by Zhuang Bifan
The revenge of the Marathon Family can wait until they are dead…
"Mage Matthias, you might have forgotten my personality. I may be lacking in everything else, just not my guts…"
Lin Li reached his hands into the Ring of Endless Storm for the pair of Vampire fangs. Then, he realized something was amiss. If he was not wrong, Matthias was looking at the VIP seats with a different expression…
"Darian?" The sudden realization put a frown on Lin Li's forehead. Logically, Matthias was the one who wanted to kill him. Hence, it would only be reasonable for him to glare at Lin Li. Yet, why was Matthias' gaze not fixed on his opponent, but on Darian, who was seated in the VIP section?
Could there be something between them?
Yet, although Darian was a clever man, he was not in the guild ever since his nephew, Madrick, got into trouble. Hence, Macklin did not really include him in the preparation of both the Shadowglen's trial and the finals in the Aurora Square. Apart from helping Aldwin establish the four master-level magewealths the day before, he was not part of the entire finals at all. Even if he had any undisclosed relationship with Matthias, he should not have much chance to do anything…
Wait a minute… Mageweath?
When the word 'mageweath' came to his mind, Lin Li guessed the issue immediately.
That's right. It's the mageweath!
"No, no, no. You will not dare to kill me…" Matthias said with utmost confidence. In reality, he still did not believe that the Jarrosus bumpkin would dare to injure him. Being injured from a battle and being killed in it were two different matters. Even if he was not afraid of the revenge by the Marathon Family, could he not think about the future of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic instead? If he were to kill him, the rage from Marathon Family would not be something a small guild of magic could deal with…
And it was this belief that gave Matthias that confidence. Although he seemed to be the losing party, Matthias had no concern for his life. In fact, he was also calculating another matter. He was planning how to lead the Jarrosus bumpkin into the trap he had prepared for him…
Chapter 280 - Yeah, I'm back
Just when Scarface pushed the young mage away and wanted to bring his men in, he saw a long red shadow flash past him. Before he knew it, he saw a floor of blood-red vines crawling towards them from all directions. In the blink of an eye, they entangled a few of his men.
Then, a hair-raising sound could be heard. The red vines wiggled and became like leeches, s.u.c.k.i.n.g onto his men…
"Oh my God…" The men who were still intimidating backed off subconsciously.
Then…
Scarface suddenly realized that there was a coach that suddenly appeared at the entrance of the Emerald Tower. A smiling young man aged around 20 walked out of it.
But, the words that came out of his mouth caused everyone to break out in cold sweat.
"People who want to invade the Emerald Tower, DIE!"
The silence at the entrance of the Emerald Tower was deafening. There was only the s.u.c.k.i.n.g sound that came from the blood-vines. Scarface swallowed his saliva in trepidation. In fact, he really wished to escape from this horrific place immediately. The gaze of that young man was very scary. He felt as though he was targeted by a magical beast. A poisonous snake would have been more friendly towards him.
But, Scarface knew that he should not escape.
Since the men under him were all mercenaries, they were not loyal to him at all. If he were to escape, they would run off really quickly to create trouble.
"Who am I?" Lin Li asked. Although his smile stayed the same, his Aether Staff flashed. Those fellas who were still trying to sneak into the Emerald Tower got caught up tightly by the blood-vines. At that instant, an ominous sound could be heard. Together with the shrieks from the men, it caused everybody to tremble in fear. Their struggle, however, were in vain. The more they fidgeted, the tighter the vines got. After a while, the once burly and strong men turned into dried corpses. When they were brought down by the blood-vines, they were rather flat. Their eyes were bulging; they'd died with a horrified expression…
"Pardon me, I'm a member of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic. May I know if I have the right to discuss some things with you?" After asking politely, Lin Li smiled warmly at them.
"You… Please stand back!" Scarface screamed in terror. Lin Li's smile was so artificial that it was as though Scarface had seen a ghost. Scarface backed away cautiously. Unlike his usual oppressive stance, he was really timid now…
"Don't be so worried. Take it easy! I don't like to kill people or create trouble…" Lin Li assured Scarface casually. After he walked along the steps up to the entrance of the Emerald Tower, he turned back to look at Scarface under his chin. The elevation gave him a sense of superiority when he looked at him.
