Chapter 133: The Lord of Red-Gather Town

Red Huikui Town is located in a remote area and lacks a decent city defense system. Because even mercenaries rarely pass through here, the town has gradually fallen into decay. Most people are unwilling to serve in such a desolate place, and only those who have offended high-ranking officials are qualified to be exiled here.

Over time, Red Huikui Town has become a true haven for marauders—a place with imperfect law and order that serves as their refuge.

As long as the fighting and killing between marauders do not go too far or cause a major disturbance, there is usually someone who comes to clean up and handle things quietly afterward. No one cares about the lives of the marauders; in fact, the more of them that die, the better.

However, the lives of civilians are a different matter. Any incident involving civilians is strictly prohibited—this is an unspoken agreement between all marauders and the city defense system. Once caught in the act, Red Huikui Town will spare no effort to hunt down the offending marauders. Although the city defense system is not strong, it is an official organization, and with a single command, they can summon official mercenary groups from other areas.

As for today's situation... since no civilian casualties have occurred and no one has filed a report, there are naturally no ignorant city guards appearing. On the streets, many civilians and children are watching from afar. In Red Huikui Town, lively events are rare, and most are just fights between marauders; this is a novelty to which the town's civilians have become accustomed.

Seeing three imposing mercenaries standing on the rooftops, effectively controlling an area, many people whispered and speculated about the strength of the person who could force three powerful mercenaries to go all out.

Suddenly!

The roof under one of the mercenaries exploded, sending wood splinters flying. The archer screamed, but before he could react, he was dragged into the house by a black whip.

"Snap!"

The dark mage, having arrived nearby, watched this scene from a distance, and a third prayer bead on his wrist burst at that exact moment.

He let out a sharp cry, but then a crisp chirp echoed. A massive black shadow tore through the house where the archer had been attacked, soared into the sky, and vanished into a black speck in the blink of an eye.

Among the crowd, several people who looked like neither mercenaries nor civilians stood with their arms crossed. Seeing this, they all displayed looks of surprise and admiration, whispering among themselves:

"Where did that beast tamer come from? He's quite strong."

"Indeed. First, he eliminated the archer, then used his contracted beast to break through. He is both brave and resourceful. I wonder how the 'Evil Owl' managed to provoke such a person."

"Let's just watch the show. It's been a long time since Red Huikui Town was this lively."

The men chuckled, their gazes shifting to the dark mage, who stood in the distance with a haggard face and murderous intent. With three men dead, the "Old Evil" would not let this go easily.

"Huh? That beast tamer is running away!"

Amidst the exclamations, many in the crowd sighed with disappointment as the black speck moved at an astonishing speed in one direction, showing no signs of turning back.

The other two warriors leaped several times to stand beside the dark mage, briefly explaining what had just happened.

"Are you sure who it was?"

"We don't know. But according to the innkeeper, the ones who killed the three of them were a very young teenager, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old."

"Bullshit!"

The dark mage was already boiling with suppressed rage. Upon hearing this, he intended to vent it on the innkeeper. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as dark elements quickly condensed, aimed at the innkeepers trembling behind the counter—a fifteen or sixteen-year-old killing his three brothers in such a short time?

Preposterous! Unless it was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old seven-star powerhouse?

Just as he was about to strike, a voice came from nearby at a very inopportune moment:

"Isn't this Old Evil? Tsk tsk... if you break things, you pay for them; if you kill people, you pay with your life. I'll put the damages for this inn on your tab, Old Evil. You have no objections, right?"

As the lazy tone reached his ears, the dark mage’s expression shifted. He hurriedly and nonchalantly dissipated his magic, flicked his sleeves, turned around, and looked coldly at the group of people emerging from the crowd.

The handsome young man walking in the lead was the young lord of Red Huikui Town, a six-star beginner magic swordsman himself, accompanied by guards who were all six-star experts. Against the Evil Owl, he would certainly not be at a disadvantage. His words clearly framed the Evil Owl as the party responsible for destroying the inn and disturbing the town's peace.

It was no wonder... when disputes arise between ordinary mercenaries and marauders, no matter who shows up, they would never blame the ordinary mercenaries.

The dark mage clearly understood this. He let out a cold snort and nodded to the warriors beside him, who then took out some gold coins and sent them into the inn.

"Yay, yay, yay, Old Evil is indeed a law-abiding citizen. Since you've taken the initiative to pay, I won't pursue this matter. However..." The young lord walked into the inn with a smile, his voice trailing off at the end: "I must remind you, if you want to trouble that beast tamer, it's best to stay away from Red Huikui Town. If I happen to run into you, as the lord of this city, I have a heavy responsibility to maintain peace, and I would find it very difficult."

"That won't require the City Lord's concern. Let's go!"

The dark mage turned and left as if he hadn't heard a word.

Just then!

A strong fluctuation of magic power suddenly rose from the distance... The young lord’s party, along with the three dark mages, stopped and looked toward the source of the disturbance.

