Getting on a psychokinetic hovercar, Zhang Wen and Agate quickly arrived at the Kemal Arena building in Casares. However, as they passed through the entrance of the arena, Zhang Wen was surprised to see that the usually bustling arena hall was unusually quiet and nearly empty today.
“What’s going on?” Zhang Wen, puzzled and disbelieving, hurriedly brought Agate onto the psychokinetic escalator, heading directly to the manager’s office on the top floor of the arena.
“These damn bastards, do they all want to die? Why did they all rush out at the same time to become bodyguards for others? If someone challenges the arena now, they can all go starve!” shouted the beautiful female manager of the arena, Angelique, from inside the office.
“Ahem!” Zhang Wen coughed and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Angelique asked impatiently. Immediately after, the door opened, revealing Shura, who looked helpless, standing before Zhang Wen and Agate.
“Oh! It’s you!” Seeing Zhang Wen’s expression, Angelique immediately realized that he had overheard her outburst. Her face, already flushed with excitement, now turned even redder with embarrassment.
That outburst had been a private complaint from Angelique to her boyfriend, Shura, and she certainly hadn’t intended for anyone else to hear it.
“You finally came,” Shura, in contrast to Angelique, showed a look of “relief” upon seeing Zhang Wen’s group.
In the arena, almost everyone regarded Angelique as a kind and understanding “big sister” type of good woman. However, perhaps only Shura knew that when Angelique was alone with him, she was almost completely different. In fact, Shura rather liked the Angelique who was with him alone.
Compared to her usual self, Angelique was much more genuine and straightforward when she was alone with Shura. Besides, as long as he wasn’t the target of her anger, watching a beautiful woman ranting in front of him was actually quite enjoyable.
“Alright then. What exactly is going on? Who made our dear Angelique so angry?” Zhang Wen didn’t hide his curiosity, chuckling as he walked into the manager’s office.
“None other than those damned adventurers,” Angelique sighed to Zhang Wen.
“What about the adventurers?”
“It seems there’s been some trouble in Casares’ adventure zone recently. The adventurers are in urgent need of manpower and have hired all the arena’s bounty fighters as bodyguards,” Shura quietly explained to Zhang Wen.
“All of them?” Zhang Wen was shocked.
“Almost. Do you know how much the commission for an eighth-tier bounty fighter has risen to now?” Shura continued in a hushed tone.
“How much?”
“This much.” Shura gestured to Zhang Wen.
“Two thousand imperial shields a day?” Zhang Wen frowned.
“Twenty thousand.” Shura’s voice remained consistently calm.
“What?” Zhang Wen’s eyes widened.
“That much money?” Agate’s breath quickened. This executioner of the society, nicknamed “Inferno Demon,” had also experienced being penniless and understood the importance of money.
“No wonder the customers have all run off. When I came, I saw that the hall was nearly empty. Still, twenty thousand imperial shields a day is no small sum! With that much money, I’d even consider becoming a bodyguard myself!” Zhang Wen exclaimed in disbelief.
“Shh!” Seeing Angelique’s eyes flash dangerously after hearing Zhang Wen’s words, Shura quickly gestured for silence and handed Zhang Wen a glass of water as a cover.
“Ahh! Ahem!” Zhang Wen immediately understood and coughed, turning to Angelique, “Angelique, what do you need me and Shura for regarding this matter? Why not consult with Iron Mask? He’s the spiritual leader of the arena; with him stepping in, they wouldn’t dare be so inconsiderate, right?”
“Hmph! Iron Mask? Don’t even mention him! That guy suddenly told me he plans to get married recently!”
“Marry… marry?” Zhang Wen almost spat out the water he had just taken into his mouth.
“That’s right! Moreover, I guarantee you won’t guess who Iron Mask is marrying!” Angelique’s gossiping spirit flared up, immediately clearing away her previous gloom.
“Really hard to imagine…” Zhang Wen shook his head in defeat.
“Oh, right! Speaking of it, the person Iron Mask is marrying has something to do with you,” Angelique pointed at Zhang Wen.
“Me? Impossible, right?” Zhang Wen thought hard but couldn’t recall any woman he knew who could possibly pair up with Iron Mask.
