Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Han Jin kept quiet. He knew that Guevara was telling the truth. There are some things that you cannot fail at; once you fail, there will never be another chance for you to try again. This was what had happened to Guevara. Twenty years ago, Guevara was around his forties and at his peak. He had years of experience and even had control over the military. It was his golden era when he could have almost conquered the entire continent! Unfortunately, Wild Willow City, which had always been conservative in military affairs, suddenly came up with a remarkable strategy. They sent out the Silver Pegasus Corps and stabbed Guevara from behind. At that moment, all his dreams and ideals turned into ash.
Sunier hated Guevara, but in fact, Guevara had every right to hate Sunier even more. It was just that after living in seclusion after a while, along with the sufferings of being in prison, all the edges that Guevara once had, had all be worn away by time and torture.
Now, the person sitting next to Han Jin was no longer a powerful and unrivaled general, but merely a lonely desolated old man.
Suddenly, Han Jin remembered a phrase: ancient heroes were like beautiful women. Most of them would not be able to rest in peace in their old age.
“By the way, what’s with them calling you a dragon slayer?” Guevara changed the topic. “It wasn’t an appropriate time for me to ask this before, but what is that about?”
Isolated Cliff City was a city filled with powerful people. However, Han Jin himself did not have any magic fluctuation and had no vindictiveness, so he always gave others a mysterious feeling. No one was able to figure him out. If his profession were a warrior or even a magician, the title of Dragon Slayer would have been stripped away. Although Guevara didn’t know much about Han Jin’s secrets either, he still had a basic judgment of whether Han Jin had the ability to kill a Giant Dragon.
Han Jin laughed and told the entire story.
“Haha…” Guevara laughed at the end and followed with a frown, “That’s not a good title.”
“Why?”
“Have you heard of anyone who self-proclaims to be a dragon slayer?”
“Isn’t that crazy?!”
“God’s sign has not been seen for a very long time but the people still have a very strong feeling of awe towards God. However, the Dragon Realm and Dragon City truly exist.” Guevara slowly said, “If the Giant Dragon were to hear that you are a dragon slayer, what do you think they will do?”
Han Jin was stunned for a moment. What would they do? They would obviously get rid of him! Just like how he would get rid of evil eyes if he heard some of them boasting about how many people they could kill!
“I’m not the only Dragon Knight on the continent. Even if the other Dragon Knights meet you, they wouldn’t mind taking revenge for their comrades.”
“I would have fled even without their help.” Han Jin bitterly laughed.
“Haha… I know that you can control some very peculiar magic skills. You may be able to run away, what about your friends?”
“If you put it that way…” Han Jin’s face turned cold. ” I may not have the ability now! But I can wait. I have enough time to deal with them. Every time they kill a friend of mine, I will make them pay the price in the future!”
“Get a Giant Dragon to pay the price?” Guevara laughed. “Arrogant thought, but I like it!”
Han Jin fell into silence again. Although his words were vicious, deep inside, he felt uneasy. He wasn’t afraid of the Giant Dragons, but he was instead afraid of bringing disasters upon his friends. Guevara was right; it wasn’t a good title.
“A Giant Dragon has a very long life span. Without any accidents, they can live up to thousands of years, and even millions. This is common sense; you know this, right?” Guevara slowly said.
Han Jin nodded.
“You said just now that you have enough time to deal with them?”
Han Jin was speechless. It was definitely true that the older you got, the wiser you became. Plus, Guevara was already a savvy person. Guevara immediately found the loophole from something that he had off-handedly said.
“Since you don’t want to talk about it, then I wouldn’t ask,” Guevara said. “But, I have to warn you, it’s not the wisest choice to be a lich.”
“I can promise you that, that is absolutely impossible.” Han Jin gave another bitter smile.
At this time, Winston hurriedly walked in. He first bowed at Guevara and then turned to Han Jin. “Raphael, Hogan suddenly went mad and started killing all the mages from Cold Shadow City! The Mercenary Guild tried to stop him, but he said that… this was your order?”
“I asked him to do so.” Han Jin nodded.
Winston let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll talk to the Mercenary Guild and inform them to be released immediately.”
