Gariluo rushed anxiously from the mercenary guild to the caravan's encampment, disregarding the city lord's decree that no one was allowed to ride horses wildly within the city. He knocked over countless stalls along the way, leaving behind a message, "Go to the Beros caravan encampment to collect compensation," and continued his mad dash.
The sudden death of the level four swordsman Soros had too great an impact, not just on the mercenary guild but also on the caravan itself, which would suffer a blow. Many outgoing caravans would be postponed and rescheduled. Even a day's delay meant a continuous flow of gold coins being spent, all of which he had to handle.
Gariluo, who was in a mad dash, did not notice a figure following him at a moderate distance. This person was none other than Li Xi's shadow clone, left behind in Cadu City.
As Gariluo passed through a secluded section of the road, Li Xi's shadow clone suddenly appeared behind him. Before Gariluo could even react, a chop to the back of his head with a hand blade sent him unconscious without a sound.
When Gariluo woke up again, he found himself tied up in a dilapidated room, facing a man whose face was covered by a black scarf, revealing only his eyes.
Gariluo's first reaction was that he had been kidnapped. He remained unfazed, "I am Gariluo, the captain of the Beros caravan in Cadu City. If you're after money, just name your price, and I will satisfy you. Furthermore, I will not pursue this matter afterward, consider it me making a friend."
Li Xi's shadow clone, seeing his composed demeanor, marveled, "As expected of a captain of a major caravan. In my past life, this would be akin to a manager of a listed company, calm and collected, with excellent adaptability."
"I don't want money, nor do I want your life. I just need to ask you a few questions. Answer them truthfully, and I promise not to harm a single hair on your head."
"If you refuse to speak..."
Li Xi picked up the sword at Gariluo's waist, clamped it between two fingers, and snapped it into pieces as easily as breaking chopsticks.
Gariluo's calm expression immediately turned flustered. While he wasn't a powerful professional, he had spent a fortune to reach level three. This sword was painstakingly crafted by a renowned master, and even a level four professional couldn't scratch it. Yet, it was now easily broken into smithereens.
He subconsciously swallowed hard, forcing a strained, awkward smile. "Please, ask. As long as it's not particularly confidential commercial information, I guarantee I will tell you everything I know, without reservation."
"I heard that your caravan's guest elder, Soros, is dead?"
"Yes, we discovered it today," Gariluo nodded frantically. The tension in his heart relaxed. He wasn't being asked about caravan secrets; he could talk about anything. Soros's death had already become widespread gossip, known to too many people to be considered a secret.
"How can you be so sure that the deceased is Soros?"
"Elder Guest Elder Soros was always amiable and never looked down on us due to his status, so we knew many details about his physical appearance. Furthermore, we also found many of his personal belongings next to his body. More importantly, although the corpse was already decomposed, we could still recognize that it was Elder Soros himself."
Li Xi nodded and continued, "How long do you estimate Soros has been dead?"
"About half a month, no more than a day's difference."
"So sure?"
Speaking of this, Gariluo proudly puffed out his chest, but immediately realized the current situation was inappropriate and lowered his head with a fawning smile. "You may not know this, but many of our caravan brothers have unique skills, including forensic examination. Even the city lord's mansion sometimes requires our assistance. It is precisely because of these skills that we were able to accurately determine that the corpse was Elder Soros."
"Did the former Soros have any peculiar actions or habits?"
Gariluo thought carefully and replied, "Elder Soros was obsessed with martial arts. When he wasn't on missions, he would be practicing at home. If there's anything, it's that Elder Soros liked to have a drink or two from time to time. And he didn't drink fine wine, but ordinary wheat wine from the tavern. Other than that, there was nothing else."
"Why do you say such an action is peculiar? Isn't it normal for a man to have a couple of drinks?"
"Having a couple of drinks is normal, but with Elder Soros's monthly salary and the extra income from missions, he could drink anything he wanted. There was no need for him to go to a noisy place like a tavern."
"A noisy tavern? Then which tavern did he frequent?"
Gariluo frankly replied, "The tavern at 3 Maple Leaf Street. It's not a high-class establishment; it's just a place ordinary people like to go. I've never been there myself; I only know from what others have said."
Hearing the familiar tavern, Li Xi recalled the man hiding in the corner with his face obscured. Now, in comparison, that person was likely also a Night Walker, like Soros, who, out of professional habit, always hid himself in places where sunlight could not reach.
Li Xi mused to himself, "So, what that person was investigating back then wasn't the death of Delabonte, but whether their plundering of civilians and sacrificing to evil gods had been exposed."
While Li Xi was interrogating Gariluo, in the basement of the tavern at 3 Maple Leaf Street, a hoarse voice exclaimed in exasperation, "Idiot! A level five Night Walker and a level six Deep Sea Cold Dragon both failed? What was he eating? Swine, earthworm, a waste of air!"
A man wearing a standing-collar trench coat stood silently by, listening intently.
He only stopped his tirade after the hoarse-voiced old man began to run out of steam.
Then, after a long pause, he said to the man in the trench coat, "Because of his exposure, we have to activate the backup plan. Go and prepare."
