Chapter 471, I'm probably done for.
The other party was clearly targeting him.
If someone needed to lure them out, it had to be him.
This was the only way to give their side the advantage.
If he waited for them to make the first move, he would only be more passive.
Hearing Wu Heng directly suggest luring the opponent out,
the old mage raised an eyebrow and sized him up again.
After all, not everyone had the courage to face an level 18 Professional.
Previously, he had doubted the authenticity of Wu Heng killing the level 18 island lord, but now it didn't seem impossible.
"Where would it be most advantageous for us to lure the opponent?"
Imiro pondered for a moment and said, "It's best to do it at sea. After the fight, it'll prevent them from escaping."
On land, there was still a chance they could return to the residential area.
The old mage nodded in agreement, "Yes, at sea, it will indeed resolve many unnecessary troubles."
Wu Heng listened to their conversation, his brow furrowed.
He coughed lightly and said, "At sea, they can't escape, but neither can I."
The opponent was stalking him, waiting for the right moment to strike, and the chances were high they were a melee Professional.
Luring them onto a ship was akin to being tied together by a "duelist's shackle"—neither could leave the ship.
"Once they appear, we'll get there as soon as possible," the old mage said with a smile.
Wu Heng's brow remained furrowed. "They're an level 18 Professional. By the time you get there, I'll already be done for."
Facing an level 18 Professional, even if he risked his life, he wasn't entirely without hope.
But with two level 18 opponents, taking the risk felt excessive.
The old mage flipped his palm, producing a scroll. "If there's danger, you can use this to teleport away."
[Teleportation Scroll]
(Description: A scroll engraved with a teleportation array, allowing connection to any array in the 'same plane' and 'within range,' teleporting you to the target area.)
A teleportation scroll.
The pirates had used one earlier.
Its effect had been fairly significant.
Imiro added, "Dean Janvito is a mage of the Conjuration School and can directly teleport us over. With your skills, it won't be dangerous."
A Conjuration mage... Wu Heng glanced at the old mage again.
The latter still wore a smile, exuding the demeanor of a worldly master.
Wu Heng thought for a moment and decided not to refuse. Holding out for a few minutes or stalling the opponent wouldn't be a big problem.
"Then we'll go with this plan." Wu Heng put away the scroll and agreed.
With the preliminary plan set,
the old mage pondered for a moment before continuing, "Deputy Steward Wu Heng, do you have any impression of this person?"
"None. Aside from the pirate incident, I haven't encountered any level 18 Professionals," Wu Heng answered directly.
Imiro analyzed, "The most likely culprit is someone from the Divine Punishment Sect, but the figure described by Wu Heng doesn't match."
"Are you referring to the witch on the wanted list?" The old mage took a sip of tea. "Witches possess many unique abilities. Changing their appearance isn't difficult."
Wu Heng shook his head. "I've never met that witch, nor do I have any significant grudges with her."
Both the old mage and Imiro fell silent.
There really was no reason for someone to stalk Wu Heng.
If it were revenge, they would target Imiro instead.
Unable to come up with a reasonable explanation, Imiro said, "We'll know who it is when the time comes. Wu Heng, go make your preparations. Once everything is arranged, I'll notify you. Remember, don't tell anyone about this."
"Understood. I'll head back now."
Wu Heng left the room after speaking.
The old mage took another sip of tea. "Your Deputy Steward has quite the nerve."
Imiro stood up and casually remarked, "He's worried about the two maids by his side. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought this up and would have handled it himself."
The old mage raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "You have too much faith in him. The gap between levels isn't something you can just overcome."
Imiro didn't explain further, simply walking out.
The old mage, staff in hand, followed him out of the study.
...
In the study,
Andviel sat at the desk organizing documents, while Minnie was on the sofa feeding a small owl.
She tore strips of jerky and muttered, "You better not grow up to be like that Philipa parrot. You need to be a handsome beast, got it?"
The little owl ate the jerky without any response.
Hearing the door open, it turned to see Wu Heng return.
Minnie tossed the jerky aside and leaped into his arms. "Master, did something happen?"
Andviel and the little owl also looked over.
Bringing Minnie along earlier clearly indicated there was something going on.
Wu Heng hugged Minnie tightly and said, "It's nothing. I suspected there might be danger on the island, so I brought you along. I've spoken to the Steward; he'll handle it."
"Can I go back later?" Minnie asked.
"Stay at the Guild for now. Once the Steward resolves it, you can go back."
"Alright!" Minnie agreed, sitting back on the sofa and flipping through a worn comic book.
Wu Heng sat at the desk, preparing for the evening battle.
All firearms and ammunition were checked thoroughly.
As for skeletons, he currently arranged his skeleton attendants to include the level 17 Skeleton Ronin, Keramu, and the level 17 Skeleton Boxer, Tolga.
These were the ones connected to him by the 'Duelist's Shackle' and teleported to the wilderness during the pirate attack.
The level 18 Skeleton Prophet, on the other hand, wasn't particularly strong in combat.
So it wasn't brought along.
In fact, thinking carefully, if the opponent was really alone,
it might not be entirely hopeless.
Wu Heng stayed in the study until the afternoon.
Knock knock~!
The door was knocked on.
Minnie leaped up from the sofa like a carp and went to open the door.
A staff member peeked in and smiled, saying, "Deputy Steward Wu Heng, the Steward requests your presence."
