Lord, Rose Town Cannot Do Without Us

The carriage moved forward slowly.

Just then, several figures suddenly darted out from the shade of the trees beside the road.

Leading them was Wilson, clad in old black leather armor.

He lunged to the front of the carriage, a curved saber in his hand, and spread his arms wide in a menacing stance, blocking the road.

"Halt! Stop right there, you hear me!"

The coachman, Fred, startled, immediately pulled on the reins.

"Whoa—"

The tall black horse, Nightmare, snorted in displeasure, and the carriage came to a halt.

Inside the carriage, He Xi recognized the unlucky fellow huddled at the very back—Dimi.

So he actually found some help? he thought, turning to Annis inside the carriage and whispering, "The one at the back is the guy who lost all his money at the inn last night and tried to steal our carriage."

"Oh?" Annis, far from being scared, had a glint of interest flash in her eyes. "He's the one who wanted to steal my Nightmare?"

He Xi nodded, his hand already reaching for the carriage door handle, ready to get out and deal with the situation.

However, Annis gently waved her index finger, stopping him.

"Relax, Galen. Someone will handle this little trouble for us. Just watch."

He Xi followed her gaze and noticed the burly men in blue jackets at the town entrance were already closing in. He understood immediately.

But his hand on the door handle didn't immediately loosen.

Annis saw his concern and rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Don't worry, you'll get every last Copper Nail of your payment."

Hearing this, He Xi's suspended heart immediately settled, and he comfortably sat back in his seat.

I can't help it, that's 30,000... no, one Gold Shield!

Outside the carriage, Wilson, seeing that the carriage had stopped, became even more arrogant.

He pointed his curved saber at the coachman, Fred, and shouted loudly, "You're that phony undead Mage, right? Come down here and spar with me!"

As soon as he spoke, he keenly sensed that the atmosphere behind him was off.

He turned around, and his eyes nearly popped out—

Dimi and his two other companions had already been easily subdued by the burly men in blue and were pinned to the ground like chicks.

Beside them, Mr. Ford, the agent owner of Four Seas General Goods whom he knew, was now staring at him with a grim expression.

Wilson's mind went blank. Thinking he had blocked a distinguished guest's path, he quickly plastered on a smile. "Ah, my apologies, Mr. Ford! I'm blocking your way to welcome your distinguished guest. I'll get this broken carriage to move aside right away!"

With that, his expression changed instantly. He turned and roared ferociously at Fred, "Did you hear that! Move the carriage to the side! Get everyone in the carriage out! And that damn dog! I'm confiscating the carriage and the horse!"

Before he could finish, two blue-jacketed men, like iron towers, pressed in on him, grabbing him tightly from both sides.

His curved saber clattered to the ground.

"M-Mr. Ford? Wh-what is this?"

Under his disbelieving gaze, Mr. Ford, whom he had addressed, completely ignored him. He quickly walked to the carriage, tidied his collar again, and put on an extremely respectful smile, bowing slightly towards the carriage window.

"Good day, esteemed Miss Annis. This is Ford, the manager of Four Seas General Goods in Rose Town, here to welcome you! Welcome to Rose Town!"

The carriage curtain was slightly pulled aside by a slender, fair hand, revealing half of Annis's pretty face, etched with a hint of impatience.

She glanced at the chaotic scene outside and the men pinned to the ground, then pouted.

"Manager Ford, Rose Town's 'welcome ceremony' is truly... unique. I just arrived at the town entrance, and someone's already rushing to confiscate my carriage and Nightmare?"

Manager Ford broke out in a cold sweat, bending his waist even lower. "Miss, while Rose Town has all sorts of people, they don't usually act this brazenly. These fellows, I don't know what dark corner they crawled out of. Please forgive us!"

At this moment, several guards from the town entrance also hurried over.

The leading guard captain, Andre, asked, "Mr. Ford, what's happening here? Do you need any help?"

Ford quickly pointed at Wilson and the others. "Captain Andre, these scoundrels were extorting and trying to rob people at the town entrance!"

Guard Captain Andre's expression turned stern upon hearing this, and he nodded heavily. "Understood! How dare they commit such evil deeds at the town entrance! Leave it to us, Mr. Ford!"

Wilson's face was now as pale as paper, sweat soaking through his back.

Even if he were stupid, he understood now—he had kicked a steel plate, and a magic-infused one at that.

His mind was in chaos, with only one absurd thought remaining: What kind of magic does that lousy roadside inn have? How can even the eldest daughter of the Tidal Trade Union stay there?!

Dimi and the other two members of the Shadowless Squad were so terrified they were nearly out of their minds. When the burly men handed them over to the guards, their legs were so weak they could barely stand, and they had to be dragged by the guards.

"Mis... Misunderstanding! Lord! Esteemed Lords!" Wilson struggled desperately, making a last-ditch effort. "It's a complete misunderstanding! We... we mistook the carriage! We'll leave now! We'll leave now!"

The burly man restraining him snorted and applied more force, causing him to grimace in pain.

Guard Captain Andre, with a clang, drew his longsword completely, its gleaming blade pointed at Wilson.

Wilson shivered in fear and quickly shouted at Andre, "Captain Andre! Captain Andre! We've met before! I'm Wilson, the captain of the Shadowless Squad! Don't you remember? Didn't our squad help you find your pocket watch from the sewer last time? Rose Town can't function without us, the Shadowless Squad!"

Andre frowned upon hearing the name "Shadowless Squad," seemingly searching his mind for the name.

A few seconds later, he remembered. Instead of the relief Wilson had expected, his face revealed a hint of disgust.

"So it's you lot! Tie them up tight! Take them all back and interrogate them thoroughly!"

Wilson and the other three were tied up like dead dogs with thick ropes by several guards and dragged to the roadside.

Steward Ford sidled up to Captain Andre and asked in a low voice, "Captain Andre, what's the deal with this 'Shadowless Squad'? Could it cause trouble?"

Captain Andre sheathed his sword and snorted dismissively. "Mr. Ford, no need to worry.

They're just a small team registered with the Adventurer's Guild. Their members are all low-tier stealth apprentices, specializing in commissions like finding lost cats and dogs, picking locks, and unclogging sewers."

He paused, then added, "Speaking of which, the Adventurer's Guild has been complaining recently that commissions for lost items and lock-picking in town have inexplicably increased... We privately suspect that these guys might be staging everything themselves, creating the problem first and then 'helping' to find the items back, making money from both ends!"