Surprisingly, before Krune or the enemy leader could attack, Yusa came forward and said, "Shouldn't you give up by now? I don't know who you are, but you definitely aren't bandits since they can't possibly have such refined skills. That only leaves the possibility that you were sent here by someone. You should know that with the combined power of us three, you can't kill everyone, and that's only if you triumph against us. Are you sure you want the Mercenary Guild to investigate this incident where there are survivors?"
The leader could not help but feel despair. He knew that Yusa was telling the truth, not to mention the fact that he couldn't see through this Krune guy. He received information that he could use the Wind and Fire element to summon some kind of blade that combined wind and fire, which was really powerful. The reason why he was assigned as the group leader was the fact that he was a Water element user. He was supposed to be Krune's nemesis.
Unfortunately, after seeing that Krune could also use Water element attacks that were by no means any weaker than his own, his confidence was next to non-existent at this point. Not to mention that it would be bad if he could use Lightning-based abilities as well.
"Very well, but I want their corpses."
He then pointed at the tattered corpses of his companions. Yusa nodded in agreement to the request soon after. If they could leave without any losses, that would be for the best.
Krune's group then retreated after that while those men stayed behind to recover the corpses of their companions. They still had one chance. If they could reach Kaley City fast enough and ask their clan to send reinforcements, they might be able to salvage the situation.
After walking for over two hours, the group had finally stopped to rest. Everyone had used every ounce of power they had in the last battle, and Krune wasn't much better either. To create such a gigantic water prison, control the water blades, and still keep his Divine Sense active all that time definitely was taxing on his senses. He took a few spirit stones from his spatial ring and started to recover. While everyone was meditating, Yusa, Krune, and Ao headed to a slightly distant place to discuss what happened.
Ao Sulian was the first one to talk, asking, "You said they weren't bandits and that they were sent by someone, mind explaining?"
Yusa nodded as she responded, "In fact, I'm not sure either. In any case, a bandit group shouldn't have such levels of coordination. It was pure luck that my guess was right, and their leader agreed to give up. I'm sure you don't know of it, but Krune has a Four Star Mercenary Badge. I think it might have been because of this that we were attacked by them."
Ao was left at a loss for words as he heard that. Soon, he looked at Krune for a bit before continuing to speak. "Four Stars? You're joking, right? Only those at the Core Formation Realm can apply for those. Why would he have a Four Star Badge?"
Krune looked a little embarrassed as he replied, "I think I used a little bit too much strength during the test. For some reason, they decided to give me this badge."
Yusa's mouth twitched as she soon said in response, "A little bit your head! If that was a little bit, what if you had used your full power? Wouldn't you bring the entire guild down by then?"
Krune looked away and pretended that he didn't hear anything.
Yusa then explained what happened during the mercenary exam. After that, Ao gave Krune a few weird looks. He was shocked by his battle strength since he was even able to imprison four Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. Nevertheless, he was only using the Water element. He didn't use two elements at the same time. But after Yusa explained everything, now he knew that Krune could do that and even use Skill Merge!
"I understand. There's a high chance that they were definitely after him! But who would dare to buy a fight with the Mercenary Guild? To kill a genius like him under the guild's nose is almost the same as bringing destruction to one's organization."
Krune was the one to speak this time, saying, "I don't think they wanted to kill me. That 5th Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator that was fighting me at first wasn't using any lethal attacks. It was as if he didn't want me to die."
Yusa eyes then lit up as she hastily came to a conclusion. "Blood contract! They probably wanted to capture and convince you to sign a blood contract! With your talent, you would definitely become a great figure in the future. They wanted to have you for themselves."
She then let out a chuckle as she asked in a slightly teasing tone, "Why do you have to be so famous?!"
Another blade passed through Krune's heart. It was very effective! He couldn't help but think again while crying inside, 'Being low-key is truly the sage's path...'
Ao could not help but scratch his head from their weird relationship, though he soon went back to the main topic, saying, "That means they will probably try again sooner or later. After we arrive at Kaley City, they won't be able to do anything anymore. Even if we leave the city later, the Mercenary Guild will be on guard waiting for someone to eat the bait that is Krune. Not to mention that I don't think they'll escape the Mercenary Guild's intelligence network to start with. The guild will probably cut them from the roots even before they need to use a plan where Krune would have to act as bait."
Krune didn't understand much, but Yusa did. The Mercenary Guild was a behemoth around the world, and very few would oppose it.
"It wouldn't be a problem. It has only been two hours since we left, not to mention that their companions also have to stop and rest. We've already left the most dangerous area on the way here. If Krune and I press forward, there's no way they'll have enough time to get there and assemble another team."
