Claude felt rather unhappy as he weighed the bulging money pouch in his hand.
The six of them didn't even have five thales on them. Even though the pouch was filled to the brim, it was filled with copper coins.
Had it not been for his lack of funds, he wouldn't have been able to do it. He didn't expect the gang members to be even poorer than him. He really didn't understand why they were still in the mafia when they were so poor.
He tossed the money into his backpack and could only hope that the second-in-command of Blacksnake wouldn't embarrass Blacksnake. He hoped that the second-in-command wouldn't embarrass the gang and would have a few more silver and gold coins in his pouch instead of being filled with copper coins like his subordinates. That would be far too unsightly and it would be troublesome for him to count them himself.
Claude decided that if the remaining gang members didn't have a single thale on them, he would break one of their arms or legs. He wanted them to develop a good habit and bring a thale with them to protect their arms and legs.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth it if he couldn't even afford a box of whiteroot powder with the money he earned the whole night.
A box of whiteroot powder sold by the herb shop in the open-air market was only 18 thales, which was about half the price of Hurian's.
The six Blacksnakes had provided … Oh, and with the golden ring, it was about five thales. He hoped that the remaining Blacksnakes would have some money on them and allow him to gather around 14 thales. That should be enough to buy a box of whiteroot powder.
With the Whiteroot Powder, he would be able to continue his alchemy experiments in the study room of the log cabin.
A box of whiteroot powder would be enough for him to complete his flintlock production if he used it sparingly.
When he thought about how he, a one-ring rune magus, had to rely on robbing the thugs of Blacksnake to pay for the materials needed for his alchemical experiments, he felt a wave of sorrow wash over him. He was a disgrace to all magi.
As expected, the place where Blacksnake ambushed Gerrard was Kefnie and Kathlyn's home, the two-storey building at the end of the alley.
But this time, it was different from when Squinted Kamedy ambushed them. Back then, Blacksnake didn't dare to break the peace treaty with Shark and Squinted Kamedy ambushed Gerrard's group only to annoy them a little. He didn't dare to make the first move and only cursed at them.
But this time, the second-in-command of Blacksnake had taken over the two-storey building with his men. The cries and curses he heard came from the house of the two sisters.
There was a small courtyard in front of the building. The walls were only half a meter tall and there were four to five torches stuck into it. Under the light of the torches, he could vaguely see five to six silhouettes moving about in the courtyard.
Less than ten meters away, the people in the courtyard thought it was one of their own. One of them asked, "What happened over there? I heard that coward Robben yelling. Why was he yelling so loudly?
Did he take Wright's fists again?
Hahaha … "
Claude didn't reply and walked to the entrance of the courtyard. He stood there without moving and observed the situation.
There were more than six people in the courtyard. There were three more lying on the ground, but they were moaning in pain and seemed to have been beaten up quite badly.
It was obvious that they were the guards of Shark's acting chief, Gerrard.
"Eh?
Who are you? Where did you come from? What do you want? "
Someone finally noticed that Claude wasn't one of their own, but they didn't understand why he was standing there in a daze.
"Robbery!" Claude said, "Stand properly, kneel down, and put your hands behind your head."
The six Blacksnakes in the courtyard were stunned. They looked at each other before bursting into laughter at the same time. They laughed so hard that they hugged their stomachs and laughed so hard that they hugged their stomachs.
Even the groaning Shark guard on the ground couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh. A Blacksnake member beside him kicked him a few times and scolded, "Damn it, I thought you were the one with the worst injuries and couldn't bear to make a move. So it turns out you were faking it …"
Claude was speechless. What's so funny? Did I do something wrong?
He looked at his attire and saw that there was nothing wrong with it!
He waved the hand axe in his hand. "What are you laughing at? Be serious. I'm telling you, this is a robbery!"
It was fine if he didn't mention it, but the moment he mentioned it, the six members of the gang laughed even louder. They looked like they couldn't hold themselves back from rolling on the ground while hugging their bellies.
Claude suddenly understood why mocking and ignoring one's opponent was the easiest way to anger them.
At this moment, his blood was boiling. This was too infuriating. Tell me what's so funny about it. Who can stand being the butt of your jokes for no reason?
Just as he was about to send a Magic Missile at the one who was laughing the loudest, he saw two Blacksnakes stand up while stifling their laughter. They reached to the side and saw one of them holding a ballista and the other a hunting crossbow. The two crossbows were already aimed at Claude.
"Hahaha, buddy, throw away that hand axe in your hand. Hahaha, how did you even think of robbing the six of us with a hand axe? Hahaha!"
He finally understood why they were laughing so happily. It turned out that they thought he was robbing them with a small hatchet. Compared to the two ballistae they had, the hatchet in his hand really did look a little too small.
He didn't think that the Blacksnakes would bring two crossbows with them at night. It was no wonder they treated him like a joke.
Claude loosened his fingers and the hand axe fell to the ground with a clang.
However, when he retracted his hand, he applied a long-range arrow protection spell on himself.
"Hey, kid, walk over slowly and do as you said. Stand up straight and kneel down, then put your hands behind your head.
Hahaha! "the crossbow-wielding man shouted at Claude," I've never seen such a posture before. Kid, how did you come up with it? "
"How I came up with it has nothing to do with us. Just let him demonstrate it."
