Assassin’s Chronicle - Chapter 201

Sun jumped off the horizon and painted a golden sky. Suzanna quietly looked off into the distance, squinting. Anfey sat behind Suzanna and held her in his arms.

Suzanna tossed and turned the whole night and could not fall asleep. Later that night, she decided to get up and watch the stars with Anfey. She could not forget about that mercenary group with seven mercenaries. They had chased her for over half a year. How could she forget about them?

From Gruce Principality to Ellisen Empire, from Ellisen Empire to Maho Empire, that mercenary group had closely chased after her breath by breath. To protect Shally, she had to experience many dangerous moments and finally hid in the magic beast forest.

Suzanna felt like she had a gigantic stone on her chest, and she could not breath as she recalled her past. That time was like hell to her. She took Shally with her and fought against the whole world. She did not have anyone to trust, to help her, not even the man who had grown up with her. On the face of it, he had looked like an attractive gentlemen, but he had stabbed her in the back.

Suzanna could not help touching her right side as she thought of him. That guy led her into a trap that the mercenary group set up. They ran to her like seven starving wolves from the dark and surrounded her. Suzanna had been shot in the right ribs by that elf. She still had the scar to show for it.

Anfey gently held Suzanna’s hair and gave it a hard sniff with his eyes closed. He thought the nice smell from women were from cosmetics, but Suzanna never used any. Niya used to recommend some fragrance powder to her, but Suzanna did not wear it. Where was the nice smell on her from? Anfey thought this question was worth pondering a little more.

Suzanna quietly turned her body half way and stared at Anfey’s face as he was thinking about the biological problem of how Suzanna could give off a nice smell without the help of cosmetics. Suzanna used to think she would neither believe anything and anyone nor have attachment to anything after experiencing so many lies, traps, and murders. She only wanted to raise Shally and take back what belonged to Shally. However, Anfey had come into her life. They quickly built a relationship and were bound for good or ill.

The first time Suzanna saw Anfey, she wanted to kill him so badly, especially when he hung her on the tree. She had wanted to rip Anfey apart. She thought she would get raped, but Anfey left without any reluctance and had no intention of staying around. The experiences that Suzanna had had shaped her own way of thinking. No man would let an easily caught lamb go, but she met one.

Was she not attractive? What did those men with greedy eyes mean then? Suzanna was confident about her appearance. Anfey had a bitter smile on his face to try to cover that fact he felt bad about Suzanna. Back then Suzanna subconsciously felt Anfey should be a trustworthy man as she watched him walking quickly away. Of course, Suzanna still thought Anfey was a bad guy, only with some moral standards.

As time went by, Suzanna learned more about Anfey and started to trust him more. Anfey had one big difference with the guy she grew up with. That guy liked to make beautiful promises and describe their happy life in the future. However, nice things were only created with his lips. Anfey rarely promised anything, but he did things for her.

Just as this time: even though Anfey told her all kinds of excuses for fighting hard with seven mercenaries, Suzanna knew it was because Anfey had noticed the hatred Suzanna felt towards them. Anfey used some excuses to attack the mercenary group for her. If it had been Susanna’s childhood friend, he would have said he did everything for Suzanna, even the real reason could have had nothing to do with her. He could do that without any shame. Anfey took revenge for her, but argued that it had nothing to do with her. There was a big difference in how they acted.

Suzanna suddenly thought Anfey as a hero. Suzanna would love to be with Anfey forever.

At that moment, Anfey was still thinking about the biological question of how Suzanna smelled nice without using fragrance power. The nice smell should be created by perspiration and skin oil. Diving deeper on this question, it seemed that some animals attracted the opposite sex by secreting hormones. Maybe human beings inherit this ability as well. Anfey suddenly realized he had not had sex for a long time.

Suzanna got upset after she saw Anfey zoned out as he played with her hair. This man rarely expressed himself. He never told her how much he liked her or where they were in their relationship. Women always wanted to know though.

Suzanna bit her lips and swung her hair at Anfey’s face on purpose. Anfey was shocked, but it made Suzanna laugh.

“Are you feeling better?” Anfey asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Suzanna nodded. Thinking about the old times had made her depressed, but she always felt better if she had Anfey with her. It had nothing to do with how powerful he was. She only wanted to have someone she could rely on.

“We have been sitting here half of the night. My butt started to hurt. Let’s go take some rest. We need travel tomorrow,” Anfey said.

“No.” Suzanna suddenly acted like a little kid. She leaned back and threw herself in Anfey’s arms again.

Anfey held her in his arms and suddenly remembered that he had not figured out the question he had before. An assassin without self-control was a failure. Anfey never had any problem with self-control. The princess from Shansa Empire was a beautiful girl, the best of the best, but Anfey was never aroused by her even when she flirted with him. It had been a habit for Anfey to always have self-control. He had fought the attraction from that princess by instinct.

Anfey liked Suzanna because she won his trust with her bravery and performance on the battlefield. There was a big difference between flirting with Suzanna and that princess. Anfey started to feel aroused having Suzanna in his arms. Suzanna seemed to feel the same way. She was getting more clingy and breathed a little heavier.

“Anfey!” Riska yelled. He sounded like someone striking a broken gong.

In fact, Riska’s low and coarse voice usually sounded pretty manly, but this time it sounded very shrill to Anfey and Suzanna. It really sounded similar to striking a broken gong.

“We are up here. What are you yelling about?” Anfey yelled harshly.

Suzanna quietly left Anfey’s arms. Everyone knew there were dating, but it was not appropriate to let others see them being too intimate.

“Huh?” Riska was shocked for a second. He was not so sure why Anfey was so upset. He instinctively looked around to try to think of something to talk about. “Anfey, Suzanna disappeared.”

“You disappeared!” Suzanna did not sound too happy either.

Riska suddenly realized his mistake. He cleared his throat a few times and broke a random branch from a tree. He aimlessly doodled on the ground. One was his bro and leader and the other was Anfey’s future wife. He had to take it, even though they were not too nice to him.

“Anfey, why have you not asked about my past?” Suzanna asked quietly as she tied up her hair.

“I am waiting for you to tell me.” Anfey moved closer to Suzanna and grabbed her soft hand.

“I won’t tell you if you don’t ask.” Suzanna was not too happy with his answer and rolled her eyes at Anfey. However, she did not take her hand from Anfey’s and just let him hold her.

Anfey smiled without arguing. He held Suzanna’s small waist with the other hand. He never wanted to tell others about his background and history, so he never bothered to ask anyone’s either.

“Anfey,” Suzanna murmured as she put her head on Anfey’s shoulder.

“Yes,” Anfey said.

“What do you wish for most?” Suzanna asked.

“A safe and happy life. Marry a girl named Suzanna.” Anfey did not like to express himself, but he still knew how to flirt.

“I hate you.” Suzanna slightly pushed Anfey away.

“I am still going to marry you even though you hate me.” Anfey nodded vigorously.

Suzanna sighed and said quietly, “It would not be easy for us to live a safe and happy life.”

“Why do you say that?” Anfey asked.

“Think about yourself.” Suzanna smiled. “You have pissed off Master swordsman Philip and Shansa Empire’s royal families. You even caught the princess of Shansa Empire. We have too many enemies.”

“Indeed, many enemies,” Anfey said proudly, “but they are nothing to me.”

“Seriously?” Suzanna looked at Anfey. She never remembered Anfey having this kind of look.

“Yes. Philip is just a coward. I sent him a challenge letter. He would not even take my challenge,” Anfey said.

“Challenge letter? When did you sent him the challenge letter? How come I never heard of it?” This was huge. Suzanna looked nervous.

“A long time ago,” Anfey said.

“What did you write in that challenge letter?” Suzanna got even more nervous when she saw Anfey’s serious look. Challenge letters were not casually sent out or accepted. Once the challenge letter was sent and accepted by both parties, nothing would get in the way of the fight proposed in the challenge letter. They had to come to the fight even if one of them was about to die from sickness. They would leave themselves a bad name for a long time if they did not come to the fight. Even they were too sick to walk, they had to crawl to the fight arena to fulfil their promise, otherwise they would disobey the holy rules of the challenge letter.

“I have challenged Philip to a fight in Blackwater City in twenty years. It was a deal between us,” Anfey said.

“You…” Suzanna did not know whether she should cry or laugh. She realized Anfey was just kidding with her.

“Finally!” Anfey said, looking at Moramatch in the distance.

After he attacked the Shansa army and fought with the mercenaries, he spent another two days in the forest. Shansa Empire must have realized they were not easy targets, and sending small teams would achieve nothing. The search ended and no one looked for trouble with them.

After making sure the Shansa soldiers had all left, Anfey, Suzanna, and Riska turned towards the northeast. They were all very worried about Moramatch. If Dardanibry really decided to go to Moramatch, those who were left there would be no match for an archmage. Even though the three of them would not be much help, but they had to return.

Anfey had long learned that fear solves nothing. What was coming would come no matter what. Sometimes, being fearless created opportunities. The most precious things he could have were courage and hope. Without those, he was as good as dead.

Furthermore, Anfey did not want to run forever, or else he would have stayed on the island. Choosing to leave with Saul and Ernest and becoming Saul’s student meant that he had responsibilities. Sometimes he did not have a choice. Anfey just wanted to be proud and not ashamed when he met Saul again.

Anfey always imagined the worst possible outcome when he made a plan, even though he knew that it would be an unlikely outcome. The Arch Druid Bruzuryano seemed like an important person. Judging from the way he spoke, he was in good relations with Saul. Slanbrea appeared friendly as well. As long as they were around, Dardanibry would not do anything.

