Chapter 224: Counter assassination
“What should we do?” Trunks asked.
“The depths of the Valley of Sunshine are too murky, and our power is too weak. We don’t have the ability to fight against any side. No matter what the final result is, control of the valley won’t fall to us. In the end, our mercenary band is too weak.”
“As such, it’s not a wise move for us to become involved at this time. For now, we can set aside our feud with Florida. When they’re injured and bleeding from fighting each other, we can take advantage of that to recruit men to expand our power. The most important thing is to grow our strength and not become involved with them.”
“The shopfront that I need is rumored to be an unlucky place. No matter who’s in control of the valley, they won’t know how to use it, so it’ll remain empty with no one taking up residence. I’ll be able to obtain it sooner or later. There’s no need for us to be confined to one place because of it.”
“Not to mention that Laureton isn’t a kind sort. Our security is far from guaranteed during our stay in the valley. If Laureton loses his temper one day, then we might turn into enemies. At that time, it would be difficult for us to leave the valley.” Han Shuo continued calmly after careful consideration.
“You mean that we should temporarily leave the Valley of Sunshine?” Han Shuo’s comments had been long, but to distill it down in a simple manner, he was advocating that they take a seat on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. After some thought, Trunks was able to grasp his intention.
“We’ll leave the Valley of Sunshine, but not necessarily its sphere of influence. We can imitate the three other factions and expand our influence to the outskirts of the valley. With the gold and your connections, you can make use of this time to recruit more mercenaries. We can slowly increase our strength when they’re busy fighting each other.”
“In addition, I need to leave for a while as well. If I remain here and the Church of Light discovers me, I’ll bring unnecessary trouble to the mercenary band. I can make use of this opportunity to ask the dwarves in the Dark Forest to forge the weapons you need. I’ll pay the forest trolls a visit as well to see if I can get anything out of them.” Han Shuo’s mind was quite nimble as he quickly and calmly made plans.
When Han Shuo had finished, Trunks smiled and nodded. “There are a few more months until the fight for control of the Valley of Sunshine ends. Now that we have enough gold for our base, I can make use of this time to attract more experts to join. Perhaps they’ll be of some use in critical moments.”
“Yepp. Let’s go and discuss things with Emily. We should leave earlier rather than later.” Han Shuo looked at the sky and started thinking about what to do when they leave the valley.
As they made their way back, the streets were bustling. All sorts of bizarre and exotic wares were on display by merchants from various kingdoms, catching the eyes of passersby.
From stockily built orcs wearing thick furs, to beautiful elves with pointed ears, all sorts of races were looking at the items on the streets, trying to identify where their profits would come from.
Han Shuo was moving through the crowd when a sudden sense of danger rose in his heart. It was as if enemies from the shadows had locked onto him with killing intent, planning on giving him a lethal blow.
Having reached the bloodlust realm, Han Shuo had a frightening sensitivity towards other people’s killing intent towards him. Even though he was on the crowded and bustling streets, he could still clearly feel that concealed burst of killing intent. It was really quite incredible.
His thoughts moved as he sent the three yin demons flying out soundlessly, gusts of air drifting through the void, slowly dispersing and moving into the blind spots around Han Shuo, probing for the origin of that killing intent.
Thanks to the yin demons, Han Shuo could clearly see all around him within several meters. He quickly sifted through the people around him, trying to identify the source of the danger.
On the blind spots to the left of a shopfront, a flawless, exquisite face came into view. Like the edge of a blade, the female elven archer Maxine’s eyes held a cold gleam. She was looking sharply at him and holding a strangely designed bow in her left hand. She seemed to be waiting for the prime opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Next to her stood thunder mage Asa. His face was equally ruthless as he gripped a magic staff in his right hand. He seemed to be ready to make a move at any time.
However, in this crowded and busy street, Han Shuo’s group was surrounded by merchants of all nationalities. Conducting an assassination in such an area needed an exquisite, near perfect grasp of timing, or it would be impossible to succeed.
A cold smile suddenly appearing on his face, Han Shuo continued walking forward without a hitch. The three yin demons kept an eye on Maxine and Asa’s movements as he considered how to handle their plans.
He suddenly dashed around a corner on the streets. Trunks and Gilbert also vanished without a trace.
Maxine and Asa had seen the three walk forward, but suddenly disappear around a corner. Slightly surprised, they looked at each other. Their hidden bodies couldn’t help but join the crowds as they tried to take a look at what had happened around the corner.
“Where are they?” Asa scanned the corner when they arrived and asked with a slight frown when he didn’t find them.
At that moment, the streets reverberated with a low howl. A jet black beam of light screamed through the air as it twisted through the crowd. A pair of glistening fangs, at the head of what looked like a gigantic snake winding through the air, came to bite down on the two.
The sudden change completely wrecked their plans. Maxine’s thin eyes narrowed into a slit as the Demonslayer Edge shot towards her chest; she dashed upwards towards the roof and fled into the distance without a second thought.
Behind Maxine, a ghastly wail tore its way out of Asa’s mouth. The cry galvanized the crowd, engulfing the street in chaos as everyone ducked and sprinted for safety, wanting to flee before the unknown danger arrived.
