(Heartfelt thanks to 'Langfei Shengming de Michong' for the 1,400 reward, and to 'Raging Policeman,' 'Jitian Po,' 'Yu Ge Jie,' and 'Silver Sparkle 7' for their rewards!)
The courtyard before Noah did not carry the gloomy atmosphere one might expect from its location in a dark alley.
The trees had been pruned neatly and cleanly.
The ground had likewise been swept spotless.
A path stretched forward from the gate where Noah stood, leading directly to an open area resembling a training ground, its surface paved with hard stone bricks.
Around thirty people were either sitting or standing in that open area, staring toward the gate with undisguised ill intent in their eyes.
"Bang—!"
At almost the same moment, the sound of a door slamming shut rang out loudly behind Noah.
Without even turning around, he knew that the entrance gate had been closed.
As he looked around, people who had apparently been hiding somewhere slowly emerged from every direction, wearing the same malicious smiles as those in the open area.
In other words, in that instant, the entire courtyard had been surrounded by figures who looked every bit like thugs.
At the center of the encirclement stood Noah and Narberal.
As for Staffan, surrounded by those thug-like figures, he swaggered forward and walked straight past Noah.
The way he did not even spare Noah a glance, as though looking at him would somehow diminish his own grandeur, truly brought to mind the saying about borrowing a tiger's might to intimidate others.
Staffan eventually stopped beside a man.
A bald man with explosive muscles, a beast tattooed across his face, and a fierce, savage aura radiating from every inch of his body.
"Mr. Zero." Staffan gave the bald man a fawning smile.
"I brought him here for you."
"You did well."