Chapter 22: Entering the Dimensional Rift

Most people knew rationally that the sudden appearance of such a beautiful maiden in the Transverse Canyon meant she was definitely not of humble origins, but still, some would recklessly take risks regardless.

To put it bluntly, adventurers lived dangerous lives, constantly under immense pressure, especially those with orc bloodlines, who weren't unlikely to snap.

Vivian instinctively pulled out the golden pistol she had previously used to threaten Sila.

She didn't ask for Sila's help. In the maiden's memory, Sila had never shown any record of combat at the academy and had even refused Scott's challenge. Facing this situation, she doubted he would have any solution.

"Heh, dares to resist? Very interesting." the orc-like creature suddenly emitted an aura akin to that of an Elite Seventh-Rank warrior, revealing his strength to be far superior to Vivian's.

The orc's companions followed behind with grim smiles, but they were sensible enough not to make any sudden moves. As for the others in the tavern, though eager, they merely watched with expectant expressions, waiting to see if the first person to "try the crab" would meet with misfortune.

Not everyone was captivated by beauty, but such a level of beauty, coupled with her companion, surely made for a ripe target.

At this moment, Sila quietly stood up and walked over to Vivian's side. "You're really making a racket." 

He said with a flippant tone, without even glancing at the orc in front of them.

In the tavern's atmosphere filled with dirt and weakness, Sila's demeanor stood out like a blob of snow.

"What, boy, do you want to save her? With your puny arms and legs?" The orc only sneered, slightly opening his wide mouth, allowing some disgusting mucus with a fishy smell to drip onto the ground.

Sila merely touched his spatial ring lightly. "I know the going rate on the road. A head of an elite status is roughly thirty thousand gold coins."

"I'll buy this one's life, and the lives of his two accomplices as well."

Everyone in the tavern watched as Sila waved his hand casually, and after three dull thuds, three purple-gold ingots inscribed with magical runes landed on the ground.

This was precisely a purple gold brick issued by the Leviathan family in Gandarniel, with a single brick valued at—

50,000 gold coins!

Instantly, the atmosphere in the tavern froze.

"What are you doing?" The orc-like brute hadn't even had time to react when suddenly he spat out blood.

The next instant, everyone noticed that a blade had pierced through his chest.

Then, a hooded figure who had appeared out of nowhere slowly pulled the blade out, causing blood to splatter everywhere.

"Wait, we're not familiar with him..."

The next moment, the brute's companion tried to defend himself, but was already "consumed" by burning gazes from all around.

...

"My lord, we'll take the money now..."

A few minutes later, the hooded figure who had been the first to react, along with the captain of a mercenary group wearing shiny silver armor, and a somewhat gaunt old man, respectfully placed the bodies in the center of the tavern.

They then looked at Sila, and after receiving his nod, quickly grabbed the three purple crystals and left.

At this moment, Sila leisurely pulled Vivian down to sit, saying, "Try the roast meat here. Though the spices are ordinary, Transverse Canyon has a unique terrain and a special species called 'Greenwood Deer.' Their meat is quite delicious."

"Due to the special terrain here, it takes at least two or three days to transport this deer meat to other places. By then, the magical balance in the meat will be disrupted, and the flavor will be much inferior."

Sila spoke leisurely, with a smile on his lips.

The system had just notified her once again—

[Congratulations on wisely using your wealth to resolve a conflict, earning a double integral bonus. You have gained 3,000 points!]

However, the atmosphere in the tavern, which had been chaotic before, had now frozen to an icy point.

Witnessing the sudden bloody scene, Vivian's face changed slightly. Though she had prepared herself for combat when faced with the provocation of the orc-like man, she had never intended to kill anyone.

She had indeed never experienced... taking someone's life before.

Vivian hadn't expected Sila to step forward and casually buy the lives of those three people with such ease.

Even more shocking was the casual tone Sila used, as if ordering an extra dish at a restaurant, and three lives vanished just like that.

