Avril's Arrival

"Haha, I'm back."

As Lin Lei and Aierlan were talking, Allen came in through the door, beaming.

"Did something happen?"

Seeing the anger still lingering on Lin Lei's face, Allen's smile faded. He cautiously looked at the two of them and asked.

"You came back at just the right time. Do you know that those soldiers have been using their status and strength to get free meals everywhere? They don't look like soldiers at all. They're more like thugs and ruffians among the mercenaries."

"My lord, I've neglected my duty. I'll investigate this at once and get to the bottom of it. I won't let anyone off the hook."

"Forget it. Before you came back, I'd already put Lin Yu in charge of investigating the matter. You've just returned from delivering goods, so get some rest first. Aierlan and I are getting married in half a month. Keep an eye on things here, and you can go."

Lin Lei wasn't particularly angry with Allen. He was very capable, for one thing, and more importantly, as Aierlan's brother, he couldn't very well punish him for this.

"Yes, my lord. I'll take my leave."

Allen lowered his head and got up to leave.

"My lord, I'll take my leave as well. My brother just got back from Flower Territory, and I'd like to ask him how our parents are doing."

"Sure, go ahead."

Lin Lei nodded without giving it much thought.

"My lord, the Blue Moon Mercenary Group would like to meet with you. They think this place is close to Gloomy Forest, and it seems they're planning to set up a base here to make adventuring and selling goods more convenient."

The butler, dressed in a black tailcoat, hurried into the living room and spoke quietly to Lin Lei, who was resting with his eyes closed.

"Oh? That's worth discussing. Let them in."

Lin Lei's thoughts stirred, and he spoke.

Noble lords both liked and disliked mercenary groups. Few territories were without them. These people were the migrating population of every country, as well as a source of mobile wealth and strength.

When a monster that threatened the common folk appeared in a noble's territory—such as the common Black Stone Boar—and the territory's soldiers couldn't be gathered in time, or using them to clear it out would cost too much, the lord could offer a reward and have mercenaries take care of the problem.

At the same time, mercenaries lived from one day to the next and tended to spend lavishly. This helped the territory's economy flourish. What's more, mercenaries usually sold their spoils locally, and in the end, some of the proceeds found their way into the lord's pockets.

Mercenaries didn't just take on jobs involving monsters. If the price was right, they would also accept work involving war and assassination. In the most recent large-scale conflict between Kul Tiras and a neighboring country, ten major mercenary groups had been hired.

Kul Tiras's regular army landed by ship and fought in large formations, while mercenary groups mostly launched surprise attacks on enemy supply lines and rear positions, serving as a nuisance and gathering intelligence. Their contribution was no less significant than that of the main battlefield.

The Blue Moon Mercenary Group was a midsized outfit with around one to two hundred members. It was fairly well known in Flower Territory.

Lin Lei had never dealt with them, but he'd heard of them. Unlike some mercenary groups with no moral limits, who would do any heinous deed for money, the Blue Moon Mercenary Group had a relatively good reputation.

"My lord, they're here."

The butler leaned close to Lin Lei's ear and whispered.

Lin Lei sat up straight. A man and a woman walked in through the entrance to the hall. Both were heavily muscled, their bulky frames giving them an imposing air.

The male mercenary had fiery red hair and a square face, with an unhealed wound on his forehead. He kept both hands in front of his waist, close to where he could easily reach his weapon in an emergency. As they walked, he was always half a step behind the woman beside him.

The female mercenary had a pretty, delicate face, and a small dimple appeared whenever she smiled. She looked warm and approachable, but the coldness in her eyes revealed someone who had seen death many times. A uniquely shaped snake whip hung from her waist. Its barbs showed some signs of wear, but it was clearly very well maintained.

"Greetings, Baron. I'm Lan Linglong, leader of the Blue Moon Mercenary Group. This is our deputy leader, Guba. We're here to ask your permission to establish a base for our group in your territory."

Lan Linglong got straight to the point.

"Please, sit down. My butler has already told me why you're here. I'm very pleased that your group is interested in setting up here."

Lin Lei took a sip of tea and gestured to the chairs beside him.

"But, Leader Lan, everything comes down to profit. If your group wants to set up here, what benefit can you offer us?"

Lin Lei continued in an unhurried tone.

"Baron, we made inquiries before coming here. There isn't a single mercenary group in your territory yet, so our Blue Moon Mercenary Group could well be the first to settle here. We're willing to pay you half of our total annual income as the fee for our base."

Lan Linglong's startling offer left Lin Lei dumbfounded. He'd seen people try to pay less, but never someone offering to pay more.

A mercenary group usually paid no more than a third of its annual profits to a territory. In fact, most paid just a fifth. No one had ever offered half on their own initiative.

