The people present stared at the words "five hundred thousand" for a moment, unable to articulate. They were all frozen as if struck by a spell, gazing at the bounty board.
The exorbitant prices of one hundred thousand, one hundred fifty thousand, and one hundred seventy thousand from previous days had already been astonishing. Now, it had reached five hundred thousand, a sum that exceeded most S-class mercenary missions.
Many rushed forward to accept the mission, as if by grabbing it, they could earn that five hundred thousand. They completely ignored Li Xi's accompanying notes. Regardless of a mage's high level, they still needed to cast their spells. A mage who couldn't cast spells was merely a living target. Five hundred thousand was enough to blind their eyes.
Although mages were hailed as the strongest among all professions, they were not without weaknesses. In fact, they had many. They believed they had ways to deal with mages.
Lawrence didn't find five hundred thousand surprising. That mercenary who seemed to have sprung from a stone was worthy of such a price.
However, he found the mercenary Li Xi's notes on the bounty board to be vastly different from the intelligence he had obtained. If these people truly believed the information on the bounty board, anyone who accepted would be met with death. The only way to survive would be if the mercenary named Li Xi had held back.
But Lawrence had no intention of warning them, as he suspected his intelligence was still incomplete. He suspected Li Xi's strength might be even greater. He even suspected Li Xi was not human, possibly the saintly form of a deity. Therefore, he needed more stones to test the waters for himself.
He then penned an order, transmitted it via his wrist, with only one sentence: "Investigate all intelligence concerning the mercenary Li Xi."
Lawrence began to anticipate Li Xi's arrival in Aisinger. The capital, already seething with undercurrents, would surely be stirred up by this newcomer. As for those who accepted the mission to assassinate him, Lawrence dared to guarantee that none of them would escape once they appeared before Li Xi.
...
Meanwhile, fifty miles outside the city of Pability, Li Xi stood at the rear of the convoy. Because there were too many captives, the convoy had to stop. Even though the city walls of Pability were only a short distance away, Li Xi had ordered them to halt. No one dared to disobey his orders, or rather, Philin was very willing to grant him this favor.
This man was too strong, as if no enemy could defeat him. Throughout their journey, if not for Li Xi, even with Norhan and Zuolin, they would have died dozens of times facing enemies of this caliber. In other words, Li Xi had saved them more than ten times. Of course, if not for Li Xi, the enemies they faced would likely not have been so strong.
Number One, the beautiful slave owner, stood before Li Xi. Even though her body had recovered and her strength was unimpeded, she dared not entertain any thoughts of escape. Li Xi's power had left an indelible mark on her heart. Not escaping meant living; escaping meant certain death.
"Number One reports, the numbers have been assigned, from twenty-three to fifty-two. Please review." The beautiful slave owner's gaze was fixed straight ahead, her body standing rigidly. She appeared to be Li Xi's most loyal subordinate. However, only the later captives knew of this woman's ruthlessness. To endure two hourglasses under her without accepting re-education was the mark of a hero, but none had succeeded yet. No one, using the same methods as taming wild beasts, had remained unyielding.
Number Two and Number Three, along with two bear goblins, were in the ranks, either punching or kicking, forcing everyone to line up. If anyone was slightly out of line, they would be dragged to the ground and beaten soundly. Number Three, moreover, liberally cast restraint spells on these unyielding individuals, allowing these powerful professionals to experience the despair and helplessness of being unable to lift a finger.
The later Numbers Four to Eight, also limping, were madly beating the new arrivals with pre-prepared wooden sticks. As for why they were limping, one had to ask the three bear goblins. Therefore, their attacks were the most vicious, with a few blows capable of breaking bones. It didn't look like they were subduing slaves, but rather venting their anger.
"Mm, you've all done a good job. We're about to reach Pability, and I'm almost reluctant to part with such excellent subordinates." Li Xi truly couldn't manage so many captives on his own, not even with Norhan and the others. Fortunately, the first batch of captives had been well-trained, fully embodying the human nature of doing anything to survive.
Looking at the captives, Li Xi's heart bloomed with joy. Who said leveling up became slow at higher levels? This time, he could reach B-class, and there would be spare mission counts. The number of lottery draws would definitely not be less than eight, plus the super lottery draw obtained from advancing mercenary rank, and the lottery draw for advancing to Jonin with one hundred percent completion, he could even draw a Tailed Beast. This time, he had truly made a fortune!!! Sultan Novel Network.
Li Xi's heart bloomed with joy. He had finally found a way to advance that suited him: baiting the hook, sting operations, and eating his fill in one go.
"Everyone, remember your numbers. They are your lives. Anyone who forgets will sleep with the bear goblins tonight," Number Two loudly proclaimed his master's command. He himself was extremely fortunate that he wasn't the one sleeping with the bear goblins that night. The way Numbers Four to Eight walked with their legs splayed outwards the next day was forever etched in his mind. Therefore, to avoid walking in such a manner, Number Two desperately completed the tasks assigned by Li Xi. Even if Li Xi hadn't assigned them, he would still desperately seek out tasks to complete.
"We will only stay here for one night. When the sun rises tomorrow, anyone who has not revealed the location of their hidden stash will be carried into Pability." Li Xi waved his sleeve, leaving not a trace of a breeze. Behind him came sounds of inhuman suffering and curses, and finally, even the excited roars of the bear goblins were added.
