Chapter 91: A Surprise from the Small Tree
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
"Bighead, do you need me to send you a bowl of fish soup at noon?" The next morning, seeing that Zhang Tie was preparing to leave the tree base and walk to the mines, Barley looked at Zhang Tie with a look full of desire, causing goosebumps to form all over Zhang Tie's body.
"No need. At noon, I will just casually eat a bit when I'm out," Zhang Tie replied as he hurriedly put the mining basket on his back.
"How about I go mining for you? All of my achievements will belong to you. I swear that the amount will not be less than one ton of ores a day..." Bagdad patted his chest, causing "Pa Pa" sounds.
"Really, there's no need! Mining is my hobby. For the time being, I still find it to be interesting!" Zhang Tie had also refused Bagdad. Seeing their pitiful looks, Zhang Tie felt that he needed to show them a bit of hope. For them to be only able to read it for an hour, this was the most painful thing to them. "If I can eat boar meat tonight, my mood might be better!"
"Brothers, did you hear that? Boar meat—we need to catch a boar today! If we get lucky today, then we can carry one back by noon..." Doug shouted out loudly.
"Fine. Hurry up, guys! If we fail to capture one with our existing traps, then we will dig another one today..."
Leaving one person to keep watch of the tree base, all the other horny students moved on and became a hundred times more active than Zhang Tie. At the sight of these guys, who were acting kind in front of him earlier, leaving him alone, Zhang Tie shook his head and inwardly heaved a deep sigh. It seems the power of the book was truly unparalleled.
As Zhang Tie and the other members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood had never learned a high-level fighting skill or a cultivation technique like the , they had definitely taken the contents within the book as the greatest fighting skill that they had ever encountered. After every one of them read it for an hour last night, they were all attracted by this book and had difficulties parting with it. Every member of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood knew that this was a rare opportunity, one which could not be easily obtained, thus they all treasured this opportunity. Although they didn't say it out loud, within their hearts, they all felt a deep gratitude towards Zhang Tie. They felt that Zhang Tie was a righteous individual and was truly qualified to be their brother, especially since he was even willing to share secret knowledge with them.
Seeing them disappear before him with an extremely quick speed, Zhang Tie smiled. Afterwards, he suddenly had a weird premonition. It seems that the Castle of Black Iron would bring him a surprise today.
...
Half an hour later, with a burning torch in hand, Zhang Tie entered that tunnel where he used to dig in the mine. First, he set up a small trap at the mouth of the tunnel that would warn him if someone entered the tunnel. Afterwards, Zhang Tie removed his mining basket and inserted the torch into a gap between two rocks. Walking into the shadow of another tunnel where the light did not reach, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. There appeared the arched door in his mind—lock on… enter!
——
"Handsome and Magnificent Castle Lord, welcome to the Castle of Black Iron!"
As it was "sunny and brilliant" in the Castle of Black Iron, Zhang Tie narrowed his eyes, and after a short while, he gradually began to adapt to the sunlight. All the light here radiated from the colorful fog that flowed around the surrounding space. The light was soft; it was as if the light had shone through a rainbow or the rays of the sun before shining down, giving Zhang Tie a comfortable feeling. Zhang Tie once wondered whether there were night and day in the Castle of Black Iron and whether it remained the same even after he left; however, he soon gave up this thought.
Upon stepping on the firm land in the Castle of Black Iron once again, complicated feelings burst forth in Zhang Tie. Due to the attack from the seven wild wolves that almost took his life and had almost forced him to bid farewell to the world forever, Zhang Tie felt as if he had been reborn.
Through this crisis, Zhang Tie felt again that strength was very important in this age.
After taking in a deep breath of fresh, aura-filled air, Zhang Tie leisurely opened the basic attributes panel of the Castle of Black Iron.
——Castle of Black Iron
——Length: Krosa
——Width: 1 Krosa
——Aura value: 3968
——Merit value: 2117
——Basic energy storage: 4285
——Special output: void
With the increasing number of plants within the Castle of Black Iron, the aura value had presently skyrocketed over the past two weeks. At the sight of the quickly increasing numbers, Zhang Tie became very excited.
The moment he closed the basic attributes panel, a dialogue jumped out automatically.
——The liquid yeast has completed its mutation and evolution for the first time. Please view the changes!
Soon after the dialogue disappeared, Zhang Tie recalled that he had used several points of basic energy storage on the liquid yeast before the start of the survival training, which would complete its mutation and evolution after 15 days. Therefore, Zhang Tie hurriedly opened the "Microorganisms" management panel in "Carbon-based Living Beings and Species Management" under the "Living Beings and Population Management" to check the results of the mutation and evolution.
Two messages instantly popped out——
——No new liquid yeast variant was formed through the mutation and evolution, thus the mutation and evolution has failed!
——If you wish to attempt to mutate and evolve the liquid yeast again, the system suggests you to increase the amount of basic energy storage points!
Thinking of how he had inputted 0.1 basic energy storage points into the liquid yeast last time, Zhang Tie felt embarrassed. After thinking for a while, Zhang Tie attempted for a second time to mutate and evolve the liquid yeast. This time, Zhang Tie decided that he will definitely succeed. Aside from using the maximum amount of basic energy storage possible, Zhang Tie also increased the amount of merit value points by ten-fold and doubled the amount of aura value points.
After a series of steps, two dialogues popped out again——
———On June 13rd, 889th year of the Black Iron Calendar, Handsome and Magnificent Castle Lord had inputted 600 points of aura value, 50 points of merit value, and 340 points of basic energy storage into the mutation and evolution of a bottle of liquid yeast.
——It is estimated that the mutation and evolution will take 360 hours. Handsome and Magnificent Castle Lord, please wait patiently!
Since the surprise didn't come from the mutation and evolution of the bottle of liquid yeast, then it could only come from the Manjusaka Karma Fruit Tree.
Moving towards the small tree, before he had even been able to stand before it, he had already smelt an unforgettable fragrance; the fragrance was a mix of the Leakless Fruit and a fragrance that contained both the smell of sandalwood and fruits. However, this time, the fragrance coming from the Leakless Fruit contained something special.
As expected, the tree brought Zhang Tie a huge surprise——
On the twig where the first Leakless Fruit had once grown were two Leakless Fruits. Judging from its color, one of the two fruits had already become ripe, while the other one would ripen soon. At the sight of the two hanging Leakless Fruits, Zhang Tie finally recovered his composure. Previously, whether a ripe Leakless Fruit would fall off the tree or whether it would delay the growth of the next Leakless Fruit had always been a concern of Zhang Tie's. However, at the sight of the two Leakless Fruit hanging closely, Zhang Tie felt at ease.
——This Leakless Fruit has become ripe. Usage: Pick and direct eat it. Notice: The fruit cannot be taken out of the Castle of Black Iron. After twelve hours of having been picked off the tree, its energy and vitality will gradually decline.
——31 hours left before this Leakless Fruit becomes ripe!
Zhang Tie read the above two warnings regarding the two hanging Leakless Fruits.
Looking at the two Leakless Fruits, Zhang Tie felt really happy. Beside the Leakless Fruit, Zhang Tie found the Iron Body Fruit, though it looked different than last time. He then checked its progress bar; upon finding that it was three-quarters ripe, Zhang Tie burst into laughter. At the sight of the progress bar, Zhang Tie remembered his tumbles within the deep hole dug by the Gold-Eating Boas. Never would he have that the collisions and friction from the tumbles would have such a marvelous effect. It was almost the same as him being beaten! It seemed that he didn't necessarily need to find people to beat him. As long as he received damage to his body, it would stimulate the growth of the Iron-Body Fruit. With this, this gave Zhang Tie many new ideas, causing the road before him to become much broader than before.
However, the biggest surprise was neither the Leakless Fruits nor the Iron Body Fruit; instead, it was the strange fruit that hung on the other side of the tree. Ever since his last encounter with Huck and Snade, Zhang Tie realized that this small tree could produce fruits even without his consent. With external stimulation, the tree would be able to produce fruits. Since that incident, Zhang Tie had made it a habit to circle around the small tree to check whether new fruits were hanging somewhere.
There really was a strange, hexagonal pitch-black fruit that was the size of a plum.
Stretching out his hand, Zhang Tie instantly got its information.
——The Trouble-Reappearance Fruit has already become ripe. Usage: Pick and direct eat it. Notice: The fruit cannot be taken out of the Castle of Black Iron. After twelve hours of having been picked off the tree, its energy and vitality will gradually decline.
The moment the above words disappeared, another paragraph of words appeared.
...
——This is the fruit of killing. The laws of the universe continue to circulate between life and death. Among all deaths, deaths through fights between different species are both the most common as well as the most frightening. Let's be brave and face the inevitable killings and deaths in this virtual space. Let's be brave and attempt various challenges inside this virtual space. After experience the same killings and deaths again and again, you will lose your fear towards death and killing. You will gain freedom from killing and death, moving onto the top of the chain of evolution! Keep in mind that the body is the container for the soul, and the soul and spirit experience the same sensation as the body. Everything in the virtual space, including every strand of grass or wood, is a reflection of the physical world. With the exception that you will not die inside this virtual space, everything else is the same as that in the physical world outside. The existence of everything inside this virtual space makes the universe treats your well!
Reading the above words, Zhang Tie came up with a thought, "I'm really rich now! The Trouble-Reappearance Fruit looks really powerful."
Continually rubbing his palms, he was truly excited...
