Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Do you think they'll investigate?" Angrita turned and glanced behind her. The purple-robed priests were still waving to the young nobles from the Empire. Purple held a special status in the Empire, but Si Inassus clearly didn't follow that path—or perhaps it could be said that the Dionysus believers in Qingzun City already held a high enough status.

"I don't care if they do, Anne," said Leslaufer, dragging his greatsword behind him. The sword itself was not blessed by magic, so it cut two long lines on the lake surface. "I just hope that whatever that Wood does, it's better to start while we are still in the City of the Drain, so that I can twist off and hollow out his head and 'drink a bowl of wine here.'"

In the last sentence, Reslaufer quoted a classic passage he had recently heard. When Angarita learned about the world from him, Reslaufer also learned some "noble accents." However, the mercenary seemed to only be able to "flow with ideas" when describing the bloody scenes.

"Looks like someone's going to be in big trouble," Cindercrown rested his head in his arms. It wasn't easy for a Dragonborn to do this, after all, their heads didn't have hair, but hard keratinous protrusions. "If I were him, I'd just wait patiently until you guys leave."

"Sister Jin!" Shanli shouted in anger, "With Mr. Leslaufer here, any disaster will be thwarted!"

"But he himself is part of the disaster, can't you see that?" Cindercrown said this in front of Reslaufer. However, unlike when they first met, she knew Reslaufer would not bother with her about this. "We can stay for a while. This is Swampmaw's home, and we are the Spellscale Five. We can certainly solve these problems!"

"Four Friends," Du Yi sighed, "If there aren't many living people in that wheat harvesting society, I'm afraid I'm of no use to you."

Poison has little effect on inanimate constructs, and Dragonborn are not true dragons. A dragon's breath actually has physical effects, so if a creature is completely immune to poison but weak, it will be destroyed instantly by a single toxic breath.

But the Dragonborn cannot do this.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Xiaoyi. You were the first among us to learn magic," Shuang Hai comforted him. "If it were those armors, perhaps you could use a grease spell to knock them over!"

Frostbone always had the most ideas among the Dragonborn (Edward could not be considered a 'real' Dragonborn), and soon their topic was diverted to other topics. Everyone used their richest imagination to create the most unique ways to die for those animated armors.

"Ah, so this is probably the spellcaster, isn't it, Uncle Raslaufer?" Angelita walked beside the mercenary. "And we can only pry open their cans with swords."

"You are different from me. You can do magic."

"Don't you have those spirits too?" Angelita's persistence made even Reslaufer feel helpless. "But that's not important. How did you defeat the last tin can before? He used almost the same moves as you. You never taught me these!"

"Only Old Lei can help you with this," Feng Daer laughed. "We don't have that kind of ability. If someone uses the same tactics against me, Old Feng Daer will definitely lose both of us!"

Bella nodded in agreement. However, thanks to her attacking methods, a "double kill" situation might not be likely to occur. Instead, it was more likely that both sides would be exhausted at the same time. If they faced those tireless constructs, both she and Vondar would be defeated.

"It's not that difficult. Once you've had a few similar experiences, you'll easily figure out the tricks," Reslaufer said lightly. However, anyone who knew his past would understand that this was definitely not an easy exchange. "Come on, there aren't many opportunities to use the water as a training ground. Let me show you."

When the mercenaries had broken down those lightning-fast movements into demonstration segments, no one had thought they were difficult. But once they were in a real fight, simply figuring out how to block the opponent's blade while still using the same "Bull Style" was no easy task. Angelita learned vaguely, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find the perfect timing.

"If you want to do that, you first need to be familiar enough with the basic skills. You are still some distance away from this step." Leslaufer was not surprised by this result. Even though she had the power to launch a tide of fighting spirit, Angelita still seemed a little immature to him.

"Hey, look!" Daisy's shout suddenly attracted their attention. Following the bard's gaze, they saw the Black Claw that had been following behind them, just retracting its head from biting the air. "It was just imitating your moves, Old Lei!"

The Deinonychus tilted its head and stood on the water surface seemingly innocently. The surface of the surrounding liquid did not leave any trace of what it had just done.

"You've got to be kidding, Daisy," Bella laughed. "Black Claw said it was just playing in the water."

"You believe its nonsense!" The bard was angry at his companion's distrust. "Let me tell you, Deinonychus are truly terrifying! I saw a video... a video where they can even learn to pick locks!"

Black Claw's throat suddenly rose and fell, making gurgling sounds that sounded like sobs and tears. It looked so innocent, and except for the poet, no one noticed what this guy weighing less than 100 kilograms had just done.

