Chapter 15 Fleecing the Sheep

Chapter 15 Fleecing the Sheep

After leaving the assassination site, Yu Sheng'an walked about three hundred paces along Phoenix Fire Avenue before encountering an inn called "Weary Traveler's Inn," where he promptly took lodging.

Clang!

The moment the door closed, Yu Sheng'an's previously unshakable expression instantly collapsed.

With lingering fear, he touched his chest and grimaced, cursing through gritted teeth: "Damn, that nearly killed your daddy."

Truth be told, when the ice blade had pierced his chest, he hadn't felt pain—just a chilling coldness. The real agony came during those few seconds when he siphoned the life force from his contracted creatures to heal his body.

Fortunately, his consciousness had also returned to his main body at that moment, allowing him to activate the Divine Perspective to search for the assassin. Otherwise, the pain might have had him writhing on the ground.

Even so, the torment he experienced in that instant had nearly shattered his will!

This world was far too dangerous!

How many hours had it been since his first public appearance?

Yet he’d already been attacked twice!

If he weren’t the God of Contracts, he’d have been long dead.

Thankfully, he had the map-exploiting advantage of Divine Perspective, which allowed him to quickly pinpoint the assassin and teleport a demon to instantly obliterate them.

Otherwise, not only would he have suffered excruciating torture, but more critically, he would have revealed weakness in the eyes of the Keville Empire.

The former was bearable—after all, it was just a god's projection. If the pain became unbearable, abandoning it was an acceptable loss.

But the latter? Yu Sheng'an couldn’t stomach that.

It would be utterly humiliating!

Ultimately, it all came down to his own weakness.

Right now, he could share the life force and even magic of his contracted creatures through the power of contracts, but he couldn’t borrow their offensive or defensive abilities.

In essence, he was like a boss with countless health bars but no actual attack or defense skills—relying entirely on summoned minions to fight.

Pathetic, to say the least!

"I really need to learn magic as soon as possible!" Yu Sheng'an exhaled sharply. This was the fundamental reason he was willing to negotiate with the Keville Empire.

He had no interest in learning from underground, unofficial sources.

Forget any nonsense about hidden masters among the common folk.

If street-level experts could outmatch the academy-trained, the Keville Empire would have already been overthrown.

But who exactly wanted me dead?

Yu Sheng'an's eyes flickered with suspicion.

Judging by Dandell’s frantic urgency, it’s likely there’s a traitor within.

Makes sense. No matter where you go, there are always radicals and conservatives. The Keville Empire, as a magic nation, has always rejected gods. It’s only natural that some would despise me and refuse cooperation.

Of course, there’s another possibility… The Keville Empire has already been infiltrated by other gods, deliberately sowing discord.

At this thought, Yu Sheng'an’s eyes widened abruptly.

He instinctively considered recalling his projection, but at the last moment, he hesitated and abandoned the idea.

Since this projection was already exposed, why not use it as bait to lure out any lurking threats in Willis City?

Having decided, Yu Sheng'an changed out of his tattered clothes, lay down on the soft couch, and feigned sleep while deep in thought. Several shadow demons silently answered his summons, melting into the darkness as they stood guard over their master with unwavering loyalty.

At the same time, Yu Sheng'an's consciousness returned to his main body. With the help of surrounding users, he activated the Divine Perspective and began a meticulous search.

At this moment, Yu Sheng'an felt increasingly grateful that he hailed from Blue Star, with the knowledge of the "Internet."

Otherwise, following the usual methods of deities, how could he possibly have so many "eyes" providing vision just by spreading content-based Divine Techniques?

Being a platform was truly the way to go!

Using his avatar as the center, Yu Sheng'an expanded his search outward. Unexpectedly, instead of finding any threats, the behavior of a few users made him laugh in exasperation.

……

……

Sixteen-year-old Pus felt like he had recently stumbled upon incredible luck.

Having grown up in the slums, relying only on his mother, he had never dared to imagine that one day he would actually be able to learn magic.

Magic—the power to control fire, ice blades, lightning, light, darkness, and even stand against the gods themselves!

So even though he had seen plenty of deceit and trickery, when that shifty-eyed rogue told him that ten Keville Copper Coins could get him a trial session of the Meditation Course, he gritted his teeth and followed him inside.

That day, in a damp, dimly lit basement packed with youths, he laid eyes upon a noble mage!

Clad in a purple robe, his face stern and dignified, scorching flames danced in his palm without burning him in the slightest.

That mysterious sight completely stunned Pus.

He devoured every lesson with ravenous hunger.

And as it turned out, everything these people taught was real!

He had truly cultivated Soul Power—though it was pitifully weak, barely enough to rustle a single leaf. Still, it made Pus tremble with excitement.

The subsequent magic courses grew increasingly expensive, especially the Practical Magic Runes Course, costing a staggering one Keville Silver Coin per session.