“It’s Instructor Katerina from your academy!” Angelique’s gossiping flame burned fiercely.
“Spit!” Zhang Wen finally spat out the water.
“Why? Is it really that surprising for you that Iron Mask and Instructor Katerina are a couple?”
“No! Of course not. I just… didn’t expect it. No! I suppose no one could have predicted such a thing! I’ve been friends with Iron Mask for over a year and worked with Katerina for nearly half a year, yet I never heard a word about them being in a relationship?” Zhang Wen hastily accepted the towel from Shura, wiping the water from his mouth.
“Hmph! Don’t mention you! I started working at the arena when I was twelve and have known Iron Mask for nearly twenty years, yet I was kept in the dark too!” Angelique scoffed disdainfully.
“Alright then. Let’s not dwell on this. Where is Iron Mask now? Even if he plans to marry, he wouldn’t abandon his home entirely, right?”
“Hmph! If Iron Mask were still here, we wouldn’t have encountered these troubles! Iron Mask went to the capital with your Instructor Katerina, claiming he wanted to visit Principal Jackfrit, and those ungrateful bastards all ran off!” Angelique’s anger flared again as she mentioned the bounty fighters hired as bodyguards.
“Angelique, there’s nothing we can do about it. Twenty thousand imperial shields a day—even if Iron Mask were still here, I doubt many could resist such a price,” Shura continued to reason with Angelique patiently.
“Hmm?” Angelique glared at Shura with murderous intent.
“Sigh…” Shura could only sigh helplessly and smile bitterly.
“Ahem! Ahem!” Zhang Wen coughed loudly again.
“Say what you want! Don’t cough like an old man!” Angelique’s face flushed slightly red again, though her expression remained fierce.
“Alright then, I’ll just say it. You two lovebirds can flirt later when you’re alone. Now, you’d better quickly tell me why you urgently called me here. With all the bounty fighters gone, calling me alone won’t help much,” Zhang Wen said with a wry smile.
“Hmph! This time, I didn’t call you back to participate in a competition! Although, speaking of that, you’re really not ambitious. Despite having such strong abilities, you’re content to remain a planetary warrior. Last time you went to the Fira planet, why didn’t you bring me back an imperial warrior badge?” Angelique complained increasingly dissatisfied, “Alright! Forget that. Anyway, this time I called you back because there’s a new commission requiring manpower.”
“Oh?” Zhang Wen looked at Shura in surprise. His expression seemed to ask, since Shura is here, why call me?
“Shura is going too.” Angelique waved her hand impatiently, as if shooing away an insect. “You and Shura, the client is willing to pay three hundred thousand imperial shields per person per day. Interested?”
“Thre… three hundred thousand…” Agate couldn’t help but gasp and start counting on his fingers beside them.
“…The mission lasts ten days, and upon completion, each of you will receive three million imperial shields.”
“Thre… three million!” Agate’s eyes seemed to swirl with little dizziness circles.
Although the title of Society Executor No.3 sounded prestigious, it was only prestigious on the surface. The annual “execution fee” provided by the society barely covered Agate’s living expenses and training costs. The number in Agate’s savings account had never exceeded four digits. Suddenly hearing about such a terrifying “huge sum” as three million imperial shields made Agate’s heart race.
“Angelique, weren’t you just angry about the bounty fighters going out to take private jobs? How come you suddenly changed your mind?” Zhang Wen looked at Angelique strangely.
“Hmph! With you two around, the arena would still be empty anyway. I might as well send you two out to earn some extra money,” Angelique waved her hand impatiently. “Remember, ten percent of your bonus will be my commission.”
“That’s naturally no problem…” Zhang Wen was speaking when he suddenly saw Agate jump in front of him.
“I want to join too!” Agate, his face flushed red, shouted at Angelique.
“Oh? Who is this?”
Although Agate’s nickname “Inferno Demon” was well-known, very few had actually seen Agate’s appearance. Additionally, before coming to the arena, Agate had already grown tired of the harassment from the young girls at Almira Academy and had put away the giant sword on his back, which almost served as a symbol of his identity. It was understandable that Shura and Angelique didn’t recognize Agate.