Chapter 92: Trouble-Reappearance Fruit
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
At the sight of the new fruit hanging on the tree, Zhang Tie's heart pounded as he reminded himself to keep calm. After taking in a few deep breaths, Zhang Tie finally managed to control his desire to pluck off the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit and instead moved to the other side of the tree before promptly picking off the ripened Leakless Fruit and consuming it in a couple of bites. Following that, he sat under the tree with legs crossed in order to experience the effect from the second ripened Leakless Fruit.
Because of Huck and Snade and because of the damned wolves, he was delayed by roughly three weeks from enjoying the ripe Leakless Fruit.
It truly wasn't easy! Zhang Tie heaved a deep sigh inside before closing his eyes and immersing himself in the gradual, obvious effects of the second, ripe Leakless Fruit.
Before the lingering fragrance from the sweet juice of the second, ripe Leakless Fruit had even disappeared, a familiar sensation could be felt; a strand of hot air could be felt in his chest and continued to swirl upwards. Then, the strand of hot air became a hot wave that turned into a ferocious fire dragon, directly charging towards the burning point on his rear end. The ferocious fire dragon gradually became increasingly more powerful while the red flame by the burning point at his rear end immediately grew brighter; it was as if it was a pile of burning firewood that had just been doused with oil. "Boom!" The red flame turned into a dark orange color. As the energy gradually seeped into the flame, the dark orange color also gradually became brighter...
Zhang Tie had sat there for almost half an hour, during which his body shook slightly three times. Half an hour later when Zhang Tie opened his eyes, his eyes were filled with uncontrollable passion. After a short while, in Zhang Tie's mind, he could already catch a glimpse at the brilliant yellow flame over the burning point by his rear end. With a single ripe Leakless Fruit, he had consecutively broken through three cultivation barriers on the burning point—truly an astonishing speed and force! Seeing that silent small tree beside him once again, Zhang Tie's heart was filled with awe.
After stretching his limbs and his body, Zhang Tie came before that Trouble-Reappearance Fruit once again.
���I wonder what this fruit is used for?"
With this question, Zhang Tie carefully plucked the fruit, sat down with crossed legs, and took a large bite.
Compared to the Leakless Fruit, which had a sweet taste, the moment he had bitten into the flesh of the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit, it was as if he had bitten into smoke-like water which flowed from his mouth through the place which connected his oral cavity and his navel passage and directly rushed towards his brain. When the energy from the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit encountered the small swirl of foggy and golden Qi in his mind, Zhang Tie felt as if someone was fiercely striking a drum within his mind. All of a sudden, the view before his eyes turned pitch black and he entered a space where light could not reach.
This was a strange feeling. Although Zhang Tie's body was obviously sitting under the Manjusaka Karma Fruit Tree, it seemed as if his spirit was in another space, one which even light could not reach.
Soon after he entered that space, he saw a dim light which gradually became brighter and changed into a hexagon-shaped door, one whose shape resembled the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit. Zhang Tie didn't move, as that hexagon-shaped door was directly rushing towards him like a train. Surprisingly, right when it was about to collide with Zhang Tie, it enveloped him. Then, Zhang Tie found himself in a place that truly caused him to be extremely shocked...
It was the familiar path that he walked on when he returned from the mine!
The familiar uphill road!
The familiar grassland!
When the breeze came, even the way the grass swayed was the same.
Zhang Tie could even hear the "Sha Sha" sounds that came when the breeze blew over the grass while the familiar chirping of insects reverberated into his ears from the side of the road. As the afterglow from the setting sun gradually painted the Wild Wolf Valley in a golden color, every pore on Zhang Tie's body could feel that a kind of warmth filled the air...
"What's happening? How could I be here? This feeling… why is it so familiar?" Zhang Tie panicked a bit when he realized he was carrying a mining basket on his back.
However, Zhang Tie was not given too much time to think about what had happened. While Zhang Tie was panicking, several "rocks" in the patch of grass beside him were speeding towards Zhang Tie. In a couple of seconds, three wolves had drilled their way out from the grass.
With eyes fixed on Zhang Tie, even a fool would be able to sense the hatred contained in their eyes. As they grinned, "Gulu Gulu" sounds came from their throats in the exact same manner as what Zhang Tie had encountered several days ago. The only difference was that there were only three wolves this time, instead of seven. Additionally, the three wolves were exactly the ones that had been killed by him. Zhang Tie remembered that one of the three wolves had a ring of white fur right above its neck, just like one of the three wolves before him.
"F*ck, what's happening?" Zhang Tie was really frightened, and the scene was too much for him, causing his mind to be thrown into chaos. Before he was able to clear his mind, the three wolves had already pounced towards him.
Zhang Tie hurriedly put down his mining basket, but the leader of the three wolves, the fastest one, had already knocked him down onto the ground. Its sharp claws had already pierced through Zhang Tie's chest, causing him to feel so much pain that he began to growl.
Panicking, Zhang Tie remembered the dagger that hung on his waist. After fiercely punching the wolf that had pounced on his body, Zhang Tie intended to grab that dagger; however, another wolf had already arrived and had bitten his wrist. The moment its sharp canines pierced through his flesh, Zhang Tie was in so much pain that he almost passed out. The blood vessels at his wrist had also been roughly torn by the wolf, causing his fresh blood to instantly spray out.
At that moment, Zhang Tie's mind was filled with the fear of death and the excruciating pain that was present all over his body. Soon after, the third wild wolf reached him and started to bite Zhang Tie's right leg. Feeling the pain, Zhang Tie miserably screamed out, "Ah, help!"
However, his high-pitched screams didn't work at all. What was worse, the leader of the wolves that had been pushed away by him earlier had shown its canines again as it bit down on Zhang Tie's neck. As a result, Zhang Tie wrestled with the three wild wolves; however, his final struggles were all in vain.
At the last minute when he lost his consciousness, Zhang Tie no longer felt pain; instead, he felt a suffocating sensation, as his blood had filled his air pipes and lungs after his neck and throat were torn apart by the leader of the wolves.
"Is this what death feels like?" This was the last strand of his consciousness...
Boom...
Everything broke into fragmented specks of lights before vanishing!
Under the small tree, Zhang Tie recovered his senses and opened his eyes, recalling what he had just experienced just now. As his chest heaved up and down, Zhang Tie continued to gasp for air. It was only now did Zhang Tie realized how nice it was to be able to breathe for free. Feeling cold all over, he touched his back only to find that it had been covered in cold sweat. If he had a mirror to look into at this moment, he was sure that his face would definitely be pale. Checking all over his body, he wasn't able to find any wounds at all. What had happened just now was like a dream; however, the dream was extremely realistic. With the exception of not having actually lost his life and not having been injured, what had just happened to him was definitely real. "How could that happen?" Zhang Tie started to rack his brain. "It must be the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit." When he thought of the information about the fruit, Zhang Tie suddenly realized something.
Zhang Tie's temperament was actually on the persistent and stubborn side. If what had just happened to him was truly related to the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit, then Zhang Tie wouldn't let this go until he has figured it out. After recovering his composure through half an hour of rest, he clenched his teeth and sat down under the tree with legs crossed once again.
"Damn it, I swear I'll figure this out!" Zhang Tie fiercely mumbled. "If I can't figure this out, then I won't eat supper and neither will I get circumcised in the future! I'll be a virgin for the rest of my life !"
With this persistence, Zhang Tie entered his mind once again.
It was different than before; Zhang Tie had found something besides the arched door of the Castle of Black Iron. Floating above the arched door like a looming star was the hexagon-shaped Trouble-Reappearance Fruit that he had eaten earlier.
Focusing on the hexagon-shaped star, a message came to his mind.
——Handsome and Magnificent Castle Lord, because you have already used the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit once, if you wish to use it again, you must inject enough spiritual energy before you can activate the effect of the Trouble-Reappearance Scene within the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit.
Since the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit was in his mind, Zhang Tie was easily able to quickly inject spiritual energy into it. This hexagon-shaped fruit was like a sponge, as it continued to absorb his spiritual energy. After three minutes of absorption, the fruit became shiny once again.
——The Trouble-Reappearance Fruit has been activated and is now available to be used again! The method to use the fruit is the same as the one used to access the Castle of Black Iron.
"The same as accessing the Castle of Black Iron? Heh heh, that will be simple..." Zhang Tie mumbled.
Lock on——Enter...
At the beginning, it was still pitch black inside; however, soon after, sparkles appeared in the darkness before finally forming into a hexagon-shaped door which rushed towards Zhang Tie like a train, forcing Zhang Tie to enter. Afterwards, Zhang Tie reappeared on that path, facing the grass that swayed from the breeze. Everything from before had remained unchanged.
"Is this the effect of Trouble-Reappearance Fruit? Does it recreate killing scenes to allow me to become liberated through killing and death?
Zhang Tie looked towards the patch of grass, within which three "rocks" had already started to move towards him.
F*ck! Since he didn't want to suffer the pain from the three wolves again, Zhang Tie hurriedly put down his mining basket and pulled out the dagger from his waist before taking a defensive posture. With eyes widely opened, Zhang Tie stared at the three wild wolves, who had their eyes brimming with hatred fixed on him...
The wild wolves charged at Zhang Tie as he waved his dagger...
Five minutes later, sitting on the ground with wounds all over, Zhang Tie looked at the bodies of the three dead wild wolves and burst into laughter. By that time, he finally understood the real effect of this Trouble-Reappearance Fruit...
Boom...
Everything in the space smashed into specks of light and disappeared...
Chapter 93: Marching Onwards
Translator:WQL
Editor:Geoffrey_
A fresh breath of air was brought by the breeze in the valley. The scent of nature, grass, and wood carried in the breeze instantly caused Zhang Tie to feel relaxed. The breeze flowed through Zhang Tie's hair and circled around his collar before moving to his sweaty back. That cool sensation was so pleasant that Zhang Tie almost moaned.
