Chapitre 17: Chapter 16 Night Raid

"Enar, you take this spear to the Fischer family."

In the blacksmith shop, Old Ramon instructed his apprentice to deliver a spear that had just been forged to the Fischers in South City.

The Fischer family and the blacksmith shop had cooperated well over the past two years, with all forging needs being taken care of by Old Ramon's establishment.

Ramon's son, Hugh, a middle-aged man standing nearly one meter ninety with a body of robust muscle, paused and, after a moment of silence, said,

"Father, have you forgotten? Enar actually left us a few days ago. He said he was going to work in the factories in Fein City."

Old Ramon's brows furrowed deeply; his oldest apprentice, Enar, had been with him for over a dozen years, and he hadn't yet grown accustomed to his absence.

"That place they call a factory is just preposterous, bringing together people from all different places to work—won't that just be chaos?"

Hugh remained non-committal, the so-called factory indeed being a novel concept, said to have originated from the Empire.

But everyone felt that the factory model wouldn't last, because for thousands of years no one had done such a thing; the traditional family-based system would surely continue eternally.

Suddenly, Old Ramon caught sight of the plump town chief hurrying down the street with a dozen servants in tow.

What was that greedy and corrupt fellow up to, strutting through the town with so many attendants?

Old Ramon viscerally loathed the thought; the town chief had exploited every powerless household in town, and they had been no exception.

Ever since the blacksmith shop's relationship with the Fischer family grew closer, the town chief no longer troubled them, acting as if he had never taken money from the blacksmith shop.

The town chief made his way to the jungle outside of Nasir Town, his servants looking nervously at the natives emerging from the dense underbrush, especially wary and fearful of the burly middle-aged priest.

The middle-aged priest waved him over, and without hesitation, the town chief followed, anger spreading across his face.

In a low voice, he said, "I've already provided the children for this year, and you promised you wouldn't do anything more. So why are you calling for me now?"

The annual sacrifice had been a pressing burden for years, and though the town chief knew it was to protect Nasir, he also understood that the ignorant townsfolk would never comprehend his actions.

The middle-aged priest's eyes were cold, his words cutting like a blade.

"Have you forgotten the promise you broke two years ago?"

The town chief shuddered; indeed, the two children of the Fischer family were still brazenly alive in Nasir, and the older girl, Irene, had even come of age.

Furthermore, the Blood Cult's old priest who had come to perform the ceremony back then had disappeared.

The lives and souls of the siblings had been the very subject of their agreement.

The town chief had been anxious about this matter until recently, when he finally felt at ease, assuming the jungle natives, embroiled in their internal strife, would no longer dwell on the past.

The middle-aged priest, his face marred by scars, said, "Blood can only be avenged with blood. We people of the East Coast have always been principled in our actions."

"I'll give you a chance to make amends. Remove the patrol from the town tomorrow night."

The town chief's pupils shrank instantly, and he asked with a tremor, "What exactly are you planning to do?"

The middle-aged priest assured him with an icy tone, as if speaking of slaughtering livestock, "Our revenge is aimed only at the Fischer family."

The town chief still questioned, "Are you truly certain that it was the Fischers who killed the old priest?"

The middle-aged priest nodded once, answering with detached coldness, "Without a doubt, for it is the answer given by the Blood Lord himself, and you should know that not long after that night, the girl of the Fischer family became an Extraordinary Exponent."

The town chief bowed his head, hesitating for a long time before responding.

Many towns and villages around the East Coast had been pillaged by the jungle natives, but Nasir had not been targeted for over a decade, and those above thought it was due to the town chief's excellent governance.

Only he knew of the filthy deal behind it all, aware that more and more of his vulnerabilities were held in the natives' hands, leaving him powerless to refuse.

"Alright, I agree to your terms," said the town chief, like air escaping from a deflated balloon, sighing repeatedly.

"The negotiation was successful."

The middle-aged priest spoke with a chilling voice, deeply disgusted by the town chief who betrayed his own people, wishing he could spit on the fat fool's face and pull out every despicable bone in his body.

Thankfully, he's not my kin.

Suddenly, the town chief spoke again, in a manner that was exceedingly serious, "When you plunder the town, could you share some of the spoils with me?"

