Chapter 92 Chapter 91 The Hospitable Big Boss
“George, are you serious?”
Jima couldn’t help but ask.
George gave her a determined yet apologetic look.
Tsk, you’re still a brave warrior, and yet you’ve fallen to the level of a vagrant…
Jima instinctively wanted to make a sarcastic remark, she opened her mouth but stopped herself.
Because Jima suddenly remembered that she still had to deceive George’s feelings. So now wasn’t the right time for sarcasm; she needed to say things that George liked to hear.
Jima said, “Well, there’s nothing we can do; they’re just too wicked. This is their territory. Being able to sleep safely for a night is already quite good.”
George sighed with relief and said, “Thank you for enduring this; there are quite a few mosquitoes here.”
“Well, I’m not a pampered lady,” Jima smiled and said. “At worst, I’ll wrap myself tighter in my sleeping bag. As long as you’re next to me, keeping me safe, I’d rather sleep under a bridge than stay in a hotel alone.”
That was the truth. Without George, she wouldn’t feel secure.
As soon as Jima finished speaking, a vagrant spat out a thick gob of phlegm, which landed on the wet and dark ground.
Jima’s smile froze momentarily, and the thought of having to sleep in this place made her scalp tingle.
“I’m sorry for putting you through this,” George said as he set down his backpack and prepared to take out his sleeping bag.
“Actually, George, I’ve thought of a win-win solution,” Jima quickly said. “I think there are empty rooms in the city. There are so many vacant rooms; isn’t it a waste? The walls aren’t too high; you can carry me over the wall, and we can stay for one night, right?”
“What if the owner doesn’t want us to visit?”
“I’ll persuade him,” Jima said. “Any ordinary person who sees you so vigorous must become very magnanimous.”
“Threatening?” George frowned. “I don’t want to do anything illegal.”
“How can you say it’s a threat? It’s not like we aren’t paying.”
“You know my reputation in Shalin City,” George said. “What if the homeowner decides to report us?”
“Simple; we just ask him to stay in his room and lock the door for the night, right?” Jima quickly added as she noticed George was about to frown again, “We can sign a contract with him beforehand; it would be fine to pay him a hush fee, wouldn’t it?”
“Essentially, it’s still breaking and entering by force—”
“I’ll talk to him, alright?”
George was conflicted. He said, “I don’t want to misuse force to commandeer private property or intimidate the homeowner. But it’s too unfair to make you sleep here.”
Jima looked at the vagrant’s back; he seemed to have scared off the two of them. He stood under the bridge, facing the wall, unbuckling his belt to urinate. The urine flowed across the ground, past where he would sleep.
Both George and Jima witnessed this.
Jima felt her scalp tingle again and asked, “So, if it were just you, would you sleep under the bridge?”
“Yes.”
As expected, the paladin profession is just a eunuch profession. If I were him, I would have found a wealthy family to jump into and let them provide meals, lodging, and grooming.
Jima increasingly felt that one should never be a kind person, especially an orderly good person.
Suddenly, a sound of footsteps came from above. Jima pricked her ears and said, “It’s the city guards.”
George remained calm and said, “We’ve been discovered; stay close to me.”
He then grabbed Jima by the hand and turned to leave, pretending to be ordinary citizens touring the bridge and understanding the hardships of the lower class.
A city guard in a yellow vest leaned over the railing of the bridge, pointing at the two and shouting, “Found them!”
“Quick, go get help!”
These ordinary city guards knew they were no match for George, so they turned and went to notify the main force.
Well, now they couldn’t even sleep under the bridge.
Though she thought this, Jima was quite glad the city guards had found them in time.
George shook his head and was about to grab Jima to run when a “whoosh” sound echoed in the air.
Jima looked up toward the bridge.
The city guard from earlier stumbled against the low railing of the bridge. Against the backdrop of the blood-red sunset, his silhouette appeared thin and fragile. He fell from the bridge and crashed onto the cobblestone road in front of them, three arrows embedded in his throat, a look of shock on his face.
George suddenly pulled his large sword from Jima’s embrace, and Jima leaned against the low wall, ready to amplify her “supernatural charm” at any moment. The vagrant under the bridge wanted to scream; he opened his mouth but suddenly had a thought, covering his mouth with both hands, curling up against the wall, looking as if he wanted to burrow into it.
“The big boss wants to say hello to you.”
As the sunset cast shadows over the low wall, behind the two, a young man dressed in gray appeared, about two heads shorter than George, and he was quite a stout figure.
He stepped out of the shadows, his footsteps silent, instinctively pulling back his cloak to reveal knives, crossbow bolts, and green glass vials at his waist. He wore an unpleasant, brash smile.
“Who?”
George held the sword with both hands, pointing it diagonally at the head of the short thief, asking coldly.
The short thief spread his hands, revealing they were empty, and said, “Is the paladin going to kill an unarmed person?”
At this moment, masked heads poked out from above the bridge, all holding crossbows, the strings taut and aimed at the two.
George stepped back a bit, blocking Jima.
“Don’t scare the big boss’s friend.”
The short thief raised his hand and waved, the thieves stowed their weapons away. The short thief exaggeratedly bowed to George and said, “Our kind’s leader wants to invite you to a ball.”
George did not lower his sword.
