Chapter 61: Testing the Waters 

The sun was setting.

A crimson glow enveloped the land, dyeing the vibrant green grasslands a bright red. The warm, moist scent of earth and fresh grass filled the air, clearing one’s mind. Julian looked away and glanced at Ophariel sitting across from him, deeply engrossed in a book. He couldn’t help but smile. Clearly, the former princess was not yet accustomed to traveling in such harsh conditions. Although her body wasn’t truly flesh and blood, she still showed signs of fatigue from the journey.

“My lord, we’re about to reach our destination,” Kaister’s voice came from outside the carriage. Julian pondered for a moment before nodding.

“I see.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Hearing this, Kaister immediately slowed the carriage. Julian raised his head and inadvertently glanced at a dirty wooden sign by the roadside. On the triangular directional sign were two large black characters spelling “Roya”, barely visible after long exposure to wind and rain.

As the central city of a territory, Roya’s prosperity was naturally incomparable to that of a small border town. As they advanced, the once quiet road gradually became bustling. Among the crowd were farmers driving carts back to their villages, adventurers carrying weapons, and merchants having their goods inspected at the city gates. It was already evening, and there were many people trying to leave or enter the city. After all, if they delayed, they might be stuck when the gates closed at night.

Seeing the approaching carriage, the guards responsible for guarding the city gates quickly waved to stop it. Although the carriage appeared to belong to nobility judging by its exterior, the family crest was unfamiliar. So they weren’t afraid, after all, this was Zach Family territory. As the saying goes, even a strong dragon can’t crush a local snake. No matter who these people were, they should be more low-key in Zach Family territory.

“May I ask who you are and what business you have in Roya City?” Though they spoke this way, they still maintained a respectful facade.

“We’re from Twilight Forest,” Kaister immediately stated the prepared story at Julian’s signal.

“We’re just passing through and looking for a place to rest. I hope this won’t cause any trouble for you gentlemen.”

“Well… of course not.”

Discreetly accepting a few gold coins from Kaister, the guard hesitated. The way the other party spoke was neither servile nor overbearing, clearly not someone to be trifled with. Moreover, they didn’t mention their family name, only saying they were from Twilight Forest… Wasn’t that Bird Family territory? Could these people be from the Bird Family?

At this thought, the guard’s heart sank slightly. Although there was no real enmity between the Bird Family and the Zach Family, their relationship couldn’t be called good either. Both families held large shares of the Golden Trade Route. However, the Bird Family occupied the best parts, while the Zach Family’s income was relatively less. Because of this, although there hadn’t been any major friction between the two families, they couldn’t be said to be on cordial terms. Now that Bird Family people had come to Zach Family territory, what were they planning?

Despite their suspicions, they didn’t show it on their faces. After all, with so many people at the city gates, losing composure would only disgrace the Zach Family. On normal days, these guards wouldn’t care about such things and would take the opportunity to teach the Bird Family people a lesson, showing them who’s boss. But now – there were some internal issues within the Zach Family. Although those at the bottom didn’t know exactly what the problem was, from the frequent personnel transfers, these guards understood that there were currently some issues within the family. At such a time, what they needed to do was ensure they didn’t become sacrificial pawns.

“You may enter.”

With this in mind, the guards exchanged glances before stepping aside, allowing the carriage to pass. Just as the last carriage was passing by them, suddenly the lowered curtain was lifted, and a childish face appeared at the window, looking towards the guards.

“Huh?”

Seeing this face, the guards were stunned, but before they could react, the carriage had already disappeared at the end of the street, vanishing from sight.

“What should we do, Captain?”

Looking in the direction where the carriage disappeared, several guards wore solemn expressions. The lead guard didn’t hesitate and quickly made a decision.

“I’ll go back immediately to report this to our superiors. You go see where those people went, and report back to me as soon as you find out.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Hearing this, the remaining guards saluted him but didn’t leave immediately.

“But I think I saw the young master in that carriage…”

“Don’t speak carelessly about this,” the guard captain’s face darkened upon hearing the low murmurs of his men.

“I’ll go back to report immediately. Now go carry out your tasks, and remember, don’t let them notice you, understand?”

Seeing the captain’s serious expression, the guards realized the gravity of the situation. They said nothing more, simply nodding before turning to leave. After seeing his subordinates scatter, the guard captain took a long, deep breath. He then ordered someone to bring him a horse, and soon disappeared from everyone’s sight.

This matter must be reported to the superiors immediately!

