Chapter 15: The Pharmacist
After yet another assassination attempt, Jenny and Keen truly realized that the road to Chier County City would be fraught with peril. The danger of being killed lurked at every moment. Involuntarily, the siblings began to rely on Linley.
"Brother Lei, what do you think we should do from now on?" Jenny looked at Linley, asking with some worry in her heart.
At this moment, both Jenny and Keen felt as if the future was shrouded in mist. They couldn't see the path ahead and didn't know what else might happen if they continued.
Looking at this simple, honest pair of siblings, Linley comforted them, "Don't worry. I'm confident I can handle a county city's acting lord."
Linley was now at the eighth rank. After dragonforming, he reached the peak of the ninth rank. The Blackscale Panther 'Heilu' was also a peak ninth-rank magical beast, and Bebe's strength was no less than Heilu's or Linley's.
With these two humans and two magical beasts combined, unless a Saint-level powerhouse appeared, no matter how many troops were sent, they probably couldn't stop them.
Hearing Linley's words, Jenny and Keen couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for him deep in their hearts.
Even now, this pair of siblings couldn't determine Linley's true strength. In their eyes, Linley was a mysterious powerhouse. Lambert, watching from the side, felt deeply gratified. As long as Jenny and Keen could live a safe and peaceful life, this old servant would be willing to die content. A powerful expert who would help a pair of country siblings without any regard for personal gain—this alone was enough to make Lambert feel grateful to Linley from the bottom of his heart.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A knock sounded at the courtyard gate.
"I'll go open it," Lambert said cheerfully. "It might be the waiter bringing breakfast."
"Let's prepare to eat breakfast," Linley said with a smile, leading Jenny and Keen toward the living room. Meanwhile, Lambert opened the courtyard gate, and two waiters pushing food carts walked in.
"Send all of this to the living room," Lambert instructed with a smile.
"Yes, sir." Both waiters were very humble. They each pushed their carts forward. But as they moved, they exchanged a glance, a flash of determination in their eyes.
This time, they had come to assassinate Keen. Whether they succeeded or failed, they were as good as dead.
They had known in advance about the existence of the powerful Linley. Whether it was Linley or his black panther, either could easily kill them.
...
In the living room, Linley sat in the main seat. Keen and Jenny sat on either side. The two waiters, wearing humble smiles, pushed their carts into the living room.
"Sir, miss, this roast whole lamb is..." One waiter lifted the iron lid.
"Put it on the floor over there," Linley said, pointing to the stone floor nearby. The Blackscale Panther 'Heilu' was lying on the ground, looking up at the roast lamb.
Given Heilu's appetite, a whole roast lamb was just breakfast.
"Yes, sir." The waiter respectfully held the specially made large tray and placed the roast lamb on the floor. Bebe immediately leaped over. With a swipe of its claws, it grabbed a roasted lamb leg.
Heilu glared at Bebe, then walked over and began tearing into the meat with big bites.
"Sir, please." The waiter placed a plate in front of Linley, then set another plate in front of Keen.
The other waiter was also placing dishes on the table.
At that moment—
Both waiters were close to Keen. Keen, completely unsuspecting, was excitedly picking up his knife and fork, ready to enjoy the feast.
The two waiters exchanged a glance. As if reading each other's minds, they lunged at Keen simultaneously. Their hands formed claw-like shapes, aiming for Keen's chest, head, throat, and other vital points.
Four hands attacked at once!
An ordinary fifth- or sixth-rank warrior could easily shatter a boulder with a palm strike. Even a fourth-rank warrior could pierce through thick wooden boards.
Keen was an ordinary young man with very little strength. Neither his head nor his throat could withstand any single attack.
Too close.
The two waiters were too close to Keen. The distance was too short. In that brief span, even an eighth-rank warrior would barely have time to react before Keen was dead.
Linley let out a cold snort.
A strange purple light flashed and vanished in an instant. Only the piercing screams of pain followed. The two waiters' four hands were severed, falling to the ground.
"Ah!" Jenny screamed and jumped up.
"Young master!" Lambert, who was nearby, finally reacted. Enraged, he kicked the two waiters hard against the wall, shaking the entire wall.
The two waiters groaned softly, exchanging glances filled with despair.
"You... how?" One waiter looked at Linley in disbelief.
At that moment, they had been only half a meter away from Keen. Although they were only fourth-rank warriors, at that distance, they could have killed Keen in less than the blink of an eye.
In that amount of time, even a powerful expert wouldn't have had time to react.
But Linley not only reacted but also severed all four of their hands.
"Surprised that I reacted?" Linley looked at them calmly. "An ordinary waiter wouldn't have hands trained to that level."
The two men looked at their own palms.
The red-haired man's subordinates were all elite archers. As elite archers, after years of hard training, the calluses on their hands were very obvious.
The two waiters exchanged a glance, filled with despair.
Their severed wrists were bleeding continuously. If this continued, they would soon bleed to death. But they knew... since the mission had failed, even if Linley let them go, their captain and Lady Wade would not spare them.
"Forget about them. We're leaving immediately," Linley said, standing up.
Jenny and Keen had already experienced two assassination attempts. This third one didn't shake them as much as the first two. Keen lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Lei, what about breakfast? Should we pack it and eat on the road?"
"No."
