Chapter 176: Mysterious Mission
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Everyone’s eyes fell on Lin Li at his words. The dozen of Silver Hand members had the same thought in their hearts.
This fellow has. .h.i.t the jackpot…
Who was Thuzadin? He was the only Necromancer in Alanna’s many mercenary corps; he also had a strength close to an Archmage. It was no exaggeration to say that the half of the success of the Rising Sun Mercenary Corp at present could be attributed to Thuzadin. If it hadn’t been for Thuzadin’s existence, how could they have squeezed their way into one of Alanna’s top ten mercenary corps?
But, just a while ago, the famous Necromancer had died in the hands of a low-level warrior…
No one could have imagined that the battle would end in such a dramatic way. Just when everyone had lost all hope, a low-level warrior had raised his crossbow, and using a bolt that possessed the Divine Power, he easily shot and killed a figure close to the level of an Archmage…
This guy was extremely lucky…
It happened exactly when Thuzadin failed to cast his spell and was at his weakest, and it just so happened that the other fellow was in possession of a bolt that contained Divine Power. As a result of these coincidences that had happened in succession, Thuzadin was sent on a road to ruin, and this fellow was also sent to the position of man of the moment in the Silver Hand.
Shooting Thuzadin was tantamount to saving more than a dozen people from the Silver Hand, including Captain Serena herself. Such kindness could not be expressed in a word or two of grat.i.tude. This thing alone was enough to make the whole Silver Hand regard him as a distinguished guest. Under such circ.u.mstances, no matter what request he put forward, Captain Serena would probably agree to it without a second thought…
For such a favorable turn in life, the admiration of the Silver Hand members could only be summed up in a sentence: “hit the jackpot”.
Unfortunately, the low-level warrior who had hit the jackpot did not have any awareness of it at all.
The fellow was holding the crossbow, mumbling in puzzlement to himself. “This something of a mage, looking all-so-mighty, turned out to be all an act. He died with just one shot. I thought he was going to release some powerful spell…”
Listening to these words that would warrant a good whacking, Serena only felt her eyebrows twitch violently. She finally suppressed the impulse of whacking someone up, and answered with some difficulty, “He’s… He’s unlucky…”
“Oh…”
“Mr Felic…” Apart from Sean, perhaps only Hank knew Lin Li’s background well among all the people present. The more Hank listened to the latter’s words, the more he was convinced there was something fishy about it. How could a character like him utter such ignorant words?
However, just as Hank opened his mouth, he suddenly noticed that the young mage was looking at him. Although the smile on his face was temperate, Hank saw clearly the note of warning in his eyes…
The threatening look startled Hank.
What would be the consequences of provoking this young mage? Hank dared not even think about it. What happened to the group of bandits who had infuriated him back in Blackhills Town? The Ruby Moon Mercenary Corps had also angered him in the Thousand Leaves Bar—and what was their end? Hank did not want to be slain by the monster next to him, much less have an icicle stab his chest…
So, Hank wisely chose to bury his head.
Seeing Hank had kept silent, Lin Li smiled in contentment.
No kidding—if I were to be exposed by you, wouldn’t the things I did before be in vain?
It was also a coincidence—Lin Li had only wanted to avoid being discovered by Thuzadin at the beginning, so he was trying to restrain the magical wave that emanated from him. With his mental strength, it was natural that he knew how to do it without any difficulty at all. If Lin Li was willing, he could even control the magical wave on him to a completely static level. Even a legendary figure would not be able to judge his real strength by the magical wave he emitted.
And the fact proved that it was indeed a successful sneak attack.
Thuzadin totally did not notice that there was a mage who was no less powerful than himself in the corridor.
The Mana Retroaction at the critical moment had decided the outcome of the battle.
As for the Sun’s Spike that followed, it was not as crucial as people thought it to be. After controlling Thuzadin with the Mana Retroaction, Lin Li actually had a list of ways to kill him easily. The Sun’s Spike was just one of the most effortless ways to kill him…
After shooting down Thuzadin, Lin Li suddenly remembered Hank’s proposal.
To be honest, he was really interested in the proposal.
The Silver Hand was a big tree; hitching a ride with them to the Fire Plume Ridge could save him half the effort. He could get the map and the carriage easily when the time came, and in case he needed help with trivial errands, he could borrow a few people from the Silver Hand to help him.
