Chapter 123: The Assassination Attempt

“Tempered steel, supple as silk!” Ye Tian casually toyed with the longsword in his hand, utterly indifferent to the stunned expressions of Leyton and the others beside him. Fire and ice!

“Gray, you can wield such a weapon?” Leyton watched as Ye Tian skillfully handled the flexible longsword, feeling his worldview shift once again.

“Kid, how about a duel?” Bruyer’s blood boiled anew.

“No!” Ye Tian quickly withdrew his hand. “This weapon is great—I want it!”

“No way, this is only a prototype, it can’t be yours. If you want one, wait until the next soft sword is ready!” Bruyer shook his head firmly.

“I’ll take it anyway! This sword is already in excellent condition,” Ye Tian insisted.

“No means no. As dwarves, we never sell defective goods to others—it's an unchangeable tradition that’s been upheld for thousands of years!” Bruyer declared resolutely.

“Fine, then I’ll look forward to your next creation!” Ye Tian sighed, reluctantly tossing the soft sword aside. “How about forging some weapons for them too?”

“Who are ‘they’?” Bruyer finally noticed three unfamiliar young people in his workshop.

“This couple are mages: Leyton and Canon. The other is also a mage, the lovely Miss Remi,” Ye Tian said with a grin.

“Your friends?” Bruyer raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Ye Tian nodded.

“Alright, but only after I finish my next piece,” Bruyer said.

“Deal, just as long as you make good use of it!” Ye Tian chuckled.

“What kind of mages are you?”

“I’m a fire mage, he’s an all-element mage!” Canon quickly answered. “And Remi?”

“I’m all-element too,” Remi said softly.

“Heh, all-element mages, interesting!” Bruyer stroked his long beard. “Kid, you’d better prepare your own materials; only then can your wand perform at its best.”

“Ugh, can’t you be a bit more generous?” Ye Tian said helplessly.

“My treasures aren’t given away lightly,” Bruyer said with displeasure.

“It’s okay, Master, we’ll fulfill any request you have!” Remi quickly added.

“I’ll write you a materials list later. For now, please step outside!” Bruyer ordered angrily.

“Oh, sorry for the rudeness!” Leyton suddenly remembered that the dwarves’ forging techniques were a closely guarded secret, not to be witnessed by outsiders.

Leyton hurriedly ushered Remi and the others out, and Ye Tian planned to follow suit.

“Wait!” Bruyer suddenly called out to Ye Tian. “What’s this?” He held up a piece of soft moonstone.

“Uh, I found it. I’m not lying, don’t ask for details. Does it work?” Ye Tian asked.

“Heh, looks like you had another lucky break!” Bruyer stroked his beard.

“Something like that,” Ye Tian scratched his head. “Well, we’ll leave for now. We’ll bring the materials later. Looking forward to your work!”

“Are you busy?” Bruyer asked curiously.

“Yeah, a bit,” Ye Tian glanced outside. “I have a feeling something will happen today, so I must be cautious.” He smiled.

Bruyer frowned, then said, “Forget it, it’s none of my business. But no fighting in my workshop! Otherwise, humph, I’ll make you dig up every last bit of the materials you need!”

“No, no!” Ye Tian hurriedly promised. “We’ll leave right away. How about coming back tomorrow?”

Bruyer nodded. “Good, I have some matters to attend to. We’ll start the forging for real tomorrow.”

“Thanks a lot!” Ye Tian laughed, waved goodbye, and left.

“Let’s go!” Ye Tian said to the three outside.

“We haven’t gotten the materials list yet!” Remi said.

“That’s not urgent. We’ll come back tomorrow,” Ye Tian urged. “How about we get something to eat?”

---

“Leyton, Gray is acting strange today!” Canon whispered to Leyton in the back while Ye Tian smiled happily, introducing various street snacks to Remi, even buying some for them to taste.

“I feel it too, but Canon, don’t you think the atmosphere around here is a bit off?” Leyton scanned the surroundings cautiously. There was a strange scent in the air—a sign of danger!

“No, I think it’s normal!” Canon looked around puzzled. “Nothing unusual, just like always.”

“No, something’s definitely about to happen!” Leyton quickly drew his staff. At that moment, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air as a deadly arrow shot toward Remi.

“Watch out!” Leyton swung his staff, conjuring a whirlwind of wind around Remi. Snap! The arrow shattered mid-air. Leyton breathed a sigh of relief, dispelled the wind vortex, and switched to wind shield and water escape.

