Chapter 31: Special Channels

Once upon a time, Twilight Castle was an impregnable defense line, repelling attacks from outsiders while protecting the Golden Trade Route within. Now, with the enemy gone, the lands once connected to it have become territory of the Kingdom of Wester, part of another great noble’s domain. At this moment, Julian was strolling through this land, looking at the buildings before him with a hint of nostalgia and appreciation.

“Even after so many years, it doesn’t seem to have changed much,” Julian shrugged, looking at the national flag flying over the city gate. He had been here a few times before, and back then, the city presented the same appearance. But if there was any obvious change, it was only the flag. The flag now flying over the city gate was that of the Kingdom of Wester, not the flag of Yurania – the latter had long since perished.

Of course, Julian’s choice to come here wasn’t just to reminisce about the past or to greet other nobles. He had also learned from Ophariel that the noble who controlled this territory had deep conflicts with the Bird family. But Julian’s purpose for this trip wasn’t for that either. His goal was simple, just as he had promised Ophariel – merely to purchase servants.

Julian naturally had his reasons for not choosing a more prosperous, bustling city closer to the Golden Trade Route. That was the Bird family’s territory. If he hadn’t cared about these things before, after the Bird family’s inexplicable visit, Julian had become more vigilant towards them. As the saying goes, a strong dragon doesn’t oppress the local snake. The Bird family had been operating in this land for a hundred years. If he made any moves, they would surely notice. Preserving strength before a direct confrontation was the wise move. So, Julian deliberately chose to avoid the Bird family and come to another noble’s territory to conduct business. After all, they probably wouldn’t pay attention to a small noble who had just inherited his territory, nor would they want to investigate him.

Thinking of this, Julian raised his head and looked at the boy in front of him. He had met this boy when entering the city. At the time, he was begging at the city gate, and Julian had taken out three silver coins to have this little fellow be his guide. People like them, living at the bottom of society, were very familiar with most corners of the city, and might even know things that ordinary people didn’t – all of which Julian needed.

“Please look, esteemed sir, that is Victory Square. Legend has it that back then…”

The boy who had received three silver coins was very excited. Although this money wasn’t much in the eyes of nobles, for a small figure like him, it was enough to live comfortably for a month. He could even buy a new linen shirt and wouldn’t need to wear these tattered clothes that had been washed so many times they had almost lost all color!

He raised his head, excitedly looking back at Julian not far behind him. Julian was wearing a black noble’s formal attire, a large cloak wrapped around his body, also covering his face. The black longsword was slung diagonally at his waist as before. To be honest, in a city like this, Julian’s attire was very eye-catching.

“Sir?”

“I’m not interested in these things,” Julian waved his hand, then looked around.

“I want to buy some exquisite, high-quality but relatively inexpensive jewelry. I hope you can introduce me to some good places.”

“Of course, that’s no problem, sir,” For the boy, although Julian’s request was a bit odd, it wasn’t difficult for him. Although his status wouldn’t allow him to enter those shops to buy anything, they naturally had their own ways of obtaining this information and getting rewards for it.

However, the boy had thought this matter a bit too simple.

At first, he took Julian to several jewelry stores in the city center that nobles often frequented, but this young noble didn’t seem satisfied. So he had to lead Julian to nearby craftsmen’s shops that specialized in making their own jewelry, but still with no success. This made the boy feel a bit depressed. In his view, those pieces of jewelry were all exquisitely made and of high quality. He couldn’t understand why this noble sir was so particular about this. But he didn’t say much, after all, wanderers like him understood better than most what it meant to be worldly-wise. Don’t say what shouldn’t be said, don’t ask what shouldn’t be asked. The high and mighty naturally had their own ideas. He just needed to do what he was supposed to do.

“This, this is the last one, sir,” After running around the city with Julian for a whole day, the boy was almost at his limit. They had been to all the jewelry and craftsmen’s shops in the city, but Julian didn’t seem satisfied at all. What exactly was he looking for…

However, compared to the poor child, Julian didn’t show any anxious or uneasy expression. He raised his head, glanced at the seemingly rickety sign in front of him, then nodded.

“You can go now.”

“Ah, then, then goodbye, and good luck, kind sir!” Hearing these words, the boy who had been exhausted for a day immediately turned around as if granted amnesty, soon disappearing into the dark, gloomy shadows of the alley. Julian shrugged, withdrawing his gaze from the boy’s back, then pushed open the heavy wooden door in front of him and walked in.

“Welcome, customer. What can I do for you?”

The jewelry shop before him looked no different from other places. Exquisitely crafted jewelry pieces lay quietly in glass cases. The decorations around were clean and tidy. An old man over fifty stood up from behind the counter, smiling at the customer who walked into the shop.

