Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Lin Li muttered in his heart after sending Aragon away…
At first, he really did not expect Andre to be the disciple of Sword Sage of the Storm. Then, what he’d said on the road carried a different meaning. It was obvious that the mission this time was personally issued by the Sword Sage of the Storm. Other than Al’Akir himself, Andre was perhaps the only one who knew the inside story the best. Even he had said that the mission was extremely dangerous; so, this task had to be really dangerous…
‘We must get another map tomorrow and make a clean break with this ghost of a mission as soon as possible!’ Lin Li wrapped himself in his sleeping bag. Before going to sleep, he gritted his teeth, and once again cursed the man who drew the map.
He had been thoroughly exhausted the last two days; Lin Li slept until late in the morning. When he got out of the tent, the sun had already risen high in the sky. Lin Li squinted and looked at the sky. He was going to look for the deputy head in charge of logistics when, suddenly, he discovered a familiar figure in the distance…
“F*ck!” Lin Li was startled by the figure.
Isn’t that Matthias? What is this fellow doing in the Fire Plume Ridge?
Weird, how did Matthias become like that… Lin Li took a few looks at Matthias, and then frowned in spite of himself.
Matthias looked very different from the usual days. He was dressed in a gorgeous silver armor, with a luxurious sword hanging around his waist. His brown hair was carefully combed, and he looked very serious on the whole. He did not seem to be seeking adventure in a place like the Fire Plume Ridge, but looked like he was going to a grand banquet.
Behind Matthias was a young mage—who looked less than 30 years of age—with black hair and ruby eyes. He had a handsome face; he wore a black long robe, and held a magic staff inlaid with a huge magical crystal that was shining dangerously in the sunlight…
Yes, it was dangerous.
The aura from this person made Lin Li feel as if he was being targeted by a venomous snake.
Lin Li couldn’t believe that there was such a young ace besides those old monsters. This fellow was at least level-16. Maybe even Andre, whom he had just met the day before, was not necessarily the ruby-eyed mage’s opponent.
Lin Li merely took a glance at them, and then turned into the tent wisely. No kidding—he was not in a friendly relationship with Marathon Family. Even an onlooker like Azalez knew that the Marathon Family was planning to kill him. Now that they suddenly met in the Fire Plume Ridge, and that Matthias had brought along a level-16 Archmage with him… if he was recognized by any chance, the trouble that would await him would not be ordinarily big…
Fortunately, the two of them did not stay for long.
After Matthias came out of the tent, he hurried away with the ruby-eyed mage. Lin Li watched the two men cross the camp and then go up the carriage; he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
However, after sighing, Lin Li suddenly remembered that something was wrong…
Matthias was a mage; why was he wearing an armor?
And the one who had just passed seemed to be older than Matthias—there were wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. How could Matthias have wrinkles at the corners of his eyes when he was in his twenties?
“No, it’s not Matthias!” Looking at the distant carriage, Lin Li finally recalled what was wrong. This man was definitely not Matthias; his strength was much stronger than Matthias’!
When they came out of the tent, Lin Li could clearly sense that this person’s strength was not weaker than that of the ruby-eyed mage next to him. The ruby-eyed mage was at least a level-16 Archmage. With Matthias’ magic level, he would not be able to catch up with the former in ten years, not to mention not being any weaker than the ruby-eyed mage.
Is this fellow Wilhelm? Lin Li thought for a moment, and denied the speculation.It doesn’t seem quite right, either…
Who was Wilhelm? That was the most beloved aristocrat of His Majesty the King, in charge of half of the arms trade in the Felan Kingdom. How could he come to the Fire Plume Ridge so casually with such a status?
Lin Li pondered for half a day, but still couldn’t figure out what was going on.
He was about to pry into it from Serena when Aragon’s voice came from outside the tent.
“Good morning, Mr Felic. Are you awake?”
“Good morning, Aragon.” Lin Li came out from the tent and saw Aragon standing outside with a respectful expression on his face.
“Mr Felic, do you have time now?”
“Why, do you have something?”
“Not me. Captain Serena is looking for you. She said that if you are free after you get up, go to the temporary command post to find her. She has something to talk to you about.”
“Captain Serena is looking for me?” Lin Li frowned. He couldn’t really understand what was going on.
The Silver Hand’s situation was obvious even to the blind. Apart from the idlers such as Hank and Aragon, the others were up to their necks at work. As the captain of the Silver Hand, Serena had treated the temporary command post as her bedroom. Lin Li saw her come out of that place once in the past two days.
What is she going to talk to me about when she’s already this busy?
Talk about saving her life? It doesn’t seem like that. When can’t we talk about it, and why pick the busiest time?
Could it be to talk about the two fellows just now? Lin Li shivered in astonishment.
Lin Li entered the big tent with a belly full of doubts. Serena was frowning in front of a map. He had to admit that Serena was beautiful at this time. Her fair hands were clasping her small face, and her beautiful brows were furrowed slightly. She looked focused yet calm, unlike the eccentric woman who’d climbed onto the roof of the inn making threatening gestures back in Blackhills Town.