"Alright, I'll head over now," Wu Heng responded.
It seemed they were ready.
He put on the defensive leather armor of the Adventurer's Guild Deputy Steward over his outfit.
Before leaving, he instructed the two women, "You two, stay in the guild dormitory tonight. Don't go too far for meals."
The two women exchanged glances.
"Alright, Master, be careful," Andviel said with concern.
Minnie followed up, "Master, we'll wait for you to come back."
"Mm, no problem. The Steward has arranged everything, so it won't be dangerous."
Wu Heng patted Minnie's bunny ears and left the room.
...
At dusk, in the Nautilus Tavern.
"Guest, your dinner is ready," Philipa called out after lightly knocking twice on the private room door, carrying a tray of food.
There was no choice, even though she hated it.
She couldn't resist 'Milisen' nagging in her ear.
It wouldn't last long anyway. In a few days, she'd have Wu Heng arrange a job for her—anything, even patrolling outside, would be better than this.
"Bring it in!" came a woman's voice from inside the room.
Philipa promptly opened the door and entered the private room.
The not-so-small room
had only one woman sitting at the wooden table. Her long brown hair and delicate features were accompanied by a slight smile.
She wore leather armor on her upper body and brown leather pants below. Beside her seat lay a black cloak.
However, judging by her demeanor, she didn't quite fit in with the tavern's atmosphere.
...
"Guest, I've brought your dinner. It's absolutely delicious," Philipa said with a practiced smile.
"Put it down," the woman said softly.
"Sure thing. Enjoy your meal," Philipa said, setting the tray down and turning to leave.
The woman continued, "You're Philipa, right?"
Philipa turned back with a puzzled look and smiled, "You must have mistaken me for someone else, guest."
"We met at sea before. You were a captain then," the woman said with a faint smile.
Realizing she was a familiar face, Philipa quickly replied, "It's my friend's tavern, newly opened. I'm just helping out."
"I see. A captain working here... turns out you're helping out," the woman said, still smiling.
"Um, are you from the sea... as well?" Philipa asked, glancing at her again.
"I'm not from the sea."
"Oh, your outfit doesn't look like it either. No one from the sea is as pale as you," Philipa said, continuing the conversation.
The woman smiled silently, just staring at her quietly.
In the corner, a faint mist rose, forming two venomous snakes that slowly slithered up Philipa's shoulders.
Philipa, standing still, suddenly froze, her expression stiff.
Her eyes filled with wariness and fear, but her entire body was paralyzed, with only her eyes moving.
"Sorry, little sister...," the woman said softly.
Hiss~!
The mist snakes flicked their tongues and bit into her neck from both sides.
Bang~!
The door was pushed open forcefully.
A bald, burly man burst into the room.
Glancing around, he said, "Let's go. He's gone to sea. Don't stir up trouble here."
Gone to sea?
At this time?
"Are you sure it's him?" the woman asked doubtfully.
"He disguised himself using a tool to turn into a woman. It's easy to see through," the bald man replied, grabbing some food off the table and taking a few bites.
"What's he doing at sea?"
"Who cares? He only brought two attendants, likely his skeletons. Once he's at sea, no one can save him," the bald man said excitedly.
Meanwhile, Philipa, still paralyzed, began to piece things together.
This was a plan to kill Wu Heng.
It's over. Their foolish Deputy Steward probably had no clue about this.
And like an idiot, he went out to sea.
The woman pulled up her hood, covering herself. "Let's go."
With a wave of her hand, Philipa's body collapsed, unconscious.
The two left the room, closing the door behind them.
The tavern's first floor was bustling as usual.
Guests shouted boisterously, and bartenders scrambled to serve them.
No one noticed the two leaving quietly.
...
Late at night,
Wu Heng stood on the deck, gazing at the endless sea.
Even though it was an ambush,
there was an unshakable sense of nervousness in his heart.
An level 18 Professional was, aside from heroes, the strongest of Professionals.
To say he felt no pressure would be a lie.
"Their corpse will definitely be excellent," he muttered.
Just then, Xiaoxiao swooped down from above, urgently saying, "They're here! There's a ship heading this way!"
Glenda followed closely behind.
Wu Heng looked in the direction Xiaoxiao indicated.
The sea remained pitch black, and he couldn't see anything.
But Xiaoxiao never joked at critical moments, and besides, Glenda was there too.
Ghosts didn't rely on eyesight; the darkness didn't affect them.
"Are there any level 18 Professionals?" Wu Heng asked.
The presence of a ship didn't matter.
What mattered was whether the level 18 Professional was with them.
If they weren't, the situation might become even more complicated.
"I don't see them yet," Xiaoxiao shook her head.
Glenda asked, "Should we go inside the ship to check?"
Spirit Sight only worked on visible targets.
If they were hiding in a building or using a 'Concealing Cloak' or similar tool, it wouldn't detect them.
"No need to go over. Just keep an eye on it."
"Alright!" Xiaoxiao nodded and flew back into the sky to continue observing.
About twenty minutes later,
a medium-sized ship appeared under the moonlight.
It headed straight toward them.
"They're here. An level 18 Professional is aboard," Xiaoxiao exclaimed.
A figure emerged from the ship's cabin.
They glanced at Wu Heng's ship.
With a leap, they shot out like a cannonball.
Closing the distance in an instant, they landed on the deck with a loud bang.
"Got you, little Deputy Steward!"