A more fearsome giant tree marmot stood reverently behind him, its twelve-inch-long claws occasionally picking at its tusk-like teeth.
The sturdy human mercenaries in front of him were like a piece of bacon standing in front of a piece of ham.
"Who dares to duel with the adult? Fight me first!" Vieri brandished his huge axe, his gaze sweeping over the group of mercenaries and Piegel officers in front of him. To most humans, his voice was a roar and his eyes reflected the gleam of the axe blade at his back.
"Lord, you must pay for your and your followers’ arrogance!" The Piegel officer tried to put on a brave front, but the panic on his face betrayed his inner weakness. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveI[F]ire.net
Liu Zhenhan took a puff of his cigar and blew the smoke thickly onto the face of the talking officer.
"Quit the pointless talk; I make the rules in my territory. Are you paying or not? Speak up!" Liu Zhenhan flicked the cigarette ash onto the other’s face, while Guoguo also shook her arm, the knuckles crackling.
"We won’t pay, but we still have to pass through here. What can you do with so many of us?" A burly human ranger atop a horse cried out defiantly.
"See those reeds over there?" Liu Zhenhan pointed toward the dense reeds on a far-off mudflat.
All the humans looked in the direction he pointed to, noticing the reeds rustling in the wind, their withered yellow leaves like the ebbing life of the old.
When they turned back, they discovered that the purple-haired girl sitting in the tent had somehow stood up. In her hand, she held a clamshell broken into three pieces. Her delicate lips were murmuring a series of short syllables. The syllables were difficult and abstruse but filled with magical power.
A gust of wind blew by as the purple-haired girl spread her arms wide, countless half-moon blades flew out from between her hands, brushing over the heads of the humans. They first severed the plumes on the helmets of two Piegel officers and then shot straight towards the reeds on the mudflat, carrying a strong wind with them.
With a loud crashing sound, countless blades swirled among the reeds, stirring up a storm of debris. After twirling for a while, they turned into droplets of water and fell from the sky like rain.
"Water Blade Storm! Oh my god! It’s a Water Blade Storm!" Someone knowledgeable among the humans cried out.
The slave traders’ faces immediately turned ashen.
A mermaid is a born water element mage who can communicate with the water element. The awe-inspiring grand magic spell, "Water Blade Storm," was summoned by merely crushing a clamshell. This was unthinkable!
Mages are the embodiment of noble status and strength throughout the Aegean Continent. Although the Shalba Trading Group is rich, they do not have the ability to support a full-time mage.
"The fate awaiting those who act in bad faith is those reeds!" Liu Zhenhan happily looked at these humans whose eyes were on the verge of popping out. Avril had become very studious since she learned from the embarrassment of using magic against the bear goblins. Most of her time was spent on meditation, desperately accumulating magic power. The magic crystals that the mammoth warriors had brought back from Mount Tamerlarya, albeit of lower quality than Liu Zhenhan’s, were ample for Avril’s energy storage. She had also prepared some magic scrolls using large clamshells from the Sanggan River. If it weren’t for the backup of the magic scrolls, even a mermaid could not summon such a large water-element attack so easily.
The ogres who were digging the moat also started to kick up a fuss, cheering along. They were eager to show their loyalty. They had been too focused on digging to notice the humans approaching, but they couldn’t avoid attention when they started their ruckus. The humans then noticed a large group of ogres in the distance.
Humans were well aware of the brutality and strength of ogres. Immediately, all the mercenaries and rangers drew their swords and cocked their bows.
"These ogres are my slaves! Lay down your weapons!" Liu Zhenhan bellowed, causing several nearby humans to feel chest tightness, nearly falling from their mounts.
Facing a war shaman with a mage and over a hundred ogre slaves, there was little to be gained by fighting. The more than three hundred high-handed mercenaries who guarded the slave dealers thought they would have an easy journey with the Beamon officers. They never expected such a setback.
They could imagine the consequence if they were hit by the "Water Blade Storm" at close quarters. The beautiful lady mage who could summon a large water-element spell by crushing a clamshell held a whole stack of clamshells in her hand, silencing the mercenaries.
The two Beamon officers once again came forward to protest but to no avail.
The officers saw that their clansman lord paid them no heed besides a cold laugh, and they had no choice but retreat, preparing to report the incident.
Avril couldn’t have been happier.
Actually, the mercenaries were terrified by the reputation of mages. Making magic scrolls isn’t easy. Most of those in Avril’s hands were half finished. She had used the only successfully made large magic clamshell scroll to intimidate them.
Without the precious spices and magical beast’s blood needed as ingredients to make magic scrolls, the remaining clamshells were just decorations for now.
"Pay up, what are you still dawdling for?" Liu Zhenhan laughed triumphantly.