Killing Anfey might not be a big event, but murdering all the residents of Moramatch would make headlines. Dardanibry was a court mage and should know very well how the act could impact him and Shansa Empire.

Even though Anfey knew it was unlikely that Dardanibry would attack Moramatch, he still felt relieved when he saw the town.

Suzanna walked besides Anfey and smiled sweetly when she heard him call Moramatch home.

“Riska, go check on the tunnel entrances,” Anfey said.

“Alright,” Riska said, raising into the air.

“Suzanna,” Anfey called quietly.

“Yes?”

“What do you think a home should look like?” Anfey said carefully. He wanted to know if Suzanna had a particular preference. This way, he could decorate a home according to Suzanna’s taste, and surprise her.

“A large, soft bed, a warm heart, a clean kitchen. That is all I want in a home,” Suzanna said.

“Kitchen? You know how to cook?”

“Of course I do,” Suzanna said proudly.

“I wish I could try your cooking sometimes,” Anfey said, smiling. “But, Suzanna, it seems like you are missing something in your home.”

“What is it?”

“Think,” Anfey said.

“Really, what is it that I’m missing?”

Anfey leaned over and whispered into her ear, “me.”

Suzanna blushed furiously and pushed him. “Who cares,” she said nervously.

“Oh, and another thing.”

“Shut up,” Suzanna said, jumping away from Anfey and covering her ears with her hands. “Shut up. Don’t you even dare. If you have nothing serious to say, don’t say it at all.”

“I am dead serious,” Anfey said. He looked at Suzanna, and kept his face as sincere as possible.

“What is it this time?” Suzanna frowned and asked.

“A kid, or a few kids,” Anfey said laughing. He ran down the hill. Every step he took he was stepping on a wind blade. For people who really wanted to perfect their skills, there were plenty of opportunities to practice in everyday life.

Suzanna looked at Anfey and smiled. If Anfey was still there, she would be embarrassed. Now that he wasn’t watching, there was nothing to hide. Anfey was right about what she wanted in a home.

“Why aren’t you chasing me?” Anfey stopped and asked. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“Why do you care?” Suzanna asked, lifting a brow.

“You looked like a fox that just ate a chicken,” Anfey said. “Ah, I see. You want kids too, don’t you?”

Suzanna thought that Anfey would try to run if she chased after him, and would not finish his sentence. Anfey, however, did not try to run. He just stood there and waited as Suzanna walked down to him. The two of them stared at each other, but neither moved. Some girls liked the little things, like hugs and kisses, while some were more introverted. Suzanna would usually be the latter. She would lash out only when she was too embarrassed. Now, as she was staring into Anfey’s eyes, she did not know what she should do.

Anfey raised his hand to her head. “Suzanna?” he murmured. He voice was deep and gentle, and made Suzanna’s heart flutter.

“What is it?” Suzanna asked.

“Your dream is also my dream. I will try my best to make it a reality.”

“What…” Suzanna widened her eyes, realizing what Anfey was implying. She reached over, embarrassed, and tried to grab his arm.

Anfey jumped back to avoid her advance. He jumped onto a wind blade that propelled himself a dozen feet away from her.

“Stay exactly where you are!” Suzanna called angrily. She summoned her combat power and chased after Anfey. Perhaps it was because she trusted Anfey too much, she allowed him to trick her time and time again.

The two of them ran into the town, and reached the back of the town in no time. This spooked Riska, who was checking the markers they left there before their departure.

“Did something happen?” he asked anxiously.

“Yes,” Anfey said.

“No! Riska, don’t listen to him,” Suzanna said, following Anfey.

“What?” Riska frowned and asked.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Riska sighed and shook his head. Then he turned around and returned to checking the markers.

“No one has been here, right?” Anfey asked. He had reminded Christian several times that they should leave the tunnels unless Anfey, Suzanna, and Riska returned. If the markers had disappeared, it must be that outsiders were there.

“It’s perfect,” Riska said, walking towards the tunnel entrance. “No one’s been here since we left.”

Anfey summoned his fire sword and followed Riska. The three of them quickly found the gate to the tunnels and knocked on the large metal door.

After a few moments, a quiet voice asked, “Who is it?” If the three of them weren’t standing still, they would have missed it.

“It’s us,” Anfey called.

“You guys are back!” Anfey recognized Christian’s voice. “Quickly! Open the doors. Feller, go tell everyone. They’re back!”

The door opened slowly, accompanied by a cacophony of chains rattling. After Anfey, Suzanna, and Riska walked through, the door closed slowly.

About a hundred feet away, Christian appeared from one of the side tunnels. “Welcome back!” he said happily. His voice was very high, and he was walking very fast, with his arms out. Christian was normally a reserved and quiet person, and did not easily let his emotions show through. His actions now proved that he was overjoyed.

Anfey walked over with a smile and embraced Christian. He looked at Christian and said, “You are so pale. You look like a proper toy boy now.”

Christian shook his head and said, “If you lived here, you would be too.”

“How is everyone? Is everything alright?”

“Everyone is good. Let’s go back and talk. Oh, and Black Eleven is back.”

“He’s back? I thought he had stayed in White Mountain City,” Anfey said, surprised. Bruzuryano had told them that Black Eleven was attacked on the way to White Mountain City and suffered serious injuries. He had survived, but Anfey expected him to stay in the city until he was in better condition to travel.

“If it wasn’t for the High Priest of Light, Slanbrea, he would still be in bed,” Christian said. “He’s worried about you guys, but he’s also worried about us. So he came back after just two days of rest. Come on, everyone will be so happy that you guys are back.”

After turning the corner in the tunnel, Blavi and few others waited in the underground city. The important people in the legion were all there, no one was missing. Niya stood in the front with a smile. Black Eleven was with them with crutches. He looked like he could not move easily.

“Anfey, are we good? Can we go out now?” Niya yelled when Anfey was still seven or eight yards away. Niya cared the most whether she could go out. It was torture for her to hide in the dark underground. She dreamed of running out and sunbathing.

“What are you rushing for? Just wait for another two days.” Anfey laid his eyes on Black Eleven. “How is your wound?”

“I am fine.” Black Eleven smiled and patted his chest hard to show he was doing well.

“Huh, I have not finished yet,” Niya hurriedly interrupted. “Anfey, did you bring us any gifts?”

“Gifts…” Anfey thought a little bit and took out an item from his Dimensional ring and passed it to Niya.

“What is it? Smells great!” Niya looked at the little stone in curiosity. This stone gave out a nice fragrance to make people feel good. It smelled like thousands of flowers.

Anfey scanned the room and laid his eyes on a stranger. He was shocked to see a stranger, “This is…”

“This is my companion. He brought you two good news. We will talk about it later,” Black Eleven said in a secretive manner.

“Hello,” The stranger nodded at Anfey with a smile.

“Hello,” Anfey responded.

“It is not fair. Why did only Niya get a gift, but we do not get any gift?” Hagan yelled.

“Oh, right, I got a short bow from an elf, but I could not pull the bowstring apart. What do you think?” Anfey turned his hand and there was a green short bow in his hand.

Hagan’s attention was totally drawn to it. He took over the short bow and looked at it for awhile. “This is a contract bow. Only its owner can use it. Of course, you can not pull it apart.”

“Can you take the contract off the bow?” Anfey asked.

“I cannot tell you now. Let me do some research on it. Can I have it for now?” Hagan looked up. “Do you have anything else good?”

“I have a gigantic shield.” Anfey took out a gigantic shield from his Dimensional ring and tossed it on the floor. “I have other some small things. They are with Riska.”

“Huh? What is this made of?” Hagan squatted and knocked on the shield in curiosity to see its texture.

Anfey scanned the other side of the crowd and saw a lonely figure in the corner. She looked helpless and cold. She did not fit in with this happy crowd. He was unsure whether she had abandoned the world or the world had abandoned her.

Anfey felt bad for her. The figure was very similar to one side of Anfey that he hid so well in himself. Anfey used to feel as lonely and isolated by the world as she did. He heaved a slight sigh and walked slowly to her. “Hey, you came too.”

“Yes,” Alice said casually.

“This is your gift.” Anfey took out another piece of the stone that could give out nice fragrance.

“Thank you,” Alice said.

“You are welcome.” Anfey blinked. He felt he had nothing else to say. Actually he did not have anything to talk about with this princess from Shansa Empire. “Ok, I need to go over there first.”

“Sure,” Alice said.

As Anfey was about to leave, Niya came over and asked, “Anfey, what did you say to that bitch?”

“Nothing, I just greeted her.” Anfey was actually explaining to Suzanna standing behind Niya.

“How did you greet her?” Niya seemed ready to asked about every detail.

“Ok, Niya, let’s talk over there. Let these guys catch up,” Suzanna said, smiling at Anfey. She tried to grab Niya away. “Niya, where is Shally? Why is she not here?”

“She had a headache last night and did not sleep at all. She is sleeping soundly now, so I did not wake her up,” Niya said.

“Is Shally sick?” Suzanna’s face suddenly changed. “Come on, take me to see her.”

“She is ok now.” Niya smiled. “Look at you. Your face has changed. Stop acting like a kid.”

Anfey did not know if he should laugh or cry when he heard what Niya said. He thought to himself, “In the whole legion, Niya is the one acting like a kid the most. Birds of a feather flock together. You hang out all the time with little Shally. How dare you pretend to be the mature one?”

