Lord of the Magical Beasts

Yang Ling stayed in Sitana City for a day, finalizing some details with City Master Croix. Then he, Halalei and the rest set off toward Monston, which lay in the Kaliya Duchy.

As a precaution, Croix had sent a team of a hundred elite knights to join them on their journey, focusing their attention on Yang Ling, who had not brought much with him. At the same time, he forbade anyone who knew enough to reveal Yang Ling’s true identity, in case the opposing factions would try to assassinate him along the way.

The knights supplied by Croix were the cream of the crop. Many were retired soldiers from the Illusory Knights Team. With them as protection on the journey, Halalei, who knew Yang Ling’s identity, felt more at ease.

As the successor of the Nicholas family, Halalei had been the focus of his family’s attention since his youth. He understood many things despite his young age and was more dependable than Lia, Hans and the rest, though they were all of similar age. Even without his uncle Croix explaining too much, he understood the importance of the leader of the Magical Beast Territory.

Unlike happy-go-lucky Fatso and short-tempered Lia, Halalei began to watch Yang Ling’s behavior as soon as he learned that the man was only pretending to be an insignificant merchant.

Intelligent, composed, alert to favorable opportunities…

This was the feeling he got from Yang Ling on this journey. As a noble in the upper echelons, he was certain that a person like this would not be satisfied with being ordinary.

Halalei was prepared to help Yang Ling with the influence of his family when they got to Monston, using some of his family’s special skills. But he knew that he had thought too much into the situation after finding out Yang Ling’s identity. With Yang Ling’s status and abilities, he would become a force to be reckoned with on the Tailun Continent.

If that was the case, be it in official matters or personal favors, he hoped that his family would be able to cooperate with Yang Ling. They could resist the powerful Banto Empire together, and partner up to develop the Terras Forest.

Croix’s order to keep Yang Ling’s true identity secret only applied to Halalei. As far as Lia, Hans, and the rest were concerned, Yang Ling was nothing but a traveling merchant.

Gossip-loving Hans steered his horse toward Yang Ling, acting as if he had a juicy tidbit to share. “Brother Yuri, I heard that powerful assassins have come to the Livenza Alliance recently. Do you know anything about this?”

Expecting Hans to try to use the situation to show off again, Yang Ling laughed and said, “I have. Yesterday, I heard a servant say that a very powerful assassin appeared in the castle, and was skilled in killing Sharo Boars. He could kill a boar with one strike and preferred targeting the fattest ones. He was incredibly fast!”

Yuna looked from Yang Ling to Hans’ fat face and broke into laughter. Hans was nearly dazed by her. Her blossoming smile, her large bright eyes, her tender white skin… He completely missed the teasing tone in Yang Ling’s words.

“I heard that the most powerful assassins on the continent all came to the Livenza Alliance. The ones who tried to assassinate City Master Croix were Heaven-ranked!” Fatso glanced around and whispered, “I heard that there was even a female assassin as alluring as Miss Yuna!

Heaven-ranked Assassin? And a female amongst them?

Yang Ling took note of that, recalling the female assassin Guyana and the terrifying Heaven-ranked Assassin. His scalp crawled as he remembered the ghostly speed of the Heaven-ranked Assassin, the instantaneous Petrifying Spell, and his cold gaze.

Heaven-ranked Assassins were experts at the same level as Sword Saints and Magical Tutors. To some extent, they were more terrifying than Sword Saints or Magical Tutors. On the Tailun Continent, most people would rather face two Sword Saints or Magical Tutors than take on a Heaven-ranked Assassin.

A high-level Heaven-ranked Assassin was comparable to a demon from hell. They were a nightmare to people who were not adept in close combat, like Summoners and Magical Tutors.

Yang Ling calmed himself. After having advanced to the level of mid-level Earth Wizard, his abilities were much stronger than they had ever been. Even though he was still unable to face off against a sage level fighter like Elder Klive, he would stand a better chance against the Heaven-ranked Assassin he encountered once before. If he could draw the other party into a forest with complicated terrain, he might even be able to kill his opponent using his Tree Eyes ability and Evasion Techniques.

“Heaven-ranked Assassins are powerful, but the most powerful of them all are Night Vision Assassins. It is rumored that the Night Vision Assassin is the final evolution of the Heaven-ranked Assassin. They can kill even deities and are immensely powerful!”