“Magicians from Cold Shadow City?” Guevara was shocked.
“Yes.”
“How did they leave the snowfield?”
“Kuma City has been annexed, becoming one of Cold Shadow City’s properties.”
“Hmph… it’s getting messier.” Guevara paused for a while before sighing. “I’m guessing that both Zaganide and Dismark must be nervous now. ”
“Is Cold Shadow City very strong?” Han Jin asked. The day when Majordomo Gale had heard the news, his face was exactly the same as Guevara’s right now. Both were a little unsightly.
“Very powerful!” Guevara groaned for a moment. “The lord of Cold Shadow City, Chesam, is a Thunder Titan. Do you know what this means? The important thing is Chesam. In fact, the previous lord of Cold Shadow City, Kim, was also a Thunder Titan, but Kim was a peaceful person; all he wanted was for his people to live a good life. For the past four hundred years when he was in power, Cold Shadow City never had any wars; they lived silently in the snowfields. However, Chesam is different. He has been in power for about forty years, and Cold Shadow City has been at war with Kuma City for forty years. If it wasn’t because there was a lack of supplies in the snowfields, Kuma City would have long been demolished.”
Winston was listening to him very seriously and didn’t want to leave. He then told Saxon a few things and continued to stand aside and listen.
“You’ve met Chesam before?” Han Jin asked.
“I’ve met him twice.” Guevara then paused to think for a while. “Chesam is a guy… with a very peculiar personality that cannot be judged based on common sense. Sometimes, he can be very kind. He once cried out loud in front of me and his generals when his own sled dog died. But, there are also times where he can be very cruel. If there is anyone who dares to criticize or accuse him, he will immediately kill them in the palace. Hmm… Let me tell you both a very interesting story that will make you shudder with fear after you understand it.”
Han Jin and Winston both nodded their heads.
“He has been in power for about forty years. From the very first year, he has held about hundreds of weddings every year.”
“There’s… something wrong with him?” Han Jin said in amazement.
“Let me finish.” Guevara continued, “Although Thunder Titans are smaller and shorter than Titan Giants, Chesam is about three meters tall. Plus, he has a fetish, which is that he doesn’t like women from the Titan race, claiming that they have no taste. However, human women are the ones that meet his requirements, do you understand?”
Han Jin became quiet. He wasn’t a virgin and could, therefore, understand what Guevara meant.
“There is a folk rumor in Cold Shadow City that Chesam likes to eat humans, especially virgins. However, they are wrong.” Guevara’s look became very strange. “Chesam would hold proper funerals for all his wives. When I was riding the Giant Dragon and flying over the cemetery, I very clearly saw a huge cemetery…”
Han Jin and Winston looked at each other, both with an expression that was even weirder than the one on Guevara’s face.
“I only stayed in Cold Shadow City for a few days, but I attended one wedding and one funeral. He would happily laugh at his weddings, and he would also cry his eyes out at the funerals. It didn’t seem fake; it was all from the heart. For about forty years, it was always laughing today, and then crying for the entire day tomorrow…” Guevara paused and pointed his finger at his head. “I think there’s something wrong with him here.”
“Of course it’s not normal.” Winston bitterly smiled. “If it were me, I would only last for a few years. After that, I wouldn’t even be able to cry or laugh again.”
“He’s crazy!” Han Jin made a simple comment.
“But he’s not always crazy. For example, when he was negotiating with me.”
“You went to have a negotiation with him?”
“It was something from a long time ago; let’s not go into it.” Guevara stood up, walked about two steps forward, and stopped. “Raphael, don’t condemn my advice. It really isn’t a good choice!”
Han Jin knew that Guevara was still thinking about the ‘lich’ issue, so he laughed and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t be that stupid!” Deep inside, Han Jin was a little touched. With his army completely annihilated, his city being conquered, and his race being involved in a war, Guevara had narrowly escaped all of that. The scariest thing for a lonely old person was if he didn’t have anyone to trust. It looked like Guevara had placed his trust in Han Jin, which was also the reason why he didn’t want to see Han Jin going down an evil road. This also explained the continuous reminders.
