Another twenty days passed.
By mid-June, summer had fully arrived in Fenlai City. The daytime sun was fierce enough to bake people dry, and every pedestrian on the streets drooped listlessly. Only at night, when the cool breeze rose, did things regain a little life.
In the Blacksmith Shop, the furnace had never gone out.
For the past month, Bob had slept no more than three hours a day. He had grown noticeably thinner, his eyes sunken and his beard unkempt, his clothes covered in sweat stains and furnace ash.
But his eyes were frighteningly bright. When he stared at the furnace, he looked as though he meant to see straight through its walls.
Fortunately, he was a Rank 6 Warrior, with the physique to match. An ordinary person would have collapsed long ago after enduring a month like this.
Loa had not been idle during this time.
Every Wednesday and Friday night, he staked out the area around the Manor ten li outside the city. He stayed too far away to make out details, but he had learned the general situation-the Manor was small, its front courtyard dark and its rear courtyard lit, with carriages frequently coming and going late at night.
After venturing deeper a few times, Loa had to admit that the woman really did get adventurous.
The nine men were young and handsome, dressed to the nines, and the way they acted... tsk.
He had also mapped out the route. Wasteland and woods flanked the Manor, making it a good place to strike.
Loa's plan was simple: once the Stariron had finished smelting, he would find a chance to kidnap the woman and interrogate her about the exact location of Balk's estate outside the city. If she did not know, he would kill her. Whether or