There are quite a few mansion compounds on the outskirts of the royal city of Erathia. Most of these were built by merchants or adventurers who had washed their hands of gold. These rich but no nouveau riche like to settle down here, and it seems that the distance is as close as possible to the royal city, and they can also be infected with a bit of aristocratic atmosphere.

Mr. Isis' mansion is one of them. As we all know, although Mr. Isis is still a nouveau riche, he is also a hard-working nouveau riche guy, he originally had a thriving property and family in Einfast, who knew that an accident not only caused him to lose all his family, but also turned him into an ugly cripple. Saddened, he left his hometown with all his possessions and settled here, and through his connections with his old friends of Ernfast, he began to sell treasures, often selling large quantities of treasures that were said to have been sold by his friends from Ironfast. And it seems that there are also many adventurers who come to sell him rare items.

And his business must have been very good during this time, and many strangers could often be seen coming and going in his house. Judging from the way they look, they are probably some adventurers. As at other times, the host does not entertain the guests with much fanfare, and these people usually do not like to be lively and conspicuous.

in the basement of the mansion.

Like the owner's seemingly simple but absolutely invisible, subterranean expanse and complexity far beyond the above-ground buildings, almost comparable to the dwellings of the Minotaurs in Negan's underground. Dozens of rooms of different sizes crisscrossed it, hundreds of passages connected them, and more than a dozen passages leading to hidden exits on the ground, enough for those inside to escape in case of emergency. This is the largest den of the Shamuhi Thieves, although there is more than one such den elsewhere, but this is the largest.

One of the largest rooms in the basement was now crowded with people. Hundreds of people gathered here under the light of the tallow torch, and although the ventilation ducts were cleverly designed, the overcrowding of people still made the place look very stuffy.

If a commander of the Knights of Erathia could see what was going on, he would be shocked and overjoyed. Robbers, killers, thieves, lone thieves, liars..... All imaginable types of criminals are as diverse as an exhibition here. Hundreds of criminals wanted on Erathia's bounty hunt gathered here, clash to face under the light of torches, each head worth dozens of gold coins, and each hand had more blood on its hands than it did in its body.

But the thugs, who licked the blood with their knives and carried their heads to live, showed little restlessness. Although huddled together in this rather sullen underground cavern, no one made a loud noise, for Chief Helika did not like to be noisy. Someone was once pinched in the head because he spoke loudly when the leader was not in a good mood.

There are also a lot of newcomers here, but these people are also not the slightest bit noisy. One is because he has heard of the temper of the leader of the Silika, and the other is that one of the special products of the Shenmuhi thieves is being carried out in this already crowded space. Four big men walked through the crowd with two objects on their legs, stopping for a moment in front of everyone.

To be precise, the four big men were not holding objects in their hands, but two people who did not look like people. The two men had no hands or feet, no ears or nose on their faces, and only two large bloody holes in their eyes, and the only thing left was a mouth, for they still had to speak.

These are two newcomers who joined temporarily during the last sneak attack on the Tulaone Forest. During the retreat of the captives from the elves, the two perverts could not help but make a move on one of the female elves, which was strictly forbidden by the chief of Helika, and the two men must be punished according to the old rules. After cutting off everything they could in this way, they had to tell each member of the group about their mistakes and why they were punished. No one had ever been so strong as not to speak or to find an opportunity to commit suicide, and the Shamuhi thieves were the best at torture in Erathia, ensuring that every member of the group could hear their confessions.

The old members chatted with each other, and they were obviously used to this kind of convention for a long time. The new members were shocked and apprehensive. In the past month, the strength of the Shamuhi Thieves has greatly increased, and new people are constantly joining, and their numbers and strength have reached a peak that is about to explode. Of course, these newcomers joined because of the deliberate recruitment of the two leaders, but the more important reason was that several of the great bands of thieves in Erathia had been wiped out during the month, and those who had escaped had joined the Shamuhi bandits.

In the conversation of these people, the most popular and hottest topic was whether the knight who single-handedly exterminated several bands of thieves was a female knight.