“Huh, right.” Niya suddenly yelled, “Anfey, go look at the little guy. The little guy is so sick.”

“Little guy?” Anfey did not realize who the little guy was immediately.

“Yes, Hui Wei said unicorns could not live in the underground too long. They could die from it. You should take a look at the little guy now,” Niya yelled.

“What exactly happened?” Anfey asked as he stared at Hui Wei.

“Anfey, just as people cannot live without water and food, unicorns cannot live without moonlight and sunlight. If the little unicorn could not get any sunlight, he would die,” Hui Wei said slowly.

“I have planned to ask Christian to take the little guy outside, and I will take over tomorrow during the day. You told us not to go out when you left, but we could not wait and see the little guy dying in front of us. Now you finally came back: You decide whether we can take the little unicorn out,” Blavi said.

“Where is the little guy?” Anfey asked with a worryied tone.

Anfey felt worried. It might be because he took the Tear of Stars. The little unicorn was not just a magic beast for Anfey. The little unicorn was more like Anfey’s kid. How could he not get worried when he heard the little guy was about to die. He wanted to blame Christian for not being flexible, but he kept his mouth shut. He did give the order to stay in the underground, and Christian just strictly followed it.

“Let’s go. I will show you the way.” Niya trotted ahead before Anfey could say anything. Everyone had different power abilities, but they were all part of the legion family to Anfey. However, Niya felt that she only had two friends, Shally and the little guy. Besides Anfey, she felt the worst about the little guy.

As they walked to the end of the tunnel, Niya rushed to open a stone chamber door. Anfey rushed in and saw the little guy lying on his stomach on some dry grass on the floor. The stone chamber was very bright. Christian took almost all the everlasting lights to this stone chamber. However, everlasting lights did not seem to work for the little guy. When the little guy saw Anfey, he moaned loudly and he tried to stand up. However, he was so weak that he could not hold himself.

“Uh!” Niya had tears in her eyes. She rushed over and held the little guy in her arms.

“Christian, can you open the door. Let’s go out now,” Anfey said in a worrying tone.

“Ok.” Christian immediately turned around and walked out of the stone chamber.

Suddenly, without knowing what substance had caused the little guy to struggle, he jerked hard in Niya’s arms. He had been so weak, but now he even bit Niya’s hand.

“What are you doing? Are you going to eat me?” Niya screamed in surprise. Her imagination was great.

Hui Wei, standing at the door, suddenly thought of something. As Niya pulled her hand out, he saw something shining. That was the gift Anfey gave her, and she had not had time to put it away and held it in her hand. Did the little unicorn want that little stone?

“Niya, give the gift Anfey gave you to the little guy,” Hui Wei said urgently.

“What?” Niya was shocked for a second and opened her palm. The little guy bit the stone immediately. He leaned his head back and swallowed the stone.

“Do not eat it. You will have stomachache.” Niya got worried.

“He will be fine.” Hui Wei had a smile on his face. “Anfey, did you get those stones from a gigantic butterfly?”

“How did you know?” Riska stared, wide-eyed.

“This is the power of knowledge.” Hui Wei had a confident smile on his face and stuck his chest out.

“Stop it.” Anfey slapped Hui Wei hard on his back. Hui Wei’s confidence seemed to be patted away. “Tell me, what happened?” Anfey asked.

“How many stones do you have?” Hui Wei asked with a bitter smile.

“Many,” Anfey said.

“Take them all out and give the little guy a good meal, and then take him to get some sun. Stay overnight there. Tomorrow at this time, the little guy should be fine,” Hui Wei said.

“Really?” Anfey asked.

“Of course. Why would I joke about it?” Hui Wei said.

Anfey took all the stones out without any hesitation. This little guy did not have much energy, but he ate quickly. He had dozens of stones in a few bites.

“Hui Wei, tell us what happened,” Riska asked.

“You guys saw an Angel Butterfly. This kind of butterfly was not very useful, but there were very few of them. Do you know the perfume Dream Elf? It was made from this kind of stone,” Hui Wei said.

“Huh, I thought I smelled something like this before. I could not think what it was right away,” Niya said.

“Hui Wei, is the little guy really going to be fine?” Anfey, wanting to confirm it, asked as he caressed the little guy’s head.

“Yes, but he needs moonlight and sunlight as well.” Hui Wei nodded.

The little guy gave a quiet moan. He took his front legs off Niya’s arms and held them towards Anfey. This looked too much like a human being. The little guy looked like a little kid wanting a hug. Anfey held out his hands and took the little guy from Niya. Niya did not look like she wanted the little guy to leave her arms.

The unicorn recovered significantly under the sunlight. It was lying next to Anfey, glancing at what was going on around it. Once it a while it would nudge Anfey’s arm, in case he had forgotten about it.

Suzanna sat next to Anfey, and Shally was leaning against her shoulder. The sisters hadn’t seen each other in days, and were very excited to be reunited. Suzanna wanted to stay with Anfey, but she also wanted to spend time with her sister, so she brought Shally along.

Niya was strolling and humming to herself. She had always been treated like a princess, and was not used to living in an underground tunnel. In the entire team, Niya was the only person that could make Anfey compromise. He had agreed to let her sleep somewhere she could see the moonlight and breathe the fresh air. Of course, he had agreed to let the others do the same, as well. He did not want to make the others feel like he was treating Niya better than anyone else. It would affect the team in a negative way.

Black Eleven walked over slowly with his colleague and nodded at Anfey and Suzanna.

Anfey smiled at them. The man with Black Eleven glanced at Suzanna, then turned to Anfey and said, “I need to discuss something important with you.”

“I’m taking Shally for a walk. You three talk,” Suzanna said. She was very aware that the stranger wanted her to leave.

“Let me introduce you,” Anfey said, taking Suzanna’s hand. “This is my fiancée, Suzanna. I trust her with everything. If you want to talk, I believe she has the right to hear it too.”

The man frowned and turned to Black Eleven.

Black Eleven nodded and shrugged. “Don’t worry,” he said with a smile.

“I apologize, madame,” the man said. It seemed like he understood how important Suzanna was. “As you may know, I am Armin’s colleague. People like us are required to follow our superior’s every order. My superior ordered me to speak with Anfey alone, and I hope you do not mind me following my orders.”

“It is fine, I understand,” Suzanna said, smiling. She wasn’t interested in what they had to say at all, but after Anfey had specifically requesting that she stay, she did not want to leave, either.

“You are very kind, my lady,” the man said. He turned to Anfey and said, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Apa, and, unlike Armin, who belongs to the Black faction, I belong to the Blood faction. His Majesty is a straightforward man who dislikes naming his people with pretentious names. I think someone as smart as you should be able to figure out how my duties differ from Armin’s.”

“Of course,” Anfey said. At first, Anfey did not like how Apa tried to get Suzanna away from the conversation. Now, seeing that he had handled the situation very well, Anfey could not bring himself to dislike him anymore. “You are a very talkative man,” Anfey said. “I am sure speaking with you is never boring.”

“Of course, of course,” Apa said with a smile. He knew Anfey wanted to get straight to the point. “I have two pieces of good news for you. One is perhaps more personal for you than the other. Which one would you like to hear about first?”

“I am a selfish man, Apa. I want to hear the one more personal to me.”

Apa nodded. Everyone was selfish, but there were very few people who would openly admit that. He decided to change his tone and make the conversation more lighthearted. “Madame, I have some good news for you,” he turned to Suzanna and said.

Suzanna blushed. This was the second time Apa had referred to her as madame, and for an unmarried woman like Suzanna, it was strange to the ear. “Please just tell us the news, sir,” she said. She knew that she should not act naive, and she must be the one asking the questions.

“Your fiancé has received a large piece of land as a reward for his bravery. He will receive the Medal of Mars, handed out by His Majesty himself.” Apa turned his gaze to Anfey, observing his expression.

“Really?” Suzanna turned to Anfey and said, “Dear, did you hear that? I am so proud of you!” It was natural for a woman to be giving her lover compliments after receiving such good news, but Suzanna’s heart was pounding because it was the first time she had referred to Anfey as “dear” in front of others. It was what was expected of her, however, and she needed to play the part of a loving fiancée.

Anfey was smiling and trying to disguise his true feelings. No one could read anything from his face if he did not want them to. Judging from Black Eleven’s expression, however, Anfey already knew how important this honor was.

This honor, however, had too much underlying information. So much that Anfey was slightly panicking. Most importantly, Yolanthe expressed his gratitude towards Anfey and his companions with this honor. Anfey and the master swordsman Philip had a turbulent relationship, and this award would make Anfey a hero. Philip would have to be more careful.

If a master swordsman and some archmages attacked and destroyed a Griffin Aerial Squadron, they may succeed, and it would to be a surprise. If a small mercenary band attacked and destroyed the squadron, it would be considered a miracle. Anfey used this as a message to Yolanthe, showing that he was willing to work for Maho Empire.

Yolanthe clearly understood what he was trying to convey. This was a huge award, but Anfey knew that he was not completely safe yet.

“Tell me the second one,” Anfey said.

Seeing that there was no change in his expression, Apa shook his head disappointingly. He quickly changed his attitude, however, and said with a smile, “We won.”

“We won?”

“Yes. We’ve won the war,” Apa said. “Newyoheim, the leader of the Dark Moon Magic Legion, used a forbidden spell. However, Archmage Saul took the opportunity and used the Great Dimensional Sweep, disrupting the elements and rendering the spell useless. Lord Baery seized the chance and attacked the legion, forcing them into a surrender.”

