324 The Deal

If there was anybody feeling more perplexed by the situation than Lin Li, it would have to be Sienna…

Sienna felt his legs turn to jelly at the thought of the thousands of Skeletal Warriors. He would have left this place as soon as he could, as far away as he could get from these Undead creatures. However, he knew very well that not only could he not leave this place, he would have to lead his men into the eerie ruins of the town as well. Well, he did accept Miss Yvonne's payment…

That was 50,000 gold coins worth of deposit—she could have easily hired the best Adventurer in the whole of Roland City with so much money. When he accepted the mission, he had secretly been celebrating, thinking that he had stumbled upon an easy mission, one that could easily earn him so much money at that.

Only now did Sienna know that he had actually stumbled upon something else…

He did not know if he would be able to receive the remaining payment of 15,000 gold coins, but the most important question was whether he and his men would make it back alive to Roland City. Damn it, to think that there would be so many Undead creatures hiding in the ruins of Syer Town. It would be a most difficult task for him and his men to save someone from this place.

He had already witnessed the ability of these Skeletal Warriors. It was safe to say that they were only slightly trumped by Roland City's army in terms of agility. There were thousands of Skeletal Warriors, which meant they would have to go against thousands of soldiers—for 30 Adventurers to fight against such an army, it was like trying to break a rock with a stone.

Sienna looked at the bell tower in the distance, and then at the castellan's missus, who stared at him, and felt a headache coming. Barging in blindly was out of question since he had no idea what other monsters could be hiding there, and he could not abandon the mission, either, since it was already clearly written in the files that he had accepted Miss Yvonne's payment. If he dared make a run for it, he could bid farewell to his career as an Adventurer since nobody would even hire him for menial tasks in future.

"Mr Jason…" Sienna could not help looking to Jason for help after much pondering. "Can I have a word with you?"

Honestly, Sienna had no one else to turn to for help. While he and his men were the largest group here, they were no match for Jason and his companions. Jason was a level-15 Warrior who was the top adventurer in Doland, and his companions were all level-15 too. A group as strong as theirs would be hard to come by in the Breezy Plains, not to mention that they had the incredibly powerful Norfeller, who had killed the Ice Howler with his bare hands. Sienna thought that Norfeller was much stronger than Jason, so if he could get their help, they might stand a bit of chance facing their mission after all.

Sienna could not be bothered whether he was endangering them by asking for their help, since he was standing at the edge of a cliff himself. How would he have time to care about others?

"Well…" Jason looked around him and at his employer standing in the distance before nodding his head reluctantly. "Alright…"

Everyone was minding their own business after the fight, and nobody noticed the two of them creeping away to the decaying barrow to make a deal…

"Let me think about it…"

"Sure, sure…" Sienna's voice was filled with anxiety and trepidation.

Jason frowned as he weighed his options.

Frankly speaking, Sienna's offer had very good terms: a reward of 10,000 gold coins in exchange for their help, and it was paid on the spot. Even if the mission was not completed, he would still get to keep the payment, and most importantly, Sienna promised him that he could leave with his companions without regard for Sienna and his men if they met with any unexpected danger.

This meant that the 10,000 gold coins were as good as his if he accepted it; there was no reason for him not to accept the offer.

Jason hesitated a bit before making a decision. However, he wanted to leave an alternative for himself, and thus did not agree right away. "Well, Mr Sienna, as you can see, Mage Felic makes the decisions in our group. I'll tell him what you proposed, but I cannot guarantee he will accept your offer…"

"Of course, of course, as long as you're willing to speak for us, we would be beyond grateful." While Sienna thanked him, he could not help cursing him in his mind. Damn this hypocrite, "Mage Felic makes the decision in our group?" Whom are you kidding? He's as cowardly as a mouse, how could he possibly lead Adventurers like you and your companions? Besides, all he does is hide away in his tent, anybody can tell he has no experience with the life of an Adventurer. You say he's your employer, but he does nothing at all. Isn't it you who calls the shots? You can fool others with this, but there's no use doing it in front of me…

Jason returned to the camping ground nonchalantly, and found Lin Li, who was meditating. "Mage Felic, I have something to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"Well, you see, Mage Felic, Sienna just told me that they will be heading to the ruins in half an hour to rescue Miss Yvonne's brother, and after thinking about it, I thought that it will be a great chance for us to head inside with the protection of 30 Adventurers. Why don't we go in with them since it will be easier for us with their help?"

