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Chapter 257: Turning Against Each Other
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 06:56:57 +0000 UTCRegardless of the outcome, this situation was advantageous for him. Without any troublesome distractions, he could focus on enhancing his own strength and that of his subordinates.
It wasn’t long before Taylors returned to the Alchemy Tower. Noticing the broad back of Firegrid, he smiled and said, “Firegrid has grown even larger. It seems that even with Tuck along, we won’t feel cramped on this trip.”
Tuck rolled his eyes and, without a word, climbed onto Firegrid.
Once his two sons and grandson were settled, Rhett asked, as was his habit, “Is everyone ready?”
“All set!”
Tuck, Taylors, and Dick shouted in unison.
“Good!” Rhett pointed northeast, his voice full of vigor as he commanded, “Firegrid, take off!”
“Firegrid, take off!” Dick echoed in Rhett’s tone.
“Caw!”
Firegrid let out a high-pitched cry, its wings generating a fierce gust as it soared into the sky.
Darkhawk City, Administrative Office.
“You called for me, Master Rayleigh?”
Lawrence, clad in silver armor, holding a shield in one hand and a sword at his waist, entered the third floor of the administrative office and addressed Rayleigh, who was bent over some documents.
Rayleigh lifted his gaze from the papers and looked at Lawrence with a smile. “Lawrence, I have some good news for you.”
“Good news?” Lawrence paused, not thinking much of it at first, but then a flicker of excitement appeared in his eyes as he asked, “Am I getting a promotion?”
“You guessed correctly,” Rayleigh responded with mock surprise before smiling. “You’re going to be transferred to Firecrest Mine as the overseer, responsible for the safety of the area.”
Upon hearing this, Lawrence’s smile froze slightly. He hadn’t expected to be sent so far away. Although this was indeed good news, he couldn’t help but hesitate.
“You don’t seem too eager,” Rayleigh said calmly. “You should know that many would dream of such an opportunity.”
“No, it’s not that I’m unwilling,” Lawrence quickly corrected himself, pausing before adding, “I was just considering the best time to leave. But isn’t Mr. Vidas already stationed there? What happens to him if I go?”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Rayleigh said, rubbing his chin. “This is Father’s decision. He wants to groom you, and you should consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel comfortable entrusting Firecrest Mine to you—you’re still quite young.”
Hearing Rayleigh’s blunt words, Lawrence scratched his head in embarrassment and said, “Master Rayleigh, your guidance is appreciated. I will follow Lord Rhett’s orders and do my best.”
“Good, I hope you’ll keep your word,” Rayleigh nodded. “Here are your and Vidas’ transfer documents. Take them with you and show one to Vidas.”
“Understood, Master Rayleigh!”
After discussing some additional details, Lawrence memorized everything and soon left the administrative office.
As he stepped onto the bustling street, Lawrence felt a mix of emotions. He would no longer be a patrol knight in Darkhawk City. Seeing the nearby fruit tea shop and the art studio in the distance, a trace of reluctance flashed in his eyes.
He thought about heading over to talk to Aura about this but spotted a familiar figure at the intersection ahead, causing his expression to change slightly.
Macaulay was leisurely strolling by, having just left the Rattlesnake Tavern with a bottle of “Fiery Youth” wine in hand, feeling quite pleased. But his good mood vanished the moment he spotted Lawrence at the corner, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact, hurrying through the crowd, and ignoring people who called out to him as the “patrol knight.”
“Hmph, that unfaithful brat! May your guilt haunt you forever!” Macaulay frowned in displeasure. He couldn’t help but think of Younica’s heartbroken face when she learned that Lawrence had abandoned her, and he felt a pang of sympathy for his former student.
But Macaulay had to consider Rhett’s feelings—he knew Rhett valued the boy, so he had refrained from directly confronting Lawrence, though he had never given him a friendly face.
“Sigh, what bad luck. I’d better go talk to Vicky!” Macaulay shook his head and sighed, planning to leave Darkhawk City and visit his wife in the countryside.
A few minutes later, Lawrence emerged from the corner, glancing around with a complex expression as he looked toward the city gate. He hesitated for a moment, glanced at the art studio again, then sighed and walked away.