Guevara nodded and slowly walked out.
Han Jin and Winston glanced at each other, and Winston said, “Looks like… the emergence of Cold Shadow City isn’t good news for anyone.”
“Don’t think too much about it.” Han Jin laughed. “There’s still Depew City and Holy Crown City. Within a short period of time, Cold Shadow City won’t be a threat to us. ”
Han Jin and Winston casually chatted for a while until Saxon and Hogan walked in, one after another, followed by a few mercenaries behind them who were carrying a few heavy bags on their backs.
“I won’t bother you further.” Winston was a very smart person. Hogan had followed Han Jin’s command to kill all those people, and there had to be a reason for it. He would not interfere in something he shouldn’t.
Winston and Saxon walked toward the gate of the courtyard. The mercenaries left the bags on the floor and hurriedly left as well. Han Jin looked at the bags and said, “What are those?”
“Master, before I killed them, I told them to retrieve all the contents that were in their space ring. Hehe…” Hogan laughed.
“Open it.”
Hogan bent down and opened all the bags one by one. The bags were filled with potions bottles, magic crystals, and different kinds of magical ingredients.
“You can come out now,” Han Jin said.
Following Han Jin’s voice, a puff of green smoke came out of Hogan’s mouth and condensed into a skeleton in front of Han Jin.
“Was he obedient?”
“Master, he was not just very obedient, but extremely obedient,” Harley snickered.
Han Jin was silent for a moment. He flicked his wrist and Harley’s forearm suddenly shot out and hit Hogan. He had the time to defend himself, but he didn’t dare to. He didn’t even release a magic shield, thus almost falling onto the ground. Harley’s teeth kept throbbing, but after a while, smoke gathered around his arm, and his forearm grew back again.
“Hogan, lift your magic robe and have a look at your chest.”
Hogan was stunned for a moment, but he obediently lifted his magic robe along with his inner-wear. He then saw that there was a skeleton figure imprinted on his chest. His expression changed, and he immediately looked up at Han Jin.
Han Jin flicked his fingers, and Hogan’s body shuddered, his eyes even more frightened than before.
“You know what to do from now on?” Han Jin lightly said. “Don’t worry, no one else can see it other than the two of us.”
“Master, I can also see it,” Harley interjected.
“Shut up.” Han Jin looked at the magic crystals. “Pick out all the fifth-grade crystals. As for the rest of them, you can take whatever you need. Also, you don’t have to meet me tomorrow. Report yourself to Yalina; she’s very interested in your alchemy skills.”
“Yes, Master,” Hogan replied in a low voice.
“Also, among the magicians from Cold Shadow City, how many of them had space rings?”
“Including Prio, there were a total of three space rings.”
“Prio’s space ring is already with Yalina. Bring the other two to Yalina as well.” After finishing, Han Jin waved his hand and dismissed him.
“Yes.” Hogan bent down and started picking out the magic crystals. It wasn’t long before all the fifth-grade magic crystals were picked out. Then, he continued to pick out a few items that he needed before carefully retreating.
“Master, what magic did you release just now? It was amazing!” Harley said.
“None of your business.”
“But… but you were drawing from my strength!”
“Your strength?” Han Jin said with a sly smile. “Are you sure it was yours?”
Harley didn’t dare say much after that. He was a little unwilling to say no because it was his arm that had attacked, but if he said yes, then where had his strength come from?
“Go and get me the fifth-grade magic crystals.”
Harley hurriedly drifted across the room and returned with more than twenty magic crystals, gently placing them on the table.
Han Jin picked up a fire element magic crystal and carefully looked at it with a faint smile forming near the corner of his mouth.
“Master, I can feel that you are feeling very happy now… just because of these magic crystals?” Harley curiously asked. It had only been a while since he had stopped talking, but he couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was obvious that he had been a talkative person in his precious life.
“I… may become a lord.” Han Jin smiled. ” Hehe, about a year ago, I dreamt of having lots of magic crystals – countless magic crystals.
Harley eyes flashed red lights. He couldn’t understand what the relation was between becoming a lord and these magic crystals?
