Chapter 33: The Anderson Brothers
The Anderson brothers felt their anger grow, much like that night many years ago when a fire set by nobles destroyed their house, spreading to the surrounding farmland and burning everything their family had to the ground.
But now, they didn’t let their anger cloud their judgment. The restaurant was packed, and everyone seemed to like the noble lady. If they acted out now, it would be disastrous.
They silently finished their meal, paid their bill, and left the restaurant like any other normal customers.
Afterward, they set up a stall in the market, which was quite close to the restaurant. They picked a spot that gave them a perfect view of everyone entering and leaving the restaurant.
Time passed slowly, and by eight o’clock in the evening, even though the restaurant’s peak hours were over, the number of customers had started to dwindle.
By nine o’clock, the last table had paid and left, and the market grew quiet. From a short distance away, the Anderson brothers could even hear the laughter of the staff inside.
Soon after, the staff left, and not long after, the restaurant lights were turned off. The person they had been waiting for finally appeared.
Ye Mu stepped out of the restaurant, and the door automatically locked behind her, as set by the system. She walked cheerfully towards the residential area, humming a tune.
It was such a good feeling—the town’s growth was faster than she had expected. At noon today, she had checked, and the total number of residents had already surpassed 800. She planned to begin the first expansion once it reached 1,000.
Soon, she turned into the alley where her house was located. It was already quite dark, and she had to rely on the moonlight to find her way. Thankfully, the road in the game world was clear of any obstacles, so not being able to see clearly wasn’t a problem.
But the Anderson brothers saw the darkness as a rare opportunity.
Just as Ye Mu was a few steps away from her door, quick footsteps suddenly echoed behind her. She instinctively turned around, but before she could see clearly, she felt a yellow light shooting straight toward her face!
“【Lightning Shot】!” Desmond shouted the skill name, and Ye Mu’s heart nearly stopped as she thought she was finished.
…However, the next second, the bolt of lightning that was about to strike her forehead seemed to hit an invisible barrier, making a sizzling sound as it was absorbed and disappeared. In its place, a bright white beam shot out from Ye Mu’s body, forming a huge light orb that crashed toward Desmond!
“Ah—” Desmond screamed as he was thrown back.
In a nearby villa, Isaacs felt his temple throb and suddenly looked up. He quickly opened the map and checked for any special markers. Sure enough, he saw an orange marker flashing intensely on the map.
Unclear about the situation, Isaacs quickly moved toward the door, casually grabbing the robe hanging behind it and putting it on. As he stepped out, he sent a message to Jenna and Ches.
The message first addressed his tracking permissions, then simply said two words: “Come quickly.”
In front of Ye Mu’s house, seeing his brother thrown back, Jeremiah was frozen in shock, then quickly tried to help him.
Desmond shouted angrily, “Don’t help me! Kill her!”
Reluctantly, Jeremiah turned around and swung his melee staff toward Ye Mu.
But just as the staff was about to strike Ye Mu’s forehead, the barrier triggered once again. This time, since it was much closer, there was no need for the white light. Jeremiah was directly sent flying.
He crashed to the ground beside Desmond, clutching his chest and glaring at Ye Mu, who was standing in the moonlight, slowly raising her right hand.
A small whirlwind began to gather and grow in her palm. At first, it was only a couple of centimeters wide, but in the blink of an eye, it had grown as large as a book.
This is a very advanced spell—advanced enough that even the Anderson brothers, who were nearly level 50, had never seen such a technique.
“Y-You… don’t come any closer!” Jeremiah shouted at Ye Mu, his voice trembling with false bravado. “You can’t defeat us!”
“…” Ye Mu remained silent.
It was hard for her to explain, as she was just as panicked. The truth was, she hadn’t done anything—the spell had been cast automatically!
Soon, the whirlwind in her palm had grown to half her height, towering above her head.
Dust and sand swirled inside the vortex, with a few dead leaves scattered among them. Under the pale moonlight, it made her look like a villainous boss!
The whirlwind continued to grow, slowly inching forward, as if it was about to strike and couldn’t wait to attack the enemies.
“Damn… 【Rose Vine】!” The Isaacs trio, who had just arrived, witnessed this scene. Jenna immediately cast a control spell to bind the Anderson brothers.
【Rose Vine】 was a high-level control spell. Although it consumed a large amount of mana, it was nearly impossible to break unless the target was stronger than the caster.
Not only was it difficult to break, but it also had a dazzling visual effect and lasted a long time. The vines, once they bound the target, would bloom twelve roses. One would wither every two hours, and only after all of them had withered would the binding be lifted, taking a full day.
This characteristic made 【Rose Vine】 an exclusive skill for capturing prisoners, and now the Anderson brothers, witnessing this spell, were left speechless.
The good news, however, was that as they were bound, the terrifying whirlwind in Ye Mu’s palm disappeared without a trace.
“Let me go!” Jeremiah struggled on the ground, shouting, “Let me go!”
