Assassin’s Chronicle - Chapter 481

A spring breeze blew over the prairie, which was still covered with snow. Spring usually signaled the beginning of the year, and a very important time to farmers. The spring breeze was warm and filled with hope. However, the powers on Pan Continent felt depressed by this spring breeze. Many people had realized that the situation on Pan Continent could turn for the worse as the spring breeze arrived.

Saul and Anfey chatted as they walked on the prairie. After Anfey assassinated Scarlet, Baery did not immediately take action to start the battle. It was because wars could not be rushed. Instead, everything had to be prepared well in all areas for the war. In addition, Baery was waiting for Yolanthe’s order to start the war.

Saul and Anfey had been spending a lot time together talking about magic when they were free. Of course, Saul instructed while Anfey listened. They also talked about issues in Maho Empire, about which there was more discussion than instruction.

“Professor, I thought our best time to attack Shansa Empire was after Scarlet died. Why didn’t our king give the order to start the battle?” Anfey asked quietly. He thought Baery would give the order to attack Shansa Empire right away. He did not know then that Baery had to get permission from Yolanthe first. However, there was no news from Yolanthe for more than a dozen days. He started to get impatient.

“Because the king had so many things he had to consider,” Saul said. “In fact, that is the reason I asked you to join me today.”

“Really?” Anfey asked.

“Anfey, do you know who our king thinks is the toughest opponent?” Saul asked.

“Scarlet and Shansa military,” Anfey said.

Saul shook his head. “No, no. Shansa Empire and our Empire could not compromise with each other. Shansa Empire could only be conquered or conquer us. Those Knights of Light give our king a headache.”

“Could they turn the situation around with the influence and power they had?” Anfey asked.

“You probably do not know about it. We cannot afford to not have churches. No matter whether we face the threats at this moment or look at the situation in the future, churches will be absolutely necessary. Many people in the church did things that made us angry, but they do not want to see the whole continent turning into a paradise for death spirits. This is the very essential difference between Knights of Light and others,” Saul said slowly.

“Does the king want the pope to change his opinion?” Anfey asked.

“The pope would never make any mistakes. Even if he did, they would not be counted as mistakes. The followers of the church would not agree that their pope could make any mistakes,” Saul said. “You probably did not notice the church only sent the Knights of Light legion to us while their priests stayed with them.”

“Didn’t Fernando bring a group of priests with him?” Anfey asked.

“The priests in that group were not popular and have no power in the church. There are only two real priest groups. One is Fanatical Priest group while the other is Glory and Praise Priest group. Fanatical Priest group is the main priest group in the Church of Light, while Glory and Praise Priest group is the core of the church and even of Church of Light. Slanbrea was the vice commander of Glory and Praise Priest group.

“I see.” Anfey thought quietly.

“Knights of Light has always been connected to priests since St. Robin showed up on the Pan Continent,” Saul said. “There have been over 60 popes after St. Robin. Every one of them was picked from the archpriests. Knights of Light never had the chance to be picked, no matter how powerful or loyal to their beliefs they were. This is the rule made by St. Robin.”

“It is not fair to Knights of Light. I believe there must be geniuses in the Knights of Light,” Anfey said.

“They could not become Knights of Light if they thought it was not fair, otherwise there would be flaws in their beliefs,” Saul said. “This rule was made by St. Robin. He thought Knights of Light were just the weapons of the priests to help cleanse the sins. He never believed weapons could walk themselves to the altar.”

“Why did not they send the priest groups to us?” Anfey asked.

“Because the priest groups had problems with each other,” Saul said with a sigh. “Robin was very weird. He seemed to want to divide his followers into two parties on purpose. He never seemed to want union and harmony among the followers. He even stirred them up and caused them to argue.”

“What was the purpose of that?” Anfey asked.

“Who knows. I do not know,” Saul said with a smile. “I only know the two parties in the Church of Light have been giving tit for tat for a long time. One party is very radical. They think the church needs to have supreme power, even the power to constrain the kings to better spread the glory of God. The other party thinks God led Robin to this continent to protect human beings. In other words, they could only be humans’ guardians instead of rulers.”

“Which party did Slanbrea belong to?” Anfey asked.

“Slanbrea’s attitude was more radical,” Saul said.

Anfey shook his head. “I did not see it. He did not seem radical.”

“Attitude is different than principle.” Saul then asked out of curiosity, “You did not hate him that much, did you, even though he almost hurt Suzanna?”

Anfey shrugged, then smiled. “Things were different then. He acted like a copycat. In addition, it is not necessary to hate a dead guy.”

Saul chuckled. “Archpriests are different than archmages. They are rare on this continent. The death of Slanbrea hit the radical party hard. In fact, many people in the church cried out against it when Fernando led some knights and priests to unite with us. They claimed that this could have been the beginning for the Church of Light to take control over the whole continent. They demanded to send the main force to fight, but their proposal was vetoed. Even though the death of Slanbrea was such sensational news, they could not send the Fanatical Priest group and Glory and Praise priest group over. They only sent Knights of Light.”

“Professor, why are you telling me these things today?” Anfey asked.

“Is Warner in the League of Mercenaries now?” Saul asked.

“Yes,” Anfey answered.

“Is Book of Life with him too?” Saul asked.

“Yes.” Anfey nodded. “Professor, do they want to take back the Book of Life?”

“The Book of Life is the lifeblood for the Church of Light, but they did not say they would take the Book of Life back. They sent one guy over. He only wanted to see Warner,” Saul said slowly.

“Only one person?” Anfey asked.

“Yes,” Saul said.

“Does that person belong to Slanbrea’s radical party?” Anfey asked.

“Anfey, you think too much. We are both officials of the king. You are also my student. Let me put it this way. Your attitude on issues represents my attitude. Our attitude represent the king’s attitude,” Saul said. “We would only be able to work with the radical party if they could forget about Slanbrea. The problem is whether they could stop working with us. The answer is no.”

“Professor, I understand what the king meant. Does the king want to try to work with them again?” Anfey shook his head and said, “The radical party must be against it. How could we work with them?”

“That depends on how much the church wants to work with us. The changes following the disaster of death spirits offered a wonderful opportunity for us. In addition, our king has wiped out the Dark Moon Magic Legion in Ellisen Empire. The Griffin Aerial Unit could fly around to mess around, but they would not dare to attack our military.”

“How many magic academies does Ellisen Empire have?” Saul continued. “We only have a few. If they had about five years, they could rebuild a magic legion. That is why our king said we are racing against time. The king’s plan is to wipe out the main force in Shansa Empire this spring and start full attacks on Shansa Empire in the summer. We need to finish the battle with Shansa Empire and take it over in fall, or before the end of the year at the latest. We need let our soldiers rest and get full training in the winter, because Ellisen Empire is in the far north and is used to the cold weather. When it gets warmer, we could take advantage of the weather to start the battle with them.”

Anfey just listened to Saul. It was not appropriate for him to interrupt Saul and say his piece. He did not know how to interrupt either.

“The king has made his decision. He will make it clear no matter what it will cost him. Therefore, we are giving our full loyalty,” Saul said calmly. ‘If churches refuse to work with us, or are not as loyal as us, our king would do anything necessary. He does not mind making Church of Light part of the history on Pan Continent. Anfey, don’t worry. They would not ask too much.”

Anfey chuckled. “I am just worried that churches would go back and forth. I do not worry about others.”

“Don’t you worry that they would ask for the Book of Life back?” Saul asked with a weak grin.

Anfey shook his head with smile. “It never belonged to me. I don’t want to be a priest anyway.”

“Ok, let’s not talk about this now.” Saul looked at the headquarters in the distance. “We have received news that many officials and soldiers in Shansa Empire got into a big argument. Some supported the idea to fight back at any cost, while others thought it would be wise to retreat immediately. It seems that the negative feelings got the upper hand. A large number of soldiers fled Shansa Empire. Manstuly and the officials in Shansa Empire fought, so Manstuly led druids back into Blackwater City. Fernando and the other three Archknights left United barracks with Knights of Light legion as well. They retreated over 100 miles and set up their camp next to the Blackwater River. All of this proves they were not far from falling apart. So, Anfey, after you meet with the representative from the church, why don’t you go back to White Mountain City with him. You can take your League of Mercenaries to the north. Whatever you do afterwards, I will not intervene.”

“I got it, Professor,” Anfey said.

A grey figure appeared on the balcony. “You’re wrong this time, Your Majesty.” Yolanthe was sitting on a chair and staring at the sky. His face was filled with sadness. The figure hesitated, then said, “I apologize for my intrusion, Your Majesty, are you thinking of…”

“Don’t worry,” Yolanthe said, turning to the figure. “What did you want to say?”

