The pastry shop owner didn’t respond, and the other old man simply dismissed the question as inappropriate curiosity. “A rather inexplicable prophecy, about a dragon or something. Lann is ambitious and has decided to seize this opportunity to rise to prominence rather than inherit his father’s craft.”

“That’s… not that wrong,” the old man added softly, “but he hasn’t come back since then. He hasn’t even sent me a letter. I don’t know where he is now…”

He died on the road of pursuing prophecies and dreams, Daisy muttered silently in her heart.

“If you happen to run into that guy someday, see if you can persuade him to come back,” the old man sighed. “Father, wife, young son, how can someone be so cruel as to give up all of this just for a ridiculous prophecy?”

“I know what the prophecy says, but even if the dragons really return, there are dragonborn under them. Why would a human like him join in the fun? And… uh.”

The old man paused mid-complaint, noticing that there were still quite a few Dragonborn around, and the atmosphere had become somewhat tense because of his words. “I don’t have any feelings towards the Dragonborn…”

“We understand,” Frostbone spoke for the ill-tempered Cindercrown. “You’re referring to the Daldanjullien clan and the human wizard, Dragonfinger Fidel. They are also the ones we’re tracking down.”

“The Dardan Julian Clan, Dragon Finger Fidel…” The old man’s brows furrowed even more tightly, and he muttered in a voice only he could hear, “This is unexpected information.”

“I think the people of Qingzun City will breathe a sigh of relief now that these misunderstandings have been resolved,” the old man who had memorized the two names laughed heartily. “Lately, there’s been talk of Dragonborn unrest in the Kingdom of Latour, and even Qingzun City can’t help but get nervous.”

“But speaking of the Kingdom of Latour…” The old man suddenly turned around and looked at Angelita, who was comforting Old Weasley, “This lady looks a little familiar to me.”

After the old man finished speaking, he raised his hands in a smooth gesture of surrender. He was certain that if he had been slower, the iron fist that had just beaten the young man to the point of unconsciousness would have hit him.

“White Blade?” Angelita suddenly stood up and stared at every move of the old man who she had a good impression of just now. Her right hand was already on the hilt of Shouzhi Changshi’s sword.

“The Empire’s spy organization? I know them, and we do have some connections.” The old man tried his best to make his situation seem less dire, but it was probably a futile effort. “But I swear to Dionysus, I have never reached any cooperation with them. The so-called connections are nothing more than diplomatic inertia left by our predecessors.”

“I believe I do know some things, but in my opinion, the only thing that matters is your true identity.” The old man paused, then smiled confidently. “You helped the two families of Qingzun City in Joffrey Town, thwarting the conspiracy of those lunatics from the Dieu family of the Latour Kingdom. You escorted the caravan of the Louvallu family to safety. Now, you are bravely protecting the citizens of Qingzun City from robbery and attack. And you refused to even keep a twenty-sou note, insisting on delivering it to the recipient.”

“From what I know, you are all honest and good people, just like Sir Patrick. Any other accusations are absurd rumors and cannot be trusted.”

The old man felt the murderous intent slowly fading, and his heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally fell back to where it belonged. “And from what I know, White Blade is a shady spy agency. I’m afraid what they say can’t be fully trusted, right?”

“I couldn’t agree more with that,” Angelita said, her fingers loosening from the hilt of her sword as she nodded slightly. “I’m very happy to avoid armed conflict in this situation, and please believe that we have no improper intentions towards Qingzun City.”

“But now that things have come to this, shouldn’t we know who this person is? I take it you’re not an ordinary resident of the Lower Town, are you?”

There are also gaps between nobles, and Angelita’s education allows her to perceive the difference very well – although this is not the empire, the member of the Lister family who was ranked 19th just now is obviously not comparable to this old man.

“I’m not, but my little grandson prefers the bread here to the divine feast,” the old man pointed to the snacks on the counter. “Let me introduce myself again: Alfonso Claus Ferdinand Louvaloux, the governor of Qingzun City. Thank you again for your timely assistance.”

