Chapter 136: The Fall of the Cape Family

Chapter 136: The Fall of the Cape Family

Three days later, Karl's figure appeared at the edge of the residential area.

In just three days, the place seemed like a different world.

As far as the eye could see, it was desolate. The once bustling and lively market had now turned into ruins.

Even the residential areas for commoners had many collapsed houses.

The cold wind blew across the ground, clearing the snow, revealing stiff corpses scattered around.

Without exception, the bodies had been thoroughly searched, some even stripped of their clothing.

The cold, pungent smell of blood and the lingering aura of slaughter made this area resemble a battlefield freshly bathed in war.

"Humans are indeed peculiar creatures. They've descended into chaos even before the Beast Tide arrives. When it does..."

"Leipzig Market is finished!"

With a soft sigh, Karl's figure flashed and he shrunk behind a large tree.

"Boom!"

"Sizzle..."

Several wizardry auras flashed in the ruins, and three figures darted out, with the two in the back chasing the one in front.

The person being chased was a familiar face.

Sam?

Sam of the Cape family! Karl, hidden behind the tree, raised his eyebrows slightly but did not reveal himself to help.

By now, Sam had lost all the pride he once had as a member of the Cape family, his face filled with terror.

He waved his staff frantically, and beams of light shot out.

Zero Circle Spell - Flame Burst!

The flames resembled arrows, exploding upon contact with objects, powerful enough to easily shatter a stone wall.

However...

That was all it amounted to! The two pursuers were agile, obviously trained in the path of the knight, and their wizardry was also formidable.

Zero Circle Spell - Mass Acid Arrow!

Zero Circle Spell - Black Tentacle!

The acid arrows shot towards Sam, and tentacles emerged from thin air, entangling him, forcing him to run and dodge continuously.

"Ah!"

After hiding for so long, it was inevitable that he would become careless, especially in his exhausted state.

Sam screamed as an acid arrow struck his left shoulder, instantly corroding his clothing and flesh.

His body lost balance, and he stumbled to the ground.

"Haha..."

The pursuers laughed at the sight:

"The young master of the noble Cape family, who would've thought you'd end up like this?"

"Tony!" Sam knelt on the ground, struggling to stand, and gritted his teeth as he shouted at one of them:

"Have you forgotten how I treated you?"

"If it weren't for my help, you would've died long ago. Is this how you repay me?"

"Pah!" Tony's face turned cold:

"Without you, I could've lived just fine. I'm sick of being your dog."

"Sam..."

"Die!"

Tony waved his staff, and several acid arrows shot out.

As the acid arrows were about to hit Sam, a layer of wizardry light appeared, like armor, protecting him.

Zero Circle Spell - Mage Armor!

The injured Sam suddenly burst into action, his staff shooting out a beam of light that transformed into a sword of light.

Zero Circle Spell - Mage Swiftblade!

The sword of light flashed and vanished.

Tony's body stiffened, a bloodstain appearing on his neck, and his head slid off his body.

Dead!

However, there was still one person left, and he was startled by Sam's sudden burst of energy. He quickly regained his composure.

His companion's death was due to a momentary lapse, not an indication that Sam still had the ability to resist.

"You're seeking death!"

The remaining pursuer retreated, waving his staff and casting one Zero Circle Spell after another.

"Buzz..."

The air rippled, and a field of invisible force appeared before Sam.

Zero Circle Spell - Iron Wall!

This defensive spell was an extremely powerful one among Zero Circle Spells, and even high mage apprentices rarely mastered it.

How could this be?

His eyes widened in disbelief.

Sam's talent for cultivation wasn't high, and after such a long period of fighting, his resources should have been exhausted, and his mental strength depleted. How could he possibly cast such a powerful spell?

Wait!

His thoughts turned, and he suddenly realized.

"Someone's here!"

He spun around, and the incoming wizardry light engulfed him like a storm.

"Boom!"

The last pursuer's body was torn to pieces by the ferocious wizardry.

"Sam."

The sudden appearance of a person showed concern:

"Are you okay?"

