According to Lesha’s plan, the idea was to provoke Hakem, lure him to a secluded spot, and then rob him while masked. Though her plan seemed feasible on the surface, it was hardly practical. This was Windrock City, and masked robbery was far too conspicuous. Finding a truly deserted place was nearly impossible.
So, Ye Chui altered the strategy. He opted for a duel with Hakem, using the opportunity to get close and make him surrender his possessions willingly. Fortunately, a pompous fool like Hakem didn’t need much prompting, eagerly proposing the duel himself.
When Ye Chui revealed his white-covered magic book, Hakem’s disdain for him intensified, assuming Ye Chui was just a pretty boy who had shamelessly won Lesha’s affection.
If Ye Chui fought Hakem without summoning spirits or using BGM, he might not have been able to defeat him outright. After all, without cheats, Ye Chui was only a novice magic mentor. But by suddenly revealing his true identity as the president of a three-star guild, he caught Hakem off guard, stunning him and creating an opening. In an instant, Ye Chui appeared at his side, completely overpowering him.
“I can let you win, but you’ll have to hand over everything you’re carrying. Then I’ll pretend you defeated me…” As he said this, Ye Chui’s mind flashed to Android 18’s fight with Mr. Satan.
The situation was similar. Though there were hardly any people nearby, a few civilians watched from a distance, along with Hakem’s attendants. For a face-obsessed, brainless noble like Hakem, the prospect of defeating a three-star guild president was an irresistible temptation.
Sure enough, Hakem’s expression twitched at Ye Chui’s words, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Really?”
If he handed over his gold coin cards to claim a victory over a three-star guild president, it would be a feat he could boast about for ages. Even his uncle, Lord Kevin, who always looked down on him, might see him in a new light.
“Looks like we have a deal,” Ye Chui said, reaching into Hakem’s robe and pulling out his belongings: several bronze-colored gold coin cards, each worth a hundred gold coins, a bulging money pouch, and… a small, peculiar token. Ye Chui could sense faint spatial magic emanating from it.
Undoubtedly, this was the teleportation token Lesha mentioned.
He swiftly stored the gold coin cards and coins in his [Storage Space], but the teleportation token, likely due to conflicting attributes, couldn’t be placed in his magic book. So, he tucked it into his robe.
Then, looking at Hakem’s ashen face, Ye Chui smiled. It was time for his performance.
Hakem’s attendants, blocked by Jilga, watched their master anxiously. If anything happened to Hakem, they’d be in deep trouble. Hakem and Ye Chui had been locked in a standoff for half a minute, and they couldn’t tell what was happening. Then, they heard Ye Chui’s weak voice. “You… you’re truly formidable. Your sword aura is so powerful. I’ve been gravely injured without even noticing. I’m no match for you…”
With that, Ye Chui let out an “ah” and leapt back, collapsing to the ground.
Hakem remained frozen in his initial sword-raising stance.
The surroundings fell silent.
Ye Chui’s fake fall was, frankly, a bit too obvious. Even a rookie scammer’s first attempt would’ve been more convincing.
But after a few stunned seconds, Hakem smoothly picked up the act. With a hearty “Ha,” he sheathed his sword. “Now you know my prowess. I, Hakem, am a formidable swordsman.”
His voice trembling slightly, he turned to leave without a moment’s delay. His attendants, still confused, wondered if their master had mastered some incredible sword technique, injuring Ye Chui after a mere half-minute standoff. It seemed so impressive.
One attendant, seeing Hakem about to leave, shouted, “Miss Lesha, only our Lord Hakem is worthy of…”
*Slap!*
Hakem smacked the attendant, making him stumble. “Shut up, you idiot,” he barked, striding away. The attendant, clutching his face in bewilderment, hurried after him, and the group quickly vanished.
Debbie, Lesha, Green, and Jilga rushed to Ye Chui’s side. Jilga looked a bit miffed, as several “beef meatballs” had slipped away. Watching Ye Chui stand and dust himself off, Debbie asked with starry eyes, “What did you get from him? Did you get the teleportation token?”