“You’re wrong this time,” the figure said. “Without Scarlet, the Shansa army is in complete distress. They lost all of their will to fight, and their alliance is no more. Manstuly has already returned to Blackwater City and the Church has made its decision as well.”

“I see,” Yolanthe said with a smile.

“You overestimated them,” the figure said. “Scarlet’s death didn’t encourage the Shansa army to fight. On the contrary, it ended the fight before it even began. Without Manstuly and the Shield of Light Legion, the Shansa army will not be a threat to us anymore.”

Yolanthe slowly stood up and glanced at the sky again before turning back to the figure. He paced around the balcony as if something was troubling him.

Yolanthe rarely displayed his emotions like this. The figure took a step forward and asked, “Is something wrong, Your Majesty?”

“You don’t know how rulers behave,” Yolanthe said, shaking his head, “which is why you cannot tell what I’m thinking of. You cannot tell what Edward VIII is thinking of, either. Edward has a lot of flaws. He’s weak, he’s greedy, he’s cowardly. But don’t underestimate him. Even the most cowardly man can be brave when he is forced to be. Edward is a king. I didn’t believe he could take the death of his best general this easily.”

“He was very angry when he learned of Scarlet’s death,” the figure said, nodding. “My source told me that he was so angry that he killed a few servants in his rage. He is clearing panicking now. He knows that without Scarlet, he stands no chance against us in this war. She was his last hope.”

“Edward isn’t panicking,” Yolanthe said with a smile. “You’re too excited, my old friend. Think about this. We all think he is weak, but we are the only ones who can say that. No matter how weak he is, he is still, in the end, the ruler of an empire. There is no way that he reacted to such news like that.”

“Then…”

“If what you just told me is true, then this situation just became much more suspicious. If Edward is really a weak and useless man, how did he become the ruler? How did he keep his throne for all these years?”

“You’re saying…”

“He lost Scarlet, but he still has the army. It’s been a week: Why isn’t he doing anything about the army’s chaos?”

“You’re saying this is an act?”

“I don’t know,” Yolanthe said. “But I do know that this is unusual. Scarlet took more than three quarters of Shansa Empire’s army with her. I don’t think Edward would be this calm and doing nothing if three quarters of his army is in chaos and can be easily destroyed.

“The army can’t get back to Shansa Empire, either. Their path is blocked. Edward is putting everything he has on the line. We cannot let our guard down right now.”

“What are they planning? Ellisen Empire is moving their armies as well. Some of the Shansa army fled toward the northwest. We thought they were going to Ellisen Empire.”

“No way,” Yolanthe said, shaking his head. “I don’t think Edward would let Ellisen Empire control three quarters of his army.”

“What are they doing, then? Is this a trap?”

“I don’t care what they’re doing,” Yolanthe said. “What’s important is what we will do. It’s finally time to grant Miorich’s wish.”

“He’ll be excited,” the figure said. “What about General Baery?”

“Let him do whatever he wants,” Yolanthe said, shaking his head. “I have a letter you need to deliver.”

The figure bowed his head and nodded.

—

The three master necromancers had their first meeting. They hadn’t met in more than twenty years, but none of them said anything. After a few minutes, Morgan broke the silence, “Golman, are you ready to come with us?”

“I’m not going back,” Golman said, shaking his head.

Morgan shook his head and smiled. “I’ve always thought you had already unleashed the power of the Ring of the Undead.”

“Listen to me, Morgan. I don’t want you two to go back, either.”

Morgan and Desvidia stared at Golman, their eyes wide with shock.

“Do you think that’s possible?” Desvidia recovered first and asked coldly. He couldn’t imagine publicly betraying Minos.

“Do you trust me?” Golman asked.

“Golman, I do,” Morgan said. “You’re my friend and I trust you. But I can’t do that. You have to come with us.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Golman said. “But you’re too naive.”

“What do you mean?” Morgan asked. He knew that betraying Minos was inevitable, but he still didn’t want his friends or himself to be the first ones to do so.

“Minos began doubting you two after I left,” Golman said. “He’s giving you the cold-shoulder, isn’t he?”

Morgan and Desvidia glanced at each other but did not say anything.

“Especially you, Morgan. You’re in a very dangerous position right now.”

“What are you trying to get at?”

“Minos knows that you aren’t doing everything in your power to track me,” Golman said. “But did he do anything? After I’m dead, you’re next to go, Morgan.” Morgan frowned.

“What about me?” Desvidia asked, frowning.

“If Morgan and I both betray Minos, do you think he will trust you? Do you think you can remain loyal to him? If we are dead, you won’t last long.”

“I sealed the power of the ring away,” Golman said. “I’m the only that can undo that seal. Which is why Minos will try everything in his power to keep me here. Which is why he will find out about our conversation.” Golman paused and looked at Morgan and Desvidia. “Tell me, do you still want me to go with you?”

“Master Anfey, you do not seem to be in the mood to talk to me.” A middle-aged man in priest gown leaned against the wagon wall, a sluggish smile on his face.

“Master Stan, please do not misunderstand me.” Anfey smiled. “As you know, I have to take the League of Mercenaries to the north to fight with Manstuly after I get back to the White Mountain City. How do I explain it? The Tiger of Tawau mercenary group has had total control of Blackwater City. I barely get any information about Blackwater City. Manstuly got support from the elves, but I still have no idea what kind of power he has. Hehehe, I have a lot of pressure on me, so I am thinking a lot now. I hope you are not feeling neglected. I am so sorry if you feel that way.”

“I heard about the story–how you had deep conflict with Manstuly.” Stan laid his eyes on Suzanna. “In fact, he should be the one feeling anxious. Your League of Mercenaries’ fame stretches far. Your league already has dozens of thousands of mercenaries right now, and there will be more mercenaries willing to join your league. With the support of General Baery, I cannot imagine how Manstuly will be able to match you.”

“He has elves,” Anfey said calmly. “Elves have been quiet for so long, no one would know what powers they have accumulated.”

“I think what you said is right, but not completely,” Stan said.

“Master Stan, are you saying…” Anfey encouraged Stan to explain.

“Elves’ passions have been on arts. They never liked wars.” Stan smiled. “They are bewitched by their ambitions, and bravely came out of the forest. However, don’t forget most elves are meek. They love and cherish life. Phrases like ‘taking up the positions to figh’ or ‘not afraid of risking their lives’ do not fit elves.”

“Really?” Anfey asked in surprise.

“In fact, a bloody and cruel battle could crush them.” Stan twisted his whiskers. “Elves are a very special race. Their bodies are as weak as are their mentalities. If you can conquer their bodies, you are winning their mentalities as well. Let me give you some examples. As you know, many royals and businessmen like to domesticate elves and take them as sex slaves. Some humans were enslaved as well, but many of them fought against their owners, and even killed them. Have you ever heard any elves who killed their owners? They are too weak. The only radical movement they would take would be ending their own lives. Hehehe, elves think the reason they were taken over by humans is because humans are despicable and shameless, but I think it is because only the fittest survived.”

“You are an archpriest. I did not know you were interested in this.” Anfey looked a little shocked.

“I know you have known Slanbrea for a while. What do you think of him?” Stan did not answer Anfey’s question, but asked one instead.

“Well, it’s not appropriate for me to make any comments about him,” Anfey said.

“He is a hypocrite. I am different than he is,” Stan said.

“Are you saying you are a real gentleman?” Anfey asked casually.

“No, I am a sincere jerk.” Stan smiled. “I talk about issues and state my opinions clearly, on the table. It is just easier for everyone. You do not have to try to figure out, then, how I think of things in the future. I will tell you.”

“Hehehe.” Anfey could not help laughing. He changed the topic immediately. “However, there are special elves. For example, Hotchbini.”

“You are right. Hotchbini is daring and confident. She is indeed a special one.” Stan smiled. “Do you think she could change the personality of elves with her own efforts?”

“Hard, very hard.” Anfey sighed.

“It is not just hard. It is impossible.” Stan shook his head. “If you want to beat elves, you have to crush their confidences first. If you could crush their confidences, most elves would change their ideas of fighting with you, even if Manstuly still wants to fight with you, or if Hotchbini does not want to make any compromises. Of course, the bloodier the battle will be, the more effective it will be. I do not think it will be a difficult task for you to do, with what I know about you.”

