The others still eating were startled by Ai Hui’s gesture.
Fatty was the first to react and immediately grabbed the shield. With his eyes widened and mouth full of food, he resembled an alert frog.
Only then did the others realize something had happened. They knew Ai Hui and were confident in his detection ability.
Ai Hui abruptly lied on his stomach and pressed his ear to the ground.
“The earth is quaking,” Ai Hui said in a low voice.
His behavior made everyone else nervous.
“What’s causing it?” Jiang Wei asked. On the surface, he was tall and impressive with long arms and legs, and his fighting skills were excellent. But among this group of people, he didn’t feel confident at all, like an ordinary soldier.
“It’s hard to say.” Ai Hui explained, “Maybe it’s due to the migration of so many beasts, or perhaps something is moving underground within a certain distance. Hmm, I think it’s most likely the beasts. Are they going to attack the city?”
Confused, Ai Hui stood up.
The rest felt relieved. They came to the mission believing it no different from the previous ones, but over the past several days, they became more nervous. Now they finally understood Ai Hui’s range of detection as none of them had felt any trembles yet.
Duanmu Huanghun lay down and placed his ears on the ground as Ai Hui did, listening carefully. He heard nothing.
Fatty snorted when he saw Duanmu Huanghun’s attempt. How could he compare himself with Ai Hui? It would only lead to disappointment.
“Finished eating? If so, let’s go to the magistrate court now,” Ai Hui said as he stood up.
They weren’t in the mood to eat anyway. Hearing Ai Hui’s words, they quickly stood and went after him. The group drew the eye, especially the trio—Duanmu Huanghun, Shi Xueman, and Sang Zhijun—who were equipped with gorgeous equipment indicating their wealth and social status.
As soon as they entered the streets, they realized that compared to when they first arrived, something had changed.
Nearly everyone on the streets was armed, nervous, and in a hurry to depart.
They arrived at the heavily guarded magistrate court. Lookout posts were situated, and many elementalists were on aerial patrol.
Fortunately, a few guards recognized Shi Xueman and Duanmu Huanghun and immediately let them pass. Seeing a guard who looked familiar, Duanmu Huanghun approached him and after talking for a minute, returned with a somber expression.
“The number of blood fiends outside rose sharply, and some initiated an attack on the city wall this morning. At first, it wasn’t as fierce, but then the intensity began to increase. Just now, the city gate was charged, and twelve people died.”
Their faces paled when they heard what Duanmu Huanghun had to say. This was the highest number of casualties since Central Pine City decided to defend.
They couldn’t help but look at Ai Hui. Hearing what he said, they held some doubts, but now they were completely convinced that the situation was worse than they initially expected.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Earth elementalists! Any earth elementalists? There are fissures in the city wall!”
Several earth elementalists followed him out in a hurry.
Their anxiety worsened. They were only students, after all, who had never experienced such severe conditions. Shi Xueman and Duanmu Huanghun were both well-known talents chased after wherever they went, but at this moment, their insignificance was made acutely known to them.
“Let’s go inside.” Ai Hui said nothing more.
His voice brought everyone back from their thoughts and into reality. Every one of them felt apprehensive, stretched like a taut string—all except Ai Hui, who seemed as calm as usual. His composure settled their nerves.
Sang Zhijun couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you afraid, Ai Hui?”
“I am,” he answered.
This was out of their expectations. They thought Ai Hui would say something along the lines of, “Why? There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Confused, Sang Zhijun said, “But you don’t look like you’re afraid.”
Ai Hui replied without looking back, “You won’t be so nervous either when you’ve been through more battles.”
Shi Xueman snuck a glimpse at Ai Hui. Under the sunlight, his face seemed serene and indifferent, somehow calming her. Perhaps this was the difference between a veteran and a rookie.
They could not find the mayor since he was too busy. An officer received them instead and brought them to the warehouse.
“The materials in the city have been gathered for unified allocation. The mayor has informed me of your special status. Each of you may receive one set of equipment, and Ai Hui one more as his reward. By the way, it seems that some members are missing?”
Shi Xueman and the others looked embarrassed.
Duanmu Huanghun was the one to answer indifferently, “They didn’t bother to come.”
The officer didn’t say anything, but he was displeased to hear this. However, he understood that children from noble families had had luxurious equipment. It came as no surprise that they looked down on the equipment here.
Despite that, he quietly remembered the names of those who didn’t come. They had better not come to beg anything from him one day.
Everyone looked at Duanmu Huanghun with strange expressions. Even Ai Hui was surprised this time.
What an insidious guy!
But Ai Hui was confused. Why did he glance at me, he wondered.