Chapter 230 Alfonso

“The governor of Qingzun City was nearly assassinated while going to the lower city to buy bread for his grandson. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it to be true.”

Daisy said in an exaggerated tone, “Is it possible that such a thing is true?”

“Qingzun City is just a city-state, Miss Daisy,” Alphonso Lovalou was surprisingly talkative. He didn’t hesitate to answer any questions as he carried bread, led the guests, and the thieves to the nearby outpost. “Perhaps you think I’m surrounded by bodyguards? They are only responsible for protecting my safety during working hours. I’m taking a break today, so naturally they should take a break too.”

“As for my family, they were just here to buy some bread. I don’t think I’m old enough to need help with something like that. What happened today was just an accident.”

“Not many bad things happen without accidents. I think you still need to protect yourself.” Daisy spread her hands. “Do you want to hear some stories that open your heart or open your mind?”

“I’m not interested in hearing about the various ways I might die!” Alfonso laughed. “Ms. Poet, let’s not continue this topic. It’s making me suspicious!”

“From what you said before, you seemed to admire Patrick very much,” Leslaufer suddenly said, “but Patrick said he left Qingzun City after his former master passed away.”

Alfonso pondered for a moment: “Didn’t he say anything else?”

“It’s all about him and his former master, but I don’t think it would stop him from wanting to see the city that gave birth to him.”

“Indeed, the one he doesn’t want to see is me,” Alfonso sighed. “His master is a cousin of mine. We’ve always had a good relationship. We have many of the same friends, including a headstrong, incompetent doctor.”

It sounds like that’s where the problem lies.

“We all trusted him because he was always so helpful, so when my cousin felt unwell that day, we all agreed to ask him to come and see him, and we used the tincture he gave us without any doubt.”

“When the healing priest from the Church of Dionysus finally arrived, alas, my cousin had already passed away. The tincture cured his minor ailment, but it also caused a cerebral hemorrhage. Things changed so suddenly that by the time we realized what was happening, it was already too late.”

Recalling the tragedy that happened that day, Alfonso couldn’t help but shake his head. “Of course Patrick was there. He knew it wasn’t my problem, but he definitely didn’t want to see me again. There’s no doubt about that, so he chose to leave after the quack was tried.”

“But you’re different from the Empire. You don’t regulate magical items. You should have some self-defense accessories on you, right?” Angelita asked, puzzled. “Isn’t that enough to save your cousin’s life?”

“It’s true that we don’t regulate magical items. After all… we’re far inferior to the Empire,” Alfonso said with a wry smile. “But precisely because of this, do you think we’re more likely to use whatever we find, or can we specify a specific object with a specific purpose?”

“Qingzun City does have many magic masters, but the most powerful one, Master Xiaer, just celebrated his 110th birthday not long ago. The other masters also spent a lot of money on magic—but in return, they only received small items to prevent the unlikely occurrence of something.”

“It’s impossible to be all-encompassing, unless the family itself can produce several magic masters. A few years ago, the Fengquan family produced a little fellow with outstanding magical talent, but it’s a pity that he died young. Alas…”

Edward, who was hiding behind, immediately shrank his neck, fearing that any gaze would fall on him.

Normally, when a citizen bravely handed over a criminal, the city guards would either offer some intimidation or lavish praise. However, if this “good-hearted citizen” was the current consul, they would simply shudder in fear. Fortunately, Alfonso had no intention of pursuing their responsibility, which relieved the guards.

“Look, this is the River of Wine.” After dealing with the criminals, Alfonso quickly led everyone to a river that meandered through the city. Looking upstream, they could see a magnificent waterfall cascading from the sky, the aroma of wine wafting everywhere, and the faint glimpse of various foods falling from the river. “Less than one twentieth of the food flows down, so the citizens of the lower city mainly rely on themselves for food. Our recent consuls have been trying to change this situation, and have already received the tacit approval of the Church of Dionysus. However, the traditional resistance is beyond imagination.”

“As of this year, I can only rely on mandatory ‘festivals’ to promote the initiative of donating the God-given banquet to the lower city. This has already caused dissatisfaction among many families. I am afraid that it will be impossible to make any further progress in a stable state.”

