"Isadora! It was your youngest sister who betrayed you."
After a long silence, Harlett finally revealed the client's name.
Because he knew perfectly well that he could no longer continue this "business."
Rather than keep hiding it, he might as well use it to stop the merchant from raising the price any further.
"What? Isadora! That's impossible! Out of all my brothers and sisters, she has always been closest to me. And even if I died, I still have three younger brothers and two younger sisters. There's no way the trading company would fall to her."
Bernard clenched his fists tightly, his tone and emotions both extraordinarily agitated.
But Harlett asked with a contemptuous sneer, "Idiot! Do you think this girl named Isadora only worked with me?"
"No!"
"She sent invitations to cooperate not only to me, but also to the pirates of Luskan in the northern Sword Coast, as well as six Rogue gangs entrenched near Amn's major trade routes."
"And she promised that once it was done, she would offer sixty percent of the Roldan Trading Company's annual profits as payment."
"She would allow us to use the trading company's ships and caravans to smuggle all kinds of contraband for profit."
"That harmless little sister you knew was nothing more than a disguise."
"To be precise, Isadora fooled everyone, including the master of the Roldan Trading Company—your shrewd and capable father, Sir George."
"She hid behind that disguise for so long only to launch a fatal strike once the time was right and eliminate every rival."
"Unless something unexpected happened, your three younger brothers and two younger sisters should all be thoroughly dead by now."
Boom!
With the pirate captain's words, Bernard felt as though his mind had exploded. He dropped to his knees with a thud, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
It was impossible to tell whether it was from fear or grief.
He simply could not believe that the beautiful girl in his memories, with long golden hair and an angelically gentle, bashful smile, could commit something so vicious.
But Harlett had no time to care about the young merchant's reaction. He turned directly to Raymond, who was standing nearby watching the show, and said, "One hundred and seventy thousand gold coins, plus every book and scroll I've collected and plundered over the years. What do you say?"
"Deal! Now take off every weapon, belt, boot, amulet, ring, bracer, hat, and coat on you, then throw them over here. Remember, no little tricks. The moment I sense even the slightest thing wrong, you'll get to taste a Fireball to the face."
As he issued the warning, Raymond raised his arm again and aimed the ruby ring straight ahead.
Each time he named an item, the pirate captain's mouth twitched.
The reason was simple!
Every piece of equipment was a valuable magical item.
The two weapons spoke for themselves. One was a +2 magical scimitar that dealt additional Lightning Bolt damage on a hit;
The other was a +2 shortsword that granted its wielder three additional points of Dexterity.
The belt granted its wearer three points of Strength. The ring was the Ring of the Ram. The amulet could cast a powerful dispel similar to that of a high-level priest once per day. The boots made the wearer immune to all fear-based magical effects. The bracers granted an additional two points of Constitution...
Even the most inconspicuous coat had defenses equivalent to +3 magical leather armor. Nonmagical weapons could leave no more than a mark when striking it.
As for the tricorne hat, it could cast Gust of Wind once per day, allowing a ship to suddenly accelerate at a critical moment.
It could be used both to chase merchant ships and to escape a fleet's pursuit.
Harlett had originally intended to try hiding a few items.
But now, every single one had been recognized.
Helpless, he could only painfully remove those magical items and toss them over one after another.
After finishing all that, the pirate captain bitterly held out his hands. "Come on, tie me up. From now until the ransom is paid, I'm your prisoner."
"There's no need to make it that troublesome."
Raymond directly pulled out the Animated Rope from his satchel and tossed it forward.
In an instant!
The rope's end swiftly wound around Harlett several times, binding his upper body firmly on the spot.
Just as he was marveling at the rope that could bind people on its own, the red magical ring suddenly activated.
The next moment...
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The violent explosions and flames completely swallowed the remaining Hobgoblins, Half-Orcs, and two dying Troll pirates.
Even as they died, the latter failed to understand why their opponent would still kill them after clearly accepting the price Captain Bloodhand had offered.
Forget those pirates—even the human sailors who emerged from the bushes behind them were badly frightened by such ruthless, merciless slaughter.
They simply could not imagine why a boy who appeared to be less than ten years old could be so cold-blooded.
Feeling the wave of heat rushing toward him, Harlett could not help asking in a trembling voice, "You... why did you kill them?"
"Because the deal we made was only for your personal ransom. They were not included. Besides, the presence of those two Trolls made me somewhat uneasy. It was better to clear them out in advance."
As Raymond explained indifferently, he summoned the book that glowed like the stars and collected the lingering magical energy from the surrounding area.
After a day of slaughter, he had accumulated enough mana. He poured all of it into his Planeswalker class.
At last, his Planeswalker level rose from LV2 to LV3.
Not only did his mana pool limit increase from 100 to 150, but Spark also rose to LV3.
Most importantly, after reaching LV3, Raymond could finally create and draw LV3 cards.
After completing the Escape from Desperation quest, he had resisted drawing cards precisely because he had been waiting for this moment.
Now!
Time to draw!
As the cards appearing from thin air on the pages began spinning at high speed, three cards were drawn before long.
Creature Card: Large Stone Elemental LV3 Red Card (Upgradeable) Card Quality: Rare Effect: Randomly summons a Large Stone Elemental approximately three and a half meters tall. Its body may be made of any type of stone, including granite, basalt, limestone, or sandstone. It will obey all commands you issue until it is completely destroyed. Using this card requires payment of five points of red mana symbolizing mountains, fire, destruction, and explosive power, or five points of generic mana. When the summoned Stone Elemental is killed, this card automatically enters the graveyard to await rebirth. The waiting period is three days. Magic Card: Forcefield Shield LV2 Blue Card (Non-upgradeable) Card Quality: Common Effect: Forms an invisible energy forcefield around the body. All attacks from outside, whether ranged or melee, will be deflected by the forcefield. Duration: one hour per Planeswalker level. Using this card requires payment of three points of blue mana symbolizing oceans, flowing water, manipulation, and control, or three points of generic mana. Once the magical effect is activated, this card automatically enters the graveyard to await rebirth. The waiting period is two days. Magic Card: True Illusion LV3 Blue Card (Non-upgradeable) Card Quality: Precious Effect: Creates a magical illusion identical in every way to the chosen target. You can control the illusion's speech, movement, and every action. But remember, it is only an illusion. It has no physical form and cannot deal even the slightest damage to enemies. Duration: two hours. Using this card requires payment of five points of blue mana, or five points of generic mana. Once the illusion appears, this card automatically enters the graveyard to await rebirth. The waiting period is three days.
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