"A Scolding?"

"Ha!!!"

Quite a few people rushed out from behind Ul, and every one of them was holding a "weapon." If Ul hadn't started training his body, dealing with a situation like this might have been a little troublesome.

But after training his body, even though he'd only learned a few flashy moves so far, his natural physical condition made handling a situation like this a piece of cake.

He took a step back!

He dodged the wooden club swinging at him from the nearest attacker.

Then Ul raised his hand and slapped a few of them. The little brats behind him, whose health probably didn't exceed "5," instantly collapsed in a heap!

"Waaah~~"

"Waaah~~"

These little brats were much younger than the golden-haired boy. Ul even spotted a few who looked to be only five or six years old.

Although Ul hadn't hit them very hard, the moment he struck them, the little ones burst into tears!

Their cries were incredibly loud!

Hearing the little brats cry, Ul looked a little awkward.

After all, neither in his previous life nor now had he ever made a habit of picking on children. And these kids might have been brats, but they were clearly much more pitiful than the usual "spoiled brats"!

Especially when Ul saw them wiping their tears and looking at him pitifully, he felt even worse!

So!

After thinking it over for a moment,

Ul slowly walked up to the golden-haired boy, Gu Yi, then slapped him on the forehead with the back of his hand and said, "Look! If it weren't for you, would your little brothers and sisters be crying? What kind of big brother are you?"

Gu Yi: "?????"

What the hell!

What does this have to do with me?

They're crying because you hit them, aren't they?

That slap, followed by Ul's scolding, left Gu Yi completely dumbfounded!

He looked up at Ul in bewilderment, unsure what to do.

Seeing Gu Yi's foolish expression, Ul gave him another slap, as if he were "disappointed in him," and "scolded" him. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and see if you recognize this guy! Do you want your little brothers and sisters to keep crying?"

A threat!

A blatant threat!

Hearing Ul's words, Gu Yi suddenly snapped back to his senses and stared wide-eyed at him. His expression clearly said, Are you a demon? How can you bring yourself to hit children this young?

As it turned out,

Ul's "scolding" worked pretty well. In the end, Gu Yi returned to the "straight and narrow" and obediently began studying Jericho's portrait!

"Well? Do you recognize this person?"

Perhaps because he was worried that this demon in front of him would "scold" him again, Gu Yi examined the portrait very carefully.

A long while passed!

At last, under Ul's expectant gaze, Gu Yi nodded. "This person... I know him!"

"Really?" A hint of delight showed in Ul's eyes.

To be honest,

He'd only asked the boy on a whim. He'd already prepared himself to come up empty-handed, but who would've thought that grabbing a random kid would actually turn up a lead?

"Really. His name is Jeris. He used to 'fish' in Stigug all the time, but he disappeared from there about a month ago!" Gu Yi replied firmly.

Although he didn't know Jeris personally, they lived in the same town and worked in the same profession, so they'd crossed paths from time to time.

"Jeris?"

Hearing Gu Yi's answer, Ul paused for a moment, then quickly came back to his senses and asked, "Do you know where he is now?"

"No. He hasn't appeared in Stigug since he disappeared a month ago. But if you want to find him, you could try the Pati Tavern in the center of town. You might find a lead there!"

After being "scolded," Gu Yi had clearly become much more obedient. Ul could ask him almost anything, and he'd answer.

A moment later,

After learning the Pati Tavern's address from Gu Yi, Ul got ready to leave.

But just as Ul reached the mouth of the alley, he suddenly stopped...

Seeing what Ul was doing,

Gu Yi instinctively stepped in front of his younger siblings, eyeing Ul warily. He looked as if he were guarding against a demon!

Ul's expression turned utterly speechless at the sight.

"Relax. I just wanted to remind you that, given your current situation, Stigug isn't a good place for you to live. If you have money someday, you could try moving to another city with your little brothers and sisters. Magnolia would be a good choice. At least there, you'd be safe... Anyway, that's all. See you!"

With that,

Ul waved to everyone over his shoulder and slowly walked out of the alley.

The golden-haired boy, Gu Yi, and his group of younger siblings were left behind, lost in thought...

After leaving the alley,

Ul headed straight for the Pati Tavern...

What Ul had said to Gu Yi before leaving wasn't just idle talk. He'd felt sorry for the children, and, in an unusual fit of compassion, had offered them a little advice.

Those kids were really too young!

If Gu Yi had been alone, living here might actually have been a good choice for him. The place was a little chaotic, but chaos had its advantages.

But with all those younger siblings in tow, this chaotic place wasn't right for him!

Emmmm!

Of course!

All Ul could offer was a bit of verbal advice. As for financial help... sorry, he simply couldn't afford it.

Stigug wasn't a very large town.

It didn't take long for Ul to reach the town center after leaving the alley.

After asking around a little,

he soon found the Pati Tavern...