Today marks the seventh day since Zhang Tie had recovered and left Wild Wolf Castle, and today also marked the seventh day since he resumed his work as a miner. During the past few days, Zhang Tie had gotten accustomed to carrying the mining basket filled with ores and handing it to the delivery point beneath Wild Wolf Castle. In the past, he would usually carry about 50-60 kg of ores at once, and sometimes he would even carry as much as 70 kg; however, over the past seven days, every time, Zhang Tie would carry more than 100 kg of ores. He would hand in the number of ores required for the job in one go, causing the people at the delivery point to be greatly startled. They could have never imagined that Zhang Tie's average looking frame had such amazing strength, strength that could not be matched with his peers.
Over the past seven days, Zhang Tie looked tranquil. Currently, nobody knew that Zhang Tie's strength had crossed over to the next level. Five days ago when Zhang Tie ate the third Leakless Fruit, as expected, Zhang Tie consecutively broke through three cultivation barriers for the burning point at his rear end, causing the burning point at his rear end to radiate a blue light. With one more Leakless Fruit, the burning point would radiate a purple light, which meant that he would have reached the next level and would officially become a LV 2 soldier. Within a month, he would be able to ignite his second burning point and become a LV 2 soldier—this was truly an astonishing speed. At the very least, Zhang Tie has never heard of someone in Blackhot City who could match his speed in igniting the burning points. Aside from the burning point at his rear end being ignited soon, he also gradually began to see the effects of the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit. Through fighting the three wild wolves several times a day, Zhang Tie could feel an obvious increase in his fighting skills. It was now easier for him to apply the fighting skills he had learned in school, thus allowing him to easily kill the wild wolves.
With that great magical treasure, Zhang Tie decided to become even more low-key than before. In the eyes of the others, Zhang Tie was working even harder than before, seemingly as if nothing had even happened; it was as if he had forgotten the whole ordeal of having been attacked by the wild wolves.
Like usual, when Zhang Tie placed his mining basket onto the scale at the delivery point, the students from the Second National Male Middle School who were acquainted with Zhang Tie ran over to take a look at the number on the scale once again.
"138 kg… F*ck, you broke the record again! Could one's strength really improve that fast by doing mining work?" one of the students complained, "I really have to give it a try as well. Zhang Tie looks at ease whenever he hands in his ores. With just one trip, he can already get his rations!"
"You? You should forget about it. Zhang Tie has already ignited his Shrine burning point and has already become a LV 1 soldier!" said the guy beside him as he shook his head and recorded the numbers in his notebook. Then, he gave a glance at Zhang Tie, indicating that he's asking for a favor of helping them pour the ores from his mining basket into the cart on the rails. In the past, two people were able to finish this task; however, ever since Zhang Tie started to bring more and more ores at once, they would struggle to lift the mining basket of ores, which weighed more than 100 kg, 1m into the air before pouring them into the cart, thus they would always ask Zhang Tie for this favor.
"Didn't Tanin also ignite his Shrine burning point a long time ago and become a LV 1 soldier? How come he doesn't seem as strong as Zhang Tie…" the fellow who just spoke rebutted as he shot an admiring glance at Zhang Tie. On one side, he helped lift the mining basket, while on the other, he mumbled, "Since he could survive despite falling into a 200 m hole dug by the Gold-Eating Boas, this guy truly is a freak!"
Zhang Tie didn't know who this Tanin person was, but he could guess that he was an outstanding student. Listening to their discussion, Zhang Tie just gave a generous smile as he fabricated a lie, "To tell you the truth, doing mining work is really challenging, especially the part where you have to carry the mining basket out from the mine. As you know, I was not able to carry so many ores in the past; however, over the past few days, I had realized that when I chose to challenge my physical limits, once I clenched my teeth and stuck to it, I would always see an explosive growth in my physical strength at that moment. If you don't believe me, you can have a try!"
Although Zhang Tie's words were half true and half false and contained a little bit of mischief, Zhang Tie expressed it very seriously. If the two guys truly trusted him and wanted to experience this "very promising vocation", it would have nothing to do with Zhang Tie. Certainly, one could get stronger through doing labor work; however, the amount of physical strength one could gain would depend on their fortune as well as their efforts.
Zhang Tie couldn't help but laugh inwardly as he mumbled in his heart, "If you could enjoy a Leakless Fruit every week like me, then you would also see a rapid growth in your strength."
These past few days, Zhang Tie would dig in the mines early in the morning before transferring the useless ores into the Castle of Black Iron. Afterwards, he would return to the tree base and would spend the entire afternoon cultivating the
Presently, Barley and the other members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood had managed to dig five deep pits and had set more than 20 small traps made from twigs and stones. They had become increasingly proficient at setting traps. The power of their traps was put on full display as beasts would absolutely succumb to the fishy scent from the fish guts and the deep traps. Because of their traps, the Hit-Plane Brotherhood also gradually became famous among the students attending this survival training while some of the other fellows had begun to learn how to set traps from them.
After handing over the ores, Zhang Tie had received his rations and was prepared to return to the tree base, but right as he was about to step away, he saw a blue flag that could be seen from miles away hanging at the top of Wild Wolf Castle. A blue flag indicated that a foreign commercial transportation team had reached Wild Wolf Castle, and at the same time, the flag signaled that the students could come to Wild Wolf Castle to exchange items with the commercial team.
On the 20th day since the start of the survival training, the commercial transportation team that had set off from Blackhot City had finally arrived at Wild Wolf Castle. Their arrival made many people excited, as it meant that they could sell their items to the commercial team as well as purchase necessities.
As expected, the square of Wild Wolf Castle had already become boisterous, as many people surrounded the three transportation vehicles parked on one side of the square. Even Zhang Tie pushed his way inside the crowd. It was the first time for Zhang Tie to see such a transportation vehicle used in the wild. These vehicles were different than the public transport used in Blackhot City; these transportation vehicles that were used in the wild looked strange, as each of them looked like an ugly grasshopper. The vehicle had two low carriages, and its head was like a miniature, round locomotive that was embedded in a square building block, beside which was a tall chimney that was eye-catching. The wheels under its head were composed of two parts—continuous tracks at the front and solid tires in the back. On the second part of its head was a coal bunker. Every one of the wild transportation vehicles was more than 20 m in length. Aside from the onlookers, there were people who were unloading crates one after the other, which quickly occupied the space, turning them into trading platforms. After that, they opened the crates one by one and directly displayed them in front of the public. Most of the things contained in the crates were standard military rations from Blackhot City. Aside from the standard military rations, there were also some dried milk slices, dried meat, and sausages in the crates as well as some biological products used to make experiments.
An exclamation reverberated from the horny students next to one wild transportation vehicle at the side. Hearing their exclamations, Zhang Tie pushed his way over and became frightened at the sight before him—f*ck! When the crates were opened, shiny knives and pikes were put on display, greatly exciting the horny students so much that they began to immediately drool.
"Everyone, please take out everything you have, including hides, herbal medicine, crystal sand, and the other strange things that you don't recognize. As long as you have something good, then you can exchange it with anything here," A manager of the commercial transportation team jumped onto several crates and shouted loudly into a speaker made from a rolled up iron sheet, "Those who want to exchange your hides, move over there! Those who want to exchange you herbal medicines, move to the middle! Those who want to exchange your crystal sand and other eccentric things, come to me. Hurry up, what are you waiting for!?"
Hearing his words, many people became excited. The girls ran towards the inner castle, while the boys ran towards Wild Wolf Valley. When he thought of the wolf hides, Zhang Tie was also a bit moved. Seeing the goods brought by the commercial transportation team, Zhang Tie also prepared to go back to bring those hides acquired by the Hit-Plane Brotherhood to exchange them for some necessities like food. For necessities like food, the more they had, the better...
Before he left the square of Wild Wolf Castle, Zhang Tie couldn't help but to look back at those shiny weapons. The knives and pikes lined up in rows had already been hung up in very eye-catching places. Zhang Tie became suspicious, as the commercial transportation teams had rarely brought weapons here in the past years.
...
"I don't agree..." When the square outside Wild Wolf Castle was noisy, a quarrel was occurring in the office of the Temporary Supervision Committee. Miss Qili, who had given Zhang Tie an unforgettable "punishment" in the small square, was angrily glaring at a businessman with a mustache who was as slim as a stick of bamboo and was wearing a bright, silk hat in the office. "Since Goose-neck Grass and golden wolf marrow cannot be found in Wild Wolf Valley, if they want to collect Goose-neck Grass and golden wolf marrows, then the students would have to leave Wild Wolf Valley and enter deeper into the area between Wild Wolf Valley and the Crescent Prairie. However, that place is too far away from Wild Wolf Castle and there are numerous packs of wolves over there that could pose great dangers to the students attending the survival training!"
Chapter 94: Prelude
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
Facing this quarrel in the conference room of the Temporary Supervision Committee, many of the people inside the room remained silent, while Captain Kerlin looked infuriated as the blue veins on his neck were moving up and down like miserable earthworms. In contrast, Mr. Zerom looked at the two people who were quarreling with a slightly gloomy expression. As for other teachers, some of them remained quiet, while others were whispering with the people beside them. Most of the teachers in the Temporary Supervision Committee protested against this mission.