“Master defeated Newyoheim? Does that mean he is more powerful, then?”

“No, it is purely because of luck. I am not doubting Archmage Saul’s power, of course,” Apa said with a smile. “As far as I know, Lord Baery, Philip, and Ernest were all involved in the battle. Newyoheim is the most powerful archmage, but there is no fairness in war.”

“Was Newyoheim captured?”

“No, unfortunately. They had a temporary transmission portal, and everyone over the rank of captain was transported elsewhere,” Apa said with a sigh. “As you know, people like Newyoheim have thousands of ways to save themselves. It is almost impossible to capture them alive.”

“They have surrendered. Did you accept the surrender?”

“Of course.”

“His Majesty had given up those lands to defeat that legion. If it was me, I would not have accepted that.”

Apa and Black Eleven glanced at each other. “There are people you cannot kill, you know,” Apa said. “No one would want to destroy a treasure trove.”

“What do you mean?”

“Take Lord Baery’s Roaring Death Legion, for example. There are hundreds of noncombatant workers, mostly scribes. They are scions of nobles houses sent to the army.”

“To gain experience.”

“Yes,” Apa said with a smile. “There are hundreds of people like that in Dark Moon Magic Legion. They can trade for a fortune. As for the real mages, they will be sent to quarries as workers after their magic has been banished. Our diplomats will prolong the process of negotiation. The mages won’t last long in places like quarries. As you know, mages are typically not physically fit. The other slaves will try to make their lives as difficult as possible, as well. They are doomed.”

“Which means, Dark Moon Magic Legion is practically nonexistent,” Black Eleven said with a smile.

“Does everyone know about it?” Anfey asked slowly. He had some concerns. Maho Empire had won a big military victory, which was big news for them. Everyone was happy about getting reunited. If they had known about the victory, they would have been exhilarated about it.

“They do not know about it yet,” Apa said, shaking his head.

“The king asked me to let you know it first, and you can decide whether to tell others.” Apa smiled. He recalled the words Yolanthe told him. Of course, he would not tell Anfey the exact words.

“I do not get it,” Anfey said. “It would only take at most one month to clean up the battlefield and the deal with the aftereffects of the war. That means the second prince of Maho Empire and Master Saul would come back to Sacred City in two months”

Anfey suddenly realized they could go home if Saul was going home. This was definitely a good thing, but it meant Alibaba mercenary group would be dismissed. For various reasons, they all needed to go back to Sacred City. However, it was still unknown if they could come back to the underground city. There was still something he did not get, especially what Yolanthe was trying to hint to him.

“Can I ask where exactly my estate is?” Anfey asked.

“I knew you would ask. I brought the map with me.” Apa took out a scroll from his shirt with a smile and unrolled it. The remaining sunset had dyed the sky a golden color. “Violet City is here. Congratulations. Violet City is a wealthy city. Although your nobility title did not change, your estate is as big as a duke’s.”

“Here is…?” Anfey asked.

“This is Blackania City,” Apa answered.

After a bit of thought, Anfey finally realized what Yolanthe was trying to hint to him. Violet City and Blackania City were next to each other on Maho Empire’s border. It was not only a military center, but also a commercial center. Shansa Empire attacked Maho Empire through a different country, which caused a lot of damage to Maho Empire. It messed up Yolanthe’s badly. By that time, Yolanthe had switched his attention to the Country of Mercenaries. Thinking about the locations of Moramatch, Hengduan Valley, and Violet City on the other side of Hengduan Valley, Anfey believed that Yolanthe hoped Anfey could maintain his Alibaba mercenary group, since he could help Yolanthe get into the Country of Mercenaries.

“I heard the Empire lost most of the eastern area and only controlled Blackania City now. Did Violet City have a lot of damage?” Anfey asked slowly.

“I am not sure about it,” Apa said, shaking his head.

Anfey went quiet. He knew it was hard to understand what was on the king’s mind. The reason he finally got what Yolanthe was thinking was due to his street smarts. People with power had much experience fighting for political power. They were far better than Anfey in that sense. He might beat Yolanthe in a physical fight, but even if Anfey were a king, he could be played by Yolanthe.

Anfey wanted neither to turn Yolanthe down, nor bargain with him, especially when he had nothing to bargain with. The only thing he could do was to do better with what he had.

“Black Eleven, can you tell everyone this news?” Anfey asked in a low voice.

“Sure.” Black Eleven nodded.

“I need to leave now that I have passed the information to you,” Apa said with a smile.

Watching Black Eleven and Apa walking away, Anfey was quiet for a while and said, “Suzanna, if I…”

“No matter where you go, I will go with you,” Suzanna said gently but firmly. She sounded like she was promising Anfey something.

It’s said that a couple could communicate without words if they were in love. It looked like that had happened between Anfey and Suzanna. Suzanna seemed to know what Anfey was trying to tell her before he could finish his words.

Anfey nodded hard. No matter what he was going to say did not seem enough. All he could do now was to hold Suzanna’s hands tight.

Soon a group of people screamed and rushed out of Moramath. The people outside the town were startled by what they saw. Half way up the hill, Niya had been singing a folksong and waving the hem of her dress. She stood shocked and froze in place. She had no idea why people went nuts at the foot of the hill.

The happy crowd surrounded the people outside the town in the blink of an eye. Then they rushed up the hill. Niya learned from different conversations about what had happened and cheered with the crowd. Niya had been through such a tough time. Home is the most warming and comfortable place, and no other place could compare. She lost herself in such joy that she even held her arms out and hugged Christian. Christian looked like he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Anfey watched the crowd joyfully. He thought Yolanthe did very well to win people’s hearts. It would not be a bad choice to work for a king like him.

The cheerful crowd moved up to the top of the hill. They did not care if Anfey knew about the victory. They only wanted to pass their joy to everyone around them. Niya started to yell from the distance, “Anfey, we won! We can go home now.”

Anfey slowly stood up and wore a smile on his face. In fact, he did not want to look like he could not fit into the happy crowd, but smiling was all he could do. He rarely lost himself since he was a little kid as far back as he could remember. No matter where he was, he would at least keep himself sort of calm. He would never be able to scream, laugh out, and cheer.

Suzanna looked calm as well. The victory of Maho Empire had nothing to do with her. She only wanted everything to go well with Anfey and everyone in the legion.

As it was getting dark, there were bonfires along the hill and on the top of the hill. No one seemed sleepy and just gathered around the bonfires, talking.

Many legions in history were able to win people over and worked together for their shared aims in difficult times. However, they would have different ideas in peaceful times. This was human nature. They would not simply achieve harmony as people wished.

Anfey held Suzanna’s hand and they walked together. Anfey overheard people talking here and there. Some people said they had better go to the Forest of Death to hunt some magic beasts to make some gold coins before they went back. These people should be regular civilians.

Others said they would definitely go back right away. They thought they had contributed so much for the country that Philip would not dare to do anything to them. In addition, their master was coming back soon. Niya was one of them.

Still others thought it was fun and exciting to be a mercenary. They felt the Country of Mercenaries was a good place to get experience. They wanted to go back to the Country of Mercenaries after they went back to see their master.

One group said their lives were not stable. They could not do any deep research since they had no magic labs. They hoped to continue their practice under their master’s instruction when they went back.

Anfey had been quietly listening to their discussions. He was neither a politician nor a military master, but he knew the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities as they presented themselves. He would put himself in a bad situation if he could not take the opportunities. The reason he could take everyone here and have them listen to him was because of the huge threat from Philip. The fact that survival was the priority for everyone at that time was the “opportunity.” Now, everyone wanting to go back to Maho Empire was also an opportunity.

Having different ideas was normal. In philosophy, people want to look for reasons to unite with different voices, since each individual had their own ideas.

“Anfey,” Christian’s voice rose. “Suzanna, do you want to go back with us?”

“Of course,” Anfey answered for Suzanna. “She will go anywhere I go.”

Suzanna blushed and pushed Anfey for saying it. Anfey fell on his butt with the momentum from the Suzanna’s push. “Come, Christian, let’s talk.”

“Sure, what do you want to talk about?” Christian sat across from Anfey with a smile.

“Feller, can you guys leave for a second?” Anfey asked.

“Yes.” Feller stood up and patted the dirt off from his butt. He took his whole gang with him and left Christian and Anfey alone there.

“We finally can go home. Isn’t it exciting?” Anfey said in a casual tone.

“Of course, how about you? Are you excited?” Christian asked.

“We are in similar situations, Christian. We have come out for a long time. I think your parents must worry about you. Did you contact them?” Anfey asked.

“Anfey, don’t beat around the bush; just get to the point. Do you want to ask me where my family is and what my parents do?” Christian smiled. He was a gentle and humble guy, but it did not mean he did not get what Anfey was trying to do to him.

“Can I say something?” Anfey looked at Christian curiously.

“Sure. My family…hmm. My father is a businessman,” Christian said.

“He is running a business? What kind of business?” Anfey was shocked for a second, since what he guessed was quite different from what Christian told him. However, he knew Christian would rather dodge his question than lie to him.

“Business. This word is interesting.” Christian thought for a moment and said, “A huge business.”

“I did not know about it, Christian,” Suzanna said in surprise. “Is your family well-known?”

“Yes, my family is indeed pretty well-known,” Christian said.

Christian had not told them the name of his family, which usually stopped people from continuing the questions. However, Anfey became even more blunt, “What is your father’s name?”

Christian could not help smiling bitterly. He tried, but nothing came out of his mouth.

“Never mind, let me ask you a different question. How big is your family business?” Anfey asked.