Linley shook his head. "Be careful with food from now on. I suspect this might be poisoned."
"Poisoned?" Keen looked at the food on his plate and jumped in fright.
"Squeak squeak~~~" Bebe, who was nearby, started chattering at Linley. Linley looked at Bebe and couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, you're not afraid of poison, fine," Linley said helplessly.
In fact, magical beasts and humans have very different physiological structures. Many magical beasts are naturally poisonous themselves. Poisons that humans fear might not affect them at all. The more powerful the magical beast, the stronger its natural resistance to poison. Magical beasts usually live in primeval forests and other wild places, coming into contact with various toxins from a young age. Over generations, their resistance to poison naturally grows stronger.
*******
Early that morning, Linley and his group left the hotel directly. The red-haired man watched them from a distance, his expression extremely grim.
"Lei?" the red-haired man muttered. "Where did this expert come from, and why is he mixed up with these two country siblings?"
The red-haired man was deeply frustrated.
This mission to assassinate Keen and Jenny had originally been very simple. Lambert, the old servant, was hardly a threat. But out of nowhere, this mysterious expert had appeared, making things extremely difficult.
"There's no choice. I'll have to report this to the lady," the red-haired man said. Knowing Linley's strength, he didn't dare take any risks.
...
The O'Brien Empire, as the number one military power on the Yulan Continent, had a very well-developed communication system. It was primarily based on fifth-rank magical beasts called 'Azure Wind Eagles.'
Throughout the O'Brien Empire, every county city had several Azure Wind Eagles, with dedicated personnel controlling them. Azure Wind Eagles had high intelligence and knew the routes. Under their master's orders, they could deliver letters to any destination.
However, this Azure Wind Eagle communication system could only be used by the imperial government. Ordinary civilians, and even nobles, were not qualified to use it. Of course... the military had its own independent communication system.
The red-haired man took the letter from the lord of Chier County City and had Blackstone City dispatch an Azure Wind Eagle to Chier County City.
...
Flying in a straight line through the air was far faster than running on the ground. Not long after Linley and his group left Blackstone City, the Azure Wind Eagle arrived at Chier County City.
Chier County City was a relatively large city.
Among the ten largest cities in the Northwest Province, it ranked in the top ten. But inside the castle belonging to the lord, the atmosphere was oppressive and gloomy.
The owner of this castle was Lady Wade! A noblewoman known for her coldness and arrogance.
"Sister, sister."
Two middle-aged men quickly ran into the castle's back garden. There, the elegant and noble Lady Wade was enjoying the sunlight, attended by her maidservants.
"What is it, my two brothers?" Lady Wade looked up at the two middle-aged men.
"Sister, this is a letter from the communication office. This mission has failed." The slightly plumper of the two men spoke.
"Failed? How is Kode so useless?" Lady Wade took the letter and opened it. Her brow furrowed as she read. "A mysterious expert with a black panther?"
According to the red-haired man 'Kode's' account in the letter, the black panther was at least an eighth-rank magical beast, and the mysterious man was at least an eighth-rank expert, possibly even ninth-rank.
Lady Wade suddenly felt the letter was very heavy.
"Sister, what should we do?" Lady Wade's eldest brother, the plumper one, asked. Her second brother also looked at her expectantly.
Lady Wade frowned, thinking for a moment.
"Brothers, go and invite Pharmacist Holmer," Lady Wade said calmly.
"That old freak Holmer?" Her second brother immediately exclaimed in surprise.
Lady Wade said coldly, "According to Kode's investigation, this mysterious man named 'Lei' is at least an eighth-rank expert, possibly even ninth-rank. I don't have the strength to face a ninth-rank expert head-on. It's better to let Pharmacist Holmer handle it. After all, Holmer has precedent for killing a ninth-rank expert."
"But Holmer, he..." Lady Wade's eldest brother also hesitated.
"Hmph. If you two keep this up, you'll never accomplish anything great. Even if I kill Keen, with you two acting like this, do you think you can become the lord?" Lady Wade snorted coldly.
"Alright, sister. We'll go to Pharmacist Holmer right away!" Lady Wade's two brothers gave in.
...
The title 'Pharmacist Holmer' was one Holmer had given himself.
Some people thought Holmer was an assassin, but Holmer considered himself a pharmacist.
Indeed, Holmer's skill at saving lives was very high. Holmer was now over three hundred years old. For a sixth-rank warrior to live past three hundred was almost impossible. But Holmer had done it, and he looked to be in good health. This was because Holmer regularly consumed strange herbs, which kept his three-hundred-year-old body as strong as a middle-aged man's.
"Ooh, Lady Wade is quite generous. This job is worth taking, worth taking..." Holmer stroked his graying beard and chuckled smugly.
Lady Wade's two brothers were somewhat restrained in Holmer's presence.
"Pharmacist Holmer, you should set out as soon as possible," Lady Wade's eldest brother urged. "Our people will take you to see your target."
"Haha, pay half the deposit first, and I'll leave immediately," Holmer laughed heartily.
"Deposit?" The two brothers' eyes widened.
In Chier County City, they had never been so humiliated. But having heard of Holmer's deeds, the two brothers didn't dare provoke this self-proclaimed 'pharmacist' old man. If this old man went berserk, no one knew how many people would die.
(End of Chapter 1!)