The mercenaries who were following the merchants and in charge of their safety immediately surrounded their employers before identifying what had gone on in the surroundings.
Thunder mage Asa’s right hand, the one clutching the magic staff, had been chopped off because of Maxine’s departure. The severed stump spewed blood everywhere.
The Demonslayer Edge sprang back into the air, circling back ruthlessly as it attempted to reap Asa’s life as well. However, Asa was still an experienced mercenary. After that first shriek, he kept his mouth shut even in the midst of such horrifying circumstances.
He didn’t hesitate. In a situation where he might lose his life in the next second, his empty left hand swiftly picked up his severed right hand as he deployed the levitation spell without pause. He took to the skies and a circle of lightning formed around him, turning him into a electric man.
The Demonslayer Edge once again flew towards Asa as the electric currents sparked madly. When the Demonslayer Edge closed in on his back, the electric currents invaded it, interrupting its charge and stopping it a hair’s breadth away from Asa’s body, At that moment, a series of crackles and pops resounded from his body.
The electric net that surrounded Asa poured into the Demonslayer Edge with fierce electric power. This threw the magical yuan that Han Shuo had infused into the Demonslayer Edge into disarray. With that, it didn’t take Asa’s life.
Although Asa hadn’t been stabbed to death, the wildly rampant magical yuan within the Demonslayer Edge crashed into him like an enormous boulder. His body trembled like a kite with a broken string, almost plummeting from the sky with his violent swaying. He finally caught himself with a stumble and shakily flew into a room, crying for help.
“Let’s go. Asa’s injured even worse than Florida now. I think it’s becoming more and more unrealistic that the Rainbow Sickles will be able to win out over the Cairo mercenary band in this time’s struggle.” Han Shuo laughed coldly and walked out of an alleyway with Gilbert and Trunks.
“Devious master, why not take this advantage to kill him? We just need to stick him again and Asa will be dead without a doubt?” Uncomprehending, Gilbert looked at Han Shuo in confusion.
“Asa fell into a rest stop of the Cairo mercenary band. Even though the Cairo mercenary band and the Rainbow Sickles are covertly fighting each other, everyone within the valley is under the protection of the Cairo mercenary band. No matter whether the mercenaries want to or not, they’ll have to raise a hand to help Asa. We can’t kill Asa there or we’ll offend Laureton.” Trunks explained to Gilbert.
“Yep. When I ambushed Asa, the Cairo mercenaries didn’t say a word and no one came out of their rest stop to help him. This is already helping us out. You, stupid dragon, should use your brain more and not just think of dirty things from day to night.” Han Shuo lectured Gilbert in an exasperated tone.
“It’s a pity that Maxine escaped. That woman has a very finely honed sense of danger!” Trunks spoke with some regret.
Nodding, Han Shuo agreed. “Mm. It was indeed a bit of a pity that Maxine escaped. Perhaps it’s because she’s adept as she is in assassination that her senses are so keen. The woman hiding in the shadows is much more dangerous than Asa. You must be careful and not give her any openings.”
The three of them chatted as they made their way back to the shop. With the three yin demons around him, no one and nothing could escape Han Shuo’s observation, so they didn’t run into any further trouble.
There were some exotic flowers and grass placed in front of an orc’s shop, as well as some exquisitely knotted small trees. One of them had three golden, glittering leaves and milky-white stalks. They were as durable as stalactites and shone with a faint, white luster, immediately catching Han Shuo’s attention.
He’d observed this shop through the yin demons. He spoke to the other two, “Come, let’s take a look at this shop.”
Having long since grown used to Han Shuo’s peculiarities, the two of them didn’t say anything and followed behind Han Shuo, walking towards the orc’s shop.
Several uncommon flora and fauna attracted Han Shuo’s attentions. Some of them had refreshing scents, and others had bizarre shapes with vivid colors. Many of the small trees had translucent roots like a beautiful jade. It was a wonder how they’d grown.
Han Shuo drew nearer to the three golden leaves and leaned over to sniff them. A clean scent drifted into his nose and mouth, refreshing his mind. Han Shuo stared at those three leaves, examining them closely for a bit. He reached out and rubbed the rock-like roots, thinking of something with a furrowed brow.
Gilbert and Trunks were staring at Han Shuo with a peculiar expression. They didn’t understand his actions at all, and didn’t know why he was suddenly interested in such bizarre flora and fauna.
After a while, Han Shuo’s eyebrows suddenly twitched as a crazed delight filled his eyes. He observed all of the strange plants even more closely afterwards, his whole being filled with an unspeakable excitement like he’d suddenly picked up some treasures.
Gilbert and Trunks looked at each other, unsure of what Han Shuo had discovered. They stood there and watched his strange performance, completely befuddled.
Sweeping his eyes over the wares in front of the door, Han Shuo took in a deep breath and said to Gilbert and Trunks, “I need these special plants. Come, let’s see if there are other gains inside.”
His excited expression slowly returned to normal after his words as he walked inside.