Chapter 95: The Golden-Eyed Lizard

The cracks on the Tower Shield were thin and dense, spreading like a plague with endless crisp sounds. In the blink of an eye, they had covered the surface of the shield.

The fat boss’ small eyes also widened with the cracks…

“Pom!” Then, there was a muffled noise as countless tiny fragments spattered like scattered dust, filling up the spacious weapon store.

The strong and hefty Tower Shield was shattered with only one strike of the sword.

What kind of sick weapon was this…

Everyone was dazed. Their open mouths were wide enough to stuff an egg.

At the same time the Tower Shield was shattered, the fat boss plopped down on the ground. His heart was like the dying embers. It’s over. Everything is over…

This Tower Shield was specifically ordered by Mr Aaron Matsis, but now it was broken into pieces by a sword. People from the Blood Brotherhood would be coming in two days to ask for it; where was he going to find another one for them? The fat boss wanted to kill himself. He could have continued with his business instead of getting involved in a bet, and he had placed a bet with a mage some more. Ever since Felic appeared at the Guild of Magic, all the mages in Jarrosus were no different from monsters. Why did he even court them…

“A 1,000 gold coins.” Lin Li was in a good mood, having shattered the Tower Shield with one strike. Rainbow adamantine forged weapons were indeed different. He had tried to control it with a trace of mana, and it easily triggered the shattering attributes. This sharp weapon was the bane of all heavy armor; when it fell into the hands of a real powerhouse, even the mountains could be shattered, let alone a small Tower Shield.

The fat boss got up from the ground, trembling. He did not even have the time to pat off the dust on his clothes as he hurried to the back of the counter and handed over a heavy bag of gold coins to Lin Li. Even for weapon stores like the Gilded Rose, 1,000 gold coins was by no means a small amount. When the money bag was handed over, the fat boss felt a throbbing pain in his heart.

But he dared not default on the bet just because of the pain.

When the sword was delivered just now, he knew that he had hit the wall. Facing such a monster, who would dare to renege on his debt?

Lin Li reached for the money bag and weighed it. He then put it in his bag in contentment. Before leaving, he kindly asked the fat boss, “Surely there’s no trouble at all?”

“No… There’s really no trouble!” The fat boss gritted his teeth, but could only watch Lin Li leave.

“Eh, Felic, it’s you?” Just as Lin Li stepped out of the Gilded Rose, he saw an acquaintance walking towards him.

“Ah… It’s Chief Ysera. What a coincidence…” He had just broken a Tower Shield and had handily made 1,000 gold coins from him. Even if Lin Li was thick-skinned, he was also embarrassed greeting Ysera.

“Heh heh, Felic, you’re being a stranger here.” After witnessing the duel, Ysera dared not put on the patriarch air in front of Lin Li. “It’s not a day or two that we know each other. We are about the same age too, so just call me Ysera. President Gerian calls me by the name as well.”

“Okay, okay. Ysera.” Lin Li himself felt awkward calling “Chief” here and there everyday. Since Ysera had said so, he’d certainly follow suit. He had the backing of Gerian, that old fellow, anyway. In Jarrosus City, he could call anyone by their name as he liked, including the Castellan. Who would dare to say a word about him?

“Felic, you’re a rare guest indeed. How did you think of patronizing the Gilded Rose today?”

“I’m looking for a blacksmith to find out something.” At Ysera’s question, Lin Li was reminded of the half an arrow in his pocket. “Oh yes, Ysera, does the Mannes Family have a more powerful blacksmith? I have something in my hands to ask about its origin.”

“A more powerful blacksmith…” On hearing Lin Li’s question, a wry smile appeared on the young patriarch’s gentle and handsome face. “If the Mannes Family had a powerful blacksmith, I would have opened several more weapon stores. Don’t you know that in Jarrosus City today, selling weapons is much more profitable than selling magic equipment?

“By the way, Felic, it wasn’t easy meeting you today. I want to discuss something with you. Can you get me a few bottles of Magick Potion? As I said to President Gerian last time, I only need three bottles in total. As a reward, you can choose any three items from the Mannes Family’s hoard.”

Ysera once again mentioned the Magick Potion, but this time it wasn’t so good to decline it directly, so Lin Li had to give him some vague reasons, such as the difficulty in getting the ingredients. Finally, Lin Li was forced with no way out and had to promise him for the time being that if Ysera could get ingredients, he would make three bottles for him. As for the reward, he could give as he deemed fit…

The two men were talking business outside, and the fat boss who had just stood up in the store sat down on the floor in horror once more.

He was paid by the Mannes Family; how could he not know who the genteel and handsome young man outside was?

He had never expected that this mage would have a friendship with the family patriarch.

The fat boss felt that he had never been so unlucky and lost. What could he do now…

Just because he had made a bet with someone, the Tower Shield specifically ordered by Aaron Matsis was shattered into pieces. Then, he found out that this person actually shared a good friendship with the patriarch. Just look at the expressions of the two men when they talked; the patriarch even had something to ask of him. If the dispute earlier on was leaked, then the consequences…

After chatting for a while more, Lin Li saw that it was getting late. He then turned and left the Gilded Rose.

The fat boss’ worries soon became a reality. Among the passers-by who had gathered outside the Gilded Rose to watch the earlier dispute, someone had already talked about it in exaggeration. Only a word or two had reached Ysera, but how clever was this young patriarch? He had deduced what happened in a moment’s time with the couple of words he heard.

