Chapter 750: I’ve Found the Thief’s Accomplice!

Before leaving, Henwell asks the Lady of Calamity, "What do you think awaits us out there, an ambush on every side or perfect calm?"

The Lady of Calamity replies, "I've done everything I could. If that still isn't enough, then fate has made its choice."

Henwell asks, "Just answer one question. Will your teacher use power above Glory Rank against us?"

The Lady of Calamity shakes her head firmly. "Absolutely not."

Henwell holds one longsword in a forward grip and the other in reverse. "Good. As long as nothing above Glory Rank comes after us, we can escape alive."

With that, Henwell steps into the portal.

...

Meanwhile, in a ruined castle on the edge of the Arcane Mountains on the Abundant Continent...

Newwood finishes bandaging his wounds, settles beside a crumbling stone table, and prepares something to eat.

A spatial fluctuation suddenly ripples through the air nearby. Newwood rests a hand on the hilt of his saber and narrows his eyes at the disturbance.

Tch.

His pursuers are remarkably persistent. If they can locate him even here, they must have committed substantial resources this time.

A figure tumbles out of thin air and crashes into the cookware Newwood has just arranged.

Newwood tilts his head and peers over. That does not look like spatially targeted teleportation at all.

The figure staggers to his feet.

Newwood studies the middle-aged man. His eyes are tightly shut, his clothes are in tatters, and a chipped bowl rests in his hand.

The man seems to sense Newwood's position and takes a step back.

Newwood sighs. "Well, I never expected a beggar to know a trick like that."

"Here, blind man. It isn't much, but it's the thought that counts."

As he speaks, Newwood tosses a copper coin into the man's bowl.

The man looks baffled and retreats another step. Then he tosses the bowl aside and slowly opens his eyes.

His gaze struggles to focus, as though his eyes need time to adjust. After a moment, he says, "My apologies for disturbing you. I mean you no harm."

"I will compensate you for everything I damaged. Also, I am not a beggar."

Newwood frowns. "If you aren't a beggar, then appearing here makes you rather suspicious. To be honest, people are hunting me right now."

"You've put me in a difficult position. How about you let me kill you, and I'll dig you a nice grave?"

Newwood advances slowly as he speaks, easing the saber at his waist a few inches from its sheath.

Steve has no idea why he has fallen into this place, and panic begins to set in. The man's killing intent is utterly pure.

Worse, the man does not appear anywhere within Steve's Fate Sight.

It is as though he does not exist. The last person Steve encountered like this was Henwell.

Steve has no doubt that the man genuinely intends to kill him.

He never imagined he would escape one deadly place only to land in an even more hopeless situation.

Just as despair takes hold, another spatial fluctuation draws Newwood's attention.

A second figure drops out of thin air and crashes into Newwood's campfire.

Sparks scatter. Newwood draws his saber and grins. "Now this one is at least worth my attention."

Newwood is about to strike when he finally sees the newcomer's face.

Alex scrambles out of the fire, shakes the sparks from her clothes, and spots Steve immediately.

The moment the petite beast-eared woman rushes over, embraces Steve, and calls him her husband, Newwood slides his saber back into its sheath.

He crosses the distance in three strides, shoves Alex aside, and stops in front of Steve.

Gripping Steve's hand tightly in both of his, he cries, "My friend, you have to teach me! How did you manage to woo such a stunning beast-eared beauty?"

Steve has already realized that the man before him is both powerful and somewhat unhinged.

Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, Newwood loses interest and allows the couple to leave.

Alex pulls Steve out into the driving snow. "This is all that scoundrel Henwell's fault. The next time I see him, he owes me an explanation!"

"Wait!"

Newwood sticks his head outside. "Who did you just say?"

Alex and Steve are no fools. They immediately close their mouths and continue walking into the distance.

Newwood draws his saber. A trench dozens of meters long and over two meters deep tears open in front of them.

At the same time, an inexplicable power closes around them.

Sweat beads on Alex's forehead. She tightens her grip on her twin warhammers.

Steve raises a hand to stop his wife from attacking and whispers, "Domain Rank."

Horrified, Alex looks back. Newwood leans against the ruined castle's entrance, one hand on his half-drawn saber and the other holding a bowl of hot soup.

Newwood continues, "I just heard a name that sounded very much like an old acquaintance of mine. Would you say it again?"

Steve steps in front of his wife. "That man isn't from here. He comes from the Abandoned Continent. A professional of your standing couldn't possibly know him."

Newwood raises an eyebrow and smiles knowingly. "Heh... Then everything fits. My old acquaintance is on the Abandoned Continent."

Alex asks quietly, "Are you the accomplice Henwell mentioned... his co-conspirator... or, uh, his companion?"

Newwood rolls his eyes. "What a terrible choice of words."

"You seem to have crossed paths with him, but neither of you bears one of his marks."

"So you aren't his friends, but you don't seem to be his enemies either."

"Why don't you tell me how you met him?"

"Don't lie. I'm usually in an excellent mood while I eat."

"But when someone ruins my mood, I usually eat whoever did it."

Sweat trickles down their chins. They know Newwood is not speaking metaphorically. He is stating a fact.

After a long silence, Steve says, "We are assassins from Compass. We were sent to kill Henwell."

Newwood raises a hand to interrupt him. "Come inside. Let me cook something first. This sounds like a wonderful story, and I need something to listen to over dinner."

While Newwood detains the couple, Henwell and the Lady of Calamity emerge from the portal at a manor outside a small town south of Golden Capital.

The instant Henwell emerges, the Chains of Civilization spread around him like a web, and the power of both locks rises to the brink of full activation.

No enemies appear. Henwell and the Lady of Calamity both breathe a sigh of relief.

It seems the Lady of Calamity's teacher is not as capable as they feared. At the very least, he cannot freely interfere with the outside world.

Henwell stays for only one day before adopting a new disguise and leaving.

He heads toward Thorn City, determined to make sure Miller and the others make it out alive.

Miller and the others are talented members of his staff, and they are carrying several precious weapons besides.

By changing his appearance repeatedly and racing through the night, Henwell reaches Sweetwater Town in only three days.

Solomon and the others left two days ago. Miller's group left no marks behind, so Henwell can only continue toward the Qiemi Mountains.