Above the mage!

Chapter 613 Jaber's Gas Stove

After disappearing into the shadows of the buildings, the dark figure quickly made seven or eight turns.

He was extremely familiar with the terrain here, and he deliberately chose to explore the secluded alleys on the edge of the mage district of Jinliu City.

Finally, after a long escape, he broke through the boundary of the mage district.

Upon arriving here, his pace slowed considerably.

This is an abandoned warehouse area.

In the city of Jinliu, where land is incredibly valuable, such a large tract of land located on the edge of the mage district is quite rare.

However, everyone knows that this wasteland will not last long and will soon be auctioned off and developed into various shops or residences by shrewd Fox businessmen.

But at least for now, this place is still a desolate wasteland that no one cares about.

In stark contrast to the pristine cleanliness of the monks' quarters, the air was thick with a damp, musty smell due to the sparse population.

The dark figure leaned against a mottled wooden stake, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

Clearly, even with the aid of magic, the escape had taken a great toll on his stamina. He hadn't fully recovered yet, and his lungs felt like they were about to explode.

"Huff...huff...finally shake off those heartless bastards." The dark figure raised his hand and ripped off his hood, revealing a face covered in cold sweat but still exuding a heroic air.

The man looked to be no more than twenty-four or twenty-five years old, his bangs damp with sweat.

He wiped his face hard and couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath, "Damn it, when Father was still alive, he kept calling me his good nephew."

So now that his father's gone, he's showing this coercive, demanding side? We almost got caught there, and those guys on that ship too…”

The man's brows furrowed deeply as he thought of the person who had suddenly attacked him on the shuttle boat, and a strange sense of irritation welled up inside him.

The magic emanating from the man's fingertips was gentle yet extremely penetrating, instantly replacing his [Acceleration] spell with another [Great Stride].

Although both were speed-up spells, they did not affect his escape; in fact, the duration of [Great Stride] was longer and the speed was more stable.

But that abrupt intervention felt like a thorn stuck in his heart, leaving him constantly uneasy.

What exactly is the other party trying to do? Are they deliberately helping him, or do they have ulterior motives?
The only thing he remembered from that glance back was the man's tall figure and blurry face. He didn't resemble the greedy guards in the white marble building at all, nor did he recognize anyone else.

What worried him even more was that the alchemy blueprints in the package on his back could not afford to be damaged in the slightest.

That was his only hope for reviving his family business; if it were taken away, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Screw it, I've already escaped anyway." The man spat and caught his breath.

Just as he was about to turn around and find a more secluded place, a slow, leisurely voice suddenly came from behind him.

The voice carried a hint of mocking laughter: "You ran pretty fast, found a place to rest so quickly?"

The sound was like a thunderclap, instantly making the young man's hair stand on end.

He turned around abruptly, his right hand instinctively reaching for the short blade at his waist, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.

From the shadows not far away, a figure slowly emerged.

The person walked extremely slowly, each step feeling like it was stepping on the man's taut nerves.

"Who are you... what do you want?" The young man's voice trembled slightly as he stared intently at the other person, his mind racing.

The man stopped a few steps away from him, a playful smile on his lips. He looked him up and down before slowly speaking, "What, don't you recognize me?"

The young man stared at the man's face, trying to find the corresponding figure in his memory. Suddenly, the image of the shuttle boat flashed through his mind.

His pupils contracted sharply as he exclaimed in surprise, "It's you? You're from that shuttle boat!"

"Oh? You have a good memory." Gao De raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of praise, and took another small step forward.

The young man suddenly felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him, instinctively taking a half step back, his hand gripping the short blade so tightly it turned white. "You... what do you want?" the young man asked, forcing himself to remain calm. "Why are you following me? No, how did you manage to keep up with me?!"

He believed that his escape route was well concealed, and that every turn and change of direction was calculated. How could anyone possibly follow him?

Moreover, he kept an eye on what was happening behind him the whole time, and he didn't even notice a cat, let alone a person!

"As a model citizen, do I need a reason to catch a thief?" Gao De smiled slightly, but instead of answering the man's question, he asked in return.

The method is actually quite simple.

Because what he cast on the opponent at that time was not [Great Stride], but [Great Stride+] after being enhanced by Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.

The additional effect of [Stride+] is that "During the spell's duration, the path the target traverses will leave a faint trace of magical light visible only to the caster."

With this additional effect, the opponent's escape route will naturally be completely exposed.

“You’re definitely not here to catch me, and I’m not a thief.” The young man’s lips twitched slightly, then he took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and stared sharply at Gao De, saying each word clearly.

"Oh? How do you know I'm not here to capture you?" Gao De looked at the other person with great interest.

"If you wanted to capture me, you should have done so on the shuttle ship. Why did you follow me all the way here?"

The young man's mind raced, and his speech quickened. "Besides, if you really wanted to catch me, you would have done it by now. Why would you be wasting your breath talking to me?"

He paused, his eyes filled with confusion and wariness: "I have no idea who you are, and we have no grudge against each other. You even helped me just now, but now you've chased me all the way here... What exactly do you want?"

He really couldn't understand who this person was.

The other party was able to follow him silently, so their strength must be unfathomable. Why did they help him on the shuttle ship? And why are they chasing after him now?
At this thought, he subconsciously gripped the pack on his back even tighter.

Gao De took in his subtle movements, his smile deepening, and suddenly asked, "What's in your package? Is it something you stole?"

"I'm not a thief!" The man, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly raised his voice, his tone full of furious gritted teeth: "I was just going to do business with him."

"It was him! He tried to force me to buy and sell. I refused, and he wouldn't let me leave!"

"I finally found an opportunity to break through the window and escape."

"I see," Gao De nodded thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on the man's face for a moment before he slowly said, "I see."

Now, it was the young man's turn to be stunned.

He stared blankly at Gao De, his eyes filled with disbelief: "You...you just believed that?"

Under normal circumstances, who would so easily believe the one-sided story of a "fugitive"?
"I believe you." Gao De nodded, his tone as calm as if he were talking about something trivial.

What he didn't say was that from the first moment he saw this young man, he had secretly activated the spell of "Feel Emotions+".

Even back in the shuttle boats on the canal, he could clearly sense the surging anger and anxiety in the young man's heart.

That emotion was pure, far from the panic and guilt a thief should have when being chased.

That's why he was certain that this was no simple theft.

"So, what's in your package?" Gao De asked again.

The young man's expression changed slightly, and he seemed to be struggling with his thoughts.

Finally, after a long hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said, "It's a blueprint for an alchemy machine."

"What alchemy machine?"

"Jaber's breathing furnace".

(End of this chapter)