Don't listen closely. The radiant armor and the white magic that swayed from the female knight's body had already revealed her identity, it was the Templar Knight sent by Celeste. The annihilation of each of the bandits was the same, in a massive collective action, in which the Templar swept through the air and took the leader like a flock. The bandit leaders, who were also well-known in Erathia, were immediately beheaded with little resistance, and then they were left to pursue and flee unilaterally.

Naturally, there are also people who have organized a rebellion, but unfortunately it is useless, and the Templar Knight, who has blessed himself with white magic and whose martial arts are already at the pinnacle, is no longer a tiger into the flock of sheep to deal with these thieves, it is easier than a tiger into the flock. Except for those who surrendered immediately, only 1/20 were able to escape, and the rest were killed on the spot. The thieves talked about her without the slightest contempt and ambiguity for women as animals, and they didn't even see her as a 'human' in their eyes. If it weren't for the church that confidently worships the God of Light, the metaphor of the devil in hell fits perfectly.

This knight came and went alone like the wind, unlike the officers and men of the brigade, who were obviously easy to watch out for. And every time the timing and place of appearance are very well chosen, there is no doubt that they are prepared. Not to mention the Templar of Celeste, just this name is enough to make most people lose their fighting spirit. It is rumored that if the Templars and Templars of Celeste were to gather, a small group of less than a hundred people could wipe out a country.

Many people have temporarily joined the Shenmuhi thieves with the idea of giving up at the end of the vote, and this time Healicka paid a lot of money to recruit people, as long as those who were approved to join received a few gold coins first, and promised more benefits after the fact. There are also quite a few people, especially the old members of the Shenmuhi Thieves, who are very confident in the leader's ability and the number of men.

No matter what kind of thoughts they were in, so many people had been waiting here for a long time, but there was no one to be seen.

In another basement, Helika and Isis face eight people.

They didn't pay attention to the more than 100 people over there, because if they needed to, the eight people here would never kill that group of criminal elites for more than ten minutes. These eight talents are the masters they really need.

These eight people have different shapes, including an old man hunched over, a young man in his prime, and a woman who is wrapped in a black robe and only shows a pair of charming eyes. The only thing they have in common is their strength, and with the help of these people, Helika even has the urge to compete with the Knights of the Kingdom. These eight men are arguably the strongest among the Elasian folk and the shadows.

"I need you to help, you can make a price. Helika's words were simple and straightforward, and if you were a businessman, you would undoubtedly like such a patron the most.

"The price usually makes sense for the living talent, and I first want to know if your plan really has a chance to succeed this time. "An obscene and trivial old man, who seems to be a ten-year-old mouse incarnated by Transfiguration. "You're not the first to fight elven ideas, but the forests of Turalone have almost never lost a single plant or tree in the past few hundred years, so why do you think we'll have a chance?"

"With this. Carefully, Isis took out three scrolls as if a believer were showing off his holy relics.

"This is .....," the old man's squinting rat eyes were as big as bull's eyes.

"As you all know, we caught five elves some time ago. And I'll tell you the truth, it was just an experiment we did for this operation, with very little force. And the reason why he was able to succeed was to rely on this scroll to completely break the magic barrier of the elves. And this time we're more prepared, and we have three scrolls. You can see the weight of these three scrolls. As long as the arrangement is reasonable, with your help, our plan will have a good chance of success. ”

The old man's fingers brushed lightly over the scroll in Isis's hand, and he sighed with envy, and then returned to his obscene appearance, and said weakly, "Then I want all the magic items of the elves." ”

"No way. This time, Isis's eyes widened wider than the old man's. "It's all for you, so what are we going to do?"

"You still have so many elves. It's hard for you to get so many magical items, do you dare to sell them to the church?"

"You don't have to worry about how to make a move, we can give you three more elven girls. Isis immediately bargained

"At my age, I don't have much interest in women for a long time. Don't mess with me. The old man yawned in displeasure, but did not budge in the slightest. "I just want magic items. ”

"After dismantling the teleportation magic array, everything is for you. We're going to keep the rest for ourselves. Hilika spoke, her deep voice rubbing against each other like two iron rods. "I'll just say it once. I never bargain with people. ”

Hearing the words 'Teleportation Magic Array', the old man's eyes lit up and he swallowed. He looked at Helika's face and nodded. "Good. ”

Hilika set her eyes on the second person and asked in a deep voice, "What do you want?"

