said slowly. "If kitties and doggies know to fight for their milk, how could people not fight for their benefits? Even if Christian said he would not fight with Wester, I don¡¯t think Wester would believe him."


    Anfey never mentioned Granden, even though he thought Saul had this hope or dream. Saul had treated Granden as a kid. This sounds so ridiculous to Anfey. Granden would not think himself as a kid at this moment.


    "Anfey, the situation in the Sacred City is pretty messy. Do you really want to make it even worse?" Saul smiled bitterly.


    "Professor, what you are doing is not fair for Christian," Anfey said in a low pitch. "The mess was caused by Granden and Wester scheming against each other. Do you not want Christian to join the battle only because you don¡¯t want any mess?"

 Chapter 522: Desperate Attempt

    Chapter 522: Desperate Attempt


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You see this?" Ynther asked as he tossed the document onto the table and smiled.


    "I apologize, Your Majesty, but I don¡¯t see anything special about this," the old man behind Ynther said hesitantly.


    "Look at this," Ynther said,ughing. "It says that Anfey is proposing assassinating Scarlet and causing Baery to lose the battle. It says that Anfey is a Shansa spy. They want me to summon him to Sacred City and interrogate him."


    "He is gaining fame," the old man said. "He¡¯s not good at socializing. The officials and noblemen aren¡¯t fond of him."


    "Anything else?"


    "I don¡¯t think he likes the noble ss," the old man continued. "A lot of noblemen think that he is going to cause them to lose their power."


    "What about Alice?" Ynther asked. "Alice has never done anything to them, has she?" He found another document and ced it on the table. "They say Alice is Edward the VIII¡¯s daughter and should not be trusted. They want me to summon Alice here and question her publicly. They want me to imprison her!" Ynther finished with anotherugh.


    "That... is strange," the old man said.


    "I¡¯ve been striving for unification for years," Ynther said. "But for these noblemen, that¡¯s not important. What is important to them is what they can get from it."


    The old man sighed but did not say anything.


    "They want to use me to create an opportunity for them. If Alice is here, they can pressure her and use her as well. Do they really think I¡¯m that stupid?"


    "They underestimate her," the old man said.


    "Who do you think is behind this?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Alice is very important. We need her to stabilize the Shansa Empire." Ynther paused and sighed. "Can you imagine how powerful they will be if they can control Alice?"


    "They won¡¯t," the old man said. "I don¡¯t know Alice, but I¡¯m certain she won¡¯t be controlled by the noblemen."


    "Let¡¯s look at this another way; Alice can¡¯t be a ruler. That would only make those from the Shansa Empire ufortable. But there is a way we can unite the two nations peacefully without angering anyone."


    "What is it?"


    "Marrying Alice off to the right man will be the first step," Ynther said. "Her child will be the rightful person to take the throne. Of course, I have to be careful; I have to pick the right man for her because her husband will be my sessor." He turned to the old man and said, "This is why I am asking you. Who do you think would be best?"


    "Christian is in the Country of Mercenaries. It has to be either Grandon or Wester."


    "Obviously."


    "I am not in the right position toment on this," the old man said with a shake of his head.


    "What makes me angry is that the noblemen are not paying taxes," Ynther said. "They are stalling. Someone is telling them what to do. I¡¯m too busy right now to do anything about them. What makes me so mad is that they are so careless. Even in the face of amon threat, the noblemen still only care about themselves."


    The old man sighed but did not say anything.


    "Maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯ve forgotten that I am their ruler," Ynther said softly. "I didn¡¯t punish Phillip; I allowed him to roam free. Maybe those noblemen thought I would be as forgiving with them as I was with Phillip."


    "You mean..."


    "I cannot allow them to mess up my n," Ynther said. "Did you say that some of the important members of my court are involved in avoiding paying taxes?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    "Do you have enough evidence?"


    "I do."


    "Do what you must."


    The old man nodded.


    "Another thing," Ynther said. "What do you know about Alice?"


    "She is a capable woman, from what I¡¯ve gathered," the old man said. "Baery and Saul know her better than I do, but I am certain they will tell you the same thing. She expanded the League of Mercenaries tenfold in less than a year. Without her, Anfey never could have managed all those mercenaries."


    "What about her weaknesses?"


    "She can be hesitant when ites to making important decisions, but she is still young," the old man said. "She works well with Anfey. He is determined and is capable of making quick decisions. She is much more considerate and can see things through a different perspective."


    "If I give her a chance, would she take it?"


    "She may not," the old man said. "Anfey did say she doesn¡¯t trust us."


    "I see," Ynther said. "If she had other motives, she would try to gain our trust. Clearly, she doesn¡¯t need us to get what she needs."


    "She cares very much about the League," the old man said. "I think she thinks of the League as home now. Her dedication to it shows that she no longer thinks of the Shansa Empire as her home."


    "And she gets along with Anfey and Christian?"


    The old man nodded. "They all respect her," he said. "He doesn¡¯t respect a lot of people, but I believe she is one of them. She is also well loved among themoners. When she was still living in the Shansa Empire, there was a gue there. She went to the cities that were quarantined, against the wish of her advisors, tofort the sick. Without her, the people in those cities might have rioted."


    "Wonderful," Ynther said. "I see that I can trust her with important issues."


    "Even if she has trouble with them, she will have the support of Saul and his students," the old man said. He paused for a second and said, "The recent victory made a lot of people here restless, Your Majesty. Your support of Anfey will only make them even more so. They... they may try something against it."


    "As long as I am alive, they will never seed," Ynther said with augh.

 Chapter 523: Attack

    Chapter 523: Attack


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When the flowers withered, the Maho Empire and Shansa Empire had arrived at Stormburg. They both had everything ready. All they needed to do was to take over the Shansa Empire. The Shansa Empire seemed ready to be conquered as well, as if waiting with its door open.


    No one thought that King Ynthe from the Maho Empire yed such a such prank on everyone. Baery, Saul, and others all thought Alice would feel resentment against Ynthe. They advised Ynthe to deal with Alice with caution. However, Ynthe did not seem to listen to the others¡¯ suggestions. He gave orders one after another, which not only stunned Alice, but also Baery and Saul.


    A minister in the Maho Empire did not handle the tax issue well. His peerage title was taken away by Ynthe. That minister became a civilian and was put in jail. It seemed that Ynthe could have killed the minister in order to set an example, but did not do it as he perhaps rightly should have. His influence could be much more far reaching if he had killed that minister. In fact, this showed the personality of Ynthe. He liked tobine punishment and reward at the same time. That minister had worked a long time for the empire. Even though he made some mistakes in his administration job, it would appear brutal to kill him with judgement, and possibly even hurt the country¡¯s interests. Some people with evil intention might use this opportunity to hurt Ynthe¡¯s reputation. In addition, there was no difference between keeping that minister in jail or killing him. After all, anything could happen while he was in jail. If Ynthe gave a look, that minister might die out of "sickness" the next day. Each profession had its dark side. It was not difficult for a prison guard to kill a prisoner. The very first order Ynthe gave was to appoint Alice as the Honorable Grand Duke. Baery and Saul were a little shocked by this. Alice¡¯s face changed. It¡¯s was not that she was overly thrilled. Instead, she did not appreciate Ynthe titling her. She doubted Ynthe¡¯s intention, believing it was done merely to lure her to the Sacred City. She immediately went to look for Anfey, to see what he would say.


    Anfey did not find anything inappropriate about Ynthe titling Alice, but he could not convince Alice about it. Once women had suspicions about anything, they usually became very stubborn and only believed their own intuitions. Anfey and Alice talked for a long time, but they could not convince each other. Suddenly, Ynthe¡¯s second order came. Ynthe decided to keep the seven states in the Shansa Empire, and also change the the name of the capital of Shansa Empire into Centrol Province, thereby appointing Alice as the Executive Governor for those eight states. Ynthe did not give Alice the title of a king, but asked her instead to do the job of a king. Of course, the Executive Governor did not have any military power.


    Alice stood there with a foolish look on on her face for a long time. She did not wake up from the shock until Anfey patted her. She really did not understand why Ynthe gave her such a high title and important job.


    Alice wanted to turn Ynthe¡¯s offers down, but she could not do it at this moment, since things had just gotten really serious. Ynthe had made it clear in the letter that he would try his best to treat everyone the same way, no matter which country they were from, once the two countries were united. However, the followers of Ynthe did not obey his order. Instead, they acted as conquerors and did bad things to the people in the Shansa Empire. To best way to protect the people from the Shansa Empire was to pick a capable person who did not only know the Shansa Empire well, but who also had Ynthe¡¯s trust. Besides these qualities, this person had to have some poprity within the Shansa Empire, or at lease among the civilians and a few royals. Only someone with all these qualities and experiences could effectively manage the issues in the Shansa Empire. Alice knew she was the best pick, since she had everything Ynthe wanted, but she was still not sure if Ynthe really trusted her. Alice did not think two people could build their trust without even seeing each other in person. If Ynthe wanted a different person other than Alice for this job, there was actually no other candidate who fit better.


    After Alice became the governor of the eight states in the Shansa Empire, it became unnecessary for her to go back to the Sacred City. Finally, Alice felt a little rxed about it. A few dayster, sensational news came from Sacred City. After Ynthe gave out those orders to Alice, there were voices which rose up against it. Many officials and royals thought Ynthe was deceived by Anfey, and they agreed to give the Shansa Empire to Alice. Generals in the Moho Empire felt they had contributed so much for the Maho Empire, but had returned with nothing. They did not find the meaning of joining the war at all due to this.


    Many royals got together and targeted Anfey as being the cause of the issues. They fiercely attacked Anfey, who got med for it, but in fact, he did not do anything. Royals had their different views on it though. Anfey and Alice were the founders, with powers of the League of Mercenaries. They had worked for a long time. Anfey had kept Alice¡¯s identity a secret for a long time. He did not give her identity out until now, so that she could get her reward from Ynthe. Those royals thought Anfey even had asked Ynthe to give the Shansa Empire to Alice. They believed Anfey and Alice had asked too much from the king.


    Arge, newly-controlled territory meant newly born royals, and an exponential growth in theirnd, wealth, and number of ves. After the news of victory came back to the Maho Empire, all the royals were thrilled. They went around to get information about the states in the Shansa Empire. They were nning to build a paradise on the othernd of the continent.


    Ynthe¡¯s appointment hit them hard, knocking them off their game. The higher hopes they had, the more disappointment they felt. A person who wanted to im all the benefits could not be tolerated, and should be taken out.


    Anfey did not know if he shouldugh or cry about all these things. He had no idea what happened afterwards. After Anfey left the Sacred City with his league, he had no information about the Sacred City, unless a person was sent to him with urgent mail.


    Outside of the Stormburg, Baery gathered everyone, including Marino, to get them ready before they started their trip. Anfey ran away from the gathering, giving some excuses after he heard there was another meeting. He walked to the outside of the campground and saw Shinb supervising mercenaries in setting up tents. Alice hid herself behind a tree, peeking at something with a weird look.


    Anfey quietly walked over out of curiosity, careful to not make any noise. He even held his breath. After he stopped behind Alice and stuck his head out to look down at what was in Alice¡¯s hand, Alice suddenly noticed him. She immediately folded the paper in her hand.


    "Hey, what are you looking at so attentively?" Anfey asked.


    "Do you want to read it?" Alice asked.


    "Is it ok for me to read?" Anfey had seen clearly what was in Alice¡¯s hand. It was a letter. He was curious who would write a letter to her.


    Alice held the letter out to Anfey, who opened it and only read two lines before he folded it closed. "This is a love letter. I should not read it. Here you go."


    "What are you talking about?" Alice blushed. "The eldest Prince Wester asked someone to give me this letter."


    "Wester? Wester wrote you a letter?" Anfey asked.


    "What¡¯s wrong with that?" Alice asked.


    "Then I do want to read it." Anfey opened the letter again and started to read it carefully.


    "I did not know Wester was so talented." Alice smiled. "His writing is beautiful, isn¡¯t it?"


    "Are you kidding me? Beautiful?" Anfey skimmed the letter and looked up. "This is called flirty. It seems that he has known you for a long time. Besides, it is in question as to whether he personally wrote this letter."


    "Anfey, do you know Wester?" Alice asked.


    "I met him a few times in the Sacred City," Anfey said.


    "What kind of a person is he?" Alice looked far in the distance as she asked this of Anfey.


    "Do you really want to know how I see him?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes," Alice said.


    "He is not a good guy," Anfey snorted. "He wrote you this letter without good intentions."


    "Are you mad?" There was a big smile on Alice¡¯s face. She turned around to look into Anfey¡¯s eyes.


    "Mad?" Anfey did not think this description was appropriate. But when he thought about the intentions of Wester, he did feel angry. "Yes, I am angry. I cannot believe that bastard wants to y that game with me." Anfey took another look at the letter in his hand and tore it into pieces, tossing them on the ground.


    Alice did not try to save the letter. She only looked at Anfey with smiles. "Wester is the oldest Prince. How could you call him a bastard? Then..."


    "Alice, I am not joking." Anfey sounded serious.


    "I know." Alice nodded. "I would not take these kind of things from others."


    Anfey blinked. This did not feel right to him. He immediately changed the topic. "Alice, who gave you this letter?"


    Alice lifted her chin up and pointed in a direction. Anfey followed her and saw Shinb.


    "Shinb?"


    "She found the letter outside of my tent," Alice said.


    "I cannot believe Wester¡¯s people are just around us." Anfey snorted again.


    Anfey seemed to show his emotion too much at this moment. He could not be med though. Wester had touched his buttons. He never treated Alice as his property, and he had many other reasons to be mad.


    Alice was not only his good friend, but also a good assistant. However, the situation had changed. Alice had be an Executive Governor for the eight states. A governor would not help anyone to manage a mercenary group. Anfey felt upset and sad when he thought of this. He was not in a good mood already, and what Wester did had just made it worse.


    "It¡¯s nothing unusual," Alice said with a smile. "Look over there. Thousands of people were over there. Isn¡¯t it easy for him to arrange few people to get in?"


    Anfey frowned a little, withoutmenting.


    "But if that person could get close to my tent, he must be an official, or Shinb¡¯s mercenaries."


    Alice looked at Anfey and said: "Do you really want to find out who put the letter outside of my tent?"


    "Of course," Anfey said slowly. "If people could put the letter outside of your tent, then they could assassinate you, too. Don¡¯t you remember thest assassination?" Anfey regretted what he said right away. He should not have mentioned thest assassination. Unfortunately, he could not take his words back.

 Chapter 524: Lost Magic

    Chapter 524: Lost Magic


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The march was easy for the Maho army, and they did not run into any obstacles. The army was able to upy the province of Moro within a week. The province was Marquis Legoya¡¯s territory, but by the time the army arrived, Marquis had already fled. Marquis¡¯ departure was what made the upation of the province simple.


    The League created a rumor that the Shansa Empire had lost to the necromancers. Everyone, including Edward the Eighth himself, had bent the knee to the necromancers and Scarlet¡¯s revival was proof. Both Stan, a Priest of Light, and Fernando, a Knight of Light, began criticizing Edward the Eighth¡¯s behavior. The Church was the authority when it came to necromancers. Stan and Fernando¡¯s ties with the Church made the rumor more believable.


    Most of the Knights of Light did not join the initial battle but quickly joined forces with the League after the major victory. Both Fernando and Stan were siding with Ynther, but the Church was still split on the matter. Even the pope himself did not show a clear stance. One side believed that Ynther was poised to unite the entire world and siding with him would be the right move. The opposition believed that if Ynther took over the Shansa and Ellisen Empires, the Church would not survive any longer.


    After the Shansa Empire¡¯s loss, however, it was made clear that there was no one standing between Ynther and global unification. The druids joined the war and the Church should notg behind.


    Alice made her first appearance in front of the people of the Shansa Empire. She was well loved and well respected among themoners. A lot of people would have chosen Alice over her father, Edward the Eighth.


    ¡ª


    A dark figure approached a stately building in the Province of Moro¡¯s capital city, Moonlight City. It was close to midnight, but the building was still heavily patrolled.


    The dark figure watched the building for a while, then chanted a spell quietly and disappeared into the night.


    A few minutester, the door opened by itself on the third floor of the building. Inside the room, Suzanna¡¯s eyes flickered open. She sat up in her bed, inspecting her room with a frown. She felt someonee into her room but could not see anyone. Then she yawned with a shrug and lied down on the bed again.


    After more than half an hour, the door opened and closed again. A few momentster, another door down the hall opened and closed. The person was clearly searching for something and did not want any attention. By the time he finished searching the four buildings, dawn was breaking.


    Another door opened by itself. A person was sleeping inside, and their face was concealed by the nket. As if the person heard the door opening, they rolled over, revealing Shinbe. She did not wake up and kept sleeping.


    The person quietly turned to leave the room. Before he could close the door, he heard a soft thud. He turned and inspected the room, realizing there was another, smaller room hidden in the first. He hurried over and pushed open the door, peering into the smaller room. To his surprise and joy, he saw Alice sleeping inside. The person stepped into the room and hurried towards her bed.


    Before he could reach the bed, however, he suddenly ran into something. Before he could react, he was blinded by a sudden burst of light and the effects of the invisibility spell disappeared. A tall and thin man appeared in the room.


    The man frowned. As soon as he regained his mobility, a dagger appeared in his hand and he lunged towards Alice.


    A shrill howl broke the silence. An arrow flew through the window towards the man. The man raised his dagger and blocked the arrow but was struck by the wind de attached to the arrow.


    The man¡¯s armor bursted into a light and he was unharmed by the wind de. A few secondster, Anfey broke through the window and swung his fist at the man.


    Shinbe hurried into the room. Seeing that Anfey was already there, she quietly left. Alice was lying in her bed and did not say anything. She trusted Anfey to protect her and she knew that running and screaming would have only distracted him.


    The man narrowed his eyes. He had heard of Anfey and what he was capable of, but he had a mission.


    The man¡¯s body began contorting in a strange way. He jumped back and fled towards the window.


    Anfey swung his fist, the loose elements that had gathered around him surged forward and broke a hole in the wall. The man hesitated for a second but did not slow down.


    Anfey chased after the assassin. He did not want to fight in Alice¡¯s room because she could have be coteral damage. He needed to drive the assassin out.


    The man suddenly disappeared and reappeared next to Alice¡¯s bed. He swung his dagger at Alice, who was sitting in her bed.


    Anfey spat angrily. He waved his hand, summoning a firebird. The firebird flew towards the assassin. He, however, did not stop. Anfey disappeared and reappeared next to Alice¡¯s bed. A momentter, he kicked her bed out of the way. The assassin¡¯s dagger narrowly missed her. He jumped out of the way of the firebird but was toote and it grazed his side.


    The assassin grunted in pain. He chanted a spell and disappeared.


    Anfey waved his hand and summoned a column of water. He mmed a fist into the water, sending droplets flying. The droplets allowed him to detect the location of the man. Then he summoned three firebirds quickly, sending the birds flying towards the invisible assassin. The three firebirds struck their target, turning a corner of the room into an inferno.


    Suddenly, Anfey heard a cry from Alice. He turned and saw her bed and nightgown had caught fire and she was stuck.

 Chapter 525: Dragon Man

    Chapter 525: Dragon Man


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Saving Alice was Anfey¡¯s top priority. Anfey slid fast to Alice, like a ghost, and grabbed her burning skirt. A revolving water ball showed on the finger tips of Anfey¡¯s left hand, as he pulled her up by her skirt. He tossed the water ball on Alice.


    Alice¡¯s sleep dress looked very strong. It looked like Alice¡¯s bottom hung in the air, while her body bent into a bow shape. Unfortunately, no matter how strong the dress was, it could not be on par with Anfey¡¯s power. With a tearing sound, the sleep dress was torn into two pieces at the waist.


    Thinking did take some time. Even though Anfey chose the most effective way, he pulled the skirt off Alice before he could put out the fire on her. He forgot to think of the consequences of doing so.


    Alice wore panties underneath her sleep dress, but they was the see-through kind. It was no different than as of she wearing nothing. Anfey was shocked, while Alice did not know how to react. She had dreamed of this same scene, but Anfey was more gentle in the dream, not as violent as in reality.


    Anfey did not know how to respond, until he heard the scolding from Suzanna from outside. He immediately shook the nket and covered Alice. The next second, he realized he had gotten Alice¡¯s skirt in his hand, which became evidence. It was not appropriate to toss the skirt on the ground, but he did not have time to burn it. The water dripped down from the skirt, while he knew Suzanna coulde in at any second.


    Anfey hurriedly tucked the skirt underneath the nket. Alice saw the light in the darkness, and turned around to face the light by instinct. She looked into Anfey¡¯s eyes and immediately turned away, like she was being shocked.


    The tidy room became very messy. All the people who were supposed to be there were, including Baery, Saul, and Jacob. In order to not have any unnecessary problems, Baery had his squad stationed outside of the city. They had not even entered the city yet.


    There was a person with weak breath lying on the floor. They could not see his face clearly yet. A fire bird exploded on his face, bombed it. His nose was gone, two eye sockets were without eyeballs, and his lips were torn, which revealed his whole gums. He looked terrible.


    "Anfey, you should not have hurt him so badly. This guy looked like he was going to die soon, anyway," Baery said as he shook his head.


    "He could make himself invisible. That scared me," Anfey said with a smile. "I was afraid he would make other special moves to hurt Alice. I had to hit him hard."


    "Anfey, why don¡¯t you let your subordinate try it?" Saul suddenly asked.


    "Are you talking about Eddy?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes." Saul nodded. "In fact, I think I know who he is, but we¡¯d better ask him to confirm it."


    "Professor, who do you think he works for?" vi asked timidly. He was on duty tonight, and then this just happened while he was on duty. If Anfey had note in time, Alice might have died. vi felt ashamed.


    "Edward IIIV," Saul said slowly. "Killing Alice is the only way to regain the control of...." But before he couldplete the sentence, Saul had shut his mouth. Doumingo jumped in from the window.


    "Professor," Alice called. She had put on a new outfit. She indeed had good control of her emotions. It was hard to tell if she was scared a few minutes ago. Of course, the so-called scare was partly from the fear of assassination, and partly from Anfey.


    "Lord, you..." Doumingo said.


    "Master, I am Alice. You can call me by my name." Alice interrupted Doumingo. She insisted that Doumingo call her Alice, no matter how others tried to convince her otherwise. A name did not seem to matter much. Alice did not mind being called with any name. Anfey gave her the name of Alice. Alice became the name everyone knew and trusted, instead of lord. It seemed to sound too distant, if she was called lord.


    Doumingo looked at Alice. He used to like Alice as strongly as Saul had affection toward Christian. After they met, He felt differently, much more distant to Alice.


    "Alice, are you hurt?" Doumingo followed what Alice asked him to do at the end.


    "No, luckily, Anfey came in time," Alice said.


    "Anfey, how did you notice the assassin?" Saul asked.


    "I did not sense anything. I did not notice, until he triggered Christian¡¯s magic array," Anfey said with a bitter smile. He patted vi¡¯s shoulder. "vi, you do not have to me yourself. It¡¯s not your fault."


    vi gave Anfey an appreciative smile. Saul looked shocked, "Then how did you save Alice in time?"


    "Professor, Anfey has told me that the harder we push Edward VIII, the more danger Alice would be in," Suzanna immediately exined. "After we came to Moro Province, Anfey has been protecting Alice every night."


    "Anfey, did you already know Edward VIII was going to try to assassinate Alice?" Baery said.


    "I just felt it was the possibility," Anfey smiled. He had heard so many stories from his peers. Even though it was dirty to assassinate the most important person in the other party, it always received the best effect. For example, Zhu Ge and Yao Li changed the situation in their countries with just their individual efforts. If Jin Ke could assassinate King Qin, he could have rewritten their entire history.


    "Saul, it looks like we are all getting old. Your good student thinks more thoroughly than us," Baery said with a smile.


    "Anfey, why are you going out every day?" Aliceid her eyes on Anfey. Obviously, she cared about a different issue.


    "What is wrong?" Anfey said with a smile.


    "Thank you," Alice said it politely, but she was touched. Her eyes were moist. In fact, Anfey was a typical doer. When he wanted to kill a person, he would not be stupid enough to show his hatred toward that person. When he wanted to protect a person, he would not say it out loud. Instead, he would just go out to protect that person.


    "Anfey, you hit him way too hard," Jacobmented. He had been squatting next to the attempted assassin.


    "Jacob, let¡¯s change the topic. Anfey just exined. Didn¡¯t you hear it?" Baery said.


    "Do you know what this is?" Jacob raised his hand.


    A cloak, or a cloth that looked like a cloak, draped down from Jacob¡¯s hand. It was dark red, with holes everywhere and some burnt markings.


    "Do you think this could be the Magic Invisible Cloak?" Saul thought of the invisibility Anfey talked about before.


    "It¡¯s not likely. This is the Magic Invisible Cloak." Jacob shook it a few times and smiled bitterly. "Unfortunately, this magic invisible cloak is destroyed really bad, and has lost its magic power."


    "You are an archchemist," Anfeymented.


    "You are right. I am an archchemist. If you give me enough ingredients, I can make a magic sword. However, if you give me shards of a magic sword, do you think I could repair it?" Jacob asked.


    "Magic Invisible Cloak? Hold on!" Doumingo hurried over to the assassin. He checked him carefully, but his face was totally destroyed. There was no way to tell who he was. Doumingo squatted down to undress the armor on the assassin, and kept undressing him to reveal the clothes underneath the armor. The chest of the assassin showed, revealing a red lizard looking animal tattooed on his chest. Doumingo gasped.


    "Master Doumingo, do you know him?" Baery asked immediately.


    "You should have not hurt him." Doumingo did not admit that he knew this assassin, but his face showed the fact clearly.


    "Master Doumingo, I don¡¯t think it is appropriate to say that." Anfey said casually. "We did not hurt him. He should not havee here. Since he came, there is no point to discuss it."


    "Anfey, you do not know about it." Doumingo smiled bitterly. "I heard you have a nickname, the Final Pdin?"


    "Well..." Anfrey shrugged. "I do not know which bastard gave me that name."


    "I have to say, you well deserve your reputation." Doumingoid his eyes on Saul. "Saul, you know about Dragon man, right?"


    "Dragon man?" Saul¡¯s face immediately changed. "Are Dragon men still alive?"


    "This Dragon man, or Dragon men, are they that good?" Anfey asked casually.


    "Dragon men are the descendants of dragons and humans. We are talking about a group of people, but he is a dragon man, too."


    "Oh, I see. He is a bastard," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, it¡¯s not a good time to be sarcastic," Saul said.


    "Master Doumingo, I am just curious. Did we seek them out to fight?" Anfey said casually. "I am not a good person, but I have my own principles. If people do not offend me, I would not bother with them. However, if they offend me first, I will fight back. If dragon men want to work for Edward VIII, there is no point to continue this talk. They will be my enemies. If dragon men do not want to work for Edward VIII, and things like this assassination happen, they have given us no options anyway. There is still no point to continue this talk."


    At a corner, underneath the moonlight, two people looked up at the same time. They looked at the sunrise in the east. One of them asked in a low pitch, "It¡¯s getting bright. He is noting back, is he?"


    "Anfey kills people without mercy. He would not let him go," the other answered.


    "In fact, I hope he could have made it," the first said.


    "Why?" the other asked.


    "I just feel that he is a fool, but a cute one." He paused a second before he continued. "We¡¯d better not continue to wait here. We should go back and report to the king."


    They looked at each other and giggled.

 Chapter 526: Idol

    Chapter 526: Idol


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Moonlight City was the capital of Moro Province and was densely popted. Even though the war had caused some of its residents to flee, it was still very crowded.


    Anfey walked through the streets, observing the city and its people. He was dressed inmon garments in order to blend in. It was arge city and its inhabitants did not pay much attention to him.


    Know thy enemy, know thy self. Anfey knew better than to underestimate his enemies, which was why he just had a long conversation with Saul about the dragonborn.


    He was deep in his own thoughts when he saw a familiar face. He looked up and saw Shinbe getting off of a horse. She gave her horse to a stable hand and disappeared into the building that housed the garrison. A few momentster, shouts were heard from the building. Anfey watched curiously. What could Shinbe have been doing with the garrison? He narrowed his eyes and used his mind power. With his mind power, he saw that there were a few dozen women gathered behind the building. Most of the women were young but there were a few who were older. A few women stopped their practice and hurried over to Shinbe when they saw her. However, their conversation was clearly not very friendly. Shinbe was frowning and one of the women had her hand on her sword.


    Anfey frowned and hurried towards the garrison building. One of the guards stopped him and asked, "Who are you?"


    "Stand back," Anfey said in a low voice. The guards frowned but did not stop him. He hurried through the door and towards the back of the building.


    "Let our swords speak!" Before Anfey could reach the back of the building, he could already hear Shinbe¡¯s voice. He hurried over and called, "Shinbe, wait!"


    Shinbe was clearly surprised by Anfey¡¯s presence. Before she could say anything, however, the other woman snorted and said, "You don¡¯t have the confidence to defeat me, so you brought your boy toy as a backup?"


    Shinbe spun around and drew her sword angrily, ready to fight the other woman.


    Anfey grabbed Shinbe¡¯s arm and shook his head. Shinbe stared at him but did not say anything. Then, she lowered her gaze and returned her sword to its sheath.


    The other woman frowned. Clearly, she misunderstood Shinbe¡¯s action. "Why, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re afraid to fight because your little lover is here!"


    "Who is she?" Anfey ignored the woman and asked Shinbe. The woman was dressed like a mercenary but he had never seen her before.


    "You want to fight for her?" the woman raised her voice and asked.


    "You¡¯re crossing the line," a young woman nearby said. "Lady Shinbe earned her position. If you have problems, why don¡¯t you take it up with Lord Anfey?"


    "Stay out of this, Julie," the woman spat. "Who are you to this woman and her boy toy? Keep your mouth shut."


    Julie rolled her eyes. "Will you stop saying ¡¯boy toy?¡¯ Do you need a man that desperately? Please, if you are angry that you can¡¯t getid, take it out elsewhere. Don¡¯t make a scene here."


    The woman spat and raised her sword. "Do you need me to teach you some manners?"


    "You don¡¯t like Lady Shinbe, well, I don¡¯t like you," Julie said. She walked out of the crowd and drew her sword. The woman nced at her, then raised her sword and summoned herbat power.


    Before the woman could do anything, Anfey walked over and grabbed her shoulder. The woman turned around angrily and waved her sword, sending its radiant light towards Anfey.


    "Be careful!" Julie called. She jumped up and dashed towards them. Anfey hesitated for a second, then jumped to the left. Julie waved her sword and herbat power crashed into the woman. The crash caused a puff of dirt, obscuring the two women.


    A momentter, the two women reappeared and were already engaged in a fight.


    "Wait!" A sudden call distracted both of the women. They turned and saw Anthony dash towards them. The two women stopped fighting and stood still, watching Anthony. Julie had several holes and gashes in her dress from the fight and the other woman was panting heavily.


    Anthony stopped in front of them. He was still limping from his wound. Before he could say anything, he saw Anfey and frowned. "What are you doing here, sir?"


    "I saw Shinbe," Anfey said. "How are your wounds?"


    "My shoulder will be fine," Anthony said. "My leg will take a few more weeks."


    "What are you doing here?"


    "Lady Alice assigned me toe here," Anthony said. "She wants me to train them. But, it¡¯s a hassle."


    "A hassle?"


    "They argue too much," Anthony said, shaking his head. The women around remained silent. They respected Anthony too much to say anything.


    "Did you talk to Alice about it?"


    "No," Anthony said. "It may be a hassle, but they still need a trainer."


    "I can get Suzanna to train them," Anfey said.


    "Lady Suzanna is upied during the day," Shinbe reminded him.


    "You¡¯re right," Anfey said, nodding. He thought about it, then turned to Anthony and said, "I¡¯m free during the day. I can train them."


    Anthony and Shinbe both frowned. Anfey smiled and asked, "You think I¡¯m not qualified?"


    "Of course not," Anthony said. "But you¡¯re the leader of the League, sir. Are you sure you want to waste your time training them?"


    The women turned to each other and muttered among themselves. They had all heard of Anfey¡¯s aplishments and were excited by the thought of training with him. Julie¡¯s eyes were wide and she was practically shaking with excitement. The only person who did not appear excited was the woman who challenged Shinbe.

 Chapter 527: An Important Assignment

    Chapter 527: An Important Assignment


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Shinb, what are these people here for?" Anfey asked in a low pitch, as he looked at the swordswomen in the arena.


    "Master, didn¡¯t you hear about it? I thought I had told you about it," Shinb answered in surprise.


    "Did you tell me about it? When?" Anfey asked.


    "Few days ago. Lord Christian..." Shinb tried to exin.


    "Oh, Christian." Anfey immediately remembered when Shinb mentioned Christian. Christian told Anfey that he felt it was not convenient for Alice to have male mercenaries as her safeguards. Suzanna and Shinb could not be with her all the time, so Christian was thinking of forming a personal safeguard team with all women. Anfey thought Christian would pick some women from the League of Mercenaries, which was why he did not put those unfamiliar swordswomen together with Alice¡¯s safeguards. He paused for a second and asked, "Where are those swordswomen from?"


    "Master, there have been a lot of mercenaries who came to us for help over the past few days. These women were the best of them all," Shinb said.


    "A lot of mercenaries? It is just the beginning," Anthony said with a smile. "No one knows better about how those mercenaries think than I. The Country of Mercenaries used to be under the control of four super mercenary groups. They coborated, but also fought with each other, which left some room for medium or small sized mercenary groups to survive in gaps.


    However, it is different than during old times. Smart people could tell that joining the League of Mercenaries was actually their only option. They knew that, the earlier they could join, the more benefits they could get. They knew they either could join the League of Mercenaries or leave the Country of Mercenaries."


    Anfey nodded. He got what Anthony meant. Anfey asked, "Shinb, are you thinking of forming a safeguard squad with those swordswomen for Alice? You must be kidding me."


    "I have talked about this with Master Alice. We know neither about those swordswomen¡¯s backgrounds, nor the reasons they wanted to join the League of Mercenaries. If we ask them to be Alice¡¯s safeguards, there might be trouble down the road," Shib said.


    "I am d you see that," Anfey said slowly. "What did Alice say about it?"


    "Master Alice said she had an idea about what to do," Shinb said.


    "What does she mean?" Anfey asked with a frown.


    "Master, I do not know," Shib said.


    "Ok, I will go and ask herter." Anfey went silent for a while and asked, "Shinb, do you know the woman who always gives you trouble?"


    "Master, do you suspect her?" Shinb asked.


    "No, usually, spies know they need to keep a low profile, to not attract others¡¯ attentions. Women like her, who make trouble everywhere, could not be spies," Anfey said.


    "Master, you are right," Shinb said in a low pitch, "I know her. Her name is Midof. She used to be themander of the Mars mercenary group. We had some conflicts when we were on assignments. We even had a physical fight. She is a senior swordswoman, pretty powerful, but she was at a disadvantage in a few fights with me. It was because..." Shinb suddenly stopped before she could finish her sentence. Her face turned a little pale.


    Anfey patted Shinb¡¯s shoulder. He knew what Shinb was going to say. Back then, Manlyn was still alive. When Shinb and Manlyn fought together, Midof was not a match for them. It looked like Shinb had healed yet. "Isn¡¯t Mars a powerful name for a woman¡¯s mercenary group?" Anfey changed the topic.


    "Hahaha... it is nothing unusual," Anthony said with a smile. "The weaker the mercenary group was, the more superior the name they gave themselves. Names like, "Dominator", "Protector",or "Invincible", sound terrifying, but they could have less than ten people in their mercenary groups. They are just jokes for others."


    "Indeed." Shinb smiled.


    "But master, you did a great job on the name for our mercenary group," Anthony said.


    "Me?" Anfey was shocked for a second.


    "Yeah." Anthony nodded. "The League of Mercenaries. The word ¡¯league¡¯ showed your vision and your ability to take in others¡¯ opinions. It does not sound grand, but has a long, reaching meaning."


    "Master Anthony, if I did not know about you, I would think you were being sarcastic."


    Anfey did not know if he should cry orugh. "I just randomly picked a name, because I did not want to spend time on it."


    "If you gave it a lot of thought, it would have sounded pretentious." Anthony must want to keep kissing Anfey¡¯s ass. "We usually could tell a person¡¯s true personality from whims."


    Anfey felt that he had totally lost this game to Anthony. He had to switch the topic again. He knew the answer of the question, but he asked it anyway, "Shinb, did Midof give you trouble because of the problems in the past?"


    "Yes." Shinb nodded.


    "This should stop. We need to give them some real life experiences to rough them up, which will help them grow," Anfey said with a frown.


    "Master, do you really want to give them the training?" Shinb asked.


    "Yes," Anfey said.


    "Master, it will be a lot of work," Shinb said.


    "A lot of work? Hehehe, not at all," Anfey said.


    Shinb blinked. She did not get what Anfey meant. Of course, she would never understand it.


    "I am going to talk to Alice about itter. Shinb, can you stay and watch them?" Anfey asked.


    "What about the training?" Shinb asked.


    "It is easy. Ask them to run 100ps around the arena first. If they finish it before Ie back, then ask them to run another 100ps. Oh, and they are not allowed to usebat power," Anfey said.


    "What training is this?" Anthony asked in curiosity. The highest level of those swordswomen was senior swordswomen. Anthony wondered how Shinb could ask them to run 100ps.


    "You will understand in a few days." Anfey smiled. "Shinb, are there any wells in the garrison?"


    "There are two wells," Shinb said.


    "Dump stones into them and block them. Are there any mages?" Anfey asked.


    "No." Shinb shook her head. "Master, if the wells are blocked, where can they get water?"


    "I will ask Feller to send two mages over." Anfey thought about something for a while and said, "And no one is allowed to leave without permission. If they leave, they will not be part of the league. Do you understand?"


    Anthony and Shinb looked at each other, They really had no idea what was on Anfey¡¯s mind.


    Alice did not look too good. Governing eight provinces was not the same as when she had managed the League of Mercenaries. Back then, she got Anfey¡¯s support, so she had ways toplete her assignments. Moonlight City was in a totally different situation. Marquis Legoya left with a group of royals and city officials. There was a gap in the administration, having no one in medium or upper level administration.


    Orders from Alice could not get passed down, because of the gap. She wanted to fill the gap, but she could not find any people she could trust. Ynthe reminded her several times that she needed to use people from the Shansa Empire to govern the Shansa Empire. The reason for this was to keep Moonlight City in order at this moment, and in the future.


    Alice knew Ynthe was right. If she appointed non-Shansa Empire people to be in the upper administration, people from the Shansa Empire would not be happy about it, even if Edward IIIV did not take advantage of it and make rumors.


    Baery and Saul insisted to follow Ynthe¡¯s order. They were only in charge of military affairs. They had no business in administration. Alice took all the administration jobs upon her shoulders. Governing a province was a lot harder than managing thousands of mercenaries.


    She was not concerned a lot, when she was in the League of Mercenaries. As long as she thought it was the right decision, she could insist upon it, because Anfey, Christian, and others could understand her. She had to think a lot before she did anything in Moonlight City. She was afraid of creating problems, because she was not able to take anything in consideration.


    The most important thing was that Ynthe made the decision that she needed in order to take it easy and not be greedy. For every action she took, she had to be sure she could handle it. As it was said, before Alice could return the Moro Province to order, Baery¡¯s troop stayed where they were, to wait for the order.


    Ynthe had another reason for doing this. Edward IIIV did not want to sit and wait. He had been trying hard to recruit people for his troop. Ynthe wanted to give Edward IIIV enough time to let him try. Edward had already lost his feeling of security. He would try to take money from civilians and force young people to join his military. The more pressure civilians felt, the more Shansa civilians would want the Maho Empire to take over the city to save them. By then, nothing could change the fate of Moonlight City.


    Regr military officials might not understand the battle at the strategic level. Even if Edward IIIV rebuilt a troop with thousands of people, and had a general as good as Scarlet, he still would lose the battle. Every step Ynthe took, he was sure he would seed. He did not give Edward IIIV any chance to turn the situation around.


    If Baery could take over several provinces at once, Edward IIIV should have more problems back home. There would be some messy provinces and tens of thousands of scared civilians. No matter how capable Alice was, she could not put everything back on track in such a short period of time.


    Anfey walked to Alice¡¯s office. There were people everywhere in the hallway and rooms. The door of Alice¡¯s office was open. Suzanna stood at the door, quietly watching the people. People could be quite different. Each of them had different facial expressions. Niya smiled before she said a word.


    Niya¡¯s smile was so genuine and happy. In Niya¡¯s eyes, people were generally good, except for a few. Alice always wore a smile, but the smiles were her mask, yet not everyone could tell they were just a mask. For example. Manlyn used to be attracted to her, even wanted to dump his fianc¨¦ for her, and forgot how he became themander of the mercenary group.


    Suzanna did not like to smile, especially to strangers. Even though her smile could melt people¡¯s hearts, she always looked distant. People were scared to talk to her, even when they did not know who she was.


    Suzanna¡¯s job was to protect Alice, so she was very sensitive to her surroundings. When Anfey stepped on the staircase with just one foot, Suzanna had turned around to him. When she saw it was Anfey, her smile grew bigger and bigger on her face. It all started from her eyes, then mouth. The smile was so big and bright that it could melt snow. When people saw her smile, they might feel as warm as the sun shining in the spring breeze.


    It might be because Suzanna was happy, satisfied, or for other reasons. She always smiled when she saw Anfey, even though they had been married for about half a year. Suzanna smiled genuinely, not because she wanted to appease Anfey. Her smile was not a routine either, just a real smile from her bottom of her heart.

 Chapter 528: Reunion

    Chapter 528: Reunion


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Is Alice inside?" Anfey smiled and asked.


    Suzanna nodded. She moved aside to let Anfey into the room and closed the door softly.


    Alice was speaking with another man inside and did not notice Anfey at first. Anfey coughed softly to catch her attention. "Go," Alice turned back to the man and said, "I¡¯ll speak to you again." The man bowed to her and left the room hurriedly.


    Anfey sat down on a chair across from Alice and grinned at her. "You have a lot of visitors," he said. "Are they all from the Shansa Empire?"


    "It doesn¡¯t matter where they were from," Alice said. "It¡¯s only human nature to try and grasp every opportunity that presents itself. I doubt you are here to talk about opportunists. What do you want to talk to me about?"


    Anfey smiled at her bluntness. "I heard you want to create a team of female guards?"


    Alice nodded. "Why do you ask?"


    "I just visited the women you want to recruit," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t know their history. I can¡¯t entrust them with your life."


    "They won¡¯t be guarding my life," Alice said lightly.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I¡¯ve considered this myself," Alice said. "More people show up each day, wanting to join us. Can you guarantee that every single one of them wants to join us because they want to help us? If you turn people away, will they just let it go?"


    "No," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "Which is why I¡¯m creating a team of guards," Alice said. "I n on grouping together the neers. It¡¯s easier for them and for us."


    "I see," Anfey said. "Better to deal with the problem than to push it aside."


    Alice nodded in agreement. "Another thing is that we are busy enough as it is. It¡¯s impractical to expand the army. They want to work for me, but I have requirements as well. Joining the League is the best bet for a lot of people. They will have a stable job that will not ask too much of them."


    "I understand," Anfey said. "What I¡¯m saying is that we don¡¯t know anything about those women."


    "I know. This is just a test of mine. I will only hire those who passed all of my tests. I am certain that those that pass will qualify." Alice grinned and nced at Anfey. "Now, when the people who want me dead hear that I¡¯m assembling a team of personal guards, what will they do?"


    "They¡¯re going to try to be a part of that team no matter what."


    Alice nodded. "Better to have a team of driven assassins than one of thezy mercenaries," she said. "If I keep them in the same ce, it¡¯s easier to keep an eye on them. There¡¯s not much they can do when they¡¯re under constant surveince."


    Anfey nodded. "It seems like my worrying is unnecessary."


    Alice smiled. "I¡¯m assembling another team of male guards. Within those two teams of guards, there are at least two spies."


    "And people who actually want to serve us," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t want to let them go to waste."


    "Anfey," Alice said, turning to him. "If there¡¯s one thing the League has an abundance of, it¡¯s manpower. Plus, why do we need that much manpower when we have you, Anthony and Suzanna?"


    Anfey frowned then nodded. He had never considered how many powerful men and women were a part of the League.


    "The twenty thousand mercenaries we have right now are our most trusted men," Alice said. "They¡¯ve been with us for all this time. We don¡¯t have to doubt their loyalty. It pains me to think about losing those men."


    "We¡¯ve lost a lot," Anfey said with a sigh.


    "There will be more battles," Alice said. "We cannot trust the neers just yet. If something happens, we can always let the neers fight and try to preserve the mercenaries we know we can trust."


    Before Anfey could say anything, the two were distracted by the sound of vi¡¯s voice outside. "Hui Wei, have you seen Anfey? Someone told me he came this way."


    "He¡¯s with Alice," Hui Wei said. "What happened?"


    "I¡¯ll tell you in a bit," vi said. A few secondster, vi burst into the room.


    "vi, what happened?" Anfey asked hurriedly.


    "Niya¡¯s here with Shalley and Urter," vi said. "Urter¡¯s injured. He may be dying."


    "What?" Anfey asked, surprised. "Does Master Saul know?"


    "I don¡¯t think so," vi said. "Niya came straight to us."


    "Take us to him," Anfey said. He hadn¡¯t contacted Urter in a while because he had been upied by the conflict with Scarlet and Manstuly. However, he still valued him. Also, he knew what was under Violet City so Anfey needed him.


    A dozen guards cleared the road quickly. Behind the soldiers were three carriages. Niya was sitting next to the first carriage driver. Her clothes were dirty and she looked exhausted. She kept ncing back at the second carriage and urging the driver to go faster.


    Anfey appeared to the right of the carriage. He dove down andnded near it. Niya stared at him for a few seconds, then she pointed at the second one and urged, "Hurry! He¡¯s dying!"


    Anfey had never heard Niya sound so worried. He nodded and immediately hurried towards the second carriage.


    Inside the second carriage were four young elves. They were all sitting around a man who was lying on the floor of the carriage covered with clothes and nkets. The man was very old with a long, white beard and a bald head. Anfey recognized the elves but did not recognize the man. He was about to go and check the third carriage when something clicked in his mind. He poked his head back into the carriage and asked, "Urter?"


    Hearing his voice, the old man opened his eyes slowly. His eyes brightened when he saw Anfey. He opened his mouth but could not speak.


    "Urter! What happened?" Anfey asked. He jumped into the carriage and carefully lifted Urter off of the carriage floor.

 Chapter 529: Strategy

    Chapter 529: Strategy


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey could clearly tell that Urter lost a lot of weight. Urter was merely a skeleton of now. Anfey felt as if he was holding bonfire sticks in his arms. Urter could not stop shaking. His eyes kept opening and closing. Obviously, it was hard for Urter to even raise his eyelids.


    Niya ducked in the carriage. She took a seat next to Anfey, leaning on his shoulder. The wagon stopped. Garrison and mercenaries from the League of Mercenaries were herding the pedestrians, so that they could set up the street barricade.


    Anfey saw that Urter could not talk for quite some time. He had to turn around to ask Niya what was happening.


    "I do not know what is going on." Niya replied, looking confused. "Urter has been missing for a long time. One day, he suddenly showed up in the marquis¡¯ living room. He looked terrible and had lost consciousness. I had to ask soldiers to take him to the room. I did not yet know the horrible things which were going to happen."


    "What horrible things?" Anfey asked.


    "Urter got old, so quickly. I could even see his hair and beard getting white, bit by bit, and then he lost all of his hair--even his beard--at the end, even his teeth all fell out. I found priests and doctors to take a look at him. They only told me that his life had reached its end. There was no medical treatment they could provide. They did not know what made Urter like this."


    Urter slowly turned his hand and grabbed Anfey¡¯s hand. He nodded at Anfey.


    "What happened afterwards?" Anfey asked.


    "Urter said he had something important to tell you. I asked him to tell me first, and that I would then pass the information on to you, but he would not listen to me. He said he had to tell you in person." Niya seemed helpless. "Urter is so sick, and he would not listen to others. There was nothing I could do. I had to leave Violet City secretly, with little Shally and them, to find you."


    "Did you encounter any dangers on the way?" Anfey asked.


    "No." Niya shook her head. "I met a few people fleeing from Shansa Empire. The few maids of yours are really powerful. They killed them easily."


    "What happened afterwards?" Anfey asked.


    "Nothing. We sought out information about you along the way. I came to Stormburg, and met Master Mario by ident. He told us you were in the Moonlight City, so we came here," Niya said.


    There was screaming outside the wagon. "Shally!"


    "Sis..." Little Shally¡¯s giggling was heard.


    Even though it was Anfey¡¯s only sister inw outside of the wagon, and his only blood-rted family, Anfey was not in the mood to get out of the wagon. Urter could die at any second. If Urter wanted to tell him secrets in person, it meant Urter must have some sensational news. He had to figure this out first.


    Anfey suddenly found Urter hadid his eyes on his Dimensional ring. In fact, Urter did not used to be able to afford a Dimensional ring with his sry. Anfey gave this Dimensional ring to Urter as a gift, when he came to Violet City for the first time.


    "Dimensional ring?" Anfey asked in a low pitch.


    Urter slowly blinked. Anfey slowly lifted the left hand, the one with the ring. After waiting for a while, Anfey only saw Urter¡¯s hand shaking and moving, but he did not see anything showing up. He knew that Urter¡¯s life could wither away at any time. Opening the Dimensional ring became a luxury.


    "Master, is Master Urter important to you?" someone asked from inside of the wagon.


    Anfey did not realize it was one of the elves speaking. Anfey had had those elves for over a half year, but he never talked to them. He asked them to stay in the station. One of the reasons for this request, was that he did not want Suzanna to get jealous. The other reason was that he did not want rumors starting. Anfey had gone through thick and thin with his friends. He married Suzanna, and got few gorgeous elves, but vi and the other boys did not even date anyone. These differences could hurt their rtionships. For Anfey, "Master" sounded very distant. He had paid all his attentions to Urter, and did not realize who was talking to him now.


    "Master!" The same elf had to call Anfey again.


    "Anfey!" Niya called.


    "Yeah?" Anfey turned around and looked at Paglia, who talked to him now. "What?"


    "Master, is Master Urter important to you?" Paglia asked.


    "Yes, very important," Anfey said.


    Paglia went silent for a second. She turned her hand over. A purple crystal vase showed in her hand. "Master, this is the Water of Life. Urter is losing his life. This Water of Life could not let him return to his youth, but it could prolong his life for a few more years."


    Anfey did not take the crystal vase immediately. He looked at Piglia, while the other three elves looked shocked. Jen, who liked to speak her mind, yelled, "Piglia, how could you have the Life of Water?"


    "Bruzuryano asked me to keep it," Piglia said in a low pitch.


    "Thank you." Anfey finally said something: "I owe you one. If you are in trouble in the future, I would definitely help if I could."


    It was such a myth about Piglia. Anfey could tell she was a very sophisticated elf. If she wanted to save Urter, she had many chances, but she did not take out the Water of Life until this moment. She wanted a favor from Anfey. Of course, it was not a terrible thing to be sophisticated in her tactics. The key was whether she had good or bad intentions. Piglia was with Bruzuryano before. She should have good intentions, so Anfey was happy to owe her a favor. It was especially true that he had owed Bruzuryano many. It would not be a big deal to owe one more.


    "Master, you are wee." Piglia had a smile on her serious face.


    Even though Piglia called Anfey master, their conversation did not sound like one existing between a master and his subordinate. "Master" at this moment was just a way to address Anfey.


    "Can youe here to help? I do not know how to use the Water of Life," Anfey said.