“He’s… an old friend,” Zhang Wen thought for a moment and decided not to reveal Agate’s identity.
It wasn’t that Zhang Wen didn’t trust Shura and Angelique, but revealing Agate’s identity wouldn’t bring any benefits and would only increase the reservations between both sides. Therefore, it was better to keep it a temporary secret.
“Oh? An old friend, huh… How strong is he?” Angelique scrutinized Agate for a moment and asked Zhang Wen suspiciously. Frankly speaking, Agate’s appearance with his eyes shining brightly made it hard to associate him with the word “expert.”
“Hehe!” Zhang Wen smiled mysteriously, raising one finger at Angelique. “With Iron Mask gone, he alone could destroy your arena.”
“Transcendent?” Angelique widened her already large and beautiful eyes in surprise.
“Exactly.” Zhang Wen nodded, then added to the smug Agate, “Though he might be the weakest among Transcendents.”
“You…” Agate was left speechless by Zhang Wen’s remark.
“Giggles!” Angelique covered her mouth and laughed.
“Don’t laugh. Angelique, I haven’t finished what I was saying earlier. The reward for the mission you introduced is indeed generous, but for someone to offer such a large sum and require both me and Shura to go, I suppose it won’t be an easy task. Also, don’t you plan to explain a bit about the client’s background?” Zhang Wen smiled and glanced at Angelique.
“Of course, I was just about to talk about that,” Angelique nodded naturally. “The person who approached us this time is a very famous figure in Casares. Hassan Mohan, have you heard of this name?”
“That famous loan shark?” Zhang Wen raised his eyebrows.
“Heh! Hassan is not just a loan shark. Do you know what the most profitable business in Casares is?” Angelique continued to ask Zhang Wen.
“The most profitable business… mining?”
“Wrong. It’s gambling.” Angelique smiled calmly and shook her head. “Every year, tens of thousands of aristocrats and nobles come to Casares’ adventure zone to explore. These guys are different from ordinary adventurers; they don’t come here to get rich, but purely for excitement. Throwing away thousands in a casino? They don’t care at all and even compete with each other. The amount of money these wastrels throw into the casinos every year is astronomical. And more than seventy percent of the casinos on the entire Casares planet belong to Hassan. However, this old fox understands the principle of keeping a low profile very well, so he never seeks the spotlight, which is why not many people know about him.”
“Wow!” Zhang Wen couldn’t help but whistle.
“That’s not all! Loan sharking, underground fighting rings, gangs, mining… you name it, Hassan has his fingers in it. Oh, right! The only psychokinetic hovercar rental company in Casares also has a thirty percent stake from Hassan! To be honest, if it weren’t for our Kemal Arena having too big of a reputation for Hassan to dare to meddle, it would probably have already been renamed Mohan.”
“Alright. I get it. This time, the big client of the arena is this Mr. Hassan. So, what trouble has our Mr. Hassan encountered that even Shura alone can’t solve?” Zhang Wen lazily continued to ask.
“It’s not that Hassan thinks Shura alone isn’t strong enough, but rather that the number of people he needs is definitely more than one. Besides us Kemal, Hassan has also contacted several other arenas. Accepting the task with you and Shura is just agreeing to the recruitment. When you get to Hassan’s place, you’ll probably have to go through another selection process with bounty fighters from other arenas. The thirty thousand imperial shields per day Hassan mentioned is just the cost during the selection period.” After Angelique finished speaking, she was satisfied to see Zhang Wen’s expression resemble someone who had swallowed an entire egg whole.
“If that’s the case, then why do the others run off to become bodyguards for others? They should all go to Hassan’s recruitment!” As soon as Zhang Wen closed his jaw, he couldn’t help but say to Angelique again.
“Nonsense! Do you think thirty thousand imperial shields a day is that easy to get? Hassan only asked our Kemal Arena to recommend two candidates this time. I saw this as a good opportunity to make money, so I specifically sought you out.” Angelique gave Zhang Wen two disapproving glances.
“What about me? What about me?” Agate, hearing that there were only two spots, was so anxious he almost jumped up.
