After their one-night stand, Maria was very satisfied and proposed a long-term, intimate relationship with Allen.
"Third sister, I won't be shy with you. Tonight's experience is free, but next time it'll be charged," Allen said calmly.
Maria rested her head on his chest, initially thinking he was joking.
But seeing Allen's serious expression, she couldn't help but get furious!
She rolled over and sat up, scolding him for being obsessed with money.
"If you weren't obsessed with sex, how could I possibly be obsessed with money?" Allen asked with a smile.
"You..." Maria was so angry that she punched him in the chest.
She bit her plump red lips, steeled her heart, and finally turned against him.
"You're not the only man in the world!"
"Three-legged frogs are hard to find, but two-legged men are plentiful!"
She put on her clothes, sternly faced, and walked away.
Alan sat up and shouted at Sister Lion's back:
"Third sister, please stay!"
Maria paused, not eager to turn back.
The corners of her lips curled upward, and she tossed her golden curls behind her.
Hmph! You little brat, you want to fight me? You're still too young!
You want me to go back? Kneel down and beg for my forgiveness!
Just as her inner drama unfolded...
Alan's next words instantly broke her defenses, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into!
"Third sister, this is your tent. I'm the one who should leave."
"Get out! You bastard!" Sister Lion was furious. "I'm breaking up with you!"
The severance only lasted two days.
On the third day, she shyly returned to Alan.
No nonsense, she obediently paid for the pleasure.
After the passion, Maria seemed to regain her composure.
"The thought of spending so much money on you makes me angry!"
She said angrily to Alan.
"I'm angry, but I just can't control my legs!"
"Oh, there's nothing I can do! You've got me hooked!"
Alan smiled, suddenly finding Sister Lion adorable, and pulled her into his arms.
After the pleasure, savoring the moment.
Maria loved to rest her face against his chest, lost in thought for long stretches, listening to the drum-beating heartbeat.
Alan also loved it when she lay against his chest, like cradling a lazy yet sturdy lioness.
His face buried deep in Maria's thick, soft blond hair, he seemed overwhelmed by the fragrance of the September wheat fields.
…
The day before Alan led the tax collection team to their "comfort zone," Kelly and Ella happened to return.
In the past two weeks, they had tamed a total of forty-seven large cats, primarily leopards, but also bobcats and lynxes.
The big cats were clever, and under Kelly and Ella's training, they wouldn't attack the townspeople.
However, to avoid scaring the women and children in the town, Kelly didn't bring the big cats into the town.
Let's leave this Meow Meow team in the woods outside the city to hunt game on their own.
The big cats patrolled the town's outskirts, providing a warning barrier.
Alan introduced his sister and Ella to the monastery's members.
Upon learning that Alan and his group were going to collect taxes from the pirates, Kelly and Ella both wanted to join in the fun.
With Adam, George, and Maria in charge, the pirates couldn't cause much trouble.
Since their safety was guaranteed, Alan figured it wouldn't hurt to bring his sister and junior apprentice along, giving them a good opportunity for practical training.
…
The pirate lair, "The Cozy Nest."
A large wooden house, the sounds of gambling rang out from the window.
A half-naked streetwalker stood under the eaves, posing coquettishly.
Alan, accompanied by the militia and the security team, burst in.
The pirates, alerted, emerged drunkenly.
One of them, wearing a turban and a scimitar at his waist, blocked the doorway. He looked like a small leader.
"I heard you're here to collect taxes?"
The small leader glared at Allen with a sneer.
Bang!
Alan punched him in the head.
"Excuse me, we're here to rob."
Killing right off the bat?!
So cruel!
The surrounding pirates, though known for their ruthless trade, had never seen such a ruthless individual, and their expressions paled.
Alan snapped his fingers, ordering the security team and militia to deal with these minions.
He kicked open the casino door and stormed in.
In the center of the hall stood a round rosewood table.
Crabbe leaned back on the sofa, ignoring the uninvited guest who had burst through the door, and stared nonchalantly at the handful of cards in his hand.
The pirate captain looked to be in his early thirties, with a pale face and a thick, green beard.
He was short, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and arms long and thick, almost deformed!
He was stocky and steady, his aura telling that he was no ordinary man!