"Aunt Milly?" Sam looked at her in surprise:

"You're not dead?"

His face lit up with joy, but his expression quickly changed:

"You're not dead?"

"Why aren't you dead?"

The same words were spoken with different tones, one filled with joy and the other with suspicion.

Indeed.

If Milly wasn't dead, why didn't she return to the family these days? Why didn't the Monroe family kill her?

Milly opened her mouth, her expression complex:

"It's Steven. He didn't kill me."

"Steven?" Sam frowned, the person this name represented appearing in his mind. He glared at Milly and shouted:

"A member of the Monroe family, your former fiance!"

"Sam, don't get worked up," Milly waved her hands:

"The Monroe family was forced to do it. The ones who truly want to harm our family are others."

"Others?" Sam staggered backward, shouting:

"My father, many of our clansmen, and even the Grand Elder were poisoned by the Monroe family..."

"Milly!"

"You betrayed the family!"

"I didn't!" Milly stamped her foot:

"Now isn't the time to discuss this. Many people are after our family; let's leave this place."

"Leave with you?" Sam smirked:

"Where to?"

"To take revenge?"

"Milly, don't forget that everything you have today is because of the support of the entire family."

"Huff..."

As his words fell, a cold wind suddenly blew in the field, and a figure descended from the sky, surrounded by wind and snow.

"Milly!"

"Steven!"

A man and a woman stared at each other, their expressions complex.

"Steven?" Sam's eyes flickered with uncertainty, but he suddenly tightened his grip on his staff and charged forward.

"Die!"

"Sam!" Milly's face paled in shock.

"Steven, don't kill him!"

Steven's expression turned icy, and with a gentle wave of his sleeve, a gust of wind sent Sam flying to the ground.

An Archmage!

Hiding behind a tree, Karl curled up, remaining motionless.

"Milly..."

Steven paid no attention to Sam's struggles as he got up, instead turning his soft gaze towards Milly and extending his hand.

"Come with me!"

Milly hesitated, glancing at Steven and then at Sam, whose face was filled with hatred. She slowly shook her head.

"No!"

"I'm a member of the Cape family." Sam's expression changed, and the hatred on his face softened slightly.

"The Cape family is no more!" Steven's hands trembled.

"The Monroe family is also gone. We can put aside our families' hatred and start anew."

"Pah!"

Sam spat in anger.

"As long as I'm here and Sam is here, the Cape family still exists," Milly said with a complex expression. Step by step, she approached Sam, but her gaze remained fixed on Steven.

"Steven, my love..."

"Some things cannot be let go. The enmity between our families has already sealed our fate. So... let's go our separate ways."

"Milly!" Steven's body swayed, his eyes fixed on Milly. After a long silence, he bowed his head in defeat.

"You're right."

"Goodbye."

A gust of wind stirred, carrying Steven, with his complex expression, into the sky, where he disappeared from view.

A while later, Karl emerged from behind the tree, watching Milly and Sam's backs as they walked away together. He sighed helplessly.

"So complicated!"

"It seems like the Shadow Hand and the Monroe family are both pawns of a hidden manipulator, aiming to overthrow the Cape family and take control of the Leipzig Market?"

"Humans..." Karl muttered.

"With the beast tide approaching, the lives of countless people are at stake, yet these individuals are plotting against each other, using this opportunity to eliminate their rivals. Milly was right; the human heart is far more dangerous than the beast tide. To those in power, sacrificing a few lives is a small price to pay for their goals."

Whispering to himself, Karl concealed his presence and headed towards the market.

Ruins

The once bustling market, stretching for miles with rows of buildings, now lay in ruins.

Not a single structure remained intact.

Following the traces on the ground, Karl managed to locate the apothecary's position, only to find the backyard completely uprooted.

The hidden cave beneath was now exposed, its interior in disarray.

Fortunately, there were no traces of blood, only the unique hidden markings of the Sixth Circle Tower.

"Charlie?"

The Tower

"Karl, I knew you'd be safe." Charlie greeted him as he descended.

"Thanks to your advance arrangements, Babala avoided any mishaps. I truly owe you my gratitude."