The journey from the Kingdom of Kinn to the Gray Ruins Kingdom was extraordinarily long, crossing one kingdom and vast stretches of wilderness. Rhett, along with his descendants, traveled through the skies and weathered many storms, crossing tens of thousands of miles. After more than three months, they finally reached their destination.
The Dark Mountains lay on the western border of the Gray Ruins Kingdom. Beyond them stretched the vast, sparse Poison Mist Plains. In this place, ordinary humans, beastmen, most magical beasts, and plants struggled to survive. The area was teeming with toxic creatures, a favored food for dark-aligned magical beasts. As a result, the Dark Mountains, which were rarely touched by war, attracted many extraordinary beings, and over time, small towns and camps formed there.
It was currently nighttime, and the moonlight was heavily obscured by the thick fog on the ground. The cold winter night kept the fog dense and unmoving.
Seated on Firegrid’s back, Rhett stared intently at the purple mist below, suddenly noticing something unusual several kilometers ahead.
“Damn it, where did this Darkwing Serpent come from? How could there be a magical beast with such high bloodline potential in the Poison Mist Plains?”
“Muyas, stop complaining! The priority now is to deal with this Darkwing Serpent!” A burly knight holding a thorned shield in one hand and a long-handled hammer in the other stood in front of a man and a woman. He barked, “Same strategy as always—I’ll attract its attention, and you two look for an opportunity to strike its weak points and help me out!”
The Darkwing Serpent exuded a cold, dark aura. Its eyes gleamed like emeralds, and its purple fangs were bared. Its belly was marked with segmented patterns, and thin black wings sprouted from its back, allowing it to strike from the air. It moved through the purple mist like a fish in water, spewing a deep purple liquid that blended seamlessly with the environment.
The burly knight was fully alert, immediately spotting the serpent’s poisonous attack. His expression hardened as he thrust his thick arm forward, raising his shield. The venom splashed against the upper part of the shield.
Hissss...
A faint white smoke rose from where the venom made contact.
The knight’s expression darkened as he heard the corrosive hissing and felt the slight loss of weight in his shield. “Damn it, my shield!”
Suddenly, three arrows whistled through the air from the left. The knight quickly turned, recognizing the attacks as coming from his ranger companion. He had already planned his next move—if the arrows hit or forced the serpent to change its position, he would use his shield to create a more favorable situation.
A confident smile spread across the knight’s face. He was sure that with the combined efforts of the three, they could take down this magical beast of equal rank!
However, just as the silver arrows zipped through the air, they suddenly collided with each other, altering their trajectory and striking the knight’s left arm, right where his triceps were, tearing a deep gash.
“Ugh... ah!”
A scream pierced the night.
The knight, who had been entirely focused on the Darkwing Serpent and strategizing their next moves, had no defense against an attack from a companion he had fought alongside many times. The arrows came from a distance of just ten meters, and their speed was such that he couldn’t dodge even if he wanted to.
“Why?” The knight, now fully aware of what had happened, turned in pain to face the figure of a woman standing behind him. His bloodshot eyes locked onto her as he roared, “Why did you do this? I don’t understand...”
“Why?” The shapely female ranger let out a lilting laugh, her voice dripping with malice. “Taroo, it’s because you’re too upright. Muyas and I have suggested many times that instead of risking our lives hunting magical beasts, we should rob other extraordinary beings, but you never listened. So... you’ll just have to die sticking to your principles. After all, even if we didn’t kill you, you’d eventually die out here on the Poison Mist Plains or in the Dark Mountains. Or perhaps... at the hands of other extraordinary beings.”
“You bastards! I never should have saved you!” Taroo’s anger boiled over, every word from the ranger cutting into him like a knife. Ignoring the Darkwing Serpent behind him, he hefted his hammer and charged at the female ranger.
Hisssss.
The Darkwing Serpent, slithering through the purple mist, seemed to sense that it was being ignored. Though it couldn’t comprehend the situation, it recognized that its opponent’s back was exposed and defenseless—a perfect opportunity!
The serpent opened its mouth, its forked tongue flickering as a ball of dark energy, about the size of a basketball, began to form.
