Chapter 281: Chapter 261: Wandering Terence_2
Forcing myself to fight these desperate maniacs to the death was truly risking my own life for nothing. Things are different now. After setting up the electromagnetic field, Chui Chui is calculating and coordinating everything from within. I am the... God of this place!
Yan Xing stood up from his hiding spot and took a powerful leap high into the air. First, he performed a Skyward Flying Immortal. This was followed by a 720-degree spin in mid-air. Then, he stepped on his right foot with his left, and on his left foot with his right, rocketing twenty meters upward. His final move was a forward roll with five rotations before landing. When he landed, a jet of air pressure cushioned his descent, the resulting airflow causing his clothes to flutter. He descended slowly like a leaf, his foot tapping the roof of a carriage before he stood firmly upon it.
Then, he produced a folding fan. With a SWOOSH, he snapped it open with one hand and fanned himself gently. If he were wearing traditional Han clothing, he would have truly resembled a dashing hero making his grand entrance.
At this moment, Wei Bulun was still clashing with the opposing Mage, scepter against warhammer, sending stone fragments and ice shards flying. Torrents of water and mud collided. The other combatants were also displaying their unique abilities, fighting fiercely.
Yan Xing landed right in the middle of the battlefield, causing the two fighting groups to immediately halt their actions.
Li Jiya and Grey Mouse were stunned. Wasn’t the plan to wait until they finished fighting before we made our move? By changing the plan so suddenly, what are we supposed to do now? And even though some of them have died, there are still more than a dozen heroes between both sides. Even counting Grey Mouse, we only have three people. He’s going to get himself killed! Should we follow him to our deaths, or should we run now?
Li Jiya and Grey Mouse exchanged glances and continued to lie low. They weren’t familiar with Terence, so they decided to keep observing.
Yan Xing stood in the middle of the battlefield, continuing to wave his folding fan gently. The area fell silent.
Chui Chui reported that a City Defense Force patrol was nearby. If these people continued fighting here, even if the noise could be contained, the fluctuations from the overflowing Magic Power could still attract the patrol’s attention. Therefore, Yan Xing had no choice but to change the plan he had made with Li Jiya and Grey Mouse. He appeared earlier than expected, forcing the two fighting parties to pause due to the arrival of a third force. It seems my entrance was indeed timely,
he thought.Wei Bulun and the Mage he was fighting quickly retreated. The others warily watched the darkness-covered areas, vigilant against anyone who might rush out to attack them.
"Who are you?" Wei Bulun, seeing the wary posture of the Shortgun members, knew this sudden arrival was not their reinforcement.
Through the drone’s perspective, Yan Xing saw the patrol team passing by not far away. He responded to Wei Bulun, "I am Terence. Why are you fighting here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping comfortably at home? And what’s with all this Gold? Proper Gold Coins should be kept in chests, not scattered on the ground... This habit of scattering coins is terrible!" Yan Xing waved his fan, his tone like someone scolding a child for littering.
The name "Terence" made everyone present visibly shaken. Eight assassins had gone to kill Yan Xing, the Thunderous Swamp envoy. However, due to an information leak from the Assassin’s Guild, seven of them were captured as soon as they entered. Terence was the only one who escaped from that banquet. Because of this event, he was acclaimed as Nuta City’s number one thief.
As for Terence’s strength? While most people had not seen Terence in action, a clear indicator of his power was that Donald, leader of the Farsight Mercenary Corps, was searching for him all over Nuta City. And then there were the legendary tales... a thief who had managed to sleep with princesses of all races and still emerged unscathed. How could he not be strong! But why would Terence appear here?
"Lord Terence," Wei Bulun said, harboring a sliver of hope as he addressed Yan Xing. "I am delighted to meet you here.
"My name is Wei Bulun, a Cloth Merchant dealing in fabrics, an honest and respectable businessman.
"My convoy and I were transporting some fabrics and funds when we were ambushed by bandits.
