Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Your nephew?" Greg's lips curled into a smirk. How could he possibly allow an outsider to infiltrate his group? Although the boatman Cole and his crew could drive the boat for him, he had actively sought them out. The sudden appearance of this guild leader, coupled with his request for more men, made Greg wary.

Could something be amiss? But Greg secretly looked around and saw no sign of any soldiers, and the chairman in front of him was indeed an ordinary person.

"President, don't you trust me? We still need to do business in Sochi in the future!"

Greg was in a dilemma; if he could, he really didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. But Monica, standing behind him, couldn't stand it anymore. While Greg was arguing with the chairman, the mission's ship was sailing further and further away. She didn't understand what Greg was so worried about! It was just another young man from Ottus! At worst, he could just slit his throat and throw him in the river once they were out of the harbor! Why bother arguing here!

Not only the chairman's nephew! Even the bribed boatmen will not be spared!

"Of course, no problem, President, it's settled then!"

Monica, veiled, stepped forward and readily agreed. This made Greg's expression turn somewhat unpleasant. In his view, no matter how reasonable the River Transport Commissioner's actions seemed, the timing of his appearance and the conditions he proposed were highly suspicious!

But the guild leader didn't care about any of that. Seeing someone agree, the tension finally eased! Although he appeared calm and collected, he was still somewhat afraid. From the fact that the Governor of Ryukyu and Lady Hafren had personally led their troops, he could tell that this group was no ordinary people! Despite the ambition to make a name for himself and achieve fame stimulating him, he was still worried about what would happen if he were exposed and got slashed by a sword at this distance!

But it was precisely his long sigh of relief that instantly alerted Greg!

This seemingly mission-like action caused a dangerous glint to appear in Greg's eyes!

"President, you're not hiding anything from us, are you...?"

Greg surveyed his surroundings. Although he couldn't detect Ryu and Natsu, who were concealing their presence, he still approached the River Transport Chairman, using his invisible aura to pressure the ordinary man before him. Even Monica, who had been impatient just moments before, sensed something was amiss and secretly became wary.

"I kept it from you..."

The guild leader's mouth dropped open. He immediately realized his reaction had given him away, and his nerves tensed instantly! The tall man opposite him exuded a menacing aura, like a ferocious beast. Even if he wasn't a knight, the guild leader had no doubt that the man could snap his neck in an instant based on that size alone! Even Ryūka, watching from a distance, paled, ready to rush out at any moment. If anything happened to the guild leader who had helped him, he would feel terrible!

In this situation, the quick-thinking chairman wiped the sweat from his brow and, feigning composure, gave the boatman, Cole, a commanding look:

"Cole, get out of the way!"

Having said that, he forced himself to suppress his fear, took a step forward and nestled into Greg's arms, turning his head to whisper:

"This... I really can't hide it from you, Mr. Marcus. You truly are a businessman..."

Seeing the president's proactive approach to compromise, Greg remained skeptical, silently listening to the president whisper:

"Actually, I also wanted to use your connections to get my nephew to smuggle some goods out of the country... It's nothing serious, just ordinary stuff like yours! But you know, the Governor strictly forbids anyone in Sochi from doing these things..."

"Oh, I see..."

Greg understood the chairman's meaning. All of the workshop's output, including what could be exported and how much, needed to be strictly recorded and taxed. However, some Sochi locals would use various shady methods to obtain quotas for goods not recorded in the records and then sell them elsewhere. And that was roughly what the chairman meant…

Smuggling! If he uses his own caravan to do this, even if he gets caught, he can make it seem like the goods are his own and have nothing to do with him! He can even abandon the nephew he claims to be! After all, on one side are foreign merchants, and on the other is the local river transport association president; the power of interpretation probably isn't on his side!

But this meant nothing to Greg, after all, he wasn't a real businessman and had no intention of returning after leaving Sochi! His gaze towards the chairman held a hint of disdain, even a sense of shrewdness. If that were the case, then the chairman's actions before and after would make sense, and he might even have specifically planned it after discovering Greg's bribery of the boatman.

"You should have said so earlier, President! With your connections, we could all make a fortune using your skills!"

"Yes, yes, yes." The chairman chuckled, rubbing his fingers together in a shrewd manner. "I won't treat you unfairly, Mr. Marcus. My nephew will cover the cost of the female slaves from this batch of payments. All you need to do is make a connection!"

