End of the Magic Era - Chapter 1263

Chapter 1263: Return and Destruction

Faleau softly sighed, “Sir Ivan, please inform the higher-ups of the Rodney Family that our Gilded Rose can dispatch some people to annihilate the bandits. I hope that the Rodney Family will facilitate things.”

Ivan immediately consented.

“Rest assured Sir Faleau, I hate those maggots even more than you do. I’ll immediately dispatch someone to inform the family. The family will send someone to get in contact with the Gilded Rose. At that time, we will also dispatch people to eliminate those damned bandits.”

After saying that, Ivan took out the magic beacon and wrote a magic letter in front of Faleau. Soon, the magic beacon received an answer.

“Look, Sir Faleau, you can rest assured. The Family answered that they will quickly come to a decision concerning this matter. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Seeing Ivan’s enthusiasm, Faleau had to hold himself back and remain silent.

Faleau was escorted out by Ivan and left the Rodney Family’s store in anger.

Looking at Faleau’s back, Ivan smirked.

‘Gilded Rose? Haha, a bunch of fools that dare to set themselves against our Rodney Family. This is just the start! You Andlusan country bumpkins dare to compete for business in the Odin Kingdom? You dare to set yourself against the Rodney Family? Idiots…’

After turning around, Ivan instructed the people around him.

“If someone from the Gilded Rose comes again, say that I’m not here. Tell them that I went back to the family in order to speed up the elimination of the bandit group.”

Faleau’s expression sank after returning to the Gilded Rose, and he was loudly gritting his teeth.

‘F*cking Rodneys… I would bet anything that the bandits are the Rodney Family’s subordinates. It wouldn’t be surprising coming from these idiots.

‘They won’t eliminate that bandit group, and they’ll also prevent us from entering their territory. We can only strengthen the convoy’s defenses and wait for those bandits to appear to get rid of them.

‘But we can’t send a Heaven Rank powerhouse with every single convoy… The scale of the convoys and the frequency keeps on increasing. Even Heaven Rank powerhouses can’t take care of all of them, so there will always be a convoy to plunder…

‘These damned wretched guys…

‘What should be done?’

While Faleau was sitting in his office, seething, Lin Yun finally finished his painful training.

Lin Yun was standing at the hilltop, surrounded by the endless starry sky. Although the shadow of the Demiplane was compressed to the extreme, it was a lot clearer, and the Laws’ projection had become a lot more complex and powerful.

Suddenly, a powerful aura burst out of Lin Yun’s body and sharply increased a few times.

Following that burst of power, the starry sky thoroughly dissipated and the mana surging out of his body spread out like a tide.

Colorful light shrouded Lin Yun as the four elements condensed into small fairies revolving around him, seemingly cheering him on. The shadows surrounding Lin Yun also transformed from deep void into silvery-white fluctuations.

It took less than ten minutes for Lin Yun’s aura to slowly dissipate. After opening his eyes once again, Lin Yun couldn’t help grinning.

As for Agalon, who was sitting in front of him, surprise could be seen within his smile.

“What a frightening guy. You are bound to walk a lot farther than me in the future. Your Natural Demiplane’s development is a lot closer to perfection and stronger than I thought.

“You advanced to the 3rd Rank of the Heaven realm in less than a month, and your comprehension of the Laws is much stronger than those at the same rank. Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Space… You already comprehended five kinds of Laws, especially the four Elemental Laws. Every one of them is at a much higher rank compared to people of the same rank.

“Your Extraordinary Power has crossed the limit and can definitely compare to 4th Rank Heaven powerhouses. It’s unbelievable that you already comprehended so many Laws. This might be because you developed your Natural Demiplane well from the start.

“You just advanced. Stop training for now and return.”

Lin Yun had been suppressed by Agalon for a month. Although he had been given a few days to rest, he had been continuously pushed to his limits. Thinking about it, Lin Yun couldn’t help smiling.

Agalon waved his hand, and starlight covered Lin Yun. Lin Yun instantly disappeared and reappeared in Neverwinter City, not far from the Gilded Rose’s street.

But the people in the surroundings apparently didn’t notice Lin Yun. It was as if everything was normal.

This made Lin Yun sigh. Agalon’s strength had already reached such an outrageous degree… Lin Yun didn’t even feel anything and Neverwinter City’s defenses didn’t even sense anything. Him appearing here with no one noticing showed that Agalon’s power was already strong enough to change the Laws and influence others’ souls.

After shaking his head, Lin Yun walked towards the Gilded Rose.

In the depths of the Gilded Rose, Faleau’s face was ashen and his fingers turned white as he read the report in his hands.

Faleau obviously saw through the Rodney Family’s trick and discreetly dispatched Layford and Pabiete to defend the convoys.

They got some good results twice, but it didn’t have much effect. The crafty bandits only sent some men to probe before completely disappearing.

