The three of them passed through the alleyways, heading south.
Along the way, the streets were unusually quiet—it seemed most of the civilians had been subdued by the mercenaries.
But Dan Feng and the others had to prioritize reclaiming the magic tools first.
"Be cautious. We still don't know if there are strong enemies over there. As for you, Steves, stay farther back later." Dan Feng calmly said to the two beside him.
Both nodded in agreement.
...At this moment, in the capital of Basheran Duchy.
"Urgent message! The second city Rosenberg has been occupied by a group of mercenaries!" A knight rushed in with an anxious expression to report, holding a bloodstained piece of paper in his hand.
"What?" The Duke of Basheran, who held authority over Basheran Duchy, quickly took the paper from the knight and hurriedly read it.
[Second city Rosenberg has fallen. Perpetrator unknown. Enemy force consists of several thousand mercenaries. Requesting reinforcements!]
"Quick! Send an urgent message to Ranoa Kingdom requesting additional knights. Take one-third of my knights here to support Rosenberg!" The Duke of Basheran shouted to his subordinates, then hurriedly grabbed his own staff, preparing to head to Rosenberg personally for support.
"Yes!" The knight received the order and immediately went to make arrangements.
"This is bad. I never expected someone would dare hire mercenaries to attack the economic lifeline of Basheran Duchy." The Duke of Basheran's expression was extremely grim.
Ranoa Kingdom's vassal states were not skilled in warfare but excelled in researching magic and magic tools. For the second city of Basheran Duchy to be taken by a few thousand mercenaries left him truly helpless.
"I hope we can make it in time."
...
"It's just ahead." Steves pointed at the building in front and said. From here, they could clearly see many carriages parked not far away.
The mercenaries were vigorously loading box after box—the boxes contained the magic tools.
Upon hearing this, Dan Feng and Roxy immediately halted their steps. Dan Feng then instructed Steves and Roxy to stay where they were and await his signal.
"Roxy, stay here and protect Mr. Steves's safety. When I confront them, take the opportunity to release Thundercloud Accumulation." Dan Feng said to Roxy with a serious expression. Then he summoned Cloud-Piercer once more and walked openly toward the carriages.
Dan Feng advanced step by step and soon arrived in front of the group of mercenaries who were transporting the magic tools.
The carriages weren't fully loaded yet—presumably, more magic tools were still being packed into boxes inside.
"If you gentlemen are too occupied to spare a hand right now, my Cloud-Piercer here is still available for use." Dan Feng approached the group of mercenaries from behind while holding his spear. His gaze was icy, and his azure-green pupils exerted an invisible pressure.
The mercenaries were all stunned when they saw someone suddenly appear.
"Where did this demon race kid pop out from?" one mercenary asked in confusion. By all logic, aside from the inn district, everywhere else should already have been taken by them.
The reason they hadn't touched the inn district was fear of encountering powerful adventurers they couldn't defeat.
Before he could finish speaking, the mercenary who had spoken was smacked on the head by one behind him. "Why are you wasting so many words on him? Hurry up and take him down! If the boss inside sees this, he'll say we weren't serious yesterday."
"No need for more words. I suppose you won't hand over these magic tools willingly." Dan Feng's eyes narrowed, and he moved swiftly.
At the same time, Roxy raised her staff high and released the Saint-class water magic: Thundercloud Accumulation.
The already cold weather instantly turned into a downpour, with lightning surging continuously in the sky—though it had yet to strike.
The heavy rain seemed to deliberately avoid Dan Feng; not a single drop fell on him. This was intentional—Dan Feng was using Cloud Chant Technique to keep himself dry.
"Life and death, illusion and reality—all in a single thought..."
Dozens of seconds later, in the midst of this thunderstorm, only a ground covered in blood mixed with rainwater swirling in puddles remained.
"Nothing impressive. It seems the mercenaries here have the same level of strength as those in the residential district earlier. No need to hold back then." Dan Feng murmured to himself, then glanced back at Roxy.
Their eyes met. Dan Feng nodded to Roxy before heading toward the building where the magic tools were stored.
This building was constructed with the latest anti-magic bricks—virtually impossible for ordinary people to breach.
Thinking of this, Dan Feng became more alert.
Anyone capable of breaking through anti-magic bricks was likely a truly powerful enemy.
However, for the current Dan Feng, even king-rank opponents posed no concern whatsoever.
The rain grew heavier, yet it made no ripple when it fell on the anti-magic bricks.
"Hurry up and load them! Ranoa Kingdom's reinforcements will probably arrive soon. You don't want to die, do you?" A man dressed like a knight shouted to the mercenaries inside.
A sword hung at his waist, and his build was extremely robust—but his face gave the impression of someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
He was one of the strong fighters among Darius's private troops, summoned by Darius's confidants to attack Rosenberg.
Dan Feng's footsteps approached them slowly. As he walked, he put away Cloud-Piercer and summoned the Heavy Abyss Pearl once more.
Hearing the footsteps, the knight quickly turned around and saw Dan Feng with azure-green dragon horns emerging on his forehead.
Upon sensing the powerful fighting spirit emanating from Dan Feng, the knight immediately drew the treasured sword at his waist and watched Dan Feng warily.
"This powerful fighting spirit—who are you?" the knight roared. His shout caused the mercenaries loading the magic tools to pause, then all of them grabbed their weapons and prepared for battle.
Seeing that his side had the numerical advantage, the knight gradually relaxed. He was a Saint-class Water God Style swordsman, and judging by Dan Feng's weapon, he assumed Dan Feng was a magician—so he felt increasingly at ease.
"In the heat of battle, the greatest taboo is losing focus." Dan Feng said coldly. Then the Heavy Abyss Pearl flashed with dazzling golden light.
At that moment, the rainwater outside seemed drawn by a tornado-like force, all converging toward the interior.
This sight left the mercenaries dumbfounded—they had never in their lives seen a magician summon external water for a spell.
"Heavenly Flood Surge." All the rainwater gathered around the Heavy Abyss Pearl, which was now radiating golden light. Rings of golden runes swirled around the pearl.
"Who sent you?" Dan Feng's azure-green eyes flared, revealing a trace of divinity in his tone that brooked no refusal.
"I have nothing to say to you!" The knight charged forward rapidly, intending to slay Dan Feng before the technique could fully unleash.
As a passive Water God Style practitioner, he knew he couldn't withstand such an apparently overwhelming strike—so striking first was his only chance of victory.
"Full of openings." Dan Feng said calmly. Then he flung the Heavy Abyss Pearl outward, striking the knight's sword blade squarely. The sword snapped with a crack.
Under the force of that blow, the knight was sent flying backward, crashing into the group of mercenaries.
Seeing this, Dan Feng silently raised his index and middle fingers. Imaginary numbers converged between them.
"Divine Ascending Clouds, rise!"