"We'll know whether it's learned anything, and how much it's learned, once we give it a try." Reslaufer looked at the beast, which was staring at him, and seemed to suddenly understand something in its eyes. The mercenary suddenly swung his arm and hurled his sword at the dinosaur.

"Black Claw, go ahead!"

But the Black Claw let out a strange cry, and its powerful feet kicked the water to rise up, and it opened its mouth and bit the handle of the two-handed sword. The sudden increase in weight made it lose balance briefly, but the beast suddenly swung its head and danced the weapon around its body. As it landed on the flat surface again with its head held high, the huge sword was in the bull position!

The bard screamed again, "I told you it was stealing!"

Chapter 227 The Nineteenth Family

"I think we need to change its name. What do you think of Cang Xiang?"

Even after they had already set foot on the island of Qingzun in the heart of Lake Rum, Daisy was still chattering away: "There's a special breed of dog back home that fights with a sword in its mouth..."

"Wouldn't that mean they'd have to give up their original fangs, and their movements would definitely be affected," Bella objected. "Cang... Black Claw might be able to apply what it's learned to its own claws, but would it give up its bite for that?"

Black Claw growled in dissatisfaction, and it was obvious that it didn't like the druid's conclusion.

"The main thing is that it can't control its saliva," Leslaufer said, wiping the blade. "Fighting with a greatsword in its mouth is quite a burden on it, and it can't learn all the sword techniques—at least I don't know how it's going to learn the top position."

The starting position of the top position requires the sword to be raised above the head, and for Black Claw, that means it has to actively expose its vulnerable and unprotected neck - this is not the Fool's Style.

Daisy could only run to Black Claw in a huff, hugged the dinosaur's neck and muttered some half-understood words like "sword dance", "crow's cry", "dog holding a sword", etc. The team was suddenly filled with a happy atmosphere.

"Maybe it's not suited to wielding a great sword, but it's still an intelligent creature, right?"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted him. Leslaufer turned around and saw a man in a light red silk robe standing by the city gate, looking at him with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lister, a businessman." The man stretched out his left hand. Although he had five fingers and only two ornaments on them, the huge gemstone made him look like he was wearing brass knuckles. "I'm interested in your pets. Want to talk?"

"I'm not interested," Leslough glanced at him, "You can continue standing there like an idiot."

"One thousand valu," the merchant stubbornly protested, offering a price. "Friend, I know this creature must be rare, but my price is absolutely excessive!"

"I'll offer a thousand imperial gold coins, a commoner," Angrita looked up at Reslaufer, "Deal?"

One thousand imperial gold coins, that's almost fifteen to twenty times the price. Liszt's face suddenly turned ugly.

"I'm not a commoner! I'm the second-in-command of the Lister family. Our family has a sixty-year business history!" He glared at Angelita unkindly. "Where did you come from... a nouveau riche?"

"Upstart?" Angelita sneered. "Indeed, it's just an honor bestowed during the Second Dynasty of the Empire. The title of Earl of the Empire certainly can't compare to the Earl of Sienasas. So tell me, does the Earl of Qingzun City no longer live in the manor?"

This was a subtle sarcasm, hinting that Liszt's current home was right at the city gate. The merchant clearly heard the hint, and his expression suddenly turned much darker than his clothes.

"I won't tolerate being humiliated like this by outsiders, even if they're from the Empire!" Lister held it in for a long time before finally uttering these words, "I'm going to ask the Archon and the Qingzun City Council to impose sanctions on you!"

"Then go ahead and move your legs, Mr. Lister." Edward couldn't help but laugh. "I remember your family was ranked nineteenth in Qingzun City. Is it actually ranked lower or higher? But it doesn't matter. Go find the Archon, and don't forget to tell him that this is Witt Lovallu's intention."

"Vite Lu——" The Lister family is a typical business aristocracy. It is impossible for them not to know the small town of Joffrey near the empire, not to mention that Edward specially added the surname "Lowalu" at the end.

The current governor of Qingzun City is named Luwalu!

"Or you can go find the second most influential family right now, but don't go to Fengquan. We just parted ways with Master Philip not even a day ago."

Needless to say, Liszt could no longer find the determined smile he had just had, and turned around with a grim face and walked into the city.

"Some people always confuse the difference between a noble and a noble, right?" The bard whistled at the figure from behind. "But he's a noble after all. Why is he standing here like a street vendor?"

"Those Dionysian priests on the other side," Edward thought for a moment and understood the connection. "Some of them are his acquaintances. When they see something rare during a ritual, they'll inform their friends so they can get it first, mutually beneficial."