    Piglia pulled out the dark red cork from the vase. She flicked her little finger, and a drop of Water of life flew out of the vase. That drop floated in the air toward Urter. The Water of Life looked no different than regr water, but it left a track of mysterious light as it moved in the air, which looked more like tinyets.


    Urter suddenly looked worried, and tightened his lips together, while his thin body shook harder. He tried to turn his face away to avoid that drop of the Water of Life. It seemed to be worthy for Anfey to exchange his promise with Urter¡¯s life, but others might not think so. Others knew how much Anfey¡¯s promise was worth. Piglia knew it, too, and so did Urter. That was why Urter tried to stop this deal.


    "Urter, what are you doing? Open your mouth!" Anfey sounded very serious.


    Urter was not a match for Anfey. Anfey turned Urter¡¯s head over by force. That drop of Water of Life dropped into Urter¡¯s mouth.


    "Master Urter might need some sleep. When he wakes up, he will feel better," Piglia said in a low pitch.


    In a short while, Urter closed his heavy eyes, and his head fell to one side. Anfey slowlyid Urter down. Anfey was still worried.


    "Is that it?" Anfey asked.


    "Yes, master," Piglia said.


    Suddenly, Christian yelled from outside, "Niya?"


    Niya immediately lifted the curtain of the wagon and jumped out. She saw Christian, vi, and Riska were all there. She did not have time to greet everyone, but put her index finger in front of her lips. "Shhhh, lower your voices."


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Christian was shocked for a second.


    "Urter needs some rest," Niya said.


    "What is wrong with Urter?" Christian asked.


    "It seems he was cursed. When you see himter, you will know." Niya heaved a long sign. "Luckily, he is fine now."


    "Niya, why are you here? Are the people in Violet City dumb? At least they should have told us about it. It¡¯s too dangerous," vi said in a low pitch.


    "Ah, I asked them to keep a secret for us." Niya looked proud. "If you did not know about it, those bad guys definitely would not know about it. It was safe." This was the first time Niya had used any strategy. She would not allow anyone to put her down.


    Christian and the others looked at each other and smiled bitterly. The war had ended. Except for Baery, who could not leave, Saul, Stegar, Ernest, Anfey and the younger ones did not have much left to do. If anyone went back to help Niya, the person could definitely protect Niya. This so-called "Hiding from everyone" was not necessary at all.


    "Not bad. Our Miss. Niya knows to think now." Anfey walked out of the wagon, speaking this with a smile.


    "Of course." Niya felt prouder. She always weed praise andpliments, but her smile soon went away. She put her hands on her waist and yelled in anger, "Anfey, what do you mean? Was I not able to think before?"


    The garrison nearby secretly tut-tutted with annoyance. They only knew Niya was an important person, but did not know who she was exactly. The current governor, Alice, used to be the assistant of Anfey. They heard Alice was very respectful to Anfey. They wondered who Niya was, and how she could be so arrogant in front of Anfey.


    Christian and the others tried really hard not tough out loud. No matter whether they were older or younger than Niya, they all treated Niya as if she was their innocent little sister. No matter how much of a higher title Anfey was going to have, or how powerful that he became, Niya still would call him Anfey. Her attitude toward Anfey would not change. She would stillugh or yell in front Anfey, without holding anything back. She was a girl who always spoke her mind. Of course, usually, girls like Niya would end up in tragedy. However, Niya was very lucky, because she was the daughter of Saul.

 Chapter 530: First Move

    Chapter 530: First Move


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "You must rest," Anfey said, pulling the nket over Urter.


    "My lord¡ª"


    "I know, I know," Anfey said softly. He patted Urter on the shoulder and said, "Rest now, and we can talkter."


    "It¡¯s my fault," Urter said, shaking his head. "I should have taken the Wheel of Life." Even after he drank water from the Spring of Life, he still appeared very old and withered.


    "You held it for a moment and what it did to you..." Anfey said, shaking his head. "You wouldn¡¯t be here talking to me if you had taken it out of thebyrinth." He paused and sighed. "How did Minos manage to use the Wheel over and over again without dying?"


    "Maybe it¡¯s just because I¡¯m too weak," Urter said with a frown.


    "Perhaps," Anfey said. "We will find out. Rest. I need your help."


    "What can I do?" Urter asked. His eyes widened and he perked up slightly.


    Anfey pursed his lips. Paglia had told him that even the Spring of Life could not restore Urter¡¯s life, only extend it by a few years. But if Urter did not have anything to do, perhaps he would have crumbled even faster.


    "As you know, Alice was in charge of the League¡¯s internal affairs, but she has other business now," Anfey said. "We need someone to fill the position she held. She wanted to appoint Hui Wei as her sessor, but he is still too young. I¡¯m worried that he may not be able to handle the job. I want you to work with Hui Wei to take care of the internal affairs." Urter was more qualified for the job, but his physical condition may not have allowed him to work as efficiently.


    "My lord, I am honored," Urter said. "But..."


    "What is it?"


    "The mercenaries, my lord. I¡¯m just a normal man. I can¡¯t fight. How can I earn their respect?"


    "That won¡¯t be a problem," Anfey said with a smile. "Don¡¯t worry. You have my full support."


    "But what about Violet City?"


    "How¡¯s Aroben?"


    "He¡¯s well," Urter said. "I heard from Niya that he¡¯s still fairly healthy."


    "Then we¡¯ll have to leave Violet City to him," Anfey said. "With Djoser dead, Violet City should be safe. I don¡¯t think he will have many problems handling it."


    Urter nodded.


    Anfey smiled at him and told him to get some rest. He left the room and closed the door slowly behind him. Outside, night had already fallen. He walked onto a nearby balcony and watched the city light. A few momentster, he coughed and Robert appeared.


    "I have a limited number of trusted people," Anfey said. "Suzanna has to protect Alice. I will entrust Urter¡¯s safety to you."


    "I will take care of it, sir," Robert said.


    "What about the things I asked you about?"


    "The Dragonborn Kamlin is reclusive," Robert said. "I didn¡¯t even know such a man existed. Luckily, the children had already made contact with the Shansa royalties. Do you remember Young John, sir?"


    "Young John?"


    "You met him at the tavern once."


    "What about him?"


    "He¡¯s not far from sessfully seducing Edward the Eighth¡¯s youngest daughter," Robert said.


    "I can see that they¡¯re doing well."


    "Edward the Eighth needs every helper he can get," Robert said. "From what I¡¯ve gathered, it is very hard for people like Kamlin to have children. However, Kamlin has three. The only one who inherited the power of Dragonborn is his son."


    "Who was the assassin."


    Robert nodded. "I... I am confused, sir."


    "Why?"


    "There are so many top-level powers here. Unless Kamlin is a madman, I don¡¯t think he would send his son here to die. I don¡¯t think he was behind this. The child might have done this on his own volition."


    "Or he was working with someone else," Anfey said. "They¡¯re trying to get rid of Kamlin through us."


    "Could this be the work of Edward the Eighth?"


    "Kamlin is reclusive. I don¡¯t think he is someone who would let such mundane conflicts bother him," Anfey said. "Edward the Eighth can¡¯t get through to Kamlin, so he tricked his son. No matter what, he will turn us against Kamlin."


    "A cunning move."


    "Kamlin should be smart enough to figure out Edward the Eighth¡¯s n. What can he do then?"


    "Should I stop investigating Kamlin?"


    Anfey shook his head. "I want to be prepared just in case Kamlin doesn¡¯t see through Edward the Eighth¡¯s ns."


    "I will keep investigating, then," Robert said with a nod.


    "Master Saul told me that Kamlin is a good friend of Shadow¡¯s."


    "Shadow?"


    "His Majesty¡¯s shadow," Anfey said.


    "You¡¯re worried that Shadow may interfere?"


    Anfey nodded. "He isn¡¯t one I can cross, but if Kamlin decides to be my enemy, I can¡¯t just let him go."


    "It will be hard," Robert said. "The blood of the dragon will give him some abilities we don¡¯t know about."


    "I have my ways," Anfey said. "How many Dragonborns are there?"


    "Very few," Robert said.


    "Good," Anfey said. "I don¡¯t need Dragonborns toe seeking revenge."


    "Are you certain, sir?"


    "Somewhat," Anfey said with a shrug. "Tell Young John to keep an eye out. Edward the Eighth will invite Kamlin to visit if he is willing. He just lost a major portion of his army and there are some nasty rumors about him. He will want to use Kamlin to encourage his new soldiers." Anfey paused, then leaned closer to Robert and whispered something to him. He frowned and nodded.


    "Are you certain you can control Kamlin, sir?"


    "I don¡¯t want to control him," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I just want to make sure he won¡¯t be a threat."

 Chapter 531: Charm

    Chapter 531: Charm


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The arena was a chaotic mess. Dozens of swordswomen surrounded Shinb. They screamed loudly. Even the garrison on the main street could hear them clearly.


    "It looks like Shib lost her control over them," Anfey said slowly.


    "All of them are very professional, proud, and mature. It is not going to be easy to tame them. I think you overdid it," Anthony said with a smile.


    "Tame? You do not have to use such a filthy word." Anfey smiled. "Let¡¯s go and take a look."


    Seeing Anfey and Anthony, the swordswomen started to quiet down. Some of them even lowered their heads, out of anxiety, and backed away a little bit.


    "Shinb, what is wrong?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, theyin about me, saying I am giving them a hard time on purpose," Shinb said in a low pitch.


    "Oh? Then why don¡¯t you guys tell me how Shinb gave you a hard time?" Anfey asked.


    "Master, Captain Shinb asked us to run along the arena every day. She did not give us any training. What is more frustrating, was that she filled the wells with stone, and did not allow us to go out. We were so sweaty after the run. We could not shower without water," a brave swordswoman yelled. "Master, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can smell us. We stink."


    The girl who was speaking did not mean anything sexual, but her audience were good at using their imaginations. Some swordswomen giggled. What guts that swordswoman must have had to ask Anfey to smell their stink.


    "You need water, right?" Anfey smiled. "Feller."


    Feller used tock confidence, when among others. He usually looked shocked when others talked to him. As time went by, though, Feller had grown more mature. After hearing Anfey calling his name, Feller had a devious smile on his face. He chanted and raised his wand.


    Bean-sized rain fell on their faces and heads. Feller had really good control, when it came to the rain. Except for Anfey and Anthony, the swordswomen and half of the arena were all under the rain.


    A few swordswomen releasedbat power to protect themselves by instinct. They immediately noticed that Shinb stood there without moving, quietly taking the hits from the rain. Anfey turned around to look at them coldly. Those swordswomen got scared, and immediately stopped usingbat power.


    The rain came fast and stopped fast as well, but it had already made all the swordswomen wet. Their daily assignment was training, not to join the battles. Most swordswomen did not wear armor. After they were rained on, their clothes stuck on their bodies and showed their curves.


    Of course, not all swordswomen were beautiful with great bodies. They had different shapes and thicknesses.


    People could fall really fast. Taking Feller as an example, when Feller was asked to go to the club to "have a drink" for the first time, he refused to go. vi and a few others had to carry him there, but after the first time, he agreed to go, and then wanted to go, and even began going on his own at the end. Feller underwent a huge change in less than half a year. He looked at the swordswomen without any embarrassment now. He even secretly gave them scores. He nodded some times, and shook his head at other times.


    "Enough?" Anfey asked casually.


    The swordswomen all went quiet. If they felt they were being yed by someone, they might get all mad and do something at that moment. However, Anfey was different than the others. He was very special. This was especially true, after he said he would give them training. They could not refuse that temptation. Everyone knew Anfey inherited the skills of the Saint. It meant that they might have a chance to break through their bottleneck, or even reach to the highest level, if they could learn from Anfey.


    "If you haveined enough, you can now continue the training. Run around the arena for 100ps," Anfey said.


    "Yes, master." A swordswoman named Julie answered first, and then started to run before everyone else.


    Anfey gave Shinb a look and walked to the side. Anthony giggled in a low pitch. "Running again? Master Anfey, do you really know how to train them?"


    "I do not know." Anfey shook his head. In Anfey¡¯s previous world, because of his profession, he had the chance to meet mercenaries and get to know some internal information. With the only information he knew, Anfey did not think he could train those swordswomen. In fact, he never thought of training anyone.


    "Then, what are you doing to them?" Anthony asked.


    "I do know how to make people stronger and tougher," Anfey said.


    "By not allowing them to shower?" Anthony found it funny. "Poor girls. They got wet today. If they are not allowed to shower, I think they will go nuts."


    "Some people might not be able to stand it, but I am sure there are a lot of them that will hang in there," Anfey said.


    "Why?" Anthony asked.


    "Alice told me she picked the good ones for this squad. A lot of them must be spies. I think Alice is right," Anfey said slowly.


    "I agree with you." Anthony nodded.


    "The ones who hang in there could be two kinds of people. One is the kind of people with strong willpower, while the other is the spies with a lot of responsibilities." Anfey smiled. "Thetter kind of people would not let any opportunity go to get close to Alice." The people who were in charge of nning were usually smart. The people who could take a lot must have a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders. The more they could bear, the greater the devious intentions they held.


    "You don¡¯t want to torture them for a long time, do you?" Anthony started to worry about himself. It was ok for him to hang around with people who were not able to shower for a few days, but he felt it would be a torture to be with people who could not shower for a few months.


    "This is just the beginning." Anfey smiled. "In fact, I am curious who would hang in there to the end."


    "If some of them could not take it anymore, and want to quit, what should we do?" Anthony asked.


    "We actually could trust the people who quit, because they do not have any bad intentions or ambitions." Anfey watched those swordswomen who started to run as he talked. "I want them to do something different for me."


    Anthony followed Anfey¡¯s eyes. "Master, I noticed that you showed interest in Julie."


    "She is adorable. I do like her." Anfey smiled.


    Anthony was shocked for a second. "Are you serious?" After joining the League of Mercenaries, he heard the rumors about Anfey and Alice. No matter how cute Julie was, she was no match with Alice. It was hard to believe Anfey was attracted to her.


    "Of course," Anfey said casually. "She made me think of an old friend."


    "An old friend?" Anthony was confused.


    "People usually have a good memory when ites to their dangerous past experiences. Back then, when I killed the grandson of Philip and had to ran away from the Sacred City, I was chased by the Sacred me knights. That old friend showed up and saved us. Even though, without her help, we would have probably been fine anyway. Dean Steger had been protecting us in secret. I really appreciate it, and would never forget what she has done for me."


    "Are you saying Julie saved you?" Anthony asked in surprise. Feller seemed to be more shocked than Anthony. He opened his mouth wide. Obviously, he was trying to recall what had happened before.


    "Maybe, if my guess is right, she should be more powerful than what she showed, at least more powerful than Midof. Feller, shut your mouth." Anfey said in a low pitch.


    Feller swallowed hard. "Anfey, do you really think that is her?"


    "Most likely. I still remember her smell," Anfey said.


    "Are you suspecting her? Why? She saved us!" Feller asked.


    "Saving us does not mean she had good intentions toward us. She might think it was better to keep us alive back then." Anfey smiled. "A necromancer saved us back then, too. Do you think that necromancer was trying to help us?"


    "Of course not," Feller said.


    "Neither did she," Anfey said in a low pitch. "Besides, we saved her, too. It does not matter if she had a good or bad intentions back then. The key is that you need to create more chances to work with her. Hehehe, if she were a pile of dry grass, your friendship would be a big fireball. You can light her up."


    "Anfey, I do not think I am that attractive." Feller smiled bitterly.


    "It has nothing to do with charm," Anfey said.


    "If Julie is as Master said, she will immediately cling to Feller. Then she must be a spy," Anthony said in a low pitch.


    "Anyone want to bet with me?" Anfey asked.


    "No, thank you." Anthony shook his head. The reason he joined the League of Mercenary was because of Anfey¡¯s iparable power. What he admired about Anfey the most was his "horribly" sharp sensitivity. He would not bet with Anfey for anything.


    "If she is just as you said, what should I do?" Feller asked.


    "I will handle her, if that is the case. I will try to steal her from you," Anfey said.


    "Do you need to try?" Feller smiled bitterly. "I can totally see how miserable my life could be."


    "It¡¯s not definite. Feller, you should have some confidence," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, don¡¯t y with me." Feller blinked. "Anfey, I am worried there will be misunderstandings between Suzanna and you. Maybe you should have Master Anthony try it. What do you think?"


    "That¡¯s you young people¡¯s business. Don¡¯t get me involved." Anthony¡¯s face immediately changed. He gave Feller a dirty look. Feller made it too obvious. He had no confidence topete with Anfey, but did have the confidence topete with Anthony. What an insult. Anthony had such pride, too. He was an archswordsman.

 Chapter 532: History

    Chapter 532: History


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "This has got to be the tenth time you¡¯ve asked me about Kamlin in the past three days," Saul said. "I already told you everything I know about the man."


    "I¡¯m just worried," Anfey said. "I want to know as much about him as possible, just in case."


    "Kamlin is a good man," Saul said. "I don¡¯t think you have to worry about him much. He is a little like Ernest, though a bit more temperamental. He had a smooth early life, and that made him proud, which is why he went after Morgan with his wife all those years ago. That was a mistake that almost crushed him."


    "The necromancer?"


    Saul nodded. "Morgan may appear young, but he is even older than Golman, and he is a skilledbatant. He is even more skilled than Golman."


    "What happened then?"


    "I don¡¯t know exactly what happened. I only know that he went after Morgan without waiting for his friends. By the time they found him, his wife was dead and Morgan was nowhere to be found." Saul sighed and continued, "after that, he became a recluse."


    "For real?" Anfey asked incredulously. "Why didn¡¯t he hunt down Morgan?"


    "He made a choice," Saul said, "because he learned firsthand how terrifying Morgan is. When Morgan first appeared in the Country of Mercenaries, Burzuryano and nbrea made a pact to take him on, together. Followers of the Church of Light and the druids aren¡¯t exactly on friendly terms, but they still worked together. We all know that we can¡¯t take on Morgan alone. Even I have to find helpers, when ites to Morgan. I know you¡¯ve fought with Desvidia, but you need to know that Desvidia did not use all of his strength, and Morgan is much more powerful. He is a man to be reckoned with."


    "I see," Anfey said slowly.


    "One of Kamlin¡¯s most important weapons is his skin, which is immune to almost all forms of attack. Of course, I¡¯ve heard from Ernest that you are a natural warrior. You may have a chance with Kamlin."


    "You should tell him everything," Jacob said with a grin.


    "Everything?"


    "Ernest almost said that it¡¯s a waste that you¡¯re learning magic," Jacob said.


    Anfey smiled, but did not say anything. He turned to Saul and asked, "Does that mean magic cannot effect him?"


    Saul shook his head. "It will be hard, but he¡¯s not immune to everything," Saul said. "Sure, magic cannot physically harm him, but he is not immune to its effects."


    "Which means, I can¡¯t use magic on him," Anfey said with a sigh.


    Saul frowned. "I¡¯ve noticed that you¡¯re not taking magic seriously," he said. "You¡¯re using it to assist you, but you aren¡¯t treating it seriously."


    "Why would you think that, Master?" Anfey blinked.


    "You seem to be satisfied with just using firebirds," Saul said with a sigh. "A mage that uses a few spells cannot understand the truth about magic."


    "I¡¯m sorry, sir," Anfey said quietly.


    "What are you sorry for?"


    "I..." Anfey froze. He was only admitting to the things Saul said, but he did not think too much about it. He did not expect Saul to ask him anything, and so, did not have an answer.


    Saul sighed and shook his head. "You already know everything I do."


    "I won¡¯t bother you any longer than, Master," Anfey said. He bowed and turned to leave.


    "Wait," Saul said. Anfey turned and looked at Saul, confused. Saul sighed and said quietly, "Be careful."


    Anfey blinked, then smiled and nodded. "I will, Master. Don¡¯t worry about me."


    Jacob sat down next to Saul and watched Anfey disappear. "He wants to take on Kamlin."


    "I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll wait for Kamlin toe to him. He will go to Kamlin."


    "You and Anfey are so different," Jacob said with a grin.


    Saul nodded. "I don¡¯t agree with a lot of the things he did." Saul paused and shook his head. "He never leaves room for any form of negotiation. The way he does things does not allow him to fail. He fails once, and he will lose everything."


    Jacob closed his eyes and sighed.


    "A lot of the things he did, were things that did not leave room for failure," Saul said. "He is very insecure. He doesn¡¯t like having potential threats."


    "Then why do you care so much about him?"


    "Everyone has ws," Saul said with a shrug. "I may not agree with what he did, but that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m thankful for what he did for my students, my daughter, and my country."


    Jacob smiled. "Of course you would say something like that."


    Saul shrugged. "I don¡¯t like interfering with my students¡¯ lives much."


    "Now that he knows more about Kamlin, what do you think he will do?"


    "That¡¯s not our worries," Saul said.


    "You¡¯re not worried about Shadow?"


    "I trust that Shadow will understand what is more important. He won¡¯t let his personal life get in the way of aplishing what is good for his nation."


    "That¡¯s not what I mean."


    Saul pursed his lips and shook his head.


    Jacob didn¡¯t need a clear answer. He nced at Saul and said, "Remember Tivankechajin?"


    "What about him?"


    "Tivankechajin and Atos fell from grace because of us. Now it¡¯s our turn."


    "Yeah?"


    "Michael and Manstuly are examples. Now that he has turned to Kamlin... This is the beginning of the end for us."


    "Ernest said Anfey is wasted learning magic," Saul said. "You¡¯re wasted learning alchemy."


    "What should I do, then?" Jacob asked with a smile.


    "You should¡¯ve been a minstrel," Saul said with augh.

 Chapter 533: The Assassination

    Chapter 533: The Assassination


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Shinb lifted up her head and looked at the sky. She was walking very quickly and felt a little anxious. It was her turn to protect Alice tonight, but just as she was about to leave the Garrison, the two gangs led by Julie and Midof had shed, and had nearly erupted into fighting. The reason for the fight was pretty ridiculous. One of the female swordsmen had identally bumped into Midof while she was walking, and Midof had given her a tight p in the face in reaction. The female swordsman could not take the humiliation of this, and hadined to Julie. So Julie stood up for her, and the situation escted until it was out of control.


    Humans are social beings. When they are in a new environment, they will look for people whom they arefortable with, in order to work together. In just a little more than 10 days, those female swordsmen had befriended one another and formed two gangs. As Midof and Julie were more capable ones, they had been selected as leaders of the respective teams.


    It was getting very dark. There was no one else on the street other than Shinb. The magic world could not bepared to the modern city. There were no street lights, or any other facilities that could light the way. Although there was not total darkness, one could only depend on the moonlight and the lights that came out from the houses to make their way. Visibility was bad. Fortunately, Shinb was a high-level swordsman. If it was an ordinarydy, she would have cried out of fear.


    After walking past a corner, Shinb heard someone crying from the side of the street. She stopped and listened for a while. The sound came from an alley. If she had not been in a rush, she would have checked it out. However, she had to rush back for her duty, and that was the most important thing. After pondering for a while, Shinb continued with her journey.


    "Ah...no!" A scream was heard from the alley.


    Shinb stopped again. She heard very clearly. Other than the scream of a female, she could hear the disgustingughter of a man. She raised her brows and walked back to the alley.


    Shinb saw ady lying on the ground at the end of the alley. Two dark figures were moving around. She had guessed what they were doing, even though she could not see clearly.


    "Stop!" Shinb shouted. As she released her Combat Power, she could see more clearly. Thedy¡¯s skirt had been removed, but her top was still intact. However, there were blood stains on her face. The left side of her face was swollen, and she had lost a few teeth. She looked desperate, humiliated, and enraged.


    Initially, Shinb was a little suspicious. No ordinary people would leave thefort of their homeste at night. Where did these peoplee from? However, after looking at the expressions of thedy, Shinb dropped her suspicions. Given her experience, she could tell that the expressions of thedy were real.


    As Shinb was about to dash forward, an arc that was hardly noticeable to the eyes shed past herbat boots. Shinb froze on the spot. Two bs of earth element covered her feet and turned into rocks.


    The two men, who were in front, turned around, each holding a bow. As the sound of a bow being pulled back was heard, two arrows shot toward Shinb¡¯s chest.


    The sword was Shinb¡¯s forte. Although she could not move her feet, it did not hinder her from exerting herbat force.


    There was an explosion, and the wall behind Shinb fell. A tall figure jumped out. Shinb was tall, but the figure was taller. The two thighs were bigger than her waist. The figure was holding a long, terrifying battle-ax, which he swung toward Shinb¡¯s head. The whooshing sound of the battle-ax made Shinb feel suffocated.


    Shinb¡¯s Combat Power was at its maximum. She moved her body and waved the sword against the battle-ax. As the blows collided, Shinb was nearly thrown to the ground. The figure moved backward a few steps before stabilizing himself. In terms of strength, Shinb was more powerful. However, as she was restricted in her movements, she was unable to exert her full force. This left her at a disadvantage.


    The figure took a deep breath before taking another step forward. He swung the battle-ax at Shinb¡¯s leg. This was a vicious move. Shinb could not run, as her feet were locked. He attacked her left leg, but as Shinb was holding the sword with her right hand, this made it harder for her to make the appropriate moves.


    This was just the threat from the back. A swordsman, wrapped in a cloak, flew down from above with a long sword, aiming at her chest. Thebat force wasparable to Shinb¡¯s.


    Shinb fixed her eyes sharply on the swordsman. She could not be bothered with the attack from the back at the moment.


    At this instant, someone dashed from the side, knocking himself against the ax warrior. Although the ax warrior¡¯s body was like a huge beast, he could not withstand the collision. He flew backward with a cry, knocking down a wall before crashnding on the ground. The ground shook, as though there had been a small earthquake.


    Shinb¡¯s hands became a little weak. She no longer had the desire to fight. This was because a figure had stood before her and was protecting her. This was not fetishism. This was a belief that she had built up through the manybats. No one had been able to hurt her before this figure.


    The swordsman recognized Anfey and stopped the attack. With a somersault, shended seven to eight meters away from Anfey. She knew that this distance was still too close to Anfey, and that she was still in danger. She was shivering, and the tip of her sword was shaking even more.


    With a shout, the burly man who had crashnded jumped up. He was stepping on a body that was dressed like a magician and was distorted in a weird manner. It was as though it had no bones, and blood stains were all over the body. One could not tell whether this had happened when the burly man flew out, or if it was caused by the collision.


    The burly man looked adamant. He swung his long battle-ax again at Shinb. However, as he was badly injured, his movements were slower.


    Shinb had now freed herself from the restriction. She squatted down, glided below the battle-ax, and continued to move backward. She flung the sword with her waist.


    This blow was powerful enough to disembowel anyone. However, as the burly man was too big, the blow could only cut the greaves of his leg. There was a deep cut on his leg, and blood was flowing out. Once again, the burly man let out a cry and fell on the ground.


    Shinb immediately jumped, and as shended, her right knee hit the burly man¡¯s spine. She held her long sword downward, but her eyes were on Anfey. She did not know if Anfey wanted him dead or alive, so she dared not act rashly.


    Anfey nodded. Shinb stabbed down hard on the burly man¡¯s neck, nailing him to the ground.


    Not only did the burly man have strong willpower, he had a strong will to live. He survived the blow. He waved crazily with his hands and beat around. However, the more he struggled, the more his wounds tore. Fresh blood spewed out from his neck, like a fountain, sshing onto his body and Shinb. If it were Anfey, he would have moved aside, but not Shinb. She was not bothered with the blood that was on her. She stared at the burly man¡¯s body and kicked his head. His wounds got worse, and more blood spewed out. The burly man gradually stopped struggling, and began to twitch.


    "I feel sorry for you. I am not against people who are ambitious. It is good to be ambitious, as it serves as motivation," Anfey said tly. "But...to assassinate someone to fulfill your ambition is something I cannot ept."


    Having said that, he waved his arms and two phoenix shot out like lightning. Before the two men, who had quietly hidden themselves in the hole by the wall, could cry out, they were on fire.


    "You...you know me?" The swordsman asked with a trembling voice.


    The moment the swordsman opened her mouth, Shinb recognized her voice. It was Midof!


    "There were more than 50 magicians spying on you on a rotating basis. Nothing can escape my eyes!" Anfey said tly. He had not wanted to destroy anyone. As to what Alice had said, although these swordsmen were not trustworthy, they were indeed useful, and could serve as cannon fodder. However, Midof had gone overboard and acted willfully. She was the ck sheep.


    "You are too silly. Compared to Julie, she is smarter than you. She is ambitious, too, and knows what you will be doing. She has yed along with you, and after you have left, she reported to Anthony that you snuck out. If Shinb is killed, and your plot is being exposed, she will naturally be the leader."


    Midof shivered even more, either due to anger or fear one couldn¡¯t tell.


    "You wish to live?" Anfey asked with a smile.


    Midof was smart enough to catch what Anfey meant. Without hesitating, she knelt on the floor and cried out, "Sir..."

 Chapter 534: Kidnap

    Chapter 534: Kidnap


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As the end approached, Edward the Eighth grew more and more reckless. He would spend most of his days drunk, and most of his nights with women. He stopped caring about his reputation, because he knew that he would not remain in power for long. His behaviors began affecting members of his court as well. The noblemen were even more crazy than their ruler.


    No one tried to stop Edward the Eighth, or tried to rule the nation. If all men must die, then they might as well do some things they won¡¯t normally do. Edward the Eighth was indulging in this madness because he knew that there was no point in struggling anymore. The capital city Diamond City began following its monarch¡¯s descent into chaos as well. The entire city had forsaken its duties in order to seek pleasure instead.


    In the mansion of a nobleman, a feast was underway. Except for Edward the Eighth, almost all the important government officials and noblemen were present. A few young men were chatting in the corner of the garden. Normally, these young men wouldn¡¯t be invited to a party like this. However, at this point, no one cared about formalities. Another reason for the invite, was that these young men were very popr among the noblementely. No matter what, these young men were smart. Even if they lost in a battle against the Maho Empire, they could still manage to livefortably.


    Once the Maho Empire¡¯s army arrives, the government officials and the nobilities would lose their positions and power. Commoners, however, would have morefortable lives. Hence, being good friends with a fewmoners was a good n for these high ranking officials. This was why these young men were receiving special treatment.


    A few young women walked over and waved at the young men in the corner. The young men nced at them, but did not react. Seeing that they were not interested, the young women quickly moved on.


    A man and a woman appeared around the corner. The man was tall and handsome, the woman was petite and beautiful. They were very close, and were whispering to each other. As they passed the group of young men, the man suddenly stumbled, identally pouring his wine onto his date.


    The wine stained the woman¡¯s dress and got onto her face. The young woman gasped. She stamped her feet and pped the man in the face, then hurried off, disappearing into the night.


    The young men in the corner giggled. One of them nced around and said quietly, "The princess has a temper, doesn¡¯t she, Young John?"


    Young John snorted and touched his face. "We¡¯ll see who¡¯sughing at the end."


    "So this has happened before?"


    "Shut it," Young John said, rolling his eyes. "The targets are on the bench to the east. You¡¯ll know who they are."


    The young men nodded. The group divided into two smaller groups, one heading east, and another, back to the feast. Young John hurried after the princess. He needed to calm her down.


    There were two young women sitting on the bench. They were dressed inly, and were not exceptionally beautiful, which was why most people left them alone. The two young men nced at each other. One of them walked over slowly, and asked gently, "Can we sit here, mydies?"


    The two young women seemed to be surprised that someone was talking to them. They smiled shyly and moved over a little, but neither said anything. The young men sat down. One of them sniffed the air and said, "Smells good here."


    The two young women nced around curiously. It was already summer, and the flowers were mostly gone. They did not know what the young men were talking about.


    "I¡¯m talking about you," the young man turned to the two women and said with a wink.


    The two young women blushed and huddled closer together, obviously unsure of how to respond.


    "The entire feast smelled like cheap perfume," the young man said, shaking his head. "Thank god we found you."


    The young women nced at each other and smiled, but still did not say anything.


    The young man licked his lips and asked, "Are you two mages?"


    "No," the young girl said. "We can¡¯t learn magic. Are you a swordsman?"


    "How did you know?" the young man asked, feigning surprise.


    One of the girls smiled and pointed at the sword on his belt. The young man pped his forehead. "My old friend betrays me," he said.


    "Old friend? How old are you?"


    "Twenty four," the young man said. "How about you?" He paused, then pped his leg. "I¡¯m sorry, mydy. I shouldn¡¯t have asked."


    The young girl shook her head. "Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m sixteen," she said.


    The young man was very good at holding a conversation. Slowly, the two girls began talking more, and the tension melted away. The other young man did not say anything. He wasn¡¯t as good at holding conversation with women as hispanion was. Because of this, he preferred to stay quiet.


    After a sudden surge of magic, the building in the distance burst into me. The party guests in the garden, startled, stared wide-eyed at the building. All around, dark figures rose into the air and flew toward the building. This was not a natural fire.


    "Let¡¯s go check that out," the silent young man said, drawing his sword.


    "Wait!" hispanion said, grabbing his arm. "Don¡¯t you know? Anfey¡¯s in the city?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Anfey probably wanted to round up everyone," the young man said. "Let¡¯s go find somewhere we can be alone, and hide there." He turned to the two girls and said, "Come with me."


    The two girls appeared terrified. They nced at each other and, after a few seconds, got up to follow the young man deeper into the garden.

 Chapter 535: A Butcher and a Swindler

    Chapter 535: A Butcher and a Swindler


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Sir!" Ye called out at the door.


    Anfey, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes. "Come in."


    Ye pushed the door open and walked in. He bowed and said, "Sir, things are getting out of hand."


    "Oh?" Anfey jumped down from the bed and put on the long robe that was hanging by the side.


    "After you have deliberately ckened in your management, more than 10 female swordsmen became very active. They have befriended many people, but Julie, whom you have instructed me to observe, is well-behaved. She has been practicing her swordsmanship and Combat Power all day long, and has never left the Garrison," Ye said, "It has been more than 10 days, I am worried...could she have suspected something?"


    Anfey frowned, deep in thought.


    "Sir, you shouldn¡¯t have told Shinb the truth. She is not suitable for this role. If someone has let the cat out of the bag and caused Julie to be suspicious, it must be Shinb."


    "Have Shinb and Julie fought with each other?"


    "They need not fight, Sir." Ye shook his head. "A hostile or wary look, even just once, is enough to cause Julie to be suspicious."


    "Shinb is very careful. I don¡¯t think she would make such a stupid mistake." Anfey said lightly.


    "In this case, I don¡¯t understand why Julie is so careful." Ye smiled wryly and said, "It could be...you have made a mistake. She is not what you think."


    "I have a good memory."


    Ye shrugged and said, "If you are right and Shinb did not let the cat out of the bag, then what is the matter with Julie?"


    "Let¡¯s wait for a few more days," Anfey slowly said, "Probably, she can take her time toplete her task, which is why she didn¡¯t take the risk."


    "But previously, she has reported to Sir Anthony. I think she is anxious to climb up thedder, and at the very least, to rece Shinb."


    "How is the rtionship between Feller and Julie?"


    "Julie is very warm toward Feller, but she keeps her distance. Hahaha...I don¡¯t think she is interested in Feller."


    "I am disappointed with him."


    "Sir, how about getting Lord Christian to test her out? With his background and charm..."


    "Stop your nonsense. How can I let Lord Christian take the risk?"


    Anfey pondered this and said, "Let¡¯s wait for few more days and see how it goes."


    "I guess we will have to do that." Anfey nodded and said, "Sir, one more thing."


    "What?"


    "It¡¯s about Batusimon," Ye said. "He has joined us at ater stage, and has never contributed to The League of Mercenaries. Thus, you have never had any regard for him, or at least, he thinks that you don¡¯t appreciate him. I have heard that he frequentlyins to his men about you, saying you are being unfair and even..."


    "Even what?"


    "Even says that you are a swindler," Ye said grudgingly. "Sir, Batusimon is unhappy with you."


    "So? He dares to rebel against me?" Anfey sneered. He looked down on Batusimon. Before he had war with the Wolf King Manstuly, the Reaper, Batusimon had sent a messenger to The League of Mercenaries and had promised to join forces with them with his troop.


    However, even after he had defeated ckwater City, Batusimon was still procrastinating and had deployed only a small part of his troop to the war. It was Baery, who had crossed over the valley and wiped out the army of the Shansa Empire. When everything was over, and the army marched up to the north, Batusimon then led his troop to gather with The League of Mercenaries.


    Batusimon did not contribute at all to the war. In this case, Anfey could not keep the promises that he had made to Batusimon. The make-up of The League of Mercenaries was veryplex. To unite everyone, Anfey had to be fair in his dealings with every team, refugee, and partner. If he had kept his promises to Batusimon, Batusimon would have been very happy, but to those soldiers who had fought together with Anfey, it would be unfair.


    "The Maho Empire will unify the continents. Batusimon dares not rebel," Ye smiled and said, "but he can look for another chief. Recently, he has been walking closely with General Shinge from the Roaring Dead Legion."


    "Shinge?" Anfey was running the name through in his mind.


    "Sir, I have spoken to Lord Christian about this. He has asked Shawn to check on Shinge¡¯s background, and they have found out that Shinge is Granden¡¯s confidant!"


    "Why have you not mentioned this to me before?"


    "Lord Christian has told me to inform youter," Ye said softly.


    "Why?"


    "Lord Christian said that your killing intent has been immense, and that, if you know about it, you will try to kill Batusimon." Ye smiled wryly. "Batusimon is only walking closely with General Shinge, and he has not done anything overboard. When Lord Christian rewarded his subjects previously, Batusimon was on the list. Lord Christian was afraid that if you kill his subject in a rash action...there will be unrest in Sacred City."


    "My killing intent has been immense? What does Christian mean by that?"


    "Sir, have you forgotten? Previously, when Sir Alice met up with you and Lord Christian to discuss the uproar the royal families who have been jailed have created, and the rumors their family members have spread...." Ye was careful with his words. "Can you recall?"


    Anfey¡¯s expression changed. He recalled the incident. Alice had asked for their opinion, but before Christian could say anything, Anfey had said adamantly that they should be killed to avoid future trouble!


    Those royal families had lost their power. No one could take this lying down. As long as they were alive, they would create trouble. If Alice wanted to implement a new policy but they wanted to hold onto the old, there would be nopromise. Thus, Anfey felt that he was right in the matter.


    However, now that Ye had reminded him, Anfey realized that he had not handled the matter well. The prisons in Moonlight City and the few surrounding big cities were packed with people. One word from him, "Kill", would send many heads rolling! Moreover, the royal families ganged up together, because their power had been taken away from them. In actual fact, they were the victims. They were different from those who fought in the war. Anfey had not been disciplined in his cultivation, and was behaving more and more like those small fries in the secr world. This was not what he wanted.


    Since Alice was the Executive Governor for the eight provinces, she had the right to make decisions. Christian was the prince of the country, so he could also voice his opinion. However, for Anfey, although he waspetent, and was the Chief of General who was in charge of the army of The League of Mercenaries, he had no right to interfere iwith the internal affairs of the Shansa Empire. The funny thing was, as the Executive Governor of the eight provinces, Alice was brainless. She immediately summoned Kumaraghosha to carry out the task. Christian just smiled, and did not oppose. Given his character, neither did he support the idea.


    Alice was brainless? What a joke. If she was brainless, Ynthe would not have had high regard for her. The League of Mercenaries would note this far. Does Christian not have any ns? Impossible. If not, he would not have asked Ye to keep the matter about Batusimon from Anfey, who was no longer a greenhorn in politics. He knew that they had to go through certain procedures. Firstly, Alice, Anfey, and Christian had toe up with a reasonable countermeasure. Then, they had to discuss with Baery, Saul, Steger and the others, and agree on how they would carry out the n and submit a proposal to Ynthe. However, Anfey had jeopardized the procedures, stopping the flow at the first step!


    The crucial thing is, Ynthe had adopted the policy of appeasement. In the provinces ruled by the people of the Shansa Empire, the people of the Maho Empire must not interfere. Ynthe was also constantly asking if the army had harassed the people. Anfey had been autocratic in his behavior, and had vited Ynthe¡¯s wish!


    A shiver ran down his spine. Anfey was never afraid of any opponents, no matter how powerful they were. However, if the threat came from within, he would, in essence, be his own enemy, which made him feel uneasy.


    Not just anyone could be an initiator. When Alice had wanted The League of Mercenaries to be more cohesive, she tried to paint a good picture of Anfey, praising to his ability. Anfey became the idol of a lot of people in The League of Mercenaries. Even if it were a lie, it would have be the truth once everyone began talking about it. Anfey was, in fact, capable. After having heard so much about him, no one had any doubt about his decisions, even if they could not understand them. Moreover, Saul liked Anfey a lot, and Ynthe also had high regard for him. Although Baery, Steger, Miorich and the rest were Anfey¡¯s seniors, they had never put on airs in front of him. They were like his friends. After the war at the valley, Anfey and Yinuamansu had be great friends. Anfey had the respect of his men, and support from his friends and many powerful elders, and these were enough to make a level-headed guy like him arrogant. Anfey also had sentiments, which he could not share with anyone!


    "Sir..." Seeing Anfey in a daze, Ye called out cautiously. Although he was cautious, he did not dodge his gaze. There was one more thing that he wanted to tell Anfey. He had discussed things with Christian, and they found that something was not right with Anfey¡¯s behavior. However, it was not convenient for Christian to bring this up to Anfey, so Ye had to do the dirty job.

 Chapter 536: Difference

    Chapter 536: Difference


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I see," Anfey said with a nod. "About Batusimon... do as Christian says."


    "Yes, sir," Ye said. Anfey¡¯s attitude showed that Ye¡¯s words had made an impression. He was also d that Anfey was willing to listen to advice, and was not an overly confident man.


    "Sir?" someone outside called.


    "What is it?" Ye asked.


    "We found those men, sir," one of the men replied.


    "Did Alice put you up to this?" Anfey asked.


    Ye shook his head. "She knows what I¡¯m doing, but she did not tell me to do anything."


    "Tell me everything that happened."


    "You haven¡¯t talked to anyely, have you, sir?"


    "I went to meet the guards," Anfey said. "I didn¡¯t notice anything off."


    "After those noblemen were executed, the families began spreading rumors to nder Lady Alice. Some of those families must have found an artist and paid him to do some paintings on a wall near the southern gate. The artist drew a picture of a woman performing sexual acts with demons, and the woman resembles Lady Alice."


    Anfey frowned. This showed tant disregard and disrespect toward Alice and, by extension, him. Ye paused upon seeing his frown and added quietly, "We destroyed those images as fast as we could."


    "Does Alice know?"


    "I think so," Ye said. "Lady Alice is popr among themoners, and there is no reason for them to be so disrespectful toward her. Batusimon has already apologized to Lady Alice as well."


    "Why did he apologize?"


    Ye sighed and said, "The paintings were done during the night. Batusimon¡¯s men found the paintings and, instead of reporting it immediately, they chose to ignore it. It wasn¡¯t until midday that it was discovered by us."


    Anfey¡¯s frown deepened.


    "I don¡¯t think Batusimon has anything to do with this, though," Ye said hurriedly. "He seemed very sincere when he apologized to Lady Alice."


    Anfey walked over to the window and opened it, wanting to calm himself down. He pushed on it too hard and the windows mmed into the wall, attracting the attention of several mercenaries below. He looked to the distance and saw that Alice was still in her office. "Is she getting enough sleep?"


    "She is busy," Ye said. "She will only get busier."


    Inside Alice¡¯s office, Alice was with Hui Wei. Both had arge stack of paperwork on the table next to them, and were hard at work. Suzanna was sitting in a chair in the corner, staring at Alice.


    "Did you hear that?" Alice sat down and asked with a frown.


    Hui Wei nodded. "Was that Anfey?"


    "It was," Suzanna said with a nod. "He sounds angry."


    "Do you want to do check on him?" Alice turned and asked Suzanna.


    "I¡¯ll go when Shinb gets here."


    "But..."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Suzanna said with a smile. "He¡¯s not a child anymore. I am sure he can take care of himself."


    "Does that mean that I am a child that can¡¯t take care of herself?" Alice asked jokingly.


    "Of course not."


    "She¡¯s right, Alice," Hui Wei said. "We can¡¯t risk it. Sure, it¡¯s unlikely, but what if something goes wrong, and there¡¯s no one here to protect you? We can¡¯t lose you."


    Alice sighed. "I¡¯m just curious," she said. "What made him so angry? Has he been moodytely?"


    Suzanna thought about it and shook her head.


    Alice smiled. "Seeing how much he cares about you, I don¡¯t think he would let you know if anything¡¯s bothering him, even if he is extremely irritated."


    Suzanna blushed. "Don¡¯t you have work to do?"


    Alice giggled and returned her gaze to the paperwork.


    A few minutester, the door opened and Anfey appeared. "Suzanna, honey, smile," Alice said without lifting her head.


    Suzanna rolled her eyes, but nevertheless grinned at Anfey. Hui Wei looked up and smiled.


    "Anfey," he said. "I need to talk to you."


    "How did you guys know it was me?"


    "Because you¡¯re the only one who doesn¡¯t knock," Alice said. "What is it?"


    Anfey looked at her for a few seconds, then said, "Did Lord Baery say anything about executing the noblemen?"


    "Of course..." Hui Wei said. Before he could finish, Alice frowned and interrupted him.


    "Hui Wei, can you go fetch me Ozzic?"


    Hui Wei nced at her, then sighed and quickly left the room. Anfey sat down in Hui Wei¡¯s chair and looked at Alice. "You didn¡¯t want to tell me anything," he said.


    Alice shrugged. "Didn¡¯t feel right," she said.


    Anfey turned to Suzanna and whispered, "Can you leave us alone for a bit? Don¡¯t let anyonee in."


    Suzanna nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her softly.


    "What happened?" Alice asked with a frown.


    "You should know. Batusimon came to apologize in person, didn¡¯t he?"


    "Oh," Alice said. "You mean the paintings."


    Anfey nodded.


    "It¡¯s not a big deal," Alice said, shaking her head.


    "Not a big deal?"


    "I know you worry about me, but this is inevitable," Alice said. "I won¡¯t let it get to me."


    Anfey stared at Alice. He admired her sensibility, and was very impressed by how calmly she had handled this public humiliation.

 Chapter 537: The Mission

    Chapter 537: The Mission


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "If I have not influenced you, you would have used your own method, right?" Seeing that Alice was fine, Anfey heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Actually, you are right. If I don¡¯t get rid of them now, they will create a lot of problems." Alice said with a smile. "I was too simple-minded previously."


    "What did Sir Baery say?"


    "He simply asked about it," Alice said lightly. "Ever since we stepped into Moro Province, Sir Baery has never interfered in the things that I do. This time around, I am too aggressive, which is why he is concerned."


    Anfey nodded his head thoughtfully. He picked up the document that was in front of Alice and flipped through it. "Isn¡¯t this..."


    "It is Thompson¡¯s report."


    "You are tied up with so many things, and yet you still have to worry about The League of Mercenaries. This is tough on you."


    "The League of Mercenaries is our fundamental concern. Moreover, Hui Wei is...still unable to take up the responsibility. How can I not worry?" Alice smiled and said. "Anfey, something is not right with you today. Why are you being so polite?"


    Alice had noticed that Anfey was feeling apologetic toward her, as she had now been targeted because of him. However, she acted as though she did not know this.


    Anfey smiled and did not say a word.


    At this moment, Suzanna¡¯s voice was heard outside the door. "Anfey, Ozzic is here."


    "Bring him in."


    The door opened, and Ozzic walked into the room. Hui Wei saw Suzanna standing at the door, so he knew that Anfey must be having a discussion with Alice. He closed the door and chatted with Suzanna.


    "Sir, Sir Alice, is there anything I can help with?" Ozzic smiled and asked.


    "Sit down." Alice pointed to a chair nearby and asked, "Ozzic, has Batusimon been looking for you recently? What have the two of you been up to?"


    "Yes," Ozzic nodded and said, "Nothing important, just chatting and drinking. Sometimes, we will go out and have some fun. Sir, I feel that...he has a motive in befriending me."


    "This is normal," Alice said tly. "Among the leaders in The League of Mercenaries, you are the most experienced and have earned the most credit. Moreover, you are the most trustworthy. If he can pull you away from us, it will have a great impact on The League of Mercenaries."


    The very few "most"pliments earned from Alice made Ozzic feel ted. He smiled, but the next moment, his face stiffened. "What...pull me away?"


    "Yes."


    "Sir, you mean...he is up to no good?"


    "Batusimon has beenining about Anfey behind his back. What good can he be up to?" Alice sneered.


    "This is too much!" Ozzic took his sword, turned around, and walked out.


    "Come back!" Alice shouted.


    "Sir, this fellow is too much. Let me teach him a lesson!" Ozzic said.


    Ozzic had weathered the storms. He was not a rash person. He had reacted this way because, on one hand, he would not want to end up behaving like a clown, and on the other hand, he wanted to prove his loyalty toward Anfey and The League of Mercenaries. He was well aware that Anfey and Alice had summoned him to talk about Batusimon, not only for him to have no more dealings with Batusimon or to create animosity between them, it was more than that.


    However, to Anfey and Alice, Ozzic was not so smart. Being silly was no big deal. Anfey and Alice had been forgiving toward Ozzic because he was undeniably loyal. They had been showing him due respect as well.


    "We cannot be rash in handling this," Alice said slowly. "If Batusimon doesn¡¯t have anyone to back him up, he will continue to keep a low profile. But now...he thinks otherwise. He knows that we cannot hurt him openly, so he has be bolder."


    "Sir, I..."


    "Batusimon is now very close to Shinge. I have heard that Shinge is Granden¡¯s confidant," Alice said softly. "But I don¡¯t want hearsay, Ozzic. I shall give this task to you. Continue to socialize with Batusimon, and don¡¯t let him get suspicious. If you have to do it, you can talk bad about Anfey in front of him. Hahaha...Anfey, do you mind?"


    Anfey smiled and shrugged.


    "When Batusimon thinks that the time is ripe, he will show you his true colors. Everyone knows that you are Anfey¡¯s most trusted person. If the offer he gives you is not attractive enough, he will not be able to win you over."


    "I understand, Sir." Ozzic nodded and said.


    "How shall I describe Batusimon...?" Alice pondered, searching for a right word.


    "He is proud," Anfey interrupted. "He should have taken it slowly. He shouldn¡¯t have ced his bet on Ozzic. This is a bad move."


    "He is trying to earn merit," Alice said with a smile. "Ozzic is the most experienced leader. Other leaders, like Orsie, Tiger, and Elizabeth were old friends of Ozzic. Once he wins Ozzic over, he will be able to shake the foundation of The League of Mercenaries!"


    Seeing that Anfey and Alice held him in high regard, Ozzic could hardly suppress his joy. As he thought of Batusimon, he was filled with disdain. How dare Batusimon encourage him to betray The League of Mercenaries!


    A carriage was speeding on the State Highway. The coachman was whipping hard on the horses, so that they would travel at high speed. The horses were stained with blood. The youth who was sitting beside the coachman, found it unbearable and said, "Not so hard. It will be the worst if the horses are hurt."


    "It is all right. Someone will be coordinating right ahead."


    At this moment, a man was heard groaning in the carriage. The youth was anxious and rushed in.


    Two girls were being tied up, and were resting against each other in one corner. They were quite well-dressed, but they looked pale. There was another man, who was leaning against the carriage. He was frowning and continuously swinging his hands. His index finger and middle finger had be bloody.


    "What happened?" the youth asked hastily.


    "I was kind enough to feed them, but they bit me!"


    "Andrea, be careful!" the youth said in amusement.


    "In this case, I will go out." The youth moved out slowing from the carriage.