“Huge, unimaginably huge.”

“I got it.” Anfey smiled. What is the largest business in the world? It was not a difficult question. It seemed that his guessing was right.

In the days that followed, everyone was very relaxed. Black Eleven’s men had discovered that Shansa Empire had panicked after learning of Ellisen Empire’s defeat. The overall power of Maho Empire was very strong. It had been fighting Ellisen Empire to the north and Shansa Empire to the south. If it could combine the two forces, Maho Empire’s army would be very terrifying.

In order to protect themselves, Shansa Empire had ordered all of its troops to retreat from Maho Empire immediately.

General Miorich and the commanders at Blackania City began to execute their plans to end the siege. The army there would began to shift from a defensive strategy to an offensive one. They wanted to eliminate as many enemy soldiers as possible, and take the enemy supply lines. Yolanthe had agreed to the plan, but after the news of that reached Blackania City, the Shansa soldiers had already all retreated. The supplies had been left where they were. Normally, unused supplies should be destroyed during a retreat. Perhaps because they wanted to surprise the Maho soldiers, the Shansa army did not destroy or take any of the supplies with them.

Miorich was full of regret. Half of the mages under his command were dead at that point, and he had ordered an end to scouting missions to ensure the safety of the remaining mages. His job was to secure the city, and he was not planning on attacking the Shansa army. Blackania City was very large, and it would take at least eighty mages to watch the entire city with Eyes of the Sky. These mages would be practically useless in combat because of their magic depletion.

Shansa Empire did not care for Anfey and his crew. There were armies marching through the Transverse Mountain, but no one tried to look for trouble at Moramatch. Shansa Empire would seek retribution, but now was not the time.

Interestingly, after Maho Empire’s war was over, the situation in Country of Mercenaries became very tense. The four major mercenary groups had been trying to ally themselves with weaker mercenary groups and trying to find more partners. They seemed to think a country with four leaders was too chaotic, and all four were determined to be the sole leader of the nation. None of the mercenaries had discernible advantages over another, and only time could tell who would become the sole leader of the Country of Mercenaries.

After he had gotten recognition and trust from Yolanthe, Anfey did not try to bother the Shansa army. It was not like his small mercenary band could really make a difference. It was the wiser choice to just observe from a distance.

The others were relaxed, but not Anfey. Ever since he came of age, he had not had a normal day. He was always fighting for something. When he was on the island, he had to train for hours on end to stay alive. Things had not changed much now. He could not relax as long as there was a threat.

The unicorn became more clingy, perhaps even more than Suzanna. When Anfey was meditating, it would sit and watch him. When he went on a walk, it would stay very close to him. When Anfey was sleeping, it had to sleep next to him. Even though Niya, Shally, and Suzanna tried to convince the unicorn to play with them, it would ignore them and stay stubbornly by Anfey’s side.

There was one time the unicorn was lying on his chest, trying to eat the leaf hanging from his neck. After a few minutes of futile work, the unicorn lied down again, disappointed. Anfey realized it must have felt the leaf’s power, and that was the reason the unicorn was following him.

As Anfey sat under a tree, Christian walked over with Black Eleven. Anfey was reading a book on magic. In order to succeed, he must combine theory and practice, especially when his path was so unusual.

“Anfey,” Christian called.

“What is it?”

“The prince and Master Saul are heading back to the city,” Christian said softly.

“You’re saying we are free to return, as well?”

Christian nodded.

“I’m worried,” Anfey said with a sigh. “Who knows if Master Saul will blame me for getting everyone into trouble.” What he had done lately proved that he was hiding a lot of secrets, and he did not know how Saul would react if he found out.

“You are worried?” Christian asked with a chuckle. In his mind, Anfey was a considerate and controlled person who was not worried about anything. Everything he did, from killing those men at Saul’s place, to inducing chaos in White Mountain City, to attacking the aerial squadron, proved that he was very brave.

Anfey smiled but did not say anything. He was not afraid of threats, but he was afraid of retribution. He had always lived by a very simple set of rules. He would repay kindness with kindness. He treated people coldly because he could not afford any emotional entanglements.

“We should start getting ready,” Christian said, sitting down next to Anfey. “There are a lot of things to take care of.”

“What about Moramatch?” Black Eleven asked, sitting down on the other side of Anfey.

The unicorn lifted its head, unhappy that Black Eleven had blocked Anfey from its vision. It moved over and squeezed between the two, and lied down again.

“Are there people who want to stay?” Anfey asked. They could not give up Moramatch. He needed a foothold for Maho Empire’s future expansion into Country of Mercenaries.

Christian and Black Eleven fell silent at the question. It did not matter if people in the team wanted to return to the Sacred City. Who should they leave behind? Black Eleven had received an order from Yolanthe that requested him to accompany Anfey back to the Sacred City, so he could not volunteer to stay. The person who stayed must be able to handle troubles, should trouble arise.

“Why don’t you go back? I will stay,” Christian said slowly.

“No,” Anfey said immediately. He trusted Christian enough to leave him there, but he would also anger some very important people back in the Sacred City.

“I have a idea,” Black Eleven said suddenly.

“Who?”

“Do you remember the woman we saved from the slave holders?”

“We saved a lot of women from the slave holders. Which one are you talking about?” Christian asked.

“The prettiest one,” Anfey said. He knew immediately which one Black Eleven was talking about.

“I’ve talked to her a few times before. She doesn’t talk much, but she is a very sensible person.”

“When did you talk to her? You didn’t have ulterior motives, did you?” Anfey asked, smiling.

“I’m serious,” Black Eleven said, waving his hand. As a spy, he was almost as good as Anfey at controlling his desires, perhaps even better. He approached Alice because he was curious about her, and wanted to know more about Shansa Empire.

“Don’t you know? She is dangerous,” Anfey said slowly.

“Have you noticed? She never tries to initiate conversations, but she always smiles when other people try to talk to her. Have you ever seen her eat?”

“No,” Anfey said. “Why should I care?” Anfey was good at observing details, but not with Alice. Perhaps it was because Alice once tried to seduce him, he would try to stay away from her as much as possible. Even if she was sitting in front of him, he would intentionally ignore her. Therefore, he had never really observed her.

“She eats regularly, and every time she eats she is very careful. Sometimes the food was not ideal, and the others would not finish their meals. She, on the other hand, would finish every last bit,” Black Eleven said slowly. “She is very healthy. Normally, people in her position would sink into the pit of depression, but she hasn’t yet. She wants to live. She won’t seek death.”

Anfey frowned and tried to recall his interactions with Alice. “You’re right,” he said, nodding.

“She won’t able to return to her homeland again. Being a slave was a shameful thing, and she would be a joke if she ever returns,” Black Eleven said. “Anfey, she is homeless. It shouldn’t be hard to get her to do as we wish.”

“What if…” Anfey said, still hesitant.

“I can leave some of my men here,” Black Eleven said. “To protect and keep an eye on her. If she attempts to do something, my men will take care of it. Trust me when I say she wants to live. She won’t try to do anything. In the end, she is one person, and even if she does try to do something, she can’t cause that much harm.”

“Let me think about,” Anfey said.

“I think you should go talk to her,” Black Eleven said with a smile.

“Me?” Anfey blinked and asked.

Everybody started to work after the decision was made. Even if a family needed to move, they had so much to pack. A legion with hundreds of people would have much more to do. In addition, they had captured many treasures from the war. When everything added up, they just had so much stuff. Feller was the busiest among them. He was in charge of logistics, so he had to run around to categorize stuff into important, useful, and not important for right now. He did not want to designate his authority to gnomes and dwarves. Dwarves could be trustworthy, but gnomes were cheap and liked to steal things if the opportunity presented itself.

“Can you be in charge when I am gone? Black Eleven and his crew are good with fighting, but they cannot look at issues from different angles. I hope you can help them if something happens. I am just worried they will make trouble,” Anfey said slowly.

“Can I really give them commands? Are they going to listen to me?” Alice looked cold.

“Of course”, Anfey said.

Alice went quiet. She did not want to argue with Anfey. Anfey seemed confident, but she knew well that they would not listen to her because of who she was. To be more frank, she did not believe what Anfey said. She was not totally sold on it.

“We also have some hired mercenaries. They could die for the money. I was worried that they would make mistakes. Can you watch them?” Anfey was in thought for a while. “I will leave you some gold coins. If something happens, you can use gold coins to ask those mercenaries to work for you.”

“Are you leaving those gold coins to me?” Alice asked.

“No, Linfu will hold the gold coins. Whenever you need them, you can ask Linfu. I will introduce you to him in a little bit,” Anfey said.

“I see.” Alice smiled.

Anfey looked a little awkward. There was saying that one should trust a person in a high position. Anfey wanted Alice to work for him but did not give her any real authority or resources. He could not cover the fact that he did not trust her. He knew there was more to it when Alice said “I see.” Anfey felt he had to be careful with Alice. If Alice decided to use all the gold coins Anfey left her to hire those mercenaries, no one would know what would happen. There were good odds there could be internal conflicts in Moramatch.

“If there is anything you cannot handle, retreat to the underground city. Do not fight with them. Wait for us to come back,” Anfey said.

“You look like you really care about me,” Alice said.

“Of course, I care about you. I care about everyone in our legion.” Anfey looked serious, as if he was giving a speech at a press conference. He tried not to say anything that could make Alice have second thoughts.

“Thank you. You are so kind. It was a loss for the church that you could not join the Church of Light,” Alice said.