Julian’s group entering the city was no secret to begin with, and with this guard captain’s report, in no time at all, virtually every noble faction in Roya City, big and small, knew of Julian’s arrival. This wasn’t surprising, as many of them had people collecting intelligence in other cities within the territory. So shortly after Julian revealed his skills, these nobles already knew that a high-rank swordsman and a royal family member had arrived in Zach Family territory. As for the identities of these people, the nobles quickly obtained answers through their investigations. Subsequently, their reactions were basically no different from what Julian had anticipated. No one would believe that the Bird Family would choose to trick a high-rank swordsman out of his territory, then give him a worthless noble fief. What kind of joke was that?

But similarly, they naturally had no clear idea of Julian’s intentions. However, the other party was after all a high-rank swordsman, accompanied by a royal family member. In any case, it was always good to maintain good relations. Moreover, according to reliable information, this high-rank swordsman was a descendant of a fallen noble family, not a member of the Bird Family. At this, the other nobles saw a glimmer of hope. Since there was no blood relation, it meant this high-rank swordsman couldn’t possibly be wholeheartedly loyal to the Bird Family. Furthermore, he was so young, there was still a possibility of winning him over. If successful, it would mean adding a considerable asset to one’s own family. Who would care about a dump like Twilight Forest? With such vast territories of their own, what didn’t they have? If he really wanted to come, forget about a noble fief, even carving out a piece of their own territory to give him would be worth it!

While the nobles were setting their plans in motion for their own petty schemes, Julian and his group had already found a relatively decent inn to stay at. It was an inn called Moonlight’s Voice, and although its decor was passable, it was far from the central area, close to the commoner district. One can imagine that an inn in such a place wouldn’t have very high standards.

“Lord Julian, we really don’t need to stay in a place like this,” Kaister said, somewhat uneasily, as he pushed open the door and looked at the noisy scene inside and the scantily clad dancing girls. As a soldier, he naturally knew which areas were “high-crime zones”. Places like this, at the border between the noble and commoner districts, were always the most closely watched areas by the guard in any city. Julian and his group’s arrival naturally drew the attention of everyone in the inn, especially after seeing Julian in his noble attire and the beautiful Ophariel. Many gazes contained a hint of malicious smiles.

“Shall we change to a different inn?” Kaister suggested.

“No need, this place will do,” Julian shook his head, rejecting Kaister’s proposal. He then led Ophariel into the inn. By this time, the innkeeper had already come forward with a beaming smile, clearly excited that such distinguished guests had chosen his establishment.

“Esteemed guests, welcome! May I ask if you’re here to—”

“Stay the night,” Julian interrupted the innkeeper’s inquiry. Then, with a wave of his hand, a bag of gold coins landed on the counter beside the innkeeper.

“I want the best floor, the best rooms, all booked. Give you an hour to clean and prepare. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Of course not!” Seeing Julian’s generous gesture, the innkeeper’s eyes narrowed in a smile. He quickly grabbed the money bag, then hastily caught a nearby servant, gave a few instructions before sending him away. Then, with a warm smile, he gestured to the group.

“It’s a bit chaotic here, not suitable for distinguished guests to wait long. Please follow me to the reception room in the back to wait for a moment. I’ll have your rooms ready right away.”

“This money should be enough, right?” Julian suddenly asked out of the blue as he walked up to the innkeeper. The innkeeper was momentarily stunned by this odd question, but being a businessman, he quickly adjusted his expression, concealing his brief bewilderment.

“Of course it’s enough, esteemed sir. The price you’ve offered is enough to book the entire floor, and… we’ll also prepare the most sumptuous dinner for you all. Of course, you won’t need to pay anything extra for that.” At this point, the innkeeper inwardly sneered. The best dishes in their inn were worth at most one gold coin, while the bag of coins in his hand contained a full fifty pieces. It was enough not just to book a floor, but nearly enough to buy this small inn outright.

“That’s good then,” Julian responded with a meaningful smile upon hearing the innkeeper’s reply. He didn’t say anything more, turning to walk towards the reception room. Watching Julian’s retreating figure, the innkeeper still tilted his head in confusion. From Julian’s tone, he seemed to sense some kind of ominous premonition, but this unease was immediately pushed to the back of his mind. The innkeeper quickly turned and went upstairs to start preparing rooms for Julian and his group.

After everyone had left, the inn’s main hall immediately erupted into a commotion.

“Tch, just because they’re rich they think they’re so great, look at their attitude.”

“That little miss is quite pretty though, wonder how she is in bed?”

“Hehe, looking at her delicate skin, she probably couldn’t last half a night.”

“Hard to say, look at that skinny little noble, maybe he’s just worn out from too much bedroom activity.”

“Hahaha, what a weakling. If it were me, I could handle not just that little miss, but ten like her in one night, no problem.”

“Alright, keep it down, you idiots. Didn’t you see that lady’s hair color? Are you trying to get yourselves killed?”

