Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"As for this person, he violated the curfew, bribed the guards, and entered the inner city without permission. What if he were a rebel? Kill him and hang his head on the execution ground for all to see."

Haiflian didn't even glance at the slave traders, and said casually.

"Yes, what about these girls? Are they sent to the Enchanted Night Pearl?"

Heflint glanced at her subordinate who had asked the question, gave her a 'Are you stupid?' smile, and shook her head with a wry smile:

“These girls are pretty good, why let them have them? Take them back and you can divide them up~ Those country bumpkins play around with them all the time, you can have a taste too~ But make sure they do it cleanly, don’t do anything to embarrass me.”

Upon hearing Heflian's words, the girls, who had just thought they had escaped a disaster, immediately turned pale and huddled together in fear. Serving the nobles of the Enchanting Pearl might involve some perverse treatment; although there were rumors of deaths, they were rare. Most of the sisters who had attended were, after several days of 'banquets,' the lucky ones were chosen as maids or concubines, while the less fortunate ones were sent to high-class brothels…

Judging from Hefren's tone, being taken back by these knights... not only will she be 'cleaned up' in the end, but she probably won't have an easy time before she dies...

Ryuka pouted, thinking to herself how she always seemed to encounter female knights who were beautiful but had terrible personalities...

But he wouldn't risk stepping in to save her. Although he felt it was a pity and he couldn't bear it, Hefren's strength was probably no less than his own, and he had more important things to do.

"Well, if I have the chance in the future, I'll avenge you." Ryuka muttered to herself, trying not to imagine what would happen to these girls, since this kind of thing probably happens every day in every corner of the world.

He could only hope that Haifulian would leave soon so that he could investigate the situation in Sochi City and find out whether there was any danger in Linhu Territory.

"No, no... don't come any closer... um..."

Heflian looked at a terrified slave girl, laughed, and used her spear to lift her chin. Then, the sharp tip of the spear gently pried open her lips and teeth, rubbing against them back and forth.

"What? Those rich nouveau riche can do it, but my brothers can't? Hmm?"

The slave girl's tears smudged her heavy makeup, making her look no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. She trembled all over but dared not move an inch, fearing that the spear in her mouth would pierce her head.

The knights behind Heflian burst into laughter, finally shedding their previous lifeless, mechanical demeanor. The knight who had just asked the question seemed to be laughing until tears streamed down his face, and a relaxed voice came from under his helmet: "Alright, Miss, you scared me to death."

Heflian raised an eyebrow, sheathed her spear, and said, "Alright~ I know you all cherish women~ Anyone who needs wives or maids, take your pick~ Just don't fight or argue~"

The knights laughed again and took the terrified girls into custody, while the slave traders cried out for mercy as the knights drew their swords and approached them.

"Miss! Sir! I'm from the Chamber of Commerce! Spare me!"

Oh?

Upon hearing this, both Hefren and Ryuka, who was hiding on the roof, showed expressions of interest.

Chapter 25 The Alvarez Family and Branduk

The Chamber of Commerce Federation possesses immense power and a complex network of underground connections, which means it holds significant intelligence value.

Hafley looked at the slave trader and laughed: "Is that so? How can you prove it?"

"I..." The slave trader was momentarily speechless. He did indeed work for the merchant guild, but he was far from being one of their own. His mind raced, and combining all the information he had gathered recently, he said:

"Our people recently intercepted a shipment bound for Linhu Territory! It was full of high-precision magical technology equipment! They must have secretly purchased it to manufacture magical weapons!"

Damn it! Ryuu gritted his teeth. At the birthday party, he had heard Anyaberg complaining that a batch of processing equipment they had commissioned at a high price hadn't arrived yet. Those magical machine tools and processing equipment were not only for the Thirteenth Princess to produce tools to break the seal of heresy, but also for pushing the productivity of Linhu Territory to a new level!

To raise the money, materials, and magic stones needed to exchange for this batch of equipment, Liu Xia personally led a team to work tirelessly throughout the sweltering summer! Liu Xia not only took the lead, swinging her pickaxe in various mines with dazzling skill, but also repeatedly used the hero skills [Inspire] and [Call to Action] to motivate the workers to work with high morale and full energy.