However, the problem was that this was a fair world—one had to do his duty after he had enjoyed the rights. What if the Silver Hand had encountered trouble at the Fire Plume Ridge? Wouldn’t he be falling on hard times together with them as well?
So, Lin Li hesitated for a moment, and politely declined. He disliked trouble, and disliked helping others solve their troubles.
Nevertheless, when Thuzadin died, the trouble disappeared.
He was now the life savior of all those present, and a low-level warrior. What did you expect a low-level warrior to do? He wouldn’t be able to bear such a heavy duty, and too light a duty was unnecessary. He was their captain’s life savior—were they going to make their benefactor run errands for them?
Hence, Lin Li—wearing the Fire Salamandrid leather armor and carrying a crossbow on his back—was conscientiously playing the role of a low-level warrior there.
Sure enough, being low-key was the king’s way…
Lin Li was proud to think so, but he had forgotten that such behavior was also called “being pretentious”…
As Lin Li predicted, when Serena heard that he was going to the Fire Plume Ridge, she invited him to travel together with them enthusiastically. Serena’s excuse was: “If we go together, we can look after one another in case anything happens.”
Of course—an excuse was only an excuse.
Whether it was Serena herself or the pretentious Lin Li, both knew very well what the words meant— young man, the Fire Plume Ridge is a dangerous place. With your strength of a low-level warrior, you had better come along with us…
Anyway, Lin Li hitchhiked to the Fire Plume Ridge before dawn.
After chatting with Serena along the way, Lin Li gradually realized that the Silver Hand had camped in the Fire Plume Ridge two days ago.
And it was not just the Silver Hand that went to the Fire Plume Ridge this time. Two of Alanna’s three major mercenary corps went there as well, plus four mercenary corps that were strong enough to enter Alanna’s top ten.
As to why these mercenary corps were gathered in the Fire Plume Ridge overnight, Serena did not divulge it, but only said that there was a very big mission to accomplish. For this mission, the six major mercenary corps had even blocked the road from Blackhills Town to the Fire Plume Ridge.
Lin Li felt relieved when he heard the news. Fortunately, he had gotten a free ride from the Silver Hand. Otherwise, just thinking about how to get through these posts would be enough to make his head pound.
It was not because he was afraid of these adventurers. These mercenary corps were powerful, but in the eyes of Lin Li, they were not forces that he couldn’t compete against. With his present strength, there were very few things that could frighten him except the huge Marathon Family.
But, this would bring him trouble. In case of conflict, it would inevitably affect his trip to the Fire Plume Ridge. It would do more harm than good if the time for return was delayed, resulting in him missing the invite from the Pharmacists Guild.
All in all, this fellow had temporarily joined the Silver Hand Mercenary Corps as a low-level warrior.
Under the full moon, several carriages rushed towards the direction of the Fire Plume Ridge…
…
Blackhills Town was exceptionally bustling tonight. Thuzadin’s continuous Corpse Explosions almost tore down the whole inn. It was not until the carriages had gone away that the innkeeper—who got slapped in the face—finally raised his head from behind the counter in trepidation.
“Thank heavens for sending these guys away…” Watching the billowing dusts and smoke from the carriage, the middle-aged man’s face revealed an expression of relief.
However, the inn soon gave him a headache. These guys had left enough compensation before they left, but could the second floor, which had been ravaged by the serial Corpse Explosion, be cleaned up in two days? It seemed that he would be busy for a period of time…
“What a bane…” The middle-aged man sighed, and was about to go up to the second floor to tidy up when he suddenly heard the sound of horses’ hooves coming from a distance.
Then, he saw a few carriages approaching from the curtain of night. At first, he thought that the adventurers who had just left returned. But when he saw the crest on the carriages, his face turned white in horror…
Painting the family crest on the carriage was the privilege of the n.o.bles. The middle-aged man had been running the inn in Blackhills Town for a long time, and had seen many n.o.bles. But he’d never expected the carriages to be painted with a golden hammer!
“Men from the Marathon Family!”
Just as the innkeeper’s face paled, the carriages had slowly come to a stop at the door of the inn.
A young man, who looked less than 30 years of age, stepped down from the carriage. His long, golden hair looked extremely dazzling even in the dark. His handsome face and ruby eyes, in addition to his lengthy black robe, filled him with a devilish charm. When he pulled up the corners of his mouth and smiled, it reminded people of a phrase—a smile like the devil’s!