“Is this how you treat a benefactor?”
“Was the city guard from just now summoned by you?”
“How could that be?”
“You’re lying.”
The short thief’s smile froze as he said:
“The big boss can’t bear to see his good friend chased to the point of sleeping under the bridge in Shalin City; he can offer you a safe, secret, and comfortable refuge.”
George’s expression remained neutral as he asked:
“What if I refuse?”
“The big boss asked me to bring you a message; he will offer you an irresistible transaction.”
Jima and George exchanged a glance.
Now, George’s identity was exposed. Let alone finding a way to break the slave contract, just escaping Shalin City was already troublesome enough. Finding a way to break the contract would be a hundred times harder; however, if they could remain hidden in the city, there might still be a glimmer of hope.
George sheathed his giant sword back into Jima’s embrace and said, “Lead the way.”
“Brother, let me give you a piece of advice; never refuse the big boss’s good intentions.”
The short thief said while turning around to lead the way.
They climbed the stairs and walked onto the street. Jima spotted the thieves from earlier disappearing into the shadows of the buildings. Suddenly, a scream rang out.
Jima stopped and turned her head towards the direction of the bridge. A thief was dragging the corpse of the vagrant out from the bridge, placing it beside the dead city guard.
“Girl, with that much curiosity, you could easily die in Shalin City.” The short thief grinned.
Jima naturally showed a “scared” expression, inching closer to George.
“Hahaha.”
The short thief laughed.
George placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, lowering his gaze to measure the distance to the two. Hmm, just the right length for his sword.
The short thief’s smile began to look unnatural. He withdrew his smile, turned his head, and continued to lead the way. Jima’s voice floated lightly:
“No matter where, arrogant people easily meet their end.”
Seeing the short thief not daring to respond, Jima, staying behind George, felt somewhat bold because of him.
Under the guidance of the short thief, they boarded a boat and silently drifted through the narrow waterway.
After a series of winding routes, they passed through the underground waterway, the quiet underground black market, and arrived at the familiar underground cavern, seeing familiar stranded ships, entering a door with a bottle of familiar eyes, and meeting the familiar big boss.
This time, he had more stout men beside him. They wore gray leather armor and instinctively directed their gazes toward George and Jima’s vital points.
Big Boss Furilisi sat in the central chair, his round belly looking as if it were embedded in the chair. His thick lips beneath two tufts of black beard curled into a welcoming smile:
“Welcome, my friends.”
“Let’s get to the point,” George said straightforwardly.
“Listen, I like guests from the Sanctuary. They’re not as convoluted as nobles,” Big Boss Furilisi smiled and said. “Alright, as long as you guarantee you won’t harm me later, barring self-defense, we can start talking about a deal.”
“Good.”
“Everyone leave; staying here, Shadow King won’t come out.” Big Boss Furilisi raised his hand, beaming.
The gray-clad thieves, like flowing water, silently walked across the floor, exiting the room without leaving a sound, except for the sound of the closing door. As they passed by Jima, she felt a bit uneasy, as if a blades’ edge were resting against her throat.
Big Boss Furilisi seemed to notice Jima’s discomfort and smiled saying:
“This is the underground elite of Shalin City, the Shadow Thieves. Years ago, the Shadow King Akarnis was also a Shadow Thief, haha, it’s just a pity that so many thieves couldn’t catch Akarnis, making me lose face in front of the Great Benefactor. Just when I was about to get the Great Benefactor’s recognition, it seems like it’s going to fall through again, having sincerely done so much… Our unfortunate kids find it really hard to rise above.”
Jima pointed out:
“You don’t seem as loyal to the Great Benefactor as you appear.”
“No, no, I just don’t have the foolish loyalty like Chamberlain. My loyalty is much more flexible,” Big Boss Furilisi said. “Of course, this is based on my in-depth knowledge of all of you.”
“What do you want?” George asked.
“I need your sword to serve me for a while, and I will provide you with a safe place to stay, take good care of your girl, and give you what you came to Shalin City for.”
He emphasized the words “what you came for” heavily.
“I can’t go against my principles and do bad things for an evil organization.”
“Don’t worry; it’s just some trifling matters of power struggles. If you’re uneasy, we can write it well in the contract; after all, you have the ability to ‘notarize’ and can have your deity witness it.”
George frowned slightly; professions keep their extraordinary abilities highly confidential, and the Sanctuary was no exception. There aren’t many who know their extraordinary abilities.
Big Boss Furilisi continued: “Didn’t you come to Shalin City to break the slave contract and restore your strength?”
George felt a bit uneasy; this counted as a secret.
“You know that New Delhi is a trap.”
“You didn’t ask,” Big Boss Furilisi smiled, “I can help you break the slave contract, how about that?”
“What do I specifically need to do?”
“Do you know about the Demon King’s treasury? The Great Benefactor has already found the entrance to the treasury, but unfortunately, he can’t open the door.” Big Boss Furilisi said word by word: “The key to the treasury is in your hands.”
George felt a jolt in his heart, meeting Big Boss’s gaze.
Jima’s heart trembled, and she felt a bit guilty. She was shocked that her treasury might not be protected, and the guilt was…
The key in George’s hand is a fake.
If it can’t open the door later, that would be awkward. It’s not as simple as a slap on the back.