"Is that it…?" Lin Li glanced at Jason cynically. To be honest, he would go in with the mercenary corps even if Jason did not mention it. He had also intended to help them if he could since he would have future dealings with the castellan of Roland City anyway; wouldn't it be awkward for him to face the castellan's daughter if he didn't help them today?

However, this did not mean that Jason could have agreed on his behalf.

Sienna and Jason thought that nobody knew they had left. Unfortunately, Jason did not know that when a mage went into a state of meditation, his senses became incredibly sensitive—even more so for someone with almost unlimited mental strength like Lin Li. Once he went into a state of meditation, his strong mental strength would take over his senses—in other words, Lin Li used his mental strength to connect with the world then. In that state, he would become all-knowing, and could even hear the roars of magical beasts in the Dragon Mountains as well as the chanting of spells from the bell tower. Given that he could hear all that, Sienna and Jason sounded as if they had been speaking right next to his ear…

It seemed like he had been way too nice these past few days, and now Jason thought he was a pushover. He could tolerate the fact that Jason had decided on his own to travel with the mercenary corps, but for him to accept the 10,000 gold coins as reward in exchange for their safety, Lin Li could not accept that. The only reason he did not lose his temper was because the time was not right yet. He would have to discuss this issue with Jason at another time and place…

"We can go with them, but, Jason, I have to tell you this: as far as I know, there are hidden dangers in Syer Town, and if you spare too much thought caring for your companions, you may not be able to guarantee your own safety…"

"Alright, Mage Felic, I'll be careful."

Jason heaved a sigh of relief after gaining Lin Li's approval. He had the 10,000 gold coins now, what danger could there be? In Jason's eyes, there was nothing more dangerous there than the Skeletal Warriors, and while he had no idea where they came from, he was not afraid of them. Having fought them previously, he was aware that while he could not exterminate them all, he more than capable of fending them off long enough to guarantee his escape. Furthermore, Sienna had given him his word that he could leave with his companions if they met any danger.

"Alright then, you can go tell Sienna that we'll leave in half an hour."

Half an hour went by in the blink of an eye. The mercenary corps gathered and set off towards the eerie long street.

It was strange that they had not met a single Undead creature after walking for over 10 minutes. They had originally thought that the place would be filled with dangers, but it was unusually quiet, with nothing but the suffocating stench of decay surrounding them. It looked like any other ruins, and Sienna could not help thinking that all the Undead creatures in the town had been summoned during the fight, which was why there was none now.

Sienna could not help regretting his decision when he thought of this. If he had known earlier, he would not have asked Jason for help. Not only had he lost 10,000 gold coins, he also owed him a big favor, and the worst thing of all was he would have to share the credit of rescuing Young Master Cyndor if they did manage to do so.

Soon, however, Sienna's regret turned into joy.

As the town square of Syer Town came into view after the group walked through the long street, a swish could be heard coming from one of the precariously shaking houses. Then, a strong stench of decay started spreading nearby, and before Sienna understood what happened, a loud cry could be heard from Jason as the rune's adamantine sword slashed with a blinding light…

"Whoosh!"

The strong Combat Energy from the sword tore open the doors of the house, and before anyone could react, a black puff of smoke rushed into the air, accompanied by a piercing cry.

"My God…" Sienna covered his mouth as his eyes were filled with disbelief. He clearly saw a large bat fly into the sky amidst the fog under the light of the sword. The blurry outline of its body seemed to meld with the fog; it looked terrifying in the dark with its long fangs and blood-red eyes.

Jason gripped the rune's adamantine sword in his hand as he stared fixedly at the monster in front of him. He knew it was a true Vampire, a level-15 Undead creature. Vampires were creatures of the dark, and once they had the cover thereof, even the best of Bandits might not be able to detect their whereabouts.