    Andrea took out a roll of gauze and started to wrap his fingers clumsily with it. He took the dried meat that was beside him and threw it into his mouth. After chewing for a while, he nced at the two girls and asked, "You really don¡¯t want the meat? You¡¯ll regret that."


    "Pooh!" one of the girls said in a cold voice. "Don¡¯t be too happy. My father will tear you into pieces!"


    "I know, I know," Andrea said with a smile. "But you also have to know, before your father could tear me into pieces, you will have already been torn into pieces by me!"


    The two girls turned and looked away from Andrea. They knew what Andrea had said was true.


    Andrea took another piece of dried meat and moved toward them. "All right,dies, it is pointless for you to throw a tantrum. How can you have energy to run away, if you do not eat?"


    One of the girls blinked her eyes and said shrewdly, "All right, I will eat." After saying this, she opened her mouth.


    Andrea was about to feed her, but when the dried meat touched her lips, he suddenly pulled back his hand. "You must agree not to bite me again. It was my bad luck earlier to have been bitten by you. But now, since I have said this, you must not bite me again. If not, I will bite you back!"


    Andrea opened his mouth and showed his white teeth. He deliberately chattered his teeth and looked shiftily at her body. He then fixed his gaze at her chest. He was obviously telling her that if she bit him again, he would bite her on the spot.


    The girl froze and shut her mouth. She was obviously up to no good. Since her ploy had been discovered, and she would not want to risk being bitten, she shut her mouth.


    "Be good, be good." Seeing that the girl was scared, Andrea tried to force open her mouth. He would not have dared to do this earlier.


    The girl desperately shook her head and refused to eat. As they were struggling, the dried meat fell out from Andrea¡¯s hand into her clothes.


    "It is a sin to waste food!" Andrea sighed, cing his hand into her clothes.


    "You...what are you doing? Ah..." The girl screamed and twisted her body crazily, like a big prawn being thrown onto the shore.


    "Andrea, quickly shut her mouth!" A shout was heard outside the carriage.


    Andrea seized the girl by her throat, and the screaming stopped. Andrea then took his time and searched around. He took out the piece of dried meat that had fallen into the girl¡¯s clothes.


    "You know what? We have paid a big price." Andrea seemed to be talking to the girl, but at the same time, he seemed to be muttering to himself. "In order to distract your father, a few of my buddies have volunteered to be the bait. As I was feeding you, they...might be fighting for their lives. I mustplete the mission. If not, I will be doing a disservice to my buddies. So...please be good and stop creating trouble. This is myst warning. If you do it again, I will cut off your tongue and dig out your eyes! Trust me, I will do anything in order toplete this mission!" Andrea moved closer toward the girl, now speaking in her ear. His words were clear, and the two girls heard him very clearly. They started to shiver.

 Chapter 538: Weaknesses

    Chapter 538: Weaknesses


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As flexible as she was, Alice had limits as well. If an order contradicted her personal beliefs, she would not obey it, even if the order had came from Anfey. Reorganizing the noble ss was necessary, and she was confident in her abilities, which was why she did not care how she approached the matter.


    Anfey ced her in charge of the city because he was confident in her ability, and she wasn¡¯t about to let him down. In her original n, she only wanted to punish the heads of the noble households. However, because of the actions of some of the noble families, she decided to punish all those that decided to disobey her.


    The entire province was seized by fear, but there were still noble families that sided with Alice. When she first began imprisoning the nobility, she spared the families that had ties with the military. She did not want to upset any important military officials.


    Unlike the nobility, themoners did not care what Alice was doing. Alice had been trying hard to improve the living conditions ofmoners, and so she gave some power back to them. This made her very popr and well-respected. This was why the rumors that the noble families invented about her did not travel far.


    Inside a small tavern in Moonlight City, two men were sitting in the corner drinking. One of the men was Ozzic. Sitting across from him was a man in his mid-fifties, with peppered hair and a long beard.


    "Heard Anfey gave you a hard time today," Batusimon said.


    Ozzic sighed. "Bad luck, I guess," he said. "Lord Anfey¡¯s been in a bad moodtely."


    "I know," Batusimon said. "Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s getting overbearing?"


    Ozzic frowned and put his mug on the table. "Don¡¯t say anything like that."


    "No?" Batusimon said with a smile. "What you said to other people is even worse than that."


    "What did I say?" Ozzic asked with wide eyes.


    "I heard that you said he is dictatorial, and that he forgot all the things you did for him and the League. Didn¡¯t you also say that you should have worked with Manlyn instead?"


    Ozzic¡¯s eyes widened and he shot up from his seat.


    "Calm down," Batusimon said. "Do you think I would be telling you this if I wanted you dead?"


    "How did you know?"


    "Someone told me, of course."


    "Who?"


    "I can¡¯t tell you, but don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t betray you."


    Ozzic frowned. Clearly, he did not believe Batusimon and his promise.


    "Fine. Here. I will say something as well," Batusimon said. He cleared his throat a few times and said, "Anfey is an ungrateful man, who did not deserve our aid. Now, are we even?"


    Ozzic narrowed his eyes, then sat down slowly. "Fine," he said. "No more of this."


    "Are you scared of him?"


    "Of course I am," Ozzic said. "And you¡¯re not? If you¡¯re so brave, why don¡¯t you say that to his face?"


    "That day wille."


    Ozzic pursed his lips. He understood the underlying meaning of Batusimon¡¯s words, and that made him very ufortable. "What exactly do you want?" he lowered his voice and asked.


    "I..."


    "Wait," Ozzic said, shaking his head. "I don¡¯t want to know. Whatever you want to do, leave me out of it, do you hear me? If you try to push me, I will go to Anfey and tell him everything. Trust me. He will take my word over yours."


    "Working for him has turned you into a coward," Batusimon said with a sigh.


    "Maybe I am," Ozzic said. "I value my life more than anything." He finished the beer in his mug and stood. "I think it¡¯s better for both of us if we stop meeting," he said curtly, then turned to leave.


    "He has a weakness, you know," Batusimon said.


    Ozzic stopped, but did not turn to look at Batusimon. Batusimon did not appear bothered. He took another sip of his beer and said, "Suzanna."


    "You¡¯re mad!" Ozzic said. "She¡¯s a top level power. You can¡¯t take her on."


    "But she has a weakness as well." Batusimon smirked. "Shalley."


    Ozzic paled. He understood what Batusimon wanted to do, but he could not be a part of it. He turned to leave again.


    "Let me ask you onest thing," Batusimon said hurriedly. "If Suzanna and Anfey are both dead, who will you side with?"


    "Lord Christian," Ozzic said with a snort. "So we can get rid of traitors like you."


    "So you don¡¯t have an ounce of faith in me?" Batusimon asked.


    "Even if Anfey and Suzanna were dead, Alice and Christian are still here. Baery is Christian¡¯s uncle, and he would never turn down Christian¡¯s request for aid. I am not about tomit suicide."


    "I¡¯m not going to attack anyone," Batusimon said.


    "My god, Batusimon," Ozzic said. "Just tell me your n."


    "I¡¯ll be honest with you, then," Batusimon said. "I¡¯m working with His Royal Highness Prince Wester. There¡¯s no future for you, if you work for Christian, Ozzic. Even if he can take the throne, he won¡¯t spare anything for you. He cares about Suzanna and Anfey way more than you. If you work for His Royal Highness... Well, think of all the glory in the world, and ten times more."


    "I will do no such thing," Ozzic said, shaking his head. "Christian has support from Saul and Baery. Who does Wester have? He does not stand a chance against Christian."


    "You underestimate His Royal Highness," Batusimon said. "Christian only began nning for this a year ago. His Royal Highness has been nning to take the throne more almost a decade. There are people working for His Royal Highness all over the world, including here."


    Ozzic¡¯s face darkened. Batusimon was right. Wester was older than Christian, and must be more prepared.


    "I already told you everything," Batusimon said. "You can make the decision for yourself."


    Ozzic sighed and sat back down in front of Batusimon. "Are you sure about this?"


    "Of course!"

 Chapter 539: The Adulterous Couple

    Chapter 539: The Adulterous Couple


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In a small building at the southern part of Moonlight City, Batusimony naked on a double bed. The bedroom was splendidly decorated with precious stones. The owner was obviously not an ordinary person.


    Batusimon was making eyes at a woman, reluctant to shift his gaze away. It was summer and the room was getting warmer. As she was in her bedroom, the woman was scantily dressed. The thin material of her undergarments was translucent, revealing her private parts.


    "Honna,e here." Batusimon patted the bed as he said it. When he had first met Honna at the feast held by Alice, Batusimon was mesmerized by her, but Honna was not interested in this old man. It was only by chance that, when Honna was harassed by some thugs, Batusimon hade to her rescue. Honna¡¯s impression of him changed after that. Batusimon had expended much effort in trying to impress her with his capabilities, status, and wealth, before he could finally capture Honna¡¯s heart.


    "Are you still able to do it?" Honna looked at him seductively.


    "Hoho..e here, and you will know if I am still able to do it." Batusimon gave a cheeky smile.


    At this instant, the sound of a carriage was heard at the forecourt. Honna turned pale and jumped up. "Oh no! My husband is back!"


    Batusimon was shocked at first, but after a while, he calmed down and sneered. "So what if he is back?" Before he hit on Honna, Batusimon had run a check on her husband. He was just a powerless, wealthy merchant. Batusimon had never had any regard for such a person.


    "You...you must leave quickly!" Honna panicked. She held onto his arm and tried to drag him out of the bed. However, she did not have much strength. Instead of dragging him out of the bed, she nearly fell onto the bed.


    "What are you afraid of?"


    "Of course you are not afraid. What can he do to you? But it is different for me. After you leave, what will happen to me?" Honna was so worried that she nearly cried.


    "Don¡¯t worry, baby. I will take you with me," Batusimon said, as if it was no big deal.


    "You..."


    When the door opened, someone walked slowly into the bedroom. Without looking at Batusimon, he went straight to a chair and sat down.


    Before the door opened, Batusimon looked calm, but Honna looked flustered. However, after the door opened, the situation changed. Honna smiled, but Batusimon was so shocked that he jumped up from the bed. "You...Sir, why are you here?"


    "What have you done?" Anfey said tly. "It is sote now, but you keep me so busy."


    "Sir, why are you handling such a small matter?" Batusimon smiled cunningly, rolling his eyes. He was thinking hard.


    "Small matter? If your wifemits adultery with another man, would you still consider that a small matter?" Anfey smiled. "Of course, if your wife is of your age and uglier than you, no man will take a liking for her. I mean, if it is so."


    "Sir, that Edy..." ording to what he had found out, the name of Honna¡¯s husband was Edy.


    "Did Edy know Anfey? Or did he know one of Anfey¡¯s men, and has asked Anfey for help?"


    "Come in, Edy."


    After Anfey called out to him, Edy walked in, looking calm. He walked steadily and stood tall. He had a steady gaze, and did not look like one who had been made a cuckold. It was not surprising, as he was not rted to Honna. At most, they would be considered as colleagues.


    Honna had quietly walked past Batusimon, and now stood behind Anfey. Seeing that Anfey was shaking his wrist, as though he was tired, she massaged his shoulders. From a seductive woman, she instantly shifted to behaving like a maid.


    Batusimon felt a cold chill run up his spine. Not only did Edy know Anfey, Honna knew him as well. Something was not right.


    The sounds of people quarreling outside the room ultimately turned into screams. After a while, Ye stood at the door, and there was the smell of blood.


    "Sir, have you...gone overboard?" Batusimon whispered. He knew that misfortune had befallen his men.


    "Batusimon, you have been plotting against Alice, and you dare to say that I have gone overboard?"


    "Sir, I don¡¯t know what you are saying." Batusimon felt more and more chilled. Has something happened to Ozzic? If not, how could Anfey have known about it?


    "Do you think that I dare noty my hands on you?" Anfey said with a smile.


    "Sir, we are all serving the Maho Empire. I am not your enemy." Batusimon forced out a smile. "Moreover, Lord Wester..."


    "Do you think you have Wester to back you up? You are that naive. Even if Wester is here, I can do whatever I want with you," Anfey said softly.


    "Sir, I am the Earl of the Country. You have no right toy your hands on me!" When he heard that Anfey would do whatever he wanted with him, Batusimon knew that he was in grave danger. He had to make thisst attempt.


    "People die of many reasons. I am an expert in this aspect. Why would I create trouble for myself? I will noty my hands on you. Whatever happens today is very simple. A man¡¯s wife has been vited, and he has no choice but to fight back. This has nothing to do with me."


    Batusimon was in utter despair. He shifted his gaze to one side of the room. When he was having forey with Honna, he needed another knife, so he had thrown his long sword toward the dressing table. His sword was only five meters away from him. If he was fast enough, he could take it out from the sheath. However, standing before Anfey, five meters could be a matter of life and death. Even if he could get back his sword, he did not have the confidence to get out of this ce alive.


    "Honna, what has happened during the past few days?" Anfey asked. No one in the room seemed bothered by Batusimon, acting as though he was invisible.


    "A female swordsman was here, Sir. Julie must be one of Wester¡¯s men. I have heard them talking about her," Honna replied, bending down to whisper into Anfey¡¯s ear.


    "Good job! There is a limitation to what magic can do. With the Eyes of Sky, we can only see where they have gone, and who they have met up with, but we are not able to hear their conversations. They havee into contact with so many people, and I can¡¯t possibly arrest all of them. Moreover, the moment they enter a building, the Eyes of Sky would lose sight of them."


    Anfey smiled. "If not for you, I would have to wait a few more days. Hahaha...but now, it is time for action!"


    "Thank you for yourpliments, Sir." Honna smiled seductively.


    Batusimon stared at Honna like a venomous snake. The smile that he was previously captivated by now looked evil. However, it was toote for regrets. He could not do anything but watch.


    "Batusimon, you have done a good job as well. At least, Lord Christian has one doubt removed." Anfey turned and looked at Batusimon. "Am I right, Christian?"


    Christian appeared behind Ye, and Ye stepped aside to make way for him. "Anfey, what do you mean?" Christian smiled wryly, as he moved toward Anfey.


    "Because this has nothing to do with Granden," Anfey said. "Previously, when Granden was unaware of your status, he tried to get close to you, because he has taken a liking to Niya. If I say that you have no feelings for him...that will be a lie. Hahaha, do you feel better now?"


    "I knew much earlier that Granden has nothing to do with this," Christian shook his head and said. "Although Granden is now prejudiced against me, ...to threaten us with little Shally is something that he will not do. He knows his boundaries."


    "It is good to know your opponents," Anfey said with a smile. He was, in fact, trying to hint to Christian that, no matter what he thought of Granden, they could only be opponents and never friends!


    Christian knew what Anfey meant, but he did not say a word. He only let out a sigh.


    Batusimon started to move suddenly. He did not attempt to retrieve his long sword, but he dove toward the window. As he was about to jump out of the window, he froze. Suzanna was standing in the courtyard. Although Suzanna looked beautiful, she was more frightening than a demon. Batusimon moved back a few steps and fell down weakly on the bed. "Sir Anfey, ...you are really good to me!"


    "Batusimon, it is better for you to die than to live. Even if we do not kill you, Wester would," Anfey said tly. "We have thought that Shinge is one of Granden¡¯s men. Now, it seems like we are wrong. Your stupidity has not only betrayed you, it has betrayed Wester. Do you want to escape? Where do you think you can run to? Can you escape from the continent?"


    "Sir, having said so much, are you forcing me to kill myself?" Batusimon was very direct in this question for Anfey.


    "If it were in the past, you would have been dead by now. But now...I need to control myself," Anfey said tly. "I will give you a chance. To live, or to die, I will let you decide."


    "Are you not afraid that I will betray you one day?"


    "Shinge will definitely die. Who are you going to seek refuge with? Who will forgive you?" Anfeyughed. "Moreover, I am only giving you a chance to stay alive. I will never trust you, so how are you going to betray me?"


    Batusimon was stoned and suddenly shouted, "All right! Sir, I am willing to serve you, but I have a request."


    "What request?"


    "I want her!" Batusimon pointed at Honna.


    Honna turned pale. She could tell that Batusimon hated her. If she were to fall into his hands, the consequences would be too dreadful to contemte.

 Chapter 540: Talents

    Chapter 540: Talents


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "What?" Anfey asked, caught off guard by Batusimon¡¯s request. He had spared him because he wanted to learn how to control his temper. He had expected Batusimon to be grateful, not to be making requests.


    Ye drew his sword and walked toward Batusimon. He leveled the sword at the man¡¯s chest, then nced at Anfey, waiting for his order. Batusimon did not look at Ye. He kept staring at Anfey and said, "If you can give that woman to me, my lord, this life is yours."


    Anfey walked over and stopped next to Ye. He looked at Batusimon and sighed. "Even if I don¡¯t give you anything, your life can still be mine." He grabbed Ye¡¯s hand and thrust the sword forward. The sword plunged into Batusimon¡¯s chest.


    Batusimon¡¯s eyes widened. He did not expect Anfey to value the life of a woman over his. Ye pulled his sword out. Blood sprayed onto the ground and Batusimon stumbled backwards. He gasped a few more times and slumped against the wall. Anfey turned to Edy and nodded at him. Edy came forth and whispered a spell under his breath. A cloud of dark fog enveloped Batusimon¡¯s body.


    Christian frowned in disdain and moved away from the front. "Let¡¯s go," he said to Anfey.


    Anfey nodded. "Let¡¯s go check on that team of guards."


    "You wanted to go see Julie?"


    Anfey nodded. "I heard she¡¯s improving quickly. She defeated Midof, and the women are seeing her as their leader instead of Shinb."


    "I thought you sent Midof there."


    "I did," Anfey said. "That¡¯s why I need to go check on Julie. I need Midof to have more room to do her thing. Edy, can you head over to the garrison building after this?"


    "I¡¯m not sure how long this will take, though," Edy said, without lifting his head.


    "We¡¯ll wait for you, then."


    Anfey and Christian walked out of the room and toward the yard, to wait for Edy to finish his work. Even though Anfey wanted to create some fictional couple to take the me, there was really no need to make it a secret, because no one would investigate it.


    As the two of them left the building, Robert appeared. Ye nced at the man. After he recognized Robert, he turned his gaze away.


    "I have news, sir," Robert said quietly. He leaned over to Anfey and whispered something to him.


    "When will they arrive?" Anfey asked, smiling.


    "They must have alreadynd by now," Robert said. "Three or four days, at most."


    "Landed?"


    Robert nodded. "In order to escape, Andrea didn¡¯t follow the original n. He headed toward the northeast and rented a boat to throw off anyone on his trail."


    "His name¡¯s Andrea?" Anfey asked. Robert nodded. Kidnapping Kamlin¡¯s daughters was a difficult task, and he knew how much effort Robert put intopleting the mission. However, he only ever talked about two people. Young John and Andrea. Clearly, these were two of his best men.


    Anfey was very impressed by the work of Andrea and Young John. People in Diamond City would searching the roads to the west of the city, but not the ocean to the east. Taking a boat was a good choice.


    "He had requested this mission," Robert said with a wide grin. "I was worried, but now it seems that was unwarranted."


    "Well, young people would never grow up if they didn¡¯t go through hardship," Anfey said.


    Robert nodded in agreement. "Send some men to aid him," Anfey added. "I don¡¯t want something going wrong now."


    "I already did."


    "Good," Anfey said.


    Robert bowed and quietly disappeared.


    "What are you nning to do?" Christian asked, curious.


    Anfey sighed. "It seems like Wester and I are not that different, after all."


    "What do you mean?"


    "He tried to use Shalley as a leverage against me," Anfey said. "Now I¡¯m using Kamlin¡¯s daughters against him."


    "So you really did send people to Diamond City?"


    "Didn¡¯t you hear what we just said?" Anfey asked with a smile.


    "What are you nning to do with the girls?"


    "I¡¯m not sure," Anfey said. "If someone tries to use Shalley against me, I don¡¯t think I can make the choice. I want to see how Kamlin will react."


    "Does Master know?"


    "I think so," Anfey said. "He didn¡¯t say anything." He paused and nced at Christian and Ye. "Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. This will stay between the three of us. Kamlin is a good friend with Lord Commander. I don¡¯t want to anger him in the process."


    "Of course," Christian said. "I understand. You want Kamlin to disappear quietly."


    Anfey nodded. "Master, Baery, Steger are all near the city. Anthony, Suzanna, and I are inside. I don¡¯t think Kamlin can take on so many of us alone."


    "I don¡¯t think you need to worry, though," Christian said. "I¡¯m sure Lord Commander knows what is more important."


    "You can¡¯t be sure."


    "I¡¯m pretty sure."


    "Have you met him? Do you know him well?"


    "I¡¯ve met him, sure," Christian said with a shrug. "But if he wants, he can find out what happened to Kamlin with no trouble."


    "He had been working with His Majesty for years. I¡¯m sure he knows what he should do," Anfey said quietly. "But if he knows that I killed Kamlin, maybe he won¡¯t do anything, but he will not like me. If we make Kamlin disappear, and spread the rumor that Kamlin was working with Edward the Eighth, I don¡¯t think Lord Commander will want to investigate."


    Before Christian could reply, Edy and Honna appeared. Anfey turned and asked, "How was it?"


    "I don¡¯t think he knew much," Edy said with a sigh. "But he did mention a swordswoman called Julie. I think she had some connection with Wester."

 Chapter 541: Clean-up

    Chapter 541: Clean-up


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey looked puzzled. Midof had deliberately drawn close to Julie and isted Shinb. Julie was not the only spy. Those few female swordsmen, who were always following behind Julie, looked suspicious as well. If Julie was being killed, Midof would naturally be the next candidate. Wester would try all means possible to get Midof on his side. Anfey would then meet his objective. However, there was a condition attached to it. Julie was only a bit yer. If Julie was close to Wester and held a higher position, Wester would have to send another trusted aide, should Julie be killed. He would not ce his bet on Midof, who had just joined their gang.


    "Anfey?" Suzanna, who was filled with killing intent, walked toward him. Batusimon had brought more than 20 men with him. Ye had killed four of them, and the rest had been killed by Suzanna. No matter how good-tempered one is, there is a limit. Suzanna was enraged that someone was plotting against little Shally!


    Suzanna knew of Anfey¡¯s n for the night. He had intended to kill Batusimon and then proceed to the Garrison to kill Julie. Alice would find an excuse to throw a feast and invite the generals of the Roaring Dead Legion. She would do her best to hold Shinge back. When the feast ended, it would be the end of Shinge¡¯s life as well. Alice would not let him return to the campsite alive. As she knew that Anfey had apact n, Suzanna was worried when she saw that Anfey was buried deep in thought.


    "Suzanna, don¡¯t worry," Anfey shook his head and said. "Since Wester has struck, he would have been well prepared. He will be sending another batch of men over, since these people have been killed. He will use crazier means. Hahaha...let¡¯s trick him and make him believe that things have gone ording to his n. Then we can take it easy. When the time is ripe, we can make use of these people to torture him."


    "Then, should we leave these people alone?"


    "We still have to deal with these people. If we leave them alone, there will be more trouble. As long as we constantly remove this trash, we can then get what we want." Anfey said softly. "I have discussed with master about Shinge, so Granden will get wind of it. Guess what he will be thinking?"


    "At least he can¡¯t me us," Ye smiled and said. "Sir, there is nothing great about Wester. He is so silly. He has offended two people in a row. We can just sit back and rx. Someone will deal with him!"


    "He has failed." Anfey shook his head. "What if he has seeded? Shinge is Granden¡¯s man. Who do you think we will hate? If he can attack us, and can create a feud between us and Granden, do you still think that he is silly?"


    "But he shouldn¡¯t have asked Shinge to take action. It is not easy to nt someone by Granden¡¯s side. Now, he has lost everything."


    "Wester is unable to find a more suitable person. Although Batusimon is not smart, he is not stupid either. He doesn¡¯t simply trust anyone. Shinge is General Shawn¡¯s right-hand man, and General Shawn is the deputy head of the Roaring Dead Legion. Many people think that when Marshal Baery passes on one day, General Shawn will take over his role as the leader of Roaring Dead Legion, and then pull Shinge along. Shinge has used these things to persuade Batusimon to work with him."


    Anfey looked up at the sky and said, "Enough of this. It is time for action. Suzanna, you will go with Christian to the Garrison. I will go to Southern City to stop Shinge."


    "Anfey, why have you decided to take action suddenly?" Christian asked inquisitively.


    "This is because I have looked upon Julie as a smart person for the time being. Batusimon has been killed for adultery, and Shinge has been assassinated on the same day. If you were Julie, what would be going on in your mind?"


    "Everything will be exposed."


    "It is not a good thing to leave behind an opponent who is wary. It is better to have her killed."


    Anfey pondered this and said, "Suzanna, I want her alive! Try not to hurt her. Edy, you will go with Suzanna. I will go to Southern City by myself. Hmnn...by the way, Ye, you make a move first. Let Shinb tell Midof about it, so that she will be more courageous at the critical moment."


    "All right." Suzanna nodded.


    On the streets of Southern City, a few hundred knights were moving toward the city gate. More than 20 people, who were leading the way, were dressed in ordinary attire. Following behind were a few hundred warriors in bright grey armor. Baery was extremely strict with his army. He had given instructions that the people must not be harassed. Thus, as the deputy head, Shawn dared not create trouble. After quartering beside Moonlight City for such a long time, the generals had been bored to death. This night, the Executive Governor, Alice, had used "fellowship" as an excuse, and had invited some of the generals to the feast. Those who had been invited were ted, but those who had not been invited were filled with envy. They had quarreled over things like "spare tyre" or "recement". Baery knew of these, but he did not interfere.


    Alice was extremely generous. She had her guests served with wine and other delicacies, and had inviteddies and escorts to keep thempany. The funny part was, Alice had over-estimated the army. During peace, they were not conscious. She had told Anfey that she would do her best to detain Shinge, but in actual fact, none of the generals had wanted to leave. In fact, it was hard to get them to leave. If Shawn had not shown his displeasure, the generals would still be drinking till dawn!


    Anfey stood quietly at the city wall. He was holding onto a bow. The fine bowstring radiated a red light in the dark. Although Anfey still retained the instincts of an assassin, in terms of vignce, sobriety, acumen, etc., he had lost touch with his former profession. Anfey had to be vignt. If a venomous snake hid itself among the bushes, waiting for an opportunity to attack a sleeping tiger, the act was simr to assassination. However, if a tiger followed cautiously behind an ant, and attacked it while it was not paying attention ...it would be absurd. Absolutely absurd.


    Anfey¡¯s current ability was supreme. Only Morgan, Desvidia, and a few other talents were qualified to be his targets. Even Golman was still not qualified. Very often, an ox cleaver had been used to kill a chicken. However, Anfey had to do it, as he preferred to get his hands dirty.


    Anfey was 500-600 meters away from Shinge. He slowly drew his bow. In this magic Kekkai, the speed of a magic bow was faster than the sniper rifle. It was especially so with the magic bow that was used to loose the wind de. It could go against the wind. The only thing is to aim correctly. Vision and feel could notpare to technology. A small discrepancy would make a great difference. Although Anfey could sense the surroundings within the radius of dozens of miles, to be on the safe side, he had to let the target get within 500 meters, since he had chosen to use the bow.


    Finally, Anfey released his grip on the bow and a ck arrow shot out. Shawn, who was leading the way, looked up, but he did not dodge it. He saw the arrow shoot past him and charged toward Shinge, who was behind him.


    Shinge looked as though he was punched by a giant, and was thrown back. He crashnded on the ground. If he had not had his stirrups on, he would have been sent flying.


    The battle steed that he was seated on reared in terror. As the battle steed was about to take flight, Shawn disyed the disposition of a Sword Master. In the blink of an eye, he withdrew his long sword and shed down hard on the neck of the battle steed. Its head spun off. The headless battle steed kicked and fell weakly onto the ground.


    "There is an assassin!" Shawn shouted. He found it a pity that Shinge was Wester¡¯s man. On a personal level, he liked and admired Shinge. However, he had to kill him! The army would only give their support to two princes, Granden, and Christian. Wester was not on their list!


    At the Garrison, Julie stood in the field, looking pale. She fixed her gaze sharply on Suzanna, who was standing before her. However, she did not have the courage to take Suzanna on. Shinb had instructed them to remove their armor in the name of training. It would be impossible to take on a Sword Master bare-handed.


    "Madam, what mistake has Juliemitted?" Having said that, Midof stepped out from the crowd.


    All the female swordsmen were stunned. Everyone knew that Suzanna was Anfey¡¯s wife. Given her special status, it would be impertinent of Midof to question Suzanna!


    Julie turned more ghostly pale. Although she was grateful to Midof for speaking up for her, she knew that the situation had spun out of control. She quickly turned and signaled Midof with her eyes to stop talking.


    However, Midof was very loyal to her friend. Instead of retreating, she stood in front of Julie and looked at Suzanna with animosity.


    "Back off," Suzanna said nonchntly.


    "Madam, may I know, what mistake has Juliemitted?" Midof asked again with dignity.


    Midof was overdoing it! Ye felt a little helpless. Anfey had wanted Midof to be more courageous, but to question Suzanna before so many people...even Anfey had never done that before. Midof was not qualified to do that. Seeing that Suzanna was enraged, and hadid her hands on her sword, Ye quickly stepped forward and shouted, "What are you doing? Julie is a spy from the Shansa Empire. Back off!"


    Midof was not afraid of Suzanna, but she was afraid of Ye. She was puzzled, but since Ye had spoken, she lost her courage and timidly stepped back.


    "Arrest her." Ye waved his hand, and a few soldiers from the inspectorate quickly moved forward. Suzanna was here to "hold the fort". She did not have to do the job herself.


    Julie grasped her fists and suddenly let go. She shifted her gaze to Feller, who was standing to the side. She had been on good terms with Feller. If she needed someone to help her, that would be Feller. However, Feller turned and looked away from her. Seeing this, Julie cursed in her heart.

 Chapter 542: Treatment

    Chapter 542: Treatment


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey and Hui Wei were walking together and chatting about something. However, Hui Wei¡¯s mind did not appear to be on the subject they were talking about. Noticing this, Anfey frowned and asked, "Is something wrong? You¡¯ve been acting strangetely."


    "I..." Hui Wei sighed and said, "there is something..."


    Before he could finish, Robert appeared and nodded at both of them. "I¡¯ll tell youter," Hui Wei said. He nced at Robert and continued, "I have to go."


    Anfey nodded. He was curious, but he did not want to push Hui Wei. Hui Wei nodded and left in a hurry.


    "I hope I didn¡¯t interrupt anything," Robert said, looking at Hui Wei.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. How are things going?"


    "Everything is prepared," Robert said.


    "And the news?"


    "Yes, sir," Robert said. "But...something went awry."


    "What is it?"


    "One of the children was killed before they could do anything," Robert said. "He didn¡¯t even get to draw his sword."


    "You mean it¡¯s Kamlin¡¯s work."


    "I must be," Robert said with a nod. "Judging from his wounds, Kamlin must have tortured him for information. He died of a shattered skull. As if something had squeezed his skull so hard that it just shattered."


    Anfey stopped and frowned. He knew how strong human bones were and how hard it must be to shatter someone¡¯s skull.


    "The child is one of mine and knew about the n. If Kamlin was behind it, he may already know where his daughters are now."


    "Will your men talk?"


    "I have faith in them," Robert said. "They won¡¯t say anything."


    "Where did this happen?"


    "About fifty miles east of here," Robert said. "Some of the children were wearingmon armor, some were dressed up as merchants, some were wearing the League¡¯s badges. Only those who were wearing badges were attacked."


    "When did this happen?"


    "Around sundown."


    "Sundown? How did you get back so fast?"


    "I asked for help from the druids," Robert said with a smile.


    "Then Kamlin must be close by," Anfey said with a frown. He expanded his mind and began searching through the city. His mind was very powerful, but in a ce like Moonlight City, he would still grow tired very fast. He knew his limits, and although he tried tob through the city thoroughly, but he did not notice anything strange.


    "Kamlin¡¯s goal is to save his daughters. He won¡¯t do anything before he finds them," Anfey said. "Just in case he wants his own hostages, we still need to prepare ourselves. Tell Suzanna to stay with Alice for the night. Send Shinb and Anthony to protect the mages, and dere a curfew. No one can be in the streets except for the patrols."


    Robert nodded. He turned and waved his hand. Two men appeared, and he whispered a few orders to them. The two men nodded and disappeared again.


    "Thankfully Niya and Shalley are with Master Saul," Anfey said, ncing at the sky.


    "Kamlin exceeds our expectations," Robert said. "We have an image of him, and I had asked Lord Kumaraghosha to keep an eye out for him. I didn¡¯t expect him to be able to get so close to the city. He must have left Diamond City earlier than we had expected."


    "Let hime," Anfey said. "I¡¯m prepared."


    "We still cannot underestimate him, sir," Robert said. "Should I..."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "Suzanna and I can take care of it. Plus, Anthony is still here. There is no way Kamlin can take on so many people at once." He paused, then added quickly, "I¡¯m going to greet Andrea tomorrow when he arrives."


    Robert nodded. By the time Anfey rounded the corner, Robert had already disappeared again.


    Anfey walked into the yard of a small building and saw that Ye was already waiting for him.


    "Sir," Ye called, when he saw Anfey.


    "Did you find out anything useful?"


    Ye shook his head. "She¡¯s a tough one. I haven¡¯t gotten anything particrly useful so far."


    "Take me to her."


    Ye nodded. "Sir, pardon my intrusion, but... I think handing her off to Edy is our best bet."


    "It¡¯s still too early for that," Anfey said, shaking his head.


    "What if we change our n?"


    "What are you thinking?"


    "If we release her, she will surely go find help. If we follow her with the Eye of the Sky, we can find out who she is meeting with."


    "I don¡¯t think she will fall for that," Anfey said. "Julie is close with Wester. She is likely the handler of all of his spies. She is too smart for that."


    Ye frowned but nodded. He led Anfey into a room in the small building. Inside, Julie was tied to the wooden post, guarded by four mercenaries. Seeing Anfey, she quickly lowered her eyes to the ground.


    Anfey sat down on a chair and stared at her. Her hair was messy and her clothes were in tatters, but she had almost no blood on her. Clearly, Ye had followed Anfey¡¯s order and not tortured her.


    Julie looked confused at first, but after a few minutes of silence, found herself staring into Anfey¡¯s eyes.


    "You already know me, don¡¯t you?" Anfey said.


    "I don¡¯t know what you mean, sir," she whispered.


    "You¡¯re not worth my time," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I came to ask you one question and one question only. Do not try to fool me."


    Julie bit her lip and lowered her eyes.


    "I don¡¯t want to do this to you," Anfey said. "Because I know. I remember. You saved my life once."


    "I really don¡¯t..." Julie stuttered.


    "I see," Anfey said. He stood and walked over to Julie, who straightened herself to look at him.


    "Back then, we were weak and vulnerable. You don¡¯t want to work with us because you still see us as children." He grabbed a mercenary¡¯s sword and stabbed Julie through the arm with it. "I¡¯m here to tell you that you¡¯re wrong." He thrust the sword, sending it through her other arm, nailing her two arms behind her. Julie¡¯s chest heaved with pain, but she still did not say anything.


    Anfey grabbed her shoulder. "Listen," he said, staring into her eyes. "I don¡¯t care if you saved me once. If you try to hurt people I care about, if you try to hurt my family, I will make you regret ever being born."

 Chapter 543: A Despicable Duel

    Chapter 543: A Despicable Duel


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The heavy footsteps had disturbed the tranquility of the mountain peak. A shadow walked out slowly from the woods. Anfey was leaning against an old tree at the mountain peak, enjoying the view at the foot of the mountain. He had heard the sound of footsteps, but he did not turn around. He looked calm, and his eyes were bright. His long, white, magic robe was fluttering, making him look graceful.


    The footsteps sounded steady and heavy. It was as though the body had been made from iron and steel. The shadow stopped when he was more than 10 meters away from Anfey, and said in a deep voice, "Do you have a letter for me?"


    "Yes." Anfey smiled amicably and took out a letter. "Here it is."


    The man nced at Anfey and walked slowly toward him. Anfey could hide his strength well, and even Saul, Ernest, Baery and the other top level powers had been deceived. This man must have been deceived as well, but he was very cautious. When he was two meters away from Anfey, he stopped and took the letter from him.


    Anfey smiled and continued to look at the foot of the mountain.


    The man could not sense any animosity from Anfey. Moreover, he was confident of himself. Anfey seemed to be a low level magician, and his power was extremely weak, so he took only one step backward and quickly opened the letter.


    There were only a few words on the letter: Your daughter has been killed by Anfey!


    The man turned pale and squashed the letter. The thin paper tore in two. Suddenly, he frowned. He felt that something was amiss. Anfey had expended much effort in capturing his daughter from Diamond City, so he would not have killed her so suddenly!


    As the man was frowning, Anfey had taken action. He was indescribably fast. To a bystander, Anfey had just moved his shoulders, but he was already close to the man. His fist was about to hit upon the man¡¯s face.


    The man was quick, too. He stepped back and countered with a backhand. He had wanted to block the blow and seize Anfey¡¯s fist.


    The punch and the palm met, and there was a loud bang. The man¡¯s hand had been pushed back a few inches. He had wanted to seize Anfey¡¯s fist, but he ended up grabbing into the air. Anfey had borrowed strength from the force and had now retreated.


    "Your palm is very warm and moist. Did I give you a fright?" Anfey said with a smile. He was professionally trained to put on a deceptive smile. Other than those who knew him, the rest of the people would have thought that he was smiling like a big brother. To Kamlin, Anfey did not look like a big brother, but rather an energetic youth.


    "What do you want?" Kamlin asked coldly. He was puzzled. Although he was shocked by the punch, he perceived that Anfey was only testing him, and had not wanted to attack him.


    "Your reaction is quick and your strength is superb. You do have a chance to save your daughter." Anfey smiled.


    "From where do I save her?" Kamlin asked anxiously.


    "Here."


    "Here?" Kamlin was stunned for a while, and suddenly said coldly, "You mean here?"


    "That¡¯s right, here." Anfey scanned the surroundings and said: "Look at the sunset, clouds, mountain peak and strong wind. This is such a beautiful and exciting ce. You can die here without regrets."


    "You are Anfey?" Kamlin shouted. He was of a bigger build than Anfey. With the shout, he seemed to have grown even bigger.


    "Bingo," Anfey said tly. "But...if you strike now, it will be to your disadvantage. You should be standing there." Having said that, Anfey pointed toward the cliff.


    "Why?" Kamlin said coldly, while he kept ncing at Anfey. He had heard that Anfey was terrifying, but he could not see how terrifying Anfey could be. Since his track record had shown to be so, Kamlin had to be careful.


    "Since your daughters are there, and you want to protect them, shouldn¡¯t you be there?"


    Kamlin took a deep breath. He stood frozen to the ground, and after some time, he slowly walked past Anfey, moving toward the cliff. When he was a few meters away from the cliff, Kamlin suddenly lost control of himself and pounced forward. His hands were on the edge of the cliff, and he looked down.


    This should be the best time to attack. but Anfey stood firm and did not move. He found it interesting. It was a rare opportunity to watch the performance of a top level power. Moreover, the top level power was lying down there, like a dog. Anfey felt entertained.


    Kamlin¡¯s right foot was deep in the mud, and his back muscles bulged. The most valuable thing about this was, Kamlin had stopped breathing. He was ready to attack. He had pretended to lose control in order to deceive Anfey into attacking¡ªa decoy of sorts.


    Holding one¡¯s breath could condition the body into tip-top condition. Anfey had known this since he was young. When one stopped breathing, his punch would be at its quickest and most powerful. His senses would be at their sharpest, and he would be very focused. It was like jumping down from a high ce. Beforending, one would naturally stop breathing. If he had deliberately started to breathe in or out, he would suffer internal injuries.


    After a while, Kamlin slowly stood up and turned to face Anfey. He looked puzzled, but at the same time, angry.


    "Did you see it? Sir Kamlin, what do you think...under such a situation, a father will do?" Anfey put on a devilish smile. However, since he was a gentleman, he was a polite devil.


    It did not bother Anfey that Kamlin was agitated. He had been well-entertained! The sky was getting dark, and the moon would soon be out. Anfey was not affected by the darkness. If Kamlin was not used to the dark, he would definitely lose out! This was all about timing.


    There were only a few old trees on the mountain peak. However, the foot of the mountain was thriving with woods. It was summer, and the rich smell of nature was enough to replenish the energy that Anfey had lost when he was using his mental strength to spy on Kamlin. The cliff was behind Kamlin. Anfey would not use magic. Even if he were in danger, he would have stayed put. To prevent the mountain from destruction and causing rockslides, he would not exert full force. This was his topographical advantage.


    The two daughters of Kamlin had been tied up to a long rope, which was hung somewhere at the foot of the mountain, over 30 meters away. Should Anfey get into danger, he would attack the rope in order to turn the situation around, forcing Kamlin to save his daughters. At the very least, he was in an unassable position. This was about people.


    Anfey had all three elements to his advantage: timing, topography, and people. His preparation was much more than these!


    "Anfey, we need to talk." Kamlin controlled his anger and tried to speak calmly.


    "Talk? Of course." Anfey nodded and said: "If I release your daughters, you must pledge your loyalty to me and kill Edward VIII."


    "You..." Kamlin grasped his fists, and his body made sounds, simr to the popping of popcorn.


    "Is the deal off?"


    "Kamlin, are you qualified to question me?" Anfey said with a smile. "Lord Ynthe will definitely unify the continents, but you chose to go against the Maho Empire. This is your first mistake. In order to save your daughters, you have snuck into the Rozin Province. Now, you can only depend on yourself. This is your second mistake. Your third mistake is that you don¡¯t understand me. This is a grave mistake! You said that I have gone overboard, hahaha...I like to go overboard. What can you do to me?"


    Kamlin maintained hisposure, but the nerves on his neck had protruded out. He was obviously enraged.


    "Kamlin, I think my request is reasonable. I will let you and your daughters off, and have only asked of you to pledge your loyalty to me. Is this asking too much?" Anfey raised his brows and said, "Do you have other means to save your daughters? All right, even if you manage to kill me and save your daughters, where can you go to? After Lord Ynte has unified the continents, there will be no ce for you. If you have surrendered then, will you not be aughing stock?"


    Finally, Kamlin¡¯s expression changed. What Anfey had said was true.


    "Moreover, if you kill me today, do you think that Lord Ynthe will take you in if you surrender in the future? My master will be heartbroken, Lord Christian will be heartbroken, all those people who serve the Maho Empire will be heartbroken! Frankly speaking, Kamlin, the only way out for you is to submit to the Maho Empire. You have to do it now. If not, your life will end here. You can¡¯t even save yourself, let alone others!"


    Kamlin stood still, without saying a word.


    The sun had set, and the sky had gradually darkened. After some time, Kamlin said in a hoarse voice, "Anfey, If I pledge loyalty to you, will you release my daughters now?" Kamlin seemed to havee to a decision. With Anfey around, it would be impossible for him to save his daughters. Even he was in danger. The only way out for him was topromise.


    "That¡¯s right." Anfey nodded.


    "All right..." Kamlin said reluctantly, and slowly knelt down on one knee and said, "I, Kamlin, swear to Dragon God that I will pledge loyalty to Sir Anfey from now on."


    "Hahaha..." Anfey suddenly broke out intoughter.


    "Sir, why are youughing? Are you insulting me?" Kamlin lifted up his head and said.


    "Hahaha..." Anfey suppressed hisughter and said, "Kamlin, you don¡¯t understand me, but I know you well! I have heard that you have been living in seclusion for a long time. It is a pity...I think it suits you well to lead such a life. You...shouldn¡¯t havee out. You really shouldn¡¯t have!"


    "Sir, what do you mean?"


    "No matter how well you have controlled your emotions, or how sincere your words sounded, they will not help you gain my trust. It is your choice that counts." Anfey sighed and said, "You are stubborn, strong, and courageous. My master has told me that you are a valiant warrior. Hahaha...I don¡¯t think so. You are stupid enough to bring your wife to challenge the master necromancer, Morgan. I don¡¯t think you will submit to me and serve me."


    "You are doubting my sincerity?" Kamlin slowly stood up and said. "Why don¡¯t you tell me, how can I prove my sincerity to you?"


    "I am not doubting you, I just don¡¯t trust you at all." Anfeyughed. "I have said, I know you well! You are very particr about your reputation. After your wife had been killed by Morgan, you were too ashamed to face anyone, so you chose to live a secluded life. If you have rejected my offer and promised me that you will bring your daughters to live in seclusion and no longer involve yourself with the matters of the Shansa Empire, ...I would have probably believed you. Given your character, this is what you would have done."


    Kamlin¡¯s cheeks twitched, and he chose to remain silent.


    "Kamlin, you know how to bargain, don¡¯t you? If you had wanted topromise, you would havee up with various solutions to preserve your dignity, and at the same time, to save your daughters." Anfey said slowly, "It is a pity that you have been thinking of ways to deceive me instead. You have ced your energy at the wrong ce! This is why you have not realized that not bargaining with me was a mistake!"


    "Sir, you..." Kamlin opened his mouth, but could not get out a word.


    "One more thing, you have never mentioned someone! The kid that you have sent to assassinate Alice was the descendant of dragonborn! Why have you not mentioned it? Are you worried that I will doubt you?" Anfeyughed out loud. "Since you have not mentioned it, all the more, I will not trust you! You have withdrawn from your seclusion and worked with Edward VIII to avenge your child, haven¡¯t you?"


    Kamlin moved suddenly, and like a crazy wild ox, he barged toward Anfey. His hair and clothes had been straightened by the strong wind.


    Anfey continued to smile, and lifted up his hand to release magic. A zing meteorite appeared in the air, and with a hiss, it dropped down.


    Kamlin was stunned at first, but quickly turned around and pounced toward the meteorite. The meteorite will fall to the foot of the mountain, and Kamlin knew now who Anfey was nning to attack.


    Kamlin¡¯s skin was immune to fire. The weight of the meteorite was not a threat to him. With a wave of his backhand, Kamlin sent the meteorite toward the side of the mountain.


    "Have you been exposed? I was testing you earlier. It is a pity that you did not pass the test," Anfey said with a smile.


    Kamlin was stunned. He felt like vomiting. When Anfey had pointed out the mistakes that he hadmitted, and had mentioned that not understanding Anfey was a grave mistake, he had thought that Anfey was bragging. However, Anfey had now be a devil to him. He did not know when Anfey was telling the truth. Even at this moment, he did not know if Anfey was testing him, making fun of him, or ridiculing him.


    When he was on his way up the mountain, he was calm. When he saw his daughters being hung at the foot of the mountain, he wasposed. However, he was now confused. His thoughts could have been led by Anfey, or the confusion could be due to the teasing and sneering.


    Regardless of what it was, he had to fight. Kamlin roared and stabbed toward Anfey.


    Anfey lifted up his hand. He still had the smile on his face, he had maintained his posture, the magic was still there, and the target remained unchanged. Kamlin could only repeat his earlier actions, which were to stop abruptly and then pounce toward the back.


    "Anfey, as the heir of the Sacred Level, you could only attack the innocent?" Kamlin shouted. He could not exin how Anfey was able to release the meteorite. He only knew that if they continued to fight, he would be at his mercy!


    "What do you mean by innocent? When I first learned magic from my master, I was innocent. But, I have been framed. I have wanted to remain innocent, but after a few days, Phillip¡¯s grandson, Zeda, barged into the master¡¯s house and wanted to kill me. He was ruthless. Was I not innocent? After that, I met a high priest. I respected and trusted him, but what did I get?"


    Anfey sneered. "Everyone is innocent. Anyone can hurt another innocent person, so why can¡¯t I?"


    "Bullshit!" Kamlin shouted. "If you are a man, have a fair duel with me!"


    "Only an idiot will have a fair duel with you." Anfey smiled sarcastically. "When you were after Morgan¡¯s life, did you go with your wife? When the people asked you to be fair, were you being fair to them?"


    At this instant, a magic signal was sent from the foot of the mountain, which took Kamlin by surprise. Anfey said knowingly, "It seems like you have gotten yourself help. What a pity...they will not be able to help you!"


    "Great...you think you are great!" Kamlin¡¯s eyes gradually turned red.

 Chapter 544: Stubborn

    Chapter 544: Stubborn


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey observed Kamlin carefully. The Dragonborn¡¯s eyes changed to a dark red color as the shape changed as well.


    Kamlin suddenly lunged at Anfey, swinging his fist. He was too far away to do any physical harm, but as he swung his fist, a ring on his hand suddenly burst into light. The light caught Anfey off guard, forcing him to turn his head away so he wouldn¡¯t be blinded by it.


    As Anfey turned his head away, Kamlin moved closer. In order to reduce any noise, he slowed his speed and movement. He only picked up his speed when he was very close to Anfey.


    Anfey jumped back, shielding his eyes from the light of the ring. He was slower than Kamlin, but he summoned his ax in time to block his punch.


    Kamlin¡¯s fist mmed into the ax, sending both Kamlin and Anfey flying backward. Anfey stumbled andnded, gripping the ax in his hand. As Kamlinnded, he immediately pushed himself off of the ground and dashed towards Anfey again.


    Anfey gripped the ax in his hands. He knew that Kamlin must have had a backup n and was ready for it, but he still fell for the Dragonborn¡¯s trap.


    Kamlin walked around Anfey and was very careful with his movement. He knew how powerful his ring was and knew its effects. He had time and he knew there was no need to rush into a decision.


    Normally, a blinded man would start attacking randomly. Mages tended to resort to levitation spells. Without his sight, Anfey couldn¡¯t use his mind magic and couldn¡¯t attack Kamlin¡¯s daughters anymore.


    Anfey stood firmly with his head down.


    Kamlin frowned then moved towards Anfey slowly. When he was close enough, he swung his fist at him. Last time, Anfey was able to detect his movement. This time, any wind current his attack caused would have been blocked by Anfey¡¯s clothes.


    Anfey did not move until Kamlin was very close to him. He suddenly leaned forward, letting go of his ax. A burst of mes appeared in his hands and flew towards Kamlin. As soon as the me left his hand, Anfey reached over grabbed the falling ax again.


    The me flew towards Kamlin and struck his face, exploding into a burst of blinding red light.


    Kamlin took a step backward instinctively, caught off guard by this unanticipated change. He suddenly saw the ax through the red light and it was flying towards him.


    Not only was his skin immune to most magic, it was also able to protect him from physical attacks. That was why he was able to be very powerful without being able to use magic orbat power. However, Anfey¡¯s attack was too sudden and too close. He couldn¡¯t risk taking a hit that could have injured him. He took a few steps back to block the hit.


    As Kamlin was retreating, a wall of fire appeared under his feet, enveloping him. A few momentster, Anfey appeared through the fire and swung the ax at him.


    Anfey was taking a risk by fighting Kamlin while blinded, but Kamlin did not want to take the risk too. He kept retreating, putting as much as distance as possible between himself and the ax. With a rumble, a wall of earth appeared behind him, blocking his path.


    Both Kamlin and Anfey were very fast. In a fight like this, a moment of hesitation could have meant life and death. The wall of earth made Kamlin hesitate. By the time he recovered, Anfey¡¯s ax was already too close for him to duck.


    With a loud thud, Kamlin bursted into golden light. The ax shed with the light, sending him crashing through the wall of earth.


    Anfey walked towards Kamlin slowly, his eyes still closed. He wasn¡¯t nning on using magic in the fight, but he remembered Saul¡¯s words about how magic wasn¡¯t all about hurting and attacking.


    Kamlin stood up, staring at Anfey with a frown. He raised his ax and took a deep breath.