To this end, Liu Xia consumed a large number of Hero Points in order to purchase this batch of equipment before the heavy snows of winter closed the mountains, and to begin upgrading the Magic Workshop. This way, during the off-season of winter farming, the people could participate in the production line work of the Magic Workshop, and the problem of winter heating for some people could also be solved.

Not only that... according to Hetia's speculation, with this equipment, students in the Department of Magical Engineering can produce the K18 potion used before in Linhu Town! That's something that can be incredibly effective in critical moments!

What a powerful alliance of chambers of commerce! Even though we've partnered with them to open gold and silver mines, they'll still secretly take advantage of us! It's true what they say, no merchant is without guile; there are still many bad people in the world!

Heflian narrowed her eyes upon hearing this news: "How high a level of magical artifact can this batch of equipment process?"

"I don't know, I only know that it's very valuable, at least enough to produce items for a full-rank position, so our people kept it on hold for now, planning to send it over after figuring out what Linhu Territory is going to do with it..."

Haifulian laughed: "Don't you have a partnership with Linhu Territory? Are you going to scheme against us too?"

"We...we cooperate with most of the noble lords..." the slave trader said obsequiously, wiping his sweat, "but cooperation doesn't mean there's no competition elsewhere..."

Heflian seemed to find this very amusing, and burst into laughter. She then retorted, "So, do you have any 'cooperation' or 'competition' with that annoying Alvarez family?"

The Alvarez family, one of the five great families of the capital, has maintained a neutral stance in numerous struggles. The head of the family, Duke Treal Alvarez, is a general loyal only to the emperor and one of the Ten Celestials of Otus.

That's not someone to be trifled with. Although Haifulian disliked their appearance, the slave traders really didn't dare to speak ill of a Heavenly Rank expert...

"I don't know..." The slave trader glanced at Haiflian's dangerous and mocking gaze, then immediately changed his tune, "Yes! Last year, the merchant guilds jointly requested that the finest female slaves in every aspect be selected from all slave trade transactions! To be sent to Duke Treyal's grandson! My lord! I don't know much about this business! I really don't know anything else!"

"Walter?" Upon hearing this, Hefren's expression changed, and she immediately turned to her personal guards. "Is that so? Does anyone know about this?"

The guards exchanged glances, then replied awkwardly, "There are some unpleasant rumors, saying that your nephew has some...not-so-good hobbies. But nothing has been confirmed..."

Nephew? The slave trader's breath hitched. Haifulian was a direct descendant of the Alvarez family? Was she just bluffing him?

"My lord, my lady..." The slave trader tried to speak, to salvage his words, but Hafley had already turned away, angrily uttering only one sentence:

"Take him back, find out where the magical equipment is, and retrieve it. Also, make him explain Walter's situation clearly. Besides Walter, who else in the family are they on good terms with, and what goals have they achieved? Ask him everything you can, just don't kill him."

The slave trader, terrified, begged for mercy: "Miss! I really don't know anything else!"

"Then reveal who knows, and I'll send someone to 'invite' them! You bunch of parasites have corrupted our family! You're asking for death!" Haifulian turned to look at the slave trader, her hawk-like gaze seemingly capable of taking a life.

On the rooftop, as Hefren turned around again, Ryuka immediately activated her magic, leaving a 'familiar mark' on the slave trader, before silently disappearing from the rooftop. Although she couldn't completely turn the slave trader into her familiar like she could control an animal, she could still leave some connection.

That batch of magical equipment was the result of Ryuu's hard work all summer long!

"Hmm?" Heflian vaguely sensed a fluctuation and looked around, but found no trace of it.

"Am I overthinking this?" Heflene glanced at the slumped slave trader and the sobbing slave girls, and clicked her tongue.

"Tell them to be quiet!" Mei, I'm busy, Lin, are you...?

Anyone who can evade Hafran Alvarez's detection must be stronger than her. Currently, there are only three such people in the entire city of Sochi!

Meanwhile, the three high-ranking officials are still facing off inside the castle...

Ryusha was unaware of these things, but he had already crossed the inner city and arrived at the core castle of Sochi City.

