Chapter 293: Within and Beyond the City Walls
Chapter 293: Within and Beyond the City Walls
"...
"......"
Standing before the barren plot of land, the Sixth Stage Life Scholar and the Merchant, both at Stage Six, wore nearly identical expressions of bewilderment.
Yesterday evening, they had argued fiercely over Lindsey, nearly coming to blows. Only the unprecedented crisis facing the city had forced them to set aside their differences and head outside to address the danger.
After resolving the forest issue with the wizard, they finally returned to the city today.
By then, all that remained was this barren land. Not only were there no signs of people, but even the houses were gone!
"Where are the people?"
"Are the shops gone too?"
Qing Gan turned to Kuete, her gaze turning dangerous:
"You, while we were away..."
The merchant, who had previously been yielding, now stood his ground.
Before Qing Gan could finish her sentence, he responded with unwavering firmness:
"Ms. Qing Gan, please refrain from spreading baseless rumors."
"From yesterday until now, I've been with you all the time. How could I have secretly arranged for people to intercept Lindsey, even taking his house with him?"
"You wouldn't say that I have messengers who can escape your notice, would you?"
Swish—
Qing Gan's response was even more direct.
She abandoned the conversation and waved her right hand towards the air beside her.
The next moment, the wild grass along the roadside began to grow wildly.
Vibrant green tendrils formed into giant hands, reaching towards Kuete, while some wrapped around Qing Gan, creating a suit of armor made of grass and wood!
Ding—
At the same time, a coin dropped to the ground.
As Qing Gan made her move, Kuete flicked a Twin Serpent Coin from his palm.
With the coin's fall, the power within it spread, instantly dissipating the green hand that was about to strike him.
Simultaneously, Qing Gan felt her abilities starting to spiral out of control as the merchant interfered with her powers using his 'transaction' ability!
"You won't disrupt my abilities!"
Qing Gan's heart burned with rage.
She quickly stabilized her essence, ready to continue using her powers to transform the entire street into her weapon.
Just then, voices of panic pierced through her wooden armor, reaching Qing Gan's ears.
"Oh my, run!"
"Why are they fighting again?"
"I heard that the disturbances in the forest were caused by a scholar messing around outside."
"How could they do this..."
Qing Gan looked around.
Just as her conflict with Kuete escalated,
the residents on the surrounding streets gathered spontaneously, curious to see what was happening.
And then, they witnessed this scene.
These ordinary people's thoughts were easy to guess.
Beyond their fear of awakened powers, there was also terror from the events of the past few days.
Qing Gan noticed a detail.
These ordinary people's anger was mostly directed at her, not at the merchant, her opponent in the fight.
- Unreasonable.
The Life Scholar's mind raced.
- Could Kuete be influencing these people with his merchant abilities?
- Impossible!
- Engaged in a fight with me, Kuete wouldn't have the leisure to do that.
Moreover, both parties had just returned to the city.
They had neither the time nor the opportunity to seek outside help.
The coincidence of these people's appearance...
In that instant, Qing Gan recalled something.
Yesterday, in Lindsey's shop, when she had gotten angry with Kuete,
the merchant had done something—he had sent away all the other merchants he had brought with him!
The despicable and lewd female merchants who had tried to seduce Will were still stirring up trouble within the city!
Qing Gan clenched her fists, and the earth seemed to tremble:
"Kuete, you..."
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control,
a man in armor leaped high into the air from a distance.
Boom!
His body slammed into the center of the street like a cannonball.
The Lawful Knight, Hanske, arrived at the scene, positioning himself between the two combatants with arms outstretched, signaling for them to cease their fight immediately.
"Gentlemen, Mr. Lindsey left this morning," he announced.
Hanske then produced a letter from his chest and, in an unquestionable tone, instructed them, "He left this farewell letter, wishing to avoid any misunderstandings between you."
"Stop fighting immediately, and no more disputes within the city!"
The dispute in the city came to a halt due to Lindsey's small memento.
As the dispute subsided, Lindsey himself, who was leaving Lookout City, encountered an unexpected situation.
He followed the flow of people exiting the city.
To avoid trouble for himself and others, Lindsey quickened his pace and set off on his own.
He also reverted to his original appearance.
Thanks to the merchants' trade and the migration of human residents, the Forest Courtyard had well-defined paths. Combined with Lindsey's Awakened physique, his travel speed far exceeded that of Black Mountain.
By nightfall, as he prepared to set up camp for rest, he caught up with a group that had left the city in the morning. Among them, he spotted a familiar figure:
"Elaine?"
The merchant girl was driving her cargo wagon as part of the group.
She recognized Lindsey without hesitation, her tone filled with surprise and a hint of delight, "Lindsey, what are you doing here?"
"Neither Kuete nor the Scholars of Life would allow you to leave Lookout City, right?"
Lindsey greeted her.
He nimbly hopped onto Elaine's wagon, "But if I stayed there, the trouble would never end."
"If I hadn't found a way to slip away..."
Lindsey shrugged, "Anyway, nothing good would have come of it."
At that moment, he turned to the merchant girl beside him, "And you, missy, just yesterday, you were blocking me with Kuete. How did you end up outside the city in just one day? Weren't you calling him Lord Kuete yesterday? Why did you drop the title?"
"Because I sensed a dangerous aura," Elaine replied with a mischievous smile, addressing only Lindsey's first question, "Although there's the saying that wealth is sought in danger, I prefer to earn money safely and securely. Safety first."
Lindsey chuckled, shaking his head, "You sure ran faster than me."
Elaine smirked, "If I didn't have to handle my business in the city, guess how far I'd have run by now?"
As they chatted casually, Elaine also recalled the events of the previous day.
Her curiosity grew, and her merchant instincts prompted her to inquire, "By the way, Lindsey, what did you discover in the Black Mountain World that allowed you to outweigh Kuete's Twin Serpent Coin on the Golden Balance?"
"Aren't we friends? Whisper it to me, or I'll pay a high price for the information."
Lindsey cautiously replied, "I can only tell you a limited part of it."
Elaine released one hand from the reins and promptly decided to pay up, reaching into her pocket for the money, "Then let's make a deal!"
Lindsey obtained several gold coins and the opportunity to hitch a ride.
As they prepared a campsite for the night around Elaine's cargo wagon, Lindsey's thoughts turned to something else as he looked at his newly acquired gold coins.
Was the Golden Rule taking effect again?
"You, missy, are being sheared by the Golden Rule..."
Lindsey glanced at the sleeping merchant girl.
Her peaceful slumber was beautiful, as if dreaming of something wonderful, lacking the few moments of calculation she had when awake.
Traveling together wasn't so bad after all.
(End of Chapter)
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