“I am flattered,” Anfey answered, a bit awkwardly.

“I heard you have wiped out a Griffin Aerial Unit,” Alice said.

“Where did you hear about that?” Anfey asked.

“Everybody seemed happy for the past few days and they gathered and talked. I overheard their conversations.” Alice looked off into the distance. “I also heard you are going to receive a Medal of Mars and an estate from Yolanthe. Is it true?”

“Yes”, Anfey said.

“Violet City is a beautiful and elegant city. It looks like King Yolanthe likes you a lot,” Alice said.

“Hehehe, I have to say I am lucky,” Anfey said.

“Many things have nothing to do with luck. You were so brave to take your crew to attack Griffin Aerial Unit. It has proved that you were certain you could win that battle. Everyone knows that how dangerous it can be to attack a Griffin Aerial Unit unprepared. It is nothing different than committing suicide.”

“In fact, a Griffin Aerial Unit is not as powerful as you think. It may be because you have lived in Shansa Empire for a long time and heard too many legends about them,” Anfey said.

“Really?” Alice shook her head with a smile. “Ok, I am not going to bother you more. Someone is going to get mad at me.”

Anfey followed Alice’s eyes and saw Niya dragging Suzanna over. Suzanna was telling her something with a smile.

Alice had left when Anfey turned around. She walked around to avoid meeting Niya and Suzanna. Obviously, she did not want to have any conflict with them. In the legion, Alice was not in an advantageous position. If she had conflicts with Niya, no one would be on her side, no matter whether they were arguing or got into a physical fight.

“Anfey, I did not know you are this kind of person,” Niya said, staring at Anfey angrily with her hands on her hips.

“What is wrong with me?” Anfey did not know if he should laugh or cry.

“Ok, Niya, Anfey only had something to tell her.” Suzanna tried to take Niya away.

“Don’t pull me, Suzanna. You are too weak. Don’t worry. I got you. No one can do anything to you.” Niya beat her chest loudly. She totally forgot how powerful Suzanna was on the battlefield, while she hid in the safest place.

“There are so many people in the legion. Why do you have to talk to that bitch? Tell me, Anfey,” Niya said.

Suzanna stuck her tongue out at Anfey with a helpless look. In fact she did not think it was a big deal when Anfey talked to Alice in private. Niya dragged her here. She was worried Niya was going to yell and cause a scene. She had to follow her. She was also concerned Anfey would get mad at Niya and hurt their relationship. She was in such a dilemma.

“Niya, everyone is going back to Maho Empire. We could not leave Moramatch here without anyone taking care of it. I talked to her to see if she could help,” Anfey explained.

“Why don’t you find someone else for it? Why did it have to be her?” Niya did not believe Anfey. Niya was very possessive, perhaps because she had been spoiled since she was little. When she was dating the second prince Granden, she would get super mad if Granden chatted and laughed with other girls. Now that Niya saw Anfey talking and laughing with Alice, she felt bad for Suzanna. She could not stand any playboy.

“Who else do you want me to talk with then?” Anfey asked.

“Christian, Riska, Blavi, they are more capable than that bitch. Why do you have to ask her to do it?” Niya said.

“Niya, everyone wants to go home. Do you want Christian to stay when we all go back to Maho Empire?” Anfey asked.

“Uh…” Niya was confused and did not know how to respond to Anfey.

“Since you are so against it. Ok, I will apologize to Suzanna. I am not going to talk to that bitch.” Anfey pulled Suzanna closer. “But, someone has to be in charge here. Niya, if you are against Alice being in charge, why don’t you be in charge?” Anfey said.

“Me?” Niya immediately panicked. “I …but I was never in charge of anything.”

“You can learn. No one is born to know how to manage things,” Anfey said.

“No, I cannot.” Knowing she could go home soon, Niya was so happy that she was even singing in her dream. After Anfey asked her to stay, she looked so disappointed, dark in the sky over Moramatch. She felt bad for Suzanna but now she felt bad for herself.

“Niya.” Anfey’s voice became very quiet, and he looked very serious. “Think about it, we had you stay in a safe place whenever there was a dangerous situation since we left Sacred City. We had you eat first at dinner. We never asked you to be on watch. Look over there, everyone is busy, but you can walk around. Ask yourself, what have you done for everyone. Nothing. Now it is the time for you to do something for everyone. Can you do it for us?” Anfey asked.

Niya was torn. On the one hand, she wanted to go home so badly, but on the other hand she believed what Anfey said to her was right. She was not a little kid anymore. She could not act like a loser all the time. She needed to prove she could be valuable. What Anfey asked her to do was not too much anyway. He neither asked her to fight with a vicious magic beast, nor asked her to do any impossible mission. He only asked her to stay.

Niya frowned, her eyes got moist and she started sniffling. After awhile, she finally agreed. “Ok, I will stay.”

“Are you sure you want to stay?” Anfey actually was a little shocked by Niya’s answer.

“Yes, Anfey, can you tell me what I should do?” Niya said with a trembling voice. She wanted to cry, but she could not cry here. Niya planned to go to the back of the hill to cry her eyes out when she was alone.

“Hahaha… Niya, I was joking with you.” Anfey suddenly laughed. “If I do not allow you to go back, professor probably will kill me.”

“You…Anfey! You asshole!” Niya stared wide-eyed. She jumped as she screamed. She kicked at Anfey.

The kick without combat power could be ignored. Anfey only wanted Niya to feel better. He even backed up few steps and made painful faces.

Suddenly, a white figure passed by as fast as lightening. Niya screamed and stepped back. She held her thigh with a painful face. Anfey faked his painful face, but not Niya.

The little guy stood between Anfey and NIya. The innocent blue eyes now looked cold. The fur behind his neck was blown by the wind. He looked like he was ready to fight.

Anfey did not fool Niya and Suzanna. Niya had wanted to add another kick. The little guy actually got fooled.

“You, ungrateful little unicorn. You are the same as Anfey.” Niya was so angry that her fingers started to shake when she saw the little unicorn attack her. She was mad that the little unicorn did not remember the time she took care of him.

“Let’s go back.” Suzanna hurried off, bending down and patting lightly on little unicorn’s hind quarters. She walked back to Niya and tried to comfort her.

“Impulse is the devil.” Anfey held the little unicorn in his arms and pointed at his nose a few times. He walked over to Niya. The little unicorn did not look feisty anymore. He lifted his head and looked around. He seemed to understand what happened. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. Interesting to know that not only humans knew how to fake sleep to avoid any awkwardness.

The group finally began their journey back to the city. Their caravan, made up of nearly thirty carriages, headed towards Transverse Mountain.

For a man that had been living in the desert, the lushness of the landscape would appear heavenly. For someone who had been living in such a landscape, however, it was nothing to be excited about. No one in the caravan seemed to be interested in the scenery outside. Everyone stayed inside their carriages and chatted.

After seven days of eventless traveling, the caravan left Transverse Mountain behind them. Ahead was a small checkpoint with the flags of Maho Empire.

With Black Eleven and Apa, the caravan quickly passed through the checkpoint and was not inspected. There was a large worksite behind the toll building, with thousands of people scurrying about, digging a deep trench. Maho Empire had learned its lesson, and was about to build a defensive wall that was better at keeping enemies out.

Everyone lifted the carriages’ curtains to look at the workers, and the topic of their conversations changed to the recent war. Anfey looked out the window, but did not become excited like the rest of the group. After the carriages left the mountains, his power became very limited. Without forests, the leaf was practically useless.

“What’s wrong?” Suzanna, who was very perceptive to Anfey’s mood changes, asked.

“I can’t see anything anymore,” Anfey said. He hid the leaf behind his shirt carefully.

“Don’t worry,” Suzanna said with a smile. “I’m still here.”

“It’s alright,” Anfey said. “It’s just…strange.” It was easy for a man to get used to a life of luxury, but it would be hard for him to try and get used to his old life after he had experienced a life of luxury. Anfey was used being able to observe his surroundings, but now that was taken away, he felt strange.

“Black Eleven said that a mansion is already being constructed in Violet City,” Suzanna said softly. “We can plant plenty of trees there.”

“Don’t worry,” Anfey said with a smile. “Suzanna, I am leaving tomorrow morning. No one knows except for Black Eleven.”

“Where are we going?”

“Violet City.”

“Why?”

“To do something we have to sooner or later,” Anfey said with a sigh. Due to his occupation, Anfey was very opposed to appearing in front of a large crowd of people. Now, however, it was not up him to decide. After he accepted the medal from Yolanthe, he would become a public figure no matter what he wanted. His mansion could become the center of attention.

At that moment, there were two threats to his and his companions’ lives. One was Evil Mist, and the other was Philip. Surely they would try to make a move after hearing that he would be getting a mansion in Violet City. He had to have a plan beforehand.

“I’m going with you,” Suzanna announced.

“We have to leave Shally behind, then,” Anfey said. “We can’t bring her.”

Suzanna nodded silently.

“Shally won’t get angry that I whisked her sister away again, would she?”

“Don’t worry,” Suzanna assured him. “Shally understands.”

“There may be people waiting for us. We will leave during the night,” Anfey said. “Black Eleven will take care of everything.”

“What will you do with the unicorn?” Suzanna asked, pointing at the unicorn, who was sleeping next to Anfey.

“It’s staying here.”

“You can’t,” Suzanna said. “Didn’t you hear what Christian said? The last time you left it went crazy. It was too magically powerful so they couldn’t do anything until it got tired.”

Anfey scratched his head and frowned. He did remember Christian talking about it.