Still thinking about the female slave, this pathetic sight convinced Greg that the chairman in front of him was just an ordinary man! A slick, self-serving ordinary person with a little power!

"Don't worry, Mr. Chairman, I will take good care of your nephew. However, you'll have to arrange a few fast boats for us. I don't want to run into the city's patrolling water police..."

"Of course, no problem! The port is closed right now! All the ships in the association are idle! Nobody's checking them! If you ask me, the ship you're looking for, Cole, his ship was inherited from his father! It's old and dilapidated, and not very fast either! If it runs into a patrol ship, you won't be able to shake it off! As for the ship I arranged, they'll just pretend they don't see it! I still have those connections..."

The president's words drew a 'poor performance' look from Monica behind Greg. He chuckled awkwardly and watched as the president called out to Cole, whom he had just shooed away:

"Cole! Don't go sailing your crappy boat! Use Agger's! Be careful! If you get even a scratch on the way back, I'll make you pay!"

The chairman smiled at Greg twice more: "Hehe, then Mr. Marcus, I'll go make the arrangements now. Don't worry! With me here, I guarantee you won't encounter any difficulties on your journey!"

Having said that, the chairman walked away with light steps, humming a little tune. Squinting as he watched him go quite a distance, Greg immediately called over the boatman, Cole, and asked him:

"What kind of character does your guild leader usually have?"

"Character?" Cole was taken aback. In his opinion, the guild leader was a decent person, though he did have a tendency to be greedy. He stammered out a description, and the image of a shrewd and calculating guild leader with some human touch emerged in Greg's mind—the kind of person who would do something like this today.

But Greg was still uneasy and asked a few more questions: "Really... he has a nephew?"

Yes, there are more than one!

Do you know them all?

"I've never seen this before, but I've heard of it before."

Cole looked at Greg with some suspicion. Why did this foreign businessman have so many questions? Was it so strange for a person to have brothers and nephews?

"It's alright, please get ready quickly..."

Greg waved his hand; the president's sudden appearance had delayed them by a few minutes. The crucial thing now was to catch up with the Ottus delegation before making further plans.

Little did he know, the mission did indeed set off, but only a portion was used for fishing. And the angler, watching with satisfaction as he cautiously waited for the bait to slowly bite…

"Mr. Chairman, thank you for your hard work."

Seeing the River Transport Association President, who was covered in sweat and had managed to get to her side before collapsing against the wall, Ryuka smiled and helped him up.

"Your Excellency, I have completed the task you assigned me..."

The guild leader wiped the sweat from his brow. Goddess above! Just as Miss Hafulen said! That's a truly prestigious position! If it weren't for that final moment of overwhelming pressure, the guild leader would never have truly felt the difference between an ordinary person and a Grand Knight! Just standing right in front of her was enough to make him breathless!

I must have lost my mind, trying to be a hero and walking right into the gates of hell! But now, in front of the Governor of Ryukyu, I can only pretend nothing happened...

Heflian laughed heartily, "I didn't expect you to be so clever, Mr. President. But... there was quite a bit of shady stuff in what you just said..."

Slave trade, smuggling... it's impossible to completely eradicate these things in Sochi. As the head of the river transport association, who wields some power at the grassroots level, he is naturally familiar with the ins and outs of these matters, but it's a different story when he speaks of them in front of the governor and the lady of the house.

This caused the River Transport Association President to give a wry smile. He looked at Ryūka, trying to gain the young governor's forgiveness. Ryūka, of course, wouldn't hold a grudge. In any case, the president had fulfilled his request, which was enough for him.

"Haflelin, stop scaring people."

Ryuka patted the president on the shoulder, indicating that there was no need to ask about it anymore. This was both a carrot and a reminder to the president.

As for Ryuka, she also needs to go over the script and her speech with the River Transport Commissioner, and then make arrangements for Melanie and the princess.

After that... Ryuga looked at Greg and Monica's group, who were already preparing to set off, and a playful look appeared in her eyes.

It seems that what was originally a boring trip will now be more fun!

Heflian's eyes held a hint of pity; these people would likely be toyed with like mice by the cunning cat, Ryūka! Especially looking at Monica, the masked archmage, who had a good figure, but hopefully wasn't pretty, otherwise…

Going against someone as malicious as Ryukatsu will have dire consequences!