    Before Anfey could attack again, the image of a creature appeared behind Kamlin. The creature expanded and did not stop until it was towering over both men. Then, it suddenly disappeared and Kamlin¡¯s skin deepened to a dark blue. He took a deep breath slumped to the ground.


    Anfey was very sensitive to magic surges and he could detect a strange surge around Kamlin. He guessed about the creature that appeared behind Kamlin. He must have summoned a dragon.


    Anfey disappeared from where he stood as the strange surge reached him. Then, he reappeared above Kamlin and mmed down his ax.


    Kamlin jumped back to distance himself away from the ax. Anfey did not chase after him. He knew he was faster than Kamlin, but not by much. Until the strange surge disappeared, he did not want to return to the ground.


    Kamlin inched closer to the cliff. He knew how difficult it was to fight someone who used teleportation. He still needed to go save his daughters.


    Kamlin nced at Anfey, then turned and jumped off of the cliff. A pair of dark blue wings appeared on his back.


    Anfey frowned. He chased after Kamlin, summoning firebirds and lightning. However, he was too slowpared to Kamlin and his magic could not do him any harm.


    Kamlin dove down from the sky, grabbing the rope that bound his daughters. He broke them and gathered the two girls into his arms. He flew towards the ground, holding his daughters. Suddenly, he felt something dragging him the ground.


    He was strong, but it was still hard for him to carry two people as he flew. The gravity spell just made it even harder. Kamlin was stubborn and never would have abandoned his daughters for his own safety.


    Suddenly, Anfey appeared above Kamlin and his ax caught him in the back. Kamlin grunted and his daughters, upon seeing blood, fainted.


    Kamlin fell from the sky to the ground, blooding trailing in the air. Anfey chased after him, determined to make sure that his opponent did not get back up again.

 Chapter 545: Apology

    Chapter 545: Apology


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After dinner, Alice returned to her office, as usual. However, she felt unsettled. One moment, she was flipping through her documents, and the next, she was pacing up and down the office floors, or looking out the window. Hui Wei, who was sitting opposite her, felt strange. After a while, he could no longer hold back, and asked, "Alice, what is the matter with you?"


    "Anfey is not back yet," Alice gently opened the window and said. "Do you think...something has happened to them?"


    "I think Anfey, Suzanna, and Anthony went together. I think they should be fine!" Hui Wei said with a smile. With Anfey¡¯s ability, and Suzanna and Anthony to help him, no one in the continent should pose a threat to them.


    "I know they went together, but..." Alice hesitated for a while and said, "I have a bad premonition."


    "Oh?" Hui Wei went nk, and just as he was about to speak, someone knocked on the door. Shinb, who was standing outside the office, said, "Sir, Sir Anfey is back."


    Hui Wei nearly broke out intoughter. Alice was just telling him of her bad premonition, and someone immediately reported that Anfey was back. This was funny. Hui Wei suppressed hisughter, and looked through the documents that he was holding on to, and acted as if nothing had happened.


    Alice¡¯s face turned slightly red, and she quickly went back to her seat. She shuffled her documents and said, "Come in."


    Shinb opened the door and looked in. She could not understand why Alice had asked her toe into the office, when she was just notifying her. Why did she have to go in? Alice was flipping through a document, and was scribbling and circling something on it. One moment she was frowning, and the next, she was rxing. She looked as if she was seriously looking through the document and was in deep thought.


    Hui Wei covered his mouth and looked at Alice in amusement. Why was she working so hard now, when she could have done this earlier?


    After a while, when no one spoke, Alice lifted up her head in surprise and asked, "What is it...where is Anfey?"


    "Sir Anfey is not here yet."


    "Did you not say that he is back?"


    "Sir, I have sent someone to wait at the city gate, since you have asked me a number of times today. The moment I received news that Sir Anfey is back, I rushed here immediately to report to you," Shinb smiled wryly and said.


    Alice was stunned for a while, then broke out intoughter. She had thought that Shinb was telling her Anfey hade to the office. However, Shinb was merely informing her that Anfey was back. "What is wrong with me?" Although she felt stupid about her actions, she did not try to cover this up, butughed at herself instead. She knew that the more she attempted to cover things up, the more embarrassed she would be.


    Hui Wei merely observed and pretended not to have heard anything.


    Alice threw down the document on the table and said, "That is all for today." She then stretched out and said, "Ah...I am feeling sleepy." Alice had put on silk clothes, as it was summer. When she lifted up her arms, the sleeves glided down, showing her fair skin.


    "Sir, this is so unmorous," Hui Wei said with a wry smile. Having assisted Alice for a while, this was the first time that he saw her stretching out.


    "Does it matter?" Alice chuckled, then walked slowly to the window.


    "If there is nothing else...can I make a move first?" Hui Wei asked.


    "Yes," Alice nodded.


    Hui Wei stood up and started to pack the documents on the table. Alice let out a sigh and sat sideway on the windowsill, humming a song. Hui Wei hesitated for a while, as though he wanted to say something. However, he decided not to, and let out a sigh.


    Sometimes, one must pretend to be muddle-headed. Take Anfey, for example. Saul, Baery, and a few others knew what he was up to, but they pretended not to know. Everyone knew what Alice was thinking, but other than pretending to be ignorant, they could not do anything. No one could interfere in such a matter.


    Anfey patted Shinb¡¯s shoulder. Having seen that it was Anfey, Shinb quickly stepped aside. When Anfey saw Alice sitting on the windowsill, he was shocked and asked, "What are you doing?" To Anfey, Alice was a helpless woman. What she was doing was dangerous.


    "Anfey!" Alice was both surprised and d to see Anfey. She looked at him and said, "Are you alright?"


    "What can happen to me?" Anfey shook his head and said, "Come down, don¡¯t sit there. It is dangerous! If you feel bored in this room, you can change to another room. How about shifting to the fourth level? There are a few rooms with a balcony. You can take a rest in the balcony when you are tired."


    Having said that, Suzanna and Anthony walked in. Alice regained her posture and slowly made her way to her seat. A woman would be stupid or crazy under certain special situations. When Anfey had said that it was dangerous, a thought shed across Alice¡¯s mind. She had thought of pretending to have lost her bnce and falling out of the window, so that Anfey could save her. However, when Suzanna showed up, she gave up the idea.


    "Anfey, you can have this seat. I am going to look for Ozzic to discuss some matters with him." Hui Wei gave up his seat and said, "Oh, Alice, I have something to tell you."


    "What?" Alice was stunned.


    "I will never trust your premonitions anymore. Hahaha..." Hui Wei walked out,ughing.


    Alice stared at his back,ughing as well.


    "What premonition?" Anfey asked curiously.


    "Who knows what this guy is talking about!" Alice changed the topic and asked, "Anfey, has everything...been settled?"


    Suzanna visited the office every day, so she made herselffortable bysitting down on a chair. However, it was the first time for Anthony to visit the office. When he saw the documents on the table, he was amazed. There were three big stacks of documents, a meter high, on the table. When would she be able to finish reading them?


    "Yes." Anfey nodded, as he sat on Hui Wei¡¯s seat. "Alice, I met Ye at the city gate. He said...we will be having war soon."


    "So soon?"


    "We are already behind schedule," Alice said with a smile. "Our Lord had wanted to end the war before winter. We have sent our army in spring, and it is now midsummer, but we have only captured one province. If we dy it further, we will have to drag the war out to the following year."


    "You have not been resting for two months. If this continues..." Anfey said softly, "you may not be able to take it."


    "What to do? Although our Lord has never hastened me, I know that everybody is waiting. Everybody is waiting for the situation in Moro Province to stabilize. I can only fight on." Alice looked helpless and said, "But things will get much better. In these two months, I have around 300 peopleing to me on a daily basis, looking for opportunities. Some have been rmended, and some came of their own ord. There were also some who were the rtives of the officers. There were quite a number of talents. Of course, this is a rough gauge. In terms of their capabilities and personalities, we will have to leave it up to time to tell us. My objective is to put the framework in ce, so that Moro can function properly."


    "I am thinking...our Lord could be testing you," Anfey said slowly. "That is why, our Lord has instructed the army to stay put in Moro Province. If you are unable to handle a single province, then our Lord..."


    Alice pondered this for a while, and lifted up her head to look at Anfey. She had been too busy to consider other things. What Anfey had said had enlightened her. "Our Lord is amazingly patient. Although he has decided to end the war before winter, he has waited patiently for me for two months. What if I fail to handle this well?"


    "No, you have handled things very well. No one has done a better job than you." Anfey said this with a smile. "As for our Lord...hahaha, he has waited for donkey years, what is two more months to him? All right, let¡¯s not talk about this. Please continue with what you have to say."


    "I will keep half of the talents that have been selected, and the rest will be sent to Yellowstone Province."


    "You mean you intend to let them manage Yellowstone Province?"


    "Yes."


    "Then what about those people in Yellowstone Province? They will be resentful if we are not getting the locals to manage them," Anfey said with a frown.


    "We can promote some of the locals and let them work together. As for the rest of the people, I will send them to another province. In this way, I can set up the framework within a short period of time," Alice said. "The greatest problem that we are facing now, is that there is no suitable candidate. Once we can get this person, the rest will be easy."


    "What will happen to the remaining ones?"


    "Anfey, have you been to the Sacred City? Are there many royal families?"


    "Needless to say."


    "It is the same with Diamond City." Alice smiled. "I have a premonition that, when we step into Diamond City, there will be bloodshed. A lot of people will be wiped out, and their positions will be enough for our people to fill."


    "Premonition? Hui Wei has just said that he no longer trusts in your premonitions." Anfey teased her.


    "You...we are talking about a serious matter!" Alice was annoyed and amused at the same time. She turned over and said to Suzanna, "Suzanna, you need to take him in hand!"


    "Me?" Suzanna was stunned for a while, and then said with a smile, "Sorry, Alice. Anfey always speaks his mind."

 Chapter 546: Refugee

    Chapter 546: Refugee


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Baery and Kumaraghosha¡¯s forces had swept over almost half of the entire Shansa Empire. Edward the Eighth had not made any moves to defend the other provinces from invasion and instead concentrated all of his troops near Diamond City.


    As more and more cities fell to the Maho armies¡¯ invasions, Edward the Eighth was forced to ask the Ellisen Empire for help. The Ellisen court became divided on the matter. Half of the court supported sending troops while the other half did not.


    The Ellisen Empire was not doing well while not under invasion either. It had lost several important mages and did not want to get involved in another war, especially not against the Maho Empire.


    Many of the generals in the Ellisen Empire believed that Ynthe wanted to see how the Ellisen Empire would have reacted, which was why he didn¡¯t make any further moves after he took the Morro Province. He must have had a n on how to deal with the Ellisen Empire if it ever decided to help the Shansa Empire.


    The nobles knew that the only hope they had was Scarlet. She had the support of the Church of Light, the mercenaries, and the druids. The Shansa Empire provided everything to fight thest battle. Scarlet was the only one that was able to halt the invading armies of the Maho Empire. Without her, there was no hope for the Shansa Empire. The Ellisen nobles were well aware of this, which was why they did not want to help the Shansa Empire.


    For the mercenaries in the League, it was less like a war and more like traveling. The League was met with little resistance and any resistance was easily repressed. Before anyone realized it, summer was nearing its end.


    At dusk, Anfey strolled through the yard of the house he was upying. Four elves heard himing and hurried out into the yard.


    "You¡¯re back, sir," Yalbevin said with a small bow. "Dinner is ready."


    Anfey never had servants and the sudden addition made him ufortable. However, what happened a few weeks ago changed his mind. A few mercenaries got drunk and tried to assault the elves. Luckily, they were easily subdued and caused no further damage.


    Burzuryano was around when it happened. When he heard about it, he was offended and asked Anfey to do something about it. Anfey was very interested in Paglia and decided to let the elves live with him for a while so he could keep an eye on her.


    "Is it the same thing as yesterday?" Anfey asked. The elves had a routine and did not like deviating from it. This meant that dinner was the same every single day. Elves were very close to nature and the food they prepared reflected it. The dishes were made of fruits and flowers and were not seasoned. Luckily, he did not need to eat that often so he did not need much food.


    Yalbevin hesitated and nodded. "Would you like to switch it up, sir?"


    Anfey sighed and shook his head. "Don¡¯t worry about it," he said. He went inside and saw dishes of fruits and jars of honey sitting on the table. There were three chairs around the table, and a unicorn upied one of them. Seeing Anfey made the unicorn snicker happily.


    Anfey sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. He grabbed an apple and yed with it. He knew Alice was holding a feast. Maybe he should have gone to check out the feast. As he was about to take a bite out of the apple, he realized something was off about the fruit. He turned it around and saw it was missing a chuck. He frowned and checked the other apples on the table and realized all the apples were missing a chuck or two. He knew the elves would never have served food like this. He turned to the unicorn. "Did you do this?" he asked, shaking his head.


    The unicorn stood up on its hind legs and stared at Anfey with its bright blue eyes.


    "Did you steal food again?" one of the elves came up and asked, giving the unicorn a light smack on the head.


    The unicorn whined and swung its legs. It was bing anxious and wanted to eat.


    "He¡¯s getting smarter," Anfey said, patting the unicorn¡¯s head. "At least he knows how to hide his crimes."


    Yalbevin smiled. "Of course," she said. "He will grow into a top-level magic beast."


    Anfey pushed his dish over to the unicorn. "Eat," he said. "Hopefully I will live to see that day." The unicorn snickered happily and delved into the food. Anfey turned to the elves and asked, "Do you not need salt?"


    The elves shook their heads.


    Anfey smiled. "It seems like we are very different, after all," he said. "I can¡¯t always eat food with no vor."


    "I will speak with Lord Feller tomorrow," Paglia said. "Maybe he can find you a few cooks, sir."


    Anfey nodded and smiled at Paglia.


    Just then, someone came into the yard. Yalbevin hurried out to greet the neer. "Wee back, mydy."


    "Is Anfey back?"


    "He is inside, mydy."


    A few momentster, Suzanna came into the room. Anfey smiled. "Come join me," he said.


    Suzanna nced at the food and frowned. "You have the unicorn," she said. She was a swordsman and needed actual food to sustain her. The elven food was far from enough to do so.


    "Come on," Anfey said. "Please."


    "Never," Suzanna said, rolling her eyes.


    "You¡¯re back early," Anfey said, standing up.


    "Alice has a feast tonight," Suzanna said. "I wasn¡¯t needed there. I will go backter." She paused, then said, "Another thing. Douminge¡¯s students got out of Diamond City."


    "His students?"


    Suzanna nodded. "They just arrived. Six of them to be exact. They have information. Alice and Douminge are speaking with them."


    "What about?"


    "Edward the Eighth is focusing all of his armies on Diamond City," Suzanna said. "He has a lot of food and magic crystals prepared." She sighed and shook her head. "This war has created many refugees. They are heading this way as well."


    "Suzanna, what do you mean those students got out of Diamond City?"


    "Edward the Eighth kept them as prisoners after Douminge joined us."


    Anfey sighed and shook his head. "Come on, Suzanna," he said. "I want to go talk to them. Maybe we can get some real food as well."


    Suzanna nced at the untouched food on the table and giggled. "Alright," she said. "Let¡¯s go."

 Chapter 547: Carrot and Stick

    Chapter 547: Carrot and Stick


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Diplomats usually used the carrot and stick approach. In normal circumstances, one would first apply the stick approach. If one first gave out a carrot, he could be looked down upon. The stick approach would then be ineffective in the future.


    Alice was applying a simr strategy. In the Moro Province, after she had killed many people, she mellowed. The situation in Moro Province was very different from the other provinces. Moro Province was at the border of the Maho Empire. As it was their nativend, some of them could not bear to leave, whereas some could not make it on time to leave. Most of the royal families had stayed in their feudal estate, and there was chaos.


    After the royal families had heard about the situation of Moro Province, they were afraid. Many had escaped to Diamond City. They were running for their lives, and could not be bothered with dealing with their properties. Those who had decided to stay put were disappointed with Edward VIII. They were looking for other opportunities. In fact, they were looking for a new master. These people need not be treated harshly.


    Alice had arranged a cocktail party for a purpose. She was trying to break the ice between the two parties, so that they could getfortable with one another. In another words, form a united front. Alice had reaped the fruits of herbor. The atmosphere was cordial. The generals of the Maho Empire and the royal families were chatting happily with one another. The royal families were looking forward to making themselves a ce in this new world. They did not want to be abandoned by this era. The generals in the Maho Empire had no personal feud with them. As for state hatred...since Lord Ynthe did not pursue the matter, it was pointless for them to do so. Everyone knew that, by having more friends, it would open up more opportunities for them.


    Anfey was leaning against the railing at the balcony. He was observing the people below. He was very sharp and caught sight of Douminge, who was walking out of the backyard. He was surprised and said, "Douminge doesn¡¯t like to attend banquets. Why is he here today?"


    "He should be here to pave the way for his students," Suzanna said softly.


    "Not bad, you have improved!"


    "Do you think that I am stupid?" Suzanna stared at Anfey.


    Anfey was about to say something, when he saw Baery following behind Douminge.


    "Marshal Baery is here too!"


    "At dusk, Alice sent someone to invite Marshal Baery. It seems like she wants the students of Douminge to hand over the information to Marshal Baery personally."


    "Seems like you are right. Douminge is paving the way for his students," Anfey said with a smile. "Ever since we stepped into the Shansa Empire, Douminge has never taken any action. Do you believe that? When we attack Diamond City, Douminge will volunteer to participate in the war. Hahaha...I guess Douminge has remained silent because he was afraid that he might do something drastic that will cause Edward VIII to lose his cool and vent his anger on Douminge¡¯s students."


    "It is hard on him. As the great magician, he still has to defy his own wishes and do the things that he doesn¡¯t like." Suzanna understood what Anfey meant. Douminge would not only volunteer himself, he would give his best, in order to pave the way for his students.


    "I can understand. How has the master been treating us? Douminge is also a good master." Anfey smiled and said, "Moreover, he has to make it up to his students, as his betrayal has put his students in danger. They have been imprisoned, and that has made Douminge feel guilty."


    At this instant, Alice appeared in the courtyard with five to six people in magic robes. They ranged in different ages. They gathered around Alice, as though she were a star. Alice was very warm toward them, and chatted happily with each.


    "They are the students of Douminge." Suzanna saw that as well.


    "Alice is Douminge¡¯s student. It seems like they have known each other for a long time." Anfey suddenly frowned. "I find it weird that, when Alice was being forced to marry into the mercenary country, they did not stand up for her."


    "Probably they were not in Diamond City, or...their words do not carry any weight. Nothing would have changed, even if they had stood up for her."


    The presence of the host made the atmosphere even better. Now and then, the royal families would go up to Alice and greet her. Alice would always reciprocate politely, and introduce the people who were beside her. Anfey hadputed that Alice had been held back more than 20 times, when she moved from the courtyard to the main hall. She had also said the same words more than 20 times. Douminge, who was in front, was surrounded by people as well. He looked extremely friendly, and was high-spirited. He was chatting happily with the people.


    However, Baery was being neglected. As the number one in the Maho Empire¡¯s army, and Marshal of the Empire, he was more useful than Alice and Douminge. However, the royal families dared not go near him. They were not qualified to do so, as well. If the generals of the Maho Empire were to go to the Marshal and talk rubbish to him, that would be digging their own graves. There was no one around Baery. When the royal families of the Shansa Province saw Baery walking toward them, they would smile and step aside. For the generals of the Maho Empire, they would stand upright, and after Baery had walked past them, they would quickly sneak to the side.


    "Since the host is here, why are you still up here?" Suzanna asked softly.


    "Why should I go down?" Anfey shook his head and said. "I am just a calefare."


    "Those few elves really are..." Suzanna felt helpless and said. "I think there is a ve market here. I will go there tomorrow and get you two maids. These elves are not capable of taking care of people."


    "Forget it." Anfey looked at Suzanna with a smirk and said, "Who knows, someone may get soft-heartedter and let them go. Although your husband is now filthy rich, you can¡¯t possibly buy all the ves in the entire continent!"


    Suzanna¡¯s face turned red. When Anfey had been confirmed as earl, someone had told her that it would seem improper not to have a few servants to serve Anfey. Suzanna had thought that it was a good idea to have a maid around, to take care of the house and of Anfey when she was not there. She had then gone to Violet City and bought a maid from the marketce. Out of curiosity, Suzanna asked about the girl¡¯s life. She found out that the girl was from the Maho Empire and had been captured by the army of the Shansa Empire. She waster captured by the soldiers of the Maho Empire. When she told the soldiers that she was from the Maho Empire, the soldiers told her to keep mum, and threatened to kill her if she told others about it. After that, she had been sold as someone from the Shansa Empire.


    There are ck sheep everywhere. For the sake of money, the soldiers could not care less. This was detestable.


    Suzanna took pity on her, and knowing that the girl was from ckania City, she gave her some money and let her go. Suzanna tore up the very contract on the spot, and told Anfey about it. Anfeyughed about it, and when Suzanna had wanted to buy another ve, Anfey stopped her. No one in the world would want to be a ve. Every ve had her own sad story. Once Suzanna let one go, there would be a second, and a third. It would be pointless to buy a ve. Moreover, Anfey preferred not to have someone to disturb the two of them. Suzanna also liked the idea and agreed with Anfey, so she gave up on getting a maid. However, since the two of them were digging up the past, she felt a little embarrassed.


    "I am only showing my concern for you!" Suzanna said angrily.


    "Be good, don¡¯t be angry." With one hand, Anfey held onto Suzanna¡¯s waist, and with the other, he pinched her cheek and said, "Marshal Baery saw us."


    When Anfey had said the earlier sentence, Suzanna was still pouting when she looked at him. However, upon hearing thetter, she quickly moved away from his arm and looked down. Baery was smiling as he looked at her. Suzanna felt embarrassed. She stamped her foot and said, "You are so bad! You know that someone is watching, and yet you..."


    Baery had reached the balcony. "Anfey, why are the two of you still up here?"


    "This is a good spot," Anfey said with a smile. "Sir, those few people...can the students of Douminge be trusted?"


    "This is not important. Anyway, Edward VIII cannot y any tricks now. He can only make hisst ditch defense in Diamond City." Baery suddenly frowned. "But...there are 22 mage towers in Diamond City. Edward VIII¡¯s pce mage group has never taken part inbat, so they did not suffer any losses. If he is scared, this will pose a problem. We will not be able to capture Diamond City before winter. Anfey, you are lucky and full of ideas. Any suggestions?"


    "Sir, what suggestions can I have?" Anfey smiled wryly. "Previously, when I suggested assassinating Scarlet, you were being implicated. Till now, I am still..."


    "Don¡¯t say this, Anfey." Baery waved his hand. "No one expected Scarlet to have the Ring of Immortal. It was just an ident. Why? Just because of one incident, you dare not speak out now?"


    "I am not good at military operations, so what suggestions can I have?" Anfey shrugged. "But, if you need me to kill someone, you can just tell me. Wherever you point to, I will just go!"


    "Hahaha...I am not asking you to give me any suggestions now. Do think about it, though. We still have two more months to go." Baeryughed loudly and gave Anfey a pat.


    Baery¡¯sughter attracted the attention of the people. They saw Baery talking happily to a young couple. Ever since Anfey had buried the dragonborn, Kamlin, he had been keeping a low profile. The royal families did not know Anfey. They were whispering to one another and making spections.

 Chapter 548: Mysteries

    Chapter 548: Mysteries


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A few momentster, Alice and a mage walked onto the balcony. Alice smiled at the mage and asked, "What are you doing here?"


    "You don¡¯t want to see me?"


    "Of course not," Alice grinned. She turned to Anfey and said, "This is Bensent, Master Douminge¡¯s best student." She turned to Bensent and said, "This is Anfey. I know you¡¯ve been wanting to meet him."


    "It¡¯s great to finally meet you, sir," Bensent said with a bow.


    "You¡¯re too kind," Anfey said with a smile.


    Baery patted Anfey on the shoulder and said, "I¡¯ll leave you to it." He paused and lowered his voice, "Think about what I just said."


    Anfey nodded. His reputation preceded him, but that was not always a good thing. With Baery, Saul, and Steger there, he did not have to take the risk.


    Alice nced at Baery curiously, but she did not want to ask with Bensent there. She turned back to Anfey and said, "Bensent is a good friend of one of our mercenaries."


    "Really?"


    Bensent nodded. "I was a part of the Jagged Rose Mercenary group. I didn¡¯t return to my home nation until two years ago."


    "You know Shinbe?"


    Bensent nodded. "I heard what happened between Manlyn and Shinbe. It was truly unfortunate. Manlyn was the one who invited me to join the mercenary group, but the more time I spent there, the more I realized that Manlyn isn¡¯t who he says he is. Shinbe, on the other hand, was righteous and treats everyone with respect. I wanted to warn her about Manlyn when I left, but I knew she wouldn¡¯t listen to me." Bensent sighed and shook his head.


    Alice sighed as well. "Poor woman," she said.


    The young people clearly got along very well. They spoke of everything from lives of mercenaries to the current situation to Douminge¡¯s past.


    Douminge was downstairs at the feast and could see the four speaking on the balcony. He smiled as he watched them as they were engaged in a long conversation. Alice was in charge of several different provinces, Christian was participating in a war that would decide the future of the world. Both Alice and Christian would one day be rulers. Anfey was the leader of the League and the one who bound everyone together. The three of them together would one day shape the world.


    In order to stabilize the chaotic situation, Ynther had to rely on Alice. Anfey was well respected in the Country of Mercenaries and was Saul¡¯s student. Ynther knew better than to get rid of Anfey and Alice, but if he wanted to choose Grandon or Wester to be his sessor, he had to.


    Saul was always worrying about the future, but Douminge knew better. He knew that Grandon was hoping to gain Saul¡¯s support by marrying Niya. However, Niya and Grandon were separated at the moment and it would not have been hard for Anfey to ruin Grandon¡¯s image in Niya¡¯s mind. That way, Niya would not have wanted to marry Grandon.


    Douminge knew that his students had to maintain good rtions with Saul¡¯s students. People like him and Saul were powerful, but they were growing old. Soon, they would have to give up the stage for the younger generation. Anfey was cruel, but he would never harm his friends or people who stood neutral grounds.


    He noticed that Bensent was already acting more natural and the conversation was flowing without him trying. As long as his students tried to befriend Anfey and his friends, their future would be bright.


    After a while, Bensent politely excused himself and went downstairs to rejoin his teacher. Alice remained on the balcony, leaning against the railing.


    "What do you think?" Anfey asked her.


    "Bensent is a good man," Alice said. "That why I brought him to meet you."


    "You¡¯re saying the others may not be?" Anfey asked.


    Alice shrugged. "He¡¯s the only one I know," she said. "My status limited my freedom. I don¡¯t know the others."


    "You just said Master Douminge inspired you when you were young," Anfey said. "Was that true?"


    "Of course it was."


    "But you¡¯ve never said anything about him."


    "Because I decided to leave my past in the past," Alice said. "There¡¯s no need bringing up my past. Plus, if I keep talking about my teacher, you¡¯d have thought I was threatening you."


    Anfey smiled at her but did not say anything.


    "When I was young, I thought I was inherently better because I was royal," Alice said. "We have wealth, strength, wisdom. We were born to be noble. Born to rule. I thought the peasants were greedy andzy, and without us, they would destroy the world. It was Master Douminge who taught me that was wrong." Alice paused and smiled. "I realized some are just unlucky. Even peasants can prove themselves to be great men and women. Master Douminge was a peasant once."


    "So was I," Anfey said.


    "You are luckier than he was," Alice said. "He achieved everything by himself."


    "And I didn¡¯t?" Anfey asked with a frown.


    "Do you believe that?"


    Anfey froze. Alice was right. Without the Heart of Nature, he would have never achieved what he was able to. And without Saul, he wouldn¡¯t even know what the Heart of Nature was.


    "Master Douminge also gave me my aunt¡¯s belongings so I could study from them."


    "Princess Victoria?"


    Alice nodded. "He gave me some of her diaries and some journals."


    "Why did he have her belongings?"


    "I¡¯m not sure," Alice said. "I think it was because he was one of her suitors."


    "And they couldn¡¯t marry because of status?" Anfey asked. Suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, he frowned.


    "More like age," Alice said. "What¡¯s wrong?"


    "Douminge was one of the princess¡¯s suitor and Baery killed her," Anfey said slowly.


    Alice said. "You¡¯re thinking too much," she said. "You really think they haven¡¯t worked it out?"


    "They¡ª"


    "What happened wasn¡¯t as simple as we thought," Alice said. "There were people in the Shansa Empire who wanted her dead. They betrayed her."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "She was the princess regent. She didn¡¯t need to go to that meeting," Alice said. "Our spies had already warned her of Baery¡¯s ill intents, but she still didn¡¯t bring any guards. She also had griffin knights guarding her, but she was still killed. None of it adds up."


    Anfey nodded. Alice was right. He was worrying too much. Surely Baery and Douminge had already worked out their differences. "I¡¯ll ask him about it one day," Anfey said.


    "What¡¯s the point?" Alice asked, shaking her head. "Just think. If one day someone asks you about how we met, do you think you would want to exin everything?"


    "No," Anfey said. "The past is in the past."


    "The past is in the past." Alice nodded in agreement. "So you¡¯ll understand they won¡¯t want to talk to you about it."


    "Why are you talking like you¡¯re old?" Anfey asked with a grin. "We¡¯re still young."


    "For now," Alice said. "Soon, we will grow old just like the others."


    "Wait," Anfey said, interrupting her. "Wait. Let¡¯s not delve into that. Let¡¯s go back to the feast."

 Chapter 549: Jailbreak

    Chapter 549: Jailbreak


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It was getting dark, and the banquet wasing to an end. As the guests were bidding farewell to one another, a ray of dazzling white light shot toward the sky. It exploded, raining down light. A powerful magic surged throughout the city. Anfey, Suzanna, and Alice turned pale, and the guests were whispering to one another. It was obviously a magic signal.


    "Please calm down," Alice said aloud. Both she and Ynthe wanted stability. She did not want anything to disturb the cordial atmosphere.


    "Suzanna, you stay with Alice and protect her," Anfey said in a low voice. He then walked out promptly, looking calm.


    Suzanna was about to say something, but Anfey had already left. She let out a sigh. There was a limitation to the message being conveyed using the magic signal. There were a few magic signals in The League of Mercenaries. Red represented emergency, and white represented that enemies had been spotted, and that someone had been killed.


    When the guards, who were at the door, saw Anfey, they stood upright. Anfey¡¯s body turned into multiple residual shadows and shot past them, causing a strong wind that made them lose their bnce. They had to release theirbat forces in order to bnce themselves once more.


    The strong smell of blood was everywhere. More than 30 mercenaries in the courtyard had been killed. No one had realized it, however, until Ye brought some men to arraign the prisoner.


    After Ye had sent out the signal, the first person to arrive at the scene was Anthony. It was his turn to patrol. Both of them looked pale.


    A thunderous voice was heard from afar, and they saw Anfey, flying low in the air, heading toward them. As Anfey was approaching them, he lifted up his hand and created a magic wall. He stepped on the wall and it copsed. Anfey slowed down, and with a somersault,nded gently in the courtyard.


    Anfey scanned his eyes around and then said in a low voice, "How many people have been killed?" He did not ask about the enemy. When he left the banquet, he had released his mind power to sense the city. He had sensed Ye, who was checking on the dead bodies, and Anthony, who was rushing toward the scene. He did not find anything amiss. Ye had stayed put at the scene, and he did not find anything amiss either.


    "33 of them." Ye was not one to easily show his emotions, but he was now in deep grief. Those people who had died were his right-hand men.


    "Are you the first to arrive?"


    "Yes. I am here to arraign Julie. I could smell blood from afar, and then..." Ye paused for a while.


    "Sir, Julie has escaped!"


    Anfey was stunned. "Show me around!"


    The cage that Julie had been locked up in had been destroyed. It was empty. Six mercenaries had been killed. Although they fell down in different positions, they had all been cut in the throat!


    There were blood stains on the floor and wall. Anfey touched the stains, twirling his fingers. Although he was not a forensic expert, he had some knowledge in terms of conjecturing on the timing of death, based on the viscosity of the blood.


    "Eleven of them, who were sleeping in the backyard, have been killed as well," Ye said in a low voice. "These guys are ruthless!"


    Anfey walked to the cage and gently touched the sped mark with his finger tip. With his backhand, he drew out the long sword from the dead mercenary, who was now before him. He then carefully ced the de onto the wound, slowly thrusting it in. The wound opened up when the de nted to one side.


    After a thorough check on the wound, Anfey went to six other dead bodies and did likewise. He shook his head and said, "This must have been done by the same person."


    "Same person?" Ye was stunned. "Sir, it is impossible! There are more than 30 men here. If there was only one enemy, the rest would have sent out the magic signal!"


    "Have the rest been cut in the throat as well?" Instead of replying, Anfey asked the question.


    "Yes."


    Anfey lowered his head and went into the cage. He looked around and saw the broken chain and rope on the floor. There were blood stains on them, but judging from the color, the blood stains had been there for a long time.


    "Whose blood is this?" Anfey asked softly.


    "It¡¯s Julie¡¯s"


    "Has she been badly injured?"


    "How should I say..." Ye hesitated for a while and said, "Yes, very badly."


    "What is this for?" Anfey found two sharp pieces of ironware under the chain. They looked like giant nails, and the blood stains on them had turned ck.


    "Has this been specifically used by Julie?"


    "Specifically used?"


    "Sir, this is...just an instrument of torture," Ye said with a wry smile.


    "Understood," Anfey nodded and said, "Tell me, can Julie move around freely now?"


    "Impossible," Ye said confidently. "Both of her legs have been crippled. Even if she takes several decades to recuperate, it will be impossible for her to stand up. Unless...she has the help of a high priest."


    "Have you not rushed over to arraign Julie? It has been so many days, and yet, you have not collected any useful information?"


    "Sir, you don¡¯t know how stubborn Julie was," Ye said helplessly. "When she could not take the torture, she would divulge a little, and when I stopped to interrogate her, she refused to say anything again. The cycle kept repeating, and I did not push her too hard, as I was afraid that I would kill her identally."


    "You should at least have some information. Show it to me."


    Ye took out a roll of paper from the Dimensional Ring and passed it to Anfey. Nothing much had been written on the paper. The statements were scattered and meaningless. Anfey took a nce, then handed it back to Ye. "Send some men to guard the city gate tomorrow. Julie has been crippled, so it will be inconvenient to move her around. They may use the carriage. You don¡¯t have to bother about those entering the city. However, for those who are going out, a thorough check must be carried out."


    "Sir, if your conjectures are right, and our men have been killed by one person, then he must be very powerful. Even if Julie is unable to move, it will not be difficult to bring her out of the city."


    "Will he get her out of the city in daylight?"


    "Not during the day, but during the night."


    "Turn off the lights at the city gate and city wall at night. Withdraw all the men. No one should stay there."


    "Sir, are you deliberately letting them escape? After that, then we..."


    "No, he dares not escape," Anfey said with a smile. "Suzanna, Anthony, and I will be in the city. Master, Baery, Steger and Bruzuryano are still outside the city. No matter how powerful he is, he could not possible fight against us. He will be extremely careful. Although it seems safer at night, he will not dare to escape then."


    "Sir, is he being careful? He has killed so many of our men!" Ye said with a wry tone.


    "Think hard. He has killed so many of our men...I can give you another reason," Anfey said tly. "It is possible that he hates us, and he is very close to Julie."


    "You mean..." Ye pondered for a while and said, "To disregard his own safety in order to save her shows that they are very close to each other. If he sees Julie, or hears anything about her, ...he will not be able to control his anger."


    "That¡¯s right," Anfey said softly. "Moreover...only our men and Julie are here. His target is very obvious. He is here to save Julie!"


    "Sir, what should we do now?"


    "Since he is so concerned about Julie, it will be easy." Anfey paused for a while and said, "First of all, we must keep them in the city. Julie will need to be treated. And we know how many doctors, pharmacists, and priests there are in the city, don¡¯t we?"


    "Sir, I will send the men out now."


    "No. The mercenaries of the inspectorate are extremely unruly. They will let the cat out of the bag." Anfey shook his head and said, "I have a candidate in mind."


    A figure shed across Ye¡¯s mind. Anfey must have chosen Robert.


    "Ye, tidy up the ce and then...bury them." Anfey pondered for a while and said, "Go to Hui Wei for the pensions. Remember, don¡¯t disappoint our men." Although Anfey rarely handled f such matters, and had delegated the task out, he had his own principle: never let his men shed blood or tears. Whenever his men were injured or killed, he had to repeat himself.


    "Yes, Sir," Ye replied with a nod.


    Anthony was still looking at the corpse, and was lost in contemtion when Anfey walked toward him. "Sir Anthony, have you found any clues?"


    "I have seen a simr corpse before." Anthony looked at Anfey.


    "Where? In the Country of Mercenaries?"


    "Yes." Anthony nodded. "But, I was very young then."


    "What has happened since then?"


    "It has been a long time. I can only remember that I was with Shanteler and Davidson. We were on our way back from the wild prairie and passed by the campsite of the mercenaries. As we were very young then, and liked to make friends, we had thought of going over to chat with the mercenaries. However, we found dead bodies in the campsite." Anthony spoke slowly. "The wounds on the mercenaries were exactly the same. They had been cut in the throats. We found it weird, as the possessions of the mercenaries were still intact. We had even found nine magic crystals. One would usually kill for the sake of money in the wild prairie. If not for money...then it must be for hatred. The hatred must have been very deep to have the mercenaries in the entire campsite killed."


    Anfey frowned. In every society, there would be people who could not blend in with the current civilization. They would choose to be in seclusion. As it had been said, the greatest hermit would retreat into the noisiest fair, and the small-time hermits would hide in the mountains.


    Regardless of the former ortter, many of them had great capabilities. Minosie was a dreadful representative figure. Even after his death, he held the world in disdain, and had caused the people in the continent to live in fear. ording to Anthony¡¯s conjecture, the opponent could be someone who was inactive. Such people would pose a problem, as not much information would be avable about them. They would not know anything about this person, but he would know everything about them.

 Chapter 550: Mole

    Chapter 550: Mole


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The inspectors lifted the dead mercenaries onto the stretchers. Their movements were very careful as if they were trying not to disturb the corpses. The League didn¡¯t have rules like a standard army, but the bonds between the mercenaries were much stronger.


    Anfey exchanged a few more words with Ye and left with Anthony. Two carriages were already waiting by the door. Anthony could tell Anfey was in a bad mood and that he was thinking, so he simply nodded before disappearing into one of the carriages.


    By the time Anfey got back to his ce, it was well past midnight. Surprisingly, the elves were still awake. They were already waiting for him in the yard when he got off of the carriage.


    "Is Suzanna home?" Anfey asked softly.


    Yalbevin nodded. "Mydy is waiting for you inside, sir."


    "I see," Anfey said. "Go get some rest." The elves nodded and Anfey hurried into the building.


    Suzanna was sitting on the bed. She was staring at the air in front of her, thinking. Seeing Anfey walk into the room, she jumped off of the bed to greet him. "What happened?"


    "The prison was attacked," Anfey said. "We have some casualties. It¡¯s not that big of a deal, but..."


    "But what?"


    "But Alice may find it difficult. I need to talk to her tomorrow. If I¡¯m right, we need to investigate this in secret."


    "Alice will find this difficult?" Suzanna asked, surprised.


    Anfey nodded. "We can do whatever we want back in Morro Province. But here, we have to be careful. You saw Alice¡¯s feast. She¡¯s trying to make create an illusion of peace. We can¡¯t let her work go to waste."


    "But we were attacked," Suzanna said, frowning.


    "I know," Anfey said. "Which is why the city will already be on lockdown if I¡¯m in charge. You see, neither of us is the right candidate for this."


    "For what?"


    "To be in charge," Anfey said. "We have to go through with the n to invade the Shansa Empire, for Christian¡¯s sake. But when we¡¯re done here, we can always go back to the Country of Mercenaries."


    "Anfey," Suzanna said quietly. "You know what I miss?"


    "What?"


    "Back when we were still in the Forest of Magic Beasts," Suzanna said, wrapping her arms around Anfey¡¯s neck. "Sure, it was difficult, but we were together and we didn¡¯t carry any burden."


    "For you," Anfey said with a smile. "For them, those days were the hardest. Do you remember how excited they were when we got to Sacred City?"


    "Were you?"


    "Of course, but for different reasons."


    "Why is that?"


    "Because I met you," Anfey said. He wrapped his arms around Suzanna¡¯s waist and held her close.


    Suzanna giggled. "Good," she said.


    "What did Alice do after I left?" Anfey asked suddenly.


    "Not much," Suzanna said. "She asked for Hui Wei."


    "Which means she already knows," Anfey said. "I have to go speak with her. I don¡¯t want her to lose sleep over this."


    "Is this that serious?"


    Anfey shrugged. "I think she¡¯s more afraid I¡¯m going to mess things up." Anfey patted Suzanna¡¯s shoulder and added, "Let¡¯s go to bed."


    Before Suzanna could say anything, they both heard Ye¡¯s voice. "Is Lord Anfey inside?"


    "He just got back," Yalbevin said.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Suzanna asked, ncing out the window.


    "I don¡¯t know," Anfey said, frowning. "I¡¯ll go check."


    "I¡¯lle with you," Suzanna said hurriedly.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing serious, otherwise Ye would be standing in front of us right now." He hugged Suzanna and said, "Don¡¯t wait up for me."


    Seeing Anfey, Yalbevin and the elves bowed and disappeared into their rooms.


    "Midof wants to speak with you, sir," Ye said in a hushed voice.


    "Right now?"


    Ye nodded. "She¡¯s outside."


    Anfey followed Ye out onto the streets and saw a lone carriage parked not far from his ce. There were no guards or carriage drivers. Anfey smiled at Ye¡¯s caution. Midof was a sensitive person and it was best that she wasn¡¯t seen with him.


    Anfey poked his head into the carriage and saw Midof sitting inside. "Sir," Midof said with a quick bow.


    "No one saw you?" Anfey asked, getting into the carriage.


    "No," Midof said. "They trust me."


    "You¡¯re doing well, I reckon?" Anfey said. "Still not listening to Shinbe?"


    "As you ordered, sir," Midof said.


    "Don¡¯t overdo it," Anfey reminded her. "I don¡¯t want to make things too difficult for her."


    "I understand, sir," Midof said.


    "I can¡¯t always keep an eye on you," Anfey said. "But that¡¯s because if someone finds out you are working with me, you will be in danger. I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me." Of course, Midof wouldn¡¯t be in real danger, but it could stop Wester from contacting them. Anfey wanted Midof to find out more secrets, which was why he was giving her so much freedom.


    "I won¡¯t let you down, sir," Midof said sincerely.


    "Good," Anfey said. "Now, Ye said you needed to speak with me?"


    Midof nodded. "Something happened here, didn¡¯t it?"


    "How did you know? Did Ye say anything?"


    Midof shook her head. "I heard it from Barbara. She said she saw a group of mercenaries on the streets when she was out for a walk."


    "She¡¯s lying," Anfey said with a frown. "I remember clearly that there wasn¡¯t a single passerby on the streets at that time."


    Midof frowned.


    "Barbara, was it?" Anfey asked. "She must know something. Is that it?"


    "No," Midof said hurriedly. "It¡¯s because Barbara seemed happy when she told us this. She also said that Sacred City had sent people and..."


    "What else?"


    Midof nced at Anfey. She took a deep breath and said, "She said that you are going to start running into walls now."


    "Is that it?" Anfey asked. "Tell me everything."


    "This is it," Midof said. "When she mentioned people from Sacred City, she seemed very respectful towards them. I figured it¡¯s someone important."


    Anfey nodded. "Someone took Julie."


    "What?"


    "I¡¯ll find them," Anfey said. "I¡¯m not worried about Julie, of course. She may have some connections, but she¡¯s not a threat anymore. Which is why I need you to save her when we find her captor."


    "Me? Save her?"


    Anfey nodded. "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure no harmes your way. Julie is important. Her friendship will help you in the future."


    "I see, sir."


    "As for Barbara, she¡¯s not important enough," Anfey said. He paused, then donned a serious expression. "In the future, don¡¯t contact Ye unless it¡¯s something important. If someone sees you, everything we¡¯ve done so far will unravel too quickly. If Wester tries to recruit you, say yes. If you have to fight us, do what you have to do. My mercenaries don¡¯t know who you are. Understand?"


    Midof nodded hurriedly. "I understand, sir," she said.

 Chapter 551: An Accident

    Chapter 551: An ident


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As the saying goes, one word from the top and those below would be kept busy. As the future leader of the continent, whatever actions that Ynthe took would have a great impact upon his subjects. Early in the morning, Ynthe had announced his decision through the Transmission Portal. Baery, who had just awoken, immediately sent his man to the city to invite Anfey, Christian, and Alice to meet up with him. Thereafter, he sent another man to invite Saul and the rest to a closed-door meeting.


    Suzanna did not go with Anfey. She was a simple person, or to say it simply, she preferred to lead a simple life. This had nothing to do with her intelligence. Before Anfey left, Suzanna was a little hesitant. She had wanted Anfey to bring Shally back, but it had been decided against in the end. The current situation was a bit unusual, and she and Anfey would not be able to take care of Shally. Should anything bad happen, it would be toote for regrets. Moreover, Shally was not alone. Master Saul had had a hard time keeping an eye on Niya. If Anfey were to bring Shally back, Niya would follow suit, and it would only create more problems!


    Usually after breakfast, Anfey would be out, going about his business, and Suzanna would be at the Citymaster Manor to protect Alice. However, since Alice had gone to the meeting, Suzanna had nothing to do. She felt bored, as Anfey was not around. After sitting in the courtyard for a while, she decided to go out on the streets.


    As the people in charge of The League of Mercenaries had only temporarily lived in the area, no one was walking on the street. At the corner, after walking past the checkpoint that was guarded by the mercenaries, the street scene became more normal. Alice had used a rxed approach in Yellowstone Province. Regardless of ranking among the top or lower levels, no one felt any difference beneath the ruling in the change of hands. Life went on peacefully as usual. The street was filled with people, and shops selling different merchandise were everywhere. Other than the Patrol that was formed by the mercenaries, everything else in the city remained the same.


    Strictly speaking, Suzanna was neither na?ve nor romantic. Since she¡¯d been young, she had gone through brutal training. When Darius lost his power, she was on the run with her little sister, Shally. It was only after she met Anfey that she could be herself again.


    Her nature, which had been suppressed, gradually returned to her. Suzanna could now behave like any ordinary girl For example, she could enjoy shopping. When men shopped, they had already decided what to buy. They shopped because they needed to buy something. Whereas, for women, they simply wanted to shop. It was a pity that Suzanna could not have her wish fulfilled. Both she and Anfey were usually busy. When they finally had some time, they would have to move to another ce.


    Suzanna leisurely looked at the shops on both sides of the street surrounding her. She should get Shally some jewelry. She should get something for Anfey as well. Anfey¡¯s magic robes were mostly white. Although he looked good in the long white robes, they were a single color. As Suzanna walked along, she was imagining Anfey in the various colors robes she now saw in the shop windows.


    At the other section of the street, a middle-aged woman, about 40 years old, was walking quickly toward her. When she saw Suzanna, she quickly shifted her gaze away. Her eyes lit up, and after searching through her body, as if she had forgotten her things, she quickly turned back to where she came from. Suzanna was only thinking about her purchases and had not noticed her.


    The sun was now high in the sky. When it was about noon, Suzanna had walked from the north of the city to the south. The social productivity in this magic world was underdeveloped. Even the business development in the capital of the Province was limited. There was only onemercial street in the entire city. Tworge markets were located in the southern and northern parts of the area. Yet, to these people in the magic world, this was a thriving ce.


    Suzanna walked out from a jewelry shop and looked at the sun. Anfey should be back by now. As she saw a carriage from The League of Mercenariesing toward her from the south, she stepped forward and called out to the coachman.


    At this moment, the sound of a salesperson caught her attention: "Magic mirror! Magic mirror that has been handed down from the pce..."


    Suzanna turned around and saw a man, about 30 years old, holding a mirror that was the size of a basin. He was walking toward her from the street at the other section. Suzanna found the mirror to be familiar. The man kept shouting, but no one seemed to be interested in the magic mirror. He looked disappointed.


    "Madam, you..." The coachman asked oddly.


    "Please wait a while." Suzanna put her things into the carriage and walked toward the man who was selling the mirror. Although she was rich, she was not in the habit of ordering others around. If she had brought her elf maid along, she would not have to carry all her things!


    "How much is the mirror?"


    "Miss, do you wish to purchase it?" The man looked happy, and started to whistle.


    Suzanna was not paying attention to what he was saying. She was looking carefully at the mirror. When she was in the Gruce Principality, she had only a few things. This mirror looked like the mirror that she had used before. "Can I take a look?"


    "Of course," the man said with a smile.


    Suzanna held up the mirror and looked carefully at the front, then turned it around. After a while, she said with a smile: "Did you say that this is a magic mirror?"


    "This is indeed a mystical magic mirror!"


    "Show me how mystical it is." Suzanna¡¯s smile broadened. The mirror was worn out exactly at the same spot as her mirror had been. Even the frame was twisted at the same angle. This was the mirror that she had used before! Suzanna would definitely purchase it as a souvenir, but she would not want to be made a fool of. After she had exposed the man, she would give him some gold coins.


    "Miss, please hold it." The man enthusiastically started his incantation. Aspared to the volume of his voice, the magic surge was so weak that it made it look funny.


    When the people, who were walking on the street, saw someone chanting spells in the public, they stopped out of curiosity to watch.


    After the incantation, a bright light shot out from the mirror. A puck, with a diameter of about a ruler-width, appeared in the air. It bound the mirror to Suzanna¡¯s hands. Two figures came out from the crowd and hurried toward Suzanna. Two long swords shed under the sun. One was stabbing toward Suzanna¡¯s brain, and another was aiming at her chest.


    Suzanna was taken by surprise. Although she had released her Combat Power in time, her hands had still been tied. Her enemies were standing before her. The man selling the mirror was still smiling, but he now held a dagger in his hand. He stabbed toward Suzanna¡¯s left rib cage with a smile. To him, Suzanna had already lost. If a swordsman could not hold a sword, she would not pose a threat!


    There were not many top level powers in the continent. These few people were fairly good in their nning acumen, but they did not have any experience in dealing with the top level powers. If they had, they would not have been so insolent! All the top level powers had be stronger through their many life and death struggles. Even if they were unable to use their Combat Power, their reactions would still be quick. Previously, without using his Combat Power, Ernest was able to deal freely with Anfey, even though Anfey was holding a gun. This was enough to prove this point. Suzanna had crossed over the top level when she was very young. Not only was this due to her talent, but she had also put much effort and had gone through much pain.


    When the dagger was about a foot away, Suzanna countered the attack. She did not bother herself with the dagger, but instead pushed her hands to the side with lightning speed. The puck hit hard onto the opponent¡¯s face, smashing it into a now bloody, smirky looking face.


    Following this, Suzanna moved to one side in order to duck away from the sword that was now attacking her brain. She retrieved the puck, which was before her chest. There was a loud bang, as the long sword that was stabbing toward her chest hit onto the puck. Suzanna stood firm, but her opponent moved back a few steps. It was a pity that the puck was not destroyed. A wave of magic surge moved toward Suzanna, and rows of sharp spikes pointed out from the ground. Suzanna¡¯s body was sideways now, and she had jumped up into the air. A few onlookers, who were slow to react, were unfortunate. Magic recognized and was a respecter of no one. Seven to eight people were killed by the spikes.


    The two people who had attacked Suzanna did not bother to worry about their partner. They dashed toward one direction in the same instant. Swordsmen are not magicians. They would not be able to stay in the air for too long. When Suzannanded on the ground, they would still have the opportunity to attack her.