"But I'm afraid the priest cheated him this time by not telling him about our connection with Philip and the Louvallu family caravan. Otherwise, he would definitely be willing to pay more."

Deinonychus is not a common creature native to this world, so it does not have a specific price, but because of this, Lister's asking price seems particularly low.

"Okay, okay, I won't sell you out just like that." Leslough raised his hand and patted Black Claw's furry neck, stopping the big lizard from losing its temper.

It was indeed a very intelligent creature, and now it had become very adept at using body movements and vocal changes to express its attitudes and emotions, and could also use these to observe and understand the actions of others. It usually seemed a bit lazy when interacting with others, but when it came to Reslaufer and Angarita, Black Claw spared no effort in expending its energy.

It not only knows how to please the "head dragon", but also knows that it needs to please other members who are closest to the head dragon at the same time.

"Those merchants always think money can buy them everything, but they just don't like spending it," Frostbone said, making a mocking noise that seemed difficult for humans to imitate. "The clan always thought it was because we were Dragonborn, but now it seems they're not much better to other humans."

"But let's not bother with this kind of person for now. Is Swampthroat going to visit his family? Where should we go?"

When this was mentioned, Edward, who was afraid of being exposed, began to sweat again, but fortunately Angelita changed the subject in time. She took out an envelope from her body and shook it to everyone.

"Don't worry about that for now. We have a letter to deliver for a friend. He didn't come with us to Qingzun City for... uh, various reasons," Angelita said, her face suddenly frowning involuntarily. "But I remember he said he wanted to deliver it to the owner of a pastry shop... Qingzun City's downtown area alone looks about the same size as Xinmu City. Where should we find a pastry shop?"

"Wow, our Paladin was so careless as not to write down the address?" Daisy's eyes widened. "That's the end of us. I forgot about it a long time ago. You guys..."

"Island Lane, the owner's last name is Weasley."

Reslaufer remained calm in the face of the astonished gazes of his companions, and uttered the syllables slowly and precisely.

Chapter 228: Noodle Robbery

Gudao Lane, a place name that clearly indicates the location of Qingzun City, has a long history of use, and can even be traced back to the time when the upper city area of Qingzun City had not yet hovered above the city.

At that time, there was no Upper Town, no Qingzun City, and even no Lake Rum. The so-called lake was just a puddle formed by the forced flooding during a heavy rainy season.

But even such a puddle was enough to provide a small shelter away from danger for the earliest residents here. It was from that time that the name "Island Lane" came to be known.

However, as time passed quickly to today, Lake Rum has become many times larger than it was before, and Qingzun City has also expanded proportionally. The former Island Lane has become an age spot on the city, and is almost useless except for accumulating the history of the city.

But people still live here, generation after generation, such as a pastry shop that doesn't even have a sign, and its owner Weasley.

"I thought you didn't like Uncle Patrick." Angelita stopped at the entrance of Island Lane and tapped the soles of her boots.

"That doesn't stop me from wanting to punch him in the face," Leslough said, twitching the corner of his mouth. "He's a good man, especially when he's out of my sight... eh?"

Leslaufer interrupted his conversation, and the others' attention was quickly drawn to the nearby open-door, but unsigned, pastry shop. The reason was simple: the noise inside was hard to ignore.

"Old man, don't meddle in other people's business!"

When Leslaufer and the others hurried to the door of the shop, they saw six people squeezed outside the small counter inside, and they were clearly divided into two groups - one group was five young people, and the other group was only an old man with a beard and white hair.

"He has military training," Leslough deduced simply from his posture and aura, "but he hasn't killed many people."

This was not a good thing, because the old man had no weapons except a bag of bread, while three of the five people opposite him were holding daggers, and the other two were holding sacks and a rope.

"Leave here immediately! You are committing a crime!" Everyone soon heard the old man's response. "You are all healthy young people. You should use your own hands to gain wealth instead of robbing a pastry shop here!"

Onlookers outside noticed that the man cowering behind the counter was also an old man, but compared to his helper, he was so thin and old that he looked at least twenty years older. In other words, he was unlikely to be of any help.

"Hands? Do you know how much we've suffered? And we're also using our hands to 'gain' now!" The leading young man sneered twice, twirling the dagger in his hand as he approached the old man. "See this knife? Now give me all your money—ow!"

Before the young man could make any further threats, the old man did not move, but swung his right fist like the wind, hitting the gangster's jaw hard!

"That depends on whether you have the ability to come and get it."

The old man's unblinking eyes gave him a hawk-like sharpness, enough to scare most thieves. However, this time, he might have misjudged the situation. The other party, simply confused, rushed forward again, wielding his dagger recklessly. Meanwhile, several other accomplices also surrounded him!

