Chapter 96: Chapter 96

Flora fell into deep thought after listening to Lin Mo's complete narration and analysis.

If everything was as Lin Mo said, then some of Baron Rahl's behaviors seemed to have a reasonable explanation.

"It appears the truth of the matter is roughly ... They killed my student, feared being held accountable, and thus used this method to cover it up."

But there was still one major unresolved question about this incident.

"Why exactly did they do this?"

Flora couldn't figure it out for the moment, "As the lord of a border town, neither that Baron Rahl nor the Lawrence family had any reason to provoke Saint Antonian Academy without cause and kill a student of the academy."

"That's not very clear..." Google seaʀᴄh N()velFire.net

Lin Mo shook his head. Who could understand the affairs of those nobles?

"Perhaps there was some conflict?"

Lin Mo shook his head again. Although he didn't know much about it, judging from the reaction of that blonde man earlier, Saint Antonian Academy was clearly not something those nobles could afford to provoke. Under this premise, harming a student of this academy over just a minor conflict was clearly unreasonable.

Nobles were just bad, not stupid—at least not stupid to that extent.

"There must be a deeper reason behind this matter."

Flora's thoughts aligned with Lin Mo's, her expression quite displeased: "It seems this small Lania City has no less darkness than the royal capital."

What made her even more unhappy was that although the truth of the matter could already be deduced, this was still just speculation. Before obtaining solid evidence, she couldn't directly confront Rahl and the Lawrence family.

"Captain, what do you plan to do next?"

Lin Mo looked at Alden beside him, "Given the behavior of those nobles, they'll likely adopt the approach of rather killing the wrong person than letting anyone go, eliminating everyone connected to this matter... Sorry, I've implicated you all."

A bitter smile appeared on Alden's face. Offending the lord left only one solution—to leave Roland Town, to leave Lania City. For someone like him, already middle-aged with a stable life, this was indeed an undeserved disaster.

Moreover, his wife and daughter were still in Roland Town. He couldn't abandon them, but once he returned, whether he could leave again was hard to say...

"Before the people they sent out bring back news, they probably won't dare act recklessly to avoid revealing flaws."

Flora spoke up: "I'll return with you and help you leave the Lawrence family's sphere of influence. If you don't have a suitable destination, you can come with me to nearby Silverstream City. I know the lord there, who happens to be on very bad terms with the Lawrence family and can guarantee your safety in the city. Additionally, I'll write to the academy and temporarily stay in Silverstream City. I must investigate this matter thoroughly!"

"Then we'll trouble you, Mage Lady."

Alden bowed gratefully. Although it was somewhat troublesome, being able to ensure safety after getting involved in such an incident was already great fortune.

"No need for such formalities..."

Flora waved her hand: "I don't like those tedious rituals."

She then looked at Lin Mo again and continued: "Little guy, I might need your help with this matter later. I hope you won't refuse when the time comes. Of course, I'll provide corresponding compensation."

Lin Mo nodded, looking at the scroll in his hand, hesitating to speak.

Forget it, he'd discuss it later.

"Before that... we still have one task or commission unfinished."

Lin Mo told the straightforward mage lady about the village chief's commission.

"Then what are you still waiting for?"

After hearing this, Flora immediately gripped her staff tightly: "Where is the goblin nest? Lead the way quickly!"

Indeed, although her status was far more elevated than those so-called nobles, Lady Flora didn't look down on ordinary people because of it. Hating evil intensely, she possessed a kind and passionate heart.

Ellie's injuries had completely healed, and she continued her duty of leading the way.

Following the goblin scent, they quickly found the goblin nest.

Calling it a nest was actually just a temporary gathering place. Most goblins stayed in the clearing outside the cave. The goblin spellcaster had just gathered these goblins and hadn't yet had time to establish a proper tribe.

Due to its death, many of those goblins had already dispersed, leaving only about half remaining.

Without needing many words, with the help of Flora, the powerful mage, this rescue operation suddenly became completely effortless.

She just walked openly out of the forest and stood right in front of the goblins.

When those goblins saw the young human woman, their eyes immediately lit up, charging toward her in a mass.

Flora chanted incantations, and a wall of fire rose, instantly burning a group to death.

The power of magic was far more direct than other professions. Just this one move shattered the goblins' fragile psychological defenses. They immediately showed fear and scattered in panic.

Flora didn't stop, waving her staff again. A huge fireball shot out, turning all goblins along its path into ashes.

"Really terrifying..."

Alden clicked his tongue repeatedly, "Lady Flora must already be an elite-level mage!"