    A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky and hit Suzanna. However, Suzanna hung miraculously in the air. Her Protection Combat Power had been released to its maximum. As long as she did not feel numb, she would not be affected by the lightning. In the next instant, a pair of wings spread out on her back. Suzanna turned into an arrow, and shot out 200 hundred meters away, heading toward a figure that was standing on the roof.


    The magician was shocked. Bolts of lightning had dropped and struck Suzanna. Something had gone wrong. When struck by the electric magic, the chances of getting numb were very high. However, Suzanna was still nimble. When the magician was about to release the arc, Suzanna had dashed toward him and smashed the puck on his head.


    With a loud bang, the magician¡¯s magic shield had been destroyed. The arc that he had released had struck Suzanna. The injury caused by the arc was negligible, but the numbness effect would be great. However, Suzanna lifted up the puck again and continued to attack.


    "No...!" The magician let out a desperate cry. He lifted up his staff and tried to ward off the blow. When a magician pits his strength against a swordsman, one can imagine the consequences. The staff had been broken by the puck, and the magician flew away like a leaf.

 Chapter 552: Explanation

    Chapter 552: Exnation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "I want vengeance! Vengeance!" a shrill voice cried in the night.


    "Nonsense!" another voice said. "You¡¯ll kill all of us!"


    "I don¡¯t care!" the shrill voice cried. "I don¡¯t care. Send me back! Take me back!"


    "You!" the man was clearly getting angrier. He took a few steps forward and raised his hand. Julie, who looked more like a ghost than a person, raised her head and stared at him.


    The man looked at her arms. His hand shook and he could not bring himself to do anything. He knew what had happened to her after her cover was blown and he did not me her for wanting revenge.


    "Julie, you have to realize," the man said with a sigh. "Time¡¯s are different now. The situation is not looking good for His Royal Highness. There is only a dozen of us left and you cost us four of them. Do you want us to lose everything we¡¯ve worked for?"


    Julie stared at the man, her eyes burning with hatred. "I want revenge, brother."


    The man sighed. "You don¡¯t understand, do you? Do you remember what I said before you left? Anfey is a dangerous man. You underestimated him. You want revenge, alright. You will avenge yourself but now isn¡¯t the time. We have to wait. Wait for the right time. Do you want us to challenge him publicly? Do you want me to? Say it and I will go."


    "Brother..." Julie whispered. She choked on her words and started sobbing quietly. The thought of her brother was the only thing that supported her. The only reason she was still alive was her brother. She couldn¡¯t send him to his death.


    "Julie," the man said, holding her in his arms. "I know what you went through. I promise you. I won¡¯t let this go. Just give me some time."


    Julie nodded, her eyes filled with tears.


    "Get some rest now," the man said. He patted her shoulder and tucked her in carefully.


    "Wait," Julie called. "Wait. Do not trust them, brother."


    "Of course not," the man said. "Don¡¯t worry about me." He walked out of the room and said to the two guards, "Keep an eye on her for me."


    The two guards nodded.


    The man walked down the hall slowly. Another man in his sixties was waiting in the lobby. "See him," the old man frowned and said coolly, "I need an exnation."


    "You know what she went through, Mr. Dous," the man said. "She made a mistake. I promise this won¡¯t happen again."


    Dous smirked. "That¡¯s fine by me," he said. "It¡¯s not my men who died. I just came to tell you that the n will be postponed."


    "Postponed? Why?"


    Dous¡¯s eyes widened in shock that the man did not understand. "How can you not get it?" he asked. "Your sister¡¯s behaviors have startled Anfey."


    "Mr. Dous, can¡¯t we take him on if you and I just work together?" the man asked, holding his anger back.


    "I think we both know the answer to that," Dous said, leaning back into the chair. "You see, it won¡¯t be just Anfey, will it? Have you forgotten Baery, Saul, and Steger?"


    "It will be difficult, but I am not afraid."


    "I¡¯m not either," Dous said. "I¡¯m not nning on returning without having done anything."


    The man smiled. "That¡¯s all I need from you," he said. He was working with Dous and he could ignore Dous¡¯s rudeness as long as their goal remained the same.


    Dous frowned and said, "I think the n should change. I am an assassin and you are not that different. We should try a method that works better for people like us."


    "You mean¡ª"


    "It¡¯s funny," Dous said, shaking his head. "If I knew Anfey would be this much trouble, I would have taken care of him a long time ago. I had a man called Brufit. When Anfey fled Sacred City with the Knights of Sacred me on his heels, he was among those who saved him. If I am not mistaken, your sister Julie helped him as well."


    The man nodded. "No one knew what he could do in the future. I am sure His Majesty sent them to protect Christian and Niya."


    "It¡¯s scary how fast things can change," Dous said with a long sigh.


    "I remember Brufit," the man said. "His Majesty trusted him, yet he left Sacred City without a word."


    "Does His Majesty really trust him?" Dous said, shaking his head. "Brufit believed he was in mortal danger."


    "He¡¯s paranoid."


    "Paranoia isn¡¯t that bad of a thing to have," Dous said. He turned to the man and said, "Now, let¡¯s talk about the future."


    The man chuckled drily.


    "Your people attacked Suzanna, which is enough to provoke Anfey," Dous said. "Which is why my people are leaving this ce. If you get into trouble, I won¡¯t be able to save you. Of course, if I get into trouble, you are not obligated to do anything."


    "Do you have to say things like this?"


    "Better say it now thanter," Dous said, getting up from the chair. "If I knew your sister¡¯s cover would be blown, I wouldn¡¯t have chosen to work with you. But there¡¯s no need to talk about that now."


    The man frowned but did not say anything. Even if they were working towards the same goal, he was still getting angry at Dous. He needed Dous to take on Anfey and he had to keep Dous happy.


    "Take that as a lesson," Dous said. "Don¡¯t try to provoke him anymore. We have to have a clear n. What¡¯s good does killing Suzanna do? Don¡¯t forget your priorities."


    The man took a deep breath to calm himself, then asked, "You said our n will be postponed. Until when?"


    "Be patient. Until we are no longer Anfey¡¯s priority."


    "When? A month? A year?" the man asked quietly. "How long do we have to wait? We¡¯ve startled him, but will he really forget about us?"


    Dous frowned. The man was right. Anfey was a very patient man and it would take a long time for him to forget something.


    "What do you want to do, then?"


    "Give him an exnation," the man said. "A convincing one. That way, we don¡¯t have to wait too long. I think we both know that we don¡¯t have much time."


    Dous frowned. He knew what the man meant. He wanted to give up a group of men, the more powerful the better. This way, Anfey would think he had taken care of the moles and would lose interest. But it wasn¡¯t Dous who made a mistake. Why should Dous give up his men?


    "That¡¯s one way," Dous said quietly. "I¡¯ll wait for your words."


    "What? I..." the man frowned. He only had a dozen people. He didn¡¯t have anyone to give up.


    "Your sister caused this mess," Dous reminded him. "Shouldn¡¯t you clean it up?" Hearing no other words from the man, Dous turned to leave.


    The man stared at Dous, stone-faced. After a few moments, he angrily muttered under his breath, "Who do you think you are? You¡¯re just Golman¡¯s dog, Dous! You bastard!"

 Chapter 553: A Guest

    Chapter 553: A Guest


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The incident, whereby Suzanna had been attacked, did not create any uproar. The people and mercenaries had carried on with their lives as usual. At dusk, a carriage, which was not as new, stopped before the courtyard in the northern part of the city. Ye got out slowly from the carriage.


    Ye¡¯s appearance represented amand. More than 10 figures that were nearby slowly rose up to the sky. A few hundred mercenaries suddenly appeared on the street, and dashed toward the courtyard, surrounding it. Seven to eight half-elf archers jumped up to the roofs to form a circle. They had their bows and arrows ready, and were searching for their targets.


    Shinb followed after Ye, jumping down from the carriage. Anfey was thest to appear. He looked calm, and was staring listlessly at the courtyard. There were many ways to express one¡¯s anger. To make a ruckus was being too shallow. This was not his style, and it was unfit for his status. He had to be here, as the one who had saved Julie was extremely powerful. The traces that he had left behind denoted that he could be a top level power. Anfey could not take any chances, he had to ensure the safety of his men.


    The mercenaries had smashed the door of the courtyard and dashed in. Nobat sound was heard. Ye said with a wry smile, "Sir, you are right. They have left."


    "We can¡¯t be making a wasteful trip. Let¡¯s go in and take a look," Anfey said tly.


    As Ye stepped into the courtyard, a few mercenaries walked out. He was hopeful and asked, "Have you found anything?"


    "Sir, no one is inside, and there are only a few things around," one of the mercenaries replied.


    "They could not have wasted their time to pack up the things?" Ye found it unbelievable, and dashed in. There was a two-story building in the courtyard that was made of wood. There were nine rooms in total, and Ye searched through them all, including the kitchen and cer. And just as the few mercenaries had said, the things left behind were few. There was no firewood in the kitchen or backyard. The kitchen looked as though it had seldom been used. Most of the rooms were empty, except for two that had beds in them. As for the furniture, other than a big mirror, there was nothing else.


    Ye felt helpless. Suzanna had been attacked, and that was worse than the jailbreak of Julie. This was an upfront challenge to The League of Mercenaries. He was determined to get to the bottom of it. Suzanna had killed the two assassins, and the other two, after Edy¡¯s interrogation, had divulged secrets. However, Ye could not decipher what their secrets were, as their appetion and records were unique. Ye needed time to look into it. The only useful information was their foothold. If he could not find anything here, there would be no other clues. He could not be sitting around, waiting for their next move.


    Anfey was not surprised. An agent would call this a broiler. When he took up assignments previously, he would use different identities and appearances, and rent a ce near the target. He had to take precautions. Although this was different from his previous upation, the nature of the work was simr. Whatever the other party could think of, Anfey had already thought of it, unless there was a vast difference in the intelligence. If things were too obvious, the other party must be up to some tricks, as the styles did not match.


    "Ye, get a few men to guard this ce. The rest can leave," Anfey said softly.


    "Guard this ce? Will they being back?"


    "I don¡¯t think so, but there might be some unexpected surprises."


    Ye pondered for a while and nodded, "All right."


    "Go and check up on the owner of this courtyard. But...don¡¯t hope too much. If you can¡¯t find any clue, then forget it."


    "Forget it?" Ye asked in shock. He had not expected Anfey to not care a whit about it.


    "Yes" Anfey nodded and said, "I will make a move first. I will be meeting a guest. You can go backter. Hmnn...all of you must be careful during this period. Especially you, Shinb. You like to act alone. Please change this habit."


    "Oh..." Shinb replied.


    "Sir, who is this important guest?" Ye was curious. He knew that Anfey was either going through the formality by his presence, or he was here to prevent a mishap from happening.


    "You will knowter." Anfey smiled.


    In a residential area near the Citymaster Manor, Hui Wei was pacing up and down, looking pale. He looked as though he was waiting for someone. What he feared would happen had happened. His master had written him a letter, instructing him to arrange a meeting for him with Anfey. He was thunderstruck when he received the letter. He did not want others to treat him differently, and in order to maintain the friendship, he had to keep the secret to himself. However, his master kept pressing him and caused him to be in agony. He had looked for Anfey many times, but he always changed his mind. However, he could not drag on any further, as his master had consecutively sent letters to him, and sounded more harsh each time. If he chose to tell Anfey himself, at least he would have taken the initiative to make a confession. However, if he waited for his master to arrive, then he would be exposed. He dared not think of the consequences.


    Finally, he decided to tell Anfey. To his surprise, Anfey only thought for a while before agreeing to his request. He had not even asked who Hui Wei¡¯s master was. As the appointed time was approaching, Hui Wei felt increasingly uneasy. He even med his master. His master had told him before that he had only hoped for Hui Wei to acquire his knowledge. He would not force Hui Wei to do things against his wishes, but he had gone back on his word. Moreover, whatever Hui Wei had learnt from him was not practical. Out of the blue, people were after his life. Although his master had given him some magical instruments for self-protection, including the Shattered Will of God of War, his power was limited. In the end, he had to flee to the magic beast forest and associate himself with the orcs.


    As Hui Wei¡¯s mind was wandering, Anfey had appeared before his eyes. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Anfey, my master...has arrived."


    "I know." Anfey nodded. "I can sense his breath." The air was filled with a breath that brought difort. Although it was very weak, Anfey was still able to sense it.


    Hui Wei was searching for the right words, but when he heard Anfey¡¯s reply, he grew paler. He stuttered and asked, "You...you know...who my master is?"


    "Of course." When Anfey saw Hui Wei¡¯s uneasy look, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hui Wei, I appreciate your efforts in getting your master here to meet, instead of me going to meet him." Although Anfey was not explicit, what he meant was clear and simple. If the other party hade to meet him, Anfey would stillhave the upper-hand. However, if Anfey were to go and meet him, that would put Anfey in danger.


    "Anfey, you..." Hui Wei was at a loss for words.


    "Your master has shown his sincerity by risking his life to be here. Don¡¯t worry, we will not have conflicts," Anfey said with a smile, then strode up the stairs.


    Hui Wei let out a long sigh of relief, and looked gratefully at Anfey. In fact, Anfey was grateful to Hui Wei, too. Ever since Saul had appraised thebat force of Morgan and Desvidia upfront, Anfey was aware of the possible crisis. He did not want to have shes with the three master necromancers, at least, not now. What Hui Wei had conveyed to him was a great opportunity. As long as the other party was not here to do him harm, Anfey would not provoke him. Anfey had a family, and he had people whom he cared for. It would be irrational for him to go against those old bachelors who had no qualms about killing. Unless he had been forced into a corner, Anfey would not want to do so.


    Anfey stood at the door of a room and knocked gently. "Is Mr. Golman there?"


    "Pleasee in, Sir Anfey, you are the host." A husky voice came out of the room.


    Anfey opened the door and walked in. Golman had stood up and politely extended his hand to signal Anfey to sit down. This was a friendly gesture. Anfey broadened his smile and sized Golman up. Apparently, Golman was an ugly necromancer. He looked like a skeleton, with a heap of skin stretched over him. "Heap" was the right word, not yer". There was a strange red light flickering in his eyes. It sent shivers down one¡¯s spine. When a woman aged, her breasts would sag. For Golman, who was of a great age, even his nose sagged. As he spoke, his nose swung along, side to side.


    "After you," Anfey politely said.


    Golman did not waste time on such trivial matters. He sat down slowly, the red light in his eyes flickering. "Sir Anfey, it seems like you are not worried at all."


    "Worried? You mean..."


    "After all, I am just a notorious necromancer. Aren¡¯t you afraid that others will talk behind your back, if they know that you are seeing me?"


    "I have heard Sir Baery talk about you. I can tell that he respects you. Although you and the high priest, Stan, should be...at loggerheads with each other, he does not dislike you. From them, I have discovered many truths." Anfey said with a smile, "I don¡¯t think they will say anything. As for the rest, I can¡¯t be bothered with them."


    "Truth...this is an enticing word. A long time ago, I started this journey because of this word." From his expression, one could not see his inner world, but his voice sounded gentle. "Not many people can ept the truth. Sir Anfey, are you able to ept the truth?"

 Chapter 554: Cooperation

    Chapter 554: Cooperation


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "That depends on you, sir," Anfey said softly.


    Golman frowned and didn¡¯t say anything. He did not know, nor trust Anfey, which was why he did not know where he should begin the conversation. Everything Golman did, he did for a reason. He chose Scarlet because he wanted to groom her into a ruler so he could challenge Minos and give necromancers a ce to exist. He wanted to end the control Minos had on necromancers because that was the only way he could free them.


    Since Scarlet was dead, he had to find someone else to cooperate with. Judging from the global affairs at the moment, Ynther was his best choice. He was an acquaintance of Baery¡¯s, but the two were not on friendly terms. Speaking with Anfey was easier than speaking with Baery. Having Hui Wei there also helped Golman.


    Anfey could tell there was something on Golman¡¯s mind. "You came all the way here to speak to me, despite the danger," he said quietly. "To me, that¡¯s a sign of trust. You can speak your mind here, sir."


    Golman smiled. "There wasn¡¯t much danger," he said. "You see, I am not your enemy. It will do you no good killing me. If you do, you risk me using the Death Armageddon spell. Even if I don¡¯t, Morgan and Desvidia are still out there and can instead. We are blessed with long lives, and I am sure they will avenge my death; not just the people who killed me, but their families as well."


    "You have a point," Anfey said. Even if he could kill Golman, he didn¡¯t want to.


    "Baery wanted to kill me once," Golman said. "But he didn¡¯t. People who spare my life tend to be my friends."


    Anfey nodded but didn¡¯t say a word. He knew that the best thing to do was to keep quiet.


    "Despite what you may believe, we are not evil," Golman continued. "We were all humans. Despite our decaying bodies, we still have human emotions. You know Morgan as the man who killed dozens of top-level powers over the years, but you do not know that most of the time, he only kills out of self-defense."


    "Most of the time?"


    "Sometimes he kills to relieve his frustration," Golman said. "I am sure that if you were hunted constantly, you would be frustrated as well. Like I¡¯ve said¡ªwe have emotions as well."


    Anfey nodded. He remembered that he first met Burzuryano because he was there to hunt Morgan. Kamlin became a hermit because he lost his wife while hunting down Morgan. It seemed like hunting Morgan became a goal shared by all top-level powers.


    "I know we¡¯ve made a bad impression on you," Golman said. "But you do not hate us the way others do. You shouldn¡¯t, either."


    "What do you mean?" Anfey asked.


    "The power you use... It is not from our world, is it?"


    "I¡¯ve never met someone else who uses it," Anfey said.


    "Your mind magic is even more powerful than your teacher¡¯s," Golman said. "It is very interesting to me."


    "Because I have a different way of practicing it," Anfey said.


    "This is just a word of advice, but you shouldn¡¯t use mind magic as much as you do," Golman said. "If you keep using it this often, trouble will find you. Just like Morgan." Golman narrowed his eyes, which were blinking with red light.


    "Really?" Anfey asked, surprised. "That¡¯s what my first teacher told me."


    "You mean, your first teacher taught you your mind magic? The supreme power?" Golman asked. He did not believe what Anfey said because he knew his own abilities. Scarlet¡¯s death might have influenced him, but Golman knew he would never make a mistake while using his mind magic. Anfey had to be lying.


    "He did teach me that," Anfey said. "But that was too long ago. I cannot remember if he was a supreme power or not."


    Golman sighed. He had brought up mind magic because he wanted to see Anfey¡¯s reaction. He decided to move on because this was a conversation, not an interrogation.


    He was there to find a partner, not the truth. As long as Anfey could work with him, Golman did not care who Anfey really was or where he came from.


    "I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t juste here to warn me, sir," Anfey said with a smile. He didn¡¯t show it, but what Golman said had made an impact. Clearly, Golman knew about the secret he was keeping. He only kept calm because that was how he dealt with things.


    "Of course not," Golman said. "I came here because I have a proposal for Ynther."


    Anfey frowned. This was even more important than he thought. This wasn¡¯t something he could decide. Not even Baery or Saul could make a decision on such a matter. Working with necromancers had fouled Edward the Eighth¡¯s reputation. Would Ynther take the risk?


    "This is just the general outline of the n. We can work out the details at ater meeting," Golman said. "In order to show my sincerity, I have something for you. You must know of Evil Mist."


    Anfey smiled. "Of course. When I first arrived here with Master Saul, we were attacked by people from Evil Mist."


    "You must be talking about things that happened recently."


    "About two years ago."


    Golman nodded. "By then, Evil Mist was no longer under my control."


    "Why is that?"


    "I¡¯ve had the organization for two hundred years," Golman said. "After I betrayed Minos, the organization fell apart. Some people didn¡¯t know the organization was controlled by necromancers. Those people left after learning the truth. The others knew I was behind the organization, but since I have no power or money, there was no reason to follow me."


    "So you no longer control the organization?"


    "I can control those that chose to remain with the organization," Golman said. He paused, then continued, "you were attacked at Tumen, weren¡¯t you?"


    "Yes."


    "That must have been Dous," Golman said. "He was always in control of that ce. He was the son of the head of the Tumen Commercial Union, Sizen. Sizen didn¡¯t want to be controlled by the Maho Empire and dered independence. Soon after, his entire family, save for young Dous, was brutally murdered. Because of this, Dous hated Ynther. For him, Evil Mist is just another tool to get revenge. I kept him around because he is brilliant."


    Anfey frowned. He had never heard of Dous, but if Golman said he was brilliant, he must have been.


    "You see, I am willing to give up my organization as a sign of sincerity. Even if Evil Mist is divided, I will still control a significant chunk of it. I can aid him in his effort to unite the world."


    "How so?"


    "It¡¯s easy," Golman said. "A small-scale gue is all I need. Think about what losing their farmers and merchants will do to the Ellisen Empire."


    "Why didn¡¯t you do that for Scarlet?" Anfey asked, curious.


    "Scarlet was young," Golman said with a sigh. "I wanted Baery to be a trial for her so she knows how to take on a strong enemy by herself."

 Chapter 555: Get Even, After the Fall

    Chapter 555: Get Even, After the Fall


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When Anfey arrived at the campsite of the Roaring Dead Legion, it waste at night. Although the soldiers on duty recognized Anfey, they still stopped him at the door. Anfey knew that Baery was extremely strict. He also knew the importance of the army regtions and discipline, so he waited patiently outside. After a while, the soldier, who had gone in to report, came back with a military order. The soldiers quickly made way for him.


    The soldier ushered Anfey to Baery¡¯s tent. This time around, no reporting was required. The guard, who was standing before the tent, lifted up the curtain for Anfey.


    Anfey was surprised to see so many people in Baery¡¯s tent¡ªSteger, Shawn, Dalmatian and the others. The tent was filled with people whom Anfey knew, as well as strangers. One thought came to Anfey¡¯s mind. There would be a war soon! There were seven provinces in the Shansa Empire, and they had captured three. If they were to continue to move forward, it would be into the Shinwa Province. The capital of the Shansa Empire, Diamond City, was located between the Shinwa Province and the Shawa Province. Are they nning to attack all three?


    "Anfey, this way." Saul signaled with his hand, and a guard immediately brought a chair, cing it beside him.


    Anfey had intended to greet Shawn and the rest, but they were having a meeting now. It would not be appropriate for him to do so. He just smiled and nodded his head, and walked toward Saul and sat down.


    Anfey waited only for a while before the meeting came to an end. The generals took their leaves, and Shawn and Dalmatian came over to chat with Anfey before they left the tent.


    Seeing that most of the people had left, Baery said with a smile, "Anfey, what brings you here today?"


    Anfey looked around and winked at Baery. After Baery had signaled the guards to leave the tent, Anfey released the soundproofing enchantment. Baery and Saul looked at each other grimly. It must be something serious, since Anfey was behaving so mysteriously.


    "Golman has looked for me," Anfey said openly.


    Although Baery and Saul had prepared themselves, they still looked shocked. After a while, Saul frowned and said, "Did he do anything..."


    "Anfey is standing before us now. Golman must have meant no harm," Baery said with a smile. "Anfey, what did he say?"


    "Coborate."


    "Coborate?" Baery quickly asked. "Coborate how?"


    Anfey repeated their conversation in detail. He had a very good memory, and did not miss a single thing. However, he did not mention the part about Mental Roaring.


    Baery and Saul were silent for a long while. Baery paced up and down, and Saul closed his eyes in order to ponder what he¡¯d just been told. After a long while, Saul suddenly said, "What does Golman want?"


    "He does not expect us to recognize their presence. He only wishes to have a small piece ofnd where no one can trespass."


    "Golman has said this before. After so many years, his wish remains the same," Baery said softly.


    If it were only the ordinary people, it would be beyond reproach to ask for the right to survive. However, for a necromancer, it is different. Although they did not have to be wary about Golman, the rest of the people might still be. Even though Golman might keep his promise, his students might not. No one knew for sure what an ordinary person and a necromancer would do. The ordinary person would consider the necromancer to be scheming, possessing the desire to conquer the world. Thetter would consider human beings as shameless and ungrateful. Regardless of who was in the right, the two parties had umted tons of hatred with each other, and it would be difficult to re-establish trust. That was why Golman had said that he would not ask for recognition.


    "For this matter...let His Majesty decide," Saul slowly said. In fact, he was not interested in the fact that Golman had volunteered himself. When the Shansa Empire had be history, the Ellisen Empire would not be able to do much on its own. Even if Golman managed to send a gue to the Ellisen Empire to weaken their strength, they would not be able to fight against the Maho Empire! The main concern was, if they rejected Golman¡¯s offer, the three master necromancers would definitely seek refuge with the other side. Having a few more powerful friends was likened unto putting icing on the cake, but to have a few more powerful enemies, that would spell trouble!


    "I agree." Baery nodded his head and sat down to write a letter. As he was writing, he said, "Anfey, the day after, we will be attacking the Shinwa Province. Go and discuss this with Alice, and let me know immediately if there is any problem."


    Previously, before they attacked, Baery would have waited for Alice to voice her opinion. However, this time around, Baery had made a decision. Anfey knew that there must be a reason behind it, but he found it inappropriate for him to ask, as this concerned military affairs. He said with a wry smile, "We still have many things to settle on our end. What¡¯s the rush?"


    "Wester and Granden had left Sacred City for the battlefront." Saul sighed and said, "My n is tounch the attack after they have arrived. However, Marshal refused to listen to me. What can I do?"


    "What?" Anfey was shocked. However, he immediately knew the intentions of Wester and Granden. It was a pity that they could not participate in the war against the Country of Mercenaries. They had to participate in this round to destroy the country. If they did not do so, they would not be able to vie with Christian, who had almost reached the pinnacle of prestige. He would then be the sessor. Those who were interested in the throne must not miss the opportunity, so Wester and Granden had to go!


    Saul rted to Anfey how Wester and Granden had repeatedly requested for participation in the war. Initially, Ynthe did not ede to the requests, but out of the blue, he agreed. It was more than 20 days after they had left that Ynthe informed Baery about it. Arge group of the royal families had gone with Wester and Granden. They had the same objective, which was to go to the battlefront, for show.


    "If it was only Granden, it would be fine to wait a few more days. Wester...ha!" Baery, who was writing the letter, suddenly interrupted.


    "Baery, it has been decades. Can¡¯t you just forget about it? This is so unlike you!" Saulughed and said.


    Anfey blinked his eyes. What does Saul mean? Anfey had found something amiss a long time ago. Baery was nice towards Granden and Christian. As for Wester, he treated him differently. All of them were his nephews, but why this different treatment?


    "Saul, don¡¯t be sarcastic. You were not the one being imprisoned," Baery said angrily.


    Seeing Anfey¡¯s curious look, Saul hesitated for a while and said, "Wester and Christian are half-brothers. Wester¡¯s mother is Elizabeth. Elizabeth¡¯s family had been a great help to His Majesty back then...but when His Majesty was enthroned, Elizabeth¡¯s family was against the restructuring. They even threatened His Majesty. Sigh...it has been such a long time. It is pointless to tell you all the details. In the end, His Majesty had no choice but to punish them as a warning to the people. It was not appropriate for Elizabeth to continue to be the queen then."


    "Is Elizabeth still alive?"


    "She is. Although Elizabeth supported her family, ...after all, they are husband and wife. His Majesty could not bear to harm her."


    "Oh..." Anfey blinked his eyes again. Although he would like to find out who Ynthe had married after that, it would involve Baery¡¯s sister. He dared not ask, as no one had ever mentioned it. Saul had also never mentioned his wife. He could sense that something bad must have happened back then, which caused Ynthe and Saul to lose their wives.


    "Master, does Wester visit Elizabeth frequently?"


    "I have no idea. Elizabeth...I have not seen her for more than 10 years. She has never shown herself in public."


    "Let¡¯s not talk about the past. Anfey, go through my letter and see if I have missed out anything." Baery put down his pen and handed the letter to Anfey. "Saul, His Majesty has allowed Wester and Granden to leave the Sacred City. What do you think?"


    "Me?" Saul was stunned.


    "There is only Anfey here. Are you telling me that you are treating your favorite student as an outsider?"


    "You..." Saul let out a wry smile and asked him back, "What do you think?"


    "Be polite! I have asked you first."


    Saul pondered for a while and said, "His Majesty is ready to strike. It should be...more aggressive than the one that took ce a few months ago."


    "I think so too." Baery nodded in agreement.


    "Strike?" Anfey, who was reading the letter, looked up.


    "Yes," Saul said softly. "His Majesty was unable to do a thorough job previously. At the critical moment, the royal families will push Wester and Granden to the front, to act as their shield. Now that Wester and Granden have left Sacred City, His Majesty is without scruples."


    "Saul, do you think His Majesty...is a little too impatient?"


    "Back then, His Majesty had stopped the restructuring because there were strong enemies without. He would not, and dared not, allow political unrest." Saul slowly said, "His Majesty has been waiting for this opportunity for too long. Those who had supported him, and those who had gone against him, he remembers them all. Now, ..."


    "Get even, after the fall?"


    "That¡¯s right. Get even, after the fall." Saul paused and said, "Fortunately, we are not in Sacred City. If we were, it would spell trouble for us."


    "What trouble will you have!" Baery said with a smile, "Back then, when you supported His Majesty with the restructuring, you hadid off your servants, given freedom to your ves, and even offered more than 10 manors to the Empire. Were these not enough? Hahaha...fortunately, Niya is not calcting. If she was, she would have hated you."


    "Not this." Saul shook his head and said, "Many people back then, had been lining up to look for me, begging me to plead with His Majesty. Now...I don¡¯t have to bother myself with such things."

 Chapter 556: Trusting

    Chapter 556: Trusting


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Alice stood on the balcony, looking at the night sky. Baery and Kumaraghosha had already left Yellowstone Province with the army a few days ago. Perhaps it was because of the ce¡¯s proximity to her home, or maybe it was because of the refugees, but she stayed behind.


    The entire mansion was silent. The mercenaries had left with Anfey, and the only ones that stayed with her were Shinb and the mercenaries Shinb had trained to keep Alice safe.


    "Alice?" Suzanna called as she walked out onto the balcony. She wrapped a shawl around Alice¡¯s shoulder and said, "It¡¯s chilly outside. You need to stay healthy."


    "Thanks, Suzanna," Alice said quietly.


    Suzanna sighed. She didn¡¯t like how uptight Alice was. Despite how long they¡¯d known each other, Alice still refused to let go of her manners.


    "The rumors of Anfey?"


    Suzanna nodded. "If they want to do something, they will do it soon."


    "Be careful," Alice reminded Suzanna.


    "Don¡¯t worry about me," Suzanna said confidently, patting her sword. "I have this. You are the one that should be careful."


    "If they are really working for Wester, they won¡¯t do anything to me," Alice said, adjusting the shawl around her. "I may be bait, but their goal is you and Anfey."Suzanna frowned and nodded.


    "You have to be careful," Alice said, turning to Suzanna.


    "I know. I will," Suzanna said, taking Alice¡¯s hand and squeezing it. "Let¡¯s go inside."


    Just outside of Alice¡¯s mansion, in a smallmoner¡¯s house, were two groups of men in dark clothing. The two groups were clearly hostile toward each other.


    "Dous," one of the men said quietly. His voice was quivering, clearly enraged. "We had a n. Why are you backing out at thest minute?"


    "I never said I¡¯m backing out," Dous said. Even though his face was covered, he was clearly smiling. "Volte, I said you should clean up the mess you made. As far as I can tell, you didn¡¯t do anything."


    "What does that have anything to do with this n?"


    Dous sighed and shook his head. "Volte, you are letting your anger get to your head. Anfey knows we exist. He didn¡¯t know anything before, but thanks to your sweet sister, his guard is up. I want you to do damage control, but you didn¡¯t do anything. Do you really think Anfey is stupid? He knows that we exist, but he still left Yellowstone Province. Can¡¯t you tell? You¡¯re walking into a trap!"


    "I am not stupid, Dous," Volte said coldly. "My men reported back to me already. Anfey is indeed in Shinwa Province with Baery, Saul, and Steger. No matter what they¡¯re nning, Suzanna is the only one here. With the two of us, we can take on Suzanna. Anfey is only a human. He makes mistakes as well."


    "Fine," Dous said with a shrug. "Go, then. I will stay here, so you can enjoy the glory yourself."


    "You!" Volte spat angrily. Suzanna was a threat to him, but assassinations were not simple. He had to end the fight as fast as possible. If he startled Shinb and her mercenaries, it would be a much harder fight. He knew the mercenaries trained to guard Alice. Despite the moles he had nted, those guards will still be a threat.


    "What about me?" Dous said, shaking his head. Volte¡¯s actions had made him very angry. That rescue n Volte had had already startled Anfey and his men. Dous almost had a heart attack when he heard Julie sent her men in for an assassination. Dous wanted toy low for a while, so even if the n didn¡¯t go as nned, they could still strike a damaging blow. Now the n would go to waste.


    "You really are going to back out?" Volte asked. He was getting impatient. Julie was Volte¡¯s only family. What Julie went through in Anfey¡¯s hands made him angry already. Today was the day he would get his revenge.


    "You¡¯re threatening me now?" Dous asked incredulously. "You want to force me to help you kill someone?" Dous shook his head and chuckled.


    Volte nced at Dous again and turned to leave. He was stopped by the sudden sound of crows.


    Volte¡¯s breath hitched, and his hand flew to his sword. "It¡¯s my people," Dous said coolly. "Don¡¯t stress over it."


    "You told people about this ce?"


    "It won¡¯t be a secret after tonight," Dous said.


    A few momentster, a man in a mage¡¯s robe walked in. He was young and handsome, with the badge of a senior magister on his robe.


    "Brufit," Dous said. "Good news or bad?"


    "Good," Brufit said. He nced at Volte and said, "But it made me more confused."


    "Why is that?"


    "Anfey is indeed at Shinwa Province right now," Brufit said. "I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s normal, sir. He is not a careless person. Baery and Kumaraghosha¡¯s army is more than capable of taking Shinwa Province. He is not needed there. Why didn¡¯t he stay here?"


    Dous and Volte both frowned. Brufit had just asked the question Volte had been wondering. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to overthink this. He had to keep his ultimate goal in mind.


    "What¡¯s even weirder is that Anfey took Saul¡¯s students with him," Brufit said. "Hemanded several battles. He is even more busy than Baery. It¡¯s almost like he¡¯s purposely keeping himself busy."


    "I know what he¡¯s doing," Volte suddenly said.


    "What?" Dous asked, surprised.


    "He wants the glory. He wants more, which is why he is there with the army. Baery is the general, and Christian¡¯s uncle. He wouldn¡¯t fight for glory with them. Anfey and Christian want more glory, which is why they are with Baery¡¯s army."


    "I can see that," Dous said. "How¡¯s Anfey behaving in Shinwa Province?"


    "He made several appearances," Brufit said. "It¡¯s almost like he¡¯s afraid people don¡¯t know he¡¯s there as well, which is why I thought someone else was impersonating him."


    "That has to be it," Volte said. "He wants to scare us, make us think he¡¯s still here."


    "But why didn¡¯t he take Suzanna with him? Why keep her here?"


    "Because Anfey doesn¡¯t know who we are, and who our target is," Volte said. "He needs someone to stay behind and protect Alice. The only people capable of that are Anthony and Suzanna. Suzanna is the better choice between the two."


    Dous nodded, his frown slowly disappearing. "He knows that we exist, but he doesn¡¯t know what we¡¯re capable of. He thinks Suzanna and Shinb are enough to stop us. To him, he¡¯s not taking a risk."


    Dous turned to Volte and back to Brufit, who thought about it, then nodded. "It makes sense," he said. "There had been multiple attempts on Alice¡¯s life."


    "Alright, then," Dous said, putting his mask on. He had always trusted Brufit and his judgement. However, he did not notice the small smirk on Brufit¡¯s face as he left the room.

 Chapter 557: Quit

    Chapter 557: Quit


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It was gettingte. The security in Alice¡¯s mansion was still very tight. There were mercenaries patrolling the outer courtyard, as well as female swordsmen, all taking turns to guard the inner courtyard. If a bird would have flown past, it would have attracted the attention of many people.


    In the southern part of the inner courtyard, two female swordsmen were walking in the alley. The one taking the lead suddenly stopped. The female swordsman behind her was curious and asked, "What happened?"


    "I...seem to have heard something just now." The female swordsman taking the lead grabbed her sword with one hand, and with the other, took out a magic scroll.


    "Don¡¯t be silly!" The female swordsman walking behind said hastily. "Don¡¯t alert Sir. If it is a false rm, can you bear the consequences?"


    The female swordsman taking the lead felt that her partner was right. Once the magic signal had been released, all the mercenaries and guards would be alerted. Should everyone rush here to find out that it was a false rm, she would be ridiculed.


    The female swordsman kept the magic scroll and walked to the side. However, as she moved forward, she felt a sharp pain on her back. A cold hand came around, covering her mouth tightly. She then heard the shivering voice of her partner, "Don¡¯t me me. You asked for it..."


    Suzanna and Alice were chatting in the upper floor. Although Alice had a very tight schedule and had wished to be able to stretch out her time, her energy was limited. She needed to rest at times. Chatting had be her way of resting.


    A maid gently opened the door and brought in a te of fruit and a pot of tea. Those who burned the midnight oil would know that they would get hungry in the middle of the night, if they were awake. To ensure the quality of her work, Alice had developed the habit of taking supper.


    After the maid had ced the te of fruit on the table, she made tea for them. As she was putting down the teapot, she identally knocked against the cup, sending the hot water sshing onto Alice. The maid turned pale and quickly wiped it up with her sleeve.


    "Alice, have you been burned?" Suzanna was shocked, and immediately stood up.


    Suzanna and Alice were entirely different. To Suzanna, the speed of her sword was faster than her brain. Most of the time, she had used her sword based upon her instincts. For Alice, she could think fast, but her actions were slower. She had been tense, and waited for the enemy to act. The maid moved forth toward Alice and speedily backed away. Alice¡¯s speed was too slow. The moment she lifted up her head, a dagger was at her neck.


    "Don¡¯t move!" The maid shouted sharply. "If you move, I will kill her!"


    Suzanna had withdrawn her long sword, but she stood rooted to the spot. Although she was confident of killing the maid, she dared not take the risk.


    "Lajusha, has Arunjay instructed you to do so?" Alice said tly. She looked rxed, but she felt remorseful within. Alice had five maids on rotation to take care of her daily needs. The selection process was extremely strict. Not only did Alice do a check on them, Anfey would personally do a background check on them. They had been very loyal to Alice. Recently, Lajusha and Arunjay had been very close to each other. Alice had been told that both of them were sleeping together in the storeroom. She had brushed it aside, as she thought that it was nothing unusual. Now, she knew that she had been wrong. Only a woman could make a man change so drastically. Likewise, only a man could make a woman change so drastically. It must be Arunjay who had instructed Lajusha to attack Alice. Sometimes, it would not be a good thing to be too lenient to the servants. The more theye into contact with the outside world, the more hopes and desires they would have. Lajusha was a typical example of this.


    "Shut up!" Lajusha screamed again. She had hidden herself behind Alice and was staring at Suzanna nervously. As Alice¡¯s maid, she knew who was the most terrifying person. At this instant, fighting sounds were heard from the ground floor. The outer courtyard was in an uproar as well. The assassins had acted efficiently and effectively, especially with the help of their spy. From the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard and middle floor, the sentries and Patrol had not been alerted. However, Lajusha¡¯s screams were loud, and they had awakened the female swordsmen who were sleeping in the outer courtyard. They carried their long swords to check around, and saw the group of people in ck. A fight ensued.


    The door had been kicked open, and five to six people in ck dashed into the room. They looked at Alice, who had been held hostage, and Suzanna, who was standing to the side. One of them dashed behind Alice and pushed Lujasha away, snatching away her dagger. He said coldly to Suzanna, "Madam Suzanna, we mean no harm. We just need your co-operation. Please put your sword down!"


    Suzanna slowly took a few steps backward, and held on more tightly to her sword. The magic signals had been sent, one after another, toward the sky. Now, not only were the people in Alice¡¯s mansion being alerted, the entire city had been alerted as well.


    "Madam, I don¡¯t have much time. I hope you will co-operate with us!" The man in ck glided the dagger along Alice¡¯s neck and said, "Unless, you want her dead!"


    Alice¡¯s heart was heavy. Her instinct was right. They were targeting Suzanna and not her! Since they had been discovered, reinforcements would be on the way. If they were targeting Alice, they would have acted earlier. They would have either killed her, or held her hostage and escaped. They would not have made Suzanna disarm herself.


    "Put down your weapon!" The man in ck was impatient and shouted. He made a cut on Alice¡¯s neck.


    "No!" Suzanna said in a hurry. She finally loosened her grip.


    Regardless of her faults, Alice was not an evil woman. At times, she would put her interests aside. Should Suzanna meet with any mishap, it would do Alice more good. The assassins were Wester¡¯s men. The day before, Wester had written her an ebullient letter, ensuring her safety. Moreover, Anfey would be here soon. Just a while more, and everything would be fine. Alice did not let her thoughts run wild.


    There was an emotion known as "gratitude". Initially, people would be on guard with one another. As time went by, the rtionship became more cohesive. Suzanna was Anfey¡¯s wife, and she could be considered as the First Lady of The League of Mercenaries. However, she had be her bodyguard for the past few days. As for Christian, regardless of his weariness from the day¡¯s work, he would ensure that he would personally go to Alice¡¯s bedroom to cast a magic array to protect her. As the Chief of General, Anfey had been on sentry for a long period of time, to ensure her safety. All these things, and what many others had done, had taken root in her heart. It was a great blessing to have people with whom she could entrust her life!


    Alice dropped her right finger to the floor and slowly shook it. She twisted the pendant of her cloak with her left hand. Her right finger was pointing at Suzanna, hinting to her. When Suzanna had brought the cloak to Alice after nightfall, the target in their conversation was referring to Suzanna!


    Seeing that Suzanna had wavered a little, Volte put his hands behind his back and moved closer to her. The closer he was, the more careful he became. He did not want to irritate Suzanna. He had nothing in his hands. He stopped when he was less than three meters away from Suzanna. He removed his mask, and with a gentle smile, said to Suzanna, "Madam, please hand me your sword."


    Suzanna took a deep breath and asked, "Who are you? What do you want?" She asked for the sake of buying time.


    "Madam, please trust me. We mean no harm." Volte said with a smile. The fighting sounds were getting nearer, and Volte was getting impatient. His men had obviously been unable to hold back the mercenaries led by Shinb. They had failed on the previous attack, as Suzanna had a magic prop that had enabled her to fly up to the sky. He had to disarm Suzanna and try to control her. At the least, he had to throw out a deadly attack before Suzanna could fly up to the sky.


    "If I disarm myself, you must not hurt her!" Suzanna said slowly, pointing at Alice.


    "Of course. I swear!" Volte¡¯s heart was beating fiercely.


    "All right!" Suzanna hesitated for a while and gritted her teeth. She handed over her sword to Volte. Upon seeing this, Alice nearly fainted. She crazily twisted her body and tried to warn Alice. However, she was too slow to act. The man in ck, who was standing behind her, covered her mouth and said, "Stop moving!"


    "Sir, let me." A pale-looking hand was ced on Alice¡¯s shoulder. A thick, iron blue color was released from Alice¡¯s shoulder and spread out to the surrounding area. Even Alice¡¯s hair turned iron blue. Alice stood frozen to the ground and could not move.


    Dous let go of his hand and smiled with satisfaction.


    Brunfett smiled slyly and said in a low voice, "Sir, we cannot dy any further. We have to end it fast!"


    "Don¡¯t worry." Dous slowly took a few steps forward and was ready to attack with Volte.


    Volte tried to suppress his emotions and slowly stretched out his hand. As his finger was about to touch the edge of the sword, Suzanna¡¯s expression suddenly changed. Her helpless look had turned into a sharp look. A bright Combat Power shone out, and Suzanna¡¯s sword shot forth like lightning.

 Chapter 558: Lesser

    Chapter 558: Lesser


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    In a fight between two very powerful people, a small mistake can be detrimental. Suzanna already had her sword drawn, but Volte did not even draw his weapon. However, he was very fast. He easily ducked Suzanna¡¯s attack and grabbed his sword.


    Suzanna gripped her sword and lunged at Volte, who drew his own sword, and the two shed with a loud crash, sending bright sparks flying. Suzanna stumbled backwards and steadied herself. Volte was sent flying backwards and crashed through a nearby wall, finallynding in the courtyard. The mercenaries outside quickly surrounded it.


    Suddenly, Volte¡¯s sword lit up brightly, then turned into dozens of arrows. The arrows made ofbat power flew outwards toward the mercenaries. The mercenaries did not know who they were fighting, and it was already toote by the time they realized. Dozens of mercenaries were struck by Volte¡¯sbat power and fell to the ground.


    Suzanna¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Swordsmen¡¯sbat powers were more or less the same, but Volte¡¯s control ofbat power was unheard of. Even Ernest was not this good.


    "Out of the way!" Suzanna called, jumping down into the courtyard.


    Volte turned to her, sneering. The two lunged toward each other, bright whitebat power and goldenbat power shing. A momentter, Volte fell to the ground, stumbling. Suzanna, however, did not attack again. Instead, she kept herself floating in midair, staring at Volte¡¯s hands. It may not seem like it, but she had almost fallen for Volte¡¯s trap.


    Dous was creeping toward the fight. Just as he was about to attack, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him and swung arge axe at his head. Dous was forced to jumped back and duck the attack. He raised his sword, blocking another blow from the axe. He was fast, but he was still slower than his opponent.


    He was able to block the axe with his sword, but the floor under him could not handle this much force. Before Dous could do anything else, he found himself falling down through a hole in the floor. The figure with the axe chased after him. By the time Dous reached the next floor, the figure with the axe was already upon him.


    Dous bellowed angrily, as he raised his sword to block another attack. Swordsmen all had simrbat powers, but there were small differences. People like Suzanna and Ernest focused on strength, while Dous focused on speed. He had almost never been outmatched in speed.


    By now, Dous already realized who he was up against. The second time his sword made contact with the axe, he changed the angle of his sword, so he wouldn¡¯t fall through the floor again. He pushed off of Anfey¡¯s axe andnded near the wall. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Aren¡¯t you in Shinwa Province?"


    Anfey pursed his lips and did not say anything. He jumped toward Dous, swinging the axe at the man¡¯s neck. Dous waved his hand, and arge, ck appeared in the air. The was made of a dark, flexible metal and hadrge spikes all over it. As the fell toward Anfey, Dous began moving toward him as well.


    Instead of using teleportation, Anfey suddenly leaned back and fell onto the ground. He slid toward Dous, swinging his axe at his leg. Dous jumped off the ground and moved toward the ceiling, summoning hisbat power. Dous didn¡¯t want to fight with Anfey. He had no reason to fight with him. He wanted to get back into the other room, because that was where his real target was. He needed to get to Alice and use her as a leverage. He knew that Shinb must have already arrived with her men. He needed to get to Alice to get himself and his men out alive.


    Dous crashed through the wooden ceiling and returned to the room above. The men he brought were already lying on the ground, dead. A few mercenaries were also lying on the ground, dead as well. Brufit, the only survivor, was sitting on the ground and panting. All the walls in the room were covered in ck. Thuds could be heard from other side of the wall. Clearly, Brufit had managed to seal off the room after getting rid of the mercenaries.


    Dous dashed toward Alice, who was standing quietly in the room. Anfey jumped into the room from below. Dous raised his sword to Alice¡¯s neck and said, "Don¡¯t do anything, or it will end badly for both of us."


    Anfey looked at Dous calmly. Dous frowned, feeling uneasy. He had expected Anfey to react to what he was doing, so he could tell what Anfey was thinking. However, Anfey was only looking at him, not showing any emotions.


    Just then, the entire building shook with the sound of an explosion. Then Dous heard Volte¡¯s voice, "Mauso, Burzuryano, goddammit..."


    Dous¡¯ breath hitched. Brufit has sealed the room off, and he could not see what was going on outside, but he knew what would happen to Volte. Volte may be powerful, but not powerful enough to take on Mauso, Burzuryano, and Suzanna at the same time.


    Anfey gripped his axe and started walking towards Dous. "Stay where you are!" Dous called loudly. "I may not be powerful enough for you, but if you do anything, I will kill her!" Then he grabbed Alice and pushed his sword closer to her neck.


    "Whatever you say," Anfey said with a shrug, but did not stop moving.


    "Whatever?" Dous repeated, his eyes wide. "Good, then. Fine. Do what you will."


    "If you say so," Anfey said. He suddenly lunged forward, swinging his axe at Alice. Anfey was very fast, and did not leave much time for Dous to think. His axe went through Alice and struck Dous in the chest. Normally, Dous would be able to get away, but he was too close to Alice. He also didn¡¯t think Anfey would actually do anything to harm Alice. He had gathered a lot of information and knew how important she was to him.


    A ball of dark energy struck Dous in the back, causing hisbat power to disappear. Dous bellowed in pain, as he fell to the ground, his sword also falling.


    "It will be easier if you just give up, my lord," Brufit said quietly.


    Dous turned toward him with wide eyes. "Why... you..."


    "I have a teacher as well, my lord," Brufit said. "That is all I can tell you."


    The spy, Lajusha, stood and walked toward Anfey. As she walked, her appearance and clothes started to change.


    "It¡¯s just a small mirror spell, my lord," Brufit said, noticing Dous¡¯ eyes on her.


    Anfey sighed. "You shouldn¡¯t have done this," he told Dous, as he brought the axe down on the man.

 Chapter 559: The Hero

    Chapter 559: The Hero


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "Sir John, they...they areing over," a knight said fearfully.


    "As though I can¡¯t see for myself!" Little John said softly. "Stay vignt!"


    "Sir, that is the Roaring Dead Legion!" The knight¡¯s voice trembled as he spoke.


    "What is the big deal?" Little John asked with a prideful smile.


    The knight dropped his jaw, wanting to say something, but ended up keeping mum. He did not know where to start, as he had too much to say. Little John seemed ignorant and proud! During the night, the mage army had been utterly destroyed. The Griffin Aerial Unit had also ceased to exist. The Roaring Dead Legion was the only remaining powerhouse, and it would be impossible to defeat them with only a few thousand new infantries and more than 200 knights. They would be courting their own deaths if they were to attack the Roaring Dead Legion. However,mands must be obeyed. He could onlyment his fate, and the fact of having such a Chief Commander.


    The army was approaching them. Although there were only about 700-800 of them, and the fact that they were not moving in unison, the soldiers still exuded an overpowering killing intent that only elite troops possessed.


    "Sir, we should retreat." The knight made onest effort to dissuade Little John.


    "I just wonder how you became a knight!" Little John sneered at him and said, "Pass down the order and get ready..."


    "Yes..." A voice came out from among the shrubs, sending chills up the knight¡¯s spine.


    The soldiers from the Roaring Dead Legion had reached the foot of the mountain. For the past few months, they had not met any powerful enemies, thus they had ckened. The soldiers formed ranks that stretched a mile long, and there were more than 40 prison vans with them. Every van was filled with prisoners. There were males and females, young and old. All the prisoners were well-dressed, and they seemed to be the royal families from the Shansa Empire.


    Little John turned and gave a signal to one of the magicians, who softly chanted a spell and released a bellicose incantation. More than 500 soldiers of the Shansa Empire had been affected by the incantation. Little John jumped onto his battle steed and pointed his long sword toward the sky, shouting: "Comrades, let¡¯s charge..." Having said this, he took the lead and dashed downhill.


    The soldiers who followed after Little John were the ones affected by the incantation. Courage could be contagious. The other soldiers hesitated for a while, following behind. Their Chief Commander was in the frontline, and they had no reason to back away. Moreover, they would have been severely punished if they had retreated.