“Right, but it is not an easy task, either.” Anfey went quiet to think for a second and said, “Master Bruzuryano has been very nice to me. Without him, I would not be who I am today. If Master Bruzuryano asked me to stop, I think I would.”

Anfey was being honest about it. Besides Saul and Ernest, he respected Bruzuryano the most. Without the Heart of Nature, he definitely would not accomplish so much. What Saul and Ernest gave him just helped him start the journey, but what Bruzuryano gave him was the key to becoming a saint.

“You are really hesitant about it. It does not seem like you.” Stan smiled. “I agree that Master Bruzuryano is very honest. Because of his honesty, he cannot stop you from exacting your revenge.”

Anfey quietly listened to Stan without interrupting him.

“Manstuly asked druids to attack your wife, and they almost got her. If Bruzuryano could not stop them back then, he cannot ask you to stop your revenge now,” Stan said in a low pitch. “Manstuly is a very utilitarian and ambitious person. How could he give up his dream? He cannot. Would Hotchbini back out? As far as I know, one of her sons was killed in an attack. Even if she did not have any problem with you before, the hatred between you and her is there now. Manstuly is able to command druids, while Hotchibini enjoyed good fame among elves, but they both have been very aggressive toward you. Master Bruzuryano could not ask you to keep making compromises.”

In fact, Stan did not tell Anfey the true reason why he thought Bruzuryano would not stop him. The key to this problem is that Anfey had become one of the brightest stars, after he killed Archmage Michael and beat Desvidia, one of the three master necromancers. Everyone was sure that Anfey would have a bright future. Anfey was still so young, surely he would become a supreme power, like Minos I in the legend, in the future. It would be the stupidest move for anyone to become Anfey’s enemy.

Stan believed Bruzuryano had to bear with the pain of not being able to come out to convince Anfey to stop the revenge on the elves, no matter how cruel Anfey could be to them. Bruzuryano already had built such a good relationship with Anfey. He had to maintain this good relationship for the long-term interests of the druids and elves.

Anfey would not only become a supreme power, but also would become an important official of Yolanthe. Yolanthe trusted Anfey. Yolanthe had showed his strong determination to start the war, before the disaster of the death sprits ended completely. It made sense that the good relationship with Anfey would help with the future development of the druids.

Manstuly and Hotchbini were in a situation where they had to continue with their plans. They made the mistake of being Anfey’s enemies, so they had to continue to fight with him. If they could not completely destroy Anfey, they would suffer in the future.

Of course, Stan could not tell these things to Anfey. He was the representative of the church. His position was higher than Anfey’s. If he told everything to Anfey, it might make him sound like he was kissing up to Anfey, which was not good for the negotiation in the future, and would give Anfey the chance to look down upon the church. He held different ideas and principles than Slanbrea. He did not want to be involved in politics.

His enemies were never the kings, but the Goddess of Nature. He could not help that Bruzuryano had the advantage in the situation, but he could let Bruzuryano enjoy every benefit by himself. He wanted to make up for his mistakes, and to reduce or get rid of the hostility Anfey had toward churches, and thus, rebuild a relationship where they could trust each other again. Therefore, he had shown his sincerity to Saul, before he came here to see Anfey.

“It looks like you know druids and elves very well,” Anfey said in a low pitch.

“Not really, but I have worked with them for the past several decades. I am familiar with them.” Stan was quite humble about this.

Anfey was deep in thought for a little bit, then changed the topic. He asked in a low pitch, “Since you are so sincere about it, I will be the same. Let me put everything on the table. Why are so interested in Warner in my league?” Stan claimed himself to be a sincere jerk, but that was just a way of saying he was humble. Anfey ignored using the phrase “jerk” when he referred Stan. Stan had been very nice, so there was no reason for Anfey to stir anything up.

Even though Anfey paid careful attention to his wording, he did not show too much respect for Stan through his actions. In fact, Anfey’s attitude toward people and issues had changed after he broke through his limits. Anfey did not change his attitude toward Saul, Erndst, Baery, his friends and a few others, but did he change his attitude toward others.

Others seemed to be okay with Anfey’s changes. Anthony and Stan were older than Anfey, but they never demanded that he automatically respect them. In this world, where only powers prevailed, powers talked. Age did not seem to matter that much.

“Master, the Book of Life is a holy object for the church, so we feel it is necessary to talk to Warner. What kind of priest is Warner?” Stan smiled bitterly, when they got a chance to talk about the Book of Life.

“What if he could not make you happy?” Anfey asked.

“Master, the problem is not making us satisfied, but us.” Stan said it in a very strategic way. The “us” definitely included Anfey. Stan made it very clear that he would not force anything to change. He only wanted to find a middle path for both parties.

“I am glad you said it that way.” Anfey smiled. “Oh, Master Stan. I have some questions about Light series magic. May I ask you?”

“You can perform Light Series Magic?” Stan asked in surprise. In fact, he faked the surprise. It was not a secret anymore that Anfey could perform Light Series Magic. This was another reason that he wanted to build the relationship with Anfey.

The pace of their conversation got faster as the wagon traveled further. The atmosphere improved. Stan’s knowledge and experience on Light series magic far surpassed Warner’s. Anfey was so eager to know, while Stan was happy to answer his questions. The atmosphere could not have been better.

“Bastard! Get away from me!” a middle-aged woman screamed, gripping lattice on the window. “I demand to see Anthony right now!”

Despite her screams, the mercenaries guarding her carried on with their duties as if they could not hear her.

“It’s been three days,” a voice said coldly. “Haven’t you screamed enough?” Anthony walked into the yard below the window, his face gloomy.

“You…” Nishieva has been demanding a meeting with Anthony for three days, but when he was standing before her, she did not know what to say. She stared at him then spat. “I never took you for one so cruel.”

“Me?” Anthony asked, shaking his head. “You are my wife. I never wanted to put your life in danger. You, on the other hand, wanted to kill me.”

“I did everything for you!”

“For me? Nishieva, look at me and tell me. Have you ever thought of me? You are here, sure, but everything you did was for Ellisen Empire. I can’t see how killing Alice would ever benefit me. Do you have any idea what would happen if we piss of Anfey and his people?”

“So you’re scared of him!” Nishieva said with a frustrated laugh. “You’re scared of him! So you put your own wife in prison! You’re not just cruel, Anthony, you’re a coward.”

“I’m not a coward,” Anthony said. “I did what I did so I wouldn’t be manipulated anymore. Don’t push me too far, Nishieva. I don’t want to do anything to you.”

“Really?” Nishieva said, laughing. “Sure. Come kill me. You really think I care? Kill me, then go lick the boots of your new masters! I can’t believe I agreed to marry you.”

“Neither one of us had the choice,” Anthony said, shaking his head. “It was purely political, Nishieva. I thought that at least you would be helping me after our marriage, but clearly I’m wrong.”

Nishieva stared at Anthony, her knuckles white from gripping the lattice too hard.

“I worked for Ellisen Empire, what did I get? I work for Anfey, and what did I get? Even you must agree that Ellisen Empire is way too stingy, yet you still spent years trying to help it. Why?” Anthony sighed and lowered his gaze. “Nishieva, you are my wife. If I’m just Anthony, I would throw away everything to help. But I’m not just Anthony. I am also the leader of Glory mercenary group and I’m responsible for the lives of thousands of mercenaries. I can’t abandon them just because of you.”

Nishieva watched Anthony in stunned silence. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted her son David walking in behind his father. She reached out and called, “David! David, help me!” David saw her and froze. He looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness, then lowered his head hurriedly.

“I promise you, no one’s coming to save you,” Anthony said. “Of course, I can also promise you that no one will come and hurt you. David, are you ready?”

“Yes, father,” David said quietly.

“Bring them in,” Anthony said.

David turned and shouted an order. Around fifty people were ushered into the yard. They were all dressed differently and were different ages, but they were all bound.

“These are your achievements, aren’t they?” Anthony said. “I must apologize, but none of them can leave here today.” He waved his hand and the mercenaries he brought with him all drew their swords. The mercenaries present had all been following Anthony for years and all knew better than to question him. A few minutes later, the last of the mercenaries returned his sword to its sheath. Nishieva looked at the bodies in horror.

“To be honest, what happened yesterday was worse,” Anthony told Nishieva. “Of course, you’re my wife, and I don’t want to cause you any discomfort.” He paused. “This is the last time you’ll see me. I won’t come here again, and you won’t leave here again.” He turned to David and said, “Let’s go.”

Anthony departed from Nishieva with sure steps. Nishieva screamed and cursed his name, but none of the curses were enough to turn him around.