"Thirty female elves. The answer is as concise as the question. It was a lean man in his thirties, dressed in a black bodysuit with an S-shaped serrated blade on his back, and the sheer size and cold light of the blade still made people shudder in the gloomy basement.

"Ten. Helika replied.

"If a large number of elves appear on the market, the price must fall sharply, so I can't give you more. Isis immediately added beside him.

The man thought for a moment and nodded in reply. "Good. ”

The next five quickly negotiated their own bizarre but absolutely staggering prices. All the way to the seventh man. This is a very handsome young man. He was dressed lightly, with only a long sword at his waist. If you just look at it from the outside, this is just a very ordinary, good-looking young man.

But since he can stand here, there must be enough reason. These people were all selected by Isis, and Isis has always had a good eye. So Helika asked, "What do you want?"

"A thousand gold coins. The young man replied. "Pay half upfront. ”

This is the first person to ask for real money. Everyone else knew the huge risks and benefits behind the operation, and the conditions demanded were as difficult to measure in monetary terms as the old man. And people like them generally will never be short of money, at least not so interested in money.

"Oh?" said Helica, with a look of surprise, for it was very rare for such a human expression to appear on his face, for he did not see the glow of fascination with gold coins in the young man's eyes. Even if he doesn't see that kind of light often, he can definitely feel it from his eyes all the time. So he asked again, "You like money?"

"I didn't like it before, but now I like it because I'm useful. The young man's expression was lukewarm.

"Good. Helika had a hideous look of appreciation on her face. "I like people who are so frank and love money. ”

The last man was an unremarkable-looking man. A face that disappears immediately when mixed in the crowd is not easy to distinguish even its age, it can only be said that it is between twenty and forty. I can only see some extraordinary clues from the tall and straight body, the strong and well-proportioned limbs without the slightest fat exposed on the outside of the clothes, and the weapon wrapped around the back.

"What do you want. Helika asked.

"Let's see what you can get first. This man's voice sounded ordinary, without the slightest murderous aura or anything else that attracted attention, but the content of his words made everyone stir. "And then I want half. ”

All eyes fell on this man, and there was some hostility among them. This tone and statement was not just contempt for Helika, but also for the other seven people here.

"Why?" said Helika with a laugh that sounded like a knife slashing into a bone, and a look of curiosity appeared in his eyes that had been glittering with fierce light.

"I'm worth the price. Worth more than the seven of them combined. The man replied lightly, without the slightest hint of fireworks in his voice, and his dark eyes met those of Helika.

But the expressions of the seven people next to him immediately changed, some of them were breathing fire in their eyes, and some were as cold as knives sharpened from ice.

"I know you're pretty good, and you've single-handedly repelled a reconnaissance squad of the Knights of the Kingdom. But let me tell you, everybody here can do the same. Although you were introduced by an old friend of Isis, he didn't say who you were. So you have to prove it yourself. Helika tapped at the other seven one by one with her thick fingers. "Prove why you can be worth more than the seven of them. ”

The man in black with a serrated blade on his back suddenly sighed and said to Helika: "You dare to hire such a noble person, why don't I slaughter him and let you get more." All you have to do is give me five more elves. ”

"Absolutely. Helika smiled like she wanted to eat someone. This man in black is the most famous and ruthless lone thief in Erathia for more than a decade, and has died at his hands more distant people than the average person has seen in a lifetime, and once turned the elite knights of the three kingdoms into pieces of meat with a single look, which is very suitable for a litmus test in this situation.

The man in black shook his hand, and the huge serrated blade behind his back was already in his hand. The others all stepped aside, and the old man and Isis simply retreated to the door, this strange weapon must be strange and lethal to use, and if you are not careful, it will be affected. Only Hilika did not move.

With a low shout, the entire basement was filled with the screams of sawtooth blades tearing through the air for a moment. The man in black turned into a dancing black shadow, and the jagged blade turned into a bright ball of light. Shadows and clouds of light staggered, slithering along a strange trajectory with incredible speed.

