Chapter 176: The Tyrant and the Dragon Vein Mage

Lei En looked at the wood elf.

His light‑green leather armor highlighted the wood elf's upright posture; he was much stronger than a typical elf and stood half a head taller, the armor stretched tight over his muscles, a delicate silver headband rested on his forehead, long hair fell to his shoulders, and with his handsome face he appeared dashing and unrestrained.

The soul eye saw that this elf was a legendary strongman, proficient in melee techniques, knowing only a few auxiliary spells, likely a forest ranger.

Judging from soul strength, he corresponded to roughly an eleventh‑level Transcendent.

Moreover, the opponent's soul color was normal, showing no hostility.

After introducing himself, Tuosaidelin immediately added apologetically, "I have to manage everything in the arena, so I couldn't arrive in time to entertain you; I hope the lord may forgive me."

"Your Highness need not be so formal."

Lei En rose from the sofa, smiling, "I'm not in a hurry; I had time to enjoy several performances, which were splendid and opened my eyes."

Fabian had reported earlier that Tuosaidelin's status was not simple; he was a member of the wood elf royalty, a prince among the elves.

However, Prince Tuosaidelin was far from the throne and, it was said, had no desire to vie for it.

To avoid royal disputes, Tuosaidelin traveled thousands of miles to the Empire, establishing the Great Hammer Arena; after decades of operation, his lofty position earned him great prestige among foreign peoples in Mo Du.

Using the Great Hammer Arena as a core, Tuosaidelin developed a series of inns, bars, casinos, brothels, Ten Thousand Spirits Club, alchemist shops, auctions and many other enterprises, weaving a massive network of connections, becoming one of the dominant forces within the Earl of Glamorgan's domain.

Fabian was the one who, through Tuosaidelin, contacted several mercenary companies.

When Tuosaidelin heard Lei En address him, his eyebrows twitched slightly; he glanced at Fabian beside him and said, "I am merely a powerless prince of my clan; please do not use such honorifics, lest the lord laugh at me."

"Just call me Lei En," Lei En waved his hand, self‑deprecatingly, "I don't know how long I can remain a lord."

Tuosaidelin showed no contempt, "With a lord's strength, you can surely keep the position indefinitely."

Obviously, he was well aware of what had happened yesterday at the Azure Water High Castle.

Bang! Bang!

Tuosaidelin clapped his hands twice, and several beautiful female elf servants entered the private room carrying food and fine wine; he ordered one of them, "Please bring the mercenary captains in."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lei En sat down and chatted casually with Tuosaidelin about the recent arena performances; soon three differently‑shaped "people" entered the private room.

Leading them was a hulking figure over two meters tall, rough skin of pale blue, muscles seeming ready to burst, wearing a heavy black half‑plate, a blood‑red cape draped behind, exposing two arms as thick as a normal man's thighs; his arms were tattooed, his nose broad, his visage somewhat feral, eyes radiating strong aggression, giving an impression of both majesty and brutality.

Seeing this person, Lei En felt a slight change in his heart.

It was a half‑orc!

Half‑orcs are the mixed offspring of humans and orcs, but unlike Half‑elves they are not rare; they are numerous, and in the borderlands where the Empire meets the orc tribes in the north, half‑orcs have formed a distinct culture, though they have yet to be recognized as Empire citizens.

Like Half‑elves, half‑orcs carry the Blood Soul Curse in their souls.

However, they have an advantage over Half‑elves: they reproduce more easily.

The vast majority of half‑orcs become excellent warriors after adulthood, and they can undergo a Soul Transformation ceremony with their human parents to become Transcendents.

The half‑orc before me is a powerful Transcendent.

Moreover, his Transcendent profession is extremely rare, called a "Tyrant"!

The formal name of the Tyrant is "Conqueror", and they are devout followers of the Black Emperor Ban Erke.

This deity possesses the divine offices of "Tyranny", "Fear", and "Conquest"; many human kingdoms and alien rulers worship this powerful god, establishing his church as the state religion and governing the people by its doctrine.

Thus, Ban Erke is also called the "King of Tyrants".

For his most devout followers, Ban Erke created the "Conqueror" Transcendent profession.

However, because those who worship the Black Emperor are often despotic kings, lords, and chieftains with poor reputations, people habitually use "Tyrant" to refer to their Transcendent profession.

The Tyrant is a melee profession, generally advancing from Berserker or Iron Guard; at the third Soul Transformation, they fuse the demonic soul of an Eye Demon Tyrant, obtaining the core Elements "Touch of Dominion" and "Mind Whip".

"Touch of Dominion" is an absolute Element; through physical contact it can control intelligent beings weaker than oneself, turning them into the most loyal servants while they retain self‑thought, like slaves.

This is a power scarier than mind control; it has no time limit, and the Tyrant can borrow strength from his slaves, amplifying his own power—the more slaves, the stronger the Tyrant.

Additionally, the Element "Mind Whip" can be used to attack enemies or be manifested through sound as a commanding war‑cry.

Through this commanding war‑cry, the Tyrant controls his slaves and also provides various motivational effects.

The combination of these two Elements means the Tyrant never fights alone; wherever he goes he is accompanied by a large group of slaves, like an unbreakable iron‑blood army, with the Tyrant as its absolute leader.

Lei En heard that a dozen Transcendents poured into the corridor outside the private room.

Their footsteps were perfectly synchronized; they must be the slaves of this half‑orc Tyrant, whose soul extended ten invisible threads that passed through the wall, linking to the external slaves.

Soul energy streamed along the threads into the half‑orc's brain.

A single slave's contribution was modest, but ten slaves together yielded a considerable boost, causing the half‑orc's power to surge severalfold.

