Chapter 19: Stealing the Token is a Capital Offense
“That guy said this Thief Headquarters should be right here. Looks pretty shabby, though. But in this area, it’s probably the only house that doesn’t look too bad.”
Aierjisi and Yake followed the location and route given by that thief and arrived at this only halfway decent house, which must be the so-called Thief Headquarters. The Thief Boss was waiting for the two of them at the entrance.
“So, you two are the so-called invaders, huh? Intruding on my territory, what exactly do you want?”
The Boss stared coldly at them. On the surface, he appeared calm and collected, but inside, he was panicking. Just by looking at the man’s physique and the sword at his waist, he could tell he was a formidable adventurer. As for the girl beside him, he couldn’t gauge her strength at all.
“You must be the boss of these thieves, right? What do we want? Don’t you already know the answer?”
Aierjisi smiled at the bald-headed Boss. This guy was rather interesting; after such a warm greeting, he still didn’t understand what they were really after?
“I take it you’re here for this token? Here, I’ll return it to you.”
The Boss pulled out the token and tossed it away. Yake jumped up to catch it.
“The token’s back in your hands, can we go now?”
Since these two had come for the token, all he had to do was return it, and then they would leave, or so the Boss thought.
“Right. Aier, we’ve got the token back, so let’s hurry and leave.”
Yake checked the token to confirm it was genuine. Since they had retrieved it, there was no need to get entangled further with these thieves; it was time to go home.
“Who told you that just returning what you’ve taken means we’ll leave, huh?”
However, Aierjisi never intended to stop simply at getting the token.
“Aier… that’s enough. Don’t push them too far.”
Seeing the Little Princess preparing to do something else, Yake quickly intervened.
“So, what do you want? We’ve already returned what’s yours.”
The Boss looked at the little girl, unsure of what she intended to do.
“Come on, you’re not a child anymore. Who said that returning something means the theft never happened? What do I want? The answer is simple: I want the heads of those who dared to steal my token.”
“You…”
The Boss looked at the blonde girl, incredulous. He had just returned the lost item on behalf of his underlings, and yet she was insisting on killing them.
“This matter has nothing to do with you, and I’m not trying to make things difficult for you. Just hand over those who stole my token. What do you say?”
“Dream on! Everyone living here is my family! I will never hand them over to a monster like you!”
The Boss knew that reaching an agreement with this Little Princess was impossible and that he would have to rely on force to resolve things.
“Family? Oh, I heard that thieves here tend to stick together, huh? How touching it is for a bunch of sewer rats to huddle for warmth. But you should understand one thing: no matter how many rats gather, they’re still just rats, and they’re no threat to me. I’ll ask one last time, will you hand them over or not?”
Aierjisi impatiently twirled her hair.
“I won’t hand them over. If you want their lives, you’ll have to step over my dead body.”
The Boss defiantly positioned his massive axe in front of him, declaring his determination to protect his family.
“Fine, if that’s how you want it, then I’ll happily oblige.”
“Aier. Enough already, there’s no need to go this far.”
Seeing the Little Princess about to unleash her signature skill, the Light Whip, Yake realized she was dead serious about killing this Boss.
“Yake, you’re really something else. These thieves don’t deserve your sympathy! Get out of my way!”
“No way! You have to think about the consequences of killing them!”
Yake referenced the human societal rules he’d previously mentioned to the Little Princess. Even she had no right to take another person’s life.
“Unless it’s an exceptional situation, right? I think this counts as an exceptional situation! Besides, if I eliminate all the thieves in this area, wouldn’t the security improve?”
“Ugh. Just don’t do it!”
Yake couldn’t hold back anymore and spread his arms to block her path.
“Aier, what do you mean by this? Just step aside!”
“No. I won’t move. Aier, this is too much, I can’t just stand by while my master acts cruelly. We’ve got what we came for, so there’s no need to pick a fight with them!”
“That’s your choice, not mine. I can’t swallow this insult; I must find those two who stole from me and tear them apart! I’ll count to three, and you’d better leave, or even though you’re my servant, I won’t hold back!”
Seeing that Yake remained unmoved, the Little Princess coldly began her countdown.
“3. 2. 1. 0!”
The countdown was over, and Yake still stood in front of her. The Little Princess could only sigh in resignation and retract her whip.
“What am I supposed to say to you? That big guy over there, make sure to thank my servant for his kindness, because of him, you’ve retained your life.”
With that, the Little Princess turned and left the area, leaving Yake and the Thief Boss behind.
“Thanks, brother, I appreciate it.”
The Boss wiped the sweat off his forehead. He had thought he was about to be killed by that little girl.
“Don’t mention it. I just couldn’t watch my master be so brutal. I’m off now; see ya.”
Yake exchanged a nod with the Thief Boss and hurried after the Little Princess.
“Ah… that little girl’s strength is definitely not to be underestimated.”
Just watching the whip that little girl revealed, the Boss understood her strength was formidable—someone like him would be easily overpowered. Thankfully, thanks to that man’s interference, he was still alive now.
“It seems they let you off easy, but I won’t be so merciful.”
Before the Boss could bask in his narrow escape, a chilling female voice reached his ears.
“Who are you?”
The Boss turned to see another intruder, and he certainly knew who she was. She was the nightmare of all thieves.
Yin.
“Stealing the token given by the City Lord to guests is a serious crime, and let this crime cost all thieves here their lives.”
Yin said emotionlessly, then pulled out a red belt and tied it around her waist.
“Transform!”
“Everyone, run!!!”
Looking at Yin in her transformed state, an unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped the Boss. Without thinking, he shouted at the surrounding thieves to escape.
The moment the Boss issued the order, the area was engulfed in red flames. Most of the thieves were burned alive by the fire, leaving only a few who managed to escape through the sewers, including the earlier young man and his companion.
“Boss… Boss… Damn it! It’s all my fault that the Boss was killed.”
Through the sewer, the young man and his companion escaped to another district. All of this was because of his mistake; he and his companions stole that forbidden token, leading to the deaths of the Boss and other thieves in this disaster.
“I need power; I need strong power to avenge the Boss and the others!”
“Do you seek power? The kind that lets you step on everyone and surpass them all.”
Hearing someone speaking to him, the young man looked up to see a strangely dressed figure standing in front of a wormhole, extending a hand towards him.
“Who are you?”
“I am the Ultimate Life Form, a warrior of the Adrian People, Adrian Gilbaris. Allow me to grant you the power you’ve longed for.”
Gilbaris stepped before the young man, placing a finger on his forehead.
“Ah… Ahhhhh!”