Only then did he understand why there was a strange expression on Mage Felic’s face when he left…

“Joseph, you fool!” Ysera’s face was terribly gloomy when he entered the Gilded Rose, and he looked as if he was about to devour someone. Whether it was the two blacksmith apprentices or the fat Joseph he called a fool, they had never seen the patriarch in such a rage before.

Joseph had just got up with much effort when he heard Ysera’s roar, and flopped down in horror again…

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Ysera entered the Gilded Rose, pointing at Joseph with one hand that was shaking with anger. “You… Do you know, do you know whom you were betting against?”

“Chief, I know I’m wrong. I was blind; I’ll be damned, I shouldn’t have offended the Chief’s friend.” The fatty named Joseph had some sense. Seeing that Ysera was angry, he burst into tears and begged for mercy, “Please spare me this time for the sake of my 20 years of service to the Mannes Family…”

“20 years?” Ysera was livid with anger. “Of all people, you had to bet against him. If you offended him, you wouldn’t even be able to pay for it with a 1,000 years of service in the Mannes Family, let alone 20 years!”

“Give me another chance. I’ll go and apologize to Mr Mage tomorrow. He’s your friend, he sure won’t mind it…”

“Friend? Do you think that just because I’m Ysera, I’m qualified to be friends with someone like him?”

In that moment, Joseph could hardly believe his ears…

He was stupefied; one of his hands was frozen in mid-air and he was unsure where to place it.

What did the Chief just said? He seemed to say, Do you think that just because I’m Ysera, I’m qualified to be friends with someone like him?

Joseph seemed to have been struck by lightning. He stood dumbfounded. He could not imagine there’d be anyone in Jarrosus City even a family patriarch was not qualified to be friends with…

“Fool! He’s Felic—Felic from the Guild of Magic!”

“Oh my God…” When the patriarch’s angry roar reached his ears, Joseph finally knew what kind of figure the mage he had bet against was. Felic from the Guild of Magic… who else had a name louder than his in Jarrosus City today?

After a heap of reproach, Ysera’s anger finally subsided a little. But he still wasn’t totally relieved from anger when he thought about it again, so he kicked the fat boss who was on the ground severely. “Go to the Guild of Magic tomorrow and beg for Mage Felic’s forgiveness. If you can’t get his forgiveness, there’s no need to come back. Go find a place to hang yourself.”

“Ch-Chief…” Joseph finally heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the Chief’s words. With a feeling of having survived a disaster, he stretched out a hand and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, then carefully asked with some hesitation, “Just now… Just now… When I was betting with Mage Felic, the Tower Shield that Aaron Matsis ordered was shattered by him. What should I do in case the Blood Brotherhood asks?”

“Blood Brotherhood?” Ysera sneered. “It’s Aaron Matsis’ honor that Mage Felic broke that shield. He can’t even thank you enough, how would he look for trouble with you… Prepare yourself to go to the Guild of Magic tomorrow and ask for the forgiveness from Mage Felic.”

“Understood!”

Lin Li had no idea what was happening in the Gilded Rose; he was on his way back to the Guild of Magic. He had walked around the city all day today. Although he hadn’t found out the source of the arrow, the bet with the fat boss had made him feel much better.

“Mage… Mage Felic! Please wait…” It wasn’t long after he came out of the Gilded Rose when Lin Li suddenly heard that someone seemed to be calling him from behind.

“Sean?” Looking back, he saw the young man from the Gilded Rose, who was strong like a black bear, gasping to catch up with him from behind. Lin Li halted his steps in puzzlement.

“Please wait, Mage Felic…” By the time Sean caught up from behind, he was panting from exhaustion. His tanned face was covered in perspiration and his breathing was heavy. His strong body that was similar to a black bear’s was heaving violently.

Lin Li was rather puzzled. “Sean, how do you know my name?”

“Just… Just now I heard… heard Chief Ysera mention it at the Gilded Rose…” Sean wiped out the sweat off his forehead. The young man, who was as strong as a black bear, gave off an honest and good-natured feeling when he smiled.

“Heh heh, so, why’re you chasing out like that?” Although it was only the first time they met, Lin Li was rather fond of this honest young man, for he felt that someone who could bear the vicious verbal abuse of the fat boss for his sick father would never be bad in nature.

“Is it for this?” Lin Li thought for a moment and reached out to hand the sword wrapped in the cloth to him. “If you don’t want to, you can take it back first. When you get the money, you can come to the Guild of Magic to see me again.”

“No, no…” Sean shook his head in denial as he gasped heavily for breath.

“Then, what is it for?”

Sean was hesitant at first; but after thinking it through, he gritted his teeth and said, “People in Jarrosus say that you’re a very good pharmacist. So… so… I’d like to ask you to… save my father…”

“Save your father?” Lin Li was confused. “Is 1,000 gold coins not enough?”

“No, Mage Felic.” Sean’s eyes turned red as he continued, “My father and I are both adventurers in Jarrosus City. Just a few days ago, we took on the task of killing the Golden-Eyed Lizard. But when we were killing Golden-Eyed Lizard, Father accidentally got bitten by it… I heard you are a very good pharmacist… So… So…”

Sean’s voice became lower and lower. After saying two “so” in succession, there was nothing that followed.

However, Lin Li understood. He had killed two Golden-Eyed Lizard back in the Sunset Mountains. This magical beast was not strong, but it was terribly toxic. Once bitten, it would be more troublesome to deal with than a curse.