I became the king of villains in the game

Wearing them would actually detract from the experience.

The combat experience, that is.

He could consider finding an opportunity to hand them over to the Containment Bureau for research and reap some benefits. They would surely be delighted to equip every investigator with a pair of gloves like these.

Flintlocks at range, iron gloves up close. Perfect!

Chen Lun also spotted a few clues in the description, so he made a note of the information.

He stood up, stepped over the bodies littering the ground, and entered the camp.

The place was wide open, with everything visible at a glance.

He headed straight for a corner of the camp, where the first thing he noticed was the hopeful gazes of seven or eight people locked in iron cages.

Chapter 28: The bard

An axe leaned against a pile of goods nearby.

Chen Lun walked over and hooked it with his foot, sending it spinning into the air before catching it by the handle.

Clang!

One swing sent the brass padlock on the iron cage clattering to the ground.

He then broke the locks on the other cages one by one, freeing the captives inside.

"Thank you so much!"

Once freed, several men hurried over to Chen Lun and bowed. Among them was the hotheaded fellow from earlier, who now felt nothing but genuine admiration.

Judging by the dark-haired young man's clothes, along with his ability to wipe out an entire bandit camp single-handedly, he was clearly no ordinary person. Respecting someone so powerful came instinctively, even if he looked young.

"We're all craftsmen from around here, and we aren't wealthy. We don't know how we can repay your kindness."

One of them asked.

"There's no need."

Chen Lun waved a hand.

He had only come here to hunt down the bandits; rescuing these people had simply been a convenient extra. Their identities, however, reminded him of the iron gloves' item description.

Craftsmen, huh...

"Why did these bandits capture you?"

"Well... we don't know either, but from what they said earlier, it seemed they needed something forged. That's why they were abducting people everywhere."

Chen Lun nodded. That made sense.

But he soon noticed someone who looked distinctly out of place among these burly craftsmen.

Blond-haired and blue-eyed, he wore a pointed hat with a flashy feather tucked into its brim, a cloak draped over his shoulders, and a small harp at his waist.

Most importantly, even covered in grime, his distinctive bearing and handsome looks still shone through.

He was only a tiny bit less handsome than Chen Lun himself.

"What about you? Don't tell me you're a craftsman too."

Seeing Chen Lun's questioning gaze settle on him, Alexis smiled confidently.

He strode forward, placed his left hand over the right side of his chest, and bowed deeply, dipping his head in greeting.

"I am Alexis, a great bard."

Chen Lun raised an eyebrow.

The blond young man held up a finger and declared loudly:

"Although I appreciate your assistance, Alexis did not actually need it.

It wasn't that I couldn't escape. I deliberately stayed to observe the bandits' daily lives and gather material for my work...

They, too, are a reflection of the empire's oppression, and I am willing to compose poetry about them."

"Don't listen to his nonsense!"

The hotheaded craftsman suddenly shouted.

"This fellow was only captured because he bragged about having forged a divine weapon!

He can't even lift a hammer, yet he tells the most outrageous lies. He's an insult to us craftsmen!"

Alexis flushed red, veins bulging as he planted his hands on his hips and shouted:

"Shut up! I wasn't lying!"

"I've had enough of you, you windbag!"

The hotheaded man charged forward and punched Alexis squarely in his pretty face, knocking him to the ground with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Bastard!"

Furious, Alexis scrambled up and started fighting him.

But their builds were far too different. The hotheaded man, who spent his days working with hammers and bellows, was powerfully built. A few punches and kicks knocked Alexis down again.

Chen Lun did not intervene. He watched with interest, his arms folded.

Having vented his anger, the hotheaded man led the others in bowing to Chen Lun again.

"There are plenty of villages around here. We make a living forging farming tools in this area, so if you ever need anything, you can come to us."

"That's right. Our skills might not match those fellows in the army camps, but the weapons we forge are still excellent!"

Chen Lun smiled and nodded, and the craftsmen left together.

He turned to Alexis, who had gotten back to his feet and was wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

"You said you've forged a divine weapon?"

"Uh... of course!"

Alexis seemed to have completely forgotten the beating he had just taken, his confident expression returning.

He swept back his blond hair, took the little harp from his waist, and began to sing as he played:

"It was a two-handed sword nearly two meters long.

Forged from metal beneath the sea mixed with matter from beyond the heavens, with the blood of an evil dragon from the far west and the fangs of the Lord of Blood, and set with tricolored crystals and rainbow gems.

I once wielded it to slay the great sea monster of the north, and used it to cut off the head of the Nightmare Knight of the south...

Alas, it broke and was lost in battle against the overlord of the far east..."

Clap, clap, clap...

Chen Lun applauded.

"Not bad. A lovely voice, and a good story too. You really do seem suited to this profession."

"This isn't a story!"

Embarrassed and angry, Alexis stopped playing.

"Even if you saved me, you cannot humiliate me! That's terribly rude! No gentleman would behave like that!

I challenge you to a duel! I will reclaim my noble dignity as Alexis!"

Alexis looked around, then picked up a cleaver from the ground. When he raised his head, ready to fight the dark-haired young man to the death, he found that Chen Lun had already turned and walked away.

"Wait! Don't go!"

Alexis chased after him in a fury.

"Everything I said was true! Why won't you believe me?!"

Alexis panted heavily.

Chen Lun glanced at him and kept walking briskly.

Gritting his teeth, Alexis quickened his pace and ran back to Chen Lun's side.

"Hey, listen, I..."

"All right, all right, I believe you."

Unable to stand him any longer, Chen Lun spoke with a perfectly serious expression.

Alexis's eyes widened, delight lighting up his face.

"R-really? That's wonderful... ahem!"

He suddenly resumed his confident expression and coughed twice.

Chen Lun had already decided that there was probably something wrong with this fellow's head, so he ignored him and continued on his way.

Alexis quietly followed beside Chen Lun. After walking for a while, he glanced at him and could not resist speaking:

"Ahem, would you like to hear more glorious tales from my past?"

"Absolutely not."

Chen Lun shrugged.

Alexis looked as though he wanted to say something but was holding back, seemingly suffering from the effort.

"Fine, go ahead."

Chen Lun gave in, only hoping this new-age torture would end soon.

As though some switch had been flipped, Alexis began singing a vivid, animated song. In the process, he even pulled out a melodica to accompany himself.

To be fair, if one overlooked his outrageous boasting, his singing was quite good.

His voice had a natural magnetism, with a clear, resonant, ethereal tone. Combined with his handsome looks, he could probably steal the hearts of countless young women if he were a little more normal in the head.

No, countless noblewomen too.

Filtering out most of the boastful embellishments, Chen Lun roughly worked out what Alexis was singing about.

It was nothing more than tales of his travels around the world, ridding every land of threats, slaying monsters and evil dragons, and becoming a hero.