The Wizard: Grinding Experience Starting with Knight Breathing Techniques 103

Abraham Cathedral.

Midnight, bitterly cold.

A church clergyman was awakened, needing to relieve himself. He happened to see a slender figure wearing a black bird-beak mask swiftly running from the Abraham’s priest’s room, disappearing into the darkness.

He immediately realized something was wrong and shouted, “Help! There’s an assassin! Catch the assassin! Help!”

Instantly, the church clergymen awoke from their sleep.

They grabbed their weapons and got up to search for the assassin.

After searching, they found nothing.

“Where’s the assassin?”

“Who said there was an assassin!”

The assassin, Li Wei, had already left Abraham Cathedral. After destroying any evidence, he quickly returned to Black Water Valley.

Back in his shelter, Li Wei placed his spoils on the ground and counted them, his joy overflowing!

This time, his total gains were over six thousand gold coins, plus several of Abraham’s various privately-collected treasures, totaling a value of at least ten thousand gold coins.

“It’s only been a few years, and I’ve earned this much?”

“Damn, making a living as a con artist in another world is incredibly profitable!”

“But what’s the point of this old dog making so much money if he doesn’t have the life to spend it? Why did he do this?”

Actually, if possible, Li Wei didn’t want to act so soon.

He wanted to let the “韭菜 (leek, referring to easy targets)” grow a little longer. (韭菜 is a Chinese idiom referring to easily exploited people; often used in online gaming and finance context.)

But Abraham, the old dog, made such a move before he left, and Li Wei couldn’t resist. He could only wield his scythe and harvest the leeks ahead of schedule.

It has to be said that the church’s profitability far exceeded that of his own territory.

He worked hard on construction, but it was not as fast as the church’s various methods of making money.

Regardless of the era, those who honestly earned money were always outmatched by those who acquired wealth through various legal (or not-so-legal) means.

Li Wei’s assassination was extremely covert. After infiltrating the cathedral, no one except the victim, the Gleam Knight, and Abraham the priest, knew an assassin had entered. As for being discovered by that clergyman in the end, it was intentional.

He wanted to mislead the other church staff into thinking it was the Deathbird’s assassin who killed Abraham the priest.

With his almost Great Knight strength, assassinating a mere priest unnoticed was child’s play. He deliberately waited for someone to get up at night, creating a coincidence.

“The Frost Giant’s Sigh is really useful.”

The Gleam Knight was, after all, a high-ranking Knight, instantly killed by Li Wei’s Frost Giant’s Sigh, frozen into an ice sculpture. Li Wei didn’t even have to lift a finger. That’s how powerful the Frost Giant’s Armor was; even the Great Knight, the Shark Demon, fell victim to it. A mere high-ranking Knight stood no chance.

As for Abraham, the old dog, he was even less of a threat.

Li Wei crossed out “Abraham, the old dog” from his revenge list.

Li Wei currently didn’t dare to directly confront the church, but killing one of their dogs was still manageable.

And Abraham, the old dog, had made quite a few enemies over the years. It was reasonable for others to hire a Deathbird assassin to kill him.

“The church must be in chaos right now.”

“But what does that have to do with me?”

“I’m just a kind nobleman who donates to the church every year, a noble friend of Abraham the priest.”

“Blame the damned Deathbird’s assassin.”

Li Wei muttered to himself.

Besides the gold coins, Li Wei also found a piece of parchment in Abraham’s residence.

The parchment didn’t contain breathing technique inheritance diagrams.

It was a treasure map, which Li Wei examined.

The treasure’s location on the map seemed to be within his own territory.

“Could this be the reason why Abraham was so obsessed with Black Water Valley?”

The treasure map wasn’t very accurate; many places were wrong.

For the next few days, a curious Li Wei wandered around his territory based on the map.

Finally, he found a place that roughly matched the map.

And that place was the wolf king’s lair Li Wei had previously visited.

Li Wei couldn’t help but laugh and cry, gradually understanding everything.

“Abraham, that old dog, schemed to obtain my Black Water Valley, all for this?”

“I thought it was some kind of treasure.”

Before Abraham, the old dog, died, he could never have imagined it.

The treasure of the Melone family, which he had painstakingly tried to obtain,

had already been acquired by Li Wei.

With the power of the Frost Giant’s Armor, calling it a treasure is no exaggeration.

For ordinary people, it is priceless!

Three days later.

The disappearance of Abraham the priest and the Gleam Knight reached Black Water Valley.