Yet Pus clenched his jaw and resolved to spend all his savings to enroll.

That evening, a group of boys and girls from the slums, hearts brimming with excitement and longing, stepped into that shabby, dilapidated basement.

Before entering, they were blacksmith apprentices, pickpockets, errand runners, gang members…

But once inside, even the most restless pickpocket fell silent, for they now believed themselves to be magic apprentices!!!

Their eyes shone with fervor as they gazed at the purple-robed man seated on the elevated platform.

He sat cross-legged on the wooden dais, a faint glow shimmering before him. If one were at his eye level, they would see an unfurled Virtual Scroll in front of him.

"I am glad to see you all return. You must know that spreading magic privately is illegal, but I cannot bear to watch you struggle in the mire for the rest of your lives. That is why I came. This will be my final lesson—cherish it well."

Murmurs of reluctance and pleas to stay rose from the basement.

The Purple-robed Mage remained unmoved and began his lecture without hesitation.

Behind him, two young men kept an eye on their interconnected social feed, ready for any warning from their lookout, while whispering among themselves:

"Are we really leaving? We finally gathered so many people—it’s a shame to abandon them now."

"No matter how much of a shame, we have to go! More and more people in the city are learning about the Internet Divine Technique. If we stay, we might be exposed by tomorrow. Better to head to smaller towns—we might even make a quick profit there."

"Besides, we’ve already squeezed these poor wretches dry. There’s not much left to milk from them!"

"You're right. Where should we go next? How about Port Carde?"

As the two whispered their discussion, the Purple-robed Mage seated on the high platform concluded his lecture.

Or rather, he merely recited the contents of the Magic Runes verbatim.

"Alright, that's all for today's lesson!"

"Huh?"

The youths erupted in murmurs of disbelief.

After all, when teaching basic magical knowledge before, he had gone on at length—so why was today's session so abruptly cut short?

"Respected Mage, is it really over already? I-I still don’t understand!"

"Me neither!"

"What does that 'Six-Degree Angle' mean?"

A chorus of anxious voices rose from the group.

"Silence!" the Purple-robed Mage bellowed, flames suddenly erupting in his palm.

Under the flickering firelight, the youths immediately clamped their mouths shut, their eyes wide with fear.

"Magic is knowledge rivaling the power of the gods! If it could be mastered so easily, would it still hold such noble status?"

The Purple-robed Mage’s rebuke left the youths exchanging glances—his words did seem to make sense.

"It’s not that I refuse to teach you, but this knowledge must be grasped through your own comprehension! With the city’s inspections growing stricter, I must depart. However, I’ve compiled some Magic Books. Those interested may purchase them."

With that, two young men emerged from behind the platform, carrying stacks of densely written booklets.

"One silver coin per book! Limited stock, first come, first served!" one of them announced loudly.

The youths’ eyes instantly lit up.

Those with deeper pockets rushed forward, shouting:

"Give me one!"

"I want one too!"

"Stop pushing!"

Those short on coins watched the frenzy with envy and frustration, nearly going mad with desire.

Pus was among them—but he quickly devised a solution. He turned to those around him and said, "I’ve got eleven copper coins left. Who wants to pool funds with me? We can buy one and share it!"

"Me! Me!"

"I only have three coppers—can I join?"

The remaining youths’ eyes brightened as they eagerly gathered around.

Soon, they scraped together enough for a silver coin and purchased a Handwritten Book. When Pus flipped it open in front of his companions, his entire body trembled with excitement at the contents within.

"Alright, lads, best of luck to you. I must take my leave now! Remember—keep a low profile. Don’t let anyone know you’re magic apprentices." The Purple-robed Mage smiled faintly, watching the last of the Handwritten Books sell out.

Though their pockets were emptied, the youths couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Because they knew—compared to the coins they’d spent, the magical knowledge they’d gained was truly priceless!

"Mentor Raymond, we’ll remember you!"

"Thank you, Mentor Raymond!"

The youths called out in a jumble of voices.

The Purple-robed Mage laughed heartily before departing through the back door with his companions.

The youths lingered, unwilling to leave, their chests heavy with melancholy. Many of them teared up, their vision blurring.

Perhaps… perhaps their sincerity had moved the Purple-robed Mage.

Because shortly after leaving through the back door, the mages suddenly returned.

"Mentor Raymond?"

"Mentor Raymond, you... aren't planning to leave?"

The youths shouted in delight, but the next second, their joy froze on their faces.

From the back door where the purple-robed mage had exited, a demon gradually revealed itself—its head crowned with horns, skin a ghastly blue-purple, and covered in sinister Magic Runes!

"Ah—!"

The youths screamed in terror, instinctively rushing toward the front door to escape.

Yet, to their horror, a young man strolled in through the front entrance—and behind him, hunched and menacing, followed a winged demon!