"But, if there are any people who are going to enter the Emerald Tower without permission, don't blame me for not letting them go!"
"Little fella, don't be too c.o.c.ky!" After witnessing the death of his men, Scarface was so spooked that he would definitely not trespass the Emerald Tower if he had 100 guts. Courage was needed to confront a monster that killed without thinking. Scarface was not bold enough to do that. Hence, he tried to put on a brave front. "Let me tell you now. We Blood Brothers are not pushovers!"
How would Scarface expect that his words would lead him into greater trouble.
"Blood Brothers?" Lin Li frowned upon hearing the name. "Stop there," he commanded.
Although Lin Li's was not loud, his voice was like thunder to Scarface's ears. His legs turned jelly on the spot. He really wished to give himself two slaps on the face.
Why did I say that? I would have escaped from the bloodthirsty monster if I tried! Will he swallow or skin me alive…?
"W-what do you want?"
"You are from the Blood Brothers?"
"Yes…"
"Very good," Lin Li said and nodded. A flash from the Aether Staff made the blood-vines retract, only leaving a few dried corpses on the ground. "Tell Aaron-Mazi to see me at the Emerald Tower at once."
"…" Scarface was speechless. He took a cold breath. Aaron-Mazi was the leader of the Blood Brothers, and had great influence in Jarrosus.
Was that young mage mad? If he requested for Aaron-Mazi to see him, why didn't he ask Ysera to make Reuben meet him? Even if Jarrosus Guild of Magic used to rule Jarrosus in the past, it was the past. How would Aaron-Mazi give face to a fallen guild of magic? Furthermore, if they wanted to give face, the other party would be Gerian. How could they give any respect to a 20 years old mage?
Of course…
Those thoughts could only be left in Scarface's mind. He would not have the guts to say it out loud…
"Oh…" Scarface nodded, and brought his men away quickly.
"Mage Felic is back!" a 50 years old Magic Shooter shouted when he saw the three men step into the guild hall.
This announcement created a din in the whole Emerald Tower.
To the Emerald Tower, the name 'Felic' had become a legend.
Everyone would know that this was the man who had created a huge commotion during the auction at Jarrosus, as well as in the battle at the Daylight Square. The most ignorant fella would have heard of the young talent from the Emerald Tower whose name was 'Felic'. This 'Felic' stood up for Emerald Tower when it was at its weakest, and he was able to defeat the Merlin Family by himself and help the Emerald Tower take control of all the forces in Jarrosus.
Only the people who had interacted with Lin Li and knew his true ability would know the significance of Lin Li to the Emerald Tower.
It was this understanding that motivated them to guard their last piece of territory in Jarrosus. They firmly believed that they would be able to overcome all adversity. They only had to endure until Felic returned to Jarrosus. Then, the Merlin Family and the Shadow's Nest would fall beneath Emerald Tower again.
"Mage Felic is back!" The news of Lin Li's arrival spread around really quickly. I
t did not take more than 10 minutes for it to be known to the entire Emerald Tower.
"Yeah, I'm back!"
…
At the same time, Scarface stood before Aaron-Mazi fearfully…
In reality, Scarface was just an external member of the Blood Brothers. In terms of status, he had no right to meet Aaron-Mazi at all. This time, he brought the brothers to Emerald Tower due to monetary rewards. He did not expect that Aaron-Mazi had such a huge network to know what had happened. It was not long after the racket at Emerald Tower that he got called to meet Aaron-Mazi.
Then…
"Ross, I heard that you went to the Emerald Tower?" Aaron-Mazi asked coldly while sizing up the trembling Scarface.
"Y-yes…"
"PAT!"
A crisp sound could be heard.
Aaron-Mazi landed a tight slap on his face.
"Big Boss…"
"F*ck, don't call me boss! I'm not qualified to be your boss…" Aaron-Mazi was so angry that his lungs nearly burst. He really regretted not getting of this moron earlier. What the heck, how could these fools listen to whomever gave them money? Did they think that the Emerald Tower would fall just because a fire?