Li Wei immediately sent heartfelt condolences to the church, expressing deep sympathy for this tragic event and strongly condemning the perpetrator’s actions!

A few days later, the matter reached the church branch in Icewind City.

The branch reported to headquarters and sent people to investigate Abraham Cathedral.

Abraham, as a priest sent by headquarters, held a relatively high position, so he had a powerful Gleam Knight constantly guarding him.

However, now both the priest and the knight were killed, without exception.

Such an incident hadn’t happened in years, so the church naturally had to investigate thoroughly.

But Li Wei’s actions were impeccable. With the forensic techniques of this era, it was impossible to trace it back to him.

Even if they really found out, Li Wei wasn’t afraid.

With his current strength, he could go anywhere in the world.

The chaotic Tuva Empire was a good place to go.

Even if your Holy Radiance Church is powerful, your hands can’t reach the Tuva Empire. That’s the territory of the Storm Church!

…

One day, Li Wei was cultivating in his shelter.

Suddenly, Harris’s alarm sounded above the shelter, picked up by Li Wei’s keen senses.

“Who is it this time?” Li Wei wondered.

He appeared on the castle walls and saw a group of people slowly approaching in the distance.

They were wearing church attire, apparently church members.

Li Wei immediately went down to greet them. Soon, a corpulent priest with round head and ears, riding a horse, came before Li Wei.

Beside the priest were two official Knights and more than a dozen cavalrymen.

“Baron Li Wei, I am Father Charav, a priest of the church. I’m here to take over Abraham Cathedral and investigate the death of Abraham the priest.”

Li Wei’s heart stirred. Unexpectedly, Charav had arrived early due to Abraham’s death.

“Welcome, Father Charav. I just heard the news about the death of my old friend, Abraham the priest. I beg you, Father Charav, to apprehend the culprit and bring them to justice, to give a proper account to the kind Abraham priest in heaven.” Li Wei feigned grief.

“I will, but the bodies of Abraham the priest and the Gleam Knight haven’t been found, making the investigation difficult. And the church’s treasury has been robbed; there’s no money to hire detectives…” Charav stroked his belly and said lightly.

Li Wei thought, “The bodies have been turned to ash by my Flame Stream Seal, of course you can’t find them.”

“But you, you fat pig, just taking office and wanting to squeeze some oil and water out of me, huh?”

“Of course, as long as the culprit can be found and revenge taken for Abraham the priest, if there’s anything I can help with, Father Charav, please feel free to ask.” Li Wei sighed heavily.

Charav smiled, thinking that Baron Li Wei was indeed a good man. He liked this kind of straightforward person.

Finally, Li Wei had his servant bring over a dozen gold coins as “investigation funds” for Father Charav. He said with a smile, “Father Charav, this is a small token of my appreciation. I hope the church can quickly solve this matter.”

Charav happily accepted the gold coins, saying, “We’re neighbors now. By the way, Baron Li Wei, I checked the church’s accounts, and Black Water Valley’s taxes are still outstanding. Don’t forget them.”

“Of course not. Father Charav, rest assured. We’ve already paid this year’s taxes, and before next year’s deadline, I will surely pay the taxes in full.” Li Wei said.

Charav patted his belly and left Black Water Valley with his men.

“Damn it, one Abraham dies, and another Charav comes. It’s never-ending.” Li Wei cursed inwardly.

“Luckily, I grabbed six thousand gold coins beforehand. You may earn, but I definitely won’t lose!”

Judging by Charav’s appearance, Abraham the priest’s case is destined to be buried.

“In any case, they won’t find me. I was wearing a Deathbird mask, and my physique is completely different now. Finding me would be a miracle.” Li Wei returned to the shelter. The Deathbird assassin had harmed him so many times; letting them take the blame was Li Wei’s way of returning the favor.

…

Holy Radiance Year 1010, First Moon, New Year.

Just when Li Wei thought things would calm down, a major event occurred.

The White Horse Knight’s wife discovered the dried-up corpse of the White Horse Knight in his secluded location. The White Horse Knight was dead…

Moreover, this didn’t happen this year.

It happened last year, but the royal family kept it secret.

Many citizens still believed the White Horse Knight was breaking through to Legendary.

They didn’t know that the White Horse Knight had been dead for a long time.

It was only recently that it could no longer be suppressed, and within a month, this event swept the entire Emerald Kingdom.

Li Wei found it unbelievable.

