Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

“Yes, yes, sir!” another prostitute immediately chimed in, turning her attention to Leonard, who seemed easier to talk to. She almost pressed her body against him, and a strong, cheap perfume mixed with sweat and some indescribable body odor wafted over him, making Leonard frown.

"Just two gold coins, and you'll be happy all day! My sisters and I are excellent cooks; we'll make you forget all your troubles..." Before the words were even finished, that restless hand had already quietly reached for the dwarven musket on Leonard's back.

Leonard looked at the two prostitutes, a flash of disgust crossing his eyes.

Leonard dodged the filthy hand reaching for the musket, his body radiating a menacing aura that kept strangers at bay, and said in a deep voice, "Get out of my way!"

He was no novice; he had seen far too much in the Crusades, a melting pot of blood, fire, desire, and betrayal.

Prostitutes? In Leonard's eyes, they were no different from the venomous snakes that flicked their tongues in the rainforest.

Their smiles are like scabbards, their sweet words like poison, and their seemingly delicate hands can turn into a noose choking someone's throat or a ghostly claw stealing their money at any moment.

Don't mistake these women struggling to survive in the mud for harmless lambs. Naive passersby who are deceived by their appearance and think they have only encountered harmless lost sheep are sorely mistaken.

The moment they realize their prey is completely unsuspecting, these seemingly delicate women tear off their disguise, revealing a nature more ferocious than a hyena, devouring the trusting victim's money and even life.

A young face with a simple, honest smile suddenly surfaced in Leonard's memory—it was Jack, his most innocent comrade in boot camp.

That silly boy saved up three months' worth of military pay by living frugally, and on a sweltering summer night, blushing, he announced to his comrades that he was going to "see a real woman".

At dawn the next day, the patrolmen found his body in the most dilapidated prostitute tent on the outskirts of the camp.

The young body lay naked and curled up on a moldy straw mat, with purplish-black finger marks still visible on his neck.

Ironically, the forensic doctor said that he had just experienced his first sexual encounter before being strangled.

Cause of death: asphyxiation.

The murderer was the bitch who had been pleasuring him and praising his "strength" the night before, along with her two accomplices.

For a silver chain worth very little, a promising young man, who did not die on the battlefield, tragically died at the hands of the cheapest prostitute.

From that moment on, Leonard completely lost all pity for women like that, leaving only cold vigilance.

To him, they were synonymous with trouble and danger, far less tangible than the jingling gold coins in his pocket and the life-saving weapon on his back.

Startled by Leonard, the two prostitutes staggered backward, their eyes darting nervously between Lin Yi's face and Leonard's fierce aura.

"I'm...I'm sorry, sir!" The woman who tried to take Lin Yi's arm trembled as she pulled her companion and tried to hide in the musty shadows nearby.

"Tsk, why are you being so fierce..." Another woman rubbed her wrist, which had been intimidated by Leonard's imposing manner, and muttered under her breath, but her eyes were filled with envy for the clean clothes on the two of them and the long spear on Leonard's back.

But the two women knew that someone who could cross that bandit-infested rainforest unscathed, and with such a conspicuous creature in tow, was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Just then, the tattered curtain of a crooked shed next door was violently ripped open, accompanied by a sharp curse and the sound of a basin of dirty water being splashed out.

"You old hag! You have no money and you still dare to grope me?! Get out! Get far away from me! If you dare to come again, I'll break your legs!" A bloated, heavily made-up middle-aged shrew stood at the door with her hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke.

An old man in a black uniform was shoved out with great force. The fabric of his clothes was worn and dull, covered with suspicious oil stains, food scraps and indescribable wrinkles.

The old man staggered a few steps and "plop" stepped into a muddy puddle in the middle of the road, which was ankle-deep, almost falling flat on his face.

His sparse, graying hair clung wetly to his forehead, with murky water dripping from the ends. His meticulously groomed goatee was also wet and stuck together, making him look like a drowned rat. The uniform that should have symbolized his status had become the best irony of his destitute state.

“Agnes! You…you vulgar shrew! You lowly wretch! I…I am the castle steward! I am Lord Barton!” The old man trembled with rage, his finger shaking as he pointed at the shrew, trying to maintain the last shred of his crumbling dignity.

But his hoarse, dry voice had already revealed all his confidence, leaving only an empty shell of bravado.

"Butler? Master Barton? Bah!" The shrew named Agnes spat out a thick wad of phlegm, almost landing on old Barton's trouser leg. Her face was thick with sarcasm. "A butler who can't even afford two coppers? The castle is practically a rat's den, what kind of master are you? Get out of here, don't dirty my place, you're bad luck!"

After she finished cursing, she waved her hand dismissively as if shooing away flies, and slammed the tattered curtain shut, leaving old Patton standing alone in the mud, futilely waving his thin fist at the closed door.

After cursing for a while, old Patton could only slump down and wipe the filth off his face with his dirty sleeve.

"Tch..." The two prostitutes who had been scolded by Leonard earlier couldn't help but laugh at Old Barton's even more wretched and miserable appearance than they had. The fear they had felt at Leonard's earlier intimidation seemed to have been lessened by this comical scene.