"Everyone…" The slim and tall man with the bright, silky hat swept his gaze over the others and said in a commanding voice, "I am not here to negotiate with you. I am only here to tell you that Goose-neck Grass and golden wolf marrow are materials that Master Abyan needs to refine medication that's urgently needed by the military of Blackhot City. Currently, the only place where we can acquire these two things is the Crescent Prairie. Coincidently, the teams participating in the survival training happened to be at Wild Wolf Castle, making your group the closest to Crescent Prairie. Thus, the administration of Blackhot City had entrusted me the task of bringing you this order. For these students, this is just more training and a challenge!"
"Do you want the brats to practice by risking their lives?" Mr. Zerom sneered.
"In which year has the survival training been calm and resulted in no one losing their lives!" the man with the silky hat rebutted calmly.
"Crescent Prairie is much more danger than Wild Wolf Valley because the wolves over there move in packs. Aside from that, there are LV 2 golden wolves, which cannot be dealt with by the average student. If the administration of Blackhot City is in need of Goose-neck Grass and golden wolf marrow, then they can send someone else here to collect them. There is no need to make the students do something like this that would make them risk their lives..." Captain Kerlin's single eye glittered with a cold light.
"I have served in the military of Blackhot City for many years now, so how come I have never heard of Blackhot City's military being so extravagant that they're bringing along recovery medication?"
Perhaps it was because he had known about the one-eyed man's bad temper or because of the one-eyed man's strength, but the man with the silky hat became a bit reserved; however, he still spoke in a commanding tone, seemingly as if he didn't care that his lie had been revealed before the people in front of him, "Captain Kerlin, although we are not qualified to meddle in the matters of the management of the Blackhot City military, we clearly know what has been happening these past few days in the outside world. Now that the relationship between the Andaman Alliance, Blackhot City included, and the Sun Dynasty have become increasingly tense, no surplus military people could be spared. At the same time, several of the big figures need to reserve some recovery medication, thus Master Abyan has been busy recently. This is just a small matter, and I will just release some missions in the name of the Temporary Supervision Committee. Since my superior has already agreed to this, I will be responsible for the details, and what you guys need to do is simply to coordinate with me..." As he said this, the man with the silky hat sneered, showing a typical face of a villain. "Of course, I know you are respected by the students attending this survival training, and I also know that most of them would follow your instructions. If anyone here wants to give me trouble during this mission, then feel free to do so; however, if I cannot complete this mission, then I will faithfully report what had happened here to Master Abyan and the administration of Blackhot City. Hei hei… at that time, you might not be able to deal with that person like you did with me!"
Hearing of Master Abyan and the current situation in the Andaman Alliance, everyone became silent. Master Abyan was the chief medical pharmacist of Blackhot City. He was a big figure with a great load of power and had a name that could greatly pressure everyone presently here. For the Andaman Alliance, the situation has been deteriorating for the past few days because of the reappearance of the Red-scarf Burglars, who had caused troubles and then disappeared. The Red-scarf Burglars had suddenly appeared and assaulted Lance City, one of the other cities in the Andaman Alliance. After causing a huge number of casualties and damages, they had once again escaped. Although they were chased by the guards of Lance City, they disappeared at the border between the Andaman Alliance and the Sun Dynasty. As for the guards who were chasing them, they were completely surrounded by the border army of the Sun Dynasty and were wiped out. At the sight of the several photos of the corpses of the guards from Lance City in the territory of the Sun Dynasty, the Sun Dynasty was rather furious as they condemned the Andaman Alliance for destroying the peace between the two parties by trespassing the border of the Sun Dynasty and starting a war. In response to this, the Sun Dynasty's military had already started to gather at the border. Everyone knew that this was a scheme, but so what? This was not something that they could change in the least. Besides the Norman Empire, the Sun Dynasty had also finally revealed its intentions of wanting to occupy the Andaman Alliance. Hearing this news had already caused the entire Andaman Alliance to be frightened...
"It's just several golden wolves and a few wolf packs. It isn't too bad, as it's possible that the students would have to face the Norman Empire and the Sun Dynasty!" seeing as how no one had uttered a single word, the man with the silky hat added.
"Every student is free to make their own decision during the survival training. Nobody is allowed to force them to do anything, not even the administration of Blackhot City and Master Abyan!" Captain Kerlin fixed his gaze onto the man with the silky hat. "This is our bottom line."
"Heh heh… Don't worry! I believe that there are some students out there that would cooperate with me without me having to force them!" The man with the silky hat sneered with confidence...
...
Ten minutes later, standing by the windowsill of the outer castle, at the sight of the increasing number of students in front of the mission notice below the outer castle, Captain Kerlin angrily slammed his fist onto the granite windowsill, causing a large piece of stone to fall from the windowsill. Turning his head, Captain Kerlin stared at Mr. Zerom, who looked a bit gloomy. "Zerom, you have the best brain here. You tell me, because of the events that had happened within the month, have all the big figures already prepared to retreat?"
"There's no need to explain how a lion would eat a rabbit—those were the words Marshal Lin Changjiang, the leader and governor of the northern border army of the Norman Empire, gave when the Foreign Ministry of the Norman Empire inquired him. Marshal Lin Changjiang had ordered the Foreign Ministry of the Norman Empire to pass along his words without missing a single one, and that is what the Foreign Ministry of the Norman Empire did..." Mr. Zerom also sneered. "Previously, the lords of the Andaman Alliance thought that they could just curse the Norman Empire as usual as they used the event that had transpired in Blackhot City to finally solve the dispute, while at the same time they would steadily make money; however, nobody could have expected that the Norman Empire didn't even have the patience to do superficial things and had instead directly shown their intention to attack Blackhot City. Seeing their intentions, it's within expectations that those fellows who only care about their own business would prepare to escape for their lives. Recovery medication? That's bullsh*t. Even when others want to chop off their heads, they're still hurriedly trying to gather some recovery medication. Even when they're going to lose their lives, they're still thinking about making money. The reason that Blackhot city could not send out enough people to collect Goose-neck Grass and golden wolf marrow lies in the low compensation. If they could raise the compensation by three to five times, then there would definitely be a great number of pioneers and adventurers who would like to make extra gains in the Crescent Prairie by collecting Goose-neck Grass and golden wolf marrow, both of which are not highly valuable in the least. If they had truly increased the compensation, then the turn to make a profit would never have belonged to Samira, that fellow who's always looking for an opportunity to be promoted. If they had truly increased the compensation, then they would not cause the students attending the survival training here to have to take on such great risks!" Saying this, Mr. Zerom heaved a deep sigh. "Previously, we wanted the students to be able to safely complete the survival training as well as leaving them a good memory, but now, it seems that it is impossible!"
As he said this, Mr. Zerom turned around and solemnly looked at Captain Kerlin. "When this survival training ends, I will resign and leave Blackhot city..."
"You want to leave?" Captain Kerlin looked at Zerom with wide opened eyes.
"I have been thinking it over these past few days. Can't you see it? Chaos will soon arrive. The big figures in the Sun Dynasty, the Norman Empire, and even in the entire Blackson Human Corridors have already made various preparations for the future. Perhaps in the next three years, five years, or even a decade, the third Holy War between humans and the demons will break out. When that time comes, tens or hundreds of billions of people would turn into corpses as numerous countries and cities will be burned to ruins. However, nobody knows how long the third Holy War would last, and neither do they know whether humans would exist after it. In such troubled times, people will see no bright future by following those who only care about their small business. If I want to find safety, then I will have to find a bigger person since I don't want to be cannon fodder for those fellows with the silky hats.. What about you? Do you want to go with me? How about leaving together?"
Captain Kerlin frowned as he was currently in an internal struggle. Because of what had happened today, he became frustrated when he connected the events that had happened in Blackhot City and the Andaman Alliance, causing his over ten years of loyalty towards the management of Blackhot City to waver. Given what Zerom had said, Captain Kerlin also sensed the aggression from the words of Lin Changjiang, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Border Army who had infuriated all the soldiers, who were still hot-blooded and wanted to repel the Norman Empire's invasion, of Blackhot City. But, what was the parliament of the Andaman Alliance doing? What was Blackhot City doing? Neither of them had declared war against the Norman Empire's invasion nor were they prepared to fight to the death; instead, they were quarreling with each other. In the parliament of the Andaman Alliance, there was a great number of people who were shouting loudly to transfer the testimonies and physical evidence collected from the incident from several days ago when the Niumen Business Group colluded with the Red-scarf Burglars to Andaman City. They had requested to hold a motherf*cking hearing in the parliament, and Blackhot City had become flustered and agreed to their request since they wanted to work together to prolong the amount of time they had to prepare for their fight against the Norman Empire. Such a performance had really made Captain Kerlin disappointed. At the same time, the Andaman Alliance's timidness was fully exposed. The people who only cared about counting gold coins and making small business might be able to live well in a peaceful age; however, in troubled times such as now, they could only be a piece of fat on the kneading board that would be freely chopped by others.
"Are you still thinking about Miss Daina? Are you still afraid that that great beauty isn't ready to go out with you?" Zerom put it straightforwardly, completely hitting the mark at what Captain Kerlin was concerned about.
Hearing him mention Miss Daina, Captain Kerlin's face instantly blushed. He then rebutted like a kid, "So what!? I have already saved up enough money. I can immediately buy a house near Bright Avenue that's more than 100 square meters...���
"Wow, how romantic you are! You are truly a god-created couple..." Zerom showed a strange smile.
"B*stard..." Captain Kerlin threw a punch towards Zerom. Having long been prepared, Zerom instantly slid to the side and exited through the door, causing Captain Kerlin to fail to hit him.
"Trust me, Kerlin, you two are not suitable for each other!" Before leaving, Zerom told Captain Kerlin seriously.