“They’re all families that have just become nobles. They haven’t enjoyed enough yet, so of course they won’t agree.” Shuang Hai rolled his eyes. “For example, the Lister family?”

“Oh, I know them.” Alfonso couldn’t hide this childish trick. “Why, are they messing with the wrong people?”

Angelita briefly explained what happened upon entering the city. Alfonso couldn’t help but look at the ever-present Black Claw behind him. “If you’re really willing to sell it, I’d actually be willing to pay a thousand Imperial gold coins—but never mind. I’ve noticed this a long time ago, but I’m sorry, I can’t do anything about it.”

“Oh, because you do the same thing yourself.” Frost Hai nodded in understanding.

“Don’t be so cynical, kid,” Alfonso smiled at the White Dragonborn. “The Lister family started out as merchants, and so did the Lovallo family. Let’s go up first, we should be able to find a vacant ferry. The methods we used to make our fortunes are all similar, it’s just a matter of time.”

“The Louvalou family too?” Upon hearing this, Reslaufer couldn’t help but look at Alfonso again. “But with all due respect, you don’t look like a businessman. You look more like…”

“Yes, I was a soldier for a few years when I was young. Those days left a deep mark on me, but it has little to do with the Louvale family,” Alfonso admitted with a nod. “There are many kinds of birds in a large forest, and there are always a few anomalies in a large family, right?”

When saying this, Alfonso looked at Angelita meaningfully. Although the girl accepted it calmly, Edward, who was standing behind her, was already restless and became suspicious.

Chapter 231 Claws in the Dark

“Tell me, what happened this time?”

Looking at the guys he had just rescued from the guard post, Roddy Lister tapped the armrests of the chair with his two huge jewel rings.

On either side of him, on the left stood his daughter, Margaret Lister, a girl of seventeen or eighteen, with a few freckles on her face and her light blond hair braided into a thick long braid. On the right stood a human who looked about the same height as a dwarf, with rough, dark skin. He looked out of place among the two nobles and even looked three times more vulgar than the robbers during the day.

“We followed your instructions and robbed the bakery, and we did run into the Archon…” The young man in the lead had his entire right arm slung around his neck, a result of treatment by the Qingzun City guards. Rody racked his brains, but couldn’t figure out how four or five strong young men could attack a sixty-year-old, unarmed man and end up in this state.

“continue.”

“I assure you, we chose the right moment. Consul Alfonso would never have guessed this was a planned attack, and we were so close to success, but then…” Recalling that powerful punch, the young man trembled from head to toe. “A group of adventurers from out of town disrupted our plans. They, they were more numerous.”

It wasn’t really a lie, and the young man hoped it would ease his employer’s anger a little, but Rody Lister was no fool.

“So, you’re saying that ‘almost succeeded’ means you were even closer to those strangers than you were to Alfonso, so close that you could be beaten into… this state?” Rody raised his voice in irritation. “How dare you fool me!”

“Isn’t it because you’re impressed by their ability to deceive that you’re sponsoring them?” the ugly man beside him, who looked more like a dwarf than a human, said sarcastically. “Sir Rody, you should be able to see clearly now. All those ‘tricks’ you’ve accumulated are actually worthless. They’re just garbage.”

“Wood, watch your tone,” Margaret Lister glared at him coldly. “You are speaking to my father, your patron.”

“You want to imply that I’m also a useless part, right, girl?” Wood rudely retorted, “But I’ve already achieved my goal. Look at how panicked those idiots were when Philip Maple Springs returned to the family!”

“They had never heard of the Wheat Harvesting Society. They tried to figure out who was behind this plot against the Fengquan family, but the answer they got was—too many to count!”

“The seeds of doubt have been planted. We only need to nurture them carefully, and we will soon reap the fruits of chaos,” Wood laughed heartily. “Let’s pull down the chalice from the sky!”

