Super Magician: The Magic Network Collapsed Again at the Start

Chapter 18 Intimidation
Anser looked at everything before him with a deep gaze. Although he had temporarily escaped a life-or-death crisis, he was not particularly excited or happy.

Feeling pity is me, standing idly by is me, empathy is me, and helplessness is also me...

He suddenly found the concept of factions to be really fascinating.

If he were to travel back in time during his youth, he would most likely be on the Good and Lawful side and make the same choice as the old priest.

However, after being influenced by society and suffering countless losses and lessons, he realized that many people's misfortunes were caused by their own character and choices, and that temporary help could not change their fate.

Moreover, not everyone deserves help.

My own life is already a mess, and getting involved in too many troubles will only waste my time, energy, and money. Compared to that, my family needs me more.

'It's time to go!'

Livington didn't give him a good feeling. He could sense hostile glances all the way there. Tens of thousands of refugees were crowded together, and negative emotions were building up. He felt that it was going to explode sooner or later.

Moreover, staying in the church always presents various moral dilemmas, and if something really happens, it's a difficult choice to stay out of sight and sound.

After a while, Rand and Zahir hurriedly returned.

The malicious gazes from the shadows gradually disappeared. They dared to bully the priests of Losanda, but they might not dare to provoke the followers of Tyr.

Anser winked at Blatt and the other man, and the group huddled together.

"Are you leaving?" Blatt seemed to have guessed something.

“Okay.” Anser nodded. “Let’s say goodbye, then find a place to stay, buy some supplies, and leave tomorrow morning.”

"Where to?" Blatt asked, his expression complicated.

Last year, he hastily ended his less-than-pleasant adventures and chose Baldur's Gate as his settlement. Just as everything was getting on track, it abruptly ended again.

“To the north are all grey dwarves, to the south are wilderness and forests, and further south is Candlekeep…” Anser said thoughtfully, “Let’s go east, along the Chonza River, and we can think about what to do next.”

He wanted to go to Deepwater Refuge, but heading directly north was definitely not an option.

"I have no family, I can go anywhere." Finn said nonchalantly.

“I have no objection. As for accommodation and shopping, I suggest going to the Adventurers’ Guild. In these extraordinary times, it’s the only place that’s relatively safe,” Blatt suggested.

“You’re a seasoned adventurer, so I’ll listen to you.” Anser grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

They did not disturb Rand. The three of them went together to find the old priest Berg, said a brief goodbye, and left the church.

The old priest tried several times to persuade them to stay, but in the end he said nothing and watched them leave.

As soon as they left the church area, Anser noticed a series of gazes with unclear intentions coming from all around, constantly lingering on their backpacks and luggage.

Professionals are indeed powerful, but low-level professionals can't withstand a siege, and many have died under pitchforks.

Anser wasn't too worried. High-level professionals wouldn't even look at their stuff, and for professionals of the same level to cause trouble with ordinary people was just courting death. He wasn't an ordinary spellcaster.

Walking down the street, the air was filled with an indescribable stench. The streets were crowded with disaster victims, many of whom were lying in the open on tattered blankets. If it weren't for their slightly heaving chests, they would have been mistaken for corpses.

The deeper they went into the city, the more pronounced this became; this was no longer the Livington of the original owner's memories.

Blatt led the way, and a thin boy stumbled over and quietly reached into the bag on his back.

Just as a hint of joy appeared on the boy's face, a large hand reached out and grabbed his slender wrist.

"You dare steal from me!" Blatt turned his head with amusement, but seeing the boy's sallow and emaciated appearance, he couldn't help but loosen his grip a little.

The boy seized the opportunity to break free, squatted on the ground, looking terrified, and backed away using both hands and feet.

"Help! Someone's kidnapping people!"

Blatt's face immediately turned cold, but he didn't argue loudly, which wasn't his style.

People around him fled as if they had seen a plague; even the corpses of the refugees were wrapped in blankets and rolled away. At the same time, a dozen or so young men surrounded them from all directions. The man in the lead was burly, bald, and wore scale armor and a robe.

Anser saw the man in the lead and immediately understood what was going on. He closed his eyes slightly and quickly mobilized his magic.

The bald man chuckled coldly, his gaze sweeping over the staff in Anser's hand before finally settling on Blatt: "Outsider, you know..."

"Spell Burst - Thunder" (Dragon Language)

A short dragon's voice rang in everyone's ears, a flash of light landed on the bald man's large face, and thunder roared.

Without pausing, Anser unleashed three spell bursts at the densely packed crowd within two seconds.

"Boom boom boom——"

When the smoke cleared, people were lying on the ground all around. Not many were injured; most were just terrified.

The bald man had just gotten up when his eardrums started ringing. His face was covered in blood, and his right arm was a bloody mess. If he hadn't used his arm to shield himself, he probably wouldn't have been able to save his face.

In front of him, Blatt assumed an offensive stance, while Finn had already leaped onto the nearby rooftop, ready to pounce.

Anser gestured to the two men, signaling them not to attack.

"Bald Bill, has your Brotherhood of Anchors changed its business?"

He knew the other party; the Anchor Brotherhood was a local gang that had been operating in the Brampton dock area for many years, bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Therefore, he chose to strike first, mainly to intimidate. He didn't believe that such trash who made a living by oppressing the lower class would fight him to the death when he knew he was no match for them.

"Huh?" Bald Bill froze, reluctantly lowering the longsword he had just raised. He grabbed a corner of his robe to wipe the blood from his eyes, looked Anser up and down a few times, and asked blankly, "Who are you?"

"Does it matter who I am?" Anser deliberately put on a cold face to intimidate him. "If you don't give me an explanation today, I'll sell you all to Sel."

In Baldur's Gate, if you accidentally offend someone you shouldn't, you either have to fight to the death or pay money to settle the matter.

At this moment, the dice reveal the opponent's information: [Bald Bill, Human, Level 1 Warrior]

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, this... Master Mage." Bald Bill waved his hand and took two steps back. "The kids below didn't explain themselves clearly, I just came over to ask..."

“Keep making this up!” Anser crossed his arms, looking like he had him cornered.

“Uh,” Bald Bill forced a smile, “Sir, we left in such a hurry that we didn’t bring anything, not even food, so we risked doing this. You know, our Brotherhood never robs…”

Anser raised his hand to interrupt his complaints, pointing to the scales on his body and saying, "The scales are nice, and there are also money pouches and gems. Take them out willingly, and I'll give you a chance. Don't think I'm easy to talk to."

Bald Bill is a professional, and the others are also armed. They can win if they fight, but it will definitely consume their already limited magic and physical strength.

The situation here is too chaotic. If you're not in a good state, others will take advantage of you. If you can intimidate, there's no need to take action.

Intimidation is not just about verbal charm; with the support of skills and charisma attributes, it has a powerful influence on the psychological level, especially when it comes to physical intimidation.

“This…” Bald Bill’s expression changed, and he gritted his teeth and began to take off his clothes.

The other party didn't ask for weapons or food, which happened to hit his psychological bottom line.

What bad luck today! Wasn't it said that monks couldn't cast spells? How come I'm getting spells thrown at me right away? I've seen plenty of magic tricks, but I've never encountered anyone casting spells this fast.

Seeing that even the leader had given in, the others had no choice but to take out all the money they had, and soon a small pile had formed.

Anser didn't care whether they had anything to hide or not, and secretly gave Blatt a wink.

Blatt rolled everything up in his scale armor robe, packed it into a bag, carried it in his hand, and silently gave Anser a thumbs up in his heart.

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(End of this chapter)