The Arrogant Nobles

Soon, accompanied by the neighing of horses, the two carriages stopped beside the camp. The mercenaries cautiously watched the two carriages, but they weren't nervous. Judging from their direction, these were probably a group of nobles who had gone hunting in the Black Forest and lost track of time, hence their return journey. They encountered these foolish nobles several times during their outings; arrogant and reckless, they would boast about even their kills of deer and rabbits. The mercenaries rarely paid any attention to these men; after all, to them, nobles and mercenaries were from different worlds, and they had no interest in communicating with them whatsoever.

Sure enough, just as the patrolling mercenary captain arrived, a dashing man in expensive leather armor jumped down from the carriage and politely nodded to the mercenary standing in front of him.

"Nice to meet you."

He began to speak with great poise.

Hello, sir.

The mercenary captain gave a cautious salute, while simultaneously scrutinizing the two carriages behind him. Although not as luxurious as the one Li Lin was riding in, they were still exquisite and unique, suggesting that the people riding in them came from wealthy families. He became slightly more cautious and frowned as he inquired.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

That's right.

The young man smiled warmly.

"As you can see, we... have just returned from a hunt in the wild, intending to reach Blackwater City before nightfall. Unfortunately, it's already late, and traveling would be extremely dangerous. I wonder..."

The young man paused here. Clearly, his status didn't allow him to make requests of such lowly people as mercenaries. However, the situation was indeed dangerous in the wilderness, and they had no guards. Who knew what might happen if they camped alone like this? In fact, if he hadn't seen the two carriages in the camp that looked like those of nobles, he wouldn't have stopped. Who knew if these people were bandits or brigands?

"Um... could you please ask the owner of this place to come out and speak with me privately?"

"Sure."

The mercenary captain answered casually, quickly took two steps back, and then went to ask Pikachu. Before long, Old Pikachu had rushed over. From his neat clothes and warm smile, you could not tell that the fat merchant had been woken up from a deep sleep.

"Oh, hello, sir, may I ask how I can help you?"

"... You are here..."

Upon seeing the short, stout merchant who appeared before him, the man's handsome face twitched involuntarily.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself."

The fat businessman made a comical effort to bow.

"I am the owner of this caravan, Pikachu, the president of the 'Old Pikachu's Hundred Thousand Thunderbolts' trading company. Respected sir, what brings you here so late at night?"

I'm so sorry to bother you.

Although the man said this, his expression couldn't help but turn somber. He had originally assumed that those camping here were nobles, so he could simply reveal their identities and stay for the night. But he hadn't expected that the one who owned such a luxurious carriage was this fat merchant who looked like a nouveau riche. He despised these people from the bottom of his heart; they were only interested in profit, had no sense of honor, and would do anything to make money... But now, he had to rely on their help.

"We are just travelers passing through, hoping to find shelter from the cold at your campsite for the night... I wonder..."

"This..."

Faced with the man's request, Old Pikachu frowned. Although he was the nominal owner of this caravan, Old Pikachu knew that in terms of influence and power, he couldn't even come close to Li Lin and Nia. They were the central figures of the caravan. Although this man didn't seem dangerous and appeared to be a well-educated nobleman, he shouldn't cause any trouble... But why weren't there any guards?

Old Pikachu looked behind the man with a puzzled expression. Normally, nobles would have a lot of private soldiers, and they would make a big fuss every time they went hunting, as if they were going to war over a few rabbits. The scene before him, where there was not a single guard in sight except for the carriage and the driver, was really too abnormal.

That's why Old Pikachu didn't immediately take the blue diamond from the man's hand. He hesitated anxiously, his hands trembling as he crossed them. In the end, the fat merchant made his decision.

"I'm sorry, sir, you want to rest in our camp, but..."

"Brother, why do we still have to stay in the carriage?!"

Just then, a sharp voice came from the carriage behind the man, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the mercenaries. Soon, a young woman peeked out from inside, looked at the fat merchant standing in front of the man, and frowned in displeasure.

"Us..."

"Shut up! Weijia, you have no right to speak here!"

The man shouted, then turned back to the fat merchant.

"Sir businessman, we are not malicious criminals, and you seem to be an upright businessman. In that case, why can't we..."

"Alright, sir."

The fat businessman could only nod helplessly in the end.

"When we're out and about, we should naturally look out for each other. I won't refuse your requests, but... I hope you can all be mindful not to disturb others too much, after all, it's so late and everyone is resting."

"Of course, sir."

Clearly, the nobleman was satisfied with the portly merchant's answer. He quickly called his driver, and the carriage entered the small camp. With the help of the mercenaries, they found a corner to rest. Of course, the nobles didn't realize that the mercenaries had positioned their carriages on the outermost edge of the camp, using them as a screen. The reason for this, besides their inherent dislike for the nobles, was that the woman who had suddenly appeared had greatly displeased the mercenaries; they were determined to find an opportunity to make things difficult for her.