Hearing Hans’ exaggerations, the leader of the knights that he had gotten friendly with leaned over to join the discussion, talking about the mysterious Night Vision Assassins.

Seeing Lia, the knight Halalei and the rest of the group leaning over to see what was happening, Yang Ling spoke. “Actually, the most powerful assassin doesn’t have to take action personally. They could get someone to commit suicide instead!”

The group was confused by this, all the way down to the leading knight, with all his experience. “The most powerful assassin can get someone to commit suicide, and they could let them die willingly!” After a pause, Yang Ling continued, “You guys might not understand what I mean now, but you’ll understand one day!”

A person has to die if their master wills it so!

To a certain extent, the most influential people could be said to be the most powerful assassins. To them, killing a person was like killing an ant. It was effortless. They didn’t have to lift a finger.

Be it Halalei, Lia or Hans, they all had an influential family backing them, but they had not come into contact with the specific matters of their families yet. But one day, they would become authority figures in their families, and Yang Ling knew that they would understand what he meant by the most powerful assassin then.

Lia and Hans both decided that Yang Ling was speaking nonsense, and they changed the topic. Only the dependable Halalei and the leader of the knights were still deep in thought, considering Yang Ling’s words.

Hans could eat, sleep and talk, and he would not stop talking. He babbled on about the current situation in the Livenza Alliance to the elusive Heaven-ranked Assassins, from the fair skin of the young ladies in Sitana City to the shady stories between the female servant and the old butler… He chattered incessantly.

Under the knights’ protection, the group encountered no obstacles and reached the capital in just over a day. After they completed their mission, the leader of the knights led the soldiers back to Sitana City through the night, while Hans, Lia and the rest prepared to go their separate ways.

“Brother Yuri, why not stay at my place for a few days?” Hans knew that Yang Ling and his group had no place to stay, so he generously extended an invitation, not belittling Yang Ling’s disguised identity.

Even though he had just met Yang Ling, Hans had talked the most with him throughout their journey and had taken a great liking to Yang Ling. He was prepared to help Yang Ling with the influence of his family, so that Yang Ling did not have to toil all day long.

Yang Ling smiled and said, “Sure, I’ll come along and experience being a Summoner when you prepare a Green-skinned Condor!”

Yang Ling had already made arrangements with Harribell, and he needed to find her the moment they arrived in Monston. They urgently needed to discuss the situation in Monston, and to make additional plans for the Magical Beast Territory’s development. He tried to reject Hans’ offer in a roundabout way.

“Hans, don’t worry, I have already instructed my servants to find Yuri a safe place.” Halalei quickly added, seeing that Hans was preparing to press the invitation upon Yang Ling again. Halalei knew that with mounting tensions and potential enemies everywhere, Yang Ling would be much safer at his family’s castle.

Even though he was a little disappointed, Hans did not have anything more to say after hearing Halalei’s words.

Since Hans only knew Yang Ling as Yuri the small-time merchant, his original plan had been to set up a few high-cost deals with Yang Ling through his family. But if Yang Ling could receive assistance from the Nicholas family, he might one day become an earl and hold decent status. It would be much better for Yang Ling than staying a small-time merchant, with no influence to speak of.

They arranged to meet up a few days later and prepared to go their separate ways at the castle gate when a group of knights on huge horses appeared out of nowhere and thundered toward the city gates.

Many people were clustered around the gate, but the riders showed no signs of slowing, shouting as they rumbled toward the gates. They roared through obstacles as they came, overturning carts, trampling merchants’ goods, and even knocking down pedestrians too slow to get out of the way.

A biker gang in this foreign world?

Yang Ling looked at the muscular horses galloping toward the city gate, and their thuggish riders, and was reminded of the biker gangs he had seen on the television in his own world. They had the same arrogance and disregard for others, the same insane behavior.

“My god, save my child, please save my child…” cried a woman as she was pushed away from the road by the terrified mob. Her child, a toddler still unsteady on his feet, stood in the road, paralyzed with fear. The mother clawed at the crowd, trying to reach the child.

“Oh Yiblis, it’s these detestable people again!” cried one person.

“My god, someone go save the pitiful child!” cried another.

The crowd gasped in terror as the knights put on another burst of speed. Nobody was brave enough to step into their path. The riders had authority and intimidation on their side, and their horses were fast.