After discovering that Layford and Pabiete were in the convoy, the bandits immediately dispersed and fled. But the convoys that didn’t have Heaven Rank powerhouses were immediately raided.

Those bandits weren’t pressed for time. They would be able to eat for a long time just from one successful raid. It didn’t matter to them how many times they raided, but the Gilded Rose couldn’t continue like that. Their inventory of materials and items made at the headquarters came from the Andlusa Kingdom. The Gilded Rose’s business would be affected if it continued, or it might have already been…

If this went on for another month, the Gilded Rose would have no choice but to reduce how much they were selling while still keeping up with their part of the contracts they had signed. This would be a serious blow to the Gilded Rose’s newfound prestige. And if they weren’t able to keep up with the supply, expanding couldn’t even be brought up.

As Faleau was brooding, Lin Yun opened the door and walked in.

Seeing Lin Yun, Faleau almost threw himself at him, startling Lin Yun.

“Faleau? What’s going on? Why do you look like that?”

Faleau’s eyes were bloodshot and he looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept for days.

Faleau grinned and pulled Lin Yun over.

“Sir Merlin, ahhh. You are back. Something happened to the Gilded Rose while you were away.

“Those damned bandits attacked the Gilded Rose’s convoys several times, making us suffer great losses every time. If this continues, the caravans we are cooperating with will reject the profits and stop cooperating with us.

“And their hideout is in the Rodney Family’s territory. They won’t destroy the bandit group by themselves, and they won’t let us enter their territory to destroy the bandit group.

“Those damned bandits are attacking the Gilded Rose’s convoys without restraint. The golden trade road can no longer be used. If this continues for another month, our supply won’t be able to keep up with the demand even if the forces of the Odin Kingdom are supplying us with materials.

“At best, we will last three months before no longer being able to stock our best-sellers due to empty inventory. We will only be able to supply those forces according to the contracts…”

Faleau kept complaining, letting his grievances all out. He had been getting strands of white hair over the days. He wanted to send someone to deal with the bandits, but if the forces of the Gilded Rose were dispatched, the Rodney Family would definitely find countless excuses to prevent those forces from entering their territory.

After listening to Faleau’s complaints for a while, Lin Yun frowned. He hadn’t expected the Rodney Family to start plotting instead of attacking upfront.

“Good… Faleau, leave this matter to me. You don’t have to worry about it. Keep moving the convoys. There definitely won’t be a bandit group attacking next time. Give me the coordinates of their hideout.”

Once he got the coordinates, Lin Yun immediately left Neverwinter City.

Once there was no interference from Neverwinter City’s defenses, Lin Yun opened a Spatial Door with the coordinates he got from Faleau.

A glowing door appeared in front of Lin Yun, and it vanished after he went through it.

Several thousand kilometers away, there was a hundred-meter-tall wall inside a valley formed by three mountains. The wall was sealing the entrance to the valley, and half a dozen watchtowers were spread across the mountains. There seemed to be a fort bustling with excitement inside the valley.

Lin Yun walked out of the Spatial Door at a high altitude and looked at the valley below. He could even see many goods with the Gilded Rose’s symbol inside the valley. Those were some local products that needed to be transported to the Odin Kingdom or items manufactured at the Gilded Rose’s headquarters.

There seemed to be a celebratory feast underway. Many people were holding onto the Gilded Rose’s alchemy items, and some of them were even operating the Gilded Rose’s auxiliary puppets.

There were also several villages situated in the surroundings of the valley, but from the inhabitants’ appearances, they didn’t look like good people. Lin Yun even saw a village where a dozen women were being distributed as rewards.

But the main members of the Death Sickle bandit group were in that fort. There were many Sword Saints inside, as well as a few Archmages. They were all seated and appeared to be very enthusiastic.

Lin Yun sneered.

‘These idiots are probably celebrating their successful raid. There is actually this kind of bandit fort in the Rodney Family’s territory? And they dare to fight head-on with the Rodney Family?

‘Are the Rodney Family’s people idiots? Or are they really thinking that others are idiots?

‘Without the support of the Rodney Family, how could this kind of bandit group survive in the Rodney Family’s territory?

‘And the surrounding villages are even more of a joke. The bandits sneak into the surrounding villages every time the Rodney Family makes a move?

‘Are the Rodneys that kind-hearted? If there really was an uncontrolled bandit group, then let alone those villages, which are obviously part of the bandit group, the Rodney Family would even raze ordinary villages to the ground without any care.

‘Since the Rodney Family thinks that getting rid of this bandit group is impossible, I’ll be nice and get rid of these guys for them.’

Lin Yun slowly descended, his mana surging and emitting a four-colored radiance. His Extraordinary Power fluctuations spread out as a Four Element Bomb rapidly condensed in the air. Lin Yun’s frantically surging mana rushed out of his body and poured into that Four Element Bomb.

