Kidnapping Lillisa

Over the next few days, Green still heard nothing from Elizabeth. Instead, Lola came by several times, treating Green as an appraiser and bringing things for him to inspect to see whether they were magical items. This made the gossiping fire flare in Vincent's eyes whenever he looked at Green and Lola.

That day, Green went to Old One-Eye's shop again to see whether he could get a set of military knight equipment.

Green had always wanted to replace the Skeleton Soldiers' equipment, swapping their rusty round shields and short swords for enchanted rifles so that the cheap Skeleton Soldiers could attack from a distance. However, military equipment was under very strict control, and it was difficult to obtain without special connections.

Moreover, the military enchanted rifles made specifically for knights could infuse the knights' battle aura into the bullets. Even against supernaturals, they possessed terrifying lethality. This was also the government's greatest trump card for intimidating supernaturals. Legions of tens of thousands armed with enchanted rifles could make even an Advanced Formal Mage retreat.

However, Green had another concern. Could those enchanted rifles unleash their original power in the hands of the Skeleton Soldiers? After all, his Skeleton Soldiers had no battle aura and possessed only the psychic energy of the undead. He needed to get one first and test it, which was why he had sought out Old One-Eye, who had connections everywhere in Landon City.

Old One-Eye certainly did not hold back. He thumped his chest and guaranteed that he could get one, but the moment he opened his mouth, he demanded thirty pounds of gold from Green—nearly five times the factory price of an enchanted rifle.

Green was equally straightforward. He did not even haggle, simply turned around and walked out.

Old One-Eye realized that he had fleeced him too badly and scared away the customer. He hurried after Green, called him back, and offered a thirty-percent discount. Green was still dissatisfied and began bargaining, trading barbs with him. In the end, they settled on fifteen pounds of gold per rifle, with the understanding that the price could be negotiated if Green placed a larger order.

Once the enchanted rifle was settled, Green was in a good mood. He sat in the carriage and opened the window to look outside.

It was already dark. The carriage rolled over the smooth road and entered the Upper District along a main street lit by gas lamps.

After passing a park, they were already not far from Wilson Castle. Just then, he saw a tiny figure emerge from the park, clutching a small white kitten.

Green smiled faintly and recognized Lillisa. This seemingly adorable little girl was actually a mischievous imp. She still dared to run around after dark. If Viscount Paul or Steward Laurence discovered her, the maid assigned to care for her would inevitably be reprimanded.

Green saw Lillisa hurry toward the castle. He did not expose her whereabouts, merely watching in silence while ordering the carriage to slow down, lest the little girl realize that she had already been spotted.

At that moment, a black carriage suddenly charged out from the crossroads ahead. The driver was extremely reckless, barreling forward at tremendous speed.

Everyone living in this area was a noble. No one dared drive a carriage like that. If they casually grazed some old woman, she might turn out to be a baron's mother or wife. An accident like that could not be settled by paying a little money.

Green frowned. He sensed that something was wrong with the carriage and watched it warily.

The carriage turned at high speed. When Lillisa, who had been running, noticed it, she cleverly hid at the roadside to avoid being hit.

She never expected that the carriage would suddenly stop as it passed her. Its door opened, and two people climbed out. They were wrapped up from head to toe in black hats and black scarves, both built like bears. The moment they appeared, they radiated the aura of villains.

"Something's wrong!" Green immediately gripped the staff beside him. There was no time to urge the coachman to speed up. He shoved open the carriage door, jumped out, and sprinted toward Lillisa. At the same time, he silently recited an incantation and cast Soul Summoning twice, summoning two Skeleton Soldiers. He then silently prepared Bone Spike, ensuring he could cast it at any moment.

By then, the two burly men in black had already blocked Lillisa from both sides after realizing that she was trying to flee.

Clutching the kitten, the little girl looked even more helpless.

The kidnappers had clearly planned this. Their target was the little princess of the Wilson family. One of them held a black-and-white photograph and even checked it one last time to make sure they had not made a blunder and grabbed the wrong person. Then, like snatching up a chick, they stuffed Lillisa into the carriage.

Green's gaze turned anxious. He was at least twenty or thirty meters from the carriage, and at his running speed, he could no longer catch up. Fortunately, the Skeleton Soldiers were lighter and faster. After a few nimble leaps, they caught up with the carriage. One leaped directly onto its roof, while the other clung to the door and tried to yank it open.

Unexpectedly, a gunshot suddenly rang out with a bang!

"Damn it! They have guns." Green froze. Having crossed over from Earth, he possessed an instinctive fear of firearms. Moreover, he truly had no means of defending against bullets right now. Only after becoming an Advanced Apprentice Necromancer and mastering defensive magic such as Bone Shield or Bone Armor would he be unafraid of ordinary firearms, and even then he still could not withstand an enchanted rifle. Only a Grand Mage could truly disregard enchanted rifles. That was merely because enchanted rifles were limited in number. Faced with a large-scale knight order, even a Grand Mage would have to kneel before a volley of thousands of knight rifles infused with battle aura.

With the gunshot, the Skeleton Soldier clinging to the carriage door was shot down. The bullet pierced its leather armor and shattered one of its ribs. But such an injury meant nothing to a Skeleton Soldier. As long as its soul fire remained unextinguished, it could not die. It immediately climbed back to its feet and continued the pursuit.

"Looks like I have to summon the ghoul!" Green gritted his teeth inwardly. The accidentally acquired Hard-Skin Ghoul was currently his trump card, and he was reluctant to use it casually. But in this situation, he could not stand by and watch Lillisa be taken away.

However, before Green could steady himself and cast the spell, an old, hoarse, yet not unpleasant voice rang out. "You two mongrel bastards, where are you taking our little Lillisa? If I were you, I'd surrender obediently. Otherwise, my Arcane Missile will smash your heads before you can fire." Before the words had even faded, a flash of white streaked through the air. An Arcane Missile shot over at bullet-like speed, its power exceeding that of a grenade. With a boom, it struck the ground in front of the carriage and blasted open a crater half a meter in diameter.

The driver and the two men in black who had climbed out to seize her were all startled. None of them had expected that kidnapping a little girl would provoke two mages at once!

Moreover, anyone with even a little knowledge of Evocation School magic could tell from the power of that Arcane Missile that the other party was definitely an Advanced Apprentice Mage. Looking at the crater left in the concrete road, the three kidnappers were utterly dumbfounded. This was not how it was supposed to go. They had been told she was a ten-year-old girl. They had lured her out of the castle beforehand, and all they had needed to do was seize a lone ten-year-old girl.

At the same time, the two Skeleton Soldiers that had just been forced back advanced threateningly once more.

The moment Green heard that familiar hoarse voice, he knew Doctor Wilkins had arrived. He did not continue summoning the ghoul. Instead, he ordered the Skeleton Soldiers to surround them and completely seal off the enemy's escape route.

Doctor Wilkins emerged from the shadows of the trees. His spotless blue mage robe trembled slightly with each step, while blue light surged within the staff in his hand. An Arcane Missile took shape, ready to be fired at any moment.