Chapter 328 – Kidnapping

“I didn’t expect this guy to have some awareness. I thought he would charge forward desperately. Don’t those rangers love fighting to the death over the slightest disagreement?”

“Don’t view other professionals with discriminatory eyes, or you’ll suffer great losses sooner or later.”

Under the dark, tranquil starlight, two mages clad in black Mage Robes were sprinting rapidly across towering buildings while conversing freely. The rotund, spherical Fatty wore a robe that was merely a plain black cloth, while the younger spellcaster’s robe appeared to merge seamlessly with the night, its surface flowing with crimson energy patterns that exuded a bloody aura.

Without a doubt, these two were Punk and Ben Lajie. They had now successfully kidnapped Huai’en, the deputy Consul who harbored many secrets, just as planned.

As a mage frequently attempting to establish black markets—though each venture had ended in bankrupting failure—Ben Lajie was well-acquainted with those overseeing such underground “affairs” in various kingdoms. For instance, few knew that this seemingly sinister deputy Consul was actually the handler of all gray market trade throughout the Dragon Roar Kingdom. Though his strength might be lacking, his trade acumen could easily surpass dozens of streets compared to someone as self-unaware as Ben Lajie.

However, this world ultimately belonged to the powerful. Now, this talented underground Consul had lost his loyal guards and lay unconscious, carried swiftly by Punk’s magic as they headed toward the territory of the Maple Leaf Kingdom.

Watching the scenery flash by like a revolving lantern, Ben Lajie—boosted by Punk’s “Super Swiftness”—still spoke uneasily: “Is it really reliable for us to so blatantly snatch the dragon’s ‘treasure’? Frankly, I think that dragon probably detected two people coming for the ‘dragon-slaying’ mission when we killed Monbay Windbeak.”

“No need to worry!”

Puck responded expressionlessly to Ben Lajie:

“Our arrival is actually a very troublesome situation for Ovakain. Its anxiety will only be greater than ours, not less. The problem it faces now is—to fight or not to fight, neither is ideal. If it loses the fight, there’s nothing to say—we’ll split the dragon directly, half and half, I take the head and you take the tail. If it’s truly powerful and wins…”

Here, Punk gave a cold smile:”What benefit would it gain from winning? We’re just two paupers without even two pieces of magic equipment between us. Moreover, it would face numerous disadvantages – injuries go without saying, but most troublesome is that it would provoke the Thought of Truth. Don’t forget we’re still Senior Mentors of the Thought of Truth. With their nature of ‘only we can scheme against others, never others against us,’ do you think they’d let slide the unexplained loss of two Senior Mentors? Although as a Legendary organization of the ‘Lawful’ alignment, the Thought of Truth might not be able to retaliate directly, I’m certain that once it reaches that point, the covert obstacles they’d set against Ovakain Acidmaw would come one after another. If this black dragon were alone, that would be one thing – he could just leave and be done with it, but…”

Punk Runner glanced at the brightly lit town, where people remained unaware that two Master-Level powerhouses had just passed over their rooftops. They were still celebrating the disappearance of the storm eagles while thanking the “great Your Majesty.”

“…Ovakain Acidmaw’s greatest weakness is this Dragon Roar Kingdom. It’s clear he genuinely cares about this small kingdom. Thus, he has to consider the immense influence of a Legendary organization. A kingdom targeted by a Legendary organization would face endless troubles and yearly disasters unless it seeks protection from another Legendary organization! Therefore… that black dragon can only choose evasion, using avoidance as his strongest defensive measure!”

After hearing Punk’s explanation, Ben Lajie began to understand:

“Hmm, his turtle strategy is quite effective. No one dares to intrude into a spellcasting dragon’s lair. If he just hides like this, we really can’t do anything about it! But… isn’t he afraid we might destroy the town?”

Having calmed down, Ben Lajie shifted focus to considering how to deal with Ovakain Acidmaw. Having passed the initial fear phase, perhaps reminded of his pile of debts, Ben Lajie became keen on dragon slaying again.

“Destroy the town? I’d like to use that method to lure him out, preferably into a trap. But the Thought of Truth is, after all, a neutral Lawful organization, and that old man Kirk Weilen is a standard good-alignment spellcaster. If you actually start slaughtering in the city, I think that old fellow would definitely turn against you!”

Punk expressed both mockery and helplessness toward Ben Lajie’s question. He had also considered forcing Ovakain out this way, but considering the Thought of Truth’s alignment characteristics and that unfathomable yet clearly meddlesome Kirk Weilen… Punk ultimately abandoned the idea.

Ben Lajie beside him wasn’t truly willing to resort to any means – he lacked Punk’s absolute cold-bloodedness. After hearing Punk’s words, Ben Lajie laughed awkwardly and said:

“Heh, I was just talking. I really couldn’t bring myself to commit slaughter. Only madmen would be that insane, right?”

Well, Ben Lajie certainly didn’t realize he was standing right next to the very madman he was describing.But Punk was already accustomed to Ben Lajie’s contradictory nature. He completely ignored the guy and took advantage of the remaining night—before anyone in the Dragon Roar Kingdom noticed Huai’en’s disappearance—to increase his speed once more.

“Hurry up and keep pace! We must leave the Dragon Roar Kingdom before daybreak!”

“Hey, hey, what’s the rush? We didn’t cause that much trouble. Didn’t you say that dragon wouldn’t show up… I think running all night is pretty exhausting. How about… we find a tavern and call over some girls to have some fun?”

The moment Ben Lajie felt safe, his terminal laziness flared up again. Spotting another large city ahead in the distance, he began entertaining thoughts of slacking off and indulging.

Hearing Ben Lajie’s “suggestion” delivered with full sincerity, Punk couldn’t help but look at the fat old man with an expression reserved for idiots:

“What confidence gave you the illusion that we ‘didn’t cause much trouble’? Do you really think kidnapping the second-in-command of a kingdom’s underground operations is less serious than major destruction? That dragon is probably throwing a fit right now. Even though it’s a mage, it’s still a five-colored dragon at its core. Who knows if Ovakain Acidmaw will still swallow his pride after flying into a rage? If you think it’s worth dying now just because some Legendary organization will avenge you later, then go ahead and drink. I just hope you won’t cry when that dragon shows up with hundreds of Formal-Level peak warriors hunting you down!”

“Uh… alright, thinking it over carefully, it does seem like we’ve caused quite a stir this time. A black dragon’s behavior isn’t exactly predictable either. Suddenly I feel like we should hurry up and leave.”

Thoroughly mocked by Punk and knowing he was in the wrong, Ben Lajie shrunk his head sheepishly and abandoned all his unrealistic fantasies.

I want votes, dear esteemed viewers—I need your help!

(End of Chapter)