"The Fifth Princess of the Bukelin Duchy?!"
"Sister..."
The old man from the Bounty Tower looked delighted. He had never expected this Tier One, Level One fellow to actually possess such a valuable bounty target!
After murmuring that one word, however, Will-Bukelin showed no surprise.
It was as though he had known all along...
He hurried over to An Kai. "My lord, may I go see my sister?"
An Kai glanced at Will-Bukelin, then slowly nodded.
He pointed toward the distant Oasis and quietly said, "The flames..."
"Thank you, my lord!" Will-Bukelin thanked him and headed toward Sally Bukelin.
He had already guessed who An Kai's bounty target was.
What else in the entire Desert could be worth as much as his sister?
Only his sister herself!
He had still brought the Bounty Tower here because that was simply Will-Bukelin's nature. Once he promised something, he followed through.
Will-Bukelin stopped in front of the flames. Through them, he could just make out a blurry figure...
"Sister, it's Will!"
"Will?! You're alive!"
Sally Bukelin's startled voice suddenly rang out from within the flames!
"Did you meet Hanks?! He's the one who saved me!"
"Will! Father is gone! Those four traitors plotted against him!"
"They've sided with another race!"
Reunited with her younger brother, Sally Bukelin was overwhelmed with emotion.
She poured out everything that had been weighing on her heart...
"Hanks?" Will-Bukelin gave a bitter smile. Just as he had suspected, his lord had intended to hand his sister over to the Bounty Tower from the start.
Even his name was fake...
Listening to his sister describe An Kai, Will-Bukelin decided not to expose the lie.
He interrupted Sally Bukelin's reminiscing and said solemnly, "Sister, listen carefully to what I'm about to say. In a moment, do exactly as I tell you!"
"Don't ask questions or dig into it. I won't hurt you!"
Within the flames, Sally Bukelin fell silent for a moment before replying, "All right..."
"Sister, in a moment, you should..."
"What's she worth?"
The old man from the Bounty Tower laughed heartily, then said, "She's worth 3,000 gold coins!"
An Kai smiled at that figure.
Three thousand gold coins could buy nearly three thousand Lower-grade Magic Stones. He would no longer have to worry about skill points!
With three thousand gold coins, he could also buy enough supplies to spend decades in seclusion!
Conveniently, the Bounty Tower could provide both magic stones and supplies!
"I don't want gold coins. Prepare five hundred gold coins' worth of food and twenty-five hundred gold coins' worth of Lower-grade Magic Stones. Once everything's ready, I'll hand her over."
"No problem. Whatever you say!"
The old man from the Bounty Tower agreed readily.
But although he agreed readily enough, he made no move to leave.
Instead, he glanced at the mage beside him and gave a subtle nod.
The mage quietly stepped back, hiding behind Ryan as he began preparing something...
Within Chaos City, the Bounty Tower was the most trustworthy faction. It had never pulled any tricks...
But...
That was within Chaos City. With the Bounty Tower's master keeping them in line, its members didn't dare cause trouble.
Outside Chaos City, the Bounty Tower's master wasn't there to restrain them...
They could do whatever they pleased!
Ryan considered himself very lucky.
Outside the Bounty Tower, he had learned the whereabouts of Bukelin's fifth princess from a Tier One, Level One ant!
Bukelin's fifth princess was worth three thousand gold coins!
That fortune would keep him comfortably fed and clothed for the rest of his life!
At the same time, Ryan felt that the reason that bitch, Lady Luck, had smiled on him was that this Tier One, Level One ant was also worth a thousand gold coins!
One trip outside had earned him four thousand gold coins!
Ryan considered himself chosen by fate. He decided he would properly thank the little fellow who had brought him here...
As for how to thank him...
"I'll give him a painless death..."
As a Tier Two pugilist, Ryan had complete faith in his strength.
He stood only about ten meters away from An Kai.
For a melee fighter like Ryan, that was the ideal combat distance!
He might be old, but Ryan's fists certainly weren't.
Smiling at An Kai's face, he considered whether to punch straight through An Kai's belly or tear off his limbs, leaving him barely alive to exchange for the reward.
He really was having trouble deciding between dead and alive...
Across from Ryan, An Kai watched him remain motionless after making his promise.
Instead, Ryan looked him over with a cold smile.
An Kai knew that if he wanted his reward, he would have to take matters into his own hands...
"So the Bounty Tower really is only trustworthy within Chaos City?" An Kai muttered, acting as though he had no idea what Ryan was thinking.
He also acted as though he hadn't seen the Tier One, ninth-stage mage preparing to chant an incantation.
With an honest, guileless expression, he asked in apparent confusion, "Do you know my name?"
"Oh, I do. An Kai, right? The little fellow Mage Donglin put a bounty on."
Ryan answered An Kai without making any attempt to hide it.
Just as he was about to threaten him, perhaps tell An Kai to leave his last words or ask whether he wanted to live...
Ryan's eyes suddenly widened. An enormous fireball had appeared in An Kai's hand, radiating a terrifying aura...
"What the fuck is that?!"
Ryan cried out and immediately reacted. Just as he moved to interrupt An Kai...
An Kai moved faster!
The fireball hurtled forward!
Ryan barely managed a desperate dodge, but that movement exposed the Tier One, ninth-stage Earth Mage behind him!
Still holding his Staff and murmuring his incantation, the mage was instantly engulfed by An Kai's fireball!
Even as the flames swallowed him, the Tier One, ninth-stage Earth Mage was utterly bewildered...
Why didn't such a terrifying spell require an incantation?
"Damn you!"
"You dare attack the Bounty Tower?!"
Despite his aged appearance, Ryan's furious shout rang out strong and clear.
An Kai answered his accusation with a disdainful smile.
It was as though Ryan's childishness wasn't worth a response.
What came at him instead was one fierce fireball after another!
Boom!
Explosions thundered endlessly. Ryan had nowhere left to dodge!
He raised both hands and roared, "Iron Fist!"
His hands abruptly changed color, becoming grayish-brown fists. He punched straight at the oncoming fireball!
Boom!
His fist passed through the fireball, and the flames enveloped Ryan...
"Has old age made you stupid? My fireballs aren't solid. You thought you could smash them?"
An Kai's hands never slowed. Standing where he was, he hurled one enormous, terrifying Fireball after another...
As for Ryan...
He was already engulfed in Fireballs...
After a few screams, he fell silent...
His mouth had certainly been tougher than the rest of him!
A minute later, all that remained where Ryan had stood was a Storage Ring and a grayish-white mask...
An Kai hurriedly put them away.
Then he rushed back to the Oasis.
He found Will beside the Fireball...
Without wasting a single word, he abruptly conjured a Fireball in his hand and hurled it toward Will...
If it landed squarely, Will and Sally would very likely die...
"You little bastard! You dare play me?!"
"You brought the Bounty Tower here to rob me?!"
"Have a Fireball first!"
Thanks to Ou Ban Bin and Yu Sheng Bu Ke De for their monthly votes.
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