Two half-naked, voluptuous young women cuddled beside Crabbe, their lower limbs resembling bird claws, and jet-black wings sprouting from their backs.
Lulu and Lala, the harpy sisters, were said to possess the strength of second-level sorcerers.
"I've heard you're quite arrogant."
After finishing a round of cards, Crabbe looked up at Alan. "I didn't expect it to be even more arrogant than the legends say."
"Want to collect taxes from me?"
"Haha! This joke will keep me amused for a whole year."
The pirate captain propped himself up on the card table with both hands and slowly stood up, a sneer on his face.
Alan stepped forward and sat down across the table, looking the pirate captain straight in the eye.
"The ogre chieftain, 'Big Stick,' also found it funny at first."
"Would you like to find out if he still laughs?"
Crabbe shook his index finger at him.
"Kid, you're wrong."
"You're wrong to lump me in with trash like Big Stick!"
"I can kill Big Stick with just one finger."
Alan casually picked up three cards and took a look. They looked good.
"How about a game?" he smiled at Crabbe. "Use taxes as leverage."
Crabbe dropped his smile and tilted his head, looking at him as if he were a madman.
"I don't owe you anything, so why should I pay you taxes?"
"The fishing boats and merchant ships you robbed didn't owe you anything either, so why did you rob them?" Allen asked calmly.
"Then just call it robbery. Why use taxes as a fig leaf!" Crabbe slammed the table angrily.
"When I came in just now, I said I was going to rob. Didn't your underling inform you?"
Alan glanced back at the door and suddenly remembered something.
"Oh! Sorry, I punched that guy to death."
"I was feeling a bit itchy at the time, and he just happened to look like he needed a beating, so there was a little misunderstanding."
Alan smiled apologetically.
"I'm officially notifying you now. We're here to rob you."
"Fuck you!"
Crabbe couldn't stand it any longer and angrily flipped the table!
Bang!
Alan slammed his hand down on the table.
The tabletop trembled slightly, then calmed down.
Crabbe's face flushed, turning from blue to red.
Veins popped on his forehead, and the muscles in his arms tensed!
The round table couldn't withstand the tussle between the two men. With a snap, it broke in two!
Crabbe rubbed his hands together, and a torrent of sawdust rained down on Alan!
Swish!
Hound Step!
Alan dodged and retreated.
At the same time, Crabbe thrust his palms forward.
Magic power transformed into invisible waves, bombarding him layer by layer!
Third-level martial art—Ripple Palm!
Alan's eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he unleashed a bone-shattering blow!
The two palms collided, Crabbe's power slightly stronger.
Alan was pushed backward by the energy and burst through the door.
Boom!
The entire cabin exploded in the shockwave from the collision, sending rubble and wood chips flying everywhere!
Several figures shot out from the rubble and landed one after another.
Alan's coat had been shattered by Crabbe's "Ripple Palm."
His bare chest, his muscular body a bronzed sheen.
Beside him stood Adam, George, Maria, Kelly, and Ella.
Across from him, the harpy sisters soared into the sky, each holding a longbow.
The casino's wooden hut, built on two parallel barges, was shattered, both hut and barge.
The water, shrouded in sawdust, stirred up waves.
Eight thick brown tentacles emerged one after another.
An octopus, even larger than the hut, responded to its master's call and crawled ashore.
This enormous sea monster was Crabbe's pet, named "Paul," and possessed the combat power of a late-stage third-tier violent warlock!
The Silvermoon Police and Militia surrounded the pirate lair, and sounds of fighting emanated from all around the dock.
The minions weren't a concern, but those tough guys on the other side...
The harpy sisters, the giant octopus, and Crabbe himself were no pushovers! "Kelly, Ella, you two deal with the harpy sisters."
"Big Brother, Second Brother, the octopus that's ashore is in your hands."
"Third Sister, come with me to deal with the pirate captain."
Alan calmly deployed his troops.
Kelly transformed into Leopard Woman and scaled the towering watchtower with flying speed.
The pirate sentry, holding a crossbow, searched for a target.
Suddenly, a dark shadow darted up from behind.
Before the sentry could turn around, Leopard Woman's claw slashed through his throat!
Kelly pushed the sentry's corpse aside, took control of the crossbow herself, and turned to aim at the harpy in the air!