“That’s not what I want,” Rody snorted coldly. “Listen, Wood, I’m not interested in your theories, but I want to become the governor of Qingzun City and make this city belong to the Lister family, not the other way around. If you still want to continue to receive my funding, you’d better clarify your status!”

Wood stopped laughing and looked up. After staring at Rody for a long moment, he slowly nodded. “Then I will do as you wish, sir. After all, without your resources, I can do nothing.”

“But you can only sit there for a short while,” Wood thought silently. He had long ago decided that this sponsor could only change the order of his own death, not death itself.

Rody knew the ugly dwarf had ill intentions, but he was confident he could control him, turning him into a knife in his hand—a knife that wasn’t particularly useful, but sharp enough. A family ranked nineteenth rarely had any good knives, so being sharp enough was a blessing. And most of all… these street thugs and thieves before him.

“Do you still remember who ruined the plan?” Rody asked casually without any hope.

Several thieves looked at each other in bewilderment. “Yes, yes, sir, that’s not difficult. Half of them are Dragonborn—you may find it strange, but it’s true. It’s rare to see so many Dragonborn in Qingzun City.”

Dragonborn? Rody and Wood each raised an eyebrow: they’d both had some unpleasant experiences with teams with Dragonborn members recently. Could it be a coincidence…

“And we remember that group of people had a monster parading around! It looked like a bipedal lizard, but also like some kind of giant bird! It—”

The gem in Rody’s hand scratched deep grooves on the armrest, making an unpleasant noise, but he no longer cared about it.

“It’s them?!” He growled, “How is this possible?”

“The same guys who humiliated you at the city gate?” Wood laughed heartily, his laughter shrouded in gloating glee, yet his laughter concealed an extreme fear. He naturally wouldn’t tell Rody that one of his strongholds had also been destroyed by this group, but precisely because of this lack of information, he understood even more clearly how terrifying they were.

Those dragonborn are not the focus. That warrior, the warrior in heavy armor is the most troublesome one.

“You seem happy about our failure?” Margaret glanced at him. She didn’t approve of her father working with such a man. It had nothing to do with their status, but rather that Wood was no different from a street thug, devoid of credibility or loyalty. The only difference was that Wood was more powerful.

But she had no choice; she was her father’s appendage, or at least that was what Rody thought, and she couldn’t simply and clearly rebel against him.

The Lister family was a small family and could not afford such a turmoil, especially since Rody had already invested a lot of resources in building a construct for the dwarf next to him.

“No, not at all, my dear Miss Margaret,” Wood replied immediately, and made no secret of his envy. Margaret’s only flaw was the two freckles on her cheeks, but Wood didn’t care about that at all.

However, Rody Lister only had one daughter, and Margaret was to inherit the family business after Rody’s death. Unless this merchant aristocrat gave birth to another male heir, Wood would have to covet the property until everything was settled.

Margaret turned away in disgust, and at that moment she heard her father’s voice.

“Although we’ve introduced a new variable, they’re just a group of adventurers. Ten of them scattered among a city of 100,000 people won’t cause even a single ripple. We’ll proceed with our plan as usual.”

“Wood, how’s your control of the downtown gang?”

“Outer city,” said the big man Wood. In his eyes, there shouldn’t be any distinction between upper and lower levels in Qingzun City. “Three of the five largest gangs have already been annexed. The top brass of the second-largest gang, the Night Cat Gang, have a meeting today. The carpet in the venue will be a good ‘treat’ for them.”

Chapter 232 Meeting without Recognition

“Very good. Although most of them are ordinary people, if they were to mingle among the citizens, they would form an indestructible force.” Rody nodded with satisfaction. “The Curry family, ranked tenth, runs a wine business. Their patriarch will be back in a few days.”

“He will die in an unexpected conflict, and we will be regarded as opportunists, immediately launching a challenge to the Curry family after receiving the news. The Lister family will enter the top ten.”

The top ten noble surnames in Qingzun City. This position is a very delicate one, the object of jealousy from those behind and vigilance from those in front. However, it also serves as a ticket to the city-state’s ruling elite, a pass to all that is at the top of Qingzun City.

