-66- Twisted Fate's magic

Everyone outside had already been dealt with by Linwin. 

Those small-time thugs, lacking decent weapons, were no match for Linwin, who effortlessly handled them, one punch at a time, making it a pleasant afternoon for all.

After this casual and friendly encounter, Linwin walked closer to the tent. Hearing the conversation inside, he was amused. Excited, he lifted the tent corner.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Linwin, the leader of the Fog organization."

---

Observing the dazed Graves on the ground and the cautious Twisted Fate standing by, Linwin found it amusing. After searching for champions in Shurima for so long, he had only made two acquaintances. However, here in Bel'zhun, he managed to find two in less than an afternoon.

"Linwin from the Fog organization," Twisted Fate looked at Linwin warily, his eagle-like eyes gleaming. Then he asked, "What business do you have with us?"

"Damn it, Twisted, what the hell are you saying to him? Just kill this bastard!" Now fully awake, Graves grabbed his double-barreled cannon, swiftly stood up, and, gritting his teeth, fired a shot at Linwin.

"Boom!"

Two huge shotgun shells shot out from Graves's gun, trailing a string of sparks. While this might not be considered a great weapon in Piltover or Zaun, for Graves, for someone from Bilgewater, it was already a decent piece. However, what happened next left Graves jaw-dropped.

Twisted Fate, by his side, remained silent, observing.

They witnessed Linwin merely raising his hand, and the two shotgun blasts hit a green barrier.

"Clang!"

The bullets dropped to the ground.

"What the hell is this?" Graves turned his shocked gaze, completely different from what he had envisioned.

In the past, when Graves shot someone with his cannon, it usually resulted in a bloody mess, with entrails spilling out.

In the past, the sight of someone clutching their spilled intestines and pleading for mercy was a common occurrence when Graves unleashed his firepower. However, facing Linwin, things were different.

"Twisted, this guy and you—" Graves couldn't finish his sentence before Twisted Fate loudly interrupted him, "Shut up, you idiot!"

"Hey, why are you yelling at me? You should yell at him! Why are you yelling at me?" Graves grumbled.

Ignoring him, Twisted Fate looked at Linwin, adjusted his hat, and said softly, "Sir, I believe there might be a misunderstanding between us. It was just a small joke we played on the Fog organization, my brother and I."

"But what I heard from outside doesn't match what you're saying now."

"Sir, people tend to exaggerate when bragging, don't they?"

"Issues have solutions, but we should find the easiest one."

Seeing that dealing with Linwin wouldn't be easy, especially considering the possibility of formidable magic, Twisted Fate quickly changed his tone, "We're willing to gain your trust with gold. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble, don't you think?"

"You make sense," Linwin nodded.

Twisted Fate immediately felt relieved. Avoiding unnecessary trouble was his life motto. If he had known that the leader of the Fog organization was a magic user, he wouldn't have tangled with the Fog organization in the first place.

After all, they were just thieves and gamblers, not desperate outlaws engaging in robberies and killings. The gang was temporarily formed, and Twisted Fate's original plan was to pull off this job with Graves and then head to Noxus. These stolen goods would surely fetch a good price there.

But now, that plan seemed unattainable.

The head honcho had come knocking.

"But after seeing you guys, I've changed my mind," Linwin said, spreading his hands.

It would be a joke to let these two get away, Linwin realized immediately after his initial excitement.

It made sense to encounter Twisted Fate and Graves in Shurima. Twisted Fate was a Shuriman, a river nomad along the coastal border. As for Graves? It was a saying – if you saw Twisted Fate, you were bound to see Graves.

These two were truly a case of love and hate. Judging by the timing, Linwin guessed they were planning to leave Shurima. After all, they were about to get involved with Gangplank, the pirate king, and become the ones hunted.

"Well, you still need to tell me the reason," Twisted Fate squinted at Linwin, saying, "If the reason is good enough, I might consider your conditions with my brother. I don't want to fight you; you seem strong."

"Twisted, are you serious?" Graves scoffed.

Linwin put on a serious face, took a step forward, and Twisted Fate quickly stepped back. He cautiously observed Linwin, saying, "Sir, let's talk. It's not good to resort to violence directly."

"Although you're strong, my brother and I aren't pushovers."

"Let's fight! Twisted Fate, let's get em!" Graves shouted, gripping his gun.

"Alright, alright, gentlemen, calm down."

Linwin extended his hands towards Twisted Fate and Graves, gently lifting them into the air with a soft wind.

"I'm different from anyone you've encountered before," Linwin calmly stated.

"So, in front of me, you can stop with the tricks you're trying to play."

His fingers moved, and Twisted Fate's hand, previously hidden behind his back, was slowly revealed. With a shocked expression he looked at Linwin who was approaching with a curious look.

Twisted Fate's temples were sweaty, and he grew nervous. However, when he saw Linwin removing the golden card from his hand, Twisted Fate immediately deflated. He weakly shook his head at Graves beside him, and Graves, who had been loudly clamoring earlier, suddenly fell silent.

Observing this scene, Linwin shrugged in silence.

These two guys, they were just putting on an act for him earlier.

Speaking of which, how did Twisted Fate manage it? Using a single card to teleport himself and others. It was a powerful form of magic. At least, teleportation magic couldn't be weak, and Twisted Fate, this dude, Linwin squinted at him, he had a faint tricolor light on his body – the color of his magic.

It was really weak, extremely weak. Weak to the point of not even having one-fifth of Linwin's strength.

Yet, a guy with such weak magic possessed teleportation magic? That's not logical!

"Alright, now it's time to talk."

Linwin waved his hand, and Twisted Fate and Graves landed on the ground.

Twisted Fate raised his head in frustration, looking at Linwin standing in front of him. His throat rolled as he muttered, "How did you know?"

Linwin, with a smirk, blinked at him and said, "Why don't you guess?"