Lin Lei knew Lan Linglong must have had a reason for saying this. He'd been prepared to lower the fee to fifteen percent, but she'd taken him by surprise.

"Leader Lan, if you're being so generous, you must have something you want in return. Why don't you say it outright?"

Lin Lei laughed, unmoved.

Lan Linglong glanced at him. Her heart sank, and she hurriedly said, "Baron, our Blue Moon Mercenary Group hopes to be the only group operating in Crouching Dragon Ravine. Rather than letting smaller groups exploit the area recklessly, why not entrust it entirely to us and let us develop it on our own?"

At this, Lin Lei's gaze turned cold. He realized the woman thought he was young and inexperienced. She actually dared to propose an outright monopoly to his face.

Neither yin alone nor yang alone could bring growth. For an industry to develop well and quickly, it needed competition from everyone involved. If he agreed to Lan Linglong's proposal, it would bring his territory short-term benefits.

After that, though, it would drag things down, hold them back, and obstruct development. Lin Lei wasn't foolish enough to accept those terms.

"Leader Lan, I have to refuse your request—"

As soon as Lin Lei said he had to refuse, the butler hurried to his side and said,

"My lord, Miss Avril and Aguda and his wife have arrived. They're waiting for you in the back courtyard."

"Sorry, I have other business to attend to. Excuse me."

Lin Lei spoke coolly, gathered up his sleeves, and quickly left his seat, heading for the back courtyard. Lan Linglong and Guba were left staring at each other.

"Please, this way."

The butler urged them on.

Only then did the two snap out of it. In a daze, they left Lord's Mansion.

"Leader, that guy clearly isn't going to accept our terms. Are we still setting up a base here?"

Guba asked Lan Linglong.

"We are. Crouching Dragon Ravine is in an excellent location, just a stone's throw from Gloomy Forest. Our Blue Moon Mercenary Group is gradually being squeezed out by other groups in Flower Territory, so we need to invest even more effort here.

"Since this noble rejected those terms, we can negotiate other ones. Before the other mercenary groups discover this place, we should grab a big piece for ourselves."

Lan Linglong spoke with unwavering conviction, trying to reassure both Guba and herself.

A mercenary group's development didn't always go smoothly. The Blue Moon Mercenary Group was now facing a crisis that could bring about its dissolution. During an extermination mission, an intelligence failure had led to the deaths of a large number of its mid- and lower-ranking members.

The leader and senior officers had survived, but rumors spread by rival mercenary groups made it hard to find anyone new willing to trust them. Recruiting was difficult.

To the Blue Moon Mercenary Group, Crouching Dragon Ravine was like a ladle of water to a traveler on the verge of dying of thirst in the desert. No matter how difficult things got, she had to seize this opportunity.

Meanwhile, in the back courtyard of Lord's Mansion.

"Big brother, I missed you so much."

The moment Lin Lei walked in, a figure raced over and leaped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"All right, all right. You're a grown woman. Why are you still acting like a little kid? And why are you crying?"

Lin Lei teased Avril. Embarrassed, she climbed down and protested,

"I wasn't! I wasn't crying."

"Sure, sure. Avril isn't a little kid, and she certainly wasn't bawling like a bear just now."

"Dad, Mom, look! Big brother's teasing me the moment he gets here."

Avril turned to the two elders behind her and complained playfully.

Only then did Lin Lei get a good look at his parents. Their years of labor had once left their faces deeply marked by time, but after half a year of recuperation, they no longer looked like the farmers they'd been before. They seemed younger and better off.

While Lin Lei joked around with Avril, Aierlan was chatting with Aguda and his wife. She'd been nervous about meeting Lin Lei's parents, but to her surprise, she was completely at ease, and the three of them were getting along wonderfully.

"Big brother, is that my sister-in-law?"

Avril asked curiously.

"Mm, she's your sister-in-law. You can learn magic from her. Don't let her delicate appearance fool you. She's a Silver-rank mage, so teaching you will be no trouble at all."

After that, Lin Lei stayed with his parents to talk and left Avril with Aierlan. This mischievous girl could use a little discipline from Aierlan. And after being away from his parents for so long, he missed them dearly.

Azeroth had no phones for sending messages, so people could only communicate through slow letters. After all this time, it was only natural to miss one another.

Lin Lei might have become a baron and achieved some success, but in front of his family, he was still the same boy he'd always been, unchanged in the slightest. He would never be like those ungrateful people who despised their parents for their humble origins.

After everything he'd been through, he valued his parents more than ever. He would never look down on them.

Lin Lei didn't have much to say to Aguda and the others, but he still stayed with them late into the night, keeping them company.