Fox Spirit

The owner's delay, and the business he had mentioned, were both related to that foxlike woman.

That beautiful fox was looking for a party to take her out of Lion City and to Long River Town.

She had found the tavern owner to act as an intermediary—this was a common practice. Taverns had exceptionally rich sources of information, and every tavern owner usually knew many adventuring parties.

The reason the tavern owner was being so proactive was obvious: he also considered the woman a nuisance and did not want that sort of trouble staying in his establishment for too long.

Yet he could not throw her out—the woman was a noble.

Of course, it was also possible that the owner harbored some unrealistic thoughts about her himself...

"A woman like that should be quite famous, right? What's her name?"

Li Ang did not want to invite trouble either, but people were always curious. Besides, some instinct common to men made him ask that question almost against his will.

"She is indeed very famous... Her name is Sarah, Sarah the 'Fox Spirit,' a renowned traveling bard."

Li Ang froze for a moment.

So she was Sarah...

A traveling bard of noble birth, traveling alone, and extraordinarily beautiful... Combined with a nickname like "Fox Spirit," that was enough to reveal Sarah's style and her particular talents.

Having someone like that in the party could naturally bring unexpected help to developing a territory—especially when dealing with matters that could not be resolved through fighting alone.

Li Ang decided to have a talk with that beautiful fox.

So he wolfed down the rest of his meal and went downstairs with the tavern owner—not because he was impatient. He really was hungry.

Sarah sat in a corner of the tavern, lightly plucking at a wooden instrument shaped somewhat like a lute.

A mug of ale sat on the table before her.

"I'm Li Ang Griffin, a Pioneer Lord. The owner told me you were looking for a party to take you to Long River Town?"

Li Ang did not beat around the bush. The moment he sat opposite Sarah, he got straight to the point.

The owner thoughtfully brought over a mug of ale and set it before Li Ang. "This one's free." Then he nodded at the slightly bewildered Sarah, indicating that he had indeed spoken with Li Ang, before returning to his bar.

Sarah smiled faintly and gave Li Ang a careful once-over. "What a handsome young man... Mr. Li Ang, I believe I saw you this afternoon..."

It seemed Sarah had been in the tavern when that unfortunate drunk had caused trouble that evening.

Li Ang curled his lip. "Let's talk business, Miss Sarah. What kind of trouble did you get into that you need to leave Lion City?"

For a noble, that was a rather rude way of speaking. Yet the smile on Sarah's face did not change at all, as though she did not mind in the slightest.

"It's not much trouble... It's just that there's an annoying man who intends to make me his wife, and he does not care whether I'm willing or not..."

Sarah spoke with remarkable calm, as though this was far from the first time such a thing had happened to her...

Then Sarah told Li Ang her story.

As a traveling bard, she had journeyed through cities across the continent, and her footsteps had already carried her across half the land.

The funds that supported her travels came from the services she provided to nobles in various regions—she was an outstanding singer with a captivating voice, and she was very popular at all kinds of banquets.

Of course, if the payment was sufficient, or if she liked her employer, she could provide other forms of "entertainment" as well—her voice was not the only captivating thing about her.

But such a life would always lead certain "clients" to pester her endlessly...

Li Ang noticed the throwing knives and longsword at her waist, as well as the calluses on her fingers—calluses only an experienced warrior would possess.

Clearly, she had needed to use force more than once to escape certain "clingy" clients...

This time, however, she had encountered a client who pursued her madly, and she could not use violence to get away—he was a duke's son.

Perhaps it was coincidence, perhaps fate, but that client happened to be Foucher, the illegitimate son who had hired Li Ang at the Mistveil City arena.

"Miss Sarah, Foucher had a bit of an accident on the west coast—he's crippled... I don't think he'll be back in Lion City anytime soon, so there's no need for you to worry so much."

After giving it careful thought, Li Ang decided to tell Sarah the truth.

"Mr. Li Ang even knows about that... It is precisely because I just received news that he has been crippled that I must leave as quickly as possible. I believe you can imagine why."

Li Ang paused, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "All right, that's true..."

Once a spoiled young master became lame and had nothing to do, he would naturally have plenty of spare time for things like forcibly marrying beautiful women, while his family background ensured his safety.

Once Foucher returned to Lion City, Sarah might truly find it difficult to escape.

"In that case, you could leave on your own right now. With your skills, I think getting to Long River Town alone shouldn't be difficult, should it?"

Li Ang pointed at Sarah's sword.

Sarah straightforwardly pulled out her purse, turned it upside down, and shook it.

Only a pitiful few silver coins fell from the purse.

They were Dirhams. One denar could be exchanged for roughly ten Dirhams.

In fact, in Pendor, Dirhams were the currency most commonly used by ordinary people. One such silver coin could buy around two kilograms of bread.

The few silver coins in Sarah's hand were probably only enough to let her remain at this inn for one more day.

"Foucher has a rather nasty temperament. Ever since he started pestering me, not a single noble in Lion City has dared to hire me... To avoid his family's servants, I could only hide in this inn and only dared to come out at night."

Sarah's expression finally changed, revealing a hint of helplessness.

There were few customers in taverns at night, so bards naturally had little income.

For a beautiful woman with no money to travel alone to Long River Town, it truly was difficult...

"Then, Miss Sarah, are you looking for an employer?"

"Yes. You have probably already noticed that I can use a sword, and I'm rather good with one. I can also compose songs and spread word of your great pioneering deeds throughout this continent. Of course, I can offer other services as well—if you require them, Mr. Li Ang."

Sarah blinked her large, watery eyes at Li Ang.

Li Ang looked at this "Fox Spirit," and his thoughts naturally drifted once more to a bed.

He sat up straight and pulled out a handful of gold coins from his pocket, beginning to count them.

"What I need, of course, are some more specialized services... Miss Sarah."

Sarah also straightened up, propping her chin on both hands as her smile became even more alluring.

"I want you to handle the diplomatic affairs of my party—I need the customs and local conditions you have encountered during your travels across the continent, the various heresies and mysterious faiths you know of, and information about nobles in every region—detailed information, including the color of their underwear..."

Sarah was stunned, her exquisite face filled with disbelief.

She did not recover until Li Ang had finished counting the money.

"This is one hundred denars. I think that should be enough to employ you for quite some time?"

Sarah accepted the money somewhat mechanically, still looking dazed.

"I haven't asked your family name yet, Miss Sarah."

"I'm sorry... I cannot tell you my family name... It would only bring shame upon it. But I promise this will be the only thing I ever hide from you, Lord Li Ang."

Li Ang nodded seriously, without the slightest trace of lust in his eyes.

"Sarah the 'Fox Spirit' has joined your party."