“Christian set up an array with two magic crystals to trap it while it slept, but it didn’t work, and they ended up wasting crystals. It got sick the next day.”

“I know. He said that it used up too much energy but it didn’t have a way to replenish it,” Anfey said.

“That was in the tunnels. It couldn’t get out if it wanted to. We are outside, and Christian won’t be able to keep an eye on it all the time. He has other things to do. If someone caught it…” Suzanna shook her head and her voice trailed off. She stroked the unicorn. She would not allow it to be captured by people with malicious intent.

The unicorn opened its eyes and stood up. It moved over to door, poked its head through the curtains and whinnied. It was instinctual, done to ward off other powerful magic beasts.

The horses pulling the carriages were only normal horses, and were not familiar with the unicorn. For common animals like horses, it was only natural to fear magic beasts. The horses started and bolted. The carriage lurched forward. Thankfully the driver was very skillful, and managed to remain in control over the horses.

“Stop that, for goodness sake,” Suzanna said. She was glowing faintly, and grabbed the unicorn’s tail to pull it back into the carriage.

Anfey’s body turned and he balanced himself.

“Is everything alright, my lord?” someone outside asked.

“Everything’s fine,” Anfey replied.

“Keep yourselves under control,” Suzanna said sternly, tapping the unicorn’s head. She spoke softly, however, and did not sound threatening.

The unicorn looked at Suzanna, and turned its head away. Even though it had been dragged back into the carriage by its tail, it was still a proud creature.

Anfey raised his hand and slapped the unicorn’s head lightly. The unicorn whined and lay down on the floor, looking at Anfey fearfully.

Seeing the unicorn’s eyes, Anfey sighed and did not hit it again. “Taking it will expose us,” he said to Suzanna. It was no longer a secret that his team had an unicorn. A unicorn itself would be a surprising sight and would attract a lot of attention. It would make their journey harder than it needed to be.

“We have to,” Suzanna insisted. She was rarely stubborn, but she cared a lot about the unicorn.

“Why didn’t it grow up? It’s been a while now,” Anfey said, frowning. “If it’s as big as a horse, we could make a suit of armor for it so it would be harder for people to realize it’s a unicorn.”

“You can’t compare horses with unicorns,” Suzanna said. “Horses are too short-lived compared to unicorns. These things can live for hundreds, even thousands of years.”

“Are you serious?” Anfey said, his eyes wide. He had talked to other people about the unicorn, but no one ever told him about its life span. “You’re not saying that I won’t ever get a chance to ride it, are you?”

“Let me think,” Suzanna said. “I think it has a three year long infant stage, then it would start growing. I think there is a correlation between its energy intake and the time it matures. We can go ask Hagan and Hui Wei about it. I’m sure they know about it more than I do.”

“Let’s go later,” Anfey nodded and said. He stared at the unicorn and said, “I wish we can just put it in a Dimensional ring.”

Suzanna rolled her eyes.

“Anfey,” Black Eleven called from outside of the carriage.

“Come in,” Anfey said.

Black Eleven lifted the curtain and entered the carriage. He smiled at Suzanna, than sat down on the ground. “I already took care of everything,” he said in a hushed voice. “I had my men rent a room in Collow City up ahead. We can leave during the night. Apa will come with us.”

This was the difference between Black Eleven and Apa. When Apa was speaking to Anfey, he wanted Suzanna to leave because he did not trust her. When Black Eleven was speaking to him, he did not care if Suzanna was there. He that knew that he could trust Suzanna.

“Him? Who would take care of the caravan if both of you leave?”

“We have already passed all the checkpoints,” Black Eleven said. “There shouldn’t be any troubles. Apa spent seven years in Violet City, and is more familiar with it than all of us. He will be very helpful.”

“Alright,” Anfey said, nodding. “I’m afraid we have to take one more with us, though.”

“Who is it?”

Anfey looked at the unicorn, who was still crouching on the ground. Black Eleven frowned and said, “It will bring unnecessary troubles.”

“It’s Lady Suzanna’s order,” Anfey said. “I do what she says.”

“Is it?” Black Eleven said, smiling.

Suzanna blushed and glared at Anfey and Black Eleven, but her gaze was not intimidating at all.

Anfey, Suzanna and their crew quietly left the hotel at midnight. Anfey felt good about leaving, since they should be safe going back to Maho Empire. There were not many things to deal with, except he needed to make arrangements for the female slaves. He believed Christian could totally take care of it for him.

Compared with other people in the legion, the female slaves seemed a little worried about going back to their hometowns. After passin the border, the smiles on their faces were diminishing. They gathered in groups and chatted quietly. It was not an honorable experience to be enslaved. They could not hide that fact they were slaves, since their family and friends had seen them being taken away by the Shansa Empire’s soldiers. No one knew what their future would be. People might welcome them or back or make fun of and looked down upon them.

Anfey seemed to have similar feelings to female slaves. He unconsciously wanted to avoid Saul. Anything he had tried to hide from Saul had been exposed. How would Saul see him? In fact, Anfey had decided to secretly go to Violet City this time. This must have to do with his timidity. He was like a test taker who subconsciously wanted to know his grades as late as possible, since he was not so sure about the answers he wrote.

Black Eleven was pretty powerful in White Mountain City and Blackwater City. He was amazingly powerful in this place. He was incredibly efficient when he ran errands for Anfey. Black Eleven had planned everything well before Anfey could even think of it. A wagon with eight horses, an official approval to leave at night, 6-inch-high files with everything Anfey wanted to know, including the Violet City geography after the war, backgrounds and updates of royal families in different sizes, and even the profiles and religions of civilians.

As day broke, the Violet City gate opened. A wagon that had been waiting outside of the city for a while finally slowly drove into Violet City. No one had slept, but all four of them were not regular people, so they did not look sleepy.

“Anfey, do we go directly to your earl’s court?” Suzanna asked as she looked around the city in curiosity.

“No, Madam, I have sent people to let the mayor know that you are coming. He will wait for us at the Botanical Gardens,” Apa said with a smile. Maybe because he had not forgotten that he had offended Suzanna, or because Suzanna was already a senior swordswoman and could possibly become a master swordswoman, he was very polite to her.

“Botanical Gardens?” Anfey asked.

“It is the name of a hotel. It also has the most beautiful garden in Violet City.” Apa thought for a second and said, “Right now we still have enough time. Why don’t we drive around the city for a while? This way, master and your wife could know Violet City better. Some things can’t be found in the official files.”

“Is Violet City large?” Anfey asked in a low voice.

“Not small, master. Look at this map.” Apa pointed at the map. “If you walk along the main streets, you would not finish walking all of them until noon.”

Anfey looked at the map carefully. There were six main streets, three horizontally and three vertically. Each main street crossed the whole city. If it would take a half day to walk through the main streets, Anfey could figure out the scale of Violet City.

“Such a large city is all mine now?” Anfey asked with a suspicious tone. He did not get too excited when he learned that Yolanthe rewarded him Violet City. When he walked into Violet City today, he was clearly intrigued. Looking through the crack in his window, Anfey saw the street was so long that it seemed to have no end. Anfey thought to himself, “Is this big city all mine?”

Anfey normally had good vision for life, but he was still just a person who owned a condo in the other world. The law said the condo owner only had the property title for seventy years. No one could argue with the law. Anfey was really shocked to see such a big city actually belonged to him.

Anfey had to admit Yolanthe was somebody. People who received Yolanthe’s rewards usually were very happy. Only giving out plenty of rewards could make his followers feel grateful and want to work for the country and him. Anfey could not help thinking of the time of Chu-Han rebellion. Xiang Yu had to give out nobility titles to reward his followers. He had rubbed the seal so much that the edges of the seal got rounded, but he still could not decide what kind of rewards he would give out. He was brave like Robin Hood. He shed tears for soldiers, and killed many enemies on the battlefield. He only had military power, but lacked leadership qualities and a generous personality. If he just wanted to be a general, being stingy did not seem to be a problem. However, he wanted to be an emperor. In the end, people betrayed him one after another.

Anfey was shocked by Yolanthe’s rewards. He did admire him as well.

“Yes, Master,” Apa smiled.

“It will belong to me forever?” Anfey asked.

“Well… Master, your nobility title could not be inherited,” Apa answered.

Anfey’s excitement was cut in half. This was no better than a seventy-year property title. He was over twenty years old now. Could he live longer than 100 years?

“If you serve our country with distinction, our king is always generous with rewards,” Apa added.

“What kind of power do I have in Violet City?” Anfey asked.

Apa explained to Anfey in detail. As the owner of Violet City, he had great powers. He could appoint anyone to be the mayor. He could even be the mayor himself. He could change any rules, but had to follow the laws of Maho Empire. If a city owner killed a person on the street, he could not get away from it according to law. After Yolanthe took over the throne, he spent over ten years demolishing the inheritance system and the impunity in royal families with various tactics and bloody fights. It was like lighting up a candle in dark for a corrupted country. Of course, when royals committed crimes, they would have less serious punishments. A king had to take the royal family’s benefits into consideration to avoid any conflict with them. What he did was solely to try to constrain royal families and stop them from committing too many crimes.

Compared with other policy changes he made, the only benefit of this policy change was to help Yolanthe win people’s support. If anyone dared to talk bad about Yolanthe, no matter who he was, he could be beaten to death by an angry mob. Compared with other kings, its benefits were more obvious. Both Ellisen Empire and Shansa Empire were not politically stable. Shansa Empire only sent a Griffin Aerial Unit to the battle this time because there were riots by a large group of civilians and slaves. The conflicts among different social classes in Maho Empire started to get better. No matter which world, or what time, civilians were usually simple. As long as they had food and could survive, they would not risk their lives to riot.