People in the nearby houses, hearing the sounds of the struggle, started peeking out. Once they saw the scene and realized one of the people involved was the famed chef, they all came out to watch closely.
Jenna ran to Ye Mu. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Ye Mu shook her head.
Jeremiah was still shouting, “Let us go!”
Isaacs, standing behind them, raised an eyebrow, looking down at the brothers. “You should be thankful my friend restrained you with magic. Otherwise, 【Light Magic Cloak】 would’ve detected your hostility and continued to attack.”
“【Light Magic Cloak】?!” The crowd gasped, their gazes toward Ye Mu filled with even more awe.
Having 【Light Magic Cloak】 meant Ye Mu wasn’t just any noble, but someone of considerable rank in the entire kingdom!
Both Ye Mu and Isaacs deliberately ignored the speculations behind these gasps. Isaacs turned to Ye Mu. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know either.” Ye Mu frowned, then spoke directly to the two brothers. “What are you planning to do? Robbing me?”
“No!” Jeremiah denied loudly.
Desmond sneered through clenched teeth. “In your eyes, nobles, is robbery the only vile thing we commoners are capable of?”
Ye Mu paused slightly.
From Desmond’s tone, it was easy to discern the deep resentment he had been harboring for a long time.
Although Desmond was bound by the 【Rose Vine】 and unable to move freely, he still forced himself to sit up, fury blazing in his eyes. “We came here specifically to kill you! You nobles… how long have you oppressed us! How many people have died because of you! Don’t think you can win us over with a few dishes! We’re not that stupid!”
His angry shout caused the surrounding area to fall silent.
The tension between nobles and commoners was already very sharp. In the small town of Qiana, many people had ended up in prison, bankrupt, or lost their families because of nobles. Desmond’s words struck a chord with them, and for a moment, many people wore sad expressions. Some even began to reconsider whether their past admiration for the Chef was too superficial.
However, some couldn’t help but argue on Ye Mu’s behalf. “The Chef isn’t like those nobles! She’s really a good person!”
“Yeah, yeah! I got rich thanks to the Chef’s free lessons and her secret sauce!” someone shouted.
Desmond ignored these people and continued to yell at Ye Mu in anger. “Stop pretending to be kind! If you have the guts, let me go, and let’s fight face-to-face! Even if I can’t beat you, I’ll die like a hero!”
Ye Mu said nothing, simply raising her gaze to look at him.
To Ye Mu, the look was entirely emotionless, but Desmond took it as hesitation and cowardice, so he laughed even more arrogantly. “Hahahaha! You’re afraid, aren’t you! You nobles are all like this—cowards, just like rats in a gutter!”
Ye Mu suddenly smiled, her laugh barely audible.
Then she didn’t try to prove her bravery, nor did she intend to explain whether she was a noble or not. She just looked at the Anderson brothers and said, “It seems you’ve suffered a lot because of those unscrupulous nobles.”
“Of course,” Desmond’s voice became hoarse as he spoke of painful memories. “Our whole family died because of them! You nobles turned us into orphans!”
“Oh, that’s a valid reason to hate the nobles. If it were me, I’d at least kill enough nobles to match the number of my deceased family members,” Ye Mu said slowly.
Desmond felt her tone was too lighthearted, and his anger flared up again. “Stop pretending! You—”
“Excuse me, before coming after me, how many nobles have you killed?” Ye Mu suddenly asked.
Desmond was momentarily stunned by the question but quickly responded, “You’re the first. But after this, we—”
“I’m the first.” Ye Mu smiled again, tilting her head slightly as she seriously examined Desmond. “You just mentioned ‘orphans,’ so the massacre must have happened when you were very young. But after all these years, I’m the first?”
She paused here, turning her gaze away from the Anderson brothers to the crowd of onlookers.
To her, the Anderson brothers weren’t important, what mattered was preventing them from spreading unfavorable opinions about her in the town.
She slightly raised her voice, “If I wasn’t the first, then even if I die here, I’d accept it. Your hatred for the nobles is so deep that you don’t have the time to differentiate who should die and who shouldn’t. I completely understand. Even if I turn into a ghost, I’ll interpret this as a revenge against the entire noble class. It’s just that I’m unlucky—I didn’t do anything but end up bearing the resentment for them.”
“However, I’m actually your first target.” She began walking slowly, her posture calm, as though she was a leading lady in a movie who wasn’t fazed by the chaos. “Let me guess why that is. It’s probably because you figured out that my fighting ability isn’t very high, and I don’t live in a manor or a castle. I live in an ordinary residential area like everyone else.”
“So, you know very well that I can’t defeat you, and I don’t have the guards or knights that come standard with noble estates to help me.”
“Therefore, allow me to speak frankly.” She crouched down in front of Desmond, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her face. Her smile was gentle, but there was an underlying coldness to it. “Are you really seeking revenge? Or have you finally found a soft target to vent your anger on, so you chose to pick on the easy prey?”