Action

The night was deep. Apart from a few scattered lights, most of the town's residents had already gone to sleep.

Leian easily made his way outside Laman Manor. Timing it carefully, he scaled the wall, precisely avoided the patrolling guards, and silently slipped to the study in the rear courtyard.

As a baron, the Laman Family's study was no small place. It was a separate two-story building filled with a rich collection of books.

After becoming captain of the guard, Leian had gained the right to borrow books, so he knew the study's layout well.

He quietly climbed to the second floor. After moving along the corridor in a crouch for some distance, he stopped beside a window.

In his memory, behind that window was a private room. Whether Baron Laman was reading or discussing matters with his son, he would come here.

A candle was lit in the room now, and through the paper window, three shadowy figures could vaguely be seen.

Leian swept his gaze over them. If he was not mistaken, they should be Laman, Benson, and the guard commander, Carl.

With that thought flashing through his mind, he pressed his ear to the windowsill, held his breath, and began eavesdropping.

"Baron, should we reconsider this? If someone finds out, it will be difficult to answer to the Empire!"

Judging from the form of address, the speaker should have been Carl. His voice was low and trembling slightly, his concern impossible to hide.

"Carl, rest assured. I have arranged everything. As long as you follow my orders, nothing can go wrong."

The speaker's tone was firm and full of confidence. Leian knew that voice well—it was Baron Laman.

"O-Okay. I hope things go as you say, Baron, and everything goes smoothly!"

Carl seemed to have realized that the baron had made up his mind. She could only grit her teeth and agree.

"They will!"

Having settled Carl, Laman was in high spirits. He further reassured her before continuing.

"By the way, Carl, I have neglected combat these past years. When the fighting begins, I'll be relying on you. I trust you won't disappoint me, right?"

At the mention of battle, Carl was full of confidence. She immediately promised, "Rest assured, Baron. As fellow Level Seven warriors, Carl will never lose to Elvis!"

"Good!"

Laman lightly patted Carl's shoulder and instructed, "Go back and prepare, then. Tomorrow night at this time, we will meet at the riverbank outside town."

"Yes, Baron!" Having made up her mind, Carl's manner became much more decisive.

Laman was even more satisfied. He chuckled softly. "Benson, see our Commander Carl out for me!"

"Yes, Father!" Benson, who had remained silent until then, smiled as well.

Then came the sound of a door opening.

Seeing this, Leian swiftly left the window and avoided the stairs. Only after hiding in a patch of shadow did he have time to consider what he had just heard.

From their conversation, he had clearly arrived too late and missed the details of their discussion.

However, from Carl's mention of "Elvis," Leian had already formed some guesses.

This Elvis was also a lord, but his family had fallen into decline. They now possessed only a small town, and their life was practically worse than even Linley's family's.

At least Linley's father could buy stone carvings and antiques to make a living. Elvis's family had sold off everything generations ago.

To maintain a lord's standard of living, Elvis's father had begun organizing the family guards to hunt magical beasts in the Youquan Mountain Range from a young age, selling magical crystal cores for money.

The Youquan Mountain Range was the largest mountain range on the Youquan Continent and the only place where magical beasts dwelled. Its many branches spread like tentacles. One such branch lay in Hashan County, where Qingshi Town was located, less than three days' journey from the town.

Over the years, Elvis and his father's hunting expeditions had gone smoothly. Even at their most dangerous, when several family guards had been lost, father and son had suffered no more than serious injuries.

But good times never lasted forever. Half a month ago, during a hunting expedition, Elvis and his father had unfortunately encountered a heavily wounded Level Nine magical beast.

Both father and son were only Level Seven warriors. Even a mortally wounded Level Nine magical beast was not something they could handle.

But people died for wealth, and birds died for food. A Level Nine magical crystal core was worth millions of gold coins. How could Elvis and his father simply let it go?

After a great battle, Elvis's father and all the guards he had led died. Only the severely wounded Elvis returned to his territory with his father's corpse.

Afterward, the news quickly spread throughout Hashan County.

Now, hearing that Baron Laman had ordered Commander Carl to deal with Elvis, Leian thought:

Could the baron be planning to take advantage of Elvis's injuries and plunder his family?

But although Elvis and his father had sold plenty of magical crystal cores over the years and their family had some savings, was that little money really worth doing something so disgraceful?

