New Century Warriors

Chapter 17. Reunion

In any case, Lei Ye has achieved his goal for this trip.

He had a relatively accurate understanding of his current combat strength. Without mastering any powerful magic and relying solely on numerical values, he was already able to hold his own against the dragon girl teammate from the Forest River on Line 1. These were superhuman numbers, quite exaggerated.

All we need to do now is focus on steady development.

So Lei Ye was in a good mood. He quickly killed the three-headed troll, tied up the filthy creature that was lying on the ground, and started his journey home.

According to Elena, this was the first time the guild had successfully captured an evil minion, a remarkable achievement.

Compared to the joy of the others, Raino was more confused, all about the filth.

He could tell at a glance that the dark red stray dog ​​was the same thing as Ye Lei's purple octopus, just like how Ga La could tell from the cover whether it was Yuzu Publishing.

However, he did not expect that the two evil beings could have such a big difference in strength. It was like seeing the cover of Yuzusoft and excitedly clicking on it, taking the serious attitude of playing Senren Banka, only to find out after playing for a while that it was an ExE.

Although it was far smaller than Ye Lei's giant octopus, this wild dog was still a significant threat to the explorers in the guild.

Lei Ye glanced at his arm. The clothes Lei Ye was wearing on Line 2 had a certain defensive attribute, but the wild dog easily bit through them. Lei Ye even felt as if a large chunk of flesh had been torn off his arm.

But it doesn't hurt anymore... Lei Ye looked at his arm and was stunned for a moment. The clothes on his arm were tattered and stained with blood, but his arm was completely intact, without a single minor injury.

Such amazing healing results! Are there any healers in the team that strong?

"Thank you," he said, turning to thank the healer.

"Ouch..."

The healer was looking at Lei Ye when he suddenly turned around and thanked her while staring at his bitten arm. She then realized that she had done almost nothing for him and hurriedly cast a healing spell on him.

Boss Lei is such a gentle and kind man. Even his way of reminding others is so gentle. The healer thought to herself, if this were in her first team, he would have been scolded to tears by now.

Unbeknownst to Lei Ye, a certain extraordinary person's favorability towards him increased even more.

He wasn't paying attention to this; he was talking to Elena about more filth.

"Have you forgotten? She appeared in Hillius about three years ago. Her disguise was much better than any other alien with the ability to disguise itself in the past, so at first no one recognized her as human. But one day, just an ordinary day, she suddenly transformed in the Explorers' Guild and started killing indiscriminately. Many people died that day, and it was thanks to you that she was expelled."

"Me?" Raino pointed to himself. "How did I..."

Elena was telling him things he didn't know. Just as Rai was about to ask her more questions, he saw her looking at him with curiosity and suspicion.

He quickly retracted the second half of his statement.

Lei Ye quickly recalled what he had done this time and couldn't help but facepalm. He had really gotten carried away with the fight, and the sudden appearance of this vile person made it impossible for him to stay calm. He had not been able to imitate Lei Ye of Line 2 at all.

Ultimately, it's too difficult to imitate someone with a completely different life trajectory all the time, even unconsciously.

To change the subject, Lei Ye looked around and finally focused his gaze on the wild dog. The dog's bright red eyes were staring at Lei Ye, making Lei Ye feel uneasy. He was so frightened that he quickly replenished his magic power to the Giga Battle Device.

"Roar—"

It was tightly bound by Raino's skillful ropework, so despite baring its teeth at Raino, it seemed to have no chance of resisting.

That's how it looks, isn't it?

But Lei Ye felt something was off. There was a kind of anger and forbearance in its eyes, which was definitely not the look of a prisoner.

If it were just a stray dog, Lei Ye wouldn't think too much about it, but considering that her true form is similar to Ye Lei's...

"Um, Elena, I wanted to double-check, the guild's explorers have never captured any vile familiars, have they?"

"That's right, that's why I said we had to bring it back to the guild. It's a rare opportunity like this."

"But the combat strength of the familiars is only average. There are so many formidable characters in the guild, isn't there a single one who could be captured alive?"

"That's not how it works," Elena shook her head, "because the filth will self-destruct once it loses its fighting ability, which is why we can't do anything about it."

Lei Ye was stunned, then turned pale with shock. "Oh my god, why didn't you say so earlier?"

He turned his head, pulled out his combat device, and smashed the wild dog's body to pieces with a single blow.

"Boss Lei, what are you doing?!"

"Why couldn't I catch them before, but I caught them this time? There's obviously something wrong with them. Let's just kill them."

The stray dog ​​didn't struggle or resist violently despite being shaken the whole way, which was unusual.

Why was he able to catch it alive the moment he made a move? After the giant octopus incident, Lei Ye had come to terms with reality. He wasn't some chosen one blessed with good fortune; he was just an ordinary, handsome, and humorous young writer.

The wild dog's body slowly dissipated, and at this moment it began to struggle violently, its eyes filled with resentment as it looked at Lei Ye.

Although it is far less powerful than Ye Lei's giant tentacles, it must be said that the details of its modeling are much more advanced than the tentacles, and it can even make such a rich expression.