“Do you know what’s the fastest way to earn money?”
“Business. No, big businesses!”
“Wrong, it’s plundering!” Han Jin sneered. ” At that time, we were in the forest for days, and all we got were a dozen magic crystals. If I were to rob a caravan, I would be able to gain hundreds of magic crystals within a short period of time!”
“Rob… rob?”
“Doesn’t war mean robbery? You followed Hogan run around just now and saw some of the slaves. Do you think that any one of them became slaves willingly? But they were still the reward for victory.” Han Jin waved his hand and placed all the magic crystals in his space ring.
In front of Guevara, Han Jin had to hide certain thoughts of his, but now, there was nothing to worry about. It was true that cultivators should not be involved with these common affairs and should only concentrate on cultivating. However, his problem was that his way of cultivation was very different compared to others, and the thing that he needed most was the thing referred to as ‘hard currency’. Every day, there are countless people that need it and use it. To earn magic crystals by killing holy animals? That would be a joke. When he is able to absorb energy from fifth-grade magic crystals, he will need fifth-grade magic crystals every day. As a precaution, if one day he could absorb energy from ninth or tenth-grade magic crystals, where would he be able to hunt so many high-grade holy animals?
Even if their luck was outrageously good, if Han Jin were to eat one magic crystal every time they killed one holy animal, what would the others get? Were they supposed to risk their lives just for him?
Plus, Han Jin wasn’t one of those who had been cultivating since a young age. He had lived as a peasant, so he had enough knowledge about it. In reality, the rich ones weren’t those who worked in the fields or worked in the factories. Even in their illusions, the rich ones also weren’t the players who were struggling to kill bosses every day. In fact, to put it bluntly, those at the bottom were those who were only able to earn enough to survive.
In the beginning, Han Jin really thought that he could hunt for holy animals, slowly earn his capital, and make his earnings. However, after several times of being bullied for no reason in the past, he had been completely awakened. This world filled with magical spirits but no civilization was much crueler than he had imagined.
If he wanted to ensure that every step he put forward was to be unhindered, then there would only be one method: to be able to control a massive power and use it to satisfy whatever needs he had.
Dismark from Holy Crown City is able to simply get at least dozens of tenth-grade magic crystals every day without doing much. If he were able to defeat Dismark, then how much would he be able to earn? Chesham from Cold Shadow City had conquered Kuma City, and one of the rewards had been thousands of slaves. These were only slaves, but what about the rewards that they didn’t get to know of?
To cultivate in a prim and proper manner would be too slow! Han Jin had these thoughts before, but he had not ventured into it, nor had he been qualified to think about it. But today, Guevara’s words had lit up his ambitions like a burning wildfire.
Harley, upon seeing that Han Jin’s expressions were constantly changing, no longer dared to talk, and stared blankly at Han Jin. After a while, Han Jin took out the Soul-Devouring Bead from the space ring. “Go back.”
“Master, can I… learn magic from you?” Harley mustered up courage from his gut to ask Han Jin, as if he had one…
Han Jin turned aside and looked at Harley.
Harley was so scared of Han Jin that he started blabbering, ” Mas… Master, I was just joking… Hehe… Haha…”
“I was about to agree, but since you said that you were just joking, let’s forget about it then.”
“No… Master, that’s not what I meant!” Harley panicked upon hearing what Han Jin said and mentally scolded himself for being such a coward. “Master, I really want to learn!” Harley was screaming while forcefully nodding his head. Fortunately, he was made out of smoke, or else his head would have swung off his neck.
“A moment ago you didn’t want to learn, and now you’re telling me you want to learn; am I a joke to you?”
“No… No…” Harley’s tongue was now in a knot, but he soon noticed that the corner of Han Jin’s mouth was curving into a smile and that even his eyes were filled with laughter. “Master, I’m the joke, not you…”
“Go back in for now.” Han Jin laughed. “When it is time to teach you, I will.”
Harley drifted towards the Soul-Devouring Bead. He was fast, but once his hand touched the bead, it was almost as if the bead had a very strong attractive force. It immediately turned Harley into a ray of smoke, and in the next moment, he had already returned into the bead.