In Duanmu Huanghun’s mind, he always lost to Ai Hui simply because he was not ruthless enough, and he was determined to change it. How could he lose to Ai Hui? Even in terms of ruthlessness, he had to win over him!
Hearing that there would be equipment for all of them, Fatty became excited. Sure enough, it was promising to follow Ai Hui, even allowing him to choose any equipment from the warehouse of the magistrate court.
Jiang Wei and Wang Xiaoshan were also very happy.
In comparison, Shi Xueman and Sang Zhijun kept their calm. Truthfully, they agreed with what Duanmu Huanghun had said just now, but in order to not be blacklisted, they pretended to choose their equipment carefully.
Ai Hui didn’t pay attention to the others. He only told Fatty, “You are a shieldman. Don’t choose any irrelevant stuff!”
He knew Fatty too well. Without limits imposed, Fatty would gravitate towards the most expensive one.
“Shieldman?” The officer who brought them in couldn’t help praising Fatty when he saw his hill-like, strong figure. “What a good shieldman! We happen to have a set of armor for that role!”
The officer brought them to a set of bronze armor.
“This is called the Steady Mountain, which alludes to the phrase, ‘as steady as a mountain’. Its weight is as high as two hundred eighteen kilograms.”
Jiang Wei and Wang Xiaoshan, and even Shi Xueman and Sang Zhijun were astounded at this frightening number.
The officer was pleased to see their expressions. It vexed him to hear that those highborn kids dared to look down upon this warehouse. Now that he saw the amazement on everyone’s face, the officer felt at ease, more comfortable than when eating elemental food. He began to explain without end.
“Although it looks ordinary and wasn’t made by a well-known craftsman, it is definitely a rare armor of superior quality. The first time the mayor laid eyes on it, he praised it and even tested a saber against it himself, only to find that the saber could not break it. At the time, the mayor asserted that only a person born with amazing strength would be able to wear it. Do you want to give it a try?”
From the very beginning, Fatty’s eyes were glued onto it.
After experiencing life and death, he knew that for a shieldman, such heavy armor could greatly increase chances of survival. Moreover, he was experienced enough to know that he would never be able to afford such an armor.
“Yes, I want this one,” Fatty said without hesitation.
Then without seeking help from the others, he grabbed it with one hand and began to equip it clumsily.
When he finally finished, the others gasped in surprise.
He was already as strong as a hill, but now with the Steady Mountain, anyone who saw him had to bear a heavy pressure. Even the shadow he cast seemed thicker than before.
Excited, Fatty strolled around the room. It seemed as though the armor weighing two hundred eighteen kilograms had no influence on his movements at all.
Yet without warning, he began to wail loudly, tears streaming down his face.
This was his first time having armor.
The laborers in the Wilderness had no armor or protection, which was a major reason behind their deaths. With their meager earnings, it was impossible for them to buy such expensive equipment. They were used to facing the sharp claws and tusks of wild beasts without any protection.
Now he was bundled up within the armor. The unaccustomed sense of safety made him cry aloud.
And the cry stunned everyone else.
But Ai Hui understood Fatty’s feelings. He patted him on the armor and said, “Take care of the armor. Don’t lose it.”
“Sure,” Fatty replied. He stopped crying and said earnestly with a nasally voice, “I won’t.”
This was the most expensive armor he had ever owned. He would never lose it, no matter what.
Holding a heavy shield weighing 175 kilograms in one hand and wearing a heavy armor of 218 kilograms, Fatty could still walk around as usual. The rest could hardly move their eyes away from him. They used to regard Fatty as a useless person, but this visual impact now changed their perceptions.
“Everybody, choose your equipment now,” Ai Hui said.
The others began to search for what they wanted.
Ai Hui also began to think about what equipment he would need. His current weapon was the Dragonspine Inferno, which he would not need to change for a while. The Drifting Cloud Boots were also the best shoes he could have. Moreover, the Blood Bandages were good protective equipment that would not influence his agility.
And with Fatty as his shieldman, he didn’t place high requirements on his own protection.
“Do you have anything like azure wings that I can use?” Ai Hui asked.
The warehouse officer immediately understood. “You mean the kind of equipment that enables you to fly? I think you can only use the cloak.”
“Cloak?” Ai Hui’s eyes brightened.
The officer quickly found one and said, “We pay attention to what students need, too. Your elemental energy is of the metal attribute, right? Here’s one you can wear. It’s called the Golden Wind. It enables you to fly by erupting metallic wind.”
“Then that’s it,” Ai Hui said without hesitation.
Apart from the cloak, Ai Hui was allowed one more, but he didn’t know what he wanted either. Therefore, he decided to make a sweep around the warehouse.