Chapter 233, Damn, What Is This?
On the carriage.
Necromancer Giovanni repeatedly wiped his hands with a white handkerchief and said, "Didn't you want both rare items? Why did you compromise after just one?"
Sitting opposite him, Benasev examined the wooden staff.
He looked up and said, "He would really hand this rare item over to the Guild. Even if the Guild gives him nothing, he'd still submit it. It would be hard to retrieve it then."
"You always hesitate and make things complicated."
"If I had your prowess, I would have slapped him to death already." Benasev put away the wooden staff and continued to ask, "Just now, did you really intend to take him as your disciple?"
"He does have some talent in necromancy. If he had agreed, I would have taken him under my wing and taught him some knowledge," Giovanni paused slightly. "But since he refused, never mind. A corpse is more obedient than a disciple."
Benasev nodded; he didn't want Giovanni to accept the other as a disciple.
That would still make matters troublesome.
Their mutual enmity couldn't be resolved.
He continued to ask, "Since you revealed yourself to him this time, will it affect our subsequent actions? He's quite vigilant."
"A mere squad captain, even if talented, is at most around level 8. Killing him won't have any impact," Giovanni said indifferently.
Benasev wanted to say something.
But the words stuck in his throat.
From the current situation, Giovanni killing Wu Heng indeed posed no problems.
The carriage fell silent again.
The carriage creaked forward.
Getting farther from Rentam City, after passing through a dense forest.
A manor appeared ahead.
The carriage picked up speed and entered the manor directly.
...
At the general store.
Minnie brought over some tea, while Wu Heng sat aside, lost in thought.
A level 16 necromancer was a whole tier higher than himself.
A professional of this level would be considered a formidable figure anywhere, yet he appeared in such a small place.
From the recent encounter.
He could confirm two of the opponent's abilities: one was the use of wraiths, which possessed Wen Mansa.
The other was the four undead servants accompanying the carriage.
A level 16 necromancer—the skeletons would likely be around level 15.
"Five tier-4 professionals—this is just bullying!"
Such a lineup in a place like Rentam City was like a high-level player returning to the newbie village to bully beginners.
A one-sided crushing.
Indeed, not easy to deal with.
When fighting others, he didn't feel much pressure.
But when facing a necromancer himself, he realized how troublesome this profession could be.
The Kingdom of Yeko's constitution restricting necromancers was reasonable!
"Master, should we leave for a while?" Wen Mansa said softly after calming down a bit.
Compared to Minnie, who knew nothing, she understood what a level 16 necromancer meant.
If it hadn't been in the city today.
The other party might have acted directly, killing both Wu Heng and her.
Necromancers, dealing with the dead, were equally proficient at killing and disposing of bodies.
Though they didn't act now, night would eventually fall.
The opponent making a move was just a matter of time.
Instead of worrying, it might be better to leave temporarily and return after some time.
Or perhaps not return at all.
Wu Heng understood her concern and comforted her softly, "It's okay; it's not yet time to leave."
He had quite a few trump cards.
If they really fought, he might not fear him.
Tap, tap, tap~!
Urgent footsteps sounded.
A rogue from the Spikes Gang hurriedly ran up the stairs.
"Captain, Madam, that carriage entered the manor east of the city," the rogue said, panting.
Wen Mansa asked, "Did they notice you?"
"They might have. Several guards around the carriage seemed to approach us intentionally, but we kept a good distance, and no one was injured," the rogue continued.
"You said they entered the manor?" Wu Heng picked up the conversation.
"Yes."
"What's the situation inside the manor?"
"The beastmaster took a quick look. It seems they're holding some kind of banquet. There are quite a few nobles in the courtyard," the rogue thought for a moment and replied.
"What about the guards?"
"There are at least a hundred of them."
Wu Heng didn't ask further and sat aside, pondering.
Then he said to the rogue, "Alright, your task is complete. Go back and rest."
The rogue glanced at Wen Mansa, who blinked to indicate it was okay.
He saluted and retreated.
After the footsteps faded.
Wen Mansa asked, "Master, what should we do?"
"We'll go to the manor and strike first."
Wen Mansa's eyes sharpened but she nodded, "Alright."
...
Outside the city, the eastern manor.
Behind the manor were vast fields of medicinal herbs supplying the city's pharmacies.
The Secret Cult had purchased this manor long ago as a secret gathering place outside the city.
It served as a venue for meetings and initiation ceremonies.
However, due to the Warhammer Party incident, it had been abandoned for some time.
Only today was it reactivated, gathering people here.