The partying bandits discovered Lin Yun a kilometer above them when the terrifying mana fluctuations appeared in the sky, but by then, it was too late. That Four Element Bomb was already falling down.

The alarmed shrieks barely had time to echo before the Four Element Bomb exploded in the center of the fort, emitting a loud burst of mana.

The explosion thundered out and suppressed all the sounds at once. A big, flaming mushroom cloud instantly high up into the air, and the terrifying shockwave swept most of that fort, enveloping it in a glaring radiance.

Lin Yun kept descending while coldly looking at the destroyed fort. The Book of Mantras and the Spell Wheel appeared next to him simultaneously.

A hundred-meter-tall gate appeared in the air with flames and gales curling around it. As it slowly opened, a flood of endless flames and wind surged out and poured onto the fort below. The fort’s air defenses were like paper in front of that fierce power.

Meanwhile, Enderfa controlled the Spell Wheel and fiercely cast an elemental storm.

Lin Yun raised his Draconic Staff, and a huge wheel shadow appeared behind him. A four-colored radiance permeated the wheel shadow, and countless law runes of the four elements surged before condensing into a Four Element Bomb.

Four Element Bombs comparable to 8th Tier Spells rained down on the fort, and the fierce explosions thoroughly drowned out all the sounds coming from below.

The hot flames, the lacerating gales, the storm of destruction, as well as Lin Yun’s barrage of Four Element Bombs turned the advantageous terrain, which was easy to guard but hard to attack, into a cage. Everyone was trapped inside, and they could only passively endure the destruction falling down from the sky.

The fort’s entrance had already been destroyed by the fierce power, but that didn’t give these bandits an opportunity to escape because the resulting rubble completely blocked the entrance.

The fierce explosions continued for a dozen minutes. When Lin Yun stopped casting, the bandits’ hideout had already turned into a sea of flames.

All the buildings had become ruins, and those partying bandits could no longer cheer. Corpses were either torn to shreds or turned into charcoal.

Even the puppets from the Gilded Rose’s convoys were turned into scrap iron.

The dust slowly dissipated, and only a mournful scene of destruction could be seen. Everything had been destroyed, and not a single living lifeform remained.

In the villages around the Death Sickle’s hideout, those that were celebrating their achievements were terrified. They all returned to their homes and shivered in fear. No one dared to come out. Even if a few of the captured women escaped, no one would chase after them, in fear that they would anger Lin Yun.

Lin Yun calmly watched the hideout turning to rubble with a dozen law runes flickering in his eyes as he searched for bandits that might be hiding inside. Under that fierce explosion, all the weaklings already died. But the more powerful ones might have survived the first wave of attacks and gone into hiding.

The place was surrounded by three mountains. As long as those more powerful bandits escaped to the heart of the mountains, killing them would prove difficult.

Lin Yun coldly looked down and quickly discovered several passages in the hideouts, all leading to the core of the mountains. There might be many people hiding in them. Unless Lin Yun detonated a Four Element Bomb inside the mountains, the people inside wouldn’t be in too much trouble.

This time, Lin Yun came to establish his reputation. It wasn’t just to humiliate the Rodney Family, as he also wanted to make others know that the Gilded Rose wasn’t to be trifled with.

This hideout was guarded very securely, so ordinary forces simply couldn’t deal with them, even if they had Heaven Rank powerhouses fiercely blowing up the place. As long as the bandits dodged and reached the shelters, they might return unscathed.

As for the losses, at worst they would have to keep raiding…

Many things that were inconvenient for the Rodney Family to handle would be directly given to the Death Sickle group, and it would have nothing to do with the Rodney Family. Publicly, the Death Sickle was known as a headache for the Rodney Family. They had even been “humiliated” multiple times by that bandit force.

Destroying the Death Sickle bandits was the same as cutting a finger of the Rodney Family.

Moreover, they could only clap and thank Lin Yun for helping them clearing away the bandits.

In the future, other bandit forces, whether they were real bandit forces or fake bandit forces, would all have to consider the consequences of attacking the Gilded Rose’s convoys.

Lin Yun confirmed that there had been many defensive shelters dug under the fort, but he wasn’t able to confirm how many bandits were hidden within, or if there were even bandits in them at all. But this no longer mattered.

He raised his Draconic Staff, and the Book of Death appeared in his left hand. The Book of Death’s shackles collapsed, and the book automatically opened to the Element Chapter. The four-colored radiance instantaneously transformed into a pure earthen yellow glow. It was followed by the All-Encompassing Chapter blossoming with light.

Lin Yun was enveloped in an earthen yellow radiance. Then, a large number of magic patterns covered Lin Yun’s body, and a yellow rune appeared on his forehead.