Identity Exposed

At these words, Mills looked at the handsome young man stepping out of the crowd, his expression growing even more delighted as he swiftly assessed the other party's value with his exceptional eye.

Extremely rare black hair and black eyes: three Gold Sol.

Fair, delicate skin: half a Gold Sol.

A cool, aristocratic air, with a scholarly bearing: half a Gold Sol.

Handsome features: one Gold Sol.

Burlap clothes plus a ridiculous oversized straw hat: minus one Silver Sol.

Hiss! After finishing his assessment, Mills sucked in a sharp breath.

He realized that this young man was worth even more in the Slave Capital than the girl named Anlìyà from before! If he encountered some desperate noblewoman, or lords with a taste for men bidding against each other, he might even fetch an unimaginably sky-high price!

"Sir Knight, yes, he's the villain who robbed me of my money! Please arrest him at once. I want him as my slave to repay my losses!"

Mills pointed at Xian and spoke in wild delight.

If there had not been so many people around, he would have rushed over and kissed his face a few times.

What villain? He was clearly Mills's benefactor and his path to advancement! The instant Mills finished speaking, the atmosphere around them turned bizarre.

All the surrounding villagers, including Anlìyà and Berg, who were about to be seized and sold into slavery, stared at Mills with strange expressions.

Quite a few villagers even stood there with their mouths agape, as though they had heard some fantastical tale so shocking that they could not process it.

Noticing the villagers' odd reactions, Sauron Knight slightly frowned and examined the young man standing before the crowd.

For some reason, after serving nobles for so many years, he felt that there was something extraordinary about this man's bearing.

The young man wore a patched burlap robe, but the lining beneath it appeared to be made of very fine material. His facial skin was fair and smooth, without even a single blemish.

That was far too rare for a common-born man.

Besides that, the young man wore an enormous straw hat atop his head, as ridiculous as a misshapen mushroom. As a hat, it had extremely little practical use.

But if it was an item meant to conceal a Status Blessing, then it made sense. Recalling Berg's earlier words—"an incomparably noble prince"—Sauron Knight narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Sir, could you please remove your hat?" Sauron Knight asked Xian in a low voice.

His attitude was surprisingly courteous, and he even addressed him as "sir."

"According to the laws of the Sossia Kingdom, anyone entering a noble's territory is obligated to show their Status Blessing to the knight guarding that territory."

Sauron Knight spoke calmly. With a raised finger, several attendants behind him slowly approached Xian.

"It seems I have no other choice."

Xian sighed softly. He knew that he would likely have to bid farewell to his peaceful life in this village and truly step into this bizarre fantasy world.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xian slowly removed the straw hat that resembled a giant mushroom.

A long string of white words was revealed.

At that moment, time itself seemed to fall silent.

The villagers who had already seen it were relatively calm, but Sauron Knight and his attendants stood frozen like puppets, their mouths hanging open as they did not move at all.

Sauron Knight, who had always claimed that his sword was both swift and steady, even forgot to pick up the Fine Steel Longsword that he regarded as his life and maintained several times each day after it fell into the dirt.

But the most exaggerated reaction came from Mills, the Clay Merchant.

It was as though his face had been struck by an invisible sledgehammer. From his brows to his chin, his muscles twitched uncontrollably, spasming wildly as if countless ants were crawling beneath his skin.

His eyes bulged round as lightbulbs, and his mouth gaped so wide that it nearly dislocated, exposing the gold tooth embedded in his back molar.

"1,400,000,000... Heir to a Kingdom of 1.4 Billion Citizens!"

Mills tremblingly read out the meaning of those words. At last, he understood why the villagers had looked at him so strangely after he declared that he wanted Xian as his slave.

So you all knew already! The instant Mills spoke those words, Sauron Knight and his attendants snapped out of their daze and dropped to one knee before Xian in unison.

"I, Thorin Brook, Servant Knight to Viscount Hughes, the great Black Wolf Territory Lord, greet you on behalf of my lord—an incomparably noble Prince. Thank you for gracing Black Wolf Territory with your presence."

Sauron Knight spoke with ringing force, abruptly lowering his head so fast that it tore through the air with a sharp hiss.

Cold sweat seeped from his forehead in nervousness. So close. He had nearly boasted of his lord's greatness before this prince.

His lord was indeed great, but before a prince of such exalted status, perhaps only the eternal gods could be called great.

"The situation is much better than I expected."

Looking at the knight before him, who had previously been cold and arrogant but was now so respectful that he practically wanted to prostrate himself in the mud, Xian secretly let out a breath of relief.

The worst-case scenario Xian had imagined was that this worldly knight would see through him at once and kill him on the spot.

It sounded absurd, but he felt that such a possibility definitely existed. That was why he had never dared reveal the Status Blessing above his head. Yet now, it seemed that the people of this world placed an extraordinarily high degree of trust in the labels everyone was born with—trust so deeply ingrained it could be called unshakable.

In that case, perhaps he could be a little bolder in the future.

"Supreme Creator above, Your Highness, great, noble, handsome Your Highness! Please forgive my disrespect! I am willing to serve you like an ox or horse for the rest of my life!"

At that moment, Mills finally awakened from the shock brought by Xian's Status Blessing. Weeping with snot and tears streaming down his face, he threw himself toward Xian.

Mills knew full well that after blurting out such absurdly disrespectful words as though his brain had flooded, his only path to survival was to cling to that prince's leg, wail and beg, and swear lifelong loyalty in exchange for forgiveness.

If he succeeded, he might even turn the greatest crisis of his life into an opportunity to change his fate.

After all, wasn't that how those bards who scammed drinks at taverns always sang?

After undergoing a series of twists and turns, a noble prince gained a loyal and capable retainer. Then he and that retainer built a great enterprise together, and the retainer was elevated into the nobility as well.

Mills believed that he was still a capable man, at least in matters of business. He was willing to swear to the Supreme Creator that, as long as this prince forgave him, he would spend the rest of his life serving him with absolute loyalty.

Of course, that was assuming that, after succeeding, this prince would be willing to grant him a noble title.

One more chapter. It's the last day of the month, so please send a few monthly votes.