"There's really no shortage of trouble today."

The young lord frowned. "Let's go!" At his command, the dozen or so men rushed toward the scene at full speed... Although it was a small town, they would still be held accountable if something happened. It was a typical "thankless, scapegoat-bearing" super-treasure land.

*So coincidental?*

The three dark mages looked suspicious. No sooner had things calmed down here than... "Oh no!"

"Number Six is still behind!"

The three of them suddenly remembered they were missing one. Number Six had been left behind because he was rushing to catch up. Could the magic fluctuation be...

*Snap!*

The familiar sound of shattering reached their ears.

It felt as if their hearts had shattered along with it. The dark mage's face turned completely black as he tremblingly clutched the fourth shattered prayer bead from his sleeve.

The two warriors turned pale, exchanging horrified glances.

*Too fast!*

The opponent was simply not human.

First, he eliminated Number Five, then he laid low at the scene, killing Number Three right under their noses, and then, before their leader could arrive, he killed Number Two and broke through. Just when everyone thought he had run away, he had found Number Six, who was still trailing behind.

In the blink of an eye, the seven members of the Evil Owl, who had survived countless fires and floods, had been whittled down to just three by a mere boy.

It was like a dream!

"Boss?"

The two warriors looked nervously at the dark mage. Although they also wanted to know who the killer was and avenge their brothers, they didn't want to die.

The fact that the opponent could repeatedly kill swordsmen, mages, archers, and thieves in an instant left no doubt about his status as a seven-star powerhouse.

"We can't split up anymore. The reason that person ascended into the sky earlier wasn't to escape, but to purify the trace of spiritual power I left on Number Two."

The dark mage took a deep breath, his face grave:

"This person knows dark mages very well and is very familiar with the weaknesses of our profession. He must be an experienced, high-level mercenary!"

"Could it be that he's been chasing us?"

"The fact that he could hunt down Number Six in the crowd shows he knows our background very well. Go! Leave Red Huikui Town immediately! Once he purifies the spiritual power on Number Six, he will definitely come back for us."

Although the dark mage was unwilling, he knew the strength of Number Three and Number Six. Even he wasn't confident he could take them out in such a short time—the opponent was simply too powerful.

For the sake of safety, he decided to shake off the beast tamer first and then plan accordingly!

Just as the three Evil Owls prepared to leave Red Huikui Town, Xu Wen stopped before the body of the sixth Evil Owl.

He purified that wisp of cold spiritual power on the spot, lifted his eyes to look at the dozen or so black shadows rushing over from the distance, frowned slightly, jumped onto the back of the Black Wind Eagle, and prepared to take off.

"I am the Lord of Red Huikui Town. Please stay, brother!"

*Whoosh.*

By the time the voice reached him from afar, the Black Wind Eagle had already flapped its wings and risen several dozen meters into the air.

"City Lord?"

Xu Wen shouted down: "Prove your identity!"

"Look!"

The leader stopped a few dozen meters away, revealing a blood-red token in his hand.

"Since you are the City Lord, why didn't you take them down when you encountered the Evil Owl? Isn't that your duty? Or are you in league with them?" Although Xu Wen recognized the mark of the Blood Alliance City Lord, he still dared not lower his guard and descend, instead shouting his challenge.

When these words were spoken, the people below were put in a difficult position: who in the nearby towns didn't know the rules of Red Huikui Town? The person above was clearly a novice.

"City Lord, this kid has a big mouth. Could he be the descendant of some prince or viscount?"

"God knows."

The young lord cursed under his breath. At the same time, he secretly blamed himself for being a busybody. Now, he had brought trouble upon himself for no reason.

"May I ask how to address the brother up there?"

When Xu Wen heard this, he grew angry: "Hmph, you don't manage the Evil Owl, but you come to manage me? I think your career as an official is at an end."

"Brother, please don't misunderstand! Red Huikui Town has a weak defense system. I only tolerate marauders like the Evil Owl to maintain the stability of the town!"

"Hmph! Take that nonsense to fool a three-year-old and see if anyone believes it!"

The more impolite Xu Wen was, the more the others believed the beast tamer had an extraordinary background, and they became anxious. Yet, they couldn't explain themselves on the bustling street.

Finally!

A faint voice reached Xu Wen's ears:

"Everything I said is true. Brother, you can verify it in town later and you will understand my plight."

Xu Wen was stunned.

He knew that one could use spiritual power to transmit a voice directly to someone, but he wondered what the other party's intention was.

With a thought, he decided to mimic the other party and replied via telepathy:

"It's easy to make me believe you, as long as you help me eliminate those three from the Evil Owl mercenary group!"

"Fine!"

To Xu Wen's surprise, the other party only hesitated for a moment before agreeing fully, promising that they would take the lead in the attack while Xu Wen only needed to provide cover and strike when the opportunity arose from the air.

The only condition was that they must wait until the Evil Owl members had left Red Huikui Town before acting.

Xu Wen naturally had no reason to refuse!