Ao then said, "They could just communicate with their clan or sect. No, wait! They can't. The signal won't be able to arrive here."
Yusa nodded, responding, "Exactly. Danger zones don't have signal towers since bandits would most likely take the equipment down and sell it. It's a wasted effort. We all know that danger zones are left like that not only because it would be too troublesome to keep watch over, but also because they're good places to refine one's skills. With that, they'll have to get closer to Kaley City to be able to communicate with their superiors. To summon the necessary people and leave the city again will take time as well. Of course, if we want to prevent that, we need to head for Kaley City immediately."
Krune nodded as he listened. He had already restored his spiritual energy and could head at any moment.
"Then, we should get going, Yusa. If I'm not wrong, their leader, that 6th Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, will probably separate from their group and rush forward alone. We can't really wait anymore."
Ao Sulian then said in response to Krune's words, "In that case, let me tell the others that I'm leaving. I'm a cultivator specialized in the Wind element, so I won't hold you back. With the three of us, it'll be easier for us to deal with any bandits on the way, not to mention that it will be safer for the others as well."
Krune and Yusa agreed with his proposal.
Ao talked a bit with his two friends and with the Qi Condensation cultivators. After that, the three of them left, rushing along their path until the night of the next day. Ao and Krune were fine since both can use the Wind element, especially Krune. Unfortunately, Yusa was a cultivator specialized in the Water element, so she couldn't keep going anymore. Ao then came forward to carry her. She was about to refuse when Krune reminded her, "You won't be able to do anything if you don't rest. Both of us can use the Wind element so we can continue running without stop. Sadly, you can't, so this is a compromise we have to make. Also, remember that we're racing against time."
She then let out a helpless sigh. Ao then carried her on his back since Krune wasn't very strong when one considered his physical strength.
Two days later, they could finally see the city walls in the distance. Fortunately for them, they just arrived when the enemy was about to send reinforcements to stop them along the way. Krune was right in the end. The enemy leader had rushed forward alone to pass over the information. Unfortunately for the leader, he was a Water element user just like Yusa. Even with his higher cultivation level, he couldn't compare in speed against Wind element cultivators. They could use the wind to make their bodies lighter, helping them move forward much easier.
Krune, Yusa, and Ao headed straight to the Mercenary Guild's main branch to report what happened. When the branch supervisor heard what they said, he exploded in rage. Their Yule Continent Mercenary Guild hadn't given birth to such talent for a long time already! Now some shitty organization wanted him to sign a blood contract? That's ridiculous!
The entire branch intelligence network moved that day. They looked for information regarding ten Foundation Establishment cultivators leaving the city in the past week, using the information given by Krune regarding their cultivation levels. Sure enough, there was a match!
At the same time, at the southwest side of Kaley City, the clan head of the Solie Clan was pacing back and forth inside a meeting room. His name was Zu Solie, a 2nd Stage Core Formation Realm cultivator. Surprisingly, he wasn't alone, with the clan's elders inside the room as well, deafeningly quiet.
Around a week ago, they had received information from one of their clan members that a demon beast in human form passed the mercenary examination and obtained a Four Star Badge and ID. They knew that they were one of the very first ones to receive the information. As long as they could bring Krune to their turf, convince him to sign a blood contract, and let him go as if nothing had happened, their clan was sure to grow in the future while being carried by Krune.
Unfortunately, that plan had failed. They lost four Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the Mercenary Guild was already investigating the issue. It would be fine if there were no witnesses, but the target itself proved to be much stronger than they had predicted. He was already back at the Mercenary Guild, so there was nothing they could do about him from now on. The question now was if they could avoid disaster.
It was then that a subordinate knocked on the door and came in.
"Clan head, we've received a call from the Mercenary Guild. They're inviting you to come to the guild to have a conversation."
The clan head started to let out cold sweat after that. It was finally here!
"Very well. Call them back and tell the guild I'm heading there as soon as possible."
The subordinate then left and closed the door behind.
"Clan head, this can not continue. By following the leaving registers of the city, it'll be easy for them to find out that it was us who sent the attackers. Not to mention that we still have five of our Foundation Establishment members making their way back to the clan. It's no surprise if they end up captured before arriving here."
The clan head became upset as he heard that, so he shouted in response, "Shut up! Do you think I don't know that? I don't want to hear what will happen. I want to hear a solution! Did you get any other information from that Krune that we can use?"
The elders shook their heads, but there was one who remembered one thing.
"In the report from our members back at the village, when this Krune cultivates, he absorbs the spiritual energy within a hundred-meter radius. That's already considering that he had spirit stones all around him. Would it be possible to pay him to let it go?"
