Rose Tavern

After Lin Lei dealt with the three leaders, the surrounding bandits scattered in every direction like a flock of birds.

When he returned to the convoy, which had been holding the line with great difficulty, Lin Lei grabbed Faceless with one hand and checked for casualties with the other.

Though the sudden rain of arrows had caught everyone off guard at first, the soldiers had kept Lin Lei's orders in mind throughout the journey and were prepared, protecting their vital areas.

Moreover, thanks to their training in the Bronze Chapter, the soldiers were generally stronger than the bandits, who were also Bronze-ranked. No one had died in the attack, though eight had been wounded.

"Phew."

After hearing Luo Ji's battlefield report, Lin Lei breathed a sigh of relief. Those soldiers were precious to him; he couldn't bear to lose even one.

"Now tell me: why did you attack us? Crouching Dragon Ravine is so remote, and we started transporting these goods as soon as we got our hands on them. You couldn't have known about them unless someone told you."

Having arrived in an age overrun by bandits, Lin Lei knew that though they seemed to be everywhere in the wilderness, the odds of actually running into them by chance were next to nothing—let alone being ambushed so brazenly.

"Hmph!"

Faceless snorted and turned his head away, refusing to look Lin Lei in the eye.

"Behave yourself. When you're asked a question, answer it properly."

Behind him, Luo Ji couldn't stand Faceless's arrogance. He lashed him with a whip, tearing open his skin.

Lin Lei said nothing more. The two sides fell silent.

After a while, Lin Lei took a deep breath and spoke to Luo Ji.

"I'll leave him to you. Find out who ordered him to do this."

Lin Lei was a man who loved peace, and he had always hated torture and forced confessions. But the world didn't always go as he wished. For his people and himself, he had no choice but to take such measures.

Lin Lei went around to the other side of the carriage, took out some tobacco unique to this world, and began to smoke. A ring of white smoke formed in front of him.

He had felt a rush of pleasure during the fighting, but once the battle was over, the drop in dopamine filled him with guilt—even though he had killed nothing but heinous bandits.

He was trying hard to adapt to this violent world.

"My lord."

Lin Lei had been watching the soldiers clear the battlefield when Luo Ji's voice roused him.

"What is it? Did you get anything out of him?"

"No. He's dead."

Lin Lei's pupils constricted. He hurried over to where Faceless had been.

Faceless's body was covered in wounds. His eyes, nose, and ears were twisted out of shape. Luo Ji's methods had clearly been brutal, yet Lin Lei hadn't heard Faceless cry out once.

"Find a place to bury him. He was a tough man."

Lin Lei didn't blame Luo Ji. After all, he was the one who had given the order.

"Yes, my lord."

With no useful information gained, the convoy set off again at a slow pace. After their first ambush, everyone was more cautious.

In the fading sunlight, a battered convoy slowly approached Flower Territory. It was the one led by Lin Lei.

After a long journey, they had finally reached Flower Territory before sunset.

"Centurion Lin."

Before Lin Lei had even entered the city, a hearty laugh rang out. A city gate guard called to him.

"Henry, long time no see."

Lin Lei recognized him as a former squad leader under his command. When Lin Lei left his post, he had recommended Henry for the position of centurion.

"You're here to sell goods, right? Why don't you take care of that first? When I get off duty tonight, we can have a drink at the Rose Tavern."

Henry said with a smile, and Lin Lei happily agreed.

Henry was on duty at the city gate. If he spent too long talking to someone, people might accuse him of neglecting his duties. His family connections meant he wasn't afraid of such punishment, but it could still cause trouble.

And Lin Lei had only just arrived in Flower Territory. He had plenty to do: arrange lodging for his people, check market prices, and catch up with old friends. This wasn't the best time for a drink.

With the city gate guard's help, Lin Lei and his party soon passed through the gate and reached the market. They found a secluded courtyard and stored their goods there.

"Luo Ji, now that we're back in Flower Territory, you can go home for a while. Rejoin us when we're about to leave."

"Thank you, my lord. But I know Flower Territory fairly well, and I'm familiar with merchants both big and small. I'd rather find a buyer for the goods first."

"That works."

Seeing how determined Luo Ji was, Lin Lei agreed.

After assigning a suitable number of men to guard the goods, Luo Ji headed straight for the market with a few soldiers. He was always quick to get things done, which pleased Lin Lei, who had been watching him.

After Luo Ji left, Lin Lei went to Ai Mansion to visit Aierlan's parents. They had entrusted both siblings to him, and he couldn't simply ignore them.

The Ai family had suffered a major blow when Viscount Aixing left a month ago, and their influence had declined sharply. Fortunately, the lord of Flower Territory was a sentimental man, so they had managed to hold on to their estate.