"Nonsense. I feel that Miss Daina treats me well!" Captain Kerlin stuck to rebut.
"That's just your misconception!"
"Why are you saying that?"
"Have you ever heard of a wild goose falling in love with a bear?" After saying this, without even glancing at Captain Kerlin's infuriated face, Zerom quickly escaped. "I have to keep an eye on that man with the silky hat. If he goes too far, then I'm afraid I'll have to give him some trouble. Luckily, my students are all clever. I hope your students are as rational as mine!"
Chapter 95: Making Trouble
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
When Zhang Tie along with Doug and Barley returned to the small square with a large amount of items, he found that the square was many times more boisterous than when he had left. In front of the several exchange points, there were groups of students standing in lines as they held onto the items they were planning to exchange with the stuff brought by the commercial transportation team.
Zhang Tie and the other members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood had mainly brought hides; they had brought five wolf hides, three of which were hunted by Zhang Tie, a hedgehog hide, and two rabbit hides. Although these hides were not too valuable, they could still be exchanged for a lot of food. Although the hides had been tanned, they still released a weird smell in the tree base, thus if they were able to sell off these hides this time, then it would allow their tree base to smell a little better.
"Bighead, what do you want to exchange your three wolf hides for?" Barley asked.
"Just exchange them all for rations."
"Don't you need money? These items could easily sell for more than 20 silver coins!"
"We don't need money at the moment. What we need right now is food, which is why I prefer to exchange for food. As long as we pass this survival training, all is well!" Zhang Tie smiled.
Barley glanced at Zhang Tie with a strange look. He didn't know what had happened to Zhang Tie; Barley felt that Zhang Tie had been more relaxed when dealing with things. His decisions carried a bit of laziness, but it was mixed with braveness and decisiveness. Could this be an effect of the Iron-Blood Fist? No, it's not like that. Barley couldn't convince himself at all, as they were all practicing the Iron-Blood Fist using the same book, so how could Zhang Tie improve so much faster than the others? Not to mention that Barley had also noticed that Zhang Tie was changing spiritually, but Barley was confused at how Zhang Tie, a guy who only dug in the mines and practiced the Iron-Blood Fist skill together with them every day, could make a spiritual breakthrough.
Is doing mining work that effective? Should I give it a try myself?
"Fine, then do whatever you want. Doug and I are enough to queue up here!" Hearing fatty Barley's words, Doug, who was standing beside him, also patted his chest with a grin. During the past week, Doug had gotten used to flattering Zhang Tie.
There truly wasn't a need for three people to line up here, so seeing that Doug and Barley were already standing in line, Zhang Tie then decided to wander around the small square. Seeing that there were many onlookers near the gate of Wild Wolf Castle, Zhang Tie also moved there.
The moment Zhang Tie drew close, he heard several guys fervently talking about the missions on the notice board.
"If only I could get some Goose-neck Grass… One stick of Goose-neck Grass is almost worth more than one gold coin! That amount could be exchanged for a good machete or a sword!"
"There's also the golden wolf. If one kills a golden wolf, then you could acquire the marrow in the spine of the wolf, which is even more valuable than a stick of Goose-neck Grass. Not to mention a good machete or sword, you could even exchange it for 3 kg of meat and 7 kg of rations! If I could kill a golden wolf, then I wouldn't have to worry about my life for the next couple of weeks..."
"But, it's not that easy to get those items. Haven't you read the notice? We can only get them by the border of Wild Wolf Valley and the Crescent Prairie, which is 30 km away. I have heard that there are dozens of times more wolf packs over in the Crescent Prairie when compared to Wild Wolf Valley. Facing dozens or even hundreds of wolves… we could easily be torn apart, leaving not even a single bone behind..."
Hearing their words, Zhang Tie slightly frowned before pushing his way through the crowd and arriving below the notice board. At the top of the notice board were the missions on hunting golden wolves and picking Goose-neck Grass. Aside from the notices, they had especially hung two large pictures, one of the golden wolf and the other the Grass-neck Grass, respectively to the left and right of the notice boards, ensuring that everyone knew what they looked like. A man with a silky hat that was as slim as a stick of bamboo was inciting the onlookers below the notice board as his saliva sprayed everywhere in the air.
"Master Abyan is the chief medicinal pharmacist of Blackhot City, and he needs golden wolf marrow and Goose-neck Grass since both are raw materials needed to concoct recovery medication. Do you know what recovery medication is? Recovery medication is a marvelous medicine that can allow the fighters of Blackhot City to heal and recover their strength as soon as possible after being wounded on the battlefield..." At this moment, the man with the silky hat raised his hands and exclaimed, "Brave, young men! Do you know what's currently happening in Blackhot City? The evil Norman Empire has already been showing their machetes towards Blackhot City and your family. Soon, Blackhot City could very well end up in a bloody fight with the army of the Norman Empire. For the sake of Blackhot City and your relatives who may join the army of Blackhot City, please go and bring back golden wolf marrows and Goose-neck Grass! Every stick of Goose-neck Grass could possibly save your relative's life. Master Abyan, the revered chief medicinal pharmacist of Blackhot city, is now in need of these two items. Brave young men, brave men from Blackhot city, take your machetes and swords and march on towards the Crescent Prairie! Use the corpses of the golden wolves and the Golden-neck Grass to display your braveness! Look! Those beauties are watching you present your braveness..."
The words from the man with the silky hat were extremely aggressive. Combined with his passionate voice and the mood, he had created a splendid performance. As a result, many people among the onlookers became excited and were ferociously discussing with each other, as it was the first time for everyone to hear about what was happening between the Norman Empire and Blackhot City.
"Tell us, what is happening between the Norman Empire and Blackhot City right now?" a young man among the onlookers asked loudly.
"You guys really don't know? Haven't your teachers told you about it? Several days ago, a very terrible incident had happened in Blackhot City. The northern border army of the Norman Empire have been grooming their war horses and training their troops in preparations to invade Blackhot City, your hometown. That's why, Blackhot City is currently in its weakest state. This is the most critical moment for the brave men of Blackhot City to stand out and do something for the sake of their hometown..."
At this moment, the crowd became restless. Since they have stayed here for almost 20 days now, many of them truly did not know what was happening in Blackhot City. Having been incited by Samira, everyone became restless.
Within the crowd, Zhang Tie frowned, as he instinctively felt that there was something wrong with the words spoken by the man with the silky hat. Although the others didn't know what recovery medication was, Zhang Tie certainly knew what it was, as he had worked in Donder's grocery store for a long time and that store even had two of such items. According to Donder, in Blackhot City, even the price of the lowest quality recovery medication would never drop below 10 gold coins. This was simply something that was never meant to be available to the commoners and common soldiers. However, this bastard had lied to them and was inciting them to go get these two items in the Crescent Prairie, causing them to lose their mind. It was obvious that he had bad intentions towards them.
Sweeping his gaze over the flustered students, Zhang Tie instantly saw Zerom frowning and gloomily glaring at the man who was gritting his teeth and loudly inciting the student. Rolling his eyes, an idea came to Zhang Tie's mind.
He silently retreated back into the crowd and lowered his body before shouting loudly.
"Everyone, don't listen to him! That guy is telling a lie! He wants us to be cannon fodder in Crescent Prairie. Even the most common of recovery medication would cost more than 10 gold coins per vial and is simply something our relatives cannot afford. We should listen to our teachers. If something has happened in Blackhot City, then our teachers would let us know. Don't listen to that strange fellow's provocative words..."
Although these young, horny students were always impulsive, it wasn't as if there was something wrong with their minds. Hearing Zhang Tie's warning, many of the horny students realized that they didn't have a reason to trust this strange fellow. At the very least, was there a relationship between a recovery medication that was worth more than ten gold coins and their relatives? Why should they have to risk their lives in the Crescent Prairie?
Standing below the notice board, Samira was so angry that his face had even begun to twitch. Earlier, he was waiting for a great number of students to help him make money, but unexpectedly, someone had jumped out to give him trouble and had exposed him.
"Who!? Who said that!? Come out!" Samira hysterically growled with a vicious expression while his eyes swept over the crowd of many students before him.
After stealthily moving to another place, Zhang Tie pinched his nose and shouted again, "That fellow gets exposed and now he's infuriated. Brothers, look at his terrifying triangular eyes that are in the shape of a poisonous snake's head. That's definitely what a sinister person looks like! A kind-hearted person would not have such terrifying, triangular eyes. Tell your friends not to be cheated by that guy! Don't help him make money by risking your lives! We will stay in Wild Wolf Valley and never go to the Crescent Prairie..."
Hearing Zhang Tie's words, the horny students began to fervently discuss and many of them had even begun to study the shape of Samira's eyes. Descriptive words like "terrifying triangular eyes", "the shape of a poisonous snake's head", and "how a sinister person looks like" were really lethal. At this time, Samira became so furious that he jumped up from the ground and his face had turned purple. However, facing the doubting eyes, he had no other choice but to force a smile...
As the students were noisily discussing, Zhang Tie silently slid out from the crowd and went to meet up with Barley and Doug. Seeing what was happening in the crowd, Zerom's expression was really resplendent. Since the moment Zhang Tie had spoken, he had already realized that it was Zhang Tie's voice. What Zhang Tie had performed just now had really shocked him. He would never have expected that Zhang Tie could see through Samira's lies and would alert the onlookers by shouting in public, all the while not being caught. Zhang Tie had done everything that Zerom had wanted to and had even done it perfectly. As Zhang Tie was leaving, those excited, horny animals had already begun to discuss Samira's looks and his terrifying, triangular eyes...
