He grinned wickedly and pointed at the bear goblins, saying to the beautiful slave owner, "I'll give you ten breaths. If I don't get a satisfactory answer by then, I'll bestow you upon them. As for what they'll do to you, that's not my concern."
Then he addressed the archers and the old mage with the same words, "I believe the bear goblins won't mind my master's gift of males. After all, only obedient slaves are good slaves. If you don't speak up, I think the bear goblins will be more than happy to serve me and fulfill this small request of mine."
The three looked at the bear goblins, who were as large as bears, and felt a chill to the bone. Even though they had treated their enemies just as cruelly before, it was only when this fell upon themselves that they understood how desperate such a situation was.
Hearing Li Xi's threat to bestow them, the three bear goblins couldn't help but slow their steps. Their large heads, covered in dark, coarse fur, turned, and their evil gazes freely assessed their former beautiful mistress. Their eyes lingered the longest on the swell of her chest and the roundness of her hips.
Before, they wouldn't have dared to have such lewd thoughts. Who would have thought that after getting a new master, such good fortune would come their way? The morning's brutal beating was instantly forgotten, replaced by gratitude towards their new master. A master so considerate of his subordinates was nowhere to be found!
Even with their bodies heavily wounded, the thought of what was about to happen caused them to react physically. They, who had never experienced arousal from wearing clothes, instantly terrified the three on the cart. If Li Xi truly did as he said, people would die. The beautiful slave owner, in particular, nearly vomited. Many noble sons had pursued her before, but she had disdained them. Now, bear goblins...
Li Xi cooperated, holding up his fingers. For every breath that passed, he bent one down. Soon, all four were bent. The three bear goblins racked their brains to praise their master, but after a long while, all they could say was, "Master, your mercy is as great as the gods."
"Don't worry, my words are absolute, even the gods cannot change them. I believe you will have a pleasant night," Li Xi said, patting the bear goblin's large head. The texture was a bit hard. The bear goblin thoughtfully nudged its head closer and lowered it, allowing Li Xi to pet it with minimal effort. Li Xi was very satisfied with their performance.
The three were already so terrified that two and a half souls and six out of seven vital spirits had fled. The beautiful slave owner seemed to have thought of something and shouted impatiently, "I remember, I have, I have hidden money!"
"See? Still cheap. You don't know pain until it hits you," Li Xi said, lowering his counting fingers.
The three bear goblins were very disappointed. Their drool had already pooled on the ground, their eyes were wide, and they had even arranged the order of who would go first. Why did they surrender? They had expected them to remain defiant, and they had even hoped their former master would bear them a litter of little goblins. Now, with their former master yelling without regard for her image, it was all in vain. However, the bear goblins looked at the two male humans who still hadn't remembered anything and thought, *that's not bad either.*
Under Li Xi's gaze, the beautiful slave owner spilled it out like beans. It wasn't her personal stash, but their boss's. "We truly don't have any, but our boss does. I know where he hid it."
After saying this, the beautiful slave owner looked at Li Xi. Li Xi understood that she wanted to exchange this clue for her safety. "If what you say is true, I'll let you go."
"I guarantee everything I say is true. He has dealings with the Greybeard Pirates. All his private money is with the Greybeard. The amount of gold coins is at least a hundred thousand." The fear that had once made them revere their boss had now been thrown down the drain. After all, their boss had been beaten and fled, and they had no hope of escaping. It was better to exchange this information for a chance to live.
Li Xi nodded, quite satisfied. He hadn't expected to dig anything up. He had just been looking for some amusement. A hundred thousand gold coins. It wasn't a waste of his morning.
"You are safe," Li Xi said, caressing the beautiful slave owner's once pretty face. The slave owner, mimicking the bear goblins, rubbed against Li Xi's palm, a seductive smile on her face. If Li Xi had ordered her to undress at that moment, she would have gladly complied.
Unfortunately, Li Xi withdrew his hand after a couple of pats and turned his gaze to the remaining archers and mage.
The old mage's face, creased with wrinkles, was almost ashen with shock. When he had been preparing to cast a large-scale magic spell under the protection of his outer circle, Li Xi had suddenly appeared and, with extremely powerful physical prowess, had even punched through the ground. If he hadn't spent a fortune on a defensive scroll, he would likely have been nothing but bones by now.
Looking at Li Xi's gaze, the old mage had no intention of resisting. This person was not on their level. His strength was beyond his imagination. At the same time, he cursed their boss in his heart. What kind of rotten mission was this? To attack without understanding the enemy's strength, and then to run away himself, leaving them here to suffer.
However, he truly didn't have the private money Li Xi wanted to know about. Everyone knew mages were big spenders and never had any surplus money. He gritted his teeth and said, "I am a Magus. I can sign a master-servant contract and serve you wholeheartedly."
The archer was in the same boat. He also had no spare money. In every mission, the boss and the second-in-command took the lion's share, and what they received was meager. Especially for an archer, the speed at which money was spent depended entirely on their finger speed. Hearing the mage offer to sell himself to avoid being bestowed upon the bear goblins, he panicked. After all, a mage was a spellcaster and worth much more than an archer like him.