Inside the manor, it was filled with elegantly dressed, imposing city nobles.
Like a large social gathering.
They mingled and chatted, very lively.
Approaching noon.
Benasev walked out from the inner stone castle, smiling as he looked at everyone in the courtyard, "Good afternoon, brothers and sisters!"
After speaking, he formed a strange gesture with his hands and raised them above his head.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Benasev!" everyone said in unison, also raising their hands above their heads.
Benasev nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Next, I'd like to introduce 'Giovanni,' a level 16 mage. He will help us kill Wu Heng and take over the entire Rentam City."
The crowd was momentarily stunned, then their faces lit up with joy.
A level 16 mage killing a Guild squad captain was simply overkill.
That guy was finally going to die.
Since Wu Heng killed Luan Jian, many had been on edge.
Afraid that their information might be obtained by him through some means and they would be in danger.
Now it seemed that his death was imminent.
"With Mr. Giovanni taking action, that kid won't last long."
"He's finally going to die. Since he took over half the city, my business has suffered."
"Hurry up and kill him. I'm willing to give Mr. Giovanni a generous gift."
"Me too."
Everyone spoke loudly, and the atmosphere grew even more enthusiastic.
Wu Heng's appearance had completely disrupted the original state of Rentam City.
Especially in the eastern and northern districts, they feared Wu Heng would find out about them. All shops they operated in these areas were closed, and property deeds were quickly sold off.
Each person had lost a lot of money.
Naturally, they wished to see Wu Heng dead here.
...
Giovanni stood at the back, feeling satisfied with their attitude.
Even enjoying this feeling somewhat.
After resolving this matter, staying here as a local tyrant wouldn't be a bad choice.
Absolute power and a steady supply of experimental subjects.
Thinking of this, his heart burned with excitement.
After Benasev finished speaking loudly, it was his turn to take the stage.
He adjusted his robe, took two steps forward gracefully, maintaining the elegance befitting a mage.
Walking to the front of the steps.
Giovanni cleared his throat and was about to speak when his heart suddenly tightened, and a sense of crisis surged.
The next second, his protective artifact appeared and shattered; his left shoulder was instantly pierced.
Blood and flesh splattered, followed by the sound of a bullet tearing through the air.
Giovanni's face changed dramatically.
He immediately dragged his arm, still connected by some flesh, and hid behind the nearby armored servant.
Clang! Clang!
Two more bullets hit the undead servant's armor.
The armor was penetrated, and the servant staggered backward.
Immediately after, heavy objects falling sounded above everyone's heads.
Looking up, they saw strange objects dropping from the sky.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, explosions covered the entire area; the entire courtyard was engulfed in smoke and fire.
Broken limbs, shattered wood, and stones flew everywhere.
Panicked screams filled the chaos.
Elegantly dressed noblewomen crouched down, holding their heads and screaming loudly as dust fell from the sky, covering them entirely.
Two guards rushed over.
Just as they were about to carry her away, the ground beside them exploded, and the three were instantly blown apart.
Benasev crawled into the stone castle behind him, his rear in the air. Looking up, he saw necromancer Giovanni also hiding there, gulping down a potion.
Of the four undead servants originally by his side, only one remained, missing an arm, and its breastplate was full of dents from flying debris.
The other servants had been blown into piles of bones in the first instant.
"Wha-what kind of magic is this?" Benasev spat out the sand in his mouth and asked.
Giovanni threw the empty potion bottle aside and cursed, "It's not magic, damn it."
He had thought this was a small place, yet encountered such a situation.
...
The explosions came suddenly and ended quickly.
After a brief bombardment.
The entire area was in ruins.
Smoke still lingered over the manor; wails echoed throughout the region.
Before the smoke cleared.
Squeak~!
A strange three-wheeled vehicle, driven by a skeleton, stopped at the manor gate.
On its cargo bed were two black, peculiar devices.
Amidst the smoke, they turned to face inward.
The next second~!
Rat-a-tat-tat~!
The gun barrels spewed flames, and dense bullets swept into the manor.
Severed limbs, blood mist, and flesh chunks flew everywhere with the debris.
Not a single corpse remained intact.
Even those in armor turned into piles of mush.
Then, the machine guns turned to fire at the central stone castle.
The gate shattered like paper, reduced to countless fragments under the dense bullets.
Walls and interior furnishings were like fragile pottery, scattering smoke and dust.
The entire area was enveloped by the intense gunfire.
The three-wheeled vehicle below trembled violently with the shooting, clattering loudly.