Charlie had brought everyone from the apothecary, except for the guard, J, who had suffered minor injuries. Everyone else was unharmed.

Of course, Karl only cared about Babala, who carried his bloodline.

"It was my duty," Karl replied humbly. "How's the situation now?"

Charlie sighed. "It's not looking good. How much do you know about the beast tide?"

"Not much," Karl admitted. "I was about to ask you about it."

"The beast tide..." Charlie turned to look into the distance, his voice softening. "In ancient times, an evil deity from another realm invaded this world. The gods and wizards joined forces to expel the evil deity."

"That war lasted for an unknown number of years, and the Magic Forest became the final battlefield of that great battle."

"After the war, due to differing paths, the wizards occupied the desolate Calim continent, while the fertile Eastern Kingdom continent fell under the rule of the gods, leading to the current state of affairs."

"Oh!" Karl was surprised. "Is that how it happened?"

He had been unaware of this history.

Charlie made it sound simple, but seizing territory from the gods couldn't have been easy.

Perhaps there had been a great war between the ancient wizards and the gods.

An evil deity from another realm?

The other world had also experienced an invasion by an evil deity, but they hadn't been able to truly expel it. He wondered if there was a connection.

"In that ancient war, countless third and fourth-rank beings perished, and many fifth and even sixth-rank beings as well."

Charlie continued, "The central region of the Magic Forest became a forbidden zone for all life, capable of annihilating even divine beings."

"And every so often, the forbidden zone undergoes a transformation, causing a disturbance in the aura and the release of ferocious beasts."

"You can think of the Magic Forest as a closed room, where humans and various other creatures live. Normally, they stay within their own areas, but the disturbance disrupts this balance."

"This is what's known as the beast tide!"

"They run amok?" Karl asked. "Do they not specifically target human settlements?"

"No," Charlie shook his head. "Most ferocious beasts lack reason and only possess hunting instincts. Even the rational beings know that humans are not to be trifled with. The recent attack on the Cape family's wizard tower by the corrupt dragon was rather peculiar, and several wizards suspect that someone had a hand in it."

No one was a fool, especially wizards who had lived for centuries. Their long lives granted them vast knowledge and experience.

The recent turmoil within the Cape family had many unusual aspects, and the tower must have noticed something amiss.

Charlie continued, "So, as long as the markets withstand the initial beast tide onslaught, the wild beasts will naturally avoid the dangerous areas ahead."

"What if they can't hold out?" Karl asked.

Charlie sighed. "If they can't hold out, the beast tide will surge into human settlements, and their hunting instincts will drive them to treat these areas as hunting grounds."

"Living here will make one extremely dangerous," Karl understood.

As for fear, he had none, as he had already planned to lay low in another world for a while.

"Don't worry," Charlie said, seeing Karl's expressionless face. He thought Karl was scared and tried to comfort him.

"The mentor has already informed the tower on the Calim continent about the situation here. They've sent a response."

"The teleportation channel will open soon, and they'll be sending several official wizards to handle the situation."

"Oh!" Karl spoke up. "I thought they weren't going to send anyone this time?"

"That was the plan," Charlie explained, spreading his hands. "But with the sudden beast tide, they're not only sending people, but a lot of them."

"Brother!" He patted Karl's shoulder. "Take good care of Babala."

"..." Karl gave an awkward laugh. "I'll do my best!"

Upon arriving at the Wizard Tower, Karl noticed that the tower's members were all present, especially those from the Black Swamp.

"What's going on?" Karl signaled to Oma.

"Why is the atmosphere so tense?"

It was more than just tense!

The people in the room looked as if they had lost their parents, their faces ashen and filled with anger, fear, and resentment.

"Sigh..."

Oma sighed. "Hodgson has gone missing."

"Missing?" Karl smiled. "Just missing?"

"Yes, he's truly missing," Oma nodded. "He owes so many people so much money that even if they wanted to tear him apart, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on him!"

