Only after the man had left did Li Xiuman open the coin pouch to inspect the gold coins inside.
Fortunately, counting the loose copper, silver, and gold coins, they added up to a total of nearly two hundred gold coins.
As for why he hadn't counted them in front of the man and had instead just weighed them in his hand...
Naturally, it was to look professional in front of his client.
Who in their right mind could actually determine the exact value of a coin pouch just by weighing it?
After all, the pouch didn't only contain gold.
Even if it were entirely filled with gold, being able to verify the exact amount just by weighing it would still be incredibly impressive.
Time to stop letting his mind wander.
Tossing the gold coins into his storage space, Li Xiuman began waiting for his assassination target.
Professionalism. He had to be professional.
To show off his professionalism, Li Xiuman specifically activated Bone Manipulation to craft the bone sniper rifle that he had previously cast aside due to its lack of practicality.
Before, it had been a bone Gatling gun, but with a slight modification, it became a bone sniper rifle.
With Li Xiuman's current magical achievements, he was no longer the magical novice of his early days.
Although the new bone sniper rifle was a single-shot weapon, its power was far greater than that of the bone Gatling gun.
Inscribed inside the barrel was Tier 2 wind-rotation magic and Tier 2 explosion magic.
While maintaining its skeletal strength, he had also added a porous, bone-silenced barrel.
The perfect weapon!
Li Xiuman set up the sniper rifle.
“Tier 1 Magic, Water Curtain: Modified!”
A blue magic circle expanded over his scope, condensing into a perfect lens that magnified his field of vision.
“Not bad, not bad. Whip up a spell casually, and it's a great one!”
“I shall call you: Tier 1 Magic, Telescope!”
Li Xiuman was extremely satisfied with this observation spell.
As expected of a genius. A genius's brilliance was always overflowing effortlessly.
Next, he used Earth Magic to cover his body, preventing himself from being detected.
Absolutely foolproof.
“Little Number Zero, let's see how you protect your employer. Hand over his life obediently, hehehe!”
He was already completely in character.
Was this the prowess of a veteran actor?
This was truly incredible!
Time passed.
Viscount Fantes and his entourage finally appeared in his scope, but Li Xiuman continued to wait for his chance.
He was an assassin now!
An assassin must strike with a single fatal blow. “Prepare to die and become a ghost slain by my gun.”
Li Xiuman licked his dry, non-existent lips with his non-existent tongue.
In plain English, he did nothing and was still waiting.
Li Xiuman could already hear his non-existent, restless heartbeat with his non-existent ears.
In plain English, he still did nothing and was still waiting.
“Almost there, almost there.”
“About to enter firing range.”
Li Xiuman's finger rested on the trigger, ready to pull it at any moment.
...This trigger mechanism on the sniper rifle was completely added by Li Xiuman for the sake of ceremony.
In truth, firing with his mind was much faster.
Adding a trigger was practically a downgrade in efficiency.
“Now!”
The blue fire in Li Xiuman's eye sockets suddenly flared.
Since the birth of the magic world up until now, if there was ever a moment to pull the trigger, this was it.
Li Xiuman saw it. He saw the perfect trajectory.
Perhaps, this was his destiny!
This shot will pierce the stars!
Bang!
Along with the shattering of the magic circle at the base of the sniper rifle, a muffled crack rang out.
A hard bone bullet trailed a fiery tail, spinning rapidly as it shot out of the barrel.
The air was pierced and shredded, carving out a perfect straight line as the bullet flew directly toward Viscount Fantes on the carriage.
Li Xiuman could already picture the scene of Viscount Fantes's head exploding.
Surely, this would end perfectly as well.
This boring farce... it was time to end it.
Throughout his career as an assassin, he had lost count of how many times he had slain.
Yet, when the gun fired, his heart still raced with excitement.
“I suppose it is impossible for me to ever discard my identity as an assassin. Living a life of murder, I will surely be killed by someone myself one day.”
Li Xiuman prepared to pack up his rifle.
He, too, had often wished to meet a worthy opponent in his career.
If that were the case, even if he were to die...
“What is that?!”
Li Xiuman's movement to put away his rifle froze.
What did he just see? That woman!
The silver-haired woman guarding the carriage had actually unleashed such a strike!
She had cleaved his bullet cleanly in half, right down the middle!
“How is this possible?!”
Looking at the chaotic convoy, Li Xiuman's face was filled with disbelief.
But then, an uncontrollable excitement welled up inside him.
He had found it. He had finally found her!
He had met his destined opponent. In this endless assassin life, he was not so unfortunate after all.
“I'm getting excited, woman!”
“Amuse me more!”
Li Xiuman grabbed his rifle and activated [Quiet Steps] to move.
A sniper must never fire a second shot from the same spot; that was a lesson written in blood.
On his third assassination mission, he had paid the price of an arm due to this very mistake.
His current arm was a mechanical one manufactured by the Pullman Civilization, a Tier 3 civilization of the M8 Nebula.
Quietly and without a word, Li Xiuman added another new setting to his script.
While his physical body moved, he simultaneously controlled Number Zero from afar.
“Calm down!”
“The enemy is very cunning.”
“Take cover behind the stone walls!”
“Tier 2 Earth Magic, Stone Wall!”
Stone walls rose in a ring around the convoy, shielding everyone inside.
Another bullet flew toward them.
Following right after were two more bullets.
It was Rapid Fire!
Number Zero put on a show of agile grace, dodging the first bullet with a spectacular flourish.
However, the bullet pierced through the stone wall, successfully taking out a lucky bystander.
It then swiftly raised the Shield of the King, deploying its energy shield face to withstand the last two hits.
Looking at the shield raised by Number Zero, the number one assassin of the M8 Nebula, Li Xiuman, frowned.
“To think that such a magical civilization would possess a creation like this. I have underestimated this magical world.”
And just like that, another setting was casually added.
“In that case, try my incendiary armor-piercing rounds!”
A crimson-cyan auxiliary magic circle opened at the tip of the barrel, enchanting the fired bullet with fire and wind magic.
Despite blathering about the M8 Nebula, the number one assassin of the M8 Nebula, Mr. Li Xiuman, was also using magic.
After a fierce exchange of blows...
The two fought to a complete standstill.
But Li Xiuman only grew more and more excited.
It had been so long, so long since he had felt this thrilled!
“Damn it, out of ammo!”
Li Xiuman reached into his pouch, but he didn't feel any bullets.
In reality, there had never been any bullets in the pouch to begin with...
“Having just arrived here from the M8 Nebula for this mission, I didn't bring enough ammunition!”
“The rest are still back on the spaceship!”
“I have no choice but to engage in close combat!”
Having found a bizarre excuse for himself, Li Xiuman seized an opportunity and charged onto the battlefield.
Crystal Orchid was drawn, gleaming in a cold light.
Li Xiuman covered Crystal Orchid in a layer of solid ice to prevent anyone from recognizing it.
“Woman, I acknowledge your swordsmanship!”
Clang!
Blade and sword collided again and again. Amidst the flashing weapons, their bodies flickered like mirages.
The eyes of the onlookers increasingly struggled to keep pace, until finally, they could only watch two blurs continuously clashing.
Rate on N.U.