"The Art of Shadow Dance. The woman wrapped in a black robe lowered her body and exclaimed. This martial art, which was originally only used by the legendary Night Elves, actually appeared in the body of a human or a man. The Night Elf Woman's short sword was replaced by a strange serrated blade, which was undoubtedly a specially crafted weapon to complement the Shadow Dance.

The man in black was completely invisible, leaving only a blurry shadow that moved and jumped rapidly throughout the room. He didn't attack lightly, he had to push the shadow dance to the limit, and then he would attack at the best opportunity. The night elves' transformation from the sacrificial dance is magical, and the men's explosiveness is far stronger than that of the elven women, and the ability to change positions and blur their bodies is used to the extreme. Standing in the doorway, Isis's eyes widened as he struggled to find any trace of a human figure.

The ordinary-looking man didn't move, just stood there and drew the weapon he had been carrying, it turned out to be a knife that could be made by any blacksmith shop.

He raised his sword. Each of his movements was slow, in stark contrast to the rapidly moving shadows around him.

The shadows are moving faster and faster. It was as if the entire space was filled with his faint and vague figure, and the whistling of the sawtooth blade had begun to piercing. His body pace has reached its limit, and all that remains is a thunderous blow that will be delivered immediately.

The sword light only flickered, and the figures and whistling that permeated the entire space disappeared. There was no clash of iron and gold, only the sound of a clean blade thrust into a muscle and a bone, followed by a hoarse scream.

Helika's pupils contracted suddenly. He had been standing not far from the two of them since the beginning of the battle, and he did not move as the man in black danced and flew past him with a serrated blade, and he remained in his position, not even the tiniest muscle on his face twitched, like a mountain of steel cast. It was only then that he had an expression.

Not only him, but the expressions of every onlooker were surprised and frozen, and their eyes were all in the same place, looking at the feet of the man in black.

The man in black had already regained his form from the rapidly moving phantom, and he paused suddenly. The knife in his opponent's hand shot out, piercing the soles of his feet and immobilizing him in place. The two-foot-long blade had completely submerged into the sole of the foot and the masonry underneath, leaving only a short hilt on the sole of the foot. His body still swung around the fixed foot by inertia, and his miserable roar could not hide the sound of the metacarpal bones being twisted by himself.

"Your dance is so ugly. The man shook his head.

The man in black roared, and the serrated blade in his hand slashed into a whirling cloud of light and threw it towards his opponent. The man just flicked his hand, and the serrated blade turned around and flew out. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but the serrated blade that changed direction flew directly towards Helika, who was close at hand.

Helika didn't dodge, just waved his hand. With a loud 'poof', the serrated blade slashed into his hand and bounced off the nearby rock wall. His arm, the thickness of a normal person's thigh, left only a white mark on it.

No one paid attention to him, everyone was looking at the two in the center.

Throwing his weapon was already the last relatively normal action of the man in black. His whole body was trembling now, and his mouth was making meaningless sounds. But it's familiar to everyone here, it's the sound of a man's lungs twitching before dying after being badly injured. But there were no fatal wounds on his body now, and for this kind of person who had been in the killing fields with his head on his head for so many years, it was no different from a broken skin on his feet.

The man who threw the knife walked straight up to the man in black and bent down to pull out his own knife.

As soon as the knife left his foot, the man in black immediately fell. It's just that the posture in which he fell to the ground is very strange, such a person who was so strong and powerful just now, as agile as a leopard, is so weak that he is like a cloth pocket that has only been emptied. And his body was constantly atrophiing, his skin and muscles were rapidly losing their luster, and the air leaking ball was concave like a ball.

A low, strange humming sound filled the basement. The knife that had just been pulled out of the man's foot in black had turned dark red, and the dark red on it was still flowing on its own as if it were alive. The man plunged the knife into the scabbard behind his back, and the humming sound died down immediately.

"Superior magic weapon....." The voice of Isis at the door trembled.

"Is it the legendary vampire tooth....." the old man added with a sigh, while the others couldn't even make a sound.

"How's it?" The man turned to look at Helika.

Helica's pupils had shrunk to a small black dot, the eyes of a beast. It took him a long time before he spat out a single word. "Value. ”