---

In the courtyard of the Fischer family, Lucius nodded at ten well-armed guards; they had become quite adept at their basic cooperative maneuvers.

He had equipped each of the family guards with a spear and breastplate, long weapons offering inherent advantages over short-handled ones and more easily mastered.

Byrne adjusted his glasses and donned many layers of clothes before he dared to step from the house into the courtyard, even after seizing the Power of Consecution, his physique was barely on par with an ordinary person.

"Father, why are we recruiting new guards again this month?"

Ever since the jungle natives' unrest was confirmed a year ago, the Fischer family had reduced their number of guards down to five, improving their financial situation considerably.

But now Lucius had once again recruited five veterans, and the burden of paying their salaries had increased once more.

"It's because those jungle natives might appear again, so we must take precautions in advance."

Lucius replied calmly, but Byrne couldn't understand, because for two whole years, those jungle natives had only made one appearance in Nasir Town, and his father had easily dealt with them; moreover, that was all over a year ago.

"Father, do we really need to bear this extra expense?"

Lucius shook his head, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "Byrne, you just don't understand. There's no chance for regret if something goes wrong."

Byrne sighed, saying, "Then it will be a long wait again before we can purchase Class 2 Extraordinary Material."

Lucius looked silently at his own hands. Now, the 1st Rank Magic Potion had been fully assimilated.

As long as he got enough Extraordinary materials to reach the second stage of Spirituality, he could ask the Lord of the Lost for even stronger power.

By then, his foundational strength would be on par with that of the traditional Extraordinary Exponents at the high-level Beginning, unquestionably a very important goal.

The family's resources were never enough. The choice between short-term investment and long-term investment was always difficult.

He still asserted firmly, "Our Fischer family is far from strong enough. Caution and secrecy are the most important principles."

"Byrne, your problem is that you always look too far ahead, but often overlook the immediate crises."

"Alright, alright, stop. I understand."

Byrne didn't think of arguing with his father anymore, but instead returned to his room and took out a thick black-leather book from his bookcase.

Written on the black-leather book was information about the True Gods Church of the Ouden Continent.

The Five Great True Gods Churches, which are the Salvation Church, Sun Church, World Order Church, Tempest Church, and Silver Moon Church, have been inherited for thousands of years and are an undeniable powerful force on the Ouden Continent.

Byrne mumbled to himself, "Doctrine, scriptures, positions, if we really want to establish a religious group, there's so much we'll need to learn."

Both his father and Irene had lamented the lack of trustworthy and capable people in the Fischer family.

They had also thought about what to do if they had surplus blessings to deal with later on.

Byrne vaguely felt that maybe they could emulate the jungle natives' Blood Cult, establishing a secret religious group that worshipped the Lord of the Lost.

But how to ensure the loyalty of the faithful and how to avoid detection by the True Gods Church? What specific rules and regulations should be? He found the complexity headache-inducing just thinking about it.

Whether it was Irene or Lucius, reading would make them doze off, but the more Byrne read, the more energized he became, not wanting to sleep late into the night.

"I still have too few books. I've read many over several times. Sigh, and that ability that greatly improves my memory is, in some ways, an annoying curse."

Byrne had heard that the Emperor of the Empire had collected a vast number of books to establish a place called "library," exclusively for the empire's nobles and senior citizens to read, and he was determined to visit the empire in his lifetime to see it for himself.

Suddenly, he felt an idea arising from the depths of his heart.

As if his body had plunged into the depths of the ocean, an almost suffocating sense of oppression made Byrne instinctively stand up, unable to stop shivering all over!

It was a warning from the Lord of the Lost!

Some terrible danger was approaching!

---

Karl's consciousness, with a god-like perspective, overlooked the town, detecting dozens of people sneaking towards the Fischer family's direction.

Zooming in, he immediately noticed that these people disguised as merchants all had black facial markings, evidently jungle natives who worship the Mighty Bloody Demon!

So many jungle natives sneaking into the town at night was an incredible event, and Karl quickly realized that there were no signs of any patrol teams in the town.

Something was wrong. It seemed there was a traitor in Nasir Town who had meddled, and the person capable of relocating the town's patrol meant that the traitor's position must be quite high.

