Chapter 111 Betrayal
George rode the celestial warhorse, draped in a brown cloak that concealed his battered full armor. His armor, once whole, was now charred and pockmarked from dragon fire, beaten by Chamberlain’s crimson flame sword, and struck by the dragon’s tail. It was safe to say he was unrecognizable.
Some parts were deformed, limiting his movements. Now, the armor he wore could only be described as barely usable.
He and the others passed through a bustling city gate. In front of the gate were several posted portraits of him, vividly depicted, while the blind-eyed guards failed to recognize him as he rode past the images.
Twenty minutes later, in the chaotic market area, resembling the upper levels of an arena marketplace, in a secluded magic specialty shop.
George did not sit in the chair prepared for him but stood instead.
A rider clad in a black outfit said, “The shopkeeper hasn’t risen that early; wait here for a moment.”
George asked, “Is this a trap aimed at me?”
“What did you say? Our boss keeps his word.”
George stated firmly, “You only need to answer yes or no.”
The young riders fell silent, exchanging glances. They found this “guest” overly suspicious and irritable, which displeased them, and one person shouted, “If it weren’t for the boss’s direct orders to be polite to you, we would have already shown you how hospitality works in Shalin City.”
George did not respond but lowered the golden two-handed giant sword resting on his shoulder.
“Enough with the chatter. Otherwise, our suspicious guest might decide to chop us all down,” another said. “To answer your question: No.”
That was the truth, and George shifted his gaze to the other faces.
The others reluctantly replied, “No.”
All of them were being truthful.
They said it and then turned to leave, murmuring about George’s odd paranoia.
Before long, a bald man wearing no shirt, with clearly defined muscles and a silver necklace hanging around his neck, entered. He was the mage who had accepted George’s hefty payment of six thousand.
He pushed his glasses with his middle finger and said, “I didn’t expect it to be you. They introduced it to me as someone wanting to purchase that item. Ever since someone went on the wanted list, that thing has become a hot potato.”
George remained silent, stepping out of the shop and looking down at the gradually bustling market.
He turned and asked, “Are you going to make a move against me?”
“Make a move?” the bald mage asked. “I admit my fees are somewhat high, but magical items are expensive. And if you want to shorten the time frame and want quality as well, that only means higher costs. I can’t do it all alone; I also invited two fellow masters. Think about it: at least magical items won’t have the ‘no more than three’ rule like wondrous items or all those strange negative effects.”
“I mean, have you colluded with others to surround me?”
“We could have been more subtle; do we have to be so direct?” the bald mage said. “I couldn’t care less about a paladin working in Shalin City. I don’t want to risk my life for a bounty of ten thousand gold coins; I want to live.”
“Yes or no.”
“No.” The bald mage said, “It seems the rumors about paladins being able to discern lies are true? I heard you’re trying to establish a society where no one can lie?”
“What about the custom item I ordered?”
“Who would carry unnecessary magical items on them?” the bald mage replied.
George furrowed his brow; although the bald mage’s crucial answer was the truth, he seemed to be stalling on everything else, as if intentionally delaying George’s time.
“Then how about this: I have urgent business now. I’ll send you an address shortly, and you can deliver it there.”
“That’s not acceptable.” The bald shopkeeper shook his hand. “I don’t want to get involved in strange conflicts. Our shop only handles order processing. The goods are taken directly from the store; that’s the old rule. If you want the goods, I can notify the apprentice right now.”
This was true; it was also a matter of survival.
George hesitated for a moment and said, “Fine, I’ll come pick it up then.”
“Have you forgotten your identity?” the bald shopkeeper said. “This time, the boss has vouched for you, but there won’t be another chance.”
“How long will it take?”
“At best, fifteen minutes.” The bald shopkeeper snapped his fingers, and a raven appeared out of thin air, landing on his shoulder. The raven looked dazed, as if ready to sleep at any moment. The bald shopkeeper punched it, and the raven immediately woke up.
The bald shopkeeper muttered to the raven for a moment, and the black raven spread its wings and flew off, disappearing shortly thereafter.
“Well, aren’t you going to sit?” he said, then turned to a servant behind him, shouting, “Don’t slack off, prepare some drinks and food.”
The servant wearing a feathered hat immediately nodded and walked inside.
“No.”
George leaned against the door, looking in the direction of the major’s mansion in the market area.
“It feels like we’re doing something sneaky,” the bald shopkeeper said.
Ten minutes later.
“A gift from the boss.” A boy approached alone, carrying a sword case.
George, filled with doubts, opened the case. Inside lay a short bronze sword of forearm length, quietly resting on red velvet. After a closer sniff, it seemed to have a faint curry smell.
“What is this?”
“I don’t know, just that someone paid me to deliver it,” the boy said, turning to leave.