Iron fists rained down on the robbers, but there was a big gap between the old and the young, the unarmed and the armed. In just a few seconds, the old man had been stabbed three times. But even so, he continued to maintain a fighting posture without saying a word, using his fists to resist the brutality of the criminals.

When the guy who was punched first had a fierce look in his eyes and stabbed the old man's heart with his knife, Leslough knew he couldn't watch any longer.

"boom!"

The man didn't even know what was happening. He just felt the light around him suddenly dim, and the next moment his body became as light as a bird. He flew behind the counter and crashed into a shelf containing semi-finished bread dough.

"What the hell-"

The remaining few people had no idea what was happening. A young man subconsciously stabbed towards Reslaufer's waist, but when the small and exquisite dagger weakly left a white dot on the broken halberd, he raised his head in a daze and looked into the ice-blue eyes.

"Go on." "Oh my god—"

It's unlikely these street thugs would recognize the dwarven craftsmanship or other details on the Broken Halberd, but they only need to be sure of one thing - this is definitely not equipment that appears in street fights. They have run into a tough guy!

This realization was indeed invaluable, but Reslaufer wasn't about to let them escape. The mercenaries attacked them with blows left and right, then threw them out of the bakery one by one. The people waiting outside used the ropes the robbers had brought with them to tie up its former owners securely.

"Don't move, we're here to help."

The sudden appearance of the rescuer made the old man, who was almost dead, feel relieved and fell to the ground. Bella and Daisy rushed forward to help him up and healed his wounds with magic.

"Thank you..." The old man's temples and forehead were covered with sweat. He coughed twice before thanking him tiredly. "Old age is really useless. Even a few petty thieves like these..."

"Even so, you still threw a punch," Leslaufer nodded. "You're welcome. I just hope that when I'm as old as you, someone will be able to help me like this."

It is difficult for mercenaries to avoid a similar end: a powerful god of war is killed in a ditch at his doorstep by thugs in the last stage of his life.

"That's exactly what I've been working on," the old man smiled, and with the help of the druid and the poet, he managed to stand up. "That guy..."

He looked at the gangster lying between the deformed shelf and the bread dough: "Even if he really killed me, he should be tried and executed."

"He probably just fainted. I didn't hit him on the head or chest or back," Leslough said with a chuckle, as if to say, "I knew it." "But his right arm is pretty much useless."

He waved his fist, showing the bumps on his fingernails. They were here to deliver a letter and repay a debt. Killing someone in front of a 70- or 80-year-old man in his shop was somewhat inappropriate.

"Is your last name Weasley?" Angelita came over at this time, "We have a letter..."

"It's that old man, dear young lady," the old man casually pointed to the shop owner behind the counter who had just recovered from a great shock. "I think your letter is for him or his grandson."

Chapter 229 Maybe it’s a coincidence?

"Mr. Weasley?" Angelita hurried to the counter and handed over the envelope. "Here's your letter."

"Mine..." The old man took it tremblingly, the wrinkles on his face stretching out into a happy arc. However, after pouring the contents - more than twenty coins - onto the counter, he revealed a confused expression, "This shouldn't be sent by Lan En, right?"

Lann?

Leslaufer remained calm, wondering if he remembered the unlucky guy, but Daisy immediately thought of the guy who was ripped open by Black Claw at the first sight when the road was broken.

"It's not Lann, it's Mr. Patrick Coad." Seeing that the old man didn't react to the name, Angelita quickly added, "The child on that rainy night..."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes immediately lit up. "It's little Parker. I remember him! I remember... he actually still remembers that little piece of bread? Where is he now? How is he doing? I haven't heard from him for a long time."

"He went to the empire, became an honorary knight, and performed heroic deeds everywhere..." Angelita briefly told the old man about Patrick's heroic deeds, such as hunting down robbers, but deliberately ignored the sad cause and effect.

"Patrick, he's a good man, someone who can make a great career." The old man with short hair and a beard nodded. "We all knew this when he was the bodyguard of the former governor in Qingzun City."

"Oh, how wonderful it would be if little Pat was my son, much better than Lane..." The old man couldn't help but sigh. He had worked hard in his early years but never got married. He really treated Patrick as his own child. "But forget it. That would delay him. I would ruin his life, just like I ruined Lane..."

"That's not your fault. He chose to embark on a path of no return," the elder of the same age couldn't help but offer comfort. "But at least he left you a grandchild. You still have a chance to start over."

"I'm sorry, although this may be a little inappropriate," Daisy quickly raised her hand, "but may I ask, what happened to Lan En?"