Anderson was sweating.
"Hiss—"
The moment sweat seeped from his forehead, it was evaporated by the flames covering his body's surface, producing a sharp crackling sound.
With him at the center, the screaming crowd scattered and fled, but after pulling back a certain distance, they bizarrely stopped, turned around, and faced him in a daze.
Like a flock of sheep surrounding a gray wolf.
"What terrible luck..."
Anderson grinned bitterly.
Someone as clever as him couldn't fail to notice the abnormality.
To silently manipulate so many people and cause him such massive trouble was absolutely impossible for a low-sequence Beyonder.
This had to be at least a Sequence 4 demigod above his own level!
What the hell? Were high-sequence powerhouses so cheap now?
Running into two Kings in that sea was one thing, but this tiny island at the edge of the world also had two?
"Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. We can talk things through."
Anderson knew resistance was futile, so he spread his hands, adopting a harmless posture and seeking peace.
Stall for a bit, and then...
"...and then that Gascoigne fellow will notice something's wrong and rush over to save you, right?"
A voice came from the crowd, laughingly finishing the second half of his thought.
Anderson couldn't help but freeze. Instantly, he felt a chill rush up from the soles of his feet, along his spine, and explode in his head.
A high-sequence Beyonder of the Spectator pathway could actually...
"...actually know what I'm thinking inside my head?"
That voice, like a whisper from hell, sounded again.
"...Your Excellency, what exactly do you want?"
Anderson fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said with a grin, "Are you messing with me for fun?"
Having directly perceived the inequality of their respective powers, he became somewhat indifferent instead, as if completely emptying his mind and asking purely on instinct.
"Of course not."
That voice said, "What interests me is your companion, the 'Blood Reverend' Alexander Gascoigne.
Don't claim that was just a casual joke you made up; you can't deceive me."
"Sigh..."
Anderson couldn't help but smile bitterly, never imagining that his offhand remark would land him in such a predicament.
"What do you want?"
He asked calmly.
"I want you to do me a favor."
"A favor? You want me to work from the inside and help you ambush Gascoigne?"
Anderson said helplessly. "You might as well just kill me. Either way, it's a death sentence."
"Don't worry, I won't make you do that." The person suspected to be a demigod said with a laugh.
"What I want you to do is very simple: deliver this case of gold pounds directly into the 'Blood Reverend's' hands."
This case of money?
Anderson was stunned. Wasn't this just an ordinary case of paper currency?
"Take another look now."
That voice said with a laugh.
Anderson lowered his head at the words and opened the case to look. When he saw clearly what the bills looked like, his pupils couldn't help but contract.
On each of those 10-pound notes, instead of the "Founder's" portrait, the face in the picture wore a grotesque mask.
The mouth of that mask was stretched very wide, all the way to near the ears, and was constantly gaping, as if to devour everything in sight.
As Anderson stared, those masks seemed to squirm slightly, as if they were living things.
Bizarre, twisted, making one feel deeply uncomfortable.
"I want you to guide the 'Blood Reverend' and have him count all the bills once."
The demigod who hadn't shown himself said.
"Just count the bills once, and that's it?"
Anderson asked incredulously.
"That's enough."
That voice chuckled.
"So, it's quite simple for you, isn't it? As a Hunter who's experienced being a 'Provoker,' you should have fairly rich experience in manipulating human nature.
As long as you do as I say, I'll give you a reward beyond your imagination."
His voice seemed to carry irresistible temptation, echoing directly in the depths of Anderson's mind, making him subconsciously feel this was a good deal.
Yes, as long as I agree to this thing that isn't very dangerous, I can gain many benefits...
"Just say 'I agree' and that's all."
That voice continued its enticement.
Anderson took a deep breath, grinned broadly, and simultaneously grabbed a button on his shirt.
It was the only gain he had left from this expedition, an extraordinary item from the "Arbiter" pathway!
"Go to hell."
He said, ripping off the button.
"Mental abilities are prohibited here!"
Anderson shouted loudly.
Whoosh!
The button immediately radiated majestic brilliance.
Invisible rules formed in the space, and he felt his consciousness instantly become much clearer, no longer completely without resistance as before!
"...Very well."
That voice didn't become angry because of this, only gave a soft, cold laugh.
"Boom!"
An even more powerful pressure immediately formed.
The spiritual radiance emanating from the button in Anderson's hand lasted only a few seconds before it began to flicker, as if unable to bear the load.
Without hesitation, he immediately grasped a silver charm in his pocket.
"Taste this!"
He threw that silver charm toward where the voice came from, shouting in ancient Hermes:
"Misfortune!"
This was a charm made by borrowing the power of the Evernight Goddess, taught by the "Snake of Mercury," capable of causing the target to immediately suffer bad luck!
Black light flashed through the crowd.
The originally gathered crowd instantly broke open a gap.
They seemed to suddenly regain their senses and began screaming as they fled.
Behind the crowd, there seemed to be a gentleman in formal wear clutching his head with a pained expression.
"Is that you?"
Anderson saw this person's face clearly and discovered he actually knew him. "Richardson?"
This was none other than Toscart Island's biggest merchant.
He was the financial backer behind large profitable establishments like casinos and the Moulin Rouge!
But surprised as he was, his hands didn't pause for a moment.
Seizing the slight opening the other party exposed, he raised his right hand high and shot a ball of flame into the air.
"Boom!"
The blazing white fireball exploded in midair, incredibly dazzling, with intense spiritual fluctuations.
Anyone on the island who was a Beyonder would notice!
After sending out the signal, Anderson quickly bent down and fled into the distance, trying to seize the last opening to run as far as possible and stall for as much time as he could.
He nimbly wove through the crowd, attempting to use the chaos to conceal himself.
But at that moment...
"ROAR—"
A shocking roar.
That roar contained intense mental suppression, instantly silencing the crowd.
They stood frozen in place in terror, once again submitting to that person's control.
Anderson's brain also trembled from the roar.
Although he quickly regained his senses, those one or two seconds of delay allowed the people around him to grab hold of him!
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