But just as it was about to launch the attack, a flash of cyan light streaked through the night—a crescent-shaped wind blade zipped through the air, slicing through the serpent’s gaping maw and cleaving it in two. The wind blade continued on its path, vanishing into the dark night.
Taroo, who had only taken a few steps, froze in his tracks. He glanced back at the rapidly dying serpent, then at the man standing beside the female ranger. Shock flickered in his eyes, and his face darkened as he said, “Muyas, you’ve advanced to Magister... when did that happen?”
“Hmm, probably around the time I last suggested we rob other extraordinary beings,” the newly promoted fourth-level Magister with cyan hair, Muyas, said nonchalantly. “Big brother Taroo, I think I just saved your life. Consider the debt for saving me repaid.”
“Hmph.” Taroo snorted in disbelief. He was not so easily fooled. His chest heaved as he said, “Muyas, if you wanted to turn to darker business, you could have just left the group. Why go to such lengths?”
“Because we couldn’t bear to give up this prime location,” the female ranger scoffed. “This place is rich in resources, and there are plenty of extraordinary beings around. If we want to do the business of robbing and killing, how could we let anyone who knows our identity live?”
Muyas remained silent, but his expression indicated that he agreed with her.
“Damn it, you all deserve to die! I should never have saved you,” Taroo growled, trembling with anger. He knew that in his current state, he might only be able to take down one of them, and defeating a fourth-level Magister was out of the question.
But suddenly, he realized that his steps felt heavy, as if a dormant poison within him had activated, draining his strength. Weakness washed over him, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. Unable to hold onto his heavy shield, he clawed at the earth with his hands, glaring at the pair before him with boundless hatred. So, they even poisoned the arrows—they had planned everything so thoroughly.
“I won’t let you get away with this!” Taroo knew he was doomed, but he mustered all his strength to roar his final curse.
In response, the female ranger drew her bow, coldly aiming the arrow at his head.
But just then, a swift wind blade formed in the air. The ranger thought it was Muyas attacking and delayed her own shot.
In the next instant, a flash of cyan light passed before her eyes, and the string of her bow suddenly snapped.
The ranger’s face went rigid with disbelief as she turned to Muyas and stammered, “Muyas, what... what are you doing?”
“Sigh.” Muyas sighed regretfully, casting a sidelong glance at the ranger. “You’re such a treacherous woman. You killed my big brother, so of course, I have to avenge him.”
On the ground, Taroo paused, then let out a bitter laugh. “Hahaha, Millie, you were in cahoots, but you clearly didn’t see through Muyas’ true nature! You worried that I would expose you, but Muyas clearly can’t trust you either, so you’ll join me in death.”
The female ranger shivered, sensing something terribly wrong as she looked at Muyas’ playful expression. She forced a laugh and said, “No, no, it’s not like that, Muyas. We share the same goals. We could ambush others together, couldn’t we...?”
“But you’re not strong enough.” Muyas seemed in good spirits as he replied casually, “If we face danger, you wouldn’t even be able to buy me time. So... unfortunately, you’ll have to die and keep my big brother company.”
As he finished speaking, the wind element condensed in the air, and sharp cyan light flickered in the night.
“No! I’ll do anything for you! Whatever you want, I’ll—”
The ranger’s desperate plea was cut short.
The cyan wind blade swept through the air, severing her head, which tumbled to the ground.
Having done the deed, Muyas casually tidied his hair, embodying the demeanor of a final victor.
“Muyas, you’re truly a schemer...” Taroo’s voice rasped from the ground, his eyes still fixed on the man before him.
“Tsk, tsk, that’s not a nice thing to say, Taroo. I didn’t even attack you—I killed Millie for you.” Muyas clapped his hands in mockery. “You’ve been poisoned with the Long Slumber, and Millie used triple the dose. Unfortunately, I don’t have any antidote on me.”
Turning away, he added as he walked, “I’ll go to Withered Vine Town to get you some antidote. I hope you can hold on until then, my dear big brother...”
Muyas strolled through the toxic mist, a smile playing on his lips.
Sensing a low-level Poison-scaled Python approaching from a kilometer away, his mood brightened. Even if he didn’t have to lift a finger, his ‘big brother’ would soon be buried in this plain.
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