by Zhuang Bifan
Herza frowned as the thought of Gerian struck him. He came as a representative of the Supreme Council, so how dared this fatty hide instead of welcoming him? This was utter disregard for the authority of the Supreme Council, and this alone would have guaranteed Gerian insufferable consequences in other circ.u.mstances!
Well, so be it, this fatty has always been up to no good, and there's no point getting angry over it. Besides, Felic hailed from the Emerald Tower, so Herza would let this pass for his sake.
Herza never thought that somebody else would harp over this matter even though he had let it slide.
As Herza walked into the guild hall, a middle-aged mage said unhappily, "Where's Gerian? Why didn't he come out to welcome us?"
The middle-aged mage's tone sounded accusing as though Gerian should be damned to hell for not coming out to welcome them, and a sudden chill spread in the guild hall as a result…
While Lin Li kept his smile, he was visibly mocking the middle-aged mage as he asked, "I wonder what's your name, Sir Mage?"
"Hahaha, my apologies, Mage Felic, look at me being old and muddle-headed, I forgot to introduce him to you…" Herza knew something was going to happen as he saw the change in Lin Li's expression, for he was aware of Lin Li's personality and what he would do to this middle-aged mage. Luckily, he was well over a hundred years old, and immediately appeased them the moment something was off. "This is Mage Moke, the most respected Inscriber of the Supreme Council. When the mage tower at Breezy Plains is finished, he will be in charge of laying down the mageweath; if you have any ideas, now is the time to discuss it… "
Herza resolved the awkward atmosphere with the hidden meaning in his words, warning Lin Li against acting rashly. Mage Moke was not to be trifled with, for Lin Li would be in trouble if the former tampered with the new mageweath…
"Mage Moke? I see, it is a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you…" Lin Li backed off on Herza's account, but his half-hearted smile remained. "I must trouble you with the mageweath, then… "
"Hmph, don't worry about that…" Unfortunately, the middle-aged mage did not buy that, and moved to scan the guild hall once again with an icy huff..
"Incompetent as I am, I would never lay down such a lousy mageweath that can be burned down by anyone!" he said with an even bigger air of distaste.
"I see…" Lin Li said nothing more before turning to Herza with a smile. "Mage Herza, when can we leave?"
"Anytime!" Herza heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that the prickly Lin Li chose not to make matters worse, for he did not know if he could handle it if Lin Li chose to do otherwise.
"So soon?" Lin Li was surprised at Herza's words, for he'd originally thought that the old mage had important matters to see to seeing as he had made a trip to Jarrosus. He was shocked that Herza would leave so quickly without so much as a greeting.
"This was a routine visit to announce the Supreme Council's decision to Gerian as well as to bring you along to the Breezy Plains. Seeing as Gerian isn't here, I shall save myself the trouble. If there is nothing else, Felic, we can leave this instant. I will fill you in on the details as we go along."
"Alright…" Lin Li thought back to the days at the Demon Fall Valley. Knowing he had nothing else to see to, he agreed with a nod of his head, and called in Norfeller, who remained outside the door standing guard. "Norfeller, go pack our stuff, we'll be leaving for the Breezy Plains in half an hour. "
"Yes, Master. "
Herza's expression changed as Norfeller entered.
"Hell…" Herza almost cursed in shock. Damn it, what is this rascal up to? It has only been a few days, and now he has a Vampire as a servant? And a high-ranking Vampire at that…
Herza had seen more than the average man at his age of over a hundred years old, and already knew that Norfeller had to be a true high-ranking Vampire when he entered the guild hall. Furthermore, if he had guessed correctly, the Vampire had to be well over level-18 too…
"Felic…" Herza gulped. "This is…?"
"My new bodyguard, I heard he's not bad…"
"… " Herza almost lost it at that. A new bodyguard? You heard he's not bad? Damn it, how patronizing can you get? At least come up with a better story, will you?
Alas, Lin Li was too preoccupied with bidding farewell to Kevin to come up with something better.