“How could this be? Even if the breakthrough to Legendary failed, he shouldn’t have died…” Li Wei was puzzled.

This was a figure comparable to the Empire’s Fist, standing at the pinnacle of the era.

Lost in thought, Li Wei recalled the last words of the Melone family elder during his trip to the Holy City.

“It must have been the church,” Li Wei guessed.

“This is a negative example of being too flamboyant. From now on, I must be low-key and strong. I can’t get cocky. A bird that stands out gets shot. I can be very strong, but I absolutely cannot be famous, because that will only attract the church’s attention.”

The Emerald Kingdom can only have one faith, and that is the Heavenly Father.

Mortals, don’t dare to become… gods.

Although the little prince died, it had little to do with Li Wei. He continued to stay home and grind experience.

However, a few days later, when he went to Icewind City to deliver goods to the Silver Mountain Earl, another big news hit Li Wei.

“The king is also dead. The father and son have gone to see the Heavenly Father one after another…”

“Died peacefully in his sleep, no poisoning, no other signs of murder, seemingly a natural death, but some people suspect it was… an evil spirit!”

“Even the king was attacked by an evil spirit? What were those Great Knight-level guards doing?”

“Things are getting more chaotic. What is going on?”

Li Wei hurriedly returned to his territory, sensing the approach of a huge storm.

Apart from constantly growing stronger, he couldn’t think of any other solution.

Ultimately, although he was powerful.

In the current political circles of the Emerald Kingdom, he was a small, insignificant figure, not a big shot.

Many things, if you’re not in that world, you won’t know what the big shots are thinking, even if you rack your brains.

First Moon, mid-month.

The king’s body had not yet been buried when someone claimed to have discovered traces of “Snow Wraiths” in the border region between the Emerald Kingdom and the Eternal Night Kingdom.

The Black Mountain Duke, the Silver Mountain Earl, the Iron Lake Earl, and several other northern nobles jointly pressured the Emerald royal family, demanding that the royal family issue a national conscription to all the great nobles, mobilizing the entire nation to form a Northern Border Army to resist the incoming Snow Wraith army.

The royal family was also baffled. Now that the royal family’s rising star, Edward, the White Horse Knight, was dead, and even the old king was dead, the church hadn’t even had time to perform the Divine Investiture Ceremony for the crown prince.

Now, the northern great nobles led by the Seven Northern Cavalry were demanding that the royal family mobilize the entire nation’s strength to launch a northern expedition to resist the Snow Wraiths. This wasn’t a joke.

Even if the royal family was willing to do so, the southern nobles who were far from the Snow Wraiths would not be happy.

After all, they hadn’t even seen a Snow Wraith, yet they were to waste manpower and resources on a military expedition. It was too childish.

In this matter, almost all the northern nobles were on the same side, because they were closer to the Eternal Night Kingdom, so only they truly felt the horror of the Snow Wraith disaster.

Without receiving a response from the royal family, during the Budding Moon, the Black Mountain Duke, the leading northern noble, began an unprecedented conscription among his vassal nobles. He would single-handedly conquer the incoming Snow Wraith army.

The Black Mountain Duke demanded that his subordinate lords, level by level, provide sufficient troops and supplies.

A month later, a Black Mountain army, consisting of several thousand cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry, was initially formed.

While the southern nobles watched, forces under the banner of “Chaos and Freedom” began to riot in their territories. The long-dormant Wilderness Brothers Association added fuel to the already chaotic situation.

Soon after, the Bloody Earl of the Green Forest Province and the Silver Silk Earl of the Blue Sea Province, two southern great nobles, unexpectedly launched surprise attacks on their neighboring nobles. They violated the peace treaty signed under the witness of the Emerald King, launching an unjust war of aggression.

Months later, the Black Mountain Duke’s army did not appear on the kingdom’s northern border. Instead, this fierce army from the north had somehow marched south and suddenly appeared on the fertile plains of the Blue Sea Province and the Green Forest Province.

The appearance of Snow Wraiths in the north was merely a rumor. The Black Mountain Duke’s true intention was to unite his southern minions to swallow up the fertile lands of the south.

The church did not stop this behavior, but was busy fighting the “heretics,” the Wilderness Brothers Association, ignoring the impending civil war.

Within a few months, various forces appeared one after another. The entire Emerald Kingdom was in chaos.

In Black Water Valley, Li Wei felt the chaotic atmosphere while frantically grinding experience in his shelter!

(End of chapter)

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