After this comment, the previously somewhat unrestrained crowd immediately quieted down. Of course they had noticed Ophariel’s hair color. Earlier, they were just venting their inner discontent with mockery, but once the danger involved themselves, these people knew to rein it in. After all, slandering royalty was a serious crime, and it wasn’t worth landing in prison just for the sake of a bit of verbal satisfaction.

At this moment, several shadowy figures in the crowd were carefully observing the direction Julian and his group had disappeared. Unlike the others who were making a ruckus, they calmly gathered in a shadowy corner.

“How is it?”

“The person they’re escorting is most likely the young master.”

“What do we do now?”

“We must report back to the lord immediately. If anything goes wrong, it might be too late.”

After this brief exchange, the shadows melted into the crowd, vanishing like ghosts without a trace.

The innkeeper moved very quickly. Before Julian and his group had even finished a cup of tea, he had already prepared the rooms. Of course, the two best guest rooms were naturally for Julian and Ophariel. The next best rooms were given to the Zach Family guard and the young master, with the remaining rooms left for Kaister and the others to choose from.

Just as the room allocation was completed, Julian saw the man approach again, his face anxious and somewhat excited.

“My lord, we’ve already returned to Roya City. Why don’t we immediately return to the Zach Family? I think within the family, we would surely be provided with better protection. This small place will only bring us more danger.”

“That’s not for you to worry about,” Julian replied to the man without even a hint of courtesy. Since the man couldn’t even match Kaister’s level of intelligence, any subtle hints would be ineffective. It was best to lay things out plainly.

“I’ve already said that I would safely bring you back to the Zach Family, and I will certainly do so. What you need to do is to obey my orders. I remember this condition has never changed, so you’d better do as I say.”

Hearing Julian’s words, the man’s face changed slightly. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when a childish voice spoke up from beside him.

“But big brother, I’m a bit scared in a place like this… I want to go home, I miss my sister.”

Everyone looked towards the voice to see the boy standing beside the man. He reached out, lightly tugging on Julian’s clothes, his eyes red as he looked up at Julian.

“Can we go home? I miss dad, I want to go home and see them. They’ve all been captured by bad people, I want to save them!”

“We will go back,” Julian smiled, patting the boy’s head.

“Just not now. Be patient, we’ll have our chance.”

Saying this, Julian stepped back and waved his hand.

“Alright, you can return to your rooms now. I think you should understand that although we’ve entered the Zach Family’s sphere of influence, there are still dangers all around. If you want to achieve your goals, then obediently follow my orders.”

Hearing this, the man finally closed his mouth and turned to lead the boy back to their room. As their door closed, Julian’s gaze immediately turned cold and mocking.

“Not a bad act they put on.”

“Should we say the child is too clever, or that those people are too foolish?” Ophariel sighed softly, unclear what she was lamenting.

“Lord Julian, have you made preparations?”

“Of course,” Julian smiled in response to Ophariel’s inquiry. He then leaned closer to the young woman, whispering in her ear.

“So, don’t sleep too soundly tonight. We need to have a good, detailed chat with our sellers… It’s a good idea to draft the agreement now.”

“Please leave it to me,” Ophariel’s face flushed slightly at Julian’s words. She stepped back and raised her head again.

“I will certainly prepare everything you need.”

“Very good,” Julian nodded, then turned to look at Kaister, who was standing to the side looking somewhat awkward.

“I hope you can assign more men. You must guard these people well, don’t let them escape under any circumstances, understand?”

“Of course, my lord,” Kaister quickly bowed in response to Julian’s order.

“I will certainly do so.”

The night had deepened.

The daytime hustle and bustle had completely dissipated, and the entire city was shrouded in darkness. The scattered points of firelight gradually dimmed and disappeared, leaving only the quiet black veil of night.

A shadow flashed by.

A group of black-clad figures silently emerged from a small alley, gathering in the dark shadows. They vigilantly watched the inn before them, speaking in low voices.

“How’s the situation?”

“The target is staying in the room on the east side. According to our intelligence, the young master should be in the third room. The lord has ordered that we must kill the young master!”

“What about the other two?”

“To be safe, we must engage them. It’s hard to say about the woman, but I hear the man has high-rank swordsman level skills.”

“Hmph, just a little brat. Rumors are always just rumors. Leave him to me.”

Hearing the words “high-rank swordsman,” a glint of light flashed in one black-clad figure’s eyes. Seeing his declaration, the others said no more. Clearly, this black-clad figure was their leader.

“Now, begin the operation immediately. Remember, we must kill them at all costs! To live up to our name as Shadow Assassins!”

The shadows stirred, then scattered like water once more, vanishing without a trace.