"Well, Kevin, this is really goodbye." Lin Li tried to make his smile lighter as he patted Kevin on the shoulders. "When your uncle is back, tell him to stay out of trouble. I'll try to get the antidote out as quickly as I can…"
After nagging some more, Lin Li left the Emerald Tower somewhat reluctantly, and boarded the carriage sent by the Supreme Council. With a crack of the whip, the carriage started moving, and headed northward to the Breezy Plains in the afternoon sun…
Herza sat next to Lin Li as he introduced the sights outside the window as well as the situation in the Breezy Plains. He also told him about the provisions the Supreme Council gave him this time.
Without a doubt, the Supreme Council was very generous this time indeed.
Besides the necessary provisions, they assigned an Archmage to come by later to assist the President on matters of the council.
Is he sent to monitor me? Lin Li frowned rather discreetly upon hearing this.
Chapter 297 - Doland
Doland lay at the northern tip of the Breezy Plains near the Flower Forest. This chaotic town was home to the poor, soldiers, and the most evil. Every second, a life was lost here; every second, a crime was committed here… only the truly evil could survive in such a wretched town.
Without a doubt, Kaman was a true evil.
Of course, he would never admit it himself, for he had always prided himself on being a philanthropist who had provided employment opportunities to the masses, thus allowing them to feed their families. The ones preaching benevolence and morals could never contribute the same.
Few remained unaware of Kaman, and few had yet to cross paths with him in this town. The middle-aged fatty in his forties looked anything but special, but he was the true mastermind behind the Rosen Union. This union controlled more than 80 percent of the stone trade in Doland, and many products were made with their stone. In recent years especially, the Rosen Union was taking bigger deals and had ventured into every industry possible, snowballing their fortune as a result. There were even rumors that they had collaborated with the Glittergold Trade Union, which would allow them to monopolize more than half of Doland's industries in the near future.
Of course, these were merely rumors, and nobody could prove them.
One thing for sure, though, was that Kaman had been in a good mood these days, and it had nothing to do with the Glittergold Trade Union. It was because Kaman recently discovered a mineral vein in Blackhills Town, and after sending experienced miners to check it out, he now knew that it was brimming with adamantine. This had kept him happy for days.
Kaman had always been in the mining business, and he knew the stone trade better than anyone else. He was well aware of the fact that the price of refined iron core had been increasing, and had nearly doubled since the previous year. If this newly discovered mineral vein could be fully exploited, the Rosen Union would enjoy great profits.
Moreover, Kaman clearly recalled that at a banquet a few days ago, Castellan Gomok had sent people to him, requesting a batch of refined iron core. If he used this opportunity wisely, he could get on the castellan's good side, and his business in Doland would be smooth sailing in the future.
Kaman had been making plans to start the mining.
Blackhills Town was a small place with only a few hundred families, which mostly consisted of farmers. Kaman had found out that the owner of the mineral vein was a wretched aristocratic descendant, so impoverished that he barely had food to eat. As long as Kaman gave him some money, getting the title deed should not be much of a problem…
Kaman did not give it much thought, as a wretched aristocrat descendant posed no threat to him given the influence
the Rosen Union held today. There were numerous ways he could use to force him to cough out the title deed as long as he wished to
The real concern was mining, for it required a large number of people, and the miners he had on hand were insufficient. Moreover, they were demanding when it came to their pay and benefits, which made Kaman's blood boil when he thought about it. Damn it, I'm nice enough to give you a job, how dare you clamor for benefits… When my slaves arrive, I'll send you home unemployed…
"Guess I'll have to hurry the other side once I get my hands on the title deed…"
The sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the study as Kaman silently pondered.
"President Kaman, we… we've got a situation!"
Kaman frowned as he heard the frantic noise. None of these guys were good for anything; if he panicked over such trivial matters, how was he going to deal with anything substantial? It seemed like he was going to have to teach them a lesson one of these days….