Even if the Elvis family had declined, and even if strength ruled on the continent, Elvis was still a lord protected by the Byron Empire. As Carl had said, if this matter were exposed, the Empire would not let it pass easily.

Perhaps I was wrong! Leian thought.

As Leian pondered, Benson had already returned to the study's second floor. Seeing that the father and son seemed to have more to discuss, he crept back over.

This time, just as he slipped beneath the window, Benson's voice came from within.

"Father, Elvis has been through life-and-death battles. Are the people you mentioned really enough for this operation? Why not bring Leian as well? He is also a Level Six warrior and should be able to contribute greatly!"

Hearing Benson mention him, Leian immediately held his breath and listened intently.

"Benson, my son, you are too timid in your actions, and your thinking is far too simplistic.

"Although Elvis has plenty of combat experience, he is ultimately only a Level Seven warrior, and one whose serious injuries have not healed. With Carl and me, two Level Seven warriors, plus you, Ryan, and Kelun, three Level Six warriors, that is more than enough!

"As for Leian, I admit that his strength would be an asset. But he has been captain of the guard for too short a time. You must consider his loyalty. This operation cannot leave behind even the slightest trace."

Laman seemed dissatisfied with his son's suggestion and unhesitatingly rejected and criticized it.

Hearing this, Leian finally confirmed that his guess had been correct. He had merely not expected them to bring the steward Ryan and guard captain Kelun along as well.

The entire Laman Family had eight guard squads, each consisting of twelve guard knights. Normally, six squads were stationed in the six other towns under Baron Laman's rule, while the remaining two guarded Qingshi Town.

The guard squads were quite formidable. Every guard knight was at least a Level Three warrior, while squad captains were at minimum Level Five warriors.

At present, among the eight squad captains, five were Level Five warriors and three were Level Six warriors. The latter were Kelun, Lev, and Leian.

Above the squad captains was a commander—Carl Albert.

Inside the study

Faced with his father's merciless criticism, Benson seemed unable to save face and immediately retorted stubbornly.

"I think you are being overly cautious, Father. With the Heart-Eroding Potion, Leian has no choice but to obediently obey!"

The Heart-Eroding Potion was an alchemical potion. As long as one mixed their own blood into it and made the target drink it, they could control the target's life and death at will.

Leian had spent years reading the Laman Family's books, so he naturally knew of this potion. Yet he had not expected the Laman Family to possess such a thing.

At the thought that Benson wanted to force such a controlling potion on him, a trace of killing intent rose uncontrollably in his heart.

At the same time, recalling Commander Carl's earlier attitude and guard captain Kelun's participation in this operation, he could not help suspecting that these two had earned the Laman Family's trust because they had also been given the Heart-Eroding Potion.

As if to confirm Leian's suspicion, Baron Laman snorted coldly.

"It is not that simple. The Heart-Eroding Potion is merely the most basic control potion. An Level Eight light-element archmage can easily cleanse it with a Purification Spell.

"That Leian is too young. Youth means boldness, extremity, and difficulty controlling him. If he loses his head, he may expose us to escape control—or even drag us down with him.

"To control such a person, you cannot leave him with any leverage. You must tame him like a slave, with a whip in one hand and food in the other. Give him hope and respect, but never forget threats and warnings.

"Just as I tamed Carl and Kelun back then. Benson, my son, you are still too inexperienced. You need several more years to study the art of it."

After criticizing and instructing his son, Laman sent Benson away. Not long afterward, he too left the study.

Under the night sky, Leian returned to his small courtyard with complicated feelings.

Inside his bedroom, he unusually did not practice his meditation technique. From the conversation between Laman and his son, it was clear that they meant him no good.

Perhaps after this operation, they would give him the Heart-Eroding Potion and slowly begin their so-called "taming." Or perhaps they had already poisoned him, only they had yet to begin the "taming" process.

At that thought, killing intent surged within Leian, nearly beyond control. Fortunately, the Heart-Eroding Potion was unlike a master-servant contract, which could only be released by the master.

If he truly fell victim to this poison, he only needed to find a Level Eight light-element archmage to remove it. There was still a way out.

However, inviting a Level Eight archmage was no easy matter. At least for now, Leian could not manage it.

But Leian was not the sort to wait helplessly for death. After pondering for a long time, he felt that Laman and his son's secret operation might be an opportunity for him to break free of their control.

After all, besides a Level Eight archmage's Purification Spell, killing the person who had poisoned him was also a way to escape control.