Christian pushed his way into Alice’s room and saw that she was busy with ledgers. Alice smiled at him and returned to the numbers.

Shinbela nodded at Christian. Alice’s safety became a topmost priority, and was followed by dozens of mercenaries wherever she went. Shinbela had been staying close to her as well, no matter where Alice was. It was her neglect that had given the assassin a chance to get close to Alice, and she did not want that to happen again.

Christian smiled at Shinbela and sat down on a chair next to Alice. “How are you doing? How’s your throat?”

“It’s better,” Alice said. “Still can’t raise my voice, but it could be worse. Do you need something?”

Christian nodded. “Anfey’s coming back.”

“I see.”

Christian pursed his lips. It’s clear after that night that Alice liked Anfey, and to Christian, the more she acted like didn’t care, the more she cared.

“Anthony killed a lot of people,” Christian continued.

“Why?”

“He said that they’re all people from Ellisen Empire,” Christian said. “Anthony has shown his stance. I think we can trust him. We need to work with him to ensure peace. He’s instrumental in inviting Batusimon here. I don’t think Batusimon will work with us if Anthony isn’t working with us. If we turn Anthony away, it could be disadvantageous.”

“What did he do with Nishieva?”

“He imprisoned her,” Christian said. “He got two alchemists to seal off the tower he is keeping her in. He’s serious.”

“Nishieva’s from Ellisen Empire. She’s a thorn in our side.”

“But there’s no way Anthony will kill her,” Christian said. “Killing her servants and imprisoning her is the most he can do.”

“Let me finish,” Alice said with a smile. “I agree. I’m fine as long as Anthony stops trusting Nishieva.”

“You don’t want to do anything else?”

“What else is there to do?”

Christian nodded. “Alright,” he said. “If Anfey’s unsatisfied with this situation, you should try and talk to him. You’re the victim, and your words will weigh more than ours.”

“I trust him to make the right decision,” Alice said with a shrug. “He’s always sensible. But sure. I will talk to him if he wants to do anything else.”

“You don’t understand,” Christian said. “You don’t know what he said when you were unconscious.” Christian knew that Alice liked Anfey and that telling her what had happened would only fuel her fondness. However, he also knew the more she repressed it, the stronger her feelings would grow. He wanted to take another approach in quelling her feelings.

“What did he say?”

All the mercenaries got excited and none of them looked scared or worried when Alice told them the next plan. This might contribute to Anfey’s all-time victory impression the mercenaries had on him. The mercenaries did not think the Tiger Mawau mercenary group could pose any threats to them.

Of course, the leaders in the League of Mercenaries were not as optimistic as regular mercenaries. Alice, Christian and others all sat in the conference room, discussing the next plan. As everyone was discussing, Anfey pushed the door open and walked in.

Anfey was in the conference room at the beginning of the meeting, but he was called out by Black Eleven.

“What happened?” Christian looked up and asked Anfey.

“Violet City is in trouble,” Anfey said.

“What happened?” Christian asked. Everyone was listener-ins in their conversation. Ozzic and Shinbela did not know about Violet City, but Christian and few others were very familiar with Violet City since it was Anfey’s feudal estate.

“Sherif Urter was missing. Luckily, former Citymasters Aroben and Niya were there, otherwise Violet City would be a mess,” Anfey said.

“How could Urter be missing? Did anyone…” Chrisitan asked.

“Shouldn’t.” Anfey shook his head. He knew Urter must have troubles in the underground maze, but he could neither go back to Violet City at this moment, nor tell anyone the secret about the underground maze or ask anyone to help Urter at this moment. Anfey got to know many secrets about necromancers. The seclusive house Minos had was actually in Violet City. The underground maze must have something to do with Minos so Anfey could not tell this secret to others.

He had no trust issues, but he needed to hold more information in his hands. If one more person knew about the secret, the higher the chance they would run into troubles.

“How could he be missing?” Christian asked. “Anfey, did you give him something important. Could he betray you?”

Anfey shook his head again. “He would not.”

Urter knew the secret about the underground maze, but Suzanna did not. It did not mean Anfey trusted Urter more than Suzanna. Urter found the underground maze first. Anfey could have covered this secret by killing Urter, but he did not want to do that just to cover a secret. Anfey was cold, but not vicious to that degree. In addition, Urter was a righteous guy, which could be told by the way he treated the former citymaster. He was loyal to Anfey and a very capable person. If such a righteous person betrayed Anfey, it would be no one else’s fault but Anfey’s own since he misjudged him.

“If none of them was the reason, Anfey, what do you think would be the reason for him to be missing?” Christian asked.

“Let’s not talk about it for right now. It is pointless since we are not able to go back.” Anfey had a weak and bitter smile on his face.

Alice considerately changed the topic after she saw Anfey did not feel like continuing the topic. “Anfey, no one agrees with your plan. You forced it to happen when you attacked White Mountain City. You almost died in that battle. I cannot believe you want to go to Blackwater City now. We will not let you and Suzanna scout for us again.”

“Yes, Anfey, it is not necessary. We have over 20,000 mercenaries now. With the help of Anthony and David’s Glory mercenary group and over 20,000 Shield of Light Legion soldiers allocated to us by General Baery, Manstuly and Tiger Tawau’s mercenary group are not our match. I can just confront them if it is necessary,” Christian said.

“White Mountain City is different than Blackwater City. I admit it was a little risky back then. I only wanted to assassinate Archmage Michael first to get rid of our biggest scourge. Think about it, what kind of soldiers are we dealing with in Blackwater City? No matter if they are druids or elves, it would be no different than committing suicide if they wanted to release Nature series magic to me. I can dismiss their magic whenever I want to or even attack them with their own magic. If it were a fight without magic, do you think they could stop me?” Anfey explained.

“Anfey, we all know you are very good, but it is not necessary to scout Blackwater City,” Alice said.

“It is necessary. Not mentioning us, even Master Baery does not know about the situation in Blackwater City. I heard the druids and elves have control of Blackwater City. It is really hard for any outsider to get into Blackwater City and obtain information on its people, but they know everything about us. Only if we know our enemies as well as we know ourselves, we could win every battle. At this moment, Manstuly knows us very well, but do we know them as well as they know us?” Anfey asked slowly.

“Long and Ling are no secrets now. How many mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries have seen them?” Anfey shook his head. “We could not guarantee every mercenary is royal to us. It would be riskier to have Long and Ling do it. They might not be able to come back once they get into Blackwater City.”

Christian and the others looked at each other. The upper level of the League of Mercenaries was a democratic organization. Everyone was liberal about expressing their ideas and believing what they believed. Everyone had developed a habit to trust and listen to Anfey. Besides, Alice’s movement of cult personality towards Anfey played a role in this. If a person told the same lie a hundred times, he would believe in his own lie. Once Anfey insisted on something, everyone would agree with him in the end.

“Ok, if you insist.” Christian smiled bitterly. “When will we leave?”

“We cannot leave too soon. At least we have to wait for Batusimon’s decision,” Alice said in a low pitch.

“Batusimon?” Christian asked.

“Yeah, Batusimon showed interest in us, but was a little hesitant. Right now, we are about to battle with Tiger Tawau’s mercenary group. He can not be so hesitant anymore. His decision would mean nothing if his decision were made after the battle is finished. My guess is he will make his decision in the next few days.” Alice smiled.

“Batusimon will be trouble someday,” Hui Wei said with a frown. “Our king has titled two dukes. Does he have to title a third one? In terms of closeness, Master Marino has agreed to work with the Maho Empire. In terms of the power, the Storm mercenary group is not as great as the Glory mercenary group and Batusimon is not as great as Anthony. How could Batusimon be titled duke but not Anthony? Anthony will be pissed about it. That is why I said he would be trouble in the future.”

“There is one more reason why Batusimon is not as good as Anthony. After the titling ceremony, Anthony was not the commander of the Glory mercenary group anymore. He passed it on to David. Anthony is planting the seed for their futures and it shows his stance that he would give up control of the super mercenary group as Master Marino did. Would Batusimon be willing to give his super mercenary group up?”

“We have no control over what would happen in the future,” Alice smiled. “Right now, it seems that having Batusimon on our side is very good for us. We not only have one less enemy but also get stronger.”

“You will be in charge of the case of Batusimon. I will not get involved. You will be on your own. Alice, can you pack up so you can leave together with us?” Anfey asked. Last time when they travelled to White Mountain City to fight, he asked Alice to stay in Stormenburg because many newly-joined mercenary families needed Alice to help them settle down. Those families were still in Stormburg. It would not help with the situation to have Alice stay here. Besides, Anfey was worried about Alice’s safety. It was better to take her with him.