This half‑orc is a ninth‑level Tyrant, not a legend, yet his strength rivals that of a legend.

Lei En's gaze shifted away from the half‑orc.

The second was a human Wizard, an eighth‑level Elementalist, about forty years old, with an ordinary appearance and unremarkable looks.

The last entrant made Lei En's eyes brighten.

She was a petite human woman, about one meter sixty tall, perhaps even shorter, entirely wrapped in a gray cloak that could not hide Lei En's sharp gaze; beneath the cloak her figure was lithe and well‑proportioned, the large where it should be large, the small where it should be small, evoking endless imagination.

She lifted her hood, revealing long silver‑gold hair; her pure face bore a sensual charm, her violet eyes were extremely lively, seeming to see through hearts, containing wisdom and power far beyond ordinary people.

When she revealed her true form, the private room seemed to light up.

All the men present, including Lei En, the half‑orc and Prince Tuosaidelin, showed admiration in their eyes; such a stunning beauty was rare.

Lei En only glanced once before withdrawing his gaze.

He was surprised; this lady was not a mere decorative vase, but a legend.

"Legendary Dragon Vein Mage…"

Lei En sighed softly; Mo Du truly lived up to its reputation as a trade capital, a hidden treasure trove, where he had encountered two rare Transcendent professions in succession: the Tyrant and the Dragon Vein Mage.

He pretended to glance casually around the corner of the private room, where Aoxiliya stood invisible.

Dragon Vein Mages are the mortal enemies of dragons!

Dragon Vein Mages, by merging the demonic soul of a Dragon‑born, upgrade; below the legend rank, only a Dragon‑born soul is needed, but upon ascending to legend, they must fuse a true Dragon soul.

If you want to obtain a true dragon's soul, you basically have to go slay dragons.

This transcendent profession is the humans most despised by great dragons; if given a chance, they will never let any opportunity to kill a Dragon Vein Sorcerer slip.

However, Lei En found that Ao Xiliya seemed indifferent, ignoring the mortal enemy before her.

He was somewhat puzzled.

Using his Soul Eye to scrutinize the lady, he suddenly discovered that her soul structure differed from that of ordinary transcendent beings, possessing multiple great dragon abilities and Element, yet her meditation method was different.

"Could it be that she is not a Dragon Vein Sorcerer?"

Lei En felt doubtful, but before he could examine further, the three newcomers fixed their gaze on him, scanning him up and down.

Tuosai Delin stood up and laughed, "Lei En, let me introduce you."

He pointed to the leading half‑orc, "This is the commander of the 'Blood and Sand' mercenary corps, Mr. Ge La Han Mu, a tyrant."

Half‑orc Ge La Han Mu forced a grin at Lei En that was uglier than a cry.

Lei En nodded in response.

Tuosai Delin then looked at the middle‑aged Wizard, "Gao Lan Na is an old acquaintance; his 'Green Flame Hand' contains many Wizards and sorcerers, whose strength is comparable to that of some renowned spell‑casting organizations."

Lei En understood that Gao Lan Na was probably not the commander of the 'Green Flame Hand'.

Finally, when Tuosai Delin was about to introduce the lady who seemed to be a Dragon Vein Sorcerer, she stepped forward, saluted, and said, "I am Ai Mi Li Si, commander of the Dragonstone Mercenary Corps, pleased to meet you."

Her voice was resonant and powerful, yet carried a soft, charming foreign accent that sounded a bit odd.

Lei En saw an emotion of anticipation in her soul.

Each of the three had different thoughts: half‑orc Ge La Han Mu was quite interested in himself, while Wizard Gao Lan Na was overly calm, as if he had come merely to handle a task.

Obviously, they already knew their own identities.

At that moment Tuosai Delin paused, then laughed, "Gentlemen, without me saying, you should have guessed Lei En's identity—he is indeed the Lord of Glamorgan."

The three showed little surprise.

The battle that occurred yesterday at Azure Water High Fortress had already spread throughout Mo Du.

Within the Glamorgan domain, the major factions had clandestinely debated countless times about this newly arrived lord and that terrifying Soul Gun.

Now it is being whispered everywhere that the Earl of Glamorgan possesses a Legend Grade weapon, which he publicly used to slay a legendary wizard.

The fall of a legendary wizard shocked everyone.

All three were well‑versed strong individuals; in Lei En's presence, none dared to show even the slightest contempt or disrespect.

Not to mention that a Holy Soul Wizard stood behind Lei En.

Half‑orc Ge La Han Mu asked impatiently, "Tuosai Delin, you brought us here to meet the lord but didn't tell us the purpose; you can tell us now, can't you?"

"Of course."

Lei En replied on Tuosai Delin's behalf, "I need a contingent of manpower to help me retake territories; the reward will certainly satisfy you."

Ge La Han Mu's expression shifted slightly; he had thought Tuosai Delin wanted him to get acquainted with the lord, not that such a massive task was being thrust upon him.

He knew exactly what that meant: once he accepted the contract, he would be opposing the Mo Du aristocracy.

If Lei En successfully recovers the lands, that would be ideal; but if he fails, he must face the Mo Du nobles' retaliation, and the entire mercenary corps might not survive in Mo Du.

Ge La Han Mu was still hesitating, while Wizard Gao Lan Na had already made a decision.

"Sorry, my lord, the 'Green Flame Hand' cannot accept your contract; allow me to depart first."

After saluting Lei En, Gao Lan Na immediately turned and left the private room.

Ge La Han Mu saw Gao Lan Na's decisive refusal, clearly unwilling to take the risk; he felt a bit reluctant, yet did not want to miss the chance to befriend a powerful lord, and was still deliberating when a female voice rang out:

"My lord, I will take this task."

I have to vomit blood for three watches today!

(End of Chapter)