I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world.

Chapter 124 Purpose and Fear

When the first rays of sunlight struggled to tear through the curtain of night and shone upon Golden Harbor, what met the eye was a hellish scene.

The smells of gunpowder, blood, and burnt wood mingled together, like a thick, toxic fog, enveloping the entire city.

The usual clamor was gone from the air, replaced only by the occasional screams from afar, the groans of the dying, and the crackling sound of wood being consumed by flames.

The once bustling streets are now completely gone.

The magnificent storefront was violently torn apart, and the precious goods were looted, leaving only broken pottery and overturned shelves.

The muddy ground was littered with scattered weapons, bloodstained clothing, and gruesome remains of limbs.

Several abandoned war boar carcasses lay in the middle of the road, their fur charred and emitting a foul stench.

Occasionally, surviving residents would crawl out of the ruins, their eyes vacant and their faces pale, wandering the streets like zombies, futilely searching for relatives or belongings.

Jemin stood under the porch of the "Dawn Residence," a gentle breeze ruffling his impeccably tailored robes.

Despite a night of carnage, his breathing remained perfectly steady, and his body was spotless.

In front of the villa, the corpses of hundreds of orcs and human soldiers were neatly piled into a small mountain, their blood dried and turning a dark brown in the morning light.

The mountain of corpses, exuding the chill of death, also silently proclaimed the peace of this area.

Looking at the three orc generals beside him, bound like dumplings and still struggling, Jemin nodded in satisfaction:

"Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect such a surprise. It's worth all the effort I put in."

In order to launch the attack as covertly as possible and ensure its success, the orcs sent a small number of warriors, but each of them was an elite, and the three generals leading them were all level two beings.

Although Golden Harbor has five "legends" residing there, the strength of each legend is not the same.

These three orc generals are all quite strong at level two; they could easily take on two of the five level two rookie legends from Golden Harbor.

"Who...who are you...and what is your purpose?!"

Intermittent orcish language came from below. Looking down, one could see an orc general forcibly tearing his own cheek to make sounds from the side of his mouth.

The orc general was terrified; he couldn't understand what this person's purpose was.

If they were the city's hidden guardians, then their invasion yesterday shouldn't have gone so smoothly, and they even watched helplessly as the three of them surrounded and killed five legends of Golden Harbor.

But if there's no connection, why make a move at the last stage?
And this strength... is terrifying!
The orc general, who considered himself known for his caution, even though his strength was at the peak of mortal power, still immediately sought help from his colleagues after discovering something was wrong yesterday.

With their combined strength and the blessing given by the shaman before their departure, they could even hold their own against an angel.

However, the two of them were completely powerless against this guy. They clearly felt that the other's life essence had not yet transcended the "legendary" level, so why...?

The orc general suddenly realized something, his pupils contracted sharply, and due to his extreme excitement, he could only utter indistinct sounds from his torn cheeks:

“Wizard…you are a wizard…”

"Oh? What incredible vitality! Although I already knew that, I still can't help but marvel every time I see it. You guessed right, but unfortunately, no one can hear it."

Jemin looked down at the orc generals and couldn't help but admire them. Then, he kicked the three orc generals into the manor, one after the other.

The reason why Jemin did this was actually very simple: to stalemate the war between orcs and humans, so that both sides would expend more strength and increase their hatred.

As for capturing a few test subjects, that was something done incidentally.

Of course, he wouldn't do these things, nor did he need to tell the test subjects.

In any case, there was a level six shielding array that he had purchased inside the manor. Considering the special nature of the wizard system, even the gods of this world would not be able to detect the abnormality inside the manor if they were caught off guard.

The only people who truly know the exact strength of this orc raid, besides the orcish high command, are the five human legends who have already died.

If both sides want to figure out what happened, they should fight it out slowly!
In the distance, some of the castles and manors in the noble district were belching thick smoke, while others appeared to be on the verge of collapse in the dim light of fire.

But more often than not, it seems that they were merely frightened, rather than completely defeated.

Just as Jemin was calmly cleaning up the remaining bloodstains around the villa, several cautious figures emerged from the alleyways of the upscale district.

They were some of the most prominent nobles in Goldenport, dressed in somewhat disheveled robes and draped in expensive furs, their faces bearing the fear and exhaustion of surviving a disaster.

Their soldiers led the way, armed and ready, each step taken with the air of someone facing a formidable enemy.

