Don't move, it's a robbery!

In the living room of the city lord's mansion, March and Santos were pushing and shoving something back and forth: a small gold bar, which, judging from its luster, should be of very high purity.

"What happened yesterday was my fault. I didn't explain things properly to Adel, and he misunderstood me. It's not that I have any grudges against you. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

"No! I can't accept it."

"No, please accept it!"

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony."

"Only if you accept it can my heart be at peace... eh?"

As soon as I entered the room, I saw this scene. My eyes were filled with disdain as I looked at March, but she seemed not to notice and continued to introduce the names of the people present to me.

"This is Mr. Santos, the owner and founder of the Mountain Flower Merchant Guild. He is also the one who wants to buy your armor. This is Mr. Adel, the manager of the Mountain Flower Merchant Guild and Mr. Santos's deputy."

"Mr. Santos, this is Mr. Robin Hood, and he is also the owner of those armors."

Santosen? Shanzha Flower Merchants Group?

I was so focused on dealing with the Asari that I completely forgot about this guy. Wasn't he the one who killed Mrs. Mary at the orphanage his bodyguard?

The reason the guard went to the orphanage was probably because this guy sent him. In other words, Mr. Santosen had a conflict with Lars's spy, and the root of the conflict was very likely the letter that failed to be delivered.

If Tina represents the Lars faction, and the Asari people from yesterday represent the Asari faction, and they came to Linde City to search for treasures related to the hero, then which faction does this Mr. Santorsen represent?

Why did you come to see me today?

Upon seeing me, the merchant named Santos immediately stood up from his seat. I could hear his heartbeat seemed to quicken considerably, but his expression remained a faint smile.

"Hello, I heard your legend when I was still in the city-state of Balbo. It is a great honor to have the opportunity to meet you now."

Look at his expression and posture. If I didn't know his true colors, I would definitely think he was just an ordinary, timid businessman!

While I acknowledge Santos's professionalism, I'm not prepared to test his acting skills against him.

I don't like beating around the bush. After all, I'm a bandit. When things get tough, I just need to be reckless. Thinking too much is bad for my brain and makes it hard to fall asleep at night.

"Mr. Santos, you know I'm just a bandit, so I'll be frank. You're not here today just to buy armor, are you?"

Santos's expression changed, but he quickly recovered and even laughed heartily.

"Hehe, that's true. But I didn't mean to hide it from you. In fact, I was planning to bring this up after I bought the armor, but since you've brought it up, I'll just say it directly."

"I came here today not only to purchase armor and apologize to the warriors of the Wind Chime, but also mainly to see you. If possible, I would like to express my apologies to you. What happened yesterday was just a small misunderstanding, and I hope to gain your understanding. If possible, I would also like to have the opportunity to cooperate with you."

I didn't expect this guy to start talking to me about cooperation right away, acting like he wasn't going to pretend anymore. I just don't know if he was testing me on purpose or if he had ulterior motives.

"Cooperation? How exactly will we cooperate?"

"Oh, we're willing to pay you a fee. You don't need to do anything extra, just don't touch the goods we brought."

goods?

I recalled Tina's interpretation of the secret letter: "Three days later, someone will be transporting a special treasure through the valley near Linde City."

That's pretty impressive! You guessed that I took the secret letter!

"Oh, so that's what you're talking about. I see. It's certainly a good collaboration. But I have a question, and I wonder if Mr. Santos could answer it for me?"

"What's the problem? Please tell me."

"If, and I mean if, I'm actually interested in your goods and therefore don't accept your offer, how do you plan to resolve that?"

Santos's expression was rather grim. He hesitated for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

"However, those goods are actually of little use to you. Although they are indeed very valuable, there are not many people who can afford them. Instead of selling them at a low price, you might as well accept the payment I offer. I can guarantee that you will not suffer any losses."

"Of course, if you are really interested in my goods, I have no choice but to accept it. After all, I am just an ordinary merchant, how could I possibly have the courage to compete with a legendary figure like you?"

"I've already witnessed your methods on my way here."

I nodded. It seemed that Santosen's men weren't many formidable figures. He was worried he couldn't handle me, so he was trying to win me over to his side.

"Okay, I agree. You're basically giving me money for free, so I have no reason to refuse, right?"

Santossen smiled with satisfaction. I had expected him to give me a large bag of gold coins, but he simply reached into his pocket and pulled out a very small bag.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, Santos opened the bag, revealing the dazzling gems inside.

It's very beautiful and looks quite valuable.

After I accepted the gems, Santorsen chatted with me for a while longer before paying for the armor. This guy was incredibly honest; he paid half the price the blacksmith charged.

Since he didn't have that many gold coins, he simply stacked more than ten gold bars, each weighing over ten pounds, on the table. This extravagant act left March and me speechless.

It's decided! Anyway, there are no rich people left in Linde City, so I'm going to Balbo City-State next!

After delivering the money, Santosen left with his men. I divided the gold into three parts, pocketed two of them, and gave the remaining one to March.

This guy had been staring at those gold bars with his eyes practically glued to them.

"So much? Shouldn't I only have 1%?"

"It's not all for you. There's also the little one's share. Someone paid extra for helping find the murderer last time, so let's keep her money to repair the orphanage."

I shook the gem in my hand, feeling a mix of amazement and regret.

Are all the people in Balbo City-State so rich?

Why didn't you say so earlier! Why did I even come to Linde City? Wouldn't it have been more worthwhile to raid Balbo City-State?

Suddenly, I heard a strange sound, like a suppressed cry for help. I stood up abruptly and looked out the window, but found nothing unusual.

"March, did you hear that?"

"What?"

March was still basking in the joy of making a fortune and was clearly unaware of the changes in the outside world.

Seeing that she didn't react, I ran out of the living room by myself to see what had happened in the garden.

The city lord's mansion was quite large, with the garden taking up half of the area. When I ran to the place where the sound came from, all I saw was a gardening shovel lying on the ground and a patch of blood on the ground.

It seems someone has been kidnapped.

At this point, the only people probably using garden shovels in the garden are Zach and Reggie, and similarly, only the two of them are likely to be kidnapped silently.

So, did Tina infect them and make them easy to catch?

I was both amused and exasperated, and could only follow the trail.