"I like this kid. He's quite brave. He dares to rob us with a hand axe alone and isn't afraid in the slightest when facing the six of us. Not bad, kid. You have a bright future ahead of you.
Hahaha! "
"How do you know he's not afraid in the slightest? Can't you see that his entire face is covered? Perhaps he's already crying because of us. You just can't see it. Hahaha!"
"Come here, kid. Didn't you hear me? Otherwise, I'll make a huge hole in your body.
Come here slowly. Right, take off the cloth on your face and let me see who you are. "
The six gangsters in the yard started chatting among themselves. They didn't think much of Claude, who had lost his hand axe, at all.
The way they saw it, Claude, who was being targeted by two crossbows, was like a fish on their chopping board. They could deal with him however they wanted.
Claude sighed and raised his hand. Two Magic Missiles shot out and two of the gangsters who were happily chatting with each other grunted in pain and fell to the ground while clutching the wounds on their stomachs.
Twang! Twang! The bolts from the catapult and crossbow reached Claude at lightning speed. However, they seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier and stopped in mid-air for a moment. Without any forward momentum, they quickly fell to the ground.
Extreme joy begets sorrow. The remaining four gangsters stared at Claude with their mouths agape. The smile on their faces twisted together with the shock on their faces. Their jaws dropped.
No one would have thought that the masked thief who came to rob them with a small hatchet was actually a magician.
The one with the crossbow reacted the fastest. He took two steps back and when he sensed that Claude wasn't paying attention, he tossed the crossbow in Claude's direction and turned to run.
Unfortunately, Claude raised his hand and a Magic Missile blasted a hole in his back. He fell to the ground without a sound and breathed his last.
Claude hated the Blacksnakes who shot at people with their hunting ballistae, so he didn't hesitate to kill them.
Just as he was about to fire a Magic Missile at the other ballista-wielding gangster, the other gangster snapped out of his daze when he saw the ballista-wielding gangster die. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to escape, he steeled his resolve and raised his hand. A paper bag shrouded in white mist flew towards Claude. At the same time, he roared, "I'm going all out!"
He pulled out a sharp knife and pounced at Claude.
He was only five or six steps away from Claude. He tossed the paper bag and charged forward with his knife.
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Claude and stabbed his knife into Claude's left ribs.
That was a vital spot. Once stabbed, Claude would lose half his life. He wouldn't be able to struggle even if he wanted to.
It was obvious that the gangster was a veteran and had probably killed before. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so vicious.
Claude saw an unknown object coming at him with a suspicious white mist. He could only lower his head and avoid it. He didn't dare to catch it with his hand as it gave him a bad feeling.
As expected, the foggy paper bag landed on the ground beside him and gave off a puff of white smoke.
The moment Claude smelled it, he wanted to curse out loud. Damn it, isn't that lime powder? It's really a piece of trash!
However, he didn't have the time to curse out loud. The gangster who threw the paper bag had already reached him with his knife and was about to stab him in the ribs.
Claude had no choice but to retreat. He didn't have any weapons in his hands and couldn't block the knife.
Not to mention, the gangster with the sharp knife was quite experienced. Seeing Claude retreat, he quickly followed suit and kept his distance from Claude. He kept his knife close to Claude's vitals and maintained a constant threat.
With him tangling with the gangster, the other gangster reacted and charged over with a triangular spike. He roared, "Kill him!"
The gangster wielding the ballista was tall and muscular. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to carry the heaviest ballista.
Seeing that his two comrades had tangled with Claude, he tossed the ballista on the ground and picked up a large axe used for chopping firewood before rushing over.
Claude continued to retreat helplessly. The sharp knife had already brushed past his chest a few times and was just inches away from touching his body.
He wanted to block the knife and counterattack, but the gangster with the sharp knife was very cautious. He didn't charge or slash, only stabbing and slicing as though he could leave a large wound on Claude's body.
Yet, that was the biggest threat to Claude.
If only I had an energy barrier like that … He thought of the magus who ambushed him in the forest. That barrier made it so that he wasn't a threat to him at all. Be it crossbow bolts or daggers, they wouldn't be able to harm him at all.
Had it not been for the fact that his fishbone dagger was a magic-breaker dagger, his corpse would've rotted by now.
Claude had forgotten that energy barrier was a level-one spell. Even if he had it, he wouldn't be able to use it unless he became a two-ring rune magus.
But now, his long-range Arrow Defense Spell clearly couldn't block the Sharp Knife at close range. This was truly strange. Powerful arrows couldn't break his defense, but that light Sharp Knife could easily cut through that invisible barrier.
Claude suddenly fell backwards as though he had tripped on the door sill. The knife-wielding gangster and the triangular-wielding gangster were stunned. Claude had fallen two meters away from the door sill. He was standing on flat ground, so how could he have fallen?
But their hesitation gave Claude the opportunity to turn the situation around. The instant he fell, the distance between him and the gangster increased.
Claude sent out two Magic Missiles that hit the two gangsters in front of him squarely in the chest.
The two of them shuddered and grunted before falling to the ground while clutching their chests.
This place had suffered a blow, and there was no hope left …
The last gangster with the axe didn't think that his two comrades would be able to turn the tables on Claude after gaining the upper hand. He raised his axe and roared, not knowing if he was going to throw it or charge at Claude.
But Claude didn't give him the chance. A Magic Missile shut him up for good.