Chapter 340: Paladin
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
There were many luxurious carriages parked outside the castellan’s mansion, and the guests who came in those vehicles had donned gorgeous outfits. Anyone would be able to tell that they were big shots with n.o.ble background and status. That night, the mansion guards were really busy. They had no time to rest since the afternoon, and were busy with nodding their heads and bowing to all the guests.
The guests that visited tonight were not limited to the n.o.bles in the capital of Alanna. There was also Lasorick—son of Doland’s castellan—as well as William, the legendary figure of Doland City, a well-known collector and appraiser who lived a modest life as the owner of the Time Consignment Store…
However, the arrival of several guests confused the guards. Although those three men and one woman seemed to keep a low profile, the castellan, Arathor, actually went to welcome them in person. When the castellan of Doland visited them a few years ago, he did not even enjoy such a grand welcome.
“Could they be the secret envoys sent by His Highness?” one of the guards asked the others. Although the guests had already gone into the mansion, the guards still could not get over it.
“Mage Felic, we’re here.” Sienna’s voice could be heard after the carriage stopped outside the castellan’s mansion.
“Sure,” responded Lin Li. He did not forget to neaten the long robe he was wearing. With the unhappy experience back at the mansion of the Jarrosus’ castellan, he wore a tailored rune robe made from the Gilded Rose. With its delicate craftsmans.h.i.+p, it looked very smart on Lin Li, just as though he was really a n.o.bleman…
Behind Lin Li was Norfeller. The high-ranking Vampire was Lin Li’s only attendant tonight—he had no other choice but to leave Ujfalusi at home. That dude was a set of bones that emitted heavy death energy. Although it was usually covered by his long black robe, if anything were to go wrong at the gathering, people were bound to be scared to death.
According to Ujfalusi, the pair of daggers was named Heaven’s Wrath. They emitted a faint sense of death energy under Norfeller’s black cape. Lin Li let Norfeller test the powers of the Heaven’s Wrath when they got in the coach.
To his surprise, the daggers were simply too powerful. Norfeller did not have to use any force to break Lin Li’s Water s.h.i.+eld. It was lucky that Norfeller withdrew the daggers quickly, or else Lin Li would be in real danger.
Of course, Lin Li did not forget that the Heaven’s Wrath daggers were still incomplete. According to Ujfalusi’s, he still had to embed two Cursed Gems in the Heaven’s Wrath to demonstrate its true powers. Even Lin Li was curious to know how freakish the Heaven’s Wrath actually was…
It seemed like he had to find an opportunity to chat with Andoine soon. The skill of the crystal sculptor who helped to cut the Crystal of Eternity was rather proficient. If he could get his help again, there should be ways to cut the gem…
While Lin Li was still calculating, Sienna was flas.h.i.+ng the invitation card to the guards.
The guards looked at the card, and then at the people in the coach. Then, their gaze went back to Sienna. Are they really the castellan’s guests? They had no choice but to suspect them: the carriage was too run-down. The hair of the horse was not well-trimmed, and they could not spot any decorations on the coach. It was pitch black as though it had just run through some mud. They reasoned that coach to be the cheapest one sold on the market. It would surely not cost more than 50 gold coins for one to get both the coach and the horse…
“Please wait outside for a moment while I check with the people inside…” The guard was very careful. The guests today were all big shots. One could easily be the boss of some trade union. If these people before him had ill intentions towards other guests, it would be too much for them to take responsibility for…
Luckily, it did not take too long. The guard was out with someone after two or three minutes.
“Captain Sienna, you are the star of this party. How can you be so late? You’ll have to drink more later!” That someone was a middle-aged man around 40. The clothes and accessories he was wearing were not very luxurious, but gave people a simple and harmonious impression. His actions carried a special charisma of a middle-aged man.
“Greetings, Lord Castellan.” Sienna stepped forward hurriedly. He knelt down on one knee, and bowed before the middle-aged man.
“Captain Sienna, you are too formal. You are the benefactor of my family. Not to mention that you saved Cyndor from the Syer Bandits, you also brought my dear Yvonne back safely. I haven’t even thanked you properly yet…” The middle-aged man helped Sienna up, and looked at the people standing behind him. “Come, come. Captain Sienna, introduce these people under you to me, please.”
Although the entire mercenary team was invited, how could Sienna bring everyone here? Apart from himself, there were only Jason and his team, as well as Lin Li and his attendant. Of course, Sienna did not have any people under him here…
“Lord Castellan, they are not my attendants…” Sienna denied hurriedly.
Is he joking? I would be dead if I called anyone here my attendant!
“This is Mr. Jason from Doland City…”
“Jason?” Arathor gasped. “Doland’s Jason, the young Adventurer who led his team and brought back the beheaded leader of the Blood Bandits? A rare guest indeed! I have always wanted to meet this capable Adventurer of Doland who had never failed any of his missions. I can’t believe that Captain Sienna actually brought you here today! I have to give you a toast later…”
“Hehe, Lord Castellan is too kind,” Jason replied calmly. Being known for his achievements at such a young age, Jason had encountered many similar situations. He was not flattered by Arathor’s friendliness, and instead introduced the two teammates of his.