"Damn it, shut up!" Kaman glared at the guy angrily. "Barbeid, are you possessed? What are you screaming for?"
"No, no, no… President Kaman…" The middle-aged Barbeid rushed into the study and panted for a minute before steadying his breath. "We've really got a situation!"
"Well, what is it?" Kaman frowned as he stared at his incompetent subordinate. "Is it trouble over at Blackhills Town?"
"Y-yes." Barbeid gulped, and eyed Kaman nervously. "Sorry, President Kaman, I couldn't get the job done…"
"You didn't get the title deed?" Kaman was shocked. This had been the easiest part of his plan—a few thousand gold coins could have easily settled a wretched fallen noble, so how did he not get the title deed? Did this guy really try and ask for a higher price?
Well, if that is the case, he can't blame me for not showing mercy…
"Sorry, President Kaman…"
"Save that for the grave, what I want to know is the reason you failed to bring me the title deed! Was it the price, or some unreasonable conditions? Anyway, Barbeid, you'd better give me a good reason… "
"Well, you see, President Kaman, I went to Blackhills Town like you told me to, and found the fallen noble called Alabham to discuss the purchase of the title deed…" Barbeid continued nervously as Kaman's gaze forced him to. "Who knew that when we found him in the inn, he told us that somebody had already bought the title deed: a young man from Jarrosus, who was going to build a tower of some sort on the land…"
"Hell…" Kaman nearly exploded at this; he would have slapped Barbeid if he had not been controlling his anger. "You fool, if he sold it to somebody else, couldn't you have bought it back? Damn it, do you know how much the mineral vein is worth? Well, let me tell you, it's worth at least two million gold coins and an opportunity to get into the castellan's good books! How dare you run back like this, are you really a fool?"
"P-President Kaman, listen to me…"
"Alright, I would love to hear your explanation!"
"We found the guy from Jarrosus, but he said he would not sell it no matter the price…"
"Damn it, he's too much, too much…" Kaman was so worked up he was practically trembling. Never had he thought that anyone in Doland would disregard the Rosen Union like that. Damn it, no matter the price? I would love to see who has the guts to say that…
Kaman stormed out of the study, and called a few dozen of his most trusted men over—even the newest addition among them had been with him for five years. There were level-12 warriors, level-13 bandits, and even a level-11 mage. When money could not solve the issue, he usually sent these men to settle the purchase…
"Everyone, bring along your weapons, we're going to Blackhills Town!"
"Yes!"
A dozen carriages set off towards Blackhills Town, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
"Look President, Kaman…" Barbeid pointed at a distant slope as the carriage neared the town's entrance. "They're over there!"
"Yes, I see it…"
Kaman looked where Barbeid pointed from afar. There was about a dozen men, both young and old, and a black-cloaked young man who seemed to be discussing something with the old man by his side.
"Felic, have you really decided on this?" Herza frowned. To be honest, he could not understand why this young man chose to build the tower in a place like this; it seemed like a joke to Herza. What did Breezy Plains lack that made this young man finally decide on such a lowly and secluded place like Blackhills Town…?
"Yes, it's quieter here…" Lin Li smiled as he gave a casual excuse.
"…" Herza shook his head, having given up on persuading Lin Li.
Moke, however, looked on in disdain. "Ridiculous… "
"Shut up, Moke." Herza was perplexed. Out of all the mages in the Supreme Council, why did he choose to bring this idiot along? It definitely did not help that he kept targeting Felic along the way. Damn it, does he not have brains? A young man who won the trials must be something! Just you wait, when Felic gets his revenge on you, I'll definitely be laughing on the side, you idiot…
"Mage Moke, why don't you tell us what's so ridiculous so that we can all laugh at it together?" Lin Li was used to Moke's targeting him by now, and was not angered by it. He only silently plotted to get back at him…
Herza was comforted by the fact that Moke had heeded his advice and toned down his attitude towards the prickly young mage. It all became easier from there. Since the president had made his decision, Herza gave up on persuading him. He called upon a mage to notify the Supreme Council to send a team of workers who would arrive three days later so that they could start building the tower.
