Dispute

"Who are you! How dare you meddle in our business!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Rhode remained indifferent, but Mace, standing beside him, nearly buckled at the knees.

What incredible, overbearing arrogance!

Mace couldn't quite put his finger on exactly how powerful Rhode was, but in the fat merchant's eyes, the gap between this young man and those two bullying brats was like heaven and earth. He figured that taking them out would be a matter of minutes. Although they were inside a small town where killing was impossible, given Rhode's status, if he were truly provoked, killing a few people wouldn't be a big deal.

While the laws of the Dragon Soul Continent were strict, the class system was even stricter. If a commoner or slave killed someone, it was a capital offense, but if it were the scions of nobility—unless they were third-rate upstarts or low-ranking nobles—no one would bother to investigate.

Mace wasn't sure if Rhode was an easy person to talk to, as he never smiled and always maintained a calm, unruffled expression. Yet, his words always left people feeling unsettled; you couldn't tell if he was joking or threatening you. Generally, a young man in his early twenties, even if composed, would still have a relatively outgoing personality, but this young man was always silent, and you could never fathom what he was thinking. In fact, with all his years of experience reading people, Mace still couldn't decipher him, but he was certain of one thing: Rhode was not the type to endure being cursed at to his face without retaliating.

However, to Mace's surprise, Rhode didn't lose his temper. He merely glanced at the two men and turned to Mace.

"Mr. Mace, get ready. It's time to leave."

"Understood, Lord Rhode! I'll go prepare immediately!"

Mace felt a surge of joy. Although he hadn't seen the young man draw his sword and go on a rampage, watching him treat those two idiots like mere insects and brush them aside felt absolutely exhilarating. He immediately shouted in response and waved at the carriage driver.

"Alright, get ready! We're leaving!"

"Wait."

Just then, the young man who hadn't spoken until now chimed in.

"We want this carriage."

"But we've already paid for it, you..."

Mace wanted to argue, but Rhode cut him off before he could finish.

"Mr. Mace, it's getting late."

"Yes, yes, Lord Rhode, I'll go prepare right away."

Rhode had no desire to waste time on such tedious verbal sparring. In online games, the trash talk was endless—people would claim the moral high ground even when they were wrong, spreading rumors, twisting facts, and exaggerating reality. If he were to get entangled in such nonsense, he would only be wasting his own time. He'd seen teams argue for hours over unfair loot distribution in dungeons, which only served to raise one's blood pressure without any benefit. Rhode couldn't be bothered with that. As the guild leader of a top-tier organization, he had encountered such things countless times; responding to every single one would be the act of an idiot. Thus, he had always ignored such meaningless bickering.

However, in the eyes of those three, Rhode's actions were a sign of cowardice. They didn't know the relationship between the young man and the fat merchant, but seeing them in such a rush to leave, they naturally couldn't let them go. The leader of the group darkened his expression, reached into his robe, pulled out a pouch of coins, and tossed it over.

"That's fifty gold coins. I'm taking this carriage!"

"This..."

Hearing this, the driver looked conflicted. Fifty gold coins was no small sum; if he could actually keep that money, he would be rich. But the problem was that he had already made a deal with the others and accepted a deposit. The residents of this small town were honest and wouldn't go back on their word after taking money. Yet, he wasn't stupid; he could see that these three were not people to be trifled with, and if he said the wrong thing and got beaten up...

"Hey, what are you doing! Hurry up and get ready to go."

With Rhode there, Mace felt emboldened and pulled the carriage, intending to leave.

Seeing this, the two guards' expressions turned cold.

"Stop right there!"

No sooner had the words left their mouths than the two raised their longswords and lunged at Mace.

However, they did not succeed.

"---!!"

A crisp cry suddenly rang out.

Accompanied by a gust of wind rising from the ground, a cyan-green Spirit Bird spread its wings and swooped toward the two guards. Faced with this sudden, strange creature, the guards' expressions changed drastically. They tried to pull back, but the Soul Bird was faster. With a sudden flap of its wings, the howling gale slammed into them, sending them flying.

