chsdbacks Chapter 69 Casually Smoothing Over
Chapter 69 Casually Smoothing Over
When Barton and his men saw the guards arrive, they were not afraid, but they did not want to make too much of a scene on Blackrock Town's territory.
He glared fiercely at Ellie, who was slumped on the ground, blood trickling from her mouth, her face pale, and spat out a curse:
"Consider yourself lucky! Let's go!"
After saying that, he and a few companions left the market quickly, cursing and swearing.
Instead of chasing after the obviously troublesome foreign adventurers, the captain of the guard rushed forward to check on Ellie's condition.
"Ellie, how are you?"
Despite the excruciating pain and churning blood, Ellie struggled to stand up, but this aggravated her internal injuries, causing her to cough again.
She shook her head, her voice weak: "I...I'm fine."
"Thank you, Captain."
She glanced at the black iron longsword lying not far away, a hint of heartache and humiliation flashing in her eyes, but she still spoke to the captain of the guards:
"Captain, could you please not tell Mr. Rowling about what happened today?"
"I...I don't want to cause trouble for you, sir."
She knew her husband's personality well; he disliked being bothered by mundane affairs. If he knew that she had been fighting and getting injured outside, he would probably be displeased.
The captain of the guard looked at Ellie's stubborn yet pleading eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed:
"Okay...you should go back and get some rest; you're badly injured."
He helped pick up the longsword from the ground and handed it to Ellie.
Ellie took the sword, hugged it tightly to her chest, and, enduring the excruciating pain, walked step by step with difficulty toward her humble little house.
She made up her mind not to go to the courtyard until her injuries had healed, lest her husband notice something amiss.
For the next few days, Ellie did not appear in Rowling's yard.
At first, Rowling didn't pay attention, assuming that Ellie was in trouble.
But it's unusual that they haven't been seen for several days.
He released his mental energy, silently covering the area where Ellie lived.
In his perception, Ellie's life force, though still stronger than that of an ordinary person, was noticeably dimmer and unstable, with a sluggish feeling characteristic of internal injuries.
Are you injured?
Luo Lin frowned slightly.
He summoned Bahamut, and through a mental link, transmitted Ellie's image and aura to her, commanding:
"Go and find out what happened to her these past few days."
Baha let out a clear cry and flapped its wings to fly into the sky above the town. Its dark silver eyes could see through illusions, and its dark gold eyes were sensitive to malice and danger. Combined with its intelligence as a magical pet, gathering information was not difficult for it.
In less than half a day, Baha returned and, through a mental link, relayed the fragmented information he had overheard from several birds and corners in town to Rowling.
Ellie was injured by adventurers at the market, and her injuries were quite serious. She has been recuperating in the cabin for the past few days and has instructed others not to tell the wizard.
Luo Lin's expression calmed down, but his eyes turned cold.
Even if someone is just an ordinary girl who is casually pointed at or helps with cleaning, no outsider is allowed to bully or humiliate her.
More importantly, Ellie chose to keep it a secret, and he appreciated her intention not to cause him trouble, but that didn't mean the matter could be left unresolved.
He needs to know the specifics of what happened.
Instead of going directly to Ellie, he went to the captain of the guard again.
Faced with Roland's calm yet imposing gaze, the captain of the guard dared not conceal anything and recounted in detail what he had seen at the market that day, including how Ellie was forced to fight back, how she used her swordsmanship to maneuver, how she was ultimately severely injured and defeated, as well as the physical characteristics of the adventurers and the direction they left in.
"Those people... seem to have gone to the Wild Boar Tavern at the east end of town. They seem to still be in town these past few days."
The captain of the guard added.
"Wild Boar Tavern..."
Rowling wrote down the name.
He tossed a small bag of gold coins to the captain of the guard.
"This is your payment. Don't tell anyone about what happened today."
"Yes, yes! Thank you, Lord Rowling!"
The captain of the guards quickly took the money bag, bowed, and withdrew.
Night falls.
Wild Boar Tavern is a mixed-race tavern located at the east end of Blackrock Town, mainly catering to adventurers and mercenaries.
This was the liveliest time in the tavern, filled with noise, clinking glasses, and boisterous laughter and curses.