While thinking, Karl quickly sent a warning to the people of the Fischer family.

Lucius awoke from his sleep, his agile body shooting out of bed to quickly grab a white whistle from beside his pillow and blew it fiercely!

"Whoo!!!!"

The piercing whistle sliced the air, echoing through the streets!

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Chapitre 18: Chapter 17 Massacre

More than thirty jungle natives had come, with the middle-aged Priest as the only Spellcaster, and aside from the leading Priest, there were also two other Extraordinary Exponents among the natives, a pair of brothers with the power of Bloodline.

Their height was close to two meters, inheriting the bloodline of the "Heavy Stone Demon Bear," a common magic beast in the jungle that provided considerable enhancements in strength and defensive power.

Having just arrived on the street, they were still over two hundred meters away from the Fischer family's mansion when they suddenly heard a sharp whistle.

The middle-aged Priest instantly raised his hand and shouted, "Be careful!"

Although unclear about the reason they had been discovered, he knew the sound came from inside the Fischer family and that the family must have been sufficiently alerted.

"What's going on?"

As locals began to open their doors to see what the commotion was, the Priest pointed a finger, and the older brother threw his axe, smashing a man's head to pieces.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

A scream followed the next moment, evidently from someone who had been peeking out the door crack and witnessed the event.

"What happened?"

"It's the jungle natives!"

"Where's the patrol?"

People from various directions began emerging onto the street, completely exposing the original plan to ambush and kill the Fischer family.

The Priest's expression shifted darkly, and he suddenly cried out, "Blood for blood! All Cyart people deserve to die! Kill!"

The dozens of weapon-wielding jungle natives seemed liberated, all roaring and charging around, swinging axes and spears at anyone they encountered.

"Son, run!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Help!"

"I'm done with you and your damn dog!"

In an instant, more than a dozen civilians were slaughtered, and the men on the street pulled out weapons to resist, managing to kill a few jungle natives before quickly being cut down by the three Extraordinary Exponents among the natives.

Women and children who couldn't escape in time cried and begged for mercy; the towering brother warriors grabbed a beseeching mother and daughter and smashed them to death on the ground, trampling over their bodies while other natives, their eyes red, began setting fire to houses one by one.

Flames danced wildly, turning everything around them orange and red as the deep black sky lit up, the flames soaring high, illuminating the surrounding buildings and trees.

"Revenge! The will of the Lord of Bloody Cult! The people of the East Coast will eventually reclaim their land!"

The middle-aged Priest shouted, rallying the twenty-some surviving jungle natives, and they rushed toward the nearby Fischer mansion, intending to finish the fight before the town's patrol could return.

Thick smoke hung below the night sky, making the fire scene even more terrifying and gloomy. Flames jumped, flying high and then swooping low, as if they were alive and ceaselessly swaying.

Inside the Fischer mansion, ten guards fully armed under Lucius's command stood, each showing a terrified expression, lacking courage.

Lucius, holding a sharp blade and wearing full armor stood at the front door, a bag of alchemical tools hanging at his side, and shouted,

"Don't be afraid! The patrol will be here soon! We have over a hundred people! They'll be surrounded shortly!"

Listening to the crackling of the flames and the cries outside, Lucius silently contemplated the next moves in the battle.

The walls surrounding the courtyard were over three meters high, too tall for ordinary people to jump over, and the front gate, reinforced with iron, would not be easily breached from the outside. In fact, the most critical defensive focus should be on the enemy's Extraordinary Exponents.

Once the Extraordinary Exponents among the enemies scaled the walls and opened the front gate, all the enemies would flood in, and the Fischer family would suffer heavy casualties in an instant.

"You must hold this ground!"

He instructed the servants to stand at observation points around the mansion, ready to blow the whistle as soon as they spotted enemies scaling the walls.

At that time, Lucius would personally lead men to deal with the Extraordinary Exponents who had gotten inside.

Dressed in a black dress, Irene held Chris at the second-floor window, staring at the burning flames outside; the sky was already ablaze with fire.

Why hasn't the patrol come yet?

Byrne, wearing a breastplate, quickly came over and said, "Father sent me to take you to the basement!"

"No, we can't leave."