"An Elemental Spirit?"

Looking at the Soul Bird perched on Rhode's shoulder, staring down the enemies, the leader's expression shifted.

He hadn't expected to run into such a troublesome opponent.

Was the other party a mage?

Upon reflection, the man felt something was off. He had seen monsters summoned by mages before, and those always required chanting incantations. But Rhode, judging by his attire, was just a young noble; he didn't look like a mage at all. Not to mention, he hadn't chanted a single word—in fact, the man hadn't even seen how Rhode had summoned the bird.

This person might have a significant background.

Thinking this, the man began to consider retreating. He was only accompanying the young lady of his house to explore these deep mountains and forests; he didn't want to provoke anyone dangerous. As a mere captain of the guards, his primary duty was to protect the young lady. If she were to get hurt because he provoked someone, regardless of what happened to the other party, he would be dead for sure.

With this in mind, the stern look on the man's face softened. He waved his hand, signaling his two subordinates to stand down.

"My deepest apologies for the disturbance."

Stepping forward, the man's tone became much more respectful.

"I apologize for my subordinates' rudeness. They... their personalities are a bit too reckless. I hope you won't take their actions to heart."

"It's nothing."

Rhode replied, having no interest in further engagement. He turned and gestured for Mace to prepare the carriage. Seeing this, the man grew anxious. The young lady had snuck out while her parents were away; if they couldn't return to the city before they came back, her parents would be furious. And if the young lady got scolded, she would surely blame him... He had thought a rural place like this would be trouble-free, but he hadn't expected someone like this to pop up.

Thinking this, the man had to step forward again, biting the bullet.

"T-two sirs, please wait. There is one more thing I would like to ask for your help with."

"What is it?"

Seeing the guy who had been looking down his nose at them now acting so subservient, Mace felt a secret thrill. It really was true that having a powerful backer made things easier; no wonder the heads of large merchant guilds always had experts supporting them. He instinctively wanted to throw a few more insults his way, but seeing the silent Rhode beside him, he suppressed the urge. Based on Rhode's earlier behavior, he knew this gentleman didn't care for such trivialities, and pushing his luck might only annoy him. Thus, he refrained from saying anything else and asked directly.

"This..."

The man glanced at the carriage, pondered for a moment, and finally steeled himself to speak.

"It's like this: if you two don't mind, we were hoping to travel with you."

Travel together?

Mace and Rhode couldn't help but exchange a look.

"Yes. Judging by your destination, you must be heading to Deepstone City as well. We have urgent business that requires us to return as soon as possible, which is why we acted so impulsively and offended you. However... our situation is truly pressing, so..."

This time, the man didn't offer any money. He already knew the identity of the fat man from earlier—a merchant guild leader. That wasn't a big deal; it was just a small guild, insignificant in the eyes of the nobility.

But this young man was different. Logically, a young noble shouldn't possess such high combat prowess, yet he had taken down two guards in a single move. While those guards weren't top-tier experts, they were still far more capable than the average noble's lackeys. To defeat them so easily with such a bizarre technique... who knew what his background was?

Moreover, seeing the merchant guild leader treat him with such reverence, the power dynamic was clear. He might be a member of some major family. It was best not to provoke such people. Fortunately, the other party didn't seem to hold a grudge over his earlier rudeness. If he had run into someone petty, the trouble could have been massive.

"But our carriage only seats four... and we have another companion."

Mace frowned. Deep down, he didn't want to bring these people along; their earlier behavior had been infuriating. However, since Rhode hadn't expressed an opinion, he couldn't flatly refuse. Although Mace was the one paying for the carriage, he didn't mind letting Rhode call the shots to maintain their relationship. Besides, as a merchant who believed in harmony bringing wealth, Mace didn't want to be outright hostile. They appeared to be nobles, and since he'd already vented his anger, there was no point in making things difficult now.

"That's no problem. Only one of us needs to ride in the carriage; the rest can travel on horseback."

