NOVPUB
Chapter 97: 005: Stir up some trouble
Order.
That is the greatest difference between the White Witch Domain and the Black Witch Domain.
The lands ruled by White Wizards are always orderly, with reliable and secure laws to rely on. Even the weak can receive good protection here without worrying about dying inexplicably.
But the Black Witch Domain is just like this—no order, no rules. Everything is dictated by strength; as long as you’re strong enough, you can kill, burn, plunder, or commit atrocities without consequence.
Because of this, the White Witch Domain has always thrived and prospered.
Meanwhile, the Black Witch Domain is like a diseased plant—slowly wilting, decaying, until it eventually succumbs to death.
The journey continued.
As the two delved deeper into the town, Lynch noticed some subtle glances falling upon them sporadically, or rather, falling upon Avery specifically.
Murmured discussions followed those glances.
"What a gorgeous girl."
"I’ve never seen her before... Is she new here?"
"This kind of girl would absolutely be the top draw at a brothel. I’m willing to spend ten copper coins... no, twenty copper coins for just one night!"
Lynch furrowed his brow.
After several weeks of treatment, Avery’s body had basically returned to its former state. Her angelic beauty stood out starkly on these chaotic, fishy-smelling streets.
Lynch turned his head and asked, "Do you want to cover up a little?"
Avery replied, "Are you afraid?"
Lynch said, "I’m afraid of trouble."
Avery smiled faintly and said casually, "Well, that’s unfortunate. I’m here looking for trouble."
Seeing this, Lynch said nothing more. After spending some time together, he’d come to understand this woman fairly well. She didn’t do meaningless things without reason—she undoubtedly had her motives for this.
As Lynch pondered, a man wearing an iron helmet and carrying a double-edged axe stepped forward with a group of cronies, blocking their path.
The iron-helmeted man slung the axe over his shoulder and asked Lynch, "Your woman?"
Lynch glanced at Avery, who remained silent, so he responded, "Yes."
The iron helmet tossed a copper coin to the ground and said bluntly, "I’m buying her!"
Lynch didn’t respond, trying to gauge Avery’s reaction.
"Haha!"
The iron helmet burst into laughter and leered as he reached out to grab Avery: "Baby girl, come back with me. I’ll treat you real nice!"
Avery’s face remained expressionless, yet a wave of spiritual energy rippled imperceptibly—a clear sign that a spell was about to be cast.
But at that very moment, Avery’s Spiritual Field suddenly faltered, and the spiritual circuit she had just begun to establish abruptly cut off.
Her expression changed drastically, clearly unprepared for this.
Meanwhile, the iron helmet’s hand reached over, aiming directly for Avery’s chest.
At the critical moment, a hand caught the iron helmet’s filthy paw.
Lynch turned to Avery and said, "What kind of nonsense are you up to now?"
Avery gave an embarrassed chuckle. "My Spiritual Field seems to have encountered a hiccup—almost backfired on me there."
Lynch frowned. "I meant, what exactly are you trying to achieve here?"
Avery replied, "I’ll explain in detail later. For now, cause some chaos for me."
Meanwhile, the iron helmet, whose hand was firmly gripped by Lynch, grew increasingly agitated. He tried several times to free himself from Lynch’s grasp but failed each time.
Infuriated, he shouted, "You little—"
Before he could finish, Lynch casually flung him aside. With a loud crash, the iron helmet smashed into a barrel by the roadside, shattering it completely.
"Damn... damn it!"
The iron helmet climbed to his feet with a furious roar, lowering his visor and raising his axe with both hands. "Kill him!"
With that, he and his cronies charged at Lynch.
Lynch’s face remained emotionless.
They were just ordinary people with no real martial skill. He didn’t even bother to draw his weapon, choosing instead to fight them barehanded.
His mastery of basic Fighting Skill had long since reached its maximum level, and his recent study of Direct Death Without Advance incorporated some unarmed combat techniques. Unleashing these moves was more than enough to overwhelm such rabble.
A few punches, and the group was laid low, moaning in pain as their fractured bones left them sprawled across the ground.
However, Avery seemed unsatisfied with this outcome.
She frowned and said, "Do you really think you’re a knight now? Use your actual power!"
Lynch was about to respond when a brash voice suddenly echoed across the street: "Well, well, well! Causing trouble in Black Rock Town, eh? New faces—pretty bold of you!"
A group of men appeared from the far end of the street.
It was clear that their stature was far greater than that of the rest of the townsfolk. They wore uniformly refined leather armor, all armed with Cross Swords, exuding a murderous aura that demanded attention.
