Chapter Twelve: Lost Goods
The casting requirement for Prayer is 2 Mana and one basic prayer.
A basic prayer typically takes three seconds to complete, including the corresponding actions and incantations.
Li Wen’s loose cloak concealed her prayer movements, while the incantation was completed silently through mental focus.
This led to the current situation: Li Wen was simply sitting there, appearing to do nothing, while the person about to attack her suddenly collapsed on the ground, on the verge of death.
The shock and eeriness undoubtedly terrified everyone in the tavern.
Some couldn’t handle the stimulus and immediately collapsed on the ground:
“Witch… Witchcraft!”
Following this startled cry, most of those who could still walk rushed for the door, and the large tavern was soon left with only the Black Wind Fangs mercenaries and a few drunken patrons.
The remaining mercenaries, looking at their convulsing companion on the ground, felt a chill run through their hearts and their legs tremble.
Afraid? You should be.
The gap between those with bloodlines and mortals is unbridgeable. Mortals, lacking bloodlines, can never break through level ten in their entire lives.
Li Wen knew these scumbags too well. If their courage and mentality weren’t crushed from the outset, they would soon develop reckless ideas due to emotions like greed and anger.
Witchcraft? What witchcraft is this!
Perhaps the only one present who knew what had just happened was the mercenaries’ leader. He had once personally witnessed those outsiders, with white cloth covering their eyes and their bodies adorned with various patterns and texts, how they commanded shadows to kill and brutally dismember a group of goblins.
They communicated in the ancient Jabber language, their demeanor unnerving, and they often fiddled with eerie skulls and animal limbs, sometimes raising crows and black cats, but those were actually the demons they kept.
Agents of the devil, sorcerers who served the night—that’s how they referred to themselves.
Many times, the mercenary leader would rather return to the battlefield than deal with those individuals.
And this mysterious woman before him, hidden within her robes, exuding an appalling aura from head to toe, was clearly of the same ilk.
The mercenary leader pondered whether to surrender immediately and escape this place of trouble.
Then he saw the shining gold coin in Li Wen’s hand.
On that gold coin was a pattern resembling two moons, a pattern he had vaguely glimpsed on those outsiders before.
What was this supposed to mean?
He glanced again at his companion lying on the ground, his fate unknown, and once again doubted whether cooperating with this group was like seeking a tiger for its skin. But what did it matter to him? He couldn’t make the decision.
“This is a misunderstanding…” he said, his throat convulsing dryly.
“A misunderstanding?” Li Wen chuckled, “Then let’s consider it a misunderstanding.”
She wasn’t one to dwell on details. After all, she had come here on the commission of Priest Mog. While completing the task and gaining experience, she was also curious about the intentions of the other party, as well as the Deep Dark Dawn and Chong Yue factions behind them.
“They… didn’t tell us who we would be meeting.”
This was nothing more than passing the buck, as the Black Wind Fangs mercenaries had initiated the attack.
“Then what did they say?” Li Wen countered.
These “they” should be people from the Chong Yue faction. It seemed the Black Wind Fangs had no prior contact with Mog, meaning the Chong Yue faction and the Deep Dark Dawn were in direct communication. That letter might have been delivered by someone from the Chong Yue faction.
But if they could communicate directly, why would they involve the Black Wind Fangs?
“A batch of our goods went missing, near the Creek Stone Rift.” The mercenary leader’s expression was grim. “Those people told us to wait here, and someone would come to help retrieve the goods.”
The Creek Stone Rift?
Li Wen’s spirit jolted. That place was exactly where she was headed. Something crucially important to her was there, and it could even be said that all her efforts towards rebirth were aimed at obtaining that thing.
This was too much of a coincidence. But it was good this way, saving her an extra trip.
“Is that all?”
Li Wen’s tone rose slightly, as if she were about to get angry.
The mercenary leader was indeed startled and stammered, “And… and they also said that the ones who attacked were some kind of Mage from a Forbidden Institute…”
These were things he shouldn’t have said, as he had overheard them from those outsiders. But the problem now was, if he didn’t say it, he feared he would be the next one lying on the ground.
Forbidden Institute? Sun Cultivation Institute?
Li Wen’s expression became serious. If that were the case, she should consider abandoning this mission.
As Arthur’s largest magical society, the Sun Cultivation Institute was renowned for producing Mages of the Origin Source and Aether bloodlines. Mages from the Institute were undoubtedly the talented ones.
Mages from other societies and Mages from the Institute were two entirely different concepts.
Frankly, even Li Wen, at the same level, would be reluctant to provoke a Mage from the Institute. It wasn’t that she couldn’t defeat them, but rather that those who could enter and study at the Institute were all wealthy and influential, possessing an abundance of magical items and equipment, enough to bludgeon Li Wen to death.
“I understand. You can leave,” Li Wen said in a cold tone. “I’m not bloodthirsty. Your companion should still have a breath left. How you deal with him is your business.”
Of course, these were lies. Li Wen’s Prayer was only level one, and the power of Dark Word Curse was enough to scare ordinary people, at most reducing a mortal’s life by less than 30%, putting them in a severely injured state, unable to act.
If she could kill them, Li Wen wouldn’t mind getting her hands dirty. These mercenaries were basically scumbags who did all sorts of evil. Instead of causing trouble for others by living, it would be better to become her experience points.
The mercenaries exchanged glances, and finally, they picked up their fallen comrade and then bolted out of the tavern, their speed so great that even the onlookers at the entrance hadn’t reacted.
Li Wen didn’t believe that guy would receive proper treatment. These mercenaries were capable of anything. Even their so-called companions, once they lost their value, were abandoned. All their possessions would be completely divided and consumed.
“Forbidden Institute…”
Li Wen frowned slightly.
She understood why the people from the Chong Yue faction didn’t personally move to retrieve the so-called goods, and why Priest Mog had assigned the task to her.
It turned out that none of them wanted to deal with Mages from the Institute.
The Creek Stone Rift was a place she had to visit. As for whether the Mage was friend or foe, it would depend on the other party’s fate.
If a conflict were to arise, then as a Player, with the advantage of infinite resurrections, Li Wen might just be able to kill the opponent.
Of course, this assumption would only hold if the opponent was in Stage One.