Ella transformed into a cat-eared bee girl. Her right hand wielded a flaming sword, unleashing a whistling, air-slashing wave. Her left hand, her Dou Qi, transformed into a long whip.
She single-handedly fought the harpy sisters, holding her own.
While the harpy sisters were entangled by Ella, Kelly manipulated the crossbow, aimed at Lulu, and pulled the trigger!
... Ella sensed the incoming energy and, without hesitation, swung her sword back!
A water arrow clashed with the flaming sword, hissing and stirring up a cloud of mist.
The water and fire collided, canceling each other out.
Whoosh!
The bird demon Lala seized the opportunity to draw her bow, severing the thread of fighting spirit!
Lulu broke free from her restraints, barely spreading her injured wings, and spun towards the ground.
A dark shadow flashed above the watchtower!
Cheetah Kelly leaped down.
Following the bloodstains on the ground, she tracked down the bird demon Lulu, who had lost her ability to fly.
In mid-air, Ella reshaped her flaming sword and intercepted the bird demon Lala.
In a one-on-one fight, Lala was clearly no match for Ella.
The flaming scimitar quickly singed her feathers, and she let out a painful, urgent scream.
Crabbe heard Lala's cry for help and quickly fired another water arrow into the air, aiming for Ella.
This time, however, he failed.
As soon as the water arrow launched, it was countered by a surge of hot magic, transforming into steam.
"Huh?!"
Crabbe turned angrily and saw a man and woman walking side by side.
The woman, dressed in a leather jacket and pants, was stunningly beautiful and untamed, her thick golden curls like a lion's mane.
The tall, straight-limbed young man was the mastermind behind the robbery. He had just used his "Water Control" spell to evaporate his "Water-to-Arrow" technique!
"Pirate leader, won't you surrender?"
Maria sneered and approached.
Crabbe's face was gloomy, and his arms swirled, as if stirring water.
A vortex of air formed between his arms, generating a powerful gravitational pull! Maria frowned slightly, then suddenly leaped into the air, delivering a powerful kick to the pirate captain.
She had once used this "Meteor Kick" to shatter a dwarven iron giant!
"Get down!"
Crabbe's face was grim as he suddenly raised his arms!
His rapidly swirling arms stirred the air, generating a powerful centripetal force that forcibly yanked Maria from mid-air!
The kick, originally aimed for Crabbe's head, slid between his arms, where the turbulence was most intense!
A cruel smile crossed Crabbe's face.
His "Whirlpool Fist" would crush even an iron rod, let alone a flesh and blood body!
How could it be possible?!
Crabbe's eyes bulged! The swirling air shredded Lion Sister's tight leather pants, revealing a long, round, beautiful leg. It forced its way through the vortex between Crabbe's arms and delivered a powerful kick to his chest!
Bang!
The two figures suddenly separated!
Crabbe was sent flying by Maria's kick, blood spurting from his mouth as he fell into the sea.
Maria was also thrown out by the vortex, tumbling to the ground, stumbling.
Alan stepped forward to support the staggering Lion Sister.
"Third sister, are you okay?"
"Um... nothing, just dizzy and nauseous."
Maria suppressed the urge to vomit, took a deep breath, and gave her opponent a fair assessment.
"Crabbe, quite capable!"
Coming to her senses, she realized her right trouser leg had been shattered at the thigh, so she simply tore off the other intact leg.
The leather pants that had once tightly bound his legs had become shorts, revealing his long, tanned legs, showcasing their wild beauty.
"Third sister, there's movement in the water," Alan softly reminded Sister Lion.
Maria nodded, her eyes fixed on the spot where Crabbe had fallen into the sea.
Splash!
The calm surface of the water suddenly exploded with waves!
A ferocious figure broke through the waves!
Crabbe, returning to the battlefield, had already initiated the third stage of Atavism.
The monster, with a human body and a crab head, stood three meters tall.
Its entire body was covered in a smooth, hard, green crab shell.
The right arm was so thick and deformed that its palm had transformed into a giant crab claw.
The left arm was also thick, but the palm structure was normal.
Pirate Captain Crabbe had awakened the "Crab Man Bloodline."
Atavistic form, half human, half crab.
Alan observed Crabbe, secretly calculating the increased combat power after his atavism.
Crab-man atavism, a typical characteristic of a violent warlock.
