Close Combat Mage

Chapter 279 - Internal Competition Part 1

The mysterious person actually wasn’t walking very quickly. For one, he was injured, and two, he didn’t seem to be in any rush. His temperament always seemed as steady as water. So when Suo Jia and Nicole jumped over the walls, they managed to fall not far behind the mysterious person.

The two of them exchanged a glance, and they quickly increased their speeds as they chased after the mysterious person. At the same time, the mysterious person seemed to have sensed something. He abruptly stopped his advance, his right hand pressing against his waist. Suo Jia and Nicole knew that if they dared do anything with evil intent, the unfathomable, water mist-like Aqua Moon Blade would slash explosively out at them.

Not daring to take the risk, the two of them stopped moving, leaving a small distance left between them and the mysterious person. At the same time, Suo Jia said in a loud voice, “Don’t tense up, we just wanted to discuss something with you.”

Hearing this, the mysterious person gently loosened his right hand pressed against his waist. Of course, he didn’t blindly believe in Suo Jia’s words. The reason he’d relaxed was because Suo Jia and Nicole didn’t have any traces of battle intent or murderous aura. In addition…Suo Jia’s tone was very sincere and calm. That was why the person had lowered his guard.

The mysterious person turned around to look at Suo Jia and Nicole coldly. When the two of them caught up to him, he said, “You guys were watching the whole time during the last fight. I’d like to know exactly what you are planning.”

Suo Jia scratched his head in embarrassment and chuckled awkwardly, “Actually, it’s nothing big. I just saw that your skills were pretty good, so I wanted to ask you to become our companion.”

“Companion?” The mysterious person furrowed his brows in bewilderment and shook his head. “I don’t believe I need any companions. The martial way is one of research, an extremely private practice. I’m sorry, but I don’t need any comrades.”

Suo Jia didn’t seem at all discouraged by the mysterious person’s rejection. He smiled and continued, “Hey, your current training methods are too inefficient. If you keep looking for challenges like this, how long will it take you before you manage to find a true expert? It’s not that I’m criticizing you, but even an expert like Picolo is a rare encounter for you, right?”

The mysterious person looked at Suo Jia in astonishment. After some hesitation, he cautiously replied, “What, if I become your comrade, I can encounter many experts?”

“Pa pa”. Loudly patting his chest, Suo Jia said with certainty, “Of course. I can conscientiously tell you now that the people like Picolo only make up the very typical forces in the place we are planning to go to. It’s full of people that are over 10 times more powerful than him. How about it, want to come with us?”

An unprecedented glow lit up in the mysterious person’s eyes. Unfortunately, just as Suo Jia thought the person would agree, he shook his head and said, “No. I’ll stand by my previous words: I don’t need any companions. However…I would like you to tell me where this place is. I can go look for it myself.”

Suo Jia silently stared at the mysterious person for a while, before suddenly raising his head and laughing out loud. Suo Jia shook his head and said, “I don’t understand why you don’t want to go with us. As long as you honestly reply, I’ll tell you where this place is.”

The mysterious person looked intensely at Suo Jia and firmly stated, “Alright, I’ll be honest. The reason I don’t want to become your companion is because you guys are too weak. Once I become your comrade, a relationship will definitely form between us. During battles, you guys will become my burdens. Taking that into consideration, I’ll be unable to display my greatest strength.”

The mysterious person paused a bit before continuing, “As a warrior, I believe that the most important thing is to have a fearless heart. However, once I gain comrades, I’ll have one more thing to worry about. This is something I don’t desire.”

Suo Jia pursed his lips and shook his head, “I don’t think the same way. In my opinion, having a fearless heart alone isn’t enough to become the strongest existence. It’s said that moral people are unrivaled; one can only display their true strength when fighting for the sake of protecting others.”

The mysterious person frowned and replied in disdain, “How unoriginal are you? That’s a cliche phrase that even 3 year old children in my village recite. In reality, true experts are fearless existences, not moral people like you state.”