“Captain Serena, I heard from Aragon that you have something to talk about with me?” Lin Li broke the silence while glancing at the map in front of Serena.
However, Lin Li’s attention was attracted by the map even just glancing at it. It was too detailed—like an exact reproduction of the real terrain. Even the ghostly cave was marked out with thin lines, giving the correct and accurate way to navigate the maze.
Lin Li gnashed his teeth in anger the more he looked at it. He had to have a talk with the deputy head in charge of logistics sooner or later. He had hidden such a good thing and made him spend most of the day circling in the cave…
“Good morning, Mr Felic.” Serena looked up from the map, and flashed a bright smile at Lin Li.
To be honest, Serena looked really good when she smiled; her eyes resembled crescent moons.
Unfortunately, most of Lin Li’s thoughts were on that map now, and a small part of his thoughts was also concerned with the ruby-eyed mage and the fake Matthias on the carriage. How did he have the leisure to be concerned with how good-looking the captain was when she smiled?
“Captain Serena, is something the matter?” Lin Li stared at the map on the table without even lifting his eyelids.
“…” Serena couldn’t help but feel a bit of anger. What kind of mentality did this guy have? He had been staring at the map as soon as he entered the tent, and he was so brazen about it, not even putting the owner of the map in his eyes. She had prepared her speech for most of the day, and now, she couldn’t even use it. Serena uttered a few words through clenched teeth. “A small matter…”
“Oh.” Lin Li nodded, and continued staring at the map on the table as if he had just been talking to a fly buzzing in his ear instead of the beautiful captain of the Silver Hand.
Serena completely collapsed. She had to change her strategy, and gave up on the idea of letting the fellow initiate the inquiry. “Mr Felic, do you know the Marathon Family?”
“The Marathon Family?” As soon as the familiar name came out, Lin Li finally raised his head.
“Why, Mr Felic knows the Marathon Family?” Seeing that everything seemed to be back on the right track, Serena felt somewhat pleased with herself.
“Heh heh, Captain Serena, you flatter me.” Lin Li smiled affectedly, but muttered inwardly, My relationship with the Marathon Family is not only as simple as knowing…
“That’s a coincidence,” said Serena as she—intentionally or not—rolled up the map on the table and took out a picture from below. “This morning, two people from the Marathon Family came to me. They gave me such a picture so that I could help them find the person on it.”
“Oh?” Lin Li took the portrait, and immediately froze. The black hair and black eyes—wasn’t that himself?
“Why, Mr Felic knows the person on the portrait?”
“Yes.” Lin Li was grinding his teeth. Things had already come to this point; if he still hadn’t made a sense out of it, he’d be having a brain for nothing.
Azalez was right; once he was out of the shelter of the Alanna Guild of Magic, the Marathons were bound to take action. But Lin Li really didn’t think that the Marathon Family would invest such a big capital, sending an Archmage in order to deal with himself.
Moreover, there were six carriages parked outside the camp. Those six carriages could carry over a dozen level-10 characters, and it would be a stinking nuisance to him already…
It seemed that this trip to the Fire Plume Ridge was far from as easy as he imagined.
And, Serena was also a trouble…
She had been beating around the bush for the longest time; he was afraid her purpose was not just a casual chat.
Serena wanted to beat around the bush, but Lin Li was not in the mood to do so. He did not go around in circles with her, and said straightforwardly, “Captain Serena, if you have something to say, please say it.”
“Haha, Mr Felic, I wonder, what do you think of the Silver Hand?” Serena laughed brilliantly because she knew that she had grasped the key to the other party. Although she could not get more information after talking to the two men from the Marathon Family, one thing was certain—the Marathons would never let this fellow named Felic off.
Perhaps not many people knew the power of the Marathon Family better than Serena did. The Marathon Family, which owned half of the arms business in Felan, could almost cover the sky with one hand in the Kingdom. Even when His Majesty made a decision, he had to pay the utmost attention to the reaction of the Marathon Family.
The Marathon Family at present was a monster of power and wealth.
Other than the Alanna Guild of Magic, which was a secular power above the world, who else dared to offend the Marathon Family? A level-five warrior, or a high-level miner? In fact, it did not matter what his identity was. Whether it was a level-five warrior or a high-level miner, once the Marathon Family decided to get rid of him, he’d be bound to fall into desperate straits.
Maybe she was one of the few people who didn’t have to be afraid of the Marathon Family…
Therefore, Serena was very confident in bringing this high-level miner into the Silver Hand.
Serena thought her words were clear enough; she was only short of waving her handkerchief like a prostitute on the street, shouting, “Come in and have a rest, Mister. Of the girls here, one is more beautiful than the other. They will surely serve you comfortably…”
“The Silver Hand isn’t bad” was what she got after a long wait.