“Ok,” Alice nodded, “but it seems inappropriate to have myself talk with Batusimon. You are the Chief General. If you were not there with us, it might make Batusimon feel he is not important enough.”

“Wouldn’t it show that he is very important when our CEO is talking to him?” Anfey smiled.

It usually produced a strange feeling from a person when his position changed. If this happened a year ago when Anfey and Christian just came to the Country of Mercenaries, Batusimon would not even bother to see them. Back then, Batusimon was number one in the Storm mercenary group, but the situation totally changed. At this moment, it’s Anfey’s turn of not wanting to spare time for him. To be more specific, it was already a little late for Batusimon to join the League of Mercenaries. If Batusimon decided to join the League of Mercenaries before Anfey took control over White Mountain City, he would receive many privileges. If he dragged it along and did not make the decision until the battle between Anfey and Tiger Tawau was over to see Anfey, Alice would not even bother to see him no matter how sincere he would be.

“This is the courtesy.” Alice smiled bitterly.

“Ok, I will see.” Anfey scanned around. “We will stop here for right now. Let’s hurry up and do some training. Alice, can you stay for a second? I have something to talk to you about in private.”

Everyone seemed to know what they should do next when Anfey said “in private”. Everyone stood up and left the conference room. Alice felt her heart pump harder. She asked timidly , “What’s going on?”

Alice misunderstood Anfey. If Anfey had anything romantic to say to her, he would not dare to directly ask everyone to leave the conference, especially not in front of Suzanna. Judging from the way Anfey handled things, he would never be able to flirt with Alice while everyone else knew about it in next ten years.

“Our king wants to use the underground city for a while.” Anfey took out a half crystal from the Dimensional ring. This crystal looked like it was broken in half by force so the surface was not smooth. “Can you ask a few dwarves to take the crystal back to Moramatch Town. If there were a person taking the other half of the crystal over and the two halves matched, you could let him in.”

“How could our king know about the underground? What is he going to do with it?” Alice asked in surprise.

“Christian must have told him. What the king would do with it, I have no idea,” Anfey said.

“I’m impressed,” Stan said. “You’ve done well here.” Country of Mercenaries was a hard place for preachers to be. A lot of mercenaries didn’t care for religions, and the mercenary groups had been resisting the advance of the Church for years. Even though there were a lot of preachers in Country of Mercenaries, it was very hard for them to actually convert anyone. Warner’s achievement was very rare. Stan could tell how important Warner was just from the way people greeted him in the streets.

“You flatter me, my lord,” Warner said. “The mercenaries want to be saved, as well.” Anfey had told him that he needed to be more aggressive. He hadn’t been using his passive attitude ever since.

The mercenaries could tell that Warner’s position in the League of Mercenaries had risen. Not only the mercenary leaders like Ozzic and Shinbela, but even Anfey had become more respectful towards Warner. This change made the mercenaries much more respectful towards Warner, and they began listening to his preaching as well. The mercenaries didn’t believe in any gods, but the change in Warner’s station was enough to attract more followers.

“There are mercenaries, aren’t there?” Stan asked. “Does Anfey not mind?”

“He respects the Church,” Warner said. “Why would he mind?”

“Respect, is it?” Stan smiled and said. He knew very well how disrespectful Anfey was, but he also knew that he didn’t need to point that out.

“I know why you don’t trust me, my lord,” Warner said. “But I think you may be too extreme.” Warner had been worried about this meeting, even though he had not shown it. Stan may not be as well-known as Slanbrea, but he was still very powerful, and he was much more important. Luckily, Warner had enough practice to know how he should act when dealing with someone more important than he was. Without that practice, he wouldn’t have been able to talk to Stan without bowing after every word.

“Why is that?”

“I’ve been working for Anfey since before they left Moramatch,” Warner said. “I think that I speak for him. He is very respectful not only to me but also to Lord Fernando, despite how difficult Lord Fernando’s men were.”

“Really?” Stan asked, frowning. “Fernando’s men were all well-trained. Why would they be difficult?”

“Of course they won’t do anything in front of you, my lord,” Warner said. “But without a supervisor, they can be as bad as mercenaries. I trust Anfey with my life, and so do a lot of other people here.”

Stan frowned and nodded.

“Despite how challenging Fernando’s men were, Anfey never said anything that might anger them or do anything to them.”

“I see,” Stan said. “I will talk to Fernando about this.”

“As for Zagreen… I completely understand and support what Anfey did.”

“And why is that?”

“Because those priests tried to assassinate him with a swordsmaster called Deswright,” Warner told Stan. “They are at fault in this situation. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”

“No,” Stan said, shaking his head. “I am ashamed see you thinking like this, Warner.”

“You have to realize, my lord, I have to save myself as well,” Warner said. “Sure, there may only be a few priests involved in the situation with Deswright, but that had already angered the mercenaries. If I had tried to do anything, if I had tried to save those priests, the mercenaries would have thought that I am like those priests. I would not only lose the trust of the mercenaries, I think Anfey would stop trusting me after that, as well. Without Anfey’s trust and support, I don’t think I could have converted so many people here.” Warner already knew that he wouldn’t be returning to the Church. Stan was only meeting him because he had the Book of Life. If he went back to the Church, the Church would try to take it from him. Without it, Warner was nothing. He couldn’t lose the Book.

“I think trying to save them would have brought shame to the Church,” Warner continued without waiting for Stan’s response. “The mercenaries already dislike the Church; and I cannot allow them to hate all priests and the Church. If some mercenaries tried to assassinate the pope, do you think the priests and the Knights of Light would give the mercenaries any chance for explanation? Anfey is to the mercenaries as the pope is to us. It was very chaotic, and I weep for those that were innocent, but what is done is done. We need to focus on the future. We need to focus on preventing what happened in Zagreen from happening again.”

Stan narrowed his eyes.

“I do not regret my decision,” Warner said, lowering his voice. “I can preach here freely because of Anfey’s support. Give me a few more years, my lord. I am confident that I can convert more mercenaries than any priest in history.”

Stan looked at Warner and was stunned. It had always been the Church’s goal to preach in Country of Mercenaries. He could tell Warner was being serious. He was impressed by how much Warner had grown.

“Maybe you’re right,” Stan said. He smiled and asked, “I heard you’ve activated the Book of Life.”

“Yes,” Warner said with a nod. He had no intention of giving the Book up.

“The pope is saddened by what happened to you,” Stan said.

“I’m not the man I used to be,” Warner interrupted Stan. “I stopped being a priest when my fellow priests tried to kill me. Now, I am just a normal man who wants to bring more people to the light.”

“Don’t worry,” Stan said. “The pope said everything was meant to happen. I think he will be very impressed by how much you’ve grown.”

Warner’s eyes widened. Stan’s response implied that the pope knew and agreed with his actions. He had not expected to have the Church’s support.

Warner was working for Anfey, who was quickly making a name for himself around the world. He was also doing well preaching and converting in Country of Mercenaries. Not only that, Stan’s party had gained the upper hand in the Church after Scarlet’s death, and Stan knew how important it was to form an alliance with Maho Empire. Working with Anfey and his men would be a good way to mend the broken relationship between Maho Empire and the Church.

The mercenaries in the White Mountain City were immersed in excitement. Comparatively, soldiers in Blackwater City were in a much more down mood, even though Manstuly and elf pharaohs tried hard to boost their morale. The uprising of the League of Mercenaries and the death of Scarlet had caused anxiety and fear in the Blackwater City’s people.

Manstuly enjoyed a high reputation among the wolf druids. If he were compared to the top powers on the Pan Continent, he was not even as good as the archmage Michael from the Ellisen Empire. If Anfey could kill archmage Michael, it made sense that people believed Anfey definitely could kill Manstuly no matter how Manstuly argued about it or denied it. Even the wolf druids were pessimistic about it.

In the valley about 40 miles away from Blackwater City, a patrol was walking over the fresh green grass. The spring breeze was warm and the snow on the ground had melted away. The whole plain and hills had put on a new green dress and looked lively.

There was a saying: “It did not seem like work if men could be paired with women to work with.” This patrol was composed of three female elves, four male elves, and four mercenaries. They talked and laughed as they travelled. They were more touring than on a mission. Elves were very proud, especially those three female elves. They were nice to their peers but only exchanged a few conversations with the mercenaries out of courtesy.

When they walked out of the valley, Blackwater River laid in front of their eyes. A male elf, who looked like the leader of this group, raised his voice, “Okay guys, we have to go back after taking a quick tour.”