The bolder woman rolled her eyes, gestured towards Lin Yi and Leonard, lowered her voice, and said in a gossipy tone that seemed to enjoy the drama and was eager to show off her treasure: "Look, my two esteemed gentlemen, do you see him? That is our 'great' castle steward, old Barton Hawkins."

Tsk tsk, he used to look all high and mighty, riding in and out of carriages, his nostrils practically pointing to the sky. Now even we think he's bad luck.

It's said that this guy gambled away his entire fortune at 'Lame Jack's' underground casino, even secretly taking the last few valuable silver items and tapestries from the castle treasury to sell for gambling money. If the old lord hadn't been missing for years without a trace, for what he did, he should have been hanged on the castle gate and dried into human jerky long ago!

Another prostitute leaned closer, glancing at Lin Yi as if she thought this distinguished young man might be interested: "Indeed, sir. You're going to the castle to search for treasure? I advise you not to get your hopes up too high. Old Barton already dug out the last few copper coins from the castle cellar and threw them into the stinking ditch on this street!"
Recently, the wheat in the fields outside has been cursed by some evil spirit. Overnight, all the healthy seedlings rotted in the ground, turning black and muddy. It's a creepy and terrifying sight.

As for caravans, forget about it. So many monsters and bandits have appeared out of nowhere in the wilderness, even more ferocious than the bandits in the rainforest. I heard even the 'Iron Hammer' Merchant Guild's guards have suffered several losses. Now, what caravan would dare venture into this godforsaken place? The entire town is barely surviving on some wild vegetables and a little leftover grain. In the castle, even the rats are probably starving.

Old Patton had clearly heard the prostitutes' gossip. He suddenly looked up, his sallow face turning bright red. His lips trembled as he tried to retort, but when his gaze swept over Lin Yi and Leonard, he suddenly froze.

His gaze was fixed on Lin Yi's neck. Yes, he was absolutely not mistaken; this was the family heirloom passed down through generations.

Old Patton cried out, his cloudy old eyes widening instantly, filled with unbelievable shock.

He stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning, forgetting even to wipe the dirty water off his body.

This was a heirloom belonging to the true master of this land. The disheveled look on Old Patton's face receded like the tide, replaced by an almost frantic excitement and the desperate urgency of a drowning man grasping at a piece of driftwood.

He staggered, completely ignoring the mud on the ground and his own disheveled state, and almost tumbled and crawled to a few meters in front of Lin Yi, then knelt down with a "plop".

Mud splashed up, staining his already filthy trouser legs.

"M-My lord! Your esteemed lord! This old servant, Barton, the steward of Bloodclaw Keep, welcomes you! Please forgive my blindness in failing to greet you from afar!" His voice trembled sharply with excitement, and his forehead slammed heavily against the muddy ground with a dull thud.

“Please…please follow this old servant into the castle! The castle…the castle has been waiting for its true master to return!” He raised his head, his wrinkled face a mixture of tears, dirty water, and an almost obsessive fanaticism.

This dramatic turn of events left the two prostitutes standing nearby speechless, their mouths agape, as if they could fit an egg in them.

They looked at the old housekeeper kneeling in the mud, as humble as dust, and then at Lin Yi—this young man simply stood there calmly, as if everything before him had nothing to do with him.

Leonard frowned and gripped the hilt of his sword warily.

The old man's behavior was too drastic, and he seemed to be mentally unstable.

He leaned closer to Lin Yi and lowered his voice: "Sir, be careful, this might be a trap. This old man looks... not right. And this place is very eerie."

He looked around at the lifeless town and the eerie castle in the distance that resembled a lurking beast, and a chill ran down his spine.

Commission? He was only worried about whether he could leave alive. Lin Yi's gaze shifted from the imposing "Bloodclaw Fortress" in the distance to the muddy old Patton on the ground.

If Lin Yi is indeed the new lord of "Bloodclaw Fortress," then this traitorous old parasite who has hollowed out the foundation of the castle should have been hanged on the highest tower long ago, with crows pecking at his eyes—just like his predecessor did when dealing with traitors.

Unfortunately, he needs this old man now.

As the last surviving, and perhaps only, old butler in the castle who knew its secrets, this guy had a head full of things that were far more valuable than his old life.

For the time being, he is still useful to Lin Yi.

"Lead the way," Lin Yi's voice rang out, gesturing for Leonard to follow.

"Yes! Yes! As you command, sir! Thank you for your mercy! Thank you for your magnanimity!" Old Patton was overjoyed, so excited that he was incoherent and struggled to get up.

However, old age and physical weakness, coupled with kneeling in the cold mud for a long time, and the intense emotional fluctuations just now, made his legs as weak as overcooked noodles.

He tried twice, but both times he fell back into the muddy water in a sorry state. It wasn't until the third time that he managed to prop himself up with trembling arms and stand up unsteadily.