The man in the trench coat, upon hearing about the backup plan, looked in astonishment towards the darkness but could see nothing.
A level five Night Walker and a level six Deep Sea Cold Dragon had ambushed and died. This indicated that the opponent was exceptionally powerful. To act rashly before understanding the opponent, any accident would be a devastating blow to them. He wanted to protest, but not a word was spoken. With a helpless bow, he accepted the order.
...
Li Xi was unaware of the turmoil in Cadu City. He was constantly tracking Ai Si's location through his shadow clone. Although Ai Si was a rank B mercenary and a priestess of the God of Mercenaries, it did not change the fact that she was essentially a fragile mage. Without the protection of warriors, she was easily susceptible to close-range ambushes.
Such a fragile mage could even be taken down by a child with a weapon if they got too close.
This had nothing to do with levels or strength, but solely with combat experience. A giant without combat experience might be toppled by a groundhog, and a goblin with combat experience might even slay a Sword Saint. Although such things had never happened, the possibility could not be denied.
Mages, when venturing out, were usually accompanied by entourages, with at least one combat unit protecting them. This allowed mages to maximize their potential as artillery. Without protection, except for a few exceptionally experienced battle mages, most mages lacked close-quarters combat experience. This was because casting spells required undivided attention, without the slightest lapse or distraction. Multitasking in close combat could lead to magic backlash, resulting in death or severe injury and incapacitation.
A disabled mage was less useful than a beggar.
"This silly girl,"
Li Xi muttered, but his heart was filled with joy. This indicated that the God of Love was beckoning him, and their relationship had taken a significant step forward.
Li Xi could wait no longer. He pushed his speed to its limit, creating a trail of vapor in the sky that many on the ground could see.
Three hours later, Li Xi finally arrived above Ai Si. The tall, golden-haired beauty was currently engaged in a speed battle with a level three magical beast.
Not wanting to waste time, Ai Si did not stop upon discovering the magical beast, her sole intention being to find Li Xi. As Li Xi had predicted, the fragile mage was caught off guard by the magical beast's close proximity.
Ai Si, relying on the speed of her hybrid warhorse, was barely managing to hold on. However, she had no time to chant powerful spells and could only use some inconsequential minor magic attacks on the level three magical beast. It was a strenuous effort. Furthermore, priestesses, strictly speaking, were not mages; they were merely clerics who could wield divine arts, possessing even fewer combat methods. When fighting alone, a large part of their abilities could not be utilized.
Seeing this, Li Xi lost patience with waiting for a last-minute hero rescue. He dived straight down from the sky. As he neared the ground, he retracted his dragon transformation features and, with a powerful downward kick, shattered the level three Spotted Tiger Porpoise into countless pieces, leaving no doubt of its demise.
Ai Si, seeing Li Xi descending from the sky, could hardly believe her eyes. She had come out prepared to believe Li Xi was dead, only to encounter him upon her departure and to be rescued by him in her most dangerous, difficult, and helpless moment.
Forgetting the danger she had just faced, her eyes welled up with tears as she threw herself into Li Xi's arms, "I thought I would never see you again."
Then followed a torrent of tears, like the continuous rain of the southern rainy season.
While crying, she recounted to Li Xi that the Soros who had accompanied him on the mission was a fake, replaced by someone else, and was undoubtedly plotting against Li Xi. She also chided Li Xi for not listening to her and insisting on taking on this mission.
Li Xi could only listen and feel Ai Si's concern while also explaining to her that after the mission was completed, Soros had indeed harbored ill intentions and attacked him. Fortunately, he was saved by Lord Mourinho, who happened to pass by. Lord Mourinho had even helped him kill the impostor Soros. His quick return was also thanks to Lord Mourinho bringing him back.
If not for Lord Mourinho, he wouldn't have been able to perform a hero's rescue today.
Upon hearing Li Xi's explanation, Ai Si believed him. The last time she saw Lord Mourinho in action, it was earth-shattering and heaven-shaking. He slayed demon beasts as easily as slaughtering pigs and dogs, and even faced off against city-destroying demons like the Flame Demon. A mere impostor Soros would surely be no match for him. However, she wondered if Lord Mourinho's timely appearance was a bit too convenient.
On their journey back, Ai Si and Li Xi rode a horse together. Ai Si lay in Li Xi's embrace, inquiring why such a small mercenary like Li Xi was being targeted.
Li Xi did not offer much explanation, recounting the less serious details. He said that when he first became a mercenary, he killed Delabonte, the local tyrant of the slums, which seemed to have disrupted some of their plans, leading them to seek him out. As for what plan, Li Xi was unsure.
As they spoke, Li Xi showed Ai Si the items he had taken from Soros for identification. As expected of a priestess trained from childhood, items Li Xi didn't recognize were quickly identified by Ai Si with their names and uses.
This continued until Li Xi produced a letter and a hand carved like jade.
After Ai Si finished reading the letter, she put it away with a solemn expression, stating that she would handle this matter and Li Xi need not worry, clearly indicating that Li Xi's own analysis might be correct.
As for the hand bone, Ai Si's expression changed drastically upon seeing it. "By the God of Mercenaries, this is a hand bone imbued with divine power! Quickly, put it away!"