For some reason, Lei Ye suddenly remembered Ye Lei's casual remark on the stairs, "That kind of...I'm not good at pinching," and he thought she was just being cute.

Are there any dropped items?

Raino heard the sound and looked over. It turned out that as the wild dog's body disappeared, his Giga Combat Device fell down.

Raino really liked this weapon, so he decisively recycled it.

"Boss Lei?"

The healer approached cautiously and asked in a very soft voice.

"Excuse me, are you selling this?"

"You have a good eye, but I just checked and found that there are only two left in stock, so I'm sorry, I want to keep them for myself."

"For yourself?! Oh...oh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I understand," the healer sighed and retreated, muttering a complaint, "After all this time, it's just a four-love thing. What was I even thinking about the whole way here? This is Hillius, after all..."

What are you whispering about in front of Super Hearing?

Dude, you're a normal person, okay?

But Lei Ye thought back to the last time he had experienced something that came closest to married life, when Ye Lei poked his ear. So, although he was very unhappy, he didn't have any reason to refute it.

After walking for a while, we returned to the city.

As a mercenary, Lei Ye didn't need to go back to the guild with them to hand in their commissions, so it was soon time for them to part ways. Perhaps thinking of this, the thief quickly stepped forward and approached Lei Ye.

"Boss Lei, there are some things I want to be honest with you about."

Would you like to tell me about the trauma from your family of origin and your unhappy childhood?

"What?! I meant to say... I... I actually stole something from your house..."

"I see."

Lei Ye remained calm.

You stole things from Raino on Line 2, what does that have to do with me?

"Hey, aren't you angry?"

"The fact that you confessed means you've genuinely repented. As long as you don't steal again, that's fine. In fact, being able to steal right under that person's nose truly makes you worthy of being called the best thief in Hillius. By the way, what did you steal?"

"Haha, I'm relieved to hear that, Boss Lei. Don't worry, I didn't steal anything particularly valuable, I just took the water glass from under your bed."

The keyword was triggered, and in an instant, Lei Ye switched to combat mode.

He lunged forward, locked her throat, and pinned her against the wall while choking her.

"Is it you?! So it was you who took my Hoshina away?! I'll kill you, I'll kill you!!!"

"Ugh, cough cough, why such a big reaction? She said it was just a water glass... Ugh, spare me, Boss Lei, I can't breathe—"

"I'll let you off easily, but give me back Hoshina! Tell me! Who did you sell her to?"

"Even thieves have their professional ethics, but I can't say, Boss Lei..."

The anger quickly subsided, leaving behind an endless sorrow.

Raino slowly loosened his grip, not because of what the thief said, but because he dared not imagine how Hoshina would be treated in someone else's hands. Even if he took her back, would she still be the Hoshina who belonged only to him?

Unable to kneel, Lei Ye pounded the ground fiercely.

"There are cows, there are cows..."

This sight terrified the thief. She glanced helplessly at Elena, then turned and ran away while crying and apologizing.

"No... I really didn't know it was something so valuable..."

She quickly ran away crying and disappeared.

Elena helped Raino up.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Boss Lei. We've been causing you trouble all this time. To be honest, before today, a few of us would occasionally criticize you, thinking you were cowardly and mean. But after today, we'll never think of you that way again. You're such a good person. Here's what I'll do: I'll take responsibility for my teammates' mistakes. Although I don't know who Hoshina is, I'll make it up to you."

Elena carefully considered her words.

Elena thought Raiye was cowardly because he always seemed like a nice guy, and she thought he was mean because he seemed gentle but rarely made close friends. Elena suspected that deep down he looked down on the poor guys in the guild, but all her previous suspicions about Raiye vanished the moment he tackled her.

In short, the more she looked at Lei Ye, the more he seemed like a stunning beauty.

"How can you compensate me? You can't..."

"I've done my best. Just tell me what it is and how much it costs?"

"It's not about money; she can do things that no one else can."

"What is it? Can I do it? Can I help you?" Elena blushed slightly and took a breath, "If it can cheer you up, Mom... Mom is willing to help you."

Lei Ye looked up blankly.

What is this guy... talking about?

"How could you be so disgusting? You think you can be my Hoshina? Pah!"

...

Elena will never know what defeated her.

Lei Ye will never understand why she would suddenly utter such a bizarre and outlandish theory.

So the two remained silent for their own reasons during the last leg of the journey, until they parted ways.

...So the relationship has improved somewhat?

Next time we meet, I hope I won't be stared at with disgust, right?

So sleepy...

Lei Ye just wanted to go back and get a good night's sleep, and then continue his online classes to learn how to make magical items. But when he looked back at Elena's departing figure, he noticed something: she didn't go directly to the guild, but instead turned a corner, and that direction was—the Hillius Underground Prison.

He probably wanted to use the money Raino gave him to bail Maria out, but Raino had read the Code of Hillus in the Great Library. In order for criminals to be released on bail, in addition to paying money, they also needed to obtain a letter of forgiveness from the victim.

You're a priest, right?

Lei Ye stood silently in place for a while.

After adjusting his mindset and hairstyle, and changing out of his tattered clothes, he quietly turned a corner.