Zhang Tie had exchanged his three wolf hides for a bit more than 4 kg of rations, though Barley said that Zhang Tie had suffered a loss, as the price of the three wolf hides were more than 20 silver coins and the commercial transportation team had only given Zhang Tie ten silver coins worth of rations. Seeing this, Doug had also become furious.
Despite this, Zhang Tie didn't particularly care about it; instead, he placated Barley and Doug. As they were about to leave Wild Wolf Castle, Zhang Tie had caught sight of Burwick. Surrounded by a great number of people, Burwick walked over high-spiritedly, while every person following him was holding onto several wolf hides. With a casual glance, one could see approximately a hundred wolf hides...
Everybody gave way to Burwick. At that moment, Burwick was extremely eye-catching. However, at the sight of Burwick's calm face that hid his pride, Zhang Tie suddenly thought of the man with the silky hat.
"Could Burwick be working with Samira?"
A thought suddenly came to Zhang Tie's mind!
"What is happening in Blackhot City? Has the letter I sent to the military of Blackhot been received? Did it catch the eyes of the management of Blackhot City ? Are mom, dad, and elder brother ok?"
What that guy had said still silently shocked Zhang Tie's mind.
Soon after Zhang Tie, Barley, and Doug had left Wild Wolf Castle, the Temporary Supervision Committee, who was responsible for this survival training, posted a notice in the square of Wild Wolf Castle, which introduced what had happened between Blackhot City and the Andaman Alliance in the past weeks. All the horny students learned that many big events had happened in Blackhot City and Andaman Alliance within the month they had attended the survival training. Knowing that the Norman Empire and the Sun Dynasty were baring their sharp fangs so quickly towards Blackhot City and the Andaman Alliance, everybody was startled.
Could it be that a war between the Andaman Alliance, the Norman Empire, and the Sun Dynasty was waiting for their graduation?
A special atmosphere started to cover Wild Wolf Valley!
Chapter 96: A Small Figure's Selfishness
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
On the highest point of Wild Wolf Castle, besides the blue flag, there was another flag; there was a red flag raised up, which meant that important news or a notice had been released. Even from several kilometers away from Wild Wolf Castle, everyone could see that red flag.
On the evening when Zhang Tie had sent back Pandora and a group of girls who had wanted to form a team with the Hit-Plane Brotherhood to Wild Wolf Castle, Zhang Tie had already known of the contents of that notice.
Compared to the amazed expressions of the other members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood, Zhang Tie had already mentally prepared himself for the arrival of this piece of news. While everyone in Wild Wolf Valley was noisily discussing the situation in Blackhot City, not a single one of them knew that Zhang Tie was the one who had accidentally triggered the entire incident in Blackhot City. This event was the hottest topic both in Wild Wolf Valley and Blackhot City. As for the identity of the one that had sent out the letter which started the entire incident in Blackhot City, nobody was able to give an answer; however, the government of Blackhot City did exert all their efforts in an attempt to find this person, but in the end, it was still not enough to reverse the flow of time back to the day when the mysterious person had sent that letter through the mailbox by the post office located in the city square of Blackhot City. It had already turned into a secret that would never be revealed. It was only when this event had broken out in Blackhot City that everyone knew that the Red-scarf Burglars, who were well-prepared and were conspiring with the Niumuen Business Group to take over Blackhot City both internally and externally, had been lurking in a hidden location that was less than 150 km away from Blackhot City. When the Niumuen Business Group was swept out by the army of Blackhot City and had schemes exposed, the Red-scarf Burglars retreated from their hiding spot like a pack of wolves, and when they had reappeared, they caused a disaster in Lance City and involved the Sun Dynasty in this chaos, leading them to confronting the Andaman Alliance.
"Mysterious Warner"—that was the nickname that Zhang Tie had received when the incident broke out in Blackhot City. Some said that the "Mysterious Warner', the person who had started the incident in Blackhot City, was a bandit that was part of the Red-scarf Burglars, some said that this "Mysterious Warner" was a top fighter who lived in seclusion in Blackhot City, while there were also some who said that this "Mysterious Warner" was a political enemy of Marshal Lin Changjiang, the governor of the northern border of the Norman Empire… There were all kinds of speculations about the "Mysterious Warner"; however, no one had guessed that the "Mysterious Warner" was actually just an ordinary youth from an ordinary national male middle school situated in Blackhot City that was currently attending a survival training in Wild Wolf Valley. Not to mention, the same youth had even almost destroyed an influential figure's intention to obtain recovery medication in Blackhot City.
Sometimes, there were rumors that were grounded with strong logic, and there were also various possibilities that seemed true; however, truth was something that was always extremely dramatic, as the people's daily lives and the earthly world doesn't give one the opportunity to be rational and logical. This was just like a famous story on the well-known Butterfly Effect[1]. There was once a blacksmith who had dropped a nail on the ground, which later injured a horse's hoof. Because the horse was wounded, the knight who rode it lost a battle, which directly influenced the war between two nations, finally leading to the destruction of a country.
Zhang Tie had learned this theory in science class at school. It was only when he had heard of the incident in Blackhot City did Zhang Tie realize that what he had rightly done was drop the nail that wounded the horse's hoof. After walking into Huck, who had already been killed by Zhang Tie, near the railway station, he had changed so many things.
The "nail" had truly changed some of the details and slowed the development of the situation; however, the Norman Empire and the Sun Dynasty were already rolling without stop towards the Andaman Alliance and Blackhot City, much like huge wheels with unstoppable momentum. Just the start of the huge, rolling wheels had already created great waves in Wild Wolf Valley.
Many of the people here had to serve in the army after graduation, which meant that they would have to directly face these two huge forces, the Norman Empire and the Sun Dynasty, and perhaps they may even fight the army of these two countries on the battlefield, thus all the students attending the survival training in Wild Wolf Valley felt as if a huge burden had been placed on their fates. Facing the incoming and uncertain future, many people felt confused and frightened.
Tonight, with the exception of Zhang Tie, everyone else in the Hit-Plane Brotherhood was trying their best to cultivate the basic skills of Iron-Blood Fist. They continued to do so until they were all extremely fatigued and were gasping as they laid on the grass.
In truth, Zhang Tie could actually stick to it for a while longer; however, when he saw Bagdad, with eyes fixed on him, practicing the Lying-Tiger Stake as the blue veins on his forehead especially stood out, Zhang Tie could only pretend to be exhausted before throwing himself onto the ground. Ten seconds after Zhang Tie had "given up", Bagdad, who was no longer able to hold on, also heaved a deep sigh and ended his practice. For Bagdad, if he couldn't remain the strongest fighter in the Hit-Plane Brotherhood, then it would be a great strike to his pride.
Two moons hung in the sky—one was a silver crescent, while the other was a pale blue full moon; one was big, while the other was small. The moonlight cascaded down and enveloped Wild Wolf Valley with a layer of a beautiful, pale blue, and white brilliance. Accompanied by the two moons, the stars in the sky looked particularly splendent, the cicadas on the Dragon-Claw Trees were chirping, the crickets in the grass were tweeting, while the howls of the looming wolves drifted over; the entire Wild Wolf Valley was extremely tranquil.
The members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood simply laid there and silently looked at the sky for more than ten minutes.
"If I was killed on the battlefield, someone who is still alive among you must remember to hand over my pension to my family since that amount of money could allow my two younger brothers to live a bit better!" Sharwin silently opened his mouth. Sharwin was good in all aspects, except he was too pessimistic sometimes.
"You'd better stay alive. If you die, we would only use your pension to sleep with women and let your bastard dad and two younger brothers go to hell!" Hista cursed.
"Bastard!" Sharwin cursed in a low voice before he laughed out loudly.
"I heard the Iron-Horn Army Group under the flagship of Lin Changjiang, the governor of the Northern Border Army Group of Norman Empire, and the Brilliant Feathers of the Sun Dynasty are both composed of war maniacs and madmen. Do you think we might encounter them?" Doug said dejectedly.
"Don't be that pessimistic. We should not be that unlucky to have to fight against the armies of the Norman Empire and the Sun Dynasty. As for the entire Andaman Alliance, those two countries are two super powers, each of whom is much more powerful than the Andaman Alliance. Because of this great gap in force, if there truly is a battle with any one of the two countries, the Andaman Alliance would definitely lose. Since the wealthy big figures are definitely more afraid of death than us, I think that a war would not break out. For the Andaman Alliance, this is a war that they are doomed to lose, and they would never bet on this war at the risk of their own lives. Two kids with the same strength might fight over a piece of candy, but a tough man would never fight a kid, let alone two tough men fighting a kid at the same time..." Lying on the ground, Leit said so.
"Hmm, I feel that Leit's words are reasonable. We don't need to feel that stressed!" Barley added.
"Even if a war doesn't break out, the Andaman Alliance would still not have a bright future. In the history of Blackson Human Clan Corridor, it has always consisted of at most 70 city-states; however, this number has been gradually decreasing. In the end, every city-state would see one of two outcomes. The first would be the emergence of a talented or mighty figure who would unite them all into a country. The other would be that the city-states would break apart and be annexed by the surrounding powers. For the Andaman Alliance, it doesn't have a talented or mighty figure, and under their eyes, the Norman Empire and the Sun Dynasty would never allow it to become a united country, thus the final outcome for the Andaman Alliance and Blackhot City might be being annexed by either the Norman Empire or the Sun Dynasty. Once annexed, this region would face high coercion for at least the next few dozen years. If this matter cannot be settled through peaceful manners, then even if we don't die on the battlefields, we would not be able to live well in the future..." Sharwin continued to speak in a pessimistic way.
