Chapter 196: Definitely Won't Hammer Him to Death!

Wood's state of mind was very complex.

The closer he got to the border, the more hesitant he became.

Because after entered the Southern Region, he had heard more about the chaos in the Chaos Wasteland.

Although he was a mage, the nobility of a mage existed only within the kingdom, in places where the Mage Association and the kingdom's laws could govern.

In a place like the Chaos Wasteland, a mage's self-preservation ability was not even as good as that of a Title Knight.

Because a Title Knight's combat talent was melee; even a Bronze Knight could deal with seven or eight ordinary people with ease.

But for a mage, unless they were mid-to-high level, a novice mage's self-preservation ability was very poor.

Not only was their spellcasting speed slow, but the range and power of their magic were also small.

If enemies got close, four or five ordinary soldiers launching a sudden ambush could eliminate a mage.

So, could he, Wood, a novice mage, really live better than ordinary people after heading to the Chaos Wasteland?

What if his luck was bad, and he encountered a greedy, brainless bandit leader who directly imprisoned him or sold him as a slave? That would be a thing more painful than death.

But if he didn't go, he owed a huge debt in the Royal Capital, a quantity reaching a full fifty thousand gold coins.

Such an astonishing amount, even if he helped make magical accessories to repay the debt, would be very difficult to clear in his lifetime.

The reason was simple: first, he was only a novice mage, so the tier of magical accessories he could make was actually not high.

Second, compound interest was truly terrifying.

It was all his own fault for being so stupid back then, thinking his inventions would surely be fought over by many, and not caring about the outrageously high interest rates.

"Black bread! Fragrant black bread! Three copper coins each!"

"Roasted rabbit meat, sizzling roasted rabbit meat! Thirty copper coins each!"

Gulp-gulp!

Smelling the scent of roasted meat drifting in the wind, thunder rolled from Wood's stomach.

In the past, although his life was not luxurious, he was at least from a family of an Honorary Count, and the family still had some foundation.

Thus, monster meat was something he could eat every few days.

Beef, venison, and so on were also the meats he ate most often in daily life.

As for rabbit meat and wild boar meat, those were for lower-class people to eat.

But now...

He touched his rumbling, hungry stomach, then thought of his already empty purse; it seemed there were only twenty or thirty copper coins left.

"What should I do?"

All along the way, he had only been focused on fleeing, so his requirements for food were not high.

But now that he had finally reached this border, feeling that he had almost escaped to safety, and with his mood relaxed...

the craving that had been suppressed for over two months was finally stirred up.

"Screw it, I am a mage! I'll eat a full meal first; only then will I have the strength to rush to the Chaos Wasteland. By then, if I just run fast enough, maybe I can just run away!"

"Even if I really can't run away... I'll just state my identity and scare them. Most of the families in this border are minor noble families; without knowing my identity, they would dare not offend a mage like me,"

Thinking this, Wood no longer hesitated.

After all, he was already fleeing to the Chaos Wasteland; even if his tracks were discovered in the future, it wouldn't matter.

Soon, Wood obtained roasted rabbits from a shop on a nearby square, disregarding his dignity, and sat directly at an outdoor table and chair to gnaw on them.

Two roasted rabbits down his stomach finally restored some vitality to his belly, which hadn't tasted oil or meat for two months.

"Pack two more roasted rabbits and five black breads for me!"

"Yes, honorable guest!"

The servant dared not be negligent, quickly packing the roasted rabbits and black bread.

Although this guest looked a bit ragged, the strange silk robe on his body clearly displayed his status.

As a serf, he dared not say much, even though the other party had not yet paid.

Of course, most importantly, this was the property of my lord, so he naturally wasn't afraid of the guest defaulting on the debt.

"Guest, here are the two roasted rabbits and five black breads you requested!"

Wood nodded, taking the packed roasted rabbit meat and black bread.

To be honest...

This shop was quite thoughtful; the roasted rabbits were packed with cleaned lotus leaves and thin ropes, while the black bread was wrapped in linen bags.

This way, one wouldn't have to worry about dirtying the food while walking on the road.

"Honorable guest, your food this time totals one silver coin and thirty-five copper coins."

At this moment, the servant's bright smile finally appeared as he began to ask for payment.

Wood cleared his throat, pulled out a money bag in a pretentious manner, and threw it directly onto the table.

"This is the money; I have already counted the amount, and it is just right!"

The servant was stunned, immediately looking at the money bag.

Then he took the money bag and found there were indeed quite a few coins inside.

However, the rope at the bag's opening was actually tied tight; after struggling for a moment, the servant still couldn't untie it.

So he looked up and said, "Guest, your money bag has been tied by the body..."

The servant's words stopped abruptly, but he saw that Wood had already taken three steps as two and walked more than ten meters away.

"Guest, please wait a moment! You haven't taken your money bag, and the coins haven't been counted!"

The servant hadn't yet realized the situation was complicated.

If he hadn't shouted, it would have been fine; but with this shout, Wood immediately entered full sprint mode, dashing like a streak of smoke toward the outside of the small town.

The servant was stunned; even with the slowest reaction, he understood what had happened. Disregarding the protection of the money bag, he used the small knife for cutting rabbit meat to slice open the money bag.

Afterwards, two or three dozen scattered copper coins were scattered onto the table, but of course, there were no silver coins.

"Guest, you are short on payment, please wait!" The servant's face changed drastically, and he immediately gave chase.

But the more he shouted, the faster Wood ran.

Furthermore, because of over two months of continuous walking, the mage Wood's physical stamina had also been greatly trained.

The servant could not catch up for the moment.

Watching Wood walk further and further away, with two guards behind him noticing the commotion and hurrying over, the servant immediately turned back.

"Guard my lord, that traveler just now ordered four roasted rabbits and five black breads, but did not pay enough money; he is short by more than one silver coin, and he has already fled!"

The guard's face changed, "Quick, blow the whistle!"

They knew that the shop belonged to their own my lord.

Someone actually dared to eat their own my lord's food without paying; this was simply living too recklessly.

Chirp chirp chirp!

The whistle sound immediately rang out; under normal circumstances, the Magic Swift Eagles responsible for patrolling the sky would quickly receive the message, then head to the castle to bring reinforcements.

But just at this moment, before the whistle sound had even faded, a row of Magic Swift Eagles swept past, heading towards the outside of the small town.

And from the direction of the castle, a squadron of cavalry was galloping over.

Looking from afar, it was precisely their own my lord and the Knight Mi Gen and other knights.

"My lord..."

"Continue patrolling; my lord already knows about that person's matter!"

The guard still wanted to report, but my lord spurred his horse and galloped past without looking back, leaving only the faint voice of Knight Mi Gen's instruction in the air.

"This... this speed is too fast, isn't it?"

"Yes, and this display is too big, isn't it?" The guard and the servant stood there with mouths agape.

And besides them, the one standing with mouth agape was naturally the mage Wood.

He naturally saw the eleven Magic Swift Eagles in the sky that had already locked onto him.

Plus the continuous thundering of horse hooves approaching from behind.

I just shorted one silver coin, right?

Why does it feel like I shorted a gold coin?

Moreover, isn't this the border?

Wasn't it agreed that the border only has minor nobles?

And very, very poor minor nobles at that?

Why are there flying magical beasts appearing above my head, and such magnificent warhorses appearing behind me!

Whoever the hell says again next time that the border only has minor nobles, I will definitely beat them to death!