Jason felt his heart turn cold when he thought of this. Thankfully, he had heard the sound…

If not for that faint sound, he would not have dared imagine what would happen then. If a Vampire launched an attack from the dark, even someone as strong as level-17 might not survive it.

Of course, that was another matter.

After losing the cover of the dark, the Vampire was like a fish out of water as it had lost its natural protection. Its strength was no more than an average Undead creature's now, and since his companions were all level-15 as well, coupled with the fact that he had the rune's adamantine sword, it was only a matter of time before they killed it.

"Unfortunately for you, you've got terrible luck." Jason smiled confidently as the rune's adamantine sword shone brightly again.

"Jason is much too careless…" Lin Li paid no heed to the fight that they would surely win. After taking a look at the house that had nearly toppled due to Jason's attack, he hesitated for a while before silently calling over Norfeller. "Norfeller, go and settle the rest of the problem for him."

"Yes."

"Right, Norfeller…" The high-ranking Vampire was just about to leave when Lin Li suddenly recalled something. "Are they… are they your kind as well?"

"Not really, they are not pure-blooded, and are merely subsidiary creatures." After giving a rare explanation of more than a couple of words, Norfeller disappeared into a black puff of smoke before Lin Li's eyes.

Jason was right. Having lost the protection of the dark, the Vampire was not much stronger than any other Undead creature at the same level. With the Holy Light of the Priest at their disposal, it was even more suppressed, and Jason was able to wield his rune's adamantine sword with Combat Energy effortlessly. Furthermore, the mousy-looking Bandit who hid in the dark was like a venomous snake as he dealt a lethal blow from the dark. It was only a moment before the level-15 Vampire fell under their consecutive blows.

"Amazing, Mr Jason is the strongest adventurer in Doland indeed…" As Jason tore through the Vampire with his sword, Sienna hurried to give his praises.

Everybody loved praises, and Jason was no exception. He could not help the smile as he listened to Sienna singing his compliments, and only replied with false humility. "You're too kind Mr Sienna, I'm just lucky…"

"Haha, Mr Jason is humble indeed."

The two of them were going back and forth before a faint noise came from the house, and Jason turned around shocked before he saw blood splatter…

Then, he saw the back-cloaked Norfeller walking out slowly.

Jason's face paled. He was drenched in cold sweat as he could clearly see two corpses lying behind Norfeller. The same bodies that looked like they were made out of black fog, the same long fangs and blood-red eyes…

Once he saw this, he naturally understood everything.

No wonder it had all been such a coincidence—it'd been a carefully laid trap. One of the Vampires had made a sound to attract their attention, while the other two hid in the dark, waiting to deal a lethal blow when they were engaged in a fight.

If Norfeller had not helped them in time, Jason would have become food for the three Vampires, yet he was laughing about his luck…

"Thank… thank you, Mr Norfeller."

Jason thanked him repeatedly with a pale face, but Norfeller seemed not to hear it as he wiped the blood on his nails without any expression and quietly returned to stand behind Lin Li.

Jason did not mind Norfeller's indifference, and only smiled before forgetting about his embarrassment. Norfeller had been like this the whole journey, and Jason thought that this was befitting a powerful individual like him anyway. He was able to kill the Ice Howler with his bare hands and kill two Vampires in a flash—with such capabilities, nobody would fault him for being cold and proud, for he had good enough reasons to.

Or what? Should he smile like a hawker as his useless employer did?

The attack of the three Vampires had only been a small interlude. The group continued walking to the town square of Syer Town after dealing with them.

The eerie bell tower was on the other side of the square; they could clearly see black fog shrouding the bell tower from where they stood.

"Such strong death aura…" Lin Li stood a distance in front of the bell tower as he frowned unconsciously. The intense death aura made him slightly breathless. In his opinion, it was probably stronger than the death aura when he'd encountered the Lich in the Shadowglen.

Just as Lin Li was secretly taken aback, a hoarse voice could be heard coming from within the bell tower. It was not a clear voice, but everybody in the square heard it very well.

"Welcome, my guests from afar!"