“The view here is breathtaking,” a female elf said with a smile. On the other side of Blackwater River was an endless prairie, like a pure and clean green carpet. The elves used to live in the forest and had never had the chance to see how grand the prairie could be. They felt so refreshed.

“It would be great if we could stay here forever,” another female elf exclaimed.

The third female elf was not in the mood to appreciate the prairie. Her eyes were fixed on something above her. A man in a white magic gown stood on the tree branch, glaring at them coldly. He had a gigantic ax in his hand and looked at them without any emotion. He seemed to treat everyone like a rock.

“Who are you?” the female elf raised her voice and asked.

The others all turned around to follow her eyes. A swirling ax flying down at them with rushing element currents in waves became their answer. The warm spring breeze became chilly. The freshness of the spring air was replaced by blood.

The element currents disappeared in the blink of an eye. Eleven people in the patrol died before they could do anything about the element currents. They did not even have the chance to send out magical help signals. The power difference between Anfey and themselves was huge.

Anfey quietly watched the blood beads drip from the ax. He looked like he was waiting for something or thinking deeply. After a while, he thought out loud with a frown. “Manstuly, you don’t plan on being a chicken, do you?”

Anfey intensified the element currents on purpose so that Manstuly would sense it since he was only less than forty miles away from Blackwater City from here.

However, within his sensing range, about eight different patrol teams went the opposite direction from him. They all retreated to Blackwater City. Obviously, they were told what to do when they found anything wrong.

Anfey employed the strategy that had been used in the war between the human league and death spirits. This strategy used senior warriors to strike the opponent with their highest flexibility. This strategy looked simple but had many different small variations in it.

Sometimes, an archmage would suddenly show up in the sky above death spirits and leave right away after releasing large-scale destructive magic.

Sometimes, two master swordsmen would be busy killing death spirits and forget about leaving the battle, but they would leave from a suddenly-opened Dimensional Door once necromancers came to help the death spirits. A group of top powers would force the reinforcement necromancers to stay where they were forever with their magic.

Sometimes, a group of top powers attacked the end of the death spirits’ army. When necromancers hurried over to help, those top powers would suddenly fly away before they even reached the end of the army. More top powers would attack the front of the death spirit army. Those necromancers would suddenly realize they fell into those top powers’ trap and would immediately allocate necromancers to help the front of the army. The necromancers sent to help the back of the army would be sent back, but the back of the army got attacked again. Those top powers would employ the Vacuum Time so they could release a few Forbidden Spells with casualty and left without any hurry.

Human wisdom was so powerful that the strategies they developed were varied. They always seemed to be able to have new ideas. Anfey decided not to employ many strategies. He only wanted to lure Manstuly out.

It was risky for Anfey to sneak into White Mountain City. However, it was different than before. Once Anfey had entered the level of Da Dao, he became a saint. Before he reached the level of Da Dao, he was just a human. When he practiced with Suzanna before, he had to try really hard to be her match, but now he could definitely feel he was a lot better than her.

Anfey’s aim was to kill as many senior level druids and elves as possible by himself. He hoped he could run into Manstuly and kill him in the fight. There was another reason that he did not bring Suzanna with him to Blackwater City. It had something to do with his advancement to a Saint.

Anfey wanted to have the supreme power, but he refused to evolve his emotions into the emotionless “Dao” level, which was contradictory to the principle of Da Dao. He did not want to kill the patrol, which had nothing to do with civilization or humanity. It was only because of his laziness and aloofness. Maybe he would only be passionate about a fight if there was someone as good as him. Anfey knew well the reason he had these emotional changes was because of the influence of Dao. He did not think it was right.

People usually did not know what they had until it was gone. Anfey had already had a taste of this. When his parents had been alive, he did not practice hard. The only reason he practiced was that he wanted to impress his friends and classmates. He did not understand how precious it was to have parents urge him to learn every day until his had passed away.

Anfey had Suzanna in his life now. He had been picturing their future. If he could not change his emotions, he would end up as a person with no emotions. He could give up anything in this world, including Suzanna. If this were the case, it would be pointless no matter how powerful he became.

Anfey was terrified of loneliness. It might be because he had been by himself for so long. No one understood what Anfey had to fight against— not only the seductions from women, but also his own heart.

A group of mercenaries, about forty of them, all rode horses and rushed into Anfey’s sensing range. They rode very fast towards Anfey. Their appearance seemed out of nowhere. Other patrols had retreated to the station, which showed the city master’s conservative attitude. The appearance of this group of mercenaries definitely shocked Anfey, especially when there seemed to be no top powers among them that Anfey should pay attention to.

Anfey suddenly remembered something. He took out a paper scroll from his Dimensional ring. There were a dozen faces painted on the scroll. The head of that group of mercenaries was one of the faces. Anfey had gotten very few pieces of information from Blackwater City since Manstuly and elves took control of it, but he still had previous information about Blackwater City. For example, the paintings of Mourtta and Hotchbini’s children.

“Is he the youngest son of Hotchbini, Beach? He came at the right time,” Anfey thought out loud and smiled.

Anfey’s sensing range had already reached dozens of miles now so he had to wait a while for those mercenaries to ride their horses over the hill. Luckily it did not take them too long with the help of the horses. “Ashley, Ashley,” a worried voice suddenly stopped at the Blackwater river. Over forty mercenaries all focused on the bodies lying everywhere on the ground.

“Hi, everybody.” Anfey had to say something to remind them of his existence. He looked up to check the time. “Good afternoon, everyone.”

The mercenary in the front stared at one elf’s body. He jumped off the horse and rushed at Anfey. Luckily, his fellow mercenaries were not that focused. A few mercenaries immediately held him back and then looked at Anfey in alarm.

“You did not kill them, did you?” The mercenary in the front had not noticed Anfey until now. He yelled in anger.

“Are you Beach? Do your parents know you are here?” Anfey asked in a low pitch without answering Beach’s question.

“I asked you if you killed them!” Beach was so furious that he pulled out his sword backhanded.

“Go back and tell Hotchbini.” Anfey pointed at one mercenary. Beach did not answer Anfey. “I know Hotchbini has been busy lately. I do not want to cause any inconvenience for her, but I have no other option. You come at just the right time, don’t you? Help me pass my apology to Hotchbini.”

“I am f*cking asking you. Did you—” Beach’s yelling was interrupted by his peers. The mercenaries stared at the ax in Anfey’s hand. The cut-off limbs everywhere on the ground seemed to be enough evidence to prove what kind of weapon the killer had used. In addition, there was blood on the ax.

A few mercenaries dragged Beach back while more mercenaries pulled their swords out and surrounded Anfey. One mage had already started to chant. A big fireball appeared in the sky and shot at Anfey. One middle-aged mercenary yelled as he rushed towards Anfey: “Protect our lord and leave!”

The vicious-looking big fireball suddenly stopped when Anfey casually waved his hand. The fireball was like a well-behaved basketball and fell in Anfey’s hand. Anfey weighed it and tossed the fireball back at the mage.

The mage almost popped out when he saw this. The next moment, the fireball he released hit him.

“You can only leave with my permission.” Element currents suddenly prevailed around Blackwater river again after Anfey said it.

Anfey stood where he was and watched the sunset. He had always been patient. He had killed Hotchbini’s son and he knew she would want revenge.

He sensed another group of people approaching. This group was even larger than the last group, and Anfey could tell Manstuly was among them.

He still did not move. He was conserving his strength and his power so he could peak when it mattered.

Anfey knew that his plan left no room for failure. He had killed the scouts and Hotchbini’s son because he needed Manstuly to appear personally. He believed that Manstuly knew that as well. Bringing guards and soldiers meant that Manstuly was not confident enough to take on Anfey one on one.

Anfey recalled the story of Jerrofick and Ernest. Jerrofick was once the best swordsmaster in the entire world and was called a genius. However, when Ernest challenged him, he resorted to deception and trickery. Before that, Ernest had once spoken highly of Jerrofick. Ernest knew how to work his way up from the bottom. He dueled with people less powerful than he was because he needed the experience. Putting Jerrofick at the end was a gesture of respect.

Even though Jerrofick had won the duel and ruined Ernest’s reputation, his own skills began regressing as well. Ernest said that it was because he had lost faith in himself and in his sword.

The sound of the enemies was growing closer. Anfey turned and saw two small dark specks appear on a mountain in the distance. Thanks to the Heart of Nature, his senses were much sharper than any human’s. Nothing could escape his detection.

