Two men wielding large blades charged at Chris without hesitation.
Faced with the combined assault of two Pinnacle-level fighters, Chris struggled to hold his ground. With no other options, he drew his firearm, prepared to take them down.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The shots rang out, but the two Pinnacle fighters were ready. Chris fired over a dozen bullets, yet none of them hit their mark.
The truth was, Chris’s success in killing Master Zaman of the Passos family with a firearm last time had been sheer luck. Firearms were powerful, but Aetherbinding practitioners were agile and incredibly fast. Killing one with a gun was no easy feat.
Bang!
A powerful blow sent Chris flying backward.
“Are you okay?”
The woman rushed over, her face filled with concern.
Chris shook his head. “I’m fine.”
He glanced around and realized the caravan’s guards had mostly been slaughtered. Even Lee was gravely injured. The coachman, Bob, was entangled in a fight with the bald man, unable to come to their aid.
If this continued, their chances of survival were slim.
“We need to go!”
Without further explanation, Chris grabbed the woman’s wrist and ran toward the nearby forest.
Seeing Chris flee into the woods, the bandits immediately gave chase.
With no other choice, Chris headed for the Celestial Peaks. Spanning the entire Aethelgard, the Celestial Peaks were one of the top ten forbidden zones, a place teeming with countless dangers.
But with no alternatives, Chris tightened his grip on the woman’s hand and plunged into the treacherous peaks.
Once they entered the Celestial Peaks, the bandits didn’t immediately catch up. Chris found a spot to rest, catching his breath.
The woman, however, was panting heavily. As an Aetherbinding practitioner at the peak of Aether, her stamina was no match for Chris’s.
Chris looked at her and demanded, “Tell me the truth. What’s going on? I don’t believe these are just ordinary bandits. Don’t try to hide anything. Right now, I’m the only one who can protect you. If you lie to me, don’t blame me for leaving you behind.”
Chris wasn’t the kind of person to help others blindly. If she didn’t explain herself, he had no intention of sticking his neck out.
From the earlier appearance of the Dark Wolf pack to these bandits, Chris was certain this woman was hiding something important.
She stared at Chris, surprised by his sharp intuition.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “You’re right. These aren’t ordinary bandits. The truth is, the cargo we were transporting was just a ruse. The real reason for this ambush is a treasure I’m carrying. Only members of my Tomczak family know about it. If I’m not mistaken, these bandits were hired by my uncle.”
Her face darkened as she finished speaking.
Hearing this, Chris sighed internally. Yet another case of family conflict.
Whether on Earth or in Aethelgard, these kinds of disputes never seemed to end.
Just then, a shadow darted toward them.
“Who’s there?”
Chris immediately stood up, on high alert.
“It’s me!”
Hearing the voice, Chris turned and saw that the newcomer was none other than the woman’s personal guard, Bob.
“Bob!”
The woman’s face lit up with joy.
Bob approached Chris, his expression full of gratitude. “Young man, thank you for your help.”
Chris waved him off. “Now that you’re here, you can take care of yourselves. I’m going my way, and you’re going yours. Farewell.”
“What? You’re leaving us?”
Bob looked shocked as Chris prepared to leave.
Chris rolled his eyes. “Why should I stay with you? I’m not part of your Tomczak family.”
This wasn’t Amerosia, where Chris was a Primus. In Aethelgard, he had no obligation to care about the Tomczak family’s affairs or their survival.
Hearing his words, both the young lady of the Tomczak family and Bob turned pale.
Now it was just the two of them, and they knew the bandits wouldn’t give up so easily.
Chris’s strength had been evident. If he stayed, he could be a crucial ally.
The woman stepped forward, desperation in her voice. “If you escort me to Stormwatch, I’ll pay you one thousand Essence Stones.”
“One thousand Essence Stones?”
Chris scoffed.
While that was a considerable sum, it wasn’t enough to tempt him. When Chris had left Flameforge, he’d given Tiger and the others fifty thousand Essence Stones but kept another fifty thousand for himself.
To Chris, one thousand Essence Stones was hardly worth the trouble.
Seeing Chris remain silent, the woman grew frustrated. Under normal circumstances, such a payment could hire even a mid- or late-stage Pinnacle Aetherbinding practitioner as a bodyguard. But now, with the situation so dire, she had little bargaining power.
Gritting her teeth, she said, “I’ll pay three thousand Essence Stones. Is that enough?”
Chris waved dismissively. “Stop being so stingy. Five thousand Essence Stones, take it or leave it. If you agree, I’ll escort you to Stormwatch.”
Though Chris wasn’t short on Essence Stones, he believed it was wise to stockpile as much as possible. After all, they could be used up quickly.
After a moment of hesitation, the woman finally nodded. “Fine, I agree!”
She had no other choice. While Bob was strong, a Pinnacle-level fighter alone couldn’t fend off so many bandits.
With her agreement, Chris didn’t waste any more time. “We need to leave now. Those bandits will catch up soon.”
Bob nodded. “The young man is right. We must leave immediately. However, we have a problem. There are two paths we can take.”
“The first path leads directly to Stormwatch, but the bandits will likely set up ambushes along the way. The second path takes us deeper into the Celestial Peaks. We can cross through the peaks to reach Stormwatch.”
“But the Celestial Peaks are crawling with countless beasts. It’s an extremely dangerous place. Even Solstice-level practitioners face near-certain death inside. So, no matter which path we choose, it will be perilous.”