Seeing Apa’s emphasis on strictly following the laws, Anfey was laughing inside. Anfey was able to see further than regular people. Big royal families used to have the authority to make laws, which caused different bills to pass in different cities. Take stealing as example: some thieves could be sentenced to death in some cities, their hands could be cut off in other cities, or taken to jail but also bailed out in other cities. On the one hand, standardizing the laws in different cities could make the country more transparent and prevent royals from harming others. On the other hand, it also foresaw the development of centralization of authority.

Anfey had an idea how strictly laws were enforced. Looking at it from an evil point of view, the criminals were fine if they were not caught. Anfey was an assassin in the other world. He had killed many people, even though he believed those people deserved it. However, he did kill people. From a hypercritical point of view, there were too many loopholes in the law. The lawyers would be unemployed and starving if there were no loopholes in the law. Anfey killed the grandson of Philip and over a dozen of others, but he was considered an honorable person in Maho Empire. Even Maho Empire would argue that Anfey was just killing in self defense, but how could it make sense if he killed more than a dozen of people.

If Yolanthe got to know he tried hard to subdue Philip and removed all the charges against Anfey, Anfey was still so critical about the laws in Maho Empire, Yolanthe probably would become incensed and curse Anfey and his whole family.

While Apa was explaining details to Anfey, he had driven the wagon from the northern wall to the southern wall in Violet City. Anfey looked out of the window to look at the sun. He suddenly asked, “Apa, if I am guessing right, the color of blood red should mean taking action, right?”

“Yes.” Apa nodded.

“Are you an assassin?” Anfey asked.

“Hmmm…yes,” Apa answered.

“You do not look like an assassin,” Anfey said.

“Master, what do you mean by that?” Apa did not get Anfey’s comment.

“You covered yourself very well. I could not tell what you do for a living by just talking to you.” Although Anfey was smiling, he sneered inside. “What do I mean? I meant you talk too much,” Anfey thought to himself.

“Master, you must be joking.” Apa shook his head with a smile. “I would have died a long time ago if people could tell what I do for a living.”

“Black Eleven, the main part of your job is to seek information, right?” Anfey asked.

“Yes,” Black Eleven answered.

“I think you guys should switch jobs. One could really talk and look like a person seeking out information, while the other one always has a poker face and looks like an assassin.”

“Me? When did I have a poker face? No, you have a poker face!” Black Eleven rebutted angrily.

“When I just met you, you wore a black cloth on your face. Luckily, I am not a chicken, otherwise I would have been scared to death,” Anfey said.

“Had we not just met? I did not know you.” Black Eleven felt a little awkward and tried to explain. “And, I have a scar on my face. I could be identified easily because of it.”

“You give very short answers too. Look at Apa, he knows how to talk. You should learn from him,” Anfey said.

“Ok, ok. I will change, ok?” Black Eleven said with a helpless tone.

Apa smiled in response to Anfey’s compliments. Anfey praised him for the talking skills, which in turn made feel uneasy to continue talking.

Apa ordered the caravan to turn and headed towards the inn around noon. According to Apa, the sheriff of the city, Urter, was a very capable man. After the city fell, he hid in the slums with the homeless and the beggars, and thus avoided the Shansa soldiers’ search. After the soldiers left, he came out of hiding to maintain order in the city.

Normally, the city would have been plagued by chaos due to the power vacuum. Urter was the one that stabilized the city and prevented further damage.

Violet City was famous for its beauty, but because of the Shansa occupation, it was nothing close to beautiful. The streets were filled with filth, and the homes that lined the streets were mostly destroyed. There were only a few people on street, and their expressions were apathetic at best. Apa told Anfey that out of the two hundred thousand people that had inhabited the city, around three thousand were killed, and over ten thousand were missing. Most of the missing were women between the ages of fifteen and thirty. Over five thousand women were confirmed captured by the Shansa soldiers. Which meant at least five thousand families had lost their daughters and wives.

Anfey asked Apa whether it was possible to find the missing persons, but Apa simply shrugged and said it was almost impossible. The women would not be treated well. If they were sold into slavery, the slave owners at least would not beat and starve them. If they remained with the Shansa soldiers, their fate would be much worse. The siege of Blackania City had been going on for too long, and the soldiers were frustrated. When the soldiers became agitated, they would take it out on the women they kept as prisoners. Many of the women could be found if someone try to dig through the Shansa campsites.

Five thousand was only the number of the confirmed casualties. Maho Empire lost seventeen cities on the eastern front. What would the combined casualties be? The number would be terrifyingly large.

When a kingdom prospered, its people thrived. If a kingdom suffered, however, the people suffer even more. Maho Empire would ask for a large sum of money for retribution, but it would be used on rebuilding cities and armies. The people would not get any compensation for their losses.

Apa jumped out of the carriage first after they arrived at the inn. He knocked on the roof of the carriage and told Anfey and Suzanna that it was safe for them to get off.

Anfey lifted the curtain of the carriage and pointed at a basket. The unicorn looked at Anfey and saw that he was very serious. It stood up and moved into the basket unhappily. In order to avoid trouble, Anfey trained the unicorn to sit still in the basket. Even though the high tier magic beasts were intelligent, the unicorn was still too young to understand the commands.

Suzanna took the basket and covered it with a piece of black fabric. She wanted to talk to Anfey and release the unicorn, but it was not possible. She knew Anfey too well, and she knew that the unicorn’s gaze could soften her, but not him.

The four of them walked into the inn. The inside of the inn was quiet and empty. It was a large inn, but all the tables were empty. Two maids were napping on the counter. Hearing footsteps, they started awake and turned, visibly relaxing when they realized it wasn’t Shansa soldiers.

The two maids glanced at the three newcomers, and their gazes fell on Suzanna. They were shocked by how beautiful she was, and the fact that she had been spared by the soldiers.

Apa walked over and said something to the maids in a hushed voice. The maids nodded, and one of them turned to lead the three towards the second floor. She stopped in front of a door, and opened it for Suzanna and Anfey. She kept staring at Suzanna, which made her uncomfortable. Suzanna was afraid that the maid would discover what was in the basket.

Black Eleven closed the door behind him, shutting out the prying eyes of the maid. The first thing Suzanna did was take the fabric off of the basket and let the unicorn jump out. Even though it had only been confined to the basket for a short amount of time, it was unbearable for a magic beast who loved freedom.

“Sir, do you need anything?” the maid outside asked timidly.

“Not yet,” Black Eleven said. “Apa, where is that sheriff? Shouldn’t he be waiting for us?” Black Eleven already knew what was going to happen. Yolanthe had ordered him to help Anfey in his future endeavors, which meant he must look out for him. Anfey was the new lord of this city, and it was very rude to keep him waiting.

“I don’t know,” Apa said with a shrug. “He’s busy. Maybe he got held up.”

Black Eleven shook his head disapprovingly and sat down on a nearby chair.

After a few moments, a knock came. Apa walked over and opened the door.

A man in his mid-thirties walked into the room. He smiled at Apa apologetically. “I apologize,” he said, “for my lateness. We’ve just discovered some bodies and I was needed at the scene.”

Anfey looked at the man. Judging from his appearance, he was just an ordinary person. No one, however, acted the way the looked. There were many things, such as body language and expressions, that could be used to judge a man’s characters.

After he jumped out of the carriage, Anfey had observed his surrounding. The streets were almost empty, and there were no carriages on the road. Even if the sheriff had arrived as soon as they entered the inn, he would still not knock on the door this fast. He was either already around, or already in the inn.

“I shouldn’t be the one you are apologizing to,” Apa said with a smile. He glanced at Anfey and said, “This is Urter, the sheriff of Violet City.”

The unicorn walked over curiously and looked at Urter. Suzanna stood and called, “Come here.”

The unicorn bounced back to Suzanna and rubbed itself on her leg. It knew very well that it should never anger Suzanna. If it angered Anfey, Suzanna would try to protect it. If it angered Suzanna, no one would protect it from Anfey’s anger.

Urter narrowed his eyes. Everything, from the way it walked to its speed, indicated that it was not just a common pet. What kind of men keep unicorns as pets?

“Please wait for a few moments. I have some things I need to take care of,” Urter said. He walked over to the door and called down the corridor, “Don’t wait for me.”

“Yes, sir,” someone outside replied.

Urter closed the door behind him and glanced at the people in the room. His eyes fell on Anfey. “What did you want to talk about, my lord?”

“Let’s sit and talk,” Anfey said.

“No, no. I am quite alright standing, if that does not bother you,” Urter said, smiling.

“Just sit down,” Suzanna said. She pulled out a chair for Urter and smiled at him. It was strange to go from a mercenary to the lord of a city. Suzanna was still getting used to it.

“Thank you, thank you,” Urter said. He glanced at Anfey, then sat down slowly.

“I’m not going to waste anytime,” Anfey said. “I’m Anfey, and I need some information, since this will be my home from now on.”

Urter’s eyes widened. “You’re Lord Anfey, then?” Due to political needs, Yolanthe had described Anfey as a hero. He was fearless, and was ready to face challenges such as the Griffins Aerial Squad. Urter now knew what kind of men kept unicorns as pets.

“You know me?” Anfey asked. He wasn’t sure what Yolanthe had done, and was surprised. Even if Urter had found out he was the lord of Violet City, he should not be that shocked.