The mysterious person firmly pressed, “Alright, I’ve already said my reason. Now it’s your turn to honor your word. Tell me…exactly what place are you talking about?”

Seeing the mysterious person act so stubborn, Suo Jia couldn’t help but sigh helplessly. Since he had already promised the other party, he couldn’t possibly go back on his words. He begrudgingly replied, “Alright, I’ll tell you. The place I’m talking about is the Greater Trade Routes.”

“Oh.” The mysterious person had an astonished expression as he said thoughtfully, “Recently, I’ve constantly heard of people talking about these Greater Trade Routes. Are there really that many experts there?”

Suo Jia smiled and replied with certainty, “If you don’t believe me, you can go back and ask Picolo. Even he, at his current level, doesn’t dare to go to that place without stronger companions first. What kind of place do you think it is then?”

With excitement lit eyes, the mysterious person resolutely stated, “Alright, thank you very much for your guidance. I’ll go take a look at those Greater Trade Routes, and see for myself whether there are really that many experts there.” The mysterious person strangely cupped his fists together at Suo Jia and Nicole, then turned around to leave.

After seeing the mysterious person cup his fists together, Nicole couldn’t help but stare blankly for a while, trying to analyze his actions. She asked Suo Jia in confusion, “What was he doing?”

Suo Jia looked at the mysterious person and thoughtfully guessed, “I would think it’s some type of etiquette, like how we wave hands. It’s probably some type of farewell.”

Just as Nicole had finished speaking, the mysterious person abruptly stopped in his tracks, and turned around to walk back. He asked Suo Jia in embarrassment, “That’s right, can you tell me where exactly the Greater Trade Routes are? How do I get there?”

“That…” After wordlessly staring at the mysterious person for a while, Suo Jia awkwardly replied, “I’m very sorry, but honestly speaking, I only know of the place as well. I don’t actually know its location.”

“Mm.” The mysterious person asked in confusion, “If you don’t even know where it is, then why do you want me to become your companion?”

Suo Jia smiled in response and replied, “Although I don’t know it, my companion does.”

Suo Jia turned to his side and pointed at Nicole. “This person in front of you is a treasure hunter with a vast amount of knowledge, and is extremely proficient in the information about various countries all over the world. Only with her as a guide can one smoothly reach the Greater Trade Routes and advance through them. Otherwise, one would probably get lost before even reaching it.”

“No way. I’ve traveled from the distant East, and rushed all the way here. It’s a path of thousands of kilometers, yet I didn’t get lost,” the mysterious person doubtfully replied.

Nicole rolled her eyes in exasperation and coldly stated, “You…do you think we’d trick you? Let me ask you, did you come here intentionally, or did you just randomly roam into here?”

“That…” The mysterious person stuttered awkwardly in response. It was clear to see that he hadn’t actually traveled thousands of kilometers and accurately found this place. He’d randomly wandered over with absolutely no idea where any city was.

Seeing the mysterious person’s embarrassed manner, Nicole continued, “How about it, you just randomly wandered in, right? Then let me ask you this, if you had continued walking that way, do you know where the next city would be?”

“I…don’t know that,” the mysterious person could only awkwardly reply.

Nicole continued to press in as the mysterious person shrank back more, “Then let me ask you again, if I asked you to bring us back to your village thousands of kilometers away, would you be able to guide us there?”

“That…” After struggling for a bit, the mysterious person finally apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry, I wronged you guys. I already understand now that despite knowing of the place, it is impossible to locate it. Only people that are truly familiar with it can find it.”

Nicole smugly lifted her chin and said proudly, “That’s right. What else did you think we treasure hunters did? Although we don’t dare to claim anything else, we can guarantee that in terms of worldly knowledge and comprehension, nobody else can compare to us. As long as we are your guides, we can make sure you accurately reach your objective no matter how far the journey is.”

The mysterious person looked back and forth between Suo Jia and Nicole, seemingly debating something. After a long while, he finally shook his head and said, “Well, no matter what, I must still thank you two for the information you’ve supplied to me. Let’s bid farewell here.” He once again cupped his fists and turned to leave.