Levels 1-5 of professionals were collectively called beginners, while levels 5-10 were considered veterans.

Only upon reaching above level 10 would one be called elite, and the next step after elite was transcendent!

Reaching elite level at just 21 years old, Flora truly lived up to her reputation as the kingdom's once-in-a-century magic genius.

Of course, they weren't idle either. While Flora was exterminating those goblins, the members of the Raging Bull Team also circled around from the side to near the cave and rushed inside.

There were only a few goblins inside the cave, mostly stronger ones, considered the best among their kind.

But after all, they were still ordinary goblins, offering no resistance against the three of them.

Going deeper into the cave, they soon saw the young women imprisoned in cages made of bamboo and wood.

Those four mutated goblins that escaped yesterday were all here. The two adults were fighting, both injured. It seemed that because of the goblin spellcaster's death, the group had fallen into chaos, and they were competing for the leader position.

Seeing the humans suddenly appear before them, they clearly froze for a moment, then recognized Lin Mo, showing fear on their faces.

They immediately stopped their internal conflict, pointing their weapons at the three and issuing threatening roars.

However, these roars clearly lacked confidence. Obviously, Lin Mo from last night had left quite a psychological shadow in their hearts.

As Alden's voice fell, he was the first to charge forward, targeting one of the adult mutated goblins.

Lin Mo was about to follow when he suddenly felt a chill beside him. Looking closely, Ellie's sword along with half her arm were covered in a layer of frost.

Indeed, that previous sneak attack on the blonde man wasn't accidental...

Ellie's fighting style was indeed still that of a warrior, but her attacks seemed to contain some ice elemental power.

This wasn't magic, but an innate talent derived from her bloodline.

The Ice Wolf Clan itself was a type of beastfolk that mastered ice elemental magic power.

Moreover, looking at the power of this strike...

Lin Mo watched as Ellie confronted the other adult mutated goblin. In direct combat, she only retreated two steps, unharmed.

It seemed that previous sword strike wasn't just the activation of her bloodline power—even her skills had broken through the final barrier and been completely mastered by her.

Thus, Ellie officially advanced and became a professional.

Moreover, compared to ordinary professionals, due to her bloodline talent, Ellie's strength was clearly somewhat greater.

Lin Mo withdrew his thoughts, his figure suddenly disappearing. When he reappeared, he was over ten meters behind, two sword energies flying out, easily killing the mutated goblins trying to sneak away.

The other sub-adult mutated goblin nearby immediately shrank its pupils. It repeatedly waved its hands, saying in broken common language: "Beg... you, don't..."

Before it could finish speaking, Lin Mo's [Cross Slash] chopped off its head.

Lin Mo looked contemptuously at the fallen corpse: "When the villagers you killed begged for mercy, they were never spared."

[Vanish] proficiency +5

[Cross Slash] proficiency +5

Alden and Ellie's battles continued. A professional fighting an adult mutated goblin was inherently an evenly matched fight, especially since Ellie had just advanced. Even with her bloodline talent's enhancement, she was clearly at a disadvantage in direct confrontation.

Lin Mo continued to vanish, appearing behind the mutated goblin fighting Ellie, stabbing his sword into its back.

Then, before the other could die, he followed up with a [Cross Slash], earning another 8 proficiency points.

He dealt with the last one the same way. The combination skill of [Vanish] plus [Cross Slash] was something Lin Mo now used very skillfully. For monsters around threat level 1 like mutated goblins, it was basically a one-combo takedown.

With the battle over, Alden took charge of looting the spoils, while Lin Mo looked at the captured young women.

Fortunately, probably because of last night's crushing defeat and the competition for leadership, the goblins hadn't yet started breeding, so these young women were still unharmed, just with some abrasions from being transported.

With one sword strike, Lin Mo cut through the wooden bars. He and Ellie stepped forward to untie the ropes for the girls. Immediately, the cave filled with sounds of gratitude and weeping.

These girls had spent the entire night in despair, their spirits long on the verge of collapse. Now suddenly rescued, their emotions completely broke down.

Several young women clung tightly to Lin Mo, some hugging his legs, others pulling at his clothes, leaving Lin Mo momentarily at a loss.

Ellie watched this scene, her expression immediately becoming displeased. She wasn't as polite as Lin Mo, directly stepping forward to pull the young women away one by one. Then she spread her arms, shielding Lin Mo behind her, putting on a fierce expression, her fur bristling, revealing two sharp little fangs.

She looked exactly like a little dog protecting its food.