    The soldiers of the Roaring Dead Legion were taken off guard. "Oh no, we have been ambushed! Let¡¯s run for our lives. Leave the prisoners behind! Let¡¯s leave..." Following the cries, the soldiers fled desperately in a panic.


    Initially, the knights of Little John were cking behind the soldiers, but after seeing what had happened, they were ted, and urged their battle steeds forward. However, it was toote for them to take credit. Little John had dashed into the chaotic array. Those soldiers, who had been affected by the bellicose incantation, followed closely behind.


    A general from the Roaring Dead Legion clumsily urged his battle steed onward, but it refused to move. Little John dashed toward the general and shed the general¡¯s neck with his long sword. A bright sword ray shed across, and the general¡¯s head flew up to the sky, sending blood spewing all over.


    "Charge..." Little John shouted.


    "Charge..." When the soldiers of Shansa Empire saw that their Chief Commander had killed the general of their enemies, their morale was boosted. A few thousand soldiers rushed down from the top of the hill and filled the valley.


    Many soldiers from the Roaring Dead Legion fled for their lives. More than 30 of them lost their directions in their panicked states, not knowing where to flee. Little John pushed his way around and wielded his sword. He was like the invincible god of war. Every time he wielded his sword, someone would be killed.


    As he was dashing past one of the prison vans, Little John suddenly stopped. "Is that not Duke Rhine?" He gave up his ns to pursue after the enemies, and quickly dismounted from his battle steed. With great force, he broke the chain around the cage with his sword. He went into the prison van and helped an elderly man exit.


    "Good, ...well done." Duke Rhine had lost hope, not having expected to see such a courageous general in the Shansa Empire. This general had fearlessly challenged the Roaring Dead Legion. That was a close call for Duke Rhine. He was moved to tears and could not say a word.


    "Charge..." The soldiers of Shansa Empire dashed past the prison vans in pursuit of the enemies that had fled. To beat a drowning dog was a pleasurable feeling for the soldiers. Only some of the soldiers remembered to break open the prison vans and rescue the royal families. However, they were too slow to act, aspared to Little John. After saying a fewforting words to Duke Rhine, Little John had rushed to the other prison vans with his sword. Within a short period of time, he had broken the chains of more than 20 prison vans, and rescued many royal families.


    Thebat ended very quickly. Although the cowards in the Roaring Dead Legion did not have the courage to fight, they were quick in escaping. It might have been due to theck of training of the Shansa Empire soldiers as well. After pursuing the enemies for a few miles, not only were they unable to catch up with them, but they became exhausted. It was especially so with the soldiers who were influenced by the bellicose incantation. After the magic power had lost its effect, they were left panting hard.


    Having received their freedom, the royal families sat on the grass. After being cramped up in the prison van, they needed a rest. Some were praying, some were bursting out in tears, and some were filled with gratitude and were talking to Little John. Little John was like their god. However, Little John smiled humbly, speaking politely to them. He had left a good impression on the royal families.


    After mingling around, Little John came back to Duke Rhine. Although all were royal families, there were different rankings among them. Duke Rhine was a good friend of Edward VIII. Even if all the royal families had gathered together, they would still not be as important as Duke Rhine!


    At this instant, the knight, who had tried to dissuade Little John earlier, came forward. He said excitedly to John, "Sir, the enemies have been pushed back. We have killed a total of more than 30 enemies, and one of them is a general! We have a great victory!"


    "How many enemies have you killed?" Duke Rhine coughed, while asking this in a dignified voice. He had now recovered, regaining hisposure.


    "We have killed more than 30 enemies, including..."


    Duke Rhine lifted up his hand and gave the knight a tight p. He lowered his volume and said, "You are stupid like a pig!" He felt deeply grieved. Why? Why is there no intelligent man, under such a courageous general?


    "Sir Duke..." Little John was taken aback.


    "There were more than 5,000 men, who were escorting us, but you have killed only a little more than 30 soldiers? Do you consider that a great victory?" Duke Rhine pointed at the knight¡¯s nose and said, "I have seen the whole process with my own eyes. It was such an intense fight, and you have only killed a little more than 30 people? You fool, have you seen correctly?"


    Little John and the knight just stood there, dumbfounded. 5,000 people? Who has seen wrongly?


    Duke Rhine waved his hand and said, "I am not old. I have seen clearly! We have killed more than 3,000 soldiers in this battle!"


    The knight scrunched his face up, and after a while, looked ted. Little John had killed half of those people, including the general. To share the remaining credit among the soldiers would be pathetic, that is if they had killed only a little more than 30 people. However, if they had killed more than 3,000 soldiers, the situation would be quite different. He might be redited for killing more than 10 people!


    The knight suddenly lifted his hand and pped himself. He shouted, "Sir, I am a fool, I am blind. Please forgive me. This ce is filled with dead bodies. There are about 5,000 of them!"


    "Nonsense!" Duke Rhine said with a straight face, "How can you report to your superior with an estimated number? Go and check again. Remember, I want a definite figure!"


    "Yes, Sir!" The knight saluted excitedly at Duke Rhine, turned around, and dashed out.


    Little John finally managed to calm himself down. He had been around Diamond City for some time, and knew that the royal families had been deceiving their superiors and subordinates, and that they were corrupted. However, he did not know that military merit could be exploited in this manner! Suddenly, Little John noticed a longing look in Duke Rhine¡¯s eyes. After pondering this for a while, he said softly, "Sir, the greatest credit goes to you. If you had not disrupted the deployment of the enemy¡¯s army from within, I would not have seeded." Since Duke Rhine had amplified his credits, Little John had to give the greatest credit to him.


    "Hahaha..." Duke Rhineughed aloud. He patted Little John¡¯s shoulder and said, "Young man, you have a great future ahead of you. I like you!"


    "I am honored to be recognized by you." Little John bent with respect as he spoke.


    Duke Rhine held Little John¡¯s hand warmly, lifting it up. He shouted, "Who has saved us from our suffering? Who has given us the chance to live again? Who is our hero?"


    Many of the royal families knew Little John¡¯s name by now. Moreover, they had to give due respect to Duke Rhine, so they shouted, "John...John..." Their shouts grew louder, and in the end, many soldiers joined in the shouting as well. If the Maho Empire was a tiger, then the Shansa Empire would be a timid rabbit. The rabbit would hide in its burrow, shivering. Shansa had been longing for a hero to stand up and take control of the situation.

 Chapter 560: Helpless

    Chapter 560: Helpless


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Baery¡¯s Roaring Death Legion, Shield of Light Legion, and ckania City¡¯s city guardsbined with Kumaraghosha¡¯s Shansa army, the Church¡¯s Knights, and the druids, had made a veryrge and impressive army camp outside of Diamond City. Baery only blocked off three of the city¡¯s gates, leaving the eastern gate wide open. This way, if Edward the Eighth leaves through the eastern gate, it would be easy for the army to attack him.


    Not only was Edward the Eighth¡¯s army severely outnumbered, the sheer amount of top level powers gathered outside the city was enough to make anyone pale in shock and fear. Despite having the upper hand, Baery did not attack the city immediately. Ynthe wanted upation, not destruction. In order to take over the city, the most important part of the n was not outside the city, but within.


    The Rangers¡¯ Little John had already risen to the rank of general, leading several attacks on the Roaring Death Legion¡¯s supply army. He had won Edward the Eighth¡¯s trust with his victories. Edward the Eighth named him the deputy general, who was in charge of the southern part of the city, under Duke Rhine. However, the duke barely had any interest or experience in leading an army, leaving most of his work to Little John.


    Another part of this equation was Douminge, and whether or not he could convince some of the court mages to join his side. He was once the head of court mages, and was very well respected. If he could convince some of the mages, he could render Edward the Eighth¡¯s mage towers useless. Without the mage towers, it would be very hard for Edward the Eighth to do anything.


    A lot of Maho soldiers wanted to march on the city and capture Edward the Eighth. Even though the Shansa Empire barely had any defense, they still wanted to attack the city. Sitting and waiting was far from their idea of a war. However, to Baery, he was happy to wait. He was getting older now, and he did not need any more glory. All he needed was victory.


    What was ironic, was that Ynthe had used Edward the Eighth of working with necromancers, yet his own men were really the ones working with necromancers. No matter where, the ruling ss must find a way to control the people they were ruling. Ynthe may be a good ruler, but he was still a ruler. He needed to control what was reaching his people, and how his people thought in order to stay in power.


    Anfey closed Morgan¡¯s letter. He turned to Brufit and said, "Go tell Master Morgan that I understand."


    "The Throne is almost ready," Brufit said softly. "We do not have a lot of time left."


    "Master Morgan said six months in his letter," Anfey said. "I won¡¯t be participating in another battle after this. I think I can find the ce where I grew up."


    "Ellisen Empire is a mess now," Brufit said, shocked. "It will be an easy victory. Are you sure you won¡¯t participate?"


    Once they take Diamond City, the supplies in the city will be theirs. That,bined with the supplies the armies took from the nobles over the year, would be enough to support the entire army for months. The Ellisen army didn¡¯t stand a chance against such arge army. It would be an easy victory and another aplishment.


    "If I¡¯m right, His Majesty will ask Christian to go back to Sacred City after this,"Anfey said.


    Brufit blinked and immediately understood what Anfey was saying. Anfey was only leading the mercenaries into battles because Christian was there. If Christian was gone, there was no point.


    "His Royal Highness has a long list of aplishments," Brufit said. "Surely His Majesty will ask him to participate in the war with Ellison Empire."


    "Unless His Majesty has already picked Christian as his heir, he won¡¯t send him into another war," Anfey said, shaking his head. "He needs to maintain a bnce. He can¡¯t let any of his sons get too powerful or influential."


    "Then it is His Majesty¡¯s own decision," Brufit said. "We have no part in it."


    Anfey nced at Brufit and chuckled. He knew what Brufit was implying. If he leaves immediately after Christian leaves, it may seem suspicious. However, he also knew that Ynthe wasn¡¯t the paranoid type. Even if he leaves, he had proven his loyalty to Ynthe and to the Maho Empire plenty of times. He wasn¡¯t worried.


    Brufit nodded. He believed that Anfey knew what he was implying, and that was as much as he could do. Anfey will make his own choices, and he can¡¯t change that.


    Brufit coughed a few times quietly, to break the awkward silence. "Well, I should be getting on my way," he said. "It may not be good for your reputation if other people see me here. I trust you to give the letter to Master Saul."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "I will deliver it."


    Brufit nodded and left the tent quietly. A momentter, Suzanna poked her head into the tent.


    "What were you two talking about?"


    "We need a new n," Anfey said with a sigh.


    "What n? Why haven¡¯t you said anything?"


    "It¡¯s not going to work, anyway," Anfey said. He held up the letter in his hand to Suzanna and said, "The Throne of Bones is almostplete. It will give Minos the power he needs to receive a new life. We need to unite against him, or else it will be the end of everything we know. I don¡¯t know what the Throne is, exactly, but if Golman, Morgan, and Desvidia are all afraid of itspletion... I don¡¯t think I want to know what it is."


    Anfey sighed. He knew that Minos was very powerful, but he did not know exactly how powerful he was. After he started working with Golman, he learned many things about the necromancers. Now, he knew exactly what Golman was afraid of, and he was afraid of Minos¡¯ power as well. Golman was willing to put his hope in a man Anfey had made up, showing that Golman, too, had tried everything he could.


    "If we all unite, there¡¯s no way Minos can defeat us," Suzanna said quietly.


    "Hopefully," Anfey said with a sigh. He took Suzanna¡¯s hand and drew her to his side. He looked at her, as if studying her face. Suzanna frowned. She could see the sadness and longing in Anfey¡¯s eyes. It was as if he was saying goodbye to her. When she opened her mouth, her voice quivered. "What¡¯s going on?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"


    "It is," Anfey said with a small smile. "I just think maybe we should have a child."


    "Really?" Suzanna asked, surprised.


    "When have I ever lied to you?" Anfey asked, holding her closer. He knew that if he was to fight Minos, he must be even more powerful. He could not find the supreme power, because the man didn¡¯t exist. The only thing left for him to do was to be a supreme power. However, that woulde at the expense of losing things that made him human. For the first time ever, he felt helpless.

 Chapter 561: Friendship

    Chapter 561: Friendship


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The curtain had been lifted, and Robert walked in slowly. Due to the nature of their work, he and Ye could see Anfey without going through the notification of the guards. Suzanna was shocked and her face turned red. She quickly stood up from Anfey¡¯sp and nodded at Robert. She was familiar with what Robert was doing. Her father, Darius, had had men like him before. Their tasks were shady.


    "Yes?" Anfey asked softly.


    "Sir, Wester and Granden have entered the Moro Province. They are traveling at great speed. Given their speed, they should be able to reach the Naho Province in five to seven days.


    Anfey was in deep thought, and after a long while, he asked, "Is the information reliable?"


    "Yes," Robert nodded and said. "Sir, shall we let Young John and his men take them by surprise..."


    "No. That will be too obvious." Anfey rejected Robert¡¯s suggestion and said, "Do not think that we can take things into our hands just because Marshal Baery is unhappy with Wester. Being unhappy and having admiration are the attitudes of an individual. If we take Wester by surprise, it will not be a matter of attitude. It is..." At this point, Anfey smiled wryly.


    "Sir, what shall we do then?"


    "Is Alice with Master Douminge?"


    "I have no idea. I have just returned."


    "Go to Alice. If you see Master Douminge with her, let me know immediately. If he is not there, tell Alice that I would like her to find an excuse to get Master Douminge there."


    "Yes, Sir." Robert quickly walked out.


    "On your way out, ask Ye toe in. I need to talk to him," Anfey added.


    "All right."


    After Robert had left, Suzanna frowned and said softly, "Is Robert crazy? He had wanted to attack Wester!" Suzanna had used the word "crazy" to appropriately describe Robert. Regardless of his conduct, Wester was Ynthe¡¯s son. Only Ynthe could decide his destiny. Toy hands on Wester would be going against Ynthe! When Wester had sent the assassins, he only targeted Anfey and Suzanna. He dared not hurt Christian, although Christian was his biggest threat.


    "The Rangers are used to disassociating themselves from the world. Other than their own people, they would not show concern for the others, even if he is the king. If they are being pushed into a corner, they will do anything." Anfey paused and said, "Actually...this is one of the reasons that I trusted them. Should things turn out badly for us in the future, they will be the only ones whom we can trust."


    "Why is this so?" Suzanna was shocked and asked.


    "I don¡¯t know why I say this," Anfey sighed and said. "Maybe, this is unnecessary. Maybe..."


    "Do you mean we cannot trust Christian and Alice?"


    "They can be trusted. What I mean is, if the situation gets really bad..." Anfey smiled and said. "Of course, I will not let such things happen."


    "What you have said...makes me feel uneasy."


    "Hahaha...let¡¯s not talk about the future. Let¡¯s talk about the present." Anfey changed the topic. "Christian is...too meek. If we capture Diamond City only when Wester and Granden have reached this ce, they will try to take credit for it. Christian will not refute this. He is happy as long as the Empire gets stronger and he can be of service. I have been trying to urge him to fight for power, but his performance has not been satisfactory."


    "Christian is too kind," Suzanna said softly.


    "This is not a bad thing. If he gets power, he will be a good king whom the people will love. But the problem is, before he gets power, the responsibility is on us."


    "What do you intend to do?"


    "We must not give them any opportunity, but at the same time, we cannot attack them. What we can do... is to start the war soon."


    "But Marshal Baery wanted tounch the attack on..."


    "In fact, we have the upper-hand. Marshal Baery was just waiting for an opportunity. We can decide on the timing," Anfey said softly. "It depends on whether Young John can hold the forte at the city gate, and upon the number of magicians Master Douminge can persuade. If Douminge and I share the same view, Marshal Baery doesn¡¯t need to follow ording to ns. You can say that, even if Marshal Baery knows what I am thinking, he will not make things difficult for me."


    At this moment, Ye lifted up the curtain and walked in. "Sir, are you looking for me?"


    "Yes," Anfey nodded his head and said. "Wester and Granden will be here soon. Have you found out anything yet?"


    Ye looked awkward. He shook his head and said, "No...but Volte should be Wester¡¯s maternal rtive."


    "Should be? How sure are you?"


    "At least 70-80 percent."


    Anfey pondered this for a while and said, "Have them killed tonight. If not, we will not know what will happen when Wester is here. Hmnn...hang the bodies of Volte and Julie outside the campsite. Write down clearly their names, as well as the crimes they havemitted. Get it?"


    "Yes," Ye said with a smile,. "I am looking forward to seeing the expression on Wester¡¯s face when he sees the two corpses."


    "No matter how Wester tries to put on a false front, since he has sent his men to deal with Suzanna and me, that proves that he could not take the threat from Christian any longer," Anfey slowly said. "This is expected. He is still young and rash, and this is normal. Since he can no longer take it, why don¡¯t we agitate him?"


    "Sir, are you not young, too?" Ye said with a smile.


    "But I am old here." Anfey pointed at his chest and burst out intoughter. "By the way, Ye, do the soldiers think well of me?"


    "Of course! Who are you? You have the Sacred Inheritance, and you have fought for the Empire, killed..." Ye seemed to be in a good mood. He seldom spoke, but now he just rattled on.


    "Stop your nonsense." Anfey interrupted him and said, "Send some men to patrol the area. Spread the news that Suzanna has been attacked and have a target ced on Wester. It must be logical and persuasive."


    "Sir, do you want to ruin Wester¡¯s reputation?"


    "Yes," Anfey nodded and said. "The fact that Wester is here to take credit is a big mistake. For Granden, it cannot be helped. When he was 14 years old, he was already an inspector in the army. He has qualifications and a reputation. Even if I nder him, it will not have much impact. As for Wester, who does he think he is?"


    "He has toe. If he doesn¡¯t get the support of the army, it will be his greatest drawback," Ye said with a smile.


    "It iste," Anfey sneered.


    "Sir." Robert¡¯s voice was heard outside the tent. "I have informed Sir Alice. She would like you to go over now."


    "That is all for now." Anfey stood up slowly and said, "Oh yes. Try to think of a way to make the corpses dpose faster, so that Wester can get more emotional."


    "Understood," Ye replied.


    Anfey took a few steps and suddenly stopped. "I nearly forget about this. Don¡¯t kill Dous. Golman needs him for experiments. It is a rare opportunity to use a top level power for experiments."


    "What about Volte?"


    "Volte¡¯s body is meant to be exposed." Anfey smiled. "By the way, you have misunderstood me. When Golman left Minosie, Dous was the first to betray him, and he had pulled along with him quite a number of men. Golman misses him a lot."


    "I cannot imagine...Volte¡¯s and Dous¡¯s destinies. Whose will be better?"


    "It is up to you to decide." Anfeyughed and said, "If you are interested, you can let Volte die a more horrible death."


    Alice¡¯s tent and Anfey¡¯s tent were not far from each other. They were located at the center of the campsite of The League of Mercenaries. After walking for a while, Anfey reached Alice¡¯s tent. He could clearly hear that Alice and Douminge were happily chatting away.


    "Alice," Anfey called out. This was redundant. Having seen Anfey, the female swordsman, who was guarding Alice¡¯s tent, had gone in to report to her.


    "Come in," Alice called out.


    Anfey lifted up the curtain and walked in. Alice was sitting opposite Dous, and Shinb was standing guard at the side. Anfey said with a smile, "Master Douminge is here. What a coincidence. Am I disturbing you?"


    "When have you be so polite?" Alice asked inquisitively. "Are you ming me for not receiving you?"


    "Hahaha...you are the Duke. I don¡¯t think anyone, including Marshal Baery, holds a higher position than you. Who dares to trouble you?"


    "Duke? Anything given can be taken back. Aspared to this, I put


    more trust in things that will not change easily, for example, ...friendship!" Alice signaled to the chair beside her and said, "Anfey, you don¡¯t seem to be in a good mood. What has happened?"


    When Alice brought up the topic of friendship, she seemed to be overdoing it. However, she had not meant it to be for Anfey¡¯s ears. It was meant for Douminge¡¯s. Anfey had been smiling, but she could tell that Anfey was not in a good mood. This was amazing. She was actually using this to segue to her topic.


    Anfey sighed and sat on the chair. He openly said, "The First Prince, Wester, and the Second Prince, Granden, have reached the Moro Province."


    "So fast?" Alice was shocked. Her future was tightly knit together with Anfey¡¯s and Christian¡¯s. She was very sharp, and knew immediately what Anfey was driving at.


    Seeing that Alice was looking a bit odd, Douminge put down his cup and started to listen attentively.

 Chapter 562: Flags

    Chapter 562: gs


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Thousands of fireballs appeared in the air, emitting a bright light. Other than the fireballs, hundreds of lightning bolts crackled through the air, striking the ground with loud thuds. In the distance, a tornado was forming, moving closer to the city at a slow but steady speed. The ground rumbled under the effects of so many magic spells at the same time.


    Diamond City was a beautiful city, but with so much magic ready to attack it, it was as if the gods had delivered all the possible gues onto the city.


    When Diamond City was first built, there were only three mage towers. As the city expanded, the number of towers expanded to more than two dozen. Then, those towers were taken down and reced by giant mage towers. Now, the city was protected by more than a dozen giant mage towers. As long as the towers still stood, and the supply of magic crystals remained ample, the city would not fall.


    Steger began his chanting. As his voice grew louder, a red swirl began to form in the sky above the city. He raised his voice, and the swirl becamerger and started to glow, outshining even the lights in the sky. As the swirl grew blinding, hundreds of meteorites fell from the swirl and onto the city.


    The meteorites shed into the protective shield that had been ced over the city by the giant mage towers. The mage towers were very powerful, enough to block the effects of any spell, including forbidden spells. Soldiers in Diamond City cheered as the meteorites exploded on the shield.


    However, Steger¡¯s attack was meant to be blocked by the shields. He was not as experienced as Saul, and did not know this city like Douminge. He was only stalling so that the mages in the city could have a chance to damage the towers.


    Anfey stood in front of the swordsmen, observing the city. He was staring at the city calmly. His emotions were no longer something that bothered him.


    The rumbling ground did not move him. Behind him were the elites of the Roaring Death Legion, the suicide attackers squad. When Baery first started this squad, he told his soldiers that being in the squad requires determination, and that they must be prepared to be the firsts to die. These soldiers would follow every order, and were always ready to fight. The rumbling of the ground did not affect them, either.


    Normally, Baery was the only person the suicide attackers squad followed. However, Baery no longer cared about aplishments and glory. He knew why Anfey had asked him to lead the charge, and he trusted Anfey.


    A strange wave of magic surge radiated out from the city. The shield that protected the city began to shrink quickly. Lights on the giant mage towers that were standing by the south gates were alright dimming. In a building close to the south gates, Little John finished off thest mage who was guarding the towers and breathed a sigh of relief. He was in charge of the southern part of the city, and he had to make sure this part of the city lost its magical protection.


    Sensing the surge, Anfey suddenly rose into the air. Elements pulled themselves around him, creating a storm of elements as he shot toward the city. The soldiers guarding the south gate were shocked. Anfey was in the air, but it was impossible to set up magic arrays in this short amount of time. The mages were not present, either. Themanders were intimidated, but they still jumped into the air, trying to block Anfey. However, there were not nearly enough of them to stop him. Hended on the city wall, leaving three bodies behind him.


    The soldiers around him scattered. Once theirmanders were gone, there was nothing holding the soldiers there. They could tell the difference in strengths, and they were not looking to get killed.


    Anfey ignored those fleeing soldiers. He turned and swung his axe, cutting down the g bearing Shansa Empire¡¯s symbol. Seeing him cutting down the g, Suzanna swooped down from the sky and grabbed the g staff from his hands. She tossed the g to Christian, who gripped it in his hands tightly, then beginning to wave it, then stopping. Suzanna was circling above Christian, protecting him.


    Seeing the g, the soldiers in the Roaring Death Legion were the first to react. They knew that this was the signal, and began charging toward the city. A momentter, more soldiers began charging at the city. The soldiers of the Roaring Death Legion were joined by the elites of Sacred City¡¯s city guard, sent by Ynthe.


    Mages¡¯ magic allowed them to bypass the magic arrays on the ground, but the soldiers would set it off. Soldiers began dying, as they stepped into the magic arrays, but nothing could stop them. With Christian ahead of them, waving the broken g, the soldiers charged without stopping. The glory of taking the g was reserved for Christian, and it did not matter who actually cut it down. To the soldiers, it was Christian that took the g and started the battle.


    The southern gate was already open, and members of the suicide attacker squad and the Sacred City city guards charged into the city. The nobles that were still in the city were terrified by this turn of events. Some were pacing in the room, trying to find a way out of the city. Others had already given up, resigned to their fates. Some nobles dressed their daughters and wives up, hoping that would be enough for the conquering armies to spare their lives.


    Some nobles began hanging banners on their doors, weing Alice¡¯s return to the city. For these nobles, in moments like this, staying alive was much more important than being loyal to their country.


    More soldiers streamed into the city. The ones that couldn¡¯t reach the gates began to scale the city wall. Christian kept waving the g, despite his arms growing tired and sore. After all, he was a mage, and did not have as much stamina.


    He wasn¡¯t apetitive person, and he did not want to fight with his brothers. However, he knew that if he didn¡¯t fight for the throne, his friends would be in trouble as well, once his father died.


    The gs bearing Shansa Empire¡¯s symbols were all broken, but Christian did not stop waving the g. He knew that he could not turn back anymore.

 Chapter 563: The Providence of God

    Chapter 563: The Providence of God


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The massacre that was expected to cause a great fear over the royal families of Shansa did not take ce. The talents that Alice had recruited in Moro Province and Yellowstone Province had been put to good use. With the help of the soldiers of Shansa, under Kumaraghosha¡¯smand, they patrolled the area, suppressed the riots, and brought assurance to the people. When it was dawn, Diamond City had resumed its peace.


    What Alice had experienced was simr to the experience of Granden from the Maho Empire. Alice had entered into politics when she was young, and Granden had be an inspector when he was a teenager. However, being an inspector was only a role in name. The power was still in the hands of the Chief Commander. Alice frequently made public appearances and got along well with people from all trades. She was more mature than Granden.


    Alice had no problem maintaining the normal operations of the city. As for the ministers of her predecessor, she was well aware of the ones whom she could keep, and whom she had to eliminate.


    No one could sleep this night. Baery had to supervise and re-organize those new soldiers of the Shansa Empire. They did not have strongbat force, but there were many of them. Saul, Steger, and Douminge were searching for the remnants who might create trouble. Bruzuryano and Mauso were in charge of the reinforcements. They had be fire fighters. They would be deployed to wherever there was danger. Even the high priest, Stan, and the Knights of the Light had been assigned duties. No one would do a better job than them in reassuring the people. Regardless of the conduct of the individuals, in the eyes of the people, they were upright and kind.


    Outside the Pce, Kumaraghosha held his sword and looked back. Anfey nodded his head lightly, and Kumaraghosha turned around and wielded his sword. A sword ray blew open the magnificent door, and Kumaraghosha took the lead and dashed in.


    In any political governance, there would be lots of ambivalence, including fights. If they were working toward amon goal, it would be easy to work things out. However, to remove the estrangement among them, it would be impossible! As long as people were involved, there would be ambivalence. Kumaraghosha had led the soldiers in surrounding the Pce, as he had his own agenda.


    If Diamond City was the icon of the Shansa Empire, the Pce would be the icon of Diamond City. Behind the magnificent door, was the umtion of years of wealth of the Empire, and many other things. Kumaraghosha did not want the ce to be looted! Moreover, he had one more motive. He wanted to take revenge for his family, who had died terrible deaths! However, Edward VIII was Alice¡¯s father, so he felt uneasy. After gaining the approval of Anfey, he finally made up his mind.


    However, Kumaraghosha had measured the stature of great men by his small yardstick. A talent remained only a talent. Kumaraghosha was merely a talent. As there were no better choices, he had taken up the responsibility as a vanguard. Baery was a renowned Marshal. The soldiers in the Maho Empire had not stepped into the inner city, so Baery had given Alice and Kumaraghosha free y.


    "I was expecting bloodshed." Stan stopped behind Anfey. He said softly, "This is so unexpected. Ynthe is indeed a benevolent king!"


    "His Majesty is magnanimous," Anfey casually replied, going along with Stan. Anyway, the one beingplimented was not around.


    "But...not many people know about his benevolence. What they are feeling right now is only fear. Warner, let the people forget about their hatred for one another!"


    "Yes, Sir." Warner replied, but he was looking at Anfey.


    Warner had been under the mentorship of Stan. His look and dressing were bing more and more like a priest. However, he felt a bit uneasy when Anfey was around. Anfey winked at Ye and said with a smile, "Warner, go ahead and show me what you have learned."


    Ye immediately took the hint and whispered to a mercenary. The mercenary then went to look for vi. Edy, who was leisurely sitting with the mercenaries, was looking at what was happening at the front. Suddenly, a magic shield was in the sky and covered him. Edy was taken by surprise and said, "Sir vi, what is this..."


    vi rolled his eyes, he could not be bothered with Edy. He did not have a good impression of Edy, but since they were of The League of Mercenaries, he had to give him a helping hand.


    "God protects His people..." As Warner chanted, he flew up to the sky. He looked pious. As he lifted up his hands, a bright light rose from his palms. As the light got brighter, the beams got bigger. It engulfed Warner, who was dozens of meters below it. In the end, a soundless explosion took ce. The huge beams rained down and covered Diamond City.


    The Book of Life, which had been erged thousands of times, stayed in the air. The shape of the book, and even the tiny words written on the pages, could be clearly seen. As the pages were being flipped, chanting sounds came from the sky.


    "Warner has improved tremendously." Anfey was impressed. Light rained down within the range of his senses. He had not expected Warner to have such magic powers. It was impressive.


    "He has great potential. It was a pity that he did not make good use of his time previously," Stan said with a smile. He then added, "The Book of Life has been a great help to him."


    Anfey was silent. Warner could breakthrough, because he had received the Heart of Nature. Since Warner had the help of The Book of Life, it was not a surprise for him to achieve such great advancement.


    To the top level powers, like Anfey, rains of light were simply the energies of the light element. They had strong willpower, and they would not be affected by it. However, to the men on the street, rains of light were filled with peace, making one feel warm and safe.


    The two contradictory magics of light and darkness could easily touch the hearts of the people. Some would open up their windows to receive the blessings, and for those who were braver, they would run down the streets. The warriors, who were holding onto their weapons, were affected as well. They looked excited. After the excitement, they just looked nkly at the sky.


    Although Kumaraghosha was not as powerful as Anfey, the hatred within him was so deep that he was not affected by it. He looked up at the sky and sneered. After kicking the soldier who was staring nkly in front of him, Kumaraghosha shouted, "Search around! Why are you in a daze?" The soldiers then regained consciousness, rushing forward in different directions.


    Warner slowlynded on the ground. Other than the treatment that the people had received, the magic that he had released would not have any other effect on the people. However, the impact that he had created was significant. The soldiers of Shansa and the mercenaries were looking at Warner differently. The mercenaries used to look down on Warner. He had been enduring the shame and trying to please the people around him. However, after the conversation with Anfey, his attitude changed and became tough. The mercenaries had thought that Warner got into Anfey¡¯s good graces by bootlicking. Outwardly, they appeared to respect him, but inwardly, they despised him even more. This day, Warner had gained the eptance of the people with his own ability.


    "Sir Stan, you should have been the one to release the magic," Anfey suddenly said softly. Stan smiled. He was smart enough to catch the sarcasm in Anfey¡¯s words. "Sir Anfey, I am different from nbrea. I like to be frank. The entire continent has changedpletely. If I wish to pass down my teachings, I need to change my approach as well."


    "Oh?"


    "You can say that there are two paths before us. One is the old school one, which is to hold on to power and status. The other is to take a step backward and assist in consolidating the royal power. Do you understand what I mean?"


    "You have chosen thetter?"


    "Yes. I do not want to take any risk. Even the two country bumpkins, Mauso and Bruzuryano, who have been wandering in the forest, know what to do. We should be smarter than them."


    Stan looked at Warner and said, "From now on, Warner is qualified to set up a hall in Diamond City. As long as Ynthe is around, Sir Alice¡¯s position will not be threatened. With Warner¡¯s help, ...hahaha. Sir Anfey, I sincerely wish to assist you."


    "Thank you," Anfey said with a smile. Stan and nbrea were indeed different. It was not that Stan had higher moral character, but he was very open, preferring to thrash things out. As to what he would do if he could note to an agreement with the other party, that would be another question.


    It seemed that Kumaraghosha must have encountered resistance, as there was a loud battle cry in the Pce. Anfey suddenly remembered something and said, "Sir Stan, I need your help."


    "What is it? Tell me."


    "Alice and I...are partners. I do not want to stain my hands with the blood of her father or family. These mercenaries must not get involved either," Anfey said softly, "Can you help us settle these before Kumaraghosha strikes?"


    Stan was stunned for a while, and then smiled wryly and said, "This is not an easy task. I will offend..." Ynthe judged his men by their talents. He was very pleased with Alice¡¯s recent performance, as she had met his expectations. Her position could not be shaken. No one would want to offend her.


    "Please." Anfey begged him.

 Chapter 564: Challenge

    Chapter 564: Challenge


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A group of men were fleeing east on the highroad, with Edward the Eighth among them. Even though he had fled Diamond City sessfully and was now safe, he appeared to have lost all hope. He did not know where he should go. He did not have anything to live for, and did not know why he had left the city. Now, he would have rather perished with his nation.


    The men around him were all heavily armored knights. One of the knights in the group had white hair and beard, and his hands were full of wrinkles. However, hisnce did not quiver as he rode. The other knight was young and followed the older knight closely. Since Edward the Eighth did not care where they were going, the two knights became the leaders of the group.


    However, even they were lost. They had fled the city, but where should they go? Suddenly, the griffins circling the air above them suddenly dove down, screeching. The knights halted, quickly forming a circle, with Edward the Eighth in the middle. Normally, only half of the knights would stay, while the other half would keep going with Edward the Eighth.


    However, there were too few of them, and it was safer to stay together. If Edward the Eighth was alone, anyone could take him to the Maho army. These knights were loyal, but they were not sure about anyone else.


    As soon as the knights set up their formation, two figures appeared down the road. Both were old and wearing mage robes. The mage in white did not look at the knights. Instead, he nced down at the road, as if ashamed. The other mage appeared very calm. His gaze swept through the knights, finally stopping on the old knight.


    The old knight sighed. "Douminge," he said with a nod. "This must be Saul. Your reputation proceeds you."


    The knights around him shuffled and murmured in shock. Douminge alone was able to take out all of them. They did not stand a chance against both Douminge and Saul.


    "You must be Shureberger, the Golden Knight," Saul said. "Pleasure."


    "So you didn¡¯t bring Anfey with you," Shureberger said quietly.


    Saul smiled. "He¡¯s young," he said. "He has a reason to ck off a bit." Saul knew why Shureberger had asked about Anfey. The Maho Empire was powerful, but the Shansa Empire and the Ellisen Empire had always worked together. Lately, in every single battle that ended with the Maho Empire as the victor, Anfey was there.


    Of course, it was wrong to give Anfey all the credit, but it wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to say he was instrumental. He and Alice were able to build up the League of Mercenaries and quicken Ynthe¡¯s n of uniting all the nations. He was also young, which meant he dared to do things more experienced people, like Baery and Saul, did not want to do. This was why Ynthe trusted Anfey, even though they had only met a few times.


    "Wait!" a shrill voice suddenly broke the silence. Edward the Eighth jumped up and was trying to push through the knights. However, he was not strong enough and could not get through them.


    "Wait!" he called, tumbling off of his horse. "I surrender!"


    "Your Majesty!" Shureberger called, his eyes wide. He jumped off his horse, trying to help him up.


    "Move!" Edward the Eighth said angrily. He raised his hand to swat Shureberger¡¯s hand away and caught him in the face. Shureberger did not back away from Edward the Eighth. Instead, he grabbed his shirt and tried to help him up.


    "Let me go," Edward the Eighth said, struggling. "I surrender, you hear me?"


    Seeing the king he had served his entire life like this, tears swelled in Shureberger¡¯s eyes. He turned to Douminge and spat angrily, "You see what you did?"


    Shureberger¡¯s voice was loud and clear. Hearing his voice, Edward the Eighth stopped his struggling and sat on the ground, staring ahead emptily. Douminge pursed his lips and nced at Saul.


    Saul sighed. Ynthe had ordered that he must kill Edward the Eighth. Keeping him would be a hazard for both Ynthe and Alice. If Edward the Eighth acted well after the surrender, he would only bring more trouble. Alice¡¯s enemies may want to work with him, and the nobles would prefer to have him as a ruler instead of Alice. If Edward the Eighth remained alive, there would be loyalists that opposed Alice¡¯s rule.


    "¡¯Your Majesty¡¯ is no longer fitting, sir," Saul said. "All of this is his own doing. Had he not sent Alice to the Country of Mercenaries, he would not have ended up here."


    Shureberger took a deep breath, but did not say anything. He was loyal to Edward the Eighth, but he also knew that he was not the best ruler.


    "You are a Golden Knight, Shureberger. Who was it that imprisoned you in your own home for twenty years?"


    "The past is in the past," Shureberger said sternly. "That does not mean anything. He will surrender. What do you say?"


    Saul was silent for a few seconds, then whispered, "I¡¯m sorry."


    "Of course," Shureberger said with a long sigh. He turned and nced at Edward the Eighth, then he jumped onto his horse and raised hisnce. "I challenge you, Saul."


    "You¡¯re challenging me?" Saul asked. He knew his own strength, and also knew Shureberger was no threat to him. "You¡¯re a true knight, sir. Are you willing to serve such a weak king? Don¡¯t you want more in life?"


    Shureberger shook his head. "I didn¡¯t know mages talked so much," he said. He turned to the young knight behind him.


    "It is my honor fighting with you, father," the young knight said with a nod.


    "Good boy," Shureberger said with a chuckle.


    "Wait!" Douminge said, taking a step forward. "Think about it. Are you willing to let your child die for a king like that? You¡¯re willing to see your family perish?"


    "My country is gone," Shureberger said. "There¡¯s no point. I do not want my king to be alone when he goes. Do you understand? Move, Douminge." Shureberger raised hisnce, which exploded in light. He gripped his reins and dashed toward Saul.


    Douminge stepped aside, his eyes downcast. Saul sighed as Shureberger approached. Even a king like Edward the Eighth had such loyal followers. Edward the Eighth should be satisfied.


    Shureberger turned to the knights behind him and said, "Let us show them that not all of us are cowards!"


    "Shansa Empire Forever!" the knights bellowed. Even though there were only two dozen of them, it was as if there were thousands of them charging at the same time.

 Chapter 565: Real Family

    Chapter 565: Real Family


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey sat quietly by the window and watched Alice, who was in the building opposite of his room. They had captured Diamond City the day before. However, since then, Alice still had not rested.


    Saul and Douminge had returned earlier than expected. Although Anfey had not asked, he could tell from their expressions what had be of Edward VIII. No one knew what Alice was thinking. Many things could be attended to a few dayster, but Alice had been pushing herself to finish them now. This behavior was abnormal.


    "Sir." Ye opened the door and walked in. "Sir Stan is here."


    "Show him in," Anfey said softly.


    "We..." Ye hesitated for a while and said, "Sir, must we do it?"


    "What do you think?" Anfey raised his brow and asked tly.


    Ye attempted to say something, but he refrained and walked out instead.


    After a while, the high priest, Stan, walked into the room and smiled wryly. He openlyined, "Sir Anfey, I was sincere in coborating with you! But...look, what have you asked me to do? Yesterday..."


    Anfey did not defend himself, but instead extended his hand. His gaze was bright and firm. Although he did not say a word, he was clearly sending the message that, since Stan had helped him, he will repay him back.


    Stan stoppedining and looked seriously into Anfey¡¯s eyes. He then slowly extended his hand and shook Anfey¡¯s.


    "Given a choice, I would not have done it," Anfey said softly. "This is themand from His Majesty. I have two choices, one is to defy his order, and the other is to obey."


    "Yes. That is why, as the holy priest, I have to take on this murderous task." Stan shook his head and smiled bitterly. He then turned to walk out. After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped and slowly said, "Sir Anfey, please don¡¯t make me regret the decision that I have made this day."


    "You have my guarantee," Anfey reaffirmed.


    The night was getting darker, but Anfey was like a statue, standing in front of the window. After a long while, at the northern part of Diamond City, a fire was being lit in a corner. The fire became brighter, and ultimately, lit up the entire sky.


    Alice, who was working in the house, had noticed it as well. She was stunned for a while, and after that, stood up and shouted. Ozzic walked into her room, and after speaking to her for a while, left the room. Alice sat nkly, and suddenly, she crazily took all the documents and threw them on the floor. She then lowered her head onto the table.


    Shinb quickly pushed open the door of Alice¡¯s room. She had found something amiss, and had gone in to check it out. Alice sat up again, she was waving and shouting. Anfey could see the tears on Alice¡¯s face and heard her cries from where he was. Shinb was shocked. She quickly stepped out and closed the door.


    In this magic world, the effects of natural disasters could be reduced to the minimal impact. Leave alone those magicians who had followed the army, even if the mage group of The League of Mercenaries had gone out in full force, they would have easily put out the fire that had spread to the entire city. However, the strange thing was, although the fire in the northern part had been burning for a long while, the magicians in the city were nowhere to be seen. No one had gone out to extinguish the fire.


    "Sir, this is...too cruel to Sir Alice," Ye muttered.


    "Do you have a better suggestion?" Anfey asked tly.


    "I..." Ye was dumbfounded. He gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, Sir Alice has not rested for two days and one night. If this continues, I am afraid her body..."


    "Go and get Warner."


    "No matter how powerful is the Magic of Light, it will not be able to heal the heartache. Sir, we..."


    "Just do what you have been told!" Anfey shouted. "Remember, you are the leader of the inspectorate. You are not a poet!"


    "Yes, Sir!" Ye held his head high up and replied. After taking a deep breath, he turned and walked out. Just before he reached out for the door, footsteps were heard outside the room. Shortly, someone banged on the door, and Shinb barged in and anxiously said, "Sir, Sir Alice..."


    "I know." Anfey coldly interrupted Shinb.


    Shinb was stunned. She then noticed that Anfey could clearly see what had happened to Alice in the building opposite his room.


    "Shinb, let¡¯s go out." Ye gently held Shinb¡¯s arm and said in a low voice, "Sir is not in a good mood."


    After Ye and Shinb had left the room, Anfey turned to check on Alice. Time passed, but Alice did not calm down. She became more agitated, and finally, her shoulders twitched severely and she lied motionless on the table.


    Anfey was shocked and quickly opened the window. Like a meteorite, he shot out. After crossing over dozens of meters, hended beside Alice and lifted her up.


    Alice looked pale, and her eyes were shut. After seeing that she was still breathing, Anfey let out a sigh of relief. He ced Alice tly on the table and put some documents below her head. He then pressed on her philtrum with his thumb.


    After a while, Alice came around. When she saw Anfey, she cried out uncontrobly. She was like a child who had lost her favorite toy. She hammered her fists in agitation on Anfey¡¯s body.


    Although she had an unbearable past, the truth remained. Blood would always be thicker than water! When Alice was in the Country of Mercenaries, she had thought of taking her revenge. She wanted to punish the people who had dumped her and cheated her. However, she had not thought of the punishment that she would mete out upon them. As she was approaching Diamond City, she had felt uneasy. She had numbed herself by drowning herself in work, so that she did not have the time or energy to think of other things.


    The fire woke her. She had called for Ozzic to find out what had happened. After finding that the ce on fire was the prison where they had kept the royal families of the Shansa Empire, Alice came to a realization. She had not decided how she would take her revenge, but someone had made the decision for her!


    Anfey looked quietly at Alice. Just as Ye had said, he was in a foul mood. If he could help it, he would not want to hurt Alice¡¯s family. They did not have a direct conflict, but Ynthe had given very clear instructions. Prince Jerrick was found missing in the Country of Mercenaries, and was yet to be found. This posed atent danger to the Empire, and Ynthe did not want to have more of such dangers. For the sake of the war the following year, Ynthe had not been too heartless. Other than the three princes and one princess that he had specified, the rest of the royal families would be spared.


    After a long while, Alice, who had cried her heart out, gradually stopped. She rested weakly against Anfey and said in a hardly audible sound, "You have done it, haven¡¯t you?"


    "No." Anfey shook his head. He did not lie. If one had used the knife as a weapon, the one who hadmitted the crime was the man and not the weapon.


    "Is it...His Majesty?"


    "Alice, you and Christian have the same problem. You are too soft-hearted at times." Anfey let out a sigh and said, "Don¡¯t me His Majesty. You know your siblings. You should have known what will happen when you lead the army in. Although you have no intention of hurting them, they may not think likewise. No! They will hate you. They will hate you to the core. If they have the chance, they will take revenge on you! Alice, I do not want to see you relive the tragedy!"


    "My father..."


    "Yes." Anfey nodded. He knew what Alice was about to ask.


    "What about my mother? She is harmless. Is His Majesty wary of her as well?"


    "Alice, don¡¯t let your imagination run wild," Anfey said softly. "When you have been forced to marry, was she sad for you? When Kumaraghosha captured her in the Pce, do you know what she was doing? She was fooling around with a few young guards! More than 10 soldiers have seen it, and news must have spread around. What is the point of keeping her?"


    "Does His Majesty intend to..."


    "No. His Majesty has no time for a woman like her." Anfey felt helpless. He knew that Alice wanted simply to seek sce. However, he was unable to provide it to her.


    After letting out a long sigh, Alice tried to sit up, but she felt faint and fell onto Anfey.


    "You rest," Anfey said softly.


    "No." Alice shook her head and said, "Now then, I realize what kind of person I am."


    "What are you saying?"


    "I am a traitor. I am shameless and cruel. I have led the army of the enemy and barged into my country. I have killed my father and brothers. I..."


    "Enough!" Anfey was fuming with anger. He carried Alice and strode toward the window.


    Alice¡¯s cries had caught the attention of many people. Although Anfey and the rest were young, they had won the hearts and respect of the mercenaries. Many mercenaries were gathering at the courtyard, sighing and whispering. Shinb was standing among them, looking up anxiously.


    When Alice appeared at the window, all the mercenaries looked at her. Anfey¡¯s voice hammered into Alice¡¯s ears, "Do you have to cry for those who do not care about you? Look at these people. They are your real family! Should you meet any danger, who will protect you at all cost? It is not those princes or the princess. It is them!"

 Chapter 566: The Cost of Lying

    Chapter 566: The Cost of Lying


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey was having a small-sized secretive meeting with a few others in the League of Mercenaries¡¯s temporary station. Anfey had built his political sense with experience and time. He thought Ynthe was very likely to call Christian back to Sacred City after Shansa Empire was conquered, unless Ynthe had decided to have Christian inherit the throne. If this were not the case, Christian would not be able to join the battle against Ellisen Empire.


    Ynthe¡¯s order had arrived in the morning, asking Christian to go back to Sacred City. Of course, this alone was not enough evidence to guess Ynthe¡¯s thoughts. Anfey might guess it right, but he did not really know the real reasons why Ynthe made that decision.


    All themanders in the League of Mercenaries came to the meeting, including Anthony, who did not have a specific position in the league any more. Today was a very important meeting for the League of Mercenaries, since it could decide the future of the League of Mercenaries.


    The door was pushed open. Late, Alice walked in with a smile. She was smart and could figure things out fast. Anfey¡¯s scolding woke her up. The League of Mercenaries had been her real family after she joined the league. What happened before was just a nightmare for her. She was loved and trusted in the league. She felt warm and felt protected within it. The league had kept anything dangerous away from Alice. Wasn¡¯t it enough for her?


    Alice had acted normal today. She greeted everyone with a smile and took the seat saved for her.


    "Alice, why are youing sote?" Suzanna asked.


    "Kumaraghosha had some trouble. I went to help him." Alice looked apologetic.


    "Alice, I think Ye has told you the reasons why we are having this meeting. What suggestions do you have?" Anfey asked in a low pitch.


    Alice gave it a little bit of thought and asked Anfey back. "What do you want to do?"


    "Christian needs to go back to Sacred City. He has to have people go with him, so I want Orzic and his First Unit to go. Riska, vi and Zubin will go back with them, as well." Anfeyid his eyes on Ye. "Ye, can you handpick some people to go to the Sacred City. You are very thorough. I would not worry too much if Christian has you."


    "Anfey, you seem to have forgotten a person," Alice said with a smile.


    "Are you talking about Bro Entos?" Anfey paused a second before he continued. "I have not talked to him yet. If he wants to go back with Christian, it would be perfect."


    "I think Bro Entos will agree to it," vi interrupted. "Yesterday he told me he has been quite bored."


    "It seems very possible to convince him." Anfey smiled. "What other suggestions?"


    Seeing everyone shaking their heads, Anfey looked more serious. "Christian, after you go back to Scared City, you need to keep a low profile. To be honest, we have done great. Even Wester, Granden, and Master Baery could conquer Ellisen Empire in a short time. They are only drinking the water we used to wash our feet. The truth is they would not have an opportunity to attack Ellisen Empire if Shansa Empire were not conquered first. Christian, we do not have to fight at this point. It will be okay, as long as we do not make mistakes."


    "I understand." Christian nodded.


    "Alice, you need people to protect you. I am thinking of keeping Shinb and her Second Unit here." Anfey went quiet for a while and said, "Do you know Little John?"


    "The general who opened the city door for us?" Alice asked.


    "Yes." Anfey nodded. "He is a ranger. If you have anything that you could not do openly, you can have him take care of it for you. I have watched him for a long time. I think he could be great. You can talk to him when you get a chance."


    "Ok," Alice answered.


    "I do not think I need to worry about your safety. With the protection from Master Doumingo and his students, no one can hurt you, as long as you are careful," Anfey said.


    "Anfey, are you going to the Country of Mercenaries?" Alice asked. She looked a little nervous.


    "I have not decided yet." Anfey smiled. "Master Anthony, Alice cannot manage the League of Mercenaries right now. I am thinking of having you take the position of CEO."


    "Master, are you kidding?" Anthony was shocked. His son, themander of Glory mercenary group, was even more shocked.


    "Ozzic will go to Sacred City, while Shinb needs to stay in the Diamond City. vi, Riska and a few other mage counselors need to leave as well. If you were not the CEO, no one would have the control of these naughty guys. Because of Ye, they did not dare to make trouble. If they know Ye is leaving, they might have a party to celebrate that. I have to have a capable, respectful person with a high reputation to manage the league."


    Hearing what Anfey said, Anthony felt warm in his heart. He remembered the day when he handed his Glory mercenary group to his brother Santeler. Everybody knew Anfey founded the League of Mercenaries. The League of Mercenaries was an independent military force, and the essential force that Anfey had. The reason Anthony could hand the Glory mercenary group to Santeler was because he trusted Santeler very much. Anthony wondered what it meant when Anfey asked him to be the CEO of the League of Mercenaries.


    "Master, if you trust me, I can try," Anthony said in a low pitch. He did not try to turn it down. It would have been a different issue if he did not want to be the CEO. If he wanted to do it, but tried to turn it down on purpose, it would show no decency in him. Any hypocritical action was an insult to Anfey¡¯s trust.


    "Huiwei, can you take over Christian¡¯s job and be the vice CEO? Feller and Sante, you will be the vicemanders for inspectorate. You guys will help me manage the league, ok?" Anfey said.


    "Anfey, where are you going?" Not only Alice had noticed something unusual, the rest of them noticed it now as well. Based on the new appointments, the League of Mercenaries was divided into three sections. Each of them had their own responsibilities, but Anfey did not seem to be part of it.