Chapter 7 Infiltration

Compared to the number of times he rode horses across the Sochi Plain, Liu Xia traveled by boat far less often. The slight swaying of the boat didn't bother him; on the contrary, he found it quite comfortable. After leaving the Weihe Port, the Sochi River widened considerably, exceeding 500 meters at its widest point on both banks. The current remained relatively gentle, and this long river nourished the entire Sochi Plain and the vast downstream regions for water transport, fishing, and irrigation of its tributaries.

Normally, this river is bustling with boats, but since the Weihe Port disaster, and following Haifulian's ban, the Sochi region downstream of Weihe Port has also cooperated in sealing off the waterway. Occasionally, only a few patrol boats of the city's defense forces appear, but under the arrangement of that 'all-powerful' river transport guild leader, the medium-sized passenger ship named 'Blue Horn' sails are fully open and moving unimpeded, rapidly advancing at a speed far exceeding any conventional means of land travel, driven by the wind and current.

With a simple disguise and some magic, Ryūka completely concealed the boy's true identity from Greg and Monica, who only knew he was the chairman's nephew, 'Shane'. Following the instructions of the River Transport Chairman, Ryūka's words and actions revealed nothing, behaving just like an ordinary civilian boy from the River Harbor.

He stood guard on the deck, several crates beside him—the smuggled goods the guild leader had mentioned. The items were similar to those Greg and his crew used to disguise their identities: handicrafts, soaps, perfumes, ceramics…and some simple magical tools and toys. A couple of sailors adjusted the sails and kept watch, while Captain Cole admired the other man's fast boat, repeatedly saying that after this operation, he wanted to get a better ship.

Greg stood at the cabin entrance, looking utterly dejected at the excited Ryusha ahead. He really wanted to throw the chairman's nephew and his cargo into the water as soon as they set sail, tear off the pretense, and force the sailors to obey orders so they could catch up with the Ottus delegation. But alas, he was like a eunuch facing a stunningly beautiful woman—completely incapable of doing so…

Because Ryūka was holding a communication crystal ball in her hand.

"Uncle! Did you see that? We're the only boat on the whole river! That means we can leave Sochi tomorrow! This is the first time I've ever been so far from home!"

The crystal ball reflected the River Sports Association president's chubby smile, which made Greg feel uncomfortable.

Damn it! Although Sochi Province is quite prosperous, can even ordinary people afford a magical item like a crystal ball?

Of course, there's another explanation: it was a backup plan left by the cunning guild leader to prevent them from backing out or plotting something. But it doesn't matter; they also have these civilian versions of crystal balls in their cargo. Most of them have limited range and endurance, so they just need to be patient... Besides, judging by their speed, even if the delegation sets off early, they can definitely catch up before tomorrow.

But some people don't have that much patience.

“Greg, our boat is drafting too deep and not fast enough. We need to reduce the weight.”

Monica, that annoying woman, still cast her disdainful glance and muttered impatiently. She was referring, of course, to the heavy cargo used for disguise, and to Ryūsha—they should all be thrown into the water right now. But Greg didn't think so.

“Call me ‘Marcus’ here, Miss Monica. Don’t let it slip… I wouldn’t mind losing the goods and breaking this kid’s neck, but the subsequent interrogation will be difficult. Don’t forget, even after leaving Sochi, we’re still on Ottus’s territory. This isn’t the Bauhinia, have you forgotten how big Ottus is? This mission’s journey is a top priority for the territories along the way, it’s a personal order from their Emperor. If we’re exposed along the way, our own country can’t save us.”

Greg felt much better knowing someone was more agitated than he was. He grinned and rejected Monica's request, glancing at Ryūsha and the sailors... Besides, who knew if the guild leader would report to the Sochi Governor's Office or even other territories if he lost contact with his nephew?

