Chapter 214: Bullying the Weak

Parker moved his hand, and the heart in his grasp disappeared.

“Huff…”

The red-haired witch let out a long breath, clutching her chest as she crouched on the ground, her chest heaving violently.

After Parker’s minor punishment, the surrounding wizards dared not speak.

Parker smiled, “No need to be tense. You can still voice your opinions in the future. I just didn’t like her tone questioning me. This is Base 27, and we are engaged in a war of conquest. I reward and punish fairly, based on actions, not personal grudges.”

“Helag may come from the barren lands, but here, there’s no distinction between the barren lands and the Land of Dawn. When I assign tasks, I choose the most suitable person.”

Parker had his reasons for choosing Helag.

He had been observing Helag for some time.

Parker noticed that Helag, when interacting with David, Reese, and Asna, behaved more like an ordinary person.

Unlike the wizards from the Land of Dawn, who always had their noses in the air.

Helag was familiar enough with Asna and had a deep understanding of Oberstein.

Moreover, as a gaseous wizard, his magical aura wasn’t strong, making it easier for him to hide.

Among all the people in Base 27, Helag was the most suitable.

After the crowd dispersed, Helag went to Parker’s office, which was just a larger wooden cabin.

Parker handed him a grayish-white ring, “This is the Concealer’s Aura. Wearing it will hide all your magical aura. Unless someone uses special means to inspect you closely, no one will detect any magic on you.”

“I’ve noticed you’re quite skilled in close combat, making you perfect to pose as a knight. Given your time spent with that spellcaster, you should have a good understanding of Oberstein by now, right?”

Helag nodded, “Yes, I have a solid grasp of the situation there.”

Parker continued, “Good. When night falls, sneak out. By morning, enter the city pretending to be an adventurer from elsewhere. Your language is natural enough not to raise suspicion. Once in Oberstein, scout every corner of the city to see if there are any other spellcasters.”

“Once you’ve gathered the information, return. On your way back, there’s no need to be overly cautious. It won’t matter if you’re exposed.”

***

Late at night.

Helag crouched near the entrance of the Lim Mountains, fiddling with the Concealer’s Aura on his hand.

His magical aura was completely hidden, making him appear as just a strong young man.

In his mind, Helag had a real-time map.

The map showed soldiers patrolling every few dozen meters ahead of the entrance.

“Shadow Corner.”

Helag’s body melted into the ground like water.

He slipped through the shadows, avoiding the patrolling soldiers.

After about half an hour, Helag bypassed the border patrol and arrived near Oberstein’s city gate.

He glanced at the gate, which was tightly shut, with soldiers on the walls keeping watch 24/7.

Turning away, he walked along the main road, which had a side path leading to Oberstein.

Helag followed the road, entering a nearby forest, where he climbed a large tree to rest, blending in with the typical adventurers who often camped outside the city gates.

The spot he chose was well-sheltered from the wind and quiet.

Sitting on the tree, Helag closed his eyes and began meditating, using every moment to cultivate.

In his mind, his gaseous mental power had compressed into a sphere, nearing the point of liquefaction.

As Helag meditated, he heard movement from the nearby forest.

A boy, around fifteen or sixteen, was running in panic, chased by seven or eight people.

Leading the group was a knight-level warrior, and they all looked like adventurers.

The boy appeared to be an ordinary person, not yet a knight.

Despite his youth, his physical condition was far inferior, and he was quickly caught. The knight stomped on his head, pinning him to the ground.

The knight, a man with a buzz cut, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, glared at the boy, “Run! Why aren’t you running? Didn’t you want to become a knight? If you stick with us, you’ll be a knight sooner or later. So why did you let those people go?”

The boy, Lins, lay on the ground, his head pressed into the dirt.

He shouted, “Thieves! You’re not knights at all, just bullies who prey on the weak!”

The buzz-cut man sneered, “Preying on the weak? Kid, has a donkey kicked your head? That’s the nature of this world. You’re weak, so you get bullied. I saw potential in you and thought about training you. But you turned out to be so useless. I worked hard to capture those people, and you let them go.”

“Tell me, how are you going to repay that debt?”

Lins struggled to get up, but the knight’s strength was overwhelming, and he couldn’t move.

A while ago, Lins had met this knight in Oberstein and was impressed by his swordsmanship, wanting to learn from him.

The knight, seeing Lins pay ten gold coins as tuition, reluctantly accepted him into the group.

On the surface, the knight claimed he would train Lins to become a knight, but in reality, he only wanted another laborer.

This group wasn’t up to any good, often raiding weaker merchant caravans.

They didn’t just steal goods; they also kidnapped people.

Today, they raided a caravan and captured two women.

After venting his frustrations, the buzz-cut man fell asleep, leaving the women locked in a cage.

Lins, in the middle of the night, quietly freed the women.

When the buzz-cut man woke up to relieve himself and saw the women were gone, he immediately suspected Lins.

Since the others had been with him for a long time, it was unlikely they would free the captives.

Only Lins, the newcomer, would do such a thing.

When he confronted Lins, the boy pretended to be asleep.

But when the buzz-cut man approached aggressively, Lins bolted, running until he was caught here.

The buzz-cut man, looking down at Lins, was about to teach him a lesson.

One of his lackeys tapped his shoulder, “Boss, there’s someone in that tree over there.”

“Someone?” The buzz-cut man immediately became alert.

As an experienced adventurer, he was cautious of potential dangers.

He looked in the direction his lackey pointed and indeed saw someone sitting in the tree.