“This must be it,” Ye Chui said, handing the token to Debbie. He then pulled out the gold coin cards and money pouch, inspecting the haul. “Four hundred gold coins in total. Tsk tsk, this noble’s pretty poor, carrying just this much.”
“President, that’s already a fortune,” Green said, satisfied. He’d spent years gambling and only saved up a hundred gold coins.
“Twenty-some gold coins in the pouch. Let’s split them,” Ye Chui said, dividing the coins. Each of the four got five, with the extra one going to Lesha, since she’d orchestrated the plan. As for the gold coin cards, “The rest will go to our guild’s building fund.”
Lesha stared at the coins in her hand, her pretty face struggling to process. “Why do I feel like we’re bandits?” Her plan was only to steal the teleportation token.
Jilga nodded in agreement. As a noble swordswoman, she found Debbie and Ye Chui’s actions a bit… unsavory.
“That’s the thrill of adventure,” Debbie declared cheerfully, defining the moment.
“This is the teleportation token. How do we use it?” Green asked, fiddling with the token. As a spatial magic mentor, he could feel its potent spatial magic. “I heard only high-level spatial magic mentors like Master Merlin can make these.”
“It activates on its own. When the time comes, it’ll trigger automatically, pulling everyone nearby into the ruin,” Debbie said, somewhat knowledgeable. “Just not sure when it’ll activate.”
“Probably still some time,” Lesha guessed. “The church’s token hasn’t finalized its team yet. I’d say we have at least a day or two to prepare.”
This little sister was clearly eager for an exciting adventure.
“Won’t Hakem send people to take the token back?” Green asked, concerned.
“He can try to weasel out of it,” Lesha said. “He’s a spineless nobody, not even favored by the lord. He has little power. We took it fair and square. Why give it back?” Having thoroughly investigated Hakem for this plan, she knew all the details.
This wasn’t the lawful world Ye Chui came from. Here, personal strength held significant sway.
“Alright then. Lesha, are you heading back to the church?” Ye Chui asked. “If there’s time, you could join us for the head cook competition.”
“Great, I don’t want to go back to the church anyway. I’ll join you for the competition. I’m in for a treat,” Lesha said eagerly.
As Ye Chui, Debbie, Lesha, and Green headed to the lord’s mansion kitchen, Hakem and his attendants arrived at a small tavern. Guzzling a “Flaming Cocktail,” Hakem tried to calm his racing heart, though his expression remained uneasy.
His attendants stood by, still excitedly praising Hakem’s “victory” over a three-star guild president.
But then, a group entered the tavern, led by a tall swordsman in teal armor, a banyan leaf emblem on his chest.
“It’s Mr. Abdu,” an attendant called out enthusiastically. “Mr. Abdu, you missed a great show. Our Lord Hakem defeated a three-star guild president.”
“Hm?” Abdu frowned, eyeing Hakem, his gaze narrowing.
Hakem gave an awkward laugh, standing. “Just got lucky, haha…”
Abdu was the leader of the four-star Banyan Leaf Mercenary Group. After Hakem received the teleportation token, many had approached him. The fourth prince had given him the token not only to curry favor with Lord Kevin but also to recruit guilds and mercenary groups indirectly through Hakem, who served as a perfect intermediary. The Banyan Leaf Group had already agreed to send six members with Hakem into the ruin to assist his adventure.
Naturally, the spoils would be theirs.
A seasoned figure like Abdu didn’t buy that Hakem had defeated a three-star guild president. Sensing something off, he frowned and asked, “Hakem, where’s the teleportation token?”
“The token?” Hakem’s body shook. He frantically searched himself, his face on the verge of tears. He realized Ye Chui hadn’t just taken his gold coin cards but also the crucial teleportation token.
“I just got word from the fourth prince. The coordinates will activate in two hours. The adventure’s been moved up,” Abdu said, his face darkening as he leaned in, glaring at Hakem. “The token’s still with you, right?”
“I… I lost it,” Hakem stammered, trying to explain to Abdu.
