Locke and Er (1)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Locke and Er (1)

The curtains hanging in the corner of the room swayed as if moved by a breeze. A tall, thin, dark silhouette squeezed silently from the gap between the corner window and the bookshelf.

"Tsk, tsk, even when a noble Marchioness throws herself at you and actively seduces you, you still turn her away. You really have a heart of stone. Can't you at least have some fun after breaking up, like… you know, getting laid? You're so ruthless, it's disappointing. I thought I'd get to see some good drama tonight. Sigh…"

The dark shadow shook its head as it walked, seemingly lamenting Locke's missed opportunity for a romantic encounter. After a few steps, it stopped and smacked its head in annoyance. "Wait a minute, how did you know I was up here? Are you trying to trick me? I shouldn't have come out. You never knew where I was hiding before."

"Heh heh." Locke chuckled softly. That was before, he thought. Now that I've broken through to the Dark Force realm, my senses are incredibly sharp. Within ten to fifteen feet, let alone someone hiding, I can sense a mouse scurrying by. This room is so small, too. The dark shadow thought he was hidden well, holding his breath and staying perfectly still, but he didn't realize his heartbeat and the blood coursing through his veins were like a beacon in the night, already attracting Locke's attention.

"After the young lady blew out the candles and then sat on the floor a while later, you sneaked in through the door, hid in that corner in the darkness, and covered yourself with the curtains. Am I right, Er?" Locke stated the dark shadow's actions directly.

"Ah, that's not fair. Weren't you looking at your little lover when I came in? I specifically avoided the direction you were looking." The dark shadow walked boldly to the table and glanced at the five high-level Battle Qi manuals in the drawer. "Not bad. These five manuals aren't easy to find on the market, and they're not newly copied. Judging by this beast hide parchment, they must be about a hundred years old. Your little lover went to a lot of trouble for you. These manuals might have been stolen from family inheritances by those decadent noble sons and sold. Even sold cheap, they'd cost at least three to four thousand Gold Fude."

The dark shadow was Locke's good friend, Er, whose full name was Brunan Evanbert. He was the nephew of Brunan Gallando, the owner of the Red Raven Tavern, a Silver Two-star, and the notorious boss of the criminal organizations managing the three nearby districts.

The way Locke and Er met was quite dramatic. At the time, Locke was nineteen and often teamed up with Fatty Shi from Dawnlight Academy to take on missions from the Mercenary Guild for extra income. Once, while on a gathering mission, they were lucky enough to encounter a herd of Black Horned Magic Antelopes. These were low-level magical beasts that lived on cliffs and steep slopes, their fur and horns being quite valuable. It took them several days to deal with the herd and they hurried back to the city with their spoils.

Fatty Shi had to return to the academy for something, so he asked Locke to store their loot at the house they rented together and then find someone to process the spoils later. The rented house wasn't large; it was mainly a place for them to rest and clean up when they returned from expeditions, and to store tools and equipment needed for missions, so they wouldn't have to carry them around the academy.

Locke entered the room and forgot to close the door tightly. He threw his things down and immediately started undressing to take a bath. He had been living outdoors for days and felt incredibly uncomfortable, wishing he could just soak in water. As he was enjoying his bath, he suddenly heard the door open and then close. He thought Fatty Shi had returned and called out a few times, but receiving no answer, he went to check.

As soon as he stepped out of the washroom, Locke was startled. He saw a beautiful young woman with brown hair leaning against the door, panting heavily. Seeing Locke, she almost screamed, but quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her large eyes fixed on Locke's vital area.

Locke felt incredibly awkward. He quickly grabbed a chair to shield himself, then hastily put on his clothes. Before he could even button his shirt, the young woman rushed forward, knelt before Locke, and clasped his legs, pleading in a low voice, "Please, sir, have pity on me. Save me, won't you?"

Locke had just finished bathing and was only wearing pants in his haste. As the young woman knelt before him, holding his legs, her face was pointed directly at his most sensitive area. A slight friction caused Locke to react; after all, he was young and full of vigor. Flustered, Locke quickly tried to help the young woman up and asked what was happening.