“Hehe! Don’t worry! Our Kemal Arena has some reputation in Casares. You’re going with Zhang Wen and Shura. No matter how strict Hassan is, he won’t deny me the chance to recommend someone.” At this moment, Angelique finally displayed the demeanor of a female boss as the manager of the arena!
“What do you think, Zhang Wen? Interested?”
“Alright! Since the academy competition just ended, Almira Academy should be quiet for a while recently. Why not earn some extra money with thirty thousand imperial shields a day?” Zhang Wen thought for a moment and smiled as he agreed.
“Great, then it’s settled. Tomorrow morning, the three of you come back to the arena. Hassan will send someone to pick you up.” Angelique nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing that the main business was done, Zhang Wen naturally took his leave with Agate promptly, avoiding being a third wheel between Angelique and Shura.
When Zhang Wen and Agate returned to Almira Academy, Xiao Xi and Amylis had also finished their shopping trip in the city center and returned with a full load. They met each other on the academy’s main road. Agate’s brotherly instinct immediately kicked in, and he volunteered to be the girls’ porter.
“Ahh! Teacher Zhang, meeting you here is just great!” Amylis hung all the shopping bags on Agate, satisfied as she stretched lazily and slyly said to Zhang Wen with a double meaning.
“That’s for sure.” Zhang Wen gave a helpless glance at Agate, who was buried under a mountain of bags.
“Teacher Zhang, have you heard? This morning during the psionic arts meeting, Instructor Elyna attacked Grado and ended up suspended for reflection.” Seeing Agate and Xiao Xi catching up with each other nearby, Amylis also leaned in and whispered to Zhang Wen.
“Oh?”
“How come? Teacher Zhang, you seem completely unsurprised! Are you working with Grado?” Amylis looked at Zhang Wen suspiciously.
“Hey! What do you take me for?” Zhang Wen pretended to be displeased, his eyes sweeping over Amylis’s perky backside.
“Mm!” Amylis instinctively covered her pink bottom and blushed immediately.
“Alright! Tell me exactly what happened.” Zhang Wen chuckled and asked again.
“It was like this. This morning, the academy announced that there would be a public evaluation, right? The psionic arts instructors gathered to discuss it, and Grado suggested recommending Instructor Shimer as the chief evaluator. Elyna stood up to oppose him, and during the argument, Grado said something that made Elyna attack him.”
“What did Grado say?”
“Who knows?” Amylis shrugged indifferently. “But since Elyna took action, it doesn’t matter what Grado said. I heard from Karite that Elyna looked like she wanted to kill Grado. The first rule in the academy’s regulations clearly prohibits private fights among instructors. Besides, right now Principal Oudai and the most likely candidate for the head of the psionic arts department, Instructor Shimer, both have bad relations with Elyna. I think this time, Elyna is going to be in big trouble!”
“What Elyna does or doesn’t get into has nothing to do with me.”
“Hehe! Teacher Zhang, you can’t say that. Many of the psionic arts instructors are saying that although Elyna’s current situation isn’t directly your fault, it all stems from you defeating the Taimis Academy and forcing Instructor Katerina to resign.” Amylis laughed like a little fox. “Aren’t you afraid that Elyna might come looking for revenge one day?”
“I don’t think so.” Zhang Wen smiled faintly, recalling the scene from last night.
Thinking about Elyna’s disoriented appearance when she left his place the previous night, Zhang Wen felt she probably wouldn’t dare to come looking for trouble again.
After finishing the topic about Elyna, Amylis, eager to try on her new clothes, soon parted ways with Zhang Wen and Agate. The two girls ran back to the dormitory with clear and pleasant laughter. Seeing Xiao Xi, Agate was also satisfied and returned to his hotel near the center of the academy.
Of course, whether Agate could maintain his good mood when he saw the hotel bill was uncertain. In fact, the exorbitant accommodation fee at Almira Academy’s hotel was also one of the important reasons Agate was so upset about the bounty mentioned by Angelique.
As for Zhang Wen, he didn’t go home directly but first went to the psionic arts department. It was already a given that Agate would enter Almira Academy. With Laila being indifferent, Zhang Wen had no choice but to go to the psionic arts department to try his luck.