Aierlan's parents greeted Lin Lei as warmly as ever, asking after his health and about Allen and his sister. Lin Lei answered all their questions.

Aierlan's uncle showed little reaction to Lin Lei's arrival. Lin Lei was a baron, but only a backwater baron without much power.

No matter how they treated him, Lin Lei kept smiling and presented the gifts he had brought: several beautiful, well-preserved pelts from Silver-ranked magical beasts, selected from the goods.

Aierlan's uncle was no longer quite so cool toward him, and Aierlan's mother smiled even more brightly.

After exchanging pleasantries, Lin Lei declined their invitation to stay for dinner and left Ai Mansion.

"Haha, you're here early. Were you getting impatient?"

As soon as Lin Lei entered the Rose Tavern, he spotted Henry sitting in the middle of the room. He was still in uniform and was flirting with a bunny-girl-dressed waitress beside him.

"Not at all. I just finished a task and came here."

Henry turned toward Lin Lei when he heard his voice.

"Two Flaming Red Lips, please."

Lin Lei spoke casually to the waitress beside them, pulled out a chair, and sat down next to Henry.

"Since when do you like this kind of tavern? You've always loved the lively atmosphere of mercenary taverns. I thought you hated the rosy, flirtatious vibe of the Rose Tavern."

"Did I say that? No, no, you must've misheard me."

Henry protested, while reaching out to slap the backside of a passing waitress.

Lin Lei looked at him with utter disdain, and Henry wilted under his gaze.

"Fine, I did say that. But I have my reasons for coming here now. I've fallen for someone, and as it happens, she works at this tavern. That's why I chose this place."

Lin Lei shrugged, inviting him to explain.

Henry glanced around first, then leaned toward Lin Lei and spoke as if he were afraid someone might overhear.

"Do you see that woman at the back of the tavern?"

Lin Lei scanned the room and spotted a woman drinking.

She had dark skin, strikingly muscular thighs and arms, and long hair tied back with a cord. There was a wild beauty about her.

"Yeah, I see her. She's beautiful. But if you like her, why don't you just make a move?"

Lin Lei asked.

"Do you know who she is?"

"No. I haven't even been in Flower Territory for two months."

Henry lowered his voice.

"She's the tavern owner's daughter, old man Kalie's pride and joy. Plenty of guys who tried to hit on her ended up fertilizer for the soil."

"Now that's something."

Lin Lei picked up the drink the waitress had brought, opened it, and drained the whole bottle.

"Enough about that. You must have something important to do in Flower Territory. You wouldn't have traveled all this way for nothing."

"Nothing special. My territory ran out of money, so I organized a hunt with my soldiers. We got some pelts, and I want to sell them in Flower Territory to cover our expenses."

Lin Lei said it casually, and Henry suddenly perked up.

"How much have you got? Maybe I can find you a suitable buyer."

"Really? I've got three whole wagonloads. Are you sure the person you know can take them all?"

"Don't worry. She could handle twice that much. Wait here. I'll be right back."

With that, Henry left his seat and went over to the young woman he'd been talking about, wearing an ingratiating smile.

"That's the buyer he meant? How much money could a young woman like her possibly have?"

Lin Lei blinked in disbelief, then picked up his drink and took another long swig.

Soon, Henry returned with the young woman, chatting and laughing with her as they came to Lin Lei's table.

"Lin Lei, this is Maria, the owner of a leather factory."

"Maria, this is Lin Lei, a baron of the kingdom and the one supplying the goods."

Henry introduced them to each other. Lin Lei immediately pulled Henry aside and lowered his voice.

"You're telling me she can buy all my goods?"

"Relax. Miss Maria has plenty of money. She's one of the five wealthiest people in all of Flower Territory. Trust me."

Henry explained, then led the astonished Lin Lei back to the table.

"Hello, Miss Maria. Since you're looking to buy pelts, why don't you come with me to inspect their quality first? Then we can talk about the price."

"That works."

Maria was surprisingly easygoing. She was accompanied by two Silver-ranked mercenaries, and the five of them left the Rose Tavern together and headed to Lin Lei's courtyard.

"This is the place."

Led by Lin Lei, the five of them soon reached the wagons.

"My lord."

The soldiers looked at Lin Lei in surprise as he returned.

"Open the wagons. She's here to buy our pelts. I brought her here to inspect the goods."

"Yes, sir."

The soldier saluted and got to work.

Maria watched the soldiers' discipline and efficiency, quietly impressed.

"Gu'er, what do you think of these soldiers? How do they compare to our mercenaries?"

Maria asked the warrior on her left.

"They're elite. Our mercenaries could beat them one-on-one. Five-on-five would be a draw. Twenty-on-twenty, we'd lose for sure."

Maria nodded.

"That's what I thought. This baron has real ability. We should build a good relationship with him as soon as possible."