George picked up the sword and found a note beneath it. He took the note, unfolded it, and read:
“Breaking Oath Sword. Holding this sword allows one to see the gaseous substance within the body. It can pierce the skin and flesh to eliminate the gaseous substance, achieving the effect of breaking the contract. If the gaseous substance is located deep within or at a vital area, wait until the next day when the gaseous substance changes position. Side effect: Each use will cause confusion to the target.”
The boss surprisingly handed over a wondrous item to break the slave contract. Wait, he did this to fulfill the contract!
George’s expression changed.
He immediately stowed the sword and jumped down the stairs, rushing toward Jima’s location.
“It’s too late.”
At the foot of the stairs, a group of men in black suddenly appeared, pushing a barricade that blocked George’s path.
The bald mage peeked out from the shop door, seeing George fighting the men in black, and shook his head.
“What’s this scheme again?”
With that, he turned around and shut the shop door. At the moment the door closed, he saw an entire troop entering the market area.
He remained completely unaware of this conspiracy, just as the puppeteer intended.
…
…
Almost simultaneously.
Jima, feigning sleep in the major Floris’s mansion, heard a series of footsteps. Startled, she jumped out of bed.
This wasn’t right.
Years of evasion taught Jima to be on high alert. She hurriedly slipped on her slippers and ran to the window.
The window suddenly burst open, and a man in gray appeared. It wasn’t Akaris. He directly threw a net at Jima; when it opened, it perfectly enveloped her. Jima attempted to tear the net away but was shoved, falling to the floor.
There was a sound of the door being pushed open, followed by male voices:
“Be careful, don’t hurt anyone.”
Jima looked up and saw a round-bellied figure entering the room. The owner of that belly had short black hair and thick lips adorned with two patches of black beard.
It was Major Floris. His eyes shimmered as he stared at Jima. Behind him was a group of fully armed soldiers.
Just as Jima tried to get up from the floor,
Two beardless men approached, gripping her hands tightly, tying her wrists behind her back. With strong hands, they lifted Jima; clad only in a nightgown with two openings in the back, her black horns, tail, and wings were fully exposed.
She shouted, “Let me go!”
Major Floris leered at her, up and down, and said, “Really pretty, a little temptress who can drive men mad. No wonder the brave George was willing to risk bringing you to Shalin City.”
“Don’t you fear being killed for breaking the contract?”
“Contract? I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain. Don’t start with me; it won’t end well.”
Major Floris stepped forward, grabbing Jima’s horn, pulling on it painfully, making her tilt her head back. She gritted her teeth, glaring at Major Floris with golden eyes. He thus looked down at her, “admiring” her beauty.
Although nearly all the men’s gazes in the room bore a hint of greed and desire, none were as blatant and direct as Major Floris’s.
His gaze first lingered on Jima’s sparkling eyes, then traveled down her straight nose, landing on her full pink lips. His eyes remained glued there, and he licked his lips. Moving his focus, his gaze traced down her graceful swan-like neck, crossing her delicate collarbone, descending into the loose neckline of her garment.
Jima felt as though ice-cold, fat pig meat was pressed against her skin, brushing down to her chest, sending chills down her spine. It was revolting.
She couldn’t help the burning anger and said, “I’ll kill you one day.”
“Such stubbornness.” Major Floris said, “I’ll let you break your… virginity right now.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
As she spoke, her fair tail whipped about, subtly brushing against Major Floris’s chest, forming a purple swirl that symbolizes carnal desire, “You’re just a rat from the sewers, selling me out to the great benefactor to beg for a position. Tsk, the great benefactor should have ordered you not to touch this virgin.”
“A pretty clever little girl; it must be very satisfying to train her beneath you.”
Floris’s face pressed close to Jima’s; she momentarily thought he was going to kiss her and began to struggle in disgust. The men behind were unable to hold her wrists steady; he exerted some force, and the ropes dug painfully into her wrists.
Floris’s thick lips were less than a centimeter away from Jima’s face, where she could see the dim, greasy pits on his fat face. His breath blew down on her delicate skin, exhaling warmth from top to bottom, blowing into the loose neckline of her nightgown.
The men present began to breathe heavily.
Jima pretended to panic, yelling, “Let me go! You pervert!”
As she spoke, she raised her foot to kick at Floris. He sidestepped, avoiding the vital area, and “enjoyed” Jima’s weak kicks, while her tail whipped against him, making him chuckle.
“I thought you would call George’s name,” Floris said, “That would be more intense.”
“What have you done to him?”
“He’s in dire straits, likely to die.”
“You’re lying.”
“Hahaha, what brave warrior? Just a fool.” Floris stepped back, his face flushed, “Quick, take her to the great benefactor. After this, I’ll invite everyone for some relief.”
The men laughed, escorting Jima away in a crowd.
Behind them, Major Floris ordered a search of the entire room, locating Jima’s money: nine hundred and ninety-seven gold coins, change of clothes, tent, short sword, etc.
The search was thorough, even finding copper coins lost in the floor seams for decades.
But nobody found a coin engraved with “AD1357.”
——————
Around ten o’clock tonight, there will be the seventh update.
