Chapter 169: Chapter 169, Mitigating Crime with Sword_l
Translator: 549690339
The City Lord’s Hall was spacious and bright.
A censer filled with burning incense was placed on the wooden table in front of them, emitting wafts of fragrant scent.
The blue curtains were drawn to shield from the glaring afternoon sun.
The bandit’s head had been taken away by the guards, and now Fang Hao and Anjia were waiting for the arrival of the City Lord of Pruell City.
They had been waiting for twenty minutes.
Fang Hao was killing time by reading the Book of Lords, whereas Anjia was getting a bit restless.
She was mumbling to herself, criticizing the City Lord for being too arrogant and fantasizing about bringing the Bone Dragon here to raze his house tomorrow.
Thump, thump, thump!
The sound of footsteps was growing louder, accompanied by the noise of armor friction from the corridor, steadily becoming more distinct.
Immediately thereafter, a man wearing a blue embroidered robe, escorted by two guards, walked in.
The man seemed to be approaching fifty. His hair was slicked back, and his thick beard was neatly groomed. His brow was slightly furrowed as his eyes scanned over the two young individuals seated in the sitting room.
This was Cyril, the City Lord of Pruell City.
[Heavy Arrow – Cyril (Blue Level 5 Hero)]
Upon entering, Cyril flashed a friendly smile and cordially said, “So you two youngsters are the heroes who defeated the bandit leader.”
“Yes, my Lord, these two indeed brought the head.” One of the guards replied.
During the twenty minutes that Fang Hao and Anjia had been waiting.
The stewards of the City Lord’s Mansion had been investigating Fang Hao and Anjia by visiting Tavek, a cloth merchant, and a tavern.
From Tavek and his young daughter, they learned about Fang Hao’s considerable army possessions.
As well as his authority over the army.
Although the merchant’s daughter was blindfolded at the time, she could still hear a lot.
Tavek also provided some of his speculations.
For instance, Fang Hao could potentially be the young master of a large clan, who, relying on his interest, could easily establish a factory and mobilize a large number of people within his family.
Similar information was heard at the tavern, where he spent 1000 Gold Coins on a short sword simply because it was aesthetically pleasing.
Such signs led Cyril to guess that Fang Hao was indeed a young master from a significant family.
This was why his opening remark was typical flattery between nobles.
“My Lord.” as a courtesy, Fang Hao rose to his feet with a smile.
Anjia gave them a sidelong glance, standing up albeit somewhat reluctantly.
“Haha, good, good. Please sit, there’s no need to be so formal.” Cyril nodded in approval and took his seat at the head of the table.
Fang Hao accordingly returned to his seat.
Servants poured them some wine and served some local pastries that Fang Hao had never seen before.
They must be specialities of Pruell City.
“My name is Cyril, and I’m the City Lord here. May I have your names?” Cyril asked, pretending to be ignorant.
“Fang Hao. This is my bodyguard, Anjia.” Fang Hao introduced themselves.
“Oh, I see. So, Mr. Fang Hao, could you tell me how you discovered the bandits and how you managed to eradicate them?” Cyril leaned forward slightly, looking as though he was eagerly anticipating a story.
Fang Hao gave a slight smile. Making up stories wasn’t hard.
“May I ask whether you’re familiar with Mr. Tavek?”
“Yes, he’s a local cloth merchant. What does this matter have to do with him?”
“The day before yesterday, I was adventuring in the forest with my family’s army and happened to rescue Mr. Tavek’s real daughter. After returning the girl to Mr. Tavek, I visited the tavern and notice the bounty on the notice board. So, I took the soldiers…”
“… I do not know which village those bandits had plundered, but it turned out they had just returned to their camp when my men completely wiped them out. Their heads were then brought here.”
The best stories always mix truth with fiction.
Incorporating familiar people or objects into your narrative would make it more believable.
Tavek and the bounty at the tavern.
Regardless of whether the other party previously knew about Fang Hao, these two elements would significantly increase the credibility of the story.
After hearing Fang Hao’s silver-tongued tale, Cyril took a sip from his wine glass.
However, his eyes kept flicking back to Fang Hao and Anjia.
The story was very well-rounded and exceedingly plausible. He became increasingly certain that Fang Hao indeed had a strong backup.
The bounty posted at the tavern was merely for show for the civilians.
1OOO Gold Coins wasn’t even close to enough to mobilize an army to eliminate bandits, or else the bounty wouldn’t have remained unclaimed for so long.
Fang Hao accepted it, and he succeeded.
It seemed his family must be looking for opportunities to hone this young master’s skills, and money was a trivial matter.
“My Lord? Lord Cyril?” Fang Hao called out softly as he saw Cyril staring blankly, holding his wine glass aloft.
Fang Hao thought to himself, ‘Does this old man have an illness? Why is he staring blankly like that?’
“Oh, I see.” Cyril turned his head and told a guard standing beside him, “Bring the reward.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
A guard left to fetch the bounty.
“By the way, Mr. Fang Hao, which city do you live in? What does your family do…” Cyril began to ask casually.
Fang Hao responded with fabricated stories, stating that his city was located northwest of Pruell City and his family ran a variety of businesses.
While they chatted, Fang Hao’s gaze fell upon a weapon displayed in a showcase in the hall.
It was a rapier with a dazzlingly white blade and hilt that caught Fang Hao’s attention early on.
“Lord Cyril, this weapon is beautifully crafted.” Fang Hao got up and naturally walked over to the rapier.
“Of course it is; it’s an excellent piece of my collection.” Cyril said.
“May I…” Fang Hao asked if he could pick it up for a closer look.
“Please go ahead.”
Fang Hao grasped the hilt with one hand and lightly supported the blade with the other, lifting the rapier from its stand.
[Swords of Absolution (Purple)]
[Type: Rapier]
[Damage: Level 3 Damage]
(Description: A rapier that has killed its own master. Legend says that whoever possesses this sword will suffer agonizing pain leading to death.)
Just as suspected, it was a Sword of Absolution.
The information he had gotten from the tavern’s storyteller was correct. The City Lord did indeed possess a Sword of Absolution.
“The allure of this sword lies not in its appearance but the story behind it.” Cyril also came over and stood by Fang Hao’s side.
Not wanting to reveal that he already knew the tale, Fang Hao could only ask, “Oh? What’s the story?”
“There are twelve identical swords in total, and they belonged to a well-known lady countess…” Cyril started narrating a story similar to that of the tavern’s storyteller.
Although there were some differences, the main plotline was the same.
Clang!
At that moment, the guard, who had left to fetch the bounty, returned. In his hands was a wooden box clinking with 1000 shiny Gold Coins of the Human Clan.
“My Lord, I’ve brought the bounty.” The guard announced.
“Hmm.” Cyril turned to Fang Hao. “That’s your bounty, count it.”
Fang Hao took the coins but did not bother to count. Instead, his eyes remained on the rapier as he bluntly inquired, “1 am very fond of this rapier. I wonder if Lord Cyril would be willing to part with it? Of course, we can negotiate a price..”