"I wish to hire you for a mission: please help us eliminate these bandits. Once the task is complete, you will receive a considerable reward."
Yan Xing replied, "I didn’t expect to receive a commission just by taking a walk. However, my fee is quite high. Can you afford it?"
Wei Bulun hadn’t expected Terence to actually accept his commission. It truly is a lifeline in a desperate situation! He knew that with his and his subordinates’ abilities, they were no match for these "Shortgun" elites. The likely outcome was losing both their lives and the goods, perhaps taking a few enemies down with them. If Terence is willing to take my commission, then things are different!
Wei Bulun quickly asked, "How much must I pay to hire Lord Terence?"
Yan Xing looked around and said, "All the Gold that has fallen to the ground will be mine. If you agree, I’ll drive these people away."
Wei Bulun glanced at the ground. The scattered Gold Coins were only a small portion; most of the Gold was still in the chests. He estimated he would have to pay Terence about twenty to thirty thousand Gold Coins. It was a lot of money, but compared to the one million Gold Coins he was transferring, paying this fee for safety was worth it.
"Agreed! As long as Lord Terence is willing to help me, all the Gold on the ground is yours."
Hearing Wei Bulun’s words, Yan Xing closed his folding fan and addressed the Mage in stone armor, "Friend, I’ll take this job. You can still leave now. But if we fight... you will undoubtedly suffer casualties. It’s not worth fighting to the death over this sum of money."
Is this a small sum? The Leader Mage, though somewhat intimidated by Terence, couldn’t just retreat based on a single sentence; his mission prevented it.
"You claim to be Terence, but does that make you Terence?" The Leader Mage made a covert hand signal while continuing to distract Yan Xing, motioning for two Sandmen to gather near him. "I could also claim to be Terence. If we cover our faces with hoods, any of us could call ourselves Terence. Sir... if you want money, you can wait until we’re done and then take a share from here."
The Leader Mage’s careless remark triggered serious reflection in Yan Xing. Terence has now become a brand. The number one thief known throughout the city—that’s influence, and top-tier influence at that! If I manage this influence well, people will be crying and begging to give me money. But look at me now; I completely lack the awareness befitting someone top-tier. My outfit is just typical thief attire, devoid of personal style or uniqueness, unable to set any trends. How much potential sales of clothes and merchandise am I missing out on? Yan Xing, oh Yan Xing... you need to reflect. As a modern person, do you really need these natives to remind you of such things? Are you even a competent capitalist? Action! The influence industry must be launched immediately! Isn’t making money effortlessly more comfortable than being a profiteer?
While Yan Xing was engaged in self-reflection, an accomplice Mage on a nearby rooftop suddenly raised his arm towards Yan Xing. A sleeve arrow shot out from the crossbow mechanism under his arm. It glowed with a golden light, clearly enhanced with alchemical Enchantments like sharpness and penetration.
Though the man’s movements were covert and swift, they could not escape Chui Chui’s notice. A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking the just-fired sleeve arrow. Another bolt instantly struck the man attempting to backstab Yan Xing. That man’s clothes burst apart, his body charred black, and he spat black smoke as he fell stiffly from the eaves.
Two bolts of lightning arrived in an instant—one deflecting the sleeve arrow, the other striking the man. There was no escape, no evasion.
Everyone present was stunned. Lightning Magic is fast, but... but how could it be this fast?!
The scene became extremely quiet.
Yan Xing knew that electricity propagated at the speed of light. However, the flight speed of lightning Magic in the Magic World was far from light speed. This was because the electrical energy was stored within a magical framework, and the framework’s flight speed determined the lightning Magic’s speed. It was like a thrown battery; only when it released its stored energy did it exhibit electrical properties. True electricity is impossible to dodge at the moment of attack, but a ’battery’—the magical framework—can be dodged or blocked.
How to release electrical energy to directly strike a target, without needing a magical framework for storage, was a research project Yan Xing had assigned Chui Chui after discovering his own ability to generate electricity.