Seeing the other party's resolve soften, the man's face lit up with joy. The only reason he had rented the carriage was for the young lady; otherwise, riding back on horseback would have been faster.

"This..."

Mace stopped talking and shifted his gaze to Rhode. It was time for him to make the decision.

But Rhode was clearly uninterested in such trivialities.

Giving someone a ride wasn't an issue as long as they didn't cause trouble, so he simply gave a slight nod without saying a word.

"Fine then. Fifteen minutes at the town gate. If you aren't there, that's not my problem."

Since Rhode didn't intend to pursue the matter, Mace couldn't say much else and could only respond with a resigned nod.

"Please rest assured, we will be there."

Fifteen minutes wasn't long, but the first to arrive was Lize.

"Ah, Mr. Rhode, Mr. Mace!"

Clutching her travel bag, Lize ran toward them with a bright, cheerful smile.

Lize's tone was light and airy, perhaps due to the girl's natural disposition. Even when she stood quietly, she gave off a vibrant and open-hearted impression, and her way of speaking matched that image perfectly. Rhode didn't dislike the girl; in fact, he knew well that such a mood-maker was indispensable to a team. As a former leader of a player guild, Rhode understood how vital a harmonious team atmosphere was. Furthermore, in some respects, mercenaries and players did the same things: taking quests, adventuring, scouting, and fighting. These tasks consumed vast amounts of time and energy. Under such accumulated time and combat pressure, without a proper outlet, internal problems were bound to arise. Looking at the blonde girl, Rhode couldn't help but think of a female mage from his old team named "Canary." She wasn't just a top-tier player; she lived up to her name, chattering incessantly like a canary, often telling jokes or sharing stories about her life. Her way of speaking was so exaggerated that even the smallest, mundane things would have everyone roaring with laughter. Back then, when the team was raiding the Deadman's Graveyard, the pressure was immense. Whenever things got tense, Rhode would coax the cute little mage to share something interesting. Once she told a story or two, everyone would laugh, the pressure would vanish, and they would regain their spirits to continue the raid. Many teams with higher levels and better gear had collapsed because the raids were too long and difficult. Besides, online games were just games, not life, and many people had real-world stresses they didn't want to compound in-game. Many in Rhode's team had their own struggles, but they didn't quit; instead, they logged on punctually every day just to hear the cute mage's witty remarks and relax. It was in that state of mind that they finally seized control of the Deadman's Graveyard. Although the little mage wasn't the strongest in the team, in another sense, she was an irreplaceable member.

Of course, while the girl before him also gave off a lively vibe, she wasn't overly talkative. She knew her boundaries and wasn't restless, but just seeing the smile on her face made one feel involuntarily at ease.

"I'm ready. Are we leaving now?"

"We have to wait a little longer. Someone else is catching a ride with us."

"Catching a ride?"

Lize tilted her head curiously, her golden ponytail swaying with the movement, but she didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a black cloak.

"Um... Mr. Rhode?"

"What is it?"

"This, please take it."

As she spoke, a faint blush appeared on Lize's fair, delicate face. She lowered her head and held out the cloak.

"This is..."

Rhode stared at the cloak, stunned.

"It's just... the wind in the mountains is strong, and the nights are cold. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet, and if you catch a chill... you might get sick, which is very bad for your health. So... I bought a cloak to keep you warm. It's made of mountain deer hide; it's breathable and very comfortable. Please, take it..."

Lize kept her head down, making her expression hard to read, but Rhode noticed the slight tremor in her voice. He didn't say much, simply reaching out to take the cloak.

"Thank you for your kindness."

"It's nothing, it's what I should do."

Lize looked up, revealing a look of relief. Her bright, dazzling expression made the fat merchant nearby freeze—he had known the girl longer than Rhode had and had never seen her look like that before, but...

The fat merchant's eyes darted around, looking at Lize and then at Rhode with a meaningful gaze.

It seems this might actually be a good thing, eh?

Just as the fat merchant was hoping to see more of this drama, a sharp, crisp voice suddenly rang out.

"Who is the bastard that stole this young lady's carriage!?"