Hearing Sharwin's words, everyone became silent once again. No one rebutted, as they all knew that Sharwin was telling the heaviest and undeniable truth.
"So you're saying that even if we're not cannon fodder on the battlefield, we would be slaves after our country dies. Hmm, although the Andaman Alliance and Blackhot City cannot be considered a country, it's almost the same!" Hista said dejectedly.
"For this event, I feel… it will be settled through peaceful means!" Barley said in an unconfident and low voice.
"But, I have always felt that something is off. The Andaman Alliance, the Sun Dynasty, and the Norman Empire have maintained peace for over half a century, so why are they giving us trouble now at the same time?" Doug suddenly hit the key point like an idiot.
Not knowing the reason, when he heard Doug's words, Zhang Tie suddenly thought back to the squirrels that were busily storing pine nuts in the trees to survive through the winter.
"No matter what reason it is, if it is related to us, we will know about it sooner or later. That's why, we don't need to rack our brains on that matter..." Bagdad gloomily said. "The most important thing for us right now is to improve our own strength. As you know, in this age, people without strength will not have freedom. Only when we have strength could we control our own fate. If we are well-practiced in the Iron-Blood Fist Skill, then why would we need to be concerned about these boring questions?"
"Bighead, why are you silent? Aren't you worried..." Lying on the ground, Barley turned his head and asked Zhang Tie.
"I think you are all right. But to tell you the truth, I don't really care about the future of Blackhot City and the Andaman Alliance too much. Perhaps it is because I am Chinese, a minority in Blackhot City of the Andaman Alliance. I am not able to assume any more responsibilities for the fate of the Andaman Alliance and Blackhot City. My family has already sacrificed one life for the Andaman Alliance and Blackhot City. No matter what, I do not want my family to sacrifice another life for them, and neither would I make such a sacrifice. I only have a few desires in my life. As long as my loved ones can live well, as long as I have enough money and beloved women, then I will be satisfied..." Looking at the beautiful stars in the sky, Zhang Tie forced a smile. What happened in Blackhot City and the Andaman Alliance really shocked him a lot. Although he had changed the speed of the development to some degree, he realized he couldn't change the final outcome. At the very least, the fate of his loved ones have not changed at all. This was the cause of the feelings of frustrations and powerlessness that small figures would feel.
Bagdad's words were true. Instead of hoping for the world to develop like your imagination, it was better to make yourself stronger, as this was true strength. In contrast, everything else was bullsh*t. For Zhang Tie himself, if he wanted to become powerful, he would have to depend on the Castle of Black Iron and the small tree within.
Although Zhang Tie had never thought that he was selfish, sometimes, the Castle of Black Iron and the small tree brought Zhang Tie a sense of selfishness. If this age could be seen as a large wheel that was rolling forward, then Zhang Tie felt that, with the exception of himself, who was someone who could jump out of its path and stay in his own world, everyone else could only be chased by the large wheel that surged forth as they oozed sweat all over. The world where Zhang Tie stayed in was also a wheel that only belonged to Zhang Tie. Although it was very small, Zhang Tie could happily push it forward in a speed faster than the others. Soon after, the others would be far behind him and his world. Zhang Tie felt that he was truly a bit heartless; although everyone else was concerned about the future of Blackhot City and the Andaman ALliance, he was just thinking about how many mining baskets filled with ores he should move into the Castle of Black Iron in order to quickly increase the amount of basic energy storage inside. While everyone was worried about turning into slaves in the occupied areas in the future, Zhang Tie was thinking about his circumcision after the completion of the survival training. " Damn it! It truly does not feel good to be a virgin among a group of horny students." Honestly, Zhang Tie really didn't think that the fate of the Andaman Alliance and Blackhot city was more important than his circumcision surgery. "Am I selfish? If this is being selfish, then I prefer to be selfish. Who f*cking decided that the future of the Andaman Alliance and Blackhot City is more important than my future? Who the f*ck decided that the 'sexual pleasures' of the privileged figures are more important than my 'sexual pleasures'? Who the f*ck decided that a small figure like me has to share difficulties with the big figures, but not the pleasures? F*ck, I will do what I can do and I will enjoy myself. So what!?"
In the current situation, it was as if many naked people were struggling to rush forward in the snowfield in order to escape the snowstorm that was chasing them. In contrast, Zhang Tie was sitting inside the train and was eating hot pot, leaving the group of people behind along with the "crack crack" sounds made by the moving train. This was another lifestyle that had been brought by the Castle of Black Iron and that small tree. If he didn't have the small tree and the Castle of Black Iron, then Zhang Tie would have been just like them; he would have been a member of the people rushing forward in the snowfield as they tried to escape from the snowstorm that was chasing them. Fortunately, he had that small tree and the Castle of Black Iron, allowing him to sit in the train to enjoy hot pot. If he could enjoy such a good treatment, then why not enjoy it? Anyone with a normal mind would make this choice!
...
It was Zhang Tie's turn to be on duty for the first half of the evening tonight. Crouching in a pit on the tree, Zhang Tie watched and listened to the surroundings while visualizing an abacus in his mind as he practiced mental arithmetic using the abacus. He practiced various operations. He did addition and subtraction with numbers between 1 to 1000. He did multiplication with any two digit numbers, any two digit numbers with three digit numbers, and any two digit numbers with four digit numbers; he had even done the reverse with division. Over the past few days, Zhang Tie hadn't give up on practicing mental arithmetics using the abacus, and as a result, he has made steady improvements to his calculation skills. Now, with just a glimpse, he would easily get the answer of any addition or subtraction problem within three digits, and any multiplication or division problem between two digit numbers. Additionally, as a benefit of his boring yet self-gratifying training, his spiritual energy had also gradually increased. Compared to his spiritual energy when he had started the survival training, Zhang Tie's spiritual energy had already increased by about 2%.
It was only when Barley had replaced him for the second half of the night did Zhang Tie climb back into his own hole to sleep. At the sight of Zhang Tie, Barley was also curious. While the others always looked extremely tired the morning after their duty, how come this guy becomes even more high-spirited when he finishes his duty? Could it be that he had adapted to the nightlife?
After he finished practicing mental arithmetic using the abacus, Zhang Tie lied down, but he did not fall asleep; instead, he silently injected his spiritual energy into the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit, leading to him entering another virtual world...
...
It was the same dusk, the same valley, the same path, the same grass where the wolves had drilled out and charged towards him. Zhang Tie waved his dagger towards them...
Several minutes later, the three wolves turned into corpses once again. Looking at that wound on his hand that was left by the sharp fang of one of the wolves, Zhang Tie shook his head…
Boom...
Everything turned into specks of lights.
...
One minute later, after Zhang Tie injected his spiritual energy into that Trouble-Reappearance Fruit to activate the same scene once again, Zhang Tie entered it for the second time tonight.
It was the same dusk, the same valley, the same path, and the same grass...
This time, Zhang Tie changed his "trick". Before the wolves had drilled out of the grass, Zhang Tie had already rushed into the grass to fight the three wolves with his dagger. However, after this trial, Zhang Tie realized that grass was more restrictive to humans than it was to wolves. In fact, the latter even had more advantages in the grass. The result of this fight was that Zhang Tie once again became afraid of death and pain...
...
Zhang Tie then exited the scene and rushed inside one minute later...
Zhang Tie repeated this process until his spiritual energy was exhausted. When he could no longer activate the Trouble-Reappearance Fruit, he fell asleep.
...
The other members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood would never know that this guy sleeping beside them had already experienced eight life-or-death fights with three wolves in a hidden place which only existed in Zhang Tie's mind within half an hour since he finished his duty. Through fighting many times, Zhang Tie had suffered less wounds than before, and the three wolves had died faster than before...
Before he fell asleep, one last thought appeared in his mind—maybe I should jump into that deep hole left by the Gold-Eating Boas again tomorrow and see what kind of feeling it will give...
[1] Butterfly Effect: A small matter triggers successively bigger events. Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect
Chapter 97: Framed
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
Today, the news of Burwick leading his "Male Lion Association", which was composed of a group of horny students from the Seventh National Male Middle School, to cooperate with the Samira Business Group from Blackhot City had become the biggest news in Wild Wolf Castle. They had marched towards Crescent Prairie to hunt golden wolves as well as to pick Goose-neck Grass.
To support them, the Samira Business Group had provided Burwick's team several crates of rations and had also gifted Burwick a war blade, an entire set of armor, and several sets of equipment used to hunt wolves. With these items in hand, Burwick and his lackeys held a magnificent pledge ceremony in the square of Wild Wolf Castle. After the pledge ceremony, Burwick, like a general, led the group of more than 200 "Male Lion Association" members to march towards Crescent Prairie.
Almost one fifth of the students attending this survival training from the Seventh National Male Middle School followed Burwick to prepare for the march towards Crescent Prairie.
At this pledge ceremony, in the square, many girls screamed Burwick's name as their eyes were fixed on Burwick's fascinating smile and his brilliant blonde hair. Currently, Burwick had been so well known among the students attending this survival training that he was even regarded as the best one among all the students who were attending this survival training.
Because of the magnificent scene, many of the horny students became hot-blooded, as even they had dreamed of being Burwick, someone who could enjoy the cheers from the girls. The news of Burwick leading his team on their march towards Crescent Valley to hunt the LV 2 golden wolves and to forage for Goose-neck Grass, which were ingredients that could be used to save lives, was publicized in a heroic manner by the Samira's Business Group as they called it a righteous action, causing Burwick to turn into a hero as well as the most brilliant star in this survival training in the eyes of many girls. .