At this moment, the tavern was filled with a nauseating smell of blood.

Looking beside her, Sila calmly discussed the flavor of the roast meat, making Vivian feel like she didn't know this partner at all.

The nonchalant young man before them seemed to be more than just a superficial lover of romance and leisure, he appeared to have already adapted to this cruel world, possessing extremely ruthless ways of dealing with people.

However...

After the initial panic, Vivian's mindset changed.

She couldn't help but have a newfound respect for Sila.

After all, her previous plans for Livia had only been theoretical, whereas Sila's decisive action and his boldness in spending money had impressed her...

Sila was leisurely slicing venison beside her, confident that his recent actions had had the desired effect without even needing to see Vivian's reaction.

In "Journey of Radiance." the female protagonists, though mostly inclined towards righteousness, are not saints. Each female protagonist has a different moral alignment, and Vivian's alignment would be—absolutely neutral.

As long as Sila didn't do anything truly heinous, it wouldn't affect Vivian's favorability towards him.

On the contrary, such a straightforward display of his abilities could trigger women's natural admiration for strength.

Indeed, Sila noticed that the young girl somewhat stiffly took the venison he had sliced and sat beside him, lost in thought, but her movements were very well-behaved.

Sila poured himself a full jug of ale, took a sip, and then speared a piece of venison into his mouth.

As he chewed, fresh myoglobin spilled from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto his plate like blood.

The other adventurers around him were struck with fear.

It was not uncommon for someone to offer a premium in gold coins to bounty hunt an elite warrior. What was unusual was the wanton murder over a mere spat, and the ruthless decision to eliminate the orc's companions as well.

Most adventurers exploring Transverse Canyon have loose connections, their so-called teams may just be chance encounters. Was it really necessary to be this ruthless?

Meanwhile, the fact that Sila casually pulled out 150,000 gold coins for such a bizarre purpose, and that he was paying with purple crystal shards from the Leviathan family, only heightened the crowd's... extreme unease!

A naive rich kid walking into this tavern would be seen as an easy target by everyone present.

But when wealth exceeds a certain limit, even the hardened criminals in attendance understand that the young man before them possesses a fortune beyond normal imagination.

His wealth is sufficient to hire numerous powerful guards to protect him.

Perhaps, in this seemingly peaceful tavern, countless pairs of eyes belonging to the mysterious young man's guards are coldly watching everything, making anyone hesitate before taking any action.

Seeing this, Sila merely flirtatiously stroked Vivian's pale cheek and said, "Let's eat some cooked food first to regain our strength."

His tone was casual. He didn't need to deliberately change the subject to distract Vivian, he could make the young girl obey him easily.

At this moment, while Sila seemed to be teasing Vivian and eating leisurely, his mind was racing. He sensed that there were unusually many people in the tavern.

Besides the Dimensional Rift, the resources produced in Transverse Canyon only attract adventurers of elite status, which is why Sila had only brought Kent along.

The old knight's strength is more than enough to handle any situation.

However, precisely because the value of the local produce is not high, it usually wouldn't attract too many adventurers.

Today, however, the tavern was packed.

Despite his heart being filled with doubts, Sila refrained from making any sudden moves.

After enjoying the delicious locally-flavored roasted venison with Vivian, the two put on an air of going on an outing and headed towards the bottom of Transverse Canyon.

Along the way, many adventurers were traveling in the same direction as Sila and Vivian, with Kent mingling among the crowd, silently performing his guarding duties.

It was only when Sila was about to reach the bottom of the canyon that he sensed something odd in the atmosphere. Many of the surrounding adventurers had subtly formed a encirclement, intentionally or unintentionally enclosing him and Vivian in the middle.

However, due to Sila's actions in the tavern earlier, these people were hesitant. Despite their malicious glances, they dared not make any sudden moves.

"Interesting." a sparkle of light flashed in Sila's eyes as he guessed something...

These adventurers hadn't planned to attack from the start. They had been tailing them for some time and were now driven to take action out of frustration!