“What a backwater…” The young man seemed to complain in a low voice when he got out of the carriage. Then, he turned around, and waved to the innkeeper. “You, come here.”
“Honorable Sir, I’m at your disposal.” This was a member of the Marathon Family. As soon as he saw the young man waving at him, the innkeeper hurried forward, and greeted him with a bow.
“Did someone create a ruckus here tonight?”
“How do you know?” The innkeeper started in astonishment.
After all, he was only a businessman. Even if he was knowledgeable and experienced, he could never understand that a mage could infer innumerable pieces of information with only a trace of residual magical wave.
“You don’t need to worry about how I know; you just have to answer my question. Take a good look at this. Was there a person like this who checked into your inn?” After speaking, the young man took out a picture from his pocket and handed it to the innkeeper, who was still hunched.
The picture showed a young man, similarly in a long black robe. He looked to be in his twenties; he had short black hair and dark pupils. His face was handsome, and his smile gentle—he looked very likeable at first sight.
The innkeeper took the picture and looked at it with furrowed brows for a long while before he nodded, though somewhat uncertain. “It seems that there was such a person…”
“Where is he now?”
“He just left.”
“Left?”
“Yes, about half an hour ago. He left in a horse carriage.”
“Half an hour ago…” The young man thought about it, and took out a bag of gold coins from his pocket. The bag was heavy—there were over 100 gold coins in it. The young man held it in his hand, shaking it in front of the innkeeper. “Think about where this man went in the carriage. If you can recall, this bag of gold coins is yours.
“Right, let me remind you. If you dare to lie to me…”
“I dare not…” The innkeeper hastened to clarify that he was telling the truth. This person was from the Marathon Family. He would not dare to deceive the Marathon Family for a bag of gold coins even if he was given a hundred times more nerve.
The innkeeper frowned tightly, and after a long period of contemplation, he finally recalled it. “Yes, I remember, the adventurers with him seemed to have said that they are going to the Fire Plume Ridge!”
“The Fire Plume Ridge?” The young man put the gold coin in the hands of the innkeeper, then quickly walked to the carriage. He whispered a few words to someone in the carriage. After some time, he raised his head and ordered the other carriages, “We must get to the Fire Plume Ridge before dawn!”
…
It was only a two hours’ journey from Blackhills Town to the Fire Plume Ridge. Lin Li lay in the carriage; he had barely shut his eyes for a moment when he felt the unique temperature of the Fire Plume Ridge.
“Mr Felic, we’re here.” Hank halted the carriage, and cautiously woke Lin Li up.
“So fast?” Lin Li rubbed his eyes, still sleepy. When he came halfway out of the carriage, he suddenly stopped. “Hank, my name is Felic, not Mr Felic. Also, I’m a level-five warrior, not a mage. You might be having a little problem if you mistake me again…”
“…”
Six mercenary corps had pitched six camps at the foot of the Fire Plume Ridge. Among them, the Silver Hand’s camp was on the outskirts. After Lin Li got out of the carriage, he saw hundreds of tents closely linked together, which meant that there were at least thousands of adventurers…
For a while, Lin Li couldn’t help wondering what kind of mission it was to attract six powerful mercenary corps at the same time.
Alanna’s three major mercenary corps were no joke. Although Lin Li was not very clear about the strength of the other two, he knew more or less about the Silver Hand because of Ina. Even without mentioning the famous Silver Storm, the Silver Hand alone had thousands of adventurers of all levels, of which there were at least hundreds of people over level-ten.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Lin Li would have hardly believed that there was a mission the Silver Hand could not accomplish alone, forcing them to collaborate with other mercenary corps.
Collaboration was not common for mercenary corps…
As the saying goes, “two of a trade could never agree”. It was particularly so for heavyweights such as the three major mercenary corps—they were each other’s ultimate foes. The three major Alanna mercenary corps each controlled thousands of adventurers. With such a large number of them, contradictions and conflicts were natural in daily life. When it came to conflicts of interest, this kind of contradiction would become particularly more intense. It would be harder to get them to cooperate than to reach for the sky…
But, this time, the mission had really brought them together, and it seemed that they were cooperating well. At least they did not fight as soon as they met when they were pitching their tents together.
With some doubts in mind, Lin Li followed Serena and the gang, heading towards the Silver Hand’s camp.