Greg stopped short, because a hint of murderous intent had already flashed in Monica's eyes. She understood what Greg meant. Even if she was a prodigy grand mage of the Bauhinia, a rising star among the younger generation, she was nothing more than a piece of cake compared to the young monster, Liuxia, of Otus. A grand mage facing a Heavenly Rank cultivator probably wouldn't even have a chance to commit suicide, and as for what would happen to a beautiful female prisoner, Greg didn't need to say more…

Of course, Greg also had his own selfish motives. These goods were very valuable in the south, and Greg was reluctant to part with them. As an outsider tribe, it wasn't easy for them to survive in the Bauhinia's territory, and they couldn't think like the young lady behind them who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

"Or, you could risk being detected by magic and accelerate our ship, only for that genius boy to crush us with a single finger. The Queen Mother's plan would be ruined, the Bauhinia's rare national fortune would collapse, and the Merchant Guild would abandon us. Even if that young governor doesn't kill me then, the Queen Mother, the Papacy, and the Merchant Guild will, and as for you, Miss Monica..."

Their brief conversation, and the underlying information conveyed in their expressions and attitudes, were all overheard by Ryūka at the bow of the ship. With Ryūka's abilities, he could even tell how many rats were on this ship!

The Empress Dowager, the Bauhinia Kingdom's destiny, the Papacy, the Chamber of Commerce... Good heavens, old and new friends gathered together! It seems this small southern country really has some secrets, far more complex than I thought!

Ryusha then considered using Luminova's identity to contact her own Congregation for the Faith of the Holy See. They also wanted the Bauhinia Tear gem, or rather, the demon sword within it. Although her excuse was that it was evidence to fight against Carmela and the Inquisition, so many threads converged on the small kingdom of Bauhinia. Even a fool would be tempted to suspect that there might be other hidden motives.

"Greg, Monica...Zona, gather intelligence on them and report back to me as soon as possible. Also, the Chamber of Commerce, investigate whether they have any unusual business dealings in the Bauhinia Kingdom and the South recently..."

After adjusting the knob on the base, the message was quickly transmitted to Zona in Sochi. Ryuka calmly put away the crystal ball, ending her communication with her 'uncle'. Then, in front of Greg and Monica, she took out another magical artifact and began fiddling with it.

For Ryūka, the journey was a vacation. Even without his harem, he could enjoy the trip alone. Even with spies plotting against him behind him, it didn't matter; it was more in line with his disguise—the nephew of the River Transport Association president, 'Shane'!

Click, click! One after another, photos of Sochi's beautiful scenery were taken, and the commotion quickly caught the attention of Greg and Monica. Monica glanced at them, uninterested, and turned back to her cabin, ending her argument with Greg. But Greg seemed quite interested in the matter.

"That's a pretty good shot! Kid! What's your name again, Xia En?"

Ryuga looked at Greg, who had come up behind her. His handsome face wore a cheerful, carefree smile, like a harmless, charming older man. And this man had just been about to snap her neck…

"Hehe! Mr. Marcus, would you like to take a picture for your family as a keepsake? Of course, the magic crystals aren't free~"

Chapter 8 Gathering Intelligence (Part 1)

Seeing Ryuka's cheerful smile as she pointed her camera at him, Greg instinctively wanted to dodge. After all, he was a spy; he couldn't afford to leave behind photos so easily.

But Ruka seemed oblivious to his awkward little movements and continued speaking to herself:

"The scenery in Sochi is quite beautiful, isn't it? It must be different from Mr. Marcus's hometown. Now that we have this, we can keep it as a souvenir and even take it back to share with our families!"

Liu Xia smiled and waved the camera and photos in his hand, his face bearing the pure smile of a small-town boy, and added:

"It only costs one silver coin, isn't that a great deal!"

Taking photos of himself and then charging for it... Greg recovered from his earlier tension. Years of experience and the missions he was currently undertaking had made him used to being on edge, and he couldn't understand why a dignified knight like himself would be nervous about an ordinary boy. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Liu Xia's words and actions inevitably reminded him of his distant hometown. In the desert oasis, young boys, their heads wrapped in turbans, tirelessly promoted their small businesses to passing merchants. Along the roadside beneath the date palm trees, the sounds of singing and camel bells were ever-present…

"You've got a silver tongue, you know how to do business! But spending a silver coin like that is just outrageous!"

Greg grinned, patted Ryuka on the head, and then turned and left.

Unfortunately, his hometown was long gone; he was now nothing more than a stray dog ​​in the Bauhinia Kingdom. And this boy before him, even if he had just momentarily lost his senses and felt pity, could not change his decision to ultimately kill him and destroy all traces of him.