“I want to look at your jewelry.”

“Of course, that’s no problem,” Hearing this, the old man immediately smiled.

“All our items here are well-made, top-quality goods. They will definitely satisfy you…”

Julian picked up the jewelry the old man had placed on the table and carefully examined it. He scrutinized the ring in his hand, slowly turning it in the light of the setting sun, as if appreciating a work of art with great care.

“You have a good eye, customer,” The old man squinted, smiling as he began to explain to Julian. Obviously, he had already discerned the other’s identity from Julian’s attire and voice – this was a young noble. Such nobles were always the best customers. They were young, liked to show off and collect, and spent money freely, making them the best targets. Because of this, the old man put extra effort into his introduction.

“This ring was crafted by the master craftsman Sanford, known as the Emerald Tear. Look at its elegant workmanship, and the gems inlaid on it. I can guarantee with this shop’s reputation, this is a genuine juniper emerald! Look at its pattern, so beautiful, so charming, so…”

“Complicated,” Julian examined the ring in his hand, continuing the old man’s words. He raised the ring, a cold smile flashing in his eyes, then slightly rotated it, turning its inner side towards the sunlight.

“Fine workmanship, indeed, and the curvature looks perfect too… Using the gaps in the pattern itself to inlay gems, this is truly an uncommon technique…”

“It seems you’re also an expert, esteemed customer,” Hearing Julian’s comment, the old man’s expression froze slightly, but he quickly recovered.

“Then you must know that such a ring, its price won’t be low…”

“Indeed,” Julian nodded. He turned his head towards the old man.

“If not for these rough scratches, its value would be even higher, wouldn’t it?”

“You, what are you saying?” Hearing this, the old man’s expression changed slightly, involuntarily taking half a step back.

“I don’t understand your meaning. What scratches? This is…”

“How much?” However, Julian obviously had no intention of caring about what the old man was about to say. He just put down the ring in his hand and asked.

“Three… three hundred gold coins.”

Hearing this answer, Julian inwardly laughed coldly. He wasn’t a fool. Just from the materials used to make this ring, it was worth at least five hundred gold coins. And now, this old man was voluntarily offering to sell it for three hundred gold coins. This definitely wasn’t due to ignorance.

“Three hundred gold coins?”

“That’s right, three hundred gold coins.”

The old man became uneasy. He could feel the other’s gaze carefully examining him. What did this mean? Who was this young noble? What did he want to do?

“Three hundred gold coins,” Julian repeated the price, then smiled.

“Then, did you spend thirty gold coins when you bought it back?”

“…I don’t understand your meaning…”

The smile on the old man’s face disappeared instantly. His face turned ashen, and he tried to retreat in fear and unease. But then, he only felt a blur before his eyes, and then the cold, black blade was already against his neck.

“This is a capital offense, old sir,” Julian said, looking back at the shop door. Fortunately, there was no one around at the moment, and it was quiet all around.

“You should understand. Should I report to the guard? I think they would be very happy to scrape some oil…”

“…You, who exactly are you…”

“Alright, don’t be so nervous,” The black sword tip retracted slightly, pressing against the old man’s face.

“Tell me, who did you buy this from, where are they? I’ll pretend nothing happened. You can continue your business, and I can continue to do my thing. Understand?”

“It’s, it’s the Gery brothers!” Under Julian’s threat, the old man finally couldn’t hold on any longer. It wasn’t just the fear of the sword at his body, but more because of Julian’s words. Although he seemed to have said nothing, his implication had already made the old man’s heart turn cold. Obviously, if this young noble went to the guard, those guys would absolutely not believe him! They didn’t have the guts to judge a noble for false accusation! And the old man himself knew very well that this was definitely not a false accusation. If those guards just searched his shop a bit… Holy Grace above, the old man couldn’t even imagine the consequences. Would he be hanged? Definitely. At that time…

The old man dared not think further. He hurriedly shouted out that name.

“They, they live at 25 Black Water Street… Easy to recognize brothers, the older one has a scar on his face… They’re Siterters!”

“Very good, thank you for the information.”

A black light flashed.

When the old man came to his senses again, he found that the black longsword that had been pressed against his face had disappeared, and that terrifying young noble was still standing there leisurely.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave… If there’s nothing else, I think we won’t meet again… Oh, right.”

Saying this, Julian tossed up the ring, then caught it back in his hand.

“This ring, I think you don’t need it anymore, so I’ll take it… Well then, goodbye.”

Staring blankly at the black figure pushing open the door and leaving, after the crisp bell sound, the old man finally sat down on the ground. He was shaking all over, as if he had just been pulled out of water. He was certain that just from that scene, he would live five years less!



Holy Grace above, he never wanted to encounter such a customer and transaction again.