The Silver Hand’s camp was well laid out. More than 100 tents occupied a large stretch of the open s.p.a.ce. Around the tents, temporary posts were erected; several sharp-eyed archers were standing guard on the posts. Below the posts, a group of fully armed warriors was patrolling the camp.
Good vigilance… This was Lin Li’s evaluation of the Silver Hand.
That was why he was puzzled—how could the vigilant Silver Hand let their captain be trapped in the inn and almost killed by a group of adventurers with lackl.u.s.ter strength?
Unfortunately, before he figured it out, he noticed a familiar figure…
The tent in the center was the largest one in the whole camp. It was undoubtedly the temporary headquarters of the Silver Hand. The familiar figure that came out of the tent looked to be in his twenties, and was dressed up as a warrior; his blond hair was particularly dazzling in the early morning suns.h.i.+ne.
F*ck, how come it’s this fella! Lin Li jumped in surprise. It was Elijah who came out of the tent!
Lin Li hadn’t seen this fellow after they had visited the black market together the other day. Lin Li was bewildered initially; he clearly told him to come to the Guild of Magic the next day to collect the Bull’s Strength Potion, but the fellow was nowhere in sight. Lin Li then realized that this fellow had come to the Fire Plume Ridge one step ahead of himself…
It made sense on the second thought too. This fellow was also a captain of one of the top ten mercenary corps. It was not surprising that he had a share in such missions.
He had come on his own, but why did he have to pick such a time to appear…
Lin Li’s head pounded. It was not a good thing to b.u.mp into Elijah at this moment. If this fellow was insensible, and revealed his background in a word, he’d be in big trouble…
“Captain Serena, you’re back…” Elijah saw the men from the Silver Hand coming from afar, and went up to greet them anxiously. However, Elijah’s face froze halfway mid-stride, for he found Lin Li among the group of people. “Ma—”
“Captain Elijah, is it really you?” How would Lin Li dare to give him the chance to speak? In case he called out “Mage Felic”, how was he going to explain it? Just as the expression on Elijah’s face froze, Lin Li went up and greeted Elijah with a face full of surprise, hugging him enthusiastically. “When are you going to pay me back?”
“…” Elijah almost bit his tongue. He thought, Aren’t you the one who owes me three bottles of Bull’s Strength Potion? Why did it suddenly become me owing you money?
Fortunately, Elijah was smart. When he saw the weird expression on Lin Li’s face, he knew that the young mage had to have something he wanted to hide. He dared not treat the matter slightly, and immediately picked up the conversation. “This… Can we put it off for a while?
“Again? You’ve been holding off on it for months…” Seizing the chance of pressing for debt, Lin Li said to Elijah in a low voice, “Remember, you don’t know anything except that you owe me money, do you understand?”
“I understand…” Elijah nodded, but the look on his face was exceptionally embarra.s.sed. He was the captain of one of the ten most impressive mercenary corps, but was pressed to pay debt in public. If this were to spread, he didn’t know where he could put his face.
“Captain Elijah, what’s the matter?” Fortunately, Serena spoke in time to save Elijah from the embarra.s.sment.
“Well, Captain Serena, I’ve done what you asked me to do yesterday. The drawings are in your tent now. Would you like to go and take a look at them now?”
“I’ll go right now.” Serena nodded, and called Hank over to help Lin Li and others find a place to settle down.
At the beginning, Lin Li actually wanted to call Elijah over. One reason was to standardize their versions, and another was to inquire about the mission. It didn’t matter if Serena refused to say it; Elijah wouldn’t not say, would he? Unfortunately, Serena did not give him a chance to. Before entering the tent, she stopped Elijah, and said that she had something to discuss with him.
So, Lin Li had no choice but to follow Hank. They found two tents near the campfire in the north of the camp, and settled down.
“Hank, come in and have a chat.” Lin Li had dozed off in the carriage earlier on, and had forgotten to ask many questions. He had plenty of time now, anyway, so he was not in a rush to rest. He made Hank stay, and asked the question that he had failed to figure out an answer to on the way here. “Tell me, how did you all get surrounded by the Rising Sun Mercenary Corp last night?”
The reason why Lin Li wanted to know was not because he was interested in gossip.
Thuzadin’s last words had left a deep impression on him.
“So… So it’s you…” Whoever listened to these words—that were uttered by a Necromancer—would be horrified. What was the difference between being remembered by a Necromancer and being targeted by a venomous snake?
Hence, Lin Li urgently wanted to know what was hidden behind it…