“Oh, yes. Captain Sienna, who are these two gentlemen?”
“This is Mage Felic, and this his attendant, Mr. Norfeller.”
“You are a mage at such a young age? That’s really impressive…”
“Hehe, you flatter me.”
“Come to think of it, my two children at home have always been pestering me to get them a magic mentor. But, all the matters at hand always make me postpone their request. If you are free, can you help by giving them some advice on magic?”
“That’d be my honor, Lord Castellan.” Lin Li laughed as he brushed the matter off. A fool would have known that the castellan was only trying to be polite towards Lin Li. The castellan was not as ingratiating as compared to how he acted towards Jason. He had to think that Lin Li had much less worth. In terms of coaching his children in magic… Why would the castellan let the heirs of Roland City be mentored by a random mage?
With Castellan’s politeness, the atmosphere was unusually harmonious. The group found themselves in the grand hall very quickly. After leading them in, Arathor excused himself apologetically before going off to greet other guests.
“I didn’t expect such a formal gathering…!” Sienna exclaimed in excitement. He had been looking around eagerly after he sat down. “Oh G.o.d, even Mr. William is here!” he gasped after seeing the man streaming in with the other guests.
“Mr. William?” Lin Li repeated that name. It sounded very familiar to him. Just when he wanted to ask Sienna who he was, Lin Li suddenly felt something amiss with Norfeller, who was beside him.
“What happened to you, Norfeller?” Norfeller had been with Lin Li ever since they came out of the Demon Fall Valley. How could he not be close enough to notice the change in Norfeller’s mood? Furthermore, although he was sitting in his seat obediently, Lin Li could sense an ominous feeling from Norfeller. He seemed possessed from his grave disposition as well.
Norfeller appeared not to hear Lin Li’s question. His hand tightly gripped the Heaven’s Wrath underneath his black cape, and his pair of red eyes was deadly fixed on something in front of him.
Lin Li followed the direction of Norfeller’s gaze, and saw four people seated in the distance ahead. Three of them wore long white robes and were emitting a strong sense of holy aura, which Lin Li had encountered when he was with Archbishop Englos. From that, Lin Li could tell that they had to be the followers of the Brilliance Shrine, and that their positions should be higher than normal Priests, such as a Bishop’s…
As for the last person, Lin Li could not decipher her background.
She was a young lady in her 20s. Despite being in the splendidly decorated hall, her long golden hair stood out like the dazzling sun. Her complexion was as smooth as jade, and the silver armor on her body complemented her appearance very much. Like the legendary Seraph, she was incredibly attractive. Even a cold-blooded fella like Lin Li could not help but find his eyes glued to that beauty…
But, the weirdest thing was her aura. Although she emitted a strong holy aura, it was completely different from her companions’. When she stood up from the chair, she was like a sharp sword that just got unsheathed. Her intrusive holy aura was like a heavy chain that could cause suffocation.
Sh*t, this is bad… Lin Li had a bad premonition.
It was no joke. When Lin Li was at Alanna, he stayed with the Archbishop of the Brilliance Shrine, Englos, for a period of time. He was clearer than any other people about how much the believers of the Brilliance Shrine despised Undead creatures. They forever had the intention to slay any Undead as long as they spotted one.
Smells like trouble is brewing…
Lin Li could really feel a strong headache. He saw the three men and one woman stand up, and their gazes were all on Norfeller. Lin Li was incredibly clear that their gazes were filled with hatred and disdain—it absolutely was not any special method of socializing…
At the same time, Norfeller’s red eyes were fixed on the four people too, murderous and foreboding. Underlying his heavy breathing were growls, just as though he was a helpless beast that had been forced to the edge of death.
“Calm down, Norfeller…” In order to ensure that the gathering proceeded normally, Lin Li tried to pat Norfeller’s shoulders.
Lin Li’s attempt to comfort Norfeller managed to hold him back a little, but Norfeller’s body was still stiff, and his hands were still gripping the Heaven’s Wrath.
Then, he saw the four people walking towards them.
G.o.ddammit, why did they really walk here…?
Lin Li’s heart skipped a beat. He stood up from his chair smilingly and blocked Norfeller with his body casually. The Pyroblast spell was completed very quickly. He was ready to cast it on anyone if they were to confront Norfeller violently. As for whom the Pyroblast would harm or what it would destroy, Lin Li was not concerned at all.
After he readied himself with the Pyroblast, the four people with divine occupation had gotten in front of them too.
“Darn Undead creature! How dare you show yourself at Castellan Arathor’s banquet? Do you think you can escape being purified by the Holy Light?” A cold but clear voice left the scarlet lips of the s.e.xy female Paladin. That was supposed to be a beautiful scene, but Lin Li did not have the time to appreciate it. The only thing he felt was headache. A true headache…
Sh*t, these devotees were really risking their lives…
While Lin Li was cussing internally, he was all smiles on his face. “h.e.l.lo there, I’m wondering if there is any misunderstanding?”
