Farewell

A cunning rabbit had three burrows!

Yin Ming had no fewer than ten hideouts in the Magic Beast Forest, all of them secondhand renovations of the abandoned lairs of cave-dwelling Magic Beasts.

This time, Yin Ming headed straight for a hidden cave on a sheer cliff deep within the Magic Beast Forest.

[Zero-Ring Wizardry: Wizard's Hand.]

He permanently fixed the second Mental Rune.

The upper limit of Wizard's Hand's strength rose from six thousand kilograms to eight thousand kilograms.

With ease, he pushed a massive boulder over to block the cave entrance.

"Collect!"

Yin Ming took out the Scavenger Gourd and stored himself inside. Viewing his body through the gourd's perspective, all sorts of information appeared before his eyes.

"Thankfully... there's nothing strange!"

There were no unusual tracking auras or marks on his body.

Only then did Yin Ming relax. He began secluded cultivation within the cave, deciding to wait until the uproar had died down before leaving.

[+0.01.]

[+0.02.]

[+0.03.]

Zero-Ring Wizardry: Flesh Strengthening broke through its bottleneck.

His physique rapidly improved again, reaching nearly 30 points.

The threshold for his brain to operate at high frequency without damaging his lifespan increased from 4% to 6%.

The daily saturated increase in mental power rose from 0.34 to 0.36.

However, each saturated cultivation session required two days to restore his mental stamina. It amounted to borrowing against the next two days of cultivation.

After permanently fixing the third Mental Rune, the time needed to accumulate mental power was shortened from four months to three.

"..."

That night, the succubus Dinaya Aman returned to the Abyss and was assigned by Demon King Christine to mine.

Johnny Green fled while heavily wounded and hid in the Magic Beast Forest, but the specialized bullets from the arquebus prevented his wounds from healing.

The next morning, a group of black-robed wizards descended. They found traces of Demon Bloodline parasitism, but no other major discoveries.

On the third day, the minor nobles of Green Forest City joined forces and opened Count Golden Lion's treasury. A mysterious snakeskin inscribed with unusual writing sparked a brutal slaughter.

That same afternoon, the Landon Duchy dispatched a valiant general to take control of the Golden Mane Knights.

On the fourth day, because the entire Adams Lineage had perished in the disaster and left no heirs behind, thirteen noble families of distant kin mourned deeply and declared themselves willing to adopt heirs to inherit the title and territory.

As the thirteen noble families tangled and checked one another, Golden Lion County temporarily became a lawless no-man's-land.

"..."

Yin Ming, inside the cave, knew nothing of any of this. He meditated daily to increase his mental power. When his mental stamina was exhausted, he studied rune structures and attempted to convert Immortal Path spells and cultivation techniques.

After six days, his mental power reached 21 points.

Only then did Yin Ming emerge from the cave. He crossed the Magic Beast Forest and decided to observe the situation from afar.

The ruins of Count Golden Lion's castle were packed with people. Countless commoners were rummaging through them for valuables.

Silver tableware, crystal lamps, gilt artifacts, decorative paintings, leather, even iron knight armor and weapons—all of it could fetch a fair price.

Those commoners who did not dream of striking it rich were carrying away flowers from the gardens and high-quality marble.

"Looks like this place isn't suitable for secluded cultivation..."

Yin Ming did not want to live as a savage in the Magic Beast Forest, cut off from all outside information without even a weather vane. He might not even know danger had arrived until it was upon him.

As the saying went, when danger came, you did not need to outrun the beast chasing you—you only needed to outrun your companions. With no companions, Yin Ming felt deeply insecure.

"Eno, what are you doing?" A head suddenly poked out from the bushes at the edge of the Magic Beast Forest. Randy said, "Hurry and hide! Be careful not to get caught by the slave catchers."

I knew it!

How could the serfs be so well-behaved?

Not a single one of them had taken advantage of the chaos to get rich. Turns out they counted as property too.

"You always sneaked out in the middle of the night. I thought you'd been blown to death that day!"

Yin Ming had initially slipped away only after night had fallen and Randy was asleep.

But he did it too often. Occasionally, Randy woke in the middle of the night and discovered Yin Ming was not in the room.

Yet after discovering it, Randy had not reported him to the manor steward.

Yin Ming stopped hiding it from him. He often gathered edible wild fruits and roots to share with him, which served as an explanation for why he slipped away.

"Have all the other serfs been caught by the slave catchers?" Yin Ming asked.

