Chapter 159: The Warehouse of the Magistrate Court (1/2)
Chapter 159: The Warehouse of the Magistrate Court
Translator: CynthiaEditor: Cynthia
The others still eating were startled by Ai Hui’s gesture.
Fatty was the first to react and immediately grabbed the shield. With his eyes widened and mouth full of food, he resembled an alert frog.
Only then did the others realize something had happened. They knew Ai Hui and were confident in his detection ability.
Ai Hui abruptly lied on his stomach and pressed his ear to the ground.
“The earth is quaking,” Ai Hui said in a low voice.
His behavior made everyone else nervous.
“What’s causing it?” Jiang Wei asked. On the surface, he was tall and impressive with long arms and legs, and his fighting skills were excellent. But among this group of people, he didn’t feel confident at all, like an ordinary soldier.
“It’s hard to say.” Ai Hui explained, “Maybe it’s due to the migration of so many beasts, or perhaps something is moving underground within a certain distance. Hmm, I think it’s most likely the beasts. Are they going to attack the city?”
Confused, Ai Hui stood up.
The rest felt relieved. They came to the mission believing it no different from the previous ones, but over the past several days, they became more nervous. Now they finally understood Ai Hui’s range of detection as none of them had felt any trembles yet.
Duanmu Huanghun lay down and placed his ears on the ground as Ai Hui did, listening carefully. He heard nothing.
Fatty snorted when he saw Duanmu Huanghun’s attempt. How could he compare himself with Ai Hui? It would only lead to disappointment.
“Finished eating? If so, let’s go to the magistrate court now,” Ai Hui said as he stood up.
They weren’t in the mood to eat anyway. Hearing Ai Hui’s words, they quickly stood and went after him. The group drew the eye, especially the trio—Duanmu Huanghun, Shi Xueman, and Sang Zhijun—who were equipped with gorgeous equipment indicating their wealth and social status.
As soon as they entered the streets, they realized that compared to when they first arrived, something had changed.
Nearly everyone on the streets was armed, nervous, and in a hurry to depart.
They arrived at the heavily guarded magistrate court. Lookout posts were situated, and many elementalists were on aerial patrol.
Fortunately, a few guards recognized Shi Xueman and Duanmu Huanghun and immediately let them pass. Seeing a guard who looked familiar, Duanmu Huanghun approached him and after talking for a minute, returned with a somber expression.
“The number of blood fiends outside rose sharply, and some initiated an attack on the city wall this morning. At first, it wasn’t as fierce, but then the intensity began to increase. Just now, the city gate was charged, and twelve people died.”
Their faces paled when they heard what Duanmu Huanghun had to say. This was the highest number of casualties since Central Pine City decided to defend.
They couldn’t help but look at Ai Hui. Hearing what he said, they held some doubts, but now they were completely convinced that the situation was worse than they initially expected.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Earth elementalists! Any earth elementalists? There are fissures in the city wall!”
Several earth elementalists followed him out in a hurry.
Their anxiety worsened. They were only students, after all, who had never experienced such severe conditions. Shi Xueman and Duanmu Huanghun were both well-known talents chased after wherever they went, but at this moment, their insignificance was made acutely known to them.
“Let’s go inside.” Ai Hui said nothing more.
His voice brought everyone back from their thoughts and into reality. Every one of them felt apprehensive, stretched like a taut string—all except Ai Hui, who seemed as calm as usual. His composure settled their nerves.
Sang Zhijun couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you afraid, Ai Hui?”
“I am,” he answered.
This was out of their expectations. They thought Ai Hui would say something along the lines of, “Why? There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Confused, Sang Zhijun said, “But you don’t look like you’re afraid.”
Ai Hui replied without looking back, “You won’t be so nervous either when you’ve been through more battles.”
Shi Xueman snuck a glimpse at Ai Hui. Under the sunlight, his face seemed serene and indifferent, somehow calming her. Perhaps this was the difference between a veteran and a rookie.
They could not find the mayor since he was too busy. An officer received them instead and brought them to the warehouse.
“The materials in the city have been gathered for unified allocation. The mayor has informed me of your special status. Each of you may receive one set of equipment, and Ai Hui one more as his reward. By the way, it seems that some members are missing?”
Shi Xueman and the others looked embarrassed.
Duanmu Huanghun was the one to answer indifferently, “They didn’t bother to come.”
The officer didn’t say anything, but he was displeased to hear this. However, he understood that children from noble families had had luxurious equipment. It came as no surprise that they looked down on the equipment here.
Despite that, he quietly remembered the names of those who didn’t come. They had better not come to beg anything from him one day.
Everyone looked at Duanmu Huanghun with strange expressions. Even Ai Hui was surprised this time.