While Burwick became the star in the eyes of all the other students, Zhang Tie, who was like a miner, was watching Buwick's brilliance as he stood on one side of the square. He had been wearing the same mining clothes for three consecutive days. Mining was something which made it hard for people to remain clean and tidy, and as such, Zhang Tie's clothes and face both looked dirty. After working hard for an entire morning, the sweat covering his forehead and temples would sketch several clear mud marks onto his face. Simply by being close to him, girls with a keen sense of smell would be able to smell his sweat. Compared to the general-like Burwick, who was equipped with an entire set of armor, Zhang Tie was absolutely a peasant; there truly was a sharp contrast between them.
Zhang Tie looked at those high-spirited, horny students of the "Male Lion Association" with eyes that contained a slight gloominess and sympathy as he cursed inwardly—idiots!
Burwick's ambitions and his mercilessness had both shocked Zhang Tie as well as made him alert. Because a golden wolf was a LV 2 beast, even Burwick, a LV 1 soldier who had ignited his Shrine burning point, should know that no matter how well the members of the Male Lion Association could cooperate with each other, if they wanted to keep the marrow fresh when they sent it to Blackhot City, then they would have to surround the golden wolves before hunting them. If a group of LV 0 soldiers were to do this, then there would definitely be casualties. Despite this, Burwick was still prepared to use his influence and the trust placed in him by those horny students to go through with this. This meant that those horny students were merely stepping stones in his heart, ones which could be sacrificed at any time. If Glaze was a ferocious wolf who was ready to bare his fangs, then Burwick would be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Burwick was more sinister and more terrifying, as he had hidden his ambitions and mercilessness, pretending to be harmless among a pack of sheep, thus he looked much more dangerous and was able to confuse others.
Zhang Tie didn't intend to be something great nor did he plan to be some motherf*cking righteous messenger. He felt that even if he spoke up at this moment, it would not work on those horny guys, as the blood had already rushed to their head. Anyone who was able to capture a golden wolf or pick a stalk of Goose-neck Grass would be rewarded with an excellent war blade. Although this compensation given by the Samira Business Group was very cheap, for many students, it still made the blood rush to their heads. Exchanging one's life for a weapon that would be used to serve others at the cost of one's life—Zhang Tie truly looked down on such compensation and felt as if it was an insult to his intelligence. However, facing such compensation, some of the horny students looked extremely excited, which really caused Zhang Tie to be at a loss for words. Perhaps those horny students still dreamt of being referred to Master Abyan by the Samira Business Group if they performed well, letting him know of their name and perhaps allowing them to become his assistant or apprentice. To become an assistant or an apprentice of Master Abyan was a rare opportunity that was akin to taking a step towards heaven. There was no person who didn't want to become the next Li Shizhen, a student from the Seventh National Male Middle School from many years ago who had been chosen to be an apprentice of the Pharmacists Association. However, because this promise was made by the man with the silky hat named Samira, Zhang Tie completely treated it as bullsh*t. Nevertheless, there were still many people who trusted his words. Those fellows didn't realize that even if Samira's words were true, Burwick would be the one to obtain the opportunity to be promoted and not them. The fact was that after a war, there would be piles of corpses from soldiers that were as high as a mountain, yet the only one who would earn reputation and praise would be the general!
In Zhang Tie's eyes, this expedition was a trap which used the weaknesses of human nature; this trap was a huge pit which was dug on the basis of trust and greed and was also the most common trap. Clear-minded people would be able to see through it at the first sight; however, there would always be people who would jump in, and Zhang Tie would not be able to stop them. He felt as if he had already done what he should have done. What the others decided to do would be their choice. At any moment, he is not obliged to sacrifice himself for the safety of others.
"Besides yourself, nobody is responsible for your life. Horny students, I hope that you will learn to understand the motto of our school—'Welcome to the Age of Black Iron'. After having stayed at school for three years, it seems that you have yet to understand that line. It seems that it's just like what Donder had said. In this age, the thing that is the blackest and the most iron-like is the human heart," Zhang Tie mumbled inwardly.
...
At the end of the pledge ceremony, standing on that temporary platform, Burwick, who always forced a smile and spoke in a very energetic fashion, looked back several times. When he realized that none of the teachers from the Temporary Supervision Committee were present and were not even watching their performance from the walls of the outer castle, Burwick became a bit disappointed.
"There's no need to be disappointed. A recommendation from your school is not more valuable than being known by Master Abyan..." Seemingly as if he had seen through the slight disappointment in Burwick's eyes, Samira consoled him in a low voice that was only audible to Burwick. "Whether or not the military academy of the Andaman Alliance would still exist in the future is uncertain; however, no matter who rules Blackhot City, Master Abyan would still be able to garner absolute respect. As a smart individual, you should understand what I mean!"
"I know what to do!" Burwick replied in low voice.
"Good luck then. I almost forgot to tell you. There's a student from your school named Glaze that reached out to me because he also wanted to get this opportunity to be introduced to Master Abyan. As for whether there are more great figures in your school who dream for this opportunity, this is something that I do not know. That's why, young man, you need to work hard. Only the most excellent people would be able to obtain this opportunity!" Samira added.
"I will try my best!" Hearing Samira's words, Burwick's face slightly became stiff before catching sight of Zhang Tie, who was not eye-catching, in the distance. Although Zhang Tie was not eye-catching, his mining basket certainly was. At the sight of Zhang Tie, Burwick's eyes became filled with excitement. He then turned and told Samira with a smile, "Hmm, I forgot to tell you. That person in the crowd who gave you trouble the other day was Zhang Tie, that black-haired brat with the mining basket on his back. I've heard that he is already a LV 1 soldier and that Captain Kerlin and Zerom seem to have high hopes for him!"
The corner of Samira's eyes twitched a couple of times. Even now, Samira still felt that someone in the crowd was cursing him with words like "poisonous snake's head" and "triangular eyes". Samira casually looked at Zhang Tie, who was far away, while forcing a smile on his skinny, horse-like face. "Well, I know what to do!"
"Happy collaboration!"
"Happy collaboration!"
...
After the pledge ceremony, Burwick and his followers left the small square of Blackhot City in a heroic manner, resulting in the noisy square finally regaining its calm. The moment Burwick's team left, the Temporary Supervision Committee released a notice to hold a bonfire party in the small square tonight. According to the notice, the girls will be holding performances like singing and dancing during the bonfire party. Hearing that news, many horny students became excited. Unknown why, at the sight of this notice, Zhang Tie knew the intention of the teachers of the Temporary Supervision Committee. It seemed that they did not want the students to risk their lives in the Crescent Prairie.
The square became boisterous at this time. After reading the notice, the moment those horny students, including Zhang Tie, were to leave, a person walked towards Zhang Tie, and as he passed by, he walked into Zhang Tie's shoulder. With his spiritual energy having increased by sevenfold, Zhang Tie's senses were also sharp. The moment that person's shoulder bumped it to his, Zhang Tie sensed something new in his mining basket. If he was average like before, then he never would have noticed something new inside his mining basket, as the mining basket itself was already heavy and even had a hoe inside.
Motherf*cker, how could they be that bored? Who's still doing childish pranks like opening my mining basket and throwing stuff inside at the sight of the mining basket on my back? I have already stopped playing that prank of throwing trash in other people's hood when I was eight years old. The moment Zhang Tie turned around to see who that bastard was, he heard someone shout loudly from several steps behind him.
"My purse! Where's my purse? It was here just now, so how could it disappear in such a short period of time?"
"Thief! It must have been stolen..."
F*ck! Zhang Tie's crisis mechanism was launched within 0.1 seconds. Sh*t, I was set up! F*ck those bastards who want to set me up by throwing that item into my mining basket. Since it was his mining basket, even if he had a hundred mouths, he would still not be able to clearly explain his innocence. When yellow mud fell onto one's crotch, it would still be regarded as sh*t, even if it wasn't. Once he was caught by those guys, it would be difficult for Zhang Tie to explain himself, thus he had to instantly leave, only then would he be able to gain the initiative of this battle...
Immediately, Zhang Tie's instinct to escape was deducted once again. Without even turning back, Zhang Tie had already surged forward with large strides like a leopard at almost the moment he heard the shouts as he ran towards the foot of the mountain with his maximum speed...
After that guy shouted, he felt spirited from having attracted the attention from those around him and was prepared to make a performance; however, when he raised his head, he realized that the brat in front of him had already disappeared. At the same time, the other helpers who were to surround Zhang Tie and capture him had also become dumbfounded. "Where's that brat? How did he escape? Weren't we just supposed to wait here and capture him along with the purse in his mining basket? Wasn't that what was supposed to happen? This doesn't make sense!"
"Purse, my purse..." This time, the man truly shrieked with a high pitch. Finally, by the time someone noticed Zhang Tie, he had already been over a hundred meters away and was running towards the downward path.
"That brat is the thief! Hurry up and arrest him! Arrest the thief…" The square instantly became noisy as a great number of people rushed towards Zhang Tie...
Standing from afar, the corner of Samira's eye twitched. He had never expected that such a performance, which should have been very successful, would turn out like this. For commoners like Zhang Tie, if he realized that he was not the thief, encountering such an incident, wouldn't he simply turn around and have a look out of curiosity? But how could that brat escape even faster than a rabbit when he heard that shout? Was that a reaction a commoner would have? What kind of freak is that brat?
"Purse, my purse..." When he thought of his purse, Samira jumped up. "Bastard, that was my purse..."