    "Anfey and I will travel around the Pan Continent." Suzanna said in a low pitch.


    "Travel around? What¡¯s so fun about that?" viined with confusion.


    "There is news that has spread around, but you guys have not heard about it yet." Alice suddenly interrupted. "Minos The First has been hiding on the Greenwich Ind,manding many necromancers and death spirits to build a Skull Throne for him. This Skull Throne is almost built. When it ispletely built, Minos The First will have the force to be reborn and develop as the King of Skulls, even more powerful than the Saints. His force will be unimaginable. Anfey, are you going to fight with Minos The First? Is that why you are not going to manage the league?"


    "Alice, how did you know?" Riska asked in surprise. Riska and others knew nothing about it.


    "Master Doumingo was invited. He told me," Alice answered.


    "You do not have to worry about it. If you can do your job in the league, it would be great." Anfey smiled.


    The air became dead. Anfey was right and very objective, but they could not take it, or in other words, refused to agree upon it. Anfey and Suzanna had been running and fighting before everyone else, ever since the League of Mercenaries was founded. They fought for their survival. Anfey met the biggest danger at this moment, but they could not offer any help. They felt bad about it.


    No one said anything for a while. Anthony looked shocked a few moments ago. It seemed that he just found out about it as well. If Anthony, a Master Swordsman, was not invited, others would definitely not be invited. It seemed pointless to say anything at this moment.


    "Anfey, did you decide when you will leave?" Alice broke the ice in the end.


    "Tonight. I will go back to Violet City first for some business, and then travel a little bit to see if I can find my childhood house, before I go to the Country of Mercenaries," Anfey said slowly.


    "That soon?" Alice¡¯s face changed. She looked upset.


    "You guys..." Anfey shook his head with a smile. "Don¡¯t make it like it is a farewell. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I am not the only one fighting with Minos The First. As far as I know, our professor, Steggar, Jacob, Manso, Bruzuryano, some Pce Priests, Knights of Light and three master necromancers will fight together against Minos The First. We should win for many reasons. Besides, if I could find my childhood house, maybe we will not even have to fight, since there will be someone who could fight Minos The First for us," Anfey said.


    In fact, Anfey lied. They had to fight on their own against Minos The First, if they wanted Minos The First to die. There was never a secret person with super power, at least no one that Anfey knew of. After telling a lie, it usually had to be covered with more lies. Anfey did not know any other ways to cover himself.


    "Even if you could not find your childhood house, Minos The First would not end up good. As the Skull Throne is about to finish, the elements in the world will be chaotic. That Saint can definitely notice the change in elements. He wille on his own," Hui Wei said slowly.


    Anfey smiled, but did notment on anything. Among the top powers who were invited to fight, Saul, Steggar and others were quite optimistic about the future. They had the same view as Hui Wei¡¯s. As long as that Saint could notice the abnormality in the elements before the skull throne was built, they couldbine their forces to fight Minos The First, then Minos The First would not be their match. However, Anfey was not as optimistic as them, because he told a lie. Anfey carried the hope of the whole Pan Continent on his shoulders. He was stressed.


    "Anfey, couldn¡¯t you leave a few dayster?" Alice asked in a low pitch.


    "I cannot. I have decided to leave tonight." Anfey lied again. He would not leave tonight. He only wanted to disappear from the league. Wester and Granden were about to reach Diamond City. Before Anfey left the league, he needed to handle a trouble on his own.

 Chapter 567: A Duel between Men

    Chapter 567: A Duel between Men


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    An elderly man with white hair and beard was walking slowly from the other side of the horizon beneath the starry night. His white hair was brighter even than the moonlight. As his hair blew in the wind, it gave one a strange feeling. In the softness, was power and loneliness.


    Long ago, there were two top level powers in the Maho Empire and Shansa Empire. They traveled around the world, holding it in disdain. They had been described as the "lions". The lion of the Shansa Empire was the Gold Knight, Shureberger. The lion of the Maho Empire was the Master Swordsman, Phillip.


    It¡¯s been said that time and tide wait for no man. The Gold Knight, Shureberger, had aged over the years. Although he was still a lion, he was a toothless and wless lion. In order to protect Edward VIII, he had died in the hands of Saul. Shureberger and Phillip were about the same age, and they had achieved their fames about the same time. However, what was Phillip now left with?


    Phillip could see Anfey in the distance. As they moved closer to each other, Phillip started to feel distressed. He knew that the odds were against him in this battle with Anfey. However, he had no other choice. He had waited too long for this day.


    "Your Excellency, you are indeed a man of your word." Anfey smiled. However, his eyes were not as friendly. There was no bad blood between Anfey and Phillip, but there was also no mercy in politics. Anfey had now advanced to another stage.


    Anfey was not surprised that Phillip had not brought anyone with him. He had no one to turn to in this ce. Wester was preupied with his own problems, and given Phillip¡¯s arrogant character, he would not put down his dignity to ask Baery or Saul for help. Whether he was a good man, that was beside the point. At the very least, Phillip had upheld his dignity to the extent of giving up his own life.


    "Where is Suzanna?" Phillip asked coldly.


    "This is a duel between men. I do not want others to be involved, including her." Anfey was sizing Phillip up, and finally, he rested his gaze on Phillip¡¯s hand. Veins and age spots were all over it. This showed that Phillip had been going downhill for a long time.


    "You are very bold. Are you not afraid that I will tell Baery that you have asked me here?" Phillip pointed out and said, "How are you going to answer to him?"


    "Your Excellency, you should know that I mean well," Anfey tly replied. "I am still young. My power and understanding of the rules and regtions of the world have been improving constantly. But, what about you? You are different. The longer you wait, the weaker you be. This is unfair to you. Am I right?" Anfey sounded hypocritical. He was not trying to be fair to Phillip, but he had to deal with him in view of the future.


    When the top level powers joined forces against Minos the following year, Phillip would be excluded from them, as his power had weakened. On the other hand, when the top level powers gathered at Greenwich Ind, he would be at rock bottom. Should he lose control of himself then, he would pose a great threat to Christian! Anfey had thus decided to get rid of thistent danger this instant.


    Phillip did not reply to Anfey, but instead just held his sword.


    "In fact, I do not need to be here. Time will do the job for me. I can wait, and I can afford to wait." Anfeyughed and said, "But, ...you are a warrior. A warrior should die in the battlefield and not lie on the bed and battle with sickness. I am trying to help you. Are you not happy?"


    "So, should I thank you?" Phillip sneered and said, "Should I also thank you for killing my grandson?"


    "Of course." Anfey nodded and said, "Are you not aware what kind of person Zeda was? The princes are now having severe conflicts. Even if he is still alive, he would be stupid enough to be used by them!"


    "Bullshit!" Phillip had a fiery temper and was immediately enraged. He drew out his long sword, and as the white-hot Combat Power exploded, a sword ray shot out and shed toward Anfey¡¯s chest.


    Anfey had his arms folded in front of his chest. He nted his body and took one step to the side, to avoid the sword ray. He smiled tly and said, "Have we officially started?"


    "I shall kill you!" Phillip shouted. He jumped up and pounced toward Anfey. He realized that this was a wrong move. He was no longer young. By releasing the sword ray, he would deplete his energy and Combat Power more quickly.


    Anfey lifted up his right hand, and a huge battle-ax appeared in it. He swung the battle-ax to counter the attack from Phillip. As the battle-ax and sword hit against each other, there was a loud sh. The Combat Power dispersed all over the ce. Anfey remained in his spot, but Phillip had moved seven to eight steps backward.


    "If this were to happen three months ago, I would have only made you move three to four steps backward." Anfey said tly, "This is our difference. I am the rising sun, whereas you will soon be going down the horizon." In terms of strength, Anfey had the upper-hand. He did not have to trample on Phillip¡¯s confidence, but this was his habit. One could attack the opponent not only with weapons.


    "Back off!" Phillip looked ferocious. Once again, he pounced toward Anfey. The fact that he had met Anfey alone was enough to prove that he was truly a lion. In the natural world of the lions, they would oftene across wandering lions. However, even if they were no match for their opponents, they would not back off. They would fight to the end for their rights. Phillip was such a lion. However, he was not doing it for power, but for his dignity.


    The shining de let out a sharp whistling sound, as Phillip attacked with full force. His body was epassed by the Combat Power, and his face could no longer be seen clearly. The only thing that stood out was his white hair. The recognizable trait of Ernest¡¯s swordsmanship was its destructive power. Although the trait of the swordsmanship between the two were simr, Ernest¡¯s was more profound. Phillip¡¯s was massive, and he disyed a fearless might.


    Phillip rained down sword strikes, but Anfey remained unscathed. He moved around, as though he was taking a stroll. The element was in turbulence and did not take its form, which meant that Anfey had not exerted full force.


    The battlefield created by Anfey and Phillip was surging within the radius of a thousand meters. The sand and stones that were hurtling about had been crushed by Phillip¡¯s sword ray. To an onlooker, Anfey seemed to be at the losing end, but only the two of them knew the actual situation.


    After a long while, Anfey suddenly shouted in a low voice. He lifted up the battle-ax and swung it against Phillip¡¯s long sword. It was a weird feeling. It was as if a wild dog that had been barking crazily had been choked in the throat. The torrential attacks suddenly stopped. Phillip stepped backward more than 10 steps before he could stabilize himself.


    "In fact...I have my reservation." Anfey said with a smile, "But until now, no one hase to stop this duel. This tells us that they have epted the fact. Do you understand what this means? His Majesty has given up on you."


    Phillip¡¯s beard flew up, and he shot toward Anfey like an arrow. He did not hear what Anfey was saying. He only wanted Anfey dead.


    Anfey looked emotionless as usual. He turned around to avoid the attack, swinging the battle-ax hard on Phillip¡¯s neck.


    Phillip¡¯s wrist quivered. He pointed his long sword at Anfey and gave it his all. When Anfey¡¯s battle-axnded on his neck, his sword would have stabbed into Anfey¡¯s chest at the same time.


    Phillip was giving it his all, but not for Anfey. He withdrew his battle-ax and disappeared before Phillip¡¯s eyes. In another instant, he appeared behind Phillip. They were only one foot apart. Anfey did not look back. As Anfey withdrew the battle-ax, the de hit Phillip¡¯s lower back.


    Phillip had used up most of his energy and Combat Power during the earlierbat, so his reaction was a bit slow. Moreover, Anfey had struck at the perfect time. Just as Phillip was about to react, the de of the battle-ax had destroyed his Protection Combat Power and stabbed into his lower back.


    Phillip let out a cry. He suddenly turned around and thrust the long sword at Anfey¡¯s upper back. Although the de of the battle-ax was sharp, it was not as sharp as the sword. Since Phillip had the Protection Combat Power, the de had stabbed in only slightly more than an inch. However, when Phillip turned forcefully around, the de cut across his lower back, causing a blood groove. Fresh blood spewed out like a fountain. Phillip had gone insane. He could not be bothered with his own injury. Even if he were to die, he was determined to take Anfey along with him.


    Anfey did not turn around. He wielded his battle-ax and hacked into the air. As Phillip¡¯s long sword was about to pierce into his back, Anfey disappeared once again, then re-appeared behind Phillip. He hacked down hard on the back of Phillip¡¯s head with the battle-ax.


    Anfey had not only moved at the perfect time, but his movements were also swift andpact. He had also grasped hold of the timing of Phillip¡¯s movements. From the time since he had decided to kill Phillip to when he ended the unfair battle, it was within such a brief period!


    Although Anfey¡¯s stroke did not seem to be as powerful as Phillip¡¯s, or as swift as Suzanna¡¯s, what he did possess was a skill that could definitely kill a person!


    Phillip leaned on the battle-ax to bnce himself. Fresh blood spewed out from his back and colored his white hair red. His armor turned red as well. As he tried to turn to take onest look at Anfey, his body fell down to the ground uncontrobly.

 Chapter 568: Giving

    Chapter 568: Giving


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Usually, when Anfey was out with Suzanna, Suzanna would be the center of attention, because of her beauty. When the two of them entered Violet City, however, it was Anfey who was the center of attention. Everyone who saw him felt a strange pressure and was intimidated.


    However, Anfey didn¡¯t do anything. He looked at the crowd on the street, silencing the people with a single nce. It wasn¡¯t until he was far gone that the crowd regained its vitality.


    Soon, the mansion sprang into view. Anfey jumped off his horse and walked up to the stairs. The guards did not move to step forward to stop him. One of the guards walked up and said, "Wee back, my lord."


    Anfey nodded at the guard. "Is Aroben inside?"


    "Yes, my lord. Should I go and tell Lord Aroben you¡¯re here?"


    "No need," Anfey said. "Take me to him."


    Aroben¡¯s office was not far from the lobby. He was the former citymaster of Violet City and had just retired. However, Niya was forced to ask him to resume his job after Urter went missing. Niya thought it was cruel to ask Aroben toe out of his retirement, but Aroben was d he could find something to upy his days.


    Because he was getting older and his body grew fragile, he needed a lot of helpers. When Anfey and Suzanna went into his study, they saw half a dozen people sitting inside, listening to Aroben and scribbling on papers.


    One of Aroben¡¯s secretaries stood up when he saw someoneing into the room. When he saw Anfey, he grew quiet and sat back down. Aroben looked up from his desk. His eyes grew wide when he saw Anfey.


    "You¡¯re back, my lord!" He wanted to stand up and greet Anfey, but because he was too frail, he could not manage to get up and fell back into his chair.


    "Don¡¯t," Anfey said, hurrying to his side. "How are you liking the chair?"


    "It¡¯s wonderful," Aroben said with a smile. He was very grateful to Anfey for making him this chair. The chair not only made his life much easier, it also showed how much Anfey cared. It also was part of the reason why he was working so hard to govern Violet City in Anfey¡¯s absence.


    One of the secretaries stood up and gave his seat to Anfey, who nodded at him and sat down in the chair. "Leave us," he said. "I have to speak with Lord Aroben alone."


    Before Aroben could say anything, the secretaries all stood up quietly. They bowed to Aroben and hurried out of the room. They didn¡¯t know who Anfey was, but they could tell he was important from how Aroben treated him.


    "My lord, what are you..."


    "I have to take care of something," Anfey said after a moment of hesitation. He trusted Aroben, and he knew it would be better if he just told Aroben what would happen. "Get some more guards over here tomorrow. Something may happen in theing days, but no matter what happens, no one can step foot in here without my permission."


    Aroben nodded. He was very smart, and knew better than to ask the reason for Anfey¡¯s order.


    "How are you doing?" Anfey asked.


    "Much better," Aroben said with a smile. "Since you¡¯re back, my lord, I should move back to city hall. It will be easier."


    Anfey thought about it, then nodded.


    "Another thing, my lord," Aroben said. "I heard you defeated the archmage in the Country of Mercenaries. Are you now..." Aroben was just amoner, and was not very sensitive to elements, but even he felt there was something different about Anfey.


    "Are you ufortable?" Anfey asked, but he did not answer Aroben¡¯s question. After the seal was removed, he found it easier and faster for him to summon elements. Everything he did could cause the elements around him to change and shift.


    The way Anfey practiced magic was different from amon mage. Beforemon mages learn how to summon elements, they are just a group of normal people with an affinity for magic. Anfey, on the other hand, wanted to be even closer to the elements. What he wanted was to be one and the same with the world. Someone who does not need spells to control elements will be very powerful, but will lose the ability to conceal the surges of elements around him. This was why Aroben was able to sense the change around Anfey. Aroben was right, in that Anfey was not able to hide element movements around him anymore.


    Behind Anfey, Suzanna frowned. However, she did not say anything and remained still behind him. Suzanna did not know how to use words to make promises. She preferred using her actions. She was willing to stand before Anfey, when he needed her strength, and stand behind him, when he needed her support. She had never regretted this decision, and would never regret it.


    "A little," Aroben confessed. He trusted Anfey, and knew that even if he was honest, Anfey would not think too much of it. Aroben raised his hand and summoned two servants. "I will leave you and mydy alone, my lord," Aroben said. "They will pack up my belongings so I can move to city hall tomorrow."


    "How many servants do you have?" Anfey asked, ncing at the servants.


    "Around twenty."


    "Take all of them," Anfey said.


    "Are you certain?" Aroben asked, surprised.


    Anfey nodded. "I¡¯m sure."


    "Alright, my lord," Aroben said with a nod. He was very curious, but he knew very well when he should ask questions, and when he shouldn¡¯t.


    Aroben disappeared around the corner with his servants, leaving Suzanna and Anfey alone in the room. Suzanna turned to Anfey and asked, "This is where the entrance is?"


    Anfey nodded. "We only have a few days. Golman¡¯s arriving in three days. I¡¯ll go down there and check it out, once everyone¡¯s gone."


    "What about me?"


    "Stay here," Anfey said. "I need a lookout."


    "But I want to go with you," Suzanna said. She rarely contradicted him, but she was very worried about him.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Anfey said. "Nothing will happen. Urter has told me everything. Plus, what if someonees in here?"


    "No one will," Suzanna said. "You gave the order yourself."


    "Better safe than sorry," Anfey said. "This is our secret. I can¡¯t let anyone know. Urter said Minos left a lot of things behind. I have to go through them. I don¡¯t want Golman to have everything."


    "Then you¡¯ll need help."


    Anfey sighed. "If I don¡¯t finish going through everything, I need you up here, so you can stall for a bit."


    What he wasn¡¯t telling her was that he was afraid of what the Wheel of Fortune would do to him, especially after seeing what it did to Urter. He could risk his life, but he couldn¡¯t allow Suzanna¡¯s life to be in danger.

 Chapter 569: The Secret

    Chapter 569: The Secret


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Anfey smiled at Suzanna and jumped down into the entrance. This ce no longer posed a threat to him. Urter had made the necessary arrangements. Moreover, Anfey had strong radiesthesia, which had nothing to do with the brightness of the light. As long as he had the Heart of Nature, he could see clearly, although he might be in total darkness in the maze. Even the dust particles could not escape his eyes.


    Anfey walked along the corridor. The air stank. In every dozen of meters away, there would be a dim light emitting from the magicmp. Urter was very thrifty. To save on the magic crystals, he had dimmed the magicmps. A huge white arrow was drawn on the floor of every junction in order to give direction. Upon reaching the first junction, Anfey looked at the direction that the arrow was pointing. After looking at the other corridors, he lost control of himself and burst out intoughter.


    Probably, there was loophole, even in spiritual wisdom. No matter how careful Urter was, he would still do silly things. Given his thriftiness, he would not ce magicmps in a dead end. The arrows on the floor would not serve its purpose. As long as Anfey followed the lit corridor, he would be going in the right direction.


    After passing through many corridors, Anfey saw a vast space at the end. There was a magic array in the midst, but the air smelled different. There was an overwhelming stench.


    Seven to eight dead bodies were lying in front. Urter must have been too busy to take care of the bodies. Anfey looked at one of the bodies and saw that one of its arms was missing. Someone had ced the magicmp, which was supposed to be on the wall, onto the floor. A few bones of different sizes wereying beside the magicmp.


    Anfey had no problem with dead bodies. He walked slowly toward them and smiled wryly. Urter...was really vicious! He had disappeared for a few days, and then suddenly reappeared. No one knew what had happened, except for Anfey. He could put the pieces together after seeing the scene before him.


    After Urter regained consciousness, he had be very weak and haggard. He had left the pce and was in urgent need of replenishing his energy. To get out of the maze, he needed food. Urter had chopped off the arm of one of the bodies and barbecued it with the magicmp. The rest was history. The scattered bones exined themselves.


    Anfey was shocked, as he was unfamiliar with the magic world. There was no humanism. For most people, they needed a master who they could pledge loyalty to. On a positive note, this was loyalty. On a negative note, this was also very. Anfey was a master to Urter. If Urter had lived for himself, he would not have gone to such an extent. Even the most evil necromancer would not have taken a dead body as food, let alone a normal being. However, Urter would do anything to prove his loyalty to his master, and to let his master take this as a warning as well. When Anfey trusted in him, and they shared the same secret, he lived longer for himself.


    Anfey sighed and walked slowly to the magic array. A bright light shed across, and Anfey disappeared. In the next instant, he reappeared in a big pce. He slowly scanned his surroundings.


    Urter was not as powerful, which was why, when he had gone to the treasure ind, he came back empty-handed. Anfey was different. When he had been transported over, he had sensed the movements of the elements.


    Anfey released his radiesthesia, taking note of the important ces speedily. The Wheel of Fortune that Urter was terrified of was hanging in the center. Anfey did not have time for it. He was here in search of the treasures of Minosie, although it included the Wheel of Fortune. He would also like to know how Minosie broke through the final obstacle. Comparatively, thetter was of more importance.


    By using his radiesthesia, Anfey¡¯s search became easier and faster. Very quickly, Anfey had focused on a few ces. What had captured his attention was an inconspicuous side gate, which was shut. Anfey was unable to see through it with his mind power, but he felt a strong attraction to it.


    He opened the side gate and saw a corridor. There was a room on both sides. At the far end, there was another room. All the doors of the three rooms were opened, so Anfey could clearly see their furnishings. There were all sorts of books in the rooms. Anfey, following his instincts, moved straight ahead.


    The room that Anfey had selected had a long table. There were bookshelves on both sides. The maze was filled with dust, but the pce was in spick and span condition. Even the carpet looked new, which made it look abnormal. It should be under the protection of a certain magic array. The long table was stacked with diaries. A red diary was ced in the center, and when the magicmp shone upon it, a bright ray of light was reflected. It seemed that the owner of the diary had just left the room.


    After Anfey had touched and confirmed that the diary was not corroded, he took it up and turned over its pages.


    Anfey¡¯s initial intention was to take a look and search for clues, but after taking the diary, he had no wish to put it back.


    When Minos was still alive, he had used different means to get ahold of the treasures and the knowledge left behind by the ancients. His understanding of the rules, discernment of the world, foresight and insight were way beyond Saul¡¯s, and the others¡¯. Although Minos had lost arge part of his memory, he was still able to train three master necromancers¡ªthat was the gap between the two.


    Minos was only a man. He was not a god, and he had his restrictions, problems, and even fears. Anything could be written in the diary. Minos had used it to record his experiences and his perception of things, he had even used it as an outlet for his emotions. What Anfey could not agree with, was the loneliness. With Suzanna around, Anfey was not alone, but he was lonely!


    Minos¡¯ loneliness was far beyond Anfey¡¯s. Minos did not have friends or enemies. His imaginary opponents were too powerful. Even if Minos could live a few hundred or thousand years more, he would not be able to beat them. This made him even lonelier.


    Anfey was not simply cultivating the path, and neither was he practicing magic. The path that he was on had not been trodden by the ancients. Thus, he needed the experiences of the ancients. What Minos had written would be Anfey¡¯s spiritual food. He slowly sat on the chair and absorbed whatever he needed, trying to put them into memory.


    No one could beat Anfey in terms of perseverance. Even if he were topete with Saul on the hours that Saul spent in meditation, Anfey would have won. Anfey tirelessly read though the diaries, and as he read on, Minos¡¯ past life became vivid to him.


    ording to his deductions, Minos had a mental disorder. One side of Minos did not want to demean himself, whereas the other side would give up all that he had in order to obtain power. Caught between the struggles of the two different personalities, Minos¡¯ ideal became the deciding factor.


    Minos¡¯ idea was to go against the gods. With his power and insight, he could feel the kekkai of God. He was not convinced, and he felt that the gods had treated men like animals. He wanted to fight back! What Hui Wei had said before originated from Minos.


    It was a pity that Minos was getting weaker back then, and he was near his deathbed. Although he hadid off his servants and passed down a gravemand, the Minos who wanted to gain power took over, suppressing the Minos who did not want to demean himself. Anfey did not know how the story ended. Probably, he had not reached the page yet, or it would never be recorded.


    Moreover, Minos was capricious in his writings. Sometimes, he would sound vicious and cruel, and his writings were gruesome. At other times, he would sound graceful and full ofpassion. He even pointed out that he was not in a good mental state, and that the best and only solution was to destroy himself.


    Toward the back of the diary, Minos¡¯ writing style changed rapidly. This showed that his mental disorder was getting more serious.


    After Minos wrote about his preparation of the magic array for his cremation, nothing more was recorded in the diary. Anfey closed the diary. Minos must have failed in his n to cremate himself.


    Spending a day in the mountains was the equivalent to a thousand years on earth. Anfey did not think that he had spent much time there. As he read through Minos¡¯ diary, he was searching for his own direction and inspiration. Suzanna, on the other hand, was waiting restlessly for him. She paced around, ate, and slept in the living room. She had thought of dashing down to search for Anfey, but she remembered his instructions and gave up on the idea.


    When one went into a special state, the perception of time seemed to change. This could be an illusion. Anfey found that time had passed by too quickly, whereas Suzanna felt that time had passed too slowly.


    The sun had set once again, and the moon had risen. A dark shadow floated into the living room. Golman gently removed his cloak and politely asked, "Madam, where is Sir Anfey?"

 Chapter 570: Will

    Chapter 570: Will


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As winter approached, the world became more stable. Baery led his Roaring Death Legion into the Country of Mercenaries and settled near the Ellisen Empire. The Maho army to the north turned to the Ellisen Empire as well. It was apparent that the Maho Empire was gearing up for onest conflict, and that unity was not far away in their future.


    In a situation like this, not much could be done. Other than sending out diplomats and expanding its army, the Ellisen Empire couldn¡¯t do anything else to change their situation. The core members of the League were scattered. Even though no one knew what Anfey was doing, the members were even more tight-knit than before. This was possible because they now had a greater,mon goal.


    Christian went back to Sacred City with Saul¡¯s students. He remembered what Anfey had told him and maintained a low profile after his return to the city. Even if he didn¡¯t do anything, he would still receive the credit for the decisive victory at Diamond City. If he didn¡¯t keep a low profile, his brothers would feel too threatened.


    After upying Diamond City and the pce, the Maho army found a huge amount of magic crystals in the mage towers and the pce vault. Even though Baery took more than half of the crystals, there were still more than enough remaining. Entos used the crystals to set up three transmission arrays, one in Diamond City, one in White Mountain City, and the third in Saul¡¯s mansion. This allowed Christian, Alice, and Anthony tomunicate very easily. In case of an emergency, they could even teleport straight to those ces.


    Despite the sensitivity of having non-government issued transmission arrays, Ynthe did not say anything about it. A few members of the court tried to take the issue up with him and failed.


    After Anthony started working with Anfey and the League, he maintained a low profile, even handing his position off to his son. This was because he knew there was no point in creating more conflicts.


    Now that Anfey trusted him with more important things, like being in charge of the Country of Mercenaries, there was no point in keeping his head down anymore. After he returned to the Country of Mercenaries, his mercenary group, Glory mercenary group officially became part of the League. After speaking with Christian and Alice, he found Marino and asked for help in governing the Country of Mercenaries.


    Anthony was very generous to mercenaries who joined the League willingly, while he applied pressure to those who wanted to stay neutral. When it came to those who wanted to fight against him, he was ruthless in eliminating them.


    Because of Anthony and the League¡¯s reputation, more than two hundred thousand mercenaries soon joined the League. As the mercenaries gathered under one banner, the merchants became more alert. Now that the mercenaries were united, it made it harder for the merchants to trade.


    However, Anthony did not do anything to harm the merchants¡¯ benefits. Ynthe needed stability, and the merchants would not like it if Anthony did anything to harm their interests. Having high prices for magic crystals would also interfere with the daily lives of the mercenaries, and it would harm the Country of Mercenaries.


    When Anthony first proposed his n, Alice told him to stand down and not cause any conflicts. She also told him that he needed to start stocking up on food, because that was one of the biggest disadvantages of the Country of Mercenaries. Because of Wester¡¯s close ties with the merchants, if a trade war did ur, he could me Wester for the damage.


    Compared to Anthony¡¯s, Alice¡¯s approach was much gentler. After Christian left Diamond City, she got along very well with both Wester and Grandon. Wester had once spoken with Alice about appointing one of his men to be in charge of Diamond City.


    However, this was contradictory to Ynthe¡¯s n. Ynthe wanted someone who knew Shansa Empire¡¯s people and culture to be in charge. He knew that having someone from another country governing the capital may cause discontent among the people.


    Wester only asked in order to see how Alice responded, he did not expect Alice to agree. However, the man was only in charge of the city for three days before Alice executed him.


    Wester was very angry about it, and went to demand an answer from Alice. Alice, however, was ready. She gave him many evidences of the man¡¯s corrupt and indecent behavior. She told him that she wanted to help him, but that he had chosen the wrong man for the job. Wester was still angry, and asked her why she hade after his man, when everyone else in the world was doing the same thing.


    Alice grew angry as well, and used Wester of being ridiculous. This was a well-timed ploy by Alice. A lot of important people, including Saul and Grandon, were present, and heard the exchange.


    The people of the Maho and Shansa Empire had a rtively peaceful winter. The only thing that caused some unrest was the presence of necromancers in the small castle located two hundred miles east of Sacred City. Every resident of the castle was killed by the necromancers and turned into zombies. When daylight came, all the zombies perished under the sun.


    This event sent a shock wave through the nation. Miorich was sent to investigate it, but not much came out of the investigation. After Wester received the news of what had happened to his mother¡¯s family, he fell ill. After learning the news, Alice was d. Christian, on the other hand, kept the low profile he had been maintaining.


    Even though Wester¡¯s mother¡¯s family was far from being the center of politics, they were not powerless. Volte and Julie were both proof of that. It was better to eliminate the threat early.


    Even though his actions may have caused Ynthe to distrust him, Anfey did not care much. If he couldn¡¯t defeat Minos, it didn¡¯t matter who became the king. If he did, no one would remember the family he murdered.


    Anfey respected Ynthe, but he had his own ns. His and Suzanna¡¯s future was not the only thing he needed to protect. He also had to protect Christian and Alice, and all of his other friends.

 Chapter 571: The Source of Power

    Chapter 571: The Source of Power


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The Maho Empire¡¯s attack in the spring would be an undeniable sess. Miorich, who had returned to the Sacred City a few months ago, had set off again, acting as the Chief Commander of the Northern Corps. He would be waging the final war with Marshal Baery, attempting to unify the entire continent.


    The destruction of Dark Moon Magic Legion had caused the Ellisen Empire to lose many of their magic elites. Although they had used one year to recuperate and rebuild their strength, in terms of quantity and quality, it was a far cry from the Empire¡¯s heyday. Ever since the Chief Royal Archmage, Newyoheim, had been seriously injured by Saul, he had been unable to move around. The Great Magician, Michael, had died at Anfey¡¯s hands. Out of the four pirs of the Ellisen Empire, only two were left. The oue of the war was very obvious.


    In the center of Greenwich Ind was the huge Skeleton Mountain. Bluish-green me continuously spewed out from among the bones found there, causing great fear among the people. A few hundred necromancers stood at the foot of the mountain and looked fearfully at the bones that were being burned. Minos had changed. He used to look ordinary. Had it not been for the oppressive feeling that he inflicted on the people, he was no different from the rest of the ragged, old bones. Minos was holding onto a crystal jade bone staff. He was dressed in a long, white magic robe, and had a bright red cloak over him. Thebination of the colors gave him a sinister appearance. A crown was ced on his head. There were seven greyish magic crystals, half the size of a fist each, on the crown. Minos had used a few of his precious magic crystals to make the crown. He had even destroyed a phantom dragon that was most inferior, in order to carry out this long awaited ceremony.


    Minos slowly raised the bone staff in his hand. The bluish-green me was burning even more fiercely now. The bones that had been burnt let out crackling sounds. As the bones wererge in quantity, their cracklings sounded like huge waves when the sound traveled outward. Greenwich Ind was not big, but neither was it small. It had the radius of about one hundred miles. One could stand anywhere on the ind and clearly hear the sound.


    The few hundred necromancers became groggy, due to the vibrations. However, the most powerful man in the continent, Minos, stood steadily and remained unaffected. He raised the bone staff once again, releasing again a bluish-green me that sshed out. The me shot up to the sky, a hundred meters high. Grey ashes that were impervious to the eyes rose up and covered the ind¡¯s Bone kekkai. The blue sky gradually turned grey, and the ashes continued to spread out across the great sea andnd.


    By the side of an unknownke, Golman, who looked uglier than Minos, was looking at Suzanna. He spoke in a slow, low voice. He seemed to be both persuading and warning at the same time. "Suzanna, I have unlocked the chain to the element. But...it is best that you do not use this sword. Never use it!"


    Suzanna looked at the mithril chest and did not speak a word. She did not seem to be listening to Golman. The element chain that the Grand Alchemist, Jacob, had found knotty, was nothing to the gifted Golman. To reach the peak was difficult enough, but Golman¡¯s achievement was amazing. This had to do with the number of years he had lived. Ordinary people lived up to a hundred years, but Golman had lived a few hundred years. "The Blood Chant had too much resentment in it. From what I know, those who have used the Blood Chant ended up being evil and lost their minds." Golman added, "Among the epic weapons, not many can harm the gods, but the Blood Chant is one of the exceptions that can do so. About one hundred angels had been devoured by the Blood Chant, and this rmed the gods. If...you withdraw the sword, the gods will be alerted. The freedom that we have enjoyed would then be destroyed by you. Suzanna, remember, never use the Blood Chant."


    "Would I care if there is no future for Anfey and me?" Suzanna smiled sweetly. "Moreover, since you are against the idea, why have you helped me unlock the element chain?"


    "Whether we will have a future, I have no answer. But if you use the Blood Chant, we will definitely not have a future!" Golman let out a sigh and said, "As long as we have hope, you have to control your emotions. I think you understand what I mean."


    Suzanna pondered this for a while, then slowly nodded her head.


    As Golman was about to speak again, he turned and saw grey ashes surging from the east. Then, the entire sky turned grey. Golman shivered and said, "Finally...it has begun."


    Anfeyid on a green cow stone, in the center of theke. He closed his eyes and seemed to be rxing, like a shepherd taking a rest. When the sky turned grey, it made one feel suffocated. Anfey frowned and waved his hand. A gentle breeze swept across theke and rippled the surface. As the wind got stronger, it became a tornado, speedily sucking in all the ashes. The sky turned blue again.


    Although Anfey seemed very rxed, it was not so. He had been practicing hard for a few months. He had read the Book of Life before, and it described how the world had been created. From one element, other elements had been created, and ultimately, formed the world. Anfey had not taken it to heart back then. However, after reading through Minos¡¯ experiences, he understood now what it meant. When one gathered the different elements proportionately together, the "one" element would once again appear. That was the source of power, the power that had created the world!


    This was the difference between a saint and a top level power. When a great magician released his magic, the power of the element would disperse at the appointed time. When a saint used the source of power to release magic, the power of the element would diminish over time. Take the Wall Technique for example, a great magician could only let a wall exist for more than 10 minutes, but the wall released by a saint would stay on forever. The wall would diminish over time, but it would not suddenly disappear. Saints at this stage were near to deities. They had obtained some secrets. Although they could not create the world, they could change the outlook of the world forever!


    Anfey had strong mind power. He had gathered the different elements proportionately. To others, it might be a difficult task, but not to him. He had a good understanding of the different Magic of Nature. The Seed of Light that nbrea had left behind was in his body. He also had the Book of Darkness, which Yagor had left behind. Anfey had everything that was required for his cultivation. As for the death magic, it was a different form of magic derived from life. It did not belong to the first element.


    Given Golman¡¯s intelligence, he could not understand what the tornado meant, unlike Anfey. He was far from understanding the source of power. It was likened unto a high level magister, who would never be able to see what a great magician saw. He did not understand the source of power, thus, he was unable to differentiate.


    Golman looked at the center of theke. After Anfey had released the magic, he went into a deep sleep. After waiting for a while, Golman let out a sigh and said, "I need to go, Suzanna. You stay behind to keep Anfeypany. I hope...you can make it on time."


    The grey ashes spread very quickly. In the battlefield of the Ellisen Empire, both troops felt suffocated and had stopped fighting. In the center of the city, the Great Magician of Ellisen Empire, Eregli, was having his meal. When the ashes passed over, he was shocked at first, but shortly after, became ted. He quickly swallowed his food, and as he was about to stand up, when he suddenly grabbed his throat. The food in his mouth hade alive. Before he could swallow, it had slithered down to his stomach. A cold aura surged up from his stomach to his chest.


    Eregli was the number two Great Magician in Ellisen Empire. He was ranked behind Newyoheim. He had great experience inbat, and was good with physical enemies. Yet in dealing with abnormalities in the body, he was helpless.


    "Master Eregli, for the future of the entire continent, let¡¯s join forces. If you choose not to do this, you can choose instead to sacrifice your life for the Ellisen Empire." A soft voice sounded in his ears.


    Eregli was stunned. He looked around and said in a bitter tone, "Morgan..."


    Throughout the year, no one in the Ellisen Empire had rested. They knew many secrets. The top level powers in the continent had joined forces against Minos, and Saul, Steger, and the rest had yed a part in it. Ellisen had waited a long time for this opportunity! After Saul, Steger, Jacob, Douminge and the rest had left, the Ellisen Empire would have the upper-hand in magic. As long as they carried out a good n, they could turn the table around and defeat the Maho Empire!


    It was a pity, though, that whatever they could think of, Ynthe had already thought of it. With Morgan joining them, it was like sounding the death knell for the Ellisen Empire. They had lost their high level power, so there was not much else they could do.

 Chapter 572: First Battle

    Chapter 572: First Battle


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The three master necromancers stood together, watching the windswept Greenwich Ind. Saul, Douminge, and the others stood behind them, watching them carefully. Despite working together, the stigma attached to necromancers still caused them to iste the necromancers.


    It was hard to say who was the leader out of the three master necromancers. Golman was well read and knew everything there was to know about the world¡¯s history. Morgan was an incredible mage, and even his name was enough to make even the most powerful power go pale. However, because of his reclusive nature, he was not the leadership type. Desvidia was even less like a leader. He was always quiet, and rarely appeared in public view. However, that was also what made him dangerous.


    To the others, Morgan was the most interesting. He was very different from what they had heard of him. Right now, his back was facing them. This showed that Morgan was confident enough in his own abilities, and confident that no one would attack him.


    The archmage Eliry from Ellisen Empire nced at Morgan and chuckled. He had fought with Morgan, and he knew that even if Morgan didn¡¯t use any tricks, Morgan still would win. If Morgan really was as violent as the rumors said, there wouldn¡¯t be any top level powers left in the world.


    Morgan enjoyed traveling around the world. However, because necromancers were so hated, as soon as he was discovered, many top level powers would try to find and defeat him. In reality, Morgan only killed when he was attacked by others. Most people, however, were not willing to hear his side of the story, because he was a necromancer.


    Most top level powers attacked Morgan, because they wanted to go down in history as being the ones who eliminated him. Another reason was that they wanted the fight to help them level up again. However, no one had seeded so far.


    Finally, Golman broke the silence. "What will you do if you see Annunciata?"


    "I will not let anyone stop me," Morgan said with a cool expression.


    Golman lifted a brow in surprise. The others standing behind them could not understand him, either. It wasmonly acknowledged that Annunciata and Morgan were always working together. Where Annunciata was, Morgan would not be far. No one wanted to attack Annunciata, because they were afraid that would anger Morgan. Now it was clear that Morgan and Annunciata did not have the rtionship everyone thought they did.


    "Do you think Minos will trust someone who cares for nothing?" Morgan asked with a small shrug.


    "So you did it on purpose," Golman said with a grin.


    "As long as Minos thinks I care for her, he will think he can control me. He thinks that as long as he has her, I won¡¯t do anything. That¡¯s why I know things you don¡¯t."


    "And to think, what you did to save her..." Desvidia¡¯s voice trailed off, and he shuddered.


    "Wait," Morgan said, staring at the dark clouds over the ind. "It¡¯s starting. Desvidia, why don¡¯t you go first?"


    "This is revenge?"


    "If you think so," Morgan said. "You scared?"


    "One of you is a mage, another isn¡¯t even equipped to fight," Desvidia said.


    "I¡¯m half a fighter. How can I turn that down?" Desvidiaughed, and his body suddenly grew a few inches. A pair of ck wings sprouted from his back and he rose into the air, flying toward the ind.


    "Golman, stay here," Morgan said, his tone softening. "If we fail, at least some hope remains."


    The corner of Golman¡¯s mouth twitched, but he did not say anything. No matter what the world said about the three master necromancers, their friendship was as strong as anyone¡¯s. Desvidia said that one of them was not equipped to fight, and told Morgan that Golman should stay behind.


    Saul and Douminge both smiled bitterly, looking at Morgan. Despite the reputation that necromancers had, they could be more open than humans. In situations like this, Saul and Douminge would hold back and let someone else charge first. No one thought Morgan and Desvidia would charge first, without any arguments or discussion.


    The entire Greenwich Ind was shrouded by a dark fog. It became very hard to see anything. Saul and the others summoned magic shields to protect themselves. Even Morgan and Desvidia were effected. Desvidia hadnded, and was walking slowly.


    As if sensing intruders, the howling wind suddenly quieted down. The magic shield around the ind started turning, countless bones, hanging in the air, starting spinning, until it was impossible to discern anything. The shield descended on the ind.


    Golman, however, did not stay behind. He followed Saul onto the ind. When the wind stopped, he suddenly said, "Stop! Something¡¯s wrong!"


    By then, everyone had sensed the pressure from the sky. "Let me go see," Eliry said, rising into the air.


    Necromancers were difficult opponents, because they were rare. Everyone knew the effects of a fireball, but it was hard to say what a necromancer¡¯s spell would do. Considering the dark fog and the unknown nature of necromancers¡¯ magic, Eliry¡¯s movements appeared to be a little reckless.


    He rose into the air quickly. The bones that made up the shield around the ind hit his magic shield and disappeared. However, Eliry¡¯s shield disappeared as well. Luckily, he had anotheryer of shield inside the outer shield. Sensing something was wrong, he quickly teleported. When he reappeared on the ground, his forehead was covered by a thinyer of sweat. Saul and the others nced at one another, shocked. Desvidia suddenly stopped, ncing around. A silvery ghost dragon suddenly appeared through the dark fog, trying to bite Desvidia.


    "Jimeng!" Desvidia cried in shock, recognizing Minos¡¯ mount. He jumped back, away from the dragon¡¯s jaw.


    The dragon snapped its jaw angrily, and swept its wings toward Desvidia. Desvidia was very fast, but the dragon was toorge. Seeing that it was impossible to get away from the dragon, Desvidia raised his arms to protect his head. At the same time, he became covered by dark scales.


    The dragon struck Desvidia, sending him flying backwards. However, such an attack could not hurt Desvidia when he was in this state. The ghost dragon¡¯s eyes started glowing red. With a strong wave of magic surge, Desvidia¡¯s body shook. Small wrinkles appeared on his forehead and were deepening quickly.


    The ghost dragon hurtled toward Desvidia, wing at his head. Morgan hurriedly waved his hand, summoning a pair ofrge hands from the ground. The hands grabbed the dragon¡¯s tail, asrge bone walls appeared in front of Desvidia.


    However, Jimeng was an evolved ghost dragon, and was a tough opponent. Its tail mmed into the ground, smashing the hands. It dashed forward, crashing through the bone walls easily. Desvidia retreated as fast as he could, but he was under the aging spell. His speed was greatly reduced, and it was almost impossible for him to get away from the dragon.

 Chapter 573: True Unity

    Chapter 573: True Unity


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    A silvery white light shot out toward Desvidia, originating from where Saul and the rest were stationed. Desvidia ducked off speedily, barely avoiding the attack from the phantom dragon. From first being angry, Morgan soon became embarrassed. He was now alert. At the critical moment, the high priest, Stan, who was standing behind him, had released the Absolute Purification. Morgan was aware of the danger that Absolute Purification would pose to a necromancer. He nearly attacked Stan, which was why he felt embarrassed. He was alert enough to notice that the purpose of Magic of Light was meant to purify the curse of senescence on Desvidia. It would not harm Desvidia. Although this ingenious way of controlling the magic was notparable to Morgan, it was not far removed from him either. If Stan had cultivated other forms of magic, his achievements would beparable to Saul and Douminge.


    After escaping from danger, Desvidia was enraged. He had deliberately kept a low profile, but that did not equate to having ack of dignity. To suffer before everyone was a humiliation. Desvidia¡¯s ck pupils turned red. After a severe magic surge, the phantom dragon that had attempted to continue with the attack, froze. The gigantic body had multiple cracks on it. The aging incantation was visibly taking effect. Desvidia let it have a taste of its own medicine, as casting a curse was Desvidia¡¯s forte.


    Morgan waved his hand, and a huge bone spear appeared in the air, stabbing into the chest of the phantom dragon. The second, then third bone spears appeared and continuously attacked it. After the first bone spear exploded on the chest of the phantom dragon, the second bone spear appeared. Although the bone spear was much smaller than the phantom dragon, due to the aging incantation, the defending power of the phantom dragon had diminished greatly. The three bone spears that Morgan had released hit on the same spot, creating a big hole in the phantom dragon¡¯s chest. Bone dust spilled down to the ground.


    The phantom dragon screamed, but this was not the end. Stan performed the prayer incantation on the phantom dragon. If a Knight of Light had been affected by the prayer incantation, his attack and defense would take longer before effect. If the target was a death spirit, it would suffer harm over a long period of time.


    The Grand Knight, Fernando, had broken out of the v-formation. A priest in white robe, who was standing beside Stan, lifted up his hands and released the prayer incantation. The Combat Power released by Fernando shot up, its speed bing faster and more powerful. It wasparable to the force of the phantom dragon that was struggling in the halo of the prayer incantation.


    In the next instant, Fernando sped past Morgan, like a lightning bolt, shooting toward the phantom dragon. Although a huge body had its advantages, it had disadvantages as well. Moreover, Fernando was too quick for the phantom dragon. It could only fan its right wing at Fernando.


    Fernando was fearless. He lifted up his left arm with the golden knight shield, smashing down hard on the bony wing.


    There was a loud bang, and Fernando moved back more than 10 steps. The phantom dragon was left with only two thirds of his right wing. Bits and pieces of bone flew out all over. It had been badly hurt. Desvidia spread his wings and flew up into the sky. At the same time, he released the Dtory Curse and Retardation Curse. The Dtory Curse could slow down the speed of the phantom dragon, whereas the Retardation Curse was more vicious. It could slow down the reaction of the phantom dragon. Speed in reacting was the deciding factor, when dealing with the top level power.


    A deep howling sound was heard from afar, and the phantom dragon spread out its bony wings as it escaped pathetically toward the back. Fernando attacked continuously with the wheel-lock gun that he was holding on to, and Desvidia flew toward the phantom dragon and attacked it. Morgan continuously released the bone cage incantation and bone spears. He was very skillful when he released the magic. Whenever the phantom dragon spread out its bony wings and was about to leave the ground, the bone cage would pin its body down. When the phantom dragon forced its way out and spread its wings again, it could not fly. It could only run on its feet, like a clumsy low level magic beast. Morgan aimed the bone spears at the feet of the phantom dragon. Whenever its feet touched the ground, the bone spears would fly toward it and cause the phantom dragon to shift its center of gravity. It stumbled and fumbled, and was inbad shape.


    Having a huge body was advantageous. Although Morgan, Desvidia, and Fernando had joined forces and attacked the phantom dragon, they could only break its bones, but remained unable to inflict mortal injury upon it. If it hadn¡¯t been for others, they would have died on the spot.


    Finally, the phantom dragon escaped into the dark. Desvidia had vented his anger and did not pursue after it. After hovering around, hended beside Fernando. Both of them looked at each other and smiled. Their smiles epassed many unspoken words. If they had been in a different setting, they might have be arch-enemies. However, they had chosen to join forces tobat together. This was the great spirit of mankind. There would be conflicts, disputes, conflicts of interest, and even hatred among men. However, when they had amon enemy, they would bury the hatchet and unite together. It was like the ancient times during the invasion of the ogres. These top level powers were more broad-minded than the ordinary people. They were not only representative of mankind, they were the pirs. If they had been petty and were shirking responsibilities, there would be no hope for man.


    It was tough to debate on whether or not a necromancer belonged to mankind. Regardless of what others thought, Morgan, Golman, and Desvidia had their memories, yearnings, and experiences. The determination that they had exhibited was not inferior to Saul or the rest.


    "Minos is testing us," Golman said softly.


    "I know. That is why I did not retaliate." The priest in the white robe, who was standing beside Stan, said with a smile.


    "You have used the prayer incantation. Is that not retaliation?" Stan smiled and said.


    "Let¡¯s think of how we should deal with Minos¡¯ Bone kekkai," Eregli said, having now recovered from the defeat.


    Stan hesitated for a while before looking at Saul. Their thinking process was different from the ordinary people. They could release the Holy kekkai to pit against the Bone kekkai. However, what should they do with Morgan and the others? They would not be able to enter the Holy kekkai. If things got out of hand, it would be wasting the magic power. Stan would not make such a silly mistake.


    "Minos had used up much time and energy to create the Bone kekkai. If we use magic against the kekkai, it would be too difficult." Saul smiled. "Let¡¯s use our wits." Having said that, Saul released a fissure incantation.


    The fissure incantation was a middle level earth magic. It was not powerful, and had been used to attack walls that were not protected by magic kekkai. It was an inferior magic.


    Seeing the deep crack before him, Jacob immediately understood what Saul meant. He took out a grey potion bottle, and as he opened the cap, the potion had transformed into glitter and sshed on the two sides of the cracks. That was the element solidification potion. It could prolong the magic¡¯s effect.


    After their firstbat, they felt morefortable with one another. Everyone moved under the crack and stood together. Although the light aura and death aura shed and caused difort, as top level powers, they were able to bear it.


    The gap between the lower crack line and the upper crack line was about 30 meters high. It was safe for the time being. The Bone kekkai had rotated rapidly to the surface of the ground, causing a creepy, screeching sound. Everyone was looking at the top cautiously.


    "If Minos releases the forbidden spells now, we will be in hot water," Bruzuryanoughed and said.


    "We still gain. We have used a dimensional sanctuary scroll in exchange for a forbidden spell." Saul said softly, "Moreover, I have brought six dimensional sanctuary scrolls. How many forbidden spells can Minos release?"


    All of themughed. Saul was obviously well-prepared for the war. Other than the six dimensional scrolls, he had brought other scrolls along with him. In fact, all of them had prepared well. There was no way they could lose. However, Morgan and the other two were notughing. They had followed after Minos for a few hundred years now, and they knew how terrifying he was. Although they should be more optimistic, they were unable to rx.


    "Sir Stan, is the Pope here?" Golman asked softly. If the long awaited mysterious saint did not appear, Minos¡¯ greatest threat would be William the Pope. Golman had to know.


    "Don¡¯t worr,." Stan nodded solemnly.


    "That¡¯s great." Golman let out a sigh of relief. Immediately, he had a strange feeling. In the past, every pope who assumed office happened to be the enemy of the necromancers. All the priests and Knights of Light wanted to get rid of Minos. Simrly, all the necromancers had wanted the pope dead. However, they now sought for the protection of the pope, which seemed ironic.


    As they were talking, the Bone kekkai at the top stopped rotating, and had raised up slowly into the air.


    "I will go and take a look." Before Mauso finished speaking, he had turned into a giant eagle and had flown upward. The gap between the two cracks was about 10 meters, but it did not affect the excellent flying skills of Mauso.


    After Mauso had flown out of the crack, there was a sharp squeaking sound. Bruzuryano was stunned and anxiously said, "Let¡¯s get out quickly!"

 Chapter 574: Honor

    Chapter 574: Honor


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Seeing Burzuryano¡¯s expression, everyone realized that something must have gone wrong and quickly backed away from the crack. In the distance, an army of skeletons was fast approaching. Steger summoned the Eye of the Sky with a wave of his hand. Due to the thinning of the dark fog, it was easy to see the skeletons.