Of course, the young nobleman, who knew nothing about this, had no doubts. After ordering the coachman to stop the carriage, he let his companion get off and rest.

The once quiet campsite has become much livelier again. The arrival of six people, led by the young nobleman, has made the campsite less peaceful. Although their number is indeed small, the three men and three women are still a bit too cramped compared to the small carriage.

After several mercenaries helped them start a fire, the noble ladies and gentlemen became even more boisterous, chatting and laughing loudly as if they were camping, completely forgetting the fat merchant's earlier warning. This greatly displeased Old Pikachu. What did they think this desolate wilderness was? The royal palace's back garden? If he had known these nobles would be so troublesome, he shouldn't have let them in in the first place. Now... what if they disturbed the Golden Leaf Mage and his group? Who knows what would happen then?

Thinking of this, Old Pikachu sighed helplessly, then casually handed one of the two blue diamonds to the mercenary captain before walking towards the group of nobles.

The nobles remained unaware of the portly merchant's presence until he approached them. They continued their loud conversation, boasting about their hunting adventures and heroic deeds. The portly merchant had to find an opportunity to cough and interrupt their chatter.

I'm so sorry, everyone.

He looked at the young nobleman, who had neither joined the discussion nor stopped it, with a somewhat unfriendly tone.

"It's late now, and everyone is resting. I hope you can all be considerate and not disturb others."

"What does it matter?"

It was that girl again, staring at Old Pikachu as if she were looking at some rare animal.

"They're just mercenaries anyway, what difference does it make if we make a scene? We..."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Businessman."

The young man interrupted the girl once again.

"We were a little too excited, and we hope you can understand. To express our apology, we can offer you some compensation, and we hope you can forgive our actions."

So, you're not planning to stop the bonfire parties, right?

Pikachu's face darkened. Although he hadn't said anything harsh because the other party was a noble, he hadn't expected these guys to be so arrogant... But before he could say anything more, a clear and sweet voice rang out.

"What's with these barbaric, inferior creatures?"

Unbeknownst to them, Angela had appeared behind the fat merchant. She gently fanned herself with a velvet folding fan, her gaze fixed on the young man and woman before her with disdain.

"If you want to get into heat, how about going to the grasslands? Even cats have their limits when they're in heat."

Her wicked and vicious words, like a chilling wind, instantly extinguished the nobles' enthusiasm. The mercenaries nearby began to chuckle softly; clearly, Angela's words represented their thoughts as well.

"Who are you..."

Weijia stood up angrily, pointing at Angela in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Angela's bright red eyes made her stop in her tracks.

"Miss, I apologize for our rudeness, but what you just said was really too much."

Protecting the lady beside him whose face had turned red from Angela's words, another young nobleman spoke up in rebuttal.

"If you hadn't disturbed others like a pack of cats in heat, you wouldn't have been treated this way."

Angela forward, while the fat businessman stepped aside at the opportune moment.

"You have disturbed my and my master's rest, therefore, I order you to get out of here immediately, or shut your mouths and not make a sound."

"You little girl, don't go too far...!!"

Seeing that Angela's words were becoming increasingly outrageous, the third young nobleman jumped up, drew his longsword, and was about to rush towards Angela. But a dark shadow flashed, and in the next instant, Mina appeared in front of Angela, gripping the hilt of her sword and coldly staring at the crowd before her.

"Choose, wildcats."

Angela her fan open.

"Are you going to get out of here and find somewhere to mate? Or are you going to shut your mouths and not make a sound... Or perhaps having Mina cut out your tongues wouldn't be a bad option..."

"How dare you do this?!"

This blatant provocation finally made the others unable to sit still. However, the nobleman who had been in charge of negotiating with the fat merchant had not been able to completely dissuade his companion. Clearly, for these nobles who were used to praise and immersed in comfort, the little boy's words were far beyond the limits of their fragile psychological defenses.

"Very well, little girl, I'll show you..."

The young nobleman drew his longsword, but then suddenly stopped, because at that moment, another man dressed in black appeared before them.

"Your Highness, please have some self-respect."

"You've come at the perfect time, Dick!!"

Facing the man in black, the nobleman seemed to regain some confidence; he stretched out his hand and pointed at Angela.

"Kill that little girl! She insulted me and my friends, she deserves to die!!"

The man named Dick turned around, and when he saw Angela standing in front of him, Dick's eyes narrowed slightly, while Angela let out a light, bell-like laugh.

"I wondered who it was, but it turns out to be one of those 'toys' from back then."