There was only one drawbridge across the moat, and some elite knights and mages were guarding the gate. Judging from their equipment, there were three groups of people, and they seemed to be at odds with each other...

The inner city is easy to enter, but what about the castle? Liu Xia surveyed the area from afar, pondering the situation.

The Alvarez family is known for its neutrality, and Heflian's appearance in Sochi is a dangerous sign. Perhaps in the distant capital, things have changed in ways that Ryūka is unaware of...

But this made Ryuka even more eager to understand what had happened. The bold get rich while the timid starve. Now, his strength was enough to protect him from the Grand Master, so it was worth taking the risk for the territory.

However, Ryūka had made two preparations. He took out the paper and pen he always carried and casually summoned two crows from the city. One carried the encrypted letter between him and Kania to the secret agents in the outer city, while the other bypassed the main gate and entered the castle to investigate the situation.

Not only was the main gate heavily guarded, but the courtyard at the city gate was also patrolled by soldiers. The two types of uniforms were divided into three groups, and they were wary of each other. It seemed that the situation was indeed complicated and tense.

Bang! Just as Ryūka was controlling the crow to approach the inner castle, it bumped into an invisible magical barrier. Forcibly intruding would likely trigger an alarm, indicating that the castle's defenses were more robust than he had imagined...

Just then, Ryuka suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Damn it! We are the ancient Duke family! The founding heroes of Otus! How could they treat us like this!"

"My lord, keep your voice down. I believe the master will find a way. Rather than dealing with the immediate issue, you should focus on your breakthrough to become a Grand Knight. That will definitely improve the situation."

Hey, isn't this an old acquaintance?

Bran Duke, and the person next to him was the clerk who followed Earl Duke on the day the peace treaty was signed.

The two were walking out of the castle when Bran shoved the guard at the gate, staring at the soldier from the capital with eyes as sharp as steel blades, and then spat.

Chapter 26 Infiltrating the Castle

"Compared to your elder brother, the master has higher hopes for you. Once you break through to the Great Knight level, he will still give you important responsibilities."

The clerk followed behind Bran, who was hurrying along, trying to persuade him, but was interrupted by a cold snort.

"No need for pleasantries, Father only wants to train me to be the family's henchman! The eldest brother is clearly the heir to the territory! And the time for redeeming me was dragged out again and again!"

"That's because the master didn't want you to get involved in the struggles above. Staying in the dungeon in Linhu Territory was safer than staying in Sochi City."

The middle-aged clerk spoke without changing his expression, his tone showing no fear of offending Bran, suggesting he was a trusted senior member of the Duke family.

"The master still values ​​you highly. He's distanced himself from you somewhat these past few years, partly because you hadn't clearly chosen sides between him and his wife. And partly because you're over thirty and still childless; the master doesn't want the past difficulties to repeat themselves..."

"So you're training me as the family's henchman? Want me to take over the position of that old dog by his side?!"

A thirty-year-old man, his face a mixture of anger and grievance, drew his longsword in the courtyard. A burst of sword light, imbued with battle aura, slashed out, shattering the statue in the courtyard to pieces!

His battle aura had become quite refined, and he was only one step away from becoming a Grand Knight. However, considering his age and the mediocre quality of his battle aura and combat skills, he could only be considered so-so in Liu Xia's eyes.

Ryuka completely ignored the monsters surrounding her.

Upon hearing the noise caused by Bran, the courtyard was instantly filled with guards. Hundreds of guards were divided into three groups, looking at each other in bewilderment at the scene.

"It's nothing, you can all go now." The clerk sighed, dismissed the guards, then patted Bran on the shoulder, leaving him alone to calm down.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a crow perched in a tree branch witnessed everything, its gaze lingering on Bran, who remained in the courtyard, and the departing scribe…

It seems that she could try to contact either the scribe or Bran... but Ryuka chose the less difficult scribe.

When the clerk went back to wash up and prepare for rest, he found a crow on the windowsill of his rest room, with a note in its beak.

He hurriedly opened the window, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and retrieved the note:

"My lord, it has been a long time since our last meeting. I wish to visit Sochi to meet with the Earl and continue our discussions on the future peaceful development of our two territories. I would appreciate your advice."

