Chapter 6: The Heartless George
Twenty minutes later.
In George’s tent.
Jima knelt in front of George, holding a cat obediently.
“I didn’t know you had an army of nearly three hundred people named the Journey to the West Army. You’ve tricked many people into risking their lives to join you on this dangerous path,” George said with a stern face. “You also advertised that joining the army could cleanse their souls, scamming a lot of money. It’s not just deadly, but also costly.”
“Calling it a scam makes me sound so bad,” Jima replied. “I’m just in charge of the spoils, selling my muscle to protect the merchant convoy. I earned every bit of it.”
“Do you admit to deceiving and inciting them?”
“What else? Many people’s kindness needs a little sweet talk to unleash.”
“Then you admit your mistake?”
Jima obediently nodded, “Yes, I was wrong.”
“I’ve heard that before you left, you took all the army’s money.”
“No,” Jima said, “I had a good chat with them; we parted ways amicably. I only took my share.”
“But I’ve heard you not only took more than half of the army’s money but also scammed the pursuers out of all their funds.”
Earlier, Jima encountered a group of pursuers made up of mercenaries, adventurers, and witch hunters. She actively cooperated with them to chase down a succubus named Jima and, through the battle, they developed a strong camaraderie.
The pursuers enjoyed the fair and open atmosphere of the “Journey to the West Army.” Some even contributed their money to the army’s public account.
Before leaving, Jima deceived the pursuers, claiming there was a once-in-a-lifetime big business opportunity that required investment, promising that those who contributed more would receive more dividends in the future.
The pursuers, trusting her, handed over their money to Jima, and those without money even pawned their weapons for a loan. That night, they dreamt of wealth, only to wake up to find the Journey to the West Army disbanded the next day.
Later, they found that a magical item had detected their deception by extraordinary powers, and combined with public intelligence from the empire, they slapped their thighs — wasn’t the leader of the Journey to the West Army just that succubus? Only a succubus could easily trick a group of seasoned veterans.
Enraged, the pursuers began tracking Jima.
Jima lightly covered her cherry-pink lips, “Ah, I miscalculated. I underestimated their tracking skills, they actually found my trail.”
“Although they agreed to stop pursuing you, they demand you return their money,” George extended his hand. “This demand is very reasonable, and I cannot refuse, so return the money.”
When it came to money, the eager-to-confess Jima immediately shook her head, “No, they want my life, and I want their money. Isn’t that only fair?”
“That makes sense.” George replied, “But for the funds of the Journey to the West Army, you must return them. They were fine in their hometown but were misled by you to leave everything for you.”
“Even if I deceived them, didn’t they believe their souls were cleansed? Although it’s a lie, it’s real for them.”
“A scam is a scam.”
“So what? Do you know how the Malin City stock exchange works? Big players manipulate stock prices using an ‘invisible hand,’ causing many to go bankrupt, jumping from rooftops to their deaths, worse than robbery.” Jima argued, “What’s the difference from road robbery? My methods were even more gentle.”
“You’re shifting concepts. The stock exchange efficiently allocates funds to important sectors, ultimately driving overall economic development and social progress.”
“My deception can increase blood flow, enhance brain circulation, and benefit brain health, raising society’s overall fraud alertness—a contribution for the ages.”
George couldn’t help but furrow his brows and said, “If you don’t return the stolen funds, I will take coercive measures.”
“You heartless man,” Jima said. “Are you that ruthless?”
Facing Jima’s stubbornness, George reached for her waist, where she had a spatial pouch.
The Liansi Cat arched its back and hissed, “Meow! Meow!”
“How itchy, so itchy,” Jima curled up and scolded, “You scumbag! You bad guy! You’ve been with me, and your arms still twist away! I really misjudged you.”
George furrowed his brows, sighed, and felt more that Gregory’s warnings were truly right.
He said, “I’m sorry, but I must maintain fairness. If you don’t bring the money forth, I will take stronger measures.”
“Whatever, I’ve already been with you three times, nothing to be ashamed of.”
George felt a bit embarrassed. He reached for Jima’s legs, and the Liansi Cat lunged, biting his wrist and hanging on. Ignoring the cat, George grabbed Jima’s calves, stood up, and turned her upside down, shaking her vigorously.
A bunch of messy little items fell from her. Flying knives, rings, coins, daggers, a lipstick from Jenna’s vanity, a bottle of poison… and a small pouch.
George placed the dazed Jima down, picked up the small pouch, opened it, and found it was not a money pouch, but some nails and hairs, each with a label.
“What are these?”
“Used for curses.”
George removed Jima’s spatial pouch and rummaged through its contents.
“Such a mess,” George said while pouring out the items, “bloodhorn cup, a crossbow, a pack of jerky, crossbow bolts…”
Jima sat on the side, her expression “sorrowful.” Holding the cat, she sobbed, “Xiao Li, a woman’s life is hard. With no eyes, I misjudged the man; not only was my body ruined, but my personal belongings were also confiscated, and I was scolded for being too messy, woe is me…”
“Meow.” The Liansi Cat nudged Jima’s cheek with its pink nose, comforting her.
