Fleecing

After leaving the assassination scene, Yu Sheng'an walked roughly three hundred paces along Fire Phoenix Avenue and came upon an inn called the Weary Traveler Inn, where he promptly settled in.

Bang!

The moment the door shut, Yu Sheng'an's calm expression immediately collapsed.

Still shaken, he touched his chest and grimaced. "Damn it, that hurt like hell."

In truth, when the Ice Blade pierced his chest, he had not felt any pain. He had only felt a chill in his chest.

The real agony had come during the few seconds when he drained the Vitality of his Contract creatures to repair his body.

Fortunately, his consciousness had returned to his true body at that time, allowing him to open Divine Perspective and search for the killer. Otherwise, he would probably have been rolling on the floor in pain.

Even so, the pain he felt in that instant had nearly crushed his will! This world was far too dangerous!

It had only been a few hours since his first appearance.

Yet he had already been attacked twice! If he were not the God of Contracts, he would have been dead long ago.

Luckily, he had the map cheat known as Divine Perspective, which had allowed him to quickly lock onto the killer. He teleported a Demon over and killed him instantly.

Otherwise, not only would he have suffered terrible torture, but more importantly, he would have shown weakness in the eyes of the Kevil Empire.

The former was no great matter. It was merely a Divine Projection; if the pain became unbearable, abandoning it was a price he could afford.

But Yu Sheng'an could not accept the latter.

It was simply too humiliating! In the end, he was still too weak.

At present, he could use the power of Contracts to share the Vitality and even Magic of his Contract creatures, yet he could not Contract their offensive or defensive abilities.

In other words, he was a BOSS with countless health bars but little attack or defense of his own, capable only of relying on summoned minions to fight.

He was weak as hell! "I still need to learn Magic as soon as possible." Yu Sheng'an exhaled. This was the fundamental reason he had been willing to negotiate with the Kevil Empire.

He had no interest in learning from unofficial street teachers.

Forget all that nonsense about hidden masters among the common folk.

If common-folk masters could beat the academy-trained, the Kevil Empire would have changed rulers long ago.

But who exactly wants to kill me?

Yu Sheng'an's eyes flickered.

Judging by Dendall's frantic reaction, there is probably a traitor within their ranks.

That makes sense. No matter where you are, there are always radicals and conservatives. As the Magic Kingdom, the Kevil Empire has always rejected gods. It is only natural that some people hate me and refuse to cooperate.

Of course, there is another possibility... the Kevil Empire has already been infiltrated by other gods, who are deliberately sowing discord.

At that thought, Yu Sheng'an's eyes suddenly widened.

He instinctively intended to withdraw the projection, but just as he was about to act, an idea struck him, and he abandoned the plan.

This Divine Projection had already been exposed. Since that was the case, why not use it as bait to draw out the hidden threats in Willis City?

Having made up his mind, Yu Sheng'an changed out of his tattered clothes and lay on the soft couch, feigning sleep as he pondered. Several Shadow Demons were silently Summoned, melting into the shadows as they loyally guarded their master's safety.

At the same time, Yu Sheng'an's consciousness returned to his true body. Using nearby users, he opened Divine Perspective and began searching bit by bit.

At this moment, Yu Sheng'an felt even more fortunate that he had come from Blue Star and possessed an understanding of the Internet.

Otherwise, following the usual methods of gods, how could merely spreading content-based Divine Arts possibly provide so many "eyes" to supply vision?

Running a platform was awesome! Using his avatar as the center, Yu Sheng'an investigated outward bit by bit. To his surprise, he found no threats, but the actions of several users made him laugh in anger.

Sixteen-year-old Pous felt that he had recently stumbled into good fortune.

Having grown up in the Slums, relying on his mother for survival, he had never dared imagine that one day he, too, would be able to learn Magic.

Magic that could control flames, ice blades, lightning, light, darkness, and even contend with gods! So even though he had seen plenty of deception and trickery, when that shifty-looking thug told him that ten Kevil Copper Coins would buy him a trial meditation lesson, he still gritted his teeth and followed him inside.

That day, in a dark, damp basement packed with youths, he saw a noble mage! The man wore a purple robe, his face imposing, blazing flames burning in his hand without harming him in the slightest.

That mysterious sight completely stunned Pous.

He studied with a hunger that could not be satisfied.

The facts proved that everything these people taught was real!

He had truly cultivated Soul Power. Though it was so weak that it could only stir a single leaf, it still made Pous tremble with excitement from head to toe.

The fees for the following Magic lessons grew increasingly expensive, especially the practical Magic Rune Class, which cost as much as one Kevil Silver Coin per session.

Yet Pous still gritted his teeth and decided to use all his savings to enroll.

