Chapter 33: Passing Time

Julian wasn’t worried that they would take the money and run. Although these grave robbers were known to be untrustworthy, they wouldn’t give up under the temptation of profit. Moreover, Julian had already taken precautionary measures.

Because of this, he could now leisurely walk on the street, enjoying the rural scenery. After negotiating the deal with the Gery brothers, Julian didn’t stay long in the city. He stayed at an inn in the city for one night, then left the city and stayed at a small village inn in the countryside. Obviously, the Gery brothers were very attentive to this transaction. After Julian left, they rented a warehouse here, clearly to store those corpses.

As for how Julian knew about this, it could only be said to be a trade secret.

Taking a light breath of fresh air, Julian raised his gaze to look at the farmland not far away. It was early spring now, the cold chill had not yet retreated, but it was already mixed with the breath of life, making people feel invigorated. The emerald green colors swayed gently with the wind, making rustling sounds. Besides farmers, those walking around were dusty merchants and adventurers wearing armor and carrying swords.

Obviously, the current Kingdom of Wester had changed greatly from Julian’s memory. It was once not a strong country, with constant wars around it making it difficult to breathe. But now it’s different. Obviously, this kingdom now has enough power to protect its territory.

Julian slightly narrowed his eyes.

In his memory, he had seen countless such villages. They looked so peaceful, serene, isolated from the world, like a blank sheet of paper, pure and untainted. But in just an instant, this beautiful illusion would retreat. Blood and corpses would become the main theme here. The vibrant green would be covered by bright red colors. The blood-soaked and stinking muddy roads would become the only thing that could be felt. During wartime, he had seen such battlefields countless times, and had also turned them into such battlefields countless times.

How long can peace last?

It only takes an instant to break it. If Julian drew his sword now, three seconds later, the peace of this village would vanish.

Then how long would it take to wait for peace to come again?

A few years, decades, or perhaps longer.

Thinking of this, Julian slightly raised his eyebrows. His hand gently caressed the sword hilt, and then he sensed several gazes.

There was no malice in these gazes, but they carried traces of anxiety, expectation, and unease.

When Julian turned his head, he saw several people dressed as militiamen standing at a crossroad not far away. They were talking with some people who looked like adventurers while occasionally glancing this way. Noticing Julian’s gaze, the leading militiaman was slightly stunned, then looked at the adventurer beside him with some difficulty. However, the other party was obviously unmoved. He also looked at Julian, then turned his head back, anxiously saying something. Finally, the militiaman seemed to be persuaded. He sighed deeply, then strode towards Julian.

Julian didn’t leave. He just stood there quietly, waiting for the other to come. The militiaman walked up to Julian, stood at attention, then gave Julian a proper military salute.

“Hello, respected sir, excuse me for disturbing you…”

“What’s the matter?” Julian interrupted the other’s somewhat clumsy greeting, getting straight to the point. Although he understood that his attire would become the center of attention for many people, it was somewhat unexpected for the militia to come and bother him. You know, nobles enjoy privileges in all aspects. Even a small baronet like himself was certainly not someone the militia could harass.

The law never applies to the privileged class.

“It’s like this…” Perhaps sensing that Julian’s tone was relatively gentle, the militiaman no longer hesitated and quickly stated his purpose.

It turned out that they were the militia of this village. Like self-organized militias in other places, they were responsible for protecting this village to avoid damage and harm. But in these days, this village wasn’t so peaceful. Every night, beasts would run out of the forest and damage the plants in the fields. Of course, this wasn’t anything rare. It happened in previous years too. Those beasts close to human settlements not only had the wisdom to deal with humans but also had corresponding methods. Many of them would sneak into the fields at night and gnaw on the food, as if it was prepared for them.

But this time the situation was more serious. In the past, those beasts would only come to eat when the crops had grown or matured, but this time, they appeared during planting. This was obviously a significant damage to the farmers. Because of this, the militia spared no effort in fighting back. However, this beast seemed to be beyond their capabilities. Although relying on past experience, these militiamen very smoothly found that beast, but in the process of fighting, this beast displayed incredibly powerful strength. It not only easily escaped everyone’s pursuit but even seriously injured several militiamen.

After several consecutive attempts, the militia had to give up helplessly. They realized that their strength was not enough to deal with this beast, so they posted notices, hoping that adventurers would step forward to help them hunt this beast.

Because the villagers were generous, adventurers quickly accepted the task. Then everyone ambushed again and soon encountered that beast. Originally, everyone thought that with so many militiamen plus those adventurers, catching this beast should be no problem. But the unexpected happened. Faced with their fierce attack, that beast still appeared at ease, breaking through everyone’s defense network just like before, and even sent a few people almost back to their hometowns. So, the plan to eliminate this beast failed again.

But this time wasn’t entirely fruitless. Among those adventurers, an experienced swordsman noticed the true identity of this beast. It was a variant, that is, a beast that had mutated due to the influence of mana power. If classified by level, the strength of this variant was about at the lower intermediate level. This was definitely not something these ordinary militiamen and adventurers could deal with. Because of this, the adventurers suggested that the militia seek help from the guard of nearby cities. After all, such a creature was beyond their ability to handle.

And at this time, everyone saw Julian – in the eyes of these country people, nobles were all high and mighty, and because of this, they must have the ability to mobilize the guard. Moreover, although everyone had submitted documents through formal procedures, based on their experience, even if these things were submitted, there would be no response for at least half a month. After all, the main task of the guard was city security, not running to this wild countryside to encircle and suppress some beast. Otherwise, what were these militias for?

Because of this, everyone hoped to use Julian’s power as a noble to mobilize the guard to help them eliminate that beast.

Although they didn’t know at all that Julian had no such authority.

A beast?

Julian raised his eyebrows, then looked at those adventurers not far behind him. You could see they were still very young and full of vigor. This reminded Julian of some past events. Once upon a time, he had also been in such an adventure team, exploring the mysterious and unknown world with those mercenaries – thinking back now, that feeling was really nice.

Thinking of this, Julian reached into his bosom, took out his pocket watch, and carefully calculated the time.

The appointed time with the Gery brothers was the evening two days later. He still had plenty of time to entertain himself… So…

“I can agree to your request, but I have one condition. I want to see that beast first, then make a decision,” Julian smiled, then said.

“Although you describe that beast as very formidable, I still need to see it with my own eyes to determine whether the guard’s assistance is really needed.”

As he spoke, Julian’s face didn’t redden, and his breath didn’t quicken, as if he really had this authority.