George shook his head, looking at the chaotic items on the floor, and couldn’t help but search while helping her tidy up.
He pulled out a black stocking from the dimensional pouch and asked, “You even put intimate clothing in here?”
“Original flavor black stockings,” Jima looked up and said, “If you want them, take them. Don’t be shy.”
George tidied the black stockings into a ball and placed them on the ground. He then pulled out a silver-white metal bottle, which had a red wax seal on a strip of paper.
“Celery’s extraordinary substance.”
“From that green dragon?” George recognized the standard abbreviation on it.
“Yes.”
George reached into the pouch again and found it empty.
“Where’s your money?”
“Of course, I hid it away in advance,” Jima composed her sad expression and said, “As for where? You won’t get it out of me even if you kill me.”
George stood up abruptly, and Jima immediately shrank her neck.
But George just walked past Jima, opened his private treasure chest, and walked out with several bags of heavy gold coins.
Jima glared at the swaying tent door and cursed, calling him an idiot. She lowered her head, looking at the neatly arranged items, and began tidying up.
“Anyway, it’s his money, it has nothing to do with me.”
Outside, voices of discussion could be heard, and halfway through tidying up, Jima couldn’t hold back. She walked to the tent door and stretched her head out toward the source of the sound.
She saw George distributing gold coins to the pursuers.
“That’s a different matter; she scammed your money, and I’m willing to compensate for her,” George said, “But if you continue to hunt her down, I will protect her with my sword.”
“The Dragon Slayer George, are you covering for the demon that slaughtered the innocent in Malin City?”
“You’re blaming all the sins on her,” George replied, “A nobleman had ill intentions toward my fiancée, manipulated the law, refused negotiation. Even when Jima warned him beforehand, he disregarded the lives of the people in Malin City and pressed further. He is the real culprit, while Jima was merely defending herself, which could be deemed excessive self-defense.”
“Reversing black and white! I know who the demon is, the demon deserves to die, and I will continue to hunt her down.”
George drew his sword, “Draw your sword and prepare for self-defense.”
The pursuers were taken aback; no one expected George to get serious.
“I will tell others that the holy knights have been corrupted by demons.”
“Draw your sword and prepare for self-defense!” George warned while turning to his approaching subordinates, “You all step back; this is my personal matter, not a private affair.”
“I… refuse to duel.”
“Unless you agree to stop pursuing Jima.”
“I agree.”
“Me too.”
George said, “You, you, and you are lying. Be honest or duel; you can team up against me, but I won’t recklessly take your lives.”
The pursuers surrounded George.
Jima blushed and shrank back into the tent, followed by the sounds of fighting and screaming, none of which came from George.
Jima’s heart began to race, and she covered her face with the cat, saying, “Oh my, how embarrassing. I can’t believe I need a man to stand up for me.”
She put down her hands and continued to tidy up the items on the ground.
Just as she finished packing, heavy footsteps approached. George pulled back the tent flap and bent down to enter. Compared to before, there were some bloodstains on his funnel steel gauntlet, and George placed a noticeably shriveled bag of coins into his private treasure chest. Jima glanced inside; there wasn’t much currency, just enough to fill half a chest, with many being silver coins.
George knelt down and said, “They have accepted mediation.”
Jima didn’t know what to say but felt secretly delighted.
George is indeed a reliable tool; he handled the pursuers outside without even spending my money.
While she celebrated internally, she picked up a towel and wiped the bloodstains off his armor, “Alright, let’s not talk about those idiots anymore; let’s start the enlistment test.”
“Enlistment test? You really want to join the mission?”
“Yes.”
“The compensation isn’t much.”
Jima replied, “Being by your side is enough, I trust you to distribute the spoils fairly.” Anyway, I’m not here for the money.
“Okay, as per usual, you must answer my questions truthfully and briefly.”
“No problem.” Jima confidently placed the Liansi Cat on top of her head, just like they had rehearsed, with the cat facing away from George, lying on top of Jima’s head.
This way, even if George had keen observation, he wouldn’t notice that the cat was talking.
“First question—”
“Wait a minute.” Jima lifted George’s heavy bucket helm and handed it to him, “Put it on. The one interrogating me is a holy knight, not George the Hammer.” More importantly, the bucket helm limits your hearing.
George agreed, put on the bucket helm, and it buzzed:
“First question, Jima, what is your main purpose for joining the mission? What is your secondary purpose?”
The Liansi Cat quietly meowed, “Master, what did you write on paper for this question’s answer?”
Jima felt quite nervous, “The primary purpose is to train myself and acquire better resources. The secondary purpose is to get a glimpse of my nemesis, Jima’s extraordinary substance, to satisfy my curiosity.”
“Truthful answer.”
A stone fell from Jima’s heart, and she couldn’t help but feel happy. This approach works!
I’m truly a genius.