“Ah?” Serena’s brilliant smile froze. Was this guy having a problem with his brain or his ears? Shouldn’t he have cried and asked to join the Silver Hand Mercenary Corps, and ask her for asylum? How come “isn’t bad” was all that came out? What did he mean by “isn’t bad”?
“Uh, Mr Felic…” Serena hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak clearer so that this fellow would not regret later, while Silver Hand would lose a rare talent. “I heard Aragon said that you are a talent in mining, I wonder if you are interested in joining the Silver Hand?”
“Join a Mercenary Corps?” Lin Li deliberated for a moment, but still shook his head. “Sorry, Captain Serena, I currently have no such plans…”
“Mr Felic, you really don’t want to think about it? By the way, the one who came this morning was Gaud from the Marathon Family…” After saying that, Serena took another look at Lin Li. Her expression meant: “now you know how bad it is?”
Gaud, Wilhelm’s nephew, was a well-known figure in Alanna. At an early age, he had the ability to undertake tasks alone. He was also one of Wilhelm’s most trusted aides. At least one-third of the business of Marathon smithy was handled by Gaud himself. And he had a frightening strength—at the age of 28, he possessed a strength of a level-16 warrior. Perhaps he’d be another legendary figure ten years later.
“Oh…” Lin Li nodded, but he wanted to ask Serena: “what does Gaud do…?”
It couldn’t be helped—Lin Li only came to Alanna just over a month earlier. In this period, at least a whole month was spent in the Guild of Magic. If not for what Azalez had told him, he wouldn’t even have known about Wilhelm and the Marathon Family, let alone Gaud…
“…” On the other side, Serena wanted to knock her head against the wall. She really wanted to split this guy’s head and see what structure was inside. She had spoken till her mouth was dry, but he merely responded with an “oh”. Did he dare give her a warmer response?
At this time, it suddenly hit Serena that everything that had already returned to the right path seemed to have slipped out of her control once more…
The fellow in front of her seemed to be really obstinate; he was in a constant state of calmness no matter what she said. It was as if what she had said was not that the Marathon Family wanted his life, but that an acquaintance wanted to invite him to dinner.
Serena looked at Lin Li with a straight face…
While Serena hesitated to make herself even clearer, Lin Li had already stood up. “Captain Serena, if there’s nothing else, I would like to go back first.”
“Ah?”
“Oh, yes, Captain Serena, can you give me that map?”
“I-I can…” Serena stared blankly at Lin Li, and then blankly watched him take the map away. When he disappeared out of the tent, Serena still couldn’t make sense of the situation. Where did this fellow get his guts from? He’s not even afraid of the Marathon Family coming after his life…
When Lin Li returned to his tent, he immediately spread out the map.
Serena had guessed it wrong this time. How could Lin Li not be scared of two level-16 and above characters? But it was also because of fear that he could not join the Silver Hand.
From what Serena said, Lin Lin could hear that this beautiful captain shared some friendship with the Marathon Family; however, the problem was that she didn’t understand that the ill relationship between him and the Marathon Family was not an ordinary one. It was bought with Matthias’ limbs.
Who was Matthias? He was Wilhelm’s son; could friendship resolve such hatred?
Now, the only way was to cut the Gordian knot.
As long as he was fast enough to obtain the black lotus and then return to Alanna before them, under the protection of Macklin and Aldwin, even if the Marathon Family was bold enough, they wouldn’t dare to be too hard on him.
Besides, with the black lotus in the hands of a pharmaceutics guru, it was still uncertain who’d be the one bothering whom…
He could just fight it out at worst, and look for the ingredients for the Ephemeral Divinity Potion with a high reward. As long as he could concoct the potion, he could flatten a small Marathon Family directly with an instantaneous legendary spell. They were looking for trouble? More like looking for death…
Lin Li began to study the map in his hands.
Lin Li was sending his respects to the deputy head in charge of logistics while he studied the map. That man was indeed cheap. He had given him a simplified version of the map. Lin Li didn’t feel much about it initially, but compared with the one he had in his hand, it was a damn sight worse. Lin Li even suspected whether the fellow was deliberately fooling him…
As a matter of fact, he had wronged the deputy head this time.
At the beginning, the deputy head had indeed given a simplified map, which only provided the distribution of monsters at the foot of the mountain. Many places on the mountainside were not marked in detail. For example, the damn cave was only drawn with a line, and no detailed route was given.
The problem was…
Lin Li had asked for the map as a level-five warrior. Who would have thought that he would go all the way to the mountainside? What kind of place was the mountainside of the Fire Plume Ridge? That was where magical beasts above level-10 emerged in endless stream. Even in the Silver Hand, no one would dare to go there alone, let alone a level-five warrior.
The deputy head thought that the captain’s life savior had only wanted to take a stroll around the foot of the mountain. He didn’t think much about it at that time, so he had chosen an ordinary map to give Lin Li. How could he know that the fellow’s goal was the mountainside?
