Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After Yang Ling finished his cup of tea and slowly walked into the main hall, he found a bunch of people already sitting within, their weapons raised. There were warriors wearing Kevlar Heavy Armor, spellcasters dressed in long robes, and mysterious fighters wearing cloaks. There were many people, all surrounding a slightly pale young man.
“The first thing I heard when I woke up in the morning was a Bisee Bird chirping non-stop. I didn’t understand what was going on even after thinking for so long. It turns out that it is you, Sir Leader, gracing me with your presence!”
The young man sat on a tall chair with a proper posture, and Yang Ling smiled as he took the seat opposite him. Behind him, Goode, Casey, and the rest formed a semicircle, glaring daggers at the guards Steve had brought with him.
Steve didn’t say anything, but beside him, an elder with triangular eyes said, “Hmph, Sir Yang, how important do you think you are, for you to make our Young Master wait for a full hour!”
“Oh, I’m really sorry for making you wait that long!” Yang Ling looked sincerely at Triangle Eyes. “Some time ago, the barbarians sent me a wolf that barked non-stop, buzzing around all day like a fly. In my anger, I pulled out its tongue. That’s why it took me some time, please forgive me!”
A wolf that buzzed like a fly?
Hearing Yang Ling spouting nonsense, then looking at triangle-eyes, Casey and the rest wanted to laugh. However, they didn’t dare to laugh out loud, and their faces turned red from holding it in. As for Triangle Eyes, who had threatened Yang Ling, his body trembled in anger. He had wanted to shout at Yang Ling, but he could only keep his mouth shut after the pale Steve glared at him.
After a cold grunt, Steve said icily, “Sir Yang, I have long heard that you are extraordinary in terms of talents and looks. It looks like that is not wrong!”
“Sir Leader, you overestimate me. Compared to you, I wouldn’t be able to catch up even if I was on a horse!” Yang Ling shook his head. “Sir, you are the leader of an entire land at such a young age, while I can’t even fill my stomach. What a failure, a failure!”
Can’t even fill his stomach?
Looking at the amused Yang Ling, Steve had a cold glint in his eyes. He let out a grunt, knowing that he had encountered a troublesome opponent. But no matter what, since he had led a large group of warriors here today, he had to deal some damage to Yang Ling.
Steve closely observed the warriors behind Yang Ling. At the same time, even though Yang Ling’s expression remained unchanged, he was secretly considering the other party’s motivations for visiting him. The intelligence he had stated that this so-called leader was the youngest son of the Banto Empire’s minister of finance. He was arrogant and overbearing even in the capital because of his family background. It looked like the intelligence reports were correct!
To impose huge taxes and be this arrogant and violent, either he was exceptionally powerful, he did not hold any regard for anyone, or his brain had been kicked by a donkey!
Every person had their shortcomings. What Yang Ling needed was a general understanding of the other party’s personality, so he would know how to deal with his opposition in the future! When facing such a powerful enemy, some of the creatures in nature would feign death to avoid the crisis; similar to this, in the face of such a powerful enemy, laying low and preserving one’s strength while searching for a chance to counterattack was the best course of action.
After a moment’s deliberation, Steve decided he needed to find out more about Yang Ling. Even though he was confident that the three thousand Black Armor Guards he brought could level Yang Ling’s castle, he had to be wary of the family backing Yang Ling.
“Sir, you have such powerful abilities despite your young age. Might I ask which family you are from? If the noble ladies of the capital knew of such a man with both talent and looks, they would definitely flock to you. What if I introduce you to a few first?”
Over the weeks, Steve had spent a great deal of effort investigating Yang Ling’s background. He had learned that Yang Ling belonged to a rich noble family, and that he had a Magical Beast army and a large following.
And that was it. Steve knew nothing else about Yang Ling. It was as if Yang Ling had emerged from a rock. There was no way of obtaining clues about his background.
Steve did not care much about Yang Ling’s personal guards and Magical Beast army. If he wanted to, he could send the best assassin in the continent to silently dispose of Yang Ling. What he cared about was the family backing Yang Ling. The rumors in Wissen Town and the fact that Yang Ling could spend a large number of crystal coins to set up Shangri-La and the dwarf weapon shop both said that his background was not simple.
Framing, assassination, poisoning… Even though there were ten thousand ways to kill Yang Ling, Steve was not willing to act rashly. Even though Wissen Town was important, it was not comparable to the roots his family had within the Banto Empire. He was not willing to risk starting a blood feud with a powerful family. That would create a great deal of trouble for his family and himself.
“Sigh, please do not laugh if I say this. There have been floods all year round in my hometown, and my family is so poor that we do not have anything in our home. That was the reason I accidentally wandered into Wissen Town: to make a living!” Knowing that Steve was digging for information, Yang Ling responded with mock embarrassment.
Yang Ling did not dare let his guard down. Even though Steve was arrogant due to his exceptional abilities, he was definitely not a fool. Yang Ling could not reveal any information. Otherwise, he would definitely be asking for death! At this point in time, the fake family backing him was his greatest trump card.
Indeed, the more Yang Ling spouted nonsense, the more people believed that he came from a family with incredible power. Steve was no exception. Even though he had a deep hatred for Yang Ling, he did not dare to directly spark a conflict with him for the time being. The unknown enemy was the scariest. If Yang Ling was a commoner or any ordinary noble, Steve would have leveled Wissen Castle long ago.
In order to find out more about Yang Ling’s background, Steve started talking about anything he could think of. From Wissen Town’s geographical location to the fabled mermaids, from why the flowers were so red to the first snow Wissen Town had seen that year. He even quickly became friendly with Yang Ling, calling him his brother. But despite all his effort, Yang Ling revealed nothing about his background. Steve subsided into frustrated silence.
He’s even more crafty than a Germite Snow Rabbit…
As Yang Ling sat in calm silence, Steve clenched his teeth in anger. He had seen locust-like thieves, he had punished small merchants who had evaded their taxes, he had executed small officials who withheld information from him. But he had never seen a man as crafty as Yang Ling. But even though he was unable to fully understand Yang Ling’s background, the thought of giving up at this point in time made him feel indignant.
