My System Just Exploded, And You Ask Me to Become a God?-Chapter 31 --Kidnapping for Ransom

The blonde-haired Mary was also startled by the sudden turn of events.

She quickly scrambled up from the ground, warily scanning her surroundings.

When she saw Joad standing not far away, a flash of surprise appeared in her eyes.

"Elite rank?!"

Mary cried out in shock. She hadn't expected that an elite-rank powerhouse was hiding here.

Joad looked Mary up and down like she was prey.

Although the two had had some transactions before, there was no real relationship between them.

Realizing that Joad wasn't someone easy to deal with, Mary struck first with a fierce attack.

One magic rune after another was flung out casually, erupting with terrifying magical energy midair.

However, Joad acted as if he didn't even notice, directly using his overwhelming mind power to immobilize Mary.

"You sure know how to hide."

Joad glanced at her with a half-smile.

"Who the hell are you?"

Mary didn't answer, and Joad didn't bother pushing her. He methodically stripped her of anything valuable.

But all of it together only added up to a few tens of thousands of mana stones—

far below Joad's expectations.

"That's all you've got?"

Unwilling to give up, he started groping around Mary's waist, certain she was hiding something valuable.

Mary screamed in terror as he nearly searched her entire body.

That's when Joad noticed her magical dress.

"The hem of your skirt... it's made of Demon Silkworm thread, isn't it? That should fetch a decent price too."

As he spoke, he had already begun tugging at it.

Mary's face turned crimson with shame and fury.

"How dare you treat me like this!"

Joad ignored her. He was just about to seal her mind power when he spotted a miniature magic array between her brows.

This magic array radiated an incredibly dangerous power—

even his formidable mind power couldn't penetrate it.

This woman wasn't simple.

Her background must be extraordinary. For her to lie low in a backwater like the Ilan Principality for so many years...

Chances were, she was after the Ilan Manuscript.

"Alright, alright, stop glaring at me."

Joad waved dismissively and made no further moves. Instead, he tied her up with a sturdy rope.

Then his puppet leaped up and flew out of the portal.

Meanwhile, back in Ilan's Study Hall, everyone witnessed the shocking scene.

"Wait a minute, did I see that right? That ferocious woman—and Harlan of the Pyrothian Kingdom—

were both captured?!"

"What the hell happened? What's going on?"

...

In the blink of an eye, the puppet had emerged from the portal.

At the Ilan Royal Academy, all the various factions had been watching the portal closely.

Just then, magical energy began to ripple across the portal's surface.

Everyone's hearts tensed.

"What's going on? Has someone already obtained the Ilan Manuscript?"

"Judging by that fluctuation, someone's coming out."

All eyes turned instinctively toward the portal.

Then, a black-robed figure appeared, holding a rope in his hand.

"Anyone here from the Pyrothian Kingdom?" he asked.

Bruce immediately stepped forward.

"You have business with the Pyrothian Kingdom?"

"I have something to sell you."

"To sell?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Bruce's face.

The old mage Peter, who had already been released, stood beside Bruce.

"What exactly are you selling us?"

Joad gave the rope a tug—

and Harlan was revealed.

Bruce's expression froze, and Peter's face turned unspeakably grim.

It was Harlan—Peter's most valued junior of the family.

And Harlan now looked utterly miserable.

A dirty rag stuffed in his mouth, his body bruised and battered, bones possibly broken in multiple places.

"You bastard! What did you do to him?!"

Old Mage Peter roared in fury, instinctively drawing his wand.

But Joad remained unfazed. He casually gripped Harlan's throat.

"Calm down, old man. You buying or not?"

Bruce frowned and tried to reason with him:

"Don't you fear making an enemy of the Pyrothian Kingdom by doing this?"

The crowd around them buzzed with murmurs.

It was obvious to everyone that the Pyrothian Kingdom's representatives were truly enraged now.

After all, one of their students was being treated like a piece of merchandise—

a massive humiliation.

And Harlan had always been considered quite talented,

even among the elite of the Pyrothian Kingdom.

Yet Joad remained calm and indifferent.

"Spare me the nonsense. I don't give a damn about your so-called Pyrothian Kingdom.

I'm here to sell. Buy him, or I kill him."

"You dare!"

Peter shouted again in fury.

But Joad didn't humor him—he simply tightened his grip.

Harlan's face instantly turned a ghastly purple.

The crowd collectively gasped.

No one had ever seen someone dare to insult the Pyrothian Kingdom so openly.

Even just that level of boldness earned Joad a degree of respect.

Realizing things were escalating, Bruce quickly intervened:

"Wait! Tell me how much mana stone you want."

Joad pondered for a moment and held up two fingers.

"Twenty thousand mana stones. Not too much, right?"

He had originally wanted fifty thousand,

but worried that if the price was too high, they might refuse—

and then he'd walk away with nothing.

Sure enough, Bruce hesitated.

Peter's expression grew even darker.

But in the end, they had no choice but to pay the twenty thousand.

"Much appreciated."

Joad smiled, accepted the mana stones, and then tossed Harlan over as promised.

Bruce and Peter were helpless.

They couldn't even enter Ilan's Study Hall,

let alone chase after him.

The surrounding crowd marveled at the scene.

Someone bold enough to extort the Pyrothian Kingdom—what a madman!

Only Steward Dulin sneered and muttered disdainfully:

"This guy really is a fool. So what if he got mana stones? Does he think he'll live long enough to spend them?"

In his mind, Joad hadn't yet escaped Ilan's Study Hall.

Once it closed, he'd have nowhere to run.

What kind of idiot robs someone with no escape plan?

The others nodded in agreement. It made sense.

But Joad furrowed his brow.

He turned to look at Dulin, recognizing him as the man who had been tailing Mary earlier.

He hadn't bothered with him back then—

but now this old guy dared to mock him publicly.

"You old geezer—what did you just say?"

Dulin replied calmly,

"I said you're a fool. Got a problem with that?"

"You think I'm a fool?"

Joad smiled playfully.

Dulin remained unfazed and countered,

"Don't you?"

Joad didn't get angry.

Instead, he said slowly,

"Actually, I was originally planning to ransom your lady for just twenty thousand mana stones.

But since you think so little of me, I've changed my mind. Now it's fifty thousand."

"What did you say?"

Dulin's pupils shrank. His face went pale.

At that moment, Joad dragged out another figure.

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

It was Mary.

And her condition wasn't any better than Harlan's.

Disheveled hair. Torn clothing.

Her appearance stirred many wild thoughts among the onlookers.

"You damn bastard!"

Dulin cursed furiously, trembling all over.

He instinctively drew his wand, fire elements flaring madly around him.

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But Joad simply looked at him calmly.

"Cool it, old man. Fifty thousand mana stones—

Are you buying or not?"

"You've gone too far! Do you even know who she is? How dare you treat her this way?"

"Spare me. Are you buying, yes or no?"

"I'm gonna count to three. If you don't buy, don't blame me for what happens next."

"Three..."

"Two..."