The young woman refused to get up. She clung to Locke's legs, half-pleading, half-crying, and recounted her story. It was a common tale: a newlywed wife, coveted for her beauty by a crime boss, who had conspired to lure her husband into gambling, leading him to accumulate a huge debt. Her husband was then sold to a sea vessel as a slave to cover the debt, but it wasn't enough. Now, they were going to seize her to sell her into prostitution. Helpless, she had been hiding and had ended up here.

The young woman clearly felt the change in Locke's lower body. She pleaded softly, promising to repay Locke if he saved her, no matter what. As she spoke, she licked her lips.

Just then, someone began banging on the door outside. Locke quickly told the young woman to get up and hide, assuring her that as long as he was there, he wouldn't let anyone take her. Then, Locke grabbed his sword and went out.

This was the first time Locke saw Er. He was shirtless, revealing a bony frame, with a coat draped over his shoulder. He held a large chicken leg in his hand, already bitten into, with visible teeth marks. He was muttering curses, reeking of alcohol, as if he had rushed over after his subordinates reported a problem during his meal. Several dejected-looking men stood before him, being scolded one by one.

Seeing Locke emerge, Er rudely demanded that Locke hand over the young woman, telling him not to deny it, as someone had seen the woman run into his room. He offered Locke an afternoon to "play" with her, stating it wasn't expensive, just one large silver coin. He warned Locke not to cause trouble for himself if he knew what was good for him.

Locke naturally retorted, telling the scoundrel Er to get lost and not to think everyone was as lewd as himself. Their exchange quickly escalated into an argument, and they immediately began to fight. To Locke's surprise, the rogue boss Er seemed to play by the rules. He didn't have his subordinates swarm Locke but instead chose one of his subordinates who was also a Black Iron rank in Battle Qi. Perhaps it was because he saw the Black Iron Battle Qi badge on Locke's clothes, making him feel that this way, it wouldn't be a case of the strong bullying the weak.

The Black Iron subordinate was naturally no match for Locke. After several of his subordinates were defeated, Er, refusing to believe it, decided to fight himself. He arrogantly told Locke to concede, as he was a Silver One-star. Then… he was lying at Locke's feet.

Er, defeated for the first time, was still unconvinced, believing he had been careless. Again and again, after being knocked down for the fifth time, Er admitted that he couldn't stand properly because he had drunk too much and Locke had taken advantage of him. Locke, finding his shamelessness both exasperating and amusing, was clearly being beaten and crying for mercy, yet he refused to admit defeat and persisted. Locke helplessly kicked him a few times, telling him to scram so he could go back inside. Er, however, clung to Locke's leg, refusing to let him go. He said he would go get reinforcements, and as long as Locke defeated them, he would leave, and they wouldn't bother the woman again.

Since Er said that, Locke had no choice but to stay. Moreover, Er was still lying on the ground, holding his leg. Locke couldn't possibly just chop Er with his sword. Since Er wouldn't let go, Locke simply placed one foot on him, letting him hold on as much as he pleased. Er didn't seem to mind, holding Locke's leg while chatting casually with the neighbors who had gathered to watch.

Locke felt incredibly unlucky to have encountered such a character. The two of them had become like a monkey show, being watched by onlookers. However, he noticed that these elderly neighbors weren't afraid of Er, the crime boss, and were instead teasing him about being beaten. Er was still stubbornly claiming he had drunk too much and would get his revenge tomorrow.

At this moment, Er's uncle, Gallando, arrived. Seeing Locke standing on Er, he naturally assumed Locke was bullying him and drew his sword without a word to attack. Locke, seeing that his reinforcements had arrived, kicked Er away and faced Gallando, a Gold One-star.

Poor Locke had thought Er's reinforcements would be at most Silver rank, who would have thought he'd find a Gold rank expert! At that time, Locke hadn't reached the peak of Black Iron, and he practiced the Blazing Flame Battle Qi passed down in his family, not the Golden Water Art from his previous life. He was no match for Gallando. After only seven or eight exchanges, his sword was knocked away, and he was subdued.

Er, bruised and swollen, got up from the ground triumphantly. Without a word, he delivered two punches to Locke's stomach. "Aha! Did you enjoy beating me up just now? Now it's your turn."