They arrived at the western edge of the city wall, in the poorest neighborhood of Hillius.

"Hello--"

Suddenly, a voice called out from not far away. Lei Ye turned around and saw that the barren fields were growing tall, local off-season crops that were over knee-high, and an older woman was holding a hoe and looking at the field.

She was dressed in a conservative, old-fashioned nun's habit, and had a tall, healthy, and full figure.

Wearing a veil and headscarf, her face was obscured, but her gentle eyes revealed a wariness like that of a small animal.

The caution probably stems from the fact that few people come to this place.

Lei Ye took out a shiny gold coin from his pocket, waved it at the older sister, and slowly approached her.

"I'm here to raise funds."

The nun's eyes lit up immediately, not because she heard the word "fundraising" but because she recognized the person as Lei Ye. She dropped her hoe and ran over to him, grabbing Lei Ye's hand with a snap.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Raino! How have you been? The children miss you. Come on in, let's go inside and talk."

"Incestine...?" Raino thought for a moment, and because he had met her just a few days ago, he quickly remembered her name.

The name that flashed through Lei Ye's mind just now was Index, which made him a little nervous. He really had to pray that the ancient god next to him wasn't his fourth sister, Little Sheep, otherwise, ear-poking wouldn't even qualify as an appetizer.

He pointed to the orphanage not far away...

When Lei Ye saw the tall building, he was stunned. It was completely different from the dilapidated courtyard in his memory.

Someone donated money, right?

Who is it...? It's so hard to guess.

However, Lei Ye frowned, wondering if too much money was being spent on building houses, and waved his hand to decline Chi Siting's invitation to come in and sit down.

Is the priest in?

When the priest was mentioned, Raino kept observing the changes in Christine's expression, and he accurately caught a trace of fear and unease.

The character from Line 1, Chisting, is a ruthless hammer-wielding character. As an explorer, Raino could sense the murderous aura emanating from her, which is why he was terrified and fled in a panic.

But the woman standing before her looked nothing more than an ordinary nun.

Lei Ye thought about it carefully and suddenly realized that these changes might be his own problem.

There really is a God in this world... or at least there really was a God, so the power of religion is quite great. A priest should actually be a very powerful person in the city. Raino didn't know the priest on Line 1 until he died. Raino guessed that this might be because he failed to take good care of the orphans in the city, which is the job of a clergyman. The priest on Line 2, on the other hand, received ample donations.

"Call him out here," Raino emphasized.

Chisting didn't understand, but she nodded and did as Lei Ye said.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man dressed in a magnificent priest's robe came running out.

Raino didn't recognize him, but Raino recognized himself and greeted him familiarly. Raino ignored his auspicious words and waved to Chisting.

"You go ahead with your work, I have something to discuss with the priest."

He shook his head, signaling the priest to follow him.

This is the poorest neighborhood in Hillsleys.

At the end of Line 1, no one lives here anymore, but now Raino can see some people living here.

Why is this happening?

"Lower-class demons" were mentioned by Christine during the first route because someone had witnessed a lower-class demon.

Raino recalled what he had learned about lower-class demons in the Great Library, the rough illustrations in those books.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Lower-ranking demons come in all sorts of forms, including... snarling wild dogs.

The priest behind him was still babbling on and on, his mouth full of flattering words. Judging from his obsequious manner, Lei Ye knew that Lei Ye from Line 2 must have donated a considerable amount of money.

He sighed, and after confirming that there were no people around, he stopped.

"You know what? I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to confirm if anything bad had happened, or rather, I've already confirmed it, but I still need evidence. But never mind, I really don't have the energy. Have you heard of the Forest River? That team is full of beautiful girls. They're all very nice people. The only negative thing is that they're a bit eccentric and ruthless, especially when they fight. But that's not actually the case. Most of them are very gentle girls."

These nonsensical words caught the priest's attention, and just as he was wondering what was going on, Raiye suddenly stabbed him in the heart with a knife hidden in his sleeve.

"I taught them all," Raino sighed. "If I were to become a magic item merchant, that would be one thing, but you can't succeed as an explorer without being ruthless. Look at Maria, she's a perfect example, she got caught."

The priest couldn't hear any of this because Lei Ye kept stabbing him several times as he spoke, killing him instantly. Lei Ye laid the body flat and then started digging a pit.

Lei Ye chose a good spot; the priest's body would remain undiscovered for decades.

While working, Lei Ye started making up stories. Evil was a good reason. He said that when he was discussing fundraising with the priest today, evil spirits suddenly pounced on him and overpowered him. He fled home in a panic and fell asleep quickly under his blanket. If asked, Elena could cover for him because evil spirits really did appear in a place very close to the city.

Let's just say that.

Digging a hole is hard work. In the past, it would have taken him half a day to dig, but now he can finish it in a dozen minutes at most.

What's more, he had somehow acquired a helper. Ye Lei, who had rolled up her sleeves, took out a shovel from her storage bag and started digging with him. Before long, they dug a huge pit that was too spacious for the priest to handle. Ye Lei grabbed the priest's shoulders, and Lei Ye grabbed his feet. Together, they threw him down with a shout.