Doubled in size, accompanied by a significant increase in strength.
Covered in armor, it inevitably provides a strong defense.
The crab shell is hard and smooth, with a moist film of water clinging to the surface.
As you can imagine, sharp weapons like swords, spears, and arrows have difficulty penetrating its defense.
"Haha! I've turned into a giant crab! Interesting!"
Maria's lion-man bloodline makes her aggressive by nature. The stronger the opponent, the more excited she becomes!
Activating the third stage of atavism, she transforms into a lion-headed giant!
At nearly four meters tall, her long legs appear even more straight and toned.
A lion's head narrowed its emerald green eyes.
Golden curls transformed into a true mane.
Though a lioness, she displayed a dominance surpassing that of a male lion!
Crabbe's eyes twitched slightly at the sight of Maria's atavistic form.
Suddenly, he swung his claws, and a thick fog enveloped him.
A vast expanse of white mist quickly engulfed the battlefield.
Maria and Crabbe were both enveloped within.
Water sorcerers possess the "Mist Vision" talent, and even though Crabbe blended into the mist, he could still see clearly.
Maria, enveloped in the mist, calmly closed her eyes.
If you can't see clearly, don't look.
As a feline beastman, your sense of smell and hearing are even more acute than your sight.
As soon as Crabbe came within ten steps of her, she'd be instantly aware.
However, Crabbe, a throwback to his past, had no intention of getting close.
From twenty steps away, he raised his massive claws.
Crack!
The claws snapped shut, crushing the air and sending a burst of sonic waves!
The Hidden Mist barrier not only provided a one-way vision advantage.
It also created a delicate high-humidity environment for Crabbe.
The water-based martial art "Ripple Palm" doubled its attack range when used in high-humidity conditions!
The cone-shaped area expanded from its original ten-meter radius to twenty meters.
Layer upon layer of ripples pushed the mist toward him.
Alan and Maria were like lone boats on a raging sea, drifting with the waves.
Allen barely managed to find his footing when he suddenly felt a chill...
Crabbe, a throwback, was quite adept at picking on the weak.
Taking advantage of Maria's ripples, he bypassed her and lunged straight at Allen.
The crab claws opened, like a pair of giant scissors, clamping down on Allen's neck!
"How dare you collect my taxes?" the crab man roared. "I'll kill you!"
"Rávé!"
Alan chanted a spell, channeling thunder, interrupting the pirate captain's smirk.
Boom!
The thunder wave struck, and Crabbe's form froze!
The giant claws froze in mid-air.
The smooth, thick crab carapace cracked.
A moment's delay was enough for the swift lioness.
Atavistic Maria instantly teleported over ten meters sideways, pushing Allen away from the crab's claws.
Immediately afterwards, she teleported diagonally to Atavistic Crabbe and sent him flying with a kick.
Alan didn't miss the opportunity, raising his hand and unleashing "Water Control"—Dry Water Mode!
A sizzling sound emanated from the air, and the thick fog barrier surrounding Atavistic Crabbe instantly evaporated.
Under the fading mist, the crab man's rugged figure emerged.
Maria took a deep breath, channeling magic power into her right hand, and launched a powerful punch through the air.
Silver Moon Style's secret technique—Thunderbolt Fist!
Crack!
The magic power transformed into a high-voltage current, transforming into a thick arc of electricity that burst forth through Sister Lion's fist.
The current, like a twisting golden python, pierced the air and struck Atavistic Crabbe's chest with a powerful blow! The pirate captain's breastplate cracked, emitting wisps of charred smoke.
Electric snakes coursed through his body, paralyzed.
Hound Pace!
Lion Charge!
Alan and Maria simultaneously rushed to the side of the throwback Crabbe.
With synchronized force, they attacked the pirate captain's hard crab shell from both sides!
Bone-piercing explosion!
Steel-crackling rake!
Amidst a roar, the throwback Crabbe's chest and back were shattered by his shell!
Poof!
The crab man spat out a mouthful of blood, his face etched with pain, and collapsed to his knees.
Alan and Maria exchanged glances across the kneeling Crabbe, a knowing smile.
Both held their breath and refrained from killing Crabbe.
A living pirate captain is more valuable than a dead one.
After all, the dead cannot pay taxes.