    The skeletons in the army of skeletons werepletely different from what normal skeletons looked like. These skeletons had gleaming, pale heads. They were all wearing smooth bone armors that were clearly very strong. Each skeleton was equipped with a longsword that was sharp and wide. All of these skeletons were weaponized to the teeth. Normal skeletons did not have eyes, but these ones, however, had glowing red eyes.


    What was even more shocking was the speed of these skeletons. They were moving so fast that it was almost impossible to see their individual legs. They were almost as fast as a master swordsman.


    Mauso was called the Observer, because of his excellent senses. He already senseding danger, when he flew out of the crack, which was why he sounded the rms. Morgan¡¯s eyes widened, as he noticed the ck swirl under each skeleton¡¯s feet. Morgan, who rarely lost hisposure, paled at the sight of it.


    "It¡¯s impossible," he whispered, desperation creeping into his voice. "Impossible. The Throne... the effect of the Throne of Bones!"


    Hearing his voice, everyone froze in shock. Even though Morgan didn¡¯t say exactly what the swirls were, it was clear that Morgan was terrified. The Throne was alreadyplete.


    "We¡¯re wrong, then..." Golman said quietly, his voice quivering. "We only thought about how strong Minos is, but we forgot how smart he is. We all know he¡¯s the weakest now. He must have expected something."


    "So what?" Morgan asked angrily. "This can¡¯t happen. Minos is not powerful enough to finish it before the nned date. This must be a trick."


    "Morgan, haven¡¯t you noticed?" Golman asked quietly. "Ever since we got onto this ind, we haven¡¯t seen a single necromancer. There must be at least a few hundred on the ind. Were are they?"


    "Golman, are you saying that Minos absorbed them?" Desvidia asked quietly.


    "I can¡¯t think of another exnation for this," Golman said, ncing at the darkening sky. He started to sound desperate. With the Throne of Bones, Minos was practically a god already. No one can defeat a god. Even if a supreme power appeared now, it would be toote.


    "No!" Morgan said, shaking his head. "This can¡¯t be. It must be a trick!" He was trying to calm everyone¡¯s nerves, but he could not even convince himself with his words. He, too, sounded desperate.


    Just then, a skeleton climbed out of the ground. It jumped out and dashed toward Burzuryano, who was standing in the front. Fernando called out for Burzuryano and lunged at the skeleton. The skeleton did not back away from Fernando. The two shed with a loud thud. Fernando stumbled back a few steps, while the skeleton was thrown back and crashed into the ground. A momentter, the skeleton climbed off of the ground and dashed toward Fernando again. It was as if the sh did not do any damage to the skeleton.


    Fernando raised hisnce. A ball of bright light flew toward the skeleton, followed by thence. Thence pierced the skeleton¡¯s armor and buried itself in its chest. The skeleton let out a shrill scream. Fernando released hisnce and jumped at the skeleton. He raised his shield, mming it down onto the skeleton. With a sickening crunch, the head of the skeleton broke off of its shoulder and tumbled to the ground. The body jerked a few times before falling to the ground.


    Fernando took a few steps back, staring ahead emptily. He had won, but it made everyone even more hopeless. If a Knight of Light¡¯snce could only barely pierce the skeleton¡¯s armor, what would they do when the entire army reached them? What awaits them once the army arrives?


    The scrolls Saul had spent days making would be useless. Even if they teleported, they would have to reappear somewhere, and as soon as they did, the skeletons would be upon them.


    Another group of skeletons appeared in the Eye of the Sky. They wore simr armor as the first group, but all the skeletons in the second group were equipped withrge bone shields and long knifes. Behind them was a third group, with bows and arrows. The skeletons were marching in tight formations and straight lines. These two groups were not as fast as the first group, but were just as intimidating.


    The army of skeletons drew closer, and the image in the Eye of the Sky changed again. More skeletons marched into sight. These skeletons all held bone staffs, and were wearing mage robes made of smooth pieces of bones. These skeleton mages had bumps on their heads, and the red glow of their eyes were particrly vicious.


    After the skeleton mages, came two dozen Knights of Death. Each one of those knights was riding arge bone horse withrge wings. It didn¡¯t matter how strong these Knights of Death were. If their mounts could fly, they would be that much more dangerous.


    Lastly, came half a dozen ghost dragons, led by Jimeng, Minos¡¯ mount. When Jimeng fled, it had been injured. Now, it waspletely healed and repaired. As if sensing the Eye of the Sky, it raised its head and blew some dark fog at the Eye, obscuring the view again.


    "If Minos wants to defeat us with this army, I¡¯m afraid he will be disappointed," Saul said. He had regained his wits, but Morgan was still staring.


    "You¡¯re right," Douminge said with a small grin. "Let¡¯s show him what real mages are made of."


    Steger whispered a spell and waved his hand. A wall of earth appeared. He turned and summoned three more walls, forming a small fortress. Jacob used his strengthening potion to make sure the walls held longer. In the middle of the small fortress, a tall earth spike formed a temporary mage¡¯s tower. Everyone present was a top level power, and could immediately tell the weakness of the skeleton army. Saul summoned several Eyes of the Sky, observing the entire ind.


    "We need to get Mauso down here," Douminge said to Burzuryano.


    Burzuryano nodded and released the signal. Seeing the signal, Mauso circled around a few times and dove down. Douminge began chanting quietly, and an invisible magic shield began forming. The most dangerous parts of the skeleton army were the Knights of Death and the ghost dragons. Douminge was willing to use the anti-flying ward, because he knew the danger.


    As long as he was alive, the dragons and knights would have to approach on the ground. Burzuryano jumped onto the wall of the fortress and waved his hand. The ground around the fortress burst into green light. Countless vines started growing out of the ground, covering the walls of the fortress.


    Morgan watched the mages at work, and was very impressed by how well they worked together. He looked at the mages and said with a long sigh, "It is my honor to be fighting with you all today." He was terrified, but he was proud. If he was to die, he would die fighting.

 Chapter 575: The Power of Chaos

    Chapter 575: The Power of Chaos


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    "It is our pleasure to be able tobat with you," Stan said with a smile.


    The atmosphere became weird. If it had been someone else who had made thisment, it would have been different. As the high priest of Holy See, Stan should be an arch-enemy of Morgan. However, he had taken the initiative in agreeing with him. This change in attitude took everyone by surprise.


    The many years of animosity shared was noughing matter. A man must be able to adapt to his circumstances. This was easier said than done, but Morgan and Stan had proven it to be possible.


    In the next instant, Stan flew up into the sky. His chants spread out in every direction. As his feetnded on the shabby mage tower, a bright curtain came down from the sky, covering the small city with holy light.


    Eregli had released a mini magic kekkai. He had alienated Morgan, Desvidia, and Golman, to prevent them from being illuminated by the holy light. Golman nodded at Eregli with a smile to show his appreciation.


    The Sea of Bones had smashed against the city wall. The wall, which was about 30 meters high with a width of more than 10 meters, suddenly shook violently. It was like a wriggling earthworm. Broken branches and leaves spattered all over, and very quickly, new ones sprouted out. The earth element continuously fell apart, and deeply rooted vines welded the earth element together once again.


    From far in the distance, the entire city wall looked shaky, but it did not copse.


    Everyone was right to be cautious. If Steger had notpletely released the Wall Technique, Jacob had not solidified the earth element, and Bruzuryano had not used the vines to add on to the protection of the wall, the city wall would have copsed. The Grand Knight, Fernando, had challenged a mutated skeleton, which required much strength. The power of the mutated skeleton wasparable to a high level professional. To be blunt, the mutated skeleton army could wipe out the entire continent!


    Stan continued with his chanting, and the holy light became brighter. The dark spirals beneath the mutated skeletons grew dimmer under the holy light. The movements of the mutated skeletons became slower as well. When the dark spirals finally vanished, the skeletons that were on the frontline turned into ashes.


    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. They realized that the Magic of Light could kill most of the death spirits. The death spirits had received their destructive powers from the Throne of Bones. Given time, they might even have the chance of winning.


    There was a hoarse scream, and the mutated skeletons that were banging crazily against the city wall hurriedly backed away. The skeleton archers that were standing some distance away, drew their bows and aimed at the figures on the city wall. They then shot out multiple arrows.


    But the top level powers were not intimidated by such attacks. Saul and the rest were worried that they would be surrounded by the Sea of Bones without any protection. Should this happen, they would be devoured by the death spirits. The skeleton archers were smart. They were targeting Stan, who was standing on top of the mage tower. When the skeleton archers drew their bows, the Hawk King Mauso had perceived who they were targeting. He spread out his wings once again, and brought Fernando up to the top of the mage tower. Fernando held up his knight shield and stood in front of Stan to protect him.


    After a futile attack, the skeleton archers gave up trying and spread to two sides. A few hundred skeletons with staffs in their hands moved up from behind them to the battlefront. Douminge and the rest held their breath and waited patiently. They were not afraid of the mutated skeletons. Logically speaking, when more than 10 middle level professionals joined forces, they would pose a threat and could kill a top level power. However, in an actual situation, it was not always so. A top level power was highly skilled in killing. They would not stand still in one spot and fight with the opponent. There were many ways tobat. Although thebat force of the mutated skeletons was powerful, a simple Wall Technique was enough to reduce their attacks greatly. The difference was not only in terms of strength, it also involved intelligence and experience.


    As the skeletons with staffs moved closer, even Morgan became anxious. They knew that the middle level mutated skeletons and the few phantom dragons were a threat to them.


    After walking 600 meters, the skeleton mages stopped moving. The gems on their foreheads emitted a dim light. The element surged crazily between the heaven and the earth, giving one a suffocating feeling.


    "Oh no..." Douminge gasped.


    "Golman, how do these skeleton mages replenish their magic power?" Saul, who had been busy, ced thest magic crystal on the magic array. As he spoke, he pped his hands and stood up.


    "From the Throne of Bones."


    "Do they take long to replenish?"


    "At a moderate speed," Golman said softly, "But their mind power and magic power are very limited. They can only do a few attacks."


    "This is the best piece of news that I have heard today," Saul said with a smile.


    There was a sudden silence in the heaven and the earth. A ck ball flew out from the staffs of each of the skeleton mages. The balls kept expanding and merging together, and ultimately, formed a powerful ck current that rushed toward the city wall.


    Stan lifted up his hands, then let them down again. He had wanted to release the Holy kekkai, but the attacks of the skeleton mages were too astounding. There were too many of them. The Holy kekkai would not have much effect on them, and it would be a waste of the magic power.


    The ck current hit the city wall, and the greens on the wall immediately withered. The wall fell apart and copsed.


    As the chanting was going on, a mirror appeared in the air. From the front view, it was dozens of metersrge, but from the side view, it was not visible at all. The ck current hit against the mirror and disappeared miraculously. The Dimensional Mirror released by Saul was very powerful. For weak magic, it would bounce back when it hit the Mirror. For powerful magic, the Mirror would bring it to an Extradimensional space. The Dimensional Mirror had its weakness, which was its long cooling time. Otherwise, no one would be a match for Saul.


    "Get ready, we are shifting," Saul said slowly.


    All of them knew what Saul meant and moved toward him. Stan had left the mage tower, and Fernando jumped down now.


    The Knights of Death were ready to charge. Although they had lost the ability to fly, due to the influence of the Throne of Bones, they were very quick inunching their attack onnd, which stunned Fernando. One after another, ck dots charged forward, and as they came nearer, one could clearly see their ferocious looks. Behind the Knights of Death were two phantom dragons. Their bodies were huge, and every step they took allowed them to traverse more than 10 meters. 600 meters to them was insignificant.


    Saul was very firm and steady. He stood motionless. When the first Knight of Death approached the fallen city wall, and the skeleton mage released another round of magic, he then released the magic scroll in his hand.


    A white light shed across, and Saul and the rest disappeared. It was difficult to kill a Great Dimensional Magician! Moreover, Saul had not only brought the magic scrolls for shelter, he had brought along the Dimensional Door and the Great Dimensional Sweep. Even if they were no match for the opponents, they could at least escape.


    The intelligence of the death spirits was limited. When they saw that the human beings had disappeared, they were stunned. At this moment, a strange fire shot up to the sky. The entire Greenwich Ind shook violently. A mushroom cloud, formed by sand, stones, dust and bones, whirled up to about a thousand meters high. It created a big hole,¡ªa width of about a few miles wide¡ªin the Bone kekkai, which was on the upper part of the ind. The shockwave, which was previously targeted at the small city, dispersed all over. The mutated skeletons, skeleton archers and skeleton mages, including the phantom dragons, had all been epassed by the shockwave. It was like the leaves in the strong wind that had been threshed and thrown about. The small city that Steger had created had disappeared, leaving behind a big hole about 50 meters deep and 500 meters wide.


    Saul and the rest had appeared on the other side of the ind. A shockwave, about 100 meters high, was moving toward them from the distance. Saul released the fissure incantation. This was the second time that he had released it. Not that he liked this incantation, but it needed the least magic power, which made it the most appropriate for the current situation. Without saying a word, the rest speedily hid themselves within. Thest to enter was Steger, who released the Frozen kekkai and sealed the cracks on both ends with solid ice.


    Before Steger could reach the lower end of the crack, the shockwave had swept over the icy surface. The solid ice started to crack, and bits and pieces of ice fell down together with the sand and stones. Douminge released a kekkai that enveloped everyone.


    "Beautiful!!" Morgan took a deep breath. With his sharpness and experience, he knew what Saul was doing, but he had never expected such a good result.


    "We should thank Anfey," Saul said with a smile. "He had mentioned the power of the Chaotic magic array. Jacob and I had taken note of it. During this period, we have been thinking of ways to increase the power of the Chaotic magic array. But...I have never expected it to be so powerful."


    "Saul, how many magic crystals have you used?" Douminge asked softly.


    "48 top grade crystals."


    "48 pieces? Top grade?" Douminge was shocked.


    "Yes." Saul nodded and said, "I have intended to present this as a gift to Minos. It is a pity...although I can use the remaining magic crystals to set up a few more Chaotic magic arrays, the quality was not as good, so the magic arrays will not be as powerful."


    At this instant, a hoarse scream was heard from the center of Greenwich Ind. It sounded eerie and sent shivers down one¡¯s spine.


    "Minos is angry..." Golmanmented.

 Chapter 576: Judgement

    Chapter 576: Judgement


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After the shock wave, Greenwich Ind had be a mess. Not only was the skeleton army on the ground affected, the bone kekkai was affected as well. In several ces, the kekkai was almost broken.


    Minos¡¯ skeleton army was almost gone. Over half of the Knights of Death and the ghost dragons perished in the explosion. The ground was littered with broken pieces of bones. Only a few ghost dragons were left on the field, including Minos¡¯ mount, Jimeng. Jimeng¡¯s wings were missing, and its body was riddled with holes.


    A dark figure rose into the air and flew toward the battlefield. The figure was very small, but as it approached, everyone felt a strong sense of pressure. Jimeng pressed its head to the ground and whined loudly. The other ghost dragons were not even able to move under such strong pressure.


    Minos floated in mid-air, observing the destroyed army. The bone kekkai shook as he approached, showing how angry he was. Minos had been focusing too much onpleting the Throne of Bones, and did not pay attention to other things. He ignored the top level powers that were present in the world, and did not think they would be able to find him. If he had managed to eliminated some of the top level powers, he could have sat upon the Throne without anyone trying to stop him.


    Of course, Minos did not have any reason to worry. He did not expect anyone to find the ind, and with the Throne, he was practically a god himself. With that kind of power, there was no reason for him to worry about mere mortals, even if they were top level powers. He absorbed the power of the necromancers residing on the ind, and finished the Throne before the nned date. He had hoped that the skeleton army was enough to hold off any attacker for a few days, so he could have time to properly recover. Once he recovered, no one could stand in his way anymore.


    Minos raised his hands and chanted, "In the name of gods..." A strong wave of magic surge swept through the battlefield. Dark grey light radiated out form Minos. The broken bones touched by the light suddenly regained their vitality and started moving again.


    As Minos revived his skeleton army, four neers appeared in the center of Greenwich Ind. The leader of the small party wore a long robe and a crown of thorns circling his silver hair.


    The old man was followed by Ernest and two glowing Knights of Light. As soon as he stepped through the portal, Ernest drew his sword and formed into a triangr formation with the knights, protecting the old man.


    The mountain of bones Minos had built had now disappeared, what remained was arge swirl. The swirl was slowly spinning, and the center of it was right below the center of the bone kekkai.


    "But, didn¡¯t he open the gate?" the old man asked curiously.


    "Maybe he¡¯s not powerful enough to overpower the master of the Land of Repose," Ernest said with a frown.


    "Luckily for us, he won¡¯t have the chance," the old man with the crown of thorns said. He raised his hand and summoned a glowing shield that protected all four men.


    In the distance, Saul and the others had fled the crack. They turned around and saw that arge pir of light had pierced the bone kekkai. The pir of light dissolved into countless sparks, both red and gold, which fell down through the air.


    As the sparks fell onto the bone kekkai, the kekkai began to dissolve. Even though the kekkai could regenerate, there were too many sparks. The rate the sparks were dissolving the kekkai was too fast, and the rate of regeneration could not match it.


    The skeletons, ghost dragons, and Knights of Death Minos had just revived let out a wave of shrill screams. As soon as the sparks touched the skeletons, the skeletons crumpled to the ground. Creatures created with death magic could not block the effects of the Judgement.


    Minos let out a distorted scream. Even though the red sparks didn¡¯t do anything to him, the gold sparks could attack his soul. Necromancers were immortal, because they had gotten rid of their bodily restraints and relied solely on their souls. Even though Minos had summoned a shield, it was still not enough to block out the gold sparks.


    As the shower of sparks came to an end, the top level powers stepped out of the dimensional sanctuary Saul had created and began heading toward the center of the ind. The Judgment did not weaken Minos power. Instead, it seemed to have grown stronger. It was confusing, but now was not the time to think. They must reach the pope as soon as possible.


    Pope William closed the Book of Doom. After he used the spell, he appeared older, and his face was flushed. He bent over and coughed a few times.


    Pope William knew that the Throne of Bones was much more than a mere chair. It was something that could enhance the power and all creatures of death. It could also open the gate to the Land of Repose. This was why he needed to destroy the chair and prevent Minos from summoning creatures from another dimension.


    Because of the pope¡¯s spell, the swirl was bing unstable, and started spewing dark fog. As the pope was deciding his next move, he suddenly sensed something. A skeleton suddenly appeared in front of him, its eyes glowing intensely. Despite not having expression, it was clear that the skeleton was angry.


    "Minos!" William said with wide eyes. He hurriedly waved his hand and released a shield of light.


    Minos raised his hand and summoned arge bonence. Before thence even reached William, the magic attached to it pierced through the shield of light.


    The bonence crashed into the shield of light. The shield flickered a few times and disappeared. The knight to William¡¯s left raised hisnce to stop the bonence. The bonence shed with the knight¡¯snce and threw the men backwards. Ernest lunged over and grabbed William, pushing him out of the way. Thence left a cut on William¡¯s robe and struck the ground, leaving arge crater.


    The Knight of Light struggled to his feet. Hisnce was broken and his shield had arge dent in it. His left arm was clearly broken. He tried to use his shield to block the attack, but Minos was too powerful.


    Saul and the other top level powers, who had just arrived, witnessed this as well. Everyone felt a sudden wave of despair. Minos was more powerful than they had ever anticipated.


    "It¡¯s the Throne," Golman whispered hoarsely.


    Morgan and Desvidia both sighed. They could feel their own power growing significantly as well. If their power has grown this much, how powerful must Minos be now?


    "So you¡¯re all here now," Minos said coldly. Even though he was angry, he had lived long enough that he knew how to conceal his emotions. He raised his hand and summoned hundreds of ck balls of light, sending them hurtling toward William.


    In the distance, his army of skeletons reappeared, and was heading toward them quickly. The skeletons created with the Throne of Bones were stronger and smarter than normal skeletons, and much more loyal. Minos couldn¡¯t risk William destroying his army again.

 Chapter 577: A Pseudo Saint

    Chapter 577: A Pseudo Saint


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When Minos attacked, Saul and the rest immediately reacted. Saul had released a Dimensional Mirror before William the Pope. Jacob let out a magic scroll, and a Tin Man, about 20 feet high, appeared in the air. It opened out its arms and protected William, who was behind it. Eregli chanted a curse and pointed his magic staff at William. A dazzling stream of fire enveloped William. It was the me Shield. Under the different defense magic, its power was secondary to the magic shield. However, since no one could add on to the power of the magic shield, Eregli had chosen to use the me Shield instead.


    Everyone was on their feet. They had a taste of Minos¡¯ power. To defeat him, they needed the power from William. Should anything happen to William, they would be in grave danger.


    The Dimensional Mirror that Saul had released directed part of the ck ball into an Extradimensional space. The remaining ck balls hit the Tin Man and created a loud bang. The death magic could do great harm to any living organism, but not to a soulless Tin Man. The Tin Man shook for a while, but other than some cracks on the chest and shoulders, it was not badly hurt.


    William turned over his right hand and released the Light kekkai. Following that, the Book of Doom raised up from his hand again.


    Minos let out a shriek ofughter. He raised the bone staff up high. ck vine-like nts speedily sprouted up from the ground at the feet of William, twirling around him. The Light kekkai had been utterly destroyed by the ck nt. Ernest, who was five meters away from William, wielded his long sword and dashed over. William had been covered by the ck nt, and without guidance from him, the light from the Book of Doom dimmed, now only hanging quietly in the air.


    "It is the Death Coil! Be careful, Minos is going to attack us!" Golman eximed aloud. As an experienced necromancer, no one was more familiar in death magic than him. The Death Coil was a forbidden spell in death magic. It could trap an individual and harm it continuously. William would only be harmed by the Death Coil. All other attacks, including Minos¡¯, would be blocked by the Death Coil. It was impossible for Ernest to save William.


    The speed at which Minos attacked was too fast for Golman to warn the rest. Before he could finish speaking, Minos had sent three attacks within a super short period of time!


    The first bone spear hit the waist of the Knight of Light, who had been injured. Although the spear was not sharp, the powerful shockwave cut his waist in half. The second and third bone spear hit another Knight of Light. Although the Knight of Light had lifted up his shield, the force was so powerful that he flew off like a stone. He crashnded on the ground after flying 100 meters. He was still alive, but was unable to stand.


    Minos did not bother himself with Ernest, but dashed toward Saul and the rest. He was sharp in his judgment. He knew who would pose a threat to him. As long as he could kill the Priests of Light and Knights of Light, the rest would be easy to handle.


    Minos and the Sea of Bones were approaching. It was a good opportunity for Saul and the rest to destroy the entire army of mutated skeletons. However, against Minos, all the tricks that they used were useless.


    Jacob took a deep breath and disappeared. In the next instant, he reappeared in the air, on top of the skeleton army. Livid silk threads spread out from him in all directions. When the mutated skeletons touched the livid silk threads, they turned into statues. However, given their inertia to attack, they hit on one another and broke down into pieces.


    Jacob released the top level Alchemy magic, Solidification! The Grand Alchemist could create artificial magic crystals, whereas Solidification had the magic power required for creating the artificial magic crystals. As Solidification could solidify all living and non-living things, a Grand Alchemist could put together the same element that had drifted away to form a magic crystal. Since the magic power couldst only a few seconds, Jacob had to strike at the right time. However, he did not have sufficient time to fully release the magic power. Minos had already turned around and pointed the terrifying bone spear at Jacob.


    The dictum incantation! After Minos released the Dark Force and Death Coil, he released another forbidden spell. Thest three magics had been released, one after another!


    Jacob¡¯s body had turned ck. Not only had he been trapped, even the magic power of the forbidden spell that had backfired, had been trapped. The effects of the Death Coil and dictum incantation seemed simr, but there was one vast difference. The dictum incantation was harmless. The crucial thing was that Jacob could not move, but the others could!


    In a split second, Jacob was killed by the Sea of Bones. A few bone swords flew around and cut his body into pieces.


    But no one had time for sorrow, as Minos had not stopped his killing. With a backhand, he threw another bone spear toward Stan.


    Mauso shrieked out, and in a side-sweeping motion, he spread out his huge wings and flew toward the bone spear. He knew the power of the bone spear, thus he did not block it upfront. He had only wanted to change the direction of the bone spear. As the huge wings and bone spear hit against each other, Mauso seemed electrified and dropped down to the ground. His right wing was now deformed, and multiple feathers rained down.


    Bruzuryano released the transfiguration incantation. A huge pr bear blocked the bone spear, waving its right arm against it.


    There was a loud bang, and only those who were sharp enough would notice that the bone spear had changed its course. However, the change in Bruzuryano was even greater. His right palm bounced up high, having been torn by the bone spear. As the bone spear brushed past his shoulders, a big piece of flesh had been cut off, causing a fountain of blood to spew out.


    Desvidia roared. He dashed up at the crucial moment and punched on the bone spear. Due to the influence of the Throne of Bones, hisbat force had increased tremendously. The bone spear nearly went through Stan¡¯s chest, but at the crucial moment, had been diverted by the punch from Desvidia.


    "Well done..." Minos said coldly, before throwing his bone staff at Desvidia.


    As everyone was moving toward Desvidia to support him, Saul, who was about to attack, suddenly felt his body harden. It had turned ck, just like Jacob¡¯s. Following that, three bone spears shot toward him.


    The dictum incantation was a terrifying kind of magic curse. The dictum incantation released by Minos was even more terrifying. If they had fought with him individually, everyone would have been killed within seconds!


    The Magic Guard, Light kekkai, me Shield, Frozen Armor, and other magic halos all lit up on Saul¡¯s body. Those who could attack, had struck. No one wanted to see Saul being killed, but they were unsure of what the oue would be. All of them had lost confidence, and were now struggling to put up a fight.


    At this moment, a dazzling fire sped toward them from the distance. The moment that they sensed the magic surge and saw the fire, it was already before them, hitting against the three bone spears. The trio then smashed into pieces and flew all over in the burning fire. Saul was engulfed by the shock waves of the explosion, but he had been protected by the multiple defense magic that he had put on. Such attacks could not harm him.


    The wind disappeared suddenly, and the clouds stretched out quietly in the sky. The rugged Bone kekkai stopped rotating, and even those mutated skeletons that were dashing over had stopped moving. The few phantom dragons had carefully kept their bony wings. All between the heaven and the earth was total silence.


    A man in white appeared in the air. Minos turned, and both of them looked each other in the eye. Minos and the man remained motionless.


    "Is it Anfey?" Steger found the back of the man to be familiar.


    "It is Anfey!" Ernest said confidently.


    "He...seems to have changed." Golman was hesitant. As one moved higher in the air, the wind should be stronger. However, Anfey was at absolute rest, and even his clothes were not moving, seemingly molded to the sky.


    "Yes, he is different. I cannot even sense his presence," Morgan said. He could see Anfey, but he could not sense him. He felt strange. It was as though he saw a person beating the battle drum, but could not hear the sound.


    "You can only release death magic. Minos, you have lost the source of power. You are just a pseudo saint." Anfey¡¯s voice was very soft, but everyone could hear it clearly.


    "Hoho..." Minosughed hoarsely. He pointed at Anfey, but at this instant, Anfey punched with his right fist. A magic surge shed across, as Anfey had withdrawn his fist. A few residual bones speedily disappeared. Seeing that the bone cage had been destroyed by an unknown force, Minos¡¯ voice changed.


    "Who...are you?"


    "After I have removed your mask, I will let you know." Before Anfey could finish what he was saying, he had turned into a streamer, shooting toward Minos.

 Chapter 578: Tie

    Chapter 578: Tie


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Minos¡¯ speed was very fast, as well. He raised his wand and aimed it at Anfey. Minos¡¯ greatest strength was his ability to use forbidden spells, without any cooling periods. He was most skilled in curse-based forbidden spells, which were almost impossible to block. Even though there were two powerful Priests of Light present, who could cancel out the effects of any spell, it may not be enough.


    Anfey suddenly disappeared and reappeared several hundred feet away from Minos. He waved his hand and summoned a few firebirds. The white-hot firebirds streaked through the air toward Minos. As the firebirds flew past, the air became distorted by the heat.


    Minos¡¯s mental focus was cut off, but that wasn¡¯t enough to make him panic. He summoned a bone shield as the firebirds drew close. The firebirds crashed into the shield, shattering into bright sparks, obscuring Minos¡¯ figure.


    A few bonences appeared in mid air and flew toward Anfey. Anfey quickly jumped in his direction to avoid the bonences. His speed increased and he came slowly toward Minos. When he was a few hundred yards away from Minos, he raised his hand. Lightning poured down from the sky and struck Minos, breaking his shield.


    It was a very strange lightning spell. Normally, serial lightning had a set range and would strike everything in it. The serial lightning Anfey had just summoned struck only Minos. The lightning formed arge cone as it streamed toward him.


    Anfey flew foward, through the lightning. Two firebirds joined the lightning, as they flew toward Minos. Minos could not react in time, and was struck by the firebirds.


    Anfey was getting very close to Minos. However, he suddenly hit an invisible wall and almost stopped. The white robe he was wearing turned into a dark grey. Minos had set up a trap that was very hard to detect, even with the Heart of Nature.


    Anfey only hesitated for a second before pressing on toward Minos. Anfey knew very well when he should back off and when he should risk his life. Now was a time he deemed reasonable to risk himself.


    Anfey¡¯s right fist burst into light. The light grewrger and stronger, and finally became a ball of pure light elements. Anfey thrust his right fist forward, sending the ball of light elements flying toward Minos. The ball of light flew true and struck Minos¡¯ chest.


    Light magic was a necromancer¡¯s worst enemy. Being struck by such powerful and pure light elements had caused Minos immense pain. He opened his mouth and let out a distorted scream. As he was struck by the light magic, the numbing effects of the serial lightning disappeared.


    Dark vines appeared from the ground and flew toward Anfey. Above Anfey, dozens ofrge white bones appeared and started extending downwards and trapping Anfey. As soon as Anfey as trapped, a dozen bonences appeared in midair and flew toward him. At the same time, wrinkles started to appear on Anfey¡¯s cheeks.


    Anfey disappeared from where he was and reappeared a few hundred yards away. He could not teleport as far, because of the effects of the spell. Perhaps it was because of the aging spell, but it took him much longer to reach to Minos.


    Minos roared as he summoned another bonence and threw it at Anfey. Anfey jumped aside and smashed his fist into the bonence. Thence was smashed into pieces and Anfey was thrown backwards.


    "Thanks!" Anfey called with augh.


    Minos spat in anger, realizing he had missed a chance, as Anfey flew out of the range of his kekkai. The fight had temporarily ended. The entire fight started with Anfey approaching Minos, and ended with Anfey getting out of the range of Minos¡¯ kekkai. It was very fast, and was over before any of the top level powers could interfere. Both Minos and Anfey were injured, and neither was winning.


    The top level powers watched with wide eyes. Even though they were top level powers and had years of experience, they had never witnessed anything like this.


    The priest next to Stan was the first to react. He raised his hand and Anfey burst into light. He had used a cleansing spell to cancel out of the effects of the aging spell, and the prayer spell to increase Anfey¡¯s ability.


    Stan raised his hand as well, and chanted a spell, healing his wounds and replenishing his stamina. The others soon followed suit. They all started chanting spells, summoning protective shields around Anfey. Countless spells appeared around Anfey. The light from these spells was so bright, it was almost impossible to see the man who was in the middle of it all.


    Anfey raised his hand, and arge crack appeared in the ground below him. The crack created a barrier, making it impossible for the skeleton army on the ground to cross it. The ghost dragons could cross it, but they could feel the strong magic surgeing off of Anfey. Without Minos¡¯ order, they would not try to attack him.


    "I¡¯m filled with strength," Anfey said,nding on the ground. "This is the advantage of having friends, you see. You¡¯re so alone, Minos. Don¡¯t you feel sad about it?"


    "Sad?" Minos repeated mockingly with a chuckle. "No. I do not need friendship from the likes of you. You cannot understand my greatness."


    "I don¡¯t need to understand your greatness," Anfey said. "All I need to understand is how to end your miserable life." Hended on the ground and pushed off, shooting back into the sky. He sliced through the air as he hurtled toward Minos.

 Chapter 579: The Fatal Stroke

    Chapter 579: The Fatal Stroke


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Everyone came from afar to Greenwich Ind to save mankind. They did not want to be heroes and would not reject additional help. Seeing that Anfey¡¯s power wasparable to Minos¡¯, their morale was greatly boosted. After taking care of Anfey, they turned to Minos. Saul, Douminge, and Eregli started to chant. They wanted to release the forbidden spell. Mauso and Bruzuryano had released the Shape Shift at the same time. One of them approached Minos from the sky, and the other, onnd.


    Anfey did not wish to be a hero either. He did not reject help from the rest, but tapped into the extra strength and attacked fiercely. His hands were flipping like a butterfly. Every time he pped his hands, a phoenix would shoot out. As the frequency was very close, the phoenix soon became a huge beam, prating toward Minos.


    The Throne of Bones allowed Minos to recuperate quickly. However, aspared to the instant result of the Magic of Light, it was still inferior. Moreover, Anfey¡¯s power had increased tremendously. It would be to his disadvantage to take on Anfey at the moment. As Minos moved backward, he released a defense kekkai and bone shield to buy time.


    Anfey suddenly disappeared, and in the next instant, reappeared behind Minos on his right. He had a huge battle-ax in his hand, which he swung at Minos¡¯ neck. Although Anfey had grasped hold of the source of power, he could not continuously release Instant Transportation. However, the recovery incantation released by Stan had not only allowed Anfey to regain his strength, it had nullified the cooling period of all the magic power. This had allowed Anfey to have free y.


    Anfey¡¯s attack was quick and fierce. His angle was also tricky. Logically speaking, a magician would find it hard to avoid such a lightning attack. However, Minos waved his bone staff backhandedly, and at the critical moment, blocked Anfey¡¯s battle-ax.


    There was a loud bang, and Anfey bounced off. Minos fell down from the side. At this instant, a dark hole appeared behind Minos, and like a floating mirror in the air, quietly flew toward Minos. A thunder shed across the sky, and a huge Lightning Ball dropped down speedily. In the twinkle of an eye, it was approaching Minos. There was a time difference between Saul¡¯s Great Dimensional Sweep and Douminge¡¯s Wrath of Thor. However, as they were experienced top level powers, they acted in concert with each other, and were able to attack at the same time.


    Minos had suddenly be a skeleton that was brandishing around. Before the Great Dimensional Sweep had released its power, Douminge¡¯s Wrath of Thor had blown the skeleton into pieces. A cold husky voice came out from the Sea of Bones a few hundred meters away: "Scummy mice, do you think you can defeat me?"


    Golman and two other Great Necromancers smiled wryly. It was the Rece Puppet. As long as there were death spirits, Minos could continuously get a recement, until he had used up his magic power. Although arge amount of magic power was required to perform Rece Puppet, it would take a very long time for Minos to use up his magic power.


    After everyone had stopped the attack, Anfey remained in the sky. Eregli was the only one who was still chanting. He waved his magic staff, and there was a violent element surge. A fire man, towering more than 10 meters tall, appeared before him.


    The Fire Tyrant, ording to a legend, was a difficult dragon to handle. It was formed by a pure me. It was fearless of any physical attacks and had defense power over different kinds of magic. Using fire magic against the Fire Tyrant would give it additional power. Earth magic, electric magic, and other magic could reduce its effect. However, water magic would cause irreparable destruction to the Fire Tyrant. Just a small spring of water would also inflict much suffering on the Fire Tyrant.


    Eregli had used his magic power to summon the Fire Tyrant. He knew that Minos was unable to release high level water magic. Under his control, the Fire Tyrant roared and dashed toward the Sea of Bones. The bones on the ground turned into ashes as the Fire Tyrant passed by them. The ground cracked, which showed the intensity of heat released by the Fire Tyrant.


    "Since you are so diligent, I shall present your gifts to you in advance." Minosughed eerily. He looked upon the ferocious Fire Tyrant with disdain.


    Anfey looked quietly at Minos. He knew Minos had backup ns.


    More than 10 streamers flew out from Minos¡¯ hands, and as they flew higher, the light that they emitted became brighter. In a thunderous bang, a huge screen appeared in the air. It was majestic and extensive. No one knew the area that the screen had covered, including Anfey. His range of senses had been engulfed by the screen.


    The different magic and halos that were glittering on Anfey¡¯s body had disappeared. Mauso suddenly took the form of a man. Without his wings, he was unable to remain in the air and had dropped down to the ground. From a pr bear form, Bruzuryano had now be human. The ck vines had disappeared and William the Pope staggered out. He looked baffled. The Fire Tyrant that was about to jump over the cracks had turned into ashes before it could even cry out. The skeletons that were hanging in the air rained down and smashed to the ground. The ck whirl in the distance had been blocked. Under the coverage of the screen, all the rted magic elements had lost their effects.


    "It is the Antimagic Terra!" Golman let out a desperate cry. Those top level powers, who were here to fight Minos, were magicians. The Antimagic Terra immediately made them redundant. Although Mauso and Bruzuryano were warriors, they needed the Shape Shift to help them. Other than Ernest, who hadbat force, the rest of them were in dire straits!


    "Morgan, Golman, Desvidia, my beloved students, do you know? My martial art wasparable to my magic!" Minosughed out loudly, as he was confident of winning. He said, "Although I have not gathered the pluck of all the gods of war, this would be enough for me to kill you umpteen times! Hahaha..."


    "In this case...you should have told me earlier!" Anfey nodded, and then shook his head. His expression was weird. One could not tell whether he was crying orughing.


    "What?" Minos did not understand what Anfey meant.


    "You should have told me that you intended to release the Antimagic Terra, and I would have helped you." Anfey turned over his hand and disyed a white stone. Under the light of the screen, the stone had released a warm glow. "This is my baby. I have held on to it for quite a while. What a waste of my feelings."


    Seeing the stone in Anfey¡¯s hand, the red light in Minos¡¯ eyes suddenly stopped flickering.


    "Did I hear you saying that your martial art and magic are trash?" Anfey rested the battle-ax on his shoulder and slowly walked forward. "How about performing for me? Don¡¯t worry, I will notugh at you."


    "How dare you!" Minos shouted. He could not understand why Anfey could remain so confident under such circumstances.


    "Don¡¯t me me for being too direct. The years of loneliness have made you stupid." Anfey patted his battle-ax. "See? Do you not know why I am holding on tightly to my battle-ax? The fact is, I do not like magic. Although magic is convenient, quick, and powerful, only closebat can give me a sense of fulfillment. Minos, what you are doing suits me perfectly. You have released the Antimagic Terra before my eyes...do you know how a pig dies? It dies of stupidity!"


    "I am not interested, and have no wish to know how a pig dies. But I know how you are going to die." Minos lifted up his hand and said, "You will die drowning!"


    Minos had intended to wait for the magic effect on Anfey to disperse before attacking. He had deliberately listened to Anfey¡¯s nonsense, and spoken rubbish to him in response. The crack, a width of about 30 meters and three to four miles in length, was still present. It had blocked the way of the skeleton army. Minos knew that his opponent was a saint who had grasped the source of power and could change the world, so he did not want to wait any longer.


    The Sea of Bones that had stopped moving suddenly started to move around again, like andslide. The mutated skeletons on the frontline fell into the crack, and those behind rushed forward. The long crack was like a hungry mouth, swallowing up all the food. There was a huge amount of death spirits, and when almost half the mutated skeletons had disappeared, they filled up the ground, spanning almost 200 meters long. Many mutated skeletons stepped on theirrades and dashed forward. Minos must have singled Anfey out as a formidable opponent, as all the mutated skeletons wielded their bone swords at him.


    Since the Throne of Bones had been destroyed, the speed of the mutated skeletons, defense, andbat power had been greatly affected. They were not evenparable to the ordinary death spirits. The death spirits and the me monarch were alike. They were the products of magic. However, the death spirits derived from magic and had their own life. Although the power of the spirits of the mutated skeletons had been reduced, they could continue to exist. However, for thetter, it had been summoned. With the appearance of the Antimagic Terra, it had been destroyed.


    The mutated skeletons wererge in number and posed a threat. The once top level powers, Saul, Douminge, and the rest, had now be helpless. Ernest and Fernando had great physiques. Even if they had lost their Combat Power, they still hadbat force. However, they could not possibly deal with therge number of mutated skeletons!


    Anfey took a deep breath and wielded his battle-ax fearlessly at the frenzy of bones. As they came before Anfey, more than 10 mutated skeletons were hacked and sent flying away. The god of war was not actually a god, not as man had thought. The legendary Arie Archilles was a barbarian. When he released his territory, the powerful barbaric army could effortlessly destroy any race. To be exact, Antimagic Terra was the barbarian¡¯s ultimate forbidden spell!


    Anfey¡¯s internal strength had nothing to do with magic, and was not affected by the Antimagic Terra. After he grasped the source of power, he had be a true sacred level power.


    Anfey¡¯s speed was extremely fast. One moment he held the huge battle-ax in front of him, and the next, he had it behind him. Beside him were multiple illusions. Anfey was too powerful. Without the battle-ax touching his opponents, he had thrown off the mutated skeletons simply with the force from the battle-ax as he wielded it.


    Anfey was like awn mower in the field. He was unstoppable. There were streams of mutated skeletons before him, and behind him were piles of broken bones.


    The death spirits were the world¡¯s most courageous warriors. Although Anfey had hacked a few hundred mutated skeletons within a short period of time, and his attacks were unstoppable, they continued to flood to the front and blocked Anfey. The distance between Anfey and Minos was getting closer.


    With a roar, a phantom dragon opened its big mouth to bite Anfey. Minos had released the Antimagic Terra, as he had wanted to use therge amount of mutated skeletons to kill the top level powers. Moreover, he still had a few huge phantom dragons. They were big enough to crush the people to death.


    However, Anfey acted unexpectedly. He revolved and easily moved away from the dragon¡¯s mouth. He wielded the battle-ax and hacked on the strong bony leg of the phantom dragon.


    Although the phantom dragons could survive on their own, their power had been greatly reduced under the Antimagic Terra. A powerful spirit of the phantom dragon would be most affected. The clear bone armor had be extremely rough. There were holes like beehives on it, like a deteriorated, dried, old bone. If it had been Ernest and Fernando who had lost their Combat Power, they would not be able to deal with the phantom dragon. Although the phantom dragon had been decapitated, the huge body was still before them. What they could do was to break a few more pieces of bones.


    Anfey¡¯sbat force maintained at its peak. He waved the battle-ax and easily chopped off the bony leg of the phantom dragon. The phantom dragon let out a cry and dropped to the ground. As it fell, it crushed around 100 mutated skeletons that were flooding forward.


    Anfey was surprised to find that the phantom dragon was so weak. Minos was finally afraid. He felt trapped in his own devices, but it was toote for regrets. He could control the time that he released the Antimagic Terra, but he could not control the time to close it. Anfey hit the phantom dragon as though he was hitting a housefly. The phantom dragon soon lost itsbat force. It was a disaster fighting with Anfey! Minos waved the bone staff in his hand, and the mutated skeletons that had crossed over the crack divided into two groups. One group continued to surround Anfey, and another group dashed toward Saul and the rest.


    With the help of Fernando, William the Pope, who was panting heavily, stood up. When he saw the mutated skeletons dashing toward them, he immediately knew what Minos was up to. "Quick, tell Anfey to kill Minos and not to bother about us! He must kill Minos!" William used all his strength and shouted.


    Fernando widened his eyes in astonishment, and Ernest took a deep breath and shouted, "Anfey, don¡¯t turn around. Even if we have to die here, don¡¯t turn around! Kill Minos!"


    Anfey paused for a while and did not turn around. He continued to dash forward, hacking away with his battle-ax. As a Knight of Death lifted up his gun, he had been hacked into two parts by Anfey. Before the rest of the Knights of Death could surround Anfey, he had dashed out, getting closer to Minos.


    Minos kept moving backward. The Antimagic Terra was supposed to be hisst resort, but at this moment, he wished for it to disappear. The attack of the death spirits was getting more lively. Even the skeleton mages wielded their bone staffs and moved forward. They could not release their magic in the Antimagic Terra, thus the only way was to sacrifice themselves in order to block Anfey. The skeleton archers drew their bows and shot out the bone arrows aimlessly. However, Anfey was too quick, and the bone arrows were far behind him. Minos was in grave danger, but Saul and the rest were in a worse situation. They could only depend on the three warriors: Ernest, Fernando, and Bruzuryano. Mauso could only be a little help. To attack the mutated skeletons, and protect the magicians and priests at the same time, was tough for these few people.


    Although the speed of these mutated skeletons was not as fast as the vampires¡¯, the speed of Saul and the rest was even slower. They had used up all of their energy, and those who had been injured needed to be helped. The mages who had lost their magic power became extremely weak. In order to not be a burden to Anfey, they kept retreating. However, after retreating a few hundred meters, the mutated skeletons had caught up with them.


    When Anfey heard the screams at the back, his gaze went past the few phantom dragons and fell upon Minos. He seemed to be smiling, but had a scornful look. If Minos had not attempted to run for his life, he would have remained cautious. However, his cowardice had revealed that he was at his wit¡¯s end.


    Anfey leaned backward and howled out loud and clear. More than 10 mutated skeletons that had flooded toward him immediately turned into broken pieces of bones. Following that, many mutated skeletons were blown away by a great force. A few hundred mutated skeletons toppled down. Although the Antimagic Terra had trapped the power of the element, sound could still be transmitted. With transcendental strength, Anfey had released a roar that was many times more terrifying than a lion¡¯s. The seething bones had formed a tall bone wall and were surging and ramming forward, toward the front.


    Minos cupped his head and was groaning. Like a lightning sh, Anfey dashed out from the bones frenzy, leaving a residual shadow in the sky. As he dashed past Minos, he saw that Minos¡¯ arm was being chopped off. His cervical vertebrae had been cut in half by a sharp weapon. After struggling for a while, Minos fell weakly to the ground. The death spirits that had been attacking fiercely, now suddenly turned into ashes. Without Minos, the Empire of the Dead had met its doom.

 Chapter 580: Epilogue

    Chapter 580: Epilogue


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Minos was eliminated, and the Maho Empire had united all the nations, but peace did not follow as expected. Despite the religions¡¯ leaders working together closely, the conflict between the Church of Light and the followers of the Goddess of Nature had worsened.


    However, the leaders of the religions did not let the petty conflict between the followers bother them, and still maintained a close friendship. Stan, who had recently became a cardinal, walked into a small bar in Sacred City. Inside, Mauso was already waiting for him.


    "You¡¯rete," Mauso remarked.


    Stan grunted. "Wester dropped by my ce to give me the invitation to his wedding. I couldn¡¯t just send him away."


    "I got it too," Mauso said. "Are you going?"


    "Are you?" Stan asked, lifting a brow.


    The two nced at each other and chuckled. After Anfey defeated Minos, he had disappeared without waiting to im his glory. However, disappearing didn¡¯t mean he stopped existing. No one can promise whether he would reappear or not, which was why, when it came to Ynthe¡¯s heir, both the Church of Light and the druids were hesitant to interfere and publicly support anyone. Even Baery and Miorich did not dere an allegiance. Even if they didn¡¯t support Christian, they wouldn¡¯t support Grandon or Wester.


    Christian was clearly the best candidate. After several years of ruling, Alice was widely acknowledged as the ruler of the Shansa provinces. Even an order from Ynthe himself had to go through Alice first, or else it wouldn¡¯t mean anything.


    She was a very effective ruler, and almost single-handedly put an end to the corruption of the noble ss. Because of this, she was well-loved by the people. The nobles did not dare to do anything with her in office.


    The people were very easy to please. Whoever made their lives easier would win their support. Alice had made their lives a hundred times better, and people who wanted to take Alice out of office became a threat.


    Some people felt threatened by Alice¡¯s growing power and presence, and tried to create rumors about her. However, Ynthe knew that Alice had achieved everything he wanted to achieve, and he admired her for it. Therefore, he did not believe in any of the rumors he heard.


    Not only did Christian have Alice backing him, he also had a more loyal army. The army on the northern front would follow Ynthe¡¯s order, but Kumaraghosha¡¯s army would more likely follow Christian¡¯s order.


    Christian also had support from the Country of Mercenaries, now called the Free Autonomous Province. After the war, Anthony and Hui Wei became the leaders of the Country of Mercenaries. They were able to create a magic crystal monopoly, making them some of the wealthiest people in the world. After everything they¡¯d been through, the League of Mercenaries was now very loyal to Anthony. One time, the merchants teamed up and tried to block all sources of grain supplies. However, Anthony soon made a deal with Alice and bought all the grain he needed from her province at a low price. It was apparent that, unless the merchants teamed up with Ynthe, it would be very hard to take Alice and Anthony out of office.


    Other than these advantages, Christian also had Anfey in his corner, and that, perhaps, was the most effective endorsement. No one knew where Anfey was, or what he was doing. It was clear that Anfey was very powerful, and there was no use being his enemy.


    In the pce, Ynthe was sitting on the throne and looking at Christian lovingly. Christian was frowning, deep in thought.


    "Tell me what you think," Ynthe said softly.


    "We¡¯ve only united the world for a short time," Christian said, slightly hesitant. "We need stability. If you pick me, I will send my brothers away to live out their lives in peace."


    "You will imprison them," Ynthe said.


    "I know you won¡¯t be happy with my answer," Christian said with a grimace. "But they are my brothers. They won¡¯t be happy that I got the throne, and that, sooner orter, would create instability. I have to control them for the good of the nation. But I don¡¯t think I can..."


    Ynthe pursed his lips but did not say anything.


    "Father," Christian said, looking up at the throne. "May I go now?" No matter what happens, he did not regret his decision.


    Ynthe looked at him for a few seconds then nodded. Christian stood and bowed. Ynthe leaned back into his throne, looking at his son as he walked out of the throne room with light steps. The old man that had always apanied him appeared next to him.


    "Do you remember how Grandon answered?"


    "He said he would work with his brothers and work for the prosperity of the nation," the old man said.


    "Christian¡¯s right, you know. This nation only needs one ruler."


    "I think perhaps His Royal Highness was only trying to please you, Your Majesty."


    "I¡¯m his father," Ynthe said. "I raised him. If he can lie to me, how can he be true to anyone else? If he lied to me, I cannot make him my heir. If he didn¡¯t lie, I cannot make him my heir, either."


    "It was a white lie," the old man said. "He did not want to disappoint you."


    "Disappoint," Ynthe said with a sigh. "How old was he when he started courting Niya?"


    "Around fourteen."


    "What do fourteen year olds know of love?"


    "I can¡¯t say for sure," the old man said.


    "That is why I say Christian is stupid," Ynthe said with a sigh. "He doesn¡¯t understand how marrying Niya would give him a significant advantage."


    "Surely he knows that," the old man said.


    "But he didn¡¯t do anything," Ynthe said. "He lives with Saul. He is constantly around her. He has a much better shot with her than Grandon. Not only did he not try to court her, he didn¡¯t even try to sabotage Grandon¡¯s rtionship with her. He just doesn¡¯t care. He doesn¡¯t want to use anyone.


    "Did you see the way he looked when he left? He¡¯s relieved," Ynthe said. "He told me exactly what he was thinking, and left the decision up to me. I must say, out of my three sons, I like him the best."


    The old man sighed. He knew what Ynthe was thinking. Compared to Wester and Grandon, Christian was the most experienced and the most qualified. If Ynthe picked someone else, it may cause a huge conflict. It would be impossible for Ynthe to eliminate opposition if he picked someone other than Christian. He can¡¯t get rid of Alice or Anthony, and Anfey was a constant threat in the back of everyone¡¯s minds. If he picked Grandon or Wester, what kind of life would they lead?


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