"I can also sign a master-servant contract. I will be a good subordinate," he said, his tone so humble it was begging Li Xi to sign him.
Li Xi pursed his lips. If he signed them, wouldn't he be unable to complete mercenary missions? Without completing mercenary missions, how would he get chances to draw prizes?
"If you still don't speak, I'll have to let the bear goblins interrogate you," Li Xi said, disregarding their desire to sell themselves into servitude, still focused on money.
"My lord, we truly don't have any!" The old mage cried, weeping profusely, to the point that any listener would be heartbroken and any observer would shed tears. Ten breaths were almost up. He had already offered his greatest sincerity, a master-servant contract. This was an act that his peers would scorn, yet Li Xi still refused. He was truly at a loss. Even if he were ground to dust, he had no money!
Hearing the mage's cries, the archer couldn't help but sob along with him. If a Magus couldn't fetch a good price, then he was even less likely to. This was too tragic, too cruel.
Just as Li Xi was about to bestow the two upon the bear goblins, Nuohan walked over. "Brother Li Xi, there's been a slight accident ahead. Miss requests you to come take a look."
Nuohan, a man of iron-blooded military background, didn't care how they cried. Instead, he thought Li Xi was too lenient. In the entire morning, these few people hadn't suffered any physical pain. If they were in his hands, skinning them alive would be the least of it.
"Alright, I'll go take a look."
He then said to the mage and the archer, "You two think hard. If you can remember where you hid your money before I return, I will also be merciful and let you go."
The mage and the archer cried even louder, relieved to have escaped death. They truly had no money.
Li Xi followed Nuohan to the front of the carriage. Feilin stood at the front, pointing towards a distant valley. The valley was blocked by rubble. "This is the only road to Pappiti. It hasn't rained recently, so a landslide is impossible. This must have been done deliberately."
Li Xi looked. The valley was fifty meters wide, and the rubble and entire trees had been piled up four to five meters high. Humans could pass this height, but a carriage could not. As Feilin said, the traces of artificial piling were too obvious. A smile spread across Li Xi's face. More money and mercenary missions were coming.
Li Xi walked to the very front, closing his eyes slightly. When he opened them again, he had the vertical pupils of a dragon's eye and the two-hooked tomoe Sharingan. He magnified the entire valley as if it were right before his eyes, scrutinizing it from top to bottom. He easily spotted people hiding on the mountaintop, mountainside, and behind the rubble. There were about ten people, with strengths ranging from level three to five. Their auras were mixed and impure.
With such strength, let alone Li Xi, even Nuohan and the others could handle them. It was merely a matter of time and resources.
After assessing the situation, Li Xi told Feilin, "Miss Feilin, there are three people behind the rubble at the foot of the mountain. Their strengths are one level five and two level fours. On the mountainside, there are five people: three level threes and two level fours. On the mountaintop are two level fives."
"Mr. Li Xi is so powerful. It's a waste for you to be a mercenary in Kado City. Do you have any plans to develop in a big city?" After hearing that their strength was so insignificant, Feilin confidently waved to Nuohan and the others. Nuohan immediately led his men forward. The gap between professional soldiers and irregulars was manifold.
Li Xi worried there might be places he hadn't seen and created a clone to follow Nuohan and the others. With a clone present, it was foolproof.
"Miss Feilin, you flatter me. With my lazy nature, a small city like Kado is more suitable for me. There are fewer things, I earn more, and I live freely. If I went to a big city, I'd probably be very tired, and might even accidentally offend some important figures."
Li Xi chatted aimlessly with Feilin. It had to be said that having a beautiful woman for company made even drinking cold water feel like eating bird's nest soup.
Especially when, not far away, Li Xi's clone led Nuohan and the others to resolve everyone in a flash, capturing them alive.
By the time Li Xi's carriage team approached, Nuohan already knew their background. "Miss, Mr. Li Xi, they are the ten notorious individuals on the C-class mercenary mission list. We didn't hold back and only five survived."
Li Xi's ears perked up at the mention of a C-class mission. Great! Another chance to draw prizes. Feilin, who was adept at reading people, said, "Since Mr. Li Xi needs to complete mercenary missions and improve his rank, these people are yours."
"Then I shall not refuse." Li Xi pulled the five crippled members of the ten-man gang back to the flatbed cart pulled by the bear goblins.
These five people were not convinced at first. They had made thorough preparations, even bringing several level three and four magic scrolls, as well as other traps, yet none of them had been used. They had been accurately pinpointed one by one. Their ambush had backfired.
Now, looking at Li Xi, they continued to utter defiant words, "You insignificant mercenary, do you know who you've offended? You've captured us today, and tomorrow you'll be captured. Then, death will be the best outcome you can imagine."
"The entire dark world knows about you. In the coming days, you will face a continuous stream of bounty hunters. If you release us now, we can put in a good word for you. Otherwise, your family won't survive three days."