Last night, they were on the verge of death, but unexpectedly, the orcs seemed to have received some information and began to leave this way one after another.

This greatly reduced the pressure on them, allowing them to hold on until morning.

“Look! It’s Baron Garcia’s villa!” A butler pointed tremblingly in the direction of Jemin. “There… there’s no fire!” As they approached the “Dawn’s Residence” with trembling steps, everyone involuntarily stopped and gasped.

What came into view was not the devastation of being looted, but the mountain of corpses, and beside them, the silent, statue-like young figure—"Jack".

"This...this is impossible!" a gray-haired count murmured, his legs trembling.

Last night, they hid in the airtight cellar, listening to the deafening shouts and screams outside, thinking that the end of their family had come.

They knew the ferocity of the orc vanguard, the collapse of the Goldharbor defenses, and the strength of the invaders.

However, the facts before them told them that this young man had single-handedly repelled so many invaders!
"Lord Jack!" The first to react was the fat, greasy baron.

Disregarding his aristocratic dignity, he rushed forward, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his obese body trembling uncontrollably.

"Thank you for your mercy! Thank you for your... unparalleled bravery! If it weren't for your intervention, sir, we would all have perished in the flames!"

The other nobles also reacted quickly, immediately kneeling down, bowing, or bending over, their posture extremely humble.

After last night's experience, these nobles are truly terrified.

For the first time, they clearly understood the meaning of "power".

"My lord, you are the guardian of Golden Harbor! My family is willing to serve you for generations!"

"By my God! Your power is like that of a war god descended to earth!"

Praises were showered upon them without restraint. These nobles, who were usually high and mighty, were now like a group of humble servants, trying their best to please Jemin.

They didn't even dare to look Jemin in the eye, for fear of angering this powerful figure who was already a "devil" in their hearts.

Jemin simply looked at them calmly, without any expression.

"No need for formalities, everyone should hurry up and pack your things." Jemin spoke coldly, his voice not loud, but it made all the nobles involuntarily stop their fawning and feel a sense of awe.

The brief euphoria and gratitude quickly faded, replaced by greater fear and despair.

These nobles were not ignorant of worldly affairs.

They quickly snapped out of the "temporary safety" offered by Jemin and realized the deeper crisis.

"Gentlemen, although we are safe for now... it is only temporary." The count, pale-faced and trembling, broke the brief silence. "Last night's attack was not the orcs' full strength! That was merely the vanguard, a signal that they were breaking the peace agreement!"

“That’s right!” another viscount echoed in a trembling voice, “The orcs launched a surprise attack under the cover of night! The defenses of Golden Harbor are utterly crippled! We’ve lost our city guards, we’ve lost our command post… This city cannot be defended!”

Panic spread rapidly among the nobles, who exchanged desperate glances.

"We have to get out of here!"

"To the capital! Only the capital can withstand the orc army!"

"But...but, even by fast horse, it would take at least seven days to get from here to the capital! The wilderness along the way is ravaged by magical beasts, and since the orcs have already broken the agreement, they may have already laid an ambush on the way to the capital!"

“Our private army…” The baron glanced at the trembling guards around him, his face filled with despair. “They couldn’t even withstand last night’s attack, how could they possibly escort us across the battlefield?”

The entire aristocratic community was plunged into unprecedented chaos and anxiety.

Watching their wealth and lives dwindle to risk brought them to the brink of collapse.

"Quick! Pack your things! Take everything you can! The sooner the better!"

"Carriages! Prepare more carriages!"

"Gemstones! Pack them all into the chest! Forget about the bulky gold and silver!"

In an instant, outside the "Dawn Residence," the nobles' men scattered like a hornet's nest that had been disturbed, all rushing home to get busy.

They ordered their servants to stuff the most valuable jewels, rare magical materials, heirloom books and scrolls, and even some works of art that symbolized the family's status into sturdy chests, and then load them onto their respective magnificent carriages.

The servants looked flustered, their hands covered in dust.

The meticulous aristocratic etiquette of the past was gone; the gorgeous silk dress was stained with mud, the expensive fur was hastily wrapped, and the once carefully styled hair was now messy.

The air was filled with anxious shouts, the clattering of objects, and the tense neighing of horses.

As Jemin watched all this, a faint smile curved his lips.

He knew that this group of nobles would soon come to him again on their own initiative.

(Bonus chapter today, one more chapter to go.)
(End of this chapter)