NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 25: Under the Shadow
Stevenson was startled, then he laughed playfully and said, "I didn't expect you to be so smart! I'm not a member of the Law Enforcement Mage Corps, but..."
"No buts! Don't even think about touching me again! If you force me, I'll scream." The girl's voice got louder and louder. This was a very remote area, and each area had a very good control over the direction and amount of sound waves transmitted, to avoid excessive noise echoes. So the girl's voice couldn't actually reach very far, and it was useless no matter how loud she screamed. The key point was that every public area in Deepblue had magic recording equipment, and the girl's screams were only for the magic recording equipment to record them. Deepblue was the domain of the Legendary Archmage , and if Stevenson used violence to get the girl's body, Isabella would know about it soon. According to the Legendary Archmage 's temper, the best outcome for Stevenson would be a beating like Randolph, and then he would be stripped of his apprenticeship and kicked out of Deepblue .
Deepblue has a corresponding price, and the girl knows her own value very well. She believes that no normal person would give up the status of Legendary Archmage apprentice just to get her body.
Stevenson really stopped and had no intention of taking further action. The girl did not dare to provoke him too much. There was something about this man that made her shudder. So Elaine did not stay any longer, but turned around and ran towards the teleportation array. Even if it cost a lot more money, she was unwilling to get close to Stevenson again.
"Perhaps you can reconsider it." Stevenson's voice came from behind Elaine, and there was another sound that made her hesitate, which was the crisp sound of gold coins colliding.
"At least two hundred gold coins!" The girl instinctively judged the approximate number of gold coins from the dense collision sounds. So she slowly stopped and looked back.
"It's safe now anyway..." the girl thought, but her heart was beating faster and faster.
Stevenson still stood there, looking at her like a wolf staring at its prey, smiling calmly and confidently. An exquisite leather purse was jumping up and down in his right hand, making a soul-stirring sound of gold coins colliding. The purse was not big, but it was bulging enough. When Elaine saw it for the first time, she was more certain of her initial judgment that it was at least two hundred gold coins. Moreover, her rich experience, keen perception and dim environment made the girl discover that the purse was radiating a faint magical light. This was a purse made of enchanted leather !
that can be enchanted is very expensive, and it is even rarer to make a purse with enchanted leather . If you are not a direct descendant of a true noble family, you simply cannot afford such extravagance. The enchantment of a purse can be to increase the actual storage capacity of the 'space', or to reduce the weight and contents of the 'lightness', or to 'durability'. Even the worst purely decorative 'glitter' will make the value of a purse far exceed the gold coins it can hold.
Stevenson's smile became more and more like a venomous snake, and the frog felt powerless to escape. "I just touched you, so these are the rewards you deserve. Come, come here, take them!"
Elaine felt her throat dry and she couldn't say a word. She wanted to turn around and run, but her feet moved towards Stevenson little by little, and all kinds of chaotic thoughts kept colliding with each other in her mind.
"He won't force me anymore, and he just touched me, so the money is just a compensation for what has already happened, isn't it..." Elaine's thoughts were in a mess, and she suddenly found herself walking in front of Stevenson without realizing it. Stevenson seemed to know what she was thinking, and he grabbed her hand, put the purse in her palm, and then said with a devilish smile: "The purse is yours too."
"But, I..." Elaine felt her throat was so dry that she couldn't even utter a complete sentence. She felt like everything was wrong, but she couldn't tell what was wrong.
"I know you need money right now, and Deepblue 's tradition is to emphasize fair and voluntary transactions. So I'll give you a suggestion, if..." Stevenson paused, his eyes swept over the girl from top to bottom, which immediately made her shudder, and then he said: "If you can maintain your current physical condition and stay with me, you will definitely get a satisfactory reward. For example, I can pay off all your debts for you..."
"No, I can't..." Elaine shook her head vigorously, her face pale, and she stepped back step by step , but her hands were tightly grasping the purse, and her knuckles had turned blue from excessive force.
Stevenson stood with his hands behind his back, not intending to force her at all. Instead, he said, "Don't worry, you can take your time to think about it. My suggestion will be valid for a month."
Elaine suddenly turned and ran away.
Behind Stevenson, Minnie appeared like a ghost. She stared at the girl's figure with her pale eyes and said coldly, "People like this who live in the lower Fringe District will do anything for money. Is this the kind of people you like? If so, then don't even think about touching me."
Stevenson suddenly smiled and said in a low voice: "Our engagement has been established. According to the rules, I can now touch you however I want!"
He pulled Minnie in front of him. Minnie's face had turned pale with anger, but her struggles and resistance were in vain. The seventeen-year-old Stevenson was strong and powerful, and completely suppressed Minnie, who was still a young girl.
"The teacher won't let you go!" Minnie screamed hysterically. She waved her hands and kicked her feet , resisting in vain, and seemed to have completely forgotten that she was a magician and a young girl who had just come of age.
"Teacher?" Stevenson sneered and said, "Without the support of the Solam family, can you still afford the tuition for Deepblue ? A lot has changed in a month. Without the help of our Solam , Marquis Nio might not even be able to keep his own territory. He is now eager to exchange every gold coin for enchanted arrows, and he still has the money to support a genius daughter studying in Deepblue ? Don't be naive, if he is really capable, why would he sell you to Solam ?"
Hearing the word "sell", Minnie's face immediately turned pale. As far as the transaction behind this marriage contract is concerned, the nakedness and urgency of the exchange of interests is not much different from buying and selling.
"Without me, dear Miss Minnie, your carefree life in Deepblue and the dazzling halo of being a disciple of the Legendary Archmage will all be gone tomorrow! Have you really thought it through?" Stevenson's words were as cold as the wind from the frozen hell, which made Minnie's whole body stiff, and her struggles became weaker and weaker. His hands were as cold as his voice, and they slowly slid down. "Dear Miss Minnie, if you have thought it through, please spread your legs."
Minnie suddenly trembled violently, and tears kept flowing from her tightly closed eyes.
Stevenson resumed his elegant aristocratic tone, even smiling, and said, "As for Elaine, there is only one reason why I am interested in her: our little Eldrin obviously likes her a little, so I want to make her my woman first. And you will definitely help me with this matter of Eldrin."
"My dear Minnie, you have been too focused on the study of magic. You haven't paid attention to the outside world for a long time, or even the news of your family, right? You may not know who attacked the Marquisate of Nio. But it doesn't matter. I can tell you that she is Viscount Alicia Malificus . And our little Eldrin's full name is Eldrin Malificus . Dear, do you know the connection now? Haha, in fact, you should feel lucky. If it was Eldrin's father Gordon Malificus who attacked Nio , your father would not be able to support the arrival of our Solam family's reinforcements! If that time really comes, do you think you are still worthy of a Solam marriage? If that day really comes, there will be no essential difference between you and Elaine from the bottom Fringe District. The daughter of a landless marquis can be bought back with gold coins. Even if she is more expensive than Elaine, she can still be valued with gold coins."
"Well, after all that, you should know that little Eldrin is our common enemy. So, help me, dear."
Stevenson patted Minnie's face, and then watched with satisfaction as she looked towards the Eldrin settlement, her eyes already filled with undisguised hatred.