Chapter 52

Chapter 52

The burly man with the blue tattoo on his head stepped into the spot Barry had just left, guiding Sipo to the bar.

"My name is Horace. Those two are notorious rats in this makeshift tavern, pulling all sorts of cons, frauds, and thefts over the past three days." Horace sat down on a high stool at the bar, slapped down a few copper coins cheerfully, and called out to the bartender, "Two beers!"

Then, he turned to look at Sipo. "Where are your companions? I noticed you didn't come to Kaiva City alone."

*Here it comes.*

Sipo also sat down on a nearby stool, smiling as he replied, "My companions and I split up to gather intel. We'll meet at the registration office at the agreed time."

The more enthusiastic you are, the more suspicious it seems... Sipo thought for a moment, slightly furrowing his brow, his tone with a touch of worry. "We accepted a mission related to 'flesh golems' and just arrived in Kaiva City today. We're not very familiar with the situation here. I'd like to know more about it."

"No problem." Horace slapped the bar counter, leaning closer to Sipo and lowering his voice. "I can give you some information for free, as a gesture of friendship."

"However, I must warn you first: if there are only four of you, you should give up on the mission to hunt a golem. It's simply impossible!"

"These metal brutes are all at least at the level of a Terminator Warrior. They're even more deadly than ordinary mages and warriors! No, there's no distinction between mage and warrior for them. They don't feel pain, without worrying about draining their mana, and can fight non-stop! Even if you're lucky enough to capture a golem, the controllers hiding in the shadows will make the captured golems self-destruct!"

"Self-destruct?" Sipo picked up his glass, took a sip of the richly aromatic beer, and asked in surprise, "There are actually controllers hiding in the shadows?"

"Of course." Horace couldn't help but raise his voice a little, looking at Sipo with a strange expression. "You don't actually think the jackals of the Anbesal Empire would just toss these prized possessions right at Hoplar's doorstep, do you? Back when Austin commanded his Golem Legion to attack, he himself was always holed up within his own ranks."

Sipo put on a thoughtful look, staying silent for a while before saying, "So, is there any way to capture a golem? Even a damaged one would do."

Horace tilted his head, smiling warmly as he lifted his arm and placed a hand on Sipo's shoulder. "Our team plans to sneak into the Anbesal military camp tomorrow night to steal a golem. But the fewer who know, the better our chances. Would you be willing to join our operation? Don't worry, there isn't a single member in our team below the level of an Intermediate Warrior. Capturing a golem isn't impossible."

Sipo's face lit up, looking tempted, yet he still hesitated and asked, "Why choose to invite me? I already have a team; I'm not a solo adventurer."

Horace chuckled, his tone wheedling. "Wouldn't the reward for completing a mission alone be greater than splitting it with others? I invited you because I think you're suitable. Being able to contract such a powerful dragon-like magical beast means your strength is certainly not lacking."

*Suitable for being fleeced, you mean?*

Sipo showed a hint of shyness but couldn't help boasting, "I was just lucky. I found a magical beast egg on the road, and it unexpectedly hatched into such a powerful flying beast."

Horace concealed the envy in his eyes and chuckled. "Luck is part of strength. So, what do you think? Want to consider joining us? With your help, capturing three golems isn't out of the question. I see you're carrying a dimensional pocket. We could hide the golems in there, making it easier for us to take them away."

"Don't worry, you'll put in the effort, and we'll definitely allocate a complete golem to you."

*Trying to fool an idiot?* Sipo's mouth twitched. Golems are inscribed with runes that resist Teleportation Magic. If they could be so easily stored in a dimensional pocket, Austin's Golem Legion would have been snatched away by a bunch of Magic Saints long ago.

As if a thought just struck him, he hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. "But how do I know you're not deceiving me? Besides, why would golems need a camp? They don't need rest."

Horace showed no impatience at all, smiling kindly. "Of course I'm not deceiving you. Although golems don't need rest, the officers of the Anbesal Empire do. Someone has seen them resting at Mount Encart, 20 kilometers outside Kaiva City."

"Is this information accurate?" Sipo looked skeptical. "If someone discovered an Anbesal Empire camp, shouldn't they report it to Kaiva City's garrison immediately? Wouldn't that be a more reliable and simpler way to get a reward?"

Horace patted his shoulder, his tone meaningful. "Young man, you're still too naive. You don't really think all the adventurers here are united with Hoplar's royal family, all here to resist the Anbesal Empire's army, do you?"

Sipo blinked, appearing quite naive. "Aren't they? Everyone is a citizen of Hoplar, so of course they'd have a heart to defend the country."

He let out a scornful laugh, as if he'd heard a joke. "Defend the country? I think it's more about protecting the nobles' good times! And having to risk our lives for those people! Young man, which adventurer nowadays isn't bleeding for themselves? It's not easy to get money from those noble lords; you have to think more about yourself."

Sipo nodded, seemingly enlightened. "Is that so? It seems the noble lords aren't united either. Thank you for telling me this, but I can't agree to join your operation."

"What did you say?" Horace's face instantly darkened, his voice low. "You're not planning to take the information you got from me and report it to Kaiva City's garrison to claim a reward, are you?"

Sipo shook his head, downed the beer in his glass, and slapped a silver coin onto the table. "Of course not. But I already have a team, so of course I'll act with my teammates. Thanks for your hospitality; consider this the payment for the information."