Randy led Yin Ming to a hollow tree. Inside was half a sack of black bread.

Randy had hidden there these past few days, which was why the slave catchers had not found him and turned him into dinner for the beasts of the Magic Beast Forest.

"A small number ran away. Most got caught on purpose. With nothing to eat and nothing to drink, they might as well go back to the slave market and be sold again." Randy pulled aside the branches covering the tree hollow, making room for Yin Ming.

"And you? What are you planning to do?" Yin Ming asked.

"Me? I'll run after things calm down. I don't want to be a serf anymore! I'm already nineteen by actual age, twenty by nominal age, swaying toward twenty-one, fuzzing toward twenty-two. If I don't marry a wife soon, it'll be too late!"

Randy took a deep breath, hesitation and struggle flickering across his face.

He dug a beautifully crafted gold cup and silver flask from the accumulated rotten soil inside the hollow tree. Excitedly, he said, "If I sell these, I can afford a wife—and get one for you too. Want one?"

Yin Ming said, "..."

Compared to Jack's obsession with rising above others, Randy's obsession with marrying and having children was even stronger.

Adams Arthur had died in the explosion. The Golden Mane Knights had been stationed at the outskirts far from the castle and had not been affected, though no one knew which noble would take over the army.

"Your skin color, your clothes, and the whip scars left on your back over the years—once the uproar passes, people will recognize you as a serf at a glance." Yin Ming could not help pouring a bucket of cold water over him.

He had experience with being exposed. It was the first stumble he had taken after crossing into this world.

Still, he had gained a great deal from it. He had even developed products with the Scavenger Gourd, and had no plans for revenge.

Randy's face darkened. He understood that Yin Ming was speaking the truth. "I still want to try. At worst, I'll just become a serf again."

Though he did not need a wife, he had to accept this kindness.

Yin Ming took several primitive bamboo canisters from the Scavenger Gourd and introduced their uses one by one.

"Nameless Body Lotion! Apply it to your body, and it can quickly remove scars and whiten your skin."

"Life Essence. You know the Knight's Breathing Method Jack taught you. Use it together with this, and you can become a Low Knight."

"Grain-Repelling Pills. You can think of one pill as equal to eating more than ten black breads. After breaking through to Low Knight, you can use them to replenish energy."

[Zero-Ring Wizardry: Crimson Flame Ring.]

Ignoring Randy's stunned expression, Yin Ming ignited a crimson flame in his palm.

The gold cup and silver flask instantly melted into twenty gold coins and more than two hundred unmarked silver coins.

"The gold cup and silver flask are valuable, but they're also troublesome. I melted them into currency for you. It's enough to marry one wife. If you want more, work for it yourself." Leaving the items behind, Yin Ming headed toward the Magic Beast Forest.

The waters in noble territories ran too deep. Either they were summoning Evil Gods, or they had murky ties with the Abyss.

Yin Ming did not intend to be a serf, nor did he intend to become a savage. But first, he needed to break through and become a One-Ring Wizard. Alchemical Bombs, Flintlock Arquebuses—even Wizard Apprentices were not particularly safe when facing ordinary people.

"Eno!" Randy's mind went blank. Looking at Yin Ming's departing back, he called out for some reason.

"What is it?" Yin Ming turned and asked.

"Nothing! See you around!" Randy smiled and waved. Somewhere in the unseen, he had a feeling that they might never have another chance to meet again.

"..."

Thud!

Before Yin Ming had walked more than a few dozen meters, someone fell from a broad-leaved silverhair tree. His chest, abdomen, shoulders, and thighs bore seven or eight puncture wounds, all accompanied by severe inflammation.

He crawled laboriously toward Yin Ming with both hands, raised his head, and spat out two words. "Save me!"

After only a few days apart, Johnny Green had become far more weathered. His face was the color of gold paper, his body as gaunt as dead wood. He had once looked like a down-and-out wandering knight; now he was simply a beggar on the verge of starving to death.

Save him?

Or not?

If those people had not overestimated themselves and shattered the balance, they could have had at least ten peaceful years. By rights, Yin Ming ought to mark this down as a debt.

Yin Ming did not know that the cause of all this was Red Nose, the quasit created by his Bloodline Potion, returning to the Abyss through Abyssal Sacrifice.

"For the sake of the Flintlock Arquebus, I'll save your life. Consider it research fees." Yin Ming was very curious. Why was the power of this world's arquebuses so much greater?