However, with the psionic arts instructors themselves in a state of anxiety, who had the time to deal with a sudden transfer student? Moreover, even if Zhang Wen personally showed up, making a request to take in a student with only second-tier psionic arts was too outrageous! As a result, Zhang Wen spent the entire afternoon at the psionic arts department without anyone willing to engage with him.
After searching the psionic arts department all day without success, Zhang Wen had no choice but to return to the quiet little house by the back gate of the academy with empty hands.
Upon returning, Zhang Wen was quite surprised to find a white high-heeled shoe under his bed. Soon, Zhang Wen remembered that this should be something Elyna had forgotten in his room. Elyna had thrown one of them into the woods herself yesterday, and when she left, she had also forgotten the other one in Zhang Wen’s room.
Unfortunately, I’m not a prince, and the woman who lost the shoe isn’t any Cinderella. The creamy high-heeled shoe evoked many past memories for Zhang Wen. With a sigh, Zhang Wen casually threw the shoe onto the table and began his daily spring water technique practice.
Night soon fell on Casares. The quiet night made Zhang Wen’s senses during practice increasingly sharp. The gentle rustling of the wind through the treetops, the intermittent chirping of insects in the grass—all escaped Zhang Wen’s ears.
However, amidst the peaceful and harmonious sounds, an unfamiliar footstep suddenly intruded.
“Hmm?” Zhang Wen opened his eyes. From the lightness and heaviness of the footsteps, Zhang Wen could already tell that it was a woman cautiously approaching his small house.
“Did Amylis actually get it right?” Zhang Wen frowned heavily, while he heard the woman outside not heading towards the door but instead circling around the house and stopping at the back, only a window away from Zhang Wen’s bed.
Casares has two moons. Through the gap in the curtain, Zhang Wen could clearly see Elyna’s face filled with hatred. Soon, a blinding white glow appeared between Elyna’s hands.
“This woman is truly mad!” Zhang Wen looked in disbelief as the white glow between Elyna’s hands grew larger. Obviously, Elyna had made up her mind to kill Zhang Wen in one go!
Because she was worried that making a psionic bullet might make too much noise and wake Zhang Wen, Elyna had to slow down the charging speed of the bullet. As a result, the slight “buzzing” sound during the charging process was easily mixed in with the night chirping of insects.
However, Elyna’s decision to slow down at this moment was convenient for Zhang Wen. Without hesitation, Zhang Wen took advantage of the moment when Elyna’s psionic bullet was halfway through its creation. He channeled all his battle energy to the extreme and rushed out suddenly. Using his ghost step technique, Zhang Wen shattered the glass window and suddenly appeared in front of Elyna!
“Ahh!” Elyna never expected that Zhang Wen would sense her sneak attack. Seeing Zhang Wen suddenly appear before her, Elyna’s first reaction was shock and panic. She even forgot to throw the half-finished psionic bullet and was hit by a finger from Zhang Wen on her waist.
The spring water technique battle energy erupted instantly, and half of Elyna’s body immediately lost sensation! Elyna screamed, and the psionic bullet in her hand exploded uncontrollably. The violent air current swept Elyna away, flipping her over.
However, what made Elyna feel even worse was not the bullet with only half its power. Because the creation of the psionic bullet was interrupted midway, Elyna’s internal psionic energy became chaotic the moment she was attacked by Zhang Wen.
Elyna soon panicked to find that she couldn’t exert any strength in her entire body. The only remaining feeling was an unbearable soreness that made her want to cry.
“Elyna, do you know what you’re doing?” After the psionic bullet explosion, Zhang Wen appeared in front of Elyna.
“Heh… Hehe! Of course I know.” Elyna lifted her head, surprisingly gasping with a sneer at Zhang Wen.
“What else have you done?” Zhang Wen stared into Elyna’s eyes and demanded fiercely.
“What have I done? Haha! What’s the use of asking you now?” Elyna laughed wildly, her voice once again filled with the joy of revenge. “While you’re talking to me, the other side has already started! Hehe! I also want you to taste what it’s like to lose the most important thing!”
“Elyna!” Zhang Wen’s eyes burned with a fury capable of burning everything. He almost spat out the three words, one syllable at a time, from the depths of his lungs.
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