Locke, having been beaten, naturally protested, cursing Er for being heartless and forcing the virtuous to become prostitutes. Er, in turn, cursed Locke for being ungrateful and bullying others. Gallando, listening from the side, found the situation increasingly strange. He stopped their shouting match and clarified the situation. As a result, both sides were dumbfounded. What was going on? They were talking about completely different things, their words completely mismatched.

Er exclaimed in exasperation: "What do you mean I lusted after her and set a trap for her husband to gamble? Her husband is a sailor and is only home three to four months a year. That woman was never a faithful wife. Every time her husband left, she'd hook up with other men. And she's a compulsive gambler. The night before last, she was caught cheating at my casino by my subordinates and owed three gold coins. Since she had no money to pay, and I thought she was a slut, I told her to go to a brothel to earn money. Who would have thought she stole a client's money bag at noon today and ran off, which is why I was rushing to catch her. Who has nothing better to do than force the virtuous to become prostitutes? There are plenty of loose women around, why would I need to force anyone? Ask these old men and women around here, they all know the slutty wife of the sailor Sol."

Seeing the elderly onlookers nodding in agreement with Er and accusing him of not understanding the situation and meddling, Locke wished the ground would crack open and swallow him whole. He was utterly humiliated. Gallando, however, reminded them, "Quick, open the door and see if she's still there!"

Locke opened the door. It was locked from the inside, and something seemed to be propping it shut. He called out, but there was no answer. Locke, determined, channeled his Battle Qi and broke down the door. He found the room empty. His leather armor, which he had taken off when bathing, was gone. His money pouch was gone. All the more valuable items in the room were gone. Even the fur and scraps of the Black Horned Magic Antelopes he had just brought back had disappeared.

She had escaped through the back window, but how could she have carried all these things away by herself?

After a long while, one of Er's subordinates brought a hired carriage driver. The driver said there was such a woman. She claimed her husband had locked her in the house and wouldn't let her go see her critically ill mother, so she decided to take her dowry back home. She had asked the carriage driver to park the carriage by the back window to load the goods, as the front door was locked by her husband. As for why her dowry consisted of mercenary tools and weapons, her explanation was that her husband was a mercenary but was now always out having fun and not taking on missions. These items were purchased with her dowry money for her husband. To prevent him from gambling them away or using them to pay debts, she was taking them home first, to give to him when he reformed.

Everyone was impressed. The woman was truly audacious, taking advantage of everyone being gathered at the front to watch the commotion and clearing out everything from the back, even hiring a carriage to transport it. Keep in mind, the house and the back window were only about ten meters apart; it would have been easy to get caught.

Locke felt like crying. The loss from his heroic rescue amounted to over ten gold coins. He didn't know how Fatty Shi would scold him, and he figured he wouldn't have a peaceful time for a while.

Didn't the books say that heroic rescues always resulted in both wealth and a beautiful woman? Locke admitted he had felt a slight attraction at the time. The woman was attractive, with a great figure. Since transmigrating to this world, Locke hadn't been with a woman. Just seeing the woman kneel and embrace him had caused a reaction. Before going out, he had even considered taking this young woman as a personal maid after driving away scoundrels like Er, someone to warm his bed and fold his blankets. Damn it, the books were indeed lies. His heroic rescue had resulted in losing both the woman and his wealth. Locke squatted on the ground, holding his head, filled with regret.

The carriage driver said the woman had gotten off the carriage by the small river dock two blocks away, which was why he had returned so quickly. However, everyone knew there was no hope of catching her. That small river was a busy dock for small boats. Once on a boat, one could follow the river to the Silver River and then to any city on the Malichu Plains. How could they possibly catch her? It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Er patted Locke's shoulder, a mix of amusement and exasperation on his face. "Alright, there's an old saying among merchants: 'Loss of fortune brings peace of mind.' It's usually said after encountering bandits. Seeing how miserable you are, I'll give it to you. I won't hold it against you that you beat me down five times today. Come on, let's go."

This was the first meeting between Locke and Er. Both had suffered greatly: Er had been beaten badly, and Locke had suffered a severe financial loss.