Irene pulled out an alchemically modified flintlock, quickly saying, "Because of the 'God Worshiping' ability, I am blessed daily by the Lord of the Lost, don't worry, His will shall protect me."

"God Worshiping" abilities selected different targets, earning differing blessings, Irene chose the Lord of the Lost while Karl found a trace of dark light bestowed deep into the girl's soul.

Although the exact effects of Irene's soul gradually being dyed with dark light were not clear, they would definitely not be inconsequential.

Byrne's expression shifted—among the family, only Irene was truly devout. He and his son Lucius could never achieve that level of devoutness.

Irene said in an extremely indifferent tone, "You just need to follow my orders."

Byrne stood frozen in place for a long time, only able to nod, profoundly feeling the gradual changes in his cousin over the two years.

The girl who initially appeared no different from ordinary humans could now shoulder the family's responsibilities.

Karl silently observed the entire situation of the battle. If the Fischer family was pushed to the brink, he would definitely choose to use his Spirituality to intervene directly.

Soon, he noticed three extraordinary jungle natives scale over from one side of the wall—two brothers who were nearly two meters tall with the bloodline of "Heavy Stone Demon Bear," holding long spears, and a middle-aged priest holding a blue stone axe with faint Magic Power.

"Shh!!"

Seeing the three scale the wall, a servant immediately blew a whistle. Lucius quickly led five men over and instructed the rest to guard the main gate adamantly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Outside, over twenty jungle natives fiercely slammed the gate. The guards, pale-faced, could see that if it weren't for the iron reinforcements, the gate would have been breached instantly by the enemies outside.

The strongest middle-aged guard pulled out a black sphere from his chest and threw it forcefully outside. Following it, an explosion sounded, then a series of wails; the guards instinctively let out a sigh of relief.

One of the five portions of alchemical explosives obtained through trade was being used here, while Lucius personally carried two portions and Byrne also had two on his person.

Lucius and the five guards soon encountered the middle-aged priest and the warrior brothers.

"Kill!"

"Blood for blood!"

Neither side exchanged many words; instead, they chose to commence battle the first second they met.

Lucius executed his usual tactic of lunging forward, aiming to strike the chief enemy first—he determined at first glance that the middle-aged priest held the highest status.

"Clang!"

The priest's axe easily blocked the thrust. He was not slower than Lucius in speed or reaction and quickly unleashed a force stronger than Lucius's, raising his axe.

The primary effect of the "Shadow Shark Tiger" bloodline is the dual enhancement of speed and strength!

"Ha!"

Lucius was pushed back by the axe, retreating several steps in succession while the five guards with their two-meter-long spears thrust at the three Extraordinary Exponents.

The bear-like brother warriors roared, activating the "Heavy Stone Demon Bear" bloodline power to face five lances without retreating. The lances barely penetrated their skins and flesh, and failed to damage any organs.

Emphasizing defensive power, their blood-enhanced bodily defenses were troublesome for mere mortals.

The brother warriors swung their axes, and two guards were killed in their stunned moments while the remaining three screamed and turned to run.

Suddenly a black sphere rolled under their feet, hissing as it did so.

"Boom!"

After the loud bang, both brother warriors were blown away by the alchemical explosive, their bodies mangled, and they fell heavily onto the ground, too injured to rise.

These devices would not explode immediately, so it was necessary to first draw the enemy's attention. Lucius crouched sinisterly not far away, preparing to pull out the last alchemical explosive on his person.

While the power of a low-level Extraordinary Exponent was not insignificant, the explosive's power clearly had the upper hand!

"Lord of Bloody Cult, my fate is to execute your will, to impose a Curse on enemies with your power, and the Cyart people must have blood for blood!"

The middle-aged priest intoned the spell solemnly, stretched out his hand targeting Lucius's head, releasing the power of the Magic heritage "Blood Magic" he had mastered.

Lucius didn't hesitate to dodge swiftly, yet still felt an invisible force locking onto the edge of his body.

The next moment, even the experienced Lucius couldn't help but let out a scream of agony—the pain was searing as it traveled up his arm.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The blood in his arm boiled violently—the arm trembling uncontrollably under the armguard, on the verge of bursting.

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