Son of a b*tch…
Other people might not know the power of the Emerald Tower. But, how would Aaron-Mazi not know? Although Emerald Tower might appear to be weak now, their foundation was still extremely strong. Not to forget, the news of Gerian's death was not yet announced. That sly fatty had to be plotting some conspiracy. When he appeared again, it would be the day the Shadow's Nest repaid their debts…
On top of that…
Aaron-Mazi saw very clearly that although the Emerald Tower had been down for this period of time, their two loyal allies—Mannes Family and Saruman Family—were still very supportive of it. Why was that so? Even the knees of Aaron-Mazi would know that it would be due to their young mage at Alanna…
"F*ck you, sc.u.mbags! Why are you always creating trouble for me…" The thought of that young mage caused Aaron-Mazi to experience a huge headache. If he were to know the matter, 100 lives would not be enough for him to die…
Chapter 281 - Allies and Comrades-In-Arms
Aaron-Mazis' expression was restless. He paced up and down in the room like a bundle of nerves. He had been in control of the Blood Brotherhood for tens of years, but he had never been as fl.u.s.tered as today. After fighting from the sidelines for tens of years, all had been destroyed by the blind idiot Rossi. F*ck, what was this idiot thinking? He was actually stupid enough to cause trouble at the Emerald Tower for a small sum of money. Did he really think that the Emerald Tower would be completely destroyed after Gerian's disappearance?
It's going to be big trouble this time. Unless Gerian doesn't come back… otherwise, he will definitely take revenge on the Blood Brotherhoo d. At that point, there was really no place to cry anymore. Aaron-Mazis got angrier the more he thought about it. He looked at Scarface for a long while, cursing in his mind. F*ck, could it be that this idiot was sent as a spy by some force?
No, I must think of a way…
Aaron-Mazi thought about it, and in the end, he gritted his teeth and called a few of his trusted subordinates over.
"Prepare gifts and follow me to the Emerald Tower."
"Yes!"
"And you…" Aaron-Mazi pointed at Scarface, who was trembling in fear. "Bring your henchmen and follow me to the Emerald Tower to comply with the punishment. Staying alive or dying would depend on your luck. You idiot, you'd better pray that Mage Felic has not returned yet, or else…
"Mage Felic?" When Scarface heard this name, his head immediately tightened. He plucked up his courage, and asked while stuttering, "Boss, you… you said Mage Felic, is he a young man in his twenties, black hair, black eyes…
"Yes." Aaron-Mazi was deciding which gifts he should bring. He did not pay any attention to what Scarface was asking, and he only nodded absent-mindedly. But after he nodded, Aaron-Mazi's eyes were suddenly wide open. He instantly grabbed Scarface's collar. "You've seen him before?"
Scarface swallowed his saliva with difficulty. "Y-yes."
"F*ck…" Aaron-Mazi immediately drew in a cold breath, and stood there without speaking for a while. It was like he was in a daze, and his brain only had a single thought. He's back, that monster is back…
"…" Scarface was bewildered, but he could bury his head into his shoulders, and did not dare to say anything else. He was clear that he had to have caused serious trouble, trouble serious enough to cause him to lose his life…
This scary silence was maintained for at least ten minutes before it was broken by Aaron-Mazi's voice. He glared right at Scarface, and seemed to have gritted his teeth, saying, "Tell me about the situation back then. If I were to find out that you left out a single word, just wait for somebody to put you inside a gunny sack…"
"Yes…" Scarface swallowed his saliva with difficulty again; his whole forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat. Even if he was just a member of the outside circle of the Blood Brotherhood, he also knew what "put someone inside a gunny sack" meant. This was the most severe punishment of the Blood Brotherhood. It was always used to deal with traitors, consisting in placing the person inside a gunny sack and then beating them into a pulp…
Scarface knew what was the real pulp. When he first joined the Blood Brotherhood as member of the outside circle, he already witnessed a traitor being placed inside a gunny sack. Countless wooden poles were smashing into and beat him for a day. When the gunny sack was opened, there were only bits of mashed meat. There was no way to differentiate what was a shoulder or a t.h.i.g.h…
Scarface wiped off the cold sweat off his forehead while recounting what happened at the Emerald Tower to Aaron-Mazi. He did not leave out a single word. Even the incantation to summon the Blood-vine Spell was recited by his mumbling voice. Although he sounded more like a chicken than reciting an incantation, at least he did not end up in a gunny sack…
"F*ck, I should make someone give you another scar on your face…" Aaron-Mazi just finished listening, and he gave Scarface another slap. When he pointed at Scarface's nose while scolding him, he was so angry that his hand was shivering. "Mage Felic wants me to go to the Emerald Tower? Such an important matter, and you actually left it unsaid till the end. F*ck, are you a human or a pig?"
