Chapter 123: The Six Towns in the South

“Not good!”
Seeing that the coachman not only failed to flee in panic but instead remained firmly in place, Poison Sting was shocked. He realized something was wrong, but as he rushed forward at full speed, about to reach his target, it was too late to change course. He could only brace himself with his other hand, continuing to throw the dagger at his target while forcing his sword energy to reverse direction, attempting to strike diagonally past him.
The coachman didn’t move even slightly; he simply raised one hand and said, “Since you’re here, stay!”
With that ordinary-looking hand, as if catching a sandbag thrown by a child, he effortlessly caught the dark green, sharp dagger, completely ignoring the deadly poison on it.
If anyone had observed this hand closely at that moment, they would have noticed a faint golden glow on its surface, barely visible to the naked eye—clearly the reason it could ignore the threat of the blade and poison.
The coachman held the dagger and smiled at Donald beside him, saying, “You played your role well. You have talent!”
As he spoke, he swung his other hand, releasing a subtle yet irresistible golden blade that shot toward the Silver Assassin in an instant.
“I still lack experience compared to Lord Marquis! Are you sure you’ve never been a coachman before?” Donald also dropped his pretense of panic and returned a smile.
That coachman was none other than the lord of the Northwest Province, the Storm Sword Saint, Lord Ansel.
Only a Golden Sword Saint could conceal their aura to appear ordinary. Poison Sting never expected that such a powerful Golden Sword Saint and a noble lord would disguise themselves as a coachman to play this trick on him, Donald, the minor mage.
At that moment, Poison Sting was fleeing in another direction, but before he could take ten steps, the golden blade caught up to him. Sensing the deadly force even before it touched him, he knew it was an attack formed from powerful sword energy. With his current strength, he had no way to withstand it. He could only barely shift his body to the side. The blade, originally aimed at his vital areas, pierced his left shoulder with a hissing sound. Blood mist burst from the wound, his skin and muscles tore apart, and bones were visible through the blood-filled hole.

Apart from the visible injuries, the compressed sword energy immediately split into countless threads, invading Viper’s body. With a scream of pain, Viper staggered, but dared not stop even for a moment. By now, he had heard the conversation between the coach and Donald; if he still didn’t understand what was happening, he would truly be foolish enough to die on the spot.

As he fought desperately to escape with all his strength, his unharmed right hand threw several pellets backward. The pellets, the size of sparrow eggs, exploded upon hitting the ground, creating a thick cloud of smoke behind Viper.

Just by looking at the colorful hues of the smoke, it was clear it wasn’t anything good.

Yet Vincent paid no attention to this at all. Such a mere poisonous mist—even a Silver Swordmaster could use sword energy to protect themselves from external threats, let alone him, a Golden Sword Saint.

Silver-level assassins had extremely annoying stealth abilities. Even a Golden Sword Saint couldn’t guarantee capturing them unless he got close enough. That’s why Edwina came up with this plan and asked her husband to help Donald deal with this minor trouble.

It was a well-executed trick. No matter how careful the assassin was, he would fall for it. If such an opportunity arose and a Silver-level opponent still managed to escape from within twenty steps, then Vincent, as a Golden Sword Saint, would be utterly worthless.

Suddenly, Vincent’s figure blurred, and another person appeared in his hands—it was the Silver assassin who had already run twenty steps away.

Even with Donald’s keen eyes, he couldn’t see how Vincent had moved. He only knew that the Golden Sword Saint had instantly covered those twenty steps with his swift movements, easily subduing the assassin before lifting him back to his original position. It was only because of the Golden-level speed that it seemed as though he hadn’t moved at all.

Seeing this, Donald was filled with awe. Truly a Golden-level powerhouse! He realized he had been too presumptuous before. This was just a slight display of strength—what kind of power would he have if he used his full strength?

“Facing a Golden-level powerhouse, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even get a chance to use teleportation. Even the so-called absolutely defensive Sacred Shield might not be able to block a single strike from them!”

Holding the Silver assassin, Vincent asked Donald, “What do you plan to do with this guy? Do you need me to help interrogate him?”