“Yucks!” Who knew that his face full of friendly smiles would be faced with a face filled with disgust. It belonged to that pretty female Paladin. It was as though she was not interacting with a living human, but dirty trash fished out from the drain.
“As a human being, are you not ashamed to align yourself with Undead creatures?”
Lin Li was not enraged by how harshly those people scolded him. He rubbed his chin casually and smiled at them. “What’s wrong with that?”
The surroundings became quiet at once. The female Paladin stood there in shock, not knowing how to react. Being one of the strongest believers of the Brilliance Shrine, she had slaughtered countless Undead creatures in the 20-plus years of her life. She had also encountered many Necromancers who wallowed in degeneration. But, it was her first time seeing such a prideful Necromancer, who portrayed himself as a righteous man…
H-how could there be such a person in this world?
“Y-You… you…” At that moment, the gaze of the female Paladin became very uncertain.
“What are you trying to say…?” Lin Li asked as he rubbed his nose. He moved a step forward to close the distance between him and the s.e.xy Paladin. He then lowered his voice teasingly as he asked, “I heard that this pretty lady wants to purify us?”
“T-that’s right!” The female Paladin stuttered as she took a step back subconsciously. Although she was a true follower of the Brilliance Shrine, she could not help but be intimidated when that stranger closed up on her.
“Is that so? Then that’s great! But, I’m unsure of a thing…
“Can this beautiful lady enlighten us about the theurgy of the Brilliance Shrine? I’m so curious to know if it’s really powerful enough to purify any high-ranking Undead creature without alarming anyone around them?”
Lin Li took a pause before he shamelessly continued, “I’m dying to know how many innocent lives would the righteous and holy theurgy implicate when you are purifying me and my friend! Would it be one life, or two…? Hmm, I think that’s too little, isn’t it? Since there are at least a hundred people at this banquet, it will be lucky if half of them can survive that righteous and holy theurgy.
“I wonder how lucky would Castellan Arathor be? If his luck is bad, it is going to be troublesome…”
As Lin Li finished his speech, the other three Priests looked at their surroundings uneasily. All of the guests were immersed in joyous exchanges. Gla.s.ses of wine were clinked politely, and no one had noticed the tension brewing between the light and the dark in that corner.
When they turned back to look at Lin Li, their gazes were all filled with hesitation. Then, a senior-looking Priest spoke something to the ear of the female Paladin in a low voice.
Before she left, the female Paladin told Lin Li angrily, “You won’t be laughing for long.”
“Phew…” After seeing the four people return to their seats, Lin Li took a long deep sigh in relief…
Eek, that was close.
Brave fronts were not to be put on recklessly.
The three Priests could easily have the ability of Archbishops. If a battle were to break out, they should be no weaker than Archmages of around level-17 or level-18. On top of that, with a Paladin whose ability he could not decipher, Lin Li did not have the confidence to match them even though his ability was at the peak of level-17.
Furthermore, the Brilliance Shrine was an outpost in the Felan Kingdom. Hence, they had many believers living in Roland City. If they were to know that he was on good terms with the Undead, what mattered was not all the gossip, but the possibility of him losing his food worth a million gold coins…!
Lin Li could only gamble. He still remembered what Englos said to him when he was in Alanna. He said that the devotees of the Holy Light would not leave anyone at his peril, or harm the innocent due to their own interest. At that moment, Lin Li could’ve only bet that they were indeed firm believers. It was a lucky and wise decision. Otherwise, the banquet would really be turned upside down.
Yet, the fact that there was no trouble now did not mean that there would not be issues happening later. In fact, Lin Li could expect those fellas to find trouble with him after the banquet. Hence, while they were seated, Lin Li was already devising ways to overcome the potential threat…
He indeed had zero chance against a group of three level-17 or level-18 Priests and a Paladin. But, if he could launch a sneak attack against one of them, the rest would be less threatening. Now that Norfeller had the Heaven’s Wrath with him, he was definitely stronger than he’d been in the ruins of Syer Town.
To Lin Li, the easiest target to launch a sneak attack had to be that s.e.xy female Paladin. As compared to the three other wily old foxes, the little girl should be the most innocent one, and thus the most likely to step into his trap.
Lin Li had neither morals nor tenderness toward women. Chivalry, compa.s.sion, and righteousness were traits that were definitely missing in his dictionary.
However, what trap should I set? It might be too obvious if I try to lure the tiger away from its lair. If they are not tricked by me, I will be exposing myself! Should I just use poison? I still have half of the Manticore’s tail in my Ring of Endless Storm…
Time pa.s.sed very quickly; when that fella was still harboring ill intentions, the banquet officially started. The first person who raised his cup to everyone was the castellan of Roland, Arathor.
“A toast to my all of my distinguished guests!”