"The Holy Sword gang has arrived."
"That kid’s in trouble, running into the Holy Sword gang."
"And the girl... what a waste..."
Whispering erupted among the crowd, realizing these were people not to be trifled with. Even the previously smug iron helmet hurriedly scrambled up, dragging his battered cronies to retreat.
In an instant, the street cleared, leaving an empty circle in the center.
The leader of the gang approached. His gaze never left Avery, and he boldly declared, "Leave the woman, and you can go."
Talk about audacious...
Lynch offered Avery a questioning look.
Avery stated firmly, "One head, one thousand Magic Stones."
Well then.
Lynch wasn’t fond of needless bloodshed, but these men... killing or sparing them didn’t seem to make a difference.
So he decisively stepped forward, raising a hand to the sky.
"Whrrr!~" The sound of rushing wind roared.
Suddenly, a storm whipped up.
"What... what’s going on?"
"Where’s this wind coming from?"
"I’ve got sand in my eyes!"
The gale swirled up countless particles of dust and sand, throwing hair and clothes into disarray and inciting turmoil.
Before anyone could process what was happening, the sky darkened. A massive cloud, spanning over ten meters in diameter, inexplicably appeared overhead.
Faces paled.
The leader of the gang, once belligerent, turned ghostly pale.
"Run!"
Without hesitation, he bolted.
But...
Could he escape?
Beneath the ominous cloud, Lynch stood tall, his cloak billowing wildly in the wind. His outstretched right hand pointed skyward, appearing to manipulate the cloud’s swirling movements.
Aiming at the gang ahead, he abruptly slashed his hand downward.
"Zap—BOOM!"
A bolt of purple lightning descended from above, slamming into the heart of the gang and exploding outward like countless savage violet beasts, ravenously tearing into their ranks.
The gang didn’t even have a chance to scream. They dropped like flies, scorched black and smoldering like burnt corpses.
The once-lively street fell eerily silent.
Terrified, the remaining townsfolk stared at Lynch and Avery, their gaze devoid of prior mockery or greed—only imprinted with bone-deep fear and awe.
"Tran... Transcendent!"
"Wizard! He’s a Wizard!"
"Mercy, Wizard Master! Please spare us!"
"Spare us!"
In a chaotic rush, they all fell to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the earth, pale-faced and trembling violently.
Lynch paid them no mind. He simply counted the ’corpses’ on the ground.
One... Two... Sixteen... Eighteen... Twenty-three...
Hah, one spell netted 23 thousand Magic Stones. He’d never realized Magic Stones could be earned so easily.
Avery said, "Let’s go. Find somewhere to eat first."
The two headed to a nearby eatery, casually ordering food and beginning to eat.
But halfway through their meal, noises of unrest and chaos erupted outside in the street.
Lynch glanced out the window and saw the townsfolk fleeing in panic. Shops hurriedly shut their doors and left their merchandise behind.
In just a minute or two, the once-bustling street emptied entirely, falling deathly quiet.
"I... I’m done with business! You two, leave now!"
The shopkeeper rushed out, pale-faced, attempting to drive Lynch and Avery away.
Avery replied calmly, "We haven’t finished eating."
"You want to die, huh?!"
The shopkeeper snapped, then retreated to the backyard without further argument.
The whole town became eerily silent, leaving only Lynch and Avery like specters in a ghost town.
"La la, la la, la la!"
As Lynch pondered the situation, the melody of a violin echoed.
From down the street, a procession moved closer.
About twenty figures marched, each clad in brilliant silver full-body armor, holding knight spears and Cross Swords. Mounted upon tall horses, they exuded a powerful, commanding presence.
But none of them were alive. They were corpses, their muscles dried and blackened like overcured meat.
Even their steeds were skeletal warhorses, gleaming white and eerie.
At the center of the procession was a wide, ornate carriage flanked by six towering skeletal horses ablaze with vivid blue Soul Flame, burning fiercely with unrestrained dominance.
A skeleton dressed in a finely tailored suit stood atop the carriage, elegantly absorbed in playing a violin—the source of the music.
The eerie caravan marched through the barren streets, halting before Lynch and Avery’s eatery just as the violin’s crescendo peaked.
The skeletal musician concluded its performance and leapt gracefully down from the carriage.
Facing Lynch and Avery, it bent low, gesturing elegantly with its right hand. "Representing the esteemed Count William Heim, Master of the Black Rock Territory."
Then, without room for argument, it said, "The Count requests your presence."