A thin water shield appeared around Remi, with a wind shield enveloping the outside. At first glance, they seemed ordinary, but a closer look revealed the shields were not static—they spun rapidly at high speed.

“They’re finally here!” Ye Tian smiled. “Leyton, protect Remi. Hold on for, uh, ten minutes!”

“Why? We should retreat immediately!” Canon also drew her staff, though her reactions lagged far behind Leyton’s. That was the difference between theory and actual combat experience.

“Forget that—at least ten minutes. Don’t worry, everything will be fine!” Ye Tian grinned and pulled out a one-foot-long iron pipe from his clothes.

“Gray, where did you get that?” Leyton stared in surprise. It was the first time seeing Ye Tian use a weapon, and he couldn’t quite describe it.

“Enough with the questions!” Ye Tian was exasperated. “Is it so strange to carry a stick? I have plenty of weapons on me—why not show them off once in a while?”

“Be careful, their strength isn’t weak!”

“Gray!” Remi called softly.

“Are you scared?” Ye Tian whispered.

“With you here, what is there to fear?” Remi was surprisingly calm.

“Was it more dangerous back then?” the girl suddenly asked.

“About the same,” Ye Tian shrugged.

He stood somewhat awkwardly, quietly waiting for the assassins to strike. The street had already descended into chaos—pedestrians and vendors scattered in panic, fearing to be caught in the crossfire.

“Leyton, west side!” Ye Tian whispered. Leyton turned to see several vendors suddenly running toward them.

“Hmph! Oil slick!” Leyton was no fool; anyone rushing at him was likely an enemy. Without hesitation, he conjured a slick patch on the ground. The attackers stumbled and fell immediately.

“Fireball!” Canon casually tossed a fireball, engulfing several foes in flames. They screamed and rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!” The sound of arrows slicing through the air came next—an arrow rain assaulted them.

“Great Elemental God, your devout servant prays now—grant me the power of the whirlwind!” Leyton swung his staff, and a storm of wind blades met the arrows head-on.

“Shh!” Ye Tian whistled. Leyton was growing more adept—good, very good.

“Still having fun?” Remi shot Ye Tian a displeased glance. “How dare you use me as bait!”

“Can’t help it, you’re a prize catch!” Ye Tian laughed. “Makes things easier.”

“Hmph, what if I get hurt?” Remi complained.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let a hair on your head be harmed!” Ye Tian said confidently.

“That doesn’t matter! What if I really get hurt?” Remi had lost all queenly composure, acting like a spoiled child.

“Uh, I’ll cook for you for a month—that counts, right?” Ye Tian said casually.

“Hehe, you say that!” Remi tried to step out of Ye Tian’s protective circle.

“Lady, no way!” Ye Tian was startled and quickly pulled her back. “You’re asking for death!”

“Hehe, didn’t you say you’d keep me safe?” Remi smiled sweetly.

“Only if you don’t mess around!” Ye Tian sighed. “If you got hurt, your brother would come after me for sure!”

“Fine, then when we get back, you have to cook me some delicious food, nothing like this morning’s—consider it spiritual compensation!” Remi took the opportunity to extort.

“Deal!” Ye Tian agreed quickly to keep her happy. “But no exposing yourself. I don’t want you hurt!”

“Gray, weird—why aren’t the assassins more lethal?” Leyton had already incinerated over a dozen foes, frozen several into ice sculptures, and the rest were twitching helplessly after being hit by lightning balls.

“Fools! This is an illusion tactic, designed to confuse inexperienced people like you!” Ye Tian kicked a nearby wooden plank to splinters, sending a shower of wood chips into the air.

“Ugh!” A muffled grunt, and a figure appeared!

“Impossible!” The assassin hadn’t expected his invisibility to be broken. Stunned, he tried to flee, but an angry Leyton gave no chance—he bound the assassin tightly to the ground with fiery chains.

“Don’t kill him; he’s useful!” Ye Tian whispered. Canon swung her staff, sending a fire serpent weaving past the assassin, striking several charging minions who screamed and collapsed in flames.

“Watch out!” Ye Tian’s face changed. He flicked his short stick, and a one-yard-long cross spear shot out with a pop. Ye Tian caught it and deflected a cold arrow aimed at Leyton.

“Hmph!”