Chapter 10 (1/2)

Chapter 10: The MI3 (Mission Intelligence, Section 3)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The situation in the Flower District was much better than the Magic Academy’s. Very few had actually been killed.

Though there were many Dark Elf Assassins in the city, they were very few in number compared to Gladstone City’s population of more than 100,000.

The loud noises from the Magic Academy had startled many of the Flower District’s residents. There were usually few people on the streets at such a late hour, but tonight, the streets were packed.

Every now and then, shrill screams and wails rang out from the grand mansions. Those were probably the reactions to the assassinated corpses being discovered.

Link continued walking on the streets for about a half an hour. He saw the chaos Gladstone City was in.

The noise and activity coming from the Magic Academy along with the assassination of the prominent figures of the city within the Flower District usually would have caused armed guards to show up and restore peace and order to the city. But now, there was neither a trace nor a shadow of them.

The officers in the city watch must have also been killed. Link sighed and carried on his way.

People continued to flood the streets. In addition to the attack initiated by the Dark Elves, robberies, and even acts of rape began to ring out throughout the city. In the absence of the city watch, the criminals that usually hid within the city’s shadows had all come out to wreak havoc.

After about 20 minutes, the Lesser Invincibility and Silence cloaking him wore out. But he wasn’t afraid of being seen. He had blended into the crowd.

In front of him, a middle-aged man in tatters rushed towards him with a dagger, eyes glistening from within a vicious-looking face. He looked determined to rob Link.

Link continued to walk as he extended out his hand. The Mana within him surged into it, making it glow softly.

“Don’t disturb me!” he barked quietly, ice coating his voice.

A Magician. The scruffy-looking middle-aged man froze with fear. He turned and ran, looking for another weaker victim.

To commoners, Magicians were mysterious and powerful. Angering them surely meant death.

It took more than half an hour for Link to travel through most of the Flower District. More and more people crowded onto the streets, making it even more chaotic than it was before. Some of the buildings had even caught fire, cries ringing out from inside them. Some people tried to help, but others still continued to loot and plunder.

“The law and order have collapsed.” Link sighed. He could do nothing to help such a situation.

A little further off, he caught sight of a river. It wasn’t wide, just about 60 feet across, but it had a small port. A few small boats were tethered to it.

This was one of the branches of the Gladstone River.

Something occurred to Link. He walked over and untied one of the boats. Jumping into it, he used the oar to push against the riverbank, letting the boat follow the currents down the river.

He did it to avoid being tracked by the Assassins from the Magic Academy.

The Dark Elf Magician who went to the Magic Academy will definitely search for me with tracking magic. But he’s just a Level-2 Magician. He can only rely on scent, footprints and the like. Since I’m on a river, let’s see how well he’ll find me now!

Link hadn’t come across the Dark Elf Magician in the game, but the game server in his last life had hosted many forums where players could discuss strategies and talk. He often browsed through whenever he was free, looking for hints just in case he encountered the feared Magician. Because of that, he was familiar with all the powerful Dark Elves that had appeared during The Change of the Bloody Moon.

Link even remembered the Magician’s name—Holmes.

Low-level Magicians’ tracking wasn’t much different from non-magicians’. This was why Link could use common means to evade them.

But if it had been a high-level Magician, able to track the scent of one’s Mana, the scent of one’s soul or worse, cast a Spirit Anchor, especially if it had been the latter, Link would have really been in danger.

Just over ten minutes had passed, during which Link had traveled about 1500 to 2000 feet. Link then saw another port. He rowed the boat towards the riverbank.

He didn’t really know how to row a boat, but the currents weren’t strong. He managed to dock the boat after some struggle.

Getting back on shore, he carried on on foot for a while, quickly reaching the Flower District’s exit.

The exit led to the market area. It was busy by day, but quiet by night. This was because few people lived here, the rental prices being too high for the average citizen.

Tonight was the same. Other than some security guards outside the shops, there wasn’t a soul in sight.

The oil lamps lining both sides of the streets had been extinguished leaving the streets in darkness. Cold gusts of wind blew from time to time, throwing the trash up into the air. It was the picture of desolation.

The city gates were just behind the market area. He could leave from there.

The Dark Elf Army will arrive soon. I’ll get involved in the massacre if I stay in the city. I should leave now, while I still have the chance!

With that in mind, Link left the Flower District without looking back and walked through the market area.

Flicking his pocket watch open, it showed the time to be 11:36 pm. It was almost midnight. His Mana had recovered to 32 Points.