Linhu Territory Governor, Ryūka.

The clerk lightly wiped the paper strip; the ink was still wet…

He glanced at the note, then at the crow, his gaze drifting to the night sky outside. He quickly placed the note over the candlelight to destroy the evidence.

The ink is still wet! The letter writer is nearby! That minor governor of Linhu has sneaked into the city!

They must have sensed something but couldn't figure it out, which is why they sent such a message to the Counts' faction in the 'alliance'!

An audience with the Earl! To discuss future peace! The message conveyed was quite clear: Linhu Territory values ​​future peace and wants to join forces with the Earl to address the current crisis! (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the initial statement.)

What a clever little creature... and this crow must have found itself through some kind of magic.

Knowing that Liuxia was nearby, the clerk immediately picked up his pen, quickly wrote a note, stuffed it into the crow's beak, and sent it flying with the reply.

Outside his window, another crow observed his every move.

"It seems there's no problem. He understood what I meant and didn't do anything suspicious afterward, so he should be able to help me."

Ryūka was simultaneously controlling three familiars, his mental energy somewhat strained. The first familiar had already delivered the letter for Kania to Fox Scorpion, and the crow carrying the scribe's reply had flown back to his side. Now, he only needed to control the one monitoring the scribe, and Ryūka's needle-like soul and magical energy finally found some relief.

Upon opening the clerk's reply, it read:

"Your Excellency the Consul, the Earl has always cherished the peace and friendship between our two sides. However, due to recent affairs, he has been unable to take the initiative to invite you to visit, which is truly regrettable."

No matter how far apart we are, we are always under the same moonlight. I hope that we, who are gazing at the same night sky, can forge an everlasting friendship.

Linton Olson, clerk of Sochi.

Moonlight… Ryuka looked up; it was cloudy tonight, the moon obscured by drifting clouds…

After a long while, the cloaked scribe Linton evaded the patrolling soldiers and arrived at a tower on the outer wall. At the tower's narrow firing window, a raven was perched, but upon seeing him, it spread its wings and flew away.

Sure enough… Linton, without a torch, skillfully located a switch in the darkness. After turning it, a magic circle appeared on the wall, revealing a window large enough for one person to pass through, and a rope ladder slowly descended outwards…

Outside was the moat on the side of the castle. But the rope ladder immediately rippled, and a moment later, a cloaked boy climbed up.

“Mr. Ryukyu.” Linton breathed a sigh of relief after recognizing the visitor’s face and extended his right hand. “It seems you have understood my reply.”

Liu Xia smiled and shook hands with Linton in a friendly manner: "I never expected that our second meeting would be under such circumstances."

The highest spire of Sochi Castle has a huge round window, which is always lit by a magic lamp, making it look like a full moon from the outside.

The window faced this defensive tower, and Ryuka waited below, constantly watching the changes above her head, as a rope ladder was lowered down.

This is just one of the countless secret passages in Sochi Castle.

However, Ryuka was also controlling the crow to keep an eye on Linton, so she wasn't afraid of making a mistake.

"For you to come in person, there must have been significant changes outside... How far have things progressed?" Linton's tone was heavy, as if he had been cut off from news from the outside world for a long time. It seemed that even with the existence of such a secret passage, he had been cut off from communication with the outside world for quite some time.

It seems the inner city is more heavily sealed off than the castle...

Seeing Linton's worried look, Liuxia said truthfully, "Some scout teams from Sochi Territory have entered Linhu Territory. They said they were acting on Lady Mara's orders. I'm worried that war might break out, so I came to investigate."

“Damn! They moved fast!” Ryusha’s words seemed to be what Linton had expected. He led the way, retreating down the city wall from the hidden staircase outside the tower, while talking to Ryusha in a low voice.

When did this happen?

"We caught them today, or rather, yesterday? They were ordered to enter Linhu Territory the day before yesterday."

Realizing it was past midnight, Liu Xia carefully chose her words.

"Yesterday and the day before yesterday?" Linton suddenly stopped and turned around, blinking at Liuxia.

He thought that even if Mrs. Mara made some moves, it would take at least a week for Ryukyu to realize it, and it would be even longer before he could arrive in Sochi.