His idea is quite good. Once the homeland is restored, perhaps the young men from his hometown can also get into this kind of business.

Thinking of this, Greg's heavy steps became lighter again, and he hummed a little tune as he swayed his head and walked towards the cabin.

Behind him, Ryuka maintained her smile, her eyes full of amusement.

"Master, we have found the name Greg and related information."

In her consciousness, Zona's voice echoed. Ryuka pretended to close her eyes and rest, her semi-transparent figure appearing in another space.

“Greg Horton, one of the generals of the Bauhinia Kingdom. During the previous rebellion in the royal city, he sided with his tribe, the Navels, on the side of the current Queen Mother, who is also Linor's stepmother. There isn't much information available about his personal deeds, but his tribe, the Navels, is quite famous…”

Seeing Zona kneeling on one knee, reporting to him, Ryuka waved for her to stand up, then muttered to herself:

"The Navel people, I think I've seen them in a book before..."

"Navier means 'beggar' or 'beggar' in the Bauhinia dialect. They were originally the remnants of a desert kingdom further south. Although it was called a kingdom, it was more like a loosely organized region of chieftain tribes. A hundred years ago, it was destroyed by a foreign race, and its people were reduced to a subjugated enslaved race. At first, some of the old nobles managed to survive through power transactions, but gradually they also began to flee to other countries. Those who fled to Bauhinia were called the Nawell people, and even their country was called the Nawell Kingdom."

Zona recounted the findings of her investigation, and then continued introducing Greg:

"The name Greg Horton is his Bauhinia name; his real name should be Marcus Latib, and he is likely a descendant of nobles from the Old Desert tribe. They originally served the King of the Bauhinia Kingdom, who is also Linor's father, but during the coup, they seem to have made some kind of deal with the Queen Mother and betrayed them at a crucial juncture. However, according to recent intelligence, their tribe's status does not seem to have changed."

"Understood." Ryūka nodded. "What about Monica? And has the matter of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance been clarified?"

Zona lowered her head slightly: "Monica Santira is the Queen Mother's niece, the third young lady of the Santira family. She is the youngest Grand Magician in the Bauhinia Kingdom, having reached the Grand Master level at the age of 17, and is now 21. That's all we've found so far... There's still no progress on the Chamber of Commerce alliance..."

"That's great, don't blame yourself."

Liu Xia smiled. Only a few minutes had passed, yet the Shadow Guard's efficiency was already astonishing. This was inseparable from the intelligence processing system established by Zona. These trivial pieces of information had been collected well in advance and could be searched according to categories and indexes when needed. However, it was impossible to understand the latest fresh intelligence in a short time, so Zona had no need to be discouraged.

“However, there’s something strange…” Ryuga said, stroking her chin after comforting Zona, “A 17-year-old with a major profession, and a magician at that. She should be quite famous, a household name in Otus, let alone in the small country of Bauhinia. But I’ve never heard of her…”

It's important to understand that Hetia became a full-fledged knight at fifteen or sixteen, already a top student at the Imperial Military Academy. Melanie's becoming a Grand Mage at twenty was enough to make her name known throughout noble circles. Ryūka himself was the same; even on the other side of the empire, his name was circulated in the streets and taverns.

Zona nodded and voiced her doubts:

“That’s right, it can be found if you investigate carefully, and it’s not a secret within the noble circles of the Bauhinia Kingdom. But it’s rarely circulated outside, as if some force is deliberately preventing this matter from being mentioned. Not only Monica, but I also had someone compare the data, and it turns out that not only in the Bauhinia Kingdom, but also in many places in the southern countries, the age and strength of young talents are nearly 20% to 30% higher than those in Otus!”

Liu Xia's eyes widened slightly. It was a well-known fact that the South had more rare materials. However, these things were only useful in the later stages of cultivation. They were used either as materials for advancing to the Heavenly Rank or for high-level magic research and battle qi tempering. For cultivation below the Heavenly Rank, external resources were somewhat useful, but ultimately it depended on individual aptitude… that much was unchangeable.

"Keep an eye on this and see if you can uncover anything. Also, analyze these people's backgrounds, ages, regions, and experiences; you need data comparisons and images!"

Ryūka solemnly gave Zona his orders, then his consciousness returned to the present world. He glanced at the photos in his hand, picked one out, and threw it into the water.