Patton and several of his companions were occupying a table, loudly boasting about their "achievements" during the day.
"Damn, that little brat actually has some skills; I almost fell for her trick!"
"Heh heh, even if it's tough, it still got taken down by Boss Patton with one slash, didn't it?"
"What a pity, she was quite pretty..."
The group's foul language drew the attention of some of the other drinkers, but sensing their menacing aura, no one dared to interfere.
Just then, the wooden door of the tavern was silently pushed open.
A figure in a gray cloak walked in. He wasn't particularly tall, and his steps were steady, but the moment he stepped into the tavern, an invisible, chilling mental pressure spread out like a tide, instantly enveloping the entire noisy space.
All the noise stopped abruptly.
The patrons looked toward the door in horror, as if they had been choked.
The bartender behind the bar trembled, and the glass fell to the ground and shattered.
Barton and his men were also startled, their drunkenness instantly sobering up considerably, and they looked at the newcomer warily.
They could feel that the chilling sense of oppression was coming straight at them!
Rowling's gaze swept across the tavern, instantly locking onto Barton and his gang. He walked over slowly, his footsteps clearly audible in the quiet tavern.
"Who...who are you? What do you want?"
Barton forced himself to remain calm, gripped the hilt of the machete on the table, and shouted in a fierce but inwardly cowardly tone.
Rowling stopped a few steps from their table, his face obscured by the shadow of his hood, only his calm, unwavering voice emanating from him:
"A few days ago, at the market, you were the ones who injured my men."
It's not a question, but a statement.
Barton and his men's expressions changed drastically.
They never expected that there was actually a wizard standing behind that little girl!
Moreover, judging from its imposing presence, it is no ordinary person!
"It was...it was that girl who bumped into our boss, Patton, first..."
An adventurer tried to defend himself.
Rowling completely ignored him, his gaze fixed on Barton:
"It was you who used excessive force."
Patton felt a chill run down his spine under his gaze, but the ferocity honed by years of living on the edge was also ignited. He abruptly stood up and drew his machete:
"So what if it's me?"
"A brat..."
His words came to an abrupt end.
Because Rowling raised his hand.
There was no chanting, no complicated movements, just a simple pointing forward.
Corrosion Orb!
A magic orb the size of a fist, with its dark green energy churning violently inside and exuding a corrosive aura, instantly condensed at Rolin's fingertip, and then shot towards Barton like an arrow!
Too fast!
Barton had no time to make any effective dodge or block, and could only watch helplessly as the dark green orb of light rapidly enlarged in his pupils!
"No!"
laugh! ! !
The acid-etching ball struck Patton precisely in the chest and exploded violently!
A highly corrosive energy instantly enveloped his upper body.
A heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the tavern.
As the dark green energy light dissipated, Barton's chest was revealed to be a bloody mess. His thick leather armor and the clothes underneath had been completely corroded, revealing charred and twisted skin and bones. He collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed, his body convulsing violently and emitting gasping sounds. It was clear that he was not going to survive.
The tavern was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.
All the drinkers were terrified, their faces pale and trembling, not daring to even breathe.
The remaining adventurers were terrified. Looking at the wretched Barton on the ground, and then at the terrifying figure shrouded in the cloak, their legs gave way, and they collapsed to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Spare me, Wizard! Spare me!"
"It's none of our business! Patton struck first!"
"We were wrong! We'll never do it again!"
Rowling didn't even glance at Barton's corpse on the ground. His gaze shifted to the adventurers who were kowtowing and begging for mercy. His eyes remained calm, as if he had just casually crushed an insect.
"You guys are still somewhat useful."
He raised his hand again, this time not to cast an offensive spell, but to cast a few simple [Sleep] spells.
A faint mental fluctuation swept by, and the adventurers who were still kowtowing and begging for mercy rolled their eyes and fainted instantly.
Rowling stepped forward and used his dimensional bag to collect Barton's body and several unconscious adventurers.
These people have physical abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people, especially the leader, Barton. As experimental subjects, they might be more suitable than ordinary animals or low-level monsters. They can be used to test the toxicity of some new drugs or the local effects of spells, which can be considered a way to make use of waste.