Donald looked at the assassin, held in Vincent’s hands, completely immobile but still conscious, and simply shook his head, saying, “He too was paid to do someone’s work. But since he’s a killer, he should be prepared for failure. Let’s end his suffering quickly!”
Venomous Sting showed delight at the first part of Donald’s words, but the second part made him freeze with fear. Ever since he was promoted to Bronze rank, he had never encountered someone so helpless, with their life entirely in the hands of others.
Although he had never flinched when assassinating or torturing targets in past missions, facing his own death inevitably filled him with fear.
Vincent, who had led the Holy Sword Legion for over twenty years and was known for his decisive killing skills, immediately tightened his grip upon hearing Donald’s words. With a crack, the assassin’s neck was broken by his force.
The poor Venomous Sting, a Silver Assassin who had wreaked havoc for years, could not escape death. He didn’t even get a chance to beg for mercy before being killed by the Golden Sword Saint as easily as crushing a rabbit.
It truly proved the saying, “Those who play in the world will eventually have to pay the price!”
“Now that this problem is solved, let’s go back! Edwina and the others must be getting impatient!”
Donald nodded, and Vincent promptly discarded the assassin’s body before striding toward the direction of Plum City. The carriage they had used to disguise themselves was also left at the village entrance.
Even traveling at just 30% of his speed, the Golden Sword Saint was faster than an ordinary person on horseback. Seeing this, Donald waved his hand to release a blast of magical flame that covered the assassin’s body. Without using flight magic, he simply summoned a horned eagle beast to ride on, allowing him to keep up with Vincent.
As for the last trace of the Silver Assassin, Venomous Sting, it was quickly burned to ashes by the magical flame, leaving only a charred human-shaped mark in its place.
This trip out of the city not only allowed them to buy fine wine but also dealt with the annoying assassin, achieving two goals at once. Of course, without Vincent, the Golden Sword Saint, Donald would have had little chance of keeping the Silver Assassin.
For the Golden Sword Saint, this matter was nothing more than a light exercise to aid digestion after a meal.
When the two returned to the Marquis’s mansion in Plum City, they found that Edwina hadn’t worried at all about their absence. She was fully focused in the garden, working with the Silver Mage Messele on designing a magic array.
This was a game played only between mages and alchemists. Though called a game, it actually required a certain level of mastery in magic arrays to engage in it.

Even the most basic magic arrays are as incomprehensible as celestial scripts to ordinary people, let alone these two, who are both powerful silver-level mages. Although Edwina is not skilled in alchemy, her passion for magic arrays is well-known among mages she knows. Magic arrays are not only the primary means of creating alchemical artifacts but can also be used for spellcasting and equipment enchantment. Some theories even suggest that the earliest magic arrays originated from the materialization of primitive spells, so studying them also aids in learning and mastering spells. Seeing her disciple return, Messele managed to ask just one question, “Has it been resolved?” “With Lady Edwina’s clever plan and Uncle Vincent’s help, such a mere silver assassin can only return to the embrace of the Shadow King!” Most thieves and assassins in this world worship the Thief God, the Shadow King Told, especially in the continental regions dominated by church forces. Donald’s words were a metaphor, indicating that the enemy was dead and no longer a threat. Compared to Messele, who still had time to ask questions, Edwina was less proficient in magic arrays; she was already overwhelmed dealing with the arrays she was working on and didn’t even have time to nod or speak when her husband and Donald returned. Seeing his wife deeply engrossed in array calculations, Vincent immediately knew she wouldn’t be able to attend to anything else for a while, so he invited Donald to sit down and talk. As the marquis had expected, Edwina spent over an hour immersed in array calculations before finally finishing. Although Messele was far ahead, Edwina felt she had gained a lot. Compared to working alone, having someone guide her this time led to much greater progress. “Thank you, Messele, for your guidance!” Then the lady looked up at the sky. “Is it already noon? Let’s set off right after lunch!” Vincent joked, “Lady, do you even know what time it is? I thought you’d wake up only at night!” The original plan was for Donald and the others to leave immediately after dealing with the silver assassin’s accomplices, but since Edwina found it boring to stay put, she suggested working on arrays with Messele, causing a delay. With noon approaching, they had to eat first before continuing their journey. Edwina shot her husband, who appeared imposing but was actually always absent-minded, a glare, then quickly arranged for the kitchen to prepare lunch for everyone. After eating their fill, the group of eight set off on their journey.

This time, since they were riding on Donald’s airship—stable, fast, and free from land-based obstacles—they did not take the route through the capital along the main roads. Instead, they flew in a straight line through several central territories to reach the Six Southern Towns directly.

The territory in the far south of the kingdom, composed mainly of six towns, is the most chaotic and disorderly region in Selt. Due to its proximity to dangerous continental areas like the Two-Legged Dragon Marshes, the living conditions here are harsh. Many years ago, only thieves, fugitives, and similar individuals would settle here. Later, because of the unique products found along the marshes’ edges, many adventurers and mercenary groups also gathered there. After years of development, the Six Southern Towns have now become the main base for various mercenary groups and thief organizations in Selt, resembling a small mercenary kingdom in itself.

However, it is a mixed bag there—either the local lords’ power is undermined or they themselves are the actual rulers behind those mercenary and thief forces.