"The shop he bought for tens of thousands of magic stones was destroyed, and the goods he had stored, worth tens of thousands of magic stones, were looted. Including the unpaid debts, the total amount reaches a staggering one hundred thousand magic stones. Hodgson probably knew he couldn't repay it, so he took advantage of the chaos and slipped away."

"Thinking back..."

"His once proud and confident demeanor is now just a memory, and his sudden fall from grace is indeed a cause for reflection."

One hundred thousand magic stones!

Karl was secretly shocked. Even official wizards would likely struggle to come up with such an amount.

"What's wrong?" He spoke softly. "Did you lend him magic stones too?"

"Yes."

Oma nodded. "I lent him one hundred magic stones."

"I'm fine, but there are a few others who wanted to acquire shares in Hodgson's shop. They signed contracts and borrowed large amounts of magic stones, ranging from two to three thousand, and some even up to four to five thousand. Now they don't know what to do, so they've come to seek help from the mentor."

Karl was stunned.

Several thousand magic stones—for those who had only been in the Black Swamp for a year, it was an astronomical figure.

Paying it back in a lifetime might not even be enough!

The one hundred magic stones that Oma had brought out was also a considerable amount, probably all her savings over the years.

No wonder everyone's expressions were so grim.

However, to Karl's surprise, not only the people from the Black Swamp, but also other tower disciples had invested in Hodgson.

To gain the trust of so many people in such a short time was indeed a skill.

"Tap..."

Footsteps sounded from upstairs, and Daniel, dressed in a white wizard's robe, entered with a cold expression, scanning the room.

Only when his gaze fell upon Oma and Karl did his expression soften slightly.

"We've examined the contracts, and they bear the mark of the deities. Unless you wish to have your souls taken away, you cannot violate them."

The crowd's faces paled, and their eyes revealed despair.

The mark of the deities!

Similar to a middleman or guarantor.

If the debt wasn't repaid, the soul would belong to the deities, and the deities would provide compensation to the lender.

The purer and rarer the soul, the more the deities could lend.

Thus,

The lender need not worry about not recovering their loan, the deities profited, and the borrower could borrow a large sum, seemingly a win-win situation.

However, if the loan wasn't repaid, the borrower would pay the price of losing their soul.

'The deities will go to great lengths to obtain souls, even the guarantors are willing to do it.'

'I wonder if I, the owner of the Divine Realm Fragment, could be a guarantor in the future?'

"But compared to receiving compensation from the deities, the lenders would prefer you to repay them with magic stones." Daniel took out a contract. "After discussing with the lenders, they've agreed to give you some time to repay the magic stones, but you'll need to sign an additional clause."

"You still need to repay the magic stones, but you can do so after the beast tide, at a rate of one thousand magic stones per decade."

"Of course, if you have the money, you can repay it earlier. Also, the interest will be slightly higher than the original contract. If you agree, come and sign your names."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Then, someone slowly raised their hand. "I'll sign!"

One thousand magic stones per decade, or one hundred per year, with interest, wouldn't exceed two hundred.

Two hundred magic stones were still a significant amount, but as disciples of the Sixth Circle Tower, they could earn it by putting their lives on the line. They could also borrow from others, which was still better than having their souls taken away by the deities in the near future.

"I'll sign too!"

"Sign!"

One by one, the crowd made their decisions and stepped forward to sign the supplementary agreement. Although they had escaped imminent death, they couldn't bring themselves to smile.

"Oma."

After everyone had signed the supplementary contract, Daniel looked towards Oma in the crowd and said with a smile, "I heard from your mentor that you plan to attempt the official wizard exam soon?"

"Yes."

Oma took a deep breath. "I'll give it a try!"

"Wow..."

Her words caused a small stir in the room, and even Karl couldn't help but show his surprise.

Oma had only become a high-level wizard apprentice a few years ago, and now she was already challenging the official wizard exam? What an incredible wizard talent!

"Good!" Daniel smiled. "If you can become an official wizard before the star gate opens, according to the rules, you'll be able to go to the Calim continent and study at the Sixth Circle Tower Academy."

"Good luck!"

"Thank you, Senior Daniel." Oma bowed respectfully.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end