Frost White City

The tavern in a corner of Frost White City was bustling with noise and clamor.

Although its standards were not the highest in Frost White City, the foot traffic here was the most immense.

In this tavern, there was never a shortage of down-and-out wretches, wealthy men seeking romantic encounters, or villains plotting underhanded schemes.

And a place as mixed as this was often the best treasure trove for finding all sorts of rare and obscure intelligence.

Having been familiarized with such places in the past under the instruction of Lyle, Ye Chen ignored the noisy shouts of the drunks at the entrance, walked quickly into the tavern hall, sat in a corner of the bar, scattered a few silver coins, and ordered the most expensive drink in the house.

The boss glanced at this customer who had covered his face, said nothing, and pushed the drink directly in front of Ye Chen.

However, Ye Chen ignored the drink, instead grabbing the boss's rough hand and stuffing a Frost White gold coin into it.

"I want to ask for some information about The Lord."

After handing over the gold coin, Ye Chen whispered to the boss immediately.

The tavern owner took the gold coin, his expression initially cheerful, but upon hearing that the person Ye Chen was trying to inquire about was actually the city's Lord, his expression froze instantly, and he immediately tried to return the coin.

"Go ask someone else about that kind of thing!"

However, Ye Chen pushed the boss's hand back and stuffed several more gold coins into it in succession, while deliberately lowering his voice to explain:

"Don't worry, I just want to ask for some very 'ordinary' news; it won't put you in a difficult position."

The boss looked down, staring at the five gleaming coins in his palm, his brows furrowing involuntarily as if he were undergoing an intense internal struggle.

Finally, when Ye Chen handed over another five gold coins, the boss's psychological defenses were finally broken.

With a greedy look on his face, he nimbly tucked the ten gold coins into his pocket and then turned to look around.

After confirming that no one was eavesdropping, the boss immediately led Ye Chen into a hidden and quiet warehouse inside the tavern.

"What exactly do you want to do by asking about Lord Xiaowalus?"

The boss asked in a nervous tone. Although according to the tavern's unwritten rules, he shouldn't ask about a customer's motive for seeking intelligence, since the subject was The Lord, things could not be treated the same way.

After all, here, Xiaowalus was not only the Lord of Frost White City but also the King of the entire nation of the Frost White People.

However, Ye Chen saw through the boss's worries and quickly gave his own explanation in a friendly tone.

"Haha, don't worry. I come from a village outside the city. Entering Frost White City this time is just to discuss a business deal with Lord The Lord."

"Because I'm from out of town, I don't know much about Xiaowalus as a person, so it's hard to gauge how hard to bargain in the upcoming meeting."

"Since you are also a businessman, boss, you should understand what I mean, right?"

Ye Chen leaned against the brick wall of the warehouse, explaining with his arms crossed and a smile, his words and actions truly revealing a shrewdness unique to a veteran merchant.

The boss scanned Ye Chen with suspicion. Although he felt that Ye Chen's attire didn't quite match that of a merchant, the ten gold coins now in his pocket were enough to prove that Ye Chen was indeed very wealthy, so it was naturally possible that he had the capital to do business with The Lord.

"Since that's the case, what do you want to ask about him?" The boss accepted Ye Chen's explanation and returned to the main topic.

"Hmm, just give me a brief summary of his background, personality traits, and his outstanding qualities. How about it? Not a dangerous question at all, right?" Ye Chen shrugged his shoulders and made his request nonchalantly.

The boss nodded with a grin. Taking people's money meant he had to be accommodating; since Ye Chen was willing to pay the price of ten gold coins, he was more than happy to talk until his mouth went dry.

Under the boss's miscellaneous narration, Ye Chen learned quite a bit of information.

Xiaowalus's position as Lord was inherited from the previous head of the Xiaowalus family. The throne of the Frost White People's civilization had been controlled by their family for a hundred years.

As for the personality traits of Xiaowalus, they were no different from the Lords of Frost White City throughout the ages: equally obsessed with power, greedy for women, fond of treasures, and overbearing and arrogant. He was the image of a typical wealthy patriarch.

"As for his outstanding qualities... hmm. It should be that he is particularly good at controlling the hearts of the people."

"Under the rule of Lord Xiaowalus, the public security in Frost White City is much better than it was under the previous few Lords. Although the situation in the city isn't great now, Lord Xiaowalus gives a speech in the city center every few months, and the content always makes us feel inspired and satisfied."

"And this has meant that for over a decade, there hasn't been a single riot or rebellion among the lower classes in Frost White City. The only trouble this year was just a strange death-row prisoner escaping from prison... On this point, Xiaowalus is much more capable than the previous few Lords."

The boss crossed his arms and recounted the information he knew to Ye Chen.

"Controlling the hearts of the people... speeches... Is he very eloquent?"

Ye Chen's eyes darted around, and he immediately asked.

"Lord Xiaowalus's eloquence isn't necessarily that great. It's just that when I listen to his speeches, I always feel that Xiaowalus's voice is very pleasant and makes people feel very comfortable. Perhaps it's because he was born with a good voice."

The boss scratched his thinning hair, expressing his opinion of The Lord.

"A voice, huh..."

Ye Chen's eyes darkened, and then he looked at the boss and continued to ask:

"Then I want to know one last thing. Has The Lord undergone any strange changes in the past few years? For example, staying at home often and rarely appearing in public?"

The boss's expression changed after hearing this, and he nodded subconsciously:

"That is indeed true. In the past, Lord Xiaowalus liked to host banquets and would hold parties from time to time to show off his wealth to everyone."

"However, after returning from a hunting trip a few years ago, he lost interest in that. Except for attending the city-wide speeches every few months, Lord Xiaowalus rarely shows his face in front of the public. He often stays in his mansion, and no one knows what he is busy with."

"That's all I know. You should also understand that people like us don't have many opportunities to come into contact with the City Lord on a daily basis."

After hearing this, Ye Chen didn't ask any more questions and simply nodded to the boss to express his gratitude.

"Alright, thank you for the introduction. See you again if fate allows."

Then, the youth left the tavern quickly without any hesitation.

"."

The boss watched Ye Chen's retreating figure in silence, a vague sense of unease welling up in his heart.

However, once his fingers unconsciously reached into his pocket and touched the extra gold coins, this unease was immediately replaced by a surge of pure joy.

To have earned such a massive fortune just by answering a few simple questions—today was truly his lucky day!

The boss walked out of the wine cellar with a beaming smile, then secretly poured the drink Ye Chen had ordered but left untouched back into the barrel, intending to serve it to the next wealthy customer who might walk through the door.