Lin En had been admiring his newly purchased horse when it suddenly vanished before his very eyes. Enraged, he immediately dispatched the private troops he kept on his payroll to scour the area for Duncan.
Unfamiliar with the place, Duncan had no way of evading pursuit. Less than half an hour passed between his taking back his horse and his capture.
At least... he had gone from only getting to see the secretary to meeting the man himself.
"If I said I could explain, would you believe me?"
Duncan was pinned to the ground. In front of him, Lin En laughed in fury.
"Do you know what happens to people who deceive me?"
"Promotions, titles, and a million a year?"
Then Duncan had two teeth knocked out. He bowed his head to the ground and begged for mercy.
"Okay! I was wrong! I'll give you a full refund! A refund!"
"It's only five hundred thousand. That means nothing to me. What matters is that you dared to deceive the president of the Lin En Group!"
Duncan had another two teeth knocked out.
Only after a savage beating did Lin En order his men to stop.
"Still, you outsiders always bring some novel technology with you. I can forgive you, provided you behave yourself."
Lin En tossed a collar at Duncan's feet.
"Bow your head, put it around your neck, and tell me everything I want to know. Honestly."
"Uh... well, what if I don't know the answer to your question myself?"
"I don't intend to make things difficult for you. I only want to see whether you can give me any inspiration for technological breakthroughs. For instance, how did you make such a large horse disappear?"
Duncan caught on, too. Lin En had quite a thirst for knowledge, and he