After saying this in a hurry, Aaron-Mazi did not even feel like bringing those trusted subordinates that he went to prepare the gifts. He just told them to inform the other leaders that were close and powerful that Mage Felic had returned. Then, he brought Scarface to the stables and the two of them found a carriage, leaving straight for the Emerald Tower.
While sitting in the carriage, Aaron Matsis was really sweating. Luckily, this idiot Rosi was too stupid. Although he had blockaded the Emerald Tower, he did not create any disasters. Although Mage Felic had always been merciless, he was not unreasonable. As long as Aaron Matsis were to explain properly, there would be some chance…
Scarface, who was at the side, was restless. He had joined the Blood Brotherhood for three years, and he had always been a member of the outside circle. He was usually fighting or killing at Jarrosus City in hopes of being recognized one day and entering the core ranks of the Blood Brotherhood. As for the top leader of the Blood Brotherhood, Aaron-Mazi, he was just like a legendary figure to Scarface. Even in his dreams, Scarface had never thought that there would be a day that he could actually see Aaron-Mazi with his eyes. He'd also never thought that a young mage called Felic would be able to make Aaron-Mazi so frightened with just a single sentence—Aaron-Mazi was having cold sweat all over, and he did not even care about wearing a jacket, leaving straight for the Emerald Tower in a hurry…
Scarface knew that when he had mentioned the name "Felic", that panic-stricken expression on Aaron-Mazi's face was real. What sort of person could scare Aaron-Mazi to this extent? Scarface had no clue…
…
When the carriage had arrived at the gates of the Emerald Tow
er, the information that the Blood Brotherhood had disseminated had already spread throughout Jarrosus City.
Among the eleven great magic families and six underground forces, all of them seemed to have just experienced an earthquake. All of the leaders that heard this news immediately had their pupils enlarged. That monster had really returned?
That battle in the Aurora Square had totally crushed their confidence. They did not even have the courage to resist in the face of that young mage that was like a monster. In Jarrosus' area, the name Felic seemed to have some sort of magic to it. Even people like Ysera and Reuben were in a daze for a while when they heard this name.
Then…
Jarrosus City suddenly became really lively. Be it the eleven mage families or the six underground forces, they were all in motion simultaneously. A large number of the leaders of the forces immediately got off their carriages like Aaron-Mazi when they heard this news and went straight for the Emerald Tower. The streets that were usually deserted immediately became incomparably lively. A few acquainted leaders exchanged their opinions while being in a rush. Although everyone had different opinions on the details, one thing was certain—another storm was about to brew in Jarrosus City…
"What?" Ysera was at the family's smithy, holding a ring that he had just enchanted. When he heard this news, the ring in his hand fell and landed on the ground with a "ding". "Mage Felic has returned?"
Ysera was in a daze for a minute, and then laughed for no rhyme or reason…
"Hahahaha, that's great. Mage Felic is finally back!" Ysera quickly called a few subordinates over and gave out orders one by one. "You, hurry over to the Saruman Family and tell this news to Reuben. You, bring my seal and bring a group of the family's mages, at least fifty of them. Get them to be on standby, there might be a battle at any time. As for you two, go to the family's warehouse and pick the best magical equipment, then follow me to the Emerald Tower."
"Yes!"
After those competent subordinates received their commands, they quickly went their separate ways. There was only Ysera left at the family's smithy, laughing for no apparent reason. This news that he had been waiting for a month had finally arrived, and Ysera really could not contain his laughter. This time, the Mannes Family had bet right again. When Shadow's Nest was conquering the Demon Fall Valley, the Mannes Family stood by the Guild of Magic without any hesitation. When the Shadow's Nest burned down the Emerald Tower, Mannes Family once again stood by the Guild of Magic without any hesitation. Just based on these two incidents, it was enough for the Mannes Family to no longer worry about their standing in Jarrosus City for another hundred years.