At this moment, Kaman alighted from the carriage, and rushed over with a group of men.
"President Kaman, that's the guy who bought the title deed!"
"Oh?" From afar, Kaman saw that the young man was in his twenties and looked prim and proper, nothing like a shrewd businessman. It should not be difficult to settle the deal with him. The old man on his side looked shrewd, however; he would have to find a way to distract him, or he might give the young man some ideas…
After pondering silently, Kaman forced out a welcoming smile.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Allow me to introduce myself, I am the president of the Rosen Union. Could you all spare me some time to discuss a deal we would all benefit from? "
"President Kaman? I see, nice to meet you…" Just as Kaman thought, this well-mannered young man was easy to speak to. No sooner had Kaman finished his self-introduction than the young man gave him a warm smile.
Damn it, thank God I came here myself! If I left it to that fool, god knows what would happen to this deal…
Kaman was still silently celebrating before he heard the young man say, "My apologies, though. I will not sell you the title deed, so I'm afraid there is nothing left to discuss here. "
"…" The welcoming smile was frozen on Kaman's face.
As a successful businessman himself, he had seen his fair share of utter disregard. However, he only realized today that he was nothing compared to this young man. Utter disregard, you say? This young man right here embodied it…
"Alright, President Kaman. If there is nothing else to discuss, I shall not delay your time further."
Kaman was in a bind. "How does 5000 gold coins sound, or 6000… no, 7000? You must know that 7000 is not a small amount, you may never get this amount again if you miss this opportunity!"
"Why don't you leave this money for yourself instead…"
"Well, don't blame me for not showing you mercy…" Since 7000 gold coins were not enough to move him, Kaman stopped raising his price, and waved at his men behind him. "Go talk to this man."
"Yes!"
Kaman's men were well-trained. They had Lin Li surrounded in a split second. Seeing as a fight was about to break out, Herza was concerned, and hurriedly warned Kaman, "President Kaman, don't do anything stupid, you're going to regret this…"
"Don't worry, I just want to talk to this man, I won't hurt him."
"…" Herza rolled his eyes upon hearing this as he scolded him inwardly. You fool, I'm worried he'll hurt you…
Chapter 298 - Rolling Snowball
Of course, Kaman did not think so…
Kaman thought he had the upper hand now as he eyed the insolent young man. "Well, can we talk now, Sir?"
Lin Li said nothing as he turned around to look at the 30-odd people surrounding him, the weaker ones were around level-6 to 7, while the stronger ones were around level-11 and 12. It seemed that this Rosen Union had quite a bit of influence; perhaps he would have to talk to this fatty since he had no choice but to "work" with an influential union…
Of course, he had a slightly unorthodox method of "working" in mind…
"Don't waste too much time, Norfeller. "
"Yes!"
"Is this a joke…" At this point, Kaman seriously doubted the young man's ability to communicate; why else was it so difficult for them to do so? Don't waste too much time? Damn it, what has this got to do with wasting time?
And then, Kaman heard a terrible cry…
The shrill cry sounded like it came from the depths of hell, and the confused Kaman trembled before he saw blood spill, unusually vibrant in the afternoon sun. Then he heard the second cry, then the third…
It all happened too quickly for anyone to react to; only after the tenth cry did Kaman see that only half of his 30 men remained. The cause of their deaths was a black shadow weaving through the crowd.
The black-cloaked and pale-faced young man was taking lives like the Grim Reaper wielding a sickle.
Fear was sparked in his heart, and spread wildly like a plague. When Kaman came back to his senses, his round face was as white as a sheet of paper. Kaman was gripped in endless fear as his heart palpitated, causing him to pant. Never in his wildest dreams had he pictured such a horrifying creature that could kill more than half of his men in a split second without breaking a sweat. It looked as easy as picking up a pebble to him…