"You dare mess with me!" Horace said through gritted teeth, furious. "No one who takes advantage of me gets to leave unscathed! Everyone here heard you wheedle information out of me and only gave me one silver coin! You son of a bitch! Hand over the contract beast, and I might forgive your rudeness!"

Sipo tilted his head, took out a wand from his sleeve, and said in a normal tone, "I am a Grand Mage, you know. Are you sure you want to start a fight with me here?"

"Grand Mage?" Horace sneered. "Who are you trying to fool? If you're a Grand Mage, then I'm a Martial Saint!"

Immediately after, he swung his left fist directly at Sipo's left cheek.

Thud!

His fist struck a dark walnut wand, which broke with a crack.

Horace angrily looked to the side and saw a plain-looking youth in a black robe standing next to the handsome and elegant mage. The youth spoke expressionlessly, "You broke my wand. It's worth a hundred gold coins. I won't make you pay for it; consider it offsetting the fee my teammate paid you for the information."

"Ah, so the two of you are in cahoots! Setting up a scam to extort me!" Horace immediately understood, becoming even more enraged.

He grabbed a nearby high stool and, amid the gasps of the onlookers, swung it at Sipo.

Before the stool could land, a fist from the side struck his chin first, sending him tumbling toward the bar.

Izavel had appeared beside Sipo at some point. He agilely closed in on Horace's falling body, his thigh tensed, and his knee drove upward sharply, hitting Horace squarely in the lower abdomen.

"Shit..." The curse Horace was muttering never fully left his mouth. His whole body arched backward, eyes bulging, mouth half-open.

Sipo let out a soft "hiss" and whispered in Pelan's ear, "Wow, Izavel isn't going to kill that man, is he?"

"No, he's just relying on pure physical strength. A warrior's body isn't that fragile; he won't die for now," Pelan said calmly.

The bartender's bronze face showed no panic; he was clearly used to friction between adventurers. He raised his voice and shouted, "If you keep causing trouble here, I'll call the guards!"

"And pay up! Otherwise, I'll still go find the guards, and none of you will get into the city!"

Izavel propped up Horace's body, tossed a gold coin onto the bar, and said coldly, "Is that enough?"

"Enough, it's enough!" The bartender quickly picked up the gold coin, wiped it on his clothes, his eyes gleaming.

What a windfall! Such a generous customer!

"Carry on, just don't kill him," the bartender said with a grin.

Izavel didn't spare another glance at the bloodied Horace. He let go, allowing him to slump to the floor. "Watch your mouth. If I hear you say such things to him again, I'll cut out your tongue."

Horace spat out two teeth, his face somewhat pale. "Understood..."

Seeing that Izavel was no longer paying attention to him, he breathed a sigh of relief and scrambled away in a panic.

"I heard fighting from far away, and it turned out to be you guys." A familiar female voice came from outside the tent. Pelan turned to look and saw that Isadel and the others had indeed arrived.

Isadel smiled and nodded, ignoring the surrounding prying gazes as she waved to Pelan and the others. "Let's go, everyone's here. Let's register and enter the city first!"

Inside a certain manor in Kaiva City.

A handsome man in red robes sat on a chair, coldly watching the writhing, struggling black shadow before him.

This shadow was none other than Horace. His head was completely enveloped by a black watery film, his face turning purplish-red. His hands kept clawing and pulling at his face, but only managed to fling off droplets of viscous liquid.

The man admired his suffering, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest. Only when Horace could bear it no longer and gradually lost the strength to struggle did he casually wave his wand.

The black watery film immediately disintegrated, turning into black liquid that dripped onto the floor.

Horace wheezed, coughing his lungs out until he spat up a pool of black fluid.

The man spoke in an androgynous voice, "You've got some nerve, White Robe 476, daring to reveal the Legion's hideout."

"But that location is close to our camp, isn't it?" The man lifted Horace's chin with his foot, then slammed his head down into the wooden floorboards. "For the sake of a mere Contracted Beast, you dared to sell information, and in the end, you didn't even get it..."

Here, the man narrowed his eyes slightly. That Contracted Beast... it sounded like a Spirit Dragon, didn't it?

Could the elves be getting involved too?

After a moment of thought, the man kicked Horace aside and thoughtfully stroked his chin. "Take a few puppets and head to Encat Peak..."

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Author's Note: Mini Theater:

Sipo picked up the broken wand, asking skeptically, "Is this thing really worth a hundred gold coins?"

Pelan replied without blushing or skipping a beat (｀・ω・´): "No, I lied to him."

Sipo Σ(°ロ°;): "Has Pelan learned to lie? He's definitely been corrupted..."

Lou Guanyue suddenly appeared, pointing at the magic wand in his hand with a smile (^_^). "Can it be fixed?"

"Yes, yes!" Sipo shoved the wand into Izavel's arms. "Quick! Use your hidden time magic!"

Izavel (=ω=；): ...

His time magic wasn't meant for such a piece of junk that isn't even worth ten gold!

A couple of ramblings:

The cook was attacked by the evil H3N2... If any of you have symptoms like fever, runny nose, or nasal congestion, remember to seek medical attention promptly—don't tough it out...

After two days of IV drips, I'm almost better, so no need to worry [dog head holding a rose].

Wishing everyone good health—may all viruses retreat, retreat, retreat!