This operation went unusually smoothly again. For a maggot like Jiefulun, if Xing Yue couldn’t finish him in three moves, it would be a failed mission.
Meanwhile, the main body at Demon King Castle had made some progress in researching the slave contract.
Xiao Du is basically a cheat!
Xing Yue simply said, “Find books related to contracts,” and that elusive Dugui, like a super AI, automatically activated search engine mode.
A pile of ancient books were found one by one by Xiao Du, then Yang Dazhuang and Yang Ersha carried them over, neatly stacked on a desk—titles like Abyss Contract Theory, In-depth Analysis of Contract Clauses and Construction, Loopholes in Soul Binding within Contracts, On How to Hide Personal Agendas in Contracts, Three Contract Clauses to Make Humans Willingly Work for You…
Although some book titles were strange, Xiao Du said that the essence remains the same; these were all knowledge about contracts, and their principles could basically apply to all kinds of contracts, so Xing Yue accepted them all and started flipping through them one by one.
Dividing half her attention to continue slowly studying the contract with her main body, the other side of Xing Yue looked down at Jiefulun, who was tied up like a dumpling at her feet.
This fat pig was still unconscious, with a string of drool at the corner of his mouth and a liver-colored bruise left from the attack.
Xing Yue still knew her limits; she wouldn’t let Jiefulun die from pain, but she wouldn’t let him feel good either.
Like before, using Levitation to carry Jiefulun again, Xing Yue planned to throw him into the basement first, then slowly deal with the contract matters later.
Walking out of the mansion, Xing Yue saw another crowd of people swarming in at the entrance of the manor.
This time, at the lead was an old man in a worn gray robe, his withered fingers gripping a bone staff, his murky eyes burning with anxiety and determination.
Behind him, at least fifty or sixty fully armed guards were quickly spreading out, surrounding the entire front courtyard.
The old man raised his head, his gaze passing over the guards lying on the ground, over the mess, finally landing on Xing Yue… and the “luggage” floating behind her.
His pupils suddenly contracted, and he cried out in shock.
“Lord Baron!!”
Xing Yue blinked at him, feeling that this old man seemed somewhat familiar.
Then she looked closely at that face—white beard, deep wrinkles, and that familiar bone staff.
‘Huh?’
‘This is that old man from before.’
Xing Yue remembered last time in the alley, this old man was talking to himself, looking sorrowful, exuding a sense of “I have a story” world-weariness. At that time, she silently mused, “Mysterious old men encountered on the street like this are usually hidden big shots.”
However, now it seemed he was that old mage beside Jiefulun.
“Let him go!”
Gaierte’s voice was hoarse and urgent, the tip of his bone staff already beginning to emit a faint red light. His gaze was fixed on Xing Yue, then quickly swept past her to the gate behind her.
There, one could faintly see many guards lying scattered on the floor in the hall.
‘This silver-haired girl… actually took out all the guards in the entire manor by herself?’
‘No way!’
Gaierte’s heart sank heavily, and he continued to question in a deep voice:
“Who are you? Why attack the lord’s mansion?!”
Xing Yue tilted her head, not answering directly, but instead asked with a curious tone:
“Are you Gaierte?”
Gaierte was stunned.
‘How does she know my name?’
But at the moment, he couldn’t dwell on it; the baron was in her hands, alive or dead unknown. And more importantly, if Jiefulun died…
Gaierte’s hand trembled slightly. His granddaughter’s face flashed through his mind.
‘No, I absolutely cannot let her take Lord Baron!’
Gaierte took a deep breath, suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and tried to make his voice sound dignified:
“That’s right, it’s me.”
“Miss, your actions have seriously violated the laws of the Duchy of Roses. I advise you to stop immediately and release Lord Baron.”
“Otherwise, the crime of attacking a noble will be enough to have you wanted throughout the duchy for life.”
‘Wanted, huh…’
Xing Yue chuckled lightly:
“I’m sorry, Old Sir, but the laws of this country don’t apply to me. I’m taking him today, and I’d like to see who can stop me.”
Gaierte’s brow furrowed deeper.
The information in her words was very dangerous. Her identity did not seem to be a subject of the duchy, and she was determined to take Jiefulun.
‘Tch… probably another enemy Lord Baron made in the past.’
Thinking this, Gaierte’s gaze sharpened:
“Since Miss refuses to release him…”
He paused, the red light on his staff flaring brighter:
“Then don’t blame me.”
‘The baron cannot be harmed, no matter what.’
The surrounding guards also received the signal and had formed a circle, halberds and long swords aimed at Xing Yue from all directions.
But still, no one dared to strike first, waiting for Gaierte’s order.
Xing Yue swept a glance at the formation around her, then looked at Gaierte not far away. His gaze was fixed on her, as if guarding against any possible escape.
‘This is a bit troublesome.’
‘It’s not that I can’t defeat him.’
‘This old man in front of me has the posture of risking his life to block me. If we really come to blows, I might end up hurting his old bones.’
Xing Yue let out a soft sigh.
“Old Sir, to be honest, I don’t want to fight you.”
“My target is only this evil baron from start to finish. Apart from that, I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Gaierte said nothing, but the light on his staff grew brighter, seeming not to believe her words.
“But if you insist on blocking my way and not letting me leave…”
Xing Yue continued speaking, while setting Jiefulun down on the ground behind her. She raised her other hand slightly, and a cyan light began to flow at her fingertips.
“Then—”
She looked at Gaierte, a glint in her heterochromatic eyes:
“I’m sorry.”
“WIND SPIRIT, HEED MY CALL!”
“FIRST-ORDER MAGIC, GUST!”
At the same time, Gaierte also raised his bone staff.
“FIRE SPIRIT, HEED MY CALL!”
His voice was old but deep, carrying the muscle memory of years of chanting:
“FIRST-ORDER MAGIC, FLAME ARROW!”
A scarlet flame shot out from the staff tip, leaving a hot tail, and collided head-on with Xing Yue’s Gust spell.
The next moment, the fire-constructed magic arrow tore through the gale, not weakened but instead growing stronger with the wind, turning into a fiercer stream of fire that rushed straight at Xing Yue’s face!
Xing Yue instinctively dodged to the side.
The Flame Arrow grazed over her head, exploding into a large cloud of sparks on the door panel behind her, leaving a scorched mark.
‘So fast!’
Xing Yue’s pupils contracted.
‘This old man’s casting speed is much faster than I expected!’
‘Without any hesitation or delay, as soon as the incantation ended, the magic was already formed, and the power of the magic was also so strong!’
While Xing Yue was inwardly shocked, Gaierte raised his staff again, aiming at her.
Seeing another Flame Arrow coming, Xing Yue no longer hesitated, raised her hand and quickly chanted:
“WATER SPIRIT, HEED MY CALL!”
“FIRST-ORDER MAGIC, WATER BULLET!”
A blue water sphere condensed out of thin air, rushing head-on at Gaierte’s Flame Arrow. The two exploded midair, blooming into a large cloud of white mist.
Both were driven back half a step by the impact of the magic collision.
Thus ended the first round, a probing exchange.