The clan head's eyes lit up. They finally had a solution they could use. In fact, it was the most straightforward one. To be honest, since they heard that Krune was a Four Stars Mercenary, they thought that he wouldn't care about spirit stones at all. But if his Universe Foundation needed so much spiritual energy like what was said on the report...then maybe, just maybe, it might be enough to save their clan that way.
"Alright, let's go with that, then. Prepare to leave. I'm heading over there."
Core Formation cultivators could use their spiritual energy to fly. Unfortunately, flying was quite restricted in Kaley City. Only cultivators at the Divine Soul Realm were allowed to fly in the city. On top of that, there weren't many of them to start with. The Solie clan obviously wasn't a clan with a Divine Soul Realm ancestor.
Back at the Mercenary Guild, Krune, Ao and Yusa were waiting for the results of the search in one of the rooms provided by the Mercenary Guild for them to rest. Sometime later, they heard the sound of a door opening when the guild supervisor of the branch came in.
"We got the five Foundation Establishment cultivators you talked about. They're all part of the Solie Clan, and their clan head is coming to the guild to give an explanation. Do you want to take part in the meeting?"
All three of them nodded their heads in response.
In the meeting room, Zu Solie was waiting. A couple of minutes later, Krune, Ao, and Yusa entered the room together with the supervisor of the branch.
Zu Solie came forward to greet them first, saying, "Supervisor Lu, those three should be Krune, Ao, and Yusa, right?"
The three of them didn't look the least bit happy with his greetings. Two were supposed to die while one was supposed to become a slave. How could they be happy at all?
"Clan head Zu Solie, let's end this farce. We already captured the five specific members of your clan. However, I haven't done anything to them yet, and they haven't said anything. Nevertheless, they're registered as part of your clan, and we both know that there's no way that they would have moved without your permission."
Zu Solie smiled bitterly after that. Soon, he said, "Yes, I was the one who asked them to bring Krune over. Well, even if I said that it wouldn't be to force him to sign a blood contract, no one would believe me anyway, so I came to make amends."
Supervisor Lu then asked, "I wonder what kind of amends you're willing to make for us to let it go? Is there something you can offer Krune and his friends that we can't?"
Zu Solie shook his head, saying, "We obviously can't offer anything that the Mercenary Guild can't. Though, we are willing to pay any price as long as our clan can be left out of the hook. In fact, this clan head's life is also up for taking."
They were surprised to hear that. Zu Solie was even willing to give his life away to save his clan. He might have tried to kill and enslave them, but at least he knew how to protect his own.
Zu Solie continued, "We heard the little friend Krune needs a lot of spirit stones for his cultivation. If the matter can be resolved with this, we're willing to offer 10,000 low-quality Rank Three Spirit Stones."
One should look down on this number. Even after Krune 'paid a visit' to several spiritual vein lakes back in Katiu Forest, he wasn't able to find a single Rank Three Spirit Stone. The best ones he found were only middle-grade Rank Two stones, and he didn't even obtain a lot of them.
Not only did Krune and Ao were left at a loss for words from this amount, Yusa's eyes were even on fire from the amount! She grabbed Krune's arms and started to frantically shake them. This money-grubber has already lost her sanity!
Krune also needed a lot of spirit stones since it wasn't only for his cultivation but for the creation of his Spiritual Energy Meridians as well. They then looked at supervisor Lu after that.
Lu Ganan was his full name, and he understood the meaning of their looks.
"I won't lie. This is a considerable fortune in a place like Kaley City. We might be a city, but we're on the small side, so this price can definitely help you a lot while you're here. The question is, do you want to spare the Solie Clan?"
Krune then got an idea after hearing Lu's words. They would need support while they were here, which prompted him to think that the Solie Clan could help them out in that regard. The Solie Clan might have tried to do what they did, but they still held some influence in the city.
"If the Solie Clan head is willing to sign a blood contract promising that the clan won't try to do anything to my friends or me and also give its full support during the time we're in Kaley City, then I think we can let this matter pass. What do you two think about it?"
Ao Sulian and Yusa Shen understood what Krune wanted to do. Support would indeed make things much easier in the city and open several doors for them, so they nodded in agreement.
Zu Solie was also delighted to hear that. The Solie Clan might have lost almost all of its treasures. Nevertheless, they adverted disaster. Plus, the money would come in again sooner or later anyway. Then again, if they used this chance to build a good relationship with Krune, this disaster might turn out to be their fortune instead. Not too long after, he gladly signed the contract, which put a restriction on his soul.
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