That evening, a group of boys and girls from the Slums entered the crude, dilapidated basement, their hearts filled with excitement and longing.

Before entering this basement, they had been blacksmith apprentices, pickpockets, laborers, gang members...

But after entering the basement, even the most light-fingered pickpockets became quiet, because they believed they were now Magic Apprentices!!!

They watched the purple-robed man seated above them with excitement.

He sat cross-legged on a wooden platform, a faint glow flickering before him. If one stood at his height, one would see that a Phantom Scroll was spread out before him.

"I am glad that you have come again. You should know that privately spreading Magic is illegal, but I could not bear to see you struggle in the mud for the rest of your lives, so I came. This is my final lesson. I hope you will cherish it!"

The basement filled with voices of reluctance and pleas for him to stay.

The Purple Robe Mage remained unmoved and began the lesson directly.

Behind him, two young men watched Internet Social closely, waiting for their lookout to send them messages at any moment, while whispering to each other. "Are we really leaving? It took so much effort to gather this many people. Wouldn't it be such a waste to leave?"

"Waste or not, we have to go! More and more people in the City know about Internet Divine Art now. If we stay any longer, we might be exposed tomorrow. Better to hurry to some smaller cities below. We might even make another killing."

"Besides, we have squeezed these poor bastards dry already. There is not much left to squeeze out of them!"

"True enough. Where are we heading next? What do you think of Kad Port City?"

While the two discussed matters in low voices, the Purple Robe Mage seated atop the platform finished his lesson.

Or rather, he had merely read the Magic Rune material straight from the book.

"Alright, that concludes today's lesson!"

"What?"

The youths erupted into an uproar.

When basic Magic knowledge had been taught before, they had gone on and on for a long time. Why had it ended so quickly today?

"Honored Mage, is it over already? I... I still do not understand!"

"Neither do I!"

"What does that Six-Degree Angle mean?"

The youths grew anxious.

"Quiet!" the Purple-Robed Mage shouted, and roaring flames suddenly burst forth from his hand.

Bathed in firelight, the youths immediately shut their mouths, their eyes filled with awe.

"Magic is a power capable of rivaling gods! If it could be learned so easily, would it still be Magic? Would it still hold such a noble status?"

The Purple-Robed Mage rebuked them sternly.

The youths looked at one another, feeling that what he said seemed rather reasonable.

"It is not that I refuse to teach you. These things can only be comprehended by yourselves! The searches in the City are becoming tighter and tighter, so I must leave. However, I have written several Magic books. Those who need them may purchase them yourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two young men hiding behind the platform emerged, holding stacks of densely packed booklets.

"One Silver Coin per book! Limited quantities, first come, first served!" one of them shouted.

The youths' eyes immediately lit up.

Those with money in their pockets rushed forward at once, shouting, "Give me one!"

"I want one too!"

"Don't push!"

Those with empty pockets watched the others rush forward to buy them, driven nearly mad by envy and jealousy.

Pous was among them, but he quickly thought of a solution. He hurriedly said to those around him, "I still have eleven Copper Coins. Who wants to pool some money with me? We can buy one and read it together!"

"Me, me, me!"

"I only have three Copper Coins left. Can I join you?"

The remaining youths' eyes lit up, and they all crowded over.

They soon pooled together one Silver Coin and bought a handwritten copy. When Pous opened the book in front of his companions and saw what was written inside, excitement made his whole body tremble.

"Alright, lads, good luck to you. I should be leaving as well! Remember, keep a low profile. Do not let anyone know that you are Magic Apprentices." Seeing that the handwritten copies had sold out, the Purple-Robed Mage smiled.

Though their pockets had been emptied, the youths still felt reluctant to part with him.

Because they knew that compared with the money they had spent, the Magic knowledge they had received was truly priceless! "Mentor Raymond, we will remember you."

"Thank you, Mentor Raymond!"

The youths called out in a jumble of voices.

The Purple-Robed Mage laughed heartily at the sight and left through the back door with his companions.

The youths stood where they were, unwilling to leave for a long time. A melancholy feeling grew in their chests, blurring many of their eyes with tears.

Perhaps... perhaps their sincerity had moved the Purple-Robed Mage.

The Purple-Robed Mage and his companions, who had left through the back door, suddenly backed into the room again.

"Mentor Raymond?"

"Mentor Raymond, you... you are not leaving after all?"

The youths cried out in delight, but in the next instant, the joy froze on their faces.

From the back door through which the Purple-Robed Mage had retreated, a creature slowly emerged—an Devil with horns on its head, bluish-purple skin, and evil Magic Runes covering its body!

"Ah—"

The youths screamed in terror and instinctively rushed toward the front door.

But a young man calmly walked in through the front entrance. Behind him followed another Devil, hunched over with a pair of wings growing from its back!