“Furthermore, if the predictions of your foreign friend are correct, we should be able to make further progress in a short time.” Rody turned to look at Wood. “I hope that the Dionysus’s secret vault in Qingzun City really does contain the item he mentioned.”

“You will certainly get what you wish for,” Wood bowed obediently. “That’s Dragon Finger Fidel. His accuracy in prophecy and his magical powers are equally trustworthy.”

After you get what you want, it will be my turn, Wood thought silently.

“That would be best, but even if it’s not, it doesn’t matter.” Rody gave Wood a suspicious look. “If I don’t touch that precious collection, I won’t risk exposing myself.”

“Let’s refocus our attention on the present. Wood, even though you planted the seeds of fear and doubt, they won’t grow without watering, weeding, and other care, right?”

“That’s right. I didn’t expect you to have such insight into this matter,” Wood chuckled. “Don’t worry, this is why you need constructs. We can work in both the inner and outer city areas simultaneously, and no one will suspect us of either.”

“But constructs still need people to assemble them,” the thieves noticed that the ugly dwarf was looking at them. “These people are no longer useful to you. Perhaps I can find something for them to do.”

“Father, don’t…” Margaret tried to stop Rody, but it was too late.

“Good, you heard what he said.” The gemstones in Rody’s hands clashed together, making a pleasant sound. “Go, maybe one of you can learn some magic tricks!”

They won’t. Margaret sighed and turned away. As the only daughter of the Lister family patriarch, she knew almost as much as Rody. For example, many of Wood’s constructs required a spirit to power them.

Satisfied, Wood led his men away. Margaret was about to leave when Roddy stopped her. “Mary,” he called Margaret by her nickname, “Wood’s been making a lot of noise these past few days. I know you don’t enjoy banquets, but as the heir to the Lister family, I must put you in a difficult position. Go out and about these next two days, but remember to avoid members of the Curry family.”

“…Yes, father.”

“It’s my father…”

After everyone checked into a hotel in the upper town arranged by Alfonso Louvalou, when they stopped by to visit the Maple Springs family, Edward expressed this sentiment in a voice that no one could hear.

The pain of losing his son made Martins Fengquan age a lot, and so did his wife. Humans were not immortal like elves or dwarves, and it was easy for their appearance to change after suffering a blow.

But Edward couldn’t show up and recognize them at this moment because his brothers and sisters were also present at the event, and his “resurrection” would only bring more trouble to his parents.

And he himself…will the murderer who tried to murder him let him go? After experiencing unexpected luck once, can he experience it again?

If he could, how would it affect the Martins? If not, would he make them experience the pain of losing a child twice on his own?

Edward lowered his head silently, and when he saw Martins approaching, he could only continue this action as much as possible, making his sadness look more like confession or fear.

“You are the thief who dug up my son’s grave.” Martins’ voice was almost flat, but anyone living could understand the suppressed grief and anger in it.

“I, I’m sorry, sir,” Edward whispered back, “I have no intention of making excuses. This sin will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

“Or perhaps your life’s worth ends here,” Martins said, holding out his palm. On it was the anklet Edward had given to Reslaufer, which the mercenary had then given to Philip. “But at least you returned this, so forget it. I’m not in the mood to tangle with a pariah.”

Edward’s heart was stung again. He knew his father would never call a commoner that. Otherwise, he would be the same kind of person as Philip. But now, Martins might have changed – the best outcome was that he was only targeting him.

“Martins,” Edward’s mother gently persuaded her husband, “It’s not entirely his fault. You often say…”

Leslaufer watched this family drama with a sense of watching a play. He had already completed the commission and it was almost time to settle the final payment.

“You must be Miss Barty Antich,” a man who looked about eighty percent like Philip, but taller and stronger, approached enthusiastically. “And these are Lord Reslaufer, Lord Vondar Halfhill, and Misses Bella and Daisy…er, Miss Dewdrop Maomao. Philip, my brother has praised your character and abilities, and our family is honored to have such friendly families from the Empire visit us.”

Daisy chuckled. Perhaps it was indeed quite amusing not to have a proper name.