"Mr. Li Xi, I would like to ask you how to quickly unleash water magic of such power. Do I have the honor?" Zuolin bowed respectfully, his posture reminiscent of a magic apprentice facing his strict teacher.
Over the past few days, Zuolin had been completely won over by Li Xi. A grandmaster-level magic approaching forbidden curse level, capable of being released as rapidly and continuously as a fireball. If every mage could achieve this level, even the divine realms would be brought down by mages and dragged to their experimental tables.
In this world, no one could withstand the casting of a forbidden curse within two breaths, and furthermore, consecutively like a hen laying eggs. Even gods couldn't withstand continuous forbidden curses. If one wasn't enough, then ten. If ten weren't enough, then it was a matter of insufficient quantity.
Li Xi felt ashamed. In terms of magical cultivation, he wasn't fit to carry the shoes of a magic apprentice. If he hadn't been so startled by these one hundred high-level combatants, Li Xi wouldn't have had the Two-Tails, Matatabi, provide a large amount of chakra, and consecutively cast Water Release: Water Colliding Wave three times, overwhelming and knocking out all enemies. Li Xi hadn't expected such immense power. No one could face three giant waves tens of meters high without fear or trepidation.
"Master Zuolin, I truly cannot teach you this. Because I use ninjutsu, not magic. The systems are different. Even if I taught you, you wouldn't be able to learn it."
Leaving Zuolin deep in thought about what ninjutsu was, Li Xi greeted Norhan, who looked at him with reverence, and went to Philin.
"Big Brother Li Xi, you've worked hard."
Philin, holding freshly brewed precious tea, solicitously brought it to Li Xi.
"Miss, do you have a time limit for your return to Aisinger this time?"
Philin shook her head and replied with a smile, "Big Brother Li Xi, we are not in a hurry. Everything is up to your arrangements."
Li Xi also smiled. "I heard there's a pirate named 'Greybeard' overseas from Pability. He has plundered countless treasures over the years. Cado City has suffered so many disasters, and it's time to recover financially. So, I plan to deal with him casually on my way to the capital, Aisinger."
Philin suppressed a twitch of her lips. Everyone knew that Li Xi had seized nearly one hundred and fifty space rings in the past few days. Once tonight passed, the mental seals on these rings would be dispersed tomorrow, and they would be forcibly opened. The wealth contained within one hundred and fifty space rings was unimaginable, even to someone of Philin's status. It couldn't be compared to a nation's wealth, but it could certainly rival the riches of an earl. Such wealth, placed in the small Cado City, could overwhelm it. Yet now, he claimed to be short of money. Who would believe him?
But looking at Li Xi, who was speaking with utmost seriousness, Philin could only clench her small fists and transform into an emissary of justice, fierce yet adorable, "Big Brother Li Xi is right. Even if it's not for the wealth, resolving this long-standing evil pirate and safeguarding the safety of the people is our undeniable duty."
"Thank you for your support, Miss Philin. Then we shall spend a few more days searching for them at sea."
The entire convoy, as Li Xi had previously instructed, did not dare to take a single step towards the city, even though Pability was in sight. Philin maintained her noble demeanor wherever she went. Silver cutlery, white tablecloths, flowers in exquisite porcelain vases, candles as thick as a child's arm, a meal with over a dozen courses, and superior wine. Although unlabeled, Li Xi could tell the wine was extraordinary. Even though it didn't taste particularly good to Li Xi, it was undeniably expensive.
In stark contrast to the leisurely enjoyment of a noble outing on this side, fifty meters away, Number One, Number Two, and the others were still carrying out horrific tortures. From afternoon until night, the ground was littered with broken and shattered torture instruments. People who were originally fine were now all crippled. If there were merchants selling wheelchairs, today would have been their day to strike it rich. Even the three bear goblins had waved their hands, refusing to accept more people from Number One and Number Two!
However, the effect was also evident. All the space rings had become Li Xi's possessions, and the locations of thirteen hidden stashes had been extracted through torture. As for their food, there was plenty of lush green wild grass and fallen leaves on the ground; they could fill their stomachs.
Here, the distance between heaven and hell was only fifty meters.
Li Xi didn't want to enter the city for several reasons. Firstly, he needed to extract information from the space rings. Secondly, he had to wait for the ground to dry. The temporary euphoria of battle had left the ground soft and boggy, especially over a vast area. It was more practical to wait for the ground to dry than to take a detour. Finally, he wanted to see if any other foolish individuals would stumble into his path. Who would refuse more lottery draws?!
Under the walls of Pability, many outsiders had gathered that morning. Some had arrived via teleportation arrays, others by sea. They were all rushing out of the city, but upon seeing the surging flood at the city gates, they quickly turned back into the city.
Now, with the moon high in the sky, they still had not left, nor had they decided to advance. They all stood beneath the city walls, awaiting news and discussing countermeasures.
"The news has arrived. This was bought at a great price from that old fellow Lawrence. It's guaranteed to be accurate."
"Speak quickly, speak quickly."
"Hurry up."
Amidst the crowd's urging, the person who had bought the news unfolded the paper. With just one glance, their eyes widened, and then, with a voice trembling so much their tongue could barely articulate, they read out the information.
"During the day, the forces of the Underworld and the Abyss fought together for only thirty breaths before being defeated by the mercenary Li Xi alone. He single-handedly cast a water-element grandmaster-level magic approaching forbidden curse level three times in less than ten breaths. The flood was immense, submerging fifty miles in radius. The flood we saw outside the city this morning was a consequence of this."