The dark specks were two elves quietly approaching. They were both young and good looking, but one could not guess an elf’s age from the elf’s appearance. Elves were ageless and almost never changed.

The two elves each wore golden chainmail and held a green longbow. They were very agile and fast. The male elf was standing on the cliff and the female was crouching in the grass. Both of them were staring at Anfey and observing him.

Anfey lifted a brow. Clearly, this was Manstuly’s plan. He stretched his body and picked up the axe that was lying on the ground.

It had been centuries since the last chosen one of the Goddess of Nature appeared. During that time, the Heart of Nature was but a relic to the druids. The last chosen one did not say anything about the Heart of Nature in order to protect himself and the Heart of Nature. Because of this, no one knew exactly what the chosen ones were capable of and couldn’t prepare for them.

One of the elves pulled out an green, limp arrow and nocked it. As soon as the arrow touched the bow, it straightened. The elf aimed and released the arrow. The arrow ripped through the air, howling as it flew towards Anfey.

The arrow was very fast and very powerful, but still not enough to harm a top level power.

Anfey frowned. The female elf had released an arrow at the same time as her male companion. The arrow she released was invisible and did not make a single noise. The speed was faster than the green arrow, as well. If Anfey did not have the Heart of Nature, he would not have been able to detect the present of the arrow.

Anfey waved his large axe and the invisible arrow crashed into the axe with a loud boom. Anfey frowned as he wavered, then he jumped up and out of the way of the green arrow. He landed then dashed towards the female elf.

Both elves were clearly very good. The male elf was a very good archer, and he was only responsible for covering for the female elf.

Anfey increased his speed. Loose elements were attracted to him and formed a small storm of elements around him. The grass under his feet was flattened by this elemental storm and the elements obscured his figure, preventing the elves from seeing him clearly. He knew that Manstuly had already transformed himself and was heading his way, but he also knew he was faster.

Seeing that they had been discovered, the two elves gave up hiding as well. The female elf stood up in the grass and did not appear to be worried about being discovered. She wasn’t just an archer. She was skilled with magic, as well. She pulled her bowstring taut and released a beam of green light.

The green light expanded in the wind and became a large net.

Anfey kept running as if he could not see the net. As soon as he touched the net, the net disappeared into thin air. He did not let that bother him and kept decreasing the distance between himself and the elves. Because of the Heart of Nature, no nature magic could hurt him.

The female elf frowned. An arrow made of sapphire appeared in her hand, and she released it. Anfey frowned and waved his axe, hitting the blue arrow.

The axe slammed into the blue arrow and shattering it. The pieces of the blue arrow regrouped and formed into a large wall of ice. Seeing that Anfey was slowed, another arrow appeared in the female elf’s hand and she released the arrow towards him. The arrow flew towards him and turned into a beam of dark light.

The dark light struck the wall of ice and absorbed the ice. However, the female elf could not celebrate her success because she could tell that Anfey had disappeared moments before the arrow hit the ice.

Anfey’s figure flashed and reappeared. The female elf jumped back. She knew that she was no match for him and she needed to get away. Her figure wavered and several illusions appeared, all running in different directions.

If Anfey had not had the Heart of Nature, he would not have been able to tell which was the real elf. However, because of the Heart of Nature, he could do things he would not have been able to do otherwise. He easily found the real elf and chased after her.

He raised his axe, striking the elf. The elf screamed and disappeared, but that did not slow him. He quickly caught up to her again and struck her with his axe. She fell to the ground, limp.

“I told you, Manstuly,” Anfey whispered. “It’s not yet finished.”

By the time Manstuly and his men arrived, Anfey was gone and the only things left were the bodies of the two archers.

“Master, we lost thirty-one elves, five druids and fifty-two mercenaries in total by dusk. The southern town seemed just—” a druid reported.

“F*ck off!” Manstuly yelled in anger.

The druid who had just come in to report to Manstuly trembled with fear. He immediately left the room after Manstuly asked him to f*ck off.

Beside Manstuly, Mourtta and Hotchbini were sitting to the left of him in the room while three male elves sat to the right of him. None of them looked too good.

Mourtta liked to hide his weakness so he always pushed his wife, Hotchbini, in front of him. In fact, he was just as good as Hotchbini. Manstuly was definitely as good as Mourtta and Hotchbini. He was the leader of the wolf druids. The three male elves were the elf pharaohs. They were definitely a group of powerful, intelligent people. However, they did not seem to know how to deal with Anfey when faced with his cruel and bloody killing.

This magical world was different from the civilized world with high technology. In the high-tech and civilized world, each individual’s ability was very limited. Anyone who wanted to make accomplishments needed the collective efforts of others. In this magical world, one person’s power, even though it couldn’t be unlimited, could cause irreversible changes to society. Anfey had only taken one day, by himself, to turn around Blackwater City and make people in Blackwater City worry.

They thought of having a group of top powers surround Anfey, but they did not think it would work since Anfey would not be stupid enough to fight directly against those top powers. On top of already being fast, Anfey could release Instant Transportation. Those top powers would not even be able to chase after him. They thought about setting traps for Anfey, but the tragedy at dusk had proven that would not work either. To prove whether setting traps for Anfey would work had cost the elves a lot.

Katyusha had been the second best Sunset Archer. The Silent Arrow she had always practiced with were not that effective against swordsmen, since they were all very fit. However, whenever she had fought against archmages, her silent archery caused fatal threats to them. The magic arrows she had brought with her were accumulated by elves over time, a few of them senior level magic arrows. With her magic achievements, and the amount of arrows she’d had on her, everyone had thought Katyusha could definitely kill Anfey when she left. They had thought she could hurt Anfey even if she could not kill him. Nobody had thought such a hopeful top power could be killed by Anfey in the blink of an eye. It was a huge blow to them.

“I finally believe there is an heir to the Saints,” the elf pharaoh in the middle asked in a low pitch. “Master Manstuly, what I don’t get is why you still wanted to attack Suzanna if you already knew Anfey’s teacher was a mysterious Saint, and if the legend about Anfey was discovered about a year ago. Isn’t it not wise to make an enemy with a potential Saint?”

“Master Anderson, in fact, it was my idea.” Mourtta smiled bitterly.

“Okay, could you tell me why you did that?” the elf pharaoh asked.

“I do not think there have been any Saints, neither does Master Manstuly,” Mourtta said.

“Are those all your reasons?” the elf pharaoh asked.

“No,” Mourtta shook his head. “Back then, Anfey did not stand out as much as he does now. I worried about his sophisticated plans. He stationed himself in Moramatch Town and seemed to be really interested in the Country of Mercenaries. I thought he would be a problem in the future.”

“That is why we thought we could not let him grow stronger,” Manstuly added. “We had to destroy him.”

“His sophisticated plans?” another elf pharaoh asked. “I do not quite get it.”

“You know about the conflict between Tiger Tawau’s mercenary group and Glory mercenary group, right?” Mourtta asked.

“Yes,” the elf pharaoh said.

“In fact, Glory mercenary and us have been set up all the way from the beginning. We all know Shanteler and Davidson from Glory mercenary group were killed in a conflict, but we did not kill them,” Mourtta said in a low pitch.

“Then who killed them?” the elf pharaoh asked.

“Anfey did,” Mourtta said.

“Anfey?” The elf pharaoh shook his head. “I don’t think so. I have carefully read the report about Anfey. When you had the conflict with Glory mercenary group, Anfey was still pretty weak. Even though Suzanna worked for him, those few young guys would not be able to pose any threats to Shenteler and Davidson. Davidson was a senior swordsman. In addition, Shanteler and Davidson had many guards with them. How could Anfey and Suzanna kill them?”

“I don’t know how Anfey did it either,” Mourtta smiled bitterly, “but I am sure he was part of it.”

“Really?” the elf pharaoh asked.

“If you are interested in it, I can tell you all I know,” Mourtta said in a low pitch. “In fact, from the very beginning, Hotchbini and I felt something was not right, but back then we already had conflict with Glory mercenary group. Later, Shanteler and Davidson were killed. We had to continue the fight with Glory mercenary group even though we knew there was something fishy about it. In addition, we could not explain what happened. Hotchbini explained it to Shanteler. Unfortunately, Shanteler doubted us. Those antsy Glory mercenaries were not patient enough to listen to our explanation after Shanteler was killed. Since the fight had to happen, we had to try our best.”

“After the fight, I did an investigation on it for a long time, but could not figure out what was wrong with it.” Mourtta paused a second before he continued, “But, a person suddenly caught my attention.”

“Anfey?” the elf pharaoh asked.