He hastily wiped his face with his sleeve, not caring whether it was clean or not, and tried to straighten his hunched back, attempting to regain some of the demeanor of a butler. However, his soaking wet and mud-stained uniform and his disheveled appearance only made him look more ridiculous.

He turned around and made an extremely respectful gesture to Lin Yi and Leonard, pointing to the only paved main road leading to the castle gate: "My lords, this way please! Please follow this old servant!"

Looking at the old butler's forced composure and glancing at Lin Yi's indifferent profile, Leonard muttered to himself, "Damn it... this place is eerie."

He subconsciously tightened the dwarven musket strapped to his back; the cold metallic touch gave him a faint sense of security.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his doubts and unease, and followed half a step behind Lin Yi, his eyes scanning the surrounding residents who were staring blankly and the dilapidated shacks.

The three of them, one in front and two behind, embarked on the gravel road leading to "Bloodclaw Fortress".

The residents on both sides of the road remained indifferent, but Lin Yi's arrival and the old butler's unusual behavior, like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, eventually stirred up a barely perceptible ripple.

In some of their empty eyes, there seemed to be a hint of confusion and a glimmer of light that they themselves were unaware of.

That was the instinctive hope for any unknown variable amidst long-term despair?

Old Patton walked ahead, his steps uneven, trying to maintain a steady pace. His soaked clothes clung to his body, and the constant cold wind made him shiver.

As he walked, he couldn't help but steal glances at Lin Yi behind him, especially at the necklace.

Each confirmation made his heart beat a fraction faster.

"May God bless Bloodclaw Fortress... May God bless this cursed and forgotten land..."

At the end of the gravel road stood two castle gates forged from black iron, their doors covered with jagged spikes and stains that were indistinguishable as rust or blood.

The gate was tightly shut, with stubborn weeds growing in the cracks. The door knocker was made of two twisted, roaring gargoyle heads, mottled with verdigris, their empty eye sockets seemingly watching the visitors silently.

Old Patton walked to the door, fumbled around in his wet pockets for a while, and pulled out a huge bunch of keys that were also covered in rust.

His hands trembled violently from the cold and excitement, and it took him several attempts to insert one of the largest keys into the lock, which was also covered in verdigris.

"Crack—squeak—"

“Sir…please.” Old Barton stepped aside and bowed respectfully once more to the deep darkness within the doorway.

The moment Lin Yi entered the castle, the notification sound of the Paradise of Reincarnation rang out.

You have completed the main quest: Awakening Quest: Arrival at the Territory (First Stage)

[Task completion rate: 100%]

You have gained 2 true attribute points.

The second stage of the Awakening Quest has begun.

[Awakening Quest: Town Revitalization (Second Stage)]

Difficulty level: Lv.44
Mission Information: You have successfully arrived in your territory, but the territory is in ruins and needs to be rebuilt within a certain period of time.

Current territory rating: G

Economy: H-level. Entertainment: G-level. Security: H-level. Number of people: G-level. Commerce: H-level. Supplies: H-level.

Task deadline: 3 months
Quest Reward: Skill Advancement Scroll (Epic).

Mission punishment: forced execution

……

Upon entering the castle, Lin Yi and Leonard were instantly speechless.

This...this is supposed to be called the Lord's Hall?!

What comes into view is less a castle hall symbolizing power and majesty and more a huge stone chamber that has been looted.

The dome soared high, hidden in deep darkness. A few faint rays of light struggled to penetrate through narrow arrow slits high above, forming pale beams of light in the dust- and cobweb-filled air, illuminating the swirling dust and making the entire space seem even more empty.

The hall floor was paved with huge stone slabs, but they were covered with a thick layer of dust. Only in the central area could a few paths formed by long-term trampling be vaguely seen.

The walls are made of rough basalt, which may have originally been painted with murals or hung with tapestries, but now only large patches of peeling remains, along with some broken metal lamp holders.

Leonard was utterly speechless. He opened his mouth, looked at the lonely, broken table, and then at the glaring "blank" marks on the wall. A feeling of utter absurdity rushed to his head.

He followed this unfathomable lord, fighting his way through rainforest bandits. He thought that once they arrived in the territory, even if it wasn't a mountain of gold and silver, there should at least be a decent place. But what happened? This place was worse than the most dilapidated temporary outpost of the Crusaders, without even a proper chair.

He could even imagine how old Patton, that gambler, secretly moved everything of value out of the castle, sold it cheaply to black market dealers, and then threw it all into "Lame Jack's" bottomless casino, turning it into jingling gold and silver coins.

This isn't a housekeeper! This is a damn old termite that's gnawed the nest dry!
“My…my lord…” Old Barton’s voice was dry and trembling, choked with sobs, as he tried to explain, “This…this castle…it’s been in disrepair for years…this old servant…this old servant is incompetent…it’s truly…it’s truly…”

Old Patton was rambling incoherently and could not find any plausible reasoning.

Did those tapestries grow legs and run away? Were those silver candlesticks carried away by rats?
"Shut up."

"Yes." Old Barton didn't dare say anything more, and could only quickly go over and wipe the table and chairs clean, gesturing for the two to sit down. (End of Chapter)