“Yes,” Mourtta nodded. “He set a trap in Cross Valley and wiped out a Griffin Aerial Unit.”

“Did you suspect him because of that?” the elf pharaoh asked.

“Master Anderson, no one was born a supreme power. First of all, he needs time to grow and there is always a way to trace the growth. Taking Anfey for example. Every time Anfey did something big or showed in public, his power increased significantly more than before.”

“We agree with what you said, but…” Anderson said.

“Master Anderson, bear with me with a long story.” Mourtta heaved a slight sigh. “I am a victim of Anfey so I know better than anyone else. The setup he had for Glory mercenary group and me was so well and cruelly planned that I could not fight back even though I knew I fell in traps. This is the characteristics of Anfey. When Anfey gained his fame by wiping out a Griffin Aerial Unit, I felt there was similarity between those two events. I just wanted to give a try so I targeted Anfey and did an investigation on him. I did find out a lot of information about him.”

“What did you find out?” Anderson asked.

“Before Shanteler and Davidson were killed, Anfey and his fellows came to Blackwater City and stayed in a hotel, named Tuna Hotel. Anfey seemed to be very active and always came home late at night. What was he busy with? The main reason Glory mercenary group and us had the conflict was because a younger brother of Davidson was killed at a mercenary’s home. Davidson said it was my mercenary. When I did the investigation, I found someone saw a beautiful swordswoman with black hair and black eyes and a young mage on the street that day. Later, I found a painter and a few people who had seen Suzanna before. I asked that painter to draw Suzanna and showed it to the people who saw them. They were sure the girl they saw was Suzanna. Was it just a coincident?” Mourtta said in a low pitch.

“Besides, Anfey is a student of Saul’s. His luck did not seem to be too good. He ran into trouble a couple of times in the Maho Empire. What surprised me was Yolanther’s attitude towards Anfey. He never punished him for his mistakes but always rewarded him for any achievements he made. There is no point for me to talk about what kind of person Yolanther is. The key is: why did he liked Anfey so much? Could it only be he is a student of Saul? Could it only be he showed his talent?” Mourtta asked in a low pitch.

The three elf pharaohs fell into silence. Mourtta had made it very clear. If they continued to doubt Mourtta’s judgement, it would be no different than doubting their own intelligence. Yolanther had been ambitious of making the whole Pan Continent concur. What kind of people would Yolanther think important? It seemed to be self-explanatory.

“I have an idea.” An elf pharaoh suddenly looked very excited and proud.

“What is it?” Everyone got interested in it.

“Anfey has been an ally with Glory mercenary group, but he is an assassinator,” the elf pharaoh said with a smile. “Anthony has treated Shanteler and Davidson as his own brothers. If we tell him that Anfey actually killed Shanteler and Davidson, hehehe, do you think Anthony would forgive Anfey?”

This was a good idea. Manstuly, Hotchbini and few others all looked excited. Only Mourtta shook his head without any excitement, “It would not work.”

“Why not?” the elf pharaoh asked.

“Would Anthony think we are trustworthy? Besides, we do not have enough evidence to prove Anfey killed them,” Mourtta said with a bitter smile.

“We have to give it a try,” Hotchbini said in a low pitch. Her eyes were red. She had three sons killed by Anfey so far. She tried to control her emotions in front of the others, but she had cried many times by herself. She knew Mourtta shed his tears as well. Unfortunately, the path to the throne was always thorny. They could not turn around now, not even stay where they were. They had to continue on that path no matter how much it would cost them, even if the few sons they had now could be killed in the war.

Anfey sat next to a large boulder, staring at the bonfire in front of him and the sausage on the bonfire. In the distance, the sun was already rising.

Anfey wasn’t hungry and he didn’t need to eat as often as he used to because of the Heart of Nature, but he also enjoyed the process of cooking and eating and did not mind making a small meal for himself.

Seeing that the sausage was cooked, Anfey took it off of the fire. Suddenly, a strange wind blade appeared near him. Usually, a wind blade is slim and long and gleamed with a dark blue color. Under normal circumstances, mages wouldn’t change the shape of a wind blade because it was difficult and pointless. Anfey waved his hand and the wind blade began chopping the sausage into smaller slices. Although Anfey didn’t need to eat as often, he still felt the process of eating was an integral part of being human.

He popped a slice of sausage into his mouth. Suddenly, he detected about a dozen riders approaching. They were walking and stopping as if they were searching for something. Anfey retrieved his bow and released an arrow into the sky.

A few minutes later, a group of soldiers appeared. They hurried towards Anfey’s bonfire and jumped off of their horses. “Sir,” the leader said, nodding at Anfey. Anfey nodded when he recognized Robert, the Ranger who had been negotiating with him.

“What are you doing here, Robert?” Anfey asked.

“You once told me that you do not have a good weapon,” Robert said. He held up a sword and said, This is the holy sword left to us by our ancestors. We hope you can have it.”

“Holy sword?”

“Have you heard of the Sword of the Pioneer?”

“Sword of the Pioneer?” Anfey repeated, his eyes widening. “Isn’t that hidden in Swordbury?”

“That hasn’t been the case for a long time,” Robert said. “My ancestors once guarded Swordbury and switched out the real sword with a fake. That is why kings of Maho Empire never take it out of the principality.”

“Even Christian doesn’t know much about it,” Anfey said. “How did you ancestors manage to switch the swords?”

“They got the sword out, but couldn’t get out themselves,” Robert said, shaking his head. “We lost contact with them after they smuggled the sword out.”

“Still,” Anfey said, “a very impressive feat. You’ve been active for so long yet no one detected your presence… I don’t think I could have managed that.”

“You flatter me, sir,” Robert said with a smile. “This world is too complicated, situations are often too murky. We must be strong in order to survive. Of course, our lives will be much more difficult from now on.” Robert knew better than anyone how many different centers of power existed in the world. The empires were powerful, but so were the Church, the elves, and the druids. Now the necromancers were slowly becoming a part of the power web as well. Who knew what would happen after that?

“Don’t worry,” Anfey said with a smile. He knew exactly what Robert was concerned about. “I will do everything in my power to protect you.”

“We are lucky to know you,” Robert said, smiling.

“No,” Anfey said, shaking his head. “I am the lucky one. That comment about weapons is just something I mentioned in passing. I can’t believe you remembered it.” Anfey smiled at Robert as he put the sword into his dimensional ring. He was very curious about the sword, but he had to keep himself composed. He would inspect it later when he was alone.

“Anything, sir,” Robert said.

Anfey and Robert left the rest of the Rangers to talk because they wanted to make sure their conversation stayed between the two of them. Anfey was interested in the Rangers, and the Rangers were interested in Anfey. After Minos sent his servants away, some of the servants lost touch with each other, which was why the Rangers were shrinking in number. The Rangers were interested in Anfey because they believed his teacher might have been one of them. The last known supreme power was Minos, but even Minos became a supreme power with the aid of the Wheel of Fortune, just like the Heart of Nature had made Anfey into a top level power.

Anfey recalled the labyrinth in Violet City and remembered that there were a lot of pentagrams carved into the walls. He drew the pentagram by memory and show it to Robert. Immediately upon seeing the pentagram, Robert’s eyes filled with tears.

The pentagram was the symbol of Minos. Very few knew about the symbols, even among the Rangers. Robert knew that Anfey must have known a Ranger.

“Robert, did you come all this way to give me the sword?” Anfey asked.

Robert sighed. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s something else, but…”

“Tell me,” Anfey said. “Don’t hold back.”

Robert nodded. “After the rebellion in Gruce Principality, King Darius escaped to Ellisen Empire. He was discovered, and he’s on his way back to Gruce Principality. He will arrive at Blackwater City in a week.”

“What?” Anfey asked, his eyes widening. He rarely lost his composure, but Darius was different. He was the father of Suzanna and Shally. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Robert said. “There is something… I’m not sure if I should say it.”

“Tell me.”

“I know Darius,” Robert said. “He is a horrible person. We cannot let him get to Blackwater City. We can’t save him, either. If we do, it may damage our reputation.” Robert raised his hand and dragged a finger across his neck. “This is the easiest plan. My men are already positioned and ready.”

Anfey frowned and did not say anything. He knew that Darius was a very hated man in his own nation, which made overthrowing him very easy. Trajan may have a careful plan, but it still would’ve been harder if Darius was a good ruler.

This was the first time Anfey faced a difficult decision. He knew that it was necessary to kill Darius, but Darius was still the father of his wife. If Anfey killed Darius, what would he tell Suzanna? Should he tell her about it, or should he keep her in the dark?